Leah, Emma and Claire (and Jen and John)

So when the girls were little and sickly I treated them like the glass dolls they were. I was anal about sick visitors, made people wash their hands and even got a bit pissy when people didn’t get their flu shot. While these habits have been hard to break, putting them in organized child care has made me relax a ton…and quickly.

I have now accepted that they will get colds etc after their weekly trips to the early years centre. The benefit of them having some structured play time with other kids and without me is worth it.

Yesterday was Drew’s birthday so we had him over for dinner. Halfway through dinner Leah started to self destruct and ask to go to bed. It was 7pm. John and Drew gave them a bath and she still wasn’t happy so we put them to bed. Leah would not settle and she kept rubbing her ear. She was crying and saying she felt sick. I didn’t want to plant the seed in her head so I asked her if her toe hurt. “No mommy. My ear hurt. This one. Not this one.” I’ve always heard ear infections can be hard to figure out - not this one!

There wasn’t much we could do for her last night beyond Emergency and I knew how that would go so we gave her some tempra for the pain. As you all know apple juice makes Leah hyper…tempra makes Leah bounce off the walls. We finally got her to sleep at around midnight then she was up crying every 2 hours. It was a long night. I took her into the clinic this morning and got her some antibiotics. They checked Emma - she is fine. She is still complaining about her ear but the doctor said that was to be expected for at least 24 hours and to continue giving her something for the pain (he gave me advil to try rather than tempra).

They are both napping now and hopefully Leah will feel better soon. I’m glad they waited so long for their first ear infection because it seems to make her feel better when she tells me her ear hurts and I give her a hug and say that the doctor gave her medicine to make it better.

I’ll stop talking about this soon. You have no idea how much time I’ve spent talking to our parents etc about this bed thing and how crappy I thought it was going to be and I know they want updates. I just know my mom and dad are in their RV somewhere in western Canada wondering if the girls are behaving in their beds ;) 

Nap today - no problem. They had school today so they ate lunch then Leah asked to go to bed. They went upstairs, lay down, talked for 5 mins then fell asleep for 2.5 hours. YAY!! People keep on saying “they might be ready to give up their naps soon”… those people need to SHUT UP! We are not giving up our naps - I’ll go insane….Baby C better come out independently napping and not hungry from 1-4pm…

Bedtime is going awesome. Better than I ever could have imagined. Last night they ASKED to go to bed at 7:45 and tonight it was 8pm. We get them all dressed downstairs then bring them up to brush their teeth and then let them run into their rooms and get into bed.  They say goodnight, we close the door and we don’t hear from them again until 6:30am. Ok the 6:30 thing is a bit crappy (especially since it’s still dark) but if that’s the only bad part about this bed thing then I’ll take it.

They’re napping today…which is good for so many reasons.

They fooled around for about 1 hour then fell asleep. They were fighting over Curious George so I took the book away. My new plan is to buy another George book (he is the fan favourite) and take all the other books away. Then they will have nothing but blankets/pillows and 2 sippy cups to fight over (and I’m sure they’ll find a way!). They can have the rest of their books as we see fit but I will take them away if they fight.

Hopefully they will wake up rested and happy. They don’t do well with no sleep and they are no fun to be around.

Bedtime went fine last night. They were up at 6am but that’s just a phase…I hope.

Yeah so we had no sleeping at nap time today. We were in and out a bunch of times fishing them from behind the beds, under the beds etc etc etc. At one point we made a deal to just leave them be and see what happened. Leah got the monitor down from the shelf and started singing into it like a microphone and then it got very quiet and there was talk of inviting lambie and chickie for a ride in the car. Then we heard their room door open…when we got to the top of the stairs we found this and were told that they were dressed and ready to go. How can you be angry at something so funny.

They’ve got their art bibs on as well as anything else they could find that might be needed on a car ride…

They’ve been a real nightmare all afternoon. We decided to take them to the local farm but they fell asleep in the car so we just drove for 30 mins. They are still pretty cranky. It’s going to be a long week if they keep this no napping nonsense up. Hopefully bedtime will go better tonight.

Last weekend we set up the twin beds in Baby C’s room. They had all week to jump on them, lay in them and play on them. The novelty wore off by about mid week.

Yesterday afternoon after their nap I took them to the park while John took apart their cribs and set up the beds in their room. We skipped bath and brought them upstairs around 8ish to explore their new room. We had planned to gate their room so they couldn’t get into the closet/rest of the house but the gate caused a bit of a freak out so we locked the bathroom door and made sure the gate on the top of the stairs was closed. I had bought two Ikea wall lamps but of course one of them didn’t work so they also got a bedside table and a lamp.

By 8:30 we left the room. Emma dropped her water cup and couldn’t get it at about 8:45pm but other than that they were fine. They read until about 9 and then fell asleep. I was shocked - I’ve been preparing for badness. 

