NOAH: Today I made poopies in the toilet. Now, this may not seem like a big deal. However, when being toilet trained, this is a HUGE DEAL! YAY! POOPIES! YAY!

NOAH: At my 2 year checkup, the Pediatrician said that I'm the most well behaved and polite 2 year old she has ever had in her practice of 35 years of medicine.
But I know you don't really care about that. You want to know that stats, so here they are ...
30 lbs. - 60th percentile weight
35 in. - 75th percentile height

I'm tall and lean. Perfect for a little boy like me!

NOAH: I have 8 confirmed RSVPs to my Birthday Party. On January 16th, I'll be turning 2. Grandma, Daddy and Mommy are throwing me an Elmo themed Birthday Party at our house. We'll have a cake, games, pizza and a Pinata. I'll let you know how it turns out.
P.S. If you want to give me a present, I'm requesting wrapped empty cardboard boxes.

RACHEL: This is my first post all by myself. Why do I deserve this post? Because I now sleep through the night. Sleeping through the night means that I sleep for a stretch of 5 or more hours. Currently my schedule is 8 PM, 1 AM and 6 AM. This makes Mommy very happy. Mommy needs her beauty sleep. Maybe now she'll stop complaining to me about how the gray hairs on her head are exactly the length of when her pregnancy with me started. I told Mommy that going gray is just Mother Nature's way of putting highlights in her hair.

NOAH: My birthday is in almost a week. I'm almost TWO! However, Mom and Dad still see me as a baby. So, I took some extreme measures to prove my manhood. As I was playing with the remote, I ordered some pornography on television. Ok, I only watched it for 1 minute before Mommy gasped, turned the channel, then locked out all adult stations on our television. But, I really think I got my point across.

RACHEL: I don't understand why Noah has to order Porn. I get Mommy to flash her breast every 3 hours. Which reminds me, I'm hungry!

NOAH: Now that I'm almost 2 years old, it's time for me to be potty trained. Mom and Dad have been lazy about training me, so I've decided to train them. I say "bah - roo" which means BATHROOM. They didn't take me to the bathroom, so now I pull off my pants and pull off my diaper and say "bah-roo" and they finally understand to take me to the bathroom. I would go myself, but they have child proofed the bathroom door handles. When will they take me seriously as a big boy?

RACHEL: I'm less than 2 months old, but I've already grown out of Size Newborn, 1 and 2 diapers. I'm on to size 3 diapers. I now only fit into 6 month clothing. Some may call me fat, I like to consider myself Rubenesque. Actually, this painting "Venus and Adonis" by Peter Paul Rubens looks very similar to Daddy and Mommy and Me.

NOAH: Fortunately, we have a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) and Daddy replayed New Years at 9 AM the next morning. Daddy played New Years Rockin' Eve. Mommy danced around which made me laugh and when "Midnight" struck, we had a family hug and all kissed each other. Then we watched MTV's New Years Celebration. Mommy danced around again which made me laugh and when "Midnight" struck, we had a family hug and all kissed each other. By the time we watched the 3rd show (it was 9:30 AM by now) we were all to exhausted from all the excitement so we just waved at each other when the stroke of Midnight was replayed.

NOAH: Everyone except Daddy fell asleep before Midnight.

RACHEL: I am usually up at midnight. Tonight, I decided to let Mommy and Daddy have some quality time together during New Years.

MOMMY: *snore*

DADDY: HAPPY NEW YEAR !! YIPPIE !!! Hey, where is everyone?

Noah: Hopefully our home is no longer a home of sickness. I, personally, feel fine. My sister and my mother have had it the worst. I think they can now stop blaming me for getting them sick. Girls are such complainers!

Rachel: I've been sick. First, I was in the hospital for 2 days with RSV (that is a respitory infection). Mommy and Daddy stayed with me in the hospital. My brother came to visit, too. The next week, I was back to the Emergency Room and put in the hospital for 2 days with a 102 fever. It ended up being Viral Meningatis caused by the entereovirus. I'm better now. My sicknesses haven't affected me very much. Last night, I SMILED for the first time (after my Mommy cleared my stuffy nose) and this morning, I ROLLED OVER from my stomach to my back. YAY! (typical milestone for rolling over is 6 months. I am only 6 weeks!)

Mommy: I have an ear infection and am on my 3rd antibiotic. It's getting better and doesn't hurt as much, but I still can't hear out of my left ear.

Daddy: So far, I haven't gotten sick throughout this whole thing. OH, wait .. *COUGH* .. darn!

