I read in Wondertime Magazine that babies babble differently when exposed to different languages. A baby who hears French all day has French rhythms and vowels in his babble while a baby who hears Mandarin would have Mandarin rhythms and vowels. I suppose this is true. But for the most part, it’s babble. Well, anyway, Taylor is really starting to talk. She has been talking for a several months, but she articulates now. Obviously, she repeats what she hears most, and all that practice makes it sound like she really knows what she’s saying… albeit she’s the last one to put her pajamas on and declares to the boys, “I beat you!”
Kyle has matured greatly since he turned four. He sits for at least an hour during homeschool. We go over the same tens of pages in his workbook, matching and comparing. He still whines a little more than he ought to, but its less than a few months ago. He puts his pajamas on with more ease. He even helps to clean up in the evenings, picking up and putting away his toys. Up until a few weeks ago, he would just suck his thumb and play with a toy car while Ty was the only one picking up. I would take him by the hand and get him to pick up toys, but he’d start to cry and throw a fit. He is still distracted by his toys when picking up, but I have to remind him several times to continue working. And he’s okay with that.
Ty is learning piano. Good thing, too. What kind of piano teacher would I be if my own son didn’t learn piano? He knows where to put his hands when in Middle C position. G major position is still a bit tricky. He usually ends up in A minor, and his music sounds modal, like a Gregorian chant. Maybe he wants to be a monk. He reads most of the music pretty well. “Old MacDonald” and “Yankee Doodle” are his favorites.
Thursday and Friday (which is what we dubbed the babies) are moving and growing and getting heavier by the day. Thursday turned head down. Friday is in breach position, but how else would two people fit in a uterus? They should be gaining 5-7 ounces per week from now on to end up more than six pounds at 37 weeks. They are each less than two pounds right now at 26 weeks.
Ty, Kyle, and Taylor were all at least one week late and were all bigger than the average newborn. So I can hope that Thursday and Friday will be heavier and come at least one week later than the doctors say that they are at term, ready to be born. A single baby is at term at 38 weeks. Twins are at term at 36 weeks. Do twins mature faster than singletons in the womb? This is what I can conclude when doctors tell me that twin babies can come out sooner – or “be taken” as I hear talk of surgical birth at 36 weeks!
*headdesk*
*headdesk*
*headdesk*
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Ty and Kyle built a cyclops dog out of their Mega-Bloks.
Monarch caterpillar on our milkweed.
Dad bought a few milkweed plants some months ago. They attracted a monarch butterfly who laid eggs which later hatched. We had a total of four caterpillars munch, munch, munching on the leaves, leaving nothing but twigs. The milkweed grew seed pods (the caterpillar is on one of the many pods) that matured, opened, and let the wind carry the seeds away. They have silky, feathery wings that help them glide with the wind. One milkweed plant was discovered in out side yard, which was the coolest sight ever. I remember you when you were still inside your mommy!
The milkweeds grew back their leaves and flowers and are now hosting a whole new bunch of caterpillars. I was oblivious to any of this nature stuff mainly because I didn’t pay attention in school which was located in Suburbia where everybody pulled their weeds and threw pesticide on their lawns.
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After a doctor’s appointment last week, we had to wait about an hour and half for Dad to get out of work (we had dropped him off). So we hunted around for a park and found a great nature trail. It was full of dragonflies. We saw a cardinal, some squirrels, and lots of spiny back orb weaver and banana spiders, all waiting in their webs for unsuspecting prey.
Front to back: Taylor, Kyle, and Ty.
It was unusually cool last week. Lows were in the 50s, highs in the 70s. Very pleasant and weird for mid-April. (The week before that had a low of 74 and a high of 90.) It was cool in the morning. It warmed up just before noon, but the shaded areas were 10 degrees cooler than sunlight areas. The children spent an hour on the playground. Taylor embarrassed a 4-year-old boy by climbing to the top of the monkey bars after the boy chose to climb down the second rim, telling his mom that he was scared. Perhaps the boy doesn’t have older siblings. Ty was afraid of heights at that age.
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Dad and his mom share a birthday, and we had their party here at our house. I made the cake. I made two cakes and layered them with chocolate in between. Then I frosted the whole cake with chocolate. Then I put 99 candles on it. Yes, ninety-nine. The birthday boy and birthday girl were turning ages whose sum was 99. This year, Grandma Kay, Dad’s maternal grandmother and matriarch of the clan, would have turned 99 just three days before.
I didn’t know that one could put 99 candles (and light them!) on a simple 13″ x 9″ cake. It *can* be done, in case you are wondering. Just plan it: 9 ranks by 11 files. Begin lighting the center candles, work your way outward. Get two or three people to help. Use a candle to light the candles, not a lighter.
