God Bless Grandma J and JC Penney

In the best news of the week, The girl will be starting school on Wednesday. Grandma J found her a place at her best friend's preschool and one of her teacher's is another friend. I know she will be treated well there. We went to the mall on Monday to buy some clothes for school. At Penney's I found the plus size section for little girls. And while I find it mildly disturbing that they call it plus sizes, I found her two pairs of pants that fit!!. she got some really cute embellished jeans and some plain ones. I am going to order her some khakis online because they were sold out.

In other good news, M. has slept through the night twice now. He weighs about 13 lbs. W. is doing 8-9 hours pretty consistently. But now that the time change is upon us, I am going to have to work at getting them to start their night after 6 or 7pm. Right now they are going to bed at about 5 or 6, so when time changes it will be 4 or 5. My goal is for them to sleep from 7 to 7 or 6 to 6. M. is still struggling with reflux. He is taking zantac, but it only helps a little while. I've started feeding him his rice instead of putting it in his bottle. He likes food. It seems to be working better, too. He hasn't been able to get into a deep sleep unless he was snuggled really close, so I got a tiny hot/cold pack and warmed it up and put it in his blanket last night. It seemed to help him settle down better when he would reflux. I hope this works. I've been falling asleep at night holding his pacifier in. not the most comfortable way to sleep.

Lego Star Wars II is totally cool. I'm 91% done. I play in the middle of the night while I wait for the boys to go back to sleep. The only thing I don't like is that it is harder to use your lightsaber than in the first game. I do like all the bonus missions and that there are more levels where you fly.

I guess that catches me up.

Clothing

It's time to get some warm clothing for the older kids. I took the girl to the store this morning to get a few items. She is 3 yrs old(will be 4 in March). Generally speaking, most 3 yr olds wear between a 3 and 4T. She wears a 6/6x. Which is in the girls sizes, not the toddler sizes. This poses several problems. 1. Her legs are not a 6/6x length. 2. the clothes look too grown up for a 3 yr old. She's not fat. She's wide. She has always been big, I was too when I was little. I try not project my own issues with finding clothes to fit onto her, but it is just as frustrating to buy her clothes as it is to buy myself clothes. I bought her a pair of size 7 capri jeans. They are a little loose in the waist and the hem comes to just below her ankle, a perfect pair of jeans. I guess the good thing is they could possibly fit her for the next 3 yrs and eventually actually be capris on her. Poor baby.

Violette Between

This week's blog tour is for Violette Between by Alison Strobel.

From the book:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Alison Strobel graduated with a degree in elementary education, and in the summer of 2000 she moved from Chicago to southern California where she taught elementary school for three years. It was in Orange County that she met her husband, Daniel Morrow, and the story developed for her first novel, Worlds Collide.

Violette Between is a poinant story of a true artist. When the love of Violette's life, Saul suddenly died, she died too. Then she meets Christian, who also is morning the loss of a loved one.As Violette and Christian begin to feel something that they both thought was impossible, tragedy strikes again. Christian finds Violette on the floor of his waiting room, that she had been painting to look like a New York rooftop restaurant.

As Christian holds a vigil at her bedside, begging her to come back to him, Violette is in a coma, traveling to a place where she meets her beloved Saul. And she finds that she may not want to come back! What would it be like to choose a place between the past and the present?

From me:

What I enjoyed most about this novel was the ending. I was taken to a place that I wasn't expecting. I found it thought provoking, not only about choosing to love again after loss, but about learning how to leave the past behind to make room for the future. And before you say to yourself, “well, duh,” this is something I’ve only recently learned for myself.

One of the many things I have learned about myself as I have worked though my hoarding issues is that I was not just a hoarder of paper, bags, clothes, shoes, etc, but that much of my hoarding was an attempt to keep every memory of the past intact. This was manifested in the physical realm by boxes full of ticket stubs, playbills, Christmas cards, and totally random stuff that I was given from various people (like rubber bands, price stickers, etc.). I sorted through these boxes as we were making room for the twins, and I realized that most of it had lost all significance to me since I was delivered of my hoarding compulsion almost two years ago. I took five large plastic boxes of memories and condensed them into 2 and ½. I will probably be able to get rid of even more the next time I go through them.

I was keeping things in a box from a fear of forgetting my past rather than for any true sentimental reasons. Keeping the letters my husband sent me while we were dating makes sense. Keeping the rubber band that Josh gave me in the fifth grade doesn’t (actually, it’s kinda scary that I remember that). I threw away just about every card I’ve ever been given, but I kept my letters from my best friend M.J. (who shouldn’t feel bad if she throws my letters away, since that’s what normal people do). I threw away programs from dozens of concerts, but kept the ones I where I was a featured participant (which was a lot since I was a music major). And I kept all my high school band awards, having forgotten that I was voted outstanding flag corps member (several years), outstanding senior band person, and my academic and music letters. It is good for me to remember that I am at heart a musician, even though life and my own choices have taken me away from the music world.

So I won’t say I didn’t shed some tears as I did this necessary housecleaning, but they were the good kind of tears, good-bye tears. I am learning that I cannot allow the past to be the most important part of my now. I have found my memories to have much more meaning now that I don’t clutch them greedily. They have become a treasure instead of a burden. And I am still sometimes taken by pleasant surprise by the memories brought back by a song on the radio, a smell in the air, or even the weather.
But now I am looking forward to all the new memories I will be making with my family and making my peace with the past.

Dr. Visit Today

The boys are growing well. W. now weighs 10 lbs and has moved from the 13th percentile to the 19th, and M. weighs 11 lbs 15 oz. and moved from around the 25th to the 61st. They are only a 1/4 inch different in height, but their head circumfrence is 2.1cm different, which doesn't sound like much, but it puts W. in the 6th percentile and M. in the 34th. They had three shots and an oral vaccine. They now have a vaccine for the rotavirus. I highly recommend never having the rotavirus. P., E., and I all had it a few years ago(one of the perks of working in childcare). Everyone is fussing, so I better go, Have a nice day.

The stars were still out when we left for the bus stop today. There's just soething wrong about that.

It's been a long week. M. decided to have a bad case of silent reflux. I am fortunate in that it didn't make him cry hysterically(a common occurence with reflux), but he grunted all day and night with occasional bouts of crying. I have always called him "Grunty" because he grunts when he is hungry, gassy, tired, or needs his pacifier replugged(again and again). But you could tell he was in pain. I was exhausted, he was exhausted. He would sleep for 20 minutes or so then would make a face and start grunting or crying and have a terrible time going back to sleep. He would gag and choke and cough. I felt really bad for him. It seemed to happen suddenly, but he's been showing signs of it all along. I switched his formula(in case that had made it worse) and added some rice cereal. And I had to move him back to sleeping in his carseat. I had both boys sleeping in the bed, falling asleep on their own(woohoo!). But elevating the mattress makes them slide around too much. I think he did okay earlier in his little life because I was nursing and he was sleeping upright. But for everybody's sanity I had to quit nursing. I simply don't have the time to take enough care of myself. He got too hungry for me. And I can't spend all day nursing.

It was a difficult decision for me to make. Rationally, I knew that quitting was the right thing to do. Emotionally, I was very torn. This was the most successful I have been with nursing. I was so proud, watching my little guy plump up. Nursing P. was a nightmare. He ate every 2 hrs around the clock for almost 2 months and I would often have to give him some formula in addition because he couldn't get full. I didn't last as long with the girl. I made it 6 weeks before she would nurse for an hour then drink an 8 oz bottle. I discovered I functioned on a much higher level once I quit. I knew that would be the case again. But I knew this would be my last opportunity, and putting into practice all I have learned since my other children made it a much more pleasant experience. But I found myself not being able to eat until after noon every day and then I was scarfing down dinner whenever I could--not a healthy way to eat to fill a baby's tummy. And I was quickly becoming exhausted. I have felt so much better since I quit. Plus the boys can spend the night away and I can eat and drink whatever I want.

I can tell it's fall because I feel the urge to write poetry. The summer is not so inspiring. It's just hot. But fall and spring, for different and various reasons send me into the contemplative mood which is conducive to the writing of poetry. I haven't actually written any, but I can feel it stirring deep down in my soul.

My poor body is starting to really tell me how much it was strained being pregnant with the twins. This week my knees have begun to make themselves known. I've been trying to walk as much as possible, but I still tire very quickly. Plus getting up and down off the floor and running up and down the stairs all day hasn't made them happy. My kneecaps have been feeling like they are on fire. They were better today, so hopefully will continue to get better.

I don't have anything specific to blog about today. But I figured I should try. The weather here has been beautiful. It's a little warm today, but has been very fall like earlier in the week.

I took the girl to get her hair cut today. We had a deal, if she would stop sucking on it, she could grow it out. After a rough morning, she decided to put chunks of hair from either side of her face in her mouth and suck on them(as an act of defiance). She refused to remove them, so I took her to get her hair cut. She didn't seem to mind.

I guess that is all

Brotherly Love

We've got a lot of sharing going on over here. The Boy so generously gave his sister his disease. We caught hers early so it's not as gross. His is clearing nicely. Not much else going on here.

Yuck

Update: It is indeed impetigo. He also was wheezing and had a horribly gooky nose due to allergies. We came home with 4 prescriptions. Children are expensive. These are the times when socialism seems like a good idea.


