Labor Day labor

On Sunday, the day before Labor Day, our church leaders decided we would do some labor out in the community.

People worked on projects all over Santa Clarita, and at the church, packaged up over 100,000 meals to send to Haiti.

We decided to help paint at Newhall Elementary School, one of the oldest in the Valley.

The handball courts were plain white, and we helped turn them into works of art. Well, something like that.

I helped mask, Stace masked and painted, and Cora painted. Violet stayed at church in the nursery, for the first time.

When I picked Violet up, she was sleeping in a swing and looked so sweet and comfy. Our baby swing is a small travel swing; maybe that's why she's never fallen in love with it.

Back at the school Violet enjoyed picking at the grass.

When we got home, the work continued, with Cora scrubbing down the garage door.

Blocks and ... Uh Oh!

Cora has been spending a lot of play time the last couple of days with her blocks, making houses and garages. The first photo shows her version of a garage. She's recreated this same structure quite a few times. When I asked her how the cars get out, she said they just drive through, knocking the blocks out of their way.

The second photo shows Daddy's version of a house, complete with all the cars in various stages of (dis)repair in the front yard. Uncle Bill (and Grandma), this one's for you.

Later in the day, Violet was on her blanket playing with her toys. She is mobile, however, and here's what happened next.







Thankfully, Cora handled this with flying colors. She didn't notice the destruction until we showed her the video, and she found it hilarious. Cora wanted to watch it again and again.

I've been saying for a few months that the transition from one child to two has gone very smoothly, that Cora loves her baby sister dearly, but that it will get more difficult when Violet is getting into her things. Obviously this was just the first of many such encounters, and I don't expect them all to go so well!

Doctors - well and not-so-well

Violet had her four-month well-check Thursday, and she is very well.

As you can see, Violet is 14 pounds (55th percentile), so she's on the same growth curve as she was two months ago at her last well-check. She is 25 inches (75th percentile), and the doctor said she is doing great!

Violet got two shots and an oral vaccine, and we'll go back next month for another shot.

I had Cora with me this time, and thankfully my sister got off work (just down the street) and could join us and entertain Cora for much of the appointment. Normally they are pretty quick, but they were short a doctor and things took longer than usual.

Somer also has been to the doctor this week.

We noticed over the last few weeks (months?) that her appetite has decreased, her coat was dull with tufts of fur sticking out, and she always wanted to drink water out of the tap. Then, a week after we got home from England, she started peeing on the playroom carpet. Uggggh. Somer had never peed outside her box in the six-plus years we'd had her.

Somer spent the night at the vet's so they could do some testing, and it appears that she has a urinary tract infection that has gone into her kidneys. Poor girl! She's home now. The results from her urine culture will be back early next week so we'll know for sure then, but she's on antibiotics in case that is the problem.

We also found out that she is just eight pounds. The doctor said she's not too thin, but that was an amazing revelation since she was 12 pounds the last time we took her in (four years ago, shame on us, but she does live indoors).

The last photo is of Cora getting ready to go to Disneyland! She was very excited, as you can guess, and even consented to pigtails. Stace and I will either have a quiet night at home with Violet, or maybe go out to dinner? He's been very, very busy at work lately so we'll see.

Story time and scary skeletons

First off, an update on Violet's crib progress. Her first night in the crib, she awoke at 3 a.m. (unusual) and after I gave her the pacifier, she went back to sleep until 6. Then I brought her in bed about 6:20 and fed her, but before we could settle into sleep again, Cora woke up before 7, wide awake and ready for breakfast.

Tuesday night was better; Violet went down by 9 and didn't wake up until about 7. Cora woke up about 7:20 - still early for her (and me) but better, especially since I didn't plan to go back to sleep after Violet finished feeding. I think with Cora taking her naps earlier (by 1:30 instead of 2ish), I need to make sure I'm getting her up by 3:30 instead of 4, so that she's tired by 8:30 and sleeps until after 7!

Today we walked over to the big park for storytime with Miss Carol. Genia and her brood, and Juliana and Maya, all attended. Owen and Violet spent a bit of time together - they are almost exactly one year apart.

Before our walk home, I switched our second seat on the Phil and Ted, so that Violet is in the extra seat and Cora in the normal seat. It works! But it does mean a lot more sun for Violet, so I might switch it back. The first stroller photo shows the new arrangement, the second two show how it was, with Violet in the "newborn" position.

