This Is It...

Anaya and Audie are sitting up!  They weren't happy with being sub-standard at their check-up, I guess, and have decided to do something about that, pronto.  Anaya is doing great - really strong.  In fact, you'll see below that she can already multi-task while sitting up.  Audie still slumps a little, but he's getting the hang of it quickly.  Yesterday evening was nice here - not too hot, not too sunny.  Adam was playing in the backyard so Alan and I took the babies out there.  We sat them up in the grass and then decided to try and take a few pictures.  Here's what we got:

You gotta love Audie.  He's generally pretty easy.

Now, the hard part...

Already doesn't like the feel

starting to fuss...

throws herself backwards because she's upset...

try again, still mad...

OK, let's just try getting a few of them together real quick...

This is actually one of my favorites.  Look at Audie's face - "Oh, brother...Here we go..."

"Adam!  Come sit by the babies!"

Adam's not enthused, Audie's distracted by what?  Anaya's still mad...

Adam's thinking it's funny that Audie is trying to bend over and eat the grass...Anaya's still mad...

Adam doesn't understand why sitting up is so hard, Audie's still distracted, Anaya's still mad...yet we keep trying...

Adam is pushing Audie's head, trying to get him to look at the camera.  Anaya is still mad...push through it...

Audie finally sat up straighter and Adam started clapping, .  Anaya has apparently gone from "mad" to "pissed."

And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for - that one, perfect shot...

This is it.

We're in way over our heads.

New Adventures!

Alan and I decided before we even moved here that we had to get SCUBA certified while here.  It's one of the best places in the world to dive and there was no way we were going to miss out on that.  But then the twins...

Recently, I awoke from the bubble I've been living in for the last 6 months and realized I really wanted to do this...NOW.  But classes were all filled up for August and September, so we are on the schedule to get our SCUBA certification in October.  Wooohooo!  Can't wait!  To tie me over, and get a tiny taste of what it would be like, Alan thought I should try snorkeling.  He's done it before, and thought that I needed to make sure I enjoyed that before trying to dive.  So yesterday, we rented some fins, snorkels and masks, and hit the sea wall.

I cannot even put in to words how amazing it was.  The coral was so colorful and abundant and beautiful.  Swimming around the coral were all those beautiful fish you see at the Aquariums.  We don't have a waterproof camera, so I stole some pictures to show you what kinds of things we saw.  A dive camera is definitely on the list of "wants" now, though.  If we saw such amazing things trolling around on the surface, I cannot wait to see what we'll see when we dive. 

Of course, a clown fish living in a sea anemone:

Tons of big, bright blue starfish:

photo source

Moorish Idols:

photo info for Clown fish and Moorish Idol

A few Needlefish:

picture source

Tons of live coral, similar to this:

picture source

Of course, we saw hundreds of fish and I'm no fish expert, so it took long enough to even look up the names of the fish above, using descriptions.  You don't need to know the names of all the fish we saw.  What you need to know is it was amazing.  You really should be jealous.  You really should get yourself some dive training and get your butt over here to dive with us.  I mean, what's it going to take to get you people to come see us??  I had to create two lives to get my own Mom here, so I guess I'm going to have to come up with something really good to get everyone else here.  When the money tree out back blooms again, we'll buy everyone tickets.  How about that?  Deal.         

   

He's Got My Number

Any time we are out in public and I really need Adam to listen to me, I will find a sign that conveniently says exactly what I need it to say so that he will follow instructions.  The sign that reads, "Maximum Occupancy - 240 People " will suddenly read "Any kids who get in the waiter's way won't get dessert."  Sure, I recognize that my window of time for using this strategy is dwindling, but we're not there yet and it generally works like a charm.  Plus, I'm counting on him being much better at listening by the time he can fully read.  On Friday, I picked Adam and Robert up from school.  On  the way home, Adam was telling Robert that we were going to stay in a log cabin at Torii Beach for his birthday. 

Robert: "Me, too?"

Adam: "No, you're not going.  You're staying home." 

Robert: "I want to go."

Adam: "There's a sign at the cabin that says 'No little boys like Robert can come here.'" 

Robert (super-bummed): "But I'm not little, I'm big."

Adam: "The sign says 'No boys like Robert can come here."

I think he's on to me.

In other news...

The twins had their six-month check-ups the other day.  Here are the stats:

Anaya:  15 lbs. 1 oz. (40%), 26.5 in. (75%) - she grew 2 inches since June 28th!

