Around 11:30 last night, Alanna woke up to go to the bathroom. I happened to be up reading, so I went to check on her. I noticed she felt warm, and when I asked if she was feeling okay, she said her forehead hurt "on the inside." After giving her some motrin, I put her back to bed, and she fell asleep for about an hour. I heard her starting to whimper in bed, and she said her head still hurt. I called the pediatrician's triage line to be sure there was nothing I needed to do. They suggested I wait another 30-40 minutes and call back if the headache hadn't subsided. Fortunately, she fell asleep and didn't awaken until about 7:00. We wound up with an MD appointment for this afternoon. Alanna was so excited to go; Aidan wanted to go with us so much that he pretended he had a hurt lip and needed to see the doctor. They love their pediatrician, but she is out on maternity leave, so I clued Alanna in that they would be seeing a different doctor today, and Alanna was okay with that.
We arrived a little early, and our paperwork somehow didn't get to the nurses until I inquired after sitting in the waiting room after quite a while. Up to this point, Alanna was just fine, waiting happily in the waiting room, and Aidan was so patient, too! FINALLY, a nurse came to get us. She was nice enough, but a little hard to describe...brawny is the best adjective that springs to mind. I can see how a three year old would be a little intimidated by her stature, and unfortunately, her personality didn't do anything to soften her image. She spoke a little too loud and overexaggerated her articulation while unsuccessfully attempting to talk to Alanna in motherese. Alanna wanted nothing to do with her and just tried to curl up into my shoulder as much as possible. To make matters worse, she stood up and peered down over her glasses at Alanna and said "Honey, I can tell you this much. No one is going to give you any shots today. No one is here to hurt you. You're not getting any shots. Okay? You're not going to get hurt today." And on, and on. Oh My God!!! Did she think it would actually help to repeatedly reference pain and injury??? Even in a sense that it wouldn't be happening?? Alanna has no fear of doctor's offices, and she wasn't worried about any of this. I can only hope that she doesn't remember this next time we have to go to the doctor!! She would barely look at the doctor when he came in, and she wouldn't say a word.
No word yet on what it is, but we are waiting on results of a strep test...
Potty training is such a monumental task, and it is so great when your kids get to the point where you can just send them to the bathroom without accompanying them. Aidan and Alanna have been trained for about a year now. Unfortunately, they haven't been able to turn the water on without help in our bathrooms, so we are always running to the bathroom to turn on the water. Last week, we all went to Lowe's to pick out faucets; the kids tested them out and helped me choose which ones to bring home. They were so excited; however, they thought the faucets would magically replace themselves and be available for immediate use. Finally, we had someone come to replace the faucets two days ago. They were THRILLED!!! I was pretty anxious myself; the prospect of them being able to turn the water on and off themselves was very appealing to me, too!
Since Alanna has been getting up shortly after bedtime to go to the bathroom, I was particularly anxious to not have to play a role in all of this. This meant that we'd be removing the child-proof doorknob cover from the inside of their bedroom door...which allows so much more freedom. They are discovering and pushing the limits of that freedom more with each passing night.
The first night, both Aidan and Alanna had to "go" within about 30 minutes after I put them to bed. I knew the novelty was exciting, and I was happy to be sitting comfortably in my recliner not helping them... at all. The next night, I had Jason put a little Killer Whale doo-hickey on the faucet that can turn it into a water fountain...so no more need for cups! Score another one for allowing me to be lazy! Talk about excitement! They love it! Last night, I heard Alanna head to the bathroom while I was on the phone with my sister. After I hung up, I peeked in on her, and she was just scrubbing away, proud as punch to be doing this all on her own...she had a huge grin on her face.
This morning they realized they could also use their new-found freedom to go to the bathroom when they woke up...since I'm not a morning person, I don't get out of bed quickly enough, and they end up using their Pull-Ups. They were so cute trying to be so quiet. Alanna instructed Aidan in a loud whisper..."Tip-Toe!" when he came into my room to throw away his Pull-Up, which ended in a crash when the lid to the diaper pail slammed down. This wasn't something I'd anticipated...just didn't think that far into it. He kept peeking at me, hoping I might be awake, as I continued to pretend to be asleep. It was so hard not to giggle!
