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Turkey Day Photos

The arrival of family for a holiday visit always seems to be fun. I have fond memories of pulling up to my grandparents house and all of the commotion that ensued. People hugging, kids running, and the smell of good food from the kitchen. It is a warm feeling that is difficult for me to describe. It is good.

This is Chad just after arriving, admiring his newest nieces.















Meesh and Logan getting settled in. I couldn't believe how big Logan is, he looks like he is ready to take off running at any moment.





















Rylee was facinated with Logan and spent the first 15 minutes sitting on the floor just looking at him. Probably hoping for a reaction.











Then she got it. Logan thought that she was pretty neat too.
















There obviously needed to be some time spent trying to make the babies smile.





















It was really nice having the family together. Looking at the pictures makes me miss it already. We figure that since the Florida side of the family has been working on us to move there for so long, and we did, that it is time for us to start working on them to move to Houston.



















Cannon thought that the babies were pretty cool...for a little while. There is waaayyy too much to do when you are four than sitting around looking at a drooling baby.











I was pleased to see both Rylee and Reagan take to Chad and Meesh without any hesitation. Rylee seemed to especially like Uncle Chad.












It seemed like Chad thought that Rylee was okay too.
Girls aren't so bad after all.






















Reagan likes to help out with the little ones. The latest thing is wiping off their faces and giving kisses. Very fun to watch.











Hilda is really part of the family now. Reagan burst into tears when she left the house today. She especially enjoys the twins. She says they are "hermosa." (I'm pretty sure that is good.)



















Chad, Meesh, and I took the kids for a walk to the park. I think that they were getting a little stir crazy, or maybe it was us getting stir crazy. At any rate it made for a few good photos.











Logan was having issues with riding in the stroller and Mom and Dad were having some difficulty extricating the lad from his seat. The picture doesn't do justice to the hilarity of the situation.




















Reagan, unlike Logan, was enjoying the view.






















Logan is okay as long as Mom is out of view. When he turns 18 I am going to remind him of what a Mama's boy he was.




















It didn't take long for Cannon to climb on every piece of equipment that the playground had to offer.





















I always thought that the twisty slide was the best too.















Rylee thinks the slide is quite alright too.






















Even Reagan got in on the action. Although she is not quite ready for the twisty slide, I am sure that she will love it just as much as her sister.























Logan, just hanging around.






















If there is something on the ground that you would rather your child not pick up, Reagan will and then try to eat it.



















Its not the twisty slide, but she is getting the hang of it.















Who would have ever pictured this. Certainly not us. Where did my childhood go? Chad, are you with me?
This is so "domestic" that it almost doesn't seem right.











I can't help snapping pictures of Reagan, she just looks like a little doll.































Fortunately, Reagan seems to like me too.






















We were trying to get all the kids to sit next to this cute little waterfall for a picture, but Rylee thought it would be better to sit on the bench. Reagan, in an impressive show of solidarity, chose to sit with her sister. I had the picture next to the waterfall, but I somehow deleted it. Nobody was looking at the camera or smiling anyway. Trying to get kids to sit for a picture is like trying to herd cats.





I am sure that we were looking properly "Redneck" as we sat out in front of the house to fry the the turkey. I will most likely get a letter from the home owner's association, they are quite strict.




















Funny, I think that Chad's kids look more like me than Chad.






















Cannon supervising the turkey fry, in only his underwear.






















I spent alot of time keeping this kid away from the boiling oil.






















Reagan took over Rylee's seat at little peoples table.














Rylee taking good care of Madison.
















Cannon also made sure that there were no tears.














Logan getting some sugar from his cousin just before bedtime.














Kari taking a break from eating turkey to feed an infant.















This is me just home from my last trip, getting a little quality time with the twins. Life is Grand.















Like I said before, it is the little things that make it all worth it.

