Christmas in California

Christmas feels so long ago (it hasn't even been a month!) but I'm having a hard time moving on to other things without posting about it. You know what that means... a great big picture list! Here are some highlights (+) and lowlights (-) from our 12 days in the glorious golden state!

+ Newport Coast. The Lees have a timeshare at the Marriott Villas there, so we enjoyed a week in paradise. I think heaven is going to be a lot like this place.

- Soooo much rain. The downpour during our CA stay might have killed me if kids and I weren't already dying from the worst colds/sinus infections ever. Saying it all dramatic like that made me realize-- it's a miracle I survived.

+ More Newport Coast. As soon as we had a break in the rain, we took the babies on their first trip to the beach!

I'm touching the ocean!

How are my baby's legs already less white than mine?

Sabrina & Olivia dancing in the water.

- Isaac eats sand. I never understood parents talking about their kids eating sand. How could you let your kid eat sand? Well, now I know-- it's because it happens faster than you can say That's the sickest thing I've ever seen, partly because it's a long thing to say. And since getting really grossed out and frustrated didn't help (I definitely tried that first), I then took some pictures. It still grosses me out though.

Blech.

+ Birthday party for the one-year-olds. Cousin Scotty & the twins were born only 5 weeks apart, straddling Christmas, so on Dec 20 we threw a Cars-themed 1st birthday party. They got some great toys from Grandma & Grandpa, but poor Scott didn't get to play with his much while Bethany was around. She just loved sitting in that wagon!

Happy birthday, babies!

Sorry Scotty.

+ First steps, wahoo!

+ Christmas Eve Eve at Uncle Andy's. It's a great Taylor family tradition, even if it meant I had to sing a Christmas song in front of everyone, while sick. We enjoyed stew and cold cuts and yummy olives, a talent show, live nativity by the little cousins, and a walk through a nearby neighborhood that goes nuts with their Christmas lights. Except Jared & I skipped out on the lights to go to...

+ Sajid & Kiran's walimah reception. My friend (and former co-worker) getting married = date night for us! It was good to see a bunch of old Mercer LA buddies. Plus, we got a taste of some Muslim wedding traditions and I got to stare at some amazing dresses. I love the vibrant colors and that they're not afraid to be sparkly. And I think henna is so pretty and feminine.

- Meeting Santa. I think he's the only person Bethany & Isaac have ever met that they don't like. I guess we'll have to work on that for the future, or else how are we going to threaten them into good behavior?

+ Christmas! All of Jared's siblings and their families were there, and Jared's parents always bend over backwards to make everyone's Christmas comfortable and special. We felt extra special spending our babies' first Christmas there with everyone.

We love Grandma & Grandpa!

A Christmas kiss!

And yes, those are Care Bear pajama pants.

Merry Christmas, babies!

All the cousins:

Olivia, Anna, Isaac, Bethany, Jacob, Sabrina & Scott

+ Family photos. Jared's sister, Johanna, is a really talented photographer, and we're so lucky she's so willing to share her talents with us every time we get together. Here's her website. (I don't think our portraits are up yet, but if you look under Portfolio and then Children you can see my babies' newborn photos!) I'll have to post our family pics when I get them, because those Lees are really good lookin'.

...especially this one.

+ Johanna is pregnant! Yay! Baby Luke joins the fam in April.

+ Sunshine and t-shirt weather, finally! Once back in Fullerton, we spent a few glorious days at the park and in the front and back yards-- a real novelty to these NYC babies (green grass right outside your door??) and bliss to me.

Isaac & Olivia

Isaac continues the tradition...

of 4 generations of Lee men to drive Great-Grandpa Orville Lee's baby blue 1960 Ford truck.

- JFK arrival. Here's how we ended our blissful vacation (in excruciating detail):

1:00 AM Arrival at JFK.

1:30 AM Baggage claim. Babies entertain fellow bag-waiters.

2:00 AM Still waiting for bags. Babies are somehow still happy but wanting to move. We take turns-- one baby and one parent walk a circle around the carousel while the other baby and parent dance a circle around our carry-ons.

2:30 AM Stilllllllll waiting. Walking and dancing circles more creatively.

3:00 AM Bags finally arrive. By this time Isaac is about to lose it so he is being swung in his infant carseat (yes, he's way too big/old for this but it made sleeping on the plane possible), and fortunately Bethany is happy to sit in the new single umbrella stroller.

3:05 AM Taxi line, outside, with the other 54 people who just got their bags. Still swinging Isaac who finally loses it and then falls asleep. Bethany's still chilling in her single, wrapped in a thousand blankets.

