Kissmas!!

 Even this sad little waif was able to get some enjoyment out of this Christmas! Here, she is holding one of the sparkly balls from her stocking.   We had carfeully hidden all presents and laid them out, wrapped and shining under the tree Christmas Eve, ready for that wide-eyed discovery the next morning.  No dice.  Glittering presents were promptly ignored and they sat down to play with the old barn.  At first, the girls wanted nothing at all to do with the stockings. I think they were afraid I was going to make them put them on.


 "Open, open, open!" The girls were far more interested in the idea of opening gifts this year, happily identifying what they could inside. The frog and owl backpacks you see here were a big hit. This was only a small portion of the haul from what I am now referring to as The Nana, The Papa and the Santa Nana.

 Here is only the beginning of the detritus from gift frenzy 2011.  They are digging into the art kit that goes with the easel (not pictured).  There's paint involved, so pray for us.  There were also lots of books, microphones and sparkly tennis shoes! 

 

Papa got a yo-yo and, after seeing it demonstrated, Lillian stole it for herself and spent a goodly amount of time jiggling it up and down, refusing any help or coaching. 

It was awesome to spend time with all the grandparents--Greats, too!--and tell silly stories and eat too much food and snuggle with pajamed babes.  Aslo, we watched videos of crazy people eating Ghost Peppers.  Random, but part of what makes this time so delightful.  That, and the part where two two-year-olds in diapers ran in screaming circles around the house for about 20 minutes.  One of them was wearing a police hat.  If you know Nana and Papa, they've got video of that on their fancy new phones.

A good holiday?  In the bag!

Merry and Bright

 (I haven't finished the Thanksgiving post yet. But, I realized that was holding me up from posting new things. So, Thanksgiving's in the time warp basket for the moment.)

Naomi, deciding on the right spot for her decoration



Lillian, analyzing the workings of the hopping santa-egg

The girls had a great time tonight decorating the tree tonight, once they got the idea. There were a few freak-outs when we tried to leave the ornaments on the tree at first but they caught on. Eventually Lillian was instructing Naomi, "Apple. Right here. Apple," pointing to the exact branch where she thought the teacher ornament should be placed for the 17th time. We're getting into the mood for the holiday

Oh, Goodness!

This was the phrase of the day on Tuesday. With each completed level of the skyscraper, the excitment level grew.

(It's also what I said when I realized how much time had passed since my last post. I promise I'm drafting the Thanksgiving epic.)

What's Cookin'?

So, like, a week and half ago, we made some cookies.

Lillian, checking our recipe (and modeling her apron set)...




Both girls crammed themselves onto the stepstool with minimal elbowing and did a respectable job of keeping most of the flour inside the giant bowl. I eventually had to close the cap on the ground cloves that Lillian was in charge of, as she was really excited about shaking it in there.



I like to tell myself that she's counting scoops on her fingers in this picture, but really, she's totally tweaked out about the flour that Naomi dumped on her hand.

So, cookies were fun.

And then everything fell apart.

Remember how Lillian wasn't feeling super at the birthday party? She took the weekend to be low key and was back to full force by the following Tuesday.

(Actual birthday and voting day--here's Naomi in her "I Heart Voting" pasties)


Naomi seemed to get hit on Wednesday, but bounce back enough each day to convince us that she was just fine. Until the weekend, when she was a ragdoll of misery. We called the doctor's office, the nurse called us back and assured us that she probably had a virus (what we figured) and would be back to normal soon. Harumph. Well, to shorten an already long narrative, I took her to the doctor on Monday and she was diagnosed with pneumonia and an ear infection.

5 different medications and 5 days home from daycare later, she is finally back to her mischevious, but adorable self. She was in the doctor's office 4 out of 5 of those days for monitoring (I consider that a blessing, as there was talk of hospitalization!) but by Friday she hit all the right numbers and giggled and squeaked her way into convincing us all that she is right as rain.

