Friends
It's been a good couple of weeks since last posting, and there aren't a whole lot of updates, but we do have some.
Yesterday was just gorgeous here, and with that, Daniel and Rachel first helped with yardwork, and then stripped down and played in the water from the sprinklers.
Daniel picked weeds and twigs out of the grass, and Rachel filled her little wagon with these inedible apple-like things that the previous owner must have planted. All in all, a very successful cleanup effort. Rachel was trying to push her wagon through the grass, and having some trouble with that when Daniel went over and said "Rachel, it's hard to push it in the grass, let me help you move it to the sidewalk" (no exaggeration, this is how he speaks these days) and then did so. 
He was equally helpful in getting Rachel to try the sprinklers in the series above, but she didn't enjoy it as much....
That quickly passed, and everyone had a great time running, chasing and splashing in the water.
We also went to see Thomas the Train as he came to visit the Denver area, and that was a big hit, like it was last year. Rachel got into the action, calling Thomas a "tain!" and Sir Topham Hat a "guy" - which is the name she has for all of the Little People figures. There may be pictures and video of that later.
Language-wise, Rachel has had a significant burst of energy in the last 2-3 weeks, focused on tying two and three words together to make her point. We get a lot of "Papa Book Cheh!" (Dad, sit in this chair and read a book to me) and she's started to realize that "pease!" (please) gets her better results. When climbing up on a ladder in the first picture of this blog she said "hold on tight". Hard consonants tend to get skipped, but it's getting easier to understand.
Daniel's enjoying school, and has started drawing parallels between going there and Eric going to work. The other day he asked Eric "Do you get to do a drawing before lunch at work?"
Daniel has just about earned his second toy for completing a set of tasks. There's a grid full of stickers on the fridge, and once it's all full, he gets "Sumsy" the forklift from Bob the Builder. He's very excited about this.
Rachel took a trip into the pediatrician because she kept saying "Ear Hurt", but there was nothing wrong. For her trouble she got a flu shot though, and spent the next couple of days a little under the weather. Other than that, we've all been healthy since the last report.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Fun in the Fall
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
August Update for Rachel
Anything YOU can do, I can do better....
Yes, it's true that Rachel is tall for her age, but a careful observer will note that the taller pirate has 3 knees...
In the last month, Rachel has been on all of the same trips as Daniel has, and she's been a great traveller. She had fun playing with Sean, Grandma Babe and the cousins, and has warmed up significantly to Grandpa and Farmor during their visit.
Her vocabulary has just exploded since last time - particularly her ability to string together multiple words - "eat cereal" for example. If you're forced to guess what she wants, she'll shake her head "no" when you get it wrong, and respond with a violent "yes" nod when you figure out what it was she wanted. Most of the time, though - it's clear as day - this is a girl who knows what she wants.
Favorite new words are "Wa-wa" (Water) and "Da-pa" (Diaper). Rachel will now tell us when she has a dirty diaper, and shows interest in sitting on the potty, which offers some hope that we'll be a diaper-free household sooner rather than later.
Rachel has ALWAYS loved the swing more than Daniel did, and there's no adult that can keep up with her demands for "Mo!" (more) pushing. She's also started to demand that she get to "Wok" (walk) rather than ride in the stroller.
All insects are "bee!", all farm animals start off as "cow!" until proven otherwise. She'll now recognize horses/ponies/donkeys as "ho-see!". When reading her favorite books, she will now complete out the sentences or correct you if you read it wrong. Books about Maisy the mouse are particularly popular.
Up in Vail, Rachel got to ride the Pony on a few occasions and thought that was just the best fun, once she got used to it. Lot's of "Mo!" and "Mo Ho-see!" to be had. Daniel also got to ride, even though we didn't include photos of that on his blog. 
The pictures above show us at Piney River Ranch (looks fake, doesn't it? It's not), Rachel riding on Pebbles the Pony at Piney, the gang outside the condo in Vail and well - farmor doing what she does best.
Rachel carried this book over to Grandpa, snuggled in, pulled his right arm over her like a seatbelt and demanded "Book-ee". Grandpa thought that was OK....
There's been some teething pains, runny noses and the likes, but other than small things, August was a great month for Rachel.
Hopefully before October....
A.D.R.E
August Update for Daniel
Friends!
What happened to August? It just kind of flew by without any updates at all. And while we have lots to tell, we just never got around to posting it. Hopefully we haven't lost the whole audience over this. There is an RSS feed off this page which would get you alerted when there are updates - might be easier than checking here on a daily basis.
Anyway - we're not a technology blog, we're a diary. So the highlights of August for Daniel first, then Rachel in a separate posting, because frankly after a month of silence, there's just so much to say that it's overwhelming.
Here at the end of August, Daniel started back at playschool. Here he is on the first day, ready to go back. He gets to keep one teacher (Ms. Pam) while also getting a new one (Ms. Julie). By the end of the first week, he'd earned stickers for memorization, so he's on the right track.
