So here is the much anticipated interview with Eleanor, age 3 yrs 5 months.
Showing posts with label E. Show all posts
Showing posts with label E. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Random update
So if you have seen the little ladies lately, you will know that they are growing by leaps and bounds. This goes for their personalities as well. Here are 3 stories for your reading pleasure which all illustrate a typical day in the life of Clan Gacek.
The Monkey and the Cheese:
So I gave the girls cheese sticks-whole cheese sticks. Both of them plopped on the floor and started munching along. Well, for some reason, A got tired of eating hers and tossed it just a little ways away from her, but right next to Eleanor. So E grabs the stick and hands it to Abigail who narrows her eyes and tosses it again. Again, E picks it up and hands it to her. By this time, A is ticked, grabs the slimy cheese stick and with an exasperated UNH, whips it across the room. Eleanor did not get up to get it.
Music Soothes the Savage Beast[s]:
For those of you who don't know, we moved into our new Casa de Gato y Ninas this past weekend. Along with the house, we purchased a piano, intending for the girls to eventually take lessons. Well, needless to say, they are fascinated with the thing. They can both crawl up onto the bench and reach the keys. So yesterday they are both sitting up there playing away and pretty soon Monkey starts saying, "EH EH EH!!" Then the Bear joins in, both babies yelling, "EH EH EH!!!!" Finally E points down the keyboard. They wanted the bench to be moved down so they could play new keys. As soon as I moved them a bit, they were contented.
Comedy of Errors-funny and pretty sure we are doomed to the seventh layer of Hell:
Unfortunately, we had to make a somewhat unexpected trip to Chicago the week of June 16 for my grandmother's funeral.The whole family traveled there via minivan, which was an experience in and of itself. We also got to meet the two newest members of the family, Anthony who is 4 days younger than Monkey and Bear, and Noah who is now 6 months old. The 3 toddlers took to each other immediately and absolutely loved each other's company.
Being only 15 months, sitting in Church was not their idea of fun, so we spent a great deal of time outside having adventures. It was a beautiful day, very warm and hardly a cloud, so we spent a lot of time outside rather than in. The church was built in 1928, but in the classic Catholic church style which always seems to include millions of steps. So there we are, Abigail, Eleanor, Anthony, my cousin Shari, my mom and I, watching the babies run and frolick through the concrete pathways, ride the statuary and play the bongos on the Virgin Mary's head. Nothing too crazy, until the natives grew weary of their playthings and chaos ensued. First, Monkey decides she would like to do her best Nadia Comaneci impersonation by doing a well executed forward roll into Anthony's OCCUPIED stroller all while standing on the 4th to the bottom step of the entrance. My cousin immediately pulled back on the stroller, via instinct and I lunged forward to grab the still rolling Eleanor, only for both of us to trip over Abigail, who was having a senior moment and was crawling on the sidewalk. The end result was 3 toddlers screaming, 3 adults laughing hysterically, and one older late-arriving funeral attendee giving us all the crusty of a lifetime, damning us, I am sure, to eternal perril.
Feeling guilty that we were missing the service and worried that we would have a repeat performance of Miss Gold Medal 1976, we moved indoors to the OTHER set of 25 steps. At this point, my cousin gets tired of listening to Anthony whine, and lets him out of the stroller. He then immediately decides to show us HIS stair stepping prowess by going down the stairs like a big boy. Any of you with toddlers or younger children will know that when they are first mastering steps, more often than not, kids will back down them, using their hands and feet, in a modified bear crawl fashion. Going down like a "big kid" involves walking down the risers like any adult not completely inebriated or otherwise impaired, would tackle a staircase. I digress. Anyway, so Anthony is at the top of these stairs. To his credit, he did make it down about 5 before momentum took over and he started sliding down on his heals, but not going into a full-on log roll until about step 12. I should point out that this is my cousin Shari Lyn and any of you who know her, know that although she is only 5 feet tall, most of those 60 inches are occupied by lungs, so she shrieks, "ANTHONY THOMAS!!!!!!" Chris swears he didn't hear her inside the sanctuary up in the front of the church with the other pallbearers, but I think he is lying.
So yes it was an incredibly sad day, having to say goodbye to such a dynamic and wonderful lady, but really, there she was in all three of those little ones, having the time of her life.
