zznemo08

Delinquent Mother

2010-09-15T13:29:00.000-07:00

Questions I've received about my blogging absence: Did you fall off the face of the earth? Are your children hibernating? My wife won't leave me alone until you post something, when will you post? Did you sell the girls? West Nile Virus? Avian Flu? Are you alive?

Alas, we are alive and thriving, we have not slept the summer away, and no one has been sold for profit.

My professional life has been relentless this summer but has resulted in a promotion so I won't complain. The girls are rocking my world with their exploding vocabulary and imagination. We're halfway through the terrible twos and, well, it hasn't been so terrible. They have tantrums but usually it's over something so inconsequential it's easier to laugh than cry. (Of course, it's easy to be sanguine writing from a quiet office many miles from home. More than likely they will pull some stunt tonight that will put me into a blind rage--but that's still a few hours away.)

As proof that I haven't locked my children in the closet here are some pictures of their summer fun.

Coney Island

Hanging in the Neighborhood

Climbing the "Tall Mountain"

Visiting with Friends

Creative Impulses with Mr. Potato Head

An example of ZZ's Orderly Impulses

Coversations IV

2010-06-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

6 July
ZZ: I have a hamameh like baba and (to mimi) you have a toot like mama.
*hamameh and toot are the "cute" arabic words respectively for male and female genitalia and watching the girls grappling with gender has been hilariously funny

5 July
Mimi: Are you a woman?
Me: Yes
Mimi: Am I a baby woman?

25 June
Me: Are you hungry?
Mimi: No, I'm happy!

30 June
ZZ: No you cannot go to work and I take the choo choo card (as she reaches for the metrocard in my backpocket)

Mimi: Mama, I go to work in the park. I have to slide. I have to swing.

JUNE

2010-06-30T08:27:00.001-07:00

I sincerely hope the first photo in this series will help explain my blogging absence. That's right ladies and gentlemen, the month of June was dedicated to potty training my girls. And since I love to brag, let me brag. It was the easiest hurdle the girls and I have ever crossed together. They just did it, seriously it was that easy. Now, of course, we still have the occasional accident but it's usually my fault. It almost always happens when I let them watch TV and forget to ask them to pee before I switch on the zombie box. (By the way, I love TV and use it shamelessly when I need to prepare a meal or do a chore in the house, or gasp, take a freakin' flippin', can I hear an amen, break.)

Next steps toward full blown girlhood are no diapers at night and giving up the pacifiers before the end of 2010. The delay in achieving these goals are wholly related to my dependence rather than theirs. Sleep is still too precious to be interrupted by wet sheets. They've been waking up with dry diapers for two weeks now but I'm still not ready to take the risk of 3am bed changes. I've managed for the last year to relegate the use of pacifiers to sleep time, but again, rest is priceless and I haven't armed myself with enough will power to withstand the assault of dual tantrums when they no longer have "paci for sleep sleep". All in good time.

There are lots of photos below from the month of June for my dedicated and patient followers (holla holla to the aunties!).

At our First Dress-Up Dinner Party

Their manners were impeccable (for real!)

Bay Ridge Bombs!

We've been spending a lot of time this summer on the stoop dipping in the pool and playing with chalk.

First Born

ZZ can't keep her clothes on in the heat

Second Born
This is what Mimi, my wildcat, looks like when she wakes

Power to the People!

Don't they sort of look like radical communistas from 1960s Cuba?

15 Years

2010-05-24T08:16:00.000-07:00

Fifteen years ago I married the man I met in this cafe.

The Boy Next Door

2010-05-20T09:20:00.001-07:00

Conversations III: Time-Out

2010-05-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

Conversations I and II

Discipline and two two-year old children is not an easy mix. When I can take something away or deliver on a threat then discipline seems to work. But certain behaviors, for example, throwing heavy objects about the house, require a different approach (you can't exactly take away something that has already been released and you can't threaten to go home, because, well, you are already home). Time-Out? I gave it a try. The conversation went something like this.

Me: Mimi, stop throwing books. (She laughs and throws a book)

Me: Mimi, mama said you need to stop throwing books. (She laughs and throws a book)

Me: Mimi, go sit in the corner for time out.

Mimi: I like to sit here.

Me: You are in trouble.

Mimi: I like to be in trouble.

Me: (silence and becoming increasingly furious at my own impotence as a disciplinarian)

ZZ: I want to be in trouble too. (She goes and sits next to her sister)

Mimi to ZZ: Being in trouble is funny.

ZZ to Mimi: Yeah!

Me (dejectedly): Go watch TV.

I relayed this exchange to a friend's friend. I had failed to put the fear of god in their hearts. My girls didn't feel a bit threatened. She pointed out that my time-out worked.

What? (think of the sound scooby-doo makes)

But they weren't scared of me at all? She said that isn't the point. Time-out is, well, time-out. She asked if Mimi stopped throwing things. I said yes. She said, mission accomplished. Apparently, discipline doesn't have to mean fear? (Even though it remains my preference.)

Here are some pictures of my saucy little minxes.

Fan Mail

2010-05-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

I was planning to write a clever post about a play date the girls had recently with the older sister of my very best life-long friend, but she did a much better job of it.

Here is the girls' very first piece of fan mail.

dear little girls,

first let me say it was wonderful to spend the afternoon with you yesterday. you probably don't remember the first time we met, not long after you both had just started breathing air. i had never in my life seen human beings as small as you and most of me was afraid to even be close to such smallness. you looked as if any slight touch could stop you from being and your parents had gone through a great deal just to get you to be at all and i did not want to mess things up. but your mom ran her hand over each soft forehead and said i could, too, and i'm glad i did. you were fuzzy then, peachlike. you looked imaginary somehow. i think maybe until you both got home from the hospital your mom and your dad worried some days maybe you were imaginary. but then when you got home i remember they realized really fast that you weren't. you tested them a little bit as i recall just to make sure they were really good at being parents. and it looks to me like once you figured out they were you relaxed that testing and settled into the work of being glorious little girls with magnificent ponytails perched on top of some very creative brains.

and we have seen each other from time to time since then but you were always small still, not quite sure what to do with people who weren't all the time in your life. so that's why i'm so glad we had tea yesterday and watched all that rain go everywhere outside and read green eggs and ham. that is a mighty fine book, by the way. i don't know if you know about the guy who wrote it but he was a smart and brave and passionate man and also a little sad, but i think it gave him some sort of joy to write books like the ones he wrote and then know someday children like you would read them and think interesting things. i think he admired the same things i admire and i thought you should know some of those things include the ability to leap off a table and land with elegance and fierceness and also the ability to share animals in a sailboat even when you're not really sure that's what you want to do. and loving books. i guess that's one of those things that in some households just goes without saying. books are like water or air. if you like books now your whole life will be more beautiful than it would have been otherwise. you will live in so many worlds some days you might get a little dizzy. but that's okay, too.

because i know how you feel about rescuing baby cows from tornado-related tree strandings i wanted to tell you about the giant cow over in andes. that's andes, new york. not andes, andes. some days we drive up the side of the mountain for sunday breakfast and before we get very far, when the land is still mostly flat near the river, we drive by a house all animaled with farm creatures. there are chickens scattered all over the yard and a few goats milling about. but on some days, the best days i guess, there is a black and white cow standing around. just standing. but what i think you would both like about this cow is that it is the giantest cow i have ever seen. now, i'm not saying i'm an expert on the situation, but i did grow up in a town full of cows and, as i mentioned yesterday, i have ridden a cow or two. and i have never seen a cow so big, not even on t.v. that cow just stands there. and i don't know that it needs rescuing. i think the people it lives with keep it from getting caught up in trees just fine, but i am pretty sure it gets bored sometimes with all those chickens underfoot. so i was thinking that when you come to visit we could drive up on the way to sunday breakfast and maybe wave to that giant cow. i don't think cows wave back, but i think we'll be able to tell it likes us.

