Dear Shenzie and Heaten,

In the months leading up to your first birthday I would think to myself ‘in 2 months they will be one’ and get all teary eyed and weepy. Ok, not really teary or weepy, but sort of sad in a way that you were growing up so fast. Now that you are almost two I find that I am doing the same thing. Only three more months until my little babies are two. Not so little anymore. Not babies anymore by any stretch of the imagination, but still, always, my babies.

You both are communicating so much more. Whether it is words, signs, or simple head shakes no or yes you are making your needs, wants, and desires know. A lot of the times the needs, wants, and desires are things you can’t have which leads to cries, whines, and tantrums. Luckily *knocking on wood* we don’t have horrid 45 minute long tantrums….more like screaming, crying, throwing your bodies around for 10 minute tantrums. And let me just say that after hearing multiple tantrums from multiple babies all day long is sometimes enough to drive me crazy. Good thing you’re both so cute and I love you so much or it might cross my mind to run and hide. Oh wait! It does cross my mind, daily in fact!! For as crazy as you both are you are just as much fun. This age is so much fun where you’re learning to talk, learning to say no, learning what you like and don’t like. You make me laugh daily with the little things you do.

We have been practicing our ABC’s, numbers, colors, and songs. When we do the ABC’s sometimes you’ll both “sing” along or do a very loose interpretation of the sign. When we count you’ll both yell out after me the number. And when I say yell out the number I mean some sort of sound that isn’t really the number, but you think that it is so we’ll pretend that it is. You both love Pat a Cake and The Itsy Bitsy Spider. You love the way Dada does Pat a Cake. Really fast…so fast the words all blur together and your hands move a million miles an hour. We’re learning new songs at Story Time at the Library which we’ve started going to and you both really like. The Alligator song is your favorite (mine too!). You also love the Bee song and laugh really hard when the bee “gets” you.

With the summer being so hot we’re forced to stay indoors more or find new indoor activities to do. We do music time where you play the piano, keyboard, or guitars. We do art time where we color with crayons or markers. We even do paint time where we paint the bathtub with food colored yogurt. Most of the “paint” ends up in your mouth, or splattered down your belly. Good thing we bathe right after!

Even though most of the day is spent with me refereeing you and keeping you from hurting each other you do play together. Sometimes. You have your favorite game where one of you (usually Shenzie) will run into a room and close the door behind her (the doors have door stops on them so they don’t close all of the way). Shenzie, you then run to the corner and wait for brother to come get you. He’ll sneak up to the door and peek through and then push it open and run away laughing hysterically. You’ll run back to the door and close it and then it all starts over. You play this game daily and each time is as fun and funny as the last.

Dear Shenzie,

You are such a spunky, funny, sassy little girl. You have so much personality and I suspect you may be a drama queen when you are older (like your Auntie Stacey). You are still feisty and aggressive, but at least the biting has stopped (for the most part). You are so full of energy, sometimes it makes me weary just watching you run and run and run and play and run and twirl and dance and run. You never sit still. Even in your carseat you fidget, move, and wriggle. The few times you actually sit and cuddle in my lap are very precious indeed since the rest of the time you are a whirlwind of crazy energy.

You are still a fantastic eater and sleeper. You’re currently getting your pointy teeth (canines perhaps) and I can already tell it is NOT going to be pretty when they finally start to really come through. Stupid teething!!! You love water. You love to swim, play in puddles, take showers and baths, and “help” Mama do the dishes. You help me do the laundry, clean the counters, sweep the floors, clean the baseboards. Life is going to be great in another couple more years when I really put you to work! =)

Even though most of the time you are running around like a crazed loon you do have a very sweet side. You love to give kisses. You love to “mama” your baby bear. You give him drinks, food, and you even make me feed him. You love to cuddle him and anytime you get hurt you ask for baby. When Heaten gets hurt and cries really hard you will come over and pat his back or rub his arm to help him feel better. Every time you do this is just makes my heart melt a little that you love him and care that he is hurt.

Little Buggle Bean. I can’t even put into words how much I love you, how happy you make me, and how wonderful you have made my life.

I love you,
Love,
Mama.

Dear Heaten Bear,

This past month you have really gone through a lot of changes. Gone is my little, sweet cuddle bug (well, not gone, just temporarily misplaced). You have found your independence and you now challenge me at every turn. You used to be very easy going and laid back, and while that is still true for the most part you also want what you want, when you want it and heaven forbid if you don’t get it. It is really kind of funny to watch you test the boundaries. You will look right at me when you are doing something you’re not supposed to be doing with a little half smile, taunting me….like ‘what are you going to do about it Mama?’ Even funnier is when you put yourself in time out. I try to give you a warning before time out….it goes something like “Heaten, if you hit me again you’re in time out”. You will of course hit me and then walk yourself over to the time out corner and sit down quietly. I try not to giggle when you do this since Time Out is Serious Business. See all of those capitals…I mean business. Or not.

You went through a phase (well, really your entire first year and a half) where you only wanted Dada. You were a Dada addict. And then something changed and you wanted Mama, which of course pleased me to no end. But, those moments are gone, baby gone. You are once again Dada’s little boy and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

You are still a very picky eater. One day eating something with gusto the next refusing to even smell it. You don’t like to go swimming in the pool, but do like bath times. You are talking up a storm and love to walk around naming things. Your favorite sign is ‘all done’ and you use it VERY frequently. All done with the potty. All done with dinner (that you didn’t even touch). All done with playing. All done with getting your diaper changed. You have gotten a lot of miles from the all done sign.

Along with your new found independence came a bit of a temper. Don’t get me wrong, your temper doesn’t even begin to compare to your sisters, but it is still new for you. You will hit or push her if she does something you don’t like. You will hit me if I do something you don’t like. You throw your dog and then of course cry for him back the second he plops where you threw him, usually over the gate or down the stairs. A good part of my day is just keeping you and Shenzie from hurting each other. Referee Mama they call me.

You are still my sweet little cuddle bug and I love you to bits and bites and bits. I can’t even put into words how much I love you, how happy you make me, and how wonderful you have made my life.

I love you,
Love,
Mama.