Reevaluation

We have reevaluated our gym and decided not to join. Too stressful to get kids all ready and just have them be hysterical there. Maybe we'll go back in a couple of months.

Gym is a no go

I made it to the gym today. Fed, dressed, and packed up two toddlers. We were off by 8:45. When we arrived at child watch everything seemed fine until Jake saw me turn to walk away and then he was in hysterics. I hoped that it would pass...I gave it 5 minutes and came back to check. Jake was standing at the gate practically hyperventilating. I HAD to scoop him up and Ava just came along so we left. No workout. Oh well. Here are some pics I took with my new Nikon D40.

Getting Out....A Lot

I feel like we have finally started to get out like "normal" people. Art class yesterday... and today I joined a gym. It is partially run by our town so it is affordable but has highly recommended childcare, an awesome outdoor pool for summer (looks like a waterpark to me), and an fenced outdoor playground (cha ching). Ava was better a being left in the childcare area, she just blended right in. I don't think Jake knew what was happening when he was left. He wasn't quite as social as Ava. When I came back to pick them up, I peered in through the window. Ava was in the middle of the mix trying to catch bubbles, Jake was circling the room pressing buttons on toys but then made his way to a gate that enclosed their play area. As soon as he saw me, he broke down in tears. I felt so bad, but I think it will be good for mommy to get to work out, to zone out for an hour or two each day and it will be good for Jake and Ava to realize that they are not permanently attached to mommy. I think the social interaction with other kids will be great too! So hooray for getting out and living.

Art Class Chaos

Okay so it wasn't exactly chaos but very close. Ava & Jake attended their first art class today and lets say there was a lot of smeared paint and floating pasta pieces. My two would not stay still for one second so I am grateful that MIL went with me. They were swinging and flinging more paint brushes than I could count. I have to say I couldn't go by myself..just couldn't. I meant to take pictures but I also couldn't bring myself to bring my camera into the art class. I got a Nikon D40 last week and am really scared its going to break. The camera store clerk said if I dropped it, it was pretty much broken. I think I have to get over this though. I need to take some pictures.

Cooped Up

We have been cooped up in our house since last Friday and we are going a little stir crazy. After last weekend's rain, Monday's snow, and our acquisition of the croup, life has gone on indoors. To add to all this, Craig's car would not start on Tuesday so even if we could and wanted to go out, we are without our minivan. For a brief second, I considered going out in our backyard, but before we do I want us to be a little less croupy. Also the ice hasn't completely melted back there so accidents are bound to arise if we are not careful. Our new household happening??? Gate climbing!!!! I have had to remove gates from around our fireplace because we were scaling it to get over to the other side. Jake in particular can scale any gate now so he is everywhere. Deep breath... I think I will need an apple martini this evening.

Indecision

I am a little off. My mom, who has come and stayed with us on and off since I went on bedrest, left today. Her flight wasn't delayed, very suprising. I can't quite decide how I feel about it. I miss her and miss the ability to just pop out to run an errand by myself, but living with an extra person is hard. I miss her when she is gone, but I miss just being alone with my husband and kids when she is here. I think a marriage is stressed enough by having toddler twins. I know how insensitive this sounds as their are many moms of twins that would love to have an extra pair of hands, but relationships are hard. Being with someone 24 hours a day is hard. So I start a new segment of my life in which I become completely responsible. No more relying on grandma while I take an afternoon exercise walk. I will have to figure it out on my own. I've done it before....I guess you just get rusty as you become too comfortable with help. This morning Craig went into work late due to the snow so we managed to get our smurfs out for a couple of minutes. Jake fell, his hands were wet and cold, and he wasn't happy. Ava seemed to be having a great old time sniffing in the cold air. Can you believe it is snowy and icy today and by the end of the week it will be 70. Can't wait!

Seems Fixed

Okay seems like it's fixed. What an end to a long weekend! It was my MoM consignment sale and I sold lots and bought lots. Who knew I would be so in love with consignment sales!

Just Testing

I'm just testing. When I look at my blog, nothing is coming up, just parentheses where the text should be. Can anyone help?

Language Explosion

Ava has taken off in the last week in terms of her language. I finally feel like when I say things she really understands me. A couple of nights ago she woke up and said "I stuck" (her legs were tangled up in a sheet). It was so cute and I remember thinking, half asleep, "how does she know the word stuck?" Yesterday, she fell while we were outside and I asked her if she was okay. She replied, "I okay!" So precious and it just happens all of a sudden. I am off to prepare for my MoM Spring Sale. Who knew that tagging a few things would be so much work!

Weekend Fuzz

Do the weekends seem fuzzy to you? They just go by like a blur. I always want to relax and slow our pace down but instead we try to cram in as much as possible. One day!?! This weekend included a trip to pick up a playhouse (yeah!), a mall trip, and a trip to IKEA on opening weekend in Charlotte (CRAZY, I know!). Maybe next weekend will be more relaxing.

