I had just finished changing Isaac's poopy diaper the other day when I turned around to throw it away and it was gone. I asked Dave if he took it and he hadn't. Then Abby comes around the corner, from the kitchen, brushing her hands together like she's just finished a job well done, shrugging her shoulders with that pleased look all over her face. Yesterday when I was feeding them fruit snacks, she grabbed the part of the package I had torn off to open it up and promptly took IT to the garbage, returning with the same smile, brushing her hands together, and eagerly awaiting the fruit snacks I had for her!
Abby is prone to say Isaac's name -- very distinguishable if you forget the fact that his name ends in a "c" and think of it as more like a soft "t". But she usually says it in a sing-song voice, "aI-Saaaaat" - as if she's calling him from down the hall. She's also been known to chew him out, chew Grandma White out when she yelled at Isaac for hitting Abby, let me know he's awake, give him kisses when he's crying, and invite him to play tag with her or inform him when he isn't playing a game quite right.
Abby says "yeah" or "yes" a lot. Probably because I say those words to her in response to a lot of the jibberish she throws out there that I don't QUITE understand. The other day, she brought me the top of a pudding cup. I told her to take it back to the garbage and throw it in the garbage can. She walked back intot he kitchen, hovered over the garbage can, and held onto the lid. I told her again to throw it away (not seeing her but sensing she had NOT done so yet). Then I said, "Abby? Did you throw it away?" "Yeah." I stand up to see that she HAD in fact thrown it away, and then promptly removed it again. It was HILARIOUS!
We were reading Sandra Boynton's
The Bedtime Book the other day. It talked about them putting their pajamas on and taking a bath, etc. Each time, I asked the babies questions. When I asked Abby, "Where are Abby's pajamas?" She quickly and accurately grabbed the pant leg of her pajamas. They're so smart! She also identifies Abby's ears, nose, mouth, eyes, etc.
Isaac seems to get in trouble more than Abby - probably because he is much more daring, doesn't believe anything really CAN'T be done (and any time I tell him no, he is sure I am just trying to keep him from something REALLY fun), and has a die hard determination to have things his way. He's a quick learner, though, and always gives me a big apology hug when he gets out of "time out" and then - after a battle of the wills that lasts from five to 45 minutes - will catch on and STOP doing whatever he had been doing. And I am sure Abby only gets in trouble LESS than Isaac because she steadily watches what happens when he does things and realizes they aren't pleasant.
Isaac is NOT a stranger to taking or doing whatever he wants, right? And sometimes Abby gets in the way of that and is knocked over, has her hair pulled, has things taken away from her QUITE often, etc. And that means that Isaac promptly goes to time out. HOWEVER, if Abby is upset or they are playing really well together, you will OFTEN see him run up to her (laughing if they're playing) and give her a hug and kiss - even patting her back with his hand as he hugs her. His kisses are sometimes refused but usually met with return kisses and more laughter. He really can be the SWEETEST boy ever!
The other day Isaac was playing in the cupboard, as he often does. He reached in and grabbed our FAVORITE red pitcher. He dropped it, the handle broke off, and Dave got a lesson that accidents - even casualties - happen and can only be quickly forgiven and fixed as much as possible.
Baby Einstein has gone through phases in our house. When the babies were really little and I was here with them by myself 90% of the time, I would put one in a carrier or bouncy seat or swing in front of a movie while I bathed the other and then switch. Well, it has become a MUCH more interactive passtime as the babies have gotten older. We only have three of the movies (two borrowed from a friend, one a gift at my baby shower). Our current favorite is Baby Mozart. I will sit and tap out the beat to the various songs with the babies or stand up and dance around with Isaac or call out the names of the animals or name a body part and ask them where there's is, etc. Isaac has gotten so good at it that he basically does it on his own. Sometimes he'll start patting his legs or dancing around and then point to the entertainment center. And whenever Twinkle Twinkle Little Star comes on - in any language - he chimes in, singing and bouncing up and down and encouraging me to join in.
I started the Mommy 15 Minutes this year -- part of my New Year's Resolution to make every day special. As part of that, I changed up the bedtime routine a bit. We used to do story time every day. Then the kids got really grabby and wanted to do it themselves all the time. At first I controlled it by simply pinning them under each of my legs, one on each side, out of reach of each other and the book. They were, for the most part, content. Then they got old enough to squirm out of the pin. And story time became a wrestling match and battle of wills instead of the bonding time with each other and books and different intonations and voices, etc. that I wanted it to be. Well, this year I started slowing down the nap- and bed-time routines. Once they are in their beds, I sit in a rocking chair between them and read them two stories over and over again (them signing more each time I finish). Then we read one verse out of the scriptures at their morning nap, sing a primary song and read a story from the Friend and say a prayer at bedtime. It's SO MUCH FUN!!! I know we all look forward to it. The babies get into it as much as I do, which makes me get into it more, and now Isaac reaches for my scriptures as often as he reaches for any of his books, and they know just when their favorite night-time songs will end and start clapping "yay" before I get the last word out.
Dave is GREAT at wrestling with the babies, feeding the babies, playing with the babies, singing with the babies, researching new signs to teach the babies, etc. When Daddy comes home, it's not uncommon to have shrills of endless laughter from both of them for their own 15 minutes of Daddy time.
Yesterday on our walk, Isaac got VERY wrestless and did NOT want to sit in the stroller any longer. I let him out for a few minutes before putting a screaming uncontrollably version of him back in the stroller and decided NOT to go the Dollar Store after all. He continued to scream for a good five minutes. Once I reached the last stretch of the Chipman Trail that leads almost right up to our door, I let he and Abby get out and walk. Isaac took off right away, looking back only after fifteen or twenty steps to make sure we were still coming. Abby stood by the stroller and waited for me to take her hand and then walked excitedly by my side as we "followed" Isaac home. Soon he started to veer off the path, exploring the leaves and twigs and branches and piles of dirt and cigarette butts and whatever else he found. He fell down a few small hills, got a little dirty, etc. But he was content to explore. Abby had a few moments where it looked like she MIGHT follow him, laughing at HIS adventurous spirit but not quite sure she was ready to venture out into the unknown. Still, through it all, she dutifully held my hand the entire time, stood as if frozen in place when I let go of her hand to go and pull Isaac back onto the trail, and cried if I tried to get her to walk by herself. These are my two babies. I just LOVE their differences!
And those are just a few of the little things that I am savoring and smiling about today!
