Loving Good Kids

I'm so proud to have good kids. And so glad I can take some of the credit. Parenting styles can be SO varied.

We spent some time with the in-laws last night and saw their neighbors, who must be some of the most off-base parents of all time.

It's 11 at night, the 3-year-old is exhausted, acting out, making messes. Him mom is just lounging and telling him he's naughty and a shit. She's annoyed that the kid is not laying down in front of the TV and going to sleep. She keeps feeding him sugar - chocolate milk, cookies, candy... like that will help him wind down. Meanwhile, dad is snoring on the couch (at the neighbors' house - not his own house!) Believe it or not, the kid doesn't swear yet. Give it a year.

All the while, my girls have been asleep in pack and plays for hours, having gone nighty night without so much as a peep. And no sugar after having brushed their teeth. And little G is just hanging out, minding his own business. To top off the weekend, we took the kids to 7:30 mass this morning and everyone was great!

Constant Kid Changes

Breanna's phrase of the week is, "Lala, pop." As in, Lillian, stop doing whatever naughty thing you're doing. Sounds just like "lollipop."

Lillian's key statement is, "Nana, no no." Let the tattling phase begin.

On a side note, one of the MOMs last night pointed out my failure - I forgot to post Grant's two-week checkup weight from Thursday. He was up to nine pounds and had a half-inch of growth in just two weeks. Holy crap!

Vocab Explosion

Over the past blur of a month, our girls have had a wonderful vocabulary explosion. From the silly (what does the baby say - goo goo gaa gaa) to the serious (more milk, please) to the dumb (e.g. boob - thanks, Auntie Lissy, for that one), we now live with a couple of adorable chatterboxes. I think my favorites are the longer words, like bumblebee or okey dokey or snickerdoodle.

This past weekend was super relaxed at my folks' house in the woods. Lillian calls all living animals puppies, so she exclaimed "Puppy, puppy" at least a million times as she watched the squirrels and birds come and go.

My poor mom was stricken with a killer sinus infection on Thursday, so she was down and out most of the weekend. She may have even napped more than the girls.

That left my Dad and me with the task of rounding up a non-meat supper on Friday, which was certainly Mom's worst day. We piled the kids into the van and headed down the hill to Matty's restaurant, home of the world's greatest sunfish sandwiches and sweet potato fries. Wide-eyed, Dad asked how we'd get everyone inside. I pointed out that the girls can walk. Then he looked at the snowy steps. I encouraged him to hold a hand of each girl and they'd be fine.

Sure enough, they got one step inside and were awed at all the people, the loud jazz, and the "aw, look, they must be twins" comments from everyone. Our waitress scooped up one of the girls and my dad took the other, then they found us some seats. Sure enough, the moment our food arrived, Grant woke up - starving. So, I had the joy of trying to discreetly feed him in public, while encouraging the girls to stay in their high chairs. I wasn't much help with the girls. I think my dad had forgotten what it's like to take kids out to eat - his food was cold by the time the girls's grilled cheese was cut up and bibs tied, etc. It was great food, though, whether hot or cold.

The other bit of excitement came with a visit from a dear friend. She came out to my folks' house on Saturday afternoon for a few hours and shared the wonderful news of her pregnancy. Babies everywhere! That makes my sister due in July, KariAnn due in September, and this new baby on Halloween. Hooray! She's going to tell her family at Easter, so I won't give away any hints at who my lake country friend is.

Tonight is the second Tuesday of the month, which means local Mothers of Multiples gather. People rarely bring twins to the meeting because of the sheer chaos that would likely bring - but an occasional singleton newborn joins if he's quiet and nursing, so I look forward to bringing Grant and showing him off.

Going Home

I'm packing up the green minivan and taking my kiddos home to my parents' house for the weekend. DH is going to be working nonstop, so why not go where I can get some reinforcements? (And why not relieve my mom - her twin withdrawal has been fierce after the week she spent here.) I haven't been back since Christmas.

The only downfall is that I'm going to miss DH and I'm pretty sure he's going to feel left out of the few little bonding moments he squeezes into each day. It seems that having babies brings us closer together, so I'm really going to miss him. But the quickness of the trip will make it ok.

We're heading out on Thursday afternoon, and I've already started packing clothes for the girls. Hooray for getting out of this tiny little apartment for a little bit!

Lake Country friends, if you're up for a cup of coffee, please don't hesitate to call. I'd love some social interaction with grown ups.

The Stress of Not Enough to Do

It sounds like any oxymoron. But I think it's legitimate. I only have one article deadline looming and can only do so much to try to get the subject to return my messages. Other than that, nothing is pressing. At all. And it's a really difficult adjustment.

The big potential work I saw in that start-up fell through. They realized they're not ready enough to move ahead with marketing, as they don't have a pricing structure figured out yet or even the majority of the business plan composed. Maybe after a few months... or maybe it won't even take off. Oh well, better to find out now than after committing.

Beyond that, I've been trying to get a picture of Grant with his eyes open and his dimples dimpled so I can use the photo on baby announcements, but that's been fun and not pressing in the least.

We brought the girls home from DH's parents' house yesterday on very slippery roads. We even fishtailed on the interstate once, causing some minor panic inside the truck. But it truly was minor. Last night we ate a fancy dinner of granola and talked deeply about money and goals and all that good stuff that usually goes unspoken in our household. I rather enjoyed it, though I think DH is still stressed out.

Today, the girls went to Grandma Becky's for a day of play with the other grandkids, and Grant and I spent an hour there visiting. It was nice to see them all again.

Other than that, it's very unearthing to not have anything major on my to-do list. It's new. And somewhat scary. And a little boring, too. Boo hoo, right? As you all scramble to and from the office and errands and kid stuff... sorry. Just know that the grass isn't always greener on the slow and boring side. Although, it is absolutely marvelous to have some serious bonding time with my mellow little boy. I do look forward to the girls spending tomorrow at home with us. I've missed them tremendously! Happy March and happy Monday!

My Heart Throbs

Two nights in a row, Grant has waken me up from dreams with Johnny Depp. The first took place in a nonexistent Greek restaurant in St. Cloud, MN, right next to the burrito joint near the mall. Johnny wasn't Johnny, but rather one of the sons of the restaurant owner. Mostly, I remember visiting with him in a booth next to a fountain.

This morning, the dream was Johnny as himself. He was in Fargo filming some artsy film and I came across him walking down the street. We stood and visited for a while, then I reminded him that I met him in Hollywood when I was teenager, and though I didn't expect him to remember me, I remembered him. He was my first true love. We laughed, walked down the street to the coffee hut, then sat on the curb and talked some more about love. He gushed about the woman he lives with. I gushed about my wonderful husband. It was all very cool.

Very cool, but very strange.

Peace and Quiet

I tearfully bid adieu to my amazing mother yesterday, and then packed up the girls to bring them to my in-laws' for a few days. And then I cried some more. I was relieved beyond belief when I returned home and saw DH's truck in the driveway.

He was already in bed and it was only 6:00. I quickly ate a sandwich, prepared for bed, fed Grant, and climbed in next to my hubby. The previous night had been long; Grant wanted to be awake and cuddling from about 2 until 5. And DH hadn't taken any Bayer PM, so he figures he got about 1 hour of sleep total, between stressful thoughts and an alert baby.

Yesterday, our efforts to keep Grant awake during the day paid off. He was awake for about an hour sometime in the middle of the night, but it was only an hour. He had nice 3-hour sleeps beyond that.

Life is now so quiet. Little Grant is such a peaceful person, and now officially one week old.

As We Adjust

Life with a son is sure special. Quite different from having a couple of preemie infants in the house. Especially when he was born weighing more than both girls combined. Especially when he's not colicky. Especially when he knows how to suck/swallow/breathe - all at the same time. Especially when he doesn't need bottles of extra calories and knows how to burp and toot. And especially when there are no health concerns, no growth concerns, and no concerns whatsoever.

We're all adjusting well in the household. My mom is here with us, offering respite and cleanup services for our busy, busy girls. The poor dear is pretty tuckered out, but what a trooper. I absolutely cannot imagine trying to recuperate and care for all the kiddos without her at this point. It's great to know that the girls are being well cared for, having a blast, and that the laundry, cooking, and cleaning are magically being taken care of while I spend time feeding/bonding with my new kid.

The girls are very excited about the baby, and both have tried scaling the bassinet to climb in. They're quick to give kisses and touches, and they look for him whenever they're out of their room. I think they have missed having mommy around, and both had a pretty tough day yesterday. Today, however, as I was a bit more rested and out of my bedroom more, the girls seemed to have a really great day. The fresh air that Gramma Pamma gives them on stroller rides might also be a factor. (That and all the good cooking - yum!)

I am feeling pretty good myself, and enjoyed wearing an entire non-maternity outfit today. Levis and a wintery sweater felt terrific! I even took Grant with me to meet up with some fellow Mothers of Multiples for dessert at an Italian restaurant tonight. The tiramisu was fantastic! And so was the company. What great ladies!

