The Inevitable

A little background: Anna had her 18 mo. well child check this last week. Both girls have been sick. During the last month they've both ended up with croup and Ella's had the flu and Anna's had a nasty cold. Both girls haven't been eating as much and they've been sleeping a TON!

I thought it might happen, I just thought it might be a bit further down the road.

So, this afternoon we're at lunch. Ella sits on one side of the table and Anna on the other. "Oh, how cute! Are they twins?" "No? Really? Well how far apart are they."

Mind you, I don't care that she's asking these questions. I was mostly in a state of shock. I guess I have been kind of expecting it, being as Every.Single.Person that sees the two of them lately has mentioned how much Anna is starting to look like Ella! Plus, with Ella back down to 30 pounds and Anna back down to 24 pounds they are pretty similar weight wise - although Ella still has five inches on her sister :)

Seriously though, I thought it might be when they were older, maybe 3 and 5, 4 and 6. Not yet. Not right now. I wasn't prepared. I don't think that they look **SO** much alike, but I do notice Quite a Few similar facial expressions. Add to that, that sometimes I have to look to see which one is talking - I just didn't think it was time yet, funny how these things sneak up on you though.

What was funny though - is if they were twins - One of them is Really Advanced or one of them is Really Slow! The interesting part was that our server said she has a three year old!!!

On to the girls:
E: Fabulous, Wonderful, Bright, Bright, Funny, Charming, Witty :)
A: Fabulous, Wonderful, Bright, Bright, Funny, Silly, Manipulator! :)

Ella: is loving Soduku. She can do the little number puzzles but really prefers to play picture Soduku. They have simple puzzles in the in-flight magazines and as we were traveling quite a bit it was a different sort of diversion so I just taught her and she figured it out pretty easily. Her current jigsaw puzzle project is working on a 300 piece puzzle that is strewn across the dining room table. She's doing much better on this puzzle than I expected. Anna, as you may expect, is not nearly as respectful of this puzzle as her Sister thinks she should be.

Ella is trying more and more writing on her own. Her latest word to write was monkey. I wasn't paying close attention, "Mom, first and M? Then an O? Then an N?" I of course, then tune in, "Are you writing Mom? Does N come next?" She replies, "No, I'm writing Monkey!" "Okay, yes, N does come next." She wrote it (shhh...not that you could probably tell the letters for yourself but she did a great job phonetically!) Monce :) I thought that was really good. We're working on trying new things so this was HUGE for her!!!

She's also really getting into drawing people and animals. Again, not really anything you'd probably recognize, but for us it is a WONDERFUL accomplishment to have her actually TRY to do anything. What I find fascinating, especially after all the work with student art therapy, Every.Single.Picure - has feet. Not just the people, the pets too. Everyone has feet. Every time. They might not have four legs or two arms, but by golly they all have feet.

About the feet. In February Ella got her last current set of casts. She's back to sleeping in the bar and LOVES IT! Seriously loves it. She is sleeping so well and if you ask her how her feet feel when you put the bolt shoes on, "goooood" along with a big contented sigh. This one has a hard time sleeping when her feet are bare...

Anna: Wow! Where to start. She's just developing day by day into more and more of a child. While I absolutely love this and what she's developing into, it's a little sad that everyday we march further and further away from being a little baby. That being said - Hooray! She's becoming less of a baby! She talks up a storm!!! Most of it is intelligble to us :) She's become a master manipulator trying to get her own way! Too Funny! Perfect Example: I'm putting her down for a nap, and this kid loves to sleep! Anyway, she asks for milk. I give her milk. "NO! Milk Hot! Milk NOT Cold!" Fine, I cool down the milk. I go back and give it to her. "I do it." Fine. Then she proceeds to go through this whole list of things; "Pacifier, blankie, cup - whatever she can think of. Finally when this game gets boring, "Ready Crib." I put her in the crib and she plays around. I give her her blanket, "New blanket too." On and on and on. She is Incredibly Demanding but it is so stinkin' funny! Cracks me up!

"I need pop."
"Anna, we don't have any lollipops."
"Need new one pop. Momma get new one pop."

That's one of her favorites - "Momma get new one." Anything and Everything Ella has - Anna wants or needs. "I want that too." "I need one too!" Doesn't matter, Ella has it, Anna wants it. She's also out of those sweet little footie jammies. Ella could never wear them but Anna pretty much wore them forever because they are so cozy and so cute. Now she can't sleep with them on. Last night we tried one last time and she couldn't even get to sleep. She was in bed, awake, for over half an hour and finally we hear, "STUCK! FOOT!" The poor thing can't sleep with anything on her feet, even her blankets we have to pull off her feet before we leave the room.

Anna's also developed that whole body head nod for saying, 'yes.' I think that is one of my favorite parts of little kids. She is so freakin' adorable when she does it, so emphatic and soooo enthusiastic!

Anna is in awe of her sister and Ella absolutely adores her sister. Anna's first question every morning, "Ella?" I have to tell her Ella is still sleeping and then she asks for food :) If, for some reason, I reprimand Anna (like maybe throwing her bowl across the room?) Ella will start crying, "But Momma, Anna just loves you all the time." Anna informs me everytime Ella needs a time-out, "Ella, crying, Ella, time-out." When Anna is in trouble however, Ella starts crying. We'll need to work on this as I can picture Anna needing a LOT more time-outs in the next few years ;) They climb and jump all over each other and mimic each other ALL the Time - usually this is good, not, however, if one of them starts saying, "poop" or something equally as inappropriate.


- What else? I need to stop saying, "freakin'" (oooops!) "I am going to throw that freakin thing because I am angry at you!" Oh Man! So needed a consequence for the yelling but by the time I finished laughing, the moment was gone. Guess I say, 'freakin' when I'm upset...

Got a new cell phone today. Has a nice keyboard, I can IM and text - Lovely! One more way to not actually talk on the phone ;)

Haven't done much scrapping lately - just other things to do - not that I don't want to, just other stuff to do instead.

Sam is doing well. Loves his picks and is getting quite good. Lets himself into his own office each morning. I am so afraid someone is going to get the wrong idea!!! Fortunately, his boss knows :) Evidently, they are also allowed in carry-on luggage.

His job is going well. He's starting to get the hang of this 'managing' thing - his words, not mine. Although some of the manager stuff is not so good - but the experience is great. Work is changing, the company is growing, people in and out - So much different, but fun to walk into Costco and see a display of all the products they print for Costco. That kind of makes it easier!

Off to bed - pics tomorrow!