3:45 AM Get taxi, which fortunately (+) is an SUV. Load babies and things. Ask driver if he knows where Washington Heights is and then distrust his answer. Fall asleep with the babies in the back seat (Jared up front) only to wake up in Harlem, going the slowest way possible. Fall back asleep.

4:30 AM Home! Diaper change, jammy change (from all that walking around the airport in footed jammies, ew), babies in bed.

5:00 AM Moms & Dads in bed.

9:00 AM Babies awake, and seeing that it was 9 AM makes it actually feel like we slept in! Hooray!

+ The babies and I literally spent the next 2 days and nights sleeping like it was our jobs. It's so much easier returning to work from your vacation when sleeping is your job.

Done! Merry Christmas 2010!

and then we had toddlers

It started like this...

12/16/2010. Bethany stands on her own for the first time.

And then she did this...

12/20/2010. Bethany takes her first steps.

(Caught on video 12/26.)

And then he did this...

12/23/2010. Isaac takes his first steps. He didn't bother much with standing still first.

(Caught on video 1/12.)

And then we had toddlers.

So yes, Bethany took her first steps walking to Grandma Suzanne while we were in California. Merry Christmas, Grandma! Isaac took his first steps 3 days later. Ever since, Bethany has not stopped walking. Isaac didn't see what the big deal was and took a break for about 2 weeks, but has now caught the walking fever.

These two have been hitting their milestones so close to each other. Their first times rolling, sitting, crawling, and even cutting teeth have all been within days. Considering that fraternal twins are genetically just siblings who were born on the same day, I think that's pretty amazing! They were meant to be twins.

PS My new new year's resolution: be less annoying in videos!

Bethany & Isaac party like it's their birthday

You can't have twins that turn one and not throw a birthday party. Don't be surprised if I say that every year (and half year) of their lives. Having such a small apartment means making some compromises on the party-throwing, like not inviting all of the twins' favorite friends, but we still had a great time.

On Friday, the actual birthday, we brought cupcakes to Jared's clinic. It's really fun to go there because each baby immediately gets swiped from our arms. The babies love it, the assistants and co-residents and professors seem to enjoy it, and I get to know what it's like to have my own two arms again.

Pic of the day: the babies attack Dr. Siegel.

Friday night Jared put together a kitchen set from Mimi & Papa D. There were a bazillion pieces and it took forever, but we really love it. I had made a Happy Birthday garland on Thursday night (I liked it okay), and did some more decorating on Friday night for the party on Saturday. Fortunately there are no pictures of the other streamers I put up--not only did they look terrible but they also took me forever. I hate crepe paper. Never again. Meanwhile, we watched an old but such a good movie: In the Heat of the Night, with Sidney Poitier. Watch it!

Pic of the night: multitasking.

On Saturday, we threw a little party. Bethany & Isaac were allowed to invite two friends each, so they chose Ellie, Audrie, Odin and Gabe. We didn't want to leave out Audrie and Gabey's big brothers, Eli and Noah. And of course all of their parents. (Unfortunately Ellie decided to vacation a little longer and wasn't back yet from her holiday travel.) We love these friends and were so happy they came to celebrate with us!

This is where I can't pick just a few shots that I like best and so I post way too many...

New toy!

Odin & Zack

Jess

Linda, Abbie, Eli & Noah

Isaac, Jared, Gabe & Jon

Odin, Isaac & me

A whole bunch of toys and babies

The babies love Abbie! ...And Audrie too (sorry)

Singing to the birthday boy and girl

Cake. First they played with it. Eventually they devoured it.

...And this is where I decide that I really love every photo and send you to Picasa. Thanks to Abbie for taking a ton of gorgeous photos with your fancy camera, without us even asking! I was so hoping you would! (Every good photo you see on Picasa is hers.)

Bethany & Isaac turn 1! January 2011

babies, it's your birthday! happy birthday babies!

I'm still calling them babies while I can.

Today, Bethany and Isaac are ONE YEAR OLD! Wow, how do I wrap up the year in a post, or even try to describe each sweet child. I know I'll fall short, and probably think of a dozen better things to say as soon as I hit "publish," but I have to try.

When strangers meet the babies, usually while we are strolling around, they often try to figure out who's who. I'm not talking about guessing genders (although they also try that and usually get it wrong-- HOW, I do not know). People try to figure out their personalities: Oh, she/he's the quiet one. Or, she/he must be the friendly one. This has always been weird for me. At first I felt bad, like maybe these strangers had seen something in my children that I had missed. But that can't be it-- I'm so, so fortunate that I can stay home with them and witness literally almost everything. I think the weirdness boils down to this:

* They are not opposites. If one baby is one way, the other is not necessarily the opposite. Both are quite friendly. Both have their quiet moments, but both are usually pretty loud. It's actually amazing to me how much they have in common.

