Growth

*Warning. This post is a giant rambling mess where I’m just writing so as not to forget some of life’s details. Read at your own risk.

You know how it is when you live with someone every day and you just don’t notice all the subtle changes in them? I know that happens to me with the kids and one day they’ll do something new and then a few days later it isn’t new anymore…it’s just something they do, a part who they are.

These aren’t huge milestone things, obviously, just little things like a silly saying or phrase or even just a funny look a baby will give you because they just realized they could. It’s awesome to watch a baby complete a “first”.

Dakota’s crawling, shaking anything and everything she gets her hands on, banging things together, playing peek-a-boo and even playing with the dog’s rope toy (with the dog!). She pulls up to any surface she can get her hands on and has already tried to turn and walk away from whatever she’s holding in an attempt to walk. It’s mind blowing how much she’s changed over just the last month.

She likes to sit and “cook” whenever I’m in the kitchen. She slides the pans and lids across the floor and taste tests everything. Harper enjoys playing with the pots and pans too, but his way of playing is more realistic as he likes to put some of his plastic food in the pots to stir.

It’s nice when I can engage both of them with a simple activity like this. They aren’t really all that different when it comes to play. They like the same things, they just do them differently. He’s into pretend play and make believe, she’s still learning how everything feels, smells, sounds and tastes. Mostly tastes. :)

More and more often I can pull out a toy that both kids will enjoy. A few days ago it was the car mat, cars and ramps. It was out for two days and we played with it for hours and hours.

Harper is still working on potty training. He does pretty good, but only if I tell him it’s time to go. He refuses to tell me when he needs to go and if I don’t just make him go, he goes in his pants. We only do pull-ups at night and if we’re going to be out for a long stretch, other than that, it’s underwear all the time.

Harper has developed a massive vocabulary. He just talks and talks and talks. Not annoyingly, but he’s just a talker with a gigantic vocabulary. He says things that surprise me. For instance, tonight while we were playing, I got up and closed the blinds. He said “Thanks for doing that the sun was in my eyes” then he leaned back on some pillows and said “this is much more comfortable”. What two year old says that? Harper, that’s who. And, as you can see, he’s got decent manners…unless you piss him off. Then he’s a big ball of 2 year old fury and you just better look out. He’ll be happily playing one minute and the next a stark raving mad lunatic. Don’t believe me? Try him.