Some More Videos

I know I've posted video of this before, but it's just so much fun to watch Tali and Jackson play tug. They both have a blast. I only caught the end of this game on camera, but it's still fun to watch.

Hey Diddle Diddle

Tali has learned a lot of nursery rhymes and songs this past year. One of her new favorites is Hey Diddle Diddle. Here is a quick video of her "reading" that rhyme.

Having A Bad Day

The other day Eli was crying in the car and a song about having a bad day was playing. So I told Tali that Eli was having a bad day because he was crying. I guess it stuck. Now whenever Tali hears Eli or any other kid crying, she immediately says they are having a bad day.

Naps and Other Fun Newborn Things

When you have a new baby, you don't really get to sleep at night. What you get are naps. Some lucky moms get a few three or four hour naps each night. I get two two-hour naps and, on a good day, an additional one hour nap. There is no deep sleep, which leads to not thinking clearly, and in my case, being even more absent minded than usual. (For example, yesterday I left the house with the dishwasher open, half unloaded, and didn't even know it.) For me, it also leads to the never-ending lack-of-sleep headache. If you know me well, you know I rarely take medication so I have been living with this headache for about four weeks now. It's kind of become a part of me. I am so busy I don't even notice it until I sit down for a minute to catch my breath.

I truly can't wait for the day when Eli wakes up only once at night. But right now I would simply settle for Eli to stop these fussy periods at night. Last night he cried from 4:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. Tonight he started at 5:30 and it's been an hour. He's been fed, changed and burped. But he is just crying. There is nothing I can do - trust me, I've tried everything - but lay in bed and listen to him cry. Luckily, he hasn't woken Tali yet, but I'm sure that will happen soon enough.

The good news is that I have "Mommy Power" and can somehow get through the days with a smile on my face, everyone fed and still in one piece and my sanity still (mostly) intact. Part of what keeps me going is knowing that Eli will outgrow the baby phase in a few months (sorry, not a fan) and things will get better.

Sesame Place, the Movie

Here is the short version of our "movie" of Tali's visit to Sesame Place this week. You'll see her playing at the stoop, clapping along to the music at the Abby show, riding the merry-go-round, climbing Cookie Monster's tower (which is essentially a large blue tarp that reminded me of New Orleans) and enjoying the evening parade. There's some video of Eli, too, as we wanted to remember that he joined us on this trip. Many thanks to H, who produced/edited this movie.

Because

Tali recently learned the word "because." Unfortunately, she doesn't always use it correctly. It seems as though any time she wants to make a compound sentence, she throws the word because in the middle.

A good use of the word is when she says "Eli is crying because Eli is hungry." or "Tali is punished because Tali did not listen to Mommy." However, there are just as many misuses of the word. For example, today we were stopped at a light and there was a painting of a dog in a meadow in the store window. So Tali says, "A dog says arf because the dog is in the flowers." I would love to capture this on video but not sure I will be lucky enough to do so. It's just so funny!

Can You Tell Me How To Get...

Yes, Tali now knows how to get to Sesame Street!

H took the week off of work and decided that we should take the kids to Sesame Place on Monday. I agreed to go because it was his vacation and he so rarely gets vacation, but secretly I was very nervous about this trip. We do have a five week old baby, after all.

Luckily, my fear was for nothing and the trip went pretty well. We drove down on Sunday and spent Monday at the park. The morning was very hot so at one point I took Eli into a gift shop and we just sat on the floor for 20 minutes to cool off. But other than that, Eli was very good and Tali had a lot of fun in the morning riding the merry go round, meeting some of the characters and seeing an Elmo show. We went back to the park after a late lunch and naps and took Tali on a lot of rides (she loved them all), to see an Abby show, and to watch the parade. The parade started at her bedtime so she got to stay up two hours late and was pretty well behaved. She had a blast watching all of the characters sing and dance. All in all, a successful trip.

Some things to note:

Eli has stolen Tali's thunder. People used to stop and say how cute she is, now they say that about Eli.

Tali is really fearless. The higher or faster the ride, the better.

We bought Peapods for the kids. Tali freaked out but eventually slept just fine. Eli didn't love it and woke up a lot. But it was better than gross hotel cribs and we can use them for years.

Tali actually had a cold on Monday while we were at Sesame. But by Tuesday, it was gone. Either it was the fastest cold she's ever had (usually last a week) or being outside for the day sped up the recovery.

Uh-Oh

Tali's been at camp for two weeks now and she already has a new boyfriend. Who is this adorable boy, you wonder? It's the rabbi's son. He is a very cute blonde (she seems to like the blondes) who seems very sweet. Did I mention she goes to a camp that is run by Chabad? The rabbi's son is the ninth of ten children. He just turned three and had his first haircut - a big ceremony where the whole Jewish community was invited. He now wears tzizit that are longer than his shorts.

So how did I learn about this new love interest? The camp director, who happens to be the rabbi's wife, saw her son giving Tali a big hug today. She said he's been in school all year and never shown any interest in the girls in his class. But I guess Tali won him over with her endless energy and enormous appetite. While I am sure his family is lovely, let's hope this is nothing more than a summer fling.

Here We Go Again

Eli had his one month check-up today and things went pretty well. His jaundice is almost gone and soon he'll be as pale as the rest of us. His weight is excellent (7 lbs.) and most of his vitals check out.

But, just like his sister at one month, the doctor heard a heart murmur.  However, as Tali's turned out to be nothing of concern, we are waiting to schedule a visit to the pediatric cardiologist (who happens to be my neighbor - our daughters are friends) until his next check-up. If the pediatrician still hears the murmur at that time, then we'll make an appointment.

To be honest, I have been waiting for her to tell me she hears a murmur for some time now. For whatever reason, I just expected it. I'm not really worried either. To me, it's just part of the baby process.

Other than that, things are going okay here. This whole two kids thing is keeping me very busy. There is no down time here. At least I'm not bored!

I Wonder

I wonder how old you have to be before you master whistling.