Special Specs

Around Thanksgiving Reese began complaining to us that she couldn't make out letters or numbers. She passed the vision screening at her 4 year old check up with flying colors, so we weren't sure whether to take her seriously. Rather than risk it,though, we decided to have her eyes checked during our winter break from school.

(This is also the age at which I first got glasses--see below--although I out grew the need for them in elementary school....and then I had children. Now, my eyes are warped and I need them again. Oh, the circle of life...)

Reese was quite a trooper for the exam--she had her eyes dilated, experienced the glaucoma test for the first time, and read LOTS of eye charts. (Good thing she knows her letters and numbers!) The exam and all of the fancy eye-checking equipment yielded the same results: Reese is slightly far-sighted. While most children are far-sighted at her age, her vision deficit was just significant enough to require glasses.

Finding children's frames for a 4 1/2 year old is a tough gig. Most "kid" frames are for school-aged children, and any smaller frames you find come at a premium since they're marketed toward kids whose vision is way worse that Reese's. For the sake of finances, and the likelihood that these glasses WILL be lost or maimed in the near future, we took Reese to Target to pick out a pair. Her favorites? A purple pair in the clearance section. Score!

We picked up her glasses after our trip to Boston. Then came the real challenge: getting into a routine of wearing them. Reese only needs her glasses for reading, writing, and close-up viewing (think iPad), so the edict of "don't take off your glasses," wasn't going to cut it. Add on some complaints and headaches while her eyes adjusted, and the first few weeks were a real roller coaster. Some days she'd remember to bring her glasses to school but leave her case at home, other days she'd forget them altogether, and on still other days an empty case would accompany her to school. I'm sure her teachers were not impressed. I'm happy to report that we've finally gotten our act together and she willingly wears them when she's supposed to.

More to come later on all of her reading and writing that's suddenly "clicked" for her since she began sporting her four-eyed look.

Paigey

Spring Break is almost over, and with it will likely go any chance to sit down and write. So, to keep up with by blogging-only-on-holiday trend, I've got some catching up to do.

This blog originally started off as Reese's online baby book. When Paige came around, we changed the name, and I vowed to try and keep things 50/50. I quickly fell prey to all the pitfalls of juggling more than one child: taking fewer pictures, getting less sleep, and just generally being busy. The result is that I feel like I haven't done justice to capturing the essence of our sweet little one online for posterity. Boo, bad mommy.
So, without further ado, a few updates on Paige.

* At Paige's 2 year check up I will admit that I checked the "I have some concern" box when it asked me about her language development. Why wasn't she speaking in complete sentences yet? I wondered. The answer of course, "Because she's not like your slightly up tight older daughter who does everything early." But still...I was a little worried. In the time since, Paige has made tremendous gains in her speaking skills. She definitely has a lot to say, and she says it with a lot of personality. "Oh gosh!" is one of her favorite interjections, and she SINGS constantly. I don't remember Reese picking up on songs as quickly as Paige does. She also "reads" books much better than Reese at this age. She will pick up any book she likes and narrate a sweet story to her self about each page based on the pictures.

* It is well known in my family circle that the younger sister is by far the wittier one. It is true of Kim and I, and it also rings true of Paige and Reese. How is a 2 year old witty you may ask? Well, for starters, she's already mastering the art of the comeback. When her sister laughed at her for having food all over her face, she very calmly and seriously put down her silverware, stared at her sister, and said,
"No, you're a bean face!" While she left Kevin and I in hysterics, she calmly went back to her meal.  She's always quick to add a joke into any conversation, and when she can't find the words to break a serious mood she'll just as easily use body language to get a laugh.

* If Paige makes it to kindergarten without loosing any baby teeth due to injuries I'll be amazed. Just last weekend she took a dive off the couch onto the coffee table. I cradled her in my arms waiting for her nose to  start gushing blood, or a bruise to develop. In the end, she was left with some small scratches between her upper lip and nose which will inevitably scar since she wants to ingest any ointment we try to apply.

