some videos

here are some cute videos.. :) I've got no words right now.. sorry. Just beat. ha
Some playing...

and the EVER EVENTFUL diaper change... Jason is going a mile a minute these days!

Midwest Spring

Why can't I remember spring from last year? My turn to have a little hissy fit over the weather....

So i ran on Monday... wore light pants and a light shirt and felt overdressed.. this afternoon I wore heavy pants, a "warm" shirt, a jacket, a hat and gloves and FROZE MY ASS OFF! It's freakin' 26 degrees out!

I am thinking back to easters of my youth wearing dresses albeit w/ tights, but NO hats, NO gloves, NO freakin' ear muffs and down jackets.

It IS April, right? According to all of my sources it is April and NOT December.

Here I am left reassessing my definition of quality of life.. is it - as I have always felt - being able to afford to live in an urban area where I can walk to the store and a coffee shop or is it JUST being able to walk to WHEREVER (my mailbox or to the car) w/o freezing my butt off!!!!

Okay.. I'm done - for now - at least Tom enjoys his job (not something most can say) and we are blessed to live in an area we like (despite the weather). I'm going to sign off now and go have a piping hot cup of tea then a nice warm shower (provided the babies sleep long enough to do all that).

Getting back in the swing..

so far Jason is staying healthy and Lily is working through her croup/cold. Her nose is runny now and she had a semi-rough night last night between the croup and the major thunder / lighting storm we had last night.

Here are some fun pics I got today...

the future executive...


or maybe Lily is the Executive and here she is giving dictation to her assistant! ha


And a video for good measure:

Our first trip to Urgent Care

Last night/this a.m. around 3;30am Lily woke up crying and was making this weird barking/coughing noise. I didn't think much of it at 3:30am and wasn't sure if it was her or Jason b/c it was dark in the room.. and well, it was 3:30am. I thought it might have been Jason snoring. Anyway... fast forward to the end of our car ride today. Lily was sick of being in her seat and started crying and started the barking/coughing thing again. I leaned over the top of her seat to check on her and it looked like she was having trouble breathing and she was wheezing a bit. After she calmed down she flashed me a big smile and seemed fine.... until she got up from her next nap. She started crying and when I got there she was doing the barking/wheezing thing again. We called the on call doc at her pediatrician's office and she said she was pretty sure she had croup from what she could hear over the phone and what I was telling her and that we should take Lily to Urgent Care and that she might need some Steroids.

We headed over...at first I was just taking Lily then we thought it might be a good idea to take Jason too... so they could check him out if need be. Turns out the doc was right and Lily has croup. It's most likely Viral, but could be bacterial and is caused by the parainfluenza virus. There is inflammation of the wind pipe and upper air way which causes the barking.. you just have to wait it out, but can do steam rooms (bathroom w/ shower on), cold wet outdoor air or steroids to help ease the inflammation. They wanted to give her an injection there that is stronger and lasts 48 hours, but we opted for the oral steroid since her case - right now - seems somewhat mild. Of course tonight as we were getting ready for bed she started wheezing a lot.

Anyway... we are fine... she should be over it in the next 3 to 7 days. :)

It's good to be home...

We are HOME! It's in the 40s and that pretty much sucks, but it's good to be back. We had a great trip to Papa and Grandma's and had a nice relaxing day w/ Todd, Julie, Cooper and Anna yesterday. Jason and Lily did a great job on the trip, but they were ready to be done in the car. :) They are up to new tricks already. Jason is pulling up on the gate on his tippy tippy toes and acting like he wants to climb it... oy vey! I think he will be walking before I know it.

I'm working on uploading a bunch of photos... more to come.

All good things come to an end...

we are packing up to make the trip back to Wisconsin. I can't believe that three weeks have gone by already. We will be making a pit stop in Savoy to see the Sweets again... it will be fun to see how much Miss Anna has changed in the last three weeks.

I'm signing off until we get to Madison (where I've heard it's 60 degrees). Here I am again logging off and shutting down.. and feeling like I'm removing my right arm.

I'll be back online soon ... hopefully to report an uneventful trip.

happy birthday to Lynda!!!

WElcome Jameson..

Jameson William Perry was born on Tuesday 3/27/07 at 12:51 pm weighing in at 7.1 lbs and measuring 20 inches. Mom and baby are doing well! The surgery went great w/ no complications for mom or baby... though mom reported that it was like ordering up a baby. :) Jameson is figuring out the nursing thing and mom and dad are getting some sleep here and there.

