Not So "Messy Night"

A couple weeks ago now we went to "Messy Night," hosted by our Parents as Teachers. There were a ton of messy activities, and I dressed the girls appropriately. However, I am not a messy person. The kids playing in mud and splashing in really dirty puddles made my skin crawl. So, I was a bad mother and didn't encourage such things, instead capitalizing on the girls' love of water and heading them towards the window washing station. A decidely UN-messy night. Phew!

They loved it. We also made bird feeders out of paper towel holders, seeds, crisco and honey. I kept them nice and clean during that too, wiping their hands profusely with baby wipes to get all the crisco off.

We ended the night on the playground. The girls loved this slide because it was big and fast - I loved that they couldn't flip over the sides. And what do they remember about Messy Night? A boy who was crying when he had to leave...of course.

What a Day

No pictures or videos of the too many cute moments today - but I want to remember them all!

0.5 (last night) Anna falling into a storage bin in the middle of one of the vans we checked out.

1. Kara chasing Anna around with a toy snake, hissing at her to "scare her." Scaring is a new favorite pastime.

2. Our lunchtime discussion of what pet they'd like to get. Their back and forth was hilarious, and I was proud that I didn't have to prompt them much. Kara said "teeny rat," Anna countered with a snake, Kara said cat, Anna said "doggy," Kara said "fluffy doggy," Anna said "doggy with a beard." (their memories are ridiculous...we looked at pictures of lap dogs on the computer at least 3 weeks ago and the ones that were bearded or fluffy were the ones they didn't like). They settled on a beagle.

3. Picking up worms. Our basement flooded and so Andrew was cleaning out the drain and found a treasure trove of "squirmy worms," which I encouraged the girls to pick up (not sure why, probably because otherwise they were poking them with sticks and I felt bad for the worms). They had a ton of fun carrying worms around and talking about being "slimy."

4. A new game they invented that involves waving and saying "hi" to each other, then giving big hugs. Would have gotten a video if the camera batteries hadn't been dead. One of the cutest things ever.

5. Summer fashion show (thanks Grandma!)...we were showing Andrew clothes my mom sent and they needed to try everything on, especially bathing suits. They're really looking forward to our planned swimming play date next week.

6. Saying "Aunt Sarah" for the first time. They're getting better with their S words. I need a video of that too; I was amazed, since they've never even gotten close before.

Oh, and we bought a new car, a "big car" (van) so that we can all fit when Little arrives who knows when. That would have been a highlight if we didn't have such cute girls stealing the show!

Baseball Lovers

And I mean LOVERS...

When not pointing out the arch or looking for Fredbird (a current obsession...I can't count the number of times a day someone comes up to me and asks to see "Fredbird pictures" or "Fredbird movies" out of the blue, Kara especially, or just tells me a random fact about Fredbird, like he's not out on our deck, for instance, or doesn't want to drink their milk)...kisses and hugs were on the agenda.

Some more shots from the friends we went with. Thanks "Katie Justin!" :)

We're getting ready to go to another game Monday night...hopefully they'll be this loving again, though I suspect the arch and Fredbird will be the main attractions.

Happy

Every new picture of them together is becoming my favorite. :)

Kara uninterested in posing...dress uninterested in staying on.

Apart from the episodes of acting like terrors, I am really enjoying the girls becoming girls instead of babies. I think they get cuter every day and it's impossible for me to even record everything cute that they say and do. They've learned to ride their whale teeter totter together, which is fun (the first time they did it they both kept telling me they were "happy" the whole time). They are generally really good listeners and helpers. They love to laugh, and to make each other and us laugh. They're really smart and have amazing memories, and are learning so fast. Andrew's mom (Nana) visited this weekend and they were so sweet with her. Etc. etc. I could not ask for better girls.

