Alligators

Yesterday we took the girls to the local wetlands to look for animals, big animals. We found some ducks, turtles, at least two baby alligators and one VERY large alligator. I think it was hard for the girls to see the small gators but they definitely saw the big gator, especially after it jumped on some poor unsuspecting creature and ate it. After hearing the splash I quickly grabbed the girls and held them tight. The gator with the fresh catch in his mouth decided to swim in our general direction while we scooped the girls up and left the very large alligator to feast on his meal.

The entire walk around the wetlands is just about a mile and our girls want to walk. The idea or the suggestion of riding in the stroller can cause a happy child to break down crying in seconds. For the most part they do a great job of walking and keeping up with us as we try to make our way around without melting. The kids remember where they have seen the bunny rabbits and run to that spot to see if they see them so getting around is not really that bad, most days. On Saturday, Sydney hit the boardwalk and did not want to get up. She did not want to get in the stroller either so Matt decided to play super daddy and carried the girls the rest of the way.

After our walk we took the girls to the mall to look for Halloween costumes at the Disney store. They were more interested in pulling all of the stuffed dolls off the shelves and driving Matt up a wall. Jordan was the only child who would humor Matt and try on a costume, too bad she is the only child who has a costume, because she would have made the cutest Tigger in town!

Potty training twins

"Tindney tit on my yap?!!!"

Out and about

Last night we were driving home from dinner and talking about sending the girls to school three days a week next year. All of the sudden we hear Sydney say "no, no I don wan to, I don wan to". We asked her if she wanted to go to school the next day and again we heard "I don wan to" and reassured her that she did not have to go the next day. The ears are always listening.
Tonight when we were out to dinner the girls discovered the fastest way out of their seats was to tell us they needed to "go potty". I believe that Sydney was the one who figured this out first because she is always looking for a way out and a way to run free. Matt took both girls to the men's room where Lior sat and went and much to Matt's surprise Sydney sat and went. After explaining to the girls that big boys pee in a urinal, Sydney came running out and announced to the hostess that she "peed in the potty". Then she ran to the older couple sitting next to us an told them "I peed on the potty, I peed on the potty!!" She was just so proud of herself, her expression was priceless. Matt apologized to the older couple but they were thrilled for Sydney and told her how happy they were for her.

Further evidence

These girls just keep getting cuter and cuter every day!
Jordan is officially walking. She is just not walking unassisted when I have the camera ready. Today she started walking towards me while I was busy with Sydney and all of the sudden Lior started screaming "she's walking, she's walking!!" and she really was and she was really excited about it.

Lior is as cute as ever...

and our Sydney is just as hugable and lovable as ever. She is funnier and cuter than ever before.

We just can't get enough of them!

To market

The imaginations were in full swing today and thank goodness because it was a really rainy day. Our morning started with Sydney going to market. She picked up her wand and lunchbox and put her headband on and went to market. She was going to buy milk. Then she was going to buy a book, not just any book but a Curious George book. When I asked her what store she was going to she replied "Target". I am training her well.
Later in the day I tried their new jackets on them, bought at Target of course, and the girls decided that they were leaving to go and see Mickey Mouse. They zipped up their zippers, flipped up their hoods and waved goodbye, they were off to the happiest place on earth on a yellow bus. Sydney even dumped all the stuffed animals and attempted to make a car out of the container. She changed her mind when she discovered an empty shelf that she could sit on and drive the bus.
Our girls had a lot of fun today and kept themselves very busy until they passed out cold on the couch and "mommies chair". A good end to a very busy day of play!

Talking

Lior is talking so much that Matt and I really have to watch what we say. Today on our way to dinner Lior was repeating EVERYTHING Matt was saying. We heard:

"James want a squishy" "Jordan is cute" "Namaw Poppa dinner"
"Thank you dinner"

During dinner she was sharing tons of information with her namaw. She heard about the birthday party we attended today and about the phone call Lior made today. Lior and Sydney both had the chance to talk to our cousin Martha to wish her a belated birthday. Well, Lior thought that this was the one of the most exciting parts of her day because when she told namaw about the call she became extremely animated and her face lit up. "I talk Marta, namaw, I say Happy Birtday!!" After dinner, when we were cuddling on the couch she reminded me "Mommy I talk Marta today, Mommy".

