Sorry, Officer

The great thing about all the safety education they do in elementary school now is that seven-year-olds know how to call 911.

The bad thing about all the safety education they do in elementary school now is that seven-year-olds know how to call 911.

You probably know how this one is going to go.

Saturday morning Erin woke to a ringing phone. Seems that Leo woke up early (as per usual), crept downstairs, and made a certain phone call. The call that Erin received was from a 911 dispatcher. Apparently someone from our number had called them?

Gee, I wonder who.

Minutes later there was a knock at the door.

Let me pause to say:

A) I feel incredibly safe in my town.
B) The high property taxes we pay apparently go to...something.

Erin went downstairs and opened the front door to find a police officer standing on our front porch. Seems that sending one out to the residence where a 911 call originates is standard. (Like I said, I feel safe.)

Erin called Leo to the door. Leo immediately burst into tears. He knew exactly what he'd done and that it was not the right thing.

It was sort of every parent's dream, really. Your kid does something wrong and a police officer shows up and tells them not to do it again.

We'll see if this one sticks.

Fail Again: Make-up

Another fail.

I SO feel that I'm not doing my part in "31 for 21" this year to increase/promote Down syndrome awareness. Sigh.

This year has been hard. The only time I have to blog is at the end of the day when everyone is in bed and I have to say that by then? I am just done. DONE.

The babies have colds again. I think the culprits are the big kids as I don't remember any of my other infants being this sick, this often, this young. I shouldn't be surprised as Leo goes straight from the bus to kissing and hugging his babies. Last night the babies tag-teamed and I feel like I was awake about every forty-five minutes. It was ugly.

Let's change the subject. What about this?

A seven year old boy who is WAY more typical than not. Lives to annoy his little sister while at the same time adoring her. Loves to play in the back yard, preferably in the dirt. Loves Legos, all things related to "Toy Story" and Super Heroes. Has also been known to rock a princess dress too (quite proudly).

He has a couple of new, hilarious moves. If he loves something (i.e. a particularly fabulous piece of cheese pizza) he falls on the ground, throws his thumb up in the air (in a "thumbs up" position) and says: "I'm OK!" (Translation: he fainted from the fabulousness.)

He's also cracking jokes. Or, his version of a joke. He asks for orange juice at dinner even though he knows full well we only have orange juice at breakfast. "Mommy! Pretend!" he says in his most exasperated tone, when I remind him of the no orange juice rule.

This boy surprises me almost every day, much as he has from the very beginning.

Two in a Cart: 2008

I don't have very much to say today except that I felt spectacularly unproductive. I know the whole "you kept four humans alive" is not insignificant, but sometimes I just get frustrated with my inability to concentrate and complete a task. Eh, no biggy. That's just the way it is right now.

Anyway. Since I don't have much of interest to say, how about an oldie but goodie?

Leo, 3 1/2 and Ellie, ten months.

This feels like it was both yesterday and a dozen years ago.

Time is a funny thing.

Four For a Day

Today, for the first time since the babies were born, we went out as a family of four.

It felt totally and completely normal. Barely five blocks from the house, it was almost like the babies were a dream.

We went to see a play, "Angelina Ballerina". Leo and Ellie loved it (they're experienced theatergoers).

When the play ended we purchased the requisite souvenirs ("Angelina" ears and wand) that cost more than the tickets (because you only live once).

Then it was off to a party. Again, just the four of us.

Later, Erin would describe me as "sitting alone at a table eating and drinking (wine)." It's totally true and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I enjoyed myself.

Ellie played four square with a couple of new found friends. Leo stayed with Erin and me and ate his weight in hot dogs and grapes and chatted up the ladies. He was having actual conversations and it was wonderful to watch.

There was just a lightness about the day, even when we couldn't find parking before the play and drove around in circles with the clock on the dashboard ticking down (there are few things in life I hate more than being late).

