Noteworthy

Madeline & Isaac turned three months old today.

Hallelujah!

Why, you may ask, is that significant?

Well, because literally everyone who has twins who talked with me during my pregnancy said that the first three months are the hardest (followed in turn by the first six months, then the first year).

WE HAVE SURVIVED. So far.

In honor of the day, Isaac (finally!) decided he could drink a bottle. And I let the twins celebrate by watching their first Baby Einsteins DVD. We start 'em early around here.

To mark this date, I am going to go light a candle and do a little celebration jig.

Mother of Twins Finds 21st Century Solutions

M&Ms Are Educational

Today Nathan and I discovered the many useful purposes of M&Ms. With a simple bag of M&Ms, one can teach or reinforce educational concepts, such as:

1) Shapes. M&Ms are circles, and you can use a handful of them to create different shapes.

2) Colors. As we all know, M&Ms are multi-colored. Around certain holidays, like Easter, there are even more colors available, thus necessitating the purchase of more M&Ms to teach this concept.

3) Sorting. M&Ms are great to teach simple sorting skills--piles of green, piles of orange, etc.

4) Patterning. Red yellow blue brown red yellow blue brown red yellow blue brown. And on we go.

5) Letters. Each M&M comes stamped with an "m." Turn it upside down, and you have a "w." Can't beat that.

6) Object permanence. Hide the M&M under something, and when the child lifts the object, s/he finds the M&M awaiting.

7) Counting. For instance, how many browns are there?

8) Addition and Subtraction. Two M&Ms plus three M&Ms equals FIVE M&Ms. Wow! Of course, when you subtract M&Ms, you must expect a dire reaction from your child. I found myself wishing that M&Ms could also be used in multiplication, but no luck.

9) Behavior. I am a mother who resorts, on occasion, to bribery. Of course, I don't call it that. It is better known as behavioral reward. Sat on the potty? Get an M&M! Cleaned up your trains? Get an M&M!

After today's observations, I have decided that, given their educational value, the purchase of M&Ms needs to be a regular occurence.

First Separation

Here is our little duo, snuggling in their bed. For nearly twelve weeks, they have been sharing a crib. We put one babe at either end, with their feet pointing toward the middle. But they've been getting more wiggly and disruptive of each other's sleep.


Aren't they cute?

Several days ago, Brian set up our second crib, purchased used on Craig's List. (I LOVE Craig's List.)

Madeline has strong opinions about being separated from her "baby" brother.

Isaac, however, is his own man and likes the extra space. No woman to push him around :)

I found myself wondering how many separations these babies would experience over the next eighteen (or more) years. Cribs, friends, playdates, birthday parties, classes, lessons, and on and on. They will share so much, but I am sure at times the separations will be painful...or perhaps wonderful.

Two little people. I am so very blessed.

Diary of a Grocery Trip

(For my readers: Below is another unduly long entry. I apologize. I don't expect you to endure this post. Again, I am recording for posterity.)

The fridge is nearing empty. We have a quarter gallon of milk. No carrots. No cheese. No chocolate. None of the essentials. The list has been growing longer by day. Time to go shopping.

I used to find grocery shopping a bit of fun. Find the deals! Resist the junk! (Or splurge on the junk!) Marvel at the well-stocked fridge!

Not so anymore. Over the last three months, we have been under budget on groceries for the first time in years. It's because I no longer believe in grocery shopping.

On a typical trip to Sam's Club or Kroger, I always pack the essentials: cell phone, shopping list, snacks for Nathan. Add in the spit up rags, tucked into car seats. Then the Baby Bjorn, for baby portability. A water bottle for me--the Dehydrated Nursing Mom. And so it goes.

Load kids in car--Nathan, Isaac, Madeline. Nathan resists being buckled. I hold down his legs with one hand while buckling him in with the other. Babies cry. Binkies administered. Turn car on, back out of driveway, and off we go.

In the parking lot, I park next to a carrel for carts for easier access. Find the cart with the "car" in the front. In goes Nathan, who grabs the steering wheel to drive. Hoist Madeline (in her car seat) into bin. Put on the Baby Bjorn. Pull Isaac out of his car seat. Start to load him in the Bjorn. Discover poop. Lay Isaac on floor of (dirty) van, Bjorn dangling from my shoulders. Change his diaper. Wipe excess poop off of his pants.

Concerned Stranger comes over to check on us. "What are you doing to that baby?" I smile. "Changing a diaper." He walks away. Load Isaac back into the Bjorn. Push cart into store.

