Snowtastrophe 2014!

The Wednesday before last (Feb 12) there were reports of a big storm brewing. In the morning I had taken Moses to his 18-month check up (see previous post) -- and I'm so thankful it was that morning! By about 8 o'clock at night Richard informed me there was a coating of snow on the ground. The next morning, Thursday, I looked out the window and saw a sea of white. I called the office to see what the operating status was for telecommuting. Nat says, "Oh? Do you have a lot of snow? I have about 3 inches here." I went outside and measured 11 inches and counting (this was 6 a.m.). Hahaha. I told him that there was no way I was gonna make it in and that I would have to telecommute.

Sad little ruler poking out of the snow at 6 a.m. Thursday morning

Several more inches fell in that morning. All of the neighbors shoveled their sidewalks and the main ones, as well as cleaned off their cars. We just needed to wait for the snow plow to come through. All this time I thought our HOA was in charge of plowing our community, but it's the county's job. The HOA only pays for the main sidewalks to be cleaned and the contractor was "backed up" with other jobs. Well the county finally showed up to plow our complex on FRIDAY at 4 p.m. When the plow ran low on gas and had to go fill up. Haha. Seriously. They came back, but only made the one pass through our cul de sac. As in, only one car can go through at a time. So Richard went out and spent about 1.5 hours clearing off the van again (because it snowed more on Thursday night) and dug a tunnel to the plow path. Blah.

And judging from the amount of snow still sitting on the sidewalks leading into our complex, it looks like the contractors for the sidewalks never showed up... hope we aren't paying them too much, considering our community did most of the work themselves.

All that aside, the snow was awesome for the kids. Especially the girls. My Aunt Bec and Uncle Bob got the kids a sled for Christmas. So we made use of it - a lot! There is the perfect-sized hill right in front of our house. I took at least one of the kids out every day. It was a lot of fun. We made a snow man too.

We also discovered a leak in the ceiling above our bay window. Turns out the flashing was loose and the caulking was falling off and/or missing. So we got that fixed. Thank goodness!

Here are some pics of our snow adventures!

Frances (L) and Grace (R), my snow babies!

Moses and I, sledding

Moses waddles through the snow

The snowman the girls and I made
(Frances in pink, Grace in brown, and Moses)

Moses eats the snowman

The girls and their snowman. So proud!
(Frances left, Grace right)

Frances front, Grace in back

Grace, Moses and Frances enjoying the snow!

Moses' 18-Month Check up

Moses has his 18 month checkup last Wednesday (2/12). He got one shot, whimpered a bit, and was fine. She said we need to continue trying to read to him. She said he should know his body parts by now (he doesn't), but then again, she did say boys tend to focus more on the physical abilities, than the verbal. All I know is the girls loved reading books at this age, they'd sit and flip through multiple books in one sitting. Moses turns a couple pages in one book and is done. And the girls definitely weren't as physically active as Moses is. I know not all kids fit into the boy/girl molds, but mine are definitely following the stereotypes.

She did say his weight gain has dropped. He was 27 lbs. 3 oz., meaning he's only gained 1 pound since he was 15 months old. Which isn't very much given the amount they are supposed to gain at this age. So his percentile keeps dropping. He was at the 95th consistently but was at 89th at 15 months and now he's in the 85th. She asked about his eating. I told her he just doesn't eat as much as the girls did. And that he holds food in his mouth, refusing to swallow or when he does attempt to swallow, he chokes and gags. She said we should start giving him a multivitamin (just one) at night - to offset any nutrients and vitamins he might be missing. Anyway, he's still way above average for his age, so she's not worried about him having a 'failure to thrive'... but we'll keep an eye on it going forward.

Here are his stats at 18 months old:

• 34 inches (90th percentile) for height.
• 27 lbs. 3 oz. (85th percentile) for weight.
• 49.5 cm head circumference (95th percentile)

For reference, here were the girls' stats at 18 months (shorter and comparatively, fatter):

Grace’s stats:25 pounds 10 ounces (70th percentile); 32 ½ inches tall (75th percentile); 48.5 cm head circumference (90th percentile! Hahaha)

 Frances’ stats: 26 pounds 4 ounces (75th percentile); 32 ½ inches tall (75th percentile); 47.5 cm head circumference (80th percentile hehehe)

The Girls' First Movie Theater Experience!

