Leah, Emma and Claire (and Jen and John)

…and yes I know it was a total fluke but this has become their journal so you will be forced to read about it!

Uncle Drew got the girls potties for Christmas (shitty gift - ha ha). I’ve done my research on potty training and I understand there are 2 distinct schools of thought. I’m generalizing here but basically there’s the get em trained early camp and the wait until they are good and ready camp. While I am fully prepared to wait until they are close to 3, I see no harm in getting them used to the idea now that they can a) walk, b) communicate and c) have shown an interest (they say pee pee, do do, yuck, dirty and toot toot when they or anyone else, ahem, pass gas…). Double diaper money is also a good motivator for us to try. So is me being at home with them all day, everyday.

All that being said I have no false expectations that this is going to be a quick process. I asked for the potties so we could slowly introduce them to the idea. We have not started potty boot camp, I have just set them up and put them in their bathroom and the plan is to sit them on it before bath each night and go from there.

Tonight was the first night. John is at poker so I did bath time solo. I got them undressed, closed the bathroom door and nicely asked them to sit on their potties to see if they needed to go pee pee. I have been making a big production everytime I have to pee so they know what pee pee is now. They both sat down and looked up at me waiting for the pee pee. I thought they would lose interest quickly but they both just sat there. About 3 mins in Leah peed. She actually started squealing pee pee and I clapped and got all excited. She was pretty happy with herself. Emma continued to sit but after 5 mins I put them in the bath.

So there you have it. Our first free pee! What will we do with the 25 cents we saved on that diaper

Hmm where do I start. I guess with the good stuff.

The girls were about as well behaved as we could have expected. They were happy and good and kept everyone entertained. We ended up staying in Oshawa for 2 nights and we decided very early on that the schedule would be tossed out the window and we would play it by ear. Christmas Eve the girls lasted til 9:30pm (they are usually in bed and sleeping by just after 7:30pm). I made the critical error of giving them their bottles before we left Aunt Bonnie’s. Emma was fine but Leah woke up and decided it was party time. John got her to bed after midnight. They got up at 10am Christmas morning.

They really enjoyed Christmas. Their favourite toy was the stroller and baby. They both knew to give the baby its bottle without us showing them! They also liked their blocks. We didn’t open everything so it will be Christmas for awhile as far as they’re concerned.

Christmas Day we relaxed and then everyone came over for the turkey dinner. It was really good and the girls gobbled up the turkey with everyone else. They weren’t overly excited about stuffing or turnip though. Leah started saying night night at 8:30 and so we gave them their bottles and put them to bed. They woke up at 9:30 on Boxing Day. Emma woke up with a runny nose…

We got home just after lunch only to find that we had forgotten to open the basement door. Jackson the stupid cat still hasn’t figured out going in the cat door… she didn’t poop anywhere but she peed in the girls yellow comfy chair. It will be thrown out. We both felt awful for forgetting about the door. By dinnertime Emma was sneezing snot bombs so we knew we were in for a rough night. Sure enough she couldn’t sleep and we ended up bringing her into bed with us (all bets are off when they’re sick). Sure enough at 6am Leah woke up crying and Emma once again sat up in bed, pointed and repeatedly said Leah until John got Leah settled.

So now they both have a cold and are completely off schedule. They are going to bed at 9 and getting up close to 10am. I know it sounds like a dream come true for sleep deprived parents but come 7pm John and I are ready to have them in bed so we can have some relaxing time. I’m not sure that we’re going to be able to get them back on schedule for a few days but I’m not too worried. Next week John goes back to work and they’ll have to get up to drive him to the train. I think that will fix them.

So that’s it. We’ve been relaxing and enjoying having John home. Coby, Carrie and Ronan were over tonight which was nice. After they left John went to Home Depot and bought paint for our bedroom and I’m supposed to be helping him…I should go

With Chance and Uncle Drew

Giving Great Grandpa his gift

Where’s Papa?

Little Moms

Blocks!

Our 2nd Christmas

“But Grandpa, Mom said that all good girls like the Ottawa Senators…”

Merry Christmas everyone. We’re off to Oshawa this afternoon to celebrate Great Grandpa’s 93rd birthday and Christmas Eve. We’ll be staying over in Oshawa and spending Christmas Day with John’s family. The girls are napping right now so they’ll be ready for all the excitement!

John’s dad left this morning. The basement is completely framed - it looks so different with framed walls. We now have an imaginary laundry room, storage room, rec room, bathroom, bedroom and little nook for the computer under the stairs. It is very exciting. Our homework this time is drilling some holes for the electrical.

