Love my life!

How could I NOT love my life....



Okay that's enough videos from me for now.. they are just so fun! :)

Feeling better...

for those of you that may have been worried about my mood I wanted to let you know that I am feeling better. :) I have a great husband that does what he can to give me some ME time and it helps a lot.

I do love my life... it has it's struggles for sure, but overall I enjoy my kids and don't mind the house work (the small bit I do) too much! ha Though now that Lily is crawling w/ abandon I see my house (and lack of house work) from a whole new perspective. I saw her grab something as she cruised under the dining table - and I was trying to get a pic - and though it was some small object that had rolled under there... nope it was small object that grew under there... a bunny rabbit ... no dust bunny.. haha more like a dust phoebe. A nice clump of phoebe's hair that had been attached to the chair leg. Looks like I need to crawl around on all 4s on a regular basis to make sure I got everything. I did actually swiffer under the table just the other day.

Lily is off to the races for sure these days!!! She is headed for the dog water a lot...


I'm sure to be busy now... and Jason is thinking about getting his crawl on.. he's moving.. albeit slowly and w/ little grace!



I'm having fun taking the little videos.. and love watching them over and over. I hope you are enjoying them too. I will continue to post the in my photo album... just click on the little picture of the TV and they should play! :)m

Drowning in the River of My Children!

Lately I feel like I'm drowning. I feel like my identity is gone... like I live and breathe solely for my children... like my needs should vanish. I guess I'm just starting to feel this way b/c my needs/wants/desires are bubbling to the top again as I'm getting a little bit more freedom.

As I start to think of things I want to do.. and not just RIGHT NOW, but big picture things... I think, "and HOW am I going to pursue/do that when I have these two wee ones to care for?" I know that there are plenty of moms out there contributing to their communities and living their own lives, but how? I'm not just talking the physical act of going out and doing something w/o kids tethered to you - much less to your boob for nourishment, but the emotional act. I start thinking big about something... we'll use a triathlon as an example. I think oh how great it would be to do a tri... then I think about the training - oh the wind in my hair as I cruise along on my bike, the freedom of a nice quiet run, and - I won't lie - the swimming part is not so appealing. Then I'm snapped back to reality at the sound of my babies... whether talking to themselves or each other or CRYING... and I remember that I don't have the hours to train and be away from them. I suppose this feeling will pass as they get older and can go longer between nursing.. RIGHT!?

For now I feel I am drowning in a quickly moving river... I no sooner pop my arm out of the fast current to grab hold of a tree limb of my former self as the current picks up, rips my grasp free and sucks me back under.

I love my babies and being a mom is rewarding for the most part, but will I ever feel free to pursue those things I long for? I know hind site is 20/20, but I find myself wishing I had done more stuff before they were born... I always felt I was too busy... let me tell you as the time goes by you just get BUSIER! I'm sure this will be true as time goes by and the kids get older and more involved.. of course when they are doing their thing (school or whatever) I can do mine. Is that my destiny now? Fit my stuff in in between theirs?

If I had read this post two years ago I would be mad at it's writer... thinking, "I WISH I could forget about myself for a bit! I WISH I could 'just' be a mom and not have to worry about the rest!" After all we went through to get these kids here I almost feel guilty for having these feelings. I have these two BEAUTIFUL PERFECT (though they do cry a fair bit! ha) babies and I am complaining? WHAT THE &*$$! But I suppose no matter how they get here I am still a mom and I will have the feelings of any other mom and this is part of the gig... the whole loss of self thing! You don't know what you don't know, right?

Lily is crawling and I'm in love!

Here's a LINK to video of Lily crawling!!!

So... mama got some new toys today... I finally replaced my cheapo camera w/ a new digital Sony Cybershot! I love this thing. You can see new photos on the photo album.. along w/ the video of Lily linked above.

And my OTHER fun toy is a new MacBook!!! It's taking me a while to remember all the "Mac stuff", but I'm excited to be back on this machine! It's super fast and the software is SO fun... some day in the near future I will let you in on WHY I got a new machine, but let's suffice it to say that it's super fun for now! :)

GREENDIMES - end Junk Mail!

