Do You Speak Mayan?

So, we continue to make progress on the speaking front. Maya continues to string more and more syllables together everyday. And, every so often, we catch some patterns and are able to figure out what she means. Here are some examples:

See-See = Sesame Street
Ba Boo = Thank you
Go = Leave me alone
I a you = I love you
Saw-Saw = applesauce
Up-peese = Up please
Bubba = Grandma Barb

It still cracks me up that she calls my Mom Bubba. But, we're trying to correct her on that one, and have her call her Minnie like the other cousins. I think she just gets a little confused having a Minnie and a Vinnie.

Another thing we have been struggling with lately is the fact that she has to have Daddy (me) do everything with her. As much as I enjoy the fact that she likes my company, I would also like to do something constructive. Like...say...go to the bathroom, vacuum the house, put laundry away, wash the dishes, etc. It seems like Lezlie gets the shaft since I'm forced to play with her in order to prevent a meltdown. As I type this, she's trying to shut the laptop monitor. Hopefully, this is just a phase. But I imagine I should count my blessings since she probably won't acknowledge my existence when she's 14.

On the good front, Maya is finally strong enough to open the basement door. So, she has begun to be a great helper when it comes to letting Vinnie in and out of the house. I just wonder how long it will take her to figure out that is actually a chore.

As some of you know, Ben has RSV. He had a cough for almost two weeks before he developed a fever and we took him to the doctor. So over the past week, we have been giving him breathing treatments. He's not a big fan if he's awake during them but they said that when he cries he actually get a better dose of the medicine. We have seen major improvements but he still coughs a little bit. But, by no means, is he having the coughing attacks like he was. We're praying that this does not turn into asthma. 30% of infants who get RSV develop asthma later in life. The doctor also said that colds/coughs will be more pronounced/hard on him for the next year or so.

That's all I got for now.

Another Year In The Bag

Oh, how I love to have some time off of work. I always tell myself that maybe I'll go into the office and catch up on some stuff. But, it never happens. That being said, we have stayed very busy.

On Christmas Eve Eve night, Lezlie and Maya decorated cookies. Lezlie's big thing is creating traditions with her babies. I can't say that Maya's cookies were the most beautiful, but it sure was fun to watch her focus so hard.

On Christmas Eve morning, we woke up to a bunch of gifts from Santa. It is just amazing how courteous Santa is with everyone's schedule. She got sticker books, Play-Doh, and Tickle-me-Elmo hands.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was very crazy. In the past, it wasn't that big of deal. But since we now have to transport our 2 babies around, we tend to get more of a workout. All in all, we did 7 Christmas parties in 3 days. That makes me tired just talking about it. And if I remember correctly, Maya did not get one nap in the middle of all that. She caught a snooze here and there while driving from place to place. But if she was lucky, it was only a 10 minute nap.
There is no reason why a kid should have as many toys as Maya does. But, she loved every one of them. Her favorites were of course the puzzles. But, she loves her blocks (legos) too. The winner of the biggest surprise was a tie between the huge Raggedy Ann doll and the huge Tonka truck. Tonight, I made the mistake of putting her in the back of the Tonka truck and racing her around the basement. She just did not want to stop. But, she doesn't quite understand that Daddy gets winded very easily. After awhile, I had to fake a "boo-boo" in order to get out of the "racing of the trucks." I am such a mean person.This year, we hosted a New Years party. Lets just say we can't party like we used to. At one point in time, I think all four babies were either crying or whining. By the end of the night, we figured out that Maya had a fever. She had been more irritable than normal that day but Momma and Dadda just couldn't put 2 and 2 together. So, she ended up being the first to bed. We did manage to get the rest asleep. But, Ben woke up just as the ball was dropping. I guess he just had to see Dick Clark:)
Monday was supposed to be Ben's first day in day care but he decided to play hooky. Actually, he had a fever, a runny nose, and pink-eye. Since Lezlie has no vacation or sick left, it was time for Daddy to spoil the baby. I took him to the doctor worried that he had an ear infection but luckily nothing of the sort was found. I'm sure Dr. Rosenbloom just laughs when we come in for simple things like these. But, I guess if we didn't, he could get even sicker. Better safe than sorry, right? He was still fussy on Tuesday so he stayed home again with me. But, he soon started acting normal again and drinking a full bottle.

On Wednesday, he finally made it to day care. Its gonna be a little tougher hauling both kids there but it wasn't as bad as I thought. However, Maya did pull the limp leg trick as I tried to drag her to the car. Ms. Laura said he was a good boy and hardly made a peep. But, they did seem to wear him out because he only woke up once at night. Let's just hope those kind of nights become normal.

The Smiling and Laughing Boy

It's not too hard to get Ben going these days. Enjoy.

The Kiddos....

It is hard to believe that Ben is already 2 months old! He had his check up last week and the doctor said he is a very healthy boy. He weighs 12lbs and 7oz and is 23 inches long. He is a big one!!! He is doing a little better at night too. He is now sleeping in his crib (he slept in his bouncy seat for the first month and a half) and isn't quite so restless. And, he is no longer on medicine for reflux.

Maya is doing pretty well too. She has been battling a cold for over a week now. We took her to the Dr. this morning and she said that she has developed a sinus infection and if she isn't feeling better by Thursday she will prescribe an antibiotic for her. It hasn't slowed her down too much though, just makes it really difficult for her to sleep. Between her coughing and Ben's feedings, there hasn't been too much sleeping going on for Mommy and Daddy either.

These are just a couple of cute pictures taken this week. Ben is really smiling a lot now and Maya has become quite the "ham."