October 13, 2009 - 18 Month Wellness Visit (79 Weeks)

We took the boys for their 18 month checkup on Wednesday. They are definitely growing. Daniel is weighing 21lbs. 12 oz. and is 2'8 in. Anthony is teetering at just under the 28 lbs. mark with a height of 2'9 in. They both got a flu shot and the Hepatitis B shot. The immunizations are necessary but are still heartbreaking for me.
The highlight of the weekend was just spending a lot of time with them. We didn't have any outings planned, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I simply played the role of full-time-stay-at-home mommy.

October 6, 2009 - Mr. Independence (78 Weeks)

We've just been getting back into the groove of things. Laundry, unpacking, and getting the boys back into their routine has taken up the majority of this week. What a difference in the boys when they are in their environment and have their naps.
These two are definitely growing up. They are expressing their need for independence, especially Anthony. When it comes to eating, he adamantly wants to feed himself. I have a hard time letting him do this when it is something messy. The two of them are doing the tantrum thing, which is less than attractive. According to the pediatrician and babycenter.com, this is normal. However, normal and desireable are two different things.

September 29, 2009 - The Streets of San Francisco (77 Weeks)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

On Friday, this brave couple flew to San Francisco for my step-sister's wedding. I sure do miss traveling, but traveling with twins in tote is definitely a challenge and a far cry from my earlier romps around the world. My carry on bag used to contain things like ear plugs, an eye mask, lipstick, blotting tissues, headphones, etc. My bag is now a backpack, since that frees up my hands, and contains hand sanitizer, bandaids, fever all, infant Tylenol, graham crackers, sippy cups, milk bottles and things of that nature. Sorry, I deviated for a moment. Back to the story..Going through security was less than fun but we made it. The flight was a short one and uneventful with the exception of Anthony having a major problem with the descent. Poor thing. Despite the pacifier and bottle offers to help with the air pressure, he cried out in pain. Mommy wanted to cry after landing and being informed that our suitcase was missing in action. Thankfully, it was our suitcase and not the one for the boys. Southwest said it would be found and delivered to our hotel. True to their word, it arrived around 4 a.m.
The wedding was very nice. Since the boys were a bit wild, Daniel stayed outside with them during the ceremony. At the reception, Anthony practiced his trick of going round in circles. He got dizzy and busted his lip on the floor. Yes, blood! They eventually tuckered themselves out and slept for a good part of the reception.
We spent the rest of our mini-vacation walking in the city, eating, mastering the BART,and seeing the sites like Alcatraz. Focus your mind's eye and imagine us roaming around the Alcatraz prison with a double stroller. We're nuts, huh?
Tuesday arrived way too fast. It was time to go home. With our goodbyes done early since my family was going to spend the day at Napa, we packed up, had lunch, and headed to the airport via the BART. We were 1 for 2 with the people sitting by us on the plane. Daniel had a nice lady sitting next to him that played with Baby Daniel. I, on the other hand, had an ogre who was clearly irritated by having a mother and child sitting next to him. Our happy dance after landing was short lived since our double stroller had been a cargo victim. The left handle was broken and Southwest wouldn't take responsibility. Yeah, us! Despite all the mishaps, it was a nice trip. At the end of the day, all that matters is that I got to spend a little time with my family.

September 22, 2009 - (76 Weeks)

Not a whole lot going on with us except getting everything done we need to do before our trip.
Happy Heart Moment of the Week: Daniel and Anthony can both wave goodbye to mommy. They can wave to momma as she leaves for work. They are also both saying "momma" more frequently. Granted, they still will also call me "daddy," and "dad." I won't hold that against them, though. It is tough being a baby with so much to learn, right?

September 15, 2009 - Daddy's 47th Birthday (75 Weeks)

This week was a pretty quiet one. We didn't do much except errands. I spent part of Sunday making some meals for the week. Although that is not exactly how this gal would like to spend her Sunday, it is worth its wait in gold. The beginning weeks of school are always overwhelming with so much to do and limited time. I am wiped out by the time I get home so having to only heat something up makes life easier. I started to get a little sick on Sunday, but it quickly went away. Unfortunately, Daddy Daniel caught my cooties which did not make for a great birthday on Monday. We quietly celebrated with our sniffly and achey Daniel.

September 8, 2009 - The 2009-2010 School Year Begins (74 Weeks)

My 14th year of teaching began on Wednesday. Yup! It is hard to believe when you see it in print that it has been that long. The years have flown by, and I can thankfully say that I get paid to do what I love.
I cried on Wednesday as I drove off for school because Anthony stood in the window crying out, “Dad.” Thursday was a hard day, too. By the time I got home, Daniel had fed and bathed the boys. He’d also put Anthony down for the night. Thankfully, Daniel was still awake for a little while. I hugged him and wept like a baby. I rocked him to sleep and dragged my tired self to bed shortly after. On Friday, we had to evacuate the entire school because our electricity went out creating an unsafe condition in this over 90 degrees heat wave. It was a little scary for some of the 6th graders. Most of the kids were just happy to get an early jump on the long weekend.
This weekend reminded me of the predictability of the unpredictable. We thought we’d eat a nice meal at Olive Garden and that did not turn out well. Despite feeding the boys before entering and having their favorite snacks on hand, they did not let us enjoy our meal. Daniel had to leave with Anthony, and my meal was packed to go. Sunday we wanted to have a new family picture taken and again despite all our efforts, they wanted no part of our plan. Daddy and Mommy get an "A" for effort because we tried again on Monday. They pretty much still wanted no part of the pictures, but we got a couple of nice shots. I guess that's the way the ball bounces sometimes.
Twin Update: Anthony likes to spin around in circles. Daniel is waving goodbye with automaticity as soon as the car stops in front of Josefina’s house. Daniel is now pretending to be talking on the phone. Everyone on the other end of the line is, “Dad?” The boys both like to vigorously shake their heads side to side indicating “no” when they don’t want particular foods. What's with them lifting the tab off their Huggies?

September 1, 2009 - Setting Up Mama's Classroom (73 Weeks)

Can summer vacation really be over already? The sad reality is that it is. It went by way too quickly.
This week flew by with two teacher training days and a work day in my classroom. Setting up my room always takes more than one day, so I returned on Friday and Monday with Daniel and the boys. Daniel came in with some great ideas on how to rearrange my room. I am really happy with the new look.