Nice Day For A Birthday!

Everyone,

What a beautiful day we had today. The sun was shining, the clouds were high and white and the world is a bright spring green from all the rain. I was noticing on Sunday during a break in our showers that the grass and trees and everything seems to have a green tinge to it. I think spring is my favorite season in Maryland. It is so gorgeous and I feel like I have green glasses on all the time. Plus, I do love getting out of the house without so much "equipment" to wear. I am looking forward to the days of sandals without socks and no coats!

Today is Juice's 30th birthday. I've seen him for about an hour total today. Work (obviously) was first and then he came home for dinner and left to go help out a good friend painting her house. I am happy to have him help her out and we've already celebrated his birthday several times now.

We did have some left over ice cream cake today and sang to him before he left. Butterfly even blew out his candle for him but cried when he licked the frosting off and not her.

The kids and I spent our day at the park with friends. Boy those kids ran and ran and ran. We wore out both dogs and the babies sat in their strollers and ate. It was so nice to feel the sun on our faces and breath the fresh air. I came home and opened all the windows. Did I mention how much I enjoy spring?

Happy Birthday darling! Can't wait to see what this decade brings us!

Safire

Why Has It Come to This?

Everyone,

I feel like lately I've done a lot of self sacrificing to get Butterfly to do cool things. Since I spent literally all day online to get Egg Roll tickets, I was a little annoyed with websites. Our local town has a website to sign up for recreational activities. It's just as bad as the Easter Egg roll. But while that one wouldn't let you in, this one wouldn't let you do anything.

I made an account for us long ago in hopes that I might take advantage of the fun things our town has. Well, I thought I added Butterfly to the list but apparently I didn't. And I could not find where to add a person. HOW ANNOYING! Because she was not on my account, I couldn't pick any classes for her. I hate technology sometimes.

Today was swim lesson registration. I'd really like to get her into doing this because of a few things. 1- It gets her out of the house. 2- That whole safety in water thing. 3- I think she will have a blast! 4- I'd like to expose her to some teacher/class participation. Since she doesn't go to preschool I think this is a good way for her to get some exposure to that.

Plus, Lala and Vinny are going to do it with us (he has a different class because he's 5) and it will be fun to hang out with friends once a week. Swimming is always fun! I remember loving swim lessons as a kid and I hope that Butterfly will too.

So, after fighting with their website for over an hour, I gave up. I decided to get up super early this morning and go to their main office and register in person. Lala couldn't figure out the website either and so we decided to go together. 6am is rough, but do able. I do love the morning air and the little birds singing. Lala on the other hand, hates it. Lala is not a morning person. I was trying to be pleasant to the lady behind the counter but Lala was not. Sigh...

Anyway, the lady at the counter said that they used to have people lined up the door in the old days. They used to start camping out around 3am just to get into these swim lessons. ACK! Why do we allow ourselves as parents to do these kinds of things?! I guess it's because we want the best for our kids and if we can suffer through a little discomfort then it's worth it.

Honestly, I don't think getting up early, getting Butterfly into a class that works for us, and then having breakfast outside of the house without children is much of a discomfort. But I think Lala does.

And now, I have the correct account and won't have to do this for the next round of lessons. Yay!

Safire

Sunday Pictures, take 7 Birthday Edition

Everyone,

We had a blast and Juice's party last night! And we stayed up way too late. I've done this too many times in a row and I intend to be in bed by 9pm tonight. Enjoy!

Safire

Birthday Time!

Everyone,

Tonight is Juice's big 30th birthday party. Except it isn't that big. Only because he didn't want a whole lot of people invited. So we invited a few, and some couldn't come so it turned out to be just a right amount.

He has been at a church breakfast thing this morning, and then off fixing an electric wheel chair. I've been trying to get everything ready and get the kids happy. I think Pirate is teething because he only wants to be held and is drooling up a storm. He is also not sleeping well.

I am discovering the joys of having 2 kids in the same room. Because Pirate is not sleeping well, he is staying awake. And he will pull himself up and chat to Professor. Now, Professor is my sleeper. He NEEDS he sleep and will do pretty good as long as he's not distracted. But Pirate distracts him. So then they chat, play, cry for awhile and I figure they are not going to bed and go get them. Well, Professor is cross and crabby and Pirate is all fun. Until bedtime gets closer and then they switch places.

I suppose I should be happy that they do that at least.

I better go get ready for the party!

Safire

Getting Ready

Everyone,

Tomorrow we are having friends over for Juice's big 3-0 birthday. One nice thing about having people over is that we actually clean the house. Shocker, I know. I have been pretty good about doing my daily chore list, but sometimes the house needs a good scrub down.

This is one of those times.

So, today this is what I have done:

Cleaned up all the random loose papers that seem to accumulate in my house, specifically on my table.

Put away the last of the Christmas decorations. Yes, I'm a little ashamed to admit I still had Christmas stuff up. I can hear my Mom saying, "Oh, Safire!" and my Nana too...in the exact same tone of voice. BUT, in my defense, Butterfly loves those horses and wanted to see them pretty much once a day. So Juice finally boxed them up for me tonight and Butterfly will probably not notice that they aren't there.

Scrubbed the kitchen floor on my hands and knees. Seriously, there was no avoiding this one. 3 kids, 2 dogs, and 2 adults really do a number on that floor and it was gross. The bubbles of the cleaner were almost black by the time I was done. Now, it is shiny and the boys can eat off of it tomorrow morning.

Laundry. Yay! Never ending laundry.

Grocery shopping. Gotta have diet root beer for Lavender!

Now, I'm exhausted and ready for my bed. Another day of cleaning tomorrow!

Safire

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'!

Everyone,

The scene: My parents are traveling to see us the week of April 13th for the boys first birthday week! Guess what else is that week? Easter! And Easter in DC means The White House Easter Egg Roll. And camping out in front of the White House for tickets.

The decision: Let's all go to the Roll! My parents books flights and hotels in preparation for camping out. We talk to other local moms and have it all planned out. My sil and Cappy are coming too! We are excited to go!

The email: Two days ago my friend (you know who you are...hi!) emailed me that they were changing the rules this year! NO MORE CAMPING OUT. Instead...online. Ooo-kaaay. I was miffed because camping out was fun! But then I thought, hey, this means more time with my family while they are here! Yay!

The worry: What do they mean by ONLINE? How are they going to manage this? Is it a lottery? Is it a registration? And when? Midnight? 8am? Will we all get tickets? What if we don't?

