Mother's Day 2011

Spring 2011!

Finally, Spring is here and we can play outside! The girls have been so excited to see the magic of Spring arriving as the first flowers appear in our garden. We spend a lot of time wandering around the yard looking for pinecones and sticks to collect as well as pulling out weeds and looking for new flowers.

Callia and Maia are now 2 years and 9 months and have become so independent. They are both in big girl beds and Maia is completely potty-trained! Although they still like our help now and again, they are enjoying learning how to do things for themselves. Maia is very excited that she can dress herself, put on her own coat and shoes and practice buttons - "Look Mama, I am learning how to button!". Callia has also learned to put her own shoes on and put her clothes in the hamper. They love to help set the table for meals and even serve themselves. It's amazing how much more they are interested in trying when they can serve their own food.

Maia is such a riot these days. She definitely has a sense of humor and an amazing mind. She still loves to try to figure things out and is asking "why?" all the time now. Maia's favorite thing in the world is riding her tricycle, which she taught herself to ride last Fall. Our one-way street is a small neighborhood with 13 children living on it! So on nice weather days, signs are put out into the road and kids and parents gather to enjoy outside time! We have the nicest neighbors and love that the girls can grow up around all these great kids!

Callia is happiest when she is singing or listening to music. She memorizes words to songs and even gets the right pitch! Her new favorites are songs from Mary (or Maria as she likes to call her) Poppins or Laurie Berkner. Callie was singing Laurie Berkner's song "I'm Not Perfect" the other day (really cute song) and I said, "Callia, if you're not perfect then what are you?" She replied, "I'm WONDERFUL!" grinning from ear to ear!

Indoor and Outdoor Early Spring pictures

Callie being Callie

Maia buckled herself into an old booster seat

Oh, Maia

Will her bangs ever grow out?  Stay tuned.....

Happy to be outside!

Maia let me braid her hair!

My sunshine girl

My little star

Winter 2011

Happy 2011 Everyone!

 We have had an incredibly crazy Winter and will be so happy when Spring comes....between major snowstorms several weeks in a row to having constant colds to a basement renovation, we need to get out of our house!!!

On the positive side, Callia and Maia are growing so fast! They are now 2.7 yrs and doing so many independent things. Our week is quite busy (albeit interruptions of colds and snow) with music class, mommy and me class and swim class. The girls enjoy singing to all kinds of music but most especially "the Sound of Music". It has been challenging to find things to do with 2 year olds when you you are stuck at home but we have discovered a few things we like: painting with watercolors, stamping, baking, playing dress-up and having tea parties to name a few. Callia is developing quite a funny sense of humor....well at least we think what she says sometimes is funny. The other day I asked her if she wanted to wear a particular dress and she said, "Well, maybe not." She also likes to hold up her pointer finger and say, "I'll be right back." She and Maia are best buddies when they are not arguing over a toy and have really cute conversations. Callie says, "Maia, Maia, are you happy or sad?" or "Maia, I wuv you so very much."  Maia's big news is that she has been out of diapers for almost 2 weeks now! She is so proud of herself and declared the other day, "I love underwear!" We are so very proud of her and are also thrilled that there are only 1/2 the diapers to contend with until Callia is ready to train.

Our basement is near to completion as only the floors and final touches need to be done. We cannot wait to have a new play area for the girls and maybe reclaim some of the rooms in our house that have become makeshift playrooms! I don't think I remember what my living room used to look like under all the primary colors and toys. Will post pics of the new basement as soon as it's done....

Callia 2.5

Maia 2.5

Tea Party

Dress-Up

Maia "mopping" the floor with real water

 Valentine's Day and Sister Love

 

Fall 2010

Peek-a-boo, Callie!

