My Buddy

We've been missing our Buddy, especially with recent puppy goings-on.

He was such a special old guy and I want to take the time to tell some tales on him.

Buddy was the cutest little puppy in the whole puppy store. He looked like an Oreo cookie. And J and I fell hard.
We were dating seriously and decided that we were ready for the next big step in our relationship.
Getting a pet.

Buddy lived primarily with J, but covertly stayed overnight with me many times in my dorm room. He also did a lot of studying in the university library. Via my backpack.

Then, we all got married. Got another puppy and had some babies. And lived happily ever after.

But in between those life events, Buddy also contracted Parvo and barely survived. On the heels of his hospital release, he was stepped on by J's roommate. His tiny nose broke, his brain was concussed and we feared he was lost.

He lived. And thrived. And became the most beloved pet.

Buddy had this... lean. When you petted him, he went completely boneless. And leaned against your body while you held him upright.

And he was a talker. He sang along side us. A low baaa-roooooo that escalated in volume and pitch. Buddy also had a low rumbly growl. Mostly used when he was being petted. Just encouragement to keep up what you were doing.

He mellowed with time and eventually was described as a grumpy old man in a dog suit. Grumpy in a kind of growla-growla teddy bear kind of way.

He is irreplaceable. Nobody quite like you, Buddy.

Puppy Breath

Today we visited a Sheltie breeder to check out a puppy for Marmee.

Aunt Kak came with us.



This little tri-color female is the pick of the litter (for us).



Wonder if she'll be going home with Marmee next weekend?

Four Letter Words

Tonight, before Goodnight Moon was recited, Roo sidled up to the crib rail and spelled duck, unsolicited. And her Daddy had a mild coronary attack.
He's been gone some of the week on business and her repertoire has expanded.

Then, she spelled milk and stop.

Add that to the growing list of words I've heard her spell out loud.
car
cat
cow
dog
hat
hot
read
boat
pink
help
happy
puppy
Elmo
Grover
moon
good
night
book
her name
her twin's name

And apparently she recognizes many more words, just hasn't committed the spelling to memory. I was trying to explain to Aunt Kaki that Roo recognizes words like Sesame Street and rocket in print and tells me what they say.

And Kak looked at me like I had grown a 2nd, and maybe, a 3rd nose.

And said, "That's. Reading."

Right.

My 28 month old is reading.

Girls of Summer

Considering...

The toddler tantrums are wearing us down.

Last weekend, at my parents' church, Em took out the entire body of worship.

Her tantrum was that epic.

The sanctuary holding the adult service. Check.

The nursery. Wing. Check.

The cry room. Check.

The sanctuary again. From the cry room. Check.

The youth service in the gymnasium. Check. Check.

Check, please!

The Wrong Trousers

Roo and Em had school today. We were running late. I rapidly fed, dressed, and buckled in 2 small and loud people. We drove to school at a legal pace. As Roo walked into her classroom, I realized she wasn't wearing underpants. A diaper, yes, but no covering over said diaper. Oh well.

A short while ago, I picked the girls up from school. Roo was looking at a book. Em was by the door. She turned, ran to Roo and yelled her name. Then, ran back to me. Roo kept reading. Em ran back to her twin, smacked her on the head and then returned to me. Apparently she was ready to go and knew we wouldn't be leaving without Roo.

Also, their teacher said that she'd found Roo's underpants.

Em was wearing two pairs.

Goodtimes with Grandpa

Flashback Friday by Request

By request, here are the RGs and Daddy freaking out our neighbors. The girls are almost 17 months old in this video.

This and That

Daily life has become a whole lot of go-go-go. For such a long time it was so incredibly difficult to go anywhere (or we weren't allowed to due to RSV season). And now that it's not the hardest thing ever to go out to eat or somewhere to play... well, we're taking advantage of it!

Last weekend we took the girls to check out a local toy store.
Roo homed in on the Sesame Street display.

