The Daily Fix

Pictures...

2009-09-28T20:17:00.000-04:00

The last time I posted pictures the boys were half bald and half baby.

Meet Corey and Brady ... a few months older and wiser. (this means they are getting over... I am out numbered people!!!) PS did I mention they have hair now!!!???

Brady

Corey

Corey & Brady

All pictures taken 9.09

19 month update

2009-09-28T14:31:00.000-04:00

Dear Corey and Brady,

I have not updated the world on your feats in months. I can only blame myself for the lack of writing because you both have definitely not stopped growing nor giving me material to write about. The truth is, you are growing up way too fast and I have been savoring it. I have selfishly decided that you both are too darn cute to share with the world, but today I woke up and realized that this is also a legacy for you to read one day. So I decided to come out of my shell and share pieces of you again.

Today, you both are 19 months old (plus a few days; 7 to be exact). You are both so different yet alike in many ways. These days you are playing together more often, which also ignites baby fights but you are learning to work it out amongst yourselves. You both are balls of energy and total lovers. You crave attention and love hanging out with Mommy and Daddy. You both are loud and spend all day long “talking” to each other. You both roll like true brothers and are developing that bond that Daddy and I wish for. You both love shoes, especially your rain boots. Even when Daddy hides them, you find them and beg to put them on. You are reaching all the milestones exactly as planned by Baby Center. You both love climbing, jumping and running around. You dance better than the Jackson 5. You can shimmy with the best of them and we spend a lot of time shimmying. You love books on bugs and butterflies. You love coloring and especially butterflies. Some of your favorite eats are macaroni and cheese, veggie burgers, pasta (of any kind), bananas, baby carrots (raw – God forbid I cook them), waffles and berries. You both are “talking” more each day. Some of your favorite words are “Mum”, “Dad”, “Ball”, “Car”, “Butterfly”.

Corey, you are one of the happiest babies I know. You love to smile and when you flash those amazing dimples it’s hard to say “no” to you. (Something you are slowly learning to use to your advantage!) You love trucks; it’s not uncommon to find you pushing one around the house, making “vroom” noises. You also love playing “ball” with Daddy. He has slated you to become a superstar running back in the years to come. You hold a ball with expert hold and run your “bum” off. You are sweet and very loving. You do have a mischievous streak and can get your brother on the bandwagon without much effort. You love to dance and are amazing with puzzles. You have taken a liking to building with legos. You are also totally taken by “Bunny”, a stuffed bunny you received for Easter. You carry Bunny around everywhere; it’s so cute to watch.

Brady, you are by far one of the smartest babies I know. You are so serious at times, but waiting to burst into a contagious laughter. You make me work for your laughter, but when you laugh you laugh harder than anyone I know. You are an amazing listener; asking you do to something seldom requires me to repeat myself. You have a streak of mischievous running through your body, but unlike Corey you always seem to get caught every time. You are a major flirt and growing up to be a ladies man. Anytime we go out, the girls flock you. You love the attention! You strive for our attention all the time, throwing fits if you don’t get what you want. You are a top chef in the making; you cook a mean soup (filled with lots of plastic veggies and blocks) and love “setting the table”. You offer me tastes of your “cooked” meals; which I adore. You are strong willed and will not take no for an answer. While your brother has taken to building, you have taken a likening to “destruction” – meaning anything he/we build you must destroy. You have a special look about you and when you flash me those eyes and flutter those long lashes… I melt. (This is something you are learning to use to your advantage) You also love playing “ball” with your Daddy. You have a mean throw and Daddy sees a superstar quarterback in future. You can throw with both hands… which is apparently an amazing talent. You love dancing with me, especially cheek to cheek.

We are so blessed to have both of you in our lives. There isn’t one day that your Daddy and I don’t look at you both in awe. We are amazed at your growth, your energy and your ability to make us smile. (Effortlessly) We can not believe how big you have gotten and how incredible you both are. I love every single thing about you both (even those gnarly toes)!

Love,

Mommy (edited by Daddy)

Toddler antics have hit a whole new level....

2009-06-30T13:12:00.005-04:00

The boys are up to no good these days. They are sneaky and seem to stay ONE (or 2) steps ahead of us at all times! These days, they are obsessed with climbing; counter, chairs, couches, tables... basically anything that is above higher ground!

Today Mike sent me this picture to work with the following caption:

"HAHA this is how Corey was playing while I was cleaning up after breakfast!"
I was almost scared to open the attachment! (this is Me talking)

So while we laugh at the craziness we call life, this definitely could be dangerous. Except C&B totally think they are "SuperTwins" and thankfully one of us is ALWAYS there to "save" them!

Since they have been climbing our couches and they don't seem to share very well (with us). We decided it was time to get them their own couch. To keep the fights at bay, we bought them each their own, we went with the simple look as opposed to the swanky tub seats I love on PBKids. I cant wait for them to arrive! We got the same one below, minus the "Julia". I actually decided against personalization, we just aren't that type of people... monograms are overrated or perhaps I am just not cool enough.

Splish Splash I was splashing in the park

2009-06-28T10:46:00.004-04:00

I am just not taking enough! I mean really what kind of Momma leaves the camera behind, me that's who.

Yesterday, one of our favorite people stopped by to visit with us. She came with us to the Splash Park. I have never been or seen anything like this. The park was not a fancy huge water park that you see advertised on the side of the highway. It was a small park with water everywhere; waterfalls, animals with water spouts, buckets and a huge water maze. The boys loved it! As we were walking up (the boys would not keep on their flip flops so they were carried in, much to their dismay!) Corey caught a glimpse of what was in store and clapped. They were so anxious to get inside. We kicked off the flops and went straight for the water. (literally!) Brady was fearless, walked right into the sprays of water, getting soaked immediately. Corey slowly walked in, getting portions of his body wet little by little. It was awesome. They had grins the size of Montana on their faces the entire time. We spent about an hour playing in the water, running after them. As Gina said "We need to do zone defense, one on one is not working!" That statement summed up our lives, some activities really require more than 2 willing and helpful people. It was awesome to have her here, I wish that she lived closer. ( I say this every time we see her!)
I didn't plan on getting soaked, drenched or even slightly damp but I walked away just as drenched as all the kids. LOL... so much for doing my hair in the morning!

Of course we didn't leave the park without one scrape, it just wouldn't be right to leave without a souvenir. Brady tripped several times, the last one leaving a red scrape on his forehead. Thank goodness he has long bangs (reminding me he needs a hair cut - he is starting to look emo)

This was a great activity and so glad we found it here! Love her and her great blog - check her out if you are local, she breaks down all things kids (and parents) in the area!

Weekly wrap-up (its not Wicked since its Friday!!)

2009-06-26T15:08:00.007-04:00

Lists... I am feeling like making a list. So much going on to talk about its easier to list them! (unless you want a novel, but even if you do I am tempted to keep it short!!)

Childcare

We are Nanny-less, which I briefly mentioned but still feel weird talking about it in more detail

We have realized losing a nanny, is similar to breaking up with a boyfriend. In our case the breakup was pretty bad.

Since losing our nanny, Mike has become a SAHD, a role he likes as long as I am not around. (watch this video for a total laugh - its been his theme song all week!)

We really havent figured out childcare and Mike staying home is not long term but it has been helpful AND something we are considering while we wait for day care.

I have decided I will never hire a Nanny again. (Ive tried 5 times and we cant get it right!)

Childproofing

This is not a new subject for us, but as they get older (and taller) the proofing gets tougher

All gates are down!! Mike took all of them down, except one. *our front door/foyer still is a danger zone*

Corey now has learned to turn the TV, DVD player and Cable box on and off... lots of fun when you are watching TV. (3 days into the switch, Mike added a piece of cardboard to the buttons to deter Corey. It seems to be working.)

All drawers that are belly level to me, which means they are on their tippy toes to reach are now duct taped shut!

Since they are taller, we can not leave ANYTHING on tables, counters etc unless we want to clean up after them.

Random stuff

Yesterday, Michael Jackson died... I am still very sad about it. I turned on the radio for our nightly predinner dancing and Thriller was on. (a classic) I started dancing and the boys hopped off the floor and started jammin' out! (love it!)

Brady is truly our next Top Chef. He loves all things kitchen including spatulas and ladles.

Corey is car obsessed, loves any and all cars. Lays on his belly to push them around while saying "vroom". (priceless and love that I started doing that with them when they were 4 months!)

They have crushes on the 2 cutest girls on Nick Jr!

C&B are climbing anything and everything these days. They love sitting on the couch like big boys, but if you aren't watching them carefully they will do the "superman" dive!

We are their favorite props for climbing!

This week since we were both home, we got 2 opportunities to have play dates with our favorite girls. They are getting more comfy around each other but truly this is more for the parents!

We have a busy weekend ahead and I plan to post pictures. Here are a few from this week!

It's never TOO early to have a celebrity crush...

2009-06-24T19:02:00.005-04:00

... right?!?! At least not in the Appleby household. I read somewhere that with little boys, their Momma is their first crush but I promise you that is NOT the case here.

My boys are totally smitten over these big eyed brunettes!!

Lucky for me, my fearless and quite advanced duo have different taste is ~~women~~ cartoon girls.

Corey's obsessed with Kai Lan!!! As soon as her show comes on (at the crack of dawn) he is smitten and hanging off the side of the entertainment center. He bounces when she talks and claps when she returns from commercial breaks. The downside to this obsession is that it comes on at 6:30am or some OUTRAGEOUS time before we want the boys awake.

Brady on the other hand, salivates at the sight of Dora the Explorer. He will also bounce ala Tigger when her face is magnified on our ginormous TV. He dances to her music and gets beyond thrilled the minute he hears her intro song. As I type this he is bouncing to "Come on, vamonos"!

The best part of this true story is that while these girls make my boys go cuckoo for cocoa puffs, its only individualized... Brady could care less about Kai Lan and Dora does nothing for Corey.

I think its adorable and can already imagine poster size prints of Kai Lan and Dora emerging next to said crib. Wait maybe that is too advanced?!?!?!

For every bit of bad news, I expect something good in return...

2009-06-23T13:21:00.005-04:00

We are all well despite all of the craziness this week. Many events have transpired over the course of 4 days that have impacted my family. Thankfully the metro accident did not affect us or anyone we know, such as friends, family or colleagues. The accident occurred on the line (Red) we use frequently, if not daily (Mike) but it was going the opposite way we ride it. Even though it occurred during rush hour, we were very lucky that Mike was home with the boys, since we lost our nanny. (more on that soon)

I witnessed the aftermath, since I was in Arlington filming the last taping of the show, I had to take the blue/orange to the red to get home. It was nothing short of crazy when I got to Metro Center. Imagine a metro station filled to capacity with people (a mess of both Tourists and Commuters) waiting/fighting for trains to get them home. I made a friend, a commuter and we made fun of the situation by saying it reminded us of a zombie movie. I think I waited for over an hour, without a clue about the crash and its magnitude. We were told someone died and we both collectively assumed suicide. (considering the high rate of metro suicides in recent weeks) We agreed to wait until the mass of people got on the first few trains and we, my new friend and I embarked a very packed train. It was here we learned of the crash and the fatalities. I felt awful since my phone had died and I couldn't let Mike know I was OK. Anyways, I got home safe and Mike missed out on the Metro tragedy completely. I was home very late, but he figured it had something to do with the show and filming and nothing to do with a fatal crash on the Metro rail.

We were glued to the TV last night, watching every interview and glimpse of the crash. It was surreal to think this is a train line we use and all the "what ifs" or "could have beens". Our hearts pour out to the families and loved ones affected by the crash.

In other crazy and sad news to share... We recently cancelled (yesterday) our vacation to Dominican Republic since the Chileans lost my passport or rather ignored my request for renewal for 9 weeks. Apparently, not having a valid passport is traveling suicide and I am at fault! Mike is a God and somehow convinced Travelocity to refund us our money, so a new trip is in the works but not until I get my passport. We are all very bummed to not be going on vacation!

Otherwise, we are all doing well. We recently (Sunday) got the boys a wooden kitchen (with Fridge) and Baby Emeril in training (Brady) is in heaven. Corey, on the other hand loves that the kitchen provides his new fire truck a smooth surface to ride and crash into the sink.
They are both excellent dancers and are self teaching themselves to swim in the bath tub, much to our dismay. This means they stick their heads completely under water while moving from one side to the other of the tub... yeah its frightening! They loved staying home with Dada yesterday and today they had a play date with our favorite girls. (while I am here stuck at work, sniff!)

Check out my blog for good news about me

Happy Father's Day, Mikey

2009-06-21T11:20:00.007-04:00

Today we celebrate a special person in our lives. We enter the day with zero expectations and without requests or demands (unlike Mother's day a few weeks back).

Thank you for being you.

Thank you for every diaper changed and meal made.

Thank you for rushing home from a long day at the office and an even longer commute... with a smile.

Thank you for remaining positive no matter what the situation is.

Thank you for every ball kicked, thrown and dribbled. *your confidence that you are raising professional athletes is proof that you want only the best for us*

Thank you for being different than the rest; you never balk at extra work around the house, you do what it takes to help us. (this includes dishes and laundry!)

Thank you for taking the boys on long walks and to the park, they enjoy that time spent with you. The best part is that these ideas come from you and never require urging from me.

Thank you for being selfless and thinking of us first, time and time again.

Thank you for keeping the peace, for entertaining us and being a walking cartoon character. *we love your goofy personality!*

Thank you for reading books and playing games with us. (I am included here, thank you for the endless uno games)

Thank you for keeping an open mind, especially when I ask you to do things outside your comfort zone. (like play dates on saturday's with 7 families with twins... thank you!)

Thank you for genuinely being a great Father. You take your title seriously and will do everything in your power to be the best. Its only been 16 months, but I cant imagine anything less from you!

You are so invested in us, you could be completely different but yet this is so natural to you. You are amazing! You are a great friend and I know you will do anything to protect us. Thank you for being you, plain and simple. I respect your dedication and admire your strength.

We love you!! Happy Father's Day, Mikey!

Play Dates, are they for me or them?

2009-06-19T09:46:00.000-04:00

As of late, I have been very diligent about organizing play dates for the boys. It has been entirely way too long since they linked up with other children their age. I often times worry that they are not socializing enough. Other children could be the key to calmer children… or is this all for me? Do I want to make more Mommy friends that coincidentally have children?

When the boys were 6 weeks old, I had spent way too much time on the couch watching insane amount of TV. View at 11 and Ellen at 2, I remember this vividly.(I would breastfed to those shows during the day) I remember being desperate for conversation with adults and not my infants that didn’t talk back. I was anxious to hear how other Moms were juggling and managing. I signed up for MCPOM with the quickness. I think I joined a playgroup within 2-3 weeks. That day, 10 moms and their multiples filled up a basement and bonds were made. I walked away with one great friend and several other acquaintances. Since then, we have met a few more times, but it gets complicated with that many Momma’s and double the amount of kids. Anyways, here we are 14 months later and I am getting the play date itch again.

Last week, we spent an hour or so with my favorite twin girls (and their Momma) in Bethesda. My boys trashed their home while she gossiped. Wednesday, one of my friends from high school and her 18 month old son came over. We gabbed while the kids trashed my home. It was a great evening and we are planning on doing this every week! Today, we have another play date with another twin Momma. I am excited to share lunch, watch our kids play and spend some girly time!

I hope that my kids get as much joy as I do from these social setting, cause I am doing it for them… well kinda!

Simplicity

2009-06-18T21:31:00.003-04:00

Life is so simple for the boys. They have a few basic needs and are amused so easily. Its so easy to come across as amazing in their eyes. I love that!

I got home late today and as soon as they saw me, their faces lit up! I have never ever seen anyone (besides Mike when we first started dating) get so excited to see me. They literally stopped what they were doing and ran to me.

I declare that simple moment, my favorite time today.

Wicked Wednesday wrap-up is back!!!

2009-06-17T23:06:00.003-04:00

Its been much too long since I wrote my typical Wednesday update, life and lack of computer got in the way. Without further ado....

Both Corey and Brady are totally on the go! They are walking, running, sprinting, climbing and dancing. You may recall a few weeks ago, I taught them how to shimmy. Well, they are baby dancing machines these days. More often than not they dont even need a beat to get down, but they love their "Leapfrog Fridge DJ" and as soon as a song comes on, they start breaking it down. They are actually pretty good dancers, must be a trait they have picked up from me! (wink) Long gone are the days of Brady wanting me to pick him to tango, these days he prefers to rock out solo or alongside of Corey.

What has not changed much and actually has gotten worse, is Brady's passion to be picked up. Not just by anyone either, nope just me. I cant seem to ignore or shake him. He is persistent and almost never takes no for an answer. Most days I love it and feel the bond, but there are days when this image ....

...is haunting!

This past week or so, they have started really playing together. They chase each other around the house. They spend a lot more time side by side playing. Dont get me wrong the fights are still very much around, but they are getting less and less intense. Corey likes to play horsey, he climbs Mike's belly and they "gallop". Its cute, but not as cute or hilarious as the few times he has mounted Brady's belly! Brady of course gets immediately distraught, since this game is only fun to Corey. Meanwhile, Mike and I are dying laughing, trying really hard to not pee in my pants.

Picky is a new commonly used word in our home. Its a new word and we are def wearing it out. Brady seems to be the one with the most culinary issues. Last week, they were on the BRAT diet and it seems that Brady grew accustomed to the bland carbs and fruits, because this week he wants nothing to do with meats, chickens, sauces, berries, or anything edible with flavor. I was shocked he actually had 6 bites of lasagna tonight.

They are getting so big way too fast but they are so much fun to watch and hang out with. They love being around us and will follow me around like ducklings. This includes to the bathroom. There have been many mornings where my shower is less than 3 minutes long, since I have both of them at my door protesting. I swear they "broke in" the other day, they rifled through my makeup and shredded my toilet paper. Even all these antics I find amusing. Getting ready for work in the morning would not be the same without them running around me and playing with their trucks. I have found a trick that gets them out of the bathroom faster than I could beg them too... My blow dryer! I turn that puppy on and point right at them. As soon as they see my antiquated red Loreal dryer, they run and dont come back!

We are preparing for a flight that is less than 6 days away. How you ask? By channeling my chi while praying that things will go smoothly and without issues. I have spent less time worrying about the flight and more on the packing list. I have checked the list more than Santa. I have just a few things left to buy for the trip and packing will start this weekend. I have always been organized, way too planned but I have gone ape-shit with twins.

Next Wednesday we will be in Dominican Republic and I am considering asking a few of my favorite bloggers to guest post... hmmm... that is so new to me, but something on my very long to-do list. I will have to skip the update post next week and will return 6/30 with a vacation update.

This is the true meaning of DOUBLE TROUBLE:

He goes this way and he goes that way…

2009-06-16T15:40:00.002-04:00

This is how we roll these days. Corey goes left and Brady runs right, Mike and I follow perspective child. We don’t hang out in public settings, really we can’t. As soon as we get cozy or in a conversation, we are left with the choice of eating/talking or running after child that has ran away or into “harm’s way”. Would we be so lucky to have a camera follow us around, (think Wife Swap!) we would look dysfunctional, but we are totally functioning the best and only way we know how. I can’t stress enough how “active” my boys are, which causes Mike and I to leave (and sometimes start) each and every function dripping with sweat. Its great for the work-out but not so much overall.

This weekend we went to a birthday party for a pair of 2 year old singleton friends with the same birthday. I didn’t know anyone, or so I thought and then realized that the people that invited us (Mike’s colleague) I actually assisted with recruiting over 4 years ago. Anyways, at the party there were many toddlers close to our age and it seemed as if our boys were the only ones completely passionate about life. They exuded the most curiosity. Their personalities mirror mine and Mike’s in the social sense. They are interested in everything and often times the things that most other toddlers could care less about. Such as ovens, refrigerators and Brady’s intense interest in brooms! Often times I am OK without the obligatory conversations but there are times that I wish we had down time. I have yet to witness either one of my boys sitting next to me in a chill mode engaged in a toy/activity for longer than 32.5 seconds. Mike says it’s our fault; we are just as sporadic, intense and passionate that it has rubbed off on them. I think it’s too soon to rub off on children, someone anyone please tell me you agree with me!

This weekend we also went to MCPOM’s annual picnic, which also assisted me in shedding some lbs. in my mad dash to lose more weight. I spent the entire time running after one of my boys while Mike did the same. We never got a chance to sit down, not once! Mike must have ranted the whole way home about how awful it was, to have spent the entire time chasing after toddlers and keeping tantrums at bay. In our home, running after boys comes with full fledged tantrums since they don’t want to be caught or pulled away from whatever was drawing them. (Lately the objects are grass, flowers, weeds, sticks, stones and dirt) Corey and Brady will haul ass for a blade of grass! (wow I rhymed and didnt even catch it until I was proofing)

As much as we may complain about how active our boys are, I promise you if they weren’t active I would think something was wrong. (and prolly would complain about that) I like that they have energy and a fire for discovering new things. I just wish that passion came with a pause button, because there are times when life is best observed sitting down rather than while sprinting. I can only hope that they will find a happy medium. (soon?)

I also worry that all this activeness comes from a place that I somewhat created. I don’t think they get as much activity as they should. Sure, when Mike and I are home we are taking them to the park, mall, events, people’s homes etc but when my nanny is home, the activity is limited to walks. (in a stroller) As much as I would like to be home to take them out more often, its unrealistic to think I have to take off work to assist her with creating activities. While I realize it’s hard work raising two and we dont live in the most kid friendly neighborhood, I still believe there are things to do once you let the fear go AND acknowledge it's not going to be easy. I also think we have reached a point where they need things to do and daily walks even multiple times a day just isn’t enough. I wonder if they spent more time running around and exploring throughout the day, if doing so would be less interesting during other times. Would it help cultivate calmness? This is something I am totally pondering and trying to see what is right for my boys. More to follow…

Wordless post

2009-06-11T21:20:00.004-04:00

OK, so just a few words... the pictures are in Corey/Brady order for the entire post. 1 of Corey and then Brady... till the final picture. Enjoy!! These are my favs of month 15. They are just a few days shy of 16 months! Where o where has the time gone?

Its official Corey and Brady are proud owners of...

2009-06-09T21:11:00.003-04:00

....picture ids!!! We received our passports!!! When I say we, I mean Corey and Brady! Its all coming together, finally. Yay!!! One less thing for me to worry about.

The entire passport experience was fairly painless. I emailed the multiples club for tips and everyone assured me it would be easy. It was, for the most part. (I love how I block out the screams and crying) We got our pictures taken at my local CVS. The girl was kinda clueless, but it was 5pm and the boys were more interested in tearing down the sunglass rack. I kneeled on the ground and held the boys up high, worked for Brady immediately. Corey took some work and a bribe. I walked away with photos, screaming kids and 2 balloons. (and 2 lbs lighter, its not easy to hold 25 lbs of stiff and squirmy baby high above my head, over and over again until the picture was just right). Mike was very helpful and I was happy to have waited for him to get off work. This was a job best handled by 2!

For the post office trip, I ventured alone, I mean how bad could it be! Well it was pretty bad. Brady yelled the entire time. In USPS time, that is exactly 37 minutes! While he yelled Corey put on a show for the peeved customers. (by show I mean he almost swallowed his binky for shock value and threw all items on the ground) Thankfully the clerk had twins and was very nice and patient with us. He did insult my Mommy brain, by asking me 3 (!!!!) times if I was certain the pictures belonged to the right child. I double and triple checked but I was 100% sure I had Brady's picture with the right application.

This entire ordeal was 1.5 weeks ago, (I know I waited till the very last minute and I paid for every penny of it) and the passports arrived tonight! With the appropriate picture smiling next to the correct child. Yay me!

Punta Cana, here we come!!!

Stomp Stomp, here comes Big Foot x 2

2009-06-09T14:40:00.002-04:00

Corey and Brady are growing faster than I can say “stop it”. Less than a month ago, we bought them new shoes, in a size 6. I was shocked that they were wearing that size considering they went from a 4.5 to a 6 in less than a week, how does one (or 2) skip a whole size and a half? I figured we hit a growth spurt in the feet department so we bought 4 pairs. I thought to last us through the summer and to match various outfits; this is not counting the 4 pairs of flip flops I bought them. (Yes, I do love shoes) Anyways, their chubby ET toes are now almost touching the tip of the shoe! Indicating a small size!!! WHAT!?!??! You grew a whole size in 4 weeks? Are you serious? Is this how fast kids grow? Or am I raising a pair of “Big Foots”??