Grace and Frances eating some "Annie's Bunnies" contraband I smuggled in...

I took the girls and Nana's two granddaughters to see Disney's "Frozen." It was my girls first time at the movie theater. I was nervous, mainly because of the food allergy thing (and head lice, theater chairs give me the heebie jeebies!). The girls did okay at the movies. We got there "on time" so we were stuck watching the 20 minutes of trailers. Blah. And it turned out the movie theater was pretty empty so we could have come later. Ah well. The girls were scared for like the first 30 minutes in the theater. I think because it's dark and the sound is really loud, even too loud for my taste. Some of the trailers were creepy too ... "Maleficient," for example.

Once the movie started though, they were enthralled. The loved it! I loved it too. It was a refreshing departure from the standard Disney movies. I know Richard will enjoy watching it when it comes out on DVD. With about 20 minutes left in the movie, Frances decided she was leaving and started walking down the stairs. haha. I said, "Don't you like the movie?" She said, "Yes. But I want to go home now." I convinced her to stay. I think they were just uncomfortable in the seats, not used to sitting for so long. So I let them wander up and down our otherwise empty aisle. The music and action at the end of the movie was enough of a distraction to keep them distracted from the idea of leaving. 

And we've listened to "Let It Go" about a million times since then we went. ;-)

Middle age moment. As I mentioned earlier in my post, we took the nanny's granddaugthers with us - one is almost 21 years old, the other is 9 years old. A lady thought they were my kids too! I would have given birth at 12-13 years old lady, really. Before I had kids people thought I was younger than I was, but since popping them out, I've apparently aged ten-fold. My mom always told me to enjoy while it lasted... curses! I need a fountain of youth over here!

Moses' Baked Milk Challenge at Johns Hopkins

Yesterday was Moses' baked milk challenge. First things first, he fared pretty well. The goal was 1/4 cup of baked milk (1 1/2 cupcakes). He made it to a full cupcake before he started having problems. Watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, some itchiness, and coughing. Nothing a little Benadryl couldn't fix. He was fine after 30 minutes. And even with the reaction, the nurse said he did really well. So we've been approved to continue testing him at home, starting with 1/16 of a serving of baked milk. However, we have to finish out his at-home soy test first. AND then start and complete his at-home wheat test as well. THEN we will do the at-home baked milk. So it may be awhile yet, but things are looking up! And just so you know, Moses is up to 3 oz. of soy milk as of today... the goal is six total. Maybe by the end of February? Cross fingers!

Okay, so getting to yesterday's doctor appointment was so stressful for me. I am lucky in the fact that I decided to leave WAY early for the appointment. I was on the road at 11 a.m. for a 12:30 p.m. appointment (it's only a 30-ish minute commute to Johns Hopkins). I figured if I got their really early, Moses would be asleep in the car and could catch some much needed Zzzzzs before being up for his afternoon-long appointment (his normal naptime). There was some kind of traffic hang up and it took me about 50 minutes to get to the hospital. I get to the regular parking garage and drove around for 20 minutes following the green arrow signs - all for compact cars - and only 5 total! As soon as I'd see someone heading to their car, I'd be either too late, too far away, and not quick enough. I exited the garage and asked the attendant where there is additional parking. She said the garage was definitely full, and that it had been full for about an hour - um yeah, I figured that out. She said street parking would be impossible, but I could try the other parking garage. She gave me the directions. I headed over.

Okay, so about 6 freakin' blocks away (I may or may not be exaggerating), I find the garage. I had to park at the very top floor. Another 20 minutes wasted. At this point I'm late for my appointment. I get into whatever section of the hospital I'm parked at and ask the info desk how to get where I need to go. He says, "you're gonna walk there?! No way, it's too far." All this as he's looking at me lugging my gigundo baby, a backpack, a bag full of food and drinks, and another bag loaded with books and toys. And no. I didn't not have a stroller, because we've always been able to park right by entrance of our building. And we took out the strollers when we went to visit my folks and never put them back in. Doh.