Jordan grasping my finger with her little paw while I was feeding her the other morning. The spontaneous smile or glint of recognition from your infant. It is neat to see that your infant brightens at the sight of you and follows your movements when someone else is holding her.

Rylee and Reagan lying on the bed with me, snuggled up against the pillows, watching a movie. (And Reagan only rolling off the bed once.)

Rylee helping decorate the Christmas tree and actually being a help. (Reagan though it was more fun to remove the decorations.)

The child development experts telling you that your kids are doing better than they should be. The twins have the social skills of a five month old. With everything else they are on target according to their adjusted age. (Again that is the age they would be had they gone to term.)

Reagan so excited to "fetch" the paper. Retrieving it with a huge smile.

Rylee trying to tickle Jordan.

Rylee trying to walk around the house in Mom's shoes.


That makes up for:

Vomit

Being the only adult awake when the night nanny leaves and three of the four are crying at once.

Having to reheat your coffee 5 times before you can finish it.

Reagan insisting on "helping" me type this.

My wife's mood swings.

Having to pick Play-doh out of Reagan's nose.


Still working on uploading photos. Soon. Many distractions.

Kari gave the night nannies Thanks Giving off and took the night shift last night. She may be regretting that today. She sounded a little tired this evening. I think she got about two hours of sleep last night. Almost as soon as she got the twins to sleep Reagan woke up. I think that was about 5 a.m. Reagan is still teething and has been up early lately.

It sure is hard leaving all my girls for days at a time. I really miss them when I am away. It is nice to get a little break from crying babies, but as soon as I get to the airport I am ready to go right back home. I only have one more day and I will be back home. I am in Dallas tonight and only have a turn to El Salvador tomorrow and I will be done.

The night nannies have really helped out, but I feel like I am missing out on time with the twins. I usually get to feed them once or twice a day. Lately Kari has been managing the twins during the day while I look after the big girls. This isn't any thing that we planned it has just worked out that way.

We have still been trying to figure out a way to get insurance to help out with the in home care, but I think that we are beating a dead horse. I was thinking of talking with Continental's Employee assistance program. I am not sure what they offer, but it wouldn't hurt to see. I was speaking with Papa tonight and he suggested seeing if there is anything Continental would do. The March of Dimes is their philanthropy of choice, so who knows.

Boys are... different

Chad and Michelle came in to town on the 19th to celebrate Thanks Giving. I am not sure about Kari, but their arrival really lifted my spirits. It has been a long time since I have seen them and I was especially excited to see Cannon and Logan.

We had Thanks Giving dinner yesterday. Fried turkey, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, Kari's homemade rolls, home made pies, and ice cream. I was pretty proud of Kari and myself, this was the first Thanks Giving that we have prepared from A to Z without any "adults" there to help out. Yes, I still kind of think of us as kids in a way. So, why do I feel so old?

At any rate we all over ate in the proper Thanks Giving tradition. And the kids behaved splendidly. Rylee and Cannon shared a small table while Logan and Reagan were mostly content in their highchairs.

Logan is a monster. I mean that in a good way, size wise. He is really big, quite a bit larger than his older cousin, Reagan. He is taking his first steps and is really fun to watch. While he is a momma's boy, he allowed me to hold him and I even got a good belly laugh out of him. He was a little fussy the first night due to the new environment, so Meesh just kept feeding him milk till he passed out. He was also happier once he was moved out of Reagan's room and put in the pack-n-play in his Mom and Dad's room. Rylee was quite taken with Logan and spent the first ten minutes sitting on the floor next to him just staring at him. She likes to make him smile.

Cannon is a ball of energy. The boy has no low gear, he is either going full speed or is asleep. Just like a young boy should be. He told me that he liked our house and was going to stay for four weeks. I thought that would be just fine, but his Mom and Dad are taking him home on the 22nd. He really has a kind heart and was very interested in and attentive to the twins. At one point, when both twins where crying, Rylee crouched over Madison's swing to comfort her and Cannon squatted in front of Jordan's swing to sooth her. Very touching.