Conversations II: Squirrels & Coffee

2010-05-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

The girls are very interested in squirrels who continuously frustrate them by climbing trees whenever the girls approach. In the park on Saturday morning, they asked their father to fix this situation, pronto! Their father called up to the squirrels, "hey mister, come down from the tree." We didn't get any satisfactory response and so headed home from lunch. Later that day ZZ and I returned to the park and she went directly to the tree where squirrel had hid last and found his bushy tail hanging down from a leafy branch--a tempting prize for this 2 year old. ZZ demanded that I pick her up and then proceeded to point her finger and call out, "hey mister, come down....mister, come down....mister, COME DOWN!" she then turned to me and said, "mama, mister not a good listener!" I told her she was absolutely right.

Later that same day Mimi and I took a walk down the avenue. Mimi turned to me and said, "mama, i think we need buy you something". Surprised, I asked her what she thought her mama needed and she said, "coffee." I told her she was absolutely right.

Mooooooooooooooooo

2010-04-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

Wailing a plaintive "moooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo" from on-high is the girls' new favorite game. One sister will stand on a chair and cry like a lost cow looking for it's mama while the other runs to the rescue to help her get down. Once the rescue is complete they clap hands and reverse roles. The point of this little snippet from zz and mimi's imaginative play is the joy I get from seeing them playing with creativity, care and love; until they start hitting and smothering each other with pillows (another favorite game that I don't enjoy so much).

Conversations

2010-04-19T11:58:00.000-07:00

ZZ: Hey mom, I put on my hat and shoes and backpack too.
Me: I see that.
ZZ: I goin for a walk.
Me: Where are you going?
ZZ: I gonna cross the street.
Me: By yourself? Aren't you scared?
ZZ: No, see ya later!

Mimi: Can I help you?
Me: Of course, with what?
Mimi: I like the groceries.
Me: You want to help me put away the groceries?
Mimi: Yesssssss.
Me: Will you be careful?
Mimi: Of course, not breakables, that's only mama and baba

Me: Don't put the washrags in your mouths. Hey stop, stop. I said don't...OK...I'm going to count to...hey SIT DOWN...I said don't put the washrags in your...really I'm going to...OK! ONE, TWO, THR....

Mimi: But mama, we're swimming puppies, woof woof!

7 Signs Your Child is Ready for Toilet Training

2010-04-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

My children have met every single one of the following criteria, signalling their readiness for toilet training. I, however, am still reluctant to give up the convenient, yet expensive (35 cents a pop!), diaper habit. Current plan of action calls for a cold turkey transition from diapers to panties in June 2010, the clock is ticking.

1. Your child uses legos to build a miniature toilet and, in case you weren't sure, says "here ya go mama, potty"

2. Your child enjoys strategically peeing on your floor during pre-bath naked time (pee next to the garbage pail, stop and move on; pee on the play mat, stop and move on; pee next to the couch, stop and move on; etc.)--they are clearly in control of the flow

3. Your child expresses a preference for where they would like to pee (parent says "don't pee on the floor, pee in the potty" to which the child replies "no, i like the floor"; parent says "do you want to poo in the potty?" and child says "no, i like in the jammies")

4. Your child demands to view your own "process" and help wiping. Refusing active involvement results in a temper tantrum if any of the following are attempted: a)close the door for privacy; b) limit the amount of toilet paper they use to help you wipe; or c)refuse to open your legs or bend over when they say "want help clean up, mama"

5. While privacy for the parent is an absolute non-starter the child starts to demand it for themselves. Parent used to be able to laugh when a particular strained expression crossed child's face signalling movement of the bowels--now so much as a direct gaze or smirk will elicit "no look, not funny mama!"

6. Child says "mama, i go pee pee and/or poo poo", albeit after the act rather than before

7. Child takes off pants, removes diaper, rolls it up into a tight ball, disposes of it in the garbage pail, reaches for fresh diaper, unfolds it, lays down on it and only then calls for parental assistance.

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

Prompted by my absence from blogging for two long months a friend felt compelled to ask the following, did you: a. sell the children for beer money? b. trade the children for some magic beans? c. accidentally leave the children in a cab/on the subway? d. do nothing because the girls have been sitting silently, staring at their hands during the last two months.

To answer: a. you know me so little, i used the money for cheap red wine and twinkies; b. turns out they weren't magic; c. this is actually the stuff of many an anxiety dream; and d. if they had been sitting silently i would have been able to blog.

I kept waiting to have the time to make a grand re-entry into the blogging world but I realised small steps are better than nothing at all. I've got big ideas for toilet training and temper tantrum posts, but those will have to wait.

In the interim, please enjoy some easter pictures of my delicious little ladies.

TWO

2010-02-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

Mmmmmm...red velvet cupcakes and chaos; the best second birthday bash EVAH!

Crystal Ball

2010-01-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the world hands you a gift, like glimpses of what your children will look like in the future. With their second birthday right around the corner the girls are growing out of babyhood. These photos seem to capture the essesnce of the young ladies they will become.

Winter Pastimes

2010-01-15T13:00:00.000-08:00

The cold winter months have set in and indoor play isn't as isolating as I had anticipated. We do lots of things to while away the winter hours.

We attend exclusive NYC dinner parties...

We play dress-up with necklaces, hats and sparkly shoes...

We take naps by the fire...

We watch tv...

We smile for the camera (but have yet to perfect the art)...

We read books...

If the weather isn't too inclimate we take walks...

We throw a lot of tantrums too but I'll spare you the photographic evidence.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-30T09:12:00.000-08:00

I feel that the husband and I went through a rite of passage this year, it felt like the first christmas where we were the adults of our very own family (technically, it's the second). On Christmas Eve we put the girls to bed and prepared our home for the big reveal the following morning. This mainly consisted of me drinking wine and eating edamame while sloppily wrapping gifts. George deftly assembled the BIG gifts, a rocking horse and an inch worm, while sipping his single malt. (Those of you of my generation should have fond memories of riding the inch worm until you were too old and too large and it groaned under the weight of your growing frame as you rode it around the neighborhood--sort of like when the sit-n-spin no longer spun cause your ass was just too big!)

Thankfully the girls are still too young to lose sleep over Christmas or to have specific ideas of what a proper pile of christmas loot should be. However, unlike last year, they are old enough to be excited and sense the shift in the atmosphere that says "HOLIDAY". We weren't disappointed. They wandered around the transformed living room as if it was a magical place and happily ripped open gifts and enjoyed their new toys--especially the play tent.

The weather over the holiday weekend was cold and rainy which meant almost 80 straight house-bound hours--a lot to take with two toddlers alternating between joyously bouncing off the walls and throwing temper tantrums. We were rewarded for our patience on Sunday with 50 degree weather and a lots of sunshine. We packed the girls up and were out all day visiting the children's museum, the park and having dinner out with friends. (Can I repeat that in all caps, please, for the sheer novelty of this most simple social activity after almost two years of isolation, DINNER OUT WITH FRIENDS!!!!)

What you don't see...

2009-12-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

Ahhhhh, the happy family! Cherubs in fuzzy pajamas staring in wonder at pristine snow. Cherubs in snow gear snuggling on the loving lap of their doting mother.

But what you don't see is that in between snapping the photo of the girls in the window (exhibit A) and snapping the photo of them on my lap (exhibit B) is the utter chaos and frustration that hubby and I went through to get from A to B.

Heating in Brooklyn brownstones, and probably most NYC dwellings, is based on old-school steam radiators which swing wildly between "no different than being outside in the cold in your underwear" to "hellish hot swamp". Our apartment was in hellish hot swamp mode and the physical exertion it took to wrangle two toddlers into snow gear had us in a torrential downpour of sweat, panting in desperation, and cursing each other for thinking that a snow experience was some mandatory parental obligation.

The girls were finally ready but we still had to wrap ourselves up in multiple layers to lead our little ones into the great blizzard. Meanwhile, the Cherubs were frantically clawing at their necks in a futile attempt to free themselves of their warm waterproofed outer shells. Poor things were crying in frustration as they began to overheat. But we were too invested in the experiment, we couldn't back out!

As we opened the front door a blast of cold air greeted us and we all smiled, it had been worth it! We tottered down the stoop, through the gate and onto the sidewalk. The girls were giggling, enthralled, fascinated. Hubby and I were smug and delighted.

Then, a child fell, felt the cold wet snow, and FREAKED out! The fallen child's wails of despair freaked out the standing child and both turned to the now not so smug parents crying "carry me!"