Audie:  15 lbs. 10 oz. (20%), 27 in. (75%) - he grew 1.5 inches

They're both long & lean...shocking, once again.  Also shocking, Anaya is taking her sweet little princess time getting on-track for gross motor skills.  Why on earth would anyone learn to roll over or crawl when all they have to do is scream and someone will run right over and flip them over or move them?  She'll do it when she's good n' ready, by golly.  And she won't care how long you've been waiting on her to do it.  That's her!  Hmm...this sounds remarkably like someone else I knew growing up...

    

In The Blink Of An Eye...

...That's how quickly four years passes. 

Four years ago today, at 12:40 a.m., I jumped out of bed just before my water broke.  Four hours and two minutes later, Adam arrived.  He was in a hurry then and still is.  Crawling and walking were merely stepping stones to running.  Adam is smart and funny and overflowing with energy.  He writes all his letters, his name, and reads a little bit.  He's well-spoken and witty and has become his own little person with his own quirky little personality.  He's a great big brother.  It is completely unbelievable to me that four years have gone by.  It just seems too fast.  Where did that time go?  It's easy to forget, so I'm glad there are pictures to help me remember.

The day Adam was born - he's always been very expressive:

Nine months and already getting into things:

First Birthday - the second run at cake since the first one failed:

14 Months - he started "helping" with things, like raking leaves:

18 Months - he loved chapstick:

At two, he was always ready to help Daddy wash the cars:

And he still loved to snuggle with Mommy:

At two, he redecorated the bathroom with my pantyliners...and got busted:

At three, he wanted to be a fireman:

And he started hustling people at Go Fish:

No matter what it looks like, he always wants to ride in the car-cart:

What a ride the last four years have been.  I can't wait for the rest :)

Happy Birthday, Adam!

 

He's Kind of a Big Deal

The other day, as Alan was getting dressed for work, Adam was asking him about the patches on his flight suit.  In particular, he wanted to know what all the different wings meant.  When Adam asked about the wings on Alan's chest, Alan told him "those wings let Daddy fly in the Air Force."  Adam's reply?  "Well, that means you're pretty much big."  It's hard to convey it through typing, but he said it like he was inferring that Daddy was a "big deal," as opposed to just a big person.  I would imagine it makes Alan feel pretty good, to know that his boy thinks he's kind of a big deal ;)

Here's a recent video and a couple of pictures of Adam swimming - he really started to improve this past week and just took off!  On one hand, I'm so glad he's learning to swim, but on the other hand - he's getting a little too brave for his britches.  I almost liked it better when he was afraid of the water.

Oh-oh, Livin' on a Prayer

When we found out we were having twins, we consulted immediately with the people we knew who had twins (oddly enough, we know about six families with twins).  Everyone said the first year was the worst and if we could make it through it, we would be fine.  I cannot even believe I'm about to utter these words:  Anaya and Audie are SIX MONTHS OLD!  They are halfway through their first year - the craziest year of our lives.  On one hand, it feels like these past six months have just flown by, it's such a blur.  But on the other hand, it's been the longest six months of my life.  I mean, these guys are demanding and high-maintenance!  I'm not sure where they get that from.  They are on a schedule now, for the most part, which makes life easier, but it's still very crazy.  I force them to be on the same schedule, which is really necessary when you have multiples.  If I didn't, I would probably have all grey hair and be insane.  I'd never even get a chance to go pee.  When they go down for naps, I literally shut their door and run through the house, doing chores.  You think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not.  I run from our room down to the laundry room to load laundry, back to our room to make the bed, to Adam's room to tidy up, to the kitchen to wash bottles and maybe eat, to our bathroom to shower and, if I'm lucky (if everyone's lucky, really), shave my legs.  But I never want to push it because if I take too long in the shower, I won't have time to check email and facebook and shop online and Skype with everyone.  Alas, no matter how quickly I shower, someone is always crying when I get out.  It's like Murphy's Law.  So I quickly dress and run to their room, praying as I run that the crying one hasn't awoken the other one.  They usually have.  So then I pick up the crying one to calm them down and that, naturally, makes the other one jealous.  They get pissed if they aren't the one chosen first.  So I run to the living room with the one I'm holding and put them somewhere satisfactory (usually unsuccessfully), while I run back to retrieve the other one, who is screaming.  I bring that one in and start playing with them both and, finally, exhale.  They are awake for about two hours, during which they eat and play and talk.  Then, it's time for another nap and we do it all over again.  As crazy as it is, though, things continue to get easier to manage.  One of these days I may even start a baby book for these two!  I'm not holding my breath, though.  I'll make sure and keep the photos organized on the hard drive, though, so they can pour through them when they're older and want to see what they were like as babies.  It shouldn't take them long.  As it turns out, there isn't much time for snapping cute photos of twins.
     

