Making Progress

We're not sure if she's teasing us again, but Ari seems to be making a lot of progress on the walking front this evening. Mommy pulled out the video camera when she realized how long it had been since we captured the kids on tape and all of a sudden, Ari was a performer. She couldn't stop walking- -what a show off! Just goes to prove that she CAN walk, she just chooses not to because she knows after a while, Mommy will just pick her up and take her where she wants to go. We'll try to get the video of her walking up on the blog shortly.

Today we got settled back into our normal weekday routine, starting off with a visit to our own tot lot. Later in the morning, we headed out to our city's weekly kids concert series only to discover when we got there that it was postponed due to a scheduling snafu (the performer thought she was supposed to show up next week, not this week!) We made the best of the situation by having a picnic on the lawn:

It was a good thing we stuck around because we ended up running into some other twin friends, as well as another friend who is a mommy of 2 1/2 year-old twins and a new baby. Mommy was encouraged to see her out and about with her twins in a double stroller and the baby in a Baby Bjorn- she was having visions of her own life in just a few months! So even though there was no show this week, we ended up having a nice morning catching up with our friends.

After lunch, we decided to try out the pool that Daddy worked so hard to inflate yesterday. Alex and Ari loved the pool, and especially the neat sprinkler feature (water sprays out of the alligator's snout). Mommy couldn't get them out of the pool!

Sixteen Months

Happy sixteen month birthday to Alex and Ari! It seems like we just celebrated their fifteen month birthday...how do the months seem to fly by faster and faster?

We're home from Orlando and happy to report that the return flight was MUCH better than our outgoing flight. We learned our lesson the first time and gate checked the carseats this time, so Alex and Ari each had their own seat with more room to spread out. They played happily for the first few hours- our flight was delayed due to storms in Orlando so we sat on the plane for an extra hour!- and then Alex fell asleep in Mommy's arms while Ari played with Daddy one row back. No luggage was lost and we all arrived home happy and unfrazzled.

This morning Aunt Lori came by to visit after she tried to go to an event that was advertised as being scheduled for "Sunday, July 28." She didn't catch the error at first glance- i.e., Sunday was July 29 (today) and July 28 was YESTERDAY...so she showed up at 9:00 a.m. only to find out the event had taken place yesterday. Because it was just around the corner from us, she made the best of a wasted trip to come by and spend some extra time with Alex and Ari before they went down for their morning nap.


The rest of the day we spent preparing to host our monthly "neighborhood gang" BBQ. Mommy has a monthly "Girls Night Out" with six other mommies in the neighborhood, and once a month we also get all of the families together for a BBQ. We were hoping for nice weather so that we could take advantage of our new, inflatable pool, so Daddy spent a good half hour pumping the pool full of air while Ari enjoyed hanging out in the center of the action:
Unfortunately, right before everyone arrived the skies got dark and thunder boomed, so we ended up having the party inside. Six boys ranging in age from 16 months to 3 years old made for some lively times. Here is what six boys can do to a playroom in about ten seconds flat:
Ari was a bit outnumbered (the only other little girl in the house was 4-month old Lauren, who isn't quite mobile yet) and started the evening afraid to even get out of Mommy's arms and down on the floor (who can blame her with all those rowdy boys?!) We think in about 13 years she'll have a different take on being one of the only girls in her group of friends in the neighborhood. Eventually she warmed up to the idea, though, and joined in on the fun:

So what are Alex and Ari doing at sixteen months old?



Alex is continuing to develop his language and motor skills. He is now saying "more" in addition to signing the word. He says "night, night" while resting his head on a pillow, the floor, or the couch. He also tries to repeat a lot of words he hears, and mimics gestures in his favorite books (Hey, Wake Up and The Zoo Book in particular). He is a wonderful listener and loves to help out by getting things for Mommy and bringing them to her. He loves to climb- unfortunately that also means climbing on things he's not allowed to climb onto, like the coffee table, kitchen chairs, etc. He is eating a few veggies lately- namely, peas and corn, and has impeccable fine motor skills that enable him to pick up one pea or one kernel of corn at a time. He is very polite and always signs (and tries to say) the word "please." This makes it very hard for Mommy to resist his requests for things like cookies and juice (who could turn down such a sweet face and polite request?!) Alex also gives big, sloppy kisses and warm hugs. But don't for a second think he isn't a typical boy, running around like a Tasmanian devil about 99% of the time he spends awake.


Ari is still working on her walking skills. She knows HOW, she's just too stubborn (and probably spoiled by Mommy) to do it on her own and insists on being picked up instead. She has gotten very good at stacking blocks and putting nesting cups together over the past month and will build a tower or put the cups back together with ease. She loves her brother and as soon as he's out of her sight, she yells "Ayex, Ayex" (she can't quite say the "l" yet) until he returns into the room. She loves the Baby Babble DVD (an excellent program designed by pediatric speech pathologists) and will repeat the words and sounds she hears as she sits rapt throughout the entire 45-minute DVD. She can smell a cookie a mile away and still only eats one vegetable: edamame.

Here's one last shot of the birthday girl and boy laughing uncontrollably while playing with bubbles:

Daddy's Back!

