Sleep Deprivation

There are certain things in life that you can't possibly appreciate until they are gone. Like the memory of being full when you're starving. Sleep is one of those things and for the past nine months we haven't been getting nearly enough. With two babies waking up in the middle of the night, we're getting up four or five times every night. Some nights as soon as we get one baby back to sleep the other starts crying. Those are the rough nights, as are the times I'm getting up at 6am to get ready for court. I've been so tired lately that I feel nauseous all the time and I'm getting bad headaches and I'm nearing rock bottom with my Dr. Pepper addiction.

Now as far as I can tell, there are two main theories you'll see displayed in bookstores on parenting. One is "attachment parenting," and the other is the "parent centered" approach. There are two things you need to know about these styles: the first is that everyone has an opinion and the second is that you're better off discussing the benefits of communism to a room full of trust fund beneficiaries.

Each style has a specific method for getting a baby to sleep--and the spectrum is: letting the baby cry to sleep from birth to sleeping with your parents indefinitely. Most people fall somewhere in between, except for really annoying people who's babies sleep all through the night from the time they were brought home from the hospital--these people are imaginary and don't actually exist.

And so we have decided. Something had to be done. And although we have always been the attachment style type of parents we are now also "ferberizers."

We moved Evelyn's crib into the guest room. Moved her white noise machine (air fliter), gave her a nice nightlight. We gave the girls lavender scented aromatherapy baths, we feed them rice and grains to keep them full throughout the night and kept them on their routine. Andre took the first shift and everything went quite well. The girls only woke up once each and went back to sleep very quickly. He checked on them, then went in again at 5 minutes, then 10 and they fell asleep on their own.

It was awful to hear them cry, even for a moment. I wanted to pick them up and bring them into our bed and snuggle next to them. But this morning I felt really great. I felt like I had slept soundly for the first time--ever. And I felt like I could be a better parent too. Instead of struggling to stay awake as I fed them breakfast, I put on some podcasts, laughed with them, made myself breakfast too, and enjoyed my time with them. And they seemed fine this morning too.

so tonight is my turn and so far so good...both babies are sound asleep in their beds and I am off to mine.

Us as Babies

People are always asking us who the girls look like. I think they look a bit like both of us, a bit like various family members, and a bit that is uniquely just them. But just for laughs, I uploaded a few pictures of Andre as a kid and one of myself.

Happy New Year

This year we spent New Year's at Jaime and Beatriz's house (Andre's cousins). I can't say enough about how much fun we had. First of all, Jaime and Beatriz are awesome and we always have a great time with them. They are intelligent, kind, fun-loving people who have traveled and lived all over and always have interesting things to talk about.

So of course, people like this know other interesting, intelligent, fun-loving people. Several people were from South America so we practiced our Spanish a lot too. I enjoyed talking to everyone I met. There was amazing food as well.

As the night went on they moved furniture around and everyone started dancing--and I mean everyone. It didn't matter if you were four years old or seventy-four, you were dancing and probably knew the words to the song too. They played all types of music: Latin, rap, pop--we even danced to the YMCA.

Here's a clip of Andre dancing; it's pretty dark, but the video was from my digital camera:


New Years Eve from Leigh on Vimeo.


At midnight we drank champagne and ate grapes for good luck. Andre and I called it an early night and left before one. The party was just getting started, but my mom was watching the girls so I didn't want to stay out late.

It has been a great year for us--here's to many more.

Happy New Year everyone!

Xander and the Post Christmas Party

Christmas weekend we drove to Houston to meet up with Andre's dad and stepmom. They were surprised at how much the girls have changed since Thanksgiving. We put the girls on the floor next to each other and showed his parents how they can speed race (crawling). Its very funny.

We spent the night in a nice hotel which I love to do. One of my very first jobs as a teenager was working at the Sheraton so I always find it a treat to stay in a nice hotel. It was nice to see his parents again too even though our time went by fast.

