My Twin's Twin Update..

My sister is 35 weeks pregnant with her twins! I can't believe she's almost done growing those babies! I must say, I've been so impressed with how well she's handled the whole pregnancy, with much more patience, and grace than I ever did, that's for sure!
I delivered my girls at 36 weeks, she knows that she could too, and I think she hopes she does! I really can't wait to meet my nephews.. I know they are going to be adorable.. I keep feeling all nervous for her.. and I know I shouldn't even write about this, but man, her world is going to turn upside down for a while. If someone had told me how it was going to be at the beginning, I surely wouldn't have believed it. And she probably won't either. You don't really understand it, until you're in the middle of it. You only hope that the days of their infancy, go by as quickly as the days of their gestation. And they will. My girls are almost 15 months! It's absolutely flown by! And while every day is usually filled with lots to do, and several meltdowns, you are so happy that they are at least out of that infancy stage.. in my opinion, that is the hardest part. But my sister is a unique individual, filled with such patience, and a maternal knack that makes the rest of us look unfit! Seriously, she's going to do great.. Man, I can't wait!!!!!!

Life in the Fast Lane (or Lame Lane, I'm not quite sure which!)

It feels as though I have no time, and not much to blog about lately. But if I stop for a second, and try to think, I guess I have one or two items worth mentioning..
My youngest son's speech therapist has upped his therapy from once to twice a week, no big deal except that the only day I didn't have to drive him anywhere, I'm now driving him to the school, for 30 minutes of speech..which essentially means I can't do anything, not in that amount of time.. no trip to the store, not even a decent walk (if the weather permits). So, instead I sat in the office with the girls, and chat with random people walking through. It's fun.
My oldest son came home sick on Monday with a belly ache. Awhh.. poor little guy. I had just dropped off his brother at school, brought the babies back inside, when I got the call. So, back to school I went, gathered him up, went back home for about a half hour, then headed over the the little ones school to be there for the fireman that was coming for a visit. This fireman visit had caused quite a bit of grief over the weekend. He DID NOT want to see him, or his truck, or his stupid dog! end quote.
I talked to the school principal that morning, and she told me it was closer to the end of the day and that I could always come in for it. Great, seriously, that is SO what I did not want to do. But he's my son, and I love his little whining ass, so I brought the babies, the kid with the belly ache, and we sat through the fireman's movie and presentation.. My youngest didn't even notice we were there until the end, but I know it made his day. He sat clinging the fireman's teddy bear, on the lap of one of his teachers. It was cute.
So, that was Monday.. yesterday was the speech thing, and today was pretty mild.. except that I was supposed to meet Lnotes at the library for baby lap sit, and I knew the girls were just not going to go for that (another long night, with yet more teeth) And had to call her cell phone about 5 minutes before the thing started and bail (sorry lnotes, one of these days I'll make it!!!)
Tonight I made a fabulous, healthy dinner, and then watched all four of my kids cry when I put it in front of them. I love that! Soon I found myself telling them that people are starving in other countries, even in our country, and that there are mom's who don't even make their kids dinner! So shut the 'f up and EAT!!!!!
I love dinner time.. The boys hate eating at the kitchen table. They want to eat in the living room, so they can watch t.v. I allow that on Friday and Saturday nights, but during the week, we're at the table. It's like I am trying to torture them! If you came into my house during dinner, you would think that I was slowly pulling each hair out of their head, or poking them in the eyes.. I can't wait til they're older, and maybe they'll thank me for at least trying.. trying to be a family, trying to get some quality time together, trying to talk.. Someday.. maybe.

Another Open House..