Which leads us to B, mama pinned underneath two children on a cold wet stoop. Happy Holidays!

Sunbathing

2009-12-15T10:14:00.000-08:00

Reading a friend's blog recently, I was reminded of my own looming anxiety about being trapped indoors for a long northeastern winter with two restless children. So far it hasn't been too bad but winter only officially arrives next Monday and the coldest, darkest days are still ahead of us. Living very close to several good friends will provide some respite, as will playdates and indoor activities, but I'm already living for the spring! Last Saturday might have been one of the last days when strolling with the girls around the neighborhood wasn't an invitation to hypothermia. We did a little sun worshipping outside the library with some older Russian gentlemen before heading inside to read stories and let off a little cabin fever steam.

Slacker Mom and Brilliant Children

2009-12-04T12:57:00.000-08:00

Slacker Mom

Once again I've been called out for being a slacker with my posting. It's true! But I have a good excuse, really. Recently I've been given additional responsibilities at work, that I dearly desired and asked for. But this means when I'm at the office I actually have to work like a little demon with nary a spare moment for blogging. Sigh! On top of that my little angels are night owls and generally don't hit the sack until 10pm (sometimes 11--ouch!), my reward, however, is sleeping in until 8.30 or 9 on the weekends which is not a normal occurrence for a mother of twin toddlers.

Thanksgiving was fantastic low-key fun with my sister and her husband visiting us from Dallas. No pictures exist since Mama started drinking at 1pm. (I was compelled to take advantage of the 4 to 2 adult-child ratio in a constructive way.) I'm not embarrassed to admit my focus was to guzzle as much alcohol as possible and I was not at all concerned with capturing that special day on film. C'est la vie.

I thought I should also mention that my children are BRILLIANT. Ahem...at 22 months they identify letters and shapes.

Brilliant Children
For example, when I said "Pinot Noir" in conversation with my equally lush sister over the long Thanksgiving weekend, in the context of "what should we drink next", my girl Mimi thought she heard "piano". She ran from the room yelling "piano, piano", ZZ quickly followed, also yelling "piano, piano." "Mama, P for Piano, P for Pig, PPP," pointing to the letter P on their play mat and picking up their "P" book and showing me the images. This means that it's not just the shape of the letter P they recognise, but they are associating the letter with its sound! AMAZING! They were barely talking 6 weeks ago and now they are on the verge of spelling. They identify all of their colors and shapes with ease, but what freaks me out, dear reader, is that my girls can differentiate between a pentagon, hexagon and octagon--seriously freaky! They are getting numbers, sort of, some correct verb usage and using plurals where appropriate. Their language is flourishing.

Here are the best of our most recent photos, enjoy.

Party Dresses

MiMi's Smile

ZZ at Bar Tabac

Snack Time

ZZ's First Sentence

2009-11-02T08:14:00.000-08:00

from ZZ to MiMi, "Come! Sit Here!" (of course, ZZ's first sentence would be in the imperative!)

Two Little Ladybugs

2009-11-02T07:56:00.000-08:00

Before getting ready to go trick-or-treating I had to catch these buckethead creatures who were having more fun wearing their pumpkin buckets than collecting candy.

It took about two hours to trick or treat two blocks, our first stop:

We don't give the girls candy so they weren't sure how to eat it and would shove the whole piece in their mouth, wrapper and all. We finally took pity on MiMi and unwrapped her peanut butter cup.

Behind these gates that ladybug ZZ is so desperately trying to climb are some old rocking horses that she passes everyday in the stroller, screaming, "horsey! horsey!". This is the first time she wasn't confined by a five-point harness and she did her damndest to get to her beloved horse.

Heading home....happy halloween!

Angry ZZ, part two

2009-10-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

This girl can throw a fit and ain't nobody gonna stop her!

MiMi's First Sentence

2009-10-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

from the mouth of my mimi girl, "mama mimi outside go!"

Apple Picking

2009-10-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

First, my apologies for slovenly blog upkeep. I am well aware it has been over six weeks since my last post. I will try to be better. Work is very busy this time of year and I don't have time to write delightful narrative to accompany the pictures of my lovely girls. Something had to give and I've decided it will be the writing, for now. I promise to at least keep the photos coming. However, beware, when January rolls around I'll have more time on my hands and I will probably return to my long-winded ways.

Here are some pictures of our recent apple picking adventure.

Dallas

2009-09-18T13:11:00.000-07:00

The trip to Dallas was a success, including the roundtrip flight with two toddlers (the stuff of much anxiety in the days leading up to our departure).

I couldn't have asked for a better adult-toddler ratio (6 to 2) and was delighted with the ease of minding children in suburbia (we just let them run around naked in the back yard for entertainment).

Another treat, George and I had a date night while Mama Lins and Uncle Tim watched the girls. A 90 minute massage followed by a big steak dinner with all the fixins. What we found when we returned is worthy of a blog entry all its own: my sister trapped in the corner of a dark room with two naked babies clinging to her screaming bloody murder. I told Lindsay that this was the type of situation where an "SOS" text would have been useful. She was shell-shocked and couldn't find her phone.

Mimi at the Aquarium

ZZ at the Carousel

Splash!

Corn!

My Fashionista

Family

City Playthings

2009-09-01T12:49:00.001-07:00

After our return from the epic cape cod adventure the girls and I met up with Lil and Liv in our neighborhood park for a play date. We tried to get all four girls onto the tire swing but there just wasn't enough chain for every little girl to grab. Poor little Lil was the odd twin out. The three who had secured their spot were concerned at Lil's distress as she was getting comforted by her mama.

Shortly after the tire swing incident our friends went home for lunch and a nap. The late morning is really the only time we can play because both families have different schedules. I envy their ability to get their twins to bed early (lights out by 7!). But they envy our twins sleeping in until 8.30 in the morning. Grass is always greener, right?

Once we were without playmates I stripped the girls down to their diapers and moved on over to the sprinklers. We met a little boy about the same age and he and Mimi enjoyed splashing around together. ZZ was busily acting out her shoe fetish. She was wearing mine, chewing on hers, and getting ready to steal the little boy's blue crocs.

Vacation

2009-08-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

Our sixth summer in cape cod was a success. This year we didn't camp as we've done for the last five years. The idea of chasing toddlers through the wilderness was enough to give me acid reflux and complete the graying of my hair, which is already well underway. Under threat of a "staycation" in NYC, my husband and I compromised on a cabin rental in Wellfleet, MA. With Auntie Maha on board the vacation was a true family affair. It was fun, at times exhilarating, and always, always exhausting. We met up with several friends but they all have little rug rats like us so the fantasized group photo-op never became a reality (a shout out to the Blatt-Jacobs clan and the Mansour family). However, here are the best of a bazillion vacation photos. Enjoy!

Day 1: The Beach at Herring Cove
Don't let the idyllic photos fool you. The beach was hell on earth. It was hot, the sand was hot, the girls were afraid of the ocean, two scared toddlers make a crisp ocean dip impossible, trailing back and forth with buckets of salt water to amuse my darlings was not my idea of fun, and the beer was warm. Day one was awful. My heart was fearfully pounding in anticipation of enduring an entire week of what most people yearn for, the beach vacation.

Day 2: P-Town and Salt Marshes
There was no way on god's green earth I was going to repeat the anxiety created by 90 minutes on the beach the previous day. Despite obviously gorgeous weather, perfect for a sans-children beach day, we chose more toddler friendly activities. We went to Provincetown in the morning and let the girls prance down the boardwalk where they found a body of water they were much more comfortable with, a big bucket of water and two rubber duckies. In the evening we went for a short nature walk in the salt marshes. Both outings were a roaring good-time and renewed my faith in family vacations.

Day 3, 4 and 5: The Great Pond
And on the third day the skies opened and the sun shoneth down and the lord said unto me, get thou family to the great pond! (OK, it was really our neighbors at the campground that told us about the pond but it felt like revelation.) The pond saved this family vacation and my sanity. Warm, shallow water with a small sandy beach surrounded by a pine forest. The girls didn't get cranky and stayed fairly stationary for hours on end. It was fantastic, all I had to do was sit in the water and make sure they didn't ingest pebbles. Mimi took to the water like a little fish. ZZ was fine in the water so long as she was sitting on me or a chair. However, if one grain of sand touched her flesh her howls could be heard across the land. It was all fine by me, the pond was all I needed.

