Tuesday Ten: Truly Random

Another installment of a Tuesday Ten and I have to tell you that this is the first time I'm going into it completely blind. There was no thought given to this post at all until just about 10 seconds ago.

Ever want to know how a person's brain really works? This might give you some insight into mine.

Maybe. It might just prove once and for all that I have no thought process at all in regards to anything. Totally empty up there in the old noggin.

Sometimes it feels like nothing is going on up there. Especially when I sit down to write. I really do like writing, but I spend so much time using my brain for other things that writing becomes hard. It's an outlet for creativity but I have nothing left to give it.

I thought about that some on my drive home from work on Monday. I had a hair appointment Monday afternoon (rescheduled from Friday). So I had to leave work, go to the appointment, and then go back into work. I was half hoping that I'd have a little extra time and be able to stop at the grocery store after the appointment, grab a few things, run them by the house, and still make it back to work by 3:00 or so. But I've been going to the same hair dresser for like 6 or 7 years now, so my appointments are never short and sweet. We chat about our kids mostly and before I knew it, it was almost 3 when I walked out of there.

So I get back to work (and luckily found a parking spot--one of the dangers of leaving campus in the middle of the day with the plan to actually come back ... crazy, I know!) and it's about 3:15. I immediately dived into some tasks I was helping another librarian with. These are things I am not used to doing. I'm filling in on an as needed basis for a librarian who is on sabbatical (remember that sabbatical I took, yep, payback time!). So I'm working on her stuff and I was kind of getting into it. Plus emails still come in and other things pop up that I have to handle, but mostly it was this one task.

And here's the thing about that one task ... it was something different. I enjoyed it! I get kind of bogged down in doing the same thing in my job all the time, as much as I like my job, it is nice to do something I'm not used to doing.

But that wasn't the point (sorry, randomness ensuing), I got so into what I was doing that before I knew it, it was after 5. By the time I packed up and headed out the door it was 5:20. Get to the car, get to the daycare, get the boys into the car (that's always a task!!), get home, immediately start helping hubby with dinner, change a diaper, eat dinner and try to get the boys to eat their dinner, and then suddenly, because of the lateness that I left work which caused our arrival home and dinner to be late, it is now bath time and bedtime. Phew!! I felt like I did nothing but run, run, run from 3 o'clock on.

But that wasn't all. I felt the need to also do a load of laundry (okay, it actually did need to be done) and go to the grocery store.

And somehow I still decided to write a ten minute post for Tuesday before going to bed. Which, of course, took loner than ten minutes. Maybe I should change these posts to Friday Fifteen. Ha!

A New Spin on Eating your Vegetables

I was cleaning up after lunch today, wet rag in my hand, wiping off the table. Hubby had just finished wiping the boys off and getting them down from their seats. And that's when the following conversation ensued.

Me: Chris, come get your son, he's eating off the floor.

Hubby: Well, that's the only way he's going to eat any vegetables.

There wasn't anything I could say in response to that, because he's right. Vegetables on the plate or tray are apparently not nearly as good as vegetables on the floor.

Frequently Asked, Never Answered

St. Benedict and his twin
sister St. Scholastica

I'm often asked some variation on the question:

How much harder is handling twins than handling one?

I put any question that is remotely related to this one in the same category. My honest answer: I have no idea.

Truly. I have no idea. Because I don't know any different. I can imagine, but that isn't reality because I haven't been there. Those conversations are always so funny. Not just to me, but also to the person I'm speaking with. I think people are so fascinated by twins that they ask this (or something similar) of me and then realize what they have asked me. You know the feeling, right? As soon as the words leave your mouth you think, "Duh!" I know, believe me! I do it frequently. So of course we all end up getting a big laugh out of it.

However if I were to imagine life with twins after a singleton I would have to say that yes, I think handling twins would feel more challenging. I have a friend who has a son and is currently pregnant with twins. I may have to ask her and then start using her answers when I get this question. But for me, this is just what life with kids has always been like, there has always been two of them.

When I did that local radio interview a few months back one of the questions I was asked was my advise for someone having twins. It's not exactly the same question, but sort of a close cousin to it. I feel like I tripped over the question a bit and my mind blanked for a second. The only thing that popped into my head was being organized. It felt silly saying it and I think my interviewer was a little lost on how to follow up on that one. I don't blame him, I would be too. Heck, he has seven kids, he and his family probably need more organization than I do with my two. But what can you do. Radio. Live. No editing. There you have it.

Here's the thing, though. I have no advise. Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm lame. But honestly, I am just like any first time mom. I truly know nothing. I'm learning as I go. And really, I'm discovering, that is what parenthood is all about. Yep, just one big trial and error. It's a miracle kids can grow up to be normal adults at all.

So in the end, I never answer this question. I can't answer this question, though I know some people who can or will be able to one day. I'm happy to direct you to those individuals. ::smile::

The question I would love to answer for you one day: What is it like having one after having twins? One day, hopefully, God will gift us with the ability to answer that question.

Just not quite yet. I'm still enjoying my two.

