Boo!

In all my years on earth combined, I don't think I have uttered the word "boo" as many times as I have said it in the last twelve months. Adeline, whose name is usually shortened to Addy, is also referred to as Addy-boo. I think Nani first called her Addy-boo. In fact, we call her that so often, that she just may write that on her schoolwork and introduce herself as Addy-boo for most of her life. Occasionally, Asher acquires the "boo" at the end of his name too: Asher-boo. Combined with the number of times we play peek-a-boo daily and the number of times someone falls over and gets a boo-boo, we have a very high number of "boos" in the past year. And even though I consider myself a Halloween enthusiast, uttering "boo" many times near the end of my 33 Octobers, I am certain those two "o"s following the "b" haven't left my lips more than they have this past year.

Last Halloween, we didn't dress up our little peas; they were just barely fitting into real clothes. This year, however, we will celebrate. When deciding what we wanted to dress the babies up as, there were a few requirements to meet. #1 Find a good seamstress. #2 No face coverings/masks. #3 Make sure the babies can still walk and/or crawl in their costumes. #4 They should somehow coordinate or match. Lucky for us, Grandma is an incredible seamstress, so it was a no-brainer to ask her to create costumes for Addy and Asher. Thanks to Grandma for obliging and making them. Therefore, #1? Check. And because we found ourselves such a great costume maker, #2 and #3 were soon taken care of as well. To complete #4, I pondered for quite sometime the possibilities that we could create. One of the top choices was Raggedy Ann and Andy. It would have been cute, but what to do about the hair? Mickey and Minnie? Donald and Daisy? Jack and Jill would have been pretty apropos. After much deliberation, it became clear that nothing could be more appropriate than sweet peas. I found a few designs online and sent them off to Grandma for her final touches and personal expertise. And, upon receiving the costumes on our trip to Maryland, my expectations were far exceeded. They are stinkin' cute! Unfortunately, we won't be able to parade the babies around too much this year, due to early bedtimes and the fact that they don't eat candy quite yet. But, we'll be sure to show them off a bit. You can have a peek too:

Ready for candy (as soon as we learn to say "trick-or-treat"):


Visiting Nani:


As promised in last week's post, here is a peek at what our jack-o-lantern looks like this year. As it turned out, I had very limited time to carve the pumpkin. After gutting it, I left myself with only about ten minutes to decide on the design and carve it into my design. I wanted to do a more intricate carving job, but what I ended up with will be fine for this year. I made Asher and Addy! Asher has a bigger head and more teeth (he has eight at this point). Addy has eyelashes and only two teeth. It will serve its purpose just fine, but I did not meet my expectations. I guess I could never capture the true essence of their cuteness on a pumpkin anyway.



As October comes to a close (don't forget to turn the clocks back tonight) I remember so well where we were one year ago; new, uncertain parents of twins so grateful for such a happy ending to the difficult pregnancy. This coming holiday season is sure to be different for us than it was last year, when we were, for the most part, confined to the house. RSV is not as big of a concern this year, although I guess swine flu has taken the place of that worry. In any case, we hope to begin our family holiday traditions and spend more time with friends and extended family. We will be cautious with the germs, but I look forward to more celebration. On this sunny Halloween weekend, we say goodbye to October and welcome in November. Boo! I don't mean to scare you, but Christmas is a mere 55 days away...

Feather Duster

Today, on this pleasant fall afternoon, our family experienced our first professional portrait session at Yuen Lui. The kiddos have hit the one year milestone, so I felt compelled to make an appointment at the studio. Growing up, Mom made it a priority to have annual professional photographs taken of her two darling daughters. :) It was a tradition for us, so to speak. The chosen pose each year was hung up next to the previous year's image in our long hallway as a visual representation of our growth. It was fun to look at the progression of portraits, to see our personalities emerging and how we changed from year to year. My favorite photo included me sporting my soccer uniform and Sissy clad in her dance outfit; a fairly accurate summary of the two of us. Of course, the hairstyles were fun to giggle over, as were the missing teeth. In any case, today we began the tradition for Addy and Asher. In addition to the multitude of images taken of the babies, we got a few of the family foursome as well, and let me tell you how hard it was to get all four of us looking sharp in the same snapshot. I recruited Sissy to come to the studio with us because she has an uncanny ability to make the kids smile, particularly Addy. Sometimes Asher looks at her as if she's a nut. In addition to having Sissy there to evoke smiles from the kids, the photographer used a feather duster to tickle them, and she was able to conjure a few smiles from them on her own. Unfortunately, Asher has another cold, so he was "wearing his crabby pants" as we say. He was up for two hours last night with a fever and unable to sleep, so he kept his smiles to himself for most of the session. With that said, we were lucky to get his limited number of smiles captured.