We're getting some sleep at night, and the mid-morning naps are amazing. I never had that opportunity with the girls - there was just too much to do nonstop - even when someone else was there to help. That's not to say that I feel like a million bucks yet, but I'm certainly on my way. My back muscles still feel like I've been in a car crash, but maybe I can talk DH into a backrub before we zonk out tonight.

Off to bed we go...

The Big Arrival

Our family of four officially became a healthy family of five on Thursday afternoon at 4:50 p.m. Grant Matthew was born naturally after a long day at the hospital. He weighed 7 lbs., 14 oz. and was 20 inches long. He has a little bit of the softest brown hair and looks like a total boy.

A natural eater, he has been chowing like a champ, and our doctor said his umbilical cord was one of the biggest she's ever seen. No wonder this little guy was such a good size!

We arrived home from the hospital today after lunch, and now we're all going to lie down for naps. The girls are excited as ever, and everything's pretty darned good.

Friends and family are welcome to come visit and meet the little guy - just call first to make sure we're home and still in good spirits.

Still No News

For those who are wondering, here I sit at home. Still nothing new, except that now my mom has joined us in our little dwelling. I'm going in for induction in the morning, if the full moon doesn't send me into labor in the meantime. So, my next post will likely contain news of a new addition to our family. Wish us luck!

P.S. I just learned that you don't get to eat once you start labor, so I'm going to bulk up tonight.

In Honor of Dear Ol' Dad

For some reason, my dad has been on my mind a lot these past few days. He's alive and well and the same old dad he's always been, so don't worry. He's just been popping into my thoughts a lot more than usual.

I realized it yesterday morning when I was polishing my shoes before my big meeting. When I cracked open the can of polish, I instantly remembered how Dad would spread the newspaper across the built in cutting board in our kitchen, and then shine all of our shoes. In the military, his boots needed to look good all the time. So, it was a given that he'd keep our shoes looking nice, as well, and we often saw him at the cutting board, buffing away.

That image then led me to Dad with the broom. How he tried over and over again to teach us girls the "right" way to sweep the kitchen. Eventually, as in years later, I think he finally gave up. But, oh, how he tried. The man has the patience of a saint.

I've also recently thought about our projects. Looking back, I realize that we kids were probably a huge hinderance. Yet, Dad used every project as a learning opportunity. He "let" us stain the tongue and groove ceiling before it was hung one summer, each day placing new boards up on sawhorses in the garage. It was a huge ceiling - covering Mom's gigantic kitchen, dining room, and living room. My sis and I appeared to have a smattering of age spots all over our feet and ankles that whole summer, no one realizing it was stain speckles.

Dad also got us involved with car care - I'll bet you never knew that I can change a timing belt as well as a serpentine belt, and of course, my own oil. And then there was the office work. Dad always was and still is involved in close to a million projects at once. This often means serving on committees. We spent many hours assembling packets, stuffing and addressing envelopes, preparing documents, you name it. But the great thing is, it rarely felt like a chore. We really enjoyed Dad trusting us as helpers.

I see it in my own kids now. And I hope as they are growing up so quickly, that I can remember to continue to "let" them help.

Now that Dad is well established in his second career - as a teacher - I see how much he needs to play that role. And since we girls aren't at home any more, I'm so glad he can use his patience and his effectiveness at educating to help with other kids. It's great to have a Dad I can be so proud of.

So, Daddy Doo, here's to you! (Not that he reads my blog, but still...)

Hugs all around to start the big week

I went in for my last NST at the clinic this morning. The two nurses who take turns tending to me while I'm there for this weekly session both gave me hugs and wished me well. No doctors were in the OB clinic this morning, so several of the other nurses I see frequently also stopped in to say good luck, and to say "see ya in 6 weeks for your postpartum checkup."

Holy cow. It's real. The baby is coming this week. I talked with my mom to give her the update on the good NST, and she told me she's coming Wednesday after work if I haven't called her to come sooner. That's only two days away! How very exciting! How can pregnant women be so antsy to get those babies out - it's a scary reality! A really cool one, though.

On another exciting front, my business meeting went very well this morning. One of the guys in this startup firm is someone I pitched years ago when I first moved to town. He and I have both since taken our careers in different directions, and yet, here our paths cross again. I am so very curious to see how it turns out. There are some folks with solid business successes involved and some really tech-saavy guys - with potential for HUGE growth in the next two to three years. It's all still in the planning stages, but something great might come of it. Please keep your fingers crossed.

Their HR gal called back this afternoon to verify my rate range as well as to ask for some professional references. I take that as a good sign. Since in DH and my lives, it typically floods every time it seems to rain, I suspect this will be a big week for growth - both in our family and in my career. We'll have to wait and see how it all goes though, and of course, "I'm not a patient gir-rl."

My Little Helpers

Not only are the girls helping by taking their sister's diaper to the garbage can in the kitchen, but now they're policing each other, too. When Lilli stands on the rocking chair, Breanna says, "Lala, sit down." When Breanna stands on the couch to turn the light switch for the fan and living room lights on, Lillian says, "Nana, no no."

And my favorite little help has come at laundry time. When I'm at the washer (at least once a day), I hand Lillian each piece of wet clothing and she loads it into the dryer. She's loves it! I've tried it with Breanna a couple times, but she just wants to take the lint trap out and taste any little chunks I've missed. Oh well.

They had a nice weekend, I think. DH and I went to church in shifts today so that I wouldn't go into labor during mass. Wrangling the girls throughout church is by far the most challenging part of every week, and I always need a nap afterwards. They are SO constantly busy when they feel confined. So I went at 10 and DH went at noon. I really enjoyed myself, and had lots of people come ask if the kids were sick at home when I was leaving. Glad to know these folks know who we are, because I didn't know any of their names. Nice people, though.

I can't imagine what the next time we go to mass will be like - three munchkins. Talk about scary!

As you may have guessed, the baby still has not arrived. I've been having some more contractions here and there, mostly between 2 and 5 in the afternoon. And last night, I saw a foot. It was just as cool as you see in some of those pictures. Perfect outline on the upper left side of my belly. And hard and jabbing as can be. This is a strong little fella, and his foot seemed almost as big as Lillian's. Oh boy. I can hardly wait to meet him this week! Of course, I was so shocked to watch and feel it all I didn't think to grab the camera. Do'oh.

I do hope that he comes sometime after tomorrow morning. My last non-stress test is scheduled for 9, and then I have a big meeting for some potentially very big client work at 10:30. I can't believe I'm meeting with a prospective client at this point of my hugeness, but when duty calls... please say a prayer that it pans out. It would alleviate a TON of stress for DH - and maybe me, too.

The fun never stops, or even seems to slow down these days. Have a terrific week, friends!

Happy VD!

It's Valentine's Day and we celebrated by wearing red and pink in our household. How exciting! That's about all we did, though.

The girls were pretty cute today, so I plopped them into the same crib and enjoyed sitting down for a couple minutes and taking some pictures. Enjoy!

For Those Who Wonder

For those who wonder why we choose to live in this freezing, wind-blown, treeless, frequently flooded tundra, I think this video clip sums it up well. Thanks, fellow MOM Michelle for forwarding the link.


ND is "Person of the Week"

ABC News selected North Dakota as its Person of the Week. Check out this video. (An advertisement plays first.)

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4157223&affil=ktnv

The Oddities that Turn Us On

I learned something about my hubby this past week. He has a thing for women in bright white tennis shoes and a ponytail. Seriously - that's his "thing."

My mom had passed on a pair of Ryka tennis shoes to me because the fit wasn't quite right for her. Wouldn't you know - I had the Cinderella foot and they're perfect. The only thing is, I don't really wear tennies. It's a stretch for me to even throw on loafers without a cute heel. God forbid I'd ever tromp around in flip flops. Needless to say, I've had Mom's bright white Rykas in the closet for many months.

For some reason, I recently felt a little sporty - maybe because I look like I belong to a gym or something (insert maniacal laughter here - you should see how big my belly is right now!). Anyway, the truth came out as I left one evening, and DH has brought up how cute I look in tennies several times since. Prrrrrrr.

I guess I'm not too shocked; we all have our "things" that get us going. Some fellas I've dated have been all about my long, painted nails. Others about soft skin. Others about the way I smell when I bake, which is frequent.

And I, too, am turned on by something odd. Good writing. What a shock, right? Well, I never realized it until DH entered my life. Just when I was convinced that I had the most perfect life of singlehood - as in no men permanently allowed - in waltzed my smooth-writing construction-working husband. The first couple of emails he sent me absolutely shocked me. His eloquence. His vocabulary. His openness. I was head over heels long before we even hit our second official date. Until then, I'd never dated a good writer. Wow! Add to that that he smells fresh and clean and not perfumed but more like fresh sawdust, and I'm ga ga.

