The Girls' First Day of Ballet Class

Grandma's present to the girls for their 3rd birthday was new pink tights, new pink ballet slippers and 6-weeks of ballet classes! The girls were ecstatic!! They couldn't wait until their first lesson asking every day when their ballet class would be. Finally, the day came when one morning I could tell them that their ballet class was today. I thought this would quell their insistent questions. However, it just continued to frustrate them because they had to wait until after breakfast, then after getting dressed, after driving to Grandma's and then until after lunch. Even Dad was excited - he called about a half-hour before class to see if the girls had already had their class.

When we arrived at class and got to take out their ballet slippers, they had never been so proud! Along with another 7 kids or so, they lined up outside the classroom in their new shoes waiting for the doors to open and reveal a room full of mirrors and their new teacher. I soon realized that most of these kids were already familiar to the teacher - she knew them by name. There were only 3 or 4 kids completely new to ballet. I also quickly realized that moms are expected to wait outside and can't watch their little girls skip, sachet or twirl around -- I started to panic wondering if the girls would be OK with that. I didn't warn them about it. Miss Jenny said that parents could watch the first 5-minutes, but then she hoped we would quietly leave and wait outside for the remaining half-hour.

I must say, it was disappointing for me listening to the pretty music and hearing Miss Jenny call out my kids' names and then give compliments without being able to see it for myself. The upside: the kids do a dance recital on their last day. I guess the girls' progress will remain a surprise to everyone: Dad, Grandma and me up until then.

Here are two videos: one during class and the second is Ava teaching Mommy how to do first position.

Wonderful Weightlessness

The weather has been absolutely warm and blessed lately. So much so, that it demands that we start out the swimming season. Today we met playmates "Auntie" Tiffany and her son Dean at the pool at Roberts Regional Park for a nice swim. The sun was wonderful, but even better was the incredible weightlessness that the water allows a very pregnant woman - temporary relief from the anchor that is constantly pulling one forward and down and reminding me of what my body used to be.

I'm going to have to get the girls new swim suits (theirs are still from last summer and are 2 and even 3 sizes too small now) because the weightlessness - even though temporary - is just too much to resist.

Bugs in Art

Ava & Bettina have been studying bugs in school. As I've mentioned before, they attend a Reggio Emilia style school where long-term child-centered projects are the curriculum. This bug project started when a way-ward cricket entered their classroom. It then morphed to include leaf-hoppers, ants, beetles, centipedes (which they find and explore during outdoor bug-hunts) and, most recently, caterpillars and butterflies. As an ex-educator, I find myself in wonder and amazement when certain little benchmarks begin to show themselves in the girls. This week, not only did the girls continue to wonder, explore and talk about bugs after leaving school, but their drawings have started to change and grow as well.

Up until now, their drawings or art have just been lines, colors and sometimes, circles. This is usually called the "scribbler" stage (how profound, right?). Ava, usually more developed with fine-motor skills, has started drawing letters (namely "A", "H" and "X"), which is great and pretty well into the later part of the scribbler stage of drawing. They floored me, however, when, after drawing on the drawing boards before bed, Ava insisted on showing me her drawing. "It's a bug," she said. Sure enough, there was a round body with lots of legs extending from (and through) it and a set of eyes, a nose, a smile and the all-important belly-button. "My, Lord," I think, "she's starting the 'schematic' stage!" I am astonished and likewise upset that it's wasn't permanently fixed to paper. So, I ask if we could take a picture of it.

Bettina likes the attention that Ava and her bug are getting and decides to draw her own. "Mommy, look - it's an ant!" she says, showing me her drawing board. It's pretty darned good as well. We take lots of pictures and praise their growth in drawing and art.

Tuesday's Special

We've found a new favorite activity with Grandma on Tuesdays.

Tuesday just happens to be "Twofer Tuesdays" at Cold Stone Creamery. So, if you buy one kids sized ice cream, you get another free! We found this out by accident, but it has gotten our attention, and now, almost every Tuesday, Grandma comes with Mommy to pick up the kids from pre-school and then we all go out for ice cream.

Ava's already decided her favorite is "blue" ice cream. She's also discovered she doesn't like gummy bears - only rainbow sprinkles. Bettina always goes for the same as well - her niche is pink ice cream with rainbow sprinkles.

Today, Ava tried pink ice cream as well. The one she chose was watermelon sorbet, which was different than Bettina's traditional strawberry. Ava decided that Bettina should try her watermelon and see how the "pinks" can taste different from each other.