* Paige is very certain to tell people who her parents are. "This is MY mommy." or "That is MY daddy." leave her lips regularly. Maybe this is a school influence? Maybe she's just trying to distinguish between the other moms and dads she sees dropping kids off? At any rate, I do sometimes wonder what people think when she talks about "my dad" in front of other people. (eg: "Is my dad at work right now?" --as opposed to the other man I've fathered children with?)

* There are NO MORE diapers in my house!!   Go ahead and read that again.  And now cue the choirs of angels.  Potty training success is mine, all mine. I'm going to relish in it and burn my diaper bag in triumph. (Ok, I'm donating it to another new mom, but symbolically I picture it consumed in flames as I hand it to her.)  Attempting to potty train Paige before our trip to Boston seemed like a disaster in the making, so I had vowed to use Spring Break as a potty training camp. But just like everything else Paige does, she decided she wanted to use the potty one day at the end of January and there hasn't been much looking back. I think being in school helped our situation this time around. Without me there to obsess over the successes and set backs, she had a pretty laid back approach to it. (Minus the two weeks of anxiety about pooping in the potty--which we overcame one evening when I refused to help her into her princess pajamas until she went to the bathroom first. Cruel? Maybe, but it worked.) The only draw back? Now, when I do laundry I have heaps of colorful tiny panties that I have to sort through, but I'll take it.

Boston!

Winter break is far behind us, and now spring break is almost in sight...I'd like to say I have a good excuse for not blogging, but only the worn out ones come to mind. Maybe I can blame it on Boston? (or maybe I just like the alliteration in that sentence...)

As soon as Christmas wrapped up, we began getting prepped for our long awaited trip to Boston for Aunt Kim's wedding. I was facing the trip with equal parts excitement (about my sister's nuptials and celebrations!!) and anxiety (two toddlers on a plane...four hour flights).

It took me nearly two and a half days to completely pack our entire family for this trip. Between the cold weather, the events, and the snacks, my brain wanted to combust when I saw my "to do" list. It all got done, and four backpacks and two suitcases later we were ready....to wake up at 4AM and begin our journey.

Let me preface this by saying that both girls spent most of December with fevers. It was a horrible month for us. Paige only managed to make it to school for two days during the three weeks of class. Just when I thought things were looking up, both girls were once again sick just in time to get on the plane. I took them both to the pediatrician whose advice was "They're ok to fly--just keep them away from the bride and groom, no one wants to get sick at their wedding." Check.

Despite a four hour lay over in Houston (which I will forever call  the dirtiest/worst airport ever) and one very memorable time out, we managed to arrive in Boston only slightly late and with all of our belongings. (PS I'm in love with Boston-Logan airport---it's wonderfully clean, green,  and caters to families with children. Kevin and I actually reminisced that it felt like we were flying  into Europe, not the east coast upon landing and managing a full-on-family-potty stop.) I owe a lot of our airplane/airport survival to some cleverly wrapped and distributed gifts, as well as one amazing iPad app that Reese can play until she's blue in the face.


Despite our early wake up I pulled myself together for Kim's bachelorette party that night, probably thanks to the amazing Italian take out and giant box of canoli's Aunt Kim greeted us with at the hotel. My night ended early, but with the milestone of hailing my own cab for the first time (hello country mouse!). Ok, so maybe I'd hailed some airport cabs, or Austin cabs, but I consider those easy prey...possibly even slowly-bleeding-to-death prey.

Our hotel was perfectly located--both in town, and across the hall from the grandparents--and we set our sights on exploring Boston with the girls on Saturday. We suited up, rode trains, walked for miles, saw historical landmarks, and visited the most bad-ass children's museum ever. Only four stories of amazing hands-on experiences can justify the admission price, and luckily it does. Yes, there were some overtired time outs in the museum too, but I didn't snap any pictures. We ended our day with an amazing  Italian meal at a tiny restaurant near by. My vodka sauce scallop dish would have ordinarily been fantastic, but to an overtired traveler it was Heaven on Earth. Paige and Reese couldn't get enough of the meatballs. They were easily the size of their fists and each of them ate at least two. Watching Reese perfectly use her napkin,  utensils, and table manners made us both fantasize about the possibilities and enjoyment that may someday come with traveling with older and not-sick children.