Here is a picture of the cutie pie!

some cute video!

Here are some cute videos of the kids..

playing:


eating:

Oh my gosh I can't believe it!

BOTH babies slept THROUGH the night last night... down at 6pm (they didn't nap well in the afternoon) and up around 6:15am. Lily whined a bit around 10pm, but that was it. Thank goodness... since I've been sick as a dog for the last two days. Thank goodness for grandma!! I was able to get a 3 hour nap (don't remember the last time I did that) today... I haven't put anything in my mouth yet so we'll see, but I feel a bit better.

She slept through the night!!

And I mean through the night... 7pm to 7am... one little peep at around 6am!!! Amazing! Then she went down for a 2.5 hour nap from 8:30am to 11am.... sleep begets sleep! Jason did pretty well too only waking up at 10:30pm. YIPPEE! Unfortunately I didn't go to bed until 11pm, but hey I still got 7 STRAIGHT hours of sleep!!

The kids are growing up so quickly right before my eyes... as far as their development goes they have just taken off... it's so funny after the first... was it 5 months?... you just wait and wait for them to at least roll over or SOMETHING.. then BAM! They are eating food, crawling, then standing, now transitioning from one spot to another, starting to grab things off table tops, figuring out how to take things out of things (w/ their toys).... it just EXPLODES! They are babbling up a storm too! I feel so sad that Tom hasn't seen them in a few weeks.. he's going to be amazed at how big they are and how much they've changed. They've gotten much more adventurous and curious.

back by popular demand.

I haven't posted any video in a while. Here's a funny one of the kids eating... Like I've said mom and I are astounded at how much these kids can put away! Jason gets quite upset when you make him wait. Lily is a bit more patient! Enjoy.... "Dinner w/ the Mount Kids"... I'm off to have my nightly glass of wine and unwind.

Happy 9 Months kiddos!

I can't believe they are 9 months already! Getting the pictures is getting more and more difficult... $70 later and I've got the battery charger (what a racket), but couldn't miss the babies 9 month photo op. Here is their 9 month photo (w/ 8 months to compare) and a photo of them on the swings... we're having fun in Texas!

9 months: (Lily is doing SO BIG)


8 months:


and the swings:


And fun w/ a Huggies box (don't judge me)

Feeling a bit better...

okay.. so my energy seems to have come back a bit. Marie pointed out that it might have been my plugged duct. I think she was right.

I've started adding a bit of running to my walking routine and will ease back into this running thing. I've committed to Marie that I will run/walk this thing... I can get my mind around that. So end of May we'll be out there. I really do want to do this and every time I'm out walking I think about it... along w/ about a billion other things.

We've got internet at mom's now.. not sure what happened - I was checking to see if I could read my old email messages offline and low and behold the internet was working.. don't know if I'm poaching off the neighbors or what. The sad news is that my camera battery is about shot and I forgot my charger at home. Need to go out and buy another... damn! Or I could just go two weeks w/o pics of my sweeties...eeek, that reminds me.. I have a problem.. tomorrow is their 9 mo bday and I've got to take photos.

ugh... taking it out of me...

so that half marathon might have to go on the back burner!!! I'm just ZAPPED!! I'm not sure if I'm fighting a cold or what, but I'm am just getting the crap kicked out of me by these babies. I've run once since I've been here and I've been walking the dog every day.... surely walking the dog about 2 miles a day isn't taking it all out of me. the babies are all over the place and we are chasing babies like crazy so I'm not sure if that's part of it.

And as you mom's know.. I NEED my energy to parent (read: COPE) babies.

All-in-all things are going well. The babies are eating like gang busters.. I can't believe how much these kids can pile in.... I've read that they have the natural mechanism that tells them to stop when they are no longer hungry.... is this true or do they just enjoy the novelty of self - feeding??

They've been napping and sleeping fairly well.. though Jason wouldn't give it up until around 10pm last night.... not sure what that was all about. He would just scream!!!! And when I got him he was fine and wouldn't fall asleep on me... a new trick he learned... here he is at Aunt Cheryl's crashed out on me... I was ASTONISHED the he fell asleep.. no fussing.. and in a new place w/ new people. Poor buddy must have been tired!



And here is Lily doing a new trick.... she only does this when supervised.. hasn't tried it while cruising past anyway. She was only interested this time b/c she just saw me come down the stairs... and I had to put a toy on the step to entice her. (why am I encouraging this behavior?)



