April 30th 2009
First Month at the YMCA
We are enjoying our Nonna sponsored month at the YMCA. We have been swimming 3 to 4 times each week. We alternate who stays out with Enzo if he isn't going in on that particular visit. The girls are enjoying the water and are very comfortable swimming. They are learning so much and making great progress. Just in this month alone, they learned to swim by themselves without any help or flotation device. They also got up the courage to jump off the diving board, now they do it many times each visit. They are turning into little dolphins. So how did it all work out this month. With the sign up fee of $75 and the monthly fee of $67, we have an out of pocket expense of $142. We went 17 times this month, so that works out to about $8.35 per visit, which isn't terrible. The community outdoor pool is $1 per person, so it would have cost us at least $85. The per person price we paid to enjoy the YMCA was $1.67. Next month, when we spread the cost of the association fee over two months, these prices will drop. If we only go to another 17 swims next month, our visit cost will be reduced to $6.14 and the per person cost down to $1.23. I would like to see our per person average below a dollar, at this attendance rate, 17 visits a month, it will be August when the cost per person per visit is below a dollar. Adding 3 more visits each month, we will be below a dollar per visit starting June and if we attend 25 times in May, we will have reduced to total per person visit cost to $1.00. I am sure the girls won't mind. They love going to the pool and it is good exercise too.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 15 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 15 days
Enzo @ 7 months, 6 days
News posted by christopher at 6:32 PM | 
Comment
April 29th 2009
Diving Board Videos
Daddy and Enzo stayed out of the pool today. Mommy wanted the exercise and Enzo was staying out, so daddy strolled him around and took some videos. The quality is horrible and the lighting bad, but this is the best we can do with what we have got.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 14 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 14 days
Enzo @ 7 months, 5 days
Videos posted by christopher at 7:02 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
May 3, 2009 10:23:31 AM posted by Grandma Cindy
that was awesome. thanks for the video. both of you just jumped right in
Barnes & Noble Story Time with Anna Claire
This morning we walked to Anna Claire's house for a bit of playtime before Chris picked the girls and I up, and Andrea and Anna Claire followed us to Barnes & Noble for their story and craft time. We had thought that this session was for a little older kids, but it turned out to be more the toddler/preschool type age. All of the girls enjoyed it anyway, especially getting to use water colors to paint a mud puddle then color/decorate rain boots to glue onto their mud puddles.
After this was all done we went over to sit at the tables to eat our packed lunches and then Chris took the three girls over to play with the train table while Andrea and I talked... and played with Enzo.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 14 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 14 days
Enzo @ 7 months, 5 days
Books posted by Laura at 12:40 PM | Comment
April 28th 2009
Zoë Braves the Diving Board
After a nice dinner of (home made) vegetable korma we went to the last family swim time for the first time. It's from 6:30 to 7:30p.m. so it meant getting ready for bed as soon as we were home. When we got there, the pool was completely empty. The life guard on duty was really nice and he encouraged the girls with their swimming and jumping from the diving board. Still Zoë was scared and went out and back three times before we just put her bubble back on and had her swim. Upon her request I even handed Enzo off to Chris, went off the diving board myself, and then waited there to catch her. (Although I must say, standing on the diving board I can see why she was intimidated, it's a much different perspective from up there)
Enzo only lasted half of the swim time (30 minutes) so he and I went and got showered off and dressed. When I peeked my head out to see if the girls were ready to do the same, Chris told me to come out with the stroller because Zoë had gone off of the diving board! Sure enough, she showed me how she walked out and jumped right off - twice for me - no hesitation. Abby still hesitates and has to get herself all ready, though that may just be because she tries so hard to cannonball! Zoë was super proud and kept telling me how fun the diving board is and how glad she is that she made the jump. Then she said, "Mommy, I'm proud of myself. Are you proud of me?"
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 14 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 14 days
Enzo @ 7 months, 5 days
First Moments posted by Laura at 8:19 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
May 17, 2009 05:54:25 PM posted by Nonna
Zoe, I am so very proud of you!! You are awesome!!! Good job!! xxoo
I Jumped Too
I jumped off the diving board and it was so much fun. Next time I will do it and have it maybe It will be all to ourselves. I am glad that I finally did it!
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 14 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 14 days
Enzo @ 7 months, 5 days
Milestones posted by Zoë at 8:14 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
May 17, 2009 05:55:11 PM posted by Nonna
Wonderful job, Zoe!! Hurrah for you!!
Summer in Spring
The girls have been wondering when we'd get spring weather, well all of the sudden we got weather in the 90's today. Near record highs and oh so hot. There is a small play area with slides outside off of the kids room at Famlies First, which the girls finally got to use today. One of the times I checked on them through the window in the Parent's room I saw them out there, they were loving it! Everyone needed extra water today, even Enzo!
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 13 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 13 days
Enzo @ 7 months, 4 days
News posted by Laura at 1:15 PM | Comment
April 27th 2009
Daddy feeds Enzo - remains clean
I have been watching mommy and Enzo during the feedings and the crazy struggle that ensues with Enzo taking over the spoon and making a huge mess. This is how I roll. Enzo is a mad chewer, chomping on everything. Before Laura got the camera, Enzo was holding my finger while I held the bowl, and was enjoying his cereal. In this video, he is hamming it up and over emphasizing his chewing, well not really. Look at those chops, he acts like he hasn't seen food in weeks.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 13 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 13 days
Enzo @ 7 months, 4 days
First Moments posted by christopher at 8:42 PM | Comments ( 4 )
Comments:
April 27, 2009 09:16:09 PM posted by Celeste A. C. Gaver
Does his bib say "stud" on it? Hopefully the word is continued below with "ent."
April 27, 2009 09:35:58 PM posted by Laura
I'm going to have to clear up a few things...
First, Celeste - yes his bib does say stud on it and I realized too late that you could only see that word. Below there is a picture of a little muffin (to be read stud muffin) - makes it much more 'cutesy'
Next, it's not a struggle between Enzo and I when he eats, I let him explore if he so chooses. However, in the last few feedings he has been pretty willing to just let me feed him - provided he is used to the food - and he's staying pretty clean. Maybe he's understanding that he gets it into his belly more efficiently that way. :)
April 28, 2009 04:23:42 PM posted by Auntie Elizabeth
Awesome to see the little one eat! Hope your all well!!!!
April 30, 2009 09:29:03 PM posted by Celeste A. C. Gaver
Phew! "Stud Muffin" is totally acceptable! He looks SO much like Chris in the video, even more than in still photos.
Play Time Sleeping
Enzo didn't get a very good afternoon nap, and was getting pretty sleepy around 3:30p.m. He was playing with toys on the playmat while I did computer stuff and one of the times that I turned him away from pulling up the edges of the mat, he laid his head down on the pillowy part of his play gym blanket. Seeing him there resting like that, I patted his back a bit and he just went off to sleep. This is the first time that Enzo has just nestled himself down during play time for a nap.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 12 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 12 days
Enzo @ 7 months, 3 days
First Moments posted by Laura at 4:01 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
May 17, 2009 05:45:44 PM posted by Nonna
Hopefully this will continue.
Sharing a Bed - The Beginning
A few weeks ago, as Enzo had his everlasting congestion and wasn't sleeping well in the playpen, we brought him to bed with us and he's been there ever since - for night time anyway. We found that, not only are we all sleeping better, we quite enjoy having our little guy sleeping between us. Around this time I had went to the library to pick up a book titled "The No Cry Sleep Solution" - an alternative I'd heard to the 'cry-it-out' method. I grabbed whatever other books caught my eye in the infant sleep help section and at home I picked up one that read, "Good Nights". It turned out to be about co-sleeping, also known as 'The family bed'. It is written by Jay Gordon, M.D. and Maria Goodavage. As I read the introduction and started the first chapter it just made so much sense to me, I felt enlightened. Me, who before thought it a dangerous act and putting your baby at higher risk of SIDS, and so on and so forth. My eyes are being opened to newer studies, correct science, and it just feels right. Chris is actually really enjoying it as well, sometimes just reaching over to cuddle Enzo during the night, I think it has definitely strengthened the bond there.
