Pazzo!

2008-07-24T10:46:00.002-05:00

Brodie finally had his FIRST t-ball game on Tuesday night. He had practices on June 7 and 14 and EVERY game has been rained out since.

It was pretty amusing to see 5 and 6 year old playing. They run all over, they don't know where to stop or when to keep going. Brodie's "stats" were 3 hits, 2 runs, and 1 out (even though they don't keep score in t-ball). He had a great time. He has another game tonight, one on Saturday and next Tuesday. It looks like the weather is going to cooperate.

My SIL is coming today. The kids are excited to see her after a year.

Good for AFLAC

2008-07-22T13:22:00.004-05:00

AFLAC announced today that they are pulling their ads from The Savage Nation after the disgusting remarks made last week by Mike Savage about children with Autism. He claimed that "in 99% of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out." He also used words like "idiots" and "morons."

Link.

Festa

2008-07-20T19:12:00.002-05:00

We went to Festa Italiana today. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that admission was free until 3:30. We went sans stroller. I think the girls did quite well on their "leashes"...except for when some guy in a major hurry took Cate down in one long stride. Arancini (rice balls) and deep fried eggplant isn't as good when it's almost 90 degrees out, in case anyone is wondering.

Brodie was disappointed to not get to ride any rides, but cripes, it was a rip-off. Tickets were $1 each, and each ride was about 4 tickets. Family of five riding the carousel? Um, no. I think he was appeased by a chocolate covered marshmallow on a stick and little carved wooden recorder. The girls were kept happy with some red, green and white bead necklaces. They all fell asleep in the car on the way home, so we took a scenic route.

Dinner was ridiculously simple after all the junk we ate. I put out a huge tray of raw veggies, dip, and some cheese and crackers. All of us have a touch of sunburn. The tip of Cailey's nose is a little pink, because she insists on wearing her sunhat like Ed Norton. I'm anticipating a solid night's sleep.

Back by semi-popular demand.

2008-07-18T11:16:00.002-05:00

I'm still asked by a few people why I stopped doing my Blog. I don't have any good reasons, other than I'm lazy and have other Internet addictions to feed. So what's new?

I will be "demoted" from third grade to second grade this fall, at my request. I'm excited to back with the "little" kids. No more screaming and gagging during the crayfish unit. Second grade does have an insect unit, but as long as they are smaller than a quarter and don't have pincers, I'll be okay...I hope.

The girls are potty training, and it is going surprisingly well. I'm amazed at how much easier this is than with Brodie. I do a lot of running back and forth, but I've also gone low-tech. No rewards, no charts, no stickers, etc. You go, you flush, you wash. Yay! The end.

We're planning our first family vacation (sort of) to the East coast. The girls will not be joining us. We're going to spend some quality time with Brodie who so often winds up in the shadow of Little Miss Piss and Little Miss Vinegar. We'll be taking the Civic instead of the van which will help tremendously with gas costs. I'm excited to stay with some friends out East, too.

Brodie will be starting kindergarten at the end of August. He is very excited, and God help his teacher. He continues to be a walking encyclopedia and constantly has his nose in non-fiction books and wildlife magazines. His reading skills are still mind-boggling to us. He's also starting to count money and knows several addition facts.

The girls will be starting their second year at daycare in the fall, and they couldn't be happier. This summer they are all about wearing sunglasses, watching the birds in the yard, and being generally weird. The twinspeak is bizarre. I am living the movie Nell. Their hobbies are singing, dancing, fighting, and spraying spittle into sunbeams to make "snow." Which leads me to the recent bouts of sickness in the house; all three kids have just recently recovered from Strep (getting it about 4-5 days apart, of course) and the girls also had hand/foot/mouth disease, which is as disgusting as it sounds.

What am I doing? Twitching, drinking in the evenings, hanging out on the computer with my imaginary friends...

Leaving for Charleston....

2008-04-23T06:57:00.001-05:00

Just one more day....

So I'm catching some flack...

2007-10-21T22:19:00.000-05:00

..about not updating my Blog.

Well, I've been a wee bit busy. Let's see....since August 14th, I enjoyed a wonderful weekend in the Baltimore-DC area with my friends that live in my computer, and oh, yeah- I went back to work.

It's been two months, and I have somewhat of a routine down, but it's still kicking my butt. I get up at 5:30, leave the house at 7:00, and I usually get home around 4:30. It makes for a long day for the kids, too. Especially Brodie. He loves full-day preschool, but I sense he's getting restless there. The girls love daycare, too. They are just full of new words and discoveries. Cate likes to refer to her siblings as Cay-wee Anne and Bobie. Tonight the girls were holding hands and running around the house.

The girls turned 2 last months and we had a little party here at the house...pizza, cake, and ice cream. This weekend, we had Brodie's party. He had a jungle party with a hippo cake. A few of his friends were there, and it was a nice time.

I went to the ER after the party and after a 3 1/2 hour stay, was diagnosed with Strep Throat, which I haven't had since my first year of teaching. I have to stay home tomorrow so until the antibiotics kick in. I'm going to miss the first day of the WKCE 3rd grade test. Not good, but I don't have much of a choice.

Not much else. Hopefully I can keep up with this a little while longer.

Dear Tom

2007-08-14T16:39:00.000-05:00

Dear Tom,

Thank you for being such a wonderful father and husband. I love you so much and thank you for your years of support.

I regret to inform you that if you don't stop leaving bottlecaps, dirty tissues, assorted food wrappers and the like on top of the entertainment center, I will have to smother you in your sleep.

There are garbage receptacles all located within 20 paces of each other, just like at theme parks, just for your convenience.

Thank you for your prompt attention in this matter.

-Stina

Retraction

2007-08-13T16:43:00.001-05:00

Apparently, I need to read what I post. Heroes is just a rebroadcast.

Heroes

2007-08-10T16:25:00.000-05:00

Heroes returns August 13!

We should have a busy weekend ahead of us. It's the Holy Rosary Festival, and the "tall ships" have returned to the harbor.

A Brodie funny: On our way to State Fair, he was being silly and told me that he was going to turn me into a granola bar. I told him that I wouldn't be able to steer without arms, and he said I could use my feet. When I pointed out that granola bars don't have feet, he said I could steer with my "nutty section."

Did this call come from my house?

2007-08-09T09:55:00.000-05:00

911 Call

Twins meet-up yesterday.

2007-08-05T10:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, we traveled to DesPlaines to a park to meet up with 3 other moms of twins. The kids had a good time, even if we couldn't stay to long. It's very hard watching all 3 of them around the park. This particular park set up lent itself to a man on man defense, rather than zone, which means Tom and I had to share Brodie. I need to get that kid some fluorescent shirts for outings. The girls were running on nearly no nap, so they got a little owly towards the end (saved by pizza and juice). The other moms were so nice; it's always nice to meet the people that live inside my computer.

This morning I went to Jazzercise, and now I'm drinking some Alterra coffee, which is my new favorite. I don't think I can ever go back to buying Folgers now. Tom and Brodie are grocery shopping and the girls are watching the Teletubbies. Earlier Tom was singing Elvis tunes and had the girls in hysterical fits of laughter. Cate tried her own garbled version of singing, "Hunka hunka burnin' love," followed by throwing her hands in the air, yelling, "Whoa!"

No plans yet for the rest of the day. We are getting some desperately needed rain. The smart plan would be to clean the basement during naptime. We aren't very smart, though, so we'll probably go to a mall to walk around. I'm trying to stock up on work clothes for school.

Amputee sentenced.

2007-08-04T13:04:00.000-05:00

Aside from the painfully obvious, I found something strange about this....

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - A man with no arms and one leg who wouldn't stop driving despite a long list of traffic violations was sentenced to five years in prison Friday on felony driving and drug charges.

Michael Francis Wiley, 40, also was sentenced to 15 years of drug offender probation. He pleaded no contest in June to the charges.

"I'd just like to say I know what I did was wrong," Wiley said in court Friday. "I am truly sorry, your honor. I am."

Wiley taught himself to drive after losing both arms and a leg in an electrical accident when he was 13. He has already spent more than three years in prison for habitually driving without a license, kicking a state trooper and other charges.

He once had a valid license, but it has been suspended several times since 1985, according to his attorney. He starts the car with his toes, shifts with his knee and steers with the stump of his left arm. He turns on the lights with his teeth.

In his most recent brush with the law last May, Wiley sped off in a Ford Explorer when police approached him at a convenience store, officials said. Officers pursued but called off the chase after eight minutes because they did not want to put others in danger, police said.

Defense attorney John Hooker pleaded for leniency and the minimum sentence of 2 1/2 years. He cited his client's need for treatment for his many physical and mental health problems, including anxiety, panic attacks, depression and a pain disorder related to his amputations.

In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Wiley said he's done driving.

"I'm beat. The white flag is up," he said. "You can only bang your head against the wall so long before it hurts."

"Spiritual" Encounter?

2007-08-01T09:26:00.000-05:00

This morning as I walked into the kitchen and approached the window above the sink, I noticed a HUGE hawk sitting on the fence gate about three feet from my window. He just sat there looking at me. I slipped my shoes off and backed out of the kitchen to get my camera. I came back and it was gone. I set the camera on the table and it came back, landing in the same space. I picked up the camera again, and it moved down the fence a bit and then took off before I could raise the camera.

Very odd in my little treeless urban yard. This is my second hawk encounter in this yard. The first was after we had over 2 feet of snow dumped on us, and a hawk sat in the middle of our yard looking confused before flying off.

I'm off to Google more about hawk folklore.

No nap + outdoor play with 5 boys =......

2007-07-30T09:13:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we had a cookout, with Nancy, her 4 boys our kids and Bill. It was a little crazy. The babies decided at 12:30 that they were NOT napping, and the events up in their bedroom can only be described as histrionics. We got them dressed and brought them outside to play with the boys. Cailey managed to dump water all over herself, and then plop down and eat a handful (or two or three) of dirt.

We ate early, and since Cailey had already snacked on dirt , they just ate some fruit. I took them in, gave them a bath and put them to bed at 5 pm. They slept all night, until 6 am. Thank GOD. The rest of the evening was a little more relaxing for me. Brodie had an excellent time and was filthy and exhausted by 7:30.

I think I fell asleep on the couch a little after 9.

2007-07-28T15:48:00.000-05:00

I got up and went to Jazzercise this morning. Came home, ate some Kashi, showered, and then we all made a quick run to Menards and into Milwaukee. I had an orange mocha on the way which was pretty darn tasty.

We had lunch at Red Lobster, and Brodie wanted to eat lobster. I told him not today, so he settled for crab legs. He was eating them faster than I could crack them! The boys are grocery shopping now, and Cailey is napping. Cate slept in the van, so she's awake.

The yard is edged and officially weed and debris free, so hopefully we can set up our new ladderball game for tomorrow's cookout.

Cookout menu: (for Bill if he's reading)
Grilled chicken marinated in olive oil, lemon juice and oregano
Caprese salad
Edamame salad
Diced potatoes
Fruit kebobs

WWF in my living room.

2007-07-27T15:42:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know it will only get worse, but let me tell you what I witnessed today.

Cate enjoys sitting on top of the Fisher Price Little People Garage (think "King Kong"). Today Cailey thought she'd try it. Cate apparently did not care for her sister sitting in her "spot," so she grabbed Cailey by the hair on both sides of her head, and yanked her down.

Not ten minutes later, Cate had pushed Cailey off of their rocking caterpillar, and Cailey had a "Mad-as-hell-and-not-going-to-take-it-anymore-moment." She borrowed a trick from her sister, grabbed Cate by the hair, and began to repeatedly headbutt the back of Cate's head while I tripped and stumbled over toys trying to break it up.

