Well the first month of 2021 flew by remarkably quickly. Here are some pictures from the second half of last month which I didn't get to upload before.
Our days are marching relentlessly on without much variety, unfortunately, with kindergartens still closed until further notice and Lola Zooming ceaselessly. The boys are now 13 months old, growing bigger and cuter and showcasing their personalities more and more by the day.
Here, Lola and Teo playing with each other. Teo and Al love their sister so much. I'm not sure if the feeling is quite mutual, although Lola has started showing increasing signs of affection toward her brothers, including sometimes leaning in to give them a hug, or at other times gingerly giving them a pat on the head.
Al loves water, Teo not so much. Sometimes, as here, Al will take his brother's water bottle, or Lola's water bottle, in a champion double fisting move.
On one of the colder weekend days, we went to Parkview for a lovely little walk/stroll. We didn't make it far enough to really count as a hike. Lola enjoyed this sculpture of a big dog (and a baby dog in the corner). In order to park there, it's really only worth it if you buy HK$200 worth of groceries, or about US$30. Michael thought we could get a bottle of wine or something to cover the cost, but turns out we had enough household grocery needs that we walked out of there spending about HK$700, or just under US$100, for not very many items. He was aghast.
On one of the weekend mornings, I took Lola to Bowen Road for a walk, where we happened upon a few fairy doors. She enjoyed spotting them, though we didn't walk far or long enough to spot more than 3.
On our weekends, we are pretty limited by how far we can go and how long we can stay out, as well as parking (always an issue in this city), and what's actually open or available (no public playrooms, no playgrounds, no museums, no libraries, no pools, etc. etc.). I guess it's no surprise we always find outselves at Maggie & Rose, the American Club, or the race course. It's still pretty fun though. Here, Michael holding Al overlooking one of the pitches, and Lola is jamming to her coffee machine toy.
Here are our charming boys!
The kids go to the American Club more often now than before. It's good because the boys get to move around and climb and crawl and get exercise, and Lola has gotten more daring and adventurous in climbing and sliding and running around.
Our days rise and fall in the cadence of our routine - everything is set and occurs as much as possible at the same time every day, week by week. Here is the most current schedule:
5:30-6 am: Al and Teo wake up, chirping
and chortling energetically, sometimes wailing and crying for milk or to
protest the inevitable morning diaper change. The boys are on 3 solid meals now, and a small snack if needed, and they are drinking milk in the morning and at night. I had previously mentioned how I was so obsessed about weaning them off bottles for fear it would cause teeth issues, but both boys have an underbite and the dentist tells me the bottle or pacifier is actually good for underbite and can help fix it. Who knew?! Btw, I'm still in shock that the boys have never, not once, used or wanted to use a pacifier.
6-7 am: Lola wakes up. I call her my little alarm clock because she never fails to pop up within this window. There are times when she still wanders into our room at 5 or 5:30 am, at which point depending on the hour I'll either let her crawl into bed with us or I'll usher her back into her own bed. If she's in the bed with us, she insists that she sleeps in the middle and wants to cuddle. She usually falls back asleep pretty quickly, warm and comforted in the nest of blankets wedged between daddy and mommy. She never shows up empty handed though, she always has at least one bunny, usually two, and a water bottle and maybe a balloon or a book to boot as well. It's rare when she isn't up by 6:30 or 6:40; the couple of times she makes it to 7 I am pleasantly surprised. And I think the one time she slept past 7 I started worrying and scaring myself.
7:15 am: Al, Teo, Lola and I all eat breakfast, sometimes together at the big dining table if Lola and the boys will tolerate it, otherwise the boys in their high chairs staring out the window and Lola and I at our own small table.
8 - 8:30 am: Al and Teo head out for a morning stroll
(alternating between being carried and pushed in a stroller) with one
of the aunties. Lola has to "send them off" - she is the one that
presses the elevator buttons for them. Lola and I finish breakfast,
play. Sometimes Lola and I make it out for a morning walk before her
Zoom class but that's highly ambitious (or the sign of a really early
morning...)
8:30-9 am: Al and Teo play and get ready for their
nap. I play or chat with Lola and then usually about 15 minutes prior
to her classes I wrangle her out of her PJs and into real clothes and
help her get ready (brush her teeth, wash her face, brush her hair).
9
- 10:50 am: Lola starts her English Zoom class with auntie Julie,
followed by her Chinese Zoom class with Siti. This takes place every day
Mon-Fri.