We were talking about what we'd like things to look like when Little arrives (1 month from today is my due date!) and how to plan to achieve that. I realized I don't really have any specific goals or a vision of how I'd like things to be...I just want everyone to be happy and I want to do whatever it takes to achieve that. I feel like parenting has taught me that letting my children do things in their own time and own ways, with appropriate boundaries and guidance, has made everyone happy and so much better off (especially me, since I'm such a perfectionist and tend to stress about everything). Andrew and I decided that there's no way to be prepared for a newborn, so instead of trying to have "everything ready," including how we'd like the girls to be/what we'd like them to be doing, I'm just going to be happy with the way things are and enjoy this last month with my amazing husband/father of our children and the 2 best babies around.

One of my (many) favorite things is that they really are best friends. They do this all the time, without prompting. Not only am I so thankful for them, but I'm so thankful that they have each other. (And if you click on the picture to see it larger, you can check out their curls - love!)

For the Pierce Aunt and Uncles

A little bit better modeling here...shirts for Christmas from Aunt Beth and Uncle Derek. Not only did Derek go to Tulane, but so did Pop, Andrew's granddad, and Andrew's uncle (and maybe others I don't know about).

And attempts at Derek and Beth individually...

Well, Kara didn't try in this second one, seeing as she fell over. :)

And a video from a month and a half ago in their Duke shirts from Uncle Stu. Their talking has definitely improved.

My Sweet Girls

Peeking out the slats of the deck (sorry about the lack of shirts - it was Messy Night, another post)...which do you prefer?

Crazy smiles...

Stoic double chin faces...

Or Anna spitting at me while Kara looks away...

Oh sweeties, you are SO photogenic. So much for your potential as baby models. :)

Second Real Baseball Game

We went to the game again Monday night with some people from Andrew's work - the girls sat on our laps, so we only got this one picture when the people in front of us left. They had fun and did really well...we clapped, danced, voted for All Stars and colored the ballots, pointed out the Arch a million times, and even saw their first fireworks during a rally. We almost got pictures with Fredbird as we were leaving, but he ran back to the field right as we got to him. Anna said "bird back" pretty much the entire (really long...I had to hope not labor-inducing) walk back to the car. And they both said "Katie Justin" (the people we went with) all Tuesday.

Saturday Fun

Saturday night Andrew and I were going out (they did really well again when we went out, and even ate a bunch this time...we had to talk about that a lot in prep, since last time they hardly ate and then were starved when we got home), so we knew we needed to get the girls down earlier than we usually do for a nap...of all of the short outing options I gave the girls, they chose the museum. We got the book Olivia out of the library, after almost buying it at the bookstore, and Olivia goes to the museum. The girls really liked it, even though they seemed zoned out the entire time. It helped that Andrew and I talked them through everything, pointing out things they would like, and asked them lots of questions about what they saw.

Our typical car-ride prep videos. :)

They loved the huge fountain in the lobby.

Inside...and outside after (my belly looks huger than it is due to the angle/where the picture cuts off...I hope). We didn't have time to get out into the park area or down to see the huge fountains; it was a little chilly and really windy anyway, so the girls were happy to just look at all the people and dogs.

Museum favorites, per Kara and Anna: the statue of the girl with the tutu (a Degas, girls after mama's heart!), armor (also referred to as "no ows" until I remind them it's called armor), baby shoes and the baby bed (Native American beaded things), and some specific paintings, including one where you could see a boy's pee pee (as Andrew helpfully pointed out). I think the armor is the hands-down favorite, though.

Thinking Happy Thoughts...

The girls have been terrors the past 3 days, I think because of tiredness - we've been trying to pack in a lot and they end up going to bed late. Regardless of what the reason is, since Friday Anna's been enjoying her new-found talent of being able to make herself puke when she gets upset, Kara screams a lot, doesn't listen to a single thing that Andrew and I tell her (and doesn't care about discipline), refuses to poop on the potty, has peed on the floor a few times, and I don't know how many times I've had to tell her not to hit Anna on the head (and for both - pinch and/or push sister). It's been the worst since Sunday, when Kara woke up and bit Anna on the back, breaking the skin.