I don't think I realize how much work the babies are until I'm away from them (which is basically never). And I forget sometimes how easy "big" kids (like Leo and Ellie) are. But someday (too soon, I know) these babies will be big kids too. And the not so light days will feel like far away dreams. And there will be four little people instead of two, sitting in a darkened theater whispering "Is it over?"

Lucy modeling the Angelina ears.

Dusk arrived and an exquisite fall day came to an end and it was time to return home to the babysitter and the babies. When we walked in the door, the babysitter was holding Lucy and Harry was jiggling away in his bouncy chair. Both babies turned to look at us and smiled as if to say "It's you guys! We know you!" Leo and Ellie showered the babies with hugs and kisses and squeezes as they are apt to do when apart from them for more than three minutes. Ellie tried the ears and wand on her little sister and squeeled "She's holding the wand!" (see above and below).

Our babysitter described the babies as "so much fun." She said it twice so it must have been true.

Mouse ears AND wand.

Four for a day was fun. But six is more like it.

Holidays: The Good and the Bad

Ellie is in absolute love with Halloween. Every car ride or walk is a search for decorations. "Mommy did you see those ghostas?" She calls to me from the back of the mini-van. Not sure where that pronounciation came from but that's it. The other day as we were pulling out of the mall parking lot I pointed out the "haunted house" to her (one of those pop-up places that go up every year that caters to teenagers and people who actually like to be scared). She was fascinated and pummeled me with questions about it all the way home. Was it real? What's in a haunted house? Why is a house haunted? Is our house haunted?

So. Many. Questions.

It's a total cliche but the whole holidays through the eyes of a child thing? It is pretty great.

Sidenote: I went to Target on Friday in search of an orange or "fallesque" kitchen rug. Couldn't find any because all the kitchen linens/rugs were CHRISTMASY.

Are you kidding me?

Speller

An addendum to my last post about Leo in second grade:

I forgot to mention that he consistently scores one-hundred percent on his spelling tests (he has one every Friday). I hope I'm not jinxing anything by kvelling about it here but I just have to mention it. And I love it because I was a total spelling fiend in elementary school. Yes I was the kid who actually looked forward to spelling tests. So I love that Leo seems to be following in my spelling footsteps. (My expertise peaked in elementary school, I assure you.)

And full disclosure: we don't always study. Shhhh.

When No News is Good News

Wednesday was Leo's parent-teacher conference. Gone are the days when I used to blissfully shuttle one kid (Ellie) to daycare and the other (Leo) to school (a few minutes early) so I could chat quickly (though meaningfully!) with Leo's teacher, all the while in the back of my mind hoping against hope that I would still make the last express bus to New York so I could not be too late to work.

This parent conference day was a little different. Sure I could have taken the babies, but I really wanted to have a full block of time to focus just on Leo. It's bad enough that I missed back to school night this year (first time missing it in history of parenting and I am still wracked with guilt about it).

My life is such that these days? A drive to an elementary school in the rain, where I can listen to what I want on the car iPod (Delta Spirit's "Devil Knows You're Dead") is a downright vacation. Seriously, it was so relaxing. One of the highlights of my week. And when I got to stop on the way home for lunch? I was ridiculously giddy. I got in an out of a car without having to load and unload the giant twin stroller. Party!

But I digress.

I was a little nervous about the conference. I mean, not nervous, just a little concerned that I hadn't been heard much from Leo's teacher so far this year. In year's past she's been chattier (emails), there's been more writing in Leo's communication book. This year? I got a note asking for a painting smock and for more money in Leo's lunch account. I had this whole scenario cooked up in my head that I'd get reports of Leo struggling "with all that's going on at home."
I've been facing with some pretty obstinate behavior (not exactly new). What's new is that I'm usually trying to enforce some kind of rule while holding an infant and a certain someone therefore seems to have a hard time taking me very seriously. I was curious if any of that behavior had bled over into school.

Apparently not. According to Mrs. L., Leo is doing great. He's well mannered, polite, does what he's asked to do. He's almost finished with the Edmark Reading Program Level 1, is taking Spanish and, well, she honestly had only good things to say about him. The only concern is the speech which is not a surprise of course and we're being proactive about that (the private therapy is taking longer than I'd like to get started but that's another story).

