Back in December I posted some photos and video of Liv sorting her wooden blocks she’d gotten for Christmas.

Olivia lining up blocks by color and then by letter

At that time, it was the first significant thing she had done to show she understood anything beyond food, drink, or sleep. She has always been very quiet and fairly unresponsive most of the time. I mentioned once that I had her hearing checked because you could clap in her ear and she wouldn’t flinch.

So I was really excited to see her showing interest in something and wanting to figure things out. But she quickly became unnaturally attached to the blocks. They replaced her pacifier and she insisted on taking them to bed with her. It was still pretty cute back then.

Then someone got the twins a puzzle for Christmas. It was for ages 3+ (20 pieces) so I put it up on a shelf for later, recalling how AJ hadn’t picked up on those types of puzzles until she was nearly four.

Liv’s first puzzle, 20 pieces, worn out after a month

Liv saw it one day and pointed to it. Pointing being a huge milestone for her, I said, okay, whatever chick, and let her have at it. On her third try she did it without help. This was crazy. She just turned two! What gives? As much as I wanted to be proud of her, something felt off about it. She was even more obsessive of the puzzle. She took it to bed now over the blocks and did it OVER and OVER, dumping it over, putting it back together, dumping it over again… for an hour without a break. She would stay up until midnight some nights until I wised up and started taking it away from her.

She would even show visible signs of stress if she couldn’t find a missing piece (usually because it fell between her crib and the wall in the night) and then let out a huge sigh when I found it for her. This didn’t seem normal.

Then, she had worn the puzzle down to the point where two pieces ripped in half and though I did my best repair job they never fit right and she couldn’t rest until they did. So I bought her a couple of more puzzles.

Her second puzzle, 25 pieces

These had 25 pieces, a few more than the Dora puzzle. She did these new ones with no help at all and got it the first try in less than ten minutes. I’m less proud of that than freaked out, I think. She’s smart, God, I get it, but sheesh!

Okay, as you know, when you buy a new toy for one kid it’s rotten of you not to get a little something for the others too, right? Well, I don’t normally cave to that idea, but I thought AJ deserved a puzzle of her own. So I got a nice wooden one, 48 pieces (labeled ages 6-9). Liv swiped it. It’s now her favorite as it is the first to be a real challenge to her.

AJ’s puzzle, 48 pieces, is more of a challenge

So now… I’m way beyond proud, past bewildered, just over freaked out, and now onto how-can-i-make-this-work-for-her. One thing she has had real trouble with is communicating with people, anyone, for any of her needs. This puzzle forces her to have to ask for help in a way she hasn’t had to before. She never has to ask for food or a drink, diaper change, anything. I’m here, I take care of those things, it’s my job.

So she’s never learned to say what she needs. She’s making real progress this month as she has been bringing me pieces to help her put them where they go. But if I’m being totally honest here, I’ve done the same with her, because that’s one tricky puzzle! A two year old helping me do a puzzle. Wow.

On the other hand, M is a complete opposite, miss social butterfly, talking up a storm, and not one bit interested in anything that makes her think too hard. :D To see her try to jam pieces together and then give up after one try, it’s incredible the difference in the two girls.

She can almost get the words out, if you listen closely, Mama, I just don’t get Livie and her puzzles. More juice?