7 Quick Takes Friday, vol. 46

~1~

I still cannot believe what I saw on my way home from work Thursday evening. I stupidly took a wrong turn out of the boys' daycare and ended up circling around the nearby park to get back around to where I really wanted to be. This meant driving down a section of road that I'm not usually on. It's a nice area, lots of brick townhomes, several cottage style old houses, and plenty of big trees. It's pretty close to downtown, probably in walking distance to things on the east side of town. So as I turned onto this road, up ahead I could see what looked like a very large dog on a lease. It caught my attention because I thought it might be a Great Dane but wasn't quite sure. As I got closer I realized it wasn't a dog at all. No, it was either a small pony or a miniature horse. On a lease. Out for a walk. Um, what? I know this is KY, but who keeps a pet horse in downtown where there are tiny yards, if you even have a yard? I'm still stunned. And find it hilarious at the same time.

~2~

Okay, I had to go do some internet searching and apparently having miniature horses as pets is not that unusual. Who knew! There is even a book about owning these cool pets.

~3~

Dexterity game on a pendant

We have a very interesting collection of materials at my library. They are called Artists' books. They are works of art, but also considered books. In some cases the definition of book is rather loose. I've been working on cataloging these which gives me the opportunity to see them. I worked on one Thursday that is actually a dexterity game. You know those little plastic containers that had some sort of picture inside with little holes in it and some tiny little copper balls rolling around inside? The objective was to get all the balls into the various holes. This book opened up to show 12 of these little tiny dexterity games lined up together. Each had three balls inside to get into the little holes. Definitely doesn't look like a book, but very cool nonetheless. I love discovering these unique items. It's one of those things that makes my job cool.

~4~

And speaking of my job, something else that makes my job cool is seeing how very divergent fields can intersect with each other. I received a phone call Thursday from a librarian over in our Medical Center Library. Someone over in the College of Medicine was looking for a speaker for something they were doing who could speak on the healing powers of art and music as influenced by nature, or some such thing. She couldn't get hold of the music librarian, so she called me. We talked for a bit and then I was able to finally come up with a name of someone she could contact. [Surprised myself that I actually could even name someone on campus that could speak on that topic.] Got an email from her later in the day that the person I suggested was on board and was getting someone to speak with her about the art side of things. How cool is that! I love seeing how something like music and medicine can actually work well together. They seem so different, but they have much to learn from each other.

~5~

I don't know what was up with my drive home Thursday evening (see #1) but as I pulled into my neighborhood an ice cream truck pulled in just in front of me. He turned towards my street and proceeded to drive about 5 mph with me tailing behind him. I prayed that he would pass by my street and felt pretty confident that he didn't have a reason to turn down into my little cul-de-sac of 5 houses. But alas, he turned and I followed him at a painfully slow pace. And then he stopped, right in front of my driveway! Seriously?? I had to honk my horn to get him to move. And why is he even in my neighborhood? I think he'd get a bit more business in a neighborhood that had more children in it, which is currently not the case in my neighborhood.

~6~

We went to visit my family last weekend. It was so nice and the boys did well on the 6 hour drive down and back. They are still hesitant around strangers (and anyone they haven't seen in a long time is basically a stranger) but getting better. A few pictures from the weekend:

Cousin Caroline shows Peter how it's done

Ethan likes listening to his brother and cousins play the piano

Anna gets to meet her aunt for the first time

Ethan learns that Papa is a little crazy

~7~

Walking is in our future! I can see it. My boys are so funny! Peter took a couple steps at my parent's house this weekend. We got all excited and then that was it. He tried to walk a few more times but was so excited about doing it that he couldn't balance himself and kept falling forward. Ethan apparently had no interest. But once we were home, Peter tried a few more times, got a couple steps in once or twice, and then went back to falling over each time from over excitement. Silly boy! Then the other night, he tried again and Hubby and I burst into applause to encourage him. Ethan started clapping with us. After a few times of this I think Ethan realized why we were clapping so he started trying to stand up on his own. He didn't try taking any steps, it was just the standing up part that excited him. And oh my, the excitement on his face as he slowly balanced himself on those two little feet! Precious!

Finally, Thursday night Ethan actually took a few steps towards me. We clapped for him and he LOVED it! He immediately crawled back to where dad was sitting in the rocking chair, climbed up to a standing position, turned himself around to face me, and took a few steps before falling into my arms. We had such a good time cheering him on and he repeated the process a few more times. By the end his excitement had grown so much he couldn't even steady himself enough to stand up without falling over. 

Yes, walking is just around the corner! Any day now. 

For more Quick Takes posts, visit Jen at Conversion Diary.

Love Mondays!

Okay, I know. I'm crazy. But really, Mondays are much better days for me than Tuesdays. And I'm already guaranteeing that this Tuesday is going to get off to a less than desirable start because I'm up late writing this post. But what can you do!

This Monday was a superb day and let me tell you why:

First, I decided that lugging two babies into daycare in their infant carriers was just too much work. So I carried one in the carrier and took one in my arms and into the building we went. I think I saved a few minutes of time too!

Score one for me!

Second, I got some incredibly awesome, make-me-smile-all-day, happiest news ever shortly after I got into work this morning. Seriously it made my day and it was just past 9am.

Can't score that one, I didn't do anything. Just good news!

Third, I think I need long breaks from work on a more regular basis. I don't dread the "problem" piles on my desk as much, the problems get fixed and don't seem nearly as scary as they did when I had a lot more on my mind. I'm also more creative in some of my decision making and suggestions for future projects. So I think this means I need to get pregnant again!