Did you know that 100 million trees are cut down a year for junk mail alone, or that 28 billion gallons of water are used to create the paper for said mail, and paper makes up 235 million tons of waste that Americans send to landfills each year... at 70 pounds of junk mail a year per household. It all grows by 3 million pieces a year. (Quoted from the greendimes website)

I got the link to Greendimes from Karen's website... wow, awesome! I was just saying to Tom the other day that I wish I could stop all of our stupid junk mail. It goes straight to the recycling. I'm tired of sorting my mail over the recycling bin before I even open it.. then having the recycling bin in the house fill up in less than a week... of course if I end my junkmail I'll barely get anything in the mail anymore.. where's the site to end my bills!?

So go HERE and end your junk mail.. they plant a tree too.. how cool is that.

Thanks for the info.. I hope to walk the talk too!!!!

Moms and Martinis

You've got to be KIDDING ME! I'm listening to the Today show in the background as my kids fuss and cry b/c they have a cold and they've been up for a whole hour and are ready for their first nap (It's 8:30am and I could use a martini.. ha ha).... They are talking about moms getting together for play groups and having a martini or glass of wine. ONE drink compromises your ability to function .. blah.. blah.. blah.. You know what compromises my ability to function? Two kids screaming in my face. It's ONE freakin' drink in the course of a couple of hours.. give me a break! It's not like they are having a kegger w/ their kids.. so if this is a problem what about the neighborhood bbq where you might throw back a beer ... or GASP two! Or what about when you leave the kids w/ your hubby and his buddies to watch the game while you go to get some errands done - b/c this is the only opportunity you are going to have - and they are having brewskies while they watch the game??

Now maybe if it was EVERY play date you went to ... but I'm sure it's a 'special' thing!

People need to relax! GEEZ!

The answer to my composting dilema

I was looking into composting and was disheartened when I saw it was much more difficult / involved then just throwing your kitchen and yard waste in a pile or recepticle and turning it... well I just found this: http://solarcone.net/system/index.php

You can reduce your waste by 20% by using this handy little thing (similar to the doggy doodle thing we use for phoebe's waste) for your kitchen waste!!!! I'm psyched. Now I just have to figure out if I can use it during our long winter months where everything is frozen! :)

It's been a while / centerfold

it's been a while since I posted new pics of the kiddos.. I added some more to the photo album and here are some centerfolds for your viewing pleasure. (sorry the one is blurry.. our camera is awful and it's hard to get good shots. Karen, you'll be happy to know that we plan on "spending some money" to buy a new one!)





When they are older they'll be so glad to know these shots were out in cyberspace.. though cyberspace will be so "last year" by then! ha

Horizon's kids milks are SAFE!

See the email response below regarding the packaging of the Horizon milk products aimed at children:

Thank you for your recent e-mail to Horizon Organic. We appreciate your interest in our products.

This revolutionary package is a laminate of three materials: high-quality paperboard, polyethylene and aluminum. Each material plays a critical role in achieving the unique benefits of the aseptic package. Paper (70%) provides stiffness, strength and the efficient brick shape to the package. Polyethylene (24%) on the innermost layer forms the seals that make the package liquid-tight. A protective coating on the exterior keeps the package dry. Aluminum (6%) is the silver material you see on the inside of the aseptic package. This ultra-thin layer of foil forms a barrier against light and oxygen, eliminating the need for refrigeration and preventing spoilage without using preservatives. The aseptic package contains a total of six layers in this order: polyethylene, paper, polyethylene, aluminum foil, polyethylene and polyethylene. For more information about aseptic packaging, please visit www.aseptic.org.

There are no health concerns associated with the aseptic package. The silver material you see on the inside of the aseptic package is an ultra-thin layer of aluminum, which forms a barrier against light and oxygen, eliminating the need for refrigeration and preventing spoilage without using preservatives. Aluminum does not touch the food product. The inside layer of an aseptic package, which touches the product, is polyethylene (plastic), not aluminum. Moreover, there is no leaching of aluminum or aluminum components through the polyethylene layer. The polyethylene used in the aseptic package, low-density polyethylene (LDPE), is an FDA-approved food-contact surface material. It is the only material in the package that comes in contact with the food product, and in addition, industry tests have shown that no polyethylene leaches into the food product. For more information about aseptic packaging, please visit www.aseptic.org.

Thanks again for contacting the Consumer Affairs Department.

Sincerely,
Celeste MuelaConsumer Response Representative
Ref: N551779

Food for thought

what future do you want?