My oldest son has a nasty rash around his mouth. It looks suspiciously like impetigo. If you are my mother-in-law and are reading this and were planning on coming over this afternoon, I may need you to take the twins to your house so I can start disinfecting, if it is indeed impetigo. I'll call you when I find out. I hate infectious diseases, they make me have to clean.

Your nose isn't moveable

In case you didn't know, your nose is fixed in place on your face. My 3 yr old niece just learned this. She was trying to help W. with his pacifier, but it was in upside down. I was trying to tell her to turn it around, but she wasn't listening. Instead, she grasped his little nose and tried to move it out of the way. My grandmother and I first thought she was just pinching his nose closed, but she was just trying to help him breathe.

Mom, He's touching me!

That's W. on the left and M. on the right. I just took this this morning.

Babies crying, must go

Happy Anniversary

Today is our 11th anniversary. The twins had their first overnight visit to grandmas and I got a full night's sleep. The big kids spent the night at the other grandma's house. It was very very quiet here. I was definitely ready for the break and the sleep.

It was a quiet anniversary, but nice. I'm looking forward to many many more.

Squat

This month's pick for the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is the novel Squat by Taylor Field. I received this novel the day I went to the hospital, so I took it in with me and began to read it. However, I must confess that the outcome of my hospital stay, two lovely little boys, prevented me from finishing it. It sits on my coffee table, waiting patiently. This is not a book for light reading, as it is about a day in the life of a homeless man named Squid. If you would like to learn more about this book, please visit the official website. I do want to mention that all the author's proceeds from the sale of this novel go to Graffiti Community Ministries, Inc., a service arm of the East Seventh Street Baptist Church on the Lower East Side of Manhattan where Field preaches.

One Month

The boys are one month old today. We went to the doctor for their checkup and W. is now 7 lbs and M. is 8lbs 6ozs. They are still doing great. W. went from the 4% in weight to the 13% and has grown another 1/2 in, making a total of 1 inch of growth since birth. M. has grown a total of 1 1/4 inches. I am glad they are both doing so well. We still have fussy days, but for the most part they are still very happy babies. We are still getting up in the night, but it's not too bad. It just takes an hour or more to get both babies fed. I've fed them at the same time, and it doesn't take any less time than feeding them one after the other.

I can't believe a month has gone by already. I am really enjoying having babies again. It can be frustrating, and tiring, but it is well worth it, especially when you get your first smile(M. smiled at me today for the first time). I am trying to enjoy these moments of infancy, since they will (please) be the last. There is just nothing in the world like a baby.

Alive Again

I'm finally back to the land of the fully awake. M. decided to have the fussies several nights in a row, keeping me up all night. I had been giving him formula at night to encourage longer periods of sleep, but it was keeping him awake. So I switched formulas yesterday and he slept great last night. W. has been going 5-5.5 hours between night feedings--woohoo!. Last night M. came close. They are still going every 3-4 hours in the daytime.

Yesterday was my official due date and the boys 3 week birthday. I can't believe they've been here almost a month. I'm still losing about a lb a day. Now if it will only keep going past my pre-preg. weight. I'm ready to wear my clothes again.

I took E. and the boys to the mall yesterday by myself. It went pretty well. I was going stir crazy. My mother and husband were shocked that I took everyone out by myself.

My best news lately is that E. is 100% potty-trained. Thanks to my mom. I've been working on her the past 6 months, but wasn't really trying hard due to being pregnant. So I told my mom that my goal for her two weeks here was to get E. finished with her training. And she did. I'm so not good at the whole potty training thing(though lazy might be a better word :)). Hopefully by the time the twins are ready I will be a better mother.

As much as I hate to say it, I better go wake up M to eat. I don't want him getting his days and nights mixed up.

Fun

We've had some exciting moments recently. Last night my mother was holding both babies while I finished up my dinner. I was just about finished when I heard a plea for help. She normally is fine with both, so I knew something was up. I came downstairs and as I approached I saw her problem. She had both boys upright on her chest. W. had decided to spit up, and he did so all over his brother's head and my mom and himself. I cleaned off M.'s head and took him, trying not to collapse from laughing. Then I hear a sweet little voice from the back of the room say, "Momma, I pooped in my pants." Then I laughed even harder. Fortunately splitcat was available to take M. while I cleaned up the girl. Then tonight it was time for both boys to eat and I hear a thudding from the big kids room. I hear P. talking to my mom and he has a nosebleed. He had one earlier in the evening, so I kind of expected it. But splitcat is at Open House, so I handed off the baby I was holding to my mom and took care of the nosebleed while she fed one baby while his brother dozed(also in her lap). Thankfully it stopped fairly quickly. But I think I've had enough of bodily fluids for the next few days. I try not to think about how I will handle these situations when I am alone. I know I will figure it out.

We went for our 2 week check up today, W. is now 6 lbs 1 oz, and M. is 7 lbs 14 ozs. They both are growing well and look good.

Well, our first night alone went ok. M. was fussy and W. decided to spit up all over his brother's carseat. So at 3am i was doing laundry. It could have been worse. We did manage to get some sleep.

Just wanted to let everyone know W. is gaining weight now. He gained 3 ozs from Tuesday to Friday. We get to go back Tuesday for their 2 week check up. It's really hard to believe it's been two weeks. My mother leaves on Thursday and real life begins.

The first week or so can be so otherworldly. Your thoughts and time are consumed with baby(or babies). Slowly the world comes back into focus as you try to remember what it's like to not be pregnant. Splitcat and I were able to go out to dinner tonight. My mother is at a ball(yes, a ball) and so splitcat's parents came over to help out and give us some time to ourselves. We didn't stay out too long, but it was nice to get out without children.

It is rapidly becoming apparent how much my body has suffered from this pregnancy. My brain thinks I am normal, but my body knows it hasn't gotten around too well the last few months. I find myself walking really slow. I have no excuses, I will have to start exercising. Now that my child-bearing years are coming to a close, I really must get myself back in shape. I have a lot of kids to keep up with. So far I only have 10 lbs of pregnancy weight left, which is really great. It's the 20-30 lbs I need to lose after that I'm dreading.

It's our first night alone with the boys. Hopefully they will continue to sleep as well as they have been.

Night Shift

I am on my first 6 hr night shift with the boys. I slept from about 7:30-midnight, so I am too awake to go back to sleep right now and I am waiting for W. to wake up to eat. Our return visit to the dr. yesterday was good as far as the jaundice. M. had gained an ounce and W. had lost an ounce, so he goes back for another weigh in on Friday. But he is eating a little more.

M. has decided to go to four hours between feedings. This is certainly ideal from my point of view, so we've got to get his brother chunked up so he can go that long. He's going 3-3.5 hours. So I can't keep them on the exact same schedule, but I am trying to keep them within an hour of one another. They had their first visit to the Walmart today and slept right through it. They are so very sweet. It is a little sad knowing these are my last babies, but it will be fun watching them grow up together. This has been so different than bringing home P. and E. Not necessarily in any bad way. I could keep them in my room with me. But not these guys. We are sleeping in the living room right now, but will probably move up to the nursery once my mother leaves. She brought her aero bed, so I may keep it so I can sleep in the same room. They've slept in their car seats the past 2 nights and that has helped them sleep a little better. I want to try to get M. back in the bed as soon as possible, but little W. is just so little, so he may take a little longer.

E. starts ballet again tomorrow. She is thrilled. She gets tap shoes as well as ballet shoes this time. She has been very sweet this week. But she's decided her new favorite song is Old MacDonald. And she sings it constantly and loudly. At least she can carry a tune.

P. loves kindergarten. His favorite thing is art. For the most part he is adjusting incredibly well.

....an hour or more later....

everyone is fed and asleep again. So it is time for me to try and get some more sleep.

Going to the Doctor

The boys had their first dr. visit yesterday. It went well. The dr. wanted to check their jaundice, and it seems to be on its way out. Baby A(aka W.) is down to 5lb 13 oz, and Baby B(aka M.) is at 7lb 7oz, back up from his lowest weight at the hospital which was about 7lb 3oz. We are going back Tuesday to make sure their jaundice is still disappearing and W. has started gaining weight instead of losing. But she wasn't too worried since he is eating regularly and poops fairly non-stop. We've almost got them on a coordinated schedule, eating every 3 hours. Since my other two started out life eating every 2 hours, that extra hour is really nice.

I'm feeling mostly well. My back and stomach muscles haven't figured out their old jobs yet. We've been taking turns getting 5-6 hours of consecutive sleep, and that has been helpful. P. still thinks his brothers are great and loves to touch them. E. likes them, but just goes about her daily business.

That's pretty much all that's going on here. Mostly it's all about eating, sleeping, and changing diapers.

Home at last

We are home!! Things are going as well as they ever do when you bring a baby home. They actually slept 4 hours last night. They are eating well and sometimes sleeping well. And they have very distinct personalities.

We had a very quiet hospital stay. It helped us to get to know the boys pretty well. P. and E. were very excited to meet their brothers, and have done well so far. P. is loving Kindergarten. He seemed so much more grown up suddenly. The girl asked me if I had to push at the hospital to have the babies. I guess we watched too much discovery health channel while I was pregnant.

