What DO You Do All Day?

Ah, sweet readers, this is the one question you've been wanting answered but were too afraid to ask.  We still follow the basic principles from The Baby Whisperer book:  Eat, Activity, Sleep, & You.

The babies enjoy a bottle first thing in the morning followed by play time with everything in the room but their toys.

Once we (who are we kidding, it's only me) hear the first cry, we head to the nursery for 'quiet time'.   Quiet time is about 15 - 20 minutes of story time.  We read at least two fun books and one educational book about numbers, colors, shapes, or alphabets (we love the Gymboree ones).

After story time 'we' turn the lights off and sing a silly 'quiet time' song.  Usually there will be five minutes of crying once I leave the room (if only more adults would cry for me when I leave a room).  Then I get to spend the next hour checking emails, doing chores, taking a shower and organizing the babies' gear depending on the day's schedule.

After First Nap, we have Second Breakfast with People Food.  We're stuck on cheese toast, oatmeal and fruit.  This process usually requires a 'french bath' afterwards (wet cloth cleaning) and then we make a costume change into our Day Clothes (still my favorite part of the day).

Next up is another round of playtime until someone cries.  Then we head to the nursery for Second Nap.  We skip the story time and do a short 5 - 10 minute wind down with diaper checks followed by a few hugs and kisses.

After Second Nap, the babies have a bottle and then we do 'Adventure Time'.  Usually this is either running errands, going for a walk, visiting friends, exploring the area, etc.  After Adventure Time we head home for dinner (aka 'What Will She Force Me To Eat Next' time).

After dinner we play until bath time and hope (more like desperately pray) Daddy does not come home late from work.  The whole family is pretty much ready for bed time by 6:30p (because in 13 short hours the process starts all over again).

There you have it, our routine which we follow at random. . .

All According To Plan

Today was a perfect day--the kind you dream about and only hope to obtain.  For starters, we drove to the outlet mall with Lily and her twins [insert eternal sunshine and angels singing].

The babies were perfect (3 out of 4 is considered perfect).  After terrorizing some innocent pansies (no, not shoppers, the actual flowers), we had lunch and then continued our Goodwill Tour with a rendezvous at Barnes & Nobles with 'Aunt Sarah'.

Dear Tanger Outlet Gardeners:  So sorry.  XOXO

Then we headed home and enjoyed dinner on the back porch with Daddy and the doggies . . . pure bliss.  THE END.

Okay, dinner was almost perfect.  

The porch hasn't been cleaned for Spring 

and the dog gate is mostly installed.

 Finn LOVES Mommy, spanish rice, 

Mommy, sausage, Mommy, 

Lavender and Mommy.

Table Manners

My dear sweet twin mommy friend decided to brag about her babies today.  Apparently her boys can eat their breakfast from a plate without turning it into a frisbee.  Not to be overshadowed, I decided to break out the 'fine china'.

Hopefully there's open enrollment at Lily's School of Table Manners & Other Refinements.  Here's what she'll have to work with:

Finn thinks Sporks are for Dorks

Belle believes all table items should be edible, 

it's environmentally sound and good for delicate hands (less dishes to wash).

All Clear & Leather Straps

We took Finn to the doctor's office today for a follow up on the never-ending ear infection.  Good news, he's all clear (phew!).  So the sporadic crankiness, batting at his ear at dinner time is just him being overtired . . .

Apparently the paper was way more entertaining than the 25 toys 

weighing down my diaper bag.

Mirabelle is mega teething, she's cut her second bottom tooth.  She'd like to know why they replaced the leather strap with plastic teethers.  Since no one consulted her, she's starting a grassroots movement called 'Bring the Leather Straps BACK!' (we'll have to sit down and have a long talk about the naming).

Sorry Lady Belle, Finn's leather shoes will have to do  . . . 

Finn & Belle wuz here

Pinch Me Anyway

Tonight Lavender & Bailey breathe a sigh of relief.  Gone are the days of posing helplessly in demeaning costumes at the expense of human indulgences.  Instead, today we tortured the babies in honor of St. Patrick's Day!  

Rumor has it Dave's great-grandfather came from Ireland (we would have celebrated regardless).  Needless to say, we honored dear St. Paddy by throwing fashion to the curb and sporting our most tastefully tacky outfits.

Dave's cousin sent us these awesome 'Irish Prince & Princess' onesies!  She had boy/girl twins a few years ago and sent us the BEST hand-me-downs!

I've no illusions one day this bottle will be replaced with some other green liquid, for now it's just 'milk'. 

8 Months Update

Finn is working on his 3rd ear infection.  He spent all of February and most of March on some kind of antibiotic.  If this last infection doesn't clear, or he gets another one in the next week or two, then we'll see an ear, nose, throat doctor about tubes.  

He still sees a physical therapist for his torticollis (but would like all the single ladies to know it's nothing serious), nothing major to report on this front.  He prefers to drag himself across the floor with his left arm, instead of alternating arms.  He likes to push up onto all fours and rock back and forth, but has yet to do anything spectacular with this motion (got bored video taping the potential 'first crawl').


As a man of leisure, Finn enjoys three naps a day.  He weighs over 17 lbs., likes grabbing hair, shares finger food with dogs, giggles at the sun and crawls over his sister when she's in a bad mood.  

