Happy 3rd Birthday, Jada!!

It's hard to believe, but Jada is 3 years old already! Here are some great pictures from her birthday!

We all know that Jada LOVES to go and eat Pho (a Vietnamese noodle soup). She can eat an adult sized bowl, and she often tries to eat from other people's bowls when she has finished her own.

Getting ready to eat...
Eating her favorite food! It's also a tradition to eat long noodles on your birthday to celebrate a "long life"!

And, it's GONE!


The night before her birthday - Jada is still 2 in this picture!

Taking her final 2 year old picture with Grover!
And let the birthday fiesta begin! Here is Aunt Marie, and 1-year old Nina and Jorge


Lolo with Baby Evan

Lola with Baby Evan (he's much more awake these days, and Jada likes to call him "Mr. Big Eyes!")

Throwin' out the 3 sign! Jada getting ready to blow out the candle on her cake.
Gavin - full after a delicious meal (that I cooked!)


Tita Grace with Evan (left) and Kainoa (KY-NOH-uh)

Jada with her birthday present from Tita....yes, it's a potato. Jada has named it "Dolly Doll". She carried it around with her all night and kept whispering to it, "I love you, Dolly Doll. I will always take care of you."


Baby Nina!

Mia and Lil' eating cake

It's been a fun filled year with Jada! Let's see -- some highlights and memories from this year?

• Jada learned to use the potty
• When we went to stay at a hotel, Jada loved going to the "hot pool" (aka hot tub)
• We've often referred to her as "sassy" because she always has a witty one-liner to give you when you talk to her.
• Jada is definitely a social and confident kid - if you put her in a room with people, she's often off-and-running and making friends
• She loves to eat in restaurants, and often asks people to take her to Pho, the 99 (where she orders a hot dog and mac/cheese), Friendlies, or Taco Bell - which she swears Tita Mari has taken her.
• On dates with Gavin and Uncle JP, Target is their favorite place to go. Although, Uncle JP has also added "Chuck E. Cheese" (which Jada calls "Chuck E. New Year")
• When Jada is mad, she'll turn to the first person she sees and begins yelling at them. Most recently, Jorge was the target of Jada's anger where she kept screaming, "I do NOT love you, Daddy" ... even though Jorge was about 15 feet away from her and had no idea what was wrong.
• "I am NOT cute" is her favorite reason to get mad at you.
  
• She loves to dance and do dance routines.
• Sometime half way through the year, the older girls finally let Jada play with them, and now she is fully immersed in the doll games the girls play.
• Her favorite things are The Cheetah Girls (she is Chanel and likes to wear her hair down), High School Musical (she says "Sharpay is NOT nice because she is popular"), and Dora
• We call her the iPod addict because it's the first thing she asks for when she wakes up
• She just loves to give hugs -- Jada is the best hugger ever, and when you're feeling down, she knows just how to cheer you up.

Happy Birthday, Jada! We love you!!

Welcome Baby Kainoa Navarro Talusan!

Congrats to Jenny and Jon who had Kainoa today! Everyone is doing well, and we are looking forward to Evan Eduardo and Kainoa to wreck havoc all around town!



The weather has been beautiful this weekend, and the kids have been playing a lot outside. Here is a great photo of Gavin and Jada - eating cheetos on the porch after playing a game of Water Squirters!




Baby Evan had a bath the other day and didn't appreciate me snapping photos of his nakedness....

Little Evan is 2 1/2 weeks old!



Wow! Can't believe Baby Evan is 2 weeks old. He's doing great and gaining weight steadily. He was born at 7.5 lbs, but then lost a lot of weight and went down to 5.15 lbs a few days after leaving the hospital. Two days later, he gained 2 ounces (6.1 lbs) and a week later he was up to 6.7 lbs. We're not sure why he lost so much weight in the beginning (and the doctors were very worried), but he has made a great comeback! Jorge even commented that Evan's clothes are fitting better, too!

Speaking of which, thanks to all our friends who have sent boy clothes to us! Evan is certainly a well dressed little fella!

He's much more awake these days, and it almost seems like he's looking at us and following us with his eyes.

Evan and Jada both had their retinal exams with Dr. Mukai. Evan was such a champ! Neither one of the children cried at all. Jada was amazing at the office visit - she's pretty young for doing an awake exam, and yet she was so brave. This was probably the easiest office visit we've ever had!

