North Carolina, a Dani AND Tori guest post!

Hi everybody, Dani here. And, hey, it's me, Tori, I'm here too! We want to tell you about our trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house, so we decided to do it together. Well, mommy kind of made us do it together because it was close to bedtime and she said we had to share. Dani doesn't seem like she's sharing too well. Pipe down Tori, or you won't type another letter.

So, we left for North Carolina on Wednesday. We all packed into daddy's car and drove and drove and drove. Tori went to sleep for a while, but I didn't. I stayed up the whole way to North Carolina, because I'm a big girl! Mommy was so surprised that I could stay up that long, because we drove for about 14 hours and in the middle of the night, but, hey, I'm a night owl when I want to be. I'm already working on my college sorority skills--I'm going to be an AOII just like my mommy.

Anyway, I had so much fun. I love my grandma and grandpa so much! Grandpa read me books.
And grandma and grandpa took us to this neat town called Shelby, which has a train and a merry-go-round that we got to ride on.

We were the only ones on the train, and we got to ride 'round and 'round the park.

Grandma called the merry-go-round a carousel. It had so many neat horses on it. Daddy and Tori rode in a sleigh (she is a baby, after all), and mommy walked all around and took pictures.

Grandma and I played with bubbles. We had bubble kazoos, and pipes and wands, and just had so much fun. And it was so nice and warm there. Before we left, there was snow at home, but in North Carolina, I got to wear short sleeves! Grandpa let me wear his cowboy boots!
We did so much fun stuff that it's hard to tell you. Did you know that Grandma and Grandpa are my mommy's mommy and daddy? They bought me some neat toys that are just like toys my mommy had when she was a toddler like me....I don't know why they didn't just save my mommy's stuff for me, but even if they didn't, I'm glad they remember my mommy's old toys. There is a neat shopping cart and groceries and lots of other stuff, too!

HEY DANI. YES, YOU DANI. ITS ALMOST MY BEDTIME AND YOU ARE TAKING TOO LONG. MY TURN. MY TURN. MY TURN OR I WILL TELL DADDY.

Okay Tori, it's almost your turn. (Peeps, don't worry, I'll post more after the baby stops babbling). Tori--just keep crawling around after the cat, and once you catch him, it's your turn to type.

DANI, NO FAIR. I'M TELLING DADDY.

Here you go, Tori, but just so you know, everyone probably stopped reading already because they like me best.

WHATEVER, Dani.

I'm going to tell everyone about my FIRST road trip! It kind of sucks having to ride backwards in a carseat for so long. On the way down, we left at 1pm and got to Grandpa's at 3:30am. I tried to sleep as much as I could but it was SO boring and carseats aren't really very comfy. But we made it--I guess some bad stuff slowed us down on the way, because the way home took much less time.

Anyway, when we got to Grandma and Grandpas, Grandpa met us and took us to our very own apartment. Mommy said that was so nice of Grandpa to get our own space for us--sometimes Dani's naptimes are kinda unpredictable, I guess. And Grandma and Grandpa are pretty old, so they probably needed to go to sleep early or something like that.

Grandpa also gave me lots of kisses.

I love Grandpa kisses.

Sometimes I think it is more fun to be the little sister. No one really is paying attention to what you are doing because your bigger sister is just so much more fun, so you can play with extra fun stuff. Here, I snagged Dani's shoe AND a magifying glass. It took a while for anyone to notice. Cool!

We did so much fun stuff. We went to a motorcycle place and did something for charity. If you bought something at this Harley dealership you could turkey bowl and maybe win a turkey. Mommy, Daddy and Grandpa all had a two chances to roll a big frozen turkey down a lane to knock over pins. Nobody won. Mommy did really bad--she didn't even knock over a pin! But the fun part was that after that, we went out to lunch. It was my first time in a restaurant! I sat in my very own high chair too! I hope I showed mommy and daddy that they could take me out more often!

Anyway, before I sat in the high chair, I sat with Grandpa. He let me chew the menu.

I had so much fun at lunch, that I got tired. I fell asleep on Grandpa's shoulder. He's super comfy. I totally recommend him if you need a nap.

