The Boys 1st Birthday Party

Wow, what a whirlwind of events we just experienced! It has been exhausting, exciting, stressful, and exhausting- did I mention it was exhausting?
It all started on Tuesday ( Nov. 24, 2009) with an ominous text- "I fell down stairs. Might have broken my foot. Have ice on it now. Really hurts ~Latrice".
As it turned out it, it was broken indeed. Same bone I broke on my right foot about 15 years ago. So, I knew the struggles she was about to face. Crutches, frustration, and a lot of hopping around.
Of course the question was asked, " are yall going to cancel the party?" What, cancel the celebration of our sons' first birthday- heck no! We knew it was going to be a challenge, but we felt we could pull it off. And pull it off we did- but with a lot of help. Latrice's mom (Kyong) worked really really hard to prepare all of the food. I did what I could, but I am not that good with cooking, so I was relegated to the duties of a bus boy. Latrice helped too. She did more than she was supposed too , and as a result her foot swelled up like the Goodyear blimp. However, I am getting ahead of myself.
First came the challenge of Thanksgiving dinner. Of course we could not cancel the boys' first Thanksgiving. So, we gave it a shot. I ran off to Wilmington to buy a Honeybaked ham and a lot of fresh veggies and such. Latrice stayed home and began her prep work. Our spread was simple but very delicious. As a matter of fact, all of the leftovers were gone the next day! We had ham, green bean casserole, cornbread dressing and gravy, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, and pecan pie. It was yummy to the tummy!
On Friday it was "go time" for the boys' birthday prep for Saturday. Latrice's mom spent all day in the kitchen making the spread. Latrice and I helped as we could and in the meantime we had to entertain two fussy boys. I suspect that Joaquin is teething again and that made him very irritable. I clocked out at about 1030 that night and Latrice's mom stayed up until who knows what time making the food. I knew that Saturday was going to be busy.
When Saturday came it was crazy busy all of a sudden. I had to load the car and pick up some things at Wal-Mart. We also had to take care of the boys and get them to take their naps on time so they wouldn't melt down at the party. It was hectic. Oh, and to add to the challenge, my trunk door was frozen shut so I had to load it from the front. What a pain!
I had some great help setting up and tearing down for the event. I set up 2 play area for the kids. One area had carpet and was "fenced" in and it had a lot of toys and a lot of rubber balls. Another area had a simple tunnel system we bought for the party. Both areas worked out great!
At the party I still had to cook the Kalbi ribs. That went well. We also bought a helium tank and filled up about 30 balloons. My friend Manny and Latrice's friend Jamie took care of a bulk of the decorating. The place turned out great. However, the best part was the all day rental price of 25 bucks!
The boys had a good time. They got to play with children around their age. They also got some well deserved attention and a lot of compliments. Dressing them in their outfits was tough to do. However, once they were in them, they were cooperative for the most part.
As many times as I have sung the song "Happy Birthday", it has never had the meaning that it had when we sang it to our boys. I felt a wave of emotions come over me and I was very happy and proud to be their dad. The year went by fast. It made me realize that the "happy" does not only apply to the person whose birthday it is, but to those who are there to share it with them. It was a happy day indeed!
Here are a few pics from the party. However, their birthday is actually on 1 Dec 09. So, I am sure we will try to do something for them on that day as well and post a few more pics. Enjoy!

Catching up

A lot has happened since our last post. On a sad note, my favorite "Tia" passed away. She was a wonderful person full of life with a gift for making you feel special. I am saddened by our loss but am glad she passed in her sleep and is now in a better place. We made a special trip to go see her and am really glad she was able to see our boys. She immediately fell in love with them and those two took to her immediately. It was a great trip.

We are currently planning the boys' first birthday party. The invites went out and all of the guests have RSVP/d. It is a Korean theme and they have their Hanboks ready to wear. We tried them on tonight and they are a little big for them. Joaquin looked absolutely adorable in his outfit. Jacob was not pleased with the outfit and was mad and ready to rip it off. I am curious to see how long they are going to last on the day of the party.

Joaquin has started to eat more table food. For a period of time, he stopped eating. He did not want anything other than milk. He totally rejected baby food. He then went on a corn puff diet and that was all he would eat. He is now enjoying other foods but still does not come close to eating the amount of volume that Jacob eats. Jacob eats a lot of food. That boys eats like a growing teenager. When he is done eating he looks like a snake that just ate a cat. His belly really stretches out. The boy is naturally thin and so his belly looks abnormal. Joaquin is 22 lbs and Jacob is 20 lbs. However, Jacob is an inch taller than Joa.

Jacob has been crawling around for a while now, but he is really making an attempt to walk. He prefers to be on his feet and will walk for a few steps. His steps look like a drunk failing the "walk the line" field sobriety stance. His balance is wobbly at best, but he makes the effort. He likes to walk. When he gets a hold of his walking stroller, he takes off like he is being chased by a dog. The boy is quick.