Cousins Picnic

It had been awhile since all of us cousins had gotten together. Since last year, there's been a population boom -- here are 3 of the 4 new babies (the other one is on the East Coast). But, here's a look at what we've added to the family name in the last 3.5 years....six new babies (with another 2 outstanding) and another one in the "oven."

We met in Sacramento at a picnic area in the triangle of three toddler attractions: Fairytale Town, the Sacramento Zoo and Thunderville. Most of us went to Fairytale Town after our potluck picnic. More pictures of our fun-filled day can be found here.

Tahoe Bliss

Just to balance our week, here's a look at some of the fun we had before the stomach flu afflicted our house. More pictures can be seen by clicking here.

Sick

When a child gets sick, especially a little one, it is usually at least disruptive. Our recent ordeal with being sick, however, just absolutely sent the whole family in a tail-spin and through the wringer! It all started with a lovely vacation to the snow...

Along with my mom, Paul's sisters, and a cousin and their families, a total of about 20 people, we trekked up to a rented cabin near my sister's place in Tahoe. A weekend filled with the promise of bonding with family and frolicking in the snow - something Ava in particular had been requesting since mid-January. One slight concern: my sister had just recovered from the stomach flu. Our remedy was to just not visit her for 24-hours.

The weather was great! Snow flurries gave the kids the essence and excitement of magic while it was still too little to prove any inconvenience for driving or shoveling. Our cabin had snow up to the 2nd story balcony, so with just a quick hop out of the family room, kids and dads (bigger kids) were quickly enjoying making snowballs and sledding down little bunny hills. All was wonderful for the first 36-hours.

Then, in the middle of Saturday night, Ava woke up saying her tummy hurt and quickly started to get sick. "Must have been the chocolate you let her have," my husband tells me. "Must have been all the sledding with no nap," I think as we argue and pull off bedsheets, trying frantically to clean up. Fifteen minutes later, she's at it again. Ah! It's clearly neither. It's Aunt Ainsley's stomach flu!! Poor Ava is up every 40-minutes all night long. Finally, at around 6am, she sleeps. The upside to the night is that she's become an expert of where to put the "yuckies" when they come. This is good, especially considering that our rental didn't come with spare bed sheets. We've gone through all the bed sheets on the bed as well as all the spare towels from the bathroom. I had to do 2-loads of laundry during the night.

All seems well for the car ride home. However, for some strange reason, I'm getting all sorts of Braxton-Hicks contractions. They arrive every 3-5 minutes, so I call the on-call nurse. I'm instructed to lie down when we get home, drink lots of water, and count contractions for an hour. "Don't get up," she says. Paul busily unpacks while I lay down and count. About 45-minutes into my hour, Ava comes in. "My bee-boo hurts again, Mommy," Ava says. I call for Paul, hoping he can take her to the bathroom. He's not listening. I tell Ava to find Daddy. She goes halfway down the hall and comes back again to throw up all over me and the bed. Oh, man. So much for my hour. I strip the bed, myself and her and start another 2-loads of laundry, hoping that everything will be clean before we go to sleep. After a second hour of counting, the contractions get better, but aren't quiet enough for the nurse who instructs me to check into OB Emergency at the hospital for observation. They continue to lighten at the hospital and they release me, telling me to call my doctor in the morning for more instructions.

I go home, dog tired, and crawl into bed, praying that Ava is done with her sickness. Seems to be only a 6-8 hour thing. I call the doctor's office in the morning and they ask I come in tomorrow for a fetal Fibronetrin test (fFN). I switch gears and after unpacking from the trip, start lunch for the girls. Bettina is slow to the kitchen and is sort of mopily wandering around the table complaining that she's not hungry. She starts holding her tummy and whining and it's all the sudden very clear -- I pick her up, almost soon enough, and throw her over the kitchen sink. Round #2 starts with Bettina. She continues until just after Daddy gets home. No one eats much of a dinner and we all go to bed early.

Life seems calm until I wake up suddenly at 3am. If the last thing I wanted was to get the stomach flu being 8-months pregnant, well, too bad. I'm up all night and well into the morning. I call the doctor to see if they still want me to come in now that I'm sick and probably contagious. Yes, they answer - it's very important. Paul tries his best to stay at home more today and bounces in and out of the house and the office. He bounces in again in time to let his mother in to take care of the girls while I go to the doctor's. I'm glad he's there since, while brushing my teeth, I found I suddenly needed to spend more time next to the toilet.