It is weird not to be so very huge. I can't believe they weighed a combined 14.6 lbs. Yet they seem so very very tiny.

It's feeding time! I gotta go. check out splitcat's blog for pictures.

They're here!!!!!

The babies arrived safe and sound early yesterday afternoon. Everyone had stayed where they belonged, so no c- section. I was able to see them last night and they are very cute. Look for all of the more interesting details later in the week when everyone comes home.( If she can find the time to write.)

Baby A---Born at 1:05p.m.
6lbs6ozs 21in


Baby B---Born breech at 1:09p.m.
8lbs 21 in

Mom and Dad are a little tired, but all are doing very well. Big brother and sister are very excited. We are all very proud.

Because I Said So

It Begins

Well, the boys are off to school. I didn't cry. But a bowl of Edy's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough at 7:20am may constitute some sort of inner wailing.

Life

There is so much to write about, I'm not sure what to say. I could get all mushy and mothery and write about the Boy going off to kindergarten, but I think splitcat said it all pretty good over at his blog. I know how much he will love school once he understands the routine. He's pretty nervous right now. He likes his classroom, but didn't have much to say about his teacher. His class only has 13 kids in it, so that is good. Kindergarten and school in general has gotten so much more complicated since I was a child. I had the world's best kindergarten teacher, so I really hope P. likes his. I have found my worries to be more about him taking care of himself than learning or making friends. What am I going to feed him for lunch, the boy who doesn't eat. He has so many little quirks, perhaps I am just afraid of them being lost as he is mainstreamed into the society of school.

Then, of course, I will be giving birth to twins in the next couple of days. I'll have my sister post for me after they are born so you can get all the details. We've almost got names. I'm beyond ready to have this over with. I need to see little hands and feet to make this a reality. So many hands and feet.

I will miss my quiet family of four, but I know in a few months we will hardly remember life without the twins.

Okay, this is totally off topic, but I am watching the Sleuth Channel and Miami Vice is coming on. I remember what a cool show it was. But that was the hokiest opening I've seen in a long time. Maybe tv has just gotten too violent. And here's a question. Does anyone remember a tv mystery show about two young brothers/friends that lived on a boat-it's not Simon and Simon or The Hardy Boys, but I think one of the Hardy Boys was in it.

Sorry about the randomness, but I think I am too tired to be sentimental. I have learned that life goes on regardless of my feelings about it.

It's not the heat, it's the humidity.

Good News

I don't have to have a c-section!!! The dr.'s office confirmed that baby "B" is indeed head down and in place. I will be going in on Monday night for an induction, unless I go into labor before that. So thank you to everyone who prayed for turning babies. I asked the nurse to tell me how big I was measuring today. She said 47 weeks(normal pregnancies last 40-42).

I had a very lovely baby shower last night. I had a very good time. Ate lots of chocolate. Received lots of really nice gifts.

I guess that is all. We take the boy to open house tomorrow and meet his new teacher. I am going to miss him. Life is about to change really drastically.

Strange Things

I went to the hospital today because I was swelling and seeing spots. Everything turned out fine, I was just slightly dehydrated. However, in the course of events, the midwife thought that there was a baby head down and in the correct position. So she brought in an ultrasound machine. She looked over Baby A several times, but he was still breech, so she thought she was wrong. But she looked over at Baby B, and it was him!. Which pretty much changes things to make him become Baby A. And means I might not have to have a c-section. She said his head was far enough down that it would be difficult for him to turn. So my dr.'s appointment on wednesday should be interesting.

So that's all that's happening here. The front door installation continues, and is looking really good. It will make our house look so much better from the outside.

We have a date!

Unless I go into labor early, I will be having a c-section on August 15. It's so nice to finally have a date. I was a little worried she might make me go an extra week.

Splitcat has been finishing up the little projects around the house, and he and his father pressure washed the house yesterday. We are also getting a new front door this week. I've been making progress and filling up garbage bags with trash and stuff to donate to the thrift store. I can't believe how much stuff I've gotten rid of this past year.

That's the only news today.

A Star is Born

The Girl had her first dance recital. She was lovely and did a terrific job. It was very hot and crowded and she got a little distracted by a crying baby, but for the most part she was very attentive to her teacher.

Update

Well. Both babies are now about 5 lbs each. Exactly what they should be if they were singletons. But they are both breech again. It's most likely too late for them to change, so I will probably have a c-section. I have my next reg appt next wed, so I will know more then. But both babies look very healthy.

Nursery

I've mostly finished with the nursery. It just needs some babies. So here are some pics.









It's a very quiet room. And to explain some of the things, the gown and bonnets were made by my mother for P. The silver cup was mine and has my name engraved on it. Splitcat has one, too, and I am looking for it so I can add it. The pooh bear in the chair was splitcat's when he was little. He gave it to me when I was in college to keep me company. The afghan is also from college, my roommate was working for the World's Largest Gallery of Afghans and got it for me. It says "It's so much friendlier with two." I am thinking of painting this on the wall where the crib is. It's rather appropriate for twins. I have some picture frames and a snowglobe from my collection that I would like to add, but I need some sturdier shelving. Once the twins are sleeping through the night I will probably remove the chair. I may make some minor changes, I love to rearrange things, but I think this is it until the twins arrive.

I have an ultrasound tomorrow. So I will try to remember to update.

Still Alive, Still Pregnant

Sorry I have been so lax in posting. I Haven't had much to say. I tried the other day and ended up ranting because I was mad at something totally different than what I was writing about, so I didn't post it. Mostly I've been tired and cranky. I went out the other day and when the girl went looking for me she asked splitcat why momma wasn't in her bed. I was at the movies enjoying Pirates of the Carribean. Oddly enough, I didn't find it as dark as the first one, but apparently everyone else thinks it is alot darker than the first one. I liked it.

Yesterday we finally got some of our excess furniture removed. It made our living room feel so much bigger. Things still are not arranged exactly as I would like, but it's getting there. I hope to have some pics of the nursery up in the next few days. It's turning out nicely.

I have my next ultrasound on Wed. This should determine if I need a c-section or not. Hopefully not. I had a reg check-up last wed and everything was fine. Except for me being ready to be done with this and have babies to look at. It is getting very painful to sleep. Turning over requires a lot of effort. At least I'm getting used to getting up in the night. I can't believe I'll be 34 weeks this week. It seems like I've been pregnant for at least 2 years.

It's time to feed the masses, I'll try to do better this week.

A slow week

It's been a slow and quiet week. Yesterday I took the children to the free movies at the mall. We saw Curious George. Some of you may remember last year's trip to the movies. This time went so much better. The boy and I had a discussion before we left that it was okay to be a little scared, but to just hold my hand and squeeze if he got scared, not start wailing loudly. He agreed so off we went. When we walked in I knew everyone would be clamoring for drinks and popcorn, so I promised that if we made it through the whole movie we could go out to lunch, and come back next week and get snacks. Amazingly enough everyone accepted this with no argument. They showed a preview of Meerkat Manor, and I was asked a lot of questions which a: were easily answered if you were listening, or b: you had to be an expert on Meerkats to answer. This prompted me to remind the boy that I had never seen the movie, so I didn't have the answer to any of his questions. Although this may seem a little harsh, he is a relentless questioner of every minor detail (he's definitely the type to grow up and go to dragon con in costume with all the minute details of whatever his favorite thing is). I was still asked a lot of questions, but mostly ones I could answer. The girl spent the middle portion of the movie fending off sleep. She just couldn't get comfortable enough. So we made it through to the end, and as promised I took them to lunch, and as an added surprise we went to the bookstore and each bought a new book. I got P. the first Curious George, since he liked that monkey, E. got a My little Pony Book, and I got The Midnighters 2: Touching Darkness . I spent most of the rest of the day in bed. The heat has been yucky.

I got bitten on the belly by a mosquito yesterday. Even my long shirts aren't long enough any more.

They will be here soon. It's hard to believe. I still have a hard time imagining myself as the mother of 4.

I'm not sure what to blog about, so I apologize in advance for anything boring.

Friday afternoon while splitcat was mowing and the girl was napping, and I was trying to nap, the boy grew bored of his lego and joined me for some conversation. He told me he had a dream that morning. Thinking he wanted to share, I asked what it was about. I can't tell you, he said. It was an angry dream. I tried to get him to explain what an angry dream was, but he wasn't telling. I asked him why he couldn't tell me, and with all seriousness he gazed out into nothing and said, "because a dream is a wish your heart makes." Perhaps we shouldn't watch so many Disney movies(since this is a line from a Disney song).

The girl still loves her dance class. She dances through her day. She reminds me of when I was little and would dance through the house. I toned it down though when in the first grade I was twirling in the hallway at school and seriously sprained my pinky by hitting it on the concrete wall.

The twins continue to try to tunnel through my skin. Well, at least that what it feels like every time they move. We are a little closer to choosing names, but still not 100% sure.

Splitcat will be gone during the day this week for an AP Institute. It will be weird to have him gone. Hopefully I can keep up with the kids. They will be at their grandparents tomorrow, so it will be quiet.

I guess that is all. I'm too sleepy to think any more.

Dr.

I tried to post this the other day but it didn't take, so I am trying again.

