February 2010

Above, Daniel playing at his Chanuka party at school. Below, Cousin Isy and Emily

Above, two of our play group friends. Below, Nathan plays hard with his trains.

Above, Emily and her friend Co Co. Below, Daniel makes his first snow angel.

Above, all three play in the beginning of snow. Below, Nathan tries on his new Thomas underwear. The last picture is one of our many Lego creations.




Hi,
I am so proud of my children. I have seen so many ways that they have grown in the last couple of months. They are all talking in phrases, and I can understand so much of what they want. The comments they use are so funny, too. They say: sure, yeah, okay Mommy, no thank you Daddy, yummy, delicious, yucky, yes, look Mommy, and excuse me. I can usually understand what song they want to sing or play on the radio. They carry on conversations with me and each other. It is so much fun. It is also helpful when they don't feel good and can tell me what hurts. It is not as helpful when they begin to tattle on each other.

They are also so interested in different things. Daniel is both the adventurous one still and the most cuddly. He pushes the envelope (and occasionally the boundaries) but then will ask for a kiss and tell me he loves me. He excels with technical things, and he completely works the camera - from turning it on to taking pictures. His teacher, Judi, has called him a flirt because of the way he grins and plays with the girls in class.

Nathan has been exploring a lot with his trains, finding new places to play them (like the kitchen table). He loves experimenting with different colors on paper and poses for pictures with a big "cheeeese." He is the most cautious physically, but I think he knows the most words. He can count to 20 (minus numbers 15 and 16) and has a laugh that draws everyone in. He also seems to always be observing and studying everything.

Emily is singing all the time. She asks me to sing songs with her all the time. Her word sounds have increased exponentially and it is so easy to understand what she wants now. She loves playing with her little people and has made friends with others in play group. One of the pictures I included is her holding hands with Co Co (one of our playgroup friends). She is also still a little bit of a "Monkey do." She sees what others are doing and jumps right in.

They all are loving Legos and their imaginations are blooming. I am brought new creations called towers and boats all the time. They have become more independent, and are doing many more things on their own. They can take off their shirts and pants (though they don't do this often, luckily). They are getting interested in potty training. Emily told me after she poo pooed that she wanted to sit on the potty and why. Nathan loves his Thomas underwear and wore it on top of his pants one day.

We had snow a few days and they loved touching and running around in it. It was fun for them to experiment with the new texture. They are still loving school and they talk about Ms. Judi all the time. All of the teachers know them by name, and they have been spending a lot of time with the older two year old class. The teachers have said the children love to be with the older children and are trying to copy some of the things they do. They now sing and dance with Ms. Dana (the music, Judaics, and art teacher) and love to paint and glue. Nathan came home one day talking about Tu'bishvat. They also sing the songs at home that they sing in school. They now know their upper case and lower case letters and sounds.

We had the opportunity to see Jen, Joe, Jo Jo, and Isy in North Carolina this New Years and it was great. The children had a great time in the snow and meeting Joe's family. Emily absolutely adores Cousin Isy, and Daniel followed her around like he was as old as she was. Meme and Poppop also came to visit at the beginning of the year. The kids had a blast with them and knew them from the start!!!

We're 2 Years Old!!!

Birthday Cake excitement above - and Magic Kingdom below with Grandma and Grandpa.


We got to meet Tigger above with Aunt Jen and Isy above and Daniel poses below.

Nathan giving a smile above and Daniel, Emily, and Nathan caught in a great picture below.

Emily smiling above before Veroniuq's wedding (we found out after that she had fever during professional pictures and wouldn't smile) and Uncle Dean, Jack, and Ella below.



We're not sure how it happened so quickly - but our children are two years old. Time really flies - doesn't it? A ton has happened. We went to Disney World for their second birthday and had a blast. Both sets of grandparents and Jen's family came to meet us. We wish we could see them more often! Isy entertained the kids for hours!

My parents and Nadine's family came for Thanksgiving. We had so much fun with them that the kids ask for Jack and Ella daily. Daniel thought he was Jack's age (4) and Ella fit right in with our crew! After that, Daniel had his tonsils out. It was an overnight procedure because he is so young - but he came through it like a champ. Though it has taken 2 1/2 weeks for him to finally sleep 4 hours at a time.

So many firsts have happened with our kids - let's see. All are talking in phrases and singing. They all walk/run forwards and backwards and jump like Tigger (or a frog depending on who they say they are). They are silly, and Emily will even tell you who is being funny. Their personalities are coming out stronger every day. They tell me what they will wear that day or what they want to eat. Nathan and Thomas the Train have rarely parted in the last few days. Emily has started to love feeding her new doll and Daniel loves his cars and the trampoline. All of them know their letters and letter sounds. They all count - but the number/object correlation isn't quite there yet.