So as you can see, most days we have our work cut out for us. As they say on Jon and Kate Plus 8, "It maybe a crazy life, but it's our life." Here, here, Gossleins.
The Monkey and the Cheese:
So I gave the girls cheese sticks-whole cheese sticks. Both of them plopped on the floor and started munching along. Well, for some reason, A got tired of eating hers and tossed it just a little ways away from her, but right next to Eleanor. So E grabs the stick and hands it to Abigail who narrows her eyes and tosses it again. Again, E picks it up and hands it to her. By this time, A is ticked, grabs the slimy cheese stick and with an exasperated UNH, whips it across the room. Eleanor did not get up to get it.
Music Soothes the Savage Beast[s]:
For those of you who don't know, we moved into our new Casa de Gato y Ninas this past weekend. Along with the house, we purchased a piano, intending for the girls to eventually take lessons. Well, needless to say, they are fascinated with the thing. They can both crawl up onto the bench and reach the keys. So yesterday they are both sitting up there playing away and pretty soon Monkey starts saying, "EH EH EH!!" Then the Bear joins in, both babies yelling, "EH EH EH!!!!" Finally E points down the keyboard. They wanted the bench to be moved down so they could play new keys. As soon as I moved them a bit, they were contented.
Comedy of Errors-funny and pretty sure we are doomed to the seventh layer of Hell:
Unfortunately, we had to make a somewhat unexpected trip to Chicago the week of June 16 for my grandmother's funeral.The whole family traveled there via minivan, which was an experience in and of itself. We also got to meet the two newest members of the family, Anthony who is 4 days younger than Monkey and Bear, and Noah who is now 6 months old. The 3 toddlers took to each other immediately and absolutely loved each other's company.
Being only 15 months, sitting in Church was not their idea of fun, so we spent a great deal of time outside having adventures. It was a beautiful day, very warm and hardly a cloud, so we spent a lot of time outside rather than in. The church was built in 1928, but in the classic Catholic church style which always seems to include millions of steps. So there we are, Abigail, Eleanor, Anthony, my cousin Shari, my mom and I, watching the babies run and frolick through the concrete pathways, ride the statuary and play the bongos on the Virgin Mary's head. Nothing too crazy, until the natives grew weary of their playthings and chaos ensued. First, Monkey decides she would like to do her best Nadia Comaneci impersonation by doing a well executed forward roll into Anthony's OCCUPIED stroller all while standing on the 4th to the bottom step of the entrance. My cousin immediately pulled back on the stroller, via instinct and I lunged forward to grab the still rolling Eleanor, only for both of us to trip over Abigail, who was having a senior moment and was crawling on the sidewalk. The end result was 3 toddlers screaming, 3 adults laughing hysterically, and one older late-arriving funeral attendee giving us all the crusty of a lifetime, damning us, I am sure, to eternal perril.
Feeling guilty that we were missing the service and worried that we would have a repeat performance of Miss Gold Medal 1976, we moved indoors to the OTHER set of 25 steps. At this point, my cousin gets tired of listening to Anthony whine, and lets him out of the stroller. He then immediately decides to show us HIS stair stepping prowess by going down the stairs like a big boy. Any of you with toddlers or younger children will know that when they are first mastering steps, more often than not, kids will back down them, using their hands and feet, in a modified bear crawl fashion. Going down like a "big kid" involves walking down the risers like any adult not completely inebriated or otherwise impaired, would tackle a staircase. I digress. Anyway, so Anthony is at the top of these stairs. To his credit, he did make it down about 5 before momentum took over and he started sliding down on his heals, but not going into a full-on log roll until about step 12. I should point out that this is my cousin Shari Lyn and any of you who know her, know that although she is only 5 feet tall, most of those 60 inches are occupied by lungs, so she shrieks, "ANTHONY THOMAS!!!!!!" Chris swears he didn't hear her inside the sanctuary up in the front of the church with the other pallbearers, but I think he is lying.
So yes it was an incredibly sad day, having to say goodbye to such a dynamic and wonderful lady, but really, there she was in all three of those little ones, having the time of her life.
