dizzy

Tthe girls were dancing to our new latest music (the soundtrack from Juno) this evening. Miranda keeps stopping and starting because, I think, she is dizzy.

Playgroup

Playgroup started out fairly tame this afternoon. With only 5 of us (11 kids), we didn't expect many problems. But when the birdseed was introduced with more of ending up on the grass than in the table and they all discovered they could actually get in the trampoline, it was all over.

Zeke doesn't want it.

Elizabeth and Miranda fail to understand that Zeke doesn't want marbles, shoes, or really anything else they give him. In fact, they are pretty useless to him.

Awwww...

For two girls that bug each other so much, they sure do hang out together a lot.

Today, they fed each other, played marble game together, and helped each other get shoes on.

CIO

After days, weeks and perhaps even months of sleepless nights, Michael and I did the only think left we could think to do...let them Cry It Out. It worked when Parker was little, when the girls were babies (smaller babies), so we figured it's gotta work now. The getting up several times in the middle of the night just sucked. I'd like to tell you it was due to the toddler bed move, but in reality, the move didn't change things at all. It was bad long before that.

So on night one (last night), Dad was on duty for two reasons. I can't do CIO. I start to CIO myself after 10 or 15 minutes of them crying. Dad has always been the tough love guy. The guy with the heart of stone. He can handle anything. Even if he was up until 1am working and even if he had to get up with them this morning. Which leads to the second reason I wasn't around...I sleep in the back on nights where I go to the gym at O' Dark Thirty, which is 5:30am. Boot Camp at the Y starts at 5:30 sharp and if you are late they make you do more pushups.

But I digress...

As reported this morning by a very sleepy looking husband, Eli woke up once around 10, whined for a while and then went back to sleep. Miranda, kept up her reputation of being delightful during the day and pure evil at night, by waking up around midnight and screaming her frickin head off for 30 minutes. But, with the monitor, Michael was able to see that she was still in bed, still with her blanket, still covered up. So she was on her own. Sorry toots. After her screamfest, she fell asleep and didn't wake up until 6:15 when Eli thought it was time to get up, something she indicated by getting out of the bed and trying to open the door. :)

UC Village Park

Met Ebba and her merry crew today at a new park. It's right behind where I am taking the kids to gymnastic classes at UC Village. Everyone had fun, but I had the most fun watching Ebba and Lincoln try to reconstruct a broken down play structure

Ridiculous Child

I went to Shari's long overdue baby shower on Saturday. I wore my fancy shoes which are saved for such occasions mostly because I can't stand wearing them. I left them out and of course, Elizabeth found them. I never thought I'd have a little girls who likes wearing mommy's shoes. Crazy.

CDs

Parker is a big music fan, always has been. In addition to whatever music I happen to be listening to that catches his fancy, he also listens to the CDs from music class pretty religiously. So much so that he knows not just all the songs by heart, but which tracks they are. It's not unusual for Parker to be singing while he plays, and you hear him announce the track before each song. He's a funny dude.

So tonight before bed time I hear him in his room singing through a bunch of different songs. I come upstairs when he's in the middle of a rousing rendition of When the saints coming marching in. (He makes up his own lyrics, too: "Oh, when Lion...jumps on the bed...oh, when Lion... jumps... on... the... bed, etc.")

I told him that when he was done singing his song, it was time to go brush our teeth.

He said, "Not 'til 25, daddy." I knew what he meant.

"Ok, Parker, what track are we on now?"

Then he went over to the CD player, which was turned off and unplugged, and said, "19, daddy." And then he opened it up to show me.

As I said, he's a funny dude.

Crab Cove

Parker and I went to Crab Cove on Friday. It's a small beach in Alameda with a tiny little educational area. Parker wasn't thrilled about it since it was taking time away from the playplace, but once he saw the rocks and stuff to climb, he didn't want to leave.

Swim Class

Parker takes a swim class every Friday. We started with me in the water with him. Then after 4 weeks, I got to stay dry. He's doing well and can put his face under without a problem, but sometimes he gets some water up his nose. He seems to like it a lot. Ted and Lion came to watch him this time.

Getting Dressed

The girls are much more advanced than Parker at getting dressed. I wouldn't say they are good at it, but just better than Parker was at that age.

Check Up

Took the kids in today for their 18 month check (just a bit late...)

Elizabeth is 27.1 pounds, 2 feet 9 inches high with a really big head (like 100th percentile)

Miranda is 24.5 pounds, 2 feet 7.5 inches. Average size head.

I think the measurements were more accurate this time as they did them on the big girl scale and using the standing up height marker.

I told the doc of Miranda's continued pooping problem and Elizabeth continued coughing issues. She didn't have any magical answers, but is trying a couple new things.

Parker came along too as he was sick (and I couldn't leave him at the co-op as planned.) Doctor listened to his chest too and detected some wheezing. She suggested I give him some allbutorol at home too, so I did. It worked incredibly well for about an hour. It made me realize just how little it is doing for Elizabeth.

She suggested a tape player for when they wake up at night. Something we use at the bedtime routine that they can go press on when they wake up at night. The waking up at night has gotten out of control lately. It's like we have new borns again. Yuck.

Otherwise, all is well.

Bookshelf

The kids (yes all of them) have taken to sitting behind the bookshelf. Parker calls it in he pool. The girls just hang out there. And this is where they can wave bye bye to daddy as he escapes off to work.

Bedtime

Milk? Check
Blankies? Check
Stupid Doll that we got Parker before the girls arrived? Check.
Nebulizer? Check.
Stack of books? Check.
Two Babies? Check.

Montclair Park

When everyone was back in good spirits after naps, we went to Montclair park. I've pretty much stopped using a stroller for such outings. I just park, get them all out and we walk to whereever I'm going. Of course, I keep an extra eye on Eli who loves to run in the opposite direction as everyone else.



They re-did the horse and buggy set up at the park and they were a big hit. I'm not sure what was wrong with the old horse and buggy set up, but whatever.







After we did that for a while and played in the old timey house, we went to the big kid play area where the girls swung and Parker did his thing.





Then we headed over to the little kid area where everyone had a splendid time. After another quick stop at the horses, we all walked back to the car.