Well last week I ventured out to my first Mother of Multiples playdate. It was at Rolly Pollies (a place I would recommend). They had all types of gymnastics equipment and a bouncy house with a slide (the favorite). Ava and Jake went non-stop for an hour. By the end they were red faced and ready for a nap.Ava is so adventurous. She loved the slide and just wanted to climb back up so she could go down again.

Jake was a little scared at first (look at the face!!!), but he got the swing of it and loved it as well.

The squishy block pit was a second favorite. I didn't like it as much because I feel like the kids were going to get buried in the blocks. Once you were inside it was hard to push up on anything because everything was so squishy.

So after two solo outings last week, I learned that maybe it is okay to venture out alone with two. Hopefully it will only get better! Mondays are usually a drag but maybe I just need a different outlook. Here it goes!!!

Bedrest. The word brings back so many memories. Before I knew what it really was I would have called it heaven. Almost two years and two babies later, the memory of it being so bad is becoming fuzzy. I thought about this today after reading a post by Mames.

February 26, 2007. I remember the date with such clarity. I was put on bedrest due to severe cervical shortening. I think what made it so bad, in addition to the isolation and the toll on your body, was the fear. The fear that standing up or not lying on your left side or a bowel movement would hurt your two unborn babies. Bedrest was hard but it produced two beautiful, sun filled children. Like Mames, they were born at 35 weeks, small but perfect. No NICU, out of the hospital in three days. I was lucky. I am lucky.

I wish back then I had blogged or read blogs. It would have helped me to pass the time, to have documented my feelings from such a tumultuous time. On February 26, I will look back on that date two years ago and reflect on how far I’ve come.

Out Solo

Yesterday I went to storytime at the library with 2 kids by myself for the first time since they were 12 months old. You might think "what's so special/hard about this?" but for me i've always gone with someone else. At the age where the kids started to walk and wanted to get away from me, I always felt that I couldn't handle them by myself in a situation where I had to let them out of the stroller. Even thinking about it sent me into a panic. But things went better than expected. A little rough at the beginning, but they settled right in and did some sitting on my lap and some walking around. I am starting to feel capable. I am even attempting a MoM playdate tomorrow. I remember back when the babies were 10 or 11 months old strolling through the mall in disbelief that I was in charge of these two babies and could be trusted to take care of them. Wow we have come a long way. I know many are attempting going places stroller free letting yours walk by themselves. I am taking little steps as I am sooooo not ready for that!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine’s Day!!! Craig and I celebrated last night by going out to dinner at a nice restaurant called the Prickly Pear. Everything was very yummy. My MIL watched the kids OVERNIGHT!!!! It was so nice to be able to sleep in this morning and extra nice to see my two after such a restful night. I was recharged!!!

Spaghetti

The new favorite thing in our house is spaghetti. Jake and Ava have always liked pasta and I always chose chunky kinds that they could really grab. Today I tried spaghetti and they love sucking it in. So much fun! A little messy with sauce.

Calling Pro Bloggers

Can any pro bloggers tell me why I always end up with that huge space at the bottom of my post? Whenever I try to rid of it in draft mode, I end up deleting a whole paragraph.

Dog....dog.....dog

Today I was in tears in our backyard because of what I saw and heard. First off I saw Jake with the top half of his body underneath our planting table. When I went to pull him out, I heard him softly saying dog....dog...dog. The funny thing is that this was what was underneath the table with him Clearly not a dog! It's out neighbor's cat. I got Jake out from under the table and out came the cat as well. What was even funnier was watching Jake chase the cat around the backyard chanting dog...dog...dog. He's obviously got his animals a little mixed up. I wish I had had my camera ready to capture the moment. By the time I got it, the only picture I could get was the cat running away.

Sick, Sick, and More Sick

We just got back from the pediatrician's office and it seems like we just have the common cold. Just brought Ava & Jake in to make sure they weren't having any wheezing or sneaky ear infections. Luckily we are in the clear. We've been sick since the beginning of January, catching one cold, passing it on. We get better for a couple of days and we catch the next. Ughhhhh!!!

Anyone have any immune boosting tip?????