Score two for me! [And no, I'm not pregnant.]

Fourth, we had a child actually use a sippy cup tonight! Did Hades freeze over? Are pigs actually flying in Cincinnati? Did the university actually put together a winning football team? [My apologies to the UK fans, but you know I'm right.] Finally the fifth type of sippy cup we bought clicked for one of them. Hallelujah! So Ethan may be able to handle a sippy cup or at least he knows what is in it. Peter on the other hand is at least starting to hold a bottle although only if he sits in your lap tilted back, lazy-boy style as Hubby calls it.

I'm taking two on this one. Score four for me!

How was your Monday?

Unproductive Day, Might as well Blog

After my radio interview on Friday I was going to write up a post about a thought I had during and after the interview.  Still planning on that (hopefully later this week) but right now I feel the need to share about my unproductive day instead.

That sounds boring, doesn't it?  But stick with me, hear me out a little ...

We had a rough weekend, the boys have been sick.  Actually, back up, *I* was sick last week, Ethan started to seem a little down on Friday, by Saturday it was obvious he was sick as well.  Peter has a runny nose and was a little fussy over the weekend, but mostly in a good mood.

Which brings us to Monday.  I finally feel well for the first time in 5 days.  Yay!!  Despite my sickness last week I took advantage of the boys being in daycare to work on my sabbatical project.  I did pretty well, despite the sickness.  Monday should have been productive as well.

"Should" being the operative word!  And so the story goes ...

Have to remind myself what my
healthy, happy boys look like.
So cute!

I know when I go to get the boys up Monday morning that they are not going to daycare.  Ethan continues to be fussy, gets upset at the slightest things, and once he starts crying he seems bothered by everything around him.  Poor guy, he makes me so sad.

Lots of crying during breakfast, clinging to mom during the morning, crying anytime Peter touches him ... I find it exhausting.  Both boys are in their cribs for a morning nap BEFORE 10 am.

That was probably partly because they needed it and partly because *I* needed it.  Sometimes you got to do what you got to do.

They slept for an hour ... better than nothing.

More play time, lunch (which means more crying), back to playtime (and crying), and then the doorbell rang.

With two boys crying down in the playroom someone from the electric company is here to install the conservation stuff on our air conditioners.  Not a big deal, it's outside, thankyouverymuch, and goodbye.

More clinging to mom, wiping noses, throw in a load of laundry, start looking at the clock to see if another nap time is in order.  It's only 12:30.

Doorbell rings again.  Apparently the breaker switch on one AC unit is now broken.  This means the AC is not working until someone can come out to fix it.  Greeeeeeeeeeeeat!

Finally just before 2pm, I put the boys down for another nap.  There's more whining going on from two obviously sleepy boys when the doorbell rings again.  At least I know the AC will be fixed!!  With the boys cries carrying through the house via the strategically placed baby monitor in our front hall, the electrician comes in and I take him to the electrical box where he discovers that the circuits aren't all labeled, but he tries one anyway and heads outside.

I run upstairs knowing that there are probably four pacifiers scattered across the boys' room and just as I get them both settled again I hear the electrician come in and call for me.  I just want to yell "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"  Luckily I don't.

Anyway, he gets the circuits worked out, labels them for the next guy that will need them, and heads back outside.  By 2:30 he is done, ACs are all working, and the boys are finally asleep.

Work on sabbatical project or give up for the day??  That is the question.

My answer: give up.  

Procrastination wins again!

Thankfully, the boys are starting to seem a bit better and my hope is that they will be well enough to go back to daycare on Tuesday.  I should also feel back to 100% and then I can dive back in.  That gives me four days to make some good headway on this project before I go back to working in my office.  Once I am back at work I can continue to work on this project, but it will be along with all my other responsibilities.

Oh responsibility, how I have not missed thee.

Entrance Strategy

These days when I am going somewhere I spend my time in the car on the drive over debating my entrance strategy.  This can be quite complicated, there are so many variables from the weather to parking to how the building is situated and more.

Not unlike the days when the debate was more like "Should I arrive on time?",  "Am I too early?", "Am I the appropriate amount of time late without being too late?", "What if I arrive at the same time as so-and-so, should I wait in the car or walk in with them?"  Remember those days??

Yeah, me neither.

My entrance strategy involves safely getting two small children from car to [grocery store, church, restaurant, etc.] wherever.  And even when I have an entrance strategy figured out, I sometimes have to make changes once I get to my destination.

Situation: Meeting a small group from my parish (a new committee) for lunch at Panera (semi-fast food, salad, sandwich, soup place and bakery).  Boys in tow and no help.

The Entrance Strategy Plan: boys' lunch was in the lunch bag I use when I'm working, grab the place mats from the diaper bag and throw those in my purse (leave diaper bag in car); carry the lunch bag and purse one on each shoulder. Take one child out of the car but still in his infant seat and take second child out of his seat and carry him in my arms.  Hope to meet one of the committee members already in the restaurant so someone can grab a high chair.  Hope there are two available high chairs.

One thing I didn't consider in my plan: the small parking lot at this particular restaurant's location.  Something else I hadn't realized, another popular restaurant had moved into an empty space in the same shopping strip.

So yeah ... parking lot was just a wee bit full.  By which I mean ... PACKED!

