kite delight

we took full advantage of the beautiful 65 degree day today and went to the kite festival at zilker park. amazing! despite both fighting fevers, both guys absolutely loved it. and even though it was a cool day for austin, we didn't forget our sunscreen or sunglasses!

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hello kitchen!

we did it! we are at the tail-end of remodeling our kitchen and it's only been three weeks (from tomorrow). all in all, a crazy success. but living through a remodeling project is never fun. our kitchen was straight out of 1982, popcorn ceilings, florescent light and all. oh, i forgot, the previous owners upgraded the hardware with some nice bathroom knobs and handles from target. here's the before:





we decided to go IKEA, mainly because it's so darn affordable and we could do a lot of it ourselves. we also like the modern look. we bought everything way back in november because IKEA was running a nice promotion and our doors were on mega discount because of discontinuation. score! i started building the frames a few weeks after the boys started school, and had everything finished in less than a week. we were ready for our contractor to start! here's some pics of the kitchen gutted, walls and ceilings floated and cabs layed out:



we really didn't change the layout. the only addition is a row of bench cabinets along the wall for extra storage and seating. the main components of the remodel were new cabs and counters, new recessed lighting, smooth walls and ceiling, new micro/hood and a wine fridge, new sink, faucet and backsplash. jordan's good friend is a contractor and he loaned us his two guys for the job. ramone and mauro are brothers and they were fantastic. i wish i had a picture of them! the boys were totally in awe of them and talked about them every. single. day. and every day they came home from school and marveled at what the brothers accomplished. i also have to give a huge shout out to jordan's mom, nana, who hosted us at her house every day for the past few weeks for after school snacks, play and dinner. we could not have done this with out her. period. so here's the unveiling (but remember, it's still not finished, organized or very clean!):







i still have to seal the backsplash, put handles on the bench cabinets, paint and then organize, organize, organize. and clean, clean, clean! and look for a table that works with the new bench seating. but it's a far cry from what it used to be. oh, and we are eventually going to get to the floor and we're leaning towards cork. but that's for another time. for now, we're just going to enjoy our new cooking and dining digs!

lame bloggess

to anyone out there still reading, i have to apologize for the lack of posts. i'm so lame. but things around here have been crazy busy and i'm not lying! the latest and greatest is that we have a NEW KITCHEN! i promise i'll take some pictures and post them this weekend. there is still painting to be done, but other than that, it's finito. yours truly installed the river rock backsplash over the past few days and i've learned that i'm born to grout. it's very zen!

oh, and i'm starting a freelance job on monday which will turn into a full-fledged part-time job come april. with the boys in school and loving it, it's back to the grind for mommy! it's with my former employer (the Texas Historical Commission) essentially picking up where i left off two years ago. i'm very excited, especially since some of my favorite people in the world work there!

but who cares about the kitchen and me when there are two crazy toddlers wrecking havoc around here! we woke up this morning to a loud thud followed by even louder crying. j and i (and mati!) ran into the boys room to find ozzy standing in the middle of it. after getting lots of kisses on his boo-boo'd head, he proceeded to recount with pride how he launched himself up and over the crib. all i can say is, "CRAP!" things were looking so good and i truly thought we'd be one of the lucky families that didn't need to deal with crib climbing. but now we do. i'm not going to rush into anything, though. we'll play it by ear and see if it turns into a trend or not. and if it does, i'm going to take my fellow twin mom's advice and invest in some crib tents. we're just not ready for free-bedding it right now.

over the past month, the boys have expertly demonstrated that they are officially two years old. they have been kicking our butts in every way imaginable - testing all limits imaginable, being particularly destructive, throwing tantrums, hitting and pushing each other left and right, and showing off their new-found physical prowess and boldness (head stands, forward rolls, balance beam-aka-curb walking and jumping, trying to jump out of shopping carts, and now crib launching, etc.) that's seriously keeping us on our toes. we're muddling our way through it sometimes, but most of the time we're seriously enjoying the brilliance of abie and oz. sentences are flowing out of their mouths, grace out of their limbs (must post video of their ballet "attitudes!"), and love from every cell of their bodies. they embrace life to the fullest and it's amazing and inspirational to witness.

so i'll leave you with that. and the pledge that i'll finish and post the ten or so drafts i've started and get some pics of the boys and the kitchen up!

on the mend

thank you all for your prayers, energy and well wishes. mati is doing much better! after a night at the ER clinic, she is very stable, back at the vet, eating a little food and drinking water, and for now keeping it down. i was able to drop the boys off at school and spend about an hour with her. we really needed that time together, and mati was able to snooze a little w/ her head in my lap. she must be exhausted. as long as there is no more vomiting or bloody diarrhea, and her labs come back good, we'll be able to bring her home tonight.

