Potty time

Alice peed in her potty for the first time today!

Trains

Today was a long day for the girls. We met my mom at the Discovery Gateway and played there for a few hours. I need to remember to call in advance to make sure there are no school groups scheduled for the day. I have never seen it so crowded. I don't think the girls cared, but my mom and I were both annoyed. After the museum we met up with Marc, Lauren, Karmin, and Lauren's friends Mirinda and Carolina for lunch. We decided to go to Market Street Grill since the Dine-O-Round is currently going on and there was a lunch special for $10 (a totally good deal there). It was delicious. The highlight of the whole day (for the girls) was riding Trax. We rode Trax a few blocks to the restaurant and back to the Gateway so we wouldn't have to find parking. The only train they have ridden is the one at the zoo, so this was a special treat. Alice wasn't too sure about it at first, but quickly was super excited. Whenever the train would stop she would get mad and say "Again!" When we were done with lunch and heading back to the train, as soon as Claire saw it her eyes got wide and her mouth dropped open in anticipation. It was very cute. I took some pics of the girls on their first train ride. They don't look as excited as they were because they were too absorbed in the moment.

Her Father's Daughter

Claire may look like me, but she is Marc's kid for sure. I have blogged previously about her sick temperment being just as ridiculous as Marc's, now we get to deal with allergies. Spring has sprung in the canyon (finally) and both Marc and Claire are suffering for it. I was reading online about children's allergies and how it is very unusual for kids under 5 to have seasonal allergies along with a warning that anti-histamines can be fatal in some children, I was seriously freaked out. We went to the zoo today and when I got Claire out of her car seat her eyes were bright red with snot running down her face and a rash forming around one eye, I decided it was time to call the doctor. She was able to squeeze us in at 1:00 so Sandy and I spent the morning at the zoo with the girls, got lunch and headed to the doctor's. Dr. Baar took one look at Claire and said "She looks like a kid with allergies." She gave Claire the once over and told us to get Claire started on Zyrtec at night. She mentioned that kids under 2 very rarely exhibit symptoms of seasonal allergies, but with a strong family history of allergies (on both sides) it isn't totally crazy. If her symptoms don't improve we may need to see an allergist. We can start doing allergy shots when she is 5.
I also mentioned that Claire has been suffering with motion sickness lately and she asked if there is a family history of migraines. Many of Marc's family members suffer(ed) with migraines. Marc had severe migraines as a child but outgrew them. So that may be something to look forward to. Apparently motion sickness and migraines often occur together (fun times!). At least there is something we can do to relieve Claire's allergy symptoms, too bad there isn't anything we can do about the motion sickness.

Happy Birthday to my Mom

Happy Birthday Mom (Gaga)! We love you appreciate everything you do for us. Have an awesome day.
Frances, Marc, Alice and Claire

Easter

The weather didn't cooperate for Easter this year, so instead of hunting eggs outside, we had an indoor hunt. The girls are still learning the concept of searching for something, so Sandy made it easy and hid all of their eggs in her gold kitchen set. I'm not sure they understood the concept, but whatever. Since they don't eat candy, we got a little creative of what to give them instead. We ended up doing teddy grahams, yogurt melts, and chocolate chips. Their favorite thing was the yogurt melts. That is our version of candy at home, so it was a total treat. We had a great Easter and loved spending time with Rara, Papa, Mimi and Ryan!

18 Month Checkup

Yesterday we went to the doctor for the 18th month checkup and booster shots. Fun times.
The stats are:
     Alice              
     18.57 lbs (0%, did you realize there WAS a 0%, I had no idea. We are officially off the charts)
     29.75" (7%)

     Claire
     21.5 lbs (12%)
     30.5" (18%)

We learned that Alice is the size of an average 9 month old and Claire the average 12 month old. We have learned there are lots of reasons that small kids rock!
1. Clothes last forever. We get to wear outfits much longer than other kids.
2. People think you are cuter when you are small.
3. It is so impressive to see what you think is a 9 month old baby walking and talking.

4. People don't expect as much out of your kids. (As my mom put it, if you have a 2 year old who looks 4, people think they should be better behaved etc.)
5. As a small child you can fit into the tiniest spaces. I am constantly amazed at what kind of spaces they can squeeze their little bodies into.
6. You can be carried around longer.
7. Small kids can't climb out of their cribs, up on the fireplace, onto the couch, onto chairs, or other dangerous places.

I know there are many more, and if you think of any, leave a comment.