update on our monkeys…

Just a quick update on the latest with the boys...

William:
One thing that William does that cracks me up is when he sings "The B-I-B-L-E, yes that's the book for me. I stand alone on the Word of God, the B-I-B-L-E." So instead of singing "The B-I-B-L-E..." he sings, "The B-I-B-L-T..." He's figured out that that makes us laugh so he sings it that way on purpose now, but it was amusing when he didn't know what he was doing.
William's imagination has really been taking off. I love watching him build things with his Legos and tell me what they are... sometimes they're cranes, boats, towers, etc. He also has been playing with some imaginary friends: June & Annie from Little Einsteins. He LOVES that tv show and has become a bit of a tv junkie. June & Annie are the female counterparts on the show. He particularly likes June. =) It's interesting to me that he also talked a lot about Wonder Red when he was hooked on Super Why. He seems to find some kind of attachment to the girls in these shows... or maybe he just likes girls... I won't try to psychoanalyze this too much, but I just find it interesting that none of the characters he talks about are male. Go figure...
Potty training continues to go very well. He is now using the regular toilet for pee, but doesn't like using it when he has to poop. He also can tell us every time now when he has to use the bathroom, so I can't remember the last time he had an accident. We are very pleased with how William has been doing. Yay, William! Haven't tried venturing outside in his underwear yet. Maybe we'll try that after our vacation to Williamsburg at the end of the month. =)
Another neat thing with William is that his screaming at night has significantly decreased since we got back from Pittsburgh. Not sure why this is the case, but we're grateful that our boy is sleeping more soundly now!
William still has quiet/nap times everyday and will generally nap most days.

Josiah:
Josiah's comprehension has skyrocketed over the last few months. He's not anywhere close to talking yet, but his understanding of what we ask of him and what's going on around him is really remarkable to us. He can come to us, come when we tell him it's time to change his diaper, come when we tell him it's time to eat, knows where to find his paci, understands when we tell him it's time to go upstairs/downstairs, knows to get his shoes when it's time to leave, puts things back when we ask him, etc. It has been so neat watching him begin to understand his little world and our routines at home.
Josiah is also just beginning to learn some signs. It's exciting to see him learn to communicate, as it will make things easier and less frustrating before he learns to actually talk.
Our little monkey also has quite the temper. =) (I wonder who he got that from...) ;) He is very clear on what he wants and doesn't want, so we’ve been doing a lot of training with him (much more so than we did with William at this age). Josiah continues to be our little firecracker, but can also be affectionate (also much more so than William was at this age). Josiah likes to be comforted, gives kisses, likes to lay his head on our shoulder, and loves to be held most times. I wouldn’t consider either of our boys snuggle-able or extremely affectionate, but we definitely have our sweet moments with Josiah... and with William, just in different ways now.
We’ve had several remarks about how little Josiah is. I guess we don’t notice b/c we’re w/him all the time. Oh, well. He has plenty of personality to make up for it. He’s our little goofball. ;)
Josiah loves to clap for himself or for William when either one are praised for obeying or doing a great job with something. I love how he encourages William to obey. It’s really sweet. He also loves to play peekaboo, except we say, "Where's Josiah?" when he covers his eyes and "There he is!" when he throws his hands out.
Josiah continues to take 2 naps (one in the morning and one in the afternoon). Recently, his naps seem to be getting shorter and he is taking longer to fall asleep. So I wouldn’t be surprised if we had to push his nap later or transition him to one nap a day soon. Josiah has also been doing great with table foods. He seems to have grown out of his reflux since he doesn’t throw up everything new we give him. The more he eats table food, the more he seems to reject his baby food. It shouldn’t be long before he stops eating baby food altogether. He’s still taking zantac once a day for his reflux, but we’re in the process of weaning him off to see how he does without it.
Josiah also is still doing pt, but now it's every other week. The pt has been encouraged by how much progress Josiah is making and said that hopefully, sometime in the near future, we can reduce his sessions to once a month. When it gets reduced to once a month, it's really just a formality and an opportunity for her to stop in every now and then to make sure he's still doing well. For now, our pt wants to continue meeting bi-weekly for at least a few more times to make sure he's staying strong and not regressing. It is exciting to start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Can't express how grateful we are to the Lord for the work He has been doing in Josiah!
Both the boys seem to be playing together more and more… and learning how to enjoy one another. It has been great watching their relationship blossom. We are so blessed beyond measure! Love them to pieces!