Rain, Rain, Go Away

We have been hit with crazy amounts of rain and today seemed to be no different, but it was. Our wonderful meteorologists in Hampton Roads seem to steer their forecasts toward the radical side instead of being conservative. That in turn means that everyone panics and in the littlest of rain storms there are accidents, schools go in late and people rush into the stores to prepare for the storm of their life. This morning Mike and I woke up expecting the backyard to be flooded, mud to be everywhere and school delays/cancellations. And, since this is a school day we were definitely watching since the Day School follows the VaBeach School schedule (2 hr delays=no school). But funny thing... the delay never came. The rain didn't even come, the deck was wet but no flooding. The wind was blowing but no trees down. I guess the "line of storms" went further west than they were expecting so VaBeach got near to nothing. I do have to state that there were tornado warnings in Chesapeake and they also did not have a delay, there was flooding and delays just not in the beach. So, what did we do? Mike went to work and made it downtown Norfolk. I got the girls ready and headed out to take Lily to school. We even took her water table in this morning so that the kids could have Splash Day inside. They played and had a picnic snack on their towels. Oh, how the week of rain needs to end!!

Princess Couch

This is how the girls wanted to spend movie night.

On the Princess couch. Very cute.

Movie night has continued every week and it's so much fun. Emma even tries to watch for short periods of time but who wouldn't want to watch Tinkerbell?

We're thinking it's time to get some Princess movies, but which one to start with?

1 out of 16

The first out of 16 back to school nights (for Lily) is over. Last night was the meet the teacher night at the Day School. And, like her teacher told us-parents only, no kids. So, Mike and I did that. Mike stayed home with the girls and I went by myself. First, Mike had a great time with the girls. I left them right after dinner so they could play and take baths. I missed being home, I was lonely with no one to talk to in the car but I did enjoy listening to a radio station and being with my own thoughts. So the night wasn't off to that bad of a start. Second, I was the ONLY parent there that did NOT bring their kid(s)! I really couldn't believe it. There were other classes that only had parents and no kids, what was wrong with these people. We had the entire 45 minute session with all of their 2 yr old kids playing and carrying-on. Third, this was my very first back to school night on the "other" side of the table. The first time having the perspective of a concerned, involved, interested parent but also having some idea of how and what the teacher was feeling. I quickly discovered this "other" side is going to be more difficult than I thought and that I definitely need to learn some boundaries before I become "that parent". Mrs. Simonis, Lily's teacher, is very sweet and a wonderful lady to be Lily's very first teacher. The one that she goes to instead of being home with mom. So that being said, I was sorta disappointed when I left. There is this idea of what 2 yr old school is and what it should be (at least in my mind) and then there is the reality of what it really is. And, I have had to come to terms with it. Let me explain. My idea of 2 yr old school or any school for that matter is having expectations, standards, and most of all communication. I had in my mind that Lily would be doing these grand things while there for only 3.5 hrs/day, two times a week. I thought that my walls would be covered with art and crafts projects, coloring pages, you name it. And, I definitely expected that we would meet with her teacher to discuss her progress. But...this is not the case. They do have expectations, standards, skills they work on and some communication but not the same as it is in my head. The main thing they work on is the separation from the parent at this age. A good day is no crying and participating. And, they play pretty much all day. Not to sell it short, they do have chapel, music, computers and Spanish every week. They have circle time, read stories on the carpet, have jobs and work together throughout the day. A very simple day. I suppose the issue I have is the lack of communication and the fact that the teacher said she does not evaluate them and will only meet if there seems to be a problem. So, I guess the reality of "school" has finally sunk in. And, I WILL be having a "conference" every day that I pick up my girl from school. I will linger until I can talk to her to see how Lily did and see how her day played out. I will find out what she played with, what story they read and if she talked and played. It's going to be hard to get rid of me. Although I have questioned things lately I have come to terms with Lily going to "school". Mostly because I now realize that this "school" is not really school. It's supervised playtime away from Mommy. Something that she will desperately need to become successful in the years to come and to be prepared for Kindergarten. This is good for her to have her own place, her own friends, her own school. She gets so excited and wants to tell me all about her day.

