Snow and Seniors

Karl is currently en route up north- heading to the home of the Eagles, cheese steak, Ben Franklin, and of course, 90 year old great-grandma Barb Melsky. Barb escaped to Orlando for the winter, where she expressed deep disappointment whenever the thermometer crept below 80 degrees. During her stay, she enjoyed attending weekly church services, taking dozens of walks around the block, and, most of all, interacting with Noelle and Lucas. She is overjoyed to have lived long enough to meet her first great-grandchildren, she says, and will tell anyone who'll listen all about them. (Express the slightest bit of interest and you'll have a picture thrust in your face before you can say the words 'Liberty Bell'). Tomorrow, Barb will be greeted with snow, sleet, and temps in the 20's and will likely realize that 60 was not so bad after all.

The arrival of babies has been known to bring families together, and I can now personally attest to this. People who did not have all that much in common come together through their love of a child. Grandparents and great-grandparents are recognized as cherished elders, spouses are brought together (when they aren't arguing over whose turn it is to empty the diaper bin) and siblings may take on a new role. Even my brother, who is admittedly quiet and not too emotional, has become quite attached to his niece and nephew. Noelle and Lucas have one cousin so far and another on the way..and hopefully more to come. Large families are the best :)

Obligatory Disney Day

I'll cover our mutual admiration for mother nature in the near future, once I become convinced of the other half of that topic; namely, that NL too love the outdoors. For now I can just drone on about my side of the story. No one cares.

The final talking point concerned the caged area. Perhaps this is too rough a term for a child's play enclosure, reflecting my feelings about it and in turn those of NL. To explain-- two months ago we replaced our dinette table with a three-inch thick cushiony memory-foam queen mattress topper. Scattered with stuffed squeaky toys, plastic batterized toys, colorful crinkling/vibrating toys, and a jumbled assortment of loose socks, blankets and what else have-you, this became NL's play area. Before long, though, Noelle sought more enticing pastures within crawling distance, with items such as the pets' food bowl and the collection of dull steak knives we keep on our living room rug. So into the picture enters a Wal-Mart caliber gray plastic gate/enclosure, three feet tall and six feet a side. Unfortunately, upon being placed in the enclosed play area, quiet happy twins instantaneously became red-faced teary screaming twins. And thus back on the rug they go.

Yesterday we paid both a visit to the Magic Kingdom and dearly for Disney World annual passes. It was a carefully coordinated trip, sandwiched with precision timing between feedings, after the pets met their daily exercise quota, and before NL's looks of wonderment became howls of tired frustration. We witnessed a booming loud parade with Little Mermaid and Lion King characters I would've found slightly horrifying at eight months of age, and then a PhilharMagic 3-D performance. Lamentably, the kids enjoyed only two lousy dimensions as the yellow plastic spectacles were more suitable for Mr. Ed than Mr. Lucas.

The album linked below also highlights some scenes from NL's very first bath. Hold all calls to the child neglect hotline; the kids have experienced dozens of bathings in the kitchen sink. This was simply their first proper bath, in a proper bathtub, in a proper bathroom. Both squealed abruptly at the instant of submersion but discovered all the splashy splashy joys in no time.


Photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/gros.islet/Feb093#

Continuing on...

...with the remaining topics:

• our jogging stroller has been blessed today with a new accessory: a sun shade/bug screen. Excitement abounds as we can now push around the kiddies eastward in the morning, towards the south at high noon, and facing west in the afternoon without fear of a calamitous encounter with the sun's rays. And, as an added benefit, once bug season hits, no brazen dragonfly or kamikaze cricket will dare enter the kid compartment.
• In 10 days, NL will witness an empty silence throughout the house: Hana and I, and Kel's grandma, will motor up to Pennsylvania to sample some fresh cool air, deposit said grandma in said state, and journey back. Over this 2,000 mile journey Hana plans to enjoy the views from the back seat, tour historic Richmond, and prance around the Atlantic in South Carolina. I plan to straighten out the butt contour to be impressed semi-permanently into my driver's seat.
  
• Again with the advanced hour. I'll reflect on the outdoors and play cage at the next opportunity.

Unrelated photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/gros.islet/Feb092#

A Tooth and a Trailer

• sun shade for jogging stroller
• sharing love of outdoors
• bike trailer
• Noelle's first tooth
• kids' distaste for play area once 'caged'
• road trip to PA

Here's a draft list of some topics to cover. And which one shall I comment on first? Which of these deserves an eye-catching spot at the top of this entry? Surely Noelle's first tooth! Surely not. In a world without bike trailers, that would be the case. But alas, I don't live on such a moon-man planet revolving erratically around a dwarf star spotted by the naked eye only once every 214 years. In my world, however loopy it is, the prospect of tugging behind my bike a sleek blue and yellow nylon contraption containing Noelle and Lucas is far too spectacular to relegate to second billing. Pardon my rambling. I must come to the heart of the matter: I ordered a double bike trailer and am hardly able to contain my glee. You see, my bee-hind hasn't felt the contours of a bike seat since prior to June 25th. One of my favorite activities has fallen off the map, as has leisure time in general. But now, this bike trailer (due to arrive tomorrow) will enable me simultaneously to shed those unwanted ounces while conducting State-obligated parenting duties.

As the hour has alarmingly advanced, I must close this report without commentary on the remaining topics. Shame on me, though, if I don't again allude that Noelle has broken the Gum Line with a tiny scratchy bit of a tooth front and center on her lower jaw. For the record, she is just over a week short of eight months. We're all quite proud of Tiny Baby Special, and now set our anticipation on Lucas's heroics.

Valentine's weekend

The twins, plus mom and dad, ventured out to meet our friends Nellie and Paul for lunch today. As usual, I did more baby maneuvering, feeding, and replacing pacifiers than I did eating. Still, we enjoy getting out and it's always fun to catch up with friends. Nellie helped feed and hold NL and we departed when they got tired and cranky. We may have waited a bit too long though, because when we got home and tried to put them in the crib for an overdue nap, they both cried and would not settle down. Noelle finally went to sleep but we had to retrieve a very upset Lucas-I put him in bed with me and he did nap for a bit then.
Later, we headed to Oviedo to see great-grandmother Barb. Interacting with her first (and so far only) great-grandchildren is definitely the highlight of her week.

As far as WT's first Valentine's Day...well, they're too much young to appreciate Belgian chocolate or a dozen roses but, in my opinion, they are showered with pure, genuine, unconditional love. And that's the true meaning of the holiday, isn't it...?

WT Hit the Library

Yesterday, Noelle & Lucas attended baby story & rhyme time at the library. The sessions are only 15 minutes long since babies aged 0-18 months have rather short attention spans. Five other baby/mom pairs were in attendance, along with one rather bored 4-year old brother. I debated whether or not to take NL out of their double jogging stroller, feeling unsure that I could handle them both in free range. Everyone was assembling into a small circle, so I unbuckled NL and we joined the group on the floor. The librarian read 2 stories and led us through various songs and rhymes. In addition to being the most adorable babies there, my tiny twins were very well-behaved. They stared in wonderment as they often do when facing new people, places, or events. When the time was up (and it was up very quickly), we were invited to stay for a bit to let the babies mingle. I guess 15 minutes was enough socializing for the other moms though; they packed right up and headed out. That's ok, I told my babies- we didn't want to play with them anyway! We perused the children's book section briefly (of course, the twins tried to eat every book I handed them), then headed home for feeding time and naptime. Later, we went for a long walk to Delaney Park and Thornton Park where I met some of the moms from a new meet-up I recently joined. It was a fun, busy day. We already have plans for next Friday. Who knew there'd be so many activities for small babies and new moms!

Kel's Philosophy

For me, life has slowed down just a little bit in these last few weeks since I now only work 24 hours per week. It took about 7 months but I finally convinced 'the man' that this could actually work (the man at work, NOT the man at home; he was all in favor from Day One). Since the new schedule began, I have 1-gotten a much-needed haircut, 2-taken WT on their very first play date, and 3- published my first blog entry in about 8 months.

I'd say the most important thing I have learned in these past months is just how quickly time passes when you're busy and yes, 'having fun.' While I worked full-time, rushing from home to work and back again, I kept thinking to myself, one day I will look back and regret what I am doing now. I felt stressed, too busy, and it seemed that I was simply going through the motions. I now have a balance. My goal is to spend as much time as possible with my babies while they are small. Once day, when the economy improves and NL are in school, my priorities and ambitions will shift once again and I'll be back in the workforce, clawing to get ahead like everyone else. For now, it's songs, nursing, naps, and playdates. Life is good.

The Return of Kel

Note to WT regulars: the deluge below is the result of seven months of pent-up memories by the main creator of Noelle and Lucas. Known as "Kelly" or "Kel", she's been referenced in various posts and even appears in several photos linked from this blog. Kel The Blogger has been absent since before June 25, owing to her motherly duties and nursing-time devotion to Desperate Housewives. For a break from the ordinary obnoxiousness, read on:


Yes, this post-partum post is a little delayed. In these past 7 months, free time has been extremely hard to come by. So I'll skip the apologies and excuses and get to the point. Here is my summary of the birth:

Tuesday, June 24: 36 weeks, 2 days gestation. I dutifully reported to work at 8am. I had recently returned to work, 24 hours per week, after staying home for 2 weeks due to high blood pressure. At about 1:00pm, I left work, making sure to leave everything on my desk organized and neat, 'just in case'. I picked up Karl and drove to Dr. C's office for a check-up. The nurse and Dr. C each took my blood pressure about 4 times before I was ordered to report directly to Winnie Palmer Hospital. We were permitted to stop at home for a few necessities: the bag I had yet to pack, a snack, and of course, the trusty video camera. Karl seemed somewhat frantic but surprisingly, I didn’t feel very nervous. We weren’t even certain I'd be delivering right away..maybe we'd be back home in a few hours-who knew? I had an induction scheduled for the next Monday and darn it, I was determined to make it to then.

I called my mom on the way to the hospital and she met us there after we checked in (about 3:00pm) and were shown to a room on the ante-partum floor. I put on the hospital-issued gown and sat on the bed, not sure quite what to do with myself. The nurse said she needed to draw some blood- that was fine, I'd had gallons drawn over the past 8 or so months. But-why was she drawing it from my inner forearm?! Before I realized what was happening, I had an IV in my arm. How could she trick me like that? Oh well, what's done is done, I thought. My blood pressure was monitored every hour and heartbeat monitors were taped on for Baby A and Baby B. I started to feel a lot of pain and pressure and the nurses confirmed that I was having contractions. That was when I realized I wasn’t leaving the hospital until after the babies were born. So the contractions continued to intensify and become closer together. At around 9:00pm, I asked for pain medication but the nurses said that my doctor wanted them to wait until I got to the Labor & Delivery floor and then I could get an epidural. Ok, what?! So when do I go to L&D?, I asked. 'As soon as a bed opens up', I was told. So for the next 3 hours, I alternatively asked for the medication and asked when my bed might be open. I got neither until after 12am. In retrospect, I think I'd have asked, even at that late date, to switch obstetricians. Hand me a phone book or Google directory and I'd be on my way to relief. Our Lamaze instructor had assured us nervous pregnant women that we'd get pain relief as early as we asked for it but I guess I was misinformed!

Wednesday, June 25: The Twins' Arrival. Finally, after I was moved to L&D and got my epidural (hey, I never said I was brave) all in the world was OK again. Dr. C came to check on me at about 4:00am and again at 12:00pm and little to no progress had been made. In between, I vacillated between continuing with labor or giving in and going for the C-section. Even with the epidural, I was rather uncomfortable, plus exhausted and hungry. But what made the decision for me was that I could no longer deal with the unknown. Already, after about 20 hours of labor, I was only dilated to 3cm. Would it be another 20 hours before the final stage where, finally, all the Lamaze practice would pay off? What if, even then, the twins refused to budge and I ended up with a C-Section anyway? Or worse, if one budged and one didn’t, I'd have double trouble- 2 recovery areas and 2 babies!?

So, in the end, it was my intolerance for the unknown that made the decision for me. One thing I didn’t expect was just how anxious I'd get over that decision and then, the realization that someone would be cutting into my abdomen. I honestly didn’t think about the reality of this until I was right there in the moment.

