9 years ago
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
New experiences
Their thirteenth month has held a lot of firsts for Max and Vanh.
The first overnight cottage trip, and the first time sleeping in the same room as Mommy and Daddy (and Shadow!) How sweet it was to wake up together.
First timbit, first ribs, first steak, hummus, and peanut butter.
First happy meal (thanks grandma and grandpa) quickly followed by first upchuck (Max - Vanh's is yet to come).
First time up the stairs - and today Max climbed on top of the ottoman. So much for our child-proof home.
First sign language - they touch their mouths for "hungry", put their hands together for "more", and wave for "hi" and "bye". Oh, and when Max does something impressive, like stack 3 blocks, he will look at you and clap, which means "applause please".
First band:
The first overnight cottage trip, and the first time sleeping in the same room as Mommy and Daddy (and Shadow!) How sweet it was to wake up together.
First timbit, first ribs, first steak, hummus, and peanut butter.
First happy meal (thanks grandma and grandpa) quickly followed by first upchuck (Max - Vanh's is yet to come).
First time up the stairs - and today Max climbed on top of the ottoman. So much for our child-proof home.
First sign language - they touch their mouths for "hungry", put their hands together for "more", and wave for "hi" and "bye". Oh, and when Max does something impressive, like stack 3 blocks, he will look at you and clap, which means "applause please".
First band:
Thursday, August 20, 2009
6 months a family
Max likes to stack different kinds and sizes of blocks, and yesterday, on his 13-month birthday, he started building towers by connecting megablocks. They both love bouncing and chasing balls around. Vanh eats everything, unless it has even the tiniest speck of medication hidden in it, in which cas he refuses to taste it. Max is a much pickier eater (although has no problem with meds). They had ribs, hummus, and a timbit for their celebration (for photos click the link for August photos below).
More later - I had to post this unfinished for now as it's already tomorrow.
Friday, August 14, 2009
For Marijke
We got an Oma for our birthday!
We dance with her...
...and sleep on her...
...and she bought us these outfits.
Look! Shoes from Holland!
For more August photos click here
We dance with her...
...and sleep on her...
...and she bought us these outfits.
Look! Shoes from Holland!
For more August photos click here
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
9 months
On November 12, 2008 we found out about you and saw your photo for the first time.
Not flesh of our flesh
Nor bone of our bone
But somehow, miraculously
Our own
Never forget
For a single minute
You didn't grow under my heart
But in it
Not flesh of our flesh
Nor bone of our bone
But somehow, miraculously
Our own
Never forget
For a single minute
You didn't grow under my heart
But in it
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Babies Don't Keep
3 months old
5 months old
7 months (Adoption day)
8 months
9 months
10 months
11 months
12 months
Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.
- Ruth Hulbert Hamilton
5 months old
7 months (Adoption day)
8 months
9 months
10 months
11 months
12 months
Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.
- Ruth Hulbert Hamilton
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Happy First Birthday!!!
If you have been reading this blog we would love it if you would leave a birthday comment or send to
Scaramantha@hotmail.com
We will be preserving all their birthday wishes for them to see when they are older!
The setup
The cakes
The pool party
The swag
Thank you SO MUCH it was an amazing first birthday!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
What's your favourite photo?
For those who know my parents, some photos of them with the boys have been added
here
For adoptive parents, your 6 month report is actually due at 5 months after adoption, and you need 4 photos of your child with his family.
How do I pick the 4 photos that best represent the last 5 months?
HELP!!!!!!!
Any suggestions? Everything is due by Monday so if you do have a favourite photo from the last five months please let me know!
here
For adoptive parents, your 6 month report is actually due at 5 months after adoption, and you need 4 photos of your child with his family.
How do I pick the 4 photos that best represent the last 5 months?
HELP!!!!!!!
Any suggestions? Everything is due by Monday so if you do have a favourite photo from the last five months please let me know!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Reflections at 4 1/2 months
Vanh rhymes with can. Oord rhymes with cord. Have we set our baby up for a lifetime of "Vaughn Eeu-ord?"
Is it strange that only one twin has a Vietnamese name? Click here to see the origin of their names.
Feeding
For the first 7 months of their lives the boys were fed bottles while tucked into a hammock. When they came to us this was really what they preferred, but we didn't have any hammocks. We shook their cribs to mimic hammocks for the first few weeks and eventually they adjusted. However, they still wanted to have their bottles lying down, not cuddled in someone's arms benefiting from bonding and attachment moments. After 4 months we have worked out a compromise whereby we are allowed to "feed" them their morning bottle, and at least half of all other bottles, provided that when they ask they are immediately brought up and tucked into bed to finish.
