The Little Things

The little things.... they are easily forgotten.
But the little things are too important to forget.
The little things that make us smile or laugh.
The little things that we think we could never forget.

But we will unless we write them down.

******************************************************************************************************************
Where did the month of March go? Suddenly, we are just one month away from Ella and Aidan's 2nd Birthday!

This past month brought lots of laughs, lots of tears, ear infections, new words and new friends. We are grateful to have such a wonderful life with our little miracles, and treasure each and every moment!

Let's see, here is what I will share from their journals from their 22nd month!

Ella
She is an independent, stubborn little thing, yet still very reliant upon Mommy. She tends to get shy very quickly and will lower her head, slowly begin to cry, look up at with her crocodile tears and utter a small whimper of “Mommy”. At playdates she is getting increasingly clingy and tends to stay by my side – typically requesting to be in my lap or to be carried.

Ella literally does not stop talking – from the moment she wakes up to the moment she falls asleep! Her enunciation is amazing and she really loves to learn. I have been trying to get her to answer “2” when asked how old she is – right now, she holds up one finger and says “1”!

She is very particular about her crib – all animals must be in the same place. Also must have her crib aquarium set to particular setting and song. When she wakes in the morning or from naps we often hear her pushing the buttons and rotating through the songs. Inevitably, this is followed with an “uh-oh” as she winds up turning the whole thing off!

• Knows and says the difference between up / down, hot / cold, on / off
• Has funny little sayings / pairings of words that she always says– “Bye-Bye, Later”, “Thank You, Welcome”, “More, Again”, “Come On”, “O, Whapit” (Oh, What Happened)
• Understands humor – often does something, looks at you and says, “Ha, Funny!”
• Knows all of the primary colors with a few extra for good measure!

• Knows basic shapes – square, circle, triangle, oval, diamond

• LOVES The Very Hungry Caterpillar – loves to point out and name all of the foods!

• Enjoys helping you stand up by grabbing your hands and saying “up”

Aidan

Aidan is slowly coming out of his shell. He has always been the quiet one, but lately he has been adding words and trying to say new things. He does not enunciate his words much at all, so that is a bit of concern. We have noticed that he is MUCH more vocal when Ella is not around. Perhaps because it is the only time he can hear himself think!

He is still so easy going and laid back, but can be really irritable after naps – often whining, crying and being simply inconsolable for about ½ hour. He wants to be held, wants down, wants his cup, refuses his cup.

• Now joins Ella in saying “Daddy Work”
• Has a favorite song that we learned at gymnastics – “Boys, Boys Jump Up and Down”
• Gets upset at a restaurant when the waiter / waitress removes plates from the table
• Absolutely LOVES to peek through / around things and say “Hi!”

• Loves to walk around in our shoes
• Knows and says the difference between up / down and hot / cold

• Talks to the trucks and planes in his room when he is supposed to be sleeping

• Beginning to grasp the concept of colors. When asked what color something is, he usually says green!
• LOVES Goodnight Moon – his favorite part is locating the mouse!


Both
Ella and Aidan are growing up so quickly! They are happy, happy children who exhibit a sparkle for life and an energy level that is astounding! They are both so much FUN! The chaos of just trying to make it from day to day is gone and it is like a fog has been lifted and we can finally relax and just embrace and enjoy them! Sure, we worry about milestones and development, but we are finally able to observe more rather than needing to control their every movement.

They seem to find comfort in the daily routine and knowing “what comes next”. Before they were born I had read so much about the importance of schedule and routine in the lives of little ones, and I am SO thankful that we established ours early on and have stuck to it ever since (adapting as they grow and their needs changed, but still within the same skeletal structure).

Both Ella and Aidan adore music and dancing and I hope to enroll them in a music class over the summer. We have also enrolled them in swimming lessons at an aquatic center right around the corner from our house that begin later this month.

We have begun working on discipline tactics (time outs, etc) and boundaries / definitions of what we (as a family) define as acceptable and unacceptable behavior . They are generally very well-behaved little children, but they do have their moments! We hope to nip any bad behavior in the bud early in hopes of preventing anything worse as they get older. It may all be in vain, but at least we are trying!

I guess our biggest news is that they will start preschool in the fall! We are all super excited about this transition – they will be going to “school” on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:15 AM – 1:00 PM.