The first Chapter is titled 'Baby Knows Best' and here's a little of what I learned through reading it.
- New research shows that co-sleepers actually are more independent than solitary sleepers
- SIDS rates are highest in industrial societies where infants sleep separately. In societies where infants sleep with their parents, the rate is considerably lower.
* The authors do take a section to note that this style isn't for everyone. If you can't guarantee a safe/sober bed set up, then you shouldn't have the family bed sleeping style. If you've given it a sincere try and just can't stand your overly squirmy baby or the like, that's fine. Most parents who give themselves a chance have an excellent experience however.
- This was an 'a-ha' one for me - Lovies are not necessarily a good thing as used today. The object is replacing the parent for security and can become more important to the anxious child. It's rare to find thumb sucking and security or 'transitional' objects with kids who routinely goes to sleep in the presence of or being held by the parent.
- Dr. Richard Ferber (of the very popular Ferber method) himself said in a 1999 interview that he wishes he had never said the statements about children sleeping alone being an important part of learning and separating from the parent and being independent. He admits that those are blanket statements and not right.
In this first chapter it gives a lot of information from various studies about co-sleepers being more independent later on and even gives accounts from grown co-sleepers and how they felt about it and compared to their peers.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 12 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 12 days
Enzo @ 7 months, 3 days
News posted by Laura at 3:38 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
May 17, 2009 05:52:28 PM posted by Nonna
I still don't beleive in children in the parents bed... I don't care what those books say! Let them cry... don't pick them up they will find their place and get themselves to sleep... didin't agree with that concept either. What is wrong with a little rocking chair action and cuddles before going to bed...? their own bed. Times keep changing and sometimes not for the better.
Library Picnic and Playground
We packed up some food for lunch and the picnic blanket and headed to the library's courtyard. We had a few chores to do, like pay the water bill at the municipal building and print out the girls passport renewal applications. The library allows internet usage for free and charges only $0.10 per page to laser print. This is a huge savings compared to FedEx Kinko's which charges for the internet access by the minute and then $0.45 per page for a laser print. So I printed off the applications for a total of $0.40 which would have cost around $5 at Fedex Kinkos. The girls in the mean time were running around the outside courtyard while mommy set up the blanket and the food. Enzo was in the grass enjoying the feeling with his fingers. He hadn't been in the grass before, so he was in lawn mower mode, just gripping and ripping up blades of grass. He was good about it, only having to be told once or twice not to stick it in his mouth. He was happy just moving and mowing. I tried to show him some clovers, but he just wanted to mow. Unfortunately we didn't grab the camera on the way out the door so we don't have any photos of him mowing the courtyard, but it was kind of funny. After lunch we headed over to the playground. Laura walked the bill up the hill with Enzo in the stroller while I played with the girls on the swings, slide, and jungle gym. Abby and Zoë both tried the corkscrew vertical slide for the first time. They are becoming very adventurous, especially Abby, who doesn't need any encouragement. Zoë is still hesitant, even after seeing Abby do it.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 12 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 12 days
Enzo @ 7 months, 3 days
News posted by christopher at 1:10 PM | Comment
April 26th 2009
Sicilian Video Chat
Every Sunday, my cousins gather at their families home for a family dinner. We have been chatting with cousins in Sicily for about a week now. Today's chat was right before their family dinner, at 9 PM. Laura and I are already in bed by 9 PM on most nights. We got a chance to talk with Uncle Calogero and Aunt Elvira. Uncle Calogero is 86, his brother whom they say I resember, Gaetano is 99, turned in April, and their sister Lucia is 93. Great longevity jeans and good living must be the secret. I got to introduce Abby, Zoë, Enzo and Laura to everyone. Calogero, his wife Elvira, their daughter Maria Concetta, her husband Salvatore and their son, Calogero and Elvira's son Angelo, his wife Katia, and their children (Davide e Alessandro, we missed Christian). It was a great long chat and we look forward to the next one. Laura loves hearing the Italian, and I can surely use the practice. We got some books at the library to ramp up our studies. Hopefully we will be able to visit soon.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 11 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 11 days
Enzo @ 7 months, 2 days
News posted by christopher at 3:26 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
May 17, 2009 05:42:10 PM posted by Nonna
This is just wonderful!!
April 25th 2009
Diving Board Success
I went off the diving board and it was so much fun! I am so proud of myself. I am so excited to do it next time. I love it.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 10 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 10 days
Enzo @ 7 months, 1 day
First Moments posted by Abby at 4:01 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
May 1, 2009 07:03:53 PM posted by Nonna
Crangrats and I am proud of you too. xxoo
Abby's First Diving Board Jump
Abby finally did it, she jumped off of the diving board today! The pool was virtually empty, due to the nice weather probably, so I kept telling both of the girls that it was a great day to try it out. Finally, towards the end of the swim time, after Enzo and I had already showered off and dressed, Chris had the girls do one last lap down to the deep end to see if they'd try. When they were still in the shallow end Abby said, "I'm gonna do it today." Apparently she'd set her mind to it right then and there because she walked to the edge of the diving board and as I saw her plugging her nose and bending her knees I just knew she was going to do it. She took her leap, and swam right up to the surface, where Chris was waiting with kick boards for her to swim over to the side. We were all super proud of her and she was really proud of herself and in the locker room couldn't stop talking about her (four!) jumps off of the diving board.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 10 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 10 days
Enzo @ 7 months, 1 day
First Moments posted by Laura at 3:50 PM | Comments ( 2 )
Comments:
May 1, 2009 07:05:17 PM posted by Nonna
AWESOME!! WONDERFUL!!
May 1, 2009 07:05:39 PM posted by Nonna
WAY to go GIRL!!
Lowe's Build and Grow Workshop
Chris saw an advertisement for a kids workshop at Lowe's so we went this morning. It was inside, though it's a gorgeous day today, and there weren't that many kids. The kit was neat though. They got their aprons and kits and kid sized hammers, everything they needed to make hang gliders. The holes were pre-drilled better than at Home Depot and the hammers being smaller made it easier for the girls to do more of the work themselves. When we got home Daddy hooked up some strings from the porch down to the fence so that the girls could let their hang gliders go and then even rigged it so that they can pull them back up to let them go again.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 10 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 10 days
Enzo @ 7 months, 1 day
News posted by Laura at 12:57 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 27, 2009 08:34:57 AM posted by jen
CJ does this with Auntie Angie (she works at Lowe's) they have so much fun, and everytime they go they collect a patch to add to his apron :)
Toys R Us - Thomas Train Event
We went to the Toys R Us Thomas the train event right after the Lowe's Build and Grow workshop. The girls got to color conductor hats, listen to stories and play with the train set. They had a great time. I strolled Enzo around and introduced him to the wall of Elmo, see the video.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 10 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 10 days
Enzo @ 7 months, 1 day
News posted by christopher at 11:23 AM | Comment
Enzo Tries Avocado
This morning Enzo actually got a taste of the avocado. He knew it was different immediately, the green color gave that away. He did get some in his mouth and tasted the new flavor, but didn't eat a whole lot. This meal was more about exploring it and seeing how it's different from the other things he has eaten. Abby thought it was great how messy he got himself.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 10 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 10 days
Enzo @ 7 months, 1 day
First Moments posted by Laura at 7:51 AM | Comment
April 24th 2009
7 Months Old
This month seemed to go by so quickly, wow! Well, you are all over the place these days, having perfected your belly crawl. You're very close to regular crawling as well, or so it seems. You sit pretty stable all on your own, reaching for toys here and there. I still have to stay right by you when sitting though, because when you want to get down and go get something (which usually happens after a couple of minutes) you just throw yourself backwards. I was surprised to see you already figuring out how to go from hands and knees to sitting - a side sit anyway - and back again. You are just a joy to watch explore the areas around you. You are so curious and as I watch you I can just see the wonder in your eyes. You already love to make things move. Your little car and tractor (the only two true 'boy' toys we have) as well as things without wheels like your rocker or your bath seat while you're getting a diaper change. Speaking of diaper changes, you are so difficult to change because you just want to be on the go and exploring. You seem to be very interested in different textures and how things feel. (mostly to your mouth)
You are so quick, whether on the floor belly crawling or just reaching out to grab, when you see something you'd like. It just amazes me how fast you can snatch something up in your hands and then you've got such a grip that it's truly a struggle to get it out of your hands.
