Quick Update

We all have the sickness! It's been 9 days, but who's counting? Due to lack of energy, I have supplied a group of random photos for you to enjoy.

Bad News, Good News, More Bad News, More Good News

Bad news: Both kids are sick. Any bets on who will be sick next? It will either be me, Jill, or Grandmom Diane who is in for a visit this week.

Good news: I have some great pictures from the Gymboree Valentine's Day Party!

More bad news: I thought the party was Saturday, so I dragged both Grandmoms and Pop-pop Joe out in the snow for nothing.

More good news: The party was Sunday!

Olive had lots of fun "making" a card for Mommy and Daddy.

The writing on the bottom left says, "Poppy spent the time sleeping!"

Even Grandmom Diane got in on the action.

Proof that Poppy was there...

Finally... awake!

The Ball Pit

Peek-A-Boo Time!

See-saw!

"Anybody in there?"

A very loooooong tunnel...

Poppy loves Gymbo the Clown!

Sleepy time?

"I guess I like him, too."

"OK, I LOVE him!"

Question of the Week

Who are your Valentines and why?

I have 3 valentines: my wife and my 2 children.

Poppy, I love the way you reach for me to snuggle. You can sleep for hours in my arms, and I could watch you breath the entire time (But I always fall asleep, too!). Your wide-eyed smile and giggle/scream make me smile from ear to ear. Olive, your smile is absolutely infectious. Your curiosity helps me to see the world through your eyes. Watching you play makes me feel like a kid again. When you cry, I want to cry, and giving you the comfort that you need makes me feel better. Poppy and Olive, you are the lights of my life! Watching you grow makes every day special. After 7 months, I already can't imagine life without you. I know that you will become beautiful women some years down the road and that you will continue to bring me joy for as long as I live. I am so proud to be your dada.

To my beautiful wife, Jill: Words cannot express how much I love you and how much I love sharing our lives with each other. You have given me more than I could ever ask for. I see you in our children, and our family is complete. We have been married for almost 5 years, and I can't wait for the many more adventures to come. You're a wonderful mother and wife, and I am the luckiest man in the world. Happy Valentine's Day!

Sippy Cup Conquered

This morning, Poppy drank from her sippy cup all by herself! AND, she did it on cue for the video!

Poppy Talk

First things first...Poppy said her first word today.  She looked directly at Joe and said "dada".  Too cute!

So that was the bright point of an otherwise dark and gloomy day.  Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that the east coast is getting pounded with snow.  This is serious business people!  They closed all of the major Philadelphia highways (except I-95) and the weather is the only story on the news.  

Enough is enough.  Between last night and today, we got over a foot of snow (that's in addition to the 25 inches we got over the weekend).  And it's still snowing.  This is a picture taken from our front door.  Please notice that you can't see the steps, the road, or the bushes to either side of the door. 

 The back yard is a different story.  It's a beautiful winter wonderland!

If the girls were a few years older, we'd be outside building snow people, sledding and making snow angels.  But since they're only seven months, we're stuck in the house.  Fortunately for us, Joe knows how to make being stuck in the house fun.  Take a look!

Thumb Sucking Woes

Way back when (when Poppy and Olive were 3 months old), we saw glimmers of thumb sucking that seemed to go away for a while. Guess what? Now, they are back :-(

At first, I thought it was a result of teething. Then, Poppy started sneaking her thumb under her pacifier as she fell asleep. Of course, it would backfire and make it more difficult to fall asleep. I remove her thumb, and it backfires again. I remove the pacifier, and of course she falls asleep with her thumb in her mouth. It is easier to correct Olive because she hasn't started fighting the thumb removal yet. Neither Jill nor I were thumb suckers as far as we know, so I don't know where they get it from.

Thumb sucking isn't the worse thing in the world, but I'd rather the girls not do it. Does anyone have any suggestions?

"Ha ha ha! I suck the thumb!"

