Almost Two

Here's Veronica's posters I had made of her first 52 weeks. I only ended up with 45 pictures, somehow. What can I say, it was a long year? I suppose I'll be lucky to end up with 30 of the new baby. I took the posters to Michael's to have them framed and it was super, super expensive. This is my third one of doing these pictures and I am still shocked every time, by something. Usually I have been shocked at how hard it is to put them damned things together but this time I was definitely shocked by the price. Oh well, I am hoping it will look really nice and it really is a once in a lifetime thing. I never get their pictures taken at a place or anything, so that is how I'm justifying it. They were 60% off, so that's good too. I am desperately trying to justify spending $275 on this, can you tell? Maybe I won't get her a birthday present, ha! What does she know?

We have our second appointment with the new therapist tomorrow, she seems very nice. Mike was off from work last week so he took Maria when Veronica had her first appointment. Tomorrow will be our first appointment with two of them, I imagine it will be pretty rough. This girl seems very nice and she has two kids, also close in age, so I'm hoping it works out. Oh, Veronica, why won't you just talk more, already? Why do we have to do this stupid therapy over and over?

I'm not always this impatient, but as she turns two, I would really just like some more talking from her and LESS from her sister. She is such a sweet thing, so loving and cuddly and smart, I just wish - I wish I wish.

Museum

Mike is home this week and we took the girls to the Children's Museum this morning. Veronica was great and seemed to have a really good time. She was SPRINTING around the place.

Friday

I still have no camera but I am trying to do an update on everyone's blog at least weekly.  Veronica is doing well, she is bounding through speech therapy.  She is also getting really terrible, just in time for her terrible twos!  She cracks us up, when she gets mad, folding her arms over her chest like she sees Maria do.  It's hilarious because she's not that great at it, so she just looks like maybe she is getting ready to dance and not like she's full of anger.

She is sleeping well (shhh!) and eating well and doing well in speech therapy.  Her therapist went on maternity leave this week and we will miss her for the next two months.  I'm hopeful that Veronica will do well with her replacement.

She has been so great at the Y in the childwatch, two weeks in a row, she has gone into it with absolutely no problems and this past week, we had NO tears at all, even when I went to pick her up, which is a first.  I would like to publicly thank everyone who told me to just keep taking her because it has really worked and I love being able to get to this class and just not think for one hour.

We are all hoping for some better weather here soon, the rain and cold is just ridiculous.  I think we've had maybe five nice days since the beginning of the year and that's just not enough.  It's hard for me to take, but it's really hard for the kids.  It's going to rain from now until next THURSDAY or something but at least it's supposed to warm up, I might just take them out in the rain as long as it's warm.  Our rugs are ruined from the mud already but I don't care.  I would just like for us all to be happier and I think getting outside would do wonders to help.

So pretty

Isn't she just the most? She had her haircut this week and she did NOT like it. Ha, she reminded me of Anthony, he used to do this too, just STAND UP while the girl is cutting, just like "thanks, that'll do, Pig, I'm OUT!". She was up before 6:00 today, which stinks, but at least she took a nap. Wednesday and Thursday she took no nap and I love her as much as anyone but that is too much time to spend with a small child! Plus there is no opportunity for me to eat or clean or go to the stupid bathroom and it makes me super cranky. She has not been sleeping well, she either cries like crazy before she falls asleep, wakes up in the night, or won't nap. I think she is getting her canine teeth, she chomps the heck out of her hands and FEET, and she seems unhappy about it, but come on, already! It's been quite a while that we have thought she was teething. Otherwise, she is as sweet as ever, she is moving along in speech therapy, things are fine. She is gorgeous and sweet and healthy, what more could we want?

Clear Heels

Here's a funny video of Veronica walking up the hallway in her dress up Cinderella shoes.  I suppose technically they are Maria's but Veronica and Maria have been playing with them a lot lately.  Maria calls them "roller skates" although they sound more like tap shoes.  Veronica really gets around in these shoes, which is amazing, considering that they are way too big on her and also mules, which are hard for adults to get used to.  I suppose she might have a great future in ... a job in which she'd wear clear lucite heels?  That can't be good, right?  :)

Just kidding.  I want to make a joke here about if she doesn't start talking soon, she might have to become a stripper, but I won't.  I will just continue to hope that she talks sometime.   She is getting very noisy, blah blah blah!  La la la!  Ha ha ha!  But no words yet.  I am hopeful this blathering on will serve some other purpose here soon.

We went to a playgroup today and she wrapped herself around me and wouldn't let go for the first 20 minutes or so.  I had to go downstairs where the other kids were playing to bring something to Maria and I left Veronica down there and she did just fine.  Tomorrow we are supposed to go to the Y, which will be week FIVE of leaving her at childwatch, and I am nervous that she'll cry again.  I have to keep trying, I suppose, I really want her to have success when she goes to preschool in the fall and I figure this is one way of starting.

Position is everything in life

This is not a great shot, but she's such a pain! She won't listen to me at all when I want to take her picture. Or really ever, I guess. I try not to worry that she is in her own world, that she still won't say a word and that she rocks so crazily in her high chair but sometimes it's not that easy. What the hell, Veronica? I want to say. What's up with the silence? She is so sweet and funny and so smart - her speech therapist was saying last week that her receptive language is more like the receptive language of a 2.5 year old. She can follow like four-step directions. She points at everything, she's fine, I'm sure. She is also going to be two in a little more than a month and still - BUPKUS - no words whatsoever. I wish she had some. I wish I could see the future. I don't know why this is so much to ask!

Big Girl

Doesn't she look grown up here? Despite the cookie on her face, which both girls seem to always have? I swear I clean their faces many times a day. We have been slacking around here the last few days because everyone has been sick, starting with Veronica. She had a fever of 104! I don't think any of the kids have ever had a fever that high and was she miserable. Oh, it was sad, but she was better after some Tylenol and a bath, probably mostly the bath. Then Maria got it and now Anthony and although no one is 100 percent, everyone is better today than yesterday. Veronica was up in the night, well, they all were but Veronica took the midshift. Anthony took the 11-3 shift, Veronica 3-5, and Maria brought up the rear. We are so tired we can't even see.