Eli's Girlfriend

Eli has a girlfriend. The feeling is mutual. They both smile when around each other. Who is this little lady? Well, it's Tali's best friend and it's so cute! (It's a good thing that they are all too young to really remember this and that it will probably pass before anyone gets old enough to let it bother them.)

Yesterday, they held hands and walked from school to the parking lot together (it's a bit of a walk). She walked slowly to stay at his pace and stopped whenever he needed to catch up. He had a blast walking with her. They are just adorable together.

First Trip to the Zoo

On our way into the zoo.

Last Monday (it was a holiday), we took the kids to the Bronx Zoo. Tali had been before with H, but this was my and Eli's first trip there. Tali had the whole day planned out before we even left the car. Her biggest request was that we go on the monorail (or the "train" as she called it) first. So, that's what we did. Big mistake. Poor Eli had been sitting in the car then the stroller for a while so all he wanted to do was move around. He spent the majority of the ride playing on the floor (gross!).

Waiting in line for the monorail.

On the monorail.

After that, we went to look at some lions and get lunch. Mistake number two. The food was pretty bad and the service was terrible. Next time, we'll bring our own.

Then, off to the merry go round where both kids had a blast. After the ride was over, we stopped and purchased some Dippin' Dots ice cream for everyone. Mistake number three. Kids and dot ice cream is a recipe for disaster. Not sure why that didn't occur to either of us. The ice cream got everywhere! At least the kids had fun.

On the merry go round - all the seats were bugs!

On to a quick trip to the seals and then the kiddie zoo. Tali and Eli had a blast! But it was getting late and the kids were getting tired. So we zipped through the kiddie zoo in about half the time we would have otherwise spent there and headed back to the car.

In the kiddie zoo.

Climbing the spider web at the kiddie zoo.

As we were leaving the zoo, we decided to check about a membership. It was cheaper to purchase a membership now (which would include the cost of this day's trip) then to pay for one more trip to the zoo. So, we got one.

Both fell asleep in the stroller while H bought a zoo membership.

And now that we've made all the rookie mistakes, we'll have a much different plan next time. 

Oh, and I must add that this zoo is amazing! It's absolutely huge and beautiful. I grew up with a pretty good zoo and am usually disappointed in other zoos, but I can truly say that I am impressed.

First Day (Ever) of Ballet Class

  
I doubt I'm alone in this one, but forgive me if I am. Often, I have it all planned out. I know exactly how a particular day or event is going to go. And then, it happens. And I have no control over it. Everything I had planned for goes completely differently. My ideal vision of what would happen turns into the nightmare I wouldn't dare think of. And I am stuck trying to figure out how to make it work. If I'm lucky, I'll do it with just a tiny bit of grace.

So went Tali's first day of ballet. Class begins at 4:00 and Tali doesn't normally wake up from her nap until at least 4:30. Knowing this, I was prepared. I got Tali in her tights and leotard before her nap. We laid out her skirt and packed up her ballet and tap shoes. Before I woke her, I set her snack out on the table. The plan was to give her a snack while I put the mandatory bun in her hair (lots of rules at this school - specific outfit and hair style). As soon as I woke her up, everything went to hell.

My first-ever bun. Not bad, huh?

Tali: Mommy, I don't want to wear the tights.
Me: Tali, everyone has to wear the tights. All the little girls will be in the same outfit as you.
Tali: But Mommy, I want to see my feet. I want to wear socks!
Me: You can put on socks after class is over.
Tali: (Begins crying) But Mommy....

Somehow, we made it downstairs. She got into her chair and I began making my first-ever bun. (Thanks to the Internet, I learned how to last night.) The child with the super-high pain threshold began crying that the bun hurt her. And then, my nightmare began. It was no longer about the bun. She was crying hysterically and had a million demands. She wanted to put her skirt on. She didn't want to go to ballet. She wanted a different snack. She wanted to go to ballet. She wanted to wear socks over her tights. She didn't want to go to ballet. She didn't want the tights. She wanted water. No, in a different cup. She wanted her friends in her ballet class. She didn't want the bun. She wants to wear the skirt up to her arms. She wanted to go to ballet. And on it went, for FIFTEEN minutes! In the middle of all of this, Eli started crying. No real reason, other than she was crying and it made him cry. So two screaming kids, a dog begging for their snack and we're going to be late.

