All About Ava

It was Ava's day at preschool today. We brought snacks for her friends and she got to bring a poster with pictures that portrayed all of her memorable life moments, activities she enjoys and just the things that make her so damn cute.

She has been super excited about her day since Caroline had her day in October. Finally enough naps had gone by to be her day! (that's how they measure time these days) She did a great job talking in front of the class and was very thorough with her explanations. Good Job Ava!

Some more cute (and sad) Ava isms this week include this little gem: Yesterday when I was getting Ava dressed for school she sadly said, "When you're mad Mommy you don't love us anymore." Of course my heart sank. It was odd too since the morning was going along really well and we were all happy. I immediately stopped what I was doing and got at her eye level and had a little heart to heart with her to reassure her that I never, ever stop loving her. And the heartbreaking thing is that I think she meant whenever I'm mad...regardless of why, with whom or what degree, i.e. mild frustration or taking a stern tone to get them to pay attention. But regardless, I will think twice, three times, and even four before I act.

That alone is enough to warrant a post, but it gets better. After she felt better she pointed to my eye and asked, "Why do you have bunny ears there Mommy?" It took a second for it to dawn on me what she was talking about and then I told her, "It's because your mommy is old, Honey."

Yep, her bunny ears are what most people call "crow's feet." And I did ask....she came up with that all on her own. Frankly, I prefer the term 'bunny ears'....but on someone else's face.

And Ava is getting lots and lots of hugs from Mommy these days. I love you, love you, love you Ava....ALWAYS.

Jingle All the Way

Meet the newest seasonal member of our family, Jingle. He arrived today in the mail via the North Pole. Santa sent him as his "scout elf" for our family. His job is to report back to Santa on all of Ava & Caroline's activities so Santa knows if they've been naughty or nice.

Every night when the girls go to sleep, he heads back to the North Pole to make his report and then reappears in the morning. He finds a new place to sit every day and each morning the girls can see who finds him first. But Santa gave us some rules to abide by: 1. You can't touch him 2. He can't talk to the girls....only me and Santa. But they can talk to him all they want...especially if they want him to put in a good word to the big guy and give him their wish list.

The first thing we had to do was give him a name so he could become ours. We all decided Jingle was fitting. On the way home from Maga's tonight, I told the girls that I had someone to introduce them to when we got home. They were so curious and kept asking me who it was. I just told them it was a guy who will be doing a very important job for us. Caroline was getting kind of bugged by it and really wanted to know who it was...at least his name. But I wasn't saying anything because he didn't have a name yet. Smart little Ava thought for awhile quietly and then asked, "Is it an elf?" She's so darn intuitive. When we got home Caroline was really irked and stomped into the house saying, "I don't like this little guy! I don't want him at our house!" She hadn't even met him yet and didn't know anything about who he was.

How fitting she was most skeptical when we found him sitting in the chandelier in their bedroom and she wanted to get him down immediately so she could touch him. "But Mommy, he's not real!. Is he real? He's just a stuffed animal!" I told her he was real like Duckie and that if she didn't think he was real, then that meant she didn't believe in Santa Claus. She came around soon enough.

It's a good thing Jingle didn't show up Monday or Caroline would be in grave jeopardy of getting a lump of coal in her stocking. See, Caroline almost started the house on fire in Eden. And I'm not kidding. The girls were watching a movie in the living room while I was on the phone with Aunt Lisa in the same room. I stepped outside briefly on the deck and shortly after Caroline came running out frantically telling me, "Mommy, Mommy the towel is burning!"

I ran inside to find a bath towel on the living room rug smoldering and smoking. I hung up the phone, grabbed it and the only thing I could think of was to run outside on the deck and throw it over the railing to the grass below....it was the closest exit. With smoke alarms blaring and Caroline running around in near tears saying, "Is this an emergency?!!! Is this an emergency?!! Is the fire chief coming?!!," I herded them downstairs with me in case the carpet went up in flames for some reason and so I could put the burning towel out before it started a grass and wildfire in the nearby brush. When I got outside it was in full flames. Since the hoses weren't attached to the house, the only solution I could think of to immediately extinguish the fire was to throw the towel into the hot tub. Sorry Brad, but figured it was better than letting the house take the hit.