Anyway, the guy says he can call transport to send a courtesy shuttle - it will be about 15 minutes. I say okay. Then I call the doctor's office to ask if it's okay if I get there at 1 or if I have to cancel. They say, no problem. I wait. And I wait. I keep asking if the transport is coming. Oh yea. 5 more minutes. I wait more. In the meantime. Moses has soaked through his diaper. I'm at the entrance though, so no private place to change him (I fear creepers) AND he's completely uncooperative having exhausted all interest in the toys I had brought to entertain him during the appointment. Plus, I just knew I'd get him in the midst of a diaper change and the shuttle would show up. I also kept in contact with the doctor's office and they kept assuring me I could still come. Thank god, because you have to schedule these appointments a year in advance and some!

At this point, Moses being overly tired, restless and irritated, is inconsolable. And I'm at my wits end. I could have walked to the damn building two times by now! At this point my arms are already sore from wrestling/carrying a hefty, angry toddler, in bulky clothing no-less. I pack up my stuff to, somehow, find my way and the shuttle shows up. So after a 45-50 minute wait for the damn shuttle... we hop on and head to our building. The shuttle driver was super nice, it was nice to have a distraction from my annoyance with Johns Hopkins at that moment. So we get to the front of our building. I've never been to the front, we always come in from the back, through the parking garage. And the shuttle driver says, "you know, there is a parking lot across the street." WTF?!?! I was soooo pissed. She said she didn't know why the parking attendant sent me all the way to that other parking garage, "she musta been new." Poop. Now I know.

So we actually didn't get into the exam room until 2 p.m. But I must say I was grateful for Nurse Holbrook because she really seemed to tell I was tired and frazzled. Moses had pee on his onesie and pants, but I forgot to bring a change of clothes for him. Crap! How could I forget that! I figured we'd be there long enough for it to dry out before heading back out in the cold. When they brought in his first dose of baked milk, they also brought in a cup of water. And he completely doused both of us and the floor in it. I was about to breakdown at this point. I was just so tired (and sore from carrying Moses and all those bags around). They were really awesome about cleaning it all up for us. Moses and I dried out nicely though. I'm sure running up and down the halls trying to escape mommy for the next 3 hours helped. My God, the kid doesn't sit still! It didn't help that all the distractions I had brought, had worn out in interest during our wait for the shuttle. Poop!

Another plus to balance out the crappy parts: the nurse brought us 6 cans of formula to take home with us. We're still in the midst of the soy challenge, and we're about to run out. She saved us about $500.00, since we started our deductible again on the first of the year. But at the same time. My arms now felt like Jello, and I was wondering, oh crap, how am I going to carry all this back to the van. And how am I going to get to the van.

We were the last patient to leave. The nurse said, "Don't wait for the shuttle. It's gonna take forever. It may be a hike, but I can walk you to the other end of the hospital, where your parking garage is." Her office was that way anyway, "just a bit out of the way." What a saint! My arms really were soooo tired though. I wasn't sure how I was gonna do it. BUT she had a wheeled brief case! She offered to put my bags on there. I stuffed the formula into my backpack to even out Moses' weight on my front (kind of). I'm so glad she showed me the way, because I was lost. It was quite a trek, about 20 minutes or more. At least we were inside and not in the cold. I didn't put Moses down at all, because my arms were locked and I was afraid I would not be able to pick him up again! Haha! Seriously.

She helped me all the way to the door. Really. I swear she's an angel on earth. So we managed to trek to pay for our parking. Then out to the car, which seemed like it was 5 miles away, even though it was just across the top of the parking garage (longest walk ever!). I was so relieved to be back in the car.

I switched on my phone's GPS to head home. And it was taking me on a different route to avoid a traffic jam. I had no idea where I was and then I got a low battery warning - 14% remaining. Then, 4% remaining. I was just praying I would at least get to an I-95 sign. And whew! I just as it powered down I was on MLK boulevard. Thank you! Whew! Due to a stalled vehicle 95 South - coulda been worse, I could've been that person - it took me an hour to get home.

Long day, indeed. But I must say the pluses and minuses helped even it all out. And in the grand scheme of things it wasn't the worst day ever, just tiring, stressful and frustrating. But we survived, healthy and a wee bit cranky.

