Sotorrific Twins

Low Moments in Parenting: Poop Edition

2011-11-15T15:25:00.000-05:00

The title should have sufficiently warned you.

Low Moment #1:

Over the weekend, I noticed thatboth Sebastian and Collette hadn't pooped in a couple days. This is typical (but still not good) for Collette but very odd for Sebas. I gave them both some Miralax in their milk - Collette stole most of Sebastian's and, shocker, pooped the next day. However, as of yesterday night, Sebastian still hadn't pooped and I could tell he was trying to and couldn't. A lovely chat with a friend who is a former nurse (hi Megan!) pointed me in the direction of suppositories. I hoped it wouldn't come to that but more Miralax did nothing. So, after school today, I got to give my son some medicine up his bum. Why don't any parenting books EVER mention this as a possibility?

Low Moment #2:

Matteo puts everything in his mouth. Dog food, bark mulch, crayons, whatever. I try not to spend too much time worrying about it. Whatever he swallows will probably just come out the other end, no problem. My theory was confirmed when I changed his diaper to see the poop staring back at me - the unlucky googly eye untouched by the digestive process. Ew.

Ma

Sympathy Pregnancy

2011-11-02T17:48:00.000-04:00

As Sebastian and Collette get older and understand more, I try to be as honest with them as possible. It can be hard to talk about grown up things at a level they can understand but they often surprise by how much they understand.

I told them about the coming baby, that it's in my belly and all that. They seem to understand and remember when I ask them about it. And because the first trimester always kicks my ass, I have told them that the baby can make mommy feel sick and tired sometimes.

In light of this, Collette has developed a sympathy pregnancy. She, too, has a baby in her belly - a baby girl, at that - and her baby is making her tummy "ouchy" and also making her sleepy. I guess she is also in her first trimester.

It's things like this that make me really love the stage they are in right now. Too darn cute!

I guess it was meant to be

2011-10-24T12:33:00.000-04:00

A week ago, I had a feeling something wasn't right. In the lady department. One of those "I'm sure everything is fine but I should just check, you know, to be sure" type of things. A quick trip to CVS and then to the bathroom and three minutes later, I am faced with this:

If your first thought after seeing this was HOLY F*CK!!! then we are on the same page. I called Billy, crying hysterically, apologizing and basically just being crazy. Typical pregnant person stuff. He talked me down and I was able to keep my head out the oven.

You see, this wasn't supposed to happen. We had a DOCTOR - a specialist, no less! - tell us that this was not supposed to happen. Or at least, it would probably take a long, long time. And I know this happens all the time. Couple struggles with IF for X years, does treatments, has a one (or two or three...) babies with some help and them BOOM - surprise pregnancy. But I thought, based our our IF circumstances, that this would not be our case. It wasn't some hormonal thing, or some unexplained thing that could change whenever. It was just a very, very small chance of it happening "naturally" for us. So, you can imagine my surprise to see that stick telling me I'm pregnant after just three short months of returned fertility (breast feeding moms know what I'm talking about).

As a friend of mine put it, I should buy lottery tickets. And Lord knows we'll need those winnings to send four kids to college. Oy.

Now that a week has passed, I'm feeling much better and I'm getting really excited about adding a new little one to our family. It will be crazy, for sure, but I know we can handle it. The baby is due sometime in June so it will be a LONG summer home alone with four kids but at least we can play outside. Visitors will be welcome! And your morale-boosting comments are much appreciated, as well.

What a way to get back to blogging, huh?? :)

As I suspected, they love school

2011-09-13T13:33:00.000-04:00

I'll end the suspense for you - Sebastian and Collette did great at school today. It turns out that the hardest thing about the first day of preschool was trying to get them to pose for a picture. I see all my twin mom friend's FB pages with their kids standing still, or even hugging!, for their picture. Not mine. Here are my photo-keepsakes from today:

Pretty pathetic.

Collette is posing but refuses to smile or hold still. Sebastian refused to stand in front of the door with Collette because he wanted to go in the car but then hurt himself once he was inside the car and cried hysterically for a couple minutes. He found some matchbox cars to put in his backpack which cheered him up enough for me to get a decent shot (that last one) but, again, no smile. He is saying "cheese," for what it's worth.

Drop off went well - the director gets them out of the car and Sebastian was fine with it. Collette was a bit scared and then started to cry but at pick up they told me she calmed down after 5 or so minutes. And neither of them wanted to leave and go home so I will take that as a good sign.

Now, how long do you think they'll nap??

Better late than never

2011-09-11T20:53:00.000-04:00

In case you didn't get your fill of back-to-school blog posts, here is one more.

Yes, the fateful day has finally arrived. Sebastian and Collette start preschool tomorrow. Weeks after everyone else has started school. But its cool. Preschool is serious business and its not to be rushed. We wouldn't want them to burnout on coloring and circle time by Thanksgiving.

And actually, our preschool doesn't technically start tomorrow. Tomorrow is an hour long orientation for students and parents. Then Tuesday, Sebastian and Collette will join half of their classmates for 2 hours (instead of 2.5 hours) and skip Thursday so the other half of the class can have their "first" day. Next week begins our real first proper week of school. Oy. Talk about taking it slow.

I'm 80% excited for them to start and 20% sad. Well, maybe 90/10. The fact that there is any sadness surprises me - I was sure I would be one of those moms just barely slowing down and kicking the kids out the minivan sliding door. But it looks like I won't be because they tried on their little backpacks today (a marketers dream - Thomas and Dora...) and I almost started to cry. It just seemed so real!

As for the kids, they are confused, mostly. The thing is, we call their EI playgroup "school" because they have teachers and I leave the room. So when I tell them they will start school soon, they answer back with all the names of their current EI teachers. Try as I might to drive home the point that this is a new school with new teachers, it doesn't seem to be sinking in. But, I guess that's what tomorrow is for. Funny side note - I asked the twins what they will say to their new teacher and Collette responded with "Happy Birthday!" I think she'll make a good impression.

I know that they'll love it - its basically a room full of kids and toys. And snacks. Really, what's not to love? But I'm a mom now which means I have a special "worry" hormone going in full force just for instances like these. I worry that the teachers won't understand them. I worry they won't make friends. I worry they'll cry and hate school (despite aforementioned toys and snacks). I worry that Sebastian will poop every time and I'll have to go change him. I worry that the teachers will like one twin more than the other. Or, even worse, dislike them both. It's weird for me to just leave them in the care of complete strangers, especially after rarely leaving them with sitters - and even then its usually a family member.

Hopefully, they won't smell my fear.

Worst First Birthday Present Ever

2011-08-06T19:07:00.000-04:00

After one too many people mistook Matteo for a girl, I decided it was finally time to cut his hair. At his age, I figured it was pointless to take him to a hairdresser and that I should just do it myself. I guess I forgot about the part where I have no idea how to cut hair.

Poor guy.

Somebody turned ONE!

2011-08-05T14:56:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday, at 12:30am while we were all fast asleep, Matteo officially became a one year old!

Cliched as it may be, this year has flown by! Life with three (very young!) kids is busy, fun, frustrating, difficult and joyful all at the same time. And it provides lots of fodder but not enough time for blogging as evidenced by my lack of posts and updates during my littlest one's first year.

As if he knew he would be turning one and wanted to celebrate with a big achievement, he started walking just a few days before his birthday. He has been taking steps for a while but still favored crawling for the most part. Not so much anymore. He is a man on a mission! Usually that mission involves a ball, the dog's water bowl or Mommy. Or the stairs. Yes, he is a pro at climbing (crawl climbing) the stairs and I need to be extra vigilant about keeping the doggie gate up because he will be upstairs faster than Sebastian and Collette can yell "Noooo, Teooooo!!!!!!!!!!!"

And he is talking so much, it amazes me. He tries to repeat so much of what we say and seems to be adding words to his vocabulary at a pretty good pace. He definitely says "ball" and I think he has been trying to say Lola, which is a hard one to say. He signs "all done" and tries to say it but isn't quite there. He even tries to sing and you'll hear a little tune come out of his mouth that sounds a heck of a lot like the melody to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

I know that this coming year will be full of fun now that we have the "baby" phase behind us as a family but I am so grateful for this past year. Matteo showed me that maybe I am a baby person - I almost didn't mind those midnight feedings, all snuggled up with him watching him drift back into his warm milk drunkenness. He has brought out the sweet side of his brother and sister (usually) who try to take care of him and cheer him up when he's sad and play with him when he's happy.

Here's to another terrific year with a most terrific boy. Happy (belated) Birthday, Matteo!

We put the p-o-o in pool

2011-07-26T11:31:00.002-04:00

Saturday was Auntie Kim's annual summer cookout and Wiffle ball tournament for which we made the trek out to Grafton, about an hour's drive. (For us, that's a lot.) We were expecting record heat that day (over 100 F) so my sister's neighbors were kind enough to offer up their pool to those of us bringing little ones. They have 4 kids of their own so adding a few more to the mix is no big deal.

After having some snacks and playing a bit inside, Auntie Stacey and I got the kids dressed in their suits and headed over to the pool. None of the kids know how to swim so we have to hold them the whole time we are in the water, even with their life vests on. After being in the pool for about half an hour, Collette said the P-word. Normally, this would not be alarming. She is potty trained and gives ample warning when she needs to use the bathroom, especially where poop is concerned. However...she has been on a potty strike, of sorts. She now refuses to go to the bathroom anywhere outside of home. Even if a I have a potty ring (just like the one at home) and put it on someone else's toilet, she screams and cries and kicks and just. won't. go.

So, when she said "poo poo," I bolted out of that pool, knowing that she must be pretty desperate if she's willing to go when we're not at home. As I was running upstairs, cradling Collette, to the bathroom, I realized there was already a bulge in Collette's bathing suit. I was too late! Once we were in the bathroom, it didn't take me long to realize that she was done pooping and it was now trapped in her bathing suit. This was a low moment in parenting for me, to date. Getting the poop into the toilet and trying my damnedest to not get any on my hands or all over my sister's bathroom was nearly impossible. Meanwhile, Collette was crying that she wanted to go home to poop (a little late for that!!) and fighting my every move to get her de-pooped.

I somehow managed to get her clean and not ruin my sister's bathroom in the process. She was still crying, though. Traumatized, no doubt. Then, I looked out the window, which faces the aforementioned pool. And I see everyone evacuating. And I know it can only mean one thing. Poop in the pool. To say I was mortified is an understatement. I wanted to curl up into a little ball and just die of embarrassment. Alas, I am a grown up and we grown ups have to face these things. I changed Collette into her dry clothes and headed over to the neighbor's yard, my head hung in shame.

I climbed up to the pool deck to assess the damage. And there, right in the middle of the pool, was a fairly large poop. And it wasn't a floater, because that would be too easy. No, it was a sinker and it was sitting at the bottom of the pool, mocking me. My brother was there, laughing at me and disgusted with me, simultaneously. I asked him where Kerry (the owner of the pool) was and what the "plan" was. Do pool owners have special equipment for such things? No, they don't. The plan was to use a pail and the pool cleaner net thingy to dive down to the bottom of the pool and scoop out the poop. So, Kerry and I put on some kid goggles, each got a pail and net thingy, and took turns diving for poop. Ya...that really happened.

Where was this guy when I needed him?!

How was YOUR weekend?!

Oh ya, Matteo is 11 months old now.

2011-07-20T11:29:00.000-04:00

I think its clear that Matteo is definitely neglected. At least when it comes to my dedication to chronicling his infancy. Let's hope he doesn't hold it against me.

I missed his 10 month old post altogether - mostly because I was in Montreal celebrating my 30th birthday but is that really an excuse? :) What I would have said in that post is that is got two teeth and has only bitten me a few times. That he is saying "mama" and "dada/papa" and waving. But all that's old news now.

His 11th month has been even more fun than his 10th. He is taking baby steps, literally. He knows how to "do" the hat song - those of you in EI know what I'm talking about. I'm pretty sure he is signing "all done." He has added "hi" and "uh-oh" to his vocab. "Uh oh" is his favorite because he gets to drop something on the floor and then say "uh oh" over and over and over and over again. He's learning to climb the stairs which is not so fun because he hasn't mastered the not-falling-down-once-you're-a-few-steps-up part.

He still loves to eat shoes, paper and chalk. He has taken to attacking Sebastian when Sebastian is getting a diaper change. Or he tries to grab the dirty diaper. In other news, I really need to potty train Sebastian. Let's just say I was right when I said it would be hell on earth training him.

Eating and sleeping are still great. Of the three, Matteo is my best eater. I'm enjoying it while it lasts because that toddler-picky phase will be here before I can say "just one bite, for god-frickin'-sake!!" While two naps a day are going very well, I am planning to switch him one nap by the start of school. I know that way early but it will make school drop off much easier. Not to mention I don't want to be stuck at home now that I'll finally have some time to get stuff done without the twins in tow. We'll see.

One other thing I notice with Matteo is just how much he learns from Sebastian and Collette. The Hat song is one example. He also plays with cars (like, actually pushes them along the floor just like Sebastian and Collette do), tries to do puzzles, uses drum sticks on the drum, etc. It makes me grateful that they get all this time together. Not to mention the fact that Sebastian and Matteo have become like peas and carrots. Watching them play together is just too cute. The stuff us parents live for.

And here my littlest man in his chair. Filling it up too quickly.

Boy, does he look like his Daddy. :)

The Big Hit of the Garden

2011-07-05T09:38:00.000-04:00

My tiny little garden has been giving us its all for the past couple months. We had a rainy go of it in May but June has been nice and with our sprinkler system on, I don't even need to water the plants. Gardening has proven to be a pretty low-key, rewarding hobby thus far.

To date, I have harvested strawberries (which are just now coming to an end), arugula (done since late May/early June), spinach (same story as the arugula), cilantro (one batch done, more sprouts coming up), basil (still growing), shallots (which are curing as we speak), snap peas (just finished) and carrots. With the exception of the strawberries, the kids have been most excited about the carrots. Collette sank her teeth into one before I could even get it inside to wash off. They are a small variety so make great snacks for little 2-year old bellies. And the kids seem to enjoy our garden carrots more than the ones I get from store. I doubt its the taste as much as it is the novelty of it being from our garden and being small. But who knows - maybe they taste something better in those little treats. The carrots are also one of my favorite things to harvest. It just amazes me that the treasure is hiding under that soil, waiting for me to pull it up and eat it. Next year (and late this season, I'm sure) I will definitely plant more carrots.

For our summer veggies and herbs, we'll have more basil and cilantro, sweet and hot peppers (Billy forced me to grow habaneros and I'm scared to harvest them when the times comes!), green onions, tomatoes and more strawberries. I also have swiss chard and parsley seeds that I may sow this week, which would be ready by the end of summer if all goes well.

I'll be sharing some of my garden recipes thus far over at How Does Your Garden Grow so be sure to pop over and see what I did with all that veggie goodness. I'm making a ratatouille tonight that I posted a while ago over there. Too bad the kids won't eat it...more for me, though!!

Rainy day surprise

2011-06-23T11:18:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was our first "free" summer day. We always had Monday and Tuesday mornings open but yesterday we would have normally been at gymnastics. We've been playing outside a lot lately, especially with our neighbor and her nanny. They are moving away today (sniff, sniff) but it's been fun having a playmate right outside our door every morning. Anyway, we joined them on a walk downtown to meet up with a bunch of other kids and their nannies. I felt a bit out of place, almost like a spy, being the only mom but no one seemed to mind.

The kids had loads of fun even when it started raining. We all gathered under an enormous tree and stayed relatively dry. The walk home was another story. The twins were in the jogging stroller which has excellent rain coverage. Matteo was in the Ergo which has a head cover. And me, I was just getting soaked. Its about a 20 minute walk (uphill...) so by the end, I looked pretty awful. We were just a couple blocks from our house when we passed a few high schoolers, just hanging out on a bench. On of the girls said, jokingly, "she looks like she needs a babysitter!" to which I immediately answered, "yes, I do!" She was surprised that I answered but excitedly so. She jumped off and asked me if I was serious. Yes, I most definitely was serious! She talked about some other babysitting jobs she has had (or still has, not sure). In my head I was thinking, why is she telling me this?? Then I realized, oh ya - she probably thinks I want someone with experience. I'm so desperate, I forgot to consider that! Not that I would just leave my kids with her. I would have her come and "watch" them while I was home, let her get her feet wet. But for me, anyone who sees my brood and still wants the job, chances are they have experience. Caring for 3 under 3 is not usually how people want to get their start in the babysitting world, I would imagine.

I took down her number and asked her where she lived and how old she was. She lives about 5 blocks from me (score!) and will be a junior in the fall (double score!). That means I get two years before she is off to college, if she works out. And since she is young, she will come a bit cheaper which is OK with me since she will mostly be a mother's helper to start - I'm looking for one afternoon per week as a set schedule, plus nighttime sitting as needed for me to go to meetings or out with Billy.

Are you all proud of me? I'm totally going out of my comfort zone here. Sad, though, that this is out of my comfort zone...

I see summer!

2011-06-15T14:10:00.000-04:00

I'm just going to skip over the fact that I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks, that I turned 30, celebrated 5 years of marriage and that I went to Montreal to celebrate during my blog hiatus. I'll get back to it when I feel like gathering my thoughts. In the meantime, let's talk about summer!

Yes, summer is almost here (or already here depending on how you define summer for you and your family) and I am surprised to be excited about it. Surprised because last summer was awful - the kids were in a rough patch (18-24 months, you were not my friend), we had record heat for the last two months of my 42-week pregnancy and my A/C was broken for most of that time. Last July pretty much turned me off to summer forever. Or so I thought.

