27 Months

We swore we'd stop counting Alex and Ari's ages by months, but it's just too much of a habit on the 29th of each month, and it's still fun recording all of their developments. So...

What are Alex and Ari up to at 27 months (2 1/4 years)?

Well, the past few weeks seem to have brought another huge jump in language skills, and both Alex and Ari are speaking in full sentences and having meaningful conversations.

Two of Alex's favorite sayings are, "Then cover your eyes!" (in response to Ari when she doesn't like something she sees) and "I don't know!" (said with arms spread wide). Another new phrase is "I'll wait right here," said with arms crossed over his chest when Mommy is busy feeding Kira but Alex wants her to bathe him (he's going through a phase where he will NOT allow Daddy to bathe him-- instead, he "waits right here" until Mommy is free to give him a bath.) He also loves to sing songs and knows all the words to "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and many others. Both Alex and Ari have gotten to the point where they can answer questions intelligently and relay messages. When Mommy got home from a bike ride this morning and asked Alex where Daddy was, he correctly explained that Daddy was changing Ari's diaper. And tonight when Mommy needed something upstairs, Alex was happy to relay the message to Daddy so that he could bring up extra diapers and a bottle for Kira.

Alex is also obsessed with trucks and construction. He LOVES fire trucks, dump trucks, cement trucks and garbage trucks. He also loves construction cranes and is familiar with all of the cranes in the area. He looks forward to visits to friends Andrew and Tommy's houses because they have really big fire trucks and other cool trucks. Alex continues to have a memory of steel, and today on the way to watch Daddy play softball he recognized a playground we went to for the first time last weekend for a birthday party.

Ari is also advancing in her language skills and especially likes to read books, lately to her little sister. She loves animals, and even though Ari and Alex watch very little television, Mommy and Daddy let them watch Animal Planet once in a while and Ari enjoys learning about all of the different animals, like honeybees and crocodiles. Ari has a bit of a stubborn side and if there is something she does not want to do, no one is going to convince her otherwise. She's also a ham and loves attention. She's been known to pull off her pants/shorts and run around the house in just a diaper when guests come over (all done with a sly smile on her face). In fact, she did it just today for boyfriend Andrew. Daddy isn't sure how much longer he'll tolerate that.

Ari is definitely our more adventurous one, typically more willing to jump into any new adventure (like a huge moon bounce). Alex is a bit more timid and tentative, preferring to check out the situation first. However, Alex is more willing to try new foods. Ari usually takes one look at a new food and turns away, even if it's something yummy.

Both Ari and Alex have become very adept at climbing on the playground, much to Mommy's trepidation. They have also started to swing on the "big kid" swings, although they still LOVE the toddler swings and have to be convinced to get off of them to give other kids turns. Alex and Ari love walking and running (and Alex is getting really good at galloping). More and more often we can leave the stroller at home and Alex and Ari will walk to our destination, especially if it's not a far distance.

Little by little, our "babies" are growing up and becoming more independent. It's really amazing to watch them grow and to start having a two-way conversation...with little people with their own opinions and feelings. Can someone please slow down the calendar so we can just savor this time a little longer?!

Blueberry Fields

Daddy had a big business trip this week, so we stayed busy every day, joining twin friends Alex and Sydney and Rina and Celia at one outdoor concert, and then seeing Rina and Celia again, along with several other friends (including Kira's buddy Ruby who shared her naming ceremony) at another outdoor concert the next day...can you tell we're taking full advantage of all of the local outdoor concert series for kids in our area?

To celebrate Daddy's return, and the fact he could take today off because he had such a long trip, we took an outing to a local orchard for blueberry picking! We had a great time riding the tractor to the fields, picking the blueberries and, yes, "taste testing" (quality control, right?!) We picked four and a half pounds of blueberries- enough to last us at least a few days.

In other news, Kira's second bottom tooth is breaking through this week and Alex and Ari seem to have gone through another language developmental spurt and are speaking in full conversational sentences, which makes things very interesting (and fun!)

Ari and Alex will be turning 27 months old this weekend, so stay tuned for an update on more of what they've been up to lately!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

More transitions and changes going on in the Reichmann household this week:

Since Kira is out of her infant carseat, she's now sitting in our Reichmobile stroller rather than reclining in the carseat:

She's also started trying some "finger foods," namely sweet potato puffs and some dehydrated/dried apple snacks that are a favorite with Alex and Ari:

Alex got a haircut, and although he started out the experience crying for Mommy like last time, he eventually warmed up and calmed down...maybe it was the two lollipops he got, come to think of it, though. Doesn't he look so much older in this picture?

Mommy also got brave and took all three kids to the pool herself. It was actually very easy-- Kira was content to hang out in her stroller and watch her big sister and brother play in the water. And a year makes a big difference: last year Mommy had to be constantly on top of Alex and Ari even in the kiddie pool, just because they weren't that steady on their feet. This year they're more than steady and can walk around the baby pool themselves...with Mommy within close distance of course, but she can sit on the side of the pool or hold Kira. At first Alex and Ari just wanted to sit on the side and put their feet in (which made it even easier for Mommy) but eventually they both got brave enough to take the plunge and get into the water.