Richard bought me a piece of chocolate cake in the evening. Sometimes, he just gets it right! :-)

My arms and legs hurt soooo much today. No high fives today, I can't pick them up over my head. I'm like a little T-rex. 

Girls' First Salon Visit

Well, given I was pretty bad at taking care of the girls scalp/hair in the beginning (heck they didn't really start getting hair till they were at least a year old)... we were dealing with some split ends and such. I decided it was time to get their hair trimmed. My neighbor recommended her hair stylist. So we went to get it done!

The girls were scared that getting a hair "cut" was going to hurt. I tried to reassure them all would be fine. They did really well. Grace was a bit more timid, but she was a champ! They both LOVED the results and Miss Jessica. They can't wait to go again ;-)

Grace getting her hair washed

Under the dryers! Lookin' like Miss Diana Ross!

Frances with her hair so straight!

Getting curled

Grace's turn with the hot comb

Getting curled

Frances, Grace and Miss. Jessica

Loving the new look. Can't get enough of looking at themselves!

The backs!

Christmas and New Year!

I will post on this later, just wanted to put in a place holder...

'Tis the Season!

Well, we had a not so successful visit to Santa this year. Last year went so well! I guess we made up for it this year. Frances flat out refused to be in the picture. Grace was scared. And Moses screamed.

Santa being a good sport!
Moses screaming, Grace scowling and Frances a no-show

It was at Bass Pro Shop. The store is pretty fun for the kiddos. They like going to the big fish tank. Checking out the big animals: moose, bears, deer, etc. Seeing the waterfalls. They saw one of those fake owls and Frances, who had refused a picture with Santa, says, "Ohhh Mommy! An owl! Take my picture, pretty please!?" Wha???? Crazy girls.

I should have brought a Santa hat for the owl!
Frances in pink beads, Grace in blue beads

When we left the store it was snowing! First for the season in our part of Maryland. The girls were so excited. We went outside twice!

Frances in pink and Grace in brown
On the trail behind our house.

Moses does not like snow!

16 Months Old and Allergy Follow-up

Moses turned 16-months old on Sunday. Crazy how time is flying! He's still having his language explosion. He like copying things we say. He also has discovered how to climb up in the dining room chairs.

I took him for his allergy follow-up at Johns Hopkins. He last went back in April. We had blood drawn at the beginning of November. So today was the day we got the allergy results back.

His soy allergy is low enough that we can do an at-home challenge on soy milk. One teaspoon mixed with formula (I'm assuming the morning bottle), for 3 days. Then we can up to 2 teaspoons, continue for 3 days. Then up another teaspoon. He said it may take about 3 weeks to get to a full 6 ounces of soy milk. But if he gets to a full six ounces, without problems, we can stop the formula!

He is also approved for an at-home challenge on wheat. I voted that we do this challenge AFTER the soy (since formula is expensive, we don't want to continue into the new year, with a new deductible, if we don't have to!). With the wheat, we can introduce an 1/8 of a serving of wheat per day for 3 days, (like the soy regimen). Once he gets to a full serving of wheat, with no problems, he should be okay on it.

Since he ate a handful of Cheerios without any problems (he got Grace's bowl), they said he should be fine on oats. And that even Cheerios have some wheat in them. So we'll still stay clear of the Cheerios while we test the soy.

He said to look out for eczema flare ups as a sure-tell sign of an allergic reaction - would typically show up within 3 days of ingestion.

His milk allergy level was the only one that went up. :-( But it's still low enough in-general that he's been approved for an in-clinic challenge on baked milk. And his peanut allergy level is really low. He was approved for an in-clinic challenge on it, but I decided to skip on that one since we're nut-free anyway. Maybe once we start thinking about putting him in daycare, we can do the challenge on peanut.

And Dr. Wood said the kids should be fine if they are in the vicinity of someone eating peanuts. It's the direct contact that could be troublesome. Like if a kid is eating peanuts, touches a railing and then the girls touch that same spot. He said they may break out in hives where the contact occurs, but not much more than that - as long as they don't ingest any of it (aka put their fingers in their mouths). The direct ingestion is much much much more severe.