mati has suffered from a mysterious thing called Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis (HGE). we have no idea how she got it. but the warning signs are acute blowout bloody diarrhea and vomiting. if your dog ever has any of these symptoms, it is imperative to get him/her to the vet immediately. things can go south very quickly, but if it's caught early and treated aggressively, most dogs will recover.

we so appreciate you continuing to keep our mati in your thoughts!

please pray

i don't normally do this, but i know you all have incredible energy to send. our dear mati is in the emergency overnight clinic. she is stable, but sick. jordan took her to the vet after she had blood in her stool this afternoon, and she was severely dehydrated. he's been with her all evening and is now driving her to the ER. i can't even wrap my mind around what is wrong with her or even how to pronounce it, but the doctor says that 9 out of 10 dogs recover.

please, please, please pray that mati is one of these nine. we love her so much and just want her home - safe, sound and healthy - with us.

not the end of this

add matilda having a puke-fest today to our week's list of crazies. oh, and i found another pea-sized lump on her that we need the vet to check out.

when it rains, it pours

i don't know if this week can get any crazier. oz had a rough night on sunday and greeted monday with a fever. he stayed home with me while abel braved school all by himself for the first time (which he did amazing!). the workers arrived monday at noon and gutted our kitchen. scraping popcorn ceiling and floating sheet rock began yesterday, which stunk our house to holy hell. i met with my old boss this morning about going back to work (part-time, thank god), and it looks very promising. picked nana up from the airport at noon. got call from school that they woke up abel from his 3 hour nap and he has a 103 fever. raced to pick him up and found him sleeping in the middle of the floor while all the kids ate their snacks (heart breaking). he perked up at nana's, where we've been spending our early evenings and eating dinners, and proceeded to eat half a jar of apple sauce. i should have known better. we got home for bedtime and moments after walking in the door he puked all over me. poor, poor little man. at least he's sleeping soundly now and the fever seems at bay for the time being. tomorrow they're supposed to start installing our cabinets. oh gosh, i hope they do. it will be amazing to have a new kitchen in a matter of five days. and, at the moment, the luxury of having a counter to work on is making me swoon.

it's hard to believe that we've had two sick kids, at separate times no less, a kitchen remodel project that's half way complete, and a part-time job offer - and wednesday is not even over. i can't wait to see what we can cram into thursday and friday!

crush

today i witnessed the cutest thing today at school drop-off. ozzy has his first crush! her name is maddie (whom he calls "mannie"). she's a doe-eyed, brown haired, 19-month old neophyte. oz was desperate to say hello, but shy at first. after a little cajoling, he walked over to her and pulled out one of his most passionate, yet gentle hugs. once the first one was over, i witnessed hug after hug after hug. i started to worry about maddie, but she just smiled, giggled and hugged back. i think i counted 12 hugs total.

now that's what i call a good morning.

abel's hair update

i can safely say that abel is DEATHLY afraid of getting his hair cut. we managed to clean it up, but it wasn't a pretty process. we practically had to hold him down nurse rachett style. and then it was nearly 10 minutes of some hard core comforting to get him calm again. poor little man!

maybe we should take this as a sign and keep abel's hair long, and oz's hair short, thus making it easier for the world to tell them apart?

two birthdays and many pictures later

the boys had a wonderful birthday last week. lee-lee came to visit. nana was here, of course. the boys were very aware that it was their birthdays and it was a special time! unfortunately, they were also battling some cold virus, but they remained in really high spirits despite a few days of fever, coughs and lots of snot. we played it really low key and just had a celebration at home with the family. lots of presents, lots of ice cream (abel's new favorite word), lots of rice krispy treats and lots of singing, hugs, kisses and laughing. on friday, the boys played hookie from school and the grandmas took us to san antonio. we at at mi tierra (awesome!) and the boys got a full-on happy birthday serenade that they were less than thrilled about. all in all, a pretty awesome two for two.

abel blows out the candle on his sticker cake

my mom calls abel an impchnick for good reason

even the animals are obsessed with elmo!!!

the boys LOVED their brooms from nana and lee-lee

oz has the open-mouthed look of surprise when opening a present down pat!

oz plays with rocky and emily, their new trains from mommy and daddy

abie's conversation with his new shark friend, whom he adores!

getting ready for bed and another failed attempt at a family picture

at first they were okay with the mariachis...