If your life could be anything you wanted it to be, what would it be
right now?
- Where would you live?
- Who would your friends be? What kind of people would you like
to spend your time with?
- How would you spend your time, if you could be doing
anything at all that you wanted?
- What would you eat? Wear? Listen to?
- Would you work? If so, what would you do? If not, what
would you do?
- What do you want to learn? To know? To be?
- Where would you like to vacation? What would you do?
- What else would be a part of your perfect life?'

BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME!

Director of Schwinn Product Development!

I'm so proud of Tom... he got a promotion!! As the Director of Schwinn Product Development he will be responsible for the marketing and financial success of the entire Schwinn product line! GO TOM!

Wow, this Pacific place sure is turing out to be a great place to work! ;) He even likes it there and likes the people he works with.. what a concept!

Boob update!

For those of you just waiting to get an update on the status of my boob. (sorry to the few guys that look at this!)... things are looking much better. I did as Katie suggested and today, though I'm really sore, things seem to be better. I'm not sure if the current swelling is just inflamation or if there is still some clogged duct action going on. Time will tell. Unfortunately the latch wasn't great all day yesterday so I'm also sore there ... ugh! It will pass! :)

J has started scooting / army crawling all over the place. Karen, he was 'chasing' that toy you got him for xmas all over the living room this a.m. :)

The joys of motherhood.

I have a plugged duct!!! AH! Tom called this a 'joy of motherhood'.. where are the 'joys of fatherhood'?

So the advantages of a plugged duct.. I now know that when the time comes for me to get the 'augmentation' my body can handle a full C or small D! ha The disadvantage.. well I have one small C and one large C/small D breast at the moment. The larger of two is hard as a rock (well half of it is) and is quite painful when any pressure is applied to it. Another disadvantage... having to pump, massage (despite pain) and HOPE that this thing will eventually let go before I end up w/ Mastitis and on Antibiotics! BLAH!

Along w/ this momma has finally come down w/ the cold that has been going through the family.. starting w/ Tom.. to Jason.. finally Lily and now me! It's not too bad yet and hopefully I can fend it off before it gets out of control!

Anyone out there that has advice about what to do to deflate my boob before it explodes feel free to chime in!

Horizon's response:

And here is the response I received from Horizon regarding their milk cartons. (Karen, I emailed back asking specifically about the individually packaged milk products geared toward kids... like the chocolate milk. I will let you know.)

Thank you for your recent e-mail to Horizon Organic.

We appreciate your interest in our products.

Our half-gallon and quart milk cartons are made of recyclable paperboard. The carton has a thin layer of low density, food grade polyethylene laminated to both the inside and outside of the package to prevent leaking.

Thanks again for contacting the Consumer Affairs Department.

Sincerely,Celeste MuelaConsumer Response RepresentativeRef: N549877

I want to be an attentive parent!

Parenting is a tough job... and I have a feeling it will get harder as the years go by. Harder in that I will need to be attentive and aware of my childrens needs and desires.. what they are up to and how they are feeling.. w/ or w/o them actually telling me.

Yes, these insights have come from the book I wrote about in my last blog... I knew these things well before I had children, but the book really drove this point home for me.

I called Tom today to bail me out of my housebound parenting hell today. Like the great husband he is he packed up his stuff at work and cruised home immediately to save his teary eyed crazed wife. Off I went to a coffee shop for some quiet... and of course I read a book about kids, but hey.. it's what I wanted to do.

As I sat there reading it hit me... this is it. I'm happy and satisfied w/ my two children.. as they get older I want to be an attentive parent and in order for me to do that I think that I need to "keep it simple"... meaning that having more kids would make it more difficult for ME to be the attentive parent that I want to be. I want Jason and Lily to have attentive parents and should embryo 1 and 2 come to be little ones I want them to have attentive parents b/c all of my "children" (all children - not just mine) deserve at least that. So tomorrow I will be calling SRM and asking them some last questions about my little totscicles... 1. how long do they keep the embryos on ice waiting for them to be 'adopted' by another couple, 2. how often do people use donor embryos and 3. would we know that our embryos had been chosen? (the answer to this is probably no)...

I'm ready to let them go to another couple, but the prospect of never knowing if someone 'adopted' them and if they ever made it threw freeze... to the warmth of a uterus... and through a pregnancy to their first breath... answering another couples long unanswered prayers. I just don't know.. that is the only thing holding me back. But what's the use of holding them in our name if we never intend to give them life???

A must read!!!

If you are a parent.. a to be parent.. a teacher... you must read this book. You may think that as a mom to a daughter or a dad to a son that you know how to raise your child appropriately, but wow... this book sure opens my eyes. I admit that particularly in regard to my parenting of a boy, but things that I wouldn't have realized or thought of in regard to my parenting of my daughter...