So as you can see, most days we have our work cut out for us. As they say on Jon and Kate Plus 8, "It maybe a crazy life, but it's our life." Here, here, Gossleins.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
It's Elemental
Dear readers,
Ever want to watch Monkey and Bear grow before your eyes? Now you can do so! Notice on the right side of your screen there is a new addition to our virtual home: a slide show. Right now, I am still working on putting the pictures in order, so one could be very confused as to the time line of the show. Never fear, dear Readers. I will get it done so your brain won't be taxed with why poor baby E's hair grows and falls out constantly.
Until later, warmth.
-s-
Ever want to watch Monkey and Bear grow before your eyes? Now you can do so! Notice on the right side of your screen there is a new addition to our virtual home: a slide show. Right now, I am still working on putting the pictures in order, so one could be very confused as to the time line of the show. Never fear, dear Readers. I will get it done so your brain won't be taxed with why poor baby E's hair grows and falls out constantly.
Until later, warmth.
-s-
Friday, February 15, 2008
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
I'll take Popourri for 500, Alex
The first step is admitting it, right? Okay...Hi, my name is Ringmaster and I am a terrible blogger. Not terrible in the sense that I write poorly, although some might agree with that sentiment. Terrible meaning the essence of blogging, or so I understand it is to write frequently, sometimes even multiple entries in one day. LaVelle Neal of the Strib had 4 entries the other day! Well, to point out the obvious, LaVelle, I am not. As you have duly noted, I am doing great if I can get 2 entries out a MONTH. Well, now that I have some time on my hands, I am going to try to be more diligent. That is my New Year's resolution: blog more. More blog equals good. So without further ado, to the five rings that seem to encompass the Cirque du Gacek.
Monkey see, monkey do
So if memory serves when last we left Monkey, she was struggling to make her own path, to claim a milestone for herself. Well, she can officially check that off her list as she is "cruising." No, she isn't driving a souped up Camero down University, trolling for chicks. She is pulling herself up on things and walking around or along them. Officially, I guess, this is called cruising. She's been doing it for about 3 weeks now and is getting more and more bold in her actions. She has been known to cruise while only holding on with one hand, or try to go with no hands, both of which are foiled when either panic sets in and she falls, or she is nudged by another object, either animate (cat, foot of mother, sister's head) or inanimate (climbing box moves, entertainment center door "bites," chair rocks). I have laid down the gauntlet that she will be walking by Christmas. I am still sticking to the prospect that she will hit a major milestone in 20 days, although I think it will be more like standing on her own as she still evokes Riverdance when she is led out to "walk."
So what issues arise from this momentous moment in little Monkey's life you may ask? Well, the fact that she has experimented with shimmying up the side of her crib is fairly significant. Although I have only seen it twice, and she doesn't sleep in her crib (apparently it is electrified or otherwise unfit for anything but short periods of waiting for the changing table), the idea of leaving her in it unsupervised conjures up many frightening thoughts. Her new favorite thing to do is to stand up, hold onto the side and shake the whole bed with all her might. This is a task is much more satisfying in Sister's crib as A) the mattress sits up higher even in it's lowest setting so she can get more leverage and B) it is older than her crib and much looser in the joints so she can really get the joint rockin.
Other interesting tidbits in E's life include being over 28 inches long, having a bottomless pit for a stomach, and graduating to monthly visits to therapy. It is anticipated that she won't have to go any more for a while after this next appointment as her therapist told me last time that Eleanor was a full 3 months ahead of her peers in terms of motor development. She also got a clean bill of health from the cardiologist (for a refresher, see entry dated 07/03/2007). Although she still has two of the defects of the heart, the murmur is gone and a chest x-ray shows normal blood flow to both lungs. Her doctor was very adamant that she was just fine. She doesn't have to go back to see him until she is 3! Yay! Now how am I going to remember that...
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see?
And on to Baby B, our little Bear. Oh dear readers, what a momentous few months she has had. She has mastered crawling forward and robotically motors herself throughout the house. We have given her the Indian name of Thunder Mits as she can not sneak up on anything when she is crawling. Her methodical slap,slap, slaps can be heard even over Monkey's deafening squeals and shouts of "KHHHH! KHHHHH!" when she sees a cat, which in this house isn't hard. Abigail's favorite thing to do is laps around the perimeter of the living and dining room area rugs. But her most favorite destination is to the cat food bowls where she grabs a handful and continues on her journey, depositing small amounts of food as she goes, ala Hansel and Gretel. Perhaps she is worried that they won't be able to find their food unless she gives them a path. Or maybe she is setting a deadly trap for any feline she can lure into her midst so she and Eleanor can mess with it. Regardless of the reason, she tenaciously pursues that destination every time she is set free to roam. Boy will she be mad when the gate goes up over the kitchen doorway!