...until they got too close. sorry guys!

locks of love

like most things in our life, we made the spontaneous decision to give oz a buzz cut last night after dinner. i have to say, j did a fabulous job styling what i described as a "skater" cut. we didn't touch the top, and buzzed the back and sides with the longest attachment. oz actually didn't mind having it done, either. and i was relieved to not be wielding sharp scissors around his fast moving noggin, which coincidentally house his eye balls.

abel meets his hair fate today, and i can assuredly say, he's not looking forward to it.

birthday dance

courtesy of our wonderful friends in AK (who happen to have twin boys one day older than oz and abie), the boys received one of their favorite birthday gifts in a 5x5 thin envelope. all i can say is, if you know any soon-to-be two year olds, send them a music card. HOURS of entertainment.

two turn two on tuesday!

abel and oskar,

today you both turn 2!

every day our hearts explode from the love you give us. thank you, dear boys, for filling our lives with so much joy. we love you more than any word, more than any hug, more than any kiss, could possibly express.

happy birthday, sweet abel!

happy birthday, dear oskar!

some people call us the space cowboys

napping during nap time - what a concept!

i feel like i'm obsessively documenting the boys' transition to school. sorry!

this week, they started napping at school. on monday i got the call at 1:30. the boys were not sleeping. i decided not to pick them up for the sake of helping them transition faster. they weren't upset, so figured what's the harm of having them chill out on their mats for...three hours! it still seems like an awfully long time to me. tuesday, i didn't get a call so i was optimistic they had napped. no deal, though. the good news was they didn't need the teachers sitting next to them to be content on their mats. that night they fell asleep at 6:30 before their little bodies even touched the mattress. i don't even remember the last time that happened.

yesterday, as i counted the minutes to pick them up, i wondered how long this nap transition would take. and to my surprise, they both slept! oz clocked a whopping 1hr45min and abie a mere 60min. but we'll all take it! hopefully today will be better for mr. abel.

i have made the executive decision that 3:30 is just too late for me to pick them up. i've noticed the boys being a little cranky and clingy in the evenings and i think it's just because they are not getting the quality time they need with us. and I'M not getting the quality time I need with them. why should the boys have to quietly lay on their mats for an hour plus when they could be with me? Since naptime starts around 12, i'm going to head to school around 2 and if they are up, great, if not, i'll just read a book until they wake up. that way we can have our snack and enjoy the majority of the afternoon together. we'll see how it all shakes out.

the guys have also steadfastly held onto their blankies (and abel his binky) all day at school. it was obviously important for them to have these during the first week. but as they aren't allowed to do this at home, we didn't want the habit to start, so the teachers have been working on them putting them down at school...to no luck. this morning i worked with the teacher to move their cubbies within easy reach and showed the boys where they can put their comfort objects until naptime. oz nixed the idea right away, but abel willingly put his blankie and binky in the bin and walked away. brilliant! we're going to be really patient with oz, but i'm thrilled that abel feels that comfortable to put away is binkie. it tells me a lot about his experience.

as for me, i'm really enjoying this new found time. i'm still adjusting to it all, and mainly just cooking, cleaning, organizing, going on errands, and having some nice coffees with friends. i figure i deserve the downtime. next week, however, i'd like to ramp it up a bit and get a good routine going at the gym as well as build us some new IKEA kitchen cabinets, which have been sitting in the garage all flat-packed. i do find myself really missing the boys, especially around 1:30 - 2pm. i think that's my threshold right now, so even more reason to pick them up around that time. i'm so grateful i have the option to be flexible and that our school is so accomodating.

week two

i'm pleased to report that we had an insanely great first week of school. each day was better than the next. on tuesday and wednesday, abel cried a little when i said goodbye, but i kid you not he was calm and playing before i even walked out of the classroom (maybe 20 seconds later?). i can't even get that kid to settle down that fast. thursday was a gorgeous morning, so said goodbye to them at the playground. they were both so psyched to play with the steering wheels again, they could have cared less about me. friday, school was old hat and they walked in, took of their coats, said "bu-bye mommy!" and went on their merry way. unbelievable. i heard great reports of how much fun they had during the day. and only on tuesday, after their nap at home, did they wake up really clingy and upset. i felt like they were 10 months again, when i could barely put them down. but that was the last of any post-school stress, thank god.

