Beebop-a-Lula

It’s a rare treat around here for the girls to actually have lollipops. Not for any other reason except that I never think to buy any. But last week we had a couple kicking around and I wanted to see how Rosie would do with one. Lulu typically never finishes her lollipop and I find it stuck to a pillow but she didn’t waste hers this time around.

Rosie did about as I expected. She was a sticky mess with fuzz and cat fur all over her hands, the stick, some of the candy and her face. But she was having a blast. I didn’t care as long as she didn’t jam the thing down her throat or in her eye. She didn’t do either but she was such a mess that I had to sneak it away from her after a certain point because the stick was all bent and destroyed. This kid’s not known for her gentle touch.

The Sickness appears to be tapering off finally. Lulu was really bamboozled by it this time. She has been recuperating all week long, very tired. Yesterday she asked for her pajamas at 3:30 in the afternoon. And then there’s all the snot. She’s been blowing huge amounts of it out of her face. If there was a good use for baby snot, I could supply it in droves…

not happy.

Rosie’s nose is just as snotty, but she’s taking everything in stride. I noticed that she’s got two more teeth coming in (her fangs!) so that could be the culprit. She’s been sleeping her little head off all week long. Except last night. Last night was a battle. Could be her teeth bothering her. I noticed she was digging at her ear (hope it’s not an ear infection). Around one in the morning when the Tylenol finally kicked in, I was falling asleep and she was having a grand time chatting with herself.

In between all the snot and sickness, we’ve been doing our usual things. Lots of coloring, playing with stickers, dolls, building castles and dressing up. I got Lulu some new butterfly wings, a purple tutu, crown and wand. She loves them! She walks around saying she’s a “pretty fairy” and has a “magic star”. She is turning into such a little girl.

I attempted to sit with Rosie so she could color with crayons, too. She scribbled a few times, tried to eat one and then just started to throw them around. I have a feeling she’s not going to be the type to sit quietly and learn things like her sister. She’s an action packed kind of girl, happiest when being hung upside down by her ankles.

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve been taking the girls to music classes since the beginning of the year. I signed us up after Christmas because I figured they like music and it would get us out of the house at least one day a week in the middle of the winter.

Well, the first couple of weeks were a complete nightmare. Luckily the toy store the classes are held at are literally steps from our front door so schlepping them both there wasn’t too difficult. But Lulu was less than thrilled with being there. The first couple of weeks she just clung to me with a big sourpuss on her face and would use any excuse to go home (hungry, tired, poopie-pants…). And she would try to escape the class any chance that she got.

But last week (5th week in) there was a definitely change in her attitude. Every now and then she’d have a scowl on her face, but this time she was actually smiling, talking in class and dancing around without clinging to my leg. And yesterday in class she was singing along with the songs. Rose always had a great time in class. She’s not afraid to venture around the room, go up close to the teacher, grab instruments, bounce with the music and clap in the appropriate places.

I think it was a good experiment signing them up for the class, but I honestly don’t think I’d do it again. It’s pretty expensive and for what we actually do, not worth it. It’s getting us through this horrendous winter, but next year Lulu will be in preschool and the days that she isn’t, both girls will be older and we can actually find things to do outside of the house.

I’m beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel now that February is almost over. Until spring gets here, Lulu will continue to care for her quadruplets, hug the kitty, scream in his face and then yell “come back here, kitty!” when he runs away. I will continue to try to get Rosie walking (she still refuses sometimes, but is getting more receptive to the idea) and try to keep her hands out of the cat’s water dish…C’mon Spring!

As one can plainly see in this video, it’s obvious who the more aggressive sibling is. While it’s all cute and good-natured right now, this is good foreshadowing of the future in our household. This does not bode well for Lucille. I don’t want to say that she’s a push over, but she lets a lot of stuff roll off her back. Rosie will surely use this to her advantage at some point.

But it’s still cute to see them rolling around on the floor. Perhaps there is some MMA or wrestling in her future?

(Video may take a moment to load because I am too lazy to compress it further. If you cannot view it you will need the QuickTime video player)

So after a one week reprieve both of the girls are sick again. Rosie barely got a break in between colds. She felt better for a day or two and then developed a really harsh, juicy cough along with a runny nose. She’s been weathering this cold a little better than the last one. I can’t say the same for Lucille.

Friday morning around 3:30am she woke herself (and me) up with a coughing fit that made her cry. I brought her downstairs and after a few hours of Blues Clues she finally fell asleep, as did I. She seemed ok all day on Friday, other than the horrible coughing. Rose was the same: coughing and runny nose (complete with nose bubbles) but in good spirits.

