Isaac and Bethany are 21 months old. I have to admit it's funny how surprised parents (including myself) act when their kid hits a new age or milestone. I mean, didn't we see this coming? By the time my two hit 20 months, I was pretty sure we'd make it to see 21 months. So really I had at least a one month warning. I was actually just thinking yesterday,
Yeah, it definitely feels like 21 months have gone by. We experienced and survived and lived each and every month. It's been fun, really fun, but it hasn't always been a walk on the beach. I can't say that it's flown by.
But then again... they are 21 months old!! Surprise! Does that kind of blow anyone else's mind? I think about how far they've come, how they are now full-blown kids who do kid things like talk and count and pretend and fight and tease and hide and chase and blow zerberts on each other's bellies. It's crazy that they're finally, finally becoming more independent and starting to be able to reason. I have to say, I'm loving it. As sweet and squishy as babies are, I've always been looking forward to these two being a bit less dependent on mom and dad for ev-ry-thing.
Do I sound like I'm trying to get out of all my responsibilities? Believe me, there's still plenty for me to do-- cleaning, diapering, cooking, feeding, dressing, bathing, playing, reading, entertaining, teaching, crafting, bandaging, dancing, cuddling, kissing. And I LOVE BEING A MOM. Love it, love it, love it. (Read that again 1000 times.) Is it so bad to feel ready for some of those less-fun baby things to phase out?
Anyway. Enough of what I think. Let's see what the babies have had to say, shall we? Yes! And let's randomly throw in some photos from the last couple months. Just for kicks.
Bethany at the back door
Isaac on the rock that would later break his head-first fall :(
...a post for another time
One day I was telling Isaac to not climb up somewhere dangerous (a many-times-a-day occurrence), and when he didn't listen, I said Isaac, what did Mom say? to which Bethany responded, Roar! They've been working hard on their animal sounds.
Playing footsie in our semi-unpacked dining area
Sometimes the funnest thing at the playground is the drinking fountain
Learn some Isaac-ese: (he's already outgrown some of these but I still wanted to post them)
yogurt = blebleble (basically a tongue roll, but he's very consistent about it)
watermellon = mlemlemellon
anyone over a certain age = Papa or Mimi (my parents)
remote control = Papa
strawberries = strawb (abreves are so much cooler)
Learn some Bethanese:
caterpillar = callapalella
the alphabet song = sing with me
the Sunmaid raisin girl = Mama
anyone over a certain age = Papa or Mimi
Painting with water
(thanks to super plus amazing mom
Abbie for the idea!)
In the play house in our back yard
(we recently took out the stairs because the kids were starting to
lean out the second-story windows - scary)
Little Stevie Wonder
If Bethany has something Isaac wants, he says One, two, Isaac's turn! We've been using counting to take turns. It's helped them learn to share and count! For the record, Jared & I typically count to 10 or 20 for turn-taking, not 2.
Bethany counts to 20 but skips over 5, 6, 15 and 16.
Isaac counts to somewhere in the teens, usually--sometimes 12, sometimes 20--but he also always skips over 6.
I don't know what they have against 6. Now that I think about it, they should have been born on the 6th of January, but they skipped that 6, too. We had started inducing them on the 5th but they weren't born until the 7th. Ah, good times. :)
Goat mind control
Big dreams coming true right here on this tractor
For a long time, they both thought that both of their names were Isaac. (Bethany would say Isaac's turn! when she wanted something, for example.) But now Bethany calls herself Benny or Money. I can't decide which one I like better. Isaac calls her Benany.
On Bethany it's a dress, on Isaac it's a toga
We have a play golf set with a few golf balls, a blue club and a red club. They'll each grab a club and a ball and run around yelling I golfing!! Bethany insists on having the red club.
Little yogis
(Wow, have I not replaced that ugly half-circle curtain thing yet? Gross.)
Basketball!
Dining al fresco
They absolutely love music and songs with actions. We can't get through Head Shoulders Knees & Toes without Bethany saying faster! There's a Pidgeon House song that their Grandma Suzanne sings to them and Isaac loves to do the actions and the crrrooo at the end. Bethany will spin her fists and say follow me to request a little Do As I'm Doing. They fully enjoy Ring Around the Rosies and don't even once wonder if they're being totally un-PC.
Isaac says thank you AND you're welcome when he does something nice. He also recently started saying bless you when anyone sneezes (followed by achoo! bless you! a million times). Such a gentleman.
When Dad's gone for the day, they both periodically say Dada working? All day long.
Whenever she finds swim diapers, she has to put them on right then and there
I guess he just wanted to wear the bucket
They both know the names of all their kid friends in our little row of homes at the end of the street: Hannah, Sarah, Jessica and Logan (Wogan). If we leave the house and I suggest we go to Hannah's house, they know exactly where to go.
The other night Bethany had a tummy ache and woke up in the middle of the night. The first thing she did (before whining about her poor tummy), was she called for
Jessica. She really loves Jessica.
One day Hannah and Sarah knocked on our door and said
Can Bethany and Isaac come out and play? That was a first for me. It put a big fat smile on this face.
This cutie loves to wear my red sunglasses
Big helps in the kitchen
Oh wait--the opposite of that
Fun with soap bubbles
When I give them peas and tell them what they are, the kids turn
peas into
peeeee-ew! Yucky! Big thanks to
Cameron for that one! Fortunately they still eat the peas.
Today Isaac and I spent about 5 minutes just looking at each other and busting up laughing. Busting up, I tell you.
Play-doh on the new (hand-me-down) picnic table
More dining al fresco
Drawing in their notebooks
Favorite movie: Curious George 2. They just call it
Monkey ooo ooo aaa aaa.
Favorite youtube clips: Sesame Street celebrity songs, especially Feist and Hip Hop with Miles, anything Elmo, and
Ladybugs Picnic (Jared's & my fave, too). And anything ABCs. They ask for ABCs frequently.
Favorite books: Goodnight Moon, Go Dog Go, That's Not My Truck, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Who is Coming To Our House, My First Numbers.
Favorite foods: raisins (
weezins), beans, olives (on their fingers), pizza, apples, bananas, popcicles, fruit snacks, oatmeal.
Think it's naptime?
Favorite things in the whole wide world: loveys and binkies. Tied with Mama and Dada (I hope). Tied with each other.