Even now, years later, just a single little love note scribbled on a napkin or the back of a receipt and stuck to my dash or on my pillow and I am completely smitten.

I once had a friend who was very into facial hair on her fellas. Good thing someone likes it, considering how many hairy guys are out there. I also knew of a gal who went ape for men with gigantic thigh muscles. And yet another friend of mine was all into sarcastic banter. Like, the mean stuff that I avoid at all costs. And she thrived on it! We all have our "thing," and thankfully, it's different for everyone. What's yours?

Babies Everywhere But in Our Household

In the last couple weeks, two new babies have entered our lives. My dear friend, Danyellow, had a handsome little guy named Beau the night of January 30th. Both are doing fine and are hopefully relaxing and bonding at home in LeMars, Iowa. Danyellow and I went to college together at Briar Cliff, and have stayed close ever since. She and I met up in Sioux Falls this past autumn for an weekend of catch up and belly comparisons. Beau is bound to be spoiled by his big sister, Brooklyn, who seems like she's practically a grown up already. I can't wait to see them in person - hopefully this spring sometime!

Last week our tax accountant and his wife had a big baby girl. Baby Sophia was born on February 1, and already, she takes the funniest pictures. DH and I agree that the parents should submit the photos to some sort of funny baby picture contest. She's full of the silliest expressions.

Soon, it will be our turn. I designed and order up yard signs for DH's business and I just finished my first draft of an article this afternoon, so I guess now I grant myself the freedom to go into labor anytime.

My nurse called this afternoon to report that my labwork from Thursday looks great and that my 24-hour urine collection that DH was kind enough to deliver to the lab this morning was just fine. Yay!

I've printed a hard copy of today's article so that I can pull out my red pen after a day of not looking at it. This is my first article for a new publication - the magazine is very sports oriented - so of course - that means totally foreign territory. I told the publisher that I'd be happy to write features about people, but please don't expect me to go watch a game/meet/match/competition and be able to write anything sensible about it. So, this is a story about how a female track coach got to where she is today. The lady was nice, but she rescheduled about 4-5 times before we finally met on Friday, so I was starting to get a little panicky. Luckily, it all worked out before the baby arrived. Whew!

I hear girls stirring after a nice long (almost 2-hour) nap, so off I go. Happy Monday!

Sleep, Glorious Sleep

After a long, stressful Saturday, DH and I both slept like rockstars last night. The girls were still at the in-laws', so it was just us. We awoke at about 10:15 this morning, and didn't actually get out of bed until about 10:45. The last time we really slept that long - without getting up to bring the girls to grandma and grandpa and then going back to bed - had to have been before the twins arrived.

No wonder we both felt so much better today! DH's folks came right after lunch today to deliver our girls. We had a very nice visit all afternoon, and the girls seemed very happy (and healthy). After some reassurance from his parents, DH is feeling much more on top of our house project. And I think some time with his giggly daughters helped, as well. They learned that puppies say "Woof woof" over the weekend, so of course, it sounded like a kennel in here.

Once the girls were in bed, we sat down to eat our dinner and out of nowhere, DH started singing the lyrics to the "Somebody's prayin', I can feel it..." song we know from TEC. I asked where that came from, and he said he wasn't sure. It just came into his head and he felt pretty calm. So whoever you are who was praying for peace for DH at about 8 tonight, thanks. Know that prayers really do have an effect.

On that note, I'm going to hop in the shower and waddle off to bed for some peaceful sleep. Have a wonderful week, my friends!

Teary Eyes Abound

I've deemed this to be the mushiest time in my life. As the hormones have been doing their thing, my emotions have been all over the place. I cried as I listened to some sad story on the news. I cried when I got off the phone yesterday with an old friend who moved to LA because I miss her. I welled up when I said goodbye to my kids as they went off to the in-laws' for the weekend. Sad that they were leaving, guilty for being secretly glad to have some alone time, lonely because I knew how quiet our home would be, and of course, worried that they'll come home sick again. I'm a mess.

Unfortunately, DH seems to be having some empathy emotions, as he seems to be a bigger trainwreck than me. His tears are coming out as worries, however. I think he experienced his first unofficial anxiety attack last night. Up most of the night with a nervous stomach, high blood pressure, and the sweats, he's miserable. Now that our Parade of Homes entry has been officially submitted and paid for (over a thousand bucks just to submit - can you believe that?), the pressure is really there to get the house finished before the end of April rolls around.

Since our framing setback this fall, we've had to sub out some of the work that DH had originally planned to do himself due to his time spent framing it himself. That equates to going over budget in order to stay on time. Which means pressure to come in under budget on the rest of the house. He's now considering making our curved stairway into just a straight one to save a ton of time and a little money. I feel really bad for him because that's been the biggest feature of the home since we first drew up the prints. We're also changing to a more standard siding color because it will save us a couple thousand. I'm trying to talk him into leaving one of the downstairs bedrooms and bathrooms unfinished for now, but I'm not sure if he's buying it.

Up until yesterday, he'd been so excited. But now he's just worried about it all coming together in time and on budget and still being "cool" enough to stand out in the parade. With my unpaid maternity time and no big work projects lined up for after that, he's also really worried about how we'll survive financially on just his income. I've never seen him quite like this, and I just hope he doesn't wind up with ulcers or something.

For some reason, I've been pretty calm about the reality of it all. I have faith that it will all come together because we've made solid, logic-based decisions through it all. Our responsibility is bound to pay off - I bought a green minivan, for Pete's sake. I've built up a fat savings account. And we have some cushions to fall back on if we get desparate. Plus, I'm bound to line up more work once I'm back to myself (and out of maternity clothes!). That, and I know that God won't set us up for failure. He never does. He certainly has doled us our fair share of challenges over the years, but we've always come out fine and our marriage continues to strengthen. Why would this be any different, right?

So if you're looking for something extra to pray for this weekend, I ask you to think of my miserable, sweet, anxiety-filled husband. Please pray for some inner peace for him. And pray for this house to finish up quickly and as inexpensively as possible. (As for me, I continue to pray that our baby arrives safely in the coming week and a half.) Talk about a lot going on at once!

Good-ish Dr. Report

On the bright side of my checkup today, I'm progressing the way I'm supposed to be. I'm dilated to 1.5 cm and the baby scored beautifully with his non-stress test. Add to that that the baby has grown and I've lost a half pound and this all means we're almost there.

On the cloudy side, my blood pressure was a bit high. Not TOO high, just borderline. So I got sent home with the big orange jug. On Sunday, I need to start a 24-hour urine collection so I can return it to the lab first thing Monday morning.

To add another cloud, I finally heard back about a project that I really wanted to be involved with once the baby is born. It's not going to pan out. The client is looking for more research and statistical analysis skills than industry knowledge and marketing/writing experience. I'm really bummed out - more so than I normally would be when I don't get my way. Maybe it's the hormones. Or maybe I just need a good cry. I haven't had time for one in ages and I'm long overdue. Tonight it's going to be sappy movie night with my feet up so I can get it out of my system. Now, which one to rent...

So Sleepy

Not sure why, but at 2:15 am, still awake, I came out to the couch to try to find some sleep last night. About a half hour later, DH came out and I said hi. He couldn't sleep either. So, we're both tired, but lucky for me, I dropped the girls off at Grandma Becky's this morning and I'm going to get a nap in. Poor DH has to work all day.

My sleep from 3-something on was restless, full of strange dreams of old bosses and co-workers. Not nightmares of the folks from my last ad agency, but back to the earlier days of my career. Very strange to say the least. And of course, I haven't been able to figure any of the dream components out based on my dream books, so I keep mulling them over, looking for more clues. None are surfacing, however.

Oh well. Off I waddle to try to get in a 30-minute nap before I go to my checkup at the OB office.

What's new in estrogen central

The girls and I have been bonding lately, staying cooped up in our little rental unit together - the girls club. Thankfully DH came home yesterday evening and gave me respite for a couple hours once we got the girls to bed. Last night was the first time I left the apartment since we all went to church on Sunday - and it was just to run to Home Depot and the grocery store. And the cold fresh air felt SO good!

(This was also my first trip in the minivan since I bought it on Friday, and I felt as uncool as possible. I even took off my sexy hoop earrings and put them in my pocket because it felt so hypocritical.)

Breanna and Lillian are full of kisses these days. Lilli has been coming up to me, lifting my shirt and saying, "Nice baby", while she rubs my tummy, then kisses it. Then she goes over to her dollies and says, "Nice baby." It's pretty cute.

Breanna's latest thing has been to bully Lillian - like really mean stuff. Shoving, stealing, yanking hair - the works. She's become very greedy in the last week. When we catch her, we make her kiss Lillian and she then pets Lilli's head and says, "Nice. Nice." And now at bedtime when she kisses each of us goodnight, she kisses on the lips, and then on each of your cheeks. Sweet little Frenchie.

