Another List

1) Julia has started working real puzzles. Not just the chunky ones with a couple of big pieces that you take out of a pre-cut slot, but real puzzle puzzles. She did a 24-piece one at the library the other day. I was pretty impressed as she sat and worked at it for about twenty-five minutes with only three small helpful hints from Mommy. She's been very whiny lately about "I can't doooooo it!" so it was encouraging to see her patiently trying this and that to get the puzzle to work. Of course, her proud Mommy took a picture (with my cell phone so the quality is BAD)




2) Julia's imagination is really taking off as well. The other day she put her shoes on her hands and my shoes on her feet. Then she told us, "MommyDaddy, I a monkey!"


2b) And two days ago she came into the kitchen with a box over her head saying, "I. A. Ro. Bot. I. A. Ro. Bot." in a little robot voice. We have no idea where she learned about robots and robot voices.


3) When we were at the park the other day, Dax was so funny. He would sit at the top of the little baby slides and refuse to go down, but he climbed to the tippy-top of the jungle gym to hurl himself down the enormous, twisty slide. I guess he's brave as a lion as long as he can't see what he's getting himself into! (He's such a boy!)




4) He's also a total sweetheart. When Julia is upset or sad or even just pouting, he will bring her all kinds of books, toys and stuffed animals to cheer her up. He worries about her so much. (We're working on Julia's graciousness about accepting these kindnesses from her brother even if when they are unwanted!)

4b) He also loves to snuggle as long as you aren't too insistent that he stay still. You provide the snuggling framework of arms and lap, and he wiggles around in them, twisting and turning and poking you in sensitive areas until you make him get down.


5) Julia loves to dress herself. She usually picks out her clothes in the morning (her swimsuits are her current favorite - I do make her wear layers OVER the swimsuit because it's cold here now, but she gets to wear her swimsuit nearly everywhere we go. It makes potty time very interesting!). She also puts them on. All of it: panties, pants, shirts, socks, shoes. Most go on backwards. Once, in an amazing feat of elasticity, she used the leg hole in her panties as the waist! And would NOT let me change them! For the past two days, she's worn her shirt backwards and right at this moment, both pajama pants and shirt are on backwards. I love this age :)


6) Dax has started repeating words. He has such a cute, deep voice. Dave or I will be talking and from over in the toy area we'll hear these little mutterings as Dax repeats the last couple of words we said. He doesn't do all the babbling that Julia did, but he certainly keeps up his end of the conversation!


7) Our children are so easily entertained. Currently a favorite game is to run "aroun' and aroun' " an object. It can be anything: a pillow on the floor, the table, EchoDog. Whatever they can find, they run in circles around it, laughing hysterically.

7a) In fact, Julia runs or hops just about everywhere. Last night, she was running to tell her Daddy something and ran into our rocking chair. She hit it so hard, she busted her eyelid open. I had no idea you could do that. It's just a little (about 1 cm) cut at the top of her eyelid, but it really looks like it hurts! We'll see how big and puffy her eye is this morning when she wakes up.


8) Dave and I? We're just trying to keep up!!