How can I NOT be excited when my girl is?

Baby Playdate

Today after school drop-off Melissa and I went over to visit with Elizabeth, Lorelei and Makin. After having her mother-in-law in town to help, E is now flying solo at home while recovering from her c-section. So we showed up on this rainy morning with Starbucks and ready to talk and play. It was wonderful being able to hang out with our babies and talk. It's been such a long time since we've been able to catch up and hopefully this can be a Tuesday thing for us.

The best part of our morning was being able to get our three little ones together for a picture. Not long ago we were sitting talking about the doing this and how much fun it would be and the time is here...all three babies are here! Finally! The three of us are no longer pregnant! We can drink Starbucks and not think anything of it! And, they're so cute!

I'm sure before long these two will be rolling on the floor together playing but for now they're loving just sitting next to each other....well not sure Leah enjoys the Emma grabs but thankfully the grabs don't last too long.

Can't wait til Mr. Makin is in the crowd grabbing and trying to figure out which one of these girls will be his "girlfriend". I have a feeling he's going to be a ladies man and have both of them at his beck and call :)

Love these babies!

Happy Birthday...

to Pa.

Have a Wonderful Birthday Pa!

We Love You and have a Great Day!!

Oh, and if you like this video, you'll LOVE the outtakes :) Enjoy!

Hmmm...

Guess the days of my favorite stage of sitting and playing are numbered.

In the past week she has been getting up on her hands and knees and rocking back and forth. We're thinking she's trying to get the courage to take that first leap. She has also started transferring objects from hand to hand, bringing toys to her mouth instead of her mouth to the toy, kicking and splashing in the bathtub and manipulating some toys that Lily didn't understand until she was a little older. By the looks of things Emma is on a fast track to walking, talking and simply trying to keep up with her big sister.

**Sigh** **BIG Sigh**

Loving this Stage

Loving that they can sit and play together without me. I can actually get some things done and I'm wondering how long it's going to last...

Neptune Festival

This evening after a long day of doing things around the house we ventured down to the oceanfront to enjoy the end of summer at the Neptune Festival. We were absolutely amazed at the amount of people there and were really mad at ourselves for not making a better effort to go Friday night instead.

We saw lots of gorgeous sandcastles. Lily loved them all and of course posed in front of a few.

We ran into the Stahl family next to these turtles and decided to take advantage of the photo opportunity although we didn't realize the huge Penske truck in the background until it was too late. Oh well.

Emma was happy as a clam in the bjorn. She made so many people smile with her huge smiles, consistent raspberry blowing and kicking of her legs. Lily enjoyed her time at the beach as she always does and ended our evening with "Mommy, Daddy thank you sandcastles beach".

Halloween Preview II

Had to share.

Our Emma Pumpkin.

Preschool Update

Week 2 is done.

We survived!

Tuesday morning was the first morning that it was just Mommy getting the girls up and out of the house by 830. And, it wasn't too bad. I was lucky to have Lily in a good mood and Emma on a feeding schedule that worked out.

Lily began her morning with Cinderella, her friend of choice this morning to accompany her to school. They danced in the front yard while I got everything in the car and Emma in her seat. But Cinderella only went for the ride. Lily didn't want her at school and it surprised me. Maybe she's ok at school after all. Although the geese were back and she was excited to say good morning to them.

So after a wonderful morning without any tears from anyone we had an even better afternoon. The girls definitely miss one another and have a great time playing when we get home.

Thursday morning was rough. More than rough, it was heartbreaking. Lily got up in a good mood until I told her it was a school day and then she turned into a crabby crab. The entire morning she did what I asked, she ate breakfast, got dressed, brushed teeth, sat while I did her hair, etc... but all while saying 'No School'. All I could say was ok. I didn't have the time, the energy or the courage to explain, reason or sympathize. Lily also says no to lots of things so there's no reason why going to school would be any different. And I did realize this so ok was my only answer and luckily that answer was a good no defense-defense.