Boys, however lovable, are very different from girls. There is an intensity about little boys, in their actions and demeanor. Michelle was watching me while I was watching Cannon play around the coffee table and she couldn't help but laugh at me. I don't know if I had a funny look on my face or if I was unconsciously flinching every time he brought that toy car. made of die cast metal, forcefully down on the coffee table, Crash, Crash, Crash, Crash. I was trying to look unconcerned, maybe that is what was so funny. He didn't do any damage, but you just don't see that with the girls.

Girls, while they are tough on furniture too, seem to put a little more thought into their actions and use a bit more precision. Boy's actions are more impulsive and, for lack of a better word, violent. Pick this up, throw it. Pick that up, shake it, throw it. Toy baseball bats are not just for hitting balls, they can be used to beat on almost anything. However, there is more to it than just force of action, I can't quite put my finger on it. Volume for one thing is ALWAYS set to high and boys are slightly more apt to do something like jump naked into a freezing cold swimming pool and then do it again, even though they now know how cold it is.

I find it very amusing to get safety tips from a four year old. "You should never put your hand on a grill. It could hurt you." "Reagan is going toward the street. Now she is in the street! She shouldn't be in the street!" His parents are bringing him up right. And it is nice to know that he takes those lessons to heart. But, it is still funny to get a safety tip from someone and then have them turn around and race up and down the stairs at breakneck speed with no pants on. (He had taken them off again because he wanted to jump back into the freezing cold pool.) The boy is definitely not shy.

I find it immensely entertaining to watch all the kids interact and see the wonder in their eyes with every new discovery. I especially like talking with Cannon. The questions come rapid fire, one after another, and you can see the wheels turning, digesting every answer. You can almost see the little "record" light blinking on his forehead, those eyes and ears gathering every scrap of information and storing it for future reference, the furrow of his brow as he places all that gathered information in the proper order in his little noggin. It is truly fascinating to watch these kids grow up. And it sure is happening fast. DON'T BLINK! Or they will be all grown up.

I just realized the other day that I am no longer terrified. That is good. At the last doctor visit she told us that she doesn't need to see the twins again for 2 months for a normal well baby visit.

I have been in an altered state for 4 months. I have been so focused on the twin's health that not much else entered my mind.

Reality can be kind of a bummer sometimes. I knew that with all the time I have taken off work and the new house that our financial situation was going to be tight, but when I looked at our accounts on line yesterday I was a little shocked. I hyperventilated for several minutes. It was tighter than I thought and we were forced to suck up our pride and call my parents (again) for help. Papa was not surprised. He actually thought that we would have called sooner with all the time that I had taken off.

Anyway, Thank you Mom and Dad. I don't know what we would do without you.

We have come to the conclusion that only kids are getting gifts this Christmas and the kids are our gifts. That and I need to pick up some more flying.

Looking back I don't know what I would have done different. I really couldn't leave my wife alone in that situation all alone. We may have waited a bit longer to buy the new house, but again we really didn't expect all the complications and the bills that went with them.

Chad and Michelle should be arriving any moment for a slightly early Thanks Giving celebrations. I am sure that we will have some good photos to post soon.

Back in Houston safe and sound.

I heard once that a good landing is one that you can walk away from and after a Great landing you can use the airplane again. My landing this morning in Houston was smoooph (That is really smooth.) That was nice because I was in a bit of a slump last week. I didn't make any terrible landings but there was no question of if we were on the ground or not. I think that I am back in the groove.

I don't like flying with pilots that are sick, it is almost impossible not to get infected when you share the cockpit for 4 days with someone who is ill. So I feel bad that I have been flying around with a cold myself, but I used all of my accumulated sick time for emergency dropping trips when Kari kept going into labor. So I guess sharing is caring until I build my sick bank back up.

