And then there were two...

On the first day of school this year, I came home crying. All my friends from work came back pregnant from the summer vacation. Erin, Kathleen, Kristen, and Jaime all came back with news. I was so disappointed that after over two years of trying and our on-again, off-again relationship with our fertility doctor we still had no success.

I called my Mom. After all, I just finished my first day of school and wanted to talk to my Mom! As she rambled on about the hoops she's jumping through to earn her merit pay, my mind started to drift. I was remembering back to our Disney vacation in Florida and counted that I was four days late. After I got off the phone, I took an HPT and VOILA! Success!

A week or so later, I was off to the fertility doc to take their pregnancy test and get a sonogram. Since it was the first sono, which is rarely eventful, I was on my own. Dave was at work already and Elle was off to Grammy's. As soon as the nurse found my little gestational sac in that sono pic, I knew.

There were TWO babies in there. Better yet? They were in one gestational sac, right next to each other. IDENTICAL twins. What a blessing!

Elliot's Updated Book List

A
A Hatful of Seuss by Dr. Seuss
A Is for America by Tanya Lee Stone

A Pocket for Corduroy by Don Freeman
A Trip to the Zoo by Karen Wallace (Lvl 1 Reader)
A Was Once an Apple Pie by Suse MacDonald
ABC Animal Jamboree by Giles Andreae
Abby Cadabby’s Rhyme With Me by Sesame Street Books
Adventures of Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
Adventures of The Berenstain Bears by Stan & Jan Berenstain
Adventures of Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
Adventures of Harold and His Friends by Harold and the Purple Crayon Books
Adventures of Little Critter by Mercer Mayer
African Cats: A Lion’s Pride by Disney Nature Books
The Airplane Alphabet Book by Jerry Palotta
Albert the Albatross by Syd Hoff

Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse by Leo Lionni
All for Pie, Pie for All by David Martin
Always by Ann Stott
Always in Trouble by Corinne Demas
And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss
Angelina, Prima Ballerina by Penguin Group (Lvl 1 Reader)

Animal Kids: Cubs, Chicks, and Pups (Lvl 1 Reader)
Annie and the Wild Animals by Jan Brett

Apes and Monkeys (Lvl 2 Reader)
Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman (Board Book and Hard Cover)
At The Zoo by Sesame Street Books
B
Baa Baa Black Sheep by Iza Trapani
Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr. & Eric Carle
Baby Dolphin At Home in the Ocean by Publications International
Baby Kangaroo At Home in the Outback by Publications International
Baby Otter At Home in the Bay by Publications International
Baby Penguin At Home on the Ice by Publications International

Back to School is Cool by Jim Jinkins (Lvl 2 Reader)
Bad Dog, Marley! by John Grogan
Barn Owl by Phyllis Flower
Bathtime for Biscuit by Alyssa Stain Capucilli (Lvl 1 Reader)
Bear Cub At Home in the Forest by Publications International
Belly Button Book by Sandra Boyton
The Berenstain Bears Catch the Bus: A Tell the Time Story by The Berenstains (Lvl 2 Reader)
The Berenstain Bears and the Papa’s Day Surprise by Stan & Jan Berenstain
Big Band Sound by Harriett Diller
The Big Snow by Berta and Elmer Hader
Big Words for Little People by Jamie Lee Curtis
Bill Grogan’s Goat by Mary Ann Hoberman & Nadine Bernard Westcott
Birthday Monsters by Sandra Boynton
Biscuit Visits the Big City by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Lvl 1 Reader)
Blankie by Leslie Patricelli
Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton
The Boat Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta
Book! By Kristine O’Connell George
The Books of Children’s Classics by Dutton’s Childrens’ Books
The Boy Who Could Find Anything by Joan Lowery Nixon
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr. & Eric Carle (2 copies)
Bubbles, Bubbles by Sesame Street Books
Buddy: The Story of Buddy Holly by Anne Bustard
But Not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boyton
Butterfly Kisses by Bob and Brooke Carlisle
C
Can You See What I See? Nature Read-and-Seek by Walter Wick (Lvl 1 Reader)
Can’t You Sleep, Little Bear? By Martin Waddell
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
Catalina Magdalena Hoopensteiner Wallendiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name by Tedd Arnold
Chicka Chicka 1 2 3 by Bill Martin, Jr. & John Archambault
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. & John Archambault
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
Colorful Leaves by Maria Fleming (Lvl 1 Reader)
The Complete Adventures of Curious George by Margret & H.A. Rey
Cookie’s Guessing Game About Food by Sesame Street Books
Corduroy Lost and Found by Don Freeman
Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Bed? by Barney Saltzberg
Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for School? by Barney Saltzberg
The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by DuBose Heyward
Curious George by H.A. Rey
Curious George Flies a Kite by Margaret Rey
D
Daddy Hugs by Karen Katz
Daddy Loves Me by Dalmation Press
The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka Hakes Noble
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