So, Evan will go back in 3 months for an exam under anesthesia (urgh!) and Jada is clear for a year. I honestly don't mind the awake/in office exams -- it's the anesthesia ones that I dread! But, I think we're going to ask that Evan only do 1 EUA since Joli's results did come back as non-genetic.

More to come later! Happy Easter!

Quick Update~

Just wanted to post some quick pictures of Evan. He's doing really well. In the beginning, the doctors were concerned because Evan was losing too much weight. He went from 7.5 lbs to 5.15 lbs. The pediatrician was very concerned, and we had to go back every few days for Evan to get weighed. Thankfully, 2 weeks later, Evan is now at 6.7 lbs, which is still way below what he is supposed to be. But, he seems to be on the up-and-up!

Evan is up every 3 hours (which means, so are we!) and is such a good baby. He's pretty quiet when he's not nursing, but he's starting to get more and more alert and awake these last 2 or 3 days.

The girls are just eating Evan up! Jada has been home with me, and she's been a big help. It's nice to get to spend some time with her. Joli is still going to school, and she absolutely misses Evan during the day. She's very helpful in the morning - holding Evan so that I can go and brush my teeth or get breakfast ready for everyone. Jada is great entertaining Evan when he's crying, too!

So, here you go! Some cute pictures of Evan in his swing for the first time. He seems to like it!






Tomorrow, both Jada and Evan have to go to the retina specialist for dilated exams. Jada hasn't been in almost a year, and this will be Evan's first. Hopefully, it'll also be one of the last....

Joli is going to start her appointments with the VHL clinic soon. We're just waiting on some of our blood tests to come back. She'll be the youngest patient in their clinic. I'm sure more to come on that one, later.

Enjoy!

"Evie Cakes"

Yes, Evan is now "Evie Cakes" according to Joli!

The girls are having a ball with their new baby brother. We had a tough go in the beginning - Evan had lost quite a bit of weight and the doctor was really concerned. But, he's steadily gaining weight back and doing much better.

Just realized today that we have NINE doctors appointments in SIX weeks. The retina specialist wants to see Evan at least a few times before clearing him of Rb, and he'll see Jada at the same time. Then, we'll be starting appointments for Joli's VHL, my post-partum visits, and then lots of pre-cancer follow ups that I had put off while pregnant. In the words of Teetah Grace, "Oh, graaayt."

Other than that, Jada has been enjoying time with Jorge who has been home for the past 2 1/2 weeks. They have been spending quality time at the library during story time and running around doing errands. I can see Jorge in Jada's words/actions/etc. She may LOOK like me, but she is exactly like Jorge!

So, here are some of the latest pictures from our family! Enjoy!

WE'RE HOME!

Evan Eduardo Talusan Vega is home as of 11:20am (and Lolo has already asked if Grammy was cooking rice and beans for lunch... his priorities...!).

Not a lot of time to write at this moment, but wanted to just put up some pictures. Here you go!

Sisters meet Baby Evan for the first time on Tuesday, March 24th at 5:30pm


Lolo and Lola meet Evan Eduardo

The grandparents

Grammy and Pops were the first family members to meet Baby Evan!
Baby Evan celebrating his 1 day old moment - taken at 10:15am on March 25th


Getting ready to go home on March 26th at 10:40am


Yup, still the World Greatest ($.25) Dad! (Jorge bought this sweatshirt for $.25 -- yes, CENTS -- when Joli was born!)

Jada Grace welcoming Evan Eduardo to our house!


Jada welcomes home Baby Evan

I'm sure more to come later, but c'mon, we just got home 15 minutes ago (actually, this is my -Liza's- way of avoiding the diaper change that is taking place ;)

EVAN EDUARDO TALUSAN VEGA



Hurray! Evan is here!

Details:

so, of course, I've been anticipating labor for, oh, about 4 weeks now. But, on Tuesday, March 24th at about 3:00am, I woke up feeling pretty regular (every 6 minutes) contractions. Nothing too painful, but certainly enough to get out of bed and start counting. Jorge woke up with me once I said, "I'm timing now!"

Around 4:15am, we called Lola and Lolo to tell them to make their way slowly over to our house because my contractions were getting closer and stronger - every 5 minutes or so. Knowing we were going to go, I brought out the hospital bag (which, yes, had been packed for weeks) and went to take a shower. Grandparents arrived around 5:00am, and Jorge and I woke the girls to tell them.

