Wonmor Adventures: August 2011

Arts and Crafts

We have created an arts and crafts box where I put all sorts of boxes, ribbons, containers, doodads, and gobbledygook. Max has, in the last three months, become really interested in making things. He has made Ben 10 watches out of toilet rolls, Green Lantern rings out of paper, dare I say hundreds of paper airplanes (yes, I do), a robot, a wobble board (Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport), Star Wars space ships, a DVD player and TV complete with DVDs and two remote controls, a boobie trap for above one of the bedroom doors, etc. I love to watch his creative side developing.

Wobble board

robot

Ice skating in Brisbane?!

There was a German market/winter carnival traveling through the capital cities of Australia this winter. We decided it was a good time to introduce Max to ice skating. He loved it!

A summit in the cot

Elsa giving me kisses as we watched Max and Tim ice skate

Ice skating with the seal scooter

We also had three rides on the ice slide

We spotted some girls with animal balloons at the German market. After we asked them where they got the balloons, we tracked down the artist on the Queen Street Mall.

Max wearing his scabbard while using his sword and shield on me. It was frightening as you can see (is fear the expression on my face?!).

Dairy Allergy

Elsa has had eczema since she was two to three months old. I wasn't too concerned about it until she gained enough fine motor skill to scratch it. And then there was the time that her neck, upper chest, and side of her face became infected...

When I came to realize that the discomfort was effecting her personality, I decided that I needed to take serious action to get the eczema under control and try to figure out her triggers. Our local GP and a dermatologist gave me some good guidelines on how to treat flare ups and what to do for general maintenance. We were lucky enough to also see the allergist on the Gold Coast who is a bit of a local legend so in mid-July, we found out that Elsa has a dairy allergy. I had suspected that was true b/c she refused to eat yoghurt and even broke out in hives the last time I tried to feed it to her.

Elsa and I have gone dairy free. Well, sort of. I avoid all of the obvious dairy but I haven't been as careful at dinner or birthday parties. Unfortunately, I think that Elsa pays the price after those occasions so I need to be a bit more diligent. I just hope that we don't discover more allergies in the next few months!

Elsa soaking in her bath oil

Elsa's eczema at its worst (I cringe just looking at this picture. Thankfully, she is much, much, much better now).

Too Long

I can't seem to blog and facebook at the same time. Facebook has won out for the past six months or so. Hopefully I can get back into blogging.

Life has been so busy since the twins arrived. Beyond the time that it takes to care for two babies, I've committed to running the Under Ones playgroup for the Brisbane Multiple Birth Association-Westside. The group gets together twice per month at a couple of our local libraries. I've enjoyed meeting with other Moms of multiples.

Maxwell is still enjoying Montessori three days per week. He never wants to go in the morning but, as soon as he arrives, he's off to play with his friends with hardly a good-bye. His teachers are lovely: Tim and I are very pleased that he has the opportunity to spend a year there.

Max also hit a big milestone in June. We have a five-year-old in the family! We had a joint party with his buddy, Alexi, in the local park. It was the first year that we didn't host the party at our apartment. Gotta say--the clean up is much easier at the park :)

The girls are growing so fast! I can't believe how quickly these last seven months have gone! They are both starting to scoot around on the floor, have been eating solids for three months, and are working on sitting.

Addie is very smiley and outgoing yet she is also the first one to burst into tears when she is tired and amongst strangers. Elsa is a bit more reserved--she likes to observe the world around her with a poker face. Yet she always has a smile for Max--he loves to make her laugh (and laugh she does!).