Leaving SF for Stanford

USA pix again! Here we are nearing the end of our trip, where we spent most of our time in Stanford with my sister and her family.
No, no this old lady here is not my sister?! She's this nice old lady we met at the hostel we stayed in San Francisco. We see her around the entire time we were there. So, on the last day, when we were having our breakfast, we took this picture with her. That's one thing we like about staying at the hostel, get to meet people! :)
Here we are at the San Francisco Caltrain station, waiting for our train to Stanford.
Take train! Take train! We were saying that this is a nice trip for Isaac in the sense that he got to sit on everything! Plane lah, train lah, tram lah, bus lah - he really enjoyed it all.
See, double decker train cabins! cool huh! kekeke...
Oooops, getting sleepy, Isaac boy!
We got off the train and look what we saw!? Teachers bringing kindergarten kids on a ride on the train! so cool! hahaha... My sister kindly met us at the train station, to fetch us to her place where we'd be staying for the next few days, before flying back to Singapore.
It was a nice reunion, and lil Isaac certainly enjoyed playing with his cheh cheh Isabelle. They were really the 'best of friends' that trip! :)
Here we are at the mall, where my sister had to buy something to wear for a dinner that she was going to with my bro-in-law.
Isaac took to stair climbing there, and we weren't as worried about it as here, coz it was carpeted.

pix and vid taken as off 11th December 2008
Isaac at 16 months
Natalie at 13 months

Twins FAQ: Both sides kicking?

Another frequently asked question is: Can you feel both sides kicking? Which twin kicks more?

Well, at the moment, the babies are too small for me to figure out which kick comes from which baby, and I'm not sure I'd be able to in future when I am more advance either (I'd tell you then).

The thing is, I feel kicks all around my stomach, just like I used to when it was just Isaac inside. Even then, albeit I knew that it was Isaac kicking - since he was the only one inside - but I did NOT know whether it was his hand or his feet kicking, or perhaps it was his head or bum butting out at me.

So I'm not sure I'd know this time, who it is kicking, and from which part of their anatomy either! :p I have heard of people who have felt kicks and look down to see a footprint or a handprint 'sticking out' of their tummy. Sounds incredulous to me though, coz I have never seen it or anything close to that before! :p

If you guys have any questions about being pregnant with twins, feel free to post it in comments or the cbox on the right. Will try my best to answer! :p

Pregnant with Twins FAQ - You have history?

Since it is relatively unusual to be pregnant with twins, I have had quite a lot of people asking me questions about being pregnant with twins. Let me share them with you! :)

The most common question asked by far, is, whether my husband or I have any family history of twins. Well, in fact, I do. My auntie (my mother's sister) has twins (the twins are my cousins). So then most people would comment that it must be because of that that I'm having twins.

According to my gynae, having a family history of twins does increase the chances of having twins (especially fraternal twins), but that the twins genes is usually passed down the "maternal line". In other words, it is more crucial for the mother's side of the family to have the twins genes, rather than the father side - coz it is passed down the mother's side.

However, reading about twins online, has turned up a fact which I found fascinating. Wikipedia has an informative article on twins which is not too long and overly scientific . In it, it is mentioned that the likelihood of a single fertilisation resulting in mono-zygotic (identical) twins appears to be a random event, not a hereditary trait, an anomaly that occurs in birthing at a rate of about three in every 1000 deliveries worldwide. Go read the article for more details on facts about twinning!

California Academy of Sciences

Back to San Francisco, USA! It probably seems like we had a very long trip, but it's not lah, it's just that the pix are so spread out that it seems we were there a long time! hahahaha... Here we are at the California Academy of Sciences - it's very nicely done and highly recommended to visit if you're in San Francisco.
It's kinda like a large Science Centre... covers anything from old bones, to being environmentally friendly, to having a huge aquarium...
The aquarium kept Isaac entranced for awhile... until...

He found some new firends! :) He's quite friendly and likes to meet other kids.
Yes, especially lil girls... :p
Isaac had a good time too, so much so he was all tired out at the end of the visit! By the time we got back to town, near where we were staying, Isaac had woken up. Also, he was hungry... :p
Isaac is quite a neat kid, in the sense that he likes to arrange stuff and stack stuff... so like see these milk cups here - could keep him entertained for most part of the meal - something we're quite glad for!
Isaac is quite patient when it comes to stacking... here, take a look! :)


pix & vid taken on Dec 2008
Isaac @ 16 months!