TORI, no one cares what you have to say, and it's bedtime. You have to go to bed NOW. I'm the big sister so you have to do what I say. NOW.

Okay, Dani. Tell everyone night night for me, okay?

Whatever Tori, just go away.

Geesh, Tori's finally gone. Isn't it so annoying when she thinks she can post stuff? Like it's her blog or something. Well, anyone, just humor her, okay? Well, it is getting pretty late and I need to get ready for bed too. It's time for brushy brush, washy wash, nighty night. Bye bye!

Over I-81 and I-77 to Grandmother's House We Go!

We left, actually early, on Wednesday....thinking we'd be in Hickory, NC, shortly after midnight....
.............we were so wrong!

Road construction, traffic, and an event serious enough to close the interstate had us arrive at about 3:30am. My dad secured us our own apartment in the complex he works for, so he met us at the entrance to take us to our place.

Tori slept like a champ. Dani literally slept about 90 minutes the entire trip. She never slept in the carseat as a baby, and apparently won't as a toddler. Good thing is that, unlike when she was a baby and she just wailed (on the Great Chicago Road Trip of 2009) she just sat in her carseta singing songs and talking to us for twelve hours. I was amazed she didn't tire.

We pulled into the parking lot and Dani saw "GrandPA". Grandpa told her Grandma was sleeping (it was 3:15am). So everyone slept.

But, as soon as the kiddies were awake, it was Grandma-Grandpa fun time! Here's Grandma helping Tori crawl forward. And kisses from Grandpa.
Grandpa also gave horsey rides! And Grandma did double-duty with Dani and Tori!
Wow, just like Dani, Tori seems a little camera-focused......

Fun, fun. Kiddie road trip tomorrow to a town with a kiddie train and carousel!

One for you, one for me.

Tori is so close to crawling forward, so close!

Last night, I asked Dani if she wanted to feed Tori, and of course she loved the concept. Like most toddlers, the concept worked for about 22 seconds. Here she is feeding Tori:

Seconds later, it was Dani's turn to take the bottle and pretend to feed herself. (She won't really drink from Tori's bottle, and exclaims, "Baby milk, yuk!") As you can see, at this point, I am helping Tori to stay on the chair, as Dani has lost all interest in holding her.
Dani then started to slide off the chair with Tori still on her lap. Needless to say, Dani won't be babysitting anytime soon.

I'll fix her little red wagon, a Tori guest post.

Hello again, it's me, Tori. You remember me, right? I'm the little sister. Well, just so you know, I'm not so little anymore. In fact, I'm pretty big. I'm way bigger than Dani was when she was 6 months old, and I'm awfully strong. I'm good with my hands too, and I like to pull mommy and Dani's hair, just because.

Anyway, can one of you guys talk to Dani for me? I can't talk yet, but I figure she needs a warning. She needs to be warned that pretty soon, I'm going to be big enough to not get stuff taken from me. Actually, daddy thinks that I'm going to be bigger and taller than Dani, so pretty soon I'll be the one taking toys from HER!

Anyway, here's how it went down. Daddy got out a Chicago Bears winter hat, and put it on my head. I'm crawling on the floor, looking cute (natch).
Then, faster than you can say "Jay Cutler sucks", somebody snatches the hat off my head. Good thing daddy caught it on camera, I'm thinking of filing robbery charges or something.

Then, to add insult to injury, Dani puts my hat on! Oh yeah. I'm making a list, and rest assured, I'll be checking it twice once I can fend for myself, and it's going to be all about getting my stuff back. Hey big sis, I hold grudges and my memory is loooooooong!

That's right, Dani. Look cute and smiley for now, but when I can walk, I'm coming for you, and my stuff. Count on it.

I'll fix your little red wagon big sis.

Put your hands in the air!

Hip hop hurray, ho, hey, ho!

Fun day with the kiddos! We carved pumpkins and played all day! Dani is still loving her bunny ears...she likes to be "bunny Pete" from a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode. So cute!
As Tori gets bigger and more interactive, Dani and she are having more fun together. Here, they are snuggling on the couch.
Tori is trying hard to crawl. She can crawl backward, but not forward yet. But, she can do military pushups--no lie! As you can see, she pushes up on her tippy toes and her hands...and she does up and downs. Not bad for my little chubby mcdubbs. When Dani sees Tori on the floor, she tries to climb on Tori and says Giddybup! It's pretty cute, but means that now we can no longer leave Dani in the room with Tori on the floor alone, lest Tori get smooshed by her loving sister.
Yes, bad mommy had to take a picture as it was happening---I figured Dani was on Tori's calves, so it's not like Dani could do any harm, so I took a picture!