The kids went to the doc for their 2 year appointment. He was happy with their growth. Daniel is 32" tall (3-5%ile), 24lbs 2 1/2 oz (5-10%ile) and his head is 49 1/2 cm (50-75%ile). Nathan is 33 1/2" tall (10-25%ile), 25 lbs 7 1/4 oz (10-25%ile) and his head is 50 cm (75-90%ile). Emily is 32" (5-10%ile), 21 lbs 9 1/2 oz. (<3%ile) and her head is 46.7 cm (10-25%ile). He was very pleased with Emily's growth - she is much closer to being on the weight chart. Daniel doesn't seem small - but those measurements are never exact since the kids don't stay still.

The kids love opening presents and eating "birthday cake". All cakes are birthday cakes. It's kind of funny. They know so much now - that sometimes you think you are talking above them and they answer. I need to watch out - because they repeat and come up with their own answers for things! They had their conference with their teacher -and she said they were far beyond others in their ability to share. There are some things (like Thomas) that are not negotiable - but usually, they are pretty good at taking turns. Our au pair, Veroniuq, got married this month and the kids had a great time at her wedding. Emily was in love with Veroniuq's dress, but due to Daniel recovering from his tonsils we didn't get to stay for the whole thing. I promise to write more soon!

Happy September

First Day of school



Theme Pictures


Hi all,
It has been a while, but I have been swamped and unable to write. This semester has started with Daniel, Nathan, and Emily attending school and my starting to work part-time. Wow - what business. I was worried that Nathan would have had a hard time adjusting, but he is doing great! Emily - they say- is the perfect preschooler - always excited by the next activity. Daniel has been a little weepy now and then. I am not sure if he has had a cold for part of it, or if he is seeing the other little boy in the class cry and cried himself for attention. It's so hard when I am not there to see what they are doing. I do know they come home happy, tired, and covered with paint.

I am working part-time for Walden and Kennesaw. I have loved having a student teacher. She is a Walden University student. I am also teaching a course for Kennesaw. I have enjoyed teaching the students, they are great! I have had frustrations with the Dean's office losing my paperwork, and being overbooked for a different class I was supposed to teach and switching classes at the last second. Hopefully, when I return at week 7, I can get my ID which will let me into the classroom I am teaching and get my parking pass.

At the end of August, we went to the doctor for their flu shots and a vaccine. They are all doing well, but Dr. Papciak is concerned with Emily's weight. She is a little further from the weight chart. Stats: Daniel - height 31 1/2" (5-10%ile), weight 23 lbs 8 oz. (5-10%ile), and head 49 cm (50-75%ile). He is catching up to Nathan's weight. Nathan - height 32 1/4" (10-25%ile), weight 24 lbs 3 oz. (10-25%ile), and head 49.4 cm (75%ile). Emily - height 31 1/2" (10-25%ile), weight 20 lbs 6 oz. (<1%ile), and head 46.2 cm (25%ile). We have been feeding them a little more and giving milk supplements. All had a Babies Can't Wait evaluation. All passed, but they want an OT to look a little closer at Nathan to give us suggestions for a few sensory issues - but nothing that qualifies him for services! Daniel had a sleep study last night to see why he still can't breathe out of his nose and he breathes rougher at night. The doctor said he was the best patient in 2 years, but of course he breathed better while there than normal. Isn't that always the case!

My parents came to visit this week while Veroniuq was out of town. We had a great time going on adventures, but all had to be indoors because we had a week of rains and floods. They called it a 100 year storm, so hopefully we won't ever see this again. We were very lucky our home was not damaged - some friends were not so lucky. While inside, we played with Play-Doh for our first time and at Play! Activity center and Jeronimos jumpy center.

They are advancing on so many things right now. Daniel is jumping a ton. He jumped the entire length of the mall the other day. It was cute. Emily skips a lot of places, I'm not sure if she is trying to jump - but it is cute. They are beginning to put a couple of words together - making phrases. I think it's great. One thing they have learned (in school?) is "I'm sorry." Emily fell the other day and whimpered and said, "I'm sorry." I told her she should apologize for it, I feel badly that she fell. She was fine - just a scraped knee. Nathan has become a lot braver. I always thought he was the cautious one, but he is becoming more independent and loves the roller coaster now. He is very fair when it comes to turns. It is adorable. Of course with all almost two year olds - isn't it always their turn? Nathan knows all of his numbers 0-9 - recognizing them. The other two know about 6-7 numbers - though in no exact order. They also all know some letters. Nathan loves the W, Daniel loves the O, and Emily like the I the best. They are so cute!

