18 Months Old

Tomorrow, June 30th, Harper and Jack will be 18 months old. As Tony and I were loading kids up to go to the grocery store this afternoon, it occurred to us that the summer is  quickly slipping through our fingers. We were discussing what items we needed to buy and we were reminded that this Friday is the 4th of July, and then we were forced to realize that the June is over and July is coming at break-neck speed, and soon August will be upon us and then we will blink, and summer will be over. I feel like we have blinked and our babies have grown into toddlers who are desperate for a taste of independence. Here are some things that they're trying to do on their own:

-Harper has been trying to dress herself for days now; she snags a pair of Jack's pajama pants and will then sit and work and work until she gets one leg in. It's amazing to me the dedication this little one has (or stubbornness); she will get frustrated, throw herself on the floor and scream for about 15 seconds, and then she goes back to trying to solve her problem. I hope Harper keeps this "stick-to-it-tiveness".  She also loves to wear shoes and will walk around in shoes all day long. Here's how Harper walked around on Saturday afternoon- she put that shoe on herself.

-Jack tries to figure out how everything works. He wants you to explain what things are, and what they do. He is constantly asking "What this?" He loves to watch me or Tony cook (yes, I've been cooking- no, I haven't burnt anything or cooked something so awful we've had to eat sandwiches...yet). Here's a shot of Jack in the backyard today discovering the hose.

-Both kids also found Abby's leash Friday afternoon and decided that they would practice taking Abby for a walk. I was impressed that they worked together to get what they wanted and then they shared the leash (we are still working on sharing- I think we'll be working on that their whole lives).

 Aside from their independent streak, the kids have much better receptive language now and can actually have somewhat of a "conversation" with us. We can hold up two outfits and Harper will pick what she wants to wear. Jack will go and climb in his high chair when he's hungry or stand by the fridge when he wants milk. We can say something like, "it's bath night tonight; who wants to take a bath?" and they will both squeal and take off toward the bathroom.

With this new communication ability, also comes frustration because their vocabulary is limited and now they're starting to try and push boundaries (the both like to stand up on things they know they're not supposed to and then grin when we tell them to sit on their bottoms). The temper tantrums can be daunting, and reasoning with an 18 month old is sometimes like trying to reason with Abby (pictured here with Harper in a moment of camaraderie). But, we take each day (sometimes hour) at a time.

I am still amazed at how much these "little babies" can do now. There is no more "walking", Jack runs everywhere and Harper is starting to pick up speed to keep up with her big brother. We have swapped out bottles for smoothies (something they really enjoy) and swaddling for sleep slacks. Harper carries her sleep sack around like a security blanket sometimes- this is new in the last day or so. She will go in her room and get it when she's sleepy and then lay down and put it to her face and suck on her tongue. If you knew me when I was a little girl, then you know that I did almost the exact same thing, except instead of a sleep sack, I carried around a cloth diaper. I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

I've also been working with kids on trying to get them to smile when we take pictures. Here are the results. I've been saying "say cheese" which works sometimes, and sometimes results in Jack going to the fridge and chanting"cheese, cheese"until I get him a snack. I know that they'll get it, and to think that 18 short months ago we were staring at their tiny frames in the NICU, praying that they would grow and thrive- and they have.

I'll close with some random pictures of our weekend: playing in the backyard, watching Sesame Street (something they just discovered this week), playing in their Cozy Coupe that we pulled out for them just today, and just some silly pictures. Our little slice of life is good.

Well, that's it...tomorrow I will wake-up and remember what I felt like 18 months ago and stand in awe of the way God has opened my heart and changed our lives in such a short time. I never could have imagined the wonderful ways He would weave joy into our home and I am thankful everyday for you, Harper and Jack. Happy 18 month birthday!