Sunday, February 25, 2007

Clean Sweep

Ok, so this post will not be exciting for everyone, but I know my mother will have to sit down when she sees these photos. As promised, before and after shots of our garage.


Before:


After:



How many pairs of "yard shoes" does one person need? To be fair, one pair was mine, and I got rid of them as well.




Emily and Michael's contribution to the project; they did this for 2 1/2 hours:




One of the things I really wanted was to get stuff off the floor, out from between our cars, and in their own place. I think Terry accomplished this nicely:

We have several boxes to donate, and both our trash cans are full. Now the challenge is to keep it this neat. We have lived in our home almost 10 years, and this is the first time we removed everything from the garage, cleaned extensively, and re-organized. We figure we're good for another 10 years.

So Mom, when do you want to come over and see for yourself? You could probably eat off the floor, Terry even mopped that......

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Today's the Day.....

that we get our act together and clean out the garage. Exciting, huh? It is if you have a garage like ours, overrun with double strollers, tricycles, walkers, you name it, it's in there. Sophie is spending the weekend in Peachtree City with Grandma and Grandpa Gould, Great Grandma Yoko and Dave (their dog). She has been looking forward to it all week because as she told Terry and I numerous times: "Grandma Gould makes the best breakfasts...they are scrumptious!" After some prodding, it was revealed that this scrumptious breakfast consists of the little boxes of cereal from the variety pack, her favorite being Lucky Charms. Another favorite that Grandma keeps on hand: Bugles, or Fugles as she calls them. And of course, the golf cart rides to the playground and pond are another favorite.

So, we are taking advantage of Michael and Emily's one long nap, to get in some uninterrupted cleaning time. I hope to have some before and after shots posted later today.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Spring has almost sprung

We have all been a bit stir crazy here. ( and yes, I know I have nothing to complain about compared to all my relatives up north, but try entertaining two 15 mth olds all day, in the same few rooms....it gets old after awhile) The weather has been cold for Atlanta, only in the low 40's if that during the day. Too cold to get Michael and Emily all dressed to go outside, since they would only last about 10 minutes. Yesterday was a beautiful day, more seasonable for us, the high reached almost 60 degrees. We were outside for most of the afternoon. Terry spotted Sophie while she rode her bike down the sidewalk. I attempted to follow behind them, with Michael and Emily each holding one of my hands. I wish I had pictures of that, as it was pretty comical. Michael is very good about staying with me, but Emily wants to wander, and gives me a look when I try to hold her hand. Very independent young lady she is! We did manage to make it down to the cul de sac in one piece, and then they played on our neighbor's lawn while we chatted with said neighbors. Back home again, we played in the backyard for some time. The fresh air wore everyone out, Emily cried during her bath because she was so tired, and fell asleep as I was putting her pajamas on. Michael and Sophie were not far behind. A fun President's day for all.


Emily takes the first steps into the great outdoors.


Michael and Emily's best new trick: each of them take off in a different direction. Very effective for giving Mom or Dad some exercise.


Not to be outdone, Sophie has her own bag of tricks. This one is called "statue". Her favorite time to practice this would be at bedtime, or when she is supposed to be getting dressed in the morning.



Daddy and Sophie playing "jai lai", or as she calls it: Catch. And yes, she likes you to stand that close to her. Although yesterday she was really improving at catching the ball.


Michael in the swing, chewing on the stem of a sweetgum ball.


Girls by the daffodils. These return year after year. I didn't plant them, but in the 10 years we have lived here, they are always the first flower up each Spring.


Michael making a get away.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

A Visit from Belle

Sophie attended a birthday party last weekend, before the stomach bug kicked in. Her friend Anna K. (not to be confused with Anna G., there are two Annas in her class) turned 5 and had a princess birthday party, complete with a visit from Belle.
When Belle arrived, Sophie peppered her with questions such as, "Did you ride on your father's horse?" "Where are the clock and the candlestick?". Luckily, Belle was no shrinking violet, and answered satisfactorily...the horse was at home taking a rest, and don't you remember, the candlestick and the clock turned back into real people. Good enough to quiet her for a few moments at least.