When we pulled into the parking lot and I went to get her out of her seat she became very insistent in her 'No school' and the tears began. I then gave her a kiss on her palm (The Kissing Hand) and told her it was going to be ok, I just had to go in to talk to her teacher for a bit. I finally got her to get out of the car by telling a white lie-that we would go play on the playground. After a few minutes of lingering outside she followed me into the building and down to her classroom. She wanted a hug, something she has yet to give me before going into her room and gave me a look. Luckily, Mrs. Simonis asked Lily to help her and she gladly went with her.

Then came the biggest mistake (even bigger than forgetting the book bag) I stayed at the door TOO LONG! She looked back at me after helping her teacher and I waved bye, and then her face fell, the lip quivered and the tears started to flow. :( I didn't even make it to the car before my tears started. All I wanted to do was go back in to get her, but I didn't. I put Emma in the car and we drove off. I didn't even call to check up on her because I was afraid to know the answer and figured no news was good news. They would call me if they needed me. And no call ever came.

When Emma and I went back to pick her up she was fine. Absolutely fine. Her teacher said that she sat on the floor for a bit and did things in her own time. She ran over to give Emma and me a hug and the entire way out to the car she was saying 'Mommy, I ok' and in the car she told said "I like school Mommy. Thank you Mommy school Mommy".

So needless to say...she got a chocolate milkshake from McDonald's on the way home!

Way to go Lily for surviving your second week ever of being away from Mommy.

Love you bunches!

My New Toy

So you may have been wondering what I did on Monday while Mike took the girls for the morning. Well, I stayed home and did some sewing. Yes, that's what I like to do. I don't do fancy things but I do enjoy figuring out patterns, how things fit together and how I can make things for my girls. BUT, this joy is usually hindered by one thing...my very old and stubborn sewing machine. I usually shy away from lots of sewing because the machine and I do NOT have a very good relationship. We get very upset with each other and usually it shuts down and refuses to discuss things. And Monday our relationship ended. The very long, frustrating relationship finally ended by me saying some not very nice things and tossing it on the floor...yep, I threw it. Good thing the family wasn't here since my "teacher voice" came out and things were flying :). I felt much better that I had the last word, finally. So after I calmed down, I got online and ordered my new toy from amazon! I used the money I received for my birthday to finally purchase something that I have wanted for some time.... a computerized, automatic sewing machine. Woo Hoo.

And, it arrived today. Two days after I bought it. Wonder when I'll get time to sew and figure it out? And, I've decided that I'm going to be very nice and only speak kind words to my new friend. I'm hoping for a better relationship this time....crossing my fingers!

(And even more exciting, when I went to amazon to put the link into this post...the price has gone up, so that means I also got it on sale :) Oh so happy!)

Our Life with a Talker

This video is a very small taste of Lily.

It seems as though Lily woke up one day in the past few months and was full blown preschooler who now talks ALL the time. And, of course she talks more at home and with whom she feels the most comfortable but I'm sure that even this will come to an end eventually, sooner than we think and seemingly over night.

Lily is now talking in sentences. Full sentences, which is sooo exciting! She is relaying her complete thoughts in ways that amaze us each and every day. To hope and be so anxious for this stage to finally arrive and now that it's here is just simply wonderful.

Some things that we hear daily:

*I need help. *I need a hug. *I Love you guys. *Hi Emma, you hungry, yeah?!? *Mommy, I miss Daddy. *Mommy, come in. *Let's read. *Sit down, let's talk about day. *Good day. *I not hungry. *No, No, No (yeah not my favorite and she does sit in timeout when it gets out of hand... not a good thing to say no to your mama!) *Where'd my bike go? *I want... (fill in blank with pretty much anything under the sun) *May I get down please? (asking to be excused from the dinner table) *Mommy, I o.k. *I like school. *Look Mommy, school bus! city bus! school bus! (yes, we love buses) *What time is it? AND.... Mommy, what's that?

