November 28, 2010

Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’

Time passes by in the blink of an eye. Today, our million dollar miracle muppets are six months old. Even though it seems like they just joined us yesterday, it’s already become difficult to imagine our lives without them.

And the muppets chose this milestone weekend to celebrate by becoming big boys. They’re rolling. (Jon called this one. When we returned home from our Thanksgiving excursion, we put the boys to bed and Jon looked at me and said, “They’ll roll over this weekend. They’re ready.”

On Friday (our first day home as a family in a long while), our happy family of four was hanging out in the living room. Jon and Search were on the floor goofing off on the playmat for some tummy time. Suddenly Jon said, “Um, babe – you’re son just rolled over.” He had propped Search up on his elbows and when Search turned his head over, his little body flopped over onto his back. He was rather surprised.

The next morning, I put Destroy down on his back so his brother could enjoy breakfast. When I looked up again, Destroy was in a prone Superman position on his tummy – arms and legs flailing in the air. I definitely don’t think that move was purposeful. He appeared rather disconcerted with what had just happened.

This morning (again during Search’s breakfast), I put Destroy on his tummy in his crib. He can now easily lift his head to a 90 degree angle. He looked up, looked around and rolled right on over. When we got downstairs, I set him down on his back. He immediately rolled over to his side. Apparently, he’s figured out the idea of throwing his leg over for momentum. The only thing still thwarting him was the arm remaining under him.

I sat watching him. I could see him trying to problem solve. Finally, he figured it out. Oh kids…life just got infinitely more exciting.

He started squirming around – eventually turning in a full 360. When he had wiggled his way to face where I was sitting, he lifted up his head again. “Look what I did Mommy!” He was terribly pleased with himself. He squiggled a few more degrees and passed out.

Destroy spent today rolling himself over at every opportunity presented to him. Both of our kids have been determined to get mobile from the moment they were born. Ready, set, go! And now that we’re rolling – catch me if you can…

Hard to believe it’s been half a year. 2010 (the whole year) has certainly been one for the record books. Happy six months Search and Destroy.

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November 27, 2010

The First Thanksgiving

Family and Friends

The Muppets First Thanksgiving special was quite a day. We celebrated with family friends and counted our blessings for all we had to be thankful for many times.

The muppets are still too young to really understand what’s going on around them. They’re far more fascinated by the recent discovery that their entire little fist fits into their mouth. But much as the same as it was with Halloween, we celebrated enough for all.

Our feast was being prepared in Sacramento, at Momm’s house. Momm is my college roommate’s mother (two “Ms” since she was the second mom while I was away). I volunteered to bring Seafoam Jello and Chocolate Silk Pie. However, upon further reflection, it dawned on me that Sacramento was likely a three-hour drive and such a trek might not be phenomenally conducive for a Jello dish.

G.G.’s pumpkin bread it was! Growing up, G.G.’s pumpkin bread was the famous staple of the holiday feasts. One of my cousins moved to Italy a few years back. She attempted to recreate Thanksgiving for her fiancés family, to give them a taste of home. G.G.’s pumpkin bread was requested via airmail. It’s that good. Uncle Paul puts it on his Christmas wish list every year. And this is truly saying something for my extraordinarily non-culinary family.

Jon and I decided to depart at dawn so we could spend a full day giving thanks. Naturally, we had no need for an alarm clock. The muppets woke us up at 5 a.m.; we were out the door in record time: by 8 a.m. We’d packed the night before so we wouldn’t be scurrying around in the morning. For a non-overnight, simple day trip, we brought an entire truckload worth of stuff. Thankfully, we managed to squeeze everything into the Pilot and avoid the need for a U-Haul.

Auntie Beeca texted me saying that she might cry with excitement. So I knew right then it was the muppets she was excited to see – not me. Ah, the life of a parent. The gathering consisted of Momm, Auntie Beeca, her husband and one-year-old daughter, Leila. I was just as excited to see her little one.

To the untrained eye, it likely looked as though we were arriving for several months. To the parent of a young child, it appeared as though we were simply dropping in to quickly say hello.

Introductions were made and the celebrating began. Momm (now Nana) fussed over all her grandkids. Leila was mesmerized by the muppets. Her dad didn’t seem terribly thrilled about his daughter’s interest in two very handsome younger men.