I for one am seeing some great things in Leo lately. He's definitely maturing. Just today, while Ellie was at swim class, a group of preschoolers (cute little girls, Leo's favorite target) passed us, like ducks in a row. Rather than lunging in for the hug, Leo held his hand out and said "High Five." One little girl looked concerned but gave in, and fived him. And the fact that I was able to take Leo to Ellie's swim class and he sat with me and stayed with me and the babies, all the while having a long and quite involved conversation with some of the employees of the community center where all those Ellie classes take place? Also huge. I'm very proud of him.

So all in all, second grade is off to a good start. Pfew.

What Happens When Your Mom Lets Your Big Sister Play With Her Halloween Costume

I'm telling you, nothing in our house is sacred. Nothing!

Oh, Right. That.

Leo pushes the boundaries, even in his sleep.

You may have noticed a rather glaring absence in my posts lately.

Down syndrome.

Right. I haven't said much about it, have I? In honor of "31 for 21" I am...apparently NOT talking about the good old 21.

Obviously, the arrival of two babies has overshadowed a lot lately. I mean, let's face it. Cute baby picture posts are way easier than longish, heartfelt essays about what a major birth defect has meant to our family.

But I think there's more to the fact that this year I haven't been writing about Down syndrome.

It's that I'm not sure what to say anymore.

I'm obviously over the shock. I'm not grieving Down syndrome anymore. I love my boy and he is who is he is. I don't know him any other way than having Down syndrome. His little quirks? Hates haircuts, loves to love, fancies scrambled eggs and grapes, Ellie, Lucy and Harry above all else: Who knows if they are because of Down syndrome or just because. Everything happens for a reason and at the same time? I also think that, as my dad says, nothing happens for any reason at all.

Here's a little Down syndrome story from today. Ellie and I went to the mall to get some needed items for Leo's Halloween costume. We had a few extra minutes before we had to go home to meet Leo's bus, so we stopped to play at the indoor playground. There was a toddler there, big for his age to not be walking and my "special needs" radar was up. Something was just not quite "right" with this little boy. I examined his profile and noticed he had the telltale flat head (one of the traits of Down syndrome).

And then it dawned on me that it was hard for me to tell if he had Down syndrome because to me, Down syndrome is "normal." I see it every day in Leo, and so I sort of feel like I don't see it at all, if that makes sense.

A Room Of Their Own

As I mentioned a few posts ago, at long last, Harry and Lucy are out of our room (um, I mean, the babies have an official nursery).

View from the doorway:

Lucy is still wee enough to sleep in the Pack N Play, so that's her spot. Meanwhile Harry is bunking in Ellie's old crib. We're dragging our heels on buying a second crib until we absolutely have to. Which will be soon. Yes, yes, I still need to do something about those little windows and the naked curtain rods (the rods have been there since we moved in). Gah.


This was Ellie's old room, which was pink when we moved into the house. Pepto-Bismol pink (not exaggerating). We promptly took care of that in a painting spree and converted it to this soothing, gender neutral green. Little did we know I would give birth to the Queen of Pink. When she turned about three and became pink-obsessed I sort of wished we'd kept it pink, but that was before we added two more people to the family and long before I could have ever imagined Leo and Ellie would share a room. Of course now, I'm so glad we painted it green before Ellie was born because it's such a nice, neutral, suitable-for-boys-or-girls-or-hey-how-handy-both!-color.

I'm in absolute love with that tree wall decal. When I first put it up I used to go into the room and just look at it. It just makes me feel good. Calm. I hope the babies think so too. That rocker belonged to Erin's mom (she rocked Erin in it) which I think is very sweet. Also, it's very comfortable and roomy. Harry must agree as we spend a lot of quality time in it together, at 1 a.m., and 3 a.m. and 4:45 a.m.

