Opps.

I totally let this slip for a while. I was on 'another vacation' in CNY. I use quotes because I know how lucky I have to have the flexibility to go home to visit my family but it's not really a vacation. It was wonderful and I was, as always, so sad to leave.

But I am ready to sink my teeth into fall. We actually have a pumpkin on our stoop! (Compliments of Papa Lanz.) Matt heard our young neighbors complaining in their drunken ranble last night. But my rebuttle is "who goes out on a Tuesday anyway?" Maybe they met some friends at a bar to watch America's Got Talent?...So I'm not going to take them too seriously but I'll hold off on the mums. I can't wait for football, chili, sweaters, apple cider and everything else fall has to offer.

Speaking of sweaters, I really might get to wear some this fall after all! The twins are on prilosec 2x a day and it's really helping with their reflux. I only have to change them about 3-4 times a day whereas before it was more like 7-8 and it probably should have been even more often. Caroline is busy sitting and Connor finally rolled over. I don't think he likes to be on his belly as much as she does so he usually stays on his back and just kicks his feet.

And a happy congrats to Sara McGowan who just welcomed her new daughter, Caroline. :)

Quality TV Programming

There is a rare silence in my house right now. Both babies are asleep, at the same time. The laundry is folded or in the dryer. Dinner is in the fridge (that's the Grill Masters job anyway, love you babe!) The house is clean, thank you Margarita. I'm not sure what to do!

I remembered what I was going to write about. Quality TV for kids. So as you all know, I subjected my children to the glory that is known as Bravo when they were teeny tiny. But now that they can watch the TV and it keeps them focused while drinking their bottles, I've finally made the switch to PBS. It started off with Sesame Street but it then turned into Martha Speaks, Dinosaur Train, Super Why and Between the Lions. Now, the TV isn't on all day but a good part of it just for background noise and that way if they do look at it, it's about spelling and numbers rather than the latest catfight between Ramona and LuAnn. I actually enjoy watching it with them too; shows like that remind me how innocent and simple a child really is.

That's not to say I don't still love Bravo and HGTV. I just save it for when they go to bed. On a sad note, my DVR did not tape the RHONY reunion. Katie and Erika, I'm looking for you to fill me in.

Peace and Quiet

Yesterday when I was on a walk with the twins I thought about all these things worth writing about on my blog and now I don't remember a thing. My brain has been even more fried than usual lately.

A few months ago I took a 'twins' class at Isis. Although the class was so-so, I did love getting to talk to other twin moms. Yesterday, one of the moms invited all the girls and babies over for a playdate. So six girls, twelve babies. It was awesome! It was great to talk to the girls again about issues, challenges, improvements and also see how much these babies have grown. (Not the Curtwins, we had to go on Prilosec and although they are the oldest, the are the smallest.) And all the babies are great together, they watch each other and play. It was so fun and I hope we can all get together again.

Papa also come over on Tuesday and again on Wednesday for about an hour each day between business obligations. Caroline cried and then stared him down the entire time he was here. I don't know what her deal was but she clearly didn't feel comfortable having him in her house!

I think the twins are ready for more serious toys. After our playdate and the level of mobility that Caroline has acheived (not so much for Connor, he is still sort of a bump on a log but really close to sitting on his own) I realized that I needed to step it up. I hope they like the 'discovery center' I went and bought them this morning. I need to go set it up....

Back From Vacation

Back to work today. (And yes, I do consider my 'job' of taking care of the twins work. Much harder than any job I've had.) Matt, Connor, Caroline, Maggie and I got home from a lovely week spent in Falmouth. Aside from the two days it was cloudy - my parents were there for one of them, our friends the Purtell's for the other - it was a great week. Not too hot, not too humid.

