The End of a Long Day

I am pretty tired, and not only because I changed six (yes, that's right - six) dirty diapers today. And I was only with the kids for about six hours! But never mind all that. The twins are the ones who are truly exhausted at the end of every day now, as they work harder and harder to explore the world around them. Hillel officially creeps backwards (pushing with his arms, legs outstretched) and Akiva rolls and twists and rotates his body all over the place.

In the "a picture is worth a thousand words" department, here's last night's bedtime picture:



Good night!

Weekend at Grandma's

Dear All,

Happy Spring Break! We celebrated the break, David's birthday, the YCT dinner, and the warm(er) weather by spending a long weekend in NYC. Grandma's house was so full of excitement! (translation: Noam not only didn't nap, but also woke up early every morning to sneak out and play with toys in the living room before anyone else was awake)!

Highlights included a trip to the playground with Daddy...

brunch with Bubbe, a playdate with Mike, and some bonding time with Gigi and Cousin Enid. On Daddy's birthday (otherwise known as Monday) the whole family went to the zoo! By "went to the zoo," I mean "walked across Central Park " (which was half the fun). And by "the whole family," well, I really do mean the whole family - and we travel in style. I don't quite know how to explain the phenomenon of us and our children moving from point A to point B, except to say that approximately every ten seconds, we are , um, let's just say acknowledged by passers-by. Some people just smile. And yes, some point and laugh. Others stop to tell us how cute our twins are, to ask if they really are twins, if they are identical, how old they are, and to ask if we get any sleep. Yes, yes, seven months, and some.

Here we are, making our trek!



Oh yes, and the zoo was fun too. Noam especially liked the penguins, the "sheeps," and the monkeys. There was also a bird who, according to Noam, "was screamin' and sayin' 'Noam!'"
The twins also had a great time. The pictures below show just how enthused they were:

Pretty age appropriate for seven months, I would say. Oh, and in case you can't tell (and I honestly forget that some people can't), the sleeping baby is Hillel and the awake but unimpressed baby is Akiva.

Our trip culminated in a short subway ride with Daddy, during which it was discovered that our little New Yorker (he spent his whole first year in the Heights, riding the subway regularly!) has turned into quite the country mouse. The noise of the approaching train brought on complete and abject terror. His report to Grandma went something like this:
Grandma: Did you go on the subway?
Noam: Yeah! I cried. (talks a bit more about it) Why it was so loud?
Grandma: Oh, was it very loud? Why do you think it's so loud?
Noam: They forgot to turn down the volume.

Oh. Okay.


We're back in Princeton now, safely away from loud subways and throngs of people! But my tribute to NYC would not be complete without a list of some of the notable places into which a double stroller does not fit:
- the checkout line at Loehmann's (the area set aside is much too narrow. We didn't stand in line, we didn't stand on line, we stood next to the line).
- through a single door at most stores, such as Sephora, Papyrus, Children's Place, etc. In order to get in, both doors must be open, requiring at least one other adult present and preferably two.
- past the entranceway of many small stores, such as Papyrus, Laila Rowe, etc. Essentially the plan is to park the babies, go shop, and hope for the best.
- elevators that other people with strollers also hope to get into.
- indoor zoo exhibits

Who knew?

Happy Purim

Dear All,

Happy Purim!

Yes, we know it's been a long time since we've blogged. Maybe you missed the part where we have three children under the age of three? Anyway, here we are, at long last, here to tell you about our excellent Purim in Princeton - the twins' very first Purim! - and a few other things.

It was a busy morning, getting everyone clean and into costumes. Here are Akiva and Hillel, getting costume-ready:

And Noam, the big boy, who (more or less) knows how to dress himself. Okay, Eema had to change his diaper and turn his shirt around (he got it on backwards), but other than that, it's all him!

And here they all are!

In case you can't tell, we had a Dr. Seuss theme going on. Noam was Horton the elephant, and the twins were Thing One and Thing Two (Eema and Daddy had Cat in the Hat hats!).

Noam spent the morning making mishloach manot, and then we all went to the CJL to deliver them. Hillel and Akiva circulated among the students while Noam distributed mishloach manot to the staff. He also sang "Chag Purim" and recited a (very) truncated version of the book of Esther for Melissa, his babysitter. (Haman wanted to hurt the yidden. The yidden were sad. But Mordechai and Esther are the good guys. Have we mentioned that our son speaks Yiddish?)

In an exciting twist of fate, Noam woke up with an ear infection in both ears the day before Purim, and he enjoyed telling everyone the story of his visit to the doctor. It's a dramatic tale. Noam walked into the doctor's office and informed the nurse: "No shots today!" When the doctor came in and said, "Hello, are you Noam?" he replied, "Yes. We're not having any shots today!"

When the doctor finished examining him and said we could leave, Noam turned to me and said, "Let's go get a sticker!" At the front desk, he informed all the nurses that he had not cried, nor had he received any shots. He also told the pharmacist and everyone else who works at Rite-Aid. He was a very cheerful sick kid (this was post-tylenol, of course).

