Herding Cats

Taking pictures of 1 year olds is like herding cats.

I'll try to do a better job... when I get a spare moment...

Quick update:

Keira - Very happy as of late. Walking, touching and grabbing at Ana as much as possible, saying kitty (kIKIIII), Daddy, MumMum, up (PUP) and ball. She trys to say almost everything we say. She is very gentle with the kitty and is very easy going when you let her play on her own.

Ana - Very dramatic. She'll throw herself on the ground in a New York second if she doesn't get her way. She gets over it equally as fast, but we're keeping our eye on this little personality blip. Ana loves to clean up spilled milk or water with a cloth (very cute) and also loves to play "ring around the rosy" (kinda wishin I hadn't taught her that at times).

Both - They're still under 20lbs (boo).

Mom and Dad - we're going to go clean the kitchen, now... and then we all fall DOWN!

Bone Crushing

I am so tired today. Ana kept me up all night, which is unusual... and then she did a "big barf" all over me this morning- while wearing my work clothes - with a huge meeting first thing in the morning. I felt so bad for my little wee one. She is so sweet and it kills me to see her uncomfortable... even if I have to take a second shower to remove the rancid smell of milk off of me.

Where was I? Oh... tired. So tired lately that I haven't felt like updating you on their weights - 19.8 and 19.9.

What else is new? Keira has two top teeth! It is a bloody, painful nightmare apparently. Poor babies. Being wee is so hard!

I'll update all y'all more later. I'm just too tired.
A mother of multiples one told me (as I was about to give birth) that I would experience a tired like I had never felt before. Bone crushing tired. The first few months were rough, but this is the kind of tired that goes with the drudgery of the nightly routine, lack of sleep or free time and a lingering holiday with relatives looming on the horizon. This is the kind of tired that comes with long work weeks with new bosses. This is the kind of tired that you count the moments until the kids go to bed, so you can just lay on the couch but instead you decide to update your blog because you're so tired you're too stupid to eat and take care of yourself.
Bone. Crushing. Tired.

Mostly Keira. Mostly.

The first thing you'll notice about Keira is her eyes. Blue. Shockingly blue. My friend Mike always asks if they're getting bigger and bluerer. Possible. Keira doesn't have the dynamic personality of Ana. Quite the opposite... she is usually somewhere between pleased and concerned to not thrilled and whiny... and it will switch in a New York second. She has an infectious belly laugh that comes straight from my mother-in-law. Keira becomes bigger than life when she laughs... and she has a fantastic sense of humor for a wee one.

The first thing Keira does in the mornings is point at everything on her way downstairs. She wants to know everything. Ba? Wall. Ba? Kitty. Ba? Stairs.
The last thing she does everyday is look forward to bed. I swear... she hates naps but she loves to lay down in bed. Keira is so good at night when she isn't having night terrors...
Favorite toys - Books. Books and words and anything with a photo. Books, toy cars, puzzles and you should probably have more books. Oh... and playing with the clothes.
Least favorite toy - Most physical things.
Favorite food - Those little hotdoggie things from Gerber, peaches, grapes... and I think just most solid foods. She loves to eat like a big girl.
Least favorite food - Bottle. *insert bad words here* that girl hates her bottle, sippy cup or anything to serve liquids. Total fight most on occasions.
Words - Keira is sticking to "Ba" for now. She is holding firm on "Ba". "Ba" is mastered. She is picking up sign language rather nicely. She can say "more", "all done", "Puppy" and some wax-on-wax-off Karate Kid move that I haven't figured out.

How to sum up Keira? She is a cuddly, inquisitive, silly girl. I've always said that she'll be severly disappointed to learn that she is not an only child. She loves all eyes on her and is perfectly happy to meet anyone.
Most people remark that Keira is beautiful, but few people get to meet the book reader and pointer that we know and love.

Both of our girls are so different. Ying-Yang. They are both beautiful, intelligent and the center of my world. Their differences will become more dramatic as they get older. I hope that they learn to balance the strengths in their relationship and build a solid team. As sisters and twins, they'll be intwined in each other's lives forever. I'm sure it will be amazing once I get them to stop sticking their fingers in each other's mouths...

All about Ana

I thought I would create a few posts about each girl. It is not hard to notice that they're individuals... it is just hard to implement individualism in a house with young twins. Trust me.

Ana is hard core. I have a quote I tell people. Ana is always really happy... until she isn't. Ana spends most of her day quite content and full of laughter. If she becomes "Angry Ana" it is a bad scene with back arches and the most pitiful cry you've ever seen.

