Friday, June 22, 2012
Quick Update
Yes, we found a house. Yes, it is temporary. Yes, it is furnished. Yes, we can golf, swim, play tennis and basketball there. Yes, we are very blessed.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Blogging Away
I wish I were better at blogging.
Nearly five years ago, I never would have said that. I had just moved across the country with Juan and our little newborn Siena and it seemed as if the days would go on forever. I had all the time in the world being a stay at home mom in a tiny apartment, no friends or family nearby to pass the time with. So I blogged. And I blogged. And I blogged. Sometimes even twice a day. I look back and am so grateful I recorded so much, but it is so hard to come to terms with the fact that I am busier and can't keep up like I want to. I want to write down silly things that the girls say or a new milestone for Ez, and I know it's possible, but I can't seem to bring myself to the computer to record it. With all the things the girls say and all the thoughts I have, I would never leave the computer. I can remember staying at the computer hours on end when I just had Baby Siena because all I had to do was tend to her simple needs. Things are different now and I realize that I have to live in the moment as well. It's hard to really be in the moment when you're thinking of how you're going to "share it" with the world. But there is a happy medium, in my opinion, where you can blog, Facebook, and Instagram and also put down the devices and savor the moment. I'm going to aim for that.
Okay, that was my spiel. Now to the fun part:
SIENA:
There are a few words that really stick out when I think of her entering her fifth year of life soon.
"Intelligent": she retains so much from just observing and spits it out at opportune times to teach her parents that she is listening. Her enunciation is so perfect and her vocabulary so advanced it makes me laugh; every time she and I have conversations, I feel like I'm talking to a teenager. She says things like "Mom, we are going to look for creatures in the back yard." Five minutes later she returns with a "friend" (bug) on her finger and explains that she and Qiana are going to make it a home. There was a bug she found at my parents' house and cared for it by making it a comfortable home in the tricycle storage box furnished with grass, leaves, sticks and dirt. Both she and Qiqi were distraught when it was time to go and they were told they had to leave the bug there. They asked Grandma to take care of it for them while they were gone, and to this day think that she is giving it water and food daily.
"Artist" and "Girly Girl": the girl loves to draw and write. With every drawing, more and more details emerge. She's added eyelashes, fancy hems to skirts, thought bubbles, and...ahem...upper female anatomy to her self portraits. All of the hair is rainbow colored and the shoes are all high heels. Such a female, that one.
"Devastated": on many occasions lately, Siena hears one piece of information that she doesn't like and melts to the floor in tears. My goodness, there is so much drama with girls! ;) On that same note, she's hit a place in her life where she feels it important--no, ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY-- to report every little crime Qiana or any other little person commits to an adult. "Whistle blower", I think, is the correct term. I'm to the point now that I repeat over to her, "If there isn't blood, I don't want to hear about it. Work it out yourselves." Is that bad?
"Groovy": this little girl likes to shake her tail feathers. Any music starts, and she starts tapping her feet. Give her the right beat and you've got a full-on dance party with her. There is no stage-fright with Siena yet, so we are really enjoying the entertainment while we can.
QIANA:
Can enough be said about this spunky little girl? All she wants is to be tickled to death. She eggs us on so much and teases and teases and teases. She must get that from her Grandpa. Mostly, I think she just likes to laugh and make other people laugh. She could play all day at full speed and never run out of energy. If I asked her to, at any given minute in the day, she would run from one end of the house to the other as fast as she could over and over again. Our house is laid out so there is a loop from the front room to the dining room, to the kitchen, family room and back to the front room. She runs it ALL. THE. TIME. To reiterate, there is not a day that goes by without a charge-through-the-house from Qiana. I have said it before and I'll say it again, she's the one preparing me for the energetic little boy everyone keeps warning me about. Thank heaven I don't have to run alongside her... just watching her quick little self tires me out.
She loves animals, but is a little shy up close to them (the exact opposite of her sister, who goes up to any dog and pets it.) She loves music and "shakes it" just like her sister. They have dance parties all the time with Juan (this is usually the reward he gives them for cleaning up the playroom.) She loves food... still. I'd say a good 50% of what she requests from me is food. "Puedo tener un snack, por favor?" More than anything, she loves her baby brother. I hate to have to send her to Time Out for smothering her brother, yet again, because I know it's just because she was trying to hug and kiss his face off. I cherish the bedtime routine we have of laying him next to her in bed right before Lights Out because it is when she is the most gentle and calm. I lay him on one of her outstretched arms as she's lying down and she slowly cuddles into him, kisses his cheeks and nestles her head next to his. She's already a fantastic big sister, even though she's a little rough right now.
