Topics

What should I blog about tonight?

Topics could include:

Brian's recent accident and our subsequent new-old car purchase;

My newfound membership at a local gym (LOVE it!);

The attaining of our goal to have three full months of long- & short-term food storage;

The cold, rainy weather;

Enrichment activities gone wild;

The twins' dancing abilities (seriously, they dance--in sync);

End-of-school-year activities;

Nathan's potty-training issues;

My new breadmaker that has yet to make a decent loaf of bread (Wendy, you want to visit?);

Brian's endless paper writing;

What I should be when I grow up;

The approach of the last year of residency (!);

What's new on Lost;

General life observations, and so on.

Even with the many topics at hand, there hasn't been much time (or energy) to devote to this blog over the last few weeks. Later, later.

I Was Ditched

I was ditched.

Tonight at the school carnival.

We stood in the lobby, getting oriented to the event. The twins were sitting in their stroller, and Nathan was holding my hand.

Emma looked at them and then at me and said, "Um, Mom, can we, like, separate and do our own thing?"

Clara looked on expectantly.

My heart dropped, I felt tears behind my eyes, and I nodded a yes.

It was a first for me--the first time Emma has deliberately asked not to be with me (or Dad) at an event.

Such a minor thing, but to me, it wasn't minor. And while I find myself chuckling over it, I also find myself a bit forlorn as well.

Three Out of Four

What are the odds?

Remember these ladies? There were four of us. Alisha, Katie, Terry Kay, and myself.

Alisha has boy/girl twins, age four.

I have boy/girl twins, age one.

Now Katie is expecting twins.

It has been a totally random, unexpected occurrence, for each one of us.

Terry, watch out, babe!

I Blinked

Nine years ago, she was only slightly bigger than seven pounds.

And then she grew a little.








And then she grew a little bit more.

And then she grew a whole lot.

And I blinked.

And last week, we celebrated this:


Now she's a hug-giving, school-going, mom-helping, piano-playing, ballet-dancing, book-reading, girlish-giggling, growing-up-way-too-fast nine-year-old.

She's the greatest nine-year-old on the planet, and she's our girl.

Happy birthday, Emma-kins. We love you.

A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words

Dinner Table Conversation

Tonight Brian and I went out to dinner.

Here is part of our conversation:

Brian: "Grand Rounds this Wednesday is going to be really good. I can't miss it." [Grand Rounds is a weekly teaching conference that the residents attend.]

Jen: "Why? Visiting professor?"

Brian: "No, Dr. -- is speaking. I'm looking forward to it."

Jen: "He's speaking on what?"

Brian: "Low rectal cancer."

Church Statement

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-publicity-dilemma

Birthday Pictures

We celebrated their birthday in California, but the twins didn't enjoy it. They were exhausted from a long day at Universal Studios with no nap.

A week later, at home, we decided we needed a birthday celebration "redo."

My mom took 128 pictures. Here are a few.

ONE!

They are ONE.

WE DID IT!

We made it through the first year of twins!!!

[Insert drumrolls, fireworks, cheers here.]

Having twins changed my life.

The past eighteen months have forced me to prioritize and organize in a big way. I no longer freak out over being exhausted or losing sleep. I am (a bit!) more easygoing when it comes to messes or the "to do" list. I know my limits, keep outside activities to a bare minimum, and say "no" more frequently. Having twins has been liberating, as I have been forced to simplify, prioritize, and focus 100% on my family. No distractions allowed.

Now, I can tell you without hesitation--
--that twins are one of the best things that ever happened to me--
--that having twins is a lot of work--
--but it also is incredibly fun--
--that taking care of twins + three is amazingly empowering.

Our little duo has moved from sleepless nights and nursing sessions and consant diaper changes to complete and insane mobility. They are busy and messy and leave a trail of disaster in their wake. But they are more delightful than ever.

For our family history, a brief synopsis of their birth follows. I don't expect you to read it.