The reality: Even though I'm sick, I stayed up till midnight last night. No tickets. I finally had to go to bed around 1am. The boys woke up at 6:30am. Juice was out cold because he took Nyquil (lucky duck) and Butterfly was also out cold. I gather up the boys and came down to my computer.

Refresh. Refresh. Refresh.

They opened up the website at around 8am. I thought I had them! I got in, selected the tickets, and was stopped by a word verification. Then, there were no tickets left. What?! What was going on? After browsing several blogs, I discovered that it was a lottery. Only the people who were lucky enough to get past the word verification actually got tickets. And they were putting them up through out the day.

So, I hunkered down, and hit refresh about 10 billion times. Around 11am, they came out again. No luck. 2pm, again, no luck!

Then about 7pm, I was talking to my mom about it and hitting refresh, as I did ALL DAY LONG. And then, word verification came up. And went through!

You are looking at the proud owner of 6 whole tickets! I am so pleased.

My parents were not that lucky.

I have 6 tickets. There are 4 kids, and 5 adults in our party. I have 6 tickets. I am being selfish. I want to go. The kids are going no question.

Stupid CHANGE.

Safire

Sick Day

Everyone,

Today has been a day of wiping noses, practicing coughing into our elbows, and crying fits. For everyone. Okay, maybe Juice hasn't had a crying fit today but I may have. Early this morning when everyone was sleeping. Everyone was snoring, but they were sleeping. Was I?! NO! Stupid cold.

Despite the cold, I felt like I worked hard today. I went to the drug store for some cold medicine, did the dishes, the laundry, kept everyone relatively snot free, fed, changed, cleaned, and even went to my church activity tonight. I feel great that I got so much done.

But man, this cold. My forehead feels like it's growing ever so slowly over my eyes. Juice stayed home from work today so he could not spread it around.

Excuse me while I go wipe my own nose and lay down.

Safire

Sick, Again!

Everyone,

The kids are sick again. Both boys have horrible runny noses and Butterfly has a horrible cough. I feel like we are just bouncing from sickness to sickness here. Although, Juice pointed out that that month we had the cast, everyone was perfectly healthy. I hate to have to lysol the house every time we go out but I hate having sick kids too.

Sad thing is, this time Juice and I are getting it. I hope it goes by fast. It's the pits to be a sick mommy.

Today, before the cold really hit everyone, we were able to go over to my good friend Lolli's house and get some pictures taken! Technically they are supposed to be for their 9 month old shot but we are a few months behind. Pirate broke his leg before we were got around to taking the pictures and then I wanted to wait until he had his cast off to do it. Well, 2 months later, we got them done! So look for a picture post in the future.

Speaking of procrastination, I just barely sent out for the boys' birth certificates. Amazingly enough, the paper they gave us to fill out in the hospital is still in existence and I knew where it was. It's a little wrinkled but still legible. It's going out in the mail tomorrow since I finally got a copy of my driver's licence.

Butterfly, and the boys for that matter, have been extra needy. Pirate was up all night this time...and now Butterfly is sobbing so I better go.

Until tomorrow!
Safire

I Think I'm Tired

Everyone,

I am so tired I forgot to take out my contacts last night and slept the entire night with them in. So since I'm really tired, here's some thoughts in bullet form.

• I have started taking calcium supplements and have noticed an increase in my milk supply.
• I learned that some good friends of ours are splitting up and I'm very sad for them.
• I walked to the post office to get everyone out and to mail my Netflix back.
• I was feeling productive and got Butterfly's yearly video caught up to this month.
• I even did some of Pirate's video...all the way to July.
• I finalized plans for their birthday parties and ordered invitations.
• I looked over my birthday present stash and have all presents for all kids. (Each kids gets 3, one from us, one from a brother, and one from a sister/brother.)
• I should have known when the exercise video talked about endurance that I was in for a work out.

Off to bed!

Safire

Hate Is Such a Strong Word

Everyone,

I'm not going to say it, but I strongly dislike Sundays around here.  Oh church is fine.  I enjoy our ward and I enjoy the talks and lessons that I make it to.  I think that may be the key right there...I make it to very little of church lately.

We are late every day to sacrament meeting (the first hour of the 3 hour block).  9am is seriously killing me.  It didn't help that Professor is getting a cold and couldn't breathe and suck on his binky at the same time.  I spent from 2-5:45am last night sitting up with him.  And I didn't get to bed until midnight because Juice and I went out dancing.  At 6am, my alarm went off to get up.  I did not get up until about 7:30am, but that means I got 3 hours of sleep, maybe.  I'm beat.

I spend most of my sacrament meeting in the mother's lounge nursing the boys.  9am is their normal nap time and they are cross and clingy in church.  Today, they even cried when Juice picked them up.  Yes, they pipe in the talks to the room but no one listens in there.  It's like a big talk fest.  Which I enjoy, to a point.

The second hour I teach Sunday School to the 14-15 year olds.  It's 3 girls so I bring the boys with me.  We all sit on the floor and talk about life and babies more than our lessons.  But I think I must be doing something right because my last batch of teenagers often join us.  We have some good talks and I like being the one they ask questions to.  Today was movie day and we watched an old BYU film about a grandma and a mail box.  Sad movie.  Her kids didn't write and she was alone.  I hope my kids don't do that!

The 3rd hour is the adult women's meeting called Relief Society.  I often sit with Lala and Mimi because then the kids play together on the floor.  We call it baby corner.  But of course, we are so busy with keeping them quiet, entertained, and off of each other (mainly my two, Mimi doesn't like them crawling on her and they barrel over anything in their way).  Most of the time I end up sitting in the mother's lounge again either nursing or holding screaming children.  They have totally missed their first nap and it shows.  Juice teaches the 12 year old boys at this time or I'd have him take them.

I remember with Butterfly that I seriously wondered why I even came to church.  All I did was walk the halls while she explored until she hit 18 months old when the kids are welcome in nursery.  I imagine this summer I will be doing a lot of walking.  At least Lala will be out there too and we like hanging out together.

By the time we get home, everyone is exhausted and hungry and crabby.  We always have a fight with Butterfly to get out of the car after church.  This time, the boys joined in her screaming.  They went right to bed, and Butterfly screamed through her lunch.  I was so tired I fell asleep on the couch today for about 10 minutes.  Juice was great and got Butterfly into bed.  The boys woke up screaming and hungry as he was shutting her door.  So much for my nap.

Still, it was a good day.  We enjoyed the really nice weather and went for a walk to the park.  Butterfly dumped a few handfuls of dirt on her head and Professor ate a few leaves before we thought we should take them home.  Butterfly got another bath (that makes 2 today, one this morning for church) and the boys had cut up meatballs for the first time.