Her screaming from infancy has mellowed quite a bit. It's not completely gone, but we've seen a huge improvement over the last few months. She still likes to throw fits though and talking it out logically to her still doesn't phase her reactions. Now that she speaks, I can't blame her frustration on not being able to relate what she wants; she just doesn't deal well with not getting what she wants. It actually really surprises me that she still reacts this way because she's had plenty of experiences where we don't give in to what she wants after we tell her "no." My theory is that somewhere, somehow we gave-in once and she thinks it will happen again. Lab rats come to mind....
EZRA:
The littlest bundle of cuteness in home is seriously the easiest baby ever! He is fussy only when he is 1.) hungry, 2.) tired, or 3.) when he has a dirty diaper. He's so predictable, which is something I'm really grateful for in this house full of hormones. We just took him to his 2 month checkup and the doctor says that most everything is looking great. He's got a slight case of torticollis, where his neck muscles aren't fully strengthened on one side so his head droops. She says that we can try physical therapy with him and possibly avoid the need for a helmet later on (which would just be cosmetic for the resulting flat head.) So we're stretching those neck muscles a little more each day so he doesn't have to wear one.
He is eating well, sleeping well (just one feeding in the middle of the night now,) and coo's and smiles after eating. Little by little our niño is growing into the 50th percentile for weight, which is better than before. He might be a smaller little guy because the head circumference is in the 30th percentile and his height is oddly enough in the 14th percentile. (I actually suspect that they measured his height incorrectly because it seemed surprising to the doctor, too.) The doc also told me that he will be an early walker--I know I should take that with a grain of salt--because his motor skills are advanced. I'm guessing he's going to be a "Qiana" with a "Siena" face. :)
Well, there's that. The quickest, most accurate description of the kiddos from my perspective. And what, it only took me an HOUR to write it?! See what I mean about blogging? It's crazy-great for journaling purposes, but not so great when you're trying to squeeze in every last minute of extra sleep. Totally worth it tonight, though.
Nearly five years ago, I never would have said that. I had just moved across the country with Juan and our little newborn Siena and it seemed as if the days would go on forever. I had all the time in the world being a stay at home mom in a tiny apartment, no friends or family nearby to pass the time with. So I blogged. And I blogged. And I blogged. Sometimes even twice a day. I look back and am so grateful I recorded so much, but it is so hard to come to terms with the fact that I am busier and can't keep up like I want to. I want to write down silly things that the girls say or a new milestone for Ez, and I know it's possible, but I can't seem to bring myself to the computer to record it. With all the things the girls say and all the thoughts I have, I would never leave the computer. I can remember staying at the computer hours on end when I just had Baby Siena because all I had to do was tend to her simple needs. Things are different now and I realize that I have to live in the moment as well. It's hard to really be in the moment when you're thinking of how you're going to "share it" with the world. But there is a happy medium, in my opinion, where you can blog, Facebook, and Instagram and also put down the devices and savor the moment. I'm going to aim for that.
Okay, that was my spiel. Now to the fun part:
SIENA:
There are a few words that really stick out when I think of her entering her fifth year of life soon.
"Intelligent": she retains so much from just observing and spits it out at opportune times to teach her parents that she is listening. Her enunciation is so perfect and her vocabulary so advanced it makes me laugh; every time she and I have conversations, I feel like I'm talking to a teenager. She says things like "Mom, we are going to look for creatures in the back yard." Five minutes later she returns with a "friend" (bug) on her finger and explains that she and Qiana are going to make it a home. There was a bug she found at my parents' house and cared for it by making it a comfortable home in the tricycle storage box furnished with grass, leaves, sticks and dirt. Both she and Qiqi were distraught when it was time to go and they were told they had to leave the bug there. They asked Grandma to take care of it for them while they were gone, and to this day think that she is giving it water and food daily.
"Artist" and "Girly Girl": the girl loves to draw and write. With every drawing, more and more details emerge. She's added eyelashes, fancy hems to skirts, thought bubbles, and...ahem...upper female anatomy to her self portraits. All of the hair is rainbow colored and the shoes are all high heels. Such a female, that one.