Anyway, the next day we met up with the Houston family clan. Michele and Peter brought their new baby Xander. He is an absolutely gorgeous, good-natured, little boy. Here's a picture of Michele with Xander.

Andrea and Matthew also brought Avery who is the same age as Rowan and Evelyn. Here's a picture of Andre's stepmom Eileen holding her. She's super cute with her little dimples. I'm so glad that the girls have so many cousins. We had a really good visit.

Christmas!!

We celebrated our first Christmas with the girls this year.

We spent Christmas Eve at our friend's Kate and Kevin's house. They had a New Years Eve party for their family and friends. We have known so many of their family members that its always fun to see them. Myles and Bri came into town too.

Christmas morning we woke up early with the girls and went downstairs. We hadn't wrapped the girls' gifts yet, and thought, "they're so little, lets just give them the presents." So as the girls were eating breakfast Andre brought their gifts in from the garage. As soon as they saw them they became very excited, waving their hands around and babbling. We hadn't expected them to understand that they were for them. So we wrapped their gifts and let them open them one at a time. Of course, once wrapped, the paper became so much more interesting than the gift.

I don't think any of us really think about how old we are on a day to day basis. I still feel the way I have always felt. Yet there are moments when it hits you: when you think about the fact that you're paying two mortgages, or professionally responsible for other people, the first time you say, "my kids,"...well, Christmas morning was another such moment. As Andre and I were drinking our cup of tea in our pajamas, videotaping our girls opening presents, fishing wrapping paper out of their mouths, and assembling various toys it struck me just how "mature" we really are. Then Andre thew a wad of wrapping paper at me, hitting me on the side of the head and its all normal again.

The girls got a lot of toys, some new clothes, books...the whole works.They seemed to be interested in everything. Santa got them a little Winnie the Pooh push/ride toy that also has some piano keys. When the rider pushes the keys the little Winnie the Pooh figures dance around. The girls took turns riding their little toy around the living and honking at the dogs.

Rowan loves animals, especially dogs. Every time she sees a dog she gets really excited. Well, we bought the girls this little plastic pull along dog--the kind they've sold since I was a kid--and she was so excited to see it. Hilarious.


That afternoon we went over to my sister's house to celebrate with her and Scott and the kids, my grandmother and mom. The girls opened more great presents and we all played Boccie Ball on Forrest's Wii. It was nice just to be together laughing and playing.

Santa #2

The girls saw Santa again this weekend and were not impressed. Rowan is cutting another tooth and has been a bit cranky. She started saying "moma" tonight. It was sort of mixed in with complaints, but she said it over and over all night.

Evey has also started talking, she said "dada" a few days ago. It was really clear, but she only said it once and then laughed in a way that suggested she knew she had done something neat. She can crawl forwards now too and Rowan can stand if she holds onto something.

I haven't noticed any twin language between the girls. But I have seen Rowan push Evelyn out of the way to get a toy and Evelyn will start crying because of it. I've also seen Evelyn take a bottle right out of Rowan's mouth and put it in her own.

Two in a Tub

Mimi and Evey

Ro-ro

Rowan has a soft, material toy with cut out shapes and corresponding soft blocks, balls, etc., that fit through. Anyhow, she has become fascinated with looking through the holes to the other side. Its very funny. Here are a few pictures I got of her today.

McNugget

Santa

The girls saw Santa and Mrs. Claus for the first time this weekend. Their cousin Sydney's school had a Breakfast with Santa. I've seen better Santas, but I was glad the girls weren't scared. They're so happy with people. They wore their ultra-cute little Christmas outfits that their Aunt Ivette gave them. Everyone oooed and awed over them.

Peek-a-boo

We've been playing peek-a-boo with the girls for a while now and they always start laughing. Well, this morning I put the girls in their crib as I was getting ready for work in the bathroom a few steps away. When I stuck my head out the door to check on them Evey and Rowan had a blanket and were playing peek-a-boo. It was so funny I ran downstairs and grabbed the camcorder.


