Dear Signing Toddlers,

It is just amazing how much you both have taken to using sign language. Grace, you have begun to sign please and William, you are signing cat and bear. The Signing Times DVDs are wonderful -- the music is upbeat, you both recognize its rhythm and now request a DVD with a sign -- and Mommy and Dada are easily learning to sign too.

William, you are smiling more, still a pretty serious little boy but smiling more -- and climbing more. Grace, you just smile lots, often, and really enjoy climbing anything. The only chair in the room is your springboard to jump from. So far, we are pleased your brother has not followed you.

The SNOW -- Friday (pictures below), it snowed 11 inches in Portland, 16 inches in Kennebunk (hopefully LuAnne and Julianne stayed at home!). It was the neat powdery snow that just kept piling up! Mommy's company closed down at 3pm and it took 45 minutes to get home. By Saturday, the temps were up in the high 30s and the snow was beginning to melt. The backyard is still snow covered, enough to play in, make snow angels and maybe even cross country ski (if Mommy and Dada knew how!).

Saturday Kim came to the house to evaluate you both for speech therapy. You both have scored below your adjusted age, enough for you, Grace to certainly quality for services and maybe enough for you, William, too. We will hear from Kathleen next week. It seems that it is normal for receptive language to be higher than expressive language (kids take in language before speaking language) and both of you have higher receptive language than expressive. Mommy and Dada are not always verbally expressive in language so we will work on this for your benefit. It is challenging because neither of you are all that interested in speaking especially since you can and do sign with us. We will exaggerate our words to encourage you to speak.

We saw Santa Saturday afternoon at the New England Hemophilia Association party. Both of you were very shy around Santa and the other kids too (and there were many kids). You have new Webbles toys to play with. It was nice to see people again and so many new babies!

Elizabeth babysat you Saturday afternoon and evening so Mommy and Dada brought home a Christmas tree and wreaths, took packages to the post office, enjoyed dinner out, and went to the Portland Symphony Orchestra's Magic of Christmas. Several scores from the Nutcracker were included as was Handel's Messiah. The time flew by and Mommy and Dada even had time to do the mundane -- go grocery shopping!

Santa just keeps coming to the house, via FedEx. The boxes are filling the living room from family and friends.

We love you and Harry too,

Mommy and Dada

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