18 Months!!!

I have to admit to having a few tongue-biting moments when, after the babies were born, well-meaning people would tell me to "enjoy them, because they grown up so fast". When you're up to your eyeballs in dirty diapers, dirty bottles, dirty clothes and runny noses without having slept for more than 4 hours at a time for well over a year, life seems to drag by at a glacial pace. You cannot wait for your darling children to gain even a tiny measure of independence. I think that's why parents celebrate milestones... it means you're one moment closer to a more even keel. Note, I wrote "more even" - everyone knows there is no such thing as having chidlers and a smooth sail.

In any case, after the babies turned 1, life did, indeed, start to speed up. And now that they're (mostly) walking and talking non-stop, life has hit warp speed. A few times over the past few weeks, I've stopped to marvel: "Aha, so THIS is what they meant!" and, even: "Woah! Slow down!". There is such a small space between these tiny measures of independence and Being Independent. For now, each victory is framed by a backwards or sideways glance to make sure Mummy or Daddy is still there, encouraging and safe. But these days are numbered. I plan to cherish them while I can!

Without further ado, HAPPY 18 MONTHS COLIN, KEITH AND EVELYN. Whew! More of a mouthful than the catch-all, "babies". But then, they aren't babies anymore!!

COLIN


Our Mister C, Monkey-Doodle. Or, as he is known to his adoring public, "Flirt". But don't be fooled! Those beguiling smiles are practiced with intense concentration in the mirror beside the change-table. Occasionally, I have found him firmly ensconced in the arms of a flattered and smitten woman at the Library, or have had people passing the stroller comment on his infectious ear-to-ear grin. His curiosity is boundless, and he must have all objects within view named and identified. If there are nine cats on a page, he'll put his finger on each one and ask, "Dat?". He will look at you with mild annoyance if one of those cats is called a hippopotamus. Speaking of looks, Colin has mastered the "Look of Death" which he shoots at his minions if we dare to refuse one of his many whims. This will serve him well when he becomes a Terrible Two. Wait, I think he's already there...

Colin specializes in the "Limpet", which means that if both his siblings are screaming their lungs out, and you're trying to juggle them accordingly, he will cling to your legs and beseech "UP UP!" a million times, with increasing volume. He must also be the first for everything; no surprise for our Baby A. As the oldest-by-a-minute sibling, he is also somewhat despotic. He'll merrily rip prized items out of anyone's grasp, push a sibling off a lap and use Keith's tummy as a bongo drum.

A Few Fun Colin Factoids:
- Every time he sees a star, no matter where or how minuscule, he sings "UpAhBo" as in, "Up Above the World So High", from "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"; and "Up Up Up" (Hop Hop Hop) when he sees a rabbit, from our song, "Wake Up Little Bunny";
- He is a whiz with the shape sorter, even the more complex shapes that I can't name (a trapezoid?!);
- He must have his blankie and/or Woof Woof to sleep;
- He can do very basic puzzles;
- He'll reliably tell me when he has a dirty diaper;
- He can run... and he does!
- He loves using his words, which include: all done, baby, puppy, book, mummy, daddy, opa, nana, up, down, hot, cookie, happy, knee, lalala, hi, bye, bubble, door, wall, yellow, shoe and, of course, his absolute favourite: NO!

KEITH


Keith, our Pumpkin, is mellow, good-natured and very easy-going. He will smile upon request and spends a lot of his day (and night) singing away, often making up his own tunes and lyrics as he goes along. When he is perfectly content, he'll break out his chart-topping "Mahmo eh eh eh eh". Whatever a "mahmo" is, it is a happy thing. What else makes Keith happy? His books, bubbles, anything with wheels and a motor, and everything we classify as dirty; like shoes, dog toys, and unidentified stuff off the floor. "Bleh", he proclaims with a cheerful glint in his eyes, as he samples the item in question, "ditty!". And what does Keith find hysterically funny? Tickles, belly buttons and the word "No". In fact, the more emphatic the "NO!", the funnier it is!

Keith will often bear the brunt of his siblings' aggression, usually with a smile and a laugh. He is very physical, so he thinks its great to be on the receiving end of a head-butt, which he will happily reciprocate. This exception is when Evelyn reaches over from her feeding chair, seizes his hand and chomps down on his finger. Keith sits there impassively... a few seconds pass, and then his bottom lip begins to quiver before he unleashes a torrent of tears and shrieking. She did that twice before he decided not to give her the benefit of the doubt. And although he has a long fuse, when he gets upset or frustrated, you will know! However, more often than not, the storm passes quickly and sun-shiney Keith reappears, quite likely humming "Uh...uh... Buppy..." softly to himself.

A Few Fun Keith Factoids:
- He is the king of animal noises. From an elephant to a donkey, Keith has them mastered. Although he thinks a squirrel makes a growling noise because that's Sprocket's reaction when he sees one;
- He beats his chest when he sees a picture of a gorilla... and an umbrella. The latter is my fault, because I introduced "umbrella" as a word that rhymed with "gorilla". Hence the confusion;
- He will sit and flip through books for half an hour. He knows what pictures are on each page, and will bring me other books that have pictures of the same things;
- If he hears a car or truck outside, he'll climb onto the rocking chair in the playroom to peep out the window and yell "Rooom Rooom!"
- He is Opa's #1 fan, and recognizes the sound of my parents' car as soon as it pulls into our driveway;
- Some of Keith's favourite words include: Down (which, for whatever reason, he pronounces "doon"), puppy, all done, opa, nana, mummy, up, daddy, cookie ("cooo-kay"), door, dog, bath and bubble.

EVELYN


Our Missus, and Miss Elevelyn. Try as you might, you cannot pull one over on our Miss E. Independent and somewhat mercurial, deviating from her meticulously planned course of action will net you an ear-shattering protest and the wiggliest worm on the block. People we meet often pronounce their sympathies for Evelyn, being "a rose between two thorns". I nod and smile, knowing the truth is that Evelyn exerts an iron will over her subjects. But when Evelyn smiles, and lo, when she unleashes that bubbly, throaty giggle, the world smiles with her. She will grab a favourite book, bring it to you with a polite "Ta Ta", plonk herself on your lap, and make little contented "yep" grunts as she settles in for a good read. She'll continue adding her two cents throughout the story, and should Colin grab the book and insist on pointing out every little fish, she'll yank it back and return it to you with the most emphatic "TA TA!".

She loves to organize scarves and bibs, and tucks her treasures in obscure corners for safe-keeping. When she gets excited, she flaps her hands and emits cooing "OOoOOs" - particularly after a meal, when she gets the "spa treatment" of a warm cloth. Evelyn likes her luxuries! One of her favourite activities is picking her barrette for the day, which is often why you'll see her with four of them in her hair. Evelyn is Evelyn on her own terms, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

A Few Fun Evelyn Factoids:
- Her favourite game is "BAA!", which is Nana's version of hide-and-seek that involves leaping out and yelling "Baa!". She asks for it by name;
- She lets me know she is dirty by holding her diaper and pronouncing "bo-bo";
- She knows most of her colours, and loves to find Mummy something that is blue;
- She still loves her "soo soo";
- She'll walk forever if you let her, even if she's exhausted. She wants to be on the move!!
- She is surprisingly talkative when in the bath, and will hold the soap dish with one hand, gesticulate wildly with the other, and wax philosophically for a good 15 minutes;
- Some of Evelyn's favourite words include: hat, opa, nana, knock-knock (?!), up, yellow, blue, no (more like "NO!") and bottle.