As we waited for the bird to cook, the delicious smells began to fill the house, adding to the warmth and cheer. Certainly not fasting before the feast, Search finished his mid-morning snack and arfed. On to outfit No. 2.

We then decided to go for a walk around the lake while Nana focused on foodstuffs. As four thirty-somethings, the walk would likely have taken us 20 minutes. It took us at least an hour to get bundled up to leave the house. With freezing morning temperatures, we were taking extra care to bundle our babes. Finally, we wheeled our way out to the walkway. Then we looked at each other realizing, “It’s not really all that cold anymore…”

After a lovely walk that was really a meandering toddle, we returned to the house for the muppets lunch. Destroy’s digestive system decided to clear itself in preparation for the big meal. There really is no delicate way to change a diaper blowout when you’re a guest in someone’s home. Auntie Beeca just laughed, saying, “You’re family.”

Then it was time. The turkey was ready. There was a frantic scurry (complete with uptempo classical music) as all the sides were heated and plated. Leila seemed to favor the mashed potatoes – although I’m not sure she ate nearly as many as she decided to wear…

Food, family, friends and fun. The muppets first Thanksgiving will be one for the memory books.

I love the holidays!

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Traveling with Twins

Our Thanksgiving celebration was a day trip. We did not spend the night. We drove up for the feast in the morning and returned home the same evening.

It took us three hours to get up and out of the house. For the eight hour day (plus car ride), we brought:

  • 1 double stroller
  • 2 car seats
  • 4 jingly toys that dangle from the car seats (2 per muppet)
  • 1 Pump with bags, bottles and batteries
  • 2 sweat outfits: fleece pants, long-sleeve onesie, jacket
  • 2 cutesy outfits: jeans and a long-sleeve polo shirt and overalls with a long-sleeve shirt
  • 2 sleeper outfits: fuzzy footie pjs
  • 4 pairs of socks for the non-footie outfits – the extra set for when one sock gets kicked off and vanishes into a baby black hole
  • 2 pluggies and binkie bungies
  • 4 milk bottles with all pieces and a cap
  • 6 bags of frozen milk (I like to think we picked ones with Thanksgiving feast flavors)
  • 14 diapers and full box of wipes in case of (expected) explosions
  • 1 diaper bag with changing pad
  • 4 blankets: two receiving blankets for the car ride up and two warm fuzzy blankets to combat the cold.
  • 1 Pack N Play with fresh sheet so the boys have a place to refuse to nap
  • 2 warm hats that have adorable Mickey ears
  • 2 stylized turkey bibs since the boys can’t actually eat the turkey
  • 4 regular bibs for after the turkey’s can’t take any more arf
  • 4 burp rags (for obvious reasons)
  • 3 rattle toys for the muppets to stare at disinterestedly
  • 1 obnoxious music toy with flashing lights and sounds for the muppets to squeal at with delight
  • 1 bottle of Little Tummies gas meds for our futile attempts to stem the tooting
  • 2 lovey stuffed animal blankets for cuddling
  • 2 adult outfit changes of clothing – needed for comfort on the drive home, but far more likely for changing into after getting puked on
  • 1 phone charger to maintain contact with the outside world should we get stuck in traffic and have to call for backup
  • 3 magazines and books to read aloud (we chose napping instead)
  • 1 camera to capture the holiday memories
  • 1 purse (or wallet in Jon’s case) with personal identification should we collapse under this load of stuff
  • 2 muppets
  • 1 mom
  • 1 dad

And on top of all that, we even remembered to bring our contribution to Thanksgiving dinner.

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November 25, 2010

Happy Healthy Holidays

Happy Thanksgiving! If ever there was a year to be thankful for life’s little blessings – this is the one.

Thanksgiving has always signaled the start of the holiday season to me. (Forget the Christmas creep in the retail establishment where carols are piped throughout stores beginning in August…) It’s the first long weekend as the year wraps up – a holiday appetizer if you will. The day after Thanksgiving is the appropriate time to begin seeing holiday lights brighten neighborhoods and acknowledge ones fashionable affinity toward a red and green color combination.

Every year around this time, I once again think to myself, “This is my favorite time of year!” We have a tree in our front yard that sheds its leaves (making a complete mess, but it’s a California girl’s taste of an actual season). Inevitably, shortly after making such a declaration to myself, I emerge from the comfort of my toasty sheets and am hit smack in the face with the abrasive cold of winter.

