Heptadecagon

I have one question on this last day of November. Who stole the baby? As in, who stole the sweet little soul that once inhabited Melina? I have uttered, many a time over the last couple of days, that I would gladly return my fourth child to the hospital, if only they'd have her. Thank goodness she can't understand the quiet muttering under my breath. One conversation of ours yesterday went like this: Melina: I want my milk. Me: How about, "May I please have my milk?" Melina: I NEED my milk. Me: Okay, I will get it, but we need to be polite. Melina: WAAAAAAAHHHHH! I realize that she is still just 2, but in this house, manners are very important. We start early and often, and so far, the older 3 do pretty well in terms of pleases and thank-yous. Over Thanksgiving, Tim and Melina were playing in my parents' family room. She bascially beaned his head with a heavy magnifying glass. Tim: Melina, no. We don't hit. Melina: WAHHHHHHHHHHH! Then, she came to

When I went to my six week check-up with the OB, following the birth of the girls, I asked if I could find out if they were fraternal or identical. He said that the pathology department should have tested the placentas, and that I should check with my medical record. Either the pathology department didn't do their job, or else the results were never recorded. With two sacs and two placentas, the girls could be either fraternal or identical. The pediatrician's bet was on identical: same hair color (what they had), same eye color, practically same weights, and same growth curve. At each well-check, the girls were pretty much the same in every way, at least physically. That early on, though, we could begin to see differences. Zoe preferred Mommy, and therefore, Talia, who may or may not have preferred Tim, at least was happy with him. I remember having to nurse Zoe to sleep when she was very young. Talia did not mind nursing, and then having Tim give her the bottle. I wa

Waking up from general anesthesia is no fun. Your throat hurts, you are groggy, and you keep slipping in and out of consciousness. Or at least, that is how I reacted. The first words out of my mouth were: "What did we have?" I remember hearing Tim say: "Two beautiful little girls." I smiled, and put my head back on the pillow. The next thing I knew, I was in the room where we would stay for two days. According to Tim (who probably should be telling this part of the story), some medical personnel had come out of the operating room and told him that the epidural hadn't worked. Due to that, he would not be allowed in the room to witness the extraction. He was furious, but also helpless. The OB, knowing that Tim was a scientist-in-training and very much involved in his wife's pregnancy and well-being, allowed Tim to come into the operating room shortly after he delivered the little ladies: Baby A made her debut at 10:19 am, and Baby B followed shortly t

Posts to go, and then we'll be done with the month! I would like to wrap up the twin story, but I have grades to assign. Those need to be done, and soon, so I best get to them. I am procrastinating, because this was my worst quarter EVER! Actually, I don't think I taught any better or worse than usual, but the grades are downright awful. Even with a curve, 1/2 of my online class will fail. Lest you think I am too stringent, the online class is standardized by the department. I am essentially a manager of the course, as I don't make up the material or the exams. Who would want to take anatomy and physiology online, anyway? Evidently, it is pretty difficult to do well. I probably could have told them that! Hope you all had a great weekend. Expect more from my the last couple of posts coming up!

It is still NaBloPoMo, and I feel compelled to do so. In any case, this will count, although I won't be here typing long. The computer is in the same room where the little man sleeps, so I can't do early morning or late night posting. If I could sum up yesterday's festivities in one word, it would be zooish. Is that a word? Probably not. But 6 kids 8 and under, 2 dogs, and a bunch of toys, make for one loud house. All good, but loud. Makes you appreciate nap time a bit more! Thanks family, for yummy food and laughs. We'll try to steal some of Aunt Tara's pictures to post soon.

Hope you all have a healthy and happy day today. Enjoy!

Travel day today, so the post will be short! We leave today (probably not too soon, as everyone else is still in bed) for Grandmother's house! Melina is pretty excited. She asked if she would see both sets of grandparents, but alas, I had to tell her that daddy's mom and dad would not be there. My sisters and their families are meeting up at my parents house in just a few hours, and then, let the chaos unfold!! I'll update with pictures and finish up my twin saga in the next few posts. Happy and safe travels to those of you departing!