i was a little worried what would happen today, after a weekend of spending all of their time with us. abel was a little somber in the car, but once we got to school, he was psyched! a perfect drop-off again. today is also the first day the boys will be napping there. last week i picked them up right before nap-time. they got to see all the kids set up their mats and snuggle in. we talked a lot about how they would nap at school today over the weekend, and i think they are prepared for it. honestly, though, it's totally bizarre for me to think of those guys sleeping anywhere but their cribs. we have kept the same naptime routine for the past 18 months. diaper changes, books, music (latin lullabye, which i've heard probably 687,459 times), and me reciting "bear snores on" while i bounce them (seperately) on the stability ball. i think i will be reciting bear snores on while i'm on my death bed, it's that engrained. so today is a little bittersweet. and i'm wondering how the boys will do not having this routine before nap.

when i asked their teacher when i should pick them up, i was shocked to hear 3:30. 3:30!!! nap time goes from 12 - 3pm, with a half hour for transition. A THREE HOUR NAP WINDOW! i call it a great day if they sleep for an hour and 45. it's a stellar, fantastic day if they go for two or more hours. i'm really interested to see how they adapt to this and if they sleep longer being in the company of other kids who are sleeping. this aside, i really didn't expect the boys to be at school that long. 9-3:30 is a long day! 6.5 hours! i'm a little stunned to think of having that much time away from them. but just think of what i can accomplish!

all in all, this school transition has gone remarkable. i couldn't ask for it to have gone any better. i truly believe the preparation we did paid off big time. i also believe that the boys were ready for this. they love their teachers. they love being with all the other kids. they love the structure and the independence of montessori. since starting school, they only want to sit on the big chairs (forget the boosters), they want to eat off our regular plates, they want to drink out of regular cups (which they do at school). i'm already witnessing the difference a week of school is having on their vocabulary. so many new words. more stringing words together. the boys have always been very independent beings, but now it's really exploding and it's so exciting.

school rocks!

landslide

as i lay in bed on sunday night, tossing and turning, i couldn't help but recognize that feeling. you know, first day of school jitters. there's nothing like it, and no other butterflies/anxiety/nervousness feels quite the same. it's been a very long time since i felt it, and it was pretty weird to feel it in the context of being the mom. it made me a little nostalgic even, because even though i always had first day jitters as a kid and young adult, i was always overwhelmingly more excited than nervous. i have alwlays LOVED school. for a while in grad school, i thought i would spend my life in academia, the most brilliant of all the bubbles. but i digress.

yesterday, i walked abel and ozzy into their very first classroom and their very first teacher, ms. corazon, was right there with a welcoming smile and some pretty awesome construction vehicle stickers. it was love at first sight. i had to interrupt them playing with wooden trains to say goodbye. it was a non-chalant moment at best. they clearly didn't want to be interrupted. i walked out of the room and into the director's office to finish some paperwork and write a heartstopping check, but i didn't get very far before the water works started. i sat in her office and balled in her arms. i balled as soon as i got in the car (it didn't help that "landslide" was playing on the radio - damn you, universe! as if i needed any prompting!). i balled two mintutes later while recounting everything to jordan. i balled talking to my mom 10 minutes later. and more crying while on the phone with nana.

the teacher called at 10am to report the boys were doing fantastic. ozzy was in the middle of all the action as if he'd been going to school every day of his life. abie was being more of an observer (as he often is), scoping out the goings on and all the players, and staying close to the teacher. i was told to pick them up at 11am. their first day at school had passed awfully fast for me!

i arrived at their classroom door to witness such incredible cuteness, i just about died. there were my two boys, sitting in the circle with all the other children, singing a song about all the children's names. they were going one by one, getting up in the middle of the circle to say their name and everyone would sing a little ditty afterwards. they were so happy, so entranced by the activity, so willing to participate and be a part of this new found tribe. i was so elated. we drove home and i got an earful about their day. what they ate, what they did. children's names. it was a cloud nine experience. a landslide victory.

the teacher warned me this could all be a honeymoon and tomorrow or the next day would prove difficult. kids realize that school is part of the routine and that saying goodbye to mom is inevitable. unhappy times. when i took abel out of the car this morning and we all started walking to the front door, he kept crying, "our car! our car!" there were some tears when i said goodbye to him, but ozzy was just fine. the guide, ms. alex, was awesome in swooping up abel and distracting him while i walked out.

i did some leisurly grocery shopping while sipping a latte (devine!), stopped for some gas, and as it was 10am, wondered when i would hear from their teacher. my cell rang on my way home and it was a glowing report. the boys were doing amazing. abel settled down quickly and he was as engaged as ozzy was in the class activities. they both were doing an art project. and they were good to stay and eat lunch there. i should pick them up at noon. i was waiting at a stop sign, relishing in this great news, as i turned to my left to see a massive pickup coming towards me like a mac truck. i screamed and moved to towards the passenger side as he barrelled into my door. i'm fine, the other driver is fine. the right side of my car is crumpled and my door barely opens and closes. we're now in the lovely throws of talking to insurance companies, adjusters, volvo repair and trying to figure out the logistics of having one car out of commission for the time being.

