2 kids X 2 legs = trouble

Max is now a walker -- or should I say a lurcher. He has abandoned his previous preferred method of getting around and now gets up on his feet when he has to get somewhere. It happened very quickly; a couple of days ago he just got up from his hands and knees and started to go, never looking back. But he's not graceful. He's stiff and shuffling and his arms are still locked in a rigid, uncomfortable position. He walks like a miniature Frankenstein monster.

But he enjoys his new freedom and now spends a lot of time walking back and forth with a big smile on his face and making his funny sound of the week, "Lolloollollolloollolloollo..."

Talia meanwhile has gotten faster and more agile. She doesn't fall down much at all and navigates through the cluttered play area with ease. She's making a funny new sound of her own, which really astonished me when I first heard it. It's a really strange noise and goes something like this, "Gloi-gloi-tloi-ui-oi-glui-OI-GLOI-TUI-GLOO-GLOI!" She gets quite loud with it. It's hilarious.

But they're both making progress with language, Talia ahead of Max, as usual. It's hard to make out what they're saying sometimes, as they often drop the last sounds on their words. And I think I've solved the mystery as to why neither of them have said Max's name, or anything even close to it. It's because he already has a name: Da-da (with the second syllable stressed slightly). Michelle is not as convinced, but I've played a naming game with Talia, where she will point to herself and say her name, point to me and say, "Papa", and point to Max and say, "Da-da." Max says, "Da-da" quite a bit, just as Talia went through a phase when she said her name frequently. He most often says it when he wants something, just as Talia will say her name when she points at something she wants. I'll be interested in how this develops.

Here's a shot of the two of them with a new toy borrowed from the local toy library: