Milo and Nora are 23 months old, almost 2. It's hard to believe. I have taken few pictures since last time, which is an indication of how crazy the past month has been. Recently I was looking at some pictures and videos from when the kids turned 1 and I was struck by how many changes they have gone through. This time last year they were still babies, not yet walking, barely talking, not even old enough to fight with each other. And now, look at them -- running around like a couple of big kids, developing mad ball skillz, identify letters and shapes and numbers, and duking it out with the best of them.Milo. He's friendly with people. He tries to make friends with other kids, including big kids. Recently he charmed a 7th-grader by asking him to make a basket. Once you hang out with him for an hour or so, he'll climb up on the sofa with you and ask you to read book after book. Milo is a little charmer these days.
A week or so ago Milo was walking in the reeds and weeds and a stick somehow got stuck up his sleeve and created a long, nasty scratch from his inner elbow to his armpit. It wasn't a deep scratch, but it looked pretty bad for quite a while and poor Milo was freaked out by the sight of it. It got so that whenever it was time to change his shirt, he'd start crying in anticipation of seeing that scratch. It really disturbed him. Milo is a sensitive kid with a strong imagination. I feel like I know what he's all about. I identify with Milo.
The kids have developed some imaginative play, and Milo puts that to use to pretend that he's going bye-bye, like he's going to the store, to school, or to work. This mainly involves putting some sort of bag over his shoulder (or alternatively, on his head) and walking around that way. Sometimes he'll also put my shoes on for that extra je ne sais quois.
Milo is getting a little more aggressive these days. Sometimes he'll decide that it is a good idea to push, hit, or kick Nora. He sort of does it as an experiment, not really in anger all that much. We respond appropriately (I hope) and he knows he's not allowed to do it, but it is admittedly still a bit puzzling. Milo is also extremely possessive of his toys. Anything Nora wants that Milo views as "his" (like any ball, ever) is totally off-limits from Milo's perspective. If Nora happens to wander by and so much as glance at one of our 800 balls lying around the house, Milo will pitch a fit. At the same time, with practice and adult guidance, Milo can and does share. Recently Nora was crying about something, I don't remember what, and Milo bent down and picked up one of his balls and brought it over to Nora, offering it to her. I guess he figured that holding a ball always makes him feel waaaaay better, so maybe it would help Nora too.
Milo's favorite exclamation whenever he drops something is "Oh damn it" (believe me, we're working on that). His favorite thing to do is play with balls, or alternatively, cuddle up to read a book. Milo's favorite person is still daddy, and his favorite kitty is Caspian, and his favorite food seems to be all of them, but french toast might be the final winner. Milo still takes a solid 3-hour nap, and remains the sleep champion of all babies and toddlers. Milo remains a pretty happy go lucky kid who is fairly independent and confident.
Nora. Nora has learned to give kisses and she loves doing that now. She will even kiss Milo, which he thinks is hilarious. Nora is such a people-oriented person. She really likes to interact with us, talk to us, hold and be held, give us kisses, and get tickled. Nora is shy and intensely suspicious around new people, but she warms up in time. She's not a wildly affectionate kid with people in general, but she is so affectionate with us, her family.
Nora can now recognize the words "Nora" and "Milo", and she has just this week started spelling out the letters in those words. (Sometimes accurately, sometimes not). In fact, any time she sees an "M" anywhere, Nora will say "M for Milo!" Tonight at dinner Nora pointed at the table and said "T for table!" Where does she get this stuff? Nora really enjoys coloring with crayons and instructing us to make various shapes and letters.
Nora is also starting to get into some imaginative play. She will take a block or some other object and pretend that it is a cup and that she is drinking coffee. She also likes to pretend talking on the phone, complete with "Hello, how are YOU????" Nora likes to pretend to cook with her own pot and spoon when I am cooking at the stove. Neither kid has any interest in dolls yet. I'm going to give them each a doll on their birthday (which I have been saving since a year ago, because I bought them for their 1st birthday but didn't give them to the kids since they didn't seem interested yet). Nora isn't into balls like Milo is, but she's not into dolls either, so she's really more of a creative drawing/reading/coloring type, I guess.
Nora's sleep has improved since I put her back on reflux medicine. I'm glad for her sake and for mine. Currently she's struggling again due to some teeth coming in, but in general at least the up-all-night-burping-spitting-up stuff has gone away. Nora is a solid hour-and-a-half napper, but that's about it, so we always have a lot more alone time with Nora because she naps so much less than Milo. Nora spends most of that time asking over and over again where Milo is. Nora has a strong need to repeatedly locate everybody in her world. She wants to keep track of us all.
Nora's favorite food is probably strawberries, or any kind of fruit. Her favorite book is Stellaluna. Her favorite toy at playgroup is the trike, which is too big for her, but she likes to get on it and steer around. Nora also loves to jump, and to hang from her arms. Nora loves to wear her sunglasses, and to put her hair up in a bow or a rubber band. Like Milo, Nora is a big talker and can endlessly keep up a running monologue.