Speaking of stickers, in August Daniel earned his way to a new firetruck that he'd really wanted. To do so, he had to earn 5 stickers each in the categories of "Getting himself dressed", "Cleaning up the toys", "being nice to his sister" and "Following instructions". It took him about a week to do so, but he got there, and was pretty proud of his achievement, so we'll be bringing this activity back.
Ah yes - Houston. Easily the most exciting thing that happened this month. Around the middle of the month, Anida and the kids went down to Houston to visit Grandma Babe, the Aunts, the Cousins and the Pastas for 5 days while Eric stayed back home. The trip there was uneventful, and Daniel was very helpful in the airport and on the plane. Visiting the Pastas was nice, with a trip to a waterpark. Daniel got to attend a car race that his cousin Brayden raced in and played with his cousins Kayla and Chloe.
About 45 minutes into the flight back from Houston, Daniel had a fever spike, and with it another seizure. With the medication we've been carrying since the last time, Anida was able to get things under control, but his fever was high enough that the nurse onboard and the medical ground staff recommended that the plane land in Oklahoma City. And so they did - for just long enough to take Daniel (by then aware enough that he noted the firefighters there to help him off the plane) Anida and Rachel off the plane and over to the OU medical center. (which is not nearly as nice as the Denver one -> choose Denver for your emergency room visits if you're offered a chance).
They spent the night and most of the next day there, before getting on a flight home about 24 hours later. The employees of Frontier airlines couldn't have been friendlier, more concerned or accommodating - it was really quite amazing. Kudos to Frontier. Lesson learned from this is to also carry Tylenol suppositories to control fever during a seizure. Had we had those, the landing could have been averted.
Once back in Denver, Grandpa and Farmor came over for a visit. Everyone was well enough that we continued with the original plan of going up to the mountains. We rented a cabin at Piney River Ranch outside of Vail (also where we got married) and spent 4 days relaxing with a little bit of rowing, pony-riding, hiking, moosewatching and general outdoorsiness going on. Was a great time.
Daniel is still amazingly quick with language, picking up little snippets of conversation and using them himself. (this is good AND bad). He's just a bright kid all around. His appetite almost always seems smaller than it ought to be, but he's still active and no kid ever starved themselves, so everyone tells us to relax.
We've seen some whining/sniveling/"No" behavior in the last month or so. Nothing unusual, just atypical for Daniel. It hasn't really lasted long, and as long as he gets a nap in the afternoon, he's a charmer most of the time. He doesn't always get along with his sister (inevitably he wants to play with the toy she has, or doesn't want to share the one he has), but he truly loves her - if she's crying for some reason, he'll go over to her, give her a hug and try to make her feel better.
And so, while August came and went without a posting, it's not like we're giving up on the blog. Hope you haven't either. Best wishes.
A.D.R.E.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Rachel is 18 months old!
Friends
Our little turbo-toddler is a year and a half old, can you believe it?
Fearless, Charming, Stubborn and Clever are the words that first come to mind when thinking of Rachel. She has stunning blue eyes and an infectuous smile.
Her favorite activity has shifted from "anything Daniel is doing" to reading books. Every morning she crawls into her parents bed and wants to read books. All day long and every evening, you can be pretty sure that she'll come over to you with a book in hand and say "Book!" or "Book pease!" (please). This is followed by "uppease!" (up, please).
Her hair is getting long in the back and slowly filling in on the side. Another 4 teeth need to come in to fill out the 12 that are there already. She's stretching out and the baby belly is receding.
Rachel has amazing balance - she's just very steady and confident. Her perpetually-skinned knees seem to tell a different story, but that's just because she doesn't know her limits. She's tough, and gets up quickly after a fall.
Mere statistics aren't all of course, but for the record, she checks in at:Weight: 24lbs 15.5oz (60th percentile)
Height: 33.5" (93rd percentile)
Head: 18 7/8" (85th percentile)
Rachel's spoken vocabulary is growing, and she whips out the occasional two- or three-syllable word, but what is really notable is that she understands absolutely everything. You can ask her to go to a different room to pick something up and be reasonably certain that she will. She's very excited about washing her hands these days and will say "Hands, hands!" until someone helps her turn on the faucet. We don't always understand her, or do what she wants though, and when she doesn't get her way she'll stomp her feel in frustration and scream. She has the makings of proper manners - she'll say "tick ooo" (thank you) when she gets something she wants....
Rachel's favorite animal these days are the bunny rabbits that roam our neighborhood. Her favorite food is - well - everything, but the more colorful the better. Her favorite person is still Daniel.The last 18 months have been a lot of fun, and we're certain it's going to get better and better with time.
Happy 1-and-a-half Rachel.
Love,
Mama, Papa and Daniel.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Summertime in the City
Friends
We've been having too much fun this summer to slow down and write about it, so this is going to be another one of those brain-dump postings to catch up on the last 3 weeks.
A nice development over the last couple of months is to see the kids actually play together. Daniel can still be protective of his toys and dominates the play, but he can also be a really sweet big brother and honestly play with his sister. It's fun to watch - Rachel absolutely adores him, so she really feeds off his positive attention when he wants to give it.
This is the catch-up on video posting too. One reason for that is that we've been trying a new suntan lotion, and while it works well, it makes the kids look blue in virtually every picture from July.
