Going on a Pumpkin Hunt...

The Pumpkin Patch

While Uncle Patrick and Aunt Ainsley were in town, we decided to go a visit the pumpkin patch. And, while we're at it, let's go to the biggest one around!

The Twins Club has had a lot of email traffic about the pumpkin patch out in Livermore called G & M Farms. It's a little far to drive, but is right off the freeway exit, so it's easy once you get there. G & M Farms boasts of everything that you'd look for in a pumpkin patch: farm animals, pony rides, pumpkins, a 6-acre corn maze and a little hay-bale maze for the tinier tots. There's a little bit of a haunted house - more like a display - and of course, little red wagons to help you carry all your loot!

We had a nice time and did just about everything there was to do (the corn maze didn't open until 4pm on weekdays and the ponies only come out on the weekends) and took lots of photos. It's a really nice thing to do for fun and to make memories. You should definitely take the time to try it for yourselves!

Here are the pictures: click here!

16 Months Week 3 - Fun at the Park

To The Moon!!

We're again in another new temporary housing location... while more family members enjoy some vacation time, we get to enjoy stable housing. We explored today another park nearby the house. It's really meant for older kids, but the girls found things to do. They particularly enjoyed this double wobble-ride.

Shortly after this, Tina wandered off toward the play structure behind them and a very nice little girl (of about 4 years old) gave Tina her fushia colored Care Bear teddy. Tina looked up at the little girl with such appreciation and a giant smile. She immediately turned and hugged the bear like I've never seen her do to a stuffed toy. She didn't put it down for a good 15 minutes. When she did, the little girl came back, dusted the tanbark off the bear and lent it to Ava, who was equally thrilled by the generosity. When it was time for the little girl to leave, I thanked the her for her grace and thoughtfulness and told her she was the nicest friend to the girls in the whole park. She just looked at me like she does and hears this stuff every day, smiled and skipped away. I hope my girls can do that someday.

16 Months 2 Weeks - The "Boo" House

The "Boo" House

Paul had an opportunity to finish his work on the house a bit early this weekend. We decided it would be fun to go to what Ava and Tina call "the Boo House;" a festive pumpkin walk created by stacks of baled hay, a little red bridge covered in corn stalks and a web of neoprene curtains where the girls like to hide and then run out calling "Boo!" Grandma and I had so much fun earlier in the week watching them invent this game, we just had to bring Daddy there to experience it for himself.

After doing many laps of the "Boo House" and visiting the farm animals, we found another special treat: a tomato tasting. Tomatos are one of the girls' absolute favorites! Here's some video of Ava asking (with her sign language) for more tomato (this is like her 4th different variety - she seemed to like them all!).



Tina was asking earlier, but by the time Mommy got ready with her camera, she was tired of repeating herself.

16 Weeks 1 Week - A Quick Road Trip

Rub-A-Dub Dub - Three Kids in a Tub

Well, since our latest temporary housing fix doesn't allow dogs (didn't find that out until the night before), I decided to go up with the girls and dog to visit my long-time friend who recently moved to Reno, NV until our next temp housing (that is dog-friendly) is ready for us. My friend's husband was out of town on business, so we strangely thought that this would be a great opportunity for a girls' weekend: 2 of us; 4 of them! The "them" is all four of our daughters. The oldest just turned four, so that would be 4 kids aged 4 and under. Not to mention the 2 black Labradors!

We actually had a ball - rather intensely, but fun none-the-less. We visited a great pumpkin patch complete with pony rides, a corn maze, little wagons/cart big enough to pull all three toddlers, a hay ride behind a real tractor and lemonade sold by little kids. We also got to visit Virginia City which I thought was a sell-out to cheap figurines and t-shirts that cater to the Harley Davidson crowd.

We did manage an adult dinner at the neighbors and a nice lunch at Baja Fresh (only the best and most luxurient meals for busy moms).

Driving back down on the way home, the girls, having not yet napped that day, slept all the way to Davis (more than 2 hours!). When the did wake up, they were starving. We made a quick stop into McDonald's where in their Happy Meals they have apples instead of fries, milk instead of soda and yogurt and fruit parfaits that the girls just love. Each of the girls got different toys in their happy meals, but after Ava started a fight over Tina's Little Mermaid crown, we decided just to go and see if we could trade to get two. Surprisingly enough, days later they are still carrying them around the house and ask people to assist in coronating themselves. They love them - can't you tell?


Mermaid Queens, gratis a McDonald's

Playing House with Dean

Playing house
Well, at least it's not "doctor"...yet!

This is a cute photo that was actually taken a couple of weeks ago when we had a play date over at the girls' friend Dean's house. Everyone was in the "Storybook Cottage" playing with the pretend food. They had fun opening and closing all the doors and windows multiple times. Then, instead of throwing the food at them, Dean shows a "softer side" and offers Tina a bite of corn on the cob. Oh, yeah! He'll be a heartbreaker!

16 Months - Ode to Fearless Fathers

An Ode to Fearless Fathers...May they live to see Potty Training!


Via: VideoSift

Got Giggles?

This family of 6 (yes, they are quadruplets) is easy to please. Tina will often giggle like this for no apparent reason. Occasionally, I can get them both going. Watching the whole family is pretty hilarious!


Via: VideoSift

15 Months 3 Weeks - How To Find a Babysitter

The girls are almost 16 months old, and, believe it or not, we have yet to hire a babysitter so that the two of us parents could go out together. When the girls were younger and we were living at my mother's, she would tell us to go out for an hour or so after the girls were asleep, and we did that about once a week. And, this summer, while at the Family Reunion, we let their Grandpa take the girls to the pool for 3-hours so that we could go river rafting with the rest of the family. However, that was the longest time that we've allowed ourselves to be gone and we both looked at each other wide-eyed as we cautiously left the house. We weren't sure which was the scarier ride: leaving the girls or riding the Class III Deschutes River rapids.

We have, however, been inspired to find a reliable sitter by a no-kids party. All the "typical suspects" are taken: Nonno and Nonna have "date night" in North Beach on Saturdays and Grandma Gigi is out of town for the whole month. All the neighborhood kids have left for college except one who has decided that, with all her other extracurricular activities and sports,she is in more need of down time than a few extra bucks.

So, how to find a babysitter...

You might think it would be easy: just ask your friends who already have kids and regular sitters. You might be surprised, but most people are unwilling to share their regulars' names and numbers. There is an unspoken but firmly defended turf-war with great sitters. Childhood friends and girlfriends bound by bridal-party ties find each other jousting so that they can all go to the same evening party together. Best not to fish off the "company pier," persay. It leads to a very large hen-house!

I thought I would then ask a number of sort-of-strangers: my Twins Mommy Group. There are more than 400 families who have totally different social calendars than me in this group. They are so helpful with all other needs and quick to lend a hand...why not them? The only response I got from them was an exchange plan (you sit mine; I'll sit yours), but who wants to watch 4+ kids, even if it does mean one night of freedom?? You are more likely to get their Grandma's secret recipe - No one will give you their sitter's number!

