One

Let's debunk a few myths, shall we?

One is not the lonliest number. In our house, one is the equivalent of 12 months, 365 days with Carli and Joseph. One is the equivalent of approximately 300 gallons of formula, 60 gallons of milk, and somewhere in the vicinity of 50 000 diapers (holy eco-terrorism, Batman).

One equals 400 advils for mom, 4000 liters of coffee for dad, and 8000 viewings of various baby einstein episodes. 700 hours of trying to get songs out of our heads, 100 trips to babies r us, and 500 utterances that sound something like, "Sorry we haven't called /emailed you back..."

One also equates to the infinite amount of amazement that deepens daily.

And one equals 4 Aboudis at 425 Brookside.

Therefore, one does not signify anything in solitude, but multitudinal numbers that equal the whole. Yay for one!

Next myth to go on the slaughtering block:

Not all forms of weight loss are appreciated. We have been (apparently) wonderful hosts to the stomach flu... which we are still trying to control. Thankfully, while we're doing better than we were last week at this time, we are still running into C&J's bedroom every hour after bedtime just to make sure that no surprises await. In the spirit of sharing, mom and dad got a dose as well. We sure weren't expecting this to be our new dietary regime. Nor were we planning to ring in their first year with rice milk and the BRAT diet. (Anyone in need of a cupcake fix is invited to raid our freezer! We're still afraid to eat them.)

Yet despite the aforementioned glitch, the onset of molars (a wonderful catalyst to already irritated bowels...) and very little parental energy, the kids were nothing short of their usual amazing selves. Cranky at times, but they didn't waver in their ability to make us smile like morons:

Carli is recognizing faces, and loves to kiss photos (and real people too). Uncle Jordan's photos and Uncle Larry's magazine ads are two of her faves. She is also practicing tones and syllables- and while very few decipherable words are spoken, she has mastered the art of gobbledygook so well that even strangers have to agree when she says "doig doig degok degok degok".

Joseph, our mellow yet steadfast studmuffin is one heck of a multitasker. While Carli's approach to crawling was textbook and formulaic, Joseph realized that the sum of his body parts equal one very competent machine. He is still quite the yoga tot and uses streches and movements to accomplish most moving tasks. While we cannot quite describe how he gets from one end of the playroom to the other, suffice to say that he does it before you can say "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands".

Now if you'll excuse us, we are happy and we know it and now it's time to stomp our feet.

Till next time!

The 11th Hour

It's hard to describe the time warp that has been that last 11 months. If Carli were to make an attempt, it would sound something like, "bwee bwee, bway bway. Eh-niy-niy. Boo." Joseph prefers to be quoted on "veh veh veh, dote, dote, buh buh BOP". (note: at the time of publishing, Carli has graduated from single syllables to multi-toned warbling)

We are discovering new ways in which two very small people can make very large changes each day. Carli has realized that the kitchen is far more interesting than the playroom; nothing new there, but the hilarity of Carli talking to her reflection in the oven window is. Joseph has unleashed his inner yoga guru. While we have no idea what the positions are called, we are sure that he is learning to build strength in contorting ways that are making us envious. One minute he's sitting and playing with his musical instruments, the next he's on his hands, one leg out to the side, the other in lotus, looking simultaneously petrified and thrilled.


Interestingly, as parents (albeit rookies), there are some things we have grown accustomed to. We expect that silly songs will make them laugh; we do not expect things like mom flossing to send Carli into a tizzy. (Future dentist, maybe?) We expect Joseph to laugh when we blow bubbles at bathtime, we do not expect the accidental scratching of nails on his bath seat to cause an eruption of guffaws. But as we were told, the least expected events are treasures.


Also enjoyable (for now) is the mimicry. Now that Carli's a seasoned "quacker", she likes to mimic mom and dad as follows: Joseph is usually soothed by a song whose chorus is a series of quacks- with gratitude to Raffi- and we therefore sing it to him when a sudden outburst occurs. One morning, Joseph was crying in his crib, and before we got to him we heard Carli quacking to him much like her parental units do. Even funnier was that it did the trick.


Of special note is the early morning comedy hour- assuming they're laughing and mom and dad, Carli and Joseph are taking advantage of their crib time (and we're taking advantage of our monitors, heaven help us when they finally figure out that we can hear them) to laugh back and forth. They laugh, we laugh, the whole house snickers, and somewhere a neighbor thinks it's time to call the state mental health officials.



