Leah, Emma and Claire (and Jen and John)

The girls are doing well. They have gone to bed without a peep three nights in a row now and slept through no problem. They are learning so fast these days - like little sponges. I’ll have to do the 15 month review before we leave because we’ll be in vegas on the 7th!

I had another run in with Bell today - totally unprovoked I might add. Some Bell guy rang the doorbell this afternoon wanting to get to the box in our basement to ground our phone line. I had no idea what this meant and I didn’t really care enough to ask because my days with Bell are numbered (hopefully) and I assumed it couldn’t be anything serious because even I know that things that aren’t grounded can’t be safe…

So he was down there for a few minutes and as he was leaving I asked if my phone would work. He said it would but of course I have learned my lesson and after I shut the door I RAN to the phone to find it with no dial tone. I then RAN back and got his attention. As he walked back towards the house his eyes shifted to the side of the house and he said that his coworker must be working on grouding our line from the main box. Curiousity got the better of me and I asked why they were doing this all of a sudden…get this reply “Your phone line was never grounded and we discovered it today. If you had been talking on the phone during an electrical storm and lightening stuck you might have been electrocuted.” For good measure he also added “Your phone box is a mess, whoever installed it really did a hack job (hmmm - striking technicians). We’ve both been shocked while working on it and I would suggest you stay off your phone until I come back and tell you it’s fixed”. I didn’t bother to point out that not one minute earlier he’d told me my phone was in working order.

So whatever I was more amused than anything else - I’m just happy my Vonage package arrived yesterday. I still have a glitch to work out but I have faith that I will be telling Bell to shove it sometime soon.

On another note we also have an issue brewing with Mattamy. It seems they picked the one week I wasn’t watching them to install the concrete slab that the mailbox will sit on. The utility plan clearly shows the mailbox about 10 feet from our property line in our neighbours side yard which will be fenced and hide the mailbox from our view. Unfortunately the plan wasn’t followed and the slab as well as the wheelchair friendly modified curb now stradle the property line. If it stays there (which will be over John’s dead body) the mailbox will be in our front yard. They guy who manages it is on vacation but the guy John talked to was very receptive to the fact that it should be moved. We’ll see.

We made it back safe and sound. We had a very nice vacation - it went by very quickly.

We made it to the cottage late afternoon on Saturday. We stopped at McDonalds on the way - we didn’t have the stroller and it was the only place in cottage country that we knew would have highchairs. Of course we ate fries while the girls had their packed lunch. No Happy Meal yet.

The cottage John’s parents rented was beautiful. I’ve never seen so many decks in my life. The cottage was set higher up on a hill and completely decked at the back. Down by the water there were lots of decks, a dock and a beach. The cottage was also very luxurious. We all had our own bedroom (even the girls!!) and the main floor was completely baby proof so the girls were free to roam inside as well as outside on the deck. They loved it. There was even satellite tv (I know some of you were concerned I was going to miss Big Brother!).

The first few days were a bit cool but then we had perfect cottage weather. We took the girls swimming, boating and they played on the beach. John and Drew went water skiing and we all (yes even me) went tubing. Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Van came to visit for two days and then Aunt Bonnie (aka my doula) and Tom came for a couple of days. The girls napped and slept really well and we played cards, dominos and poker after they went to bed.

Yesterday morning we left right after the girls had their breakfast. We have never had any problems with them in the car before and we were expecting another smooth trip. The cottage was about 30 mins off the main roads and the way in was very hilly and windy. Everything was going well until we got onto the main road and Leah started to whine. We both figured it was her nap time when we heard gurgling and the splatter of the first wave of puke hitting the back seat (so happy we have leather!). I got back there just in time to catch the second wave of breakfast in my hand but I couldn’t contain it. Once she was all done she just looked at me with the saddest eyes - poor thing. John pulled over and we got her and the car cleaned up. She was fine after that and we are hoping it was just the cottage roads - it was just a bit of a shock to both of us because it is no joke the first time either one of them has puked like that since Emma did when we had the family sleepover in the NICU!

We stopped off in Oshawa for a surprise visit to John’s grandpa. He was very excited to see the girls and we fed them lunch and let them play on his front lawn. It took them about an hour to see his front steps and after that it was just a game of us moving them away from the stairs and following them back to the stairs…

Today I had a book club pool party. It was a very nice day and we had a lot of fun sitting by the pool and eating. The girls were good for John. I got home in time to take them for walk and help John get them to bed. They are doing very well at bedtime lately and there wasn’t a tear or a yell.

Nana (check out the shirt), Leah, Papa and Emma

Dining on the deck

First time on the beach

Wait up Emma

Looking for rocks to eat

Family shot (that’s my shadow!)

