Happy 2006!

In honor of the New Year, here are some gratuitous cute baby photos . . .

HAPPY NEW YEAR from Katherine and Caroline!

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Not Quite Ready for the National Touring Group . . .

The art of Chinese Acrobatics has it's roots in Chinese Cultural History as far back as 2,500 years ago.

Chinese Acrobats are well known for their dexterity and balance, as they contort their bodies into amazing positions while balancing plates, bowls and cups on long sticks.

Chinese Acrobats
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Somehow, though she was born in California, U.S.A., Katherine has become aware of her Chinese heritage.

For the past few weeks, she has developed the habit of craning her neck upward at extreme angles, in order to see what's behind her. She will do it while sitting, she will do it while being held, she will do it while laying in her crib.

Katherine Practicing Her Chinese Acrobatics
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I know what you are thinking -- "Why don't you turn her so she can face whatever she's trying to look at?"

Position means nothing to Katherine. No matter which way you face her, she will always try to look at whatever is directly behind her!

Next week, we will start to let her practice with bowls and plates on her head . . .

What's That Behind Me?
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Eeyore on Steroids

For Christmas, the girls got this Eeyore hand puppet.

Now Playing, Two Nights Only in the Lava Lounge: Eeyore!
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Being a fan of Disney cartoons and A.A. Milne's books, I know Eeyore as the gloomy donkey from Winnie the Pooh stories. So of course, when I portrayed Eeyore to the girls, I gave them a faithful representation of the gloomy, sardonic donkey.

It would be an understatement to say that the girls were not interested one bit in a gloomy sock puppet.

I was tempted to put Eeyore aside forever, and move on to something else more likely to amuse my girls for a few minutes.

However, for some reason, I decided to stick with Eeyore -- with some modifications.

Throwing away the historical incarnation of Eeyore's character, my Eeyore hand puppet became a singing, dancing donkey.

The girls LOVED him. They squealed and laughed out loud as Eeyore performed song and dance routines to all the latest nursery rhymes for them.

However, I soon ran out of nursery rhymes.

I needed a new song, one that could last a long time.

Thus, Terri entered the room to see Eeyore dancing and singing, "75 bottles of beer on the wall, 75 bottles of beer . . . "

"What are you doing?" asked Terri.

"Nothing," I replied. "But Eeyore is singing and dancing for the girls. Look, they love him!"

"Great," said Terri. "The kids love a donkey on steroids singing about beer."

Yep, those are my girls!

Daycare

The girls started day care this week. It's been harder for Mom & Dad than it has been for the girls.

Last week the girls went part-time for three days just to get used to the environment. Yesterday the girls did a half day all on their own, and today they did a full day by themselves.

David drops them off and picks them up. The ratio in the day care is no more than one teacher for every four babies. The girls are in the "infant" room, which is all babies before they can walk. Babies who learn to walk graduate to the "toddler" room, and then on to the 2 year old room, etc., etc.

The girls love day care! They have not cried much since getting there, and they seem to enjoy the new environment and looking at all the other babies.

Sorry, no photos -- in his haste to get out the door, Daddy forgot to take his camera to the day care!

The Holiday Spirit

A few nights ago, I spent 30 minutes with Caroline in front of our Christmas tree, while she examined in great detail every light, ornament, and present under the tree. She was enthralled.

A great first Christmas!

Caroline's First Christmas Tree
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Home for the Holidays

Where are we?
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This has been a busy week.

Over the past weekend, the Lim Family moved back to their home, which had been undergoing a "Twin Facelift" over the past six months.

We added a large family room, a master bedroom, an extra bathroom, an office, and a laundry room to accommodate the 100% increase in our family size.

The past week after work, we've been taking care of the kids while simultaneously trying to unpack boxes and boxes of clothes, kitchen supplies, books -- you name it!

Through it all, the girls have been great.

Being only four and a half months old, I'm not even sure they realize they've moved to a new house. All their toys are the same, and we were sure to keep their routine as normal as possible. Thus, same feeding time, same crib, even in the same positions in the new bedroom!

It really is great to be back home in time for the Holidays -- Merry Christmas to All!

Happy Holidays!
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Mommy & Caroline Enjoying the Remodeled House!
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One small step . . .

It wasn't the moon landing.

It wasn't the discovery of fire.

It wasn't the invention of the wheel.

But for a first time Dad, it was pretty exciting.

Caroline held her bottle by herself for the very first time tonight.

She held the bottle for about 5 seconds before it tumbled out of her hands.

We weren't fast enough to capture the moment on camera, but here's the post-game celebration:

Daddy & Caroline Celebrating Caroline Holding Her First Bottle (Notice Daddy is WAY More Excited!)
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The Mirror of Enilorac

In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, young Harry Potter spends hours in front of a magical mirror, The Mirror of Erised, which shows viewers their deepest heart's desires.

The Mirror or Erised
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Caroline has her own magic mirror, The Mirror of Enilorac . . .

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Four months old is when the experts say babies become really self-aware.

Well, Caroline is definitely self aware in front of The Mirror of Enilorac.

The Mirror of Enilorac is our bathroom closet mirror. Caroline loves to look at herself in it.

If she's fussy, take her to The Mirror of Enilorac.

If she's crying, take her to The Mirror of Enilorac.

If she's bored, take her to The Mirror of Enilorac.

Missing Mommy? You got it -- The Mirror of Enilorac.

Once in front of the mirror, Caroline sees no less than her heart's desire -- herself!

She smiles. She laughs. She looks up at you as if to say, "Am I good looking, or what?"

Coming from a four month-old, such self-indulgence is adorable. Not to mention that it entertains Caroline and gives Mommy and Daddy a few precious minutes of peace and quiet.

