Baby Ducks!

We met some friend's at the park and we got the added benefit of seeing baby ducklings! I was so excited. They are to cute! I just wanted to pick one up, but thought better of it.

We Made it to Church

For a while it was hard for us to go to church, because Regan would get bored and announce in her not so quiet voice that she wanted to go home. Then it was impossible because Addison took two naps a day. And now I think we are finally to the point where we can go again. We took Regan to children's chapel. I still have a little anxiety anytime I drop Regan off somewhere new. As many of you know, she has horrible separation anxiety when she was a baby and she will still sometimes give us a hard time when we are leaving. Even Matt when he is going to work. But she waved and said bye mommy, which is so nice. I think she liked that she got to hang out with the "big kids." Addison was pretty good in church, although she did think it was funny when I would try to shush her. I don't think she was to distracting. When Regan came in from children's chapel it was like she had found her long lost sister. She immediately hugged her and I wasn't sure if she was going to let go.

Matt and I ran in a race on Saturday. Matt's mom came to babysit, which always makes my kids happy. And we are always grateful. It was a fund raiser for LOPA (Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency). It was so moving to hear the stories of children who had received organs at birth and Mother's whose children had donated organs.

One of our friend's who was running in the race with us had us all over for dinner on Friday. There little girl is 2 and has an older brother who is a year older than Regan. He doesn't play princesses with her, so I think she was happy to have Regan to play with. They have carpet in there play area and once again Addison was very interested in walking.

Matt took Regan to the Ragin Cajun's baseball game on Sunday. He is hoping that she will be a baseball fan, but I think (for now anyway) she goes for the ice cream.

Getting Ready

Addison has been wanting me to put a curler in her hair in the mornings when I am fixing my hair. She also loves to play with and wear my watch. She tries to get me to give her my ring, but I draw the line at my watch. And she definitely knows what to do when a camera is pointed her way... little ham.

Her favorite word right now is "baby" and she loves her baby doll that the Easter Bunny brought her.

Addison Physical Therapy Update

Addison had taken a few days off from wanting to take steps. I only thought Regan was stubborn. Addison takes it to a whole other level. Well, we went over to my friend's house the other day and she has carpet and suddenly Addison was interested in walking again. I am convinced that she does not like walking on our wood floors, because she knows that if she falls it will hurt. She also has "sensory" issues. She does not like sand or grass and today the physical therapist was trying to get her to play with a ball that has little tenticles and she wanted no part of it. It was actually kind of funny. If you tried to hand it to her she would turn her head. Once her toe hit it and she jerked her toe back like it was fire. The PT doesn't think I need to be worried. She thinks it is just a matter of exposing her to it. She said that her stability is much improved this week over last week. She thinks she will be walking within a few weeks, but said that you never know with Addison. She said that Addison had the ability to walk a couple of months ago, but she does everything on her own terms and in her own time. I have no idea where she gets that from. : )

The Mind of a 3 1/2 year old

I'm sure that most of you know that Regan sleeps with a whole collection of various stuffed animals. She tends to take inventory and will call us to bring her whatever she is missing. Well, two Christmases ago she got a stuffed Santa from one of classmates at MDO. It was part of the sleeping collection for a while, but has not been for a while. So, the other night I was laying down with her for 1 minute (more like 30 seconds since she has no concept of time) and she asked me where her Santa was. I did not know where he was and I had no intention of searching for him in the other sea of stuffed animals in her playroom. I told her that I didn't know, but that we would find him tomorrow. So she says to me in a very concerned voice.... well, am I going to have a Christmas?

Birthday Party

We went to a birthday party today after school. It was fun, but I am exhausted. And we have another one on Saturday.

Addison has always been a pretty affectionate baby when it comes to us, but now she is starting to spread her affection around. On Tuesday at dance class she insisted on hugging a little boy baby several times. Then she proceeded to try to eat all of his snacks, so I just thought she was buttering him up. Well, today at the Birthday Party one of her little friends showed up and she hugged her and wouldn't let go. The picture is of Addison trying to hug the little girl, Ruthie, or asking her to pick her up... I'm not sure which.