Total Toddler Nirvana.
We had to do some major persuading to get her to leave.


Em roamed the store and explored every nook and cranny. She loved this little piano and banged out a tune to the beat in her head.

She was also pretty excited about all the Curious George dolls to be found. But they did not compare to the display of Hello Kitty markers. Em exclaimed over and over, "Oh! Wow!"


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This photo was taken after Mom's Day Out... after nap time. Em loaded her crib up with all the things she considered special at the moment. Her blankie, Roo's blankie, her pillow, her doll baby (and Roo's), various books, all of her school papers, and various other tiny items. Then, she asked to jump into bed. Where she played happily for 15 minutes before requesting to get out.

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J has worked from home a few days lately. Which allows him to set his own time line. Which means, he can sneak a late afternoon nap on occasion. Em and Roo busted in after waking from their own nap. He didn't budge. They climbed on the bed and I let them watch Word World and have their snacks while Daddy snored away. They finally began climbing on him and yelling his name and that woke him up (hahahahahahah!).


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Back to the getting out of the house thing....
the RGs had a playdate at Super Brave Mommy's house. She hosted 3 sets of twins (not including her own) and had paint, glitter, shaving cream, water and playdough out and ready to go. The kids all had a blast!

Roo was a little overwhelmed by all the options. She stuck with a big hunk of playdough and passed on the painting. Once she realized the pool was open for business, she parked her diaper there.



Em was very pumped about the swimming pool. She screamed, "Oh Yeah, Baby!" as she was climbing in. Do they say that at Mom's Day Out? Or did J teach her that while I was away at Aunt Becky's?


And as we drove away, Em yelled to Super Brave Mommy, "LOVE YOU!!!"

Playing House

After returning from Aunt Becky's, I found almost 30 minutes of video on the camera.
These are the highlights.

Pitstop Playdate

Em and Roo finally got the opportunity to play with the children of my longtime friend, Staci. We were a halfway point for them on a long road trip home. Em was completely smitten with Staci's oldest, M, and showed off relentlessly for the better part of 2 hours. And also made herself at home in M's lap.

Spelling Bee

Tanzanian Tales

Ever since Mammaw and Pappaw moved to Tanzania, Africa, these little notes and photos have popped up in my inbox.
They are so special and treasured. I love that they'll be part of the girls' baby blog book.
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8-10-08
Hello, Em and Roo,

Look what Pappaw and I saw this week.

This giraffe was very tall. He did not try and run away when we saw him. He just kept eating while we took photos of him. I wish you could see the animals we get to see sometimes.

I would like to know how to sign "giraffe". Maybe you can teach me when I get to see you next.

Give your Mommy and Daddy a big hug and kiss for me. We love you all very much.

Mammaw and Pappaw

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7-16-08
Hello, Sweet Em and Roo.

Here is a picture of an elephant we saw on safari last week. He came very close to our car. We stayed very quiet while he passd by. He is a very big animal.
I love you very much....see you soon.

Mammaw

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4-27-08
Happy Birthdays to you
Happy Birthdays to you
Happy Birthdays dear Em and Roo
Happy Birthdays to youooooooooo!!!!!

Hope you had a great time of celebration. I have been thinking about you all day long. You are getting so big now.

Today, I watched 2 little girls from Denmark, so their parents could eat breakfast and drink coffee. Their names are Laura and Selma and they are 3 years and 18 months old. Their hair is white, white, white. We walked around and found some monkeys. The monkeys came right up to us and wanted the girls' bananas so bad. They came very close to us and ate the banana peels when the girls laid them on the ground. In a few minutes they all ran away, but came back in a little while with a whole bunch more monkeys.....all sizes. They are "blue monkeys". Em and Roo, I wish it had been you with me to see the monkeys today.

I love you both soooo much..........your Mommy and Daddy too.

Love,

Mammaw

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10-22-07
Em and Roo,

Here is a story about a “turned around hippo” I thought you might like to hear.

