The end...but not really!

So, guys this is it, my last blog!  Maybe it won’t be forever, but at least for now.  I’d like to start by thanking all of you for reading my blog and showing me love and support throughout these last 2 wild and crazy years.  It has definitely been quite a trip and without you guys I don’t think I would have made it!  I hope that I’ve made you laugh and cry, smile and understand that life can’t always be taken too seriously!  While I am ending this blog, my door is still always open so feel free to contact me at cjgroch@gmail.com  with questions, comments, advice, anything!

Deciding what to write today is actually a little more difficult that I thought it would be.  I figured I should end things on a good note and also with some big philosophical question answered.  But, that’s just not really me, nor has it really been the point of this blog.  I think I just want to say that I feel very lucky to have 2 deliciously adorable twin girls, but there are absolutely days I would like to trade them in for the newer shiner models!  I love being a mom, especially after the difficulties I went through to make it.  But, of course there are days I miss the carefreeness of my pre-baby days.  Sometimes I just want to trade places with my 25 year old self, go out in Manhattan, sleep in all day, and not have to do laundry, take out poop diapers and put away the dishes from the dishwasher!  When I’m feeling that way though, Kayla will ask me to, “Watch this,” or Zoey will tell me Kayla is her best friend and I remember that while being a mom is the hardest job there is, it’s also the most rewarding.  And I think I can double that for having twins! 

Thanks again and I hope to see you all again soon……

One of Those Days...

I’m sorry I haven’t posted a blog in a few weeks, but I’m excited to say it’s for good reasons….no I’m not pregnant!  I’m working on starting some things for myself actually!  For those of you who are friends with me on Facebook, you might have seen that a friend and I started a photography business called, “A Thousand Words Photography.”  I am loving this!  We’ve been booking a bunch of different shoots, including newborns, family shots and even birthday parties!  So, please spread the word and hire us for all your photography needs!

I’m also going back to my psychology roots and starting a private counseling practice in September.  Therefore, I will sadly be ending my blog within the next 2-3 weeks.  But, before that happens, let me tell you about yesterday….

I feel like, luckily, my past few blogs have been fun and delicious stories about my girls and highlight the amazingness of having twins!  Well, yesterday, having twins felt anything but amazing!  Granted, Zoey is getting her 2 year molars and Kayla seems to have caught a little summer virus, so to be fair, they were not operating at full capacity.  But, OH MY GD!!!  Whatever Kayla was playing with, Zoey wanted to play with.  It didn’t matter that we have an identical second toy to the one Kayla had, Zoey only wanted the one Kayla had.  And, of course, Kayla didn’t want to give it up.  Then, Kayla would pull the same stunt with Zoey when Zoey finally calmed down and picked something else to play with.  The screaming and crying from these two girls made me think they were being seriously hurt, but no, it was just over who played with which of the exact same 2 Dora phones we bought them the day before!  It was really ridiculous!!  Nothing my husband or I did helped at all.  On the bright side, the girls definitely started figuring out how to settle things themselves.  On the not so bright side, that involved A LOT of crying and screaming.  It was just one of those days, when the clock said 4 pm and I could not wait for 7 pm and bedtime!!  But, we survived and today I took the girls for a walk outside and they held hands the whole time!

Anyway, I will of course write again with all my Thank yous, but I just wanted to quickly say it today – THANK YOU for all your support in this last year.  Writing about life as a mom and as a mom of twins has really helped me and I hope its helped you too!  Stay tuned for another few posts and then that’s it….

Watch This!

The girls have started doing a new “thing”:  Kayla will look at me and say, “mommy, watch this,” and then do something.  She’ll jump on the couch, she’ll put a hat on her head, or she’ll take 2 steps in the opposite direction of where she was headed.  Literally, anything she does now starts with, “Watch this!”  And of course since Kayla started doing that, Zoey has joined in as well.  It is hysterical!  This game can literally go on for 15 minutes with each of my girls telling me to watch them do things that span from the most amazing new tricks to the most mundane tasks.  But, I’m loving it!  It’s probably my favorite “thing” they’ve come up with in the past few months.  And it’s gotten even better lately because now instead of just asking me to, “watch this,” they ask each other!

This weekend Dave and I were in bed and we heard the girls wake up.  Instead of crying for Mommy and Daddy, Kayla started with, “ZZ, watch this,” and proceeded to jump in her crib.  Zoey then said, “Kayla, watch this,” and jumped in her crib too.  Dave and I were hysterically laughing watching them through the monitor.  This went on for about 10 minutes and fully reminded me how much I love having twins.  I needed that to happen because there are some days where I absolutely forget!!

I have a few shout outs I would like to give:

1.        Congratulations to Kelly, Sean and big brother Brett on the birth of Zack Cooper Levine!!  I met him yesterday and he is delicious!  I could stare at him all day, especially since when he started crying, I got to give him back to Kelly and head out!  Seriously, congratulations guys!