* They take turns. Sometimes one is the finicky eater while the other chows down, and then they switch. One will have a moment of shyness, and the next day it's the other.

* And if we really must give them labels, the best ones I can come up with are these...

Isaac is the Isaac one. Bethany is the Bethany one.

Isaac is our precious boy. He is curious, quick, sensitive, and hilarious. He has the meltiest chocolatey-brownest eyes I've ever seen, next to his daddy's. He has a cute gap between his front teeth. Every few days I find a new bruise on his head for which I have no explanation. He loves to burrow, and he loves to climb. He would probably be walking more but every time he tries, he gets too excited and busts up laughing too hard to go anywhere but down. (His mama falls when she laughs, too.) He is just so. much. fun.

Bethany is our amazing girl. She is determined, active, and smart. She recently started giving me the sweetest hugs-- she walks right up to me and wraps her arms around my neck and makes me wonder if I've ever known a better feeling than that. She shakes her head no and nods her head yes, sometimes even at the appropriate times (but usually just kind of randomly). She empties her daddy's pockets each day when he comes home. She rolls her Rs. All the time. We love her so much.

I know, I said walking! The babies both took their first steps for Grandma Suzanne while we were in California for Christmas. Yep, that's the big trip we took that I've been dying to post but haven't had a chance yet. Soon, and by then it will be too late, but soon.

We weren't quite sure what we would do with a birthday so close to the holidays, but it's turning out to be great. It's awesome that our year with the twins coincided with the full year of 2010, and on each birthday we'll get to reflect on a year of their life plus, well, the entire year. We also decided that since they have to share one birthday they should have 2 parties, and so we will for sure be having summertime half birthday parties, and it's probably the greatest idea EVER.

Jared & I feel so, so thankful to have Bethany & Isaac in our lives, and in our family. We thank our Heavenly Father every day for them. We had a lot of years without those two, and... they were actually really incredible years. We traveled, we did more with friends and we actually had an income. But, this last year was definitely the best one yet, by far. Here's to many more!

Celebrating three 1st birthdays with cousin Scotty in California.

365 days ago: GO TIME

It was on January 5, 2010 that Jared & I took a leisurely 3-block walk to New York Presbyterian/Columbia Hospital. We went in as a family of 2 and came out as a family of 4. Wait, you say, weren't the twins born on January 7th? Why yes indeed. But that's two days later! You are good at math.

It was 36 hours between the time we checked in and the babies checked out. I won't give all the details here, because, dude. But since this blog didn't exist when the babies were born, and since it was a year ago today that started a chain of events that changed the world (okay maybe just our world, but it really really really changed it), it seems like a good idea to write the story down now.

My doctor had told me from the beginning that IF I make it to 38 weeks, she would induce me. But from the way she said it, that was a pretty huge IF. With all the stories you hear about preemie twins, we were just hoping to make it to 35. Once we did make it to 35, and we saw on ultrasounds that our twins seemed to be big and healthy, we asked if I could be induced at 37 weeks-- that would mean one more week of Jared on winter break from school, one less week of hugeness for me, and (last, and least) two more tax credits! Our doctor said she was all for it. But when it came time to schedule the induction, 37 weeks turned out to be not so convenient for her and so 38 weeks it was. I would be induced on Wednesday, January 6.

That last week of pregnancy was a doozy for me. Up until then I really hadn't been too uncomfortable and had enjoyed being pregnant. I had miraculously managed to avoid the back and neck pains I've felt on and off for years. But about a week before I delivered, I somehow tweaked my lower back and could hardly move my left leg because of the shooting pain from my lower back. I'm happy to say I never was a waddler, but for that last week, I was a shuffling, limping, slow-walking lady.

At my Monday (January 4th) exam, the babies were showing absolutely no signs of interest in finding their own way out. So, we scheduled a little pre-induction session to get things moving. Okay, this word makes me cringe, but it's also kind of hilarious: they call it ripening. Haha, what? I'm just going to call it pre-induction. And that is what I went in for on Tuesday.

