one more week off

Well, Norma quit communicating with us, so we had to move on. We weren't sure if we could get in touch with Gillian, so while we tried to contact her, we set up more interviews so that we wouldn't be stuck if she didn't work out since I was planning on returning to work on the 3rd. We had some options since Rice has an emergency backup child care service that we could have used as well as access to a daycare center while in between child care arrangements. Interview after interview and many calls related to the backup care consumed our days in between feeding, burping, changing, washing, and the typical every day stuff. Then, a relief came because Gillian sent us a happy new year text, so we knew we would be able to get in touch with her while she was away. She said she was still interested in the job, so D set up a call with her and worked out the details. She wants to give her school a week's notice, so she'll start with us on the 9th. She agreed to come by for a couple hours after work next week to learn about the house, get to know the babies, etc. It turns out my firm isn't set up for my return on the 3rd anyway, so I will start back when Gillian starts full time. I love my babies, but I did have a freak out moment when I thought we wouldn't find anyone and was terrified of the prospect of being stuck at home forever. I guess that means I'm ready to go back to work! D has been home all week this week and has Monday off, too, so once the stress of child care was lifted, we have enjoyed lots of great 4-family time. He's an amazing dad, so while I really enjoy spending time with him, it's been even more wonderful watching him enjoy his time with the kids.

Christmas pics

Sorry it's been awhile. More on that later...

Here are some of our favorite pictures from the Vassariños' first Christmas.



The obligatory family picture by the tree.




Wonderful picture of Oma with Sylvia.




Thank goodness for digital cameras. We took a lot to get this one...

no, there weren't any witnesses...

Sylvia said, "Mama".  Clearly and distinctly, two syllables, both beginning with an Mmmmm sound.  And guess who was sitting in front of her.  You're right.  Me.  I told D about it and he asked if there were any other witnesses.  No, there weren't.  But I promise she did.  Never mind that she is probably just testing out consonants and in no way associated the Mmmm sound with me.  Never mind that she's a little congested and she was probably just making different sounds as she tries to breathe while jabbering.  She clearly said, "Mama".  I heard it with my own two ears.  And as soon as I go write it down in her baby book, it'll be as good as gospel.

Merry Christmas to me!

pics of the latest tricks

Each of the Vassariños is choosing their own skills to excel at. Having twins really makes you realize that kids develop at their own rate and there's no need to worry too much about the developmental milestones if one is advanced or behind. Somehow, these amazing beings figure out what they need to figure out.

Here is Sylvia lifting her head and checking out the world. She doesn't want to miss a thing!


And here is Rafael grabbing and holding onto his new toy. Sylvia has no interest in inanimate objects. And Rafael sees no need to lift his head and look around. These differences will help make them uniquely endearing and help them escape the curse of always being lumped together as a pair.

Nanny search update

We interviewed about half a dozen ladies to take care of the little babes. For the first few, I was interested in making sure that the ladies were interested in interacting with the kiddos and not just sticking them in a swing and calling it a day. Then we met Norma. She had such a sweet disposition that I thought, even if she doesn't do all the developmental stuff, if our kids pick up her sweet disposition, that's more important. After she left, I asked D who his favorite was. He picked Norma. So, I thought, this is perfect! We both agree! We still had another interview scheduled for the next evening. Gillian showed up and was everything I had hoped for in a nanny before meeting Norma! That was a really difficult decision. Two excellent, although very different candidates. We ended up deciding on Norma and called her on Monday to offer her the job. D gave her the run down, but she said she was driving and asked if she could call us back that night or in the morning. Tuesday, nothing. I sent her a text telling her that I hoped she would accept. Tuesday night, D texted her. Still nothing. I got worried. We certainly don't want to hire a flake! Wednesday, we finally learned that she interviewed with another family that has shorter hours (she would get off at 4) and only one child. Although I'm a little nervous that she would accept with us and look for something better, we are still holding out for her. I'm not sure what we would do if she doesn't accept. Gillian is now in Mexico until in scheduled to start back at work and most of the ladies wanted 2 weeks' notice. So, I guess we are just really hoping Norma will work out and if not, we'll figure something out at that point. It's a little uncharacteristic of me because I tend to plan ahead with plan B and plan C, but I'm trying to embrace a more flexible approach to life since I think I will need that more and more.