Friday night was a horrible night of sleeping for me. Both girls were producing a symphony of coughing all night long. I got up for a few hours and hung out alone in the middle of the night, going back to bed around 6:30 in the morning.

We went about our usual Saturday business. Coffee shop for breakfast. Lulu went swimming. Rosie went in to her crib for a nap that didn’t happen while I got ready for an overdue visit to my parent’s house. As the day went on both girls got progressively cranky. Rose barely napped and Lulu was tired from a busy day. Both girls slept on the car ride home but when we got in all hell broke loose. Lots of crying. Overtired and feeling really icky. Early bedtime.

Date night with Forrest canceled. Instead of a nice dinner out we ended up with chinese take-out and the Lemmy documentary. I just knew that I would never enjoy my dinner knowing they were here sick, even though they slept just fine.

Until about 1:30 am.

Lulu. Coughing fit and crying. Bit of a fever. More Blues Clues. She made me jump through a few hoops (change diaper, juice, blankie, no blankie. Hungry. Cheerios. Make toast. Nooooo. Blankie. Juice. Baby Vicks. Blues Clues. Up. Down. Pillow. No pillow. Sit with mumma.)

She finally settled in for a while and fell peacefully asleep on me. Until I tried to whisk her off to bed. I shut the light off and I hear “Turn on the liiiiiight…” Doesn’t want to go to bed. She’s now snoring on the couch. And I’m in my usual spot on the other couch. At 3:30 am with my laptop and the kitty over my shoulder.

This pretty much sums up Lulu’s personality. Isn’t she cuuuuuuute?

(Video may take a moment to load because I am too lazy to compress it further. If you cannot view it you will need the QuickTime video player)

This morning Forrest and I toured the preschool at the sprawling, brand new, state of the art Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA in Marblehead. They were one of the few schools to get back to us promptly and from word of mouth we’d heard very good things about the place.

Walking through the various classrooms we saw all the things you hope to see in such places: clean rooms, happy (yet very busy) kids and controlled chaos. We learned about the curriculum and all the activities available and we just knew that this was the place that we wanted to send Lulu. As soon as we got home I filled out the registration form to enroll her in two half days beginning in the fall.

My lil lady's growing up so fast

Sure, it’s not as convenient as some of the preschools in Salem, i.e. not in walking distance, but we want what’s best for her (and eventually Rose) and we really liked what we saw. I’m sure next winter I will probably be cursing that decision when the weather is bad, but I wouldn’t be me if I weren’t disgruntled for some reason or another.

I also look forward to taking advantage of that YMCA for myself as well. I can already picture the days that Lulu goes to school: we’ll drop her off to class, I’ll drop Rosie off at the baby sitting room while I go get a work-out in at the gym and then she and I will spend some quality time together before picking Lulu back up from school. Maybe I’m romanticizing things a little, but after this horrible winter I can’t help but to look forward to a new routine for next year.

I don’t even know where to start when it comes to all the changes that Rosie has been going through lately. She is starting to look different, slimming out and getting taller. Her face has changed with the addition of all the teeth in her mouth. Her hair is getting a little longer. And she has those big, beautiful brown eyes and long lashes. She gets prettier by the day.

She isn’t quite walking yet but we’ve been trying to encourage some walking drills with her daily. She’s just so damned fast crawling that she prefers that mode of travel. Occasionally we’ll catch her standing up without holding on to anything and even take a step on her own.

Her personality is starting to come out. She’s kind of a silly, little goof ball, but she has a fiery temper (wonder where she gets that from…?). She is a far more adventurous eater than her sister is. Funny enough, Rose typically doesn’t like any of the food that her sister is willing to eat, but she will test and eat any food that we are eating. During the football game the other night she shared in some chicken wings and drummies with us!

What I find really hilarious about Rose is that she really likes to mimic people. She always has. When we’d make a noise she would make the same noise back. Lately we go through vicious circles of saying “Hi!” The longer the cycle, the funnier she thinks it is.

uh-oh!

nose!

Other words she’s saying lately: no, no, no…, hi, mumma, da-da, nose, eyes, uh-oh.

And lastly, big game lately is peek-a-boo. She plays it All. The. Time. In her crib she’ll put her blanket over her head and plays peek-a-boo.

where's Rosie?

there she is!

She’ll randomly put her hands over her eyes and plays peek-a-boo. Sometimes she even pulls her shirt over her head and plays peek-a-boo. And she’s so very proud of herself every time. Nothing makes her happier than playing peek-a-boo!

Rosebud in the tub!