Us and Them

Ok, so I was sitting here trying to think of a title for this blog post... something to do with "me" and "you," which will make sense shortly. But I kept returning to "Us and Them." Maybe because I have been listening to too much Pink Floyd lately? I think it's a sign that I need to switch out the CDs in my car, haha!

Anyway... Maya has dazzled us recently with a sudden and complete understanding of the words "me" and "you." She's also using her own name (or nickname, rather) more and more when referring to herself-- she knows who she is! Case in point:

This morning, Nikos came over and said to me, "I love building trains!" To which I replied, "and I love my Nikos!" Maya, who was playing nearby on the floor, stopped what she was doing, looked up at me, and said, "And My-My!!" Naturally, I said, "and I love My-My, too!" She beamed, announced "That's meeeee!!!" and went back to playing. It was BEYOND cute.

Throughout the day, she peppered her conversations with me's and you's, always accompanying them with an appropriate point to herself or the person she was talking to. There are still a lot of her words we don't completely understand, but these two are pretty clear, at least. And while a good number of her words are still hard to comprehend, it is completely obvious that this girl is speaking in sentences. Many, many sentences! She even loves to sings songs in her own way. It should be fun when she gets to be around Nikos' age. I can only imagine what amazing things she is going to have to say!

And now for something completely different! (he he!!)

I post a lot on here about Nikos and Maya, and rarely does my first (and furriest) baby get much blog time. But Charlie is still alive and well, and boy, does he love these little people! Both kids are great about petting him gently, giving him kitty hugs, and just loving their "big brother." Today, I managed to catch some pics of Charlie trying to snuggle with Nikos as he played in the living room. These two are just so sweet together!



Finally, another note about a not-as-frequently-mentioned family member: Sugar Bear! Sugar Bear, AKA "Bear," is Nikos' lovey. They've been inseparable since Nikos was about 4 months old, and Bear definitely shows some wear and tear. Still, I informed Nikos recently that Christmas marked Bear's third birthday, since he was a Christmas gift from Nouno and Nouna in 2007. He didn't say anything about it for a while, but decided tonight that we needed to celebrate. So, after dinner, I lit a votive candle, we all sat at the table, and we sang "Happy Birthday" to our stuffed friend. Nikos blew out that candle for him, and we all cheered for Bear. And then we did the entire thing over again (because Bear wanted to, of course). :)