The first video is from the children's museum, which has a lot of fun activities and is a great place to escape to when it's too hot outside. Daniel got to build a tractor, and both of the kids love the oversize legos in the construction zone.
Then there's the second video, where Daniel gets to help make dinner. Thanks to aunt Sara for the idea. He also got to fry up the mushrooms afterwards, and showed a proper level of care around the stove, so it was a great experience for him. It's not faster to have the help right now, but eventually it will be.
Video #3 is a quickie from the annual carnival/festival that our town throws. We missed it last year because of Iceland/Norway, but it was an impressive arrangement that will be fun for years to come.
There have been a number of trips to Pirate's Cove and the beach for swimming (no pictures due to the "blue" issue mentioned above), trips to Tinytown and weekly concerts in the park. Last week Daniel had his friends Harrison, Carly and Eli at the concert and impressed everyone with his flirting skills. He regularly picks up girls that are 8-9 years old and gets them to dance with him all evening long. He has a strong preference for redheads...
On the last post I promised a picture of Daniel in his new helmet and pads. So there you go. Stylish, isn't he? Daniel's been continuing swimming lessons with Ms. Jenny at the local pool and is making some nice progress. Now that he has swim goggles, he's not afraid of sticking his face in the water ("talking to the fish") or turning it to the side to breathe ("listening to the fish") - pretty soon we expect him to start using his arms to swim, and then he'll be off to the races.
Daniel's been showing some selective hearing lately (eg: ignoring his parents when he doesn't like what we say) that has gotten him in some timeouts. Just typical 3-year old behavior, really.
And if you're thinking - this has been a Daniel-heavy post, you're right. There's an 18-month-old who's getting a posting all to herself tomorrow.
Until next time.
A.D.R.E.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Kicking the habit....
It's been a fairly eventful couple of weeks since the last update. Lots of little things to get noted down. If you're a longtime reader of this blog (and seriously, aren't all of you? it's not like we're some sort of general-interest blog) then you have probably noted the subtle shift away from posts designed to inform and entertain you, the anonymous readers - to an online diary format. Hopefully when the kids are old enough to read, they'll enjoy having detailed notes from growing up.
The title refers to Daniel - he's been "Fa" (pacifier) free for 9 days now. He only used the "fa" when sleeping, but it was still time to get rid of it before it became a serious attachment. It wasn't pretty, but it could have been a lot worse - a couple of nights of missing it and he's over the loss.
Last Friday, Daniel got a small package delivered on the front doorstep from "Fiona the Fa Fairy" with an empty envelope and a letter. Apparently Fiona was running low on pacifiers and needed them for the new babies, so could Daniel please send her all of his? Daniel agreed that this seemed reasonable (there was also a hint of a reward), so we went around the house gathering up pacifiers. For each one he found, he popped it in his mouth, gave it a couple of sucks as if to say goodbye - and then threw it in the envelope. Envelope went on the front step, and the next morning there was a nice lego set of "Rollie", "Muck" and "Wendy" from the Bob the builder series waiting for him there. The nice thing about this approach is that giving up the pacifier was truly a voluntary action, so he wasn't ever mad about the "fa" being taken - just a little sad that it was gone. (over now).
Daniel is also weening off the anti-seizure medication that they proscribed after the last seizure, and tomorrow he gets his last dose. The doctors at children's recommended that we put Daniel on a preventative medication when we were at the ER. A couple of weeks ago we were able to get a consultation with a neurologist who basically confirmed what we suspected - that the medication might stop the next seizure, but might not, that it offered no long-term benefit, and that the seizures - while scary, are not dangerous. So there's a lot of information wrapped up in a paragraph, but the bottom line is that Daniel will probably have more seizures until he (most likely) outgrows them at age 5-6 and that medicating against it isn't necessary, so we won't.
Whew - you can already tell that this is going to be a big post, can't you?
On to Rachel, who really ought to have been the headliner here, since she turned 17 months old. The big news is really that she's in the middle of a remarkable verbal "explosion" - she's had great comprehension for a long time, but didn't really talk a lot. Now she uses words all of the time. Her favorites are predictable; "Up", "Milk" and "Mine", but she has a number of others too. As before, Daniel is her great hero, so anything he says/does gets copied more readily than anything we might say. Oh, and she knows her first brand name - she calls her "Crocs" by name.
Rachel absolutely loves the water. Between the bathtub, the small pool in the backyard and the beach, there's nothing she likes more than to splash around naked in the wet stuff. Yes, naked -our backyard is a little nudist colony these days (hurrah for high fences) and when asked to wear a swimsuit at the beach, she was noticably agitated about that.
Rachel has a daredevil streak that is stronger than her brother's. While Daniel never really took to the swing, Rachel loves it, and she'll slide and jump off of things much faster than he will.
This posting is still going on? Finally a wrapup of some recent activities. Last weekend we jumped on our bikes and rode the bikepath all the way to downtown Denver (about 14 miles) where there Daniel rode the trolley. Back up the hill was much less fun for the adults. There have also been bikerides to the local beach.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Dancing...
Friends