Crazy Town

Let's see....where did the craziness begin. I suppose for Joseph it started with the fall he took on the playground at schoolyesterday that resulted in a huge lump on his forehead. But for me it began with lunch at qdoba. As soon as I had finished my salad I knew something was amiss. I avoided hurling at the dentist but exploded after returning home, and continued throughout the evening. After drifting off to sleep, I woke up to Jay saying "didn't you hear the sirens?" We turned on the tv to see what was going on, and then decided to move all sleeping children to the basement due to the tornadoes that had been spotted around southeastern Wisconsin and the craziness going on outside our windows. After getting everyone back into their beds and seeing pictures of the destruction in other towns, I at last drifted off to sleep and was pleased in the morning to find that my stomach issues had subsided. (Though I was starving since I hadn't eaten since 1pm the previous day) And since I had to keep fasting for blood tests this morning, I sat at the kitchen table, not eating, but catching up on work emails and chatting with Joseph. And then in slow motion I see an accident unfold in front of me. Joseph fell off his chair and the chair then toppled on top of him. And then there was blood. And while I was trying to figure out where the blood was coming from and if it would warrant a trip to the emergency room, Jay was outside unloading the back of the 4runner, watching a case of pop hit the ground and explode, and discovering that in his haste to grab all perishables out of the car last night during the storm, he must have pressed the button on the key fob to roll down the back window. It was about this time that I located the "laceration" on Joseph's head and knocked on the kitchen window to catch Jay's eye. And off they went to the ER for stitches. I could hear the sounds of cans crunching and sprite splashing as he drove off down the alley. I then quickly got ready and took the girls to daycare, arriving at the doctor's office just in the nick of time. Many hours have passed with much playtime and eating, and no vomiting, so I think all is back to normal in crazy town now. Though I don't think I'll be eating at qdoba again anytime soon, and I'm strongly considering doing breakfast on the floor.

Ode to Dad

If the kids could write this is what they would say....or at least it's my adult kid-like version of what they would say.

We appreciate that instead of spending the day relaxing, you made it about us. Even though you slept in (after being woken up at 5 by little ladies) we still had plenty of time to make it to breakfast by 8. We took the "happy van" to cafe hollander (and not the big bad truck), but one of us was not all that happy. One of us might have even said "it is my burger king daddy, I can have it my way". And later on the way to the zoo that same kid might have said "I am being happy, I'm not a bad moon". But we all had fun at the zoo, and might have gotten so tired by riding the train and seeing the zebra and getting scared by the robotic dinosaurs, that several of us went to sleep in the stroller on the way out and one of us got to be carried by you. That sure was nice of you dad. And instead of resting your body like we did when we got home, you decided to work on lowering the cribs. You even noticed Hannah's puke from a few weeks ago and wiped it off. We're not sure what else you did while we were sleeping, maybe you played that game on your xbox that you aren't allowed to play while we are awake? After we were up and fed and changed, then you took us and mommy to the pool. Oh my goodness dad, you must be tired. Maybe you should take a bathtub and go to bed early tonight, with maybe just one book.

Little Leah Strong Like Bull

Both the girls grab and pull at everything, but Leah seems to be the dominant one in most of these situations. One day Hannah was folded over with her face on the floor with Leah's hand on top of her head. When I walked into the room Leah looked up at me with a chew toy in her mouth and a "who me?" look on her face. I didn't get that on film but I did capture a few shots the other day of a similar situation. This particular morning she was infatuated with the buttons on Hannah's shirt, and despite being pulled away from Hannah several times kept going back for more! Though this time she didn't pull Hannah to the ground to get what she wanted. (did I mention that Leah is the smaller one?)

