some random pictures

The superbowl halftime show is on, and I really don't care about it, so I decided it was time to update the blog.

I don't think I've mentioned that for Christmas my husband gave me the gift of a photography class.  I've been taking the class for the last several weeks, and though it's been rather overwhelming, I'm enjoying getting out of the house and I am learning a thing or two and taking more pictures. 

Unfortunately, in this batch, I had it on the wrong setting.  They're still cute, if you can ignore the blurriness in some of them!

This past weekend the class met at the local conservatory.  I took a TON of pictures, but here are just a few.

And here are a few from my mom's birthday celebration at my brother's house this weekend.

Enjoy! (Oh, and I realize that Rachel is missing from most of these pictures.  Unfortunately, I do my best picture taking when she is at school or playing up in her room, since she is rather distracting, so Rebecca is my subject much more frequently.  Hopefully this week I can get some of Rachel--it's my last week of the class!)

an apple a day...

...doesn't keep the doctor away, at least in this family.  Rachel eats either an apple or applesauce almost every day, and Rebecca eats her fair share of applesauce, too, but we've still been getting to know the people at our pediatrician's office quite well in the last two weeks.

Two weeks ago Rebecca had an appointment to get her second flu shot, and to recheck her ears from the ear infection she had right after Christmas (so I was there with both girls just after Christmas).  Her ears were fine and she got the shot (and barely cried!).  That night when I changed her diaper, I noticed hives on her tummy.  I had a terrible case of hives about 10 years ago, which affected my breathing and they gave me an epipen just in case my airway started to swell dangerously, so I was very, very worried about Rebecca experiencing the same thing.  After thinking and trying to trace back any new foods or other changes, I determined that the only things that could've caused the hives were 1) ibuprofen (I didn't have any tylenol to give her after the shot, so I gave her ibuprofen for the first time), 2) something from the flu shot (even though she had already had the first flu shot in November and it didn't seem to bother her), or 3) a dryer sheet, which I had used in her laundry for the first time.

I called the doctor's office the next day, after a restless night for me, worrying about her (she slept just fine!), and the nurse said to bring her in.  They actually went away mid-morning, so I called back, and she said to keep the appointment just in case they came back, because hives tend to do that.  Sure enough, they did come back, so I was glad we kept the appointment.  The doctor didn't seem to think the ibuprofen or the dryer sheet would cause that reaction, and she suspected an egg allergy (eggs are in the flu shot).  So she told me not to give her anything with eggs in it, and when she's close to a year old she'll have her tested for an egg allergy.  In the meantime, she said the hives could come and go for a week, which they did. 

So yesterday we were BACK at the pediatrician, this time for Rachel.  She had been crying the night before, uncomfortable with what sounded to me like a UTI.  So after school yesterday we went back to the doctor.  And of course, she couldn't put anything in the cup when they tried to get her to go.  I gave her three glasses of water.  Tried again.  Still nothing.  They gave her a popsicle.  Still nothing. (Do you know how frustrating it is to sit with a cup under your four year old's bottom, time and time again, waiting for her to go potty????  Ahhhhhh!  Thankfully Rebecca was being an angel, or it REALLY could've been bad!)  They finally did an exam and sent us home with a cup, telling me to bring it back after she went.  So BACK to the doctor we went AGAIN later yesterday afternoon!  The test was negative.  It's not a UTI.  They told me to have her soak in the tub.  She's feeling better, she says, but the symptoms come and go. 

Sooooo....we're becoming well acquainted with the people at the office.  They're very nice, but I'd really prefer not to spend my days there!!

In other news:
-Rebecca's first tooth finally made an appearance yesterday!  It's been close for quite awhile, but just under the surface.  It's not out very far, but we'll take what we can get!  The other bottom tooth isn't far behind.

-Rachel insisted this morning on making her valentines for her friends at school.  I told her we could pick some out at the store...princess ones or whatever other kind she chose, but no, she insisted that she wanted to make them herself.  I finally convinced her to use blank cards I had instead of just printer paper, which is what she wanted to use.  I know her classmates won't appreciate the time and thought she put into them, because they certainly look like a four year old made them (though she did do a nice job coloring the hearts we printed and cut out).  She is definitely a lover of anything crafty!