Sorry that the blogging has suffered due to my switch back to a daytime schedule. I am in New York at the moment and don't have much time to sleep so this will be short.

It has been nice to see Rylee and Reagan show more affection toward each other but the hugs have not out numbered the pushes yet.

Kari thinks that we might be ready to potty train Rylee and Reagan at the same time. Reagan led her to the changing table lifted up her nightgown, pointed at her diaper, and then opened the diaper pail. So, she knows when she needs to be changed and we sure would love to have those two out of diapers, but the thought of trying to train them at this point seems a little overwhelming.

I am told that the twins, who got colds like the rest of us, are doing a little better. Kari and I have still not kicked the bug and have stuffy noses and coughs.

I was hoping to get some rest on this trip, but the overnights were short to start with and we have constantly been delayed by high winds in the Northeast. I guess that there is plenty of time to sleep when you are dead.

I call my beautiful children hellions with lots of love. Daddy has been out of town since Wednesday morning before I was up bright and bushy tailed (sic) at 5:45am. Yesterday I was feeding both twins at the same time, it was time for both to burp when the phone rang, the doorbell rang, the dogs barked and all four kids started crying. The phone was Mark, just telling me he loved me and bye. The call ended after maybe an elapsed time of 45 seconds. I didn't even get the chance to whine to him. After that call, I was poor me and thinking how would I do this on my own. It has been hard enough with Mark away even having Hilda during the day and Kandy & Mary Ellen at night. This really is a three person job at all times.

Later in the day I let the dogs out back, shut the door, walked into the bedroom, grabbed Jordan. started to feed her, thought the grass is cut, said "Oh Shit!", put Jordan down, ran out the back door to see that Bunker and Bogie where nowhere to be found. Our mowers usually come on Friday, it was Thursday. They have a routine where they mow about three to four yards on our street, leave the gates open and come back after mowing and then do clean up. They leave the gate open so they know the yard is not complete. Hilda asked me what do we do? I told her to watch all the girls while I drive to find them. I put a bra on, grab the keys, walk out the front door and see the dogs rounding the street corner. Luckily it was easy to get them into the truck. In the meantime, Jordan vomited on Hilda. What would I have done if I didn't have Hilda here? I grew even more terrified of being alone. Any sense that I thought I was Wonder Woman and could do it all my own flew straight out of mind and is lost in space somewhere.

Rylee and Reagan continue to get up anywhere from 5:30 am till 8am with no rhyme or reason. It doesn't matter if naps are involved or how late they stay up.

Today the twins had their Synagis shot again. I hate seeing my girls cry in pain. It breaks my heart. Madison weighs 11# 4.1oz and Jordan weighs 10# 5.7oz. They are growing rapidly and are doing very well. Jordan is slowly catching up to Madison!

Well Reagan is screaming her head off... I'm cleaning her blackened lovely from so much filth and she refuses to take the clean one. That's all for now.

There are a few things that make this all worth it.

Last night Rylee and Reagan seemed like friends again. It was very nice after two days of short tempers and pushing. They were running through the house giggling and wiping their noses on their sleeves. Rylee ducked behind the coffee table and a game of Peek-a-boo ensued. At the end of that game we were all giggling. Reagan ran to Rylee and wrapped her arms around her waist in a big bear hug, which was properly returned. That was the first spontaneous hug that we have seen. That really makes all the runny noses and fussing worth it.

This morning Madison was handing out lots of smiles. There is nothing like an infant daughter giving a big toothless grin to make a Dad just melt. Little girls have a huge arsenal of tactics to manipulate Mom and Dad, but the smiles and the tears are the most lethal. I am already a push over.

You will have to forgive me if I repeat myself throughout this blog. I just type what comes to mind and there is sure to be some repeat stories. I can't even recall what day it is, let alone what I posted two days ago.

