My Big Kids

So after a year, you must be asking 'What's Up??'.  Let me try to give you a bit of an update.

Aili

Aili continues to be my sweet and easy little Peanut. She's almost three-and-a-half (can you believe it???) and quite diminutive for her age. She's shorter than all of her friends and weighs just a shade under 26 lbs, which makes her very tiny for her age indeed. She is very slim and we have trouble finding pants that stay up!  After talking with a pediatrician, however, we don't worry so much about her small size. She's meeting or surpassing all developmental milestones, has plenty of energy, and don't forget that she's got an Asian parent! She's just going to be a tiny little thing.



Aili's a kid who seems to be mature beyond her years, as some kids tend to be. When meeting new people or in new experiences, she's often quiet and reserved, but warms up after some thoughtful observation. Her deepest loves continue to be the Green Blanket and dolphins, but she's also fond of school buses and very small birds. Her favouite colours are green and 'pacific' blue. Aili's very much like I was as a kid: a bit reserved, getting along extremely well with a few friends but indifferent to other peers. She seems to know who she is.

The dolphin collection. 

We don't watch much TV around here, and the kids don't watch movies at all. There are no 'characters' and Aili's only been exposed to Disney princesses very recently. My guess is that it's normal for three year olds to fixate on their favourite things and be finicky about their preferred colours. But because Aili hasn't been exposed to princesses and 'girly' things, and she doesn't have any sense of the cultural construct that pink and purple are supposed to be 'girl' colours and blue is a 'boy' colour. I kind of like it that way. She has a lot of years ahead to be shaped by the culture around her.

Still and always - her mama's girl.

Big dark eyes.

Watching House Hunters International and drinking tea. 

Didn't I tell you she is her mama's girl?

Tomi

Tomi, on the other hand, has become a little boy. And when I say 'boy', I mean it! I don't know how he learned it, but he embodies most of the characteristics you'd expect from a boy. He's busy and active and physical. His play is rougher and more physically daring. His first word was 'digger', and his second word was 'ball': that pretty well sums it up.

He's a sweet kid, very attached to me (read: a Mama's boy), and a bit of a whiner. He likes to do silly things to make people laugh and seems to get along with all his peers equally. I think he'll be more affected by social pressures. He also has a shorter temper than Aili, with higher highs and lower lows. It never ceases to amaze me how they can be so different!






Tomi is almost 2 now. He's about average for height and around the 35th percentile for weight. He's 26 pounds even, so he's finally crept past Aili weight-wise - but she's still got a few inches on him in height. When we're out and about, I am often asked if they're twins. It's obvious that they're not if you talk to them or see them standing side-by-side, but if they're playing or sitting they very well could be twins!

It's no wonder that Tomi outweighs Aili: that kid can EAT!  He regularly eats his meal, Aili's meal, and comes back for third and fourth servings. He's going to cost us a fortune when he's a teenager.

He's experiencing the so-called 'language explosion', which is a delight to witness. Right now Johnny and I are pretty well the only ones who can actually understand him, but that'll come. His clearest words best sum up his personality: "Mommy" - "Ball" - "No!" - "Accident" and "Why?".




And so far, he's still got the crazy curlicue hair. We're not quite sure where that came from - obviously not Johnny's side of the family - but we like it, and hope it stays curly as he grows up!








Siblings

The two of them get along beautifully. We did have an ugly stage last summer/fall that lasted about four months when Aili beat him up a lot. It coincided with her 'terrible two's' and was pretty unpleasant to be around. But they've since turned a corner and are currently each other's best friends. They chase and copy and laugh at each other, and play together all the time. Not only is it a joy to see, but it also makes it easier for me!
 

 This toy stroller was probably not intended for three-year-olds.

 Matching backpacks. Matching everything, for that matter!

 My goofy guys. Those are shoe covers on their heads. 

Bedtime stories. No parents required!

 Silly geese. Yes, that is a hot pink clip in Tomi's hair. 

 Skyping with Auntie J in Toronto.

I never cease to be astonished that my children will grow up 

unimpressed by this kind of remarkable technology.

The stroller again! A favourite game indeed.

The happy gang.