Meet Murphy

Why is it that on the night that I try to go to bed early knowing that I have to wake up by 4:30 so I can get showered, dressed, breakfasted, car loaded, and out the door before 6AM that my normally two sweet, sleeping through the night babies decide that they want to be up every 3 hours?

I'm guessing it's either teething pain or Murphy's Law.

I'm really feeling like a mom of newborn twins this morning. Thank goodness for Hubby. Have a great weekend ... I'm off to work an event. Let's just hope there's a Starbucks in the building!

Maybe just as good

One of my favorite pairs of pants are from JCrew ... they are light blue cotton chino pant. Basic and simple. Not skinny cut, not crazy wide leg, just right. They are the Favorite Fit.

I was in Old Navy recently and noticed their perfect khakis. I tried them on and liked them, but they were out of stock in my size. I decided to check online and and they had my size ... they have several pretty colors and they come in 3 different hem lengths for the regular, and a petite and tall version.

Mine arrived today and I may be declaring them my new favorite and I think they may be just as good as the JCrew ones, for about $10 less. I'm thinking the jalepeno color may be fun for Spring. Or even to liven up these 36 degree days with a black turtleneck. Anyone else a fan?

Stealthy?

Meet our stealthy scooter, Libby.
She loves to find her way under the coffee table and chairs. Let the childproofing commence!

Diagnosis: over-competitive

Or why I shouldn't use Ebay ... I just paid full retail for two damn coordinating Mini Boden dresses. I am of course rationalizing this purchase because ...

1. They will still be cheaper because the shipping is less than what Boden offers.
2. These little dresses are pretty cute and it's not often that I find coordinating outfits for M & L on Ebay.
3. Easter dresses can be checked off the to-do list.
4. Umm, I'm being "green" because I'm buying used clothing?

I swear, whenever I have bid on Ebay, I can feel my blood pressure rising and it makes me crazy. I hate to lose, and I think this is why I need to stay away.

I knew it would happen one day

This afternoon, M & L were playing with toys on a blanket. I decided to use this opportunity to pump and still be able to keep an eye on them.

About two minutes in, I look over to see Libby holding onto a toy. Upon second glance, I realize that she is holding Zeus' tennis ball / rope toy just a mere inch below her mouth. I need to preface this story to say that I did not place this toy on the blanket. I am assuming that since Libby has started to get pretty active scooting around, she must have snagged it from the floor.

As you can imagine, I'm hooked up cow like to a machine, so I start talking to her trying to get her attention so she doesn't put this nasty thing in her mouth. I'm all, "Hi Libby ... hey sweetie ... what are you doing, Libby?" For a while it works, she just continues to look at me and hold the toy. Then, she slowly started inching it back up towards her sweet little lips. She's probably thinking, "Silly lady. I'll show her."

So, I "unhooked" and pulled this new toy out of her tiny little hands, checked for any errant dog hairs on her face, and decided that she will probably never have any dog allergies due to her close encounters with dogs on a daily basis.

Oh, life with dogs ... I can only imagine what we'll be doing when they are crawling!

Homemade applesauce

Homemade applesauce is so easy to make for your baby, or babies. Plus, it makes a good amount and is easily frozen. Oh, and did I mention that it's really easy to do? It tastes really good ... I would eat this as is. It's plain, sweet, and yummy.

I started with six organic Red Delicious apples.

Peel the apples.

Next, core the apples. One of these apple corers really does help save time.


Chop the apples and place them in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Add two tablespoons water or unsweetened apple juice. I opted for the water. Cover and heat on low, for about 6-10 minutes, or until the apples are soft.
Puree until all of the apples are blended and no chunks are left. I use a Cuisinart stick hand blender. Spoon the applesauce into ice cube trays for freezing. I let these freeze for about 24 hours, then pop the cubes out and store in a freezer bag. Or if you have a hungry baby, spoon a little into a bowl for immediate serving!

happy heart day!

smooches!

Comin' to you from the geriatric ward

I am *thrilled* to have a great new accessory to wear at night. I think it will complement by retainer very nicely.

Meet the carpal tunnel syndrome hand/wrist brace. Isn't she lovely?

For the past few weeks, I've been experiencing pain in my right wrist and hand. It's gone from mild to making me shout "ouch" out loud when I grab something. I've noticed it when washing bottles, driving, picking up the girls, even adjusting my pillow before I go to sleep. I called my Dr., and he suggested trying this brace out for 2 weeks at night to see if it helps.

$20 and no office visit? Sure, I'll try it. I just hope it works and I don't have to go to 24/7 with this thing.

Hair goodness

** Edited to add ... here is the company. It's called Davines.

I finally had a much needed haircut yesterday. Next week is color. I know everyone is glad so they can quit counting grey hairs. Or maybe that was just me. I had to stop plucking them because I was worried about a bald spot!