I was prepped for the surgery while Karl & Mom gowned up. I have to say, I just wanted it to be over as quickly as possible. And it did-before I knew it, the doctor was lifting up Noelle, Baby A, and announcing that she weighed 6 lbs, 4 oz. Then Lucas, Baby B, came out screaming, his hands on either side of his face (he still does that when he is crying). I have pictures of the babies being held up by my face, and pictures of Karl and I with the babies. Mom even videotaped the birth. Still, it seemed strangely like a dream. All I was thinking at the moment was, could these babies really be mine? Is this really happening?

The babies were whisked away to the nursery, while I was whisked to a recovery room. That darn blood pressure was up again, and so I was kept there for a few hours, hooked up to IV medication. As the nurses bustled in and out of the room and down the halls, I grew more and more upset and frustrated. I'd barely even seen my babies and hadn’t held them at all. I needed to get out of here. Once again, the permission from my doctor could not come soon enough. Jeff and Liz came to visit, and headed up to my room. I was actually crying in despair by the time I was wheeled up to the mother-baby unit, and to my room. The babies were there, along with Karl, Jeff, and Liz. My mom had gone home to rest. I was still in disbelief that these beautiful tiny creatures were ours. Noelle & Lucas looked so much alike at first that I worried I'd never be able to tell them apart. Jeff proclaimed that Lucas was the tiniest human being he has ever seen.

Thursday & Friday- June 26 & 27. Over the next 3 nights, I recovered, nursed, and began learning about baby care. The nurses showed us how to hold, burp, and swaddle the twins, brought them to and from the nursery, and helped me stand, walk, etc. The babies were taken to the nursery for daily weigh-ins. After a rough, painful, first day, by the second day I was up and walking around, even outside the hospital. The babies received several visitors: first came my boss Brenda and co-worker friend Cheryl. Next was my good friend April and her mom (her twin girls were born 10 days later). Denise & Shyam and Steffani came later that day. Mom, of course, visited daily.

Saturday, June 28: Homecoming…and the Life Beyond. Discharge day was here at last…at last?? What would I do without the 24 hour assistance from the nurses? Who'd handle the dreaded 2am feeding and take care of the babies when I was tired? And most of all, what in the world was I to do with 2 newborn babies? Once again- realization. I didn’t know the first thing about babies and now I had 2 of them. Thank goodness for my Mom. A voice of reason, someone experienced and remarkably patient with 2 tiny crying infants. I don’t think Mom left at all for the first month, and then gradually after that. And yes, Karl- who knew even less than I did about baby care but who was always willing to pitch in and help out when told what to do. The first few weeks were difficult, as predicted. How do you do it? You just do-you don’t have a choice! Listen to the advice of experts and twin moms alike-sleep when the babies sleep, accept help, let the housework slide. Eventually, we got into a routine and the babies began sleeping through the night (yea!) at around 4 months. Nursing, while at challenge at first, gradually became easier for all of us and now is like second nature. Solid foods have gradually entered the mix since about 5 months and now, at 7 1/2, the twins have tasted about 10 different types of veggies, fruits, and grains in addition to milk. They are into a regular nap routine and, in fact, are about to wake up from one anytime now. So, I will use my remaining last few minutes to do some laundry and cleaning. I am hopeful that it will not be another 7.5 months until my next blog entry. I'll be optimistic and try for next week.

We Have a Crawler!

Those familiar with There's Something About Mary may connect this blog title to a line early in the film. Though, instead of a painful rush to the hospital, what we have on our hands is a darling seven month old chubster inching along a kitchen floor. Yes: after a half year of remaining in the location she was last deposited, Noelle is now mobile and about to be outfitted with a global positioning system. Lucas, meanwhile, says bah to that and just lunges forward repeatedly like a runner preparing for the starting pistol.

On top of physical achievements we have some impressive acoustics to report. Noelle is a hair away from the second half of the alphabet and produces "meh meh meh". Mostly this is overhead just before a feeding or in the midst of a bottle refill. It seems to be her gentle reminder to us that she's hungry and won't take it anymore. As much as we'd like to pretend, the new sound is not quite "mama." But, she's got the right idea. Before long it'll be mother, mumsy, then monkey, and on to rhubarb, Roquefort, and voracious. Lucas isn't that interested in verbal gymnastics. He's just fine with his easy smile and giggle.

As for teeth, not a one. The pets' tails and ears are safe for now. Though NL have moved into their eighth month, their baby choppers are still hibernating. I do a daily check and will update the blog in the event of a breakthrough.