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Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Movies

Everyone,

I seriously do not watch our cable any more. Between Butterfly wanting to watch her shows, me limiting her tv time, and the fact that there is nothing on, we decided to cancel our cable. I guess it comes at a good time since we will not be using it for an entire month and why pay for it when we won't use it. I only use our dvr and it has been empty for over a month now. Plus, I figure all the shows I do watch I can watch online anyway. So out goes cable.

And in comes netflix. I've never had an account with them before. I just spent the weekend looking at the movies and finding a few I'd like to get. Okay, 103. I am totally excited about doing this (although I probably should have waited until after our Utah trip because I won't use them for a whole month and pay for it when I'm not using it). Are there any movie recommendations out there? What should I rent? So far most of my list is my little pony movies for Butterfly and some of the new releases I was never able to go and see in the theater. I am up for anything not R rated or scary.

Apparently, the warehouse is in the next town over so you can get your movies every other day if you watch them the day it comes and drop them in the box before 5pm that same day. I am just really excited to get some serious movie time in and hopefully be able to watch something new besides Dumbo and Nemo.

Safire

Monday, July 28, 2008

Ward Party

Everyone,

Each year our bishop has a huge ward party at his kid camp. We swim, we eat, we talk, and the men play stick ball. We all look forward to it every year. This year we had another great time. We got there really early (because I thought it started an hour before it really did...otherwise we would have been an hour late) and Juice and Butterfly swam while I sat with the boys and talked to the ward ladies.

Butterfly came dragging Juice about an hour later and said she was done playing with Daddy, she wanted to play with Mommy. So I went to the pool and sat and chatted with more friends while Butterfly splashed with best friend Vinny. She wanted to play in the big pool so I convinced her to slide down the big slide with me. (My camera battery was dead or I would have a picture...these pictures are from my friend Laura.) So we climbed up 3 layers of webbing and got to the top. I sat her on my lap, told her to be prepared to go under the water and take a big breath and hold it. And down we went! As we hit the water I heard her say, "Ohhh!" as all the air she was holding rushed out. Down in the water we went and she starts to flail. I got her out of the water before I got my head out and she's trying so hard to get to the edge of the pool. She climbed out as fast as she could and I asked if she wanted to do it again. "No!" We played in the kiddie pool the rest of the time.

I think I ate probably 5 hot dogs. The boys were a hit (as always) and Butterfly played some more in the pool with Daddy after dinner. Then the men played stick ball (in which Juice was a goalie and totally blocked the bishop which was the talk of church on Sunday) and Butterfly played in the playground. I sat and fed/held the boys and talked some more. I talked a lot at this thing and it was so much fun!

We are looking forward to next year's party!

Safire

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Trip Planning

Everyone,

Me and the kids are going to Utah in a few short weeks. Yes, me and all 3 kids. We are staying a month. I am 2 parts excited and about 10 parts nervous. Mostly I'm nervous for the flight home. Because the flight to Utah we will be accompanied by my aunt, my uncle, and their two kids who are 15 and 13 (I think...). We will have lots of hands to pass babies and Butterfly around to. It's the flight home with just me and the kids and Juice. I'm glad he is coming (after a week or so in Colorado for training) to take us home because the airline won't let me fly with two infants and a toddler. I asked.

One thing that has been eating at my brain lately has been what to bring. Seriously, I never want to fly to my mom's house again because just the sheer volume of stuff I have to pack into two bags is overwhelming. I'm hating that the airlines are now charging for a second checked bag. So now 4 people's things need to be stuffed into two bags. Stress!

Things I have to bring for Butterfly include a potty seat (she really won't sit on the big seats unless there is something there...luckily I have a portable one which means I should probably port along some Clorox wipes), clothes, shoes, dresses, toys, books, pull ups, etc. She is worried that Nana's house will not have toys. I've decided to let her play with my old ponies if I can find them in the garage.

For the boys, they are a little easier to travel, only because people are so nice in letting us borrow things. My only big stress right now is one car seat. I really don't want to take our car seats since I've seen the pieces they can come back in. So my best friend is letting me use her infant seat...I just need to borrow one more or buy one on Craig's list or something. I just need it for a month or so.

I refuse to take my awesome Bob stroller with me on the plane. Because seriously, that thing cost me close to 700 dollars and I refuse to give it to the baggage people. So we are taking one umbrella stroller and some stroller connectors and my mom has another umbrella stroller. Butterfly has graduated to walking for this trip. We're going to be going slow.