We got there at about 8 PM Tuesday night. It's a good thing I wasn't in active labor-- or probably because I wasn't in active labor-- we were in the waiting room for about 2 hours. We finally got to a beautiful labor and delivery room with a view and then it took another 2 hours to get settled and begin the pre-induction. Well, that took 16 hours, and then active labor began and lasted for another 16. I got an epidural probably about 8 hours into labor (it wasn't really a choice-- I needed it in case of an emergency c-section, but let's be real-- I would have chosen one anyway). It alleviated the contraction pain but did not at all block the shooting pain I was feeling in my lower back and down my leg. It also did nothing for the three insanely itchy monitor straps I had wrapped around my belly for the entire 32 hours. WHY they can't use a softer material is a question that I will be asking for the rest of my life. The discomfort of contractions was nothing compared to the back pain and those 3 [if I used swear words I'd put a good one right here] itchy straps.

It honestly felt like an eternity. They'd come and check my progress and it just was going SO slow. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, and I couldn't get comfortable. At some point on Wednesday my doctor must have realized it was still going to be a while, because she said I could eat. And then I must have said "GET ME THAT FROSTYYYYY" in some sort of dragon witch voice because Jared was out and back so fast from the Wendy's across the street. I think I had a grilled chicken sandwich, too.

I know one person couldn't have been happier with the timing of it all... my mom got on a flight in SLC on Wednesday morning thinking her grandtwins were going to be born while she was in the air. She thought she'd hear about it on the JFK tarmac by text message. But no. She got to us in the late afternoon and stuck it out the whole night. She and Jared even awkwardly shared the sleeper couch (if you can call it that) in my hospital room. She just didn't want to miss a single (or double? haha) thing.

At about 6:40 Thursday morning, my doctor came in to check up on business and said it was time to push. I thought she was joking. It had been so long I thought those babies were just never going to come out. They wheeled me into the operating room, which is where my doc delivers all twins-- again, in case of an emergency c-section that we gratefully did not need. And because the babies came in twos, so did all the staff-- there were so many people in that big, bright, operating room. It might have been overwhelming if I wasn't already so exhausted and yet so geared up to just do this thing!

I nearly fell asleep between contractions.

Finally... on Thursday, January 7, 2010...

...at 8:11 AM we finally saw the pretty little face and precious pink body of our baby girl. An entire room of heads swiveled and gasped when they read her weight: 8 pounds, 13 ounces. Big for a twin, big for a baby.

...at 8:26 AM we finally heard the sweet cries and saw the handsome little face of our baby boy. He was a great size, too: 7 pounds, 8 ounces. We felt so happy, so relieved that here they were, healthy and strong. It wasn't until I looked at Jared's face that I felt the emotional rush of having literally brought two lives into the world and into our family.

What beautiful miracles.

If that wasn't enough... click on the images below to see...

*the baby bump progression:

*a great slideshow Jared made to announce their birth (and appease an anxious and loving Grandma in California):

dear Santa: can I have some stranger anxiety, please?

With the exception of meeting Santa, maybe, it was a very Merry Christmas!

We are back from an amazing time in California, and definitely enjoying staying on Pacific time because for the first time in a year, it feels like we're sleeping in. So much catching up to do! More to come...

Happy New Year!

Christmas in the city - this year and last

This really is the most wonderful time of the year in New York City. And that's coming from a girl who loves the summer so much, my husband thinks I'm going to leave him for it. The city gets all dressed up for the holidays, and since we'll be leaving for California in a few days, I've been doing my decoration-seeing over the past couple weeks.

(I only got pictures on my phone because my real camera has been hiding for the past couple weeks. I refuse to believe it's actually lost. But if you happen to see a little Sony anywhere, let me know...)

By the tree at Rockefeller Center

It started to snow as soon as we got there! Pure magic!

Humongous snowflake at 5th/57th

Jewels growing on trees in the Tiffany's window

One of the Bergdorf Goodman windows

Chelsea Market isn't a typical stop on the NYC Christmas route, but I wanted to check out their decorations made from reclaimed materials...

Last year needs an honorable mention here. We made this trek with our friend Will just before last Christmas, when the babies were in utero instead of in strollero. I can't believe I'm actually going to say this, but doing this with babies that are already born is soooo much easier! It may well be the first thing that has been easier post-children. All that walking while 9 months pregs-with-twins just wiped. me. out. And it didn't even send me into labor like I had hoped.

It was crazy cold BUT I was so excited to wear Jared's old, super thick down coat that I coveted all through college--at least the cold winter parts of college. (I told you it was old.) I could barely zip it up over my big belly! I looked like Violet Beauregard except instead of a blueberry, I was an olive. That's okay, Jared loves olives, and I didn't have to worry about him leaving me for them. Because I was one.

By the Rockefeller tree, with the wind shooting pellets of ice/snow into our faces. Totally worth it.