Recovering from the break

Seems like we're having a tough time getting back in gear after the break. O is sleepy and been having tummy pains for the last 2 days.

Books from library:
"Sister Tricksters: Rollicking Tales of Clever Females" by Robert D. San Souci
"Lily's Purple Plastic Purse" by Kevin Henkes
"Olivia" by Ian Falconer
"Little Lucy" by Ilene Cooper

I'm surprised at how much O seems to enjoy "Sister Tricksters." It doesn't have many pictures and is written in a Southern dialect.

We stayed busy during the break. Started off with Olivia having a sleepover w/Ms. Angie's girls on the Sabrina had ballet, but Olivia did not. We went to the gym one day so that Mommy could work out, then had lunch with Daddy. Later that day we went and painted ornaments for Christmas. We also hung out w/Ms. Angie and her girls one day. Then, gobbled up a "plump & perky turkey" as O calls it on Thanksgiving. We went to paint one day and O made a painting for Dede and one for Nana. The weather was pretty nice all week, so the girls had time to play outside, too. We finished up the break with O having a birthday party for a former preschool friend, who now takes ballet with her.

Olivia had a presentation for school yesterday for the How We Express Ourselves planner. She interviewed Oma about the games she played as a child and researched the games they play in Germany. I got to see her present and she did a fantastic job. She wore my old dirndl to present, too :)

Literacy folder had "Get the Gag" Decodeable No. 14 this week. She's been up to No. 20 "Red Hen and Rod Rat" but books come out of order sometimes. She's doing really well with sight words, read about 30 of the ones on her ring last night. Though she's still having trouble with a few on the "High Frequency" word list.

Little sister is getting dressed and putting on her pull-up by herself.  Miss Independent. She likes to play with the Leapster, dress up like a princess or a witch, color and play with dolls/babies.

Mid-March, already!

Book of the week: Olivia chose not to get a new book b/c she didn't return last week's book. We didn't get a chance to read it and she wanted to keep it.

Word of the week: volcano

Gorgeous weather this week has made it possible to walk to and from school every day. We also got lots of time to play outside.

We had Addysen & Jack over for dinner and a playdate on Monday. The kids had spaghetti and peas and got to play in the backyard. A nice way to end the day.

Olivia has started eating pizza rolls again. It's a nice surprise. She requested that I buy them on a trip to Walmart. I got a small bag since I wasn't sure that she'd really eat them, but it's been going well as a lunch time option.

Little sis is climbing the stairs completely on her own now. It's scary to watch at times but she's very independent. She's even climbing around outside on the rocks, resisting help from anyone who tries to lend a hand. Sabrina is also combining words more now, 'Daddy work' "Ee-yah school' 'Elmer food'

We had some friends over to help celebrate Daddy's birthday w/us last weekend. I think we surprised Daddy. Do you like his cake? hahah.

She ate what??

Big developments in the world of Olivia. She requested & drank chocolate milk for breakfast. She essentially stopped drinking milk around 2.5 yrs old. She also ate 2 bagel bites (pizza) and some homemade broccoli cheddar soup yesterday at Arlene's house. That's huge since Olivia stopped eating pizza after her stomach bug back in March and doesn't eat cheese.

Another tooth surfaced the other day for Sabrina. She pulls up to stand on everything, everywhere, even in the stroller...Learned that one the scary way, while I was pushing her through the pumpkin patch. She stood up & turned around to look at me. hahah. Crazy kid. She also climbed up 2 stairs and has started crawling a bit. Yes, a bit backwards from the norm, but she's always moved on her own schedule.

Sabrina was stung 4 times by a yellow jacket the other day, too. It must have flown in to her stroller as we were entering the garage, returning from picking up Olivia at school. I was trying to unpack the stroller before I picked Sabrina up, but she started screaming. When I got her out I saw something crawling on the back of the stroller. I thought it was a big spider until it flew out. Then I thought it was a wasp, but realized it was probably a yellow jacket. She was so brave, didn't really cry very long. I was so upset b/c I didn't know what to do and was worrying about allergic reactions. But she was fine, thankfully!

Oh and the pumpkin patch trip was fun. Took the girls to the Colorado Pumpkin Patch. They had a bunch of activities for the kids, including a hay ride. Then they got to choose a pumpkin from the "patch." The weather was beautiful & we got to spend the day w/friends. What could be better?

uh-oh

Sabrina drops things and says, "Uh-oh!" It's so cute! And she's much chattier, babbling like she's having a conversation.

We've officially switched little sis to whole milk. HOORAY! Next step, getting rid of bottles.

June

School's out and I've forgotten which end is up...