I am so excited to meet my brand new nieces Angel and Seraph, nephew Cappy, visit temple square to show Butterfly the temple, go fishing and participate in my mom's first "cousin camp", have quality girl time with my best friend, visit visit visit, see my family and Juice's family and Flower, show off my cute sweet boys, see all my Maryland friends who are going to be in Utah the same time (it's so weird how many of them there are!), have a birthday party at my mom's house with all my friends like I used to in high school, play my brother's wii and totally beat him, er, rock at rock band, and just enjoy being in Utah. Each time I talk to my mom there are so many more things I want to do. It's a good thing I'm going to be there for a month!

It's going to be great. Now to go write out my packing list....

Safire

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Winner winner!

Everyone,

We have a winner! Congrats to Melissa at A Journey in Faith!

Please email me at safirecat at gmail dot com with your address for your prize. You have a choice of prizes: A DC Museum Tour or Bits of Maryland.

To everyone else who commented, never fear! You'll get another chance when I get the other prize. Or you could contact Melissa and try to follow this string and win it! Gifts for everyone!

Safire

Monday, July 21, 2008

A Package!

Everyone,

We know our UPS guy and our mailman by name. We love our UPS guy who brings Soot treats, chats every time he drops off a package, and waves at us through the neighborhood if I happen to be walking around with the kids. (Yes, I actually do this sometimes.) Anyway, I give him water or Gatorade on those really hot days, and cookies, etc when I have them. He's just a great guy.

Our mailman, well, he hates our dog and is not terribly nice. Maybe it's just me. He does bring me fun things like this:
What is it you say? Well, remember the pay it forward contest that I won? It came! And I got some really good things thanks to Courtney over at A is for Beautiful. She sent some really fun things! A calender, some magazines with yummy recipes, some note cards and stickers (Butterfly's comment "Can I share your C's?") and some fruit snacks and trail mix. Yum!
And the trail mix and the dinner list are my favorite things! The trail mix has some kind of big chocolate ball with caramel on the inside and it is so good! Yum!

I am also looking forward to looking through the magazines and getting some new recipes. Because frankly, I'm getting a little tired of what we're eating all the time. She also sent a desert cook book and I am so thrilled to be able to eat these things again. I think I will let Butterfly pick one and make it with her during the winter. She will love it!

So what does this mean to you guys as readers? My own pay it forward contest is on! You have until Saturday, July 26th to leave me a comment here and I will randomly pick a winner and send you your own package. Then, when you get my random gifts, you have to have your own contest and pass along the love. Hence the pay it forward concept. So comment away! And if you're looking for something to comment about, tell me your favorite ice cream. (This is what Courtney had us comment on too!)

Safire

PS- Afraid you won't win? Never fear! I won 2 of these contests and when I get the second package, I will have another contest! So be on the look out!

Friday, July 18, 2008

3 Month Update

Everyone,

The boys are 3 months old today. Can you believe it? Time has flown. Probably because I get very little sleep and things just kind of run together. Anyway, here is an update on each boy.

Pirate is my chunky monkey. He weighs in at 13 lbs even and is 24 inches by my measuring tape. His head is just shy of 16 inches. He is serious about eating and will eat at great lengths and with gusto. He also would probably sleep through the night if I would let him. Yes, I wake him up to eat. I only do this because I'm up feeding Professor and I may as well feed Pirate too since I'm already awake. He is also the great diaper escaper and is the one that leaks out all over me (3 times today!). He loves to smile and will smile and giggle at anyone who is talking to him. (Makes Butterfly's day.) If you tap him gently on the mouth, he will break into a huge Muppet smile (you know, where the mouth opens and the head flings back) and laugh. An endless source of entertainment for me and Juice. He also thinks it's pretty funny when you wipe his mouth off. He has rolled over once about a week ago from front to back. And he has the sweetest smile that really comes out in his eyes. What a cute boy he is!

