Last night's dinner

From last night's dinner....Norah-Kate's first time in her high chair. She still can't really sit up by herself, but she's pretty snug in the chair (which helps prop her up). Norah has discovered cheerios. Lolo is just Lolo....dinner in her tutu. What can I say?

Back to reality

We're back in MN....missing Mexico desperately....actually, I'm missing the ocean, pool, and having help. MN is going through a heat wave. It was 98 degrees when we arrived on sunday night. Ick. Hotter here than in Cozumel.
So this morning, Lolo and I go out early (during Norah's first nap) to draw on the sidewalk. It's not even 9:30. The sun is beating down. It's scorching hot outside.
I say "Lolo, we need to go inside. Mama is hot and sweaty. It's just too hot out here."
Lolo looks at me with all seriousness and says "I not hot Mama. I cold."
I say "Lolo, I can see you sweating."
She says "I cold Mama. I need to go inside and warm up with some hot chocolate."
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Packing up

We're packing up to go back home tomorrow. Amazingly enough, it's warmer back home in Minnesota than it is in Mexico. I couldn't believe it when I checked the weather report (to see if it would be acceptable to have Lolo wear her Nemo dress on the plane ride home). And just think, a couple of weeks ago, Jim and I were debating about whether we should have left the heat on - in case we had a big freeze.
More videos and photos to come once we get home.
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Lolo is a SWIMMER!

You won't believe this is the same kid that went to Jamaica a few weeks ago. She's outstanding. I'm absolutely stunned by the progress Lolo has made in the past couple of weeks. Watch the video below to see what I mean.

Cannonball!

The girls were back out in the pool this afternoon. Lolo keeps making giant steps of progress in her swimming. Today, she wanted to touch the bottom of the pool with her feet again. I suggested that when she touched the bottom with her feet that she kick really hard to come up. She agreed, took a big breath, I let go, she touched the bottom, kicked like crazy to come up....and what do you know? SHE DID IT!! I wish we had an underwater video camera. Jim and I were tickled beyond belief. She's so close to treading water....those little legs just get to moving like mad underwater. She wanted to do it over and over again.
And the swimming...my goodness, that little girl can hold her breath and "swim" (with some assistance) underwater about halfway across the pool (maybe 6 feet) in one breath. She's soooo going to be the best in her swim class when we get home.
Later, Lolo wanted to make big splashes in the pool. Jim showed her how to ball up and SPLASH! Lolo does her first cannonball! Hooray for Lolo!

Pre-wired

Here's what I've determined about parenting since Norah has arrived....genetics play an unbelieveable role in the way a kid turns out....Norah and Lolo have been different kids the moment they were conceived in the womb. They were both pre-wired for certain tendencies before they were even born. For instance, in the womb, Lolo and Jim would punch at each other - back and forth - like it was a big game. Norah would move to the other side of the womb and try her best to ignore him. In eating, the girls are just as different...Lolo was (and still is) a relatively clean baby....a couple of swipes across the face with a washcloth and we were done with clean up at the end of a meal. Norah, however, requires a complete bath at the end of the meal (and so does whoever happens to be feeding her). Norah needs to be in control of the spoon (Lolo, in contrast, just wanted you to get the food in her mouth). Norah essentially takes a minimum of three baths a day now (excluding dips in the pool). Also, Norah is definitely going to crawl soon. She's been creeping by pushing herself forward with her toes but in the past couple of days she has started getting up on her hands and knees and rocking back and forth.

Jellyfish encounter

Tough day in the ocean. Lolo and I went looking for Nemo and Dory this morning...(Lolo went underwater and touched the sand with her feet - hooray!). While we were out in the water, Lolo got stung by a jellyfish. You wouldn't believe all the crying (both Lolo and Mom). I couldn't believe she got stung through her swim shirt. On top of that, we didn't have any vinegar on hand (usually, Jim and I get stung and just shrug it off...it hurts, but you get over it...if you're not 2). Live and learn. From now on, when at the beach, we'll keep a little bottle of vinegar with us. We'll try to get her back in tomorrow, but it may take some hardcore convincing.