Fun in the leaves together

Maia

Playing Dress-up Sept 2010

Callie & her "outfit"

Summer/ Fall adventures

 Enjoying Summer in our backyard

I still cannot believe how quickly time flies. October is here and I realized I haven't posted any new pictures for 2 months! Callia and Maia are so much fun and growing like weeds. They are both in the 75th % for height and 50th% for weight.They are pretty good eaters for toddlers and seem to like atypical foods like black olives and broccoli. However, they do not like typical kid foods like mashed potatoes or waffles.

Both girls are talking up a storm, saying words like Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. The other day, Callia said her first very long sentence "Maia, come over and sit down right here next to me!" These two sisters just love each other and are really interacting more and more. They like to chase each other around, play Ring around the Rosie, or just hug and kiss each other.

 

Callia

Callia is a very sweet, happy child....when she isn't fiercely demanding her independence! It is absolutely wonderful that she is sticking up for herself with her assertive sister but she also sometimes gets frustrated with how to ask for what she needs. It will be nice as her language develops even more so she won't get so frustrated. However, she is saying so many things and still loves to read! She picked up a book today as Maia and Callia were cuddling in my bed (while I put my laundry away) and started "reading" it to Maia in her own version of the story. One of her favorite things to do is sing and she can sing many songs that I am just learning she can sing the words to. She sings the Alphabet Song, Twinkle Twinkle, "Freight Train", Baa Baa Black Sheep, Handyman by James Taylor, among others. We are taking a music class (Music Together) and just love it. Already, the girls have picked up on some of the concepts they try to teach and today in class, Callia was keeping the beat on her knee with her hand. It was very cute!

Callie is very into dressing up these days and it seems to always be the same outfit. Pictures will only do it justice and I will post them when I get them uploaded from our camera. Let's just say we get a lot of comments when we go out in public and she is very proud of her get-up. Callie loves playing with Little People and has now taken to lining up all the people in a row and then kicking them over. The other day, Maia put about 10 of her Little People in their toy oven...should I be worried about this? ;) All in all, Callia is a delight who brightens my day...she is going through so many developmental changes right now and I am just so proud of who she is.

Maia

Maia is still very active and has mastered some challenging feats for someone her age. She taught herself to do a forward roll and can climb something new each time we go to the playground! Maia also loves to do any sort of art work and has begun to draw circles with dots in them which she claims are "mommy" and "daddy". She has really developed a new love for puzzles and is starting to put together the puzzles where the pieces fit together (not just the ones with the knobs).Maia is a very loving, helpful child. She is quick to help me put away toys or unload the dishwasher. I hope she keeps this cleaning trend up because soon enough she will be cleaning up the whole house (then I can put my feet up and eat bon bons all day :) ). 

Maia insists on doing things herself and will tell anyone who deviates from the routine, just how it is supposed to go. She still adores giraffes and now has to sleep with about 5 of them - each one with a different name. She remembers who gave her certain toys and if they are stuffed animals, we name them after the person who gave them to us. Since Daddy has been traveling a lot for work and away for days at a time, he gave each daughter a special stuffed animal to hug when they miss him. Did you guess which animal Maia has? Daddy FeeFee (Giraffe). He sleeps next to her every night. Callie got Daddy Bear and she cuddles with him in her crib as well. One day, Jason had just left for Georgia and Maia was taking Daddy Bear for a walk. I asked her where she was taking Daddy Bear in her stroller and she replied, "Georgia's house." She also calls our pediatrician's office "Dr. Newton's house". She makes us laugh on a daily basis and I think she will be entertaining us for a long time!

Callia's first train ride

Maia's first train ride

Girls in Quincy Market

Great birthday with my family in Boston

Jason and I are doing well with all the events happening in our lives at the moment. He is traveling quite a bit down to Georgia as he continues working on the big project he has been leading. While we miss him immensely, we are so supportive of his endeavors and so very proud of all the hard work he puts in. 

We have also begun a basement renovation project which will eventually provide us with some extra storage and a play space for the girls. We cannot wait to claim our living room back as it currently looks like a very disorganized pre-school. Right now it is a race to get our furnace hooked back up before it gets too cold for us to stand it. The end result will be so amazing!  

