9 Months 1 Week - Sea Ranch Celebrations

Sea Ranch Celebrations

For Christmas, my sister gave our mom a "Girls Weekend." We choose Sea Ranch, CA as our get-away destination, researched a great 3-bedroom ocean-front house to rent, and took off for our 3-day girl-indulgent weekend that coincided with Grandma's birthday.

Sea Ranch is a wonderful place for walking, chatting, cooking and connecting. We've decided we'd like to make this an annual event! Click here to see all our photos.

9 Months - Stats and Habits

9 Months
Ava:
Weight: 16.4 = 15%
Height: 26 3/4 = 30%
Head: 44 = 40%

Bettina:
Weight: 17.8 = 30%
Height: 27 3/4 = 60%
Head: 44 1/2 = 52%
Tina's height dictates that she needs to go into the new carseat, the Britex Marathon.

Eating:
Both are eating 3 meals/day with about 6 oz. each (1 1/2 Stage 2 jars)
Foods include: Apples, Avocado, Broccoli, Cantalope, Carrots, Green beans, Kiwi, Mixed Cereal, Oatmeal, Rice, Peaches, Pears, Peas, Potatoes, Prunes, Spinach, Squash, Yogurt
The pediatrician says to start proteins (meats) when we want to. Also, she noted that the Gerber style of puff veggies and fruits - the kind that melt like rice paper in the kids' mouths - is really just a gimmick. "It's like eating air," she says. We are switching to Cheerios.
Ava only has the one left bottom tooth that's still coming in. Tina's still gummy.

Sleep:
Both are sleeping through the night. Well, they will usually wake up - in various stages of "awake," but they are expected to put themselves back to sleep, which they do 99.99% of the time. Their "transitional objects," a little cow-shaped and horse-shaped blanket, help them do this really well and I'm glad I encouraged them to "bond" with them. Bedtime's at 7:30pm and they usually don't get up until 7:00 am. They're still taking 2 naps: an hour at 10am and usually an hour and a half (sometimes 2) at 3pm.

Play:
Their favorite toys are still their sterling rattles that Tracy & Addi game them. They will drop everything when they hear it's distinctive chime. They like their wooden toys by Haba (a horse and a set of twins in a wooden arc) which came from Grandma and me and love the balls that came with their Tiny Love elephant toy which Ava's godmother Lisa gave. They don't drop them into the elephant shape yet - they just like to shake the balls like rattles. They love, love, love to watch Baby Einsteins, which they do just between their baths and bedtime.

Developmentally:
Sitting up is a cinch and both now (instead of only Tina) prefer to stand clutching on to my fingers for support. Tina likes to test herself and will usually let go with one hand, and then both, to see if she can balance. She also likes to lean toward a table or the ottoman and shift her weight back and forth. This is probably her favorite game. They are both babbling with some coherent but still inadvertent words (mama, dada - which really sounds more like duh duh). Both will stand without assistance for a few seconds. It comes easier for Ava but Tina practices it more. They're using pincher grips, but usually, with finger foods, the objects are too small for them to get it to their mouths - most of the object is stuck in the thick parts of their fingers instead. Neither are crawling in the conventional way: Ava's creeping backwards when she's on her belly, doing donuts in the sitting position, and, like her sister, is tri-poding to reach things. Tina pulls herself up and is starting to "cruise."

9 Months - They've Got Cribs!

It's an innate, genetically instilled process triggered by motherhood. You can try to delay it, postpone or even pretend that it doesn't exist, however, like PMS, when it hits, it cannot be ignored. It rears it's motherly head and we all, unwillingly or not, conform...

Most people get to set up their nurseries a month - usually 2 - before their baby/ies are born. However, with all the construction in our house as well as the "creative" use of space, we didn't do this; we didn't have enough room to even set up proper cribs. Our girls first shared a single Pack 'n Play (temporary travel beds/play spaces) and then grew to sleep in their own. They haven't had, however, proper beds: ones with full size mattress, or even a mattress at that! Everything was hodge-podge, mismatched and temporary. This weekend, however, our world - and theirs - grew bigger.


Here is Ava clearly enjoying her full-size crib; one with a full-size mattress, real bumpers, fitted sheets, crib toys, and a beautiful handmade heirloom-quality quilt made by her Great-Aunt MaryAnn...and it all matches! Tina gets another one just like it. I was beaming with pride and a nesting instinct that most moms go through before their babies are born. It was a long time coming, but I, too, conformed. I sat in my little rocking chair and marveled at the "baby things" in all their glory: matching sheet sets! beautiful sleigh cribs! cute crib toys! I'm taking it all in understanding what every mom does when she thinks no one is looking. Isn't this just a wonderful thing?

It's taken a long time - I mean a long time (they're 9 months old, for goodness sakes!), and they are still in the living room and not a "proper" nursery, but I still take pleasure in the sight. My shoulders soften, my breath comes in longer stretches, and my eyes look appreciatively at my husband for giving me a really good nest. Do the girls sleep any better? Well, no; not yet, anyhow. However, I will, and that's a start.