So, you've got to learn to navigate yourself and find someone by chance, luck and lots of pavement pounding. Here are some tips after finally finding some candidates of my own:

1. Visit your local college and see if they have a job-board. If you have multiple colleges in your area, see if any of them offer courses and/or majors in Childhood Development or Education. There are two in my area.
2. Check on-line: At least one of these colleges has their job-board on-line so that you may post your needs at any time of day. Now you don't have to pack the kids up and tend to them while to try to focus on your posting.
3. I've also heard great things about looking on www.Craigslist.com, but I had a heebie-jeebie factor with total strangers. At least I felt I had a little control targeting an audience with a strong likelihood of having a teaching career. (Probably just semantics...)
4. When people call, try to get them to talk about their experiences with children. I made sure that any candidates had experience with pre-talkers and experience handling more than one child at a time.
5. Get at least 2 references. One can be a personal reference - someone who's known them for a long time and can speak to their character rather than if they can follow directions.
6. Call all references. I loved to hear about candidates who were putting themselves through school, showed long-term interest in and dedication to a hobby or sport, could think outside of the box, and could handle pressure calmly rather than getting nervous or rattled. One I ended up choosing to interview was all of that, plus she'd been a regular sitter for 4-year old twins for 2 years. Another one is a local girl who spent 13 years earning the Gold Award (equivalent to Eagle Scout) in Girls Scouts, is putting herself through college after earning 2 scholarships and is taking sign language off-campus for her language requirement because she already took Spanish in high school. It takes extra effort to do this as the class is 13-miles away from campus, but her interest drives her to work harder.
7. I always ask if they would come by the house for a half-hour to an hour to get to know the kids and their routine about 3-days before. This will also help them become a familiar faces in the kids' memory (or so I hope!). They will usually do this for free.

Well, we'll see how it goes... Wednesday we do the introduction and we hope that this Saturday, we're assured enough to enjoy our evening out - even if it is just for a couple of hours. Who knows, I may have more bullet-points to contribute to the list next week!

Daddy Day Hike - "Downtown" Bolinas

Well, we drove up Highway 1 last weekend with the intention of doing the Bodega Bay Head Trail, but in my mind, I got my "B's" confused and navigated ourselves to Bolinas instead of Bodega. So, we decided that fate forced us a little detour from plans.

Bolinas is a quaint, very small, hyper-liberal town set on the corner where the Pacific Ocean meets a small bay dedicated as a bird sanctuary. The benefits are obvious with pelicans flying by the flock and small shore birds by the thousands. The houses, mostly old Victorians, are all in excellent pristine condition and are obviously the pride of their owners. Paul and I assumed then that this must not be a rental town even though the people seemed more transient than root-setting type. I fantasized that this is where all the hippie code-creating dot-comers came to retire once they sold off their share after going public. Houses here are not cheap - the local real estate office shows they average about $1.2M!!

Bolinas was celebrating the Labor Day weekend with a *big* bar-b-que downtown and were shutting off the main street to traffic so that the Reggae band could set up and locals could dance in the street. The *big* event only brought down a hundred people or so, which is probably most of the town. That didn't dampen, however, the opportunity for locals to display and sell their tie-dye t-shirts and jars of local honey.

We wondered the main street down toward the bay and along Wharf St. where houses were built on stilts to accommodate the ebb and flow of the tide which comes right up under their houses, many of which have docks off their back decks for small powerboats and kayaks. As we made out way west toward the beach, we came across many kayakers going out to ride the surf from the incoming tide. Many fisherpeople studded the beaches while Ava and Tina walked along picking up interesting rocks worn clean through the middle making a hole ideal for crude jewelry. If the girls were older, 5-years or more, this could have made a great moment for arts and crafts.

After making it to the ocean side of the beach at Brighton St., we wandered up the beach access road and back toward town, stopping at numerous blackberry bushes so that the girls could gorge. This whetted our appetite and we decided to sit down to eat at the Coast Cafe, naturally serve wholly organic meals, where they were still serving both breakfast and lunch. They have a nice patio out back and had more than one highchair (believe it or not, this is a usual problem) and we really enjoyed our time there.

After eating, we decided to drive north toward Point Reyes Station and out Sir Francis Drake Blvd back to Highway 101. Driving through Point Reyes is always a treat and going through towns like Olema and Fairfax just reminds us of how unique and picturesque our area is. We are blessed to be so close to it and should adventure out more often!

15 Months - Tour in Review

Well, we're finally made it back. The girls and I, after traveling another 600 miles, arrived home to a house full of dead houseplants, 4-week old moldy dishes in the dishwasher (how is it that men just don't have an awareness about these things?), and that looked like this on the outside:


Progr-mess?

Construction started 3 weeks ago and the foundation is being poured today after the inspector gave everything the "A-OK" yesterday. The side of the house and part of the roof is already removed in anticipation of the coming 3rd story. However hard it was to be on the road with 2 one-year olds and a 14-year old dog, it would have been nothing compared to trying to live around this mess. However, mess is progress and we are oh-so-thankful for that!

We muse over lessons learned on the road, creativity we didn't know we had, and friends we're really glad we got a chance to visit: my Aunt Carolyn hosted us for 3 nights in Seattle - they have 7 acres of lush garden and "wild" greenage where the girls loved to play; aging Grandma Dent (or G.G. for Great-Grandma) hosted us for 3 days in Salem, Oregon and we enjoyed hearing her stories as we perused over old heirloom photographs - I'm eager to learn as much as I can while her wealth of knowledge and history is sharp and around; my crazy friend Kathy and brother Jim hosted us for 3 days in Ashland, Oregon. Jim and his wife have 4-year old fraternal twin boys - it was fun to see what the future looks like with older twins and to see the 2 sets play together; my cousin Holly also hosted us for 2 nights in Sacramento where we got to ride a "real" train as well as visit the local zoo full of rescued animals.

All the while we kept in touch with home where we heard of progress with the house and I reported new ways of coping with a van full of dependents. I didn't realize how amusing some of these skills were until I relayed to my mother, after her questioning, how I refined the "art" of our bathroom stops along the road. Since most restaurants don't take dogs, the many rest areas along the way are a great alternative. Being by oneself, it's really a more complex process than having another person along to be with either the kids and/or the dog:

Steps to Stop (to eat/pee/etc) on the Road with 2 Kids and a Dog:
1. Pull into a nice rest area - in Washington and Oregon, there are nice ones every 40 miles or so.
2. Find a parking space in the shade and close to the "pet area."
3. Lay out large picnic blanket under the shade of a tree
4. Get out Superyard (6 panels) and open into a circle
5. Take kids out of carseats and plop them into Superyard center with a bucket full of toys (so much easier than running 2 different directions dragging an old dog!)
6. Get dog's leash and let doggie "take care of business" while keeping kids in sight so that onlookers don't think they are abandoned
7. Tie doggie to Superyard and get ice chest, dog's water bowl, and diaper bag out of car
8. Get lunch out of ice chest and feed girls as they teeter around the play yard
9. Get bottles out of ice chest and change diapers while they lay on their backs drinking
10. Return cooler and diaper bag to car and come back with double stroller
11. Put kids in stroller so you can take them with you to go to the bathroom (gotta let the mommies go as well!)
12. Tie dog to tree or car bumper in case a cat (or something "chasable") comes along and dog drags the Superyard across the parking lot ruining the paint job on 10 cars.
13. Let Mommy pee and wash her hands
14. Pack kids back into the car
15. Pack up the Superyard and blanket
16. Pack dog back into the car
17. Do a head-count to make sure you've got the same number of kids and that you're not pulling "Rover" around like National Lampoon's "Vacation"

As a re-cap, I created a montage of the highlights of the whole 4-week+ trip. Ava and Tina learned all kinds of vocabulary and also figured out safe ways of climbing and descending stairs (whew!). Nine-minute recap below:

Edit video online at onetruemedia.com

14 Months 4 Weeks - The Island Tour by Car

Aunt Ainsley, a tag along pseudo-nanny for 3 weeks, with me and the girls
Roche Harbor, San Juan Island, WA

We just pulled in from dropping off the Grandma and the Aunt at the SEA-TAC airport after a week of touring San Juan and Orcas Islands by car. Not without a couple good stories to tell:

First of all, we didn't even make it off the ferry dock in Anacortes before our first *disaster.* My sister and I were to meet my mom, just recently dropped off by the airporter shuttle, in the ferry line at Anacortes. Although we saw her shuttle fly by us, we contacted each other via cell phone (what did we ever do before these?!) and met up at the ticket shop. Grandma, who hadn't seen her grandkids in 2 weeks, was eager to hold one while walking back to the car, already in line for the 3:10pm ferry. I carried the other kid and my sister wheeled Grandma's luggage. I was second in the single-file line walking in between the columns of cars when I suddenly saw 19 different car doors open and people starting to run behind me. I hear, "My baby! My baby!" being yelled. Curious about what happened to someone's baby, I turn to see my mother on the ground and Ava screaming at the top of her lungs. Grandma's maternal instincts seems to have skipped her back a generation. Grandma has tripped and unintentionally used Ava as an air-bag. I hand Tina to Ainsley and run down to stop my baby's cries. There's some blood, but not as bad as I think...I'm trying to recreate what happened to her little head so I can figure out what to do.