Sydney is talking up a storm as well, she is just harder to understand. She tries very hard to make herself understood. She really tries to slow down and make the sounds clearer by over articulating some of the sounds. Her lips are doing double duty because she just wants us to understand her. She seems to be very good at telling us "I want M&M's in a bol, no raisin" or "I want M&M's in a tup too". She is also quite adept at screaming. Screaming in frustration, screaming for joy, or just plain screaming!

Jordan is talking up a storm also but the only thing we can make out with that one is "mama" and occasionally "dada". She seems more interested in taking steps. She will be running in circles around me in no time. Everyday there are more and more steps and more attempts at walking. What happened to our baby?

School days

It is funny how our big girls behave sometimes. I remember when they were infants and Lior would scream and scream after every meal because of the reflux and Sydney was easy going and waited patiently for me to get to her. After Sydney learned to walk, the tides turned and Lior was easier than Sydney. Sydney was extremely demanding and very domineering, a complete change in personalities.
Today, when I was dropping the girls off at school, it happened again, a complete change in personalities. Sydney walked into the room and turned around and said "Bye Bye Mommy, Bye Bye Mommy" and walked away. Lior grabbed on to me and started to cry and had a really hard time. When I came to pick them up she ran to me and said "Mommy I miss you, I cry". Sydney ran out the door and climbed into the wagon with Jordan and then said "Hi Mommy!". It is amazing to see the differences in their personalities and how they change all the time. I always say they are never bad or unhappy at the same time.
Jordan is truly enjoying her time without the big girls but I think she also misses having them around. When we came home from dropping the girls off at school she had the opportunity to crawl around and explore without anyone picking on her. I found her sitting in her booster seat trying to buckle herself in, just like Sydney!

Ode to matt

I have been trying to come up with some kind of "top ten" list about Matt but there are just too many thing to put on a list and I am, unfortunately, not that witty. Matt is a tremendous help and a great father. The other night we were watching Wife Swap, why I don't know, and they had two extreme couples. The first couple that was introduced, the wife did everything and the kids were out of control and the other couple the husband did everything including blow drying his wife's hair every day and painting her toe nails! The house where the husband did all the work was completely spotless and the other looked a wreck- kind of like ours before the cleaning lady comes. The show got me thinking about everything that Matt does around the house and how he does it without a second thought.
Now don't get me wrong Matt is far from perfect but he is as close as I think he is going to get without exploding! I am always amazed by how Matt can work all day, come home and help with the girls, put them to sleep and then start the dishes or on bad days go back to work. Ultimately I think the girls are very lucky to have a dad who has his priorities in order. Matt wants to spend time with his family and makes the time to do things with them, even if it creates more work for him later.
Today Matt was able to join us at the gym and he was amazed by the progress the girls have made following directions. It was really amazing to watch them take the sticks and beat them like a drum, hammer it like a nail, make an X, a L, and a T. They were really listening and following directions without taking the sticks and beating each other in the head with them, they played with them appropriately. It is great that Matt is able to see these subtle changes in the girls and does not need them pointed out to him.
I am always telling my friends how great Matt is and how lucky I am that he is willing to be such a hands on dad. When the twins were Jordan's age I could leave Matt alone with the girls for a full day without any directions, he knew their schedule as well as I did. Today I would not think twice about leaving the girls with him for the day without direction because he knows what to do with them. I really don't think my friends are that fortunate.
Now all Matt has to do is pay me the dollar he owes me and I will keep everything that he does that annoys me to myself!

The evidence is clear

I have to say it because it is true. Jordan is getting cuter every day. Lior is getting cuter every day. Sydney is getting cuter every day. Let me present the evidence...
#1- Jordan stands up in the middle of the room, stands there laughs and gives you the biggest best smile in the world.
#2- Jordan took her first step to me yesterday and when she realized that she did it she got so excited she fell down.
#3- When I asked Lior what she did at school today she said "I cry", "why", I asked. "I miss you mommy". How cute is that???
#4- When Lior asked to go poopy in the potty at Matt's office today, she actually went! When she heard the poop hit the water, her face lit up and she screamed "I pooped in the potty, a big one!" I commented that it was a big one like daddy's and Lior said "P.U." and waved at her face.