Miserably, I make my way to the doctor's. Unfortunately, I find that my doctor has just been called to the hospital with not one, but three patients who need her. Who knows when she'll come back. The receptionist says she'll put me in with another doctor. Even though I remind her I'm sick and ask to be put at the top of the list, I watch 4 other people get called into exam rooms. It's been an hour. Finally, after threatening to leave to come back another day, I'm ushered in to meet a new doctor. She gives me the test but shows concern about my urine sample -- too much protein which means my kidneys are compromised. After ruling out pre-clampsia, she decides I might be really dehydrated and sends me down for more tests fearing I might have to be hospitalized over-night. She'll call me in a few hours with the results and to tell me whether or not I'm hospital-bound.

Well, I didn't get the call from her last night, so I stayed home. We all slept well. The new doctor did call this morning with the results. She said, "Well, the tests came back worse that I thought. Had I talked to you last night, we definitely would have admitted you to the hospital." She then wanted me to come in for an IV bag of fluids until I convinced her I hadn't been sick since and would likely come out normal very soon.

So, three and a half days later, we're starting to rebound. Now it's to attend to all the gorcery shopping, house cleaning and laundry that's been ignored throughout. A spring cleaning of sorts. Glad it's all in the rear-view mirror!!

Easter Games

Ava & Bettina que up for the Easter Egg Hunt with friends Dean, Francesca and Merrin.

March Madness - The Pre-School Game

It's March Madness time again....and it has nothing to do with basketball.

This happened to me last year and I thought that, even though I missed the boat for last time, I was set up pretty well for this go-around. Last March, knowing nothing about the process, I decided to start looking around for a pre-school for the girls, just in case. Well, by mid-March, everyone is full for the September-June school year. Apparently, pre-school sign up are usually sometime in early February. So, I ended up putting myself - or the girls, rather - on the waiting lists of two different schools that I liked. Each time you put yourself on a waiting list, it costs money, too. To increase my odds, I even joined a new church in the hopes that it would elevate my status enough to be guaranteed a spot for the '08-09 year. Not wanting to "lose" a spot or waste the registration fee I had to put down, I met with our #1 choice a couple of times, trying my best to schmooze while simultaneously not seeming over-bearing. It dawned on me last week that I was supposed to have heard from them over two-weeks ago whether or not our spots on the waiting list would be elevated to guaranteed positions. Humm... better check into this... Phone call in hasn't yet returned and throws me into a panic. "What if we don't get in??"

After a few days, I start calling our second choice. "You're in luck! Today was the deadline for registration for priority members (ie, church members). There's still room before we open it up to the general public, but you need to come in now." And it's not entirely ideal as their Fridays are full. I was hoping to have the girls start 3-days a week. Number 2 choice is more economic, but it's a also commute. Not sure I want to commit to commuting the girls knowing that I'll also have a new baby who's schedule will change dramatically during that time. As his needs change, it will complicate things profoundly. So, now I'm stuck. Do I spend the money to register at our #2 choice or wait to hear from #1? I call #1, my message a little panicked, and don't get a returned call, again.

On top of all of this, I hear from my mother-in-law that a school I'd originally been interested in has moved from it's previously undesirable location to just a few blocks away from our house. It's an Italian-immersion school which would be great for the girls and nurturing their Italian heritage. So, all the sudden the old #2 is demoted to #3. I call, anxious to hear if they have space. Although we're considered "priority" students since we're Italian and can reinforce the language at home, they're also full. However, we would be #2 and #3 on their waiting list. Yet another school to pay a non-refundable registration fee just to wait on a list.

Well, we need to make a decision. Do I calmly wait to see if school #1 calls us back with the good news that we're guaranteed? Or, do I pay the enrollment for #2, hoping that #1 lets us in - then we just have to eat the $80 enrollment fees? Or, has the #3 school now become our #1 meaning that even if we get into and enroll in #1, we'd still like to wait and enroll at the Italian school. This means that we'd not only eat the waiting list registration fees for all three schools, but would likely eat the enrollment fees for two of them as well. Confused? Mama, mia! And you thought that the basketball brackets were complicated!

