Kid News

So I figured I’d give you all a little break from the ranting and update you on how the kids are doing…

We took Benjamin for an initial visit with a Tyke Talk speech path on Friday. He’s a “late talker” — which apparently isn’t all that uncommon for boys. He has about 30 words right now, and by the time he’s two (just over a month from now) he’s supposed to have 50-100 words, and be able to put two of them together. He hasn’t really hit his vocabulary explosion yet, so they gave us some things to work on with him. Part of his problem, we’re told, is that he’s an independent type (wonder where he gets that from) so rather than asking for what he wants, he’ll try and get it himself.
Fortunately his comprehension is excellent, his problem solving skills are great, and his fine motor skills are above average, so its not likely that he’s developmentally delayed in any way — he just doesn’t see the urgency for talking.
Something else he picked up from his dad (and likely his mom’s side of the family, as well, if his Papa is any indication) is a fascination with how things work. He loves taking things apart, looking at them from all sides, and then trying to put them back together. He also loves anything with wheels… a lot!
He cut a set of 4 or more teeth over the past couple weeks, so he had some high fevers and extra cuddly days, but most of the time he’s a happy kid. He loves his sister, and gives her kisses all the time.
Oh ya, and he got his third hair cut — Nicole did this one, and she did a great job!

Abi is really becoming aware of her world — and aware that its a pretty funny one most of the time. She does her little army crawl all around the house, and moves way faster than you’d think possible for someone her size. She squeals with delight any time there’s any play going on anywhere. If Ben’s laughing, she’s probably laughing along with him.
Something that I didn’t expect, given that she’s a girl, is that she loves horseplay as much as Benjamin did at her age. I always figured having a girl meant you had to be more gentle, but she absolutely loves being thrown in the air or pushed over on the bed and tickled. She doesn’t mind at all if Benjamin steps on her or bumps into her when they’re playing together.
Actually, most of the time, if she’s not hungry, poopy or tired, she’s grinning or laughing — at me, anyway. Nic sees her more, so she might report something different, but pretty much any time I walk into the room she grins at me.

She’s started eating more solid food now — although she doesn’t have any teeth. She likes bread a lot. She eats little pieces of banana, and pretty much any cereal. She has a voracious appetitie — especially at dinner time! We’ve had to start giving her 2 courses of her 5-course meal around 4:30, just to keep her from getting panicky by the time we sit down for dinner.
In between bites of food, she likes to lay her head on her shoulder. It doesn’t look comfortable to me at all, but I guess she thinks the world looks funnier from that angle.
Both kids are sleeping pretty well, now that they’ve adjusted to that stupid Daylight Savings Time switch (which makes no sense to me at all, and if I’m ever President of the world, I’m going to get rid of it) and comfortable in their routines. They detach without problems when we drop them off in nursery — especially if their little babysitter is in there. So, in general, we haven’t really got any major concerns for either of them. They’re growing like weeds, and a joy to have around… most of the time.
I figure I should also take a moment to record all the new little friends they’re about to have, because it seems to be that season of life for so many people we know:

• Chad and Jen just let us know that there’s going to be a little mochaccino baby arriving in 6 months or so
• Brian and Melissa are due almost the same time with baby #2
• Christy and Brent are due any day now with their second
• Jeff and Kathy are having their first, just as he wraps up the long haul through Dental school, in the next week or so
• Chad and Nicole are having their second dual-citizen baby who we hope to meet before they return to Asia
• Pete and Faith are home from Africa having their #3 in December
• Randy and Amber, who got hitched this summer, are having their #2
• Jason and Brooke (who are currently blogless) are gonna pop out a little brother or sister for Benjamin’s girlfriend Alivia in about 7 months

We’re excited for all of them — but especially the first time parents, who can’t possibly imagine how much their lives are about to change! (For the better, don’t worry!)