Julia and Margaret's 2 Year Old Check-Up

Can I just start by saying that I was THRILLED to learn that there were no shots scheduled for Julia and Margaret's 2 year check-up??!! The poor girls have gotten 4 shots a piece in the last two weeks, so I was very relieved for the reprieve, especially since we have one last rabies shot this weekend!
Aside from waiting forever to see Dr. Nelson, the visit went very well. Both girls are right on target for all their milestones and physical development.  Here are each girl's stats and a little bit about them at age two:

Julia:
Height: 34 inches (50th percentile)
Weight: 28.5 pounds (50-75th percentile)

Julia

Julia is a "live life by the moment" kind of girl. She is a risk-taker, a partier, and an independent player. She likes to get messy, push the envelope, and explore. Most of the mischief Julia causes is due to her insatiable curiosity gone awry.

Julia enjoys animals (stuffed, plastic, and live), imaginative play with dolls and her collection of rubber "wizards" (lizards), swimming, and any kind of play that involves dirt, sand, water or anything messy. Julia is a great dancer and loves to jump.

On the flip side, Julia is also a "Mommy and Daddy's girl." She loves to give kisses, takes great comfort in snuggling and likes to have a parent nearby while she's adventuring.

Julia is a pretty good eater, but would much rather make a huge mess out of her meals than actually eat them. She is a milk-aholic, taking down nearly a gallon a week on her own. Julia does not have much of a sweet tooth, in contrast to her Mommy and sisters.

Margaret:

Height: 32.5 inches (10th-25th percentile)
Weight: 24.5 pounds (25th percentile)

Margaret

Margaret takes a more cautious approach to life than her twin, but she is no less vivacious.  Margaret is a firecracker. What she lacks in size, she makes up for in spunk and screaming. Most of the mischief Margaret causes is purely on purpose.

Margaret loves to follow big sister Caroline around and join in whatever game she is playing. She loves puzzles, books, anything Mickey or Minnie Mouse, coloring, and Little People toys. Margaret is also a very adventurous "swimmer."

Like her sisters, Margaret has a great affinity for snuggling, kisses, and hugs. She likes to be held in new situations (and generally all the time!).

Margaret is a great eater, and has a sweet tooth that rivals her Mommy's. The sound of Margaret shrieking if she is denied a treat is ear-piercing.  Aside from dessert, Margaret's favorite food is cheese.

Here are a few pictures from their appointment. The quality isn't great because it was my phone camera, but hopefully the cuteness makes up for it!

Julia on her way to the exam room, with Dog-Dog in tow! 

Waiting ever so patiently for Dr. Nelson.

This is taking forever! I need some reading material.

Excuse you: it's not polite to look at a lady while she's on a scale!

All done!

We did it! High five! (Note the outfit change...double trouble found a mud puddle shortly after their appointment and both required new clothes!)

Happy Birthday, Julia and Margaret!!

We didn't bother putting away our birthday banner and candles after Caroline turned 4 because today is Julia and Margaret's 2nd birthday!! Both girls were thrilled to wake up to balloons, piles of presents and cinnamon buns for breakfast. After we dropped Caroline off at camp, Julia and Margaret enjoyed a special trip to the Children's Museum with Mommy. We look forward to a birthday dinner and cupcakes later today.

Check back soon for a post on the birthday party the girls had over the weekend. It was a blast!!

Julia was mesmerized by her candles.

Margaret didn't like them at all.

That's better!

Julia loving her new sand table.

Margaret testing out the new slide.

Margaret at the museum.

Julia at the museum.

Happy girls

Julia

Margaret

Happy Birthday, Caroline!!

Our favorite 3 year old turned 4 yesterday, and I can say for certain that it was a day filled with love, fun, and treats! Caroline had been anxiously waiting to turn 4 for the better part of the year. It was a big deal, and we celebrated in a big way!