T.V. Does Not Rot Your Brain

Open any parenting book or magazine and it will tell you how t.v. is not good for kids. Personally I think that it is a conspiracy of parents who did not have the luxury of t.v. to occupy their kids. Sorry, but sometimes it is a lifesaver. But trying to be a good stay at home mom I try to limit t.v. to morning and night. I think that everything is okay in moderation. Although, now Regan watches t.v. for rest time because she doesn't nap anymore (and if she does she is up until 9 and 10 at night) and I need a break. However, I have been reminded over and over that kids can learn from t.v. (Matt always says that t.v. is what made him smart and I believe it because he has taught himself how to cook mostly from watching food t.v.). Today was no exception. We went to chik fi le for lunch and Regan got a little shark card toy. You put the shark card in this plastic thing and it has a question about the shark on the front and the answer is decoded on the back. So, Regan says about one of the cards "Mommy, is that a whale shark?" I looked on the back and it was a whale shark. So, I thought for a minute. Did I already read it to her, but we had just put it in the decoder. I knew I had never told her about them, because I have never heard of a whale shark. Then I realized that she had probably seen it on Go Diego Go (her new favorite show for rest time). I asked her and she said yes, that they have spots and lines on them. Apparently it was the "mystery fish" one day.

Addison Taking Steps!

Addison can take about eight to nine steps consecutively. We are hoping that full on walking is around the corner!

Cute Picture From The Zoo

This is a little out of order, but Georgina just sent it to me and I couldn't resist putting it up. It's so cute. I am also hoping to post some more pictures from Easter when I get them.

Spring Break

We had a really good Spring Break. I know it was good, because Regan didn't want to come home and both of the kids are sick. : ) It was jam packed. We were in Florida for Easter Weekend. Then we were in New Orleans for the week. We had playdates, I took Regan to see Horton Hears a Who, and we went to the zoo. Yesterday when we were leaving Matt's moms she cried and she told Matt on the way home that she doesn't have fun at our house. We are trying not to take it to personally. : ) We called Granny once we got home and she was much better after she talked to her. Granny told her that she could call today and she was very excited to call her after school. Of course, she is sick and didn't go to school today so I think she has forgotten about it.

I took the kids to the doctor this morning. They think Regan has strep throat. She has had a fever off and on since Saturday and was up this morning at 2am. Addison has allergies and I think being around the cats for the week made them worse. She is showing the same symptoms that Regan did in regards to being allergic to cats, although I think her's might be worse. They gave her a breathing treatment in the office this morning and she was still wheezing afterwards. We are still to give her the abuteral for wheezing (through the nebulizer), but they are giving her another drug to take as a maintenance through the Spring that we have to give her twice a day for a week and then once a day.

Beach Pictures

We are in Florida at my Aunt Carla's and we took Beach Pictures today. I think we got a few good ones. Aunt Carla knows the photographer, so she was able to snap some pictures. These pictures are some of the ones that she got. It was a little challenging with the kids. If Addison was smiling then Regan was looking at the sand. Addison did not like the sand at all. And towards the end she got pretty fussy. She was the happiest when we were in the parking lot leaving. There were kids there taking pictures in their prom dresses and one asked if she could have a picture with Regan. Regan was more than happy to take a picture with the princess.

Regan Playing Ball with her Dad

The last hit is the best. I can't believe that this is my daughter, because I was never good at keeping my eye on the ball. However, she is still a princess. Please notice the tiara in her hair and ignore the pajama shirt that is a little to short. : )

Regan Dancing

Video from Regan's Dance Class. I think she needs a little practice.

Addison Playing

I made this video a while ago, and never put it on the blog. I decided to go ahead and post it, even if she is a little cranky. Enjoy!

Great Grandparents

Playdate

Today we went over to a friend's house for a playdate. I can't tell you when the last time we have been able to have a playdate. We are so busy right now with school, dancing and swim lessons it is hard to find time. Regan had fun, and it was nice to get out. Addison was very excited to sit on the chair like a big girl. I keep telling her that if she wants to be a big girl, that she needs to walk. She doesn't seem to listen, though. I think I heard her say "sit", but I couldn't get her to say it on command.