Needless to say, I was a wreck and Caroline and I had a good chat about the dangers of putting anything in the fireplace....even if you just want to get a towel warm. All I could think about was how she could have gotten hurt, burned or how easily her little blousey top could have caught on fire. But I am so proud of her for coming to get me rather than running to hide for fear of getting in trouble. What a big girl! And because of that, the only thing lost was a bath towel. I am so grateful! So next time I'm on the phone with you, please forgive me for not leaving the room to hear you better.

As far as Jingle is concerned, all I know is that the girls were in bed at 8 o'clock sharp, didn't give me any grief, didn't talk after I shut the door, didn't yell for me for over an hour to tell me something silly, and even scolded Duckie for not being quiet. If this keeps up till Christmas, the Easter Bunny will be getting an elf.

Merry Christmas and may you remember to count your blessings!

Wow, Wow!

So I took the girls to Gardner Village on Saturday to see the fun Halloween witches and displays and all they can talk about are the ducks in the water. We're walking toward the stream where the ducks are and they are super excited to see the ducks (there are a total of five). I'm holding both their little hands in mine and we are making quick work to get to the ducks....witches be damned, right? They were chattering about feeding them and I said that I didn't think they had food for us to feed them, and we certainly didn't bring any. And to that Caroline said with such sweet sincerity, "You gotta believe, Mom."

I took a moment to let that sink in, wondering if I heard her right and I asked her to repeat what she said. And she said again, "You gotta believe." I thought for a second and asked with true bewilderment and interest where she heard that....half expecting to hear some kind of Santa Claus or religious explanation when she said, "Wubzy says that, Mom. Wubzy says you just got to believe."

True, reflecting back, I do remember that Wubzy did indeed say that. You're right, Honey....you just got to believe!

Polka Dots on My Tummy

So since we're on the subject of Caroline, I figured I'd finally write the post I've been promising for some time. I better do it now before my momnesia kicks in and I can't remember all the little, but oh-so-important, details.

You see, Caroline has had some quirky little rituals that she implemented in her bedtime routine around age two or so. Even though I knew that the steps she insisted both she and I take as she went to bed were more about control than anything else, the insanity it created in me had me thinking she was showing signs of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). It wasn't until I uncovered some material about what to watch for in your children as they grow older...milestones, if you will...did I finally feel better about things. Apparently, around age 2-3 some children will concoct "elaborate and rigid rituals". Ahh, my kid is normal! Yeah, whatever that means.

Her ritual has since changed a bit since moving into a big girl bed and getting rid of bottles. And the ritual was, and continues to be, an evolving process where she adds and tweaks things as she deems necessary....constantly keeping me on my toes!

Here's how the original incarnation played out (for the most part):

First she would tell me to, "sit on the chair and watch me" as she climbed ("BY HERSELF') over her crib rails and balanced on her head before toppling over. Then you had to say, "Way to Go!" or "Good Job!" After that you had to place her bottle on the very edge of the table by her crib so it was almost teetering off, and then let her grab it "BY HERSELF!" At some point she added the new "lick the finger, wipe it on her wrist and then swirl it around the nipple" (the bottle's, not hers) action before she plopped down in her crib. Then you had to put Bobby (her stuffed teddy bear) in the bottom left corner of her bed sitting up. If he even slouched just a bit that would prompt screams and frustration from her until you fixed it. Then Duckie had to be up by her head which was to be on her C pillow placed in the right corner of her headboard on the north side of her bed. Then you had to put her "star blanket" on her (not any other blanket could be in her bed whatsoever) and you had to do it with the "POLKA DOTS ON MY TUMMY!"

When that was all done you couldn't just kiss her goodnight and leave the room. Nope, you had to (in this order) first bend down outside the crib so that you were level with her head and kiss her through the slats ("Kiss down here"). But not just any slat....it had to be the second slat from the end. Then you had to stand up, bend over the crib rail and give her a hug ("Hugs up here") while she was still laying down. But you couldn't groan, or make "mmm, mmm" sounds while you did it.

If you did any of these things out of order or God forbid, you weren't sitting on the rocking chair in time, you had to start over from the beginning. It's reminiscent of the sacrament prayer at church and the poor kids who messed up on the prayer in even the slightest way and had to start from the very beginning until they got it perfectly right.

That was pretty much the ritual (with few variations once in a while) until several months later when she threw in a surprise attack. One particularly hairy night when nerves were shot for all parties, she threw me a curve ball after all this madness and as I closing the door, she screamed, "Bonk the door!"