Friday night into Saturday, we got loads of snow (over 2 feet to be exact). And here we are waiting for more today. According to accuweather.com, the current prediction for Wilmington is 12-18 inches. I love the snow, but I am now realizing that it is much different when you have kids. I can't leave the house as often or as easily so some days seem to drag. I do know one thing, we will NOT be taking the kids outside to explore the snow again!

"But Daddy, I want to go outside!"

Yesterday's lunch was pretty sticky and messy: avocado and tomato with banana as dessert. By no means was it the messiest meal ever, but Olive and Poppy looked so cute covered in goo!

Here is Olive's new funny face.

"No pictures, please."

The air has been so dry that I keep small bottles from the hospital accessible to Poppy and Olive in case they are thirsty. They are obsessed with these bottles ever since they mastered the art of holding them at an angle to get the water.

In an effort to capture Poppy's obsession with the bottles on video, I captured something quite amusing. In the video below, you'll get a giggle when she turns away from the camera.

Finally, watch as Olive chases a toy lodged underneath the wheel of the Around-We-Go!

Question of the Week

It's an issue that is more important, yet sometimes a lot more difficult to manage for multiple families than most: schedules. We all know that keeping multiples on the same schedule is a no-brainer, but how closely we stick to a schedule varies widely between families. This is an issue that tends to fuel a lot of debates within families, and we want to hear your opinions!

This week's Question of The Week is:

How closely do you follow a schedule for your kids?

• How old are your kids now? Have you always followed a rigid schedule? The kids are 7 months, 1 week, and 3 days old to be exact. Until about 4 months old, we didn't follow a schedule but responded by "on demand" cues from the girls. We thought it best to feed them when hungry and let them sleep when tired. The first few months with multiples is so hectic that you almost have to do things as they come up. At least, that's what was best for us. Starting at 4 months or so, we tightened the schedule first with a nighttime routine: play, bath, bottle, sleep. Poppy and Olive caught on pretty quickly which was a good sign. Nighttime routine was then followed by the introduction of a morning routine (waking up at about the same time each morning) and 3 naps per day. Soon after, bottles and solid food feedings fell into place. About a month ago, the girls decided to nix their 3 nap schedule and now nap only twice per day. (Note: Keep in mind that all things happen within 30-60 minutes of the ideal time.)

• Do you think that your schedule is conducive to healthy sleep patterns in your kids? Absolutely! They usually wake up happy and energized.

• Do people give you a lot of flack for being a "schedule Nazi"? How do you respond? Luckily, I have not been labeled as such.

• Has your routine become more relaxed as your kids have gotten older? Because they are only 7 months old, the schedule has only gotten tighter as they've grown. But, I'm sure there will come a time when they can deal with some flexibility.

• How do you kids react when they are completely off their schedules- and how do you get them back on track? Poppy and Olive can become pretty cranky if they don't nap. This happened the first two weeks of January when the whole family was sick! They were sleeping and eating at their own will since they were not feeling well. To get them back on track when they are not sick, I sometimes gently cut a nap short or keep them awake for a little longer when they are tired. It might sound cruel to some people, but, in the long run, it's better for them... and my sanity!

For the Love of Snow

Well, it snowed.  A lot.  The official total is 25.2 inches.  Seriously.

I was content taking pictures from the warm confines of the playroom (or what used to be known as the living room), but someone thought it would be fun to take the girls outside to play in the snow.  This, of course, was not the girls' first snow storm, but Joe still wanted to take them outside so that they could play in 25.2 inches of frozen precipitation during a BLIZZARD (i.e. wind speeds of over 35 mph).

As you can tell from the pictures below, the wind caused massive snow drifts.  Well, the snow was probably the main culprit, but the wind added that je ne sais quoi that just made the idea of taking the babies outside a little bit over the line of crazy.  Let's just say that we won't be doing that again (although I might have said that last time).  But I mean it this time.  Seriously.  

New Neighbor

A week ago, our wonderful neighbors had their 3rd child. Welcome, Luke! (I hope I spelled all the names correctly!)

What a peaceful sleeper!

Luke with sister Christa

Luke with sister Jocey.