22 Months

Alex and Ari celebrated their 22-month birthday today...hard to believe they are just a few weeks away from becoming big 2-year olds!

So what are Alex and Ari up to at 22 months? It seems that in the past week or two they've had another big developmental jump especially in their speech and language.


Alex is now singing the words to favorite songs with us, his ultimate favorite being "You Are My Sunshine," where he fills in the words as Mommy sings the song. Today was the first day that Alex didn't cry at all when Mommy dropped him off at school. He seems to have developed a crush on the class assistant Mayaan- when Mommy picked Alex and Ari up from school today, Alex was following Mayaan around like a little puppy dog, saying "Mayaan, Mayaan!" He loves elevators and knows as soon as we turn into his school parking lot that we are going to go "down in the elevator" to get to class. Alex is especially talented at building towers- he's able to build towers with nine or ten blocks at a time, and guards them with his life against Arielle. He loves bubble baths (Mommy makes bubbles with the soap) and any and all trucks: fire trucks, mail trucks and trash trucks in particular. Alex is extremely considerate and is always thinking of his sister, bringing her her milk, sharing his pretzels with her and making sure she is OK.



Ari's favorite new word is "mine," as in anything she doesn't want to share. However, she's learning how to practice selflessness and gets lots of credit for being nice and sharing even when she might not want to. Ari is shaping up to be a fashion diva- she is very particular about her clothes and shoes, all of which must be her favorite color, pink. While Ari clearly loves her brother, she also loves getting him in trouble and is quick to bring it to our attention if he's doing something he should not be doing. She gets in her share of trouble, too, though, and watches Mommy and Daddy with an impish grin as she does things she knows she shouldn't be doing. We're a little nervous about her teenage years! She has been especially nice to her little sister lately, reading Kira stories and sharing her favorite dolls- even her beloved duckie, seen below on Kira's chest:

Both Alex and Ari know that when we're out of something at home we have to go "buy" it with our "money" at the store. They're quick to tell us that when we tell them there are no more cookies or juice! They are each other's best friends and they love getting into mischief together, like jumping on the couch, climbing on the coffee table and chasing each other around the house.

Happy 22 months, Alex and Ari!!

Time With Friends

Much of the past several days was spent enjoying time with our friends, old and new.

On Friday, after Spanish class, friends Riley and Andrew (Ari's boyfriend!) came over to play before Andrew had to go pick up his big brother from school. Riley stuck around for a yummy pasta lunch before Alex and Ari went down for their nap. Here are all four kids enjoying the ball pit, and a picture of Ari getting a hug goodbye from boyfriend Andrew:

Friday evening we went to our new synagogue for a Tot Shabbat service. Alex and Ari sat with the other kids on the floor with the Rabbi, singing songs, dancing, saying the Shabbat prayers and listening to a story. The congregation at our new synagogue is made up of many families like ours with young kids, so we think that we are really going to like being members and getting involved.

Following the service, we participated in a Shabbat b'Yachad (welcoming Shabbat) program where we went to dinner at the house of another family in the congregation, along with a third family. All three families had kids around the same age- the two other families have 3-year old children and infants (8 and 15 months old), so Alex and Ari had plenty of playmates to have fun with after they ate their dinner while Mommy and Daddy got to know the other parents over their own dinner. Since all of the parents grew up in this area we had a lot to talk about and ended up staying way past Alex and Ari's bed time, but they were great and still full of energy even past 9:00 at night. It was a lot of fun to meet new friends and we're looking forward to seeing them again as we get more involved in our new congregation.

Speaking of our new synagogue, Saturday Alex and Ari received what we hope is the first of many acceptance letters in their lives- they have officially been accepted to the nursery school program at our new synagogue! So next year they will start a program for 2-year olds two days a week (unless we decide to switch them into a three day program at the school). We were all relieved to get the official word that they had been accepted into school, which in our area is no small feat!

Saturday afternoon Mommy and Arielle had a girls day out with three of Mommy's friends from her old job. We met up at a local cafe and Ari ate a cookie that was as big as her head while she read books and colored with the crayons Mommy brought along. Afterwards, Mommy and Ari did the grocery shopping before heading home to Daddy, Alex and Kira.

Today Miri, Nana and Poppy Jack came over to visit and play with the kids. Later in the afternoon we had our monthly neighborhood get-together (which we missed last month when Kira was in the hospital!) followed by an end-of-season pizza dinner with Daddy's soccer team.