Happy Valentine's Day! - Mommy Buying Guide

A little valentine from our cupids to yours.

Gone are the days of wishing for diamond necklaces and sexy dangle earrings. (All the dads are thinking, "Thank goodness!" They don't understand our ever-constant attraction to jewelry. "Didn't I buy her a necklace last Valentine's Day?" Well, yes, but really, my dear, it never gets old.) Necklaces and dangle earring have now become hazard magnets - hazards with the curious eyes and curiously strong hands of your baby. Time for husbands and dads to think a little differently when shopping for the mother of their baby/ies. Let's get smart and realistic - how to shop for your new mom:

• Instead of dangle earrings, try buying studs. Much harder to pull on and still allows your love to feel a little decorated. You will still win wonderful husband points and stay strong on the romance Richter Scale if you go for the diamonds or the appropriately colored sapphires or rubies.
• Sorry, but pretty much all necklaces are out; short and long. At least for every-day baby time. Babies spend a lot of time at neck level in mommy's arms and just can get their fingers around anything. Try again in another 2 years - or later if you're planning to have other ones.
• Every mom needs good looking cotton shirts completely devoid of baby stains to wear around and, more importantly, outside of the house. Go to Ann Taylor or some other retailer that has nice trendy shirts, perhaps even one that's a little feminine with a little lace edging or something. Wanna win extra points? Get a matching pair of pants or flirty skirt to match. It will really boost her sense of being put together. It will make her feel stylish and a much happier woman. (Mom's often "forget" they're also a woman and not just a mom.) Make sure the entire outfit is machine washable; she doesn't need to run extra errands to have it clean.
  Women always love it when a man picks out an outfit for them; it shows you spent time and thought when giving. But if you don't have the confidence you'll get the "right" thing, a gift certificate will work. However, if you go this route, you must also get the following gift to accompany it.
• Flowers are nice, but even better is a coupon for a babysitter! Free time that she can use to spend some uninterrupted girl time with her friends or to go shopping unencumbered and luxuriously try on anything she wants to!
• On a budget? Come home early, draw a nice bath with lots of bubbles and a calming CD, glass of wine and a good book. Go to her, demand that she hand over the baby/ies and tell her she's banished from all rooms but the bathroom. You will bathe, change, and feed the babies and put them to sleep for her tonight. She may initially feel awkward, but she'll love it and take the longest bath you ever thought possible.

Now, well-armed, go out and make her day! And, while I've laid it all out, pass this note to my husband so he won't be outdone by all of you!

8 Months 4 Weeks - Daddy Day Hike #2 Huckleberry Trail

So, this was another one of the "weird" months where there's a 4th week before the girls' actual birthday. Always sounds so funny - you'd think at the 4th week, they'd be 9 months, but not yet...

We had another great hike yesterday in the Oakland Hills. This time on a trail called "Huckleberry Nature Trail" on Skyline Blvd. close to Grizzly Peak in the Oakland Hills. The hike started out with a steep descent into a forest of ferns, bay trees, delicate forget-me-not flowers and many, many seasonal streams. It was dark and moist and everything was covered in moss. From the bottom, there was a steady mild rise that took us up about 700 vertical feet where the manzanitas and huckleberry, madrones and pine trees take over the vegetation. There were nice openings that hailed great views. Our favorite was at marker #6 which showed Mt. Diablo for the first time.


Huckleberry Nature Trail - Daddy Day Hike #2

I got to try out my new Asian-style Mei Tai-esk baby sling by a company called Baby Hawk. I have always been a big believer in the comfort and necessity of a Baby Bjoirn. I actually have 3 of them (one for Paul and a spare) and have used them all the time. I thought they were the absolute best. Out of curiosity, however, I tried out this Baby Hawk and got a major surprise: it's more comfortable!! Especially, I think, since my babies are bigger/heavier now compared to their births. The Baby Hawk just seems to hug them closer to my body so their weight isn't pulled forward and heavier on my shoulders. Anyhow, after trying it, I had to get it. And, I also had to get the one with the pocket on the front - definitely worth the extra $10 bucks. On our Daddy Day Hike, I stored the nature trail map, my camera and the ever important car keys in the pocket to gain easy and repetitive access to them.

Another major mile stone realized during the hike: Ava's first tooth is coming through! We were very excited!

To view the photos of the entire hike, click here.

8 Months 3 Weeks - Picnic at Mavericks

Picnic at Mavericks

The world-reknown surfing contest at Mavericks, near Half Moon Bay, CA, was on a beautiful sunny day on Tuesday, Feb. 7th and with tempuratures in the mid-70's. Ava, Bettina and I went there to check out the scene and picnic on the cliffs (which is definately something we won't be able to do once they start crawling!). The contest boasts of 25' - 50' waves (more on the 25' this year) and crowds upwards of 50,000. Click here to view the pictures of our big picnic and surfing adventure.