On a sadder note, Sra. Esther's husband suffered a heart attack over the weekend. The doctors are recommending a bypass surgery. She wants to head back home immediately to be there for her family at this time. I feel so badly for them. In Peru, you have to pay for a lot of medical treatment up front. I don't know how they'll swing it, but I'm praying for them. He had just suffered a stroke in August, which left him with partial facial paralysis.

So right now we're trying to coordinate childcare for the interim. We'll get it figured out. Just wish she didn't have to be going through this -- It's hard emotionally, financially and physically.

Turkey Day 2013!

Well, last year I did not partake in the Thanksgiving feast as I was breastfeeding and on a very restricted diet -- no wheat, dairy, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish, soy, pork, or corn. I brought some stewed beef with carrots and peas (only, turns out, Moses was allergic to peas too! doh!).

So this year, I made up for it. :-)

We had a lot of fun. We went to Great and Uncle Freddy's house. Glenn, Tiana, Sega and Ajanja were there. And Tiana's brothers, Joe and Jean-marc came with their families. It was nice to catch up with everyone. And it was really nice to see all the kids together. Feels like we were all kids not that long ago and now there's the new generation.

Playing with the stickers on the trim.

They had a mini-conversation here.

Cousins!

Dance time!

Hanging with Uncle Glenn

While they strike a Super Man pose,
Moses attempts to steal food....

All in all it was a pretty good day. I had really tried to pick food I thought was safe for the girls but when we got home, they both complained about their stomachs hurting. They were doing a lot of gagging, coughing and suffering from congestion of the noses. Frances threw up. I gave them both Benadryl (which the allergist said was okay if I was ever suspicious they ate/contacted something they weren't supposed to). And they seemed a bit better this morning. Just residual coughing and congestion. Poor girls. But they did enjoy themselves. Moses also got a hold of a spoon that had been on a plate with ice cream and a cookie. I quickly went and tried my best to wash out his mouth. I didn't notice anything bad happen. Richard is home today so he'll keep an eye on them all.

Moses has his allergy follow-up next week. Can't wait. I'm hoping he's outgrown milk (so we can save on that crazy formula!). And outgrowing wheat/gluten would be nice too! Trying to stay optimistic.

Moses is still teething like crazy. His gums are HUGE. Those molars are a bear. I can't wait for them to break through.

I am on antibiotics for a sinus infection. The girls have the residuals from the cold we all shared since our visit up to New Berlin. I think Moses has a new cold now... poor little dude. I'm sure the constant drooling and fingers in mouth brought that new virus on. Ah well.

Visit from the Weavers!

We enjoyed a visit from one of my college friends, Jessica, and her kiddos. We couldn't believe that the last time we made an effort to see each other was when Allegra was 6 months old! She's now 5. It didn't feel like it had been so long, thanks to social media. But nothing compares to catching up in-person.

Moses wasn't his normal self, unfortunately. His molars are coming in and the little dude is suffering badly. The rest of the kids had fun (when they weren't glued to the TV). Liam is such a happy baby!

Good times!

Picnic time

Liam crashes the slumber party

The only proof that Moses was there! haha.

Meeting Aunt Jenny and Uncle Mikey!

Well, November is shaping up to be a busy month! This past weekend we had a short but oh-so-sweet visit from Aunt Jenny and Uncle Mikey! For those reading, that don't know, Jenn is my best friend from home and Mike is my cousin. I hadn't seen them since their Vegas wedding almost 3 years ago (Richard had stayed home with the twins while I went to perform my maid of honor duties!). They live all the way in Arizona so it's hard meeting up. Due to our alternating travel schedules and/or lack of vacation time we haven't had a chance to get together since.

So Saturday afternoon, Joe, Carrie and the kiddos, brought Jenn and Mike up to our house for pizza. Juliet has changed a lot just in the last month. Sitting up, wanting to interact -- intrigued by hair beads. Ben and the girls enjoyed playing 'hot potato' with the adults. Great and Uncle Freddy joined us later in the evening. Jenn and Mike were good sports in getting mauled by all our offspring - a lot of pretend hair cutting and doctor checkups (at the same time!).