Professor is one sweet kid. He is a little more high strung that Pirate and is, as always, the louder of the two. He wakes up every day around 6 am, happy as a lark and singing like one too. He is full of cute baby sighs, grunts, ahhhs and ohhhs. He talks talks talks all the day long. He also has a dimple in his left cheek that makes his face cute and sweet and oh so kissable. Yesterday he was crying next to me while I was nursing his brother and he reached up, grabbed Pirate's hand and hung onto it for dear life. He calmed right down and fell asleep holding hands. So cute. I think his eyes are going to stay blue because they are bright bright blue. He is 24 inches and 12 lbs, 5 oz. His head is just shy of 16 inches as well. He is rolling back to front more and more. Today he did it twice to sleep on his belly. I can't wait until he does it every time because this kid has some serious startle reflexes. He sleeps best with us in bed, specifically with me curled around him. He is the reason I get very little sleep.

As twins, they are fairly easy going babies. I'm amazed at how much work they are together. There are a lot of diapers (at least 6 per kid per day...about 84 diapers a week) and a lot of feeding time. My butt goes to sleep on a regular basis and I eat tons to keep up with them. I have been reading other twin blogs and something stood out for me. Her twins were sleeping awful and so she read a book (something about healthy sleep, happy child) and it said to put the kids to bed early early. So she started putting her twins to bed around 6pm and treating any other waking after that as night waking. So I did it. And boy does it work! They sleep between 12-14 hours now. Going to sleep around 6-7pm and sleeping until 8-9pm. They are also having some regular naps 2 hours after they wake, and every 2 hours after they wake no matter what. It works for us and they are happier since I started it.

Juice wants to interject that they are cute. That's all.

Butterfly as a big sister is doing well. She is in panties pretty much full time at home but she is asking for diapers on a daily basis. I am not giving in. She treats the babies okay...pats them and likes to hold them for about .5 seconds. She also asks me to put them down on a regular basis or she says things like "There goes Professor." When he starts to cry. It's very cute. She is liking them more and more since they started smiling at her and watching her like an adoring fan base.


Safire

Monday, July 14, 2008

Birth Story

Everyone,

Currently Juice is on the floor holding both boys (who are sucking furiously on their hands...I see a feeding in my future) and playing with Butterfly and her barn and ponies. Wow is he talented or what? And cute besides.

Ahem. Back to the matter at hand. The Birth Story of Pirate and Professor! It's 3 months later (can you believe it's been that long already?!) but I wrote it out about 2 weeks after birth. Most of you know the back story (since I got all the details from the blog) but since it has been 3 months, I will leave it in.



Friday April 11th I went to my normal doctor’s visit. I was 35 weeks, 6 days. As the midwife checked my cervix, she found I was 5 cm dilated and Baby A was so low that things were headed towards delivery. She said not to wait if I felt something going on. Also, my blood pressure was up, 167/ 113. Ouch. The whole office did not expect me to last the weekend. I did not expect to last the weekend. The midwife hugged me on the way out and asked me to really not wait. Okay!

Saturday came and went. Sunday. Then Monday. Then Tuesday. I had another doctor’s visit that day. The doctor checked me and I was still at a 5 and my blood pressure was climbing. 168/113. But there was no protein in my urine and they weren't terribly worried about it. In fact, if I had not brought it up, I don't think my doctor would have said anything about it. But I brought it to his attention and he asked me to come into the office again later that week and get it checked again. He told me that he honestly didn't expect me to last the next couple of days. Neither did I. Or anyone in the office. Again.

I was so uncomfortable. I could barely move and my hips had stretched out so much my ligaments were starting to burn. Wednesday came with a lot of contractions and we considered going into the hospital and just being done with it. But I worried for the boys. I worried that they would not be ready (even though I was)! I worried that they wouldn't be big enough, be able to breath well, have the suck/swallow reflux that I hear only comes late in pregnancy for them. I worried that they would not be able to come home with me and I so wanted them to. So I drank a ton of water, put my feet up and was miserable for the entire day.

On Thursday, I had another doctor's appointment. This time at my perinatologist's office. He saw me checking in and wanted to know what I was doing there! I said I had no idea. Both boys were looking great on the ultrasound and he was concerned more about the fact that I was 5 cm walking around with high blood pressure. He told me that if I did not go into labor by next Wednesday, he would schedule my induction for me. Fine by me! There was no more room for anyone and I was more than ready. I had already decided to go into the hospital on Sunday when my mom got into town so I knew I was not going to make it to Wednesday. I knew birth was close. It just had to be.