All is still well with the twins. Baby B is growing well, so there is no concern. I have another ultrasound in 4 weeks. Baby A is about 4 lbs and B is about 3lbs 7ozs. The coolest thing was that we were able to see that they have hair. So no news is good news.

What I like about my house

A short meme from 4boydad.

List five things I like about my house. In no particular order:

1. It's the home we brought our children to after they were born. I am hopelessly sentimental. Those are memories that cannot be replaced.

2. I concur with splitcat about our downstairs living room, it's one of the main reasons we bought this house.

3. Our yard. it will probably be the thing I miss most if we ever move. I don't necessarily spend that much time outside, but I like knowing it is there.

4. Location. Splitcat likes that we are close to food and the interstate. I like that we are very very close to all the shopping you could really need. I would like to live a little closer to my family, but we are still within 30 minutes of them.

5. It is truly a blank slate. every room has needed to be updated/renovated. And we still have 2 more to go.

Hopefully Splitcat will soon tell the story of our "crack house." He's been threatening to for a while. I'll just say we had a lot of old men and teenage boys looking for the previous owners son after we moved in. It was kind of odd since we are in a pretty middle class neighborhood.

I hope everyone has had a lovely 4th of July. We hung out at my sister in laws, leaving the children behind. The boy thought he'd be brave this year, but watched us twirl our sparklers from behind the sliding glass doors. OUr neighbors are setting off fireworks in the street, so it is occasionally loud. On the way to my sil's we listened to the final minutes of the world cup game beteween Italy and Germany on an am Hispanic radio station. It was really quite entertaining. We didn't understand much, but definitely got it when Italy scored. The commentator was much more into it than the ones on t.v.

I've a dr.'s appt tomorrow, so hopefully everyone is growing well.

Waking Lazarus

It's time for the next blog tour. This month is Waking Lazarus by T.L. Hines. This is my favorite of all the books I have read for the blog tour. Check out his blog and website for the first chapter and links to all the blog reviews, also Amazon has a good plot synopsis, so I won't repeat it here.

I read Waking Lazurus through in one sitting because I really needed to know how it turned out. Also, the religious/spiritual element, while playing a crucial role, was never obtrusive or preachy. This was definitely not formula fiction. This book is now on my highly recommend list.

It's been a slow week at the Chintzibob household. Our niece is staying with us this week, she is 12. So we've all spent alot of time playing video games. I really like Jak 3. The niece has been playing Ratchet and Clank, another good series of games. The boy has been playing Spyro and Ratchet, and Lego Star Wars. Splitcat's had the computer playing Civilization IV and redoing all his AP History notes. The girl has been playing dinosaurs and ponies. Right now a dinosaur is chasing Barbie. She wants to play games, too, but she lacks the coordination.

I had something funny to relate, but I don't remember what. On Sunday after church as we walked in the sanctuary, the boy asked, "So what did you learn today?"

On Tuesday I took the boy out for a mother/son date. We got his haircut and went to Chuck E. Cheese and he helped me run some errands at Target and Babies-r-us. He's seemed really bored lately and is having some attitude problems. I was hoping some one on one time would help. It did for a little while. But I am afraid the summer doldrums are here. It took all day yesterday for me to recover being gone for a few hours on Tuesday. Otherwise we might do more fun stuff. Today we are taking a trip to the Walmart. That's always an adventure.

I am officially 31. I have had a very pleasant birthday weekend. Yesterday was our day of celebration, so Splitcat grilled me steak and it was accompanied by baked potatoes, and corn, cucumbers, and green beans from our garden. The corn was small, but very very tasty. The children made me a birthday card, and apparently the girl accidentally signed her cousins name instead of her own. How she knew this since she cannot write is beyond me, but she was concerned, lest I wonder why my niece signed my card. They also made me an angel food cake. I was merciful and didn't demand seven minute icing, which is my favorite on angel food. But I did claim the brown crusty part from the top of the cake. Splitcat got the hint, and I received the new Keane cd. I've only listened through once so far, but I really like it. I bought myself Jak 3. We've been having fun playing all weekend. I also received my cd for June/July from IHOP. It has songs from various worship sessions at the House of Prayer. I had forgotten I should be getting one, so it was a nice extra. today I went out to lunch with my family. We had a nice time as always.

P. was thrilled when I told him he is now 5 1/2. Apparently life is better at this age. I can't believe he will be starting school in a month and a half. So much to do, so little time and energy.

My dr. visit went fine yesterday. Baby A is 3.2 lbs and Baby B is 2.8 lbs. They are both breech again, but still have time to turn. Their sizes are getting a little far apart, so I get to have another ultrasound in 2 weeks. They aren't concerned yet since they are still within a two week range of each other, but if it gets any further than that they get concerned. So they like to keep an eye on things. They both had heartrates in the 140's. I lost two lbs since my visit 2 weeks ago. The reality of having a baby, or in this case babies, really hits when you start going to the dr. every two weeks. That is the signal that the time is near.

My mother was babysitting for me and my sister, who also had a dr. appt. When I got back, she was just leaving. I hung out so the kids could play. I was sitting at the computer drinking a Barq's and I put it on the bookshelf next to me. My three yr old neice came by with a blanket and was trying to put it on the shelf where my drink drink was residing. I said, watch out, you can't play on that shelf because it has my coke on it. She regarded me coolly for a moment, then looked at my drink, then back at me. Then she replied, "that's a root beer" and ran off. (for my non-southern readers, we tend to refer to all soft drinks as "coke.") My niece is a fascinating little girl. Way too smart for a 3 yr old. My mother always told us stories about how my sister was when she was that little, and it was hard to believe. Not anymore. We have a new little version running among us. The world is her best friend. But my daughter is her very best friend. She carries her around in her hand and makes my sister set a place for her at the table. She shares her food with her and gets her special treats. When they are together they plan sleepovers. They were born just 12 days apart. They are complete opposites in body and mind. It's like watching my sister and I grow up again, but as the same age.

The Depot

Well, we had a successful trip to the Depot. We left with grout, a toilet flange(I think) and a toilet. I was a little disappointed when the toilet I wanted was out of stock, or rather, they had not yet received the stock. Leave it to me to pick the one thing they didn't have. It was the right price and, for a toilet, pretty stylish. So we ended up with an American Standard toilet in a box. It was nice that it came with all the pieces, including a lid. We looked at a Kohler, but it had a spaceship look about it, too modern. So we ended up with a toilet that just looks like a toilet. This is the second time I have received a toilet for my birthday. Hopefully I won't need another one for a while since they've all been updated.

On another topic entirely, As I was randomly flipping through the tv yesterday(I'm actually worse than splitcat about this) I found a show on a music channel counting down the viewer's choice of the top ten grunge hits. It was certainly a walk through memory lane. I remember that what I liked about grunge was that it was made by actual bands rather than just a singer/dancer with a studio band back up. It was the first time I actual chose(as a teenager) to listen to new music rather than 70's or 80's rock. It was also the era of bands such as the Cranberries and the Sundays. Splitcat and I were talking the other day about how there aren't that many popular bands(not pop stars) today with female lead singers(yes I know there are a few). I felt officially old one day when they played "Wild Horses" as sung by the Sundays on the radio and I realized how many years it had been since I'd heard it coming from the radio instead of my cd(from which it comes pretty often). I wonder if one day my children will be shocked when I sing along(or mumble along) to "Smells like Teen Spirit" on the Oldies station. I remember being slightly shocked when my good Christian mother who listened to Sandi Patty and Amy Grant and Keith Green sang along to a 60's hard rock tune. It was something like Iron Butterfly or a similar group. I knew she had a interesting past, but I didn't know it involved "rock music." Somehow I don't think my children will be as shocked, since their favorite band is They Might Be Giants. And the Girl regularly gets down to the New Wave and 80's rock stations on our satellite. We have definitely exposed them to an eclectic mix of music. I never know what I'll hear after splitcat has been driving the car. It can be anything from Steve Taylor to Dave Matthews to Van Morrison.

I've been trying to expose myself to new music so I don't get lost in an 80's-early 90's time warp, but I've only found a few new bands that I really like. Honestly, alot of the new bands sound way too much alike. The music all has the same pattern and all the voices sound the same. If I can't figure out who I am listening to by the lead voice, what makes you special? The one relatively new band I really like is Keane. Their lead singer has a beautiful and distinctive voice. I'm hoping splitcat got the hint about their new album coming out and my birthday. I use to follow christian music alot more closely, but now all the bands I like are old. My sister occasionally exposes me to something new, but I haven't heard much I want to rush out and buy. The few Christian bands I like I probably only like because I have been in several worship services led by them which were beyond incredible. And they all come from IHOP, not the radio.

Am I like totally rambling now? Well, back to my original topic in case you wondered, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was voted the number one grunge hit. I have to agree. If you say "grunge" it is probably the first song I think of. It is one of those songs that immediately brings me back to being 18 or 19 at the back to school dance, trying not to make a fool of myself(which I was generally unsuccesful at). I remember tugging on my ponytail in hopes of keeping myself from really embarrassing myself by dancing. It only helped a little. That's one of those songs that still makes me want to jump up and down and have hair long enough to swing around.