Day in review

Jim's off doing a night dive tonight. He's getting his advanced open water certification. The girls and I hung out at the house today. It must have been "dive in front of our house day" because this morning when the girls and I went out to look for dolphins and feed the fish, there were about 15 boats within fairly close proximity to the house. Later we found out that even Jim went diving in front of our house (pretty ridiculous considering he had to take a taxi to get to class and then they come over to our house on the boat).
Well, no dolphins today. But sitting on the deck by the ocean, we did find that Lolo, sargent majors, and wrasses like Chips Ahoy quite a bit. I was throwing crumbled up cookies into the water, when I looked over at Lolo who had a mouth full of cookie....I said, "Lolo, those are for the fish!" Lolo opened her eyes wide and said,"No, we both share."
Lolo and I also went into the ocean to look for Nemo. I'm really amazed that a 2 and a half year old can wear a mask, stick her face in the water, and use a snorkel (ok, she doesn't really know that she's breathing through the snorkel....we use it to call for Nemo underwater....but basically, she's breathing through it).
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Lazy day

Carolyn and I went shopping on saturday. She bought a couple of dresses for the girls. (See photos). The nemo dress for Lolo was perfect. When Carolyn gave Lolo the dress, she was tickled pink. Later, Lolo told me that Carolyn told her that "she could take the dress home." She has worn the dress two days in a row now. I'm wondering if she is going to want to wear the dress all week. I may be washing that dress a lot.
After Jim swam with the dolphin, it rained and rained. We had a lazy day inside with the girls. Jim and Lolo built a tent inside and played....even Norah joined in the fun and laid in the tent. Later in the afternoon, after the rain stopped, we went down to the deck to look for Nemo and feed the fish (Ritz crackers). Jim and Lolo were up on the deck feeding the fish. I went down to swim with the fish. When I came back up we realized that there was only1 cracker left in the whole package (that was supposed to last all week), Lolo had told her dad "mmmm, these crackers are so yummy." but he didn't realize she had been eating them the whole time.

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Daddy Jim blogging this morning. Please excuse the long post...

This morning Nick went out to the dock to watch the sea for the last time before heading home. He came back to the house and excitedly announced that he had been watching dolphins swim for the last ten minutes. We all walked out to the dock to see...dolphin(s) were surfacing occasionally then diving back down to feed about 300 yards north of us. I (Jim) ran as fast as I could to get my snorkel equipment, then plopped in the water and motored out there as fast as I could. Exhausted, I looked down at about 30 feet of water and there she was. A beautiful blue grey bottlenose dolphin looking up at me. She swam down and looked under a coral ledge for food, then circled below me to check me out. She turned upside down, swam around in another circle and then assumed a vertical orientation near the surface 5-10 feet in front of me. She was squalk talkin to me! She gracefully swam around a little more and popped out of the water for some air and then back down. She squealed a little more. I thought I'd give it a try and squealed back...it must have been insulting because my beautiful friend turned tail and swam off into the deep blue. I turned away and headed back to the dock with a smile. WOW.

Big day at the pool

Another great day in Mexico. Norah watched Lolo with a great deal of interest as Lolo shows off her "skills" in the pool. Today, she was going underwater and touching the pool light. Note the big bubbles she blows when under. Then, she caps off the day by going underwater and touching the bottom of the pool (with her feet)...not once, but twice! Lolo also spent time in the ocean with her snorkel and mask - "looking for Nemo". A big day for a two year old!
Videos below:

Exhausted!

I can hardly believe it. EVERYONE is sleeping (with the exception of me). The house is quiet. Both girls went down hard. Too much fun in the pool. Lolo is getting extremely good at "swimming" underwater. Jim holds her and pulls her through the water while she kicks underwater. It's a huge step from where she was just a week ago. I'll try to get a video in the next few days. Norah is loving the pool. She splashes and grins and giggles until she's just worn out. Oops. Norah's up. I knew this wouldn't last long.
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Going for a ride

The girls that work here at the house found a walker for Norah. It's a little big...Norah's feet are a couple of inches off the ground. However, as you can see, it hasn't stopped us from using it. Lolo has enjoyed pushing Norah around in it....almost as much as Norah loves being pushed around in it. They are quite the pair! Video below.
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Our Big Fish

Lolo is gaining more and more confidence every day in the pool. I'm really really glad there's not a step for her to sit on all day.
Video below:

