A glaring show-off :-P

What happened next? Well, Kavya & Oviya became version 2. The reason is their second head shave, done by Yuvi ( looked like he has an extra talent for a part-time job) :-) . There was no better reason to shave their heads except that they would get thicker & longer hair in future. It sure was very hard to see them without their beautiful hair, but this hard decision paid off. Now they have too much hair :-) . Sometimes, change is good. Oviya didn't mind shaving her head coz she was keenly watching the cartoon, but Kavya was wiggling & pushing making the whole process very tough. Meanwhile, there was an unexpected twist. The electric shaving razor went out of charge leaving Kavya half bald :-\ (A BiG OOoPs!!). Yuvi rushed to buy a corded razor so that it doesn't stop in the middle. Kavya still was playing with her half sided hair on the head. This nervous 30 minutes until he was back went like 30 hours for me lol. Finally after he arrived, the full head shave was completed & then we took a relaxed deep breath :-) .

I took a 'before haircut' picture for everyone including our pet Snowy :-) . Kavya wanted Snowy to have a hairband too :-) . Both became very different after the head shave. When we took them to a nearby restaurant on the same day, everyone working over there came to see the twins with a different hairdo :-) . They were excited to watch similar heads with similar style coz many country people rarely do head shave for their kids, especially girls. OK, we know that they would get their hair back real soon. So, no worries :-P.

Then, we went on a trip to the Wild wood beach, NJ. I know, water is always amusing. Both had lots of fun in the water along with our friends. It was an enjoyable trip after a long time. Oviya was jumping for every wave & Kavya joined after a little hesitation. Water was warm, but the breeze was still chill.

                                               

Taking a break always gives a refreshing start to continue with our roles & responsibilities. So, Break = Better focus :-) .

2 busy minds & 20 messy fingers!!

It was the time when we all were still enjoying summer while it lasts.That was the only time we see lot of people outside :-) . Wherever we took Kavya & Oviya, they were stealing every one's attention mainly because of being the 'similar dressed twins'. There would be at least 2-3 people enquiring about them & wondering how do we manage ;-) . I'm not sure how much they would remember these naughty, crazy & hilarious days, but the purpose of this blog is to provide these sweet memories to them in future...

We, along with Yuvi's cousin family took them to a nearby zoo where everyone was interestingly watching the animals there. We fed lettuce to the giraffes in which one of the giraffes was about to turn 'one' ( so sweet! ). The tongue of the giraffe felt like the rough sand paper ( surprising! ). Kavya & Oviya were fascinated & thrilled to watch such tall animals eating like babies :-) . We also happen to have touch experiences with farm animals like billy goat, sheep, pig, cow, donkey, Llama etc.. I remember most of these animals roaming in streets without any one's attention in India when I was a child. We're now able to see these animals only in zoos & farms to show our kids :-( .

Adventures of Kavya & Oviya were still continuing. Wow!! In a trip to the Sesame place, I was stunned to see Oviya climbing equally with me over the climbing net. Kavya always likes to play safe without taking much risks whereas Oviya likes adventures & plays beyond the boundaries. Kavya initiates in reading books & Oviya follows her whereas Oviya initiates in making mess & Kavya follows her :-) . I'm happy to be with both the different characters :-) .

Being a 'stay at home' mom feels awesome too coz it feels so lucky to see all the colors & experience all the stages of my sweet little pumpkins :-) .

Facing challenges!

It was a peak summer when Kavya & Oviya were 20 months old. So, what were we waiting for? It was the time for little fun in the sun. Both were free from jerkins & boots. Now they were able to recognize familiar places like the play area in the mall, regular walking areas near the apartment. The nearby National park was also becoming familiar due to frequent visits. The bigger space meant bigger leaps & runs :-) . We also got a new bigger car for the bigger family. That was spacious enough for all 6 of us including Snowy & Yuvi's cousin.

It was Yuvi's birthday in June & I took a big risk of painting a picture for him with both Kavya & Oviya curiously watching it :-) . One was picking up the colors & another was keeping footprints over the drawing board. Somehow the painting was done within a week with lots of intrusion by both. But I have to say this, without their interference this painting would've missed it's vibrance & beauty for sure :-) .

Kavya's eating consistency was deteriorating day by day. Her interest in food was almost equal to zero. We tried different foods, different textures to see what she liked, but nothing was working out. She was gagging & choking on solids. So, we took her to the pediatrician Dr. Anne Fernando. She's one sweet & compassionate lady who showed great care on Kavya. She told to leave her for a week without spoon feeding & providing only 3 cups of milk per day, so that when she feels hungry she might start eating on her own with all textured foods.

Based on doctor's advice, I wasn't feeding Kavya for 3 days, but was keeping all varieties of food on her plate. To create the interest, I left Oviya too to eat on her own. Oviya was eating on her own at least till her tummy was full. We thought Kavya would start eating something by seeing her sister. We all ate together to motivate her to eat some pieces on her own. We gave them, rice, beans, eggs, tiffins, bread, veggies, fruits, snacks like chips, biscuits etc. We took them to the restaurant for a change. Oviya ate something, but Kavya was either biting & spitting all the food or was only playing with the food. No progress was made on the first day. She must've felt very hungry the next day. She tried eating couple of pieces of dosa & a small piece of bread. When it got choked, she stopped trying all the food. I called the doctor again to tell the status & she felt that Kavya might need some more time ( maybe till 2 years this time). I resumed spoon-feeding the mashed soft consistency food for her again. Both became tired too by not eating well. What to do? If only she could've expressed what was happening within her..... :-( . 

One thing was very clear, parenting is an art & not everyone gets a distinction. And we wanted at least a "Pass" :-\ .