Solution: I parked at the far end of the shopping center pretty much in the parking lot of the nearby hotel.  Carrying both boys in (one in the infant seat) was not going to happen.  So instead I used the stroller.  Panera is not well set up for a double, side-by-side stroller, which was why I had wanted to avoid using it.  Oh well, I had to roll with it.

Though I did have to do some finagling to get the stroller to the table we had chosen, I did manage it with lots of help from people already seated who moved chairs and tables for me.  People really are super nice!  But once I was at the table it was obvious I wasn't going to be able to feed them in their stroller just because of the space it was taking up.  So we did end up getting two highchairs and I folded the stroller up and set it against the table.

And the boys were great too!!  We had lunch and our meeting and the boys were happy as can be for most of the time we were there.  I was so happy that it was a successful trip.  Plus I had help from the people I was meeting with.

If you had told me a year ago that I would be venturing into a restaurant with two small children who can't walk yet and without the help of my husband, I would have laughed at you!!

Now to figure out how to get them into daycare each morning!!  At least I have four more days to think about our entrance strategy on that one.

Another Week+ in the Books

It has been busy in our household lately.  LOTS going on these days.

First off, last week the boys had a birthday and got to have a cupcake for the first time:

Not quite sure what to do with it

They also got a red wagon from Nanny and Papa:

Enjoying the new wagon with Papa

And little ride-on trains from Grandma and Grandpa:

Checking out the new trains, they make lots of fun noises!

Birthday parties are fun.  But try having one with 40 extra people in your house and two babies who are in a "stranger anxiety" phase.  Phew!!  Those poor boys didn't know what was going on.  (It was fun though, for us!)

Then over last weekend my brother and his girlfriend got engaged!!  Add another wedding to our family calendar!  Right now my sister is getting married next May and now we'll have a second wedding sometime after that.  We are all excited and happy for them!

Monday I spent all morning with the phone by my side waiting to hear the news that I had a new niece or nephew.  My other sister was having her third c-section that morning.  It was the first of her three kids where I wasn't sitting in the waiting room with everyone else.  I'm used to missing things like this because of the distance I live away from them, but this one I had really wanted to be there.  So it made me kind of sad that I couldn't be.  I finally got the call around noon or so and learned I had a new niece.  And she's so cute!!  Looks just like her older sister.

On top of an engagement and a new baby, my dad officially retired (for the second time) on Tuesday.

It was a big few days for my family!

On Wednesday the boys went for their 12 month appointment.  Overall they are healthy, got one shot, got some medication for eczema, and mom got a boost of reassurance that she's still doing this mothering thing okay.

(And really, that reassurance is the most important part of why we take our kids to the doctor, right?  Or is that just me?  Don't answer that.)

Quick stats: Peter is 19 pounds (b/t 10th-25th percentile) and 29 inches (25th percentile).  Ethan is 19 pounds 6 ounces (25th percentile) and 28 1/8 inches (10th percentile).  My small kids have big heads though (not surprising given my family genes).  At 47 cm (Ethan) and 46 1/2 cm (Peter), they are both in the 75th percentile.  LOL!!!

Thursday I finished my annual column for my professional journal and submitted it to my editor.  DONE!!!  I always hesitate pushing that "send" button in my email.  Is it really done?  Did I proof it enough?  Should I go back and check all my numbers and math again for the eleventybillionth time?  (And yes, that is a word, don't go looking it up.)

Also on Thursday we had new cabinets put in our kitchen on a few blank wall spaces.  I have a few before and after pictures, but they are still on my camera.  So I'll save those for another post.

Thursday night and into the early hours of Friday morning I banged my head furiously against the keyboard published another submission on Catholic Sistas.  Check it out, our debut post into the 7 Quick Takes fun.  Our creator wanted to join the 7 Quick Takes series but didn't have a clear vision for it, so I threw out some ideas and ended up with the assignment.  It was fun.  I took a poll of all the contributors and posted the results.  A fun way to get to know the blog's writers.  And watch for more (not every Friday though).

Friday was an important day!  It was the day of the Stand up for Religious Freedom Rallies held all across this great nation.  The boys and I attended the one in our town and we had a great turnout.  I heard later that day that there were approximately 275 people there.  I saw lots of people I knew and heard some great speakers.  The boys did great for the hour and a half we stood downtown in the sun.  They were comfy in their stroller with the shade up, but it was still hot.  I fed them cheerios and then rolled the stroller back and forth and they eventually fell asleep.  Very proud of my sons for attending their first political protest rally at just a year old!

The boys chilling out at the rally.
*Photo courtesy of Cindy Olson (c) 2012*

Following the rally and the walk back to the car (I was parked several blocks away in a University employee lot I located on a map that morning, the closest one I could find to downtown) I was HOT!  The boys were sleeping and I wanted to listen to a radio interview that was going to start in about 15 minutes.  Solution: pack everyone into the car, drive to Dairy Queen, hope the boys fall asleep, and listen to the interview in the car.