Day 6: The Lighthouse, Moby Dick's and Ice Cream
Our last full day in Cape Cod was muggy and slightly overcast so we went to the lighthouse thinking the girls could expend a lot of energy climbing stairs. Imagine our chagrin when our 33-inch tall daughters didn't meet the 48-inch minimum height requirement. Selfish parent that I am, this obstacle sent me into a dead panic that the lack of strenuous physical activity might mean that the girls would not be sufficiently tired for their daily nap. Never fear! There was a large field with an observation deck overlooking scenic cliffs and crashing waves. We played in the field which also gave us some great windblown photos of the girls.

Next stop was Moby Dick's, the best family friendly spot in town. We've gone every year since we starting "summering" in cape cod and, hot damn, this year wasn't going to be any different. Now, to be sure, dining out with two toddlers is an exercise in exquisite torture but I was hell-bent on having oysters and Moby was my best shot. They had an outdoor play area where the girls could be their little monkey selves while Baba got us a table and some grub. I got my oysters down, but little else, and it was a good reminder why we don't to eat out with our children. Even in the best of circumstances it just isn't much fun. But don't they look cute playing on the old boats Moby provides for its younger clientele?

Last stop was ice-cream. Eating ice-cream outdoors is the balm for every harried mother's soul. It tastes good, no need to worry about mess and it keeps wee ones focused for a good amount of time.

Day 7 & 8: Boston
The last leg of our vacation was a stop-over to visit family in Boston. The girls had yet to meet their Auntie Abier, Uncle Usama and Cousin Rani so it was a very special time for all of us. Auntie Abier showed the girls how to water plants, Uncle Usama introduced them to the joys of bizr (roasted watermelon seeds) and Cousin Rani gave them general pointers on how to survive the next two decades of overzealous parenting.

Next stop in our summer 2009 travels is an extended weekend in Dallas over labor day to visit Mama Lins and Uncle Tim. Grandpa and Grandma Roberts are driving down from Missouri to join in the fun. Wish us luck, pray for us, and add a little voodoo dance in for good measure so that we may survive the four-hour plane ride with highly mobile and extremely willful children.

Chores

2009-08-13T07:22:00.000-07:00

ZZ and MiMi have started to become quite insistent on doing things for themselves. Because they are still largely non-verbal (trust me, having 15-20 words still leaves a lot to be desired in the communications department) their desires are expressed through persistent grunting and pointing until I figure out exactly what it is that they want to do. More often than not, I am an unsuccessful translator of grunts resulting in subsequent frustrated tantrums, mine and theirs.

However, last night I got it right (by accident). After taking off their diapers before bathtime they both started to wildly FREAK out as I walked toward the diaper pail. It was obvious they wanted to play with their dirty diapers and I was too exhausted to deny them (dear reader, don't you freak out, they were only wet diapers, even I have limits). I gave up custody of the offensive items to my sweet girls and they both promptly dropped their own diapers in the trash.

They did the same thing this morning. By their own initiative they have a chore.

Angry ZZ

2009-08-06T13:24:00.000-07:00

ZZ is increasingly sensitive these days and has become prone to crying, foot stomping and flat on the floor tantrums...the future looks scary. By the way, that's a ball being hurtled angrily toward the camera.

Puddle Jumpers

2009-08-06T13:13:00.001-07:00

There has been an outcry from my loyal blog followers that I've been lazy with posting new pictures of the girls (I notice no one is missing my witty commentary, hmmmm?). I've an excuse, I sat on my camera and only recently replaced it. I hope this satisfies your appetite until next week.

Nicknames

2009-07-24T06:53:00.000-07:00

I can't stop thinking of new nicknames for the girls. I'm perfectly aware that there is little appetite out there for another switcharoo (I got a lot of grief over the nemo/mimi switch)...but I've been thinking...how about Bruiser and Shark? I kind of like it. Can you guess which one's which?

Sunday Best

2009-07-20T07:22:00.000-07:00

I don't come from a god-fearing, church-going family even though I was born and bred in the bible belt. Admittedly, when my babysitter told me I might go to hell unless I was saved my interest in the church piqued. I tried out the babtists and the catholics. Both churches were quite interesting and theatrical in their own right. Babtists had a grand dunking pool on a dais behind the pulpit and a library where I racked up serious late fees (I've always had sticky fingers when it comes to books, lender beware!). The catholics had a backlit crucified christ hovering over the congregation, shook their neighbor's hand saying "peace be with you" and they had donuts after service. It was often fun to while away a Sunday morning in this fashion but I could never convince myself of the necessity and I tried really, really hard to do so. Not only was I concerned about burning in hell but where I'm from everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, goes to church, plus all my friends were doing it. How do you think I got an "in" with the babtists and catholics? You think they would just let any nine year old walk right through the door without proper religious chaperones? My parents were less than enthusiastic about my experiment with faith and they both breathed a sigh of relief when it was over and happily paid my late fees.

However, just because my bible-beating, hail-mary days were short-lived doesn't mean that my Sundays were bereft of ritual. I remember getting all gussied up on a Sunday for dinner at Grandma's (fried chicken, green beans dressed in bacon, blackberry cobbler and a tall glass of milk).

Blackberry Cobbler wasn't on the menu yesterday but it was a beautiful summer day and I dressed the girls in their Sunday Best and strolled down the avenue for all to admire.

Eating Apples

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo

Where's MiMi's Belly?

Run ZZ Run!

THAT Mother!

2009-07-17T07:11:00.000-07:00

I have become that mother, the one other mothers cluck about in the park, the one who lets their children run wild, the one whose children are constantly dirty and smeared with food leftover from a meal consumed hours ago, the one who rarely showers, the one who never clips the finger or toe nails of their little beloveds, the one shoving goldfish and raisins in the open maws of their wee ones while refusing to prepare a warm meal, the one who lets their very young girls go down the big kids slide unattended, the one who lets their children clamber up the slide despite proper playground etiquette which (rightly) frowns on this as many a cracked kiddie skull often results, the one who lets them climb ladders taller than an adult, the one, who when really vexed and exhausted, will barely blink twice as her children chew on some piece of trash they've found on the ground, the one who happily straps them in their high chairs for 30 minutes of "educational" video time, the one who yells from several yards away "get up, you're OK" when her kids take a nose dive into the concrete; the one who doesn't insist on a sun hat (i mean really, who can keep that on a child's head?!), the one whose stroller has unidentifiable stains and traces of fuzzy growth, the one who'll leave the diaper on until it's heavier than lead and stinkier than a NYC subway, the list is endless. But I'm proud to say I don't let them hit, steal or cross the street on their own (maybe next month?).

Defiance, desire, deceit and other positive reflections

2009-07-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

I am officially a parent of toddlers with distinct and demanding personalities. Gone are the days of complacent babyhood where crying was a direct result of hunger or discomfort. Word on the street is that this toddler see-saw of emotions continues to escalate until the age of four. I choose denial rather than facing that future.

Defiance: A mama guru once told me the secret to her parenting was to bribe, distract, repeat. The girls are too young yet for bribery but the "distract" part has been a boon to my overworked soul the past year. But this particular tool, while still effective, is no longer fool-proof. My little ladies KNOW what I'm trying to do. Say, for example, they want to pull the safety plugs out of the electrical outlet, or bang their heads against the wall and giggle as if it is something fun to do, and I try to distract them with a favorite puzzle or stuffed animal then they will calmly stop their offensive behaviour, knock my offering out of my hand and continue to do whatever it was I naively tried to dissuade them from.

Desire: They know what they want, when they want it, and, by the way, how they want it. Cases in point:

when zz wakes up in the morning she wants me to immediately, and in this order, remove the nightlight, draw the curtains, and then open the bedroom door (just try doing one step out of order...it's not pretty)
if mimi would like to play with a certain empty poland spring bottle (which, god damn it all to hell, has been mistakenly put out with the recycling) and a very similar replacement bottle is offered instead, it will be known for the fake it is and it simply will not do! what follows is mimi dramatically whimpering and running to the bedroom to fling herself facedown on the bed. (I mean, really, she couldn't even walk two months ago and now she's subjecting me to pre-pubescent theatrics, WTF?)