And now, I'm exhausted.  Off to bed and hopefully we'll have a better night!

Safire

The After Sale

Everyone,

The sale this morning was great! I think I got some really good deals. I think I also got more than I should, since I went over my budget. Still, there is no way I could have gotten all of this for $140!

4 pairs of soft soled shoes, size 12-18 months
Noah's Ark with animals
Little People Zoo with animals
Little People van with a random person
2 travel beds, one for the babies and one for Butterfly
10 one piece outfits
9 pairs of shorts
4 shirts
1 movie
7 books
2 crib lights
3 pairs of pjs...oops


I was in and out in about half an hour. I got some really cute thing one and thing two shirts. And a few of the outfits I got still had the tags on them! I those I bought for $2 each. Very nice.

I just barely got the pictures in from this year's sale. Check them out HERE. (I'm in a few of them...see if you can pick me out by the boy clothes on the right in my big green coat.) They said over 660 people from the public shopped, and over $47,000 dollars in gross sales. It's the biggest sale they've had yet! The amount of stuff available is really amazing. I had a good time shopping and volunteering. I will definitely be doing it again in the fall!

Hey, I may even go out on a limb and sell a few things this time.

Safire

Busy Busy Day

Everyone,

This morning we were able to get to a St. Patrick's Day party with my play group at our friend's new house. It was beautiful and made me want to move to some place bigger. She has an amazing play room and bathtub...funny how those two things stick out in my mind.

We were the last to get there and the first to leave. This fact did not escape Butterfly's notice and she was royally put out. She has so much fun playing with those girls. We've known each other since the kids were around 8 weeks old so they have really grown up together.

Tonight I volunteered at the MCPOM sale helping everyone set everything up. I was in the boy clothes section and met a few other twin mommies, both with boys very close in age to mine! There are a TON of good deals at this sale. I am excited to be there early. Things I have my eye on: a travel bed for someone on The Ultimate Road Trip 2009, shoes for the boys, swim diapers, several Little People sets, and of course, clothes. The clothes I will go through during the sale but I had to scope out the toys before hand.

I got a cute red shirt that says, "Got Multiples?" on it. Next year I'm seriously considering being on the committee that organizes the sale. Why? Because you get to shop FRIDAY night. Might be worth all the time to do it!

I had to laugh when I pulled into the parking lot because it looked like a car dealership. And the only thing they were selling was VANS. Rows and rows of VANS. I took our little beater car (named Beau) and it seemed very out of place.

I'm off to bed now so I can be sure and be up by 6am. I've got to feed the boys before I go, and I want to leave the house by 6:30am so I can be sure to be there on time to shop at 7am. Wish me luck!

Safire

Jazzed Up!

Everyone,

My friend Lala (not to be confused with Lolli, or maybe you do...either way, different people) came over today to exercise. We typically get together twice a week, once at her house and once at mine. She has a fascination with Belly dancing for fitness so that is what we have been doing. It's been a lot of fun.

Today she mentioned she wanted to do some deep stretching so I convinced her we should do my post-natal yoga tape. Well, she consented to watch it, I did the yoga. She made funny comments about the ladies and their babies, I worked on stretching out my back and shoulders. She left feeling a little better, and I ended feeling A TON better. I do so love to do my yoga.

Also today, we went to the resource center with Lolli and AJ. And although we didn't have the chance to talk a ton, the kids all had a great time. My 3 even took a 2 hour nap when we got home! Yay! (That was when I did my yoga.)

Butterfly insists lately on playing surprise. She makes up these elaborate "sets" full of her toys she has hidden underneath blankets and buckets. We are then to say, word for word, her script and she acts totally surprised. It's very cute and fun the first 3 or 4 times. After that, I get bored and tell her to either change the toys or change the words. She opts for neither and changes the people involved. In other words, she lets me go do something else while she acts out all the parts, word for word.

Today she insisted on playing surprise at the resource center and I had to flat out tell her to play something else. We probably spent a good half hour playing surprise with the lamb, pig, chicken nesting toy. Pirate spent most of his visit slack jawed and having a great time. And Professor got himself stuck in the play house while trying to go through the door. What a fun family I have!

Book club tonight! I'm going to be tired tomorrow.

Safire

11 Months Old!

Everyone,

I just can't believe that the boys will be a year old in one short month. I've been trying to get their birthday videos put together and they have changed so much! I feel like they are still babies in many ways, but big kids too. Like they are standing on the edge of babyhood and toddler hood already!


Pirate. What to say about Pirate. He is my sweet, happy, smiley, whiny, clingy, independent little man. He has the most amazing smile. We are constantly asking him if his jaw is unhinged because it is wide open about 10 hours a day. A few hours of amazed wonder, and a few hours of complete happiness. His teeth are big and his mouth is big and his smile is big to match the big happy feeling he has inside. He has decided that Mommy is best and only Mommy will do lately. He cries every time I move away from him. But he does his amazing smile when I come near him. I still feel like the whole house checks in with him. He and Butterfly have an amazing bond, and Professor frequently crawls on top of him just to be close. He has become serious about his food and cries when Professor takes too long to eat his bite. He does not want to be forgotten or left behind.

He is getting better at picking things up while eating. He has decided he does not like bread, only soft things. He loves anything noodle related or avocado related. He has started to click his tongue when he wants what you are having to ask you for some. He would nurse all day long if I let him and is calm when he's eating. His happy little kick disappeared with the cast and it's a little sad for me. But he can't kick while he's crawling or standing and he does that about 90% of the time. He is determined to catch up to Professor in both mischief and speed. He is so tall and when he pulls himself up on things, I wonder at his length. He just seems so long. Looking back at Butterfly's 11 months, he's not as tall as she was but he seems longer. He is super strong although he is very gentle. He loves the fridge and makes a bee line to it every time it's open. He also loves to see what Butterfly is doing, loves her play food, and loves to take things out of the toy buckets and put them back in. The other day I tried to clean up the living room and gave up because everything I put in the bin he just took right out. He weighs 18.5 lbs (so I'd say the cast weighed about 4 lbs) and is about 28 1/2 inches long.

