Mike still has a flair for the dramatic and he throws himself on the ground for attention. He is adorable and he knows it and he will grin at you and nuzzle up to you for a hug or for a snuggle. He is very affectionate and he thrives off of attention and positive feedback. He is still very delayed in talking, but he is getting better each week and he gets his point across with the words he does have and with activity and actions. He has the most vivid made up language of the three and when he is feeling chatty he is amazing - we just don't know what he is saying. He is the wrestler of the group and he is known for tackling his brothers from behind. Lately he has also taken to putting his blanket over his head and walking around...we are not sure what that's about...He does not use a pacifier. Mikey is a blanket boy - everywhere, all the time. He wheres his blanket as a hat, scarf, shawl, drags it, carries it...you get the idea, he needs it. His brothers take it and use it as trade whenever they need Mikey to give something up to them.
Konrad remains the feistiest with his short temper and impatience. He is goofy and a joker with adults, he is always laughing and playing, but he is easily insulted by his brothers. He is very interactive and he is the most advanced in his ability to communicate and speak. He repeats everything we say and he even comes up with his own surprising statements...we definitely have to be careful around him. He is the smallest boy by about 6 pounds and that is frustrating for him because he gets toys taken away from him (and when Mikey tackles him frequently since it works better with Konrad verses Zach). He still bites his brothers as defense, it is main form of defense and his brothers wear the marks to prove it...lately he is starting to take his biting on the offensive to get things away from his brothers - creative but not ideal. Konrad is also the most sneaky, he is in some ways the leader or the instigator. He writes on the wall with crayons, his brother write on the walls with crayons. He jumps on the couch, his brothers jump on the couch...you get the idea.
Zachary is still our most laid back and gentle child. He is very affectionate and he likes to be held and touched. He is trying so hard to communicate right now and his speech is advancing rapidly. He will run up to us and stand in front of us and try to talk so hard repeating his words and staring at us - willing us to understand him - then when he makes eye contact and notices how much we are paying attention he gets bashful and looks down or gets embarrassed and runs off, but he keeps trying. He is very active and he is still the biggest of the three. Mikey cannot really tackle him effectively, but he tries. Zachary loves to be tickled and played with although he still does not play with his brothers as often as Mike and Konrad play together. He loves to play tag with them and hide and seek and they will all chase each other around the house screaming and laughing which is hilarious. Zachary is also the most determined and intense child. He will persevere at a task until he figures it out - even for hours. We call him our velocaraptor since he tests the enclosures.
They have grown so much and they are pretty amazing! We are very lucky parents and we have survivied 2 years which we think is quite an accomplishement!