The Rules of Me

The other night as Joseph was playing with his Cars coloring book and mess free markers, he said "Mommy, these are the rules of me. I am in charge." (clearly he is repeating things that Jay, his teachers and I have said....but he's using quirkier language that sounds quite laughable coming out of a three year old's mouth) After some discussion we concluded that Joseph could be in charge of coloring, but that I was in charge of everything else. The next night, Joseph reminded Jay that he was in charge of coloring, and I reminded them both that I am still in charge of the 10,000 other things going on. :)

8 Months Already?

The girls are 8 months old already? How can that be? They've changed a lot over the last four weeks. Going to the zoo and actually being awake enough to see some animals. Sitting up and playing with Joseph every morning before school. Scarfing down oatmeal and cereal like it's the best tasting mush on earth and having a watermelon picnic at daycare with the other babies. And of course.....their first stomach virus. But we're all clear of that now and at eight months of age Hannah and Leah are both playful and curious, eager to get in their stroller for a walk, and enjoy shoving anything they can get their hands on into their mouth. They love to be around people (especially Joseph) and they both really love to bounce. They burst into hysterics when tickled by Daddy, and usually calm down quickly when held by Mommy. And while they are similar in some ways, they have just as many differences. Their expressions and personalities make them easy to tell apart if you have a hard time at first glance. Take crying for example (something common to most babies!) Hannah's cries seem to be more an expression of sadness while Leah's tend to be outbursts of anger. And then there's the look they get when playing. Leah appears as though any toy she has is some complicated puzzle she's trying to unravel while Hannah has an expression of "oh boy a toy! a toy! this is the best toy in the world!" They both have beautiful smiles, Hannah's is the biggest I've ever seen and Leah's brings out a special sparkle in her eyes. They both are early to bed and early to rise, but Leah drifts off with her thumb in her mouth while Hannah prefers the pacifier. And you never know who's going to wake you up in the morning but you can usually tell by the sound of the voice who it is! (Leah has a little rasp to her and Hannah sometimes has a bit of squeak!) Before you know it they'll be actual words coming out!

Random Weekend Ramblings

A few weeks ago Joseph went to the grocery store with me. I usually let him pick something out but this time I'm not quite sure what I was thinking. Somehow I figured it was best to have him pick out one huge cupcake instead of buying a package of six much smaller ones. (If only he had wanted an apple that day.) Today we went to the zoo in the morning, and checked out a few animals that aren't part of our normal routine like the birds in the aviary and the spider monkeys. (Joseph's favorites are still the sea urchins, anemones, and jelly fish). We realized when Leah woke up that she had a temperature, so we came back home and everyone took naps. Leah in fact still has a temperature and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it breaks soon. It will be extremely difficult for everyone if that doesn't happen, as that means she must have something other than teeth coming in and it of course prevents us from going to daycare on Monday. She threw up for the first time which I actually think was from me over stuffing her at dinner since she didn't eat as much throughout the day. We were both covered in a mixture of formula and pureed mac n cheese with veggies. (Too bad I didn't get a shot of that for the blog.) The day wasn't bad though, Joseph and I spent a little bit of time at the pool before it rained. He is getting more comfortable with going under water and had fun practicing his floating and kicking. While we were doing that, Jay got to relax and play a little xbox while the ladies napped. Last night I enjoyed "dining out week" in milwaukee with friends and sat outside and had a three course meal for $20. This was followed up with sex and the city at our fabulous ipic theater. Tonight will be equally enjoyable with the husband, hopefully relaxing on the couch catching up on the office or modern family. Or maybe law and order. (Ah law and order.....you will be missed.)

Swinging and Sand

And spider. And worm. Joseph is very into insects and things....he picks them up without hesitation and likes to go looking for them. Unfortunately his excitement sometimes leads to the end of said little creature, which was the case when he pulled a spider out of the sandbox this weekend. I'm pretty sure the worm survived though....they're pretty indestructible. The girls had their first swinging experience, and as you can see they enjoyed it. The kids are all playing together more. Leah tried to suck on Hannah's foot the other morning, and while Joseph was napping this afternoon the girls entertained each other sitting on the floor playing with all kinds of toys they'd never seen before (aka "Joseph's toys" which he sometimes needs to be reminded to share). In the mornings the girls usually wake up first, and then Joseph comes into there room after he's up and keeps them entertained while we get ready. Sometimes this includes hugging and kissing them and other times it entails him taking whatever it is that is in their hands No real problems yet though, since it's all one way and they can't really take anything from him unless he gets close enough to let them. Just wait until Hannah and Leah can go to him!

