Thursday was Open House at school. We were given strict instructions the week before that this event was intended to highlight all the great things we do and NOT to discuss grades or behavior with parents. So I refrained from passing back any of the cute creative-type activities we've done recently (menus, recipes, and monsters with their body parts labelled) so that I could display them and brainstormed other ways to distract parents from asking about grades.
And then it hit me - the Salvateenies! Joe took them to Livermore to see their grandparents on Thursday, then we passed each other briefly at home as he packed his things to head out to the A's game. My mom came over and helped with dinner time, at which all three babies had meltdowns that involved bellowing and big, round tears. I was starting to think that perhaps taking them to Redwood City was not the best idea I'd ever had. But I persevered. We loaded them into the car and en route they quieted down. Once in RWC, we collected Colleen (and the yummy sack lunch she'd prepared for me, since I hadn't had time to eat) and drove on to school. We strolled through the halls, introducing the babies to folks as we passed and looking for staff who might have elevator privileges to help us get upstairs - the plant manager lent me her key for the evening...YAY!
In the room, we put down the soft foam mat squares that had JUST come in the mail that afternoon and my neighbor across the hall lugged some tables over to prop up, making a nice U-shaped baby enclosure. We plopped the free-range babies (and Colleen) on the floor and introduced them to all the students and parents as they stopped by. I was quite impressed by some of the students who remembered the tricks to figuring out who is Max and who is Daniel. Melissa stopped by at the end of parent time, picked up Caroline, and walked back to her room. This is the second time Melissa has walked off with Caroline - I think we'll need to keep an eye on that one - but so far she's always brought her back! We fed the babes and packed them back into the car to head home.
Saturday they went out to get weighed - we need updated stats for their modelling sheets. Daniel's lead on Max has shrunk - Daniel was 17lbs 1.5oz, Max was 17lbs 0.4oz. (but Max had just taken a big poop, so that might've accounted for the missing ounce). Caroline is still maintaining her distance, weighing in at 14lbs 11oz.
On Sunday it was a big day of birthday parties. First, Colleen brought Brad over to meet the 'teenies. After first protesting that he didn't want to hold Daniel for fear of dropping him, Brad and the boys became fast friends. I think Brad would make an excellent toy tester - he saw the appeal of each item for the babies ("it's got cool tags to pull on", "you just pull this part out and it vibrates") while also focussing right in on the important part for parents ("and it doesn't need any batteries!") Before we left, Colleen and my brother constructed the new "baby jail" we purchased (so that Max has somewhere to roll around on the floor).
(Note: These are the only pictures for this entry...sorry)
We stopped first at a kiddie birthday party being thrown by a former co-worker of Colleen's who has twin 2-year old girls and a 4-year old daughter. The party was in Golden Gate Park (at the same meadow as my senior ditch day was held - the one I wasn't invited to 20 years ago...) and featured a bounce house, cupcakes, and gumballs. And lots of little kids running around and having fun. Much of the frivolity went over the 'teenies' heads, but I made notes for the planning of future parties.
The second party was a grown-up affair for my dad's birthday and the babies spent the afternoon being passed from one set of arms to another. They did their best not to cry, spit up, or leak on any of the guests and a good time seemed to be had by most.
Monday, I got to go to Bank of America to set up the babies' "Coogan Accounts", which are aimed at protecting at least 15% of their potential show biz earnings from the greedy grasp of their parents. The bank requires a $300 minimum deposit. For each account. So we transferred money from their little baby savings accounts to their little baby Coogan savings accounts. It's all their money anyway, they just can't touch that $300 until they're 18. Then it was off to get our nails done. The nail ladies hadn't seen the babies since December, so we brought them along. They fussed for a while, but all in all people seemed to adore them. I'm not sure how much longer that will last.
Some other random things that have happened - Caroline's tooth has finally popped out. She only has the one, but she's quite proud of it, sucking on it all the time...All the babies seem to sleep better on their left sides, just like I do...Max likes to sleep on his tummy, or on his side, or with his ankles crossed and one leg hanging off the chair while one arm is sticking straight up above his head...they love apple sauce.
awww... i love the last paragraph the mostest...
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