The baby is kicking away like crazy - he's a real mover compared to what the girls were like. DH was completely shocked to see all the activity when I made him sit down and watch for a couple minutes last night. He commented it's a wonder I get any sleep at all. I have to agree with him. He also commented that it looks like he'll be about 30 pounds at birth. Thanks a lot.

It's so nice to know we're likely to bring our baby home from the hospital with us when I'm discharged, though. Any time now... I'm anxious to meet him.

Tough Realization This Morning

After church this morning, I was fuming, cleaning up the kitchen counters (again!), this time wiping away shredded nacho cheese - only a half hour after I'd just cleaned them all. I love my DH very very much, but sometimes, his cluttery nature and crumb-filled lifestyle just eat at me. As in: he drives me crazy!

Today I realized that the only way I'm likely to ever live in a crumb-free, everything-in-its-place world again is if I become a widow. I mentioned it to him, and he smiled and told me I'm not as clean as I think. I glared back and reminded him of the condition of my last house each time he visited me while we were dating - before he was living there.

I could vacuum twice a week and it wouldn't even need it. Nothing ever cluttered my counters. And my refrigerator never had dried-on spills, nor did my microwave. I cleaned up after myself if I was messy - as I made the messes. Nothing had a chance to dry on or stain. I was on-the-ball and oh-so-conscientous.

Oh well, I guess it could be worse. It's not like he's a big fat blonde pot-smoking alcoholic TV addict (like someone else I once married). Just a hard-working, kind-hearted, very darling, but sometimes absent-minded pigpen.

On a lighter note, he has been pushing me to work on a list of names with him, and we're actually finding a few in common. Hooray! We have a top 13 list, so once we see our little guy in person and not just via ultrasound, we can see who he looks like. (Not Frank, though.)

Have you bought a diamond in the last 14 years?

DeBeers has been naughty. They have superficially elevated the diamond market and now are facing a lawsuit aimed to get some of the profits back to the schnookered. By controlling the major portion of the diamond market and nearly having a monopoly, they have been able to falsely elevate diamond prices - all of them.

If you bought a diamond for personal use and not resale between January 1, 1994 and March 31, 2006, you are entitled to a refund of a portion of the price (less lawyer fees, etc.). So when it is all said and done you might received about $12 or something like that, but who knows? They've projected a refund to us of around $1500, but like I said after fees, who knows. The suit has already been won, but claims won't be filled until all the claims are in so they know how much each claimant gets.

Anyway it only takes a few minutes and it's at least worth a try if you have puchased more than $300 of diamonds in the last 13 years. Claims will be accepted until May 19, so if you're going to do this, act quickly.

www.diamondsclassaction.com

Personal Disclaimer: I didn't see anything on www.snopes.com, and our source seems credible. But, if by slim chance this turns out to be a joke, don't get mad at me. I'm just trying to spread the wealth a bit.

Car Shopping Sucks

For the record, I can't think of many things that would suck the life out of me faster right now than spending another minute in a car dealership. No pun intended re: a baby life coming out of me literally.

Once again, as is the case with EVERY stinking car dealership I've ever dealt with, they told me a vehicle had ABS, then I checked, and it didn't. I don't understand the confusion - it's so easy to turn the key to on and then look for the ABS light on the dash. No light = no ABS.

Needless to say, I STILL don't have a vehicle. Tomorrow morning at 10, however, I'll pick up the '05 Caravan that my mechanic blessed this afternoon. It's sage - ew. And then I'm done for a while.

Why haven't our local dealerships invested in making the emotional experience more positive? Everything is flourescent lights and white tile, stinky garage smells and over-cologned sales schmucks. What's wrong with comfortable furniture or even some decent lighting? When you consider how much money a person spends on a vehicle purchase, the sales atmosphere is appalling. I have such a headache right now. And yet, we continue to buy more vehicles.

Do I sound like a whiny, oversized pregnant lady yet? This exhausted and crabby chica is going to bed early tonight. As in 9:00 or perhaps even earlier. I look forward to a new day tomorrow - with very little time at Corwins.

Good Week and We're Only Halfway Through

It all began with my last out-of-town work trip on Monday. I went deep into Lake Country to interview a couple who had turned a cruddy old barn into a beautiful lake home. They were super nice, and they even had homemade apple crisp for me. The evening brought about a pedicure with my Mothers of Multiples mentor group, topped off with a Caribou Coffee stop. What nice friends to have - such truly delightful women.

Last night, my pal from over at Dandeelion Soup stopped by for a visit, armed with a tote full of baby boy clothes. She even helped me (a TON. actually) with getting the girls to bed after their rice pudding fiasco. What a mess still today.

Today, I wrote for a while, then took a long bath and shaved my legs before going to my OB appointment. Two soaks in one month - I feel like royalty! The non-stress test went well, and my doctor said everything is progressing nicely. While I'm not dilated even a full centimeter, she did make me bleed a little and said my cervix is 2/3 ready. We're on our way.

AND, she had no problem scheduling a C-section on my due date (Feb. 21) as a backup in case I don't go into labor by then. She didn't pressure me about Pitocin, which sounds like the most awful thing in the world. I still haven't heard one positive induction story, so I'd rather just skip it if it comes down to it.

This afternoon, I think I found a new vehicle for the short-term. It's a 2005 Caravan, and cheap enough that the dealership would actually have to cut me a check for a few thousand bucks when they take my Camry. I scheduled my mechanic to take a look and hopefully give his blessing tomorrow afternoon. When I called him, he said, "Are you sure this is what you want to do?" I explained about not wanting a car payment while I'm out for an undetermined amount of unpaid maternity time, and he said he couldn't blame me. "A van, though?" he asked. He knows me pretty well.

Yup - cheap and easy and hopefully temporary. By spring, I plan to be pulling in some dough again and then feel justified in getting something fun - like a Mazda CX9 or a Honda Pilot or something. In the meantime, here's a little less heartburn for poor DH (who hasn't been sleeping well at all lately - too stressed about getting the house done on time, keeping his clients happy, realizing he'll be "supporting" a family of five, and trying to squeeze in a little time at home to boot).

The same thing happened when we were about to have the girls and were facing some unpaid maternity leave. He worries about money and bills and the likes, but I don't think he realizes how much I put into savings when I do work. Maybe I'll be kind and walk him through my bank accounts once he gets home tonight. I could be really nice and remind him that because of the way I pay taxes, we'll be getting back a nice chunk of change in the form of tax refunds fairly soon.

I'm excited to see what's in store for the rest of the week. Happy Hump Day, my friends!

The Thing About Dreams

Anyone who knows me well will roll their eyes when they read the title of this post. I'll admit- I'm one of those dream people. I wake up every day with a new tale of what I witnessed or experienced overnight. And I'm compelled to look it up in my books and talk about it. I keep a dream book on the bathroom counter so I can read while I brush my teeth each morning. Some people find it entertaining - others annoying (i.e. DH). It's not like I can just say that I dreamed I was cooking. I have to remember the details - all of them - and how all the senses were affected.

I was standing at a counter of a magnificent yellow kitchen with huge sunny window. I was rolling a pie crust with a cold, antique marble roller on a tan-striped Formica counter top. Some female French jazz musician (kind of like Madelienne Peyroux, but not her) was singing in the background and cinnamon and butter perfumed the air. I was wearing a teal T-shirt dress with beads around the neckline and some really comfortable black ballet slippers, my hair up in chopsticks. I could hear young laughter in a nearby room, but don't know whose it was.

You get the idea. It's been this way my whole life. I think it comes from my dad a bit - he's one for vivid dreams, as well. Last night, DH's sister from Idaho called to let us know she'd had a dream that we had a baby boy, that he was early, but considered full-term (as in, good sized). And something about the numbers 7 and 14. She wasn't sure if he was 7 pounds, 14 ounces, born 7-14 days early, or born between the 7th and the 14th, but she thought she'd better forewarn us that her premonitions are often indicative of reality.

I had to laugh - and then wonder if it's fluke or if it's a Leo thing. I do know of a couple other Leo friends who are like this with dreams. What do you think? Connection to astrology or just searching for some sort of explanation?

Who says size matters anyway?

I was dressing Breanna yesterday and realized her 18-month bibs just will not do the trick. One sit-down and she'll split her snaps. So I grabbed a bigger pair from the back of the closet and they fit perfectly. Size 3T. No kidding.

I guess it shouldn't be that shocking, since my non-maternity pants range from size 6 to 12 depending on the brand, and my shirts go from XS to L (in going-out tops, anyway). What is wrong with this country - and why can't we get consistent sizes, like men's pants and shirts? Maybe it's a translation problem, considering most clothes aren't made in the USA anyway.

Regardless, 3T seems really exciting, especially since we haven't even dug into 2Ts. It makes the idea of another child joining the family seem just a little less daunting.

