Ana said her first words!
She said "bye bye" to her Aunti Tia.
It has been in the last week that Ana started waving. She is super cute about it. Her fingers stay still in relation to her hands and her arm stays still, too. It's all a wrist movement where her whole hand just goes up and down as the wrist bends. Adorable. Maybe it's because we have been visiting with so many people lately for the holidays. Well, it would seem that waving is not all she has picked up on. On Christmas night, after dinner at Aunti Tia's house (Tami's sister Traci), Traci was putting Enzo in his car seat and I was putting Ana in hers when Ana started waving and then said "bye bye." "Did you hear that", I said? "Yes," said Traci. And then, "bye bye" Ana said again. When Tami got in the car she said it once again. Ana is a talker. English first for her.
Next day, she started saying Mama. Now she is saying Mama the most. It was only a couple of days ago when, right around when the waving started, I noticed for the first time she was making noises that seemed like practice words. And then bye bye pops out. I was expecting a lot longer before a word to come out, used appropriately, after she just started trying to vocalize. Seriously, the wave alone is so cute that it is alone worth writing about. Now that she said her first words with the wave it is all the more monumental. My daughter speaks. And she smiles. And she is gorgeous. And she has these super cute baby hands that I like to look at and hold. And super cute little feet. And the softest tummy. Ana is a remarkably beautiful child. A beautiful little baby.
(Enzo was drawn to Grandma's music carousel.)
Enzo is now saying his name a lot. Tami has told me that he says his name but I hadn't heard it until recently. Now I hear it all of the time. He says it like "Eh-no" and some times "Eh-nom." He likes to name the items he knows including people and so his name come up more now. Tami says she thinks it is Enzo that taught Ana to say Mama. I've heard him talking to her plenty so I believe it. Tami says Enzo said Papi before Mama because Tami was always talking about me but that Ana hears Enzo say Mama more so she learned it first. That makes me think about how much energy we put into loving and teaching Enzo these last two years and how now he is actually going to be teaching his sister. I wasn't thinking at the time about how my son would be a teacher so soon but he has become one. He is an optimistic teacher. I heard him trying to teach our dog Monte a few words also.
I have greatly enjoyed the last several days. The first few days of Winter break were quite hectic for me and my mind was spinning. But the last several days I have been able to really calm down and spend time with my family. Enzo and Ana and I have spent so much more time playing on the floor lately. I have taken so many more opportunities to enjoy these children. And there is so much to enjoy. Ana smiles so often and she is more substantial and has more and more personality as the days go on. Enzo is growing into a little boy and takes care of his sister often. They play together and they laugh together. Enzo will still bring her toys almost as often as he takes toys away from her. They are adorable together. Tami actually taught Enzo to give Ana toys in exchange for ones he wants from her. That is a cool trick and it is working. He does other thoughtful things for her too. He has two soccer balls, white and green. He claimed the green one as his own "Eh-no ball." But he also has declared the white one as "Baby Ana ball." No one asked him to. In fact, he is the one that plays with both of them nearly all of the time but the White one is Ana's and that's what he calls it.
(Playing with his new soccer net.)
There are a lot of toys for them to play with, especially after Christmas. I have never enjoyed other people getting gifts as much as I did this year with my children. They received some very cool and thoughtful gifts. A lot! actually. Our home is a bit over run at the moment in things for kids. It will take another day to find some room. Just to give a couple of examples of the many gifts. My parents made them each a chair from old step stools that they then painted and decorated. They came out great. Katrina got them a wooden camel that waddles down a ramp using gravity and a creative design with one moving part. The kids have played with it so much it's hard to believe. You don't always need electricity. TaTa (that's what Enzo calls Tami's mom) and Grandpapi Hun got Enzo a tricycle and he is loving it. He will need to grow a little more to have full control over it but he is stretching for it and making it work. He kept going back to it while we were opening presents on Christmas day and we had to coax him back to help open other presents. Cousin Vincent made Enzo his own soccer goal out of parts from the hardware store. Neat! It came out really nice and is painted in Enzo's favorite A's colors of yellow and green. We have spent a lot of time playing with that and it has only been two days. And there were countless more gifts like the stuffed animals that Johnna made for the kids and the wooden and used toys, books, and clothes that friends and family got for them and much more. Just so much. And there was time and people at three houses with three Christmas trees; with my family at my mom's for Christmas eve, just us at our house Christmas morning, and with Tami's family Christmas evening. Lots of time lately to visit with friends and family. We got to spend time with my Grandma, cousins, parents, friends, and each other.
The first couple of days of this two week break I was wondering how I could go without leaving home for work to be productive. What would I do with all of this time now that I actually had the time I was asking for? Now, a little over a week in, I remember it is not hard at all to fill up the day. Time to play, cook, clean up, visit, and play some more.
A great holiday time. There is more to come. This coming weekend is Enzo's second birthday.