Then it's the first block of activity:
On
Mondays, Lola will head to the American Club to check out their urban
garden and play with the slides and toys in the playroom. Al and Teo
play at home and relax. They should have a bilingual playgroup at
Fairchild but that class hasn't resumed yet as a result of the latest
Covid-19 wave.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:45-11:30 Al and Teo have a Mandarin teacher that comes to the house for a Mandarin playgroup. Another similarly aged boy joins them. Lola has a standing playdate with a friend to go ride her scooter and bike in the park on Tuesdays, and she'll enjoy a picnic lunch outside before returning home. On Thursdays, Lola will usually head out with one of the aunties to go to the market, or go to the park, for a little adventure.
On Wednesdays and Fridays, 10:45 - 12:15 Al and Teo have a Mandarin playgroup at Highgate with a few other similarly aged children. They enjoy free play, circle time, arts and crafts, snack time, circle time again and a puppet show, followed by some outdoor playground free play. Lola will go to Highgate to join them from approximately 11:30 -12:15 after she is done with her Zoom class. She previously went to nursery here and to this day it is probably still her happiest place. The school does an amazing job creating a warm, mellow, relaxing environment that is truly very gentle and happy. Lola's current favorite activity here is probably watering the various plants they have in their beautiful rooftop garden. The kids all love the puppet show.
11:30-12:30
is lunch time, followed by bath time. Usually the kids eat together,
sometimes slightly apart if the timing is off and the boys get hungry
first. Al and Teo love their bath time. They have never had any qualms
about splashing around or sitting in the tub until they are wrinkled.
They continue to use the little plastic suction seats with handlebars in
the tub, truly a necessity if you have twins. Depending on the day, Lola may take a bath at this time also - but it's not always possible.
1 - 3:30 or 4 pm is nap time. This is a huge window because it's really hard to predict when the kids go down or, increasingly, if Lola naps at all. Usually Al and Teo are asleep by 1:30 or 2 but lately their nap seems to be stretching later, to 2 or even 2:30 sometimes. Lola's always been a notoriously difficult napper/sleeper so putting her down starts around 1 or 1:30 and can go until 2:30 or later. She's probably declaring that "she's having an off day" (i.e., not napping) about 3 out of 7 days now, and chances of her not napping probably increases to 90% if I'm around.
Then it's the second block of activity:
On Mondays, Al and Teo have music class at 3:30-4:15 at Baumhaus, followed by playtime in the playroom. It's a small group of kids and the playroom is limited to those attending a class, so the numbers are pretty well monitored. Lola will go out to the park to play with other kids, or on a ferry boat, or maybe a tram ride, separately.
On Wednesday from 4-5:30 Lola attends a French immersion playgroup, which she started two weeks ago. She is picking up French words and phrases already, though she tells me that she doesn't understand what the teacher or kids in her class are saying. She loves the novelty and will periodically surprise me with a French word that she remembered, or, more frequently (at least now) will refer to a [made up word] as "the" French word for [x]. I've said it before and I'll say it again, one of the most enthralling things about being around Lola is having the opportunity to almost physically SEE the cogs in her brain working and spinning as she figures things out, puts pieces together, and dismantles arguments or excuses.
Currently, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons are all free play for the kids, but Lola will start French classes in Sai Ying Pun on Tuesdays and Thursdays, in about two weeks' time. With French immersion playgroup 3x a week, I have no doubt Lola will be speaking circles around us in no time. When Lola attends her French classes, the boys either head to the American Club or Maggie & Rose, where they can play and move around in more basic baby soft play areas.
From 5:30 to 6pm Al and Teo eat dinner, whether that's while they're out or (less frequently) home.
The kids usually return home at 6-6:30pm, following which the boys play for a bit and Lola takes a bath (or we fight her tooth and nail to take a bath - it goes either way).
Dinner is at 6:45/7 - 7:30pm, and usually consists of me, Michael and Lola, though Al or Teo (or both) join for a little bit at the beginning if we're lucky. I'm hopeful they are getting little bit older and their sitting sit at the table and eating with us is no longer so challenging.
7pm is milk, bedtime stories and final diaper changes for Al and Teo. They're usually asleep by 7:30pm.
7:30-8pm is usually dessert/TV/dance party time for Lola with me or Michael, followed by (yet another epic battle) toothbrushing, face washing and getting ready for bed. I'm the one that tucks her in because we have a whole ritual, but also because if I'm around Lola really doesn't go for anyone else and will also more than likely throw a huge fit.
8-9pm is bedtime for Lola. She will come up with insanely simple but brilliant, illogical but logical, arguments but eventually, after much protest and distracted looks, she will cave and succumb to sleep.
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