At the Pool

Craig asked what we were doing that afternoon and I said "We're going to the pool". He pointed out the window and said "You mean out on the front lawn?" Yes, exactly!

Our pool:

The sand, I mean water table.

Testing the water.

Drinking the water (from the water table, eek).

Hannah kept walking over to Craig and asking me to take a picture:)

Score!

The girls have outgrown their Laugh and Learn house. I used the call it "the babysitter" because it kept them busy but now they walk right by it without so much as a glance. I have been looking on Craigslist for something to replace it and scored big time with two Little Tikes playhouses. Both for $40. Score!

Getting everything squeaky clean (Craig's job:)

Wondering what's going on.

Actually Sophie is wondering what's going on, Hannah is taking a call.

Let the fun begin...the Gazebo.

And the Winnie the Pooh playhouse. As always, Hannah looks like she's supervising.

WWIII (and Winnie)

How do you start Toddler WWIII? Get them one of these things:

Nana sent us this Winnie the Pooh ride on toy. She had it at her house when we came to visit a couple of weeks ago and the girls got to give it a test drive. Even though they had a good time with it, I didn't think they were over the top crazy about it.

We saw the FedEx package on our doorstep when we got home yesterday. I immediately opened it up and took it out for Sophie and Hannah to play with since they had such a long day of doctors and dentists. Oh My God. I have never seen them fight over something like this. They were literally pushing and pulling each other off so the other one could sit on it. You can imagine that Sophie (the strongest) spent the most time on it. Not that Hannah didn't put up a good fight. At one point she grabbed Sophie's arm and pulled her right off. Eek. It's a very popular toy. This is the first time I felt the need to buy each of them the same toy because let's face it, they were NOT going to share this one. I finally had to remove it from the playroom just to get some peace.

Hannah making sure the coast is clear (Sophie was napping.)

Hey Mom, you've got my back right?

Mine all mine.

Boxes are fun too.

A little alone time with the box.

Boxes can even be shared.

A rare moment of sharing. Notice the hats?

And finally...I had to post these pictures.

Sophie and Hannah hanging out in the box.

Can you tell what's about to happen?

Hannah just realized that Sophie's hair is long enough to pull. That's right. The pullee has now become the puller. I think the fight over the Winnie toy brought something out in her. I love how blissfully unaware Sophie is in the first two pictures. And I love the expression on Hannah face in the second picture.

Peaches and Cream

Sophie and Hannah had a busy day today. First stop was the dentist. Hannah has some white spots on her teeth and since I was already scheduled for an appointment, Dr. Mike said to go ahead and bring her in as well. We brought both girls in and they got to sit in the dentist chair (on my lap) and see all kinds of cool stuff. They also got new toothbrushes! Both were very shy. After a lot of coaxing they finally gave us a look at their teeth. I give all the credit to Dr. Mike. He was very good with them. Sophie didn't get scared at all even though she is going through her stranger issues.

Next on our list was a visit with the pediatrician for Sophie and Hannah's 15 month check up. They were a little tired at this point and not having any of it. Hannah screamed the entire time the nurse was taking her blood pressure so I can only imagine what kind of reading she got. And no one wanted their head measured even though I told them the tape measure was a "hat". Oh and I let Sophie play with a ziploc bag of cheerios which she ripped open and threw all the cheerios to the ground.

The big concern of course was Hannah's weight. Craig and I were both anxious to find out what she weighed and what the doctor had to say about it. I had a feeling it wasn't going to be good news and it wasn't. The doctor told us to keep her on formula (the high calorie mix) and we have to bring her back for a weight check in 6 weeks. He wants to see a 2 pound weight gain by the next checkup. Right now I am giving her all kinds of high calorie food with butter and cream, but we need to try to give her more. So it will be a 6 week mission to get Hannah to gain weight. Interesting enough I am on a 6 week mission to lose weight (for a cruise).

But what really surprised us at the appointment was that Sophie dropped on the growth chart. That's right. The daughter that eats with two hands and gobbles up everything I put in front of her is not gaining enough weight. So I've been told to give her instant breakfast powder with her milk and all the butter and cream she wants as well. I've kind of been doing that already but I will just have to give her more.

Other than that the girls are well. We all got our flu shots. The girls got their vaccines and we called it a day.

Oh and I almost forgot...peaches and cream. For dinner Hannah and Sophie had macaroni and cheese with butter and cream, carrots with butter, and peaches with butter and heavy cream. And I wasn't allowed to have any:( Off to make a salad!