At first we were concerned because they didn't seem to be eating on par with other babies their age, but now that they're active their appetites have gone way up, and we've realized that how much a baby eats has more to do with how active they are than how old they are. That being said, they have gone from 50th to 25th to 10-25th%ile in weight since we've had them. No-one seems worried and they certainly get weighed by doctors a lot. They eat pretty much everything (healthy) that we eat and have definite preferences. Vanh likes shrimp, fruit, and egg while Max prefers vegetables and cereals.
Click here for photos of their first time with spaghetti.
Health
The results of the boys' blood tests here at 9 months were very different from those in their referral (at 3 months), which were actually quite scary if you took them apart. We were reassured by the fact that they were fairly standard looking medicals for twins in an orphanage in Vietnam, which has proved to be true. If you have questions about your own child's medicals please e-mail and I will tell you if we had the same.
Their TB tests came up slightly positive because they had the vaccination for TB in Vietnam - but they had to go for x-rays just in case. But I am starting in the middle - here are all their appointments since we've been back:
March = Family Dr. A
April 14 = Adoption clinic Dr. at CHEO (blood tests)
April 21 = Neurology at CHEO (Mommy wondered if their heads were flat - they're not)
April 23 = Vaccinations at Dr. A
May 12 = Adoption clinic to review blood tests (iron supplement advised)
May 26 = TB test at Dr. A
May 28 = return to have TB test read at Dr. A
June 3 = Ophthalmology at CHEO
June 18 = Dentist (Mommy wondered about brown spots on teeth - they're just stains)
June 25 = Vaccinations at Dr. A
June 26 = CHEO for chest x-rays
June 29 = CHEO for hearing tests
July 15 = CHEO to review x-rays
August 27 = Vaccinations at Dr. A
September 22 = CHEO opthamology
October 13 = CHEO adoption clinic
We are not done yet because they have been referred for head-scans but not urgent ones, due to their giant heads. Which I refuse to worry about, because the Dr in Vietnam told us that they would be referred because of the increase in size, and that I would worry, but that there was no need because it was obvious there was nothing wrong.
Their only health problem at this point is that they really don't like Drs, and scream like banshees when having horrible torturous things done to them like weighing and head-measuring. I am leaning on wood while writing this but they haven't been sick a day yet except for one small cold which woke Max up a few times one night.
The thing for adoptive parents of twins to note here is that you will need a second pair of hands around for the first few months, to go through the various appointments if nothing else. (Luckily Woody's work schedule is flexible so he is able to schedule all of those as "days off".) And a tip about CHEO - if you can grab a parking meter by the entrance, it's much cheaper than the parking lot and you are close enough to carry baby twins by yourself.
Sleeping
Our bottle agreement (above) has led to quick and easy nap and bedtimes. It's not all about the bottle either, as we do try to finish the bottle just before, and they still settle right away. Their grandparents gave them a stereo so they always have music to listen to in the nursery. We recently got them crib toys, and if they don't go to sleep right away, they sometimes play with their toys for about 15 minutes, then go to sleep. So, the sleeping schedule is a little - adjusted - from the previous post, which is more of a "longest time possible" ideal. But it is still pretty ideal.
Attachment
We first met the babies on a Tuesday and the seemed to know us when we went back to get them on that Friday. By the time I came back from the hospital Saturday evening I was already the only one who could always comfort them. They were exactly what we expected and so easy to love right away, with their perfect skin and smell and smiles. We fell in love, knowing that love isn't something you fall into, it's a choice you make over and over again. I felt superior because I'd read somewhere that it usually takes between two and six months to feel like a "real" mother and I felt like one right away. But there have been times since of feeling like a babysitter, and moments of detachment which surprised me. At just over 4 months I am content to simply "act as if" during those moments, which are less and less every day. The boys are now bonded with Mommy, Daddy, and Grandma, which makes for healthy breaks all around. Overall things are going very well.
Is it strange that only one twin has a Vietnamese name? Click here to see the origin of their names.
Feeding
For the first 7 months of their lives the boys were fed bottles while tucked into a hammock. When they came to us this was really what they preferred, but we didn't have any hammocks. We shook their cribs to mimic hammocks for the first few weeks and eventually they adjusted. However, they still wanted to have their bottles lying down, not cuddled in someone's arms benefiting from bonding and attachment moments. After 4 months we have worked out a compromise whereby we are allowed to "feed" them their morning bottle, and at least half of all other bottles, provided that when they ask they are immediately brought up and tucked into bed to finish.
At first we were concerned because they didn't seem to be eating on par with other babies their age, but now that they're active their appetites have gone way up, and we've realized that how much a baby eats has more to do with how active they are than how old they are. That being said, they have gone from 50th to 25th to 10-25th%ile in weight since we've had them. No-one seems worried and they certainly get weighed by doctors a lot. They eat pretty much everything (healthy) that we eat and have definite preferences. Vanh likes shrimp, fruit, and egg while Max prefers vegetables and cereals.
