tnh9479

My husband's oath ceremony was today. It was a wonderful event. 62 people were sworn in from 25 different nations. They had social security and voter registration there today so he got to take care of all of that at one time. It is nice to see the certificate and know we can say "au revoir" to USCIS!

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N-400 October 2009 Applicants

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USCIS Lewisville,Texas Lockbox

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UserName..........Sent......ChkCashd..NOA.......Fprints...Int Ltr...Intview...Oath......Office

wmand.............10/01/09..10/05/09..10/11/09..10/30/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Columbus, OH

tenmex............10/02/09..10/13/09..10/15/09..11/05/09..11/18/09..12/30/09..--/--/--..Memphis, TN

Karenros..........10/03/09..10/13/09..10/07/09..10/30/09..11/23/09..12/15/09..01/06/10..Charlotte, NC

Together..........10/03/09..10/09/09..10/08/09..11/02/09..11/20/09..12/15/09..12/15/09..Atlanta, GA

abimbola82........10/05/09..10/08/09..10/08/09..10/29/09..11/10/09..01/08/10..--/--/--..San Antonio, TX

faisalb...........10/05/09..10/08/09..10/08/09..11/03/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..New York, NY

tnh9479...........10/06/09..10/08/09..10/08/09..11/06/09..11/30/09..01/04/10..01/13/10..West Palm Beach, FL

rohitsakp.........10/09/09..--/--/--..10/15/09..11/30/09..12/08/09..01/12/10..--/--/--..Buffalo, NY

RichardS..........10/15/09..10/20/09..10/21/09..12/04/09..12/17/09..01/19/10..--/--/--..Atlanta, GA

Larry and Maria...10/20/09..--/--/--..10/26/09..11/17/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Tampa, FL

mrosenberg........10/24/09..--/--/--..10/29/09..11/19/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Boston, MA

flsusi............10/23/09..10/26/09..10/29/09..11/17/09..12/20/09..01/19/10..--/--/--..Miami, FL

insearch..........10/23/09..10/27/09..10/29/09..11/09/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Newark, NJ

Lissa04...........10/26/09..10/29/09..10/29/09..11/17/09..12/07/09..01/11/10..--/--/--..Fairfax, VA

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USCIS Phoenix,Arizona Lockbox

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UserName..........Sent......ChkCashd..NOA.......Fprints...Int Ltr...Intview...Oath......Office

calOC.............10/05/09..10/13/09..10/13/09..11/04/09..11/23/09..01/12/10..--/--/--..Santa Ana, CA

clocita...........10/09/09..10/19/09..10/16/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..San Diego, CA

cali_girl.........10/13/09..10/21/09..10/20/09..11/09/09..12/10/09..01/15/10..--/--/--..Sacramento, CA

Innuendo..........10/13/09..10/22/09..10/20/09..11/10/09..11/24/09..12/22/09..01/08/10..Las Vegas, NV

Elle..............10/19/09..10/28/09..10/27/09..11/16/09..12/18/09..02/04/10..--/--/--..Chicago, IL

Mr. Li............10/26/09..11/04/09..11/04/09..11/20/09..01/02/10..02/02/10..--/--/--..Sacramento, CA

Oly...............10/26/09..10/30/09..11/02/09..11/20/09..12/15/10..01/29/10..--/--/--..Anaheim,CA

Chrithikjc100.....10/28/09..10/29/09..10/30/09..12/03/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Chicago, IL

maika tereza......10/15/09..10/22/09..--/--/--..11/12/09..12/26/09..02/01/10..--/--/--..Los Angeles, CA

Hi! I am Twila and mom to boy/girl twins who will be ONE this week! Yikes! Where has the time gone?

Anyway, my babies are Muslim as well. I have no issue with that. We celebrate my family's holidays as well. The twins need to respect both families' heritages. There is a lot, after getting by the initial differences, that we have in common (what drew us together in the first place).

I guess I am lucky to have a wonderful husband. He was there for me and the babies from day one. I was a wreck after they were born and it took me a while to bond with them, whereas he bonded instantly with them. He is soooooooooooo much more overprotective than I ever thought of being and he doesn't think twice to jump in and do something for them. He just draws the line at giving them a bath -- it kind of freaks him out. That's ok. Now...if I could get him to remember to pick up his coffee cup!