DUCK! DUCK! DUCK!

Adventurous Leah

Not so adventurous Emma

Warmer weather

Swimming

We’re off to the cottage for a week!

Some of you might remember how mad I was at Bell (our phone company) when we moved. I have not forgotten how crappy their service was both on getting us our phone and dealing with me as a customer. Way back then I considered getting voice over IP but I couldn’t get our number and the hassle of changing everything again just wasn’t worth it. Until today.

This morning I picked up the mail and found out that today is the last day to register the girls for the Early Years program (deadlines come quickly when you pick your mail up once a week!). I found a program I wanted to register for (Mother Goose) but I wasn’t sure if they would let me go by myself with both girls. I picked up the phone to call and there was a guy talking on my line. This is not the first time this has happened - apparently our line is the one the techs use when they have to call the switchboard while setting up all our neighbours phones. They never check if it’s ok and they essentially tie up our line so we can’t make or receive calls. That in itself makes me angry. So I told the guy to get off our phone. He said he would be 5 minutes and I calmly explained that I would appreciate that they first check to see if I was home before using my line. I told him I had an important call to make in 10 minutes but he could use it until then. I got distracted and about 30 minutes later I checked and there was no dial tone. I decided to be patient (shocking I know) and 1.5 hours later there was no dial tone. I went looking for the Bell van to find the guy and he was gone - so he left my phone all screwed up.

I used the cell phone and called Bell. True to form I got an idiot on the phone who could offer me nothing but a repair appointment TOMORROW between 8am and 5pm. No apologies or condolences for my crappy situation or even an offer of anything more than a credit for the day of service their stupid technician robbed from us. Thankfully the girls were napping because Mommy wasn’t very nice on the phone.

So I got off the phone, walked upstairs to the computer and signed up for voice over IP. Our number is available now and if all goes well in 2 weeks I can call Bell and tell them to shove it. I can’t wait although I have no false impression that they’ll care.

The drive to the cottage on Friday was uneventful. The girls still do really well in the car and I know we are very lucky. We only stopped once and it was to get fries from the chip wagon - and of course we didn’t give them any. I know I’m mean but don’t forget John - he’s mean too!

I had never been to Uncle Van and Aunt Bonnie’s cottage so I was really excited. They live there year round so it is more of a home on a beautiful lake. They also built it all themselves which I think is really neat. Brian, Christine, Olaf and Kaiser the dog also came up for the weekend and it was nice to see everyone. The girls REALLY liked the dog although they kept calling him a cat…

We had a really relaxing weekend. There were plenty of people to watch the girls. Sue (the family friend who took care of them in the NICU), Mike and Michelle Dempsey came for lunch on Saturday and it was really nice to see them. We took the girls swimming and for a boat ride but I think they enjoyed the stairs to the sunken living room the most. We couldn’t get them off of them. Papa taught Emma to go down them backwards but stubborn Leah insisted that face first was the way to go so we really had to watch them. They also really loved the big long hall and they screamed and laughed when you chased them. John did lots of fishing but Uncle Van got the biggest fish award - the fish experts were all very impressed. They tried to convince me to try to water ski or tube but I was happy enough sitting in the boat and spotting John. We are off to the cottage for a week on Saturday and maybe I’ll try and ski. I really don’t care if I ever ski (I’m quite content in my role of chicken) but it’s like a rite of passage into John’s family so maybe I’ll try…maybe.

The girls were pretty good. They went to bed in their playpens fine both nights. The first night Leah woke up when John and I went to bed (we were all in the same room). We managed to get her back to sleep without waking Emma. The second night Emma had a bad dream and woke up screaming which woke us up and unfortunately Leah. We managed to get them both settled without waking the whole cottage up. Now that they are very aware of their surroundings sleeping in the same room with them is a bit of a challenge. You have to be so quiet and we were both scared that even moving the sheet would get their attention!

Here are some pictures. I didn’t take very many but everybody else did so I’ll post some more when I get them.

Jackson has figured out the cat door. I did what Margaret suggested and propped it a couple of times so she would think the pushing was her idea - worked like a charm. She still only comes out of the basement but next week I’m going to move something down there that she likes - most likely her food to start.

This weekend we are going to Uncle Van and Aunt Bonnie’s cottage. We are all really looking forward to it. I really hope the girls behave…I wouldn’t want their little angels status within the family to be tarnished! It will be their first time sleeping in the playpens since May and I’m not sure what to expect. Somedays I wish they would sleep if we brought them into bed with us but whenever we try that they think it’s party time and start laughing and playing. Again, they are not snugglers. I guess this is my fault because when they were small I was so paranoid that if they were held all day I would go mental.