Ideas around education, thought processes... how they differ for girls and boys! I feel this book has really opened my eyes to things I should be aware of as the years go by. To be tolerate of my son's need to be a rough and tumble boy (if he ends up being that way) and to encourage my daughter to continue to take risks.

Okay, my ability to convey my ideas has been horrible lately. I have lost my ability to communicate - hopefully temporarily, but this book is GOOD!

You SHOULD READ IT!

I borrowed it from the library, but plan to add it to my bookshelf to be reread when my kids are closer to school age.

Retail Therapy

I didn't believe that it was true... other moms told me that when they shop now it's always for their kids.. I thought, "well, that's ridiculous, what do kids really NEED. I'M still going to shop for me." Yeah cause I do that a lot anyway.... I digress.

I had a LOONNNGGG day yesterday and just completed a little morning retail therapy... what did I buy?? Robeez and clothes for J and L.... eek! But they were on sale and SO DAMN CUTE! :)

Organic Valley milk cartons

Good news... you can shop for your milk w/o worrying about BPA!!! I contacted both Organic Valley and Horizon regarding their milk cartons and what they use as the lining... I am waiting to hear back from Horizon, but here is the response from Organic Valley!! PHEW!

Dear Laura,

Thank you for contacting us at Organic Valley. No, we do not use BPA in the lining of our milk cartons. The plasticused is either #2 or #3 depending on the carton. I hope this provides you with the information that you requested. Do nothesitate to contact me if you require additional assistance.

Sincerely,
Brandy Smith-Vuich
Organic Valley/ Cropp Cooperative
Consumer Relations
1-888-444-6455 ext.437
brandy.smith-vuich@organicvalley.coop

Snow falls and I wear earplugs...

It's been snowing all day here.. just light snow, but it's slowly accumulating... winter is truly upon us. T had to shovel the walk outside before he left for work and will probably have to do it again tonight. I'm hoping I can get out for a walk or run w/ Willis tonight to enjoy the new fallen white stuff. I really wish I could take the babies out.. I suppose I could wrap them up real well and use the rain fly, but my mind can't get around that today!

All was going well today until around 30 mins ago. J and L were happily playing then J blew up ... does this when he wants to be held... so I picked him up and he snuggled in, but kept kind of fussing so I checked his diaper and he had a poop... okay, no prob will just change that real quick. When I put him on the changing table he started screaming and rigged out (wouldn't bend his legs so I could get his jammies off... yes, my kids wear jammies all damn day!)... he does this when he's pissed or tired. After I changed him he wouldn't calm down so I nursed him.. then he was okay so I put him down - L was starting to fuss. Then he freaked again.. LOUD freaked. I assumed he must be tired (we were getting close to nap time) so down he went. He protested a bit, but was okay. Went back downstairs to get L - who wasn't too happy about being left alone - checked her diaper - okay, tried nursing her, but she wouldn't focus and kept SCREECHING.. mostly b/c she can and partly b/c, well I don't know... think she was tired. It was so loud and high decibel that it HURT my ears. I remember my ear plugs had somehow made there way downstairs... so I put them in.. ugh! SO LOUD. I took her up.. J was quiet. I put L down... she cried.. J woke up and now I hear J up there squawking while L is quiet... oh the joys of twins!

After typing that whole thing out... a long description of a mere 10 mins of my day that took me over the edge... this is it ladies and gentleman.. a day in the life... I'm still in my jammies too in case you were wondering.

ALAS.. it's not all bad... T turned me on to a new game L likes to play. He went up to get them from their nap while he was here for lunch and called me up. He put L in the crib w/ J then crouched down low and said, "where are the peanuts?" L raised her head up high to look down and find T... it was SO cute. They did it over and over. Remember the fun stuff, remember the fun stuff, remember the fun stuff, remember the fun stuff...

now J is quiet and L is making noise!

One more cute thing and I'll sign off... I was in the kitchen making something and could see J in the living room in the exersaucer and the top of Ls head on the floor by him. J was done w/ the exersaucer and was letting me know by squawking... everytime he would squawk L would squawk in turn as if mimicking him... pretty cute.

Okay.. better go see what's going on upstairs...

Happy 7 months babies!