And that's what I did.  I went through the drive-thru and then sat in the car in their parking lot, AC on full blast, and listened to a friend do an interview on a nationally broadcast program on Relevant Radio.  It was a good interview too.  The creator of the blog Catholic Sistas was being interviewed.  It was fun to listen and I laughed at the callers who called in with questions.  Their names and places they were from clued me in that they were all contributors as well.  You can still listen to the interview by clicking here and choosing one of the links for June 8.  Martina did great!  Go listen if you have time.  No, not "if", I take that back: find time and listen!  That's an order!

Some friends I hadn't seen in a while were back in town for a short visit.  So they stopped by on Friday afternoon and visited for a bit.  It was fun to see them and to see how much their three boys have grown!

That pretty much concluded our busy week.  The boys are home with me one more week and then they start daycare the following week.  I go back to working full-time in the office two weeks later.  Which means two weeks of working full-time at home with no interruptions.  Hopefully I can concentrate on work and not get distracted by running an errand or cleaning something I know needs cleaning or folding a load of laundry that I had done the night before, etc.

If you've made it all the way to the end of this novel of a post, thanks for reading!  Have a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday: One Whole Year

{In all pictures but two, Peter is on the left, Ethan on the right.  Can you tell which two are different?}

In the hospital, born May 30, 2011 (picture probably taken 5/31/2011)

Probably one month old (I didn't label this picture)

2 months, 7/30/2011

13 weeks, 8/29/2011

17 weeks, 9/26/2011

5 months, 10/30/2011

7 months and a week or so, Jan. 2012

8 months, 1/30/2012

9 months, 2/30/2012 (I love the smirk on Peter's face!)

About 10 months old (I'm so bad about dating pictures!!)

Easter Sunday, 4/8/2012

11 months old, 4/30/2012

1 day shy of 12 months, 5/29/2012

Happy Birthday, Boys!!!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day ...

To my mom for all she has done and still does for me!

To my mother-in-law for raising such a wonderful son!

To my husband's grandmother, for being such a sweet lady and a great grandmom!

To Peter and Ethan's Godmommies, for being faithful role models for them as they grow up.

To all the mother's in my family, aunts, sister, sisters-in-law, cousins, for all you do to raise great kids!!

To all my friends who are mothers and work hard every day to provide the best you can for your children.

To all those whose babies are already in Heaven.  Your faithfulness in the face of pain and suffering and your prayers for your children make you amazing moms!

To all those facing an unplanned pregnancy, that you will recognize that you are already a mother as well, will accept the child within you, and give that child the life he or she deserves.

To all those who are spiritual mothers to those around them.  May your prayers be fruitful in the lives of all you touch.

For all those mothers who have gone on to the next world: especially my two grandmothers, my husband's paternal grandmother, my Aunt Janet, and many other mothers who are missed every day.

And most especially, to Our Lady, the Blessed Mother.  Thank you for being the ultimate role model of motherhood. and thank you for continued prayers for all mothers of this world.

Wordless Wednesday



Ethan finished the WHOLE bowl!!  1/9/2012



I don't need no stinkin' blanket.
Peter, 1/9/2012

Look at me, I'm so cute.
Ethan, 1/9/2012

7 Quick Takes Friday, vol. 33

~1~

The boys are doing really well!  They had a doctor appointment earlier this month, 6 month well visit.  They are both progressing well and are very close together in all their measurements.

Peter, 6.5 months

Peter weighed 15 pounds and 4.8 ounces, 10th percentile for his age.  He is also 26 inches long, which is in the 25th percentile.  Pretty good!  I'm pretty sure his stats at his earlier appointments were all in the 5th-10th percentile ranges.  His head is 43 and a half centimeters, which is in the 50th-75th percentile range. Oh my!!  He definitely gets his head size from my side of the family!

Ethan, 6.5 months

Ethan weighed 15 pounds and 5.2 ounces.  Basically the same, only four tenths of a difference from his brother.  Obviously he's in the same percentile range as Peter.  Length-wise he's 25 and a quarter inches, only 3/4 of an inch smaller and yet that puts him in the 5th percentile.  It's amazing what a difference of less than an inch does.  His head is exactly the same as Peter's.  My boys have big heads.  That does not surprise me in the least.  

~2~

Just before Thanksgiving we bought a mini-van.  When we did we did not trade in Hubby's car.  Instead he decided to sell it himself.  He had some leads that didn't work out so finally he put it up on Craig's List.  Within the first 24 hours we had several inquiries.  He made arrangements with someone to come check out the car last Sunday.  Just before they came over, he went to move the car into the driveway and it wouldn't start!  We've never had an issue with the car.  Never!!  He figured it was the battery and told the person who showed up to look at it that he would replace it and let them know so they could come test drive it later.  I was convinced that they wouldn't be back.  But Hubby replaced the battery that day, the potential buyers came back, test drove it, made an offer, and we made the deal!  Monday Hubby took care of the paperwork and when I got home from work that evening the car was gone.  Yay!!

We were so excited to once again sell something on Craig's List quickly!!  Maybe we should put the house on there!

~3~

Speaking of selling the house, our Christmas decorations are minimal this year.  And since we're also traveling south for Christmas we decided not to put the tree up.  However, we have a faux ficus tree in our bedroom that became a temporary alternate Christmas tree while I was wrapping gifts:

2011's temporary "Christmas" Tree

~4~

The boys got out a lot this week.  The bank and the mall with Dad on Monday and then a few parties, errands, and visits with me the rest of the week.  And I should note here that we are finally getting on a nap schedule!!  So with all the trips we have done this week, I've been trying to be in the car when they are tired since they fall asleep anyway.  It makes it easy.  Wednesday worked great!!  When they started getting tired and were ready for a morning nap, I got them in the car and we headed out to my in-law's.  We got there a little over an hour later with two well-rested babies and just in time for lunch.  They were great for a couple hours, got to eat, and then when afternoon nap time approached we headed back home.  It was perfect!