This year, with Matteo and all the classes for Sebastian and Collette, I feel so rushed and busy. Getting Matteo down for a nap and on time so I can wake him up in time to get out of the house and into the car and to whatever overpriced activity I signed us up for has been exhausting! Not that I wouldn't do it again, I'm just tired of it now. I'm ready to take a leisurely pace that compliments summertime so well. With the twins starting school in September (albeit just 2 mornings a week...), I am excited to just go with the flow and live schedule-free. Sure, they will still have a nap schedule - I haven't completely lost it! But I won't feel the need to have each day planned weeks in advance. I'm already relaxed just thinking about it!

So, as of Saturday, if you wanna hang out with some super cool toddlers, a very cute baby and me, we are officially free :) And we have a kiddie pool - all are welcome.

Two point Five

2011-05-23T09:26:00.003-04:00

***Don't forget to keep voting for us over at Circle of Moms! Just click HERE and give us a Thumbs Up!" ***

On Saturday, my "babies" had their half birthday. This isn't something we celebrate (do others?? I'm not sure...) but there just happened to be a fair in town. Now, if I were a good mommy blogger, I would have remembered to bring my camera to the fair to get pictures of them being big kids and riding rides by themselves. Remembering three kids seems to be all my brain can handle, though, and the camera was left behind. We had to settle for Billy's iPhone which is normally fine but on Sunday is self-destructed before we had a chance to transfer the photos. So, ya...no pics. But what we had was a very cute shot of them in the car-merry-go-round ride. They chose the same car - Collette was in the front and Sebastian was in the back. They loved it. I got a little choked up at how big they seemed, riding all by themselves. Another one of those unexpected milestones, I guess.

2.5 has also been an age of "advanced" play. They are interacting with their toys (and each other) in more meaningful, developed ways. They collaborate in games, simple as they may be. Like jumping off the porch, throwing matchbox cars over the fence or taking turns dumping sand on the rhododendrons. Recently, they acquired some dinosaur toys. They know a lot of the dinosaurs names already so I tried to teach them which ones were meat eaters and which were plant eaters. They took it to heart:

On the flip side, we seem to be confirming the theory that the half years suck. The whining has reached epic proportions. Things were going so well, I had been slacking on the discipline. Now its back to counting them all the time. For those of you who also do 1-2-3 Magic, do you count for whining? If so, always or just in certain instances? And what about crying? For us, whining and crying is a fine line but I feel awful sending them to time out when they're crying. I feel like I am denying them some mommy comfort that they need. Then again, they (yes, they - its not just Sebastian anymore!) cry over ridiculous things like my suggesting that they wear a rain coat or serving lunch that doesn't involve yogurt and fruit.

Sibling rivalry has also been peaking. Sebastian is in a "dat's mine!" phase, and even takes it out on poor Matteo. But mostly it's just Sebastian and Collette fighting over toys and/or space. I have a feeling that Billy and I will have to give them some quality one-on-one time to get through this stage of toddlerhood. I just hope the second half of their third year in life isn't as rough as the second half of their first year. Because I really did not enjoy 18-24 months old...

But back to the bright side:

They are still happy kiddos over all!

Matteo's 9 month stats, etc.

2011-05-21T14:23:00.001-04:00

Matteo's 9 month check up was quick and easy. I'm lucky that he is such an easy, predictable baby so I rarely have questions for the doc. Also, this visit only required one shot and my little boy didn't even cry. What a trooper.

In record keeping news, Matteo has made his way to average, after being such a big newborn. Here are the stats:

Weight: 20.6 lbs (47th percentile)
Height: 28.5 in. (55th percentile)

And lastly, a lot of this has been going on:

Yup, pulling up, standing and cruising have begun. My little guy is on his way to toddlerhood. Lord help me!

And don't forget - you can vote for us EVERYDAY in May :)

See, TV can teach kids stuff

2011-05-18T20:03:00.000-04:00

I'll admit it. We watch a lot of TV in this house. Billy and I are serious TV watchers and the kids have followed suit. I bounce back and forth between feeling super guilty and feeling like it probably won't matter much. Not that that's the point of this post. That's a post for another day. The point is that sometimes, kids can learn stuff from their little shows. Really important things. Like how to do The Robot. It was on an episode of the Fresh Beat Band. And here are Collette and Sebastian, doing their best Robot:

So, ya. That's 1 point for TV watching in my book.

And while you're at it, click here to vote for us!

Parlez-vous "no kids!"?

2011-05-16T19:20:00.004-04:00

It's really happening. Billy and I are going away. For 3 days. To another country. WITHOUT THE CHILDREN!

Yes, it's just Canada. And yes, its only 2 nights. But still. I am super excited. Billy and I haven't gone on a just-us trip since my friend Lena got married in NOLA when the twins were just 5 months old. And that trip was not so much for us - we were there for a wedding, after all.

Our big getaway is to Montreal. Billy was really pushing for Paris but there was just no way we could find someone(s) willing to watch the kids for long enough to make a transatlantic trip worthwhile. Anyway, neither one of us has been to Montreal and we can drive there - both big bonuses. And I can still learn some French!

Looks promising!

This vaca is happening in just a few weeks. It's a combination my-30th-birthday/our-5th-wedding-anniversary celebration. And I have so much to do before we go. I am pumping every night to build up a stockpile for Matteo but it sucks because you get so little when you pump in the late evening. I have to write a detailed list of instructions for taking care of the kids. My siblings are splitting the responsibilities so its not like I can just explain it to one person. I'm just so hard to replace. :)

Just remind me that the weeks of prep will be worth it for even just a couple nights away!

And, um, while you're at it, why don't you go on ahead, click on this little button down here, and vote for my lil' blog?? You're the best! Thanks!!

That Was Easy

2011-05-14T17:51:00.003-04:00

With almost a week of potty training under our belts, I think I can safely say that Collette is potty trained. OMG!

Collette, reading her "princesesa" book (People magazine with Kate Middleton on the cover)

I wish I could share with you all the secrets to successful, stress-free potty training. Alas, I have no secrets. I think we just got lucky on this one. After the few accidents she had on Day 1, it clicked. She asks to go when she needs to, with plenty of time to get to the potty, get pants off and get her on the pot. False alarms are far fewer now (although we still have lots). And she is waking up dry from nap and overnight. I know. It's not even fair.

Poop, though - that's another story.

My first day alone with all three post-potty-training was Friday. I got the kids up, Collette went pee in the potty, and then went to the potty again but didn't do anything. So, I figured it was safe for me to sneak downstairs and make a coffee. And naturally, Collette decided that would be the perfect time to poop. In her underwear. I heard her crying/screaming and I knew she'd had an accident. Her pants were FULL of poop and some had even escaped down her pant leg and on to the floor. She was in hysterics. I was just glad the baby hadn't eaten any of the poop. Does that make me a cup half full kind of person, or what? :)

So, number 2 is still an issue. She has only gone twice since we started on Monday - once in her nap time diaper on Wednesday and the aforementioned incident. I have heard from so many moms that this is pretty standard so I'm not going to worry about too much for now. I'll keep you all posted though - I'm sure you'll be dying for Collette's BM updates.

All in all, I have nothing to complain about. This was way easier than I thought it would be. Does this mean it will be hell training Sebastian??? Please don't say yes.

Collette and the Potty: Day 1

2011-05-09T21:59:00.001-04:00

After much thought and sufficient planning, we started potty training Collette today. Billy is on vacation this week which means that we can really devote a lot of energy to her and the process. Today was the first day and it went remarkably well considering the fact she has been refusing to go on the potty at all leading up to today.

We have been psyching her up for today for about a week. She seemed excited to start using the potty and to wear her Kai Lan underwear. We told her that she would be a big girl. That she would get chocolate. And prizes! I forgot about those last two so they didn't happen. Nit that it mattered. Once we got going, she was all in, candy or not.

She had her first accident this morning, right after breakfast. Billy and I were distracted by the other two and she peed while playing at the train table. It scared her so much that she went running to Billy and slipped in the mess. Poor thing. She spent the next hour crying, sitting on the potty without producing, crying more, another accident, more crying. Then she finally had a successful trip to the potty and she was so happy. I know because she actually said, "my so happy!". She didn't have another accident until lunch. Food can be distracting that way. She wore a diaper for nap (which I need to elaborate on but I'll wait until tomorrow for that), and did many a trip throughout the afternoon. She was accident-free for the rest of the day! Not too shabby!

Some things that worked for us:
- drinking water on the potty
- putting her fingers in warm water while on the potty
- letting her tell us when she had to go (as opposed to us bringing her - fit with her personality/mood better)
- rolling up the rug in the living room

Fingers crossed that Day 2 is even better...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

9 Months Old and Making Mischief

2011-05-05T08:48:00.001-04:00

Oh yes, its that time. The time when the baby becomes a force to be reckoned with. And Matteo is hitting it right on track.

Truthfully, 9 months is one of my favorite ages. The crawling means he can get into everything but he is so happy to explore on his own. And I am starting to get glimpses of the kind of person he's going to become now that he has this independence. He's curious, determined, affectionate, engaging and fun-loving. It's so nice getting to know him. Even while he is eating sidewalk chalk, shoes and paper.

He is learning to pull up, which means I have to kick the baby-proofing into high gear. Or any gear. My house is currently not baby-proofed at all We had to move his crib down from the highest setting to one of the lowest - another milestone!

Also, much to my satisfaction, he has learned how to take a sippy cup. We let him try the straw cups that Sebastian and Collette use and he was able to figure it out pretty quickly. Now, whenever he sees them with their milk, he tries to steal it away. I'm sure this will be a recurring theme throughout his childhood, for better or worse. For now, I'm just glad that I can have someone else feed him. Plans are in the works for an adult-only weekend away to celebrate my big 3-0. More on that later. :)

As far as his schedule, things are still pretty much the same. Two naps, goes to bed around 6:30 and gets up around 6/6:30 in the morning. It can be hard to get him up from his first nap in time for the twins' classes but so far we have managed to fit it all in and not disturb Matteo much.

All in all, 9 months is looking great! He is still my happy little boy.

I think he is going to have Collette's hair. I was looking at pics of Colie from this age and her was only just starting to curl. As you can see in the chair picture, he is rocking the faux hawk - that's au natural, folks. He's going to need a haircut soon. Oy. My baby is growing up!!

Sebby-isms

2011-05-03T13:04:00.002-04:00

It would seem that all toddlers have those weird, quirky things they say that make us laugh but also question the lead content of the paint on the walls. Sebastian's latest obsession has him saying something that I find kind of funny and hopefully not indicative of some mental malfunction.

His obsession is with my Auntie Kim's car. Now, he has always been into cars - it was his first real word, after all. But his love of my sister's VW is really something else. It's a white Jetta (I think it's a Jetta...) - cute but nothing special, save for the fact that it brings Auntie Kim over to visit. A month or so ago, Sebastian would spot another white sedan and proclaim "Auntie Pim's Car!!" (Note that he cannot say Kim and instead says Pim. We're working on it.) In the past few weeks, he has stepped things up. Now, anything he sees that is white, even the tooth of the whale in a picture in a book is "Auntie Pim's Car." Milk coming up the straw of his sippy cup is "Auntie Pim's Car." Socks. White blocks. The mane on the unicorn rocking horse in their room. All "Auntie Pim's Car."

But that's not even where the obsession ends. Now, he can recognize the VW emblem. So whenever he spots a VW - no matter the color or model - it's also "Auntie Pim's Car." This part of the obsession has translated into finding Infinities ("Leah's Car") and Toyotas ("Auntie Stacey's Car"). The funny thing about the Toyota is that we have a Toyota. I guess he never notices our car's make.

So, what silly things are your kids saying? I know I'm not alone here! :)

Makes My Monday: Busy Matteo

2011-04-25T18:10:00.004-04:00

Last week, Matteo had some very big breakthroughs. He is officially crawling forward, and with purpose. He mostly crawls around to put things in his mouth that he shouldn't, like pieces of paper, shoes and chalk. Clearly, I need to do a better job of tidying up.

He has been babbling for awhile now but it wasn't until last week that he started saying "mama." I have no illusions that of what his meaning is - I know its just babble. But still. Pretty awesome :)

And just over the weekend, he learned to clap! I started playing Pat-a-Cake with him and he loved it, started clapping after I showed him and that was that. He's a clever one!!

And for your viewing pleasure, a crawling video taken on my sh*tty phone.

Pee Times Three

2011-04-18T13:51:00.002-04:00

As nice as it is when your sisters call you up out of the blue to take your kids (well, 2 out of 3) out to dinner without you, it's not so nice when said trip results in three sets of sheets soaked in pee.

What does one have to do with the other, you ask? Well, FavAuntie dropped off her puppy while she would be out at dinner, so as not to leave puppy in her apartment all alone. Sure - no problem. Unfortunately, when the puppy discovered a clean bedspread and sheets (mine...), she decided to mark her territory. Not cool.

As for the other two incidents, it seems that the twins were both drinking more than their fair share of something while out to eat with their Aunties (and Uncle, who met up with them). I awoke this morning to two toddlers in wet jammies and wet sheets. Thank goodness their mattress are waterproof.

And now I get to do even more laundry! What a day :)

(But seriously, it was really great to have the kids out without us - they had lots of fun with their Aunties and Uncle, so THANK YOU despite the pee)

Bonjour, Mon Ami!

2011-04-14T13:11:00.005-04:00

Yes, the Flat Twins have jet-setted their way to the City of Light: Paris!

Lucky for the Flat Twins, they got to see all of the city, including the Louvre (I'm so jealous!) and many a cathedral. Unlucky for us, Billy lost his phone and all the Flat Twins pics. The ones above he had already sent me, thankfully, but the rest are stuck in his iPhone, keeping some Parisien company. Ah, well. C'est la vie!

8 Months old for Matteo

2011-04-12T14:02:00.003-04:00

Matteo's eighth month was somewhat uneventful, as he seems to be working on a lot of the same things he was last month. Here is a quick snap shot of my Tater Tot over the past month:

Crawling backwards very well, not so much forward. In the past week or so, he has perfected his downward dog.
Eating more table food. In the past month, he has tried crab cakes, quiche (also with crab...), puffs, apple bread, croissant, french toast, mango (pieces and in the mesh feeder), different kids of beans, shredded cheese, squash (pieces and in the mesh feeder), potatoes, and rice.
Gets mad when I walk by him and don't pick him up. Actually, distraught might be a better way to describe the emotion. And the face he gives me is just heartbreaking...
New love affair with the tupperware cabinet. I am fine having the tupperware all over the floor if it means peace, quiet and both of my arms free while I'm cooking.
Still won't take a sippy cup or bottle. Grrr.
Has been waking up on his belly lately, or at least he's on his belly by the time I get in there.
Loves to chew on paper and shoes. Must have picked that up from the dogs.
Sleeping better overall. His naps are much more consistent, I would say. Down from 8/830 - 930/10 for the AM nap and from 1230/1 - 230/3 for the afternoon nap. Bedtime is still between 6 and 630.
Still very ticklish :)
Eyes haven't turned brown yet...maybe they won't?

Here is my handsome guy, all smiley for his 8-month chair picture:

Makes My Monday: Super Daddy and Super Auntie!

2011-04-11T17:28:00.003-04:00

This weekend, my Mother of Twins Club had their Spring tag sale and I was a seller for the second time. I didn't have too much but was eager to rid of some baby items as well as a plethora of plastic toys that my parents dump on me with each of their weekly visits. The sale is quite the undertaking and sellers have to set up Friday night and work from 6am Saturday morning until about 3pm that afternoon. In my absence, Daddy and Auntie Kim stepped in to look after the kiddos - Kim in charge of Matteo and Daddy with Sebastian and Collette.

Daddy took the kids to the mall and reported back that they behaved PERFECTLY! He braved the Rain Forest Cafe where they politely ate their whole lunch and, as a special surprise for me, got their picture taken with the Easter Bunny! Apparently, they loved him and each gave him a hug before saying good-bye. Figures, right? But I'm glad they are good for him because then he'll take them out solo more often.

Auntie Kim was stuck with Matteo. I say "stuck with" because, contrary to what I thought, he is just not that into his new sippy cup. I was able to nurse him right before I left in the morning but he still nurses every two hours so he had a hard time going down for his nap without me. When he woke up, Kim brought him down to the sale (thank goodness it's just down the street from my house!) and I filled up his little tank. Then she decided to show him off and met up with a friend of hers at a cafe in Davis Square. With a full belly, he behaved like the little angel he is.

Meanwhile, I had a great time at the sale. Saw all my big stuff go off to new homes and hopefully a lot of my little stuff sold, too. I donated everything that didn't sell because Billy would've divorced me if I came back with anything. I also picked up some new things for the kids - summer clothes, rain coats, a T-ball set, sand and water table, toy lawn motor (to match the one they already have and CONSTANTLY fight over), a few books and a toy car ramp. All in all, I know I made out on the plus side by quite a lot. Definitely a success all around.

Also, to propel myself back to regular postings, I am going to commit, here and now, to an overdue post for Matteo (he's 8 months old now!!!) and a Flat Twins post - all this week. Some of you know where the Flat Twins are but for those of you who don't, stay tuned! I have some very cute pics coming :)

Take that Mother Nature!

2011-04-04T21:45:00.003-04:00

So guess what? I'm a gardener now!

Ya, since we're not having any more human babies, I decided to start raising some plant babies. We had a minor setback with an April Fool's Day snow storm but everything melted by Saturday afternoon and on Sunday, we were planting.

The plants you see are leeks, shallots and strawberries (in the block holes)

Here's what we've got in there as of now: arugula, spinach, bunching onions, shallots, leeks, strawberries and snap peas. I'm a tad worried about the strawberries but they had them outside at the garden center so we'll see...

As the weather warms up, we'll be adding carrots, cilantro, basil, tomatoes, jalapenos, bell peppers, and sweet potatoes. I have a very nerd-rrific excel spreadsheet going for "succession" planting (do I sound like a real gardener or what??) and will hopefully have a continuous harvest through fall! Its just ten squares (we're doing the square foot gardening thing which, until I started researching gardening, I didn't know was a thing - I thought that's how everyone planted in their backyard...) plus the strawberries so that should keep things manageable.

As for the kiddos, we got them a small planter and filled it with some soil. Collette especially was so enthralled with the raised bed, even before she saw us planting in it, that we knew they would need something of their own to keep them from inadvertently killing all the veggies. So far, they like their "garden" but still try and help me in the big one. But soon enough, there will be weeding to do and those little fingers will be perfect for the job!

Westward Ho!

2011-03-30T14:05:00.005-04:00

Sebastian and Collette are headed west through the amazing Gateway Arch!

They were excited to see their flat selves but I'm not sure if they fully understood that Daddy took the picture on his trip. Either way, they were happy and it definitely makes Billy feel more connected to us when he is away.

Flat Twins

2011-03-28T12:56:00.005-04:00

While Billy was on his epic Asia Tour, I had the idea to make something he could take with him from the kids when he went on long business trips. I had the idea to blend the Flat Stanley idea with that commercial where the dad takes the little girl's monkey stuffed animal with him and takes pictures of the monkey in all the cities he visits. And that is how Flat Colie and Flat Sebby were born.

Making them was easy enough, if your standards for craftiness are as low as mine. Like the silhouettes I did, I found a nice, smiling picture of each of them, cropped it and pasted it into a powerpoint document. I printed it out in color and cut out the faces.

I wasn't sure what the best size would be so I printed a smaller and bigger one of each

For the body, I went with the Gingerbread man outline. This one is free handed (as you can probably tell) but its very easy to find a nice template online.

To get the kids involved, I cut out the bodies and let them decorate it before I put the faces on. They have been really into stamps lately so that was our medium of choice. Once they finished, I glued on their faces to both sides:

They really loved the finished product, which was laminated for protection. It was actually kind of hard to get them to give them up. They gave them to Billy but then wanted them back about 4 seconds later. He had to tuck them away in his briefcase while they were napping.

Colie, admiring her flat self

Billy just left for St. Louis and will hopefully be getting some good shots of Flat Colie and Flat Sebby at the Gateway Arch. I'll be sure to post 'em when he gets back.

Collette Graduates

2011-03-24T13:56:00.003-04:00

As of one week ago, Collette officially graduated from Early Intervention. Last Thursday, Sebastian and Collette had their reevaluation. After talking with their case worker (who has been with us since the beginning) and Sebastian's SLP, who also monitors Collette, albeit unofficially, I was fairly certain that Collette would not qualify for services and that Sebastian would. Even Sebastian is borderline, as its mostly pronunciation that is the problem. Of course, I can understand him well enough and so can his SLP because that's her job. But she had to evaluate him more objectively because most "lay people" would have no clue what he was saying most of the time.

So, I only have to pay for one kid now (woo hoo!!) but still get the same kind of support I was getting before. The one dilemma that we now face is with their drop-off play group, or "school" as I like to call it. Collette is now considered a community child, which means she can still go to group and be a role model for the kids that are in Early Intervention. Wonderful. However, our group already has the maximum number of community kids in it so they're not sure what to do. Obviously, I cannot sit outside in the next room (where the parents wait while the kids are in group) with Collette and Matteo and chitchat with the other parents - Collette would flip her shit not being allowed in. So, the options seem to be:

break the rules and let her be in the class anyway
move us to a different day where there is room for another community kid - not sure how likely that is since we waited a while to get into this class and it was my last choice, day of the week-wise.
Let me leave the parenting group so I can be out and about with Collette and Matteo, hopefully softening the blow.
Get a babysitter for Collette.

If I had to rank these choices, it would go 2, 1, 3, 4. 3 and 4 really suck because I think Collette's presence makes Sebastian feel better, even when they aren't playing together. Luckily, our case worker (who is also one of the teachers in their group) agrees and is trying very hard to work something out. So, we'll see. Needless to say, I'll be pretty upset if Collette can't continue. Fingers crossed that it doesn't come to that!

My Mini Menaces

2011-03-16T13:24:00.003-04:00

When the kids are being mischievous, Billy will call them "amenaza" which is how you say menace in Spanish. Lately, they have been total amenazas, but in the cute way, not the way that makes you want to send them off to military camp.

Example 1: After getting up from their nap, Collette and Sebastian decided to play in my room. They seemed to be playing nicely enough, bring me all of their fathers shoes, one by one. A minute or so went by without a shoe delivery and I wondered what they were up to. Just then, they both ran back to me (I was in their bedroom with Matteo) both soaking wet! I asked them where they got the water and they escorted me to my bathroom, hopped into the shower and turned it on. Lovely. Did I mention that they can open doors now?

Example 2: Matteo is getting frisky as well! He is now able to move forward in his walker. This allows him to actually go after things he wants. The other day, he zoomed up the art easel, pulled off the giant paper and started eating it. But he won't baby food - go figure!

Like I said - menacing, but in the cutest of ways. I'm really loving both of these ages. Not looking forward to the terrible twos...

That's what I get for breastfeeding

2011-03-07T10:56:00.001-05:00

In a desperate attempt to see other adult life forms, I brought the kids to the mall to hang out for a bit. We did the usual - play area, checking out the fish at the Rainforest Cafe, practicing walking and listening. That last one is new - now that Sebastian and Collette are old enough (kinda) we have been doing a lot more things out of the stroller.

Anyway, on our way out of the mall, Collette had taken up the front and Sebastian was in the rear, no surprise. Suddenly, I heard him mumbling something and a man was laughing at him, pretty hard. I turned around to see him pointing at a Victoria's Secret poster, finger right on the model's bra, saying "booby!!". More people passed and laughed. I couldn't help but laugh, too. It was a proud moment in parenting.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

7 Months

2011-03-03T20:53:00.004-05:00

My little Tater Tot is 7 months old today. This has been a very enjoyable age, especially since he is now 100% sleeping through the night and on a very predictable nap schedule. He's now dropped that third nap and takes his second nap right after the twins go down. His first nap is on the early side, between 8 and 8:30, so that he can wake up early enough for us to get out and about.

While he perfected sitting up last month, this past month has been all about moving. He isn't crawling yet but damn, does he want to! This boy never loved being on his belly but now I find him that way all the time, trying to get up on those knees. I wonder how long it will take him to figure it out.

The only "issue" we're having is with eating. he still doesn't like to be spoon fed but also won't eat soft pieces of food. Mommy Esq. gave us some of her old mesh feeders and those have worked but he still eats very little this way. On the bright side, he is at least feeding himself.

Overall, Matteo is just a happy baby. Everyone comments on how he is always smiling and laughing. He is terribly ticklish. He loves his brother and sister and watching them play or makes faces at him. And he loves to talk! Mostly just "dadadadada" for now.

Happy 7 months, my baby Matteo!!

Embracing the domestic goddess within

2011-03-02T13:36:00.003-05:00

During a hop around the blogosphere, I stumbled upon a blog that focused mostly on crafts and things of that sort. This isn't usually my thing but I think I linked there because this one post had something to do with cooking. Much more my thing. I would link you there, too, but for the life of me cannot find my way back.

Anyway, her post was all about making a monthly menu board. This project was more about the creating the board than it was about the planning/cooking aspect but she did touch on that. And, because I believe everything I read, I decided that I should also start planning my meals one month at a time. Her board was so pretty, it made me sad that I didn't have one. But the process seemed REALLY involved so I settled for a magnetic white board calendar from Target. For now, its not so pretty but the idea behind it - planning your meals ahead of time - has been a thing of beauty for me.

As you can see, my plan is realistic. Billy and I like to order in on Fridays so I put that down. Leftovers are always gonna happen so that's there, too. Also, I try to plan things that take longer on the weekends when I know I'll have the extra adult hands to manage the kiddos. That is, when those extra adult hands aren't on the other side of the globe for 15 consecutive days.

BTW - I made the crab and squash bisque yesterday, which is based on the one they make at Whole Foods. Too good! And - be still, my beating heart - the kids actually ate it. I guess there is a God.

Totally worth it

2011-02-25T08:49:00.007-05:00

It's things like this that make me realize having 3 kids in less than two years isn't so bad.

And the change of clothes for all three was totally worth it.

Escapee

2011-02-24T08:39:00.004-05:00

I think the kids know when Billy is on an overseas business trip because that seems to be the time when they do new, and often naughty, things. This time, Sebastian is the culprit. New (and naughty) behavior: crib escaping.

It started (and ended, actually) on Sunday morning. I went into their room and saw that Sebastian's crib was empty which could only mean one thing. He finally realized he can climb out of his crib. I have known for a little while that he is physically capable of doing it, even while still in his sleep sack. Both he and Collette use toddler sleep sacks that have special foot holes. Also, the sleep sacks are on the long side for Sebastian, who is short for his age. So, the sleep sack still gives him plenty of mobility, being so big. However, I was hoping he would just take for granted that he had to stay in his crib and not realize that "hey, I can just climb out of this stupid thing and do whatever I want!" So much for that.

I called Billy (who was in Beijing at the time - he has since made his way to Kuala Lumpur) and told him what happened. I told him what our options were: get crib tents, use the travel beds we already have, switch him to a toddler bed (shudder). Then I remembered one other suggestion I heard from someone in my mother of twins club, not sure who or when but it was filed away in my brain for this very moment. This person had taken out the bottom of the crib that hold up the mattress and simply put the mattress on the floor but within the crib. This only works if your crib sides come close enough the ground that the mattress can't be pushed out. Luckily, our crib fit the bill. Billy agreed that we should try that way as it seemed the easiest thing to do. I quickly got to work removing the support platform and put the mattress back in on the floor. This gave us about 8 extra inches of depth and now Sebastian's head barely reaches past the crib side.

Now I'm just waiting for Collette to make her escape. It's fine though. I'm ready!

Sometimes I forget my "mothering style"

2011-02-20T21:37:00.001-05:00

Billy left on Friday for a 15 day business trip to Asia. As luck would have it, the Aunties are also away for the long weekend, living it up in NYC. Usually weekends are family time for us so this weekend was pretty slow, what with no one around.

During the week, when I know I will be alone with my kids around the clock for 4 days, I make a point to be really busy. Especially doing social activities. For me, this is really necessary because I get easily worn out when I don't see and talk to other people. Well, adult people. This is part of my personality type, as outlined by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. This is the personality test used in a very enlightening parenting book, Mother Styles.

According to Mother Styles, my mothering style is ESTJ. However, I am extremely E, or extroverted. What that means for me as a mother is that being home with kids all day will drain me and adult interaction will give me energy. That's the reason why, even when my kids take a nice long naps, sleep all night and behave like angels (ha!), I will still feel exhausted if I have been all alone for days. Extroverts get their energy from being with (adult) others and that's me to a T.

Being alone all weekend has been really hard for me. It's my own fault - I have known for quite some time that Billy and my sisters would be gone this week and neglected to make any plans. I just forgot how stressed I get when I don't have any grownups to talk to. Friday afternoon was fine. Saturday was OK. This morning, eh. By this evening, I was ready to throw myself off a bridge. The kids weren't being particularly bad. I just had so little patience by that point. And I knew it was me - my "gas tank" was empty.

Tomorrow we're back to our normal routines and hopefully that will help me recharge after a very draining couple days. As for now, early bedtime for mommy. :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Decision Made

2011-02-17T12:55:00.002-05:00

We settled on a preschool, choosing to go with the first preschool. This is the one that is more of a typical preschool, run by the town's recreation department, not the daycare center one. Something I didn't mention in the last post was that this is a one year thing. For the following year, we will be applying to the public preschool lottery which is in the same building as their future elementary school. That program is 5 days/week. If we don't get in, we will look at other 5 day programs, probably in a Montessori type setting. Here were our biggest reasons for choosing this school despite the fact that the hours are shorter and its not as close to our house (but still just 5 minutes away):

Cost. That one's for you Auntie Kim :) I know it's bad form to talk about money but I think that's stupid. So, I'll give you some numbers. Preschool A is $1,800/yr/kid. Preschool B is $4,650/yr/kid. Now remember, I have two kids. So, this was a $5,700 decision. If Preschool B had been so much better than preschool A, it may have been worth it. But we know that we'll still have two more years of preschool to pay for after this so we figured we shouldn't spend to much this first year if possible.
Schedule. As someone pointed out to me, when you choose the days you go, there is the chance that you might miss things because they happen on teh days you are not there. For example, I'd be really sad if they missed the animal guy, or the firefighter, because it was on Monday and not a Tuesday. With Preschool A, this isn't an issue because there is no choosing - its simply a 2 day schedule.
Logistics. Drop off and pick up at Preschool is much better than at Preschool B. At Preschool A, someone meets us at the car - I don't even have to get out! At Preschool B, I would have to park my car in a parking lot and walk across a street with 3 kids to get them inside. Then, I would have to go up to the second floor (1.5 flights) to bring them to their classroom, take off their coats/backpacks/etc., all the while keeping any eye on Matteo who can't be in a stroller because there are no elevators to get up there. That sounds awful to me. He will most likely be walking by then and will have zero impulse control. It's a recipe for disaster.
Public school connection. Since this school is in our town (although a bit further than the daycare which is actually in the town next door), they communicate with our public schools and coordinate things like how they teach handwriting. It's a small thing, but it's nice. Somewhat related, most kids in Preschool A will be from our town (its a very small preschool) so they might get to know some future classmates.

So, that's that. We'll be sending them the check in a few weeks. Wow. That was fast.

I didn't want to jinx it

2011-02-16T07:06:00.006-05:00

That's at least one reason why my Valentine's Day post is 2 days late. The other being that I am a bad blogger.

Valentine's Day was pretty uneventful this year. No exchanging of gifts. Just a nice dinner out with me and Billy. Cards to one another. Flowers. The kids did some crafts:

Collette's Valentine to Daddy

But it was Sebastian who made this a special Valentine's Day. He gave me the gift of going a whole day without crying. To be honest, I'm not sure if that was the first time or not. But it was the first day that I ever noticed that he didn't cry. So, either way, it was a big deal for me. Maybe he is turning some sort of corner, developmentally. His language is doing much better but he is still progressing at his own, slow pace. Or maybe it's just his age. In which case, I hope this is more of a permanent shift and not just one of those phases. I can deal with crying every so often but everyday, multiple times a day crying fits over (seemingly) meaningless things is hard on me. Oh ya, and him.

By the way, yesterday was also a no-cry day. He almost lost it over a new car puzzle during our EI session but held it together. We'll see how today goes. So far, so good.

***

On a separate note, thanks for your input on the preschool thing. More on that later.

Am I really writing a post about preschool?

2011-02-11T08:28:00.002-05:00

Well, it seems I am. Yesterday I got a call, a day early, that both Sebastian and Collette made the lottery for a local preschool. It's not super competitive so chances are pretty good that you'll get in. But, it does get very good reviews from parents and I liked what I saw at their open house a few weeks ago. This preschool is run by our town's recreation department so is much less expensive than private preschools in the area. For their age (they make the 2y9m cut off by one week!), the program is two mornings a week, 9-11:30.

The only other school we are considering is actually a daycare center. They have a morning program and you can sign up 2, 3, 4 or 5 mornings a week, any days you like. The hours are 8:30-12:30 and I think they do lunch there - we are visiting this afternoon and will get more details then. The idea of having 4 hours just for me and Matteo is quite nice but the cost of this school is way more than double the other. And my guess is that both will be similar in their approach to teaching, learning and discipline.

So, now we have to make a decision. Billy doesn't want money to enter our decision but, true to my nature, I disagree. However, there are some things that concern me about the recreation department preschool (the less expensive one). First, they will have many more holidays and breaks than the daycare preschool because they follow the public school calendar. Also, they don't start until mid-September and they end in mid-June, already shaving off a couple of weeks from the public school calendar. Second, Sebastian and Collette will need to be potty trained by then. This might be a good thing in that it gives us some motivation to get it done. I think Billy especially needs a kick in the pants where potty training is concerned. However, you never know how your kids will react. They both show signs of readiness but Sebastian refuses to even sit on the potty. Who knows when he will feel ready? At least Collette will sit on the potty, albeit briefly and with no successes to date.

The daycare preschool is more convenient - longer hours, fewer holidays, walking distance to our home, no need to rush and potty train the kids (although I hope they are potty trained by then regardless!), we could have them continue school through the summer since its a daycare. But, I'm not sure if that's enough to justify the cost. Plus, there is that fact that, since families can choose their own days, that Sebastian and Collette may not have the same kids in their class on one day as they do the other. Does this even matter?

Advice? Which issues do you think are more important?

Matteo, 6 months old: Milestones galore!

2011-02-03T09:06:00.002-05:00

Holy cow - it's been half a year since we got our little Tater Tot. I almost can't believe it (how cliche of me). But it's true. This is another difference I am finding with this one - time is flying. Not sure if its because I'm so busy or because he is just one baby. I definitely never felt this way with the twins. If anything, 6 months felt like way more, not less. Anyway, I have come to the realization that I need to take way more pictures of Matteo because I will certainly forget all this baby bliss.

