Potty Time!

We've had a momentous occasion in the Schmidt household this evening...for the very first time, Abigail went potty in her potty!

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!

Weekend Review

Saturday: Dana had to work on Saturday, so the girls and I spent the day together. We went to the gym in the morning and then came home for lunch, baths and naps. After naps, it was PARTY TIME! We went over to Jake's house to help him celebrate his 3rd birthday. Mr. Larson was a very popular fellow on Saturday! There were tons of people there to wish him well, lots of fun presents, excellent chow and balloons galore. The kids all had fun riding on the riding toys and playing with the outside toys. The Schmidt girls were pretty beat by the time we got back in the car to go home, but they were very accommodating and didn't fall asleep until we actually made it into the cribs for the night.

Sunday: Dana was home Sunday, so the girls got some quality Daddy time. We had a pretty lazy day, in fact, and it was utterly lovely. The girls actually slept in pretty late, after all the party festivities, so we had a late breakfast and then playtime commenced. The Vikings played (poorly) yesterday, so the Dora tent went up in the living room and the girls "watched" football with dad while they ran in and out of the tent...for hours. Nap time was longer than usual, which is always a nice treat, and then we had more playing until bedtime. Abby and I read lots of stories while Anni helped Dana cook dinner. A lovely, lazy Sunday if I do say so myself.

If only every day could be a lovely, lazy Sunday...

The Week in Review

We've had another busy week in the Schmidt household. Here's the recap:

Monday: Tiny Tot day for Anni, while Abby got to play in the sibling care room. This week, we did lots of playing with different vehicles. Anni also got to play with the sticky paper, mirrors and dropping blocks into buckets. The hour goes awfully fast and Anni hardly sits still. She seems to be enjoying herself though!

Tuesday: Abby's school day. On Tuesday, Abby worked on sifting colored corn kernels through some funnels, did some coloring and got to play the parachute game again. The kid LOVES the parachute game. She gets right in there, hiding with the other kids. We had swimming Tuesday evening. Abby doesn't seem all that crazy about the lessons, but I think I've figured out that it takes her about the entire class time to get warmed up to the different ideas. At the end of class, she decided she was going to blow bubbles and do more kicking and splashing and she was all for me swinging her around on her back. Of course by this point, class was actually over...

Anni had to go in for a blood test on Tuesday morning, which was NOT the highlight of our day. The whole experience made her a little fussy and gave her a bad tummy. She came home from school and took an extra long nap though, and after she was just fine. She got to go shopping for a trailer with Daddy while Abby had swimming lessons.

Wednesday: Discovery Days for Abby. This class did a lot of work with apples this week. She made an apple tree with construction paper, glue stick and stickers. She also made some owl eyes that she likes to walk around the house "wearing". Wednesday night Dana lucked into tickets for the White Sox/Twins game, so the girls and I went over and tried to go for a run with Lisa and Riley. I can't say the running portion was successful, but it was nice to get some visiting in before bedtime...

Thursday: Anni's swimming lesson. Her teacher was sick, but we had a substitute. None of the other kids showed up for the lesson either, so it was pretty much a private lesson. Anni didn't seem to mind a bit. She practiced jumping into the pool and did quite a good job. She started off sitting on the edge and kind of falling in, but by the end of the 30 minutes, she was standing and jumping off the edge. Little daredevil!

Friday: Today, we're taking it easy after a busy week. We're watching a little Dora at the moment and we might go to the gym to play in a while. Tonight, I get to go out for dinner with Lisa and Uncle Rickie's going to come down and play with the girls until Dana gets home. They're going to be manly and BBQ after the girls go to bed.

Saturday: Jakie's birthday party! We picked up a super cool present for Jake's 3rd birthday and on Saturday we get to have some quality time with the Larson clan. Abby's been practicing saying "Happy Birthday Jakie!"

Stayed tuned for more happenings next week...

Hugs and Kisses

Both girls are getting very good at hugs and kisses, which is wonderful...mostly for me. And I'm sure the gramas and grampas won't be complaining either. Abby is now at the point where she actually grabs on to you and squeezes when you ask her for a hug, rather that just throwing herself into your arms and you having to do all the work. Anni, when you ask her for kisses, shuts her mouth tight, makes a "mmmm" sound and now puts her face right up against you to give kisses.

If these are the only jobs the girls ever have, I think I'll be ok with it...

Lesson Learned?

Abigail was rather distraught when she got up from her nap today. When the girls wake up, they tend to be a little on the cranky side (what?!), so I let them stay in their cribs, wake up at their own pace, and then go get them when they're ready to rejoin the rest of the world. Usually, this takes anywhere from 5-20 minutes, depending on the day. Well, today, they started waking up and talking to each other, same as every other day. At some point they usually start playing peekaboo or some other game only the two of them understand. Apparently, the game today consisted of Abby sticking her finger in Anni's mouth...and getting bit...hard. She started crying, I ran upstairs, Anni's standing there with her own finger in her mouth and Abby had some very distinct and deep teeth marks in her pointer finger. We decided the finger in mouth game is best to be avoided in the future, particularly when Anni is teething (which seems to be pretty much every day these days), but we'll see what happens...