While they aren’t the world’s biggest cuddlers they do have their affectionate moments. Tonight I sat on the floor and asked if anyone wanted to give me a hug. Leah came crawling over at top speed, climbed on my lap and then gave me a kiss. Very sweet. Not to be out done, Emma wasn’t far behind and she wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her head in my shoulders. Leah really likes John these days. He goes outside several times a night to BBQ or move the sprinkler and without fail Leah sits by the door and cries until he comes back. She doesn’t want anything to do with me - she just wants her dad. Tonight she was outside the bathroom door whining for him. John thinks this is the greatest thing ever. I’m not so sure!

Have a nice weekend. I’ll try and get some good pictures.

I didn’t mention our weekend in my last post. We had a good one. We have started working on our garden. I provide the vision and John provides the labour while I watch the girls. Since it’s too late to plant we decided to start with landscaping. We (John) built a retaining wall which is quite nice but it sure was a lot of work putting it together and then stealing dirt to fill it up. Yes, we stole dirt from the top soil pile down the street. There has to be some perks to living in dirt city. Next year we hope to build a path that will come up to the front door and then around the wall to our side yard. All part of my vision.

The girls are doing really well. They are really starting to point at everything and try and express themselves. The current Baby Einstein (Baby Shakespeare) has a part on cat. Everytime Emma sees it she points and yells cat. If Leah isn’t paying attention she’ll yell it over and over again until Leah points at the screen and yells cat. They get pretty excited.

Yesterday I watched Sarah and Brennan for a couple of hours while Jess was at the passport office. Brennan is growing fast and he is a good little boy. Sarah had fun playing with the girls and I am pleased to report that there was no crying or whining and they all shared their toys. The girls really like Sarah and they follow her around. Neither one of them cared when I fed and held Brennan - I’m not kidding when I say they aren’t mom clingy. They did get pretty excited when they saw his bottle…

Last night I was upstairs when John yelled for me to come quickly. This usually means the girls are doing something cute. Halfway down the stairs he informs me that I might be mad - my immediate response is “are they eating french fries??”. I then hear the water splashing. There are no bathtubs downstairs and I thought it highly unlikely that they had got to the kitchen sink. You might have guessed that they were in the (thankfully freshly cleaned) toilet. So gross. They hadn’t seen John yet so they squealed with laughter when I rounded the corner. Little monkeys.

Our new wall

Emma has discovered that grass isn’t so scary

Leah won’t look at the camera! You can see her clown hair in this picture.

Leah sneaking a look at the computer - I’m not sure what was so exciting

Reading. That’s Emma’s beloved chickie in her hand.

“Oh hi..it was her idea…”

I’m sure some of you are wondering when I’m going to stop the monthly updates. I really enjoy reading back at their progress so we’re going to do it for a few more months.

Teeth:
They are working on their side molars this month. Emma has two on the bottom and Leah has the same two and then one on the top.

Hair:
It’s slowly filling in. Leah’s is pretty long at the sides and the back and I call it clown hair because it curls. I’ll have to get a picture. Emma’s is more evenly dispersed and still quite blonde.

Sleep:
They are going to bed at 8 and getting up around 8. For the most part they sleep right through but there is still the odd crying in the middle of the night that needs our attention. On those nights the guilty party gets a bottle and goes back to bed. They never seem to wake up after 1am anymore which is nice. They are still taking two naps - usually around 10 and 3ish. The challenge these days is getting them to bed. Once they are in their cribs they talk and play. If anyone starts to whine we try not to go in because if they see us then they both scream with insult at not getting out of bed. It’s not fun and we’ve been burned a few times this month while trying to be stealth and grab the crier without the other one opening their eyes.

Getting around:
The big news this month is that Leah finally decided it was time to pull up to standing. She started about 3 days ago and has now mastered couch, crib and bathtub standing. She is able to reach down and pick stuff off, balance one handed and loves to walk with our assistance. It’s funny because based on her accomplishments since our NICU appt she is now right on target for gross motor for her corrected age! I am so proud of her. Emma still refuses to walk on her own although I am convinced she could. They are both super fast at crawling and they love chasing each other around. There is no shortage of laughter in our house.

Food:
They are finally starting to eat like little people. Leah’s favourite meal is breakfast - she will eat and eat and then steal Emma’s food and eat it. Emma prefers dinner. They are both a bit more open to trying new things. We still have a fair amount of mouth clamped shut head shaking “NO WAY - NOT THIS GIRL” behaviour but it’s improving. They’ll eat chicken no problem and they love bread and cheese. I gave them homemade pizza today and Emma gobbled it up while Leah picked at it - but at least she tried it. They are doing really well at drinking from their straw cups. We cut out their afternoon bottle and they only get the bedtime bottle. They get milk at every meal and water throughout the day. We are going to wait to cut out the bedtime bottle until it’s not so hot outside. We don’t want them to get dehydrated.

