Bye, cast!

Joshua had his cast removed today! The X-ray showed that his bone has healed! Praise God! While we were waiting to have the cast sawed off, one of the other mothers who was there with her son (who was getting his 3rd cast in 2 years), noted the dearth of girls among the patients at this pediatric othopaedic doctor's office... boys are so much fun, aren't they? :) Joshua's leg is still sore so he can't really walk yet, but this everning he was absolutely delighted to get his first shower in 3 weeks. Our whole family is thankful that the cast episode is finally over!

These days whenever the boys see a picture of corn on the cob, like in one of their books, they'll blow on it as if they're trying to cool it down to an appropriate eating temperature. If one of the boys sees a photo of himself, he will point to it and say "brother!" They also like to call Daddy by his first name. If they think Daddy will be coming home soon, they'll stand at the front door and yell "Joe! Joe! Joooooe!" I think it's cute, but Daddy wishes they'd just stick to "Daddy"!

They also like to make letters of the alphabet out of everyday objects such as drinking straws and spaghetti noodles. They'll fold it at a 30-degree angle and say "A" then flip it upside down and say "V", then they'll widen it to a 90-degree angle and say "L". They also like to say "bye!" to everything, including letters that they read on food packaging at the grocery store. As we proceed down the aisle, they'll say "Bye, S! Bye, P!" etc.

Talking up a storm

The boys' ability to communicate verbally seems to have doubled in the past couple weeks. These days they can be heard saying things such as:

• "Ooooh, nice!" when they see something they like.


• "Hi Mimi!" when we are pulling up in to Mimi and Papa's driveway.


• "Bryce! Car? Bye-bye?" when they want to get in the car and go visit their friend Bryce.


• "Mimi! Papa! Car? Bye-bye?" when they want to go to Mimi and Papa's house.


• I can ask them if they have a poo and they will say "Yes" or "No", usually giving the correct answer. Sometimes Caleb even tells me "poo!" before I even ask. Maybe we can start potty training after Joshua gets his cast removed.


• They say "eat!" if they are hungry and "all done" when they're done eating.


• New favorite words include "bus, car, Bible, Jesus, sky, guitar, up, down, cracker, hello".


• They also can say most of the letters ("W" has proved to be quite challenging) and numbers. Sometimes I'll catch them spouting out a random string of words, letters, and numbers. I predict they'll be speaking sentences any day now.

The boys like for us to pat their backs when they're coughing, usually during a meal. Sometimes if we don't pat their backs in time, they will pat their own chests. And sometimes if one boy is coughing and having his back patted, the other will fake a cough so that we'll pat his back, too! I told you, they're quite talented actors.

Joshua has made incredible progress with his cast. He is almost as mobile now as he was before the accident, he's just not as fast. He can stand up without holding onto anything and walk. It's tricker on smooth surfaces but he does really well on carpet. It occurred to us the other day that for all Joshua knows, his cast is a permanent fixture. Considering how depressing that prospect would be, he is an amazingly cheerful and optimistic boy. He's really just as happy now as he ever has been. We think that's pretty remarkable.

Happy 60th Birthday "Mimi"!

Today was Halmoni's 60th Birthday! Most people can not believe that she is really 60 years old since she looks so young. We had a birthday party for her today, which was a lot of fun. Joshua and Caleb's gift to Halmoni was a new name. They have decided to call her "Mimi". We have no idea where they came up with this name. There is a woodcut print of Halmoni which I made in college that is hanging on our living room wall, and the boys will even say "Mimi!" when we point to it and ask who it is. They have also decided that Grandpa should be called "Papa". We just think it's fascinating how they have both agreed on the same names!

Joshua is quickly adusting to his leg cast. He has overcome his initial frustration and can now crawl while dragging his cast behind him, stand (while holding onto something), get on his bike all by himself and ride it around with one foot doing all the work, and get up into a chair all by himself. He can even jump on the couch, which really seemed to lift his spirits. We're so happy to see him adapting so well.