Professor is my monkey. Not only does he hold on so tight when you pick him up (you can almost let go and have him stay on...handy when I have to pick up both of them!) he is into everything! He has discovered balls and absolutely loves to chase them around the room. He chirps happily the whole time. Lately he thinks it's funny when Soot plays fetch with us in the house. He tries very hard to chase down the ball with Soot and ends up giggling so hard when she passes him that he can't crawl. He talks all day long, with his "adadadadad" and "huh? huh? uh!" The past few days he's been holding his tongue funny in his mouth like he has something in there and I've been annoying him sweeping out his mouth to fish out any paper. But no paper. This evening, I took a good look in his mouth and his gums are horribly swollen where his molars will be. Can they be old enough for molars?!

He has started to stand for a few seconds on his own. He still falls pretty regularly and cries wholeheartedly when it happens. He never stops moving, even in his sleep. I hear him rolling and sighing and scooching over the monitor when he naps. He is forever fiddling with his hands or wiggling while I am nursing him. Much to my dismay and his brother's. He has 8 teeth now and still has his tiny crescent moon shape in the back of his ear lobe the size of his infant nail. He had that when he was born and the doctors say it will never go away. Apparently he was jammed in my belly with his hand on his ear and his pinkie just made an impression. He has decided being fed from a spoon is for babies and absolutely refuses it. Unless he's completely starving. Or it's something he loves. Otherwise, forget it. He's great at feeding himself though. He is just starting to figure out a sippy cup without a valve in it. He weighs 18.2 lbs, and is 27 1/2 inches long. They are starting to be the same size again! I'm so excited that he seems to be growing.

They are starting to chat between themselves and I hear lots of conversation and laughing during their "naps". They are either great at naps, or not so great. They are content to entertain each other through the bars of their cribs so I let them play as long as they want to. They have started looking around for their brother while we nurse, and often won't fall asleep completely if I only have one at a time. They pull each other's hair, ears, poke out eyes, climb on top of and push over any baby in their way. When we get together with friends, this is startling to the other babies but they really just don't see anything wrong with it. Together they are a force. Professor pulls everything out and hands it to Pirate to dismantle it if it can. They've pushed over Juice's computer tower a few times and he is trying to figure out where to put it so they won't get into it. (Their room was the computer room.) They don't bother it as long as it's not on with it's cool blinking lights!

I put them together in a swing at the park today for the first time and they loved it. I put Pirate in first, and he was very unhappy until he was joined by his brother. Professor has taken to reaching over to Pirate in the car and patting him if he can manage it. They really do check in with each other and want them to be together. Now I know that won't always be the case, but right now it is and I love it.

I can't wait to see what they are like when they are a year old!

Safire

Butterfly's Dream

Everyone,

A few nights ago, between 12am and 2am, Butterfly woke up screaming at the top of her lungs. So Juice goes pounding up the stairs (he was up playing his game) and asked her, "What's wrong?!"

She was bolt upright on her knees in bed. She started to cry, "My turtle! My turtle!"

This is her favorite toy lately. Juice thought it had fallen on the floor and so he started searching for it in the dark. When he didn't find it on the floor, he looked for it on her bed. He found it right next to her in her blanket. He gave it back to her and she snuggled up to him still sobbing, clutching her turtle tightly.

After a second, she calmed down. She said, "Daddy, are you sorry? Are you sorry you threw my toys in the toilet?"

He's baffled. "Uh...honey I think you were just having a bad dream. I would never throw your toys in the toilet."

"But the other night! You did! You threw my turtle in the toilet!" She started to cry again.

"I love your turtle honey. I would never throw it in the toilet. It's just a bad dream. Go back to sleep." He was trying really hard not to laugh. Although we did a lot of laughing after she went back to sleep.

So funny!

Safire

Another Broken Leg?

Everyone,

At times, our house is very full. Full of loud fun noises, not so fun noises, and running/crawling children and dogs. It's chaos shoved into about 1300 square feet, but I love it so much.

Today everyone except me was racing through the house. Willow the puppy was first, with Soot the dog very close behind. Then Butterfly, Professor, and Pirate. Everyone was in high spirits and moving as fast as they were able to. Soot veered from the path Willow was taking and jumped up on the back of the couch. It's her favorite place to sit. Willow decided she would join her. She raced from one end of our living room to the couch, leaped up to the seats, and bounced up to the top of the couch. Where she proceeded to bounce over the couch and land in a heap on the other side. I don't think she realized that it didn't just keep going.

I thought it was pretty funny, until I heard her yowling. Uh-oh. She comes limping out from behind the couch, refusing to use her back right leg. What is it with these back right legs and my house?! She got a little better through out the day but was still limping pretty bad by the time her owner came to get her. I don't think it's broken because she doesn't seem to mind me running my hands all over it, but it's definitely hurt.

Poor Willow. I hope she feels better soon.

In other news, I spent the afternoon talking to my BFF Mink in Utah. I miss her so much sometimes. We talk probably every 2 weeks or so and it's the highlight of my week often. She and I have known each other since 8th grade. We had 5 of 7 classes together in 9th grade, and sat next to each other in all of them. We were lab partners in biology and dissected a frog, a shark (with 6 pups in it!) and did our bug collection together. Ahh...that bug collection was the bane of our biology class. It was awful. Mostly because we pinned them to the board the night before and turned them in...still moving. Yuck! We learned french together, dated boys in high school together, and I think I introduced her to her husband. (Whom she also dated in high school.) We got married within months of each other and had pretty close in age. We both like horses and reading and have similar parenting philosophies.

I'm excited to see her and her 2 kiddos in June when I go to Utah. I'm excited to see all sorts of people in Utah in June. Should be fun!

Safire

Um...

Everyone,

I have had this window open to the "type your blog post here" screen for half a day. I have no idea what to say, how to say it, or anything. So here are some very mundane facts for you.

Juice: He and his nephews are playing their game just about every night. Sigh...fun for him, a little boring for me.

Me: I suppose I am being a little boring for him because I am trying my hardest to get through this month's book club book: The Poisonwood Bible. It's...interesting. I'm about 300 pages in so 200 left to go! I have also been getting a lot of girl movies lately so he doesn't want to watch those with me. Although he does pay attention and asks me questions sometimes. (Keeping it Simple Karen, this girl in North and South does remind me of someone!)

Butterfly: She is either a love or a beast. I suppose that's what 3 years old is for. She has caught on to the birthday spirit since everyone in my family has their birthday in Feb-May except for me. Parents and sibling included. She has started demanding different things for her birthday, like guns or a bird or a circus. Huh. We got her an electronic book set already so maybe we'll attach a toy to it (not a gun).

Pirate: His leg is doing fabulously. He really doesn't favor it at all. When he pulls himself up (which isn't often, but he wasn't doing it before his accident either) he stands on his toes and kind of leans over everything. I think it's because he's going to be the tallest kid ever. He is so long and skinny.