Two Sick Babies and One Sick Dad

We have had quite a week. Last week the girls got what we thought was a very mild cold. Nothing serious, just a little fussiness and a lot of runny noses. But on Wednesday Hannah threw up. A lot. We thought it was going to be a 24 hour bug but it ended up being a 4 day ordeal. It was terrible to see her so miserable. All she wanted to do was be held and sleep in my arms. Hannah never wants to sit still which made it all the more heartbreaking. And poor Sophie. I couldn't give her any attention because I was trying to take care of Hannah. Fortunately Mom Mom makes house calls and came over to help out for the next two days.

On Friday we let Sophie have a sleepover with Mom Mom and Pop Pop so we could focus on taking care of Hannah. (Her first solo sleepover!)

Then Sophie threw up this morning. Fortunately she seems fine now. Craig however is another story. He has spent the entire day in bed with whatever Hannah had. Hannah is feeling better and I'm having a glass of wine now.

A Typical Day

Laundry Basket = New Toy

I planned on catching up with the laundry today (yeah right) in between playtime (and feedings and diaper changes). One look from Hannah and it was true love. She peeked through the holes. Climbed up the side. Put her hand through the holes and tried to pull out some clothes. I finally decided to just put her in the basket. And yes, I was right there to make sure she didn't get hurt.

The best thing ever!

And it's not just the laundry basket.

Hannah is climbing everything in sight.

Climbing MommyClimbing the glass portion of the cabinet (sigh).Climbing the steps.

Sophie gets really upset when Hannah goes up the stairs because she feels left out. Now I prop her on the bottom step so she can feel like she's involved (but can't get hurt).Reading is FundamentalReally into her book!Hannah doesn't seem to care much for her book.

But she is very interested in what Sophie is doing.And what is Sophie doing? Playing with Hannah's pajamas!Sophie with her stacking rings...which are more fun upside down.I accidentally took this picture while Sophie was reaching for the camera. The smile on her face is priceless.

In other news, I found out yesterday that Hannah has eczema. That's why she wasn't wearing anything in the picture on the steps. I had just put lotion on her back. Poor, poor thing. She has always had a rash on her cheeks that all the doctors said was dry skin. But apparently that's one of the first signs of eczema. A few days ago I noticed a rash on her back that was getting worse so it was back to the doctor. It doesn't seem to bother her too much but now I wonder if what I thought was crankiness from teething was really crankiness from the eczema. I feel terrible. But as you can see from the pictures it hasn't slowed her down at all.

Sophie is still working on crawling. Right now she gets on all fours but she straightens her legs out like she's doing a push up instead of moving forward on her knees. She gets mad if I try to work with her. Where Hannah loves an audience, Sophie likes to do things on her own. She also doesn't like me to help her with the spoon when she's eating. And so on... You'd never know it from the pictures but she's developing quite the stubborn streak.

Miss Sweet Potato Pie

Miss Sweet Potato Pie

For the past three weeks I had the worst time getting Sophie to eat solid foods. She has always been very enthusiastic about food. So I was completely dumbfounded when she just decided one day that she wasn't going eat. Every time I put the spoon near her face, she clamped her mouth shut and turned her head. And if I put a little taste on her lips? Oh the drama! I tried everything I could think of to get her to eat. I tried giving her the good stuff (bananas, apples, peaches). I tried different textures. I tried airplane noises. I even let her watch me eat a little of it to show her how good it tastes (I'm not a big fan of the meat purees BTW) Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Eventually I figured out the problem. Sophie wants to eat Sweet Potatoes. And only Sweet Potatoes. Go figure. So now my pantry is stock with Sweet Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes and Turkey, Sweet Potatoes and Corn.

Adventures in Diaper Changing

And just to make sure things don't get too boring around here. We also come up against a little roadblock when it comes to changing Sophie in public. Apparently flushing toilets are scary. Like scream bloody murder scary. I found this out while I was changing her in the restroom at Target one day. Out of the blue Sophie starts crying like she's in pain. And with every flush it got worse. To the point where she was screaming her head off and it was all I could do to get her diaper on and get the hell out of the bathroom. Poor Sophie was so upset. Who ever heard of such a thing? So now I have to find a single family restroom (with just one flushing toilet that I can control) or change her in the car. She also doesn't like the wind...or crinkly plastic bags.

Who loves Daddy?

Sophie does!Hannah does too!
What does it take to end a photo session? Why a shoe of course! Uh oh.

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

love Sophie and Hannah Checking out their cards. Their first piece of mail! I just love the "Ms." before their names!Escape attempt!

Nana Trip Part II

Nana left yesterday and now Sophie and Hannah are stuck with just one person to entertain them all day! How boring:)

While Nana was here we read a lot of books.

Touch and Feel books are fun.

Sophie's turn!

Both at the same time.

The best part? We can chew on them when we're done!We also tried some finger foods.

Toast was a big hit with Hannah. Cut up blueberries not so much. Bananas.

Sophie loved smushing them around on her tray but none of it actually ended up in her mouth. Holding both.And a few seconds later.