They both slept all night, nobody fell out of bed and when they woke up (at 6:30…) we listened in the monitor while they decided to switch beds and read their books. They didn’t leave their room until I came and got them at 7:15. Again, I was shocked.

Hopefully bedtime will continue to go as smoothly.

We just put them down for their first nap in the beds. They’ve been fooling around for 20 mins now. I don’t think naps are going to go as well. 

It’s been a long week. John has poker tonight so I didn’t get a break all day. I just put the girls to bed 30 mins early…this whole 8:30pm bedtime is too late now that it’s dark early again. I also figure their schedule will be gone soon enough since we hope to get their room with beds set up this weekend. Originally I had planned to set the cribs up in Baby C’s room for backup but now I’ve decided against that. We are doing this and there is no looking back…yeah we’ll see, I know - I learned that parenting lesson a long time ago.

John ended up taking Monday off work because he decided I was too sick to be pregnant and running after the girls. I was very thankful because I had one day to get better before the girls got sick as well. All three of us haven’t been well all week but Emma is by far the most congested. Hopefully it will clear up this weekend. They were still pretty good and able to run around as usual. I took them to “school” on Tuesday and Thursday and they absolutely love it.

I think the monthly updates are a bit of an overkill now so I’m moving to quarterly. The girls were 27 months on Sept 7 (while I was a sloth in Vegas) so I’m a bit late on this one.

Teeth
They both love brushing their teeth which makes things a lot easier. We have moved up to the toddler toothbrushes. I still haven’t had them to the dentist. It’s on my list. 

Hair
Leah had her first professional haircut this past Tuesday. It was getting a bit unmanageable and I think we’ll wait until it thickens up before we attempt to grow it out. He hair has quite the curl/frizz to it and I think it might be time we move to some hair product that conditions a bit more. They both DETEST having their hair washed so I’m a bit hesitant to move away from the eye friendly stuff for now…I’ve been using anti frizz stuff on it which John teases me relentlessly about…”I can’t believe you of all people are putting product in your 2 year old’s hair…”. Emma’s hair is still very blonde and her curls are much tighter so she doesn’t look so disheveled. 

Sleep
This week will hopefully end their time in cribs. If Baby C wasn’t coming I think I would leave them a lot longer. They don’t climb out and they roll around so much that it’s nice to know they are contained. We put them to bed with a ton of books and they like to read until they fall asleep. They are going to bed at 8:30 and get up anywhere from 6:30 - 8am but usually at 7ish. They are still napping in the afternoon from 1pm til anywhere between 3 and 4pm. They are usually pretty good about naps and bed but Emma did go through a phase where she started crying no bed right before bed. Thankfully that passed. Now they say goodnight to us as we leave.

Getting around:
They can get anywhere they want…and they’re quick. They can kick a soccer ball, catch a ball (sometimes), throw a ball, play “catch” with each other and enjoy all the fun things at the park on their own. Leah can finally jump (her flat feet weren’t helping!). Emma has started doing summersaults which I try not to encourage because she doesn’t map out her path very well sometimes and I fear for her neck! They can both pedal their tricycle for a short distance but they prefer to scoot with their feet. They are both excellent about putting their helmet on if they go on their tricycles and they know not to go on the road. They even tell the neighbour kids “no road”. They are getting better at looking for cars when we cross the road and they now know they have to hold my hand for road crossing. I let them run free on the sidewalks now that they listen.

Food:
They are eating well. Still not the most adventurous eaters but they eat a pretty well balanced diet which is all I care about at this point. Emma is way more open to trying new things than Leah. They now recognize restaurants we’ve been to when we drive by and start asking for pasta, french fries, pizza and apple juice. They are very well behaved when we take them out and it can even be relaxing and fun. The thing they ask for the most these days is apple juice because they get it at nursery and when we go out to eat. Leah goes crazy hyper with apple juice - it’s actually kind of funny. I still don’t give it to them at home - it would drive me insane.

In terms of table manners they can eat up at the table (but we still lock them up for our sanity), use their utensils pretty effectively and drink out of a cup. I still give them sippies at meal time just to avoid the mess.

Potty:
Leah shows little interest in using the potty and I’m not forcing it. I ask her and she usually says no but every once in awhile she’ll say yes and pee. She gets very excited when Emma pees so she’s not completely disinterested.

Emma is doing well at the potty but she doesn’t seem to get when she has to pee and I want her to figure that out on her own rather than having pee all over the house. She pees in the potty when she wakes up, before nap and then before bed. Sometimes she asks to go but most of the time it’s me asking. When she goes she sits and concentrates so she gets peeing but the couple of times I’ve left her bare bummed for 30 mins before bath she’s peed her pants and not even noticed.