As for eating and sleeping... you still prefer nursing but are eating more of your portions of oatmeal cereal and bananas, which I mash up as needed. You were going to try avocado today, but weren't in the mood for eating when it was offered. You wouldn't even taste it, you just shut your lips and turned your head. Even though you're still going strong on nursing, you get so distracted, everything around you is so exciting, especially those sisters of yours. You're sleeping pretty well, nursing just a couple of times, sometimes more during the night. Daddy and I are enjoying having you sleeping between us and it also makes the fact that you wake to nurse here and there not so difficult. We're all sleeping better now. You're napping well in your playpen, which is in the living room now.
You definitely having object permanance down, you know that when Mommy leaves the room she's still around and you don't like that I've left you. Not just me either, if I'm in the kitchen and your sisters are entertaining you in the living room, and they leave the room you set up a howl that lets us know in no uncertain terms that you don't like being left out.
You're growing and growing... right out of your clothes! While you still fit into plenty of 6-9 month clothes (unless it's a full piece outfit, those are bit snug), I just started to put you into some 9 month things and they fit just right, boy was that a shocker. You are the exact opposite of your sisters in that regard. As always we're loving the adventure and can't believe how quickly it's passing us by. While I knew that I wanted to have a boy this time around, I never knew how much I wanted to be the mother of a boy until you were here. I'm just loving having a little boy, it's surely different than having girls even at this early stage.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 9 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 9 days
Enzo @ 7 months
News posted by Laura at 7:07 PM | Comment
April 23rd 2009
Evening at Angie's House
My friend Angie invited us over this evening for dinner and play time. Zoë and Abby were excited to go and were hoping to see Hunter and Kayla. Hunter wasn't there but Kayla was off and on (she and her cousins were busy playing next door at their Grandma and Grampa's) Mathew, who is Angie's boyfriend Scott's son, was glad to have some company at the kid's table during dinner. Zoë and Abby got to play this fun game with a bike hooked up to the tv and they pedaled and steered to play the game.
We had some nice black bean soup for dinner and then some dessert, which Chris and I picked up on the way. Of course when it was time to leave, the girls didn't want to even though we'd let them stay past bed time.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 9 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 9 days
Enzo @ 7 months
News posted by Laura at 8:25 PM | Comment
Meeting Relatives via Video Chat
Abby, Zoë and Enzo got to meet some distant relatives today. Very distant at about 4,300 miles away. While we would like to have gone to Italy for their first meeting, the next best thing was to chat via webcam. My cousin Angelo in Sicily got his webcam hooked up, and we chatted for a while the other day, but his kids were out at school. So we set an appointment to chat today after the girls nap. They were late coming out of lunch and didn't actually nap, but we had a very good video chat anyhow. They got to meet Angelo and Katia's three boys, Christian 11, Alessandro 7 and Davide 3. We chatted for a long time, asking questions, the girls showing them how they dance, some of their toys, some photos and sang to them. It was a great experience and everyone is itching to visit. We have another chat scheduled for the weekend, where he will also include his sister and family as well as his parents. It should be a great time. Laura loves to hear them speak Italian and for me to fumble my way through it, mostly typing with some speaking. The connection is somewhat slow for the sound and the delay makes that difficult.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 8 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 8 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 29 days
News posted by christopher at 4:37 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 24, 2009 02:22:02 PM posted by Nonna
That is so wondeful.....I am so happy that you were finally able to connect with them.
April 22nd 2009
Savings Update
Zoë and Abby are almost at their goal! Their first big jump was with the help of Aunt Barbara and Uncle Rich, who sent the girls each $10 for art supplies or something they needed. The next jump was just from the help of Nonna. Zoë and Abby were able to each color in $5 worth of squares. Now Zoë is just two spaces ($2) away from her goal and Abby is just one space ($1) away! The girls are both super excited to be so close and I'm proud of them for choosing to save the money instead of putting it in their wallets to go and spend.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 7 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 7 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 28 days
News posted by Laura at 2:14 PM | Comment
April 21st 2009
Rainy Day Swim
Do you still have to shower before entering the pool if you are wet from the rain? Abby and Zoë are progressing with their swimming. They both can jump in and swim 10+ feet without a bubble or any help. They are becoming stronger as well. Today we did 4 laps and they only tired out on the last one due to the un-assisted swimming practice. This was the first time we took the masks to the pool. They enjoyed looking underwater while they swam. It was impossible to keep them from fogging up though. We swam for almost the complete hour. Mommy and Enzo watched from the lounge until we were ready for the locker room. Mommy put the girls through the showers and they got dressed in record time.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 6 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 6 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 27 days
News posted by christopher at 5:15 PM | Comments ( 2 )
Comments:
April 23, 2009 01:35:41 PM posted by Celeste A. C. Gaver
Hi girls, Try "Zero-Fog" or "Spit Anti-fog" on the inside of your goggles. They are about 4-5 dollars for a bottle. You can call a swim store in your area or order online at "swim oulet" which has lots of fun suits too. All four of your cousins swim year round here in Ohio so we get so excited to read about your progress! Good luck!
April 24, 2009 02:23:28 PM posted by Nonna
I can't wait to see for myself you swimming in the pool. This so so great. Aunt Elizabeth snorkles in St,Johns and spits in here goggles. How gross is that!!!!??
April 20th 2009
Amazing Math
Zoë and Abby just amaze me with their natural arithmatic abilities. Abby just made some comment in the car that had to do with adding things together and then the girls started doing adding problems for each other and at one point one of them accidently said times instead of plus and I corrected her saying, "Well, five times four would be like adding 5 four times" Abby quickly responded, "So you have five plus five over here and that's ten then you have another five plus five and that's ten and ten plus ten is twenty so five times four is twenty."
Zoë is also really quick to pick it up, we did a bunch more like this on the way home and once we got home I did the problems out on paper. It took a little bit for them to figure out the formation on paper without someone saying the problem out loud (Go figure, they can do it in their heads easier than on paper) but then were super quick. I gave them each half a page of addition problems, thinking that would keep them busy while I was in the kitchen... wrong. Two seconds later they were there showing me their finished work!