Peek-a-boo from Leigh on Vimeo.

I especially love it when Evey thinks she's hiding but you can still see her.

Babies First (and 2nd First) Turkey Day

We celebrated the girl's first Thanksgiving this past week. Andre had to work the night before and so the girls and I spent the morning together.

They woke up about 6:30am and we bundled up, started a fire in the fireplace (even though it was 75 degrees outside), made a soft play mat on the floor and waited for the parade to start on television. The girls crawled around while I finished baking and then we just played and watched the parade.

It was a simple, and awesome way to start the day. As cheesy and trite as it may sound, I teared up a few times thinking about how thankful I am to have our girls and Andre this year. They must have felt it too because they both wanted to sit in my lap and began to cry anytime I attempted to set them down. Its no easy task holding two big babies. You must hold them extra tight with lots of kisses.

I occasionally thought about how I should be "doing something," cooking or cleaning or...something to prepare for the holiday. But then I remembered how ridiculous that is, how all I wanted to do was hold my babies and enjoy our time together, how it was our first Thanksgiving together and all I really needed to do was be with them. So that's what a did. And it was great.

We picked up Andre from work that afternoon and headed up to my mom's for Thanksgiving dinner--which starts so early it should really be called lunch, or at least linner. When we arrived my uncle was moving an exercise bike to the neighbor's house. My ever practical mother never misses an opportunity for free labor. "Welcome to Thanksgiving," I said to Andre who had come prepared with some sort of hole digging tool.

Two sets of aunts and uncles were there along with a couple of cousins, my grandmother, my sister and her kids, and my uncles super smart standard poodle...it was great. The girls were passed around so much they never touched the floor. Even my uncle's dog liked them.

The next day we woke up early and headed up to have Thanksgiving again with Andre's family. You'd think we were already fat enough and couldn't possibly eat anything else, but you'd be wrong. We managed to find the space to eat more delicious food while enjoying our time with Andre's family (I'd list them all, but there were quite a few people there and as the night went on, people kept coming). We always have the best time. I love it and all the people there.

His sister and her kids were there too. The kids are growing up so fast, its kind of surreal. I remember my first Thanksgiving with them and how her little boy was just starting to walk. It was good to see them. She also gave the girls the adorable dresses they are wearing above.

The girls had such a good time they didn't want to miss a thing by doing silly things like sleeping. They eventually lost the battle and fell asleep in our arms, thus ending their 2nd First Thanksgiving. We stayed up late singing Elton John and old blues songs while Mitch played the piano. Well, I had the decency (and the sobriety) to mostly listen along this year. All in all it was a very good day.

Grandparents!!

Evey and Ro got to meet more grandparents today. Andre's dad and step-mom flew in for the holidays. The girls adored them both so much and they adored the girls too.

Rowan laid her head on her grandfather's shoulder as soon as he picked her up. And Evelyn just loved Eileen. She laughed and tried to hug her in her baby way. Its like the girls knew they are their grandparents without anyone having to tell them. I guess there are some ties we have that don't need an introduction for.

Seeing the girls with their grandparents really makes me miss my own Papa. I think of him so often. I really wish he had been able to meet the girls. I know he would have been head over heels for them. My grandparents were so important in my life. It makes me happy to see the girls spending time with theirs.

Git along little pony

Christmas came early at our house this year. I just couldn't resist getting the girls this adorable radio flyer pony. Both of the girls love it. They can't quite make it bounce back and forth, but they kick their feet and make the pony jump.

Halloween

This is us at Halloween this year. I was Little Bo Peep, Andre was the big bad wolf, and then of course, we had our two little sheep. My mom made my costume--which was awesome. It had a hat too, but it didn't stay on very well with the babies pulling on it.