Deceit: Last night zz had taken mimi's pacifier. I was trying to explain "zz has a paci, one paci for zz, once paci for mimi, give mimi back her paci." When I uttered "zz has a paci" she deftly hid her hand, which was holding her paci, behind her back and gave me the most innocent of looks. i haven't laughed so hard in a long, long time.

Positive Reflections: 1) they have lots and lots of fun; 2) they play games; 3) they feed themselves; 4) they give hugs and kisses; 5) they laugh deliriously; 6) they learn new things every day; 7) when I ask, "what does a snake say?" they respond "sssssssssssssssssssssssssssss"

Frister

2009-07-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

In case you are wondering, as my fraughter Bela will tell you, a frister is the daughter of your framily. Bela always wanted sisters, instead she got two brothers, two wonderful and fun and fantastic brothers, but boys, most definately not girls. Years and years ago this particular frister waxed endlessly poetic yarns (and I mean ENDLESS in the way all three year old's conversations are endless) about all of her imaginary sisters. The years continued to pass until this frister, at a much more mature seven years of age, found out that her frama was pregnant with twins. Girls or boys she would ask, and ask, and ask, and ask. I didn't know, it was going to be a surprise. She had to wait, and wait and wait. The day came, two girls. This frister was very, very happy.

If you haven't figured it out already a friend + sister = frister.

Unfortunately, my frons are wondering when I'm going to have twin frothers to make up the difference.

Coloring at the Arab-American Heritage Festival

Bela and ZZ

Bela and MiMi (they match!)

Hummus

2009-07-07T07:18:00.001-07:00

Spaghetti

2009-07-07T07:17:00.001-07:00

Swimming with the sharks and other adventures

2009-07-06T10:40:00.000-07:00

My sister and her husband came to town and we rocked the big apple! Ahem, well, perhaps it's more accurate to say we rocked bay ridge and coney island, but we really ROCKED! I have pics from the first half of their visit but sat on my camera early in the day on the 4th of July. Until other participants of our weekend adventure email me with some photographic files we'll have to make due with the scraps salvaged from my now-dead camera.

I'm happy to report that I voluntarily, and with minimal mama meltdowns, broke the girls' schedule two days in a row. HA! Take that control issues!

With Aunt Lindsay and Uncle Tim as backup, the girls were able to tour every park in the neighborhood and explore every dangerous nook and cranny on offer. They are truly little monkeys, climbing anything they can with improving, yet still dubious, "get down" skills.

We also took them for a day in coney island to tour the aquarium, dip our toes in the water at the beach, and wash it all down with hotdogs and beer at Nathan's (home to the famous fourth of july hotdog eating contest).

zz swimming with the sharks

mimi with the sea anemones

mimi fish watching

mimi at nathan's (zz was sleeping)

beer and babies on the boardwalk

Sand is an issue for the girls, in different ways. ZZ does not like to touch it and mimi will not stop eating it.

If you put zz on a beach blanket she will not move beyond its boundaries for a good long while. She will come to the very edge, extend a toe and immediately back step to safety. We watched this struggle for a while until her curiosity about others frolicking beyond the blanket got the better of her and slowly, slowly she came out on the sand to play.

Mimi, as it turns out, likes to eat sand. All of the adults gasped as she took her first fistful. Not mama bear, no sir, not me. I nonchalantly said, "oh let her do it, she'll think it's gross and stop." Seriously, she did not stop, she liked it, she said "mmmmmmmm" until I couldn't take it anymore and forcibly removed the shovel from her hand.

zz regaining her trust in mama after an unwated dip in the surf

zz eyeing the sand with suspicion

zz made it to the other side

mimi eating sand with gusto

On the 4th of July the girls stayed up way past their bedtime to go to the park and watch fireworks. The 4th is a special holiday for us because on this day, two years ago, I not only found out that I was pregnant, but pregnant with twins! I think fireworks are an appropriate metaphor for what I felt then and what I continue to feel, amazing beautiful scary chaos.

Bon Commute!

2009-06-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

It's 8am and my good neighbor photographed me pushing my laundry down the block, suited up for a Board meeting at the office, with coffee in hand. It was a typical start to a typical day. Wake up, kiss babies, change diapers, try to sneak away for a shower, babies whimper, bribe them with cheerios, try to sneak away again. If I'm lucky I will have accomplished one household task (recycling, taking out the trash, dishes, or, as depicted here, bagging laundry) and be fully groomed (if not dressed) by the time our babysitter arrives in the morning. Hectic, right? You may ask yourself, why the big smile after such a hectic morning? Ummmmmmm....cause I'm about to get to the second most favorite part of my day (the first being the morning love-in with my daughters). It's 8am and I'm on my way to being blessedly alone, sitting in the train with my book and coffee for the hour it takes me to get to work. Commuting never tasted so good.

One Exciting Week

2009-06-15T08:26:00.000-07:00

I'm recovering from a week of high-octane activity. One of my dearest, oldest friends in the whole wide world (and i can be that sappy since we grew up together) came from my home state of Missouri to visit Brooklyn and brought her rambunctious boy Alex for one serious playdate. Alex is a little dynamo who is already talking in two languages. It seems my girls have a bit of their mother's competitive nature (curse or blessing?). Before playing with Alex my girls were satisfied to point, grunt and whimper. After playing with Alex: hi, bye bye, mama, baba, circle, bucket, ball, up and open (i kid you not, 9 words overnight).

here is a pic of the whole crew (L to R: alex, mimi, yours truly, zz and sufi)

This week was auntie heaven for my girls. Auntie Ghada visited from Chicago and Auntie Maha (my brooklyn-based life line) took some time off work to play with her visiting sister and spend even more time than usual with her two super excited neices. I took advantage of the extra help to take the girls out of our hood. We went to downtown brooklyn to stroll around in a middle-eastern style street fair and then met up with friends in to play in ft. greene park. To top off an active summer day the girls ate out at a restaurant for the first time ever! Manhandling toddlers around brooklyn was no task for the faint of heart and i reached my boiling point on several occasions (despite also being the biggest advocate for a day away from the g*d damned neighborhood that i'm always stuck in). But with back-up, the heat was quickly turned down (read: serious auntie maha intervention--she's a super star) and actually became exceedingly enjoyable with a little cold sake at the end of it all to help defuse mama fury and bring on mama bliss.

zz and mimi feeling groovy at the street fair

the girls with auntie ghada on the stoop

zz and auntie maha with pal zamir in ft. greene park

mimi eating brown rice

zz eating tempura

Both girls tried to impress their auntie ghada by promising to follow in her PhD footsteps and become college professors. Though blurry, this photo of zahrah on the run wearing ghada's spectacles is hilariously cute. She spent most of the week trying to wrestle ghada's glasses away from her and she finally succeeded. Tasnim, always the verbal one, stood up on a podium-like structure in the park and proceeded to give a lecture replete with dramatic arm gestures.

professor zz

professor mimi

To top off this week of uber activity I had planned to go to a friend's birthday on the beach. But I had a staredown with reality and i was the first to blink. Going to the beach would have required 1) getting a car rental from a distant neighborhood; 2) installing two new car seats which we had never used before; 3) no nap time for the girls; 4) packing an insanely long list of food and gear; and 5) making myself presentable for public display. Fortunately, George was also exhausted and it tipped the boat toward the sanest decision I've made in a while, just staying home. the girls took a fantastically long nap and then we went out for ice cream and played for a long time in the sunny park. It was the most relaxed i've been in a long, long while and i had a great lazy sunday afternoon with my beauties.

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-28T09:25:00.000-07:00

Despite ominous forecasts of bad weather the weekend turned out to be beautiful. I had spent the previous week brewing myself into a foul mood. I was anticipating a stormy long weekend of being trapped alone (husband had to work) in a small brooklyn apartment with two extraordinarily active girls who had recently been defying my nap regime. But then the sun came out and mama and babies were free to play!