I am amazed and totally have learned by lesson; I will not buy massive amounts of cute shoes until we find a size we are sticking too! This prolly won’t be for a very long time! It’s not very hard to believe I guess considering, Mike is a tall dude, but still. I had no idea that feet grew so fast. Pfft! Now I am left with the task of buying new sneakers and flip flops before we leave on vacation in 2 weeks.

We are pro "one-nap"

2009-06-08T21:19:00.005-04:00

We have sucessfully hit another milestone. Last week, while our nanny was off for personal reasons we (thanks to my Aunt) dropped a nap. My aunt saw the opportunity to make the move. You would have thought she read my mind, considering I wanted to do this to prepare for our vacation. My Aunt is truly awesome.
It has been a slow transition and we are all adjusting BUT I must say I love the one nap schedule. The trick seems to be to create activities to keep them busy, which was easier to skimp on with 2 naps. One nap toddlers show no mercy, if you are not planned. It was prolly a bad week to start, considering the boys are teething and getting over tummy issues. (Bad for me not them) They have adapted like champs. OK I am exaggerating a tad. We have had very sleepy toddlers fall asleep in the midst of playing (Brady) and eating (Corey) lunch. How does that happen? Easily! Think narcoleptic! The most challenging days have been the ones without planned activities, because no child should be left at home that long with nothing fun to do.

So our schedule at 15.75 is as follows:
7-7:30 wake
12-3 nap
7:30 bedtime

Its totally a different world. We may not be able to be the family that lunches but we can do play dates now with children closer to our age. An added bonus is the fact that Corey and Brady's girl friends are on the same schedule so double dates are back!

Just a few pictures of the boys

2009-06-05T10:53:00.000-04:00

our vacations at tia’s house

15 months and counting

2009-05-26T14:48:00.002-04:00

I have been on a writing hiatus, which sucks! While I may not be writing the kids are still growing. It makes me sad to report that it’s been 3 weeks since I shared anything with my 7 “followers” and anyone else that is silently stalking us. We have had a very eventful 3 weeks, not to brag or anything but its been too much to sit here today and take you on a slow drive down memory lane so I will spare you the ~~boring~~ daily details and agendas!

Here are some hard facts:

Corey and Brady had their 15 month check up on Friday and I can report they are healthy, happy and very social. Our doctor said “I’m alarmed at how social these two are for their age!” This remark was shared after Corey slapped her ~~ass~~ upper thigh, anxious to be picked up to give her a “proper” hello. (The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!!!) Shortly after the cutesy hellos and many battled lashes by a dynamic duo (emphasis on dynamic) that had missed a nap (x2) decided to demonstrate how to destroy a room in less than 22 seconds while taking yoga breaks. Let’s say Peggy was amazed with their progress.

Weighing in at 24.2 pounds, Bray Bray is the lighter yet taller twin standing at 33 ¼ inches tall. Heavy weight CoCo Cuddler weighed in at 25.5 lbs but is a ¼ inch shorter than Brady. She was quite concerned about the transition to toddler beds. I think we spent the most time on that subject. She felt that their height compounded with the fact that they are active and jumpers (they hopped around like Roger Rabbit on crack for most of the visit) I would have pair of escape artists sooner than most. She very strongly suggested we look into making changes ASAP before they learned to escape like Mike and Lincon! (I am still processing this information and hope to have an action plan before I find them swinging from their cribs.) All in the visit went well and we learned that napping is very important before ALL public outings!

Some tidbits to share of the past weeks:

The boys are talking, some days I get most of what they say and others I just smile and offer milk, water or anything in reach. To date we say: “go, go, go” “mama” “dada” “ball” “again” “ok” “car” ”vroom” (not a word I know, but totally used all day long) Brady is chattier than his brother, rather more articulate. He also enjoys getting his way and will let you know when he is not happy by screaming, kicking, and crying. It’s a move similar to a fish out of water. Corey will at times behave this way as well, but it’s a patented Brady move. Brady has also become more of the alpha lately; he is aggressive and has started taking advantage of his brother’s easy going personality. Don’t get this twisted, Corey is still a fighter but he is less reluctant to start the fights. Corey has mellowed out a ton; his personality is best described as “one chill dude”. He loves to dance and will dance with or without music. His moves compare to those of the foot loose era, which I take full credit for. I was having a field day teaching them how to dance to prepare for Baby loves Disco. I whipped out my entire favorite 80’s dance hits and must have danced like an Egyptian because my poor child thinks he is in the 80’s when he gets his groove on. Both of the boys will jam out to music when we listen to the radio’s top hits while eating lunch. Speaking of lunch, they are definitely becoming pickier as they grow. This week we hate hot dogs, tofu, alfredo sauce, chicken, fish sticks and fries. They continue to love bananas and all forms of pasta with cheesy yellow or red sauces. One of the cutest things I have ever seen, Corey wakes up with a bat and ball in hand, kind of like Bam-Bam. Both boys love cars and trucks, I love that they push the cars, trains and trucks around while making noises. I love that!!! They LOVE going outside and will bring you their shoes or stand by the gate that leads outside and yell “go, go, go”. They seem to understand that shoes = outside, which is great!

The boys are growing up too fast.. They are funny, charismatic and charming. They are lovable; giving kisses and hugs. They laugh at their own jokes and crack up at mine too. No one told me it would be this much fun to be a Mom, the challenging days are far and in between and the good days totally out weigh the crappy ones.

I hope the writing slump is over… that and the fact that our power cord is in route so I should have a computer again!!

Wicked Wednesday Wrap up

2009-05-06T16:28:00.003-04:00

It feels like forever since I wrote anything and it kinda was… I always feel bad when I have to write a super long post to make up for my lack of updating.

Well, there is lots going on in my ‘hood! We survived our weekend long quarantine, sanctioned by our lovely head of household due to the swine flu outbreak. Thankfully it was raining all weekend, so I think we would have stayed in anyways. The boys have a serious case of cabin fever, but as the rainy days continued, the quality of our games def improved.

Our nanny got pink-eye and took the past two days off, which means I stayed home. I had forgotten what that was like and cherished every second of it. (it had been over 6 months that I was home alone with the boys for over 4 hours) The experience reconfirmed the fact that its not an easy job… herding 2 active toddlers and keeping the peace. I found myself in many situations where in addition to Mother extraordinaire I was a peacemaker, jungle gym, nurse, doctor, chef (personal chef mind you), referee, and teacher. The boys are funny! Its pretty common occurrence that Corey will bully (push, steal toys, smooch etc) Brady the first half of the day; as the day progresses and Brady ~~grows some balls~~ grows tired of it he starts to pick fights. I caught him NUMEROUS times running up to Corey and pushing him, ever so lightly but over and over again until he fell down. Talk about pushing someone over the edge.
I wish I was a much ~~smaller~~ fly on the wall (hiding behind the wall of the playroom is not quite working) to observe the way they play together. While I can’t understand a lick of what they say (except the occasional “ball”) whatever they are saying is causing them to crack each other up. When I hear the mutual laughter I am immediately reminded how special we are and how lucky they are to have each other! (Hallmark music playing in the background) Then they wack each other across the head with the plastic bat (reality sets in very quickly in our home)!

This one is a bit of a TMI (but fits the wacky part of the wrap up perfectly) … in total unexpected news, Corey has discovered his manly parts. It happened quite randomly, in the middle of bath time. He went to push some bubbles away and found something that wouldn’t go away. He immediately was completely entranced! I was like wow; it was nothing I expected to happen so soon… I called Mike over… we silently giggled (behind his back, we don’t want to scar him) and we let him do his “looking and poking”… (I know this can be misconceived in 199 ways, but it was a total self discovery and quite innocent. I as a mother and not keen on man parts was a bit taken aback… but handled it very well! (I ignored it, when it doubt ignore the situation until you can Google it)
We also found ourselves in a strange predicament, Monday night. I went in to cover the boys and they room smelled like a porta-potty convention. (deathly) So I made the executive decision to wake them and change diapers... the outcome was ghastly and not because of the diapers. They were not happy to have been woken up at 11pm!

Painfully I must report, Corey also took quite a fall yesterday. I was so sad that he got hurt and I didn’t protect him! I saw it all go down and as I was getting up to prevent it was too late. We have a sofa table that has not been fastened to the wall. (I bought the fasteners, but we haven’t gotten around to using them). On this table we have my lucky Buddha (made of stone) and my bamboo plant (if you follow feng shui this is my money/luck portion of the house). Corey went to pull on the table (who knew Bam-Bam was so strong) and everything came crashing down! I was in midst of dressing a naked Brady fresh from their bath moments before. I stepped over Brady and ran to Corey (this is when having twins and being home alone gets tricky). I was too late; all I saw was blood, water and all of the affects on the floor. Corey was in pain (I am guessing) and crying like crazy. I think the major problem was the Buddha he is the one that hurt Corey the table fell on him yes, but the Buddha caused the damage. I rescue him from the rubble and ran to the bathroom to get the first aid kit. (If you are wondering about Brady… he is running around the living room naked, but happy since DJ Lance is in full dancey dance mode) I mend my broken child, calm him down and feel so bad about leaving him alone while I tend to Brady.(all I wanted to do was hold him) My other poor child was ever so patient and even got his brother’s lovie and brought it to him to help soothe him. (that was a nice move by Brady and before you start labeling him as a saint, he only did it during a commercial break and I think to calm him down so he could watch the Muno and Foofa sing the Weather song). I was so pained to see Corey so hurt! When Mike got home, he looked over the wounds and declared its Corey’s first bump of many. He felt a hospital trip was unnecessary and took over the nurturing part. I was seriously so sad and mad at myself for not getting up any quicker. He scraped his finger and got a big boy band-aid, def his highlight of the night. He showed it off to me and Mike several times.
Today he woke up as if nothing happened, except the bump on his head gives it away.

Brady is utterly turning into my biggest fan. He hangs off my pants… not kidding, if I won’t pick him up, he will tug at my waist band. He spends a lot of time seeking me out and extending his arms out to me. He is my far the sweetest child I know (not that I know a ton, so I could be bias)! He is becoming a “Momma’s boy” and I am not complaining. I love the attention; even if at times I wish he fit in a baby wearing device. (It dawned on me last night that Brady was the reason my back ached!)

We have been gearing up for our dancing debut. I have been cranking up the soul/disco/old skool hip hop to very loud volumes to get my boys dancing. Little do they know its all prep! They are really getting into it, they shake, jump and clap. Brady gets lazy and of course asks me to “dance” with him. I tend to oblige but very soon after Corey cuts in. To keep the peace I scoop them both up and shake what my Momma gave me… often times very off beat and without any kind of rhythm. (I have come to realize I have NO soul unless I have some liquor in my system)

Life is good, the boys are boys. Total boys, the kind that emanate smelly gaseous noises, laugh at their burps and LOVE trucks. I wonder sometime how my “girly-girl” self will cope, but then you find me belly down on the floor pushing trucks around making “vroom” noises. I aim to please and they seem happy!

In news unrelated to the boys, Mike and I went on a date this weekend! We hit up trendy Bethesda for apps and drinks. We had a great time, but I felt very old. The girls seem to have traded in their jeans and pumps for minis and stilettos. The bar scene is no longer ours but the quiet drinks at the bar were just right! Mike and I have decided on our next date, we will skip the bars and go to the movies. I think its been 2 years since I went to a movie!

Swine flu in my 'hood!

2009-05-01T15:21:00.002-04:00

So we cancelled our Mexico trip to “stay away from potentially deadly virus”… and what happened this morning!?!?!? The high school in my backyard is closed due to a student possibly having the virus! WTF!?!?!?! I seriously see this school every day from my bedroom window… are we breathing contaminated air?

All this aside, my husband is ~~driving me nuts~~ inundating my in-box with perils of updates on the swine flu and how his company is “taking care of business”. He is on a man hunt of Purrell hand sanitizers and wont ~~shut the F up~~ stop until he uncovers the missing cases (of hand sanitizer) in our county to take to his office in the city. (DC that is) On many occasions last night he said “We are in DC, we have to take these precautions!” Is he brainwashed… or plain kooky. I laughed at him last night and made light of his ~~anal retentiveness~~ attitude. This morning, when I got the alert on my blackberry his pension for swine flu hit the roof. He declared an unofficial quarantine of our children. Asking that we (our nanny and I) start taking this illness seriously ASAP; he imposed a sanction against taking the kids out of our Lysol bubble. He nixed our photo shoot tomorrow (for the boys, not me… I wish) and the event of the century; THE one event I was excited about!

Swine flu is wreaking havoc in my life! It’s making my husband kooky, it’s forcing us to cancel all fun events (like Baby loves Disco AND Mexico) AND now it’s taking up residence less than .5 miles from my home!

I am on a mission to make sure the swine flu stays away from us… of course I don’t want an illness to attack us but I also don’t want to miss out on life (and Baby Loves Disco!). Someone please fix this swine flu mess… I’m so over it!

Freebie alert - Mother's Day cards

2009-04-29T12:31:00.003-04:00

I just made the cutest card, thanks to a tip from one of my Mommy Bloggers.

Hallmark is running a special just in time for Mother's Day. You can make a free card and have them ship it directly to your Mother. Score for me!

I made the "Top Reason's Photo" - which was perfect since I could add 7 pictures to the cover, 2 to the inside and 1 on the back side.

It turned out really cute! Go check it out, its free!!!

Click here to check it out

It's hot in here...

2009-04-27T13:34:00.000-04:00

So we pulled out the summer gear, all the shorts and tee shirts. I even approved the request to leave off the onesie undershirt… yes it was that hot this weekend. (And it still is that hot, its 95 degrees right now!) We went from winter to summer in less than 7 days!

The boys were in bright sprits all weekend, starting off with a nice dinner at Red Lobster. We started family date nights every Friday, 3 weeks ago. Mike had been craving eats from here, even though not the healthiest place for me, I obliged. We split the boys up and each of us takes one… typically I get Brady and he is an angel. Not on Friday! He wasn’t awful or anything, he was just antsy and bored. He is a people watcher like his Dad and when the hot brunette (married mine you) left (with her husband) Brady lost interest in the nice ~~out of the way and hidden~~ corner table. He had no one to yell “go, go, go” that would listen, no one to pick up his toys like the brunette did. Mike had to make to trips outside, while Corey snacked on grilled lobster. I tried to sneak in a piece of shrimp, so I could enjoy some of my own lobster. Immediately, he spit it out and looked at it… then shook his head at me like “wow, Mom are you serious?”

This weekend was very fun, the boys are such trips. They are total jokesters and on the prowl to make you laugh. They are also committed to making your moves in the kitchen extremely calculated. I have learned to not throw any trash away unless they are strapped to their seats, same goes for unloading or loading the dishwasher. While doing normal house chores can be a major challenge these days, its still by far my favorite age. I love their independence. I love their curious minds. I am totally amazed by how quickly they pick things up. They seem to be 100% enamored with Mike and I… they are our biggest fan club! We had a grand time at the park this weekend; the boys are truly becoming experts at climbing, running and going down the slides. It was so hot that they were sweating everywhere, but that did not faze them one bit.

On the list of things to figure out… naps! This weekend we had several attempts to drop the afternoon nap. I am not quite ready and I am hoping it was purely heat related. Ugh, we’ll see what happens this week. If we have a few more revolts, I will have to tweak the schedule a bit to accommodate the change. Like I said I am not happy about this… but I guess this was bound to happen, just wondering why so soon!

They are also increasingly picky with their eats. They may have loved watermelon for lunch but God forbid they eat it again the next day. This goes on with many of their food choices; maybe they are bored of the selection. I know I am … but every time we try something new, one of them hates it. This week may very well be a week of changes.

*** Oven lock is still up and working!!!! ***

Wicked Wednesday Wrap Up

2009-04-22T15:01:00.004-04:00

I can’t believe its Wednesday already.

There is a lot going on in our humble abode. The boys are ever so active and love getting into things they know are not good. For example, as soon as they see an opening… such as the open door to my room, they run as fast as they can and these days its pretty fast to get into my room. I’ll share a secret, while my entire house is very neat and put together my bedroom is not. Mike called it the other night, the room that collects all odd and mixed matched pieces. (Shamefully so, but he is right!) If we can’t find a home for it, it goes in our bedroom. So presently my large bedroom has 4 unmatched lamps and 2 of them are either not working or plugged in, a computer chair and 2 end tables that were dangerous in the living room. On top of the mismatched furniture, we have lots of clothing everywhere. Mike and I are great with doing our laundry, I am better at folding it but we both fail miserably at putting it away. Anyways, the boys will rip our room to shreds… which is not hard considering the state our room is.

“Note to self: Redo the room ASAP.”

When they are not ~~terrorizing~~ tag teaming my room, they can be found running into any forbidden room (sure we aim to leave doors closed but if it’s open for even a milli-second they WILL infiltrate the security breach)

One of their favorite things to do is run after each other while reeking havoc. The sounds of their voices screaming and squealing down the halls joined with the pitter patter of their feet can be heard at any given moment. They chase each other around and will see you and laugh, like we are the joke or something. They have inside jokes and their own secret language. Some times, just when I am about to scorn one of them for stealing a pacifier or toy from the other one, you can tell it was planned and they are ok with it. Its like a secret stare that indicates it was an approved grab, not one that invaded space. Brady is no longer getting bullied; he has claimed his independence and this has stopped the fights. The tantrums are also less prevalent and I can only thank the fact that I am trying harder to understand them. Don’t get me wrong toddler speak is hard, but I just plop down to their level and attempt to relate OR I am making an ass out of myself hence the laughter. Whatever it is, its working.

Brady hates getting dressed. He could live in his cotton loin cloth all day. Corey is much more relaxed about getting dressed; he doesn’t require the TV bribe that Brady demands. They seem to really do well with change, in the past 8 weeks we have changed a lot and they are rolling with the punches. I am home a lot less these days with work, the show and working out, but they have adjusted just fine. On the days that my time with the boys is shorter, I cherish it like gold or these days like the piece of chocolate I snuck out of the kitchen. We have so much fun when I get home; I never feel like they are cranky or melting down in the evening like other families experience. We are lucky, that they took after my fabulous personality. (I joke, I joke)

To sum it all up, this week we turned 14 months, we finally found an oven lock that works (well for 24 hours so far), we fell in love with our Radio Flyer wagon, we took a family walk (a long 2 mile hike really), we enjoyed a Carousel (Corey more than Brady – I say Corey was a total cowboy and Brady was Napoleon – stiff and somber before battle), we visited Wheaton Regional Park (one of us ran and the other ~~demanded~~ begged to be held the entire time. They both fell asleep at the swings, so what if I pushed the park before a nap!), we visited our Aunt and Uncle (where they (Corey) almost destroyed their garden), we revolted against all things berries (its berry season shoot me if I keep buying them), loved oatmeal for the first time (Finally! I’ve tried 5 times), got several bumps and bruises (due to the high level of activity combined with my inherited clumsiness), overall we had a great week!!!

We are still in the process of creating a playroom, well the space is there but the décor is not. So hopefully this weekend, that will change… I am ready to decorate and organize the space. The boys have so many toys and they are every where. (Thankfully just in the playroom these days) This week, we I (cant give credit to anyone else here, sorry Mike) sold many of the toys they have outgrown so we could make room for new ones, but also so I could use the money to fund the redecorating project.
Thanks to Craig’s list, our project fund now has $70 dollars in the bank and I should get $40 more tomorrow. Awesome, right? Listen up people, de-clutter your space and make some money, to me it sounds like a winning combo! Plus you are helping save the landfills with all these plastic toys that our kids are consumed with!

I end with that public service announcement – Happy Earth Day!

14 month, reflecting and celebrating

2009-04-21T16:50:00.007-04:00

Dear Corey and Brady,

Today you turn exactly 14 months old; it’s quite a milestone in my book. A year ago today, you were 2 months old and the challenges we faced were much different than they are today. For one you both were not mobile and enjoyed cuddling me to sleep and eat. (What I mean is I was stuck to the couch/bed for many hours at a time) I seldom had time to use the rest room in fear of waking you with my movements. We kept a ~~strict excel spreadsheet~~ list of all your activities, which back then revolved around diaper changes, feeding and sleeping. I remember feeling overwhelmed and somewhat helpless those first few months, but we quickly got in a routine and hedged through. I discovered the Baby Whisperer that taught me how to get you to sleep. With a little bit of sleep we all did much better. It was around this time, we started seeking a nanny since I had only 4 more weeks to spend with you before I had to return to work. I wish we would have looked a little harder. You enjoyed your swings, activity mats and the sounds of our voices. You laughed at us often and especially when I “ate” your feet. You both were very mild tempered and very rarely cried or became fussy. We took you everywhere and it was right around this time that I started making friends for all 3 of us to play with. I became better at using the snap and go ~~piece of crap~~ stroller and slowly less intimidated at leaving the house with both of you.

Fast forward a year, you both are hysterical, funny and light hearted. I still crack you both up with my goofy ways. You both know exactly what you want and are learning how to express yourselves. You both are loving, sweet and learning to share. You seem to have more energy than anyone I have ever met before. Both of you are constantly learning new things; your minds work so fast. (like climbing my oven or ripping apart the closet) You love figuring things out and refuse to be left alone. You both love attention, but seek it differently. Brady you are a hugger, you love to hug people and will immediately extend yourself to those you love. Corey you are a social butterfly sharing your smile with the world, but refusing to give hugs away for free. These days you enjoy playing together and have created games that only you two understand. You laugh at each other; you steal each others toys and food. You enjoy the outdoors and love walking. You are so proud of yourselves and each other, its clear when we go out that you are no longer babies. You eat anything and everything under the sun. You are great with strangers and you love A. – she is your BFF. You also light up when you see your aunts, uncle and cousins, you guys have so many great people in your lives that love you. Impressively enough, you still rarely cry, you are very mild mannered and happy babies. Although, cuddling with me for hours on end is not high on your list to do, you will cuddle me long enough to make me happy. Very high on your list of likes is playing with me and your Daddy. You will bring us all your toys and really like the interaction. You are learning new words daily and trying to say them. You both light up when I sing the “abc’s” or the “los pollitos dicen” songs. (secret I only know 2 lines of the second song) You love to play the high five game and love taking baths together.

It’s amazing to me how much you have grown in only a year. You both have grown tremendously but you also have helped me and you Daddy grow as individuals. We are much better people; we are compassionate, loving and so happy. Thank you so letting us live in the moment and capturing its essence daily. You are our lives, hearts and souls.

Love,
Momma

Help! My kids are smarter than the average bear!

2009-04-17T16:18:00.003-04:00

I was so excited for the oven lock! It came in exactly 2 days from the fab-u online baby superstore. Have I mentioned how much I love them!?

So, we get my box of childproofing goodies yesterday and I could wait to proof, but of course this is something one must do when the kids are sleeping. So that is exactly what we did. Mike followed the instructions as written by Safety 1st and the lock was up in no time. I tested it out and it worked like a charm. I finally got some sleep at night, tossing and turning over the oven situation was finally ceased! (I didn’t get much sleep since my duo woke at 4am, but that is a different story)

This morning after we finally got them back to sleep (at 6am) and then awake again for the real start to the day at 7:30am, the boys ventured to the kitchen. They immediately noticed the duct tape gone (thank God that was really bugging me) but noticed a new contraption. Brady tested his strength and the lock won. I remained impressed. Corey tried and also failed. It was a bright start to our new relationship with Mr. Safety.

We got home for lunch and the lock was duct taped! It lasted less than 4 hours! A. said that she walked in and the lock was in Corey’s hand, he was yielding it around taunting Brady. I figured the duct tape would keep me sane. I go back to work, since Mike’s Daddy Day Care on Friday’s.

As I am settling in telling the cute tale of my kids playing together and having the time of their lives! (They are playing hide and seek – it is so cute and totally deserving of a video) I get an email from Mike, titled “Your Children” and with these images attached:

I am horrified I share it with the entire office! I am hemming and hawing and I fire off to Mike “How did they get in there?” to which he writes back and says “Pinched the lock & pulled it down... effortlessly.” Classic!

I was hoping that lock would save me some grey hairs. I was wrong!

Baby loves Disco... something Momma will enjoy too!

2009-04-16T12:52:00.008-04:00

I am so excited about this event! I just bought 4 tickets for the one in DC in May! I read about it a few weeks ago from one of my blogging Momma's, of course the review got lost in translation. I would have forgotten all about it had I not read it last night in the Washington Parent mag I scooped up at Toys R' Us.