Well, if something horrible is going to happen to you, you might as well pick the Anacortes Ferry Landing to be the place. So many helpful people! Within seconds I have baby wipes to clean up the mess and figure out what's damaged, gauze (which Ava refuses to have on her head), and infant Tylinol for her pain. A nurse 3 cars back has her EMT suitcase unzipped and is handing me a bit of everything. Another woman has already called the clinic in Friday Harbor to see if they're open and can take me. I look at the wound and I know that she'll need between 2-3 stitches. My sister, a nurse as well, has called my Dad, who lives minutes up the hill, to come be an ambulance to take us to the Anacortes Hospital. I quickly weight the merits between missing the ferry (the next one will be at 8:20pm) and getting care at a hospital rather than a clinic. My husband's presumed concern, the scar, and my sister's stanch lobbying lead me to jump in the passenger seat of my dad's truck and ride toward the Anacortes hospital. His wife, a nurse there, has already been called and will be waiting in the Emergency Room. And, what do I worry about? The fact I have no car seat and have to pull a Brittany Spears riding with her on my lap.

Ava turns out to be a champ and, within 2-hours, she bears 3 stitches and has her hospital souvenir, a 12" Minnie Mouse toy, in tow, and another confirmation of the nickname her Nonna gave her: "Pepper." However, the nurses and doctor at the hospital have upgraded her to "Habanero" status. She does have strong and spicy opinions!

The rest of the trip is flawless: 2 days in the Great Gatsby-seque town of Roche Harbor - a charming harbor basically woven into both our and our mother's childhood memories of summertime boat trips. We visited the lavender farm, the Westcott Bay Reserve outdoor sculpture museum, the chapel where Paul and I were engaged, and my Great-Uncle Warren's cabin on the Straits of Juan de Fuca. It belongs to my Great-Aunt Mary now and her brother was visiting with his family. They were gracious enough to great us warmly, take pictures for us and let us snoop through the rooms to strenghten our memories of this one often-visited family get-away.

We then took the inter-island ferry to Orcas Island, staying in Eastsound where we visited with Ainsley's friends Amy and Jeff who recently moved there from Lake Tahoe. There we enjoyed lots of their homemade cooking and fresh crab caught hours before by Jeff, we lunched at the Rosario Resort, saw bald eagles fishing at the beach, and visited Moran State Park, which boasts of the best views of the islands (at 2,500', it's the highest thing between the Canadian Rockies and the Olympic Mountains).

After dropping off my sister (who's been acting as pseudo-nanny for the last 2-weeks) and mom at the airport, I'm flying solo with two 1-year old kids 16 hours away from home. It is for this reason that I've mapped out all family members between here and there and will be strategically visiting them so that I won't have to drive more than 3 hours without a stop at a friendly house with another set of arms. I plan to stay a couple of days at each place so that I'm not constantly packing and unpacking the car (that takes a lot of energy!).

We talk to Daddy every night before the girls go to bed. We excited that the City has finally given out the permits, the contractor started his work last Wednesday on fortifying the foundations and Paul and his "crew" have replaced the sewer line and moved the washing machines and hot water heater (he hopes to have it turned back on by this weekend). Then he will finally have water and the sewer again. This is why I've fled and created this grand oydessy. I pray that great progress will be made in our absence; that they work 11-hour days and that the place is as livable as it can be when we get home. I was also happy to hear Paul's suggestion that we house-sit my mom's while she's in France for the month of September. It was my plan all along, but the idea coming from his mouth means that he understands the challenge of living in construction especially since the contractor will have to practically live there to get the 3rd story done by October's rain. (A big heavy sigh of relief from me!)

14 Months 3 Weeks - Getting Back Our Land-Legs

Kairos - Our aquafied home

"Dingy on out! - Coming back from exploring the hiking trails of Reid Harbor, Stuart Island, WA
Grandpa, Bettina, Mommy & Ava

Well, although we have some great pictures and some lovely memories, Grandpa's 36' Selene troller isn't the best place for babies. They had a difficult time sleeping aboard the boat and getting enough exercise took a couple of days of trial and error before we finally got a little routine.

Good ideas:

rowing ashore every morning for some beachcombing and general hiking around.

man-to-man coverage; "zone" doesn't work for very long - they just end up fighting over who gets Mommy and they are getting too big for Mommy to hold them both at the same time for very long.

separation with one on the flying bridge and the other down below on the main deck while under-way is best. Aunt Ainsley and I took turns, she up on the flying bridge with one child just watching the sea go by and me doing laps around the first deck with the other one, like a hampster on a wheel, getting in our exercise and waving to other mariners and practicing new vocabulary like "Bye, boat." (BTW, new words this week are "Nonna" - Italian for 'Grandma', "Grandpa," and "boat.")

Bad ideas:

1. crossing the Strait of De Fuca across the tide (very choppy!)
2. spending more than 3 hours on the boat without a stop into a harbor and jaunt along the docks/shore.

We did come across another pair of twins while in Friday Harbor. They were just 10 days younger than our girls and not walking yet. Their parents, a German dad and American mom, were visiting from Indonesia and boating as well. They weren't having the same issues we were simply because their girls didn't insist on walking and climbing everywhere. Out on Spencer Spit on Lopez Island, we met another family with 3 kids: 6 years, 3 years and 14 months (2 weeks younger than ours) who were traveling on a sailboat. I chatted with the dad and exchanged a couple of great ideas for baby-proofing a boat, strapping the kid into a carseat, for example, that may have helped us out. However, trying to figure out where to place 2 sets of carseats seems daunting in its own right.

We survived the 5-day trip and visited some of our childhood favorite harbors: Deer Harbor on Orcas Island the first night, Friday Harbor on San Juan the next 2 nights, Reid Harbor on Stuart Island the 4th night and Spencer Spit on Lopez the last. We are glad the trip is in the past, but will always look back with fondness and nostalgia - the 3rd generation to take on the aquatic tradition.

Tomorrow, we go back to the Islands, but this time to explore on foot. The girls' Grandma is our companion this time. It was her family that started the tradition anyhow sometime in the 1950's. I have brought part of Grandma Betty (my mom's mom and the person for whom Bettina is named) along with me in the vial in which I received part of her after her death. I think we will release her into the San Juan waters since it is such a dear place to us, as it was to her.

14 Months 1 Week - Who is "Bob" Anyway?

Mt. Shasta on the drive up to Oregon

This week, we started our overland tour of the Pacific Northwest. Paul and I left for the Upper Klammath Lake, Oregon, a 6 and a half-hour drive, last week. The girls did well, with a couple stops at vista points and rest stops. All the while, we giggled at their entertaining noises: gibberish, what we call "speaking Hawaiian (lots of vowels in their language) punctuated with thoughts and stories about some friend of theirs named "Bob" (example: "Duhba, duhba yeah deka munna Bob.") We arrived at our destination, still wondering about who was "Bob," at Rocky Pointe Resort, in time to unpack and give the girls a little walking tour before our 6pm dinner reservation.