#5- Sydney has asked for M&M's in a cup for the last two days and I have caved in and given it to them along with animal crackers and raisins with strict instructions not to give the M&M's to Jordan. Well, today the girls were sitting a little too quietly eating their delicious snack and much to my shock and horror, sharing their M&M's with Jordan. When I asked Sydney if she shared her M&M's with Jordan she shook her head proudly and said "EE-OR too!". Jordan was thrilled and had no problems eating those candy coated treats, she does not know that babies should not eat chocolate.
#6- Sydney sat quietly on her pink chair today with her baby, her purse and the babies bottle and rocked her baby, kissed her head and talked quietly to her. Later she picked up a book and tried to read it to her. How cute is that??

I told you the evidence is clear! Those girls are just getting cuter by the minute. Matt and I are the luckiest people on earth.

Potty training update

Potty training is going very well for Lior who wants to wear big kid pants most of the time. She is fairly successful most of the day, as long as I remind her that she is not wearing a diaper and I take her to the bathroom at least every twenty minutes. Needless to say I can not wait for this part to be over. I know that once she gets the hang of it I will not be running to the bathroom every twenty minutes or asking her every five minutes to use the bathroom.
Sydney is not as happy with the potty training. She would love to wear panties all the time but no matter how hard she tries she can not pee on the potty. I have to convince her to wear her diaper several times a day by reminding her that she can wear panties when she pees on the potty. I know that when she is ready she will be a breeze to train because that is how Sydney is when she sets her mind to doing something she does.
All I know is that by the end of the day Lior is ready for a diaper and I am ready for her to wear one as well! This afternoon, I walked into the living room to find Lior sitting on the floor trying to put on a diaper. She wore it for an hour and then decided that she needed her big girl pants.
I have already noticed a change in the amount of diapers we have gone through and I am excited that I do not have to run to the store this week. I might even have enough diapers to make it through the rest of the month!

Breaking down

When my brother Danny was here in July things in my house started to break. Our two year old air conditioner was not keeping the house at a comfortable seventy two degrees in the day time. At times the air was seventy four or seventy five degrees, which is way to hot for me. He managed to break our beautiful two and a half year old double wall oven. I think he tried to break the toaster as well but we barred him from touching even the smallest of appliance.
Well, even though he is thousands and thousands of miles away he has managed to break our almost four year old refrigerator. How he does it I can't tell you but I am positive it is his fault the refrigerator is not working. All we know is that when we left the house this morning to go grocery shopping the refrigerator was nice and cold and when we returned home with four gallons of milk, assorted dairy products and fruit it was nice and warm in our refrigerator.

I can do it!

The girls were ready to go to the gym today the minute they woke up. Sydney thought the furniture was a good place to start.


Lior thought it looked like a good idea.


And she could not be stopped at the gym!

Operation potty training: day one

One day down, who knows how many more to go. Well, we tried to go without diapers today and it seemed to go well. Lior was very excited to be wearing "big kid pants" and tried not to pee in her Cinderella panties. She did a fantastic job and was very excited to be out of the diaper.


Sydney decided that she wanted to wear panties too. She put on her Snow White panties and we hoped for the best. She did not have an accident but she did not pee on the potty either. She has an iron will just like her cousin Adina. The good news is that Adina is potty trained so there is hope for Sydney.

A different world

The world is a completely different place than it was when I was a child. Today I was pumping gas at BJ's when a cute older gentleman pulled up behind me and got out of his car to ask me how to use the pump. About fifteen seconds into my explanation, it dawned on me that he was trying to distract me so someone could attempt to steal Jordan from the car. How crazy and paranoid is that? The chances that someone would actually do something as sick as that are slim but she was sitting in the car with her window open while I started the pump.
Needless to say, Jordan was safe and this man really wanted direction on how to use the pump but the idea that someone would come up and snatch her is very real and something I think about constantly. Now that the big girls like to walk in the mall, I am constantly in a state of panic. I must scan the area a thousand times a second to make sure they are in my line of vision. I sound like a very tough mean mommy at the mall because the girls do not get second chances, it is either walk with me or get in the stroller. They are learning and I really don't have to remind them of the rule that often but if I do they know I mean business.