There I was, waiting, waiting for these babies to arrive. Lying on the futon became my specialty! My legs were sore, my pubic symphysis was protesting, and I felt like I just could not eat any more food! The ultrasounds all indicated that the babies' growth and fluid levels were good, and that keeping them in a bit longer was the course of action. Baby A was frank breech -- the bum was wedged in my pelvis. The OB, who to this day is one of my favorite people, told me we'd check each time by ultrasound to see if the baby had miraculously turned. If Baby A had been head down, and Baby B wasn't, he said he'd let me try to deliver vaginally, and then reach in and turn the second baby. With Baby A breech, he said that vaginal delivery wasn't the safest option. I trusted this man, implicitly. Therefore, a C-section was scheduled for the start of my 38th week. I could not believe I had made it that far, but I was ready to see the kids! I tried to schedule the op

I have so much to do today with respect to house and work, that I am taking a break from the very enjoyable trip down memory lane. I'll pick up with the twin story next time. As most of you who read this know, Aaron turned 6 on November 1st. This year, we thought maybe we'd have a party with some of his friends, in addition to the family party we have every year. It just so happens that his good friend, Harper, who we've known since the kids were both 6 months old, also has a November birthday. Harper's mom, Kelsey, called a while back and proposed having a joint birthday party at the local rec center: we'd rent a room for games and snacks, and then head to the pool. Why not? Kelsey did a wonderful job of organizing most of the party, and she also wrote a wonderful recap on her blog. If you'd like to read it, go here . The kids seemed to have a blast, the desserts (Kelsey and I split the task and we made rice krispie treats, cookies and brownies) were gr

I hope these posts are not getting tedious. I was going to write about something else, but I think if I put them all together, it will be easier for someone that might be looking to find out the whole story. Aside from inhaling a ton of food each day and adjusting to a new center of gravity, my pregnancy with the twins was (thankfully) uneventful. Between visits to the nutritionist and the OB, I was in the office of some doctor quite a bit, but I was able to walk there from my lab. My advisor was great about the appointments, and I tried my best to get lab work and writing done during the day, before I became really tired. I played sand volleyball up through week 8 and I ran until 13 weeks. (You can see why I really didn't think having twins was a possibility -- can you do those while having twins? Apparently so.) After that, I walked, probably up until about 35 weeks. Tim was helpful: he let me sit on the couch while he made dinner most nights, and he never let me haul the

Finding out we were having twins, literally, blew me away. The tumult of emotions that gripped me cannot really be described. I can't imagine finding out that there were more in there! Each person I would encounter after that asked, "Were they spontaneous?" In this age of fertility treatments, the concept of spontaneous twins is getting less common. Tim and I both needed to get back to our respective labs following the ultrasound. Because the technician needed to measure two babies instead of one, I was already past when I told my advisor I'd be back. I spoke briefly to the midwife, who told me that she could no longer serve as my health care provider: the university would automatically put me into the Multiples Program, I'd be assigned a doctor, and I would have required visits with a nutritionist. Upon checkout, the receptionist (who also had twins) said, "Twins. You gotta love them. They eat together, sleep together, and poop together!" Some

Tim and I were discussing the twins this morning, and our discussion really got me thinking about our life with them. Zoe and Talia, being identical twins, are so much alike, it can be scary. At the same time, though, they are so different. I have probably written down all the details about this in my head, but I think the girls might like to revisit their story , and so I am going to try to be brief when I post about the last (almost) 9 years. Tim and I were in grad school when I discovered I was pregnant. We had no plans to get pregnant, but we clearly had thrown caution to the wind. I still remember the trembling in my hands and the butterflies in my stomach as I tested my urine. I didn't have to wait -- the line showed up immediately. I really didn't know what to feel, but I headed to the bedroom to tell Tim. He was shocked, I think, but excited. At my first visit, everything went well. I was very healthy, and everything seemed to be going fine. I had all-day morning