I feel the same way about not being a short order cook. Hana will eat just about ANYTHING. She has only refused cranberry sauce, baby cereal and scrambled eggs. Zak, on the other hand, has been my toddler for the past month. Some days he'll like something and the next he wants no part of it. He hates scrambled eggs and cereal too. He has gotten into throwing tantrums at dinner time, even when it is something he likes. I am of the mind if he is hungry, he will eat. It's not like I am trying to feed him something he doesn't like. Ignoring him and letting him get up if he acts up has seemed to work. The tantrums are becoming fewer. I am trying to teach him to say "more" if he wants more of something. I think that has been a small issue in what we are dealing with. He just said it to me yesterday.

It looks like you guys had fun! Your baby boys are getting sooooooooooooo big!

We started Hana and Zak on solids at four months. Our ped recommended we try to get them on cereal to help them bulk up a bit. Well...they hated cereal and still do to this day. Around six months we started fruits and veggies. They liked it so much we went to twice a day real easy. Around 8 months they went to three times a day. Then...they started weaning themselves off formula at about 10.5 months. They would drink minimal amounts. I was worried they weren't getting their nutrients so I started to mix formula and milk 50/50 then. That worked like a charm. They are now, at one year this week, totally on whole milk and table foods. It is easier, and harder, at the same time that they are no longer on baby food or formula. Now I actually have to cook food in the evenings!

As for spices, they LOVE spices. They love to share hard boiled eggs rolled in cumin with their dad. Anything with cinnamon is the best! We just try to stay away from the peppery stuff.

My husband knew immediately because I wasn't feeling well and told him I really suspected I was pregnant. We didn't believe it would happen so quickly. I told my sister when I got the BFP. I told my mom and grandmother about a week later (I couldn't believe it was true). When I had the dating u/s at 6.5 weeks, that was the true surprise -- twins. I called my mom first. I told her she was going to be a grandmother two more times. She was in shock. I then called my grandmother. She still to this day remembers it because I asked her if she was sitting down. She thought something was wrong. She got so excited. She started the next day researching the frequency of twins in our family (non-existent BTW). Then...I called my husband. He thought I was joking because the night before I was telling him and a friend of ours I just had a feeling it was twins. They told me it was just pregnancy hormones. I went to go get him at work to go out for lunch and he just kept staring at me. He was just in such utter shock. Four of my close friends at work found out almost immediately. I announced to everyone else at work @ 14 weeks.

OMG...my normally sweet, smiling baby has turned into a whiney, clingy mess. I told her I would beat up the teeth for her!

Hana is getting in two more teeth and wasn't this bad for her previous six. Maybe she is just older and more conscious of them. She was up until 9 last night and Zak until 10pm. My husband and I said this is a bad way to start the new year.

If it is similar to the Graco Snugride, you don't need the base to strap it in. There are side spaces for the belt strap to go through. The one downside, the strap goes over your baby, whereas with the base the strap comes nowhere near them. I would love to fly to Vermont for my spring break. I just don't know if I am brave enough to tackle two flights with the twins by myself!

I swear by the First Response. I got a positive a week before I should have missed my period. I still have my two tests. Ha! I am sure Zak wants that for a keepsake!

Finally got off my ####### and got the evites done for the twins first birthday party in about 3 weeks! I can't believe how quickly time has flown by!

Luckily, my husband was able to switch his shift. He was doing "twin"fant duty at 8 weeks! He switched his shift to 12:30 - 9 pm. He hates the shift and can't wait for the day to switch back to 9-5:30. However, we both hate having the babies left with anyone for a long time. Right now a daughter of one of the teachers I work with watches them from 11:30 - 3:30. The babies absolutely love her and she loves them. She also loves being able to work from home while going to college. It truly has been a win-win situation. I think it is the reason my two have been so healthy too...no in-home daycare with other germy kids!

I probably won't be online much after today so I wanted to say Merry Christmas to all of you and I can't wait to see pics of your holiday!

Twila

Thanks Kelly for the idea of going to Payless. Hana and Zak are still in infant shoes, but they had wide sizes and now Ziko has some shoes! It's been cool here in FL and they take off their socks as soon as you put them on, unless they have their shoes on.

Someone commented about the B vitamin deficiency. I am sure it must affect mood as well. All I know is I would come home when I was 20 weeks pregnant and sleep for 5 hours. Then my husband would wake me up so I could eat and then I would go and sleep for another 6 hours. This is coming from a person who has a hard time sleeping more than 7 hours total! I was convinced I must have had mono. I asked the high risk doctor if it was normal to be THAT exhausted. He laughed and told me it was totally normal for carrying twins. I seriously had to take a day off work to sleep the day before we had an evening open house. Everyone at work was laughing at me. Once I got back on the B vitamins, I felt normal again. If you check those energy shots you see at the conveinence stores, they are all made up of B vitamins. They really are liquid energy.