2.       This weekend Dave and I went into Brooklyn to visit my oldest and dearest friend, Danielle, who has a baby a few weeks younger than the girls (We couldn’t have planned it better if we tried!).  Anyway, we had such a fabulous time with Danielle, David and Chloe and it just reminded me about how special it is to have a friend that has known you forever.  While all my new friendships are great, there’s nothing like spending time with someone who knows what I’m thinking without me having to say it, or can call me out on my nonsense, make fun of me for it, but still love and accept me!  Danielle, you are such a wonderful friend and I am so lucky to be so close to you!  Thank Gd we have gotten to go through our first children together and I can’t wait to meet your new addition in November!

OK, I think that’s it for now!  Stay tuned for more blogs…….   

More Firsts

During the first year of my girls’ lives, there were so many firsts: the first smile, first laugh, first spit-up, first night of sleep, first step, etc.  But, even after almost 2 years, “firsts” still get me excited!  And this weekend we had some big firsts:

It started on Saturday with Zoey’s first haircut.  Finally!  My poor Zoey has had a mullet for a while now and Dave refused to let me cut it, I’m still not sure why!  Slowly, over the last few weeks, the mullet started forming into more of a rat’s tail.  And after everyone we hung with asked us when we would cut it, Dave finally agreed it was time!  So, on Saturday we took both girls to Zippity Do’s in Huntington and prayed for the best (see first picture below)!  I have to say, it was better than I thought!  The chairs are cars so Zoey was super excited to sit in the car.  She was calm and happy as we put on an Elmo DVD.  But, once the hair dresser came over with the scissors, things got a little ugly!  She cried, didn’t scream, but definitely cried throughout the 10 minute haircut.  But she remained still enough for the cut to happen pretty easily and she obviously looks adorable!!  And, as soon as she got her pretzel for being a good girl, she was happy as could be and actually didn’t want to get out of the car!  Kayla was of course wonderful because she goes to sit in a car, get the pretzel and not go through the trauma of the haircut!  She’ll be lucky if she gets a cut by the time she’s 3!

The next day we had the girls’ first swim lesson at Saf T Swim in Commack (second picture below).  Both my girls love the pool so I wasn’t super worried about that.  And, they’ve really been doing amazingly well at camp without me.  But, I didn’t know how they would react to going into the pool with a stranger.  We handed the girls to their instructors and Dave and I went into a room with a one way mirror so they couldn’t see us.  Both girls cried for about 10 seconds and then Kayla was great, kicking her legs, playing with the water toys, etc.  Zoey whined, not really cried, but whined on and off for about 10 minutes, but then seemed happy and playing.  So, overall, this was again, better than I expected!

These two events may not seem so huge, but it was to me!  And it’s just another reminder that my girls are really growing up!  They are so not babies anymore and I love it more and more!  I guess I miss some of the good baby stuff like the snuggling with the “No Mommy, no!”  But, the older they get, the more fun they are becoming!  Wish me luck with the next first which is happening tomorrow…Mommy and Me at Crestwood Day Camp in Melville!

First Day of Camp

So, as much as I absolutely live and breathe for my gorgeous girls, I have been very excited for the day when they would start separation classes and go do camp or school or whatever on their own.  I was excited for them to be growing up and I was excited for me to start to have some real free time.  I don’t want to say to get my life back because I feel guilty saying that, but that’s basically what I mean.  Anyway, today was finally the day! 

The girls started their first completely separated from me camp!  It’s scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30-12.  However, over the last 2 weeks or so, I have found myself getting more nervous than totally excited and I was surprised!  But, this morning I felt like it was my first day of camp!  I had butterflies in my stomach and was super anxious to make sure the girls were okay.  I mean, I’ve been with them all day every day (minus when I’ve had Emma babysit) for the past 22 months.  What if they need something and the counselors don’t understand what they’re saying?  What if they feel scared without me?  What if…..was all I kept thinking about.  But, I am so happy to say my girls were freaking rock stars today!!!

I walked them into their meeting room and they immediately let go of my hands and started playing with some toys.  I got ready to leave and said, “Okay girls, give Mommy kisses and say bye bye.”  I expected some tears, but both my girls gave me kisses and said, “Bye bye Mommy.  Mommy be back,” and continued playing.  Kayla stopped for a second and said, “Mommy,” but one of her counselors distracted her and that was that!  Of course I got into my car, called Dave and I cried, but they were fabulous!  I’m so proud of them, but I’m also a little sad.  They’re really such big girls now and I can’t believe they’re almost 2 years old already!  After those first 4 months, time has really flown!!