5 Reasons I Am So Over the Top Excited We Moved to North Carolina

We moved to North Carolina about 2 1/2 years ago and although at first we missed friends and family, we have not regretted our move. These are some of the best reasons why I love North Carolina. 1. Umm the weather. It should be enough to say that it was 74 degrees yesterday. In February. While in New York it was freezing!!! North Carolina rocks. Someone was right when they said that after a couple of days of cold, you always get a nice warm up. 2. Ohhhh the stores. I grew up in Montauk, a town that was seasonal at its best (after the summer season was over, stores rarely opened). It was also a town that was far away from everything and anything (it is on the tip of Long Island, which is basically a long, narrow island. There were only things west of it). So coming to North Carolina where there is a SuperTarget, a Walmart, a food store, the hospital, the pediatrician's office, Babies r' Us all within a 10 mile radius is like heaven. 3. The parks/playgrounds. We have dozens to choose from. Like heaven 4. It is so baby/kid friendly. Around me it seems like everyone either has 3 kids or is pregnant. I think this leads to all the playgroups, gymborees, Little Me's, and other child centered activities. One of my favorite places is Birkdale Village where they have a gated in water fountain sprinkler that the kids can run through. There are too many to participate in and it warms my heart as a mom that needs to get out more. 5. I have to come back to the weather. If I didn't have anything else, this would be reasons 1-5. North Carolina rocks. Each month that I am here it gets better and better!

We are 20 months old

Dear Jake, Today you turned 20 months old. Boy have you given me a run for my money. You have become a quick little boy with a mischievious grin. You love to climb on anything and everything and to tell you the truth this makes your momma's heart stop at least 35 times a day. You do not like to stop for too many hugs and kisses because you are always too busy looking for a "car" or a "choo choo". Car seems to be your favorite word lately. We'll add that to mama, dada, bye, baby, dog. Words at this point are not your strong suit but you are adding to your repetoire every day. You love to play air drums just like your daddy; you'll be a pro any day now. Happy month my little boy. I love you bigger than what my heart can hold.

Dear Ava, You are nearly 2 years old, only 4 months away. You are such a sweet, gentle girl. You love to give kisses and hugs and gentle caresses when they are needed. You love to dance oh do you love it. You dance to all the music on Jack's Big Music show and any other tunes that happen to catch your ear. You love love love to eat blueberries or "blues" as you call them. You also love pancakes and any kind of dipping sauce. You are saying more words than I can keep up with and you've got lots of animal sounds down pat. You are a growing, evolving young girl and I love you bigger than what my heart can hold.

Our "Wagie Ride" for Tuesday

Today we took a "wagie ride" to be as close as we possibly could be to the Whitt family and Tuesday. Our prayers are with them.

Pictures

Some pictures. I need to practice posting them because they are just not coming out right.

20 months is sooooo much better than 17 months

I learned this at a playdate with a friend that has 17 month old twins. We went to a mall and strolled a little, let them play at the mall playground, and had some lunch. These twins brought back 17 month memories and not good ones at that. They were squirmy and cranky and you could tell they just wanted out of the stroller.... and with 17 month old twins this is just not a possibility at a mall. So it gave me a nice peaceful feeling that my twins are growing and becoming more content. When I go to a mall by myself, I need to keep them confined to a stroller. Otherwise I would pull my hair out. I am happy that they are getting to a point where it feels like they are understanding that. My next step is to continue to grow with my babies and make sure that I am allowing them the freedom that they can handle. Laura C had a great post about how sometimes twins can exceed your expectations.

Appreciation

I'm making a new resolution...yes I am about a month too late, but i'd like to be more appreciative. Reading back to the post about my mother, I realized how ungrateful I sound. I guess I was just caught up in the moment and I was mad. I think I need to work on taking help that I get and just appreciating that because I could have no help.

Teacher

In my previous life I was a teacher. It was something that I loved. Interacting with students, inspiring them to learn. However, it was also something that seemed to drain every last bit of energy out of me. Constantly planning, spending way too much of my own money, worrying too much about how I was going to improve each child. But I loved it, how all your hard work molded these young people. I haven't been in a school setting in a long time but today I returned. I visited an old teacher friend and took part in a reading celebration. It felt good to talk to students and inspire them to read. It is something i'd like to get into again, but I think for the time being I will work on molding and inspiring my own two little smurfs.

Tuesday

I am sitting at my computer and all I have on my mind is Tuesday. I just met Tuesday through her mama's blog. I prayed for Tuesday and her family. I prayed that a miracle would happen, that the doctors would be wrong, that she would just get better. I am so sad. I still pray that her family has peace. Please pray for Tuesday's family.

A New Start

Today is my new start. I am committing myself to blogging in order to preserve memories that I am quickly losing and to cherish moments that I think I am too busy to think about. I read plenty of blogs myself so I am at my computer for a chunk of the day. And my hand written journal for my little ones has not seen the light of day for a long time. So today I start. Both of my little ones are sick with runny noses and coughs. Sounds familiar??? Well I am becoming more laid back about it. Yes they will get sick and no there is nothing I can do about it. So there. I will take care of them to the best of my ability. Luckily they are resting nicely now. So what do I want out of this blog???? I want a place where I can share my feelings, the good times and the crummy times. I want to connect with people who understand what its like to have two babies or two toddlers....at the SAME TIME!!!!! I love reading others blogs because at times it makes me feel like there is someone out there that understands me. Thats a nice feeling.