Face Painting was the big activity of the day. All the girls were in awe as Belle did her magic on their faces.

That's Anna K. (the birthday girl) in the blue having her face done. Makenna as Pochahontas, and Sophie look on.

Sophie's almost finished face. I have never seen her sit so still, maybe I need to whip out the face paints the next time I need her attention!


After everyone had her face painted, Belle read them a story, during which my daughter interrupted several times to inquire about Belle's friends: "Do you know Cinderella, Belle? What about Ariel? Ariel is my favorite except for you Belle! Where is your prince, did you leave him at home?" Again, Belle was the model princess as she handled each interruption with grace and patience. She then joined in the singing of Happy Birthday, posed for one more group photo and then it was time for her to be off.


It was very sweet how each of them had to give her a hug. This age really is so magical. I fully realize that all too soon believing in princesses, dressing up and the other innocent exuberence about the little things will be gone. How simple life is right now!


Wednesday, February 14, 2007

House of Blues

Well, it has finally hit our house....the stomach bug. It started with Sophie on Sunday night, progressed to me and Terry on Monday, and worked it's way to Emily last night. Between 7:30 and 10 pm, she threw up 3 times, and by the time we went to bed, I couldn't remember if she was back in her crib, or in the pack and play in the guest room. Turns out she slept all night long in the pack and play, on a towel, as she had dirtied all the sheets that fit it. She slept till 10am this morning, and woke up chipper and happy as if none of it had ever happened.


Does this look like a baby who had 3 baths in the span of 4 hours because she was so covered in it? From what I have heard the last person to get it in the family is usually the quickest to recover. We hope Emily is the last, and that it skips Michael altogether.

When it hit Sophie, we were at Mom and Dad's for dinner, she decided to go lay down in the guest room because she "wasn't feeling so well". (big clue right there that something was not right) Mom, being much more experienced with sick children than I, suggested she take a bucket with her. Good idea, within 10 minutes she had made good use of it. I was pretty impressed that she knew what to do, and got it all in the bucket. I didn't have to strip a child, a bed or clean a carpet. She fell asleep while we ate dinner, and got up later saying she felt much better. She made it as far as the bathroom, and lost it again. She missed dance and a playdate on Monday, and still wasn't up to going to school on Tues. She did go today and is feeling much better, but still not eating much.

It hit me on Monday morning, I woke up feeling fine, and within an hour I was dizzy and nauseous. I won't go into the gory details, but suffice it to say, I spent the entire day in bed. Everytime I even moved, it hit me again. By Tuesday I was fine. Terry only had a slight bit of it on Monday, and really didn't have the chance to be sick. Since I literally couldn't stand, he took care of everyone on Monday. By Tuesday he was pooped, but at least missed the worst of it. Now it is wait and see with Michael. He seems fine right now, but so did Emily all day yesterday. At least I am prepared, I have all the crib and pack and play sheets washed, all their blankets and every pair of pj's they own are clean. So, bring it on bug, you don't scare us!!


Sunday, February 11, 2007

Mommy got a new pair of shoes

I feel like I have made a big leap last week toward my goal of more consistent exercise. On Wednesday I bought a new pair of running shoes. Not that I will be running anytime soon, but I hope to get back into more regular walking, both in the neighborhood and on the treadmill. I also hope to move up to the eliptical machine at the Y, plus add in some upper body workouts as well. I went to Big Peach Running Co. to get shoes, and could not have been more pleased with their service. They took a video of my gait as I walked on their treadmill. It turns out that I am pretty neutral, no overpronation or anything of the sort. The saleslady was very helpful, I think I tried on shoes for 45 minutes before deciding on a pair. She showed me a neat lacing trick that solved the problem I always have of shoes sliding off my narrow heel. And she was very encouraging as well, telling me that soon I would be running again...I hope!

