Time Flies

Wow-- time flies when you're having fun...which must be why it's been so long since we last updated our blog! We've been up to a lot of fun activities the past week and a half.

A week ago on Friday, Mommy was the Shabbat Mommy at Ari and Alex's school so she and Kira joined the class to read a story, help with the Shabbat prayers and visit during lunch and play time. Kira even sat at the table with the rest of the kids. It was fun to watch Ari and Alex play with their friends; it's clear that some of them think Alex talks too much:

Friday night we had our good friends and neighbors, the Millers, over for Shabbat dinner. Ari enjoyed spending time with older friend Emily, and Alex liked having his friend Justin over to play. It was a great chance for all of us to spend some time together and celebrate the end of the week.

Last weekend we took a trip downtown to the Building Museum to visit with Mommy's friend from college and his family, including his twins who are just a little older than Ari and Alex. Ironically, Mommy's friend's name is Dan and they also have an Ari (a boy Ari, though)! It was so much fun to catch up and to meet new friends. The kids LOVED the museum- it's actually just a huge building and inside they have a special area for kids, plus they put out all sorts of building materials for the kids to play with. There is also a huge fountain, which was very popular with Ari and Alex. After playing for a while, we all went out for sandwiches before we headed home, and the two Aris sat next to each other, making it a little confusing for them:

Saturday was also Valentine's Day, and Nana stopped by with special gifts for the kids (Valentine's Day is her favorite holiday!) Ari's gift was her first nightgown:

Saturday night Aunt Lori, Uncle Sam and Ozzie came to babysit so Mommy and Daddy could go celebrate Valentine's Day with their friends Vanessa and Eric (Sammy and Izzy and doggie Billy's parents) and other adults. Ari, Alex and Kira had fun with their aunt, uncle and Ozzie while Mommy and Daddy were appreciative of a night out!

Monday of this week, Ari and Alex's school was not in session for President's Day so Mommy took them, along with Kira, to see a magic show put on by their nursery school. It was a great show- complete with appearing birds and disappearing objects- and all three kids were mesmerized! Tuesday we had our neighborhood playgroup at friend Ryan's house and Wednesdsay Kira had her playgroup at Ella's house. Thursday we went back to the library's Penny Theater where all three kids enjoyed watching the miniature puppet theater. Friday night we had Miri, Uncle Jason and Cousins Naomi and Jonathan over for Shabbat dinner.

Today we all went to an event for our Parents of Multiples club at Kidville, a "child enrichment center" that typically holds classes for kids but today was party central, complete with a concert, gym time, arts and crafts and pizza. Over 200 parents and kids from our club were there. Ari and Alex passed on the music and gym in favor of crafts and food. Alex was excited to see his buddies Sammy and Izzy and paused in the gym room for long enough to give Sammy a big hug:

After the event, we all went for a sushi dinner. The kids were delighted when we were seated next to a big fish tank, which kept them entertained most of the meal. Ari, Alex and Kira really only ate rice and fruit, but Mommy and Daddy enjoyed a yummy sushi buffet. Ari and Alex did learn how to use special chopsticks, though, that are rigged just for kids with a rubber band around one end:

Fun times, and we're looking forward to a birthday party tomorrow and a busy week ahead!

Fun Inside and Out

This week has been unseasonably warm- today reached almost 70! Unfortunately, it's been quite the tease because this weekend is supposed to be cold and even possibly snowy again. Nonetheless, it was nice to have a taste of springtime while it lasted.

Monday Kira visited with her own friends at her playgroup while Ari and Alex were in school. Tuesday we hosted our neighborhood playgroup and were happy to have a great turnout, including some of the original members of our playgroup who don't get to come that often any more due to hectic schedules. Ari, Alex and Kira had fun playing in the ball pit, making music and running around with their buddies.

Today after school got out, Mommy's friend Donna called to see if we might want to meet up with her and Rina, Celia and Eliana at the zoo to take advantage of the warm afternoon. Mommy thought that was a great idea so she woke the kids up a little early from their naps and we headed down to the zoo, which was very empty because it's the middle of the week. We had such a great time- Ari was most excited to see the elephants and Alex liked the Prairie Dogs and the construction crane working on the elephant habitat. All of the kids loved seeing the lions, too, just before the lions went inside for the evening. It was a beautiful day to be outside and we had so much fun with our friends.