I may have touched on this, but Rylee has become a Dora the Explorer fan and wants everything Dora. Right now she is wearing her Dora night gown with her jeans and running around the house with a Dora balloon on the end of a plastic stick.

Reagan is very under the weather today. As a matter of fact she is screaming at me right now. She just proved to me that she is not ready to eat yogurt on her own yet. When I started this post she was having lunch in the highchair next to me and doing pretty well with the yogurt, but the wheels fell off that operation when she got it all over her hands and then rubbed her eyes.

Rylee has discovered that it is not so much fun to play building blocks with Reagan. Reagan gets excited about it, that is good, but Reagan knocks them all down, and that is bad.

Kari and I actually had a chance to sit and talk for a few minutes last night and we kept coming back to "You kind of did this to yourself." And that kept leading us back to "How could we have foreseen all of this: Twins, complications, etc." I think we still feel a little guilty about needing so much help and feel a little guilty and irresponsible. You would think that two adults should be able to take care of themselves. We have to keep reminding ourselves that if we had one more normal pregnancy instead of twins that we would have been able to swing it on our own (I think). I'm sure we still would have whined about loss of sleep and no time to ourselves, but it would have been a bit easier to deal with.

I don't know why, but we felt we needed to reiterate that, if only for our own benefit.

I didn't know how good I had it when I was just doing the night shift. The day shift is, without a doubt, more work. It is crazy all day long, especially now with everyone being sick. I always wondered why everyone was ready for bed at nine. Now I know. There is always someone who needs attention and most tasks are accomplished with a child in your arms. The last three days the big girls have been almost inconsolable. They are also much less patient with each other.

Reagan, like any little sister, is becoming very interested in what Rylee is doing at any given time and Rylee, like any big sister, would like Reagan to buzz off. I am reminded of Chad's and my relationship when we were young. Chad says that whatever toy I had at the time, I always made it look more fun than the toy that he had. Reagan is also very possessive of which ever parent is lying on the floor and will attempt to push Rylee off to achieve the prime snuggling position.

Last night I asked Kari, as we were lying in bed, "Are you afraid of waking up tomorrow?"

"Terrified."

Well we didn't have to wait that long to face the next shift, Rylee was up at 12:00, 2:00, 4:00, 5:00, and 6:00. Reagan was up at 4:00, 5:00, and 6:15. At 6:15 I gave up hope of any more sleep and got back to work. Today is Hilda's day off and while she still insists on helping out a little (she helped with breakfast, did some laundry, and some dishes) it is a lot more work. Fortunately, Rylee's temper is somewhat longer today. I hope that she is on the mend.

Back to the babies.

I survived my first trip in two months. Fortunately, the first day was a red eye, which coincided nicely with my nocturnal lifestyle. It was a little difficult to adjust to a daytime schedule after that first night.

I had really gotten used to being at home and missed the kids and wife terribly while I was gone. This working stuff really gets in the way of life, doesn't it?

You will notice from the photos that I no longer look like "Grizzly" Adams. I kind of miss the beard. However, as soon as I shaved it off I got a lot more attention from my wife. She said that I was "kissable" without it. Had I known that I may have shaved it sooner.

I have included a picture of me with some of the new "staff." Hilda has been a huge help with the big girls during the day. The woman is a cleaning machine. She cleans everything, the windows are clean, the bathrooms sparkle, there is never a dish in the sink, and the kids are washed (which is nice, they were getting stinky).

We were a little worried about how she would handle the dogs, but she seems to be doing ok with them. Once she fed them a time or two they warmed up considerably.

Also in the picture is Kandy. She is a perfect fit with the family, both the big girls love her and she is wonderful with the twins. She is one of those people that you just like immediately. She makes a very good first impression. Even the dogs love her.

Mary Ellen is doing a fine job also. She seemed a bit overwhelmed on her first night, but now has the whole job wired. Her daughter runs the NICU at the hospital in the Woodlands, just up the road from us, and that seemed fitting.

