Firsts

Veronica went to NJ for the first time last week, she also went to the ER for the first time!  Actually, I have taken her to the ER twice before, but both times we left before we were treated.  One time she burned her hands on my straightener and another time she poked her eye with a fork but she was fine.  This time, she had a fever of 102 and croup and she was coughing and coughing and not breathing well.  I was so worried she was turning blue or something but I couldn't see because we were lying down in the dark.  It was a crazy, crazy visit to the hospital.  We went to the hospital in which I was born, it was ROUGH. They took her temperature rectally, they had to give her a Tylenol suppository because she wasn't willing to take it orally (that's two bum invasions, for those counting!), I held her for the breathing treatment but the nurse threatened her that SHE was going to hold her if she didn't behave herself, sheesh!  We all coerced her into drinking her the steroid, in apple juice, and right before we left she vomited all over both of us.  She threw up all over my sweatshirt but I couldn't take it off because I was only wearing the tshirt that I had gone to bed in.  It was an experience, but as usual, I was grateful to walk in and walk out of the hospital.  They ended up giving her a steroid shot and although we had to go home early, she really has recovered well.

Before she got sick, we had a great time!  Veronica really loved the beach - she didn't fly into the ocean the way Maria did, but she wasn't scared, either.

Veronica enjoyed visiting my cousin Lisa in PA on the way in.  Lisa's daughter Sasha was super nice to her younger sister and young cousins, Veronica had a high old time playing with their stuff.

And of course we ended our trip down the shore with some ice cream.  Veronica really branched out and got black raspberry with rainbow sprinkles, or jimmies, as we called them when I was little.  Except for her sickness, she was a great travel companion.  They both tried so hard to be good and they were plucky as hell as we drug them around the great state of NJ.  They are good and sweet girls and I was really proud of them.

School

Veronica is back in preschool and she is loving every minute of it!  She is so funny, I go to get her and she's super happy to see me, she wants to hang on my leg and wants me to carry her.  Maria is all, CAN I GO OUTSIDE CAN I GO TO DAIRY QUEEN WHERE ARE WE GOING? but Veronica is just 'hold me'.  My friend Kristin was in town this weekend from Alabama and she was describing Veronica to friends of ours and she loved Veronica.  She loved all of them, of course, but especially Veronica.  She's a sweetheart!

Anyway, she has a friend named Rosie in school.  Today Rosie was getting her lunchbox right when we were getting Veronica's and Veronica sort of sneakily pointed her out to me.  "Mommy", she said, "that's ROSIE!".  It's so funny, how far a person comes in one year, right?  Last year she was fine going to preschool, but she took a nap, she had her little babydoll at first, she wasn't potty trained, she didn't really make friends, she was still in speech therapy.  This year, she not only doesn't nap at school but sometimes not even in the car when we go to get Anthony AND she stays up til 8:30, she is potty trained, she is ... I dare say vivacious and social!

Tonight Mike and I were watching tv and BOOM! we heard someone crash to the floor upstairs.  I ran up and poor Veronica had fallen out of the big bed, and crawled up in with Maria.  She cried and cried, waaaaah!, but she was still sleeping, poor baby.  Mike said and it's true, when could we ever use bunk beds with these girls?  I can't have her falling from six feet!  Sheesh!  Maybe I'll bag it and get something like this?

So, to catch up, all's well, Veronica's fine.  She never ever shuts her mouth.  She is still using L a lot for  a lot of letters.  She says "Glandma" and "Leah" for yeah.  It's so damned cute I  know I'll miss it when she stops.

What's So Great About Veronica?

• She is the sweetest thing.  I always say that I get all blame when the kids are crazy and loud and obnoxious because that is much more in keeping with MY personality, while everyone knows that Mike is the kind of person who has birds come and land on his shoulder.  And it's just funny, but it's also true that Mike is sweet and gentle and so is Veronica, in the same way.  She totally does get that from him.  
• She is incredibly cuddly.  I am trying to focus on the greatness here, since sometimes it can be a bit much.  
• She shares everything she has.  She's not a sucker about it or anything, she will keep what she wants, but mostly if it's not going to kill her to part with it, she will.  
• She has beautiful, perfect teeth.  When I think about how she had that big giant chomper for so long and looked so funny I can't believe it!  
• I think if she were on her own, she'd be a late sleeper.  We'll never know but I'll assume it.
• Now that she is conversing so much, I can see and hear more of her sweet personality and it's been so fun.  Even though she is a quiet, sweet butterfly of a person, she has her own feisty personality.  I have no concerns about her starting school this fall, in fact, we're all excited about it!
• She has a scratchy adorable voice.  
• She says slipperty when she means slippery.
• She is starting to sing a little bit and it's so, so cute.
• She was so scared at swimming at the beginning of the summer and she has really, really taken off.   She is scared every day but she pushes through it and it's a great thing to see and a great thing to emulate, now that I think about it.  

The Mystery of Veronica Vep

Many moons ago, my friends Chuck and Lebron were a hilarious production of The Mystery of Irma Vep at the Phoenix Theater here in Indianapolis.  Chuck and Lebron played a billion characters and one of them, played by Chuck I think, said "Janey" in this way that was really funny and has stayed with me for years, so much so that if I meet someone named Jane, I have to say it that way that he did.  I wish I could add a video clip but that seems like a lot, but it's kind of a ... ugh I can't do it justice, but anyway it was great and like I say, I think of it a lot.  I wish I could get her to call me Jane.

Veronica says LOTS of words like this.  She makes, like, a super long A or something.  So she says, Mama, can I have some lemon-ay-ud? for lemonade.  It cracks me up.

