Visit to VT and remembering grandma Val

Today marks one year since we lost Grandma Val. The twins were just 9 months old when she passed away and now they are 21 months. So much has happened in the twins lives, it is sometimes sad to think about how much she has missed in just one year. Yet we know she would be happy to know they are getting bigger. Before she passed away she said knowing Orli and Zev were born and that she got to be there to see them develop was a huge comfort to her. She also remarked that it seemed like fate gave us twins maybe as a gift to her at the end of her shortened life.
We also wonder how their great-grandparents would have gotten a kick out of the kids. We are sure Orli and Zev's personalities and physical traits bear some resemblance of our loved ones we miss so much. Each day perhaps we'll see glimpses of these relatives bringing them back to life in fleeting moments. We sure hope so because that would give us comfort.
We spent this weekend with friends in Vermont who have a little boy Zev and Orli's age (almost). Cosby had fun with the twins so much that he needed a 3 hour nap to recover from the twin tornado. We also learned that Cosby is a great eater, not a distracted, pickey eater like our kids. It was a wonder to watch because our kids don't seem to be in love with food as much. Ok with the exception of Orli's affair with blueberries and hotdogs and Zev's love of pizza. There was lots of snow in VT, we let the kids play in it while daddy helped Cosby's daddy stack a "cord" of wood that was delivered on Saturday. Then on Sunday Cosby's parents let this mommy and daddy go skiing for the first time in three years and watched the twins for the morning. Orli and Zev called for Cosby each giving him their own name "Oby or Copy" and Orli gave him a kiss goodbye, except she got really jealous when her mommy picked him up. It was a good weekend despite the difficult anniversary of this date.
Oh and the twins missed their kitties and gave them hugs and kisses when they came home.

Some Photos of Val and Mickey

Finally found a few photos, still looking for early ones of Mickey as a little boy.

These were a lot of fun to find and scan. Enjoy

It was Grandma Val's birthday today

She would have been 58.  It was sad not to be able to talk to her and tell her how the babies were doing.  The night she went into the hospital we had a Dr. visit that day.  She did know that Orli is 18 lb 12 oz and Zev is 19 lb 6 oz.  And Zev is one inch taller, although everyone says he looks much bigger, he is really not.  Grandma Val was happy to hear how big they were getting and happy that the Dr. described Orli as precocious because she was already pointing.  She said "she's smart".  

Here are some more updates we would have told her:

Zev can almost crawl, he pushes him self backward more often than he goes forward.  He can also do a really good wave by opening and closing his little hand.  When we left CT, he waved goodbye to Auntie Sherry from his car seat.  It was really adorable and bitter sweet.  He can pull himself on to the coffee table, he can "cruise" from the couch to the table.  He gets upset when Orli takes a toy away and sometimes he appears to want to bite her.  He discovered he likes to beat a metal container with a wooden spoon.  He laughs when he hears other people laughing during a conversation.

Orli is still very mobile, she can climb stairs by herself.  She still points but makes a sound that sounds like a question.  When she sits in her highchair she just babbles away.  She can clap and does so when we cheer.  She can stand for several seconds laughing as she tries to balance.  Today she said "ma-ma" and immediately "da-da".  One time she pointed at mama and said "da-da".  I think she's a comedian. 

We are just devastated...

On February 8, 2008 our beloved gradmother and mother Valerie lost her long and courageous battle with cancer.

Her absence will forever shape our lives. We are devastated by her and our loss, she was deeply loved and she will be deeply missed.

Twins are 9 months Old Today.

The twins saw lots of family this weekend.
First they visited with Grandma Val for lunch on Friday during a nasty rain storm. Orli pointed and smiled at Grandma and Grandma loved to see them smile and laugh. She got to sit them on her lap for a short while but she has a tough time because she is a little weak and they are very squirmy. Auntie Sherry was also there to hug and squeeze the babies and help with a feeding, we watched a movie during the rain storm.
From there we went to see Lee in Manhattan after a very tough drive from New Haven in the pouring rain. The twins were very well behaved at a late dinner at an Indian restaurant, the manager was also a father of twins. Lee had his share of holding a baby and being the designated sherpa while walking the neighborhood. We managed to turn his apartment into a pigpen in 3 seconds with clothes, socks, diaperbag, pack-n-play, baby food, bottles...They are so little but need so much stuff.
On Saturday the twins went and visted their GG (Greatgrandma) in the rehab center while she heals from her fall. She said "Kaynahorah" about a dozen times after she said they were so beautiful and healthy and happy. While we were in Brooklyn we got an opportunity to look at some old family photos that GG has. It is just wonderful to see how our babies resemble people we love. One picture of GG as a todler sitting on a pony reminded us of Orli.
We then went out to eat at Adelman's in Brooklyn on Kings Highway, again the babies behaved and lots of admirers stopped by to check them out, one lady, was a twin herself. The babies ate their first Matzoh Ball soup with noodles and seemed to like it. It was the biggest, most fluffiest, perfectly round matzoh ball we had ever seen, I wish we took a picture, it was about a little larger than a baseball. It the babies first Kosher restaurant and Mommy's first time eating poultry in public in more than 20 years. (Smoked Turkey sandwich three inches thick -- all Kosher)
Then we went to see Aunt Louise and Uncle Stanley, Cousin Craig with his pretty girlfriend Olga also stopped in for a visit. It seems other cousins couldn't muster up enough energy to get out of bed... you know who you are. The babies got to be held and cuddled by more people. Mommy and Daddy got to eat some good bagels for a change. See more holding two at once challenges completed by the very brave.
Finally we drove home, made good time and were able to go to a Superbowl Party which unfortunatly the twins did not get to enjoy their home team winning the game because the Pats played pretty terribly and now Orli and Zev are sad...
One really cool thing did happen during the game at least, Orli for a few seconds stood on her own unassisted not holding on to anything accept a football clapper noise maker in her little pudgy hand.

Smart AND Beautiful

We think the babies are just beautiful and we even love to hear this from total strangers. Over the weekend we took the babies to Costco. Daddy was pushing the babies ahead in the cart and Mommy was in the next aisle. An older couple had walked past the babies and were walking toward mama. They were remarking to each other just how adorable and beautiful the twins were. Totally unsolicited, and they were not aware that mommy was listening to the whole thing. Now I might have had to beat them with a gallon of milk if they said the babies were ugly.
Grandma Val heard this story and remarked "there is more in life than being beautiful, they are smart too". She doesn't want them to get too used to hearing just how beautiful they are. She'd like to remind them there are other qualities for them to develop and nurture which are beyond their outer adorable sweet little mugs. Grandma Val is right, we have to strike a good balance and be sure to give them a good sense of self esteem without going too far that it is false or place a value on their outer beauty over the inner. Let's be fair to the other kids...There is just never going to be a more beautiful, smart, sweet, talented, adorable little boy and girl than our little boy and girl. We know this, it is just so tough to keep it a secret from them... Now in Jewish circles, this would be a moment where we'd pause and "fake spit" into the air and say "Kaynahorah". GG (Great-grandma) would happy that we did this to ward off the evil eye.