Arrivederci Emma Blog!

And so it comes to an end. Final preparations are being made to get Lill and Emma to the airport and begin a journey for Lill which has been years in the making. I can only imagine the kind of experience this will be for her, and I'm both happy and proud that she is finally doing this long awaited pilgrimmage.

This blog started out as a promise to myself to chronicle Emma's first few months of her life. I had wanted to do the same with the twins, but at the time, it was either take care of the twins or write a journal! But this time I was more experienced and had more time (one baby instead of two) so the writing began...and to my amazement and joy, I also found that I was also adding stories and events about the twin's birth and growth, too. And then Lill joined the writing team and she added her breadth and depth to the whole thing....

For us, this blog has grown beyond anything I could've imagined. Those of you who have read these words I thank you for sharing this with us, and for your kind comments about the blog. Knowing that there's also been a select audience to our journal has made it more special, because sharing our thoughts and stories with those around us has made the whole experience more memorable.

And so I say, with some sadness, I will miss Emma Blog. It has been like a friend to me, it has been a fantastic growing experience, and most of all, it has been a pleasure!!!

Goodbye, old friend!

ODD SPOT: Did you know that the first month of Odd Spots came from the plastic backing of Libra Regular Ultra Thin pads!!!

P.S: And so the final secret has been revealed!!!

Fly By!

Last night in the bathroom, a fly so big that you could put a saddle on, came in and whizzed about, taunting us with its wings buzzing so loudly, I thought there was a Cessina prop plane in the room with us!!! And by us, I mean the whole family! Yep, the family that bathrooms together, stays together!!! Anyway, Jessica was sitting on the toilet when this buzzing monster started to hover above her. Well, you should've heard her scream and shout! Lill quickly got the fly spray...and handed it to me! I'd just finished shaving, and I didn't have my glasses handy, so I used The Force and guestimated where the fly was, by its buzzing and this large blur whizzing by my peripheral vision! Lill and the girls said I actually got it, which I was chuffed about, and then we exited the bathroom for the night to let that giant thingie go through its death throes in relative peace and quiet.

So this morning, while I'm at work, Lill tells me that both girls got up and needed to use the bathroom together. So Sarah wanted to use the toilet first, and so she suggested to Jessica to use the potty. Well, just as Jessica is about to use it, guess what's sitting at the bottom of that potty with its hairy legs pointing in the air!!?? Yep, Mr. Giant Dead Fly! And again, you should've heard Jessica scream and shout! Even in death, this thing taunts her!! And Sarah, like the little mum she is, says camly and soothingly, "That's alright, Jessica. You use my toilet now."

And to think, the next three weeks these two will be my constant companions!!! Pity the blog ends tomorrow. Ah well, there's always the next blog I'm setting up [sounds of my wife screaming in Maltese Falcon style, "WHAT!!??"]

ODD SPOT: "Cemetery" comes from a Greek word meaning, "Sleeping Place"

P.S: This smacks of being shades of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"...

Final Score

No Jessica last night, as she decided to spend the night at my in-laws. She really loves her Nannu (English: grandpa!)! Things are a lot quieter when the twins are seperated. And it gave me some time with Sarah and Emma, too. Especially because Emma will be away for 3 weeks! I wonder how much she'll change? Just yesterday, Emma went to the health nurse and these are her stats to date:

Weight: 5.735kg
Height: 63cm
Head Circumference: 39cm

Apparently, she's still on the small side, almost a kilo less than the twins were at this age, but the twins were bottlefed and supplemented with formula, which is a lot heavier than breast milk. There's nothing to worry about, and Emma's early foray into solids should help change things for the heavier in the next few weeks.

Sarah's very much a homebody, like me! It takes a bit of effort and cajoling to get her to stay with my in-laws. However, she loves my parents, especially my mother. I have a feeling I may find myself travelling between two sets of parents a lot just so each girl can spend the night with their favourite grandparent! And so the taxi service begins... You know, I can see myself actually looking forward to them getting their driver's license!!! But not quite yet! Let's not have them grow up quite so fast...!!!

ODD SPOT: German submarine U-120 was sunk by a malfunctioning toilet.

P.S: Imagine the poor schmuck who initiated the fatal flush...!!!