Firsts

There have been several firsts today alone which deserve a little recognition. First and foremost Sydney peed in the potty! That poor child sits and sits and nothing happens, until today when she was finally successful! You should have seen the look of determination on her face, she was ready to do something and she was not leaving until she got some action. She was pushing so hard I thought it was going to be something else but when she finally peed there was a look of sheer joy that passed over her face. We were all so excited, Lior came running over to give her a BIG hug and a kiss! Now I hope she continues to use the potty on a regular basis.
Lior has been very successful on the potty and tomorrow we are stripping off the diaper and toilet training with some gusto. I hope she is ready because I am ready to reduce our diaper bill. I am sure once Sydney sees Lior using the toilet all of the time, she will be ready to rip off her diaper and start peeing on the potty all the time!
Jordan is not ready for toilet training, yet, but she is climbing up the stairs without assistance, drinking from a sippy cup (especially her sisters!), and cutting another tooth. Tonight we gave her her first chocolate chip cookie which she LOVED and gobbled up without out any help. She has her first black eye which she got when she crawled over a pillow that moved with her and propelled her into a toy face first. I am happy to say that it was not her sisters fault, they were nowhere near her when it happened!.
They are all growing and changing so fast it is amazing to watch. I feel like there are more and more firsts every day and they are happening so fast I miss some of them. I am working hard at capturing as many "firsts" as I can. Lior is constantly reminding me to take her picture, so I finally have some help!

Old friend, new toys

We had a very pleasant surprise on Friday when an old friend called out of the blue to say hi and announce she was among the living again. I quickly invited her over for dinner, afraid she would disappear again. Emily came bearing gifts, lots and lots of gifts for everyone and each gift was a complete home run!
The big girls loved the scooters she brought, but it was the helmet, sun glasses and cell phone that were the biggest hits. As we all know, it is all about the accessories in this house and the scooter had really good accessories! Today Lior was wearing her sun glasses and I told her how cute she looked and she replied "You take my picture?"

Jordan was not left out and got the cutest walking toy which Matt plans on using every day this week to encourage her to walk (and change my life forever!). She has her eyes on the cell phone too and steals one as often as she can. They are also learning how to fight over the golf clubs while Matt and I duck to avoid a club to the head. And we can not forget the bubbles and bubble blowers because every few minutes they point outside so we can go and play with the bubbles.



Sydney certainly enjoyed Emily's visit because the first thing she said to me Saturday morning was "Where Emi?" It seems that her imagination has taken over and she is ready for a little trip. She has been putting on her helmet, gets on her scooter and stands at the door to baby jail and waves bye bye and when we ask her where she is going she says "I going see Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Cinderella, Mickey Mouse!" Even today when we had them out on the driveway, she was headed to the Magic Kingdom to see Mickey Mouse. She is ready for vacation, which is at least six weeks away! Why did I tell her we were going to Disney now? So I could here Sydney say over and over again "I see Mickey Mouse" and Lior say "Sydney see Goofy too?" We are ready for a nice family vacation.

One year ago today...