I took a deep breath, got on my knees, looked Tali in the eye and calmly explained to her, again, that all the little girls must do these things to go to ballet. Once she gets there, she'll see that everyone else looks just like her. I asked her to let me finish her bun and then we would go. She calmed down a bit and we finished up. (Tiny bit of grace, thank you.)

Of course, we were late. I had planned to be there early and take a picture of her standing outside the dance studio. Instead, I got a picture of her petting Jackson in our mudroom. She refused to look at me. Probably because she had red puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

The one picture I was able to sneak of her face. See those eyes?

At the end of class, she was happy. She told me she wanted to go back again next Tuesday. She's been doing "shuffle-step" around the house all evening.
 

Walking out of door after class. Smile on her face, thankfully.

I didn't get the "before" picture so I settled for the "after" picture.

First Day of School And An Impromptu Picnic

Today was Tali's first day of school in the 3's. She picked out her favorite dress to wear for the occasion and insisted on a bow instead of her typical plastic barrette. There were no tears this year (a first!) and she would've stayed all day if she could have.

Tali's teachers this year are really into food and healthy eating (hooray!). They encourage parents to bring in "unusual" foods such as kiwi (not sure how that is unusual, but whatever) for the class to try. Their goal is to teach the kids how to try new things and hopefully expand their pallets. Each time a child tries a new food, he/she gets a "super try-er" sticker. These poor teachers are going to run out of stickers in just one month if they give one to Tali every time she "tries" a food. I warned them. Not sure they believe me, though.

So I told Tali about bringing in snacks and she decided that she wanted to bring in some Kabocha squash that I made on Saturday evening. I tried to talk her into carrots, but no such luck. She wanted the squash. So, today we brought some for her classmates. Only two kids tried it, Tali and her friend Lyla, and they both got stickers. No one else even touched it.

When I went to pick Tali up, they handed me back the squash and Eli saw it (it was in a bag before). So he pointed to the squash and then signed "help", indicating he wanted some. As we were walking to the parking lot, Tali and some of her friends stopped to play on the little bridge, around the stream and in the grass. Since Eli kept asking for the squash, I sat him on the ground for an impromptu picnic. While Tali played, he ate two big slices! Then Tali saw us eating the squash and came down to have another piece herself and feed one to Eli. As usual, all the other kids played and my kids ate. Someone should study them, really.  

I Finally Bit the Bullet

For the past 15 months, I have insisted that we did not need a double stroller. In the beginning, Tali wanted to walk. And if she didn't, I could easily put Eli in the baby carrier and her in the stroller. As Eli got older, I would usually carry him and hold Tali's hand. I just couldn't justify spending the money on yet another stroller (we had three) that would fill up almost my entire trunk.

But, then last Wednesday came. Neither kid took an afternoon nap (Eli cried in his crib so Tali, from the next room, sang at the top of her lungs to try and calm him) and I had errands to run. When we got to our first stop, they were both asleep. And since it's against the law to leave your napping kids in the car, I had to take them out. I put Eli in the stroller and held Tali's hand. Both were crying that I woke them up. Once inside the store, Eli calmed down but Tali escalated. She was screaming and insisting that SHE get in the stroller. I told her Eli was in it and she needed to walk. She was not okay with that. She started kicking him and trying to pull him out of the stroller. Of course, he started crying again. At two separate times during my 10 minutes in this store, two adults came up to her to try and distract/calm her. Didn't work. She was so upset that she couldn't sit down in the stroller. So I e-mailed H the following: "I give up. Time for a double stroller."

Today we went to the baby store to buy one. We had pretty much picked out what we wanted but I wanted to see it in person first. As soon as we got to the strollers, Tali pointed to the one we wanted and said "I want that one." She read our minds! We ended up getting it. This afternoon we took them for a spin down the block and all went well. Next time they refuse to nap, I'll be prepared.

Pumped Up Kicks

Eli's first pair of shoes.

 Eli got his first pair of shoes (or "kicks" as the kids call it these days) last week and he LOVES them! We went shoe shopping for both kids at a general clothing store in town but Tali didn't find any shoes that she liked. So only Eli got a pair.