-Rachel is thrilled that it's February today.  We've been crossing days off of the calendar until our Disney World trip, and we finally made it to the month of the trip.  26 more days to go.  She can't wait!  She's definitely never been more aware of the months than she has been these last couple!

eight months!

It's hard to believe that she's 8 months old today.

She's now slept all night THREE nights in a row.  I couldn't be more thrilled.  Waking up each morning and realizing that I haven't been awakened since I went to bed the night before is just heavenly!  I've probably just jinxed myself by writing that, but let's hope not.

good news, bad news

I haven't done one of these in awhile....

-The good news is that Rebecca slept all night the last two nights!  Both nights she went to bed around 7, I didn't get her up at 9:30 to feed her like I've been doing (in order to prevent a middle of the night wake up), and I had intended on letting her cry it out when she woke up in the middle of the night, only she didn't!  She slept straight through until 7:00 or 7:15!  12+ hours!  Woo hoo!!!!

-The bad news is that she's a terrible napper.  45 minutes is pretty much the longest nap she takes.  She takes several of them a day.  I don't know how to solve the problem.  I let her cry, trying to get her to go back to sleep, but yesterday she cried for an entire HOUR without stopping.  The poor girl.  I felt like a terrible mom.  After an hour it was time to eat so I got her up.  Should I have let her keep going?  I don't know what to do.

-The good news is that Rachel has graduated to a booster seat in the car.  She loves it, and I love that it's so much easier to fasten her in.

-The bad news is that now I have to switch Rebecca over out of the infant carrier, into Rachel's old seat.  This means that I'll no longer be able to pop her carrier out of the car and into the stroller to push her in to school or the store or wherever we're going.  The ramifications of this are that she'll have to wear a coat (instead of being covered with the super warm cover in her carrier), which means I'll have to wrangle her into said coat before going out, and also have to carry her everywhere.  I'm trying to wait out the cold weather before I make the switch, but unfortunately she keeps gaining weight and is very soon going to outgrow her carrier, likely before the weather turns warmer.

-The good news is that Rachel didn't pull a card today at school.

-The bad news is that she pulled one on Monday (for not obeying the teacher--twice) and also that she had a meltdown today because she wouldn't share a jump rope with a boy in the gym.  Ugh.  I'm glad she's learning these lessons now, before kindergarten begins in the fall, but something tells me that we'll still be dealing with the same issues then.

a conversation

Today while eating lunch at the kitchen table, Rachel and I had this conversation after I noticed she was being unusually quiet (unusual because it never happens that she's not talking!):

Mom: What are you thinking about, Rachel?
Rachel: I'm not thinking.
M (laughing): But you have to be thinking about something.
R: No, I'm not. 
M (trying a different approach): What's going on in your head?
R: I don't know.  (Silence)  It sounds like mice are running around in my head.


Maybe next time I'll just enjoy the silence and not try to understand why.

progress

An update on little Miss Rebecca....

She hasn't been rolling much since I last told you she rolled.  She'll do it if you start to push her legs to the side when she's laying down, so she can do it, she just chooses not to. 

She's babbling up a storm.  She's been experimenting with various sounds and every few days she seems to have a new sound she's obsessed with for awhile.  A few days last week it was a very high pitched squeal.  She did it constantly for about 48 hours.  Then she started yelling instead.  Now it's a combination of squeals, yells, and jabbering with various combinations of "aah," "gah," or "dah."  It's cute, and since she's usually happy, it happens a lot.

Yesterday when I layed her down for tummy time, she showed off some brand new skills.  Over the course of a few minutes she turned herself around 180 degrees so she was facing the other end of the room.  We were thrilled to see this new skill, as it's her first attempt at moving in any sort of manner.  Today when I put her down she did the same thing, even faster.  Maybe scooting isn't far behind.  She certainly isn't following the "norm" as far as hitting milestones, but she seems to be progressing at her own pace, learning all of the things she's supposed to.  I guess someone has to be at the late end of those averages, right?