Okay.. must run back to the house to rescue grandma!

We made it...

We're here in Texas at Gmas.. it's sunny and warm and we're loving it. It was a long trip, but the babies did great! We had a rough night at the hotel and a rough first night and day here, but we're on track now.. I think.

here are some photos at Gmas.. gotta run.

It's almost time..

We're headed out to Texas tomorrow (sunday) morning. I can't wait. It's been snowy, cold and frozen tundra like for the past week and a half or so. I'm so ready to get the ... out of here! ha Hopefully by the time we return in April this will be over.. the snow will be melted and we'll have sunny warm days ahead!

The kids had their 9mo appt yesterday and they are doing great... growing just fine. Jason is about the 30% and poor little Lily is about 7%. They are both consistent in their growth. We are apparently super parents doing everything just right... ha ha The doc even used the word 'advanced' while talking about them. I think it was something along the lines of "they may walk soon b/c of their advanced muscular development" - I think because they've been crawling for a while.... but who cares all I really heard was advanced. ha! We're proud of our little ones. Doc did say we could start giving them lunch (not REAL excited about this) and meat.... and here I am toying w/ the idea of going back to a vegetarian diet (shh.. I haven't told Tom yet). You can stay tuned at the Green Girl's Guide for more developments on that front! Think I'll go out and have a burger or Carne Asada taco salad before I take the plunge! :) Not that I"m even that big a fan of red meat anyway.

Here are some pics to tide you over for the next couple of days... hopefully there will be short sleeves and/or diapers only in the next round of shots!

Introducing....

Introducing a new place to learn all things environmental!

Karen and I have decided to join efforts in this environmental quest we are both on. We have been eerily on the same page w/ our feelings and desires to improve our environment, decrease our foot print, create a grass roots efforts to get others involved.... the product: Green Girl's Guide.

We will now be posting together on this new site about what we are doing to decrease our footprint along w/ providing info about how you too can decrease your footprint. We will have book reviews, product links and reviews and are open to suggestions from others about what they want to see and information they need to go green!

So stop by and check it out. Let us know what you think and what you need! We want the site to grow and evolve!

Please pass the site on to your friends!

I challenge you...Continued

Here's a cool video a friend shared w/ me. A visual is worth a thousand words!

Click HERE.

“It’s about mindful consumerism, not about depriving ourselves.”

Now HERE's a challenge for you!!! Maybe you've already seen this, but I just found this article in the NYT... (by the way... who would have thought I would read the NYT... never have liked the paper, but this online version ROCKS!)

"Cutting Back W/O Deprivation"

You might have to subscribe, but it's free and hey it's the NYTimes.. it will make you feel edumacated! :)


You can also check out their blog at: Compact. You can find a LOCAL Compact Yahoo Group on their site! I feel compelled to do this. I've been doing okay.. aside from over indulgences at both Sam's and Whole Foods. Could I do this for a YEAR!? Wow. Maybe 6 months? I have been buying used for the kids toys and things and felt pretty good about that. Can I start after we acquire the jogger/trailer for the bike?? Does it count if I don't pay for it... we'll be using a sample from Tom's office that would be produced anyway... right?? EEK. Plus I'm buying a new Green Cone in April.. if it's a purchase to help the environment does that count?? Hmm... will have to give this some thought, but in the mean time I will be blog stalking their site and checking out their Yahoo Group. I like the idea.... am I up for the challenge?

One small step for man... one HUGE step for mankind.

2007 is proving to be an eye opener for me. I've always considered myself to be relatively healthful and environmentally aware. I'll be the first to admit that I have always been lacking in global thought and social responsibility when it comes to my consumption... I've been blissfully naive to my individual impact every time I purchase something. Well, no more. It's actually quite daunting to always be thinking about what impact you are having down the line when you purchase something, especially something you consume a lot of... like coffee!

