Twenty Months!

*Sorry for the delay on this post, everybody. I have been having some issues with Blogger and it really stalled my publish time on this.  I started the week before Thanksgiving and here we finally are!

With the holidays right around the corner, I know the next several months are going to fly by.   Our little guys are one year old right now but I know that in the blink of an eye we will have two two-year olds.  To be honest, I tend to round their age up in my head and often think of them as being two years old anyways.  I am not in a hurry for them to grow up, honest I am not, but they have become such little men lately that I tend to think of them as such. When people see them in public, they generally guess that they are two years old because they like to talk...a lot.

The boys are both very verbal.  I think positive peer pressure has a lot to do with this.  Abraham is like a little parrot and copies everything we say and I think Winston realizes that in order to keep up with Abraham that he has to talk too.  In fact, Winston even out talks Abraham now when it comes to having "conversations" with us or himself.  They are starting to identify colors and are learning to count 1-10.  Abraham can do most of the sequence by himself but he gets shy about doing it in front of people.  Both boys LOVE showing off their knowledge of animal sounds.  Their favorite, especially Abraham's, is the sound a rooster makes.  They say it like "how-doo-doo-doo" and even lift their head up like a rooster would.

The boys got a hair cut again earlier this month and it is becoming more traumatic for all involved with each successive time. They just cry and cry.  Obviously Eric and I get really stressed about that because we do not want them to be afraid. We try to make them feel comfortable and secure with the whole process but nothing seems to help with it.  Growing pains, right?  It is funny how little stuff like that is what parents have such a hard time with.

Winston (left) and Abraham

The boys love Sesame Street and especially the character Elmo.  They love music and are constantly asking to listen to music when they are eating their meals, when they are put into their car seats and when they are even playing.  They want to dance and then tell me "music, happy."  Both boys have said their first full sentence, "I love you."  Winston said it first and then Abraham followed within the week. They have also begun saying, "How are you?" but it is not always very clear. They are starting to say small phrases like "raisins please."   I hear "hold you" a lot and they pat the couch and tell me "sit" and "lap." They are good eaters and they are constantly requesting apple sauce and cookies.  Their requests are not necessarily a reflection of what I feed them frequently but once they find something they really like, they make sure they ask for it.  Seriously, they ask for apple sauce first thing when they wake up.  We joke that it is like toddler crack, just try it once and you have an addict on your hands.

They love books, toy cars and taking baths.  They can understand the concept of waiting now.  I can tell them before they take a nap that after they wake up we are going on a car ride and will visit their Grammy.  Sure enough they wake up and start chanting "car ride...Grammy!" They understand if I tell them that they have to wait for bedtime for a bath or that they can eat something but not right now.  They did so great with our drive home and I think a lot of it was that I explained we were going to be in the car all day, that we had to go see papa and drive back to our green house in Nevada.  It has drastically changed their behavior because they no longer get as frustrated. It is such a blessing!  Did I mention these kids are still on two naps a day?  It is both a blessing and a curse.  Their morning naps are still 1.5-2 hours and show no sign of really dropping off.  I am looking forward to one nap a day and how it is really going to open up the schedule for play dates and other activities.

A couple more photos from our visit to So Cal.

Abraham is a funny little guy. He LOVES his stuffed lion which we named Leo.  In fact, Leo has officially made our Christmas card photo.  He is starting to really take off with potty training which makes us really proud of him.  He has a lot of energy and is quite the wiggle worm.  He loves to show us items in books and brings out his plastic play food proudly identifying all the different items.  Abraham is beginning to understand different colors and can tell for example that a strawberry is red.  He is really into copying adult speech and gains new words really quickly.  We brought some new plants into the house and he referred to them as trees.  I explained that they had green leaves like trees but they are called plants instead.  Sure enough, every time he sees them he makes sure to point out and identify the plants. 

Winston has filled out in the last month and has begun to look so much like Eric when he smiles. Winston is our hug and kiss giver and even asks for kisses from us sometimes.  We are happy to oblige of course.  He narrowly edges out Abraham for the most extroverted and likes to say hi to everyone he sees.  He is also a wee bit of a stinker and likes to give us sly little looks when he intentionally disobeys.  Winston likes to spin around in circles and make himself dizzy.  He answers requests such as asking him to put a toy away with "okay."  He has a really sweet disposition and we are so grateful.

These kids are so much fun right now.  They are really starting to shine as individuals.  We are working on the whining thing and obeying with a happy heart.  It is not easy some days but seeing them thrive and flourish has been a tremendous joy.  We are so thankful for these little boys.