Science Time!

Another stop on our Winter Break Adventure tour bus was the Los Angeles Science Center. We have been a few times before, but not in the past year or so. It's in downtown Los Angeles, which is exciting in itself.

It's also free admission, which is definitely the right price in my book. Even though it's free to get in, there was hardly anyone there. In a city of 12 million people (or is it more?), you would think more people would come...but thankfully (for us!) they all were out holiday shopping or something. ;-)

Paprika and Ginger had a great time playing with the little television studio they have there. She did a puppet show...



And just generally goofed around...



And we watched it all on the "big screen":



Ginger was the camera operator. She had a lot of fun with it, can you tell?



She also spent a lot of time building stuff...we have noticed that she loves, loves, loves to build. She has been using our giant Lego set more than anyone, and often when she's supposed to be napping, we find her building elaborate structures out of little Legos...do I see a future engineer in our midst?



So, the Science Center was a hit! Our littlest girl slept through the whole thing, so no pictures of her on this trip. We'll have to bring her back again when she's awake! I guess even at 6 weeks old, you're never too young for a trip to the Science Center. :-)

Here, There, and Everywhere!

We have literally been here, there, and everywhere this Winter Break. Last week we went to a museum or park or something every single day...and of course then with Christmas, we have been so busy I haven't had time to take a breath. So, get ready for picture overload! ;-)

Last week we took the girls to the "Big Aquarium" (Aquarium of the Pacific). The girls love going there, and the baby loved it, too. She was so good. I had her in the Bjorn with a nursing cover over her most of the time (to keep the germies away), but we took off the nursing cover for a moment to take a picture.



We also took the girls to the marina in Long Beach. So much fun to look at the boats. They were broadcasting classical Christmas music and the girls had so much fun running around. We had the whole place to ourselves.



I had to take a picture of daddy with his daughters - the baby was sleeping in the Bjorn while I was taking the picture, so it was just the big girls.



Ginger really is not a fan of group or posed photos...can you tell? ;-)



Even though it's a bit of a trick to all pile in the van and get out and about, it has been so worth it. I have found that all our moods are lifted when we make that effort to get out in the sunshine on a daily basis.



My girls are obsessed with dandelions...and love to blow the seeds here and there.



I wonder how many "flowers" will grow because of them?



That's the Queen Mary in the background. The girls call it the Queen Boat.



Whenever I see these at the harbor here (and also in the Bay Area), I am reminded of the At Ats from Star Wars (a movie I saw once, 15 years ago!) I think the ones in the Bay Area were the inspiration for the figures in the movies...can you see it?



I wonder how much of our outings the girls will remember when they grow up? I guess, even if no one else remembers, I will remember these days and treasure them. And that is important, too.



More pictures with daddy (one at a time):



And Ginger in a slightly better mood!



Looking out at the boats...Ginger kept saying that we needed to get in a boat and sail to the other side of the harbor. I half expected her to jump right in!



And nothing like letting the girls run with wild abandon and get their energy out. I have been so grateful to have Mr. M home from work this Winter Break - besides it being great spending the time together, I so appreciate the help corraling the girls! ;-)

My Christmas Miracle...

Little Miss turned 6 weeks old yesterday! Her first six weeks have gone so fast. Ann always says "the first three months after you have a baby are just survival" - and while I normally agree, this time it has felt in many ways less hard than with the other girls. In some ways, it is a lot harder because I have more kids to juggle (haha!) but in other ways, it has been a lot easier.



She is an easy baby...or maybe I am just more used to what having a newborn entails and so I'm more relaxed with her...I don't know. She is a pretty good sleeper, a great nurser, and overall a very happy baby. I figured out a few weeks ago that she is very sensitive to any kind of cow's milk dairy. It makes her soooooo upset and colicky, so a few weeks ago, I completely cut dairy out of my diet. Almost overnight, that helped her so much.



A few nights ago, I decided to try adding dairy back in to see if it would make a difference, and oh.my.word...it was like night and day. She was in so much pain and spent 5 hours screaming. So, needless to say, I am dairy-free again for the forseeable future. ;-) A small sacrifice to make for a happy baby.



Looks-wise, she really favors Ginger. I think they look almost identical at this age, whereas I never thought Paprika and Ginger looked too much alike (although a lot of people told me they did). I guess time will tell as to who looks like who. ;-)



The most challenging aspect for me has been figuring out how to parent all three girls in a way that gives them all the individualized time and attention they need. Paprika needs help with learning, school work, and all sorts of other things. Ginger is still a baby in some ways...she just turned 2 and a half and is potty training, and needs her snuggle time. She just weaned, which was a big transition for her. She did it on her own, and I am a little grateful (although it is bittersweet, too, of course).



The big sisters love their baby sister, and it's all I can do to keep them from covering her with kisses day and night. They both want to hold her and play with her. Ginger keeps saying: Her is sooooo cute! I love her sooooo much! Paprika loves holding the baby, and kissing her, and wants to "teach" her everything...like how to clap. Both girls always want to know what the baby is saying, as if I am the master interpreter of baby coos and gurggles.



