Tag Archives: babies

August 24, 2014 · 10:18 PM

A Wee Explanation

You know that musty smell you’ve been noticing, the one that you can’t put your finger on but smells vaguely of dust and maybe a twinge of rot? It’s not coming from your fridge, your shower, or even your garbage disposal (you’re welcome for those visuals), it’s coming from your computer and/or mobile device…because this blog has been decaying for two months. It has been radiating the stench through the interweb and into your home, and for that I must apologize. I don’t think I’ve ever stalled this long between posts, although don’t go running over to the sidebar to check that statement via the archives. All I can say, which is exactly what you know I’m going to say, is twins. Twinnage. Twinning.

Right around early July everything picked up in my not-online life because of planning the twins’ birthday party as well as our first trans-American flight to Pennsylvania. It shatters the mind to comprehend the number of errands and thankless chores that went into each of these endeavors, but I can confidently say it was all worth it. The birthday was a truly lovely time (I only cried once!) and the trip east was a week I will treasure forever (they didn’t cry once on the plane — okay that only applies to the first flight, but STILL).

In case those situations are not sufficient excuses, Mike traveled for two weeks in early August, and do single mothers blog? Maybe they do, but are their kids still alive? I have no idea how this could be accomplished, but I wasn’t entirely single, as my blessed sister Erin came to stay with me the first week, and the second week the twins and I took a three day trip to Oregon to visit my grandmother. My mom also spent the night once. There was not a LOT of single motherhood going on, but can we agree this contributes to the theme of summer blog silence?

Now that I’ve gotten that paperwork out of the way, I hereby resolve to get my act together and become ~~something resembling~~ a regular blogger. Because I know you’re waiting with breath that is baited (name that show) for more juicy tales from the exciting halls of Twin Reph University (go TRU!).

In the meantime, a few gems from the last two months (it pains me to write “two months” again, and now I’ve done it three times).

Just a cacophony of fun in the sun with our cousins in PA — including the newest addition, Avery.

Photographing these three together proved irresistible. Note that they are virtually the same size but, per Avery’s onesie, she is six months old, whereas my darlings are two days from being one year. Love. It.

The birthday party! Massive announcement: I made that life ring in the background (correction, Sam really did most of the work).

Visiting Grandma (Great Grandma to the babes!). Otherwise known as: stripey family heads south.

Twinning!

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Filed under ForeWORD (Intro)

Tagged as babies, Blog, Family, reph babies, travel, twins, Vacation

June 26, 2014 · 8:44 PM

Putting on the Brakes

The babies turned eleven months old today, so in this house we’ve all assumed the brace for impact position. And by “we all” I mean me.

I have dreaded their first birthday with such sorrow you’d think it was move-in day at their first day of college. I have this pit in my stomach about them not being infants any more. The word “toddler” is so beyond what they are to me. They are still little squishy piles of smiles and I want them to crawl around with me in a time capsule forever. Is that asking so much?

It’s true that every phase of life is just that: a phase, but I’m just so aware that for only one year do I get to be the mama of baby twins, thrust into a life of chaos and beauty I didn’t know possible. It’s funny how a time limit on any experience can make us sentimentalize it. I’ve even found myself thinking, “In a month I won’t be pumping for them anymore!” with sadness in my voice. I do not like pumping. Breastfeeding is normal to miss, but pumping? No.

The other day I had a radical thought: I am enjoying myself more as time passes, not less. As this occurred to me I asked myself why I was clinging to their babyhood so fiercely, and I could only conclude that it’s because I have loved every single one of the last 335 days. Why would I want to leave such a time? But now I’m realizing that my love and enjoyment of them is only growing, not diminishing in the least — and if that’s so, I should be dreaming of, not dreading, every day ahead.

We went to the zoo for the first time last weekend, and we were overwhelmed by how fun it was to have them participate in a family activity rather than just be rolled along like potted plants. They saw the penguins swimming in the water and they laughed and stared. That little penguin in the top middle of the photo began to — what is the word for what penguins do? Bark? Caw? Scream like a banshee? — and Henry imitated him almost perfectly. We laughed out of pure disbelief.

They gazed at the brown bear walking through his artificial river, and we could see their little faces thinking “What the…” at this enormous creature ambling along.

We only had to feed them once the entire time we were there, and they were awake until just before we left.

This would never have been possible even four months ago. It would have been a hassle of feedings and naps and baby boredom. So this is what other twin moms mean when they say it gets easier, I thought.

For now, I need to focus on the fact that July 27 is going to be the same as July 26. They are not going to grow two feet, start playing sports and asking for their own cell phones. And, more importantly, they’re not going anywhere. I have literally thousands of mornings to wake up to their happy faces. Year two will be packed with more wonder than I can conceive of right now. So until their birthday, I am going to revel in who they are precisely today, and give myself room to let a piece of my heart break at saying goodbye to this chapter.

And then, I’m going to celebrate. And let them eat cake.

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Filed under Uncategorized, UpWORD (Beauty)

Tagged as babies, Family, first birthday, twins

June 13, 2014 · 10:45 PM

Vastly Improved

After last week’s trial by fire, I thought the kids and I deserved a little field trip. The Kirkland farmer’s market opened for the season on Wednesday, so we drove over and strolled among the fresh produce and baked goods.

It was a gorgeous, blue bird day, full of sunshine and plenty of shoppers. We walked the stalls, pausing to admire the array of color in the radishes, carrots and peppers. We stopped to talk to our favorite organic lotion shopkeeper who hadn’t seen the babies since close of last season. He had a new organic baby lotion, which we would’ve purchased had it not been for the stores of similar lotion we have at home.

We walked the pier, basking in the water view, breathing the fresh air, and basically having every opposite sensation to illness one can have.

Mike called while we were walking the pier, saying he was just getting off the freeway into downtown Kirkland. I couldn’t believe it; it was only 4PM. It was like we were getting reimbursed by a cosmic retailer for last week’s trouble.

“Three of you were sick? Here’s a sunny day. You, the mama, were sick? Okay I’ll throw in a market day. This went on for days? Fine! I fold. Mike will get off early and meet you for a drink.”

I accepted this deal, hands outstretched. We walked up to the Slip, our favorite outdoor restaurant/bar in Kirkland, and we met the baby daddy and another good friend for a beer. I nearly had whiplash from the change: here I was, not lying helplessly on the floor, but sitting in the sunshine drinking a beer during happy hour, holding giggling babies — on a Wednesday. It was some sort of stay-at-home-mom unicorn day.

And now, even more spectacular, I’m looking ahead to a momentous first — our first night away. On Mother’s Day Mike gave me a card that told me we were staying overnight at a fancy hotel on June 14. I was so excited, but also nervous to be away from the babies for the first time. I’m still nervous, anticipating texting my parents every hour to check on them, but I’m also out of my mind excited. I can sleep in. I can sleep in. I can sleep in. Even if our wine tasting afternoon fails, and dinner isn’t great, even if everything else goes wrong — I can sleep in. I haven’t slept in in over ten months (and I really wasn’t sleeping in while pregnant, so it’s been over a year, easily).

This is the life of a parent, isn’t it? Ecstatic at the thought of twenty-four hours of freedom, and desperate at the thought of even one hour away from those scrumptious cheeks, chubby thighs, eager smiles. I’ve never missed a morning of them waking to greet me. I thank God I have my trustworthy parents to leave them to. I know I’m going to relish a day away of doing whatever we please, but just as much I know I’m going to sprint back to their shining eyes and outstretched arms.

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Filed under UpWORD (Beauty)

Tagged as adventure, babies, Family, Mike Reph, twins