Due to yesterday's negligence, I feel the need to post a second round of thoughts today. It is too bad that today, nothing eventful happened. No funny things out of the children's mouths, no people commenting on my number of children, no idiotic phrases muttered in class by students that just have no clue. Perhaps I can add a day like today to my list of favorite things. I have been thinking about my favorite things quite a bit these days. We heard the song on the radio yesterday, and of course, we all sang along. Just as a reminder, the lyrics go a little something like this (thank you, STLyrics): The kids like the first verse, mostly due to the mention of kittens. I, however, have always preferred the third verse. As a kid, I imagined what that white dress would look like, and longed for something, anything really, with a blue satin sash. So what, you ask, would be included on a list of my favorite things? (People not included) 1. Sunny days with a cool, gentle breez

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday, so there goes NaBloPoMo! Well, I think this attempt has been so much better than last year's that really, I can't complain. I had planned on posting yesterday after lunch. What was I going to post? Who knows. I put it off, because I needed to finish making an exam. I'd have all evening, right? During the late afternoon, I realized that I had 200 essay questions to start grading. That, and I planned on calling a longtime friend. In the end, some of the questions were graded, and I talked to my friend for over an hour (thanks for calling, Laura! It was good to hear from you). At 11:40 pm, I realized that I could sneak down and post something...anything...just to get the post in under the deadline. I opted for bed. Wouldn't you?

I almost forgot to post something today! I am in the midst of writing my last exam for the quarter, and it just dawned on me that I had not written something witty (or not) for the day. At this time of the year, the thing on the kids' minds the most is The Christmas List . Aaron, Zoe, and Talia have already made their lists. We have each of them taped to the tile backsplash in the kitchen. Aaron wrote down about 4 items and then said he just didn't know what else to put on it. I told him he had time to add more items if he wanted, but maybe it was a good idea to put surprises on there. Who doesn't like surprises from Santa? I said. The girls also have their lists. Actually, it is the same list for both of them. Identical lists for identical girls. Go figure. I decided I'd make my list, too, so I wrote it on the write-n-wipe board and set it in the kitchen, too. Here is my list: 1. Kids who listen. 2. Peace and quiet. 3. A clean house. 4. Food for all who hun

It is mid-November, and we already have Christmas songs streaming from the computer. Aaron and Melina are enjoying the music, but in different ways. Aaron remembers most of the songs from last year, and broadly smiles when his favorites start to play. Melina was too young last year to be able to recognize the songs when they come on. Instead, she is putting her own spin on the classic songs. "Do You Hear What I Hear?" came on, and the following scene unfolded. Song: Do you see what I see? Melina: Do you see what I see? I see a D. And, I am looking for an S. I am pretty sure that isn't the next line, unless you are singing the Wheel of Fortune rendition of that song. So precious, I just had to share.

Kids say really funny things. I am sure we have countless posts that confirm that. To be honest, I need to walk around with a recorder in order to get everything, but sometimes, I manage to to remember things clearly. Since I have more important things to do right now than write a long post, I am simply adding a couple of funny things said by the kids lately. I never forget bacon . This cracks me up every time I remember it. The words came out of Aaron's mouth, when he sniffed the air the morning after I had cooked some bacon for the kids. Science sleeps for no one . Mythbusters supposedly uses this line, but again, it came from the little red-head's mouth. Come on, everybody. Let's dance ! Melina said this at the exact moment she jumped. It was really quite adorable. Hopefully, there will be more tomorrow.