In this day and age, with digital photography, we were able to view the portraits within about 20 minutes, right at the studio. The studio also posted them online for us to peruse at our leisure and make our choices for prints. Overall, the experience was very enjoyable and I look forward to doing it again next year around this time. Of course, we're hoping that our favorite photographer, Ali, will be willing to step in and do another photo session this spring. If you recall, she took some amazing photos of the babies when they were around six months old. I particularly liked the candid pictures, which, I think, are often able capture personalities more accurately than the posed shots.

As for the babies' amateur photographer, a.k.a. Mom, I was at it again this past week. Addy and Asher received jack-o-lantern shirts from their great aunt Jane, and have enjoyed wearing them this week.







Tomorrow, we plan to head to the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin or two. Nick and I had started the tradition a few years back and knew, even then, that it was something we wanted to continue with our family someday. And although we missed last year, we are still hoping to make it an annual event. At the farm, there is an enormous pumpkin patch abounding with a variety of gourds, a tractor pulled hayride, a little store where they sell homemade treats, a giant pumpkin catapult, a concession stand with chili, baked potatoes, hot chocolate, cookies and more, and animals for the kids to see and pet. It is quite an experience! Hopefully, the rain will hold off until we arrive back home, with our perfect-for-carving pumpkin. Maybe next week I'll post an image of how the jack-o-lantern turns out.

On the Bay

We almost became residents of Maryland, where the Oriole and the Black-Eyed Susan are the state bird and flower, respectively. This near change of residence was not because we want to leave Seattle, not because Nick got a new job in Maryland, and not because Addy is a budding lacrosse player and needs to be on the east coast for training. Not even because Asher has applied early decision to Harvard. Nope. This past week we were in Maryland, visiting Nick's family. We flew to the "Old Line State" on Thursday, and DID NOT enjoy the flight; not even a little bit. We had barely reached our flying altitude after take-off, when the babies became very fussy and squirmy, when I wondered if we'd ever land. It was an exhausting flight trying to wrestle and contain them in our arms for nearly five hours. I was already dreading the flight home. In fact, stepping off of the plane I thought we might have to move to Maryland, because I didn't think I could handle another five plus hour flight across the country.

However, in the days to follow, Nick and I thought up some tricks to hopefully make the return flight better. For both flights, we had bought the row of three seats for the family of four. However, on the way home we also brought a car seat with us for the third seat. This allowed us to strap in one baby at a time, giving either Mom or Dad a break for a bit, or so we thought. Despite our good intentions and seemingly brilliant strategy, the flight back was even more difficult than the initial flight. Both kids screamed for the first one and a half hours straight. Truly. Loudly. Sitting in the very last row of the plane, I am sure that the first class patrons were complaining to their flight attendants. The next three hours they screamed off and on, when not eating finger foods or listening to Mom sing show tunes and nursery rhymes, and anything she could turn into a song. The last hour God blessed us with a little solace- probably so that we would think twice about leaving the babies on the luggage carousel in baggage claim. Asher slept for the last hour of the flight and Addy fell asleep for the last five minutes. Let's just say we won't be flying across the country for a long time...

While in Maryland, aside from disrupted sleeping schedules, we had a marvelous time. We visited with friends and family, and toured Uncle's Tim's new residence- the University of Maryland. We had a belated birthday party for the twins one evening, and Addy and Asher met their one and only great grandmother. The babies enjoyed lots of quality time with Grandma and Grandpa, whom they adore and who made their house as baby friendly as they could. They baby-proofed, bought lots of food and toys, borrowed pack-in-plays for Addy and Asher to sleep in, bought diapers, wipes, etc. They truly went out of their way to make the visit as easy as possible for us. And all four of us were very appreciative. As you can tell in the photos I took, they appear quite content with their east coast family.

With Aunt Katie:


At Uncle Tim's University of Maryland campus:


Asher playing the piano with Grandpa:


Addy's new hairdo:


Ready for Sunday brunch:



Although sandwiched between ten of the most trying, exhausting hours we have experienced in a long time, our trip to Maryland was lovely. It was a joy to introduce Addy and Asher to some of their family they had not met yet, and of course to bond with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Katie, and Uncle Tim. With that said, the kids may be reading and doing their multiplication tables before the four of us decide to board an airplane for a cross country flight again. We're lucky that we have so much to come home to in Seattle, or I might have soon found myself eating Maryland blue crab on the Chesapeake Bay.

Quite a Year

It is so hard to believe. A year ago today, I delivered Adeline Cate and Asher John, on a sunny October morning seven weeks early. It was an incredible, miraculous day- the culmination of eight weeks in the hospital and a very tedious pregnancy. A pregnancy filled with lots of anxiety, fear, and prayers, but lots of joy too. And on that day, twelve months ago, I was all business. It was time to meet our babies! Admittedly, there was a little anxiety, but after such a worrisome pregnancy I wasn't too concerned about actually delivering them. After much ado, our prayers were answered and both kids were born healthy, with Addy beating her brother into the world by 20 minutes. They spent just a short amount of time in the NICU, and soon enough we had them both home with us, and our family was all together.