"What?!" I said half screaming (ok, not really....I was screaming). She repeated it and repeated it and repeated it, because I couldn't make sense of what she was demanding. Finally I told her she was going to have to show me what the hell she was talking about. (I was fried at this point and not very cool and collected).

She promptly got out of bed and ran over to the door and hit it so it "bonked" against the wall. Again, this was totally a surprise attack and something she just dreamed up on the spot. It was part of the process ever since until she modified it with "in the hole." That one took some demonstration too and I learned that it wasn't good enough for me to simply bonk the door. No, I had to do it "in the hole" which meant that it had to be somewhere lower than the doorknob where I hit my hand. Yes, can you say 'CRAZY'? I was seriously thinking she was losing it at this point, as I'm sure you are reading this.

The whole time this madness went on every night (and still does), litte Ava just laid quietly in her bed waiting for it to be over. She never says a word and is perfectly content to just lay on her bumper, pick a few tickle tags (more on those later) and go to sleep.

So, this was pretty much the ritual for some time until big girl beds came into the picture, then it all had to be revamped as we didn't have rails for her to climb over, kiss through and hug over and no bottles to grab. We then graduated to covering her toes with her star blanket and the "love you to pieces" list.

The "love you to pieces" list was her replacement for the above antics and one she derived from my nightly ritual of telling them that I loved them to pieces before I shut the door. Now she methodically goes through a list of people, animals (real and almost-real), and things that I have to say, "love you to pieces" to before I am excused. Of course, this is an ever-evolving list. It goes something like this:

"Say love you to pieces to me, say love you to pieces to Duckie, say love you to pieces to Ava, say love you to pieces to yourself, and go in the kitchen and tell Biggie love you to pieces real loud so I can hear you and call Dad on the phone and tell him love you to pieces."

I have to allow her to say all of this without interruption or we start all over again. On another difficult night when my patience was wearing dangerously thin and she was lengthening the list of love yous, I thought to myself as she stuttered to think of a new item that she was going to tell me to say "love you to pieces" to the wall. And I kid you not, that's the very next thing that came out of her mouth!! I drew the line on that one and said I would not tell the wall that I loved it to pieces. (Have to admit that I do throw it in now and then purely in jest...and we both get a chuckle out of it)

Why do I indulge this madness, you ask? Well, if I ignored it I would suffer hours of crying and screaming. And when the only break I get is at bedtime, I am anxious for my "me" time to begin with as much peace as possible. I figure that the few minutes of mayhem I have to endure to keep the peace and keep her happy is worth it.

I just keep telling myself, "this too shall pass." And one day I might just miss it.....

"Love you to pieces, Caroline! "

A Good Day

So we started the morning off bright and early. Ava woke up before the sun and was so kind to get the rest of us up. After ten minutes of fun and frolic in their room, the girls came into mine and Ava promptly crawled into my bed exclaiming, "Mommy, the sun is trying to come up through the darkness." I love the way she looks at life and how her little brain tries to make sense of things. Her expressions are priceless and pretty spot on.

The girls had a great day at school, finishing off their second week. They still get glowing remarks from Miss Jodi every day and have yet to get a report card that says they're anything but 'happy' at school. I get daily reports of what they did in school, any 'reminders' they may have needed with being a good student, how they ate, what their general disposition was and what they enjoyed doing that day.

Mommy finally made it to a doctor today for the first time since giving birth. I did something good for myself for a change....got a check-up, flu shot, tetnus shot and some nasal spray for those pesky seasonal allergies. Got an appointment for a mammogram too....gotta love turning 40! Not very fun, but a good gift for myself and my girls.

After school we headed over to the Gatway Mall to watch the elephants parade down the street to celebrate the circus being in town. It was pretty cool to be that close to them. The girls were more impressed with the cannon guy who held his baby as he rode a horse. Funny how that made a bigger impression than the ten or so two-ton pachyderms parading five feet in front of them.

The evening was capped off with baking cookies. I think more dough made it into their mouths than the cookie sheet, but that's the point, right? All was well as we headed to bed...no fits, no fighting, no monkey business.

"No, I didn't eat any dough"

"Ok, maybe I did"

Caroline's clown hat. Barnum & Bailey here I come!

Now it's a good night! Love you, Ladybugs. Thanks for a fun day and for being so good.

