Year 1, Month 4, Week 2

I made this post back on October 24th.  I'm not sure why I didn't publish it then.  Perhaps I felt like I'd have more to add to it.

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Ok, I'm such a bad mom, I don't even know where to begin.  Somehow I totally missed writing about the boys for a month.  A.  Month.  It's certainly not because nothing has been going on.  It's really quite the opposite.

Both boys love clapping now.  I know I mentioned Zach clapping before, but that was for like a two day stint.  This is perma-clapping.  One boy will start and the other will join in until the giggling gets to be too much.  They'll also give me five, not so much via a verbal command but just because I have my hand out.  Alex likes to slap my hand but Zach prefers to be stationary while I hit his.  I can see "Hot Hands" being a fun game for them in the future.

"Shoosh shoosh shoosh!" is shouted in excitement when I mention "shoes" or bring them out.  They don't know if I mean we're going somewhere or just playing in the backyard but they're ready to go!  "Shoosh" can also mean "sock" or "shirt" but then it's asked as more of a question while holding said object.

The boys do "Bye bye" complete with a single (Zach) or double (Alex) hand wave.  Zach prefers his to be an even "Bye bye!" while Alex goes for the sassy "Buh bye!"  They also think it's awesome that sheep say the same thing, even though I've tried to explain the nuances of "Baa" versus "Bye".  And if sheep say it, horses must, too.  Both boys now announce when they're leaving one parent to go visit the other in the next room.  They also have an uncanny ability to detect the end of a phone conversation and will start yelling "BYE BYE!!"  Speakerphone with Jim is good times!

Today in the van, Zach was experimenting with different syllable combinations.  He took the standard "bye" and converted it into "bath" for a bit.  Then he went with "bass", and tried dropping the "b" for a bit.  It was all Jim and I could do to not laugh during his 10-15min of "bass ass".  That's all I'd need to encourage and have to explain at the grocery store.  hehe

Zach understands the concept that I need something and that he can get it for me.  Mainly I use this when I'm trying to put shoes on Alex and one is out of reach.  If I ask for it, point to it, then hold out my hand like I want it, Zach will happily go and fetch it for me.  It's an amazing feeling that I can communicate an abstract idea and he understands!

Most of my days are filled with answering an endless stream of "This?"  They love to point at everything and want to know its name.  They know and can point out hair, ears, nose, and mouth - on themselves, their brother, or anyone else that ventures nearby.  They are curious about eyes, fingers, hands, arms, and bellies.  I identify car wheels about 10k times a day, too.  They've discovered that they can put their fingers in their ears (or ours) and it makes things sound funny.

Dancing is another new found skill.  Any music, or just someone singing will cause them to bust a move.    There's the baby bounce, where they just bend their knees and stick their tush out.  At Wayne and Nina's they watched a Mickey's Clubhouse and learned to do a sort of tween side-to-side sway.  Alex likes to mix it up with his version of the Twist, and they both shake their heads as a grand finale.