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 5 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 5 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 26 days
News posted by Laura at 5:07 PM | Comment
April 19th 2009
Difficult Consequences
This afternoon we were all set waiting for Corey and Reanna to come over and we were all going to go out and have a family dinner together. (Mind you at the cheapest place with decent food we could think of) It all started going downhill a couple of hours before we were to go out. There were tiffs about dress up, then a little later there was a repeat offense of unsafe, disrespectful behavior. They got consequences of no UNO tonight, beds separated and they ate leftover spaghetti at home and weren't going to be rewarded with restaurant food. Zoë just couldn't calm herself down, began doing more things she was asked not to and we finally decided that we just couldn't take them out with the kind of behavior they were having at home. We were all really bummed.
When I called Reanna and Corey to let them know, they invited Enzo and I over to play. Chris thought that would be a good idea and told me not to come back until after the girls were in bed. : ) Enzo nursed when we got there then hung out and watched while Elijah ate in his high chair, next was Enzo's turn to use the high chair as I brought along everything for him to eat his oatmeal. Reanna decided that maybe Elijah shouldn't watch Enzo eat, not wanting him to get any ideas as Enzo gets quite messy feeding himself. It was pretty funny, especially when Enzo was all done and I went to rinse his dish before getting him out, Corey saw him and just said, "Wow". I saw Elijah's four teeth and how stable he is holding himself standing up next to his saucer. Enzo also showed off his 'army crawl' skills, which reminded Uncle Corey to put getting a new, safer floor lamp on his to do list. When Enzo was getting close to needing to eat and getting sleepy, I packed us up and we headed home. The girls were in bed and sleeping, but I gave them kisses as promised anyhow.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 4 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 4 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 25 days
News posted by Laura at 7:54 PM | Comments ( 2 )
Comments:
April 21, 2009 06:48:13 PM posted by Nonna
I agree bad behavior can NOT be rewarded.
April 23, 2009 01:38:45 PM posted by Celeste A. C. Gaver
Your cousin, Drew, who is almost 9, made some bad choices last Saturday and a friend who was supposed to sleep over had to go home instead. Not good! Being on our best behaviour is ALWAYS the best choice!
Glad that Mom had a nice night (almost) alone though ;)
Enzo Tries Banana
Chris and the girls picked up some organic bananas for Enzo while they were at Golden Harvest the other day. This morning they were finally ripe enough for Enzo to give them a try. I mashed up half with the help of the little baby food mill thing that came with our hand blender. At first he was a little surprised by the taste, but then he actually did pretty well. He got quite messy, but he enjoyed feeding himself, every now and then letting Mommy get some more on his spoon.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 4 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 4 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 25 days
First Moments posted by Laura at 7:40 AM | Comment
April 18th 2009
Homeschool Workshop
This morning Enzo and I left the house before 8:00 to make it to Manchester for the New Hampshire Homeschooling Coalition Spring Workshop. I made sure I brought my notebook and pen and made good use of them. I just stayed for the morning panel, which was an overview of laws and question answer time with a panel of homeschooling parents. The afternoon dealt with homeschooling through high school. There were tables with many catalogs and a huge "resource" book, so I grabbed one of everything. There were also tables to look through different curriculum and books and examples of portfolios (which are mandatory to keep).
Kindergarten is not mandatory in NH and compulsory school age is 6 years old. Since Zoë and Abby will not be six by September 30th, there is legally nothing I have to do as far as reporting my intent to homeschool, keeping a portfolio, or having them evaluated for this coming year. That is a bit of a relief as it will be enough just figuring learning styles, which teaching/school style will work best for us as a family, teaching tools and materials, etc. etc. etc.
It was helpful to hear the 'seasoned' homeschoolers talk about different things, give some ideas of groups, free online resources, and just all of the stuff that comes from having been there and done that. I heard again and again to just relax, especially with this age and just starting out, to give time to get it all figured out. Also to not worry about doing 'school at home' to think outside of the box and let the kids learn the things they need to learn in ways that they will best grasp it. We will be their main role models for developing their character, their integrity, instilling a sense of values.
Here on the Seacoast we have a lot of options for homeschooling groups, lots of potential for socializing. However it's not just sticking them in and they socialize with whomever, we can choose if we think at a certain stage they shouldn't be around a group with certain behaviors. We decide who they socialize with and I know from hearing about the groups that they will have much diversity with the people they are exposed to. There are also many opportunities for 'out of the box' sports and activities. Not only that, we are free to travel, whether it be nearby 'field trips' or to faraway places and the best thing is they all turn into learning experiences. We also have another unique advantage where Chris and I can both be involved in the teaching which is wonderful with our different areas of strength. Overall I'm glad I went to the workshop, it boosted my confidence and gave me renewed excitement for the journey ahead.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 3 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 3 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 24 days
News posted by Laura at 12:50 PM | Comment
Half Day without Mommy
Mommy signed up for a Home Schooling conference. She was out of the house early to make the drive to Manchester. We have been thinking about alternatives to placing Abby and Zoë in our public school. We toured the school a number of months ago, and it wasn't absolutely terrible, but just not what we had expected. The school is small, cramped, and crowded. The class sizes are large and specific dedication to subjects is limited. Computer lab was something like 30-40 minutes per week. What? Yeah. When you compare our public school, to the private schools nearby, like in Exeter which is 20 minutes away, it really comes into perspective. So we are going to try to focus our skills and attention on the girls education. Taking the responsibility to be actively involved with their education, as opposed to the alternative. The law in NH has Abby and Zoë starting Kindergarten in September, which isn't mandatory. So they would not be allowed by law to start 1st grade until September 2010-2011 school year. It is a shame as they have just missed the cut off dates for enrollment in the 2009-2010 school year for first grade. But after touring the school, we didn't seek an exemption to get them into that class. There is no rush, plus I feel we can do better than what was shown to us during our tour. The good news is that we don't have to legally notify the state until 2010, so we are preparing, learning the rules, getting curriculum/lessons together now. The girls are voracious learners and we aren't waiting to start teaching them. Not to be "ahead" or "advanced", just not to miss this opportunity to quench their thirst for learning new stuff. We might as well offer them something to learn while they have the desire, for as we all know, once the desire has gone, there isn't much else you can do. You can lead a horse to water . . .
We had a nice calm morning without mommy. The girls were up early to see mommy off. I made them a fresh fruit breakfast, cantaloupe, pineapple, and banana. Then just after 10 AM I made them a raw snack of homemade Greek taboule (feta, cucumber, red pepper, wheat, spices, etc...), homemade garlic hummus, and a homemade black bean and corn salsa, with crackers. For lunch, I had previously sneaked 4 Ramen noodles into our cart last week, I made Ramen without the flavor/salt packs and put in miso instead. The girls love miso soup, and we pretended we were at Sake, where they love their bento lunches with miso soup. The girls practiced eating with chopsticks and actually were able to eat most of the noodles that way. They drank the miso and headed off to nap. Mommy came home while they were still napping. It was a long day and only half over.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 3 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 3 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 24 days
News posted by christopher at 12:02 PM | Comment
April 17th 2009
First Picnic of 2009
We decided to place the picnic blanket outside for lunch today. Mommy didn't get the fresh air we got while on the beach, and the weather was cooperating, so we decided to have our picnic at home. There was more of a breeze in Portsmouth, so we stayed close. We wanted the girls to be able to nap after eating, so we set up on the deck. The girls helped me install our two bird houses on the kitchen windows. I used the ladder and they directed me, left or right, to place their houses in just the right spots. I hope some birds find them soon and start making a nest. I have been moving our little seedlings and planters outside, but I think most of the hopefuls have died in the cold snap, plus Abby knocked it over once, and we reburied the sprouts, but they haven't emerged again.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 2 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 2 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 23 days
First Moments posted by christopher at 12:32 PM | Comment
First Beach Visit of 2009
Mommy was getting her braces adjusted and needed some help, so we all went to the appointment. The orthodontists new office is in Rye, right across from the beach. It is a wonderful location. The weather was just warm enough for Abby, Zoë, Enzo and I to stroll on the beach for an hour while we waited. The tide was out and you could clearly make out the Isle of Shoals. We walked down to some huge rocks that were embedded in the sand, and the girls got to explore them. They said that these rocks were their islands, pretending the surrounding sand was water. Each on their own large rock, they proclaimed to be princesses of their own islands, just like in one of their favorite Barbie movies, the Island Princess. If you haven't seen it 100 times, the girls would love to watch it with you. We headed back to the office and we had time for a banana and bar snack while mommy finished up. The weather was so warm and nice, low to mid 60s, with a tiny breeze.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 2 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 2 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 23 days
First Moments posted by christopher at 10:26 AM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 21, 2009 06:41:10 PM posted by Nonna
How nice..more 'daddy time" !!
