Friday, July 31, 2009

Ring Around A Rosie

Pardon my singing. ;)


Friday, July 24, 2009

So what's been going on???

Not much. I'm in the middle of daycare paperwork. Fun. NOT! I filled out most of the paperwork for Connor, now I have to work on Taylor and Emily. Plan was to do one a night and be done in three nights but I went running the last two night and forgot about it. Tonight is a rest day so maybe I can get another one done tonight. :sigh: I HATE paperwork.

Things are going OK. We are "trying" to get the girl dependence on their binkies reduced. I mean these girls love them their binkies. So far this week, doing good. I'm worried for the weekend when we won't let them have them during the day. This week, we didn't have them during the day and I'm SURE they had them at daycare. Taylor though has realized we are not letting her have them in the morning anymore and stopped going to look in her crib for them. She would actually reach through the slats and grab them or cry until I came to give it to her. I've started hiding them under the blankets at the far end so 1.) they can't see them and 2.) they can't reach them. So far it's working. After the first two days, she doesn't even go in there anymore to look for them.

Emily is starting to learn too. But that girl! Last night she got really worked up. All she wants is for me to hold her and walk her around. I can't even sit down and have her sit in my lap. NO - she wants me moving around with her. Uh uh. I am not her legs. She got SO worked up last night and Surbjit had a headache so he put her in her crib and closed the door. I was thinking great, now she is going to have her binkies so of course she'll calm down. She did calm down. I went there and asked if she was ready to get out. She nodded her head. Of course, she had a binkie in her mouth and FOUR binkie's in her hand (she LOVES to carry them. At night, she has to have one in each hand when going to sleep!). I said she had to leave her binkies in the crib. She shook her head no and started freaking out again. So I left the room. She calmed down. I went back in there. I said are you ready to get out now? She shook her head yes and dropped the binkies in her hand. I told her she had to get rid of the one in her mouth too (if I let her go out with that binkie then Taylor would start freaking out because she would want one too). She shook her head no and proceeded to start freaking out AGAIN. So I left the room. She calmed down. I went back in and asked if she was ready to get out. She shook her head yes and took the binkie out of her mouth and dropped it in the crib. Mom - 1 Emily - 0.

Book Review - The Talking Baby by Jeremy & Karina Sweet

I was very interested in reading this book in the hopes that I would learn something to help me get my twins to talk. The Talking Baby talks about ways to help your little one (and I mean little - they say to start early - before one) to talk sooner. One of the most frustrating periods for parents is that span of time when the child knows what they want, but can't communicate what it is. The parent is left guessing and trying to figure out what it is while their child is screaming at the top of their lungs. This book is here to help eliminate (or at least make shorter) that time period.

I did enjoy this book. There were lots of helpful hints and tricks to help your child start talking. Some of them were of course no brainers (repetition, repetition, repetition) but others were very helpful (word and phrases that are easiest for baby to say). Overall, I highly recommend this book to those with babies. It'll give you some fun and interesting ways to "play" with baby that will help to expand their vocabulary and hopefully, get them on the path to start talking early. I do not think this book is for those that have children over 1 or 1 1/2. By this time, the child is more older and set in their ways and may not be as open to some of the "tricks" and tips they spell out in the book. Don't get me wrong, you can still definitely use this book at any age. I think it's a great resource. I just think you'll get the MOST out of it, if you start using the tips before age 1.

Check out their web page at: http://www.thetalkingbaby.com. You can order the book directly from there!!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

And They Are All Signed Up . . .

to start preschool/daycare!!! We finally found one we liked and bonus - the girls are going to go there too! So for the fleeting year we have, they will all be at the same place. LOL! We decided on Crescent Ave Christian Preschool. We were limited in that I need to drop the kids off around 6:30am. So anyone that opens 7am or later were out. But we were able to view 6 different preschools. Three that were Christian based and three that were not. Being as Surbjit and I are both different religions it was not really my intent to send them to a Christian school. However, it opens up so much more options for us if we looked at them. And in the end, their curriculum was one of the best. Their day is not entirely focused on christian learning but it's there in the background. And we do not have a problem with this. I guess this will just mean we'll have to bring them to Surbjit's place of worship and let them start learning about his religion too.

In any case, they all start on September 8th (day after labor day). I can't believe I have a year and then Connor will be starting Kindergarten! My gosh. It seems like yesterday that we just had him. He is certainly growing up. And the girls are definitely asserting their opinions! They still aren't talking much (especially Emily but it's because she refuses too that stubborn stubborn girl!). Taylor has started repeating most words that I say to her and is coming along a lot easier than her sister. I am worried about the change in daycares. It will be an adjustment for them. I'm not too worried about Connor. I think he'll enjoy the change. I know he likes going to Pratima's but he has outlasted the usefulness there and I think he knows it. He'll be around a group of kids all his age and able to make lots of new friends and have tons of fun. So wish us luck. I have lots of paperwork to fill out and I plan on bringing the kids by the preschool in August sometime so they can check it out and visit and meet their teachers. I hope it goes smoothly!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Weekend Events

Didn't do much this weekend. We went to the Buena Park Farmer's Market at the mall on Saturday morning. It was going to be a hot day so we got there early. Bigi, Uncle Harjinder and Aria joined us. Connor was a little pill in the beginning (gotta love the terrible threes) but we got some good fruits and veggies and the twins and Connor got to go in the Petting Zoo. Ok, it wasn't much of a petting zoo. Just some goats, 2 pigs and a bunch of bunnies. But hey, it entertained the kids. They even have a pony ride but Connor wouldn't ride. I don't know why. He rode the horse when we went to the Petting Zoo in San Juan a couple months ago. So we were there for a little over an hour. Then we went back home and played, napped (or attempted to nap). Then we played and the kids went to bed while Surbjit and I went out.