John’s parents got the girls some boots and John’s dad and I tried them out. They really like walking by themselves now so we weren’t surprised that they loved being outside in their snowsuits even though it was freezing. It was sad times when they had to come inside. They weren’t too sure what to think of the snow but they played in it. They much preferred walking down the middle of the street. I’m thankful our neighbourhood is quiet because when I’m by myself all three of us won’t fit on the sidewalk because of the snow banks. I’m pretty anal (who me?!) about making them hold our hands when we’re out. Emma is good but Leah can be stubborn. I want them to learn that if they want to walk they have to hold our hands. It’s not optional when I am by myself. Once they listen they can walk by themselves down the middle of the road!

Sleeping is going much better these days. It is no longer inevitable that we be up at some point in the night. Emma is having night terrors. I know she’s 18 months and can’t tell us she’s having night terrors but it’s pretty obvious. She’ll wake up SCREAMING and curled up with her face in the mattress as opposed to standing up wanting to get out….now. I don’t know if there is anything you can do about terrors (my instinct tells me no but I’ll do some research) beyond console them and help them get back to sleep. I’ve brought her into bed with us a couple of times just so she doesn’t wake Leah up. The last (last being the key word) time we tried it Leah woke up crying 4 hours later. Leah rarely wakes Emma up anymore but of course on this night Emma sat up with a start and yelled “Leah…Leah…Leah”. Fun times at 4am.

Leah is in orange, Emma in yellow.

What’s this? Cold sand?

Little Sumos

We just got back from Drew’s. We had a Christmas dinner with John’s Aunt Tina, Jeff, Tom, Steve, Drew, his roomate Matt and John’s parents. It was a delicious turkey dinner with all the trimmings and I don’t think I’ll need to eat again for a couple of days. The girls even ate a ton and we put them straight to bed (without a bottle) when we got home. We’ll see how this experiment goes.

The girls were pretty well behaved until they got mad at being told not to touch the tree and the tv or go up the stairs. This age is hard because you can’t reason with them and they are such sneaky little buggers. They just kept on trying again and again. I’m so thankful we made our entire downstairs babyproof. At least they didn’t find Uncle Drew’s cupboards…

This weekend just flew by. Friday night John had poker and I watched the debate. Last election I was an ignorant Canadian. I didn’t follow it very much (even though I was a human incubator stuck in the condo for weeks) and I didn’t vote because the girls were in the NICU. Not only am I planning on voting this time, I plan to be properly informed.

Yesterday we did some shopping (with the rest of Toronto) and watched the Sens score 8 goals on the Leafs for the 2nd time this season. This morning we did some groceries and then we were in Guelph for the afternoon.

John’s dad is staying until Wednesday to work on the basement. I’m not sure what he’s going to do but our homework was to mark all the spots where we wanted plugs and switches. We just finished it…procrastinating again!

We had our appointment today in North York. There was/is a big snowstorm coming and I waffled and waffled on whether or not to postpone it (it’s a 45 min in good weather) but the next available appt wasn’t until February so we went.

I haven’t taken them myself for a couple of appointments and I’ve never done the needles by myself. In order to keep them happy I decided to drive during their naptime so they would nap and meet Aunt Bonnie at the hospital for lunch. My plan was to have them well rested, well fed and well drugged with Tempra before our 1:15pm appt.

The girls were on their best behaviour at the hospital. Everyone came to say hello and they all couldn’t believe how big they are. Aunt Bonnie found two stuffed animals and two non breakable ornaments and they had a ball running around and laughing at each other. Even I will admit they were having a very cute I love my sister and think she’s the funniest person in the whole world day. We took them into a quiet room and tried to get them to eat but there was way too much stuff to get into to be bothered with more than a few mouthfuls.

The pediatrician’s office is very small and I didn’t bother taking the stroller in (they are starting to hate the stroller). They played well in the waiting room and let the nurse measure and weigh them. No more baby scales and the measuring tape - they had to take their shoes off and get on the scale and stand against the wall. Such big girls. They are both exactly 20lbs (FINALLY!!!!) and 30 inches (Leah is 3mm taller than Emma). They are still not on the growth curve for their age but they are following their own growth curve so once again Dr. Govan is pleased. I find it very interesting that they are both the same weight and height. I was looking at them in the bath tonight and physically they aren’t that different. Emma just walks around like a little tank while Leah has more of a dainty little walk. It totally affects the way they physically appear.

So they were doing well and then they got the shots. Leah could win an acadamy award for the performance she put on. She would not settle and finally I just asked if we could go ahead with Emma because Leah just wanted to sit on the floor and wail and I just wanted to get out of there. Emma was fine for the exam but was very upset by the two needles (one in each arm). At one point they were both going full strength. I had to joke that all those people that were saying how lucky I was in the waiting room were probably having a good laugh at my expense. It was one of the very few times I have actually seen them feed off each other. I finally got them calm enough to put on their coats and I let them walk to the elevator. The sniffling as they walked through the waiting room was priceless but they followed me out. Once they were in the car they whimpered a bit and then fell asleep. Of course by this time the snow storm was in full gear and they had a nice long nap while I drove across Toronto.

