Competence

I feel like both of my kids are getting to be so competent right now -- it's really amazing! Each in their own way, they are growing and flourishing, just like all the green life of spring around us.


Aidan has grown probably an inch in the last month, shooting up like a weed. He is a monkey at the playground, clambering around the outsides, tops, undersides, and basically any not expected part of the play structures like an confident and accomplished acrobat. Last night he read book titles ("Harry Potter") sideways and four feet away from him on the bookshelf.And last week, after much delay because I wasn't ready for it, we finally let him wear underwear to bed (he has been wanting to for ages, and how he is really doing it! It's an adventure, but he is doing it!). He is also often incredibly thoughtful. The other day we were all snugly hanging out in our little kitchen while Daddy was making sweet potato french fries, and Aidan told me, "Mama, don't listen!" Then he whispered to Daddy, "Daddy, you are the strongest in the whole world!"


Kiana is also becoming extremely competent in a developmentally appropriate way. Her language in the last couple weeks has skyrocketed: she is completely comfortable and confident with regularly using extremely clear signs (milk, more, all done, bath, up, tired/bed, where?). Her oral language is also bubbling over: This week I gave her some bread, and she said "tay goo" ("You're welcome!" I told her!); when she does something she is proud of she says "I godit!" (very much as if it means "I got it!"); when she is done with milk, she does the "all done" sign and says with words "ah dah!" (all done); she asked for an "ap-bo" (apple) when Aidan had one; she waves and tells everyone she meets at home at the park or on the subway "I!" ("HI!") very gregariously; and when I ask her if she wants food, or if she's hungry, and she is, she says "yeah", and does the "food" sign! She is also making all sorts of interesting new sounds: "ee bup bup", "a-way ay yayayay", "ah gah", "ah dah", "wago wago", and - of course - "Ay-dn" (for Aidan: she's starting to add the "n") and "dad dad dad!" (for Daddy!). In the last week she has also gained a lot of confidence with her walking, and now regularly walks across the room on her own if she decides that is what she wants to do.

This weekend was low key. Saturday, I got some work done while Daddy took the kids. Sunday morning Aidan woke up with a stomach bug and threw up repeatedly, so we had to skip going to his friend Tyler's birthday party. Fortunately, he was able to sleep it off: he napped from 10AM until 3PM, and woke up happy, talking up a storm, and feeling completely better. Monday, Kiana came down with a cold (she is a boogery mess), but at least she avoided the tummy bug. She has been having a hard time sleeping because of it, and I have had a paper review deadline that I was trying to meet, so that is why this post is so late!