April 16th 2009
Swimming with Sharks and Dad
Mommy had some errands to run, so I took Abby and Zoë to the pool by myself. We were dropped off early and had to wait for the family swim time. We were all prepared and the girls already had their suits on under their clothes, so we changed out and were ready for the session to begin. Usually we are only ready after the session has started, and with no penalty time, we looked forward to the whole hour of swim time. Mommy was lucky to have missed this session, as there was a birthday party there as well, so half of the pool was sectioned off, and it was a mad house in the locker rooms and bathrooms. Kids all over the place, parents aloof. Despite all the extra complications and hassles, we had a good swim. We were in the deep water most of the time, which meant I was treading while the girls floated. I was super tired by the time we got out, having tread for more than 40 minutes combined. We played shark and got to do some jumps from the side into the deep water. Zoë and Abby are so funny when they pretend to be the shark. They think they have to go underwater, which is good and makes sense to hide their head and all, but the fin sometimes isn't visible as it is either out front or under water as well. Sometimes the fin is so high in the air that it looks like she is trying to karate chop or something. They are becoming good swimmers. The diving board was also sectioned off so we didn't practice getting up on the board. We also practiced without the bubbles, and they can swim on their own. I am super worried during these short swims, as only their heads are bobbing out of the water, and just barely keeping their mouths and noses above water. They are getting it, but it is 100% seahorse treading, while very slowly making their way around. After swim, I brought the girls back through the men's locker room to the showers, then to the sectioned off quarantine area, where they could dry and get dressed while I could still monitor them while I dressed in the area adjacent. We were super quick, mommy would have been proud of the efficiency there. We were hoping she would be ready and waiting to pick us up as everyone's belly was grumbling and ready to eat. We went out the to lobby and the girls watched some Star Wars cartoon on Cartoon Network while we waited. The girls didn't mind waiting, as they don't watch TV and had never seen that show before, so it was exciting and new. They even didn't mention the interrupting commercials this time. Mommy showed up within 30 minutes, after she completed her errands and we went home for dinner.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 1 day
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 1 day
Enzo @ 6 months, 22 days
News posted by christopher at 6:12 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 21, 2009 06:36:46 PM posted by Nonna
Some great time with dad. Seems like you all had a fun time being sharks.
Snow Tires Off
We are hopeful there won't be any more snow this year. I had already packed up the snow shovel twice this year. The first time I was just being hopeful that I wouldn't have to shovel anymore, but it was proven to be too soon. Our temperatures have been down in the 20-30s at night and some days up to mid 60s during the day. So we got our winter studded snow tires off and our summer tires on. The process takes a little more than an hour if the mechanics are ready for us. I am surprised it takes that long to mount and balance 4 tires, I guess we are just used to seeing Formula One pit crews replace tires, albeit already mounted and balanced, in mere seconds. Mommy had a wonderful time with her first tire changing experience. We drove 1179 miles this year on our studded snow tires during those 5 months, mid November to mid April. Just about 236 miles a month, not too terrible.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months, 1 day
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months, 1 day
Enzo @ 6 months, 22 days
News posted by christopher at 4:38 PM | Comments ( 2 )
Comments:
April 20, 2009 08:53:25 AM posted by Laura
Yes, I dropped Chris and the girls off at the Y for swimming and Enzo and I went to do the tires. My first time doing it alone and I have to deal with the guy fighting me one thing after another and on top of it all, they were 20 minutes over the time they assured me I'd be in my car by, since I told them I had to be out of there at a certain time. I did a wee bit of shopping while waiting, picked up some diapers and compressed air, but that's a whole lot of time left to just browse around. Oh well, Enzo was well behaved.
April 21, 2009 06:39:07 PM posted by Nonna
Maybe Enzo should of been crying and carrying on...you might of gotten out of there sooner. I hated to take our car to the mechanics...they make women wait forever.
April 15th 2009
No Tears Vaccinations
I took Enzo back the pediatrician to get his shots that he skipped at his well baby check up. He got rotateq and DTaP. I told them that I'd like to hold him during the vaccines, since every other time they just lay him on the table and he cries and cries. So I sat up on the table with him in my lap and she did the drink (rotateq) first, which he did well for, besides blowing a few zerberts. Then for the shot I hugged his arms across his chest and talked in his ear and he didn't cry at all, not one bit. It was wonderful for us all, I was so pleased.
Abby @ 5 years, 4 months
Zoë @ 5 years, 4 months
Enzo @ 6 months, 21 days
News posted by Laura at 12:35 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 19, 2009 01:36:19 PM posted by Nonna
Enzo what a good boy you are!!xxoo
April 14th 2009
Mommy Swim Time
The girls went in the pool with me today, while Chris sat out with Enzo. Usually when I want Enzo to sit out of the pool, I sit out with him and observe. We did laps back and forth, but mostly stayed in the deep end so that Daddy and Enzo could see us from the waiting area. (It is too hot in the pool area to stay in their clothed for too long) Yet again the girls wanted to try the diving board and again they kept chickening out. Chris even came in with Enzo to cheer them on. Eventually a man that was near the diving board area with his kids offered to do the lower them in trick and they both agreed to this and were happy that they'd done at least that much. Back at the shallow end the girls took off their bubbles and praciticed jumping in. I had them swim up to the surface and back the wall on their own to practice for the diving board. I had to assist occassionaly, but they actually did really well.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 30 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 30 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 20 days
News posted by Laura at 5:29 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 19, 2009 01:35:13 PM posted by Nonna
Wahoo!! Just GREAT you TWO!!!
April 13th 2009
Diving Board Fright
Zoë and Abby both took the walk out onto the diving board today during our swim time, and both turned around and went back. They did this several times and finally one of the life guards went onto the diving board with Zoë and lowered her by her hands until half her body was in the water and then let go. Chris was waiting underneath with a kick board to help Zoë get to the side. Abby wasn't even up for this though and decided to just stay off of the diving board for the rest of the swim time.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 29 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 29 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 19 days
News posted by Laura at 4:26 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 19, 2009 01:33:49 PM posted by Nonna
Wonderful Zoe...maybe nexttime you'll jump in by yourself. Awesome..proud of you!
April 12th 2009
Enzo's First Easter
Enzo mostly enjoyed watching the festivities this year, but he did get to get in on the fun a little. First thing this morning he ate unwrapped some shirts and also got a little made-in-france car that he likes a lot. (Thanks Nonna) He was smiles and giggles showing off for everyone at church and watched as the girls did an egg hunt after the service. He also got himself all over the place at Reanna and Corey's, where we had our Eater meal.