Quick baby update, Rafa has started grabbing on to toys by himself. He doesn't look and grab, but does grab if the toy crosses the path of his hands. Sylvia has blessed us with three nights that she went down when we put her down for bed and slept until the evening feeding rather than not going down and only briefly snoozing every once in awhile for a couple hours. We hope it continues. We will be much better parents if we have turned a corner there. Her third time of cooperation was last night, which was a special treat since I went to the hospital to visit a dear friend who had heart surgery on Monday (hubby to Candy, who has been an angel to me and the babies helping out at least once a week and providing heaps of encouragement and laughter). He has had the most amazing recovery so far and looks tremendously good given that they opened his chest for a 6-hour surgery. I was glad Miss Sylvia let D off easy for letting me head out.

pep rally

"We convinced our parents to search for a new nanny so they have to take us to the game today."



Rafa is warming up his lungs.

season's greetings

lil elves

Dear Santa, define 'Good'




Yeah, that's probably not it...




That's better.



Fun Elf socks.

the return to work part 2

The firm put together a couple more options for my return to work and now I have a really hard decision to make. They came up with some part time options that are attractive enough to make my decision very difficult. I hadn't really wanted to be a part timer. I'm at the stage in my career when things are really moving in the right direction and although there's probably never a good time to slow down, it feels like a particularly bad time to do so. D and I decided I should at least consider what part time would look like for our family so I've been exploring that with the firm. As a female lawyer, I've always heard horror stories about women who tried part time and I have been skeptical, but my firm proposed an option that I think is probably rare and good for everyone. So, now I have even more soul searching to do. Good thing I'm up in the middle of the night anyway.

oh, what a night!

I wish I could report that the Vassariños slept for hours on end, but they didn't. What they did do, though, is go to sleep when we put them down and stay asleep until feeding time!! We typically have to go back a few times for Sylvia, but she let us enjoy our evening with our dear friends, Candy and Bill and my parents. What a treat!

I broke out the camera yesterday and took some pics and discovered just joe much Sylvia and Rafael are starting to resemble each other. And not just because Rafael feels bad for his baldy sister and has started losing his hair (or is it his dad he's trying to emulate?...)

cooking again!

I prepared my first meal last night that was more involved than just heating up a frozen lasagna, tossing a salad, or ordering pizza. Nothing super fancy, portobello pizzas, so it was mostly just wash, mix, assemble and heat, but I consider it a big step forward. I did it while wearing Sylvia with Rafael in a bouncy chair in the kitchen (both snoozing, thank goodness).

It might not look super appetizing, but it's fresh food! And it was quite delicious, if I do say so myself.


I can't wait to see what I can whip up tonight!! Yes, I get excited about the little things.

the nanny search

The search for the Vassariños' primary care giver has begun. We had thought we were saved from this whole drama because we were working with a wonderful lady who came from time to time to help me out. She cared for a friend's child for 18 years. Unfortunately, I learned that she smokes. She claims it's only social, but I smelled it on her a few times. I might be a crazy mom (this is now the second that didn't work out if you count the night nanny), but my pedi said that if I smell it, the babies are inhaling it. And imagine all the cuddling and burping, etc. that puts them in close proximity to the grossness. I'm also probably more turned off than the average person by cigarette smoke. Ew.

So, back to the drawing board. I keep telling myself that nobody will do everything exactly like I would, so I need to be sure that the disqualifying characteristics are really objectionable. It seems like there is a quirk for just about everyone. Two nannies want to leave by 5pm, which I can't guarantee on a regular basis with the current offer from my workplace. I just learned that another works for someone we know and we don't want to be a nanny stealer! Fortunately, we have a few more leads and a little more time, but the process is certainly very exhausting. I do think we've met some really wonderful ladies along the way and it's more about finding the right situation than a quality person.

Off for our (2x/week?) walk to CVS. The CVS employees will probably be glad when I don't get to bring the giant stroller in any more next year. They probably think I pilfer shampoo under the blankets...