Busy Weekend

It was a busy weekend and it is going to be a busy month. I think March and April are as busy for us as the Christmas Holidays are. We were in New Orleans this weekend, and Matt's mom babysat a lot! Which we are, of course, grateful for. The girls and I left on Thursday. There was a smocked dress sale that I could not miss. I think the girls are set for Spring/Summer now. I also needed to get their Easter Dresses. It was really starting to bother me that I didn't have them, yet. A store that I love has "fortune cookie fridays" on the first friday of the month. I already had the dresses picked out, so I just had to go buy them. I got the only 50% off fortune cookie in the bowl. Apparently, it was my lucky day. However, you only get it on one item. Next time I am taking someone with me.

On Saturday morning Matt, Phil and I ran in a race on the Westbank. Matt ran in the five mile which was supposed to be a 10K and Phil and I ran in a 1 1/2 mile that was supposed to be a 2 mile. When they changed it, I considered running in the five mile but decided that I am just getting comfortable with three miles so I didn't want to push it. Of course, Phil and I's goal was to beat each other and he won with that. Matt thinks that if it had been a 2 mile I would have beat him, but since it was a 1 1/2 he was able to get enough of a lead on me that I couldn't catch up. Towards the end of the race I had a thought of trying to catch up but I would have had to really push myself, and I am just not that competitive. Both Phil and I did come in first in our age divisions. I thought the girl right in front of me was in my age division, but apparently she was 22. I think I must think I am younger than I am. I think it might be the first thing I have ever won.

That evening we went over to some friends house for dinner. We took the girls with us as they have children Regan's age. The girls all played really well together. I wish I would have taken a picture, because they were adorable. However, I was to busy running my mouth. Sorry.

Budding Artist

I may be biased (I know that I am), but I think Regan draws pretty well for her age. These are drawings that she did while we were at breakfast this morning. The first one was a work in progress until her water spilled. I like how on the second one she did brown and yellow hair for me. I do have eyes, they are just two blue dots that are hard to see. She typically draws dresses on her people, because they are usually princesses. However, I had pants on today.

Expressing herself

If you will notice; Regan has not one, but two crowns on.

UL Baseball

Matt took Regan to a UL Baseball game this weekend, and this time she made it through the whole game plus an extra inning. I think it probably helped that one of here friend's was there and he is really into baseball (as you can tell from the pictures).

UPDATE: Matt says that the pictures are misleading. He says that she was interested in the game. Also, she entertained the other patrons at one point by dancing to the music. I guess I should send him with the video camera next time.

How different they can be..

Addison is a total daddy's girl. I mean Regan loves her daddy, but she definitly preferred me as a baby (which to be honest, was quite exhausting). Today we met Matt for lunch and Addison saw Matt and was very happy. Well, then I wanted to straighten out and so I backed the van up and she started crying. Then he got her out of the car and she was happy again, of course Regan was mad because Addison got out of her carseat first. Well, then Regan wanted Matt to hold her so we switched and Addison started crying again. Matt ended up having to hold both girls.

Regan also never tried to climb out of her high chair. We never strapped her in and she never tried to get out. Addison on the other hand, we have to strap in and she still finds a way to get out of her strap to try to climb out. I usually end up holding her leg to keep her seated. This is at restaurants. I think her high chair is tight enough at home that she doesn't feel that she has the room to stand up. Sometimes we ask ourselves if it is worth going out with Addison. As much as I want her to walk, I am afraid that she is going to wear me out when she does.

Physical Therapy

Addison's Physical Therapist was impressed that she is starting to take an interest in walking. She was especially surprised because Addison is also making strides towards talking. She has added a new word to her vocabulary..... uh oh. And as most (or all) babies do she uses it when she purposely drops something.

The PT also did an overall assessment of Addison. She is above average in fine motor skills, above average in social skills, average to above average in cognitive skills, and below average in gross motor skills. She will jump to average in gross motor skills once she stands on her own for 30 seconds and can take 10 steps. We are hoping for that to happen by the end of the month.

I don't want to jinx it, but...

Addison took her first step today!! I still think we have at least a few weeks before she starts walking. But she is showing interest and doesn't seem to be as scared to stand by herself. I am so excited!!!

She is also getting better and better with her fine motor skills. She has a piggy bank toy that has large plastic "coins" that you put in the coin slot. And today for the first time she was able to put them in. She may be a little behind in the gross motor skills, but she definitely does well in the fine motor skill department.

Tea with Daddy

Regan and Matt had a tea party today. Regan is very into playing tea party and drawing these days. She especially likes to make invitations and thank you notes. And of course dress up goes without saying.