We started out the night trick-or-treating with our neighbors. They have two little boys and a daughter who is just a few months older than our girls. The boys were so funny: they really made it a fun night. All the kids in the neighborhood were out and we saw a few people we knew. People's houses were done up so well and lots of people just set up lawn chairs in their yards and handed out candy, chatted, and had a good time.

Later on in the evening we took the girls to a firefighter party. We brought their pack-n-play so they could go to sleep when they got tired. They even had extra cute Halloween pajamas to change into. Of course, everyone ooo-ed and ahhh-ed over how cute the girls were.

Everyone was dressed up and people really go all out. You'd think with all those people in costumes that the girls might be a bit freaked out, but the only costume that scared Rowan was our friend who was dressed as a doctor. He was wearing green scrubs, the hospital kind; and Rowan who had been in a good mood looked at him and suddenly started crying. Poor baby. Maybe she was remembering her birth--which was certainly traumatic for the both of us. My doctor was wearing scrubs just like that too. Who knows...

The only costume that frightened me was our friend Lyzz's who was dressed as Sarah Palin. She could even do the voice perfectly. She kept saying, "You betcha" and winking. Very scary.

Little Lamb, Little Lamb

The girls 1st Halloween costume.

Mr. Monkey plays in the parade

Andre's bagpipe band led Hyde Park's neighborhood parade this past Sunday. Neighbors, parents, kids and pets all dressed up and walked around the neighborhood. The parade ended at the local fire station where more music was played and food was served. My two favorite little kid costumes: One little boy dressed as "Joe the Plumber," and a little girl dressed as a penguin with a sign that read, "Penguins Against Palin." haha So cute.

Kristi and Rowan watching the parade --->

Rowan Paints!

This morning while giving Evey a bath I let Rowan finger paint on her highchair tray. She had so much fun and the "paint" was just a bit of vanilla yogurt with a few drops of food coloring. I kept the colors separate because I thought she may enjoy seeing them change. Mixed together it became green, but I actually began with yellow, blue, and red. I didn't have to worry about her putting it in her mouth, she was easy to clean, and Joey licked up anything that fell on the floor.

The Great Pumpkin Patch

We took the girls to pick out their first Halloween pumpkin. A local church has a huge pumpkin patch and the proceeds go to help various charities. We've been a few years in a row, but this time we got to bring our own little pumpkins. They were so cute sitting in the patch. Most of the pumpkins were bigger than they are. They were particularly fond of the hay as you can see Rowan is trying to put some in her mouth.

We ran into three other families of twins there. Having twins is so great. Its like you're instantly a part of a club. And of course, almost every family is a member of the local Mother's of Multiples club. We also saw a firefighter friend and his wife and baby.

I love this time of year. The weather is perfect, cool--but not too cold. The girls wore their little blue jeans which made them look more like little kids than little babies. They are so active now. Wanting to squirm and move and touch everything. Of course, everything they touch they also want to taste.

They are such a great age. They laugh so much at such random things. Rowan has been sticking her tongue out and pbthtt-ing (I guess that's the word for it, when you stick your tongue out and make a toot noise). Its so funny. I was sitting in the back with her on our way home and she would do that and then I would look at her and she'd laugh. I'd look over at Evey away from her and Rowan would do it again. She's been doing it all the time. She even did it while dad was feeding her sweet potatoes and little bits of orange mush went everywhere.

Evey is becoming more and more independent. She always wants to hold her own bottle and she's starting to act like she wants to hold her own spoon too. She has excellent fine motor skills. Her crib is still in our room and on the crib has a little musical aquarium that lights up. She's figured out how to turn it on and several times has managed to do so in the middle of the night.

Joeys answer to breed specific legislation

Micken after a bath

This is Micken (Evelyn) after a bath tonight. She loves to grab her toes and can even pull them up to her mouth. My sister got a hilarious picture of her with her toe in her mouth the other day.