Another sign of growing up was when Breanna brought me the socks that Lillian had just yanked off, handed them to me, and said, "Here's some socks for you, Mama." As in a whole big sentence. At once. One that made sense, no less. A few minutes later, Lillian said "Go potty" as she went on the potty chair. Yay! Progress is a wonderful thing!

Anyone need a twin fix?

I'm looking for a babysitter for tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon for a few hours. A new publication that I'm going to start working with (very small beans) has an event that DH and I have been invited to, but it's a business thing. Care to come by? Or send a trusty teen from your family? Please call. : ) I need the help from 1 to about 5. Everyone always says they want to babysit but that I never ask, so here I ask.

Onto another topic... I went in for my non-stress test on Wednesday and had my vitals checked upon arrival. The scale said I'd gained three pounds from the week before. Whaaaat? Then I remembered, I always take my shoes off when I arrive. And that day, I was wearing tall black leather boots. So I asked to take them off and reweigh. The nurse rolled her eyes and said it wouldn't make much difference, but 2.25 pounds lighter, I felt much better. Not quite a pound of weight gain from one week to the next is much easier to handle than 3.

All is still looking good in the baby department, although it's still hard to imagine that we're less than one month away. This little guy is just bouncing away, fascinating our girls when they see the movements!

On a happy and ironic note, my one and only darling sister informed me yesterday that her big ultrasound (at her halfway point) is scheduled the morning of my due date, February 21. I told her that I'm asking for forgiveness in advance if my doctor gets called away to my delivery and they have to reschedule the exam. At least I know I won't get in the way of her ultrasound. It's all so very exciting!

What grows within me

Having always been somewhat of a girly girl, it's hard to believe that there's a testosterone-filled baby boy growing within me. I hadn't thought of it that way until just tonight, but by golly, there's a penis inside my uterus.

I'm sure I'm not the first mom to think of this during her pregnancy, but it certainly seems strange to me.

That's all. It's about as newsworthy as my post about a handful of toots from back when the girls were newly home from the hospital, but my oh-so-deep thoughts nonetheless. That's all. Good night.

And the Old Woman Snores

As the cold I acquired from my generous daughters clings to its last breaths, I still have a bit of stuffiness. Apparently, the result is some pretty horrific snoring.

When I tried to get DH out of bed this morning, he was a bear. Even after turning on the lights and coming back into the bedroom twice, he still just couldn't drag himself out of bed. I finally asked what his problem was and he said grouchily, "You. You snored all night long and I hardly got any sleep."

I suggested that he could have gone out to the living room to snooze. He stated that he tried it, but my snoring was loud enough to bug him out there, too. Aah, the unintentional paybacks for those younger days when he'd go out for drinks and then come home to snore me awake all night. At least I had bedrooms on a different level of the house back then.

Oh well, it's only temporary. This cold is just a half-step from disappearing in its entirety. Thank goodness - there are few things in the world that could make me feel less womanly - between being caught snoring or letting one rip, what else can strip one's femininity quicker? At least I'm not sprouting any back hair or BO. (That I know of anyway.)

One Mo'

This weekend, Lillian was quite the little ham. She especially gave my mom a kick when she'd ask for "one mo'?" of whatever she was eating. When Lilli would ask, she'd hold up her pointer finger and raise her eyebrows. Cute as ever.

Breanna still isn't quite herself. DH saw another molar coming into the back of her mouth, and that, along with all the drool, probably explains her need for extra sleep and cuddles.

My folks came for the weekend to help us prepare for the arrival of the new little guy. We pretty much just hung out, eating non-complicated meals, washing up boy clothes, playing with the girls, and just visiting. Wouldn't you know it, the one weekend we plan to do all kinds of laundry, the dryer in our rental stopped drying. It gets plenty warm, but isn't taking out the moisture. We're still waiting on the landlord to get in here to fix us up.

We ran out to the new house to show off progress today, and though it was SO cold (-7), it was still exciting. I'm so proud of DH for all the great, fast work he's done. I'm taking a break from shopping online for vessel sinks to write this little blog, but I'd better get back to it so I can narrow down to my top 5 before meeting with the plumber tomorrow.

Have a good week, friends, and be sure to bundle well. (And splurge on some cocoa!)

Big Baby C

I went to the clinic for my 35-week ultrasound today, which revealed a healthy-looking 5-pound, 4-ounce bundle of boy (give or take some size). No wonder I feel so gigantic!

Everything looks just as it should for 35 weeks, with no worries of going into labor tonight or anytime real soon. Good, since we still haven't packed our bags, nor have we lined up someone to hang with the girls from when I go to the hospital until my mom arrives.

But, we do know for sure now that we're having a son, so I'm going to rip tags off the boy clothes and get everything washed this weekend. Still not so sure where we're going to keep the boy clothes for now, but that's ok, I guess. We may end up with a Rubbermaid tote for a dresser until we're in the new house. I still cannot imagine squeezing another person into our little apartment, but I'm sure we'll make it.

The house is coming along beautifully, so we're still on track to move in right after the spring Parade of Homes. Hooray! I'll take my folks out to the building site this weekend and grab a few pictures. It looks a lot bigger now that it's roofed, but that could be affected a bit by the coziness of our current abode. I'm excited about the hugeness of the windows - especially overlooking our stamped concrete patio surrounded by a back yard of woods. I get more enthusiastic each time I see the continuing progress.

A few friends have recently asked how I like driving a mom-mobile. Honestly, I still have my Camry, driving it up until the last minute, I guess. I feel so unmotivated to get a big vehicle. Maybe next week...

A Few New Things Learned Today

- Breanna knows how to climb the dining room furniture and stand on top of the table.

- Lillian's best defense is to lie down on the floor, where you can't finish dressing her.

- I won't die if I don't get a shower in before noon. It makes it easier for me to go down for a morning nap when the girls go if the sleep isn't out of my eyes yet.

- Breanna calls everything that she's not supposed to touch "hot" as she shakes her head back and forth.

- Lillian goes to sleep for naps much better if her head is covered with a light flannel blanket and she actually prefers to cover her own head.

- If I don't send out invoices right after completing projects, I'll keep forgetting for weeks. And weeks. I finally sent three of them tonight.

- When the girls still have colds and are whiny and driving me nuts with their whininess, I can shock them into forgetting they were whining by hollering a super-quick, loud whine back. Their eyebrows shoot right up and they sit there, stunned.

- They also understand that hugging your sister when she's struggling seems to help the situation. What a sweet thing to see.

Good Eats

This past weekend, we ate well. I tried some new recipes, and one was such a hit that I just had to share it. We had sort-of homemade sweet rolls as a side to our Mediterranean Chicken Packets on the grill and Greek Salad on Saturday night. The recipe is adapted from one in the Jan./Feb. 2008 issue of Cooking Light.

Lime Cardamom Sweet Rolls

Rolls:

1 box mix of Hot Sweet Rolls from the grocery store

Filling:

1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 T. grated lime rind
3/4 t. ground cardamom
Dab of butter

Prepare sweet rolls as directed on package, using the crescent roll version. After cutting dough into triangles, mix up the filling and crumble on top of each triangle. Roll each into a crescent, then brush with melted butter. Sprinkle any leftover filling on top, then bake as directed on the box.

We forgot to make the glaze, but I'm going to try it next time. The glaze calls for combining 1 c. powdered sugar and 3 T. lime juice.

Without Dad's mom alive any more to give lessons on her Finnish Cardamom Christmas Bread, experimenting I go. Our local bakeries don't make Christmas bread, so I've had to find other ways to get that cardamom taste without the hassle of making the bread.

And now... nothing

After a very busy, somewhat exhausting weekend of company and bridal shower (and not getting home until 11:35 last night), I'm done. From here on out, the only official anything is a weekly doctor appointment. I have a couple writing projects that have no set due dates - as in grace periods of two to three months. But that's it.

Thankfully, by having the shower at my mother-in-law's house yesterday, I was able to dump off lots of stuff that had been in my way around here these past few weeks (gifts, favors, napkins, games, etc.). And I didn't have to bring any leftover food home, so that's a bonus, as well.

Now the great cleanup will begin. When my up-nort' pal Amanda and I left for my in-laws' house yesterday morning, our husbands were feeling rather miserable after their walking tour of our local downtown nightlife. My DH was still in bed, moaning, with the patio door open, snow coming in, and his head lying on his underwear at the foot of the bed. Hers was moaning on the inflatable bed in our living room, trying to forget his sleepwalking woes of the night before.

Once I realized how worthless the guys would be in helping us get out of the house (specifically getting the carseats out of DH's giant man truck and back into my nice little car), I said forget it. We ended up just driving the big diesel with the carseats still in it. When Amanda and I raced out of here, I left all the breakfast messes from us girls right where we'd made them. Upon returning just before midnight last night, I found everything exactly where I'd left it for the guys. French toast batter still on the stove top. Sausages still on the plate. Brummel and Brown still out. A full container of juice on the counter. And clean plates and silverware on the table (the only non-gross part of the whole scene). Oh well.

