We got some snow!

As January comes to a close, we can at least attest to the fact that we got some real winter weather!  Snowstorm Jonas dumped about 2 ft of snow on us last weekend.  In the days preceding the predicted storm we did what we could to prepare - loaded the wood boxes, dug some carrots before they got buried (our favorite pictured here), drew jars of water in case we lost power, etc...  Then we hunkered down, joined by the person Jonas and Emily to get snowed in.  Nothing like a snowstorm to slow down some activities and nix any progress on the outdoor projects lists.  It wasn't successful necessarily in slowing my or Jason's minds down.  I'm definitely feeling a need to rekindle some of my mindfulness practices!  We did enjoy some outdoor snow fun, enough shoveling to make me sore for a few days, a walk on the still snow covered road and then lots of game playing, hot drinks and good food. We never did lose power as it was a powdery snow and breezy so it didn't accumulate much on the trees.  Kali seemed almost disappointed and is suggesting once again we voluntarily go without power for some yet to be designated period of time.  We'll see.  I'll admit that while the adventure can be fun, I'm maxed out enough on the unpredictability of our daily routines right now that I don't really forward to any additional adventures! Here's a smattering of snow pictures!  We cooked up a feast of a brunch the morning the snow started, just in case we weren't able to turn the oven on again for awhile.  A good way to welcome the first few snowflakes.  The girls were eager to get out in it immediately, and while Jason and I would be ok with it melting at this point, they haven't had their fill just yet...

While the big girls played outside, Terah continued to expand her cuteness inside.  She spends some time each day in her circle seat - normally enjoying it long enough for us to get a fire started or Alida's tornado of play picked up in the living room, or a floor or two swept.  She is starting to do things more deliberately with her hands, so we imagine before long it will be enjoyable for longer stints.  For now it seems her main full-time job is drooling!  I never have worn a bib on one of our babies nonstop but she needs one. Without it, we go through multiple soaked outfits a day.  It seems that she is also settling in on the one finger chew.  We don't remember Kali really sucking/chewing any of her appendages habitually. Alida did the two finger suck (which was awfully cute).  Terah's little index finger in the side of her mouth is charming as well.  In other news it has now been over a month since we have had a poopy diaper. And, no, Terah does not have the worst case of constipation ever!  She is a pro at pooping in the sink and we hope to transition her to the real potty soon - though it might be a hard sell as she loves talking to us and herself in the mirror, as well as giving us some very cute growls.  She still wets diapers fairly regularly but has made it that we only have to wash diapers about 1-2 times a week rather than 3-4.  The other significant change for us is that we have now gone 3 nights in a row with Terah swaddled all night. The first few times I tried it, it was not a hit!  But you just have to keep trying stuff, right?  I was getting tired of her being so squirmy and flailing around, waking me more than her.  It just seemed like she could be sleeping more restfully.  So she finally was able to settle and go to sleep swaddling a few nights back and it is quickly becoming the nighttime routine, due to the positive reinforcement received by using it (better sleep for the baby and adults alike!).  I had forgotten how much I love those early morning stretches that come right after unvelcroing her and releasing her arms. Unconnected to that, Alida has also been sleeping through the night for a few days straight without waking us to pee.  We like these changes, but will try not to count on them, lest we be disappointed at the next bump in the road!  One of the things that is on the horizon that we are all looking forward to are Terah's belly laughs. We got a glimpse of them the other evening when Alida was playing boo with her.  I didn't quite get the camera in time as the excitement made her get the hiccups right when I started recording. But I got one cackle:

Yesterday was our first family night of 2016.  We employed our new plan of rotating through each of us getting to choose what to do on family nights.  Jason got to kick off the year and he was happy to take my suggestion of trying out the new ice skating rink in the neighboring town of Bridgewater. Kali and Alida had never tried before and it had been many years since Jason was on the ice.  Terah and I came along for the ride, and had a marvelous time watching.  Terah fell asleep in the pack while she watched the skaters going round and round.  I was surprised how very much I enjoyed watching the girls slowly pick up the skill within the 2 or so hours we were there.  I felt teary a few times watching Jason work with the girls - seeing him skating hand in hand with our 12 year old was a very sweet sight!  It's amazing how quickly kids pick up on things.  And Jason was whirling around at a fast clip by the end too.  It's a really fun rink and there was just a good feel about the place - people out getting exercise, enjoying the fresh air, and learning a new skill.  Last night Alida said she knows what she is choosing for her family night...ice skating!  Here's a brief clip early on in the afternoon.  By the end both girls were going on their own without help:

We left in time to check out the library in Bridgewater and Alida now has her very own library card.  With 40 books/dvd's, we headed home via the Friendly City Food Co-op (bananas for our squash yogurt gelatos and tahini for a new favorite discovered this week: red lentil hummus).  By this time Terah had been awake for some time and was getting tired.  We find that she does fine being put in her carseat asleep and waking up there and she does fine being put in when wide awake and entertaining herself by staring at the warning label on her carseat. What does not seem to work for her is being strapped in a carseat when she really wants to fall asleep.  By this time it was dark and getting quite nippy outside.  She was beside herself.  We pulled over once but there really isn't room in our back seat for much baby comforting/nursing and so we decided to just continue on.  But before long she was screaming to the point of gagging and was so sweaty and hot that I could not stand watching her suffer so.  I wondered what percentage of parents have taken a child out of the carseat and held them while traveling, as I did the very thing I thought I'd never do.  She traveled the last 10 or so minutes home in my arms and had finally settled by then, after I took off her sleepover so she could cool off.  I'm half embarrassed to admit it, but at that time it felt more cruel to leave her in and no other creative solutions seemed to be coming to either me or Jason in that moment.

The rest of our family night went up from there - we enjoyed squash yogurt gelato (sweet enough to not even need bananas this time - just squash and yogurt mixed!) with frozen raspberries and dehydrated pecans (and coconut for those who desired it) and did some more popcorn testing/tasting while playing Yahtzee.  Alida fell asleep before Jason could even get to her to read some library stories, and Terah followed not soon after all snug and swaddled up in my arms.  The bar has been set rather high for our monthly family nights!