Professor: He has this little quirk of scrunching up his face when you go to wipe it off. But he starts scrunching even before you're in the room with the wipe. It's really very enduring. He has learned the fun of "pass the baby" and will go from my arms to Juice's arms and back giggling madly. He gets into everything, followed by his accomplice Pirate who then destroys what he's pulled out.

Soot: Is liking and not liking having the new puppy stay with us during the day. Willow wants to play often and Soot either allows her to pounce on her like a queen or runs away and growls if she gets too close. It's good for Soot to have a friend around. They love walking together so that's something. Willow also never runs from me with Soot around. Soot is a great example.

the House: Complete disaster. Last week something happened and I just don't want to do anything. And I'm not sure what that something was. Either way, I have a lot of must dos this week in regards to house keeping. Such as, I must move all those boxes of oatmeal out of my entry way.

the cars: Need oil changes. Now to find the time...

The city: Had a big St. Patty's Day parade yesterday.

The State: seems to be staying put.

The Nation: Well...not much I can say about that because I barely have time to look at my email let alone pay attention to the news.

The World: Still spinning. Wobbly.

The End: Right here.

Safire

Sale Time!

Everyone,

It's that time of year! My Moms of Multiples group is getting ready for their spring sale. I am very excited to go this year! I decided that I would volunteer 4 hours of my time and then I could go in at 7am, instead of 8:30am. I don't have a 4 hour block I can do together, but I can do 2 hours together. This year I am helping to set up the sale the night before (honestly so I can scope out what I want to get more than to help, but I think everyone there does that). The other 2 hours I spent today, papering cars with our flyer at the local kids stores in town.

Remember what I got last year? And check out these pictures of last year's sale. This is a totally awesome sale and I'm really hoping to get the word out to everyone. Not only to help out my other Multiple Moms, but for everyone else too. Babies go through so much stuff so fast. This is a great way to stretch that budget! It's $2 for non-members and everything is half price from 11:30-12:30pm. I am going at 7am this year but I would be happy to stay and help my local gals shop! (Tell me what you are looking for...I've got a running list and I can tell you on Friday if they have what you want. This means you Anie and Melissa and Candis and Kathy!)

This year I am looking for the following for the boys:
more soft soled shoes
8 pairs of shorts (I have 8 shirts from friends' kids)
3 or 7 one piece outfits (I loved these on Butterfly and I have an odd number)
4 or 6 pjs

for Butterfly:
2 play dresses (one blue, one pink per her request)
6 shorts
6 shirts
4 pjs

It seems odd that I don't need a whole lot (a huge thank you shout out to Lolli and everyone who gave me their baby boy clothes...it's been a huge help!) but I guess you don't need a whole lot for summer. Winter has so many more accessories. This year I'll spend my saved money on trips to the pool and sunscreen instead.

I'm also going to check out the awesome toy section they have and see what I can come up with. I'd love some more Little People for the kids, since that is what they play with the most. Also, new books will be a welcome change for our daily reading. Also, I'd love to see if they have any travel gear for our big trip in June.

Other things I'll get but refuse to buy used are swimsuits for Butterfly (the boys already have 4!), specific Sunday clothes that Butterfly requested and I'm getting stuff for the boys to match...they are going to hate me when they are older!, and sandals for Butterfly. I already have sun hats for everyone and a few things I bought on clearance last year.

So, to recap. Go to the Sale! Click HERE for all the ins and outs.

Safire

Food for the Children

Everyone,

They boys are seeming to eat solid food with a little more gusto than they have been in the past. Pirate is a really good eater. He opens his mouth, eats whatever I give him, and is generally happy. The only thing he doesn't do is pick up his cheerios or whatever finger food I have for him on his tray. He tries for a few times, misses his mouth every time, and then just stops trying all together.

Professor is on the other end of the spectrum. He loves his finger food. He generally grabs whole handfuls of the stuff and shoves it in his mouth as fast as he can get it. He eats every single Cheerio on his tray every single time. But he has decided spoon feeding is for babies. He will only agree to it if it's something he really likes. Otherwise he swats the spoon, flinging food everywhere. I really can't stand that. I think I end up saying no to him more often than I would like during meals. This could be why he has learned to shake his head 'no' and does it with gusto in his high chair.

Foods they have been eating lately:

Sweet potatoes, baked and then cut up
Avocados
Small pieces of meat
Apples
Pears
Cheerios
Gerber Puffs
Bananas
Pumpkin
Bread
Cheese
Yogurt
White Potatoes
Peas
Carrots
Beans
Noodles
Mac and Cheese
Waffles
Pancakes

Their favorites are sweet potatoes and avocados and beans. I know every time I give them these, they will eat really really well. They tolerate things like pumpkin and white potatoes. But I have a bunch of frozen baby food so they'll eventually have to go through it. I have found that putting chunks into the purees I have will get them to eat more, as they are ready to chew their food and not just gum it down.

They are eating 3 meals a day. Mostly for breakfast I give them bananas covered in oatmeal or whatever they had the night before and didn't finish. Lunch is often bread with mac and cheese and peas and carrots. I know, they probably shouldn't have mac and cheese yet but it's so easy and they love it. I try to make lunch all finger foods so Pirate can get some practice and then I can also eat.

Dinner is whatever is closest in the freezer. I almost always put either barley or oatmeal in it, along with frozen veggie chunks or canned fruit pieces. They sometimes have what we are having too. Pirate is especially good at begging off my plate and loves to eat off of my fork.

They are still nursing 7-8 times a day. We've also been giving them sips of water from a sippy cup and they love that. I don't remember this with Butterfly, but I feel like I am feeding them all day long. If I'm not nursing them, I'm getting them in and out of their high chair and cleaning them up. Or I am making them (and Butterfly) something to eat. It's exhausting!

Safire

Port Discovery!

Everyone,

Who has a free Thursday afternoon in March? Want to go to Port Discovery with us? It's half price on Thursdays. We had so much fun today with Karen and baby Evie! Well, I think Butterfly had more fun at the children's museum than we did. She pumped gas, climbed a huge rope ladder, rode on a wooden horse, roped cattle, dressed up, played soccer, and wandered through a crooked house.

There was so much else to see that we didn't! There was a huge climbing thing in the middle of the museum that I couldn't take her in because of the boys. And the water room closed as we got up there. And they had a special room for tots under 4 with it's only little climbing thing and balls, etc. but that room was closed when we passed it. I would love to go back and spend more time.