Some funny sayings that we just have to laugh at:

*No Daddy, you too old. (in reference to Mike asking for some of her fruit snacks..ha ha) *Oh God. (with both hands to her face, when she realizes she forgot to do something) *Let's roll *Go Dude! (yeah, when we're in the car) *Hey Mike!

If you can't tell, she has ears! She repeats, she imitates, she pretty much pays attention to everything we don't want her to. But she also attempts words after she asks for me to identify something.

Living with a talker is a whole new world. A world that we desperately wanted to live in. I think we just wanted to know what was going through her head and learn how her mind worked. Well, now we know and though we are thankful and very excited, we are now realizing that you need to be very careful for what you wish for...

Day Out with Daddy

This morning Daddy had a little sampling of what our days are like when we venture out.

Daddy, Lily and Emma took a trip to their new favorite place, the library.

On their trip:

*Lily had to go to the bathroom

*Emma needed a diaper change

*Lily played on the computer

*Emma needed a bottle but then passed out after an ounce

*They rode an elevator

*Lily walked around the very quiet library saying, "Daddy, where are you??"

They even went to Lowes afterwards to get a new air filter.

What a Daddy!

Thankfully after a 2 1/2 hour trip out they were all smiles when they got home.

We have been taking long walks in the evenings since the weather has gotten bearable again. The girls love sitting next to each other and tonight Emma was just too tired to stay awake. Lily made sure to let us know she was asleep by shushing us while we talked.

And, like every evening before Daddy goes back to work Lily helps switch cars in the driveway.

Baseball and Swings

This afternoon we took advantage of the beautiful weather and went out to get some fresh air.

And, Emma got to try out our swing for the very first time.

What a big girl!

She loved it!

Especially when her big sissy got to play with her and push her.

Such a sweet smile and laugh

Miss Lily also got in the action with going 'higher, higher' in the swing

Then after having some time in the swing, Lily and Daddy played baseball. Lily just kept saying ball game. And, this is for you Uncle Mark, look at this girl's swing!! It definitely tired her out :)

Halloween Preview

After many, many, many conversations with Lily about Halloween she has decided on dressing up as...

Gabriela from Sid the Science Kid

And, as for Miss Emma...

A Pumpkin.

Semi-Pro Sitter

Emma now sits and plays. Of course there are always pillows surrounding her if we're not right next to her but she does pretty well with only a few head dives to the floor.

I downloaded this video to show how well you are sitting up and playing Miss Emma.

We are very, very proud of you Sweet Girl!

Second Day

Today was Lily's second day of preschool.

And, to say the very least she was extremely hesitant. We've heard that the second, third and fourth days of school are more difficult since they know what school is and that they'll be there without you. Luckily we had Daddy again today to help us get ready and out the door especially since it took about 45 minutes of reassurance and reasoning with Lily.

I had to explain how many days she goes to school and how many days she gets to stay home, we talked about how long she would be there, what they would be doing today and we even walked out to the end of the driveway to watch the kids get on the school bus (she is in love with school buses). After a little bribe and a knot in the stomach kind of drive to school we got there.

The geese were a good distraction since we were there a little earlier, even with her bookbag!

The walk down the hall was a little slower today and she hugged her Tinkerbell a little closer than she hugged Alpha Pig on Tuesday. As we approached her room she gave me her look. We smiled and said hi/bye to her teacher and got out of there. I knew she would be ok but again didn't make it an easier leaving her there knowing she wasn't happy. I think I made it to the car before tears started coming but I'm sure Emma could tell you different. That's because I held her up and focused on her the entire way out of school, it's the only thing I knew to do to stop the tears from streaming down my face. But, by the time we got in the car I was ok. I guess it's the initial drop-off that's rough and I really pray that it gets easier.