And a round of applause as now brother and sister hold their own bottles... and an exasperated sigh of relief from mom and dad.

As always, we love having you share our awesome family moments. Now we have to warm up our pipes in preparation to sing Happy Birthday.

Better Late....

Sorry for a late posting. First, Dad was overseas and it took a few days to catch up. Second, we had a total camera scare when we thought the photos of our first haircut were lost in fairy-pixel land (just south of the planet of the lost socks).

However, recovery of the photos was seamless, and recovery of mom and dad is still taking place. Recovery of offspring of missing dad, priceless.

As you can see, Carli and Joseph had their first haircut, and we are both proud and scared that enough time has passed (And follicle growth!) to even warrant a haircut.

Even more confounding is the exponential amount of firsts this past month brought. Carli will politely ask you for an apple "apoo", is using her right hand to count the fingers on her left, and is reminding her little rubber duckie to quack: "Gok Gok Gok". This week, while watching a baby einstein video, she looked at the screen, and proceeded to locate the main character in the book we were reading. She is crawling faster than mom can close the doors to all the closets and cupboards. And she is also doing well with saying Hi to everyone.

And for Joseph, he is a perfect gentleman these days. He has been setting the sharing example at gym class, and has developed table manners to make us all look a little cro-magnon. If his morsels are messy, be prefers to be spoon fed; and when he feeds himself, should any crumb be outside of his mouth, his little fingers push everything in. He also prefers to acknowledge your questions after swallowing. And his love for music is becoming more physical... when he sits atop his toy truck he will push himself to the rhythm of whatever's playing. Or, if he isn't pushing himself, he is doing the Joseph boogie that can melt Greenland.

So keep warm this month and we'll be back soon!

Our 9th Month

This month heralded equal parts separation anxiety and sibling bonding. Nothing quite marks the significance of parenthood quite like a scream when we leave the room. But nothing marks the impact of twins more than when Carli and Joseph team up; and as you can probably guess, the latter has upped the laugh factor considerably.

Carli and Joseph are making family time fun whenever they can. Sometimes they will hold hands while seated in their high chairs, or Joseph will drape an arm around Carli when we're buying groceries in the double-seat shopping wagon. They also took good care of each other while getting a flu shot, they held hands while the nurse was prepping them.

We're also huge fans of their salutations from across the room- somewhere at the bottom of his throat Joseph begins a hearty hello, to which Carli copies mom's "Hi!", and thus the exchange begins. Now that they are both using a lot more tone in their babbling, save for actual words, they have great conversations.

And their requests are becoming more discerning, or maybe it's that we are bombarded with whines whenever we aren't holding them. No complaints from us, as we know the day will come (and far too soon) when they won't let us hold them.

Physically they are learning more about their bodies daily, Carli has begun hoisting herself up on certain toys, and is sometimes annoyed that the shimmied her way into a corner. Joseph is taking his music very seriously; he's got a little "boogie" that he breaks into whenever he's playing or listening to music.

They are also making the move from "Book as chew toy" to "Book as entertainment". So they smack the book around for a while, who says one has to read to enjoy literature?

Some fun firsts this past month included a trip to the aquarium, where Joseph took quite well to the penguins and Carli bonded with a seal after it sneezed in her general direction. We also lit the menorah as a family for the first time, a nice way to close out 2006!

And as always, we are thankful for their happy and funny dispositions. We're also glad to hear that you are all enjoying sharing our blog- we hope you'll join us for more antics in 2007.

Speaking in Tongues

Yaaaaaaaa, yayayayaya. Nyaa na na na na na. Nyien Nieyn. Babababa.
Heow. Heow. Ba Ba Ba.
-Carli


Bobobobobo. Dededededede, fffffft ffffft. Yayaya. Ooooh.
-Joseph


What a month! It's been one of our busiest, and gratefully better than the last. (But we seem to say that each month, don't we?) Our trip to Montreal was wonderful, especially seeing four generations celebrating Bubbie and Zadie's 60th wedding anniversary.

Events aside, this month has brought subtle changes to everyday tasks. The new sounds of babbling, the extra efforts the kids are putting into their movements. From watching Carli stick her butt in the air while attempting to crawl, from Joseph smacking a hand directly on the noise- generating part of the toy, we see daily how they are learning. But more important, it's just fun.