Daddy's conference ended today so after a morning visit to Merrill Park with Aunt Candy, and after a nap and lunch, we headed out to pick him up from his fancy-schmancy resort. Alex and Ari were very excited to have their Daddy back all to themselves (yesterday when we dropped him off after dinner, they were VERY upset to see him leave the car!)

Since we are leaving tomorrow morning, we spent the evening relaxing with Aunt Candy and Uncle Jerry and treated the kids to another dip in the pool.

Family time in the pool

Uncle Jerry reads to Alex
Uncle Jerry and Alex watch ducks in the lake
With Aunt Candy

This trip was really unforgettable and we are all very sad to leave tomorrow. We're already planning our return trip when the kids are a little older and ready for a visit to all of the theme parks!

What's Orlando Without a Little Mouse?

GG had to head home to Delray Beach early this afternoon, so we spent the morning hanging out with her, getting in some quality time before it was time for her to leave. We were sad to have to end our visit with her, but happy that she got to spend several days catching up with Alex and Ari and hope that she'll be able to come up to visit us at some point.

We were debating what to do in the afternoon- the weather looked a little iffy (and was very, very hot and humid) so we thought of going to an indoor science center, but it closed on the early side so we ended up deciding to get a taste of the "true" Orlando experience and go to Downtown Disney. On our way, we called Daddy for a weather report (since he was staying closer to the Disney area) and found out that he was done with work for the day and available to join us for our outing.

We had decided earlier in the week to skip the big Orlando parks this visit because of several factors: namely the hot, humid weather and the fact that Alex and Ari are a little young to appreciate the experience. We'll save that adventure for a future visit a few years down the road. However, Downtown Disney was a perfect "taste" of Disney without the whole Disney experience (or cost). The kids loved the Disney stores and there was even a carousel...Ari threw quite the fit when the ride was over and it was time to get off! But she was quickly distracted when we went into Goofy's Candy Shop. As soon as we walked in, she lit up and pointed to all of the "cookies!!!" She's definitely her Mommy's daughter.

Ari meets the Disney character dolls

Ari tries on a Princess sash in the Cinderella area

On the carousel (it was hard for Aunt Candy to get a good picture)

Uncle Jerry, who was on his way home from South Florida, was passing by Disney just in time to stop and meet us for dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. The wait to get into the main restaurant was hours long, but a nice hostess suggested we sit in the bar area (air conditioned and non-smoking) which was almost as good as sitting in the main restaurant. Alex and Ari were mesmerized by the fish in the aquariums, the special effects, and the decor. They ate pasta, garlic bread and french fries (with katsup!) for dinner and for dessert we headed back over to the candy store for some special treats.

Ari browses the Kids' Menu

A family shot at dinner

A nice picture of Daddy and Ari

Daddy and Ari in the fun house mirror at the candy store

Alex and Mommy in the fun house mirror at the candy store

We were all on a sugar high by the time we got home (after dropping Daddy off at his hotel) and certainly glad we chose to go to Downtown Disney instead of the science center.

Exciting Day

Today was a very exciting, action-packed day filled with new experiences.

We started off this morning attending a class at My Gym, a first for Alex and Ari. Mommy has been planning to sign them up for a gym class near us this coming fall, as she was waiting for Ari to get steady on her feet. While Ari is still not quite sure about the whole walking thing, Mommy thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of having an extra set of hands (Aunt Candy) for a trial run. The moment we walked into the gym, Alex and Ari's eyes lit up and they were in toddler heaven. The class consisted of just four or five other toddlers (all in the same age range as Alex and Ari) and a structured circle time (which, by some miracle Alex sat still for the entire time), free play and special activities like a zip line, swings, and a pretend "jungle" experience:

Aunt Candy helps Alex try out the roller coaster

Ari loved the ball pit- we couldn't get her to come out!
Ari rides the zip line "airplane" Mommy with her two kiddos (you can tell they want to escape to play some more)
Alex enjoys bubble time
Alex finds a trampoline just his size

Ari rolls the ball to the instructor
Alex climbed to the top of this ladder while our backs were turned for two seconds!

This afternoon, we took advantage of a break from the typical afternoon storms to take a dip in Aunt Candy and Uncle Jerry's pool. The kids must have liked the extra-warm temperature of the water (it felt like a warm bath!) because once they were in, we couldn't get them out. Aunt Candy bought special floats for the kids to use, and although Ari was tentative at first, once she got used to it she became a true lady of leisure, lounging the day away in the pool:

Alex is ready for the pool (he's even wearing his hat!)

"Ahhhh...this is the life"

Mommy with her two fish

Alex says "I want to give you a kiss, Ari!"

Alex has fun swimming with Aunt Candy

Later in the afternoon, Cousin Jordan brought his girlfriend Brittany (who just got back into town) over to meet his cousins. Ari and Alex had a ball playing with the "big kids." In fact, Ari was particularly smitten with her cousin all week...for a typically shy girl, she took to him very quickly.