Abigail also has shown great interest in Sister's ability to pull herself up, and has begun to try kneeling and crawling over small obstacles, just like Monkey did when she was first learning. It's pretty cute to see them standing side by side squealing and talking about what ever, "Dudadadadda! KHHHH, mommamamadada KHHHH" means.
The final Abigail milestone is the fact that she has 2 new teeth coming in on the top. These are the central incisors. She will look like a beaver soon. I think her motivation is being able to eat pizza, as she drools uncontrollably whenever we eat it. She is definitely our kid.
Due to a downturn in the mortgage market...
GMAC-ResCap made a business decision to eliminate over 3000 positions nation-wide of which mine was one. Yeah, that's the PC way to say, "I got canned." Effective this past Friday, I was officially unemployed. Happy Christmas!! In the long run, it's probably a good thing. We all know that the familiar, no matter how distasteful, is preferable to the unknown. This was probably the unfortunate kick in the pants I needed to get me back out there playing the job search game.
Also because of the mortgage market, Chris's job is uncertain as his company provides relocation services. He, too, is looking and has some very promising prospects. I don't want to jinx it, so stay tuned for more on that subject.
Sleep soundly and carry a big set of earplugs
Well dear readers, the rest of the Gaceks have been sleeping for a while. Therefore I should follow their lead. Please join us next time when we will explore such topics as how to remove Mochachino paint from a cat's tail and 15 ways to distract an almost 9 month old with just a straw and your bare wits. Until then, peace.
Monkey see, monkey do
So if memory serves when last we left Monkey, she was struggling to make her own path, to claim a milestone for herself. Well, she can officially check that off her list as she is "cruising." No, she isn't driving a souped up Camero down University, trolling for chicks. She is pulling herself up on things and walking around or along them. Officially, I guess, this is called cruising. She's been doing it for about 3 weeks now and is getting more and more bold in her actions. She has been known to cruise while only holding on with one hand, or try to go with no hands, both of which are foiled when either panic sets in and she falls, or she is nudged by another object, either animate (cat, foot of mother, sister's head) or inanimate (climbing box moves, entertainment center door "bites," chair rocks). I have laid down the gauntlet that she will be walking by Christmas. I am still sticking to the prospect that she will hit a major milestone in 20 days, although I think it will be more like standing on her own as she still evokes Riverdance when she is led out to "walk."
So what issues arise from this momentous moment in little Monkey's life you may ask? Well, the fact that she has experimented with shimmying up the side of her crib is fairly significant. Although I have only seen it twice, and she doesn't sleep in her crib (apparently it is electrified or otherwise unfit for anything but short periods of waiting for the changing table), the idea of leaving her in it unsupervised conjures up many frightening thoughts. Her new favorite thing to do is to stand up, hold onto the side and shake the whole bed with all her might. This is a task is much more satisfying in Sister's crib as A) the mattress sits up higher even in it's lowest setting so she can get more leverage and B) it is older than her crib and much looser in the joints so she can really get the joint rockin.
Other interesting tidbits in E's life include being over 28 inches long, having a bottomless pit for a stomach, and graduating to monthly visits to therapy. It is anticipated that she won't have to go any more for a while after this next appointment as her therapist told me last time that Eleanor was a full 3 months ahead of her peers in terms of motor development. She also got a clean bill of health from the cardiologist (for a refresher, see entry dated 07/03/2007). Although she still has two of the defects of the heart, the murmur is gone and a chest x-ray shows normal blood flow to both lungs. Her doctor was very adamant that she was just fine. She doesn't have to go back to see him until she is 3! Yay! Now how am I going to remember that...
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see?