I logged on their site and was immediately smitten with the bio:

Baby Loves Disco is slowly but surely transforming the hippest night clubs into child proof discos as toddlers, pre-schoolers and parents looking for a break from the routine playground circuit let loose for some post naptime, pre-dinner fun. Make no mistake, this is NOT the Mickey Mouse club, and Barney is Banned. Baby loves disco is an afternoon dance party featuring real music spun and mixed by real djs blending classic disco tunes From the 70s, & 80s guaranteed to get those little booties moving and grooving.
The fun spills out from all corners of the club: bubble machines, baskets of scarves and egg-shakers, a chill-out room (with tents, books and puzzles), diaper changing stations, a full spread of healthy snacks and dancing, LOTS of dancing.

Some super cool Mom started all this! Apparently she was bored of the boring playgroups (ahem, you know you can relate) and founded a venue that is fun for parents and kids. Somewhere along the way, a music guy - father of two joined her and it has expanded nation wide.
He says “It’s more than just something to do for the kids, Baby Loves Disco is fun for parents, we get the chance to mingle with other parents, dance with our kids and have a Saturday afternoon cocktail to boot.”

I mean are these 2 fabulous parents in DC so we can have a playgroup??? ... of course not! So I am left with the 2nd best option... take my family to the party! I feel like a kid in a candy store, this is like the coolest thing yet! Screw those gyms, and bouncy things I am signing us up for this every month! (or as much as I can, it only comes to DC every few months)

When I asked Mike about it, he responded with:

"There is music spun by the DJ with bubbles floating over the dance floor - HAHA most def."

Looks like I found a winner! I hope my duo (and Daddy) has as much fun as I plan on having.

Check out the website for details in your 'hood!

Press in my local paper

Wicked Wednesday Wrap Up

2009-04-15T14:33:00.002-04:00

There isn’t too much wrapping up to do this week, considering I have been writing all week about their antics.

Last night I captured one the craziest things on video, the oven trick. I watched them totally manhandle our oven. Corey danced a little and Brady tapped the shelves like drums. (if I can get my act together, I will share it) I of course know that playing with ovens is dangerous and by no means am I approving their antics… but I had to see what the obsession was about. Well I saw and while I was silently cracking up… I know we need a lock! Until the lock arrives, I have duct taped the oven door shut! The boys watched me do it and I made a big to-do about the oven being off limits. Corey ignored me and Brady had a few words with me and even gave me the palm. I wish I understood baby talk, because I think he may have been cursing me out. When they got ~~unshackled~~ down from their boosters, they immediately swarmed the taped oven door. Again, I would need an interpreter to tell you what they were saying, but based on body language they were not happy. Brady tried to peel the tape away and Corey was tugging the loose pieces. When I left for work, the duct tape was winning!

Today I spent my lunch hour, running errands closely related to motherhood. I found a wagon on DCUM list serve, I knew I wanted one. One of my girlfriends with twin girls loves hers and always raves about it. I had been passively looking and ran across one yesterday for a steal! I decided to pick up today, it seemed fairly close to go during work but it wasn’t and the rain was coming down like Niagara Falls. The seller was late and I was hungry… anyways, we finally made the exchange (sounds so illegal) and I walked away soaked but with a wagon. Last week, I went to Toys R’ Us to get a Push Buggy, we scored one at the MCPOM sale for $10 but realized we needed 2 to make everyone happy. I had been stalking Craig’s list to no avail and finally TRU had a sale ($20 off the toy)… so I ran over last week and bought one, in a hurry of course because I do everything in a hurry and picked up a pink one!!! (I nagged Mike all weekend to assemble the buggy and when he finally gave in, he opened the box and it was PINK! If you know Mike you know what his reaction was, if you have yet to know him insert any meat-head Daddy you know into the picture and you will get the point, I agree the car was bubble gum pink and not the right color for 2 boys.) So today I went to “exchange”, one hour later no red buggy in sight not at my “home” store or in a 30 mile radius. (yes, I agreed to drive that far) So I walked away deflated and now on a MASSIVE hunt for our 2nd push buggy, in red please!

The boys remain funny, loveable and so goofy. They are vocal and very mischievous. They are always getting into trouble. They LOVE playing with cars, trains, trucks, balls and puzzles. They are so good at figuring things out! Brady loves his Aunt Blanca, one look at her last night and he begged to be removed from the tub! (not a normal occurrence during bath night with extra bubbles)

We have had a great week and its slowly becoming a reality that my babies are really little boys now. (sniff sniff)

**** remember my excitement about the proofing blind gadget thingy, I sadly received an email indicating they are out of stock L We have 2-3 more weeks of cord bling on our paintings****

Tonight

2009-04-14T22:15:00.005-04:00

.... will be less words and more pictures (I finally downloaded a TON)

Time to kick the child-proofing up a notch!

2009-04-14T17:03:00.003-04:00

So the wild antics that come with 13.75 twins are a bit crazier than I ever imagined. It seems that they feed off of anything forbidden or makes me scream no repeatedly until my face turns blue. (it hasn’t happened yet, but I am close to exploding like Violet) It turns out that the more I say no the more that they ignore me. Its like they don’t hear me, but I know they aren’t hearing impaired because they hear me from the other side of the 1675 square foot apartment when I yell “milk” or “snack”! Selective hearing isn’t foreign to me, its something that Mike has fine tuned in the 4 years we have been together, but I never imagined it started so early in life. Or that I would have to deal with that very issue from the other 2 men in my life.

So back to the antics, since they are not only fine tuning their listening (lack of) skills they are perfecting their mischievous qualities as well. Last week, I mentioned how Corey discovered how to unlock the dishwasher, climb it and play the throw everything on the floor game, well Brady has started to follow suit. Brady can also open the refrigerator and likes to hide the ketchup, mayo and anything else at reach. If Corey is feeling like a team player, he will help hide the condiments in our trash can, since he has figured out how to open the utility closet. In this closet, I keep my broom (how else does a witch get around?) it’s not common for me to walk into our kitchen and find Corey sweeping. Or worse poking his brother in the tummy with the broom, the mortifying part of the story is that taught him that when he was 6 months old. (It was all a joke and I would poke them both in the tummy like the dough boy and we would all laugh) When Corey plays the game he is the only one laughing. On top of all this, the boys are sticking their hands and toys into our toilet. (gross) Sunday, one of our guests left the bathroom door open and the toilet open…. Corey came running out fairly wet! The scariest thing they do, that is sure to give me a heart attack any day now, is playing with the oven. Brady has mastered the art of swinging the door open; it’s been a few weeks now that he has been trying. Corey now has joined him in the fun and they have been caught on one too many occasions climbing the oven and throwing their toys into it. I am ashamed to admit the oven is their favorite toy of the week!

So today I decided, this is coming to an end! After extensive research, I found a great site that sells all the proofing supplies one needs at a fraction of the cost that Buy Buy Baby charges. The Baby Catalog of America had everything I needed and more. I purchased 12 items for less than $40 including shipping. My proofing shopping spree I scored more locks and gadgets I knew existed. With such bargain prices I couldn’t resist the toilet locks nor the blind gadget that keeps the cords controlled. I am most excited for this one (it’s a close second to the oven lock) since this means our paintings will no longer be blinged out with blind cords. No lie our cords have been strung across paintings, there are many days I go without natural light since I cant reach them.

13.75 months ago when people talked about proofing I didn’t realize that all these locks would take over my life. I thought it was a gimmick to make you spend your money. I swore my kids were ABOVE that. Ha! Not quite, or I am just tired of saying no. I am anxiously awaiting my order… cant wait to see the looks on their pudgy little faces when the oven door doesn’t open anymore!!!! Priceless in my book

Easter number 2

2009-04-13T13:39:00.003-04:00

Dear Easter Bunny,

Thank you for all the goodies. Next year please
don’t be so indulgent.

Thanks,

Momma

Seriously, the boys were spoiled this year! They got 3.5 baskets each! I considered myself a fairly spoiled kid at one point (ions ago) and I NEVER got more than one basket. The boys thought it was their birthday, the same expressions we saw the weekend of 2/21, we saw this weekend. It was a full time party in their minds and they rejoiced every second of it. Corey clapped very gratefully and Brady gave away hugs. They were definitely a sight to see!

Saturday, they had their first taste of Hershey’s, its worth documenting this since this moment came sooner than I thought was acceptable. Brady loved every second of it and Corey enjoyed it for 1.2 seconds before it became too messy for him to run and eat. My aunt and cousin gave them their first basketincluding a taste of the good stuff (the best chocolate on earth). They still have not put down the Stuffed Bunny twins, although Corey has been cuddling them both at one point. He can be so selfish! With our aunt’s visit, came a free pass for Mike and I. She said we could leave to run errands sans twins!!?!?!?! I accepted her kind offer faster than gracefully possible; I grabbed my purse, keys and Mike (of course) and headed to Target. Again, this is worth mentioning since Mike and I have not shopped alone in 14 months. (At Target I realized it really wasn’t the twin’s fault, but rather Mike’s shopping style!) We picked up stuff to fill the baskets, since I made the mistake of buying a basket bigger than the items already in my possession. Sucked for me, but total win for my duo!

Easter was great! The boys loved their baskets from the “OEB” aka Original Easter Bunny, also known as Momma and Dadda. They had so much fun opening up the plastic Easter Eggs and dumping the treats on the floor. They carried the baskets around like hand bags and when they grew tired they doubled as sombreros. They played Peek A’ Boo, by hiding their faces with the baskets, it was cute. I couldn’t find organic or bio degradable grass, so I bought cheapie green plastic stuff and it sucks! I will never do that again. (This is gross but true… Corey had grass in his poo that alone is a reason to forgo grass) Of course Mike couldnt wait for the first nap to come, he was itching to vaccuum their Easter basket mess. (3 different types of treats and grass everywhere make Mike very nervous)

The boys' other 2 aunts came over with more baskets each! Those were filled with things the OEB forgot or just refused to give in to. See this is why children have aunts!

I cooked dinner for 9 and I must say it turned out delish. Healthy eats and lots of leftovers. (the carrot soup was amazing!) The boys had a great time playing with my friend Karen’s son, especially Brady who wished he was 5 years old all night.

When it was all over I looked at Mike, exhausted but content. This is exactly what all of our holidays should be like. The kids laughing, running around and having fun; the adults talking, eating and enjoying themselves! A not to long time ago, we wished our parents could have filled the extra seats at our dinner table. Its apparent for obvious and very different reasons our parents won’t so its heart warming to know that family is what you make of it!

Its picture time...

2009-04-10T11:19:00.002-04:00

My brain is in Blues Clues mode, everything I am doing today is done to a tune. If you watch you should know what I mean?!? My duo is obsessed with Blue and the show is what gets us by in the morning, hence the tunes in my brain.

I wanted to share some pictures of our play date last Sunday.

Toddler friendly Easter goodies and more

2009-04-09T10:58:00.003-04:00

I have been doing lots of research on what to put in our baskets this year. Last year, my pair was only 5 weeks old and their baskets weren’t that memorable. BUT the pictures sure were. It was very low key and this year will be the same…

Here are my thoughts on toddler appropriate Easter stuff and what I am putting in their baskets:

Small basket – one that they can carry around
Eco-friendly grass – small amounts since I don’t want to scoop it out of there mouths or vacuum
Plastic eggs – 6 each, filled with cheerios, fruit loops, yogurt bits and teddy grahams
Thomas the Train – 1 each
Trucks – 1 each
Sippy Cup – 1 each

I may even pull out the bunny ears from last year just to keep up the memories. What will you do for your little ones for Easter? Any other ideas?

I can’t wait for the boys to get older so we can color eggs together, it was one my favorite things about Easter… I hope they like it too!

This year since Momma is on a diet the menu will be different:

Whole Roasted Chicken w/ fresh herb rub
Ham (provided my sister courtesy of Honey Baked Ham store)
Fresh veggie casserole (I will pick the nicest ones at the store… my mind is thinking squash, zucchini, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower)
Mashed potatoes (because Poppa loves his potatoes)
Garden salad (mainly for me)
I’m considering making this soup I just got in my inbox… Heidi’s Carrot Soup

Dessert… ugh here is where it gets tricky!
My sister and her boyfriend will join us for the feast! How will you spend your Easter?

Wicked Wednesday Wrap Up

2009-04-08T13:13:00.005-04:00

I have been slackin’ on writing and I feel awful about it since so much has been happening in our home.

Saturday, I left at the crack of dawn with a good friend to do some consignment shopping in Annapolis. We need spring/summer clothing and I would love a few outdoor toys like a wagon, push buggy and a ride on toy. I ended up with a small lot of clothing and a few puzzles. I had a great time and while the sale was good it was not nearly as good as the one MCPOM puts on twice a year! I kept comparing the two and decided that I need to be better organized in the fall not just for selling stuff but for buying. (On a side note we made almost $300 on the spring sale)

The puzzles were a huge hit! The boys took to them immediately and they have become the favorite toy of the week. They haven’t figured out how to put the pieces back in the right spot, but they know they go back since they try and slam them into place. They are equally as good and enthused with the puzzles.

We spent a lot of time at the park this weekend. The boys discovered dirt and mulch. We tried to prevent them from eating it… but Dirt-Gate was an impossible task. At one point it appeared as if we had tobacco chewing twins. They found ways to hide the dirt from us by sticking it their pants, pockets and shirts… When they were not eating dirt they were playing on the slides or swinging on the swings. 2 of their new favorite activities! On Sunday our twin girl friends joined us for some dirt cocktails; my boys were in show-off mode and while they mastered the slide the day before, they decided to perform dare-devil antics to get the girls’ attention.n (such as sliding down head first-Ouch!) Poor guys walked away a bit bruised but with another play date lined up… so I guess it’s a score for them! Our girl friends’ naps came sooner than the boys hoped, but very soon after they left their Tia Blanca showed up with Tio Ish! The boys love demonstrating (show offs) their skills and having people follow them around; Mike and I took the back seat while the boys played with their Auntie.

I’m so glad the weather is nicer (not today) so we can spend more time outdoors, you can tell they love the fresh air, grass and freedom.

Corey picked up a new trick that while we aren’t encouraging its kind of normal. He figured out how to open the dishwasher and climb on top! He screams and plays on the machine for minutes at a time; he is King of the Dishwasher. He takes everything out that he can grasp, mainly spoons since these are my future Top Chef’s favorite new teethers. He then ~~shares~~ throws a few at Brady; lately we have a lot of UFC fighting going on. Brady is fed up with Corey bullying him and he is striking back. We of course break it up, ~~but not before a good laugh~~ and immediately attend to the situation. It is hilarious how they interact, they finally acknowledge each other and they know they want whatever the other one has (it doesn’t matter what it is – they want exactly what his brother has and they like to aggressively take it) and they will not take no for an answer.

The boys are kissing now… it’s the cutest thing. They will give me a kiss BUT only when they want to. I do ask and try to steal them; mainly Brady my little heartbreaker will humor me. Corey not so much.

Last night after working out and showering I thought I heard some noise in their room. I figured I was going crazy, because it was almost 9:30PM and they had been in bed for 2 hours. I walk in and Corey is wide awake; the responsible mother in me wanted to walk away to not encourage the behavior but the cuddle monster in me couldn’t resist. I scooped him up and sat on the glider and sang him a song. He loved it and I enjoyed all 2.3 minutes of bliss before he wanted to squirm away to the living room. (Responsible mother almost slapped me for being so stupid!) I put him back into his crib and he was fine, maybe my voice was off key and he couldn’t take it anymore… either way it was a fab 2.3 minutes; reminded me of one year ago today!

Daddy's need "Me" days too

2009-04-03T16:17:00.005-04:00

Mike had a bad week... he asked me a few days ago for a few hours to himself to get to the batting cages. Well his week went to hell yesterday and to finish off his crummy day he sat and waited for me for 30 minutes at metro when he could have been home early! Mike rarely complains, well maybe 1-3 times a year which is minimal compared to my 1-3 times an hour. I encouraged him to take a "me" day today!

And that Daddy did... he shopped for summer gear and hit up the batting cages. When he picked me up from work today, you could see the smile from afar (even without my glasses on). I asked him how his day was and he said it was fantastic!

Hey we all need to recharge at times!

In Twin Toddler news : Today, my cousin Pam came over watch the boys while I worked and Mike took some "me" time. She is a blessing and we dont see enough of her. She took some great pics and I will end with that note.

My fabulous duo - 13.5 Corey and 13.5 Brady!!!

Wicked Wednesday Wrap Up

2009-04-01T11:12:00.006-04:00

It hit me this week when I was talking to one of my very good friends… I work full time!! I know that is a reality and it has been for a while, but that explains why I have less pictures of the boys and why I can’t seem to get them to playgroups! I hear her tales of juggling 2 at parks, gyms etc and I realized I don’t have this issue because I am at work! While I wish I could part time it, I can’t realistically stay home with my boys. We live a lifestyle that requires 2 hard working parents to schlep to work every day. We are thriving, but I guess I miss a lot of the daily stuff. We are lucky to have such a great nanny; she is a major part of our lives and does her best to keep us in the know. Mike asked last night if it was ok to ask A. to take pictures… I thought it was kinda weird, but I will ask her tonight.

Every since I started the show last week, life has been very busy for me and Mike has really picked up a lot of my slack. The boys are amazing and constantly on the go. I have not seen Brady crawl in days, he really has the walking thing down pack and Corey is still running every where. We have had some sleep issues, Brady needs less of it and Corey will take as much as we can. Expect yesterday, when Bray napped from 1:20 to 4:30! Brady continues to be our early riser and he loves coming to bed to cuddle me and Daddy. A. says we are going through a growth spurt and it could be so… the food can barely stay in my fridge. We have upped our berry intake and go through a good 3 lbs of fruit a week! I think I am being modest with that number.

The boys’ new favorite room is our kitchen. They bring all of their cars, trucks and trains to play and have started making transportation noises. Things like: “vroom” “boom” “psshshshs” are common noises heard all day long. Brady and Corey can officially open all drawers, the oven and the dishwasher. Our kids are genius! Brady loves throwing things and as much as I wish it was a ball all the time, it’s very normal for him to shuck all things across the room. Corey is always playing a game with you and it involves you running after him… he is such a goof ball and always on joke time. Brady has been a total cuddle-monster this week, running after you and raising his arms, asking to be picked up. He will not take no for an answer so don’t even think about it. He likes hugs, kisses and all the attention he can get. Brady also bit me last night… in the midst of a good night kiss; he kissed my cheek and whipped out his fangs! I was shocked and not happy about it. Apparently according to A. this is a new thing he does with her too. Advice anyone? Unless Corey is tired, he will not slow down for hugs, kisses or cuddles. Don’t ask him to or else he gets angry. Angry these days at the App household, means a tantrum with screaming, crying and the works. I used to console, but lately walking away and ignoring the situation calms things down much quicker. Way down!

Another interesting piece of baby news, Corey will not hold his sippy! Not sure what the deal is, considering Brady refuses to let you touch his sippy. Go figure!

Shoes are cool now and they are much better at navigating through life with them on. Brady is still rebelling, it’s the wild child in him, but Corey is pretty comfy with his Nikes.

Daddy update - he has been amazing this week, stepping up to the plate like only a Super Dad would, working out daily to train for baseball, playing way too much xbox and still 1 of 3 people that can win the NCAA tourney bracket (i failed when Lousville lost)!

Updates on me can be found here.

I leave you with pictures - enjoy! Happy Wednesday!

Today was a first...

2009-03-28T19:11:00.002-04:00

I had a baby shower to attend for a good friend of mine. I had been in cahoots with her MIL for weeks to pull of the surprise. Mike is normally my sitter, if I do things that he is not interested in joining, but my aunt offered to watch the twins today.
Getting ready for the day was a bit of a challenge, it required packing pack and plays, toys, gates and other miscellaneous items. As I checked off my list and got all of us together... I realized I had never done this before and maybe this was part of the challenge.
As I drove away from my aunt's house, alone with a much lighter load I couldnt help but wonder what life would be like if we were able to do that more often. We have been lucky in the fact that our nanny will watch the boys when we need it and if we are in a pinch my sister will back us up. But it was kinda awesome to leave the kids with family and not worry once... I am grateful for their help. It was cool to give Mike a day off and be able to hang with out feeling gulity. Besides the boys HAD a great time!

Potty training… thank God we have time

2009-03-26T14:59:00.000-04:00

Last night we hosted Sally Nueberger a Potty Training expert for a MCPOM program, “The Scoop on Poop”. The turn-out was amazing and members were really into it. I was not the target demographic for Sally’s discussion. She believes that children should be potty trained when they turn 3 with a little leeway before and after. Phew… we have time to get our strategy together!

As I heard Sally talk about her techniques, I couldn’t help but think of Mike and how he would revolt if we followed her 3-day program. (No offense here, just my opinion) First of all Mike would not under any circumstance throw a “Diaper Party” and sing the “Bye-Bye Diaper” song. I just can’t imagine that happening today or even 2 years down the line. (I may digress in 2 years, when we are in the troughs of potty training, so be easy). She suggests that you treat each child as an individual and that I agree with – I can totally see my 2 being on completely different pages. In her 3 day PT expedition, she advises you never leave the house and your toddler walks around naked from the waist down. I can see the validity behind this, but it was a hard pill to swallow for many Moms. One concerned Momma asked about her couches… how her children would sit on them. Ok lady, is that even relevant to Potty Training? As the night progressed some of the questions got really bad and you could tell Sally was wearing thin. I guess it goes with the forum of poop.

I am grateful that this training is a few milestones away considering, I am in no rush to speed things up. Yes, I hate diapers and yes they are expensive, but we are not ready and I hate cleaning poop a whole lot more if its not contained (Ya know what I mean?)

Wicked Wednesday Wrap Up

2009-03-25T17:08:00.003-04:00

We have been slacking on taking pictures… I will make up for it this weekend, I promise!

This past week, the boys have been on the go! We have lifted the restrictions on some of the areas of the house, so this has created a TON of movement. It’s not uncommon to have the boys follow us into the bathroom, bedroom or kitchen; we seem to always have one or both of them stuck by our sides at all times. I appear to be the biggest magnet for my walking and sometime running fearless duo.

This morning, I was in full primp mode for my TV debut and out of nowhere, Brady commando rolled into the tub… don’t worry nothing happened to him, but he scared the living crap out of me! He rolled as if we were being attacked (and landed on his blankie) laid there as if he was hiding from an immanent bomb attack! As I am taking all this in, I hear Mike groan loudly (immediately I know there is trouble ahead, Mike never shows signs of distress) I peek out of the bathroom and find the kitchen floor littered with trash. Corey channeled his inner puppy and rummaged through our trash. All this happened before 7am! Fun times in the Appleby household.

Corey has been waking up on the wrong side of the crib for a few days now, to make matters worse we can’t seem to correct it. I know exactly what the problem is… it’s Brady. (I’m not pointing fingers or anything) Brady has been waking up early, too early if you ask my schedule, but he wakes up totally happy and full of energy. He is hopping all over the place (Mike compared him to Tigger today) and is all about giving up the hugs and kisses… which I love. (who wouldn't?) I tend to sneak in (no lights with minimal noise) and take him out of his crib even if its an hour before he should get up (I sympathize with him, I was always the kid that woke up early… cant blame him for being excited about his day). (Im totally enabling again!?!?!)

So, I slowly get Brady's day going and while we are minding our own business, sneaky little Brady creeps into the nursery to wake his brother up. (im not making this up!) Not in a kind manner either, he pulls Frat-Baby antics, like pulling his blankie or taking his pacifier. Of course, Corey wakes up and not in a happy place! Flash forward and picture a 32 inch tall boy walking around grunting and waving his arms. Its not a pretty sight and whatever you do not get in his way! (I am kind of like Corey before that first cup of coffee, so again I understand.) The mornings have been crazy lately, with the extra freedom and the earlier wake times, but Mike and I have been balancing our beauty cocoon times and we still manage to get out of the house fairly on-time.

We are experiencing technical difficulties with our 2008 model children. We were not supposed to enter the world of tantrums this soon! Every manual under the sun said we had 2 years before these issues came about. Here we are 13 months into it, out of warranty and now this!! Someone please explain the tantrums!!! How do you reason with 2-unhappy toddlers that seem to go into angry convulsions if one little thing goes wrong? Ugh, this is where I kick my own butt for not teaching them sign language!

Bottles are gone, but I told you about that yesterday… pretty much that sums up the week for us. Mike is doing well, he is #2 in his NCAA bracket (which = $620); he also has been busy mastering Grand Theft Auto, which means lots of late nights.
I have been writing a lot lately and getting mentally motivated for my new challenge; getting fit and being on TV!! I am also #2 in the same bracket (which = $620 either way, what is yours is mine, right Mike?)