At first, he was petrified. I had to hold a shaking baby on my lap while they measured his feet. You could tell he wanted to cry but was trying to hold it in. Once that was over, we were given two pairs of shoes to try on. As he's only a size four (tiny little feet!), these were the only two pairs they had. The ones pictured above fit perfectly and he didn't want me to take them off. He crawled (yes, crawled - these shoes are magical!) around the store with them while we looked for Tali.

At home in his new kicks.

Since he's really only taking a few steps at a time, I just put them on when we're out of the house so he can get comfortable in them. But because he idolizes his big sister (more on that another day), he loves wearing shoes just like she does. And Tali was very excited for him. She has taken to calling his shoes "kicks."

First Steps!

Wow. It's been a long time. Too long. We've had a very busy summer and I haven't had a moment to sit down and catch up. I'm very sad for that and sorry to any of you who come here occasionally to see if there is some news. I keep saying I'll get back to regular posts soon and then I never do. I hope that will change this time around.

The reason I'm here is to let you know that Eli took his first steps today! He was in physical therapy with Lisa and wanted to get to her bubbles. So he let go of the easel and took two steps to her! He did it again two more times before I put him down for his nap.

We've worked so hard with him to get to this point and I'm thrilled he's there. I've been hoping for real walking (not just a step or two) in September and now I think it might happen.

Congratulations to little Eli! He's becoming a "toddler." =)

First Sign and First Word

On Saturday, April 21, Eli did his first sign language sign - "more." I wasn't sure if I was going to do sign language with him simply because I didn't have the time. But about three or four weeks before, I decided to give it a shot. He picked it up very quickly! It took Tali a very long time (a couple of months) before she got the hang of it.

So on that day, Eli signed for more strawberries. Eight days later, he said his first word - "more." As with most milestones, I missed it. H was sitting at the table with Eli, who was signing for more when he also said it. I didn't get the pleasure of hearing his first word until three days later.

Unlike Tali, who couldn't wait to speak, Eli only speaks when necessary. So his one word is only used occasionally. When I get it on video, I'll post it. For now, here is a video of him signing.

Big Girl Bed

Last night was Tali's first night in a big girl bed. While most kids move to a bed somewhere between the age of 2 and 3, we felt she wasn't ready at that time. So when she first climbed out of the crib, we installed a crib tent. It kept her safely inside until it was time. With the move to the new house, we felt it was best for her to be in the crib for a while until she was fully comfortable here (and we had time to install a baby gate at the top of the stairs).

For the past month or two, I've been regularly asking Tali if she was ready to sleep in a big girl bed. Every time I asked, she told me now. So we kept her in the crib. This week, at almost 3 1/2 years old, she said yes! So Saturday, after her nap, H turned her crib into a big girl bed. Tali watched, full of excitement. As soon as it was finished, she grabbed a pillow, climbed in and asked for a sheet! For those of you who don't know, Tali would not allow ANYTHING inside her crib other than her security blanket. If we tried to give her a pillow or blanket, she would scream! To her, the crib was meant to empty, just as it was when she was a baby. So when Tali asked for a sheet, I was shocked and completely unprepared. We had nothing for her. I dug into her armoire and found a few fleece baby blankets that, if you put them all together would cover her.

The rest of the afternoon all Tali wanted to do was play in her big girl bed. She was so excited! However, once it was time to put her down for the night things changed. After H read to her and tucked her in, she began to freak out. He calmed her before she left the room but it didn't last long. One re-covering her (these blankets are so small that they come off when she moves - time to buy a sheet!) and trip to the potty later and she seemed to calm down. She called out for me a few more times but it was quick and I didn't go in. Then she fell asleep and slept through the night.

Before we put her down, I gave just one rule: no getting out of bed once you are tucked in. If you need something, call for Mommy or Daddy. Last night, she listened. But I'm sure it's just a matter of time before she realizes how easy it is to simply walk out of her room and into ours.


PS She slept until 8:00 a.m. (blankets curled up next to her pillow) this morning. Too bad Eli woke up at 5:30 a.m. Can't win them all, I guess. 

Our First Vegetable Garden

We recently did some more landscaping in our backyard and decided to include a 7-bed vegetable garden. We hope this will be a fun thing for the kids as they grow up. As I've never gardened before, it's going to be a great learning experience for me. I'm starting a bit late in the game this year so we'll what grows. I don't have high expectations for my first year. It'll take a few years before I really know what I'm doing.