I have a rather long list of books that I plan to read this year. Included on that list is the Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. I stumbled across THIS article written by Pollan in the NY Times and have been propelled again into deep thought. The article addresses our (America's) approach to eating. He talks about where we get our 'advice' on what to eat and how getting our advice from scientists and marketing campaigns instead of our cultural roots has thrown us for a loop. Now instead of concentrating on eating FOOD (read: whole foods not processed foods) we are concentrating on eating nutrients. Forever chasing the 'things' that will make us healthy... ward off cancer and heart disease, make us thin and youthful, chasing the anti-oxidants to create a long healthy life. He suggests that much of this seems to backfire on us. We take out the beta carotene for example w/ the promise of it warding off cancer, and what we don't understand is what that beta carotene is mixed w/ inside the food we may be extracting it from. We are told it will act as an antioxidant in our body and help save us from the big C (cancer) diagnosis, but studies have shown that it doesn't do that and in some cases it may act as a PRO OXIDANT. There are apparently A LOT of carotenes w/i a particular food... not just beta carotene. What scientists don't know is how all of those carotenes work together. I can't do justice to the topic - you will have to read the ARTICLE. There is also an interesting section regarding Omega 3 and 6 oils.. I won't even try to summarize it here as I need to go back and read again to fully understand it myself.

If you find your interest or stamina is waining and you fear you won't get through all 12 pages at least skip ahead and finish off pages 11 and 12. They are kind of 'duh' ideas, but they make A LOT OF SENSE.

I read this article kind of thinking I was glad I didn't go on to get my Masters in Nutrition. I started to feel free from having to WORRY so much about what I was getting in my diet (though I can't fix the lack of nutrients in the soil I CAN eat whole veggies and fruits from my local farmer's market.. as suggested. This helps solve not only my nutrition problem, but the environmental and socially responsible aspect of my 2007 goals. Love the kill THREE birds w/ one stone thing here!).

In my eyes here are the three main things our earth and our conscious needs to focus on to take a broad step in the right direction for our mother earth and our fellow man. These will be my big focus for 2007... aside from my little tots and husband. (oh and the dog too)

1. eating wholesome (read: whole) foods
2. environmental awareness / trash, energy consumption, pesticide use, toxins
3. socially responsible consumerism

It seems that by eating wholesome (whole) foods you help to alleviate problem number two by doing away w/ much of your garbage - cereal boxes, juice cartons, individual wrapping on various products you eat - and you can step it up a notch if you compost the scraps from your WHOLESOME foods. I say why not go for the whole enchilada tackle number three too and find a local market to purchase your produce. Hey, and while you're at it take your own bags - whether they be using your other grocery bags again or bringing a basket or canvas bag to reuse over and over. You CAN make a difference!

By environmental awareness I am referring to anything and everything that has an impact on the environment... locally and globally. It can be an overwhelming thought... EVERYTHING we do and touch has some sort of environmental impact. So you get the organic farmers market veggies and fruits delivered to your door.. what of the fuel used to get that truck from the farm to your door. RELAX... baby steps. Do what you can and be mindful as you go through your day. I already challenged you to think about your garbage... to use a bag at the store, to use a canteen style cup at the coffee shop. Do SOMETHING! Do what you can handle at the moment and after you get used to that change challenge yourself to either take that to the next level or tackle another area. Skip the chemlawn treatment on your grass... go au natural. How important is it really to have pristine grass? Why is this so important to you? Wouldn't you rather save that money for retirement anyway? ha ha Change to environmentally friendly cleaning products like SHAKLEE that not only make products that aren't toxic to our environment, but cut down on the garbage hitting the landfills. Ride your bike or walk when you can. I realize this isn't an option for everyone, but cut corners where you can. It's your planet... and your kid's planet. You owe it to yourself and to them.

The socially responsible consumerism is a hard pill for me to swallow too! It takes a lot of thought and research to be a socially responsible consumer! It's daunting for me lately. I'm not sure why, but this new information (for me - I'm a bit ashamed) is causing me to not want to buy anything.. I'm sure this will pass. I'm trying the baby step approach to this as well. Consume less.. maybe pay more for the things I do purchase, but feel good about it.

That's all for now, but I want to direct you to Karen's blog again.. I just peeked over there real quick and noticed she has started reading another book on my list: The 100 Year Lie. It sounds even more daunting a task to consider the additives and synthetic chemicals that surround us on a daily basis, but we can't walk blindly through life anymore.. we ALL must wake up and smell the toxicity. We are creating a life of illness for ourselves. It's going to require quite a bit of perseverance on our parts to turn things around... the 'machine' (read industry/marketing) isn't going to do it for us.

WHERE'S MY DINNER!?

So this is the scene at cheMount while dinner is being prepared for the rug rats. :)

Jason and Lily "patiently" waiting for their dinner:



I promise I'm working on a post w/ some intelligence and less photos. ;)

Peeking my head out of the trenches.