She's loving the Christmas present, this kitchen, which Rachel picked out for her.  It seems to be one of her favorite toys and she knows how to manipulate it pretty well to make it play music.  Of course she also loves putting the pot and spoon in her mouth, and "sampling" the carrots, milk, and applesauce jar that came with it, too.  Rachel enjoys playing with it, too, and the two of them are interacting more and more as Rebecca becomes more playful.  It's fun to watch.  She adores her big sister and one of her favorite pasttimes is watching her big sister, breaking out in big smiles whenever Rachel pays her any sort of attention!

Still no teeth, though they've seemed close for so long.  One of these days they finally have to break through. 

She's currently coughing and sneezing a lot.  I hope the ear infection isn't back.  She goes back to the doctor this week for a check up, so I'm thankful to be able to find out if there's anything wrong.

She's a very happy baby, gives us lots of smiles, and I just adore her!

new 'do

Rachel's been asking for a haircut.  Her bangs were waaaaaaaay too long, so we went today after school.  She decided on her own that she wanted it shorter.  I said, "A little shorter or a lot shorter?"  She said she wanted it a lot shorter.  The hair dresser and I both tried to talk her out of it, but she was determined.  I actually wanted it shorter, but wanted it to be her decision, not mine.

The picture isn't so great, but here's her cute new haircut.  We both like it.  Even my husband, who really didn't want it shorter, thinks it looks good.

And I'm SO excited to hear less whining, "Mommy, my hair is static-y" all winter long!

an interview with Rachel

I've seen these interviews before on the blogs I read, but never tried it.  Today I decided to give it a shot.  Trying to keep her attention long enough to answer them all was a challenge (she was busy looking outside at the snow falling down), but we made it to the end.  Some of the answers didn't surprise me, but others did. Anyway, enjoy!

1. What is something Mommy always says to you?


Uh...Don't get in trouble.

2. What makes Mommy happy?

Good stuff...(I asked her, "Like what?")...like being nice and kind and hugging people and loving people and share with people and that's all the good stuff....and playing nicely.

3. What makes Mommy sad?

When I do bad things...("Like what?")...being mean and fighting and don't be nice and don't share and pull a card to red.

4. How does Mommy make you laugh?

Tickling and laughing.

5. What was Mommy like as a child?

She had yellow hair and skin and a blue dress and a red dress and a necklace and bracelets. (She's referring to the dresses my mom saved of mine that Rachel now uses to dress up in when she's at my mom's house.)


6. How old is Mommy?

I forget....how old are you, Mommy?


7. How tall is Mommy?

We have to measure you first.

8. What is Mommy's favorite thing to do?

I don't know....is it cooking?

9. What does Mommy do when you're not around?

Clean and cook.

10. If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?

What's famous?

11. What is Mommy really good at?

Games....that's the only thing.

12. What is Mommy not very good at?

That doctor's game I got for Christmas. (She's referring to "Operation.")

13. What does Mommy do for her job?

I don't know...to take care of me and Rebecca and cook and go shopping with me for Christmas presents at Christmastime.

14. What is Mommy's favorite food?

I don't know.  (Then she asked me what it was...I told her it was pizza.)

15. If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?

Um, maybe Scooby Doo?  And remember that bear who steals picnic baskets?  (I have to add that she's never ever seen Scooby Doo or Yogi Bear, so I have no idea why she chose those!)

16. What do you and Mommy do together?

Play games and play with my kitchen and painting and we have lots of fun.


17. How are you and Mommy the same?

Because you had yellow hair when you were a little girl and we have the same color eyes.

18. How are you and Mommy different?

Because you have brown hair and I have yellow hair.


19. How do you know Mommy loves you?

Because I'm your favorite four year old girl.

20. Where is Mommy's favorite place to go?

Maybe Meijer.  (Ha!  This one made me laugh.  Meijer is where I do almost all of my grocery shopping, so she knows I go there all the time.  Hardly my favorite store, but yes, I do spend a lot of time there!)

the nutcracker

I mentioned here that I'd write a post someday about the night Rachel and I went to see The Nutcracker.  So here we go.

She was so excited about it for days.  When it was finally time to leave the house, she was ecstatic.  She loved getting dressed up and going somewhere at night (we almost never go anywhere in the evening, so whenever she gets a chance, she thinks it's really special).  As we drove toward downtown we listened to Christmas music and she talked my ear off about anything and everything.   We parked in the underground parking garage and walked up the stairs to ground level.  As we came outside, we were right in front of the theater, which was all lit up with Christmas lights.  Rachel was in awe.  It really was spectacular looking and I was excited, too.