I am getting excited to see what Hana and Zak think of Christmas! Only a few more days!

Twila

I had been taking organic liquid vitamins before having the babies. I checked them out with my OB and she said I could keep on them. I cut out caffeine until I hit about 18 weeks. For about 6 weeks, I got soooooooooo exhausted I could barely function. I had to have some caffeine to make it through the work day. It was then I decided to go back on my liquid B vitamins (I could care less what the docs had to say, I couldn't function). Within a day I felt like a new woman and didn't have to call Hana and Zak parasites anymore! I was diligent about folic acid. I read cereal boxes. Life cereal has 100% of the RDA, one of the few cereals that is. So, I would eat it every morning. My mom has full-blown spina bifoda and I wanted to ensure my two didn't.

Anyone have a kid with wide feet and suggestions for shoes? Zak has super wide feet and finding shoes for him is next to impossible! We went out today and had no luck!

Twila

Congrats to all the newly pregnant mommies!

Kelly,

I know what you mean. I went into the twins room to get the trash this morning and I looked in their cribs and just about cried. They are sooooooooo big now! We were in Toys R Us this afternoon and asked how old the little girl was in the carriage. She was 10 months (one month younger than Hana and Zak) and about half their size. There are just sooooooooo tall anyone out has a hard time believing they are not 18 months old!

Twila

I periodically burn the photos to CD. I did it a DAY before my husband had an accident with the computer. We got lucky!

Ok...so I put up our tree and decked it out with lights and ribbon. I wasn't quite brave enough to put up ornaments yet because I knew it would be a baby magnet. Sure enough. When we got home last night, Zak was right there pulling the lights and hitting the branches because he wanted to see the lights move. I hope I get to put some ornaments up this year!

Adding interview date.

1. DO NOT DELETE THESE INSTRUCTIONS.

2. Please make sure you are using Rich Text Editor as your message setting.

3. Click "Reply" on the most recent/updated posting version of this list.

4. Remove -quote-(top and bottom) around the list.

5. Always use [Courier New] Font.

6. Red Font="I'm A United States Citizen"!

==================================

N-400 October 2009 Applicants

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USCIS Lewisville,Texas Lockbox

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UserName..........Sent......ChkCashd..NOA.......Fprints...Int Ltr...Intview...Oath......Office

wmand.............10/01/09..10/05/09..10/11/09..10/30/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Columbus, OH

tenmex............10/02/09..10/13/09..10/15/09..11/05/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Memphis, TN

Karenros..........10/03/09..10/13/09..10/07/09..10/30/09..11/23/09..12/15/09..--/--/--..Charlotte, NC

Together..........10/03/09..10/09/09..10/08/09..11/02/09..11/20/09..12/15/09..--/--/--..Atlanta, GA

abimbola82........10/05/09..10/08/09..10/08/09..10/29/09..11/10/09..01/08/10..--/--/--..San Antonio, TX

faisalb...........10/05/09..10/08/09..10/08/09..11/03/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..New York, NY

tnh9479...........10/06/09..10/08/09..10/08/09..11/06/09..11/30/09..01/04/10..--/--/--..West Palm Beach, FL

rohitsakp.........10/09/09..--/--/--..10/15/09..11/30/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Buffalo, NY

RichardS..........10/15/09..10/20/09..10/21/09..12/04/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Atlanta, GA

Larry and Maria...10/20/09..--/--/--..10/26/09..11/17/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Tampa, FL

mrosenberg........10/24/09..--/--/--..10/29/09..11/19/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Boston, MA

flsusi............10/23/09..10/26/09..10/29/09..11/17/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Miami, FL

insearch..........10/23/09..10/27/09..10/29/09..11/09/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Newark, NJ

Lissa04...........10/26/09..10/29/09..10/29/09..11/17/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Fairfax, VA

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USCIS Phoenix,Arizona Lockbox

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calOC.............10/05/09..10/13/09..10/13/09..11/04/09..11/23/09..01/12/10..--/--/--..Santa Ana, CA

clocita...........10/09/09..10/19/09..10/16/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..San Diego, CA

cali_girl.........10/13/09..10/21/09..10/20/09..11/09/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Sacramento, CA