We have had some fun times, though...the girls have been very well-behaved when we've been out. Friday night we went to the Magic House, basically a children's museum, for their monthly free family night (we've been meaning to go since this winter). It was packed and crazy, and much of the stuff the girls are too young for, but there was a ton they did like.

There was a dining room set-up...Anna headed straight for the doggy bed and claimed it as her own. :)

Playing the piano, in Cinderella's carriage, making music on a huge spinning wheel, throwing balls, and attracting the lightning to their hands.

My not-so-girly girls...fixing the car (with all boys), driving a truck (and demonstrating excellent teamwork), helmets (which Anna called a "bowl hat" when she saw the picture), and fishing (also sharing very well).

The water area was one of the things they told me they wanted to go see (I show them pictures and talk up our outings before we go)...it was a hit...they were very wet. Kara was obsessed with these little turtles, Anna with pouring water on everything. Andrew enjoyed how Kara's cover up turned into a cape.

Another thing they said they wanted to do - make their hair stand straight up...they liked looking at these pictures after, but at the time Anna wished that I had been holding her.

They also loved the couple of huge slides, the sand table, and another ball thing. Of course when I asked them what their favorite thing was they told me the "girl who cried," since as we were leaving there was a girl crying...they were also eager to tell me that Anna cried when we had to leave the balls and the slides. At least I know they had fun!

Watch What You Say

Little Nanny and Rara (what they call themselves, so now their official nicknames) are at such a fun age - for a few weeks now they have been repeating literally everything they hear, and talking a ton more to communicate their wants, needs, what they're going to do, and just in general. They get so happy and proud when I catch them saying something new and exciting and say "did you just say ___?"

They can't say anything that starts with S, and Kara (Anna some too) will say words backwards...like "Maga" for Grandma, and until recently "puck" for cup. My favorite is Spot - we've read those books some lately. Anna calls him "Pots" and Kara calls him "Tops." It cracks us up every time they say it. Today is the first time I really noticed them saying new words without repeating what we'd said. Anna and Kara both said "magazine;" well, Kara said "mazagine."

Other notable developments for our now 22-month olds....

Almost completely potty trained, if they're naked on bottom. Kara still struggles a little to poop on the potty (rescinded - she now is refusing to poop on the potty and will just tell me her stomach hurts and she needs to poop until I give in and give her a diaper), and they both still need diapers at naps and bed, mainly because they don't like to get up fast enough to go (they generally stay dry while they sleep). We're working on underwear - they either take it off or pee in it - and sitting on a big potty (essential to being able to take them out without diapers).

Right now they are both mama's girls...Anna needs me at all times and is likely to cry if I'm not there. Kara is fine without me but is very concerned with pleasing me and if I'm "happy" or not. They are both super sweet to "brother" and give him snuggles and kisses and share things with him and tell me what songs he likes and what things he likes, Anna especially. Today they read him books. They seemingly understand and will tell me what's going to happen when brother comes (I have to pack a suitcase, I have to sleep at the hospital with daddy, Nana will come, etc.) and what brother will be like when he comes, including what he can and can't do. They practice on each other.

Current obsessions: books about babies (Froggy's Baby Sister (Polly) and Arthur's Baby (Kate) are read about a million times a day), and dinosaurs - I read the dinosaur book (plus the 2 we got at the library) a million times a day too - pretty much they only like the "mean dinosaurs," "Rex" being their favorite...they like pictures that show his teeth especially and will give the book huge hugs and kisses over and over. They prefer the violent scenes of the dinosaur movies, too. They've started identifying and naming dinosaurs - A likes barosaurus, K likes edmontonia. And they know that mommy likes gallimimus and tell me every time they see him.

They have become great jumpers. They'll hop from room to room, both feet off the floor every time. "Hop bunny," of course. Pretend play and their dollhouse (and a new one a neighbor gave us) are also gaining popularity...they'll narrate to me what the people are doing (though a lot of the time it's peeing on the potty).