Sabrina is finally scooting on her bottom and trying to take steps when you hold her up. She walks a bit like Kermit the Frog, but it's cute to see her trying. She's eating more table foods (cheerios, bananas, french fries...). She's good at mashing stuff up even with the 2 little teeth. The top tooth feels like it's right there, but hasn't surfaced. She's also drinking from a regular sippy cup. We caught her stealing a sip from Olivia's take&toss cup a few days ago. She does really well with it. 

Olivia got her first official haircut this past week. We went on a "date" with her friend, Zachary. It was fun to see them both in the chairs, making pouty faces. haha. Olivia's doing really well in the pool, too. Daddy has taken her a few times, just the 2 of them. She uses float arms, but usually takes them off & uses a pool noodle. She dives under with ease. It's nice that she's so comfortable in the water. 

We've been keeping busy w/friends, trips to the pool, to the zoo, to parks. It's been pretty hot already this Summer. 

Welcome, May

Olivia has been enjoying a visit from Nana & Auntie Nana (Aunt Allison). They braved our chaotic weather to see the girls. Auntie Nana is keeping O in her good graces by making lots of yummy soup w/dumplings. Little sis is even getting in on the action, enjoying some pureed soup.

Sabrina is rolling a lot now - front to back, back to front, left to right & right to left. All in an effort to get around w/o crawling.

Another week

Word of the week: goat
Book of the week: None. According to Olivia, she cried in the library b/c I wasn't there. So, she didn't chose a book. I don't understand. She was fine & happy when I dropped her off...

What's on the menu for lil sis? Vegetable risotto with cheese. Wow, so many new creations for baby food since Olivia was born.

Feed me!

Baby sis is certainly more interested in eating like the rest of us now. We started a few little finger foods this weekend - baby puffs, yogurt melts....She's really enjoying them. She can grab them & eat them, but she can't quite figure out how to get the food in to her mouth. She doesn't want to let go of the food.

I've noticed Baby S trying to clap in the past week or so. It's really cute. She's starts out shaking her hands at her sides, then gets more control bringing her hands down in front of her. I haven't been able to catch the moment on video yet. She seems to be too aware of the camera.

It really took a lot out of Olivia, being sick. She wasn't eating or drinking enough & had no energy. By Saturday afternoon I was getting concerned and spoke to an after-hours nurse at the pediatrician's office. Thankfully, by Sunday she woke up & had a full day. Ate well, played well, slept well. Olivia finally made it back to school yesterday. She seemed to do well. She's eating more, finally had a yogurt stick this morning, part of a bagel w/a smidgen of salmon cream cheese & a handful of choco Teddy Grahams.
Book of the week: The Furry-legged Teapot, a Japanese fable
word of the week: bones

Spring Break

Spring is here! We had a parent-teacher conference last week. Not much to say, which is good. Her teacher recommended the 4 half-day preK program for next year. So, I sent out the application.

Lil sis has been trying new foods (Pear Blueberry Oat) and some yogurt blends (pear). We're also moving up to size 4 diapers.

We tried a new babysitter over the weekend. Olivia seemed to really like Ms. Christine. She asked if she was coming over again the next morning. A good sign.

We've had some really nice weather lately, so we're spending more time at parks. I love this time of year.

Jumpin' gingerbread

Book of the week: "Arthur's Pet Business" by Marc Brown
Word of the week: nutrition

Olivia made a gingerbread man in school last week. She also learned the letter "J" and did an activity about Jack Be Nimble...Conferences are coming up next week. I don't expect much since the school/teachers didn't make any changes to their "report card" the way we were told they would at the beginning of the school year. The current card is confusing at best.

Sabrina tried pears for the first time today. No complaints. She's a little backed up again. Starting solids is tough. She really wants to roll w/the big kids though. She smacks her lips every time she sees someone eating. Gotta start at the bottom, little one.

Last week:
Book (from 2 weeks ago, there was no school for President's Day): "Almost Late to School: And More School Poems" by Carol Diggory Shields
word of the week: gingerbread







This week:
Book: "Watch Me Grow Kitten" by Lisa Magloff
word: jump







On the advice of her pediatrician, we took O in for a referral w/an ENT. Her tonsils are swollen, but thankfully, he did not recommend surgery. Hopefully, it's something she'll grow out of/in to as she gets older. She is working through the end of another cold.

Lil Sis is tearing through foods. She tried carrots, prunes and applesauce in the past few weeks. She has her 2nd cold right now. A little more snot & congestion this time. I know she's getting tired of seeing the aspirator.

Mommy booked tix to fly home with the girls for Spring Break. It will be nice to see some family again.

solids

We had to cut back a bit on Lil Sis' solids intake. Stools were getting too firm & she was having problems. Minor setback, but she's tried green beans this week and seems to enjoy them.

O had a full week of school finally! Hooray! It was nice :)

So long, January...