NOAH: Today, I was supposed to go to my friend Benji's birthday party, but Mom didn't take me because she has an ear infection. I told her, Ear Infections are NOT contagious! It's not my fault! Yesterday I finished my antibiotics from my ear infection and I feel just fine.
I stayed home with Dad. We watched TV, ran around the house, read books and played games. It was pretty fun. Tomorrow, Rhea, my nanny, will come over and she'll let me go to my favorite place ... OUTSIDE!

RACHEL: *COUGH* *RASPY COUGH* *COUGH* When I'm sick I like to be held ... a whole lot. Mommy held me for hours and hours and hours instead of taking Noah to his friend's birthday party. I'm really not as sick as I sound, but I think it's neat that Mommy spent time with ME instead of Noah.

NOAH: I had breakfast with my Mom and my little sister Rachel. Instead of drinking my hot chocolate and eating my vegetarian sausage, I wanted to HUG my sister. So, I kept on saying "HUG" and Mommy would hold my sister to me while I hugged her. I was rewarded with a great big wet sloppy kiss from Rachel. She didn't actually make the kissy noise, but I'm positive it was a kiss, right on my cheek. I love my new sister!

RACHEL: I already had a very large breakfast of milk, but was sitting with Mom and my big brother Noah at the breakfast table to keep them company. I had almost fallen asleep in Mommy's arms when suddenly, she started moving me around. She suspended me in the air, and pushed me against my brother while he squeezed my midsection as tightly as he could. I complied the first 4 times, the fifth time was too much and I threw up all over my brother's cheek.

NOAH: Today, I made edible dreidels and Rectangle Art in school. I took a really long nap this afternoon and wasn't tired, so Mom and Dad let me stay up really late until 9 PM. I hung out in bed with Daddy and we watched Teletubbies. That's 1 1/2 hour PAST my bedtime.

RACHEL: I also stayed up late. I cried for 3 hours. Mommy finally figured out I had gas so Daddy ran to the drugstore in the middle of the night and bought every type of medicine available for newborns. I was red and sweating and crying and very upset. After a call to the pediatrician, some gas drops and some tylenol, I fell asleep and only woke up ONCE last night.

DAD: I slept on the couch because Mommy was coughing and kept me awake.

MOM: Where's Daddy?

NOAH: Yesterday, I went to the doctor and I have an ear infection. This means that the claims from my little sister that I got her sick are ALL LIES! The doctor confirmed that ear infections ARE NOT CONTAGIOUS!!! My Aunt Julie and my Nana came to visit. I played outside with my Aunt Julie. She rented a very nice red car, just like in my favorite TV show, The Wiggles . I opened the door and sat in the car to make sure that it was in proper driving condition. I pushed all the buttons and decided that everything worked properly. After my nap, Aunt Julie made me yummy lamb stew and delicious vegetable soup and of course Fruit Salad. Mmmmm good!

RACHEL: Today I was named in Synagogue. I was very good and slept through the whole thing. I was so quiet, the Rabbi thought Mom and Dad forgot to bring me along. My official Hebrew name is Rachel Sarah. My official English name is also Rachel Sarah. Thanks Mom and Dad for finally giving me a name after a month! Aunt Julie and Nana held me a bunch. At least that's what I was told, because I slept through most of it. I'm also sticking to my story that my older brother Noah got me sick.

NOAH: I learned some new words. I can say MOMMY (the name for both my mommy and my nanny) DADDY (the name for both Daddy and his computer) and BABY (the name for my sister) .

RACHEL: I learned a new word today ... ACHOO! My big brother, Noah, gave me his cold.

NOAH: This weekend, I have a cold. My nose is runny and I'm coughing. Even though I'm not feeling well, I still like to run around and play. This is what keeps me so thin.

RACHEL: I only eat and sleep. I have five chins. (seriously, Mom counted them!)

NOAH: Happy Thanksgiving! I went to Tom's house. Grandma, Uncle Jason, Aunt Michelle, Aunt Lauren, Uncle James and Uncle James' Mom there along with Mommy and Daddy and my sister Rachel. It was fun. We sat down and ate dinner at 1 PM. It lasted a whole hour. I liked playing ball outside with Uncle Tom. Then we went inside and I took out every item out of every drawer in the whole house. During the 3rd hour, Grandma gave me an Ice Cream Turkey (this is a family tradition). It was delicious and I went home very full.



