signs of intelligence

Hello friends and family,

We're starting to see many signs of intelligence from our twins. After 10 months of life. As much as Easton and Layla babble on endlessly with each other, there hasn't been much English spoken. They both do "mmmmmma ma ma ma" when they need anything and occasionally I've convinced myself they say "dada", but that's just wishful thinking. However, Easton is progressing along with two important milestones. He points to a light and says, "ight". Pointing is a good measure of progress and saying something resembling "light" is a big step in the right direction. Of all the things I thought would be Easton's first official word, I am not surprised it is "light" because he is endlessly entertained by looking up at ceiling fans and lights no matter what house or restaurant or building we take him.

Layla is taking a different route to show her intelligence. After 1 month of watching the Your Baby Can Read video almost every single day Layla knows what "Arms UP" means! Now she does it on command almost as a pavlovian response. Anyone within earshot of Layla can say, "Arms UP" and her arms will spring to life as she sticks them up over her head. She also does the sign language for "more". She does this only because it allows her to get her way (more food) faster. :)

So there you have it... words, motions, signs; it's all coming together and I started thinking how odd it's going to be when they actually DO something I tell them to. Prior to our latest breakthrough I considered the twins as just off in their own world with no ability to communicate between us. They cry... kendra fixes whatever the problem is (hungry, poopy, tired) and all was well in the universe. I didn't feel much bonding or that I was adding anything to their lives other than fetching balls that roll away or holding down their little head while Kendra sucks snot from their nose.

Layla is standing on her own now! I know this is true because I saw it on Skype just today. :) I couldn't believe my eyes, but there she was like a drunken sailor standing up for a few seconds all by herself.

I'm really looking forward to the interaction part of having kids. I know this next statement will come back to haunt with a vengeance, but: I can't wait for them to ask questions and learn from our conversations. My sisters boys, Eli and Silas, were sharing their latest vocabulary words over Skype and I was amazed how smart they are and how much they know. I'll be learning just as much as my twins will if they follow the same pattern of smarts as Eli and Silas.

Kendra collected pictures and videos over the past few days of these exciting events, but can't quite get them posted within the blog. I'll take care of that tomorrow when the 4 Webbs get back together in Cali!

Bye bye.