Scaredy Cat: Another Thing to Add to Jadon's List

Yesterday evening we went over to Fiona's parents' place to water the plants and look over the house (while they're gone) . I was doing some computer work in their upstairs room with the girls. Fiona took Jadon to the backyard to water the plants. From where I was, I could hear Jadon crying loudly. I mean I was in the house (on the otherside), upstairs, with the doors closed. So I walked to the otherside of the house, opened the window to see what was going on. He really wanted to come into the house so Fiona told him to go ahead and go in. Later on I asked Jadon why he cried. Apparently he was scared of some flies. I thought it might have been a bee or something but Fiona told me there were a few flies (or gnats) that were flying around her and it apparently upsetted Jadon. Now he doesn't want to go and water plants at Grandma's house anymore. What a little baby! Sheesh!

Nice Long Weekend.

I am enduring my last day of my long 4 day weekend. I took today off. I figure I deserved it (plus I have ton's of vacation time accumilated). Usually I don't blog from home. I figure that I can have something to do at work. Well I am at home now and I have hit a lull point in the day. Natalie is the only one of the three kiddies that's up, Fiona's prepping dinner, and well I am just upstairs in the 'tech area' twiddling my thumbs.

-P.U. I think Natalie just took a dump. It's a little smelly all of a sudden and I heard her make a few gruntings noises. Let me change it before I faint. (2 minutes passed by) Much better. It's amazing that such a little scrawny thing can take such a big dump.-

Back to my writings, let see...where was I? The weekend was pleasant and restful highlighted with a picnic, a solo movie outing, and a couple of family eating outings. We went for a picnic at the park on Sunday which took Fiona three hours or so to prepare. She made nice tea sandwiches (an idea that she got when she took out her mother to tea time luncheon back for Mother's Day) of ham and cucumber, and egg salad. We finished lunch in about 30 minutes. Then we walked the park which was another 30 minutes. Last night I went solo to catch X-Men III: The Last Stand. We have half a dozen movie passes that we got as gifts. There's nobody to really baby sit so we decided that the only way we're going to utilize them is if went by ourselves. That's the first time I've watched a movie alone but it wasn't as strange as I thought it was going to be. That's all I have to blog for today.

Aaaaarrrggghhh! Sick Again!

Yesterday towards the end of work, I started to sneeze and develop a scratchy throat. Originally I thought they were allergies but as the evening came about, I upgraded it to being sick. That's twice in 10 days! What the heck is going on?!?! Hopefully this one will be a short one just like last time.

Puzzle Time!

Fiona thinks I have been watching t.v. too much to the point of addiction. I think I am just a t.v. enthusiast (mainly ESPN/sports, reruns of Friends, new episodes of Smallville, or reruns of Star Trek: TNG) . Once in a while I'll read if I find a good book. She wants to spend more quality time at night after we put the kids to sleep but what is there to do when it doesn't involve the tube? Well once in a while we'll play a board game (primarily Scrabble or Trivia Pursuit), sometimes we'll take out the poker chips and play Texas Hold 'em (but that can get boring just with the two of us). Sometimes she wants to talk. Well you know how that goes...I'm a guy...enough said. So last week I came up with putting together a puzzle. So Fiona and I have been going to a few places to look for puzzles to work on. We were looking for puzzles that upon completion, we could possible hang up on our wall. Fiona was looking for flowery type of puzzles, I was looking for puzzles that weren't too girly for me. Toys R' Us has an okay selection. Target was a little bit better. We ended up going to South Coast Plaza's Puzzle Zoo and they had a great selection. We both found something that we agreed upon. I am definitely pleased with our selection. It's "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by George Seurat. The painting on Ferris Bueller's Day Off (the scene where Cameron was staring at the painting). When I went to Chicago to visit Paul years ago (oh my gosh it's been 8 years since!) , I saw that painting when I went to the Art Institute of Chicago. Anyways I'm looking forward to spending time with my babe and working on it. It should be lots of fun.