More words. When I got the girls up, I picked Cailey up out of the crib, and on my way out the door, Cate said, "Back? Back?" Because I always tell whoever is left in a crib, "I'll be right back." Then she brought me her favorite book (Hippos Go Berserk) and said, "Read this?" Later she brought me a Cubs cap and said, "Hat."

I remember the language explosion with Brodie. I had spent so long waiting for him to talk, and then wondered, "WHY did I want him talk?!"

New layout

2007-07-27T10:39:00.000-05:00

I was getting bored with the pink.
This more my "style."

Trolley ride

2007-07-27T09:19:00.001-05:00

I don't think I mentioned it, but Monday, I took the girls grocery shopping. I've taken them to the store in the stroller to pick up a few items, before, but I've never done a full-fledged cart shopping. I wheeled them into Woodman's in the umbrella stroller, strapped them onto a bench-style cart, and put the folded up stroller under the cart. I brought crackers with, and it actually wasn't so bad. Not that I'd want to do it all the time...

Yesterday, I needed to buy fruit for a social function, so I took all 3 kids to the store. I planned to just "stroller-shop" but I parked next to a cart-corral, and there was one of those stupid car-looking carts. I wanted to put the babies in the car section and have Brodie walk, but he was not having that at ALL. So Brodie and Cate "drove" while Cailey rode in the cart seat. Again, not horrible. But I warned Brodie that he is now FAR too big to ride in those carts.

I also had one of those "moments" that I'm prone to getting at this point in my life. Even though you may do this stuff all the time, sometimes while your driving a mini-van full of kids, listening to Laurie Berkner while sipping your coffee from McDonald's, you have to wonder, "when did I become this?" Not that it's bad, it's just a little strange somedays.

I made some fruit-kebobs to take to the PB & Jam concert last night, by the lake. My school had a staff get-together, so we went and I chatted with some new and old co-workers. Tom took Brodie on a trolley ride, and both "kids" loved it. I foresee many trolley rides in our future.

A sight for sore eyes.

2007-07-25T15:14:00.000-05:00

Lawn services.

2007-07-25T13:02:00.000-05:00

I have decided that the cost of a lawn service is probably much cheaper than marriage counseling or divorce. BUT I see a trend with lawn care. I have called three companies with my demands...er, requests. I need someone to do a one time clearing/clean up of the huge mutating weeds behind the garage and garden boxes. I need the yard mowed/weed whacked bi-weekly. I need an estimate for weed control for next spring.

*Company X doesn't "do" one time services. It's a weekly all-or-nothing deal. Free estimates, but won't even give me a ballpark over the phone.

*Company Y said they'd be out here to give me an estimate by 11:30. 11:30 came and went, and when I called back, I got the machine.

*Company Z was a machine asking me to leave my address and lawn needs and I will get a quote within 24 hours.

Apparently my husband isn't the only person who can't just mow the lawn.
Oh, and in case you're wondering, Tom never reads my blog, anyway, and he knows how I feel about the yard. ;)

Daycare visit

2007-07-24T22:43:00.000-05:00

Why do I have to log in with my username and password each and every frickin' time I want to us Blogger, when I distinctly choose the "remember me" box?! grrrrrr....
Anyway.

Today felt busy. The morning wasn't actually busy, just tiring. All 3 kids were up in the middle of the night at some point. Cailey had a bad dream and woke up crying, Brodie wandered in around 3 am and was promptly kicked out, and Cate woke up crying at 5 am. :yawn:

While the girls napped, I did laundry and cooked the Italian sausage for dinner. After naptime we went to daycare (I had to convince Brodie that he did not need to pack for a 3 day excursion). The girls dove right in, thank goodness. Cailey was entranced by the kitty. She jabbered to her, petted her, and gave her kisses. It was pretty cute (We are NOT getting a damn cat, so don't even start with me).

We came home, I started the water and sauce, threw in the sausage, made some breadsticks...after dinner, Brodie and I went to Mrs. Mac's for swim lessons. He does NOT like going underwater. He also doesn't listen to helpful tips, like, put your forehead in first, not your chin. He did tell Mrs. Mac that she was cool, though. This is the first year he hasn't screamed bloody murder.

I brought Brodie home, changed into my workout clothes and went to Jazzercise. So, now it's nearly 11 pm, and here I sit. I really should get to bed.

Single mom weekend is over. :phew:

2007-07-23T07:47:00.000-05:00

Last week Tom was in Madison for training on Wed and Thurs, and then he left for NM on Friday for his Mom's birthday party. He's quite glad to be home. I'm quite glad to have him home, too. I did my best to be the "cool" mom. We had take-out on friday, and rented a movie. Saturday was the exhausting trip to Milwaukee Zoo, with my sister (left at 9, home at 4). Saturday night was baths and bedtime. That's it. I had a hot shower, a glass of Merlot, a bowl of Lucky Charms, and fell asleep on the couch.

Everyone was really very good at the zoo. The girls loved the fish. Brodie got to touch stingrays and sharks in their special exhibit. He was fearless (mommy is so proud). He was very intent on reading all of the signs at each exhibit, too.

By Sunday, I was pretty tired of being cool. Hell, I was just tired.

I also found out Friday that someone I dated in college for a few years had passed away suddenly in January. It's a very sad and surreal feeling when it's someone you hadn't spoken to in over 12 years.

New words

2007-07-23T07:38:00.000-05:00

I'm just checking in to make a list of some new words that the girls say.

Cate: Night-night, apple, Elmo, milk, fish, kiss, let's go!!!
(Sounds like: nigh-nigh?, appo, emmo, milwk, dish, dis, lesgo!)
I can make out some words in Twinkle Twinkle Little "Staow"

Cailey: Night-night, fish
I'm patiently waiting for her language explosion. I'm pretty confident that it will happen around her 2nd birthday. She also loves singing Old MacDonald, and is VERY interested in animals. She mimics Cate's words and sounds, too.

Both girls still love singing the ABCs and "counting."

Designated Smoking Area

2007-07-21T18:20:00.000-05:00

Seen at the zoo today...

Not meant for coffee?

2007-07-16T09:07:00.000-05:00

This morning, by some small miracle, the babies slept late. I didn't have any coffee ground, and was afraid to use the grinder, for fear of waking them. I took the grinder down in the basement and stood in the storage room. Then I prepped my pot of coffee and sat at the computer to wait the 8 minutes for my coffee to be done.

Hmmm. Don't smell coffee. Turns out my coffee pot was unplugged. Of course by the time I figured it out and restarted it, the babies were awake. I lost my me-time.

Long weekend

2007-07-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

I went to a wedding this weekend. Brodie was my date, and Tom stayed home with the girls. The wedding was very nice, and Brodie had a lot of fun, and of course entertained everyone he met.

Highlights:
*My dad started to drive off with my sister still standing on the curb while leaning into the car to buckle Brodie's seatbelt.
*The hotels fire alarms went off at 11pm. Brodie slept through the ear piercing, deafening noise, strobe lights, being carried down the stairs to the parking lot, and sleeping in the backseat of the car. We stood outside listening to the alarms for 30 minutes, and after they stopped and everyone went back in, the fire dept showed up.

Yesterday afternoon I went to Jazzercise, and then we went to dinner at Charcoal Grill (I had a salad). We drove down by the lake and came home and put the kids to bed.

First red tomato!

2007-07-12T14:43:00.000-05:00

So Frank was pretty steamed to see me pick a red tomato from my garden today. Heh-heh. I also got some zucchini and cukes and one little yellow tomato.

Oh, and in other news, I got the official word that I have been reassigned to 3rd grade instead of 1st. Not what I wanted, but there's nothing more I can do. I expressed my preference for 1st, but oh well.

BYE!!! Living baby book, swim lessons

2007-06-20T09:25:00.000-05:00

In my house, the word "Bye" is much like "Aloha." It is complex and multi-faceted in it's many meanings. Let me share some examples.

Bye: Goodbye
Bye: I want to go somewhere
Bye: You're leaving?!
Bye: Get away from me.
Bye: I don't want this food. I shall throw it on the floor.
Bye: Good night
Bye: Wait! I don't want to sleep! Come back!
Bye: Uh, I threw something down the laundry chute.
_______________________________________________________________

The girls are starting to act more "twinny" now. They are starting to play together a little bit. They like to chase each other in and out of the entryway and giggle. The bullying has let up a little, and occasionally if Cailey is upset, Cate will offer her a toy.

This morning they were attempting to feed each other Cheerios, but they were too far apart, and when the phone rang, they both started chanting, "Bye! Bye!" (see above)

They are really starting to stand out from each other in the personality department. Cate is all about shoes and jewelry. Cailey loves her "babies" and stuffed animals. She likes to watch Elmo and bring me things that Elmo and Dorothy are thinking about. Last week she brought me some stuffed kitties when they were "thinking about cats," and today Elmo was talking about horses, and she found all the Little People horses.

I think language development is coming along. Cate loves to talk and sing and has quite a few words. Her longest sentence was yesterday, when I took her temperature with an ear thermometer. When it beeped in her ear she said, "Uh-oh, what's that?"
She loves to sing the ABCs (somewhat coherently, but not correctly) and count, and she's trying to learn Twinkle Twinkle. Cailey is quieter. I think she doesn't have much to say, and can't get a word in edgewise around here.

Brodie started swim lessons last night after a 2 year hiatus. Gone is the screaming toddler, yelling "Let me up, [Mrs.] Mac!" He had an absolute blast and was more fearless than I anticipated, while still showing "respect" of the water. He did not stop talking the entire time, and since it's loud and echo-y in there, Mrs. Mack couldn't understand half of what he was saying, so she just said things back to him, like, "Uh-huh. Do you have a job? Where do you work? Are you married yet?" LOL.

Lincoln Park Zoo and BBQ

2007-05-28T17:53:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I planted my garden in the morning and then we decided to head into Chicago and go to Millenium Park. Halfway there, we changed our minds and went to Lincoln Park Zoo instead. It was crowded, but we all had a good time. The girls didn't notice many animals, I don't think. On the way home, we stopped for pizza at Lou Malnati's in Lincolnwood. We were all pretty tired by the time we got home.

Today, we went to Target to buy some new shades for our windows (the girls have just been pulling the drapes out of the wall). We stopped at the new Ben & Jerry's in town for a scoop, too. No Americone Dream. Harrumph.

Tom is making a brisket on the charcoal grill, along with some flatbread. The kids played outside all afternoon (had to bring in the girls a little early, though). I think tonight will be baths, and finishing hanging the new shades.

Planting the garden today.

2007-05-27T07:22:00.001-05:00

It looks like today should be nicer than yesterday. Yesterday was rainy and kinda chilly. I bought all my veggie plants yesterday morning.
3 cluster tomatoes
2 roma tomatoes
1 yellow tomato
2 cucumber
2 zucchini
2 basil
2 Italian parsley
My oregano from last year
1 yellow bell pepper
1 eggplant
1 pineapple mint (don't know...it looked interesting and there were about 324 mint varieties; who knew?)

Last night Elizabeth, Brodie and I went to see Shrek the Third. It was cute, and he had a good time. It's 7:30 and he's still sleeping!

I'm planning on uploading some Seattle pictures (just vistas and attractions---no people) when I'm not as lazy. Maybe I'll just make a slideshow or something. Don't know yet.

Seattle and LASIK

2007-05-24T13:09:00.001-05:00

Friday morning I rolled out of here at 3:30 am. My friend, her dh and I took 7am CST flight out of Chicago, and landed in Seattle at 9am PST. We met up with a few other friends at the airport and took a shuttle to our B&B in downtown Seattle. Everything was wonderful. There were about 40 of us there and we took up the entire B&B and a few people stayed off site, as well. It was great to meet all the people who normally live inside my computer.