~5~

I had a girl's night out on Wednesday evening.  It was one of the best ever.  And the reason why??  One word: chocolate!!  We met at a friend's house.  Our meal was small, just a simple salad, some meatballs, and goat cheese and pita bread.  It was all yummy.  Oh, and wine, of course!!  But the main part of our gathering was really dessert: chocolate fondue.  We had marshmallows, fruit, pretzels, angel food cake, and some little cookies.  Our hostess's husband also made some chocolate Oreo truffles for us that were amazing.  Chocolate, wine, and good friends!  Doesn't get much better than that.

~6~

I must take a moment to share something serious.

Last week a friend of a friend decided to abort her 20 week baby after a prenatal test showed the baby had Downs Syndrome.  Many, many, MANY friends prayed all weekend for this mom and her baby.  She originally had an appointment last Friday that was cancelled because she was too far along; she was rescheduled for Monday.  She had offers from friends to pay her medical bills and many offers from people willing to adopt the baby.  Lots of prayers went up over the weekend, no word Monday, more prays from countless people, still no update Tuesday ... we all continued praying that she didn't go through with it.  Wednesday we finally got an update.  It was not good news.  Please pray for this mother: she needs prayers as she is in the hospital now with excessive bleeding.  And continued prayers for her as the emotional impact hits her later.

Today about 90% of babies diagnosed with Downs Syndrome are aborted.  Unfortunately, the tests are not 100% conclusive.  I discovered from friends as we all prayed for this girl that many of them had been given Downs diagnoses for their babies only to have the baby born without Downs.  Downs children can live very joyful, healthy lives and bring lots of joy to those around them.  There is also a very long wait list of parents waiting to adopt Downs Syndrome babies.  Abortion is never the answer, it just ends the life of an innocent child.

Please include this mother (because she is a mother whether she accepts that or not) in your prayers.  And please also pray for the little baby girl who is now in Heaven embraced by our Blessed Mother and surrounded by the Father's love.

~7~

Finally, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.  I hope you get to spend the holiday with loved ones.  I would like to invite anyone who has not been to church in a while, who has fallen away from their Catholic faith, or who has never attended a Catholic Mass and is interested in Catholicism to come to Mass on Christmas.  The Midnight Mass is wonderful, but if it isn't feasible for you most churches will have several Christmas Eve Masses and will offer at least one or more Masses on Christmas Day.  To find out what Mass times are available at a Catholic Church near you go to www.masstimes.org.  

And if you have been away from the Church for a while, I invite you to give it a try again and make the steps to come back as a regular attendee.  You can find a whole bunch of resources to help you in your journey back home to the Church at www.catholicscomehome.org.

May your celebration of the birth of Our Lord and Savior be a joyful one.  Merry Christmas!

For more Quick Takes, visit Jennifer Fulwiler over at Conversion Diary.

7 Quick Takes Friday, vol. 32

~1~

We're getting to the end of my crazybusy week!  Phew, it's definitely been a full week!  I'm surprised at how well I've made it through.

~2~

We tried giving the boys rice cereal last weekend.  It didn't go all that well.  We opted to wait a bit longer.  It was funny though.  We started with Ethan who had absolutely zero interest and did a lot of crying during the process.  But while I was working with him, Peter was sitting in his highchair nearby watching me.  I saw how interested he seemed and noticed him opening his mouth.  So I tried it with him.  I got the spoon close to his mouth, he opened up, and he let me put some in. One taste, however, and he was no longer interested.  We tried with both of them again on Sunday and decided that we needed to have more time, and the coming week wasn't going to give us the time we needed (see #1 above).  So we'll try again in another week or so.  It'll be easier when one of us is home every day and not rushing off to work and school.

~3~

I ordered Christmas stockings for the boys!!  They are so cute!! I can't wait to put them up.  As a matter of fact, we're going to be out of town for Christmas and I think I'm going to bring their stockings with us.

~4~

I have finally been able to successfully feed both babies at the same time!!  I can save myself about a half hour in the morning by feeding them together.  They are finally at a point where they have more control over their heads and they don't dribble formula while they are eating.  It makes it easier to feed two at once when they aren't so messy.  I love knowing that we have achieved one small step toward a bit of efficiency.

~5~

Catholic Sistas has been getting lots of attention this week.  Monday's post about the Duggar's got a TON of interest with over 3,000 hits!!  All the posts this week have been getting high marks!  In addition, some other sites have picked up on Catholic Sistas posts and have been linking back to the site.  On Wednesday, the front page of New Advent had links to two articles on Catholic Sistas and, on Thursday, the National Catholic Register had an article on the "Best of Catholic Blogging" linking to a variety of blog posts including, at the very top, a guest post on Catholic Sistas.  Also on Thursday was the interview on my local Catholic radio station about the Sistas.  It's been a big week!!