Anni Update

Anni had Tiny Tots again this morning. I don't think the child sat still for more than 30 seconds of the entire hour. She's a mover that one! Today, we had some mirrors to play with and some hide-and-seek style corners. We also played with the parachute, which was pretty much the only time Anni was entranced enough to stop moving.

Here are some other Nanni updates:

1. She can now moo like a cow. And in class today, she learned to baa like a sheep.

2. Anni's new favorite trick is to show us her mouth. I ask, "Anni, where's your mouth?" She opens her mouth as wide as she can and lets her tongue hang all the way out.

3. Current favorite game: So Big! She literally throws her arms up in the air as fast and as hard as she can. Sometimes, she just about knocks herself down.

4. Current words: Mama, Dada, kitty cat, juice, shoes, sit, stand (other people probably can't decipher these words quite yet, but we know what she's saying)

The Child is a Fish

On Thursday evening, the girls and I headed to the Y for Anni's first swimming lesson. We dropped Abby off in the kids center and then Anni and I hit the pool. The child is, literally, a fish. I let her walk into the pool and she just kept walking...and walking...and walking. If I would've let her, she would've walked herself right to the other side of the pool, underwater all the way. After we got back to the shallow end, she proceeded to throw herself all over the place, crowing with laughter, splashing like a maniac. And this was all before the lesson actually started!

In our actual lesson, Anni had to climb onto the side of the pool, which she could do by herself. She had to jump into the pool on the count of 3...that one took a little work, since she wanted to jump the second she sat down. She had to throw a little fish and then "swim" to it. She did really well at that - she pulled her arms through the water and tried to kick. Anni wasn't too crazy about the back floating, but I don't think any kids really are at first. She didn't cry or yell though, so I think we're off to a great start!

Discovery Days

Abby started a new class on Wednesday. This one is called Discovery Days. The class is aimed at 2-4 year olds and Abby's the youngest in her class. Some of the things are a little over her head still, but I think she'll catch on pretty quickly. The class will focus on reading and math skills, as well as different learning styles. This class is smaller than the Tuesday class, but Abby seemed to enjoy it just as much. This week was pretty informal, just letting the kids get accustomed to the room. Abby did get to paint for the first time though, and we now have a very pretty, sparkly silver star on our fridge.

2s & 3s & Swimming Lessons

Tuesday morning the girls and I walked up to school again. Tuesday was Abby's day for school - 2s & 3s. Since she'd already been there once, she was rarin' to go! She was very excited to sit on her carpet square, play the parachute game and try out some new toys. Abby was also in charge of treat day this week, so she very carefully handed over her box of crackers to the teacher when we arrived in the morning.

Tuesday evening, Abigail started her swimming lessons. Anni stayed home with daddy while Abby and I went off to the Y. Abby did pretty well for her first time out. She got right in the water, let me float her on her tummy, kicked like a banshee and participated in all the games. She wasn't thrilled about floating on her back, but I think she'll work her way up to it. Every time we go to the gym, she wants to get back in the pool, so I think we're good to go.

Tiny Tots

On Monday, Anni had her first venture into the classroom. In an attempt to add a little schedule to our daily lives, I signed the girls up for some classes this fall. Anni has Tiny Tots on Mondays from 9-10 and swimming lessons on Thursday evenings. Tiny Tots is for children aged 9-18 months and I think Anni is close to the youngest in this class.

The first class wasn't overly organized. There were different "stations" for the kids to play - a plastic swimming pool filled with squares of mesh materials; a little tumbling station in the corner with mirrors; a little set of playground equipment with steps, a tube and a slide; and various other toys throughout the room. Anni's favorite, by far, was this little walker toy that she got to walk all around the room. It's just like a toy our friend Riley has, so Anni knew just what to do with it.

During Anni's class, Abby stayed in the sibling care room. Both girls seem perfectly content to let the other have some alone time with mom and some new kids. And both girls really seem to enjoy their classes. We're already looking forward to next week!

Ah-ee, go see Mommy!

This evening, Abby was busy sitting on her potty. She got a new Dora potty a week or two ago. She's trying to go potty on the potty, but no luck quite yet. She checks it out every once and a while and when I ask her if there's any potty, she says, "Not yet."

So, anywho, tonight Abby's sitting on the potty, naked as a jaybird, playing with her blocks. Anni, of course, sees the blocks and comes cruising right over to big sis. Abby sees her coming and instead of making this horrendous noise she's been making lately when Anni does something Abby doesn't want her to do (like come by her toys), she says, "Ah-ee, go see Mommy!"

When I'm doing something I don't want the girls to "help" with and when Dana's home to run interference, I have a tendency to say, "Go see Daddy!"

Seriously, the kid's a genius!