Carved some pumpkins this afternoon, roasted some seeds. Looking forward to Dani's first real Halloween!

6 month Tori report, a Dani guest post.

Hi everybody, Dani here. Mommy said that I could post tonight and give you the latest Tori news. She had her six month baby doctor visit today, and wow, she's big. She's 26.5 inches long and weighs 17 pounds and 5 ounces. What a hoss! When I was 6 months old I was 26.5 inches long too, but I only weighed 15 pounds and 12 ounces! (somebody's got to lay off the formula, if you ask me.)

Don't tell mommy and daddy, but I like playing with her. I pretend I'm not so interested, but I really do like spending time with her. Tonight during dinner, mommy let Tori sit on my lap.
Okay, well enough about Tori for now. There will be a video at the end of this post so you can see more Tori. For now, it's all about me! Today, I spent some time at Ruth's because Daddy had to take Tori to the doctor. She made my hair look really neat with lots of hair ties. When I got home, I took off my shirt and pants and put on daddy's socks. I think it's a really good look for me.
I also have this super awesome wagon that my local grandma Deb got for me. It has a seat for Tori, but Tori's too little for it now, so it's all mine! I like to go for rides in it--it even has cupholders! But remember, if you're going to drive the wagon, stick to juice. Don't drink and wagon.

Did you know that my mommy has tap shoes? She calls them heels, but I think they are tap shoes. When I put them on, each time I take a step it goes tap really loud. It's so much fun. It's kind of hard to walk in them because the heels are high and make me stand on my toes, but I love the sound they make. When I get bigger, I'm going to wear tap shoes too! And, in this picture, I put my Dora sunglasses on myself:
Ok, now some video for you. I feel like I have to tell you that my mommy's a lawyer, and the beginning was filmed without my knowledge. I might have to talk to her about being filmed playing with Tori without my consent. Anyway, here it is.

Okay, okay, I admit it, I like playing with my little sister. Busted. Anyway, mommy says I have to go to bed now, night night!

Halloween parade.

Still no teeth, but super cute!Our city has a huge Halloween parade every year. The parade, like most. runs along our street--we live in the old historic part of town, and it works well for those types of things.

I've been doing a poor job of updates. but will do better, I promise!

Tori almost crawls.

Tori, trying to crawl, humping the couch instead.

Too funny!

Co-conspirators.

They're already plotting the ways they will torment me as teenagers, I'm sure of it.

And somebody named Tori started crawling...backwards!

When did my little baby Dani turn into a kid? She's currently obsessed with the moon. We go outside on the porch every evening and sing "hey diddle diddle" repeatedly. Anytime I mention something outside, she volunteers "the moon" as an answer. When she wakes up in the morning, she says, "look at the moon". It's too cute.

Pumpkin patch.

We went to get pumpkins at a friend's farm this weekend. Dani had a blast.

She would have taken them all home if we'd have let her.

She was loving her sunglasses, and for the first time, didn't try to constantly remove them. After we got home with 6 big pumpkins, a friend of mine brought over 6 more for us! So we have a ton of pumpkins...stay tuned for jack o'lantern pictures!

Six years.

Yesterday was our six year anniversary. It's odd, because it feels like it's been so much longer. I met Big Man when I was freshman in college. We dated for a bit, and he was one of my best friends afterwards. He's still my best friend today, and so much more.

Super dad, super husband...lucky me.

We are doing our Halloween prep. Picked up pumpkins yesterday, and are working on photos in the costumes. Dani's still a bit obsessed with dressing like a pirate.

Tori is teething, and teething and, well teething. But she's just too good natured to cry about it. She just drools instead.
Caught some video of the kids being silly yesterday.

Shortly thereafter, the kids went to bed, the sitter came over and Big Man and I went out to dinner.

