Friday, May 29, 2009

"Man Man Lai"

in mandarin chinese means: slow slow come. It's so fun to watch my twins growing and learning and progressing. In some things they are moving faster than others, but this post is about those simple and small things that I've noticed as of late.

Keith took two bites of food all by himself - holding his own spoon and everything. There was a time that I thought I'd be spoon-feeding him forever. I still spoon feed him because it's awkward for him, but it shows he has the desire to be able to feed himself which is great.

The other day I told Kristina to "wait a minute" to which she CLEARLY repeated "wait a minute" back to me. Wow. Her language skills can be fuzzy in English and especially in Russian, but this was spoken PERFECTLY clear. She also sang the often-sung melody of "nah nah nah nah boo boo" today. So cute.

Speaking of repeating words, Keith repeated "don't touch" (not very clear - but I knew what he was saying) after I said it yesterday to him. I was blown away. His vocabulary is taking off. He can say: Hi, Thank you, Eat, Up, Bye bye, Sleep, Snuggle, Yes, & Drink. Many of these words aren't easily understood by others, but the main point here is that he is COMMUNICATING! Another thing with Keith is that today he approached me with the sign "eat". Usually I ask him if he wants to eat and he does the sign back to me. Today he just did the sign - I was excited to see that from him.

Kristina is learning how to snuggle better. Usually she contorts her body in a weird position whenever I snuggle her, but she is slowly learning how to relax her body and not be so tight and tense.

Keith likes to use his walker - but not as much at home. He usually scoots around at home but when we go out - he is cruising along in his walker. Many people have commented how wonderful of parents we must be to him, but the honest truth is that we have just loved him and he himself has the desire to walk, talk, and progress. It's a huge blessing to be a part of his life and to watch him improve.

Kristina has been going to pre-school 4x a week for a month now. She LOVES getting on the bus. She is becoming more independent. Once the bus comes she puts on her backpack and races down the driveway to the bus. Most people who work with her at school or therapy comment on what a happy, bubbly girl she is. Her smile can certainly light up a room!

In the fall Kristina will be attending a special needs kindergarten. Keith will be attending a special needs pre-school. One crazy thing, all 3 of my kids will be attending a different school! I had hoped that Kristina could continue at the school she's currently attending but the staff put her into another school with the same type of integrative kindergarten program. We also found out that we are going to be restationed somewhere else between October and January. We're waiting to find out where, exactly. I love the military - it's like a new adventure every 4 years!

4 comments:

mixednutsblog said...

That's really awesome that they are both progressing so quickly. As a parent, there really is nothing more exciting than watching your children overcome obstacles and succeed at new things.

nicole said...

Wow! IT must be so rewarding to see their progress. You're a patient mom. That is pretty crazy that they'll all be attending different schools in the fall. That's a lot to keep up with!

Sarah C said...

That is wonderful. They are both doing great! It has been fun to watch them grow.

Carina said...

What wonderful news that they are both progressing and developing so very well! I love reading about how great they are doing.

I hope you don't mind (I doubt you would), but I have a friend looking into adoption and I suggested she read your blog =) I hope it helps her to read about someone else's experience, and especially about the hiccups and successes you've had with your twins!