My salon has a new product line that I had tried the last time I was there, but broke down yesterday and bought some to try at home. It was a bit of a splurge ... I've already warned Hubby not to touch it ... but it makes your hair feel and smell amazing. I rationalized this, because let's face it ... working from home + 2 babies = not washing my hair every day.

The things I like best about it are that it's all natural products that are good for your hair, it comes in great glass packaging, and it really does make my hair feel soft and look shiny. Plus, it smells great. Oh, and did I mention that it's made in Italy so I can label the glass bottle "fragile" and go around saying "fra-gil-ay."

Easily distracted

Working from home has definitely been a new adventure for me. There are always plenty of distractions, but most don't seem to bother me.

Sure, I do try to tune in to Martha Stewart at 11AM, but I usually end up only halfway listening/watching. A new magazine may come in the mail that I really want to read, but I can usually get by with flipping through a few pages, and of course there is always something to clean. It is much harder to not straighten and clean all day when you are in your own home spotting dust bunnies or marveling at your clutter. Facebook is my big time killer ... I have use restraint not to log on while I'm working.

But my true distraction ... this great weather that we've been having. I'm not complaining. There is no need to stay holed up inside if you can be outdoors, especially since I'm sure this weather will turn cold again. On these days in the 70's (Hello, February!) I don't miss working in an office one bit. No free candy from the office candy jar beats taking a walk at 3PM to enjoy the sunshine.

Mistaken identity

Last night, we were getting the M&L ready for bedtime and Hubby was taking the girls upstairs while I was getting bottles warmed.

I came upstairs and commented on how much Maddy really looked like Libby. Then I questioned Hubby if it was indeed Maddy. (He had placed each girl in their crib while he was waiting on me with the bottles.) He confirmed that yes, it was Maddy ... but then we had to look a little closer and realize that he had switched them. All I can say is if we are getting confused now, there's no telling what they'll be doing to us when they are 5!

And I leave you with preparation for Valentine's Day. We'll be wearing these sweaters every day this week!

sweet 'taters and bananas

Maddy, who may become our little social butterfly prefers dinner conversation to the actual dinner.

Libby, on the other hand, wants to make sure that she receives her fair share. Here's to hoping that a little bit did end up in her mouth.

snotty

Maddy and I are both snotty. The good thing is that I don't have to have that big ol' bulb-syringe inserted into my nose! I am declaring yet another PJ day.

Hemangiomas

L. has had three hemangiomas since she was just a couple of weeks old. They all appeared while she was still in the NICU. They are located on her hand, upper back, and on her back hip, right where the diaper lays across her back. We are very lucky that they aren't on any areas that would impare her vision or eating.

We have been keeping an eye on them and our Pediatrician checks them out at every visit. The one on her hip is starting to get a little weakened in the middle, so she referred us to a plastic surgeon for further evaluation.

Our appointment was earlier this week, so we had someone watch M. while Hubby and I made the trek for the appointment. It was the first time since leaving the NICU that they've been separated! Both did fine, but we made the dumb mistake of not taking a stroller and of course we didn't park in the right spot, so Hubby ended up carrying L., who was still sleeping when we arrived, in her car seat all across a big ol' hospital. Next time, we'll park in the right spot AND take the stroller!

So, we found out that she'll have to have surgery to remove these, since the one is getting weaker and they don't want to risk it ulcerating and opening up. As you can imagine, you don't want to run the risk of this thing opening up + coming in contact with any, um "diaper related" contents.

So, my sweet girl will have to be put under with anesthesia and they will go ahead and remove all three at one time. I know that she's a trooper, but I just hate to think that she'll have to be go through this at such a young age. It probably is better, because she won't remember it ... plus, we won't have to wait up to 5+ years for the hemangiomas to go away on their own. This practice specializes in pediatric plastic surgery, so I know they know what they are doing, but still. I guess part of becoming a Mom is learning how to worry like one!

The Honest Scrap

I received a fun award today…the Honest Scrap Award from Natalie at Old Southern House. Here are the rules: A.) First list 10 Honest Things about yourself - and make it interesting, even if you have to dig deep. B.) Pass the award on to seven bloggers that you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap.

1. I have identical twin daughters. Fraternal twins run in my family, but we somehow beat the odds and had identical. They are by far, one of the best things that has ever happened to me.

2. Their birth/delivery was not at all as I imagined. I envisioned a natural birth (or at least putting off drugs as long as possible), practicing yoga poses while laboring, walking the halls, eating ice chips, etc. None of this happened. I had a short stay in the hospital on bed rest, more bed rest at home, my water breaking at home, going to the hospital without names picked out, no shower, and feeling really unprepared, and then having an emergency c-section. But, they are here ... beautiful and healthy, so if I had to do it all over again, I would.

