Sofia's First Haircut

Yesterday we took Sofia for her first haircut. Sofia just had a few uneven areas and her hair was starting to resemble a mullet. We took her to a nice kid's place in Mequon and they did a fantastic job making her feel comfortable. She sat in a special car chair and had all sorts of fun things to look at. I have to say that after she felt comfortable in the chair she really seemed to enjoy the whole process. The hairdresser put her hair into a cute little pony tail at the end and put "princess glitter" in her hair to complete the process. I also used my trick of goldfish crackers to keep Sofia entertained during the haircut. I keep a little bag of goldfish in a hidden part of the diaper bag for doctor's appointments and other things. Here are a few pictures I took during the haircut.

Although she looks sad, Sofia really did seem to enjoy her first haircut.

The finished product, with a mouthful of Goldfish crackers

Sick days...

I don't know what's going around right now but our family got it, bad. The boys have had diarrhea on and off for the last two weeks due to little colds and teething I think. The boys vaccinations were delayed a week because of their colds, they got their shots on Friday and a few hours later Everett started the puke fest by displaying the contents of his stomach all over the kitchen floor. Then on Sunday afternoon I started feeling funny. By dinner time I was in pain and then I spent the next twelve hours puking every 2-3 hours. I don't get sick very often and this was just miserable. Tim stayed home half the day on Monday since I was trying to recover and I couldn't take care of the kids very well. I was feeling well enough to take the kids out of the house to the library. We had a nice time reading and playing with Sofia while the boys napped in their stroller. When we got home I picked up Sofia to let her decide what she wanted for lunch and she looked at me with a sweet smile that faded within seconds and the poor thing had her first ever episode of vomiting. I'll spare you the rest of the details but for the past week I have basically spent the majority of my time caring for our kids, cleaning puke & bathing kids (repeat several times), and cleaning diarrhea. Everyone seems to be on the mend, Everett is definitely having a harder time recovering because he is teething. It's been so HARD not being able to leave the house this week. I am going stir crazy but I don't want to expose other people to our germs. The only outing we've had this week was the library (when we thought everyone was ok) and a visit to the doctor's office. Blah, I am not a person meant to stay in one place all day, I love getting out and having adventures with the kids. I have enjoyed a few sweet moments of cuddling with the kids who just want their mama but I am ready for us to all be healthy again. Thankfully, Tim has managed to avoid the bug so far. I'm hopeful it stays that way. Here are a few pictures from the past few days.

Big boy sitting in a high chair!! Playing with toys that Sofia brought over.

Ev in his new snow suit, shortly before he got sick.

This is her smile when she sees the flash.

Coffee and the newspaper, my kind of girl.

Sniffing the coffee :)

Monkey pile on Sofia!!

I love Sully's face!

Sibling love is so sweet.

Tim's daily welcoming crew.

6 months old

Everett and Sullivan are now six months old. A lot of mothers of twins tell me that they don't remember much from the first year. I may say that a few years from now but so far I feel like the luckiest mama to have these sweet boys in my life. The first six months were a lot of work, but were also filled with twice the snuggles, baby giggles and sweet gummy smiles (except for Everett who got his bottom two teeth at 4 months old). Tim's mom and I took the kids to the Children's Museum yesterday morning and then took the boys for their well child exam in the afternoon but we decided to postpone their vaccines until Friday. I was so thankful to have her in town to help with their appointment, I hope I never have to take all three by myself until they are a bit older. Unfortunately, all three kids have a little virus that has come with more diarrhea than I'd like to remember. Hopefully they all beat it soon. Here are the stats for the boys. I was surprised to see that they both weigh less than Sofia did at 6 months but I have to remind myself that they were born 5 weeks early and by 6 months Sofia was eating rice cereal and fruits/veggies with ease. We have moved a little slower on solids with the boys.

Everett James: Height- 27.25" (77th percentile) Weight- 17lbs 9oz (50th percentile)
-You were showing off for the doctor again at this appointment and doing quite a bit of flirting.
-You were over 18lbs a week ago but this virus has thrown you for a loop. Despite not being 100% you are still your sweet, smiling self. You love to please people.
-Nicknames: Ev, Evie, Big guy, Handsome, Love, Monkey
-You are rolling both ways now, you actually use rolling to get around a little bit for different toys.
-You can sit unassisted for a short while.
-You have two teeth on the bottom and the doctor saw your top two teeth just starting to make their way down.
-You love to laugh and smile at almost anyone who will make eye contact with you, once you have caught their eyes you start babbling and try to initiate a conversation. You are quite the social guy!
-You are always trying to get smiles out of your brother, sometimes he just looks at you like you are crazy but most of the time he smiles back.
-You take after your Dad with singing and talking, you babble and "sing" all day long.
-You love the exersaucer and jumperoo, especially when I put your brother across from you. Usually Sofia walks over to show you how everything works, it's so cute to watch all three of you play together.
-A few weeks ago you started grabbing my face with your hands on each of my cheeks and then coming close to nuzzle me or to try to bit my nose, it's adorable and I melt every time you do it.
-You love it when I dance with you, we tend to have a lot of dance parties between dinner and bed time and you adore it.
-You love playing Patty Cake, The Grand Old Duke of York, and The Farmer Went to Market.