Friday was spent getting acquainted over a late lunch and making a "beer run." I was involved in a cross-city booze relay race which consisted of about 6 of us trading boxes and bags the whole way back to the B&B. We all met up for dinner at an Irish Pub, and by 9:00pm, I had been up for more than 20 hours, so I called it a night and went to bed at 10:00.

Saturday, a group of us did a little sightseeing, and went on an underground tour of Seattle. We had lunch, and I explored the Public Market for a while. I was so completely taken with the entire market: produce, flowers, seafood (yes, and the fish Pike fish throwers), food, art.... I think I could go there everyday.

That evening, we all grabbed dinner of our choice to go, and ate back at the B&B. I had sushi for the first time-California rolls,eel rolls and edamame pods. I'm hooked. I need more. After dinner we partied at the B&B, and some people stayed for charades, and the rest of us went out to a Karaoke bar. Another first for me. I sang a rousing duet of Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe," with a friend. For the record, I was sober. We went back and had pizza and went to sleep at 3:00am.

Sunday morning, some of us went to breakfast to try the "Seattle Famous" Dungeness crab omelette. Let me just say, while the food was good in Seattle, the service was AWFUL. We sat outside in the 50 degree rain for an hour and a half and didn't even get our coffee taken off the bill. I headed off on my own to do some shopping and go back to the market, and then took the monorail over the Space Needle to meet up with a group. Then I went BACK to the market, and had the perfect lunch: award-winning Pike Market clam chowder, and some fresh donuts. We said our goodbyes, and at 5 we headed back to the airport.

We landed in Chicago at 1:30 am and got home at 3:30 am.

Tuesday was LASIK. The aftermath was more uncomfortable than I predicted but after a sleeping pill and 6 hours of sleep I felt great. I can see with 20/30 vision and it should get better over the next few days. I have some dryness and some occasional haziness, but other than that it's an absolute miracle. I've had corrective lenses for 27 years, and my eyes were -8.5 and -9 until Tuesday.

Postage increase.

2007-05-08T09:34:00.000-05:00

I got this letter from a local Realtor.

Greetings!

As you probably know, our U.S. Postage Service increases the cost of a first class letter from $.39 to $.41 on May 14, 2007. We are enclosing ten $.02 stamps because we do not want our American Economy to get into a tailspin over this seemingly innocuous increase.

Have you considered the actual financial impact of the $.02 increase to our American Economy? We have.

Lets assume 10 million Americans make a special trip to purchase $.02 stamps taking an average of 30 minutes round trip. Let's assume the average hourly value of their time is $12 per hour [I](conservatively speaking)[/I]. In this projection, the cost/time value of 10 million Americans buying $.02 stamps is [B]SIXTY MILLION DOLLARS[/B]. Wow! We take comfort in the fact that our simple gesture of sending out ten $.02 stamps has saved our country a bundle in lost productivity.

As Always,

XXXXXXXX
Broker/Owner/Realtor
XXXXX Realty

[I]Oh By the Way....[/I] By now you are probably feeling indebted to us, Big Time. That's okay. Just keep us in mind and give us a call when you or your acquaintances have real estate needs. We will save you time, money and hassles. We value your business and referrals.

I forgot to mention french toast night...

2007-05-04T22:48:00.000-05:00

Brodie kept telling me that he wanted the talking dead bottle to be alive. I had no idea what he was talking about...then he pointed to Mrs. Buttersworth.

Also, please do not buy this book for my child. Owl Puke

Amazon Twins

2007-05-04T20:21:00.000-05:00

So Cate had her check up this week, and Cailey had hers a few weeks ago. My girls are Amazon Twins.

Cailey 33.25 inches long, 27 lbs 12 oz
Cate 34 inches long, 28 lbs 8 oz

I also found out that our doctor's office is moving to Paddock Lake in November. I guess we have to makes some decisions.

Earth Day

2007-04-24T15:58:00.000-05:00

My sister came to stay for the weekend since Tom went to New Mexico. On Saturday we went to Target, lunch, highlighted my hair, played in the yard with the kids, went for a walk, went to dinner and came home and watched Charlotte's Web. She fell asleep on the couch at 8:00. I think we broke her.

Sunday morning we took the kids to the zoo, grabbed lunch, and then Brodie, Elizabeth and I played outside during the girls' nap. Brodie picked up all the garbage on our property and posed for a tree-hugging photo opp. :snicker: Daddy was glad to see all of us that night when he got back.

Oh dear Lord. My youngest child (by one minute) is going to give me a head full of gray hairs. Her new trick is to stand on the toybox and fall onto the couch. Today she missed and did a full-on face plant onto the ground. It may not seem far, but the toybox is at least 18" high, and she's at least 33 or 34" tall. It knocked the wind out of her and scared her (and me...where's the Valium?). She appears to be uninjured (and unfortunately unphased).

On another "going green" related note, I mopped the floor and cleaned the bathroom with Borax. I don't think I need to buy any other cleaning supplies.

More climbing.

2007-04-19T09:30:00.000-05:00

Cailey is walking around like Frankenstein more often now. She almost walks like she has a peg-leg. She has a check-up later this week. For a kid who waited so long to walk, she sure makes up for it in different ways. The other day she was crawling up on the couch, and when I turned around she was on the back of the couch, on her knees, stretched up as far as she could get. :eek:

They love to count from 5-11. Cate yells, "YEVEN!" at the end, and most other things in this house are punctuated by "Yay!" Still not too many other words. Brodie on the other hand may have too many words.

He has been dying to go to a Chinese restaurant to "eat dumplings with chopsticks," so I took him to a Chinese restaurant on Saturday. He has it in his head that he wants to eat jellyfish (???), but I don't see that happening around here. Anyway, he did quite well, and was adamant on using the chopsticks for EVERYTHING.

We went to a party that day, and on the way home, he told me:

"Hey, Mommy. Rufus just called me on my imaginary phone. He was barking at me. He said that he found my license so I can drive to Dog Heaven to get him. It turns out my license was behind the bushes the whole time!"
(Me: "Uh....okay. What else did Rufus say?")
"He said that there's no shots in Dog Heaven."

This week in the heat of an argument, he has also told me that my birthday is cancelled, and that I am not bee-yoo-tee-ful anymore.

On a "me" note: Phase one of my SAHM overhaul is nearly complete, and Phase two has been put into motion. I have a new hair-do as af Monday, with possibly some highlights to come, and I had a LASIK consult yesterday. I'll be having LASIK done to both eyes in a month.

April Showers?

2007-04-11T07:07:00.000-05:00

Greaaaat....

...WINTER STORM WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 7 AM CDT THURSDAY...

THE WINTER STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 7 AM CDT THURSDAY.

LIGHT SNOW...MIXED AT TIMES WITH LIGHT RAIN THIS MORNING...WILL GRADUALLY SPREAD NORTHWARD THIS MORNING. THE PRECIPITATION WILL INTENSIFY LATER THIS MORNING AND EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. BURSTS OF SNOW WILL ALLOW FOR SNOWFALL RATES OF BETWEEN 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT.

8 TO 10 INCHES OF HEAVY WET SNOW IS EXPECTED BY THURSDAY MORNING SOUTH OF A LAKE MILLS TO WAUKESHA LINE...WITH 6 TO 8 INCHES TO THE NORTH...AND ALONG THE LAKE MICHIGAN SHORE.

EAST TO NORTHEAST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH MAY CREATE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AS WELL.

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SNOW IS EXPECTED TO COMBINE WITH STRONG WINDS OF 20 MPH OR MORE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS AND POWER OUTAGES MAY RESULT.

The great Easter disaster of '07!!!

2007-04-10T10:48:00.000-05:00

Okay. So it wasn't the like The Great Chicago Fire, but still...

We planned a nice simple Easter dinner for the 5 of us plus my parents, sister, BIL, and grandmother. Ham, green beans, scalloped potatoes, rolls.... Tom and I straightened up the basement, put the good tablecloth down, and got out the plates. Everyone arrived and we put the ham in the upstairs oven. We decided to cook the potatoes in the basement oven (which is only used once or twice a year). Upon preheating, we smelled something burning. I went down to inspect, and there was a small ribbon of smoke coming from the oven, and a spot of something burning on the bottom. Eh. It'll burn off. No problem. I put the covered casserole dish in the oven and went upstairs. 30 minutes later, the burning smell was back with a vengeance. I opened the back kitchen door and smoke was pouring up from the basement. I ran down there only to find the whole basement was filled with thick smoke, and then the smoke detector went off. The casserole was bubbling over and burning all over the oven floor. We finished cooking the potatoes upstairs when the ham was done. The smoke was so bad that we had to eat upstairs in the kitchen and at a card table in the hallway. The most ironic thing was the last time the oven was used, was last Easter ...for the potatoes. That's what was burning off the bottom during the preheat. I made a note on my potato recipe to put the casserole on a jelly pan or get a larger casserole dish.

Cailey had her PT eval last week. She was showing a 22% delay with her locomotion and a >25% was needed so she doesn't qualify for EI. And do you know what she did the very next day? Guess. She walked almost all the way across the room. She's a walker. She goes a little farther each day. :)

Screwed.

2007-04-03T22:40:00.000-05:00

As I sat at the computer, today, I sensed an alien presence behind me. I turned and looked over my left shoulder, and Cate was STANDING on the couch next to me, almost as if she were reading over my shoulder. I have climbers. Cailey watched Cate intently, and after 5 minutes, she was up on the couch, too. There's not much I can do, other than put blankets and pillows on the floor, and tell them to sit. Cailey likes to watch herself in the mirror, and plays pat-a-cake (unless she thinks she's playing with her sister). Cate just likes to run from one end to the other and then hurl herself over the side.
When I tell Cate, "Sit!" she of course replies with, "Seven, eight."

Monday, on the walk home from school, I discovered that Brodie knows the Pledge of Allegiance. We passed a home with a flagpole, and they had just put the flag out. He stopped on the sidewalk, put his hand over his heart and said the Pledge. Then he launched into the end of America the Beautiful. The Scott's man who was seed-feeding the lawn did a very nice job of maintaining his composure throughout the show.

Today was a long day of wrastlin' babies off the couch. I'm tired. I had a cupcake and some Shiraz after Brodie and the twinkles went to bed. By the way, Trader Joe's has an awesome Chocolate-Orange cake mix. Cool Whip complements the flavors nicely (as does Shiraz).

EI will be here early in the morning for Cailey's PT evaluation. For not being able to walk, Cailey sure can climb, though. Listening is not one of her strong points, though. I was calling her today and she was ignoring me. Brodie was playing with plastic Easter eggs and said, "How about I throw an egg at her?"

Mia Hamm and Nomar

2007-03-29T09:45:00.000-05:00

Mia Hamm, US Women's soccer player, and Nomar Garciaparra, first baseman for the Dodgers had twin girls on Wednesday.
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20011841,00.html

Signs of spring in an Italian neighborhood.

2007-03-28T07:25:00.000-05:00

1. Your elderly neighbors begin to emerge from their homes
2. The lawn chairs are set up in the driveways
3. Gardens are starting to be tilled
4. The elderly neighbors are opening their garages and moving their cars to the street to reveal the furniture, drapes, and artwork in their garages.
5. My neighbor has started his mini greenhouse box of tomato seedlings (hole in the ground covered with an old glass window and a tarp)
6. You can hear the sound of driveways are being hosed down

Lessons learned outside.