I love how she is beginning to fill out. She's eating some solid food now and is catching up to Rowan. At their doctor's visit last Thursday, Evey weighed 14lbs 1 oz, and Rowan weighed 15lbs 9 oz. Rowan is 26 1/2 inches long and is in the 75% for her age. Evey is 25 1/4 inches long and is in the 50% for her age. Both girls had their DTAP and Rotovirus vaccines, as well as their flu shots. Rowan didn't cry at all.

Both girls are healthy and are doing well. I can't believe they are 6 months old already. They are really happy babies. They laugh all the time and are very silly. They will laugh at everything. Evey looks so serious when she's not smiling so people always comment that she must be the serious one. But really she laughs so much at such random things that she can't possibly be "the serious one." Both girls are especially fond of dogs. Rowan gets so excited to pet the dog that she can hardly stand it. She'll squeal and grab at the air while her whole body jumps.

Both girls are trying to crawl. Rowan can push herself backwards, but she can't go forward yet. Evey is very good at moving in a circle. She has a lot of fine motor skills. She can hold her own bottle very well and she can pick up small objects. The girls like to pick up their pacifiers and they also like to steal each others. I've also seen them both pull each others' hair if they get a chance. But mostly they seem to enjoy being close. They will hold hands off and on while they eat in their high chairs and they play together a lot. Its very cute.

I play a lot of games with the girls. We've been working on "contrasts." So I'll hold the baby up to the mirror really close and say, "near" then move back a bit and say "far"--in a kind of a Grover Sesame Street kind of way. They love it and laugh like crazy. I do this over and over in English and Spanish. And the same thing with up and down. The girls like watching themselves in the mirror. We're also learning about "off" and "on" with the light switches. Lately I've been going over parts of the face. With the baby clutching my finger, I'll touch my nose with their fist and say, "nose", then mouth, eyes, ears, etc. They always laugh at my ears. I don't know if they're trying to tell me something...

Everything is a game around here. And we sing lots of songs and read books. My girls, of course, must know all of the Texas songs, old cowboy songs, and summer camp songs. Andre loves to play the chanter for them. They love it too and will listen to him very calmly. The only time I've ever heard Evelyn protest is when he plays "Rowan Tree" (which is the song Rowan was named after). Here's a picture of Rowan with her dad after her bath tonight.

We're having so much fun with the girls. They are such wonderful little people.

Tim and Lisa's wedding

This past weekend was Tim and Lisa's wedding. It was really beautiful, Lisa was gorgeous, Tim was dashing, and the weather was perfect. They are a really great couple. We're so thrilled for them and I'm certain they will have a very happy life together.

The girls were pretty good too if I do say so myself. "Yes, our babies are always this perfect." Whispering to Rowan on the side, "Keep up the good work and we'll buy you a pony."

There was a huge bouquet of roses that the girls were both very interested in. Evey was subsequently compelled to grab and crumble several petals (that I then had to hide because you know, people don't like it when parents let their babies get close enough to destroy expensive flower arrangements--in my defense she was learning about roses).

Even here she wouldn't look at the camera, but kept wanting to look at the flowers.

Money Woes

Ira Glass
So the whole world is feeling the financial pinch--yes, I know pinch is not right word for it. "Crisis" is more like it. While I have, for the most part, kept this blog about the girls and our little family, I would like to post this bit from "This American Life," by Ira Glass at Chicago Public Radio. The podcast is free and its a very well done, understandable, even entertaining, explanation of what happened.

There are two podcasts--the first is from May of this year called, "The Big Pool of Money." It really explains the subprime mortgage disaster. Click Here

The second podcast is a follow up just released, called, "Another Frightening Show About the Economy." And it explains the bailout and the current problems. Click Here

Feliz Cumpleanos Tia Ivette!

So the girls were more than four handfulls all day long, but they finally settled down enough that Mrs. Mono and I were able to work on this little bit of birthday fun for my Favorite Sister!

Lots of love Ivette!

La Familia de Monos