Hats, Hats, and Helmet

We had some outdoor fun last weekend....Sunday was super hot so instead of going to the zoo (Joseph had a field trip with his class to the zoo this week anyway) we went downtown to Discovery World and walked around a bit by the lake (was a much cooler 75 by Lake Michigan). You may be thinking....huh...that doesn't look like water or scenes from the aquarium....and you would be right. That is our front yard. I didn't bring the camera with me that morning, but I did run inside to grab it after seeing how cute the little ladies looked in their hats that afternoon (Joseph would have looked cute in his hat too but he did not want to take off his helmet, and by 4pm on Sunday I had had enough of arguing with an extremely moody three year old).
Amazingly it looks like we're going to have more hot weather for memorial day weekend...though the extra day off work is way more important to me than the weather. And I have to say, I actually prefer the 60s and 70s to 80s and 90s (crazy right?)

This is How We Roll

A few favorite pictures

A few favorite pictures from last weekend. The girls are almost 7 months in these pics, just a few days shy. Leah's eyes are sparkling in her car seat.....I think all of the kids have Jay's hazel eyes. And Hannah continues to look a lot like Joseph did as a baby, though with the purple hat and shirt it's easy to tell it's her. Joseph is learning about spheres and prisms at school, and likes pointing them out everywhere we go. He actually gets to go back to the zoo next week with his class so he's already asking when that is (is that today? is that tomorrow? is that after nap?) He is also learning before and after and what comes next. And so I have told him he can play games on the computer (nick jr) after I finish what I'm doing. It doesn't always work but for now he is standing patiently next to me eagerly awaiting his turn.

Sitting Ladies Hidden Diapers

They look a little wobbly here, but Hannah and Leah are both getting pretty good at sitting on their own. You never know when they may topple over though, so you still have to be ready to catch them (or on squishy carpet, which for us is only in the basement) You can also see that their 3-6 and 6mos pants are getting a bit short. We busted out the 6-9mos outfits today. And if you look close enough you will also see that we store extra diapers under the cribs. Running out would be catastrophic.

Happy Mother's Day!

We celebrated mother's day by doing a quick photo shoot of me and the kids (the first one I think), and then we headed out to breakfast at one of our favorite spots. It hadn't even occurred to us that we would need reservations, but since we arrived at 8 there wasn't anyone to fight for the two unreserved tables. Everybody had breakfast, and to top it all off they were handing out roses and champagne to all the moms (there was no mistaking that I fell into that category). The bill arrived just as Leah was deciding she'd had enough of the place, so off to the zoo we went. With latte in hand, girls in stroller, and Joseph just short of a sprint we did a few laps around to see all the animals and even squeezed in a stop at the fish and reptile house on our way out (though Joseph's sprint had turned into a slow crawl by this point). Despite his exhaustion it is Jay and the girls who are napping now and not the little man. Hopefully that won't be the case for long or the afternoon might not be nearly as enjoyable as the morning was. ;)

Head, Shoulders, Toes, and Socks

The girls are getting bigger, but their socks are still pretty tiny and disappear on a regular basis. We've found them tucked inside of sheets, stuffed in sleeves, and most recently, coming out of our dog's behind. That sock has been appropriately bagged and tossed, never to return.

It's the Weekend...Yeee Hoooo!