And on to Baby B, our little Bear. Oh dear readers, what a momentous few months she has had. She has mastered crawling forward and robotically motors herself throughout the house. We have given her the Indian name of Thunder Mits as she can not sneak up on anything when she is crawling. Her methodical slap,slap, slaps can be heard even over Monkey's deafening squeals and shouts of "KHHHH! KHHHHH!" when she sees a cat, which in this house isn't hard. Abigail's favorite thing to do is laps around the perimeter of the living and dining room area rugs. But her most favorite destination is to the cat food bowls where she grabs a handful and continues on her journey, depositing small amounts of food as she goes, ala Hansel and Gretel. Perhaps she is worried that they won't be able to find their food unless she gives them a path. Or maybe she is setting a deadly trap for any feline she can lure into her midst so she and Eleanor can mess with it. Regardless of the reason, she tenaciously pursues that destination every time she is set free to roam. Boy will she be mad when the gate goes up over the kitchen doorway!
Abigail also has shown great interest in Sister's ability to pull herself up, and has begun to try kneeling and crawling over small obstacles, just like Monkey did when she was first learning. It's pretty cute to see them standing side by side squealing and talking about what ever, "Dudadadadda! KHHHH, mommamamadada KHHHH" means.
The final Abigail milestone is the fact that she has 2 new teeth coming in on the top. These are the central incisors. She will look like a beaver soon. I think her motivation is being able to eat pizza, as she drools uncontrollably whenever we eat it. She is definitely our kid.
Due to a downturn in the mortgage market...
GMAC-ResCap made a business decision to eliminate over 3000 positions nation-wide of which mine was one. Yeah, that's the PC way to say, "I got canned." Effective this past Friday, I was officially unemployed. Happy Christmas!! In the long run, it's probably a good thing. We all know that the familiar, no matter how distasteful, is preferable to the unknown. This was probably the unfortunate kick in the pants I needed to get me back out there playing the job search game.
Also because of the mortgage market, Chris's job is uncertain as his company provides relocation services. He, too, is looking and has some very promising prospects. I don't want to jinx it, so stay tuned for more on that subject.
Sleep soundly and carry a big set of earplugs
Well dear readers, the rest of the Gaceks have been sleeping for a while. Therefore I should follow their lead. Please join us next time when we will explore such topics as how to remove Mochachino paint from a cat's tail and 15 ways to distract an almost 9 month old with just a straw and your bare wits. Until then, peace.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Randomness
It's Tuesday. Tuesday means different things to different people. To Wallace it meant porridge. To the college-aged Ringmaster, it meant tacos. But to the parent Ringmaster, it means babies go to Grandmas! WAHOO!! I also tend to work on projects that cannot be accomplished when babies are here, such as tonight's mission, cleaning the girls' room. It occurs to me that some of you have never seen their space, or at least haven't seen it this clean.
This would be their door. Who knew it would be so hard to
find letters that weren't cutesy? I found these on clearance at
Walmart. Actually only the A was on clearance, but
through the magic of fingernails, I got both for 50 cents.
SHHHH! Don't tell Sam Walton!
This dresser and shelf on the left was mine as kid. Now
on the shelves, I have displayed things that were
ours as kids, you know, things that reflect the childhood of
Mom and Dad. So sweet your teeth could rot, right?
Of course, straight ahead is the end all be all of gifts, books.
Don't worry dear readers, there are more than just those two
measly shelves. There is a whole basket-full next
to Monkey's crib.
And speaking of cribs, here they are, complete with clean
sheets, although that part is lost on you since this is just a photo
If you were in the room, however, you could smell the sweet
smell of Mountain Fresh Downey. And lentil soup.
Incidentally, Monkey's crib is in the foreground, and Bear's is in the background.
They both have breathable bumpers as they are both
devoted baseball fans and LOVED to play catch with their NUKers.
Try to find a NUKer at 3 in the morning when it has fallen behind
2 boxes of diapers and the humidifier. Just try it. I dare you.
Now they can practice their Torii Hunter catches off the baggie.
There it is, the Wall Street of Casa de Gato y Ninas: where
fortunes are made and lost, dreams made and broken. I speak of
course of the the changing table. Many deals have
gone down here. And many a diaper has given its life
for an innocent infant's butt.
This is the other side of the room, with E's crib and the
closet, cleverly covered with an old shower curtain.
