W+J Family Blog » Amy

60 pounds and 78 inches

Amy — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 01:33:09 +0000

We found a new pediatrician! Who we like! Which means I actually took Natalie to the doctor on time for her five year well visit. And Miranda had a well visit too, because she is quite behind. We pretty much went all spring, summer, and most of fall without them getting sick. They may have had the occasional sniffle, but nothing that warranted a trip to the doctors office. But of course now that I got it together to take them to their well-visits, they are both sick with colds.

But I digress….here are the girl’s stats. Interestingly they are exactly 10 pounds and 10 inches apart for weight and height.

Natalie:
35 pounds (16%)
44 inches (78%)

Miranda:
25 pounds (31%)
34 inches (86%)

Natalie goes to Kindergarten!

Amy — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:38:15 +0000

Ever since we moved to Brooklyn, we’ve been pointing out Natalie’s school to her every time we walk by it (which is often!). Getting Natalie enrolled was a bit stressful—she was initially “wait-listed” (whoever heard of such a thing at a public school?!) but after some restructuring, the school was able to accommodate all of the children on the wait list. And through my online group Park Slope Parents, I was able to connect Natalie with three girls from her class (who also live on our block!) before the first day of school.

The first day of kindergarten finally arrived this morning, and I think all our preparations paid off. Natalie had friends to sit with and was able to say good-bye to us without any protest or tears! In addition to the usual first day of school chaos, there was a little administrative confusion. Natalie’s teacher, Ms. Parker, didn’t have her on her list, and then the office didn’t have Natalie on any list. In the end, they found her and she was indeed in the right classroom. I was very proud of myself for keeping my cool while we got it straightened out. Natalie just talked to Josie over the phone and reported that her first day was “awesome!”

Getting Ready

Lunch all packed!

First day of Kindergarten, YAY!!!

I'm ready for school!

Eating her Wheaties

Posing on our stoop

Off we go!

Line to get into the school

Ready for drop-off!Chris says enough with the camera already!

So proud!

We'll be back to pick you up.....

Miranda wanted to stay and play!

After a very successful first day of school!!

So long, summer…..

Amy — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 05:32:19 +0000

We’ve had a fabulous first summer in Brooklyn! There are lots and lots (and lots!) of things to do with kids in the city, many of them free. And we took full advantage! Lots of trips to the free city pool, the beach, museums, zoos, aquariums, boardwalks, free concerts, parades, plus playgrounds, parks, and bike rides galore. I feel so lucky and incredibly grateful that, for the first summer since Natalie was born, I was able to be home with her and Miranda. It’s certainly been a summer to remember. Tomorrow, Natalie goes to school for her first day of kindergarten. A whole new chapter in her life and ours.

If I were up to date with this blog, any one of these events would have gotten its own post. But since I’m behind, I’ll let the (millions of) pictures do the talking….it’s a slideshow, because it would have taken me forevvvvvvvvver to post this many pictures individually. Enjoy!

Adult Conversation

Amy — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 23:53:19 +0000

Me: “I need to buy a nail file. I don’t own a nail file.”

Chris: “How do you not own a nail file?”

Me: “Do YOU own a nail file?”

Chris: “No, but I’m not a woman.”

Conversations with Natalie: June 14, 2011

Amy — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 01:03:28 +0000

I wanted to share two conversations I had with Natalie today, one that made me feel incredibly guilty and one that made me realize that everything was going to be ok.

The first one happened on the long subway ride home from Madison Square Park. We’d seen a concert with Josie and Tam, then had lunch with Chris and Kary.

Dancing to the Dirty Sock Fun Time Band at Madison Square Park

Shake shack!!!

Sitting on the bench on the subway, Natalie took off her shoe. I noticed there was some stuff in it.

“Natalie, what’s that in your shoe?”

She handed her shoe to me and I when I looked up close, I realized that there were about 20 tiny rocks in it. We’d just walked a few blocks and down a bunch of stairs into the subway.

“Rocks! That must have hurt so much to walk on! Why didn’t you tell me that you had rocks in your shoes?!?”

“Well, I didn’t want to complain. You always tell me not to complain.”

I gave my poor child a hug and we had a long talk about the difference between complaining/whining about things that we can’t control (like the temperature outside or having to walk uphill) and speaking up about something that’s easily fixed—like stopping to dump rocks out of shoes.

Later, after dinner, Natalie was getting ready to take a shower and was cold.

“Mom, I need to get in the water right away. I’m so cold I have goose bumps! I even have goose bumps on my butt cheeks!” (giggling)

“Oh really?”

“Goose bumps on my butt cheeks!!” (laughter)

“Ok, honey, enough with the butt cheeks.”

“BUTT CHEEKS!!!!!!!!” (more laughter)

“Natalie, did you ever know that you are a rascal?” (trying to hide my amusement)

“Mom, did you ever know that your name is BUTT CHEEKS?!?!?!?!”

The two of us both had tears running down our faces from laughing so hysterically. I stopped feeling guilty.

Mother’s Day 2011

Amy — Sun, 22 May 2011 02:34:47 +0000

I was a little sad this mother’s day because it’s the first year we didn’t go to Sayen Gardens, which had been our mother’s day tradition since Natalie was a baby. I only let myself be sad about missing the azaleas for a little while, then we decided to make a new Brooklyn tradition: a visit to Brooklyn Bridge Park! It was a bit of a trek to get there by subway—mostly because Natalie wanted to ride her bike, which meant that we had to carry the bike, plus Miranda and the stroller up and down the subway stairs. And also because before we got on the subway we walked down to S’nice, our favorite vegetarian cafe on 3rd street. Natalie did a lot of good practicing riding her bike and the girls were totally engaged by the park. And we didn’t even go to the playgrounds! A lovely Mother’s Day indeed.