Girls On Film

Last night I finally transferred video from our camcorder to the computer, and created a DVD out of it. Lill and I had a bit of a watch, and it was just the funniest and most amazing thing! The video footage goes back as far as May this year, and the twins have grown up so much since then! They've lost quite a bit of their baby fat and their voices are now not so high pitched, but it was soooo cute to watch their little personalities in play and listening to them talk and interact. And Emma's growth has been phenomenal, too! She's gone from this tiny precious thing to this lovely, happy, smiley, noisy thing! Just too much! Apart from the fact we now have good memories stored digitally, we've also now had the opportunity to look back and see them growing from a different perspective!

ODD SPOT: Pinocchio is Italian for "pine head."

P.S: And what about his cousin, "Finocchio"...!!??

Luverly Lunch!

Lovely Sunday afternoon! Lill and I had lunch at The Conservatory at the Crown. The buffet was nice, and even the music was palatable - the Michael Buble wannabe band was actually doing okay, as long as they stuck to Michael Buble covers, but when they ventured out to do Rod Stewart's, "Tonight's The Night", well...let's just say I'm glad I wasn't eating seafood!!! The twins were at my in-laws, and we only had Emma. Of course, she was an instant hit with the crowd. She looked like a little princess in the white gown and the white headband. And of course, that winning toothless smile...the Buble wannabe band was a poor second when it came to entertaining the masses!!

Only five more days before Lill and Emma go overseas. And five more days before the blog ends. Mmmm...

ODD SPOT: The saying "it's so cold out there it could freeze the balls off a brass monkey" came from when they had old cannons like ones used in the Civil War. The cannonballs were stacked in a pyramid formation, called a brass monkey. When it got extremely cold outside, they would crack and break off... Thus the saying.

P.S: Always wanted to know that...!!!

Fast Food

Had a chance to feed Emma some solids tonight! I fed her some Apple and Strawberry puree stuff and you should see her face, it was like that guy who won the competition in the Uncle Toby's Fruit Rollups commercial!!! But eat it she did...

Put a deposit down for a hire costume for the Christmas work party. The theme is...superheroes and villians! The costume I chose...Spiderman! Okay, the only reason why I mention this is because when they're old enough to read this I want the kids to see that dad isn't just this quaint old fuddy duddy, but an interesting dude with a checkered past and therefore worthy of their admiration and respect...okay, a guy can dream, can't he!!??

The twins are at their grandparents tonight, which means Lill and I may actually sleep in tomorrow! Sleeping in...what a strange concept!

ODD SPOT: The word "Checkmate" in chess comes from the Persian phrase "Shah Mat," which means, "the king is dead".

P.S: I'm sure I could work an Elvis joke into this...

Love Hurts!

Emma drew first blood!!! Her fingernails grow so fast, we can't keep up with trimming them. Last night, I was playing with those bubble cheeks of hers, when in a squeal of delight (her, not me) she grabbed my chin and raked me with her talons! I didn't even realise I was bleeding until I saw some of it on her jumpsuit! Cheeky thing! My girls are so rough! As per usual, they get these violent tendencies from their mother!!! I hope it doesn't leave a scar...

ODD SPOT: The word philatelist (stamp collector) stems for the Latin phase "Happy to avoid paying taxes".

P.S: I've always wanted to be a philatelist...!!!

Around The World

Well, Emma is going to be more well-travelled than I'll ever be! She'll be overseas way before the twins, and has her own passport to boot! I like how on her passport it says, "UNABLE TO SIGN", like she's some radical or subversive! Lill's packing lots of nappies and she's finding that they take up a fair bit of suitcase space. I suggested that she give one nappy to each of the hundred odd people she's travelling with, because one nappy won't take up any space and that way she'll have at least 100 nappies near her at all times! Why is it that my ideas get poo-pooed all the time...

ODD SPOT: Armadillos have four babies at a time and they are always all the same sex. Armadillos are the only animal besides humans that can get leprosy.

P.S: Those Armadillos really need to practice safe sex...!!!

Bright Light!!