Friend Riley is glad she's no longer the baby in the group

Ari and Mitchell play together

Mommy and her three kids at Daddy's team dinner

Alex and Ari stay busy coloring while we wait for pizza

So another weekend has gone by quickly and now it's back to our weekly routine. We have a big week ahead- Alex and Ari will turn 22 months on Tuesday and Kira is going to be 3 months old on Friday!

12 Weeks

Today is Kira's 12-week birthday. Here's the big girl showing off her excellent head control:

Big siblings Alex and Ari have had a social week with classes, school and neighborhood playgroup. We've been getting weekly reports from their teacher at school with pictures that show Alex and Ari playing with their friends, doing arts and crafts, painting and playing in the bike room. Alex still cries a little bit when we first get to school but within a minute or two (even before Mommy gets outside the classroom and has a chance to peek back in to check on him) he's happily playing with his friends and the toys in his classroom. He especially loves to see his friend Abbie and his cousin Jonathan. Today when Mommy went to pick up the kids from school, she peeked in the classroom to see Alex fully and happily participating in a round of "Hokey Pokey" (one of his favorites) while Ari finished up her lunch at the lunch table.

At home, Alex and Ari have lots of fun playing (and sometimes getting into mischief) together. Their new activity is getting into the toybox to read their favorite books; Alex has also learned to stack lots of his blocks on top of each other...and he's also learned to keep Ari away from his creation if he wants it to remain standing!

Alex and Ari have also become very good at entertaining their little sister, and they take great pride in their ability to make her smile. Alex greets Kira every day with a "morning!" and Ari even lends Kira her favorite Elmo toy. We know it's only a matter of time before Kira joins her big siblings in their mischief making!

Baby, It's COLD Outside!

We've had a blast of arctic weather around here this weekend, with temperatures today in the teens and 20's and windchills in the single digits. Brrrr! As a result, we've been staying inside as much as possible and trying to keep the kids entertained. Some of our recent activities:

Alex and Ari give each other rides around the house in the doll stroller:

Some people like to read magazines, Ari prefers her Elmo DVD:

Kira gets in a workout:

Going a little bonkers after being cooped up in the house for a day:

Yesterday Nana, Poppy, Aunt Lori, Uncle Sam and Ozzie came over to visit and play with the kids. They ended up staying over for dinner ordered from our favorite Chinese/Japanese restaurant.

Today Mommy and Daddy took Alex and Ari to their first movie, The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, while Miri came over to play with Kira. We knew they were a little on the young side to sit through a whole movie, but we were desperate to find an indoor activity to get them outside of the house. All things considered, they did pretty well, making it through about an hour of the 80-minute movie before they got antsy and Ari started to declare she wanted to go "home." Over and over and over again. So to spare any of the other movie-goers, we packed up and headed out before we could watch the much-anticipated end of the movie (although we have a pretty good idea how it ends). We didn't get any pictures in the theater, but here are Alex and Ari proudly displaying their movie tickets (which Ari thought was a "sticker," not a "ticket"):

Tomorrow Daddy is off from work for the holiday so we'll have the honor of his presence at the kids' gym class. We love long weekends!

The ReichMobile

Today we had a chance to use our new stroller for the first time. Despite it's large size, it's actually quite easy to use and the kids love it- Alex calls it the "choo-choo" and didn't want to get off the back when we got into Spanish class today!

We went through our regular routine this week, with some snow thrown in to shake things up a bit. We still made it to school yesterday, but the ride home was slow and treacherous and we ended up with about three inches of (very heavy!) snow (or "no" as Alex and Ari call it) by early afternoon. Yesterday was also the first full day of school for them, and they did great...even Alex. Mommy packed her first lunches for Alex and Ari- hummus on pita and cheese crackers.

Here are some of this week's pictures:

Ari finds a new use for the katsup bottle (!?!)

Ari and Alex take a bath together

Ari's our girl with a curl

Kira is 11 weeks old!

Ari and Alex love their sister

Playing with los animales in Spanish class

That's all for now!

Happy Birthday Miri!

The birthday celebrations continued today with a brunch at Aunt Debbie and Uncle Jason's house in honor of Miri's birthday. We had lots of yummy food and the kids had fun playing with their cousins. Alex and Ari had so much fun they didn't want to leave, even when it was an hour past their normal nap time. We're happy to report that we think they've finally moved to an afternoon (and after lunch) nap. For the longest time they've been napping from 11:30 until about 2:30, with lunch after they wake up. We're hoping they've finally adjusted to going down for a nap a little later in the day.