It made for an overwhelming week. William, Nana and I took turns staying home with the girls and trying to keep calm and sane. In what I consider now to be good news, Papa and Nana both had mid-scale car annoyances, so we figure that covers our family for the bad-things-in-threes bit.

Today, we are back to full normal. I took the girls to the Children's Museum this morning and they were just delightful. They played and listened and cooperated and made me feel like I really can do this. They sure seem to know when to turn on the cute. My favorite moments from today?

Watching the girls attempt to high-five each other. After a few missed tries, they finally connected and were quite pleased with themselves.

Lillian shaking her finger at Naomi, who was laying on the floor sobbing about not having the right book (I said she was back to normal, not perfect!). Lillian was chanting, "No, no, no" and scowling at her sister. William and I had a hard time maintaining composure.

Reading with both of them. They are in a book frenzy this week, bringing us books to read and reading along--both shouting "HOME!" at the end of the ladybug book.

Tonight, it's time to finish up laundry and pack for Thanksgiving!! So glad we got all this nonsense out of the way in time.

Because She Says It Better Than I Do....

I've been meaning to post this for weeks now, but if I get the other post done tonight, you'll see that things have been a little chaotic.

Anyhow, Amanda uses words better than I. Grab a kleenex.

http://anythingfor30days.blogspot.com/2011/11/november-5.html

(I am thwarted by html coding. Copy and paste the above link. Dammit.)

Birthday Bash!

T-minus 16 hours. Then the little babies that live in our house will be two. Officially two. How is that possible?

To celebrate, we had a crowd over on Saturday, loaded lots of toddlers up with cupcakes and juiceboxes and filled the house with balloons (alllooooons, if you're one of the aforementioned toddlers). It was mostly fabulous, excepting the fact that Lillian chose twenty minutes before paty hour to come down with a nasty cold. She took it pretty well, though, and with rest periods, was able to make the most of her party.

Lillian and Naomi were totally confused by the singing and candles, but played along. Lillian wouldn't eat a bite of hers, but her sweet tooth sister went to town on hers. Naomi even shared a bite with Nana (who made all the cakes and cupcakes [and brought the balloons and the treat bags and silverware. Thanks, Nana!])



Naomi was also discovered later in the day stealing sprinkles from the cupcakes.

Since Aunt Pat made the girls the cutest aprons and hats ever, I think they'll be assigned to do all the baking for next year's party.


The gathered crowd happily cheered on two little girls who have no idea what to do with wrapped gifts. Jack held a very informative clinic on how to peel off tape, rip one cone of the paper and even how to make sure you get the card out first. He was an excellent teacher. Even baby Matthew got in on the act. Can you see him in there?


Lillian was pretty wiped out by the end of the celebration, as was William. These two took a little snooze before dinner.


We all needed a day of rest on Sunday to recuperate. It's hard work being two!

Hi, Moon!

These two. I rather like them.

BoO at the ZoO!

It's hard to describe how much fun we had at the zoo last night. So I'll just give you lots of pictures and see if you can figure out for yourself.







Seriously. It was a blast. It was a gorgeous day and the hordes of cute kids in costumes (parents, too!) were endlessly entertaining.

The girls were enthralled. The entranceway had bubble machines and we could have just turned around and left after a few minutes there. They ran and cackled and played with little glow things that Nana brought. They danced with the Wild Things and ignored all the candy. They shouted "Becky" at all the pumpkin decorations.

I know I've been lax about the posts, but recently things have been pretty smooth. The girls are earnestly and joyfully playing with each other. (Unless they are "NO! MINE"-ing.) Lillian jumps to express happiness. Naomi is a master of colors and the number 3.

Are you counting down yet? They turn two in 16 days.

I Believe This is Called Return on Investment.

Put a Lid On It. And More.

Plus, can you tell me what's going on in this picture?


Also, this weekend was our annual Apple Day! It was a gorgeous day, almost too hot for apple picking. The girls were happy to be carted around the orchard, sampling varieties of apples and shouting out "app-pull" everywhere.

My Future's So Bright...