This past month has been a very busy one for my littlest guy. Here is what he has been up to:

Learning to sit up. He is almost 100% there but will tip every once in a while so I like to stay close by.
Sleeping unswaddled. He kept breaking free of his swaddle during our trip so when we got home I just ditched it. It required some extra rocking to sleep at first but was a pretty easy transition overall.
No longer the smallest. Sometime in January, Matteo surpassed Lola in the weight department, tipping the scales around 19lbs. to Lola's 18.
Almost sleeping through the night. During our trip, he got in the bad habit of waking up twice at night (around 1 or 2 am and again at 5am). Luckily, I was able to get him to hold off until 5am (no 2am feeding) with minimal crying, just some hourly fussing. Now, he makes it until 5am without a problem and I feed him just so I can get a little bit more sleep. But even that 10pm - 5am stretch has been so lovely.
Playing with toys. This past month has been great for him in terms of grabbing, shaking and chewing his toys. A lot of it goes hand in hand with sitting up. he likes to sit and just pick up what ever is in front of him and investigate it.
Rolling. He has only done it a few times but at least he has done it. Just back to belly so far.

Here's his chair picture, which is actually a couch picture that my sister took. But at least we got a shot of him on the actual day (yesterday, February 3).

Silver Lining

2011-02-01T14:31:00.001-05:00

In case you didn't know, New England is getting it's ass handed to it by Mother Nature this winter. I know lots of people who love the snow but most of them own skis and have no small children. For the Soto familia, the snow and cold is just one big PITA. Driving sucks, getting dressed for outings is like launching a military operation and the stomach bugs are cycling their way through every house. Ours has been no exception.

The weekend before last we we're hit with the 5-day bug. Sebastian got it first, then Collette, then me. The laundry was never ending and I have now seen every episode ever of Caillou.

Although being sick and taking care of pukey, poopy kids really bites, there was one BIG silver lining for me.

As I was tucking Colie in after yet another nighttime puke and clean up, I told her I loved her and, like it was the most normal thing in the world, she said " Love you, mommy.". That was the first time she ever said that - a moment of vulnerability she doesn't usually show when she is healthy.

It totally made this miserable weather and sickness worth it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

This is my least favorite part about being a SAHM

2011-01-25T09:08:00.002-05:00

I used to think that I had a pretty good immune system. I was one of those people that never took a sick day from work (well, I did but I wasn't sick. I was either at the beach or hungover...). I never had to see my doctor. I never took medicine. That was before I had kids.

Now, whenever the kids get sick, I get sick. They don't get sick often, for which I am very grateful. But this past weekend was one of the few times they got sick. Not the worst I've seen (like both winter bugs last year) but pretty bad nonetheless. This time I wasn't pregnant so I think I fared better. They had full-on vomiting and diarrhea while I was mostly just nauseous and unable to eat much for a couple days. But even that is almost too much to deal with when your kids are covered in vomit and crap and you still have to nurse a baby. It's so hard to get better when you can't get your rest. No sick days for Mommy.

Also, I was lucky this time because it happened mostly over the weekend (yesterday was a bit rough and Billy left in the afternoon but I managed). Having a travelling spouse when you're a SAHM really sucks when you get sick. It's not like I can simply ask him to take a day off. And my family is more than willing to help but they all have full time jobs so there isn't always much they can do.

I know a lot of you will say this is why I need a regular babysitter but that's actually a post for another day. Let's just say we're working on it. Although, I'd have to be really comfortable with someone to let them be in my house while I'm tossing my cookies upstairs. Just sayin'.

We're better today, though, and the temperatures are above zero (Fahrenheit, that is...) so things are looking up for this SAHM. Hope all of you are feeling well!

ES Pics - Por Fin!

2011-01-20T09:33:00.010-05:00

Blame it on Christmas, El Salvador and the iPad

2011-01-13T13:54:00.003-05:00

It has been over a month since I have updated here - definitely my longest stretch to date. I have no good excuses but my lame excuses are that I had too much to do for Christmas, I was in El Salvador for 2 weeks and I have been playing with my new iPad non-stop. (I know I can blog on my iPad but my typing skills are already horrible and only get worse when using the iPad.)

I have so much to write about that I'm not sure where to begin. It was Matteo's first Christmas. It was the first Christmas where the twins understood that they had gifts and knew to unwrap them. Hopefully next year they will know not to unwrap other people's gifts. We began 2 new Christmas traditions: Christmas pajamas (on Christmas Eve) and Christmas croissants baked by yours truly. It was my first time making croissants (used the bread machine to make the dough) and they came out OK: A- for taste, C for looks.

Three days after Christmas, we got on a plane (and then another) to head to El Salvador. I was really anxious leading up to this trip - I am pretty comfortable being outnumbered by my kids when I'm at home or out and about in familiar places but running through airports to make connections, not so much. In the end, the trip was fine. Sebastian and Collette were great, mostly thanks to copious amounts of snacks and the potable DVD players. Matteo did well but didn't nap as much as I would have liked. He did poop though, which may not seem weird but he only poops once a week. And he saved it for the plane. And then he did same thing on the way home. Figures.

Being in El Salvador was great. Billy has all the pictures on his iPhone and we haven't been home long enough to upload them all to my computer but I'll be sharing them soon enough. With so many adult hand around, it truly was a vacation. Next year will be even better since I won't be nursing a baby every two hours. The beach was so much more fun now that the twins are a year older. Last year they didn't even know how to play in the sand. This time, they could have done it for hours! The ocean was a bit overwhelming for them, even though it didn't have waves, but it's just as well. One less thing to worry about.

And now, we're back home, covered in 2 new feet of snow. Leading up to Christmas and New Years I had been very exasperated with life. But our vacation did its job and feel renewed and energetic. Lord knows I need it!

Friday Foodie: Not-really-refried beans

2010-12-10T09:27:00.003-05:00

Since I met Billy, I have been on the bean bandwagon. Make all the jokes you want but beans are easy to cook, taste great, can be eaten any time of day and, bonus, are very healthy! In El Salvador, like much of Latin America, beans are a staple food. Beans and rice together form a complete protein which is a great substitute for lots of people who cannot afford meat. So, down there, its normal for everyone to eat beans every day, sometimes at more than one meal. When I'm there, I have beans at every breakfast and sometimes at dinner, too. When in Rome...

Anyway, today's post is specifically about refried beans. This is one of the two ways they typically eat beans in ES, the other being a pan fried bean and rice combo called casamiento. I had never had refried beans before going to ES so I didn't know how to cook them myself. We tried to get the recipe when we were down there but things got lost in translation and I was not able to really understand the steps. Google to the rescue. I found this recipe on my favorite recipe site, Allrecipes, and its so easy even a caveman can do it. You should probably go get your crock pot out now. This will only take a second.

Not Really Refried Beans

Ingredients:

3 cups dried back or small red beans
1 onion, peeled and cut into quarters
4-6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 small jalapeno, seeded and roughly chopped
5 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
9 cups liquid - any combination of water, chicken stock or vegetable stock will do.

Put everything in the crock pot. Set to high for 8 hours but check periodically to make sure that you haven't run out of liquid. Add more if necessary. When 8 hours is up, pour away any remaining liquid on top and reserve. Mash beans with a potato masher or put in food processor for a smoother consistency. Use reserved liquid to achieve desired texture.

Here are some great uses for refried beans:

Grilled beans and cheese
Beans and eggs
Breakfast burritos
Rice, beans and veggie bowl
Mexican Pizza
Pupusas (see recipe next Friday!)
Bean and avocado quesadilla

Buen provecho!!

Craftiness: Silhouette Portraits

2010-12-09T11:57:00.004-05:00

Every so often, my crafty side makes its way to the surface. Lately, it came around to help with Christmas. It knows I need it.

Specifically, I needed help getting a cute gift for the grandparents that wasn't a typical picture of the kids is some picture frame that says "LOVE" or "FAMILY" on top. Luckily, a week or so ago, I saw on the Zimmer Zoo a post about silhouette portraits. There is a very talented local artists who does them free-hand (ya, amazing, I know). She was in town but I didn't have my act together to make an appointment. Shocking, right? But I still loved the idea as something a little different but just as nice to give to as a gift. So, I was on a quest to do it myself.

My Google search for how to do it resulted in a lot of professionals, which would require time and money, two things I don't have lots of. But, I found another blog (I would link but for the life of me, I can't find it now...) that showed how to do it yourself. She used Photoshop. I don't have Photoshop so I had to improvise. If you, like me, are short on time, money and Photoshop, here is how you can still do your very own silhouette portraits:

Step 1

Take a picture of your child in profile. Catch them while they are watching TV or something else interesting. You may already have a photo that works - check your albums.

Step 2

Using whatever software you have (I use Picasa), crop your picture so that you can zoom in just on the head. Then, to save on color ink, switch it to black and white or grayscale.

Step 3

Using MS Powerpoint (or MS Word, but I prefer PP), insert your photo onto the page and adjust it (keeping the ratio intact) to your desired size. The first ones I did were as big as possible and now will barely fit into an 8X10 frame. Learn from my mistakes and do them a bit smaller. You could also fit two on one Powerpoint slide and that will give you portraits appropriate for a 5X7 frame.

Step 4

Print out the slide. With a pen or pencil, trace along the outline of the head and face. Then cut out very careful along your line. Be especially careful around the nose and mouth as those areas will really tell you whose portrait it is.

Step 5

Take your cut out and trace it onto very nice black paper. I found this paper at a craft store. Its much heavier than regular card stock but regular card stock would work just fine. Just don't use construction paper - it's not a very dark black and won't look as nice in the end. Cut out along your lines, again very carefully, especially on the face.

Step 6

Now you can mount your portrait. I sued the same kind of paper for my mount (not shown in the picture below) in an off-white color to give it an antique-y look.

Step 7

Place in your frame of choice, wrap and give to Grandma.

Matteo at 4 months

2010-12-06T14:25:00.004-05:00

Matteo hit the 4 month mark on Saturday. This is the age I swore I would do CIO with him if wasn't already sleeping through the night. But, now that it's here, I'm not quite ready. he just seems so young. I did CIO with the twins closer to 6 months so perhaps that's why. Either way, I will probably wait until after our vacation to El Salvador for New Year's to bother with it. Feeding him at 2am is not ideal but it's not so bad either. With the twins, I had to feed them both which took longer, even if I did it at the same time, and I had to pump afterward. With Matteo, I just feed him for 5 minutes and then stumble back to bed.

Other than nighttime sleep, here is what's going on for Matteo these days:

He is napping better, although his morning nap is still shorter than his afternoon nap which surprises me. Usually 1 -1.5 hours in the morning vs. 1.5 - 2 (sometimes more!) in the early afternoon. Most days he usually needs a third nap but if he naps for a very long time in the afternoon, he can make until bedtime without it.

He still nurses almost every two hours during the day. A lot of this has to do with the fact that I nurse him before naps. On the bright side, he only needs to nurse for about 5 minutes so I don't really mind how often it is.

He smiles and laughs so much. He loves to watch his brother and sister play. And the dog, too. He loves when I talk right to him and tickle his belly.

He does not really love his exersaucer yet but tolerates it. He much prefers to playmat with the light-up star. ANd his bumbo so he can get in on the action at meal times. He tolerates tummy time but doesn't enjoy it for more than a few minutes.

My boy is still growing fast. He is in size 3 diapers but I still have so many size 2 diapers left that I am using those during the day and 3s at night. He is in 9 month clothes for the most part but can still squeeze into some of his 6 month stuff.

He is a hand-sucker. I may have my first thumb-sucker with this one once we ditch the swaddle. And he won't take a paci - an endeavor a gave up on a while ago, actually. I don't want him turning out like his big brother, addicted to that thing like baby crack.

And here is, all 4 months of him!

Matteo, 4 months old
(Sebastian and Collette at 4 months)

Birthday Number 2!

2010-11-22T08:38:00.007-05:00

It's official. I no longer have 3 babies under 2. Yesterday, Sebastian and Collette turned two! We didn't have a big celebration, mostly because Thanksgiving is just 4 days away and we are hosting. Also, Billy and I were looking forward to something low-key after last year's 1st birthday extravaganza.

On Saturday, we took Collette (and Matteo) to Build-a-Bear as a special birthday gift just for her. She definitely enjoyed herself, even if she didn't 100% get what was going on. After going back and forth between lots of stuffed animals, she finally ended up with a fluffy bear which we named Happy because that's the only part of "Happy Birthday" she will say.

Helping fill up her bear

Proud Momma

Saturday night, Billy fought his jet lag and put together the train table so we could surprise the twins with it on Sunday morning (their actual birthday). No surprise, it's a big hit.

For Sebastian's special birthday gift, I took him to the toy store to pick out his own special train. He picked a Thomas with snowman car.

Overall, we had a very nice day, quietly playing at home with FavAuntie (who is still staying with us!!) and Grammy and Grandpa. This year was such a busy one, I'm glad we celebrated in a calm way.

Friday Foodie: Spinach Balls

2010-11-19T13:33:00.000-05:00

I know that's not the most attractive name for a food but if I call something a ball, my kids (OK, Sebastian) is more likely to eat it. Garbanzo beans are known as balls in my house. It always feels weird to say it - Want to try some balls? More balls? - but us moms do what we gotta do, right?

Anyway, to the spinach balls. Technically, they are called Spinach Gnocch-Wee. Yes, you guessed it - this is a recipe from the infamous Weelicious site. Catherine does a fantastic job of incorporating grown-up flavors and nutritious ingredients into toddler-friendly recipes. I have been trying a bunch of her concoctions lately and this one is a hit with the whole fam.

My only suggestions are to use extra flour (I doubled what she said, using about 4tbsp total) and I added marinara sauce on the side for dipping. 'Cause kids love dipping. Otherwise, this tasted so good and its not as pasta-y is other pastas (think tortellini or macaroni) so I don't feel like I'm giving the kids one big carb-overload for dinner. I cooked half and froze half (ended up with about 30-35 balls) and my kids ate about 4 each. It doesn't sound like much but they don't eat a lot at dinner so that was actually quite good for them. And Mommy and Daddy ate the leftovers :)

Hands on time isn't bad. You have to drain the spinach really well, and form the balls but the food processor does the hard work of mixing everything and that just takes a few seconds. The cooking time is quick, which I really like because once my kids see me head to the kitchen, they want dinner NOW. Definitely a recipe I would make ahead of time and then cook right before serving.

Also, I did make tortillas (like I said I would try last week) and they came out OK. Taste was great, texture was good, but shape left a lot to be desired. It was hard to roll them out and because of that they did not make nice circle-ish shape. So, I will try again and let you know how it goes next week!

Two vs. One: Part 2

2010-11-18T13:18:00.003-05:00

More on my thoughts about how my one baby is, as expected, way easier than two. Part 1 here.

Nursing vs. Bottle Feeding/Pumping

I hope I don't get any grief for saying so but nursing your baby is way easier than bottle feeding and especially easier than bottle feeding AND pumping. Now, don't get me wrong - I know that getting good at nursing can be really, really hard. Especially with twins. Especially with baby(ies) born early who won't latch. That being said, once you have figured things out, it is so much simpler to just pop a boob in a baby's mouth than prepare a bottle (pump and/or mix formula) and then have to worry about cleaning said bottles. So much of our time in the first month or so was devoted to those fucking bottles. And pump parts. I felt like I was living in a sea of plastic. After two months, when I finally became fed up with things and realized I would need to manage my time better once I was on my own with the twins, I figured out some short cuts to the bottle/pump madness. But even then, it's way more work than nursing a baby.

There are the downsides. No one else can feed Matteo for me. (He has only had 3 or 4 bottles in his little life). There is just a bit of anxiety over nursing in public. He still eats more often than the twins ever did. There is no real way to do it in the car, which has been an issue more times than I would have expected. But on the whole, life is so simple this way. I don't have to worry about being out too long with the twins because I don't have a bottle for the baby. I never have to run to the store because I ran out of formula or bottle liners.

I don't know how I would feel if I had the experience of nursing twins to compare this to. I imagine its very difficult to do that out in public, if only that it takes twice as long which might be uncomfortable for some. But in the first few months with the twins, I was inside most of the time anyway, just getting out for quick errands like Bjs or going for long walks, usually right after they ate. I would love to hear what moms of twins think about their successful nursing experience. Did you often feel like it was harder than bottle feeding would have been? Or did you think you had it easier because you were able to nurse?

Two vs. One: Part 1

2010-11-15T14:11:00.000-05:00

When I announced that I was expecting for the second time, everyone's first question was, "is it twins again?!" to which I answered a very relieved "no!" Their next comment to me was always something along the lines of, "well, one baby will seem so easy compared to twins!" And that's what I was hoping, too. I didn't want to jinx myself and end up with a colicky baby so I tried to keep hush about it. Now that Matteo is here (and more than 3 months old!) I no longer have to worry about that. He's no longer a newborn and I can now compare notes from his first 12 weeks with the twins' newborn days.

As expected, having one baby is way easier than having two. For me, it's so much more than just a question of two vs. one. I always said that I was grateful to have two (mostly) happy newborns and not one very fussy one. So, here is what really stands out to me as the difference makers in my own two vs. one experience.

Preemie vs. Full-term:

Sebastian and Collette came nearly 6 weeks early and that impacted a lot of what we had to do for them as parents. Going back and forth to the NICU, measuring their every ml of formula-enhanced breast milk, lots and lots of doctor visits. It was the main reason I pumped instead of nursed. Having two preemies was scary and stressful, for the most part.

But, as new parents, I must say that there were nice things about it, too. The nurses taught us so much about how to care for a newborn and they got the twins on a wonderful eating schedule that made sleep very possible for both of us. With Matteo, the nurses didn't show me anything with the baby. I got no CPR training, no lesson on how to bathe the baby. Hardly any free stuff. And then two days after giving birth, they kicked us out. Of course, I left the hospital with an 8lb. baby who could nurse without any issues so it was fine. I would take a full-term baby over a preemie any day but there were a few benefits (for us) to the latter.

Overall, I worry much less about Matteo and a lot of it has to do with how he started his little life. Some of it has to do with now being an experienced parent, which I'll get into in a separate post, but mostly I trust nature to take its course with him. With Sebastian and Collette, I still find myself using their adjusted age in my head sometimes. Not sure when that will go away...

(Of course, not all twins are preemies so this experience is certainly not universal for twins and their moms. And there are lots of singletons born prematurely, as well.)

Stay tuned for Part 2. I gotta spread this one out if I'm going to make through my mini-NaBloPoMo.

At least there's one thing we can do on the plane...

2010-11-13T19:03:00.004-05:00

Our annual pilgrimage to the homeland (El Salvador) is fast approaching and as it does I am getting more and more concerned about how Billy and I will get through two flights (each way) outnumbered by people who still crap in their pants. Our best idea (other than drugging them, which is frowned upon despite its effectiveness) is to set each twin up with a portable DVD player and let them rot their brains for each flight. This plan will only work if they will wear headphones. So, the lovely and generous Mommy Esq. loaned us her pair. And here are the results:

Now I just need 10 hours worth of Elmo and Wiggles DVDs and we'll be all set!

PS - if you have other suggestions for airplane travel entertainment, I'm all ears. We have magna-doodles and tons of books. Coloring has been big lately, too, so we'll take some crayons along. Other ideas?

Friday Foodie: Homemade Hummus

2010-11-12T20:12:00.004-05:00

For a while, I have been thinking about incorporating more food posts into this blog. I tried to start a food blog but I just don't have the time to devote to it. And I didn't want to put random recipes on a blog that's supposed to be about me and my kids and family but, in reality, food and family intersect quite a bit. 3 times a day, in fact. And I have posted here and there about cooking food, especially for the kids, so I decided that I would make Fridays my food post day. This isn't intended to be a meme (am I even using that term correctly?) but if you'd like to join in, I'd love you to, if only so that I can cook your favorite recipes for my family!

To kick things off, I am writing about hummus. Pretty simple stuff that most of us buy at the grocery store. Collette loves it. Like, eat it by the spoonful. Well, handful - who am I kidding? That girl won't let a spoon slow her down when there's hummus around. However, hummus isn't cheap - the big tub (16oz.) is $5! Collette could eat half that in the blink of an eye. At first, I was upset that she wouldn't eat it on pita or a sandwich. I wanted the bread to slow her down and fill her up so the hummus might last a few days. Big shocker - Collette won the hummus battle. But that's ok. Because I remembered that making your own hummus is super easy. I did try it once and it didn't come out well but that's when I only had a blender. I now have a food processor and knew it could do the job.

I used this simple recipe. As I make it more often, I'm sure I'll play around with flavors. Weelicious also has some great twists on hummus that I'll be giving a try eventually. Now that I have made it once (and it tastes great!) I will never buy hummus again. And the cost can't be beat. I did a little back of the envelope calculation and my 16 oz of hummus cost me a little more than $1 to make. I do cook my own chickpeas (instead of canned beans) and that also brings the cost down. But still. Such a deal.

I have lots more on my list of things to make from scratch because we go through them so fast. Next up is probably tortillas. We gotta stay in touch with out Latin roots here at la Casa de Soto. If they come out well, I'll put that up next Friday.

Bon Apetit!

Bad Habits?

2010-11-11T19:43:00.003-05:00

I have a mommy confession to make.

I have been trying so hard to get Matteo to take decent naps. I follow the two-hour rule, a la Dr. Weissbluth. I use white noise, room darkening shades. Swaddle. Routine. But my little boy still wakes up after 45 minutes, wanting to eat, or play, or just hang out.

So. I've been doing something else. I've been nursing him to sleep. Not that he needs it to fall asleep. He's pretty darn good at that part. But, miraculously, nursing before a nap help stretch that 45 nap into an hour and a half, two, even two and half hours! It's blissful and he is so much happier for it.

But I have to wonder - am I starting a really bad habit? Will I regret this down the line? For now, I don't nurse him to sleep for the night. He nurses before I change him and bathe him and swaddle him and rock him. The nap thing is different, though. I think part of the problem is that he wants to eat every 2 - 2.5 hours. If he eats when he wakes up, then is up for an hour and a half, he'll want to eat again in less than an hour. So, I am hoping this is only temporary, and won't be necessary when he starts to stretch out those feedings. Lord knows when that will be. In the meantime, I just hope I'm not creating a little monster.

Appreciating the cuteness

2010-11-10T20:14:00.004-05:00

Lately, I have been feeling the SAHM blues some more, what with the toddler whining, eating strikes, toy fights and infant juggling. To be brutally honest, there are lots of times where my kids kind of annoy me. My threshold for whining is so just so low. I've been having a hard time enjoying this age. I keep fantasizing about them as older, more rational, agreeable beings. All the things we'll be able to do, the things they'll be able to tell me and understand.

But the other day, I had a neighbor/friend/fellow twin momma over for a playdate since we were both flying solo over the weekend. She had 3 kids, too, but did hers the other way around - one first, then twins. Her oldest is nearly 4 and her twins are just 6 months old (and crazy adorable!). Anyway, her son is a typical preschooler. He always wanted to be talking to the grownups, asked a million questions, needed us to explain everything to him, wanted us to watch everything he did, etc. He is a very sweet boy, but it was exhausting, too.

Later, when it was just me and my twins again, I realized, after gaining some perspective, that this age is actually quite cute. They run up to me with unabashed glee and throw their arms around my neck. They run around saying my name because they're so excited to tell me something really important like, "my shoes!!!" or "B!" They still like to play peekaboo. And they are just so tender and sweet at this age. I need to keep all this in mind those times when they start to press all my buttons with the epic whining...

Reinforcements

2010-11-08T21:18:00.004-05:00

Guess who is flyin' in on a jet plane to help get me through my 15-day solo parenting stint?

Auntie Stacey!!

She is moving back home for good (about TIME!) and is staying with me until all her stuff gets here. So, I really can't complain too much about being all alone, since I won't be, at least for a bit.

I am curious to see if the twins will be confused as they call Auntie Kim "Stacey". Or "Sheeshee", as they say it. I don't know if they think they're the same person or if they think that's what you call an aunt. Kim was with us all day yesterday (do I have the best sisters or what???) and we were trying so hard to get them to say "Kim" or "auntie" - mostly to no avail. At least the real Sheeshee is coming home. They're gonna be so excited! I know I am :)

Now I just need to sync up our Outlook calendars so I can schedule her for free babysitting!

New Discovery

2010-11-07T21:36:00.004-05:00

I have been using this oven for over three years and only just now discovered the oven light. The kids delighted in seeing their dinner cook. Now, if their delight would only get them to actually eat it...

FYI - I was cooking black bean burgers, recipe I got here. I cut some into stars in hopes that it would encourage the kids to at least try them. Sebastian did eat two bites of the "ya ya's" so I'll throw it in the win column.

祝你生日快乐!

2010-11-06T17:09:00.004-04:00

...or, "Happy Birthday!"
(since watching Ni Hao Kai Lan before bedtime, my Mandarin has really come along.)

Billy is celebrating his 35th birthday in Beijing. Although he's all alone, he's making the most of it. His goal (other than work goals, of course) on this trip is to eat as many weird foods as possible. So, for his birthday dinner he dined on this:

In case you're curious, this table included, but I'm sure was not limited to, sea horse, scorpion and silk worm. To each his own.

When he comes home, it will be a day before Sebastian and Collette's second birthday (gah!!) so we will do one big celebration that weekend. And the cuisine is sure to be much tamer. :)

Mini NaBloPoMo - Day 1

2010-11-05T13:03:00.003-04:00

It's been really difficult for me to devote time to blogging lately (reading, commenting and especially writing) that I was looking forward to NaBloPoMo as a way to motivate myself. But naturally, November 1st came and went (along with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th) so I can't honestly participate this year. However, I have a plan to do a half-NaBloPoMo. Think of it like a half marathon. Except way easier.

I am starting today because today marks Day 1 of a 15-day solo parenting spree. That's right - me and my 3 under 2 gang are all alone for 15 straight days as Billy is on a business trip to Asia. I told him how jealous I was that he gets to go on this exotic trip and he looked at me like I was crazy. He knows that flying across the world so that you can work 12+ hour days is not a fun, exotic trip. He kept going on and on about how much he didn't want to go and how he'd miss us. Grass is always greener, and all that shit.

Since I'll be posting every day for the next two weeks, I will be piggybacking on some memes out there. I haven't done a Halloween post (I'll save that for later!), so I'll participate in LauraC's Show me the Mommy! with a little sneak preview:

Me and Tater at our Twin's Club Halloween party that I co-organized

Stay tuned to keep me honest with my mini-NaBloPoMp!

Spoiled or Neglected?

2010-10-24T20:01:00.004-04:00

I go back and forth thinking that my Matteo is one of these two extremes. Although lately it's leaning more toward neglected. Poor guy.

When we first brought him home, he got all my attention. Nursed every two hours. Was held all the time. Snuggled with me in bed. Rarely sat in a swing or bouncy chair. And now that he is older and I'm on my own with all three, he still gets held a lot, at least compared to the twins when they were his age. When we are out and about, he gets to ride in the Ergo instead of being in a stroller. Being just one baby, its so easy to have him with me, on me, all the time. I feel like he's mine. I don't have to share him with anyone. A momma's boy in the making!

Matteo, 2 weeks old, napping in our bed

But then there is the neglect that comes with being a third child to a harried mommy. Lately, he has been spending a lot of time on his play-mat. I did the same thing with the twins, but I usually "played" with them, took their picture, talked to them. When I put Tater on his mat, I go off and do 100 other things, 99 of them for his brother and sister. I have so few pictures of him, its embarrassing. I drag him all over the place - play dates, gymnastics class, EI play group, errands - with little respect for his nap schedule*. I'm not sure how long I can keep this up. At some point (soon), it will be too hard to just treat him like luggage.

A sentence and other news

2010-10-20T19:31:00.003-04:00

Back to talking about my big boy, except this time, it's good news. Today, after getting up from a nap that should have been much longer, Sebastian was looking out the window at the cars in the parking lot behind our house. (This is a favorite post-nap activity of his as he has perfectly stereotypical car obsession.) I was in the middle of changing Collette's diaper when I heard him say, clear as a bell, "I see a car!" I can't wait for our speech therapist to come tomorrow so I can tell her!

This language spurt is coming on the heels of same major fussiness, as you may recall from my previous posts. Hopefully, this explains some of it. We are also having Sebastian checked out by an ENT specialist, after our speech therapist suggested it because she has concerns about his mouth breathing and excessive drooling, which is even worse now because of the constant runny nose he gets during the cooler months. She suspects that all these things may indicate enlarged adenoids or some other issue in his sinuses. Our appointment is on October 28th so we will see what they say. My hope is that they find something we can fix and make him more comfortable. If our speech therapist is right and Sebastian has trouble breathing through his nose, I can only imagine how uncomfortable the past 23 months have been for him.

And in case you want to know how bad his drooling can get in the winter, here is a prime example:

Upgrade

2010-10-12T17:46:00.004-04:00

I'll give Sebastian a break and focus on his baby brother for this post. But, I do thank all of you for your encouraging words. I needed them and we are working on things. Slowly but surely.

So - Matteo. He has finally been upgraded to his big boy crib! It's odd to be "celebrating" this milestone since it's one the twins didn't even have. The closest I had with them was switching from sharing a crib to their own cribs but they were always in their own room. True to form, I am not terribly emotional about the move. In fact, I probably sleep better :) Matteo, too. One night, he made it all the way to 4am! Hoping that's a trend. And now I have my closet back. If you know anyone in the market for a glider and a bassinet, send them my way.

Also, I was right about his size - he's 14lbs 8oz! I bought size 3 diapers at BJs over the weekend because, by the time he finishes the size 2 diapers I have, he will be big enough for the 3s. And while this is all well and good, I just need him to stay below 22 lbs through New Year's because I really want to be able to use the bucket car seat on our trip to El Salvador. Slow down, Tater!!

Colie is probably feeling left out - my easy going girl does not give me much to write about, other than that she is a cutie pie. Here's a pic of her with Tater:

And the crying continues

2010-10-05T08:56:00.004-04:00

This is one of those times where I openly solicit advice from my dear readers. I wrote last week about Sebastian's crying, one of those , "oh, being a parent is tough, huh?" kind of posts. But now I seriously feel like I have a problem. Or I think I do. I guess I'm not sure - that's part of the advice I seek.

Like I said in that earlier post, Sebastian has always been a crier. And when you have a baby, its so easy to chalk it up to being a "phase" or just part of that age. But it seems like with him, we never get out of it. To a certain degree, I can accept this. It seems that he is a just a sensitive boy. And he is allowed to be sensitive. I took up the advice I got in the last post and am reading some books on highly sensitive kids. Its helping, but truthfully, not that much.

Basically, I feel like I am not cut out to parent my son. And I feel like he can't enjoy "normal" activities because he gets so upset. I have brought up the issue with EI (a few months back) and they actually suggested letting him have his pacifier when he got upset. They said its age appropriate for a kid his age to have a comfort object and if that was his, and it's the only thing that helps him self-soothe, we should allow him to use it. So, he gets his binky whenever he needs it at home, in the car and in his crib. But I simply can't bring myself to let him have it in public. As if it's the scarlet letter of incompetent parenting. And it's in these public situations where we find ourselves in trouble.

Two good examples: First, we have been doing an EI playgroup since March(ish). The playgroup is very low key and parents stay the whole time. The first half hour is open play, which goes over quite well. No surprise there. The last half hour is circle singing time and that's when the crying starts. 6 months in, Sebastian still cries (and I mean wails, not whimpers or whines) every time we get to the parachute. No matter how much I prep him or remind him of what will happen, he loses his shit every time. And I know what his issue is: he wants to go underneath the parachute. But that doesn't happen until after we shake the parachute and after we go on top of the parachute. So he cries and cries and cries until its time to go underneath. Often, he is too upset by that point to even go under. I have tried holding him in my lap, reassuring him that it will be time to go under soon. I have tried ignoring him. I have tried removing him from the situation. I have tried counting down until its time. But nothing has stopped his anger over this.

The other new fit-inducing activity is gymnastics. The thing is, he likes gymnastics. He likes doing the obstacle course, walking on the balance beam, going down the slide. He especially likes the trampoline. And this is where things start to go south. Yesterday, he was on one the little trampolines. I told him he could have ten jumps and then it would be the next girl's turn. I counted to 10 (very slowly, something we do all the time at home with turn taking and has worked very well) and when I told him his turn was up he got off. But then he immediately wanted to get back on, demanding that it was his turn again. I explained to him that he could have anotehr turn when she was done. No dice. I explained to him that there was another trampoline in the room he could use. I even brought him over there and told him he could have a turn. No dice. He was completely distraught and not able to recover for about 20 minutes. Additionally, he got even more upset while we were in the big room because he didn't want to wait for his turn on the big trampoline. Like the parachute, this is an activity we do every week. Part of me feels like he should be getting used to it.

I'm at a loss. He wants to do these activities and have fun but he seems to sabotage himself. And I try to help him cope but nothing I do seems to make a difference. It would be easier if it were just about him but he has a twin sister and I can't do separate activities with them. I feel like we're damned if we do, damned if we don't. Lastly, it doesn't help matters that he is the only child acting like this. Others may cry from time to time but he is the only one who does it every time over the same things. It's hard to not feel like I'm doing something wrong.

Will we ever get past it? Or will we struggle with this at every stage of his development until he moves out?

Baby Cliche

2010-10-01T08:46:00.003-04:00

Matteo is growing up so fast. That's my age-old baby cliche as of late. And he is literally growing fast - he has been in 3-6 month clothes for a couple weeks now, well before his 2 month "birthday", which is this Sunday. He'll have his 2 month check up the week after next but I estimate him to be near 14 lbs. Lord knows how long he is but he certainly does not feel like a newborn anymore. This make nursing a lot easier as he is stronger and can hold his head up more but its bittersweet. I was never a newborn person but with my last baby, I find that I am missing it even as it goes by.

Because of his improving head control, I dug out our bumbo seat and he has been hanging out in there for a few minutes at a time. This has made dinnertime so much easier! I usually feed him shortly before giving the twins their dinner so that he is settled. But even then, that 5pm - 6pm is rough for a wee one like Matteo and he is hard to keep happy. With the bumbo, I can put him on the dining room table (shhh!!) and he can face me while I do dinner with Sebastian and Collette. Being part of the action at least somewhat distracts him from his bedtime fussies.

His growth has had some not so great consequences as well. He has been busting out of every swaddle I can do because his legs are so long and strong that he untucks the wrap with his kicking. I will have to try what I did with the twins around 3 or 4 months old, and wrap his arms down underneath a Velcro swaddle sleep sack. The problem is, they only come in newborn size (that I can find) and he is WAY too long for that. So, I think I will cut out some feet holes for him so he can fit. The things we do for sleep...

I really never thought I would miss those newborn days. Billy is scared that I will demand another baby, seeing how much I have enjoyed these past two months with Tater. But all that is a post for another day. (No worries, though. I am NOT planning a baby #4!)

Cry Me A River

2010-09-22T19:34:00.003-04:00

Oh, dear Sebastian. I love you but lately, you are making my job as your mommy really hard. Not even lately. Always. You are just a tough nut to crack.