Hello there my long lost friends. Sorry I've been a bit MIA lately. These kids have been challenging me, but we seem to be coming out of it for now. :) I'm not sure what was going on, but it seems to have passed... for the moment. (I'm still gun shy about 'talking' about it when things are going well for fear of jinxing it!) It's amazing the difference a week can make.

A friend used the analogy of getting through the marathon to getting through life. I need to use this. I forget in the moment that this will pass ... just get through the next 'mile'. So we are on a quick down hill right now (a good thing).

Yesterday and today (so far) have gone fairly well. The only big change has been the 'big thaw' and being able to get out of the house. We went for 2 walks/day the last two days and this morning we met at an open gym for little kids. :) It was GREAT. L and J are a bit small for open gym, but they seemed to really enjoy themselves. Lily crawled ALL OVER THE PLACE and Jason picked a spot and pretty much stayed put. Two little kids took an interest in him and entertained him while I chased Lily down every now and then.

At one point a - maybe 5 yo - came over and asked if I had TWO babies. When I said yes his response was, "is it hard to take care of them." I thought that was pretty funny coming from a kid of his age. Maybe he has younger siblings? I watched in awe as my friend Kristi's twins ran around like crazy! They are 15 months old and were just loving the open space and balls and hoola hoops to play with! I'm sure Jason and Lily will be doing that in what seems like a blink of an eye.

So next month is my month to officially start training for the Mad City Half Marathon. I'll be in Texas and w/o my jogger... but hopefully I'll get plenty of opportunities to hit the pavement w/ the willis. God knows we BOTH need the exercise. ;) And when we get back it will be babies, willis and me out there running our little butts off! I'm hoping my friend Marie is still on board to run.... Marie??? You still in? Twin powers unite!! We'll be monopolizing that trail this spring!

2007 CSA

I'm excited to announce that Tom and I are joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). We will pick up our weekly 'share' at the farmers market every Saturday. I'm so excited to support local agriculture and to receive yummy seasonal fruits and veggies. Along w/ this we will use less packaging and fuel.. we'll be - hopefully - riding our bikes to pick up our weekly share and to shop for eggs/meat/dairy at the market as well.

Here's a link to 'our' farm!! JenEhr Family Farm. We also get to go to the farm to pick our own strawberries, beans adn tomatoes!!!

Look locally for a farm near you...

I hear Jason saying mamamamama on the monitor. I am being summoned and we're off to meet friends at the open gym.. YEAH!

Do you want to know how cold it was!?

Do you want to know how cold it was last month???? Our gas/electric bill is $402.12!!!! $270 of that is GAS! Our furnace and fire place operate on gas.

EEEK!

Sorry I've been MIA... these babies sure keep me busy!

I challenge you...

I challenge you to think.. REALLY THINK.. about the amount of garbage you produce. On Karen's recommendation I checked Garbage Land out at the library and am not even through the Introduction yet and am already REALLY THINKING about my / our garbage production and how I can decrease it. I am daydreaming about the Green Cone I'm going to purchase and install when we return from Texas in April.

We are all responsible for taking care of this planet of ours and each of us can make an impact by changing our own habits! I challenge you to change at least ONE thing... if that means using your dishes instead of paper (no names named), buying some fabric napkins instead of paper towels or paper napkins (doing this today), recycling when maybe you didn't in the past, using a 'to go' coffee tumbler at the coffee shop instead of getting a paper cup, taking your own bags to the grocery store.. whatever it is... chose just ONE thing (at least) and change it.. TODAY!

And read the book Garbage Land if you need some motivation!

Project Rwanda...

Schwinn is partnered w/ Ritchey to create a bike for the Rwandan Coffee growers. Tom had a large part in developing this bike. It's pretty cool. You can see a picture and read about the project HERE. Tom Ritchey's son Jay is in Rwanda and you can read his blog by clicking on the link at the website.

The blog details the benefits that the bike is already providing for a local coffee farmer named Celestin. Wow! It's great to see the impact that one small thing (okay the entire effort is not that small) can make in the lives of these coffee farmers...

Karen, If I really want to go the distance I suppose I should find out where this coffee is sold and buy it huh? :)

Happy 8 month birthday!

No time for a real post, but here are their pics for today.. (geez, seeing a 'no time to post' pattern here).

8 months:


7 months:

We stand...

