This year we went back to the beginning and ordered pizza and watched Lost to commemorate Loen’s homecoming. Though we most definitely didn’t do that with the twins awake because there would be no eating or watching of the tv if they had their way. It would play out where they would climb all over us, climb on the coffee table, request to watch “veggies”, etc. So we put them to bed and celebrated the peacefulness!

For their due date we weren’t terribly prepared and I never got to Crushcakes to pick up cupcakes. The twins had some friends over and were having too much fun playing to make a pitstop, even if it did involve their favorite carb. So we gave them their prize instead, new metal harmonicas like the daddy’s. Loud times to be had by all. While Derby LOVES the harmonica he refuses to have his picture taken with one. Go figure.

The next day we were downtown and right by the bakery so we picked up some cupcakes for after lunch. Last year Derby didn’t eat a cupcake and Loen was tentative with her first bites. This year there was no hesitation when it came to inhaling a chocolate cupcake.

They are best buddies. I love to hear all of the laughs and giggles as they chase each other around the house. Keeping each other up by talking instead of napping. I found them playing peek-a-boo in the bouncer and trying to kiss each other through the mesh sides. They were laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world. Of course 2 minutes later there was hair pulling and screaming over a drumstick. That’s life when you’re two.

]]> http://thetadpoles.com/2010/02/14/due-date-celebration-take-2/feed/ 0 http://thetadpoles.com/2009/12/03/seasons-changing/ http://thetadpoles.com/2009/12/03/seasons-changing/#comments Fri, 04 Dec 2009 05:58:31 +0000 Hava http://thetadpoles.com/?p=1162 Like the title? I figured it was appropriate because a season is going to go by before I get the twins birthday weekend up. Lets get this going!

I went to check on my sleeping babies the other night and realized that they aren’t….babies. They are (gasp) kids. They are getting lanky, stinky and they say the word ‘no’ more often than I would like. I am totally, unbelievably in love with those two, which is why they drive me so crazy at times.

I took them to the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum for the first (and possibly last) time. I was excited to share an experience with them that I had taken the boys on many times. I dont remember the boys taking off in all directions and yelling. Then laughing at the fact their voices echoed loudly throughout the aviary hall. Ah culture and twins.. what was I thinking? Derby wanted to look at ducks while Loen wanted to see the baby barn owls. Guess what, they were in separate areas of course.

• Loen: Weighs in at 22 pounds and is 32″ long. She is in her sponge stage where everything you say she will repeat. She watches us intently and I will find her mimicking our moves. Both of the twins love a drum line called Boomchaka. Fauxbro John is a member and we have gone a few times to see them perform (they are also socially conscious as all donations go to the SB Unity Shoppe). It is so funny to watch them dancing, clapping and yelling. They both say “Boom caca”. Derby will break out into this Shaka Zulu dance of joy when they start getting loud. Yesterday Loen had two wooden knives from her play kitchen and I was watching her do what I thought was a ninja attack move. Then I realized she was imitating the drummers moves. I tried to get the camera in time but she caught on to me. Loen loves to boss ‘help’ her brother and gets annoyed when he doesn’t want the help forced upon him. She is still my super girly girl. She loves tea parties, dolls and pink. I try to show her other outfits but in the end I realize I have to choose my battles. If she wants to wear a pink top and python leggings (again) so be it.

Loen really likes Trader Joes noodle soup

Derby trying to use his super cuteness to distract me from the fact he threw food against the wall.

• Derby: Weighs 20 pounds and is 30 inches long. He could care less about what he is wearing and I’m sure he would rather be naked. He is my little man and I love that he just wants to cuddle me. But at 2 am when he wants to sleep on only my pillow and wrap his little arms around my neck till I cant breathe, I would rather he was in his own bed. Loen favors her daddy while Derby is a mamas boy. He was casted on 11/19 to restart his constraint induced therapy. It lasted a whole 9 days as he puked on his cast and we had it cut off rather than leave him in a super stinky cast all weekend. He kept checking his right arm because he couldn’t believe the cast was off. Even though it wasn’t on for the full amount of time we have noticed a difference by how much he now uses his left hand. I got him to eat a noodle with a fork and he picked up a cheerio and ate it! Im sure that doesn’t sound like much but for a boy he rarely used his left hand it was a very exciting for us to see. He was to stay in the cast till we left for Michigan on the 19th but unfortunately the puke incident was on Thanksgiving weekend. Do you realize this is a time when the doctors office is closed? Urgent care states they don’t have the tools to remove a cast so we were sent to the E.D. Did you also know that a stinky cast soaked in vomit is not considered an emergency therefore you will be bumped until they have time to fit you in? Yeah, that was not a fun day. So the casting will not resume till January as the ortho office, therapy and ourselves all have conflicting holiday schedules. I’m glad because the thought of Derby in a cast at his Mima’s invoked visions of a bull in a china shop. He was whacking our furniture, I don’t think her Waterford crystal animals would have fared well. In other news Derby is now running, talking a lot more and has a wicked sense of independence. If he doesn’t want to do something it will not be done. It is frustrating but also nice to see he has a will of his own. He loves to try to hug and kiss Loen but she often doesn’t like being held down and given slobbery kisses. It is funny to watch them interact now. They start getting into things they know they shouldn’t and will do a mad giggle if you catch them. They are often in cahoots.

