26 Months

I know, I know, I should get used to them growing up so fast by now, but I can't! Cara and Nora are now 26 months old! Cara is continuing to add new words to her vocabulary and is stringing words together, sometimes in sentences. It's amazing to see her pick up on so much! She loves to be a little mommy to Nora and is constantly bringing her things and trying to play games with her... when she's not being a typical 2 year old and stealing things from her, of course.

Nora has been receiving therapy through the state for a few months now, and starting next week we are switching to a different, more intensive type of therapy. We think this will be really great for her, but it definitely will be more time intensive and change our schedule around. We're now going to work with an ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) therapist if any of you would like to read up on that, and she will receive 8 hours of therapy a week. I hope that since we are getting her in therapy at a young age, she will make progress quickly!

I know many well-meaning people have assumed that we are exaggerating Nora's issues or believe that she will outgrow them, but please know that comments like that aren't really helpful. Autism is a disorder that she will never outgrow, although we hope that with therapy she is able to make improvements. As with most autistic children, she also has sensory processing issues and things that are easy for other toddlers are not easy for her. Any change to her routine, even something simple like a new different kind of sippy cup and certainly things like staying overnight in a new place, is extremely hard on her. If you would like to do more reading on early signs of autism, this is a pretty good link to check out. Autismspeaks.org is also a great place to do some reading.

Baby girl #3 is doing well and kicking away as I type. I'm 26 weeks along and have 90-someodd days left until my due date, so time is definitely going by quickly at this point. We are looking forward to meeting her, but we still have lots left to do!

Here are some recent pictures of Cara and Nora:

New Play Set

Cara and Nora are very lucky and well loved little girls who got plenty of new goodies for Christmas! Of course, Mommy is behind in posting, as usual, but here are some pictures of them enjoying their new playscape from their grandparents:

















Since Daddy's just a big kid, too:

McDonald's Play

This morning I took Cara and Nora to play at McDonald's. We met up with one of their buddies from playgroup, and I actually took my camera out briefly! We really like this McDonald's play area since it is so open, so both girls love climbing and still being able to see everything.











They are both very into climbing, so they love any chance to play on playscapes! And I love how well they nap afterward. ;)

Holiday, 2 year Update

Once again I've neglected this blog! I suppose that's a sign that we lead a busy, fulfilling life with two toddlers. Both girls are doing well and had a happy Thanksgiving. Ours was low-key, spent at home, but they enjoyed having Daddy around so much. They're such daddy's girls when given the chance. Their 2 year appointment was last week, and both girls are growing well. Cara was 27 lbs, 15 oz and Nora was 30 lbs, 11 oz. Cara was 33.75 inches tall and Nora was 34 inches tall. They're both staying on the growth curve pretty much where they've been for a long time now; Cara is around the 50th percentile, and Nora is around the 80th.

Baby in utero is doing well, too. Our next ultrasound is December 14th, and I have my 20 week midwife appointment on December 15th. I can't believe this pregnancy is almost half over! Actually, I'm 18 weeks today, so this would have been the halfway mark with Cara and Nora's pregnancy. Hopefully this baby plans to bake longer than they did, but it's still crazy to think about! At 18 weeks, baby C is now approximately 10 inches long. I can definitely feel baby's movements most days, usually in the evenings when I finally sit down and rest for a bit.

We took a few pictures this weekend of them in their Christmas outfits!











It's hard to believe they've grown up so fast and are already 2! They had a great birthday party with several of their toddler friends, and they both enjoyed their chocolate cake. Cara recognizes quite a few of her friends and calls them by name now without my prompting, which is just wild. She's like her own little person.

Growing Family

Cara and Nora are only one month away from turning 2! Growing fast and changing every day. And their lives will change even more next spring when baby #3 arrives!


























Nora has been sick this week, so we've been stuck at home for a while. Luckily her fever finally broke yesterday, so I'm hoping the rest of us don't get whatever she had. She's been miserable! Yesterday we went to the park with Uncle Kelly and future Aunt Alyssa and the girls had a blast wearing all of us adults out. They're very good at that. ;)

Cara is still chatting up a storm and starting to put together sentences. I drew her lovey, Babo, on a magna doodle yesterday, and she said, "Babo!!" She ran to grab Babo, then came back and shoved Babo's face on the magna doodle. She told me, "Babo sees him." Smart kid!

Hopefully I'll find the energy to update more once I'm feeling better.

Nearly Two

I can hardly believe it, but on the 24th of this month, Cara and Nora will be 22 months and only 2 months away from turning 2! How can that be? I keep telling them to stop growing, but they clearly don't listen to mommy.

Cara has become a little Dora fanatic. She calls her "Dona." She loves pointing out Swiper and Boots, too. On Tuesday we went to a play date at a house that had a huge Dora tent and oh my goodness, Cara was THRILLED by the giant Dora and Boots. All I need to get her is Dora stuff for her birthday, apparently. She made me sit with her and look through a Dora coloring book at that house, even, and she kept pointing out the Dora on the tent over and over again. Nora spent most of that morning playing at their play kitchen. I see a play kitchen of some sort in our future. They both love them!

Nora is really into Play Doh! I just got some out a few days ago for them to play with; I was concerned before that they would try to eat it or wouldn't get it. They have both enjoyed it, but Nora just loves it. I tell her to squish it and she gets this huge smile on her face and mashes it down. She's such an easygoing, lovable kid. Seriously! Cara can be very possessive and pushy, like a typical 2 year old, but Nora totally rolls with the punches and is so laid back. Things still set her off, of course, but overall, she's a really sweet little toddler.

Yesterday I got out some drawing paper and crayons and the girls colored at their little picnic table in our kitchen. I drew Cara's lovey, Babo, and she thought the drawing was totally awesome. She accidentally scribbled over him, and threw a fit. She kept trying to wipe away the crayon marks. Poor kid!

Cara has started saying "sign-a" for Signing Time. We have a bunch of Signing Time videos that both girls adore. So cute! She and Nora have both started signing rainbow this week. They pick up on the most random signs!

More to come

Nice and overcast this morning. The girls got to play in the rain; I got some good pictures...here's a preview.