Madeline was born at 12:21 a.m. on February 28th, 2008, and Isaac was born six minutes later, at 12:27 a.m. I was induced on the 27th, having been dilated to a four for more than three weeks. It was a long, difficult pregnancy, with significant nausea and weight gain, but very fortunately I was entirely free of complications and remained active until the bitter end--although walking became increasinly painful and almost impossible by the last week or so. I gained nearly fifty pounds! One week before delivery, at 36 weeks gestation, I measured at 46 weeks--as though I was delivering a singleton six weeks late. By the end, I had outgrown literally all of my maternity clothes; only one pair of pants still fit, and nearly all of my shirts barely touched the top of the pants. I wore support hose (the heavy, awful, hot kind) for the entire pregnancy. They saved my legs.

The twins were born full term at 37 weeks, and Madeline weighed 6 pounds 3 ounces; Isaac was 7 pounds 6 ounces. I will always remember delivering the twins under the blaring lights of the operating room, as well as the hoards of medical personnel that suddenly appeared as delivery time grew imminent. I will remember my water breaking twice; watching Lost with Brian for most of the afternoon; the creepy nursing student that hovered over us for too many hours; the many fetal monitors strapped to my stomach. Madeline (Twin A) was born rather quickly--I alerted the OB team (whose backs were turned to me) that I felt a head. They swiveled around, gasped in unison, and one lunged and caught her before she hit the floor. WHEW! The first time I saw her, her tongue was hanging out--and it has remained so ever since. Immediately after Madeline's birth, Isaac (Twin B), who was breech and bigger than Madeline by a substantial amount, flipped and dove for the exit. Our preparations for a possible C-section had been in vain. Go, Isaac! He had a bit of trouble breathing at first, since he inhaled a lot of fluid as he was born quickly. He spent a few hours in the NICU but was overall very healthy.

The twins have had an incredibly healthy first year. The year has been a blur--and has passed in the blink of an eye. They bless our lives every day, and they are so much fun.

And here comes toddlerhood!

Baby Clothes Heartache

I am overly sentimental about baby clothes. Getting rid of baby clothes makes me ache, and I have been getting rid of a lot lately.

Each item has memories--memories only a mother would remember or cherish. To most people, they are just clothes--and often they are stained or worn. But to me, they whisper of a time or place or event that is encapsulated in my heart.

In the attic, I have a small box containing a very few items that are too precious for me to give away.

The rest, I have been passing along to various people, or donating, or selling at a local consignment shop.

I pulled out the camera to take a few pictures of the more memorable items, right before whisking them away.

There is the yellow sweater that all my girls wore, and the little white dress just for Madeline.
There are the fish shortalls with the matching hat, worn by the newborn Nathan. There is the light blue sailor romper, a gift from Shawna, that was so soft and cuddly and perfect for my little man, Nathan, when he was just brand new.

There is the blue romper worn by Clara, which she wore when she learned to walk. How I remember her hair sticking up everywhere, her drool that dripped profusely, and her baby cheeks that I loved to kiss. There are khaki shortalls/red shirt, worn by Isaac last summer. The pink romper of Emma's brings back oh-so-vivid memories of warm summer days in Hershey, PA. One-year-old Emma would play for hours in the sandbox on the playgroud, wearing that romper, and I would watch her and chat with the other moms. The purple corduroy overalls, worn by Clara and Madeline, worn thin at the knees from extensive crawling.

The matching pajamas for my twins. The denim & yellow butterfly dress, one of Emma's first cute outfits, which she wore to church regularly as an infant. In my mind's eye I can picture her little back, shoulders, and neck, and how the dress covered them so perfectly. The dress was subsequently worn by Clara and Madeline, but to me, it will always be Emma's. I dropped that dress off at the consignment shop, drove halfway home, and turned around and went back for it. It is now in my "sentimental clothing" box in the attic.

The twins' matching baseball caps--

--and their coordinating plaid rompers, which they wore endlessly last summer.

I am a sentimental fool, I know, but I am also a mother, which is one and the same thing.

Southern California

(Warning: Long, boring post ahead!)

DISNEYLAND...

...was amazing!

I had been twice before--at age eight, to Disney World, and then for one day when I was pregnant with Emma, when I couldn't ride many of the rides.

I felt like this was my first "true" Disney experience.

I was blown away. The place was spotless. The employees, without single exception, were gracious, kind, happy, and never rushed. The rides and attractions were generally unique, fun, and lasted longer than five seconds.

Disneyland was magic.

