Saturday, May 31, 2008

Embracing our inner princesses


We embraced our inner princesses today. Actually it was the big girls who were total princesses today with their father and grandfather egging them on. We made a trip to the Princess store today for haircuts. Lior was very excited about it this morning and was highly motivated to leave the house. She told me exactly what was going to happen and what the hairdresser was going to do, she even told me the color of the lollipop she was going to pick out. Sydney just told me that Lior was going to go first and then she was going to go. Both girls wanted Jordan to get a haircut but since she does not have enough hair she had to settle on a lollipop.
Sydney had such a grand plan but when we got there they took both girls at the same time. Sydney took it well and was coaxed into the chair by a very experienced hair dresser and beautiful flowers for her hair. Sydney can be bought! Lior on the other hand was having no part of the chair and wrapped her legs around my waste and her arms around my neck. I finally got her into the chair because Matt came over and held on to her hand the entire time.
Sydney sat beautifully in the chair and was so very brave. She was so proud of herself and so were we. The haircuts look beautiful and I think the girls had a great time.


I know Matt did, you should have seen his face when they sprayed the glitter on the girls hair. Priceless!
I know Jordan did, she got all the reward without having to be tortured in the "chair".
After the haircuts we made our trip over to the shoe store where Jordan and Lior got shoes. Sydney did not need shoes so she went shopping with Grandpa instead. They both had a great time but who would not have a good time playing in Pottery Barn Kids? The stuff in that store is so nice but way too expensive. Sydney had a great time visiting the toys and pretending to be me!
Today was a big day for two of my girls Sydney used the "big potty" twice today while we were out. Now this might not seem like a big deal but it is HUGE! We have been carrying around a portable potty so she can go on that. I hope that this trend will continue. Jordan also sat on the potty today while we were out. She insists on going to the bathroom every time the girls do and today Matt asked her if she wanted to sit and she did. The girls were so excited. They held her hand and told her she could do it. She did not pee but she sat and that is half the battle. Way to go Jordan!
Poor Akiva he does not stand a fighting chance. He is just surrounded by all these glamorous girly girls. His shirt just says it all.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Random thoughts


Akiva is seven weeks old and everyone in this house is completely in love with him. Lior loves to look at him and give him kisses. Sydney loves to help me change his diapers and cover him with a blanket. Jordan is still constantly kissing his head and demanding to hold him. He is starting to gain more head control and enjoys looking around. He smiles at me and coos when I talk to him which melts my heart and makes we want to eat him up! He is sleeping for longer stretches, he nurses at nine every night and sleeps through to about four, eats and goes back to sleep until about seven. Not bad, huh?
Sydney had her first real temper tantrum the other day when we were out for a walk with her bike. She has some temper and is relentless but I stood my ground and did not give in, even though I really wanted to and she was much better by the time we got home. It is odd to see her have a melt down because she tries so hard to be the very best listener and follow directions. Sydney has been having a hard time separating from me in the morning at school and complaining about a tummy ache on mornings that she has to go to school. I wish she did not get so stressed out about leaving me because I know she has a great time once she gets warmed up. Now she will have plenty of time with me and hopefully she will want to go to camp ever day this summer.
Lior is still giving us a run for our money. Right now she is the one who is giving us a hard time over everything we ask her to do. Earlier this week we had a battle and I am proud to say that I won! Lior was claiming that she could not get dressed because she could not do it. Lior has been able to dress herself for as long as I can remember so I demanded that she start dressing herself again. Now she is not willing to accept help and demanding to dress herself. I have created a monster! Lior has been very silly lately and we are using her silliness to our advantage, instead of feeding into her demands and whining we are joking around with her and it is working. Now instead of screaming and yelling at us she is laughing and smiling (most of the time).
Jordan is actually a monster. She is by far our toughest child. If you tell her no, she looks at you, laughs and does it anyway. She hits Sydney and Lior and runs away. She kicks us when we try and change her diaper or sit next to her on the couch. She sounds like a real monster doesn't she? She is also the sweetest child who walks up and kisses you for no good reason. She is combining more words together on a daily basis. Her vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds and I am hoping that as her vocabulary increases her screaming will decrease. I can only hope because she is really a delightful child with the strongest of wills and a nasty temper! Jordan is blessed with both Matt and my tempers which is not necessarily a good thing. I have a flash point of anger and Matt tends to throw things (you should see his office door!)... we may be in for it!

