uncanny

The picture on the left is Kate. Liz is on the right. The resemblence is uncanny; they could be twins. The picture of Kate was taken 9/20/2008. The picture of Liz was taken 1/20/2011.

weekly photo

week 21

Finally, a weekly photo that doesn't look like a mug shot!

random picture

I don't know why, but I love this picture of Liz. I hope you do too!

sisters

A sister is a gift to the heart,

a friend to the spirit,

a golden thread to the meaning of life.

~Isadora James

pharmacy

Kate spent some time with Grandma and Grandpa James recently. The three of them went to the grocery store. As they were approaching the store, Kate saw the word "pharmacy" on the store front and she said, "Are we going to Walgreens?"

This story floors me. Kate is reading, well almost. She is definitely showing pre-reading skills; she recognizes words and what they mean. She knows that Walgreens is a pharmacy. Oh my, what am I going to do when she really can read?

weekly photo

week 20

more about pickle

Pickle made it through her second week of daycare. I think it is safe to say she is an expert at bottle feeding. Our next hurdle is getting her to sleep. This last week she decided that little 20 minute cat-naps are all she requires. Grandma Terri and mommy beg to differ.

I believe that deep down inside, Pickle wants to be a model daycare attendee. It is just taking her some time to find her groove.

progress

Kate was not excited about giving up her sippy cup and straws. Then, mommy bought her a special big girl cup. The rule is that no straws can be used in her new cup. She does quite well, but not good enough to try it without a bib. We are making progress!

weekly photo

week 19

This is what usually happens when it is time for the wednesday night photo. I barely manage to get both girls to look at the camera. I take the picture and then...

... it all falls apart.

pickle

Well, Liz (a.k.a. Pickle) survived her first week at daycare, but just barely. She refused a bottle most of the week and napped sporadically. Grandma Terri had to recruit help in order to keep things going and look after the other kids.

In an effort to make week 2 better, we instituted bottle boot camp over the weekend. Pickle endured and successfully completed numerous training sessions with Daddy as coach. I am hopeful that today she remembers everything she learned.

four months

Liz went for her four month well baby check yesterday. Here are her stats:

Height: 24 1/2 inches; 50th percentile

Weight: 12lbs 5 oz; 25th percentile

Head: 14 1/4 inches; 50th percentile

For comparision, here are Kate's stats from her four month check on July 15, 2008:

Height: 24 inches; 45th percentile

Weight: 11lbs 5 oz; 10th percentile

Head: 16 inches; 48th percentile

weekly photo

week 18

one last celebration

Over the weekend, we attended our final Christmas gathering of the season. We all met at Grandma Carolyn's for the Rodaway Christmas.

All the kids except for Liz; she was sleeping.

More presents! Kate was very excited to see Dora wrapping paper.

Playing with Aunt Nora.

Working on a puzzle with Grandma Betty and Aunt Nora. Uncle Randy watches in the background.

resolutions

Happy 2011! Kate and Liz each made some resolutions to accomplish this year. They wanted to share their goals with you.

Kate resolves to:

- Learn to drink from a cup. No more sippy cups and no more straws!

- Stay dry all night. No more pull-ups!

Liz resolves to:

- Learn to sleep all night. No more 2:00am and/or 4:00am feedings!

Do you think they can do it?

Happy 2011

Happy 2011!

I can't believe another year is done. Liz is 4 months old today; Kate will be 3 years old a few short months from now. My babies are growing up too fast!

I go back to work on January 3rd. The blog will continue, but for a while posts might not be regular or frequent. Please check back often.

We hope you have a wonderful 2011 and we look forward to sharing our milestones with you.

Love, Crystal