Tonight, the novelty isn't wearing off. They both had to "go" within 20-30 minutes of my turning out the lights. They were in their bedroom giggling and talking, which I tried to ignore. I had told them I wanted it quiet tonight, and if I had to come in there would be a consequence. So, after a while I walked with heavy feet to their door to give them a heads up I was on my way. I stopped just outside and heard them scrambling onto their beds and whispering to each other that I was coming and to be quiet. I returned to my work without going on...but with a smile on my face. They crack me up. It was a little after eight when I heard the door open. I waited a minute to see if they'd come down the hall to the office where I was working, but no one came. So I walked to their room, and the door was ajar. I opened the door, and I couldn't see figures lurking anywhere. I flipped on the light, and they were both curled up on their beds in a heap, trying their best to look like they were sleeping. Stinkers....
This morning Jason took some time off from work to go with us to the Strawberry Patch. The kids have been looking forward to this for months, and they were hoping we might see some horses again. Last year, there was a trailer there with two horses, and apparently it made a big impression on them! I was surprised they remembered. On Tuesday, when I told them that the berry patch was opening the following day, they were chomping at the bit to go. So we piled in the car and headed off with buckets in hand. We had quite a trek through some terrain the kids weren't real thrilled about, and Alanna took a spill in some mud, but caught herself on her hands. She recovered and the rest of the trip was fun! Not too much mud to contend with from there on out. They loved picking the berries, and Emory had her bucket filled in no time. She did pretty well at finding (mostly) red strawberries. Aidan and Alanna finished pretty quickly, then they helped me fill mine. I think we ended up with about 10 pounds of strawberries, and I have no doubt that every last one will be thoroughly enjoyed! They are DELICIOUS...so sweet and tender and juicy! One of the things I love the most about these strawberries is how they smell...much more fragrant than any I've ever found at the store. Every time I open the fridge, I get a rush of it...YUM! When we got home, the kids ate and ate, asking for more every time I turned around. Emory was covered in strawberry juice!
So here's the latest...
Emory now has a fancy-schmancy Lightning McQueen sleeping bag that came in its very own backpack with a water bottle. She also has LM underwear to entice her to potty train when "the time is right," and she chose some LM stickers for her reinforcer. Part of me can't believe I just bought her boys' underwear, but then again, it will REALLY excite her and nobody will see her underwear anyway (I hope.) I think this is the most any of my children has been caught up in a particular character. They LOVED Blue's Clues for a while, but I guess they just didn't have the amount of retail items out there because my kids were all born after Blue had her HeyDay. (???)
Alanna is in a bit of a stage where everything is scary to her. This can be a little challenging at times, but what can you do! Other than that, she just loves to pretend she is rescuing animals like Diego and Alicia on Go, Diego, Go! She has learned a lot about wild animals I never would have thought to talk to her about from this show. (Diego is Emory's second favorite character) Alanna and Emory would love to have some Diego clothing; they prefer him to Dora. But the darn marketing people feel like Dora is for girls and Diego is for boys. Hmmpphh.
Aidan...we were at Target yesterday, and I was picking out some cards for Mother's Day. Aidan wanted to know who I was buying cards for, so I listed the people I had in mind. Then he said something like "I want a card with a heart that says 'I love you" for Mommy!" I stopped dead in my tracks. It was so sweet, so I told him he and Daddy could come to Target to find the card he wanted to choose. I love getting glimpses of his inner boyishness. He's typically so serene and laid back, that it makes me smile to see some "rough and tumble" come out. It's a fun change of pace. We had some lizards in the front yard yesterday, and while Alanna kept her distance, he crouched down to get a good look and just watched quietly. And of course, there are random times when he just throws something (like a sock) across the room just to be silly. But today, we went to our friends' house for lunch, and their three boys are on the opposite end of the spectrum as Aidan, not to mention Aidan is surrounded by estrogen all day! He loved getting into "the mix" with them. He got a little overwhelmed at times, but he was still laughing and smiling if he stopped to watch. He squealed with delight when he'd jump back in for a minute or two. I didn't want to drag him home for nap time!
Tonight while the kids were getting ready for a bath with Jason, Aidan called him "Mushy Tushy." So that name pervaded our conversation, and Jason inserted it into our bedtime stories. Very nice, indeed. We read Make Way for Duckling, I Don't Wanna Go To Bed and The Very Noisy Night, Emory's current favorite. She loved filling in the words when Jason stopped reading, and she makes a very cute hooting sound for an owl.