School

When I was in graduate school it was common practice to target all of our goals during "play". I was really doing therapy with kids but we were not sitting at a desk running drills or creating grammatically correct sentences. Instead we were having a pretend picnic, fishing, or cooking. Some of the parents thought all their kids were doing was playing and did not see the therapeutic value of play. I understand and value the importance of play and want my children to have a strong foundation in play.
When I sent my girls to school they knew all the basics. They knew colors, shapes, basic counting, could follow simple directions, turn pages in a book but their pretend play skills were just emerging. Sydney and Lior "played" together but not really cooperatively. After about a month at school I really began to see a lot more imitation in their play and now they are really using imitation in their play and truly playing cooperatively. Since their language skills have increased their play has become more elaborate. They have started playing school,Lior is Morah Stacey, Sydney is Morah Shulie (or Julie), and Jordan is Morah Shainey . They pretend to read books or help with a tea party. What thrills me is that they include Jordan in their play and she really plays along. When she is pretending to beShainey she answers to Shainey's name and does what ever the bigger kids tell her to do. I love that when Sydney changes her babies diapers she needs to put on gloves because that is how they do it at school.
I know their are a lot of people who do not understand that children learn through play, imitation and repetition and would not see this year as being successful for the girls. I see that the girls have established a solid foundation in learning how to play. They are learning the pragmatic skills necessary to get along in the world. I do not gauge success by how many letters they know or how high they can count. I do not think that kids should be reading when they are three. I know that when they are ready to learn how to read or write they will because developmentally they will be ready.
Even though I was not read to send them to school and still am not thrilled with the time I spend away from them. I am thrilled with the progress they have made this year and can count their first school experience as successful. Of course there are things I did not like and wish could have been done differently but the girls reallybenefited from their first school experience. Now I have to gear myself to camp FIVE days a week because of course I am not ready and do not want to send them. I wonder if I will feel that way in a couple of weeks but tonight I am not ready!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Monday, May 26, 2008

Pool time


Matt set up the new pool yesterday. I should say he tried to set up the pool yesterday but since the ground is not level and he did not read the directions he will have to drain and set up the pool a third time. Last night when we got home from dinner Matt hooked the hose up to the hot water heater and gave the girls a mini bath outside. They loved it and asked for the hot water today while they were playing in the pool but since we live in Florida and it was in the eighties I said "no".
The girls do not seem to mind that the pool is not level and drooping on one side. It is bothering Matt and he has watched the instructional DVD and now has grand plans to drain the pool (again) and make it level. I am just watching money flow out of the pool every time Matt dumps a thousand gallons of water onto our lawn. If he yells at me one more time for leaving the water on while I brush my teeth I will remind him of the thousands of gallons of water he wasted trying to fill a kiddie pool!
The girls had a great time playing in their new pool today. They took the pots and pans from their play kitchen and made chicken soup for me using the flowers they found on the ground. Jordan attempted to climb into the pool without help and is surprisingly capable of climbing out of the pool without help. I give her a week before she is in and out of that pool with ease. Sydney and Lior can climb in and out without assistance but are not jumping in yet. I think once they realize they can soak me when they jump in they will be doing it all the time. Sydney stayed in the pool the longest because she was too busy singing "Happy Birthday " to me while she made me my cake...then she poured it on me. I can tell that we are going to have a great time with our pool this summer. Thanks Matt!!!

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Very tired

We should be very tired. We have been very busy getting wet. Since it has been so hot getting wet and staying cool has been our top priority. The girls are loving every minute of it and are becoming much better in the pool each time we go. Jordan is a dare devil and is jumping into the pool when we are standing there to catch her. Lior loves dunking her head and doing tricks with Matt. Sydney has became our swim machine and is swimming to the steps underwater! I think if we spent a week by a pool they would be very proficient in the water. It is a good thing that we have such good friends with pools and our very own two foot splash pool in the yard.