And what better magic is there than that?

Caroline & Daddy In Front Of The Mirror of Enilorac
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The Best Magic Is A Happy Baby!
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There's no place like home . . .

This is a week of big changes for the Lim Family.

We are already into the heart of the Holiday Season, the girls having attended their first Holiday Party last night.

But in a little less than one week, we will hopefully be moving back to our home.

For those of you who didn't know, when we found out we were having twins, Terri and I embarked on an ambitious (or foolhardy?) plan to do a major remodel of our house.

We had been living in a small two bedroom, one bathroom house.

But when we saw our first ultrasound confirming twins, we knew: "We need a bigger house!"

So since August, our house has been torn apart and rebuilt, to add a third bedroom, an office, a large den, a laundry room, and an expanded kitchen.

The good news is that the house is nearing completion, and so by next week this time, we will hopefully be back in our house!

The Girls Visiting the Home Remodel Site
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A Mother Nose

People say that Mothers are more attuned to the needs of their babies than Fathers.

Sure, Dad's love their kids, take care of them, help provide for them. But there's no denying there is a certain bond Mom's have with their children.

Terri, for example, has a keen sense of the needs and wants of the twins that I just don't have, as much as I love them.

Terri's sense of smell for the girls is a good example.

The following is a true account of what happened this weekend:

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[The scene: David is sitting on the couch with Caroline, watching a football game.]

Faaart!

David: Whew! Baby, did you fart?

[David checks diaper. Nothing.]

David: All clean!

[Caroline grimaces]

Faaart! Faart! Faart!

David: Wow, baby, what did you eat for lunch?

[David keeps watching the football game.]

[Terri walks into the room. She's at least 15 feet from David and Caroline.]

Terri: What's that smell? Did Caroline poop?

David: No, I just checked her diaper. She's fine. She's just farting.

Terri: Are you sure? I smell something.

David: I don't smell anything.

[Note: David is HOLDING Caroline. Terri is still a good 10 feet away.]

Terri: Baby, did you poop?

[Caroline looks up at Terri and smiles]

[Terri smells diaper.]

Terri: She did poop, can't you smell it?

David: No, she smells fine.

[David goes and checks Caroline's diaper in the changing room.]

David: All be darned! Hey, Terri! Caroline took a HUGE poop!

Terri: [Tactfully says nothing to ignorant husband.]

Mommy & The Girls
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Mommy & Katherine
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It's a Wonderful Time of the Year

This time of the year is really special for me.  For one thing, David’s birthday is so close to Thanksgiving and I love celebrating Christmas and all its festivities.  However, December now marks an especially memorable time of the year for our family.  

Last December we found out we were pregnant.  We heard the good news a week before Christmas and decided to wait until Christmas to tell our families.  Everyone was very excited.  

A few days after Christmas we went to the doctor’s office to confirm the pregnancy.  David and I looked at the ultrasound monitor in bewilderment.  

What were those two things on the monitor we asked?  “Two heartbeats…you’re having twins!” replied our nurse practitioner.  

David and I were silent and quite frankly stunned.  Tears welled up in my eyes.  I couldn’t believe it.  I’ve wanted to become a mother for as long as I can remember and my dream was coming true.  

Katherine and Caroline were 3 millimeters long then.  Now they’re 24 ¾ inches and 23 ¾ inches respectively now.  

It’s a wonderful time of the year.  Happy Holidays.  

Four Months Old!

Katherine and Caroline are four months old today.

Sometimes it's hard for me to tell how much they've grown because I see them everyday, and they still look so small, but when I look at photos of them at birth compared to now -- Wow!

The girls had their four-month doctor's check-up and shots yesterday. Everything is looking good, and we are thankful the girls are doing so well.

Katherine is now 11 pounds, 15 ounces. She is 24 3/4 inches long.

Caroline weighs in at 11 pounds even, and is 23 3/4 inches long.

Here's a before and after shot to give you an idea of how quickly these girls are growing. I see it, and I can hardly believe it!

Caroline & Katherine at four DAYS old.
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Caroline & Katherine at four MONTHS old.
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Please Let Them Be Bruins!

This is football rivalry week.

UCLA versus USC.

Bruins versus Trojans.

The battle for Los Angeles.

Good versus Evil.

The fate of the universe hangs in the balance.

And although I swore before they were born that I would not get my children involved with my obsession for all things UCLA, what can I say?

I lied.

I've been walking around the house all week humming the UCLA Fight Song to the girls. (Click here to have a listen)

When I talk to the girls this week, I talk to them about the game -- How will my Bruins slow down Reggie Bush? Can our offense really score against the defending National Champions?

Of course, I'm not the only parent to channel my sports obsession through my babies (See "Twin Invasion").

And believe it or not, the girls have actually tempered my obsession a bit, just like other parents (See, "Savage Stories"). This was the first time since I've been a Bruin that I did not fly down to Los Angeles to watch UCLA play live at the Rose Bowl.

I didn't go to ANY college football games live, for that matter (the girls were born right at the start of the season!) And when I watch the games on T.V., I don't yell *quite* as loud as I used to when there is a bad play! :-)

But still, I can't help but feel a twinge of guilt when I dress my girls in their UCLA outfits, then place them in their crib under their UCLA mobile that plays the UCLA Fight Song, as they lay next to their UCLA Bruin Teddy Bear.

Terri offered this sobering thought: "You know, what if they decide to go to USC for college?"

I thought about that for a minute before I replied.

"I refuse to believe that I will fail that badly in my performance as a parent!"

Go Bruins! Beat 'SC!

The Final Result of a Father's Obsession. GO BRUINS!
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