Today the girls had a good breakfast and are already down for naps - they're still not at 100%, but are getting much better. Now the dishwasher is running and all that's left in the kitchen is a mild wipe-down and the putting-away of clean stuff. Then on to laundry, which was neglected all weekend.

A great big hooray for a clean horizon. I'm really looking forward to these next few weeks of non-busyness. Maybe a little nesting, but nothing major. I might even squeeze in a few manicures. Aah, at last.

Recipe for a Backache

Both our girls came home from their mini-vacation with in-laws with nasty colds this week. Poor Lillian cries each time she coughs and they're both dripping gobs of snot. At least I can hand them a kleenex and tell them to wipe their own noses instead of having to do that for them. They're certifiably miserable, stinking of Vics and sick breath.

We had a very long day today. I had DH meet me at the walk-in clinic this morning, where we learned that Lillian has an ear infection on top of her cold.

I figured they'd sleep all afternoon, being sick and missing morning naps. Ha ha. Each slept about 20 minutes at different times. Both girls wanted to be held and rocked all day, but didn't want to share Mom with one another. That, combined with us not having a rocking chair, made for a very sore back for me. Needless to say, I'm ready for a vacation. Alone. With a masseuse. And lots and lots of pillows and fresh, hot coffee. (Oh how I miss the days when I could drink a whole cup of coffee in one sitting - without it getting cold.)

I think I'll just have to settle for a 10-minute sit-down to blog before getting back to dusting and vacuuming. I'm pretty sure it's been at least three weeks since I last dusted. Oh well. Happy Friday, friends! May you be blessed with a snot-free weekend!

The Magic of Six Weeks

Only six more weeks and we'll have a full-term baby. At this point in my pregnancy with the girls, I was in the hospital, worried sick about our itty bitty preemies who'd just been taken by C-section. What a difference in our lives.

Everything is looking good for us baby-wise, but we're still not totally ready. DH still needs to pick up a bassinet from his buddy . And we have our 35-week ultrasound on Wednesday, during which we'll hopefully confirm with more certainty that we're having a boy. After that ultrasound, I plan to wash up a load of boy clothes and then do a bunch of last-minute boy-clothes shopping. I haven't wanted to go too crazy until I was more sure - just in case.

Other than the sleeping quarters and clothing, we're pretty much ready. I have a list made of what to pack in my hospital bag, DH's hospital bag, and the girls' bag, just in case they end up going to Grandma Becky's or something. My mom plans to come up here as soon as she gets the call to come take care of the girls, but in our climate, I always like to have a backup plan. Thankfully the hospital is literally four blocks away.

I've continued to look for some temporary work to get me by until the baby arrives so that the girls can still go to daycare (and so I don't get quite so exhausted), but no luck so far. I went on one interview and left within 15 minutes, just knowing in my gut that something illegal was happening with the skeezers conducting the interview. Then I had an actual job offer this week, but it ended up being basically a Kirby salesman except with knives. Anyone care to solicit their friends and neighbors and sucker them into giving your their friends' and families' phone numbers so you can peddle cutlery? I don't think so.

I'd rather just live on a budget and be wiped out from busy girls. The whole past two weeks have been humbling to say the least. So, I continue to lower my household cleanliness standards and increase the amount of peace in our home. It's still an adjustment, but really not so bad. The kids are down for naps, so I guess I'd better get back to making my grocery list. Company's coming this weekend. Hooray!

Holiday Highlights

So, yes, we're well into the new year and I'm finally posting a few pics from Christmastime. Oh well, a lot of people I know still have their trees up, so I figure we're ok here.

One of our highlights amidst all the travels included a nice dinner out. On December 22, my parents celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary. My sis and her hubby and our cousin were all home with us, so we went out to Prime Time Charlies in Breezy Point (my dad's pick). Thirty-five years and they still look happy as can be.

The girls also got some wear out of their beautiful red Christmas dresses. I had one and asked my mom to make something to coordinate. No one will ever know which one has a tag. Hopefully they still fit for Valentine's Day.

I think everyone received gifts they liked and very few things needed to go back to the store. As always we ate a lot of great food, and as a special treat, I even had some Finnish Cardamom Bread the weekend before New Year's. Life is good.

Great Job, Lillian!

We just returned from Lilli's marathon Neonatal Growth & Development Clinic. This 4.5-hour exam covers evaluations from all sorts of specialists, such as a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a speech therapist, a dietitian, the head of our NICU, etc. The philosophy for this clinic is that at-risk kids (Lillian is high-risk because of her small birth size) come in every six months for evaluations in every field. The one long appointment means we don't have to trek all over the place for 15,000 different appointments on different days.

In every area, our Lillian scored great! No therapies needed and no return appointment in 6 months. Hooray!

Once we were all done, we stopped at daycare to pick up Breanna. I guess she was not quite herself and kept saying "Lala" as she looked for her sister. As soon as we returned home, Lala went to bed and then Breanna and I had some bonding time. I have to admit, I really enjoyed some one-on-one time with each of them today.

Happy Friday and happy weekend to you all!

7 weeks and counting

I had a great check-up at my OB today. I can hardly believe how fast delivery day is approaching. We did a non-stress test (NST) and it was so fast and easy with just one baby in there. I'm going to do them once a week until delivery.

And we're almost through with my first week of being a stay-at-home mom. I'm thankful to have only had one big sobbing breakdown - that's a small miracle in itself.

I am completely astonished at how NOT cut out for this I am. Poor DH walked in last night to find the girls covered in supper and me covered in tears, sobbing in the kitchen. They are SO busy and SO curious and SO into everything.

Between keeping them clothed (now they both know how to strip and fling poop like monkeys), and keeping them from killing themselves as they catapult out of their cribs, and keeping them from eating dryer lint and keeping them from escaping through our deck door, it is constant. Add to that that they are weaning down to one nap a day and I'm beside myself. I don't dare to go to the bathroom without taking them in with me for fear of what I'll come out to find.

Today, I managed to brew up a cup of coffee (two hours after we got up) and set it back on the desk while I went to change a diaper. While I was buttoning up Breanna's pants, in walked Lillian with my empty coffee mug. "All done," she chirped in her sweet little voice. Sure enough, you could follow the trail from the entryway through the dining room and all the way to the computer desk. Coffee sure shows up well on cream apartment carpet.

Our Christmas gifts are still not all put away yet, and one of my articles is still not quite done yet. And my eyes still are drooping. but anyway. I've never been so relieved to drop them off at daycare for a few hours. When I reached the OB office, I think I relaxed for the first time all week.

Only one "work" day left. Wish me luck.

Slowly Spinning Down

As the Christmas holiday has passed and my biggest client work has trickled away, we're slowly settling down a bit. Whew! We spent the pre-holiday weekend at my folks' house, along with my sister and brother-in-law and my dear cousin, Bill. We all had a terrific visit and the girls behaved nicely. Sunday night we headed home, dumped out the dirty clothes, piled gifts in the living room, and repacked to head to DH's folks' place the next afternoon. We both worked a half day and then drove south. Again.

The holiday at his family's house is always quite different than at mine, but I can't complain. Though busy and chaotic, all the kids were on excellent behavior and the grown ups minded their p's and q's for the most part. I only had to come up with one chirpy comeback to a snide remark, and it was after midnight, so I'd consider everything to be a success. We returned home late Christmas night, unloaded, dumped more gifts and luggage in the living room, and crashed.

Wednesday through Thursday, we worked through the days, and then began unpacking/repacking luggage in the evenings. Friday after work, we piled into the car and headed south yet again. This time, the girls and I wished DH well as he went to work at a TEC weekend. I'm writing this post from my parents' house right now, where we've been since Friday night. DH finished up this evening, so I'm sure we'll head back home to stay for a while. (I sure hope so - I'm beat.) We had one new development this weekend - Breanna climbed out of the crib. Great.

Work-wise, I'm going to have a huge adjustment in the weeks ahead. My favorite client of all time, who has basically provided me with full-time writing work since April, has lost funding for outsourcing. My last day was Friday, and I'm so sad to have had to wrap up. The people I worked with were terrific - it was the first time in years I'd had a "boss" who I truly respect. And the work was interesting every day.

I have a few new freelance projects (very little ones) lined up for the next couple of weeks, but nothing major. It's hard to justify paying for daycare if I won't be making money, especially when I don't have maternity pay, so I'm going to keep the girls home with me and say prayers for work to come my way. Thankfully, I've socked away a lot into savings, as always, so it won't be a scary time in that respect. Exhausting, I'm certain, but scary, not so much. Of course, DH is worried as can be. But I have faith that the good Lord will provide, as he always has. The timing of this isn't really in my favor, with this gigantic belly poking out the front. But I'm sure everything will fall into place as it needs to.