Today we got a very early start in an effort to beat the heat. The girls got abused by the goats while they tried to feed them. Even though the goats knocked Sydney over, bumped Lior and nudged Jordan hey fed them and enjoyed doing it. The adults were a little miffed that the goats were so aggressive but got over it because the girls were having so much fun.
Thank goodness there are more and more places that have splash areas for the kids to play in. Today I d not know who had more fun Matt or the girls!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Hats off

It is hot. It is not even summer yet and it is really really hot. I took the kids to the park today and they were really too hot to play. I tried making them wear hats but they just would not keep them on their heads.
Jordan did the best job of keeping it on her head and actually wore it for about twenty minutes.
Sydney was really good at carrying it around but wore it for two minutes during lunch when it became evident that Lior was going to try and wear it.
Lior tried on all the hats
even Akiva's.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

I'm not ready yet!

A few weeks ago it dawned on me that I would probably want to send Jordan to school when she was two. I should say that it finally dawned on me that I could send her to school mid-year when she turned two. Why this did not occur to me when they were registering kids for school, I do not know. I spoke to the director at the school and she told me that she would put Jordan on the waiting list and keep me posted.
Today I got a phone call after she looked at her list and it looks like they will have room for Jordan two days a week. I am sad. I think I might miss having Jordan in tow everywhere I go. When I told Matt about the phone call he told me he was not ready either!
While I was on the phone with Matt Lior came running over to me and told me, through tears, that she did not want to go to school anymore. I was shocked because Lior LOVES school, she wants to go to school every day and pretends to be Morah Stacey every chance she gets. When I asked her about it she told me that she was playing in the mud and her black shoes were gone. I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about and did not know what to do to help her calm down. She decided that we could go and buy another shoe but that she still does not want to go back to school. I know that she did not want to go to school today, I thought it was because we have had so much fun this weekend... I hope she is ready on Thursday and I hope Jordan and I are ready in January because they are all going to school... whether I like it or not!

Saturday, May 17, 2008

It's a sushi party



Today is my dad's seventieth birthday. I have discovered that when you have little kids in the house birthdays are a very big deal, so we had several discussions about Grandpa's birthday and what kind of party he should have. Originally they thought a princess party would be the ideal party for their "Poppa" but since he is a boy they had to rule it out, that is when Lior suggested we have a sushi party for him. When Lior told her Grandpa about her idea it was set in stone because he loves to spoil his grandchildren just about as much as he loves to eat sushi.
We started planning the sushi party earlier this week and tried to figure out a cake that grandpa could eat because of his diabetes. I settled on a sugar free mud pie with sushi decorations for him and a full on sugar high cake for the rest of us. It was by far the easiest cake I ever made and perhaps the most fun! The sushi looked real and tasted great, just like our sushi dinner!
Our day was spent celebrating with Grandpa, Grandma and Uncle Eric who came in to help us eat sushi and celebrate Grandpa's big day. We visited our friend Joy's community pool where the kids are allowed to swim in the "big pool". Jordan was asleep when we arrived and joined the fun late and it took her a very long time to warm up but when she did she managed to worm her way into Eric's heart. Sydney and Lior had a great time swimming and going under the water. By the end of the day Sydney was actually swimming to the steps. Not bad for a kid who was not willing to go into the pool in the beginning. It was my dad who got her to relax and enjoy herself. By the time I got into the water Eric and Grandpa were playing catch with her and she was loving every minute of it.
I hope my dad enjoyed his sushi party and spending the day with his grandchildren and the rest of us. I think must have a good time because he let Sydney decorate his head with pink heart stickers. Happy Birthday WE LOVE YOU!!!
***Look for this post to be edited at a later date I'm having trouble with my brain (pain killers are a wonderful thing) and a few of the pictures, I might actually be able to formulate a sentence tomorrow!