Everyone needs a hero

So we're leaving preschool yesterday and Caroline is full of vim and vigor. She runs up to the heavy double doors and says, "I can open these Mom. Don't help!" Of course she needed help as they're heavy as boulders, but the advantage of being three feet taller than your kids is that you can give a little push above their head without them knowing.

Upon getting the doors open, she comes bounding out and gleefully exclaims, "I'm a superhero! I'm Super Caroline!" Then she stops, turns and gets in her ready stance and quickly adds as she races off, "I need to go save 'someting'....or someone."

Cute little monkey. She can save me anyday.

Love you to pieces!

Our member of the family, Duckie, was in kinda bad shape last week. I think this little guy deserves an entry all his own since he really has become a member of the family. As perhaps you all know, this guy is Caroline's lovey/cozy/woobie...whatever you want to call him. If he was lost I don't think she'd ever recover....or me, for that matter.

Flashback to Summer 2007:
Duckie was not actually Caroline's first love(y). Mr. Bunny was Duckie's predecessor. He went AWOL in late summer of 2007 when we took a trip to the Gateway and I erroneously allowed him to leave the car. I was hysterical and re-traced my steps throughout the entire mall to no avail. I posted ads on Craigslist, KSL.com and even "missing lovey" websites (yes, there are such things as this is apparently a common phenomenon among parents of young children) to either find the original Mr. Bunny or a replica of the same model. Target, of course, had stopped selling them.

I received Mr. Bunny and Duckie as gifts from my friend Brenda at a baby shower before the girls were born. Who knew that these little guys would be the chosen ones for Miss Caroline. They came as a set and had cute little robes on them. Anyway, after HOURS of scouring the internet I actually found and bid $50 for a replacement on Ebay for the exact same model as Mr. Bunny. I won! But before I could get him home, Caroline had attached herself to Mr. Bunny's buddy, Duckie Duck (as he was eventually named by Caroline).

I was so excited to present the new "Mr. Bunny" to her after her nap the day he arrived to show her he finally came home from "vacation." But she just chuckled and barely gave him much notice before she grabbed Duckie and exclaimed, "Duckie Duck!". She was smitten...the rest is history and he hasn't left her side since. Except now, under no circumstances, does Duckie leave the car if we are going to a public place!

August 1, 2007 shortly before Mr. Bunny took his "vacation."

Bounce back to September 14, 2009:

If you could actually love a stuffed animal so much that it eventually became "real," as in the beloved children's book, The Velveteen Rabbit, then Duckie Duck would indeed have blood coursing through his veins and be able to quack and waddle like his buddies in the park. Caroline has "loved him to pieces" (her new bedtime mantra....more on that later) quite literally many times. Last week's injuries were just the latest, albeit most serious, results of her "loving" actions. Over the past two years Duckie has been totally picked clean of his stuffing, had holes chewed and picked in all places of his body and now has had his right foot torn completely off, chewed into pieces and sucked dry. The prognosis looked grim, but Dr. Mom somehow pulled off a miracle.

Patient's injuries pre-operation

Post Op. Right foot, sole and slipper reattached. Patient shows signs of healthy weight gain and improved hygiene habits. Strong odor and age spots significantly reduced. Robe's whereabouts currently unknown.

We are glad you are still with us, Duckie. Even though you are a true master at hide and seek, and I have spent countless hours trying to find your latest hiding spots....I hope you never decide to go on "vacation." You are truly irreplaceable!

First Day at Expanding Horizons!

September 15th was a big day for Ava and Caroline. It was their first day at their new preschool Expanding Horizons. It's right around the corner at the Carmen Pingree School for Autism and is an inclusive program that incorporates developmentally appropriate methods while mainstreaming one to two autistic students into the classroom.

I love their approach, as they understand that early learning is best achieved through play and fun rather than rigid workbook and rote memorization techniques similar to those adopted by Challenger School and other programs. Since signing them up, I've had several rave reviews from parents of former students. One mom even said her two boys who went to Challenger cried for 30 minutes every day she dropped them off and had a hard time adjusting scholastically and socially to kindergarten, while her daughter who attended Expanding Horizons loved going every day and was reading by the time she hit first grade. Big thanks to Laurel (La) for helping to make this happen and giving me the recommendation. We couldn't be happier.

I believe they have the rest of their young lives to work hard in the classroom and now is the time for fun! And boy do they have fun!