I can't possibly photograph it, but I want you to know that Naomi's in bed right now. Wearing her purple sunglasses.

Electric Slide!

Nana and I spent a gorgeous afternoon with the girls at the big playground. That's where Nana caught this amazing shot of Naomi generating enough energy to power a hybrid vehicle from here to Miami. Apparently the random woman standing next to them felt moved to snap this photo as well. Can't say I blame her.

The Three Musketeers.

How's this for idyllic?


(Photo credit to Nat)

I wish you could have seen these three little girls at the park, looping around this log slide as Amanda funneled them in from the top, they'd crash together in a pile of giggles at the bottom and stumble over each other to race around for the next run. I can't wait to see their friendship keep developing.

And this one, the impiest of the imps.

Garlic and rain and surprises.

Sometimes, when there are giant puddles in the driveway, you just have to give in and get the camera instead of trying to stop babies from stomping in the water. Even if they are wearing leather shoes.



And then you have to take them to a Garlic Festival.



There were definately not any vampires around. We missed out on the garlic ice cream, but reports from other festival-goers say that we didn't miss much.

Lillian planted the garlic bulb in the above picture for about 20 minutes. In the dirt, out. Then she sniffed it for a while. Then she tried to rub it on Naomi's head.

Naomi, meanwhile, was plotting.



In an interesting surprise, at day care pick-up last week, the teacher mentioned that Lillian was getting really good at her months of the year. "Oh, neat," I thought, not really getting it. That night, while the girls were helping me cook dinner, I asked her, "Can you say January?" Silence. "February?" More silence. I am not surprised. It would be silly for someone who is not quite two to know the months of the year, right?

"March?"
"Mach," says Lillian.
Me: "April?"
Lillian: "App-ill."
Me: "May?"
Lillian: "May."
Me (increasingly astounded): "June?"
Lillian: "Joo."
Me: "July?"
Lillian: "July."
Lillian: "Aaa-ust" (That's right. I didn't prompt her.)
Me (now dialing my mother on the phone to get a witness): "September?"
Lillian: "Mem-mer"
Me: "October?"
Lillian: gibberish. I am slightly relieved that she didn't just spit that one out, honestly.
Me: "November?"
Lillian: "Mo-mem-mem-mer"
Me: "December?"
Lillian: "Thember."
Me: (falls on floor.)
Lillian: (continues rattling measuring cups.)

So, yeah. Daycare's going well.

Labor Day, Workers in the Kitchen

Three weeks in and this is all starting to seem normal. The girls are happier each day and William reports that drop-off is smoother each time, with the girls now willingly going to the teacher instead of clinging and whining.

Naomi helped me make dinner the other night. We didn't have a chef's hat, so the strawberry had to suffice. She was a great help, handing me the spoon when it was time to stir the pot on the stove and banging her cups and bowls together. We are seeing them imitate a lot more "real-life" stuff and it's a hoot to watch.



Of course, we made them do the dishes afterwards. As a note to my future self and anyone else who it might help, do not put soap in the water, as it is impossible to stop them from trying to drink the water from the very cups they are supposed to be washing.


We've squeezed all kinds of fun out of summer's last hurrah, Labor Day weekend. I think I could very happily work for a living if I had three day weekends all the time.

We took the girls out to their second Camp Hamilton bash in Wadsworth. They loved it. Lots of firsts:

* As we arrived, Lillian took Nana's hand, then Naomi's and they marched up the driveway like that.

* William took each girl for their first ATV ride. No crazy off-roading, but they seemed to like it all the same.

* Lillian met her first tiny dog, by the name of 'Cupcake' and it was love at first sight. At least for Lillian. Cupcake isn't making any promises.

* Both girls shot their first hoops!



* Naomi tasted her first piece of driveway. Sugar Dale strikes again.



William swooped her up from the fall off the giraffe tricycle and headed to the house, her chin dripping with blood. By the time he was able to wet the washcloth in the bathroom, Naomi was jutting her chin towards the mirror, laughing at her quickly inflating lip. It was like you could see her thinking "You should see the other guy!" Her fearlessness both inspires and terrifies me.