So after all this, I took Sophie to school on Friday, then Michael and Emily and I headed over to the Y. Michael was less than thrilled about going in the nursery, and one woman carried him the whole time. I forgot to tell her that he likes to chew on a cloth diaper when he is upset, it is like a pacifier for him. I knew I couldn't have a long workout, so I did 20 minutes on the treadmill, then about another 20 minutes on the machines. I felt good afterward, and didn't overdo it. Michael was very happy to get out of the nursery; he actually burst into tears when he saw me. But then we ate lunch with Miss Kathleen when she was done with her boot camp classs and Samuel, who had been in the nursery as well. Nothing like a little yogurt and crackers to make you feel better. As soon as we got home they both crashed, so I think it was a successful first venture back into the world of fitness. I am committed to making it more of a habit.

My only concern is that my right foot/heel is giving me a lot of shooting pain. I had plantar fasciitis when Sophie was about 6 months old, and this feels like a flare up. If it doesn't subside this week, I will have it checked out. It actually started several weeks ago, but is getting more intense, with the greatest pain the first step out of bed in the morning. The orthotics I was prescribed at that time will no longer work, as my foot grew another half size during my last pregnancy. Maybe the treatment for it will have improved, and this time I won't have to wear the boot that flexes the foot at night.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

The Wink

Sophie has been trying for a while now to wink. No easy task when you are only 5. She is now also blog savy, having seen Cousin James on his blog many times. So, when she told me "Mommy , watch, I can wink now!" her next request was, "Can you take a picture of me winking and put it on the blog?" Since I am pretty much a pushover, here she is:



And when all else fails:



And here's another one suitable for framing:


Sunday, February 04, 2007

Sophie in the Box

Who says you can't have fun with just a box? Sophie and Terry have a new game, Sophie calls it "tumbling". Here's how it goes........


Sophie (the instigator) gets in the box.



Said box is then turned upside down, sideways and end over end. All the while we hear Sophie talking to herself: "Wow, he's really doing a good job this time!", or something to that effect. The final outcome:

"Can we do it again Daddy!?!? Please, please can we do it again?"

By the way, the steam carpet cleaner (on sale at Kohl's) that came in the box was well worth the money. It cost a lot less than having the carpets done professionally, and did a great job. It was easy to use as well, at least that is what Terry told me. He did the entire house over several nights last week. We were both surprised and disgusted at how dirty the water was. Guess we won't wait another 5 years before steam cleaning again!

Friday, February 02, 2007

15 Months

Michael and Emily had their 15 month checkup yesterday. Here they are on the way to the pediatrician's office:
















Both are doing well. They are small for their age, but Dr Harrison was not concerned. Each of them have gained weight and grown since our last visit. He did suggest I cut down on the amount of milk they drink each day. They need less than what I have been giving them. This was good news, as I am REALLY ready to be done with bottles. Tonight we will dispense with the bedtime bottles, and try milk in a cup with dinner.

Here are the stats:

Emily: 30 inches and 19.9 lbs. Head circumference is 47. She is in the 30th percentile for height, the 8-10th percentile for weight, and the 50th percentile for her head.

Michael: 31 inches and 20 lbs. Head circumerence is 47. He is in the 45th percentile for height, and the 5th percentile for weight. Also 50th percentile for head.

Both of them are talking up a storm. Emily says Mama, Dada, Uh-oh, "fffffttt" for the sound a dog makes and "ooh ooh ahh ahh" for the sound a monkey makes. Michael says Mama, Dada and is trying hard to say uh oh. Babbling is very big with them right now. They both really like books and will help each other dump out the basket, then sit down and "read" for up to 30 minutes at a stretch. They both have their favorites, and will bring them when asked to do so.

They are starting to use a spoon to feed themselves, which is quite funny. They are both good about getting the spoon in their mouths, but sometimes the food has fallen off by the time it gets there. When I feed them, each of us has a spoon. Mine is so they actually get food in them, and theirs is to practice. To get the job done, they usually revert back to their hands.

This is a very fun age; there is not a lot of disagreement between them, they are curious and engaging with each other and everyone they meet. If tempers do flare, they are still easily distracted, which is nice. And they don't talk back yet, which is so refreshing! The trip to the drs. and the ensuing 3 shots per child did wear them out. We weren't even out of the parking garage before Emily fell asleep, Michael followed soon after. It was a quiet trip home!