technology

Hopefully these guys can soon help their parents with all our gizmos and gadgets.

misc cuteness

smothered in love

A little help understanding what's going on: Rafa has a tiger hand puppet washcloth thing on his hand and he is using it to give kisses.  Then, he decides to give kisses himself.  Then hugs.  She tolerates it all for a little while at least.

sibling rivalry

I have learned a LOT with having boy/girl twins that might not have been apparent to me with singletons or with only having children of one gender.  See here and here, for instance. 

One other thing that has been interesting to me, both in observing the Vassariños and in our reaction to them has been the different ways that they have developed.  Everyone says that girls develop faster than boys and for us, in most cases, that has been the case.  Sylvia has many more words than Rafa, she counted first, she knows her colors and shapes, she has started learning the alphabet, etc., etc.  Probably with any siblings, it's hard not to compare them, but I think it's particularly hard with twins. 

I'm not worried about Rafa, don't get me wrong.  He'll learn at his own rate.  His personality is also more of an observer and hers is of a pleaser, so I definitely think he knows more than he lets on.  Plus, he surprises us from time to time.  For instance, we sing Jesus Loves Me before bed every night.  Sylvia babbled along very early when she started being verbal.  Over time, she has picked up more of the "words" and sings along.  Rafa was content letting us serenade him.  Then, one day, he decided to jump in and sang just about every "word".  I use quotes because I don't think that have a clue what the words mean, but they imitate the sounds.  So, who really knows what's going on in their brains, anyhow.

We definitely try to focus on embracing the different wonderful things about each one.  As they're the same age, though, it's a challenge sometimes to not always think that they need to keep up with each other on everything.  And yet, it's also a challenge not to teach to the top.  When we're reading to both kids at the same time, it's so tempting to always keep talking with Sylvia more and more as she responds to every question.  And, since she likes to answer for her brother, it's also hard to try to get Rafa to interact and participate rather than just relying on Sylvia to answer for him.

I'm sure we'll face even greater challenges in the future as they continue to develop into different people with different strengths and weaknesses as we learn to cherish their individuality and help them learn healthy ways to be proud of themselves while being inspired by others.

MDO

And so it begins. We are being inundated by information related to the Vassariños' 2-day a week Mother's Day Out program starting in September. We got a couple letters in the mail about coffees to get to know the teachers and from what I can tell a general orientation, a letter telling us that we would be receiving another letter in a few days telling us which class the kids will be in, and a couple more that I don't remember what they said.

Then, we got the email with the class roster and the name of the kids' class. They are in the doodlebug class. I wonder how you say that in Spanish?... It also looks like Sylvia might be the only girl. There's a chance one of the seemingly boy names belongs to a girl. Stockton, Joey, Tyler, Zachary, Julian, and Emersen. My top two choices for potential girls, though, would have been Joey and Tyler, but both of those kids share the name with their fathers, so those are likely boys. Maybe Emersen is a girl?

Then, I received an email asking me to be a class mom!  Ha!  I haven't even set foot in the school, yet. Probably not their best choice. Our kids are 1/4 of the class, so I bet that's why I was chosen, but I let them know that I'm highly unqualified and expecting a baby any day now, so unlikely to be able to really do the job justice. And I almost suggested they contact David since I was a little annoyed that they only have class moms and have a mom's night out, etc., but then I also don't want him to have more on his plate when baby 3 arrives in the off chance they would take me up on that.

Then, I got two more emails about helping with teacher appreciation week.  I thought these programs are supposed to give parents more time, not more responsibilities.  Isn't that why it's called Mother's Day Out?

sweetness

Rafa definitely has the sweetness gene. He loves hugs. Doles them out readily. There isn't much space in my lap these days, but he insists on finding some for reading stories and refuses to sit next to me like his sister. As uncomfortable as an elbow to the belly is, it's kind of hard to complain.

One precious moment this week, I was sitting at the dining table and he came up and rested his head against my leg. He looked up at me and just enjoyed the moment of closeness. Fortunately, and probably in part because I'm 36 weeks and not particularly active, I also paused to embrace the moment. It was a wonderful reminder to stop every once in awhile and cherish those around me. To bury my to do list in my brain and take the time to embrace something in the present. To be present.

And to look in those sweet blue eyes and be grateful for my son.

summertime fun