Life is good!

Baby bottle free since 3.24.09

2009-03-24T20:17:00.004-04:00

4 weeks ago, we eliminated all bottles except the evening one. We went cold turkey and things seemed to be going smoothly. But lately, I have noticed that they (by they I mean Brady) hold off on drinking milk all day and then beg for 8 plus ounces at night. (by beg I mean throw a temper tantraum when the milk is gone)

I had a meeting of the minds with A. (Mike cant be involved in decisions like this, he caves at the first sign of an emmanent cry or whine) and she agreed that is was time to drop the last one. (really she reassured my intense desire to purge the baby bottles)

So tonight they got a sippy cup at 7pm instead of the usual but way overrated comfort bottle, of course Brady pitched a fit! But he will have to get used to it, I refuse to have 2-13 month olds still drinking from a baby bottle (no offense here, but it's bad enough we have a pacifier and "lovie" (aka comfort blanket) additiction. Mommy, the enabler has to draw the line somewhere! I know the other 2 addictions will require a harsher rehabilitation treatment, therefore, I must pick my battles very carefully.

I threw every single bottle away(even the secret stash), there will be no way (or bottle) for any of us to cave in! I felt no remorse, its part of the growh process and by no means will the boys go hungry. You better believe that!

Family makes my heart wiggle

2009-03-23T21:54:00.003-04:00

My grandfather has been calling me lately, its the cutest thing. He is really cute about his grasp of technology. He asked me to email him pictures, since he knows how to receive them but hasnt figured out how to reply yet. He told me one of these days he will.
See Tata Farias is in Chile, thousands of miles away... I havent seen him in over 15 years. He is getting old and yet he is trying to stay connected via the world wide web. His calls make my heart wiggle. His personality has not changed one bit from the man that I knew as a child. He is funny, loud and passionate about his beliefs. Its been a great few days, talking to him... I love it and I hope it doesnt stop anytime soon!

He seems so proud of me, my husband and especially the boys. Tonight he asked me to keep sending him pictures and to write him; he said even if he doesnt write back he really likes getting them. What did I do the second I got off the phone... I sent 4 emails with less words but over 40 pictures. I hope he gets that I love him just as much as he loves me.

Just one more gate...

2009-03-23T16:42:00.000-04:00

I spent a good part of my day hunting for a bargain on a KidCo Elongate Model G60. We just made some major moves this weekend (you can read about here) that required rearranging our home. We took the KidCo gate that closed off the kitchen and moved it to block off the front hallway/foyer. This move came after the boys took it upon themselves to put on a show all weekend long on that stage. That area is a tad elevated and has wooden floors, which Corey and Brady found to be perfect for their trains and cars, but the “vroom” noise was loud and echo-y… it was intense!

We rationalized that since we wanted them to play in their room, leaving the back hall way/kitchen exposed would be ideal. We didn’t notice much of a huge difference last night, except that I had 2 perma-babies (toddlers) stuck to my ankles while I was cooking. It wasn’t that bad; it was actually cute to have so much activity in the one room that is truly only mine. The only huge disadvantage is that if I am not cautious, my condiments end up in the garbage. They are so quick… as soon as they see the refrigerator open they “attack”. On several occasions, my mayo, mustard and ketchup landed in the trash. If they had not been new, they would have stayed there. (Thank heaven for Clorox wipes)

I have gotten off subject, anyways… This morning, I called A. to ask how the new set up was working for her. She said she loved the new lay out, the walls, etc. But she mentioned how much of a challenge she had with the boys. Her story involved a certain little boy moving water coolers with 5 gallon water attached to it and another little boy hanging from the oven handle. I knew right then and there, I had to buy a gate – pronto!

I was on a mad woman hunt for this gate. I didn’t want to pay top dollar and I was determined to come home victorious and with said gate in hand. All my hard work paid off and I found the gate on Craig’s List. Half price the retail value and in fabulous condition less than 3 miles from work. I love a good bargain, but what I love more… is setting my mind to something and getting it!!! Yay me!!

RIP Super Yard XL (x3) 11.1.08 – 3.21.09

2009-03-22T22:23:00.001-04:00

I wanted to take a moment to thank the 3 super yards for all of their help and support over the past 4.5 months. You helped keep our then crawling toddlers away from harm; you allowed us a break when we needed to step away from the pig pen. Your prison-like walls contained our duo and we grew with you. You were so flexible; we changed your existence in many combinations as the boys grew from crawlers to cruisers to walkers. You kept us sane and kept our valuables safe. You maintained order and gave us a peace of mind, knowing that the boys could not bend or break you. You stood tall and took all the abuse they gave you like a champ. The time has come for us to break the walls down and allow the little ones to roam free. I am sad to see you go, but I welcome the change. I was growing tired of stubbing my toes while tripping over your walls; since lets admit it I am very uncoordinated. Numerous times you laughed at me when only one leg made it over. Its ok you had to pick on someone too. The months of constant shaking can do that to a gate or three. Thank you for the gallant team effort, we couldn’t have done it without you. You helped cultivate a safe environment and for that we are grateful.

Mini update: This weekend we took the gates down, the living space is open and free. My living room is back!! My couches are no longer trapped in plastic baby prisons. They are free floating and the clutter is gone. All toys have been relocated to a room we will use for playing only. Gates aren’t gone completely; we have strategeticly placed them in areas we aren’t yet sure we trust open just yet. Thankfully none of these areas require me to hike up my skirt and shimmy over them.

I have an adult living space complete with newly painted walls in a fab-u green color and the boys have a new space to play. They spent the better part of the afternoon in their room, not without checking in on us and bringing some of their favorite toys to us. I remember doing this as a child. I must say the creation of a play room… was the best idea I have had in 2009!

Some of my favorite blogging Mommas

2009-03-20T10:39:00.002-04:00

I wanted to share with you some of the blogs I love and follow daily. Please take a visit and see some of my favorite ladies dishing about their lives, families, children and more. I started blogging when the boys were 4 months old, due to the inspiration I read from many of these Mommas! At first I was partial to only reading blogs of Moms with twins and more… but now I have fallen for other Momma’s too! Please check out their blogs and see what keeps me coming back for more.

Happy Friday – may your weekend be filled with fun activities, love, happiness and good eats!! See you Monday!

Laura’s Mommy Journal

Jungletwins

Chez Perky

Obesession of the week

2009-03-19T22:12:00.002-04:00

I am totally obsessed this week with Swap Tree. A “free-cycle” member sent me the generous tip. I checked it out and immediately fell in love. This find could not have come at a better time, considering I had just decided I was getting rid of all my books. I was totally going to put my collection on free-cycle this weekend. Instead I spent an hour entering all of the good ones into the site. By the next morning, I had 5 trade offers!! It was quite exciting to see my books being recycled for books I have been dying to read!! I shipped out 5 books, this morning and expect 5 new ones next week!

This is such a perfect site for people like me that have a slew of books, love reading but never read a book more than once. It bets loaning them out and getting them back in awful condition. While, there is shipping involved the site actually allows you to print shipping labels. As I anxiously await the books arrival, I am left wondering when I will find the time to read. Swap Tree doesn’t just trade books; you can find DVD’s, CD’s and video games! I even found some Blues Clues stuff for the boys and some games for Mike. This actually may be something we all get to enjoy!

Swap Tree

Is containment a thing of the past?

2009-03-19T17:29:00.002-04:00

Today, the boys woke up around 7am, just a tad earlier than normal. I wasn’t ready for them, but didn’t want to leave them in their cribs, as I normally would have. They looked so cute and happy to see me… they tugged at my heart strings … and I gave in! So, I had to do my entire morning routine with both of them running around me.

Not an easy fete my friends! In less than 4 minutes, my bathroom was trashed, rock star status! Toilet paper in shreds, toys in the tub, my jewelry all over the floor… I must have said no 9.7 times per minute to control the climbing. I was spent and my hair wasn’t even straight yet! I waited for Mike to get out of the shower before I lassoed and corralled my duo straight to our bedroom.

Me: “Play with Daddy; he has better toys in here and this room is bigger!”

I literally ran out of our room straight to my beauty cocoon. I didn’t hear very many no’s from Mike. You see he is very laid back and will only step in when immanent danger is present. As I am keeping tabs from a distance, I finally finish my hair and move on to my face…

Door :“bang-bang”
Corey & Brady: “mammmamamama” “inaudible chatter”

How is it possible that Tarzan and Hercules got bored of Daddy (i.e. exploring the bedroom) in less than ten minutes? The space in that room is equivalent to10 bathrooms! I ignored the banging… pretended to not hear the “mamamamam” but the chants got louder and more intense! I let them in – they have an obsession with the bathroom. I can’t explain it, but the minute they see an in – they take it!

PS - its 5:21 and A. just called to say my Boys will not wake up from their afternoon nap... haha.. its gonna be a LONG night at the Appleby's!

This walking around without boundaries is a little intense for me. I have to do constant baby checks.
Me: “I have Brady, do you have Corey”
Mike: “Corey is here”

They used to love the living room, now that place is old news. The only way I can get them to hang out there is when Blues Clues is on TV, other than that forget it. The kitchen and bathroom are WAY cooler! Don’t get me wrong everything is childproofed; not one cabinet or drawer can be opened, we still have gates but they can enter and exit as they please. I am not sure when we decided to let our guards down, but it’s a done deal now! Corey and Brady will not have it any other way… and they sure do let us know!

I have heard from 2 separate people today that they are considering taking parenting classes. Funny – my mother used to always say “I am who I am … there are not any parenting classes!!!” lol… maybe back then there weren’t any!

Wicked Wednesday Wrap Up

2009-03-18T21:02:00.005-04:00

This week has been super eventful in our household. Since it was raining on Saturday, we took Corey and Brady to Toys R’ Us for the first time ever. They had a great time and so did Mike and I. They test drove a new car, all around the store a couple times over. Both of them took turns and Corey wore a baseball hat the entire time (not one of ours mind you, although he looked so cute, its ours now). We also test drove a wagon, that my BFF with twin girls, raves about ALL the time. My boys didnt think that ride was quite as dope as the car… we almost bought 2 "push buggys" and then it donned on me that the MCPOM semi-annual sale was a week away. I am sure we will find something there. So we spent 1.5 hours, playing with toys that weren’t ours and walked out with nothing fun, just a few more childproofing items that are necessary for our survival. The boys now have free run of the house. It’s a weird and very new concept for us. We are still going through some growing pains with this new arrangement. Mike seems to have the worst luck, since Corey or Brady will barge into his bathroom, every morning while he is reliving himself. (You would think he would learn!)

Sunday, we spent some time at home enjoying each other and cleaning. Mike and I cleaned out the storage room; we placed a ton of stuff on freecycle and threw the rest away. I also spent most of Sunday, tagging and organizing items that we are selling at the MCPOM sale. We found 138 items that are in fabulous condition that we have outgrown!! I find this to be astounding considering we have given many families so much of our baby stuff this past year. Amazing how much stuff you can acquire, I can’t even imagine what our home would look like if we still had swings, exersaucers and all that baby stuff we used a year ago! It was very liberating to clear our home of items that we are no longer using.

The boys are teething again! They must have had the worst of the pain this weekend; poor things were gnawing on everything in sight. They seem to have a very low tolerance for pain! With teething we get a whole new set of toddlers; I am always happy when the teeth have broken and I get my easy going babies back.

With their new found freedom, they have given a new meaning to the word exploring. It is not uncommon to have 1.7 seconds to get your item out of the fridge, its literally a race to prevent the zombies from looting! Lately, Brady is hanging from the oven like tarzan and Corey's favorite seat in the house is on the bottom shelf of our kitchen table. They are constantly moving, walking and running all over the house. Pity the fool that leaves a door open because the boys are watching and will take the invitation with gusto.

They are quite chatty too, saying things like baba, mama, dada, ball, wow, na (which is no) and many things in between. They also picked up a really bad habit this weekend, temper tantrums. Wait I am not kidding my 12.4 month old twins are throwing fits! On Monday, I had simultaneous tantrums going on at the same time over the fact that our teeth brushing activity had ended. I love that we are passionate about hygiene but really? Tantrums at this age?!?!

This week, we are down to 1 bottle and that is at night right before bed. They are taking all of their milk in a sippy cup and things seem to be doing fine. They are eating like champs and totally eating me under the table. I cant seem to keep the fridge stocked long enough to make a difference. I guess I shouldn’t complain, we are blessed with hearty appetites and non-picky eaters.

This weekend, Mike and I are volunteering at the sale on Friday. I will be up earlier than usual for a Saturday to take benefit from early shopping set up for all the volunteers. No other major plans, except maybe peeling Mike away from the TV… NCAA tourney starts Thursday, Mike will literally be glued to the couch with a perma-beer stuck to his left hand and the channel will be on ESPN all weekend.

Kiss me I'm Irish

2009-03-17T16:34:00.004-04:00

According to my husband, we are part Irish, part Italian and a wee bit English… I call that one hell of a mutt! Of course, I am guilty by association, since my heritage is far from Irish. I have yet to meet a Chilean with Irish ties.

We really aren’t doing much to celebrate the shamrocks and leprechauns today. Except we are all outfitted in our greenest attire. It wasn't difficult at all to find an outfit for C&B to wear, since we own so much green clothing. Brady seems to always be the "green" twin and his brother the "red" twin. When I was preggo, one of the girls that worked on my floor (an identical) said her Mom always did that and she was the pink twin. I laughed saying that would never happen, but its hard not to do it. I have a hard time not pairing their attire up to somewhat resemble each other BUT in different colors. It just so happened very early that Brady always ended up in green. Go figure, my Irish (lol) twin representin'.

I couldn’t come up with a quirky way to genuinely celebrate, maybe next year I’ll make green pancakes. I thought to make cabbage and beef, especially since its basically free at the store... but Mike isnt quite that Irish!!!

Tonight, I will go home to my manly crew and enjoy our “green-ness”!!

Happy St. Patty’s Day!!

One day pass

2009-03-14T09:38:00.004-04:00

I was given the Golden Ticket yesterday to hang out with my girls, during the day at a St. Patty's Day event hosted by a local radio station. I have attended this event every year (except the 2 when I was preggo and then a new mom). Yesterday, was the 10th anniversary... now that should explain a lot! I was concerned on many levels about going, but once Mike urged me to go I figured I would take the pass and run.
I forgot to mention this event starts right around the time, most of us are going to work... so I left home around 6am. I was giddy with excitement and moved as ginger as a mouse. I did not under any circumstances want to wake up the boys. Tania picked me up and after running some errands, we set out to the event. Along the way, my cousin Maria joined us. I was excited for many reasons to attend. The first and most important, it was a tradition of ours and it was great to still be a Mom and be able to partake in the festivities. 3 awesome bands were playing and I really wanted to see Hobbastank. (In 2006, we actually saw them and got signed copies of their CD - it was like they were there just for me) We waited in line for almost 3 hours, just when we were at the point of giving up... we are allowed in!!! As we are walking in, Hobbastank takes the stage. It was all worth it in the end!

We had some great girly bonding time. I met some great people - mostly parents... ironically, I guess I am not the only cool Mom in DC. When I got home, the boys were excited to see me, I got a welcome fit for a queen! We played and watched the Bee Movie.

It was great to have been able to hang out with my girls; I completely enjoyed my golden ticket!! Thank you Baby!

Wicked Wednesday Wrap Up

2009-03-11T22:05:00.005-04:00

I have decided to get a bit organized with my blog - so going forward on Wednesdays I will update you with all things baby. I also will post weekly pics and maybe share a Mommy or Daddy update. I started a blog today, to write all about me and only me! I will share the link if you are interested to read about my past, my present and my future. I used to be into other things before babies, such as fashion, the arts, style, wine, good eats and more.

So without further ado, my new Wednesday installment:

The boys have been extra cute lately! They always make my heart wiggle, but lately they are doing new things that tug a little harder.

They clap when we get home from work. The smiles and the chatter (while not easily deciphered) are amazing to hear, their voices immediately bring calm to my busy days. They beg to be pulled out from their boosters the minute they see us. Apparently A. lets them roam the house these days. Everything is childproofed now and since the playroom is in the hall, no point in closing the gates these days. She said that they love that room. (I cant wait to have it completed) A. says, they seem to migrate there after 3pm, when the school kids come out to play. Corey sits on the ledge of the window and watches outside. Brady bangs items on the window to get the kid's attentions. They wave back and my boys love it!
A few nights ago, Mike pulled out these mini Rawling's baseball bats, my MIL gave them a year ago. I think they are an accident waiting to happen, but they love those things. I am secretly hiding them when I get offline, I would hate to come home to a black eye or a broken window. They cant sit still these days. They are loud and very funny. They laugh at each other and their jokes. They enjoy the toys now. They laugh at the electronic voices that come out of their toys.
We have dropped bottles and replaced them with sippy cups. 2 of those cups are served with meals. It seems to be going quite smooth! They love Blues Clues and baths. They just dont want to get out of the tub anymore. My fav part of the day is 7:45pm, they are in bed and chatting or giggling. I love it! I wish I knew what they said, Mike describes it as the owl (Brady) and the whale (Corey). those sounds not only mean something to them, it makes them laugh. They seem to stay up for an extra 30 minutes just hanging out in their cribs.

Corey:

Tonight was a great night. We played with the boys for a while, following them around... it was like they wanted to show us what they did and what they learned for the day. Around 6:45 I started cooking, but not without my Top Chefs. They played in the kitchen with their own spoons and bowls. Brady learned how to pour the water from the cooler... of course its childproof - the kid is a genius! Corey has figured out the plastic locks, I keep hoping he has inherited my memory. Mike put on some Old School Hip Hop and all 4 of us were grovin'. Bath time came quick and apparently didn't last long enough! After their bottle, Mike sat in thier room with them and read them Fox in Sox. (quite an intese read for sleepytime but the boys loved it) The boys were in great moods; so happy and vibrant. They are little people now!!! Why is it all happening so fast!

Brady:

Returning to the workforce...

2009-03-11T17:43:00.001-04:00

I wrote an ad for MCPOM. It has tips on how to get back to work, if you are ready!!
Enjoy, by clicking the link
Returning to work

Funny thoughts before I delivered

2009-03-11T17:40:00.003-04:00

I posted this 2 weeks before C&B were born on MySpace... its kinda funny.

Saturday, February 09, 2008
Things to consider before getting preggo

1. At some point your feet will no longer be accessible... which means you cant do your own toes, tie your shoes or even put socks on without rolling over!
2. Eventually nothing fits, books and mags recommend wearing your hubby's clothes... ha no thanks - sweater vests aren't my thing!
3. NO ONE gives up their seat on metro!
4. You may want to wear heels (and I did till month 8) but flats are truly your best friends.
5. It takes you longer to do everything... my hair and make-up is a process, involving a ton of short visits to the couch.
6. You live for food... (I did this before) except now your moods dictate your meals or cravings.
7. In the beginning, saltines save your soul. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Towards the end you despise them and wonder why you loved them so!
8. Same goes for pickles or anything pickled (i fell for califlower, carrots and whatever else that mix had)
9. You buy every baby book out there and read it cover to cover, by month 9 you have forgotten everything!
10. Your memory is shot... that includes telling stories more than once, your keys, your purse, etc

Post-partum thoughts...

2009-03-11T17:34:00.003-04:00

I deceided to cancel my "MySpace" account - it plain sucks. I wrote this entry in my blog and I thought it was fitting to share.

Sunday, June 01, 2008
So much for making promises
Current mood: blah

So every year I swear and promise, I am going to write more. Yet my blog pages lie empty and my journals are untouched. This year I have an excuse, two to be exact! I wish that I had written earlier though, my trials and tribulations when I was pregnant and then when we came home. I feel like no one can prepare you for what comes next... not one piece of advice sticks out that helped me (us) make it during the first three months. Ironically, we made it. It is a bittersweet feeling... I longed to hit this milestone, but here I am, the eve of my first day back at work and wish that we were still struggling a bit so I could prolong my leave. Not out of laziness or lack of motivation, but out hesitation to give up the joy of hanging out with my dynamic duo. They are so captivating more so than any educated conversation I have ever had. They ignite a passion in me, stronger than any wild fire. I have morphed with ease into a Mother.. I say that with pride and a slight bit of shock. The big secret is that months before the boys were born i cried and worried about the type of mom I would be. I didn't think I had it in me. Maternal was never a word used to describe me. My family was shocked when they found out I was pregnant and then almost all were horrified when they found out I was having two. (side bar... not horrified for them but for me.. i was the party animal niece, the drunk driving granddaughter, the career driven daughter.. get my drift?) I must be honest and say the first few weeks were hard, almost impossible really. I slowly (with Mike's help) established an organized plan and routine. We soon started thriving and before you knew it I traded in the PJs in the morning (as opposed to 5pm) for actual clothing and started finding time for me. Here I am today and its all structured even the time when i shower... I have time to cook, clean and be a mother... its so easy now. I am confused as to how easy it is now... the part that sucks is now that I mastered being a Mother I need to master being a working Mother. I know its doable but I am totally not excited about it. I am concerened about the lack of hours in the day to do it all. I am worried that I wont have the same connection, but most of all I am sad to lose the time we share. On a positive note... I am only going back part-time so I am only losing 3 days out of 7. I also hired someone to help raise my boys that I feel really good about. She will be a blessing, she will be a surrogate grandmother of sorts... considering both Mike's and my Mom are far away. Tomorrow I start another chapter in my life and I hope that I take the time to document the milestones.

MCPOM Consignment sale weeks away!!

2009-03-10T12:52:00.000-04:00

I have been gearing up for the sale; washing, sanitizing and tagging. Its been hard work but I am sure the pay off will be huge. This is my 2nd sale ever, but Mike and I are both voluteering so we can shop early and make more money on our sales. I guess you can also call this one of my new obessesions. I recently "tipped off" my new favorite blog and they have included all the details - please click on the link! See you on 3/21.
My dear friend, Rachel gave me 3 tips last time.
1. Wear comfy shoes
2. Leave the bulky coats at home (it gets hot!!!) I actually was hot in my sweater... this year I will wear a t-shirt!
3. Leave the children/twins at home, it is small and jammed packed. In the short hour I was there last fall, a Mom lost her child - you never want to be that Mom! Get a sitter for this one!

The deals are impressive and very high quality! Def worth the visit!
Redemption Unlimited - Steals, Deals, Freebies, Fun! (Coupon Matchups, Coupon Codes): Montgomery County Parents of Multiples Consignment Sale

We are always late and oversleeping...

2009-03-10T11:56:00.004-04:00

We are always late reliving A in the evening, thankfully for us she is laid back about it and I do compensate her for her time. It’s become more and more frequent, that I cant even remember the last time we arrived before 6pm. It’s mainly Mike’s fault (love my blatant finger pointing) but since we share a car (his car, I can hear him clarifying this) I am compelled to wait for him at the metro station. I guess that makes it a 2 person problem. I wish I had a solution to showing up earlier… but at this time my only solution is asking A. to stay till 6:30 and paying her an extra 2 hours. Not only will this be official and much needed, I will feel less bad when we get home at 6:15 every day. Not only are we late in the evenings, we were late all weekend to our engagements and play dates... that is best saved for another blog though!

We have been oversleeping almost every day in 2009. It doesn’t matter if I go to bed to 9pm or 12am – I still have a very difficult time leaving my fluffy oasis. I made a goal to wake up early (gasp 5am- only the insane or seriously committed do this) to exercise. It’s March and I have not woken up early and slapped on a pair of dusty Nike’s once! It’s a reality and I don’t feel bad about it, but its time it gets crossed off the board. This way, Mike can stop reminding me of my lofty goal. I think he gets inner glee pointing out the fact that I am a sleepy mess in the morning. It doesn’t help that the boys, sleep in, well, truth be told they sleep their 12 hours. I am the only one that is supposed to get up early to get ready for work. Mike can get away with minimal grooming, especially since he chopped his hair off. Before, yesterday, he didn’t emerge from his beauty cocoon for over 45 minutes. “Being sexy is hard work”

Our morning routines are fairly rough on me, since I have to get the boys fairly on track before I can get myself together. Mike helps somewhat, but like I said his beauty cocoon awaits him and he takes longer marinating and basking in beauty than I do.
So typically, he helps me get the boys diapers changed (he also tends to linger longer in our fluffy oasis than I would like). By this point, I have already got them out of their cribs, brushed their teeth and managed to pull off some basic toddler herding techniques. We change the diapers and its time to feed! Thankfully, our boys can get 30 minutes of play time; they don’t wake up starving like their Mother. This allows me to shower and get dressed faster than Clark Kent. I emerge half way done to start breakfast and guess where Daddy is… still showering! I get breakfast going and if we are truly running late (which is quite common) A. takes over when she gets to our home at 8am. So I can finally get my face and hair together. Of course, Daddy emerges about 10 minutes into breakfast, all fresh, clean and strikingly handsome BUT suddenly in a hurry!! I am almost done but caffeine free – which makes for a stressful start for me… I rush, slap my hair in a pony and chug coffee, almost burning my tonsils… but one cup of coffee is ESSENTIAL for my morning commute with Mike. Without it, I have a hard time tolerating 100% ~~in your face~~ sports talk analysis from my ~~Red Bull junkie~~ handsome husband.