Throwing RocksBrooklyn Bridge park was so much fun--throwing rocks into water keeps our girls entertained for hours!

Daddy holds Miranda backShe would've walked into the freezing water without hesitation.

"Look where we live!"

Under the Manhattan Bridge

Mama and her girls

Ice cream under the Brooklyn bridge!

Under the Brooklyn Bridge

A Day in NJ

Amy — Sun, 22 May 2011 02:00:10 +0000

We took full advantage of a day in NJ a couple of weeks ago: a visit to Howell Living History Farm, Robert’s awesome baseball birthday party, and dinner with Grandma and Kary. I took tons of photos at Howell, then got lazy with the camera the rest of the day. It was so nice to be able to hang out at the farm, see friends, and spend time with family too—especially on such a beautiful day. And as much as I enjoy the city, it was refreshing to be out in the boonies for a day. I was especially excited that we got the farm while the lambs were still little and cute.

HugsNatalie and Miranda are getting more and more affectionate with each other. It's lovely to watch their relationship develop.

Crossing the streamIt wasn't quite warm enough to go in yet.

"moooooo"Up close, mooing cows are incredibly loud.

City girl visits the farmBrooklyn represent!

At her old hang-out

Mama sheep & lambs

"Look at this pretty flower!"

Hallelujah!!!!

Amy — Fri, 13 May 2011 03:28:58 +0000

[HAAAAAAALLELUJAH!]

[HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH!]

[HALLE-AAA-AA-LUJAH!]

After 4 years and 3 months, Natalie is sleeping through the night!!!!!!

I repeat, Natalie is sleeeeeeeping throoooooooough the niiiiiiiiiight!!!!!!

[HAAAAAAALLELUJAH!]

Ok, to be fair, she hasn’t been waking up the same way a baby would since she was a little over two years old, but she was waking up every. single. night. and coming into our bed to sleep. And we’d tried various things to curb this behavior, but it never worked for more than a week or so, when we would all revert back into the same bad habits.

Most recently we tried rewarding her with a TV show in the morning if she stayed in her bed all night, and no TV if she came into our room. The third night she came in saying, “I don’t want to watch my show tomorrow.” I was feeling really defeated.

And then one day, in March, she stayed in her bed all night. I think it was a fluke, but we jumped on it. I gave her chocolate as a reward. Rainbow non-perils to be exact. Before breakfast. Hey, after 4+ years of interrupted sleep (more if you count the pregnancy) mom gets a little desperate. We marked the success with a sticker on the calendar and told Natalie that she could choose a toy from the store if she could get seven consecutive stickers.

Natalie's Reward Fairies

After she picked out the fairies from the toy store, we wanted to offer Natalie an additional incentive to keep the momentum going—because 7 great nights doesn’t break a 4+ year habit! So, we promised her a party if she could fill the rest of month up with stickers on the calendar. Natalie loves parties, so it worked!!! She was so excited, she was telling anyone who would listen about the party she was going to have (with cake!) when it wasn’t even her birthday! Ultimately, whatever the reward, she was just ready.

Party time!!

The nice thing about offering a party as an incentive was that it was a reward and a celebration at once. Natalie got to bask in her accomplishment in with her friends–her pride was palpable—and enjoy yummy cake shaped like a bed! And we got to tell Natalie that once she had her party, she wouldn’t need any more rewards to sleep in her bed all night. And, a month after her party, she hasn’t.

Party Girls!Ula, Natalie & Josie wearing their fabulous party hats!

Says Natalie, "this bed cake is daaaamn good!"

Yoshi & Artie love cake!

So proud!!

[HAAAAAAALLELUJAH!]

[HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH!]

[HAAALLEAAA-LUJAH!]

A Trip to the Beach

Amy — Tue, 10 May 2011 04:20:08 +0000

Rockaways

If you know me, you know that the beach isn’t my favorite place to be. I burn easily, it’s hot, and I have a bit of an aversion to sand. But I don’t mind the beach as much when the temperature is mild. And happily occupied children is a big draw. I may hate sand, but Natalie and Miranda loooooove playing in it. So last Friday, when it was sunny, warm but not too hot, Tam and I took Natalie, Josie, and Miranda to the Rockaways for a morning of fun in the sand. The Rockaways are a short drive from Park Slope, but walking on the beach felt like we were not near the city at all. I can see more trips there this summer!

3 girls diggingThe girls were so occupied by digging in the sand that we basically could have ignored them, except for Miranda wanting to smash the big girls' sand castles.

Miranda

Fascinated by the wavesMiranda got quite a shock when her little toes felt the icy water!

"Let's go look for shells!"

Food Negotiations

Amy — Mon, 09 May 2011 13:10:42 +0000

It’s always a bit of a challenge to get Natalie to eat enough—at meals that is. She’ll eat plenty of snacks without any encouragement.

But this morning’s negotiations baffled me.

Natalie: I’m full (she’d eaten two bites of oatmeal, a food she loves)

Me: Ok, 5 more bites (knowing that otherwise she’d be begging for snacks in no time)

Natalie: No, 6 bites!

Me: 6 it is!

I love an easy victory.