The current conundrum is our transition to solid food. While both are enjoying the tastes of mom and dad cuisine, they sure aren't appreciating the textures yet. Luckily our wardrobes are wash and wear, and the cuteness of their newly flourishing pincer grasp makes up for the amount of swatted morsels of food currently tiling the floor. Gotta love those chubby little fingers playing with cheerions. And gotta love it even more when the cheerio doesn't quite make it into the mouth and stays plastered to the chin.

And this month's cutest moments:
(Disclaimer: choosing the following incidents made thermonuclear physics seem elementary.)

Joseph, nature buff and overall fan of the outdoors, enjoyed a flock of birds flying through our backyard by announcing buh! buh! buh!
Carli, who prefers to be spoken to like a peer, responded to the following statement by doing exactly as I requested:
"Carli, you're too close to the television. Can you please come closer to me?"

With that, we leave you to enjoy your Thanksgiving and upcoming month!

The Real Story...

Hi Everyone!

As you can see, the gang is getting more mobile each day. Before long, Carli will be crawling toward her favorite toy (also known as the other toy), and Joseph will be able to roll to the other side of the room where his musical boat waits for him to rip off the dangling fish.

Dear blogophiles, confession time: as the self-proclaimed wordsmith of Team Aboudi, I have been letting my standards get in the way of frequent updates. Instead of giving you the real story, I have been waiting for the perfect description of Carli and Joseph's progress to hit me. And the truth is, we are all familiar with the development of little people, I'm sure the last thing you want to read is just another way of saying, "The kids are eating solids" and "They are babbling." Well, I know you want to read about the kids, but the standard lines are so beneath you. And I apologize.

And I'm sure you'd much rather invest your reading time in something more like, "While slipping on the spilled peas, I tried not to curse, and yelled "snit, stupid futhermugger". Hence, I will try and bring you the real story.

But let's not forget how funny the kids really are these days. Carli, also known as Emily Post around these here parts is keeping order whenever possible. Should she become aware of a sneeze, or gaseous emission of some kind, her head quickly turns in such direction. She then stares you down until she hears "pardon me". She is also quite fond of order and efficiency- for just the other day she gave me the greatest "wait are you waiting for?" stare-down when I took my time loading the car. Oh, and that perfect shriek she's been working on? Mission accomplished. We've counted approximately 400, 000 dogs howling since last Wednesday. And just when you thought that "light up the room smile" couldn't illuminate brighter, Rockefeller center called regarding their holiday plans. Carli refused on the grounds that the Times Square menorah is a better pursuit.

Joseph is getting more and more hospitable- he loves to tell his favorite anecdotes- in the form of "bo bo bo bo buh buh buh". He is also making it very clear that he would like to improve his independence later. Hugs and cuddles come first. He is also taking the role of brother very seriously. While shopping last week, Carli started crying (so many fashion mistakes taking place, who can blame her), and Joseph quickly grabbed her hand and reassured her.

We're now getting ready (read: trying to figure out how much stuff we can cram into the van) to visit Bubbie and Zadie for their 60th wedding anniversary celebration. The kids can't wait to be spoiled rotten. And show off their performance of the kitchen concerto, featuring the saucepan symphony.

So until the next posting- which I promise to write while bleary eyed and void of superfluous adjectives- I, Danny and the kids wish you wonderfulness.

Holy Wow...

It is with utter disbelief that we log our sixth month with these amazing little people. Everyone warned us how quickly the time would fly- is there some sort of fast forward button that gets pushed when you enter parenthood? Surely appears so.

Since we last posted, (sorry that we slacked off in August, we took advantage of summer vacation mode) Carli and Joseph have jumped great hurdles and we are continually grateful and thrilled.

They are definitely musical children. We often hear Carli singing softly, especially to Ella Fitzgerald's version of Old Macdonald. Joseph prefers more stacatto and likes to blurt back at Raffi or Cab Calloway, depending on the mood. They really respond to classical music, and especially like it when mom leaves the room and dad puts on the classic rock station. And future club kid Joseph keeps a good beat going when the dance music comes on.