Ugh, you see why oversleeping blows for me.

I am taking down the exercise at the crack of dawn goal off my board today! I will replace it with “NO more oversleeping”. It’ll be a start to something grand! I can only hope that with 30 extra minutes to my day that is twins free… my beauty cocoon will revel that of Mike’s. A girl can only dream. Tomorrow, I will not hit snooze!!

I am obsessed....

2009-03-09T17:17:00.006-04:00

I have obsessive tendencies… but thankfully I go through fazes. My new obsessions of the week are saving money by clipping coupons (and creative shopping) and Freecycle. I saved $141.39 this week in groceries, just by clipping coupons. I have always shopped and bought only sale items, but never went to 2 different stores to complete my list. I did this week! What a difference! I can’t take full credit for the ingenious ideas. I would never have known about half the sales and where to find the coordinating coupons.
The following sites helped me:

Redemption Unlimited
Mommy making Money

These ladies rock and I am totally a convert! Sold!! Loyal follower here!!!

On Saturday, Mike helped me put away our groceries, he is good like that. Every item in the bags was bought with a coupon or on sale. He was totally over me by item 22, since I had to report the cost savings per item. Like I said I can’t do anything in moderation and this includes this new obsession. I was sooooo impressed with my shopping and in turn savings!!

Obsession numero 2 – Freecycle!
Why did it take me so long to find you? I am the Anti-pack rat! I am also the one that buys crap that doesn’t match or fit only because it’s a bargain. (A week ago, Mike filled out a survey I sent him on FaceBook, the question was “what is your wife’s favorite _____?” and he answers “whatever is on sale”) that is my MO! So while I may not have tons of stuff, I ~~sometimes~~ have stuff that doesn’t make sense. So freecycle to my rescue!!! This site helps you clear out the items you are not using that are in condition for someone else to use. Freecycle = Organization

Mike got the cleaning bug up his you what and when it gets there; Mama does nothing to stop it!! He did a few things on my “Honey-Do” list that had been collecting dust, considering I had asked him so long ago. He single-handedly helped ignite operation "Take back our living room". A year ago, we gave up all things cool, except Mike's art (God forbid anyone touches that) to make room for toys, swings, and various baby jails. The boys are walking now and its time to take control of the space that once was ours. The goal is to make it child friendly with a HUGE adult spin!
So the short version is - my plans to turn the 3rd room from guest/office room to playroom are in full effect. The futon – freecycled! The tables have taken residence in other rooms… and miscellaneous gunk – freecycled!!!

Mike said to me last night, you are insane NO ONE is picking up your placemats, décor and other crap. I bet him cash money it would be gone. Within the hour, 7 freecycler’s paid me visits and I am now 7 items lighter!!! Can you see my excitement?!?!

Operation Take Over is almost complete... just a closet or 2 to clear out, throw a little paint on the walls, some minor child proofing, a tiny bit of creative angst for decorating purposes and viola we have a toddler play area!! Sipping martinis in the living room will be much easier without Pablo and Blue judging me! Umph, as if!

Grills x 3

2009-03-09T16:45:00.004-04:00

The weather was amazing this weekend and we enjoyed every second of it. In my perfect world it would be 65-70 degrees all the time. We would grill all our food and our kids would run wild, ok maybe not so wild.
We enjoyed delish grilled food all weekend long. Heaven! Friday night Mike pulled out our baby grill, made for tailgating… and whipped up the best T-Bones I have ever tasted.
Saturday, we spent the afternoon with our friends the Ryan’s. They have a huge back yard and the kids literally ran amuck. Brady fell in love with their 2 year old Blondie who was a true friend to my boys. She played, she crawled, she ran and even feed them. I have written about them in the past, I think that was the last time we visited their home. The day we almost melted! The boys had so much fun, that I had backyard envy all weekend. ~~I had never seen the boys that dirty~~ I never allowed that much dirt on the boys before… they refused to wear shoes, so they ran the gardens sans shoes. They ate dirt, tree limbs and leaves. Brady even enjoyed some chalk… where were the parents you wonder? Right behind them, but clearly not fast enough! Next time I don my running shoes and leave the sequined Madden’s at home. After their first day in the Great Outdoors, their bath water, many hours later was brown and their toes filled with mud… but they were so tired they just wanted to sleep. I need a yard!
Sunday we visited my dear family. Another yard and more grilled eats!!! Conversation was great, the food was delish and the boys kicked off their shoes and ran for the hills. My Tio’s have cute small brush trees; the boys were drawn to them, especially Corey. They loved the swings and the slides and most of all the freedom. Barefoot, carefree and spoiled with attention… what a life!! We drove home in silence; all four of us were full, happy and very tired. Yard envy x 2!!
We had a fabulous weekend, filled with outdoor adventures, happy twins, great company and yummy grilled food!! In the midst of all the fun, we did get some things in order around the house, but that is another post.

New things happening in our household:
Me: I got the job!!!
Mike: Chopped his hair off – looks vibrant and fresh!
Corey: running, cutting tooth #10, biting himself AND his crib, loving raspberries, strawberries, all things fruit, shrimp
Brady: walking with better mobility, cutting tooth #9, biting his brother or anyone's unsuspecting knee, starting to climb (here is where I draw the explore and learn line!), loving broccoli, all berries except blue ones, has a crush on an older woman, hates shoes

Parenting 101

2009-03-04T12:56:00.003-05:00

Last night, I got home so late I missed out on seeing the boys. It was 8:30pm and Mike pulled off the feat of bath night and a 730 bed time solo. It’s very rare that Mike and I don’t tag team the night routine. Typically twice a month I have my MCPOM commitments but other than that the parenting is very much shared. I was sad to see they were in bed and I missed my daily hugs and kisses from Corey and Brady.
I was late because I was interviewing for a job. The interview went really well and I hit it off with my interviewer. She was amazing, funny and such as great communicator. We talked for over 3 hours and covered every subject under the sun. I will find out soon if I get the job or not. While chatting with her, she told me about her friend, a guy that is scared to be home alone with his 2 year old and 8 month old kids. We laughed at his hesitations and since she is such a good storyteller, she painted a vivid picture of a paranoid father but a strong business man. She described a man who had served in many search and rescue missions such as the Pentagon, but couldn’t grasp simple parenting 101.
I thought about Mike, he is a natural father. He is great with the boys and loves every minute of it. I trust his judgment and know that he is invested in this family. I have been leaving him home alone with the boys from very early on. In the beginning, I got calls… frantic pleas of “please come home”, but these days he is a pro. The boys love him; adore him to pieces really and so does he. This is all too normal for me, its everyday life but I write about it because more often than not I hear about the father’s that don’t change diapers, that don’t contribute to the household beyond their paycheck and that are so busy to notice how you, the mother, effectively manage the day to day. Thankfully, that is not the case in our home. Mike helps with everything from chores (reluctantly sometimes) to parenting.
They say you marry your father… but mine was not like that. He worked long hours and tried the best he could to hang out with us when he got home from his 12 hour days of manual labor. He did the best he could, but he didn’t clean, cook (well much later in life he did) or partake in much of the parenting duties. I don’t remember him helping me with homework or reading me a bedtime story. Maybe it’s because, we had a different dynamic growing up. My father was THE head of household and my mother didn’t work. She baby sat occasionally for spare cash, but never left our home. (Truth be told we never had a sitter, nanny or even went to camp – she was mom ALL of the time)!! My sister was born with a genetic illness, so we spent most of our early years living between the hospital and home. That alone can add stress to any relationship, I can imagine. My mother and my sister bonded early on, since they spent so much time together. Naturally I had to stay with my Dad and continue on with my life, school and he with work. So this created a natural bond between us… maybe that all explains why we have ended up where we are we have now. (My sister is fine now)
Parenting is so important and sometimes I wonder what I walked away with. What did my parents impart upon me? I hope my take away was the impeccable manners, the work ethic, the ability to be self less (my parents gave us anything before they bought for themselves), and the ability to always provide the basics that life has to offer. I think I turned out well, I guess that is left to be determined.

Snowy days and more

2009-03-03T13:20:00.003-05:00

I was quite impressed with the showing of the flakey white stuff yesterday, we actually got over 7 inches! The snow was not playing this time! I am a huge fan of Doug Hill, but we all know how many times the snow has ducked and dove out of our area. I must admit that I was not the least bit intimidated and when several people mentioned the “snow storm” I chuckled silently, thinking to myself how silly and paranoid they sounded. So, imagine my surprise when I woke up yesterday morning and saw the snow coming down in chunks. I was half awake when A. called to express her concern with driving in. She was uber cute about it, but it really was a non-issue since that very second I decided that I was staying home and playing in the snow with the boys ALL day.
Unfortunately, the boys didn’t quite cooperate with my train of thought. I should clarify that only half of the pair didn’t cooperate. Brady took to the snow like a polar bear, loving every second of it; he would have stayed outside all day if he could. Corey on the other hand tolerated the cold, wet environment for 4.2 minutes before he let out a cry; whimper really compacted with a yelp for Mama. (He started saying Mama on Sunday, but only when he is mad, sad or needs immediate attention – these days that is almost all the time) I am off on a tangent; can you tell I am proud that finally someone in this house is yelling Mama? No matter what the reason is… he knows his Mama!
Back to the snow, Corey who was not so happy cut the adventure short, but we still managed to have a great 8.6 minutes of snow day fun outdoors. Corey walked home without holding my hand. I, of course was worried and not about the traffic (my entire cul de sac took off yesterday – we are all slacker in Maryland), but worried he would fall on the concrete and break his nose… ha-ha ok not that bad, but it was his first time walking outside and with shoes on! He did fantastic and I felt stupid for worrying.
I think my crew had a bad case of cabin fever with a smidgen of grumpiness left over from the shots all that combined made for a high energy day. Everything was immediate or intense and it came from a place of boredom. The boys were loud, boisterous and in the moment. Not much kept them entertained. I tried books, Blues Clues, trucks, trains, balls… you name it. Around dinner time, Corey infiltrated the security system, and then in true Bam - Bam style tore it down! Bam-Bam found a way to break into the gate that enclosed the balcony!! The gate has been up for 6 weeks now, while it wasn’t the most secure gate in Alcatraz; it was there to prevent my Tarzan duo from swinging from the curtains. Corey had been eying his Dad’s system for a few days now, a little tug here and a tug there… trying to figure out the mechanics. He literally used all his arm strength to pull, push and remove the gate. I watched the whole thing go down, reinforcing my original thought of allowing them to explore and discover. He pushed the gate and both the gate and Brady tumbled down. I was in route to save Brady, but Corey beat me to it. He felt bad about Brady and came out from his area of destruction to help his brother… so cute! Brady decided that he wanted to team forces, so my destructive duo, pushed and pulled the gate to the middle of the room!!! So much for security!
Anyways, the tribe has spoken - the gate is gone! We’ll have to see what Anusha says.

New antics of the week

They both love playing the Mommy/Daddy is chasing you game. Often times Corey just runs away to indicate the game has started and we better hurry and catch him. We tried new foods that they love now: watermelon, fruit smoothies, eggplant patties and potato gnocchi (all bought at Trader Joes – love this place with the cheapest organic whole milk!!). I reintroduced cantaloupe, baby corn, mini ravioli’s, hummus… some were hits and some were misses. For instance they hated hummus, pitas and avocado this week! WHAT? We lived off of that when they were younger! I asked A. to try again… we’ll see. We have been loving cereal and milk, yogurt, bananas, tangerines, oranges’ (peeled completely, they do not like the white stuff), chick peas, pasta (of course), strawberries, kiwi, MILK, sweet potato pancakes, applesauce, GREEN BEANS, carrots (only Corey), OLIVES, Nilla mini cookies, Teddy Grahams, and others that slip my mind. I love that they will eat almost anything… but if they don’t like it they will throw it on the ground with the quickness. My new fav thing they do is when they don’t trust me – they take what I put in their mouths out and look at it… then re-feed themselves if it passes the “test”. It’s hilarious and amazing that they are so aware of what THEY like or want. They alert us when they see something they like, it sounds like monkeys in the zoo… but at least they are getting their point across. It’s hard to believe that we have 2 walking, talking (noise making) babies… I’m in awe!

Corey
Corey and Brady

Brady

12 month stats

2009-02-27T16:48:00.006-05:00

Today we visited our Pediatrician's office, unfortunately we didn't get to see Dr. Lee or Peggy as we call her. She was booked this time so we met with another Doctor in the practice. We had a successful visit, the boys are in "perfect" healthy condition. Her words not mine! She said we were doing a great job and had no suggestions. I also had no questions, so we just sat and bragged about their accomplishments and developmental milestones. The only thing she advised was that we limit the milk consumption to 24 oz per day. They have taken a HUGE liking to Organic Vitamin D whole Milk and have been chugging by the boatloads. (28-30 oz daily this week alone)!!! As we were weaning of off formula, we had gotten their formula consumption down to 16-22oz daily, more on the lighter side. I think they drank the powder stuff, but never really loved formula. I cant blame them; have you tasted that stuff! ugh, gross! She did ask that we refrain from giving them foods with nuts and honey but everything else is ok! She also agreed with me that its time to let the bottles go! Yay!! Since Mike heard her, this means I have full support and this wont be another one of my annoying ideas.
They were in great spirits erring on the active side. They took to their vaccinations like champs, yes they cried but nothing to dramatic. Overall it was a good visit. Mike and I decided that these visits are much easier when we go together. Since the boys are active, you really need an extra set of hands to be successful.
Its 5pm and the boys are still napping... I know its a combo of the Tylenol we gave them before the shots and the shots themselves. I really want to wake them to keep a semblance of a schedule, but Mike STRONGLY suggests we let them sleep. ugh... thank God its Friday.
Stats:
Corey & Brady - have the EXACT same stats
weighing in at 23.0 lbs
standing tall at 32 inches

90% of height and 50% of weight! I have some tall babies/toddlers.

Open letter from Mamita Cely to Corey & Brady

2009-02-26T09:34:00.004-05:00

It was great to read this letter that displayed such emotion and devotion. Its been a long time since I had received a letter from my mom and this letter touched my heart. I felt that it was appropriate to post for many reasons. First of all to document her love and dedication and for two so we never forget how much she loves them even though she is thousands and thousands of miles away.
Without further ado...

Carta a mis nietos...Cuando Dios repartió a los nietos a mi me regaló la Gran Bendición de ser abuelita de dos nietos maravillosos, únicos e irrepetibles.Corey y Brady hace un año atras llegaron a esta vida trajendo alegrías, felicidad y ternura, cambió mi vida radicalmente el sentir mi sol de abuelita...Gracias por existir!!!Ha pasado un año... Como pasa el tiempo, hoy ya caminan!!! Que grande estan mis niños!!!Son dos angelitos que Dios ha puesto en mi vida y cada instante de mi vida agradesco al Señor por darme la dicha de ser su abuelita.Corey y Brady... Cuando aparece el sol pienso en ustedes y cuando la luna sale, me duermo orando al Señor para que El los proteja siempre.
Hoy 21 de Febrero es un Gran Dia!!!
Corey y Brady cumplen su primer año de vida... a traves de la distancia les envio una lluvia de besitos tiernos, y todo mi corazón lleno de amor y felicidad... Feliz cumpleaños queridos nietos, quiero que siempre tengan presente que los adoro, que son la razon de mi vivir, de la Gran Bendicion que Dios me ha regalado... Corey y Brady les adoro y les deseo muchas felicidades y que Dios les bendiga. Besitos para la mamá, el papá y para ustedes todo mi corazon y mi vida entera. Mamita Cely.

Translation -

Letter to my grandchildren... When God distributed grandchildren, he gave me the gift and a the huge blessing to be the Grandmother of two marvelous, unique and unrepeatable grandchildren. Corey and Brady, a year ago you arrived to this life bringing happiness and tenderness, you changed my life radically just to feel the soul of a grandmother! Thank you for existing!!! A year has passed ... How quickly time flies, today you are already walking! Look how much you have grown!!! You are two little angels that God has placed in my life and every single moment of my life I thank the Lord for giving me the happiness of being your Grandmother. Corey and Brady, when the sun rises I think about you and when the moon sets, I go to sleep praying to the Lord so He can protect you always.
Today, February 21st is a BIG day!!!
Corey and Brady you turned one today... through the distance I send you a rainfall of tender kisses and all my heart full of love and happiness! Happy birthday, my beloved grandchildren, I want you to always know that I adore you, you are my reason to live, you are the greatest blessing God has ever given me... Corey and Brady I adore you and wish you eternal happiness and may God bless you. Kisses and love for your Mom, Dad and for you both.

With all my heart and eternal life,
Mamita Cely.

Pictures to prove we had a blast

2009-02-25T17:25:00.004-05:00

Just a few pictures of the weekend... Corey and Brady's weekend to par-tee!

Goodbye babies... Hello toddlers!!!

2009-02-25T13:00:00.004-05:00

Sleep deprivation may be linked to lack of motivation… but I figured I would share some updates and happenings.

First of all we are one, but I am sure you got that memo! :) Secondly, we are not sleeping like we used to but only at night. We still love our naps and take them with religiously (if only I could too!). My friend Rachel, is about to go down to one nap at 13 months!!! I type this while erring on the side of caution; I do not want the universe to take away our 2nd nap… not yet at least.
Most importantly, Brady is walking!!!!!!!! He took 8-9 unassisted tentative steps to welcome his Daddy when we got home from work. A. said he had done so all day. I am that much closer to having 2 mobile children. We are also talking. Both Corey and Brady say ball. Brady says Dada and Corey is saying something else, but we can’t quite decipher it. They are never silent, always mumbling or talking to each other UNLESS they are up to no good. They are close to saying Mama, I can feel it… it’s a matter of more practice and I am starting Baby Boot camp this weekend!
We are completely formula free and they LOVE Organic Whole Vitamin D milk! They actually are chugging more of this stuff than we expected. They finish the normal ounces alloted and bring the bottle back for more. Yeah, we are still using bottles. On Monday I will start to take a few away and replace them with the sippy cups. They are self feeding their bottles, but only 42% of the time. Its a matter of timing and cooperation.
They both love balloons and will do anything to get their hands on one, even fight each other if need be. They are both totally digging their walkers… but use them very differently. Corey drags both of them behind them and takes a peek under the hood to ensure safety. Brady pushes it forward, but gets mad when he hits a wall or an object that impedes his movement. They move throw mini-tantrums but over different things and with way different mannerisms. For instance, Corey grunts and thrashes his arms around while walking in circles. Brady arches his back and stiffens up like a board; many times he falls backwards and ends up crying. They also love their balls and have got quite the collection. I tried to clean house on Friday, but somehow they all turned back up.
They are both lifting their arms up to indicate their desire to be picked up. They also slap things away when they no longer want them, most recently bottles. They also push the trucks around while making sounds (similar to the ones we taught them months ago). Corey likes to get under our dining room chairs and use his feet/legs to topple them over. Brady likes to open the blinds, without apparatuses just his hands and is not very successful.
They love the openness of the room, they love to escape the living space and roam the kitchen and the hall. We are almost fully childproofed and they love the independence. They also hug now… Brady continues to play with my hair… he rubs my head and neck and plays with my hair. Weird, I know and I have no clue how he learned that but he is quite gentle and loving when he does this.
We are signing them up for gym classes (Funfit for Tots) and swimming lessons. The classes start in April and run for 8 weeks. I think they will be well worth our time, energy and money. I also bought us tickets to see a few puppet shows at Glen Echo Theater and we are going to see Thomas the train in May. I am trying to keep them active and hopefully entertained.

"Cause this is thriller, thriller night"

2009-02-25T12:05:00.005-05:00

Sleeping through the night has been a touchy subject in our home lately; really it’s been hit or miss and mostly misses. I am actually scared to talk about it, in hopes that if I ignore it… it will go away. I am a light sleeper, but I have been playing the heavy sleeper card for over a week now. Which leaves Mike bearing the grunt work when the lights are out; he is the designated one that wakes and rocks.
This scenario has been going on for over 3 weeks now. Either one or sometimes both of them wake up the middle of the night. We have had great sleepers (until now) and the newborn stage of waking every 2 hours only lasted 9 weeks for us. Thanks to Tracy Hogg and her secrets, we were in sleepy time heaven quicker than most families in our same shoes. I digress.
The dynamics have changed now; waking every few hours with one year olds is a whole different ball game. My body is not programmed to endure this abuse. Seriously, there is nothing endearing about the sudden jolt that you get when you hear Brady’s piercing high-pitch screaming and his brother co-signing in a different tone. A few times, I have gone from dreaming of sipping umbrella decorated cocktails by serene clear waters and sandy white beaches to death-com 5! I do not kid! You know the screams are bad, when Mike a typical heavy sleeper is waking up literally zombie, Michael Jackson thriller status. He shimmies to the nursery and often times rocks a baby (or are we toddlers now?) to sleep, he then shimmies back to bed. Last night he shimmed with Brady back to bed, ugh Brady is a whole other type of zombie. He may be completely tired but once he hits our plush high thread count sheets, he doesn’t want to count sheep. He wants to dance and clap to the thriller beat (at least that is the soundtrack that is playing in my head). When he realizes we are not dancing his beat and barely acknowledging him, he attempts to escape our bed but not before he slaps us awake. Fun times, right? No not really. While the tale I just shared with you happened last night, often times we don’t extract babies from the cribs, we hand over pacifiers and turn on the musical star. It works 30% of the time; can you tell I am at wits end?
Not sure how we got here, but my gut tells me that we trained them to do this. See when the norovirus plagued our home, the boys woke up nightly to alert us of the ordeal they were experiencing. During those 9 days (of hell) they woke us by screaming and we ran to extract them from the nastiness that surrounded them. Brady, like his Mommy is no dummy and he has decided to keep doing this… (it must be the plush sheets he misses) and now Corey just wants a piece of the action. Whatever may be the cause, it’s killing us softly.
I miss sleep! Any ideas?