After our Tuesday night ice cream, we went to Michaels' craft supply to pick up a few things. Cora and I were surprised (shocked!) by an animatronic skeleton, a Halloween item, that began yelling at us in a scary voice. Poor Cora! She started screaming, over and over, an eardrum-piercing scream appropriate for a horror movie. The rest of our trip, she discussed the scary skeleton with us. She kept asking if it was scary, and resolved over and over to not walk by him again. She also said that he was a "weirdo" and a "dipstick."
I think we're in for a long couple of months, as just about all stores seem to sell these scary things!

Concert in the Park

A good weekend...

We went to our first Concert in the Park on Saturday night of the summer - and our last, as it was the final one this year.
What happened to summer, after all?

We were lucky enough to spend the afternoon with Kelly. She is doing well, and it was great catching up.

The concert was packed - traffic on Bouquet was backed up for at least a mile. Good thing Stace had a Saugus girl as his co-pilot, to usher us onto the back streets, also known as my parents' neighborhood.

You can see from the group photo, we weren't anywhere near the stage - we could barely see the stage from our picnic spot! Still, the atmosphere was great as always, and the Journey cover band was a lot of fun.

Since Kelly was with us, it was appropriate for Violet to wear the adorable Vans sneakers Kelly had bought for Cora. The weather cooled off nicely this weekend, enough so that Violet could wear jeans and her denim coat.

Stace had a full weekend - he worked Saturday morning at work, and then got a lot of little things done around the house. He put up Violet's crib, Cora's height chart and some decorative hooks, mowed and trimmed outside, installed smoke alarms and cleaned the garage.

Tonight, we'll put Violet to bed in her own room. I tried this once, the week we returned from England -it wasn't a great idea, as she woke at 3 with jet lag. Cora was in her own room at around three months, but she was already sleeping until 8 most mornings.

Four months, and playful!

Our Violet is getting bigger!
(To see the prior photos with the doll, click here. And I promise, I didn't set up the doll's arm, or Violet's!)

When we took Violet to England at three months old, she was just starting to reach for things.

When we returned two weeks later, she was playing with toys.

At four months, she definitely is interested in toys, and she's definitely mobile.

Cora gave us some more time to get used to having a little one around before she was all over the place. Not Violet!

In photo two here (which Big Sis insisted on starring in), you can see the diaper on the floor, on the right side. I laid Violet's head on it and turned to pour cereal and milk for Cora and me. In that amount of time, she rolled herself over to Cora's Skipper Club bag, which she was playing with.

I can't believe how fast she can roll herself around, at the four-month mark. Wow. I am now putting out a twin-sized blanket for her to play on, to protect floors from her prolific spitting-up.

Violet also is loving to play, as you can see in the video. And she's getting more vocal.

She is still a complete sweetheart, thrilling us with her bright, wide smile and happy squeals. At dinner tonight, Violet sat between me and Cora, on the floor in her bouncer. Every time I glanced down, she was staring at me, and when I'd smile, she'd smile so big! It melted my heart each time.

She likes her pacifier more than Cora did, and I am attempting to conserve it for naptime and bedtime. She often chews on her fist or finger, and she drools a lot.

Schedule-wise, I'm trying to put Violet down at night by 8:30 or 9. She's still in her bassinet next to my bed, though she really is too big for it!

She normally wakes around 6 or 6:30and eats then, in bed with me, and we both go back to sleep until closer to 8. Sometimes she'll sleep until 7, at which point I'll feed her more thoroughly and we'll get up after.

On days we're home, Violet will nap around 9, eat again at 10:30 or 11, nap around noon or 12:30, and eat again around 1:30 or 2. Another nap at 3, and more milk at 4:30 or 5. Then, Violet normally is up until bedtime, with more milk around 7 or 7:30.

Ventura relief

We beat the heat Friday by escaping to Ventura with Colleen, Lucas and Liana, and some other MOPS friends.

Though I should always be prepared for the cold when we go to Ventura, I had looked at the forecast and it called for a high of 75 and sun.

When we arrived about 10:45, it was in the low 60s and cloudy. Thankfully I had sweaters for Cora and me, and Colleen had an extra warm outfit for Liana she let us borrow.

The weather didn't bother Lucas and Cora. They played in the sand for a long time, bringing water back in the buckets.