Blue sky day

Thanks to Uncle Nick and Aunt Carolyn, who graciously agreed to take on the challenge of our two little monkeys this morning, Jim and I were able to do a couple of dives this morning....hooray for me, I did my first back flip off the side of the boat this morning....rather, I got pushed into the water (since I guess I was taking too much time pondering...not everything is slow in Mexico).
Upon coming back to the villa, we found Norah napping nicely and Lolo fresh, half-nakey, and very happy. We all got into the pool this afternoon after lunch. Norah is so cute in the water. She just smiles and giggles.
Lolo was hanging off of the side of the pool float that Jim was sitting in. She crawls up into his lap, looks up at Jim and says "Go ahead and give me full credit, Dad." You can tell both girls are going to be water kids.
Norah is now napping - exhausted from swimming. I'm about to head downstairs to be the "bad guy" and get Lolo for a little LMNOP.

Certified Dive-Mama

Well, it's official. Nick, Carolyn, and I somehow managed to pass our dive class. We're all now officially certified. Jim just spent the past three days with the girls on his own. Woo hoo! Norah and Daddy had quite a bit of bonding time....perhaps more than either of them bargained for. In any event, we're all alive and well. More diving tomorrow :-)
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Oh me!

Yesterday Lolo and I were in the pool, she was kicking really hard and I said "Oh my!" Lolo looks at me with a wicked grin and says "Gramma Peg says 'Oh me!' " Then she cracks up laughing.

Norah's 6 month checkup

I forgot to post Norah's stats from her 6 month checkup. Norah's slightly over 15 lbs. She's running slightly small for her age....but since she's a "mini-me" I guess that's to be expected. I can't remember the other stats. Basically the story is that Norah is our "petite scrapper" and Lolo is our "perfect bruiser". Norah takes after me and Lolo is just like her dad. Funny how that has worked out.
As soon as both girls go down for the night, we're headed up to the rooftop hot tub. Yeah, I know....we lead a tough life.
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Hola!

Another absolutely wonderful day in the sunshine. The snorkeling here has been quite good - considering we don't go out too far because of all the boat traffic that goes right in front of our house. We've seen all sorts of interesting fish. I can't wait to learn how to dive this week...I hope that I'll be able to pass the class.
Miraculously, both girls are down for their afternoon "LMNOP" at the same time. As you can tell, we've spent some time by the pool today. The big advantage about this pool is that there is not a concrete step for Lolo to park herself on for hours at a time. The entry/exit to the pool is via a ladder (if you want a step down).


Lolo has had to adjust in a very positive way. She started out the day by hanging out right on the ladder. Then, she started getting braver. By midmorning, she was hanging onto the side of the pool. (See photo of Lolo and Carolyn). It's so cute to see her scooting along the wall with her arms and tummy against the side of the pool....quite an accomplishment for a two year old! This morning, I said to Lolo..."Lolo, would you like to put on your vest and get in the pool?" She looked at me with this "are you crazy look" and said "No Mama, I not getting in boat!" Needless-to-say, we're going to be keeping an eagle eye on her these next two weeks. I'm hoping she'll be more comfortable in the pool by the end of these two weeks and will really be a star at her next swim lesson.
Norah, also, has been spending extended time (for her) in the pool. We got her a fancy-schmancy new mini-swim diaper and rashguard/sunshirt (Lolo has a new sunsuit as well). Norah is remarkably bouyant and she seems to really enjoy the water.....another BIG positive point - she takes a really good nap after a good swim.
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Warming up quickly

Greetings from sunny and warm Cozumel. The girls are both down. (Well, Norah is out cold. Lolo is still in her room singing up a storm). Our good friends, Nick and Carolyn, (Lolo's godparents) are joining us for some time in the sun. Lolo's got a room of her own with a "big big big girl's bed." She's tickled pink. I'm worried worried worried. I've got pillows all around the bed (and a rail on one side) but I'm still paranoid. If she doesn't go down completely, I'm going to have Jim help me move the bed over towards the wall. Actually, since she's still singing....I think I'm going to go do that myself.
Later.
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Ready for the beach