Nothing like a hair cut, while getting your blood pressure checked.
Not sure what good a stethoscope is on hair (does hair have a heartbeat?).

Uncle Mikey needs 20 shots (of the needle-kind).

Aunt Jenny and the girls (Grace purple, Frances pink)

Aunt Jenny and MiMo - all striped out!

Once everyone else had left and the kids were in bed, we had a bit of time to chat and catch up. Like old times. It was nice. I miss having those guys around!!!

Sunday morning, I took them to the airport. When I got home, the girls were looking for them :-( Can't wait for the next visit!!

Sunday afternoon, our neighbor, Jas, came to observe us for her psychology class dealing with families and child development. It was pretty easy, since she knows us anyway (she babysits for us). Unfortunately, the kids were more lethargic than usual. We've been battling a cold since our trip to NY. Grace vegged on the couch all day.

Waiting to see what next weekend holds...

Becky's Wedding and Upstate Travels

Me and the kiddos!

Well, we requested a four-day weekend to head up to New Berlin to attend the wedding of my dear friend, Becky, on Saturday, Nov. 9th. As usual, we don't really look forward to a long car ride with the kiddos. It's much easier to travel when they are sleeping and we've had adequate rest -- neither of which is truly achievable.

So after packing on Thursday, Richard and I hit the hay to get an early start Friday morning. We woke up around 3:20 a.m. Got ourselves cleaned up. Finished packing the last few things. Loaded up the car. Got the kids locked and loaded. And we were on our way at 5 a.m. We made one or two stops total (amazing how it's a blur even though it was just a week ago). We got to New Berlin around 11:30 ish. Moses was the only one who fussed and it was only the last 12 miles of the trip! Lucky!

We spent Friday hanging with my niece, my brother and my folks. It was snowing when we were there. I took the girls out to traipse around my parent's backyard, and Alex's old yard. Good times and good memories.

Grace, Francie, and Savannah reading with Grandma/Nana

Savannah and MiMo

Aren't we a chair full of cuteness!

Saturday morning Alex, Sarah and baby Roaran came to visit. It was my first time meeting the little guy and their first time meeting our little rugrats. Roaran was a BIG hit with the kiddos -- whether he liked being mauled or not? Well, that's a different story haha. Moses was very intrigued with "baby" and Frances spent a lot of time sitting with him.

Aunt Sarah, Uncle Alex, baby Roaran and Frances

In the afternoon, Richard and I got gussied up to head to my friend Becky's wedding at the Catholic church up the road. The ceremony was short and sweet. The priest was hilarious. It really was such a lovely wedding. After the ceremony we headed outside where the bride and groom were greeted by a horse-drawn carriage ride! So romantic!

We carpooled with Sarah and Alex over to Oneonta for the reception. Made one false stop. And managed to avoid going through the "scariest trailer park on earth." At the wedding we caught up with some familiar faces from our school days: Angie, Rob, Kristen and Allison. It was also nice to catch up with Becky's mom and to see her dad again. The father-daughter dance was probably the best I've witnessed. I only wish I had caught the whole thing on video - classic! AND all the toasts were superb. Man. I was in tears (Thanks be to waterproof makeup!).

Becky and Josh looked amazing and super happy! I was so glad to be there :-)

Me, Alex, Becky, Josh, Angie and Allison

Me and my old man

And I was super thankful to my parents and Lori for watching the kiddos while we were out celebrating. You guys rock!

Grace, Grandpa and Frances picking crab apples
on Alex's old property.

Grandpa and Gracie on the big trucks!

On Sunday, my bro, mom, niece, the girls and I headed up to the Fly Creek Cider Mill. I used to love going to that place as a kid (and as an adult). It's a lot more nerve-racking now that I have kids. I was afraid to let them touch anything in the food area (they even had peanut brittle out for sampling - scary for me!). And in the upper area, there are so many breakable items. Ah well. I hope it gets easier and less stressful for me as they get older. The kids all had fun feeding the ducks and playing in Tractorland.

Grace, Frances and I - silly girls!