Today, I decided a fun activity would be to start planting the seeds with Tali. Ha! I sometimes forget that she's three and likes to make a mess. I also forget how chaotic it can be to try and get something done with her. Throw in a furniture delivery and it was all out chaos. But, Tali had a great time.


I had about ten seed packets and Tali really wanted to plant carrots. With everything going on, I didn't read the package. These are supposed to go directly into the ground so that the roots are straight. Oh well. If they grow, we'll enjoy some crooked carrots. A fun reminder of our very first gardening experience together.

First Tooth!

Eli got his first tooth about a week and a half ago. It's so cute out there all by itself. It's not fully out yet, but it's very visible. His second tooth cut through this past Saturday, right next to the first. You can't see it unless you peer inside his mouth, but trust me, it's there. The third and fourth teeth (on top, to match the bottoms) aren't far behind. Tali didn't get her first tooth until after she was one so this is one area where he's beat her.

Typhoid Mary (and her little brother Mark)

This has been a week of firsts in our home:


1. First blow dry: Tali received her first blow dry this week. She had a high fever (103 degrees!) for two days and was so cold when she got out of her bath that I couldn't let her hair dry naturally. The first day I blew it dry she let me do the whole thing. The second day I didn't really wash her hair but it got a little wet. She wasn't so patient that day but at least it wasn't that much to dry.

2. First time being sick: Eli woke up this morning with a temperature of 99.5 degrees. I know it's not a fever yet, but given Tali's sickness earlier this week I'm sure it's headed there.

3. First time being sick twice in one week: Tali now has some congestion in her lungs. It crept in yesterday evening and is still there this morning. It's not terrible, but it's there. Not sure how she got this as she was only around other children Monday (too long ago for symptoms to now appear) and yesterday (too short of a time frame). She also has a temperature of 99.5. (Yes, I checked our thermometer, it's working and not just stuck on 99.5.)

Guess I get to take both kids to the doctor this morning. Lucky me.

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.

Today Was Brought to Me By the Number Three

THREE DAYS
Tali's been in camp for three days now and she's already sick. Today she came home and threw up (what seemed like an entire watermelon) before her nap. Later that afternoon, she felt warm and was a bit shaky. Her fever steadily rose from 100 to 101 to 102 before bedtime. I'm hoping it's a quick virus and she'll be better tomorrow. I'm also hoping Eli doesn't get it.

THREE WEEKS
Eli had his first bottle today at three weeks old. Today I saw a lactation consultant due to pain from breastfeeding. She advised that I pump for a week and give Eli a bottle so that I can heal. It took him a few minutes to accept and drink from the bottle, but he did. I just hope he doesn't start to prefer it over breast feeding.

THREE NAPS
The number of naps Eli hasn't taken (or taken well) today. Instead, there was lots of crying.

Tomorrow will be better, right?

First Day of Camp!

This morning Tali had her first day of camp. The one problem with this camp is that all campers are required to wear the camp shirt. Since Tali only wants to wear pink or purple, I knew this would be a problem. So I spent the past week telling her all of the fun things she'd get to do at camp, but she had to wear the blue shirt. Last night, I put out the shirt and let her pick out her shorts (pink, of course). This morning, we had a meltdown. She screamed and cried but I got the shirt on her! It was another battle for the shorts, but she eventually got dressed. I did promise that she could change when she got home, which she did.

Camp itself was great. Tali walked right into her classroom and got busy playing! (We took a tour yesterday so the facility was fresh in her mind.) I stayed for a little bit just to make sure she was okay. While I was watching her play, a few of the other parents were commenting to each other on how cute Tali was - always nice to hear. After about 15 minutes, I left for a parent orientation. When I came to pick her up, the counselors all told me how great she was. Her main counselor said she is the "quintessential camper" as she was excited for every activity and had a smile on her face the whole time. (The only thing she didn't like was the pool. But I warned them about that in advance.) They also commented on how well behaved she was and how much she liked to eat! Apparently, she left the cafeteria with carrots in her hand as she didn't want to see any food go to waste.

So Day 1 was mostly a success. Let's hope I have an easier time with the shirt/shorts tomorrow morning.