"Devastated": on many occasions lately, Siena hears one piece of information that she doesn't like and melts to the floor in tears. My goodness, there is so much drama with girls! ;) On that same note, she's hit a place in her life where she feels it important--no, ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY-- to report every little crime Qiana or any other little person commits to an adult. "Whistle blower", I think, is the correct term. I'm to the point now that I repeat over to her, "If there isn't blood, I don't want to hear about it. Work it out yourselves." Is that bad?
"Groovy": this little girl likes to shake her tail feathers. Any music starts, and she starts tapping her feet. Give her the right beat and you've got a full-on dance party with her. There is no stage-fright with Siena yet, so we are really enjoying the entertainment while we can.
QIANA:
Can enough be said about this spunky little girl? All she wants is to be tickled to death. She eggs us on so much and teases and teases and teases. She must get that from her Grandpa. Mostly, I think she just likes to laugh and make other people laugh. She could play all day at full speed and never run out of energy. If I asked her to, at any given minute in the day, she would run from one end of the house to the other as fast as she could over and over again. Our house is laid out so there is a loop from the front room to the dining room, to the kitchen, family room and back to the front room. She runs it ALL. THE. TIME. To reiterate, there is not a day that goes by without a charge-through-the-house from Qiana. I have said it before and I'll say it again, she's the one preparing me for the energetic little boy everyone keeps warning me about. Thank heaven I don't have to run alongside her... just watching her quick little self tires me out.
She loves animals, but is a little shy up close to them (the exact opposite of her sister, who goes up to any dog and pets it.) She loves music and "shakes it" just like her sister. They have dance parties all the time with Juan (this is usually the reward he gives them for cleaning up the playroom.) She loves food... still. I'd say a good 50% of what she requests from me is food. "Puedo tener un snack, por favor?" More than anything, she loves her baby brother. I hate to have to send her to Time Out for smothering her brother, yet again, because I know it's just because she was trying to hug and kiss his face off. I cherish the bedtime routine we have of laying him next to her in bed right before Lights Out because it is when she is the most gentle and calm. I lay him on one of her outstretched arms as she's lying down and she slowly cuddles into him, kisses his cheeks and nestles her head next to his. She's already a fantastic big sister, even though she's a little rough right now.
Her screaming from infancy has mellowed quite a bit. It's not completely gone, but we've seen a huge improvement over the last few months. She still likes to throw fits though and talking it out logically to her still doesn't phase her reactions. Now that she speaks, I can't blame her frustration on not being able to relate what she wants; she just doesn't deal well with not getting what she wants. It actually really surprises me that she still reacts this way because she's had plenty of experiences where we don't give in to what she wants after we tell her "no." My theory is that somewhere, somehow we gave-in once and she thinks it will happen again. Lab rats come to mind....
EZRA:
The littlest bundle of cuteness in home is seriously the easiest baby ever! He is fussy only when he is 1.) hungry, 2.) tired, or 3.) when he has a dirty diaper. He's so predictable, which is something I'm really grateful for in this house full of hormones. We just took him to his 2 month checkup and the doctor says that most everything is looking great. He's got a slight case of torticollis, where his neck muscles aren't fully strengthened on one side so his head droops. She says that we can try physical therapy with him and possibly avoid the need for a helmet later on (which would just be cosmetic for the resulting flat head.) So we're stretching those neck muscles a little more each day so he doesn't have to wear one.
He is eating well, sleeping well (just one feeding in the middle of the night now,) and coo's and smiles after eating. Little by little our niño is growing into the 50th percentile for weight, which is better than before. He might be a smaller little guy because the head circumference is in the 30th percentile and his height is oddly enough in the 14th percentile. (I actually suspect that they measured his height incorrectly because it seemed surprising to the doctor, too.) The doc also told me that he will be an early walker--I know I should take that with a grain of salt--because his motor skills are advanced. I'm guessing he's going to be a "Qiana" with a "Siena" face. :)
Well, there's that. The quickest, most accurate description of the kiddos from my perspective. And what, it only took me an HOUR to write it?! See what I mean about blogging? It's crazy-great for journaling purposes, but not so great when you're trying to squeeze in every last minute of extra sleep. Totally worth it tonight, though.
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