Saturday, March 27, 2010

Mattress from Costco: $$$



Bed frame and duvet cover from Ikea: $$$



Sheets from Target: $$



Big girl bed with big girl sheets with room enough for all her "friends": priceless

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Haven't We Always Been "High Risk?"

Mommy, you are eating for three, so you need two breakfasts.


When we found out we were having twins we also found out that we shifted into a new category of pregnancy. We are now "high risk" and this has meant a host of changes. Kaia now needs to eat for three as opposed to two, I need to make sure Kaia can rest as much as possible when she gets home, and we needed a new doctor. Our old doctor does not handle high risk pregnancies and so this week we learned what it meant to be high risk.

The bigger of the twins.


Kaia wasn't feeling exactly right on Tuesday night and the symptoms continued into Wednesday. We scheduled a doctor visit for the morning and this led to a two day long trek from one clinic to another, to a hospital childbirth wing and finally ending up in the ultrasound room of the coolest doctor I have ever met. The good news is that although Kaia has been having some very small contractions those are under control and it looks like The Gentlemen will stay in place for a good long time. The coolest doctor ever also asked me if I thought The Gentlemen looked identical. He thinks you can sometimes tell from the ultrasound. What do you think?

Smaller, but working on it.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

The Naming Contest

You know why I get to use the bigger space? My mom is having twins.

My buddy Chris suggested a naming contest and he offered Danny and Arnold as options for The Gentlemen. Kaia and I won't be revealing the names until after they arrive, so points for most creative and bonus points if you end up being right. Go for it!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Alright Boys, Time For A Double Play.

Could it be we have a shortstop & second baseman on the way?



Early on in Kaia's pregnancy we both had a feeling that twins were a distinct possibility. I had a dream that we had twins and Kaia thought her baby bump had arrived a little too quickly for just one baby. Back in December our doctor listened for a heartbeat at our second visit and told us, "There is only one heartbeat. It is not twins. You would be much sicker if it were two."
Fast forward to March 16th and our first ultrasound appointment. The technician places the wand on Kaia's belly and I see two round objects. I say, "Wow a head and a butt!" The technician says, "No two heads." Kaia said, "No there is just one baby." The technician points and says, "Baby 1 and baby 2." (Kaia's version of this is probably a little different than mine.)
The technician asked us if we had any inkling that we were having twins and we told her about our doctor's certainty. So much for that.
As we called close family to share the news we heard the perfect nickname for our two boys as we wait for them to arrive. Kaitlin christened them, "The Gentlemen." I love it. We'll keep you posted on The Gentlemen.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Breaking News!




That's right, Baby A and Baby B. And both of them are boys.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

CSI:Evie

The next lead detective?



Evangeline has managed to hold on to her cough for two weeks now and for those two weeks we've not had a lot of sleep. The good news is that our little girl is in pretty good spirits during the day. In fact in such good spirits that she puts up with my nonsense. I thought this was really funny. (I know, I know, children are not monkeys for our enjoyment.) (Well, I mostly know this.)

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

The Doctor Is In

Hmm. It could be a baby . . . or a kitty.


It is a lot of fun to share the baby preparation time with Evangeline. She wants to know all about what Kaia is feeling and what the baby is doing. Evie Lu also wants to make sure the baby is getting what he/she needs. She told Kaia a week ago that the baby needed cake. (This could be because Kaia will tell Evie that snacks she's eating are "for the baby.")
In exactly one week we'll find out whether Evangeline will be a big sister to a little girl or little boy!

Okay, come back tomorrow and we'll listen again.

Friday, March 05, 2010

On The Mend

In the "sick chair" with Tiger by my side I'll be okay.


For the longest time I said I never wanted kids, but then I met the love of my life and my heart changed. Before we had Evangeline I imagined that I would be a no nonsense kind of dad who would not be swayed by cuteness. Wrong again. I am a giant softie, I have a tough time keeping a straight face when she's being mischievous, and I hate to see Evie Lu in any kind of pain.
I happened to be at IKEA when Kaia called to say the husky voice had turned into croup and I could not resist buying a $10 stuffed tiger. (Apparently all Swedish kids have their own tiger. Who knew?) Tiger (that is his official name) has become Evangeline's new constant companion. When she doesn't want to take medicine, Tiger comes to the rescue.
Evie is on the mend now, but it has been a week of rising and falling temperatures and a cough that makes it sound like she's been smoking for two decades. Thank goodness for Tiger.

In the bedroom the Tiger sleeps tonight.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

A Sick Girl

Here I Am!


I thought we were going to make it through the winter without a bout of croup, but unfortunately it caught up with Evangeline today. We'd been a bit concerned that Evie Lu was coming down with something, but it really hit hard once bedtime rolled around. We've spent the time out in the crisp air and hopefully our little girl will sleep. It won't be long until she'll be up on my shoulders again!

And now a drum solo.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Walk On The Ocean

Can we go there Grandma?


The time you get to spend with family is always too short. When I see sweet pictures like this one of Evie and her Grandma Bev the distance between us and most of our family becomes hard to justify. Thankfully so many family members have come out to see us and Evie's Aunt Kaitlin lives in town. I'm so glad we have pictures to help remind us of great moments.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Wiill You Play With Mii?

I'm totally going to beat Mom and Grandma!