Things I like, a Dani guest post.

Hi everybody, Dani here. Mommy said I could tell you about things I like tonight. I like my little sister Tori. She's starting to be pretty fun, and she laughs at everything I do.

I like pumpkins! We have a whole bunch and they light up. Mommy says that soon we can get real ones. It's for halloween, and I get to dress up too! Tori is going to wear my old bumblebee costume (but she probably won't look as cute as I did last year). I have an Elmo costume that I'm probably going to wear. For now, I like to dress up as a pirate. Mommy got me a pirate hat and sword. I keep telling her "eye patch" but she won't let me have one. Did you know that I know all my colors, and I can tell mommy that the pumpkin is orange. I'm really good at talking.

I like to wear mommy's glasses. I put them on and it makes the whole room look funny.

I like to be silly. It makes Tori laugh. Tonight during dinner, mommy was holding Tori and she was so much fun. Mommy made a video of it.

Okay, well I just wanted to give you all an update (especially you, GrandPA!). I'm going to go play with Tori now, bye bye!

Killin' me.

Tori has decided that she'll sleep for 11 hours or so at night. They're just the wrong 11 hours. She is ready to go to sleep by 7pm. She will wake up by about 5:15am, on average. Now, I know I can't really complain too much because my kid sleeps NONSTOP for 11 hours...but I will anyway. Dani was always a great sleeper too (still is) but when she was little, I would "top her off" and change her diaper around 10pm, give her a bottle and put her back to sleep. This move re-set the clock, essentially, so that she would sleep through the night and later into morning. And, the morning wake up was stretched out with the pacifier--my friend Gail mentioned that when her kids would first wake up at the crack of dawn, she'd give them their pacifier, and they'd often go back to sleep or just chill...but it helped lengthen the time they went between bottles and helped them to be better sleepers. That worked for Dani, as she looooved the pacifier, until she found her thumb. And she still looooooves her thumb--it actually has a callus on her suckin' thumb--I'm guessing from sleeping as she doesn't do it much during the day.

Tori's never used a pacifier--she spits them out--and she doesn't suck her thumb. She kind of chews on her hand, but that's because she's teething. So, she's going to wake up when she's going to wake up. And she lets us know she's up. First with little noises and then, if I wait long enough, with all out crying. (It doesn't usually get to that, but at 5am, I don't exactly rush out of bed, I usually say a little prayer that she will fall back to sleep--sometimes it buys me another 20 minutes or so.)

We're all programmed differently. Some are earlybirds, some night owls. I can handle lots of things. I am really good and productive in the mornings--as long as it's after about 6am or 6:30am. No matter how early I go to sleep, 5am always kicks my ass.

There are literally mornings where I hear Tori, and I promised Big Man that I would get up with her, and I lay in bed justifying waking him up to do it, and/or being pissed that he gets to sleep. (yes, resenting my saint of a husband who raises our girls all day and fights crime all night on about 4.5 hours of sleep). I'm just not at my best at 5am.

The only thing that makes it bearable is this little cutie. She is literally smiling and giggly the second I pick her up, and so, tired and grumpy makes way for tired and happy for my little snuggle pup.


And, Big Man took this cute one of Dani, who will sit still for approximately .003 minutes for me to do her hair, sat still so "Wuth" could give her cute little ponytails!


Here's a video of Tori, just being Tori. As Dani likes to say "spit bubbuws".

Expect more posts this week--Big Man heads back to work tonight. :>(

Also, Grandma Deb bought the girls a Radio Flyer wagon with canopy. Tori's a little small for it, but Dani and I will test it out tomorrow!

Baby sign language????

Okay, peeps I've heard a ton about baby sign language, and we never tried it with Dani. I just had it in my head that if we taught her to sign she would take longer to talk. I was contacted by the folks at babysignlanguage.com about, well baby sign language. I told them that if they wrote an article for baby signing skeptics, I'd put it on my blog and let you be the judge! (**disclaimer--I have received absolutely no compensation for this post**)

So, compliments of my newest BFF Mindy, here's the article! And, if you try it, let me know!