LSU Baseball

Matt took Regan to an LSU baseball game this weekend with some friends while Addison and I went to check out the new shopping center in Baton Rouge. Matt said she did pretty well at the game. They had a playground and a concession stand, so that helped. I think the more she goes, the more that she will get into it.

Picnic

It was a little wet, because it had rained the night before, but it was to nice of a day to spend inside on Saturday. We went to the park and fed the ducks. It's a little complicated with Addison since she still won't walk, and wants to eat everyone's food. But we made it work.

Dinner on a Friday Night

We went to dinner with some friend's on Friday night to a place that has dinner and dancing. It is one of the kid's favorite places. When I told Regan that we were going to dinner she said in a very excited voice... the place with the dance class! Our friend's kids, Conner and Catherine, love our kids.... and they especially love babies. Their mom is pregnant and we joke about how she is never going to get time with her new baby, because Conner and Catherine are always going to be holding him/her.

Length Check

Addison is now 30 1/2 inches. The doctor is pleased, so we only have to go for well visits now.

Wedding

Matt's oldest friend got married this weekend. He is our last single friend to get married. It was a nice wedding, but I am exhausted. We had the rehearsal dinner on Friday night and the wedding on Saturday. Matt has been out of town since Wednesday and got back in town on Friday just in time to go to the rehearsal. I haven't been to may rehearsal dinner's, but I have to say this was the best. The food was amazing, and the bride's dad made one person from each family get up and say how they knew Mike and Katie and one thing about them. It was really cute. Matt told them to cherish these moments; because before you know it it will be six years later, you will have two kids and you will be buying a minivan. The wedding was really nice, too. Both the bride and groom were given away, which I thought was cool. After the wedding party processed in, the minister had both sets of parents come and stand by their respective child and then they had a thing where the minister asked them each if they were prepared to give their child to his/her spouse and did they understand that their spouses wants and desires will come before the parents. The reception was also nice. The food was good and it was good to see friend's that we don't see very often.

In all of the craziness this week, I bought my minivan and I have to say I love it. The navigational system is key for a directionally challenged girl like myself. It earned it's keep this weekend at the wedding as the wedding was in Baton Rouge and I do not know Baton Rouge at all. Matt is just happy that I won't be calling him at work anymore to ask for directions. The sliding doors are great for the kids, and the dvd is a necessity with kids on trips as far as I am concerned. Matt loves the xm satellite radio, and we actually get to listen to it because the dvd is separate and Regan can listen to it on her headphones.

I want to say a special thank you to Matt's mom and Meredith for babysitting for us this weekend. I don't know what I would have done without you.

Weekend

Regan is like an old woman at parades. She is perfectly happy to sit and watch them go by. She did get up and stand by her dad some, because he would pick her up and help her catch things. But she spent a lot of time next to her Granny.

We were at Matt's moms for the Mardi Gras weekend. We mostly looked at minivans as I am in the market for one. Something that I am finally coming to terms with. We went to the La Place parade on Sunday. Matt's extended family lives on the parade route and they always have a big party. This is the first year that we have gone. I think Regan really enjoyed it. After we got back Phil and Georgina came over with their kids. They are all so cute. We haven't seen Colt in a while and he is becoming so animated. He wouldn't smile for the camera, but he is a very happy and smiley baby. So cute! Reid loves Addison and wants to always love on her. I think she is finally learning to deal with it. And, of course, Regan and Quinn love each other like sisters. We had a good weekend, but it's good to be back home and back in the routine. I think Regan was worn out from playing with all of her cousins all weekend.

Regan's Bed

Regan has been making her bed lately. She tells me that she needs to go make her bed. It's cute.

Pictures From Regan's School Parade

Of course, Addison didn't want to keep her hat on.

Regan's Parade Part Two

Regan's Parade - Part 1

I got a flip video camera, and it is great. It is small and fits into my diaper bag, and it doesn't require any tapes. I taped Regan's Mardi Gras Parade at school today. They pulled them around twice, so I got her from both sides of the street. She seemed a little overwhelmed, but I think she had fun. And she got the baby today. The last baby of the king cake season at school!