Happy Birthday my loves

2009-02-24T13:27:00.002-05:00

Dear Corey and Brady,

Happy Birthday my loves! On Saturday, you turned one and we were so proud to see how much you have grown this past year. You started your day with Apple Cinnamon pancakes I made for you and Daddy fed to you. In the background we were listening to music on the radio. Brady you clapped while you ate your food and Corey you squealed in delight. We sang you “happy birthday” and you showed us your new age by sticking your pointer finger in the air. Once breakfast was over, we cleaned you up and got you dressed for the day. You played with your toys and drank your 50/50 formula to milk combo since you are weaning off of formula. You both are so big compared to the babies we brought home last year.
Corey, you won’t sit still; you like walking all over the house and love that Daddy child proofed our living space, so you and your brother are no longer confined to the baby jail. Brady, you are tentatively taking steps. You have watched your brother take many spills and have vowed to be bruise free in 2009. I think you know what you doing, but you are waiting to surprise us. In the meantime, you crawl faster than any baby I have ever seen.
You had a very busy birthday weekend and since you are loved by so many, everyone wanted to celebrate you.
On Saturday, Mommy’s friend Gina drove up to spend the weekend with us. As soon as you both saw her your faces lit up and Brady even clapped. She made it just in time to help fed you lunch and watch you blow out your very first birthday (cup) cake. We all sang to you and you both loved it. You wanted to touch the candles, but that could have caused minor burns so we didn’t allow that. You enjoyed your cakes so much that you required a bath to clean up the red and green icing off your faces. Speaking of which, you both LOVE baths and especially together.
When you woke up from your second nap, your Tata was waiting for you to celebrate. You both were extremely excited to see him and even though it had been a few months you had not forgotten him. You enjoyed some playtime with Tata and then we dressed you in very sharp little man gear and headed off to dinner at Clyde’s. You were joined at dinner by your Tia Blanca, Gina and your grandparents. You both sat at the head of the table on opposite ends. You had a very nice dinner of pasta and fries, you ate much more than we expected and behaved like complete angels. You took in the entire experience; this made your Dad and I regret not taking you out to fancy places more often.
Grandpa Mike and Grandma Dawn flew over 1500 miles to celebrate your first year with you. It had been over 6 months since you had seen them and while they keep constant tabs on you and your growth, it was an amazing sight to see you reconnect. You both enjoyed lots of cuddle time with Grandpa and spent endless hours on their laps. They were very sad to leave you. I guarantee that they are secretly willing us to move closer so you both can see them more often. Mamita Celinda and Grandma Teresa both called and mailed/emailed you their love and birthday wishes. They sent many regrets for being so far. They are both extremely proud of you and love you more than life itself.
On Sunday, you both had your first birthday party. I had been planning for this event for over 2 months, without exaggeration. The big day couldn’t have gone better than I imagined or expected. Many people played a huge role in helping Daddy and I host the best birthday party ever. You had only the dearest and closest to us in attendance; a wonderful mix of family and friends. Everyone was delighted to celebrate you both and at times it felt like Paris Hilton was in our living room, but it was only us. You both were enamored by the balloons and refused to let go of them no matter what you did. Your personalities mirror mine and your Dads to a tee. Corey you took on the title of social host with the most and Brady you sat back took it all in and engaged only those that tickled your fancy. You both thoroughly enjoyed your party, friends and family. You both loved the attention and also gave plenty of love back to those that came to “party” with you. You had another piece of cake, this one was less healthy and not baked by me but completely enjoyed by you.
When the festivities were over, your Dad and I high fived! We were so proud to have pulled off a great party and kept huge perma-smiles on your faces. Your smiles and hugs were priceless. We were so thrilled to see you both so happy. You enjoyed your birthday weekend even more than we expected and we are so happy to have been able to provide you with the celebration you deserved.
As I reflect back to this first year filled with happy moments nothing compares to the smiles and happiness you both exuded this weekend. We have done 1001 things to make you happy this year, but this one takes the cake. We thank you for being you, thank you for coming into our lives and changing us for the better. Thank you for teaching us to live in the moment and to laugh over spilled milk. Both of you have shown us love is endless and that loving more than one is completely doable. Both of you wow us on a daily basis and keep us sane. We are better people because of you. We are more than we ever imagined since we had you both. You both are the reason we rise each day and for you we do all we can to be the best people we can be. Thank you for picking us as your parents. We love you more each day and are so blessed to have had such a lovely first year together. Happy Birthday my pookies, here is to the many more celebrations to come!

Love,

Mama and Dada

Family friendly places to eat MD/DC

2009-02-18T16:01:00.005-05:00

Here is the compliation of great ideas I received from fellow DC Mom's and Dads. I cant wait to try all of these places. I should mention I asked for kid friendly, not a chain, semi fancy, good eats and something that my in-laws could not find on the West Coast.

I hope this list is useful to you.

Compilation for family friendly eats in Montgomery County and DC:

I got MANY referrals of the Clyde’s in Rockville and Chevy Chase – over 8 of them saying - Great kids menu, fun stuff to look at, good food, neat ambiance.

Steamers in Bethesda. It's definitely not a chain, they have great food, and it's a very casual atmosphere that wouldn't notice if there's a tike running around or something. Definitely not something you could get in Denver, too -- the seafood is great. :)

We have a 3 year old and an almost 1 year old and we live (and eat out) in Montgomery County. Places where we've had luck taking the girls (that might meet your needs) are:
Gordon Biersch (Rockville Town Center)
Lebanese Taverna (Rockville Town Center; no table cloths, but nice atmosphere)
Pizzeria de Oro (I think that's the name of it; again in Rockville Town Center; they have some nice Italian dishes as well as great pizzas--woodfired, I think)
Clyde's Tower Oaks Lodge (off of Wooten Parkway; mediocre food and service, but VERY good with large groups and kids; lots of stuff for the kids to look at)
Benjarong (Wintergreen Plaza on 355, Thai food)
Hinode (Japanese/sushi on the back side of Congressional Plaza)
Black Market Bistro (near Grosvenor metro; we try to get there right at 5pm when they open to avoid a wait)

Timpano's on the pike is busy so I think kid friendly, plus the food is pretty good.

That's Amore in Gaithersburg (its a local chain)

Bonefish in Gaithersburg is also excellent (its a chain as well but I think east coast)

Another less fancy idea is Dog Fish Head Brewhouse in Gaithersburg (which is more casual).

You might want to try Bubgaboo Creek in Gaithersburg. The food is good and it is nice sit-down restaurant but there is a lot for kids. It has a lodge feel to it with lots of pictures and "stuffed" animals on the walls. The "stuffed animals move and talk periodically. My 4 year old LOVES this place. It keeps his attention looking around at everything and anticipating when the moose will talk and when the racoon will come out of the log and look around the restaurant.

My kids love Rio Grande, which is mostly a local chain. They have a location in Bethesda and one in the Rio complex off Route 28 (Gaithersburg). We also go to Mama Lucia pizzeria, which is located on Rockville Pike, Fallsgrove, and Bethesda.

My top choice for what you're looking for would be Cafe Deluxe in downtown Bethesda. I'd suggest getting there as close to 5 as you can, and it's not quite white-tablecloth but very good food for grownups with a pretty good kids menu, crayons for the kids, etc. And if the weather is nice you can walk around downtown Bethesda including that new patio area called "Bethesda lane" just down the block. Definitely feels more urban than a chain restaurant (there is another Cafe Deluxe in Cleveland Park but I wouldn't call 2 a chain).

If you want to drive further into the city Chef Geoff's in the Palisades area is also a good combo of good food and kid-friendliness.

Finally, it doesn't sound convenient to you but in Silver Spring we love the Red Dog Cafe -- they not only have crayons but also books and stuffed animals (red dogs) as well as kid's menu but there are good offerings for adults as well.

Also in Silver Spring is a unique place that your FIL might like called Mrs. K's Toll House. Lots of people like it for special occasions as it's old-fashioned service and food, and has pretty grounds to walk around before/after dinner. It's not really one of my favorites but lots of people like it and it's pretty kid-friendly especially because someone can take the kids outside to roam around.
good luck and enjoy!

Mia's Pizza in Bethesda. Very good. Very kid friendly. We actually held a three year old birthday party there.

I would highly recommend Addies - it is so neat - in a house on Rockville Pike sandwiched by office buildings. The food is divine and at that hour you'd be ok with kids. I think the restaurant would be fine with them anytime however it gets uncomfortable for me later in the evening when my kids are out and act up - so its more that later for me makes me nervous.

Another alternative would be to head over to Wheaton to Woomi - Korean barbeque that they grill at your table - totally family friendly - definilty not a chain and entertaing for kids. We usually get the kids edamame and rice or noodles and they are entertained. The area it is in in Wheaton is actually a quick trip from Rockville.

There are several other delicious asian restaurants in Rockville (A&J) and Wheaton (Hollywood East) if you like that.

2 Amy's (excellent/best pizza in DC - lots of kids in there)

Cactus Cantina (tex mex I think better than Rio Grande and next door to 2
Amy's - but Denver has some good tex mex anyway)

Levante's in Bethesda - I saw someone wrote that already - I second it - it
is good Mediterranean & we've brought our kids there since that age

Lebanese Taverna - does have fancy sit-down in new Bethesda location

Positano in "old" Bethesda - midrange Italian, good, and we've taken kids
there a long time

Chef Geoff's fits your requirements altho it's in spring valley--not too
far from chevy chase. The same chef also owns Lia's in chevy chase, which
i think is slightly more adult but at that time of day, would be fine.
chef geoff has kids (twins i think) and the restaurants are
child-friendly, the food is good quality, pretty basic.

What about italian? We have gone to La Panneteria in Bethesda since I was a kid--that means that my family of 5 children and two parents trooped in. Neither expensive, nor a chain. Last time we were there with my in-laws, 3 year old and baby, there was an even larger group with multiple highchairs, kids in regular seats, and many adults.

Il Pizzico in Rockville has many of the same characteristics as well. Do not be fooled by the façade – this is in a crappy strip mall right on the pike beside the Exxon Station on the corner of Gude. It is family owned and has been around for years. Does not take reservations and has some funky days off. Call.

Other places in Bethesda: Frascati, Mamma Lucia (also in Rockville), Rock Bottom, Pines of Rome.

There's a great Peruvian restaurant called "La Canela" at the Rockville Town Center. They don't have a children's menu, but we usually get an appetizer for my daughter. Their food is delicious, authentic, but not cheap. (If you ever go there try the apple piscotini for a drink!)

Amici Miei
The restaurant is very child friendly and it's common to see people there with their children.

We love sushi and always go to Murasaki in Tenleytown.
They're family friendly, ie.: they're great with kids, have delicious food, and you can get in and out in 1 hour. Even very little ones can eat miso soup, edemane, rice, and avocado rolls.

we're in dc, but non-national-chain places we go with our girls (4 and 1.5 -- but have since before second was born), albeit on the early side, include:
indique heights
guapo's
potomac pizza
probably only indique heights would qualify as "nice." also, i would take my girls (again, on the early side) to levante's (there's one on bethesda row), austin grill (national chain?), and maybe jaleo's -- i'd call them and ask if they have high chairs and their response should give you an idea how welcome you'd be.

Date night recap and ramblings about my weekend

2009-02-18T15:14:00.007-05:00

On Friday, Mike and I left the boys for the first time ever... when I say we left I mean we packed our bags and escaped while they were taking their afternoon nap, tip toeing in a hurry! Our friend Tania came over and watched them while they napped, with the pretext that Blanca would take over when they woke up. Blanca stayed overnight while Mike and I enjoyed some much needed “us” time in Baltimore. The drive into the city was funny, we talked all things baby and then we looked at each other and laughed. We missed them already! We stayed at a Renaissance, a fab hotel with a great view of the Inner Harbor walking distance to everything. We didn’t use the car once – that was my favorite part of the date. The room was posh, the king bed with fluff for days was to die for and I would have stayed in it contently for the entire evening. Instead we had a plan (imagine that?)! We hung out for a bit and enjoyed our first happy hour in 2 years; we got “pretty” and hit the town. We had a great dinner at the bar of Ruth Chris. I sipped my first martini in 2 years, delightful Belvedere, extra dirty with huge olives. Mike and I made new friends and actually savored our meal, if you have infants you can relate to what I am saying. We walked to the concert venue and were pretty pumped to see the show. Somehow, the concert wasn’t everything we wished for and not because Talib sucked, but because we never got to see him perform. It was close to 1am and he had not yet stepped on stage!! Mike and I were over it and decided to leave, I mean it was already pass our bedtime and the racket on stage was just not helping. All in all, the night was perfect and sleeping in was much needed. I loved taking a shower without a time limit and I enjoyed sipping coffee while watching something other than Baby Einstein. Our Valentine's day was a huge success! While we didn’t rush out of there, we were eager to get home and see our munchkins. I think Blanca was eager to see us as well. She said she had a great night/day but this definitely was birth control! I am glad we could help. Maybe we could work out a Nuvaring type of arrangement!?

My in-laws are joining us for Corey and Brady's birthday party. It came as a huge surprise considering they are coming a ways but we are very happy to have some of our family at the party. Saturday night, I wanted all of us to have dinner to mark the monumental day but not to only celebrate their birthday, to also celebrate "making it" our first year. I couldn’t find a place that was fitting for the occasion, accommodating for a party of 8 with 2 high chairs, at 5:30 in a semi-fancy establishment. So I turned to DCUM and received an overwhelming response. I will post a compilation in a separate entry, since they had many great ideas and now I have many new places I want to try. The birthday party is a few days away and I am getting really excited for it. There is barely anything left to do, except clean and decorate. I decided against making the cake from scratch. The reality is I am no baker and I really have no time this weekend to just whip up a cake. I promise to one day tackle that experience so I can live up to my Martha Stewart girl crush. I ended up ordering a white on white sheet cake with red trim and I plan on frosting 5 sugar cookies and making a caterpillar decoration. The boys will share a cake, so much for individuality and all that twin junk I read... lets be real, they will not remember my cake or if they had their own cake. Smash cakes are cute, but I am sticking to a piece per child... how much icing and sugar does a one year old really need. I can thank A. for this train of thinking, being a nanny extraordinaire and having 6 years of twin experience had never heard of smash cakes and individuality at the tender age of one. I appreciated her honesty and loved that she brought me back down to earth. I can’t take credit for the new cake idea either that goes, to … drum roll please… Blanca. Bless her soul; she is always seeking ways to simplify my thoughts. I think that is the sole reason she was born, to bring me back down to reality! (Wink)

More importantly C&B Updates

Corey
Running!!, always on his feet, lately laying on his back and pushing anything with his legs (chairs, toys) until the topple over, develops an attitude if he doesn’t get his way, stomps and does weird hand movements, loves brushing his teeth, sleeping like a champ, claps, "talking", loves his green spatula, baby spoon and self feeding. Loves veggie lasagna, strawberries, meatballs, pasta, pancakes, turkey dogs, cereal and milk, yogurt - in love and attached to Mike

Brady
Almost walking -taking 3-4 steps at a time!!!, cruising and holding on to everything "talking" a lot - baba, dada, mama, lots of ahhs and baas, cries when he doesn’t get his way, claps, gives you five, loves brushing his teeth, loves his orange spatula, has become a fan of our bed, sleeping is off, dances to all beats, bobs his head to music, a TV snob, crawls faster than the average 4 legged friend, , loves bananas, strawberries, cereal and milk, pancakes, eggs and cheese, pasta, lasagna, has mastered escaping, in love and attached to me

The boys are doing well. We finally kicked the virus last Monday and the started eating us under the table overnight. We opened up the "pig pen" and now they have a large playing area. Since we have child proofed most of the home, we open up the gates and let them roam. They love it. We pulled out some new toys and they have been entertained with new ball games and this activity cube that I have much respect for. They are both teething and up to 9 teeth a piece. They are growing so fast! I am amazed by the distinction of their personalities. Life is damn good!

Organization is key -

2009-02-18T14:35:00.005-05:00

This week I have been busy planning a birthday party, a dinner and a program for MCPOM. I don’t think I have ever mentioned it before, but I am a Co-Program Chair, for the multiples club. I am the one half of the duo that plans the monthly meet and greets. We have had some successful events this year and I am proud to have participated. I joined the club when the boys were a few months old. I was desperate for friends, help ... anything! I saw a listing for the position as Co-Chair and I applied. I think the boys were 3 months old. I love people and I love event planning. Anyways, this month my friend and personal organizer (who is also a mom of twin girls) is speaking about everything organization. I am stoked and excited for the program tonight. We have a huge turnout and my introduction speech is ready. I don’t normally introduce the speakers, but since Rachel is my friend I guess its fitting. Rachel is a former attorney who decided to open up her own professional organizing and personal shopping business. She is quite successful and a Washington Post favorite. She has a great website and the newsletter that comes out monthly has great tips. Please sign up if you haven’t already.

here is her website

My take on cereal in the babies' bottle

2009-02-09T10:39:00.007-05:00

This is something we did for a few months, ions ago... or at least it feels that way now. I was recently interviewed by Lisa Goldstein for an article that was posted online at IParenting.com. She contacted MCPOM, in hopes of finding someone like me... and she struck gold. :)
I def used this method to get the boys to sleep through the night. Back then everything was a daze and we needed sleep. The rice cereal helped us drop the dream feed and contributed to the success with our schedule. We tried many brands and they mostly hated them all. In particular the Organic brands were immediately rejected and caused the last bottle of the night to be somewhat hectic; the rejection created chaos and we had to make new bottles to calm the "hungry beavers", as Mike lovingly nicknamed them. We finally discovered one they really loved, this is a Chilean product and absolutely loved by all in my family. I guess you could say they swear by it for babies. I know, the honey can and may cause some of you concern, but I ran it by my Doctor and she had no problem with me using it. I even used this product to thicken yougurt or sweeten their fruits (at the time I was boiling and purring fresh in season organic fruits) . I should also say that we stopped using this product and all cereals once the boys started eating solids and had gotten into a routine with sleep. I liked to use cereal for the night feed, but I know that if my ex-nanny found them to be hungry she added a scoop to their bottles during the day. We have never had any weight issues and not until their 9 month visit, were they in the 95 percentile, before that my twins were in the 60-75 percentiles.

Click here to read the article.

*** This is a decision we made after consulting with my Pediatrician and with guidance of my family. By no means am I an expert and all decisions regarding this subject should be discussed with a medical professional***

Birthday wishes... ER style

2009-02-06T10:50:00.002-05:00

I spent my birthday at Shady Grove Hospital; most of the time waiting in the lobby and the other in the pediatric ward. I had two fabulous companions at my side, Brady and Blanca. The evening was long and rather brutal but a reminder of who I have become. I am no longer that girl that sips martinis at happy hour; I am a Momma that runs out of the house with way to much stuff for a trip to the ER. I am someone that now has little ones that rely on her. I am someone that would rather chug coffee to stay awake and 100% to “make it” through the night.
My sister held both of our hands through it all. She has incredibly strong and supportive. When my patience with the hospital started to falter, she reeled me back in. When Brady was bored she walked the length of the hall with him (in heels mind you). She was kind, patient and self-less. It was great to have had her there next to me. I know it had to have been hard for her to be there, not because she had something better going on but because Blanca has a fear of hospitals. She basically grew up in one and the smell, look and feel just creep her out. I thank her for her strength and dedication. I pissed her off Sunday; I said something that she didn’t like. I was out of line in my delivery, but I was coming from a good place. I need to learn how to say things without being so neglectful of others feelings, but she put all that aside to hold my hand. I am blessed.
I got the call, 10 minutes after I logged off blogger yesterday. I was in route to my birthday celebration. I was excited and hopeful … looking forward to my evening with my family. Our doctor was concerned about Brady and suggested an ER visit. She more than suggested, she basically said “Don’t stop, Collect your kid and go!” She advised waking him from his nap and going immediately. Which I did and didn’t think twice about anything but Brady’s well being (I take that back, I worried about 900 other things including Corey and Mike)!
I had never been to an ER alone or with a child. It was a daunting experience and I felt so grown up. I felt 32 yesterday, on a normal day I feel 32 going on 25 but not yesterday. I was not impressed with the hospital, it felt dirty and sickly. The lobby was filled with sick people either puking or with buckets ready to go. It was gross! I felt like an extra in the movie “Outbreak”. I was thrilled to get discharged and bring home a healthier baby.
When I got home, I got to open my gifts with Brady and Mike. My gifts were amazing but I loved the card the most. The card said “I am lucky to be a part of your life” and Mike said “Lucky is an understatement”… AWW! Mike even baked me a cake, one that is double chocolate heaven. I shunned it last night at11pm, I was too tired to party… but today I will blow out my candles and wish for a secret wish…. I am going to use it for something good! I may even use my new camera to document the moment! Life is good… I am blessed to have such a great husband!

My birthday week – I turned in the martini glass for Clorox wipes

2009-02-05T16:10:00.005-05:00

This is my first birthday celebrated as a Momma. I must say that was definitely proved today. In years past I have been the type of girl to celebrate all week long or even all month long. Multiple celebrations to be had by bar hopping or fancy dinners; I have always been a people collector and sometimes my collections don’t mix. This means more parties for me on my birthday! I cant complain – I actually love it! Previous years I actually send my loved ones count downs to get them prepared for my big day! This year my birthday has been much different. This week has been a haze, between the endless diaper malfunctions, the countless wardrobe changes, the numerous stripping of sheets and multiple daily sanitation efforts… Momma is tired. My children are broken; their health and their spirits are down.

My birthday week kicked off with an intense start, Brady woke up at 4am Monday morning screaming bloody murder. Mike didn’t know how to calm him down (since none of his usual tricks were working) so I brought him to bed with us. It’s not a habit we keep but I knew something was wrong with him, because he perched himself on me without moving. Still too tired to put it all together, we feel asleep (maybe it was just me) for a few minutes. I was startled awake by his dry heaving and choking, what I thought was saliva was really bile. Unclear of what was going on, I assumed it was the Peruvian chicken we had the night before. That thought died fast when Corey woke up spewing the same stuff out of him. I went to grab his lovie and found a crib filled with throw up. He used every corner possible, ugh poor baby! I rang the doctor at 5am and bless that man’s soul, he called me 5 minutes later. He diagnosed us over the phone, its a virus he says, the norovirus, its been spreading in our area for a month now. He said 24-48 hours and things will be back to normal. That seemed easy enough … we figured we could handle it. “Handling it” was not even a word in our vocab that day, it was far from anything I ever imagined having to deal with. I tell new parents of multiples all the time, it gets easier. I recant that! It gets easier UNTIL your twins get the Norovirus!!

We can’t seem to turn the corner. Just when I think we have beat the virus, something else comes up to defeat that thought. I have managed to stay healthy through it all. Not sure how or why, but I am grateful for my strength and health. Poor Mike was not so lucky. He has been cursing the heavens above and the family that hosted the party on Saturday. We went to a Triplets’ First Birthday party. The boys had a great time, played with every single toy in their and even licked each and every one. They must have had such a good time “mouthing” their toys that they picked up a viral infection. (happy birthday to me!)

Today is my birthday, but instead of waking up happy in a birthday girl kinda way. I woke up sad. I felt deflated that entering day 4 of this mess, things were not getting better they were worse! Today we woke up to a messy Brady. Messy is a very PC way to describe the state of his crib and his demeanor. Poor thing had a rough morning and I was so alarmed! He looked so sick, sunken eyes, pale complexion and lethargic yet fussy. He felt so weak yet appeared so happy to see us. I knew they needed medical care and made an appointment. Our wonderful pediatric office offered to see us in an hour. The doctor confirmed the Norovirus prognosis and stated they caught a cold on top of it (either Mike or A.’s germs are to blame on the latter). Unfortunately medicine is not an option. She told me most of what I already knew but stressed that Brady needed to get fluids ASAP. She said if he continued throwing up and not retaining or accepting pedialyte, we would have to visit the ER tomorrow. As we drove home, I was completely deflated like a balloon the day after the birthday party… my children looked so sad and lost in their car seats. Worst of all I can’t do anything to make them feel better and to top it off I HAD to go to work. This is where my Momma guilt totally overtook my body.

As I sit here at work, I know that Mike and A. are doing all they can to get the boys back on track. I feel bad and inadequate but I know that I have the best 2 people possible there in my place. I wish I was able to make all this go away. Adding to my guilt and sorrow, I am upset that I went to that birthday party. Furious, I trusted that all necessary precautions had been made to ensure she had killed the virus. Sure, I knew her kids had been sick 2 weeks prior, but not once did she mention the severity of the illness. She never even told me that she had a “highly contagious” virus. Monday, I emailed all the mothers that were at the party (continentally they are also women in the playgroup I hang out with) to ask for advice on how to logistically manage 2 pukey infants. I needed some moral support and these women are good at that. The mother that hosted the party responded in an easy-breezy fashion saying the following:

“We did a full house disinfecting after our bout with the virus. I don't know where we got it either...could have been anywhere...I guess it kind of goes along with having babies!”

I opened this email from my phone, covered in puke and with screaming babies in the background… it infuriated me even more! Gut wrenching, disgusting viruses like this DO NOT go along with having babies! Not in my world and hopefully not with anyone I am friends with. It would have been one thing if we picked up a runny nose or a cold… sure those minor illnesses do happen... but a virus that crippled our life for a week?… you have got to be kidding me!

This year I have turned a new leaf, I will not moderate what I say on here in efforts to not offend people. Life is not filtered and so I wont filter my true feelings. This is my blog and I say what I feel, if it bothers you dont read it. I am angry at the fact that we picked up a virus at a birthday party but I will not let it ruin my birthday. I cant wait to get home to celebrate with my boys. We will sing Happy Birthday and watch them clap for me. If I am lucky I will get them to show me how old they are - “1” (index fingers in the air). Life is good… even though we are stuck in neutral this week. I am positive we will get over this speed bump and cruise soon. I love that martini glasses and stilettos have been replaced with sippy cups (not giving up my stilettos)! I would not trade my life in for anything, I love being a Momma. When I blow out my candles today, all 32... I will wish for ... healthy babies!!

Cheers to me! Happy Birthday to me!