Big Shoes to Fill

But she's working on it.

I would daresay that the girls have been happier with daycare this week. Aside from the fact that they've contracted the first round (if what I assume will be many)of ick, they've been pleasant and whenever I've picked them up they are playful and happy. There's less of the instant meltdown when they see me across the room and we're getting good reports from the teachers. We've figured out a few cheats that I am hoping are contributing to the improvement. Namely, feeding them. I don't think they're eating as much while they're there, so we sneak in a breakfast-before-breakfast and a snack with milk when they get home. With that and judicious use of an animal signs video, we've been able to head off a few of the storms.

We crashed the afterparty of Jack's 4th birthday today. The girls' naptime never lets us get the full effect of birthday parties. So, we show up just as most guests are leaving and lounge around in the afterglow. It's blowing my mind a bit that Jack is turning four. That means that eventually our babies will eventually do the same thing! I remember quite vividly Jack at almost-two and it doesn't seem like it was that long ago. (Yeah, you heard me. Almost-two. It doesn't make sense to count in months anymore. It's only 8 or 9 weeks away.)

Feeding the Hungry

Tonight's show is brought to you by legumes. Please take note that Lillian, while, feeding Naomi a heaping spoonful of green beans, was doing the (seemingly inherent) open-mouth face that one does when one is feeding a baby. You know, where you mime opening your mouth and then closing it when the spoon arrives at its destination? Everyone does it. Apparently even other babies.

Shortly after this photo was taken, Naomi dumped a container of beans on her head.

p.s. Things are still improving at daycare. I am still totally overwhelmed by trying to straddle both worlds, but the girls seem pretty happy at "school".

On a Happier Note.

I'm sorry yesterday's message was such a downer. It's a big transition for all of us, but there will come a time when this all seems normal. And then they'll go to college and I'll be all weepy then, too.

Nana came and picked up the girls with us today. I wonder if we're the weirdos the staff talk about after we leave. We're all misty-eyed and clingy and we come in mass troops for drop off and pick up.

Whatever.

After pick-up, though, we went to the splash park again to meet Amanda, Jack and Ivy. The girls bravely ran into the spray and once Naomi was thoroughly soaked, she demanded that we pick her up and carry her around for the rest of the time.
She did take a minute to make sure she looked cool in my sunglasses, though.



(Oh, and after dinner she threw the mother of all tantrums. I was going to dial an exorcist. But then she got over it and we snuggled a lot.)

I Know.

I haven't posted in a week and I don't have any pictures today. I know.

I knew it would be hard, but I don't think I understood just how much. Or, rather, I was in a state of blissful denial for a long time.

It feels like, if I don't write about it, it won't be real.

The girls have now had two days in their day care center.

I am nothing short of heartbroken.

I also know how lucky I have been to have been home with these babies for as long as I have.

These girls have been my sidekicks, my constant companions for nearly two years.
We have left them only twice with people who are not related to them (really just Nana and Papa). For one of those, their family was still around while the two neighbor girls took care of them at 4th of July. For the other, they were asleep the entire time. And now, we are leaving them for the majority of their waking hours with people whose last names we don't know.

Honestly, just as predicted, they seem to be handling it much better than we are. The first day we were there, we didn't leave, but let the girls hang out for a bit while we went to loiter by the front desk. A few minutes later, we watched their troup come down the hall, all holding onto a rope. Lillian was in the front of the line, happily holding the rope with one hand and waving to everyone in the hall with the other. Naomi was being carried by the teacher's assistant.

Naomi's been a little fussier in general about the whole operation. We had originally intended to break them in slowly, hanging out with them at first, then leaving for an hour or two, maybe staying for lunch on the third day. After talking with the director, we realized that only creates more transitions and difficulty for them. Maybe it would have made us feel better, but it would have been unfair to the girls. And we've seen it already in the two days. If we linger or come back into the room, Naomi attaches herself to us and cries when we leave. If we just _go_, she's fine.

