8 months!

Along with the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Day we celebrated the girls 8 months of life. I won't get into the whole rant of the time flying by but you can see for yourself. I can hardly keep up with this blog!



Unlike their other monthly milestones Jorge & I got to spend the day at home with them to celebrate their 8 months. At this point the girls are still scooting around on their bellies and use their arms on occasion to move around. They love flipping over, not on the floor, but on the changing table when you need them to stay still & face up. For some reason they use their diaper changes to explore all the small things around them. They sit up on their own pretty well on their own now. So much that, the girls have decided life on their bottoms are MUCH better then lying around on your back. They really enjoy their excersaucer & this little walker that rolls around an activity table...the smile on their faces tells it all. Independence!




This month we introudced Cati & Val to the big girl tub. They enjoy bath time much more now that they can play with toys and sit up on their own & they can also play with each other err take toys from each other. YIKES!

Food-wise..the world is their oyster! But no big chunks mom! They eat a wide array of foods so long as the chunks are not too big or stringy. Go figure, already they're developing their preferences.

Here they're eating french fries. Before you cringe at what I'm subjecting my children to please note that these are organic & baked not fried. Clearly Cati preferred to play with her wiggly fries...and Val (no surprise) decided good food should not be wasted as you can barely see the fry in her hand & in her mouth!
Never a dull moment.

Cati & her fry guy!


Val making sure no one comes to take her fry!
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Val Says Mama...err something like it!

I finally heard it for myself after never ending days of DA DA DA & PA PA PA those lovely sounds that every mother longs to hear from the mouths of babes, MA MA MA My dear sweet Valentina has decided to wrap her mom around her little finger by saying those lovely words. Please allow me to indulge myself. Of course I know she has no idea what she's saying. But part of my likes the idea that my daughter is calling me for once. As well as the ability to finally see the smirk on Jorge's face melt when his daughter now calls MEEEEE her mother. The person who's at her beckon call day and night.

I always did share a different bond with Val. You see my little peanut was the smallest of the two. She was only 4lbs when she was born. And she had a very special place in my belly. A spot that caused days upon days of painful agony! Val was a breech baby laterally positioned towards the right side of my belly. You could literally see a large round bulge the size of a grapefruit stick out of my right side near my armpit. I really thought one day she would actually crack one of my ribs that's how bad the pain was. She was so wedged in there in fact that when they were trying to deliver her they had to kind of scoot her down similar to when you're trying to get the last of the toothpaste in the tube. Yes, just like that! They couldn't even turn her around to get her out head first so she was delivered breech. Her birth was pretty incredible because of how long it took to get her out of the small nook she created for herself in my womb. Throughout my pregnancy there was never any doubt when she moved & when she stayed perfectly still. I guess this was her way of say thanks mom for all you went through with me...aahhh. At least in my mind. All that to say my little girl can say "ma ma" :)

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Trying to catch up!

The holidays came & went and once again I feel like the rat race or the parent's race is upon us. Everyday there's projects, errands, chores, etc. to catch up on. When do we find time to blog & update our "History Book" I've developed here. The girls are quickly approaching 8 months & this month is no different then the others with developments, milestones, new worries, and yes, even more things to do!

Valentina surprised us this month by deciding she was going to be more vocal. Like most constantly worried, over protective, new parent Jorge & I were wondering what was "wrong" with her? We couldn't figure out why Catalina's speech was flourishing with new consonants including da da & pa pa & ba ba and Val was just sitting there just observing her sister in all her vocal glory. One night after considering bringing the topic with her pediatrician OUT came the noises & sounds of Val's mouth. I'm sure any veteran parent will say "I told you so" on this one but I'm new at this so please bear with me. I'm sure this will happen over & over & over again. My new worry is that Catalina seems like she want to start crawling when placed on her belly while Val seems to screech at the very thought of you placing her anywhere near her belly! She's quite happy to have mastered sitting on her own & she will contently watch her sister struggle with trying to become mobile.
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A weekend of Firsts!!

We experienced quite a few firsts this weekend all beginning with the girls' 7 month mark on Friday December 19th!

The morning of their 7 month birthday :)

I have to note that this month Cati seems so amused by her doll showing big giant smiles when I show her the plush lovable blond doll. And seems to be amused with her & she can be entertained by the rather plain doll for a pretty long time.



This week we had our first snowfall of the season & I managed to get out right after I put the girls to bad to catch a quick snapshot of the occasion. It was very peaceful & sweet I thought. Later this weekend we got pummeled by more snow on Friday and Sunday...so what was initially welcomed with great awe & novelty is now turning into a huge headache.



And finally we got celebrate a birthday for my first little girl...TOPAZ! She is now 4 years old and a grown up in dog years. AAAHHH it's all happening way too fast. We had a small celebration for her & her birthday gift consisted of some yummy organic all beef hotdogs. And yes, she got everything she wanted for her birthday.




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Time Flies!!!

As the official holidays are upon us I'm realizing that it's all happening so fast! I've heard one too many times..."Enjoy it! They grow up so quickly." But I'm seeing that's it's so true. My once little peanuts are these large active munchkins! SHOCK! What happened to my tiny barely mobile preemies?? It kind of makes me a little sad. I'll probably repeat this story over & over again but whatever. I remember bringing them home in this oversized car seat & watching to see if they were okay at every turn during our 30 minute journey home. And they slept ever so still all the way home. They were so delicate back then...weighing in at barely 4lbs each after 10 days in the NICU.

