Wow! Time is really going by quickly now. One thing that has taken its time is Julia’s teeth. For months she has only had six and then one molar started to come in. In the last three weeks we have seen three new ones start to show themselves. One additional molar and the other two are front teeth. Yeah! She had done a great job of eating just about anything despite the few teeth.

Julia is not using many words yet and when she uses them she is only giving partial sounds. One unfortunate side effect is that she has started crying and screeching in place of words. The crying and screeching is a pretty effective means of communication with Emily, but it is a little tiresome. I have started teaching her more sign language so that she has the means of expressing herself in a more positive way. I hope she sees it that way. I can see a decent amount of frustration when we are not understanding her when she is trying to communicate the desire for something.

Her awareness of bodily functions is becoming more acute. She will point at her diaper when we talk about it, but also when she desires it to be changed. She has been asking to sit on the potty like her sister. That sister influence thing can have some good influences. Occasionally, she will fetch a diaper when she wants it changed.

Bad habits are formed lots of way – poor reinforcements to behaviors, distracted mommy, lazy ways of getting things done, and things learned directly from a sister. Some days I’m feel like I’m fighting a losing battle as I correct Julia only to have Emily demonstrate the improper behavior immediately. It is exhibited in lots of places like throwing food, touching curtains, kicking, standing on furniture, and disobeying mommy. The dynamic of sister influences and relations will be a topic of growth for the rest of the girls lives.

Two sweet girls sharing wild flowers and enjoying a sunny day! Happy Father’s Day!

Grandma rode with us to Orlando. It was nice to have a little extra company in the car as we traveled. The stay at Jolie’s was very short, but lots of fun. All of the family came by and enjoyed a dinner together. And before dinner we enjoyed some time out at the pool.

The girls got to play in their new bathing suits (thanks, Nichole) and enjoy the cool water on a warm afternoon. Emily had been looking forward to her visit with Natalie for quite a while and was so excited. The girls had a blast swimming together. They poured water, swam around, and jumped into the water a million times.

Dylan wasn’t left out and enjoyed running around the house with Emily, watching TV together, and driving push cars in the house. He enjoyed the pool, but couldn’t compete with Natalie in the pool.

Julia did her own thing for the day. She hung out in the pool until she got too cold then cuddled with a variety of people. Then shortly after dinner she was rocked to sleep by Grandma.

The city of Miami has made an old tropical destination into a fun park and splat pad. Pinecrest Gardens are free to visit and the splat pad is inexpensive to play at. As we walked the gardens we found colorful fish to watch and a lot of turtles including one who was taking a walk on the path. The splat pad had a lot of fun water features to play in. Julia was a little tired so she was slower to want to play, but after she got her bearing she was off enjoying herself. Emily loved walking in and out of the sprays, under towers, and even made some friends with the other kids.

It was a great way to wear off some energy and cool off on a hot day. When it was time to go neither of the girls were ready to leave. I think this place is on a short list of places we will visit when we are in town. Lots of fun!

Uncle Doug and Aunt Sabah took us all to the Miami Zoo for a couple of hours of fun play. We rented a bicycle to ride around the park and I decided that it was the best way to see it. The girls were up high so they could see the animals over fences and bushes without having to get out at each stop. The bicycle also offered wonderful shade for us all.

We rode to the ‘kids’ section and Emily got to ride a Camel with Uncle Doug. She was so excited and loved it. The girls rode the carousel and Julia demanded that both Grandma and I ride our own animals next to hers. Emily got to press her first penny into a souvenir coin. We saw tigers, crocodiles, otters, elephants, rhinos, a bear, flamingos, and a few more unusual animals that I don’t remember the names of.  By the time we needed to return our bike rental we were all hot and ready to go. It will be fun to go back and explore some sections that we didn’t get to see this trip. Both girls had a blast!

We spent a few hours at the beach. The girls loved playing in the sand. They liked covering their bodies with sand and Julia enjoyed throwing clumps of sand around. She was coated with it because each throw splattered a little back on her. It was pretty funny. Emily, Julia, and Sabah built castles. The girls enjoyed destroying them in search of hidden animals. Emily tried to fill a pool in the castle, but learned about the sand absorbing the water.

The water was so warm and nice to be in. Emily discovered that the water had salt in it. The only problem she had was when she got salt water in her eye, but we taught her to wipe her eyes and they were better. She enjoyed bouncing around in the surf. We took a walk out to a sandbar. The time went by quickly and soon it was time to get out of the sun and have some naps. Looking forward to our next trip.