I'm not big on "themes" but I guess I'm sort of going with "trees" and "nature and birds" here. I picked this green rug because I think it looks sort of "grass-like." It's very soft and thick and cozy and you can say what you want about Ikea but they do certain things very well. I thought this rug had it all, very reasonably priced and great (so far) quality. Wow I suddenly sound like an annoying carpet salesperson. Sorry.

And I pretty much freaked out (in a good way) when I found these curtains which aren't "matchy matchy" (which I hate) but compliment the whole tree/bird thing just perfectly. And yes, they need to be hemmed.

There still isn't much on the walls, but there isn't a ton of wall space so I doubt I'll hang much more than what's up. This photo was taken by my friend Stephanie Willson, who did our amazing newborn photo shoot (coming all the way from Florida to New Jersey to do it). Yes those are tiny Lucy and Harry heads.

Ye trusty sound machine (highly recommended). That frame on the left are 3-D ultrasound images of the babies four days before they were born. The one of Lucy (on the bottom) looks exactly like her (which shouldn't be surprising since, you know, it is her). But still! Those pictures are incredible, when you think about it.

This is a drawing Leo made when I was pregnant with the babies, a few days after I took him and Ellie to an OB appointment with me (yeah, that was fun). It was winter break so the kids were home from school and my dad and stepmom, who were supposed to be there watching the kids had been unable to come because of that little thing called the Blizzard of 2010. The drawing depicts me on the exam table getting an ultrasound (standard for every OB visit when pregnant with twins). On the left is Leo and Ellie, in the middle is the doctor (those little "dots" are the keys on her "computer.") And very faintly there near Leo and Ellie, you can see, babies. I knew the minute Leo showed me this drawing back in January that I wanted it in the babies' room.

Hopefully a lot of good times and plenty of sleep will be had in this room.

We've had a bit of both, already.

Robot, by Leo

One of the things I love about Leo is his very active imagination. Here he is building a "robot." His hayride days appear to be over, but he's very good at making structures out of found objects. Just look at his focus, his concentration. There's great attention to detail too. That orange safety cone? It was meticulously filled with leaves. The ghost was a last minute addition, after Erin and Ellie came home with Halloween decorations.

One Year Ago

A year ago today I got my first "officially" positive pregnancy test (as in, a blood test at the doctor's office).

It was a spectacular, crystal clear, classic New York City fall day. The sky was perfectly blue, the air was crisp, the leaves on the trees in Bryant Park were beginning to change. I had the blood work done before work and walked, a little giddy and a bit in disbelief, to my office on Sixth Avenue. It didn't seem possible. Pregnant. On the first try.

That's when I had the feeling. I knew I was bleeding. And I was pretty sure the pregnancy was not to be.

How ironic, I thought, to start bleeding just minutes after the test. How cruel.

As soon as I got to work I called Erin and told her what was happening.

"Well, so much for that one," I said quietly, apologetically. "I'm sorry. It was too good to be true I guess. But we'll try again."

She agreed with every word and told me she was sorry too, but that maybe things would still be OK?

A few hours later the nurse called me back with my "numbers" (the results of the level of pregnancy hormones).

"Oh, that's OK," I said to her when she told me the numbers were "very reassuring."

"I've been bleeding all morning," I said. "I don't think it's going to work out."

When I got home from work that night, I had a large glass of wine. Why not? I wasn't pregnant after all.

The bleeding stopped within a day. A week later I started feeling exhausted and nauseous.

Reason for Exhaustion and Nausea #1

Reason for Exhaustion and Nausea #2

Little did I know just how very pregnant I was.

And what a difference a year makes.

Bedtime Antics

I tried to get a shot of Lucy sucking on Harry's elbow but I couldn't get it. Apparently I was taking too long to get her dinner. The service around here can be a bit slow.

Happy Friday everyone! And thank goodness for chemistry and for all the good wishes. I am feeling better already.

Some Cuteness and It's Too Early For This

Lucy, the Crazy Tongue Wagger. The girl loves her new-found tongue.