Happy Birthday to Me

It's not really my birthday yet, it's not till next week, but all the celebrating is done. It seems a little anti-climatic. But I guess 31 is not an age to have a big party for. Being pregnant at my birthday always poses a problem. I usually ask for clothes, but this year it was home depot gift cards, which I received. My mother-in-law hated buying me just home depot cards, so I also received a blanket rack to put our gazillion throws and a very pretty bracelet. So we are finally able to renovate our third bathroom. Even though it is just a half bath, it is the biggest of our bathrooms. Splitcat is getting ready to lay the tile as I write.

This bathroom had been sort of updated when a friend lived with us for a few months before we had kids. But last year my washing machine flooded the laundry room and it seeped under the floor into the bathroom, so we had to pull up the awful, awful yellow linoleum from 1981. There were no tears shed at this loss, but we've just had concrete as a floor ever since. I wish I had pictures of the wallpaper when we moved in. It was gold and blue and was supposed to be a colonial map with big ships sailing all over it. It was truly horrible. Now it is just blue because I found a can of oops paint for $5. We aren't sure what color to change it to. The tile splitcat chose is very earthy looking, it's base color is a dark mossy green, but it has rusty highlights when the light hits it just right. Well, I was just told we're going to the depot. I'll let you know how it all turns out.

Tonight as I was serving myself the dinner that splitcat had made I found myself in a flash back to the early years of our marriage. I commented on this to splitcat and he said he had the same thought as he was cooking. It was a simple meal of stir fried chicken, rice, green beans, and cucumbers soaked in italian dressing. This was the staple meal of our home when we were first married. With both of us working full-time the simpler the meal the better. The only difference in tonight's meal was that the beans and cucumber came from our garden rather than the grocery store. And we ate at a dining table rather than an old card table shoved precariously between our bookshelves and another card table with our computer on it. Our first apartment was a simple one bedroom arrangement. Its best feature a large kitchen. We were lucky that it was also on the ground floor. Except the nights our neighbors upstairs had screaming fights and then made up. As I sat down to eat tonight I wondered if we were still the same people that inhabited that place. I think that when we are alone together, we are.

We have always been an old married couple. When we go out for breakfast, we sit and read the newspaper, occasionally commenting on an article of interest. We still can't figure out what to do when we have a night off and usually end up at home going our separate ways, usually splitcat at the computer and me with my nose in a book. But it is done in companionable silence. There is not always a need for us to talk. We have no need to go to trendy restaurants or trendy places. We spent our honeymoon in that first apartment, sightseeing around Atlanta. It was home. And we could think of no better place to begin our lives together. A month or so after our wedding we did go on a trip up to the mountains courtesy of splitcat's parents.

But over the years we have found that we are much happier in a tent than a hotel room and that staying home is much more relaxing than a vacation. That silence speaks more deeply than chatter. In the past few weeks and months splitcat has more than proven himself as both a husband and a father. Taking care of me and the kids. I don't know if he truly understands how grateful I am of his uncomplaining and generous help. So I'll leave you with the poem I had printed in our wedding program.

Sonnet XXVI

I lived with visions for my company
Instead of men and women, years ago,
And found them gentle mates, nor thought to know
A sweeter music than they played to me.
But soon their trailing purple was not free
Of this world's dust, their lutes did silent grow,
And I myself grew faint and blind below
Their vanishing eyes. Then THOU didst come--to be,
Belovèd, what they seemed. Their shining fronts,
Their songs, their splendours (better, yet the same,
As river-water hallowed into fonts),
Met in thee, and from out thee overcame
My soul with satisfaction of all wants
Because God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Dancing

The girl had her first dance class last night. She was very excited. When we walked into the studio she sat quietly with me as we waited for class to begin, awed by the beautiful costumes lining the walls. After class began she didn't take her eyes off her teacher and dutifully copied her every move. She looked very sweet in her black leotard, pink tights and black ballet shoes. Every once in a while she would catch a glimpse of me in the mirror and smile. They practiced learning their left from right, then their teacher taught them all first position. They each had a slice of pretend pizza to help them. It was certainly a challenge to the 3 yr olds to put their heels together and point their toes outward. The older girls had a much easier time of it. I was very proud of how well my little girl behaved herself. She is definitely ready to step out into a life of her own. When we left she wanted to know why she didn't do any ballet. I tried to explain that she did learn some ballet, but I realized she thought she would be having a dance class like Angelina Ballerina. She wasn't too disappointed and happily showed her father her new moves.

She is becoming quite a girl.

Summer

At last summer is here. Today we spent some time in the yard. Splitcat picked green beans, the kids played in the sprinkler, and I reclined in my new chair. As I slathered the children with sunblock, I realized that the smell reminded me more of band camp than the beach. As I have caught lingering whiffs of sunblock through the afternoon it has become the smell of sunshine, laughter, and green trees.

We ate our first batch of green beans yesterday. They were quite tasty. We should have cucumbers any day now, and tomatoes within the week. The children have really enjoyed watching our garden grow.

I had a dr's appt yesterday. Everything was mostly fine. I had to do my glucose tolerance test-a test for gestational diabetes(Imagine adding about a cup of sugar to orange gatorade and having to drink it within five minutes). My results came back borderline, so I was told to cut back on the carbs and sugar. I also had low iron and must now take iron supplements. I had sort of guessed it might be low since I've been incredibly lethargic lately. I have to go to the dr. every two weeks now. So in two weeks I have an ultrasound and a checkup. Only 6-10 weeks to go!

This morning were were wakened by a whispered conversation in the hallway outside our room. I heard a little boy voice say, "If we whine, then they'll get up." Then he spent the next five minutes trying to convince his sister to wake us up. We just laughed silently. Splitcat finally got up to feed them, and I went back to sleep.

We have half a room clean in our house now. The other half should be done soon. Hopefully. But there was a lot of furniture and book moving involved. Splitcat did a very thorough job of dusting. The kids now have an area specifically for playing. Before it was just sort of spread out across the room. As soon as there is any significant area of carpet cleared, they like to run in circles. I've never figured that out.

We saw The new X-Men movie last week. We both enjoyed it. It was better than I had expected. But you need to stay to the very end of the credits. The bitter end.

My mom did bring me back a devil dog. It was very good.

I think that catches up on the last week. I'll try to do better. Hopefully the extra iron will help get me back in order.

"The Hidden"

It's that time again. This month's blog tour was for The Hidden by Kathryn Mackel. A supernatural/suspense novel. In many ways it reminded me of a Phyllis Whitney novel in that one of the stronger plot lines concerned the reuniting of a broken family. There were several plot lines that wove together nicely. The supernatural/spiritual aspect was not shoved in your face, but worked itself out quite nicely. It was a good read overall. I loaned it out to my sister and I am awaiting her response. Since I read a lot of supernatural/horror/suspense and she does not, I always like to know her opinion. Of course, she's been at the beach all week with my mother so I haven't had a chance to ask her about it.

On a personal note. My mother and sister went to the beach(and visiting relatives). They took all four of her kids. I hope they brought me back a devil dog from the Peter Pan Bakery. I got to go to my sister-in-laws pool today. I don't normally like to swim. But it felt wonderful. The kids had a good time. It was E.'s first real experience in a pool. I will spare you the horrors of having to buy a maternity bathing suit. I had to buy a very large size, knowing that I still have several months to go, and I already look full term. I am constantly being pummeled by four elbows, four knees, two heads, and two bottoms. It can get amusing at times. I've felt kicks in places I didn't know existed. But if the twins only weigh about 1 1/2 lbs now, I can't imagine what it will feel like when they weigh five lbs each.

Last night I was commenting on how good God has been to us this month(after splitcat came home with a $120 Walmart gift card to add to our tally). Then this evening I asked if anything exciting happened today since it was his last day of post planning. I knew he was getting Home depot gift card, and then he tells me he won a prize in a drawing. He won a week stay in Destin at a beach-front condo(when available over the next year). No, I'm not kidding. I laughed really hard. He said he was really hoping he wouldn't get it. But he did. God is so cool.

It's been pretty quiet around here. I sleep alot. Splitcat's getting my cold. The boy is officially Lego obsessed. He's quite good at making up his own buildings. We are going to need a bigger house if the twins like Lego. We'll need a whole room devoted to it. Like how some people have rooms devoted to their train set ups.

Just thought I should blog a little. But I really don't have much to say. I've been asleep most of this week.

Splitcat's Home!

Splitcat's back. At last. It was nice to have someone to talk to, or to take care of the children for a little while. I Learned this week that my body is no longer cooperating with my brain. When I feel that I can spend time working on my house, my body protests. It's very frustrating.

While sc was gone, my mother came over and we moved E.'s bed into P.'s room and painted the nursery. So now the nursery is almost complete. I just need a couple more things. I had a very lovely shower on Saturday. It was nice to visit with friends.

I still have a terrible head cold. But I don't feel as cranky. I'm just glad splitcat is home.

If you couldn't tell, I wasn't feeling very good yesterday. I feel much better today. My children didn't get back from their grandparents until 7:00pm. So I had a day of much needed solitude. And I finally got the energy to do some laundry.

My ultrasound went well on Tues. I think I forgot to post about it. Both babies are still well. Baby A weighs about 1 1/2 lbs and Baby B weighs a few ozs less. Baby B was head down, but A was still breech. I would post pictures, but I don't know how to use our scanner. They now have a fair chance of surviving should they come early. But I still have no signs of preterm labor. So that is good. This week will be week 25 out of 40. They get more real to me every day. I can't wait to hold them.