20 Months

Wow - it has been a busy six weeks, but not in the way I imagined. I had extensive stomach surgery, and the recovery was longer than anyone besides the doctor anticipated. It took the full 6 weeks to get back to 85%. A huge thank you to both my parents and Will's mom for all the hard work over the six weeks. They got up in the 5 o'clock hour every morning and worked until 7:30 pm every night. I know they have to be exhausted! On Monday, I can finally pick up the children. My parents are leaving on Monday as well. I have also learned I have the best friends in the whole world. Thank you for the dinners, the offers, the love, and the support.

Daniel had his adenoids out and tubes replaced the week before my surgery. The doctor said that his adenoids were "ginormous" and had to be removed. We were hoping he would breathe easier at night than he is, but he recovered well and never complained.

Daniel, Nathan, and Emily have had a busy six weeks, too. They now love to sing and sing along to so many songs. E-I-E-I-Ohhhhhhh is hysterical. Their hand motions are great and they still love to read. They go to story time at least once a week, and we try to take them to the park and an activity center, too. Unfortunately, their climbing skills have also improved and they can practically get anything. We also learned they love Carvel ice cream cake. From our adventures to the store to the cake for my dad's birthday, it has been fun to watch them enjoy.

I am posting some pictures of their adventures with grandparents.

19 Months Narrative - See Pictures Below

It has been a busy month. We took lots of pictures for their 18 month celebration. It is still hard to get them to all smile and stay still. What you don't see in the pictures is them climbing down, escaping, jumping to the top of the couch, etc.

They definitely have more and more words. The other day, Nathan accidentally bit me and I said, "Ouch!" He said, "Ouch, Ow, Ouch, Ouch" about 12 times. It was so funny. When I blow on food before giving it to them, they say, "Hot." But when you think they can say anything, I say,"Mama" and they say "Da Da" or it sounds likely they are saying, "Ma Ma" and I turn around with a big smile and they were really saying, "More, more." Oh, well. Glad to have words. Not as happy about having tantrums - but we have had 1-2 tempers arise. It is amazing - the best toy is what someone else has - even if they discarded it 10 seconds before! Nothing we can't handle, and luckily all tantrums have happened in the house (whew).

We went back for their 18 month appointment and Emily gained a pound!!! We actually went to Sweet Tomatoes first and they ate tons. All of them gained weight. I might take them there every time they are going to get weighed. Daniel's weight was 22 lbs 10 oz (10%), height 30" (5-10%) and head count was 48.2 cm (50-75%). Nathan's weight was 23 lbs 13 1/4 oz (10-25%), height 31 1/8" (less than 25%) and head count was 49 cm (75-90%). Emily's weight was 19 lbs 13 oz (less than 3%), height 29 3/4" (5-10%) and head count was 45 1/2 cm (25%). Daniel and Emily had their MMR shots. Daniel had a Measles type rash on his arm. Nathan had his last DTAP and first Hepatitis. He visited Urgent Care for a huge egg on his arm from one of the shots. Daniel had his adenoids out and tubes replaced this week. He seemed tired for a couple of days (it actually took him almost four hours to wake up from the procedure) but is doing really well. I had a tummy attack this week and am going in for surgery next week to remove the bad part. Hopefully, we will all be healthy for a really long time after this.

We have taken them to the baby pool, sometimes they love it, sometimes they are less sure. Part of it depends on how many kids are around. They do LOVE running around the tennis court. One of our neighbor's children (Leah's daughter, Georgia) has been a huge help. She loves running around with them and has saved them from falling. She also loves playing with both of the boys just as much as Emily...what a great help (and she is going into first grade next year). Leah and Georgia even came over for a play date! It was wonderful. We took the children to their first story time. It was okay, but we want to try out some of the activities at the library this summer.

We are finished with My Gym - so sad that she closed -she was wonderful. We have taken them about one time a week to Jeronimo's Bounce House. They love the slide and the musical dance floor. We may do music classes there in the fall if they don't go to preschool. They also love the playground at the mall. That's a good thing, because it is air conditioned - I just wish no one else knew about it! It gets crowded!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We also will spend a lot of time at the pool and playing outside. Thanks to all of our neighbors, we have lots of toys in our backyard to play with.

19 Months - Pictures

19 Months

Daniel, Nathan, and Emily (18 months)

Emily, Daniel, and Nathan in a random fun moment

So I had to take lots of pics - see Daniel's muscles?



They love their bubbles.

They love reading their books more than anything.

Almost 18 months

This next one is a video - click on the play arrow on the left bottom corner.