The kids had their first night away from Jason and I this weekend. We are planning to go to Baltimore for a conference Jason will present at, and I am tagging along. Emory has recently had yet another bout of separation anxiety with me, and it's pretty intense. So my parents graciously offered to take them for a night this weekend for a trial run. It was the first time since the twins were born that we had an empty house. Everything went well, according to the report I got, though mom was exhausted from waking up hourly because she was nervous she wouldn't hear them on the monitor without her hearing aids. We decided to entice Emory to handle 3 days away from us, we would get her a sleeping bag. Aidan and Alanna received them for their birthday last Fall, and it was kind of a special treat to use them at Nana and Grandad's. Since Emory got left out on that, we thought we'd splurge for her. I bet no one can guess what kind of sleeping bad she'd like...do I even need to write this?? Lightning McQueen! What else!!
(check out Aidan's shirt Jason brought home from Hawaii!)
From The Loop:
...That I Adore...
- They give each other hugs and kisses at naptime and bedtime. Emory gets very upset if someone isn't "up for" her affection!
- They love reading, and they will recite books aloud. (I even caught Alanna using voices for different characters while she recited Hushabye Lily for Emory the other day!)
- They tell each other that they love one another (spontaneously)
- They spoil me with hugs and kisses, too!
- They sing "clean-up songs" when they help me pick up the play room.
- They can identify each other in photos, even as babies...how do they do that?? Even Emory can tell Aidan and Alanna apart as infants!
- They love to dance!
- They make each other laugh and squeal (and scream and fight...but that's not the point!)
There are many more...but these are the things that spring to mind right now!
Aidan and Alanna's first use of symbolic language were proto-words, not true words...animal sounds that they used as labels when they saw those animals. So they loved ducks and fish, but the fish sound we made (a little popping sound with your lips) was something they "said" whenever they saw fish for quite a while. Jason wouldn't let me count it as their first word. For the two of them, there were so many things coming out of their mouths that seemed like word attempts a few times, but then not again for a little bit, that I don't really know what word was their official "first," though I kept a list of their first 150 words in their journal.
Emory, who makes no bones about anything, was much clearer when it came to her first word. It was early December of 2006...she wasn't quite 10 months old. I thought I'd heard her say "no" earlier in the day, but I figured I was just hearing things. Then I was getting ready to go somewhere while Jason fed her, and he came upstairs to tell me Emory just said "no." (I hadn't mentioned anything about my experience earlier that day.) She didn't want whatever he was trying to give her, and she emphatically said "no" a couple of times as she turned her head away. I went downstairs to see if we could elicit it again, and sure enough...a vehement "no" when I offered her some baby food. I couldn't believe it, and yet it is so "Emory" to have "no" be her first word. She knows exactly what she wants (and doesn't want,) and she has never been shy about letting us know what that is.
As I recall, this was the beginning of her complete and sudden strike on baby food. Just after I'd bought a big package of baby food from BJ's, she decided she wouldn't have anything to do with it.
Around the age of 4 months, Aidan and Alanna began sleeping in their own cribs that fit end-to-end in the small room in our apartment that served as their nursery and a guest room. Because they had bumpers on the cribs, they couldn't see each other. Weeks later, as we were learning to let them fall asleep on their own, we had to allow some crying to occur, and fortunately, it wasn't too painful a process. We got used to listening to the crying on the monitor while we cleaned up the kitchen and settled down for the night. But one night, we stopped amid the cleanup...they weren't screaming. They were making noise, but it wasn't crying. So we turned up the volume on the monitor only to hear two little babies giggling in their room. We couldn't believe it, and we couldn't begin to figure out what was making them laugh.
The next night, I placed our video camera in their room, so we could see just what was going on in there! I was dying to know! So before we left the room, I turned it on. We went downstairs to finish cleaning up dinner, and the giggling resumed. I couldn't wait to see just what was so funny! After they fell asleep, I tiptoed into the room to retrieve the camcorder. I played it back to find Alanna pushing up on her arms high enough that Aidan could see her over the bumper. It was cracking him up! Their first game of peekaboo!! She kept lowering down and popping back up, and they just giggled away! We couldn't believe it; it was so cute!