Talking:
They are both doing really well in this department. Sometimes during the day I wonder if the running commentary will ever stop! It’s just amazing how quickly they pick things up these days and what they are able to express. There have been quite a few times when John and I have looked at each other and asked if she really just said that.

Leah is doing very well. She’s still not as clear as Emma but her vocabulary and the things that come out of her mouth are for the most part at the same level. She is still inclined to whine but we are being firm about her using her words and she is getting much better at telling us what she wants. I have waited so long for that child to be able to stop whining and tell me what she wanted and it is happy times! She can speak in sentences, ask questions and put all sorts of words together. She still uses me instead of I.

Emma never shuts up. She is constantly asking “what are you doin’?” in quite an authetic New Yorker accent. She likes to comment on whatever we are doing and then will tell you again all day long. She is on to complex sentences/concepts and uses I instead of me more often now.

One of the major benefits to their language is that they are now able to talk to each other. While it’s extremely cute to listen to it’s also pretty useful because they can argue with each other and work stuff out without crying. I’m not saying they still don’t cry but there’s a lot more “ok, it’s your turn” than there ever was before.

They both love singing. They know all sorts of songs and they love to dance. They can both count to the high teens now, we hear abcs 30 times a day, they know all their colours, some basic shapes and some letters and numbers. If we read them a story and then give them to the book to read on their own they flip the pages and give the highlights of the story.

I can’t think of all they can do right now. They are learning so quickly and they are really fun to be around these days.

Personalities:
They are still very different. They both have developed a strong attachment to John these past months. When he gets home they forget about me. Actually if anyone is around they forget about me…which works just fine for me. They don’t want me changing their bums or feeding them or bathing them. They even don’t want me when they cry. It’s perfect. But seriously, we are very lucky that they are independent and comfortable with lots of people and places. We can go out for dinner or to Las Vegas and not have to worry that they’re sad and missing us. It’s quite comforting and not at all what I expected from toddlers.

We are doing pretty well with discipline but they still have their moments. The corner thing wasn’t working for us so I set up the playpen in the living room and that’s where they go when they’re naughty or need to calm down. I’ve learned to just calmly remove them from the situation (rather than getting upset with them which was not working as demonstrated by Emma’s baby John firing into the corner!) so now I just pick them up and put them in the playpen and calmly tell them why they’re there and what they need to do before they can get out. It helps me, it helps them and I’d say it’s working. They can be extremely frustrating sometimes because at the end of the day they are both two and pretty self centered. My mom has pointed out to me that they are both very good little girls, it’s just that there are two of them and they get each other going. She’s very right. Somedays I think if they were only children they would never cry because they only get upset when the other one comes and messes with their stuff or annoys them. We’ve even had arguments when they’re on my lap about how their feet are touching…ah yes, we are all slowly learning patience together. For all the times they are mean to each other they really do look out for each other. They aren’t super affectionate to each other so when they do hug/kiss or whatever you know they mean it.

Emma is still a mommy pleaser. For the most part she listens well and follows direction. She can be shy around strangers but adapts well to new situations as long as she is comfortable. She walks right into the nursery when we go and doesn’t look back or care that I have left her. Once she warms up she likes to perform. She has added some dramatic pauses to her abcs,lingers  on the last note then when she’s done yells “Yeah Emma!” and claps for herself. She is still very detemined and if you tell her you will do something with her later she will not forget. She is also very stubborn and if she decides she’s going to throw a fit watch out. It can take awhile to calm her down. Emma still loves her chickie and her books.

Leah is still very emotional. We are constantly trying to figure out what sets her off. She definitely likes her schedule and will self destruct if she’s tired or hungry but that’s manageable. She has a quick temper but gets over it quckly. She is not very patient but yet she’s good at things that require fine motor skills and concentration. She still loves her soother and she gets it in bed…I don’t see that going away anytime soon and we’re not worried about it. She also has a strong attachment to her hippo and frog blankets. Leah is also very stubborn and could care less if I’m mad at her. Sometimes she listens well but other times she pretends like she’s deaf and stupid…or she just sits back and lets Emma do whatever I’ve asked - she’s definitely not stupid!

So that’s the very long quarterly update. I’m sure I’m forgetting a ton of stuff but that’s them in a nutshell. They are growing up very quickly but we are taking the time to enjoy them so I guess that’s ok. Part of me can’t wait until I can have rational conversations with them and they can play nicely for hours but the other part of me (and my mom) tells me not to rush it, to just enjoy what we have and not take for granted how lucky we are to have them. Focus on the good stuff because in 14 years we’ll have twin 16 year old girls and I’ll be begging to be able to toss them in the playpen when they’re driving us insane.

Yesterday I had my 22 week appt with Dr Shuen. John’s parents were in town for a wedding so they were able to watch the girls while John and I headed out for my 8:30am appt in North York. He got to experience the drive to work without traffic…he didn’t cry although I think it might have been tempting. We all need to start crossing our fingers that I don’t go into labour in rush hour.