Joshua's Cast

Last night Joshua hurt his leg while going down a slide with Joe at the playground. Afterwards he couldn't walk, and if he even tried to stand up he cried and fell down in pain. So this morning I took him to the pediatrician, who took one glance at his leg and sent us to the orthopedic doctor. An x-ray revealed that Joshua's lower left leg had a big crack! The doctor remarked that Joshua was a very tough boy to withstand the pain it must be causing him. We left the doctor's office later this afternoon with a big orange cast encasing the full length of Joshua's leg and foot. They even gave him a cute little shoe to wear over it.

This evening Joshua practiced standing and walking a little with the cast, but it either hurt or proved to be too frustrating of an endeavor to pursue. So basically his mobility has reverted back to what it was when he was about 6 months old. He can sit and scoot around on his tummy, dragging his heavy cast behind him. This is proving to be extremely frustrating to Joshua, since he is accustomed to always being on-the-go. I almost feel as though this would have been slightly less tragic had it happened to Caleb instead, since he is more apt to be entertained while stationary. For instance, Caleb is usually the passenger in the wagon while Joshua jogs along pushing from behind. Not that I would have wished this fate on either boy, but you know what I mean.

I am beginning to think that having a twin brother who tempts you with fun and rambunctious activities does not make having a cast on your leg any easier! Tonight Caleb was jumping on the couch and Joshua was so upset that he could not join in on the fun. He looked at me pleadingly, asking me to take the cast off of his leg, and oh how I wish I could have-- I now realize why they make casts that can only be removed with a saw! I wish we could explain to Joshua the purpose of the cast in such a way that he would fully understand. And maybe he does understand, to a certain extent. Anyway, the next 3 weeks should be interesting. Please join us in praying that God will heal Joshua's leg very quickly so that he can return to being his normal happy active self!

Drama

It's hard to believe that one month from today, Caleb and Joshua will be 2 years old!

Lately the boys have become quite good at acting. For instance, these days everything we feed them is allegedly scalding hot. The mere sight of a plateful of lukewarm eggs will cause them to quiver in fear. Even a mouthful of cool, creamy yogurt prompts them to draw their fists to their mouths and wince in superficial pain. "Now I know that is NOT hot!" we tell them.

Sadly, the boys must have grown accustomed to having us accidentally bonk their heads against the car door opening when we lift them up into their carseats. Lately whenever we put them in their car seats, their precious noggins clearly unscathed, they will dramatically clutch their heads and rub their imaginary wounds while pouting and saying "ow! ow!"

W

W is the boys' favorite letter. They can't pronounce it yet, but they love it. They regularly quarrel over the W and M (since M looks like W when it's upside down) pieces of their alphabet puzzle. Caleb especially likes to walk around the house clutching a W in each hand, occasionally stopping to hold them up to me and ask me to say "W".

Last night Caleb fell asleep at the table in the middle of dinner because he had skipped his nap earlier that day. As is always the case when they don't nap at the same time, the awake twin (in this case, Joshua) grew lonesome for his brother's company. In an effort to lure Caleb away from his slumber, Joshua retrieved the two W puzzle pieces and offered Caleb the red W, which happens to be the most coveted W. While ineffective, it was a very magnanimous gesture that illustrates the boys' mutual affection for the letter W.

We think it's pretty neat that the boys like W so much, considering their last name (and Caleb's middle name) begins with W. Maybe they like W because it sounds so much different than its one-syllable counterparts, or maybe our fondness of President Bush has rubbed off on them, who knows? But for whatever reason, W is the boys' favorite letter.

The Library

Call me a slacker, but prior to yesterday morning the boys had never set foot in a library. I had always envisioned taking twin boys to a library as a nightmare of sorts... the inevitable shrieks, the unfriendly glares, the chasing of boys down aisles and aisles of books. Well, the other moms in our playgroup dragged us to the library yesterday, and it turns out that there is a special toddler room brimming with board books, wooden puzzles, velcro letters & numbers that stick to the walls, and most importantly, doors that made it permissible for them to scream "Nee Nee Neeee!" at the top of their lungs while pointing to the picture of the 3 bears in Goodnight Moon. They were in awe of the library's huge version of Goodnight Moon that was about 4 times bigger than the little board book we have at home. When they first laid eyes on this monstrous Goodnight Moon, it was as though they had never beheld such a glorious sight. Yes, the boys were in heaven at the library.