We walked in the theater and her awe continued.  It's an old, ornate theater that's been restored, and it really is beautiful.  She was approproately impressed, looking all around at everything.  We went in the rest room, which has a lounge area with two old, "fancy" couches (her word).  She thought that was so great! 

We finally made our way to our seats in the balcony.  She talked my OTHER ear off and asked one question after another until the lights finally dimmed at showtime.  I had prepared her ahead of time by watching clips of The Nutcracker on youtube, and reading the story of The Nutcracker, so she knew roughly what was supposed to happen.  While that was good in some ways, I was second guessing myself when every 30 seconds or so she would lean over, move my hair away from my ear, and whisper, "When is _____ going to happen?"  (fill in the blank with any event in the story--she asked about all of them!)  Or she'd ask, "What's happening now?"  or "Is this part almost done?" and on and on.  I told her she wasn't allowed to talk during the performance and if she had a question she had to whisper in my ear.  Well, she followed those directions alright...but a little too literally, since she really did whisper something about every 30 seconds! 

But she loved it.  All of it.  Her favorite parts were the Sugar Plum Fairy and Mother Ginger, whose children come out from under her dress.  My favorite part was the Waltz of the Flowers. 

We were stuck in the parking garage after it was over, waiting to get out, for 15 minutes, during which time she started melting down ("I just want to go hooooooooooooooooooooooome," she cried).  It was late and way past her bedtime, so it didn't surprise me.  But when we got home she was excited to tell Daddy all about it and stay up a little while to eat a snack.  It was a great night.

I decided at the last minute the next day, on Christmas Eve, to buy Rachel this CD of the show for Christmas because she loved it all so much.  I'm so glad I did.  Ever since Christmas morning she's listened to it over and over again, reinacting the dances.  Now she's VERY interested in taking ballet lessons and being "a real ballerina."  She said, "Mom, when I'm older and know how to dance will you and Daddy come watch me when I dance in the Nutcracker on the stage?" 

So maybe in the fall we'll start her in a real ballet class if she's still interested.  We'll see.

dates and times

Happy 2011!

We've had MANY conversations in our house recently about the date....about it no longer being 2010, about it being January, and December is all done, and February comes next, and that's when we leave for Disney World, and on and on and on.  Rachel is obsessed right now with the date--it started in December when we were doing the Advent calendar, and is continuing now because we're doing a countdown calendar to our Disney trip.  And she's also obsessed with the time.  I don't know how that one happened, but all of a sudden about a month ago she just started noticing the time and asks me all the time, "What time is it, Mommy?" and when I answer she says, "What do we do at 5:30?" (or whatever time I say it is.)  It drives me crazy!  Is this a normal four-going-on-five phenomenon?  

a milestone...FINALLY!

On Dec 27th Rebecca was 7 months old.  And on that day, she FINALLY rolled over all by herself! 

I wish I had it on video.  It was SO exciting!  She's done it a couple of times since then, and she'll do it if you gently begin to push her leg across her body, but usually she's quite content to stay on her back if you lay her down that way.

She's also putting weight on her legs a bit more willingly.  The physical therapist will be thrilled when we see her next, I'm sure!

With each new skill she accomplishes I become a little less concerned about her development.  She seems to be able to do what she should be doing, just a little bit slower at learning to use her muscles for some reason.

So we're home now (Grandma and Grandpa brought us back yesterday afternoon).  Rachel and Rebecca are still coughing up a storm, but are acting fairly normal.  And they're both sleeping better (which means I'm sleeping better).  It's been a rough several days, though, with such little sleep.  One night while we were at Grandma's house Rachel woke up every 20-30 minutes until about 2:30 AM (she then slept until about 7:30).  And then Rebecca woke up at 2:40....so there was very little sleep for me that night.  Thankfully Rachel only woke up once last night and Rebecca slept all night, so I'm feeling a little more rested today. I'm still hoping to take them to the doctor this morning.

EDITED TO ADD:  We went to the doctor and they both have an ear infection.  Now here's hoping the good ol' pink medicine will wipe it all out quickly and we can all get some SLEEP!!