Also, Ellie and I both have strep. Harry does not (adding to my list of Things That Are Pathetic: watching a four month old get a strep test). Poor guy didn't know what hit him. He has a raspy, too many Marlboros smoker's cough, which is why the doctor decided to test him. But no strep.

So here I sit again, amongst unfolded clean laundry. Only tonight, I'm too tired and feeling too lousy to even care. So that's progress, I guess.

21 Things About Today (part one)

1. Ellie went to PreK today. By the time I get her there and pick her up she's at school for about three and a half hours. That's considered a "half-day." Fastest three and half hours of my day.

2. Lucy found her tongue today. I didn't know it was possible to smile and stick your tongue out but wow. Cuteness.

3. I'm pretty certain I have strep throat. Really hoping if I do that I'm the only one who has it. Going to the doctor tomorrow.

4. The season finale of "Breaking Bad" was awesome. I just watched it. I'm not usually one for gore but that was pretty freaking cool.

5. The only thing I miss about Brooklyn is good take-out. We have two options here in suburban New Jersey. Pizza and Chinese. Not a huge fan of either (or at least bad versions of the two). In case you were wondering, we had bad Chinese tonight.

6. I ran out of dog food and made the dog brown basmati rice which (surprise!) didn't seem to do it for her. But if she barks and wakes up four children I cannot be trusted with what I might do. I will never forget to buy dog food again. She really wants some of this Chinese food. Even though it's bad.

7. Ellie and I went to Saks Fifth Avenue today to return something (not a place I frequent, believe me, but I had a gift card) and Ellie wanted me to buy purple glittery Christian Louboutin platform heels. They were $425. I was dressed a little shlubby (at least for Saks standards) but the salespeople were very nice to us, I think, because the babies were putting on a cute show.

8. I hate homework. Leo used to do his homework at after care and word has it, he was a good sport about it. Of course he was. He saves all of his antics for us. Since I'm home on maternity leave right now, we do it as soon as he gets home (to get it out of the way). He comes off the bus all smiley and happy and then he gets in the door and remembers homework and becomes grumpy. We get through it, but it's not always pretty. The fact that the babies are usually flirting with witching hour during homework time does not help our cause either.

9. We moved the babies out of our room last week and I have to say it is so wonderfully awesome to have our bedroom back. It feels just a little bit normal again: we can read, watch TV, fold laundry, without tiptoeing around (nursery tour to come once I can get some good photos).

10. I have to fill out this Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales Parent Rating Form for Leo's upcoming school evaluation and oh I am procrastinating. Hate that thing. Although, some of the questions are sort of funny: "[does the student] understand that others do not know his thoughts unless he or she says them." I have got to make time for this form. Did I mention it takes me seemingly forever these days to accomplish a single task? Oh look, I can't even make it to twenty-one. To be continued.

Fail Recovery

I missed posting yesterday. I hate that I missed (I'm a little compulsive about promises) but I just didn't have it in me at the end of the day. I felt a little down. More than spent. Just didn't feel like getting on the computer and what? Whining? Boring.

But today was a new day. A much better day. I'm almost always heartened by how much better things tend to look in the morning. The house smells like coffee, the big kids are fresh off a good night's sleep (usually), the babies tend to take nice little morning naps and fifty percent of them wake up smiling and laughing.


These are oldish pictures of the babies. They're about two months old here. Let's just say they don't sleep quite as much now during the day. But they are way more smiley.

Right now Leo and Ellie are up too late but they're in their respective beds just laughing and giggling. Chatting. I really couldn't ask for more.

Life's a little hard right now, but it's good.

One is the New None and Some Updates

More pictures having nothing to do with my post. Just gratuitous, blurry cuteness.

It occurred to me today, as I took Ellie on a little trip to Target while Erin stayed home with Leo and the babes, that going out with one kid is the new none. That is to say, time was, back in those lazy, self-indulgent (ha ha) days of just two kids, it was no big deal to say "honey I'm gonna run to Target" and leave the two hooligans. And it is still not such a big deal if one of us is left with all four. It's just not, shall we say, relaxing. In any possible way. And so, one is the new none. Taking one chatty, curious and dare I say agreeable four-year-old to Target? Well it's a downright vacation. It felt strange to be able to just walk away from the cart and not worry about it (you know, since it wasn't the stroller carrying two tiny human beings that I'm so accustomed to having with me on nearly every outing).