The kids play pretty often with a child up the street. Said child and Aaron don't always get along, but they've managed to coexist pretty well. In the last couple of weeks, though, it has become clear that a somewhat peaceful relationship with this child might be in danger. Incident #1: While we didn't exactly see what happened, the Aaron, the girls, and this child were out front, playing T-ball. With a wooden bat. The wooden bat shouldn't have been there, but we can blame Tim for that. In any case, the wooden bat contacted Aaron's head (with some help from the child) and Aaron went to the ER the next day. Incident #2: The child, the child's sibling, 2 kids from the street over, and my 4 children were all outside in the back yard. We were playing in the sand, on the swingset, and in the playhouse. All of a sudden, the dialogue goes like this: Kids: Ewwwww! There is dog poop in here! Me: Dog doo? Where is it? Kids: In the playhouse! Me: What?!? Where

Yes, I am cheating. But pictures speak 1000 words, right? Evidently, our children (and their cousin Ava) are pretty happy. *** In other news, Melina and I ran two real errands today: we stopped by the elementary school, and then ran up to my office. The miles piled on the car today, though, when we traveled to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Melina even drove), Harry Potter's House on Privet Drive, and Hogsmeade. After that (and try to picture Melina yelling, "No Mommy! Stop driving! Me driving!") we tooled around Little People town, hopped over to visit Aunt Gina and Elli (two states away) and drove back by our house and then ou to Pennsylvania to see Grandma and Grandpa M. We probably would have made it to see my parents, too, but Aaron came home from school at that point, and he wanted to head back to Harry's house.

I had no idea how hard it would be to sit and write a post a day for a month. This is post number 11, and to be honest, I don't know that I will get to number 30. I really thought about skipping today. My post yesterday was so long, doesn't that mean I can skip today? I know -- that isn't how the game is played. Yet who really cares? So, I have to ask, does this verbal whine really count as a post? I guess so, if you are reading it. You might wonder, why I don't feel like posting. No really good reason, other than we had a busy day. All 3 animals made it to and from the vet, I made it over to the kids' school and the store. I went for a walk, I straightened up some things, we put mounds of laundry away, I emailed students and colleagues, and, I helped my friend Stacy with some work. Just a usual day, and now, I am tired. Perhaps tomorrow's post will be more interesting, or at least have some great photos.

Dear Stephenie Meyer: A couple of weeks ago I picked up your Twilight Saga books. I had heard of them, but didn’t think of reading them until I realized something. Some day, and probably soon, my third graders would ask to take them out of the library. I needed to read them, whether I wanted to or not, just to see if and when the books would be appropriate reading material for the girls. Well, I have to admit a couple of things, and I hope you are not offended by the first few. To be honest, I was hoping for better writing. I read somewhere that you sent the manuscript to about 15 places before it was picked up. After having read the first book, I can understand why that happened. When I sit down to read a book, I expect a certain level of good grammar, great dialogue, character development, etc. Good writing, in my opinion, comes to mind when I think of other books that I truly enjoy: A Wrinkle in Time , Bridge to Terabithia , and To Kill A Mockingbird , to

More than a few people I know can use some extra prayers today. All things positive your way. Love, Us

1. My body doesn't adjust well at all. I am tired morning and night. 2. At least one child doesn't adjust. I found Aaron in the hallway this morning at 5:20 am. 3. I am hungry at 3:30 pm -- for dinner. 4. Tim doesn't have any problems with adjusting; he sleeps anywhere, anytime, during any change. I get envious of that ability. 5. It is difficult for me to eat dinner when it is dark outside. It just shouldn't be dark at 5 pm. I am sure I could come up with another 5 things to add to my list, but I need to get back to getting everyone ready for school. In the meantime, I will be counting down the days to the winter solstice...and looking forward to the days getting longer. On the upside, at least it won't be dark at the bus stop this morning.

Very short post today. I think I went into the wrong profession. Teaching anatomy and physiology must not be my calling. If I added up the minutes I spent dispensing advice over the course of my life, I'd find that I have used up many, many hours. In fact, I probably have more practice being Dear Abby or Dear Prudence than being anything else. Why didn't I become a psychologist? More importantly, how can I market this? Remember...we have 4 kids to get through college. I don't expect an answer. Usually people think that Ann Landers can answer all the questions herself.