Anyway, I picked the girls up and they didn’t even want to leave!  They were blowing bubbles and having a great time.  The only complaint I have is the horrendous rain this morning and they wouldn’t let me get a great picture of their first day of camp!  But, I’ll try again on Wednesday and just pretend it was the first day!  Anyway, I think we are all excited to go back to camp on Wednesday!! 

Sesame Place!

Last week we took our first family vacation, juts the four of us, to Sesame Place.  We had a fabulous time!  The girls were really great!  They were happy and having fun, but I almost think they were a little young for the trip.  They’re 21 months now and were definitely still a little scared of the rides and some of the characters.  I was actually a little surprised to see that so many of the kids at the park seemed to be at least 3 and most were more like 4 or 5 and even older.  Needless to say we did have a great time and we were very happy we went!

I think the funniest part of the trip was at the character breakfast.  It really showed how different the girls are.  It took Kayla a little bit to warm up, but once she was comfortable, any character that came over while she was eating, she would say hi to, give a high five, but then hide her head in my arm, almost like she was flirting!  Then she kept wanting to go up to Elmo and Big Bird and pose with them.  Of course Mommy had to come too and hold her, but she was into it!  Zoey on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with any of the characters.  Except, for, Zoe!  Every time she saw Zoe, she laughed and screamed, “Me, me, me!”  She let Zoe come up to her, but that was about it.  Every other character was all, “No, no, no!”  But, Dave and I were determined to get a good picture of the four of us with Elmo.  So I held Kayla and went right up to Elmo and posed while Dave held Zoey and slowly started inching towards Elmo form the other side, the whole time telling Zoey to look in the opposite direction!  It might sound a little crazy but it worked!  We have a picture of Elmo in the middle of the four of us where Dave and I are smiling and at least both girls are looking at the camera – we’ll take it!

Overall, it was a great little vacation!  But, it did teach us that the girls are not ready for something like Disney yet (Sean, Kelly and Brett, don’t be mad!  We can’t wait to go, but I think the girls need to be a little older and a little more into it first!)  It’s hard not to rush all this fun stuff, but I think we’ll try Sesame again next year before we book Disney!!

Making Conversation

So, I’ve mentioned before that Kayla seems to have her own language.  And, while that is certainly still the case, it’s getting much easier to understand her.  She’s definitely using many more real words and I think Zoey gets it now too!  IN fact, this weekend was the first time Dave and I saw them actually talk to each other!

We bought a water table and a mini pool for our patio since it doesn’t seem so easy for me to take the girls to the big pool in our development by myself.  Dave wanted to see them use it all for the first time so Saturday afternoon we set it up for them.  Kayla, being the braver one always, got right into the baby pool without any hesitation.  Zoey, on the other hand, was playing cool on the sidelines just watching her sister.  After a little while she wanted to sit up on one of our chairs like her daddy was.  Then, we asked Kayla if she wanted Zoey to come in the pool with her.  Of course she said yes, so we told her to go tell her.  She literally stood up in the pool, carefully got herself out, walked over to Zoey on her chair, tapped her on the leg and looked directly in her eyes and said, “ZZ, pool with me, ZZ, pool me,” and pointed over to the baby pool.  Zoey got a huge smile on her face, looked right back at Kayla, but said an emphatic, “no!”  This exchange continued a few times and Dave and I were loving it!  Unfortunately, Zoey never ended up going in the pool with Kayla, but eventually she did walk over and play with the toys from the outside.

It’s a story like this that reminds on the bad days why having twins is so worth it!

Head Injuries

Two funny stories:

The other day, maybe a week or two ago, I was in the girls’ bedroom with their sitter Emma, getting ready to put them to bed.  All of a sudden, out of nowhere, Zoey started hysterically crying.  Kayla was in the bedroom next door which we have turned into a playroom and came running in when she heard Zoey crying.  Emma and I both asked Zoey what happened but she was crying and couldn’t speak.  So, Kayla decided to try to tell us in her own language what happened.  The problem is her own language is just that, her very own that no one, including Zoey, seems to understand very well.  However, she started pointing while she was telling us, adding in a few real words here and there, and finally Emma and I understood.  According to Kayla, Zoey stood up but hit her head on the dresser and that’s why she was crying.  Once Kayla had explained herself she ran over to Zoey and gave her a kiss on her head.  That seemed to cheer Zoey up right away which was adorable.  However, Kayla completely made this story up because she wasn’t even in the room when whatever happened to Zoey happened.  Too cute!

While Kayla is trying to make Zoey feel better, Zoey is trying to hurt Kayla.  Well, I shouldn’t say it like that because I don’t think it was totally on purpose.  I think Zoey is starting to explore her physical abilities more and maybe isn’t realizing that her abilities can hurt Kayla?  I don’t know, I just think Zoey is so delicious that it pains me to see her act like a beast, but it’s been happening!  This weekend I went out for a run while Dave was with the girls.  When I came back he told me that Zoey hit Kayla on her head with a toy bus.  And it seemed like it was pretty much on purpose.  Dave handled it like a champ and got Zoey to apologize to Kayla, give her a kiss and then he took the bus away and wouldn’t let Zoey play with it.  It hasn’t happened again since, but I think these stories go to show the differences in my girls!  I wonder when it will all change again?!