We have also been trying a new feeding routine. Last week at my first meeting with my DoubleTalk II (a group of new mom's with twins) class for 6-12 mos kids, it was suggested that I should give the girls their bottles before feeding them their solid foods. So, I tried it. Well, it didn't work as well as I thought. I could barely get them to choke down 2 oz per feeding - not the 6 oz they suggested, and they still ate 3-4 jars of Stage 2 baby food. However, something may have clicked; both slept through the night most nights this week, which is great!

Besides our class, the group makes an effort to meet another time between classes to do something social. This week, we walked the reservoir, which is nice. I hope during this class not only to pick up some pointers and to touch on some high interest topics like child-proofing, sleeping, and food habits, but to gain new moms to be social with. It just helps to hang out with other twin moms to fortify your determination to go out and conquer the world!

Adeza Photo Shoot Results

You have to commend Paolo, the photographer from the photo shoot we did for Adeza. Adeza really knew what they were doing when they hired him. Paolo was nice enough to forward a number of thumbnails from the shoot including the following:

I think this one (above) was the one they are going to use for the ad
Tina's "Puppy Dog" look Ava looking serious
They have really made my day and I hope to decorate their room with a couple of these precious things. Paolo is an excellent and award winning photographer I would recommend to anyone. Check out his website if you have the need.

Welcome Baby Ella!

Welcome Ella!

Well, my cousin Jonathon and his wife Emily finally get to see their bundle of joy! Ella was born Feb. 3rd near 8pm our time (they're in Norfolk, VA). From what I hear through the grapevine, everybody's great, healthy and already at home!

My uncle sent out this picture, being the proud first-time grandpa, among others. I do have to say, she is a beautiful newborn. There aren't many of those! I was so pleased to hear the name "Ella" being used. You may recall that that was my preferred name for Ava back when I wrote this blog entry, "What's in a Name?", but it was vetoed by Paul. For every thing a reason, right?

Congratulations, Emily & Jon (as well as my Aunt MaryAnn and Uncle David - first timer grandparents)! Hopefully, they will tell us more through emails or their blog (http://babykalbach.blog.com/).

8 Months 2 Weeks - Back at the Barn

Ava on Misty








Tina at the barn

We had another visit to the barn this week as the farrier came down, as he does about every 6 weeks, to change Misty's shoes. This time, however, we were escorted by my mother who was able to lend an extra hand to either take photos or hold a kid.

The girls can now sit up very well, so sitting on Misty wasn't a problem. Ava frankly had more fun grasping the lead than sitting on Misty. Bettina, however, really seemed to enjoy it. She grabbed ahold of her mane just like an old bareback pro.

Misty did a nice job being gentle with the girls and tolerating the new shoe job all the while. I just can't wait until these girls can hold on themselves and we can give little pony rides!

Speaking of which, this week also marks the time we put the cow back in the barn. No, we don't also have a pet cow, but for the last 8 and a half months, I've been acting like one (for the girls' benefit, of course!). Well, this cow decided it was time to quit. It's only frozen milkshakes for the girls - at least until those run out. The girls don't seem to have noticed. So, one of the first things, besides clothes, that goes in the garage "until the next one comes" is the definitely overworked pump and all those glorious nursing bras.

8 Month 1 Week - There Ought To Be A Law

Just a few things that, if made into law, would make my life a bit easier!!

There Ought To Be A Law:

1. All MOM's (Mothers of Multiples) should have designated parking spots reserved just for them up close to the storefront/gym entrances, just like the handicapped. I mean, isn't it a handicap to begin with to try to carry 2 carseats, a purse, and a diaper bag, especially in the rain, all the way inside?
2. All retail stores, especially if they sell items for children, should make their aisles wide enough for a stroller. I can't tell you how many times I've had to "bushwhack" my way through rounders of clothes. If the girls were any older, I'd equip them with machettes so they could thin the forest of fabric that engulfs them as we attempt to get to the kids department. (I wonder what the stores would do if I had a wheelchair instead of a stroller?)
3. There should be only a 2-minute time limit that MOM's are obligated to make small talk with strangers who stop you from getting your errands done to answer silly questions or to make small talk conversation. Clock starts with the first "Aw, are they twins?"; when the 2-minutes are up, we should be able to walk away without feeling ungrateful.
4. Since it's recommended that we buy two and a half times the clothes, bottles, etc. for twins, there ought to be a law that at tax time, we get to claim two and a half dependents.
5. All adults should be able to rely on the following law: There should be no obligation to buy a gift for both twins if you're kid/you is only friends with one of them. Same is true for god-parents, etc. Also, don't feel that you have to get them the exact same thing - they have different likes/personalities. Just because they were born as a set doesn't mean that they always have to be treated as one.