Mirabelle can push herself into a seated position and employs this trick often, especially during diaper changes.  


As I predicted, she cut her first tooth two weeks ago with the dignity and grace of a true Lady.  Mommy has yet to photograph this new gem (no fault of her own), apparently Lady Belle's tongue is extremely infatuated with this new neighbor. While the blind use their sense of touch to see the world, Mirabelle prefers to use her sense of taste.  Her tongue must touch everything.  


Mirabelle loves her brother (from afar).  She enjoys bath time, loves the park (especially the grass, more specially the taste of grass), and enjoys talking to her brother, the dogs, or herself (she's not picky).

Toast With Cheese

We've found a finger food winner!  The babies unanimously love cheese toast (of course, Lily asked where one buys cheese toast).  So, as a public service to my sweet twin mom friend, I've employed the help of my inner 3rd grader to describe how one makes cheese toast for babies.

Ingredients:

2 slices of bread
2 pieces of sliced cheese

Directions: 

1. Open bag of sliced bread by removing twist tie (that would require untwisting the wire).
2. Reach hand into bag and pull out 2 slices of bread.
3. Place slices on counter (assuming you keep clean counters).
4. Close bag of bread (remember the twist tie from Step 1). 
5. Unwrap 2 slices of cheese.
6. Place each slice of cheese on a piece of bread.
7. Throw wrappers away (you're no slob).
8. Put both slices of bread into the toaster oven (for beginners, cheese side up).
9. Close oven door, turn on to medium toast setting.
10. Entertain babies while bread/cheese combo toasts (hence the name, cheese toast).
11. Once oven is done toasting bread/cheese take combo out of oven and put on plate (caution: it's hawt).
12. Ta Da! You've just made cheese toast!

Break the cheese toast into baby bites and enjoy some coffee and the Internets while your babies have a wholesome breakfast.

Jesus Loves Me, This I Know . . .

Because he moved me to the beach, gave me two sweet dumplings and created the best beach weather EVER today!

For the first time in months we had a break from winter with a perfectly sunny, slightly breezy, warm (but not too hot), bee-U-tee-ful day.  Clearly the type of day that makes me feel like declaring my religion (Dear God, I'd like more of these days . . . lots and lots more, please and thank you).

Why is today so important?  Because while I was incubating 'die Kinder' (Google Translate), selling and buying a house, preparing for 'die Kinder', on the brink of disowning said 'Kinder' the only thing that kept me remotely sane was the fantasy of endless summer days spent at the beach watching Finn & Belle make sand castles.

Of course, I'm only slightly naive.  I'm sure these 'endless summer days' will revolve more around attempted sand eating contests, followed by repeated 'Finn!  No!' and 'Mirabelle, it's okay.' -- coupled with hours spent packing and unpacking the car for only 30 minutes of quality beach time before someone self-destructs (odds favor Mommy).   Regardless, we will make the most of this wonderful weather.  

Finn & Belle already approve of this clever plan.  Today we went to the beach, sat on a blanket and enjoyed the view (clarify:  Mommy & Belle enjoyed the view, Finn enjoyed fists full of sand).  Actually, Belle enjoyed the view as Mommy pondered the odds of a tsunami sweeping through the area and how best to survive one (time to stop watching the news).

Here's a picture of our beautiful day (and proof that I'm not making this crap up):

Selling Out

That's right folks, now if you want to read this blog you'll have to endure advertisements.  If you happen to see something you like, click on it.  We'll actually make a bit of money every time you click on the ad (the babies need new shoes . . . I'm serious, they really do).

Vindication?

Note:  This post contains views that may or may not cause drowsiness.

Look folks, I have two healthy babies and I'm not complaining about how I got them (okay, maybe I am), but if you read my posts between OCT 08 - JUL 09 you know I struggled with how to deliver them.  At times I felt the doctors were pushing a scheduled c-section more than a 'wait and see' approach.

Then tonight on ABC's World News a new study in California shows a triple increase in maternal deaths over the past 30 years.  Possible causes include scheduled c-sections, induced labors, obesity, etc. 

Ultimately I'm just hoping this sends a wake up call to the medical community to STOP pushing 'convenient deliveries' and START providing labor support with surgical delivery assistance only for emergency or medical reasons.

Here's the article for those (Amanda) interested in reading more:  Preventing Maternal Mortality 

Peek-A-Bow

When it's too cold outside for a walk in the park, we head to my favorite place in the entire world, my second home--the Mall.  Apparently I'm not the only one ready for Spring and warmer weather, so is the fashion industry. Of course, when it's forecasted to snow at the beach a 20% discount is not enough incentive to buy a new swimsuit (maybe 40% . . . wait, this is a swimsuit . . . let's try an additional 75% from an already reduced price).

Anyway, who's kidding who?  We don't shop for big kid clothing anymore, it's all about the babies.  With Easter coming, it's time to start planning their outfits.  Will Finn wear a tie, will Belle wear a bow?  Seriously, who cares the Earth's axis has shifted when these issues are still unresolved.

Here's Belle trying out a head bow:

Sneaky Mommy snapped a photo before Lady Belle could process the satin head assault. 

Lady Belle takes a taste test.  When she formulates words we'll let you know what she thinks about the bow.