One night when it was very dark and there was no moon shining, the dogs at Mammaw and Pappaw’s house began barking. Pappaw got out of bed and went to the gate to see what was causing all the ruckus outside. When he got to the gate, there was a hippopotamus standing at the gate, looking very confused.

Pappaw said, “Mrs. Hippo, what are you doing at my gate?”

Mrs. Hippo was very confused and explained that she left her home in Lake Babati to look for something good to eat. She found many good things, like beans and grass. When she finished eating, she was ready to return to the water and her hippo friends before the sun rose and became hot. “But, it seems that I am lost now”, she said. “Could you tell me which way I should go to get back to my home and my ‘hipp” friends?”

Pappaw was very kind and explained to her if she would turn around and kept walking past the beans and grass, that soon she would come to her water home in Lake Babati.

She was very happy when he told her how to get home. She turned around and walked down the hill to the lake.

Sometime later, we visited the lake and there was Mrs. Hippo walking to the water to join her friends. She was very happy.



We are excited to be with you soon and see how much you have grown. We love you very much.

Love,
Mammaw and Pappaw

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10-16-07
Dear Girls,

We miss you so much and can’t wait to see you when we come home in December.

I am sending you a picture of ZEBRAS.


I know you will be learning this word soon and that you have a zebra on your animal train. The zebras live in Tanzania. I took this picture one day when we were on safari. Didn’t God give them beautiful stripes? I hope you can go on safari with us some day too.

We love you so very much.

Mammaw and Pappaw

Meringue

Aunt Kaki and I took a trip to visit Aunt Becky and her family.
Baby Gracie is tutu cute. Tiny and snuggly and pink all over.

J is holding down the fort with the RGs. We had a fun web cam chat with Em and Roo last night and all seems well. He promises that loads of pictures and video have been taken in my absence. Can't wait to see what I missed. And then I'll share here.

Rest Peacefully

Buddy

February 1995 - August 8, 2008

All that Jazz

The girlies had a fun morning this week with NICU buddies, K and M.
Thank goodness for indoor playscapes because it has been H.O.T. this summer. The spring '06 NICU crew descended on Radijazz and played their booties off.

Em was so excited to be there that she performed an impromptu free style dance routine to Shiny Happy People by REM. Really. It was the background music at the time.


Roo brought her entourage, Ernie and Cookie Monster, and found a new friend...
Yellow Bumpy Ball.

K decided to break out and go wild. Here she is in the volcano pit!

M was all boy! He ran, climbed, slid, rolled and jumped. But he's still got time for his number one girl. Loves his mama.

Firsts

Lots of "firsts" this past weekend.

First hair cuts. Finally. I held off as long as I could. But, Em's hair (read: mullet) needed some style cut into it. And Roo's need for a trim was never going to catch up.

So, Em got a real cut and Roo got a snip here and a snip there. I'm not sure why it was important to me that they have this particular first at the same time. But it was.


before


during




before - see her little curl at her nape?




bye bye curl :(

First snow cones. After the hair cuts.
Not much to see in the photos because they didn't actually come in a cone. Or a color. The second part was by request. Something clear, please.





And finally, Roo's first piggies!

All About Em

Em has added so many fun new "things" to her 27 month old repertoire that I want to remember.

Counting is a favorite thing to do. She usually makes it to 8 before stopping to applaud herself. Then, she continues to 13 or so before stopping. Then, she counts backwards until reaching 1. That is always followed by an arm raising, "Blast Awwfff!".


She LOVES to dance. To anything. But especially to Classical Baby Dance. She mimics the movements of each dance. Crooks her elbow and tilts her head while dancing Ginger Rogers style. Leaps and pauses with the West Side Story dance. Twirls with Tchaikovsky. And usually, brings her tutu over for me to put it on during the Waltz of the Flowers dance.