I WILL show you some love!

Moooom, she likes when I hug her like this.

On their actual birthday Souther was part of an opening at the Japanese American Museum of Art for Giant Robots Biennale. Like I said before we are big on exposing the twins to culture…… During the award presentation Derby is walking through the crowd yelling “MOVE!” and Loen is of course going in the opposite direction. We mainly got to see Souther’s installation then decided the twins were going to have a major meltdown if we didn’t get them home. I still want to go back and see the whole thing but don’t know if that is going to happen. Below are a few pics of the evening. You will notice they got to meet Sulu on their birthday. I’m pretty sure I didn’t meet any celebrities by the time I was 2. Below is a video clip of the opening, Souther’s segment starts at 2:30 (if you squint Loen & I are in the background)

I’m pretty sure we were the only ones to arrive with a double wide

Meeting George Takei (Sulu). I like Derby’s one shoe look

Just to reiterate the point they have met more celebrities as a toddler than I, here they are with Kirk Douglas

Best Buddies (Lil & Big Iain)

Derby telling people to move during the reception

Checking out Souther’s amazing art

Souther and Monica in front of the museum

There are so many photos from their party that I decided to make a photo montage versus posting just a few. Enjoy

We decided we would have a little celebration just the 4 of us for their ‘due date birthday’, or as someone said to me “an excuse to eat cake”. Since the twins weren’t able to have cake on their actual birthday I thought I would get some mini cupcakes (from Crushcakes….YUM) for them to try out. I think we built it up in our mind that it would be a crazy free for all. Unfortunately for Derby I had him try out peach yogurt an hour before and it made him throw up so I decided that trying out another new food wouldn’t be a good idea….so no cupcake for Derbs. Loen, my little girl, looked at the cupcake with interest then proceeded to eat it very daintily. Tadd said he is afraid she is going to be a “prissy girl” after watching her eat the cupcake, well that and she likes to brush her hair. I had to remind him she is quite ferocious when another kid tries to take a toy from her, especially her brother. She aint that dainty!

They NEEDED a due date prize!

Mmmmm…..paper

They like these big knob puzzles, especially to chew on

Derby was excited for his new chewy toys

Cupcake!

Birthday morning we gave the daddy a couple of small house gifts (like coasters and a couple of beer goblets he wanted). I kept apologizing it wasn’t more exciting but he said he was happy.

Daddy I picked out the card. Loen had nothing to do with it.

Then I picked up Derby and said:

What is that Derby? You hid a gift for Daddy under your crib?

Tadd got excited so I think he knew what it was.

Daddy I want you to know it was MY idea to get the Wii Fit. Loen had nothing to do with it.

That night Fauxma and Fauxpa watched the twins so we could go out to dinner. You can tell we are parents now because they said not to worry, go out, have fun! Yeah we lasted till 8:30 then came back to get them. I had dessert, I was tired, I missed the kids. Ditto for the daddy. We are pathetic!

It was weird when we stopped by the NICU to drop off the money because while we were waiting by the front doors they rushed by with twins that had just been delivered. They looked so tiny and fragile, it is amazing how hard it is to remember our twins being that small. I truly felt for the family that would be just starting their journey. 

We took the twins to their first musical on Saturday. Faux-bro Andrew was in Fiddler on the Roof. Tadd said it was perfect that the first play they went to is the one where my name comes from. It was hard for Tadd to follow because Loen was being fussy and he was in charge of calming her down. I kept trying to whisper the plot to bring him up to speed. At one point Tadd leans over and says “How fitting she falls in love with a scholar”. I explained he was confused (he was thinking of Hodel’s character) and Hava was the one who runs off with the Russian guard and gets disowned. Nothing like being named after the black sheep. Then on Sunday we went to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art to see Over Rainbows and Down Rabbit Holes. A very cultural weekend indeed. That should offset all the crap I have been letting the twins watch on TV!

Andrew as a peasant in the opening number (he also played the roll of the constable)

Saturday night we had some friends over for a BBQ. Unfortunately I didn’t take many pictures but Tadd decided to be artsy and took lots of photos without a flash. So no photos of the yummy strawberry lemonade cupcakes that Michelle made for my birthday. Zip zero of friends and their cute babies. Guess you’ll just have to take our word for it.

John as Tim the Enchanter

John, me and Derby by the light of the firepit (A wondrous anniversary gift from my mother. I LOVE the firepit)

Brent’s feet

Flashlight madness

Tadd’s other dad Lee (Jim is Tadd’s biological dad and Lee is the dad who raised him from age 3 on) and his wife Deb came over this weekend. This was the first time the were able to see the twins. It was great to hang out and the twins were spoiled with cute outfits and lots of cuddles.

Loen conked out on her Grandpa Lee

Deb and Lee with the twins

Mommy’s little monsters

Loen practicing her cheerleading moves….over Derby’s face

A gratuitous shirtless Derby shot

Derby trying to figure out how to switch places with Loen

That is a lot of posting with pictures in the last couple of days. I should be in the clear for AT LEAST a couple of weeks now.