One year ago today our Lior spiked a fever. I remember it vividly, it was a Wednesday, because we were at Target to get out of the cleaning ladies way. Lior was exceptionally cranky and when I went to put her into the car she was HOT. I gave her some Tylenol on the spot and finally took her home. When we got home I noticed that her groin was EXTREMELY swollen and when I took her temperature it was one hundred and one, after a dose of Tylenol. We called the doctor and left for my moms house for dinner, it took the doctor forever to call back. When they did call back they wanted us to come right in to their office about forty minutes away. We piled the kids in the car and took off.
When we got to the doctor Lior's fever was one hundred and three and they sent us to the emergency room where we waited and waited. Matt brought Sydney home when they finally put us in a room and were starting to work her up. The things they had to do to my poor little Lior. They tried to put the I.V. in twice before they got it in and then they had to catheterize her for a urine sample. By the time Matt returned she was asleep and I was completely spent. At about one in the morning they came to take Lior for a chest x-ray and I said "No, she has been through enough, if her pediatrician wants her to have one we will do it at a later date." About ten minutes later they released us with instructions to see our pediatrician with forty eight hours.
When we woke up the next morning Lior's fever was back to one hundred and three and we were on the way to the pediatricians office. The pediatrician took one look at Lior and knew something was wrong, she was laying on me like a rag. The nurse took her temperature and it was over a hundred and five. We could not give her anymore medication because we had already given her Tylenol and Motrin. They put cold compresses on her to bring down the fever and sent me directly to the hospital that had sent us home the night before.
We spent the next five days in the hospital fighting with surgeons and sitting through painful medical procedures. The surgeon did not want to drain the abscess, he wanted it to drain on its own, which it wasn't doing and the infection was spreading to her leg and abdomen. The surgeon stopped by Lior's room at eleven o'clock on Saturday night and after a very brief conversation where I explained that we wanted her to have surgery, he stood up and said "If you want me to cut her, I'll cut her! They will come and get her in ten minutes." After I picked my jaw up from the floor, I called Matt and had him go to the neighbors house while I called my mom to come over and sit with Sydney. Matt flew to the hospital and made it just as the orderly was coming for Lior.
The surgery was over within twenty to thirty minutes and we were able to go and sit with Lior immediately. She was fine and happy to see us, which was good because I was having some contractions while she was in surgery and needed to lie down. It was amazing, her fever broke the next day and we were released on Monday. I think if I had not insisted on the surgery, Lior would have had a longer hospital stay and perhaps more than one operation to drain the infection.
Things were not that easy when we got home because we had to pack her wound every time the packing came out or she went to the bathroom. Packing is definitely a two person job and one we never want to have to do again. We soaked her in the sink with bleach prior to each packing and fed her junk food and let her watch television while she soaked so she would sit. By the time she was ready to get out of the sink, Matt would come home from work and we would start the packing process, which was complete torture for her and for us.
After about a week of packing we went back to our pediatrician for a quick check. That morning I noticed a suspicious lump on Sydney's tush, the pediatrician took one look and put her on antibiotics immediately and suggested we take her to the surgeon.
We had an appointment with the surgeon in two days so we thought we would wait until then, giving the medicine time to work. When we got to the office he took one look at her rear and looked up at me and asked "When was the last time she ate?" We were off to the hospital for an out patient surgery and another ten days of packing. This time it was much easier because we got her on the medicine early enough and the infection did not have the chance to spread through her system. We were home by eight o'clock and avoided a stay in the hospital. We still had to pack Sydney, which was even harder than packing Lior because of the position of the wound and Sydney's strength.
We were off to Disney a week after Sydney's surgery, we all needed a vacation after all the doctor visits and before the new baby came!

One of the big girls

Right in front of our very eyes, our baby is growing into a big girl. Not only is Jordan waving like a mad woman at anyone who will look at her, she is standing unattended. That is right she is standing up and cruising on the furniture and letting go! Every chance she gets she is standing on her own and laughing. She is just so proud of herself.
I am sad, just like her big sister, Lior, Jordan has decided to walk at ten months. I do not think Jordan will walk across the living room like Lior did on her tenth month birthday but she will be walking soon. Our baby isn't a baby anymore! Pretty soon she will be eating more efficiently, climbing out of her crib, tearing off her diapers, and scaling the rock climbing wall just like the big girls!

Day two

The second day of school has come and gone. Lior once again had a fantastic day at school. Sydney did not. The goodbye did not go well, it took too long and was not well executed. The teacher announced that they were going outside and I told Sydney that I was leaving and she grabbed on and would not let go! I did not get any help distracting her or help taking her off of me. I managed to get out of the door but not as smoothly as I would have liked, for Sydney's sake. She managed to get through the day, as long as she was carried around by the assistant in the room.
The director of the school called me and asked me to pick Sydney up early and we came up with a drop off plan for Thursday. When I arrived to pick her up she was eating lunch and was doing well so I picked her up with the other kids. When I asked her if she had fun she said "YES" in a big happy voice. Yet when I ask her if she is going back to school on Thursday she shakes her head and says "NO!!"
It will take Sydney lots of time to get used to being away from me but she will get there!

Shower time

The girls have discovered the shower. They can stand in there for as long as we will let them. They like to take the liquid soap and soap up the shower door screaming "Making bubbles".

Matt and I love it because they are contained in the shower. Jordan loves it because she can finally play in the tub with out the big girls stealing her toys and splashing her. It is a win win situation for everyone!

Bedtime beauties

The other night Matt had to work late so bedtime was up to me. I chose to stick a movie in and turn the kids brains to mush before reading a ton of books to put them to sleep. Lior had a chance to hold Jordan and her bottle before bed while they sat in my lap.



Sydney had a chance to hold Jordan without any help from mommy.


Lior and Jordan enjoyed cuddling on the couch while they watched the movie.


I have been trying to get a picture of the three girls for as long as I can remember. So far this is the best one!


And it is off to bed for all our beautiful girls.