Veronica's First Halloween

"Vergonicka" dressed as a month-old infant for her first Halloween.

Robin Hill Pool Costume Dance

This was a monumental year for the YD family as far as Halloween. For the first time, we would be dressing in costumes that were not a "theme."

We arrived at the Robin Hill Pool Costume Dance Friday night as a motley crew of: two elephants, a witch, a princess on a unicorn, an infant posing as a "little pumpkin" and a gal from the 50's accompanied by her steady suffering from an identity crisis.

For the record, we've been candy (Hershey Kisses and a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup, clowns, nuns and a priest (can you guess who the priest was?) and last year, a royal family (pictured at right).

At Robin Hill's event, the girls enjoyed painting pumpkins, eating good food and dancing (or chasing around) their school friends.

Julia's Birthday - Part III

There are benefits to having a birthday near Halloween.

The last of Julia's "Birthday Extravaganza" took place Saturday. Per the YD birthday party rules, she got to invite one friend for every year old she was. The five guests of honor got to play "BINGHOST," decorate pumpkin cookies, play "Simon Sez" and watch Julia open her presents.

The challenge to playing "Binghost" was for the children to not eat all the candy corns used to mark the cards. Fortunately, Mom planned accordingly and had plenty on hand.

'Watch the Birdie'

First of all, a legal disclaimer: We are only posting these school pictures for the redistribution, retransmission or republication by our private viewing audience. Any strangers surfing this site are expressly prohibited from making any derrogatory comments about the YD girls.

With the exception of Olivia (who wasn't in preschool last year), the non-framed photo is their photo taken last year.

Julia is sporting her "Superhero" outfit in this year's picture.

Lauren appears to have lost a few teeth between kindergarten and first grade. But as you can see from other pictures in recent posts, her new front teeth are coming in nicely.

Emily's picture was the biggest shocker. Where has our little girl gone? And yes, Mom is her "stylist." Dad has trouble combing his own hair (which explains why he hardly has any at all).

Doing Much Better

About the only visible sign of Lauren's allergic reaction last night is a black right eye. Otherwise, she is nearly as healthy as always — running around, reading books and sucking her thumb (we're still trying to discourage that last activity). Here she's pictured with Grandma Bep, who kindly took a few of the girls off Danielle's hands for a few hours today.

The new medicine she is taking seems to be doing the trick. Her recovery was also helped by a day off from school. Actually, all the girls are on fall break Thursday and Friday, so the timing could not be better.

Emergency!

Lauren watched from the couch as Julia celebrated her birthday.
Less than an hour later, she was being rushed to the hospital.

A fever that kept Lauren out of school Tuesday morning was more serious than we first thought. Wednesday, the doctor told her that she had contracted a strain of E-coli virus. The medicine she had been taking to keep her fever in check would not cure the virus.

So when Mom returned from the pharmacy with the medicine Wednesday night, Lauren did not hesitate to take it. But not 10 minutes later, she was throwing up, her right eye was nearly swollen shut, she had blemishes and bumps all over her body and she was complaining of having trouble breathing.

Thankfully, Uncle Neil was still on hand from the birthday party and Aunt Bridget hurried over to help, too. Bridget and Mom (with Veronica in tow) rushed Lauren to the Children's Hospital emergency room, where they controlled the swelling on her eye and found a medicine to fight the E-coli that would not lead to another allergic reaction.

Lauren returned home early Thursday morning and appears to be doing much better.

Happy Birthday Julia, Part II

"What kind of cake would you like for your birthday Julia?" mom asked.

"Eyeball cake," Julia replied.

At first, we weren't sure what an "eyeball cake" looked like (or tasted like, for that matter). But, as you can see from this picture, it has lots of eyeballs on it. Princesses and Barbies be gone!

Part II of Julia's birthday celebration included cake and ice cream with family and friends Wednesday night. She also received phone calls from relatives and her godmother, Mouse, who is normally a fixture at Julia's birthday but is living out of town these days.

Julia Turns Five

Nearly everyone celebrates their birthday. But how many of you throw a party for your "Unbirthday"?

In our family, the day before a birthday is known as an "Unbirthday." So for Julia, who turns five Wednesday, Tuesday night was the beginning of four days of celebrating. We ate at Applebee's (because on Tuesdays, kids eat free).

When she awoke this morning, the Birthday Fairy had paid her a visit overnight, leaving behind two presents: a Dora game and a watch. Tonight, we'll have a few friends and family members over. Then on Saturday, she'll have five of her closest friends join her for yet another celebration.

