October 2003
October started off with a bang, or should I say hurl. Ellen and Phoebe's day care provider got sick, so I stayed home with the girls. Some time over night (between October 1 and 2), Ellen threw up and went back to sleep. We didn't hear her call for us or cry or scream or anything so she must have been really quiet about it. The next morning, I could smell something amiss before I even turned on the lights. It was disgusting. Luckily I have a pretty strong stomach or there may have been some sympathy hurling going on. Jada had just started her shower, so I took Ellen in there and put her in with Jada while I stripped the bed and started the laundry. Then I cleaned the bed rails and carpet. Ellen is quite a tough kid. She wasn't upset in the morning or anything. She got undressed and hopped in the shower. She said she felt fine, but she was hungry. We gave her some water and toast to start her out. She was fine all morning at home again, and she went right down for her nap. The hardest part was keeping her from playing with Phoebe. We think Phoebe may have been sick the previous weekend because she was spitting up a lot more than usual, but it wasn't horrible. Jada and I are just waiting to see who gets sick next. She was feeling bad this morning already. I'm hoping it misses me since I haven't tossed my cookies in about 20 years. Jada ended up getting sick first on Friday night and was up most of the night. I didn't get sick until Sunday night, but managed to avoid the vomiting. However, I still wasn't well enough to drive to work. I ended up sleeping all morning. We all got over it.
Phoebe just seems to be growing so fast now. She's spent the month working on getting up on her hands and knees. She's done it now, and she's really close to crawling. She likes to get up on her hands and feet like a little Tee-Pee. Just at the beginning of November (as it is now) she can almost get herself into a sitting position. She can also sit on her own just fine now, but she doesn't like to stay that way too long. Just because she isn't completely crawling on her own doesn't mean she can't get around. If you turn your back on her for a second, she can get clear across the floor crawling-as if she were in army training. This is bad news for Savannah because she is absolutely fascinated by her. If she gets close enough, Phoebe grabs a handful of her hair and won't let go. Yet for reasons we can't explain, Savannah still gets near her. Phoebe has already started her love for books. Over the course of this month, she has gone from just chewing on them to noticing that they are different when she opens the covers...and maybe more tasty too.
Phoebe's first tooth finally appeared October 13, 2003 (Lower front left). Two weeks later, her second tooth pulled in right next to it on October 26, 2003 (Lower front right). As a result, we've started feeding her more and different foods. She can get more Cheerios into her mouth on the first try now. This month, we've started her on pancakes, chedder cheese, yogurt, carrots, green beans, peas, prunes, mushed up bananas, and crackers. She can drink some water out of a sippy cup, and she can handle her own bottle ok.
Ellen is doing quite well herself. She can get dressed all by herself. Mommy doesn't necessarily like the clothing combinations she puts together. I, of course, don't care if she wears a green shirt with pink socks. (She's needs to learn the valuable lesson that clothes don't make the girl.) We're still working on the potty training. She pees in the potty just fine, but she refuses to poop in there. And she will not be bought with promises of candy, TV, or panties. Ellen hears what she wants to, but she can also be so helpful when she wants to. She helps daddy get the garbage together for garbage night, bath time supplies, swimming things, and is a great runner for things we need for Phoebe. however, she also be a 2 year old. She still pushes the envelope, but we also make use of timeouts in her room to calm her down. She loves to dance and sing. Her favorite song ever is "Obla-di, obla-da" by the Beatles. She can listen to it all day if you let her. She likes to make up her own songs and prepare her toys for imaginary friends to come over. They never seem to make it though. Of course, she still loves books. She has started "reading" some of her old picture board books to Phoebe. Phoebe loves it.
The month of October means weekly trips to the nearby orchard. Unfortunately, this orchard isn't like the ones back home where you get to walk through and pick your own, but it's still fun. Ellen gets to sample apple slices and look at the pumpkins and farm animals. She really does enjoy the apples we get. I've taught her the joy of eating apples with peanut butter on them.
The first two weeks of swimming class, Phoebe did not attend due to a trip and then illness. At this time, Phoebe has participated in 3 swimming classes. Dave takes Ellen to her class, while Jada waits for Phoebe to finish her nap and then gets her ready. We do a switch of kids at the pool, Phoebe to class and then Jada and Ellen to the locker room and then the observation area to watch for a while. We all end up at home for a bath before lunch and nap time.
On Saturday, October 26th, we decided to keep the kids up a little past their bed times so they could enjoy the Pumpkin Fest at the Conestoga Recreation Center (where we attend music and swim classes.) We dressed Ellen up in the costume handed down from the Casey's-a leopard with the ability to make a meowing noise, and Phoebe wore Ellen's old Minnie Mouse costume. We arrived promptly at 6:00 pm and waited in a short line. We started out in the Play Gym to wait for Ellen's girlfriends. When 6:20 came and went, without anyone arriving, we decided to head to some of the other rooms. First, we stopped by the Pumpkin Museum to vote on the best Jack O' Lantern. Next, we went to do some arts and crafts. Ellen was busy coloring and using scissors and a glue stick for the first time-with a lot of help from Mom. Then Dave and Phoebe headed upstairs to check for arrivals. Luckily, he found both of the families! Alysha- dressed as a giraffe, Emily-Piglet, and Clara-a Dalmatian puppy, were all excited to join us. After the girls finished their pictures, they also spent some time playing with playdough. We needed to leave as it was past bedtime, so we made a quick stop in the game room and then said goodbye.
Halloween. What a day! When I(Jada) picked up Ellen and Phoebe from daycare, there was already excitement in the air. Ellen had taken a nap that day, so had Phoebe. Even their babysitter fell asleep for a little while, so they missed going to the school for Emily and Megan's (their babysitter's daughters) parties. This was probably for the best, as the last thing they needed were sweets or less sleep. We arrived home and started making dinner and were happy that Dave was able to come home early from work. The temperature was extremely low, we had been breaking records all week. When it was time to suit Ellen up to go outside, we layered shirt, sweater, and pants under the full body costume-which was similar to pajamas. (We also put Phoebe's costume on her so that we could take photos and video.) Then we put a hat, mittens, and an orange reflective jacket over the top. Dave also wore layers and each of them carried a flashlight. After 4 houses they were done. The last house was empty, as it's occupants had headed out to Trick-or-Treat. They had left a full-size "monster" to guard a basket of goodies. According to Ellen "Daddy got the candy for me!" What a knight in shining armor:).
On Sunday, Nov. 2, 2003, Phoebe turned 8 months old. This was a fun day. Following our shopping trip to the Woodburn Company stores, we also experienced Phoebe's first snow fall. None of it stuck, but it was odd to see anything this early.
Ellen is 36" tall and growing out of everything. Shopping for new clothes was not fun. It seems that all they offer for kids nowadays are miniature versions of the adult fads. We were only able to purchase 2 pairs of pants, due the fact that all the other options had huge bell bottoms and intricate embroidery. They were also very expensive for kids clothes. Lucky for Phoebe she has lots of clothes that are free, gently used and look like baby clothes.
On Monday, November 3, 2003, Phoebe pushed herself into a sitting position. She has been hanging out regularly in what Daddy calls the "Breakin' II" position, apparently she moved back and was suddenly sitting!
After some sad circumstances this month, I want to make sure and tell both of the girls how much I love them. The daily rollercoaster of life, as represented in these many journals, does not begin to describe the joys of spending time with our wonderful girls. Ellen and Phoebe, no matter what, we will always love you!
Journal Entry: November 3, 2003