7 months today!! WOW!!!! Things are changing at lightening speed now!



and as always.. last month for comparison:

Beware of PC - polycarbonate (#7) - BPA

Polycarbonates main building block is: BPA - bisphenol-A

Think all plastics w/ the recycle code of 7... plastic water bottles.. not going to name names, but the ones we all use. I know they have created or are working on a bottle not made of BPA.. apparently other plastics such as high-density polyethylene (#2), Low-density polyethylene (#4) or polypropylene (#5) which are thought to be safer and not to leach into your food.

I recently ditched all of my water bottles and replaced them w/ a SIGG bottle (http://www.sigg.ch/) ... thanks in part to my good friend Julie.

BUT it doesn't stop there.. I was disturbed to read in this article that BPA is commonly used to line the inside of both cans in canned goods and milk cartons. I would hope that the manufacturers of organic milks would be wise to this risk and not use BPA, but how can I know.. so are we going to have to go back to buying local and in glass jugs... then recycling the jugs.. that's probably the more environmentally friendly way to go anyway.

I won't even attempt to describe what BPA does to you, but you can check out this wikipedia listing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A It's something to do w/ Estrogen receptors and is starting to be linked to the increase in breast cancer.

So replace your water bottles.. you can also check out klean kanteen... and stop eating canned food (fresh or frozen is better anyway) .... and I'm not sure what to do about milk (and any other food items that may be packaged in this stuff) aside from the glass jug thing. I did just read that Whole Foods (aka whole paycheck as Tom likes to call it) has stopped selling items packaged in BPA as of sometime in 2006.

Other plastics to watch out for:
PVC - plyvinyl chloride - #3 - commonly used in kids toys - think teethers.. GREAT! Try wood toys I guess - Haba toys are pvc free: http://www.oompa.com/cgi-bin/category/Baby_Toys
PS - polystyrene - #6 - styrofoam (but we already knew that was bad stuff) apparently the production of that stuff is real bad for the environment (like my technical jargin?)

two things...

thought of two fun things to share about J and L...


1. they are really talking to each other a lot!!! We were upstairs getting ready for bed and after nursing we were just chillin' on the bed and they were mimicking each other. One would grunt then the other would copy. After that L was trying to suck on J's nose and as she would move her face close to his he would laugh... then she would laugh in return. It was so cute. They are really grabbing at each other and making eye contact, stealing each others toys and grabbing each others ears and faces too!


2. They are sitting unassisted. L lasts a big longer than J, but he's better at doing the tripod w/ his one arm as he starts to fall over!

taken a lot out of me!

Wow, that last post must have taken a lot out of me! ha ha I think this is the longest I've gone w/o posting - aside from the trip to Seattle - since the babies were born... but my memory is fuzzy and I could be wrong.

I really don't have much to report... our wireless was out so I had to plug into the modem - EEK! The modem is in the office upstairs and only allowed me internet access while the babies were napping... so a couple hours a day.

We are getting so close to the birth of Julie and Karen Ps babies!!!! Only about 4 more weeks!!! YEAH! I'm so excited!!! I can't wait to 'meet' the baby girls! Though I'm sad that I have to meet them over the internet... BLAH! Greg is out of town until the end of the month so baby girl Golding has been instructed to stay put until daddy gets home... here's hoping she takes instruction well and is happy to stay in Karen's tummy! Baby girl Sweet is doing well and is engaging already... her bro was a bit early so we expect the same from you little girl. Julie has been instructed to head STRAIGHT to the hospital at first sign of labor as she went pretty quick w/ baby boy and baby girl could come even faster! Hugs to you both and hoping for easy labors for you both!!! Good luck and you better let us know immediately when those beautiful baby girls enter this world!

The trip down to Houston is in the works. Mom will be flying up in early March and we will head out on Sunday March 4th... early. HOPEFULLY the babies will get their morning nap in the car (though they typically won't nap too long in the car) and we will stop in Savoy to visit Julie, Todd, Cooper and BG Sweet for an overnight... it's only 4.5 hours into our 1000+ mile trip, but I can't just DRIVE BY Savoy w/o stopping in. Then we're off to Little Rock, AR for our next overnight... and up and at 'em early the next morning to finish out the trip to Houston (really The Woodlands). These babies sure are getting around in their little lives. Mom is hot on the trail for baby accutraments... she bought high chairs already and will be borrowing some baby stuff from my Aunt Susan. (She has grandson's she often entertains at her place.) I was originally thinking it would be such a relief to head to Houston, where it's warmer, after a long hard winter, but it really hasn't been that bad. I'm still excited to head down and Tom is excited to be able to go to Taiwan a bit longer than he would have felt comfortable w/ had he been leaving us here. Tom will then fly into Houston on March 27th and do some dealer visits then drive back up w/ us... w/ hopefully another stop in Savoy to see the Sweets. And for those of you that are wondering... Phoebe will be traveling to Houston w/ mom and I.