I posted over at splitcat's blog today. I don't have the energy to do two.

Mother's Day

We had a nice mother's day. I still find it weird that I am a mother. My best mother's day is still Mother's Day of 2000. That was the day I found out I would be a mother for the first time. We were in Pensacola visiting my family. We snuck out to the Walmart to buy more tests because we couldn't believe it. It had taken a lot longer than I expected to get a positive. But P. was well worth the wait.

Thursday I also attended "Muffins for Moms" at P.'s school. I was a little late, but the kids had not yet arrived, so P. didn't know. I learned that

I am special because I give him gifts sometimes
He likes it when I give him hugs in the middle of the night(I like that, too)
He thinks I'm best at making food for him(I guess because opening poptarts takes a lot of skill)
He likes to make me smile by singing to me
I am as pretty as a flower
I'm smart because I know how to make gifts.

The little program they did was cute. P. was very conscientious about keeping his feet on his piece of tape.

Sunday was pretty uneventful. The kids and I went to church while splitcat went to school to do lesson plans for his week away. When we came home splitcat cooked me lunch while I rested and then I was given my cards. My gift this year was a reclining lawn chair. I requested one last month because I didn't have anywhere comfortable to sit outside. It is perfect. I got to sit in it and we let the kids play in the sprinkler.

Friday night splitcat and I went to the movies and saw V for Vendetta. It was okay.

Splitcat left this morning for Florida. I think this is the longest we've been apart in the 10 1/2 years we've been married. He shall return on Saturday. I also have a shower on Saturday. I am excited about that.

I was going to post some pictures, but I'll do it tomorrow.
I Have an ultrasound tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes.

A Day to Remember

It's been quite a day. My mother called me yesterday and asked if I was up for an adventure. I said of course. But then she wouldn't tell me anything and I couldn't ask any questions. I was just told to dress nice and not look like I just got out of bed(she knows me too well). And we would be done by 9:30 or so. I could not figure out what we could be doing so early in the morning. So I dropped the kids off at my in-laws and met my mom. When we turned out of the parking lot after meeting, I knew we were headed to splitcat's school. I didn't know why, maybe the students were giving us a shower or something. We met one of his students outside and she told me they were giving him a special award and wanted me to be there. Oh good, I thought. He got teacher of the year or something. He was shocked to see me, my mom, and my sister meet him in the gym. I told him I didn't know what was going on. So we sat through the teacher character awards wondering what was going to happen. (Splitcat got respect this year). At the end all the seniors got up to give out the senior gift. They pick a teacher every year to give a gift to. Then they called both of us up on stage. I looked out the gymnasium doors as I walked across the stage and couldn't believe what I saw. So they presented splitcat with an envelope, and when he opened it, it contained car keys. Parked outside on the sidewalk was a minivan that the senior class bought for us. Yes, a minivan. A 1999 Ford Windstar.





It has all the bells and whistles including leather seats. We both cried. And inside the van was:

24 bags of diapers of various sizes
10 boxes of wipes
some misc. baby toiletries
several outfits
some books with stuffed animals
and the following gift cards:
Babies-r-us-$25
Dilliards-$25
Target-$60
Publix-$25
Outback steakhouse-$50
Cash-$15
Quiktrip-$500(no that's not a typo)



They had originally planned to give us a trip to Scotland. But when they heard about the twins, they wanted to do something to help us out. I'm not sure if they will ever really know what a blessing their gift is to us. We have both felt that we were to wait on the Lord for His provision, and we have been rewarded more than I think either one of us expected. Splitcat's mom(as well as my own and many others) have been praying for many months that God would provide a van for us. It's so good to know that He cares so much for us.

Also, I'm glad that splitcat has finally gotten the recognition he deserves. I've always known what an incredible person he is. But I can't imagine what it must mean to him to know that the entire senior class thought so well of him to do this. It's really just so overwhelming.

Praise the Lord!

Update: Splitcat came home with two more packs of diapers, 2 more boxes of wipes, another $65.00 in target gift cards, and $15 in cash. He counted the diapers, there are 1674.

My dr. appt went well. I've only gained 20 lbs so far. Which is amazing considering the amount of food I consume daily. My belly measures at 29 weeks, and I am 23 weeks. This is good for a twin pregnancy as they tell you to expect to measure six weeks ahead. I definitely feel 29 weeks. If this was my first pregnancy it probably wouldn't be so hard. But I remember feeling like this at the end of my other pregnancies, not the middle. So it's a little weird. Both heartbeats were just galloping along. But she didn't tell me the rates. I have an ultrasound next Tuesday.

Speaking of next week. Splitcat will be in Florida all next week. I was invited, but since I didn't know how I'd be feeling I declined. It's a good thing I did. I don't think I'd make it. He's going with the seniors at his school. Also, next week is P.'s preschool graduation. He seems ready for school to be out. This year has gone by really fast. I need Time to slow down just a little. We still have a lot to do.

Here is a rather fascinating opinion piece from First Things. I am not sure how to explain it, except that it discusses pregnancy somewhat theologically and mystically(in the Christian sense) rather than viewing it through medical terms or the earthy mystical view.

http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0603/opinion/howard.html

I have a dr.'s appt today, so I will try to remember to post tonight.

Friday, May 05, 2006

I am finally over whatever was making me ill. Except I seem to be having some more morning sickness. It's very annoying. I have too much to do to be sick.

I don't think it will be a problem for P. and E. to share a room. E.'s been sleeping on the floor in his room the past few nights, except last night when she got the bed, and he got the floor. I'd like to paint in there before I move her bed in, but I may just have to go ahead. E. seems to like sleeping on the floor. She has been sleeping on the floor in her room for several weeks. I've always had a thing for the floor, too. I like sitting on the floor. I also liked to sit under tables.

The Star Wars saga continues to be an active force in our home. I've found P. sleeping with his lightsabers on more than one occasion. I just heard him ask his sister if she wanted to be FireStar and he would be Spiderman, and they would defeat Darth Maul. "Do you want to play Star Wars Episode I?" He asks. He was thrilled when his father opened up the General Grievous character in his game. He has 4 lightsabers. I was the first to actually finish the game. I've almost completed it 100%. I need to find out when the next installment is out.

For a good laugh, wake up a five year old at 11 o'clock and take him to the bathroom. It's like watching a sleep walker. I have to position him just right, but he will suddenly turn to the side and stand there like he's aiming for the toilet. But mostly he just stands there scratching his sides and tummy. Then he'll turn around and try to walk without pulling up his underwear. When I get him out the door, he invariably turns the wrong way. Soon we're going to have to get the girl up, too. They seem to have inherited my sleep through anything gene.

May

Well, it would seem that it is May already. I was going to wish everyone a happy may day, but it would appear I'm too late. I seem to be having low grade fevers again. It makes my mind kind of mushy. I haven't been able to hold a thought long enough to post anything coherent, and I'm not making any promises about this post.

I got a call Saturday afternoon from my sister requesting an evening out. We went to the Varsity and to the Movies. We saw American Dreamz. It was pretty odd, very funny, but one of those movies you're not sure you could recommend. It was a very dark comedy. But I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard at a movie. Neither of us wanted to go home after the movie so we stopped by Barnes and Noble. Bookstores are so relaxing. It was nice to spend some time together. After four years of working together it is weird that we don't spend as much time together.

I don't remember much since then, except I fall asleep pretty much every time I sit down. It didn't occur to me to take my temperature until this afternoon.

This evening we had family clean-up time in the living room/playroom. For some reason we all like to clean to bluegrass music. When we were done, E. started dancing to the music. I wish I had a picture to show you, but you will have to use your imagination. She was wearing a white shirt with hot pink flowers, a pink disney princess pull-up(which is inevitably in a wedgie position on at least one side), purple plastic high heeled dress up shoes, a straw hat with red flowers on it and the matching handbag, and a strand of metallic green beads. She'd put one hand on her hip and hold the other one out and start shaking her hips. It reminded me of a flapper dance. We both wondered who she learned that from. It certainly wasn't me. We got a little bit of it on video. It was just a strange and funny dance. But while she was dancing, P. was trying to sing me the songs they are doing for "muffins for Moms" day. He was concentrating so hard on his songs, and I kept busting out laughing. I felt bad when he asking me why I was laughing at him. But it would appear there is some interesting entertainment lined up for our special day.

The twins seem to be doing well. I am getting lots of kicks and nudges, some are now visible from the outside. It's a very strange feeling. But Baby A has become much more active than Baby B. Unless Baby B has drastically changed position. Which wouldn't be a bad thing, since they were both breech at my last ultrasound. If they stay breech, I will have to have a c-section. Which I want to avoid mainly for cosmetic reasons, I don't scar well. Of course, I will go ahead with it if I need one, Since the babies health and well-being takes precedence. After all, it's not like I ever plan on wearing a bikini anyway.

Still no names for the babies. Maybe we should go with Ringo and George.

