Weekend with the twins

From the park, to the pool, to the doctor's office...........Leah couldn't get enough of Olivia and Sydney this weekend. It was practically summer in April this past weekend and all we wanted to do was be outside. We got to test out their new kiddie pool and she just loved it. The park and pool were planned but the same doctor appt was totally by accident. Just getting them ready for "school" next year......that story to come in the next blog.

Great news from a great friend!

What do you think Leah.....a boy or a girl?

Finally the day has come that we can annouce that there will be a Baby Kurchack on the way!!!!! Leah can't wait to have a new best friend in her life. Steph has been Mommy's best friend for 15 years now and to add this new chapter in our "book" is going to be the best yet!!!!!

On her way

So we think Leah has really begun to walk. It's not all the time but she is getting more and more confident. Mommy just has to remember next time to turn the camera the right way!! Stephanie came over and it really got Leah excited so I think she walked just for her :)Funny.. how Steph was there when I found out I was pregnant and now she gets to witness another "first". Go leah Go!

A baby's best friend

Leah and Tyson have such an adorable relationship. I could sit there for an hour and just watch the two of them play. He licks her face and then she giggles, she pets him and then crawls away really fast and hides until he catches her. I remember when we first got him ( about a month before we found out that we were pregnant) and I was sooo nervous about if a dog and baby would be okay together. We are so grateful to have them both in our lives and to watch them get closer and closer is so sweet. Okay, we just watched Marley and Me for the first time last week so Tyson gets some extra love. Here is what Leah likes to do lately with her best friend.

Little Miss Fat Jaws

Because my cheeks are so mushy and everyone loves to kiss them ..........all of Louisiana was calling me "Fat Jaws" ( Big Cheeks as they say in the south). Hey, I love it here.

Every car ride we took , she would sing and clap. I think she got a little of the soul in her down there.

Mommy and Daddy head into New Orleans for a night of Gumbo and Bourbon Street.

Yes, I am a southern belle and I plan on wearing all of the dresses Mommy packed for me. Ohhhh you should have seen her curls down there. " Mommy, I want my food SPICY!!"

Leah's first trip to the Cajun market to look for some craw fish

There were so many salimanders in the front yard. Each morning we went out to look for them. Here is one staring us down.

We took Leah all over town to meet different family members. Here she is with her oldest living relative. It's her Great, Great Uncle Pop Bill, who will be 90 next week. There is a BIG party going on down here but we were a week early. Still, he was so excited to meet the newest member of the family.

LeLe did alot of standing this week ( as long as she was holding onto something she was okay). She was just SOOOO HAPPY to be outside. The waether was amazing, especially since we had such a tough winter. I mean each time we took her out she sqealed in joy. She would bang on the door all morning till we went outside. Luckily Grandma Shirley has a big and beautiful yard for her to explore. She even got to try out her new fancy sandals. Leah and Grandma Shirley just soaking up the sun.

We discovered a brand new and great park/water park for Leah right down the street from Grandma's. Luckily Leah isn't to tall to be asked to leave the water area....yipee!

With her new ear plugs, cute bathing suit , and 90 degree weather she was ready to test out the water toys!

Leah's First Vacation ........Nawlin's Here We Come

It was our first vacation as a family and we went to visit Grandma Shirley and the rest of the Shaw family in Louisiana ( in Gonzalez....30 min outside of New Orleans).Leah's first plane ride was a success. With a smart move by Mom and Dad we moved seats to be behind a wall and she had her very own play area. She made a million friends on the plane and it was the one time we were happy to be right next to the bathroom ( alot of people to play hide and seek with). The bottle trick was great ( Thanks, Amy and Jodi....my flying experts!). Coming home was a little more tricky since the flight left at 7 am. She was not in the best of moods but wasn't crying either. I just never realized how quiet a packed plane can be that early in the morning.....any peep from her and EVERYONE heard it. But she fell asleep for a while in Daddy's arms ( which she never does, so she was really tired) and we managed the rest of the flight with alot of food, drinks, toys, and distractions.

No more ear infections!!

We are so grateful that everything went well this morning with Leah's ear surgery. She was such a trooper and in great spirits before ; letting all the doctors and nurses play with her. It was definitely scary seeing her in her robe/socks and in a "hospital" type room. Although Mommy shed a few tears after we brought you in.....a little while later there you were. And how funny was it that I went to camp with the doctor. So now as you sleep I feel overwhelmed with love and affection and hope this only makes you better. We love you sooooo much and thank everyone for their support. We realize this is minor but it's never easy to see your little one in ANY pain. Now we get to pack and be excited to head down to New Orleans tomorrow...........YIPEE!!!