Dinner was fine, but not served quickly enough for the girls who were tired. Squirmy and then finally in melt-down mode, we left the restaurant with the rest of our dinner in doggie bags and tried to put the girls down for the night. We played cards outside the motel room in the hopes that they would fall asleep and then we could again re-enter and sleep ourselves without disturbing them. However, the mosquitoes chased us back inside. We attempted to hide in the nook of the bathroom to avoid being seen, but Tina decided that it was more fun to try to seduce us into playing with her than to sleep. A sleepless night for us and our neighbors (we made our apologies in the morning), but they proved to be much better sleepers during the rest of our week at the Family Reunion in Sunriver.

Now we're up at Grandpa's house in Washington, after dropping Daddy at the airport so he can go back to work. It's overcast and cloudy, and not ideal boating weather, but we hope that, as the sun creeps out sometime tomorrow, we will make our way out into the islands for a week aboard Kairos, my dad's troller, with Grandpa and Aunt Ainsley.

13 Months 3 Weeks - Teething, Sleep or Sibling Rivalry?

OK - I don't know what happened the last week, but my kids are totally off. Sleeping's an issue, food is issue, Tina's been dealing with a fever and they've begun a shoving match when it comes to who gets to be closer to Mommy.

The sleeping issues: Tina's started to protest her naps, especially with the nanny, and Ava has started using bed-time as a 3rd nap, awaking an hour later and shrieking to get out. Twice, we've relented and she's stayed up an additional 4 hours until she gets tired again. Is teething pain causing this?

The food issues: They will usually eat whatever's on their plate, but take excessive joy in fruits and zucchini. For some reason - heat or overstimulation - they are not as accepting. Nearly half of their food ends up being chucked unappreciatively to the ground (which reminds me, we need to either move their highchairs so they are directly above a composting pile, or start allowing our dog into the kitchen! I'm even getting tired of cleaning the splat mats I bought just for this "issue"). Especially soft, squishy things are flung first, so, again, I think... perhaps they're teething?

This is the kicker (no pun intended): They have both started pushing the other if they get "too close" to Mommy. This leads the pushed one to shriek. When I pick up the one in tears, the other one bursts into tears as well, melting into the floor like the Wicked Witch of the West. So, now I have them both on my lap, both in tears, and both continue to try to push the other off so they can get "the Mommy." I've spent 30 minutes trying to resolve their issues, proving that Mommy loves them both. However, I've found that the only solution is to leave them both in their huddled melt-down and get the stroller ready amid their screams. Getting out of the house and distracted by a play ground or a busy street is my best fix so far.

Lo and behold: the SFMOM's next group meeting (last night) is focused on sleep issues with the Bay Area's reknown expert, Noelle Cochran, presenting. Another great time for review and ask her opinion about these changes (nothing like free advice, right?). Just to share, here are some notes I took from the presentation:

• at 3-4 months kids can self-soothe - start "teaching them to sleep" and establish good sleeping patterns
• the body produces melotonin (muscle relaxer) during sleep and cortisol, a stress hormone, when they need sleep. Cortisol makes people wired, giddy and clumsy - need to put babies down before the cortisol hits their bodies or it's a struggle
• Babies should have a consistent bedtime (within a 1/2 hour everyday) between 6-8pm.
• 7-11pm non-REM sleep then they transition into REM, which is necessary for life
• kids 0-6mo should sleep every 2 hours after their last waking (not according to a clock, but their last waking)
• kids 6mo or older should sleep on a schedule according to clock
• first 2 years, babies need at least 11 hours at night (not including naps)
• 12-18 mos. Separation anxiety changes their sleep habits
• play hide-and-seek to help/practice with separation anxiety
• it takes 1-2 weeks for a sleep issues to become a bad/good habit
• The need to suck (non-nutritional like with a pacifier) ends at 6mo. You should take away pacifiers by then or it can become a sleep issue
• Night terrors - babies still asleep even if standing up with eyes open - don't interfere or wake them

Of course, there is so much more than this, but, this is my 3rd time seeing her speak and some of it I don't need to take down anymore. It seems that Noelle thinks that separation anxiety is playing into this and she's not convinced that Ava is actually awake at her 10-11pm protest. It may be night terrors - I'll have to be a better observer to confirm. It is something I never considered before!

The Yak is Coming!

Totally off-topic and a throw-back to my "old life."

OK - if there were keywords for this entry, they would be "philanthropy lover," "ex-corporate worlder," "education-lover," "consumer of books," and "follower of Allison's old philanthropy drum."

Seems my old grassroots literacy group, Room to Read, is growing by leaps and bounds (is it a coincidence that it happened as I left to start a family?). The idea started in Nepal with one vacationing book-lover and a school in need. The yak makes an appearance a few trips later filled on both sides with books coming from all over the world; the result of one plea and one email. John Wood, who started the whole fire by being an interested traveler who penned the email, is coming out with a book. I haven't read it either, but I followed his directions to get a "free" exert and a strike at trying to create a wave of interest from the outside world. John, always aiming high, hopes to create a best-seller. We will help bring the world, right??

Here's the deal straight from my friend John Wood, the founder of the Non-Profit:

"We are hoping to enlist an army of over 5,000 "buzz agents" who will spread the word about the book and book-related events during my 20-city, 3-month tour. There are 500 of you on this mailing list, so we're 10% there! I'm asking for your help in getting the other 4,500 ... ideally by the end of next week!
Here's how it works. I'm asking each of you to email or talk live with 10 friends whom you think might be impressed with Room to Read's mission and who might enjoy hearing more about our story. All they have to agree to do is to receive a FREE electronic copy of Chapter 1, which chronicles my first visit to a rural Nepali school that had 450 students, but less than 20 books. It was here that the vision of Room to Read was born.
To receive a copy, all you, or they, have to do us reply to this email with the words "Chapter 1" in the Subject line. (Or email book@roomtoread.org). We'll then email you and each of your friends Chapter 1, along with a request that they become "buzz agents" themselves.The power to create a best-seller, and to raise millions for Room to Read, is in our hands. It's no longer the major media who turn books into best sellers - it's the average person, and the power of their networks.

Go ahead...get a free copy! It's really a phenominal story when you hear him tell it - and his writing is probably pretty good, too!

One True Media - What a Beautiful Thing!

Create your own video at One True Media

This is amazing! I saw one that one of my fellow twin-mom bloggers did in honor of her husband on Father's Day and had to do one of my own. No special reason, just a test and a tribute to the last 13 months....warning: give yourself about 10 mins to see the whole thing...I got a little carried away.

Parenting Book Club - "The Early Birds" by Jenny Minton

Sometimes I'm stunned (and flattered) to realize that others besides my family and friends read this blog with some interest. I was recently contacted by a media PR publicists who's representing a book. She represents author Jenny Minton who writes of her first years as a new twin mom. And, since her baby boys came early (as they usually do), she's named her book "The Early Birds."

This PR rep sent me a complimentary copy to read and it arrived by UPS today. I'm actually really excited to read it. I'm tempted to put my "regular" book club book (currently "The Time Traveler's Wife") back in the book shelf - especially since I'll be out of town when we meet to discuss it - so I can start earlier on "The Early Birds." What I'll probably end up doing is keeping one at home and the other in the car for when the kids fall asleep in route to "wherever" so I can have something to do while I wait for them to awaken from their slumber.