2007-03-26T19:33:00.000-05:00

Before I get into the lessons, let me do a quick rundown.
Dog track: Much fun was had, we didn't lose our "ruffled shirts."
Tom's "old" job: Tom's going away party was a hit. He was touched and a bit sentimental.
St. Patty's Day: Evil leprechaun left green footprints everywhere and caused mischief, leaving his shoe behind. Green toast, milk, and eggs for breakfast, Guinness Corned Beef for dinner
Tom's first day: Tom was nervous but did great. He's enjoying his new job, and his proximity to many fun stores and eateries
Cailey: her PT eval is on the 4th. Cailey has learned to pull down curtain rods, and climb onto a milk crate on all fours.
Cate:Cate can empty a wipe box in under a minute, STAND on the milk crate, and loves to wave and say hi.
Brodie: Wants to know if bats poop hanging upside down.
Saturday: I whipped up 2 gallons of homemade laundry soap. Point and laugh, now.
Yesterday: Gorgeous day spent flying a kite and playing at the park.

Okay...Lessons learned while playing outside with 3 kids:

1. Babies don't know how to catch soccer balls. Especially when their backs are turned.
2. Rocks are not a tasty snack.
3. Leaves are not a tasty snack.
4. Mulch...not tasty.
5. Sidewalk chalk...again, not tasty.
6. If you are unable to walk, then you should not use the bench swing to pull up to a stand.
7. When you learn lesson 6, you should at least attempt to get out of the way to avoid being hit in the forehead multiple times w/ the afforementioned swing.
8. My 4 y/o can catch a Frisbee like nobody's business.
9. I cannot.
10. My 4 y/o took great pleasure in teaching me lesson #9.
11. 4 y/o, while adept at playing Frisbee, may not be ready for screw top bubbles.
12. On Saturday, I may need to hose out the deck box :bubbly:.

Funny funny kid...

2007-03-14T16:54:00.000-05:00

So, within a few days, Brodie has become an expert on wildlife. The other day, he was showing my mom and I how he can be an octopus. He crammed a plastic fish between his legs and said he's catching it with his tentacles. lol Yesterday he asked me if bats poop hanging upside-down (they don't, if you are wondering), and he wants to know everything under the sun about Emperor Scorpions (but he will only stand 24" away from their tanks). Today while watching Prehistoric Planet, he asked me if those were "feces dinosaurs." I'm guessing the narrator used the word feces...
He never ceases to amaze and amuse.

My mom went home today. She came up on Sunday for my Body Shop party. I ordered stuff and got a ton of free stuff, too! I can't wait for it to come in. On Monday, the girls had their first haircuts. It was quick and painless. Cailey cried some, but only because the hair dryers scared her. Tuesday was a day of errands and shopping with the kids, and last night my mom and I went to Stamp Camp. Today was a day of long naps for everyone.

Oh, I'm also pissed at the cable company. The cable has been wonky all week, and Monday night I stayed up late to watch REM be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Just as they came on (at the end of the show, naturally) the cable went out. >:(

Busy week.

2007-03-08T12:40:00.000-06:00

Last week we got our new TV. It's nice, and we're all enjoying watching TV without squiggly lines. And praise jebus, we now have Noggin and Nick Jr. On Demand!!

Tom got a phone call on Thursday for a job interview, he interviewed Friday morning, and he was offered the job on Tuesday morning! He will be a Corrections Field Supervisor, starting on the 19th. It's very exciting for all of us.

Tom went to 2 concerts this week; Reverend Horton Heat, and The Pogues. He'll be in the St. Pat's parade on Saturday, and I have a Body Shop party on Sunday.

I had a lot of other things to type, but it seems I've forgotten them all. Hmmm. I may add more later.

The infamous quilt is done!!!

2007-03-01T09:32:00.000-06:00

Brodie's *ahem* 2nd birthday gift is done. Click on a picture to enlarge it.

I have 11 plaid sampler squares for another quilt that have been in a drawer since before Brodie was born. I think I'll make one more square and make that into a "snuggle on the couch" quilt. I'm also going to start collecting fabric to make some mismatched patchwork lap quilts for the girls.

I met with someone from EI about Cailey yesterday. She came to the house to talk with me, and she's going to set up the evaluation. They will come to the house for everything.

Our 9 year old TV bit the dust this week. May it RIP. We bought a 32" Westinghouse LCD HDTV/DVD combo. It's very thin and so far we like it. The babies haven't been going after it like I thought they would. We rented The Departed for it's maiden voyage. Matt Damon. *drool*

The babies newest obsession is throwing everything down the laundry chute. Pretty soon there will be no toys left in the living room. I'm going to have to go down there with a hamper to collect everything later.

Their new favorite food is sloppy joes, too. Even Brodie, my neatnik loves them.

Blizzard of '07!

2007-02-24T21:50:00.000-06:00

So last night we got about 4 or 5" of snow. Today was in the 30s, no snow, and the roads were clear. It is blowing and snowing and thundering right now. We are expecting totals up to 16" by Monday.

I'm snuggling into my jammies, and our fridge and pantry are stocked. Brrrr...

I survived yesterday.

2007-02-21T09:26:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was the kind of day that makes me question my existence. It was bad. Sell-the-kids-to-the-gypsies-and-run-away-to-a-tropical-location bad. I learned that I can be outsmarted and manipulated by a 4 year old in multiple ways. I learned that a 41 pound child jumping on my head at 5:30 am is an effective, albeit annoying wake-up call. I learned that you can give a baby too many dried cranberries. I learned that too many dried cranberries has the same effect as too many raisins. I learned that while you're changing every poopy diaper, the other baby will want to crawl all over you and interfere in every way possible. I learned that babies will pull a lamp off a table more times than I can count. Same goes for crawling under the computer desk. I learned that Cate can cry herself to sleep on the floor under my chair if left to do so.

I told Tom that the only thing I could be credited with yesterday was keeping the children alive. He told me that I did a great job, and it's a hard task since there are 3 of them.

I ran out the door before dinner was over to attend an American Idol party at a former co-workers house. I don't even watch AI, but I was thankful for wine, food, and adult conversation (my money's on Chris Sligh, BTW).

Oh..today is Ash Wednesday. I hope nobody tries putting ashes on Brodie's head at school. He will FREAK out.

I want to say Happy Birthday to my Dad today, too!!! Happy Birthday!

2007-02-19T09:19:00.000-06:00

Saturday, after Tom got home from work, I got some "me" time, and went shopping at Kohl's with my gift card. I got a pretty dress and some other things. Cailey took 4 steps on Saturday, too! Sunday, we went to Gurnee so I could use my Archiver's card. We all got some exercise, the kids napped in the car, and then I got to escape again after we got home to run some more errands!

For dinner we had hot dogs on Tom's new hot dog rolls. He grilled the rolls first. Sooo good. I made more cocoa cranberry crispy bars for dessert, too. Not a very exciting weekend, but it was nice.

New recipe.

2007-02-17T09:21:00.000-06:00

So I tried a new recipe last night. Click here for a picture. How do you think it was received by the children?

It was a veggie bake comprised of zucchini, onion, celery, garlic, spinach, bread crumbs, egg, mozzarella and parmesan. Then it was served with marinara sauce. I took pictures of the kids' reactions. Priceless. If your interested, I'll email them to you. Brodie is completely traumatized and will probably never try anything new again.

Tom's buns....hee-hee.

2007-02-15T10:22:00.000-06:00

Tom was pretty surprised at his Valentine's gift last night. I had someone send me 6 packages of New England Style hot dog rolls. I think we'll be having hot dogs tomorrow night.

Tom gave me the DVD of Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame to add to our Disney DVD collection; and he pointed out that it was also the first movie we saw together.

I really need to go back to work.

2007-02-14T18:07:00.000-06:00

Valentine French Toast w/ dried cranberries.

More words?

2007-02-14T10:53:00.000-06:00

First off, I'm having great fun w/ my new iPod Shuffle. I put 20 songs on it so far. I've got room for about 220 more!

So, the girls have us puzzled w/ their new sing-songy chant of "HA-jee, HA-jee." We don't know if it's "happy," or what. Someone suggested that perhaps they have been watching Johnny Quest.

Cate was "counting" while watching Sesame Street today. Someone was counting, and she kept saying, "sis, sah, sis, sah." (six, seven, six, seven) hee-hee.

Happy Valentine's Day, also. Tom has a meeting, so he and I will celebrate tomorrow. When Brodie gets home, I have some DVDs for the kids that I've been collecting, and I'm going to make heart-shaped french toast w/ pink sugar and Craisins for supper.

Baby steps.

2007-02-12T09:38:00.000-06:00

Since the first step last week, Cailey will now stand alone for 5-10 seconds on occasion, and will take 1 or 2 steps. She's getting there. I'm sure she'll be running by the time her eval. rolls around.

We had a good time this weekend. I had a nice laid-back birthday. I got to choose what I wanted for dinner, so I had Tom bring home Mexican food from Tacos El Rey. Tom and kids gave me a Lucinda Williams CD and a $40 stamping spree coupon. Elizabeth and Chris came over later and we played Disney Scene It. Saturday night, Bill, Nicki, Mike, Cheryl, and Elizabeth came over. We played Catchphrase, and noshed on snacks all night. Brodie and Elizabeth had a great time.

Yesterday was pretty lazy. We laid around in pjs most of the morning. We had to call the police because someone pulled down 3 slats of our privacy fence, ran through our yard, and pulled the chain link gate off the hinges through the night. Stupid a-holes.

All the kids are in various stages of a cold. Brodie is getting over his, Cailey is right in it, and Cate is on the verge of getting one. It's snowing like crazy here, so I think I'll have to call school and have them bring Brodie out the back door to me. I doubt the sidewalk will be clear enough for a stroller.

Does this count as a step?

2007-02-08T10:31:00.000-06:00

Don't mind the toy explosion, please. Cailey was standing at the Leap Frog table, reached out, and with a little more control than a fall, took a step to the loveseat. Let's hope it wasn't a fluke. She'll be 17 months next week.

At least I'm not an astronaut.

2007-02-07T11:20:00.000-06:00

She's a mom of twins. That explains it.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17023767/from/RS.1/

In my cabin fevered state, I'd like to share what it's like dressing two babies some mornings:

I lay out 2 piles of clothes: diaper, bodysuit, sweatpants, socks, shoes. I attempt to change Cailey's diaper and dress her. During this endeavor, Cate crawls on top of me and across Cailey. After being removed, Cate runs off with Cailey's shoes. I finish dressing Cailey, and chase after Cate to retrieve the shoes. While I'm doing this, Cailey takes off her socks and crawls off.

Cate then cries the entire time I'm dressing her because I took Cailey's shoes away.

TV Dependency.

2007-02-07T10:02:00.000-06:00

So Brodie is back at school today. The wind chill is a balmy -15. I'm going to call preschool and see if someone can bring him out to me so I don't have to unload the girls.

Is it bad when the babies know that as soon as Sesame Street is over that it's time for breakfast, so they go wait at the gate?

Currently, they are watching Baby McDonald. Everytime the narrator names something, the babies grunt in monosyllables at the TV.
~narrator: Barn
~babies: Da
~narrator: Tractor
~babies: Na

Cate is still very into singing her all-vowel rendition of the alphabet song, too.

2007-02-06T09:36:00.000-06:00

They called off the area schools again, last night. It's really nowhere near as cold as yesterday. There must have been a change in the weather. Who knows? All I *do* know is that it's not even 10:00 and I'm going crazy. Brodie has cabin fever and is tormenting the babies. The babies are drooling like crazy, and Cate likes to wipe her drooly face all over my pants. Cate has been chanting/singing and I just figured out that it's the "ABCs," except in an all vowel version.

Brodie was having a bird yesterday because his books say that Pluto is a planet and scientists say it's not. I have no response to that...

