One of a Kind Treasures

Mike's Monday morning flight to Orange County got cancelled yesterday due to the weather, so he is taking off this afternoon for California.  He's coming back on Thursday, so it will be a short trip for him.  Hopefully he doesn't have too much travel in the future.  We got pounded with snow & wind yesterday.  I think Mike used the snowblower 3x yesterday to clear off all the snow!

Baylee is healthy again.  I'm not sure what she caught, but she was the only one sick.  She was fine yesterday & eating ravenously, so I'm sure she's back to normal.

Unfortunately, Miss Rosie's daughter was sick this morning.  Miss Rosie said we could attend (her daughters just stay in their bedrooms if they are sick), but since everyone else was staying at home, we opted to do the same.  Instead, I ended up dropping both girls off at Miss Margaret's drop-in daycare, One of a Kind Treasures.  It was only supposed to be Livy, but it was probably a blessing in disguise that I was able to drop Baylee off too so Livy had someone there.  I completely expected to get called back, but to my surprise, both girls did really well there!  Baylee came in, took her shoes off, & started to play despite never having been to Miss Margaret's before.  Livy didn't fuss at all when I left & was playing when I came back.  Miss Margaret said Livy cried for maybe 5 minutes, but was fine after that.  Livy did keep running up to Baylee to give B hugs.  Hopefully, Livy will do well by herself.  I was glad that Baylee was able to stay too today & I was able to get some errands done by MYSELF!

More Snow?!

MN is going to get hit with 6-10" of snow today, just when we thought we were turning the corner to spring!  The week was nice, warm, & sunny, so a lot of our 60+ inches of accumulation has melted.  Hopefully this doesn't make our ice dams worse.  We've been very lucky in that we haven't had any flooding, but this has been a bad winter.  We were looking forward to hopefully playing in the parks or at least outdoors soon!

We've been a sickly bunch this week.  Livy's been the only healthy one!  I had a weird virus earlier in the week--low-grade fever, aches, & nausea.  Mike caught it this weekend.  Baylee started vomiting Friday night.  She was fine all day Saturday, but woke up this morning throwing up again.  Sigh...  I was hoping to get through this winter without the stomach bug.

We got Livy a "big girl" car seat this week, which means she is now forward facing.  The City of Plymouth installed the seat for me & double-checked Baylee's seat for me too.  It was nice not having to do it myself & to have the piece of mind knowing it's in right.  Having her face forward has not been fun though.  She's been even WORSE in the car!  I don't know if it's because she can see me & wants me to hold her, but I've had to crank the car stereo to the maximum volume & she still screams above that.  It's very frustrating.  Nothing we try works--snacks, the dvd player, toys.  She just does not like being in the car.

This week, I learned that Baylee knows her ABC's.  She's a little bit addicted to a PBS show called "Super Why."  It's very educational, so I think she learned her ABC's from there.  I also have an app on my iPod that's related to the show & there's a Letter Hunt game that she loves.  It asks her to spell words & she has yet to miss a letter.  I thought maybe she knew the more common letters since she sees them the most, but she spelled queen & zebra correctly, so I'm pretty sure she knows all her letters.

Here comes the sun...

Today, we broke 40 degrees!  It's giving us some hope for spring, & the snow is beginning to melt a little.  At the rate it's going, it may be all gone by May.  Mike took Baylee out sledding this morning & the two of them had a blast.  Baylee was going a bit stir crazy being cooped up inside.  She was in a much better mood after her outing.

Livy is picking up some new tricks.  She loves to run around & play fetch with the ball.  She's already drinking out of a cup.  Baylee learned this at ECFE, so she was much older.  I think it's because Livy has an incentive to learn everything.  At this age, Baylee was a bit of a hoarder with her toys whereas Livy will grab something & hand it over.  Her personality seems to really different than Baylee's, as you would expect.  There's a little bit of feistiness & impatience, but she is also very affectionate.  She's always running up & giving hugs & kisses.  At least once a day she'll snuggle with me.

We are hosting a Valentine's Day Playdate with our friends tomorrow.  The kids will be exchanging valentines & making a container to hold all their valentines.  Hopefully the girls will have fun!  I will post pictures tomorrow.  Thankfully, I got all the cleaning done today, but I still have to make an Amish Breakfast casserole, cinnamon rolls, & heart-shaped rice krispie treats.  Baylee's preschool Valentine's Day party is Tuesday, so I'm sure she'll have lots of Valentines then too.

Counting down until spring

I can't believe it's already February!  We have been doing our usual routine of playdates & preschool.  Mike has been traveling a lot this month.  He'll have been away more than he'll have been home for February.  Livy has two new girl friends.  C's mom (C goes to preschool with Baylee & C's dad works with Mike) had a little girl, Ellie on February 1st & J's mom had Hayden on February 9th.  We're excited to meet them both.

Baylee is doing very well.  She's learning so much these days including recognizing different letters & trying to write her name.  Oddly enough, she's going through a "Mommy help me" phase.  Before it was Baylee do & now it's mommy do.  She does get herself ready in the mornings by putting on her boots & coat herself.  I have to zip it, but at least she can do that, which helps a lot.  We're working on Valentine's to give to Baylee's classmates.

Livy is still cutting teeth.  It doesn't seem like it will ever end!  She is definitely starting to show some personality these days.  She loves to run around like a little maniac & listens to us very well.  If I ask her for a kiss, she automatically leans in with her mouth wide open.  As far as I can tell, she's going to be pretty laidback.  Right now, she likes to bring over toys & hand them to me.  She doesn't hoard toys like most kids her age.  However, if it is something she wants, she will let you know.  Livy is still a champion eater.  Foods she has tried & enjoys include: chicken & black bean enchiladas; chicken coconut curry; chili; Asian noodles; lasagna; & scrambled eggs.  She loves all forms of protein--chicken, beef, beans.  I haven't tried pork, but I'm sure she will like it.  I was afraid to give her spicy food, but she LOVES it!  She doesn't like green beans, but will eat broccoli, carrots, & other pureed baby food veggies.  Oddly enough, she's not a huge carb fan.  She doesn't devour bread & waffles like Baylee.  However, Livy does like rice & noodles, which Baylee won't eat.  Also, Livy throws chicken nuggets & macaroni & cheese.  It's the funniest thing!  I won't complain though.  It's nice to know that I can just give her whatever we're having.

Mike has been traveling a lot for work.  First to Zurich & this past week to Boston.  He's here for a week & then he's off to Orange County, CA.  Hopefully March will be a quiet month for him.  The weekdays aren't that bad when he's not here, but the weekends are difficult.  Plus, the girls get tired of me.