Enter store. Pull list from pocket. Start making the rounds. Nathan wants to choose the green pepper. He climbs out of the cart & reaches for one, sending five more cascading to the floor. I retrieve straying peppers and put them back. Nathan demands snack. I rip open a back of fruit snacks. On we go.

While standing in front of the bananas, Observant Stranger #1 informs me that I have my hands full. Yes, yes, I hear that a lot. Smile, nod, keep going.

Baking goods aisle. Isaac spits up on Mommy's shirt front.

Meat department. Nathan insists on helping me push the cart. He pushes it into the ankles of Grandma Stranger. She smiles sweetly and comments on Nathan's blue eyes. Thank goodness for those blue eyes.

Soup aisle. Madeline starts to wail. Bink administered.

Still in the soup aisle. Isaac starts to arch his back and wail. Pull Isaac out of Bjorn. Turn him around to face out. Keep going. Nearby, Sympathetic Stranger smiles at the scene.

End of soup aisle. Isaac is still wailing. Pull Isaac out of Bjorn. Turn him around to face toward me again. Administer binky and bounce up and down. He stops wailing for the moment. Keep going.

Dairy department. Bend over to place two gallons of milk at bottom of cart. Isaac's head bangs against the cart. Wailing ensues. Observant Stranger #2 informs me that I have my hands full. Yes, yes, I hear that a lot. Smile, nod. To add some shock value, I reply, "Yes, I have two more in school." Watch Observant Stranger #2's eyes widen as she counts up the kids. Smile again, and keep going.

Deli department. Waiting for meat to be sliced. Grandpa Stranger approaches and asks about the twins. We discuss them for a moment and then tells me about his twin children, now aged 53. "I hope you're planning on homeschooling them," says he. Smile. "We'll see what happens," I reply.

Ice cream aisle. A favorite. Edy's is on sale. Let's buy two containers. No, three. I need an extra. After all, I'm nursing. One container is for the twins.

Pharmacy. Ask Pharmacist Stranger for pediatric glycerin suppositories. My twins don't like to poop enough. The suppositories aren't available, but the Pharmacist Stranger is curious about the twins. "Were they fertility babies?" Smile. "They are a double blessing," I reply. "Of course, but were they a surprise, or did you take something?" Can I give her my honest, gut reply, and proclaim, "NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"? Yet I refrain. "They were a surprise."

Approach checkout. Nathan helps me load things onto the belt. He drops the eggs. They crack. Nice Checker Stranger lets us get another carton. Nathan wants M&Ms. "Not today, honey." Instead, I open the baggie of Chex Mix.

Bink Isaac, who is wailing again. Watch Madeline's face, which is turning red and grunting. She emits a loud rumble from the britches. Nice Checker Stranger snickers. I do, too. I guess I don't need those suppositories after all. Apparently I just needed to come to the grocery store.

Stranger in Line behind me asks the age of the twins. "Eleven weeks," I reply. He smiles, I smile back. Stranger in Line informs me that I have my hands full. Yes, yes, I hear that a lot. Smile, nod. "Better full than empty," I reply with a smile.

Exit store. Remind Nathan, who has not sat in the cart since the Green Pepper Incident, to hold on to the cart in the parking lot. Drop spit up rag. Pick it up. Reach car. Load Nathan in. Nathan resists being buckled. I hold down his legs with one hand while buckling him in with the other. Take Isaac out of Bjorn & load him in car seat. He wails. Binky administered. Take Madeline out of car seat. Lay Madeline on floor of (dirty) van & change her diaper. No Concerned Stranger approaches this time around. Load groceries in car. Administer binkies to crying babies once more.

Time to go home, where the chaos will continue until approximately 9 p.m., when I will crash, exhausted, into bed.

Recital Time

Two lovely daughters.

One spring afternoon.

One piano recital. Lots of jitters. Two pieces played perfectly.


One ballet recital. No jitters. Lots of prancing and twirling.

Mom puts on the stage makeup. Daughter loves it and looks in the mirror twenty times. I love my girls.

My Mom

This is my mom.

Isn't she beautiful?

(I should note that this picture was taken my my uncle, Garry.)

If you know my mom, you are a lucky person. She is a very kind, forgiving, and loving lady. Here are a few random things you may or may not know about my mom.

1) My mom grew up in Richmond, Indiana. She had a challenging childhood. Her biological mother suddenly gave her up at the tender age of eight. As a mother of an eight-year-old myself, I cannot fathom such an event and the effect it would have on a child. My mom was raised by her father and stepmother.

2) As a young girl, my mom was bullied by an older boy. Her dad gave her nightly lessons in punching, using a pillow, and when the time was right, she slugged the boy. He never bothered her again.