On saturday the other dynamic twin duo of bay ridge, lil and liv, came over for an impromptu playdate. There are no pictures because the other mama and myself were giddily sucking down a bottle of chilled white wine while four toddlers ripped my house apart in ten seconds flat. It was bliss! Four toddlers happily playing without any adult intervention for close to an hour, plus I got my late afternoon buzz on! Brilliant!

Sunday and Monday were park days with friends and family.

Zahrah

Tasnim

This is a picture of last year's memorial day. George and I were just beginning to emerge from the fog of taking care of two newborns--the girls were so tiny and they were happy just to lay there, cute little bald baby blobs.

However, this year, they have me in a nearly constant state of panic with their new climbing skills. They climbed up on this park bench on their own. (Notice the dangerous lean forward, toddlers are notoriously top heavy.) I'm proud of their new skill but they haven't developed the corresponding skill of getting down from their lofty heights. ZZ is getting there but it's a wobbly descent at best. Mimi just walks off into thin air with a grin on her face until she tumbles and crumples into tears.

I'm also happy to report that I pushed the girls' naptime to 1pm and they are back to giving me a two hour break in the middle of the day (insert big sigh of relief).

Late to work

2009-05-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

This is why i am perpetually late in the morning, not because there is too much to do, but because my little ladies are so juicy that I am paralyzed by my love for them. I am unable to move out of their sweetly sleeping orbit. I watch them softly breathe and snort and stir to wakefulness to give me the first smile of the day and then hold their arms up to be held.

Miracle

2009-05-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

To the untrained eye there is nothing spectacular about this photo of two infants in a stroller chewing on a bagel. To a mother of infants morphing into toddlers what this photo depicts is nothing short of a miracle. Two babies eating a bagel, ON THEIR OWN, and, wait for it, SITTING STILL for more that 2 minutes. In fact, eating that bagel kept them happily occupied for close to 15 minutes of pure mama bliss. I drank my first uninterrupted cup of coffee in nearly a year and a half.

Helping Baba Get Ready For Work

2009-05-18T11:53:00.000-07:00

Tasnim

2009-05-18T11:51:00.001-07:00

Zahrah

2009-05-18T11:49:00.001-07:00

Over the Shoulder Glamour Shot

Running!

Shebaab

2009-05-18T11:43:00.000-07:00

This picture is not so new, I think I took it in early April. The girls are being serenanded by al-shebaab, from left to right, the important "young" men in their lives: baba, yasser, zafer and sohaib.

These legs were made for...

2009-05-11T07:18:00.001-07:00

My long legs, which until now have only served to make me freakishly tall, have finally come in very handy! I can comfortably seat three toddlers for story time on my lap.

Won't you be my neighbor?

2009-05-11T07:12:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors, the Barbieros, have a soft spot for the wee ones that live in our house. Yesterday was a beautiful mother's day morning, sunny and warm, and I took ZZ out for a walk around the block. We passed the Barbieros on their way to the market and they offered ZZ and Sufi a ride back home.

MiMi Walking

2009-05-07T11:41:00.000-07:00

ZZ Talking

2009-05-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

Homecoming

2009-04-30T13:31:00.001-07:00

Tasnim

2009-04-30T13:30:00.001-07:00

Zahrah

2009-04-30T13:28:00.001-07:00

Swingers

2009-04-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

2009-04-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

Go ahead, boo, hiss, condemn. I don't care. We did NOTHING special for Easter. No eggs, no chocolate, no roasted lamb, no table groaning with food, no gathering of far flung family and friends, no easter egg hunt, no basket, no dress up, no church, nada, nothing, zero, zilch!

As the catholic easter was approaching (for those of you who aren't already in the know, there are two easters: catholic and orthodox--this has relevance later in the story) I was desperately trying to get myself interested in celebrating. I even bullied a friend into an early hand-delivery of knitted pants she made for the girls so they would have them in time to wear for the lord's rising. All to no avail, easter sunday came and went, "he is risen" banners flapping in the brisk bay ridge april winds, but at the Ziadeh house there wasn't a single boiled egg being dipped in dye and no plastic eggs filled with chocolate were hidden in in the knot of a tree.

IT WAS GREAT, by great, i mean, a stress free fun day with the family. Auntie Maha came over and we played and took a walk. And on that walk we passed a hamburger joint called 5 Guys and it was good! The girls ate their first bites of hamburgers and sucked on a few french fries and had free rein to enjoy the restaurant and charm its employees as it was empty, it being easter sunday, after all.

However, guilt started to worm its way into my heart when we came home. Our upstairs neighbors and dear friends who are muslim (which is only relevant because we are discussing religious festivities) were dying eggs and holding an easter egg hunt while preparing for a cross-country trip the next day. The neighbor children, who I have known and loved since their birth, were shocked and horrified to learn that i did nothing for the two little new ones in the clan. I asked myself, what kind of a mother am I??? Flagellating myself I realized that upstairs mom can clean her house, pack for a family of five getting ready to cross a continent, AND get it together to celebrate a holiday that doesn't even reside in her own faith. I suck!

Later on I heard the tantrums of a child who didn't "win" the hunt, and thought myself brilliant for avoiding such an obvious opening for sibling rivalry. Happily, guilt was subsiding. I reasoned that my slothful non-celebration was my one "get out of jail free" card.

But guilt came back to haunt me when husband's family called from Jerusalem to find out how the girls' first easter had gone. We squirmed, we prevaricated, we blushed, beads of sweat burst out on our brows, we said--oh well, of course, we aren't celebrating this easter sunday. We are celebrating NEXT easter sunday, you know the orthodox easter. Of course, we convinced ourselves this was the plan ALL ALONG! This past sunday came and went...the orthodox easter...the lord had to rise on up once again. We, again, blissfully, did not rise to the occasion and...did nothing.

Happy easter, y'all! There will be plenty of pics next year when the girls are old enough to insist that mummy gets her act together to give them chocolate bunnies and plan a hunt.

But, dammit, this year I took it easy.

Easter Pants (don't worry masked badger, they will get worn!)

Traffic Jam on the Slide

Baba & MiMi

Mama & ZZ

At the park

Springtime in Brooklyn

2009-04-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

Spring is making headway in Brooklyn yet has had a few relapses back to winter. This past Saturday, a perfect example, cold and blustery but then a ray of hope (literally) creeps in the window after naptime and I quickly get the girls ready for an outing. By the time we make it to the park the sun is gone and the winds are blowing stronger than before (could be due to my questionable judgement in choosing a park closer rather than further from the water). But my girls are hale and hearty and play with gusto until I notice little zz's lips are blue (oops!). Back into the double-wide stroller and home for a dinner of warm tomato soup.

early signs of spring in the neighborhood

a ray of sunlight tempting us to wake up and go outside

the park is grim and grey, but we have fun anyway

Mama's Birthday

2009-03-30T08:14:00.001-07:00

I am 36 now and it is hard to argue that I'm not an adult (a husband, two kids, a job with a significant level of responsibility, in the upper reaches of my third decade)...but I am still perplexed at how I actually got to be an "adult". Whatevs, It was a great birthday weekend with cake, family and good friends and little girls who like to explore (zz was mesmerized by my birthday candle and mimi just had to get into mama's hats). It was low-key and restful. (I just realized that I listed "cake" before "family and friends"--what does this say about my priorities and alleged "adulthood"?)

The 550 Gang

ZZ attacking my cake

Eating cake

Mimi the hat-snatcher

Naps

2009-03-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

Naps, a favorite of any parent, whether it's a nap for the adults or the wee ones, nap time is the best time! ZZ & Mimi are only taking one nap a day but it's consistently a long one, usually around two hours, two blissful hours right smack dab in the middle of the day. For the last week my little ladies have been messing with the schedule and waking up after thirty minutes or an hour, or, gasp, choke, NOT TAKING A NAP AT ALL!!! But I'm happy to report that yesterday and today the long nap regime has taken hold again. Here are some post-nap, pre-lunch pics.

You will notice that Mimi was not happy to be woken up....

But a few moments later when she realizes that lunch is on the way she perks right up....

ZZ wouldn't even budge at the end of nap time...

But when my munchkin finally rose and shone she was also happy for lunch...