We've been outside a lot this week, including an outdoor show with a big group of our twin friends and trips to the tot lot with our neighborhood pals. Gotta love summertime!!

Parties

We had a party-filled day today. This morning we started out with a birthday party for twin friends at a nearby park. It was a beautiful day for a party and Alex and Ari loved the "new playground." We all enjoyed a picnic pizza lunch followed by yummy cakes baked by our friends' mommy. The highlight of the morning was when their daddy climbed a tree to retrieve the birthday boy's (almost) lost balloon!This evening we went to our neighbors' house for our monthly get-together. Most of the older kids played in the water and on the slip 'n slide, but Alex and Ari preferred to stay dry and eat chips and hot dogs (plus Alex discovered a love of cantaloupe). Kira was a champ, as she was deprived of her late afternoon nap, but she hung in there and enjoyed her own dinner of cereal and bananas.

Ari eats some chips and salsa with Mitchell and Jason

After a busy day in the sun, everyone was eager to have a bath and get to bed and to rest up for the week ahead!

Transitions

Our little baby isn't so much a baby any more!

First, last night Kira had her first bath in the "real" bathtub, just like her big brother and sister, and we said "good-bye" to the infant bath tub. Kira seemed to enjoy the extra space and Mommy thought it was much easier to bathe her out of the little baby tub.

Then, after we got home from a nice Shabbat dinner at Miri and Opa's, Daddy took Kira's infant car seat out of the car and installed her "big girl" convertible seat, compliments of Cousin Jonathan who is now in his booster seat. Kira had her first ride in her new car seat when we took a shopping outing today. She seemed to like it, and Alex and Ari were very excited to see that Kira was now in a "big kid" seat like they have.

As exciting as it is to see Kira growing up, it's also a little sad to know her infant days are behind us. It's amazing how fast time flies!

Week in Review

It's been quite a busy week so we'll just recap the events in one long post:

Tuesday we went to a Mommy and Me event at a local shopping center, which featured some fun things for Alex and Ari, like a visit with Elmo. We ran into lots of our friends, including Kira's buddy Ruby, who shared her naming ceremony with her, along with her mommy and big sister Ella. In the middle of the event, two fire trucks pulled up with their sirens on, much to the delight of many of the children (especially Alex). The mommies all remarked on what a great idea it was to have fire trucks come to the event, until we realized that they weren't there for the event, but a (false) fire alarm at one of the buildings! Nevertheless, Ari and Alex enjoyed looking at the trucks and watching the firemen in their uniforms.

Wednesday we had playgroup at friend Tommy's house, where Ari played with Tommy's sand table and Alex was in truck-heaven with all of Tommy's toy trucks. Kira was happy to play with some kids her own size, Macie and Asher. Thursday morning Mommy took the kids to watch the funny guy where we met up with Darby, Tommy and Macie. Alex and Ari were in awe of his acrobatic and juggling skills. When we got home, Miri and Opa came over to babysit while Mommy had the very sad task of going to the funeral for a neighbor and friend (and mother) who recently passed away. It was a very sad time for Mommy, so she was grateful that Miri and Opa could play with the kids and read them stories before they took their naps.

Today our moods were lifted as we went to the bris for the new baby of our friends Nancy and Michelle, baby Brayden. Alex was particularly excited about the occasion, as he loudly proclaimed, "cut it, cut it!" as the bris was taking place. Afterwards, Alex and Ari enjoyed a snack of lox, bagels and fruit before Kira decided it was time to head home so that she could get a much needed morning nap. Here's a picture of the three kids dressed up for the special occasion:

So, another week comes to a close and we look forward to the weekend!

Father's Day Weekend

It's been a very busy and fun weekend!

The weekend started out with a "Daddy and kids" morning as Mommy went to run a 10K race with her old law firm. She had a great time catching up with her law firm friends and an even better time running. In fact, she set a PR (personal record) for the 10K, finishing in 41:26, which placed her 25th woman overall, 3rd woman in her age group and 3rd woman lawyer (yes, she registered as a lawyer even though she's not actually practicing right now...she just didn't really fit into any other category and there wasn't one for stay-at-home moms, unfortunately!) She also finished just six seconds behind the mayor of Washington DC, who ran next to her and then sprinted ahead in the last 500 meters or so. Mommy now thinks the secret to fast running is to have three kids in the span of 19 months.

After Mommy came home and after the kids took their nap, we all headed over to Miri and Opa's to see Cousins Nicole and Alan, who are in town visiting for the first time since before Kira was born and they left for a "stint" in London for Cousin Nicole's work. It was very special for them to meet Kira and spend time with Alex and Ari.

After playing at Miri and Opa's for a bit, we headed to dinner at California Tortilla where Ari and Alex devoured a quesadilla, chips and queso while Kira had some delicious cereal and bananas. After dinner, we figured it would be nice to treat Alex and Ari to some ice cream, but only on the condition that they share with Mommy and Daddy.

This morning, after waking Daddy up to give him his Father's Day present, we went back to Miri and Opa's house for brunch, where Alex at half a container of tuna salad and Ari ate lots of lox. We also had a chance to get a nice family picture and pictures of Cousins Alan and Nicole with the kids.