The babies took another bath together last night. It went well. Cailey only cried a little, and they seemed to enjoy the company. I think that will be a regular occurence.

I need to bake some valentine cookies this week. I think we'll be doing more "entertaining" this weekend. Friday I have a friend coming over, and then Elizabeth and Chris may come over in the evening for games, and Saturday night we may have some couples over for snacks/drinks/games, too.

My goal for this week is to get it through Brodie's skull to quit throwing things in the house. :<

It's freakin cold out!

2007-02-05T16:38:00.000-06:00

If you live anywhere near here, you know that, though. Schools were cancelled today. The temperature this morning was -14 and the wind chills were around -30. Today was a grilled cheese and soup kind of day...if any of these kids would eat soup, that is.

Nothing to exciting to report, otherwise. A friend from college was supposed to come over today with her twin boys, but we're rescheduling because of the cold weather.

I'm currently listening to the lulling sounds of the indigenous four year old's tantrum, eminating from the other room....Is it spring yet?

Sausage Saturday.

2007-02-03T22:26:00.000-06:00

Today we had my parents, sister and brother-in-law over, and we made 65 pounds of Italian sausage. By hand. No electric grinder...just 2 hand grinders and 6 adults. We started around noon and finished by around 6:00, I'd say. I think it went well, and we all had fun, although we've decided we need to change Sausage Saturday to a warmer month. We did not get to grill and sample our finished product since the temperature was -5 w/ a -25 degree wind chill.

Brodie had a great time, although he was expecting sausage with eggs and toast. :-P We also had a little birthday party for my dad and I when we were all done.

Here's what about 65 pounds of ground pork looks like:

EBS Awareness

2007-02-02T07:12:00.000-06:00

Please take the time to read the following. There are two moms on my message boards who have children and family members affected by EB. I will be meeting with one of these women later this month.

I know someone who has a skin problem called Epidermolysis Bullosa. This is a long, fancy name for a genetic condition which causes his skin to blister and tear easily. This is because he is missing a certain protein in his skin. Blisters can occur after a slight bump of the skin or even from walking too much. The blisters and sores are very painful, but he is used to getting them and has found ways to deal with the pain. He sometimes has to wear bandages to protect his skin and allow his sores to heal.
EB is a genetic disease, it is not contagious. There is no cure for it, but research is always continuing to make people with this more comfortable while they are looking for a cure.
Sometimes, people are afraid of him because they don’t understand what he has or how it affects him and others like him. Please go to www.debra.org to find out more information on this condition.

I almost forgot...

2007-01-30T18:21:00.000-06:00

I actually heard myself utter these words outloud, today:

"Please don't scratch your butt with the rhinoceros."

2007-01-30T09:49:00.000-06:00

I've been told that I've been slacking on my Blog. ;)

The kids are doing well. Cailey seems to want to walk very badly, she just lacks some balance and coordination. Both girls now will do the pat-a-cake motions when you ask them to. They clap, roll, pat, mark, and toss, complete with correct vocal inflections (just in baby gibberish). Cailey gives kisses upon request, Cate will bring you certain items if you ask (and she's willing to share).

Brodie is full of piss and vinegar, as always. Overheard after putting him to bed: "Oh no! I dont' WANT to be in bed! I'm doomed......Daddy's a jerk."

This weekend we went to dinner with Bill, Nicki, Cheryl and Mike. We went to Taqueria Azteca an it was wonderful, as always. I had a sampler plate with chicken w/ mole sauce, spare ribs w/ salsa verde, and chipotle shrimp...and of course a margarita. Afterwards we had a drink at Taylor's and then went to Fuel for coffee. My coffee-hating husband took a sip of the Milky Way (mocha w/ caramel) and liked it enough to get his own! Imagine that. :D

15 month stats

2007-01-15T23:19:00.000-06:00

Despite being 16 months old today, the girls had their 15 month checkup. Thank God Tom didn't have to work today. I can't deal with taking both of them to the doctor by myself anymore.
**Cailey~ 25 pounds, 15 ounces; 31 inches**
**Cate~ 25 pounds, 10 ounces; 32 inches**
That puts them roughly in the 75th percentile for height, and the 90th percentile for weight, so at least they are tapering off! They're no longer "off the chart."
Cate seems to be hitting all the necessary marks, and milestones, but Cailey is still lacking muscle coordination and muscle tone in her lower body. Since she still is not walking, she'll be seen at Children's Hospital for a full developmental evaluation by a multi-disciplinary team.

Tonight, I made oatmeal cookies. I wanted to put raisins in, and Tom wanted chocolate chips, so I put in chocolate covered raisins! LOL They turned out pretty good. My issues are with the actual cookie texture not the raisins. I'll try again another time with a different cookie recipe.

Family day.

2007-01-14T16:39:00.000-06:00

We had a relaxing morning at home, and then took everyone to the mall for some exercise. We walked around, saw the fish at Bass Pro, had lunch, Brodie rode the carousel, and then we headed down to Rain Forest Cafe and the reptile shop to look around. Then it was back to the fish, and back home.

Naps were boycotted upon arriving home. I worked on a quilt for awhile, and now I'm just vegging on the computer while the kids play. Tom is going to grill some chicken for dinner and then I'll be watching the much anticipated Multiples In the Womb on National Geographic.

Not much going on today.

2007-01-13T20:45:00.000-06:00

I'm trying to get back into the Blog on a daily basis. Last night Cailey stayed up late wailing like a banshee, and then was up and at 'em at 6:30 this morning. Tom and Brodie went to the mall for some indoor exercise, and then went grocery shopping. I stayed home with the girls so they could nap. I spent this afternoon doing laundry, making dinner, cleaning the kitchen, mopping, giving baths....I clocked out early and had a cocktail after the kiddos were all in bed.

One of the funnier things that happened today was watching the girls fight over a pillow. Cate pulled a pillow onto the floor and was carrying it around and throwing it on the floor. Cailey crawled over to it and threw herself on top of it, flailing and giggling. While Cailey laid on top of the pillow, Cate tried desperately to pick the pillow up, screaming, while Cailey kept laughing. Tonight at dinner, Cailey took it upon herself to investigate the inside of Cate's mouth; poking her finger inside. Remarkably, Cate didn't bite her. I think were getting closer to a time where they actually play together instead of just tormenting each other.

First words!!!!

2007-01-11T09:39:00.000-06:00

Cailey has been saying, "Hi," since Christmas. I've been hesitant to count it as a first word, but she uses it appropriately and in context. When we go up to the girls' room to get them in the morning, she sing-songs, "Hi-ii!" and the same when Tom comes home from work each day. I'm counting it.

Today, Cate wanted to rock on the rocking caterpillar. I was singing, "Rock, rock...rock, rock...." and she started rocking and singing, "Bop, bop....bop, bop..."

So, for my baby book, I'm recording that Cailey was 15.5 months, and Cate was 16 months. Cailey was first for something other than teeth! Oh, and she used my foot as a rock-climbing peg, and crawled up onto the couch yesterday. She was so proud of herself!

In holiday recovery mode.

2007-01-01T23:51:00.000-06:00

We survived yet another holiday season.

Christmas Eve was spent at my sister and BIL's house with family. It was the beginning of new family traditions and meant a lot less packing and traveling for us. This was the first Christmas morning that we spent in our own home with the kids. Brodie was pretty pleased with what Santa brought him. The girls are still too little to really "enjoy" holidays. We went back to my sister's for Christmas dinner to celebrate with our family and her in-laws.

New Year's Eve was a fun time. Bill, Cheryl, Mike, and Elizabeth came over. The adults played games in the kitchen while Brodie and Elizabeth played Hullaballoo, and watched videos. It was definitely a good time. We played a few games of Apples to Apples and Catch Phrase.

Today was a day of hard work. After a lunch of panettone french toast, we dismantled the fish tank, rearranged the living room, weeded out some old toys, and put a 1 gallon fish tank in Brodie's room (removing his shelf of plastic bins). I am slowly but surely taking back ownership of this house from all of the toys.

Our living room looks HUGE to me. This is the first time in almost 16 months that this room has not had a Pack N Play, infant carriers, swing, bouncy chairs, saucers, walkers, or a playard in it. We have a toy box, and a corner of toys now. All the off-limit items are in the same corner, somewhat blocked in by the computer and couch. Less chasing is good. ;)

Kid updates:
~Cate is still running everywhere. Cailey is cruising along, holding onto furniture. Cailey says, "hi," shakes her head, "no," and sometimes will wave bye-bye. Both girls say ma-ma and da-da, but not always in a meaningful fashion. They have nearly perfected the divide and conquer bit, and both freeze when the other is told, "no."
~Brodie saw Charlotte's Web before Christmas, and really enjoyed it. He is loving his T-Rex Mountain and dinosaurs, and his Spiderman karaoke boombox. He expressed his holiday disgust on Christmas Eve, following me around with his box of Moonsand. I told him I was too busy for him to play with it right now, so he dropped it in the middle of the kitchen, and stormed out, muttering, "I'm getting sick of this place." LOL. I let him play with it.

Santa and Christmas Program

2006-12-20T20:05:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, Brodie had his preschool Christmas program. It was "Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus." He had an excellent time and it was cute. The preschoolers sang, "Jingle Bells," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," and "O, Candy Cane." The kindergarteners did a short play w/ songs about The Christmas Story, and then everyone sang "Happy Birthday," and cake and punch was served.

Afterwards, we took everyone to the mall to see Santa. Brodie was a bit star-struck and couldn't remember anything that we wanted for Christmas. The babies weren't scared. They were mesmerized by Santa's beard, so it was hard to get them to look away from him for a picture. After the picture, Santa told me that he was the father of twin girls. I must have missed that Rankin/Bass Christmas special. ;)

Getting in the holiday spirit...

2006-12-16T22:44:00.000-06:00

Today (although I certainly didn't act like someone in the holiday spirit), I made a batch of jujulenas (sesame seed cookies), and I made dough for sugar cookies and gingerbread. Last night I wrapped some gifts, too. Tom asked today if the Jingle Bells by the Barking Dogs is on EVERY Christmas CD we own. Nope. It just feels like it. Ha!

Tonight, we headed out to my sister and BIL's. We were greeted with travel mugs of hot chocolate, and everyone piled in the van, and we headed out to Candy Cane Lane. Brodie was a bit too fixated on the "candy cane" part as he had to point out every single candy cane within a square mile of decorated houses.

Highlights of the evening:
~Santa stopped at our van and talked to Brodie
~We received free beef sticks for making a donation to the MACC fund
~I got to listen to Elizabeth squeal in disgust as she was slapped with spit-sodden bunnies by the babies for the entire trip. LOL

After we dropped Elizabeth and Chris off, Brodie fell asleep immediately, but those girls stayed awake the whole trip. I heard someone babbling upstairs until after 9:30. Please, Santa, PLEASE let Brodie sleep past 6:30 tomorrow. I've been good, I swear.

Tomorrow our friends and their son are coming over in the afternoon. We're going to have baked rigatoni. I may do some more baking in the morning. I'm pretty tired...I should probably turn in.

P.S. Here is my new favorite video. It's very short.

So busy, very little time to post.

2006-12-15T22:36:00.000-06:00

Christmas is breathing down the back of my neck. I have baking and a fairly small amount of shopping to do before next Saturday.

The babies are still loving their freedom. The playard is still around the tree, and Brodie gazes longingly at the gifts through the bars. :) Cate and Brodie have become good friends. He dances around the room and she laughs hysterically and chases after him. They play together with Mega Blocks and Little People and sometimes they snuggle on the floor. Cailey prefers to do her own thing. I think Cate and Brodie are cut from the same cloth and are a bit too rambunctious for her. I think she may participate more when she's walking. Her "cruising" is improving. I think she's taking her sweet time with walking, and that's okay. The ironic thing is that she has figured out how to climb stairs, but Cate has not.

