Sebi's first birthday

Wow. I can hardly believe that my sweet baby boy just turned 1 year old!! I cannot say the time has flown. I am very much still in the loooong days and nights phase of his childhood, but it has been such a sweet year with him. My dad, stepmother, and little sister arrived a few days ago in time to celebrate Sebi's first birthday and spend the holiday with us. It's nice having family to share this time with. We would give anything for Javier to be here, but that's not possible. I'm just happy and grateful to not have to do everything alone.


As we did with his big brothers, we decided to celebrate Sebi's first birthday with Korean style. He wore his traditional Hanbok which is worn on special occasions. I made Korean food to include Kalbi ribs, Pajun (korean pancake), rice, and Mandoo (korean dumplings). 

As for Sebi wearing his hanbok.... well. He's a quick little squirt. It was very hard to get a good picture of him. These were the best I could do.

It's hard to tell from those pictures, but he really looks so handsome in his hanbok. To me, he looks like a little Korean prince. ...But he hated wearing it. It's a bit stiff and he just didn't want to be in it. 


This winter has been unseasonably warm, so we put comfortable clothes on all the boys and let them outside to play. Sebi was actually barefoot. He had a great time running around with his brothers and his aunt. I'm not sure why, but he became very attached to an orange plate and insisted on carrying it around with him a lot of the time.

Finally, we lit the candle on the cake and sang happy birthday. It was the first time I have ever given Sebi a bite of cake (german chocolate). He loved it!

Yesterday I took him to his 1 year checkup. He is 29 and 3/4 inches tall (50th%) and weighs 20 lbs 15 oz (20th%). He still has not cut any teeth. For months I have thought it would be any day because he's always rubbing his gums and gnawing on everything, but he's still a gummy smiler. He says "mama", but mostly when he's mad and wants to be picked up. He's an old pro at walking, and spends most of his time trying to run after his brothers and climbing anything he can hoist his chubby leg over. He has started eating table food because he grunts and reaches for our food until I can't take it anymore. So far he likes toast, mashed potatoes, green beans, ramen, cake, and chocolate. While he does not wake to eat at night anymore, he does still frequently wake and wants to be cuddled or be given his pacifier. He likes to dance to music and he LOVES taking toys away from his older brothers. He also loves stealing my heart every day. I cannot look into his smiling eyes and big gummy grin and not feel total elation. He has made me a better mother than I was before I had him. Seeing all 3 of my baby boys makes me feel so happy and proud. 


Even though Papi was not physically here for Sebi's birthday, he was here in thought and spirit. We hope this is the last birthday that he has to miss.


~Latrice

3rd birthday and other happenings

3 years ago, my life changed. The sun ceased to be the center of the universe. Instead of gravity holding me to the earth, our twin sons were born and they became my reason for existence. I can't believe how much my life has changed and how much my heart has changed because I have the pleasure of being their mother. Watching them grow feels like watching myself as a child. Loving them feels like nurturing my own inner child. Protecting and teaching and guiding them is my duty now and forever more. I cannot say that the 3 years have flown by. On the contrary, many days have felt long and unending. The boys are so different from each other, but one thing they have in common is their ability to show love and affection in the sweetest and most unexpected ways.

On Dec. 1, the twins turned 3 years old! Today we had the party to celebrate that fact. Wow. It was a chaotic day filled with smiles, laughs, screams, cries, and a few meltdowns. All in all, I think most of the kids had a good time even if it wasn't good all the time. It was the first and hopefully the last birthday party without Javier here to celebrate with us. He was missed. We had the computer set up to allow him to skype in and watch the party, but alas, his internet connection was uncooperative and we were unable to see him.

We started the party with lunch, which was pizza and sandwiches and a fruit tray. Then we lit the candles and sang the happy birthday song. Jacob and Joaquin did not like that very  much. Joaquin ran out of the room and Jacob started crying. Oiy. With a little help, we finally got the candle blown out and cake distributed to everyone. The boys needed help opening their gifts. They didn't really understand the concept of tearing off the wrapping paper. Then once the paper was off, they wanted to play with the paper. They liked all the toys, but I think they liked the balloons even more. Since we only had the party room for an hour, it was time to pack up before we knew it. Then we headed out into the main play area to let all the kiddos run around like wild animals. Even Sebi got in on the fun.

And here are a few pictures from their actual birthday that we spent at home:

I love it when the boys hang out. Joaquin and Jacob frequently sit on the recliner and watch tv together. It's really cute. Sebi plays with them too, but his favorite place to be is on my hip.

And for Javier's viewing pleasure, here are a few more pictures.

I love this picture of Jacob. This is how he likes to lounge on the couch. This is how I tell he is tired and ready for a nap.

And here is Joaquin about to have a meltdown over something I have said or done.

And here is my sweet baby Sebi and also Jacob.

Life is such a blur lately. The days and nights are long, but time is passing. I have so much to do, but there never seems to be enough hours in the day to accomodate all the things I need to do. For now, I need to get to bed because it is after midnight and my eyes are burning and watering because I'm so darned sleepy.

~Latrice