Yesterday (on the official 6 week birthday), we spent the day at the Botanical Gardens. She was such a good baby, and I have to say that she pretty much always is. She loves it when we interact with her, and take her exciting places, and as long as she is with her mama, she is a happy girl. I can't believe she's already 6 weeks old. I know I keep saying that, but it's true. My little Christmas miracle is the best present I could have ever received this year. I am so grateful for her with each and every breath I take...

Send It Soaring!

Is there anything more fun than flying a kite? I bought kites for the three girls: a Barbie kite for Paprika, a Yo Gabba Gabba kite for Ginger, and a Toy Story 3 kite for the baby because...well, it was on clearance, and I knew she wouldn't know the difference. ;-)



Ginger is crazy about Yo Gabba Gabba (she got to watch it a bunch while I was pregnant) and Paprika is a huge fan of all things Barbie...so needless to say, the kites were a hit!



We waited for a windy day down at the beach, and we were not disappointed. I can't believe Ginger is old enough to fly her own kite!



Paprika thought her Barbie kite was the best thing ever...



The girls wanted to fly their kites until sunset...and they did!



Paprika chased her kite far down the beach. Thankfully, her kite gave her away and she wasn't able to get too far! Ha!



I can't believe Christmas is on Saturday! Eeek! Are you all done shopping? These kites were supposed to be a Christmas gift, but I just couldn't wait. I am glad we got them out when we did...no time like the present to enjoy a little kite flying. :-)

In With The New!

Little Miss turned 5 weeks old yesterday (Wednesday). She is quietly sleeping in the next room, and I snuck away to upload my photos. :-) She is getting so strong, and curious about the world. Even though she is not my first baby, holding her never gets old. It's my favorite thing in the whole world to do at the moment!

I took her "one month" photos on Saturday (the day after she turned 1 month). They didn't turn out like I wanted them to - I think they all look a little silly, but here is one that is not half bad. I bought the decals off of Etsy from LittleBabyBumblebee. I bought a sticker for each month, and you just put the decal on a white onesie and voila!

I always wanted to do something like this with the big girls, but I never got my act together in time. Third time's a charm, I guess. ;-)



We decided not to go to the mall Santa this year. I hope that the girls won't hold it against us when they're adults, like we deprived them of that All-American experience.

Well, we couldn't get out of the Santa visit altogether. Every year, Santa comes to each block in our neighborhood on a sleigh (with elves and everything!) and visits all the boys and girls. He comes at after dark, so it's not exactly great for a photo op. But, it certainly is convenient!

This year Paprika gave him a drawing she made of him. I hope he likes it! :-) I am going to have to go back and look, but I think Paprika drew Santa a picture last year, too! Ginger would not get within 20 feet of Santa and keeps saying that she does not like Santa. So, no picture of Ginger with Santa this year!



This past week we have been doing some major de-cluttering around here. We sold our upstairs white couch. We sold our huge fish tank (because keeping fish alive is not our strong suit and I was getting exhausted replacing the fish when Paprika wasn't looking.) Gave some stuff away for free on Craigslist, and then we also sold a bunch of things on Ebay.

All of this decluttering has felt so good. When you have so many people in a little cottage like ours, you have to be quite intentional about the things that come into the house. We had intended for our big clean-fest to make room for Christmas gifts, but now I see how happy we are with more floorspace, and it makes me less eager to fill up that space again.

The girls' big gifts this year were going to be a play kitchen for Ginger (I found one for a steal on Craigslist...almost too good to pass up), and a big 4 foot tall dollhouse for Paprika that will fit her Barbies. I know that the girls would love these things and play with them constantly...but we really have absolutely nowhere to put them. So...I don't know.

I am torn between wanting to see their eyes light up on Christmas morning and the reality of living with a gigantic piece of molded plastic and a Barbie dream house almost as big as our real house for the forseeable future. I realize there is a compromise in there somewhere, but compromise has never been my strong suit! ;-)



So, next week is supposed to be my 6 week postpartum checkup with Dr. K. He will be out of the office all week, so we had to put it off until 7 weeks. This made me exhale a little. I don't know why but I always have that expectation that I will be 100% back to my "old self" by the 6 week check-up. You would think I would have learned by now that there IS NO GOING BACK! Haha. Even so, everytime I think I'll waltz into the office in my pre-pregnancy skinny jeans, with my hair done, make-up perfect and I will have a radiant glow surrounding me.

The reality is that I am tired, still have 40 pounds of "baby weight" to left lose, need a mani, a pedi, and everything in between. ;-) I told myself I would not step on the scale until 6 weeks, but yea...that didn't happen. I have decided to put off the whole weight loss freak-out until after Christmas. Not to be cliche, but getting back in shape will be a New Year's Resolution this year.

Until then, pass the nog and cider, oh and maybe a few of those chocolate peppermint brownies while you're at it. Ha!