Olivia has finally made it back to school. A trip to the library resulted in the book of the week:
"Three More Stories You Can Read to Your Cat" by Sara Swan Miller
Word of the week: height

After horrible fights, tantrums & general frustration Olivia has been much better about taking her antibiotic this time. Using a syringe & offering a sweet treat to "wash the taste out" have helped, along will using stickers on her chart to track the doses. We're supposed to go for a renal u/s, but have yet to schedule it. Mommy & Daddy wanted to do a little research on the necessity of it first.

Little sister had her first taste of sweet potatoes & they are a hit. She ate half a container or more today, on her 2nd try.

A little bit of snow today, maybe 3-6" by tomorrow, but VERY COLD!

Can we get a break, please?

Mommy loves the pediatricians, staff, etc at our office, but we have been there way too many times in the past 6 months. Well checks, flu shots, ear infections, uti...yea, fun times. Olivia has the uti. She started having lots of potty accidents on Monday. Then, yesterday she told me that it hurt when she went pee. Then, i saw a spot of blood in the toilet. So, we raced off to the pedia office...again. 10 days of amoxycillin. Day 1 has already been hellish. Also, Sabrina had her 1st cold - stuffy nose, coughing. She muddled through really well & just has a little residual cough after 4 days.

Book of the week: "1, 2, 3 to the Zoo" by Eric Carle
word of the week: vacuum

Sabrina seemed to like the sweet peas a little better today (3rd try). Though I think she really enjoys simply chewing on the spoons. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a tooth sooner rather than later.

Starting to eat

Well, oatmeal is certainly more enjoyable than rice cereal. Sabrina tried a bit of sweet peas tonight, too. Little sis is starting to sit better on her own. Not perfect, but def getting a strong back.

Happy New Year 2011

We spent the holidays w/Daddy's family in Nassau this year. It was a great trip. Sabrina's first time flying & she was perfect. Olivia did really well, too. She stayed occupied w/some "mess free" coloring books, DVD player & Tag reader (Disney Tangled is her fave book).

Seeing all of the cousins together & playing this year was so nice. They range in age from 10 years to 5 months, at the moment, but they were all together, having fun.

So neat to see Sabrina recognizing Olivia's name. We say, "Where's Olivia?" and she turns her head to where she sees or hears Olivia. She still doesn't seem to like the rice cereal. We haven't had much success. Might be time to move on to oatmeal...

It might be time to get switch Sabrina out to the convertible car seat now, too. She seemed to sit well in it while on vacation and she's getting tall for the infant car seat.

Sisterly love starts early

2 month check-up:
11lb, 14oz (75%)
22.5 inches (52%)
39.5 cm hc (75%)

Dr said Sabrina may have a little bit of reflux. To help keep her nose clear & add a bit of rice cereal to her formula to help keep it down. But it may just be the nasal drainage irritating her stomach. So, we'll watch her. She's happy w/her growth, sleeping habits & development. Big sister was so good at the dr, despite having to wake up early to get there. It was so sweet to see her concerned for her sister. She started getting teary eyed when she saw Sabrina scream & cry from her shots. Mommy nearly started crying. haha. Love my girls :)

Sabrina is sleeping 5-6 hrs during the night now. She even did a 7hr stretch one night. It's nice to not have to get up so often. Makes for a happier Mommy. She takes 5oz formula occasionally, too. Though mostly 3-4oz during the day.

no sleep

We are having an awful time lately. Olivia refuses to nap or sleep. The only time she falls asleep on her own w/o issue is in the car. It's making me batty. The only thing I can attribute the sudden change to is her molars coming in...of course, this is taking weeks. She didn't go to bed until nearly 11pm last night, but was till up at 715am. It's not enough sleep for a 2.5 year old. Why can't I make her understand that??

On a happier note, Olivia's been eating cereal w/milk from a bowl w/a spoon for the past few days. I didn't even think about if she was ready to try it, but she asked for it. Thanks to commercials on Nickelodeon...She's doing really well & only making minimal mess (when she decides to start playing around).

1%

We geared down to 1% milk. So nice to be able to buy milk for the entire family. Whole milk makes me want to gag.

Popcorn & stroller

Olivia had popcorn for the first time tonight while watching...duh, Finding Nemo. We went out earlier for pizza and she wolfed down nearly 1 1/2 slices (NY style pizza). Someone woke up hungry from her nap...

She also has a new fave toy. We went to Daddy's work xmas party this week and they give gifts to every child of every employee. Olivia got a stroller for her dolls. We had her stuffed cat with us at the time, so it was the first rider. She wants to take that stroller everywhere. It's tough when she melts down when we tell her no (as in when she wants to put it up on the couch or take it in to a store). I'm glad she enjoys it but I'm looking at all of her other toys wondering when she'll play with them again (or if I should pack them up).

We're getting ready for all of Daddy's family to arrive. They're all coming in for xmas & new year's :)