See that picture above the door? Chris made that for his grandma
when he was 10. Go ahead with the collective, "Awwww!"
And last but not least, how could we ever forget the most
important part of the room, the Monkey and the Bear.
Don't you just want to squeeze 'em?
So quite the silly if not boring post, but hey, now you know where the magic happens in our house...and what I do on Tuesdays.
Until next time, rock.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
All the news that's fit to print
So where to begin?? It’s been so long since last our paths crossed dear readers! Our summer has been busy indeed, and I am sure you are assuming that since we last spoke, the girls are in college and have 6-figure jobs pending! Well, not quite. They are, however, 5 months old and are delightfully changing in many ways, both literally and tongue in cheekish.
The Bear and Poo-tato
So anyone who knows Abigail, knows she has a penchant for the dramatic. Well earlier this month, around August 3rd, she decided to start crying. This apparently was a great decision for her, and one that intended to fully commit to, so she did. For 3 full days. Let me tell ya, it was GRAND! And to make matters even better, we were supposed to leave for vacation on August 7 (driving to Colorado-see more specifics on THAT adventure in my next post). Therefore, fearing another UTI, we called the doctor, who squeezed her in (no pun intended, which will make sense after you finish reading this section) to see our most favorite doctor next to our regular doctor, Dr. Jones. (Incidentally, we have Dr. Jones to thank for discovering Monkey’s heart murmur. It was so slight and so erratic, that the other doctor missed it.) They took her temp, listened to her chest, checked her mouth and ears, nothing. However, when she had her UTI last time, everything was normal, too. It was not until they did the urine culture that time that they found that it was so teeming with bacteria, it could have walked out of her urinary tract. (How’s THAT for a visual?) So they did a urine culture this time, nothing…still screaming!! So, as a last resort, he had a tummy X-Ray done. That was a challenge. Bear, who is normally not the wiggly one, decided to channel her sister when getting the pictures taken. Luckily, we got one good one that showed a very clear, very large potato-sized poop on board. So after a little prune juice, a couple of baby enemas, and enough Pampers Swaddlers to fill a small landfill, little Bear has lost her internal tuber, but has gained a new nickname: Tator Tot.
Toofers
All you all who think I am talking about beer, get your minds off the bar rail. Not 2 for 1s, toofers, teeth. The other thing adding to Bear’s discomfort last week was the fact that she got teeth, 2 to be exact. AT THE SAME TIME. What can I say, I have borne an over-achiever. So I guess, in a sense this does pertain to beer and 2 for 1s, in that after her getting 2 at once, I needed a toofer special! To make it even more interesting, I think she is now getting top ones. Stay tuned to see if she is able to cut them mathematically.
All Bear, No Monkey? What’s up with that??
Just so you don’t think that I am preferential to Baby B, here’s the scoop on the Monkey. Baby E is making some strides of her own. She now rolls, rolls well, and rolls A LOT! She also have been seeing a physical therapist for her crooked head. When she was still in the womb, as most of you know, she was smashed up against the wall by the big bruty Bear. Therefore, in effort to get a little room, she slid down the birth canal a bit, which caused her head to be misshapen and her to hold her head crooked. This is an actual condition called torticollis. According to torticolliskids.org (yes there is a website for everything), torticollis is most often caused by a shortening of the sterno-cleido-mastoid muscle in your neck. It’s that big one that you rub when your neck gets stiff. The condition is kinda like when women wear high heels all the time-after a while, those muscles shorten up because the aren’t being stretched to their normal length. I read about all the stuff that COULD happen with this condition before her first appointment and there are some scary things out there! Torti-collars, helmets for misshapen heads, surgery, YIKES! Needless to say, I was really nervous for the first appointment. So now, Monkey has gone in for therapy twice, and because her dad has a background in PT and is super diligent, she is much better. When she went in for the first time, she would not turn her head completely to the right. Now she does both and will track a toy from over her right shoulder to over her left. The therapist says that she is very certain that E will outgrow this and will not need a collar or a helmet. Thank GOD! She has special exercises that she and Daddy do, and she is being encouraged to roll all she wants, which is fine by her!