It's the weekend and that means lots o fun with the little ladies and swim lessons and activities for the big man (Joe cool pictured here with his back pack getting ready to go to the pool). Joseph is actually still a Joseph. Not a Joe. And not quite a JD yet either (though that is still the plan....he just seems like a Joseph for now). As you can tell from the prior post, he is quite the comedian. Conversations with him these days are quite entertaining. He has mastered the tricycle, and is now trying to practice pedaling his bike. The girls are working on sitting on their own, Leah can do it for several seconds and Hannah is getting the hang of it, but not to the point where I'd mark the date in the baby books. (which amazingly I am sort of keeping up with). Leah also loves to reach for her feet and grab your face and pinch as hard as she can. (who knew a 17lb peanut could cause so much pain?) Hannah is grabbing too....I had to move her hand away from Leah's face a few times while we were all on the bed tonight watching Dora with Joseph (Jay was making sure the Penguins would be captured on DVR and getting Joseph's usual dinner of chicken and green beans ready). In a surprising turn of events, Joseph requested regular milk so that he could get big and strong. But then to character, refused to drink it several times before being convinced to do so. "Chocolate drink" has actually worked very well with fooling him into having milk on a regular basis. Though I have to say, I can't really blame him for not liking the stuff. It is rather disgusting. He's probably allergic to it. (I was) Hannah and Leah may have allergies too, but who knows to what. The doctor said eczema can be an early indication of that, and they get patches on their face (Hannah actually has it on her tummy, arms and legs too). Joseph is prolonging his bedtime by pooping. Can't really hold it against him, but now that I hear splashing and whispers I should probably go check on him!

Whopper of a Quote

Joseph and Jay had an amicable disagreement today on where their race in the yard should start, which ended with Joseph saying "It's not Burger King Daddy, you can't have it your way".

I can honestly say he got that from neither of us. We're both fans of the golden arches.

Another funny conversation with Joseph outside in the yard:
Me: Do you want to come inside and go potty so you can go back outside and eat?
Joseph: No, I just want to look at poop
(dog poo in our yard)

Fun at School

The kids have been having lots of fun at "school" this month. April is focused on celebrating children, so there have been ice cream socials, family breakfasts, trikathons, and art shows. After the trikathon Joseph became quite the pedaler...pedaling all the way to the park and back (8 blocks?). The girls even dabbled in art...playing with paint and glitter with their feet and making tie dyed onesies (neither of which are activities I would ever do at home so it's nice they do stuff like that there!). Everyone (except for moi....knock on wood) has a cold at the moment, and believe it or not it did not seem to start with school, but rather with Jay. Slowly it spread to Joseph, and then the girls.....and now I'm sort of a sitting duck. (Better than a one eyed goat I suppose.) Can you find Jay? (like Where's Waldo)

Hillarious!

Leah is actually laughing too, you just can't hear her over Hannah's loud hysterics. :)

Stats of the Children

Joseph's 3Yr Stats:
Height 38.25in (75%)
Weight 35lbs (75%)

Hannah 6mos stats:
Height: 27.5in (96%)
Weight: 17lbs 6oz (80%)
Head: 42cm (35%)

Leah 6mos stats:
Height: 26.75in (83%)
Weight: 16lbs 10oz (65%)
Head: 42cm (35%)

Apparently when you turn three they are no longer concerned with the circumference of your head. Joseph has slowed down a bit in height but still seems to be on the tall side (relatively speaking). He's chatting away (we used to think he was chatty but now he's reeeealllly talkative) and today he started swim lessons all by himself (he's apparently a very skilled backfloater. All those lengthy baths have paid off). Hannah weighs almost as much as Joseph did when he was 6mos old, and Leah is our littlest of the bunch. Amazing to me that their heads continue to be the same exact size (though clearly shaped differently....Hannah's head is flatter in the back, but starting to round out a bit). One thing we didn't realize is that babies start sitting up around this time (who can remember all these details, and you know I don't read about this stuff), though twins are usually on a bit of a different schedule since they are usually born earlier. I was concerned for about a day, but now I realize it's not a big deal. Joseph actually didn't start sitting on his own until a bit after 6mos so I'm sure they'll get the hang of it soon. They do afterall have the rest of their lives to sit on their bums.