I'm flattered to be sent a copy and was excited to hear that the author herself would like to chat so that I could better understand it and pass on my opinions and thoughts (not hard to give) of her book. I'm so excited about that opportunity and will keep you all updated when significant thoughts are formed (I know there are a few twin moms who read with regularity). Additionally, if anyone wants to join me in my new book-club-of-one, please do. I'll be happy to collect questions to field to the author as we explore. The book can be purchased here at the Amazon website.

Walk A Mile In Their Shoes and Help Their Child To Walk

Taylor Frederiksen

Old friends sometimes have the funniest way of reappearing. It's always wonderful to reconnect with people who used to be a regular part of your life and see what they've accomplished or how they've grown since the "time before."

While in my mid- to late-20's, I used to spend a lot of time with a group of friends who included Poul Frederiksen (who also used to go by the nickname "T. P." or "Tall Poul"). I had since heard that he'd moved to Sacramento, was getting married and having a baby. I'd also heard that he was moving to Colorado, but didn't really know why or hear much more details than that.

Again through the grapevine, I heard that he was doing a fundraiser of some sorts and got the email chain-letter with the web-link to the site. I was amazed to find out the fundraiser was for his beautiful daughter, Taylor, the one I heard he was expecting, who is three years old now and has a form of Cerebral Palsy (CP). The CP has made it difficult for her to learn to walk and Poul and his wife, Andi, have been working hard and proactively to ensure her eventual success.

Taylor's Peak Climb is the fundraising event Poul and Andi have planned to help Taylor through her proactive, yet expensive, treatment (much of the treatment they have found effective is not covered by health insurance). They have invited people to come, participate, and hike along with them in an effort to participate in their challenges, see life through their eyes and support their hope for their child's mobility. Along with their supporters, they plan to tackle two of the local 14,000' high mountains, Gray's and Torrey's peaks, the following weekend beginning July 14th. Of course, I was personally touched by their story and their willingness to include and inspire people to challenge themselves with them during their climb. With my girls, I could not venture out on such an ambitious hike with them, but of course, sent what money I could. As I told Poul, it's not much, but I hope with other contributions, it will work to create dreams and miracles. If you're equally inspired, perhaps you will also contribute, which you can do here.

Before I met Poul, I used to live in Colorado and challenged some of their famous "14-ers" myself. I know how difficult and unpredictable, but beautiful and rewarding those climbs can be. I've also learned that the mountains of parenthood require much more stamina than Colorado's 14-ers, especially when your child has extra hurdles to negotiate and learn. Kudos to you, Poul and Andi, for tackling them both! We hope that Taylor lives her dreams and is able to hike with you on her own one day. God bless everyone this next weekend who will join you, willing to walk a couple miles with you and live as close as they can to "your shoes."
To read more about Taylor and/or CP, visit the Frederiksen's family website.

13 Months 2 weeks - Little Miss Independences

Ava & Bettina - Serene Lakes' Parade Queens

Well, we spent the last week up at my sister's house in Tahoe. It was a big week for them as Patrick (my brother-in-law) transitioned from being a Donner Summit fireman to Truckee. The merge has been an idea for years and means that Patrick (as well as the others absorbed) will have better benefits and pay. Patrick was elated to learn that he was reassigned to the "main" station in Truckee which means he'll have more "toys" to play with and a larger scale of call types. At Donner Summit, he got a lot of I-80 traffic accidents and ski calls from the 3 nearby ski resorts (Sugar Bowl, Donner, and Soda Springs). Now, he gets a ladder truck, a river rescue truck and boat and a Care Flight helicopter with whom he can work.

There was a grand pinning ceremony to mark the transition and firemen and representative came from miles and miles to attend. There must have been 40-something firetrucks out in the parking lot. Everyone from CDF (California Dept. of Fire), Reno, Truckee, Squaw Valley, Northstar, etc. were there. It was very touching and even Patrick got emotional.

That was followed by a giant celebration and reunion for all who ever worked for Donner Summit Fire before the station was retired and changed to Truckee Fire. Again, firemen both current and of yore gathered at Sugar Bowl Resort for a top-notch bar-b-que with memorabilia and toasts and stories that were told throughout the night.

Saturday was the big Serene Lakes neighborhood parade and the local firemen (Patrick and Dennis) brought up the fire trucks to make the scene all patriotic and complete. And, who but his only nieces, Ava and Bettina got to ride in the truck right up front with him!! They didn't seem to be bothered by the noise, which is actually much muted while inside the cab rather than standing out in front. They donned their most patriotic, star-studded dresses and leaned out the windows to watch all who were watching them. Definitely the queens of the parade.

Daddy came up on the train to visit over the weekend and joined us on the Homeowners' Beach and to do some more hiking. To see a whole mess of photos, click here. We had a lot of fun on our long trip and it gave me the practice of figuring out what to pack for our next long trip - a month up north in Oregon & Washington.

Posting to the blog may be difficult up there. I think most everyone I'm visiting is on dial up - not the easiest and I may just wait and save myself some frustration. We'll see...

Ava and Tina are teething again, I think. They are working on teeth numbers 7 and 8. Funny, they have the same number of teeth and they come in just about the same time. However, they aren't the same teeth. Ava's got more on top and Tina on the bottom! Funny...

13 Months 1 Week - Daddy Day Hike #6 - Rodeo Lagoon

Daddy Day Hike #6 - Rodeo Lagoon Loop Trail

This month, we hiked somewhat familiar terrain as we visited Rodeo Beach and the Lagoon just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Rodeo is a great beach that also allows dogs, so we have visited numerous times before with Hayden in tow. However, we have never hiked the Lagoon Trail, so, on this quasi-foggy day, we ventured out over the Bridge and found our way along the trail.

It was absolutely stunning with wildlife (mostly birds) and many blooming flowers. We ran across an old colleague of mine from my school-teaching days on the beach. She now lives in Santa Fe with her husband and little baby daughter of about 9 months. You can see some of the pictures, including some nice ones of the Golden Gate Bridge on our return trip, by clicking here.

13 Months - Toddler's Paradise!! Habitot

Ground Control to Major Tom!
Ava, Bettina and Dean play "Rocket Scientist"

My friend Tiffany and her son, while flipping through their "Babies By the Bay" book, came up with a great idea to visit this children's "museum" in Berkeley called "Habitot." Especially designed for kids 1 - 4 years (toddlers to pre-schoolers), it is a very popular place - rated 5 out of 5 stars both in "Babies By the Bay" and "The Lila Guide" (both exceptional books and "must-haves" for new-moms looking for outing ideas.

I found it a phenomenal idea and one of those, "Why didn't I think of this,"-type places. Basically, they've created these fantastic and imaginative play spaces where everything is baby-proofed, but also exceptionally inviting to curious and imaginative toddlers. They have a number of different play spaces, each with it's own theme. There's the space shuttle and controller's tower built with every kind of button/lever/joystick imaginable, the stage and face-painting area, a crawling maze, a train table, a grocery store, the art studio with clay, paint and a structure project, a soft-mat crawling place (meant for little ones and pre-walkers), and of course, the water room, filled with ponds, rivers and pumps of water. Even though they provide the kids with laminated art and water aprons, they recommend you bring a change of clothes, just in case. Ava, of course, being the waterbug she is, was drenched and got cold after playing in the water room. We definitely were glad to have the extra clothes for her!

The best thing about this place: The kids can make a mess and YOU DON'T HAVE TO CLEAN IT UP!! :-)

The price is a little hefty: $6 for kids (infants under 1 are free) and adults $5. It will probably be the only time that the adults play for less than the kids! A year membership for the family is $110. Again, a bit pricey, but if you live nearby and you've got a lot of kids, it's probably the golden ticket to sanity! Bonus: you get reciprocity membership with the Discovery Museum (we have yet to visit) in Sausalito.