We started off the day by revealing her gift from Mommy and Daddy: a bounce house. As you might imagine, it went over pretty well! We followed with chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, a swim lesson, a special outing just with Mommy (lunch at Chick-fil-A, dessert at Sweet Frog, and a mani/pedi at Royal Nails), a tennis lesson, and finally, dinner and birthday cake. It was a great, fun-filled day!

Birthday balloons!

Birthday t-shirt!

Birthday bounce house!

Margaret

Julia

Wheee!

Birthday breakfast

Our 4 year old decked out and ready for her special time with Mommy. 

It's not my birthday yet, but it will be soon!!

Mine too!!

I love ice cream cake!

Me too!!

Getting the royal treatment at Royal Nails.

That tickles!

Ta-da!

An Most Unwelcome Houseguest

Since we moved into our new neighborhood two weeks ago, we have thoroughly enjoyed meeting our new neighbors. We have been the grateful recipients of housewarming gifts and invitations to BBQ and have been thrilled to see that our new neighbors are just as kind, generous, and fun as our old ones.
   Over the weekend, however, we were shocked to find a most unwelcome new neighbor in our house: a bat. It's a long story, but suffice it to say we were rudely awoken in the middle of the night by a bat swooping down over our heads and scaring the living daylights out of us. Eek!!
   We called the county animal control who assured us that someone would be out first thing in the morning to collect the bat, which we'd thankfully been able to trap in a bathroom.
   After an uneasy night's sleep, we were displeased to find that when the animal control officer emerged from our bathroom the next morning, he did NOT have a bat in his hands. Fun fact: a bat can squeeze through an opening as small as 3/8 of an inch. The animal control officer suggested we contact the health department and our primary care doctors for the next course of action since the wayward bat could not be tested for rabies. Another fun fact: bat bites are extremely small, heal quickly and often go completely undetected. Up to 85% of bat bite related rabies deaths happen to people who saw a bat but didn't think they'd been bitten.
  So at the advice of our pediatrician, at 4:45pm on Sunday, all five of us loaded up into the car and headed downtown to the VCU hospital for the first in a series of rabies vaccinations. Another fun fact: you HAVE to go to the ER for your first round of rabies shots, and you best call ahead to make sure your hospital even has the shots in stock.
  Of course, we were not at all thrilled to be making this family trip, but rabies is 100% fatal, so it was literally a case of better safe than sorry. 16 shots and almost 5 hours later, this handful of Heppers was on the way home. We were exhausted, starving, and cranky, but at least we knew we weren't going to die of rabies. It's the little things, right? :-)
Now we just have to make it through 16 more shots in the coming weeks and we will be done with this ordeal!
Since we spent a whole lot of time doing a whole lot of nothing in the hospital, I did take several pictures of our eventful evening...

In the pediatric ER waiting room, ready to get this rabies party started.

We hit up the triage room first to check our vitals.

Margaret didn't care what was happening as long as she had a "pop-pop" in her mouth.

Julia was a little less enthusiastic.

Never thought I'd be in a hospital bed as a patient with all my children as patients too!

Julia excited about her glove balloon.

The nurses were smart to ply Margaret with an enormous popsicle before administering her shots.

Caroline was SO brave. She earned a popsicle and an enormous Woodstock for her courage.

Julia after her shots :(

Memorial Day Weekend 2013

We had a great Memorial Day weekend! We spent most of our time working around the house: hanging a few more items on the walls, buying some furniture, and planting some flowers in our front yard. We capped off the weekend by hosting our first BBQ with some great friends. I don't have many pictures to share, but here are a few...

Margaret looking out over the backyard, ready to party.

The "big" girls: Claire, Little Caroline and Big Caroline.

Kids' table minus Michael, who was too busy doing this... 

...motoring around on anything with wheels.

The final event of the party: a piñata!

Caroline was a gracious hostess. She passed the bat around for each of her guests to have a turn.

Lighting McQueen didn't last long before he spilled his guts!