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Update

So much has been going on and I have not had the time to update the blog. My goal tonight is to provide a relatively complete update while I watch television and nurse the baby. I plan on being the queen of multi tasking!
Last Tuesday we had parent teacher conferences for Sydney and Lior. It was a very pleasant and positive conference. The girls seem to be on track socially, with their fine and gross motor skills, and academically. The teacher said that they were not able to state their last name (no wonder it is such a mouth full). We worked on it and now even Jordan is saying her last name. Both girls are getting along with the other kids but still manage to keep a close eye on each other. They say they are great friends and that just thrills us.

On Monday night the school hosted an evening just for the moms and the kids. It was great! The girls and I did a hand print picture, planted seeds (which are sprouting already!), and decorated cupcakes. We had a fantastic time and I think the girls liked having a little time with me alone. I think Matt missed us because he walked over to school and picked us up at school, I know Jordan missed me.

Matt had a bit of a cold and was pretty much out of commission yesterday but still managed to give the girls a bath and put them down to bed. He even got up and helped get them ready for school and made lunch. He is such a good dad. He is very busy at work which is great for us but means he gets to spend less time at home and less time with the kids.

I have been taking very small steps toward organizing our house. I am trying to throw things away on a regular basis. Because I believe everything I see and hear on TV I am getting rid of all our plastic dishes that have a "bad number" on them. I am walking from the mail box to the trash can and throwing away any and all junk mail. When I am looking for something and run across something that is expired or unwanted, I throw it away. Now I need to organize all the clothes and clean out the garage and I will like our house a lot better.

Akiva is doing very well and fitting into our happy family. He nurses like a champ and is starting to sleep for longer stretches. The other night he slept a solid five hours and I could not have been happier. I love that he naps at the same time as everyone else and I am getting a good nap in the afternoon because I really need it! I wish Matt could get a good nap in or a solid nights sleep, he could really use it.

We are getting ready for an exciting weekend. Not only is my dad's birthday but my brother Eric is coming for a visit as well. We should be completely exhausted by the time he leaves and grateful for our wonderful afternoon naps.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Priceless!

When you get to spend your day looking at this
and this
and these messy faces
and you get to see your daughter do this at least a dozen times with ease
and then go home and play dress up

Who could ask for anything more?

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Official big kid now!


Where did she go?
Jordan is finally officially a big kid complete with a matching nightgown and equal time rough housing with daddy. Whenever we ask Jordan if she is a big kid or a baby, she replies "big kid" with a huge smile on her face. She eats complete meals with the appropriate utensils, something her siblings often forget how to do. She is kicking balls, standing on one foot for at least three seconds, taking her clothes off and putting them back on, handing me wipes and telling me when she is poopy, using two and three word phrases and craft activities with her older sisters. She is starting to point to colors and shapes and can name green, pink, and purple things with about seventy five percent accuracy.

Where did our baby girl go? It seems like just yesterday I was struggling to stay awake while I nursed her in the middle of the night. She has an amazing sense of humor that keeps us laughing all of the time and occasionally has her sisters crying as well. We can only imagine what she will be like when she is actually two and not just trying to be two!

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Mother's Day

After a weekend of missed photo opportunities and tons of fun I can safely say we had a great Mother's Day weekend. The girls bought books, swam in Julie's new pool, slid down the biggest slip and slide, picked veggies and made brownies. A great weekend was had by all.
Akiva who has decided to nurse every hour on the hour starting at around seven every night and ending at about eleven. As time consuming as that sounds it really works out to be the best present I have ever gotten because I can not do dishes or other work around the house and nurse a baby at the same time. It looks like every night is Mother's Day! Thanks kids (and Matt) for the best Mother's Day yet!