Liza: "Girls, Mama and Daddy are going to go to the hospital now to deliver baby! Lola and Lolo are here to watch you while we are gone, okay?"
Jada: "No, Mama!! I just want to snuggle you, Mama! Not Lola! Only Mamaa!!"
Joli: "Oh, you're going to the hospital? You think the baby will come? Okay, I'm going back to sleep."

We left the house at 5:09am - with Lolo screaming "GO ALREADY!! Stop talking and GO ALREADY!"

Had a few strong contractions in the car and made it to the hospital. Went upstairs, was 4 cm dilated already and got the most horrible, painful and awful epidural ever. Let's just say that it was good Jorge was NOT in the room because I was screaming bloody murder! I don't think I have ever screamed that much out of pain (yes, even during labor). So, needless to say, that was awful. The epidural was also way too strong once it was in, and I quickly went numb. So, for about an hour, I felt nothing. On one hand, it was a good thing because I went from 6 cm to fully dilated with the baby already descended way down into the birth canal -- imagine, that's how numb I was... I didn't even feel THAT.

When I told the doctor I couldn't feel anything, they all but turned off the epidural. The numbness went away very quickly and soon I was feeling everything! Yes, everything.

At 10:00am, it was time to push -- a few quick pushes, lots of "it HURTS!!", and Evan Eduardo Talusan Vega made his way into the world at 10:15am! Fifteen minutes - that's definitely a record in our family!

"IT'S A BOY!!" they all yelled as I actually got to pull Evan the final way out. Good thing -- because at 9:00am, Jorge and I still didn't have a baby girl name!

So, why EVAN EDUARDO TALUSAN VEGA?

Evan is named after Jorge's mom -- Eva Nydia. Vega (get it... Eva.. N... Evan)
Eduardo is Liza's Dad
Talusan is his Middle Name
Vega is his last name

The girls are the same way - double 1st names, Talusan as their middle name, and Vega as their last name.

All three babies, though, when they were born, spent the first day or so as "Baby Talusan" because of my last name. So, for the first 24+ hours, he was Evan Eduardo Talusan. But, as of 3:00pm on March 25th, he officially became a Vega baby boy.

The first text from Pedro Vega was something like, "Thank you for taking the weight off of my shoulders for being the last Vega boy... now there is Evan!"

I love the story of how Jorge came to Evan's name:
At about 8 1/2 months, I took a really bad fall. When I was brought to the hospital via ambulance, the EMT's and the Firefighters were all telling me I should name my kid after them. There was a John, a Mike, a few others, and an Evan. I told Jorge that story, and we both kind of laughed.

That night, Jorge had a tough time sleeping. I even remember him getting up sometime around 4:30am and not coming back to bed. At about 6:00am, he woke me up to say, "I think the EMT was right -- let's name him Evan. But, not after the EMT.. after my Mom." And, that was that. We knew Baby Boy would be named Evan for a few weeks now - we just didn't tell anyone ;)

So, here he is -- Evan Eduardo Talusan Vega. Born Tuesday, March 24th, 10:15am, 7 lbs 5 ounces, 20 inches long, good head of hair, dark brown eyes

We took lots of pictures and I'll post those as soon as I get home.

Yes, I am writing this from my recovery bed.... ;)

Pregnancy News

Yes, still pregnant as of March 23rd. I keep thinking the time is coming (and, of course, given the odds, the time IS coming!), but the time keeps passing by. Two weeks ago was, officially, my last day of work, but I keep going in to save up my vacation time. So, I've still been working about 40 hours a week.

Today I am officially entering into my 39th week - as we can see in the latest photo taken today. The hospital bag is packed, the car is ready, clothes are washed, diapers are here, and the girls are ready for Baby ? to arrive!






I'm not sure what this picture is from, but it's cute. So, here you go!



Jorge has been spending some really great time with Jada as he's been on vacation for the past week. The two of them went to the library for different story time events and they've gone on little outings together. It has been kind of nice for Jada to get some Daddy time since she's about to end her reign as the "baby" of the family!

So, stay tuned! It must be coming soon, right??

Here is a funny little video of the girls "naming the baby". Enjoy!

Gettin' Ready!

The girls have started to get ready for the arrival of Baby #3.

Just 1 week before Jada was born, I brought Joli to the Roger Williams Park Zoo. So, we thought we'd recreate that and bring both Joli and Jada .... hopefully one week before baby is born?? Wishful thinking, I'm sure. (though, I feel like I'm delivering every single day!)