Emma and I were now alone since Daddy went to work. We made a trip to Target and made our way home to spend some time together. Oh, how quiet this house was. Emma and I definitely got in over an hour of quality time before we got ready to go get our Lily.

Emma was sooo excited to get Lily. A huge smile every time I told her where we were going. And, when we saw Lil in her classroom Emma started squealing and kicking her legs. So sweet.

Teacher report: Another quiet day but a very good helper.

When we were there Lily took me around her room to show me everything. She showed me where she sits at the table, her bird icon on the chart wall, where she sat to listen to the story, and all of the toys she played with. I'm extremely happy that she gets so excited! Makes the drop off on the next school day a little easier to endure.

Dry Run

Tonight Emma got to try out her tub seat. We wanted to do a dry run before putting her in the tub. She seemed pretty sturdy and enjoyed it. So we tried it in the bath and it didn't last too long. The seat that we have I got at a consignment sale for $4 (can't complain too much about it) but has a pretty slick seat so she needs to sit on a washcloth and have one of us be right there with a hand on her just in case she slips. She is also so skinny that she could possible slip right thru one of the leg openings. So, probably in the next few months we can see her in this seat comfortably and safely. Oh...how she wants to play with Lily in the water. In due time our sweet Emma, in due time.

Lily's First Day of Preschool

Ok. So. This was a BIG day for our family.

Lily went to school for the first time.

Mike took the day off to help take our little girl to school for the very first time. It was also very helpful in figuring out the logistics and the timing of everything needed to get out of the door on time. The school bell rings at 9 which means we need to be in the car and on our way at 830. A little difficult when our big girl likes to sleep in until 8. Thankfully having Daddy home is a treat and gets Lily up and moving. This morning she wanted Daddy to do everything. Eat breakfast, read a book, get her dressed, etc.

Looking a little worried and a little unsure of everything as well as being tired.

She packed her bookbag with her extra clothes, snack and her lunchbox.

She is ready.

And, oh so cute.

And, do you notice that Lily does not have her bookbag while walking into school? Well, of course. That's because Mommy forgot it! While we were trying to distract and get everyone out of the door so we wouldn't be the ones late on the first day I said that I'd grab it while I headed out. I'm pretty good about not forgetting anything for my girls but I guess I'm not in the "swing" of grabbing a book bag for Lily. Mike noticed when we were halfway to school, the kind of drive that we hit every single red light and got behind every single slow driver on the road so we knew we couldn't double back to get it and still be on time. Ugh.

We were outside the main doors as the morning bell rung and everyone rushed down to their rooms. Some holding their mom or dad's hands and some not. Lily was definitely taking everything in and definitely holding on to my hand. As we approached the room, Lily got the "look" on her face. The one that I knew she was getting anxious and unsure about being there. And, the etiquette of not being allowed to go into the room with her was certainly a difficult one to follow this morning.

While Mrs. Simonis held Vincent as he cried after he left his mommy she took Lily's hand to guide her into the room. She just smiled and nodded to us to let us know she'd be ok. After telling her about the dreaded book bag, we turned to leave our girl. It was more like a turn and speed walk down the hall so that we wouldn't be able to hear her cry, call out or anything else because I'm sure I'd most certainly break the "no enter" rule and maybe even have taken her home with me. But I didn't hear her. Not a peep.

I made it to the car, put Emma in her car seat and we even started driving out of the parking lot before I broke down. I just left my girl at school. I just took her somewhere where I knew she would be taken care of but it still wasn't easy.

I think the best thing that happened this morning was that I did forget her bookbag. We were able to go get it and take it back. The director took it down to her room while I waited anxiously down the hall to hear a report on our girl. She was weepy after we left and quickly got distracted and was ok. She was playing with a magnadoodle when we dropped the bag off and was fine. Whew. I was now ok because I knew my girl was ok.

When we picked her up, she smiled but didn't really understand what to do. She finally got excited when we wanted to see her classroom and took Daddy and Emma all around to show them things while I got to chat with her teacher. She said that Lily did great. It was a typical first day. She was quiet and observed most of the time, didn't play much in the sandbox but walked around watching everyone and everything.