I was a bit worried in the beginning because they go from 8:15 - 11:15 in the morning three days a week. While I'm ecstatic to have 9 whole hours to myself every week, I was not so excited to wake up so early. We usually don't wake up until 8:30 or 9:00 a.m. so the prospect of such an early morning worried me. But the girls were troopers on their first day (and since). They are so excited to go to school that they don't give me any trouble as I wake them promptly at 7:30 and proceed to dress, feed, style their hair and get them on the potty all before leaving the house at 8:00 a.m. I figure we can worry about brushing teeth until after lunch.

Here are a couple of pictures on their first day. I know it's going to be a good year when Ava proclaims before we even get to the car, "I LOVE Extanding Horizons!!!!!"

Outstanding!

Eating a good breakfast because as Caroline says, "I'm getting my energy!"
(wonder where she heard that?)

As soon as we walked into the classroom this little guy comes running up to say hi. The girls are pros at meeting new kids and didn't skip a beat introducing themselves. Then it was off to wash their hands to start the day off nice & clean (LOVE THAT!). They get their own little cubbies with their names and pictures on them too. So cute!

Me and You and Zoo boomafoo!

That's the song from Ava's favorite show that stars a cute lemur puppet named Zaboo. Anyway, the 3 of us have had a great couple of days involving animals and fun. We hit the last day of the Utah State Fair yesterday and had a great time. Of course, Mom didn't bring the camera to capture all our fun since it was a last minute idea but a few of the highlights include:

* A pony ride for BOTH girls. Ava was brave and got on her horse without a fit...I was really surprised. She asked for a small one and got the littlest guy there. He was probably smaller than a Great Dane and was named Moose. She was a trooper. Caroline's was named Red. They still remember their ponies' names from last year; Scarecrow and Rusty

* Five super fun rides: The racecars that whipped them around the corners and slammed Ava into Caroline (glad I inadvertantly put Caroline on the outside) and put a huge smile and laugh on Ava's face; the hot air balloons that went up and around and tilted (Mom got to ride on that too); the helicopters that Caroline piloted expertly (with Mom's help); the merry-go-round where Ava insisted on sitting on the bench with Mom, and the train (of course)...Mom got to skip that one.

* As Seen On TV products like the Krustbuster that cuts the crust off sandwiches and make great kid-friendly concoctions and can even put smiley faces on their sandwiches, magical invisible and erasable markers for the girls where I can write secret messages to them, and tops for aluminum can drinks that hold the carbonation in for four days and have screw tops and little drink holes for the kids. I'm such a sucker for stuff that will make life fun for the girls (and me).

* Vanilla ice cream and orange dreamsicle treats.

* Petting a billy goat

* Great and scary people watching that makes you feel so good about yourself even on your worst day. (Ladybugs, education is a good thing!)

And today we hit Hogle Zoo. It was a beautiful Fall day and perfect for the zoo since the animals were so much more active. Plus, we got to see all the new babies born in the last few months, notably the cute baby elephant, giraffe, snow leopard and the three baby tiger cubs. Thank you Heather and Mimi for the great gift of the zoo membership. We can go anytime we want and not feel guilty for staying only an hour or so!

Testing balance and climbing skills on the giant web

The new baby Zuri whom upon seeing Ava exclaimed, "I LOVE baby Zuri!" She seriously is super cute and "so tiny!" as Ava likes to say.

The baby giraffe who is only two months old
Goofing around on the big cat statues
Inches away from the real thing. Hope that glass is strong!

Mama taking a snooze with one of her three cubs

I'm Sleeping Beauty!

That's what my little Ava said when she climbed into her new Big Girl Bed. Uncle Jeff came over on Thursday to help transform their cribs into toddler beds (aka Big Girl Beds). I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive about how they would react and what little sleep awaited us that night but they both surprised me with happy reactions and excitement. I couldn't be more proud of them! They both went right to sleep with minimal shenanigans and getting out of their beds and slept the night without falling out! Good job babies!

Ava worried me the most since she hasn't had any experience sleeping in anything other than a crib and because she's so attached to her bumper and tickle tags, but she was actually more excited and even told me she didn't need her "b" when I put her down for bed because she's a "big girl now!" Way to go Ava!

Caroline got a toddler bed in Eden a few weeks ago and has a little experience adjusting to the idea but she was the one who had more trouble with it. She cried a little bit at bedtime and said she wanted her rails back on her bed. But it was brief and she rallied.