And bon apetit- there is no experience quite like watching babies experience food for the first time. And of course, them being products of us, they are obviously excellent eaters. Except for one episode with pears that will take years of psychotropic pharmaceuticals to forget, they have been consuming a nice variety of fruits and veggies. We say consume, because it doesn't get eaten until it's been put in their mouth, dug out with their thumbs, strategically smeared where the bib isn't covering, smelled, and finally swirled with a curious tongue. We laughed so hard the first time Carli actually yelled at us. We're not positive, but it probably meant, "You idiots! Can you stop being such jerks? You think I look silly? Have you ever seen how stupid you look when you make faces at me? Shut up and feed!" During her subsequent feeding, realizing what amateurs she's dealing with, she grabbed the spoon and attempted to feed herself.
Joseph, being more of a routine kind of guy, needed a few feedings to reassure him that the bottle wasn't being replaced, just supplemented. He was comforted by our new mealtime favorite songs, "Apples and Bananas" and "Down By The Bay". This eventually led to the habit of singing said songs to establish a comfortable meal with each meal, and right now we are trying everything short of headbutting concrete to get those darn ditties out of our heads.

But then they both smile at us, and we are gooey like warm chocolate chip cookies. (what? lose the food metaphor?)

And the kids are setting up office with their exersaucers, which is all too funny. When not rocking in those, they are trying to sit up, and Joseph is almost unassisted. Where does the time go?!

On that note, in order to keep up with our growing sprouts, we are off to get some rest.

We'd also like to wish everyone a sweet, healthy and prosperous new year. We are thinking of all of you.

With dried applesause on our shirts,
Jennifer and Danny

Summertime... and the living is...

...somewhat busy. Then again, make that all
kinds of busy.

We've been keeping mom and dad on their toes while we're hanging out on our tummies. We just wanted to say hi to everyone- we'll keep this one short, as mom is totally tired these days (but she and dad always have these silly smiles on their faces) and we don't want her to type all night long.

Some fun Carli Facts

• Favorite time of day: 6:15am. The best singing (yes, singing) and babbling you ever heard.
• The perfect shriek is still being worked on. Practice hour is usually from 4:30-5:30pm.
• Has been rolling over like a champ, and is very fond of the word YAY!
• And has this contagious smile that creeps across her face whenever the word "Daddy" is mentioned.

Some Joseph stats

• Is currently the biggest flirt on the block.
• Loves adding his own commentary to Baby Einstein DVD's. Viewings are a great source of entertainment for mom.
• Gets the greatest giggles when hanging with the boys.
• Prefers his hands to pacifiers.

That's about all for now- we'll be back soon with more stories and silliness. We hope you're having a great summer!

Love,

Carli & Joseph

First Quarter Report

Some Highlights from the First Quarter Report:

CEO Mom and COO Dad painfully regret not buying shares in both Pampers and Formula.

Due to the fact that both VPs Carli and Joseph sleep through the night, Sleep cycles are almost back to normal.

The entire Executive team at Aboudicorp is stunned that three months have passed since the inception of the company. Well, the VP's aren't all too familiar with the feeling of being stunned, they are amazed at the amount of time that has flown by. Carli was a little bothered that she already outgrew her favorite pyjamas.

As of 6/13, current weights are 12.4 pounds for Carli, 15 for Joseph. That would explain the increase in Mom's consumption of Advil. Oy, that aching back. Everyone's muscles are getting stronger every day, and the range of motion is also gaining momentum.

The recreation committee is thrilled that the beautiful weather has brought lots of long walks, trips to the boardwalk and road trips. The committee is also happy to welcome the summer crowds to the area, as it will mean lots of time with cousins and family!

With our big trip to Montreal just around the corner, all are looking forward to their first long distance drive as a family. The goal is to change a diaper in each county until we hit the border. We are confident that Carli and Joseph are up for the challenge.

As you can see, we are thankfully surrounded by constant smiles and giggles- the VP's have been wildly successful boosting company morale.

We love your feedback, please send us reports from your end.

Love,
The Executive team

Two Months Already?

No way, these kids are not already two months old; we've only slept 8 hours since our last posting...