Picking Up The Pace.

Well it looks like Natalie is starting to come around to walking. Her therapist (a month ago) said that she thinks Natalie will walk by the end of May. Well it's coming close to that and I am thinking end of June (just based on how slow Natalie likes to do things). Nonetheless she looks like she is coming around the stretch run. The past day or so, Natalie has been getting on her feet on her own and has been actually taking steps unaided. She looks like she's a little goofy because she has this funny looking grin on her face (as if she was making fun of people who walk).

What Do I Do With My Arms?

One of the little quirky things that I love about Vanessa occurs when I feed her at the 5:00am feeding. When I get her out of bed, she like anyone else, does these full body stretches. Her arms are fully extended and she arches her back. Well the moment I plop the bottle in her mouth, her arms just freeze in place. So I am sitting down with Vanessa in arm and she has her arms in mid air. She'll keep them out there for the longest times. She'll have them both straight out, she'll have them in a hugging position, she'll have her right arm across her eyes (and her left arm is sticking straight out to the side), each morning is a new one. Then eventually you will see her arms ever-so-slowly slump. Who eats like that? Imagine if adults ate like that.

What Corners Are Really For.

A few days ago, Fiona had mention a conversation that she had with Jadon. She was in the bathroom and Jadon was in there as well. He asked her "What are corners for?" Fiona seemed perplex and didn't really know how to respond to that. He ended up telling her that they are for time-outs. That jogged my memory into an earlier conversation that I had with Jadon a few weeks back. I was folding laundry in our bedroom and I noticed Jadon was checking out the corners in our bedroom. He was especially checking out one that was between Fiona's night stand and the corner. It had barely enough room for him to stand. Here's how my conversation with him:

Me: What are you doing Jadon?
Jadon: This corner is too small for timeouts.
Me: How about those corners (pointing to some other ones in my room)? Do you want to try those out?
Jadon: No.

What a funny yet strange little boy he is.

Updated!

I have finally updated all 2006 pictures (up until April 2006 that is). Enjoy!

Slowly Updating.

I am in the process of updating the photos. It's a slow process because now that we got our new camera, picture files are much larger in size. So that means uploading them takes a lot longer then it use to before (it took more then half an hour to upload 20 pictures yesterday). Please feel free to check them out. I am currently working on the girls' picture sites.

Jadon's Reversal.

Just when I thought that Jadon would become warm again to spending the night over at his grandparents place, apparently it won't be again in the near future. He spent Sunday night over and he was an angel until sunlight hit. Apparently he woke up at the crack of dawn (before 7:00am) and was pounding on the door to wake up his grandma. I asked him later if he had fun sleeping over at grandma's house. He said "the little lights in the room are 'scayee'" and that he doesn't want to sleep over there again. The smoke detector light on the ceiling seems to scare him. I'm sure that grandma and grandpa are relieved. They're late sleepers and if Jadon sleeps over it would just really mess up their sleep.

24 Hour Bug.

On Monday morning, I experienced something new: a 24 hour cold (of sorts). I woke up and went to work feeling just fine. At around 6:30am I distinctly felt a dryness in my mouth causing me to cough. After that my health just deteriorated through out the next 6 hours. A sinus pressure came about as well as a headache. I ended up leaving early at about 1:00 pm and by that time my nose was congested.

I took the following day off although I didn't really rest (or rest well at least). My sleep and naps were terrible. Luckily the cold wasn't as bad as it could have been and fortunately it didn't last long (right now I am at about 90 percent). I still went about my daily routine of chores, and playing with the kids (with an occasional rest on the couch). It was even fun at times just being home with the family. I danced with all three kids at one point. Fiona has gotten into Tom Jones lately (and it seems the kiddies, especially Jadon, have too). So I played "What's New Pussycat" and we all held hands to form a circle and just danced. The kiddies just loved doing that.