The gathering of all of Miri's children and grandchildren gave us an opportunity for some nice family pictures:

One last story we'd like to mention, just so we can record it now when it's fresh in our minds and remember it for years to come:

After dinner with Nana and Poppy on Friday night, Alex and Ari were playing before going up to bed. They have two ride-on toys that they love: a Retro Rocket and Stanley the Snail. Ari had been riding the Retro Rocket for quite some time when Alex wanted a turn. Mommy explained to Ari that she had a few minutes before it would be Alex's turn. When that time came, she refused to get off, so Mommy had to take her off to allow Alex a turn. We all expected Ari to throw a fit, but instead she gleefully yelled "snail," ran over to Stanley the Snail, sat down, and proceeded to make a big show about how much fun she was having on the snail. Upon seeing how much fun Ari was having on Stanley the Snail, Alex decided he wanted to ride the snail instead of the Retro Rocket. Mommy explained to him that he'd have to wait his turn, but to our surprise Ari jumped right off, patted the seat, and invited Alex to sit down by saying "Alex, Alex." Mommy praised Ari for being so kind to Alex, who eagerly took his turn on the snail...at which time Ari promptly returned to the Retro Rocket and blasted off, turning around just long enough to give us a smile and laugh that said, "ha, ha, suckers!"

We were all amazed at the thought process that went into enticing Alex off of the Retro Rocket and onto the snail so that Ari could ride the rocket. At all of 21 months old. Mommy and Daddy are seriously fearing Ari's teenage years...

Happy Birthday Nana and Our New Wheels

Tonight we celebrated Nana's birthday (we won't disclose her age because she certainly doesn't look it, but hint: it was a big one!) at a local Greek restaurant with several friends and family. All three kids were very well-behaved (and very well-dressed if we may say so ourselves!) and we all enjoyed celebrating with Nana and seeing so many friendly faces.

Alex all decked out for the partyAri in her glamorous jacket and matching hat
Mommy and Ari
Ari at the party
Kira is always smiling!
Alex and Cousin Shelly are dressed alikeNana and her two girlsThe ReichMEN Kira has a conversation with Miri and Opa

Before going to the party, we went to pick up the new "Reichmann Limo." If Mommy thinks we were a spectacle before, she can't wait to see what happens when we pull up in this new contraption:

http://www.joovy.com/flash/big_caboose/Red_BigCaboose_7167.html

Here is a description from the website:

Bring the Whole Family! Families with three young children will love Joovy’s Big Caboose Stand-On Triple stroller - how else could one parent take three children out at once? The Big Caboose is easy to use and it includes two full size seats with canopies, two child trays and two foot rests - and your 3rd older child can ride on the patented rear platform. If you have multiple children, this will be the first stroller you will use that gives the child in the middle seat ample room.
If the standing child tires, they can turn around and rest on the padded rear jump seat. This stroller also includes two universal car seat attachments that accommodate most of the major brands of car seats.
The Big Caboose has a huge storage basket below and sealed bearing wheels to help you push heavy loads.

It's a unique triple stroller that will allow Kira to rest in her carseat (and remain undisturbed when transferred from the stroller to the car and vice versa) and Alex or Ari to ride on the back, sitting or standing, while the other sits in the second seat in the stroller. We couldn't tell if the people in the store watching us try out the stroller were in awe of us or if we scared them. Pictures of the Reichmann clan in our new wheels coming soon...

Busy Week

We're back into full speed ahead mode now that the holidays are over. This week Alex and Ari (and by default, Kira) began their slew of weekly classes and playdates.

Monday we returned to our gym class and Ari and Alex were excited to see all of their gym friends again. In the afternoon we took advantage of unseasonably warm weather to play outside in the backyard:

Tuesday was a big day for Alex and Ari, as they had their first day of school without Mommy. They went for just 50 minutes to help transition them into going on their own, but it was long enough to get a sense of what it's like to go to "real" school. In a total reversal of what we would have expected four or five months ago, Ari was completely fine and happy whereas Alex was, as his teacher described (probably a bit generously), "teary." When Mommy returned to pick up the kids (after taking a walk with Kira while she waited for Alex and Ari to get out of school), Ari refused to leave the classroom while Alex couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Wednesday we resumed our weekly neighborhood playgroup at friend Darby's house. Kira even had a friend there for her: Tommy's younger sister Macie. Wednesday afternoon Mommy took Kira to the pediatrician's office for her 2-month appointment while Poppy Jack stayed at our house to wait for Alex and Ari to wake up from their afternoon nap. Kira had a very good appointment, impressing our pediatrician with her "advanced" skills, such as cooing and head control. She is a big baby: she weighed in at 12 pounds, 7 ounces and measured 24.25 inches, both of which put her in the 90th percentile! Unaware of the three shots and one oral vaccination she would be receiving at the end of the visit, she smiled and cooed at the doctor the entire time. Luckily she cried for only a few seconds during her shots and was no worse for the wear later in the day.

