July 1, 2010

Girls' Update: Half Birthdays


Moriah turned 2 and 1/2 a little over a month ago. She continues to grow into a cute little girl. People often make comments on how well they can understand her annunciation and her wide vocabulary. She knows her upper and lower case alphabet, colors, shapes, numbers. She can almost perfectly count to 20. And she knows what each of the letters sound like. Currently we are teaching her how to put together the letters to make words to eventually read. She wants to read and she loves to learn.

She loves to be a helper and she loves the praise and thanks received for giving help. She gets very upset if I don't let her unload the dryer and the dishwasher. :-) Jeramy has also begun to let her do a few dishes: to stand at the sink and scrap off the major debris. She loves to go outside and help pick fruit and vegetables in the garden and pretty flowers in the yard, sticking them in her hair. She'll also raise her voice when she sees or wears a new piece of clothing or a pretty dress, like a woman! It's really funny. She'll say, "Oh, look what a pretty dress!" She's definitely a girl. :-)

Moriah is also a hard core Daddy's girl! Besides asking for additional kisses before he leaves for work, she talks about him all the time while he's gone. "Daddy's at work." "Can I talk to Daddy?" "Daddy works the saw. The saw is scary." "I helped Daddy." It brings a lot of joy to my heart when Jeramy is so involved with our girls teaching them things and just giving them a lot of positive quality time together.

She often orders Lily around and tries to tell other adults what to do also. She has picked up quite a bit of drama if we even threaten to discipline her. She remains affectionate and often leans over to give Lily a kiss or gently pet her head and oftentimes will say, "I love you" unprompted. Whenever Daddy leaves for work, she usually asks for additional kisses. She has started carrying conversations on the phone really well. She looks like a little Diva as she holds it up and talks through the phone. :-) Her favorite phrases are, "What's that?," "Who's that?," and "I fall down the stairs, Mommy!"

Moriah will often sing at the dining table and she will also sing to the baby in my belly. :-) Her favorite songs are: Holy, Holy, Holy; Jesus Loves Me; Pop Goes the Weasel; and Itsy Bitsy Spider. She still loves chocolate, popsicles, ice cream, watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, and jell-o.


Lily turns 18 months on July 4th. I can't believe that she is 18 months already! I'm glad, but time flies for some, doesn't it?! She weighs about 22 pounds and is quickly catching up to her sister who weighs 25 pounds. She still eats really well and she's cutting a new tooth as I write this. She loves to climb and can now ascend and descend steps like a champion. She likes to jump in her crib and on the regular floor also! She loves to play in the water and mud, making big splashes.

She loves to sit and read books, flipping through the pages at her leisure. Her desire to communicate through speech has increased greatly as she tries to say things and be understood. She will repeat the same phrase that sounds like gibberish to me, while I try to figure out what she's saying. She has returned to saying "Mama" and I think sometimes she says "What's that?"
She likes to aggravate her sister sometimes by messing up her order as she plays. Sometimes they will fight over a toy, which is normal, I guess. Lily is usually happy and playful whenever she wakes up. Generally she wants to be wherever her family members are. She has been warming up to other people more as she'll let them hold her and will play with them, as she did when we were in Statesboro.

I think that she will adjust well to the new baby. She has been learning how to be gentle and show a little more control in her movements. Her face shows concern when there is something wrong with other little people. Lily will help with some tasks as she is guided to remain focused. She has also been sitting much better in the church service. Generally she is curious, playful and happy most of the time. Lily is also a little snuggle bear. Sometimes she will just wrap her little arms around my neck and give cuddly hugs. :-) It's like a non-verbal, "I love you Mama!"

Lily dances a lot! Whenever music is playing or we're singing, she is usually dancing by shifting her weight from leg to leg while keeping her knees straight. :-) She doesn't care at all for chocolate but she loves bananas, warm applesauce, ice cream, jell-o, watermelon, cantaloupe and strawberries.


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