The last month has been crazy busy. I'm even late with this update, since they turned 23 months a couple of days ago. I feel like I have no time for anything and it's all starting to reach a head, but having M&N around definitely keeps me grounded and takes my head out of work, which is a good thing. I can't believe they're going to be 2 next month. I guess that whole thing about time flying really is true. The days crawl, but the years fly.
A week or so ago Milo was walking in the reeds and weeds and a stick somehow got stuck up his sleeve and created a long, nasty scratch from his inner elbow to his armpit. It wasn't a deep scratch, but it looked pretty bad for quite a while and poor Milo was freaked out by the sight of it. It got so that whenever it was time to change his shirt, he'd start crying in anticipation of seeing that scratch. It really disturbed him. Milo is a sensitive kid with a strong imagination. I feel like I know what he's all about. I identify with Milo.
The kids have developed some imaginative play, and Milo puts that to use to pretend that he's going bye-bye, like he's going to the store, to school, or to work. This mainly involves putting some sort of bag over his shoulder (or alternatively, on his head) and walking around that way. Sometimes he'll also put my shoes on for that extra je ne sais quois.Milo is getting a little more aggressive these days. Sometimes he'll decide that it is a good idea to push, hit, or kick Nora. He sort of does it as an experiment, not really in anger all that much. We respond appropriately (I hope) and he knows he's not allowed to do it, but it is admittedly still a bit puzzling. Milo is also extremely possessive of his toys. Anything Nora wants that Milo views as "his" (like any ball, ever) is totally off-limits from Milo's perspective. If Nora happens to wander by and so much as glance at one of our 800 balls lying around the house, Milo will pitch a fit. At the same time, with practice and adult guidance, Milo can and does share. Recently Nora was crying about something, I don't remember what, and Milo bent down and picked up one of his balls and brought it over to Nora, offering it to her. I guess he figured that holding a ball always makes him feel waaaaay better, so maybe it would help Nora too.
Milo's favorite exclamation whenever he drops something is "Oh damn it" (believe me, we're working on that). His favorite thing to do is play with balls, or alternatively, cuddle up to read a book. Milo's favorite person is still daddy, and his favorite kitty is Caspian, and his favorite food seems to be all of them, but french toast might be the final winner. Milo still takes a solid 3-hour nap, and remains the sleep champion of all babies and toddlers. Milo remains a pretty happy go lucky kid who is fairly independent and confident.Nora. Nora has learned to give kisses and she loves doing that now. She will even kiss Milo, which he thinks is hilarious. Nora is such a people-oriented person. She really likes to interact with us, talk to us, hold and be held, give us kisses, and get tickled. Nora is shy and intensely suspicious around new people, but she warms up in time. She's not a wildly affectionate kid with people in general, but she is so affectionate with us, her family.
Nora can now recognize the words "Nora" and "Milo", and she has just this week started spelling out the letters in those words. (Sometimes accurately, sometimes not). In fact, any time she sees an "M" anywhere, Nora will say "M for Milo!" Tonight at dinner Nora pointed at the table and said "T for table!" Where does she get this stuff? Nora really enjoys coloring with crayons and instructing us to make various shapes and letters.
Nora is also starting to get into some imaginative play. She will take a block or some other object and pretend that it is a cup and that she is drinking coffee. She also likes to pretend talking on the phone, complete with "Hello, how are YOU????" Nora likes to pretend to cook with her own pot and spoon when I am cooking at the stove. Neither kid has any interest in dolls yet. I'm going to give them each a doll on their birthday (which I have been saving since a year ago, because I bought them for their 1st birthday but didn't give them to the kids since they didn't seem interested yet). Nora isn't into balls like Milo is, but she's not into dolls either, so she's really more of a creative drawing/reading/coloring type, I guess.Nora's sleep has improved since I put her back on reflux medicine. I'm glad for her sake and for mine. Currently she's struggling again due to some teeth coming in, but in general at least the up-all-night-burping-spitting-up stuff has gone away. Nora is a solid hour-and-a-half napper, but that's about it, so we always have a lot more alone time with Nora because she naps so much less than Milo. Nora spends most of that time asking over and over again where Milo is. Nora has a strong need to repeatedly locate everybody in her world. She wants to keep track of us all.
Nora's favorite food is probably strawberries, or any kind of fruit. Her favorite book is Stellaluna. Her favorite toy at playgroup is the trike, which is too big for her, but she likes to get on it and steer around. Nora also loves to jump, and to hang from her arms. Nora loves to wear her sunglasses, and to put her hair up in a bow or a rubber band. Like Milo, Nora is a big talker and can endlessly keep up a running monologue.The last month has been crazy busy. I'm even late with this update, since they turned 23 months a couple of days ago. I feel like I have no time for anything and it's all starting to reach a head, but having M&N around definitely keeps me grounded and takes my head out of work, which is a good thing. I can't believe they're going to be 2 next month. I guess that whole thing about time flying really is true. The days crawl, but the years fly.
1 comment:
days crawl, but years fly. I like that. So true.
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