Sibling smiles!!

One of the most common questions we get is whether the twins interact with each other or even know that the other exists. Up until yesterday morning, we really weren't sure. There were things that happened that could have been a recognition of the other, but were probably just coincidence. Yesterday morning, however, Rafael was lying on my left and when D brought Sylvia to my right, he looked at her and gave we a huge smile, to which she responded with her own giant grin!!! D and I loved it and added our own huge smiles. It was particularly fun that we both were there to see it. One big happy family. :-)

work and family

Much to my surprise, in the past month, I've lost more sleep stressing about trying to figure out a return to work with my firm that makes sense for all involved than from babies' demands. I guess I always thought I had found the place where I could balance work and family. But, we seem to be struggling to figure something out. Maybe I should have expected it since I know it has been a struggle for so many, but I naively didn't think it would be this hard. I now have a more profound respect for women and their employers who have found solutions to this dilemma. It's only a little ironic to me that I work at a majority women-owned firm...

I guess I'll have to resort to counting sheep (or my version, counting down from 300 by 3s) to see if I can catch a few Zs before the next feed. Hopefully, I won't reach zero!

hernia update

D had work out in the Woodlands today, which might as well be out of town.  So, our dear friend, Candy, agreed to accompany me to the hospital for Sylvia's appointment with the pediatric surgeon.  That was a huge relief to me, partly because I'm terrible at asking all the right medical questions and remembering what I'm told, and partly because if I went on my own, I'm certain both babies would lose it.

We walked over to the hospital, which put the kiddos right to sleep so they could be on their best behavior.  We first got to chat with "Mike" (I think he's a resident), who gave us the low down on the surgery and what to expect.  We learned that we definitely need to have the surgery done, that we need to wait until she grows enough to handle a tube down her throat for the anesthesia and that it's likely day surgery and she'll be back to herself in a couple days.  Candy was phenomenal in asking good questions, taking notes, and making sure we covered everything.  So good, that I think Mike thought that we were couple and she is one of the parents of the twins.  Two women come in with twins...

Mike fetched the surgeon who is also a member of twins club and who explained what is going on and what surgery will be like.  Turns out, it's probably not her intestines that pop out, but her ovaries!  Strange.  We will have an ultrasound in January, on Epiphany, also their 4-month birthday, to confirm that surgery needs to be done.  Then, we will go in for surgery on Friday, the 13th.  It should be day surgery unless there is an anesthesia is that requires an overnight stay.

Amazingly, throughout the entire visit, both babies were incredibly calm and didn't cry, even when the docs were poking at Sylvia.  And, probably also since I didn't go alone, because what's the fun in that?  We were even more amazed that in the giant waiting room at Texas Children's, which was filled with, you guessed it, children, we never heard a single child crying.  It was quite surreal.  They must be pumping something into the air.  I might start taking the babies on all our afternoon walks over there and just hang out in the waiting room.

hold your head up--high!

I'm still pretty amazed at how this whole development thing works.  The kids just start doing the things they need to do without any encouragement or teaching.  Their head control has gotten to be much, much better.  We are almost ready for jumperoos and exersaucers and strollers without car seats and being carried on the hip without head support and so many other wonderful things that will make caring for them much, much easier.  Sylvia has started pushing herself up and lifting her head during tummy time.  Ignore the fact that this angle on my phone makes her look like an alien...






Rafael's version is a little less impressive...  Perhaps because his head is so big.






As the kids have started wowing us with their head control, we can't help but break into the Rod Argent song:

hiccup hiccup

Ever since they've been in the womb, the little guys have had serious hiccups.  For most of their lives, they would get the hiccups after every feeding.  That has waned a little, so when they were both hiccuping, I thought I had better get a video before we won't ever have another hiccup ping-pong match again.

a big weekend

D and I are starting to feel human again rather than trolls living in a hovel. Thursday night (that's when the weekend starts, right?), I left D to put the kids to bed while I joined one of my book clubs for our December meeting at a 'winery'. I resisted the wine until I saw how many glasses of port were going wasted at the end of the tasting and felt obliged to not let there be such waste. Our lives have really changed, since holiday conversation now revolves around sharing stories of the craziest places we've pumped...