Happy Birthday...to Mommy

Happy belated mother’s day to everyone!  Now that I have been a mom for almost 2 years I can fully appreciate the holiday!  And I will say, Dave really spoiled me this year!  But, you know what’s even better than mother’s day?  Having your birthday every day!  Let me explain…

Zoey has been scared of the happy birthday song lately.  At every party we’ve been to, as soon as the lights go down, Zoey starts screaming, “No, no, all done!”  Of course she loves the cake after the fact, but is not into singing Happy Birthday at all.  So, to try to remedy this situation since we have a lot of birthday parties and I would like to be able to sing the song at the girls own party, we’ve started singing the song at home.  However, and I swear I did not do this, the first time we sang the song, Kayla decided to sing it to, “Mommy.”  Obviously I loved this and went with it!  But, now, both girls sing happy birthday, but only to “mommy.”  I am still loving it and like I said, what’s better than it being your birthday every day?!  But, this caused a little trouble this past weekend when instead of being scared of the happy birthday song, Zoey sang it out loud, but to me instead of the birthday girl!  Oh well, right?! 

Count to 10 and Breathe

The majority of my days are now spent counting to 10.  You might be asking yourself why I am constantly counting to 10.  While of course I am trying to teach the girls their numbers, it is primarily to try to teach the girls about sharing.  I think I have mentioned before that the girls are at the age now where even if I have 2 of the same thing, they only want the exact one their sister has.  For example, I usually give Zoey a purple cup for water and Kayla a pink cup.  Even if I have them both yellow cups, lately, Zoey would cry for Kayla’s yellow cup and Kayla would cry for Zoey’s.  Maybe now you’re saying to yourself, “Why doesn’t she just switch them?”  And the answer is because that’s not the point so it never works.  Zoey wants what Kayla has and Kayla wants what Zoey has.

So, I came up with a system to try to teach about sharing and taking turns.  When one of the girls is playing with a toy that the other one wants, I say, “Okay, let’s count to 10 and then it will be your sister’s turn.”  Now, I have to say this system is actually working fabulously well and I would like to pat myself on the back for being such an intuitive and wonderful mother!  However, it’s only working very well with Kayla.  Zoey…not so much!  If Kayla is on the rocking horse and Zoey starts whining that she wants to go on, I count to 10, Kayla actually counts with me (which is the cutest thing ever!) and at 10, she hops off without another word!  Zoey then takes her turn on the horse, screaming, “Me, me, me, me” (which is also ridiculously adorable) and we start to count to 10.  However, as soon as I hit “9” Zoey starts saying, “No, no, no, no!”  I usually have to physically pull her of the horse and put Kayla back on.  Now, I can’t complain too much, because if I do redirect Zoey to something else, she usually forgets about the horse for a while.  But, oh my God, this gets exhausting!! 

So, moral of the story is, for all of you who only have 1 child now, just wait until you have a sibling or a cousin or a playdate!  Try to teach sharing and taking turns now!  And if anyone has any other advice for me and my girls, please let me know!!

My Mind is Racing

So, last week I told my lifesaver, my babysitter Emma, that I won’t be using her anymore on a regular basis starting in September.  Dave and I made this decision because the girls will be in a nursery school program four mornings a week, from 9:30-12:15.  We felt this is more than enough time for me to get done errands and the gym and have a break so that I’m super excited to be Kayla and Zoey’s mommy in the afternoons.  At least, this is what Dave believes!  And to be honest, I know he’s right and I can’t justify keeping Emma when literally the girls will be gone from 9:30-12:15, come home for lunch, probably still take a nap until 3 and go to bed between 7 and 8pm.  Or can I?!

I’ve been trying really hard to do just that, rationalize keeping Emma.  But, that has gotten my mind stirring and now I can’t seem to quiet it down.  I can’t stop thinking.  What am I thinking about you might want to know?  Everything and I keep going in circles too!  Someone could totally get lost in my head lately.  Here’s the jist of it though, the best that I can explain it:

I’m super nervous not to have help and I think that is selfish of me, but I just can’t help it!  I have been lucky enough to have help with the girls since they came home from the hospital.  Literally, we started with a baby nurse for two and a half weeks.  Then Dave took off work for a week and a half.  Then we hired a night nurse who came two or three times a week for months.  Then we went right to sitter two afternoons a week and now here I am.  I know I can do this on my own and I still have family nearby that helps put all the time.  So, I really don’t mean to sound like a spoiled brat, but I’m scared.  And then being scared makes me feel guilty!  I’ve been so lucky and I genuinely am enjoying being a mom to my twin girls now, which took me a while, so I should be ecstatic to have them all to myself when they’re not in school.