That's all I got really... the babies are napping fairly well.. we're working on trying to get them to sleep longer than 3 hours at a stretch at night... this involves painful (for mom) amounts of crying (it's really not that bad... I'm just sensitive) at night, but it seems to be working.. SLOWLY! Most likely all just in time for teething... which seems to not be happening AT ALL. Maybe they will be like their cousin Riley and get them all in a flash!

Reflections coming...

so the reflections on 2006 are starting a bit here and there.. I'm not sure why they are so tough this year.. maybe b/c half of the year was an exhausting blur! ha

On a run w/ Phoebe I remembered that running and walking w/ her is such a dream now!

- So in s2006 we were able to Whisper (read: Train) our dog to do better on walks and around the house... we transformed Phoebe in 2006. That is quite and accomplishment and I'm proud of that... not that it wasn't w/o hiccups and one big mishap.

- We brought two of the most beautiful babies into the world after a years long struggle w/ infertility.... HALLELUJAH!!!

- And we have managed to survive PHASE I of becoming parents and seem to have come out of it unscathed... still married... and still free citizens of this great country. Well done!

- We acclimated to our new home city. We weathered our first winter and have managed to meet some very nice people w/i our community.

- We managed to bring two lives into the world w/o buying a crap load of NEW baby stuff. We stayed smart, we recycled or borrowed used baby products like a stroller, some baby seats, boppy's, play mats, exersaucers, a co-sleeper, a crib, bouncy seats.... Not that we didn't buy any new stuff (like my beloved Maclaren), but I feel good about not over consuming on the baby front.. I didn't buy a bunch of new plastic stuff that will eventually end up in a land fill.

- We kept our promise to ourselves that we would be flexible as parents, and though it is surely a life changing event we have managed to bring the babies out to dinner, on walks, to Seattle and out w/ friends... all the while keeping a semblance of schedule. (ha, as if I can even whisper that word in this house) We have certainly had to adhere to more of a schedule than we - naively - thought we would, but we have tried not to be a slave to it.

- all in all it was a pretty healthy year as well.. w/o me working I wasn't living on coffee and M&Ms so that helps. I had my fair share of ice cream during the pregnancy, but we have done a pretty decent job of maintaining a decent diet since they've been here (thanks mom for cooking for us for the first 3 months!!!)

- Another good one is that my house didn't TOTALLY fall apart when my mom left. I worried that I wouldn't ever be able to clean - or shower for that matter - but our house is clean (enough for me... stop laughing mom), I'm showered and the babies are bathed (tom's on his own - I assume he maintains good hygiene)... so I feel successful in that department.

- Managed to nurse two babies exclusively (w/ formula here and there in the beginning), but all milk all the time now.

- Started to and continuing to use cloth diapers - much to the chagrin of many nay sayers! - and in large part to my mom helping me w/ the laundry load in the beginning.

Looking back on 2006... it's one of the best (hardest) of my life... My babies are here.. we are a family now. It was by far the hardest year of my life.. harder than the infertility struggle by far... and I would be lying if I said I wasn't glad it was over. The new year comes at an interesting time in the kids' development... pretty close to their transition to being fun! So I leave behind 2006 and the struggles of 2 newborns to enter into 2007 w/ two REALLY fun and interesting babies! Oh and a great husband and a dog that is a little less annoying!

2007 - to do's & more sleep stuff

I added a list of "to do's" on the right ---->

A sort of "resolution" list... it seems a bit lame and paltry as I look at it right now. I'm still contemplating the new year and what I want to see happen in my life this year... so this list is just a start and will change and morph throughout the year I'm sure.. I like flexible "resolutions" ha ha

and onto sleep...

so I'm not complaining by any stretch here, but confused.... since returning from Seattle J has taken to sleeping in... first a.m. till around 10:30am.. I got him up yesterday at 8:30am thinking it would help him go to sleep earlier (he was in his room chatting to himself around 10:30pm the night before).. he wasnt' too excited about being woken, but was okay after he got to nurse. He rallied till around 9:45am and took an hour nap... he napped better on the day he slept in...