Sunday, Surbjit wasn't feeling good so he stayed in bed all day. The kids and I and Bigi played in the house all morning. It was gonna be another hot day and I didn't want the kids (or should I say Taylor) to overheat. Plus Emily is just getting over an ear infection. The kids all napped (thankfully unlike Saturday) and I got to run to the grocery store. Got back and continued to play until dinner time inside the house. Everyone went to bed. So it was a long stuck inside the house kind of weekend.

Surbjit went to the Doctor today and apparently he has the flu. Let's hope it doesn't go through the house. He's been pretty good about staying away from the kids so that helps. Bigi has been coming over at night to help while I take Connor to his swim lessons. We were going camping this weekend but have cancelled since Surbjit will still not be 100%. We may go visit our friends for the day but we won't have to load the motorhome and everything so it'll be easier. We'll see. It seems this is the year of cancelled camping trips. Hopefully next year with Surbjit having vacation time and the kids being older, we won't have to cancel and can plan better than we have this year. I know it'll get easier as the kids get older.

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Connor

Well, I haven't really dedicated a whole post to just Connor in awhile so let me do that now. =) We started swim lessons on Monday. After BEGGING and BEGGING to go when his sisters were going last week, we get there and all he does is scream and cry because he is scared. So Monday, not so good. Said he didn't even want to go back again. I said fine, I'll take Emily. He said OK. WHAT?!?! Uh uh, no he is NOT quitting. So I got home from work yesterday and he waiting at the front door in his swim suit raring to go to the pool. Cool! Surbjit had already made dinner so I quickly ate (It was delicious and awesome since I didn't have to cook! I could get use to that!) and then we headed out the door. At first he was a little sketchy. But we got in and he was fine! We used the kick board and he kicked all over the place. We sang a couple songs and got use to the water. He went down the steps (he LOVES to play on the steps but I try not to let him stay there since technically people are trying to get in and out there and it's not safe and he can get in the way). He also started talking to the lifeguard in charge of the class too. Sweet! We were kicking around around and he's yelling." Girl, girl". I look up and I say "if you want to talk to her call her by her name Jenna." So he says"Jenna look at me! I'm kicking FAST!".

So yesterday was a good swim day! He even sort of floated on his back. He didn't want to put his head back but I saw most of the kids in the class don't do that. It's probably their age. So after swim he ran some errands with me. We went to Target. I was pulling a shopping cart out and two ended up coming together. I wanted the second one because the first had trash in it. I was getting ready to wheel the second one towards the store and Connor says," Mommy, we have to put this one with its friends." And he's pushing the first cart towards the others that are sitting at the front of the store. Another lady was getting a cart and she started laughing. =) He is just too funny.

So we ran errands. He is my little helper and not much of a pain or a I want that type of child. He got two t-shirts while we were there but they were $2 each on sale. =) Couldn't pass it up. Hopefully tonight at swim is just as fun! He really wants to go down the slide but I think we have to wait until Friday.

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Fourth of July

We went to our friends Jeff and Romy's house for the the 4th of July. Their daughter and grandson are the same age as Connor so we knew he would have fun playing all day long! We took the motorhome and camped outside their house since the twins would definitely need a nap and probably go to bed before the fireworks (which they did). So it all worked out great. We rented a jumper for the kids and they had a little baby pool set up so the kids ran back and forth between the baby pool and jumper all day long. The twins played with all Katrina's toys and had fun but were very tired and ended up going to bed before 7pm. We couldn't start fireworks until after 8pm because it was still light out. But Connor had lots of fun. I do have pictures to share. I just need to download them from the camera.

The girls must be either teething or growing. Emily has been crying out at night and last week two night woke up and we had to go in there and comfort. Friday night was horrible! I ended up sleeping on their floor, sleeping with Connor, back to sleeping on the twins floor with Taylor than to waking up. Ugh. Needless to say it was a good thing it was not a work day. I'm hoping they grow out of this phase.

We are in the middle of preschool shopping. We narrowed it down to two yesterday and I called the licensing agency this morning and I think based on that call we have made a decision. We are going to discuss more tonight. With the twins in one daycare and Connor in another it would get GREAT to get them all at one place. Not to mention more convenient but I do understand also it's only for one more year and then Connor starts Kindergarten! GASP!! I can't believe my baby is growing up.

Book Review - Too Too Many Tutus


I read Too Too Many Tutus by Suzanne Davis Marion. This was a VERY cute book. I read it to my 20 month old twins and even to my 3 1/2 year old son. They all enjoyed it and the twins even sat through it the third time I attempted to read to them (both times before they just wanted to flip through the book!). I highly suggest this book if you have a daughter that loves ballet. She will thoroughly enjoy reading this book. Even for those that don't, it basically goes through each color of tutu this little girl has. Very good tool to teach colors and reinforce what the different colors look like while getting an entertaining story about a little girl who can't choose which tutu to wear because she has "too too many tutus". =)