Super Bowl Sunday

2009-02-01T20:33:00.003-05:00

I must make this quick, since the game is still on. We had such a great first half watching with the Super Bowl (SB). The boys were awesome, not one sour moment considering we missed bedtime by 45 minutes.
This SB is much different than years past, we are watching from our home enclosed in a pig pen and surrounded by plastic and a few fuzzy friends. The beer was replaced with sippy cups and our only real guests were our children. They barely watched, except when Bruce took the stage. Then they both wanted to dance with me. A few spins and dips later, both of them stood gripping the gate while Bruce serenaded them. When the half time show ended, Bruce's new fans clapped with the rest of America. Off we walked with them to bed... holding their little hands down the hall, trying to keep them straight without any detours. We placed them in their cribs and after some incoherant babble, my favorite guests ever called it a night. I must say they arent the cleanest of guests, since our living room is in shambles, but they are definitely the most fun!
Gotta run, I am dying to watch the game with real beer this half!

Vision board update plus tips on creating one

2009-01-31T15:33:00.006-05:00

It’s been three weeks since I created and hung up my vision board. This week, I read my horoscope in Redbook for February. Ironically, it suggests I create a vision board and place it by my bed so I can visualize morning and night, my goals and desires. Wow, is right! My board has been up there since 1/7/09. I have felt so focused. Many of the things I have glued on it are long standing goals for 2009. Some are easily attainable and others will be harder. Thus far I am seeing some of my desires come true which is very exciting.
For starters, date nights are becoming a reality in the month of February. The vision board, which has a whole corner dedicated to love romance and date nights, has been vital to my efforts. Mike and I have not gone on many date nights since having the boys. I think 4 last year alone. Before twins, Mike and I went out quite frequently. We were mini party animals, always finding something to do. We filled our weekend with activities and weeknights we dined out often. Life with newborns changed that, we dedicated our time to our babies and most days we were so tired and lacking energy to plan a night out. Karen, an old friend from High school, whom we recently reconnected via Face Book encouraged me to do so. Bless her soul for getting my planning juices going. I worried about finding good sitters considering our fiasco of a nanny search, but we got lucky this month my sister has offered to be our resident sitter. Not only will she play cupid, my friend Ashleigh and cousin Maria have also offered their time. We have three planned and scheduled date nights for the three weeks to come; including an overnight trip to Baltimore. We are going to see Talib Kweli at Sonar, the same bar Mike and I met four years ago. Look at all the love and dates this board has brought us!
All these lovey-dovey feelings and planning fun nights out made me encourage a fellow twin Momma and one of my great friends to do the same. Her girls recently turned one (I talk about them a lot), so I gave her and her DH a "Date Night" coupon in the spirit of celebrating “making it year one”. They have cashed it in and I am sitting for their precious girls next week.
I highly encourage all Mommas reading my blog to do the same for your friend/sister/neighbor that recently had a baby or like my friend hadn’t had a date night in a year (or 2). It is the best token of friendship you can offer. In a society where divorce is so high, the least we can do as women is support our friends in staying in a healthy relationship. It is hard to raise a family and maintain healthy relationships with your spouse. We all need date nights to keep the flame going!
I hope they enjoy their night; I feel blessed and very complete to extend my time to them. They deserve the night out. They are amazing parents, a great couple, hard working, honest and one the few people that I have been able to count on this past year.
While we are on the subject… pull out your calendar and schedule yourself a date night! You and your loved one deserve it. It doesn’t have to be fancy, go for a walk even but make it about you and your spouse. Its important that we keep our relationships healthy.

Tips on how to create a Vision Board
Make a list of things you want to see happen, goals, dreams - they can be silly like a prada bag or they can be serious like buy a house
Go through magazines, online images and cut out pictures to represent your desires
Get creative, you can use paper, cork or cardboard as your backdrop - adhere the pictures to your surface
Place the board in an area that you will see (vision) it often, preferably in an area only you will use. High traffic areas are not good ideas. Think about it often and slowly you will see things happen.
Good Luck!

How Momma got her maternal...

2009-01-31T10:08:00.005-05:00

A year ago today, I was begging the Doctors (I never had just one for longer than 2 weeks... I delivered at Bethesda Naval and it was hard to schedule my weekly appointments around one Doctor) to please get the boys out of me. I was so tired at this point. I felt huge and I just wanted to not move. I was still working full time in DC, which for me meant waking up daily to get dolled up. I am serious, I wore heels, makeup and dresses every day. (I did this because that is who I am, I enjoyed it! No one suggested I behave this way) I even rode metro daily with my husband to and from (Rockville to DC), people were nice to me; they always gave me a seat. Sometimes women were more chivalrous than men, but I still rarely stood.

On 1/31 last year, I decided that I had had enough of working, the metro and being preggers. We had checked the budget 100 times over and since I had a few months of very successful sales, exceeding my goals both at work and for our "maternity leave funds”. It was ok to stop working at 35 weeks. That week we celebrated my birthday and my baby shower at my office. 2/1 was my last day in the office and I was so ready to "nest". We had a baby pool going around the office and I swore I would deliver by 2/8. At that point, I was still hoping for vaginal birth, even though both boys were breech and comfy. They never moved an inch. Different doctors said different things; the one that planned a c-section on week 36 was my hero! I didn’t see him again and a doctor with twins pushed back the delivery. She wanted them to "cook longer". I hated that expression back then. The reference that I was baking something in my belly-oven didn’t make me feel good. I guess it didn't help that I smothered my belly in olive oil everyday - twice a day (weird I know, but that family secret helped me not get ONE stretch mark!! So, what if I felt like a turkey towards the end?).
I finally delivered 2/21, my scheduled day was 2/20 but the hospital had had an abundance of births and was out of beds... go figure what the full moon will do! I remember being so ready to go in and deliver. Yet we were cancelled. My heart sank... but I enjoyed the last day of single cuddles with my husband. We were so scared.
A year ago today, I was scared shitless... excuse my language but I couldn’t think of a better way to express myself. I saw the end of the road so close and I wasn’t sure I was ready. I didn’t want to fail. I didn’t have many people to help us and I was so worried the C-section would knock me out and I had no one there besides Mike. I was scared of being a bad Mother.
A brief background, I had zero experience in child rearing or care before the twins. Would I have had to interview for the position, I would not have been selected for the position of Mother. Hell, my resume wouldn’t have made it past HR. I remember my Dad, saying that he was excited yet worried for me and my lack of maternal instincts. Mike would tell his Mom, that he felt my "maternal coming...” Hearing things like that gave me more anxiety, not only did I have no clue what to do, I wasn’t even considered maternal. Imagine my fear and multiply it by 100! I read every book on the shelves of Borders, about twins, babies and related subjects. I gave up reading chick lit and my favorite authors for a whole year to read books on child rearing. By February, I felt book smart, but I was waiting for my maternal to come. Weeks 35-37.5 I mentally prepared myself. I talked to my Mom a lot, which is rare for me, but it helped. I channeled positive energies and pushed all my doubts aside. 2/21 I was beyond ready. When the boys were born, I was heavily medicated (thanks to being pricked 7 times with an epidural - Amen for teaching hospitals) but I remember crying the second I heard the first cry (Corey), Mike joined me and then a minute later we heard Brady... it was priceless. I saw the boys briefly since they had swallowed fluid and needed immediate attention. At that very moment, I felt my first bout of maternal... maternal angst, maternal fear... I couldn’t move and my boys were "not 100%". My boys were wheeled to the NICU and my Dad and Sister were by my side. More maternal poured in, I was worried and sad that I hadn’t been able to hold them or feed those like the books had suggested. I was so torn. I remember them holding my hand and cleaning my face... telling me that it was going to be ok... and it was even though it didnt feel that way at that instant! I didn’t get to meet my babies that day, which killed me but Mike took tons of pictures and video. I was sad that night, I couldn’t tell them apart... I had to keep asking Mike who was who in the pictures. My maternal failed me! I cried myself to sleep, but woke up at 7 with great news, the boys were fine and ready to see me! I remember the Pediatrician asking us if we wanted to wait, I yelled no, filled with maternal excitement! The boys were brought to us, an hour later. I was sore, broken psychically and barely walking... but when they rolled in our room. My maternal was back! I felt it!

This is what happens when I stay home...

2009-01-29T12:55:00.006-05:00

I take 100 pictures of our day :) we enjoyed a fun day yesterday. I am out of time to share the details, but these pictures speak wonders. The boys are exactly 11 1/2 months.

I dont lie when I say they love my costume jewlery:
Brady loves this drum stick... future drummer boy in the making:

Mom please stop with all the pictures:

Yay... Clap Clap!

Corey and his new truck

We love this kitchen

I am walking!

Brady thinking about calling his girl friend...

What Mom that flash is annoying me?

Enjoy!

My nanny diaries.. tips to help you find a good one!

2009-01-29T12:18:00.005-05:00

I haven’t written too much about my nanny in the past... I guess I am scared to jinx it. We went through 3 nannies before we got A. It was pretty rough not having someone to care for the boys as we imagined it to be. I regret not having written about it then… but I was so busy trying to balance my family (which meant caring for the boys without help for the first 9 months), my career and the house stuff. I loved staying home, but keeping a clean house (which is a MUST in my home for me) and working full time from home in a commission only position was very hard.

Our first Nanny, Margie was everything on my wish list. She checked out extremely well and had over 20 years of experience working with twins (this was HUGE for me). She handled the tasks well, kept a tidy home but failed to nurture the boys. They were so little then (12 weeks when we hired her), they needed the hugs and the love… but she didn’t have one maternal bone in her body. I described her as a member of the armed forces; militant, precise and task oriented. Unfortunately babies don’t work that way. It hurt me to have to let her go, not because I cared about her. I was actually mad at her, but because I felt bad firing her considering her livelihood was co-dependant on me/us. I learned a huge lesson that day… Margie thought me to worry less about others and worry about my own. She was mean and nasty the day she left us. What a shame, since I was SO nice to her. I fed her, I paid her for time off that I shouldn’t of (she got a vacation after 8 weeks with us), I drove her to her night job (running red lights to make sure she wasn’t late), gave her things so she could help her church… I could go on. I was too nice and she didn’t reciprocate with my boys. It took a while to recover from that. I felt that since I was nice, she took advantage of me but I couldn’t bring myself to be anything different.

After Margie left us, finding a replacement was rough, almost as hard as finding a good coach to coach the Redskins to a championship. I am not sure if the market was in a slump for nannies, or if my ad was bringing in duds or maybe I was just spent from running a household, raising twins and working full time. All that combined made for 9 weeks of a full press Nanny Search! I employed 2 nannies in between M and A… both of them not worth talking too much about it. I will share my lessons learned, keep your laptops locked!! Nannies these days like to snoop. Not only did Nanny #3 hack into my Gmail, she also showed me her boobs and shared a semi naked picture of her husband with Mike and I. Firing her was easy. The interviews that came after her where awful, we even had one woman burp while answering a question. No lie! Another told me that she slept when the babies slept, for $20/hr she did not do anything while kids slept because she needed to recharge! (wtf?!!?) Not saying that I expected her to clean, cook or anything like that… but come on who says that?!?

We found A. on a posting in MCPOM, she came from a twin Momma who couldn’t afford to keep her. I phone screened A while on a business trip, which mind you my dear Husband took off and stayed home for 3 days with some evening help from my sister. He totally thrived, I was so proud… but I have changed subjects again. A. met us that weekend and we fell in love, well not quite right away since we had met so many (over 50 nannies at that point) but we liked her style and wanted to hire her. 2 weeks later she joined and my boys have thrived and have learned so much from her. It’s amazing the difference we see. They love her so much; Corey wants to leave with her at night. I love that. In reality that is what I wished for all along… years of experience, access to a car, knowledge of caring for 2, all those little details are important but nothing is as important as the attention and the love your children get from the right nanny!

New moms seem to email me to ask me for help in finding a good nanny. I offer the same advice I will share with you today.

Trust your gut – listen to your husband/spouse/partner etc… they pick up on things you may not.
Make a list of things you want – it helps keep you on point
List your ad anywhere you can, for us we used MCPOM, DC Urban Mom and Craig’s List – they were all free (keep it anonymous but explain everything you want – be funny, detailed and show your personality)
Schedule interviews around times both parents are available and the babies (or baby) is awake
Have an application (I found mine on Google), email it to them before and ask them to bring it completed
Allot 1 hour for the interview, I talked to them first with Mike and then had her meet the boys. Observed the interactions and if I really liked them or they seemed promising I gave them a tour and showed them our schedule.
Ask questions. You want to know everything about them. Ask beyond the normal work stuff; ask them about their habits, likes and dislikes. I found standard questions on Google as well.
Take notes, you will forget some of the important stuff later.
Establish a time line with them before they leave, discuss salary expectations, explain your expectations and your job description all families are different you need to be clear with what you need.
If you like them tell them and advise that you will be calling refs and checking their background.
Call references at least 3 and only work related ones – it doesn’t matter that they are a good friend/sister/church member … you want to know how they are with children (you can email me for my list if you need them)
Check backgrounds at your dime (no need to complain here – its is your children’s lives that are at stake)

Before extending the offer type up an offer letter (I have one if you need one), outlining expectations, salary, payment and any benefits. (this letter saved my butt many times with the bad nannies I hired)
Extend offer, verbally and email letter. Ask that they sign and bring first day of hire. (Depending on your situation you will need their ids, tax forms etc… but I can’t help you here consult a professional with financials, I am no expert. Thank God for accountants!

The most important piece of advice I can share is trust your instincts, sometimes we want to see the good in people… at least I do and that stuff goes out the window when it comes to your children. Entrust in someone you trust and has your best interest at heart to help you with the selection process, in our home it was Mike but you can ask your Mom, BFF or neighbor. The last thing you want while you and your husband are working full time is drama in your home coming from a poor selection you hired. Trust me when I tell you this! Hey, I take full responsibility on the pit falls we had. I also was the one that took the multiple calls daily from my poor selection to complain, chat or whatever. Under no circumstances is that acceptable. Set boundaries… I wish I had. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I am glad we found A. – she is perfect! Good luck with your search.

*** this is listed as part of my dream/aspiration to start a Nanny Search firm, maybe in 2010!***

25 random things about me!

2009-01-28T14:40:00.003-05:00

I was tagged, on facebook by a fellow Twin Momma and my cousin Pam. I dreaded starting the list but once i got started I found that I had a ton of facts no one knew about me. I thought I would double post on here.

Ok, I was tagged TWO times and I feel compelled to comply, even if I am having a hard time finding 25 random things about me

1.I was born in Santiago, Chile. I am still not a US citizen, no reason really except I rebelled when my family decided to naturalize. My goal for '09 is to make it official, I hope I pass the test!

2. I met my husband at a bar, totally random and we did many things that people claimed wouldn't lead to marriage. Here we are 4 years later, happily married with twins. Life is not what everyone says it will be, huh?

3. Many of my friends from years past are no longer my friends, I guess I am the only one that grew out of the partying/clubbing stage.

4.My hair is naturally curly, but I straighten it EVERY day. To the point I am on my 3rd Chi Flat iron in 4 years!

5. I want to write a book, not sure about what yet but hope to take a class to push me in the right direction.

6. I spread myself too thin, make too many plans and procrastinate even though I am very organized and have many lists of things to-do on my desk.

7. I love recruiting and I am a natural at sales, the problem is I am not sure I want to work anymore... but I kinda have to!

8. I haven't talked to my Mom in over 3 months. Last year, was the first time she called to wish me a happy birthday in over 10 years! My Dad is clueless about being a Dad and somewhat distant. Sometimes I secretly wish my parents were someone else.

9. I have a teenage brother I dont really know. My mother moved to Chile when I was 18 and took him with her, I have seen him only once since then.

10.I am pretty obsessive about mindless, stupid things, like online video games or short lived hobbies.

11. I didnt enjoy breastfeeding - I never had that lovey dovey happy feeling that women claim to feel. I hated pumping even more, but I forced myself to last 6 months for them.

12. I tease my husband about his pretty boy ways, but I love that about him!

13. My husband and my sister are my best friends.

14. I wish I looked more Latina, but the upside is I understand when people are talking about me in Spanish.

15. My boys are my first experience with babies. I had never changed a diaper before, which created some technical difficulties in the beginning.

16. I enjoy planning things. I tell my husband that I wish he would plan things for us, but the truth is I would want to manage his planning efforts.

17. I never followed a schedule before having the boys, now if we are minutes off schedule I get a bit frantic.

18. When we lived in Newport News, I constantly claimed DC/MD was better and how much I hated it there. Now I miss the weather, the beaches and my friends.

19. I have a tattoo on my upper back that I got in Chile when I was 18. I cried like a baby and asked the guy to stop every 10 minutes. When I got back to the States, I lied and said it didnt hurt. That summer I only wore backless tops. Now, I only wear shirts that cover it.

20. I feel blessed and complete every day... I have the best husband and children. If I had to do it all over again, I would still go to Sonar the night I met Mike and flirt with him.

21. I just gave up my Blackberry in efforts to save money. I am having withdraws. I may need rehab soon.

22. I used to be the outgoing extroverted one in my group of friends. I dont think I am that way anymore.

23. I enjoyed my 20s to the fullest. I had a blast all the time. I partied every weekend, danced til 5am, drank more than I should have, dined at fancy places, hosted cocktail parties, spent most of my money on my hair, nails and cute dresses EVERY week. I am glad I got that out of my system... I dont miss it at all!

24. I am obsessed with Fantasy Football. I am quite competitive and pretty damn good at it. I love beating my husband at a game he knows very well. Put it this way, I like winning any game I play against Mike. I think our competitive natures makes our relationship fun.

25. I never cry... except when I was preggo... well then I cried alot. Must have been the hormones, my husband enjoyed laughing at me since that was not the tough Celinda he fell in love with. Yeah I have a tough exterior, but am quite a softy on the inside.

Ramblings about twins, 1st birthday parties and family drama. Sounds like a show on WB!

2009-01-27T17:09:00.007-05:00

Today is our first snowy day in Maryland and I was stuck at work. The boys were stuck in the house with A. she is still recovering from her sickness that I never talked about last week. She is not contagious, just mending her immune system at this point. I planned on trying to leave early to go play in the snow, but it didn’t quite work out that way. I am hoping we get more snow and tomorrow I can really break away. Today was one of the first (ok maybe not the first) days that I wished I was a SAHM. Not sure if I really mean that, but I am sure I wish I was home to have enjoyed the snow day. I think I could go home now, but I am waiting for Mike. I would hate for him to have to take the bus home in these conditions. He says to me “I’m a man, I’ll be fine” but my heart goes out to anyone that has to trek in snowy conditions by foot.
I spent most of my lunch hour researching birthday cake options and how to set my idea into reality. I imagined a caterpillar cake, modeled after the one in Baby Einstein. I originally thought cupcakes, but then the more internet research I did, the more I realized it wouldn’t look right. I also learned today that kids get smash cakes, not slices of their own cake… I also learned that many children coming to our party have allergies. Nut, wheat, dairy and egg just to name a few…. I found some great recipes that will help me make that set of children their own cake. The beauty of my caterpillar vision is that its 5 rounds and they can be as different as I want them to be. I plan on making this cake, as overwhelmed as the idea is making me. I think the concept is genius and while they may not appreciate it, I think I will… I want to be that Mom… the one that bakes cool cakes, haha! That was a total joke. I will blog of the mishaps of my not so little baking and decorating project. I am no baker! I have never baked a cake without Betty’s help and when decorate things they turn out crooked. I am impatient so this project will be a test of my artistic skills and more importantly my will. This may even test Mike’s if you will, since he will have to put up with me. I read on the site to start baking as far in advance as possible, since baking 5 cakes in the Wilton’s Sports ball, will take longer than anticipated or planned by these other cool moms. A single 20 - something co-worker of mine happened to walk by my desk and noticed what I was doing (researching the cake). I mentioned that I was planning on baking and freezing. She seemed mortified at the thought of frozen cake… I laugh now, but at 12pm I was slightly exasperated by her 3 reasons for freshness. I asked if she wanted to come over the day before to help me bake (this crazy cake not just any cake), clean, watch my kids and decorate! She giggled and asked about my husband. We all know Mike is a Super Dad, but come on really?!?! Clearly she has no clue what life is like with almost one year old twin boys. I would love a fresh cake too but the house must be cleaned and the boys still want my attention, getting a sitter seems unreasonable. Besides, who said that the cake won’t taste just as good if not better? I digress.
While I am on the subject of the boys’ birthday party, I must rant a bit about my family again. Yes, again. I created my own invitations (and edited by Mike) and sent them out. Sounds easy, but it really wasn’t… I agonized over the list! In the end I decided that I wanted to invite only those dear to me and my brood. The obvious invites were to our friends in my twin playgroup, our friends with kids, my sister, and our friends without kids but when it came to family it got tough. I decided to limit my list to those that directly impacted C&B life year one. I ended up with 4 Farias and my In-Laws. One of my cousins (2nd cousin removed) comes from a large family, and apparently her Mother and Sister wanted to tag along. When I heard about this, I fired a blunt email to my cousin, basically saying why would your family want to come to a party when they have never met my kids. I didn’t sugarcoat my feelings and don’t care if I offend her, but the truth is we made it this year with out support. We are celebrating this major milestone in their lives and ours. Mike and I grew as a couple and became a unit. We have a family! How dare anyone who was not a part of that want to celebrate with us? I am getting to a point where I am becoming numb to the whole family thing. My father called me last week to ask why he hadn’t heard from me, even threw in there that his wife had asked about me and how they were worried that I hadn’t called. I mentioned the email, which he claimed he never heard of and he denied her writing it. I read it to him…because I cant believe he didn’t know. He was lost, clueless and kinda sad. It hurt… but furthermore proved my point that we are here to grow our own family that my family is messed up and I can’t fix that. I can’t beg someone to love us and embrace us. I can’t! So for 2009, first lesson learned, thanks to my Step Mother (brief shot out to you, Evil woman who likes to create drama and push people away, You can live in your world alone!)… I am nurturing and fostering my own family; I will lose sleep over issues that happen within our four walls not those 3 miles away. I will not try to change people and I will not cling on to hope that people will change due to my children or be proud of who I have become. Its been a year and you remain the same. Time for change!!

I'm totally lovin'....

2009-01-24T10:52:00.005-05:00

Vista Print - I got to create the boys 1st Birthday invites in a very user friendly setting and paid 7.95 (plus shipping) for 20 personalized invitation. I opted for the standard shipping which indicated would take 14 days, no big deal since we had 5 weeks to go. I ordered the eve of a holiday weekend. I received the invites and personalized thank you notes (too cute to pass up) in 2 business days. I am not counting MLK's birthday or Inauguration Day, but even if we did that would still be 4 days and the Post Office was closed for 2 of them! Love them!! (our enter key is not working!) ************************************************************************************ The Source - We had the best meal last night for our Anniversary date night. The place is hip, trendy and buzzing with energy. We had impeccable service, Olga, our server was sweet and very helpful. She referred our special day several times, made great suggestions and was attentive without being intrusive. We were never rushed nor ignored. The food was decadent and their list of wines by the glass was very well put together. We didnt get to meet Wolfgang Puck, but had a FAB experience nonetheless. We were greeted at our table by someone that wished us a Happy Anniversary and gave us a tasting of Tuna Tartare compliments of the chef... delish. We shared the crab cakes for starters and I had a whole sea bass for dinner that was fileted table side, Mike had the lamb chops... AMAZING! It was a truly magical evening and we enjoyed great conversation. Dessert was pumpkin cheesecake, Mike's fav so even our last flavors of the night ended on a high note. I hands down recommend this place - food, ambiance, and service was delectable.

Just pictures and a few words...

2009-01-24T10:45:00.005-05:00

Corey and Brady 11 months - we turned 11 months this week!! (Corey is in the blue and Brady in the Grey)

Cute new things we do...