Another super cute development is her vocalization. She never stops talking. She even talks through her yawns. You know how when you exhale during a yawn and make that loud sigh noise? She does that. She growls, she squeaks, she does this thing where she sucks in her breath and makes noise, a little like a gasp but not. She even talks through eating her cereal. Way cute. WAY cute.
The Monkey is also working on teeth, although, having bore witness to Sister’s trials, I think she is a little leery about that eventuality. Can’t stop change, Baby!
Wait for it
So rather than innudate you with everything at once and blow up the system, I will devote a separate entry for the uber-vacay of the century. That way we can all relive it together. Now won't that be fun??!? So until later, courage.
The Bear and Poo-tato
So anyone who knows Abigail, knows she has a penchant for the dramatic. Well earlier this month, around August 3rd, she decided to start crying. This apparently was a great decision for her, and one that intended to fully commit to, so she did. For 3 full days. Let me tell ya, it was GRAND! And to make matters even better, we were supposed to leave for vacation on August 7 (driving to Colorado-see more specifics on THAT adventure in my next post). Therefore, fearing another UTI, we called the doctor, who squeezed her in (no pun intended, which will make sense after you finish reading this section) to see our most favorite doctor next to our regular doctor, Dr. Jones. (Incidentally, we have Dr. Jones to thank for discovering Monkey’s heart murmur. It was so slight and so erratic, that the other doctor missed it.) They took her temp, listened to her chest, checked her mouth and ears, nothing. However, when she had her UTI last time, everything was normal, too. It was not until they did the urine culture that time that they found that it was so teeming with bacteria, it could have walked out of her urinary tract. (How’s THAT for a visual?) So they did a urine culture this time, nothing…still screaming!! So, as a last resort, he had a tummy X-Ray done. That was a challenge. Bear, who is normally not the wiggly one, decided to channel her sister when getting the pictures taken. Luckily, we got one good one that showed a very clear, very large potato-sized poop on board. So after a little prune juice, a couple of baby enemas, and enough Pampers Swaddlers to fill a small landfill, little Bear has lost her internal tuber, but has gained a new nickname: Tator Tot.
Toofers
All you all who think I am talking about beer, get your minds off the bar rail. Not 2 for 1s, toofers, teeth. The other thing adding to Bear’s discomfort last week was the fact that she got teeth, 2 to be exact. AT THE SAME TIME. What can I say, I have borne an over-achiever. So I guess, in a sense this does pertain to beer and 2 for 1s, in that after her getting 2 at once, I needed a toofer special! To make it even more interesting, I think she is now getting top ones. Stay tuned to see if she is able to cut them mathematically.
All Bear, No Monkey? What’s up with that??
Just so you don’t think that I am preferential to Baby B, here’s the scoop on the Monkey. Baby E is making some strides of her own. She now rolls, rolls well, and rolls A LOT! She also have been seeing a physical therapist for her crooked head. When she was still in the womb, as most of you know, she was smashed up against the wall by the big bruty Bear. Therefore, in effort to get a little room, she slid down the birth canal a bit, which caused her head to be misshapen and her to hold her head crooked. This is an actual condition called torticollis. According to torticolliskids.org (yes there is a website for everything), torticollis is most often caused by a shortening of the sterno-cleido-mastoid muscle in your neck. It’s that big one that you rub when your neck gets stiff. The condition is kinda like when women wear high heels all the time-after a while, those muscles shorten up because the aren’t being stretched to their normal length. I read about all the stuff that COULD happen with this condition before her first appointment and there are some scary things out there! Torti-collars, helmets for misshapen heads, surgery, YIKES! Needless to say, I was really nervous for the first appointment. So now, Monkey has gone in for therapy twice, and because her dad has a background in PT and is super diligent, she is much better. When she went in for the first time, she would not turn her head completely to the right. Now she does both and will track a toy from over her right shoulder to over her left. The therapist says that she is very certain that E will outgrow this and will not need a collar or a helmet. Thank GOD! She has special exercises that she and Daddy do, and she is being encouraged to roll all she wants, which is fine by her!
Another super cute development is her vocalization. She never stops talking. She even talks through her yawns. You know how when you exhale during a yawn and make that loud sigh noise? She does that. She growls, she squeaks, she does this thing where she sucks in her breath and makes noise, a little like a gasp but not. She even talks through eating her cereal. Way cute. WAY cute.