The high today is supposed to be 43. Did I mention that I'm ready for some warm and sunny weather? It's rainy and cold today. The girls and I have errands galore to run. And Norah has her 6 month check up this afternoon. Major bummer. I really dislike running errands in the rain with 2 little ones. (Unlike me, Lolo really LOVES running errands in the rain. She gets to wear her rain boots, rain jacket, and splash in puddles.)
However, before we embark on our daily adventure, I've got a rare moment of peace. Norah just went down for her morning nap. Lolo is sleeping late this morning. She's her daddy's girl in every single way. It's scary how alike those two are! I don't have the heart to wake her....looks like we're going to miss tumbling class.
The photo is from our Jamaica trip. Lolo looks quite a bit older than a 2 year old...don't you think?

Next week in Cozumel

As a reminder, we're headed to Cozumel early early early saturday morning for a couple of weeks in the sun. The house has internet so if you want to reach us, email us at my new gmail account. I'll try to do some blogging while there as well....but don't count on it. Better yet...if anyone is interested in joining us, there is room in the house. So c'mon! The more the merrier.
I told Jim last night that despite all of the preparation that goes along with getting ready for a two week trip with our midgets (not even mentioning the amount of work that goes along with coming back), I'm really looking forward to getting back to some place warm. I'm tired of being cold. It's MAY and our high today is in the low 50s. I bundled both girls up in their warm fleece jackets this afternoon to run errands. Did I mention that it's MAY?!?! Ridiculous.

On a more upbeat note

Norah-Kate is 6 months today! And to celebrate, last night she slept from about 9:45 until almost 5am this morning. Woo hoo! I was so stunned when I woke up to feed her and change her that I couldn't fall back to sleep this morning. On top of that, Lolo slept until close to 9am this morning. I think both girls were just exhausted from such a busy week. We've just had a lot to do in preparation for our trip on saturday (and perhaps I might have overscheduled our activities).

In other news...Lolo's best friend, David, came over this morning to play. They were so cute together. I've got a renewed sense of appreciation for good kids with good parents. It's just such a joy to see them play together. Amazingly enough, David and Lolo interact when they have play dates. It's not just parallel play. Look how cute they are sharing a chair and reading together!

Some time to think...

Well, I've had a chance to cool off a bit from yesterday's incident at the pool. We're using it as a teaching tool for further bullies down the line. So for instance we're going to incorporate it into our bedtime story....every night after we read a few books (and before we sing), we tell Lolo a story....it always goes something like this...."Once upon a time there was a little girl named Nancy who had a dog named Elvis. And they were the best friends EVER......" The story usually ends with everyone eating grapes and Elvis getting dogfood and being happy. I don't know why these simple stories are such a hit with her but she seems to really look forward to them.

Tough day at swim class

Lolo had a tough day at today's swim class. She was being pushed around by a 4 year old girl named Sophie. Sophie was just plain mean to our girl....pushing her, not wanting to sit next to her on the step....I couldn't believe she was picking on our Lolo. AND Sophie's mom was just sitting right there! That burned my butt. If Lolo had been doing that I would have pulled her out of the pool for a time out and talk.
Poor Lolo got her feelings hurt and didn't want to swim. She just said "I feel bad." We're going to have talks about this for a while. I'm just amazed that (a) our 2 1/2 year old got bullied and (b) the 4 year old's mom ...who was sitting right there watching....didn't do anything about it. Ick.
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Baby showers

Tonight we were talking to Vicki on the phone. Vicki mentioned that she was going to a baby shower. Lolo overheard and stored that nugget of information in her brain. Tonight before bedtime, Lolo announced that she was not going to take a bath or a big girl shower. She wanted a baby shower.
As an FYI - from now on....a "baby shower" in our house means sitting under the faucet of the bathtub.
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Week in Review

We're back to our regular schedule now. Lolo is back in swim lessons. She started tumbling class on friday. Norah comes along for the ride. Both girls are back on their regular nap schedules -except Norah has been eating like crazy lately. Her little fat rolls are really filling out - just like a baby should!
Today was gorgeous (if a little on the chilly side). We went out for a nice walk and then drew chalk pictures on the sidewalk. We could use a good rain to get some more canvas space. We're about to run out of space in front of our house.
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Another Jamaica pic

Lolo and Israel in her "outside bedroom."
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Addendum to Lolo's spelling