The photos of our visit are precious! You can see them here.

Family Photo on Father's Day

Just a cute photo for Father's Day. We hadn't done a family group shot since November...

Funny, But Real to Life, Twins Article

I came across this article from the New York Metro, passed from another MOM, and thought it was GREAT!

It was written by two new-ish parents to twins who live in New York. The whole article was waaaayy too long to post the entire thing, but here are a couple excerts to which I personally could relate:

"Living in New York, he [the dad] imagined they’d be the people arriving at rock shows with their kid in a sling. “But there was no way,” he says. “You know, I’d imagined what it would be like to be the president of the United States and to be an astronaut, but somehow it never came on my list to be a father of twins.”

“Oh, it was so beyond anything I’d imagined,” says Alice. “On the one hand, it’s unbelievable joy and it’s everything you wanted and you wanted so badly to have these kids. But I was just remembering those moments where it’s Saturday morning and you’ve each slept about half an hour a couple of times during the night and you’re each holding an upset baby and you say, ‘Can I give you both babies so I can brush my teeth?’ And your husband’s like, ‘No, I’ve been waiting for two hours to make the coffee,’ and you’re like, ‘Well, can I just take my puked-on shirt off?!’ And he’s like, ‘No! I have to pee!’ And you know that there’s, like, fifteen hours ahead of you before bedtime where nobody’s going to get sleep again.”

[Another excert from parents of triplets] "Fortunately, triplets tend to be well behaved. They have no choice. They understand early on that because the babies outnumber the parents, screaming in the crib won’t necessarily bring a response. So their sleeping schedule tends to stabilize quickly. A similar discipline takes hold for eating—if they don’t take whatever food is offered, their siblings surely will and they’ll go hungry. “We don’t have to mess around with ‘Open up for the flying airplane,’ ” says Jean-Marie. “It’s a total assembly line.”

If you're the parent of mulitples or are just trying to gain some insight into the mysterious life it dictates, I suggest you take the 15-minutes and read the whole article. There were a couple of truths that I wouldn't dare admit to parents of non-multiples.

One Year 3 Weeks - Climbing

We have been looking for more activities to do that take us outside the house as Paul officially broken ground in our basement. The pick-axe hit the concrete this last weekend and we've already filled up one concrete debris box. So, the kids, dog and I met up with friend Tiffany and her son Dean at the Lafayette Reservoir.

The girls go often to the Reservoir tot lot as their nanny, Rocio, usually takes them there when she comes twice a week. Rocio has told me how much they like the slide, so I decided to watch them. Just after Tina's feet hit the ground, she let out a giant grin and proceeded to toddle over to the play structure again and, to my amazement, started climbing the structure all the way to the top where she waited for me to help her slide down. She did this numerous times until I finally videoed so that Daddy could see this passion and talent himself.

Since then, I've found her at home standing on top of boxes and attempting to climb the crib and file cabinet. She's rather enjoying her new-found talent.

Ava tries to mimic, but isn't yet willing to get on her knees and doesn't yet trust her balance with such a large step. She enjoys sliding, especially on her stomach when she can slide unaided.

Email Fun - The Crying/Manipulation Game

I'm sure many of you, especially if you have kids, have seen this one come across their email accounts....


If not, consider it insight of what may come, should you be looking forward to the pidder-patter of little feet sometime in your future.

This family has the right idea... take it with a grain of salt and a little bit of humor. It will make a great showcase as your little one is getting ready for their Prom date!

One Year 2 Weeks - Here We Go Around the Mulberry Bush

Well, Ava decided this weekend that she really didn't need to hold onto a finger to get herself around. She's running around like gangbusters and chasing Tina around the house. The two of them get a big kick out of seeing each other walk. Most of their playtime is spend following each other around the house like a parade - one with the MP3 player changing the music at whim. They giggle at each other as they sneak around the corner circling "the Mulberry Bush" that they imagine stands in our house. (Pay close attention to little Ava's shoulders and hips - she love to invent new dance steps!)

I swear, if you have toddlers, you have to look into getting one of these MP3 Players. My kids love it some much they fight over theirs. I've even beginning to think that for the first time I may need to get another one just to keep the peace.

The other exciting thing that happened just today: Bettina's god-father, Scott, welcomed with his wife their new daughter Victoria Charlotte. Mom and baby are doing fine after a tough birth. I got the call while the girls and I were in the library. And, what calls more attention to oneself than to have a cell phone ring in the library? The stream of tears that comes with the good news. Just like my last entry, my emotions are a mess - gesh!

Cha-Cha-Changes!

There is something about motherhood that changes you. I don't just mean in an "I'm more mature" kind of way. I am convinced that pregnancy and childbirth chemically change your body. My body doesn't look the same. Even though I'm the same size, my clothes don't fit the same way, I don't react the same way to similar situations any more; even my courses (sorry to be crass) don't happen the same way. I have completely changed. It's like the little aliens while moving around in my body re-programmed me and I will never be the same again. I need to figure out who I am all over again and get reacquainted.

Just an everyday example...

Since Devil's Slide took out Highway 1 just south of Pacifica, I have to drive down the 280 to the 92 and go through Half Moon Bay to get to the barn. Not a big deal - it just adds about 20 minutes, assuming I'm not hitting commute traffic when everyone from the Coastside merges onto the simple country one-laner for the 13 miles to the ocean. So, my view is a bit different taking the inland detour.

I noticed today, for example, a group of cyclists on the frontage road by San Bruno. "A pretty big club," I thought to myself as I continued down the freeway. I was surprised just how big... 3 miles down the road there was another group coming onto the freeway for a short distance. I then noticed the police escorts on the side of the road helping to deflect the traffic from them. "This must be a local charity ride," I thought. "Perhaps they're riding to San Jose." A sign on a chase/support van next to me on the freeway told me they were doing an AIDS LifeCycle ride. When I saw them at the north end of Crystal Springs, I thought they'd go under the freeway and head inland for the Camino Real and down to San Jose. However, at the 92 junction, they were snaking their way right instead of left. "They're going to Santa Cruz!" I thought. Winding my way up the narrow country road with them, I started thinking about them and wondering about their individual stories. Being that close, you can make out more details of them, see their muscles, some clearly trained for cycling and others just look like weekend warriors. Some of them rode in groups with jerseys all alike, clearly a team within a team. Others treated the ride with more humor and added tutus to their bike shorts or tiger masks to their helmets, reminding me of the Bay to Breakers crowd ("So San Francisco," I mused).

Along the climb up the mountain, small groups of people had pulled over to clap and cheer in support of the athletes. Some with boas on the head or sporting signs. One of the signs indicates that the group is cycling for Los Angeles. "That's impressive," I think. "It will take them a week to get there." I have been following this parade of sorts for about 20 miles now and have been amused, slightly intrigued, and, yes, impressed. I come up to another sign held up by a woman festively decorated and sitting in the bed of her pickup: "I was sick and you visited me - thanks for the support."........ I burst into tears! What happened?! I was just really enjoying myself - the beautiful weather, the curiosities along the road, the reward of seeing my horse... now I've been thrown into a mess of tears by a sentimental Hallmark-esque sign.

I was discussing this with my friend Deborah just yesterday. There was something on TV (neither of us could remember what) and the story line involved an unexpected event - like a fire or earthquake or something - and a small child was trapped inside. Deborah and I (although we were watching it separately) had the exact same reaction: unbridled panic. It was bad TV, obviously fake, but we couldn't help having physiological reactions to it. I happened to be watching it with my husband. I literally stood up, said "Get the baby!" aloud with tears in my eyes, and paced the floor for the 15 seconds as the drama unfolded. My husband, clearly confused by my actions, states the obvious: "It's only a movie. It's fake!" Of course, I know this. It unfortunately can't change my now natural and physical reaction.