Innuendo..........10/13/09..10/22/09..10/20/09..11/10/09..11/24/09..12/22/09..--/--/--..Las Vegas, NV

Elle..............10/19/09..10/28/09..10/27/09..11/16/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Chicago, IL

Mr. Li............10/26/09..11/04/09..11/04/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Sacramento, CA

hrithikjc100......10/28/09..10/29/09..10/30/09..12/03/09..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Chicago, IL

We have done outlet covers, moving electrical cords, and I am going to put cabinet locks on the cabinet under the sink in the bathroom and kitchen. Other than that, we keep a pretty close eye on them. Zak is more likely to find lint on the floor and put it in his mouth. We have to constantly police the floors.

It's amazing how quickly they pick up on language. Hana is now saying her babysitter's name! She has been saying Zak's name for about two weeks now and already said mama and nigh nigh. Hana has also been saying the arabic word for good morning that Daddy says to her every morning. As for Zak, he is speaking cat at the moment. He imitates my "mouthy" cat to perfection! He talks and growls a lot, but his words aren't quite as recognizable. He does call my husband. Zak is obsessed with giving raspberries lately...whether on your leg, head, arm, or what not. Hana is now trying because she sees us laughing at Zak.

As for Christmas this year, we are taking it easy. They won't really know what is Christmas and what is their birthday right now. So...I got the Leap Frog activity table for more than half off on Black Friday (I got it for new for less than what OUAC was selling it used). I also got them two other activity toys that light up and make music. I bought a 4 cd set of toddler songs. We are having a Scholastic book sale at work next week, so I will buy them a bunch of affordable books. For their birthday in January, we are thinking of getting them the Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Farm.

I checked our cribs last night when I saw the recall info online. Ours are not recalled. However, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is thinking of banning the sale of drop-side cribs. We have maybe dropped the sides 3 times. When the mattress was up higher, they were easy to pick up. Now it is not so bad either because they are standing on their knees or feet every time you go in to get them. I was reading online that Babies R Us is stopping the sale of drop-side cribs next month. So...new mommies don't get one!!!!

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving with your families!

Twila

It is precisely the reason we got the GracoMyRide 65's....they rear face to 40 pounds. I intend on RF'ing our two until that time, or until Hana's legs get so long she can't comfortably ride RF'ing. I am a physics teacher. I have always talked to my students and had them tell me why on a test (with diagrams) it is safer for infants to be rearfacing. Heck...most of us would be safer rearfacing. Oh well...the driver has to see I guess!

I guess I am lucky. My husband has no problem with most aspects of baby care. Then again, he was the oldest child in his family and his youngest sister is 15 years younger. He took care of her a lot when she was little as his dad passed and his mom became sick when she was young.

Zak was too cute today. He kept crawling over to me and giving me raspberries on my leg!

I don't know what was up with Hana last night. She woke up every hour to hour and a half crying. That girl LOVES sleep and never cries, so something was up. She finally fell back asleep at 10:30 pm. It wouldn't be bad, but mommy feels horrible and is debating getting into the doctor this morning. I have had two fairly sleepless nights due to abdominal pain. I already put in for a sub today.

I really do have some skinny, tall babies. Hana was 31 inches tall at her 9 month appointment! Zak was slightly less at 29.5 inches. Both were then just at or slightly above 20 pounds. So...we are able to stay in diapers longer than most. We just barely switched them over to size 4 diapers. The threes were getting a little too small and started to leak. The fours are a little big, but no more accidents! I am sure they will be in this size for a while.

As for crawling and about half of the other physical milestones, my two have been late bloomers. Zak started crawling just before 9 months and Hana is about ready now at 10 months (although she has been mobile and scooting around on her back since 4 months). I am glad my only two babies are taking their sweet time entering toddlerhood. I am already a little sad about how quickly time has passed.

Diapers are a great idea for a shower gift. Between shower gifts and others bestowing their unused diapers to us, we didn't have to buy our twins any diapers until they were well over 4 months old! My sister had bought us outfits that were 18 months plus. It was great to have some new clothes for now.

BTW...we almost have 2 crawlers now...at 10 months! Hana has been scooting around on her back since she was 4 months old and was content with that. When she saw her brother crawling the last month she has sped up her crawling learning curve. Any moment now she will just take off. Then...Zak has been pulling himself up on his knees for the past week and a half. Well...he held on to my shirt tonight and pulled himself up to his feet. A whole new level of our home is about to be attacked!