i love school even more now. thank god they were there, and not with me. i don't think they would have been injured, but i can't imagine how scary that would have been for them! and thank god for nana, who was over in a jiffy and is letting us borrow her car for the time being. she came with to pick the boys up from their second day of school, and they were so thrilled to see her. they were equally excited to introduce her to their new favorite person, "teechee." they said goodbye and night-night to all their new friends (who were getting ready for their nap), blew kisses, waved to the fish and the birds in the hallway. off home we went, driving very slowly and carefully.

right now i'm blown away at how well these first days have gone. they have exceeded my expectations in every way. this may be a honeymoon for me too, but so far any negative feelings or hesitation i had about the school have been erased. the teachers and staff have been loving, gentle and patient. with the boys and me. and i'm proud to say that, at least for the time being, my boys love school just as much as i did.

abie and ozzy on their first day of school.

Tomorrow is the Day

Tomorrow is a big day for the Silverman family. Abel and Ozzy start school! I wrote about my mixed feelings on HDYDI last week, how I felt emotionally unprepared for this transition. Now that the day has arrived, I feel so much better. The boys seem to be genuinely excited about all of this, which helps. Although when the time comes to say goodbye tomorrow, I'm sure we'll all be a mess.

It will be a short day and the guys will probably only stay for an hour or two, depending on how they're doing. The school likes to use the fist week as a transition, where every day they gradually increase the time the kids stay there. By next week, my hopes are for the boys to be taking their afternoon nap at school. I think that will be the strangest thing for me - not feeding the boys lunch and putting them down for their nap.

I've been thinking a lot about how things will be different. We've spent the past year where we've had nothing but time. Time to eat long breakfasts of waffles and sausage (the boys are like dogs and eat the same breakfast every day!); time to create elaborate train courses before our morning walk around the neighborhood; time to pet all the cats on our route (pearl, sadie, gus and pumpkin head); time for the boys to run up and down our neighbor's hill a million times; time to just hang out at the park; time for meeting jordan for lunch after an awesome late morning at the children's museum. These are the things that make me sad, that make my heart ache, when I think about what I will truly miss.

I have had the time to be a patient parent (or as patient as I could be). To allow them the two minutes they need to process putting the toy down before going outside. To allow them as much time as they need to cry on my shoulder after a wipe out. To allow them each to fall asleep in my arms before I lay them in their cribs for their nap. I will still be a patient parent, but I have some fear about what taking six hours out of our day together will mean. I know we will all adjust and be better people for it. We will all get so much out of this transition. But when I cut it to the core, I can't help but feel that I'm losing one of the most precious things I have with these boys - time.

So I'm dedicated to do as much with this time that I've lost with my boys but gained for myself. I don't want to waste or squander any of it. Not that I don't want to use some to relax and rejuvenate myself - as any twin parent knows - I deserve my fair share. But I am committed to doing as much during this time so that I can be as present and patient with Abie and Oz as possible.

We've had a great last week together as things have always been. Jordan spent much of it with us and we all played and laughed and relaxed in the 70 plus degree sunshine that is winter in Austin. We all took a great afternoon trip to Pedernales Falls on Saturday, a trip we made almost a year ago with the boys, just as they were starting to walk. It was amazing to witness how much things have changed. The boys walked down and up the steep rock stairs by themselves (definitely telling us "no!" if we so much as touched them!). They ran around the sand and rocks and obsessively threw stones into the streams and ponds, because I'm convinced this stuff is encoded into their little boy DNA. They tried to scale rock walls. They searched for shells in the sand. They refused to have their picture taken with their parents in any formal way. Crazy what a year makes.

They are my little boys. On the brink of turning two. Starting school tomorrow. I am so very, very proud.

Abel is PSYCHED!

The boys quickly turned away all attempts at helping them down the stairs.

Ozzy's throwing technique - it's all in the follow through and the mouth!

Abie's got some b-ball style to his throw.

Our pathetic attempts at a family picture. We were clearly torturing them.

I think we have some rock climbers on our hands. Good thing we live at the trail head to some quality limestone.



J and I took the boys' non-compliance to take a picture just the two of us. These are almost as rare as the family pictures!

and so it begins...

not the thomas obsession - we've been dealing with that for upwards of six months already. but the stickers on body phenomenon. and of course, there is no better place for a sticker than the belly. here the boys model their new holiday loot:

happy 2009 everyone!

love,

ozzy and abie