Karen and Evie came from Kansas to visit her best friend from college. Karen and I "met" online about 5 years ago. I think it's 5 years anyway. We were both trying to get pregnant, along with Deanna, Jill, Amy, and a lot of other girls that I still keep in touch with. Karen and I talked a lot through out the day. At least, after I got our extra car seat in the car (after taking it out 3 times to get it to work! Curses! We spent probably 45 minutes in the loading zone at the airport trying to get that car seat to work).

We took over 2 tables at the fast food place to have lunch, and then off to Port Discovery! And Baltimore! Where I always get lost! Today was no exception. Except this time I didn't get lost going into Baltimore, I got lost going out. And then we got lost going to the mall to meet up with Deanna. Juice was helpful enough to google map us back on track and we decided to eat at the pizza place.

Wow, we are brave women to go to a sit down restaurant with 4 infants and a 3 year old. My boys were ravenous and ate twice as much food as they normally do. They cried between mouthfuls so I didn't get a chance to look at the menu until we were about ready to order. Luckily, Butterfly was willing to color and was a complete angel today. I wish she was like this every day. But I suppose bad days make me realize how good she can be.

I was also really impressed with Karen and Evie! They had been up since 4am their time to take their flight and were both still happy and willing to be dragged around by us. And Deanna's little boy is a doll! I had fun meeting him too.

Come back soon Karen!

Safire

Treading Water

Everyone,

I think I go in cycles of being all okay with everything, and then I can't seem to get ANYTHING done. I feel like my days are so full but I also feel like I never do anything. Like today. I didn't get a shower until 5pm.

But looking back at the day I don't have anything to show for my time. It's not like I was busy baking or scrapbooking or anything. I did take a nap this morning while the boys were napping and Butterfly was watching her show. I don't think I've napped in months. I could use another one.

I did exersise with my friend this afternoon while the boys took their second nap and Butterfly had quiet time in her room. And when the kids are all up, I spend time playing with them and feeding them (a huge chore lately, another post for another time) and cleaning them.

Needless to say I did NOT get all the birthday stuff ironed out and will have to work on it some more in a few days. I also did NOT get any laundry done, or even planned for my good friend Karen's visit tomorrow. Planned as in printed out directions and packed the diaper bag. I have some time in the morning that I will be able to do that but still. I wanted at least a list of things to gather up in the morning done tonight. (Yes, I am one of those people who makes lists of things I should do.)

I think we're going to have a great time tomorrow. I am either very brave or very foolish but Karen is coming to spend the day with me in Baltimore and then we'll meet up with another good friend Deanna in Annapolis later. This is the first time I am taking all 3 kids out doing something touristy by myself. Karen will be there so she can help me keep an eye on Butterfly but she also has a baby of her own so we shall see how it goes. We may end up spending a lot of time in the car because everyone will be contained there.

Wish me luck!

Safire

Busy Day, and Yet...

Everyone,

I've had a really busy day and yet nothing seemed to get done. At least, nothing really on my to do list. Well, okay I did actually get one thing done but that was all. I heard of a pretty cool diaper deal at the bulls eye store so I thought I'd head on over there and get diapers (always needed) and get my $10 gift card bonus. I did that this morning as soon as the boys were up from their first nap.

It took us at least 45 minutes to get out the door. I have no idea why. But from the time I harassed Butterfly into leaving and the time I actually drove out of my parking lot, it was 45 minutes. No wonder she dawdles when we leave. Or perhaps the dawdling is why it takes us 45 minutes to get out. Either way, we got out.

I used the stroller in the store today because I was by myself. I think I'm out of practice. By the time I got everyone out of their car seats and into the stroller, I was ready to put them back into the car and go home. But no! I was on a mission.

The mission failed, though. They did not have size 3s, only 5s and 6s. Arg! I did get a few craft stuff I need for my church thing tomorrow and we left with a stop off at the pizza place for lunch. Yuck, something was really wrong with the dough or something but it tasted awful. I took it back and got my money back. Both the boys were rubbing their eyes while I was loading them into the car so we went back home. I was planning on trying to go to another store and see if they had the right size.

Turns out going home was the best idea. The boys napped for almost 2 and a half hours and Butterfly for almost 2 hours. Our old neighbor came by to get her puppy, and stayed and chatted with me. Then Juice showed up (unexpectedly) from his trade show downtown. He came to have lunch and go back to work. Then our other neighbor came over and we all sat and chatted for almost an hour. It was fun and a really great adult conversation break to my week!

By the time everyone left, the kids all woke up and I spent the rest of the evening trying to make dinner and getting Professor out of minor scrapes. Like, getting stuck underneath the chairs and his hand stuck out of the doggy door.

Before I knew it, dinner was on the table and eaten, boys were in bed and the kitchen cleaned up. I left Juice with the kids and went to another store to get eggs and the diapers. Success! But now it's really late and I am beat. And I feel like I've spent my entire day looking for these diapers.

Goal for tomorrow? Look at 4 birthdays that are coming up in my family (out of 9 in the past and next few weeks) and get them all planned/bought (mostly) so I will quit worrying about them. I swear, my brain has turned off lately!

Safire

Being Mobile is Fraught with Peril

Everyone,

Pirate is learning that being mobile is not free from bumps and bruises. He is not very coordinated with his new found mobility. Today alone there have been a few significant falls. I'm going to highlight the funny, and the not so funny.

The Funny: He has a tendency to try and pull up on things by planting one hand on either side of the object and leaning forward. He is not going up as expected and falls forward faster, thereby face planting into whatever he was trying to pull up on. The trash can, Juice's leg, the couch (still not quite sure how he does this but it is hil.ar.ious.). He gets really frustrated because it happens over and over again. And I am a bad mother for laughing till I cry over it sometimes. Hey, we got to have some entertainment in our lives. Mine just happens to be him.

The Not So Funny: Every morning I shut off the stairs and let the boys explore our upstairs. Most of the time they are either spreading the books in Butterfly's room across the hall or they are in my room spreading the toys they have up there. Today, Pirate thought it would be fun to explore the bathroom. Normally I'm okay with that because mostly they just pull up on the bathtub and drum on it and talk to the toys in the bottom. Today, I heard a major thump and then the unmistakable sound of the bath toys moving. I sprinted into the bathroom to find Pirate in the tub happy as a clam. He more than likely fell in head first. This has scared me silly because the toilet is as tall as the tub and it's not inconceivable for him to go head first into the water! I have now instigated the rule that all bathrooms must be shut at all times.