I guess I didn't realize that in birthing my babies, I'd be rebirthing myself as well. Whether I like it or not, it seems, this additionally emotional and protective person is now me. I'm not sure how it happened, but it seems (thankfully) that I'm not the only mom that's found herself changed. I guess it's time to come to terms with it. So, I'll "turn and face the strange" and learn how to with these post-pregnancy cha-cha-changes!!

Daddy Day Hike #5 - Angel Island

Daddy Day Hike #5 - Angel Island

For Memorial Day Weekend, we chose a very memorial hike among the ghosts of long-ago troops. One of the centerpieces of the San Francisco Bay, once an army fort, a missile base and an immigration detention center, Angel Island, dubbed "The Jewel of the Bay," is one of the more beautiful places to capture a full 360 degree view of the area. As natives, it's rare that we fight the tourist mayhem down at Fishermen's Wharf or Tiburon to catch a ferry out to the old island. So, it had been many years (13 for me and more for Paul) since either of us visited. Grandma, who very much liked the idea of going to Angel Island (it had been 5 1/2 years since her last visit) joined us this time. Fortunately for her, we only had 2 packbacks and 2 kids to carry. She got to enjoy the hike without carrying anything but her camera and water.

We took the 11:30 ferry from Pier 41 and arrived after first stopping by Alcatraz and Tiburon for additional passengers. The Ayala Cove was lively with many picnickers, many with older kidlets who ran straight for the beach with their sand toys. After a short picnic, we started our hike around the 5-mile Perimeter Road. We paused to take in many sites and did take in a lot of photos. We were a bit late coming back and we missed the targeted 3pm return ferry, but caught the next one an hour and a half later. By then, the girls were incredibly tired and, thankfully, there were people with a sense of humor sitting next to us. As Tina literally threw herself on the ground in a sleep-deprived temper-tantrum, I'm sure everyone was glad they weren't on the red-eye to the East Coast! Beside that, it was an excellent day!

For all the pictures of our picturesque hike, click here.

One Year - Stats and Habits

"A Day in the Life of a 12-Month Old"

The above video was taken yesterday morning just before their nap and is pretty much how we spend our time. They wake up anytime between 6:15 and 6:30 (but I let them stay in bed playing until about 6:45). We eat breakfast at 7am after getting dressed and then play until 8:30 when we start getting cranky. Naptime! When they wake up from their morning nap (right around 10am), we try to get out of the house and do something. This day, we went to the Ferry Building to watch seagull and pigeons and meet up with friend Mary for lunch (pictures here). After eating parts of a roast beef sandwich, running after pigeons, watching ferries come in and out, and eating a few bites of gelatto (Mary's treat), it's back home for another nap (2pm). Then, after about an hour - sometimes 2, it's walking around the neighborhood (today to get a key cut) and going on a "flower hunt" where we visit, smell and learn about all the flowers' names around our house. You'd be surprised how many varieties there actually are in a 3-block radius in the middle of the City! Dinner's at 5:00 followed by their bath. By 6pm, they're playing with toys again in their sleep clothes waiting for Dad to come home. They are usually back in bed by 7pm.

Stats: (based on the Doctor's office visit, which Paul thinks is completely wrong!)
Ava: Ava is 29 inches tall and 19.5 pounds which puts her in the 50% for height and the 25% for weight.

Bettina: is 29 1/2 inches tall and 20 pounds which puts her in the 75% for height and the 25% in weight. Neither Paul nor Nonna are convinced there is only half-pound between the two girls. "It has to be at least a pound and a half," they theorize (their own experiment with the in-house scale doesn't do them any favors to disprove the doctor!).

Favorites: For toys, anything that has wheels and that can be pushed around like their ride-on car and push-toy. Tina has just started getting on her ride-on car all by herself. She doesn't push it yet with her feet; she just waits for Ava to push it for her. Tina has started to try to get on her rocking horse by herself which makes Mommy very nervous. It's much taller than her car and she could hit her head very easily.

Ava loves music and carries her new MP3 player around with her. They both LOVE the cell phones that Aunt Kathy and Cousin Holly sent for their birthday.

Somedays, they will be very assertive about their independence. Tina will refuse to eat off the spoon; she'd like to feed herself instead. Ava doesn't want Mommy to carry her; she'd rather toddle around herself. In the same breath, I've discovered that their stranger and separation anxiety has reared it's head again. So, it seems that, even though they're longing for independence, it's still so new, that Mommy needs to stick around in case they get a pang of fright.

With food, we've stopped buying the formula and are with cow's milk now. I'm not sure if it's my imgination, but it seems that they spill more if it in bed, so I'm thinking about going back to a slower nipple - a 3 or 2 - to see if that makes a difference. Another adjustment: I didn't realize how much milk we'd go through. Definatley need the Costco sizes of whole milk for the kids, and lots of it! We go through a gallon every day and a half.

One Year Old!! - The Party

The Family on the girls' first birthday (with lots of icing!!)

Well, we finally made it! The girls are now one-year old. Now we can officially give them whatever we want to eat (minus honey and peanut butter), including real cows milk. Gone are the days of buying formula at Costco(at least for now) and really short are they days their carseats face backwards (Ava still has another pound to gain).

The party was lots of fun with 24 little kidlets (only 4 of them over the age of 4). We had a jump house in the front of the house and a kiddie corral in the back where parents could watch them well. We also had the water table, a present from their Aunt Ainsley and Uncle Patrick, out and the girls with their cousin Antonio just couldn't leave it alone.

Everyone's favorite part of watching the girls' first taste of real sugar and icing proved hard to forget. Here's a video clip post birthday-song and deep into the icing enjoyment:


Video Hosting - Upload Video - Video Sharing
There are also lots of pictures of the fun. You can find them here.

I had to start my day at 6am and just barely made it ready by 11:30 am after going to Costco and Walgreens and handing off the Safeway trip to my brother-in-law. But, after 18 balloons, 3 cakes (Safeway gives one free round cake to each kid celebrating their first birthday), tons of drinks, sandwich setups and 2 different salads, I felt ready enough to greet the first guests. I couldn't believe that it took as long as it did. I never would have been able to be ready if it weren't for the help from my mother, sister and her husband (a million thanks, guys!).

I'm really glad that I made in advance a couple of mementos: little hand-painted ceramic plates for each of them to use every year on their birthday as well as a framed "official" birthday photo where each of the guests had an opportunity to sign their name and a short greeting onto the matte. We had also stamped their feet with water-based ink on the matte before people signed to make it that much more memorable. I actually forgot to lay the matte out until near the end, so I'm going to try to chase everyone down so that it is complete. I would recommend these little touches; I think we will really appreciate them later down the line.

11 Months 3 Weeks - Our First Mother's Day

Mother's Day

Saturday, the day before Mother's Day, was the local radio station, KFOG's, annual "KABOOM" (aka SkyConcert) free concert and fireworks show. They take over an entire Pier near the Bay Bridge and literally tens of thousands of people congregate for the festivities. The Dodgers were also in town, playing the Giants just a quarter-mile down the road. As I came over the bridge back from and East Bay visit and noticed all the commotion (i.e. traffic), I was reminded of what I was doing just one-year ago. Actually, it was one-year and a week - KFOG must have hosted this year's party a week earlier than last year.

Last year, I was sitting in the same traffic which was compounded by 2 factors: 1) we didn't have a FastTrak pass which helps speed you through the toll plaza and 2) the traffic was worse as the Giants were playing the A's. So, half of the East Bay was trying to get over the bridge to go to either event.