Since he was a baby, Sebastian has always been my fussy baby. Still a good baby but definitely the fussier of the two. He had to be held a certain way, had to be rocked for a long time, had to be swaddled extra tight. I even wrote about his fussiness back when he was just a wee one. When I watch that video of him as a whiny 8-month old, I feel like not much has changed. He still cries that exact same way.

He loses his shoe. Cry.
I wipe his snotty nose. Cry.
The food looks suspect. Cry.
I take too long to get him in the swing. Cry.
I give his sister the yellow spoon that he wanted. Cry.
I won't let him go in the car at 8:30am for no reason. Cry.
Waiting at the the top of the stairs while I bring the baby down. Cry.
He can't reach his binky that he just threw. Cry.
I go downstairs to go to the bathroom. Cry.
Diaper change. Cry.

So, wiser moms, is there a proverbial light at the end of the tunnel? Or will he be whining that his graduation cap doesn't stay on his head?

Capisce??

2010-09-14T19:50:00.003-04:00

Sometimes, I feel like I don't give Collette and Sebastian enough credit. They are growing up so fast and I honestly am having a hard time keeping up. I often think to myself that certain things are far beyond their mental grasp and more and more, I am wrong.

It should be obvious. They talk SO much more. They understand more of what we say. They *seem* to listen more. So, it would follow that they are capable of doing things at a higher level. For example, I didn't think they really understood dress-up play. And, to some extent, they don't. It's not like they can act out mini-plays with each other in costume. But I didn't even think that they would like to dress up in funny clothes. Surprise, surprise - I was incorrect. They have been having fun trying on all sorts of things, most recently, our sweaters and sweatshirts that have been pulled out for the (wonderful!!) cooler weather.

Here they are, in Daddy's sweatshirt, which they both insisted be zipped up while they reminded me that it was "papa's!":

So, I am having to reevaluate how I interact with them and really start treating them like big kids and not babies. Thank goodness I have Matteo for that :)

Colie's First Haircut

2010-09-08T20:27:00.005-04:00

Well, it was time for the 'Fro to go. Collette was seriously getting dreadlocks in the back so we had to get her some professional help. In the form of overpriced baby haircuts at Snip-its.

Truthfully, the place was fantastic and, IMO, well worth the price. It was easy to bring all three kids (no, I was not alone!) and let them play while they waited. They could walk around and not be in the way like they would have been at a real hair salon. So, if you need to get your kid's hair cut, I totally recommend this place.

Collette was sold as soon as she get her lollipop. Animal crackers filled in the gaps. Overall, a very easy, fun experience.

Collette with the 'fro

Oblivious to the snips. Thank you, lollipop!!

Have you ever seen a cuter thing in your life?

One Month!

2010-09-05T09:40:00.003-04:00

Believe it or not, Matteo is now over one month old! And he is doing so well - eating and sleeping are both still great (back to waking up once at night now that his bedtime is a firm 730pm) and as he is more aware during the day, he is starting to enjoy his play mat and bouncy seats more.

The day after his one month birthday, he got to attend his first wedding. My dear friend/surrogate sister tied the knot on Saturday and Tater stayed awake to watch the whole ceremony. The commotion was too much for him, though, and he had to nurse twice during the reception to help him fall asleep. Thankfully, by the time dinner was served, he was out cold for the night. Billy and I even got to dance a bit before packing it up.

Also, I am now officially "on my own" with kiddos - my MIL left after 3 weeks of tremendous help. Tonight went really well though. Not a single tear was shed during bedtime and Matteo only started to fuss right at the end as I was getting Sebastian and Collette into their sleep sacks. I may have to add feeding the baby into their bedtime routine but we'll see. I'll be tweaking things as we go but I now know that its definitely doable. Hopefully things go just as smoothly tomorrow night when I actually have to bathe them...!

Lastly, we will continue the tradition of chair pictures with Matteo. Same chair, new baby! Here he is in his wedding outfit:

Matteo, one month and one day old

Keep an eye out for more posts coming up. I have a lot to share after being away from the blog for so long.

Life with 3 under 2

2010-08-23T20:29:00.004-04:00

Now that Matteo is three weeks old, we are all starting to get used to each other. Sebastian and Collette like their new little brother. Or at least they accept him as part of the family. They like to give him kisses and Collette will even go so far as to bring him blankets. They both like to point to his body parts - a little scary when they try to poke him in the eye. And Sebastian especially likes it when he wears onesies that feature cars. Other than that, they pretty much ignore him which is much better than acting jealous. Hopefully things will stay this way once I am on my own with them and they aren't getting all that extra attention from Mimi (my MIL).

As for Matteo, he has inserted himself nicely into our lives. He must now how spread thin Mommy will be because, for a newborn, he seems to be making things pretty easy for me. He nurses like a champ and has since day one. He gets right down to business and is finished within 15 minutes, sometimes just 10! This makes feeding him and watching after the twins manageable. And he is already developing some very promising sleep patterns. He generally takes a longer nap from about 9-11 and then again from 130-330. Otherwise, he seems to take shorter naps, especially in the evening when he is nursing more frequently. Plus, he is already showing signs of readiness for an early bedtime. he gets crabby and needy around 6pm if he isn't asleep. If this goes on, I will probably just incorporate him into the twins' bedtime and that way they will all be down by 730ish. That may mean I have to give up my one night feeding (usually around 130am) but it might be worth it to have my evenings back. Or is that idea totally age-inappropriate?

So, all in all, life with 3 under 2 is going well. It's hard to believe that in such a short time I opened and closed the book on having babies. It'll be a tough first year but I know it'll pay off in the long run!

Matteo Meets the World

2010-08-05T21:17:00.003-04:00

After much waiting, Matteo finally made his arrival on Tuesday, August 3 at 12:33am, weighing 8lbs 5oz and measuring 21.5 inches long. The experience was not exactly what I expected but for those of you have been through it, you're probably not surprised. Since this will be my last and only time, I want to record, to the best of memory, how Matteo made his way into this world.

8:00am - We started the pitocin. I got comfortable and not much happened for a while. I could feel contractions, but they were more like menstrual cramps than anything else.

12/1:00pmish - My water broke. Or I thought it did. Turned out to just be a leak but it sure felt like more than that. After that, the contractions started to get much stronger. Billy was great at helping my breathe and relax through them.

4:00pm - My OB arrived and by that point, my contractions were 2 minutes apart but I had not progressed much - still at 2cm. Contractions were beyond manageable so I agreed to the epidural.

5:00pm - Got epidural and everything was immediately better. They reduced the pitocin so the contractions slowed down a bit but, either way, I couldn't feel it. I took the opportunity to get lots of sleep.

8/9:00pm - The checked my progress and I was 8cm dilated. Finally, some progress!!

10/10:30pm - They checked me again and I was 10cm! OB told me I would start pushing soon but the nurse told me otherwise as soon as she left the room. (I love the nurses vs. doctors thing. Very entertaining to a layperson like me). She told me I would push when I felt like I had to and that I should ignore the doctor. She spent some time trying to keep her out of the room. so as not to interfere with nature. :)

11:00pm - I declared that I felt the need to push. My doctor had sneaked into the room somehow and helped intruct me through my first few pushes. Then she told me average length of time to push out a first baby was 2 hours. I tried really hard not to believe her.

The nurse came in and took over the coaching along with Billy. There was lots of moving positions but, because of the epidural, I could do much more than lie down. I stayed mostly side lying which was much more comfortable for me and seemed to work for the baby, too.

Pushing was hard and not really what I expected. Both people who gave me advice on pushing said that you do it like you're having a #2. I would now agree with them. What I didn't expect was how hard it would be on my abs! It was like every push was the hardest crunch I ever did in my whole life. And I did them for 10 seconds at a time, 3 or 4 times in a row with a 30-60 second break in between "sets." It was a workout like nothing I've ever done and I played 4 years of rugby in college. To help me push, they brought in an extra nurse so I had a nurse on each side for me to push off against and Billy helped me hold me head up to do the crunches.

12:15am - They called the OB in and then I knew that we were truly getting close. They had the mirror set up for me to see what was happening but I couldn't really make out what I was seeing. At some point, I got an episiotomy but couldn't feel it. About 15 more minutes of pushing as hard as I could and Matteo finally made his way out at 12:33am.

I couldn't hold him immediately because he had swallowed something and they had to check him out. The pedis declared him 100% fine, I got stitched up and by 1am, I got to hold him and nurse him for the first time.

All in all, I am so happy that I got to have this experience. And, above all else, so happy to finally meet our littlest boy.

Here...We...Go!

2010-08-02T08:07:00.005-04:00

At 5:50 this morning, we called the hospital and finally got the go ahead to come in for our induction. We live just a couple minutes from the hospital so we had plenty of time this morning to get ready for our big day. My parents came over just before we headed out to take over twin duty and Auntie Kim is also on her way.

(Billy and I on our way to the hospital. And my mom's fingertip)

As I write this, I am hooked up to the pitocin. Not the way I wanted this labor to go down but Matteo is just a stubborn little boy. I am still only 1-2cm dilated and about 70% effaced which means I have made no progress since Tuesday! I think he would have waited until Labor Day if we had let him. Contractions really haven't started yet but it's only been about 15 minutes or so since they hooked me up. Wish me luck!!

(21st century momma!)

Toddlers are weird

2010-08-01T14:15:00.002-04:00

Just to get this out of the way, yes I'm still pregnant. Yes, that means I am 41 weeks and 1 day along. Tomorrow (Monday) we will try for the third time to get me into the hospital to be induced. I have nothing more to say about it at this point. But rest assured I will put up a post right before we leave for the hospital, one way or the other.

Anyway, to the topic of the post: Toddlers are weird. This one is mainly about Sebastian. Not that Collette doesn't have her adorable quirks but Sebastian is exhibiting a few that I really don't want to forget:

He will only eat from the kiddie spoons with yellow in them. We have 4 plastic spoons that they use for their morning oatmeal (they scoop and hold better than their PBKids metal spoons) and two have yellow in them; the other two do not. I can't remember when started to obsess over the yellow spoons but trust me, those are the only two he will use.
He is constantly kissing inanimate objects. First it was pictures (I taught them both to kiss a picture of their daddy), then it was stuffed animals but now it has progressed into the random. Like the table. Or the floor. Or a cup. So odd but still, so cute.
At dinner, he refuses to eat anything on a spoon (even a yellow one!) - it must be finger food or fork food. If he sees a bowl and a spoon waiting at the table, he starts to cry. If I take what's in the bowl (meat, veggies, rice, etc.) and put it on a plate with a fork, he runs right over to gobble it up.

And I know this list will only get longer as the toddler months continue! What weirdness are your toddlers displaying these days?

The Waiting Game

2010-07-29T21:35:00.003-04:00

Well, my "scheduled" induction has come and gone. The hospital was too full today and so we will try again first thing tomorrow morning. I have my alarm set to 6am so I can call and see if there is space available for me. In other words, hurry up and wait.

To be honest, I really don't want to be induced. I hear all these pitocin horror stories and I just want Matteo to come the normal way. Go into labor, work through it, push, push, push, have a baby. The hospital and the OB are there just in case something goes awry but otherwise, I view them as unnecessary. Perhaps I should have found a midwife for this pregnancy but its too late for that now. I never thought I would make it this far - its rather odd to be on the other side, waiting for a baby to come instead of praying it stays in. And I know, no matter what, once he comes everyone will be happy, blah, blah, blah. As long as he's healthy, blah, blah, blah. But I think its unfair how people discount the unique experience of giving birth. Of course I want a healthy baby and of course I will be happy as soon as he comes out but that doesn't change the fact that I also have certain feelings about his actual birth. About my labor and my body and my experience.

I have tried some things to help get labor going but to no avail. LOTS of walking (hello, I have two 20 month olds!), eating spicy food, nipple stimulation (via the good old breast pump - and boy, was that weird after all this time). But still, nothing. Though, some progress has been made. As of Tuesday, I was almost 2cm dilated and 70% effaced. Last night, I had my "bloody show" - sorry if that's TMI! I'm hoping that means I am nearly 100% effaced and maybe even more dilated. Ideally, I would just go into labor tonight and not have to worry about any of the induction stuff. Only time will tell...

Here is a pic of me this afternoon, 40 weeks and 5 days pregnant. Holy belly!

Off to try and get some sleep. Lord knows I will need it if they take me in tomorrow!

We're Ready!

2010-07-23T19:19:00.005-04:00

With Matteo's due date officially on the horizon (tomorrow!!!), we have just finally finished preparing for his arrival. Not that all of it was necessary but I'm glad that everything on my "get done before you have this baby" wish list is actually complete. Even a pedicure! (Thanks, Fav Auntie!).

Matteo's room is not 100% tidied up but beyond ready for what he will need. I still have some hand-me-downs to wash but they are mostly 12-month clothes so no rush. Otherwise, we're ready to go. Sheets are clean, dresser is built and full, windows are dressed, etc., etc. As promised, here is a picture of the finished product:

Hopefully you can make out that it is a jungle theme - Fav Auntie even got us some real-life animal photos that are hanging above the dresser.

But before Matteo gets whisked away to this magical jungle, he gets the privilege of sleeping in my closet. Yes, he will be bunking in there, in a bassinet, so I can easily get up to feed him but we have a door to keep his baby noises a little quieter while we try to sleep. Here is the set up so far, complete with glider:

Hopefully, this will work out for us. Most people I mentioned it to were not horrified, as I imagined they might be, but agreed that it was a good idea. We shall see.

In birth plan/VBAC news, my OB is letting me go until Wednesday before trying to induce with pitocin. In the meantime, I have an non-stress test and ultrasound scheduled for Monday and an appointment with her scheduled on Tuesday. I was only 1cm dialated and 50% effaced at my appointment this past Wednesday so there is a chance it could come down to my being induced. I hope that's not the case, though. We are hoping for him to make his way on Sunday. It's a very special day on the Mayan calendar (don't ask...) and my mom has the day off so win-win.

For now, I'm off to bed, thinking contracting thoughts. We're ready Tater Tot - are you??

Not Yet

2010-07-17T22:12:00.003-04:00

I realize I have not posted in a while and thought that might give the impression that I was too busy having a baby to blog. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Still very much pregnant through yet another heat wave. F*** you, summer!

Quick updates, as it's late and I'm sleepy:

Next OB appointment is Wednesday where I will get another internal exam and hopefully get some reconfirmation that Matteo is head down. Also, I spoke with my OB about different scenarios and it seems that there is certainly wiggle room on when I can go into labor - she will let me go up to about a week late, depending on other factors. She also said if need be, we could try inducing with Pitocin but nothing stronger than that. So, good news for a VBAC.

Also, I feel gross writing this but I want to be an honest pregnant woman and tell it like it is. Sometimes, it feels like the baby is pushing down so much he might fall out. The closest comparison I can make is when you put a tampon in but can still feel it, like you did it wrong and didn't get it in the right way. Like I said, gross but honest. It's a very odd feeling and one I'm hoping means that he is almost ready to make his debut.

In toddler news, Sebastian and Collette have both "learned" a number. That number is 2. They skipped right over 1 which I suppose is appropriate, with them being twins and all. I guess that means they should hurry up and learn 3. Sebastian also knows the letter C. Not sure if Collette knows that one as she is not as eager to label things - she is way too cool for that. They are adding vocabulary more quickly, in general, but still not putting two words together so still much progress to make on the speech front. Quite frankly, I'm not that worried about it anymore. They understand so much of what I say and what Billy says to them in Spanish that I think the rest is just a matter of time. We'll continue speech therapy as long as they qualify through EI because I like the services and the feedback but I won't be stressing about it. I have enough to worry about with a baby on the way! :)

Last thing - we are almost done Matteo's room so I will post pictures soon. It's livable but we still have some decorative things to put up.

Stay cool! I'm off to Lala-land...

38 Weeks and Counting

2010-07-09T14:26:00.005-04:00

I just got back from my OB appointment and not much going on. She didn't do an internal exam and I got the impression that she wouldn't do another one. Blood pressure and weight were fine and no protein in the urine so still smooth sailing.

Also, I must have misunderstood when she said I would have an ultrasound around 38 weeks because she said they will do one when I get to the hospital and am in labor to double check the Matteo's position. If at that point they see that he is breech, they will get the OR ready for a repeat c-section. To be honest, I'm kind of bummed because I would like a little more heads up than that. Either way, I'm sure everything will be fine but I am mentally preparing for a VBAC and will be very disappointed if I can't have one.

I realized I haven't talked a lot about why I am so intent on having this baby the old-fashioned way. So, here are my reasons:

My first c-section was traumatic. Not so much the operation itself, although that was no fun. Being pinned down crucifix-style and vomiting off to the side while your baby is being born is not what we all dream about. The recovery was the really traumatic part, most of which had to do with my blood pressure/preeclampsia but still. Those memories will always be associated with the c-section and its hard for me to separate the two. I'm sure labor will be painful like I can't even imagine but so was trying to walk to the bathroom for the first time after the twins were born. It was excruciating and humiliating and not something I want to relive, regardless of how painful labor will be. I'd rather have the pain giving birth than after the baby is here. I don't want my pain to get in the way of caring for him. (I know that I probably won't experience that same kind of pain if I have a c-section this time, but like I said, it's hard for me to separate the two in my mind)
I'm curious to know what labor feels like. That may sound silly but it's the truth.
I'd rather let Matteo come on his time than on my time. Having premature babies who had no interest in leaving the womb, this issue is a sensitive one for me. So, if he wants to cook until the end of July, so be it! (Although I'd be cool if he were ready to come some time next week. I promise I'll have clean clothes for you, TaterTot)
I don't like doctors and an operation involves a lot more doctors than a traditional birth. I assume that there is more doctor follow up after as well, but that's just my guess. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

And here is my latest belly picture, taken at 37 weeks, 1 day (I'm 38 weeks as of tomorrow). Holy stretch marks!