Deck the Halls illustrated by Veronica Vasylenko
Dinner with Olivia by Emily Sollinger

Dirt on My Shirt (Selected Poems) by Jeff Foxworthy (Lvl 2 Reader)

The Disney Fairies Story Collection - 3 Early Readers Collection
Does a Cow Say Boo? By Judy Hindley
Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, too? By Eric Carle (2 copies)
Don’t Eat the Teacher! by Nick Ward
Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! by Mo Willems
Don’t Make Me Laugh by James Stevenson
Dr. Seuss’ ABC by Dr. Seuss
Duck at the Door by Jackie Urbanovic

Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Tom Lichtenheld
E
The Ear Book by Al Perkins

The Earth Has Caught a Cold by Roxane Marie Galliez
Ella the Elegant Elephant by Carmela & Steven D’Amico
Elmo’s Guessing Game About Colors by Sesame Street Books
Eric Carle’s ABC by Eric Carle
Eyes & Nose, Fingers & Toes by Sesame Street Books
F
50 Great States (Lvl 3 Reader)

The Family Car Songbook – Hundreds of Miles of Fun! By J. Soo Ping Chow
Fancy Nancy at the Museum by Jane O’Connor (Lvl 1 Reader)
Fancy Nancy: Point Ivy Expert by Jane O’Connor (Lvl 1 Reader)
Farmer Joe and the Music Show by Tony Mitton
The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat by Nurit Karlin (Lvl 1 Reader)
First 100 Words by Bright Baby Books
Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss

Frederick by Leo Lionni
Free to Be You and Me by The Ms. Foundation Project
From Tadpole to Frog by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld (Lvl 1 Reader)
Frosty the Snowman by Golden Books
Funny Farm by Make Believe Ideas
G
Geraldine’s Big Snow by Holly Keller
Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett

Gingerbread Friends by Jan Brett
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Glittery Shimmery Snow by Creative Edge Books
The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
Goldilicious by Victoria Kann
Good Night Spot by Eric Hill
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Gossie by Olivier Dunrea
Grandpa’s Little One by Billy Crystal
The Great Mouse Detective: Basil’s Great Escapes by Disney’s Golden Books
The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
Gus Was a Friendly Ghost by Jane Thayer
H
Halloween Hide-and-Seek by Chris Embleton-Hall
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins
Happy Birthday, Little Pookie by Sandra Boynton
Happy Birthday, Moon by Frank Asch
Happy Easter, Little Critter by Mercer Mayer
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
Hello Kitty’s Fabulous Fall Adventures by Kris Hirschmann
Here Comes Halloween by Caroline Jayne Church
Here Comes Peter Cottontail by Steve Nelsen & Jack Rollins
Hero Dad by Melinda Hardin
Hickory Dickory Dock and Other Favorite Nursery Rhymes by Sanja Rescek
Hop! by Amy Bauman
Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
Horn to Toes and In Between by Sandra Boynton
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss
How a Book is Made by Aliki
How is a Moose Like a Goose? by Robin Michal Koontz
Hug by Jez Alborough
I
I Already Know I Love You by Billy Crystal
I Am an Apple by Jean Marzollo (Lvl 1 Reader)

I Am Blessed by Grace Maccarone
I Am Not Sleepy And I Will Not Go To Bed by Lauren Child

I Am Really, Really Concentrating by Lauren Child
I Am Too Absolutely Small for School by Lauren Child

I Can Read with My Eyes Shut! by Dr. Seuss
I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak
I Spy: School Days by Walter Wick & Jean Marzollo
I Want to be a Ballerina by Annabel Blackledge (Lvl 1 Reader)
If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff
If You’re Happy And You Know It by Flying Frogs Books

