You Will Survive...

Such randoms thoughts today...Roll with me.

Yesterday, the little ones and I were grocery shopping.  Fiasco.  Every time, it's a fiasco.  The babes do great...it's just a spectacle.  I put them in the stroller, then STUFF the basket underneath full of our groceries.  I also carry a basket on my arm for eggs, bread, etc that would not survive the underbelly.  Well, I was in the produce section, completely loaded down, staring off into space trying to picture my grocery list (that was laying safely on my kitchen counter), when an older man was suddenly right in my face.  He smiled, touched my shoulder and said, "My twin girls are 31...you will survive.".  So nice, so timely, so sad that I looked like I thought I might not!!!

Dan was gone this weekend...we should all take a moment and say a prayer for single moms.  My.  Couple alone, with the girls not sleeping well, and it was a long weekend!  We did fine, there were no catastrophes, but I am glad we are a we.  They may have watched more than the usual 20 minutes of Baby Einstein per day.  They're super smart now...

The girls have changed so much in the last 10 days.  They are both crawling all over.  Both can go from crawling to sitting.  Both "waving".  (You kinda have to hallucinate, cross your eyes, and nod your head, but I swear, it's a wave.)  Lauren is pulling up on most anything (crib, couches, the step up into the entry way).  It's just crazy!

I love that they get to go places together now...Kate is just as quick!

We are getting excited to go 'home' for the 4th of July!  There's just nothing better than small town holidays!  We'll take in the parade, BBQ, and fireworks...and if it's not 114 in the shade, maybe more.

(It's a peeled apple...weird coloring...)

Love.

Momma

Girl Time

My ABQ bestie and I had a day!!  A fun one!  It's amazing that a day in my home, with 6 kids, 3 under 2, a dog, 100+ degree temps (ie. no outside playing), and a few crafty projects could be considered relaxing...or recharging...or just plain, ol' fun!  But it was.  (Don't tell my mom...I'm still not crafty...)

First of all, I'm sure you noticed....Daisy re-vamped (or would it be vamped as there was very little vamp there to re-) my blog!  Idn't pertty?!  I love it!!!  Yes, the babes are like DAYS old in the big one.  Yes, I have way more recent pictures.  But it was HARD for her to add that silly picture, so I'll change it (read: have Daisy change it) on each birthday.  Thank you, Daisy, for being patient and fixing me up!

Next, do you know about Pinterest?  Swoon.  You must, must go there.  I LOVE the idea of it all.  It's like a giant online bulletin board.  You can make your own (boards) and pin stuff there that you'd like to remember.  You can snoop through other peoples' boards.  You can spend hours just looking a pretty pictures.  One of my new favorite ways to waste time.  Go there.

Anywho...we found 2 crafts on pinterest, and got to work!  After a quick trip to WalMart, we made cookie sheet magnet boards (still being worked on) and cute pillow case snuggle mats (in the washer - pics of all next time!).  It was fun.  And way more fun doing it with a friend.

Hope you get to have your own crafternoon someday soon,
Love.
Erin

Melting.

Here's a little story of nap time. 

I've been frustrated with naps this week.  Like frus-to-the-rated.  Partly because nighttime has become so lovely.  At bed time we just nurse, snuggle, and then lay them down in their beds.  They play a little, sometimes cry a little, but within 10 minutes, they sleep.  Naps...not so much.  The other part of the frustration comes that they have not been napping at the same time.  Momma NEEDS to not have one awake baby at some point during waking hours.  Thus, frustration.

Well, today we had to make a diaper run (shocker) right before their supposed afternoon nap time.  I always feel like I'm up against a timer when I leave the house with them, but right before nap time triples the fear.  We went to WalMart, we made good time, they were happy, so on the way home I got to thinkin'.  I thought to self, "Self, why do you still swaddle and wrap them for nap time?  Could this be why you are frustrated?  Could the babies be frustrated as well as you are sending them mixed signals about sleeping cues?  Why don't you try the night-time approach for nap time?".  Self thought it was a brilliant, if not hugely tardy, idea.

We got home.  I got both babies in the car seats into the house.  I got both babies out of the car seats, into my arms.  I got both babies, in my arms, up the stairs.  I got my shirt up.  I nursed both babies...and took these precious moments to stare into my loves eyes...and sop up some of the sweat.  And then, I just laid them down.  There was no crying.  There was just full, happy babies smiling up at me.  So I left.

I unloaded the car ('cause you KNOW I bought more that just diapers...darn you, WalMart).  I put everything away...and played with my new concealer.  And then I listened...silence.  Ahhhhhh.

So then, I crept up the stairs, just to peek.  And found this:

And this...

And this....

And then, I smiled. 
They delivered a solution for my frustration, even though it was not what I thought I wanted.

So I left them alone.  There was giggling, and barking, and laughing, and babbling.  And then there was crying.  And then there was silence.

And then this:

Melting,
Momma

Musings...