A picture (or two) is worth a thousand words... I had to put them up in these positions, but they can stay there on their own. Jason in particular enjoys playing like this.. Lily has other things she needs to accomplish in her day so it is short lived for her... they can just "fall" down when they are done and seem fine w/ it as well.. though I stay close while they are propped like this to catch them when I can. I'm on the hunt for a good toy for them to pull up on if anyone has advice! I've heard good things about the incrediblock by fisher price, but haven't been able to find a used one. :(





They are just so pleased w/ themselves. It's pretty cute!

Fiona Rose..

at long last here is a photo of Miss Fiona Rose... she sure looks a lot like her Mommy!!

Like sister like brother...

Just a quick post to let you know that Jason is trying to keep up w/ Lily... I left the room for a moment and came back to this:



Lily is now pulling up to standing in her crib.. guess we got the crib lowered just in time. :)

Welcome Anna Louise...

Sweet!

Anna Louise Sweet was born Sunday 2/11/07 at 2:49am weighing in at 8lbs. 4oz. Julie's labor progressed so quickly that she was unable to get the epidural. I haven't spoken w/ her yet... though I'm DYING to call... but I suspect all went well and FAST!

Here's a picture of the BEAUTIFUL little Anna.

Welcome Fiona Rose.......

Golding.

Fiona Rose Golding was born on Saturday 2/10/07 at 1:40 am weighing in at 8lbs 8oz. We haven't talked to Greg and Karen so we don't have details or pictures yet, but I'm so excited to welcome her into the world. It's bitter sweet since we can't cruise over to the hospital to meet her in person. I'll share a photo when we get one! I'm sure she's adorable!!!

She laughs too!!

Okay.. I just can't stop w/ the videos. I've been trying to get video of Lily laughing and haven't been able to.. then I heard this from the kitchen and came running. :) Lily's got a cute little laugh!!!!!

Onto the next phase....

Okay.. Lily's got the crawling down and has decided to move on:



Wow, my little peanut is growing up! I went to get her from her crib today and she was on her knees.. I thought.. oh she'll be pulling up soon, but by soon I wasn't thinking an hour later!!!

By the way.. she was fine after she fell. :) Poor thing... and it didn't stop her from trying again, and again, and again!

And now as I sit here waiting for the video above to load so I can add it here I am listening to my frustrated little girl NOT take a nap. I just ran up to make sure she hadn't stood up and couldn't get down (WE HAVE TO LOWER THE CRIB TONIGHT)... well she was getting on her knees then down, but she had dropped her pacifier while working on her kneeling. Poor thing is so tired.. she skipped her last nap too b/c she was 'practicing' and lost her pacifier. I HOPE she takes a nap! She's going to be unbearable if she doesn't. Just when you are getting in a groove they rip the rug out from under you. ha ha nm

Am I insane?

I went to bed last night thinking... "I love having two babies." Well, except when I think about getitng out the door. :)

Having two babies is SO fun.... they play and interact and it's so fun. L went to bed before J tonight so J had dinner w/o her. He was in his highchair in the dining room and I looked over at him from the kitchen and he just looked so lonely in there all by himself. He wasn't lonely - of course - he was just enjoying his dinner (by the fistful), but he was just there all by himself...

two cute videos of 'the twin thing'

Plastics revisited - this time as baby toys

I was reading another mommy blog and found this article: San Francisco to Ban Baby Toys

There is plastic all over the place here... as I gaze over at the kids toys (while listening to Jason talk his way through his entire nap time) I see so much plastic... and a lot of it 'old hand me down' plastic no less. Shoot. Do I just throw away all of the questionable crap. I just threw away the "little teethers" teething toy... The wood / fabric toys from the boutiques cost a small fortune.. what to do. I guess you do the best you can huh???

for those of you who are getting ready to have babies and may need to do some bottle feeding:

Safe Baby Bottle Alternatives

Fortunately, there are alternatives to polycarbonate plastic baby bottles.

First, learn to identify polycarbonate plastic containers. They are generally clear and rigid, and may have the recycling symbol 7 marked on the bottom.

Here are a few tips for choosing bottles and using them safely:

• Select bottles made of tempered glass or polyethylene or polypropylene (recycling symbols 1, 2 or 5). Medela and Evenflo make bottles and nursers from these safer plastics. Evenflo also makes tempered glass bottles. The
• Avoid heating breast milk and infant formula over the stove or microwave in plastic; dangerous chemicals are more likely to leach when you heat in plastic.
• To avoid bacteria, look for scratches in plastic bottles.
• Avoid plastic bottles that have decorations printed on the inside. These can come off into formula when it’s been heated.
• Avoid disposable nursers if possible, as the plastic bags that may leak or burst. There have also been incidents of babies choking on the plastic tab inside.