Baby Signing Skeptic
So you are a baby signing skeptic? That’s OK – baby sign language has been around for a while but there are many myths about how it works, or even if it works, and whether or not it’s actually worth while attempting. Teaching baby sign language to your baby should be fun and rewarding but it will only work if you’re really into it. Read on to find out more about why you should definitely teach your baby to sign…

Myth #1 – Babies who sign don’t talk early
Untrue. Research has shown that children who sign as babies often speak earlier! It’s true – baby signing can act as a ‘stepping stone’ to verbal speech, supporting a young child’s efforts to express himself. Research has shown that babies who have early exposure to signing often have bigger speaking vocabularies when they start school. How does this work?

From an early age, babies try to communicate in many different ways – through their facial expressions, for example, or by smiling, babbling, crying, trying to move nearer to you. The most important way to communicate with a baby is to let them know you have received their message. Nod, or smile, or pick them up. The response must fit whatever your baby is trying to communicate. One of the great things about Baby Sign Language is that it gives both babies and parents another tool for communication. Many studies show that signing does not replace speech, but actually aids its development, by improving a baby’s confidence in its ability to communicate.
http://www.babysignlanguage.com

Confidence And Communication:Babies who are better able to communicate their needs will develop more confidence than babies who struggle to be understood and validated. This is because every time you respond to your baby in a way which validates his efforts at communication, his confidence in his abilities grows. As your baby’s confidence grows, so will his abilities. It is a positive spiral. But the converse is also true – if a baby does not learn that his efforts at communicating are successful, he may either withdraw, or develop more and more extreme ways of getting your attention!

Communication And Language:It’s important to remember that talking is only one part of communication – and for most pre-school children it’s only a small part. Children communicate with us and each other through touch, facial expressions, tone and volume of voice, by telling stories and through play. They also instinctively communicate by using hand gestures – such as signs. Talking is a natural progression for children and talking to your children, by reading stories and explaining every day activities, is a great way to encourage speech. If you add sign language into the mix, you are simply giving your child another tool for expressing themselves. There is no evidence that baby sign language slows down speech development – while the opposite may indeed be true.

Myth #2 – Learning baby signing is difficult.
True – but it is no more difficult than learning any new skill, and babies have to learn many! Babies learn by imitation. Through all forms of interaction – play, quiet time, watching and listening, signing or talking – your baby is learning from you and the world around them. Whether they are learning how to walk, how to sign, or just how to interact with others, repetition is one of the ways they learn important messages about how to behave. The key to baby signing is repetition, and the more you do it the easier and more natural it is. Learning the signs can often be harder for the parent than the child, and this is why many parents don’t bother. But when you understand the whole range of benefits which come from signing – for baby and for Mommy and Daddy – you might think it worth the effort.

The benefits of baby sign language:

1: Signing helps with bonding. Signing is a two-way activity, encouraging communication from parent to baby and back again. In fact, mothers who sign with their babies often feel closer to them, noticing and appreciating baby’s efforts at communication earlier than non-signing moms.

2: The signs are simple and straight forward to learn. You can start signing with your baby by learning just a handful of signs, such as Mommy, Daddy, Milk and Diaper. Find more useful starter signs here. Once you’ve mastered these, it’s easy to build up your repertoire.

3: It’s a great way to involve dads. Dads sometimes feel left out of bringing up a baby, especially if Mom is breastfeeding. Apart from changing diapers, there’s not a lot he can do! Signing is something baby and daddy can do together, creating a special bond.

4. Baby signing is fun. So many things these days are just plain hard work! Baby signing is supposed to fun – and that’s one of the reasons it works so well. If you’re not having fun you’re doing it wrong.

5. Signing reduces toddler tantrums. Yes, it really does. Baby signing has been proven to reduce frustration and to help children through those toddler-tantrum years. Many tantrums are caused by communication frustration, and when your child can easily express what he wants he is happier and calmer – and so are you!

6. It’s a great talking point. When you and baby are out for coffee, imagine how envious your friends will be when baby tells you she’s tired, or hungry, or too hot – just by making hand gestures? Amazing! While other moms struggle through the baby years, you and your baby will be communicating happily with each other. Be sure to share your knowledge with them.