The End of a Busy Week

A couple weeks ago/last week we had something just about every day from Thursday - Saturday...PAT visit Thursday, my internship reunion Fri, the Cardinal's stadium and babysitter Sat, bookstore Sun, Card's game Mon, doctor's appointment Tues, playdate at the Botanical Garden Wed, library Fri, then we went to Grant's Farm Saturday.

This week we've done nothing, which is much more normal for us! We do have plans for Friday night and I'm sure we'll do something Saturday and maybe Sunday. We've gotten outside a lot, at least (with such exciting sights as squirrels, a bunny, and a "brokey car," and a trip to the "doggy park").

Here are some pics from Grant's Farm last weekend - an Anheuser-Busch place that has random wildlife roaming free (zebras to turkeys to North African sheep) and some farm stuff, some zoo stuff, and of course free beer. The girls wanted to go for the goats (after which the camera battery died), but we also saw the elephant show and pet some baby Clydesdales - "horseys" were their favorite.

Kara being brave.

They (and I) had mixed feelings about the goats. They basically got mauled on the way in (and Andrew thought it would be a good idea if I took them in by myself) - they each had like 5 goats chewing on their shirts at a time (and Kara's hair too). Anna broke down and cried first, and wanted to be held the rest of the time. They're still talking about "mama bite" and "boggle no mama bite." Translation: goats were biting them - and they didn't like it. When they gave the goat a bottle it didn't bite them. They brushed them too, during which biting was a little more minimal.

My Mother's Day Presents

So, I taught them myself the day before...but I enjoyed hearing their sweet voices saying it all day Sunday (and now still, it's a popular phrase). Thankful that they're such fast learners and so eager to say new things. :)

Kara generally speaks a little more clearly than Anna, but this is not one of her clearest phrases.

Anna LOVES saying this...over and over...at all volumes. This is also typical Anna at the beginning - her look of "I know you want me to do ___, but I'm not sure if I'm going to listen to you."

And for fun...an outtake. Kara sometimes had a hard time saying "Happy Mother's Day" and had to get herself going by saying "happy happy happy" and then being otherwise urged to continue. Anna found the pause hilarious.

PS - No pictures of me and the girls this year, like we did last year and I hope to do in years to come...we forgot before they went down for a nap and by then they were done with their pretty dresses. In addition, I have a bit of a black eye (still - hoping it goes away before our formal event Sat. night) that Anna gave me from a solid headbutt Saturday morning, and not sure I really want that documented.

Mom's Day

I hope that one day the girls appreciate their mother. Certainly right now they love her very much (Anna in particular is a mommy's girl), but we're a long way away from their understanding the commitment and selflessness that Kristan offers. I worry that by the time they can begin to grasp her devotion, they will be entering into the tween and teen years reputed to be difficult for the mom-daughter relationship. I like to think our girls won't go through that rebellion quite so deeply. We'll see. At any rate, they have been very sweet in recent weeks and I hope that continues.

Kristan is an amazing wife, wonderful mother and my best friend. I hope the girls appreciate her as much as I do. I hope I convey my appreciation fully. In honor of one in particular, Happy Mother's Day!

First Real Baseball Game

Trying to smile...this is a good picture of them these days. Our first game was a minor league one, documented here and here. Not really remotely the same. We went Monday night to our first Cardinals' game and had a great time. We were in the BJC box, so the girls mostly ran around the suite and we only watched the game outside for a little bit. It was a bad game for the Cardinals, so that was fine. We were proud of how well behaved the girls were around so many people. They got to eat a lot of treats too - popcorn being Kara's favorite and blueberries Anna's. Kara's favorite part of the experience was the "bird that danced with 2 girls." Anna initially said the arch, which we had a good view of from the box, until Kara reminded her of the bird that danced, which apparently was her favorite as well. :)

Is Little Mister Too Little?