Sunday was Kim's big day. We spent the morning letting the girls get their fill of cable TV in the hotel room while I tried desperately to put together an eloquent toast. I gave up on my efforts to plan ahead when my speech notes (on the hotel post it notes) were repeatedly scribbled on.

Kim and Ehren's wedding speaks for itself. The most beautiful bride I've ever seen, an amazing venue, delicious food, and an open bar I didn't even have a chance to enjoy.

I think the girls used the dance floor more than any of the guests. Unfortunately. these are the only pictures we were able to snap, and they don't feature Reese's "Favorite Dance Partner," Kristen. We owed her more than one drink for how much she helped wrangle the little ones. Reese is still planning their next party together.

We topped the evening off with the bride and groom's after party. It was great to visit with Kim and Ehren's wonderful group of friends and to know how loved they are while they are so many miles away.

Paige continues to talk about Boston on a regular basis. For some reason, any mention of Boston can only be done through yelling. Hey, Paige, have you ever been on a plane? "Yes! To...to...to...BOS-TON!!!" She can hardly control herself. She now thinks all planes are en route to Boston and anyone going anywhere is headed to Boston. She's ready for a return trip...I think there are only 15 months until Aunt Kim's graduation, right?

Christmas!

Three Christmases 

The photo recap

Christmas morning at home

Santa brought Reese the necklace that was on her list...

and a jewelry box to keep it in

Paige just enjoys opening presents. Here we have cutting fruit  for the kitchen.

Mommy's homemade cinnamon rolls.

Paige's "sun-brella" from Santa

Reese loves following the Lego directions to a T.

Cutting fruit..in rain boots of course.

The cousins...caught red handed opening presents early.

Grandpa needs help opening his presents.

Reese and her new crocs, Paige with a robe, and general present chaos.

The Princess Cupcake Party. It includes recipe cards, and while the
recommended game play is sketchy, who doesn't love following directions?

Grammie replenished our dress up box. We had to try on our new  princess
dress up gear IMMEDIATELY...and we've barely taken it off since.

The Nutcracker

Last year Reese watched the PBS televised version of The Nutcracker at least ten times (quite a feat for a three year old considering it's a two hour program).

This year was our local ballet's 50th anniversary of their Nutcracker performance, and I jumped on a pair of tickets for their last day's matinee performance.

Reese and I talked about it for weeks ahead of time--reviewing the plot (which she remembered most of) and choosing her outfit (her dress for Aunt Kim's wedding, of course!). She had spent most of the two days prior to the performance vomiting  so I was a little worried we wouldn't make it to the show. But, the day of the performance she was feeling better. (This did not dissuade me from packing a change of clothes and a disposable bag should the urge hit her in the theater.)

We arrived at the venue a little early (but snagged a perfect parking spot!) so we ate some snacks from the concession stand, toured the nutcracker gift shop (and picked out a ballerina stuffed dancer for Paige), and went to the pre show. In hindsight, going to the pre show was probably the best thing we could have done. The woman who did the presentation passed around photographs of all the lead dancers in costume and explained some of the ballet codification that is used in certain scenes. The pre show allowed us to get a sneak peek at the auditorium, see what the scary Rat King was going to look like (very important), and pass some time.

When the time came to take our seats, Reese anxiously rushed into the auditorium. We were only 6 rows from the stage and had some extra time to sneak some peeks at the orchestra as they warmed up.

Reese played a little bit of seat charades during the show, sometimes sitting in her seat, sometimes in my lap, but otherwise was perfectly behaved and attentive.