Slowly all the worries I had about the boys being healthy melted away that day. I knew that if I were to go into labor, they would be fine. I knew that even if they weren't fine and had to stay in the NICU for awhile, they would still turn out okay. I had done all I could, and now, it was time for them to come.

On Friday, April 18th, I had yet another doctor's visit. This was the one my OB asked me to make to check my blood pressure again. 170/119. And I had the maximum amount of protein in my urine. The first thing the midwife said to me when she walked in the room was, "Guess where you are going?" Of course I knew. I knew I was going to be admitted as soon as the nurse had told me my blood pressure. I had already made peace with it. But I was so nervous. How was I going to handle labor again? I admit I didn't do very well with Butterfly's birth and I felt totally out of control and ripped in half. With these boys' birth hours away, I wondered how it was going to go to deliver two! I had progressed to 6 cm so it was time to go.

We spent the next hour at home gathering up all the last minute things I needed, and arranging child care for Butterfly. I have some really sweet friends in the ward who helped out. I was really relieved that she was going to be so well taken care of and that allowed me to focus on getting these boys here safely. Once we dropped her off, we drove down to the hospital about 10 minutes away. We got closer and closer and I got more nervous! How was this supposed to go? Would I be okay with the epidural? Would the boys be okay? I also felt them moving a lot and thought about how in a matter of hours I was going to see them on the outside. I would see their faces. I would see these movements on the outside! Juice was ready. He kept getting more excited as we got closer. He said I would do wonderfully, and he was so excited to hold these boys. I guess I forget that parenthood kind of starts at the birth for him. He doesn't get to be kicked and bond with the boys before they are born as much as I do. We said a prayer before we went in, and up the elevator we went.

We got lost trying to find the check in desk because the ladies at the information desk told me to go up the main elevator rather than the back elevator (which is what I had taken the 2 times I went to Labor and Delivery before). But the nurses were nice and directed us to the desk where I checked in. We waited in the waiting room and exchanged small talk with a lady who was waiting for a grandchild to be born. I had a momentary pang that my mom couldn't be there for the birth and sitting in that very waiting room.

When they called my name, we followed the nurse to room #12 and met our labor nurse, Maryanne. She was wonderful! She listened to my concerns that things would go very fast like they did with Butterfly. She and I worked out a plan of epidural first, then water breaking, then delivery to present to the doctor. My doctor was Dr. Newbie, a new doctor in my practice. I don't think she was new to OB care, just new to the practice. She was nice, said okay to the plan, and told me that I would be delivering in the OR in case of an emergency. Okay.

It was around noon by the time I got all hooked up to the monitors and things started going. I got an IV with fluid, and we waited for me to be hydrated. We chatted to Maryanne, watched my contractions, and just waited for these boys to be born. Baby B had the hiccoughs so bad that the bed was shaking with each hiccough. They couldn't monitor their heart rates on the monitors because the hiccoughs were so loud. Juice kept asking if I wanted to be read to, watch tv, do something. I couldn't focus my mind on anything but the fact that soon, TODAY, I would be the mother of 3 kids, not just one. I was doing something. I was in labor! Frankly I was a little overwhelmed and just couldn't focus on anything else.

The anaesthesiologist came in and discussed the epidural to me. This was my very first one and I was very nervous. Down the hall, we could hear a lady screaming in pain, and the anaesthesiologist decided to go help her first, and come back and do mine after. Fine with me. We watched my contractions (every 4-3 minutes) and waited some more. My blood pressure was still very high. They were giving me a lot of fluid which normally brings it down. This time it wasn't. Probably because I was so worked up about the birth. I sent Juice to the cafeteria to get some lunch for him since it was around 2pm. I figured nothing was happening and I needed him to be able to focus on me later.

At this point they started me on some magnesium sulfate to try and get my blood pressure down. I was hoping that they would be able to get it to a reasonable level so that they would actually let me have the vaginal birth I wanted. They did tell me at this point, I would have to be on the magnesium sulfate for 24 hours after the birth and I wouldn't be allowed out of bed for those 24 hours. Okay then.

As Juice was finishing his lunch of hamburger and fries, the anaesthesiologist came back and started in on my epidural. I sat up, rounded my back, and shut my eyes. Maryanne held my shoulders and she started. Wow, she was fast and it hurt a little but not as much as I thought it might. I was actually impressed at how easy it was and wondered what I was afraid of. About 4 or 5 minutes later, my feet started to feel tingly and my legs started to feel heavy. It was working! It was actually kind of amazing because at one point I put my hand on my leg and had to look down to make sure what I was touching was my leg. I couldn't feel it in my leg but I could with my hand. Weird!

