A Little Of This And A Little Of That

It has been awhile since I have posted. My longest absence from the blog. Lots of good times are taking place and my babies are growing just a bit too quickly. Abbey is reading chapter books, and is too smart for my own good. Carina has been potty trained for quite awhile now. She got her trip to Build A Bear as a reward. She picked out Hello Kitty just like her Jie Jie did when she accomplished this wonderful milestone. Another thing I have to mention is that Carina went to the dentist and has very healthy teeth. Anyone who has a dear little one from China knows that this is wonderful news. I had been stressing about taking her to the dentist for some time, so all I can say is "what a relief." Ellie is quite the little toddler. She shows no fear. Swings on anything she can, jumps off the couch, but couldn't get any sweeter. She is talking like a champ, but I wouldn't expect any less since both her sisters have the gift to gab. At the end of the day no one thinks these little girls are as sweet and wonderful as I do. I have a happy (most of the time), healthy family. Not a day goes by that I don't think about how fortunate I am because it doesn't always happen this way.

I knew It would Happen Sooner Or Later

Last year I posted about my little complacent Ellie. The baby who would sit in my arms and observe, rather than take part. How quickly life changes. Ellie is no longer sitting still. As a matter of fact, she is usually running from place to place. If I turn my head for one second Ellie is standing on the kitchen table, or helping herself to a bagel from the kitchen counter. It's hard not to laugh at her because she is just so stinken' cute. Cari is more than happy to take her baby sister's lead. The other day, Ellie started running across my family room, and Cari started chasing Ellie. Cari tripped and slammed into Ellie. Ellie then slammed into the TV stand. All this happened while I was but an arm's reach away from them. Lots of blood, lots of screaming, and a trip to the ER.

Baby Belle ended up with four stitches to the ear. She whimpered through the whole thing, but was quite a trooper. I cried. I was expecting a ton of drama, despair and whining from her, but there was none of that. Within a minute of the stitches, Ellie was jumping on the chair in the room, and playing peek a boo with the nurse. She then proceeded to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in Chinese the whole way home. I was expecting a bad night, but she slept through, and woke up with a Belle smile on her face. All is well that ends OK.

The funny thing is, the pictures posted here were taken after we got home from the ER well past Ellie's bed time. She was running around the house and playing peek a boo. Needless to say, I was just a bit more stressed about the evening's events than she was. Something tells me this is not the last time she will be in the ER. I hope I am wrong though. Lastly, notice the bruise on her forehead? That was another accident of Ellie's that happened while she was running away from mommy during a shopping trip.

Quiet Time

Every morning before Abbey heads to school, she takes a moment to swing her backpack, then drop it on the ground a few times, and just gear up for the day. I wonder what could be going through that head of hers. Could it be who she will play with on the playground, or which book she will read that day? Will she have pretzels or crackers at snack time? Or is she just trying turn her pink backpack black? These may seem like trivial decisions to an adult, however, they are a big deal to a Kindergartner. It is wonderful and sad mixed into one emotion watching her grow up so quickly. Lucky for me she still has a big kiss for her mama just before the bus comes.

Flexibility

How does she do that? How does she do that with a smile on her face? This is one of those moments that I watched my little girl in awe.

Taking The Nuk Away

Baby Bell has been nukky girl since I can remember. She looked so adorable with her nuk in her mouth that I never thought about the day when I might need to limit it. With her second birthday fast approaching I thought it was time to take the nuk away. Cold turkey was the best way I thought. Nope!!!! Ellie was not having it. So, like many other parents out there, I just succumbed to the notion that she would be four and still running around with a nuk in her mouth. Recently, she has been chewing on her nuks, putting holes in them, so I knew it is time for change for safety reasons. Change is a good think as long as it subtle. I have been limiting it to quiet time and bed time. While I will not go on long car rides without a nuk, she doesn't automatically get to have it either.

I have noticed that she is using it less and less. She is talking more, but this was never a problem because she has the gift to gab. I thought I was making progress. Score! Point for mommy. Then I noticed something even worse..... She is a thumb sucker. And that, I can't take away. Mom scored a point, but Baby Bell has won the game.

Surviving The Winter

There is not much going on here in the time frame after the holidays through the beginning of March. This tends to be the coldest time of the year here in Wisconsin. My main objective during this time is how to survive cabin fever. One of Cari and Ellie's favorite activities is going to the local gymnastics center. They can run, jump, yell, flip, and tire themselves out in the comfort of the indoors. Then go home and take a good nap. It is a weekly event (sometimes more than once a week) for the babes and I. Miss Abbey thinks it's not so fair that she doesn't get to go with her sisters to gymnastics.

The other day, Abbey had a day off school and was able to enjoy open gymnastics with her lil' sisters. They all had a blast, and took a good nap when they got home. Even "the one who is too old for naps."

Happy New Year

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2010.