Halloween: The October 25th Version

Superheroes, a few animals, Tonto and a princess were the costumes of choice in Olivia's Pawprints Preschool class.

Olivia's teachers say she's a little angel during class. It would appear from this picture that it is actually the other way around.

Unfortunately you won't see cute Halloween costumes on any of the other school-age girls. Someone at their school decided students would dress as their favorite saint, rather than the wicked witch of the west, Freddy Krueger or one of the Incredibles.

The Fat Lady Is Singing...

Yes, soccer season has finally come to a conclusion under gray skies on a cold, damp Saturday in late October. Lauren (seen shivering at left) closed out the fall season with a 6-4 loss. It wasn't all a disappointment, though. A party in the comfy confines of Mama's Pizza made it easier to stomach — and the dads were happy, too, because they could watch the Nebraska football game.

Next up on the sports front: Lauren is taking on gymnastics while Emily is signed up for basketball. Dad is coaching, but Emily was drafted by the other coach.

Has It Already Been A Month?

We'll refrain from using the old cliche about "time flies..." and just say that Veronica is growing up fast.

At one month old, she is 23 inches long and weighs 9 pounds and 13 ounces. That's an inch-and-a-half taller and 10 ounces heavier than she was on Sept. 19.

As for the comparison to her sisters at one month old, judge for yourself:



Clockwise from top right: Lauren, Olivia, Julia, Emily.

Lauren was still in the hospital at one month, recovering from surgery after being born with fetal hydrops (a serious condition in which the fetus becomes extremely swollen due to buildup of fluids in the body tissues). She spent 40 days in the NICU at Children's Hospital.

It would also appear that Olivia wins the award for "most hair" though it hardly resembles the blonde locks she sports now.

Our Trip North

Here are the pictures from our trip to the Shriner's Hospital on Wednesday and Thursday.


The girls were all smiles -- at least for the first five hours.


While Veronica ate, the girls played soccer and threw a frisbee.


The hotel swimming pool had to be the highlight of the trip.


When four girls sleep in one bed, you know it's a queen.


The girls were in hockey heaven - home of the Minnesota Wild.


Lauren's checkup began with a visit from the doctor.


Then it was time to see our friend, Deidra, for new braces.


Getting fitted for braces is old hat for Lauren.


It was a beautiful day to enjoy the playground at the hospital.


Betcha didn't know you can lick one of these...

Can't Wait To Take A Dip

Road trips are always fun. And we're planning one to this hotel -- which has an inviting indoor swimming pool. Can you guess where it is?

Nearly A Month Old

Do you remember what you were doing a month ago? That's an easy one for us — we were waiting for the arrival of Veronica.

Wednesday marks her one-month "birthday" and we will be taking her picture for the picture wall.

So what has she accomplished in a month's time? She can hold her head up, her eyes tend to track movement and she continues to exercise her lungs regularly. Despite all that crying, we'll keep her.

The Secret To Better Sleep

Clockwise from top left: Julia made many attempts, Lauren is a pro, Emily likes to show off and Olivia looks good holding the jump rope.

Bedtime comes early at the YD household: usually before 8 p.m. most nights. But it's a rare occasion when the four older girls are actually asleep before 8:30 p.m. But tonight was one of those nights.

We have the jump rope to thank for wearing them out. Most of the afternoon, the girls skipped, hopped or simply tried to jump rope in the driveway. By the time Dad got the camera out to take pictures around sunset, Lauren had it down better than anyone. Not bad for someone who has had to wear leg braces much of her life.

Emily's Last Soccer Game

You would not have known it from the weather, but Emily played her last soccer game of the season Saturday. With sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 80's, it felt more like the beginning of September and not a day in mid-October.

Mom says she can remember other end-of-the-fall-season games from years gone by: being bundled head to toe to ward off the biting north wind, or trying to warm in the van after sitting on cold bleachers for an hour. So Saturday's weather was a welcome change.

Unfortunately, Emily's Raiders team fell 3-2 in its final game. As you can see from the picture above, their opponent, St. Joan of Arc, played aggressively and never gave up despite being down 1-0 and 2-1. Afterwards, Emily and her teammates spent several hours at the Shady Lane Ranch, a Council Bluffs' knockoff of Vala's Pumpkin Patch.

Lauren's team (coached by her dad) didn't fare any better Saturday morning, losing 6-4. Lauren plays her final game next Saturday.

A Veronica Status Report

At age three-and-a-half-weeks, Veronica is back to her birth weight of 9 lbs, 3 ozs.