We were now waiting for the epidural to take full effect. We were visited by Nancy, our bishop's wife who is a baby nurse at the hospital. I was SO HAPPY she was there and was going to be watching out for my babies when they were born. She was also there to cheer me on, and I was surprised at how much I needed someone to just cheer me on that I knew. Yes, Juice was there and he was helpful, but there is something about having another woman there. Besides, she knew where the ice chips were and I didn't ever have to be alone.

About 20 minutes after the epidural, we decided it had taken enough effect. I could still feel the contractions on the top of my uterus and Maryanne showed me how to push the button for more pain relief. Something else that also started to take full effect was the magnesium. My contractions stopped (normal for mag) and we decided to start on some pitocin. Now, I didn't want the pitocin because I think that's why I had such a fast labor with Butterfly. But my contractions went from every 4 to 5 minutes to every 10-12. I was started off on the lowest dose, and immediately my contractions went back up to 3-4 minutes apart. I started to feel some trickling and she checked me. I had a lot of bloody show, and I was close to 8 cm dilated. My doctor came in then and we decided to break my water. Yes! Let's really get this going!

Dr. Newbie broke my water and it was a pressurized stream instead of a huge gush like with Butterfly. And like Butterfly's birth, my contractions suddenly ramped up in intensity. They hurt. Badly. I thought the epidural was supposed to help with this. So did everyone else. I spent a lot of time focusing through the contractions. Maryanne checked me about 10 minutes later when I felt a lot of pressure. Still 8 cm dilated. Only a few contractions later, I started feeling like I needed to move around and couldn't handle the pain any more. I heard Juice say that this is what he remembers from Butterfly's birth, and Maryanne checks me immediately. I am 10 cm and Baby A is starting to crown. They page Dr. Newbie for delivery, and shove scrubs into Juice's hands. He changes quickly and between contractions we take one last picture. Dr. Newbie wanted to deliver in the OR so they get the bed all ready to push me down the hall.

From here, things get a little fuzzy. I remember being wheeled down the hall to the OR and having several back to back contractions on the way. I remember thinking that the breeze they were making while pushing me was nice. I lost track of Juice. (Juice says he got lost!) When we got to the OR they wanted me to move from my bed to the OR table. Yeah, right! I could sit up and lay down and that was it. They helped me slide over, and it wasn't without a lot of pain and determination on my part that I moved a foot to the right. At that point I was in tears and just crying while they moved me around and got situated. The anaesthesiologist showed up at my head and I saw her pushing more medicine into my epidural pump. Juice finally took my hand and having him there made me start to cry even harder.

The lights came down out of the ceiling, Dr. Newbie was there and dressed and they had me hold my legs up to start pushing. Oh it hurt! I couldn't push the full count to 10 and I do remember trying to roll over to the left. Juice held my head up. Maryanne was holding my left leg, and some guy I had no idea who he was was on my right. Maryanne told him you can't be nice to them. She was a good helper, and didn't make me mad and just tried to support me in what I could do. Dr. Newbie was stretching out things and that hurt worse than the pushing. I think I pushed about 10-15 times. I do remember them saying to stop pushing at one point, when I'm assuming Baby A's head was out. Reading the birth report after, he had his cord wrapped around his neck once. One more push and out he came. He did not cry and all I saw of him was the nurses whisking him off to the warmer on the left. I put my head down on the bed, and waited to hear him cry. I do vaguely remember thinking that I was only pregnant with one baby right now, but there was nothing beyond that thought. Pirate finally started to cry and Juice got up to go and see him.

They wheeled the ultrasound machine around to my belly and did a quick look at Baby B to make sure that he was still head down. Dr. Newbie said, "Okay, he's still head down. We need to do this before he turns." She looked right at me and said, "You have to push him down NOW. I will guide his head so we make sure he stays head down." Okay. Juice came back to sit by my head again. Dr. Newbie broke the other bag of water and again, it came out in a pressurized stream. I pushed hard for one contraction. Dr. Newbie nodded and said he's down. I pushed for one more push and suddenly, she had a baby. She scrambled to catch him and Maryanne said, "Sunny side up! He was looking up!" Dr. Newbie had to call to the nurses to come and get Professor. He was very blue and very long. As the nurses took him from Dr. Newbie, he started to squall. And he cried and cried and cried. They had to deep suction out his lungs and he gurgled and choked through the whole thing.

