Date Night and Updates

We had a Johnson girl first this weekend - A full-on paid babysitter! Nearly all (except one that I can remember) of our date nights have fallen when a parent or two are in town. One of our playgroup moms suggested that the moms and dads go out together on a group date night. We picked a day, and I called around for a sitter. Strange, because I hadn't done that before, but the girls I talked to were really great in telling me how things go now-a-days. We had the best time on our date, and the girls did so well. Lilah talked all morning about her new friend Hannah. So cute!

Emma is sick again though, starting with a high fever on Friday. She's been pretty steady with fever except when on the Tylenol/Motrin train. She only had a runny nose to go along with it, so I didn't feel bad about leaving her with a sitter. Should I have felt bad? Emma did great with her, although her sleep schedule was off. She had slept most of the day, so she didn't go to bed until 10:30, just before we got home. Hannah said Emma wasn't fussy, she just wasn't sleepy either. Today(Sunday) was a bit different. She was super cranky this afternoon, but perked up tonight and actually ate a bit of dinner. I hope I don't have to take her to the doctor tomorrow!

Emma amazes me everyday with the things she does and understands. Tonight she ran laps around the downstairs carrying a cat toy calling "kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty..." FOR FIVE MINUTES. I asked her earlier (no gestures) to wink at daddy. After a few seconds, she turned to him, and squinted her eyes closed. It was so cute.

New words this week: Again, Fishies, Baby. She's crazy about her dolls. Emma had three of them lined up tonight and they were all taking swigs from her milk cup (Emma included).

When we are getting ready to leave the house, and I tell the girls it's time to go, Emma goes running for her coat with her arms outstretched to slide it on, and then sits down nicely on my lap to put her shoes on. She gets so excited thinking we are going outside. When I open the car door though instead of heading to the yard, she completely breaks down and tries to buck her way out of the seat. "No no no!" Maybe I should change my warning to 'it's time to get in the car' instead?

Lilah has become obsessed with time lately. She asks the time all day long. She's been waking up early (before 8am, sometimes before 7am) and I usually just bring her in to bed with me and turn the TV on until Emma wakes up about 8. We have a no TV before 7am rule, to try to encourage her to stay in bed, but she doesn't have a clock in her room. So, she comes in our bed and fidgets until 7am. Yuck. This week we bought her a Tot Clock, with colors that help indicate if it's okay to get up. We have it plugged in the the kitchen right now. It's analog, and she asks about every half hour "what time does that say now, momma?" I'm hoping it'll help keep her in bed a bit later...

After a few months of Lilah calling Jonas Dad instead of Daddy, he's finally remedied the problem. He corrected her every time for the first two months, but that didn't work. Eventually, he just ignored her when she called him Dad, and would respond again when she switched to Daddy. She fixed it all on her own. I was getting tired of it, so I'm glad that's over. "Look at me, Dad!"....... "Look at me, Dad!"...... "Look at me, Daddy!" Yes, Lilah?

Took about two days. Pretty neat experiment overall.

Quick Emma and Lilah Updates

I was thinking of a few things this evening that I've been meaning to keep track of officially. Somewhere in all the shifting of rooms I misplaced Emma's calendar of events, so now I try to be better at posting them. (I suppose I could have purchased another calendar)...

- Emma's speaking a bit more. (Pardon me if any of these are repeats). I got an unprompted 'thank you' the other day! "Get down" And of course my mind is going blank as I'm trying to remember the words she says.... Excuse me (s'cuse), Please, Cheese, Kitty (getting really good at saying that one). We are working her answer to what a kitty cat says. Right now, she says "hello". She does a pretty good "Raaaa" for a tiger though, and "Mmmmm" for a cow. Her dogs also say bark, bark ("Ba! Ba!")

-She thinks bodily noises are so funny. After making one of her own, I'll ask her to say excuse me, and then she laughs and continues to make a similar noise with her mouth. Pretty funny. **See video below

- Emma's also pretty darn good at using a fork to eat. I haven't tried a spoon yet, because I'm too afraid of the mess. Solids seem more safe right now. I should try a spoon this week...

Lilah is giving up her nap. :( I know I've been fortunate to make it this long. She does play quietly during naptime for a couple of hours, so I still get some quiet time for myself. If we have a super active morning, she'll still take one, but right now it's only about one or two a week.

Lilah is also crazy good at doing puzzles. She's got a new one for Christmas that she loves with Pooh and friends on the front. As of about two weeks ago, she does the whole thing by herself. Granted, I'm sure it's intended for 3+ (24 pieces), but I didn't expect for her to be able to do it totally on her own. Way to go Lilah!

Hand in Hand

We've taken a few walks outside to the mailbox since the snow. Emma's been a little timid for some reason, and it has taken her a while to warm up to the idea of trusting the ground again since the ice. She just stands there, reaching her hand out for someone, but when I go to help her, she grunts a 'no' and points to Lilah. She'll only hold Lilah's hand, and won't usually walk without holding her hand. It's pretty cute. I took a little picture with my phone, but it was dusk and they were in action, so it's not great. However, you get the idea. Pretty darn cute!

Spaghetti Night

We pulled some of Nana's special spaghetti sauce from the freezer this weekend. It was super yummy, as usual, but we had a new taster in the family this time. It was a huge hit!

This Old Man: Lilah's Version

We've been singing this song for a long time. Lilah loves to make up words to familiar tunes. Maybe she gets that talent from her daddy, who can't ever remember the right words and makes them up all the time. I just love the "waddy pack" part. Enjoy!

TOGETHER!!!!

Lilah and Emma are friends! I'm not sure if I should give the snow all the credit, but seeing as we were trapped together for the entire past week, it may have had something to do with it. Maybe it's finally Emma's age, too. Whatever it is, I am so so so very happy! Starting on Sunday afternoon, the girls started playing with one another - having a picnic with play food, taking turns (NICELY!!) riding the push toys, playing in the kitchen, playing music on the piano while the other dances, and on and on! And it has continued on since. They are so cute! I really hope this is just the beginning. I can't express how happy it makes me, or how my heart explodes when I see them enjoying each other. Yay for sisters!

Snow Days

Boy has it been cold! We got our first bit of snow on Friday night. It was really just a dusting, because it was mostly gone by Saturday afternoon. Saturday night it snowed again, and Sunday, and Monday! I think we were up to about 8 inches or more. Tuesday the temp dropped into the upper teens, and then last night and most of today (Wed) it was between ten and thirteen degrees, not considering wind. Dang. I can't remember the last time it was so cold. The poor chickens haven't left their house in four days! We're beginning to feel the same. We have gotten some good snow playtime in, but poor Emma is too short to enjoy walking in it now that it is so deep. We are hoping to leave the house tomorrow!
I went a little crazy loading snow pictures from Sunday.

Lilah thought the snow was so tasty!!

Love that goofy grin!

I want to go over there, momma! This is too deep!

Love her little red nose!