Alex and Ari haven't just been having new adventures here in Orlando; they've also been trying lots of new foods, giving Mommy some new ideas for meals when we get back home. One thing we've discovered they love in particular is rotisserie chicken from Costco. They've also had tuna fish salad, Costco cookies (who wouldn't love those?), salmon, Clementine oranges, cheese crackers, and a host of other different foods. We're not sure if it's because they are in a new environment, but for some reason Alex and Ari are much more willing to try new foods and they are eating a lot more than they do at home. Maybe all of the excitement is working up their appetites!

Tomorrow GG will head back to Delray Beach so we'll spend time with her in the morning and then decide what new activity to try in the afternoon. It's hard to believe our visit is half way over- the week is just flying by!

A Bigger and Better Tot Lot

After a very good night's sleep (Alex and Ari slept almost a full hour longer than they do at home on a typical morning), we were all refreshed and ready to explore our new surroundings. Aunt Candy took us to Merrill Park, a nearby park with a big tot lot/playground and luckily lots of shade- it was already very hot and humid at 9:00 a.m.! While there were familiar sights (toddler swings), there was also a host of other equipment for Alex and Ari to explore:After the park and a good, long nap, we spent the afternoon inside because of afternoon storms but it was a perfect opportunity to spend more time with GG and play with all of the new toys. Tomorrow we're planning to have a busy day...stay tuned for more details!

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

Yesterday we boarded a plane headed to Orlando, Florida for a visit with Alex and Ari's Great Aunt Candy and Uncle Jerry, Cousin Jordan (Cousin Jared was out of town, working in NYC this summer and having a blast in the Big Apple), and Great Grandma ("GG"), who came up from Delray Beach to spend a few days visiting with her great grandchildren.

This was another one of our "take the entire family along on one of Daddy's business trips" vacations, but with a much better outcome than our first business/family trip back in February. However, the trip started off a bit rocky. In retrospect, though, we're trying to look at it as a learning experience full of important lessons.

First, a certain airline failed to assign us seats near each other on the plane. So while Ari and Mommy were in the same aisle, at least, Alex was assigned a seat by himself in the aisle behind us, and Daddy's seat was about five rows in front of us. The gate agent was less than helpful when we explained that having a 15-month old toddler sitting by himself (next to a perfect stranger) wasn't the brightest idea. Her response was "well, it's a full flight so I can't do anything about it." Luckily the flight attendant on board was more helpful, and tried his hardest to rearrange our seats so that at least one parent was with the kids. We finally shuffled enough seats so that in one aisle of seats we had Ari (window), Mommy (middle), and Alex (aisle) but Daddy was still five rows in front of us. When the flight attendant asked the woman on the other side of the aisle from Alex to switch with Daddy (also in an aisle seat, just closer to the front of the plane) so that he could be with his family, the woman refused because she wanted to sit near her friend. Thanks, lady. So the airline moved the lady and her friend to first class to make room for Daddy to sit in our row. Lesson learned: have no sense of humanity and you, too, can ride in First Class.

Once we were all settled, the kids were happy in their carseats for oh, about ten minutes. The difference between the last time we flew to Chile (when the kids were 11 months old) and now was that now they are much more mobile and not content to be confined to a carseat for the flight. We managed to keep them occupied for most of the flight, but there were a few times they got cranky and fussy, forcing Mommy and Daddy (now fearing they were "those people" on the flight with the screaming children) to head to the back of the plane where the noise from the engine drown out their cries. Snacks and short walks down the aisle (in addition to the nice lady seated in Daddy's row) seemed to help, and somehow we survived the flight. Lesson learned: carseats take up unnecessary room on the plane and are no longer of any use for two squirmy toddlers.

While we all survived the flight in one piece, our (mis)adventure in air travel continued a bit longer once we arrived in Orlando, only to find that Daddy's luggage had been lost. Luckily most of the kids' stuff was in Mommy's luggage, so at least we had their essentials when we finally arrived at Aunt Candy and Uncle Jerry's house at about 7:30, just in time for a quick dinner, bath, and a much-needed bed time after some quick hugs from a doting aunt, uncle, cousin, and GG. Daddy eventually got his luggage returned to him when it was delivered to the house...at 4:00 a.m... without advance warning and by a deliveryman who rang the doorbell. Lesson learned: when the doorbell rings at 4:00 a.m., it doesn't necessarily mean someone has died (although that will always be the first thing going through your head).

The good news is that our trip has been headed uphill after our rocky start, mostly thanks to Aunt Candy's efforts to furnish her entire house (which hasn't seen toddlers in about 14 years) with all of the comforts of home, and more. The kids have cribs, lots of fun toys, booster seats, a swimming pool and pool floats, trampoline, two kitty cat friends, bath toys...and the house is even baby-proofed!

Today we recovered from our trip by relaxing around the house, spending time catching up with all of the relatives before Daddy had to head out to his work conference at the Rosen Shingle Resort (yeah, poor Daddy). Here are some pictures of the kids enjoying their new environment, toys, and adoring relatives:

Alex and Ari explore try out all of their new toys

Cousin Jordan entertains Alex
Alex and Ari play with Aunt Candy and GG
Alex loves Aunt Candy- because she feeds him yummy snacks
Alex jumps on the trampoline with Daddy

We're looking forward to a week of new adventures and new places!