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" :-\ .

The ever thrilling parenthood...

The next month was extra important coz May 7th was our pet Snowy's birthday. We celebrated his birthday along with Yuvi's cousin Sakthi, who stayed in our house for couple of months until his family arrived. Kavya got along with him easily, but it took some days for Oviya to get along. A pic with Snowy is extra special for sure :-) . We also went to a restaurant where everyone gets a big bib to get started :-P. Kavya & Oviya were learning their table manners slowly with no pressure on them (still haven't mastered yet).

We also had their best friend Avanthika's 2nd birthday party in the same month. She looked so gorgeous with her beautiful peacock colored dress. I used to pack home-made food wherever we went. Kavya was sick with cold & didn't eat much over there. But, both were playing a lot.
Since playing was their major activity in their entire day, we took Kavya & Oviya to a new play centre this time which had lots of fun rides, bounce & toddler area. After seeing the crowd & new people, Kavya was very hesitant at the beginning to start playing. It took a long time for her to let go off her clingy stranger anxiety. On the other hand, Oviya was breaking all the boundaries & was running like crazy without minding anyone on her way, even us :-P. Both were like opposite poles. There was a big question - when would they remain in their neutral state?!

This is what happens whenever we try to take a picture. Either they all peep inside camera or pounce into action THWACK!! :-)

The new half past one...

Months were flying, weeks were running, days were passing, hours were accelerating, minutes were rolling, seconds were ticking & milliseconds were enormously faster than light travel. The point here is, Kavya & Oviya became 18 months old :-). Daily life was one big adventure for the newly mobile ones. They were witnessing touch, smell & all kinds of experiments. They were now pointing out to objects they wanted & started forming some words out of babbling. I could notice some in dependency in them by rejecting the foods they don't like, choosing not to sit in one place etc..

Their Mickey & Minnie craze wasn't ending anywhere. They always played with these character fur toys. They also had a huge teddy to play with. Kavya would give lot of kisses to it. They loved to jump, roll, sit & stand over the teddy. I think, our pet Snowy became a toy too in their hands. He doesn't seem to regret it though :-).

                      

Kavya & Oviya were a complete mixture of feelings. Their way of cute expressions, naughty actions, strong opinions, silly giggles - everything was based on what they saw in both mom & dad. We feel so proud that they're following & learning from us. I guess, every parent experiences the joy of being a role model to their children. This in turn means every child chooses to follow his/her parent only when they feel that their parent is capable of guiding them in the right direction. I know we have this greatest responsibility of being their best mentor, friend, guide & teacher to make them better persons in this world. This picture depicts their happy moment. I hope we fulfill our responsibilities & make this laughter last for decades :-).

                                                         

Finding the kid inside everyone...

In Kavya & Oviya's next two months we were ready to face their next phase. We sold their 0-1 year old items; their infant car seat, stroller, swing etc and donated their small sized clothes & toys. Both were all set to use the next stage car seat, stroller & dresses. I was still preserving one pair of their newborn dress, socks & mittens for the sweet future memories :-)

                                               

                                         

We were able to see the next stage of growth in them. They started eating in restaurants, jumping over the couch, climbing up & down the stairs... Whatever they did, both were sticking to each other all the time. On the other side, they got hurt too while playing. Their vocabulary was slowly increasing and they began to understand basic words. We took them to the Moon bounce where they learnt to jump & bounce with great heights & pressure. The bounce effect continued even after coming home. Both jumped & jumped & fell down over the bed & couch :-P. They would start jumping wherever they see soft cushions.

We celebrated my birthday in March by going to a nearby restaurant with our family friends. We all three were wearing similar dresses :-). They don't really sit for a long time ( in the high chairs ) in the the restaurants. Their favourite was the French fries. Gosh! Now I couldn't hold both of them together... They became heavy :-) ( Remembering how both were tightly packed inside the womb where they didn't even have space to move & how I carried them hands-free ;-) ).

They brought out the kid inside me! I laughed, played & giggled along with them. Sometimes, becoming child-like gives a break from being carried away by the materialistic life!!

Never knew about textures before :-P

Kavya & Oviya became 15 months old. Nevertheless to say, there were different type of problem awaiting for us as they grew up - the change in their food consistency. Though I was constantly introducing them to different textures of food, Kavya was reluctant to eat foods that need chewing & she wanted only easy to swallow foods. Oviya was getting adopted to solid pieces and was biting her food gradually as she got more teeth. When we introduced this issue to their pediatrician, the doctor said that some babies may take some time to change & she told us to wait till 18 months. So, I was still making her food very soft, with lots of mashing & blending. I think that tasted so yummy for her :-)
The food consistency is expected to change this way...
0-6 months - milk
Supported Sitter - 1st stage foods - a complete puree of fruits, veggies, cereal
Sitter - 2nd stage foods - a little thick texture with less liquid
Crawler - 3rd stage foods - thick texture with tiny soft pieces of fruits, veggies or meat.
Toddler - All table foods with chunky texture( whatever we eat )

It is expected that after12 months, babies should start chewing all kinds of food with their teeth which didn't happen for Kavya. We were ready to wait happily :-). Her favourite was milk. Even in her sleep she dreams about drinking milk from the bottle. But, mealtimes were a struggle.

During this time, we took them to our friend's home where I realised that they grew up so fast. For the first time, Kavya was walking for a long distance & was sitting on a chair on her own. Oviya was trying to grab things from the top of the table & even tried to open the handle of the door. Both were walking & walking and mastering the skill :-). Life was still busy taking care of them.

You know you're a mom when you love your life even in chaos :-)