My husband and I went to my son's preschool open house last night. I gotta say, I love that school. I love that we get to send him there for free (thanks to his IEP) I love that no one there knows that (I think..) and why would I care if they did? I don't.
We got to see a bunch of art work that the kids have done, mingle with some of the parents who I had never met (oh, and if you know me, you know I did NO mingling whatsoever, it was more like a rush for the door afterwards..) Anyway, all the kids made self portraits, and we were supposed to guess which self portrait was our child's. I couldn't wait to get to the wall and check it out. The teachers had written at the bottom of the page a sentence or two on how the kids described themselves. We had quite a hard time finding our kid. Turns out he was the one whose favorite color is orange, and he likes to ride his purple bike in the backyard. Cute. I knew the orange part.. but a purple bike?? I haven't seen the purple bike yet.. I suppose it's tucked away at his imaginary friends house!
So all in all it was good.. it lasted an hour, and when you have been to more than one open house, the hour usually drags by pretty good.. The teachers were very enthusiastic, they did an impromptu rendition of "Little Ms. Moffet" using a parent from the audience. I only found that mildly bizarre. But at the end of their presentation they read us a story, and actual LONG story. A story that I would love to read to my kids at bedtime.. I'm not sure that it wasn't lost on the grown ups.. but whatever..
Oh, and I got to meet Johnny Appleseed, who apologized profusely for scaring my son.. She happens to be the director (or principal) of the school! I didn't know that! Pretty funny.. I told her he was getting over it, and that I've only lost a few hours of sleep!
Well, I'm off to finish up my work, and get home to 2 really crabby babies! One would think that with all the sleep they aren't getting during the night lately due to teeth and yeast, that they would just be passing out in their tracks.. but it is so not the case..they have gotten pretty good at walking (at least one of them has) and man, do they follow me everywhere! And when I'm heading out to work for my 2 hours a night, they are frantically running after me, screaming all the way! It's a great send off!

Poor Baby..

I suspected a couple of days ago that one of the twins may have thrush (a lovely yeast infection in your mouth.. yum) I could see some white patches along the inside of her lips, but she was actually in a great mood, and I know that can make a baby really crabby (my youngest son had it at 6 weeks and he cried for days!)

Anyway, she woke up this morning, with her tiny lips baring resemblance to Angelina Jolie.. we knew something was up.. I made the call to the pediatrician (who I love by the way) and he called in a prescription! Thank you for not making me drag all my kids to the doctors office, and expose them to god knows what..

So, I've got the meds, it's called nystatin.. and I have to swab it on the inside of her mouth 3 times a day.. you can tell by this picture, that she just loves it!

Kiss my Ass Johnny Appleseed!

My poor 4 year old.. traumatized by a "visitor" to his school on Monday. They had a special Harvest Day.. which included going in early, packing a lunch (pretty big deal, except the kid won't eat bread, so all he got was some juice, a gogurt, and goldfish..whatever..) The day breezed by with all sorts of fun stuff, ie pumpkin bowling, painting pumpkins, stuffing scarecrows.. and a visit from Johnny Appleseed.. which was more than my son could take. She (yes, a female Johnny..) was dressed in overalls, with a pot on her head and dirt from her head to her bare feet. It sounds pretty harmless, but when I picked him up, one of his teachers told me he was "visibly shaken" by their visitor. Great.. If this kid is visibly shaken from anything, that means he's going to be calling me into his bedroom 25 times for the next 3 nights because he just can't get that image out of his head. Both my boys are like that.. it's been a real treat let me tell you!

So, as I suspected he slept like shit the past couple of nights, and today, when I mentioned school, he freaked out! He cried and cried and was refusing to go.. ugh.. Now this is where I ended up feeling bad, I probably should have made him go, explained to him that Johnny Appleseeds was long gone, but instead, I start thinking about not having to pack up the girls (who btw had a horrible night sleep as well, due to the 3 molars they are each getting-at ONCE!!) And thinking of not interrupting their nap time to bring him in.. you see where I'm going with this?? It would be a perfect time to get them to nap, and get a wee bit of sleep on the sofa at the same time (and who'll watch the 4 year old? that's what the t.v. is for! Duh!) So, that's what we opted on.. He's promised me that he'll go back on Friday.. however, he doesn't know that his big brother is off that day, and won't it suck not to get to stay home and play with him! Oh, but he'll go! That's for sure!

Off to K-Fed..