Sullivan Jeffrey: Height- 26.25" (42nd percentile) Weight- 17lbs 5oz (45th percentile)
-You also gave the doctor some great smiles but you were a little more cautious, just like your big sister.
-Nicknames: Sully, Sully-man, Wild man, Love, Handsome
-As of yesterday you are also rolling over both ways. Last night you rolled over from back to front for your Dad, he said you were so excited after you did it and were smiling and laughing and did a few push ups for good measure.
-You sit unassisted very well for a short bit.
-Your personality has really started to show more in the past month. You are a wild man, you remind me of your Uncle Jon a little bit.
-When I kiss your cheeks you nuzzle your head back and forth and try to kiss back, it's so sweet.
-Lately you have been cracking up at the dinner table. The smallest thing will make you laugh so hard, your sister usually makes you laugh the most.
-Dancing makes you laugh a lot, usually you are laughing at me. I don't blame you, I'm not a great dancer.
-You love the exersaucer and jumperoo, especially when I put your brother across from you. Usually Sofia walks over to show you how everything works, it's so cute to watch all three of you play together.
-You love to be read to, you always wake up first from your afternoon nap, I swear you wake up early just so we can read together just the two of us. I'm always amazed but you will patiently sit through the book, "The Lorax".

Here are some pictures.

6 months old!

6 months old

Doggie dilemma

About a year after Tim and I were married, we added the first member to our family. His name is Frodo and he is an adorable puggle (pug beagle mix). He is a great dog but since he was the first member of our family he has had a bit of a struggle adjusting to all of the changes lately. He did great with Sofia, which was surprising given that we sold our house which had a fenced in backyard, moved to a third floor apartment and brought home and infant two weeks later. Frodo rolled with the punches. Then this summer he was put out of our family again as he spent most of the summer with my parents since Tim and I were living with his parents who are allergic to dogs. Fast forward to today and we are in a house again, unfortunately it does not have a fenced in yard. Oh, and add two more kids to the mix. A few days ago Frodo growled at Sofia who went in to find him while he was eating. We have had a few other situations where he has growled at Sofia, it usually is always food related. He is a VERY food motivated dog. I'm not sure what to do because we love our dog, Sofia actually loves him the most. She runs to find him almost every morning and loves playing with him and sitting in his bed to read books to him. The feelings definitely aren't mutual, I would say Frodo tolerates her and likes her when she gives him food. Frodo is definitely interested in the twins. I'm concerned that he is too aggressive when it comes to his food. I also know that he just isn't getting the attention that he is used to because of our three kids. He would do great in a home with someone who would let him cuddle with them and sleep all day. Anyways, I would appreciate any thoughts on this dilemma.

Frodo with Sofia when she was 2 months old

Twins

My kids and I are out and about a lot during the week. I have always been a person who is more productive and happy when I stay busy and get involved in different projects/groups. During the winter out outings involve a lot of trips to the YMCA, Target, the library in Port Washington and Cedarburg, and to visit Tim at the office. I never fail to receive a lot of comments about my crew. Most people give me encouragement and offer to hold a door or help me in some way, some people look at me like I'm crazy. A lot of people ask me how I look so rested and how I can be smiling. I'm always amazed when people say that, even though my situation takes a lot of hard work, it also pays off in ways people can't imagine. I never in my wildest dreams expected that I would have twins, let alone three kids under the age of 2. But you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way. After my junior year semester in Spain Tim came to visit me and we traveled around Europe together for two months (on less than $2000- but that's for another post). We spent a lot of timing talking about our goals and dreams and a big family was always part of the picture. But we will both admit, we had no idea it would be this sweet. Yes, we are incredibly busy and our arms are full most of the day, but our hearts are busting at the seams. The boys are growing up so fast and it is incredible to watch the relationship develop between them. I have several videos of them having tummy time together and just chatting in their baby talk. At night they actually seem to complain until they are both in their bedroom together. It's hard for anyone to understand unless you have had twins yourself, raising two individuals who were born at the same time and spent 9 months snuggling is an incredible journey. I'm so thankful for Tim allowing me the opportunity to stay home with them, every day I cherish moments of babies giggling, snuggling, smelling their sweet heads, and giving me kisses. I'm also thankful for the encouragement of other moms, people in the community and my family. I love the camaraderie among mothers, I try to avoid the ones who just want to compare and compete. Here are some recent pictures of the boys... their big 6 month post is coming up in a few days!

Sullivan 5 months old

Both boys are so smiley and happy

It's hard to believe our mantle went from three to six in a matter of two years.