I'm really looking forward to daylight savings kicking in...no, really!!! I was up at 5am this morning, and that's bad enough! I was lying there, thinking do I try and will myself back to sleep, or do I just not bother and toss and turn in fustration...and then Sarah wakes up and walks into the bedroom! I mean, excuse me, this is my brood time! The girls in general having been getting up earlier and earlier because it's brighter in the mornings, but this morning was a killer! Emma however, slept through the night, which was a bonus! She's been having more solids lately, so this may be the start of more good things to come! Ah, that wishful thinking...!!!

ODD SPOT: The Sanskrit word for "war" means "desire for more cows."

P.S: Trust me, there'll be more than cow's at stake if the girls don't start sleeping in...!!!

Da-da!!!

I'll let Lill blog for Monday, because I'm here to say that Emma uttered, "Da-da!" at four and a half months of age!!!

Bwhahahahahahahahaha!!!!

Who's childish.....!?

ODD SPOT: COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - He just called to say he loved her. The problem was he did it over and over, running up a phone bill of at least $117,000 to his sweetheart in India. Now the 24-year-old Dane could face jail for fraud because he can't pay the bill, police said Friday. The lovesick Dane, whose name was not released, has never even met his 18-year-old flame from Madras, India. They got in touch through a magazine that publishes names and phone numbers of people all over the world who want to know foreigners. But the Dane clearly couldn't resist the sound of her voice. Police said the long-distance lovebirds once spent 21 of 24 hours on the phone to each other. He got away with it for so long by switching telephone companies.

P.S: Another "L" here for Loser!!!

Hold The Phone

Okay. Sarah and Jessica have gotten into the habit of answering the phone when it rings! Now, this may sound cute, but bear in mind they're only three and a half and have all the phone ettiqutte of a mime artist (ie. none!). It's only cute the first couple of times, but then if somebody rings to tell you to get out of the house because a 747 airliner is about to crash on top of you, and all you hear is, "Hello, I'm watching Barbie!.." then either we start putting the phone out of reach or we start drilling them in phone-speak! Either way, they're growing up way too fast! I still remember being chuffed when the first words out of their mouths was "Da-da!"! Of course, that means, daddy! Lill is still miffed about that one! I'm now working on Emma to say "Da-da"...

Yes yes, I know, who are the real children in this family!!??

ODD SPOT: It takes food seven seconds to go from the mouth to the stomach via the esophagus.

P.S: Take three seconds off for curry...!!!

Dancing

Sarah and Jessica have been at their grandparents since last night, so Lill has caught up on some much needed sleep and spending one on one time with Emma. Lill and I had more dancing lessons last night, and much to our amazement we could do the cha-cha better than the ramba! The ramba is just a simpler version of the cha-cha, and yet we can do the harder one better! Also, there's a complicated jive taught for advanced people that we catch the end of whenever we show up for the beginners lessons. There's about a gazillion steps and its fast and complicated, but by God it looks like good fun! Lill and I try and do a couple of the more "easier" steps, but we're just so beginner we look like we're trying to sumo wrestle! But it's fun trying it though...

It's definite that Emma Blog will end when Lill and Emma go for their overseas jaunt in the next couple of weeks. Let's face it, my source for Emma Blog will be thousands of miles away, so I either have a hiatus, or I choose this as the appropriate time to end this blog. But I am making plans and thinking about the new blog, which will be more encompassing and will have guest writers.

ODD SPOT: When Buster Mitchell's girlfriend walked out on him, he went back to his beloved and decided to make it legal with her. Mitchell, 28, went to the county courthouse in Knoxville, Tenn., and started filling out the marriage license application. He listed his fiancee's birthplace as Detroit, her father as "Henry Ford" and her blood type as "10-W-40" before the clerk stopped him -- Mitchell was trying to get a license to marry his car, a '66 Ford Mustang GT. "Why can't we do the good ol' boy thing and marry our cars and trucks?" he lamented later. He plans to try again elsewhere.

P.S: Buster, I'm sorry, but you get the capital "L" on your forehead for LOSER!!!!

P.P.S: Sarah's backpack is getting heavier!! What is she hoarding!!?...