The first thing she does most mornings? Crawl to the bin with the stuffed animals and pull out two flat Gund-things that Marsha gave us and throws her face in them. All in all a nice way to start the day.
Last thing she does every day? As we walk up the stairs Ana runs her hands through my hair.
Favorite toys - Elmo chairs, any stuffed animal, doll house kitty thing, small face cloths and who can forget the lion?
Least favorite toy - Books.
Favorite food - Cheerios, grapes and most things with parmesan on them.
Least favorite food - Texmex and green beans.
Words - Meow ("Brow"), Light (LTTTT), Mommy (MIMIMIMIMI), Uh-oh, Bye-bye (bbbbbeeee)

How to sum up Ana? Hard core baby... or girl. She goes full speed ahead laughing and squealing. She has a look in her eye that makes you think you're missing the joke somehow.
Most people meet Ana and tell me that she is unlike any baby they've ever seen. It used to bother me a bit... Now? No way. You'll never meet anyone like her... not even her twin.

So, we're up and running?

I just got off the phone with Brad. "We're up and running?" He said this a few times. I think it has hit all of us... ANA IS WALKING. Not the meager 5-7 steps, fall, laugh.
No, right before bedtime she decided to walk all over the living room. She held a squeaky toy in one hand and a bib in the other and walked back and forth. She was really breathing hard and didn't want to stop for a bottle or rest.
Very Brad of her.
She didn't give up when she got tired. Didn't give up when she slammed her face into the Radio Flyer. Didn't give up when I pushed the bottle into her mouth.
She is up and running.

We're packing her sparkling new shoes for the zoo tomorrow.

Lockdown at Shawshank

We're a mobile, movin, on-the-go family. We pack up the mini-van and head out for museums, malls or almost any shopping establishment (except Walmart... can't do it...). The girls LOVE museums. Well, Keira loves museums and surrealism (who knew?). Ana loves moving... so, really anywhere we can crawl or move is good.

Getting out is really good, since most of the time they're at home in the Shawshank, er the uh, living room.

I better get back to my night routine... Ana did a big barf-o-rama in the car and we still have all the prep work for tomorrow... and I haven't had dinner... and...

Tea or Death?

We are seriously out of control with the crawling. Keira has started in on the action but it is more of a 3 steps and roll on her head thing.

I am finally starting to sell/get rid of some of my behbeh stuff. It is going to be sad to see the snap-n-go leave the house. Such a good invention. A good purchase for mothers of twins everywhere, should you need to purchase something for one... I'm selling it to a girl who is 31 weeks along and can't leave her house. Oh, the good-ole-days. Talking to CJ and K about their pregnancies just brings back all of the memories. It isn't that mothers forget everything we went through... we just don't have time to think about it. When I listen to K's worries about the weeks that go by, it makes me more thankful for my girls and my whole motherhood experience. It was a rough journey... but one that was well worth making. *insert little tear here*

Ever watch Eddie Izzard? I'm just thinking of him... and his anglican inquisition... Tea or Death?

When will the gates get here?

The girls are moving. Touching things. Things that shouldn't be touched.

Moving. Seriously.

I know, I know - "Didn't you see this coming?"

Right.

Well, let me unleash 2 girls that previously just stayed put on YOUR house and see how you do. (Stacia is excluded from any verbal abuse I may hand out on this topic...)

So, Brad called at 2pm to say the house was "utter chaos" and Ana and Keira were going in different directions. Since then, we've waited impatiently for the baby gates to arrive from Lock-Ur-Kids-Up R Us. Other changes include very sharp, snaggly teeth. Both have two on the bottom.

Both girls are 18lbs 4oz, which also means we need to get around to installing those car seats... although, I don't have the same problems as sweet Amber, who needs to fit 3 car seats straight across in her car...

It is fabulous to see the girls become, well... girls. They're getting big. I've loved every second (there were a few in there that might get a lower rating...) and I'm going to do my best to savor the rest.

More updates always on the way. If you don't hear from me, the girls have taken over and Mommy is in the gate...

I shall bite you with this

So much change. Keira is working on her second tooth, Ana has her first and started crawling... the doctor's visit is tomorrow, so I'll let y'all know the latest.

Teething is brutal. Brutal.

Goodbye to too many this week

Bad.
Within the past 2 days, a retired employee died in a horrible fall (You will be sorely missed, Tom. I hope I see your lunchbox one last time), my friend lost a baby, another friend got prego (wait... that one is good... thank god), and Trish lost her twin baby boys this morning. Oh... and K's sister-in-law is prego with triplets and wants to know if she should reduce one.
I'm overwhelmed with sad for all those people I love and filled with happy and worry for my prego friend. (She will make beautiful, happy, healthy behbehs... that will be my mantra)

I'm babbling. I'm so sad.
Gotta go.

Phat Mom Rocks the Tready

The girls are really starting to interact. Life has become pretty fun... still crazy.

Updates - no crawling, no teeth, no stage 3 foods.