I look so much bigger than last month. Yikes!

Thanks Auntie Stacey!

2010-07-06T13:45:00.010-04:00

Fav Auntie (Auntie Stacey, my oldest little sister) has been in town from San Diego for a visit since Thursday. She has so many people to see when she comes home but, of course, the twins got more than their fair share of Auntie time.

Yesterday, Fav Auntie came with us to the local lake so the kids could play at the beach. The water and the shade kept us all very comfortable and the kids had a good time, naturally.

Sebastian is checking out the scene

Collette is showing Stacey how to drown stuffed animals

Today, I drove into Boston with the kids and we met Stacey at the aquarium. This was Sebastian and Collette's first visit and they did such a good job! They were remarkably self-disciplined and kept requesting to go back in their stroller. Certainly made getting around to all the exhibits much easier. Of all the things we saw, the penguins were probably their favorite. Collette really liked touching the sea stars (apparently, they are NOT starfish) while Sebastian was not so much excited about touching the marine life. And they loved the Curious George baby/kid room where they could repeatedly dump out a bucket of plastic play fish, fill it up, repeat.

Sebastian demonstrating that touching is fine so long as there is thick glass in the way.

First look at the penguins. Of course the only kid looking at the camera isn't mine.

Collette about to give the penguin statue a kiss.

Collette and Stacey meeting some sea creatures

As a gift to Auntie Stacey for coming out to visit, both Sebastian and Collette say her name! Their pronunciation leaves a lot to be desired but considering how picky they are about the words the will attempt, it is a great honor!

We'll miss you, Auntie, and can't wait for you to come back home in September!!

A Day in the Life (with just 2)

2010-06-27T19:15:00.002-04:00

Via Marcia's blog, I saw that the theme for this week's QOTW at Multiples and More is to describe a typical day in my life. Normally, I would think this is a bit boring because my life is not so exciting when you write about it in that hour to hour way. However, I thought it would be a nice little time capsule to see how things change once Tater Tot comes along. I have this vision that he will fit in to our routine and we will fit into his and everything will (eventually!) run very smoothly. We shall see...

What is your schedule like? Do you work outside the home or stay home with the kids?

I am at home with the kids. Most days I'm happy about this. Just not all :) Here is our weekday schedule (when Daddy is off in some exotic place, like New Jersey or St. Louis)

6:30am I wake up. Well, I get up. Usually, I'm already awake. My internal clock is set to go off at 5:30 these days. I blame Matteo and summer sun. I head downstairs, let the dog out, get the kids milk ready, eat breakfast, check email and listen for Sebastian and Collette, who are probably awake but not making enough noise yet. Some days, I have to make a batch of oatmeal, which last 4 or 5 days.

7/7:30am I hear S & C gabbing away (or crying, depends on the day) and head upstairs. Feed the dog and go into the nursery to start the day. Give the twins their milk, get them out of their sleep sacks and hang out for a while, playing, reading books and listening to Matty in the Morning.

8:00am By now, we are downstairs. I have the kids watch TV and play with their toys while I get their breakfast ready. Its always oatmeal with fruit mixed in, usually bananas but we have done apples, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, mangoes, raisins, peaches, etc.

8:10/8:20am Twins eat their breakfast

8:30am I clean up breakfast while they play. sometimes they watch more TV, sometimes not. Depends on their moods and mine. And the weather. If its nice out, they can play outside while I clean up and do important things like check Facebook and read blogs. And of course, I play with them. I can be a good mom, too.

9:00am Go upstairs to get the twins dressed. I try to get dressed when I get up but this doesn't always happen. Depending on our plan for the morning, this is either rushed or lazy.

9:15/10:00am Anywhere between those two times is where we will head out for the morning, if we are leaving the house. Tuesday we have EI at home from 930-1030 so we don't leave until later. Thursday we have EI playgroup at 945 so I try to be in the car by 920. Other days, we have play dates, run errands or go to a park and I always leave the house during the time block.

11:30am Come back home and get lunch ready OR have lunch out.

12:00pm Lunchtime! The kids eat and if there is time, they watch some Wiggles before nap.

12:30pm Nap time! I use this time to due chores. Mondays are for mopping, Tuesdays for vacuuming, Wednesday for dusting and changing sheets. In addition to those weekly chores, I do cleaning in a particular part of the house for a week (this upcoming week is the play room and the den). Also, depending on my mood, I may do some cooking. In between, I give myself breaks to write/read blogs, check email, etc. Or, if I'm really tired, a nap.

3:00pm Twins wake up from their nap. We play around in their room for a bit while they drink their milk.

3:30pm If we have errands to run, play date, or other outing, I will start heading downstairs so we can pack up the car. Otherwise, we go upstairs (3rd floor) to the play room and play up their for a while.

4:45/5:00pm Come back home (if we were out and we're not eating dinner out - we usually don't when I'm alone) OR come downstairs from the playroom. I get dinner ready while the kids play. I often recruit Yo Gabba Gabba to help keep little hands and feet out of the kitchen while I'm getting things ready.

5:30pm Dinnertime. Sometimes they eat quickly, other times, not so much. Either way, when they're done, we hang out and play downstairs (where we already are) and, weather permitting, play outside. I also clean up dinner and declutter in general.

6:30pm Head upstairs to get ready for bed. Every other night is bath night. After bath (if there is one), we get dressed, play a bit, brush teeth and then read some books. Lights out no later than 7.

7:00pm I'm off mommy duty and can relax. Ha! This is usually when I cook for me or for upcoming days. More cleaning may need to be done now, depending on how bad things got during the day and/or how much I slacked off during nap time. I eat, check email, check FB, read blogs, etc. Not too much TV these days as nothing is on. Very different case in October when I can barely keep up with my DVR. If I have a book, I might head to my bedroom early (8ish) to do some reading.

9:00/9:30 Head to my room for the night. before I go upstairs, I make sure all the dishes are in the dishwasher and that the toys are all put away. Also, I let the dog out one last time before we go up.

9:30/10:00pm Get ready for bed and hit the hay. If its early enough and it needs to be done, I will fold some laundry while watching TV. Lately it's the Rachel Maddow show as nothing else is on and I love her. Total girl crush.

Do you follow it very closely?

Yes. Pretty boring but blissfully predictable for the kids and me. Spontaneity may have once been fun, but is mostly just scary now. For me anyway. Kudos to those of you who can do spontaneous on your own with little ones in tow. Me, I would run over someone's grandmother to make sure we made it home for nap time.

How much (or how little?) "help" do you have?

I don't. Not during the week. My mom and my sister do visit but it's not part of our routine and does not help me get things done. We just get to enjoy their company and hopefully do something fun with the kids that I wouldn't want to do on my own.

What chores do you do on a daily basis?

Dishes, picking up toys, cooking (almost), laundry (every other), sweeping (every other, maybe more if the kids got the place really dirty), carpet sweeping (just the dining room rug), toilet bowls, and pick up doggie doo.

My favorite and least favorite parts of the day?

My favorite part of the day is either waking up the twins or putting them to bed. Both are relaxing and rarely rushed. I also like hanging out in their room - it's very calming. My least favorite part of the day is getting lunch and dinner ready. The kids freak out as soon as they see me head toward the fridge, acting as if they haven't eaten in days. Makes it hard to focus on the task at hand. I'm sure there is a way for me to do it ahead of time, but part of me thinks that they need to understand the fact that food does not magically appear, that it has to be cooked/prepared for us to eat it. And that it takes time.

I wonder what I will think of this list in a month or a year from now. Will adding #3 throw this all out of whack? Or will we find a way to get back to this predictable little life?

The Countdown Is On!

2010-06-25T07:17:00.002-04:00

I have 29 more days until Matteo is supposed to be here. I'm hoping its a few shy of 29 because I can't be induced (VBAC rules) and I need to go into labor by or before my due date. So, let the countdown begin!

I had my 36 week exam yesterday and everything looks good. Weight and BP are good. Matteo is head down - hurrah! - and my OB thiks he will engage within the next week and hopefully be stuck in that position. She also told me that we'll probably do an ultrasound at 38 weeks to "make sure" that he is head down and check his weight. This came as a surprise because earlier she told me my only ultrasound would be the 18 week one. And while I was very fed up with all the ultrasounds for S & C, I am very excited to get one last sneak peak at Tater Tot before he makes his debut.

Summer Outings and Stranger Danger

2010-06-23T09:17:00.004-04:00

It's hot here. I hate the heat. I didn't always but now that I have kids and am home all day in central A/C that doesn't work well, I'm not diggin' it so much. Being pregnant doesn't help. Anyway, the point of all this, other than to bitch a little, is that I have been on the lookout for cool activities to do this summer, especially when its just me and the kids. Mother Nature does not save heat and humidity for the weekend, as I remember well from my working days.

Yesterday, after a long nap for all three of us, I decided we should try to do a nature walk in the Fells. I used to take the dog there all the time before the twins were born and I think we may have done some walks there when they were very small. Since they have been so good at listening (for 19 month olds) and staying close to me, I thought we should give it a try. With all those tall trees, you could barely feel the heat of the sun - it was so nice. The kids played with rocks and sticks, stayed on the path when I reminded them, listened to birds and had fun pushing the empty jogging stroller.

On our way back to the car, we passed a family - three teen/pre-teen girls and their mom. We all said "hi', exchanged pleasantries, etc. As they were walking away, Collette walked over to one of the girls, tried to hold her hand and walk off with her! Now, I'm glad she is so friendly with new people, but good Lord! This child is an abduction waiting to happen. Gotta love her free spirit. :)

Thanks Guys!

2010-06-21T08:44:00.002-04:00

Earlier, I was looking at one of my FB albums labeled "6 months and counting" and it got me all teary-eyed. Sebastian and Collette just looked so small and cuddly. They were learning how to eat "solid" food. Smiling at each other. Wiggling and jumping (in the baby contraptions). For a second, I almost missed them at that age. (Good thing I'm having another one, right?!)

Later this morning, however, they did something cool and all grown up. They climbed into their own high chairs for the first time. And then I was brought back to reality. My kids are growing up and learning new things, often without me even trying to teach it to them. And I love it. I'm glad that I don't have to pick them up to get in the chairs anymore - it's been murder on my back lately. And it's really cute to watch them climb.

And in other "growing up" news, both Sebastian and Collette did a superb job holding hands and walking through the parking lots yesterday. I have only been practicing with Collette but decided to take advantage of a 1:1 ratio and have both walk. I was with Sebas and I was amazed at how well he did. He's a lot slower than his sister so I have to remember to walk slowly but he held my hand without objection and that's really all that matters.

So, S & C, thank you for making life a little easier for your (very pregnant) momma. I really appreciate it!!

A Father's Day Project

2010-06-16T08:01:00.006-04:00

For Father's Day this year, I figured the kids should make their own father's day gifts now that they have some motor skills. Finger painting seemed as good an idea as any and I was lucky enough to have Auntie Kim over yesterday to help out. Both Sebastian and Collette enjoyed this new activity in their own way, both staying true to their budding personalities.

"You want me to get my fingers dirty??"

"Yay! I'm making a colorful mess and no one is yelling at me!"

"OK, I'm liking this but I'll just use my fingertips."

"This paint feels so gooey ALL OVER MY HANDS!!!"

This is definitely a project we will have to repeat. They were pissed when I took the paints away but bedtime was calling and the paper was getting pretty soaked and I feared for my dining room table.

Any other "mediums" you suggest for 18 month old artists?? We tried stickers but, apparently, they look too much like snacks. Ditto for crayons.

Anniversary Celebration

2010-06-12T14:30:00.006-04:00

Yesterday, Billy and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. Fun that it fell on a Friday and we were able to see each other and go out. I made reservations at an all-too fancy and all-too pricey French restaurant in Boston but it was totally worth it. We used to go out to somewhat fancy dinners a few times a month back in our DINK days. I guess once a year is OK now. :)

Naturally, we had no one to take our picture and I felt weird asking someone at the restaurant to do it - not that kind of place, IMO. Anyway, we got a decent shot of ourselves and a preggo picture of me in my slightly scandalous, no bra (yikes!) dress.

So proud of myself for rocking the stilettos at 34 weeks!

PS - I forgot to mention I had a glass of wine. My first this pregnancy, haha!

Lost in Translation

2010-06-08T19:13:00.005-04:00

As I mentioned a few posts ago, Sebastian and Collette have been making good progress on the communication front. Things are still going well, both with words and signs, and I think Sebastian may soon eclipse Collette in the spoken word category - go figure!

One of their newest signs is "thank you" which is a good thing but also a tricky thing, for a few reasons. First off, it looks a lot like blowing a kiss so I'm not sure they know the difference. They also don't really understand the concept of thank you, as in only the receiver needs to say it, not the giver as well. I suppose I should teach them "you're welcome" but all that seems pretty high brow for 18 month olds. Then again, what do I know. The other issue is with what deserves a "thank you" - both Sebastian and Collette seem to be under the impression that whenever you get something, even if it's by force, you say thank you. Kind of like a bank robber thanking the teller very much for all that cash. We're working on no toy stealing but at least when they do it, they're polite about it...?

***

I got yelled at by one of my sisters for not posting enough pictures of the twins. My reasons are two-fold: I'm lazy/unmotivated to take pictures and they are horrible subjects. Video would be much more appropriate but you have to be sneaky which I am not. I do have some photos from the past few weeks and, although they are completely unrelated to this post, I will share a couple with you anyway. You're welcome.

First dip of the season

Totally cheating at Cornhole

PS - Matteo has decided that my bladder makes an awesome toy. I almost peed in my pants today, literally. Not sure I can make it 6 more weeks with no accidents. *sigh*

Like Mother, Like Son

2010-06-03T13:20:00.004-04:00

A few months ago, I was poking around the maternity section of Sears and noticed these mommy-baby matching outfits: a nursing type "dress" for mommy and a onesie for the baby. I had never noticed these while I was pregnant with the twins and it wouldn't have done me much good, anyway, because it only comes with the one onesie. Anyhoo, I went back and bought a set for me and Matteo. It was the only boy design they had but the little elephant works with his jungle themed* room.

Don't be surprised if every postpartum picture of me features this number. I doubt I'll be doing a lot of laundry.

*We are still only part way done decorating Matteo's room. I'll be sure to post pics as soon as its complete!

32 Weeks: Belly Pic

2010-05-30T08:36:00.003-04:00

My belly at 32 weeks:

My guess is that I am still measuring right on time, which is perfect. Since I was measuring about 6 weeks ahead with the twins, this is as it should be for my body and one baby. Although being sick and not eating more than toast for 3 days definitely set my weight back a bit. And I'm slightly anemic. But nothing some iron supplements can't help.

So, it seems that all is back to normal and I can just try and do my best to get through these next 8 weeks. It is getting increasingly difficult to do certain tasks, like washing dishes (my belly is the same height as the counter-top), laundry (I can't reach the bottom of the laundry sorter), lifting Sebastian and Collette, and anything else that involves bending over. I remember when I was pregnant with the twins, bending over wasn't so bad - I did the "stripper" bend where I would crouch and come up butt first and then stand straight. But when I have to bend down and pick up toys about 20,530 times per day, that's just not gonna happen. Either way, my back is mad at me and I'm mad at all the toys. And dirty dishes. And dirty clothes. It's gonna be a long 8 weeks... :)

The Verdict Is In

2010-05-26T12:37:00.003-04:00

And I'm just sick. For the third time. You have got to be freakin' kidding me! Of course, I'm very happy that it's this and not preeclampsia again. My BP was 121/75 (which I'm told is normal), there was no protein in my urine and my OB is pretty sure the blood test for liver function will come back fine. So, for now, I'm just stuck at home, feeling like crap and hoping that if I crank my central AC enough, it will actually make our third floor playroom bearable. We have a portable AC unit for up there but were not prepared for 90 degree weather in May and the unit is in the basement. Sigh.

Thank you all SO MUCH for your well wishes and concern for me and Matteo. I'm usually a pretty easy going gal when it comes to medical stuff but this had me pretty scared. Your comments helped perk me up, so thank you again.

Worried

2010-05-26T07:48:00.003-04:00

So far, this has been a very easy pregnancy. Besides the two stomach viruses I contracted from the kids, it has been smooth sailing. That is, until now.

On Saturday night/Sunday morning, I wasn't feeling well. My stomach hurt and I couldn't sleep. Sunday was a wash of a day for me but the rest I got seemed to help. Monday was much better but not 100%. Still, I was pretty sure it was just one of those things that comes and goes, no harm done.

But yesterday, towards the end of nap time, I started feeling shitty again. And it really hasn't gone away. I have had slight headaches, nausea, stomachaches and, just recently, thanks to an extra special poopy diaper, vomiting. I am just hoping against hope that my BP is in check because 31.5 weeks is way to early for this baby to come. Not to mention that I have NO IDEA what I will do if I have to go on bed rest to keep him in longer. For now, I try to keep thinking happy thoughts and take it as easy as I can in 90 degree weather with two 18 month olds. I go in for a check up at 10am - wish me and Matteo luck!