Okay, so Joli is "mini-Liza" in a particular way. On Saturday, I was told "Mama, do NOT come into my room! I am doing something." So, of course, I went into her room. And, what was Joli doing .... she was organizing her dresser drawers!!! She took all the clothes out of both her drawers and Jada's drawers and was folding all of the clothes and neatly putting them back. Oh, be still my heart!

In the process of cleaning the drawers, Joli found a pair of pants that *I* wore when I was about 4 years old. I haven't yet found any pictures of me wearing them yet, but I was promised by my mom that, indeed, I wore them. And, given their 1970's style, a broken waistband, and the polyester, I'm pretty sure it's true! I think if you click on the picture, it will enlarge and you can see the details of the pants!



On Sunday, we decided to make "Big Sister" shirts. The girls did awesome! Check out these shirts that they will wear to welcome "Baby #3!"










And, last but not least, here is my gigantic belly at 35 weeks... egads!

Some more fun with our video!

Quick update: I've been having really strong Braxton-Hicks contractions, but apparently they aren't doing much of anything. The doctor said that he thinks there might be another week or so at least!

As this is my last pregnancy, we did a great photo shoot with Alonso. Here is a snippet of our experience that day doing a section of the shoot with the girls!



Here is the biggest reason why I'm always running late in the morning. Because the girls don't always see one another for very long during the day, I try to give them some time to play whenever they can. This particular video is the latest of their adventures -- note, they've also been watching a whole lot of old school Power Puff Girls cartoons as well as boxing with Jorge!

NOTE: you may want to turn your volume down... they sound like little yapping puppies if you don't see the video with it!





Enjoy! Hopefully a post will be coming soon about a hospital trip and a baby!! Gosh, I hope I deliver this baby soon.....

We went to the dentist!

Joli and Jada went to the dentist for the first time (finally!) and had a great time! They really loved it, and they even asked when they could come back! Thankfully, they had no cavities and so they were spared some of that first experience.

I completely expected Joli to go first, given that she's so used to being at the doctor. But, no, it was Jada who jumped into the chair and made herself right at home. The cutest thing was that Joli held her hand the whole time .... ooohh!! It was just too cute! Jada even opened wide, let the dentist do all that he needed to, and was so excited to have her teeth "painted" with flouride.




Joli was equally as great! One of the tools the dentist uses was called "Mr. Thirsty" because he sucks the water out of the kids mouth. Joli, my ever the Feminist, said, "Uh, excuse me. Why does that Thirsty have to be a MR Thirsty. Why can't it be MISS Thirsty?" Aww yeah!!!! Such a proud moment!



This past weekend, Alonso also came and took some family pregnancy photos. As this is our last pregnancy (I'm having my oopherectomy within the year to reduce my risk of ovarian cancer), I wanted to get some great photos of what it was like to have a pregnant belly. Can't wait to see the photos! I managed to get this one photo of my belly, but there are great photos of me and the girls coming along!



Check out Joli being the awesome big sister and holding Jada's hand during the teeth counting!

Just a few fun videos from our Flip Video!

Closing one chapter.... another one opens

Hi everyone! Here is the latest in our medical drama. I'll try to sum it up as best as possible.

For the past few months, we've been undergoing genetic testing for Joli's retinoblastoma. Unfortunately, her tumor was destroyed a few years ago, and the only way to test for her was through blood (not as reliable, but it's all we have to go with). We submitted blood samples back in September '08 and met with the geneticist in November '08. I knew something was up as soon as we got in the room with him. He began by saying, "Unfortunately, the test for Rb hasn't come back yet." So, I'm thinking, "Uh, okay, so why are we here?" The doctor then said that he had some preliminary bad news -- that, randomly, Joli's blood was selected as part of a research sample to test for another genetic mutation called von Hippel-Lindau (VHL). The test came back positive, that Joli has the genetic mutation for VHL.

The geneticist and I agreed that we'd re-send the blood to be tested JUST for VHL -- so, not as part of a random study, but rather as an intentional test for the mutation.

So, we returned to the geneticist yesterday. He said the GOOD NEWS is that Joli's retinoblastoma was simply by "chance" - that is, in her original germ cells, there is less than a 1% chance that Rb started genetically. Rather, it was at some point when her cells were dividing that her retinal cells mutated somehow and Rb was created. That's great news. IF we were to stop the story there, that would mean that neither Jada nor the new baby would need any more Rb screening. It means that they would have just as unlikely a chance of having Rb as any of the general population (which is so rare to have Rb). It means my affair with Mass General Hospital could come to an end - sort of.