So far the question is, how are we doing at Aboudi central? Well, if you can adapt to new ways of measuring things, then the answer is: Great! For example:

• If you measure the days one feeding at a time, a 24 hour cycle seems more like 6 hours, because you haven't changed, brushed your teeth or moved from your spot on the couch.
• If you measure the weeks by the amount of formula consumed, then you wonder how long it will take for someone to invent a faucet that dispenses formula at the perfect temperature, without bubbles, and it seems like forever.
• If you measure a day by the amount of diapers used, then you wonder when we will run out of landfills and have to return to the days of cloth diapers- and suddenly there isn't enough time.
• If you measure a minute by how supercalifragalistic it feels when Caril and Joseph smile at us, then everything stops. (For those of you who've been privy, you know what we mean).
• And if you measure life by being stupefied, then you will be frozen in your tracks just watching how awesome these kids really are, and suddenly there is no such thing as time anymore.

Already struck by the conversation bug, both Carli and Joseph are hard at work perfecting their skills. With hands, eyes, and coos they converse with their toys and relatives (and no, they do not confuse the two. Mom and Dad aren't so lucky, but that's sleep deprivation for you).

They are also growing at an exponential rate- Big J is already rounding the corner to a solid 12 pounds, and Miss C is approaching 10. We are thankful that we can save money with gym fees- between feeding, burping, bathing and stroller pushing, calories are being expended and muscles are aching in places we hardly knew existed.

At this point, we can either list the 12 million other adorable things they did in the last five minutes, or we can spare you the "our kids are the best" shtick (but they are... tee hee). We will be sending new slideshow links in the next couple of days, and we think the photos will speak for themselves.

Until next month, write back and don't forget your sunblock!

Love,
Danny, Jennifer, Carli and Joseph

Happy 1 month Birthdayversary

Holy poopy diapers, has it been a month already?

Sure has, and by the way these two have been growing, we'd have to say that it's more like a lifetime... that is, we can't imagine life without them.

Life at home has been a lot of fun, for a couple of infants they are very funny and capable of expressing themselves very well. We sometimes forget how young they are! For example, Joseph loves to roll his eyes at rhetorical statements.

Begin scene with Joseph screaming because he's ready to eat
MOM: Joseph, are you ready for your bottle?
Joseph stops screaming, looks at mom, rolls eyes. Mom feels like she's been told off by a very strict teacher.

Carli, future captain of the debate team, uses her hands to accompany her gazes.
Begin scene with Dad holding Carli. Dad is feeding Carli a bottle.
DAD: Carli, are you going to let me wipe your chin?
Carli sticks her chin up allowing dad to place the burp cloth under her chin. She raises her hands to her eye level and waves him away when she feels clean.

You will also note in some of the photos we sent to you that Joseph likes to intertwine his fingers and place them on his chest while being fed. For more lessons on how to behave like a CEO, please join him at mealtimes.

And if you require a refresher course in timing, hang out with Carli. When the clock strikes feeding time, no matter what stage of sleep she may be in, she rouses, hollers and strikes a hunger pose. (head turns to the side, mouth opens).

If these kids get any cuter... oh, wait, they just did.

We wish you all a lovely onset of spring, great health and smiles! Please let us know what's new with you!

Love,
Danny, Jennifer, Carli & Joseph

Home Sweet Home!

Well, here's what we've all been waiting for... enough photos of the kinder in the belly. Here they are, ready for their close ups!

For starters, Joseph Max Aboudi was a real champ at his bris. He not only took it like a man (hardly any crying), but he is improving daily. After the event, he and Carli greeted their guests and had a grand time.

And where can we start? Their personalities are already defining- Carli loves conversing, as she will gaze at you as long as you're speaking to her. Along with writing the book on newborn beauty, she is also very good at communicating. We'd give more details, but you'll just have to wait until you meet her to see what we mean.

Joseph is very good at keeping order- he likes to check out his space and make sure it's safe for everyone. How do we know this? He zeroes in on every angle in his field of vision, and will then give us a slow blink when he's done, just to let us all know that it's safe for us and his sister. After all, it's not just about being handsome...!

And having them at home is blissful. We know, it probably sounds crazy- but it is! Until we are bleary eyed and rattled from crying, we plan to enjoy every sound that their healthy lungs can manage. And thankfully they are calm and fun.

We hope you get a chance to meet them soon. We think they'll make you giddy.

Love,
Danny & Jennifer

PS- If you would like us to send you photo attachments, we'd be happy to. Send an email to jagdiva@hotmail.com otherwise, we will not bother you or your inbox.