I think it helped that I waited to make the change until after I was able to find some cute new toddler quilts so they looked super cute when they came to see their new beds. They both started pretending to be different princesses because they felt like royalty in their new princess beds! I did get a little teary and nostalgic because I was remembering when Brad and I were putting the cribs together when I was six months along and thinking about Brad tearing up and saying, "I can't believe there are going to be two little babies in here."

Yep, and now there are two little "big" girls who are getting so grown up. Thanks so much to Uncle Jeff for prodding me into the change and getting the job done. He was so good at spinning the whole event into an exciting and happy adventure, it really made it smooth and fun for all of us.

Sleep well, my angels.

So cute and the room looks so much bigger

Ava had a bit of a hard time pulling herself up without the rails, but she's a pro now

Caroline has all her buddies and their buddies :-)

This is when she said, "I'm Sleeping Beauty!"

It's bedtime and silly face time. How cute are those little legs?

Duckie has some competition

She needed her "b" in the middle of the night

You know you're a redneck when....

you create a waterpark in your backyard with a baby blow-up pool and plastic slide. But the kids had a blast! I created this little water wonderland for them Saturday after their naps when the mercury hit almost 100 degrees. Since we have complete privacy in our backyard thanks to the grapevines, I told them they didn't need swimsuits. I don't know which they liked more, the cool waterslide or going tinkle on the grass standing up. Caroline definitely made the biggest splash. Little Ava barely gets enough speed with her tiny body to make a dent. To top things off, I just bathed them and washed their hair right in the pool. I'll be putting their pink car on blocks next week to complete the effect.

Ava's attempt at going backwards

Ahh, summer!

Bite Me!

Not too happy with little miss Caroline's antics today. She bit her sister so hard on the face this morning when she couldn't get a toy away from her, it left some serious marks. Ava was crying so hard you couldn't hear her. This is the evidence. I can only hope it doesn't scar. I guess it's payback for a similar bite Ava gave her on the cheek not too long ago. I wish I knew how to cure them from acting out their frustrations on each other this way. Pinching has become an issue too.

When I told Caroline, "Say you're sorry to Ava" after her time in the naughty chair, she went into the living room and haughtily yelled, "You're sorry Ava!!"

Yeah, not the most heart-felt apology.

Doctor Doctor, give me the news...

The girls went in for their 3 year well-baby visit on Thursday. As expected, they are well and thriving! Caroline weighs 34 pounds and is 38 1/2 inches tall. My little featherweight weighed in at 28 pounds and is 36 1/2 inches tall, but she's climbed from the 3rd percentile in weight to the 20th and is in the 40th percentile of height. Way to go Ava! The doctor seemed impressed with their development and their sleeping and eating habits. But we were both blown away by their outstanding intelligence. Case in point: When Dr. Charlie asked Caroline who her favorite princess was, she paused momentarily before answering softly and sweetly, "Mommy." I'm calling Harvard because clearly we're talking genius here!

Dr. Charlie was also more than happy with their potty training status and not at all concerned about Ava's "baby voice." He thinks she speaks just fine for her age and wonders if it's perhaps a reflection of her being cast as the "little one."

No shots this visit, but thanks to the swine flu we will be getting TWO flu shots this year. One in August for the usual strain and one in October for the piggy variety.

I'm so grateful my ladybugs are healthy, happy, and developing as expected. I am truly blessed...twice!!

Good Morning Sunshine!

Today, Ava decided to greet the day with gusto! When I took Biggie outside to go potty first thing this morning the sprinklers were running. When I turned around to go inside, I was met with a buck naked Ava at the open front door. She had quietly and quickly taken off her jammies and diaper. When I asked what she was doing (but having a pretty good idea), she said that she was going to run through the sprinklers....at 9:00 a.m.! Apparently she wanted to relive the fun she had at Aunt Lisa's lake house where she first ran through sprinklers. I didn't have the heart to ruin her fun, even though I thought she'd be a bit cold. Is there anything cuter than that bum? Maybe the smile :-)

Summer Vacation!