Our Baby-Moon on the "Monarch of the Seas"

It's nice to get away, reconnect, and enjoy one last "hurrah" before the added chaos of another newborn. With some encouragement from Grandpa, Paul and I decided to "run away" to Mexico on a short cruise. You certainly can't beat the price - about $100/day all meals and activities included! The food was good, the room very nice and the company, exceptionally balanced. Our dinner mates, a nice couple, Keith & Tracy, from St. Louis and another couple of newlyweds, Vince & Jenny, from San Diego, were great people and the dinner conversation was never slow or boring.
We, of course, called home twice a day to chat with the girls who were whooping it up with Grandpa and Sherry. They would ask, "You still on da' boat?" and then say only, "Oh," when we answered yes. Their schedules and heads were filled with visits to the zoo with their cousin Braxton, other extended family, trips to the park, all-and-all having a great time without us.

Our Own Ice Capades

So, even though Disney's Princesses on Ice is coming to town, we've got something better...

Ever since we went to the zoo in December and saw the ice skating rink, the girls have been asking to go ice skating. A difficult task to do when you're pregnant and have 2 kids to hold up. We needed Daddy's help and finally found the opportunity last week. Yerba Buena Gardens has an ice skating rink we re-discovered and, with cell phone in hand, we called Daddy and asked him if he could get off work early. The begging was intense, especially since their new favorite movie has them laughing hysterically when Bambi tries to walk on the ice with Thumper. How could Daddy resist?

Initially, Daddy wasn't so sure the kids could even walk in their skates, much less stand on the ice. Within 15-minutes, however, the wobbling eased off and their confidence boosted. They leaned heavily on the glass waiting for their turn to go around the ice. So, for an hour and a half, Daddy took turns escorting the girls around and around. They continue to ask when they can go back. This may become another fun family favorite activity!

Week 21

A tummy photo of Baby #3....we're at 21 weeks now. I've dropped a couple of pounds since my last OB appt last month, but that still puts me at +15. Perhaps OK considering I'm a little more than half-way through the pregnancy... Also OK since it's about a fifth of what I put on with the girls!!

Feeling OK, but some days are hard with dizzy spells throughout. Holding kids is tougher as I have to hike them up to sit on the growing ledge. I can still shave my legs, though, so all's well!

God Bless the Bunnies....Especially the Black One

At the barn this week, Lolly showed us a brand new batch of bunnies, which fascinated the girls. So, before our little ride on Misty, we spent a good 45 minutes holding, petting and watching 4 new bunnies, no bigger than the palm of their hand.

The day was full -- after our little pony ride on Misty, and a visit with the vet and the vet's little dog, the girls played in the farm fields (and the mud in the irrigation ditches) before we wrapped it up and headed home for lunch, needed baths, and naps.

That night, as we were saying our prayers, the girls were recounting everything they were thankful for as well as sending prayers for those who may need them. After praying that Grandma has a nice airplane trip, sending hugs to Nonno and Grandma Dent and thanking God for Hayden and Misty, Ava adds, "And, God bless the bunnies," meaning the new ones down at the barn. "God bless the bunnies," I repeated, thinking this was pretty cute....at least until she topped it by added, "And, especially the black one!" Note which one she holds in her lap....the same one she has in all the pictures I took that day!

Every Mermaid Gets Her Hair Washed

It's getting harder for me and my growing tummy to do many things and I'm having to give up some things. One of which is giving the girls their bath. I'm just not able to reach into the tub as my tummy bounces off my knees or the rim of the tub. So, this little chore, which is something I have done 99% of the time for the last 2.5 years, is something Paul has begun to own.

As everyone knows, if you've done a chore 99%+ of the time, you tend to have a strong opinion about how it should be done - you have created the order and reason of all the componets, tried and trained by effeciency or past mistakes/learning experiences. So, it's a little difficult to watch someone else, not nearly as experienced, step in a do things entirely differently.

However, if we hold our tongues, we may end up learning a few new pointers. Case in point: Ordinarily, I use logic when wetting and washing the girls' hair. I shield their face as they tip their head back and count to ten so they know when it's done. Daddy didn't do this and was having a tough time convincing the girls to get wet. So, when the girls refused to get their hair wet,Daddy used reverse psychology explaining that every mermaid gets their hair wet and washes their hair to boot. This hit a big chord as "The Little Mermaid" is one of their stable videos to watch at night. "Do you want to be a mermaid, too?"

It, of course, worked like a charm and the girls got their hair washed while ramping up for their current favorite show - a tailgate party of sorts (no pun intended!!).

It's a Boy!

Well, we found out that, come around June 24th, Ava and Bettina will both be big sisters to a...
BABY BROTHER!