Anaya

Photography by Adam:

Anaya has a smile that will absolutely melt your heart...but you still have to work a little bit to see that smile.  Turn on the Mommy and Daddy show.  Or just turn her toward the Adam show - it's always on.  She continues to strive for royalty in all she does.  If you aren't doing exactly what she wants you to do, she'll demand that you do.  If you're holding her while she's trying to sleep and you're talking, she'll reach up and put her hand on your face or mouth, to tell you to shut it.  She likes her beauty sleep, and is a great sleeper.  She sleeps through most nights, from about 11 p.m. until about 6 a.m., which is great.  Sometimes she wakes up around 5 a.m. and gets a little chatty, though, which is not so great.  Thankfully, she'll usually go back to sleep when no one takes her conversation bait.  She's going to be a handful, though, and I'm scared.  Rosie should be too, because she's watching her every move.  Poor Rosie.  Both babies are fully in to baby food now, so it's fun to have them try new things.  Anaya has dramatically gagged and coughed and stuck out her tongue when trying carrots, squash and peas.  She can't just spit it out, of course, because that wouldn't be the diva thing to do.  She's got to make a scene.  She's still got a worse temper than Audie and cries the loudest, especially when she's hungry.  She comes by that honestly, though.  Who could blame her?  It sucks to be hungry!  I hear ya', Sweetheart.  Speaking of Sweetheart, that's what Adam calls her - "Hey Sweetheart!  Good morning!  You're soooo silly!"  She loves Adam and he seems to love her too.  It's funny to see that he already interacts differently with Anaya than with Audie.  Anaya loves to watch Adam ham it up and she just laughs at him.  That's just what I need - someone encouraging him!  For the most part, Anaya is the serious one.  She's not as smiley as Audie and she's not as easy to please, but she's coming around little by little.  She loves peek-a-boo and she loves the bath.  She's just now beginning to look interested in rolling over and moving away from wherever we've put her.  She's a little behind Audie on that front, but that's okay by me.  Two learning to be mobile at the same time...there just aren't enough Karinas in the world.* 

Audie

Another one by Adam:

Audie is more of a joker.  He's sweet and smiley and cuddly and loud and excited about you.  He especially loves when you put your face close to him and he can reach up and touch it.  It's really kinda sweet...until he tries to rip your nose off.  He loves to play peek-a-boo and even uses his blankie to cover his face and play.  He doesn't seem to require as much sleep as the princess, which throws a wrench in the whole "keep them on the same schedule" plan.  His naps are shorter, which I'm learning to deal with, schedule-wise.  Sometimes he sleeps all night just fine, but he is mobile in the form of rolling and scooting, so he gets into predicaments at night that he cannot get himself out of and requires assistance.  Sometimes a dozen times a night.  And after you've tasted the sweetness of a full-night's rest, it's tough to go back.  Luckily, Adam has told me recently that I can just sleep all day, so I'm looking forward to catching up on all that lost sleep.  As far as eating is concerned, Audie is a total mess!  He is, without a doubt, going to be my little mudpie-making (and eating, probably) child.  He insists on "helping" the spoon to his mouth and he's really strong, so inevitably the spoon misses his mouth and hits his chin or cheek.  Then, he spits some out and puts his hands in his mouth and rubs them all over his face and legs.  He'll try anything twice, though.  The first time he tries it, I'm usually successful because he takes it and swallows it before he realizes it tastes funny.  The second time, he realizes it the moment it hits his tongue and he'll spit it out.  Audie is generally easy to please and is pretty easy-going.  Often times, he doesn't even bother to cry because his sister has that covered enough for the both of them.  But he is beginning to develop a little bit of a temper lately.  If I'm doing something he doesn't want, he'll just swing at me.  He's got a killer left hook.  He's nearly sitting up by himself and he's dangerously close to pushing up onto all fours when he's on his belly.  I think he'll be crawling soon.  Then, it will be time to bring Mom over for another three months.

Well, I think I'll wrap up here.  All the kids are in bed and I haven't had a shower in a couple of days, so I think I'll capitalize on the opportunity.  Maybe I'll even get to shave my legs ;)       

*Karina is my mamasan and, quite possibly, an Angel, for those who don't know

Step On The Gas!

The other day Adam and I were leaving the house to head to his swim lesson and I told him to get in Daddy's car.  In true three-year-old fashion, he asked in a whiny voice, "Whyyyy?"  I replied, "Because it has more gas."  He said, "Oh.  I thought you had more gas because you go faster than Daddy."  So I asked, "Does Daddy drive fast?" and he replied, "No, he drives sloooow."  Ha.