Apparently I AM small for how far along I am. At my doctor's appointment Tuesday I measured too small...my belly should be 33 cm +/- 2 cm, and it was only 28-29. Last appointment it was too small by the same amount. I didn't get measured last pregnancy with the girls and it wouldn't be a good reference anyway, of course. So, I have no idea whether this should be cause for concern. However, it has gotten us at least thinking about how Little is doing.

In his favor: he kicks and moves all the time, I have gained in 33 weeks just 7 pounds less than I gained with 2 babies during the whole pregnancy (and I don't think all of that weight has gone to my legs and arms) and the girls were both normal sized babies, he was entirely healthy at both ultrasounds (and not too small), and my body holds onto babies fairly tightly so I wouldn't be surprised if he were late, giving him extra time to grow.

Really the only thing against him is my measurement and the doctor's resulting slight concern. So, we get to have another ultrasound in the next couple weeks just to make sure everything is okay.

It's a good reminder to pray for him more than we have been. And maybe he won't be the 10 pound baby I fear will cause me to have a c-section and be in the hospital away from the girls for 4 days instead of 2? They do not sleep well if I'm not there...and tiredness is one thing, but endless screaming is another.

Deserving of Its Own Post

Yes, sweeties, you are World Champions. Love you bushels!

Our Last Weekends

I'm almost 33 weeks pregnant...this means we have 7 weekends or so left until Little arrives (I hope for 8, but we'll see...). Andrew-mandated family fun time has been kicked into high gear and is now also Kristan-mandated. It helps that the girls are (finally!) at an age where they can understand and get excited for outings, enjoy them, and are doing really well during those outings. This past weekend we discovered a new favorite place (to say, anyway).

We went downtown for the American Heart Association Heart Walk, which Andrew's hospital sponsors (and his boss is on the Board of the St. Louis chapter). The girls got up too late for us to participate in the actual walk (we were out at a party the night before with friends from my dietetic internship...and 2 girls, a boy, and a baby...great, but not as fun as the dog that licked them), but we went down anyway and walked the tail end of it, which was around the Cardinals' stadium and on the field - a treat for Andrew especially.

They had some fun bounce things set up for kids. The girls were excited, until a lot of bigger kids got on at the same time as them and were really crazy...then we learned the phrases "no bouncing" and "too many people," popular repeats about the weekend.

The other day I was thinking I look pretty small for how far along I am...maybe not. Or maybe I was slouching a lot. Or maybe it's because I always look from the side. Or maybe it's just compared to last time. Probably a combination of all of those and the fact that I was not initially planning on wearing this shirt without something over it, but got too hot. :)

In case you didn't know...one of the features of downtown is:

Also downtown - the arch, which the girls love to say and see (I have no idea why) - that will likely be another weekend trip so we can go up to the top. The girls and I have fun making "movies" in the car. And while they will repeat any and everything at this point, I'm working on teaching them to say more 2 to 3+ word phrases and sentences.

On Saturday night Andrew and I went to a Diabetes Association event and the girls played with a friend from church, which they enjoyed. We had an okay time - sitting at a front table when there are numerous live auctions is not so great. Then Sunday after naps we went to the bookstore for the first time with the girls. They loved all the books and picked out a couple to take home. One with lifelike pictures and information about dinosaurs (an obsession since the Science Center - whenever I ask them what they want to talk about they say "dinosaurs." I have to tell and teach them so much about dinosaurs I seriously feel like we are in a dinosaurs unit at school - they really enjoy YouTube clips from the BBC Walking with Dinosaurs series, and I like them because it teaches me things to teach them!). One Little People lift the flap book with colors, numbers, shapes, etc. - a little more age-appropriate.

A First

Kara has an awesome black eye, as of a few minutes before we were leaving to go out Friday evening. Contrary to popular suggestion, Anna didn't do it. My mom asked if I did it. Nope! She ran into something in our room. She got over it pretty quickly and they both like that Kara's eye is purple (with some blue now, too...the colors have darkened a bit since we took these pictures Saturday).