This past week, I have felt my cheeks pink right up as I watched my breath fog up my glasses each morning. I love this season, I love this season, I love this….IT’S COLD! The Bay Area has been setting record lows lately. The temperatures are dipping into the 20s overnight and our highs are around 50. (Before anyone from arctic regions starts in on me: See above comment about being a California girl. 50 degrees is cold, and anything below 32 actually, scientifically, is freezing.) Disclosure – I fully admit to being a weather wimp. I prefer not to see any Fahrenheit reading below 70 or above 80.

This holiday season has such special meaning because, as you all know, it’s the muppets first celebration. Right around this time last year is when I found out we were expecting and the whole adventure began. Today, we made the trek up to spend the day with some dear friends. I remember spending a holiday with Auntie Beeeca 11 years ago; we were freshmen in college. This year we spent the day chasing our children around. How times change.

I fully intend to regale you with the tales of the Muppets First Thanksgiving special. But with the culinary wonders of our hosts to blame, Jon and I are succumbing to the tryptophan’s sweet embrace. Family, friends, food and fun;, this holiday season is going to one to remember. And I am thankful.

  • I am thankful for our million dollar miracle muppets.
  • I am thankful for my amazing husband without whom I don’t know how I could have survived this roller coaster.
  • I am thankful for my family, whose love and support has given the muppets one heck of an amazing start.
  • I am thankful for my friends, who voluntarily chose to partake in the craziness and love the muppets as unconditionally as our family.
  • I am thankful for our Kaiser nurses. June, Susan, Ann, Jennifer (s), Margaret, and so many more, who spent two and a half months helping the muppets get big and strong.
  • I am thankful for the doctors who put up with a paranoid me while they did everything they could to make sure we’d have million dollar miracle muppets to be thankful for.
  • I am thankful we have someone who cares for our muppets with such skill that we leave home with complete peace of mind.
  • I am thankful for my furry four-legged sons because, well, dogs make me happy.
  • I am thankful I have a happy story to tell. I am also thankful (and ready) to start a new chapter in a new year.

I wish you all a healthy, happy and holiday season at home with your loved ones. And for being a part of the muppets lives – even just by reading their story – thank you.

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November 21, 2010

Doggie Dilemma

The muppets were having a grand time exploring and discovering this evening. Search was hanging out in the Bumbo chair and Destroy was enjoying some tummy time. He can practically push himself all the way up onto his elbows.

“Look at you, Destroy!” I cheered, “Good job!” He lifted his little head up an impressive 90 degrees, grinning. He was extremely pleased with himself. He looked directly at me, laughed, arfed and face-planted. Looking slightly less pleased, he looked back up – completely covered in baby vomit.

I scooped him up as he contemplated what had just happened. He clearly had not anticipated that; he wasn’t crying, merely a bit disconcerted. As I wiped off his face, ears, neck, head and collar, I heard paper ripping in the other room.

Scout

“Scout! Bad dog!”

I quickly put Destroy down and left him and his brother laughing hysterically to one another.

Scout had nosed his way into the office, pulled a packing slip out of a box, returned to the front of the house and ripped the paper in half. He shreds paper products. (Like my birthday present.)

One of the most popular questions Jon and I get asked is about how our furry four-legged sons are tolerating the muppets. I suspect they think the muppets are puppies; Cooper thinks they’re duds since they don’t throw tennis balls. Scout just loves his people and wants to spend as much time with them. Their dilemma these days is how to get away with their mischief when Mom and Dad are distracted.

We’ve always had dogs with unique personalities. Scout, of course, has the passion for paper. He also dines on cardboard and gift cards… The first day we left Scout home alone, we returned to find that our retriever had collected every shoe in the house and transported them to the front rug. “Look Mom! I retrieved!”

He’s since moved on from shoes. I think he may have gotten his fill of leather after consuming Jon’s work boots and two baseball gloves. Now he searches out paper products to destroy.

Cooper

Cooper is a bit stealthier. Uncle Paul calls him “The Inspector” because he needs to completely examine his surroundings before turning his attention to anything else. Three years ago, right around this time of year, I decided to make gingerbread men. (They turned out quite tasty if I do say so myself.) I took a break from folding laundry to get a drink of water where I happened upon Cooper in the kitchen, perched on his back legs. He had jumped up on the counter, pulled the plate of cookies toward him and was eating them one at a time. There was no mess, no remaining cookie out of place.