He is pulling up on things but not putting all his weight on his right leg. He is normal crawling again and when he falls back into his cast crawl, he stops, puts himself on all fours, and continues. He is not as fast as Professor (yet) and likes to sit on his knees and look around.

Safire

Sunday Pictures, take 6

Everyone,

I looked out the window and what did I see?

Safire

Freebie!

Everyone,

It's been a day of freebies for us. I had heard about our favorite ice cream place giving away free cones if you wear your pajamas on Thursday when I went out with a friend there. Free ice cream! Who could pass that up?

So, our day started off with free ice cream in a waffle cone for me, Juice and Butterfly. Butterfly got the pink one (strawberry) and it was as big as her head. Seriously! She ate the whole thing too. Juice got blueberry cobbler (not vanilla! I know!) and I got raspberry truffle. Each cone would have cost around $3.50 for each. So, $10.50 saved!

Next on our list was a free burger from Arby's with this coupon. Arby's is kind of far from us. I had a coupon for something else free near Arby's so we thought we'd go there too. (And yes, we are all still in our pajamas.) 2 free burgers at Arby's, along with 2 drinks, 2 potato wedge things, and a kid's meal, later, $14.00 saved! $15.00 spent.

Off to a local computer store where I had a coupon for a free SD memory card. I needed another one for my camera because I often run out of space. Juice decided to use my "give to a friend" half of the coupon and get one for the Wii. Each one cost $7.00. So $14.00 saved!

So let's sum up:
Total merchandise: $53 or so
Total spent: $15
Total saved: $38 dollars!

It was a good shopping day.

Safire

Favorite Photo Friday

Everyone,

My favorite picture of the week. And I've got a few really great ones. My flash is finally working (with new batteries) and I've had a lot of photo opportunities this week. Also this week: yogurt. I made yogurt in my crock pot with this recipe. It is great and tastes awful because there is no sugar or anything sweet in it. But, with a little honey or syrup and some fruit, I love it!

It calls for a half gallon of milk, but now I have a half gallon of yogurt and really...we don't eat that much. So now I'm trying to think of things to use yogurt in. Any ideas?

Butterfly had an idea of something to use the yogurt with. Face painting!
Safire

A New Family Member!

Everyone,

Remember how I said that the x-ray techs kicked me out of the x-ray room because of a risk of pregnancy? Remember how I scoffed?

Yeah, that's still totally true.

Our good friend and old neighbor has a new puppy! She is so sweet. She is black with a tiny bit of white on her mouth that makes her look like milk is dribbling down her chin. She is a cocker spaniel and completely adorable.

She is staying with me during the day for the next little while. So she's going to be joining the family in the day. Her name is Willow. So cute! I love the puppy breath, the soft fur, the soft feet, the growling bark, the yipping in fear, the need to be next to another living thing...ah...I love puppies. And babies. And I've got both! Times 2! My blog is going to be so sticky sweet for the next little while that you will all get cavities. Sorry. I do happen to know a good dentist who happens to be my brother in law.


She already knows how to get out of the house through the dog door (she can't get out yet, she can't open the flap but she knows where to get out). She slept at my feet for a good hour and a half while I scrap booked with Lolli. She is seriously unnerving Soot though. Our puppy, while a very good puppy, is not all that social with other dogs. I hope having another puppy around will help Soot as well as Willow.

Also, I got a new member of my camera family. A flash! I was having fun with it yesterday, but today I can't seem to get it working. Stupid batteries. (At least that's what the manual says it is. I'm off to buy more batteries as we speak.)

Safire

Finally, A Doctor Visit

Everyone,

Early early this morning, we had our final visit with Doc B. We actually made it on time, despite rush hour traffic. As we were lead into the exam room, we kind of brought the whole office with us in a wake. They were so happy to see us. I was happy to be there because it officially ended the cast.

We put the boys down on the floor to play and immediately Pirate got himself up onto all fours and started rocking. "Awww...." says the whole office. They were all crowded around the door when Doc B came up.

"Hey, I can't afford to have you all standing around here!" He smiled. The whole office laughed and dispersed. He came up, took one look at Pirate up on his hands and knees and said, "Well, he's healed." I picked Pirate up and Doc B felt his leg for about .5 seconds and said, "Let's get an x-ray!"

At that point, about 3 x-ray techs come into the room (because the door was open and it seemed like they were waiting their turn outside). They oohed and aahed with Doc B and when the x-ray room was free, they took him in. (They also kicked me out of the room and told me to go get Juice. Something about a risk of pregnancy for me...yeah right!)

On the x-ray you can still kind of see the break. It's very faint. And Doc B said all the edges look defined. It will be gone in a week or so but he doesn't need anything else. We asked about the physical therapy and he said no. Babies bounce back so quickly and he's already starting to use the leg properly. In a week or so it should be as if he never had a cast.

One thing he did mention is that when a baby breaks a long bone like this one, sometimes the blood flow is interrupted. Rarely, one leg will grow longer or be shorter than the other one because of this. It's rare, but we need to keep an eye out for it.

We were sad, in a bitter sweet way, to leave Doc B. He was really great.

Today he has been moving his leg more and more. He even took a few crawling steps around dinner time! He also pulled himself up on his feet once. He's going to come through this with flying colors.

Safire

Feeding the Boys

Everyone,

Doc B was not in his office today so we have an appointment with him first thing tomorrow morning. Hopefully.

(Lots and lots of nursing talk going on here. Look away if you don't want to think about this!)

I've had several people ask me how I'm doing nursing the boys. I loved loved loved nursing Butterfly. She was a dream to feed. Always latched on (when we finally figured it out probably 2 weeks after she was born) and was content to just sit there and nurse. I think that's probably why she was so enormous. I would fall asleep nursing her and so would she. I hated giving up nursing and would have continued if we hadn't wanted to have another baby sooner rather than later.

With the boys, it was easy at the beginning. I had the lactation consultant visit me in my hospital room to refresh my memory, but we were doing great. The boys ate, pooped, and grew. I fed them separately until I came back from my trip to Utah. I think they were about 5 and a half months old. But I had help through out that whole half of the first year. Someone was always willing and wanted to hold a baby while I was feeding the other one. (Flower and Bee...I miss you!! Anyone want to come back to Maryland with me after my trip to Utah this summer? Please?)

Once we got back it was a whole different ball game. I had fed them together a handful of times for their first few months. I have a twin nursing pillow that I used all the time. But I felt like I had to have another hand just to adjust the pillow over and over again, let alone hold onto the boys! Once Professor learned to roll over, there was no keeping him on that pillow and I figured I had to do something else.