Parades

Matt had a bachelor party on Saturday night, so I took the girls and met some friends at a parade. I was a little nervous about taking them to a parade by myself, but I figured it couldn't be worse than being at home with them by myself after having been couped up for several days due to bad weather. It turned out that it was much better to go to the parade. It wasn't crowded and it was barricaded, so I didn't have to worry about Regan getting run over. Addison did almost get smacked with a bead that was thrown by Alli Landry. After that, I moved her further back and stood in front of her. Both of the girls did really well. Regan was particularly fascinated by the dancers and told me that she wants to be a "parade girl" when she grows up.

On Sunday Regan and I drove to New Orleans and met Aunt Carla for a parade. We later hooked up with Meredith and went to Whole Foods and to Starbucks. It is a long drive for a one day trip, but it was well worth it. We had a lot of fun. Regan always loves to see Meredith. Next year we are going to have to go for the weekend, though.

Regan's Parent - Teacher Conference

As expected, nothing exciting came out of Regan's parent - teacher conference. She knew everything they asked her. She counted to 29 this time, which they were impressed with. Last time she only counted to 10. She can actually count to a 100, but gets confused at the 10 marks. I am impressed that she said 29, because she usually says 20 10. They also said that she is very detailed with her show and tell. She gets up and would talk forever about whatever she brings. I said I think she talks to hear herself talk. The teacher kind of laughed and said that she does, but that it is good. All in all, we stood outside in the cold longer than we were in the conference (the conference before us ran a little over).

Visit

Matt's brother came to visit with Quinn and Reid. It was a really nice visit, and I thought that the kids did really well. The Meche's also came over to play and all of the kids played really well together. Quinn slept in the room with Regan and they were only up until 11:30. Which I thought was pretty good. The only bad thing is that we still have a monitor in Regan's room so that she can call us to go potty. So, when they started playing with the vanity it sounded like the moniter was on the vanity. Even though it is actually across the room. Quinn pooped out first and told Regan it was time to go to bed. But Regan is a night owl like me. Quinn kept telling Regan to go to bed and stop talking. So, Regan would stop talking for a minute and then she would ask Quinn a question like.... "Do you like princesses?" And Quinn would answer the question and then Regan would start talking again. But she eventually did go to sleep. I thought they would be up until the wee hours of the morning, so I thought 11:30 was good. Regan was exhausted yesterday, though. She took a nap and she went to sleep pretty easily last night.

Addison's Physical Therapy

I took Addison to Physical Therapy on Thursday. She hadn't been since November. She has little to no interest in walking and is afraid to stand without holding onto something. But she tolerates a lot more from the therapist than she does from me. So, the therapist and I decided that she should go every week until she starts walking. Which will hopefully be soon, because she doesn't want me to hold her but she doesn't want to walk. It is especially challenging at dancing, because I don't want her to crawl around on the dirty floor. So, I am stuck holding a squirmy baby for an hour.

Regan Got the Baby

Matt picked Regan up from school today and was a little concerned to see a note attached to her backpack. But he soon realized that it meant that she got the baby in the King Cake. All of the classes have been having King Cake for snack during the Mardi Gras Season. Regan has been keeping me up to date on who gets the baby everyday. She is very excited that she got the baby today. Now I have to go buy a King Cake for Friday.

Addison's Length Check

Addison grew 3/4 inches. So, he doesn't want to send her to the Endocrinologist yet. I have to bring her back in a month to have her measured again.

Regan's Swim Lesson

Regan started swim lessons today. She really enjoyed them, and they said that she did really well for her first day. I'm not sure if they knew that she had had them before, though.

In other news... Addison stood by herself for a second this evening and even tried to take a step until she realized that we were not holding onto her. I think she is scared to do it. She likes the security of hanging on to something, but I know she can and will do it eventually. She has also started to purposely drop things. We have a giraffe toy that you put blocks in its mouth and it makes a little sound. She loves to put the blocks in it and looks at you like you can clap for me now. She loves to clap and put her hands up for touch down, but likes to do it more on her own terms than on command. She will clap if we start singing patty cake and she tries to do the spider motion when we sing the itsy bitsy spider. But the funniest (to me) thing that she does is if you ask her to give you a kiss, she gives you her cheek for you to give her a kiss.