3. I am not a math person. I love working on budgets or balancing a checkbook, but give me Algebra or Geometry and I feel like you are speaking a foreign language. I really don't see how I made it through some of these classes in High School and College. A big thank you to those teachers who somehow got me through!

4. I have a love/hate relationship with running. I love the way that running makes me feel, love the feel after a good run, and I love participating in a race. Somehow, I can beat myself up prior to a run about everything ... are my clothes right, where am I running, is it going to be cold, is my knee going to hurt, can I do this, will my ass jiggle? If I just get out there and do it, I'm fine, but the getting there part is hard for me.

5. My best friends are scattered across the US and I miss them all the time. I think now that I'm on Facebook it makes it even harder, because I read about their daily lives, but it makes me sad because I'm not a part of them.

6. I am very lucky to have a wonderful husband who is kind, funny, a great dad, handsome, positive, and loving. I do tease him that sometimes his positiveness is too much to handle ...(come on, are you really this happy at 6AM?), but I can't imagine him any other way.

7. I grew up in a very middle class family, but my parents and Grandmother always somehow were able to provide us with more opportunities that we would have normally had: private school, nice clothes, gifts, etc. I now realize how thrifty my Mom is and how they were probably able to squeeze budgets and make everything work.

8. I have a weird memory ... I can often remember clothes that were worn or music that was played for several events in my life. And not necessarily "big" events ... ones like one summer, I was with CC in college on the way to dinner, and we were driving in her car and Devil's Haircut by Beck was on and I will always remember associate that song with her and that moment. But, I often feel like I still have Mommy brain and can't remember day to day events or who I spoke with on the phone!

9. I never knew my maternal Grandfather and one of my aunts passed away when I was 3. I really wish that I would have known these two people as they were so important to my Mom and Grandmother. I just feel like there are untold stories and experiences that are lost forever.

10. I started using email when I was in college, and I distinctly remember thinking that email would never replace writing letters to people and that I would probably only use it just for school/work. Let's fast-forward 14 years and I am probably addicted to email more than my daily coffee. I do still believe in using real stationery and writing letters, but now I do it several times a year compared to several times a month!

I tag, Mad About Plaid Girl, The Seven Spot, Goddess in Progress, Life with OG, Mistah B, Runner Susan, and Chloe. Have fun!

I've decided

That nothing kills a good running stride like having Pachabel's Canon in D come up on your iPod when it's in Shuffle mode and nothing makes you run any faster than passing what appears to be a scary homeless guy walking past you as you enter back into your neighborhood.

Running Dork

I think I may just try to strap a headlamp on when I run next week, because I really "need" one more item to carry.

For last night's run, I carried/wore ...

* My iPod, a necessity and full of songs to keep me moving.
* Hubby's "clicker" so my ADD self could keep track of how many laps I had done on the track. I'm not good at counting "one" in my head the whole lap.
* My knee strap, since my left knee has been bugging me since Saturday. Old+not running in almost 2 years=my body asking me WTF?
* Water bottle. Well, I did leave this on the bench while I ran. However, it does have a handle on it if I decided to carry it.
* Gloves and ear muff thingy. Again, a necessity when it's 40 degrees.
* Car key
* Watch / heart rate monitor combo. To keep track of my time and to keep track of calories burned, heart rate, etc.

I just laugh at myself, because you always hear how running is the best sport ever because you can just grab your shoes and go. Maybe it's just me, but I seem to keep accumulating stuff with every run.

Trouble?

I sent out a few pictures of M & L yesterday and one of my friends commented that "the one in the blue looks like trouble." Hmmmm ... wonder if we're in for it.

Oh sweet coffee

I missed you yesterday.

Yesterday was a blur of feeling like I had a vice crushing my head, watching our 44th Presidential Inauguration, taking my temperature, trying to help Hubby with the girls, looking at our teeny amount of snow outside, sleeping, and more sleeping. It must have been some kind of 24-hour bug, because I feel better today. So, no coffee yesterday and I'm not sure if I really ever ate yesterday. Yuck.

So, I am glad to be up today and not feeling like I want to crawl under a blanket. I hope to work on cleaning up our den that looks like an explosion has taken place, get some work done, mop the floor where I spilt 7UP yesterday, and grab some kisses from my girls ... that may be the hardest part of being sick ... no kisses from Hubby and no giving them to the girls.

I leave you with this ... we did manage a photo opp of M & L yesterday while they were "watching" the Inauguration. And to the makers of the Bumbo chair, I realize you aren't supposed to put these on an unstable surface, but I promise that Hubby was just out of the camera shot ... waiting to grab a baby with cat-like reflexes!

Jan. 20, 2009 - an important day in history when we were almost 7 months old.

We marked the day by having a PJ Day!

Just wondering

For you tea drinkers out there, will teas that contain Matcha make you feel like you are craaaazee?