The geneticist was kind enough to let me enjoy that moment for 5 seconds, which is what he actually said, "Enjoy this moment for about 5 seconds.....". Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy! No more retinal exams! No retinal exams for the baby and for Jada! Woo hoooo!!!

"Unfortunately, Joli is confirmed to have the genetic mutation for VHL."

So, what does that mean?

Unfortunately, one of the early signs of VHL is... wait for it.... RETINAL TUMORS! So, my brief fantasy about not having to go to MEEI or MGH was over. We have to go back again -- and, the great irony is that we have to go MORE OFTEN than we were scheduled to go when she had Rb!

So, what is VHL -- there is a whole lot of information out there, but I'll try and sum it up in the easiest terms possible.

VHL is a dominant genetic mutation. Not related to Rb. Not related to BRCA. Yup, it's a totally separate genetic mutation.

Now that we know Joli has it, imagine Joli carrying a suitcase that is called VHL. Inside that suitcase are things like, "retinal tumors, brain tumors, angiomas, renal cancer, paralysis, spinal cord issues, headaches, hearing loss". She'll carry this suitcase for the rest of her life. Throughout her life, the suitcase could open. "Joli's body" will reach into the suitcase and pull something out. Sometimes her body will pull out 1 thing; sometimes her body will pull out a few things. There is no timeline for when the suitcase will open - it could open tomorrow; it could open when she's 90 years old. It can also open-close-open-close-open-close all through her life (which is more likely).

The great thing about genetic testing -- especially at age 5 --- is that we now have a "net" around the suitcase. So, before any of those things fall on the ground, we have a little net that will hopefully catch it before it hits the ground.

So, Joli will have regular screening for all of these things for the rest of her life (hence, the fact that we'll still feel like the hospital is our second home!). With this early genetic diagnosis, we can find retinal tumors before they get too large, we'll know about any changes in her kidneys before she develops renal cancer, we'll know to treat "just a headache" as a medical issue.

The next step that we are pursuing is to find out if her VHL was passed on by one of us. In 80% of VHL cases, a parent passed it on. As of today, Jorge and I will have both given blood for testing. If one of us is genetically confirmed, that has implications for both that side of the family as well as for Jada and Baby #3. If one of us is positive, Jada and Baby #3 have a 50% chance of also being VHL positive. If NEITHER Jorge nor I have VHL, then there are no implications for Jada and Baby #3 -- it'll be just Joli's bag to carry. We should find out those results in a few months.

In terms of the Rb, the retina specialist does want to see Baby #3 at 6 weeks, and then likely we won't have to do anything after that since the hereditary risk is so low.

This is the brave face blog going up here, of course. I can't even begin to tell you how much we think this "stinks" (insert multiple words here....). Yes, yes, through all of the mess we've had to go through, we know that "That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger", but for now, we're pretty tired of hearing bad news. Let us wallow in this for a few days.

I hope this serves as a reminder to folks to count your blessings, know that others have it worse in this world, and be thankful for every day of good health you have. Yes, I realize how bitter that sounds right now, and I know that Jorge and I are just so tired of hearing this type of news.

Please continue to keep Joli on your prayer lists or whatever you may do.

Thanks!

Those Darn Tomatoes...

So, quick post to update folks who weren't getting the play-by-play on Facebook.

At lunchtime, went to the dining hall (as always) starving for the latest in college dining. Loaded up my tray with macaroni and cheese, chicken tenders, and yes, a salad. On my way to get a large drink (thank God I didn't make it that far), I slipped on food that some numbskull had dropped but didn't pick up. So, I do my best John Travolta and end up in a disco split in the middle of the cafeteria. Thankfully, I didn't drop my tray.

But, alas, I felt lots of pulling and pain, so I crawled onto my hands and knees, and felt a hand pull me up. Yes, friends, it was Patty -- the dessert lady. I see her every day. She is my saving grace at the end of a good meal with her selection of brownies, cookies, cakes, rice krispie treats, etc...!

Apparently, Patty saw the whole thing and came running. Next thing I know, I'm standing up, grabbing my belly and saying I have to go to the bathroom. It's all kind of a blur, but I end up in there with a few of my friends, Campus Police shows up, and I'm soon being strapped to a stretcher and taken to the local emergency room to get checked out.