18 Months

2010-05-24T08:37:00.003-04:00

Sebastian and Collette are officially closer to two than one. I think this is a mixed bag but, overall, I wouldn't want to go back. I keep hearing how tough 18 months is. And I agree. I love the freedom and independence they have now, as well as their growing ability to communicate their needs but they, of course, have no sense of danger or consequence. This makes willful, mobile kids hard to deal with - there's just no reasoning with them! Only chasing, capturing and strapping them into some child device. This also has me thinking about buying a stroller to fit all three kids. If I do go that route, I will buy this one. I figure the extra seat can be used to store stuff. Maybe I will put the dog in there and get some really crazy looks. :)

Lately, we have been practicing using utensils and walking downstairs. Utensils we have been doing for awhile but now I think I am ready to force them to do it themselves 100%. Or use their hands. I'm sure it will take some time for them to grow out of that. Usually I fill up their spoon and put it in front of them as scooping is their main problem. But I figure they will learn fast if they have no mommy doing it for them.

Collette will only walk downstairs now, as opposed to crawling down. We have to hold her hand but she is getting very good at it and soon I think she will be able to do it herself while holding the wall. Sebastian is practicing but not with nearly as much gusto as Collette. He prefers to practice on smaller sets of stairs and crawl down the big ones.

Here is our attempt at a chair picture, which we have decided to do every half year instead of every month. They don't change too much each month and they don't sit still anyway.

Also, what is with this age and throwing stuff where they can't reach it and then crying about it? And then doing it twelve more times in a row? It's super annoying, times 2. Good thing they're cute.

A Breakfast Must

2010-05-20T12:30:00.003-04:00

Warning: This is assvice. Advice that no one asked for and maybe no one wants but I'm giving it anyway. I'm pretty sure that's how you define assvice.

Since Sebastian and Collette were about a year old (maybe younger) we have been giving them Irish oatmeal (steel-cut oats) for every breakfast. As the Head Chef of the Soto Household, I made the executive decision that we would stick to one breakfast, leaving my creative juices flowing for lunch and dinner. 6+ months later, and everyone, even Lola, is very happy with this decision.

Here is why you should try it first thing tomorrow morning.

It's easier than you might think. It's true that they take almost half an hour to cook, similar to the way you would cook rice. Compared to a bowl of cereal or even instant oatmeal, this is longer. However, you can make a big batch so you only have to cook it once a week. You can easily reheat the oatmeal in the microwave (not so for oatmeal made with rolled oats) in 30 seconds with a little bit of water or milk.
It's easy to add in yummy and nutritious things. Getting my kids, and I assume most kids, to eat fruit isn't a big problem. However, I do have issues with fruit going bad and I also like to buy fresh fruit in season. For this reason, I buy a lot of frozen fruit. Unfortunately, not all frozen fruit thaws nicely - think mushy thawed strawberries. But when added to oatmeal, mushy fruit is no big deal. Even frozen fruit will warm up quickly in hot oatmeal. We have also done nuts and raisins - a big hit but very chewy! You could easily add in prune juice if your having some poop issues. I bet you could get creative and add shredded coconut. For extra flavor, I always cook mine with cinnamon and about 1-2 tbsp maple syrup for the whole batch.
It's VERY cheap. Boxed cereal seems pretty inexpensive. And, truthfully, it is. No one will go bankrupt eating cereal for breakfast. But steel cut oats purchased by the pound are much less expensive. I cook my oats one cup at a time. This yields about 3 cups of cooked oatmeal. That lasts the kids about 4 days, maybe more. I add a lot of fruit and that stretches the oatmeal out, but still. One cup of oatmeal (uncooked) costs 60 cents. That means its costs me 15 cents per morning to feed both of my kids oatmeal, plus the fruit. If I gave them cereal (one that I find a close comparison in terms of nutrition and lack of weird stuff) it would cost me 4 times as much.
It's a good choice for your body. I'm not going to get into the specifics of nutrition here but oats are great choice, regardless of which kind you choose. Supposedly, steel-cut oats contain more fiber, gram for gram, than the rolled oats or instant oats.
Easy for toddlers learning to use a spoon. These oats make a thicker, sticker oatmeal than rolled oats, IMO. Now, you may not like that as a taste or texture preference but for my 18 month olds, its a great food to help them learn to use the spoon. Success is almost guaranteed once the spoon hits the bowl. And it takes some serious flinging (still all to common around here...) for it to fall off.

What do your kids like for breakfast? Have you tried Irish oatmeal?

Finally, Some Words

2010-05-18T13:22:00.002-04:00

In the past few weeks, Sebastian and Collette have made some big strides in the language department. Of course, this happens right before Sebastian starts speech therapy (in partnership with his EI therapy) but no matter. I'm just happy that they both have found ways to express themselves.

Both Sebastian and Collette have added a few spoken words to their vocabulary, as well as some signs. Here is where they both are to date.

Sebastian's spoken words:

Car
Ball
Dada
Mama
Doggie

Sebastian's signs:

Help
Please
More
All Done
Eat

Collette's spoken words:

No
Nose
More
Up
Dada
Mama
Doggie

Collette's signs:

Help
Please
More
All Done
Eat
Blankie
Yes (nodding)

The signs for "help" and "please" have been especially useful - I think Sebastian has been less fussy since discovering a way to ask for things. His frustration level comes down the instant I ask him if he needs help (and then he signs it if he does) - you can see the look on his face change when he realizes that I finally understand him. Collette uses the sign for "blankie" when she gets upset or frustrated as that is her comfort object. For instance, we were playing with some stacking cups during EI today and she got mad about something and immediately signed blanket (and then found it) and all was right in her world again.

Of course I want to focus on their spoken vocabulary but they seem to learn what they want. I tried to teach Sebastian to say "up" for weeks, to no avail. And now, with no pressure from me, he is saying "car." I'm sure I taught him this word - we see enough cars in a day - but I wasn't making a special effort. Yet, that's one of his 5 words. I'll keep trying, because it's my job, but I get the feeling that he will progress as his own pace and say the words he is interested in saying. Which is what all those wise, wise people have told me from the get go. Ah well. Lesson learned :)

Babies (the movie) - One Mom's Take

2010-05-10T13:45:00.004-04:00

A few posts ago, I mentioned that I won tickets to go see the new movie, Babies. I actually did get to go see it with Billy, thanks to Tanya for offering to babysit!

I wasn't sure what I would take away from this movie before seeing it. Part of me thought I would learn some new ways to do mommy things after seeing how other women in other cultures do it. However, I ended up coming away with something very different, something I almost didn't realize until I read another, completely unrelated blog post, about work-life balance.

I don't talk a lot about work-life balance in the "traditional" sense because I don't have a job outside the home. However, that doesn't mean that I don't understand what it might be like for those parents that do or even have similar struggles myself. Either way, I have come to realize that our lives (here in this corner of the world) do not easily accommodate babies. Think about all of the things we need when we have a baby: crib, bottles, safety gates, diapers, exersaucers, strollers, a gazillion toys. And we think all of this stuff makes our lives easier. And in a sense, it does. But we only need all of these things because our lives pre-baby are so ill-suited to infants and toddlers that we have to acquire all this stuff to make it work.

The example in the movie that most drove this point home for me was the boy in Namibia. His family was, from what I could tell, the least "western" of all the families (US, Japan, Mongolia were the others). He had no "toys" - he played with rocks and sticks and cups and other things that were already around him. He wore no diaper - not even a cloth one. His garment looked the same to me as those of the older boys in his family.

But more importantly, he just hung out with his mom and his aunt and his siblings and cousins while the grown-ups continued to do what the did everyday before he came. They did their work while they loved him and fed him and taught him and cared for him. There was no need for "work-life" balance. Work was life and life was work. The babies seemed to just fit right in. Their lives were not completely uprooted by having a baby. That's something I wish we could experience. Unfortunately, the lifestyle we live here is just not designed with babies in mind. They cost us a fortune in childcare, whether we pay for it or forgo our own paid work to do it ourselves. They ruin our nice furniture. They are constantly breaking our nice things. They nearly kill themselves falling off all our hazards. They isolate us from the world we once knew.

Now, its not like I'm ready to ship up and move to Namibia. I'm too accustomed to all my stuff. And I would fry under that sun all day. But, I do envy how motherhood works over there, at least from what I saw.

Has anyone else seen the movie? What did you think?

The Potty Gods are already smiting me...

2010-05-04T19:23:00.003-04:00

...and I haven't even started using the potties! I was *thinking* about using the potties - I guess that was enough to incur their wrath.

Having heard a million potty stories, from ones about 4 months olds signaling to use the potty to ones about 4 year olds refusing to use it, I decided I should join in on the fun. I figured, maybe if I start early, no pressure, I might be pleasantly surprised and if I wasn't, no harm done because I really don't care yet. So, this afternoon we bought four $5 potties at KMart. Two green, two beige - Sebastian "chose" the beige and Collette therefore ended up with green.

We got home, got settled and I thought now is as good a time as any to put them on the new potties. I brought Collette into the bathroom and told her what we were going to do (like she cared...). Off came the shorts and then the diaper. And there was poop. FML. No wipes in arm's reach - just toilet paper which, let me tell you, is no match for mushed up toddler poop. I wiped her as best I could and put her on the potty (why not!) while I went to find wipes and a diaper. On my way out of the bathroom, I noticed that Sebastian had not only removed his shorts (they're a bit too big) but also his diaper, which he has never before done. And it, too, had poop. And most of that poop and escaped the diaper and was on my kitchen floor. FML again. For those of you keeping score, I now had two diaperless children with poopy bottoms, zero diapers and zero wipes. Oh, and one dog who seemed all too eager to sniff, and maybe even eat, the poop.

All this and we hadn't even really TRIED the potties! Part of me thinks this is a sign that I should stop all thoughts regarding the potty. But a bigger part of me realizes that this is not that crazy a thing to have happen with two toddlers. Plus, we all need a good poop story. And quite frankly, I've heard better. Hopefully, we can try again tomorrow and not get sidetracked by dirty diapers. Wish me luck. Ha!

Thank You Isis!

2010-05-03T12:31:00.003-04:00

For those of you who are local, I'm sure you are familiar with Isis Maternity. I first learned about this gem from a friend who did an internship there for his MBA. His wife was pregnant when I was pregnant with the twins so all of us went to one of their guest speaker events - I think it was about children and brain development. We went on to take their "Parenting Multiples" class which I HIGHLY recommend if you are expecting twins and in the greater Boston area. My personal favorite thing about Isis, though, is there selection of baby/parenting/nursing gear. They sell a lot of things that you can't easily find at Babies 'R' Us, especially their nursing and pumping stuff. We have yet to partake in any of their baby/kid classes but I would like to try them out once they are a bit older.

I told you all a while back how I won an Ergo carrier from them. I also mentioned that I won tickets to see Babies - also courtesy of Isis. As if all that wasn't enough, they invited me to special event where they announced their new name which I agree better reflects their services: Isis Parenting. The event was lots of fun, although I had to rescue Sebastian from the babysitting room - such a momma's boy. We learned about Isis' new brand and got to see a great cooking demo from a local Boston chef.

The next night was the Babies movie event. All the ticket winner received free goody bags with nursing mom essentials. I got a kick-ass pumping bra - much better than the one I had last time. These things have come a long way! The movie was adorable but I'll save my thoughts on that for another post.

So, a big thank you to Isis Parenting for letting us into your world this past week. I will continue to sing your praises and will remember to use your new name!

Can't you just hire a sitter??

2010-04-28T19:06:00.003-04:00

Good luck struck again and I scored two free tickets to a private showing of the new documentary, Babies. I heard about this movie awhile back and have been dying to see it ever since I saw the trailer. Anyway, the showing is tomorrow night. And since I won the tickets a few days ago, I have been trying to find a sitter so both Billy and I can go. To no avail.

Here's the thing: I'm not upset, or even surprised, that I can't find a sitter. When I had kids, I didn't expect to be able to go out whenever I wanted. That's part of the parenting deal, in my opinion. My problem is that the rest of the world - all those people who have not had to find someone they trust with their offspring's well being - thinks that it's easy to just hire a sitter. In a sense it is. I'm sure I could just pull some poor slob off the street, throw $30-$50 at him/her and be on my way. But I'd like to think I'm a little more selective than that. And many people think that if you have family and friends close by that its sooo easy to find a sitter. The fact of the matter is, family and friends - even paid help - all have lives, as they well should. Just because they are close doesn't mean they are free, even if you're willing to coax them with free food, untaxed income and lots of love from snugly pug. And its not like I can have a babysitter on retainer and whenever I need her she has to come over. If only! Alas, our world does not work this way. In the meantime, I will just roll my eyes when someone says, "can't you just hire a sitter??"

My Job Here is Done

2010-04-27T08:09:00.004-04:00

We finally took the plunge and purchased some oversized plastic contraptions for Sebastian and Collette. One for their playroom, one for the backyard. Needless to say, it was love at first sight on both accounts. And now, it's like I don't even exist. Ahhhhhh... :)

PS - If you are local, consider yourself invited to enjoy in the bliss that is giant plastic toys.

Hello Third Trimester!

2010-04-21T07:57:00.003-04:00

I have passed the 26 week mark with Tater Tot and am officially in my third trimester. I haven't written much about this pregnancy because there has been so little to report. My belly gets bigger, as it should. Matteo moves around a lot, as he should. I was up 18 lbs. as of my last appointment, so all is normal there. Only change now is that I have to see my OB every 2 weeks (seems like so much now!) instead of every 4. At least there are no more scheduled ultrasounds - I hated those last time.

Part of what makes this pregnancy seemingly uneventful is that it's my second pregnancy. I'm sure most women feel this way, to a certain extent, the second (and third, fourth...!) go around. But I know that this pregnancy seems easier because it's just one. I'm just much more comfortable overall. And I keep waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop - like one day I will have awful sciatic nerve pain or my back will hurt so much I won't be able to lift up my kids. Only time will tell, I guess. In the meantime, I can be thankful for two pretty easy trimesters.

Also, I can't shake the feeling that I will delivery early. The idea of NOT going to 40 weeks is so burned in my brain that I just can't get it out. Whenever I think about my due date, it's always hypothetical, like "well, I'm due on July 24th but really, it could be any time in July, maybe even June." We are finally putting together Matteo's nursery next week (Billy is on vacation, woot woot!) so perhaps that will put my mind at ease.

Sitter Worthy?

2010-04-15T13:25:00.002-04:00

The other night, a MoT friend of mine (and next door neighbor, go figure!) invited me out to dinner with some women from her other moms group, one for working mommas. It was at the Melting Pot so I got my ass into gear and found a sitter. Nothing motivates me more than melted cheese and melted chocolate.

The dinner was great, albeit LOOONG. 6 mommies at one table leads to lots and lots and lots of talking. Which was great and a needed change of pace. As we are sharing war stories (read: poop, vomit, and pumping stories) one of the women asked us if we remembered that episode of Seinfeld where Elaine is buying up all the sponges because they are being discontinued - she used the term "sponge-worthy" as in, "do I want to use one of my remaining sponges on this guy??" Anyway, our mommy friend said that she and her husband use the same thought process, only applied to having a night out and hiring a sitter. Would this "event" be worth finding and paying a sitter? Maybe. Maybe not.

Of course, that night was sitter-worthy. Again, melted cheese and chocolate - what more do I have to say? But there are some things that don't make the cut so easily, at least not for me.

running errands alone: NEVER sitter-worthy
doctor appointment: NOT sitter-worthy
emergency doctor visit: sitter-worthy
shopping: NOT sitter-worthy
date night with the hubs: sitter-worthy
club meeting (mom's group, book club, etc.): NOT sitter-worthy
gym/exercising: NOT sitter-worthy

What do you think is sitter-worthy?

Updates and Such

2010-04-14T14:17:00.003-04:00

We had our second music class this week (well, third, but I forgot about the class last week. Isn't pregnancy lovely??) and things went MUCH better. I brought snacks and got there early. Except we ended up being on time because the class started at 930 not 945 - again, pregnancy brain. But still, things worked much better this time.

To be honest, the first time I was frazzled before class even started. The space is not handicap/stroller accessible and that put me in a very foul mood from the get-go. Kids pick up that stuff, ya know? Anyway, this time, I knew what to expect, my attitude was better, the kids didn't have low blood sugar and everyone was (mostly) happy. This class probably isn't the best music class out there so we might consider switching to a different one for the summer.

***

In baby news, I have a correction to make. I have been spelling my new son's name wrong. Billy and I discussed it and he won (sort of...) and our baby boy is Matteo. That's two Ts like his big sis. I prefer that spelling, too, but thought it would confuse his friends and family back home because in Spanish, it's just the one T. Two Ts is the Italian way to spell it. No Italian in our family, in case you were wondering. So, now you know how to engrave that Tiffany sterling silver rattle you've had your eye on. :)

Social Media is kind of like my part time job

2010-04-07T12:38:00.003-04:00

Sometimes I think I spend too much time blogging and Facebooking and not enough time doing "real" things like reading books, cooking, cleaning, talking to friends and family on the phone, etc. There are nights where I have a laundry list of things to do but I squander away two hours on the computer, to-do list untouched.

However, I know that I get a lot of value from my social media addiction. I learn A LOT about being a better mom - from other moms and MoTs, from sites and blogs geared towards teaching parents about nutrition and development, where to find the best parks, great deals on baby/kid stuff and other product recommendations, etc. I make connections with people I never would have otherwise through FB and blogging and that helps keep me sane and somewhat fulfilled as being a SAHM can be very isolating.

Today, I had a serious windfall from my addiction/part-time gig. A few days ago, I entered a contest. How did I hear about this contest? On Facebook. I am a "fan" of Isis Maternity and they were giving away an Ergo baby carrier with infant insert. How did I enter? I had to go leave a comment on their blog. So I did. And today I got the email that said I won! By my estimates, I just saved us $137.00!

So that totally justifies everything, IMO. :)