27 Months

We swore we'd stop counting Alex and Ari's ages by months, but it's just too much of a habit on the 29th of each month, and it's still fun recording all of their developments. So...

What are Alex and Ari up to at 27 months (2 1/4 years)?

Well, the past few weeks seem to have brought another huge jump in language skills, and both Alex and Ari are speaking in full sentences and having meaningful conversations.

Two of Alex's favorite sayings are, "Then cover your eyes!" (in response to Ari when she doesn't like something she sees) and "I don't know!" (said with arms spread wide). Another new phrase is "I'll wait right here," said with arms crossed over his chest when Mommy is busy feeding Kira but Alex wants her to bathe him (he's going through a phase where he will NOT allow Daddy to bathe him-- instead, he "waits right here" until Mommy is free to give him a bath.) He also loves to sing songs and knows all the words to "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and many others. Both Alex and Ari have gotten to the point where they can answer questions intelligently and relay messages. When Mommy got home from a bike ride this morning and asked Alex where Daddy was, he correctly explained that Daddy was changing Ari's diaper. And tonight when Mommy needed something upstairs, Alex was happy to relay the message to Daddy so that he could bring up extra diapers and a bottle for Kira.

Alex is also obsessed with trucks and construction. He LOVES fire trucks, dump trucks, cement trucks and garbage trucks. He also loves construction cranes and is familiar with all of the cranes in the area. He looks forward to visits to friends Andrew and Tommy's houses because they have really big fire trucks and other cool trucks. Alex continues to have a memory of steel, and today on the way to watch Daddy play softball he recognized a playground we went to for the first time last weekend for a birthday party.

Ari is also advancing in her language skills and especially likes to read books, lately to her little sister. She loves animals, and even though Ari and Alex watch very little television, Mommy and Daddy let them watch Animal Planet once in a while and Ari enjoys learning about all of the different animals, like honeybees and crocodiles. Ari has a bit of a stubborn side and if there is something she does not want to do, no one is going to convince her otherwise. She's also a ham and loves attention. She's been known to pull off her pants/shorts and run around the house in just a diaper when guests come over (all done with a sly smile on her face). In fact, she did it just today for boyfriend Andrew. Daddy isn't sure how much longer he'll tolerate that.

Ari is definitely our more adventurous one, typically more willing to jump into any new adventure (like a huge moon bounce). Alex is a bit more timid and tentative, preferring to check out the situation first. However, Alex is more willing to try new foods. Ari usually takes one look at a new food and turns away, even if it's something yummy.

Both Ari and Alex have become very adept at climbing on the playground, much to Mommy's trepidation. They have also started to swing on the "big kid" swings, although they still LOVE the toddler swings and have to be convinced to get off of them to give other kids turns. Alex and Ari love walking and running (and Alex is getting really good at galloping). More and more often we can leave the stroller at home and Alex and Ari will walk to our destination, especially if it's not a far distance.

Little by little, our "babies" are growing up and becoming more independent. It's really amazing to watch them grow and to start having a two-way conversation...with little people with their own opinions and feelings. Can someone please slow down the calendar so we can just savor this time a little longer?!