Some fun things the babies do right now that I wanted to write down to remember... :) Maybe you will enjoy too!
-They LOVE to bark like a dog anytime they see/hear a dog (or cat sometimes). Sometimes Mason will actually say "dootie", thats his way of saying doggie. They will also pretend kiss dogs they see. They will lean over and kiss the air.. but never will they get TOO close. They love the CONCEPT of dogs.
-Actually, Aubri is TERRIFIED of dogs. My parents/grandma have two dogs. The kids have only seen them up close ONCE. They are kept in a fenced in dog run in between our house and my gmas. Aubri refuses to walk down the driveway by herself because she knows those dogs are there. One day, she would NOT leave the doorstep of our house! I literally walked all the way to my gmas, opened the door and started to walk in, she couldn't even see me, and she would NOT move. Terrified. She has to be holding onto my hand, or in my arms. Sometimes the dogs will bark when we are inside and Aubri will come running to me, terrified.
-They READ! Haha, they LOVE books, and love pointing out every animal in the book and say "whoowhoo", what you guys didn't know a camel barks like a dog??
-They have also started pretend reading the books a little. They will turn the pages, and "talk" like they are reading them.
-They like to climb onto the futon. Usually to read... but sometimes to just play, or to watch a video. Aubri usually sits RIGHT next to Mason. So cute.
-They like to push buttons to make them do something...especially Aubri. There are quite a few toys that need pushing to make them work. I'm enjoying that they can push it themselves now, because that was pretty much my 9-5 job for awhile.
-They like to put pretend lotion on. If I leave the baby lotion out, they will pretend to rub in on themselves, including their hair... because the shampoo bottle looks similar to the lotion bottle. I say pretend, because they can't actually get the lotion out of the bottle.. so they just pretend like they do. Its the cutest thing ever. It can entertain them for a good ten minutes.
-They are FASCINATED by the vacuum cleaner. I hear of kids that are terrified of the vacuum cleaner, and I almost think it would be better! Haha, these guys love to stand RIGHT in front of it, and touch it, and Aubri likes to try and stand on it... I can't get any vacuuming done! I try to make it into a game, so they will run away from it, so I can at least vacuum, but we usually end up in a stand off... and I have to wait to vacuum til they go down for a nap.
-They love to comfort each other. This usually occurs during diaper changing. Silly Mom always interrupts playtime to change diapers, so usually I end up changing a grumpy, crying baby(BABY? they aren't babies anymore.. kiddo!). So when one is crying, the other will usually come over and comfort the other. Aubri will usually give Mason a toy, or a book if he is upset, and if Aubri is upset, he will give her kisses on the forehead, and sometimes rest his head on her tummy. She, of course, thinks that it is the funniest thing in the world.
-Mason loves to be praised. I can pretty much get him to do anything if I say "Good boy Mason!" or clap for him. Its been really helpful, because while he loves to hear that from me.. he also LOVES to test ALL boundaries. I'm just glad that Aubri doesn't test boundaries, because a simple 'attaboy' doesn't really do anything for her. This is usually true at dinner time. I have a hard time getting them to eat certain foods. Usually this is just a independence thing, "because mommy wants me to eat it, I'm going to be different and NOT eat it." I know this because, they have had the food before, and love it. So anyway... its become a tricky battle. The only way I can usually get them to eat what they are suppose to, is if Aubri starts eating something first like to taste it, she will usually at least taste something... I then praise Aubri, and say "OH! Good Girl Aubri!" Mason will see this, and want to be praised, so he will pick up something and eat... "OH! What a good boy Mason!" He then usually discovers that this is the best meal ever made! and continues to eat. However, if neither of them are eating. ITS RIDICULOUSLY hard to get them to eat.
-Aubri LOVES to laugh at her brother. The other day, I was in another room, and I could hear Aubri laughing her head off.. so I went to see what they were doing. All Mason was doing to make her laugh was come around a corner and look at her. Of course he had a very attentive audience that thought he was hilarious, so he continued to do it OVER and OVER. Noone can make Aubri laugh like Mason, and noone loves an audience more than Mason.
-Aubri also LOVES to laugh at herself. I LOVE THIS ABOUT HER! I think more people should be like this! Its just so neat to see it in someone SO young! Makes me think it must be an innate trait. Anyway, for example, Aubri falls a lot. She is kinda clumsy. Especially when they were first learning to walk. We had a terrible time with temper tantrums from Mason because he hated falling, and was such a perfectionist about it. Aubri on the other hand will laugh her head off when she falls down.. or runs into something because she wasn't looking.
-They LOVE music! I have never seen such musical ability from such young kids. Maybe I am just biased. They have this music video, and they practically beg me to play all the time (they beg by pointing at the TV and saying "shasha" I dunno what "Shasha" is for.. but that's what they say) They will dance to music, and will clap and bounce to the beat. Sometimes we have just listened to music all morning long and danced to it. They especially loved Reggae music for awhile... but they also like Jazz, and Jack Johnson type of music.. like from the Curious George soundtrack. Ryan used to drum on my belly when I was preggo... so I think they picked up rhythm early. They are also fascinated when someone sings. They will stare and smile SUPER big and sometimes clap. I can sometimes tell by Mason's face that he is trying to figure out how they do that!
-Mason loves balls. He loves to throw them! We never really taught him this.. at least that I'm aware of. The kid could throw before he could walk and I don't mean a wimpy toss.. he is accurate and intentional. He switches off from his left and his right. For awhile he was more accurate with his left.. but he has evened out some. He still can't catch, but we are working on it. His reflexes are getting much better.
-They still use pacis... at sleepy times, and in the car. :( I HATE this. I just don't have the heart, or strength to take it away from Aubri yet (Mason doesn't really need his)... and to be honest, its kinda to my benefit right now. They go down SO easy with them, and they stay semi-quiet in the car with them. In the near future, I need to find a week when I am prepared to lose some sleep, and take it away... like a bandaide! Cold Turkey! Just do it! Someday....
-They sleep SOOO good now. I used to fight them to sleep a lot when they were younger. They would take these terrible, 15-30 min naps, like three-four times a day. It was such a chore, and I could never get anything done! Plus, I was working my butt off trying to keep them on the same schedule. Well, all that work has finally paid off! Now, when its time for a nap, I ask them, "Do you want to go to bed?" they then do the sign for sleep and run to the stairs... I take the gate down, they crawl down, and I meet them at their room. They literally RUN to me, all excited, and I put them down. I tell them to "lay down" and they do, and I cover them up with a blanket, and turn the lights out! Now SOMETIMES they will play for awhile in there, but if I timed it right, they will go straight down for two hours. It is seriously the best thing ever. I try not to brag too much about it to my friends, because many are going through the tough nap stage. But, I am just very grateful!
Well thats good for now. I just wanted to record these things AND share them with all of you. :) Hope you enjoyed! And because noone likes posts without pictures... some pics from the park on Tuesday..