Kari, Rylee, and I are all suffering from a cold. Grandmom got it too and said that she slept for almost 24 hours when she got home. We have been extra careful about hand washing, trying hard not to infect the twins. Reagan is cutting three more molars. And so the troops have been restless to say the least. Yesterday was a long day. Rylee was only happy if I was holding her while sitting on the couch. At least she insisted that I sit, there was a time when she was only happy if I was standing up and holding her.

Rylee seemed in pretty good spirits this morning and I thought she might be on the mend, but that did not last. By 8:30 she had switched from a lover to a fighter and her nose continues to run like a faucet. She has not figured out how to blow yet and the bulb syringe is not her favorite apparatus. She is napping at moment. She really needed the rest. Mary Ellen told me that she Rylee came downstairs to visit from about 2:30 till 4:30. It must have been around that time that she came up and crawled into bed with Kari and I. I didn't get kicked in the crotch till about 7:00. At any rate we are taking Rylee to the doctor this afternoon.

It has really been a lifesaver to get the help installed, and special thanks to my folks for helping us out with that. Although, I suffered a little bit of sticker shock when I added up all the wages and I think my Dad did too. We hope to be able to cut back on the night time nannies soon, but right now I don't know what we would do without them.

Latest minor catastrophes and fun behavior observations:

Rylee was helping me look at pictures on my laptop and spilled a whole glass of water on the keyboard. Shame on me for not seeing that coming.

At lunch yesterday, Reagan noticed that Rylee had eaten all of her food, so she took a few bites off of her plate and placed them on Rylee's highchair. I thought that was nice. It is funny how they can go from generous to possessive in such a short period of time. I guess that is the human condition for you.

We sure do miss having Grandmom around. I knew that she was doing a lot to help out, but it became abundantly clear just how much when she left.

The twins are doing very well. They are both eating more and sleeping longer.

I hear babies crying I better go.

Today was the twins 4 month check up.
Madison Kate is weighing in at 10# 12oz and Jordan Lane weighing in at 9#10oz.
Madison is 21 1/4in tall and Jordan 21in tall.

I believe that Jordan will quickly catch up now that she is on reflux medication and no more projectile vomiting.

Imagine you are just under 3 years old and one night momma and daddy let you go door to door, say trick or treat, and get candy. Now in your just under three little mind, doesn't it make sense to go out for a walk a few days later and run to a door, ring the bell, and say trick or treat? This is what Rylee did yesterday. Hilda took her and Reagan for a walk sans stroller (brave woman) and while she was chasing Reagan, Rylee rang the door bell of our neighbor. Now how do you explain this to a 3 year old? How can you make her understand you can only do this on Halloween day?

I think all will be much better here in the Spencer household when everyone has adequate rest. The help from Hilda and Kandy has already made a huge difference. The needs of four little kids three adults, two dogs and a cat is a full time job. Laundry, meals, feedings, diaperings, messes etc. are constant.

I will miss all the excitement but when you are a grandmother the energy level isn't what it was at age 30.

I am grateful to have seen the progress of the twins from birth until now. They are a miracle. I think the pediatrician will be surprised and pleased. The last time they went to the doctor they were still on oxygen. When they no longer needed that it made and enormous difference.

I should be back in Sarasota soon.

Grandmom Spencer

We haven't been able to get my sister on a flight so we have been under desperate measures. With the help of Grandmom and Papa Mac we have hired three people until things get somewhat normal, you know like four little girls sleeping through the night. Grandmom and I wrote down exactly what we were looking for. Someone grandmotherly or aunt like. Kind, compassionate, loving. We put an ad in the paper and called out to friends. Our first answered prayer was Hilda. She is from Mexico and was a nanny to a good friend Terra with her twins. Hilda has moved in with us and is taking care of Rylee and Reagan and helping me with the twins five days a week. Rylee and Reagan took to her immediately. I can already tell she is going to be a Godsend to us. Even on her days off she pitches in, cleans the house, feeds a twin, entertains a toddler. She cleans things I haven't touched since we moved in. I see genuine love for children in her eyes. She speaks little English, and of course Mark and I speak very little Spanish, but we are communicating. She told me in 3 months we will both be speaking better Spanish and English. She will also teach our children Spanish. I see some spoiling already, we went to the grocery store and Hilda said the children needed cookies and Rylee needed a balloon.

