Week 123 and Week 36.5 - Hand foot and mouth again!

Charlotte must have terrible luck to be all of two years old and not even attend school and have been stricken by hand foot and mouth disease AGAIN!  Our neighbor TT hasn't even had it despite his years in school.  Charlotte must go to the park and be licking other kids while we aren't watching.  There is a lot of face touching at least because of her mane of hair that she does not let anyone pull back into anything that resembles order.  There has been a calm week of being home scratching her leg bumps (!), but she is back to the park today (weather permitting) and I think I am going to have to make a necklace charm of antibacterial lotion for her.

I had a little bit of a meltdown (or two?) this past weekend as sick kids really make me crazy, as if I have been unable to control their environments and therefore control their having illness (this is part of my nutty Asian upbringing, as Matt gleefully would feed our kids dirt to get their ímmune systems going).  Charlotte drank out of Sophia's water bottle then gave it back to Sophia and I nearly had a heart attack watching the HFMD germs jump from her bottle into her system.  So far however Sophia has gotten nothing (knock on wood) and I am trying to relax.

I have gotten a few messages about the recent Bumbo recall.  Yes, we are still using ours but we wedge Sophia in a corner and don't leave her unattended.  It is a great eating chair for her.  We are careful!

Matt is again traveling to Macau and I am in the office writing this blog.  Sometimes Charlotte and I call him at night and she tells him about her day (I saw TT today.  Yaya is here.  Mommy is here.  Sophia is here.')

We are starting Sophia on Signing Time, hoping that she will start signing up a storm soon.  Charlotte is bored of volume 1 and seems disinterested in showing the signing ropes to her sister.

Charlotte will correct you if you call her Char - her name is CHARLOTTE.

We need to start Charlotte on potty training-  but honestly I am hoping some knowledgeable third party will intervene and just make that happen.  Yes, I have been living in Asia too long.

Sophia is talking (and has been) for a couple of weeks now.  Mostly babble babble that sounds like Dada of course.  It is all about bonding with the dad that these young babies are programmed for.

Charlotte is still taking pictures.  It is still so cute.  I need to take a video but everytime I try she wants to take the camera and take more pictures!

We will start with some of Charlotte's shots:

Top of Sophia's head:

The view from Charlotte's height:

Artsy shots!

And people shots:

The artist at work:

Tita Monica feeds Charlotte:

While TT watches:

This was an impossible shot (hence the blurriness) - here is Sophia sleeping with her butt up:

And then her up later:

Pensive Char:

Our lovely neighbors Susie and Matt (and TT):

Cute Sophia still does not show her upper teeth much:

I tell Charlotte to pose for the camera or she won't be able to take her own pictures:

Sophia stands yet is unhappy about it:

Spaghetti Sophia:

The girls!

And some videos this week:

 Sophia's first slide:

Charlotte pushes Sophia on the swing:

Charlotte and Sophia swing together:

Sophia moves and burps (goofy camera cut me off too):

Sophia laughing at dim sum.  I have a rather evil cackle here: