The Twins are Quite a Handful

Christmas and New Year's 2011

2012-02-01T21:45:00.001-05:00

We had a good time during Christmas weekend and the few days that followed. Heather's brother Nick and her dad were in town and my brother Brian came to town for a night as well. In the tradition of the Blannin/McHugh's, we had a Christmas Eve open house featuring lots of appetizers. Anyone in town and willing was welcome to stopover. For people like me, this is an excellent excuse to open lots of wine.

The "big" gifts for the girls were a seesaw and push bikes (you know, the low riders with no pedals?). We quickly learned they are a bit too small for the bikes as yet, but look forward to the Spring as they should be the right height at that point. However, looking outside right now, it may be Spring already. Unfortunately, the girls propensity to grab at our phones as we film created a dearth of photos/videos.

Nick brought his dog Bromley and we were delighted to see how well the girls got along with him. Previously, there had been much fear of dogs, big and small.

Nick and Bromley with the girls on Christmas Eve.

Like so many New Year's Eve celebrations, ours started with everyone all dressed up, behaving well and eating a great meal.

On New Year's day however, it was a different story. As the adults were distracted by a tremendous array of desserts, clothes are removed and body art ensued.

It did not take long for the perpetrator of the body art to confess to the words of "I was just writing 'Happy New Year' on Emily's back". Emily was not please to receive so much attention.

Cuteness and Chaos

2012-02-01T14:03:00.000-05:00

This first picture is new evidence that we are raising cats. A few minutes earlier, these were cubbies used to store various categories of their toys. Now they appear to be reading chairs of some type.

Apparently, anything can be a chair for reading. Happily, this puppy supports two...with or without clothing.

And now, on to the Chaos portion of our program. "Let's invite some friends over and bake cookies together" says Heather. I eye her suspiciously knowing that she knew this was a recipe for chaos. We know that I am a sucker for cookies so there was no chance I was really going to object, right?

It started off with the usual cuteness (note the aprons please).

There was some degradation along the way though. I wish I had better pictures to capture the chaos. I will note that, at one point, the 3 adults (Heather, Heather and myself) were in the kitchen talking (admittedly also consuming wine) before dinner as the cookies were cooling in another room. You probably know how this ends as we realized it had become quiet in the other room as several of the kids munched away on cookies prior to eating dinner.

We may never really know how many cookies, sprinkles, and handfuls of cookie dough the 6 girls who attended that evening actually ate.

Halloween 2011 or Using Your Kids as Props

2012-02-01T13:51:00.001-05:00

As revealed by the Boo at the Zoo post, the girls were monkeys for Halloween. Happily, we got some extended use of the costumes. They visited the zoo, attended a party, went trick or treating to a few houses and even donned the costumes one last time on 11/1 (yes, I know today is 2/1).

In case you are wondering, this is not the first (or last) time we will use our kids as props. We purposely took them to the 35' high rope climbing structure (shaped like an antenna) to film them and I gave Emily that banana to eat while I took pictures. We firmly believe it is every parent's right (and possibly duty) to exploit the cuteness opportunities as they arise.

Unintended Consequences

2012-01-31T08:28:00.003-05:00

Moments like the one in the video below are pretty common. You play a game that seems innocent enough with them...stop to rest...and they are impatient with your resting and decide to try the game themselves.

Our new easel

2012-01-31T08:25:00.004-05:00

What happened to the holidays you ask? We're working on that, but this post is quick and easy. We got the girls an easel for Christmas and, not surprisingly, it has been a hit. Things are not always peaceful, though, as you will see below.

This one is a little long, but as a biased parent, I think it's worth it.

I was so happy as I started this video as the two angelic girls sing the ABC's song...but things take a negative turn...

We are Two!

2011-12-12T21:18:00.000-05:00

Before the girls were born, Heather and I had a few conversations about kid birthday parties as they started to pop up amongst our friends. We agreed that we would try to delay them as long as possible since the day would quickly arrive when the girls would be asking for them. Clearly, this lasted only two years. I can't exactly say that this party was my idea, but I am also smart enough to not get in front of a moving steamroller so off we went on the preparations. The gathering was actually pretty small conceptually, but the reality is that our close friends have all produced a good number of offspring (final count of 11 adults and 13 kids).

Happily, Heather's mom was in town and her Aunt Sue also assisted with cupcake decoration on Friday night. I will admit that the result exceeded my expectations and not once did I desire whiskey during the gathering.

The girls were in historically bad moods for most of Saturday, but rebounded enough that no tantrums were thrown during their party. The soups and grilled cheese Heather made were quite tasty, but the coup de grace was, of course, the Sesame Street cupcakes. Behold!

This video is a bit long, but I'm too lazy right now to shorten it. Blogging is hard work.

Like most dinners, the girls eventually notice that one or both of them has spilled something on their shirt leading to this.

Here is the entire album from the party as well.

Regression Toward the Mean

2011-12-12T16:26:00.000-05:00

We all know the stereotypes of the dad who feeds the kids only junkfood and lets them get away with things that would never be possible if mom were around. I vowed a long time ago not to succumb to this.

Heather was in Miami a couple weeks ago. Let's just say that regression toward the mean is a very real phenomenon. I am happy to succumb to it from time to time...which in this case meant a visit to Pupatella and the Silver Diner (two of our favorites). There were at least two vegetables on the pizza they ate and lots of fruit at the restaurant. The video is me attempting to get Emily to dance. She was disinclined to agree to my request.

Earlier in the day, the girls participated in their first 5K (the Friends of Montessori Education). They are experienced at race support but had never come along for the ride before. They dutifully yelled "Go Runners!" for all 100 of us out there. I am happy to report that I won the made-up double stroller category and was 2nd in the overall stroller division.

They don't look thrilled, but they did have a good time I swear

Wishful Thinking

2011-12-12T16:12:00.001-05:00

We are not yet up for potty-training. However, for the obvious reasons of familiarity with the tools of the trade, we do have potties for the girls at this point. They make for their own brand of hilarity. Regarding the video below, we are not sure of the origin of this behavior.

Seriously, we didn't teach them to do this. Nor did we model the behavior in any way.

Adventures in Eating

2011-11-14T18:10:00.001-05:00

I would say "never a dull moment", but that's actually false. However, here are two quick videos involving eating. I swear, these things happen organically with no rehearsal. At least in the second video, they are actually eating.

Nanook of the North

2011-11-03T21:16:00.001-04:00

Boo at the Zoo

2011-10-22T21:52:00.001-04:00

As noted a few posts ago, Heather is out of town this weekend so when some friends invited us to go to Boo at the Zoo with them and their kids, it sounded like a great idea. We decided this a few months back and, to be honest, I never really thought through all of the logistics.

The event didn't start until 5:30 so there was never going to be an option where the girls get to bed on time. I had made peace with that. But the issue was compounded by not figuring out how to park several weeks ago. This left only the Metro.

Long story short, the girls did quite well considering that the Zoo was not selling any food. I was banking on that to complete their dinner. It was not to be. No food on sale at all leaving only the snacks I brought with me, water from a water fountain, M&M's, apple sauce and Pirate's Booty. Long story short, it was 8:45 when the girls finally were down, but serious meltdowns were at least avoided.

Our monkeys right before we got on the train.

Owen, Addison, Emily, Natalie on the way to the Zoo.

Addison and Emily on the way home.

Bad Idea Jeans

2011-10-22T21:27:00.001-04:00

A few nights ago, the girls invented a new game wherein they fall head first off of the ottoman in their room. I am not sure if they really invented it themselves or if they had help. Regardless, it's pretty entertaining (see below) and also pretty dangerous. I hope they unlearn this soon.

About two minutes after this video, Addie landed awkwardly and broke the skin a bit under her eye. A few minutes after that, Emily didn't fall off fast enough for Addie and she "helped" her off on the wrong side and she landed on the hardwood floor instead of the carpet.

Luckily, they are tough. I wish I could have filmed Emily's flu shot a few weeks back. No tears from the needle at all.

In the meantime, I am going to sit back, eat pizza, and await the arrival of CPS.

By Popular Demand

2011-10-21T17:50:00.000-04:00

We have received numerous (at least two) requests for more video. Here are three. I'll see what else I can come up with this weekend as I am taking the girls to Boo at the Zoo tomorrow night whilst Heather runs 40 miles in two days in the New River Gorge.

As usual, these revolve around climbing, hanging and other monkey-like activities.

Pumpkins!!

2011-10-19T21:57:00.004-04:00

We spent Sunday afternoon picking pumpkins with the girls. While there was protest at first, as soon as the hayride started, they realized we were having fun.

Can you tell why we will be back next year?

Boots!

2011-10-03T17:27:00.000-04:00

As you can imagine, the girls are talking a lot more these days. One of their favorite words is "shoes". Have we somehow reinforced a gender-based stereotype already? I don't know, but that is not my point anyway.

They also says "Boots" quite often and seem to prefer them to regular shoes. Here we have some Uggs (Addison) and waist-high (Emily) boots being modeled. If you took a walk around Arlington on any given day, I'm sure you could find the same scene--two mothers, stylishly dressed (with boots) pushing their descendants in a stroller.

Caped Crusaders

2011-10-01T13:24:00.001-04:00

Here are two videos (from different nights) that illustrate pretty typical post-bath merriment. I don't believe any more commentary is needed than that.

Dressing ourselves

2011-09-24T15:10:00.001-04:00

It's always interesting when the ladies dress themselves. The "skirt" Addison us wearing is actually Heather's neck gator.

Technology Win

2011-09-13T22:20:00.001-04:00

Our friends at Google finally came out with an app for Blogger. Perhaps this will be the answer to our lack of blogging issues. If nothing else, it should at least keep my posts brief.

On Sunday night, I realized the pounding the Steelers took from the Ravens was partially my fault for not getting the girls new gear. Heather subsequently dug out some hand me down shirts from the Haney's. The ladies loved them instantly and insisted they be worn to bed. I'm not making this up. Today, when they saw them, they asked for them again.

I am glad to see such loyalty and optimism, especially after 7 turnovers.

Random fun from Labor Day weekend

2011-09-04T22:38:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, we hit the zoo. On Sunday, an ordinary trip to the grocery store turned into a great time for the girls. As you can see below, the local Giant has toddler-sized carts. Happily, this Giant is never crowded and the flags are helpful when you are by yourself for most of your shopping trip. Heather was able to let them have the run of the store and we are pretty sure we didn't come home with any extra items.

When the exciting trip to Giant was done, I relieved Heather so she could visit the farmer's market and we headed to the playground. Many of you have probably heard us call them monkeys and they demonstrated this once again today. I was very surprised how quickly they figured out how to scale the wall unassisted.

During the afternoon, we (ok, I) decided to do our best to build a tribute to the Twin Towers. Perhaps if I was not nervous that they would attempt to disassemble the towers at any moment, there might have been a bit more detail. However, the girls were very helpful.

First visit to the Zoo

2011-09-03T21:44:00.001-04:00

Earlier this week, child protective services paid us a visit. They noted we are on "30 day zoo probation" and we should act accordingly. You see, we live near an amazing zoo and the girls are almost two years old yet we have not taken them. We fixed that problem today.

At the elephant enclosure. I'm not sure if Addison was going for an unobstructed view or trying to play with her new friend, but she insisted on looking at the elephant under the fence.

The best part was when he came right up to the glass and Emily ran away crying as if he was coming to get her. They are not girls that love animals, they are girls that love animals that keep their distance and allow them to watch undetected. For the most part, this makes the zoo perfect.

Watching the orangutan

The girls seemed to enjoy their first trip to the zoo. Once they were out of the stroller, we were completely unsuccessful getting them back in. They ran around like crazy - equally interested in the illustrated animals and the live ones (we wish we caught them on camera roaring at a tiger, completely unaware of the real one right behind them). Eventually, they ran out of steam as evidenced by this photo of them literally crashing. Perhaps we made up for lost time a bit too much for one day.

Out of gas

Luna Summit 2011

2011-09-03T13:46:00.000-04:00

Right now, you may be thinking, "Lunafest was back in April, wasn't it?". You would be correct. This is just more evidence that we are the worst bloggers ever. Our friends at Google have updated the Blogger interace. For this, I am uber thankful as it was atrocious before. Perhaps this will help us be more efficient with pumping out posts. Believe me, there is no lack of adventures and cuteness in this house.

One issue is the little monkeys love our phones so trying to snap a picture is often followed by phone theft. Following phone theft are, inevitably, app rearrangement or deletion, attempts to distract and reclaim the phone, negotiation, and, occasionally, forced retrieval which includes much lamentation from the girls. But I digress...

I've had these pictures queued up for months. Heather went to San Francisco back in April for Luna Summit. This was my first solo weekend with them since they became mobile. I was not really too worried about it with the exception of feeding them. I did not want to become the stereotypical father that gives them pizza, hot dogs, and Mac and Cheese the entire weekend. The pictures below represent the highlights (with minimal folly) of the weekend.

First up was music class (always a good time)

Lunch at Guapo's in Shirlington. We only ended up there because the line was too long at the Luna Grill.

This is right before bathtime on Saturday. The picture is only here to demonstrate how dirty they are. Her hair is standing up on its own with the help of dirt, sweat, and various types of food. Needlesstosay, it was a good day.

Sunday morning breakfast was not much cleaner. At least it's not blood all over them.

We went for a run and then had some playtime by the Marine Corp Memorial (in the background).

For those guessing at home, this is Addison.

Random dinnertime affection

Boston Marathon 2011 (aka Blanninfest)

2011-06-21T22:46:00.003-04:00

My use of the year in the title of this post expresses optimism that we will someday return in order for Heather, myself or Nick to run this race. Heather's brother Chris vows to never do it again, but we have heard that before.

We decided to use him running the marathon of all marathons as an excuse for Blanninfest 2011. We were fortunate enough to arrange a pseudo house swap with a co-worker of Heather's which is why you will see pictures of the girls running around a house. Since the album linked below is mostly baby pictures (shocker!), I am including the two pictures that actually sum up the weekend below focused on adults for a change.

Behold, the reason for our converging on the city of Boston.

Here are a few of our brilliant signs that, unfortunately, Chris never saw during the race.

Here is a small album with a few more photos.

Boston Marathon Weekend 2011

Sweaty Memorial Day weekend

2011-06-21T22:20:00.004-04:00

This year, Memorial Day weekend in DC felt more like late July or August. The heat and humidity were killing us. By us, I mean the old people in our house. The girls did not care. We spent a good portion of the weekend outside at 3 different BBQs as well as some visits to multiple parks.

Here are a few pictures and a link to an album.

The girls and Hayden who I believe was the only male child at Lara's birthday BBQ (11 other girls?)

What you don't see in this picture is Heather and I trying not to collapse from the heat. If our real vehicle had broken down, I think we would have needed the girls help to push it home.

Here is the whole album.

Memorial Day Weekend 2011

Easter

2011-05-30T15:00:00.002-04:00

My mom was in town for Easter so we made the trip north to Pottsville for the day. Our hosts, the Gombola matriarch and patriarch, had an Easter egg hunt ready for the girls as soon as we arrived. They were delighted as you can see.

Here are more pictures from the weekend.

Easter 2011

I Do It My Own Self

2011-05-30T11:21:00.006-04:00

Apparently, this was one of the most common phrases to come out of my mouth as a wee one [Heather, not Bill... I am somehow logged in as him]. If the girls could say more than Mama and Uh-Oh at this point, I am fairly certain that I would hear this phrase regularly. Instead, we just get some very stubborn jibber jabber and let them attempt to do things on their own, even if they are not very good at it.

Cutting their toenails...

Eating yogurt...

Getting dressed... note how proud she is of herself... clapping away without a care in the world that her PJs aren't on quite right.

Christmas and New Year 2010

2011-05-29T20:36:00.000-04:00

Since we continue to be the worst bloggers ever, we bring you photos from the holidays on Memorial Day. I just threw a few of the highlight photos in here and then linked to an album at the end. We spent Christmas in Columbus and stayed with Chris and Sky. Liz came to visit to celebrate the New Year, but mostly to see the girls. They took to her quickly considering how they are not so into most strangers these days.

You can find more pictures from the holidays here.

Destructive (Occasionally)

2011-05-29T20:12:00.000-04:00

Heather and I are often impressed with how strong and sure-handed the girls are. If this is combined with agility and hand-eye coordination, I suspect we will not turn down any athletic scholarships that come their way. Below is an example of Heather letting them unload the pantry including large glass bottles of various smelly oils and sauces.

To date, there has only been one incident involving some hot cocoa mix.

We captured photographic evidence of the rare accident. Here is the only plant Heather has ever cared for (over 10 years). Note that the plant survived and no twins were harmed. I am not sure how they escaped the falling pot.

Last, but not least is my beloved Steeler gnome. This was a gift from Mrs. Blannin. He survived the winter, but he could not survive being dropped on the patio by Emily. He has now gone the way of Jim Tressel.

Worst bloggers ever...comeback

2011-05-03T21:11:00.005-04:00

Heather and I realized that one of our problems with blogging is our To Do List focused nature. We have several posts backlogged and have been thinking about those, etc. etc. Meanwhile, it's May, there are no Xmas photos on the blog, and as far as you know, the twins are still embroiled in a quagmire with the giraffes.

Our solution is to just put up quick posts as often as possible. I begin with a look at the girls future basketball skills. This is at Tara and Assaf's house about 6 weeks ago. We have since purchased a hoop for them, but it's quite tall and they are unable to dunk yet.

Raising Cats

2011-02-15T20:25:00.007-05:00

Heather has never been a fan of cats. Apparently, it all started when she was quite young and her babysitter's cat cornered her and terrorized her for a few minutes. [Editor's note - it was my best friend's cat and my babysitter who rescued me. Yes, I was larger than the cat, but it was mad at me and scary]. I, on the other hand, have really never minded them despite their propensity to ignore or look down upon human beings.

Luckily, the girls are much cuter than even the most ridiculous kitten out there. There are times, though, that they display cat-like tendencies as demonstrated below. They love to jam themselves in the smallest of containers. Thankfully, they recently realized that they don't both fit in the basket in the 3rd photo anymore. Previously, this resulted in a fair number of shoving matches.

Some choice moments caught on tape

2011-02-12T10:12:00.002-05:00

Neither of these videos need much introduction. The first is two sisters sharing a nice moment together. This happens from time to time and I was able to record it. There has been less wrestling over toys and books of late as well.

Random aside: They are starting to pick up a few signs as well (more, milk and help). However, yesterday Addison just started using all three at once until she got what she wanted. I was disappointed to learn there is no sign for "Steeler". I am now torn between creating one or just teaching them "punish" and "raven".

Sometimes Cheerios are so good that they need to be eaten with a bit of theatrics.

Happy 1st Birthday

2011-01-30T20:01:00.011-05:00

Another wildly overdue post... the girls' first birthday. Bill and I took the day off from work with the plan to spend it with the ladies. We had a great day aside from when we attempted to capture their footprints on canvas... apparently paint is terrifying to a one year old. We knew one of the highlights of the day would be the girls' first cupcakes, but we didn't realize the day would be highly food themed.

Our very first gift... Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head... and Emily eating the wrong part. Well, I guess none of these parts are really for eating.

I don't care whose name is on this sippy cup... it matches my outfit

At this point, we sensed the theme in gift giving.

Although the girls also got some of their favorite item... shoes!

Our next adventures were about actually eating... exactly how one should be spoiled on her first birthday. First stop, our favorite pizza place.

Next stop, home for cupcakes.

Addison took one bite before deciding that she was done

Emily was slightly more aggressive in her approach to the cupcake

Though it didn't mean she liked it any better. Yes, the first sound you hear is the sound of her spitting it out.

While the thought *may* have crossed our mind that perhaps these were not our children if they did not like cupcakes, they have since proven that they understand the error of their ways... devouring as much as they could of Lara's s'more cupcakes and mint chocolate whoopie pies... and then HJ's lemon cookies. Maybe it's just my baking... but Bill and I didn't have any problem disposing of the remaining four cupcakes personally.

We Can Walk... The Outtakes

2011-01-30T19:50:00.003-05:00

This post is about two months overdue since the ladies began walking at Thanksgiving. Now, they may actually be running... particularly when one of them starts laughing in the other room. It takes no time to investigate the fun that they might be missing out on.

Proof that they have honed their skills and removed their Gumby legs. This video was from Thursday while we made our home at the Key Bridge Marriott for the day (in a dear friend's room) while we waited for power to be restored to our house.

2010, a Year of Wine

2011-01-04T21:26:00.007-05:00

(Please note that our recent pause in blogging is not because we are knocked up again.)

No, I do not mean whine. I imagine there is a chance that 2012 is a year of whine, but hopefully our amazing parenting skills will prevent this. You would think that this year is really about twins which is true. However, my personal obsession with wine has grown. So perhaps it is fitting that we were able to escape to the Napa Valley for a long weekend in early December. Heather departed for San Fran early in the week (quick work trip) and I joined her late Thursday night. This was also our first time away from the girls. We didn't lose much sleep though because Ruth was staying at our house with them.

The interwebz even granted us an early lunch reservation at The French Laundry via OpenTable. Friday morning, we departed for the valley and enjoyed a tremendous meal. To try and control the cost a bit, we brought a bottle of wine in with us (1995 Chateau Montelena) that I sometimes think about at night to this day before I go to sleep. The rest of the meal was dictated by Thomas Keller and the staff. The picture below is our last course (with a 1983 port, yum!). Note the clothes pin that has now become a chewtoy for the girls.

"Lunch" lasted from 11:15 until about 3:00 PM. There was enough alcohol consumed that we stumbled down the street to the bed and breakfast we had for the weekend. We took a 3 hour nap, arose briefly to forage for food and retired early. There was much tasting to be done the next day.

Our first stop was the Bouchon bakery. Being on vacation, I did not attempt to exhibit any self-control and basically ate and/or purchased everything in site. We were still eating snacks on the plane ride home from this visit. Next, we were off to Howell Mountain and the O'Shaughnessy vineyard. This is a young vineyard and our favorite of the day. The tasting room was beautiful, the wine was excellent (enough that I was overruled by Heather in my desire to wait to buy some) and even the cave was great.

I will spare you the boring tasting details of Seavey and Cliff Lede. For Robert Craig, they were celebrating their 18th year of making wine with a party. More wines were open than usual along with some food. After a dinner in which we uncharacteristically ordered no wine, we headed back to Yountville. During my research, I had discovered a tasting room open late just down the street called Ma(i)sonry. They had flights from 8 different wineries, really expensive art we'll never buy, and a great outdoor fire pit.

The last picture is only here because I like it. We are happy to report that two wine bars opened within two miles of us. This was months ago (at Twisted Vines) when my mom watched the girls for a couple hours so we could sneak out.

I Have All The Luck

2010-12-13T22:06:00.002-05:00

You may be expecting a post about the girls' first birthday, or video of them toddling around, a trip report from Napa or perhaps the conclusion of giraffe wars. All of those are coming, but with minimal time to blog these days, I'm using my 10 minutes to tell you the story of my evening, which prompted Bill to text me from the airplane, "You have all the luck."

Bill had a day trip to Chicago so would be home just as the girls were going to bed. No big deal. At this point bath time and bedtime are not scary solo. We finished the baths, and I got Addison out of the tub. While I was wrapping Addison up her her towel, I heard Emily spitting... ptuh... ptuh. Emily has been spitting up after meals recently so I was assuming she had spit up in the bathtub. However, to my horror, when I looked up, she was spitting out poo. Somehow, she managed to poop and start to eat it without me knowing.

My then response of snatching her out of the bathtub saying, "gross, gross, gross" proceeded to make her cry. I moved her to the bathroom sink to wash her, which TERRIFIES both her and her sister. I found this out last night when Addison pooped in the tub (and Bill was at basketball... yup, lucky two days in a row). So, I now had two screaming, hysterical babies while I re-washed Emily in the sink, including the inside of her mouth and found myself wondering if I have to tell the pediatrician on Wednesday at their doctor's appointment that yes, my baby ate sh*t on my watch.

I guess there are some bright spots to the evening... at least she didn't swallow it... at least it was her own and not Addison's... when I texted a friend, "what's grosser than gross?" her response was, "poop in the mouth is pretty gross," so perhaps it's not just my kid.

The better question I should be asking myself is probably, what can I do to get them back on the morning pooping schedule.

Giraffe Wars: Part 3

2010-12-11T10:38:00.011-05:00

As many of you may remember, there was a conflict raging in the house between aggressive stuffed animals and our innocent, kind-hearted children. The battle began in January and has been ongoing. Events escalated the last few months to the point where it was not really safe for journalists. I managed to get a few photos during that time though. This dispatch from the front lines has been in draft form for awhile now. My apologies for taking so long to publish.

Also, rumors have been flying around the house regarding secret peace talks so stay tuned. But now back to our story...

Our heroes (the twins, of course) had been working hard on their garden and these tomatoes were the result. Everyone knows that fresh veggies are scarce in the 12' by 12' nursery.

Their trap was ready. The plan was to use the tomatoes to lure the mutant purple (yet brilliant) giraffe into the open. Their newly captured bouncie chair had been converted into a catapult. Several small (but brave) volunteers stepped forward.

General Apple, always conscientious, dispatched an owl for reconnaissance.

At first, everything looked fine. 3 giraffes followed by their leader. However, there was something odd in the upper right corner of the owl's photo.

The next picture took the General's non-breath away. His chime sounded over and over out of fear.

The last photo made everything clear. Giraffezilla was on the scene. An epic battle was about to take place...

This last one is a bit random, yes. Training is basically constant at this point and I wanted to show how hard the girls are working to protect the house.

Every day is training day. Giraffe neck on the cob for breakfast!

Steelers OT or ER? Tough Decisions

2010-11-28T22:56:00.004-05:00

If my typing is off, it is because I am doing so without the use of my left index finger because I tried to cut it off tonight. I was making dinner and while chopping parsley got my finger into the mix. I knew it was bad instantly when I saw how far into my finger the newly sharpened blade went. I quickly wrapped it in a paper towel (bad idea FYI... blood dries and sticks it to your finger eventually) and went downstairs.

I'm not sure if what I said, "I think I may have cut off my finger tip," or how I said it caught Bill's attention, but the Steelers in OT was instantly paused. He asked to see it and, as as a view into my rational thinking at the time, I responded, "No, I don't want to see it." Noting that this was a bad response, Bill convinced me to let him look at the finger. We then decided that yes, I would need stitches and needed to go to the ER. The planning that followed was relatively comical in retrospect.

Plan A - Pack dinner for the girls and load everyone in the car to go to the ER. Ummm... bad idea. It's 5pm on a Sunday night and who knows when we will get home. Recipe for chaos in the ER waiting room.

Plan B - Find someone to watch the girls. We called just about everyone we know who was close enough and would be willing to help. But, who picks up their phone at 5pm on Sunday night? No one. We thought about calling the nanny, but she lives 30 minutes away... too long.

Plan C - Find someone to drive me to the hospital. Sadly, most folks who were close enough to be helpful were on the Plan B list so this was nixed quickly.

Plan D - Call me a cab and send me on my own. Seemed the only real option so off I went in a cab solo to Virginia Hospital, giving directions on the way out the door for how Bill could finish the Shephard's Pie because if I was losing a finger, I was at least going to eat the dinner.

Bill made the joke on Facebook that he sent me on my own because the Steelers game was still going, but really it was our only option. Virginia Hospital rocked and I was home by 7pm with stitches and visual confirmation that yes, I did nearly cut off my finger tip... had about 1/8 inch to go. A pal did come to pick me up and yes, the Shephard's Pie was yummy. Now to figure out how to teach Emily and Addison that the bandage is not a toy.

Over The River And Through the Woods...

2010-11-28T22:42:00.003-05:00

...to Bernie's house we go. We had a lovely Thanksgiving in Pottsville, PA at Bernie & Paul's house. This is likely our first family photo since we were there for Easter so I had to include it.

Addison was confused about the difference between Mardi Gras and Thanksgiving.

Emily was just excited for a trip, though we had to let her know that she could not ride in the suitcase.

We let them eat the same dinner as us for the first time... of course forgetting the picture with food actually on the table... though you can see one of the apple pies we baked in the background.

They proved again why they need no toys, enjoying the tupperware and clothespins as much as anything we brought to entertain them.

And then this picture just because I think the look on Addison's face as she tries to join the suitcase fun is priceless.

Safety First (or Not)

2010-11-14T21:17:00.003-05:00

We haven't had the heart to put away the bouncie seats because it becomes a favorite toy after bathtime for Addison. Sadly, we've never caught her on video. But, Emily has figured it out and in this video demonstrates how her parents put entertainment over safety.

Nutrition 101

2010-11-14T21:04:00.003-05:00

It dawned on me this weekend that the girls eat enough food now that I can probably start to give them some selective leftovers and not have to make them a separate lunch. I'm not sure we were supposed to start this new trend with Elevation burgers and milkshakes... at least they can't quite figure out how to use the straw yet.

Popeye the Sailor Man

2010-11-07T19:10:00.004-05:00

Apparently Addison didn't realize that Halloween was over and wanted to make her own costume. While Bill was in the laundry room and I was upstairs letting my Aunt Sue in, she found the bikes set up on the indoor trainers. More to the point, she found the bike chain. Bill didn't realize that I had gone upstairs and so she had a bit of time to explore. The only reason her shirt is still white is that it's her undershirt.

Unleash the Cuteness!

2010-11-01T21:03:00.008-04:00

It's Halloween 2010. Parents everywhere are posting photographs of their adorable offspring. Our Facebook newsfeeds are basically a bunch of gauntlets thrown down by other parents. Heather and I have an advantage because a) we have two b) we took video and c) our kids are cuter than everyone else's. Observe and be sure to watch both videos.

Not Quite What I Had in Mind

2010-10-27T19:32:00.004-04:00

My mom was in town this weekend with her pal Faith from college so we decided to head to the pumpkin patch to grab some pumpkins. Since I was afraid of the lines at Cox, we went to Krop's Crops and it was the perfect setting... if only Addison wasn't terrified of the pumpkins. Gram dressed the ladies for their day and here it is in images.

Hanging outside the corn bin. Who wants my own lunch if I can lick mom's?

Evidence that Emily was enjoying herself

Evidence that Addison was not

What did pumpkins ever do to her?

Fortunately curiosity got the best of her and she came around

Emily was slightly more adventurous

Addison enjoyed the larger pumpkins a bit better

The best picture we got of the whole crazy crew

Can't wait to see how costumes go over this weekend!

Dexter Morgan

2010-10-17T19:15:00.003-04:00

Bill started the morning by running the Acumen Solutions Race for a Cause, an 8K sponsored by our friend's company, which has a really cool concept (if I do say so myself). With the Philly 1/2 just over a month away, I was happy for the chance to do a practice run as "athletic supporter" with two kiddos in tow.

I was right on track to get us out the door in time when I realized that Emily was leaking... she might as well not have had a diaper on. Poo was up her back, through two layers of clothes and down her leg. If I wasn't trying to leave the house, she would have gone straight into the bath. I got her fully changed and realized that Addison had gotten her hands into the dirty diaper and so she needed to be changed too. Fortunately, I had some clean baby laundry nearby and just grabbed some appropriately warm outfits. Unfortunately, we missed Bill running... fail... good thing we have another shot.

I only share this story as justification for why I dressed Emily as Dexter Morgan. Those of you who watch the show will recognize this outfit as a favorite. It didn't hit me until many hours later, but Bill had noticed it too. Needless to say, this outfit won't be making an appearance again... unless maybe for Halloween.

Mirror Twins

2010-10-17T19:10:00.002-04:00

Now that the girls are getting teeth, I think we can officially claim that they are mirror twins. Their hair starts on opposite sides of their heads, they each have a different hand that they prefer to use when drinking their bottle and now they are getting the same teeth on opposite sides of their head.

Addison's first tooth was on the right and Emily's on the left. Sadly, they are very protective of their teeth and will not show them off so no pictures yet.

We have yet to be able to find any literature that explains how/why mirror twins happen... we just think it's pretty cool.

Little Devils

2010-10-09T10:18:00.004-04:00

The girls are increasingly discovering the secrets of our house and keeping us on our toes. There is no shortage of mischief in their eyes when they find their way someplace they haven't been before. Here is Emily after figuring out that I have a drawer under my bed that holds clothes that she can reach into. Her work is not done until the drawer is empty.

Then there are the days that they send me off to work like this and I realize why on a regular basis I clean up piles of clothes, rescue dirty diapers from a kiddo's hands, re-roll/fold toilet paper and put books back on the shelf that have been absconded into the crib. They are just too darn cute and they know it.

Game Day Attire

2010-10-09T10:13:00.002-04:00

Since I have been pitiful at posting of late, I figured I would include some pictures of the girls. I refuse to put the little ladies in pink Steelers gear - I also refuse to wear it myself - it just seems way too girly. Instead, I pair their Steelers onesies with tutus because that's not girly right? My rules make sense someplace in my delusional brain.

One Year of Service

2010-10-09T10:08:00.004-04:00

This post may be TMI for some of you. If so, stop reading now. I was on my way to London on Monday night and I had the most pitiful pump... not even enough to feed one girl half a meal. Since it was October 4th - the one year anniversary of my last night of freedom - I decided I was done. I had turned my body over to the kiddos fully a year ago and it was time to take it back.

It was a freeing thought in the moment and I didn't think twice about not buying an adapter. At present it's still a very uncomfortable decision, but I trust that the cabbage leaves will eventually work their magic.

We go today to return "big blue" to the hospital. I imagine that we drink champagne in celebration tonight.

Return to Sender... Too Much Puke

2010-09-12T19:34:00.003-04:00

Warning, this post is not for the queasy.. and it's shockingly long. We have spent all week dealing with our first bout of the stomach flu and lucky for us, it's not the normal 48 hour variety, but the 5-7 day version, which we didn't realize until we tried to resume normal diets. With my true love of all things potty humor, I realized that if this wasn't happening to me, I would find it hysterical. Unfortunately, it was.

Sunday

Around midnight we hear a baby start to cry. They normally settle themselves back to sleep, but something about the cry told us that something wasn't right. Bill goes to investigate.
Bill shows up with Emily at the door of the bedroom saying that he thinks she threw up because she smells.
I go pull up her mattress and bring it out of the room - oh yes, the evidence is clear
We change her bed, give her a sponge bath, start the laundry and get her back to bed
15 minutes later, repeat
Fortunately, that was it for the night and we got to bed about 2am.

Monday

We cancelled all of our Labor Day plans to avoid spreading the germs
We pat ourselves on the back because Emily seems OK and Addison seems to have a "milder" version. Yes, we are still naive, rookie parents.
At bedtime, Addison is refusing her bottle. We assume it's because she doesn't want to go to sleep. However, about 5 minutes later, she projectile pukes... it didn't look real to see the volume and velocity coming out of her. Bill and I just watched it happen, mouths agape with shock at the spectacle. We get her cleaned up and down to bed hoping that she sleeps it off like Emily did
I start feeling queasy, but I don't do throw up well so I figure that's the issue. Bill says his stomach hurts, Bill NEVER says anything hurts. Uh Oh. We eat leftovers anyway.
Around 9:15 a baby is crying. I ask Bill if he can take care of it so I can pump and we can both go to bed. Bill tells me he can't move. Crap.
I go upstairs and get Emily and try to rock her back to sleep. I think I hear Bill calling me and get really annoyed... Does he think I can yell back from the nursery. Turns out he is in the basement losing to the bug. (I am two floors up)
I can get Emily to sleep, but every time I put her down she starts to freak out. It's been 45 minutes so I go downstairs to ask Bill if he can try so I can pump, which is when he tells me he's sick. I figure it's the same disease so no big deal. But now Addison is crying.
I go take care of Addison & Bill has Emily. We finally get them both to sleep around 10:30 and Bill sprints from the bedroom to the bathroom to throwup again.
Instantly, both babies are awake and crying again. I shoo Bill out of the room as he tries to tell me he feels better. I finally get them both back to bed around 11pm, but it wasn't pretty.
I pump and get to bed about 11:45... way past my bedtime.
I succumb to the bug at midnight and spend the rest of the night getting ill and basically don't sleep. I can't keep anything down.

Tuesday

Bill gets up with the girls. He's moving slowly and still queasy. Addison is crying as he goes back up to get Emily. I think I will go sit with her. I only make it to the bathroom and spend most of the rest of the morning lying there on the floor hoping Bill doesn't need it.
I leave the nanny the most pathetic voicemail ever asking her to come over early. Her phone is off and she gets stuck in 1st day of school, Congress back in session traffic. Not only is she not early, she's 30 minutes late. But, we are simply thankful that she is there and a competent, rested adult is ready to take charge.
Bill is feeling better and takes me to urgent care where I get 3 pints of fluid via IV. I finally feel human.
Bill goes to the grocery store and gets jello and all sorts of other clear food. Plus, he he wants Oreos and Doritos... he only gets the Oreos. A friend reminds him that he's sick... he hasn't just finished a cleanse. I hide the Oreos.

Wednesday

All appears to be better. I let Bill have Oreos after work.

Thursday

I gave the girls solid food for the first time again for dinner
I'm washing bottles after dinner and I hear Addison coughing... I turn around to find the same projectile performance and she bursts into tears.
I pick up my vomit-covered daughter (this is the definition of love for me) to console her.
Emily gets jealous and starts to crawl toward me... through the vomit.
She slips & falls and is herself covered head to toe in puke and crying. I console her too.
I call Bill to order more pedialyte on his way home from work and all three of us girls take a bath together
Bill comes home, helps me get the girls to bed and cleans the mess... thank God he is my husband and can handle puke.

Saturday

At this point we've been really cautious with the girls' diet, but I've already started weaning and we've gone through all the frozen reserves of breastmilk this week.
I decide to give the girls formula for their 11:30am bottle rather than pedialyte thinking it's time to get back to nutrition. Bad idea.
I went out to run errands and Addison elected to projectile vomit in the basement... she apparently needed to ensure she got all 3 floors of our house.
I call the pediatrician freaking out because I don't know what we're going to feed the babies if they can no longer stomach formula. That's when the nurse tells me that the current strain going around is a 5-7 day bug and to keep going with the pedialyte for a while if the formula is too harsh on their stomachs.
We follow directions... and skip the NICU reunion party... probably shouldn't introduce this bug to peeps who work with sick babies.
We have our first babysitter and dinner with friends planned for the night... we decide to go anyway when there have been no more ill effects... after all, we made it through Friday with no problems and no more formula has been used.
The babysitter reports they slept like a charm. Success... we are again proud of ourselves as we go to bed about midnight. Sigh... we should know better at this point.
2am crying... Addison has thrown up again... not much, but enough to wake her and freak her out... and wake Emily.
It took until 4am to get the babies back to sleep... I just can't let them cry it out knowing that they don't feel well.
At 5am Addison is wide awake and starving...
3 hours of sleep is not enough for mom or dad... ugh

Our fingers are crossed that we are now nearing 7 days of all of us having this bug and will be firmly out of the woods. It definitely got Addison & I the worst, as Emily and Bill have been fine after Day 1. Impressively, the girls are still in good spirits whenever they are not throwing up... as evidenced by their time playing in the Diapers.com box... if only I could say the same for mom :)

Marching Orders

2010-09-06T20:01:00.002-04:00

We have a pretty steady ritual at bath time each night. It has evolved slightly since the girls learned to crawl. It is also quite fun to watch so we taped it tonight. We're not making things up when we say they like bath time.

A Taste of Big Sky

2010-08-29T21:15:00.002-04:00

A lot more to come on our first vacations with the little ladies. But, this picture is too cute not to share... in my humble, terribly biased opinion

Game Day

2010-08-29T21:05:00.005-04:00

For those of you blissfully unaware, it's preseason football. This means it's time to get out the Steelers gear. Seriously, the NFL needs to put out some cuter infant girl outfits... and not by just making everything pink. I digress... In the words of Bill (last Saturday)

I asked the girls what they wanted to wear this morning...

They looked at me in disbelief and declared...

"Dad, it's game day!"

Even if we'll be asleep when the game is on....

We're excited... plus we have shoes

Bring it Giants!

Emily's game face

Best $6.99 I've Ever Spent

2010-08-29T20:54:00.006-04:00

While in Montana Aunt Sky suggested that we look for back yard pools, as they were likely on sale since it is the end of the summer season. It took me 30 seconds to find one at Toys R Us and it is by far one of the best purchases I've ever made. Emily and Addison love to be in the pool.

Two days, two videos, same results. Really, this is pool time anytime... with or without the camera.

Who Needs Toys?

2010-08-29T20:36:00.002-04:00

It's been too long. Between a trip to Montana (post to come) and then a week with no Internet (thank you Long Fence), I just got really behind in blogging and the tasked seemed monumental. I have made a commitment to myself to catch up this week so we'll start with the most recent.

The girls are fully mobile and seem to find more amusement in the items that happen to be around our house than anything we could possibly buy them. I'll consider that a lesson learned.

Don't Try This At Home

2010-07-20T21:23:00.004-04:00

Spike Mendelsohn of Top Chef fame has a restaurant in DC called Good Stuff Eatery. One of our favorite items on the menu is the Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake. I was super excited when we saw the recipe in People Magazine because I had no idea how all that toasted marshmallow goodness got into a glass. Since Bill got a milkshake machine for his birthday, we thought we would attempt to make our own at home. Heather was much more keen on this idea... Bill was more interested in perfecting cookies & cream. Turns out, Bill was right. Toasted Marshmallow Milkshakes are beyond our skills.

Step one of the recipe is to broil the marshmallows for 2-3 minutes, stirring them part way through so that they are charred on all sides. For the home cooks (or idiots like us) you should ensure that the marshmallow mound after "stirring" is not so high that it actually touches the broiler or you get this.

Yes, Bill had to yank the pan out with marshmallows on fire. He huffed and he puffed to blow the fire out. You would think with one oven fire under our belt for the night, we would give up. But, we thought the secret to success was 1) turning the broiler to low and 2) keeping the marshmallows on an even plane. This turns out to be incorrect. Oven fire #2 ensues.

What an incinerated marshmallow looks like... in case you were wondering.

Never ones to give up, we decided to salvage whatever edible marshmallow goo was available to make shakes. Turn on the blender (which we used instead of the milkshake machine because it's what the recipe called for)... two kids awake and crying within seconds. FAIL on so many levels. At least we managed to cobble together some sort of milkshake.

As a pal said as we texted our progress on this endeavor... perhaps there is a reason that Spike is a Top Chef. We just wonder what the neighbors think of us... Bill sprinting outside with two flaming trays of marshmallows within 10 minutes of each other. From now on we will be headed to Good Stuff for these treats.

We still like each other

2010-07-05T13:51:00.004-04:00

Here is a quick video I shot yesterday. There are two pieces of good news here. Most importantly, it appears that the girls still like each other. It's amazing how well they play together...most of the time. I will discuss the second item after you watch the video (Hint: it has nothing to do with twins).

In case you were wondering, the answer is YES. That was the theme from The Greatest American Hero playing in the background. SyFy was running a marathon yesterday and I spent a little bit of time watching. Normally, the girls are not allowed to watch TV but a) they were too engrossed in each other to notice and b) during the few moments they did look at the screen, they were blinded by the early 80's hair styles and had to look away.

Foot Fetish

2010-07-03T12:18:00.011-04:00

I have no idea why, but both Addison & Emily have a foot fetish. It would be one thing if they only loved their own feet...

...and perhaps if they just loved each others'....

...but walk by with a pair of open-toed shoes and these ladies will stop whatever they are doing to stare in amazement at your toes.

Get too close or move to slow and it is likely your toes will end up in their mouths. I find it creepy and hilarious at the same time.

PB&J

2010-07-03T12:13:00.003-04:00

Morning Adventures

2010-06-29T15:59:00.013-04:00

No, I'm not talking about ongoing conflicts with giraffes (although there are rumors that a peace agreement may be at hand soon). I speak of the (mis)adventures we have in the mornings once Heather leaves for work. I have somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes wherein I usually need to shower, get dressed and often try to tidy up the house. Ideally, I would just play with the girls the entire time, but this would mean going to work every day unshowered in a T-shirt and shorts. I may be a lameduck and all, but I don't wish to burn any bridges or offend my co-workers.

Inevitably, interesting events occur. For example, one morning Addison launched whatever toy she had at that moment onto the floor while sitting in the Bumbo seat. She wanted it back badly enough to contort her body and get out of the seat.

Note that the following photo depicts a recreation of actual events. No babies were harmed during filming and Emily is playing the role of Addison.

I heard a small noise (not an ominous thump as one would expect) and found this when I came back in our bedroom. No tears or injuries. She is either pretty tough or she used her impressive upper body strength to lower herself out of the chair. Either way, there is no more leaving the room when they are in these chairs.

When I do have a few extra minutes before Ruth arrives, we tend to sit and talk on the couch. I speak of life, death, the merits of hard work and integrity while the girls try to eat their toes and the pillows.

Today, I was given the privilege of choosing their outfit myself. Letting dad dress the kids may mean...

...shirts displaying messages that misrepresent which parent they like more.

Some good news is that I could not have been prouder of Addison's reaction when I offered her People magazine to read. As you can see, she was quite angry and also treated the magazine to some violence. Emily, on the other hand, was engrossed in her 10th or 11th reading of Fluffy Chick.

I'm Not Sure I've Ever...

2010-06-28T19:25:00.002-04:00

...had a hickie. That is, until last night. Addison was having a major, major meltdown for reasons not identified. She wouldn't breastfeed, wouldn't take the bottle and got really angry with the pacifier. All she wanted to do was suck on my bicep. Eventually, I gave in and she fell asleep sucking away and I ended up with this lovely love bite. Classy, I know, but sometimes it's all about whatever works.

Bath Time - Rated PG-13

2010-06-13T15:43:00.007-04:00

Addison & Emily LOVE their bath. No matter how grumpy or fussy they are bath time is fun time as you can see in these videos. Mom & Dad never come out dry anymore, but it's one of our favorite times of the day.

It's a good thing that they love their bath since they tend to end up looking like this after dinner

Six Months

2010-06-13T15:36:00.002-04:00

It's really hard to believe that the girls celebrated their six month birthday on Thursday.

Sadly, our celebration was three doctor's appointments. Addison & Emily are nearly caught up developmentally. They hit all of the 6 months milestones with the exception of being able to sit on their own. We also had the cardiologist follow-up for Addison. The good news is that her VSD has closed completely. The ASD is still there, but it is so small that even if it doesn't close the cardiologist recommends no intervention since the risks associated with a hole that small are so minuscule. We have another follow-up at 1 year and we'll keep our fingers crossed that the hole just closes.

I took the day from work with the belief that I would spend the day with the ladies. However, after the doctor's appointment I went shopping and got a pedicure. Apparently what I needed for their 1/2 birthday was some me time. A work pal told me that early birthdays should be all about the parents... celebrating the fact that we've managed to keep the little ones alive. I like that plan.

Fashion Plate

2010-05-30T12:44:00.004-04:00

Nick and Kristin are visiting this weekend. As two employees of A&F, I think it is required that they have a keen sense of style (that's why I think they turned me down for a job many moons ago... they sensed my non-hipness). Good thing for the girls that they do have hip people in their lives so that they don't miss any baby style trends. Thanks for the visit, the opportunity for Bill and I go for a bikeride together again, the fantastic cookout and the rockin' duds for the ladies.

No Thanks

2010-05-30T12:27:00.004-04:00

Well, we thought that this weekend would be when we started the girls on solid foods. It was not to be. While they are 5.5 months old, they are still only 4 months developmentally... right on the cusp of when kiddos start to eat solid foods. We gave rice cereal a try yesterday morning and we can say with confidence that the girls did not enjoy it. Addison still has the reflex that pushes everything out of her mouth as soon as it goes in so we're not sure she ate anything. Emily swallowed some, but you can see from these pictures how happy she was about it.

So, we'll wait a week or two and try again. If they are kids of ours, we have confidence that they will figure out how to eat solid foods... and really enjoy it. Below are some pics...

The Few; The Proud; The Identical

2010-05-26T07:53:00.002-04:00

On the heels of watching The Pacific (very well done, but hard to watch b/c of the subject matter) and the upcoming Memorial Day, the girls thought it was time to show their support for our troops. Our dear friend who (along with his wife) outfitted us with these dresses is currently deployed and many of our close friends are military families. We try to always remember the sacrifices they make so that we can live our lives and raise our girls with peace and freedom.

I recently had the opportunity to meet a woman who had twin girls two days prior to Emily & Addison. Her husband gave her life for our country this fall while deployed. She is amazing. Her girls are lovely. I am thankful.

Top secret training footage

2010-05-15T21:18:00.003-04:00

The editors of The Twins are Quite a Handful have obtained top secret training footage of Addison and Emily. It is not know when or where these videos were taken. No doubt the giraffes will not sleep well tonight though.

Increased Mobility

2010-05-15T16:59:00.003-04:00

Our girls have always been mobile. They have been inch-worming in their cribs for weeks now. This was endearing for the most part with the exception of the occasional head wedged against the crib incident.

About two weeks ago, Emily spent several hours trying to impress the Melichar clan by rolling over. She was never quite successful, but we figured it would happen quickly. She seemed to have lost interest shortly thereafter. Then about a week later we found Addison face down in her crib. She must have been watching Emily and, it seems, with minimal effort learned a new trick.

Sadly, this trick often comes in the middle of the night now and our sleep has....uhhhhh....decreased. She loves it though and is always proud of herself...at least until she gets tired of being on her tummy and starts yelling. Emily has now caught up as of today. The clip below is Addison.

WTF Is Wrong With Me?

2010-05-14T19:28:00.005-04:00

Just in case you thought I had my sh*t together from the last post, I thought I would share another story from last week. My day started with my attempt to load new pictures of the girls onto my digital frame at the office. Somehow, pictures of the operating room during my C-section were on the thumb drive and started playing on my frame. While talking to a team member in London, I see my placenta flash up on the screen. Yes, we took pictures, but never with any intent for public consumption... I have no idea how they EVER ended up on a thumb drive. I was so glad it was a virtual meeting. If only such luck continued throughout the day.

As I went to pump for the second time for the day, I was wildly confused because I had on no camisole under my cardigan. It took a second to sink in, but yes, I forgot to put my shirt on after my first pump and had been walking around in my bra and a cardigan sweater FOR HOURS. What's worse is I had looked twice at myself in the bathroom mirror and thought, "wow, I feel like I'm all boobs in this outfit today" without realizing I was walking around in my bra. This is where the question WTF is wrong with me comes from.

Of course, all of my meetings in that period had been with male co-workers. So, when Bill asked if anyone noticed, I had no idea because I couldn't imagine how any of my coworkers would broach the subject of my lack of a key piece of clothing.

When something this embarrassing happens, you either need to own it fully or deny it ever happened. Since I couldn't answer the question of whether anyone noticed, I figured I had to own it, fess up and make fun of myself. Otherwise, when the inevitable e-mail comes from our HR department about dress code (when it gets hot, outfits seem to get non-existent in a company with plenty of 20-somethings) I would be paranoid if it was about me. I did need a few days between "the incident" and my ability to make fun of myself to anyone who actually saw me.

PS... There are no pictures with this post :)

Beginning to Recognize Myself

2010-05-14T07:12:00.008-04:00

I'm getting back to the place where I recognize myself again. On Monday I somehow managed to go to work, cook dinner, feed the girls, get them to bed, get in a workout with pals AND get to bed at the same time I normally would. I debated titling this post "I Rule," but as it is I fear I am jinxing myself just by letting the world know that I had a day where I worked, had time with the kids and did some things for myself... a rarity, but it made me feel good to start to figure out how to put some things back into my life that I had enjoyed so much before babies. We'll see if I can keep this trend up. I think the cooking can continue as long as I have such happy kids in the kitchen.

Biddies

2010-05-14T07:05:00.006-04:00

This picture of the girls cracks me up. To me they look like little old ladies gossiping.... just switch out the bumpo for rocking chair... or beach recliners as they went on to their first sunbathing later in the day.

No, no, I'm not such a bad mom that I put them in the sun... they are in the shade watching us garden. And yes, those are giraffes on Emily's dress.

Afternoon Tea with Grammy

2010-05-14T07:00:00.004-04:00

A week after I went to work, my mom came to town. It's great to have a visitor you feel comfortable enough with to ask them to make you dinner every night of the week. It was great and the reason I have finally gotten off my own rear and started to cook again.

A tradition I wanted to start was going to high tea every time Grammy comes for a visit. While we went to the Ritz this time, something tells me we'll have to take a tour through slightly less nice tea rooms at some point before we go back for the nice stuff. I hope to make lots of memories and be an expert in Washington DC tea rooms by the time it's all done. Plus, I couldn't resist and opportunity to get them in their darling Easter dresses one more time before they grow out of them.

Spoiled Rotten

2010-05-14T06:43:00.002-04:00

I realize I've once again gotten out of the habit of posting. I blame it on the fact that we have been spoiled rotten with visitors. I mentioned in the hospital, one of the best parts of bedrest was the time to catch up with old pals. It turns out that having the babies does the same thing, except in person. Bill and I have been spoiled rotten by a lot of visitors in the last 4-6 weeks... especially when the visitors bring along their 3 pint-sized family members (yes, many of our friends already have 3) who are entertained by entertaining Addison & Emily... it's perfect.

There's nothing better than watching kids interact with kids. Some of the highlights for me.

One little guy working his heart out to get some smiles from the girls... something tells me that somewhere down the road it won't take any time at all for this little man to get girls to smile
One little gal breaking out into a "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" song and dance routine for the girls in their swings
One little gal reading a book to them and when her mom inquired about what they were doing, she told her reading a book, but not to worry that she was leaving out the part with the witches because Addison & Emily are too little for scary parts
One little girl smart enough to find their bottles in the refrigerator and bring them to me asking to feed them

Bill and I been truly spoiled by visits with Kerry, Paul, Kristen, Charlie, Kyrra, Jerome, LMJ, Sue, Sean, Kevin & Mo... and to think we thought having kids might ruin our social life.

I Heart Owls

2010-04-26T20:36:00.002-04:00

Apparently, Addison gets excited by owls. Perhaps there is a connection to my grandmother who had an owl collection (Addison is named after her). The girls have become aware of their surroundings much more of late. Previously, all attempts to use toys as a distraction were futile. Happily, that has changed. Even Bill and I are more interesting than we used to be.

One of These Is Not LIke The Other...

2010-04-15T06:43:00.002-04:00

...but not by much.

Since the girls were dressed alike yesterday, Bill took some pictures to quiz me (and others) on telling the girls apart. If you'd like to play along, the pictures are here.

For the record, I scored 100%

A Whole New World

2010-04-10T14:30:00.005-04:00

On April 1st I started back to work. I got lots of questions at work about how I felt about coming back. My answer is that I will be happy to be back, just not yet. I do think that I will ultimately be a better mom and wife by working. It's unbelievably hard work to be a stay at home mom and do that job 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Having a break both helps me better enjoy the time with the ladies and not feel so drained that my head wants to spin in circles if Bill wants to do something for himself like play in a basketball league after work.

So, I believe that this is the right decision for our family, but in a perfect world I would either make maternity leaves 9 months long or return to work for 4-5 hours a day. The logistics of getting everyone fed and Bill and I out of the house is mindblowing and just plain hard. Doing it on minimal sleep makes it comical. Thank goodness we are fortunate enough to have a nanny who comes to the house to make some of it easier.

The whole thing will get easier as the girls consistently sleep through the night. In the meantime, I imagine that many a night I will end up like this on the couch right after dinner, taking any opportunity to snooze that I can. Don't ask me what's going on with all of those blankets... I am convinced one was on Bill before he left the couch.

Happy Easter

2010-04-10T14:11:00.004-04:00

For Easter we took the girls' first trip to Pennsylvania so that they could meet their Uncle Mike, cousin Michael and Bill's aunts and uncles. It's a trip that's easy to do in a day as two adults... slightly more challenging with little ones. As always, we discovered that the best laid plans don't always work when dealing with infants. Like their mom, the girls value sleep above all else. So, with the car in motion, they would not eat their bottles since it was too easy to be in dreamland. Oh well... who doesn't want to spend quality time at highway gas stations on Easter?

I have to admit that I was giddy about dressing them up in their Easter dresses. I couldn't wait to get them into their matching outfits. I'm not sure if I made them look like little girls or old ladies in these outfits. Emily and Addison conferred on the subject, but never did tell me the verdict. In either case, they were adorable and I'll continue to enjoy dressing them up for as long as they will let me.

Giraffe Wars - Part II

2010-04-10T13:45:00.006-04:00

We discovered that we aren't the only people who pit our babies against imaginary enemies... we just have far less time on our hands than Ready-Set-Bumpo. Here is the next installment of giraffe wars for your entertainment.

The giraffes have been quiet since the defection of their noneck obsese kin. The twins and noneck saw this as a good opportunity to tend to the farmland that is part of their kibbutz.

Not only is Noneck exceptionally strong and good with the plow, he makes an excellent pillow. There is evidence that the giraffes spliced his DNA with a hippopotamus. Nazi-like, if you ask me.

Emily says she would rather do battle with the giraffes than continue working the land. Cracks are developing already in the socialist paradise.

The bond between Noneck and Addison is growing. Here they relax together after a long day harvesting vegetables....vegetables they will use to lure the giraffes into a trap.

Given that the Coalition of the Nusery is facing a shortage of man/woman/animal power, they have taken the unusual step of recruiting their bankers to the conflict.

The newly enlarged Coalition assembles for calistenics and planning.

After once again being licked furiously by the pseudo-identical puppy twins, Addison spoke of the lack of ferocity in the nursery.

"Bear must be rescued!", exclaimed Emily. He has sharp teeth and claws wheras I have no teeth and mom always cuts my claws.

General Apple visited the library hoping that history might lend some insight to Emily's quest.

General Apple lectures Addison on the lessons history can teach. In this case, the team draws insight from We're Going on a Bear Hunt.

Emily clings to the bottom of Noneck's fur and he covertly escorts her to Bouncie Chair Prison.

Once inside, Emily learns that Bear is quite comfy in the vibrating bouncie chair prison. It takes some convincing and an appeal to his Nursery patriotism to get Bear to agree to escape.

Back in the nursery, Bear discovers something better than a vibrating bouncie chair--a new friend.

A long conversation

2010-03-26T18:58:00.002-04:00

Last night, the girls had a lot to say to each other so I grabbed the camera and started recording. This video will motivate us to a) hit the HD button on the camera in the future and b) buy an actual video camera. Regardless, this video is only about half of the conversation.

What were they discussing? It's hard to tell. At one point, Addison grunted angrily and I thought it might be her right-leaning politics commenting on the health insurance legislation. On the other hand, in our house, she could have been angry about Big Ben's poor judgment (again!) in Georgia a few weeks ago.

Imagination (a.k.a. Giraffe Wars)

2010-03-25T19:13:00.011-04:00

Many people know my affinity for giraffes and were not surprised that animals were the theme of the nursery. My college pal Krista is currently living in South Africa and she picked the girls up some gorgeous hand-made giraffes and mailed them while in the States over the holidays. Since they have such contrasting colors, they caught the girls' attention early on and would be a toy we would put out for them to "play" with. Bill's imagination is much more vivid though and "giraffe wars" started and has continued with a new installment just about every Saturday morning.

While they are still ongoing (primarily via Bill's facebook page), I wanted to capture them here with a pledge to post more frequently so you can follow along. We hope his imagination is this vivid when the girls get older and are more than mere pawns in his games :)

Giraffes 2; Twins 0

Twins vs giraffes, part II - The peace process appears to have been a success considering everyone is cuddling now.

Twins vs. Giraffes part III - Giraffes bring in reinforcements and the Happy Apple comes to the rescue.

Giraffes won this round easily.

Knowing the giraffes could strike at any moment, the girls seek council from General Happy Apple. As you can see, they have donned body armor with what appears to be wings.

The coalition of the nursery has been assembled. They are ready.

Knowing naptime was approaching, the giraffes wisely delayed their assault.

The time was now right.

The surge came from the west and was led by the brillant mutant purple giraffe (rumored to be from outer space).

With most of his army asleep, Bear (mostly a peace-loving Teddy) was quickly overwhelmed by the nimble giraffes.

Bear was taken to the infamous Vibrating Bouncie Chair prison. We are told he actually likes it there.

After being captured the Happy Apple was not as fortunate as Bear. He faced interrogation using the dreaded Apple Corer.

Emily put on a giraffe disguise and successfully infiltrated their headquarters. The Happy Apple was rescued before any serious coring took place.

Addison with her two new bodyguards. Life in the nursery has been rough lately.

The girls have a new ally. Obese no neck giraffe has defected from his own kind after years of abuse and ridicule.

Addison tells Noneck that in their socialist paradise everyone is treated equally (they are still young and idealistic) and that he is welcome to stay.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...

2010-03-25T19:12:00.002-04:00

...who is the fairest one of all?

Emily of course...perhaps this is photographic proof of the LMJ's prediction that Emily will be the girlie twin.

Office Visit

2010-03-21T10:23:00.008-04:00

Since Heather is going back to work soon, we wanted to get the girls in to my office for a visit. On Thursday, she drove in, then we grabbed lunch and some Hello Cupcakes. Once we arrived at my office, the scene was relatively predictable. We could no doubt make some sociological comments about how different folks in the office reacted. I will generalize the following and back things up with photographic evidence. Eventually, Addison emerged from her car seat. (Vanity forced me to cut off my head since that portion of the photo was so bad). These photos and more are also available on Picasa.

Note the gender dominance checking the girls out
All childless men who visited the common area came for the cupcakes
Even some of the ladies really just came for the cupcakes

A year ago...

2010-03-20T09:11:00.008-04:00

...the month of March was a little different. I was entered into at least 3 separate March Madness pools (all the legal non-gambling kind of course). I'm sure I drank a beer or two on St. Patrick's Day. I watched a few basketball games to their conclusion and even ran the National Marathon.

Obviously, things have changed. I think after weighing these two Marches against each other though, it's pretty clear who the winner is--Emily! The new camera is doing some excellent work.

This morning, I was faced with the grim task of outfitting the girls with (gasp) Notre Dame onesies. Grandpa Blannin is a graduate and I have been remiss in getting some onesies to represent the competition. Therefore, I scowled and dressed them this morning. They seemed to like it though (sigh) as evidenced by the photos below.

Getting Back Out There

2010-03-14T13:14:00.003-04:00

Today was my first run since the Reston Sprint Tri on May 31st last year. I went 3.5 miles in the cold rain and it was definitely a humbling experience. A high risk pregnancy + 10 weeks of 24/7 bedrest + c-section + infant twins = a much slower Heather. But, I was proud of myself for sticking to a plan to run the Columbia Triathlon at the end of May and enjoying the fact that I can run again.

I question my sanity for having signed up for Columbia... it's one of the hardest courses around. But, I keep reminding myself that my goal is simply to finish so that I get back into a healthy, active lifestyle, which does a lot to preserve my sanity on a day-to-day basis. I look forward to the day when the girls can join me on a run... neck control and perhaps having legs that reach to the end of the stroller seat will be milestones they should hit before we take them for a run in the Christmas gift Bill and I gave to each other.

I will now try to get back to my once weekly posting habit...

Rookie Mistake

2010-03-14T13:05:00.002-04:00

Last week it was time to order new diapers... I knew that the girls were starting to grow out of size 1, but surely thought that we could make it through another case (about 2 weeks) before ordering 1-2s. We had been through four outfits by 11am yesterday thanks to diaper blowouts... my denial that they are growing bigger was met with lots more poopy laundry. I have learned now not to push my luck on diaper sizes.

So, this afternoon we will give the rest of our case to Hayden... HJ's little boy who was born Wed, exactly three months after Addison & Emily arrived. We can't wait to meet the little guy!

Smile!

2010-03-14T12:57:00.007-04:00

Addison & Emily have started to really smile. They've always been happy babies who would give us a contented smile, but they have moved onto social smiles when you talk to them. We think it's so darn cute that we spent the past 24 hours using our fancy new camera to try to capture one for each of them... these photos show we have some work to do learning how to use the new camera, but shows their gorgeous toothless smiles.

Addison
Emily - who still loves to stick her tongue out

Coming Out Party

2010-03-14T12:49:00.007-04:00

My pals Lara & HJ were kind enough to host a "coming out" party so that we could celebrate the safe and healthy arrival of the girls. The event was perfect... a great chance to connect with friends and an excuse to dress up the girls. What more could I ask for. Some photos of the event are below compliments of TJ.

The Spread - Everyone should be lucky enough to have Lara & HJ cook for them

Ruffle Butt Tights... probably my favorite item of clothing they own

Addison taking a break from the action

Emily making new friends

Bedtime

2010-03-03T19:57:00.004-05:00

Everything I have read tells me that sometime in the next three weeks the girls will start to show signs of drowsiness earlier in the evening and that we should watch for these signs or else risk over-tired kiddos that are a struggle to put down.... I thought the signs would be subtle... apparently not...

Perspective

2010-03-03T19:46:00.009-05:00

I have been trying to take some pictures that show the girls' size relative to the world and not just each other so that we can remember how small they were... none of our NICU pictures do them justice. My attempts to do so have taught me that it's near impossible to capture the two of them looking cute together (perhaps with the new fancy camera that's on the way as opposed to an iPhone). But, they take solo shots like champs :) Here are a few from the weekend they hit 10 weeks... now almost two weeks ago.

Hanging Out in the Nursery Glider

Addison

Emily

Trying Out Our Bumpo Seats (Thanks Chris, K, Anna & James)

Emily

Addison

I have a few other blog posts to write, but minimal time at the computer these days (imagine that). One day I will sit down and pound a few out, but for now I wanted to share how big they have grown.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-17T09:29:00.004-05:00

We had a physical therapist visit the house to evaluate the girls for any developmental delays (none noticed). She brought a 1970s Happy Apple with her and I was stunned to see the girls interact with an object for the first time. I had to have one. Several eBay auctions later and we had one on the way. the snowstorm delayed delivery so it became a Valentine's Day present.

I knew the girls would enjoy it, but didn't realize that Addison would like him so much to make him her first boyfriend:

Emily's jealousy is evident, but not to worry... she stole Addison's boyfriend the next day. I hope that's not foreshadowing for later in life. They do a lot more with the apple than make out, but we don't have that on film. Here is a photo of both girls decked out in hearts for the holiday.

Multiple Choice

2010-02-17T09:22:00.004-05:00

What is Bill doing with Addison in this picture?

a) teaching her the ins and outs of Blimmel Accepted Accounting Principles
b) showing her his extensive Taylor Swift and Jewel itunes collection, hoping to have someone in the family who doesn't tease him for it
c) ensuring she is an Apple convert from the beginning
d) all of the above

On this day, the answer happened to be A, but I imagine that over time the answer will be D. I just love catching him in moments with our little ladies... a photographer I am not, but here's another one with Bill snuggling up with Emily.

New web album

2010-02-17T08:54:00.003-05:00

No time to write much right now. We'll try to do that in the next few days since the girls met their Uncle Chris and Aunt Skylar this weekend and also visited visited the pediatrician yesterday.

Toys and Valentine's Day

Snowpocalypse 2010

2010-02-08T23:02:00.008-05:00

Washington DC has been covered in snow and I (unlike the vast majority of the city) am in heaven. I love snow because it is rare in this area and it makes me feel like a kid again. When we had a huge snowstorm in December, I was sad that we had to go to the hospital and couldn't just become shut ins for a few days as a new family and enjoy the snow.

I was excited to hear that we were getting another storm, but had no idea what we were in for. To say I got my wish to be shut ins for a few days is an understatement. Our street hasn't been plowed and likely won't be for a while (especially with another 10 - 20 inches coming tomorrow) so Bill and our neighbors shoveled the street to make it passable. Nonetheless, with a rear wheel drive minivan, we're not going anywhere for a while. While the girls aren't yet old enough to play in the snow, we took them out for a walk and to meet the neighbors since it was simply gorgeous the day after the dumping.

I'm sure at some point the shut in feeling is going to get quite old (especially since walks by myself with the stroller are now out). But, for now I'm enjoying this time knowing that it will likely be years before we get a storm like this again.

Newborns No More

2010-02-08T22:56:00.012-05:00

It's hard for me to believe, but we've started to store the girls' newborn-sized clothing already because it no longer fits. The girls are gaining weight like champs and are generally thriving... if only they would gain the weight by nursing directly, but that's the subject for another post. I kick myself for not taking more pictures at their birth that show their relative size. They seem like big kids to me, but they are really just the size of normal 2-3 week olds.

I was particularly sentimental when we put away the outfits that they came home from the hospital in. Here are pictures of them the first time we dressed them (to come home) followed by a picture from the weekend... the last time these outfits were worn before being packed away.

THEN:

NOW:

Because their many adoring fans asked for it...

2010-01-30T17:21:00.003-05:00

...we bring you an entire album of photos.

Encompassed within is a visit from Aunt Sue complete with brunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Eventide. Grandma also stayed with us for a few days to help out, cousin/second cousin Mary Beth stopped by uncle Nick just arrived to meet the girls. Right now, we are getting some lovely snow in the DC area. I wanted to take them out, toss them in the snow and have them make snow angels, but Heather said they are too young. Nick did not weigh in, but I think he was with me. He wanted to take them sledding on the Walter Reed hill.

Boppy Adventures

2010-01-30T13:47:00.005-05:00

The Boppy is marketed as a pillow to help support a baby during breastfeeding. As a mom who is desperately trying to teach her daughters to nurse so she can shed the third kid (the pump), I can say that it categorically fails in this regard. I find it cumbersome and annoying. However, as an extra set of hands, it's invaluable and leads to some of the cutest pictures we've taken yet.

One suggestion from the lactation consultant was to use the Boppy to prop a bottle so that I can feed one little girl while in an extended breastfeeding practice session with the other. This should help me practice breastfeeding during the day. Instead my attempt at bottle propping taught me how much babies do love to be swaddled since hungry Emily immediately just snuggled in for a nap instead. I guess she wanted to be loved on while she ate and was willing to wait.

The Boppy armchair is also quite effective. Despite the fact that this is the hippest outfit we own (faux fir vest and glittery onesie), this picture proves that we come into this world looking like we do when we go out of it. Could Addison look any more like an 80 year-old grandmother in this pose?

This final photo will certainly earn me mother of the year. In fairness, I was trying to get Addison on her stomach to work out some gas. She started with the Boppy under her armpits, but by the time I was done pumping she was in this position. As long as her nose is free she can breathe right? She was so darn cute that before rescuing her I had to snap a photo.

The Boppy now travels with us throughout the day and I'm sure to find more ways to use it to help out... just not for the purpose it was intended. Oh well!

Helping Hands

2010-01-22T22:50:00.004-05:00

With all the uncertainty around delivery and time in the NICU, we couldn't have timed our first visitors to meet the girls any better. My dad (a.k.a., Gramps) came just as Bill headed back to work. It was great to have an extra set of hands so I could practice doing everything myself without the stress of truly being alone for a full day. It's a good thing that his friend in Florida bought him a set of twin dolls (weighted with sugar to make it more realistic) for his birthday. He was ready to manage two at a time.

The day after my dad left my pal Kelly arrived. Bill and I are not great at asking for help, but she knew just what to offer. While Bill had only had an opportunity to meet Kelly at our wedding and for a quick lunch in Cincinnati, I'm pretty sure he fell in love when she suggested that she bottle feed both girls while I pumped for an 11 o'clock feed so he could take the feed off and I could get to bed more quickly. I loved the opportunity to really catch up with a friend after too many years. My girls clearly loved her too since Emily tried to hitch a ride home to Ohio with her... or perhaps Kelly was trying to steal her since she's so cute ;)

Finally, Lara & Nora came by for a visit on my first day alone to break up the day and today I had my first full day on my own. We survived although I'm sure I demonstrated some mothering/feeding techniques that would not be officially sanctioned... but, we've made it through day one, which is always the hardest.

On the Map

2010-01-22T22:47:00.010-05:00

Today is Addison & Emily's due date. Preemies' development is tracked according to their corrected age (i.e., if they were born on their due date). Thus far, when asked their age by a medical professional, we would give it in terms of week pregnant I would have been. We enter a whole new world today... and wonder if we'll be able to keep this six week delay when we want it as parents (i.e., drivers license time).

I realized that we hadn't taken many pictures that show their relative size and yet they are growing so big (Addison was 7lb 12 oz and Emily was 7lb 8oz today) that we're already starting to pack up some of their preemie clothes and moving fully into the Newborn size. So, I decided to have a photo shoot to celebrate their due date... not the best with an iPhone, but I was only going to push my luck so far on my first day solo.

Six weeks in we're hanging in there as a family and figuring it out more and more each day. We're tired (as evidenced by the picture of my family below), but truly having some fun every day amidst the chaos. I'm now off to start the let the nighttime sleeping begin.

It Takes Two

2010-01-15T18:49:00.004-05:00

I am blessed with the ability to sleep through just about anything. I have to have an alarm clock set REALLY loud with the most annoying beep you can imagine (no volume of radio works) to get out of bed. I've always been this way... I slept through fire alarms in college. I had always assumed that the cries of my babies could permeate this fog. It's mostly true, but after five weeks of sleeping at most 2ish hours at a stretch, I have discussed with these girls that they are going to need to exercise their lungs a bit more for when we move to "on demand" feeding.

My inability to spring out of bed has led to some funny stories thus far. I have told Bill that I am pumping, asked him if I forgot to pump and many other comments about the pump since my body is responding to their cries before my brain is. Bill also laughed at me the other night as I frantically pressed buttons on the monitor trying to turn off the alarm on my iPhone. He wasn't laughing last night when I told him I would meet him upstairs with the bottles while fully asleep... 40 minutes later I was having a blissful snooze oblivious to the racket upstairs (in my defense Bill had the monitor assuming I was awake since he was having a conversation with me).

I am so happy that I have a husband who is a willing participant in caring for the girls... it's not lost on me the benefits of having a partner in all of this both for my mental state and getting the girls fed at night. That said, he's not fully immune from late night antics himself... as he woke up one night this week he told me he couldn't help because one of the girls was sleeping on his chest... if that had been true, she would have been buried under the down comforter so I was quite certain he was half asleep.

I figure between the two of us we have a decent shot at being coherent and that the girls will learn over time that they do need to sing for their supper at certain hours of the day. I have no idea how moms of triplets do it... live in help perhaps.

Sibling Rivalry

2010-01-11T21:31:00.003-05:00

In order to actually get some birth announcements out, Bill and I staged a photo shoot of the girls today (and then renewed our pledge to invest in a digital SLR). We managed to get some good shots, but this one will probably always be among my favorites... the rivalry begins as displayed by Emily sticking her tongue out at Addison.

Technically, I might say that the rivalry continues since I think the tongue out represents the Baby B personality that Emily displayed in utero... always moving around while Addison just chilled in my hip pocket for 10 weeks. Look for some similarly cute pictures in a mailbox near you when we finally get our act together to get the announcements made, ordered and envelopes addressed... definitely before their first birthday :)

Addison or Emily, part 317

2010-01-11T21:10:00.006-05:00

My time at home is drawing to a close...quickly...very quickly. We both marvel at how fast every day flies by and before we know it I'll be back at work. Therefore, we have started "practicing" for when Heather is on her own. More on that soon.

In the meantime, the gambler in me proposes a contest of wits for our readers. To be fair, you should not view the comments of this post until after you have guessed. I will think overnight on what the winner or winners get for a correct guess. Technically, you have even odds but the house always finds a way to tip the scales in its favor. The first photo is today before our visit to Elevation Burger. The second is also today during a nap in the family cradle while Bill and Heather watched the season premiere of Big Love.

Option A

Option B

This is a Test

2010-01-07T21:59:00.004-05:00

I noticed yesterday that the hospital bands are starting to leave little lines on the girls' legs. They aren't cutting off circulation yet, but with the girls happily gaining weight we are on borrowed time with the bands. This freaks me out because it is important to know who is who... of course Addison's holes in her heart would be cured if we brought in Emily for her six month check up instead. Yes, there are some personality differences at this point, but my biggest fear is not knowing who is who one day... the toenail polish could come off in the bath.

So, before we cut off the hospital bands I wanted us to spend a day with them dressed exactly alike to see if we could tell the difference. Bill or I would move them from floor to floor so the other one would lose track and then we would see if we knew who was who. They didn't make it easy... not only were they dressed alike, but they decided to engage in synchronized napping... seriously, we didn't position them this way.

Bill did much better than I did. He sees variation in the shapes of their faces that I just don't see... or at least don't trust that I see. I guessed correctly each time, but couldn't shake the feeling that I was guessing and didn't trust that I KNEW.

However, spending time studying them I did realize that their hair parts on opposite sides of their heads. Addison's part is on the right side and Emily's is on the left. So, tomorrow night when they get their baths we will remove their bands and we'll both have confidence that we know who is who... phew!