3) My mom won Miss Congeniality in a beauty pageant.

4) When my mom was about seven years old, she enjoyed playing with lightning bugs. She would capture the lightning bug, and then she would squish the portion of the bug that lights up, killing the bug. Finally, she would wrap the guts of the bug around her finger, making a ring. Lovely, huh?

5) My mom consistently got "minuses" on her report card for disturbing others during class. She was a social butterfly, a chatterbox.

6) My mom joined the Church at age 11. For a number of reasons, her family was not active while growing up. However, she says she always knew the Church was true, from her first meeting with the missionaries.

7) My mom left home on her eighteenth birthday and moved to Washington, D.C., where she got a clerical job at the FBI.

8) My mom has quite the artistic side. She has dabbled quite a bit in oil and watercolor painting. For years she was a professional calligrapher, running her own business, until her vision started to worsen. She did beautiful work as a calligrapher. I remember many afternoons coming home from school to find Mom in her studio, bent over her light table, creating another masterpiece for someone. About fifteen years ago, she took her first photography class. The rest is history. Photography has become her passion. She operates a small photography business and enjoys it as a hobby as well. My family is the willing beneficiary of her talents. Several of the pictures of the twins that I have posted on this blog were taken by Mom. I have over a thousand fabulous pictures of my kids, thanks to her.

Now let me tell you why my mom is the BEST mom anyone could ask for.

1) My mom and I love talking to each other. We have been in several fender benders because we were so concentrated on our conversations that the driver didn't pay close enough attention to the road. When I was in college, she and I had marathon telephone conversations at least once a week, and often more. As a result, my dad was very concerned about the phone bill. By the time I graduated, he had given up the fight, realizing that he couldn't curtail our conversations in the name of cost.

2 My mom spent A LOT of time in the car driving me to ballet classes. And then she spent HOURS waiting in the waiting room each evening, since our home was too far away to drive back and forth during the classes. As a parent now, I can appreciate the huge sacrifice of time and energy that this required. I never once heard her complain about it, even though I am sure she had mounds of things that she needed to be doing.

3) My mom used to quiz me on material for school, in order to prepare for exams and tests. She would come up with the strangest mnemonic devices to help me remember things. They were bizarre, but they worked--I always remembered the material, thanks to her quizzing.

4) My mom and I could shop together for hours. Days. Longer.

5) My mom and dad live just a few miles from us. They moved here two years to the day before the twins were born. In recent months, her proximity has been a HUGE blessing. She has been very supportive and helpful as I endured a long pregnancy and the early months with twins.

6) My mom tells me what she thinks. She is very honest. This is something I really appreciate about her.

7) My mom has come over every weekday morning to hold babies so that I can take a shower and get ready for the day before noon.

8) My kids love my mom, or "Mimi," as she is known. Especially Nathan. Every time the doorbell rings, he thinks it's Mimi or Grandad.

I could go on, but you get the point. I adore my mom. She's wonderful. Happy Mother's Day, madre!

I Love Virginia!

As most of you know, I grew up in Virginia. I left to attend BYU, then lived in Salt Lake City for one year and in Hershey, PA for four more years. And then we wound up here again, unexpectedly, for residency. Simply put, I LOVE this state. It is beautiful and temperate and full of wonderful people and lots of fabulous history. I have often found myself telling people about how fortunate I feel to have grown up here. Instead of reading about people and events in textbooks, I was able to go see a place in person, thus making history come alive. I owe a big thanks to my parents, who took my brothers and I to many historic places on the East Coast as we were growing up. As a result, all of us have a deep and abiding love of this country and of our country's past. History is a true passion of mine.

So, with that in mind, Brian and I recently went on a double date. The other pair who came with us was our little duo, Isaac and Madeline. They were charming companions to have on our date.

I thought I had seen pretty much all of the historic sights in this region--again and again--so I was delighted to visit Ash Lawn-Highland, the home of our fifth president, James Monroe, which is located just a few miles past Monticello. Highland was the home of Monroe, and Ash Lawn was built by a later occupant. The name Ash Lawn derives from the fact that a portion of Highland burned down, leaving just the foundation, and Ash Lawn was built atop that foundation.

Brian and I enjoyed our visit thoroughly. The tour was more detailed than the tour at Monticello--more intimate and interesting, with fewer crowds to herd through the home. The grounds & gardens were small yet stunning. It was a perfect way to spend a spring afternoon.


Above, the gardens.

The Shenandoahs. Oh, how I LOVE Virginia!

Guess what I'm doing in the above picture?

In front of the house.

One for All Time