Christmas photo recap

Merry Christmas

We're still at Grandma's house (and everyone in my immediate family is pretty sick--Rachel's still got a terrible cough, off and on fever, and a headache/ear ache, Rebecca's coughing, my husband's got a bad cold, and somehow I've avoided most of it but have had a horrible headache almost every day). 

But we've had a great time.  Here's a recap of the last several days in photos...

Last weekend we celebrated Christmas with my husband's side of the family.  Rachel was very excited to get these two Rapunzel books.  One has the story of Tangled on CD and she listened to it over and over (and over and over) in her room last week at home.

The kids decorated cookies at Granny and Papa's house. This is one that Rachel did.  It looks like she emptied the entire sugar container on the cookie....



Rebecca, happily eating puffs on Christmas Eve while Mommy tried to get things done

On Dec 23rd Rachel and I went to see The Nutcracker.  Here we are before we left.

This was the scene when we emerged from the parking garage at the theater.  Rachel was in awe and SO excited to see all of the lights.

As we walked into the theater there was this Nutcracker outside.  Rachel was thrilled to see him and waved and waved to him over and over.  She gave him a hug and was so excited to get her picture taken with him.

She loved the "fancy" theater.  She just looked and looked all around at everything.

She loved the ceiling in the theater and asked me to take a picture of it.  Whenever she got bored during the performance (which didn't happen often) she'd lean back in her seat and look at the ceiling.  One of these days I'll write more about our Nutcracker experience (it was great), but I'm not going to write about it right now.

Christmas Eve before bed--matching PJs

Christmas Morning--Rachel and I had to open all of Rebecca's presents.  She loved chewing on her new toys, but had no interest in helping to open them.

Rachel had two favorite presents Christmas morning--the Care Bear she'd been wanting (which we have on video, but not on the regular camera) and this Ariel shell necklace.  She saw a little girl at church a month or two ago wearing it and has been asking for it since.  You press a button and hear Ariel singing.  She was SO excited--I wish we would've gotten that reaction on video!  Her big present was finding out that we're taking her to Disney World in February, but the reaction to that news was nothing compared to opening this necklace!

Rebecca's new set of wheels

She loves having so many new things to chew on!

At Grandma's house--everyone got Pillow Pets.  Rachel's been wanting the Unicorn forever (Oh, and she's holding her new Care Bear, too).

Rebecca was having fun sitting with Grandpa.

Her new favorite toy--Sophie the Giraffe teether.  It's a perfect size and texture for chewing on.

It was a Tangled Christmas for Rachel--a Tangled book...

...and her very favorite gift (which she's had on pretty much 24/7: her new Tangled dress!

Another shot of a happy Rebecca with Sophie the Giraffe

It's been a happy holiday....despite all of the sickness.  Rachel's really not feeling well, and we're all not sleeping well because of the sickness, but we're all having fun.  Daddy goes home today because he has to work tomorrow, but the rest of us are staying a few more days. 

I'll write more in a few days after we're home and (hopefully) well again.

Merry Christmas!

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'tis the season

Yes, 'tis the season to be jolly, but 'tis also the season for runny noses, coughs that don't stop, fevers, and sleepless nights.  At least in our house right now.

Rachel started coughing Friday night.  Saturday we left in the morning to drive two hours north to Granny and Papa's house (my husband's parents') to celebrate an early Christmas with his side of the family.  Rachel coughed the entire trip.  We stopped when we got there and bought some cough medicine, but it didn't do much.  I'm sure she coughed her wonderful germs all over her cousins, aunts, and grandparents.  On the way home that night it kept Rebecca from sleeping in the car.  She'd wake up screaming every 10 or 15 minutes because Rachel was coughing in the seat next to her.  It was not a fun drive.  Both girls were exhausted and whiny.  Rachel had a fever.

I gave Rachel cough medicine with codeine that night, along with advil, and those helped a lot in helping her sleep.  She slept pretty well but woke up with a fever and coughed all day (and night), and she was all congested.  Monday was more of the same.  Her eyes were so watery and puffy that she didn't even look like herself.  She spent much of the day on the couch, which is not her AT ALL!  Today she seems to be a little better.  She hasn't needed advil today, so that's an improvement, and she's been playing like normal, but she gets coughing jags now and then, and is still pretty stuffed up.  But I'm so glad she seems to be on the mend.

