On track?

Sometimes I can't help but compare Caleb and Joshua's development to other kids their age and wonder if they are "on track". One of my friends can ask her son (who is the same age as our boys), "Would you like to eat an apple, a banana, or pretzels?" and he will calmly mumble something to her, and she will reply "Oh, you want an apple? Ok!" I found myself gaping at this exchange in awe, considering that our boys are more likely to convey their food preferences in the form of pointed fingers, high-pitched shrieks, or Caleb's favorite phrase as of late, "ahbidgee-bijah!", which we've determined means a variety of things. Another friend has told me that her son (who is also the boys' age) has started speaking in sentences. Our boys will "speak" in sentences, sure, but none that any English-speaking person can understand! Also, Halmoni says (and has photos to prove) that when I was the boys' age, I could feed myself a sliced-in-half grapefruit with a spoon. The boys' favorite thing to do with a spoonful of food is fling it through the air. I'm even lucky if I can get a break from holding the boys' sippy cups for them while they drink! 

I have been told that I should attribute Caleb and Joshua's verbal shortcomings to the fact that they are twins and that they don't feel as great an urgency to learn to communicate with others, namely their parents and other people who speak English, since they can commuicate with each other in their own "twin language". Perhaps this is true, I've decided to let myself think that it is. As far as their motor skills are concerened, though, I probably have nothing to blame but my own uptight tendency to cringe at messes and wastefulness. Perhaps what's holding the boys back is my hesitancy to allow them to "feed themselves" (or in other words "fling across the room and smear all over their faces and clothes") organic baby yogurt that is nearly worth its weight in gold.