The girls on the other hand, had plenty of festivities. Yesterday they opened their stuff from Grandma Cindy and Papa Norm - jump ropes and kites! (There were some other little goodies, but we're super excited about the jump ropes and kites! Thanks) and then today was everything else. The first thing they saw this morning were their hats with flip flops, new (full piece) swim suits, and a new t-shirt from Nonna. To find their baskets (also filled with gifts from Nonna, as usual) they followed the clues from their eggs. Instead of the typical egg hunt this morning I placed some plastic eggs around with clues to the next egg and finally their baskets, which held little ballerina dolls, sunglasses, toothbrushes, and of course some candy.
At church, wearing their dresses, hats, and gloves, (Nonna decked them out this year) they put a flower in the cross at the start of the service and then after the service they had another egg hunt, with no limit on eggs (except for the Mommy emposed one) and got way too much candy. We took some photos and then headed home, where the girls opened their Easter loot from Nonno Ernie and Martha. Along with all of the normal Easter goodies, they both got a Barbie kinder sopresa egg, with little hair clips inside. Lots of fun!
Next it was on to Auntie Reanna and Uncle Corey's house for our Easter meal, along with Uncle Tommy and Reanna's friend Amber. We had salmon with pesto, cous cous, asparagus, and brussel sprouts. Zoë and Abby did yet another egg hunt, this one a little different though, even Uncle Tommy participated. Reanna has this egg set (of 12 eggs) that each have something inside to help tell the Easter story so after they found all of those, they each found an egg with their names on it and that one had some cereal and goldfish crackers inside. It was a fun filled Easter, next year Enzo will really be getting into it all!
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 28 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 28 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 18 days
Holidays posted by Laura at 6:13 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 19, 2009 01:32:37 PM posted by Nonna
What a wonderful, funfilled Easter Day you all had.Jesus Christ is Risen!! He has risin indeed.
Enzo eating his play saucer
While the girls were getting ready for church this morning, Enzo ate his play saucer.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 28 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 28 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 18 days
Videos posted by christopher at 9:30 AM | Comments ( 2 )
Comments:
April 12, 2009 04:18:41 PM posted by Nonna
Happy Easter Enzo! Love you!! xxoo
April 13, 2009 09:13:39 AM posted by Grandma Cindy
Happy Easter Enzo. We love you
Easter Morning Eggs and Baskets
Abby and Zoë were up before 7 AM, ready to find Laura's egg clues and open their baskets. Nonna had sent up some stuff with order to only be opened on Easter. The girls could hardly wait, and had a hard time not peaking into the box, but they made it. They were able to find all the eggs from the clues in no time. They opened their baskets and had a great time. They can't wait to try out their new swimsuits.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 28 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 28 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 18 days
Holidays posted by christopher at 8:43 AM | Comments ( 2 )
Comments:
April 12, 2009 04:19:55 PM posted by Nonna
Abby and Zoe and Enzo, Happy Easter!! Sweeties! love you! xxooxxooxxoo
April 13, 2009 09:15:16 AM posted by Grandma Cindy
Happy Easter Abby and Zoe and Enzo and Laura and Chris. We love you. Wish we could've been there to celebrate the day with you.
April 11th 2009
Enzo practices his commando crawl
Enzo is really quick. When we put him on his play mat, he is off and crawling for all those things he shouldn't touch in a blink of an eye. It usually doesn't take more than 3 seconds for him to find something interesting and for Laura to grab him and scoot him back. Last night while setting up the Easter stuff, I took these photos and videos of him moving around. Check out the video, where he does plank and a couple other moves, even with slippery socks on the wood floor. Very impressive. The best is when he does his charging or rocking. He gets up on all fours and just rocks back and forth. It is as if he is charging up and ready to pounce at any moment.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 27 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 27 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 17 days
Videos posted by christopher at 7:36 PM | Comment
Portsmouth Easter Egg Hunt 2009
It was not such a nice day for the egg hunt to be held outside, but outside it was. This is the last year for the girls to be doing the 'hunt' with this age group, next year they'll be at the bottom of the pack. We told the girls to let the girls younger kids get the up front stuff and they should run to the back. They sure did listen, when the workers yelled 'go' they took off - in two different directions. I tried to keep my eye on both of them and get them to get closer to one another, all the while stabalizing Enzo, whom I was wearing, as I chased after them.
Both of the girls ended up finding a special marshmallow bunny in foil, which got them a special prize at the end. When we got home Chris helped the girls open up their eggs and count their loot and then trade some to even things up. I made the girls some hot cocoa to warm up their hands and they got to taste some of their candy.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 27 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 27 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 17 days
Holidays posted by Laura at 11:22 AM | Comments ( 2 )
Comments:
April 12, 2009 04:11:07 PM posted by Nonna
Way to go Abby and Zoe!!! I know you both had a lot of fun finding the hidden eggs!!
April 13, 2009 09:33:33 AM posted by Grandma Cindy
wow! that looks like a really great easter egg hunt. I have never seen one with so many neat prizes. looks like you had a lot of fun
Enzo tries sweet potato
I was going to start giving Enzo avocado, but we were out and when we stopped at Hannaford's yesterday the avocados were $1.50 per avocado! The sweet potoatoes however were $.49 cents per pound so we got a bunch and I decided to go ahead and give him some this morning. I cut off a chunk of one of them this morning, Chris put some filtered water in the steamer pot and I steamed the little bits and then he mashed it up for me. I added in some of the filtered water that the sweet potato steamed over to thin it a little and gave it a go. As always, I put some on his lips to give him some notice of the new flavor but instead of sucking it in he blew a raspberry so his first bite was a surprise.
He wanted to do it alone, so I gave him the spoon and eventually the dish and let him explore it. He did end up eating some, though how much is a mystery, he had a good time anyway. He'll have the sweet potato in the morning and the oatmeal in the evening for now.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 27 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 27 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 17 days
First Moments posted by Laura at 8:35 AM | Comments ( 2 )
Comments:
April 12, 2009 04:16:16 PM posted by Nonna
Enzo..your are such a big boy...eating by yourself/
April 13, 2009 09:32:20 AM posted by Grandma Cindy
eating will never be so much fun as it is during this time.
April 10th 2009
First tick of the season spotted in Maine
After lunch and the girls normal nap time, we got everyone into the car for points unknown in Maine. We didn't really have a destination in mind, just a lazy slow drive up the coast. We first stopped at Fort McClary, which we visit at least once a year,
check this album from a previous visit. They got to run around, jump on huge rocks and generally just get more "energy out" as Zoë puts it. The girls had a great time. As I was leading Zoë down the path by the water, I noticed this black bug moving on her pink pants, and sure enough, it was a huge tick. I flicked it off no problems, which was proceded with a complete tick search of everyone. We then piled back into the car to continue our lazy way down Route 103. I had never stopped at Barrell Mill Pond Dam and bridge, so we pulled over to check it out. The girls loved running down the dam and going over the bridge. The tide was going out, and there was quite the current under the bridge. We checked out the trails and some historic houses before returning for a Good Friday fish dinner.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 26 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 26 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 16 days
News posted by christopher at 6:36 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 13, 2009 09:42:48 AM posted by Grandma Cindy
what a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. sounds like a great way to get some energy out.
First Time Lap Swimmers
Daddy took the girls into the pool by himself today. Mommy and Enzo stayed out and rested in the lounge. We went to the morning family swim which is only 30 minutes. We arrived and got dressed quickly and were in the water 5 minutes after the session started. We did some jumping with and without bubbles, and some back floating with and without bubbles. Then instead of swimming only half the pool, they said they wanted to swim the whole length. They swam down and back, then we practiced some jumping and back floating again, and then another lap down and back. This pool is half olympic size, 50 meters per lap instead of 100. I was surprised they could swim the whole distance, albeit with bubbles on, it was still far, 100 meters total. Hopefully they will get some good sleep tonight. Maybe next week we will try the high diving board.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 26 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 26 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 16 days
News posted by christopher at 11:43 AM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 12, 2009 03:30:53 PM posted by Nonna
Abby and Zoe I am impressed with your swimming abilites...keep up the good work!!