Like a scene out of a sitcom, I stared at the dog and he stared back at me – paws still atop the counter. I could see the wheels turning in his canine cranium as he tried to hatch an escape plan. But then who would throw the tennis balls?

I know our four kids will get along famously. (That’s a terrifying thought.) And I’m sure the gang will provide some memorable stories to be shared here. As for tonight’s caper caught in progress, the muppets thought it was hilarious.

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November 18, 2010

Life with Little Ones

“I’ve been doing some thinking…”

“Mom and Dad look far too well-rested. How can I cause more mischief?”

“They’ll poop in their pants. They’ll poop on your pants.”

“Apparently riding the dog like a small pony is frowned upon in this establishment!”

Hi Ho Scout!

 

 

 

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November 16, 2010

Fight for Preemies

Little lives are at stake.

Today, Nov. 17, is the Fight For Preemies, 7th Annual Prematurity Awareness Day. The March of Dimes asked bloggers from around the world to post their story on the same day to draw attention to the crisis of premature birth (birth before 37 weeks gestation) and its toll on babies and families.

I never thought I’d end up a mommy blogger. A world-famous Newbery Medal recipient, sure, but it instead appears my writing talents have headed down the road less traveled. One of my girlfriends started blogging about the random stories of mommyhood shortly after I found out I was pregnant.

“I think I’ll start a blog,” I decided one afternoon. I signed myself up on WordPress and there my page template sat for several weeks. No magical article-writing elves appeared to tell my story, so I sat myself down and announced to the global online community that Double Trouble was coming to town. I figured this blog would be a single source location for family and friends. I could sporadically post clever little anecdotes and event photos.

On April 13, I posted an article shouting from the rooftops that I was officialy having a normal pregnancy. Two weeks later, my world turned upside down. I started writing more and more – detailing and journaling my experience on bedrest and ultimately as an ante-partum patient in the hospital as I prayed for healthy twins.

Jon and I became parents on May 28, 2010. Our precious muppets were born weighing 2 pounds 3 ounces and 2 pounds 2 ounces. I held Search in my arms for no more than 10 seconds after his birth. I watched Destroy get wheeled out of the OR wrought with tubes and encased in a plastic incubator. They were born 12 weeks too soon. And then I passed out.

I didn’t get to meet my muppets the day they were born. I spent hours shivering uncontrollably in a recovery room – demanding water from a nurse who tried my patience to its last nerve by insisting on following medical protocol instead of catering to my thirsty whims. Five hours after they were born, Jon was indoctrinated into life as a NICU parent. He was crying when he came back, but he reported they were doing amazingly well.

The next day, I learned why people believe in love at first sight. Our nurses and doctors were cautiously optimistic. The muppets were all I could think about. So throughout the next 10 weeks, I took to the Web – sharing my thoughts, feelings and fears to anyone who may happen upon here. As I talked to people and shared our story, it seemed everyone knew someone who was premature. Suddenly, my new normal was “preemie parenthood.” Term babies seemed jumbo and odd.

I found the March of Dimes website accidentally as I scoured the Internet looking for any and all information on the hospital jargon being thrown at me. I became a mother on a mission. My boys were coming home healthy if I had to get a medical degree to do it.

The NICU staff laughed. “When you leave here, we’ll be sending you home part parent, part nurse.”

I heard the story of one man born in 1932; there was little to no hope for him. Doctors told his mother to go home and put him in a shoebox in the oven to keep his temperature up. I had the same reaction you are all having now. But today, there aren’t these amazing miracle stories. And that’s because of the development of medical technology and scientific know-how. At no point was the word “if” ever uttered when discussing the muppets future.

I never thought prematurity would be the cause I’d get behind. I did everything I was supposed to, but fate/humanity had other ideas and life isn’t fair. My body was broken but my boys are fighters.

Next week the muppets will be six months old; they’ve been home more than four of those. They’re laughing now and it’s hard to remember how tiny they truly were when we first started our journey home.

