Closing in on 14 months...

Just a few days shy of 14 months (how did THAT happen?!?) and

Malcolm & Lucinda's personalities are really blossoming. 

They're learning new things every day,

and have become very willful and opinionated. 

And, of course, they're still as cute as can be!

New tricks

• They're picking up new signs almost daily.  Malcolm has cat, dog (all non-cat animals), milk, "all done", shoes, water (bath) and I think he did "mama" a couple of times.  Lucinda has cat, dog, sleep, "shhh" and "all done"
• Lucinda can point to her (or your) nose, tummy, ears, mouth, feet and eyes.  Malcolm will do it if he's in the mood, but it's more his sister's show.
• They'll follow simple directions now.  When we ask "Do you want to take a nap?" they'll walk back to their room and stand by their cribs.  If I ask "Do you want to go in the car?" they'll stand by the kitchen door.  They'll also go get their cups or toys from another room when asked, and they know their favorite toys by name.
• Yesterday, Lucinda discovered "fake laughing".  If you laugh, she'll go "ha ha ha" really loudly.
• They can get down off the couch, and climb up the stairs really well.
• Malcolm can run, not gracefully, but he picks up some speed.  They can both walk sideways and backwards now, and are getting good at navigating obstacles in their path.
• Lucinda has some words she uses regularly - dada, mama, cat, "bup" (brother), "ba" (ball) and duck, and repeats lots of other sounds she hears.  Malcolm will say mama or dada, but usually saves it for when he really wants something.
• Sharing's not their strong suit yet, but we've found a way for them to play happily together with the ride on/push toy:

Current Obsessions

• "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" (and books, generally).  Malcolm is also obsessed with the huge picture book he got from Grandpa & Grandma Nelson for his birthday, especially the page with the frog.
• Flash cards -- they can identify so many animals and things because of these.
• Lucinda is building a menagerie of stuffed friends -- "Blue Dog", "Orange Bear" and her flat dog/blanket "Buddy" (who makes a good hat):

 

• Climbing on the couch
• Pointing at what they want, where they want to go, and what they want to see
• Dancing (Malcolm's main move is a knee bounce, Lucinda prefers swaying side-to-side)
• The Tupperware drawer and my baking pans
• Bananas.  We go through 3 bunches a week.

Dislikes

• Toothbrushing
• Sharing