Happy Birthday Marleigh!

Today Mommy took Ari and Alex to celebrate Marleigh's birthday while Daddy and Kira spent some quality time playing together at home.

Marleigh's birthday party was at a local puppet theater, which, aside from the library's "Penny Theater" time, was a first for Ari and Alex. Mommy was SO proud of how well they sat (on their own, apart from Mommy with the rest of the kids close to the stage) the entire show. The theater has strict rules on behavior during the show, and Mommy was just so impressed at how well both Ari and Alex paid attention and refrained from talking. Ari sat with her buddy Laylie and whispered and giggled together before the show, while partners in crime Alex and Chase sat with each other but Alex did a good job resisting Chase's (well-intentioned) attempts to get Alex to engage in some antics. After the show, the kids got to meet the storyteller/puppeteer and one of his puppets, Jemima Puddleduck (the show was a series of Beatrix Potter stories). They also got to ride in an old bumper car and check out the old trolley car, much to Alex's delight, after sharing cake and lunch with their friends.

After naps, we all went outside to enjoy the unseasonably warm (60 degrees!) weather, a welcome break from the bitterly cold weather we've been having. We hope this is a sign that springtime is near!

Milestones

Despite the radio silence on the blog, we have had lots of milestones in the Reichmann family in the past week (maybe it's an indicator why we haven't had time to update the blog in a week!)

First, Kira turned 15 months old and had her 15 month appointment with the pediatrician. Overall her appointment went well, with just a few minor concerns. First, we found out that Kira's uncharacteristic cranky attitude this past week wasn't just a change in attitude, but the first ear infection for the Reichmann children! Mommy was surprised, as Miri had checked just last weekend to make sure her cough and cold hadn't led to an ear infection, but it seems as if the infection came on some time after Miri checked (good thing we had a doctor's appointment planned anyway!) With some antibiotics, Kira has been back to her normal happy self this week.

Kira also only gained one ounce between her 12 month and 15 month appointments. She now weighs 20 pounds, 3 ounces and measures 33 inches long (she was 20 pounds, 2 ounces and 32.75 inches at 12 months). The doctor wasn't too concerned, as now Kira is on Ari's growth curves- 97th percentile for height and 15th percentile for weight. We'll keep an eye on her to make sure she's eating and growing appropriately, but given the fact that she is the best eater out of all three kids, we're chalking up the small gain to her new found mobility and the consequential burning of more calories.

Finally, Kira's head circumference was above the 100th percentile so there is a slight concern there, but because she is otherwise acting normally, we are on the fence as to whether or not to do a precautionary ultrasound before her soft spot in her head closes and we'd have to do a CT scan (with sedation) if there are future concerns. Dr. Miri is going to re-measure her head this weekend and we'll consider whether it is worth doing an ultrasound when there are no other signs of anything that would cause concern. Given the fact that her brother and father both had large heads as infants, this is probably (like her weight) genetic, but we'll defer to Dr. Miri in deciding what to do.

Because of her ear infection we decided to hold off on the three vaccinations until next month, but even that news didn't cheer Kira up while she was at the doctor's office. She screamed bloody murder any time the nurse or doctor walked towards her. It was interesting to see how her memory works at this young of an age!

Alex has also had a momentous week- we can now say that he is just about 100% potty trained. He is still sleeping in a diaper but has woken up dry the past two mornings (in fact, he woke up and asked Mommy to help him go to the bathroom in the middle of the night last night) so Mommy is tempted to let him sleep in underwear but holding off a few more days just in case. Mommy is DELIGHTED to have just one baby in diapers- it has already made a big difference in our monthly expenses, and it's not as difficult as Mommy had feared to take the kids to the bathroom while we're out and about, as Ari and Alex are really good at going quickly and waiting for each other.

This week Daddy worked late every day but we kept busy by spending a lot of time with friends- on Tuesday we had a fun reunion with twin friends Ellie and Thatch, who we hadn't seen since the kids were all under a year old. Thursday we played with friend Sam and his mommy in the morning and then had dinner with the Arking clan at night. Tonight we had friend Shara and her parents and baby sister over for Shabbat dinner.

Ari, Alex, Thatch and Ellie at 10 and 6 months, respectivelyThatch, Ari, Alex and Ellie at 2.5-3 years

Things are really changing around here- our "babies" are growing up before our eyes!