Em will actually mimic just about anything she sees on the tv screen. So we are very careful with what both girls watch. When Cookie Monster is on screen, she wiggles her fingers at her mouth and says, "Mmm Mmmm Ummm" and pretends she's scarfing cookies. Oh, and last weekend, she had Daddy's mallet/hammer and pretended to be AlphaPig from Super Why. She pounded on the item Daddy was working on and started reciting her ABCs.

When the "super duper computer" sound effects from Super Why come on, Em, places both index finger on her temples. Then, she shakes her head and thinks really hard. And she now thoughtfully places a finger under her chin while pondering the meaning of life and murmuring, "Hmmmm".



She's pretending with a lot of things. Daddy's silver tape measurer is her pretend camera. She always holds it right below her nose and exclaims, "Cheese!" She makes a long shhh sound at her kitchen's sink and washes her hands. Em also snores just like Daddy when pretending to sleep.



At meal and snack times, Em loves share her bites. Sort of. It's the most fun for her when she fakes you out and snatches the food away to eat it herself. But be prepared. Just when you relax, she'll shove a soggy, pre-chewed cracker in your mouth. Gotta stay on your toes.


Em says tankyou (thank you) unprompted. Usually when handing you something you were going to take away from her anyway. Like marbles, trash, chapstick... But she also says it when we leave mom's day out. All the way out the door and into the car she says thank you, love you, [had a] good day, bye bye.
Precious!


Bedtime is the best. She lays her head on her tiny pillow with its satin pillow case (thank you, Nannie!). I cover her with her blankie and sing her a song. And stroke her hair. The expression on her face is the most angelic that I've ever seen. Oh! I love that time.


When J and I close the nursery door, she keeps telling us "bye" and "you, too, boo boopeedoo, MWAAAA!" Em then blows us kisses for several minutes after we've left. Often, I stand on the other side of the door and send them back to her.

All About Roo

At 27 months, Roo has a desperate love of all things letter related. This is an ongoing passion dating back to around 16 months. Finding a letter and showing it to me is a real joy for her. And spelling to build a word is an endless fascination. Currently, she's spelling goodnight, moon, Elmo, cow, dog, and her name and Em's name.


She has a knack for finding and creating patterns. With her blocks, letters, colors, family, etc. A recent favorite is showing that the letter P can be a lower case "d" or "b" or the number 9. Depending on how she orients it.


Roo is still working out the kinks of her gross motor skills. But, she is getting the hang of marching and kicking and knows it. One day, her wiggle might speed up to a run, too. She's got some major hip action in her walk. Pretty cute. And, if you ask her to stretch, Roo moves into the yoga position, downward dog. They occasionally do baby yoga at her mom's day out program. I suspect that's where it originated.


She's developing a love of dancing. With her little face tilted up, she slowly turns in a circle and bounces her arms about. The freeze dance is her favorite. It involves shaking her fists as fast as she can and then spreading her fingers wide and saying, "FEESE!"


Sesame Street is her favorite show. Roo has an entourage of character dolls that she insists be present during the show. When Ernie is on screen, she makes sure her Ernie doll is in her hand and held up. Like a lighter flame during a rock ballad. And she has staked claim to a library of books with the Street's characters. She knows each one, even the old school Muppets like Kermit, Barkley, Herry, Betty Lou, Mumford, and Guy Smiley.


Roo is crazy about my hair, too. When I lean over her crib rail at night, she pulls a few strands free and pets it while I sing to her. She'll also sneak up behind me and just stand there to pat my hair. When I shake my head, she dissolves in giggles.


Em is her best friend. She really doesn't care to be separated from her for long. If Em sleeps longer than Roo, I have to physically stop her, multiple times, from going back into the nursery to wake her sissy up to play.


At night, as I tuck her in, she gives me a giant smile and says, "YES!" Which means, sing Jesus Loves Me. And then, she says, "Aye-uh-Aye-uh-Aye". Which means, sing the "I love you, too, boo boopeedoo" part of Skinnamarink. And then she blows me a big kiss.