The Big Cheese

Yesterday Sophie had a birthday party to attend at Chuck E. Cheese. It is a running joke between my mom friends that Sophie is 4 years old, and we had still never taken her there. Since the arrival of Michael and Emily, she has gone with other families, but I had still managed to dodge the bullet. So yesterday was the big day. With Terry's help I left the house at 10:45 am with all three children, and the twins freshly bathed. Believe me, that is no small feat for one morning!

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, there is too much loud music and many blaring TV screens showing Chuck E. singing and dancing, but seeing Sophie enjoy herself was worth it. Her favorite part was when Chuck E himself made a visit to our table to sing Happy Birthday to Leanne. Sophie immediately turned to me and said "Mommy, can I go hug him?" A far cry from the days when she screamed at the thought of sitting on Santa's lap. We all got tokens to spend and she had so much fun using them for the little rides and games. For those of you not familiar with the system, you earn tickets each time you play the games, and these can be cashed in for a "prize. Sophie earned 137 tickets and she cashed it in for a candy eyeball, the most disgusting candy treat available. Michael and Emily had a great time as well; they slept through the whole thing. I told Terry it would be worth it to go again (during the week only however, I hear weekends are bedlam) just to see Sophie attempt skee ball, it was quite a sight!

Big Sister Love

Sophie has really reached a turning point with Michael and Emily. She still likes to be right on top of them, but is learning what makes them laugh and smile and loves to get a reaction out of them. My favorite is when she tries to mimic that "parentese" talk, the kind of high pitched talking that mothers use so babies respond. I came back into the room with a bottle for Michael the other day, and she was laying next to him stroking his cheek and saying, "It's ok, it's alright, Mommy will be right back with your bottle". I had to laugh, her tone was so sing-songy, it made me think: Is that what I sound like all day long??

Here are some new shots of Sophie with her twin baby dolls; you can take a wild guess as to what their names are. And another of her holding the real things on the couch. Our neighbor Becky is spotting her.

Sleep: A Parent's Best Friend

The big news in the Gould household? Michael and Emily are now down for the night between 8 and 9pm, and wake up only one time to eat. Quite an accomplishment in my book! The past couple of weeks had been rough, as Michael had been waking himself up every hour with his flailing arms. Between trying to find his thumb, and his very active startle reflex, he was miserable, and I was miserable, since his crying woke up Emily. Trying to settle two babies back to sleep at once at is not a fun job, espescially when Mom is sleep deprived and grumpy. I finally bought a special blanket at Babies R Us, which is made just for swaddling. It has a pocket for his feet, and velcro to secure the sides. We had been swaddling him earlier, but had stopped a month ago, as he got out of any blanket we used. Well, this blanket works like a charm. I never thought I would have to resort to such an item, but it is totally worth it. We also moved Emily to the guest room, and she will stay there until they are both sleeping all night long. I have not had the guts to let them cry it out, as they do take an entire 6 oz. when they eat at 3am. Sophie started sleeping through on her own at 10 weeks, and she was breastfed, I thought for sure my formula twins would be going all night at this point!

Buddies

Sophie has a buddy, and his name is Noah Elliot Amsterdam. I include his middle name, because that is how she often refers to him, as "Noah Elliot". And she is very adamant that he is not her friend, he is her buddy. She has lots of friends from preschool: Katie, Elizabeth, Leanne and Nate and their assorted younger siblings, but only one buddy. They met in Mothers Morning Out when they were 22 ms old, and immediately bonded. They have been in the same class for 3 years now, and this years teacher has told both me and Kathleen (Noah's mother) that in all her years of teaching, she has never seen such a sweet friendship. But make no mistake, they have their moments. Sophie loves to say things to get Noah's goat, and he loves to react....the perfect couple. Here are two pictures, one from early December when they were playing at his house. It is no doubt one of the many afternoons that Kathleen took Sophie home from school with her while I was adjusting to the twins. And the other is from a couple of weeks ago, when they had their first sleepover, again at Noah's house. But don't worry, Rufus dressed as Buzz Lightyear was guarding over them. We are so fortunate that our daughter has found such a wonderful friend, and so lucky that we love his parents and younger brother Samuel just as much.

Curious George

We had a great time at Curious George. Sophie was just enthralled with the big screen, the huge chairs, the drink holder....you name it, she loved it. The movie was great too, not scary, the kids could follow the story line, and the music wasn't sicky sweet. Two cute things that happened....While Kathleen was out getting the popcorn and drinks, I sat in the theatre with Noah and Sophie. We were early, so there was plenty of time for them to chat, which is always hilarious. At one point Sophie leaned over and said to him, "Noah, you know what? When we are growned, I'm going to married you." To which Noah replied, "Oh, I knew that." Must be nice to have your husband all picked out and agreeable at 4.

2nd cute thing....There was one part of the movie that a bit sad, but nothing compared to Bambi losing his mother. I heard some sniffing and when I looked down at Sophie, she had tears in her eyes which she was wiping away. I tried to comfort her and asked if she wanted to sit in my lap. She wanted none of this, just wanted to be left alone. So, she is a sensitive one....wonder where that comes from? Maybe from her mother who used to cry at every episode of Little House on the Prarie? It's nice to know the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.