I, on the other hand, had no interest in attending either event. I'm a Giants fan and love the KABOOM concerts, but I was in labor and trying desparately to get to the hospital to have my babies! Last year was a Mothers-To-Be Day (see my blog posting here).... This year got to be our first "real" Mother's Day!!

Our first Mother's Day was spend, naturally, with both our mothers and Paul's sisters, who are also mothers in celebration. We traveled down to a great park in Palo Alto called Mitchell Park. The park includes shuffleboard courts, checkerboard/chess tables, seven tennis courts, two paddle tennis courts, four handball courts, jogging trails, picnic areas with barbecues, multi-use concrete bowl, toddler playgrounds, children's water park, large dog run and restrooms (the restroom by the toddler water park has toddler-sized toilets and sinks - great for kids; a real challenge for their accompaning adults!). Since you need to reserve the picnic tables in advance, we made a giant layout on blankets and tablecloths on the grass under a huge tree, which actually gave us more shade than under the reservation-only arbor and tables. The kids had a great time running between the water park and the sand box (bad combination!), challenged Paul to a water-balloon duel, and played with grandparents and toys under the shade of the tree. Enjoy our pictures here.

God Bless America (or Eat Your Vegetables)!

It all came together for me while sitting in a circle at a newly-formed book club that the local chapter of my college sorority organized. I'd always wanted to join a book club and, since this one allowed me to meet new people of a variety of ages and agreed to meet after my children went to sleep, I hunkered down and ordered the book 4 weeks in advance (and hoped I'd find the time to read between naps, etc.).

The book was "The Handmaid's Tale," one I'd read in college, but enjoyed enough for a re-read. Start the sorority book club off with a book on women's issues! The group was mostly younger women - women about 2-5 years out of school and maybe another one out perhaps a year or two later. I was, however, the oldest of the group, which didn't bother me much at all. I'm sort of used to it with all the volunteer work I do for the local collegiate chapter at UC Berkeley. It was among this group of young women and their irate comments about how dare this society act the way it does that I realized that I, too, had the same reaction when I read the novel some 15 years ago. And, after remembering that, I also realize that my way of thinking within that 15 years has deepened and matured to understand beyond the demand for "rights." With rights, comes responsibilities.

Moira is the only character that many of the women in this book club conversation could relate to. She's the extreme feminist that fights the system as much as she can, with very limited success, I might add. She is constantly demanding rights but never stands up to claim her responsibilities. People try to help her escape, and disappear or are killed in doing so. They help her because they feel a responsibility to do so. I never found it strange that Moira could not relate to her faceless helpers; it just proved my point that she didn't care to take on the responsibilities - she just wanted the rights.

Environmental issues, abortion and dating (the main topics of the book) have a much different meaning after you're established in a family or after you are no longer concerned that you'll "never meet the right guy." You always know the "right thing," but having those roots and allows you to clear up your moral vision and understand why those rights also require added responsibilities just too burdensome for a single, non-married person. Perhaps as we "grow up," we take our responsibilities more seriously and appreciate our rights a little bit more. As I make this point, a completely different tack than they'd read, in the small circle of women, I also see the parallel with immigration.

How is it that someone can demand rights without owning their fair part of responsibility? It's like a child who demands to have their chocolate-covered brownie before they eat their vegetables. My view is that people never grow up and accept their responsibilities if they are just given all their rights and bonuses up-front. Are illegal immigrants valuable people who provide valuable services? Absolutely, yes! However, unless we want a bunch of temper-tantrum children with chocolate-sauce smeared across their faces, they need to step up to the plate, take some responsible measures to become documented, learn English, and eat their vegetables! (just my 2-cents!)

The Girls Discover Water Tables

Splashing Summer Fun

While visiting friends with older kids, the girls discovered water tables. They had so much fun, they were soaking wet before I could notice. So, they stayed in their wet dresses and continued until it was time to strip them down for the car ride home.

My sister called later that night and asked what to get them for their birthday. My response? Yeah, that's right...a water table. I found another twin mom who's ready to part with theirs and can pick it up for a song. We will have it set up, of course, for the girls' birthday party for other kids to discover. We will have to warn parents, though, to bring an extra set of clothes, or wiser yet, a swim suit.

Daddy Day Hike #4

Daddy Day Hike #4 - Bear Gulch in Woodside

Today was the long-awaited "make-up" day for April's Daddy Day Hike. This month, we traveled down to Woodside to hike the Bear Gulch Trail in Wunderlich park. As always, we followed the directions for the coveted "Best Hikes in San Francisco Bay" book which the girls gave Paul for Christmas. However, somehow, we took a wrong turn and didn't quite follow the correct trail. So, instead of the 2 mile hike we intended, we ended up taking one about 6 miles. The only downside was a bit of diaper rash as the girls sat longer than we expected. They hardly noticed, of course!

It was a nice hike anyhow, with groves of redwoods, grottos of sword-ferns and large carpets of forget-me-not flowers. Thickets of madrones and chapparrel sometimes part to amazing views of the and you can view South Bay. You can view our pictures here.

11 Months 2 Weeks - Little Land-Sharks

When I was in college, one of my summer jobs was teaching swimming lessons at Sherman Swim School. One of the activities we'd do with the children to bridge the gap of concept to practice of swimming was to hold the child 3-7 feet away from the wall and, after practicing blowing bubbles and putting their face in the water, encourage them to swim to the wall. The kids were never sure they were ready, but, after realizing they could, they'd want to do it again and again.

This week, I felt like I was teaching those same lessons on land. The "lessons" paid off; both girls outdid their first steps and have officially graduated into walking. The little land-sharks didn't realize they were ready and didn't think they could do it on their own, but, when left balanced in the middle of the room, each of them walks with ease the 1-3 yards to me or the coffee table. It was fun to send them to Daddy at work. Boy, did he have a lot to say when he came home from work. Proud dad wanted show off and to go right away next door to show Nonno and Nonna (who were equally impressed!). Here are a couple video-links to witness first-hand(just hit the play arrow to start the video stream): Ava:
and Bettina:
The girls want to walk all over the place now, however, most of the time they insist that I stoop over so they have a finger to hold. I hope this phase passes quickly as it's killing my back!! In an effort to expedite, we practice our independent walking daily and their confidence is growing. Perhaps by their birthday party, they'll be toddling along, no longer on their knees (although Ava still refuses to crawl). The last video is of the girls enjoying another great toy I found at the last San Francisco MOM sale (biannual fundraising event for the club). Ava, who likes speed, prefers to push while her sister giggles and enjoys the ride.
This whole change has effected our usual play-date structure. I have typically gone walking in the stroller for a few miles to give the girls some air for their activity. However, we now need to find little places where they can get out and walk as just watching the world go by isn't good enough anymore. So, we are exploring the neighborhood and noting places that are safe and interesting for the kidlets on the move. So far, we've found that the little park next to AT&T Ball Park, along the Mission Bay Creek, is very nice.

Enjoying the sunshine at Mission Bay Creek park with Hayden the dog
The girls like to run along the terraces and tumble in the well-maintained grass. Since it's on the water, the breeze is really great on warmer days. Farley's Coffee shop is still a hit. They enjoy running along the bay window and watching the activity on the street (they love the dogs) when we're able to get a booth seat.

Favorite Spot at Farley's: the booth at the bay window

11 Months 1 Week - More Easter Photos

Cute as a bunny!

Here are some cute pictures we took of the girls after Easter, but pretending it still was. The two girls took turns wearing the Easter Bunny outfit and the cute Easter baskets were from my mom's friend Inga. Click here for more photos; Definately worth looking at.