The Monkey is also working on teeth, although, having bore witness to Sister’s trials, I think she is a little leery about that eventuality. Can’t stop change, Baby!
Wait for it
So rather than innudate you with everything at once and blow up the system, I will devote a separate entry for the uber-vacay of the century. That way we can all relive it together. Now won't that be fun??!? So until later, courage.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
13 weeks and sweating
I will be your father figure, put your little hand in mine
Happy Father's Day to all the fathers and father-figures out there. Life was pretty relaxed at Casa de Gato y Ninas for Chris's first day o the Pop. It was too bloody hot to do anything other than move at a snails pace, and even that was too much! Every day this week was over 90, which is fantastic when you don't have air conditioning in either your car or your home.
The babies faired okay with the heat for the most part, but we all pretty much hit the wall today. No amount of fanage, wet rags or undressing could help. And that was just the parents! Lemme tell ya, a semi-naked 13 week twin post-partum belly isn't pretty, so it's good that when it gets hot, most people lose their appetites.
I just want to bang on the drum all day
I made it through week 1 of back to work. It was tougher than I thought it was going to be, leaving the babies on Monday. I got a little misty, but was quickly distracted on Cedar Avenue where people were traveling 25 miles per hour in a 30. Let's just say that this font color really describes my language for that 20 minutes in time.
Being back at work reminded me of all the frustrations that I had before I left. Miraculously, they are still there, despite the fact that many of my co-workers are not. Thanks for the beautiful down-turn, Mortgage Market! You rock!
What's new Pussycat?
What else is new, you may ask? Not too much.
Monkey's tests came back negative for urine reflux. Yay E! Abigail is taking pro-biotics to help her tummy while she is on the amoxicilian. Pro-biotics are the natural cultures in yogurt and are helping to replace the good bacteria in her stomach that the antibiotic is killing off. She is a much happier Bear because of it and as are her parents and sister.
Tomorrow, June 18, the girls officially exit newborness and enter the world of infantism. Happy Birthday, Ladies!! Supposedly the big thing for this month is language and singing, so I have been practicing, hence the subtitles. They say that any songs and any voice will do. Somehow knowing all the words to "Fight the Power" and reciting them to an infant just doesn't seem right.
And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make
So I guess that's it for today...time to haul myself to bed in my 88 degree bedroom. Until next time.
-s-
Happy Father's Day to all the fathers and father-figures out there. Life was pretty relaxed at Casa de Gato y Ninas for Chris's first day o the Pop. It was too bloody hot to do anything other than move at a snails pace, and even that was too much! Every day this week was over 90, which is fantastic when you don't have air conditioning in either your car or your home.
The babies faired okay with the heat for the most part, but we all pretty much hit the wall today. No amount of fanage, wet rags or undressing could help. And that was just the parents! Lemme tell ya, a semi-naked 13 week twin post-partum belly isn't pretty, so it's good that when it gets hot, most people lose their appetites.
I just want to bang on the drum all day
I made it through week 1 of back to work. It was tougher than I thought it was going to be, leaving the babies on Monday. I got a little misty, but was quickly distracted on Cedar Avenue where people were traveling 25 miles per hour in a 30. Let's just say that this font color really describes my language for that 20 minutes in time.
Being back at work reminded me of all the frustrations that I had before I left. Miraculously, they are still there, despite the fact that many of my co-workers are not. Thanks for the beautiful down-turn, Mortgage Market! You rock!
What's new Pussycat?
What else is new, you may ask? Not too much.
Monkey's tests came back negative for urine reflux. Yay E! Abigail is taking pro-biotics to help her tummy while she is on the amoxicilian. Pro-biotics are the natural cultures in yogurt and are helping to replace the good bacteria in her stomach that the antibiotic is killing off. She is a much happier Bear because of it and as are her parents and sister.
Tomorrow, June 18, the girls officially exit newborness and enter the world of infantism. Happy Birthday, Ladies!! Supposedly the big thing for this month is language and singing, so I have been practicing, hence the subtitles. They say that any songs and any voice will do. Somehow knowing all the words to "Fight the Power" and reciting them to an infant just doesn't seem right.
And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make
So I guess that's it for today...time to haul myself to bed in my 88 degree bedroom. Until next time.
-s-
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