Sometimes it's just overwhelming.. this whole environmental, toxin, responsible consumer thing.... I can only do what I can do as an individual at this moment in time...

I hope that sharing these things is helpful to some of you... another good spot to check out is my SILs site: pdxMounts. She's making a big push to walk the talk this year.. she's doing a great job and is sharing a lot of great info too. I poach a lot of the links in my side bar from her!!!! Nice work Karen!

Even closer...

Okay.. it's Js day. I got a little bit of video of him working on his crawling... toward my pancake - which he almost got! :)



We went to a play group today and J and L were about the same age as most of the kids, L was the smallest and the only girl... and the ONLY one crawling. It was so cute. She even plowed right over J to get a toy! Then tonight J took a few crawling "steps" and just 20 mins later was crawling over Tom's legs to get to his toys. I figure it will only be a couple of days before J is all out crawling! :)

While we were upstairs having 'quiet time' play in the 'warm room' (the babies' room has a space heater and it is so NICE AND TOASTY in there... not like the freezing cold rest of the house - it was -2 outside today at 5pm) Anyway ... back to my story. We were upstairs and J crawled over to grab his devil squeeky duck out from under Ls crib and L came over and nabbed it from him.. they went back and forth like this for a while. No one got upset they just kept taking it from each other.. so fun!!!

People are always saying, "I don't know how you do it w/ two I can barely survive w/ one." I'm not real sure how I'm supposed to respond to this... while I appreciate their noticing that it's tough I don't know what to say. Do I play the martyr and talk about how tuff it is or tell them the stories like the one w/ the ducky above? Tom said I should respond, "I do just fine w/ two." ha ha that may be a bit of a fib most days... well not most days anymore now that I think about it.

J was in a really good mood this evening.. here he is playing w/ Tom...

A little closer...

Jason is getting closer and closer to crawling... it seems as the day goes by. Here's a video from today.. this evening he did an even better job, but I couldn't get up to get the camera b/c it was late and he was tired and he would have just freaked anyway. :)

Enjoy... (gosh is this blog going to turn into one big Jason and Lily show!?)

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!

I'm in trouble....

check out L's new skill... soon she'll figure out how to MOVE!!! AHH! She did this all by herself w/ no help from me.... Okay gotta go..

New running outfit... a site to behold!

I can't remember who was there.. surely Jennie, but I'm not sure who else... Julie? Karen? Colleen?? I was running late for one of our weekly Glake runs (as usual). I was so late that I decided to just go straight there from wherever I had been. I got there in my jeans and whatever w/ clogs and everyone was ready to go. I was so in need of a run, but only had running shoes in the car... no clothes. I decided to just wear my jeans and get my shoes. I ran around the lake in jeans... felt like a dork, but was so happy to get the run in.

Well today Tom was supposed to come home for lunch, but had a meeting and was unable to. He's got the car... w/ the walking stroller. The babies were cranky... as was I and it's nice out so I decided to just take the jogger and get us all out of the house. I got Phoebe all sacked up w/ her back pack and put on my old running shoes w/ jeans, a sweater and a fleece baby sling in case someone blew up and off we went. As I took off walking (far enough from the house to not turn around) I thought, 'hmm I wonder what it's like to run w/ this thing." So I ran a block and it was so easy to push... so I took off in my jeans, sweater, baby sling and all. We ran... just like that.

I'm not sure if this makes me super mom taking advantage of whatever opportunity I have no matter how silly it looks, or if it makes me the uncoolest of all uncool runner. I'm the one that laughs (sorry) at weirdos out there running in jeans.. seriously people sweatpants might chaffe a bit less.... but then there I am.. even wearing my sun glasses (not intended for running) and my colored chapstick (trying to look like I give a crap about what I look like when I leave the house).

All told I felt pretty accomplished for 1. being so flexible and 2. actually running w/ the jogger AND the dog. We didn't go far at all.. only about 20 mins worth..w / a HUGE (Seattle huge, not Wisconsin huge) hill that I had to walk up.

Thought you guys might get a kick out of that... just wish I would have gotten a photo!
Signed,

Your pal super mom, the ULTIMATE uncool runner

He's all better!