I have writer's block.  Am I just tired?  Too ADD to sit down and type it out?  More boring than usual?  Not paying attention?  I don't know.  Just nothing great is coming to me.  Somewhere in my big brain there is a really sweet Father's Day blog.  (I think I'll post it next week, just to point out that Father's DAY really is just a made up day.)  There is a blog about my garden trapped in here.  There are some great stories about "Aunt" Sandy's visit.  There are stories and pictures and confessions.  Trapped.  So today, here are some random thoughts.  Tomorrow is another day.

1.  The girls are napping great...but not at the same time!  They slept about 3 hours each today - 45 minutes of it was at the same time, and 20 of that was in the car.  Didn't get much done today.

2.  I didn't get much done today, yet I made 2 desserts.  Yip.  I know.  I think it's because Dan and I met with the dietitian at the gym today.  He had some great suggestions about sensible choices and simple changes.  I rebel in obvious ways.  We're having rice pudding and chocolate chip cookies for dinner.

3.  I have learned that, even when surrounded by real toys and activities and a singing, dancing Momma, babies like snot sucker bulbs and wipies the best.

Lauren.  It's a fresh wipe.  Promise.

Kate.  It's as clean as I know how to get those nasty things...Promise.

4.  Lauren really is "allergic" to carrots.  We tried again...bad decision, again.  She is red and flaky.  Good news is she doesn't seem to mind, and Kate is eating up the batch of carrots I made.

5.  Centipedes are gross.  Like way worse than cockroaches and spiders - gross.  Maybe not as gross as mice.



I killed something very similar to this yesterday.  Similar only because the one I went up against was bigger and meaner and leggier and generally scarier than this one.

I apologize.  Wasn't my best work.  I'll get my groove back...check back later.
Love.
EP

Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

We went to the pool yesterday!!  It was our inaugural voyage!  And the suits were actually striped...and a one piece!  (Thanks, Leigh and Tyler!)

They weren't sold on the pool...or the sun...or the sunscreen...or the grass.  It was still a successful first trip...3 adults, 2 babies, no water up the nose!

Momma.

Wordless Wednesday

Mother of the Year

Again....and again.  Gosh, I'm so glad I'm the only Momma they've ever known.  If they had a standard to measure me by, there could be a revolt!  Let me start by saying that everyone is fine, there was never REALLY any question of whether or not they would be, and sometimes I exagerate for the sake of the story.  Shall we begin?...

We got home from a morning of fun at about 2 this afternoon.  Neither babe had napped well, both were tired and hot and grumpy, and so was the Momma.  I nursed Lauren first, swaddled her, and decided (for unknown reasons) to put her in the swing.  She was swaddled (like feet in, arms pinned, mummified), and so drowsy that she didn't open her eyes when I put her down.  Now, here's part one of the Mother of the Year...I did not strap her in.  The bar that swings down over her has to go between her legs (impossible in the swaddle) and the straps were tangled behind her (NO WAY I was going to attempt that!  She was for all intensive purposes ASLEEP!). 

I gathered up Kate, and we went upstairs.  I swaddled her, nursed her, put her down in her crib, and laid down on my bed for just a sec....when I heard a weird wimper/cry/moan/sigh from downstairs.  If the noise were a sentence it would have been, "Mom, uh MOM, I think I need you, I think I need you now...hurry please, no, I'm ok, but please, please hurry".  I FLEW down the stairs.  And found this:

Mother of the Year part 2...yip, I paused to take a picture!  How does this happen!?!?!!???  The swing was still going, she was holding on for dear life.  She had kicked her legs out, TURNED OVER, scooched down, and was attempting escape!  This child will be the death of me.

Oh, that's not all, friends, there's actually MORE.

After their nap (yes, even Lauren finally had a nap) I had them in the kitchen with me.  They were playing in the bumbos, talkin'...just hangin' out.  I decided that since I needed a snack, they probably did too.  They love bananas, we had bananas, I gave them bananas.  Instead, though, of their usual form (smushed to smitherenes) I decided they should try gumming up the real thing!  (Yip, you caught that, I DECIDED.)  They were so excited!  I went back to the task at hand, opening packages of raw hamburger.  Uh huh, you guessed it...strange sound #2 from Lauren.  She had bitten off more than she could chew.  She did not turn blue, she didn't even cry when it was over, BUT in the moment when I heard choking noises, I went in.  With. My. Hamburger. Hands.  Mother of the Year #3.  Now, before you call the health department, I didn't actually have any visible nastiness on my hands.  But, given the time, and lower heart rate, I most definitely would have washed my hands before sticking one in Lauren's mouth. 

One of those days.  I trust you have them too.  I tell myself 14 times a day that you have days like this too.  Let me believe that you have days like this....

In closing, an example of how very different my little animals are...

Kate:  Left alone with a pile of smushed banana.  Carefully picking up each piece and putting it in her mouth.  Aftermath:  Dirty hands, clean mouth, sticky tray, clean area surrounding.

Lauren: Loud banging, occasional splatters on the otherside of the room.

Aftermath:  dirty hands, dirty tray, dirty KITCHEN, clean mouth.

Grateful they're alive and well, and mine,
Momma