Again we turn two??

January 18, 2012..... was our 2 year Due Date Birthday!

Their birthday party seems like it was SOOO long ago.  While due dates are really nothing more than a date, and mean very little to most people after a baby is born.  To me, its a reminder of how premature they really were.  How far they have really come.  And how truely blessed we really are. 

Having preemies is interesting.  I think about development, milestones, "catching up" almost daily.  While I do not have any current concerns about my tots being behind & I think they are as caught up as anyone could ask of them, the thought still lingers.  I think lots of parents obsess over their toddlers speech development as they interpret their child's "version" of various words.  And as my kids have an "excuse" or 2 to have speech delays or problems {and as I've been told that by various experts a time or 2} I can't help but analize it.  But the past few months have been fantastic for speech at our house, here is where we are: 

Logan has finally fallen into the stage where he repeats everything out of our mouths.  Half of the time he doesn't have a clue what exactly he is saying.  I often hear him behind me "scolding" Hayden or Livi if they did something wrong.  "Ya-ya.  No hit.  Nice."  {He forgets the "be" that comes before the nice, but he is always telling them to be "nice!"}  But the sounds just come spewing back out & I love to hear it!  We were at a play date this week with 7 other little kids & I got him to say each of their names.  I was impressed.  {PS. there were 4 of us nursing school classmates at this playdate.  The 4 of us have had 10 kids, 9 boys, 1 girl in just 4 years!}  Plus when he repeats sentences or phrases, its great practice in stringing a variety sounds together even if he doesn't grasp the full concept!  He is still definately the quietest.  But don't let that fool you.  Its not that he knows less, or even that his vocabulary is smaller, its just his personality.  He is just a man of few words.  He doesn't say anything unless something really needs to be said. 

Hayden is a horse of a different color.  VERY different man than Logan.  He talks a whole lot.... but doesn't really say anything!  I think him & Logan are on a pretty equal page in terms of vocabulary, spoken & understood, but if you only spent a short time with them, you wouldn't think that.  Hayden thinks he knows it all.  Talks, talks, talks.  But about half of what he says is just "filler."  Nonsense sounds.  And he likes to "show off" answering a question that I ask them, but I don't think he realizes that I know all he did was just repeat exactly what just came out of Olivia's mouth.  He is starting to use his words to try to declare his independence, which is a bit trying because he doesn't always know exactly what he is asking for.  Like crying & saying he wants the "yellow ball!!"  Only to find out the ball he wants & has been throwing a tantrum over for 20 mins... is really blue.  He knows his color words quite well... just not necessarily which word goes with which color?  We're working on that!

Miss Livi, she is in a WHOLE other ballpark.  She talks more or less in full sentences.  She knows a lot of shapes.  A ton of colors.  And hardly says something without using an adjective to describe it.  Two months has made a huge difference in their vocabs & I think if you were considering her 24 months now rather than 26, she'd be right up there with the front of the pack.  Her pronunciation is often off.  Some "words" are still less true words & more sounds that represent an object.  But she puts them together to make a complete thought.  Like the other morning when Jeff left for work she said:  "ITS A MOMMY DAY!  Daddy drive a car, go a-workin'"  And she even tells stories of past events.  Like:  "Eat a-supper Mama GG's house.  LeeLee eat a-supper too.  Sessents {Presents.}  Sassa. {Santa.}"  <--She likes to recount Christmas.  Still talks about baking a cake for Baby Jesus.  This week was telling me the story of their birthday party when they, "Eat a Melmo cake.  Mama singing.  Alex singing too."  She throws in an extra "a" a lot of places & subs it in for words she is missing.  But she has the hang of it!  And her memory is outstanding!!  She loves to sing the ABC's {though she only gets as far as A.B.C!}  And claps & says "YAY!!" when she is done.

Our house is loud, loud, loud.  And while that may equate to a few extra Ibuprofen for this mama's headaches... its perfect.