Both girls are responding to "no" (notice I didn't say "listening to"). Actually they respond more to the "Ah-ah-ah," noise that every mother is involuntarily capable of making. When Cate hears it, she drops into a headstand or Downward Facing Dog, as if to hide from me. As a result, she has a black eye from dropping directly onto the edge of the toybox. Cailey has a line of a bruise on her forehead from the end table.

Tom and I have gotten out a few times over the past two weeks. My sister watched the kids so that we could go Christmas shopping, and last week, we went to his work's Christmas party. Too much booze, too much food. I was full!

This weekend I'll be baking cookies, tomorrow night we plan to go to Candy Cane Lane in Milwaukee, and on Sunday we'll have some friends over.

Brodie's favorite new saying is "Spill the beans." He told me as I walked into his classroom that he "can't tell me that he made me a candleholder because it's a surprise." I told him he spilled the beans and that sent him into a fit of giggles and he uses it whenever possible. Brodie went to the dentist for the first time last week. He was so good. He flirted with the hygienest, laughed whenever she suctioned out his mouth, and got to wear sunglasses during his checkup. He had an excellent report!

Longest weekend is FINALLY over.

2006-11-27T08:58:00.000-06:00

Everyone is better, and we're back to the normal routine. Cailey is still a bit under the weather, but she's in good spirits, and on the mend. Tom went back to work today after being off since Wednesday, and Brodie went back to preschool after missing last Wednesday, and no school on Friday.

Saturday night we put up the Christmas tree. Brodie had a lot of fun helping fluff the branches and hang ornaments. He also ate popcorn and watched Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas (or as he calls it, "Emmet Otter's Junk-band Being Christmas") and got to view our tree lights through the "magic glasses" from Nana. Tom's dad was also released from the hospital.

After everyone was asleep we assessed the tree situation and put the playard around it. The girls now have free roam of the living room and hallway. We have gates for the kitchen and living room doorways so that the girls can play in the hallway if I need to fix a meal or they get into too much. I am doing a lot of running and chasing now, as the girls have been perfecting their "divide and conquer" routine. While one makes a mad dash for the computer the other will try to pull the lamp over or grab a handful of CDs off the shelf. This is MUCH different than when Brodie was this age.

Sunday, we had our "Thanksgiving" which did not go well. There was lots of crabbing, whining, and some throwing up. Tom and I put the kids to bed and each had a nice stiff drink. Let's hear it for the holidays. Hoo-ray. ;)

Crappiest Thanksgiving Ever...

2006-11-24T22:59:00.000-06:00

Between Monday and Wednesday, all 5 of us caught a stomach bug. We had to cancel our Thanksgiving dinner that we host annually. We left a 19 pound bird on the back porch for my sister and brother-in-law to pick up and take to my Grandmother's house. :( Brodie was devastated, Tom and I were exhausted and feeling awful as well. I have been doing laundry nonstop since Monday....sheets, towels, jammies, clothes...ICK.

It was a QUIET day, I'll say that much. We watched the Macy's parade (which Brodie thought we were going to...) and Polar Express. We're going to buy a turkey breast and have a mini-feast on Sunday. Elizabeth and Chris stopped by and dropped off a leftovers care package which inspired some Brodie-isms.....
On the Macy's shopping bag: "That's a bag from the parade!"
On croissaints: "Those breads are shaped like cornucopias and also crescents."

On another note...Tom's dad is back in the hospital today after having a double bypass a few weeks ago. We're praying for him and wishing him well.

Oh, for the love of God.....

2006-11-21T13:25:00.000-06:00

First off, my day yesterday started by discovering that Cate had thrown up sometime in the night and fell asleep in it. I was greeted by a crusty, smelly baby who needed a bath at 6:30am, and Tom had to strip all the bedding. She continued throwing up until I finally put her back to bed at 8:30.

Tom left work for a while to watch them while I went to the doctor. While there, I asked her about the pathology reports from the placentas when the girls were born. She told me that the report said the placentas "appeared to be fused" and that the girls were "probably" identical. While I understand that a lay person doesn't understand the myriad of ways that twinning works, you'd think that people in the actual "baby business" would know that fraternal twins can have fused placentas just as often as identical twins. We still know nothing about their zygosity.

Today, Cate's throwing up has been replaced by vile diarrhea. I can't even remember how many changes of clothes she's gone through today. She's in a good mood, though, and doesn't have a fever.

In funnier news, I introduced a new toy to the girls today. I gave them a second set of stacking rings. These are larger, textured, and some rings are clear with beads inside. Cailey is very fond of shaking and rattling the beaded rings. The girls were sitting tandem insided the playard, with Cailey directly behind Cate. As she was shaking the largest ring, the lightbulb went on. She looked at me, looked at the ring, and looked at Cate's head. She proceeded to whack her sister over the head several times, while Cate looked at me as if to say, "What the hell?" She reached behind her, grabbed the ring away from Cailey and threw it behind her.

Silly girls.

Meet up at the mall.

2006-11-18T22:05:00.000-06:00

I notice a trend that as these girls become more mobile, the less I'm posting. Hmmmm.

This morning we loaded up the brood and met 2 other moms and twins from one of the boards. It was a lot of fun (I needed a serious nap when I got home). I hope we can do it again sometime! The kids all played in the toddler play area (sometimes together, sometimes not). Cate developed an insane love/hate relationship with a fiberglass gorilla the likes of which I've never seen....kissing it, giggling, then crying hysterically and screaming at it. I'd move her away, and she'd walk right back over there and scream. She screamed for a long time at bedtime, too, and needed to be rocked (post-traumatic-gorilla-disorder). We didn't get any shopping done. It's amazing how 7 small children dictate the adults schedules. ;)

When we got home everyone napped, except Tom, who did the last mow of the year. We've been working on Thanksgiving plans, menus, and lists. Our table will be a little smaller this year, as Tom's parents and sister will not be able to join us. Larry is recuperating from double bypass, and we are just glad he's feeling better. Hopefully they'll make it up this way after the holidays.

Crummy day

2006-11-10T19:42:00.000-06:00

Today was so cold, windy and rainy. The rain is supposed to change to snow tonight.

Allow me to express my dislike for baby molars. Cailey has 3, an Cate is getting her third. She cried all morning. I tried giving the girls identical cold teethers but they just fought over them.

Brodie had a better day at school, I guess. Still not stellar; he told someone to "shut up," and then tattled on himself. *snicker*

My friend Sherri was in the area for work, so she stopped by to visit. It was good to see her! I miss her.

Tomorrow I'm taking the kids to meet a few moms from the message board at the mall.

Nothing too exciting to report....

I'm pooped!!!!

2006-11-01T10:24:00.000-06:00

This week has been so busy!!

Saturday, Tom and I headed into Chicago to meet some Pubbers at the Pubcrawl. There were so many people there; at least 40! We had Thai lunch at Star of Siam. Everyone was so nice, and I would have loved to have stayed for the whole weekend. It looks like they had so much fun the rest of the weekend. The next Pubcrawl in Seattle in May. :( Don't think I'll be able to make it. Later that night, Brodie and I carved his Jack O Lantern, and I roasted some pumpkin seeds.

Sunday was trick or treating. Brodie dressed as a ghost, and the girls were cows. Brodie loved Trick or Treating! The girls had had enough after about 45 minutes, so we went home while Tom and Brodie continued on.

Monday, Brodie and I made Halloween cut-out sugar cookies in the afternoon, and then I made a pot of chili and a pan of cornbread for dinner. I'm going to have some leftovers for lunch. Yummm... Then I stayed up until midnight, making some TREATS for Brodie's party at school.

Yesterday, Brodie dressed up again, and I dressed the girls up, too, and we took Brodie to the Halloween party at preschool. I picked him up a few hours later, got everyone home and got a phone call from the school that I had left the Duoglider (the Cadillac stroller) in the parking lot! *eek* I told the secretary that having twins means "Mommy Brain" times two! Tom came home at noon, and we took everyone to Children's Hospital for Cailey's appointment at the Torticollis clinic. I love Children's. We have been there so many times, and everyone is so wonderful and helpful there. Cailey got an excellent report.

The cause of her spasms will probably never be pinpointed, but she will grow out of them soon. Since they are episodic, we won't need anything drastic like Botox injections. She is to have 4-6 weeks of intensive PT once a week, concentrating on her abs. She basically need Baby Pilates. We have new exercises including "sit ups" to do with her to improve her muscle tone.

When we got home, Brodie took off his ghost cape and hat, and left on his long johns. I tried to wipe some of the white make up off, but he still looked extra pale. Between the hat head, long johns and pale face, he looked like this.

For dinner we had SAUSAGE MUMMIES and MOLDY BONES. :)

Brodie's 4th Birthday....

2006-10-27T09:11:00.000-05:00

I was too busy yesterday to post! I can't believe my little man is 4. I still remember standing at the end of the bread aisle when my water broke over a month early!

We made cupcakes, at the birthday boy's request (chocolate w/ white frosting and "jimmies."). The 5 of us went to Rainforest Cafe for dinner. We fit right in. There was a lot of stuff to look at, and it was already noisy. Everyone enjoyed themselves and were well behaved. The waitstaff sang to Brodie and he got an ice cream sundae w/ a candle in it.

When we got home, the babies went to bed, and we did the singing-thing, had a cupcake, and Brodie opened his Razor Scooter.

Birthday, full moon, daylight savings, and Halloween. That's a lot of crap in one week for a little kid. Talk about scheduling disruptions!!

Brodie's party and walking news.

2006-10-24T10:42:00.000-05:00

Busy weekend! I'm still recuperating. Brodie's pary went off without a hitch. It was pretty stress free, and Brodie had such a good time. He was very thankful and appreciative of every gift, and loved the attention. He's been looking at his ViewMaster non-stop with narration ("The ankylosaurus is looking at me!"). His other favorite thing has been the colored pencils. Who knew? I need to find a better sharpener, though, since he brought me a completely dull pencil and said very sad, "This one isn't special anymore."

Sunday, we had some new friends over. Brodie and Mac played all afternoon, and the adults all got along famously. We'll have to get together again.

Yesterday we had another "attack." I was hanging up coats and I heard Cailey scream. Cate was laying on top of her, biting her eye. I yelled and startled Cate, who let go. Cailey had bite marks above and below the corner of her eye. Only the bottom bite marks left marks and a bruise. I really don't know what I'm going to do. Other mom's of twins tell me that it happens...some kids are biters. I think it's especially hard when both kids (biter and bitee) are yours. I'm not sure how to feel.

Cailey got an upper molar last week. Cate's been taking 1 or 2 steps for about 3 weeks (shortly after their birthday), and recently has been walking the length of the playard. Today she took about 7 or 8 steps across the living room, so I'm calling it as official walking.

I have message board events coming up. I've now talked to a few people over the phone, and on Saturday, Tom and I are going to Chicago to have lunch with about 40 people from one of the boards. I'm also supposed to have a playdate w/ some SE WI moms and kids in November, but it's sort of up in the air at the moment.

Tonight, Brodie and I need to go shopping for Halloween costume stuff and pumpkins. Tomorrow night is chat night, Thursday we're taking Brodie out for his birthday, so Friday we're going to carve jack-o-lanterns. I'm hoping to do 2. Brodie wants a traditional triangular eyes and nose pumpkin, but I like to do more intricate carving.

Look at what's starting already.

2006-10-18T16:50:00.000-05:00

Check out Cailey's foot, complements of her sister. I was hoping I had a month or so before this started. :(

The circle of sickness continues.