Sully instructing Everett on how to take down the play gym.

Everett at 5 months

Sofia reading inside the tent she got for Christmas from Great Aunt Danielle & Great Uncle Craig

Tim teaching him how to help out at a young age.

Spring is here?

I have good reason for the gap in posts, we've been out living and having a ton of fun. Lately, Wisconsin feels like spring. Temperatures have been hovering around 40-50 degrees during the day and we've had a ton of very sunny days. My kids and I are really enjoying this. We've been going on walks, hikes, and even playing on the playground, in JANUARY! One thing I love about my hubs is that he is always game for any crazy idea I have. I subbed last Friday and it was a gorgeous day so I sped home, walked in the door and said "Let's go to the Children's museum". Mind you, it was 2:30pm and the museum is 30 minutes away and closes at 5. Without blinking an eye Tim said, "Sounds great!" We then went into hyper pack mode and got the whole crew and diaper bag ready to roll. We are lucky to have an amazing Children's museum in Milwaukee, the Betty Brinn Museum. It is right on the lakeshore and has awesome views of our art museum with the world famous Calatrava. We strolled into the museum by 3:10 and practically had the place to ourselves, only a few other families. We are members of the museum so we feel ok when we go and only stay for an hour and a half. Plus, the cost of a membership is what we would pay for 5 or so visits so it's definitely worth it. After the museum we took the kids to Whole Fo.ods to get some groceries and dinner. Another plus about Milwaukee, the Whole Fo.ods is incredible. The Whole Fo.ods in Memphis was ok but always crowded because it was in a small building and the dirty bathrooms always grossed me out. The Milwaukee location is at least five times the size of Memphis with one of the largest selections of beer and wine I've ever seen.  So all of this made for a very fun Friday, especially since Sofia got to go swimming with her Dad while I was subbing.

The pictures below are from one of Sofia's favorite exhibits, the bus. It plays the Raffi version of "The Wheels on the Bus". Sidenote: when we were outside today a school bus drove by and Sofia got so excited and started waving and singing the song. She is so much fun!!

Sofia at 22 months

I only have two months left where I can refer to my daughter's age in months! What an amazing journey the last 22 months have been. Sofia made me a mother and has been an absolute joy in my life. I don't have official stats on her since she doesn't need another exam until she turns 2 but I would guess she weighs around 31 lbs and she is very tall (I know, not every exact. I refuse to try to measure her while she is napping). I can tell you that most people guess that she is 3 based on her height, she is as tall or taller than almost all the kids her age in the church nursery. Sofia's eyes have always been blue but in the past few months they have been changing into this bright, stunning, brilliant blue color. I get lost in her eyes when she stars at me, says "Mama" and wraps her arms around me for a hug.

This month we celebrated Christmas and she definitely was a little more into opening presents than she was last year. However, she was very spoiled by all of our family and definitely got way more presents than she needs. She was quite content to sit and play with the first present she got, we really had to encourage her to open more. Overall, Sofia uses between 40-50 words regularly. It's difficult to estimate the number of words because it changes constantly and it's hard to sit down and think of all of the different words she uses. Sofia is a very sweet, empathetic and strong young lady. At 22 months some of her favorite activities include dancing, swimming, playing with musical instruments, Le.go's, basketball, arts and crafts projects, coloring, helping me prepare meals, playing with Frodo, and she absolutely loves to help me care for her brothers. When one or both of them are upset she is so sweet trying to find different things to make them happy or simply smiling at them and repeating things she has heard me say to the boys. She absolutely LOVES helping with their bath time. Our boys really have no chance of being afraid of water since she loves to "rinse" their hair about ten times during each bath. She also loves to sit in her rocking chair and read books. She occasionally will pause and hold out her arms and say "hug brother" and she waits for Tim and I to bring one of her brothers over for her to hold. Her favorite foods are constantly changing, lately she is really into these Fruit Crushers I buy from Tra.der Joe's that are basically pureed apples and carrots. She loves homemade banana bread, goldfish crackers, pasta, lasagna, scrambled eggs with spinach and she loves to drink from my water bottle throughout the day. It's amazing how independent she already is at this age, she still loves to be read to but sometimes when she is sitting in a pile of her books she waves me away when I walk over to read with her. It's also amazing how much Sofia understands at this age.

FORGOT TO ADD: Sofia is still in cloth diapers for almost all of the day (except when she's at the Y) and a few weeks before Christmas she went pee on the potty. She completely initiated this and is still showing interest but I don't plan to do any serious potty training until she shows me more signs that she's truly ready.

These pictures aren't the best, capturing a toddler is quite a task.

Taking Sully on a walk.

Swimming with Dad.

Making Christmas cookies with me.

Very excited about musical instruments

She also loves her nuk, we are planning to eliminate it at 2.

Now it's time for me to start planning Sofia's second birthday party!!