A few other thoughts:

-Ellie is in love with Halloween. I'm not sure what she's more excited about, the decorations, the costumes or the forthcoming candy. Last week I bribed her with taking a walk with the promise that we would spot Halloween decorations. We did, though there were some that were "too scary." She had to look away.

-Leo and Ellie's Halloween costume choices have been secured. No I'm not telling! You'll just have to stay tuned. Let's just say Ellie and I scored the perfect accessories for her costume on Friday. Leo came home from school and promptly announced he wanted to be the male version of what Ellie is going to be which is fine, but of course I have to go back to tall the stores where I purchased Ellie's accessories. I should have known.

-Leo is starting private speech therapy this week. Last week Leo had his formal evaluation and the speech therapist was very complimentary, declaring his expressive language exceptional. She predicted he'll probably score at about the level of a fourteen year old (!). Now, to work on being more understood. I'm excited and hopeful. I can't say the same about hauling all four to said speech therapy sessions, but there you go. He's also being re-evaluated at school (to make sure he's getting the right amount of therapy, that his placement is appropriate). I'm not expecting any surprises there but it should prove interesting.

-The babies are four months old (and nine days) old. They are smiling and laughing and generally just downright ridiculously adorable. I mean honestly, can you think of a more wonderful sound in the history of the universe than a giggling baby? They are more and more interactive with us and the world around them every day. It's refreshing to not be nursing them constantly anymore. They are true, little people. Now if they fuss I can ask one of the big kids to read them a book or (Ellie's specialty) sing them a song and this will almost always entertain them for a few minutes. Lastly, it's reassuring to know if we run out of food, we always have those thighs (see above).

First Cop-Out

This photo of Lucy has nothing to do with this post, just some random cuteness to spice up my lame cop-out.

I'm spent. I have nothing interesting to say. I just had a big bowl of pasta and a brownie and my body is quivering with tiredness and it does at the end of every day, these days. Boring.

The good news is, my standards are plummeting. There are several baskets of unfolded (but clean!) laundry around me and I. Just. Can't. Bring. Myself. To. Fold. Them.

Tomorrow is another day.

Finn

Here's the permission slip Leo brought home yesterday.

Finn the Therapy Dog.

Leo loves Finn. Finn also "worked" at the school last year and he was, no one is probably shocked to hear, a roaring success. The idea is kids will read more comfortably and be less inhibited if they're around an uncritical, patient, um, creature.

Like Finn.

Some mornings, Leo is not so excited to get on the bus. I think it's mostly for show (anyone who knows Leo can vouch for the fact he has a flair for the drama). What always helps is for him to bring something with him. Leo has been known to bring some pretty odd things on the bus. Pillow Pet, umbrella (on a non-raining day), giant, musical Christmas book. He bounds down the stairs and across the grass, clutching whatever item he's chosen.

This morning, the only thing that would get him on the bus? That picture of Finn, you see up there.

The Best Thing About Having a Roommate

Also the best thing about having a brother. And a sister.

You're never alone.

Prank

This morning before school, as most mornings, I was doing approximately seventeen things at once. Packing Leo's and Ellie's lunches, unloading and loading the dishwasher, bringing up laundry from the basement, popping Lucy's pacifier back in her mouth as she squirmed and whined softly in her plush papasan swing (Harry was uncharacteristically sleeping in, snoring blissfully upstairs in the center of our king size bed.)

Leo woke up grouchy. Erin had to leave for work early and he was not happy that he didn't get to say goodbye to her. He stomped around the house and was a veritable miniature black cloud of crabbiness. Nothing I said cheered him, not even the promise of his beloved scrambled eggs.