We’re supposed to get as much as 30cm before the snow is over. It’s piling up quickly now. There’s no doubt we’ll have a while Christmas this year.

Well there is no denying it anymore - winter is finally here. We had our first big storm late last week and John and I were forced to face the winter responsibilities that come with owning a house. Of course we’d been procrastinating on buying a shovel - that’s the way we work! I was able to sweep the steps and a path to the road (that never got plowed)and John stopped at Canadian Tire on his way home from work and bought a shovel.

I used to love winter. All last winter the girls were in their infant carriers and it was so easy to keep them warm. Getting them both dressed and in the car is a long process and I am very thankful that my dad installed our garage door opener and John’s dad organized our garage so the car fits because it is so much easier than lugging them both outside. Needless to say my incentive to get them up and ready to drive John to the train isn’t quite what it was in warmer weather. Last week we were carless from Wednesday to Friday. Being trapped in the house with them all day is a whole other challenge. I’m thinking next summer I will make more of an effort to meet some of the neighbours so that come winter months we can have some playdates. I NEVER thougth I’d say that and in the summer I had plenty to do but now that winter is here I totally understand the need for playdates. And my reasons aren’t even selfish, I really think the girls get bored being inside all day. And when they get bored they get cranky - so maybe it is a bit selfish because I can only listen to whining for so long.

So anyways today it’s -20C with the windchill but we have the car and we’re going to do something this afternoon. The girls are doing well. They are sleeping well again and we are all well rested. We had a nice relaxing weekend and got some stuff done that we had been putting off.

Yesterday I was at the front door with the girls looking out the window when I noticed the mailbox is in. I don’t know how they managed to get it in without me seeing and I honestly thought I was seeing things. I have been picking up the mail at the Canada Post Depot for 8 months now. The woman there doesn’t even ask me my address anymore AND she brings the mail out to the car so I don’t have to unload the girls. While I am going to miss my mail lady friend I can’t wait to have mail delivered to 5ft west of our front lawn (yes they moved it).

I can't believe they're 18 months.

Teeth:
I'm officially not sticking my fingers in their mouths anymore. They are getting really good at brushing their teeth on their own.

Hair:
Filling in slowly. Leah has more hair and it's not as curly. I actually bought baby shampoo for them this month (we had been using the all purpose baby wash).

Sleep:
Not good. It's completely hit or miss but more often than not one of them will be up in the night screaming her (which turns to their) head off. I'm inclined to think they're having bad dreams because they get so upset. We also thought maybe they were hungry so we've started snacks and tried to get them to eat as much as possible at dinner. The last two nights they have eaten way more than usual and slept through so hopefully we're on to something. John and I are both pretty frustrated (and tired) with this - they were sleeping better a year ago. They are still having two naps every so often. They like to nap in the morning but I'm trying to get them to go right after lunch. Some days are better than others.

Getting around:
Leah started walking this month. They are both getting very good at climbing things. They can get up on their craft table (of course they stand on it) and they are smart enough now to pull things over to use as a step to get on the couches. They have a pretty good idea of where the edge is but it still makes me very nervous. I think they would both be careful enough on their own but you can't trust them not to accidentally (or so I think) push each other.

Food:
I am happy to report that we've had a pretty regular month and they are back to eating all their favourites. They've both developed a love of raisins which has really helped. I've also started making them banana and apple bread on a regular basis. They love bread of any kind but they gobble up homemade stuff. They still aren't overly excited about trying new things but we manage to get a well balanced diet it them although some days it is very challenging.

Talking:
They continue to add words on a daily basis. They are starting to use their words to tell us what they want which is reducing the crying and whining. Emma is better at this and Leah can still pitch a pretty good fit but she will eventually tell you what she wants. My favourite is during the day when Leah is tired we ask her if she wants to go night night. If she doesn't she used to ignore us but now says Noooooo. If she does she'll come over, put her arms up to be picked up and say night night. Emma will run to the stairs saying night night and they both usually go to sleep. Over the past week or so they have both started saying no. At first I thougth they didn't understand the meaning but if I throw in "are you a good girl?" in a series of questions that get a "nooooo" they will smile and not say anything. Buggers. Leah has taken no one step further and has a quick decisive no, a long drawn out noooooo and a no no no no which is accompanied by a wagging finger. It is so hard not to laugh.

Personalities:
It is becoming harder and harder not to compare their behaviour - both good and bad. Leah has been a real handful lately. She is so determined, independent and impatient. She gets very upset when she doesn't get her way and it is a real test to my patience. She lets you know in a hurry if she's tired, hungry or mad. That being said she is much better at sharing and much less sensitive than Emma. She plays well by herself and when she's in a good mood she's full of laughter and smiles.