Now they're a wopping 15lbs which is more then tripled their birth weight! And they wiggle all the time. They can barely keep still for more then 30 seconds on my lap. They twist & turn during the diaper change kicking their legs up in the air so you get all the Desitin everywhere but on their bottom where it belongs. They laugh & giggle & scream out vowels. Catalina is starting to use some consonants in her yodeling sessions lately. She also looks like she's on the verge of a real crawl not the scooting she now does on her back or on her elbows. Valentina is the a literal jumping bean & I swear she must have the strongest little legs. Could we have a gymnast on our hands? Or perhaps a WNBA star :) AAAAAHHH every mother's dream!

The girls turn 7 months next week & I sit & wonder where did it all go?? When did it all happen?? Will I have time to do all the things I want to do with them before they're off to college??

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Our 1st Halloween!!

This is the first of many foolish & ridiculous Halloween antic!! I can't wait!!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

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OBAMA! OBAMA! OBAMA!

I bet my friends are tired of me texting them all night! OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA!!

But I woke up this morning & rubbed my eyes to make sure I hadn't dreamt it all. I looked for the paper on the driveway & there it was in BIG BLACK LETTERS...OBAMA Racial Barrier Falls In Decisive Victory. Need I say more that November 4th 2008 will go down in history. And we were here & we witnessed this historic event. It's not a story told to us by grandparents, teachers, and history books. It is a real life event for us! My daughters were here & will be a part of this momentus time in history. Their first years of their life will be under the very first black president of the United States. I'm shocked and overwhelmed and it's even difficult to find the words. But I have a renewed sense of hope and inspiration for the future of this country. As a parent I am relieved, there's hope for a bright future that my girls can look forward to. I wonder if they will ever know just HOW BIG this is? I wonder if they will ever know what a phenomenal moment in history this is? I wonder if they will appreciate that in 2008 the year they were born America CHANGED forever. This country would never be the same again. I wonder if they realize that this was never expected in OUR lifetime.

To my daughters Catalina and Valentina: November 4th 2008, you were 5 months old. Your dad & I took the day off because something in our hearts told us that today would be an extra special day. We didn't know it that day when we woke up but by the time we went to bed we found ourselves unable to fall asleep from all of the excitement. The events of that day will never be forgotten. It was a day of many firsts. We took you both to our voting location. It was a warm Indian summer day in November. We decided that we were going to vote as a family so we took the nice walk over to Bergenfield High School. We even joked that one day you both may be coming here to vote in just 17 years! :) As we walked toward the school we saw others taking time out of their work day to come & vote. As we walked into the hall everyone had something to say to us about the twins coming to vote. We smiled and thanked them for the compliments and moved on to the business at hand. Your dad & I signed in and walked behind the curtains to cast our ballots. I remember feeling so anxious and nervous as we walked out. Your dad & I smiled congratulated each other and the both of you on your very first presidential election vote! We walked out as though our vote today meant something more then any other vote we'd ever cast in the past. You see this year, 2008, was one of the most unprecedented presidential races we'd ever seen. And today we knew that all of the hard work these candidates had experienced the last 22 months would come to an end. At that moment the end was so uncertain. We talked about how we would describe this day to the two of you. We talked about how we would recount the day's events and really were so excited that we could sit you down & tell you all about it...one day. We got back home to check out the news on the TV and your dad decided he couldn't watch anymore until at least 6pm which is when some Indiana polls would close. So we distracted ourselves with other obligations for the day. We took you both to the doctors for your 5 month visit & you got your polio vaccine. Like good girls you didn't cry much & the doctor said you were doing WONDERFULLY!! Cati weighed 13lbs 8oz and Val weighed 13lbs 6oz and you both were over 25 inches long. We took you to do some shopping & had dinner at Applebees before heading back home. I kept thinking if my babies weren't so small we'd be somewhere with a large crowd to watch the results come in. But here you were so we planned out the last feeding for you that night & we were anxious to put you to bed soon! As we got your ready for bed Valentina decided this would be HER day in history too!!! One minute you were on your back & the next minute you decided to roll over on your belly for the first time. I bet it was all the excitement of the day. Your dad & I laughed and cheered as we celebrated your milestone. After all the excitement you both went to bed without much fuss. And like never before you slept soundly despite all of the yelling & laughing & talking we did most of the night. While you slept we watched this incredible orator take over the night in a race never before seen in hisotry since the days of Abraham Lincoln. We watched the news without flinching and struggling to stay awake because THIS night would be a special night for sure. Our nerves worked us through a ton of left over Halloween candy & ice cream! We watching diligently as state by state got announced blue or red. First big one New Hampshire, Vermont, the beginning of the end was nearing when Pennsylvania got announced blue, Orlando county in Florida was looking like it was going blue too. Virginia was being announced as a race too close to call and North Carlonia looked like it was going blue too. The whole northeast was now blue. Ohio results coming in was looking like blue too! Florida still too close to call but the blue was leading. As 10pm rolled in we couldn't help get excited but were too scared (like the media) to celebrate too soon. I was dozing off when your dad yelled "get up get up this is it! California polls are closing in a minute" And then I saw it on the big screen...CNN PROJECTS Senator Obama PRESIDENT ELECT! And that's how history was made.

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