From that line of thinking I can’t stop thinking about what else I should be doing with my life besides just being their mom.  Should I go back to being a guidance counselor?  I’m not really ready to leave the girls full-time.  And as soon as I think about that I realize I should not worry about not having a sitter because I do want to be with them.  But, then I think maybe I should do something part-time.  Dave isn’t pressuring me to go back to work financially at all, which again I know how lucky I am.  But, I can’t help feeling badly that I’m not contributing financially.  And besides that, it would be nice to get out in the real world again, even if it’s just for a few hours a week.  But, once again, the guilt kicks in and I don’t want to really leave them, which again reminds me, its okay not to have a sitter.

Then I have a bunch of other goals that I keep thinking about…I want to run the New York City marathon.  I want to maybe write a book one day.  I want to do some volunteer work. 

Do you get the picture?  My mind is going around in circles and its making me super dizzy.  All I really want to do is enjoy where I am right now, this very minute, writing this blog.  I want to enjoy the time I have with the girls before they’re in school even more full-time.  I just want to stop trying to plan everything and know what’s going to happen.  That’s it.  I’m done.  From now on, I live in the moment and whatever happens, happens.  Stay tuned to see if I stick to this….

Two's Company, Three's a Crowd!

As a new mom of twins, I was always a little amazed at one question I was constantly asked:  “Are you done?”  Seriously?  I literally had 2 babies a month ago, and already people were asking me about having a third?  My immediate thought at that time was, “Oh my Gd, are you crazy?!”  And the question has seriously not stopped!  My family members, my friends and complete strangers constantly stop and ask me if I plan on having any more children.  Up until this point I have always answered with a very resounding, “NO, I am not having any more children!”  Or I’ll say something like, “If my husband wants more, he can have them with his next wife!”  Or, my favorite response is simply that, “I’m closed for business!”  But, lately, I’ve been thinking…..

No, I still don’t plan on having any more children.  After all, if you’ve been reading my blog, you know I had to go through fertility to have my girls as it is and it was pretty terrible.  Totally worth it, but kind of brutal!  Also, if you remember, I am definitely one of those moms that did not like the baby stage (to put it mildly!)  But, lately, it seems like all of my mommy friends are pregnant, having their second babies, or thinking about becoming pregnant very soon.  So, of course, this got me thinking.  Now that the girls are almost 20 months old and super delicious most of the time, I love being their mommy more and more.  Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely times when I still cannot believe I have twins and wonder how I am going to make it through to the next hour.  But, then I do make it, and I end up looking forward to what’s next.  Anyway, now that I know what having a newborn entails, I wonder if I could do it again.  I decided to talk to my husband about this more seriously than we ever have before and this is what we figured out:

I’m happy to report we really are on the same page.  I thought for sure that if I said I wanted a third child, Dave would hop right on board.  But, he honestly feels the same way I do, that right now, there’s no way either of us are ready for a third.  And if I’m being brutally honest with you and myself, one of the biggest reasons I don’t even want to think about having a third is what if I can’t get pregnant on my own again?  Dave and I would get all excited for another baby, have it in our heads that that’s what we want and then not be able to have it.  I absolutely do not want to go through the emotional and physical pain of fertility again.  So, there I’d be, hopes crushed and feeling useless.  No thank you.  I might be playing it safe, but aside from the fact that I cannot imagine managing 2 toddlers and 1 newborn, I don’t want to put me, Dave or our marriage through it right now.

Also, I feel like Dave and I have been extremely lucky!  We have 2 beautiful and smart and happy little girls.  Our family feels complete.  I’ve gotten my body back to what I was before I was pregnant.  Besides from the preeclampsia, I had a wonderful pregnancy and an amazing birth.  I think I’d be scared of something going terribly wrong the next time around.  Almost like we’d be playing with fate when we’ve already won, you know?

So, the next time I’m asked if I’m done, my answer remains the same resounding, “Yes, I’m done.”  But, I guess aside from all these reasons not to, you never really know right?!  Of course I’ll keep you all posted!

First Ear Infection

So, Kayla had her first ear infection these past few days and with the infection came 103.5 fever.  Neither one of my girls have ever had a fever that high.  Needless to say I don’t want to complain too much since they are 19 months and like I said, this was the first ear infection and first high fever.  But, it sucked!  And I mean it totally sucked!!  Not only did I feel so horribly bad for Kayla because she really seemed so sick, but I also felt so badly for Zoey because she didn’t know what to do with herself.  She really tried to help out and I think she really noticed something was wrong with Kayla and knew she needed me and Dave more, but after a while Zoey wanted her share of the attention too.  And, this is of course understandable, but just difficult to accommodate.