Joaquin likes to stand. He stands up whenever he gets the chance. He also has taken a few steps. His favorite toy is also the walking stroller. He can maneuver it like a surgeon with a knife. He knows where he wants to go and he never gets stuck. He has free reign. He is a strong boy. He totally physically dominates Jacob. He grabs Jacob and has his way with him. He will put him on the floor and then roll him along the floor as Jacob screams in anger. He gets on top of him and starts to playfully slap him around. I am amazed by his strength. He is a powerful strong boy. What he lacks in grace, he has in pure brawn.

Another note on Joaquin is that he really likes music. When music comes on he starts to bob up and down and dance. He also really likes it when Latrice or their grandmother sings to them. He is going to be drawn to music and I hope he develops the ability to sing. I know he has the lungs for it because he has been developing for the past 11 months. He likes to scream quite a bit and is very vocal when he is unhappy (and that is the majority of the time).

Jacob is a really sweet boy. He likes to be around people and he likes to smile. He is very curious and always seems to be studying how things work. When you lay him down to sleep, you have to be with him. He will hold your arm and caress it slowly. His trick is to get you to fall asleep with him so you do not leave him. Someone has to sleep with him through the night. He has been out of his crib for about 3 months now. I do not know how we are going to get him to sleep by himself in the future. That is a bridge we will have to cross when we get there.

A few weeks ago we went to Myrtle Beach, S.C. We had a good time and we were able to take the boys on a few kiddie rides. They seemed to enjoy them okay. We try to take the boys out every weekend. A trip to the park or the mall is the norm. I also take them out for runs and Latrice will take them out on walks. These lil ones are super stars wherever they go. We are constantly being stopped and asked if they are twins. 90% of the public believes that Joaquin is a girl because of his long hair and cute face. We are still determined not to cut it for a while. It is a tough decision because it is always in his eyes. I hope we do not give in...

Latrice's mom is now living with us. That has added an interesting dynamic to our lives. We are trying to incorporate her into our routine. Of course she has her ways with the boys and we have ours. It is a challenge to get her on our page, but she is coming around. The boys adore her. Joaquin and Jacob love their HALMONI (grandma in Korean). She has been very helpful and we are glad for the extra hand around the house. It has left us with more time to enjoy some TV or simply lounge around.

That is all for now...

~Javier

It's been a while since I updated.

A lot has happened. The boys are now 10 1/2 months old. I can hardly believe that in just a few short weeks, my angels will be turning 1!! It's odd thinking about the past 10 months. In many ways, it has been a blur and at the same time there are so many things I can remember with distinct clarity. I suppose that is the natural way of life. They seem to be changing before my eyes.

They are both crawlers now. Jacob is the fast one. He gets around really quick and with crazy stealth. There have been many times that I left him in one room just to find him at my ankles in the next room. Joaquin is a bit slower but he doesn't seem to mind too much. He gets to his destination in his own good time.

They both have their bottom two teeth and their favorite thing is to chew everything, including fingers, toys, carrots, faces, chins, shoes, buttons, and just about anything you can think of....goes in their mouths. Jacob is enjoying quite a bit of table food in addition to his babyfood. Joaquin will not let a spoon of babyfood near his face without dire consequences, but he will take a few bites of table food. He still prefers to drink mostly breastmilk. He has decided that he will eat food in his own good time too. It's hard not to push him because Jacob is such a good eater. I suppose we should get used to treating them like individuals. There is very little that they do or like that is the same.

For now, they are still sleeping in separate rooms. Nights are still a challenge with both of them waking several times in the night for some sort of comfort. Joaquin wakes to eat once and a few other times because he is itchy or gassy or just wants to be cuddled. Jacob does not wake to eat anymore, but he does wake up when his pacifier falls out of his mouth. He hasn't figured out how to find it and put it back. He prefers one of us to put it in for him. He has also started a peculiar habit of sleep crawling. He will crawl around and whine, while he is still sleeping, for a while before he stops, collapses and resumes his regular sleep. I hope he grows out of that one for sure. I don't want to have a sleepwalker on my hands.

They recently had a well visit at the doc's office. They are healthy. Jacob is 28 1/2 inches tall and weighed 19 1/2 pounds. Joaquin is 27 1/2 inches tall and weighed 20 1/2 pounds. Yes, Joaquin is shorter and heavier. I think he will slim down when he masters crawling more and gets more active.

Well, fall is upon us and the cooling weather is lovely. I love opening the windows and letting the fresh air in. Taking afternoon walks is more enjoyable now with a cool breeze. The boys love being outside. Sometimes, we go for a walk with a neighbor who has a dog and they are surprisingly unafraid of the big dog.

We have taken the boys out to eat a few times and they are very well behaved in public places. They like to stare at people and get attention. Last weekend, we went to IHOP for breakfast. The boys played with toys and ate their cheese puffs as well as some food from our plates.

In other news, my mother is coming to live with us in two weeks. Javier is going to drive her belongings and her car across the country from Tacoma, Washington to here. It should take him about 4 days and we are planning for him to be home in time for Halloween. The boys are going to be monkeys and his costume is essential to theirs, so he better get home.

Well, I hear a baby, so I gotta go. Until next time.

~Latrice