7. Baby signing can help with post-partum depression. The bonding aspects of Signing cannot be underestimated. But post-partum depression can begin at any time, even during the second year. Many early-years programs teach baby sign language to moms and babies to help build communication and trust.

Still a skeptic? Why not give it a try for a month or two and see if it works for you. You never know, you may join the millions of Moms who love Baby Sign Language and have never looked back.

Mommy has silly friends, a Tori guest post.

Hello again, it's me, Tori. Dani went to sleep already so I snuck onto the computer to say hi. Don't tell her--she's still not so good at sharing. She's getting better though. It's probably getting easier for her because I'm getting so cute, that it's hard to say no to me.
It was my mommy's birthday a few weeks ago. She's really old--37! I don't know much about birthdays but they seem like fun. You get to have cake! I don't really know what cake is, but mommy and Dani sure seemed excited about it when daddy baked it. And people give you presents and sing songs to you.

Today one of mommy's friends sent her a present. It came in a big box! She said it was from her friend Chang, who I guess is one of her and Daddy's bestest friends from college--there are a bunch of pictures around the house with him in them. I can't wait to meet him, because he seems like he must be funny--his present made mommy laugh.

He sent her a toilet seat that had a painting about baseball. You can see the little boy's booty on it.

Mommy says thanks Chang! She says she's going to make daddy answer any questions Dani has about the picture, though. I'm not really sure why. Anyway, I'm getting hungry now, so I'm going to cry for a bit until someone brings me a bottle. Life is good. Bye bye!

Oh yeah, that other kid.

I know that it must seem like I'm favoring Dani, since she's more often the focus of my posts. But, (sorry Tori) she's a little more exciting than Tori at this stage (ok, a LOT more exciting) and she's talking in sentences and stuff! And Tori, well she's super on-track for being almost 5 months old, but let's face it folks, 5 months is just less interesting than 21 months.

But we love her just the same! You may remember that back in the Dani-baby days, the 'mote was off limits. Here, daddy is teaching Tori about his favorite toy.
Tori is always focused on Dani, just hoping that Dani will pay her some mind. She's always staring at Dani, trying to make eye contact and laughing at everything Dani does. Dani likes to yell "Tori get me" which is code for me to scoop Tori up and help Tori chase Dani around the house, ultimately ending with Tori hopping on top of Dani and (mommy) saying "got you".

Tori's also finally figuring out baby food. She really doesn't get it down too well. So, we tried other soft stuff, and found that our 5 month old who can't (or won't?) master a spoon of stage 1 prunes, can power down a bowl of mashed potatoes! (below--prune fail)

So, Tori's fun too. And we love her lots, even if she's under-represented in my posts these days.

Arrrrrgh, a Dani guest post.

Arrrrgh. I see me enemies out th' porthole! T' scurvy bastards won't get me!

I will protect me baby sister and cut off mine enemies heads! Arrrrgh.

I lick the blood of mine enemies off me sword! Arrrg, Captain Dani Feathersword must protect her pumpkins and her family!

Arrrgh!

Thick as thieves, almost.

Today, I had a little foreshadowing into the closeness Dani and Tori will share when they are just a little bit older. Dani wanted to sit with Tori "under Daddy's covers" (which means the blanket nearest Big Man's couch spot". Dani proceeded to snuggle and give her repeated kisses on her head. Every few minutes, Tori, an inexperienced sitter, would flop over onto Dani, which would send her into hysterics! Shouts of "Tori get me" and Dani racing off the couch, with the expectation that I would scoop Tori up (I did) and chase Dani around the house saying "Tori's gonna get you", while she squeals and halfheartedly tries to run away.It's so neat to see them have this bond--they are so interested in each other but only on their terms. For Dani, it's when Mickey Mouse isn't on, and when she's sure she's getting enough attention from Big Man or me, that she will focus on Tori and just try to make her laugh and smile, or just be close to her. Tori's pretty young still, but if I hold her near Dani, she constantly moves her feet or hands near to Dani to touch her. Which, to Dani, is Tori hitting and kicking, but she doesn't seem to mind, because deep down she knows Tori's a baby.

Someone please remind me of this tenderness when, in the not so distant future, I am reporting that they are beating the stuffing out of each other? (and/or fighting over clothes, toys, boys, etc.)