They were 6 minutes apart. Pirate weighed 5 lbs, 13 oz and was 19 and a half inches long at 4:03pm. Professor was 6 lbs, 3 oz and was 19 and a half inches long at 4:09pm. They checked their blood sugar immediately because of my gestational diabetes and both boys were in normal ranges. They put the goop in their eyes and checked their apgar's (9 and 9 for Pirate, 7 and 9 for Professor).

Juice went to look at our sons, and I put my head back and was very thankful that we were able to have the vaginal birth that we had been praying for. I was pretty sure that my epidural did not work as I was in a lot of pain the whole time. The placentas came out in one huge whoosh and I felt instantly 20 lbs lighter. Dr. Newbie started to fix a few minor tears I had. Ouch! I felt that needle. OUCH! OUCH! Okay, she finally got the picture and asked for some local anaesthetic and gave me a shot. OUCH! About a minute later, another poke of a stitch. Yes, I still feel it. Another shot (another OUCH) and finally I couldn't feel anything. Finally.

They moved me back to the other bed, and brought me both boys. They told me how much they weighed, we rejoiced in their being. Wow, twins! They had an A and a B on their hats, and were just so comforting to have in my arms and not in my belly. They took me back to my delivery room and Nancy came in to check them over and give them their first baths. She then asked if I was going to nurse them and we started with Pirate. No problems for either boy. They each got their first shot and were doing fabulously.

After about an hour, they moved me to another room. Apparently, this was the old maternity ward of the hospital. (They are remodeling.) I wasn't allowed to go to the normal mom and baby wing because of my magnesium. They couldn't let me go but they needed the delivery room. So I was in a half way house. Our new nurse came in, told me I was only allowed liquids and brought me a tray with broth, water, and jello on it. Yum. Juice called our babysitter to tell Butterfly she was a big sister (he left a message, they had been at the park) and went home. At that point, they told me I was not allowed to have the boys by myself while I was confined to bed so they took them to the nursery. Juice went home to let the dog out and get something to eat and whatever else he needed to do at home. (Upload a few pictures! You can see them here.)

I don't remember much about the first night. I do remember getting up a few times, Juice sleeping in a very small bed next to me, and enjoying the boys. They were so tiny and perfect. But I was so sleepy and trying to recover. They took my blood pressure every 10 minutes all night long. They took my blood at 3am and again at 6 am. (This was to check the level of magnesium in my blood to make sure that it was doing what it was supposed to do.) I had another lovely breakfast of broth, water, and jello. I sent Juice home as soon as possible to get Butterfly to meet her baby brothers. I tried to sleep while he and the boys were gone, but I couldn't. I was too excited for her to meet them.

The first words out of her mouth when she came in the room was, "Hi Mommy, where are the baby brothers?" She and I snuggled on the bed for a few minutes while Juice went to the nursery to gather the babies. When they came, she held them and did not want to let them go. We finally convinced her to let me feed them and we continued to oh and ah over them. Nana and Grandpa came from Utah this afternoon, and they got to see them when they were about 24 hours old. We had a few more visitors from the ward and talked to a lot of people on the phone. Finally, after 24 hours on the magnesium, they moved me to the mother baby wing and into a really nice room. My blood pressure was coming down, but not very fast. My upper arm had tiny bruises all over it from them taking my blood pressure so much. The only thing I wanted to do was take a shower because I was all sweaty and sticky. They didn't want me to take a shower until the morning because I had just spent a day in bed and had twins and didn't want me to stand up for that long until the morning.

Another very busy and fuzzy night. I do remember Juice telling me the other bed was better than the pull out couch they had for him here and how happy he was for his pillow that he forgot the first night. I don't remember much else. Sunday in the hosptial went very well and we actually took some naps. I watched a few movies on my ipod. We oh and ahed over the babies again. I was finally allowed a shower and felt so much better. That evening, just after dinner, they sent me home. I was so happy to be home and sleep in my own bed.

I just can't believe that we were able to have these babies and they came so healthy and strong. What amazing blessings!