All in all, it was an eventful afternoon, filled with TMI from the other patients in the emergency room with me (stories of diarrea, hearing a catheter being removed, etc). A few hours later, Jorge arrives and he convinces me to remove my vital signs monitors and put them on him, and we wait and play the "how low can you get your heart rate?" game while waiting to be seen. I eventually end up in the Labor and Delivery floor where they search and search for a heart beat (yes, they found one.. never thought it would actually be that HARD to find!).

Baby and I are okay. I'm sore. Pelvic and back and groin sore. But, all in all doing fine.

Damn tomatoes.

February is flying by!

Happy 40th Anniversary Lolo and Lola!
Lolo and Lola celebrated their 40th anniversary today! Naturally, we all went out for dim sum and filled our bellies. Then, Lola and Lolo took out Mia and Joli for a nice shopping trip where they got plenty of "bling", matching clothes, and toys. (much to my dismay....). Happy Anniversary!!

We've been busy at the house trying to get ready -- the girls and I have been inspired by the show "Clean House" where they get rid of all the excess stuff in their houses. The girls LOVE the show and it's been helpful as we've donated barrels of toys and clothes!

It's hard to believe how quickly February has come and is almost gone. I was looking back at some pictures to post and realize we just didn't take that many. We did take a good amount of video with our new Flip video, though, so I'll try to get some of those posted soon.

Pregnancy: Whew - as of today, I'm more than 34 weeks. Egads. Joli was born at 35 weeks; Jada at 37. So, it's starting to really come up upon us now! The room is almost totally set up, clothes and blankets are already washed, hospital bag is packed, and it's just waiting now. Work has been really busy, and I actually am pretty sick right now, but we're all excited for baby to come! Bets are still being taken for boy/girl and day of birth! Here are some much over due pictures of my 34 week belly -- I AM HUGE!!




Joli has wrapped up most of her speaking engagements this semester. Here she is just after one of the cancer classes we taught - I think she looks like a NATURAL at the teacher's desk!



More later, I'm sure! Stay tuned... next few posts could include a baby announcement! :)

This past weekend, the girls and Jorge went to NYC and I had some time to catch up on house projects (getting the baby clothes down from the attic, cleaning out the basement, fixing lights/ceiling panels, etc). While it was nice to get some solid work done this weekend, I missed my nutty family like crazy!

Here are some cute pictures courtesy of Pops and Jorge!

Making meatballs with Grammy

After church with Grammy and Pops


At church

Getting ready for bed!

Of course, the girls got home, jumped into my bed, and buried themselves under the blankets, leaving poor Daddy to sleep in the girls' room! Grammy and Pops are coming up here in a few weeks to help us get ready for baby, so we are so excited!

Great few weeks!

Naturally, it's been an exciting few weeks in our house!

I'm not sure exactly what the heck Jada is doing in this picture, but here she is in her own picked-out outfit. Yup, and striking the typical Jada pose...




The end of January marked my 30th week of pregancy. Joli was born at 35 weeks; Jada at 37 1/2. So, I'm guessing to go anytime between then, possibly! It's a whole different feeling knowing this will be my past pregnancy. I've been feeling much better the past few days - no back pain, no pelvic pain - and have really had a week to enjoy just being pregnant. I find myself sad at times when I feel the baby move, simply because I know I won't have this feeling again (probably going to have my oopherectomy within a few months of baby being born). But, I'm filled with joy and excitement knowing that the baby is moving around and growing stronger each day!



Our family celebrated Chinese New Year (in honor of our distant heritage) with Dim Sum. Wait, who are we kidding? We go nearly every Sunday! But, this time, we did teach the girls all about Chinese New Year. So, happy Year of the Ox!







There perhaps hasn't been a more exciting day than the day that President Barack H. Obama was sworn to take office. We celebrated by having orange juice in fancy glasses... The girls were thrilled!


Joli lost her SECOND tooth today! It was quite an ordeal. I believed in the practice that SHE should take it out by herself. Long gone are the days of tying floss to a door or tricking children; we are big believers in having them take ownership over their own bodies. So, Joli got to wiggle around the tooth. It was barely hanging on tonight, so I simply put a string of floss around the tooth to avoid losing it in case it fell out. Joli went to the livingroom to watch tv, and before we knew it, she was shouting, "It's out! It's OUT!" Apparently, she was laying on the floor, went to get up, and accidently stepped on the string! Hurray for Jo Jo!