We shared the news with the girls. Ava said she didn't want a little brother. When we mentioned that the news comes with an ice cream sundae, she quickly changed her mind: "I like my baby brother!" she chimed! Here's one of those hard-to-read sonograms of Baby #3's chubby face. I didn't see it at first, but a week later, I finally got it, so don't feel bad if you don't get it either!

Zoo Again

Eenie-Meenie-Minie-Moe, Catch a Tiger by the Toe...

We haven't been to the zoo since Tatiana the tiger killed and injured those stupid boys who were teasing her on Christmas Day. Not because we're worried about other animals or our own security, but mostly because of weather and over-programming in general.

Here are a couple of photos from our last trip with their friend Dean.

7 Ways to Create Magic for Toddlers, and Parents, at Christmastime

Christmas with 2-year olds is a blessing! They might be difficult to keep out of trouble, but they find every way to wring the most out of the magic of the season. Here are some things we found that brought Christmas to the forefront for us while it created magic for the girls:

Let it Snow - Christmas in Half Moon Bay

• Take the family to the Half Moon Bay's Night of Lights - They have a parade of kids aglow with lights, carolers, horse and carriage rides, sponsored kiosks of roasted chestnuts, a place to roast marshmallows, live bands, Santa with candy canes and a foam machine mounted above that makes it seem like it's snowing. The girls just loved this event. The snow machine was a real hit!
• Make a pot of hot chocolate one evening, dip candy canes in it and then bundle the kids from head to toe so you can all go outside, hold hands and admire the neighborhood's Christmas lights. We did this a number of times this year.
• Pack everyone up and drive to Ghiradelli Square for the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony. Introduce the kids to Santa Claus and get a piece of Ghiradelli chocolate. After watching the lights and the big tree, stop at the Ghiradelli ice cream parlor for a one-scoop sundae, complete with fudge, whipped cream and cherry. Watch your kids inhale everything.
• Go to the Reindeer Romp at the SF Zoo - The kids can meet Santa again as well as his reindeer. There are also crafts, like making your own set of antlers, as well as an ice skating rink. Rent skates or, if you don't have enough arms to guide all kids, watch the ice skaters glide past. Santa, sponsored by the SF Fire Dept., also gives toys and candy canes to the brave little ones who sit on his lap for a quick Polaroid photo (donation of $5 is suggested).
• Play Santa - usually, we sign up through church to sponsor a family at Christmastime and buy the family some necessities. This year, however, we decided to be the delivery people of these gifts that other families purchased and wrapped. The girls and I donned Santa hats and a cell phone, and converted our minivan into a sleigh. I told the kids to pay special attention to the smiles that came from the kids' faces. The girls loved it, meeting new families and spreading cheer. After the first house, a very thankful and appreciative family of 7, Ava asked, "Can we do that again?" We did - 2 more times!
• Ask the kids to write a letter to Santa telling him everything they want. Be astounded when the only things they want are candy canes and a pet fish. (This makes it very easy to give them everything on their list at least once in their lives!) Tell them to leave cookies and milk for the "Big Man" and carrots for his reindeer. Watch their expressions in the morning when all the treats are eaten.
• To round out the season, take the kids to the Epiphany services on Twelfth Night (the 12th day of Christmas or 3 Kings Day). Our church has a live enactment of of the kings' arrival to the nativity. The "kings" are children of the congregation chosen at dinner just beforehand (via a token prize in the dessert) and "baby Jesus" is one of the youngest members of the congregation, this year, 6-week Andrew. "Mary" is played by the mother of the baby that plays Jesus, and "Joseph" is played by the keeper of the real live donkey that comes to church and walks through the chapel!! The kids just loved seeing the real donkey and adding their own gifts (3 coloring crayons and a toy compass) to those left by the kings on the alter for Jesus.

Belles of the Ball

Ava & Bettina with cousins Antonio and Elio

Every year, we go to the Christmas dinner at the Italian social club of which both Paul and his dad are/were members. We take up a table of 12 and enjoy 5-course meal of antipasto, salad, ravioli, meat and veggies and dessert all enjoyed in conjunction with a craft of table wine (although we usually supplement with our own). The 30-35 or so tables are set up on a platform that covers the bocce ball courts. Old pictures of Italy, specifically anywhere near Genoa, as well as photos, plaques and trophies from bocce ball tournaments cover the walls. A new addition is a wall of photos that include women taken during the club's 100th anniversary, which was celebrated last year.