Frances, Savannah and Grace with the cider press

Francie, Grandma, Gracie, Savannah and Tom feeding the ducks

Frances (climbing), Savannah, and Grace (sliding) on the tractor

Sunday evening, Grandma and Grandpa prepared an early Thanksgiving dinner since we won't be together on the actual day. It was lovely!

Mo in high chair, Frances at head, Grace, Grandpa, Grandma, Tom, and Savannah
Turkey Time!

Monday morning we left at 5 a.m., in snow flurries. We stopped around Harrisburg for about an hour and a half to let the kids eat and stretch. Made it home around noon - to nice comfortable weather!

All in all. It was a nice trip. I miss everyone. But, we have more company coming this weekend! Yay!

Moses' 15-month Checkup

Moses had his 15-month check up today.

First, the stats:

Weight: 26 lbs. 4.5 oz. (88%)
Length: 33 inches (95%)
Head circumference: 49 cm (94%)

Almost 2 pounds heavier, and 2 inches taller, than his sisters at the same age!

He didn't cry at all during this appointment. Nice! He has a cold right now but no fever, so he was still able to get his 2 vaccines.

One of his 1-year molars has broken through, the others are simmering below the surface.

The doc said he's dropped a bit off the curve for his weight. I assured her that he is eating when he wants to and doesn't seem to complain too much. But he definitely doesn't chow down like his sisters used to. He's still heavy for his age though, so there are definitely no worries that he's malnourished or anything! Haha. He did have a growth spurt for height. We had been saying he looked "skinnier" so I guess it was the lengthening that made him thin out a bit.

He has been having this chronic tearing issue for the past month or so. I had called the office two weeks after it started and they told us to massage the tear ducts and hopefully it would clear up before this appointment. Well, he's still tearing, out of both eyes. The doc said I should take him to a pediatric ophthalmologist -- hopefully it's something easy to remedy.

Since the last time I posted, his vocabulary has expanded. He says: "I did it!"; "peepee"; "poopy"; "thank you." He loves the "Wheels on the Bus" book/song. He'll sing and do the motions.

So he'll have a busy time coming up. He has the eye appointment on the 25th, a follow-up flu shot on the 26th, and his allergy appointment on Dec. 3rd.

Moses is 15 Months Old

Moses and his baby

Moses is 15 months old today. He's changed a lot in the last month. I swear within a few days of writing my post for his 14 month birthday he was walking like a champ! Now he's on the move. And climbing on everything. Seriously, Frances & Grace didn't do that much climbing at that age. He loves making the big circle through the kitchen and dining room doorways, like the girls used to do when they were his age. The girls will play peek-a-boo with him, like we used to do with them in the doorways. It's so cute, but I have yet to capture this interaction on video.

He officially has that 8th tooth in and has become Mr. Chompy-Drooly baby lately - me thinks this means another tooth is coming.

He has had a language explosion this month. He's saying a lot - not that it's perfectly pronounced but we understand him. New words/phrases include: go, up, no-no-no, uh oh, don't touch, more chip, nana, duerme, grandma, peek boo, apple ... and more I am forgetting at this moment. He is really good at copying us. This morning I gave him a sticker and he repeated it clear as day "Sticker!" He likes to hold the baby doll and swing it back and forth saying, "duerme" - Spanish for "sleep." He loves Dora. When ever Dora or Boots ask a question he replies, incoherently, but he replies.

He has been tearing up a lot the past few weeks. At first I thought maybe it was allergy/pink eye. But it never got red. Just keeps tearing. The nurse said it could be a blocked tear duct even though it's more common in young babies. Right now we keep massaging the area. If it doesn't improve before his 15-month checkup, we'll have the doc check it out. Doesn't seem to be bothering him too much though.

The weirdest thing about hitting this 15-month milestone is that he is now the same age the girls were when I got pregnant with him. I can't believe I had the equivalent of two of him running around while preggers. Maybe I am crazy...?

Here's a few cameos from this past month:

Moses (the tear is due to a blocked tear duct - we think)

Frances, Moses and Gracie at the Tot Lot near our house

Hug fest!

Halloween 2013!

Grace, Moses and Frances

All three kids got dressed up for Halloween. Moses was a little devil. My mom picked up his costume at a yard sale. And the girls were each Tinkerbell. I got their costumes at a consignment sale, and used wings & wands from their birthdays.