That's Lily. She watches and waits. She likes to know what's going to go on before she takes part in it. During one of our first library classes she would stand in the corner for the first five songs just watching before she would even sit in my lap in the circle. So I knew that she would be like this and probably will stay like this for a few weeks or until she becomes comfortable.

As we left, she gave Mrs. Simonis a hug, waved and said bye-bye to "her" playground, "her" school and said that she wanted to come back on Thursday.

Daddy also started his First Day of School tradition.

Flowers.

They are now sitting in a kiddie cup on her playroom cubbies and when Lily looks at them she says, Daddy gave them me. I a big girl. I go to school.

We also gave her a few little things when she got home, trying to boost the school, big girl thing as much as we possibly can. A 'Pinkalicious' book and some of those shaped bracelets.

The first day is done.

It's That Time Again

I did this for Lily and now I'm walking the same familiar path for Emma.

Making her baby food.

I have done the first batch of apples and bananas. I got to use my new (from Christmas) small chopper/puree/blender machine. And froze it in the same ice cube trays I used with Lily's food. The only difference is that Lily ate up the food I made and Emma's is not. She's definitely not. She's actually giving us gagging reflex faces. The faces that look like we need to get ready to catch it right back. Luckily that hasn't happened yet but we're prepared.

Last night she had Earth's Best 1st squash and she didn't mind it. After a few days of this we'll move onto sweet potatoes, peaches and pears. Hopefully she'll begin to like baby food soon since she's so interested in everything we eat.

The baby food making will continue for now....

Oh, and I loove this site

We Were Ready...

...for some Steeler football.

It also happened to be Emma's first football game.

Lily has learned to say...

Go Steelers!

Touchdown

Get 'em

Stop 'em

Field Goal

Woo Hoo, run, run, run

Thankfully the Steelers came away with a win...a painfully ugly win.

Happy 5 Months Miss Emma!

Just like the previous monthly posts, I can't believe you're already 5 months old!

*Emma is an extremely happy baby girl

*She give huge smiles and laughs constantly

*Emma wears anywhere from mostly 6 mth clothes to 6-9 mth footy jammies

*She wears size 2 huggies (when she isn't wearing her cloth diapers, we've turned into a 60/40 cloth/disposable diaper kind of family)

*She is a hip baby...meaning she is very happy to just be on someone's hip

*Eats 6.5-7 oz every 3.5-4hrs still with rice cereal

*Has cereal twice a day, either oatmeal or rice mixed with fruit

*We are trying our best to get Emma to like food

*She talks and talks and talks and talks

*Is extremely strong. She can roll over from back to tummy and tummy to back and in both directions.

*Emma is trying to crawl. While on her tummy she fully extends her arms and can lunge forward or push herself backwards...

*She can sit up without teeter-tottering very much

*Can stand and can support her own weight

*Blows raspberries on my shoulder

*Still needs reflux meds but hoping that when she begins to eat more solids we can bye-bye to it

*Has started taking 2 naps a day. A 45min-1hr in the morning and up to 3 hrs in the afternoon. We still have our share of non-naps days mixed in with very sleepy days. Taking her in to rock, cuddle, feed and play her music helps get her to sleep though.

*Knows her name really, really well

*Really loves her bathtime, she now gets a bath every other day in her baby tub and sometimes hangs out with Lily in the big tub

*Has a really strong arm chop...will need an entire post devoted to this to explain.

*Can not finish an entire bottle without sitting up to see what's going on at least 5 times

*Has grabby, grabby hands. We are now living with everything having to be in the middle of tables, counters, etc.

*Takes her binky but enjoys her hand more, boo.

*Loves the bjorn, as long as she can see everything going on.

*Likes her bouncy seat, but only if she's sitting up or almost diving out of it. Not sure how much longer this will be an effective baby gear item for Emma.

*Is an amazing addition to our family!