Iggy Pig's Snowball Fight! by Vivian French
I’ll Always Come Back by Steve Metzger
I’m a Little Teapot by Iza Trapani
I’m Still Here in the Bathtub by Alan Katz
The Itsy-Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani
The Itsy-Bitsy Spider by My First Taggies Book
J
Jack and the Beanstalk by Troll Associates

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
June B. Jones (#1) and the Stupid Smelly Bus by Barbara Park
Junie B. Jones (#5) and the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake by Barbara Park

Junie B. Jones (#13) is (Almost) a Flower Girl by Barbara Park
Just Going to the Dentist by Mercer Mayer
Just Helping My Dad by Mercer Mayer (Lvl 1 Reader)
K
Katy Duck/Katy Duck: Big Sister by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Katy Duck Is a Caterpillar by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Katy No-Pocket by Emmy Payne
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems
Knuffle Bunny Too by Mo Willems
Koala Lou by Mem Fox
L
Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen
The Lion and the Mouse by Gail Herman (Lvl 1 Reader)
Little Ballerina by Sue Harris
Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minark (Lvl 1 Reader)
Little Elephant’s Listening Ears by Susan Hood
Little Jackrabbit at Home in the Desert by Publications International
Little Miss Helpful by Roger Hargreaves
The Little Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
Little Tiger is Loud by Susan Hood
Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney
Look! I Can Read! by Susan Hood (Lvl 1 Reader)
Look! I Can Tie My Shoes! By Susan Hood (Lvl 1 Reader)
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Love is a Handful of Honey by Giles Andreae
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
Lucky Goes to School by Gail Herman (Lvl 1 Reader)
M
The Maestro Plays by Vladimir Radunsky
Magic Tree House #1 – Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne
Magic Tree House #2 – The Knight at Dawn by Mary Pope Osborne
Magic Tree House #3 – Mummies in the Morning by Mary Pope Osborne
Magic Tree House #4 – Pirates Past Noon by Mary Pope Osborne
Magic Tree House #5 – Night of the Ninjas by Mary Pope Osborne
Magic Tree House #6 – Afternoon on the Amazon by Mary Pope Osborne
Magic Tree House #7 – Sunset of the Sabertooth by Mary Pope Osborne
Magic Tree House #8 – Midnight on the Moon by Mary Pope Osborne
Magic Tree House #9 – Dolphins at Daybreak by Mary Pope Osborne
Magic Tree House #11 – Lions at Lunchtime by Mary Pope Osbourne
Magic Tree House #12 – Polar Bears Past Bedtime by Mary Pope Osborne

Magic Tree House #13 - Vacation Under the Volcano by Mary Pope Osborne

Magic Tree House #14 - Day of the Dragon King by Mary Pope Osborne

Magic Tree House #15 - Viking Ships at Sunrise by Mary Pope Osborne

Magic Tree House #16 - Hour of the Olympics by Mary Pope Osborne

Magic Tree House #17 - Tonight on the Titanic by Mary Pope Osborne

Magic Tree House #18 – Buffalo Before Breakfast by Mary Pope Osborne (2 copies)

Magic Tree House #19 - Tigers at Twilight by Mary Pope Osborne

Magic Tree House #20 - Dingoes at Dinnertime by Mary Pope Osborne
Magic Tree House #21 – Civil War on Sunday by Mary Pope Osborne (2 copies)

Magic Tree House #22 - Revolutionary War on Wednesday by Mary Pope Osborne

Magic Tree House #23 - Twister on Tuesday by Mary Pope Osborne

Magic Tree House #24 - Earthquake in the Early Morning by Mary Pope Osborne

Magic Tree House #25 - Stage Fright on a Summer Night by Mary Pope Osborne

Magic Tree House #26 - Good Morning, Gorillas by Mary Pope Osborne

Magic Tree House #27 - Thanksgiving on Thursday by Mary Pope Osborne

Magic Tree House #28 - High Tide in Hawaii by Mary Pope Osborne

Magic Tree House #42 - A Good Night for Ghosts by Mary Pope Osborne
Maisy’s Show by Lucy Cousins
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
Marsupial Sue by John Lithgow
The Marvelous Toy by Tom Paxton
Mary Had a Little Lamb by Mary Ann Hoberman & Nadine Bernard Westcott
Me and My Dad by Alison Ritchie