Math Wiz

Due to all the snow, we've been spending a lot of time at home lately. So this has given us the opportunity to teach Tali lots of "tricks." On Saturday, H began teaching her math. Although he'll probably tell you she understands what she's saying, the truth is that she's basically just memorized a phrase. Regardless, she now knows two math problems so I thought I'd show off our hard work.

Taking Deep Breaths

Yesterday evening Tali's little cold invited a fever to join in and after recommending some a combo of Advil and Benadryl to get her to sleep, the doctor asked that I bring her in today for an exam. Turns out Tali has her first ear infection, along with the cold. Yipee!

For being sick, Tali was pretty well behaved at the doctor's office. But that's where my luck ran out. As soon as we go to the pharmacy to fill her prescription, Tali turned into a monster. She threw the biggest tantrum to date and there was nothing I could do to calm her down - even the new tips the doctor gave me didn't work. She was literally kicking and screaming so much that the group of mentally disabled people in front of us were all staring. Then, as if it wasn't bad enough, some scary looking old lady came over and said "come to Grandma, I'll take care of you" and tried to pick her up! Of course, Tali would have none of that and the tantrum got even worse.

After I dropped off the prescription and got her registered in the system, I decided to take her next door to the deli for a treat while the medicine was filled. A mini chocolate muffin will make any kid happy, right? Nope. I finally calmed her down, gave her the muffin and she took one bite then started her tantrum all over again. After a few minutes, we left the deli (I figured it was more rude to disturb customers in a deli than a drugstore) and went back to the pharmacy, hoping the prescription was ready.

We only waited a few minutes (which seemed like an eternity) at the pharmacy and then we were off to the car. Tali had been asking, through tears, to go home so I thought I was in the clear. But seconds later Tali decided that all the bones in her legs had simply disappeared and she dramatically crumbled to the floor of the store. So I picked her up - kicking, screaming and trying to wiggle out of my grasp - and barely made it to the car.

 Tali's tantrum in the car.

For the first half of our car ride home, she continued with tantrum. Then, as if someone flipped a switch, she suddenly passed out. Of course, I had to wake her when we got home so that we could walk to our apartment (I ended up carrying her halfway - kicking, screaming and wiggling again). Oh, and did I mention it was raining the whole time?

Finally, some peace and quiet!

I'm not sure how I made it home with her still alive, but I did. If I were about three months further in this pregnancy, that little incident would've probably put me into early labor. I know she doesn't feel well and it sucks for her, but sheesh! Enough is enough already. I'm exhausted.

First Haircut

Today we took Tali to get her first haircut. Both H and I liked her long hair, but it was time for a little trim. Her hair was so much shorter in the front that it looked like she had a mullet.

So, dressed in her favorite shirt (her dog shirt) and armed with Puppy for a little extra support, Tali sat in the little car and watched TV as she got her very first haircut. She wasn't happy about the smock, and after a few "off, please" requests, the hairdresser took it off and just cut her hair without it.

 

The cut took only five minutes and the hairdresser added some nice layers to compensate for the shortness in front. When finished, Tali played in the car for a minute or two before she was ready to get out. 

All in all, it was much more traumatic for me than for Tali. She didn't shed a tear. It'll take some getting used to (she lost about an inch in the back - a lot for someone that size), but her hair looks much better now. 

Snow Day

Sunday evening was our first big snow storm of the season. The snow came down hard and the winds were hurricane strength. The bad news is that we're trapped inside for quite a few days as the roads are still pretty bad. The good news is that this was the first snow that Tali could really play in. Unfortunately, I don't have a snow suit for her yet so I had to improvise. I put garbage bags over her jeans and secured them to the top of her legs with rubber bands. And, somehow I managed to lose her gloves this past weekend (perfect timing, huh?) so I used a pair of her socks as gloves.


Even though she looked a bit ridiculous, she had a great time. H took her out to play in our backyard for about 30 minutes. He helped her walk in the snow, threw her in the snow, and taught her how to make snowballs. Her hands were a bit cold when she came in, but she had fun!

Snow Boots

Tali got her first pair of snow boots earlier this week. Since they were a bit difficult for her to walk in, I decided to break them in while running errands yesterday. In order to get her to wear them, I had to tell her she was wearing boots like Mommy. So the whole time we were out, she would look at her feet and say "boots like Mommy." It was very cute. She can walk in them now. All we need is some snow!

PS Savta knitted the hat. Isn't it adorable?