So I pulled out my book from the La Leche League about twins, Mothering Multiples. They have a section on nursing positions with two. So I tried a few out and found one that works for me and the boys. I call it our V position since that's what it looks like. When Pirate had his cast, it took me a few days of practice to get them to nurse together.

It's been pretty comfortable up until about 2 weeks ago. Now that the boys are more active, they poke, kick, hit, pull, and squirm while nursing. Professor is my instigator. He can not sit still for a very long time and nursing is trying his patience and mine. If he had his way, he'd be able to do flips and nurse at the same time. I think I went through this phase with Butterfly but it was more manageable. I just can't deal with him and hold Pirate too.

Last night Professor was making such a ruckus that Pirate got frustrated and bit me hard. There was no blood but there may as well be. I still feel it over 24 hours later. The book talks a bit about fighting twins and nursing. Their biggest thing is to stop nursing and say no fighting and go back to it. But if I do this, Professor does not go back to eating and Pirate screws up his face like I've killed his dog and wails. Right now I'm trying all I can do to get Professor to eat and grow and stop being in the 3% on the growth charts.

When I am out in public, I will not nurse them together. It's just too much of a hassle and really really immodest. Although all my nursing buddies at church (pretty much the only place I nurse in public and even then, it's in a nice room set aside for nursing moms) wouldn't care if I did it, I don't know if Professor could keep his mind on the task at hand. Besides, I nurse them at the end of the meeting and that's when the other ward that we overlap with is in there and I don't know those ladies. I'm still thinking this one over.

My good friend Lala is in the process of weaning her newly 1 year old daughter. She is sad and calls me every day crying about the loss of her baby. I keep telling her that you don't have to wean if you don't want to! If she is that upset about it, then let her nurse longer! I nursed Butterfly until she was 15 months old, and I will like to nurse these boys at least to that, if not beyond. We are in no rush to have another baby (obviously) so no mommy led weaning for me. If they wean themselves after a year, I won't force it. 2 years old is my limit although I think at that point they would only be nursing at bed/nap times anyway.

So, in a nut shell, I nurse the boys together about 95% of the time. Professor is a snack and run kind of kid. He is done well before Pirate is. I will put Professor down and watch as he destroys the room and I finish up with Pirate. They fight some. We are planning on nursing past the year mark.

Any other questions?

Safire

What Would You Do?

Everyone,

Juice and I watched the snow start to fall late last night. We woke up to a veritable blizzard. Well, what one would call a blizzard here in Maryland. The snow was powder...fine and dry and a skiers dream. Utah snow. I had forgotten when you shoveled it wouldn't go where you tossed it. It just blew wherever it wanted to.

I woke up to Butterfly yelling out her window, "Wave at me Daddy! Wave at me!" I figured Juice was taking out the garbage and sighed because the boys were up only an hour ago and I was tired. "I want to shovel! Don't shovel all of it without me!" Oh, right. I jump up, throw clothes on her, get her outside and then go deal with my boys who are screaming because they know I'm up and not getting them. After I got them up and dressed, Butterfly and Juice came back inside with bright red cheeks.

"I want hot chocolate for breakfast!" Everything Butterfly says has an exclamation point after it. Even when she whispers. I arrange for Butterfly to go play with AJ at Lolli's house during our doctor visit, and put the boys down for their naps.

Juice decides to work from home today, and mentions we should probably call the doctor and see if his office is running late.

I do. It's closed.

I get it. It's for the safety of everyone involved. But I'm annoyed. People of Maryland, you have not seen snow until you've seen it drift 7 feet high and your car can't drive through it because it's taller than your headlights. I'm just saying...

So what would you do on a snow day the day after you take off your cast for a broken leg?




We went sledding.

The boys were cranky. It was their nap time. But I was determined to have pictures of them in the snow like I have pictures of Butterfly in the snow.

Didn't quite work out the way I wanted to because Pirate is so tired he is crying and all Professor wanted to do was eat the snow. He was not happy with the snow after he stuck his face in it. We spent about 15 minutes outside and then I came back in with them. Juice and Butterfly got to stay out for over an hour playing and I have to admit, I'm a little jealous. We rarely get snow here and I love to make the most of it when we do. But today, I couldn't. Next year we'll hopefully be able to stay out longer.

I get to call the office at 8am tomorrow and reset up Pirate's appointment. I hope it's soon. I'd really like to know if his leg is healed or not.

Safire

PS- I've had a lot of questions why we took the cast off ourselves. The doctor told me specifically 2 times to take it off the night before. Even after I questioned him about it, he said he wanted to spare Pirate the saw and to see what kind of muscle deterioration he has. We did not just get tired of it and take it off. We were told to. But I won't do it next time. It was too much of a hassle. So if anyone is googling my blog for spica casts in infants, don't take it off yourself! The saw would last 10 minutes! This lasted 2 hours. Although he had a great time in the tub while it was going on.

PPS- Happy Birthday Bro!

No More Cast!

Everyone,

I am so excited!  Pirate is cast free!  We waited until after church and after his nap to do it.  We brought out our baby bath tub and put the infant back rest up and let him sit.  He discovered splashing again about half way through and was driving Juice crazy because he kept splashing Juice. 

It took us close to 2 hours to take it off.  Next time, if there is a next time but hopefully NOT, we are going to have the doctor cut it off with a saw.  It was not fun to get off.  We had scissors and two other kids to try and wrestle with while taking it off.  Hence, two whole hours.  He was a prune by the time we got him out of his cast.  Yay! 

He is very light.  I got to bathe him right after (in clean water, of course!) and he wimpers every time you move his right leg.  It is very limp.  He makes no effort to move it on his own unless his other leg is moving a lot.  He holds it in the cast position when he's not using it.  He espcially hates to have his knee bent.  Poor little man!  I intend to talk to the doctor tomorrow and get some sort of physical therapy for him, either in the office or something I can do with him at home.

A lot of people said that when they had casts, they were surprised to see how skinny their leg was compaired to their other one.  I was waiting to see if that would be true with Pirate.  But really, it wasn't.  His right ankle is skinnier than his left but everything else looks about the same.  (His right leg is the one he broke.)  Maybe because he was in a full body cast, everything got skinny together.  His little bottom is very boney. 

He sat in his high chair for dinner!  Yay!  He curls into me while he's eating like he used to.  I missed that.  Now I'm just waiting to see if his happy kicking comes back in both legs.  I hope so.  I loved seeing both his legs going when he was happy. 

Doctor's tomorrow!

Safire