This afternoon and evening, we made sure to have good quality time with the girls. We read and tickled and played with wet sand. We went for a walk around the block and brushed our teeth for a long, long time. They were so tired by bedtime, Lillian was asking for sleep using the sign (close your hand in front of your face, drop your head and close your eyes). This wasn't different from any other day we've had, but William and I were soaking it in in a way that we might not remember to all of the time.

I know I can't take for granted the time I have with our girls.

I know I can't wait for next summer.

Muppet Baby

I just don't even feel the need to explain.

Sucker.

Tonight, Naomi found a ziploc bag with candy in it from the 4th Of July parade. So, she brought it to Daddy.

I think they chose this flavor to complement her eyes.

Garden Cherubs

The well-manicured lawns and gardens of the stately Stan Hywet mansion are a surprisingly wonderful place to let babies and kiddos run and roam.
We didn't dare to take them in the house, as no one would have had any fun at all. But while Saul and Leann and William were exploring the house tour, the rest of us tromped down to the English Garden, an idyllic walled garden that continues to be my favorite place on the grounds. The littles just ran the paths and sniffed flowers and giggled.

Seriously, where are the on-cue butterflies and bluebirds?


(As a side note, I apparently say, "Seriously" a lot, as Lillian has picked it up.)


Here's Naomi, bolting down one of the brick pathways. She couldn't quite catch Jack, but she gave him a good chase.


Lillian, enjoying the view.

Anniversary and playtime

Yesterday, William and I celebrated our 6th anniversary. I'm not sure what the standard gift is for that year, but if it's sidewalk chalk or garden soil or hotdogs, we've got it covered.

We had a spectacular weekend with visits from friends that translated into an all day cookout-kid-party-fest here in the yard. We had originally planned to go out to brunch to reward Laura for swimming a mile-long race in Lake Erie. But, when thinking about the logistics of dining out with five children under the age of 4, I broke into a cold sweat, went to the store and bought lots of hot dogs instead. We grilled and chatted and watched the kidlets play in the yard. It was kind of ideal. Lillian even had her first kiss. She and Noah are kindred souls. I've let Laura and Steve know that I'm ready to sign the arranged marriage contract already.

Nana and Papa came up later in the afternoon so that William and I could go out and do our anniversary up in style. That meant the salad bar at Ruby Tuesday's and the Harry Potter movie. Heavenly.

The girls stayed home to take care of Nana and Papa, who'd brought the play kitchen we mentioned before. It was a good decision. They played with it in the driveway for a long while and threw heavy protests at having to let Nana and Papa move it in the house. The grandparents report that Lillian organized the dishes and shouted about the whole process for about an hour. Naomi has been allowed to touch it, too, mostly sneaking farm animals into the oven.

I was entirely too distracted by the mass quantity of fun to take pictures, but here are the girls in their adorable outfits, part of the Pat collection. (Naomi, as usual, is blurry in this. But she did manage to keep those white pants unsullied for most of the day. Don't ask me why, but she's holding a toilet paper roll and Lillian's reading a recipe book for tropical drinks.)




Today, we played outside, putting in some plants and general maintenance. The girls were very helpful Naomi sat down and began weeding the sidewalk all on her own. They were both so thrilled to be allowed to run a three house distance on the sidewalk that I'm not sure anything else mattered. (We had previously tried to set up the corral while we worked out front, but that just ended in a lot of frustration on everyone's part.)

Here are the weeders. I know it's part perspective and part posture here, but this just emphasizes how tiny Naomi is in comparison to her sister. (Lillian may finally be catching on to her size advantage. In a bout over who got to push the buttons on the cable box last week, Lillian grabbed Naomi around the head and very nearly threw her off the footstool. Thankfully the orange nylon tube was there to break the fall.)




For a big portion of our time working outside this morning, Lillian was shouting, "Maow! Maow!", her cat noise. I figured it was random. Until she went tromping through all the plants we'd just put in and grabbed the fuzz at the end of the ornamental grass.