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Bath time

When you are the fourth child there are less pictures of you, a baby book is completely out of the question, you cry a little more often and a lot longer and you do not get as many baths as the other children did when they were your age. Tonight Akiva took his fourth "real"bath. Coincidentally, it was the first time we were able to take pictures of him in his bath. As eager as I am to get pictures of everything the kids do, I am not capable of taking a hand off him in the tub. So while we do not have pictures of Akiva's first real bath, at least we have pictures of him in the tub!
The good thing about being fourth and getting your bath after your sisters are in bed is getting to cuddle up in a fluffy new towel and comfy robe.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Four weeks

Four weeks. Akiva is four weeks old today and I can not believe that he is that "old" already. Time is just flying by and I am so sad because my baby will not be my baby much longer. I know how fast this time flies by and I want it to slow down. I see him becoming more and more alert every day. He spends more time awake staring at me and his very affectionate sisters. He is demonstrating more head control every day.
I do not even mind waking up with him every three hours. I know that he will start sleeping for longer stretches and we will not have that time together in the middle of the night. The girls are enjoying him also. Today Lior asked me if we could have another Akiva or a girl baby named Lucy. Sydney wants us to have two babies because I think she thinks I do not let her hold Akiva enough. They love him, they love hugging and kissing him, they love having him around and doing things for him. Sydney changed his diaper today without much assistance from me. She was so proud of herself, I wish she were a little older so she can take over the bulk of the diaper changes.
I am planning on enjoying every minute of this baby. Matt says that he smiles every time I kiss him so I spend a lot of time kissing him. I actually can not kiss him enough. Jordan kisses him just about as much as I do, unfortunately Akiva does not smile every time Jordan kisses him. There is an occasional smile but most of the time I see a grimace or a look of total surprise whenever she comes near. He is loved.
I hope the next four weeks do not go by as fast as the first four weeks. I need more time or another baby and if I have another baby there will be even less time to enjoy that one!

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

A question!!!!

Someone posted a question to me on the comments... I am so excited! I love when people post comments and I don't get a lot of comments. I know people read the blog because I hear about it when I do not post enough but I do not get many comments.... hint, hint, hint!!!
To answer the question Jordan(18 months) is fifteen months younger than Sydney and Lior (33 months) and Jordan is seventeen months older than Akiva.

Shopping

I am so sad. The laptop is dead. I might be over reacting a little bit but the screen is dead and the battery does not work so I can not use it. I am going to have Matt transfer all my pictures and files on to the computer in our bedroom and I will have to drag my rear out of bed to blog an play on-line. I am so sad!
I had a great day with the girls today, which is a little surprising because it was the first time I took all four of them shopping by myself. I am sure we were a sight to see. Akiva was safely placed into the B'jorn where he was at exactly the right height for a kiss every few minutes. Jordan rode in the cart and gladly placed all the items we purchased in to the basket. Sydney and Lior walked through the store and placed everything they wanted into the cart including three bright orange Shrek shirts which were on clearance so at least I am teaching them to be smart shoppers! Lior walked around touching everything at her level saying "How cute is this?" "Sydney do you like it?"
I overcame my fear of taking the kids into the bathroom with a full cart of merchandise when they had to pee. In the past I had taken Jordan out of the cart and into the bathroom. Having Jordan free in the bathroom is no fun, she is everywhere and touches everything. It is enough to drive you crazy so today I decided to break the rules and take our cart loaded with clothes into the bathroom to keep Jordan contained. Thank goodness I did and I would do it again. I decided that if they said anything to me I would leave them in a room with Jordan alone for two minutes and see how they liked it!
I think I may brave the grocery store next, I'll keep you posted!

Sunday, May 4, 2008

A day of cute photos

We had a good day today. The girls let Matt sleep until nine which made him very happy. We played out in the sprinklers and Matt let the girls play with his water gun.

Sydney got in some quality time with Kaya all before nap time.
After nap time we took the girls and went to a farm with miniature donkeys, goats and horses. They took Drizzle the miniature horse for a walk. She tried to take a couple of bites at Sydney's dress but she took it in stride and Matt managed not to freak out.
The girls had a blast at the farm and we can not wait for their next fundraiser so we can go back and play with all the animals.
Sydney was truly in her element playing with all the animals. When she went to pet the miniature horse, she told him "don't bite me horse!" Jordan was very shy with the animals and took a long time to warm up to them. She did pet some of the animals but she had more fun flirting with her new boyfriend Barry.