It occurred to me as I was talking to Vicki this afternoon that not everyone knows why Lolo spells N.O.P. It's lyrics from a song...."L.M.N.O.P.Q.R.S...."
Speaking of songs, during dinner last night, Lolo reaches over and grabs my napkin. I say "Hey, what do you think you are doing?"She starts singing with a big grin "It's always more fun to share with everyone." (The song is from the Curious George soundtrack.) I don't know if you can tell, but we sing A LOT at our house. Norah Katie enjoys getting into the act as well. She likes to dance with me as we sing...it always makes her giggle with glee (although I'm not sure if it's my singing or dancing that cracks her up so much.)
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Lolo spells

NK was crying this afternoon. Lolo looks at me with all seriousness and says "Mama, Norah-Katie needs an N.O.P."
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Norah Katie on solid foods

Norah has started solid foods with gusto. If Jim were here to hold her during a meal, I'd get a picture. Hopefully, he'll have some time next week. Lolo has been very enthusiastically showing Norah how to eat rice cereal and oatmeal (I end up making about 3 times as much just so I can ensure that Norah gets some of it to eat)....but Lolo draws the line at showing Norah how to eat"squished up peas" and "squished up sweet potatoes." However, Norah has been enthusiastic about all of it. She actually finished a whole jar of sweet potatoes for lunch today (granted alot got all over us...so technically, maybe she didn't actually consume the entire jar).
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Norah Katie's first dip in the pool

More Jamaica Pics

A few more photos from the last day of our trip. Let's just say, this is the about the only day we looked presentable....ie the girls have clothes on. The picture of Norah and her great-grandmother is more representative of how the girls looked during the week.


Photos courtesy of Vicki and Israel

A taste of Jamaica

I just realized that I took just a handful of photos with my camera in Jamaica. It appears that I was relying on Vicki and PoPo...and they have some really nice shots....fyi, PoPo and Vic, send me some pics please!
What I can provide is a basic travelogue....essentially, Lolo kept us in stitches the whole trip. It occurred to me during this trp, what is "normal" for us doesn't necessarily happen at everyone else's house. I dare say that everyone's prayers at mealtimes has been altered with the addition of Lolo's "amen, hallelujah, praise the Lord!" at the end of grace. It's amazing to see the changes in Lolo. Last year, at our family beach trip, Lolo was not nearly as talkative. This year, her mouth ran constantly....with comments such as "PoPo you look silly." Lolo discovered Jamaican music and loved to dance dance dance....in hindsight, I wish I had gotten a video.
This trip was rather laid back. We basically stayed at the house. There was a trip to Dunn's River Falls. (I'll have to scan and upload the photo later). But basically, it was snorkel, kayak, eat, drink, and time in the pool (on Lolo's step and her "outside bedroom"). Oh, and hard-core games of Uno....Lolo is going to be a cardshark one day. You should see her poker face.
Norah-Katie discovered the pool. And we realized her most favorite thing in the world was being dipped in the pool and basically being nake-y all day long....oh, that and sitting in a swing outside (half nake-y). NK is developing like crazy. She's so mobile. I half expect her to have pulled herself up and to be standing up in her crib after a nap in the very near future. That's all for now. More posts later.
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Fashion emergency

This morning I was rushing to get a shower, get the girls up, and feed them breakfast....didn't exactly stop to fix my hair. While we were sitting down for breakfast, Lolo looks up at me and sweetly says "Mama, your hair looks silly sticking way high in the air." Gee thanks. I figured I had until the girls reached elementary school before they'd start to comment on my lack of style.
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Back in Minnesota

Got back late late late last night (technically early this morning). Incredibly, Lolo and Norah still got up early this morning. I'm hoping they will both go down early tonight.
We came back home to a minor disaster area. We had painters here while we were gone and it's still a mess with final touch-ups remaining. Our screened porch also got worked on while we were gone (although it appears we had tons of rain while we were gone so progess was pretty slow going) - they're still working on it and need to wait on a few dry days.
I'm dreading the work of getting things back in order....there's a lot to do before our next adventure (leaving for a couple of weeks in Mexico). Long story short. It may be a while before I get photos uploaded. I've got to find the camera and I'd like to get the house back in shape first.
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