Last night's sleep was atrocious for me. I didn't fall asleep until about 12:30 am (and even then I would end up waking up now and then throughout). I was coughing, tossing and turning, and some people in an apartment complex across the way were talking loud and playing their music kind of loud. I felt bad for Fiona because I knew that I was keeping her up (actually Fiona told me later that she was asleep). I decided to take my pillow and blanket and sleep on the couch downstairs. Maybe I'll take a quick power nap when I get home. *yawn*

Mother's Day Happenings.

Happy Mother's Day! Yesterday was filled with some interesting events aside from celebrating Mother's Day.

Model Girls?
In the afternoon, Fiona, the kids, and I hit up the mall for our stroll. We went to the food court to get something to drink. I waited with the girls and Jadon while Fiona went to get some lemonade. As usual, there were people who would walk buy and comment on the girls. Then this lady passed by and saw the girls and was remarking about how cute they were. Then she asked if they were identical twins and I replied in kind with a 'yes.' I didn't want to go in to how they are suppose to be identical but they don't look identical. So then she proceeded to give me her business card saying that if I was interested in having the girls in modeling and commercialling to give her a call. She looked at Jadon and said 'him too.' I couldn't help but feel flattered for my kids. But I also know that I wouldn't subject Fiona, myself, or the kids to doing that. I don't think I could commit the money (for portfolio), the time (a lot of waiting around), and the commitments (driving around) to doing that.

Jadon's Change of Heart?
We went out to dinner with Fiona's parents in celebration of Mother's Day. After dinner, Jadon insisted on sleeping over at Grandma & Grandpa's house (something he hasn't done in nearly 6 months). The last time he slept over there he cried and G&G called Fiona to come over and take him home. Then a few weeks ago when G&G were over and we were giving the girls a bath, Jadon had freaked out because he thought he was going over to G&G's house to sleep. Well we weren't sure if Jadon was bluffing so we tried to bluff him. We had to head home first to pack his stuff (if he was indeed sleeping over at his grandparents' place). Fiona and I kept asking him if he was sure and that if he goes over he cannot cry and he has to do what Grandma says. He seemed pretty adamant about sleeping over. So on the way home, he was reciting to us what we need to pack and bring. He was so cute. He told us to bring his bath tub, his fishies (his bath toy), his pajamas, etc. When we got home we decided to give him a bath first and then G&G would take him. We called Fiona's mom up later that night to check up on things and she told us that was everything went well and that he pretty much went to bed after they got things settled in.

Weekend Randomness

Yesterday Fiona and I took the kids to the beach/pier. It was the first time for all three kids believe it or not! We didn't really walk on the sand, we just walked along the pier. Fiona and I aren't much beach people. -Back in college, I hung out at the beach with the club and it was fun but it wasn't my fortay. Didn't like the mess, the lingering smell, and the hassle of parking.- At least the kids got to experience something for the first time. Total time we were there: 35 minutes.

I had one of those "who are these kids?" experience again this past weekend. I'll just sit on the floor and play with the kids and that feeling just hits me. I'll look at Fiona and think "you're too young to be a momma." It's just one of those surreal experiences that I feel once in a while. Not that it's a bad thing. Parenthood is just an awe inspiring experience and for me to be apart of and that at times it seems like it is above my feeling of comprehension (if that makes sense). Soon enough I get over it and I happily play with my kids.

Jadon is continuing his growth in the area of potty training. He is pooping in the potty 100% and he is coming around to peeing in the toilet more (he pees standing up on average of at least once a day). Fiona's been looking in to enrolling Jadon in some summertime activies. Most of them are some type of sports or games.

Natalie is progressing (albiet slowly) in her walking. She's been standing up on her own lately and she'll take steps (the most has been 7-8 step before she falls). Her physical therapist thinks that she'll walk regularly within a month. I'll give it two months. Last week she has been extremely whiny and cryful. She still cries like a newborn (literally).