12 Month Check

Anni had her 12 month well check the other day. She's doing very well and getting bigger and definitely stronger. She's 19 pounds now, which is the 12th percentile. This is also a jump up from her 9 month appointment when she was down to the 6th percentile. Anni is 28 1/2 inches, which is about the 40th percentile and her head is in the 66th percentile. She's got a noggin on her! She had to get some shots, which was NO fun, and she got a little bruised from them, but the littlest monkey is doing just great and is much happier now.

Play Date Central

This weekend the girls and I had 2 very fun play dates. On Saturday, we went over to Auntie Sara's house to play with Jakie and Elena. Abby gets especially excited for the play dates because the other kids have such great toys (as compared to the billion toys that circulate through all the rooms of our house)! At Jakie's house, the girls really enjoy the plastic slide in the basement and the magnet board. They also had quite a fun time playing with all the great puzzles. After some chalk playing outside, the girls had some lunch and a little more playing before the long ride home.

On Sunday, we loaded up and headed to Eagan to play with Riley and William. Anni's favorite game at Lisa's house was to crawl over to William, pretend to kiss him and then to stick her finger by his mouth so he could lick it. A very strange game but both the little kids seemed to really enjoy it! All 4 kids had an adventure to the neighborhood playground where we played on the swing and the slides and tried to convince Anni not to eat the rocks. We took a little walk around the pond too. On our way toward home, it started to rain. Abby and Anni were quite content with some fast walking with mom pulling the wagon (Abigail was perched on top of Riley's potty), but Riley wasn't interested in the wagon ride. When I offered to carry her home, she readily took me up on the offer. William was in the baby carrier, snug as a bug, so Lisa pulled the wagon and I carried Riley. We made it back to the house without getting too wet. Then we had some super yummy meatballs for lunch (Abby's latest food obsession- and she prefers them in a bowl) and did a little more playing before we left our friends for the day.

It was a busy weekend of playing and the girls really seemed to enjoy themselves! We're so lucky to have such great friends to visit...and who cook lunch for us!

Fall Down!

Yesterday, the girls and I went to the MN Zoo for an adventure. The weather was perfect and it was a great place to be outside and doing something at the same time. The girls had a great time looking at the animals, Abby got to run around like a maniac, I got to mentally make fun of some of the stereotypically suburban mommy groups (no, I'd never actually do such a thing), and it was just a very nice morning.

On the way home, we decided a treat was in order, so we stopped at McDonalds. We brought our salty, delicious lunch home and ate at the dining room table. The girls, of course, were much more interested in the french fries than the cheeseburgers. So, I got them set up with some fries and went to let the dogs outside. While I did that, Abigail decided to help herself to the remainder of the french fries (the entire rest of the box). When I came back into the room, oh about 45 seconds later, she had a HUGE pile of fries on her plate and was busily working her way through them. I said, "Abigail, how did you get so many fries on your plate?" She looked at me, shrugged and said, "Fall down!" Apparently those little buggers just fell right out of the bag and onto her plate!

Big Girl Glass

Abigail is making strides into Big Girl World. We went to Target the other day and perused through the dollar bins and came across some very cute, smaller tumblers. Now, Abigail loves her sippy cups, but I thought it was probably time to start on regular cups. So, we started giving the new big girl cups a try and she's doing really well with them. She insisted that daddy help her at first, but now she says, "I do self." And she does. We've had a couple little spills, but she's catching right on to the process! Yay Abigail!

Cat! Cat! Cat! Cat!

Anni has a new word!

Can you guess what it is?

She loves to chase the kitties!

More Tiny Tastebuds

Abigail, like her mother, tends to have some odd tendencies when it comes to food. Last night, for instance, she decided her corn on the cob would taste extra good if it was smothered in ketchup. I, myself, don't put ketchup on my corn, but I do still like it on my scrambled eggs, and when I was little, I insisted on it for my chicken. Must run in the genes...

Here's the ketchup queen
And here's her very amused little sister

2s & 3s

Today was a very exciting day in the Schmidt household! Today, Abigail started school! She's taking 2 classes this fall - 2s & 3s and Discovery Days. Today was the first day of 2s & 3s and Abby did really well! She was, in fact, the first child to answer a question and, of course, she got the question right. She was very interested in all the different play stations and in the other little boys and girls. Anni got to play in a separate room while Abby and I were in class. She seemed to have a really good time too! Anni starts school next week. Watch out Tiny Tots!

Here is Abby having a snack at one of the tables

Abby's first official art project! Entitled "Stuff Glued on Paper"

Fair Day Part Deux

Above: Anni deciding where to take her next bite
Below: The girls and Dana...ever important corn dogs in hand

Anni taking a corn dog break in the wagon
Abby's first request of the day...MEATBALLS!!! Anni thought it was a good choice too!

Cutest baby taking a refreshment break
Abby and Dana on the BIG BIG slide...and some random guy's head
Anni doing some corn dog damage
Is is a corn dog? Is it a flute?
Not interested in sharing

Ketchup face
I think I've got a little ketchup on my lip...
And here we have the coup de grace. As you can tell from the following sequence of pictures, little Miss Abigail was NOT interested in sharing "her" corn dog.

So, there you have it, folks. State Fair 2008.