Party Aftermath...

Last weekend was the twins' shower. It was also to commemorate the twins 'first birthday'. In Asian culture, the first full month after birth is celebrated as a milestone.
It was the perfect day for a bbq. We grilled up some ribs, chicken and corn. My mom made her yummy egg rolls and fried rice---gotta have some Asian food! It would have been nice to have the party outdoors, but our patio still in the mist of being built. But next year, get those water pistols ready!

Heard on the hallway street, 'its a baby fest here'. There were kids everywhere, ages from newborn to adolescent. So much energy! Good thing we have a basement for them to run around in, and on newly painted concrete. After our water tank exploded, we decided no more carpet and its potential for mold. Not the most sophisicated look, but kid friendly and worry free! Not to mention, easy clean up for the big kids' spilt beer.

As for the twins, they mostly slept, but I'm sure they enjoyed being held by all their aunties!

The day ended with our traditional fireworks, though only a handful people were left. Fireworks are so much fun. Even baby, Jacob loved them, he clapped and signed 'more, more'. Toooo cute!

It was a blast to see everyone and hopefully everyone had a blast.

So far so good with the nanny...

Ahhhh, the adventures of finding a nanny. We had one lined up, a recommendation from my mom's hospice worker. After the twins' birth, we left several msgs for her to start and no call back for a week. Oh well, she lived in woodbridge which i wasnt keen on anyway. (BTW, she does eventually call back, stating her hubby & son never gave her the messages. By then, her dependability was questionable.)

Then my mom has another recommendation from a church associate. We interviewed her, a middle age vietnamese woman. It took her three tries to make it to the interview! The first time, she didnt want to continue on the main road, thinking it was going to take her where----off a cliff? She stops at a nearby shopping center to call us, unfortunately our cell phone has bad reception in the house. But really, couldnt she just ask someone for directions when she was there, literally she was only 1/4 mile away. The second time, she made it to the driveway, but then was too 'nervous' to knock since the house was not lit, but decided to call on the cell instead---once again, bad reception. We were home and waiting.

Finally in the third try, she arrives for the interview. So of course, i'm not too impressed by this time. Then she mentions she tires easily, especially if she has to walk too much. And that she has a disability son at home that she also needs to reserve her energy for.....hmmm, not quite the energetic, competent nanny i was hoping for. So i declined her services, which my mom adamantly disagreed with. She was Vietnamese and Catholic...What more can i ask for?!!

Plan C, place an ad in the spanish newspapers. Whoa, let the calls begin. I think we should have stated the salary just to weed out the true potentials. Literally, I must have gotten 20 calls a day for the next couple of weeks. Had some interviews, too young, too inexperienced, one mentioned she couldnt make the 8AM hour since she would have to drop off her kids at the bus stop at 8:30.....umm, which part of 8-6PM was unclear?

Then we got the call from Edna. Her last job was at a daycare. She's been a nanny before with another family. And she lived in Vienna, 5 min away! With the long work day, who needs to tack on another hour + commute.

After checking her references and conducting a background check, she was hired. She started immediately on August 1st, which means I would be home with her for 2 months until the beginning of October. This was my preference since I wanted to be comfortable with her before leaving the kids. Edna has two grown kids of her own, but other than that, has no experience with infants (only toddlers to pre-school). Since my mom has been with me since their birth, she would still come daily to 'train' Edna.

And we like her so far. Edna is very professional, calm and capable. She takes instruction well. I realize now, some English is a must! I dont know otherwise, how I could have translated the different care methods we have with each twin.

So things are going well. Hopefully, i wont have to conduct another nanny search (ever). Ahhhh, so nice when things fall into place. And extra bonus, Eric started a new job. Its his 4th job in 2 years (we call him the job whore), but who's complaining, since now he can pay for the nanny (-:

The twins 'Welcome Home' shower

Please join us in celebrating the arrival of Vienna and Laurel to our family and to the world!

Address: 10619 vale road, oakton 22124
Time: 3PM
Date: August 12th

We hope to see you there for some good bbq and summer fun!