Makes me a little nervous, I'm supposed to post on Monday.  Still working on that.

~6~

Speaking of blog posting, I wrote an article for the Libraries' employee blog that got posted on Wednesday. It's the second article I've written in a serious of articles about what library staff are reading.  Check it out if you have the time: What We're Reading: Sociology, spies, and Wal-Mart.  It was actually a fun conversation and I hope that comes across in the article.

~7~

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary.  Have a nice weekend!!

Busy, Crazy, Crazy-busy

Last week went by way too fast.  I know I don't post on a regular basis, but I do usually try to get a Friday Quick Takes post in.  I like that it keeps me writing something, even when I have a busy week.  Last week was definitely busy!!  Suddenly it was Friday, I was walking to my office, and realized that Quick Takes was the last thing on my mind.

Oh well, it happens.  Moving on ...

I'm looking at another crazy-busy week this coming week.  Unfortunately that may mean no posts again.  But I hope that won't be the case.  I have so much I want to write about!!

I may be getting a very early start on my week.  The boys were a handful tonight.  They were obviously tired, but fighting it.  So we had to endure a lot of crying and unhappiness.  Suddenly during dinner they fell asleep.  Ethan was sitting in his highchair crying and suddenly he went silent.  It was so sudden I turned to look at him and was surprised to find him sound asleep.  Ah, to be able to fall asleep like that!!

Peter had been in his rocker chair and was being so fussy that Hubby finally picked him up and had him in his lap while he was eating.  Right after Ethan had zonked out, Peter's eyes started drooping.  He fell asleep on Hubby's lap!

We let them nap a bit, Ethan in his highchair and Peter was moved to a blanket on the floor.  They woke up about 30 minutes later.  A quick change, two bottles made, two babies fed, and they went right to bed.

I don't think we've ever put them down before 8pm.  But I couldn't deal with any more tonight.  So off they went.  I'm expecting them to wake me up at 6am tomorrow morning.

If so, it will probably be a good thing.  I need an early start for this coming week.  It'll definitely be a busy, crazy, and crazy-busy week!!

Divide and Conquer

I don't know why it took us this long to figure this one out, but we finally did this weekend.  We are in the process of putting our house on the market.  Have been for a while, but we are finally at the point where we must get things put away, the house cleaned, and the papers finally signed ... hopefully this week!!

All of the above is difficult to do with two three-month olds.  It would be hard, I'm sure, with one let alone two.

Hubby and I both had errands to run this weekend.  We finally decided on the divide and conquer method.

Saturday he took Ethan with him and went to the credit union, stopped in at his office to pick something up, went to Lowes, and finally Kroger before heading home.  While they were gone I was able to shower and get ready and then start the process of putting away all our pictures and other personal items.  It was so much easier to do all that with just one baby.

Saturday night Hubby took the boys for a walk and gave me an hour to get more stuff done.  It's amazing what you can accomplish in one hour: two loads of laundry folded, a third one started and a fourth waiting to go, the bedroom completely cleared of all personal things, dusted, and vaccumed, and the living room decluttered some as well.

I felt so accomplished!!

Today after church and breakfast, we did it again.  I took Peter with me to run more errands while Hubby and Ethan went around the house taking down pictures, hanging different ones in their place, and repurposing others.  Again, so much easier to do all those things with one small child!

We need to divide and conquer more often.  I would find it much easier to run into the grocery store with one baby than with two.  I know it'll get easier as they get older, but right now those infant car seat carriers are heavy!!

Divide and conquer it is!!  At least when it is possible.  Hubby can't take one of the boys with him to Bible Study, so I'm on my own then. 

But that's okay, I get some time away too and Hubby gets to be in charge then!

New Vacation Day Concept

Tuesday I took a "vacation" day from work.  Ha!!  It was a totally exhausting day.
I had made an appointment to have the boys pictures taken that morning.  The appointment was at 9:00am.  For some reason, 9am on a "vacation" day didn't seem as early as it usually feels on a regular work day.  That is until I woke up at 7:15am and realized that I needed to leave at 8:30 in order to make it while also showering, dressing, changing the babies, restocking the diaper bag (because we had been out most of Monday), and feeding all of us.  Amazingly it all got done, with the exception of feeding myself, and we were pulling out of the driveway at 8:40.

Phew!

And I made it on time, pulling up to the studio at exactly 9am.  Again ... phew!

Pictures went well.  And I had help.  Oh thank goodness for that!!  What a wonderful friend I had to come spend the morning with me.  She helped me change the boys, hold them, switch them out ... everything.  I couldn't have juggled it all on my own, so I was extremely grateful to have her there.

And when we were done, she offered to stay at the studio with them while I ran across the street on a quick errand.  Truly amazing friend!!  And thankfully the boys had fallen asleep by then.  It was an exhausting morning for them as well.

The pictures were done when I returned.  We then packed everyone and everything back into my car and my wonderful friend met me over at another store so I could run my last errand.  She pushed the stroller through the store so I could pick up what I needed.  I know having help in the store made that trip take half the time than it would have otherwise.

Peter had had enough by the time we were checking out.  I don't blame him, I was hungry too.  Everyone and everything back in the car and I took the interstate to get back home as quickly as possible.

It amazes me how much longer it takes to do things now.  I do plan for it, of course, and I just laugh at it all. 