Since the day we brought Addy home and completed the foursome, the days have flown by. I can't believe it has been an entire year. As I write this post, I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes. I don't want the babies to grow up so fast. We will never get this time back, and I have loved every minute of sleepless nights, dirty diapers, nursing, changing, etc. I am so grateful that I have been able to stay at home with Addy and Asher this past year. Although I never anticipated being a "stay at home mom," it has been the best time of my life. I admit that often I desire stimulating conversation with adults, and I miss the reward of diagnosing congenital heart disease, as well as my patients. But, to be home raising our babies has been very rewarding as well. If I had anything to say about it, I'd freeze time and we'd stay at this stage for a while longer; postponing childhood for a bit. And yet, I know that is impossible. It is inevitable that they will grow up. And to tell you the truth, the babies are getting more and more fun as they grow. We have entered the walking stage, and watching their little bodies toddle around the house brings me joy with each and every step. They are learning so much, new skills and words are emerging every day. I know that preschool is on the horizon and kindergarten soon after. But for now, I will live in the moment and revel in the time I have each day with our one year old twins.

Today we celebrated the twins birthday with a low-key, cupcake party. With only a few guests, but enough to crowd our little house, we enjoyed watching the babies try their first bites of cake and open their first birthday gifts. Lots of photos were snapped, laughs had by all, and nary a tear shed. Of course pictures were snapped at every opportunity. Here are a few at cake time:







As the kids are down for their naps this afternoon, I have this time for reflection. Not only have we had quite a year, but as always, we have quite a family and wonderful, caring friends. We may never have gotten through this past year without all of the support and love, of which we are grateful for every day. And although they are working on it but can't quite get the words out, Addy and Asher are thankful too. From their hearts and ours, thanks to all of you for the past twelve months. It has been quite a year! We love you!

Eggshells

I have been walking very tenderly this week; on eggshells. Knocking on wood, crossing my fingers, and saying my prayers. I just didn't want to jinx it. Last Saturday night (after my last post stating that we seemed to be getting over the illnesses) Asher woke up vomiting and with a fever. For the next few days he was ill with, most likely, the virus that Addy had the week before. Luckily, he didn't seem to be affected as viciously as she was. And happily, by mid-week both kids appeared to be fever free and feeling better. I thought that we were finished with our recent stretch of illnesses for the time being. Unfortunately, Friday Asher awoke with another fever and feeling crummy. Apparently, he is fighting off yet another cold. My goodness! How many colds can one little body have in the course of six weeks? Many, apparently. Let's pray this one passes soon and that Addy is spared. It would be nice to be healthy for a while. And as we head into October, this is especially important.

This next month is going to be a whirlwind for the family. We'll be enjoying a ton of entertaining activities and events, most significantly the twins first birthday! We will also be taking them on their first flight; across the country. It is going to be a very busy, memorable month, with lots of good stories for the blog I'm sure. The first event is this evening- Nani's birthday extravaganza at our house. I am cooking a menagerie of soups, which we will devour among the great company. The celebration will prove fun for all, as all family events truly are. It will be fun for everyone to see what a big walker Asher is now. Due to the kids' illnesses, we haven't been socializing much lately, so only a few lucky people have seen him in his walking glory.

Here is the little guy walking around the house, proud of himself. He almost looks like he's dancing.



Addy appears to be a little more interested in taking her first steps too. She definitely stands unassisted more often and is getting more stable on her feet when we walk holding her fingertips. However, instead of focusing on her walking skills, Addy spends a lot of her time "talking." She babbles to her stuffed animals, or anything with two eyes and a mouth. She loves to "read" her books too. She meticulously studies the illustrations and babbles as if she's reading the story. And although she isn't saying too many words found in the dictionary, in addition to Mama and Dada, she has come up with another word...up. She'll crawl over to me and climb up to my knees. Then, she'll hold her little arms up in the air and say "up" for me to lift her into my arms. I love it! She has also begun to point to things when prompted, such as my nose. Then yesterday Bubbie asked her where the kitty was (on a diaper box) and she pointed right to it. Following that brilliant move, she pointed to the baby when prompted as well! My daughter is brilliant- isn't it funny she looks just like her Mama AND she is has her mother's intellect too! :)



As I conclude this week's post, the babies are sleeping upstairs. It would be nice if they had a good nap this afternoon, but I'll take what I can get- usually anything more than 30 minutes is bonus. It is at nap time everyday that I try to get multiple things accomplished around the house, usually walking on eggshells as not to disturb their naps. With a knock on wood, I will go upstairs to finish my preps for the party, hoping the babies will sleep a bit longer. I will cross my fingers and pray that the soup is delicious, Nani feels loved and celebrated at her party, and Asher and Addy feel well enough to enjoy the evening and their wonderful family.