Maman is leaving town...

yes, I am actually going on a 'girls' weeekend'. Having never done this before (my closest friends besides my sisters happen to be male and/or gay), I imagine it will be the ultimate estrogen fest. Anyway, 10 of us will be in staying in Santa Fe at Ten Thousand Waves for a few days. I like the idea of a zen-like setting, a massage, hot baths, lots of sleep and...cocktails!?
Happy Birthday KitKat!
Good luck Evan!

"Differently" abled...

not disabled. That's what the NFB (National Federation for the Blind) calls my daughter. I love that they say that...

Zelda is involved in their pre-Braille reading program and she devours books everyday. That's not my bunny, Counting Kisses, Roly Poly Man, Jennifer's Messes...are on the top of her reading list. I'll find her in her play corner with a book in her lap, running her fingers across the pages. She rocks.

My cup runneth over...

Well, actually it broke.

One of my favorite tea rooms in Paris is called Angélina. It's a lovely space on the rue de Rivoli where you apt to find well coiffed silver haired women with poodles in their laps as well as Japanese tourists waiting in line for a lovely table surrounded by Louis XVI chairs. We go there not for the tea (for that I prefer Mariage Frères in the Marais) but for the chocolat à l'africain. The lovely serveuse, in her black skirt and crisp white blouse, will bring a pot of THE thickest, richest hot chocolate that you have ever tasted. It pours like motor oil and comes accompanied with a bowl of crème de chantilly and the requisite pitcher of water for the mere taste of the chocolate elicits thirst. No need to order any pastries or cakes, the chocolate is enough.

A few years ago, my dear friends gifted me a set of chocolate cups from Angélina. They're made of white porcelain and are low and broad with Angélina inscribed around the lip in green script. Each morning, I take my tea (preferably Marco Polo or Pleine Lune by the aforementioned Mariage Frères)in one of these cups. It has to do with my commitment to the "quality of life". It's a slice of luxury, refinement and grace. It's my 3 minutes of escape, it's my ritual. Well, until the other day, when Evan came to tell me that Candi, our nanny, had broken the cup and saucer. They were both afraid to 'break' the news.

But you know what? I wasn't upset...it's a broken cup. I can get another one. It's fragile like life, but my kids are alive!!! I'd trade an Angélina cup for them anyday of the week...

And anyway, I said I had two didn't I? Cups and kids...

Happy Halloween 2007...

Haven't been posting much but just had to share these amazing photos of what are lives were like 2 years ago today. Just tiny little pumpkins:
This is Creed at 6 weeks old, probably weighing in at 3 lbs or so...
Zelda was definately stylin' for Halloween 2005 - this was her very first outfit ever - a little bit of grunge a little bit of Wilma Flintstone.
Evan arrived at the hospital just before midnight to celebrate Halloween.

Comprehension precedes expression...

So the twins are just starting to talk. Every day they have a bit more to say. That's not to say that they haven't been trying to express themselves for months now. Creed is not a big talker but has several words that he likes to pronounce on command:
-banana
-elbow
-bubble
-baby
And he willingly responds to "What does a sheep say?" He likes his B's. At times, he is willing to throw in Ma,ma,ma and Dada. He'll also have a little chat especially on the changing table while pointing at something. I have astutely interpreted some of his words to mean "I want that." Good thing I have a trained ear to interpret foreign languages.

Speaking of foreign languages, Zelda loves to repeat the French alphabet - esp while in her car seat on a road trip or when she's swinging. The English alphabet holds little interest for her. She has also taken a shining to Gwyneth Paltrow and that Cold Play guy's daughter and seems to call her baby doll "Apple".
Zelda likes her gibberish but in the past few weeks is breaking out of her 'echolalia' mode (look that one up!) and will instigate communication more than just repeating our words, sounds or anything else she hears. Apparently it's pretty common for a blind child and we love her imitations of burps, sneezes and other bodily functions.

But the best thing of all is that Zelda now understands the concept of "give". Imagine being blind and never seeing anyone "give" something to someone. It's hard enough for a seeing toddler. Teaching Zelda is so much about conceptual understanding. Each time we guide her hand we need to reinforce that she can do it without us helping/touching her. I have been playing patty-cake with her since she was an infant and even now, she still thinks the game is played by directing her hands (or vice versa). So when the other night at bedtime I said to the twins, "Give your toothbrushes to Daddy" and she walked over to Evan and handed him her brush, I got tears in my eyes.

Just had to pick up a little something...

.

Left Austin on friday morning and a mere 7 hours later we were in Marfa for El Cosmico - a lovely weekend in the dry desert sun and dirt filled with friends, barbeque, and live music. The weather was glorious and the kids were in rare form - happy and enjoying the wide open spaces.

The kids were dying to go shopping at Prada so we just had to stop by and hit the summer sale. No really, for those that don't know - the Prada Marfa installation is "art". The sealed shop sits on the side of the desert highway and collects bugs and dust and amuses/confuses passers-by. Over the years it will continue to decay and sift back into the desert floor. Just 35 miles from the art community of Marfa (made famous by Donald Judd settling there in the 1970's), the Prada cube has been there for 2 years or so now. The story I love is that vandals actually broke in
and stole a shoe or two - they only display 1 shoe of each pair for just that reason, to deter thieves. I guess someone out in west Texas is walking around in an extremely well-shod left foot.

Meanwhile back at El Cosmico, others were camping in vintage trailers and tents but we were lucky enough to have the use of a lovely house in town. I couldn't really imagine camping with 2 year old, over-stimulated twins who were pumped up on crazy meal schedules, music until the wee hours and dogs everywhere! We settled in quite nicely to our minimalist abode and drank in the atmosphere of the West Texas light.

Don't tell me how sorry you are...

that my daughter was born blind. Tell me that you're amazed at how well she is doing and how silly she is when she giggles. Tell me what a good mimic she is when she 'burps' on command. Tell me how smart she is when I say "Zelda, let's count in French" and she says "Un, deux, trois". Tell me how proud you are of her fearlessness and determination and independence. Tell me that she is a good dancer. Tell me that you can see she is a wonderfully, loving child when she gives you a hug and a 'bisou'. Tell me that you are thrilled that she is doing so well. But don't tell me you're sorry. You had nothing to do with it. And I don't need your sympathy 'cuz Zelda is a 2 year old superstar.