However, yesterday Rebecca started a runny nose and sneezing.  Today she's been coughing now and then.  She's been pretty happy, so I'm thankful it's not affecting her mood too much (yet).  I'm afraid it's only a matter of time for her....and for my husband and me as well.  I hope I'm wrong.

In other health related news, I made my first trip to a dermatologist yesterday.  I've managed to avoid one for 36 years, but I have a monstrous cyst on the side of my face and need to get it removed.  I decided I'd rather have a dermatologist tackle it instead of my regular doctor (who I saw about it a week ago), since it's on my face and I didn't want just anyone cutting up my face.  So I go back just after new years and will have it removed.  He said it would involve a couple of stitches and will take a year for the scar to completely go away.  A year?????  But like he said, at least it's on a part of my face that is easily hidden (it's on the side of my jaw and my hair often covers it). 

And in case you didn't know enough about our family's health, here's an update on Rebecca.  She's been going to physical therapy once a month.  She's sitting up really well now, but still not rolling or putting much weight on her legs.  We're working on it.  The pediatrician mentioned the possibility of a connective tissue disorder, which she said isn't anything big or scary, but just means she could be more flexible and "floppy" than the average person.  She said a diagnosis involves genetic testing, which we wouldn't do until she is older, and the only thing they do for it anyway is physical therapy, so we're doing the right things, even if we don't know what it is.  Despite her being behind with her motor skills, she is a complete delight!  She's much more social now, giving lots of drooly smiles, and she's learning to interact with her toys.  She shakes them and smiles, very proud of herself.  She bends over and grabs what she wants and can sit back up again without losing her balance now.  She has started eating Gerber puffs--she LOVES them.  She grunts and grunts, reaching for them, until you give her more.  She gets frustrated because she wants to grab them and put them in her mouth, but she's just learning to pick up something so small, and when she's successful and picking one up, she's not usually successful at getting it to stay in her mouth.  I think she'd eat the entire container in one sitting if we'd let her!  She can't get enough of them.  But then she's always been a big eater....  I shouldn't be surprised.

At her 6 month appointment she was in the 90th% for weight, 50th% for height, and 75th% for head circumference.  So she's a big girl.  She's almost outgrown her infant carrier (about 4 pounds to go) and we'll have to give her Rachel's car seat.  Consequently, we bought Rachel's booster seat the other day when we saw it on clearance.  Rachel had her choice of black/silver or pink/purple with fairies on it.  You can take one guess at which one she chose!  We figured since we have two girls, pink/purple would be fine.  We haven't put Rachel in it yet, but she's very excited to have a "big girl seat."

That's about all of the news from here.  We've been busy getting things ready for Christmas.  Rachel can't wait and was so excited to find out today that it's only 4 more days!

the 25 days of Christmas

There aren't 12 days of Christmas in our house.  There are 25.  Starting December 1st I began the advent calendar with Rachel again this year.  And a new tradition this year is the Elf on the Shelf.

Rachel named our elf Rudy.  According to the book, Rudy goes to see Santa each night to report on whether Rachel and Rebecca have been naughty or nice.  Then when he returns, he hides in a new place in the house to watch them for another day.   So far Rudy has hidden on the mantle, on the kitchen windowsill, in the chandelier, in the Christmas tree, and even in the bathroom, among other places.  Rachel's pretty good at spotting him and laughs at every new hiding place.  She even talks to him and tells him what she wants for Christmas so he'll tell Santa.

To say Rachel is excited about these traditions is a huge understatement.  Every morning is like Christmas morning at our house.  She wakes up well before her clock turns green, anticipating going downstairs to find where the elf is hiding and then opening the door of the advent calendar.  For the first several days she kept coming in to ask if she could get up yet.  After several days of this, she got in trouble, so now she stays in bed until 7:00, and then RUNS into my room yelling, "Mommy!  Mommy!  My clock is green!  Let's go downstairs and find Rudy and open the door!"