Reading

2009-03-24T07:51:00.001-07:00

Twins, twins everywhere

2009-03-24T07:42:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was not too warm yet sunny and spring-like enough that all the moms of multiples sprung onto the street. I saw six sets of twins in the nabe (something must be in the water)!!!! We had a play date with another set of very special Bay Ridge twins, Lil & Liv, who are a month older than ZZ & MiMi. We met Lil & Liv back in the fall but at that point my girls weren't very mobile and if you didn't rattle they didn't want anything to do with you. But this past Sunday 3 out of 4 girls were walking and we even had a little twin on twin interaction.

ZZ & Lil

Liv & Lil

ZZ

MiMi

Mama Lins came to town

2009-03-24T07:21:00.000-07:00

My sister came for a visit last week, we have affectionately named her Mama Lins since she is so besotted with the girls that next to her I seem like a neglectful mother. She's traveled across the country at least every two months since the girls were born and come this fall we are going to repay the favour(s) and visit her in the Big D. So shout out to Mama Lins, we love her and miss her!

Spring is in the air....

2009-03-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a wonderful spring day in New York City--63 degrees, sunny, fresh smells to smell, gentle breezes to feel. I was on a mission to take my girls to the park and get some serious play time under our belts. The swings were fully occupied by tots from the neighbourhood so we did the slides, for the first time. The girls loved it and my arms got very, very worn out from the repetitive hoisting of chubby sweet little girls. It was worth it!

Bedheads

2009-03-09T07:57:00.000-07:00

My little lovelies after waking up from their nap. (I'm lucky, they still take one long nap a day. A friend has a little girl about the same age and she'll only nap 20 minutes once a day, YIKES!!)

ZZ is Walking

2009-03-04T08:14:00.000-08:00

ZZ has been "stepping" for a few weeks. Overnight her steps have transformed into full-blown, unassisted, confident walking. MiMi has noticed all the attention it garners from mama and baba and last night catapulted herself upward and took two very wobbly steps and fell into my arms. MiMi's steps were more the result of the sheer force of motion rather than any developed sense of balance and coordination, nevertheless, 3 March was a banner day!

Mealtime

2009-03-04T07:16:00.000-08:00

Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that the girls have mastered the pincer grasp and can self feed. But what used to take 20 minutes now consumes close to an hour. I still need to actually get some nutrition in those little bodies by spoon-feeding. They refuse to be spoon-fed unless they also have something they can pop in their own mouths. On top of that they like to experiment by feeding mama (which I love). Another favorite experiment, sticking their spoons into whatever bowl I happen to be holding (which I hate, well, i mean, i love that they are getting the concept but the mess is incredible!). Of course, they also love to fling their food far and wide and I can't even tell you how much yogurt and pasta these girls have managed to inhale into their nostrils. Most days the mess is fun, other days it's infuriating. Mealtime can be a test of endurance and a time where I hope my rational self wins the battle with the irrational crazed mama beast that lurks inside. There is a direct link between how much food the girls eat and my own emotional response to the feeding session. (If they eat "well" they could paint the wall red with ketchup for all I care. If they don't eat "well" and one bit of food hits the floor I bemoan my fate as a mother. It's irrational since what is "well"? No baby has ever starved itself! Have they?) Anyway, I'm trying to relax about it, and think that I am on the road to success, this video link is proof-positive even if my written rant is not. Oh, and if you are interested, the girls love plain whole yogurt, broccoli, peas, pasta, Aunt Maha's magical red soup, m'lukheeya (a green leafy soup with a questionable consistency--definitely an acquired taste but so yummy yummy), avocados, bananas, strawberries, salmon, rice, ground lamb, cheerios, raisins, cream cheese, bagels, hummus, spinach.....i'm lucky they pretty much eat everything. They are also off formula and onto whole cow milk. Next on the list, master the sippy cup!

Antonia's Hat

2009-02-19T07:49:00.000-08:00

Antonia is the girls' caregiver when mama is away at work. She has a very fancy hat and very fashionable glasses. Each morning when Antonia arrives the girls will hold their arms up to be held and kissed by Antonia. And then....they mischeviously try to steal Antonia's hat. This morning it looks as if they succeeded.

Strawberries

2009-02-02T09:52:00.001-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

We made it through the first year with the help of family and friends and we gathered to celebrate the most rewarding and harrowing year of our lives this past Saturday. The girls had cake, the parents had wine. My little ladies are cruising and babbling and eating lumpy food. They are OVER the pureed stuff and they don't want it unless it's something mama and baba are eating too. Yesterday they ate eggs and potatoes with us for breakfast and went berserk over olives, cheese and crackers at night (don't worry, all was appropriately mashed). Zahrah has managed to take a few tentative steps, she knows she is onto something. Every time she puts a foot forward a look of excitement flushes her face and she throws her arms in the air and squeals. She then promptly falls on her bottom and laughs (or cries). Tasnim has aquired a new nickname. Our 2 year old upstairs neighbor has dubbed her MiMi, as in "Bye ZZ, Bye MiMi". I like it, I want to make it stick. Tasnim has the pincer grasp down pat and is just starting to stand on her own. They both want to touch things they shouldn't and I'm working hard at the stern "NO". Spring time will be here soon and I'm just waiting for the days when I'll be chasing them madly all over the park. I'm also pondering the idea of leashes for busy Brooklyn streets...

Good Morning Birthday Girls
Zahrah, aka ZZ

Tasnim, aka MiMi

They know the window means "outside" and they want to get there (we are all thoroughly sick of indoor play)

My girl ZZ has one goal in life, touch technology, here she's going for the camera, AGAIN!

My girl MiMi is giving one of her early morning lectures, she has mad verbal skills and can hold forth forevah!

My birthday morning love-in before heading off to work

This pic always makes me chuckle. MiMi is looking incredulous (this seems to be her new standard expression) and ZZ is in her downward dog position (which is her new standard position, she finds it incredibly funny if you peek at her through her legs)

(Pre)Party Time
The girls are all decked out in their birthday duds, vintage 1970s corduroy overalls (all props go to Aunt Steph and her eagle-eyes at garage sales). Belafly helped keep the girls busy while I prepped for the party.

LET THERE BE CAKE

At the Office

2009-02-02T08:30:00.000-08:00

We took the girls to their one-year follow up appointment at the hospital where they were born and they are doing beautifully (which I knew already, but it's nice to hear medical professionals fawn over the physical and mental perfection of my offspring). The hospital is only a few short blocks south of where I work so we made an impromptu visit to the office to visit mama's colleagues, have a diaper change and a bottle before the trip back to Brooklyn.

Baby, it's cold outside...

2009-01-12T11:44:00.001-08:00

It's been very cold recently leaving me with no other option than to play indoors. I think we've managed quite well.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2009-01-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

We did it! We traveled with the twins half-way across the country with no major mishaps or meltdowns. The girls met their Missouri family and friends and had a grand old time and got so many gifts I'm thinking about banning any additional goodies for the first birthday bash in 3 short weeks. Grinch-like you ask? Perhaps, but we live in NYC with limited living space. And really, how many toys and clothes do babies need (or want for that matter)? Isn't cake enough??? Other news totally unrelated to my overwhelming fear of a cluttered home is that my little ladies are cruising around the house with ease and have even made a few wobbly attempts to stand on their own. I think we will see our first steps very soon.

A Merry Brooklyn Christmas

2008-12-22T08:48:00.001-08:00

We are taking the girls to visit their Missouri family over the holidays but we couldn't leave Brooklyn without a celebration. From us to you a very merry Brooklyn Christmas!

Holiday Cheer

2008-12-09T10:20:00.000-08:00

This Disco Holiday Video of the Twins was lovingly produced by Aunt Steph!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T10:56:00.001-08:00

My sister and her husband came to Brooklyn for Thanksgiving and we had a good 'ole time with the girls until all the ladies came down with a nasty stomach flu. Luckily it only hit us the last day of the visit, the rest of the time we were all feeling well and dashing about the neighborhood buying pumpkin pies and playing in the leaves.

On our way to buy pie

Playing in the leaves

Turkey Dinner

ZZ Glamour Shot

Sick Sisters

What Time Is It?