Safire

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Teddy Bear Picnic

Everyone,

Here I am, being all crazy again. I took Butterfly and the boys on a teddy bear picnic/train ride today. I wasn't too crazy because I had my mom's group to help. What a fun group of girls and little girls we have. (Oh, and boys too...but they are tiny.) They were very helpful in carting around a baby for me. And I drove like the dickens to get there on time. The town had these little hills in the road and every time I went over one Butterfly would yell "wheeee!" But I made it on time! I was even impressed by myself.

I unbuckled Butterfly in record time and the whole time I'm telling her she needs to be fast and do just what I say when I say it. She jumped out of the car, looked over at the train and yelled, "My Friends!" It was so cute. 2 moms came and got my boys so I could run and buy tickets and they left as soon as we got on.

They took us on a very old train about 2 miles out on the track, and then back down the same track to the local playground. The playground was cute. Very big, quiet, and had lots of old playground equipment that wasn't plastic and 'safe'. Butterfly rode on those little merry go rounds with all the big kids. They got it going so fast they flung her off (she was sitting on the edge) but she hopped right up and wanted to get right back on. Brave! I like that it seemed kind of secluded and I felt like I could let Butterfly just have the run of the area. I took the 4 girls to the park and the rest of the moms watch my boys and it was a nice break for us all I think. Besides, I get to play with Butterfly which I don't get to do often.

They also told the story of Goldie Locks and the Three Bears. All the kids had stuffed bears with them. Butterfly and the boys had the same bear that we got at my old work's kid party. We ate lunch at the park and had a generally good time.

They gave her a tootsie pop at the end of the train ride (seriously, do the kids need candy?!) and she ate it on the way home. And by the time we got home, she had stuck the grime of the park to herself in a sticky slobbery mess. Her mouth, chin, neck, hair and hands were black. So into the bath we go.

She did not get a nap today and was very contrary this afternoon. Finally I gave up, put in a movie and just tried to deal with the boys who were angels on the train and only wanted to eat at home. Pirate was the cutest on the train. He was grabbing his bear, looking at it, jabbering to it, and then munching on it soundly. He'd make a face, pull it back to look at it, jabber, and munch. SO CUTE.

And Professor has got a shy little smile that just melts my heart. Looks like he has the same dimple that Butterfly has (though not as deep) and it shows up when he's happy. I am reminded of Butterfly when she was a baby how we used to do everything we could to see her dimple. I love to see it in both of them.

Safire

PS- Everyone like my new sidebar pictures?

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Nap 2, Kids 1

Everyone,

Juice calls me foolhardy. Strangers call me brave. I'm not sure who to believe. The past couple of days I've had to go on a few errands. And while that might not seem like a big deal, it really is a big deal. Yesterday was the kid concert that my town puts on. I typically go and it's really no big deal to go sit on the grass and listen to teen aged girls bop around the stage. It's especially no big deal when friends come because Butterfly plays with them and I can focus on the boys. And the friends' moms help hold babies. But this time no one came. And while I'm okay taking care of everyone at home by myself, being out in public is another story.

(An aside...a mom with toddler twins sat down next to me and commented how cute my boys were and how she never wants to go back to those days. I told her I took that to mean that things will get better. She said I should already know, I already had one. But really, I loved Butterfly's babyhood. I didn't want it to get better because I thought it was the best it could already be. But it did get better. Anyway, another twin mom came up and sat with us too. She also said the boys were cute and that she never wanted to go back to her boys being so tiny. While we were at the vet, yet another twin mom commented on my boys and how she did not want to go back to hers being so small. I am noticing a trend here. Seriously, is this that bad? Granted, without my help I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. And I hate that I am feeling overwhelmed because I hate that I am not enjoying this as much as I enjoyed Butterfly's babyhood. And I know that every child is different and every situation is different, blah blah blah. But I guess I was hoping for a happy time with the boys and all I see right now is bouncing from one to the other. With Butterfly, when she napped I was able to hold her and just stare at her. I felt like I knew her inside out and each little tiny change I was on top of. But the boys are changing so much and I feel like I am missing tons. I feel like the current is sweeping me down the river instead of me paddling down it. And it's sweeping faster than I want it to.)

Totally random aside there. No idea where that all came from but there it is and I don't want to delete it so...there it is.

I was going to have a cute post about how I had 2 kids napping at the same time today and only one up (and crying...Professor is one needy baby) but I can't remember what I was going to say. We did take Soot to the vet after the concert and that was an adventure. But she is healthy and has all of her shots.