April 9th 2009
Enzo's Sleeping - Two in a row?
Could Daddy pull off this coup and perform two back to back successful attempts at getting Enzo to sleep. Nope. It wasn't for the lack of trying. I took Enzo from Laura after he wouldn't settle. At first he quieted down, and Laura was amazed, but after 5 or 10 minutes of comforting him, he decided his Daddy time was up, and wanted to go back to Mommy. It would have been nice to have these two wins back to back, but it didn't happen tonight. Maybe I will try again Friday night to start a new streak.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 26 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 26 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 16 days
News posted by christopher at 9:07 PM | Comment
April 8th 2009
Daddy gets Enzo to sleep
I didn't know if I should file this under Art or News, but since I think it is purely skill I chose the Art category. Occasionally he will reach for me when going to sleep. So tonight, Mommy rolled Enzo over and pushed him towards me. I cuddled him up and started to gently rub his head and ears. He cooed and sighed and drifted off to sleep. Mommy was surprised and relieved that I could put him off to sleep. Daddy was overjoyed as well. It has been a long, long time since I have held and rocked a baby to sleep. I remember holding Abby and Zoë and rocking them to sleep and having them sleep in your arms. It is such a great feeling.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 25 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 25 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 15 days
Art posted by christopher at 8:52 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 12, 2009 03:25:22 PM posted by Nonna
Amen to feeling great!!
Saving Up
Zoë and Abby have been interested in having bikes ever since they figured out that they knew how to ride them well. I told them that I'd look for bikes for them when I go to the mother's of multiples sale in May. We've looked at bikes and bike accessories at Toys 'R Us and they've decided that they want to save up for a safety gear set. The only problem is that the saving hasn't gone so well, with them keeping their money in their wallets so we talked about how they could save and decided that whenever they get money here and there (in the cards and such they receive) they'll choose how much to give to Chris and I to put in the bank to save and how much they're going to keep in their wallets. We discussed the best ideas to save up quickly and about saving more than they're spending.
Today we made a savings chart. They each have a graph with 20 squares, each square stands for $1 (the sets I've seen, with helmet, elbow pads and knee pads, are about $20) To start out, as they each just received a card from Nonna with a one dollar bill in it, they decided to keep one dollar in their wallets and the rest into savings. So, when we made the charts today Zoë got to color in two squares (she chose to use green to color in her chart saying, "Green like money!" haha) and Abby got to color in three squares, chosing to use purple, and then we hung it up where it's easy to see and fill in. It's going to be a lot of fun to see them eager to save and be able to color in more squares and I can already see a little a bit of healthy competition with Zoë eager to catch up with Abby.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 24 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 24 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 14 days
News posted by Laura at 1:05 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 12, 2009 03:25:01 PM posted by Nonna
What a great idea and fun to watch your savings grow. Also good to save and pay cash for the things you want!!
April 7th 2009
Pre-Crawling Progress
All of the sudden Enzo is getting himself fully up onto his hands and knees many times throughout the day, where before he couldn't quite get his knees all the way under himself if his arms were straight, only if he was on his forearms. It's funny how instinctual it is for babies to rock back and forth once they get into that position, and rock he does, sometimes launching himself a little. Doing the 'army crawl' is still his preferred method of getting himself to where he wants to go, usually to the edge of his mat to rip it up and chew on it - yes, we do a lot of redirecting already.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 23 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 23 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 13 days
Milestones posted by Laura at 1:09 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 12, 2009 03:22:20 PM posted by Nonna
Soon Enzo will be all over the place...then come standing and walking!! How time flies.
April 6th 2009
6 Month Check-Up
Enzo and I went to the pediatrician for his six month well baby check up... half a year! He's 17 pounds 15.5 ounces with absolutely nothing on, so just half an ounce shy of 18 pounds, he probably gained that on the way home the way he's gaining weight! He's 27 1/4 inches and his head circumference is 17.5. He's in the 75th percentile all around.
Enzo saw Dr. Warren today, and I thought she was pretty good, not just rushing through to get the appointment done. She went over the usual stuff - eyes, ears, throat - and had a hard time getting his pulses as he's such a kicker! She was just getting ready to check his hips and commented, 'Well I don't think there's anything wrong with them, he's so strong!" With the age of our house he'll be having a lead test before he goes back for his 9 month check up. Dr. Warren said that it's reassuring that the girls never came back with levels that were too high, but that it's just a good idea to do it. For some reason Enzo was scared of the sound of the paper on the table every time I laid him down, he's such a wiggly boy that it crinkles a lot, so after the nurse was done checking his length, once Dr. Warren came in, we put my coat down for him to lay on.
I opted not to give him his shots today since his belly still isn't better from the antibiotics. Dr. Warren said to put him on probiotics and bring him back in a week for his shots. Also, she said that it was a good time to move him to a second 'meal' a day and even add in a third if he seems like he's up for it. He doesn't actually do much eating at his cereal eating as is, but he'll get there I'm sure. She also said that avocado would be a good addition.
Talking about sleeping/eating issues, mainly at night, took up the majority of the visit. She said that, not only should be be able to go more than two hours in between nursing during the day, but he surely is old enough not to still be nursing that often at night. She asked about where he sleeps, how he gets to sleep, daytime sleep, etc. He is genuinely hungry at those two hour marks at night, she said that most likely his digestive system has been trained to be, but we still need to get him off of it and then he won't be hungry during the night anymore. So, once he's better I have a good week of sleepless nights ahead of me (maybe less, maybe more, we shall see) to get him sleeping through the night.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 22 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 22 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 12 days
News posted by Laura at 3:47 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 12, 2009 03:21:03 PM posted by Nonna
Just a suggestion...when he wakes up at night give him some water...won't like that.
April 5th 2009
Palm Sunday Visitors
We started out the day with the Palm Sunday service at church. The girls got into costumes along with the other kids and got their palms at the beginning of the service walked to the front to put them into the styrofoam cross. During Sunday school we made beaded crosses to finish off the Easter baskets that will be delivered to the shut-inns.
When we arrived home Uncle Matt and Aunt Caitlin's car was in the driveway. Chris peeked out the door to tell me to keep the kids in the car so we could go get some lunch. While waiting for our food, the girls led us in a bunch of silly knock knock jokes that had us all laughing. We got home and the girls had a rest, well time for the rest not that they actually rested. Afterwards we walked over to Pierce Island and did the nature trails. As we were heading back home saw a cute little 10 week old puppy that Zoë was loving on. He started following us along the trail, prancing at the girls' feet, until his owner picked him to leave us on our way. Zoë was all about this little dog and how much he liked her and how she wanted a dog like that.
Back at home Matt and Caitlin played balloon lagoon and funky monkey's with the girls before heading home. Just before they were leaving, Reanna, Corey, and Elijah arrived, so the girls were happy to have another Auntie/Uncle set to shower them with attention. That didn't stop Zoë from begging Uncle Matt to come back and visit them for Easter.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 21 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 21 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 11 days
News posted by Laura at 12:44 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 12, 2009 03:18:00 PM posted by Nonna
What a lot of company,,,glad you had some much fun with uncles and aunts.