I am very busy keeping up with my active toddlers and our crazy schedule. But, there is not a day that goes by (even the more difficult days) that I am not absolutely grateful to be a mom to these two amazing little people. After all of the challenges of becoming pregnant with them, I am so completely thankful to have such wonderful children. This is the hardest job I have ever had in my life but by far the most rewarding. Please forgive me if I haven't been as timely in my responses to phone calls or e-mails. It simply boils down to running out of time each day, as I give most of it to my fabulous daughters. Jason and I feel so lucky to have so many wonderful friends and relatives who have supported us throughout and I look forward to spending more time with you all in the future!

First day of "school" and ring around the rosie

Maia in her giraffe dress

Sister Love

We're 2!!!!

Callia and Maia are officially two years old and are acquiring new skills by the minute! We had two small parties for them this year...the first for just local family and the second for some friends we often play with. For the "friends" party we did a lion and giraffe theme since these are their favorite animals right now. I stayed up until midnight the night before the party to bake and decorate this cake and although I was really happy with how it came out, I vowed to just buy one already baked and frosted so that all I would need to do is decorate it next year. My mom used to make and decorate my birthday cakes and I hope to continue this tradition because it was very special for me growing up. Callie & Maia thoroughly enjoyed their friends who came and I think the kids had a blast with the various activities we had going on.

Callia & Maia enjoying their lion and giraffe cake

Maia always finding new places to climb

Peek-a-boo through the ball tent

Our family party (which actually happened first) was so much fun, especially since the girls had all their grandparents to help them celebrate. GG & Granddad were here from NJ and Two Papas was here from VT. Let's just say Maia & Callia got a tremendous amount of grandparent attention! This party's theme was summer and watermelon (hence the watermelon cake). I also made this one and was extremely thrilled to include the flavor of watermelon! Maia actually saw the cake and said "wa wa melon, no seeds" since we usually say that about the black seeds. In this case, the "seeds" were mini chocolate chips so we told her it was ok. We all loved being able to celebrate this special day with some of our relatives - we are so lucky to have such a great family!

We loved our balloons!

Maia is so funny and loving. She gives amazing hugs and kisses but usually only to me and Daddy. Maia has never been afraid to tell us what she needs or wants so her two year old behavior has not changed much, other than a bit of whining. We are practicing using her big girl words instead....

Maia has to keep moving all the time. She is so physically strong and has taught herself to do so many things. She can pedal on her little tricycle down the driveway and stop when she is picking up speed. She has also been practicing climbing some bigger structures at the playground, which makes me a little nervous but she does it with care and perseverance. Maia loves to do things herself and has learned to buckle herself into the carseat and high chair. She can also put on her shoes and sometimes even her clothes! Maia is so proud of herself when she sings "Rain, Rain Go Away" and when ever she does something a big kid can do.



Callia is a very loving sweet girl, who has decided to now be 2. She is developing so many new skills including new language, walking up and down the stairs by herself and imaginative play with her dolls or Fisher Price Little People. Callie, who used to be agreeable all the time, has started becoming more independent and assertive to tell us what she wants. We see this as a good thing since her sister can be quite assertive and we want Callia to let Maia know what she wants too.

Callia's favorite thing to do right now is play with Little People as she creates all of these scenarios with them and narrates what she is doing as she is playing. She still loves to read and will sit to listen to long books being read to her. She is very skilled at holding a crayon or marker and draws amazing pictures using many colors and filling up the pages with mostly circles and spirals. Sometimes she even labels what they are like "apple" or "kitty". ANother one of Callie's very favorite things to do is dance to music. All I have to do is put on a Sesame Street CD and she will drop whatever she is doing to start dancing to it. She knows which songs come next and is starting to sing with them. This makes me especially proud since she has a hearing loss in one ear but is finding joy in music. We will be taking a music and movement class in the Fall and I think we will all love it!