Saturday morning some dear friends came over and walked with us to brunch. D and I wore the kids and they pretty much slept through the entire experience, which was lovely for all involved. We might have paid for it later because the kiddos are starting to be real pills in the afternoon/evening. Sylvia's night screaming has turned into 3pm until whenever we finally get her settled for bed screaming (anywhere between 7 and 9). It's better than the middle off the night, but isn't exactly a warm welcome when D gets home from work. So, Saturday she was in rare form. To be fair, we were only privy to her excitement until 6:30, when we left for a night of holiday festivities. Then, the nanny came to relieve us and rock her for a few hours. Trying to dress and groom ourselves while preparing two babies for bed was a new and special challenge. Perhaps next time we'll have the nanny come a few minutes early. We're still learning. We really enjoyed the night out, and the babies still slept well that night! Unfortunately, I didn't. Maybe it was the excitement of the evening, but my brain started going and wouldn't quit and I probably got the least amount of sleep since the kiddos were born. Part of it was some work stress, so I suppose I'm just preparing myself for my return at the beginning of the year.

Sunday morning, the Vassariños made their church debut. We were pleased that we could bring them to see the choir who has been incredibly supportive throughout this adventure. They were on their best behavior and slept most of the service. The babies, that is, not the choir. Silly pronouns. I had Sylvia in the moby wrap, so only her little face and legs were sticking out. That was unfortunate because nobody got to see her ridiculously giant pink bow. It was also the first time she wore a dress (with pants, totally stylin', I'm certain).



Sunday afternoon was the typical football and naps, which topped off the weekend with the Texans' win with a rookie quarterback.

Awesome!




And a couple random pics from the weekend to enjoy:

The thinker.



They will soon outgrow being able to sleep in the same crib. :-(

happy 12 weeks! (Tuesday)

With the Vassariños' 12 week celebration came some cooler weather. Which was the perfect excuse to dress them in the winter/holiday PJs we have. I think they're hysterical. We even had matching pacis and hats. You'd almost think I have it all together and dress them alike every day. Don't be fooled.

and he's proving me wrong

Rafael apparently didn't like the post about his not smiling and turned it up a notch:

faces series

Rafa doesn't smile like Sylvia, but he does make some great faces!

latest goings on

Our first dim sum experience and first outing that isn't a doctor's office:



Fun with Grandmother and Granddaddy:



Rafa holding his bottle. Not really, but he's trying!



If you don't sleep at night, you get to hang with mommy while she blogs:



We still love how she rests on her hands:



This is how Daddy plays in the morning...

pink vs. blue

Sylvia and Rafael look quite different. From day 1, she has had a very feminine look, very delicate, porcelain doll-like, while he has had a very masculine look, like a bruiser or linebacker.  I don't know if I'm selectively choosing things to focus on, but they also have exhibited gender-stereotyped characteristics.  Rafael pretty much just wants to eat and sleep, he eats quickly and voraciously and is incredibly messy, and his physical development has exceeded his social development--he likes to stand up (assisted) and grabs things, but doesn't social smile yet.  Sylvia, on the other hand, loves to be held and is generally unhappy otherwise, she is very social and smiles and coos, but doesn't have much interest in motor skills.  I've always bristled at gender stereotypes, but I do find these developments fascinating.  I don't think we've done anything this early on to reinforce gender stereotypes, although I admit I think it's eventually inescapable. 

Interestingly, to me, anyway, we inherited quite a bit of clothes from our goddaughters, almost all of which is pink.  So, Rafael has often sported some very girly outfits because we felt like we would be better parents if he were clothed in pink than left naked and so we'd grab whatever was clean and accessible.  For whatever reason, I've been hesitant to take him out in public or take photos of him dressed in pink, so I've always changed him into something more "appropriate".  So, no embarrassing photos for his future rehearsal dinner--yet.

Rafa's comb-over

We brushed Sylvia's hair, too...  It looks the same.

the oooooo face

the family that sleeps together...

Rafael sigh/singing in his sleep

Ignore the part at the end when Sylvia had had enough...

smile series with a yawn