Meeting so many new friends this weekend

Team Jalosky

Eva kissing Leah hello

Leah meeting Olivia

soooooo delicious

Leah, Mommy, and Stephanie

What a great weekend we had. First, we headed down to Long Island to see JJ, Becky, Eva, and new addition to the Jalosky family.....Ethan!! He is soo cute and it was great to watch Eva and Leah play. Jonathan is one of Mommy's oldest friends ( and best man to Corey, he stole my BFF)and we can't believe that we are Mommy's and Daddy's now. Then we headed into Queens to go and see Rosanne and Josh and meet baby Olivia. What a little roasted peanut. They are such naturals and doing really well. Leah's first trip into the city.....that Queens Blvd is scarrrrryyyyy. On Sunday Falbo (Stephanie ) came over and met Leah for the first time. That is another one of Mommy's good friends from college. All weekend, Leah was amazing with new people and we think the "new person" jitters have gone away!!!!! She is so lucky to have such wonderful friends in her life.

Big week ahead of us

We are all off on vacation next week and we are soooooo excited to spend some nice family time together, not just 2 hours a day that we squeeze in bewteen work, daycare, meals, and then sleeptime!!But first.........Monday Leah will be getting the tubes put in her ears and we are hoping that everything goes well. Then Tuesday we are off for Leah's first plane ride to the Big Easy to meet the rest of her family , enjoy some warm weather, and eat some yummy gumbo!!! We'll keep you posted and of course some pics...........................................

Learning how to be the world's best shopper

I mean who else than my mommy can teach me how to shop for hours and find the best deals.......NONI!!

We had a great ALL GIRLS day together and no matter how far we had to go to find us some outlet shops on a Sunday in New Jersey, it was all worth it!!! It was the first time Leah was able to "walk" (okay, cruise from one rack to the next) around the mall. Leah and her Noni shared giggles all day!!

our playground test run

Here are some pics from Leah's first time at our playground.

Fun Leah Updates

testing out the new shoes

Mommy....please do something with my hair

Leah showing love to her Teddy

Now that all of the birthday parties and recent holidays have simmered down it's just been everyday stuff around the Shaw house. I have to admit those are the days when we get to really sit back and pick up on all of the new things that Leah is learning and going through. Here are some recent updates in her life.

1. Daycare: After two rough weeks of getting adjusted Leah has really found a second home at her daycare. She loves her teachers ( gives them hugs and blows them kisses). I went to pick her up for the first time last week and couldn't believe my eyes. Right there in the corner of a loud classroom Leah was asleep. She had been for an hour and her teachers say that she goes down with no problem. I wasn't convinced this would ever happen for her...but i got to see it with my own eyes. It gave me time to talk and get to know the teachers. They say she loves music and group time ( that we already know) and is a good sharer ( yeah Leah!!). She has a good friend Flint and is happy and smiling most of the day ( Thank G-d!!)

2. Ms. Chatterbox: We can't get enough of just watching her talk and babble away. As soon as she gets home she is non stop. It's almost as though she is telling us about her day at daycare. She LOVES to sing and we can now tell the difference between "row row your boat" and " the abc"'s. Of course she is not saying all the words but we can tell the difference between them. Even her expressions, laughter, and personality are all becoming like a little girl. Even this morning when i left for work she said "by da da" and blew a kiss. Okay....not the right person but close enough! So cute I can't take it.

3. Tubes in the Ears: This has been the least fun part of the past few weeks. Leah has her 7th ear infection and we are off to the ENT to most likely get the tubes in her ears. At this point I would do anything to get her better. Each cold/cough seems to last longer and longer and she is starting to build up an immunity to the antibiotics. Poor thing......at least stays happy and sleeps through the night. Nothing messes with that girls sleep!! So we will keep you posted on that front..........

4. Her Teddies: She has become so affectionate and has a real love for her two big teddy bears in her room. Every time we walk in there she wants to play and hug them.

5. What to do with that hair: One day it's curly , one days it's straight......almost everyday, it's a mess. When she gets home from daycare it looks INSANE!!!! I know this is the "in between stage" but I can't wait for the cold days to be over because her hats are not helping. And now her new favorite thing to do during dinner is mush her food in her hair. FUN!!!

6.Walking Shoes: Last week we got her first pair of real shoes. She was fitted and all.....a wopping size 5!! No surprise there with the big feet. To bad she isn't walking on her own yet, but we think with all the cruising she's doing she could use the support.