Now, I’m sure this sort of thing happens not just with twins, but with siblings of any age.  I think that right now the big difference is that both my girls are at the same age where they are starting to understand so much, but don’t totally get all of it.  Or if they do get it, they ultimately want what they want when they want it.  There’s not too much reasoning I can do at this point.  I try and sometimes it works, but not like you can try to rationalize with say, a 3, 4 or 5 year old.  Of course I’m not saying that trying to rationalize with a kid that age is easy by any means, but like I’ve been saying throughout my blogs, at this point, things like this with twins just seems more difficult. 

Anyway, I think Zoey might have actually enjoyed this more than she originally let on.  Kayla stayed home for the Passover sedars and Dave and I took turns bring Zoey to our respective families.  She was the star of the sedars!  She seemed to love having all the attention and milked it for all it was worth!  She sat at the sedars like an angel, putting her two sense in periodically with an emphatic, “Mommy, Daddy” or “Beep, beep” for entertainment purposes.  She also stayed up later than she ever did before as happy as could be!  Is it wrong that this, while it was deliciously wonderful to witness and hear about, also made me kind of sad?  I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Doesn’t she miss Kayla?”  The only sign I noticed of her possibly realizing Kayla wasn’t with her was when, at my parent’s house my cousin asked where Kayla was and Zoey looked around with a confused and worried expression.  But then she saw my dad who calls, “Umpa,” and all was right with the world.  I make sure I tell the girls they are each other’s best friends every day and I kind of felt badly that the girls were separated and didn’t seem to care.  I can rationalize Kayla’s response to being delirious and sick, but I wished Zoey felt a little bit badly that Kayla was nowhere to be found!

Anyway, Kayla is finally on the mend, no fever for 2 days, but still on her antibiotic.  But, the girls are definitely back to being best friends and fighting with each other over everything so it’s normal again!  We actually went out to lunch today with our best friends, Jess and her son Jack, and the kids did the cutest thing:  They were each sitting in a high chair all next to each other and first Zoey grabbed Kayla’s hand, then she grabbed Jack’s hand and the three kids sat like that for a minute.  Then, they did it again and again!  It was delicious!

Videos

The videos I mentioned yesterday are up on facebook.  Please click the Facebook icon on the right side of the blog to be able to view them!  Enjoy!

It's Getting Good!

Sorry I haven’t blogged in a week or two, but having 2 19-month old girls is totally a full-time job!  I feel like I never sit down anymore!  But, as tiring as it is, the good news is, twins is getting better and better!  I am hoping I can figure out a way to post 2 of the cutest videos I can, but in the meantime, I will briefly explain 3 events that have taken place in the last 2 weeks that have made me once again, so thankful I have twins!

I was out to dinner with the girls, my sister-in-law and niece and nephew at one of my favorite spots, The Mixed Grill, in Plainview.  I love going out to eat there because the food is good, but they’re really great about kids there.  Anyway, we were all eating and Zoey told me she pooped (oh yeah, they’ve fully started telling me when they poop, at least once in a while) and I had to go change her in the trunk of my car (the one bad thing about Mixed Grill is no changing table in the bathroom).  Anyway, when we came back in she wouldn’t go back in her high chair.  Instead she sat on my lap, stuck her hand in my water cup and splashed Kayla who was sitting next to us in her highchair.  Kayla started cracking up and they continued to play this game for a good 5 minutes!  It was hysterical!  We were all drenched by the end of it, but oh my God, seeing them actually play together and entertaining each other so much was worth the wet clothes!

The, about a week ago, during the gorgeous weather we were having, my amazing babysitter, Emma, took the girls to the playground in my development.  ON the way home she actually got them to hold hands.  And, they didn’t just grab each others’ hands for a second and let go.  They walked hand in hand from the playground all the way home, and would not let go of each other.  I’m so sad I missed it, but since Emma is the best babysitter ever, she took a video of it.  Like I said, I will try to post it either here or on twinsplicity’s facebook page so you can see it!

And, finally, on Monday of this week I was home with the girls and my parents and we were playing in the living room after dinner.  All of a sudden, out of nowhere, Kayla ran up to Zoey and gave her a full arms around the shoulders hug and leaned her head on Zoey’s shoulder.  Me and my parents were dying and said “Ahhhhh.”  Kayla laughed at us and proceeded to hug Zoey while saying “ahhhh” about 10 times!  It was magical!

Needless to say, as difficult as having 2 babies, or should I say toddlers, can be, its moments like these that totally make it all worth it!

If the Shoe Fits...Or in this Case, Doesn't!