The appt was non eventful which is just how we like them. We were in the examining room where at 26 weeks with the girls I was told to go to the hospital immediately for a steroid shot for their lungs because he was sure they were going to be premature. I don’t miss the stress of a twin pregnancy!

My blood pressure was good, all the screening tests came back fine, Baby C’s heartrate was 155, I am measuring 24 weeks, Baby C is still measuring big but the doctor isn’t worried. According the their scales I gained 8lbs in 5 weeks but surprisingly Dr Shuen didn’t call me fat which was nice because I really only like discussing Emma’s constipation issues in public ;). According to our bathroom scale I have gained 10lbs so far.

After the appt John and I picked up some twin mattresses for the beds John’s parents brought up for the girls. We are going to be doing the switch sometime soon…I don’t think it is going to go well. I don’t know how it’s possible to keep two toddlers in bed when it’s more fun to jump around and play with each other. We’ll see…they have until January to work it out.

Last but definitely not least I am sick. My throat started hurting on Friday night and now I have a full blown head cold. I can’t stand being sick during pregnancy because you just have to ride it out. I remember getting a bad cold the week before I stopped working with the girls. I had to call in sick and I just sat in John’s recliner for 2 days straight feeling sorry for myself. No such luxuries now. They need a service you can call for someone to come play with your kids while you lay on the couch! I’m just hoping I’m the only one that gets this.

So we’re back. We got back on Friday night after a flight that solidified my new dislike of flying which is hopefully mostly related to pregnancy. We flew in right as a major thunderstorm hit Toronto, had to circle in stomach dropping turbulence during the storm and then landed only to be stuck on the runway for an hour because apparently you can’t pull a plane up to the gate when there is lightning. It was still better than taking the red eye like we did last year…I think taking a red eye cancels out all the resting you do while on vacation.

Our trip was just as fun as anticipated. We stayed at the Westin the first night, Mandalay Bay for two nights and then the Bellagio for two nights. Breaking it up made our vacation seem longer and there were things I liked about each of the hotels. John played a ton of poker (his highlight being winning the Mandalay tournament) and I did a ton of reading, bathing, resting, eating (it was a good call planning this trip for when I was over barfy pregnancy!), and stting around uninterrupted calling the hotel guests who brought children with them suckers.

I came back feeling well rested and ready to take on the second half of this pregnancy. John came back tired from playing poker all the nights but satisfied that he made the most of his trip. Lucky for John my parents stayed until this morning so we had another day of rest yesterday.

The girls had fun while we were away. Although we missed them we were able to talk to them on the phone which made a big difference from our previous trips. I have a feeling I am going to have a rough week this week - they have been busy little girls and they are going to find me a bit boring. They finally opened the park down the street so they spent lots of time there, my parents took them shopping and out to restaurants and they even took them to the zoo. They ate well, slept well, pooped well and from all accounts were happy and well behaved.

Baby C is also doing well. I was supposed to have an ob appt yesterday but I postponed it until next Saturday. With all my sitting around in Vegas I was able to feel a ton more movement than I do at home which was neat. I am curious to see what my belly measures next week because I feel big. I am also having some pretty intense joint pain which can be pretty uncomfortable. I have no idea why it’s happening so early on but it’s almost like my body remembers the extreme weight of the girls and is punishing me early. I never expected to be using the rails on the head board of our bed to help me roll over at this point! Hopefully it will pass.

So tomorrow John goes back to work and we’re back to reality. I got into three programs at the Early Years centre for the fall session and they start this week. I’ll have two classes a week til well into December. Even though I have to be there with the girls I am still lookign forward to the break. I’m also happy they have the opportunity to play with other kids on a more regular basis.

I posted some pics from our trip to Ottawa and the girls week with my parents on Flickr. I brought the camera to Vegas but I never unpacked it.

John and I are off to Vegas tonight for the week. This week was pretty long with John working late a couple of nights. There were some long days with the monkeys but I am extra fed up now and really, really ready for a vacation! I am looking forward to doing nothing - although I am only 20 weeks I find by the end of a day running after the girls I am wiped. I don’t expect it to get better anytime soon.

My parents arrived yesterday afternoon and will be watching the girls while we’re gone. They’re both still pretty snotty, cranky, needy but they are on the mend. Once again I am very grateful that we are able to get away without worrying about the girls. It was about day 2 of our trip last year while we were lying by the pool when I looked at John and said “You haven’t annoyed me in 2 days now”. I never realized before then just how busy and hectic things have been since the girls were born. This Wednesday is our third anniversary - time flies.

This time last year we were also getting ready to go.Emma was taking her first steps. They weren’t saying much and they were still very much little babies. They is nothing baby left about them…except that they now like to play with babies. They have both named their babies John…