2009-01-20T20:00:00.004-05:00

Today I bought the boys their very first toothbrushes. We have 7 teeth now and I felt like it was time to add one more thing to our daily routine. (sarcasm) The reality is they are almost one and I want to encourage good habits and cleanliness. Mike thought we would have resistance, I agreed, thinking that Corey would revolt for sure. We were both wrong! They both handled it well and had no issues. I am thinking we will brush their teeth before their last bottle, which kind of defeats the purpose but I find that after that bottle they are done for the night. We'll see I will have to play around with it and see how it works best in our schedule both in the AM and at night. We havent had to brush in the morning yet, since I just bought the brushes this afternoon. Any ideas that have worked for you?
Corey is such a ham! We play "I'm coming to get you"... a game which entails me chasing him around the pig pen and I go super slow so he can "get away". We have a play kitchen and sometimes I will trick him by coming out of the kitchen the other way. He loves this game and squeals with happiness when I play with him. This weekend he started thinking he is invincible... yeah weird. So he crawls or walks away from me but somehow stops dead in his tracks and covers his face (in the carpet, into the couch cushion, someone's back...whatever he can use as a shield) and he squeezes his eyes shut! He thinks I cant see him, of course I play along ... its hilarious. He also hides on Mike's lap, which is really funny since he is just digging his face into his thigh. The best part of this game is Corey's reaction. A couple times this weekend, Corey was under the impression that Brady was "coming to get him"... no idea why but he crawled away and "hid"... totally cracking up while he does this mind you. Meanwhile Brady was too busy watching Blues Clues to notice.
Speaking of Blues Clues, its Brady's new favorite show! Last night we "On Demanded" an episode and at some point a hat was moving around and talking to Steve. Brady thought it was so funny, he was laughing his face off. The type of laughter that comes from your belly... loud and contagious. Corey piped in without even knowing what was funny, I say this because Corey was in his own world away from the TV playing with the drum from Bee Bop Band. I of course joined in... it was too funny!

New favorite toy of the weekend:

The First Year teether It is a vibrating teether that is hand held and I guess feels good. The boys are addicted and it seems to keep them entertained for minutes at a time.

footballs - as usual any ball they love, The bank manager (which I love) at the bank I use has known the twins from day one. She sent me home with 2 mini footballs with the bank logo imprinted on them. I wasnt sure what the reaction would be, but it fits perfectly in their hands and they love them! Not only are they easy to throw, they are soft so they are easy to grab on to as well.

Birthday parties, plans and twins

2009-01-18T22:14:00.006-05:00

Today was a day that I will never forget. It started early, too early if you ask me. I was barely sleeping after 6:30am, I wanted to be sure the boys woke up before 7:30 so, I was alert for the first noise. Brady stirred first and I popped up around 7am to get our day started. This sounds super crazy as I write this, but its the truth.
Traveling and/or making plans with the boys is intense for me. The planning starts the night before. I make a mental list of everything I think/know we will need for the outing. I lay out their outfits and pack the diaper bag the night before, always! If food is involved its packed in containers and placed in the fridge packed in the to-go cooler. I find that being this organized helps me get out of the house quicker. Mike hates it, but manages to roll with the punches. He makes comments about how my "schedule" is strict, crazy or ____, but the second we are off track, he praises me and wonders what we need to do to get them back to normal.... haha!
For today's bday party, I logistically planned that if we got them up by 7:15am we could make the party by 11:30am completely fed and happy. Things went just as I expected and it was great to get them out the door with full bellies, changed and in great moods.
I am a novice at kid parties, and totally new to 1st year parties especially for twins. Today was one of our bestest friend's identical girls 1st. Whoa... it was intense. It was everything I never expected. There were so many kids and double that in adults. It was so warm or maybe I was overdressed in my sweater and trendy scarf. Corey was walking all over the place, so I found myself running after him in between too many people. Brady wanted to crawl away and also was met with bumper to bumper people. Not many parents, helped grab them so I was again walking or crawling between people to get the boys back to our area. We claimed stake in one corner of the room and it was roomy for us four, except the boys wanted to venture off. Mike was helpful, but he is a tall guy (6'3") and its much easier for me (5'3") to get around in the smaller spaces. At home, my boys are corralled to one area and its very large so they can roam, run, crawl and I never say no or worry. It was harder today for us. We left shortly after we sang happy birthday, only 30 minutes before the party was over. Corey was getting fussy and completely over the fact that we kept bringing him back to our corner when he just wanted to socialize. I decided I didn't want to be that family with the cranky screaming kids, It was time for our exit! The boys had fun and it was good to see the other Moms from our playgroup.
I am so overwhelmed by how quick the party ran and how many kids under the age of 3 were there. (R invited 31 kids and 40 something adults) As I plan our 1st bday party shebang, I must say I half slashed the list in half! I am only inviting those that directly impacted our lives in 2008... It will be a small intimate gathering with super yards everywhere!!! More information on my plans for the party to come.
Since we woke up so early to "party"... this created a meltdown this evening. I have not had the fussies after 5 in a very long time... but today was a long day. I wanted to try and get them to stay up to their normal bedtime (7:30pm) and it was getting harder was the evening progressed. We somehow managed to make it to 7:15!! I need to find a better way to make it to 11am parties with my boys. Its hard to be fashionably late to these events since they are over an hour and a half after they start. Also since I have 2, its too much to pack 2 boosters, 2 meals, 2 everything for lunch at the party... maybe I need to just be less strict. Yeah and then I will leave the wipes behind and Brady has a huge blowout... or forget the extra outfit and Corey pees all over himself (true stories on the days I laxed on my strict organization). Ugh!!

Husbands & Hormones

2009-01-16T15:19:00.004-05:00

This week I have been a crabby mess, it could be that it coincides with the hormonal pregame party. On Tuesday, I was stumped on what to write about and Mike suggested I write about “Hormonal issues and Parenting”. Laugh its ok! I of course fired back, no way are you crazy. I can’t talk about that! Well, here I am, wanting to talk about it.
This week has been awful for me. I feel achy, cranky and just not fun! On top of the hormonal issues, my Step Mom broke up with me. I got an email from her indicating that due to my behavior and the events that have transpired; they (she and my dad) have decided that it’s best if we didn’t talk anymore. (I did not steal money or sleep with her pool boy… sounds like I did something awful doesn’t it?) The truth is I didn’t call or hang out with them in the month of November as much as normal. I had been laid off that month and asked my Dad for help mid-month. He didn’t call me for 2 weeks after my plea and I felt awkward calling him. Somehow even though I was in a bad place in November, I managed to offend them. The reason she has said she doesn’t want to talk to me; this is in response to my email asking that we meet and discuss her qualms about me since I felt like there must be some sort of miscommunication. Well, she decided to tell me they wish me and my family well. I try and be a civil adult and it back fires… the story of my life!
My hormonal imbalance has been a non-issue for the boys, but for Mike well that is another story. I have been on endless stupid tirades about nothing and sharing strong opinions on stuff that doesn’t matter. I have been picking on him and poking fun at him. (Wow this sounds awful, the truth is I have not been very “easygoing” this week) Mike has been rolling with the punches, he makes fun of me right back… he tickles me when he wants to throw the WII controller at me … he engages me in my stupid rants and even nods yes when I know he is not paying attention considering his head is glued to the laptop screen. He even let me watch all the reality TV and chick shows like 90210 and Gray’s Anatomy, to make me happy or just so I can shut up and leave him alone.
Beyond all that, he has majorly stepped up to the plate around the house. He cooked dinner and even cleaned the kitchen last night. He also has been on baby duty for 2 days straight. In our home we flip flop nights, but I revolted last night and he was ok with it. Our boys woke up a lot last night, but Mike dealt with it without one shed of finger pointing or bad attitude.
I didn’t start this post with the intent of praising him, but I somehow took that route, one that is surely less traveled. I am very lucky to have Mike; he has learned to live with me. He is great at maintaining the peace and making me laugh when life feels impossible. I was super down after that email and he told me that it would be ok; we will have each other for life. I didn’t appreciate it at the time, since I wanted to bitch about my Dad and the email. As I write this though, it makes my heart wiggle that he knows I am having a crappy week and has been the best he can be to me and the boys. Next Thursday is our 2 year wedding anniversary; its crazy how time has flown by…we are a full-fledged old married couple!!! While I may have lost my weak connection to my Dad this week I have solidified mine with my husband.

Baby Update

They are both well, healthy and back in action. Corey is on the go and Brady is talking a mile a minute. Today Brady was not quiet at all, he had a noise for everything. Brady is on a formula kick and refusing to eat most of his solid meals. No biggie for Corey since this means more food for him and he is refusing the bottle. Last night we turned Yo Gabba Gabba on, it lasted oh 5 minutes. As soon as they saw DJ Lance, they both broke out in tears. It subsided when the robots came out, but it started again when DJ Lance was back on. I think its the hat!

Rant – Do not shop on HappyMothers.com

2009-01-15T17:41:00.003-05:00

January is a busy birthday month for us. 3 out of the multiples in my playgroup are having their 1st year birthdays. I had the fab idea to get everyone Melissa and Doug puzzles and found a great deal on HappyMothers. Well, I ordered on Monday at 4pm, since they claim on their site that if you order by 4pm your order ships that day. Since they are in NY, I figured they were the best vendor to go with, considering I needed the items this weekend. I ordered and received confirmation shortly thereafter. The next day, I still had not received an email indicating the product had shipped, so I phoned customer service. After a computer prompt, the phone rang like it would if I were calling someone’s home. The customer service agent said that they did not get the online order until 4:38pm so it was not processed nor shipped out as promised. I asked why it still had not left their company considering a whole day had passed, she said she was not sure but noticed it was in the pick up “pile”… What??? I thanked her for her time and 10 minutes later I received an email indicating my order had shipped via UPS. Great!
I get home last night and there was my box! Excited as ever since I have 2 parties this weekend…. I open the box and 3 items are missing. The shipping receipt indicates that they were not shipped but without any explanation why or anything. All day passes and I never hear from HappyMothers, so I call them about an hour ago. I wait on hold for a very LONG time, I finally get assisted, but not before the phone rings to someone’s house again. This time a 12 year old answers whom is very kind but very dumb. She tells me I have already received my order and she can’t help me. I explain that my order was incomplete and she says “I know”!!! (WHAT?) I ask her if there was a 2nd package in route and she say that they don’t have that product in stock. I of course log on and see that their website indicates otherwise and she say I don’t know why it says that we don’t have it! While she is still kind, I can tell she is frustrated and does not know how to handle the situation. She places me on hold and says that the only thing she can do is return my money. Well duh, little girl! She went ahead to tell me that she wasn’t sure how long it would take to return it to my credit card and I offered, the same amount of time it took to accept payment. She placed me on hold came back and offered a puzzle at double the prize for the wrong age group. I explained that I needed to buy for 1 year old twins and triplets, the gifts had to be similar or uproar would occur at home. She says “well lady that is the best I can do, Alls I can try is and get your money back to you”. Needless to say its been over an hour and my account is still not credited. I will never shop there again and encourage you to do the same! Poor service and misrepresentation of products available!!! Plus I should have been alerted that the product I ordered was not in stock… and refunded my money immediately! Nuff said!!!

... eh...

2009-01-15T09:47:00.006-05:00

Last night I signed off so excited to get home. I forgot it was bath night. Of course it was great to see my squad. Plus everyone was doing better on the health front but it was bath night. ehhhh... While it’s gotten easier than the days when they were so tiny I was scared to break them, it’s still a process and it always takes two people to efficiently complete the task. I kind of dread bath night, can you tell? I was grateful that Mike felt better because he helped me. On the other hand the boys love bath night, they love the bubbles, the toys and most of all hanging out in the water. They were in great spirits and the attempts to climb out were kept to a minimum, as were the fights. Yeah, that is the hard part, keeping the peace and the bruises at bay. A few weeks ago I emailed my Mom friends from the twin club about bath time. Everyone had their own way to cope with infant twins and baths. I took a little bit of everyone's routine and created ours, it has been working but I must confess we do not bath nightly. Don’t shoot me, the kids are clean and if its not bath night and dinner was really messy - they get bathed, its easier than using baby wipes. LOL. Does anyone else have this apprehension with baths?

We are going through a "stage" where they resist changes, like diapers or clothing. We used to rely on Baby Einstein to help us, but lately nothing is working. They like to squirm away and if you resist them they scream and fake cry. We have tried distracting them with toys, TV, music and our charming personalities... nothing seems to work. Hence, why I dread bath night, naked squirmy, wet and screaming babies just don’t go over well. Anyone have any tips on growing out of this "stage"? My bag of tricks is no longer stocked with the right stuff!

I was unusually tired last night and so glad I picked up dinner from the best Peruvian Chicken place. I planned on going to bed early but stayed up late watching Real World and Top Chef... I am such a sucker for reality TV. This should explain why I am extra tired today and feeling kind of "eh". What is going on with the coffee... it’s been almost 2 hours, why hasn’t the caffeine kicked in?!?!? Oh where is my energy and good mood? Please come back to me! In the meantime I off to chug another cup of joe. I hope it works!!!

All my boys are sick

2009-01-14T15:00:00.005-05:00

Mike and Corey woke up sick today that makes my entire house down for the count. Mike never gets sick, this may be the 3rd time he has fallen ill in the 4 years we have been together. He even missed out on the awful cold I got when I delivered the boys, and that cold was plain bad. He is one of the healthiest people I know... so I know it’s bad if he is home in bed instead of working. So far I feel fine, not one ounce of sick feeling in my bones. I have been taking my herbal concoction every day in hopes that my remedy keeps me strong. What do I take? I am taking Vitamin C, Garlic, Iron, Echinacea, Zinc and my multi-vitamin. I think its working, at least I feel good so far. I may have to pull out my Michael Jackson mask when I get home though.
All 3 of them slept in today, I had the house to myself in the morning. It was weird and so quiet. I took my time getting ready since Mike was not rushing me. A. is fab, since the boys woke up at 8, she totally did the entire morning routine; which was a break for me. I gave everyone medicine before I left and no calls for SOS all day. A. is really good about managing the house and the boys in my absence. In the entire time she has worked for us (3 months), she has maybe called me once and it was about the dishwasher not my boys! Which is hilarious since M. (the nanny from hell) called me at least twice a day every day and always about the boys. No wonder I couldn’t concentrate at work back then, not only was I a new mom, I was a new mom with a nanny from hell! What a difference a good, well great nanny makes in your life.
I am off to buy Mike some food since he has not moved one inch all day and maybe pick up some new meds since the one he took today "left him in a coma". I cant wait to see my 3 boys! As much as working full time can be taxing on my soul, the best part of my day is when I get home. I love the excitement I receive from my little ones, they are literally dancing when they see me! Today's added bonus is that Mike will be awaiting my arrival too, even if he is sick and prolly contagious I am excited!

Tuesday... much ado about nothing

2009-01-13T15:58:00.003-05:00

Somehow, its been a few days since I last wrote and I have so much going on that I wish I would write mini posts daily in lieu of monster postings every few days. I have been procrastinating on writing because I am going through a “moment” with my family, well just my Dad and his wife. I have been distraught the past few days and I didn’t want to permeate the blog with my negative thoughts. I am moving past the drama they seem to provoke and am trying very hard to stay positive. I want to approach the situation keeping my children in mind, I am hurt by their actions and want to walk away and never look back but I wonder what it would be like for them to not have grandparents from my side. I was lucky to have a good relationship growing up with both my maternal and paternal grandparents; I would hate to be the road block for Corey and Brady. This truly deserves a post of its own.
With that said, I will keep our weekend update to a minimum; we had a fabulous jam packed weekend. The boys went to their first birthday party ever, hung out with “older” chicks and got attention from my aunt, uncle and cousin. The vision board is a work in progress, I need to add more to it, but the content on it is quite attainable with a little bit of visualization. My home was filled with visitors again this weekend, always so much fun to have around. It was great to catch up with all my girl friends and the boys loved the extra “hands” to play with.
Sunday, Brady got sick, not sure what happened but around 5pm we had a slight fever (100.6). He looked miserable, but after some soup, a bath and some lovin’ he seemed better. I decided to sleep with him, something I think he appreciated and I was happy to have him so close since he frequently woke up. Poor thing is still not feeling 100%, but doing much better. Last night he woke at 11ish and stayed up with us till 1am. He was in the best spirits, dancing, clapping and talking a mile a minute (not quite understandable but don’t tell him). He had been so low energy all day, laying around not feeling well that he must have gotten a burst of energy and was delighted that we were up to “hang” with him. This party that Brady was hosting mind you was in our bedroom... thankfully for him we really did get a kick out of his antics. He has the best personality.
Corey so far has been immune to the “bug”, he is fully walking and totally using it to antagonize poor Brady who has no energy (during the day) to move from the floor. A. says Corey walks in circles around Brady and takes all his toys and walks/runs away from him… poor Brady! Corey can be such a show off at times. Always wants to be the superstar and always moving at lightening speed. He is a big jokester that constantly has a smile on his face and is so proud of himself. I am hoping and wishing and praying that he doesn’t catch what Brady has. I know that is unrealistic.
The boys are doing very well. Our favorite toy of the week is Bee Bop Band, by Parents. OMG the boys love it! A. got this toy for the boys and I am so excited its a toy that evokes action AND doesnt require a battery to be fun. Yay for zero electronics!! Its great for sharing, there is enough toys for two and they're becoming little drummers. It is a great investment for parents of two or more. The drum sticks are currently doubling as teethers… can’t these teeth hurry up and sprout already!

Oversleeping and vision boards

2009-01-09T12:11:00.006-05:00

Oversleeping almost never happens in my house. Either the alarm or the boys wake us right on time thanks to our good ole schedule. Well not today, all 4 of us slept in. I faintly heard our phone ringing, but I answered it in my dreams. Thankfully, I finally realized that it was a "real" ring! Poor A. waited outside for quite some time before we heard her. Its a few minutes past 8 by the time I buzz A. up and the boys are STILL sleeping. Mind you I am a mess, a state that A. has never seen me in. I make it a habit to be presentable and ready to bolt out the door by the time she starts in the morning. So in my crazy Medusa state we both wake the boys up. They are sleeping, butts in the air and totally comfy! We wake them and Brady pops right up like a "Jack in the Box" but Corey was still sleeping. This is odd behavior for Corey, considering he is my early riser. Long story short... we all get the morning routine going and we are hustling more than usual. A. makes them a fabulous breakfast that made my mouth water. Eggs, turkey bacon and waffles!! Of course small portions people!!! The boys loved their breakfast today!

This weekend we have a pretty eventful line up. We are visiting with my Tia on Saturday for lunch. An old (as in time not age) friend from HS and my cousin are coming over to put together a vision board and drink wine. A little slice of heaven for me! On Sunday, a good friend that I haven’t seen in a few years is coming to see us and meet the boys. It will be great to catch up with these wonderful people, but I am most excited about putting together a vision board. Mike and I made one in 2007, that same year we got pregnant with twins, moved with movers, got new jobs, got a fancy HD TV (same one on the board), Mike played baseball and I was top biller in my firm 4 months in a row! All things we clipped on our vision board. Of course we had many things that didn’t quite make the cut, like winning the lottery, going to Vegas or buying a jet ski... but realistically those things didn’t fit with our lifestyle in 2007-2008. I think the board is a powerful thing and a great way to start your year!

Totally short update

2009-01-08T13:18:00.005-05:00

Happy Thursday! Just one day away from the weekend! Hooray!

Last night, while we were hanging out with the boys after work we noticed that Brady is a Pro basketball player in the making. He has a little Jordan in him! They got a Sports Game for Christmas from Gpa Mike and Brady has always been good but yesterday he was NBA good, one slam dunk after the other. The toy makes noises when the ball hits the hoop, kinda like a crowd cheering… Brady loves it so much! When he gets bored or tired of playing basketball, he has realized that when he presses the trigger in he can also hear the “cheering”. That is Brady though, always trying to figure out how things work and operate.

The boys are officially teething; they have 3 new additions a piece. We have had our share of eventful evenings. While they should be in pain they are waking up dancing to the beat of Lionel Richie's hit "All Night Long", not literally but it appears that way. Mike and I usually will take turns going in to calm down our dynamic duo. Last night, it was a job for 2 people, they were both up and they both required immediate attention there was no dancing but a ton of screeching. Poor babies!

This morning, they woke earlier than normal. On a side note, ever since we started our schedule, teething, ear infection and thrush days aside we have 12 hour sleepers. They go down at 7:30pm and wake at 7:30am, its a powerful thing to have a schedule, but I digress. Today, it was 6:30am when they rose from their spotty sleep and they woke up cranky, I guess if I was having an after hours party in my crib I would too. Not only were they cranky they were hungry. After the usual morning hustle, I decide that we should try oatmeal for breakfast. I mean they have to love oatmeal. Mike and I tagged team it, he made it with milk and I seasoned it with cinnamon, brown sugar and lots of love. They were getting impatient and had finished their fruit. I feed them and the second it touches Corey's lips he spoons it out of his mouth with his knobby fingers, hilarious. I try it just in case it was too hot, nope yummy. Brady sees the spoon coming and already decided that it was awful. He smacks my hand away and puckers his lips as the spoon hits his mouth and makes a raspberry. I try again, more upheaval. I ask Mike to make waffles... we are in shock that they hated it so much. I give them cheerios while we wait on the toaster. This is when breakfast hit a sour note. Cheerios are flying, the boys are revolting, screaming, waving their hands in the air... utter chaos!! I cut up the waffles, but I think that this point we have lost interest and they are not happy with me. A. gets to our home and takes over; she is in shock that our little men are behaving in this manner. Lesson learned no more oatmeal ever! Trying new things does not go over very well first thing in the morning. Or maybe it was the teeth. I find myself blaming “the teeth” on every thing.

Happy 2009!

2009-01-06T13:45:00.005-05:00

My sincere apologizes for the small break, I have not had "free" time at home and yesterday was my first day back in the office. I have a whole resolution post that I have been meaning to write. It’s all in my brain waiting to hit the net, but we had a busy week and I have so much to share that I figured this made sense first.
On NYE, the boys visited their twin girl friends. It has been a long time since I saw the Strisik duo and OMG have they grown up. Its amazing to me the transformation of our children, it all happens so fast. The last time we hung out, E&M were standing and crawling, totally upstaging my boys. This time they barely sat down once! M was queen of the first floor. E stole my heart, while M worked on the boys' hearts. LOL my boys still can barely keep up, but they loved every minute of it! They had a great time and it was so good to see my friend R and her girls. That evening our friends the Ryan's came over for dinner. I was pretty impressed that I had the dinner almost plated by 7 considering we had had such an active morning! I made it happen! Yay!! It was such a lovely evening; we shared a good meal and enjoyed our adult conversation. The boys woke up at 12:03, right in time to hug me for the New Year! They woke up screaming, I think mostly due to their new teeth but I like to think they wanted to partake in the party. Of course, they fell right back asleep after they saw me! Both my FIL and Blanca called us right at 12; it was good to hear their voices!
On Friday, we visited a dear and much missed Tia of mine that I had not seen in over 8 years. It was so good for my soul to see her and start the New Year off with her in our lives. She had not met my boys, so they had a grand time visiting and hanging out with my cousin. We enjoyed a delicious lunch filled with home made treats, just what I needed! The boys were well behaved and such good sports. I really think they love people and love the attention (hard to believe considering we are their parents)
This weekend we had our closest friend Gina visit from Newport News, Virginia. It is always good for everyone when she is around. She is like penicillin for the heart. It was pretty low key, but we ALL celebrated her company. As if this weekend wasn’t busy enough, both my sister and Tania came by to say hello. We enjoyed a few laughs at the expense of Tania and had a light Chilean dinner thanks to Blanca. Saturday night, I went to bed and thanked God for being so kind. We have such a great network of friends that love us, we are blessed.
We kicked off 2009, with our closest and dearest as I result we were full of happiness and good cheer. Our home was inundated with love and great friends. The boys were captivated and cherished. We had yummy eats and drinks. I can only hope that this is just a taste of what is to come in 2009.

Baby updates:

Corey – has a new tooth, on the bottom row to add to the 2 already there. Walking with confidence, 8 steps at a time barely sitting down, has better balance, obsessed with his new toy tractor, rubber balls, loves his feet, walking up in the middle of the night for the past few days, tried and hated turkey bacon, loved turkey dogs, pointing at anything, babbling but not saying anything we can decipher – He has been so independent lately.

Brady – new tooth, on the top row to add to his 2 front teeth, tried and loved blackberries, obessesed with his new train toy, continues to play fetch with the balls, loves the kitchen, talking 1-2 steps at a time, standing unassisted like a statue, obsession with his feet, walking up in the middle of the night in the beginning of the week, tried and hated turkey bacon, loved turkey dogs, clapping on command, has been so snuggly this week, pointing at our noses, lips and cheeks.. not when asked of course, saying “agua” which is water in Spanish, Brady is our talker – the voice of the twins. Brady has been in a great mood and very co-dependant, Mike calls him “Momma’s boy”.

For the New Year we also started something new I read in one of my blogs, playing music in the morning while eating breakfast. What a great idea!?! They love it! Its been eclectic so far, 80’s rock/pop, 90’s hip hop, Mozart, Bach, slow jams, Spanish music… it doesn’t matter they are really loving this new thing.