2006-10-17T13:21:00.000-05:00

I think the 5 of us have been recycling the same germs. The babies are fine now. I started feeling crappy on Sunday, and we went to bed at 8:15. By Monday morning, I felt like death warmed over. Chills, sweats, headache, sore throat; the whole 9 yards. Brodie had a suspiciously red and goopy looking eye, so we kept him home from school. After breakfast I put the babies in the playard and Brodie played nicely by himself and I dozed on the couch. Tom came home at lunchtime to relieve me of some duties, and take Brodie to the doctor. The doctor was not entirely convinced that he has actual pink eye; more just a virus that is working it's way through. He gave us drops for his eye, though to be safe, and gave us the go-ahead for preschool on Wednesday. Thank goodness, because Brodie pouted all day, "Is it Monday? But Monday is preschool!!!!"

I feel much better today. Not great, but not like a pile of poo. I haven't had coffee since Saturday, and have refused all chocolate as well. I also didn't check the message boards until after 2 pm yesterday.

I just put Cailey down for a nap about 20 minutes ago, since she didn't nap at all this morning, and Cate will follow shortly. She is practicing walking inside the playard. She will take 2 or 3 steps within the safety of her "baby jail," but not outside.

The babies favorite pastimes continue to be: putting objects in containers, dumping them out, stealing each other's containers, bashing each other on the head with toys, and body slamming each other.

Eek! I'm slipping!

2006-10-12T14:32:00.000-05:00

5 days since my last post? How did that happen? Week in review:

Monday: I realized early in the day that I didn't have Ziti for Ziti Al Forno, and needed a few extra things. I picked Brodie up from preschool, took everyone to "The Pig," and I allowed my child to do something I swore I'd NEVER let him do. I let him push a kid shopping cart around the store. I pushed the stroller, he pushed the cart and was very good. He didn't crash into any people, and hardly any shelves. Never say 'never.'

Ziti Al Forno with tiny meatballs is like a hybrid of baked ziti and lasagna. I started making sauce and meatballs at 2:45, and we ate at 6:30. It was very tasty though. It was a lot of food, and thankfully it can be prepared the day before and refrigerated before baking.

Tuesday: Brodie and I made the best darn chocolate chip cookies that I'VE every made. I only wish I could stop eating them. Mom's Night with the twins group. The gameplan was to meet at Panera for coffee for an hour, then head to an 8:00 movie. 6 of us showed up, which I thought was a good turnout, and we talked until we realized it was after 8:00. We closed Panera's and headed to Chili's for chips and beverages.

Wednesday: Tom took a half day and I took Cailey to PT. She's seeing a specialist at the end of the month so we're putting PT on hold until after that. We had a mini-Thanksgiving dinner last night. Turkey steaks, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and cranberry apple stuffing. Those babies like stuffing! Tom and I had to move the cribs apart today. The babies didn't take a nap. They were playing; stealing bunnies, throwing everything back and forth and then on the floor...sillies.

Today: Windy, cold, snow! Soup and sandwiches tonight. Brrr!!! Hopefully NBC stuff is new tonight.

Closet doors and shelves

2006-10-07T21:51:00.000-05:00

Tom had a productive day! He took Brodie to Lowe's and to school to pick up our Market Day order. He fixed our closet doors in the bedroom, cleaned all the do-hickeys on the vacuum that were dirty, and put shelves up in the foyer closet to maximize storage of Little People buildings, games, puzzles... He also went grocery shopping after dinner. We had herbed buttered fish and tomato-lentil couscous (the kids had chicken nuggets, mixed veggies and potato smiles). I have been doing laundry, laundry, laundry.

The babies are on the mend; they still have runny noses, but they're better. Yesterday we went to visit daycare. Cate was pretty crabby, but Cailey was very content rolling around on the floor and taking in the action.

Tonight I'm watching Must Love Dogs. So far it seems cute. Tomorrow one of Tom's co-workers is coming over with his wife and 4 year old son. We're going to have burgers on the grill, roasted potatoes, corn, salad and apple pie (if I feel like making an apple pie in the morning).

Up in the middle of the night.

2006-10-05T02:54:00.000-05:00

As you can see by my post time, I'm screwed tomorrow. I went to bed at 11:00, and I woke up about half an hour ago. I'm sitting here deciding if mystery baby is coughing badly enough to warrant adminstering some nasty cough syrup in the middle of the night. I'm thinking she'll be alright. While I'm up...

I had fun chatting w/ some of the girls tonight. We always get a little silly, especially when there's more than 5 of us on at a time. Tom is starting to enjoy my chat nights as well. He usually will rent a movie that I have NO desire to watch.

Not sure if I mentioned this, but Brodie said something freaky the other day. Like, "I see dead people," freaky. I noticed in the bathroom that his small locker-size mirror was in my flower pot of make-up and not over the faucet where it usually is (our mirror is too high for him, and he can see himself brush his teeth in the little one). I went to put it back, and he told me not to. When I asked why, he said, "I'm afraid to look in it." Okay, I'll bite. Why? "I see scary pictures of myself in it." ??? Uh, how does one respond to THAT? I don't even remember how I responded. I think I just changed the subject entirely. I think tomorrow may be "Art Therapy" day. I may have him draw what he sees in the mirror.

NOT fun.

2006-10-04T19:00:00.000-05:00

I was very unmotivated this morning because of the crummy weather. I had 2 goal for the morning: take a shower and bathe the babies. I accomplished both tasks, and at 11:15 the girls were eating lunch. Due to their congestion and low-grade fever, I only gave them 1/2 the amount of milk. I also gave them some watered down white grape juice.

At 11:45, I have Cate cleaned up, sitting in her booster seat w/ her coat on. I'm about do the same for Cailey, when she starts to throw-up. A lot. All over. Everywhere. Projectile. Now what? I'm supposed to be at school in ten minutes to pick up Brodie. I throw an old towel on the floor, leave a feverish baby wearing a coat, and try to change and clean up Cailey. As I'm doing this, I'm also calling school to explain to them that I may be a few minutes late, and to see if they can walk Brodie out to the van so I don't have to bring in "Puke-Master-C." Thankfully they were very accomodating.

When we got home, I gave the girls a decongestant and put them to bed. Brodie watched TV and I set about cleaning up the kitchen. Blah. My kitchen smelled like lemons and vomit after I mopped. So I burned a potpourri tart and made a pot roast for dinner!

Tom and Brodie put together the girls' new TOY BOX before dinner. After dinner Tom had to go speak to a college class for his boss. The girls are sleeping. They've been medicated for their fevers and congestion. Brodie is watching Tom and Jerry, and I'm getting ready to have an online chat w/ the gals from the board. All is good...finally!

Weekend.

2006-10-02T09:45:00.000-05:00

Friday night after dinner (how sad is it that I have no memory of what we ate), Tom and I watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith. It was pretty funny. Mindless, but funny.
On Saturday, Tom, Bill and some of Tom's co-workers went to a tattoo convention in Chicago. I guess it wasn't too great; Tom was the only one in the group who had been to one before. Tom came home and said, "I only got a SMALL tattoo...just kidding." I would have killed him if he got another one right now.

Saturday night after the girls were in bed, I got my "me" time, and I wandered around KMart and Target aimlessly, by myself. I got some lounge wear and pj's for the girls. Nothing over $3.50!

Yesterday, my sister came over to visit for a while. Tom and Brodie did errands and grocery shopping and we had tacos for dinner. Last night. Tom and I watched Aeon Flux. Weird. Thumbs down. I was only familiar with the animated shorts on Liquid Television years ago.

Today I'm doing stuff around the house (laundry and whatnot) as per usual, I'm thinking about getting out Halloween stuff (hard to do when it's going to be 80 degrees) and tonight we're having Pasta All'Matriciana. The girls will have leftover tacos; I think the pasta is too spicy. I haven't decided if Brodie can eat it or not.

Boots

2006-09-30T10:31:00.000-05:00

Thanks to some twin moms from the board, I was able to score these BOOTS for the girls at $10 a pop! I ordered them 2 sizes bigger for growth and error. I can return them at Sears if they don't fit. Such a deal for Land's End! All they had were light blue, but I'm okay with that. I checked and Brodie has a pair of L.L.Bean boots that still fit. I think they'll make it through winter. They're 1 size bigger than he wears. Still need to check his snow pants from last year...

Tonight I'm off to use some gift cards for socks, and some leggings for the girls. They are at a "unique" size right now. All of their 18 mos pants are getting too tight and short, but the 24 month stuff is a little too big. It's okay when we're going out and they're in the stroller, but when they're crawling, sometimes they crawl right out of their pants! I figure I'll check for some clearance stuff for around the house.

Cailey is standing up a little more, and the other day Cate took 1 step. It's not "walking" yet, but it's a start. Brodie is busying himself with all of his fall books and some Buzz Lightyear Toys. Tom is on his way to a tattoo convention w/ Bill and some friends. I'm hoping to swap out seasonal clothes for the kids today...feeling lazy, though.

I emailed Rosie O'Donnell today...

2006-09-29T14:55:00.000-05:00

I happened to watch The View today, and Patrick Dempsey was one of the guests. He is joining the ranks of celebrities having twins, such as Elvis Costello & Diana Krall, and P-Diddy. Anywhoo...Rosie asked what they were having, he said boys, she asked if they were identical or fraternal, and he said they didn't know, yet. She THEN went on to ask if there were 2 "sacs" on the ultrasound, and he said, "yes." Rosie then said something to the effect of, "Oh, well, two sacs; that means they're fraternal," and the other View ladies all nodded. I took it upon myself to send her an email at The View, explaining about zygosity and twinning. :D

Think she'll respond? ;)

More twin fun.

2006-09-27T14:17:00.000-05:00

Lots of people ask me if the girls play together and the answer is "no." They are big obstacles; pink and purple speed bumps, if you will. They take toys from each other and cry.

I think we're transitioning into the "interaction" phase. I put them down for their p.m. nap and listened to them jabbering and then crying. I went up there, and they were dropping toys into each others cribs, and then they were dropping them into a big pile on the floor. I think it's a new game.

Another excellent day at school for Mr. B, by the way. I guess he chose to play by himself a lot today. He was very tired. Up at 5, played outside after school, and fell asleep at naptime with little protest. If only I could say the same for the girls...

One year check up :)

2006-09-26T16:43:00.000-05:00

Stats:
Cailey ~ 23 lbs, 15 oz ~ 30.5" tall
Cate ~ 24 lbs, 6 oz ~ 31" tall

I am the only person on earth who feels it is imperative to know if my girls are identical or fraternal. The doctor said, "Well if there are 2 placentas that should give you a pretty good indication that they are fraternal." *rolling eyes* I may print off some info and "learn him" about twinning. I guess since he's a gp and not a pedi, I shouldn't expect him to know about it.

They had great reports. Cailey has a referral for a torticollis specialist at Children's Hospital. She also has eczema, but that's not a huge shocker. Brodie has it too.

Brodie has been so good this week (after a particularly difficult weekend). He's even done things like put away toys w/ out being asked. *faint* Cailey is content crawling around and playing quietly. Cate is content cruising around the furniture, pulling CDs of the shelves, pulling down the basket of diapers, emptying the wipes and tissue boxes, pressing the "page handset" button on the cordless phone base, and then pulling the base off the table. Sheesh. Both girls love to throw their food on the floor.

Preschool Open House

2006-09-21T20:41:00.000-05:00

Brodie got a time out at preschool on Wednesday. I noticed she used words like "full of energy," and "very excited." Tonight was open house, and we went right at 6:20 (so we could be home in time for My Name is Earl). We talked to her, and felt better. She said she has a group of boys in her class that just seem to get each other worked up, and Brodie was not a problem (phew). We saw some other boys that made us feel better. Open house was nice. Cookies were had by all, we were the token freak show w/ the big stroller, and Brodie was excited to show us around.