RACHEL: Im really not sure who all these people are that my brother is talking about. I slept while everyone else ate and woke up starving. Did anyone feed me? NO! They stuck me in a car so I cried and cried and cried for the 20 minute drive home and was finally rewarded with Turkey flavored milk. YUMMY!

RACHEL: Here's a picture of me sleeping during Thanksgiving Dinner. I'm adorable! You can see more pictures of me and my brother Noah HERE

NOAH: I like my new sister. Today, I tried to teach her the word "EYES". It's a word that I've recently learned. I said "EYES" then pointed to her eye. I don't know if she understood, but it's really cool to be a big brother. I have so much to teach her.

RACHEL: I was happily sleeping, minding my own business, when someone poked me in the eye. I started crying, then someone held me while scolding someone else and I fell back asleep.

NOAH: Today I met my new sister for the first time. Mom and Dad brought her home from the hospital. I wanted to make her feel comfortable, so I put my special blanket near her. That always makes me feel safe and secure. I love my sister and want her to feel as loved as I do.

RACHEL: I was sleeping, minding my own business, when someone threw a blanket over my head. A minute later, someone took the suffocating blanket off my head and I took a nice, long, wonderful, and slightly frantic, deep breath.

I heard I have a sister now. I'm not sure exactly what that means but someone showed me a picture of this lady and said she was born at 6:35pm on monday, weighed 9lb 9oz, and was 21.5" tall. More pictures are on MY picture website.

I really enjoy school.
My favorite class is Music. I like to bring home art projects for Mom and Dad. I brought home a shofar for Rosh HaShanna, a flag for Simchat Torah (and waved it in our Simchat Torah Parade), a torah scroll for Simchat Torah, lots of stamp and coloring art, and Challah for each Shabbat.
When I come home, I open up my backpack and show Mom the fun things we make at school. I like all the attention.
I say more and more words every day. I can repeat things that people say such as "pillow" though it ends up sounding more like "illoo". I can also say "see you tomorrow" or "eee oooh mowraugh". My favorite word is "Grandma" which comes out "wah-mawh". My parents clap and smile and kiss me and give me lots of attention when I repeat these phrases, I love the attention ... But it won't last.
If Mom doesn't have my sister by November 9th, she's going to be induced. That means I only have 1 week left of being an only child. I plan on doing many funny and cute things this next week because after that I'll be completely ignored and everyone will focus on the "new baby".

Mommy and Daddy are getting a NEW KITCHEN to celebrate the Jewish New Year. Daddy thinks this will help Mommy stay in the Kitchen more and she may actually cook meals for the family. Personally, I wouldn't throw away the Delivery Menus.
Mommy was going to take me to the Children's services, but between her broken toe and my sister birth being almost 5 weeks away, she said that she couldn't go. Daddy saved the day! Daddy is going to Synagogue to represent our family. (Secretly, I think he's just saying that and actually going to work).
I think it's funny that Mommy started redoing the kitchen the DAY BEFORE Rosh Hashanna. It got her out of cooking our yearly Rosh Hashanna meal. That Mommy of mine is pretty smart!

Mom and I spent the morning together. I guess Daddy was at work. We ate breakfast and cuddled on the couch. I like cuddling with Mom. My nanny, Reah came over. She gave me a bath and dressed me. Then, I went back to cuddling with Mom. Reah is taking me over to her house since Mom is having our kitchen remodeled. I'm very happy that I get to play with Reah and her kids, again.
Before I left, Mom asked me for a kiss. Happy to oblige, I ran to her and kissed her on her right kiss. This is the first real kiss I've ever given Mommy. It made her very, very happy. Then I happily ran off with Reah, I didn't even cry at all this morning.

Today, I am supposed to wear red to school.
However, Governor Purdue (no relation to the chicken mogul) has decided to CLOSE ALL SCHOOLS today and tomorrow to save gas because of the recent Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and Hurricane Rita in Texas.
Mommy broke her baby toe on the couch and showed me what the color red looks like on her foot. Mommy is willing to take those extra steps to teach me about colors and I appreciate that. She said that over the next few days, I'm going to learn about the color blue, purple, green and yellow.
Today, I got to play with my friend Ryan. He's 5 years old and lots of fun to play with! My nanny, Reah took me to her house to play with Ryan and his brothers and sisters.
When I got home, I cried because I missed Mommy and Daddy. I heard Mommy's voice and she said something about Daddy being away on business in San Jose. I hope Mommy and her toe were OK without me, today.