2008-11-20T12:09:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a long time since I've posted. But since my last post the girls are pulling themselves up and over and into anything they can find--the world has become a death trap and there is no time to take cute pictures. What is below is the best I could do over the last two weeks and I hope you enjoy. (By the way, for those of you who also keep up with me in the parallel universe of Facebook there is a video posted on my profile of a friend's three year old daughter suggesting that President-elect Obama's daughters' names are Zahrah and Tasnim. I couldn't be more honored.)

Winter Time

Play Time

Bath Time
The girls go absolutely off-the-wall bonkers at bath time. They scream in anticipation--here they are clamoring to scale the gate to get to the bathroom.

Dinner Time

Swing Time

Sleep Time

Leaps and Bounds

2008-11-05T11:39:00.000-08:00

There is really nothing holding ZZ back--except her mother and baby gates. Recently she's been hightailing it to any elevated surface and pulling herself up onto her knees and has recently mastered pulling herself into a standing position. Much to my delight she is also grabbing my legs and trying to pull up. I predict cruising between objects in a few more weeks.

I know what y'all are thinking, but I'm not ZZ-centric, it's just that she is mastering mobility a few days ahead of Tasnim. However, my cheeky lady Nemo is a master at sitting, she is also a much more vocal babbler than ZZ, and when it comes to food, Nemo blasts ZZ out of the water. Miss Nemo is already getting the hang of a sippy cup and is holding her own bottle to drink milk, thank you very much. (ZZ still gets it in her nose or eye, occasionally getting it into her mouth by mistake).

Much to her mother's delight Nemo sleeps through the night while ZZ still beats me up regularly keeping me in a state of bleary-eyed exhaustion. This is true despite the many pics I have of a peacefully sleeping ZZ. Maybe I take so many because it is a truly rare occasion.

The girls have also been busy attending a variety of A-list NYC social events, most recently the birthday parties of their frister Bela (friend+sister=frister) and frother Taimur.

Halloween

2008-11-04T11:30:00.000-08:00

The Great Paci Snatcher

2008-10-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

Weekend Pictures

2008-10-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

ZZ Sitting Strong

Rosy Cheeks Tasnim

Gangsta ZZ

Cheeky Cheeky Nemo

Crawling

2008-10-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

Both girls are crawling (really proto-crawling by pulling themselves across any given surface). ZZ has started to develop her hand and knee coordination while moving and has a bit more stamina to cover longer distances. Nemo isn't far behind, she's getting up on her hands and knees and sort of rocking and lunging but her mobility is still restricted to the drag method.

Social Butterflies

2008-10-20T10:50:00.001-07:00

This weekend was just too too busy and too beautiful for a single blog entry, it deserves its own slideshow. The girls went to the farmer's market, rode on daddy's shoulders for the first time, had their first playdate with another set of adorable twin girls (lil & liv, check them out--i've added a link to their blog), and developed rich engaging relationships with their toys--ladybug ball and mr. elephant. ZZ and Nemo are getting juicier and funnier every day--enjoy!

Raspberries

2008-10-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

Tasnim is a master of blowing raspberries, she does it morning, noon and night. She also shares her sister's fascination with shiny electronic objects. Anytime I get the camera out to capture her raspberry concert she immediately stops and begins to grab for it. My only goal for the weekend was to get a "raspberry" video. I tried at least twenty times, this is my best shot but it doesn't convey the true richness of Tasnim's raspberry capabilities. Y'all will have to visit NYC to get the real deal.

ZZ on the Move

2008-10-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

In the world of ZZ and Nemo the only thing more interesting than eating grass is an electronic object. Here you will see that ZZ is after the camera, again!

Swings

2008-10-13T07:31:00.000-07:00

Laughter

2008-10-06T08:08:00.000-07:00

This is why women are able to forget the torture of child birth and sleep deprivation in order to ensure the survival of mankind.

Yawn

2008-10-06T07:46:00.000-07:00

Every night before her bath Tasnim laughs and screams when baba becomes a baby-eating monster. Except, of course, the one night we tried to capture it on video and the game became one big yawn. (Also, notice how camera-conscious she has already become.)

Self-Portrait

2008-10-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

ZZ's fascination with all things electronic continues. In this self-portrait she snatched the camera out of daddy's hand as he was photographing her. She looks a bit shocked because we hadn't been able to turn the flash off before she grabbed the camera and scared herself with the bright light going off very close to her drooly little face.

Toys

2008-09-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

ZZ has made the connection between toys and and where toys are stored. She knows she can get more. She likes to get more. She enjoys tipping the entire bucket of fun over and onto her head in a toy extravaganza. We've removed the hard plastic balls to avoid unnecessary bumps and subsequent crying jags.

Sister Sister

2008-09-29T10:22:00.001-07:00

The girls are continuing to exhibit interest in one another. ZZ often drags herself over to Tasnim and begins a close visual and tactile examination of her sister's face, hair, hands, body, clothes (you get the picture). I tried to capture that but their fascination with electronics is also growing (much to my chagrin and baba's pleasure) and the minute ZZ heard the camera beep she swiveled her head around and began a new examination of this metallic object with interesting buttons and lights. I'm in the market for an old keyboard and remote control for their playing pleasure....

Grass

2008-09-22T07:49:00.000-07:00

The park used to be a lovely retreat. Someplace I could go and lay back with the girls and watch the sun and wind play with the leaves--perhaps even nap while the girls cooed at the wonderful world above them. That has all changed with the girls' ever increasing mobility. Our visit to the park was cut short yesterday due to the girls' obsession with what is beyond the play mat. Borders have no meaning. Nothing will keep them away from pulling the grass, scooping up handfuls of soft cool dirt, waving sticks in the air, desperately pulling themselves toward much quicker squirrels and pigeons. I jump up and down, make silly faces, try to block them with my legs and arms, dangle a variety of rattles and toys in front of their faces. NOTHING will keep them on the mat. They must reach the edge, they must eat dirt, they are compelled, there is something deep in their brains at work, some serious evolutionary biology on display. I need a bigger blanket.

Betrothal

2008-09-22T07:40:00.001-07:00

I never understood why parents in so many different parts of the world find arranging marriage for their children so appealing, and, well, necessary. That was then, this is now. We live downstairs from our wonderful friends who have a wonderful family, and the youngest offspring of that family is a sugary-sweet boy who likes to kiss my girls. If I had my way I would betroth my girls to this boy right now in the hopes of having grandchildren one day which would make my fantastic friends into my fantastic family. I know I won't have my way but one can always hope.

Fighting...

2008-09-17T09:49:00.001-07:00

So they both look happy. You know, at peace and in harmony with one another and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear". HA, just press play! What really happened was a full-on exhibition of two very competitive personalities. They both wanted the book and Tasnim was trying to get it forcefully from Zahrah which in turn caused protesting, hair pulling and crying much to mama's amusement.

Reading...

2008-09-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

Well, OK, not really reading but nonetheless a clear indication of interest in the written word; even if they prefer to chew the book rather than read it. They struggle to grasp the page and turn it which makes me giggle to see the level of concentration required to finish this task. Once the page-turning is achieved they love to stroke the pretty pictures and stare wide-eyed at the colors. Once the stroking is finished the book goes immediately into the mouth for an exploration of taste and texture. Genius I tell you! What isn't shown in the picture (but is apparent in the video above) is that they've also started to compete for control of the book.

Sitting (sort of...)!!!!

2008-09-08T07:41:00.001-07:00

Zahrah or George?

2008-09-05T11:34:00.001-07:00

Tasnim or My Mom?

2008-09-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

Labor Day Weekend in Pictures

2008-09-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

Playing

2008-08-26T08:58:00.000-07:00

Another new favorite activity is sitting in their bumbo chairs while playing footsie and reaching for toys to insert immediately into their mouths.

Coup d'etat

2008-08-26T07:28:00.000-07:00

George and I have been convinced since the day we brought the girls home that they have been surreptitiously planning a coup in a secret baby language of strange ticks, gurgles and deep-throated coos. Now that their motor skills are developing, their sheer excitement of being part of the physical world, compounded by the joy of being in the park on a beautiful August day, led them straight into a major slip-up. ZZ was whispering her latest plans into Nemo's ear and mama snapped a photo. Evidence, I tell you!