Never Alone and Who's Going to the Sing-A-Long?

I had a rare day at home with "just" the twins this week.


Hey Harry. Whatcha doin? Yougonnaeatthis?


FORTHELOVEOFALLTHATISGOODWOMAN,LEAVEMEALONE.

I mean, I can only imagine that's what Harry might be saying.

Lucy woke up from her nap before Harry (which is why he's eating his lunch in these pictures and she's already finished), so we had a rare thirty minutes just to ourselves.

Lucy spent most of that time walking around the house asking "Where's Harry?" and "Is it time to go pick up Ellie?"

She asked about Ellie all day long actually.

"Where's Ellie? I want Ellie."

These two. Oh my.


"Mommy! Look at us!" they called to me, from the living room. (Ellie took her shirt off. So Lucy did. Because, of course.)

At this moment, in these days, Ellie can do no wrong in Lucy's eyes.

"Where's Ellie? What's Ellie doing? I want to go see Ellie."

I look at them playing Barbie Fairies or dress up, I watch as Ellie gives Lucy "pony rides" around the kitchen table, knocking into the back of my legs as I slice carrots for dinner. Two little girls. In my house. And I still can't quite believe it, that I get to witness this all as it unfolds.

Ellie is phenomenally, unshakably patient with the twins but it's Lucy who tries her the most (wrinkling Ellie's drawings just as she completes them, overturning her perfectly placed tea set. And yet. Ellie is unflappably calm with both of them. They destroy, she shrugs and laughs: "Oh Lucy!"

These days Ellie is a key player in bedtime for the twins. They wait for her to "tuck them in."
"Ellie! Come give me a kiss," Lucy calls, as Ellie climbs the stairs.

Some of Ellie's techniques are more effective than others: "If you don't lie down I'm telling Mama, Grandma and everyone I know!"

I think that I spent my whole early childhood pining for a sister, wondering what that relationship would be like, that constant companion, the never ending play date (not that that word existed in 1978). Of course I completely idealized it--there was never any grief about sharing or resentment about who got more attention. It was just, fun. All fun, all the time. Because I knew with a sister I would never be lonely.

Sisters or brothers, you can certainly say that much about our house. No one is EVER Lonely.

***

We were brave and left the house with all four kids last weekend. We even went really nuts and took them to a restaurant, of all places! I know!

The food seemed to take forever.

So we passed the time making silly hats. Butter packages and mini creamers, of course.



Classy. That's us.



Luckily the hot chocolate (and my coffee) hit the table right away. Lucy has a newfound love for hot chocolate (and by hot chocolate I mean barely warmed chocolate milk topped with whipped cream).



I think it's fair to say she approves.



I like to call this look "Cocoa Drunk."

***

It's finally here!



I'd like to take the big kids this weekend. I mean, they can't stop talking about it. They won't leave me alone, it's just "When the Sing-A-Long Frozen, Mom?" All. The. Time. In reality they have no idea it's happening and it's really me that wants to sing all the songs from "Frozen" in a darkened theater, resting only to put away a large tub of popcorn with extra butter.

OK so I might be more excited than they are.


We showed Harry and Lucy some clips from "Frozen" last weekend and Lucy was completely riveted. Part of me thinks she might actually enjoy the sing-a-long version but another part of me is also afraid that she of the Many Opinions will not appreciate all the singing and will, in true Lucy "I'm The Boss Style" order the audience to "STOP SINGING!"

I've long been plotting to get the kids the "Frozen" plush dolls (damn you Disney store for being so close to my office and directly in my path every single day). Leo and Ellie were easy: they are both smitten with Elsa (did I tell you that Leo has decided he wants to be her when he grows up?). Lucy likes Anna. When I asked Harry who he liked, Anna or Elsa?


He answered, "Olaf."

I swear that Olaf is totally for Harry. Completely.

Thankful

No question, the highlight of last week (and there weren’t many, trust me, other than we got through it) was the post dinner Beatles dance party on Tuesday night. There was a story on NPR (the supper time soundtrack) about the Beatles finally being released on iTunes. For some reason I decided to play the kids a few songs, which led to one of my all time favorites—“In My Life.” So there was Leo, strumming his soy corn dog stick like a guitar. And there was Ellie, boogying, a la one of the Peanuts Kids.

It was a lovely, silly, sweet transcending moment, amidst a week of work stress and a frantic call from the school nurse to quickly come get a puking Leo. Let’s just say the words “New York” and “New Jersey” and “quickly” should never be used together. Oh and Leo was fine, by the way.

In other news, who doesn’t LOVE a two and a half day work week? Let’s hear it for long holiday weekends!

Speaking of Thanksgiving, last week when I was dropping Ellie off at school in the morning, I spotted her class’ latest Thanksgiving creation (no, not that one up there, though that one is pretty spectacular and offered me a much needed laugh—oops, is it mean to giggle at your kid’s art project?). No, the piece I’m talking about was a simple card with a small, clumsy turkey collage. Underneath, each child had dictated “what they were thankful for.” Ellie’s read:

“I’m thankful for Leo.”

And darn it if I didn’t tear up a little in the pre-k hallway.

Leave Me Alone, Come Back

Like most young siblings, Leo and Ellie seem to have a love-hate relationship. Leo is the classic older brother, extending a helping hand to his younger sister one minute and pushing her down next. Those sweet hugs he likes to give her are usually just sweet…but sometimes they turn headlock and interference is required. Ellie’s no innocent either. Every day she gains confidence. Her latest trick? She’s learned she can positively torture Leo by taking his beloved Dog. Extra points for taking Dog for a spin in the doll stroller. Boy does he hate that.