Web of Lies

It is time once again to talk about fiction. This month's blog tour is for Web of Lies, by Brandilyn Collins. I really enjoyed this novel. It came unexpectedly a couple of weeks ago, and once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. This novel combines two heroines from two different novel series, and it works suprisingly well. Here's the blurb from the back cover

After witnessing a shooting at a convenience store, forensic artist Annie Kingston must draw a composite of the suspect. But before she can begin, she hears that Chelsea Adams wants to meet with her--now. Chelsea Adams--the woman who made national headlines with her visions of murder. And this vision is by far the most chilling.

Chelsea and Annie soon find themselves snared in a terrifying battle against time, greed, and a deadly opponent. If they tell the police, will their story be believed? With the web of lies thickening, and lives ultimately at stake, who will know enough to stop the evil?

What I appreciated most about this novel is that the characters rang very true. Often in mystery/suspense novels, the heroes/heroines are superpeople. They have something that's above average that helps them solve the mystery. In this novel, instead of the characters being "super," they are aided and guided by God, sometimes despite their own wishes. I did not feel as though I were reading about a world in which I have no part, but I felt as though I were reading about my friends and neighbors(although I hope nothing like this ever happens in my neighborhood!).

My only complaint, which isn't really a complaint, but I can't think of the right word, was that I guessed who the murderer was very soon after he(or she) was introduced. But instead of being annoyed, I was intrigued as to how the story would work itself out. I was very pleased with all the twists and turns and didn't blame the characters for not figuring it out sooner. I must have been feeling really logical that day.

I will definitely be checking out Brandilyn Collins' other books. If you'd like to read the first chapter it can be found at her website, or to learn more about the author, check out her blog.

No Surprises Here

You May Be a Bit Obsessive Compulsive ...

Meticulous and detailed oriented, you have some irrational obsessions. Maybe it's your super neat closet or washing your hands a gazillion times. You probably know it's weird, but you just can't stop thinking about it. In fact, the more you think about your quirks, the more you have to do them.

What Personality Disorder Are You?

Your Linguistic Profile:

65% General American English

35% Dixie

0% Midwestern

0% Upper Midwestern

0% Yankee

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

The following is somewhat encouraging

Your English Skills:

Grammar: 100%

Vocabulary: 100%

Punctuation: 80%

Spelling: 80%

Does Your English Cut the Mustard?

Can you tell I'm bored and it is 2 o'clock in the morning.

I bought shoes today

Birkenstocks.

I've always wanted some.

I registered for my baby shower, too

I didn't need much

I guess it's a good thing

to be a hoarder

sometimes

Well, sorry I haven't posted much this week. Every time I've tried it was either thunderstorming or I realized I was in a foul mood and probably shouldn't try to write. Thanks to the wonders of pregnancy I have not been sleeping well, and if I do manage to get to sleep I am awakened by violent thunderstorms. Spring is most definitely here(in shoes of green(sorry splitcat, I couldn't resist)). Anywho, The trees have burst forth in full green splendor. It is quite lovely, and as it has been overcast, the gray of the sky accentuates the green of the trees and grass. I'm not sure when spring took over as my favorite season. Fall is still a very close second, but fall in the suburbs isn't nearly as beautiful as fall in the mountains. If we ever make it out of this exile into the mountains, I may change my mind again. But for now, Spring is the thing. I think I saw the honeysuckle blooming as I looked out the back door today, and we found a firefly in the back yard(during the day) last week.

On another topic entirely, as I sat in the recliner last night trying to get to sleep(it's the only place I can get comfortable enough to sleep) I watched a movie on Nickelodeon. As the movie progressed I was increasingly disturbed by its message. Basically, behaving with any sense of decorum, politeness, or grace in public or for the benefit of your family is a harsh punishment for a free spirit and robs them of all joy and happines to the point where they must leave those etiquettely minded evil doers so they can "be themselves." No wonder kids are so obnoxious these days. Is this then the downfall of civilization as we know it? Is it now okay to do and say the first thing that comes into your head without thought for the people around you? Self-restraint must now be a curse word. I am aware, of course, that this is not a new problem, after all, there is nothing new under the sun, but it does seem to be reaching epic proportions. I've even considered sending my children to etiquette lessons as they get older. Starting a revolution of politeness. Perhaps with the radical motto of "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." Instead of "Love yourself, love no one else."

Am I ranting? Sorry. My frustration level this week is running on a full tank. I can't sleep, I can't even lay down all the way. I can't seem to make any progress on my house, for every mess I clean three or four are in the process of being made(I include myself, I am notoriously bad at picking up after myself, which is frustrating). Just breathing makes me tired. My cat yells for food, I feed her, and she promptly throws it up. It's not like I only feed her once a week so she has to gobble it all at one sitting. Maybe she's bulemic. She could stand to lose a few pounds. I can't wear shoes that tie or buckle, it's too hard to reach. And I hate wearing shoes that don't tie or buckle. I actually wore sparkly flip flops the other night. I am thoroughly ashamed of myself. But at least I could jam my feet into them. At this rate I'm going to end up a size 12. (for my unenlightened, or male, readership, pregnancy releases a hormone called relaxin which relaxes all your joints, and can cause your feet to grow and spread(like I really needed bigger feet)). And if you really ever need to be frustrated, play Lego Star Wars(the video game) with a five year old (I did learn my lesson on that one, then splitcat and I tried to play with 2 players, it was almost as bad, the game won't let you get very far apart from each other, and we have very different styles of game play). But it is a very cool game with only a few minor annoying bits. It's great to explode into little pieces of Lego when you die. Okay, I think I'm through complaining now. Thanks for listening. :)

We finally had a few minutes to talk about names for the babies. This is going to be tougher than I thought. My favorites from last night are Sebastien and Benedict. Splitcat didn't like any of my previously chosen names, except Daniel, which is ok. I tend toward the more fanciful, while he sticks to the good basics, like William, David, Stephen, and Richard. Although he did come up with Roland(as in the "Song of") and Benedict. We both like names from the Arthurian legends, but somehow, I don't think a kid named Gawaine would do well socially. Maybe we should each get to name one whatever we want and then surprise each other when they are born.

ITS......

ANOTHER BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's official now, we've got two boys on the way. I will admit to a few mixed feelings. I was really hoping for another girl, but growing up I always wanted twin boys, so I got exactly what I'd always dreamed of. Kinda makes you wonder who planted that idea in my head in the first place :)

It's been an exciting few days, but I haven't had time to post. Our Easter Sunday was very quiet and relaxed. We went to my sister-in-laws house. splitcat found the most money in the easter egg hunt. I think he came up with $12. P. found about $5 in quarters. I mostly got candy. I was still really tired from the day before, so I didn't hunt with my usual fervor.

Last night I had to help splitcat with his National Honor Society Induction Ceremony. He was in charge this year. It's really frustrating sometimes to tire so quickly.

But now I have to go get my children form their grandparents. P. has pretend Kindergarten Day at school today. He gets to ride a real school bus and practice going through a lunch line.

Let the Celebrating Begin

Our Easter celebrations began today at my parent's. The Easter Egg hunt was successful. At dinner, my father said a blessing, then P. wanted a turn. He began his standard blessing, then stopped and said, "I have a special prayer for Easter." He thought for a second, "Easter Bunny, please help us find all the eggs. Amen." Later, we had communion and my mother talked to all the kids about what Easter means.

The food was as good as I hoped. Along with the chicken we had twice baked potatoes, squash casserole, a corn casserole, deviled eggs, baked beans, and stuffed celery. And as a correction to yesterday's post, it was my grandfather and his friend that procured the "stuff" recipe many years ago.

So a good time was had by all. Now we just have tomorrow's festivities.

Feeling Better

I'm finally feeling better. I'm still having some allergies and general pregnancy complaints, but nothing as bad as earlier this week. Yesterday was good because I got an autographed book in the mail. I'd been expecting the book, but not the autograph. I thought it was kind of fun. The only other book I have autographed is from Janet Fitch(White Oleander). She came to my college and I was invited to the dinner given in her honor as a representative of the English majors(one of the perks of also being the english department secretary). I was seated next to her at dinner and we were able to have some brief conversations between the President of the school's name dropping. I was so embarrassed for our school. She was a nice lady. So anyway, I'll be blogging about the book I received yesterday towards the end of the month as I've rejoined the christian fiction blogging alliance.

I'm looking forward to Easter. We are going to my parent's tomorrow, and splitcat's parents on Sunday. My mom is making chicken and stuff. Stuff is a white bbq sauce that comes from Big Bob Gibson's in Decatur, Alabama. I believe my great-grandmother obtained the recipe from Bob himself, and it has long been a family favorite. We ate at Big Bob Gibson's the last time I was in Alabama a few years ago. I like my mom's sauce better, and my uncle's is superb. mmm, I can't wait.

This Easter is a little hard for me. P. keeps asking me questions about the Easter Bunny. Where does he live, what color is he, how big is he, etc. I have talked to him about the real Easter story countless and innummerable times, but it stills seems out of his mental grasp. Last year he was so adamant that Jesus died on the Cross and that was the end of the story, I asked his teachers if they had taught the whole Easter story. Of course they had. But at the time he had little concept of death, so the idea of resurrection was even tougher. I guess I will just have to keep plugging away.