Click here for photos of their first time with spaghetti.
Health
The results of the boys' blood tests here at 9 months were very different from those in their referral (at 3 months), which were actually quite scary if you took them apart. We were reassured by the fact that they were fairly standard looking medicals for twins in an orphanage in Vietnam, which has proved to be true. If you have questions about your own child's medicals please e-mail and I will tell you if we had the same.
Their TB tests came up slightly positive because they had the vaccination for TB in Vietnam - but they had to go for x-rays just in case. But I am starting in the middle - here are all their appointments since we've been back:
March = Family Dr. A
April 14 = Adoption clinic Dr. at CHEO (blood tests)
April 21 = Neurology at CHEO (Mommy wondered if their heads were flat - they're not)
April 23 = Vaccinations at Dr. A
May 12 = Adoption clinic to review blood tests (iron supplement advised)
May 26 = TB test at Dr. A
May 28 = return to have TB test read at Dr. A
June 3 = Ophthalmology at CHEO
June 18 = Dentist (Mommy wondered about brown spots on teeth - they're just stains)
June 25 = Vaccinations at Dr. A
June 26 = CHEO for chest x-rays
June 29 = CHEO for hearing tests
July 15 = CHEO to review x-rays
August 27 = Vaccinations at Dr. A
September 22 = CHEO opthamology
October 13 = CHEO adoption clinic
We are not done yet because they have been referred for head-scans but not urgent ones, due to their giant heads. Which I refuse to worry about, because the Dr in Vietnam told us that they would be referred because of the increase in size, and that I would worry, but that there was no need because it was obvious there was nothing wrong.
Their only health problem at this point is that they really don't like Drs, and scream like banshees when having horrible torturous things done to them like weighing and head-measuring. I am leaning on wood while writing this but they haven't been sick a day yet except for one small cold which woke Max up a few times one night.
The thing for adoptive parents of twins to note here is that you will need a second pair of hands around for the first few months, to go through the various appointments if nothing else. (Luckily Woody's work schedule is flexible so he is able to schedule all of those as "days off".) And a tip about CHEO - if you can grab a parking meter by the entrance, it's much cheaper than the parking lot and you are close enough to carry baby twins by yourself.
Sleeping
Our bottle agreement (above) has led to quick and easy nap and bedtimes. It's not all about the bottle either, as we do try to finish the bottle just before, and they still settle right away. Their grandparents gave them a stereo so they always have music to listen to in the nursery. We recently got them crib toys, and if they don't go to sleep right away, they sometimes play with their toys for about 15 minutes, then go to sleep. So, the sleeping schedule is a little - adjusted - from the previous post, which is more of a "longest time possible" ideal. But it is still pretty ideal.
Attachment
We first met the babies on a Tuesday and the seemed to know us when we went back to get them on that Friday. By the time I came back from the hospital Saturday evening I was already the only one who could always comfort them. They were exactly what we expected and so easy to love right away, with their perfect skin and smell and smiles. We fell in love, knowing that love isn't something you fall into, it's a choice you make over and over again. I felt superior because I'd read somewhere that it usually takes between two and six months to feel like a "real" mother and I felt like one right away. But there have been times since of feeling like a babysitter, and moments of detachment which surprised me. At just over 4 months I am content to simply "act as if" during those moments, which are less and less every day. The boys are now bonded with Mommy, Daddy, and Grandma, which makes for healthy breaks all around. Overall things are going very well.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Happy Canada Day!
Hey, Mommy finally got us some climbing toys!
Happy Canada Day!
Look Mom, one hand!
What do you mean, it's not for us?
Happy Canada Day!
Look Mom, one hand!
What do you mean, it's not for us?
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
First freezies
It was 40 with the humidex so we thought it was a good day to see if babies like freezies (100% juice of course). They are halfway through in this clip.
When Max can't get into his he tries to take Vanh's. You can hear me giggle at the end when Vanh's successful save sends his freezie down his back.
When Max can't get into his he tries to take Vanh's. You can hear me giggle at the end when Vanh's successful save sends his freezie down his back.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
New recipe
Here is a recipe we tried today:
Mom`s no-guilt snack
Mix 1 egg yolk, grated carrot (couple spoonfuls) and puffed wheat (couple spoonfuls). Fry in non-stick pan to make "cookies". Serve with bottle to cover all 4 food groups.
(Max tore his into bits but refused to put it near his mouth. Vanh ate his and Max`s bits.)
Mom`s no-guilt snack
Mix 1 egg yolk, grated carrot (couple spoonfuls) and puffed wheat (couple spoonfuls). Fry in non-stick pan to make "cookies". Serve with bottle to cover all 4 food groups.
(Max tore his into bits but refused to put it near his mouth. Vanh ate his and Max`s bits.)