April 4th 2009
Gracie's Diner Re-Visit
Zoë and Abby have been talking about going back to eat at Gracie's diner, sitting at the counter having just pancakes, since the last time we ate there. Tonight we finally gave in and went to have dinner there. Before we even got there both of the girls knew what they were going to have and stuck to it... Zoë got a chocolate chip pancake and Abby got a strawberry one. They also were excited to try out some of those little smucker's jelly packets on the toast that came with Daddy's meal (meatloaf and eggs with home fries). When Abby tried the orange marmalade she said, "This is the best ever!" I got the veggie breakfast burrito, which came with home fries, and a pancake on the side. Unfortunately I ended up not being as hungry as I thought I was so most of my meal went in a take home container and Abby was so funny. She insisted that Chris put her toast in that she couldn't finish... all two bites, because she loved that orange marmalade jelly so much.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 20 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 20 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 10 days
Special Occasions posted by Laura at 6:44 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 5, 2009 09:49:01 AM posted by Grandma Cindy
what a nice dinner. the meat loaf dinner with eggs and homefries sounds yummy. My favorite jelly is orange marmalade also. Papa Norm said raspberry preserves is the best ever.
Home Depot Kids Workshop Bird House Build
This morning we headed over to Home Depot's Kids Workshop. This month's project is a bird house. Abby and Zoë were super excited to get their aprons on and to get building. We arrived shortly after 9 AM and were completed in no time. This project only took 30 minutes to get both done. Mommy started, but then daddy jumped in and helped finish. The girls got to do more stuff themselves this time. I told Laura last night, that they should just do the best they can, and have them turn out like crazy bird houses, but we caved at the end. It would be cool to have them do the best they can without help, but they aren't at that stage yet, as it is too difficult for them to tighten the screws and such. Maybe next month for the wheel barrow planter project. The girls have completed two projects so far, and they look forward to getting more pins for completed future projects.
P.S. Like last time, we made one mistake. This one isn't so obvious as the race track mistake, we skipped gluing the roof on, which I later explained as making a less toxic home for it's future occupant.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 20 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 20 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 10 days
Art posted by christopher at 10:39 AM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 5, 2009 10:00:11 AM posted by Grandma Cindy
those are really nice bird houses. it would be kind of cool to see crazy bird houses. Maybe next year. are you going to paint the bird houses
April 3rd 2009
Unexpected Conference
We noticed, when we went along with Chris to his new patient appointment at Families First, that the Alliance for Better Childcare (ABC) conference was going on at the community campus. I mentioned to Chris my desire to be able to attend and then didn't think anything else of it. Once we got into the building Chris went to check in and I took the kids down to the cafeteria so that the girls could get a snack. As we rounded the corner, there sat Angie, who was attending the conference, having a snack between workshops. She said it was so funny that we ran into her there because she had wanted to call this morning as she had an extra admittance for the conference and wanted to know if I wanted to attend. I'd only missed the first workshop so we waited for Chris to be done and he said he didn't mind taking the girls back home and picking me up at 3:00 so off I went.
I ended up seeing a handful of teachers I used to work with, and some from cousin Elijah's classroom at Live and Learn, and also got free lunch out of it. Enzo did really well during the time and slept at just the right times. He started to get pretty vocal in the last workshop but it was on infant/toddler communication so that was alright, not only that it was presented by a woman I know (who I used to work with at Live and Learn). We did get made example of a number of times, especially during the key note speaker's address when everyone in attendance was there. I was towards the front, wearing sleeping Enzo in the wrap and at one point was standing against the wall so we were pointed out then. It was quite embarrassing, but luckily it was a crowd full of child care workers so...
Chris and the girls picked me up at the end and they told me that they took a nice nap and were in the middle of a movie. Apparently Abby didn't actually nap, but still assured me that she rested and they were telling me all about the movie and said that I'd have to watch the rest with them at home.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 19 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 19 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 9 days
News posted by Laura at 3:27 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 5, 2009 09:27:18 AM posted by Nonna
How nice for you Laura, keeping your hand in so to speak.
First Bath Seat Sitting for Enzo
Enzo actually used it for the shower, but he enjoyed himself all the same. I tried him in it outside the shower yesterday to see how well he sat and to make sure he couldn't knock it over and all was well. I put it at the end of the tub near the faucet, far enough so he couldn't bonk his head, and aimed the sprayer as far towards the back of the shower as possible. After I was done washing I picked him up out of it to get him rinsed off, which he always loves. He definitely enjoyed this more than having to wait outside the shower in his rocker.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 19 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 19 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 9 days
First Moments posted by Laura at 7:58 AM | Comment
April 2nd 2009
Enzo's First Pool Swimming
Yesterday Enzo and I sat out while the girls swam with Chris. I had had my suit on and we were going to switch at one point during the hour evening swim, but the girls and Chris were all having a good time so I told them to just keep at it. It's so warm in the pool area though, Enzo and I had to sit by the fan.
This morning's swim session was only a half hour so we made sure to get there a bit early to get situated so as to maximize our swim time. This time, Enzo got to go in. He was a little cranky while I was getting his swim diaper and trunks on. (Yes, swim trunks, it's the funniest thing! Somewhere along the way we acquired 'big dog' baby swim trunks and they fit) When we got into the shower before entering the pool area though, he chilled out. Chris and I both thought that I'd have to take him out of the water after just a little bit, but he stayed warm the entire time. At first he just sat in my arms, mesmerized, but then he started reaching for the water so I turned him to face the water and let him splash a bit. I also held him facing me away from my body a little and bobbed up and down with him, just up to his chest. He was really relaxed in the water. A couple of times Chris held him while I took a turn doing a lap and he was all smiles. For now we plan to give him some breaks so he's not in the chlorine every day, but it may get hard to keep him out soon!
Bummed to say there are no photos since Chris and I were both in the pool, but hopefully next swim time we can figure something out.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 18 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 18 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 8 days
First Moments posted by Laura at 1:53 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 5, 2009 09:23:55 AM posted by Nonna
Great...there is a video showing a little baby swimming unaided...instinct!!??
April 1st 2009
Joining the YMCA
We have been thinking of joining the YMCA for a number of months. Today we finally did it. We joined, despite there being a sign up fee. We handed in our application and then went swimming. The girls were so excited to get back into the water. I helped them put their bubbles (type of floaty that goes on the back) on and into the water. They wanted me to be in first and I had to coax them into the water a little bit, but once they got in they were unstoppable. The water is 86 F, we are told it is the warmest on the east coast. It felt nice, not too warm and not too cold, although after a while Abby's jaw was chattering. They both got to swim around, with kick boards and without. These bubbles are amazing, because they keep their heads above the water, without them having to do anything. This is called 'seahorse' -ing, because their body is mostly vertical, pedaling their legs and doggie paddling. The idea is to get more into a crawling position with the legs behind the body and nearer to the surface for kicking. I will be working with them, but right now they are having fun, and are becoming very independent. They didn't want to leave when our time was up, but insisted that they swim to the ladder by themselves without my help. Maybe I can get them to jump off the diving board. It is fairly high above the water. The deep end is 12+ feet deep, and the shallow end is 3'6" deep. It wasn't too busy during the afternoon swim, although we did bump into people a few times, mostly kids zipping around. I saw a couple other fathers there with their kids in the pool as well. Hopefully we can make good use of the pool and get a return on this investment, but already the smiles on the girls faces are great dividends that have already started to pay off.
Abby @ 5 years, 3 months, 17 days
Zoë @ 5 years, 3 months, 17 days
Enzo @ 6 months, 7 days
News posted by christopher at 8:53 AM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
April 5, 2009 09:21:32 AM posted by Nonna
I am so happy you signed up for swimming...all the summer classes of swimming will not go in vain. The girls will always enjoy the water and being able to swim...no fear of the water!!