I don't know why I care.. but something about seeing Britney Spears spin out of control and lose these little boys just makes my heart ache ever so slightly. Maybe this is what it's going to take.. Dumb ass! I mean really.. ugh!!!

My Little Boy..

Today I got to my youngest son's school early and got to watch him on the playground from my car. It was such a nice moment. To get to see him playing with other kids, getting along so well (I thought that by this point I would have had some sort of phone call from his teacher saying that he had assaulted someone, or something) But clearly, he's doing really well there. He loves it, and he's always so excited about going. He brings his little knapsack with him (from the movie Cars...) which is about as big as a fanny pack (you couldn't even get a lunchbox in it!) But he wears it so proudly! It's always empty.. but if his big brother is bringing a knapsack, then by god, so will he! Oh, and it's actually called a "back pack!" jeez, my kids don't know what the hell a "knapsack" is!

Anyway, it was a brief moment where from afar I could really enjoy this wonderful little boy.. He certainly can be a handful at times, but as he gets older, a sweet, sensitive boy is slowly emerging.. Of course that pissed off little punk ass is still there, but his edges are smoothing out a bit!

Off the Market.. Officially..

Here's some guy taking down the for sale sign in front of our house.. So, it's official.. even though our realtor never took the "pending" status off of any of the websites, we are now done! It's kind of a crappy picture, but it was the best I could do from my kitchen window..

Outdoor plumbing...

We got a new toilet (about 2 months ago..) and my husband has yet to get any further than our back deck with the old one.. We're having a party next Saturday.. I'm guessing he might want to use it as extra seating! Nice..

3D ultrasound pics of my nephews..

I can't wait to meet them!!!

Finally!

At almost 14 months, the babies are starting to walk! Yea!! Here's one of them practicing her new ability..

My Own Life Party!!

I went to Portland today with my sister, her daughter, my mom, my nephew, and my girls to see her 3D ultrasound. It was truly amazing! The boys are adorable of course, and to get to see what they look like was even more amazing! They look just like their big sister! I can't wait to meet them! It won't be long now, my sister is 30 weeks, and scheduled for a c-section on Nov. 15th.. But she could go earlier than that.. if she's anything like her twin, then I think we'll meet them in late October..
On a sadder note, my husband and I attended a wake of a childhood figure in his life. A father of someone he grew up, someone who lived down the street from his parents. I didn't know him all that well, the only time I ever really saw him was on Halloween. Every year, we take our kids to their grandparents neighborhood, and do the rounds. This guy was always dressed up, always getting really into it. His wife always invited us in, and gave the kids each some candy, a dollar and a pencil. They always look forward to going there. He was only 65.
Going to the wake, I realized, yet again, that I NEVER want to be waked. I seriously find it gruesome. I don't understand the point of it. Everyone standing around commenting on how "good he looks" Folks, he's dead! No one ever looks good dead! My husband was quite adamant about not wanting any of that either, but he went as far to say that he doesn't even want a memorial. Nothing. Of course if he dies before me, you can bet your arse that I'm going to have one hell of party in his honor. That's just going to be part of my grieving process. And that's just what I want as well. A huge party.. all my friends and family getting together talking about what a great person I was (what else would they say at a time like that??) Of course the one thing that bums me out is that I won't be there to witness it.. A student at my husbands school has a father that is dying. Recently that had what they called a "life party". Celebrating with him, while he was still here. I like that idea.. However, how many of us know when our time has come? Ok, this is bumming me out.. time to enjoy the peace and quiet that rarely comes with having 4 kids..

Intermittent Exotropia

This is what my girls have been diagnosed with by the pediatric opthamologist that I took them to see this morning. This is a good diagnosis, as it means they will not have to have any surgery, or wear any glasses. Basically, as they get older the problem will hopefully fix itself through easy eye exercises..

It's funny that both of the twins are afflicted with this, and both on opposite eyes.. They may be mirror twins like my sister and I! This is what they look like after a nap, or first thing in the morning.. However, this cute kid is not mine..

The Bucket Olympics..

Here's a great way to kill a half hour before bed time.. The "Bucket Olympics".. The kids had a blast and were all exhausted by the end of it..