Dear Parents,
We had lots of fun these first few days in the Masada Monkeys class! This month we are learning about circles and all the different things around us that are round. Everyone loves looking, as well as pulling down the paper circles that are taped all over the walls! We sang 'Wheels on the Bus' and ate some round cereal shapes for snack. We also decorated monkeys to hang on our bulletin board with round buttons. The children loved this activity, especially the sticky glue.
We also are focusing on the color red this month. Every day the tables have been colored in red butcher paper for the children to use to express their creativity. Dot markers seem to be favored over crayons. Maybe because they are a lot messier! We talked about things in the room that are red: apples, blocks, markers and pictures of strawberries, and read some books with pictures of red objects in them. Ask your child what things we found in the room that were red. The children also played with some red playdough that they helped to make as part of our cooking project. They were so proud of themselves!
We enjoyed lots of outdoor time on the playground these past few days, as well as two visits from our beloved music teacher, Ms. Amy. She really knows how to get their attention! They loved her. For the next few weeks we will be talking about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and why they are so important to us as Jewish people. Also, please don't forget your used paper towel rolls for next week.
And please remember to label, label, label all of your children's belongings, especially sippy cups and jackets.
Although there were some tears these past few days from the children as they are adjusting to this new experience, they all did remarkably well and you should be so proud of them! We certainly are.
Lastly, we just want to thank you for all being so prompt bringing in your supplies and thanks to Leo for providing the snacks for this week. We're looking forward to a super year with all of your adorable children!

Today, I attended the FIRST DAY of Pre School. It was fun. I am not going to just ANY Pre School, but a PRIVATE Pre School at the Synagogue.
On this first day, my Mom got a call from the Principal about me. She kept me after school in her office. Now, stop thinking that. I did not get in trouble! The princpal called my Mom because she FORGOT TO PICK ME UP !!!!! How could my Mom already forget me ?!?!?!??!?! It's only been ONE DAY !!!!!
Sure, Mom made an excuse that since every other class gets out later that my class would also get out later. Doesn't she know that my class is the youngest class? We are special and need more time with our Mommies and Daddies. So, on my first day of class, I sat in the Principal's Office after school (only for 1/2 hour). It wasn't so bad, the Pricipal was really nice and fed me Cheerios until someone picked me up. I got to go home at the same time the older kids went home. It's almost like I skipped a grade during my first day of school.

Grandma Nancy is coming to town today. It's never more than 6 weeks between seeing her. This may not seem like alot. However, she lives 1000 away, so that is actually quite a bit.
Since I want to go to the airport to pickup Grandma, my mysterious stomach ailment disappeared! It could also be due to Daddy going to 3 different stores and buying me Diaper Rash Cream, Bananas and Hummus. THANKS DADDY FOR GIVING ME A HAPPY HEINEY!

Mom and Dad's Wedding Anniversary happened this past week. (Notice that they were married MORE than 9 months before I was born!) I'm 19 months old and they've been married for 3 years. You can do the math!
Anyway, I was really hoping that we could all spend their anniversary weekend together. I'm part of the family now, I was conceived out of their love, how come I'm not getting any presents?
So, they were all going to go to dinner on Saturday Night. My future sister in Mommy's belly was going. I was the only one in our family staying home! I tried to stop them by being extra good, taking a 4 hour nap to give them time to spend together, and other things. Did this stop them from going out? NO! So, I pulled out the big guns. I threw up and made myself get a "squishy tushy". I knew they couldn't leave with my being sick.
We all spent a wonderful Saturday Night together.
Mom and Dad, I love you ... Happy Anniversary!

Hurricane Katrina is allegedly going to directly hit New Orleans. It is considered the STORM OF THE CENTURY!
I decided (since my name is Noah) to build an ark to help all the people stuck in New Orleans. I said "Mom, get the New Orleans Officials on the horn!" but all Mom heard was "Ma, ga no oooooh ba." I really need to work on my annunciation, but what do you expect from a 19 month old?
My next plan of attack was to call New Orleans again. I started pushing buttons on the phone but all I got was "If you need to make a call, please hang up and try again. If you need help, hang up and dial the operator" then it made a really loud beeping noise and Mommy took the phone away.
Still determined, to let the world know that I could build an ark and save hundreds of thousands of people about to be hit by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, I tried to use my very soft toy phone. I told them my plan and the response was the song "Mary had a Little Lamb."
With no other way to communicate, I decided to play with my toys and scatter them around the entire room. I figured this would get Mom and Dad to take action. All Daddy said was "it looks like Hurricane Noah, category 5."
Tomorrow, I'll use my legos to build an ark.