Finally, an update!

Happy Fall! I have to say that I absolutely love this weather. And I love seeing the kids in a new wardrobe. Last week I "flipped" their closet. Now Michael has way more clothes than Liliana (Liliana had much more over the summer). Michael is in between 2T and 3T so we have both out in the closet. Michael was very excited to see all his new clothes. Everyone morning he has a blast picking out which shirt he wants to wear. We didn't have much for Liliana in the 12 month size for winter/fall so we are skipping ahead to 18 month clothes. They fit her pretty well and they will last through the winter and hopefully into the spring.

Both the kids continue to grow and become more expressive. Michael seems to have sprouted in height. When we got him home he was at least a head shorter (and maybe shoulders too) than his cousin Natalie. Now he's only an inch or so shorter than her. His vocabulary also continues to grow. Instead of referring to himself as "Michael" he now calls himself "my" (which I believe is a combination of 'me' and 'I'). He is counting to 10, sings lots of songs, whistles, skips, rides a 12-inch bike, and says most of the ABCs. He also can go the bathroom and wash his hands by himself. This was a great success for me since I not longer have to stop what I'm doing to help him go potty.

Liliana also is growing in height and weight. She's up several inches and has gained 6-7 pounds. She is still growing at a steady rate where Michael is starting to slow down. At her 3-month check-up we found out that she is now barely on the chart for weight, though she is still not on the chart for height - so we are making good progress. Liliana's language is exploding. She says probably somewhere between 30-40 words. Today she said 3 new words - baby, Bella, and happy. She is also starting to count. She can repeat most of the numbers (1-10) after us and also does some counting. I say one, two.; Liliana says 3; I say 4; Liliana says 5, and so on. I was amazed that she knew the order of the numbers. But we do count to 10 as we brush their teeth, so she has been hearing them.

Liliana also had her 3 month check up at the eye doctor. We found out that the glasses are helping to correct her eye, but they want to be more aggressive. So, Liliana will be wearing a patch on her "good"eye for 2 hours a day for 10 weeks. Then we will go back for another check up.

Last Friday we started gymnastics. Michael is in the preschool class (for 3-5 year olds) and Liliana is in the Tiny Tots class (for 3 and under). I asked the gymnastics club if Michael could join the older class (even though he's not 3 yet) because he's so advanced gross motor wise. They agreed to let him in the class. Liliana's class is a "mommy and me" class so we get to do the gymnastics together. Both kids had a blast. They did somersaults, hung on the bars, and Michael got to jump off the balance beam into a pit of foam blocks.

This Thursday is my surgery so the kids will have their first sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Michael is beyond excited. He's been asking sleepover for weeks. I don't think he realizes we won't be there. :) I am sure they will both do great!