That being said, I was certainly a wake up call. I think more for Matt than for me. You see, I have very low expectation about doing anything/everything with the twins. If we can get in some decent naps, avoid any meltdowns and limit the vomit, I consider the day a total success. I think Matt had slightly more grandious ideas that we would be able to sit at the beach all day with them and have nice relaxing mornings to sleep in a little bit and enjoy our coffee. God bless him for that. The truth is, it was a mix bag in that department. They did take some good naps which allowed us some time to alternate jogs and sit in the front yard and read. We did take them to the beach and both days we were able to stay for over an hour and a half before they got too fussy. The slept well at night so we could relax with a glass of wine and a plate full of shrimp the size of my head. But we all came down with a cold so there were a few days when Connor cried for hours straight and I had to just walk around the block over and over and over with a crying child. He didn't want to play he just wanted to be held and even then he cried. Caroline's spit up seemed to have been particularly bad, naturally. They both hated taking baths when they normally love it. Was it the cold? Was it a strange place? Was it bug bites? Are my kids the only people in the world who do not like Cape Cod? We'll never know but I think we are all glad to be home. And we are all ready for another vacation.

So I did read a book while I was on vacation (first book in months!) and I highly recommend it. It's called Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It's one of the best books I have read in a long, long time. It's funny, interesting and inspirational. Even if you are not a runner, you will enjoy this read.

I Was That Twin Mom

Connor and I went to mass on Sunday while Matt and Caroline headed over to Market Basket. I had to stand in the back for the last few minutes as the little guy started to get fussy. And lo and behold there were newborn b/g twins sitting back there. I marched right up and said "Congrats! He's a twin" (pointing to Connor) and asked her the usual questions (b/g? names? how old? how far did you make it?). She was friendly but I'm sure thought, why is the person talking to me? Haha, just wait lady. That was nothing. And in a few months, you'll be asking others.

Also, we went for the babies 6 mo appointment yesterday and I learned that 'green' foods are the last to be introduced because they contain cholorphyll which can upset a babies stomach and make them vomit.(I almost typed cholorform which would REALLY upset their stomach and probably kill them. RIP Caylee. Maybe that's not funny...) Hence the pea puke! I should have just waited until we went to the doctor to get the 411 before we started solids but oh well. Today we did bananas and Connor loved them.

I Wasn't Done

I wasn't quite finished yet but I had to end my post so...I could put them down for naps! Anyway, I'm just really strugging with this right now and I'm running out of ideas to try and help Caroline go to sleep/stay a sleep. Yesterday I was talking to our neighbor. He has a young son Jake and they were out walking. He asked how the twins were sleeping. It's the most popular question I'm asked besides "How do you do it?!". I was explaining the challenge of two napping needs and how he asked me on a really bad day. He chuckled and said that his "buddy" has a child as old as Jake (14 mo) and he and his wife are expecting twins. They have their son on such a strict schedule and he doesn't know how his buddy will handle twins - and 3 kids under 2. He ended the story with his buddy being 60. Oh my god. That would be like, my dad, having 3 kids under 2. I can't imagine that! But listen fellas (and granted I'm making an assuption here), if your second or third wife is half your age, she'll want kids, you'll probably have to do fertility and you'll be stuck going to a high school graduation for your multiples on your 80th birthday.

Naps

First of all, I'm SOOOO sad that Friday Night Lights ended last night. These days, I feel like there is not a lot of really good dramatic television. The Tutors left me, then Lost (don't get me started, I still have dreams that include the characters and I even proposed to Matt that we name the twins Kate and Sawyer) and now Friday Night Lights. If you never got into the show, get the past seasons on DVD when they are available on Netflix or Blockbuster. You may be mad at Netflix though....

Naps with twins is a real challenge. In the begining, sticking to a schedule was pretty easy - and the only way to survive. But as they get older, their needs are changing. I have to remind myself that they are two different people. Connor is a pretty good napper and fairly predictable. Caroline is not. We have had a very challenging three days because she hasn't wanted to nap. I'm not sure if it's because I missed her cues and she is overtired or what. I KNOW she needs more sleep but I'm at a loss of what to do. I only left the house once today so I can watch her and see if I notice any patterns. Sounds rediculous but after a few days if I notice that she is rubbing her eyes around 11:30, then that might be her nap time. And then we can avoid meltdowns. And then I'll be happy. And my husband will like me again because I won't be so cranky. Everyone wins!

I ran 5.5 miles today. It was soooo hard and I have no idea how I used to do it every morning before work. But I'm going to try to continue to do the run on the weekends when I have a little more time. It's the best running loop and I've missed it.