Thursday it was back to school for Alex and Ari, this time for an hour and fifteen minutes. Luckily Alex seems to have settled into the "independent" part of the program and cried for only a few seconds when Mommy first left. By the time Mommy came back to pick up Alex and Ari, they were both happy and participating in the goodbye circle time. Here is Alex leaving for school with his "choo-choo" (Thomas the Train) backpack:

Yesterday we started our new Spanish class, which Mommy thinks is going to help her even more than it will help the kids, as the teacher speaks in Spanish the entire class. We learned some fun songs (el viejo McDonald) and lots of new words (animals on the farm, or la granja). We did a craft (colored a copo de nieve, or snowflake) and played games (with a ball, or pelota).

Yesterday was also Nana's birthday! To celebrate, we had Nana and Poppy over for dinner. Alex and Ari especially enjoyed her birthday cake:

And this is what happens when Alex has too much sugar:

This weekend is filled with birthday celebrations, namely for Nana and Miri. We'll post pictures and updates soon!

Update (Potty and Otherwise)

Somehow the first week of the new year got away from us without a blog post or update. So here's an update on how we spent our week:

The first part of the week was a quiet one spent as a family as Daddy enjoyed his last off from work for the holidays. Tuesday was Kira's two month birthday. She celebrated by sitting in Ari's high chair for the first time. She seems to love sitting there, as it gives her a good view of what's going on and lets her feel like she's involved in whatever is going on at the moment:We got back into the swing of things on Thursday with a visit to Ari and Alex's school so that Mommy could have a conference with the teacher to prepare for their first "independent" days starting this week. Tomorrow Alex and Ari will go to school on their own for the first time for just an hour to help transition them into going on their own full time.

Friday we had a playdate with neighbor and friend Andrew in Andrew's new playroom. Now every time we go outside or drive by his house, Ari and Alex shout "Andrew! Andrew!" We are looking forward to many more playdates with Andrew and to the kids all growing up together as friends and neighbors.

This weekend we spent a lot of time with family. Sunday we had a stream of visitors- first Nana and Poppy along with Aunt Lori and Ozzie, followed by Miri and Opa. Miri and Opa took us all out to a yummy dinner- we are happy to report that Alex and Ari sat nicely the entire time and ate all of their dinner (chicken nuggets and fries) and Kira was happy and smiling throughout the entire meal, as well. We were touched and humbled when our waitress told Daddy that he has a "beautiful family" and when someone sitting nearby said that our kids were so cute she wanted to take one home with her (sorry, we informed her, we think we'll keep all three).

Ozzie gives Alex a kiss (he's actually trying to eat the cookie out of Alex's mouth...)

Poppy Jack comes to visit

Alex and Ari play nicely...until Alex knocked down Ari's tower a second after this picture was taken!

Alex loves his little sister

Kira is getting so big!

As for the potty front, it appears that after Ari's first potty experience she is a little hesitant to try again on the "big potty," however she has agreed to sit on the small potty given to us by Nana and Poppy's friends Mike and Lynn. Yesterday she even made a pee-pee on the little potty, and was rewarded with stickers. She proudly showed off her stickers to her visitors, telling them how she earned them. Alex must have been impressed by her "prize" because this morning he sat on the little potty and made not only a poop but a pee-pee as well! So Alex is wearing his sticker prize today and Mommy is hoping that the sticker enticement will work to get both kids going on the potty more frequently. In the meantime, we spend a LOT of time just sitting with both kids (usually Ari) in the bathroom as they sit on the potty and read a book, play with toys and otherwise make us wonder if they are actually ever going to do their business.
This week we get back into our busy schedule with gym class, school, playgroup and, new this year, Spanish class! We also have lots of birthdays to celebrate this week and next- Aunt Debbie, Miri, Nana and Uncle Sam just to name a few. Looks like it's going to be a busy month!