Thank goodness.. Tom is out of bed and feeling better today. He's at work so that's a good sign that he's all fixed! :)

Please please please say a prayer that these babies sleep on Friday night!!!! They were back to their old tricks and up every two hours last night.. man how that pisses me off when I've actually been getting a bit of sleep! ha I stumbled downstairs somewhere around the 3am hour last night to get some water after a feeding and thought... oh geez, I'll only have another hour before I actually have to get up to get this bus moving toward the airport on Saturday. I felt like SH&*. I think I'm going to need copious amounts of caffeine to get me through that day! I was wishing they had something I could take to give me amazing amounts of patience, but I think the eye of the discerning public will probably be enough for me to at least keep it together externally! ha ha

My next concern is the whole breastfeeding on the plane thing! I do not want to deal w/ anyone giving me hassle about it.. we all know I'm sleep deprived and I just don't want to have to cope w/ attitude from anyone.. or w/ trying to put a blanket over a baby's head. I KNOW that would not go over well. HA! But geez... cramped quarters.. if I sit in the middle my one boob is practically in the lap of my neighbor - think baby popping off A LOT to look around - and if I sit in the aisle my other boob is all out willy nilly for the world to see. It's not that I care. And if I sit at the window and Tom in the middle... well two babies are going to want to get up and walk around during a 4 hour flight... EXCUSE me a million times may be more annoying than a boob in the face! ha ha

It will be an experience not w/o trials I'm sure... I'll try to stay light hearted about it and remember that all the foibles are creating future laughs... maybe as soon as when I wake up from my NAP when I get to Lynda's!

Bumper update

So i couldn't do it.. I couldn't leave poor J w/o his bumper. It went back in the very next day. The good news is that though he still plays w/ it some while falling asleep he is not sleeping on his tummy w/o his face in the bumper! YEAH!

So Tom is up in bed ILL! He was up all night puking and we had NOTHING in the house that he could take for relief. J and I made an a.m. run to Walgreens to get him some pepto while he layed on the couch and watched L play in the exersaucer. Ugh poor guy... just off a trip to Asia and now sick in bed 5 short days before we are to get on a plane at the ass crack of dawn to head to Seattle. Hopefully this a 24 hour bug and he'll be up and at em in plenty of time to recover for our trip.

As I was sitting in the parking lot just before 7am waiting for Walgreens to open it occured to me that at that same time on Sat we will be on a plane headed for Minneapolis... That's just craziness!!!

As a result of the crazy weather in Seattle my in laws are sitting in the dark hovering around their gas fire place as many trees are down ... and power lines/poles ... in their neighborhood. We are hopeful that the power will be back up and running before we get there... otherwise we will be all crowded around the gas fire place... us in our sweats and babies in buntings... a nice cozy holiday! :) So long as I can eat and the babies are warm I'll be happy! Can't wait to see everyone!

Get Clean...

For those of you that keep up w/ Karen's blog and have seen her posts regarding out garbage situation... ours the nation, not ours mine and tom's... I thought you might want to check out the Shaklee cleaning products... I say this b/c they are concentrated and 108 lbs of packaging waste stays out of landfills and 248 lbs of greenhouse gas are eliminated when you buy the Get Clean Starter Kit versus conventional ready-to-use cleaners.

I'm not a big cleaner and was hesitant to make the commitment to buying these products... I was into going to the store and just buying the seventh generation stuff, but my mom convinced me and I'm so pleased w/ them so far! :) I bought them in mid October and have only used mere drops of the stuff to do all of my cleaning since then... of which I do much more now that I have two munchins to worry about! :)

Anyway... here's a link to their Get Clean Starter kit if you want to check it out, read for yourself and start doing your small part to save our environment! Click HERE! (You just order online... this is my mom's site. Let me know if you have Q's about any of it and I'll get her in touch w/ you!)

Lazy mom's guide to feeding your baby....

so I boiled the crap out of some sweet potatoes the other day and instead of using a food processor or baby mill I just mashed them up w/ a spoon and added them to some oatmeal cereal and breast milk.. There were some small chucks, but J and L didn't seem to mind. And they GOBBLED that stuff up! I tasted a bit... whatever they say about "feed your kids veggies first or they'll never eat them if you try after you start fruit b/c it's so sweet!" Whoever said that obviously never tasted breastmilk... that stuff is SWEET!! Dessert Sweet!

Anyway.. didn't get any pics... it was nothing out of the ordinary. Mom tried letting them eat chunks of it last night, but it was so cooked and stringy that it wasn't really working! When we return from Seattle we'll try some other things like cooked broccoli "trees". Then we're on to meats I guess.