I'll be going back in time for a bit here while I catch up on some fun activities in June and for the 4th of July. We took a trip to see Aunt Lisa, Uncle Curt, Lydia, Margaux and baby Elise in Chicago on June 24 for a week. We had a great time! I was lucky enough to be able to use my miles that I accrued while working at the University of Utah to get three airline tickets for me and the girls without spending a dime (except of course for the stupid bag charges). Lisa and Curt were generous enough to let us stay with them and use one of their cars. With FIVE girls under the age of 4....and their mothers (poor Curt), we had a lot of bodies to move around. But we managed famously!

We spent the first two days at their house in Chicago and then the rest of the week at their lake house in Michiana. In Chicago we went to Navy Pier and took a boat ride along the lake shore to see the city skyline. I know...totally touristy, but we wanted to be outside and I wanted to get on the water somehow and this boat ride was only 30 minutes. There was lengendary Chicago heat that day with loads of humidity, but we still had a blast. The girls still talk about their boat ride and the Thomas the Train ride (which lasted about 2 minutes). Oh, to be young and so easily amused.

The cousins getting silly

We even got hats to go with our sweat!

Margaux & Aunt Lisa

They're stoked, you just can't tell

Puff Daddy, P Diddy...our daddy?

I kid you not, today as I was reading my exclusive collector's edition of the Michael Jackson tribute magazine Caroline pointed to this picture and asked, "Is that Daddy?" And she wasn't pointing to the King of Pop (RIP). True story! Brad, do you think it's time to consider sunscreen? Mamasaymamasawmamamockyousaw!

Shenanigans

Oh, my little Ava. Don't need much commentary here, except perhaps it's time to move her away from the window. If I had room I probably would. When we had bottles, it was common to find three or four lined up in the window behind the blind...not, of course, until I spent days looking for the missing bottles and convincing myself I was going crazy. The window is much cleaner now too since she can't "clean" it with milk. It's a good thing I always check in on them before I go to bed. No telling how she and the blind would have fared the night.

On the Wagon

Ok, I think it's safe to say we are officially bottle free! I am a bit nostalgic as I write this because it reminds me of what a rocky and long road it started out to be with my little ladybugs. I know most moms and most of you reading this would (and secretly do) chastise me for letting my girls use bottles this long. But before you do, I urge you to walk a mile in my shoes. It hasn't been strictly for convenience sake, or because I'm lazy...actually far from it. Bottles have been a lot of work around here! I am happy with my methods and I think the girls have benefitted from them. They've only had bottles at bedtimes and in the morning (3 times a day) for the past couple years and never anytime or anywhere else. And I've had a hard time giving up the automatic 24 ounces of milk a day that provides them with important calcium, nutrients and calories.

Since day one...actually even before that because while in my tummy the constant worry was that Ava (Baby A) wasn't growing....the issue most important and paramount to their survival has been getting enough food, i.e. calories, i.e. MILK (Mama's or otherwise)! When you begin your motherhood experience spending every waking moment worrying about how much milk your little ones can get to grow bigger, stronger and to get out of the hospital, it's tough kicking the habit.

The only concern and the biggest job I had as a new mom was to teach my babies how to suckle and to take milk through their mouths. It wasn't easy. Through necrotizing enterocolitis, blood infections, heart murmurs and other reasons that prevented them from getting food to their tummies, let alone through their mouths...because these problems mandated the girls take fluids through IV's rather than milk through their nasal feeding tubes...the first several weeks were tough. The mission stuck with me, and to this day I overfeed and fret constantly about their daily intake of calories, especially Ava's. I remember at one point celebrating when the girls were allowed to take 2 milliliters (that's less than a small spoonful) of breast milk through a feeding tube.

That was then...










Anyway, I went cold turkey last Wednesday night and have stuck to my guns since. Caroline had a harder time with it than Ava. Ava hasn't really wanted one at bedtime for some time...she mostly prefers her morning bottle "on the couch." Much like Mom with her cup of coffee :)

Caroline had a few crying bouts and tried a few times to cajole, "last more bottle, Mommy!!!" from me. But she's content now that she is giving them to baby Elise on our trip to Chicago next week. The last few bedtimes I haven't even heard mention of it. I've packed them up and I now have one more drawer in the kitchen to use. I will also not miss the dramatic and elaborate ritual of Caroline wanting the bottle placed precariously at the edge of the bedside table so SHE can grab it HERSELF...but not before she licked her finger and ran it in a circular motion around the nipple and down her wrist. (Again, more on that in a later post)

I love you my ladybugs! I'm happy you're healthy and growing up and older, but can't help but miss my babies.

Cheers!

This is now...