Talking:
They are still doing a lot of babbling with the odd word here and there. They both point and babble and it’s very cute. We have noticed a huge difference in their understanding of what we are saying. If we ask them where something is (like the ball) they will go and get it. We also bought them a phone and they talk into it.

Personalities:
Leah went through a rough go this month. She was very upset for a few days and it was pretty trying. We think it was her teeth and thankfully she has returned to her happy self. Leah is a very nice little girl when she is happy. She’ll sit and talk to herself while reading a book or play quietly by herself. She is able to wrestle for toys with Emma much better now that she is stronger. She is pretty easy going and doesn’t get overly upset when Emma steals her stuff. When Leah is unhappy she lets you know by screaming. To say this is irritating would be an understatement! We are trying to ignore it and hope she outgrows it - we definitely don’t go running to get her whatever she’s screaming about.

Emma was a good girl this month. She was very happy and for the most part pretty easy going. She is still very intense and she rarely sits still. She’s not big on reading by herself but she’ll grab a book and crawl up into our laps so we can read it while she flips the pages. She is definitely more clingy than Leah. She loves getting her hugs and she is very attached to her chickie stuffed animal. We have also decided that Emma doesn’t like men. She cries pretty much everytime we see Coby and most other men but she is fine with women. We have seen a bit more of Emma’s temper this month. She will cry hysterically when Leah takes her toy - again we ignore this hoping she will realize that crying gets her nowhere.

With the screaming and the crying we are finding that we are starting to think about discipline and teaching the girls to listen. We are definitely entering the next phase of parenting - one I don’t think is going to be so much fun. I am quickly finding that I am going to need a whole new reserve of patience. Thankfully John is a very patient person because while I can deal with teething babies in the middle of the night I am not so good at dealing with temper tantrums. It is very easy to say that we don’t want two bratty kids but I’m scared in reality it’s going to be very hard with the two of them. Some days going back to work looks mighty inviting!

Sorry no pictures - I’ll have to take some.

Today the girls had no baby food! This is so exciting.

For breakfast they had a banana, cheerios and they split a waffle. For lunch they had marble cheese and pumperknickle grilled cheese (they love pumpernickle bread), a Nutragrain bar and a minigo. For dinner they had BBQ chicken, boiled pototoes, corn, a minigo and some of the banana bread I made for John and them (which they also love). They drank all their milk at each meal and guzzled water throughout the day. Besides the yogurts, they fed themselves and very little make it to the floor.

I’m going to have to stop calling them babies soon!

We had a nice visit with John’s parents. We took them to Bronte on Saturday but we didn’t last very long. The girls are still loving the water but there was a strong breeze that day and they started to get cold. It didn’t stop them at all but when their lips started turning blue and they were shivering it was time to go so we went and checked out the farm. The little piglets we saw last time are much bigger and the smell was horrible! Saturday night John and I went to the Keg for dinner. Mmmm it was so good. I even got my all time favourite dessert - Billy Miner pie.

John’s parents left for two weeks at the cottage on Sunday and the rest of our weekend was spent relaxing and shopping. We finally watched Finding Neverland. It was good but not what I expected. I really like Johnny Depp but I’m having a very hard time trying to convince John to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The girls are doing really well. They have made some big steps this past week. I’m just going to list them - I’m feeling lazy and I don’t feel like writing in complete sentences…

-they have had no formula since we put them on milk
-they haven’t had an afternoon bottle since Friday
-they are drinking milk out of their straw cups at meals and water throughout the day
-they are sleeping through the night without waking
-my mom taught the girls round and round the garden. When you sing Leah points her finger and draws a circle on her hand while “singing” and Emma draws a circle. Leah also knows where her nose is.
-I taught Emma how to grunt - this drives John nuts but it’s really quite cute.
-they are eating much better. We are slowly cutting out baby food.
-Leah is getting much stronger. She can climb the stairs and yesterday she pulled up on the couch (only the once though).

So that’s it. Nothing overly exciting besides the girls development. John’s dad put in a cat door on the basement door. I am sick of the fourth bedroom being Jackson’s bathroom and I was so excited to have the door installed so we can move her litter to the basement. Now Jackson is a pretty smart girl but do you think we can get her to go through that door??! It’s driving me nuts. She’ll go through if we push her but no amount of cookie bribing will make her come through on her own. She’s going to get tough love and get locked in the basement if she doesn’t work it out soon. I know she’s not this stupid. The babies even know how to push the door open - they haven’t worked out putting toys through…yet.