Vanessa is really becoming a bookworm. She'll grab a book and run to you and shove it in your face. She gets really mad if you don't take it and start reading it. Then when you do take it and start reading it, she'll run off and do something else. Then, I've noticed, if you stop reading and put the book down, she'll come and pick it back up and shove it right back in your face.

So the girls' are going to be 16 months old soon and they are slow to grow. They are still pretty small (as I have mentioned before). But did you know........
-Both girls are still wearing 6 month onesy outfits (under shirts)?
-Both girls are still wearing 6-9 months pants and shirts?
-Both girls are still facing rear in their car seats? (Jadon was facing forward after 12 months of age, I believe).
-Both girls are still taking a bottle of breast milk before they go to sleep (and in the morning)?
-Both girls are still below the 5th percentile in both weight and height?

Well, back to work I go.....

Jadon Misses His Uncle, Jadon Goes To Work.

Yesterday, Fiona came to my work in a surprise visit. She brought all the kiddies along with her. Everyone that was at work got to see the girls for the first time. The girls were a little apprehensive and Jadon was just having a ball. I ended up keeping Jadon with me at work for a few hours. That gave Fiona a little break. She went home, put the girls for their late morning nap, and had sometime for herself (hopefully she took advantage of it). Jadon was well behaved. He sat at my desk as well as my co-worker's desk looking like he was working. My coworker later told me that Jadon was waiting for a phone call to come in so he could answer it. When it was time to leave Jadon went up everyone and said "Goodbye everyone! See you tomorrow!" How hilarious was that!? I left work an hour early and I took Jadon out to lunch (Taco Bell) and I went to get a haircut. Jadon was quite happy with his outing.

Two days ago Jadon got to see not only his Uncle Paul a second time but also Auntie Nicha. They played with the kiddies for a bit and we went out for dinner. Now that a few days have gone by, I think Jadon misses them. He asked where Uncle Paul was and I told him that he was on a trip in San Francisco. He said that he wanted to go there. I told him that they already left. He started to tear up. That should make Uncle and Auntie happy.

Cheerio Hogger.

Fiona and I have observed a behavior exhibited from Vanessa for quite some time now and I just thought I would blog it since I witnessed it again last night. I took the girls out for a Target run. When I walk I take the girls in their Peg-perego side-by-side stroller. So I placed Cheerios in each of the girls' trays. As usual I hear Natalie whining because Vanessa is picking Cheerios off from Natalie's tray (even though she hasn't touched her Cheerios yet). Vanessa loves to hog AND hoard all the Cheerios. She's a smart one though to be able to scheme like that. The thing is she is so young, I wonder where she has learned this behavior. So when we head back to the car, Vanessa will usually have some Cheerios left on her tray (Natalie doesn't have any on hers). When it's time to load up the car, I'll start with Natalie first (she sits in the middle). While I am doing this, I observe that Vanessa will make a mad dash to eat the rest of the Cheerios. While she is doing this she will keep her eyes on me to see where my progress is. She is just a funny little baby.

Uncle Paul

On Saturday, I told Jadon that Uncle Paul and Auntie Nicha were coming to visit us soon. He just laughed because he thought that the name 'Uncle Paul' sounded funny. He couldn't stop saying it. I told him that Uncle Paul is a special uncle because this was his real uncle (all of my friends are Jadon's uncles and aunts), and that he is Dadda's big brother (literally ;)). So he was excited and he kept asking me when they were coming. This was only the second time Paul has seen Jadon and the first time he has met the girls. Paul ended up hanging out with us for a good chunk of Sunday (Nicha was out shopping with my parents). Jadon and Uncle Paul got a long so well. Of course it didn't hurt that Paul let Jadon play with his digital camera too. Jadon offered to buy it for 30 cents but Uncle Paul (in his usual scheme to get more) hussled Jadon into trading the digital camera for our garage and everything in it. As for the girls, they were a little on the shy side. Natalie was a tad bit whiney when Paul tried to hold her and Vanessa too. Today (Monday), Uncle Paul and Auntie Nicha are coming over to hang out for dinner.