So, I have recently blogged about how my girls have totally changed personalities.  While I still hold this is true, there may be some reasons behind this change, that to be honest, I can’t believe took me so long to figure out!  Let me explain…

Zoey has started throwing some fits or tantrums, the way Kayla used to.  However, Zoey’s fits seem worse because at least with Kayla, if I picked her up she calmed down.  There seems to be no calming Zoey down.  At least that’s what I thought!  One day last week though, Zoey started throwing another fit for what seemed like no reason, I had to leave a restaurant, she continued to scream in the car and didn’t stop until we got into the house and I took off her shoes.  Her shoes!!  All of a sudden Zoey calmed down and actually started rubbing her feet.  I noticed as I was taking off her sneaker that her foot seemed all curled up and scrunched in the sneaker.  Then I also realized my girls are wearing the same pair of size 4 sneakers I bought them back in September or October when they started walking.  Could it be that since I haven’t bought them new sneakers, I was the reason for Zoey’s tantrums?  I don’t want to jinx it, but it appears to be the case!

I took the girls for new sneakers, size 5, on Friday, and since then I am happy to report Zoey has not thrown a fit.  Now, that’s not to say that she still hasn’t been demonstrating some of Kayla’s , how do I say, unattractive traits, like telling me “No” for everything.  But I’ll take the word, “no” over the tantrums any day!  Of course I now feel like a horrible mother that I let my poor Zoey walk around in shoes that were too small for at least 2 weeks.  But, hey, I am a first time mom and I guess mistakes like this are bound to happen.  Right?!  Needless to say, the girls are now in shoes that fit, seem happier and I am a little relieved.  Who would have thought it was all about the shoes?!  And surprisingly, Kayla’s feet are measuring a half size bigger than Zoey, but apparently, small shoes don’t seem ot bother her as much.  When will I ever figure twins out?!

To Push or Not to Push

So, my husband recently got an I-phone and he is obsessed with it!  This weekend we were in the girls room right after they woke up and Dave decided to video them playing.  All of a sudden, my back was turned, and the next thing I know, Kayla is crying.  I look at Dave and he’s like, “Let’s go to the videotape!”  We watched back what he taped and fully saw Zoey push Kayla not once, but twice, kind of hard!  Kayla fell backwards and that’s when she started crying.  Now, granted, I think Kayla has to toughen up a little.  It’s pretty obvious to me that their roles have switched so Kayla needs to learn to stand up for herself the same way Zoey learned!  But, Zoey should not have pushed her.  The amazing thing is though, that no matter how rough they get with each other, they seem to know not to act like that with their friends.  Twins are really ridiculous!  Of course I couldn’t stop laughing when I watched the tape, especially after seeing Zoey try to act all innocent! And then of course, in true Kayla fashion, she tried to milk it later in the day by fake crying every time Zoey touched her and running immediately to me or Dave.  It was cute but a little absurd!   I think this week will be a good week to have twins! 

1 Burp, 2 Head Injuries and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Okay, today I have 2 stories to share and 1 "twins thing" as I like to call it, so here goes:

Last week I was at the diner for lunch with w friends and their kids after our mommy and me partial separation class.  I feel like when we first sit down somewhere and the kids are settled and we give them snacks while waiting for their food, the adults actually get a chance to talk for 5 minutes which is nice!  So, that’s what was happening and to be honest, I don’t even remember what we were talking about.  But, all of a sudden, we heard the loudest, and I mean loudest, truck-driver-like belch from someone at our table.  We looked and it came out of one of Kayla and Zoey’s little friends who shall remain anonymous, but needless to say is another girl.  It was so loud we all jumped, thinking maybe she was about to puke!  But, no, it was just a ridiculous burp.  After she finished, she smiled and kept right on eating.  Me and my 3 friends were laughing so hard, we had tears in our eyes.  It was truly hysterical!  I thought Zoey was a burper, but she has nothing on this girl!! 

Story number 2 is not as funny unfortunately.  On Sunday, Dave and I were playing with the girls in our living room while our friends were over for a visit.  The girls had taken out these flash cards they like to play with.  And when I say play, what I really mean is throw the cards all over the hardwood floors!  Anyway, Dave said he thought we should clean the cards up so nobody falls and of course within a second of him saying that Zoey came running over, slipped on the cards and fell backwards, hitting her butt first and then her head.  She cried hysterically for a minute but calmed down rather quickly.  Of course Dave and I were more nervous than she seemed to be.  Once she seemed okay Dave and I started testing her on all the things she knows, like where her body parts are and what noises animals make, to ensure there wasn’t any brain damage.  However, there was a bump on the back of her head the size of a golf ball.  So, our friends left, and we called the doctor.  She said to watch for anything unusual but otherwise not to worry too much.  And of course, as soon as we felt better, Kayla threw a mini tantrum and smacked the front of her face down on the hardwood floors.  Her lip and gums started bleeding and Dave and I just felt like we were in the twilight zone!  Really, both girls had to hit their heads within 20 minutes of each other?  Of course they did!  But, I’m happy to report everyone is doing fine now!