I’m proud to join the Fight for Preemies. I’m proud to be a preemie-parent. And I’m proud to be the mom to such nifty NICU grads. Next week our family will return to the hospital for a well-check with our pediatrician, and I expect at least one of the boys to tip the scales at 15 pounds – a far cry from tiny two pounders.

Maybe in 30 years, research will have come so far that no worry lines will ever develop on the forehead of a parent who meets a child born too soon. And I’ll keep blogging about my boys. Here’s to the banality of childhood memories – times two.

The March of Dimes asked us to blog for a baby we love today. I write for my muppets. Because in their words, “We need to fight ― because babies shouldn’t have to.”

But if any literary agents are out there – I’m still gunning for that Newbery. Just sayin’…

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Weekend in Review

As promised, below is the visual follow up to the posts from this weekend.

Search and G.G.

Destroy with GrammaJ at his Welcome Home shower

G.G. with Muppets

Generations

Me!

G.G. and Search

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November 15, 2010

Picture Proof

I took lots of pictures this weekend of G.G. and the muppets. And I tried to call forth my inner photographer at the shower.

I took all these photos with our fancy new camera. Sadly, I haven’t quite figured out how to get them off said fancy camera and onto the computer. But I’m working on it!

So I promise a fancy slideshow soon.

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Dirty Thirty

Today, I am 30. It feels surprisingly similar to 29.

Whoever coined the term “dirty thirty” obviously had kids – my third decade is already filled with dirt, mud, spit-up and baby poop. And it has been an amazing birthday weekend. Because this is my first birthday as a mom.

The one thing I wanted most was for G.G. to meet the muppets. So the weekend began with an auspicious start. On Sunday, the muppets had a Welcome Home shower. How many kids are lucky enough to attend their own baby shower?

I was slightly nervous about what to wear; I haven’t had many opportunities to dress up in the past six months. And since the muppets arrived, my body has decided to rearrange its weight carriage so it’s always a fun surprise to see if an outfit will fit on any given morning. I chose a little black dress – seemed safe, can’t go wrong with that. The first dress fit on the first try. Success! I matched the dress with some fabulous patent leather peep-toe pumps and completed the outfit with the Tahitian pearls Jon got for me on our honeymoon. (Little things excite me these days.)

I strutted into the nursery to make the muppets even cuter. (I know, very hard to do.) I asked the boys what they wanted to wear. The selection process was based on which outfit elicited a smile and giggle. Search picked out a pair of khaki pants with a very preppy sweater, and Destroy chose a pair of plaid overalls. We were ready to go.

I felt good. Our last attempt at a baby shower didn’t go so well. I concluded that weekend on lockdown for my final hospital stint, before we began our adventure with preemies. But this weekend, I was healthy, but so much more importantly – the muppets are healthy. Even their cold from the previous week has completely cleared up.

I scooped up Destroy and headed down the stairs. It was time to play the music, time to light the lights. Time to meet the muppets on the muppet show tonight. Search and Destroy were ready for their close-up.

Blarf.

No sooner did I hit the bottom step, then Destroy arfed on me. Did you know baby arf is white? And have I mentioned I’d chosen to wear a black dress? Well that was no longer going to happen. Destroy looked up at me and giggled, his outfit was still perfectly clean. I whirled around in my no longer applicable patent leather peep-toe pumps and headed back up the stairs to find outfit the second.

Once we (meaning I) had changed into a non-pukey outfit, the muppets, GrammaJ and G.G. loaded ourselves into the car and headed off to the shower. If I may take this moment to be uber shmoopy, I am really blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family who came out to a doubles-themed shower: Doublemint gum, Twix and a delicious menu with two options for every course.

Since GrammaJ and G.G. had to head back to the badlands early this morning, we decided to celebrate last night. G.G. suddenly exclaimed that she couldn’t find the gift she’d gotten me. She retraced her steps. Our black lab Scout chose that moment to slink out into the garage. Well, drat. Jon headed out after the dog, flashlight in hand, to attempt to locate whatever Scout had dragged out. We found half a bite of the card. It will certainly be an evening to remember.

My dog ate my birthday present.

I was sad to say goodbye to GrammaJ and G.G. this morning. It was a fast-paced entertaining weekend and I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present than to see G.G. enjoy muppet smiles and twin giggles.

So today, I am 30. And tonight, I will spend a very chill birthday evening surrounded by my five boys. Pure bliss… Thirty’s going to be a good year.

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