He was kind of a pill all afternoon, just pressing my buttons. I make pork chop apple casserole, which was not well received by the troops (well, Tom and I like it). I think Brodie liked it, but he was being difficult and didn't WANT to like it. The babies threw theirs on the floor.

Brodie told me tonight that he's too young. When I asked him what he was too young for, he said, "I'm too young to grow old." *sigh* What an odd little kid.

Random reminiscing...

2006-09-19T14:28:00.000-05:00

So, I've been reflecting on the past year a lot lately (hey, it's my Blog...I can do what I want).

A year ago I was home with 2 new babies, and we were feeding them every 2 hours. I remember going through 100 diapers in the first 5 days. We walked in a zombie-fog unlike anything I can describe. I also remember mixing Carnation Instant Breakfast with my coffee to make some demented nutritionally adequate mocha, and then switching to a diet of Diet Coke, cheese and pretzels in the afternoon. "Napping" for an hour after Brodie's bedtime before the next feeding, being up every night to see Craig Ferguson, nudging Tom awake as he dozed off while he fed a baby...I kept thinking back to how well rested I was when Brodie was a newborn, by comparison.

I would like to thank our family and friends for providing us with unconditional love, help, and support over the past year. I really don't know how we would have made it through.

Party recuperation

2006-09-18T10:05:00.000-05:00

I think I have survived their first party. We have a TON of food leftover. The babies loved the cake; so much in fact, that the only way to clean them up was to throw them in the tub together. We had a nice time, hopefully our guests did, too. The girls got a lot of fall clothes that were definitely needed.

Happy Birthday to my baby girls!!!!!

2006-09-15T00:11:00.000-05:00

Technically, it is morning. ;)

Last year, at 4:30 am, I rushed into the bathroom and grabbed a beach towel. I did a happy dance, and woke up Tom. ("Tom? Tom? My water just broke." *incoherent mumbling* "Are you $%@^ing kidding me?")

Operation twin-relay was set into motion. Phone calls were made, slumber was interrupted. I called The Birthing Inn, and told them we were on our way. I had Tom drop me off at the main entrance of the hospital, as I was too excited and in a hurry to be bothered with the paperwork and rigamarole at the ER. So I waddled to the elevators and up to the 4th floor in my size 10 (yes 10) flip flops with my towel between my knees. I told the nurse at the desk who I was, and she said, "You came up here by yourself?!" They put me in a L&D room, Tom brought my bags and then we waited. Doctors were paged, and I was rolled into the ER around 7:00am. At 7:43 and 7:44am I heard the angry, healthy cries of my baby girls, and the nurses played the "lullaby" chime twice. It is sounded throughout the whole hospital when a baby is born.

It seemed like forever before I actually got to hold them; so tiny and perfect, just like their older brother. I can't believe that it has been a year. It has the been the longest year of my life, the shortest, the most challenging and difficult, and the most rewarding. I am a mother of twin toddlers now.

Exactly one year ago...

2006-09-14T23:30:00.000-05:00

I was sleeping the most uncomfortable sleep ever. I had a snack just before bed of pizzelles with Nutella and a glass of milk. I heaved my huge Shamu-body onto the futon in Brodie's room, and completed the 87 point turn necessary to get myself situated among a bed of pillows. Things jabbed my ribs, my lungs, my bladder, my spine. I had to roll myself out of bed every two hours to waddle to the bathroom. I cursed everything and everyone under the sun and moon. I tried to sleep as the alien-puppet show continued. It hurt to breathe; hurt to move. Every organ was compressed by my double cargo. I prayed for relief.

At 4:30 the next morning, my eyes snapped open as I felt the unmistakable *pop* of my water breaking...

To be continued in the morning. ;)

Cailey's Neck :(

2006-09-14T14:29:00.000-05:00

She's having a bad day. She woke up sidebent, and just before breakfast she had a spasm and started to scream. I gave her Tylenol and tried to massage her neck and stretch it, but she would grab onto me as tight as she could and just cry. She seemed a little better after breakfast. She took a long nap this morning. I called the PT, who told me to call the doctor since muscle spasms don't fit the normal torticollis bill. The nurse at the doctor's office said to give her ibuprofen, massage, and moist heat, and then they'd see her at her well baby check-up in ten days. :(

Quiet now...getting uneasy.

2006-09-13T15:59:00.000-05:00

Everyone is still napping. It's a miracle! My goal is to keep everyone up a bit later tonight so that they sleep past 5:30 or 6:00 tomorrow. Brodie fell asleep around 2:30, and I heard one of the girls still awake around 2:00. Hopefully everyone is getting back onto a normal schedule.

I took both girls to Cailey's PT session this morning. I hope the PT ate her Wheaties. She thinks Cailey is looking good, but her head still "leans" a bit. She wants to keep seeing her once a month at least until she is walking.

I met Chloe's mom at preschool today. She said Chloe is in love with Brodie and he is the only reason she can convince Chloe to go to school. Brodie told me he had a time-out for playing "fight" today. :( His teacher didn't say anything, though.

Tom has a meeting tonight, and I have a scheduled chat with my message board friends. I should be cleaning for Saturday, but I'm not. That's what tomorrow and Friday are for. My main floor just needs general cleaning, but I think the basement is going to need some organizing.

Last night, I made fish for dinner. First off, I gave Brodie the job of crushing saltines, which he loved. He asked what the crackers were for, and I stupidly said, "the fish." He was very disappointed when we didn't get to feed crackers to his pet fish in the tank... So then I'm dredging and breading these fillets, when I look at the package and notice that they are Dory Fillets, so all I could think of was THIS.

Homestead Festival

2006-09-10T21:13:00.000-05:00

We got to Princeton around 4:30, Friday afternoon. We made good time if you consider that we had to stop and do a cleaning and wardrobe change for Brodie when he threw up in the van... While I got things situated and fed the girls, Poppy took Tom and Brodie down the street to see the neighbors' koi pond, let Brodie feed the fish, and ride a golf cart. Tough act to follow. After we had dinner, we put the girls to bed (I use that term loosely as Cailey screamed for a few hours) and Tom and I took Brodie up to the square to walk around. He had ice cream, we saw couples dancing, and we even went on a horse-drawn wagon ride. Brodie informed us that he "had so much fun at the fancy party."

Saturday was busy. My mom and I took Brodie to a fun fair in the morning. He had a blast. What kid wouldn't want to wear a fireman's coat and helmet, and then catapault a rubber chicken with a rubber mallet? After the kids had lunch, we went back to the "fancy party" for pork sandwiches (which is the only reason Tom accompanies me on this journey each September)and we walked around before the parade. The babies took time out from their busy schedule of screaming and not napping to fall asleep in their strollers. Brodie liked the parade; the babies...not so much. On the walk home, Brodie and Tom did get the opportunity to see the Batmobile.

Later in the evening we headed out to my 15 year high school reunion. We ended up moving the party into Marc's outbuilding when torrential storms moved in. Marc and his wife put on an excellent spread with a catered buffet, d.j. and Karaoke. I actually had a much better time than I expected to, and reconnected with some people. Tom made friends, too (go figure) and found his twin from whom he was separated at birth (one of my classmate's spouses). I had far more frosty beverages than necessary, yet maintained myself.

I believe the combination of 3 kids with colds + being out in the heat/sun all day + being out in the cold/rain all night = bad cold and earache. I went to bed at 6:30 tonight. I got up at 9:00 for more cold meds and maybe a snack, and then I'm back to bed.

The Beast Sleeps.

2006-09-07T22:22:00.000-05:00

Oh my God. Today sucked. Cailey napped for one hour today. No one else napped at all! Cate screamed and threw everything out of her crib. All day. I feel like I carried her/rocked her all day. I don't know what's with her. She throws her food, her cup, her toys, and her security items. I gave her cold meds with Tylenol, but nothing helped. I checked her mouth for suspect teeth-to-be. She just was ornery! The only good thing about it was that she cried for five minutes at bedtime and then just collapsed. Brodie was so tired that he fell asleep on the toilet. Now THAT is tired.

Tom put in the captain's chair and turned the girls carseats around. I wonder how Brodie is going to take it. He'll be alone in the back and can't see the girls. At least he'll be watching videos tomorrow on the way to my folks'. I have my lists complete, piles of clothes here and there, and my Mommy-Tackle-Box all packed. Tomorrow while Brodie's at school, I'll pack and bathe the girls.

Oh...my packages are close by. I'm guessing they'll arrive tomorrow. I just have to remind myself that these are the babies' presents...not mine...not mine (they're Raggedy Ann dolls in different clothes).

Plan of Attack

2006-09-07T09:18:00.000-05:00

Today I must decide what I need to pack for our voyage. I need to make a list. Tom is going to turn the babies' car seats around tonight, so everyone can watch videos in the van (they turn 1 in one week, and are bigger than most 2 year olds, so I'm not too worried). The large items we need to bring are the playard, pack n play, 2 booster seats, and the 2 umbrella strollers. Hopefully everything else can go into a few duffel bags.

The girls didn't go down to easily last night, but once they were asleep, they stayed asleep, thankfully. They seem much better day. They sound "rattly" and their noses are a little runny, but their fine. I ordered the babies' b'day gifts last week, and they are supposed to be here by tomorrow. I keep checking the UPS tracking progress, and it appears that they have been sitting in Ontario, Canada since Saturday. I'm trying to figure this out, since I'm fairly certain the company is based in the U.S. I hope they don't come while we're gone.

Elmo, Spike, and stuffing (???)

2006-09-06T21:19:00.000-05:00

Brodie was off to preschool today, while the girls fussed, snorted and snotted through their breakfast. I did manage to get them down for a nap while I cleaned up a little. My mom called me to tell me to turn on The Today Show, because I would NEVER believe my eyes. It was Elmo and the man behind Elmo, Kevin Clash. I laughed and disappointed my mother to no end because I already knew that "Elmo" was in fact, a HUGE black man. I may not know anything relating to current events, but I know my children's programming trivia!

Apparently my dad won a golf outing with Spike O'Dell, and a 2 night stay in a swank pad. We NEVER win anything! Since Tom is Irish, you know what they say, "If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all."

I gave the babies stuffing for lunch. HEY. Before you judge me, it was homemade, with whole wheat bread cubes, cranberries, apples, and celery. They haven't eaten much of anything with their colds, so I was happy to see them shovelling in the stuffing. After lunch, we picked up Brodie at school and headed to the store to pick up more cold medication and some prescriptions. We talked about his good day on the way to the store. Apparently, Brodie has taken quite a shine to Emma and Chloe. Later he told me that both girls have told him not to pat their hair. I said, "Did you stop patting them?" He said, "Yes. But then I patted them again." *sigh* No means no, kid. I realized that this was my first trip to a store with all 3 kids, and no other adult helper! Brodie has become extremely well behaved, and was absolutely wonderful, even when we had to wait at the pharmacy for a few minutes. Cailey was screaming bloody murder and people were staring at me like I was nuts (and I am). I just kept smiling, and pushing the stroller back and forth...

We came home, got the double deuce (babies pooped simultaneously), medicated (the babies-not me), and put to everyone to bed. I had a few moments to enjoy my newest old obsession, Laverne and Shirley. HEY. Before you judge me, the episode with Ted Danson as Laverne's firefighter boyfriend....tearjerker.

The girls are sleeping restlessly again tonight. There's lots of sounds emanating from up there. Coughs, sneezes, crying, toys being activated...I hope we all can sleep tonight.