Just before dessert ends, there is a raffle for things like log of salami, jumbo pack of uncooked pasta, or a gift certificate somewhere local. Typically, this is also when Santa Claus comes in and gives plastic candy canes filled with chocolate kisses to all the little kids. Parents step in to get a photo of their kids with the jolly 'ole man.

After dinner, most people go upstairs where a good old-fashioned 3-piece polka band plays music for dancing in the "ball room." A second bar is also up there so people wander from it to the sides of the dance hall, intermittently taking turns dancing as well. This is all very old fashioned with ballroom dancing; some even literally bring their dancing shoes and don outfits just made to twirl. They are very good.

This is where the simple 2-story building turned into a magical castle for Ava and Bettina. The second their eyes set on these couples dancing to a real drum, trumpet and accordion, they wore tiaras and everyone was royalty. Their eyes lit up as they watched people circle the dance floor. Seeing this moment, I told Paul he'd better ask one of his daughters to dance. Ava instantly said Yes! Bettina wanted in too. A complete stranger, captivated by toddler party-dressed "cuteness" asked her to dance. Without even answering, Tina took the hand and walked out into the circling splendor of dancers. This was a riot watching how much they were enjoying dancing. (Click here to see a video of Paul and Uncle Dave dancing with the girls)

They didn't sit one dance out. Strangers came over all the time and they would dance with them all. They learned to twirl and soon, Tina's "frankensteps" were getting a little bit lighter and bounced with the beat. I figured it had to be around 9:30pm or later and went to the coat closet to fetch the little ballerinas' jackets for the short walk home. When I got there, I realized the clock read 11:15pm -- way, way past their bed time!! They saw me coming with their coats and ran away screaming, "No!" A group of a dozen or more older people, who'd been admiring the girls, started complaining as well: "Let them dance!" OK - one more dance.

At 11:30pm, we walked home, the girls chatting excitedly about their dancing, the band and the Christmas lights that decorated the houses all the way home. They didn't notice their exhaustion until their heads hit their beds. Clearly, this event was a highlight in their Christmas season, and we were still more than 2-weeks until the "big" night.

Our Little Pear - 14 Weeks

Pregnancy with toddlers is certainly different. For one, I don't have my dog-eared copy of "Your Pregnancy Week by Week" at the side of my bed nor am I guaranteed that I can get 20-minutes to lay down during the day to rest anymore. Bettina is now skipping naps, even if I wait until 3pm to start them (this used to work like a charm, but only half the time now). Often, I forget completely what week we're in with Baby #3; there are just too many other important things going on at the same time. Usually, I have to wait until Sundays, when I get my email reminder from babycenter.com that tells me how many weeks the little life is. It tells me that, despite my big tummy, about the size of a large cantaloupe, our baby is about the size of a pear and about 3-inches long. S/He is complete with fingerprints now. Somehow, that seemed to sneak up fast.

This week, I had my monthly visit with my OB/GYN and got to hear the heartbeat. I had one complaint: how come I'm so big so fast this time when there's only one? I seem to be as big as I was this time with two! Normal, she responds. Good ole' pregnancy hormones send out a message to let all my tummy and stomach muscles to relax and the big tummy just falls out. I don't need maternity pants (but am on the verge), but the tops are essential. Regular tops are just too short in lenght. I still have morning sickness - something I suffered with until week 18 with the girls. I've asked for meds to help as I'm snappy and my parenting skills are compromised. They have given me something strong enough to use with cancer patients' nausea. It helps a lot - I didn't actually realize how sick I was feeling until the pills made me remember what "normal" is like.

The girls are getting ready to start pre-school next month. It is suggested that they start so that, when the baby comes, they are already comfortable in their routine and don't see school as a punishment or another change that the baby has brought. Along with all the Christmas cards we got in the mail yesterday, a postcard from their teacher, Andrea, came. It had her picture on it. The girls recognized her right away and got excited to hear from her at home. We decided on a Reggio Emilia school, and I'm really pleased to have found 2-spots in the middle of the year. Another of their friends, Nathan, will be taking the last spot in their group of 6 kids. Nathan has identical twin sisters who are 5 years old. I have been buddying up with their mom, Julie, since she has a lot of insight to kids after twins. The spacing between her twins and Nathan is the same as what ours will be. She's been a great resource for questions such as car configurations and the like. We look forward to maintaining this friendship at school as well.

We All Love Baby Braxton...

Isn't this just the cutest picture? Talk about kissing cousins.... One to cherish!