L-L-L-Leah

As in "ch-ch-ch-chia". I say the girls names to all kinds of quirky tunes and phrases (like onomato-leah). Hopefully this will not cause any permanent damage. Leah is a happy little lady (she just doesn't smile every single time we take out the camera or each time someone looks at her), and she is also quite thoughtful. She is always paying attention. She watches our every movement. And she is extremely amused by Joseph. Last night Joseph kept shouting "Arrrrrby's" in her face (one of his pirate jokes....see if you can figure that one out) and every time he leaned in towards her she exploded with laughter. (seriously, most babies would have cried given the look on Joseph's face). Most mornings she is the first one to alert us to the fact that she and her sister are awake. Not by crying, but by talking and making all kinds of mmmm ahhhhh noises. She lights up and smiles as soon as she catches you in the room, and then as you are sitting down with bottle in hand she literally goes crazy as though she can't wait one more second to get that bottle in her mouth. Yesterday she actually grabbed it from me and held it on her own while guzzling the entire 7 ounces. This gusto over the bottle is only present first thing in the morning, as she usually takes her time, twisting and turning her head all around in response to voices and noises around her. Zerberts also tend to be her thing....she doesn't do it all the time...but every now and then she sticks out her tongue and zerberts to her hearts content. Ohh little Leah.

6 Months Old!

Well by now I think we can tell who's who....can't we? Hannah and Leah are six months old today and are just as different as they are alike. Leah is a happy baby but Hannah is ridiculously happy. They take turns going to sleep peacefully versus wailing until they give in to exhaustion. They have both started rolling over...Leah as of 4/2 and Hannah soon after on 4/3. Since then, Leah has found herself rolling around quite often (though not necessarily liking it) and Hannah more commonly twists and turns in all kinds of directions (but only turns over on occasion). Both of them move all around on their backs. Leah had turned herself sideways and was all the way at the top of her crib this morning when she arose (and her body just about spans the entire width of the crib) and Hannah frequently scootches around and pulls her jiggity elephant that is attached to her crib (which we now intend to remove given the number of times we've woken up to this jiggity creature in the middle of the night). Lots of chewing on toys, sitting in bumbo chairs, playing in exersaucers, interacting with Joseph, interacting with each other, grabbing on the gingham curtains, laughing with glee, shoving hands in mouths while slurping down gerber firsts....and of course.....there are still many bottles. I can't believe we have already been through six months of formula.....and only have six more to go! Will I be happy or sad when our baby girls are one year old?

Three and Cute As Can Be!

Joseph has been so excited for his birthday for so long....and it's finally here! We made cupcakes together last night, and this morning he begged to have them for breakfast. Instead he had a waffle and half of a banana with a candle stuck in it. We then drove the cupcakes to daycare (along with his sisters) and ran them into the building during the torrential downpour that was occurring. And wouldn't you know I made it all the way inside before any of those darn cupcakes tipped over? I'm sure none of the kids realized I used my finger to smear all the frosting back on. Joseph helped me carry them to his room and again lobbied for eating them right away, but was quickly distracted by the flannels that awaited him on the floor (dinosaurs, animals, and all kinds of laminated pictures with velcro on them that stick to a flannel pad on the wall). When I arrived to pick him up he was outside playing with the big bubble wand. He agreed to leave right away so that we could go home and "celebrate" his birthday. And so I packed him into the back of the van, went and collected his sisters, and off we headed down the road, through the tree park and back to our house (Joseph's favorite route) where Daddy awaited him with balloons. For dinner we served dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets, followed by a cherry cheesecake that Jay made which was "just right" (Joseph's words). We topped the night off with Backyardigans and new puzzles (in our rain boots of course). And for the first time, tucked our little man into bed with little underwear on. I can't believe he's three!