The concern we had over Veronica's uneasiness and lack of weight gain was quieted a bit today when we found out she is gaining weight. Now if she can just start having regular bowel movements.

Salon de Daniellé

Whenever Dad goes to get a haircut, he always takes along a couple of the girls. The barbers, George and Bud, always joke about giving the girls haircuts. The truth is, none of them have ever had their hair cut by a stylist other than their mom.

So tonight it was time to break out the scissors, brush, sheet and stool for a trim job. As you can see from the picture, Lauren didn't find it to be a very enjoyable experience.

How Is She 'Really' Doing?

Unfortunately, we get more of what is pictured on the right.

Veronica is three-and-a-half-weeks old. That means we've changed more than 80 diapers and Danielle has spent more than 150 hours feeding her. And by our conservative estimates, she has either cried or been unhappy more than 50 percent of the time — something that is in stark contrast from the pleasant demeanor of the other YD girls in their infancy.

This leads us to ask ourselves: Is she constipated? Is she a "snacker" who is unhappy if she isn't eating? Is she fretting about being the youngest of five girls? Is she taking after her namesake, Uncle Karlie, who was a pain in the wazoo for her Grandma Bep? Will having one of those new video iPods make her happy?

Unfortunately, it would appear there might actually be a problem. When Veronica was last at the doctor, she weighed in only one ounce heavier than she had been 10 days before. Her next appointment is Friday, so we'll see if she has packed on any more weight onto her 21-inch frame. But mom might not be able to hold out that long. A trip to the doctor might be in order today to find out why Veronica screams and cries so much.

Dutch Treat

As many of you know, the girls enjoy all things Dutch. And with good reason. Their grandma "Bep" is from Holland.

Wednesday, we were treated to a visit from Bep's sister, Tante Jos ("tante" is "aunt" in Dutch). She (seated on the left) was graciously welcomed by the girls (especially when they saw that she had some Dutch delights in hand). We promised to feature her on the blog so her friends and family "across the pond" can see her smiling face while she's away.

Just Wait 'Til The Snow Flies...

Who needs a lawn service when someone actually wants to rake?

Is this a foreshadowing of what it will be like when the first snow flies? If so, Dad is going to have a pretty comfortable winter.

Not everyone pictured above is a YD girl. But all the rakes you see are from our garage. Yes, dad and mom made sure there were plenty of lawn care tools to go around when the girls were young. Perhaps that is how Emily came to start mowing the grass when she was in kindergarten...

All Things Spooky

What's more frightening — the ghosts or Lauren hanging on for dear life?

Halloween has come to the YD house and it's nearly as exciting as Christmas time. From the ghosts circling the tree in the front yard to the pumpkin drawings in the front window, all things spooky have emerged from the attic storage room.

The girls have taken to "rating" other people's Halloween decorations whenever we drive through a neighborhood. Outdoor displays which draw an "ooh" or "aah" receive a round of applause. A Halloween display that is simply noticeable — but not outstanding — might get three or four claps. Don't have anything that will turn heads (like those pumpkin leaf bags)? That's a one clap.

Lauren and Emily usually take the lead in "rating" each display and instructing their younger sisters on how many claps to do. So before you put up those Christmas lights this year, think about whether your display will merit a round of applause or just a few claps

Grin And Bear It

UNO's Alex Nikiforuk has something in common with Lauren.

It's no secret that the YD girls are big UNO hockey fans. (We can thank their Aunt Dee-Dee for that.) So when Dee-Dee and Uncle Jon volunteered to take the four girls to the Maverick Meet-and-Greet at InPlay and the Red-White scrimmage at the Qwest Center, Mom was eager to say "go for it."

The girls are fascinated with hockey, particulary since it is fairly unique when it comes to grade school and high school sports. The fascination carries over to the UNO players, who seem amazed that a group of girls can sit and watch guys they don't even know skate around and around for more than an hour. After all, there are not that many girls in the stands, period.

Lauren was working her charm into overtime and it paid off. Just before the puck dropped to start the scrimmage, her favorite player, Phil Angell, flipped a puck over the glass and into our section. All the girls got a chance to pose with the keepsake.




Emily says her favorite part of the day was when she got to visit hockey players who had been sent to the penalty box. Lauren said she especially liked getting that puck from Phil Angell. Julia said her favorite part was standing on the edge of the glass as the zamboni made its rounds between periods. Olivia wouldn't share what she most enjoyed. But we all agree that she did a great job of not complaining (or falling asleep) on such a long day.

Julia gets her Maverick sweatshirt signed.