"What if we call Mama? Do you want to say good morning?"

"Yeah!" Leo popped up like a top and finally, a smile.

I dialed Erin's number, she answered, I handed Leo the phone and walked back to the kitchen to return to my chores.

They had a brief conversation. And then, quiet.

I should have been suspicious of the silence, I suppose. I guess I figured had just found "Hey Diddle Diddle" or "Humpty Dumpty" on YouTube (his go-to favorites). The next thing I knew, Leo was bounding into the kitchen and shaking my cell phone at me. I blinked, and clearly on the phone saw Mrs. L's (Leo's teacher) name and number being dialed. Did I mention it was 6:45 in the morning?

I grabbed the phone and punched "end call," but not soon enough, since not even a minute later, the land line rang. It was Mrs. L. Was everything OK? She wanted to know. Since she had just received a call from Leo.

I love that Leo can read now. But not so much at 6:45 in the morning (I do not love that Leo is an iPhone expert). Our apologies again, Mrs. L. Thanks for being such a good sport. And a great teacher.

Autumn Walk

Late this morning, the babies got fussy. Lucy, bless her, is not such a great daytime sleeper. She is the happiest baby I've ever had, ever met, but she seems to get bored. I think she likes to do stuff. She's an out and about kind of girl.

So we took a walk. It would be hours before Ellie's dentist appointment (the main activity of the day). Ellie kept asking "Now are we going to the dentist?" I've never met anyone that excited about the dentist. Only a four year old.

Just as planned, just a few blocks into our walk, both babies passed out quickly, one after the next.

Unfortunately, the nap was rather short-lived. But Lucy woke up cheerful and refreshed.

Lucy, as usual, cracking up at something her big sister said.

Or maybe she's just happy because she's sporting the most adorable pumpkin hat I've ever seen.

Harry seems disappointed by his plain, non-fruit oriented hat. Sorry buddy. You can wear it next time.

Roomies

Ellie knew just what she wanted to share at "show and tell" this morning:

(Ellie's daily report from pre-k)

Guess who are roomies now?


Harry and Lucy moved out of our room (sniff! haha kidding) into Ellie's old room in the hopes that I may sleep again. And Ellie moved into Leo's room. Yes it was quite the busy weekend around here.

Leo and Ellie seem to be enjoying it so far. As I told a gleeful Ellie, now every night is a sleepover!

Unadulterated Joy

Kind of cheating today with a picture post.

This photo was taken by my friend, the wonderful photographer Stephanie Willson (look her up if you're in the Tampa area!). She came to New Jersey in June, two weeks after the babies were born, all the way from Florida to do a newborn shoot. I will always be very grateful for this (and come to think of it I should post some of those pictures sometime).

But she also took this wonderful picture of Leo, which in my mind, perfectly sums up his spirit. Most every day a joyful display like this comes out, and like most kids, it doesn't take much. But I think it's fair to say that Leo's appreciation of the every day goes way above most other people. A new tennis ball to throw to the dog, a favorite brand of cheese crackers to snack on while grocery shopping with Mommy, and yes, a new pool for the backyard (see above). Leo seems to feel things more intensely than anyone else I've ever known (and this goes for happiness as well as sadness). Is it that mysterious extra chromosome? Who knows. But as my mom would have said, when he is good, he is very, very good. Of course he can drive you bonkers when he gets in one of his moods, but that smile? That laugh? That jumping up and down display of joy when things are going his way?

Sometimes, you can try really hard to be in a bad mood around Leo. But he just won't let you.

Giving it the Old 31 for 21 Try

I'm terrified I'm going to screw this one up, but I've done "31 for 21" for the past three years. It feels sacreligious to not at least try this year. I'm just a little busier than usual but I'm also a perfectionist who likes to write, so.

Some of the pieces I'm most proud of on this blog (like this one, this one, this one, and this one) were written as part of "31 for 21." I can't promise I'll be up to form this time around (I'm looking at you Harry and Lucy) but I think it's a wonderful cause and a great exercise.

Let's do this!