And it's a good thing it makes me laugh because sometimes she drives me bonkers.  She was super, super bad in church today.  It's about 150 degrees in our church because we've been baking like cupcakes all summer and there is no air left, and all Veronica does is wrap herself around me.  I suppose it's good that she doesn't run away from me anymore, she is leaving the confessionals alone, thank God, but man.  Why can't she just SIT THERE?  The priest knows how hot it is, so the Mass is pretty quick, like 50 minutes or something, so how hard is it?  Pretty hard for Veronica, is I guess the answer.

Her new teacher called today, we're going to meet with her on 8/22.  Both girls have preschool sponsored park playdates starting this week, and we are going to the fair and the museum, so it should be a fun week.  Ha ha ha boo hoo, I always think that and it never really is.  

Even More Talking

Seriously.  She will NOT shut up.  Hoo boy, it's crazy.  I was telling my parents this last night, as an example of her extreme talkitude.  Yesterday Anthony was in the bathroom downstairs and, as usual, Veronica picked that exact time to have to go.  So I said go upstairs already and she did.  THEN of course she yelled for me to come upstairs because I had shut both bathroom doors up there, so up I went. I opened the door to the upstairs/kids bathroom but she wanted to go in mine, she said.

We went into my room and she was yapping away, telling me the reason she wanted to go in my bathroom was because her butt fit better on the toilet in my room, the toilet in her room was WAY too big, she said.  It's true, the one in their bathroom is an oval shape and it's just a circle in my bathroom.  I know that's a lot of information about our toilets, but what can you do.  Sooo, we go into my room and she proceeds to pee, which I know because she says "I peeing, mommy!".  She says how when she's done, we can flush the toilet and I say, I'll flush it after you want, if it's too noisy.  She says, NO, this toilet does not flush too loud, but the other one does.  She says "I don't like loud noises but I like quiet noises, like this:" and she puts her index finger up to her mouth and, dirty looking me the whole time, says SHHHHHHHHHH.  I said okay, then, so she finished peeing and jumped up and flushed the toilet, talking the WHOLE ENTIRE time, "see Mama, I fine, I don't mind this noise because it's a quiet noise and I like quiet noise just not loud noise like the potty in my room is too loud but this is fiiiiiiine". Sheesh.  SHEESH.

She did great at swimming yesterday and she VOLUNTEERED to go out with Mr. Isaac, swimming.  At one point, I was sitting there with Felicity, who was standing holding on to the bench, and I noticed Veronica was crying so I went over.  I said "what is wrong?", she seemed SO upset and she said "Mr. Isaac won't let me go first!".  Ugh.  I shooed her away and went back to Felicity.  It's annoying but so funny that a month ago she wouldn't get in the pool and now she's mad she can't show off her dog paddle.

Three weeks from Monday they start back to preschool.  What a difference a year makes, right?  I was worried she'd never be able to leave me and now she can't wait to get back!

Irony

Is it irony that I was so worried that Veronica would never talk and now she never, ever shuts up?  Today I went to get Anthony and Maria fell asleep right away, the baby was quiet and sleepy and Veronica yapped and yapped and yapped.  Here's some of what she said:

Hoe mah han, mama! (Hold my hand, Mama)

Doe!  DOE!  DOOOOOEEEEE!  (Go!  Go!  Goooo!)  (I tell her the light is red so I have to wait)

You late for the light to turn led mama? (You wait for the light to turn red, Mama?) (I tell her I am waiting for the light to turn green)

You laiting for the light to turn gleen mama? (You waiting for the light to turn green, Mama?) I say yes

Gleen means glo, led light means stop and lellow light mean slow (Green means go, red light means stop and yellow light means slow)

Sheesh!  I tell her 100 times a trip that I am trying to DRIVE, Veronica, I can't hold you hand because I have to keep my hands on the wheel!  She cares not, she has been all over me like a duck on a june bug here lately!  If I sit down with the baby, she is on my leg immediately.  Hold me!, she says thousands of times a day, she wants to be carried into the Y, carried to swimming, held while we are at the park, etc., etc., on and on.  She is a lover, and not a fighter, for sure.

She is getting much better at swimming.  I am hoping we'll go to the pool tomorrow for the first time.  I'm scared to take all three of them but there is a baby pool and a splash pad and I'm hoping they'll hang around the splash pad more.  We'll see.  You never know.

Swimming

Veronica finished her first swimming session last week, she starts her second session on Tuesday.  They do three week sessions, two times a week, for 30 minutes, which works well for us.  Like, on the first day, she had a very hard time and it was good to go back just two days later to work on it again.  She usually made a good amount of progress in the 30 minutes and I'm glad she never had to wait a whole week to go back so she could pick up on the progress where she left off.

Her teacher said this about her in the comments:

• Veronica likes to be with an adult
• Veronica is still hesitant and needs encouragement to get in
• Playing with toys is a good way to keep her having fun at the pool
• Keep coming to the pool and having fun this summer, Veronica!

So that's nice.  It's true, she does like to be with an adult in the water, but she got much better about it as the weeks went on.  She did like to have a toy, and although she was worried about it, by the end, she laid back in the teacher's arms and kicked her legs.  She is so different than Maria was when she started.  First of all, she was younger - Maria turned three in the January before summer lessons and Veronica just turned three in May.  Secondly, Veronica will just *leave* if things are unpleasant and Maria will stay right there and scream in your face.  It's funny to see the differences in them.  

She is doing just fine this summer, although I am glad it's now July and not June anymore - anything that gets us closer to them being back in school.  We are continuing with swimming two days a week and I am looking into some one day camp things at a local park for them to do.  They like to do more things than I can have them do at home so maybe we'll make July busier than June and we'll see how that works.