The twins, however, didn't seem to think so. They didn't appreciate the wonder of the place--or their stroller--or the lines--or the rides--or the lack of naps--or being confined for a week on end. They were, without a doubt, exhausting. It was a hard week for them and for us. For this reason, we must go back to Disney in four or five years...or maybe two or three...so that the twins can have a "redo" at an older, easier age.

In spite of the challenges, though, it was a wonderful trip--the memories of which we will cherish for many years to come.

Highlights from our trip include:

--Being with family. The best part.
--Having twelve children and fourteen adults in the group. Five of those children were age one or under. It was a crazy, fun circus of strollers, nursing sessions, sunscreen, endless snacks, bathroom stops and meeting times. How did people do trips like this before cell phones?
--Having Brian around for an entire week.
--Emma loving her first roller coaster, "Big Thunder Mountain." She rode it six times.
--The girls' faces on "It's A Small World." Magic.
--Nathan meeting Lightning McQueen and Mater. My personal highlight. I love my boy.
--Breaking down on Splash Mountain.
--Our last day at Disney, which we enjoyed without the twins in tow. They got to stay home and out of their strollers for their birthday. It was a much-needed break, for all of us. Thank you, Grandma!
--Sea World. Wow. Loved it.
--The general lack of crowds, especially at Sea World, and the very manageable lines at Disney. I can't imagine the place at peak season.
--Seeing my dear friend Shawna for a brief celestial moment.
--Watching Nathan play at the beach.
--Going to the Los Angeles Temple, where Brian's little sister took out her endowments.
--Coming home to a brewing snowstorm and having school cancelled for the next two days.
--Getting OFF the plane in L.A. Good riddance to the woman sitting in front of Nathan.

Below is a plethura of pictures from our trip. They are in reverse chronological order.

First, our third day at Disney, Saturday the 28th.

Brian the sharpshooter:
The tired kids perked up with the lollipop purchase. (See the next picture.)

The tired kids:

Nathan modeling his 3-D glasses:

Nathan, Clara, and Mom:

On Friday the 27th, we went to Universal Studios in L.A. Honestly, I wasn't terribly impressed with the place, after the wonder of Disney. But the studio tour was a lot of fun, and the girls loved seeing this cutout of the Apollo 13 cast. It's one of our favorite movies.

The twins were greeted by Winnie Woodpecker.

The girls met Curious George, while a scared Nathan cried in the wings.

Outisde the entrance to Universal Studios:

On Thursday the 26th, we spent our second day at Disney.

The girls met Mickey Mouse, while Nathan cried in the wings.

Lifting twins all day hasn't made me quite brawny enough to lift this baby:

Nathan met Mater--

--and Lightning McQueen. He's still talking about it.

We ladies had a delightful lunch with the Disney princesses. (Insert: the food at this lunch was amazing. The event was worth every penny we spent. Highly recommended.) For one hour, I longed for my girls to be four years old again, when the princesses were pure magic.

Our family in front of the Disney castle.

Mom and her girls on a ride in Fantasyland.

So true--

On Wednesday the 25th we went to the beach, and later, the adults went to the Los Angeles Temple, where Brian's sister Anne took out her endowments.

Isaac wasn't sure about the sand--

--but Madeline was sure; she hated it.

It was a beautiful, windy day.

The whole crew, in our silliness.

The whole crew, in our seriousness.

The sweet duo.

Nathan, post-clothing. He took a dip, fully clothed, in the freezing cold ocean.

Nathan frolicking in the Pacific, prior to his undressing.

Sisters excited to see the Pacific.

Tuesday the 24th, Sea World, San Diego.

I loved this place.

The girls liked the flamingos, even though the birds stunk.

San Diego was beautiful.

Brian and the manatee.

Isaac and Madeline spent many hours in their stroller during the trip.

Brian and his dad, aka Grandpa, with the kids.

A favorite picture. Madeline befriends the beluga whales.

Monday the 23rd was our first day at Disney.

Isaac giggled on the carousel.

The girls on their first of many "It's A Small World" experiences.

Nathan's favorite ride, according to him, was the cars.

Sunday the 22nd was spent in Arcadia, where Brian's parents were mission presidents over a decade ago. After church, we went to the Los Angeles Arboretum, which was in Arcadia. It was a truly beautiful place to stroll through.

Me, on the right, with three out of six sisters-in-law.

More sisters-in-law. Wonderful ladies, I must say.