Her favorite advent calendar activities are crafts, so I've tried to include as many of those as I can (I think I've purchased just about every $1-2 Christmas craft kit I've found at Joanns, Michaels, and Target!).  Some of the other things we've done, besides crafts, are decorating the Christmas tree, going to see Santa, going to watch the movie, Tangled, at the theater, making gingerbread cookies with Grandma, and reading new Christmas books.  She loves it all and it's made the month of December FLY by even faster than usual.

Another fun thing coming up is that my husband surprised Rachel and me with tickets to see The Nutcracker ballet next week.  I've never been, and have always wanted to go, and a couple of years ago I mentioned to him that I wanted to take Rachel when she was older and could enjoy it.  So he remembered that and completely surprised me!  Rachel's reaction to the surprise was quite comical.  I told her we were going to get dressed up, just Mommy and Rachel, and go to The Nutcracker ballet on the stage.  She evidently misunderstood what I said, and thought that we were going to don her dress up clothes and go DANCE the ballet on the stage.  She started crying when she realized that we weren't going to be doing the dancing.  In trying to explain it I said, "But Mommy doesn't know how to do ballet.  These ladies have been taking ballet lessons for many, many years, so they're going to do the dancing."  Her reply (in tears):  "But I took ballet lessons and know how to do ballet!  I can do it.  I know how!"  At any rate, later that day she saw a commercial on TV while my husband was watching football, which advertised the show.  They showed some clips of the dancers on the stage, and she got really excited and finally seemed to understand that we would be in the audience watching those dancers.  She's seen the commercial a couple of times since then and each time she gets more excited.  Now let's hope she can stay quiet (and stay awake--it'll be past her bedtime!) during the show!

ho ho ho

We went to see Santa over the weekend.

Rachel was SO excited.  She could've talked Santa's ear off if we'd let her, but there was a gigantic line behind us.  Rebecca didn't seem to mind the whole ordeal, thankfully.

At the shopping center where we went to see Santa, there's a very, VERY big Christmas tree.



It was a fun, family holiday morning, and the weather cooperated beautifully.  It wasn't too cold (now it's in the teens, with lots of snow, so I'm glad we did it before the weather changed!) which helped a lot.

stage presence

Rachel's Christmas program at school was last night.  She was so excited to get to wear her pretty dress and sing on the stage.  I was terrified that she would act up on stage or just stand there, not wanting to perform.  But she made us proud!  She paid attention, did just what she was supposed to do and sang, did the motions, and was undoubtably the cutest one up there (I'm a little biased, I know).

We had problems getting good pictures last year, too, but here's the best of the lot. (She's in the front row on the left in the picture of the whole group....and that's her friend, Jada, next to her.) 

Afterward we tried to take some pictures, but she has this crazy inability to smile naturally and look at the camera, so there's not really a good one in the bunch.  Ugh.

That's my crazy, happy girl.  She was so excited and wired when she got home, even though it was way past her bedtime.  We let her stay up and watch the video of herself singing on the stage.  She thought it was hilarious.

6 months!

Rebecca's 6 month birthday occurred while we were gone for Thanksgiving.  Today we had her 6 month pictures taken (along with family Christmas pictures--what a fiasco THAT was!).  When Rachel was 6 months old her picture was taken in the pinafore that I wore when I was 6 months old and my mom wore when she was 6 months old.  So it was only fitting to have Rebecca's picture taken in the same pinafore.

In the last few days she has "discovered" her voice, it seems.  She's "talking" much more than normal and practicing all kinds of new sounds.  It's so fun to listen to!  She is sitting up like a pro now, eating various pureed fruits and vegetables, and is just generally growing up way too fast!!

She sleeps from 5:30 or 6 pm until 6:30 am, still with a brief feeding at 9:30.  She's a pretty happy girl most of the time.  She lets me know when she's hungry or sleepy, and sometimes she just wants to be held (she's always been much more cuddly than Rachel ever was), but most of the time she's fairly content and smiley. 

She is such a joy!

birthday card

 

Happy Birthday Damask Birthday 5x7 folded card

Birthday party invitations and cards by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Remember I wrote about how I love Shutterfly here?  Well, they've just given me another reason to love them.  By posting this sample of a card I've made (this one was for my husband's birthday this past spring), I have earned a $25 gift certificate.  Try it sometime....it's so easy to make and they look so nice.