It has been a very exciting and busy month. Dionne and Alicia organized a little egg hunt at a tennis match. That was fun - though the kids didn't understand the egg thing. They did love playing on the tennis courts. Will's sister's family came to visit. Uncle Joe and Daniel became fast friends, and all three loved playing with cousin Isy. We went to the aquarium and the jumpy place. Both families had a great time eating at Johnny Rockets. Then, Meme came to visit. We went back to the bounce house, shopped, went to the park, and ate at Sweet Tomatoes. I have never seen the children eat so much! It was a blast. They also got hair cuts - a first for Daniel and Emily and the second for Nathan. Thank goodness for lollipops to help keep them still and happy. They loved their visit with Meme and her bracelets! She bought them a few to play with when she left! Finally, the children participated in their first March of Dimes Walk. I plan to have them participate every year in this event. I think March of Dimes is a big reason our children were born healthy and stayed healthy at the NICU. Thanks to Karen, Veroniuq, and Kim, Alex, and Owen for joining us. We hope to have an even larger group next year!

We had our 17 month doctor's appointment. Emily weighs the same as she did six months ago. We were sent to a nutritionist to find ways to help her gain weight. The nutritionist said we were doing everything right and that she was getting enough calories. That just proves she is a very active little girl! Daniel is still congested (since the NICU we think). We were referred to a pulmonologist and will go in mid-May. We are unsure if it is asthma or allergies causing his congestion, but the blood test does show he has some type of allergies. Due to his bleeding a little out of his ear, they are going to remove his right tube sometime at the end of May or the beginning of June. It is something that both our pediatrician and the ear doctor have never seen before in their 20+ years in practice. Daniel is unique! Nathan did fine at the doctors. All of them dropped a little in their weight percentages, so we are trying a little more fatty foods. Stats: Daniel - ht. 30"(5 %ile), wt 21 lbs. 7 1/4 oz (5 %ile), head 47.8cm (50 %ile) Nathan - ht. 30 1/8"(10-25 %ile), wt 22 lbs. 10 oz (10-25 %ile), head 48.3cm (50-75 %ile) Emily ht. 29 1/2"(10 %ile), wt 18 lbs. 13 1/2 oz (<3>

They are such fun, active little individuals. They love to go outside, and Daniel especially hates to be cooped up in one room. He likes having freedom and running from room to room. The new background matches their personalities. They are little monkeys that try to climb on everything! They love bubbles, and all of them say "bubble" when we turn on the bubble maker. They do a little bubble chasing. They are all doing a better job of telling us what they want. "All done" and "more" are very clear, as are "up" and "down". They have a blast at the jumpy place and slide down a big slide on their own (you can see in the video I attached).

Nathan loves to close doors and gates. He also loves to say all of his animal sounds. He can probably do 8-10 animal sounds. His favorite toy is still the one that his brother or sister is playing with. When it is time to go to bed, it is so sweet, he reads his book aloud in the crib. I love listening to him on the monitor. Nathan and Emily love the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and do hand motions. They all love "If you're happy and you know it" and do a good 5-6 hand motions with it. They are learning a few other songs right now, too.

Emily likes to dance and give toys hugs and kisses. She loves to walk her play dog on a string that Kim lent us and I saw her once lying down on the floor with Dicey talking to her. Her favorite toys are the two ducks, Huey and Dewey. She also enjoys sitting on our lap with a book. But if someone tries to take her book, watch out!!!

Daniel loves to come over and give adults hugs and kisses and is very curious. He constantly says "Dat" meaning what is that. His throwing arm is incredible - if we could only keep it to throwing balls. He is a definite leftie but can throw with both. He loves electronics and remote controls. he also knows that it controls the videos. He and Nathan will bring me the remote control when they want to watch a video and get upset if I don't turn one on. Daniel had a funny evening when Meme was here. Will took off his diaper like he always does so he can run to the tub. On this day, the tub wasn't quite ready, so he decided to continue running while peeing - a little stream followed him down the hall of the kitchen. It was hysterical.

Daniel and Emily often shake their head when asked a question. If I ask Daniel if he is stinky, he shakes his head and runs to the other side of the room with a grin. He can also nod, though it almost looks like a parrot. They all surprise me with how much they understand. I told Daniel tonight to ride the cow and he went to the rocking cow and climbed on (and looked at me for approval). They can all put the ball in the basketball hoop when asked, and then they like to put everything else they can find in there too.. They all love water in their own way. Daniel and Emily like the hose, and Nathan loved the spigot. They can all tickle each other, tackle each other, pat each other on the head, help each other down the slide whether they want the help or not, and laugh a gazillion times a day. They are so much fun and I love being with them!!!

I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring! (Hopefully, more visitors).