Last Call

Wouldn't you know, we thought for sure that we'd be hearing the gorgeous sounds of crying Aboudis by now (the infant ones, that is).
As the blessed fates would have it, we have made it to our 38th week. According to rudimentary calculations, the kids weigh about 6 pounds EACH to date. We are beyond thrilled to have beat the odds and be considered a full-term twin pregnancy.

We also thought you'd get a laugh out of the gargantuan size of the baby belly... So enjoy the photo. Yes, mom does look less than glamorous, but at this size, what are you going to do?!

So, without further ado, in the event that the babies do not vacate prior to, we will be going into the hospital on Friday, March 17th. And we promise to update you as soon as we can!

Love,
Danny, Jen, and the Munchkins

Hi Everybody!

We're sorry we didn't write sooner, but Mom's been getting so big she's busy filing for her own zip code. And we aren't even done yet! We still have some growing to do. We think mom misses the days when she could tie her own shoes, but she seems to be happy despite that. Well, she babbles to us all the time. Dad thinks she's going a little crazy.

Our doctors are still very pleased with how we're doing, and we've been enjoying ourselves kicking, moving around and getting mom and dad used to the constant activity. But we all know that they have NO IDEA what kind of nuttiness lies ahead. Good thing we're small, we're hoping that will make it easier for them to forgive us when they're covered in spit and such.

This will probably be our last post before we all go to the hospital. We promise to keep you updated and hope to report lots of good news in the upcoming weeks. (Although mom and dad hope it's not too soon, they say it's healthier for us that way. But HAH! we'll show up when we're ready and there's nothing they can do!!!!)

Keep your comments coming, we love all the feedback you've been sending. And we can't wait till the time comes for us to meet in person.

Bye for now!
The Twins

Happy 2006!

We actually published this on January 4th- we just started our first draft on 12/24/05.

Hoping that all your celebrations were incident free (if not, please send all embarassing photos to us) and that you're enjoying the new year.

Oy Vay, talk about a big belly! Suddenly the compact efficiency of mom's 5-foot frame isn't so efficient. As long as gravity continues to cooperate with all of us, we stand a chance of walking away with two kids and few bruises...and walking, period... But thankfully the pregnancy is going well, and we're not yet ready to evict the kids from mom's tummy.

And behold- profiles of the kids! We are thankful to Dr. Wallace and Staff for not only managing to capture great images of them, but for informing us that thank gd the twins are still growing, have strong heartbeats and are both weighing over 2.5 pounds.

The nursery is getting ready! We can't wait to see it pulsing with life.

We're also looking forward to Grandma Sheila visiting soon. Nothing makes our house smell better than her spaghetti sauce! Unless you add Grandma Carol's meatloaf. Now we're talking.(or perhaps those are the pregnancy hormones talking).

Speaking of talking, the twins seem to have a keen sense of the world outside them- lately whenever we talk about them or directly to them we notice kicks and punches. Are they awesome or what? We are also grateful to cousins Sharon and Elliot for introducing us to a new pastime- placing a remote control on mom's belly, and watching it shake and fall off as the kids play "mom's intestines make a great jungle gym!"

And for all of you who upload your photos online, any suggestions for a good service (ofoto, snapfish, etc)? Send us your feedback, we'd appreciate it. The easier, the better.

It also seems that the work at home is winding down (Thank gd!!!) the house it now more like home and less like a demolition derby. Still getting to know the neighborhood- and while our neighbors are all nice, our hands down favorite are the ducks and geese who swim behind our house daily. Nothing beats the sound of ducks quacking as you throw your alarm clock at the wall. Soon the symphony of crying and quacking (and incoherent sleep-deprived adult mumbling) will put Beethoven to shame.

The four of us wish you a happy and healthy 2006, and we'll be back soon!

December 2005

Greetings Family and Friends!

We are setting up this blog to keep you posted on all things "Aboudi Twins".

A few stats to date:
we are currently registered at the following locations:

www.babiesrus.com Under Jennifer Aboudi or registry #90182735

www.amazon.com Type in Jennifer Aboudi to see the twins wish list

Mom is currently in her 27th week and getting bigger... And no, we do not, promise, know the genders! (even though some of you seem to think we're keeping it a suprise. Promise, no one will be more surprised than us!)

Wishing you all happy and healthy holidays, we'll see you again in January!