My pregnancy has been progressing quite nicely. It's a relief to know that this kiddo is already much bigger than Lillian was when she was born, and we still have almost 2 months to go. On Thursday, I start my weekly dr. appointments already. Have I told you yet that we're expecting a little boy? Where has the time gone?

Anyway, I'm going to go grab a cup of coffee and kick back in a recliner next to dear old dad and hope the girls nap long enough for me to empty my cup. It might be my last moments of downtime for a while. Happy day to you!

Bridal Shower Games

What's your favorite bridal shower game?

I'm throwing a shower for my soon-to-be sister-in-law on January 13 and want to keep the party moving along quickly. I think it will be the largest shower I've been to, which means lots of gifts to open, which means let's get through everything without delays.

Please leave a comment with your ideas for a fun/unique/not-too-time-consuming game. Thanks!

Pig Tails

As DH and I tried to prepare the girls for another attempt at Christmas photos, I told him I'd like to put the girls in pigtails. He raised an eyebrow. Pig? Tails? I said, "Yeah, their hair is so long and I think it would be really cute with their Christmas dresses."

Pig? Tails? "What on Earth is a pig tail?" he asked. I showed him. He said, "You mean pony tails." I then explained how two on one head makes them pigtails. He thought I was insane and told me so. Oh well. The pig tails went in and the girls looked adorable.

We spent about 45 minutes in front of a large section of plain wall in our apartment. The girls had other intentions. The whole 45 minutes. After at least a dozen escapes each and no both looking at the camera at the same time, we gave up. Even sparkly garland wasn't enough to keep them still. As DH had them on the floor, tickling them and laughing, I happened to walk by just then and capture the shot. Pig tails still in tact. Whew! The only "good" one is the black and white below. Finally!

One Word Answers

My sister sent this to me and I had to laugh. Here are my responses.

You.
Can.
Only.
Type.
One.
Word.


1. Where is your cell phone?  Purse

2. Your significant other?   DH

3. Your hair?   Shiny

4. Your mother?   Loving

5. Your father?   Teaching

6. Your favorite thing?   Hubby

7. Your dream last night?  Parade

8. Your favorite drink?   Coffee

9. Your dream/goal?  Kindness

10. The room you're in?  Vacuumed

11. Your ex?   Pathetic

12. Your fear?  Fish

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years?  Happy

14. Where were you last night?  Home

15. What you're not?  Skinny

16. Muffins?  Raspberry

18. Where you grew up?  Minnesota

19. The last thing you did?  Sip

20. What are you wearing?  Pretties

21. Your TV?  Off

22. Your pets?  Missed.  :(

23. Your computer?  Busy

24. Your life?  Fast

25. Your mood?  Content

26. Missing someone?  Yes

27. Your car?  Unsold

28. Something you're not wearing?  Necklace

29. Favorite Store?  Herbergers

30. Your summer?  Nonexistent

31. Like someone?  Yes

32. Your favorite color?  Red

33. When is the last time you laughed?  Recently

34. Last time you cried?   Unsure

35. Who will/would re-post this?  Friends

Cookie Fest

What a great weekend we had! My folks and cousin Billy came up for the weekend. They stayed at my sister and brother-in-law's house, but spent all day Saturday here with us.

We baked all of our favorite Christmas cookies, listened to carols, and had a grand ole time! The boys went out to see the progress on our house at one point in the afternoon, while us lady elves continued to slave away in the kitchen/dining room. My sister learned the finer points of Finnish tart making, and I learned about a pretty nifty material that works as a super-slippery cookie sheet liner. This picture is of my sister and Lillian making keifels and another one of my mom with the girls. Always a busy household!

My mom made Christmas aprons for my sister and me - adjustable to fit around pregnant bellies. And the girls got to open some Christmas presents early. Grammy and Grandpa brought hats and scarves to match winter jackets, holiday socks, as well as some little rocking chairs. The girls rocked and rocked throughout the weekend.

DH grilled a great big beer-filled turkey and baked potatoes for an early supper, and all was great. We tried to get a real family picture of DH and me and the girls, but eh, not so lucky. We put on our winter coats and boots and lined up by our fence, hoping to get a nice snapshot from our deck above. Lillian was tired and antsy and my camera fogged up once it went outside. Oh well. It was worth a shot. Here's a cut-off shot of DH and Breanna. For those expecting Christmas cards, we're still working on a picture. I'm determined to get one at least of the girls in the next evening or two. Stay tuned and watch your mailbox just in time for Christmas. I'm not good at being this last minute, but what do you do?

The one other highlight was when we placed Breanna on the potty chair before her bath on Saturday night, and lo and behold, when we encouraged her to potty, she did. Hooray!

Not Nesting Tonight

Apparently I go in spurts. Tonight, I'm absolutely beat. It probably has something to do with getting out of the shower this morning, sitting on the couch to rest for just a minute, and then waking up a half hour later to the sound of giggling girls ready to get out of bed. My day has been a bit off ever since.

I'd originally planned to work on a pro bono newsletter project, but eh, it's donated time. I'm putting it off until another night. And I was going to make some more candied nuts - I was going to bring some to my OB appointment tomorrow for the nurses. Eh. Maybe next time.

It's 8:35 and DH is still working, which means I had kid chaos all to myself tonight. Don't get me wrong, my girls are really good, but really hands on right up until they finally give up on staying away and let themselves crash. Tonight, the squaking stopped at 8:12.

From there, I cleaned up high chairs and bibs, washed out sippy cups, tossed a load of laundry into the washer, wiped down the tub and put away bath toys, and poured myself a cup of pear juice. And now here I sit, blathering on in my favorite time-wasting fashion.

To make it not such a boring post, I'll entertain you with a quick story. On Monday, Grandma Becky asked how strong my stomach is. Not a good way to start the afternoon pickup. She then told me of how she put the girls down for an afternoon nap. (They go in a gigantic playpen together.) They did their usually babbling back and forth for a few minutes, and then it was quiet. GB sat down with a cup of tea and put her feet up, ready for an hour of rest. Then the giggles began. She got up to peek in on them and found them painting each other. Breanna, the magical strip artist, had pulled off her pants and poopy diaper and she and her sister were having a grand old time painting each other. Lilli had a stripe that went from her eyebrow all the way down to her collar. In their hair, ears, clothes, everywhere.

So GB did what any person would do. She grabbed both girls and hauled them off to the shower. Unfortunately, the girls gave her big hugs as they went, so all three stripped down and hopped into the shower. Apparently, the girls let GB know that they don't appreciate shower whatsoever. Poor GB. She commented that perhaps the girls were grossed out by her pudgy wrinkled body, but I reassured her they see much worse in our house sometimes. It's gotten so that they walk up to me and pull up my shirt, poke my now-outie bellybutton, and laugh.

Anyway, Monday night, I went to check on the girls before I went to bed and found Breanna stark naked in her crib. Thankfully - VERY THANKFULLY - she was still clean and dry. I dressed her again and put her back in the crib.

Tuesday evening, I got to GB's to find Breanna wearing a pull-up OVER her pants. Oh no.

GB quickly explained that it's a great solution to keeping Breanna clothed. She hasn't figured out how to get the pull-up off. Yet, anyway. So she sent a pull-up home with us to put over jammies, and wouldn't you know, guess who woke up with the top half of her jammies off, but her onesie and bottom half of her jammies still on. Yay for inventive daycare grannies!

And yay for having one daughter who actually likes to zip her clothes up and act modest.

Queen of the MultiTasking

In the midst of everything chaos around us, I've managed to cook up three batches of sweet and spicy nuts (stirring every 5 minutes for 30 minutes per batch), wrap up and decorate take-out boxes for the nuts, bake a batch of muffins, label 25 CDs for a Mothers of Multiples project, start putting together a pro bono newsletter, paint my nails (once everything was in the oven), compose two really great business-related emails, burn myself a CD of some cool jazzy stuff, write a Christmas poem instead of a holiday letter, and print off return address labels for our holiday cards.

And I'm still wearing lipstick. Yes, I am the queen.

TGIF

What a week! I just finished putting away the groceries at 11:00 Friday night, and am finally sitting down with a cup of Oh My Chai and a deep breath. I'm absolutely beat. And yet, I need a little sit-down wind-down time before getting ready for bed.

Poor DH ended up with our bug, so he was up all last night and had a tough day today. Hopefully it's as short-lived for him as it was for me. He's planning to work both Saturday and Sunday to make up for cruddy productivity today, and to hopefully squeeze some time in at our new house. It's been a mixed blessing that he's been so flooded with work - the weather has been awfully cold to be working outside on our place. I think it's been about two weeks since he's spent any time out there. Slow progress, but oh well. Better that than frostbite.

During the past few weeks, I've been enjoying little bits of holiday shopping here and there. For the first time, I'm wrapping as I go instead of saving it as my last (and favorite) part of preparing for Christmas. So far, so good. While I packed away all of our decor (including Christmas stuff) deep into storage, I was smart in keeping out my wrapping goodies.