A few hours together in the house and we all need a break from each other (or at the very least a drive in the car and stop at the Dunkin Donuts drive-thru for iced coffee (mine) and Munchkins (theirs), aka Leo crack. Those blessed few moments where they can’t touch each other because they’re strapped into car seats: Bliss.

But then sometimes I turn around and see this (there was no coercing to get this shot, I swear):

When they’re apart, they ask for each other. One of Ellie’s first sentences ever was “Where’s Leo?” It’s usually the first thing she says when we come downstairs in the morning. On those rare occasions when it’s just Leo and me (doctor’s appointments, usually) and Ellie’s at daycare and Leo’s riding solo in the backseat he can’t stop with the questioning and the demand: “Ellie? Ellie!” I explain to him that Ellie's at her school. We'll see her tonight. "Yea, yea," Leo says, nodding in agreement. A few beats later: "Ellie? Ellie!"

They’ve started conspiring with each other. I’m not sure who discovered that the slight slope in the corner of our bathtub could be used as a slide (I know, who knew?) but it’s become a nightly slide-fest at our house. Just what I want, two small, slippery, naked people cannon balling into six inches of bath water. But apparently they need each other or it’s not as fun. Last night Leo got out of the bath first and Erin was drying him off in the next room. Ellie was trying to slide and calling “Leo? Leo?” Keep in mind that only minutes before, Leo had been swiping Ellie not so gently with a sopping wash cloth. Guess it's just not as fun to slide without an audience.

I just find it funny and sweet. Most of the time they play OK together. We’re working on sharing (it’s a work in progress). I call Ellie “ninny” under my breath several times a day because seriously she cries and whines about everything Leo does to her (even you know, breathing), when it's clearly unwarranted and completely benign. She runs to me to save the day more times in an hour than I can count. Leo is no better. He takes Ellie’s digs (stolen Dogs, misappropriated grapes) very personally. He has a special expression used only when “hurt” by Ellie. It’s a pout that rivals Molly Ringwald’s crossed with the furrowed brow of a cartoon character.

Clearly they aggravate the crap out of each other. But I don't think they would have it any other way.

Sweet

I forgot to include this photo in the vacation montage. Taken at the playground of the park of my childhood. They are attempting to slide together. I love it. I love the look on both their faces. The tenderness. Just, sweet.

The War of the Rasberries

Leo and Ellie are starting to crack each other up and it’s so fun to watch. Last night during dinner, I’m not sure who started doing the raspberries first (for those of you who don’t know what raspberries are—wait, how can you describe raspberries? I don’t know). Anyway, Ellie was eating corn and squash and then it started to go everywhere as she rasberried. Leo joined in and it was a back and forth full on raspberry conversation. And then began the cracking up. And really is there anything more adorable than the sound of a nine month old giggling? That’s the great thing about having kids around. It’s hard to take life all that seriously when you have someone spraying corn and squash on you and laughing.

Pictured above, the partners in crime this morning as they get ready to leave for school and daycare. See that smile on Ellie’s face? That is a look reserved only for Leo. He can make her smile bigger than anyone.

Siblings

My sister and I are eleven years apart and have different mothers so I pretty much consider myself an only child. I was eleven when she was born and as thrilled as I was to finally have a sibling, I was also very much distracted at the time by Michael Jackson, my new Walkman and finding the best lace leggings to go with my off the shoulder sweatshirt. So I am a novice to this sibling thing and here is a pair of them, in my very own house!

When Ellie was first born, Leo wasn’t all that interested. We taught him the sign for baby and pointed babies out to him every chance we could get when I was pregnant, but it wasn’t until she finally arrived that I think he “got” it. When he came to meet his little sister for the first time at the hospital he seemed interested in holding her. We helped him do so and he was fine for a few seconds until he wasn’t. Then he looked at me and then at her and said “bye.” He made his point.

Since Ellie has become mobile, things have really changed. First of all, Leo fascinates her. She watches him. She stares and studies him and seems both puzzled and amused. He does some very sweet things, like brings her toys (sometimes it seems like he is almost throwing them at her but I guess I should try to put a positive spin on it). He loves to feed her (see picture above). You have to give the guy credit since he's pretty much the only one who is able to get her to eat peas. He seems to enjoy being near her, but on his own terms. For example, the other day it appeared that he was sort of reading to her, and that was great. Until she had the nerve of trying to touch the book he was holding! And then began No! Mine! And the scooting away to the other side of the room away from said baby.

I hear myself and feel like a total cliché. Leo! Share with your sister. Leo, can you give Ellie some toys? Leo, can you let Ellie read that book? I feel kind of bad for the guy sometimes. Here he was, minding his own business as an only child and suddenly along comes this annoying little creature who wants to touch all his stuff AND keep his mom from spending as much, if any, one-on-one time. I think the benefits of having a sibling far outweigh the negatives, but it’s still something I think about a lot.

I hate to sound corny, but my heart swells at the above photos. Leo looks so grown up to me. And sweet. And I love the way Ellie looks at him. I swear it’s an expression she gives only to him. Whatever Leo is doing, Ellie wants to do. One of Leo’s favorite things to do is “organize” the DVDs. He just goes through each one methodically, looking at the covers and replacing them in neat stacks. Ellie seems to agree that this is a very interesting project. If Ellie could talk, I think she would be saying “Whatcha doin’?”

And did I mention that I still can’t believe there are two of them?