Pack Rat

Sarah is a hoarder, a pack rat. She sees something she likes, she keeps it within her grasp for days, day and night, even takes it to bed. Whether it's a lipstick, a toy, a pen, my watch, a bottle of cream, anything... These days, she has a Barbie backpack, and she puts all her collectables in it, and she carries it around wherever she goes! Even if she goes to the loo, she only takes it off long enough to do what she needs to do, but woe behold if anybody touches it! What is it with my daughters! Jessica with dresses, Sarah with eveything else!!! Must get these psychoses from Lill's side of the family...!!!

ODD SPOT: Women can talk longer with less effort than can men. That has been proved repeatedly. Why? Because the vocal cords of women are shorter than those of men and so release less air through them to carry the sound. It's all a matter of breathing.

P.S: Yeah yeah! Whatever let's you sleep at night...!!!

Disco Wand

Jessica came home last night with something I can only describe as a "Disco Wand". Lill's sister picked it up during her last clubbin session on the weekend. It's about 30cm in length, with a tranparent globe at one end, full of bright flashing coloured laser lights and clubbin music when you press the studs located on the side of the wand. Needless to say, it was an instant hit with the twins. Apparently that's what they've been playing with all morning. Its driving Lill insane! God, I'm glad I don't work at home for a living...!!!

ODD SPOT: A dragonfly has a lifespan of 24 hours.

P.S: Oddly enough, it's the life expetancy of that disco ball, too!!!

Sunday Revisited

So last night at my parent's place, there's this huge digital karaoke machine in the big spare room. My neice Natalie had her 13th birthday party there with all of her friends, and apparently my parent's house was big enough to accomadate the entourage!

Well, when Sarah and Jessica saw that big karaoke monster with its big speakers, microphones, mirror balls and spinning coloured lights...well, their clubbin days started earlier than I expected! That was the last I saw of them for the next couple of hours...!

Emma's hair continues it's downward spiral to chaos and entropy. Suggestions at the dinner table include a haircut for Emma, but Lill is very resistant. I've just had my haircut, and at the moment I look like a poster boy for some Neo Nazi Movement, so maybe Lill has fears Emma will look like her dad! I paid dearly for my reply comment that it won't matter what Emma will look like, she'll be in Israel, who cares, and it should grow back by the time she comes home. Ah, the trials and tribulations of being a clueless dad...!!!

ODD SPOT: There are three kinds of people in this world - those who can count, and those who can't!!!

P.S: Geddit!!?? No!? Oh well, couldn't resist it, though...

Nice Weekend

A couple of things this weekend! Jessica drew actual stick-like figures of mummy and daddy! Up until now, the drawings have been shapes and blobs, but this is the first time either one of them have drawn actual figures of people in recognizable shapes!!! Am I a proud dad or what!!?? Now Jessica equals my own standard when it comes to drawing. I wonder if she'll surpass me...!!!

The girls painted their nails this morning. Lill had lots of fun with them this morning, and it made me realise that there will be things I can't do with my daughters, things that I won't be able to share or bond with them about. Not that I regret having girls, not at all. But the idea of a little version of me to impart the manly wisdom and experience to is the reason why most guys would like to have a boy. But I love my girls with all my heart and soul, all the same.

Emma loves pumpkin soup. That's my girl! She's taken to eating quite well and just as I suspect it's reflected in her nappy...wheeeew!!!!

ODD SPOT: 2 out of 5 have married their first love. Only 4% asked the parents' approval for their bride's hand. 1 in 5 men proposed on his knees. 6% propose over the phone.

P.S:And of that 6%, who said yes!!??

Giggle Guts!

Emma is ticklish! I found out a day or so ago. I rubbed my nose against her tummy, which usually illicits no response, and yet suddenly, she's squealing and laughing in delight! I do it a few times, and she has her mouth open ready in anticipation for a scream and a giggle! It is just the most adorable thing!!!...

I've decided Emma Blog will end when Lill and Emma leave for Jerusalem in 3 weeks time. It's been wonderful doing it, but I think it's time for this journal to come to a close. There will be another blog which I'll set up, but it won't be as active as this one. I have some plans for its theme and direction, but I'll have to think about it.

ODD SPOT: One hundred years ago, a woman thought herself to be particularly gifted if she were one of those who grew a faint moustache. That light down on the female face was considered most attractive then.

P.S: No comment on this one!