Mark went back to work Friday evening. I miss him so much. I thought it wouldn't be so bad since we have been on opposite schedules. But I at least saw his face each day. I miss him terribly. Since Mark went to work I took over his shift and Grandmom mine. It was really difficult that first night. I was awake from 7am till 5:30am and tagged Grandmom "You're it"!

Tonight our second prayer was answered. Kandy started work at 8pm. Rylee took straight to her, Reagan was asleep. Kandy, a wonderful grandmotherly type, brought animal cookies for the toddlers. Kandy has taken over the twins tonight. I actually showered and shaved my legs. I have time to type this, and I feel very comfortable sleeping tonight.

Wednesday, our third prayer answered, is Mary Ellen's turn at the nighttime duty with the twins. I feel strong about our choices and most important very comfortable with the thought of surrendering my babies to these women.

My post-pardum depression is still being controlled and I feel like the meds are really helping. I still feel happiness, and some down times but not despair. Now I just need to get over the bronchitis and get my pelvis realigned. I'm in constant pain from my right side of the neck down to my right hip. Hopefully I will now have some time to truly take care of myself and all of my miracles.

Prayers are answered! Our miracles are alive and getting bigger and stronger each day. They have their four month check-up Tuesday. My husband and I have the help we have needed so desperately, we can give Grandmom back to Papa Mac. And just maybe my husband and I can have some time together, hey maybe even go out sans kids for Starbucks! Things are truly looking up! I think I may even see a twinkle of light!

Ain't Missbehavin

It has been fun to watch our girls personalities develop.

Dad is not always number one anymore. Grandmom is very popular with the girls. For the first six months with Rylee and Reagan Mom was the only one that could "make it all better." After that it has been "Its ok. Daddys gotcha." But now Grandmom is the one to turn to in times of adversity. I think they know who will give the hugs instead of timeouts.

Pushing. Over the last several days it has been a favorite pass time of Rylee's. For no reason she will turn to Reagan and give her the old two handed push. Reagan has never been one to put up with much flak and will push back, but Rylee is still quite a bit bigger. The timeouts don't seem to bother Rylee all that much and she shows no remorse.

The other day I was sitting on the couch and watched Rylee give Reagan a pretty good shove. Before I could even say "No" Reagan steadied herself and gave Rylee a shove right back, so Rylee shoved her again. It all happened pretty fast. "Rylee! No pushing. Hey Reagan, No pushing! Rylee! Stop that! OK Thats it! Time out!"

It is nice to see Reagan standing up for herself, but that is not the kind of behavior that we encourage.

Rylee even tried to push Madison today. Madison was in Rylee's spot on Dad's lap and she was not going to put up with this little upstart muscling in on her territory.

Rylee really enjoyed the Trick or Treating. However, we need to work on the timing of the "Trick or Treat." She will say it before the door is opened and when it is open she goes into shy mode and wont say a word.

Even though we had trouble keeping the shoes and wig on, we still had a ball.

The twins are doing very well and still growing. They look more alike everyday. It has been taking us longer and longer to figure out which is which. We finally broke down and painted one of Madison's fingernails so that we can tell them apart.

The Nanny search continues, but we do have some very good prospects. A friend of ours from Express had a nanny for a year when her twins were born and the two of them came over today. She is looking for a live-in job and we are thinking that might be just what we need. She doesn't speak much English and was a little skittish around the dogs, but I think that we could make this work. Kari is calling her back tomorrow.

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