Her favorite character was Clara, but her favorite scene was the battle with the Rat King. Even with his three heads and glowing eyes she was a sucker for the smoke and lighting effects. A close second to this scene was the Mother Ginger dance scene. Our ballet has a tradition of using a different "celebrity guest" as Mother Ginger for every performance. For the performance we attended it happened to be the winner of the community online poll. By a large margin, the school  librarian for a school close to where I work was selected. The librarian was a total ham during her scene and received a standing ovation for her Hook 'em Horns, Gangnam Style dance, and general tom foolery. While Reese doesn't know about the Gangnam Style dance, she knew Mother Ginger was "being really silly."

All in all, it was a major success. She has already asked if we can go again next year.

Santa Worries

This was an interesting year for Santa in our house. Reese is still a strong believer, but she had a lot of questions and worries about how the whole Santa thing works. I wrote down a few of her best lines so I wouldn't forget.

Most pressing on her mind:

1. "Santa's kinda big. How does he fit down our chimney?"

2. "We have that grate thingy in front of the chimney, how will he get out?" (Daddy had to move it Christmas Eve)

3. "There are so many houses in our neighborhood, how will he make it to every one? What if he runs out of time?"

4. "I don't think we should leave out cookies for Santa. If he eats cookies at every house he goes to he's going to get a tummy ache. If I eat too many cookies I'll throw up. I think we should leave him a healthy snack like yogurt and cheese." (Somehow cake pops were an ok substitute when Christmas Eve rolled around.)

5. "Paige has been having a lot of tantrums. I don't think Santa is going to bring her as many presents as me." Directly to Paige, "Paige, you're getting coal for Christmas, I'm getting presents."

We answered the questions the best we could, and moderated the tantrums and fights, but every time I had to elaborate on the Santa lie I thought to myself about how mad she's going to be in a few years when she realizes I've been lying to her. Maybe I'll let Daddy cover that one.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I guess the lure of a two week break just wasn't enough for the girls because the week before their holiday was scheduled to begin they both came down with a wicked virus. Paige missed the entire week of school and Reese was out for three days.  They barely recovered in time for Christmas, so Daddy and I had our hands full keeping them inside and occupied for so many consecutive days. (I repeat, I DO NOT know how people with young children survive being home bound in winter conditions...being home with sick children is about as close as we regularly come and it's miserable.)

To keep ourselves busy and get in the holiday spirit we spent nearly an entire day making cake pops. A big thanks to cousin Mark who sent us a Christmas package including a cake pop maker! Once the girls were no longer sick we used it to make cake pops for all of our neighbors and Santa. They were delicious, but I was a bit ambitious. Since I bake so rarely I needed this annual reminder about why I hate it so much. The timing and precision involved in making three dozen cake pops (1/2 red velvet with white chocolate coating, 1/2 pound cake with chocolate frosting turned into reindeers) was enough to make me crazy. The girls didn't mind and helped themselves to a generous numbers of cake pops that didn't make the cut. There was even an entire batch of red velvet that was made without eggs...I was a little distracted by potential catastrophe involving my girls and three jars of sprinkles, but we recovered and made a new batch of batter. There were also a few cake pops that went into the melted coating on sticks, but were lost in the sea of hot sugar. I did let them cool before the girls dug in. And yes, I did dig through an entire bag of ABC pretzels to find matching pairs of Es, Fs, and Y's for the reindeer antlers.  Believe me, if you google holiday cake pops there are a lot better ones out there, but I think the women who make them have infinitely more time and patience than I do.

Since our blood sugar levels were already at an all time high, we followed our day of cake pops up with a gingerbread house making extravaganza the following day. Thank God for aerosol icing! As expected, Reese was meticulous about the construction of her house. She created patterns on each side and had to have a piece of licorice coming out of the chimney for smoke. She and Daddy worked as a team. On the other side of the counter was me and Paige. Paige ate at least one piece of candy for every piece that made it on her house and she quickly learned that there are no mistakes when it comes to using icing--you simply just wipe it off with your finger and lick. I can imagine this becoming a tradition in future years, and if they can spend an hour doing it as toddlers, I can only imagine how much time they'll enjoy spending on it in a few years.