Emma is for the most part much more even tempered. She seeks approval and direction from us and is much less independent. She will share things with us (including the cat) but if you ask her to give something to Leah she gets very upset. Her outbursts are short lived and quickly forgotten. When her feelings are hurt she drops to the floor and does the saddest cry…with the occasional peek up to see if we are watching…

They both have their challenges and we are really starting to have to act like parents. It amazes me how much work it is and how consistent you have to be. The other week I let them in the cupboards because I was fed up saying no every 2 mins (this was pre magnets). I successfully created two little monsters who pitched fits any time you tried to tell them no after that because they knew that they'd been allowed that one time. I definitely learned my lesson!

Enough complaining! For the most part they are two happy little girls. They are full of laughs and smiles and they like to play with us and each other. I'm really glad I found the video feature because now you can all see just what they are like most of the time. They both really love books and will either read by themselves or fight for a spot on our lap.

Here's a video I took today. It was dark so the quality isn't that good. They just started this walking around in circles dancing thing - they get so dizzy which is not for the faint of heart. I'd never thought I'd be saying that I'm glad we don't have a lot of furniture. There are some pics too.

 THE VIDEO

Drawing

Dresses….

"Do you think we can fit mom down there?"

Emma

Leah

Leah has been walking full time since late last week. It is so much fun to see them both up and they seem to alternate between nicely following each other around and chasing each other. She is much happier since she mastered walking and for the most part will go down willingly now (she was crying whenever we came home and put her down - not very convenient when you have two babies to unload). We are hearing much less "Up, Up, Up" these days unless you are relaxing on the couch and they want up on your lap to read a book. It's hard not to indulge their love of reading though so we usually give in.

I can't wait for their next NICU appointment (I don't think I have ever said that!). I don't think they thought she'd be walking by 18 months corrected nevermind 18 months actual (16 months corrected). I wasn't so sure either and I am so happy with the progress she has made - remember at one year she was still doing the commando crawl. She's pretty proud of herself as well and Emma is very excited and the house is filled with non stop laughter from the two of them playing.

We had a busy weekend. On Saturday we took the girls to Joe and Andrea's wedding in Port Perry. We decided to go to the ceremony and skip the reception. The girls were very good. It was a 1.5 hour drive and then they had to sit in church and afterwards we visited with John's family during the break between the wedding and the reception. We brought lots of snacks, books and a couple of toys. They both did really well and after the ceremony was done they walked all over the church to the delight of all their admirers. They had on their little dresses (yes I will put them in dresses now that they can walk) and they looked like little girls. Not very dainty little girls though!

Sunday I had my cookie exchange. Last year this was a disaster because I put dozens of treats in the condo freezer and then proceeded to salivate over them all day long. This year I put most (yes we did some sampling) down in the basement freezer. Hopefully laziness will keep me away from it and I won't be forced to send it all with John to work so I can't eat it.

Today the girls are 18 months (and Aby is 1 - Happy Birthday Aby!). I'll try and do the update later today.

Here's a video of them both walking in their diapers and Robeez. Next summer I think this is going to be their main outfit!

THE VIDEO 

I'm not very good at updating lately but it's not for lack of trying - I just keep getting distracted.

We had a good weekend with John's parents. Saturday we went shopping and tried to go see Harry Potter but the line up was insane. Sunday we were in Guelph for most of the day at Ronan's baptism. I didn't take any pictures but I'm sure Carrie will post some soon. He was a very good boy and did well with all his admirers. It was fun watching their families get so excited about seeing him.

The basement is coming along well. John's dad worked pretty much non stop from Friday afternoon until yesterday at lunch when he went home. He did come upstairs to give me some breaks from the girls which was nice. I actually got to go to the library by myself - something I haven't done it over 2 years. We went to see Harry Potter on Tuesday night - I wanted to see Pride and Prejudice but I gave in to John's begging. It was ok and it was nice to see Harry finally do some magic (I didn't see the last one so I might have missed some magic).

The girls are doing well. They are starting to pick up stuff at an amazing rate. They have added tree and light to their vocabulary and they will try and repeat most things you say. They also understand so much - they listen when you tell them to go get their shoes and sit down so you can put them on and many other things. You only have to tell them things once or twice now before they remember. They are also saying no and shaking their head much more but so far it's been at appropriate times like when I ask if they want a drink…we'll see how long that lasts! We got the magnet locks for the cupboards and drawers installed and I love them. There is much less crying and whining which is good because I was slowly going crazy. This morning they learned how to climb up on their craft table so that will be the next thing. They sure keep me on my toes.

They love to read

Reading the flyers with Papa

Eating their snack

Emma

Leah