Over President's Day weekend Evie's Grandma Bev and Grandpa Wayne came into town. It had been nearly eight months since Evie had seen her Minnesota Grandparents in person. (Thankfully Skype has been used quite a bit for video calls.) One of the funniest things we did was play Wii games together. We usually played after Evie went to bed, but one night Evie decided she wanted to play too. Her steering wheel wasn't connected to anything, but she was very serious about the whole process. Evangeline is still convinced that she won.

The key is to not look too smug when you win.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Driving With Miss Evie

Are you ready to go?


Evangeline has been fascinated with driving recently. She was thrilled one day when her car seat was brought inside and she could pretend to take her baby on a trip. Evie Lu brought out her two red chairs and put the car seat behind them. I'm afraid Evangeline wants to be British because she was insistent on driving from the wrong seat.

Hold on! This is a tight turn!

Monday, February 08, 2010

Evie Thinks She Knows Something

Evie is not a doctor, although she has a diagnosis.

Evangeline is really excited about being a big sister and she has a definite opinion about the gender of her sibling to be. (We won't know for another six weeks.) Evangeline has told me about how she'll let her baby brother or sister play with some of her toys, but not the little ones because it isn't safe for babies. I get a kick out of seeing our little girl growing up.

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Spin-ability

Does the hat go with my ensemble?


Evangeline has embraced dress up time with a new gusto. She no longer limits herself to play clothes, but will go into her drawers and closet to put together new outfits. (Thankfully this tends to be an afternoon/evening activity and we haven't yet had to talk her out of wearing wings to daycare.) The most important test for any outfit is how well it spins.

Check out my wings!


The spin test takes a discerning eye. Evangeline will tell me that a dress is not a good spinner even though it looks perfectly fine to me. (Evie Lu looks at me as if I'm a heathen with no sense of style when I try to convince her of a dress' spinability.) When she finds the right spin to a dress, Evie Lu loves to demonstrate. I think she would love some time with her Aunt Megan to work on proper twirls.

I'm pretty pleased with myself.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Building A Buddy

Wait, am I made of this stuff too?


Evangeline was given a make your own bear kit for Christmas and we decided that it would be best to save this as a rainy day project. Wow, am I glad we saved it. Evie Lu had a blast helping Kaia put together a new friend.

You have to be careful here mommy.


There was a time of panic when Evie Lu took off with most of the stuffing and couldn't remember where she put it. Thankfully we found it and avoided the sad fate of an under stuffed new bear. Our daughter is very matter of fact about what she wants these days and this project was no exception. The bear had to be made just so.

Peek-a-bear


Once the bear was finished it was time to test drive the huggability. He doesn't have a name yet, but he is very cuddly. What a great gift!

Perfectly stuffed for hugs!

Friday, January 22, 2010

Should We Be Worried?

Each week in daycare there is a theme and this week the theme was dinosaurs. One of the fun things about the themes is the question of the week and the crazy answers the kids give. The question for this week was, "What did dinosaurs eat?" I'm not sure if Evangeline was raising the stakes from Lucy's answer, but it makes me laugh every time I think about my sweet little daughter saying, "The dinosaurs eat . . ." (See response #3 for Evie's answer.)

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Good Morning Sunshine

Sing along everybody!


Good Morning Sunshine was the way Mrs. Janet started her classes with Evangeline and now Evie will sometimes start the day the same way. The words are "Good morning sunshine, sunshine. Good morning sunshine who are you?" You then insert your name as you sing the song passing it around the room. Evie Lu likes to sing for everybody. She's started adding "baby" to the list as she gets more excited to be a big sister.

Monday, January 18, 2010

3 Year Check-up

I make sure my baby gets buckled in too.


After three years some things don't change. Evangeline still doesn't like doctors or nurses poking at her. Kaia and I had hoped that Evie Lu's 3 year check-up would be a whole new experience, but it took Dr. Ann checking Kaia's eyes, ears, and throat before our daughter would play along. We have a perfectly healthy little girl. She is still maxing out every category. (Thankfully we are done with head size measurements!) Here are the stats: Height: 38 and 7/8 inches putting her in the 90%, Weight: 39 lbs putting her in the 95%, and a new stat for BMI of 18.14 putting her in the 95%.
Someone told us that if we measured Evie at exactly 2.5 years old, we could double her height and that would be what she ends up at for full growth. When we discovered an estimate of 6 feet tall I had my doubts. But after this check-up, maybe we will have ridiculously tall girl!

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Moving On Up

A good breakfast is what a 3 year old needs!


Evangeline went back to school this week after three weeks off. She was ridiculously excited. Not only did Evie Lu head back to school, but she also started in a new classroom. Since our little girl is now three she gets to be in the official preschool classroom. No more toddler classroom for Evangeline!

Would this be Home Economics or craft?


In what must be a cruel prank played on Kaia and me by preschool teachers, Evie came home with a "police car" made out of a Twinkie, Cool Whip, Oreos, and gum drops. I was foolish and said she could eat it before dinner. Evangeline doesn't get much sugar and she was a wild one for a good hour until she crashed. Hard.

Letting me eat this? A poor choice dad!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Art!

Hello, welcome to my studio.


Brushes? Who needs brushes?



Hey! I'm blue!