And now I can't think about where I was going with this entry because I am currently holed up in the bathroom to get a little bit of privacy to write and I smell smoke which means my dinner is probably burning. Sigh...

Anyone want to join the Disney Vacation Club with me? Because I so totally want to. Going to the happiest place on earth right now sounds...well...seriously stressful. Never mind. Gotta go save dinner.

Safire

Monday, July 07, 2008

Sad News

Everyone,

My friend Karen got some sad news today. Her adoption of a sweet little girl fell through. I know she spent a lot of time and effort preparing for this baby and I am sad for her. Loosing a child can never be easy, especially one that is only a few days old.

While I respect the birth parents' right to change their mind, they also made this adoption decision months ago. They allowed Karen and her husband to be involved in the pregnancy, planning for the baby, and even the birth. I understand how connected you feel to a baby right after they are born. Newborns are sweet. But they had decided to give the baby a better life. Do they think that keeping her will give her the best life? I'm not sure.

I do know that Karen must be heartbroken over this. Please go visit her and leave a comment or your thoughts. This must be very hard for her.

Safire

Saturday, July 05, 2008

I won!

Everyone,

I never win! But this time I did. A blog I love was hosting a big Pay It Forward contest. Basically, you have everyone comment on your blog, you pick a winner, you send them a gift, and then the winner gets to host her own contest and send their winner a gift and their winner sends another winner person a gift, etc etc.

So anyway, Swistle had 64 people running this contest at the same time. I only had time to enter 15 of them because I seriously hate typing one handed. Drives me nuts. But I do it a lot in hopes that I will be able to get better at it. Eventually.

Anyway, I won! I was comment #17 on Courtney's blog. Yay! I get a random package in the mail. I love packages. I love packages so much that Butterfly knows the UPS man by name and we always sit and chat. (He is a twin too and told me not to name our boys something really rhymie like his mom did with them. No worries, our boys do not have rhymie names!) Anyway, I'm very excited to see what Courtney comes up with.

And yay for you readers who will have a chance to enter my own pay it forward contest after I receive my package. Let's see how many people come out of the woodwork for it.

Safire

Friday, July 04, 2008

Fun Times

Everyone,

Flower went home yesterday and I am so sad. When Juice took her to the airport, I realized just how much help it was to have someone around. All I really need is someone to hold a fussy baby or help Butterfly find a toy while I've got someone eating. It really is a huge help just to have an extra set of hands willing to entertain small people around here. I've got about 3 weeks before my cousin comes so wish me luck.

The other reason why I'm sad is because having her here gives me an excuse to play tourist. I love living in this area with so much to do all the time. We have been here almost 5 years now and still haven't seen everything. There are a ton of things that I have seen 80 gazillion times though *cough*airandspacemuseamjuice*cough* and I do not wish to see them again. Right now I'm into very kid friendly things to do in the area. I did not like going to Monticello and being told that my child was too loud.

Butterfly is an amazing traveler. She loves to eat at restaurants and is mostly beautifully behaved. She walks a lot, is interested in things, and is generally pleasant even without her nap. The boys are actually turning out to be fairly easy travelers as well. This is good because we are flying to Utah in a few weeks and I'm pretty terrified of the flight there. The only thing I have to watch out for with them is that they actually eat and eat enough. It also leads me to nurse them in different places, including the Lincoln Memorial, the Metro, a blueberry field, watching dolphins and then watching sting rays, sitting with my feet in the ocean and in the front seat of our new van.

So, a list of things we did with Flower:
Kiddie Pool, Sandy Point Beach, monuments, Smithsonian, Baltimore Aquarium, ice cream, blueberry picking, Annapolis, mall (not the one down town, a mall with stores), the Amish Market, baby doctor visits, the movies (we went to see Wall-E...so cute!), a few kid concerts, Youth Conference with my church, the resource center, and the farmer's market. We've had a busy month with her! I loved it and I miss her already even though she hasn't even been gone 24 hours.

She was fun to talk to when we got lost in Baltimore when we went to the aquarium. She was fun to talk to when we got lost going to the mall. (Okay, I'm getting lost a lot these days!) She was a huge help in carting the boys around the aquarium, and running around with Butterfly when I had to stop and feed them. She was just a huge help all around.

Thanks again for coming!

Safire