We Got Her

As some of you may know, Regan has been driving us crazy lately with the Strawberry Shortcake Toys at McDonalds. She wants to eat there morning, noon and night. All because she wanted Orange Blossom and Blueberry Muffin. Well, today I looked online and they do not have a Blueberry Muffin. But they did have an Orange Blossom. So, I called all of the McDonalds in town and finally found one with an Orange Blossom. The only other one that we didn't have (of the ones that they have) was Rasberry Torte, and I got her while I was there. Regan has promised to stop asking to go to McDonalds for a while. At least until they have a new line of toys that she likes.

Addison - Croup

Addison has croup. But she only has the cough. The pediatrician says that everything else looks good. She is on an oral steroid for three days and we are running the humidifier.

She still has not grown. They are giving her a couple more weeks and then we will probably be referred to a geneticist and an endocrinologist.

Regan's Allergies

I took Regan to get her allergies tested today. Unfortunately, she is allergic to year around things and she is highly allergic to cats. He said that she is allergic to a lot for a three year old and that she probably won't grow out of it. He did say that her allergies are worse in the winter. She might eventually have to have an inhaler but for now he is putting her on Singulair and Zyrtec with breathing treatments as needed. But he said that if she is doing well in the Spring we can wean her off of the Singulair for the summer. He did say that some exposure to Cat's is okay, but day to day exposure is not recommended. She doesn't have any food allergies except for Strawberries. Apparently it is a food that does something to the cells in your body and makes people itch. So, she won't go into anafalactic shock if she eats them..... but they do make her skin itch.

The things that she are allergic to are Cats; Tree pollens of Maple, Sycamore, Ash, Oak, Red Cedar, and Cottonwood; Grass Pollens of Bermuda and Timothy; Mold Spores of Hormodendrum; and Weed Pollens of Mixed Ragweed, Kochia and Marsh Elder.

Washington D.C.

We just got back from visiting family in D.C. It was so much fun. A good mixture of relaxation, sightseeing and family time. Addison was a little fussy due to being off of her schedule and she was not to sure of my aunt and uncle's dogs. She really didn't like them at first, but tolerated them by the end. We got to meet my cousin's baby who is just adorable. He and Addison competed in a cutest baby contest, but neither would concede the title.

While we were there we went into D.C. twice. Once for some sightseeing and then to go to the National Zoo. For the sightseeing portion we attempted to go to the Natural History Smithsonian, but it was a mad house. We managed to eat some lunch and see the Hope Diamond and that is about it. The girls did not want to stay in their strollers and with the crowd we were afraid of losing Regan. So we went on the "Washington Mall Death March" as my uncle calls it. Sorry Uncle Sam for any permanent damage we might have caused to your hip. After seeing some of the sights, Matt says that he now feels like a full fledged citizen.

We went to the National Zoo on the last day of our trip. My cousin's were nice enough to brave the cold and go with us. I think it might of been the highlight of Regan's trip. We saw a Panda for the first time ever, and we commemorated the event by buying a stuffed Panda to add to the large collection of stuffed animals that we already have. Regan is our resident animal lover (Addison wants nothing to do with them) and I think she might have found a kindred spirit in Chad. They watched the Gorillas together. The Gorillas were eating their lunch which consisted of a healthy diet of grass. So, Chad asked Regan if she eats grass. Which she replied with "Well, (she starts every sentence with "well" these days) sometimes my sister picks grass and puts it in her mouth (which is true.)" So, Chad says do you eat grass. And she says....no, I eat big girl food.

All in all it was a very nice trip. Oh! I forgot to mention that we also met Betsy's boyfriend Ryan (he does exist). He was very nice to drive out with Betsy and have a family night of gambling (Aunt Carla gave us all a dice game for Christmas) and red beans. It was even nicer of Betsy to drive out because; being the young, traveling, non married chick that she is she had flown in that day from a turnaround trip to the liberty bowl. But, of course, she had to visit with her godchild who rewarded her with a wary look.

As I was saying, it was a great trip. Even with getting up at 4:45 this morning to catch an 8:30am plane. Which I actually recommend for traveling with small children. The plane was not full, so we had an extra seat next to Matt. And both girls took a nap.

Christmas

We have been out of town, so I am a little late posting this. I realize that Regan's pile is way bigger than Addison's. It is an understatement to say that it is much easier to shop for Regan than it is for Addison. And I figured that I could get away with it this year. She didn't seem to mind.