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
11-month birthday
I made monthly birthday cupcakes for the last time yesterday. Something strange happened with the icing and it went runny: yesterday they looked like this:
I haven't looked yet to see what happened after a night in the fridge.
I've been finding it hard to read other adoption blogs lately because it seems their babies are so much further ahead. One little girl from Ethiopia has several words at 9 months. A little boy started walking at this age. I know I'm being ridiculous but you know, you always worry that you're not doing enough, and I think it's more so with twins. I notice more and more the times when I would be cuddling and talking with one child - if only his brother didn't need me - and then he doesn't get cuddled either because the first one needs something, or, more likely, I'm tired. Not that they don't get cuddled a lot - but if you're a Mom you know what I mean. It doesn't help when people ask their age, then ask if they are walking and what their first word was, when they are nowhere near either.
Not that they don't have their own bragging rights! Vanh was an early clapper and first to crawl. Max was first to pull himself up and to roll a ball back and forth with someone. They are easy and fun to be with. And of course, they are absolutely adorable.
Here is our schedule:
7:00 up, bottle, diaper, play
8:30 breakfast
9:00 play
10:00 bottle, nap
12:00 diaper,play
12:30 lunch
1:00 play
3:00 bottle, nap
4:00 snack,diaper, play
5:30 supper
6:00 play
7:00 diaper, bottle, bed
The boys are very good at playing - I guess it's all that pratice. We rotate between the front room, family room and outside (if it's nice) and the toys get rotated as well, so things stay interesting. Favourite toys are always whatever's new (yesterday it was a margarine lid and the tear-out bit from a new box of tissues).
The two long naps are nice... And by nice I mean isolated periods of calm when I can do self-absorbed time-consuming tasks like shower and vacuum. Or lay in bed and read. Or even blog. Don't bother phoning, I'm not in.
We will have been a family for 4 months tomorrow. I have 15 months left at home and I intend to treasure every minute of every one.
By the end of that we will be about $50 000 behind where we were when we started. Much of that is in lost wages. For a teacher maternity/ parental benefits don't do much more than cover pension and benefits payments - but how lucky we are to have this option, I'm not complaining, just explaining. Some good news is that the issue of adoptive parents needing a year of leave is working it's way into law:
Private Member's Bill on EI and adoption
So hopefully that will be sorted out by the time we go back for our next child. Ha ha just kidding. But you never know...
Have a wonderful 11-month birthday my darling, darling little boys!
cupcake photos
I haven't looked yet to see what happened after a night in the fridge.
I've been finding it hard to read other adoption blogs lately because it seems their babies are so much further ahead. One little girl from Ethiopia has several words at 9 months. A little boy started walking at this age. I know I'm being ridiculous but you know, you always worry that you're not doing enough, and I think it's more so with twins. I notice more and more the times when I would be cuddling and talking with one child - if only his brother didn't need me - and then he doesn't get cuddled either because the first one needs something, or, more likely, I'm tired. Not that they don't get cuddled a lot - but if you're a Mom you know what I mean. It doesn't help when people ask their age, then ask if they are walking and what their first word was, when they are nowhere near either.
Not that they don't have their own bragging rights! Vanh was an early clapper and first to crawl. Max was first to pull himself up and to roll a ball back and forth with someone. They are easy and fun to be with. And of course, they are absolutely adorable.
Here is our schedule:
7:00 up, bottle, diaper, play
8:30 breakfast
9:00 play
10:00 bottle, nap
12:00 diaper,play
12:30 lunch
1:00 play
3:00 bottle, nap
4:00 snack,diaper, play
5:30 supper
6:00 play
7:00 diaper, bottle, bed
The boys are very good at playing - I guess it's all that pratice. We rotate between the front room, family room and outside (if it's nice) and the toys get rotated as well, so things stay interesting. Favourite toys are always whatever's new (yesterday it was a margarine lid and the tear-out bit from a new box of tissues).
The two long naps are nice... And by nice I mean isolated periods of calm when I can do self-absorbed time-consuming tasks like shower and vacuum. Or lay in bed and read. Or even blog. Don't bother phoning, I'm not in.
We will have been a family for 4 months tomorrow. I have 15 months left at home and I intend to treasure every minute of every one.
By the end of that we will be about $50 000 behind where we were when we started. Much of that is in lost wages. For a teacher maternity/ parental benefits don't do much more than cover pension and benefits payments - but how lucky we are to have this option, I'm not complaining, just explaining. Some good news is that the issue of adoptive parents needing a year of leave is working it's way into law:
Private Member's Bill on EI and adoption
So hopefully that will be sorted out by the time we go back for our next child. Ha ha just kidding. But you never know...
Have a wonderful 11-month birthday my darling, darling little boys!
cupcake photos
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
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