The Hoax I Pulled Off..

So, my last entry was a total lie (except for the part about John Edwards) I wasn't getting my nails done, the whole thing was a smoke screen to try and surprise my sister for her baby shower. It totally worked! We got to our destination, and even as we saw 2 of our good friends just getting there, she still didn't know what was going on! It was great! Finally, I got her! This will be the 3rd shower I've had for her, and the first time that she was surprised! That felt better than anything..

She got a ton of wonderful gifts from our very generous friends and family. A co worker of ours hosted it, which was so nice and I'll be forever grateful for her hospitality.. I missed the house party with John Edwards, but it was worth it to be there with my sister, and enjoy an afternoon with all my friends..

She only has about 9 weeks to go, if she goes that long. I can't wait to meet my nephews! And to share the whole twin thing with them too!

The Pedicure, and Presidential Hopeful..

I must say, I'm getting used to my youngest son being away at preschool.. sure, I miss him (am I fooling anyone??) hah! Of course when I pick him up, I go on and on about how much I missed him, and how proud I am of him- which of course I am.. but it takes a bit longer than 3 hours every other day for me to miss anything!
So, I feel like I'm living in the lap of luxury right now.. except for the 13 month old twins playing by my feet, but seriously, without the 4 year old, it's like cake walk, and anyone who knows that boy will agree!
I feel as though I need more pampering though.. so tomorrow my sister and a couple of co workers and I are going for a pedicure. Yes, I'm going to let someone touch my feet! Despite the wave of nausea that flows over me at the mere thought, I'm going to face my fear, and hopefully not vomit on the nice woman doing my nails.. good lord! I'm going to need a few drinks for this one! But anyway, tomorrow after getting my nails done, I'm going to a house party to meet John Edwards. Yea! I've been a fan of his for some time, and I'm really looking forward to getting to shake that mans hand! And his wife too! I will surely blog about that later.. right now I have a couple of babies requesting some attention..

So the high tea was lamer than lame, the idea of me "networking" to find someone to carpool with was a ridiculous thought, even more ridiculous because all these women stay at home and are in love with driving their Lincoln navigators. Oh well.. My dessert was a huge hit, NOT. It wasn't even sliced into, but not because it didn't look scrumptious, but because no one there ate anything! Including me because I am much more of a follower than a leader and wasn't about to start scarfing down their hor devours when everyone was sitting around drinking their water. Ugh.. But at least I went, I did my mom duty for my little guy, and then got the hell out of there, leaving behind my dessert for the hostess's husband to share with his fantasy football groupies who were coming later that day..
My son did great at his first day of preschool, I picked him up, rushed back to my house to get my second grader off the bus, and listened to my youngest son complain about all the injustices he encountered on the play ground.. so many for such a short period of time! This is definitely going to get interesting!

High Tea..

Today is the big tea party for the parents in my son's class.. Can't wait.. I'd be doing better if I was a little drunk, ;) but since I'm not I'm hoping that the dessert I made will help break the ice a bit.. Here it is.. too bad that I can't eat any of it (yea, the diet.. ugh) It's a chocolate mousse cake.. made w/lady fingers (which by the way were incredibly difficult to find, but 3 stores later, I lucked out!)

Me and my girls..

I just had my youngest son snap this picture of me and the girls.. Since my loving husband isn't into taking pictures.. anyway, here's proof that despite the absence of me in any pictures, I actually did exist! Oh and can you tell by the mildly annoyed look on my face that I'm just about to tell my son (again) that he has to HOLD DOWN THE BUTTON FOR MORE THAN 1 SECOND!!

NH Forts..

I've never been a huge fan of forts, I mean, I could care less about how our forefathers protected our coast, I know.. very unpatriotic, again- I don't care.. but when you have four kids, a limited budget, and nothing else to do.. they're actually pretty fun.. We went to two on Saturday...

Here are my boys in one of the towers..

And here's where I spent my time.. on the ground with the babies. But it was still fun, lots of sun, fresh air and some ever important memories for my boys!