Usually, when visitors arrive, it takes some time for Melina to warm up to them. Last weekend, my parents came to celebrate Aaron's birthday. Melina is getting more familiar with them, and took to grandma and grandpa right away. Mom and Dad were thrilled. This weekend, Tim's parents arrived, and the same thing happened. Cool, I thought. We're getting somewhere. But just because a child is comfortable with her grandparents (finally!) doesn't mean she'll be comfortable with other people. We tested the theory yesterday when our friend Juan and his girlfriend, Lisa, stopped by for a visit. They had been at a nearby large university, where Lisa had an interview, and they were kind enough to drive an extra 1.25 hours to visit us. Five minutes before they arrived, we told Melina that Juan and Lisa would be coming to visit. She sat on the chair, and tried saying their names -- quite a few times. She asked when they were coming, over and over again. When Juan and Li

The kids are Harry Potter fanatics. The girls have almost finished all of the books, and Tim is reading the books to Aaron. They play Harry Potter at home, quite a bit. They have wands, made of sticks or K'Nex, and they yell things like "Obliviate" at each other, and then run away. Just recently, the terms "Expecto Patronum" have been in use around here. For those of you not familiar with Harry Potter, those words are uttered when the Patronus Charm is used. According to the Wikipedia list of spells found here , the Patronus charm "conjures an incarnation of the caster's innermost positive feelings, such as joy, hope, or the desire to survive, known as a Patronus." The Patronus is protective, and the kids love saying it. Even Melina. But with her, she yells out, "I need my expecko-trono!"

I logged on today to post something nifty, and now I forget what it is. But I happened to realize that this would have been the 4th day in a row that I would have posted something. 4 days! In. A. Row. Which got me thinking. November is NaBloPoMo. Many of you know what that is, many of you don't. If you don't, see this . Essentially, I just need to post something every day during the month of November. Last year, my goal during November was to post something once a week. I haven't yet talked about Aaron's 6th birthday (it was on the 1st) or posted pictures of his nifty cake (theme = Scooby Doo). I could stretch that into 2 posts. Grandma and Grandpa M are coming out to visit...another 2 posts. I might just attempt to do this! My friend Kelsey has done it for the last 5 years, so if I take some tips from her, perhaps my attempt will not be in vain. We'll see...

I usually don't blog about anything political, but what I say today really doesn't have a side. Our school district has earned an Excellent With Distinction rating from the state, and to be honest, I really think the district has worked hard to get there. Well, last May, when the district asked for more money, the community denied it. I personally didn't deny it: I always vote Yes for school and library levies, and well as for issues that are concerned with Human Services. My kids use the schools, we all use the libraries, and well, Human Services are just important to have. I know I will be paying more in taxes, but how else can you get an education? It ain't free. The superintendent did a great job (I believe) in letting the community know what had already been done to try and avoid asking for more money: many teacher positions and staff positions were cut across the district, the teachers agreed to no pay-raise for the last couple of years, and a school had b

I just came down the stairs from putting Melina to bed. Aaron: Mom! My brain just forced me to do something. It forced me to take apart a battery! Me: Uh, Aaron, I just don't think that is a good idea. Aaron: My brain forced me to do it, even if it isn't a good idea. How awesome! If I could get into this kid's brain, I would do it. Let's hope his ideas get a little better from now on! Side note: As of late, I have been having telling him to think before he acts. He always responds, "I know !" No, son, I don't think you do.

We had a great Halloween. We started the day off with a trip to the ER for Aaron, and ended it by trick-or-treating. (Technically, this was all the day before Halloween, as our community never lets the kids out on the actual day. Either way, it was all the same to the kids.) Aaron had been accidentally hit in the head with a wooden bat the day before, and since he threw up 3 times the next morning, we decided to take him to the ER. No concussion, but no gym for a week (he is disappointed). The kids had a wonderful time dressing up and having cousin Ava (and Aunt Tara, and Grandma and Grandpa C) here with them. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Here we have two Egyptian ladies, Batgirl, and Fred and Scooby from Scooby Doo. Most people around here did not like Tim's costume . Maybe because I was in labor on Halloween the year he was born...Aaron just loves this holiday, and that is pretty clear on his face. This last one is of Melina, trying to be scary. Funny?