We've talked about doing a family picture and sending it with Christmas cards, but I can't imagine when we'd possibly squeeze it in. The girls are over a year and a half and we still haven't had a real family picture taken yet. How ridiculous. So when DH asks me again tomorrow - as he has been daily for a week - what I want for Christmas, that's what I'll tell him. I've been drawing a blank 'til now (except for the Moby wraps, of course).

Well, my tea is gone and I think I'm ready to retire for the night - or better yet - for the week. Unfortunately, 7 a.m. will come bright and early tomorrow, so I'd better hit the sack. Good night!

New Day - Hooray!

I feel like a whole new woman today. Seriously, except for the aching back, ribs, and tummy muscles, I can barely tell how violently ill I was just a few short nights ago. And the girls are totally back to normal, too. Yay!

They giggled in the tub tonight more than I've ever heard. It was like they got the giggles in church and just couldn't stop, and the harder they tried, the worse it became. We had a great time!

After the gigglers were freshly jammied and teeth were brushed, DH came home and relieved me so I could run to the mall in search of a maternity blazer or suit. I have a big day tomorrow and really wanted to wear more than a nice blouse and slacks. Hooray - I found a decent black suitcoat at Motherhood Maternity. I picked up some nice buttons at JoAnn Fabrics on my way out, and headed home, where I am now putting off replacing the buttons and shortening the sleeves. I also need to apply the topcoat to my nails. And then off to bed I go, hopefully to enjoy a fulfilling night of sleep.

If you read this before my 8 am-to-noon meeting tomorrow, please say a prayer for a fruitful morning for me. I'll explain details sometime after the meeting, so as not to jinx myself. : )

So Not Invincible

The flu hit me last night after many sick-free years. And it made up for lost time. It's 1:00 p.m. and the first time I've left the couch for more than a bathroom run or a pedialyte run. I can't believe how good it feels to sit upright.

Our girls had a great weekend - their bug from the Thursday all-nighter seemed to have been short-lived. Monday at daycare, though, Lillian tossed her breakfast and both girls had icky pants all day. For the first time, I thought luck was with us. They had a scheduled doctor appointment for checkups and flu shots. No double co-pays due to timing being off a day or two. Ha - fate was playing a big mean trick on me. The girls are fine, by the way. And Lillian finally topped 20 pounds - 21 pounds even! Breanna came in at 24 - woo hoo!

Anyway, last night I ate an apple and then got ready for bed. When I laid down, I thought I possibly recognized a glimmer of queasiness. At 12:30, my wretched night began.

As I once explained to my friend, Lettuce, I can't think of anything more gross than puking in a toilet. Buckets are great - they're clean, they're portable, and they're easy to wash out. Plus, no butts have been in them (at least I hope!). So last night, I had three buckets handy - one next to the bed, one next to the tub, and one next to the couch. And like clockwork, every hour and a half I needed one.

Up until now, I've always been pretty ok with ralphing. It's quick and awful and then you move on. However, puking with a big pregnant tummy is a completely different story. The baby kicked and kicked, often stirring more nausea. And when I was yakking, the contractions were crazy. I have the goosebumps just thinking about it.

It will be quite a while before I eat another apple. Or anything with substance, for that matter. In the meantime, weak decaf tea and oyster crackers are my new best friends. Happy stinkin' Tuesday.

Another Late Night

I awoke at 1:04 this morning to the sound of retching. Poor Miss Lillian was hurling in her crib. Approximately two minutes later, Breanna started in. They are so in sync with each other it often scares me.

Two buckets, four showers, six bedding changes, eight footie pajama changes, and many hours later, we all made it back to bed for close to two hours. Until we started all over again at a little after 5 o'clock. By that time, DH had decided to go to the job site and get his project set up for his workers so that he could stay home with the girls during the day. He returned at a little after 7, when Breanna was just falling back to sleep. I got ready and headed off to work.

Needless to say, the day improved for DH and the girls as the day progressed. Lillian even graduated to jelly toast for supper. And now for some downtime and hopefully a long, sleepful night. Sweet dreams, all.

The Crap of Cancer

Our 6-year-old nephew, Connor, has been battling leukemia for a couple years now. And after numerous hospital stays in the last month alone, he went into emergency surgery this morning. I haven't heard an update since. His Caring Bridge site is www.caringbridge.org/mn/connorterfehr

And my TEC friend, Nathan, is battling cancer as well. He's only been married a year. His site is http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/nathanmeeks

My friend through osmosis, Amy (I've never actually met her, but I know her sister, Jean from What's for Dinner), is also battling leukemia. I don't know of any website, but I get updates from time to time from Jean. She's been struggling with cataracts that have developed as a side effect to some of her cancer treatments.

These three cancer cases have touched me. Please keep the patients in your prayers. And pray that a cure is found soon. The battle is one that young people should not have to even think about, much less suffer through.

Sling - a - Ling -Ding

Have you ever heard of Moby wraps? My friend Crystal introduced me to them at a little pre-holiday open house a couple weeks ago. They're baby slings that appear to be quite awesome. I'm putting one on my Christmas list.

Crystal has two little boys who were born a week or so after my girls - even earlier than the girls. And she and I both come from the ad agency world. And both love high heels. And both have beautiful hair. And are both master goddesses when it comes to juggling family and career.

She showed me how to use the Moby on Breanna, and I was shocked that Breanna just hung out, cool with being confined. The bonuses of versatility: you can wrap twins and carry them up to 40 pounds. And - drum roll please - you can nurse a baby while you walk around and no one knows. I can't wait to try one with the new baby! I'm going to see if we can even get away with not having to buy a triple stroller - instead just keeping the girls in our double and using the Moby for Baby C.

Check these babies out - www.twopeaspod.com. This is my new favorite find since BabyLegs. Yay for cool products!

Winter Welcome

I just arrived home from my shift at the Giving Tree at the mall and slid all over the place. Our first snow of the season and it's beautiful outside! I donned the pimp coat and big red mittens and felt so festive, I even decided to stop at the grocery store for muffins.

Our Thanksgiving was lovely, very mellow and relaxed. The rest of the weekend followed suit. I even wore velvety lounge pants one day and got to visit Newzgirl a bit.

We officially welcomed winter at the festival on Friday. It was pretty brisk out, and there was even some wind. The girls were well bundled in BabyLegs (legwarmers), denim overalls, snowpants, winter coats, hats, mittens, scarves and boots. We plunked them into the stroller and a wassailing we went. The fest was just as romantic as I'd remembered from past years. People caroled, cocoa and cider were sipped, bonfires crackled, lights twinkled, sleigh rides glided by, and kids laughed all over the place.

Lillian was the social butterfly of the evening, blowing kisses to pretty much anyone she made eye contact with. Breanna just took it all in, singing along from time to time. After a healthy supper of corndogs, cookies, cider, juicebox, and donut holes, the girls were pretty tuckered out. We decided to go back to the car just a little bit before the fireworks began. As we walked, the snow began to flutter down softly.

At the car, when I pulled Lillian out of the stroller, her boots got stuck in the leg holes. Being bulky in a pimp coat (plus being pregnant), I was less than graceful in jostling her out of her seat. Once I finally buckled her into her car seat and pushed up her hat so she could see, I realized she was sound asleep. Out cold. I had to check to make sure she hadn't frozen to death, but she softly snored away. Miss Breanna fell asleep on the way back to Grandma's and Grandpa's house.

Now that the girls have had a good dollop of outdoor freedom, I think we may be in trouble. They sure enjoyed the fresh air throughout the rest of the weekend. Winter, here we come!

Heading Home

To all of my Lake Country friends, I really hope to see you at the Nisswa City of Lights festival on Friday night.

DH and I are heading to my folks' house in Lake Shore tonight for the long weekend. He's coming back to town tomorrow with my sister and brother-in-law, but the girls and I are staying through Sunday.

And Friday night, we're going to introduce the girls to a wonderful small-town tradition. The little Normal Rockwell town just a few miles up the road from my folks' house is overflowing with festivals. The one on the Friday immediately after Thanksgiving is my favorite. All the little shops (that's the only kind of shopping there is - boutique-land) light up their storefronts at dusk and put out little luminaries.

An oom paa band plays just a short distance from the huge bonfire at town square. And of course, carolers sing, hot cocoa flows, everybody's cheeks turn pink, fireworks paint the sky, and Christmas season begins. This year, the girls are big enough to come with. I have the snowpants packed and all the warm goodies, so we're almost ready to go.

In my last free hour before I pick them up from daycare today, I'm going to post my wish to you all for a lovely Thanksgiving. Then I'm going to pack clothes for DH and me, and load the car. When he walks in, we're hittin' the road.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! And if you're out and about in Lake Country this weekend, give me a call. I'm feeling particularly social this week!