After brunch, it was back home for a quick nap before heading back out to "Poppy's boat" with Aunt Lori. We enjoyed an afternoon at the pool where Alex was our "brave one" today, eventually jumping into the water and having a ball "swimming" and playing basketball in the water with Poppy. Ari, on the other hand, was a bit more tentative and opted to sit poolside in a chair until the very end when she decided it would be OK to sit on the edge of the pool and kick her feet in the water. Kira hung out in the shade, taking it all in. After the pool and a short nap for Kira in one of the cabins on the boat, we all went to an Italian dinner.

All in all, a busy but wonderful Father's Day weekend that flew by, as always!

Take Your Kids to Work Day

We've had a BIG day so far today! We left the house early this morning to go downtown to Mommy's old office so that she could pick up her race packet for a 10K she is doing tomorrow with the firm's team and so that she could introduce lots of her old work friends to Ari, Alex and Kira. It was hard to believe that the last time we visited the office, Alex and Ari were about 3 months old. It's been over two years, and a lot has changed, both at the office and with our family. It was really special for Mommy to have her friends meet the kids. And the kids were great-- they had fun meeting so many new people, playing with toys in Miss Danielle's office, eating M&M's from Miss Debbie's M&M machine, looking at the cranes outside working on the new wing of the building and eating a snack in the office cafeteria. After our visit, we hopped back in the car and headed to Daddy's office for a visit with his co-workers and lunch at the new Cosi near his office (after a quick bottle for Kira). Again, the kids were really well-behaved and excited to ride the elevators, play with the blue light keychains Miss Connie gave them, look for cranes (again) outside of Daddy's office and watch the airplanes land at the airport. Mommy was sure all three kids would crash in the car on the way home and then refuse to take a "real" nap at home, but amazingly Ari and Alex stayed awake the entire ride home, and Kira took a quick snooze but then went right back down for a nap with her big brother and sister when we got home. They're all napping soundly now after our big morning. And the day isn't
even half over yet! Tonight Miri and Opa are coming over for a special Shabbat dinner and tomorrow we'll get to see Cousins Alan and Nicole when they come into town for a visit. We're all very excited to see them and catch up on their extended "visit" to London!

Playgroup at the Concert

We went to another outdoor concert today, and now that preschools are out of session, we were joined by a huge group of friends: not only our neighborhood playgroup friends, but also "twin plus one" friends Celia, Rina and Eliana and part of the Arking clan (Vivi, Zack, Ella and their mommy). With some younger babies present, Kira even had her own set of friends, Eliana, Ella, Macie and Asher. We had a nice picnic snack and then enjoyed the music of Uncle Pete. Alex and Ari were especially excited to hear some of their favorite songs, including "Wheels on the Bus" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider." Imagine Mommy's surprise when both Alex and Ari jumped at the opportunity to go up on stage with just big pal Vivi leading the way. Mommy followed behind, but just to take pictures of Alex and Ari up on stage with the big kids, dancing to "The Chicken Dance." Mommy was very proud of her independent 2-year olds.

The neighborhood playgroup at the park

Kira and Ella share an inside joke
Alex and Ari dance on stage with Vivi (to the left of Ari) and Uncle Pete
Alex gets down to "The Chicken Dance"

So it was another fun morning. We're hoping to get out to the tot lot this evening when it gets a little cooler and tomorrow we have a big day planned...stay tuned!!!

Bye Bye Golds and Monster Cookie

This morning we stopped by the Golds' house to say goodbye to them as they leave for their summer at camp. Ari and Alex are going to miss Riley and Marin lots and already can't wait for them to come back.

After we said bye-bye to the Golds, we ran some errands and Mommy treated the kids to a visit to Corner Bakery and a "Monster Cookie" for Ari and Alex (a big cookie with chocolate chips and mini M&M's). We also finally got some more cups that we can use for smoothies:

First Tooth!

Just had to add a quick post tonight to record Kira's first tooth, the bottom right center tooth, which seems to have popped through in the past day. Mommy discovered it tonight during her bath, and it might explain why she uncharacteristically woke up crying at 5:00 a.m. on Sunday morning (which earned her a snooze in Mommy's bed until a more respectable time).

And Daddy is home, safe and sound. Life is good!

Happy Birthday Gillian!

This morning we went to friend Gillian's house to celebrate her third birthday. And what a birthday party it was! Complete with clown/balloon designer, arts and crafts, lunch and, of course, cake. Ari and Kira had a great time, and so did Alex for the most part, until he got a little spooked by the sound of the balloons inflating...which put him in a bit of a bad mood for the rest of the party until he saw the cake. Mommy thinks he might have been overtired after waking up on the early side this morning. Ari, on the other hand, took it all in and waited patiently in line to request a "pink flower" balloon:

The flower is bigger than Ari!

Kira and Darby
Ari and Darby do birthday party arts and crafts
Alex smiles again once he has cake
The birthday girl watches the clown make balloons

It's another hot day here today, with no relief in sight for the next few days. This afternoon we'll stay inside and await Daddy's return from Germany...we can't wait to have him back home!!