I think I have a morning baby and a night baby... L was up at 6:30am (though I think she really stayed up after she nursed at 6am) and J is still sleeping right now at 8:20 am.

I hate to wake a sleeping baby and it's really not a problem for me that he wants to sleep in.. the trouble comes in the evening when he is clearly tired, but won't go to sleep and will sleep an hour, wake and cry a while.. sleep again, wake and cry... on and off until I go to bed around 10pm.... Yes ladies and gentleman that's right.. I'm going to bed at a normal hour now. No more 8pm bedtime for this ADULT! ha ha

Should I just keep him up later or start waking them together around 7am?? "They" say to wake a baby, but he naps better when I don't.... is this about me or about him? Do I want him to go to bed earlier, but he's just not programmed that way???? Or is it about me wanting to have my oatmeal and coffee in peace?? Oh the questions!!! So we'll fly w/ this a while.

Laura and Lily

Okay.. so this is a photo of me at 11 months and the photo of Lily is only 6 months, but you get the idea. I'll have to do this again when Lily is 11 months.... what do you think.. does she look like me??? (I'll do Jason and Tom when I get a picture of Tom... hint hint)



here's a pic of L smiling:





Maybe an indication of how much hair she'll have at 11 months... :) I'm quite a bit pudgier... So we'll see how she changes over the next 4.5 months.

Parents' Resolutions for the New Year

I'm not sure that I consider myself to be one for "resolutions" perse, but I do like to have goals/objectives for the new year... something to look forward to... something to aim to do.. ie. run a 1/2 marathon.. I like to make a collage to "put out there" what I want for myself and my family and allow the 'universe' to guide me along (w/ work on my part of course). See THIS post for reference to these!

I came across the "resolution" below and really liked. Though my children are young I really FEEL this list ... I will post it and keep it where I can see it to remind me of the kind of parent I want to be. It's so easy to worry you are going to screw up your kids.. to react in the moment and forget the big picture... happy confident and responsible... that sounds like my kind of kid.

Have a fabulous start to your New Year... and may all of your "resolutions" stick!

Parents' Resolutions for the New Year
No matter what's happened in the past, you can raise happy, confident, and responsible kids starting right now
By Chick Moorman and Thomas Haller


In 2007, I resolve not to teach my children to have a happy, productive life, but rather to help them choose a happy, productive day.I resolve to help my children appreciate that there is no such thing as failure, only temporary results that they can use as feedback to determine their next step.I resolve to fix problems rather than fix blame by maintaining a solution-seeking mindset and teaching my children a problem-solving process.

I resolve to aid my children in their struggle with autonomy by creating a balance of power through a shared control style of parenting.

I resolve to remember that I want children to behave in ways that reflect what THEY find unacceptable, not in ways that I, the parent, find unacceptable.

I resolve to welcome interpersonal skill errors as learning experiences and as important opportunities to implement consequences.

I resolve to parent in a way that demonstrates that I believe the only authority children take with them everywhere they go is their inner authority.

I resolve to allow my responses to my children to reflect a knowing that some lapses in self-control are developmentally appropriate. I will remember that they behave in certain ways because they are five or eight or fourteen years old.

I resolve to parent in a way that reflects my belief that the process is as important as the product.

When I am stumped and don't know how to respond to one of my children, I promise to ask myself, "What would love do now?" I also intend to listen internally for an answer.

I resolve to recall that I can choose to see any parenting situation differently from the way I have been seeing it. I will remember that perception is always a choice.

I resolve to relax, while remembering that relaxing does not mean resigning.

I resolve to make my approach to parenting reflect the notion that raising a child is more about drawing out what already exists in a youngster rather than about putting in to fill perceived deficiencies.

I resolve to focus on the main purpose of parenting, the creation of who and what we really are as human beings.

I resolve to remember that "being right" doesn't work.

I resolve to parent as if I believe that a child's I AM (I am athletic, I am creative, etc.) is more important than his or her IQ.

I resolve to live today as if attitudes were more easily caught than taught.

I resolve to help my children and myself stay conscious of the choices we are making.

I resolve to remember the adage, "If you want a behavior, you have to teach a behavior," and I resolve to put that adage into practice in my home.

I resolve to see the hurting child in the child that hurts others.

I resolve to "be" the change I wish to see in my family.

I resolve to talk less and listen more.