Speaking of P. splitcat turned on Star Wars Episode One earlier tonight for P. to watch. The next two hours he was in a totally euphoric Star Wars state. He likes Darth Maul's "olded" light sabers. And during the slow parts of the movie he replays the battles scenes with his own light sabers. He came upstairs and started to get ready for bed when it was over, and he seemed disappointed that it wasn't time for bed yet. But instead of going back downstairs to play, he went in his room and played Star Wars until I told him it was time for bed. I have to say, that going to bed at night is one of my few parental triumphs. There is rarely a deviation from the norm, partly because P. doesn't deal well with change, and partly because it's the one thing I have always been adamant about. E. resists on occasion, but if she's feeling well and didn't have a nap I don't usually have a problem with her. Last year we had them in bed at 6:30 every night, and they slept until 6 :30 or 7 the next morning. This year we've held steady at 7:30. At least they start at 7:30 and are usually in bed by 7:45. I hope we can keep it up next year. I'm tired just thinking about how tired I am going to be.

Wednesday Woes

The good news is I managed to sleep last night. The not so good news is that I felt worse today. At about 3:00, after sleeping most of the afternoon, it suddenly dawned on me that I might have a fever. And I did. Splitcat informs me that if I have whatever was bothering him last week, I have another 4 days or so. But if I still have a fever tomorrow, I'll call my midwife. Apparently sudafed works differently on my pregnant body. Instead of being totally wired, I couldn't keep my eyes open. But when I'd wake up, my heart would be racing. It was very weird. What was weirdest is when I woke up from my afternoon nap and was watching television through a feverish haze, I saw a commercial for a beach destination. And I remember thinking, that's weird. All the people they are showing are in same sex groups. And I laughingly thought, it must be a gay and lesbian commercial. Imagine my surprise when it was exactly that. It was a weird thing to see upon awaking.

I added a new link to a blog called Film Chat. I found it whilst next blogging. I like it because he does intelligent reviews from a christian perspective.

I was disturbed to find out that they are making The Golden Compass, by Phillip Pullman into a movie. When I first read this book, I loved it. It was original and a compelling read. But after reading the final books, I was left with more than a vague sense of disquiet. I learned shortly thereafter that he is an ardent self-described atheist. And the series "His Dark Materials" is very obviously anti-religion and anti-God. Plus it has an unhappy ending for the two main characters. I've tried to stay off any Potter bandwagons, either pro or con, but this is one I will have to stand firm on. These are some of the only books I have actually thrown away instead of giving away. And though I try to keep an open mind in general about fiction, since it is fiction, the agenda in this series is just to plain for me to ignore. It is also a little sad to me that people have become so fixated on the whole Potter debate, they've missed the loads of other young adult fiction that could cause so much more trouble. I guess that is what keeps me committed to my own writing. There is so little Christian fiction for teens. If you go to your local (non-Christian)bookstore and peruse the YA section, at least half or more of the books are fantasy. At my local Christian bookstore the YA section barely takes up two small shelves. This is obviously a place where Christian writers are needed. For both the Christian and secular market. I think perhaps teens are undermarketed in Christian fiction because, in theory, there shouldn't be anything too objectionable in the adult fiction sections. But I think it is important for teens to read fiction that concerns their own age group and its problems and not have to be satisfied reading "safe" historical romances about 29 yr old widows with 8 children in 1890 Montana. (ok, so that was a really bad generalization, and there are some really good new adult fiction books coming from the CBA or whatever they're called now. But a 16 yr old should be able to read books about 16 yr olds. (it's late, so I hope this makes sense(if it doesn't, blame the sudafed))).

quick update

My dr. visit was fine. Heard both heartbeats. Baby Boy was in the 150's, baby A was in the 130's. I have an ultrasound next tuesday. I just took some sudafed. can't stand the misery any more. so i'll probably be awake all night. woohoo.

Good Morning

I just wanted to say good morning to my faithful readers. I am not feeling so well today. I think my allergies have started to turn into a sinus infection or a cold. I haven't been taking anything because cold and allergy medications make me really loopy and I do things I wouldn't normally do(not bad things, they just give me this weird boost of self-confidence). I have a dr.'s appt this afternoon so I will post any results later tonight. P. goes back to school today. He's been really good lately, so I will definitely be missing his presence. He had his kindergarten placement screening yesterday. She said he did very well and was very attentive. She suggested he might need speech. I just laughed and told her that was fine, he was already eligible. But I am hoping by the time school starts he'll have worked out his last few mixed up sounds. I started teaching him how to read his color words yesterday. He already knew several on his own. I think we will start learning to read this summer. I've been afraid to teach him, I don't want him to be bored in class. But they do Kindergarten so differently now, I think he'd be okay. It's a little frightening how quickly he picks thing up.

ewwwwww

I love my cat. But she just threw up in one of the two pairs of shoes that currently fit me. I can't help but wonder if it was deliberate.

Storms and Such

I ran into the damage caused by Friday's tornadoes on my way to church today. I was almost there when I ran into a road closed sign. After going the long way around and crossing a barrier that was open to local traffic only, I made it to church. Just past the church driveway the road was stacked with fallen trees. When I walked into the building it was dark and quiet. The power was still out. So we had church without electricity. It was a good service. Pastor taught on the Mercy Seat and we had before us a replica of the Ark of the Covenant. A man from Mobile Ala. has built models of the entire tabernacle and travels to different places sharing them. My grandmother was fortunate to attend a full scale replication done at the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola a few years back. I've seen some of the videos and it was really incredible.

Anyway

After seeing the storm damage I was glad we had taken everyone to the basement. Tornadoes are one of the three things I have nightmares about(the other two are snakes and large waves).
I remember with great detail all the tornadoes I have been near. When I lived in Florida we had hurricanes, Frederick being the defining storm of my childhood. When we moved to New Jersey we still got a hurricane(can't remember what that one was), and when we moved to Georgia we became acquainted with tornadoes. The year we moved here I had to sit out a storm at my middle school. Our bus was late, and when it finally arrived and we went outside, the sky was green. I had never seen a green sky before. It was pretty scary, as all of nature had also hushed. We were hustled back into the interior of the building and a few minutes later we could see massive hail failing and we could hear the wind roaring. Fortunately there was no damage to prevent our passage homeward, but there was quite a bit of damage elsewhere. It was not until my college years that we had several years of intense tornado seasons. One did major destruction one town over from my school. Pieces from a building were found in a lake 60 miles away. My mother was in the area at a retreat and her Miata had some serious hail dents in it. I remember having to take shelter in my dorm on several occasions. One tornado I was blissfully unaware of until after the event. I was off campus at dinner and was surprised to learn upon my return that a tornado had touched down not too far off. I just thought it was a stormy night. I remember that one because it was such a beautifully stormy night. I love to watch thunderstorms from a porch and feel the wind before a storm(I have been known to frolic in the approach of a storm). So it was really cool to take a walk in the aftermath. The sky was black and the wind was still gusting and the rain was blowing down from the trees. It was invigorating.

It is so easy to take nature for granted-to be oblivious to it. A storm demands our attention and requires us to be aware of ourselves and of God. I've never completely understood my own feelings at being in a storm. It is both a (for lack of a better word)primal feeling and a feeling of worship. When I see an afternoon thunderstorm approaching I make an excuse to walk outside to feel the cool wind and smell the scent of rain. I linger as long as I can. Overwhelming my senses and forgetting the mundane and rejoicing in the beauty of creation and in the Creator. It is one of the times when I feel most truly alive and most myself.

A day in the park

We decided to go on an adventure today. We loaded up some snacks, the kids, and a couple of fishing poles. As we pulled out of our neighborhood we made the decision to hunt down a nearby lake we had never heard of. It is a city park and you must drive through a section of semi-historic houses to reach it. It was a beautiful drive down a lane of brick bungalows with dogwoods and azaleas all abloom. The lake was much larger than anticipated and had nice walkways and a playground. The children and I played while splitcat hunted for a place to fish. When at last he returned it was with the disappointing news that the fish were not biting. So we had a snack and the children played again on the playground. It is a strange thing to let your children wander off and to watch them interact with other children. It not only conjures memories of one's own childhood, it is also a reminder that your own children are growing up.

We stopped for lunch at Miss Donald's(which is how McDonald's is pronounced around here) where the children played some more. When it was getting close to time to leave, we heard the unmistakeable wailing of our son. splitcat managed to locate him and bring him to our table. The front of his shirt was all stretched out and the back of his neck was red. A little girl had grabbed his shirt and pulled very hard on it for a long time. We were proud that he didn't retaliate. One nice mother came and asked if it was a girl or boy, she sighed with relief when told it was a girl, she had two boys. But I thought it kind of her to make sure it was not one of her own children. That doesn't happen alot. Most of the time the mothers are paying no attention to their children. I shuddered to see a mother send her tiny child, who was maybe two, alone into the play area while she stood in line. If the restaurant had been empty, I could see doing that with an older child. But it was packed. I just don't understand modern parenting. Maybe I am too protective. I try to keep watch from a respectful distance, but not from so far away that I cannot quickly soothe a scraped knee or a bruised ego. But I was proud of my children for how they handled themselves on both playgrounds. It gives me hope that I am not such a bad mother after all.

If you didn't notice, I just created a Flickr account. I don't have a lot of photos yet, but hopefully more will follow. And yes, that is me hiding behind the crabapple blossoms. Please excuse my allergy eyes, I promise splitcat hasn't been beating me. I will try to get a better picture, sans black circles.