Eventually the sun did shine brightly, and Cora really had a great time in the water, running back and forth in the shallow part of the waves. She was very vocal about her enjoyment, saying what a great time she was having and how much she loved the water and how she wasn't scared anymore.

Violet and Liana liked the beach, too. They both took a nap in Colleen's tent.

Speaking of Cora talking, I haven't mentioned any Coraisms lately. I think it's because she chatters all the time, and says so many funny things, I forget to write them down!

I did jot this down the other day, when Cora found a stack of rubber bands from the pile of newspapers I was going through after we got home. She put them on her wrist and said,
"If I put rubber bands on, I'm like a soldier. Sometimes soldiers have rubber bands."

In the airport leaving L.A., Cora said to Stace, "Daddy, you're a very lucky man."
"Why's that?" he asked.
"Because I'm your girl!"

One thing she says these days is "super duper," and she also says "bessert" for dessert. By the word she means a little snack before bed, not necessarily something like cake or ice cream. We now try to build in "bessert" time in our evening, when she can have a handful of blueberries or a small yogurt.

Pool with Harvey

We spent Tuesday morning with Elissa and Harvey, who are soon moving to Florida for at least six months for a film job Frankie is working on.

We returned from England to a crazy heat wave, so the pool is the place to be!

Actually, the coast is really the place to be - more on that later!

Cora had a lot of fun in the pool. Wearing two flotation devices, she got brave enough to jump into the pool, on her own!

As for our jet lag, our very first night back was as you'd predict with two kids. They seemed to alternate periods of wakefulness, meaning Stace and I didn't get a lot of sleep considering how tired we were for having been up nearly 24 hours.

They progressively improved with their sleeping, and now are back on track.

England wrap-up

Perry's Cider Farm, maker of delicious hard apple cider (in England, all cider is hard!)

In this idyllic orchard setting, we enjoyed a cream tea and a savory tea, plus cider samples...

...from barrels like this, with Stacey's Nan.

It was great to spend more time with Mary, who is looking very well and loved seeing her great-granddaughters.

We also took a couple of trips to public indoor swimming pools...

...where Cora's confidence swelled and she managed to take both feet off the ground, without wearing a flotation device or clinging to an adult's neck for dear life.

And, for good measure, a final picture of the babies.
Whoops, the babies and Stace, I meant to say.

We've been home a week, so it's time to put an end to the posts about our trip. We had a great flight home, and the girls again were brilliant on the airplane. Cora watched television the entire trip, except for the last hour, when she finally fell into a deep sleep. (This is now the fourth transatlantic flight in a row when she's fallen asleep only for the final hour.)

Violet was excellent, too. I imagine we'll have a different experience at Christmas, when Vi will be older and presumably mobile and more opinionated.

I wish I could say that Cora was as well-behaved while we were in England. We hit a difficult patch with her; she was tantrum-prone and rude a lot more often than we would have liked.

I've had friends with older children say that three is a harder age than two, and that seems to be the truth. Anyway, Stace and I know how fast the days, months and years fly by, and we know that this phase will be over in the blink of an eye.

Swannery

We went with Nan and Pop to the Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset one day during the second week of our trip. It's an ancient managed colony of the birds, on a lagoon just off the southern coast.
Here, Nan and Cora took the tractor ride from the visitors center and entrance to the actual swannery.

I like that photo - let's see it up close.

The tourist attraction also features a willow, or withy, maze in the shape of a swan, with a big willow egg in the center. We had fun finding butterflies, dead ends and feathers on our way to the egg. Above, Pop and Cora figure out which way we should go next.
Cora loved being our leader, and always needed to be in the lead. She was a bit disappointed to find that the egg was made of withies, though - she was expecting a real egg, I think.

After the maze, we made our way out to the swans. There were hundreds of them, along with other assorted water fowl.
Watching the swans take flight was funny. They have to run along the water, slap, slap, slap, before getting enough lift to get up in the air. Then, they only flew a short distance before landing again. It seemed like an awful lot of effort, and that swimming would be easier.
We were there for feeding time, and children are allowed to help. Cora enjoyed feeding the swans, but she didn't like them coming near her. She amused the crowd behind the fence by moving her bucket of food every time a swan approached it.

Thanks, JT, for the suggestion on a great day out! We'll have to head back out in May when the babies hatch.