Twenty-Nine Months Old - Newsletter

Dear Liang-Liang and Can-Can,

Today you are 29-months old...just shy of being 2.5 year olds. So for how long will I be able to call you my babies instead of my toddlers? Yep, that's what I thought.....you'll always be my babies. And, anyway, technically speaking...you are still so very little. You are both now just a whopping 24 pounds and 33 inches tall....you two little midgets. I can still haul you both in my arms at the same time

What's the big notable mark this past month? Well, without a doubt it's that your language skills have quadrupled!! You guys are chattering a mile a minute....to the outside world a lot of what you say is garble-ly-gook but we mostly understand it. You're both stringing multiple words together, you're playing around with verbs and nouns and it's just so cute. I gotta tell you that I'm relieved. We actually called in a speech therapist to come and observe you during playschool and then to conduct one-on-one interviews with each of you. The news was good.....nothing to worry about for 29 month olds and especially nothing to worry about for toddlers who spent their first 15 months in China in an institution!

The other notable mark I've observed is your concentration skills. You both can sit at your little art table and draw and color and do all sort of crafts for a solid 60 minutes. Wow. That's impressive. Now, I know I'm a nut about buying all sorts of age-appropriate crafts stuff (yes, my kitchen is an off-shoot of the kid-aisle at Michael's Arts&Crafts store) so you do get a lot of "new" things to explore with but still.....an hour...an hour and a half is incredible for tots your age.

Sammi...here's what I've noted with you. Your sense of humor grows more sophisticated every day. You're the one that checks out what's happening around you...constantly...and if you think a good hearty laugh or sense of cheer needs to be interjected into the situation, well, you're right on it. You'll run to put the 5 hats on your head to cheer up Nicki or you'll run over to Mommy or Daddy and make silly faces to put a smile on our face. Yep, your empathy and sense of your surroundings is impressive.

Nicki, you've become more of the Mommy-cling-y girl this last month and that is quite okay. I travelled quite a lot in Dec and Jan and when I was in Europe for more than a week this month, I think it was pretty tough on you....and that really touches my heart. You've started to wake-up around midnight every night and you cry for me, repeatedly....for at least a few hours. I think we're averaging me coming to comfort you at least 9-10 times in the middle of the night. I'm trying to give you extra attention and extra TLC 'cause I know my business travel seemed to make you a bit anxious. It's all okay, little one.

Now, Both.....here's what we've enjoyed more than joy itself.....It's that you guys play so so so very well together. It's just magic. For hours and hours you play and giggle and hang and scheme-and-plot and run and dance .....and.....and you're both so inseparable. You've exceeded my vision....my dream...of what it would be like to have twins. Nothing...and I mean nothing....is better to me that to hear you two giggle....just peals and peals and peals of giggles most of the day. Thank you, girls, for that gift. In fact, I'm sitting down here in my favorite chair and listening to you two giggle and play up in the playroom...chatting and laughing with your wisp-y voices. Ah, does it get better??

Happy Twenty-Nine Months Old, my dear Liang-Liang and Can-Can. Mommy loves you so very much. Life is sweet. I just simply couldn't imagine life without you now.

Love,love,love,

Mommy