Home by noon, boys changed and fed, and I finally got to sit down by 1:00pm and eat for the first time.  Just in time for the next thing on the agenda ...

an interview for our local Catholic paper.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from that.  I was being interviewed by someone I know.  She had taken the newborn pictures of the boys as well as pictures at their Baptism.  In talking to one of the deacons in the area who works with the Paper about Peter and Ethan's Baptism, they started thinking about how my story would be a nice one to write up.  So I agreed.

I wasn't quite sure of the angle, but with the March for Life coming up in January and October being a Pro-Life month, they are looking to do a bunch of pro-life stories.  So this fits in well.

As for the interview itself: she was here at the house for about two and a half hours!!  But we had a good time.  We sat on the floor to talk so I could easily attend to the boys while we chatted.  I basically went through everything from our first miscarriage through the birth of Peter and Ethan.  She asked some questions along the way and then had several questions at the end.  She has a few questions for Hubby and then she'll be able to write something up.

By the time the interview ended it was after 5pm and I was amazed at how fast the day had gone by.  I was exhausted ... to say the least.  More exhausted than days when I have to get us all ready for daycare and work in the morning, go to work all day, and then have my hands full all evening as well.  Those days seem like the easy days now.

The vacation days, on the other hand ... well, those are now a bit more exhausting!!  Haha!!

Yep, definitely a new concept to the "vacation" day.  ::smile::  Even so, I really did enjoy every bit of it!

What did Mary see?

One afternoon I was sitting in our family room with one of the boys in my arms.  He was stretched out in front of me with his head in my hands and his feet against my chest.  Perfect for making eye contact.

As I sat there looking at him and trying to get him to look back at me and potentially smile (oh, how I love to see those smiles that are still so few and far between!!), I wondered what it was like for Mary to look into her baby's face.  Her baby ... Jesus; her child ... the Son of God.

What an amazing responsibility.  What did she see in those eyes?  In that face?  What were her thoughts as she looked at this helpless little baby who was also her God?

I can't even imagine!!  Wow, what a thought!

I feel overwhelmed at times when I think of the awesome responsibility I have in raising my two boys as faithful Catholics and servants of God the Father.  The sense of responsibility Mary must have felt had to have been enormous ... totally unfathomable to me.  She was raising a son who WAS God.

So as I looked into my baby's face and watched his jerky arm movements and the eyes that wouldn't quite look at me, I wondered about the baby Jesus.  Was He the same way? 

However, I wondered most about His mother.  What did she see when she looked into that face and those eyes?  Did He have those same jerky arm movements that little babies all have?  Or was He different?  Did He cry for her in the pitiful way infants sometimes do?  Did He keep her up at night?  Or was He different?

So many questions going through my head.

Mary pondered much in her heart and I bet she had many thoughts about what would become of her son when she looked into those little infant eyes of His.  Did those thoughts fill her with joy or sorrow?   Did she fully realize the sorrow and suffering that was in store for her?

Suffering is a part of motherhood and the Blessed Mother knows this better than anyone.  I find comfort in knowing that I am not alone as I begin this journey of motherhood.  As I look at my little one, cuddled in my arms, I like to think that Mary once did the same thing.  She is a mother and she is my mother.  With her by my side I know I can raise my boys well.

Blessed Mother, give me the strength needed to raise my boys in this crazy world, to share with them a devotion to you, and to lead them, through you, to your divine Son.  Mother Mary, pray for us.

Who is this?

Having identical twins comes with its challenges ... and I'm sure I don't even know the half of it yet!!

This morning the boys awoke a little before 7am.  I had just finished getting ready so went in to start getting them ready.  Hubby came in just as I finished changing and dressing Peter.  He told me two bottles were ready to go and then wisked Peter away.  I got Ethan up and went through the changing routine with him and then brought him downstairs to join Daddy and brother for breakfast.

Settling myself into the recliner with baby and bottle, my husband asks me, "Who is this?"

It took a moment for me to realize what he was asking me.  He didn't know which child I had changed first and he was now feeding.

I had to laugh!!  And do a double-take myself to make sure that yes, it was Peter he was holding and Ethan that I was holding.

This is only the beginning!!  We have lots of fun in store for us as these two boys get bigger and look more and more alike every day.  We're in BIG trouble!!

The Wipes are Screaming??

The middle of the night is NOT my finest hour.  Case in point:

It is 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning, just after a feeding.  As we get settled back into bed:
Me to Hubby: I hear the babies' screams in my dreams and it makes me think they're right here, like I forgot to put them back to bed after we fed them.

Hubby: In the bed?

Me: Yes, I start looking for them and wondering what happened to them.  Then I realize that I'm hearing the wipes.

Hubby: The wipes are screaming?

Me: Yes ... wait, no ... wipes?  Did I say the wipes?  [Insert hysterical laughing]

Hubby: What is screaming?

Me: [more hysterical laughing]

Hubby just looks at me confused.  Finally I'm able to compose myself enough to tell him that what I was trying to say was that it was the babies' cries through the baby monitor that I was hearing in my dreams.

The wipes!! Ha ha ha!  Cracks me up every time I think about it.  And this happened about two weeks ago!!  The wipes are screaming!!

What silly things have you said or done in the middle of the night when caring for an infant (or two)?