Ready, set, Trick or Treat!
Frances, Moses and Grace

Here's a video of Moses rocking his devil costume:

I took the girls out trick or treating in the cul-de-sac of our townhouse complex. Moses stayed home with daddy. We were out for about 30-40 minutes. The girls got a lot of candy. I had to take about 3/4 of it due to allergens. Being as they are not candy fans (sacrilege!) they didn't even like what was left (smarties, skittles, twizzlers, tootsie rolls, tootsie pops). I saved the Dum Dums lollipops, since those seem to be the one candy that was a winner.

We got home before the rain started. Trick or Treaters still came to our house between 7-9 p.m. That's when I shut off the lights for the evening.

At 10:05 p.m. I hear LOUD, rapid banging on our front door. It sounded urgent. I tried to peek outside but it was too dark to see through the peep hole. So thinking maybe it was one of my neighbors having an emergency, I opened the door... only to see 3 teenage boys (16-17 years old) standing outside. They were dressed in plain clothes with back packs. I just kind of looked at them like, may I help you? And one of the boys says, "Trick or Treat." I thought to myself, really, this late, come on. I said to them, "Hmmm... y'all don't look like you're wearing costumes." One of the guys says, "Uhh, I'm a college student." Touché Mr. Smarty Pants! We still had a lot of candy left, so I gave them each a handful, and extra to the kid with spunk.

Here's to next year!

Twins' First Allergy Appointment at Johns Hopkins!

The girls had their first appointment with the pediatric food allergy expert at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Robert Wood. He is the same doctor we took Moses to see back in the Spring. I had liked him so much that I decided to switch the girls there as well. And yes, we had to wait this long for an opening -- he's a popular guy!

We told him what we believed are the remaining food allergies. Frances: soy, egg, peanut. Grace: peanut. I told him Frances has never actually tested positive for soy, but that if she eats it she gets severe vomiting (to the point of vomiting blood) and bloody diarrhea. He said it is an allergy specific to her GI tract and probably would not show up in typical testing. Due to her having eaten a hotdog with soy protein in it over the summer - having a bad reaction - he said we should wait another full year before challenging on full soy again. She is currently able to tolerate soybean oil, but we've given her nothing else. He said we can try a home challenge of soy lecithin, as it tends to not affect the allergy. So we'll attempt that this weekend. Cross fingers!!!!! Other than that, no other soy products/additives.

Grace and Moses had gotten their flu shots at the pediatrician this past weekend (Grace didn't cry and Moses cried for 2 seconds - easy!). The pediatrician refuses to give it if the kid has an egg allergy. Dr. Wood assured us that even kids with severe egg allergies can usually tolerate the flu shot since the vaccine has improved so much over the past few years. Since we were in the allergy clinic, Frances got the okay to get her flu shot. She only whimpered a little.

Then after that, both girls had to go get blood drawn for allergy testing. Grace whimpered a little during it. But once she got her sticker, she was right as rain. Frances, having just got stabbed with a needle was more wary and started crying before she was even poked. Poor girl. A flu shot in one arm and blood draw from the other. She looked like a little dinosaur with her arms all curled up. She cried and cried. And, as has been the scenario since the day they were born, when one is crying the other one does. So Grace, who had been previously okay, started balling her eyes out with Frances.

We left the hospital at 6 p.m. - they continued crying until they fell asleep in the car. We got home around 7 p.m. and the crying started up again all the way till they went to sleep.

Anyway, we should get the results in a 7-10 days. Cross fingers the egg allergy has improved. They will get tested again a year from now.

The doctor also commented that our family would be an interesting genetic study in food allergies since we have the identical twins and the sibling. So we've got that going for us... not.

Weird thing after our visit: When we got home Frances peed while sitting at the dinner table. We have not had a pee pee accident since she was potty trained over the summer. And when I went to check on the kids before I headed to bed, I discovered she had wet her bed too! Crazy. It kind of freaked me out. I hope the trauma hasn't set her back or something? We'll see how she fares through today. I gave the nanny the heads up. Cross fingers. I hope she's okay.