To recap a bit of the last few weeks, we're pleased to report that Noam is extremely sweet with his little brothers.


He is very solicitous when they are sad, and has become quite good at flipping Hillel (gently, sort of) onto his back when he gets stuck on his tummy. He brings them toys and sticks pacifiers in their mouths. A few days ago, we had the following conversation:

Eema: (Changing Hillel's diaper) When you were a baby you used to cry and cry when I changed your diaper.

Noam: Where was the other one?

Eema: (not understanding) Akiva is sleeping.

Noam: No! When I was a baby - where was the other one?

Eema: (the light dawns) You were just one baby. There was no other one!

(Noam is not convinced...)

Meanwhile, Akiva and Hillel can both roll over, and wiggle their way across the floor. Hillel does a kind of crab walk by arching his back and using his legs to propel himself. They are both big on sucking on their fingers...

and this is classic Hillel, who found his thumb very early on and can't get enough of it!

They've started solids and - halleluya! - they LOVE food. Yes, that's right folks - we have children who want to eat! It's the dawn of a new era. Our babies are interested in - downright entranced by - food. Go figure!

And the most recent report from the front - as of an hour ago, Noam was still lying in bed wide awake.
Eema: Noam, what's wrong?
Noam: Something is hurting me.
Eema: What's hurting you?
Noam: My feelings. My feelings are hurting me.

I think he's asleep now. Laila tov! (good night)

Guest Post from Aunt Debra

What a crazy New Year's Eve! We were up till 4:40 am! Well, that's not exactly true. We were up at 4:30am, because that's when Noam likes to get up. Isn't he cute?



In addition to being extremely adorable, Noam also demonstrates remarkable bravery. Some children are scared of going to the doctor. Noam, on the other hand, loves his pediatrician so much that he plays doctor (if you're wondering, those are headphones):



The twins had a quieter holiday and spent much of their time entertaining Richie, who had never before held, fed, burped, or changed a baby. He still hasn't changed one, but he made great progress on the holding and feeding and burping:

Richie and I want to thank Sara, David, Noam, Akiva (pictured), and Hillel (not pictured) for a great start to 2009!

"I Don't Have a Free Hand"

"I don't have a free hand," is what Noam said to Eema about three months ago, when asked to retrieve a pacifier from the shelf nearby. At the time, Eema was holding Akiva in her arms and balancing Hillel on her lap. Noam was reading books. "No, Eema," said Noam, and calmly explained, "I don't have a free hand."

Gee, wonder where he got that from.

"I don't have a free hand," is also the reason there have been no blog posts for the past four months. Or a free minute. Or some spare energy. You get the idea.

In fact, if it were not for Melissa (wonderful babysitter who takes pictures of our children even though we don't) and Hannah (roommate emeritus who has the skill and patience to set up blogs) we wouldn't even be posting now. Four months is only sort of enough time to adjust to the idea of twins, but not entirely to the reality of two needy infants.

But here we are, vacationing (that might not really be the right word) in East Hampton ("Grandma's other house," as Noam calls it), and determined to post some pictures of our children (though not necessarily of us. If we had a dollar for every time someone has told us how exhausted we look, we would be able to afford a lot more child care).

So here are some of the things you may have missed in the last few months:

Hillel (L) and Akiva (R), at just under three weeks old - ready to leave the NICU!

Noam with his Daddy, at his first Princeton event - apple picking in anticipation of Rosh Hashanah.


For the most part, Noam has been enjoying life. Though he missed Israel a lot when we first got back here, and we think he still remembers and misses his friends there, he is happy to be seeing a lot of his extended family. Of course, there has been the minor issue of his two new brothers. Of whom Noam occasionally says, "Eema, I want to squish him." But he also hugs them, brings them pacifiers, and sings and dances to entertain them and make them laugh when they are crying. For their part, Akiva and Hillel watch him adoringly (except when he squishes them).

Akiva (R) and Hillel (L), at about 6 weeks old. This is when they were still small enough to curl up together in the same bouncy seat. And to answer the question on everyone's lips, yes, we can tell them apart. At least, Eema can. Usually. When her eyes are all the way open. Daddy can too, at least a solid fifty percent of the time. As for Noam, the attempt to distinguish seems beneath him.
"Noam, who is this?"
"Hillel!"
"No, it's Akiva."
"Yeah, 'Kiva."
(i.e. Leave me alone. Who told you to bring home two anyway?!)

Hillel (L) and Akiva (R) at two months. Have we mentioned the size difference between them? It remains the easiest way to tell them apart.

Hillel, four months old, looking goofy. Big, huge smiles are his specialty.

Akiva, also four months, but a bit more serious.











One of the FEW times (I promise!) that I have had the urge to dress them the same. It just worked out...and come on, you know it's cute! But no, we do not usually dress them the same, and yes, we do know that they are two separate individuals. Yes, their personalities are very different. Actually, we have come to the conclusion that people who consistently dress their twins the same - or who make it a point to always dress them differently - just have way too much time on their hands. Our babies are spit-up artists, meaning that they change outfits so frequently that all matchingness is fleetingness.

Okay, more soon!