The girls are sitting up alarmingly well and are really babbling... a lot. I think they both have things to say.

I'm doing my best to keep everyone updated, but I feel like I'm constantly behind... welcome to motherhood?

Well, it is time to prep bottles, clean the living room and get ready for tomorrow. If I'm lucky, I'll rock the tready tonight... I'm still workin on that mommy-weight...

The Dahli Lama and all that

Ana's appointment went better than I ever could have imagined. The doctor said that she doesn't have cranial-whats-its and she doesn't need a helmet (noone is really symetrical, right?). He said to keep an eye on her progress with our current doc. and schedule an appointment with the genetic doc when she is a year old (if we think she needs more attention). We're going to monitor her head growth and babbling... or lack of babbling.

I work with odd people. I can't explain it. Sheri left work today to go see the Dahli Lama. Seriously. My friends are full of odd exclamations of that sort. ("Let's have carbonated fruit for lunch", "I can't make the meeting, I need to fly to Florida for a hardware check"... you get the idea.) Tune in next post for the "It's a lunar lander" explanation given my my beloved neighbor.

Look, I'm exhausted. I'm going to look around at the wreck in my house and then ignore it for awhile. I might even eat something... not carbonated fruit... but something.

What's the name of that show? "I hate my life?"

(Auntie Didi with Ana and Keira)

I've been trying to catch episodes of that show... you know... where the couple has twin 6 year olds and 6 - 2 year olds? Yeah. That show makes me feel awesome about my life. My friend, Mike, was horrified at the show... He kept saying, "What is the name of that show? 'Kill me now?' What?"

We're getting into the grove, here in The White House. We're learning to head off the meltdowns before they happen (and we tend to laugh when Keira cries... she has such a little button nose!). We now know that the key to make Ana stop crying is just Daddy... that and her lion. Keira will immediately cease crying when I sing "How much is that doggie in the window"... which is ironic, since most people cry WHEN I sing...

I went to the 2nd Annual Engineering party this weekend. I caught all the bugs between here and Jamaica Beach with my new car. The girls were great. They fell in love with Rex (looks like a young Santa) and Keira fufilled her dream of being the center of attention.

Nana and Oopa came to the house on Sunday for dinner, bringing enough clothes to last through their birthday. I know that Nana likes to shop, but I think that it must be said - if Nana didn't buy clothes, our girls would be naked.

And Matt... if you're out there... good luck with that cauliflower ear thing. That's nasty.

BmmmMowMow

"BmmmMowMow" is Keira's exclaimation of protest. If she could talk, it would be "this is bullshyte. I want to touch the kitty. I don't want the bottle, so stop putting the frickin thing in my mouth."
Err something.
Big family news going on- Diane is officially in Midland. I'm happy to hear that she arrived there safe and sound with Murphy and Grandma in tow.
I have nothing witty to contribute to the world today. No other life updates.
I do have a cool link courtesy of Rob Orange:
http://blog.pixelbreaker.com/upload/polarclock/polarclock.html

Enjoy

Lockdown

I just need to let everyone know that I'm okay. There are 14k people onsite. We were safely locked in our building (on a day that I was going to leave early).
Keep Beverly's family in your thoughts.

All my dreams of a low rider

The transformation is complete. I bought a minivan. I tell myself that it is safe for the kids, but let's face it... it has an iPod adapter. Did I mention that I do not yet HAVE an iPod?

Follow up appointments...

Update -
Keira's heart appointment was great. Her heart is fine.
Ana's head appointment wasn't nearly as fun. We're going to take her to a genetic specialist and cranial/facial surgeon to see if she needs a helmet, surgery or nothing.

I'll update more when I have time *insert laugh here*

Boom goes the dynamite

Did you ever see that YouTube Boom goes the dynamite guy? I've been saying that phrase all day. I had a few friends come over this weekend to see behbehs and look at scrapbooks, etc. All and all a nice weekend. I'm WAY behind on my housework, but boom goes the dynamite.

Keira has a followup heart appointment tomorrow, just to make sure that everything is good. Ana's "big head" followup is on Tuesday. Her little body is only 3% and her head is 95%, so we need to track her progress.

Both of the girls are doing great. Keira started saying "papapa" and LOVES to sit up like a big girl. Ana found happiness with green beans, a blue balloon and Daddy coming home from his biking trip.


More updates after the doc. appointments this week!

I won the Internet

Congrats to me. I won the internet. I'm jumping right into 2007 with my very own blog (something all 9 year olds have been doing "since forever, duh").

Even though I don't seem to have time, I really (really) found it necessary to communicate my life and photos to a growing group of people. Growing - not fat... just... whatever.

I will post updates of the girls, Brad and (of course) our baby kittehs.

So, good luck to you future constant reader.