And, finally, onto my "twins thing" for the day.  When I had my twins anyone I met who had twins warned me that their personalities or dispositions would flip flop.  I smiled but thought to myself, “No way!  Kayla is always going to be my high maintenance girl and Zoey is always going to be more laid back.”  While, I have been proven wrong!  My girls have completely switched their dispositions lately, and to be honest, it’s so weird!  Now, Kayla is so playful and relaxed, with only the occasional tantrum thrown in there.  But, Zoey is like a different person!  She has developed this scream that is really more like a screech which is one of the most annoying and piercing sounds I’ve ever heard!  She is having a lot of trouble with patience and sharing with her sister.  Then, of course, there are times that she seems back to her usual happy self, but it’s like she becomes possessed at other times!  I’m wondering if things will switch back.  Or really, what I would prefer is for both my girls to become laid back, happy, wonderful almost perfect little toddlers!  What do you think the odds of that happening are?  Stay tuned to find out….

We're moving to Florida!

We’re moving to Florida.  At least, I seriously considered this option after flying down for a family vacation last Tuesday.  Kayla was an angel, taking turns sitting on everyone’s laps, playing with stickers, eating some snacks.  However, her sister Zoey was a complete nightmare.  Literally screamed, not cried, screamed for 2.5 hours on a plane.  I tried everything – giving her her cup, snacks, different toys, sitting down, standing up, and walking up and down the aisle.  Nothing worked.  I held it together for most of the flight, but I think after about 2 hours, I started crying myself!  I just couldn’t take it anymore!  And while I’m sure most of the strangers on the plane were thinking to themselves, “Get this woman and her crying baby off the plane,” no one said it to my face!  IN fact, people were much nicer than I expected, making comments like, “Don’t worry, we’ve all been there.”  Anyway the point is, when Dave, Kayla, Zoey, Jaimie my sister-in-law with her family and Dave’s parents got off the plane in West Palm Beach, I looked at them and said, “Well, you’ll have to come visit us here because I am never doing that again!”

The rest of the vacation was fabulous though!  The girls had a great time in the pool, on the beach, although they were a little scared of the sand, at the park and most importantly with their family!  They were definitely a little clingy, especially to me, and were picked up by some family member at the slightest whimper, but I’m sure I’ll fix that now that we’re home.  That’s right; we did make it home to New York!  The flight back was perfect in fact.  It was during the girls nap time so they slept for about 2 hours of the flight, woke up happy, had some snacks and then landed without a peep!  So, a big thank you to my in-laws for another fabulous Grochow family vacation!  But, now it’s back to reality!  Dave already left for work and I’m taking the girls back to their partial separation mommy and me class today.  I have my fingers and toes crossed that they separate okay!  Of course, I’ll keep you posted!

On two side notes, I have guest blogged on an amazing site, Dana’s kids (www.danaskids.com)  It’s an amazing website with a ton of information for parents.  Please check out my post at http://danaskids.com/site/2012/02/13/guest-post-twinsplicity.  Thanks so much for all the support!

Lastly, I have to give a huge shout out to two of my favorite people, Jen and Adam Hartley.  They live in my development, literally down the street from me, and they are having twin girls this summer!  I could not be more excited!!  I know they will be the best parents of multiples ever!  And, Kayla and Zoey are so excited for more twins friends!  Just adding to the A-Team!!

It's all worth it!

So, now that my girls are healthy again, I have two funny stories to share:

At the girls’ last mommy and me class last week, the teachers were handing out their coloring books that the kids made all semester.  The teacher would call out a child’s name, but no child was able to reference him or herself at this age so the parent would grab the project of course.  But, when the teacher said, “Where’s Kayla?”  Zoey looked at her and pointed right at Kayla with this look that was saying, “Here she is silly!”  Then when the teacher asked, “Where’s Zoey?” Kayla did the same thing and pointed at Zoey.  It was hysterical and super adorable!!

Later that day we got home from class and lunch and the girls walked into the house.  I asked for their jackets and Zoey stood by the hall closet so I could take hers off and hang it up, but Kayla ran away.  After I hung up my jacket and Zoey’s jacket, I called out, “Kayla, where are you?”  I looked in the kitchen, but she wasn’t there.  I looked in the living room, but she wasn’t there.  I looked behind the couch, but she wasn’t there.  Zoey was with me the whole time looking as well.  Finally I turned around to head back towards the hall and I spot Kayla standing in the corner of the dining room with the funniest grin on her face, waiting for us to find her.  I started cracking up, so did she, so did Zoey and then Kayla ran from her hiding spot and Zoey followed her.  It was also hysterical and super adorable!

So, moral of the stories is, even though sometimes things can be so difficult like when you have 2 sick babies at home, there are moments like these that make it all worth it, I promise!