Meet Molly by American Girl
Merry Christmas, Curious George by Margaret and H.A. Rey
Micawber by John Lithgow
Mickey Goes Green by Disney’s Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Books
Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
Mission: Ocean Rescue by Little Einsteins Books
The Mitten by Jan Brett
The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle
Mommy Doesn’t Know My Name by Suzanne Williams
Monkey See, Monkey Do by Dana Regan (Lvl 1 Reader)
Moo, Baa, La La La by Sandra Boynton

Moose and Mouse (Lvl 1 Reader)
Morris the Moose by B. Wiseman (Lvl 1 Reader)
Mother Goose by Michael Hague
Mouse and Mole’s Great Race by Diane Redfield Massie
Mouse Makes Words: A Phonics Reader by Kathyn Heling & Deborah Hembrook (Lvl 1 Reader)
Mouse Tales by Arnold Lobel (Lvl 1 Reader)
Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? By Dr. Seuss
Mr. Chatterbox by Roger Hargreaves
My Special Christmas Adventure by Julia Wilson
My Very Own Octopus by Bernard Most
N
The Napping House by Audrey Wood
Nicky Goes to the Doctor by Richard Scarry
Night-Night, Little Pookie by Sandra Boynton
Nighty-Night by Sesame Street Books
No, David! by David Shannon
O
Ocean Life by Brenda Z. Guiberson (Lvl 1 Reader)

Oh, the Thinks You Can Think by Dr. Seuss
Old Bear by Kevin Henkes
Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Flying Frogs Books
Old Mother Hubbard by A. & M. Provensen
Olivia by Ian Falconer
Olivia and the Haunted House by Ian Falconer
Olivia and the School Carnival by Ian Falconer
Olivia Forms a Band by Ian Falconer
Olivia Leaps! by Ian Falconer
Ollie by Olivier Dunrea
Ollie the Stomper by Olivier Dunrea
One Smart Goose by Caroline Jayne Church

One Snowy Day by Tammi Salzano
Opposites by Eric Carle
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
P
Panda Baby at Home in the Bamboo Grove by Publications International
Panda Kisses by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Lvl 1 Reader)
Pictures at an Exhibition by Anna Harwell Celenza
Pinkalicious: Pink Around the Rink by Victoria Kann (Lvl 1 Reader)
Pinkalicious: Tickled Pink by Victoria Kann
Pirates Don’t Change Diapers by Melinda Long
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Eric Carle
Pooh Loves You by Disney Books

Presidents of the United States (Lvl 3 Reader)
Put Me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire
Q
Q by Sesame Street Books
Q is for Duck – an Alphabet Guessing Game by Mary Elting & Michael Folsom
R
The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
The Remarkable Farkle McBride by John Lithgow
Rio: Learning to Fly (Lvl 2 Reader)

Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story by Ruby Bridges (Lvl 2 Reader)
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Dennis R. Shealy
S
S is for School by Sesame Street Books
Santa Mouse by Michael Brown
Silly Sadie, Silly Samuel by Ann Whitford Paul
Snail City by Jane O’Connor (Lvl 1 Reader)
The Sneetches and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs (Lvl 1 Reader)
The Snowman Band of Snowboggle Bend by Cheryl Hawkinson

Snowmen All Year by Caralyn Buehner
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Snowy Owl at Home on the Tundra by Publications International
Snug Bug by Cathy East Dubowski and Mark Dubowski
Splat the Cat Sings Flat by Rob Scotton (Lvl 1 Reader)
The Story of Disney Bear: A Day at the Magic Kingdom by Disney Books
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
Supercat to the Rescue by Kate McMullan & Pascal LeMaitre
The Sweet Smell of Christmas by Golden Books

Swimmy by Leo Lionni
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
T
Tails by Matthew Van Fleet
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
Talk Peace by Sam Williams

Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
Tell Me One Thing, Dad by Tom Pow
Ten Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth
That Bad, Bad Cat! by Claire Masurel (Lvl 1 Reader)
That’s Not My Reindeer by Fiona Watt
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Chick by Lucille Colandro
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback
There’s a Wocket in My Pocket by Dr. Seuss
This Little Piggy by Steve Haskamp
Three Little Kittens by Lilian Obligado
Tickle Tum! By Nancy Van Laan

Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure (The Junior Novelization) by Kimberly Morris
Tiny Tiger at Home in the Jungle by Publications International
Too Many Dogs by Lori Haskins (Lvl 1 Reader)
Topsy-Turvy Bedtime by Joan Levine
Toy Story 2 by Disney Press
The True Story of Little Red Riding Hood by Agnese Baruzzi
Turkey Day by Grace Maccarone (Lvl 1 Reader)
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by Matt Tavares
Twelve Bells for Santa by Crosby Bonsall
U
The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen
V
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
The Very Clumsy Click Beetle by Eric Carle
The Very Funny Frog by Jack Tickle
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (2 copies)
The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle
The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle
W
W by Sesame Street Books
Walt Disney World for Kids by Birnbaum Guides
We’re Going On a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
We’re Taking an Airplane Trip by Dinah L Moche
What a Hungry Puppy! by Gail Herman (Lvl 1 Reader)
What Do I Eat? by Sterling Books
What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Wheels! by Annie Cobb (Lvl 1 Reader)
The Wheels on the Bus by Flying Frogs Books
When Louis Armstrong Taught Me Scat by Muriel Harris Weinstein
When Sheep Sleep by Laura Numeroff
Where Can Bunny Paint? By Michael Rex (Lvl 1 Reader)
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Who Hops? by Katie Davis
Who’s Afraid of the Dark? by Crosby Bonsall
Who’s That Knocking on Christmas Eve? by Jan Brett
Winnie-the-Pooh: One Special Tree by A. A. Milne
The Winnie-the-Pooh Storybook Treasury by A. A. Milne
X
X by Sesame Street Books
Y
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss
Yes Day! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
You and Me, Little Bear by Martin Waddell
You Are My Sunshine by Caroline Jayne Church
You Do! by Kes Gray
Z

Teenager?

Elle was on the phone with Nana last week, and as she was talking, I couldn't get over how much she looked like a teenager:

Silly Day!

Today is dress silly day in Elliot's 3-year old PreK class at The Laurel Hill School. The message is to teach the kids that, with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in just a few days, "It doesn't matter how we look, we can all be friends."

Here's what she looked like when I dropped her off at school. I will say that not a single other kid who was there when I dropped her off was dressed silly-ly. Here's hoping a few more did!!!

That's Snow Fun!

While we were driving to Ohio for Christmas, a blizzard was making its way to Long Island. We completely missed it while driving, thank goodness! We got about a foot of snow, and Bill - Dave's Dad - came over to shovel a spot in our driveway so we could park when we got home. Thanks Bill! The snow was still piled high when we arrived back home, and we were able to play and make a snowman which Elliot aptly named "Snowman."

We hear there are 5 to 10 inches more coming now on the 11th and 12th, almost two weeks later, and the original snow isn't gone yet. One of those winters, eh?

First Day All Over Again

We three headed back to school again on January 3rd after 12 days of vacation. Elle was dressed for success!

Tangled Up in Blue (Eyes)

Over Christmas vacation, we took Elliot to see the movie Tangled, Disney's latest movie. It was GREAT! It's the story of Elliot, no wait, Rapunzel with her long blonde hair. A week or two later we were in the Disney store, and Elle opted to take back her ice skating doll to get a Rapunzel doll.

Christmas at Nana and PopPop's - Dec 26, 2010

Christmas at Grammy and Grampy's House - Christmas Day 2010

Gingerbread House

For the second year in a row, I've really enjoyed making our gingerbread house with Elliot. She's 3 now and can do so much more than just a year ago. She has preferences, and let us know just how she'd like to decorate. She knew she wanted peppermint candies as windows and gumdrops as a walkway. She is also a creature of habit and has a crazy memory, so she may have remembered that that is how we had done it the year before, too!

Christmas 2010

A New Year!

Well, I resolve to make to make this new year of 2011 a better year! That's my resolution. I don't want to make too many promises.

*I'd like to lose weight
*I'd like to get pregnant
*I'd like to feel better
*I'd like to be less tired
*I'd like to be a better Mom
*I'd like to be a better teacher
*I'd like to be a better wife
*I'd like to travel

Now, see, if these were all resolutions, I'd fail miserably! I just want to be a better me this year. In 2010 I spent too much time at the doctors' offices, I sat around too much, I was miserable. This year...I'll be better and I'll get better. I'm going to take some risks.