I resolve to remember that experience can be messy. I will allow my children to learn from the messes they make and the cleanup that follows.

I resolve to hold my children accountable for their actions and choices with gentleness and love.

I will implement consequences consistently and allow my children to experience the related, respectful, reality-based consequences that flow directly from their actions.

I resolve to make myself dispensable and assist my children in becoming increasingly in charge of themselves and their own lives.

I resolve to refrain from making my children wrong for their choices, even as I hold them accountable for their actions.

I resolve to recognize that my children are in my life as much so I can learn from them as they are so they can learn from me. I will be open to the lessons my children offer me and honor them for helping me learn and grow.

New Year, New Food

We gave J and L some Broccoli today... :) Though it looks as if J didn't care for it he really enjoyed picking it up and putting it in his mouth. We'll see if any of it actually got swallowed, but they both enjoyed playing w/ it and it was so funny to watch them concentrate really hard to grab it and get it in their mouths.









They've done a fair amount of sleeping today after our long trip yesterday.. Lily is REALLY tired and having a hard time falling asleep, but hopefully we'll get a good nights sleep out of them tonight. I have a feeling we're going to have to work through some sleep "training" again to get them back where they were for night sleep... they got accustomed to coming into bed again.

Xmas and New Years

How do I blog about a WHOLE week. The good news is that I think the bulk of my readership was there for Xmas so I don't have to cover things too extensively!!!

I'll start you off w./ a pic. Usually the whole family goes to see Santa (well as past traditions go), but the kids are getting older and the individual nucleic families are starting to do their own Christmas thing so it didn't come together for the whole gang to go to Santa together... so we brought Santa to the gang.. note Larry (eh hem Santa) in the middle w/ the cotton ball beard!

Evan, Connor, the babies, Liam and Riley... hmm.. think there is room for a few more kids in there! ha ha



Lynda, Larry, Tom and I took the babies to see the Santa at Factoria (the usual tradition) and it was so worth the wait in line. The babies did great in line then Jason was such a ham on Santa's lap that he difinitely stole the show. I wish I had video taped it!!! I did get a print and will try to remember to scan it.. here's L&L w/ J&L in line.



After Lynda and Larry - and other Seattle parties - recovered as best they could from the disasterous weather out in the PNW we were able to pull off a great holiday... by WE I don't mean me and Tom! ha G and A came over on Xmas eve to hang out, but I was only able to hang in there until around 9pm.. ugh! We had a nice breakfast together before the rest of the troops arrived... Art and Bev, Karen, Andy, Liam and Riley and Ed, Jill, Connor and Evan. It was great fun to have everyone together again. We did an overnight w/ all the kiddos on Christmas and had some breakfast together the next morning.

We headed down to Pat and Joan's on the 26th for Xmas again w/ the family.. all the kids and gkids were there.. we had a grand feast and played w/ Chris's new Wii... After a quick power outage and a run to set up the generator most people left and Tom and I headed to bed. I think that night was the first time I've seen Chris's true personality come out!!! It was so fun to see him and to be reminded that he isn't 15 anymore! ha ha Sorry Chris that's how I always remember you for some reason!

We swung through Seattle on the way back from Olympia for a coffee and an attempt at a Gordito's burrito, but it was closed. Aside from that quick run through down town we stayed out in Woodinville or on the East side. Jennie came to Woodinville to visit on Christmas and then K, J and I went out to Thai food on the East side. It was so great to sit and chat and to talk about Jameson's pending arrival.

On the 28th we headed over to Greg and Karen's to visit w/ them and Matt, Jansy, Zach and Haley and Wes, Katie, Henry and Herman. It was so fun to see them and I was about bowled over when their kids walked in... they get so big so fast and it's so strange to have such a marker on how time flies by.

We are so thankful to have such great family and friends and are so glad to have been able to spend so much just regular quiet time w/ everyone. I miss you all already.

Our trip home was .... LONG! We were supposed to arrive in Madison at 11:45pm and didn't get in until 3:30am... ugh! It was a long day, but the babies did so WELL. They managed to stay on a reasonably good schedule and did so well sleeping in unfamiliar places.. first L&Ls then P&J's then G&Ks... I am so proud of them. They did fabulously on the plane as well!!!! YIPPEE!!!

J got up for about an hour this a.m. at 10:30am and L got up around 11:30am... I am so thankful that they didn't get up at 6am... :) All is well in the Mount household and we are ready to embrace the new year! Happy 2007!