Heptadecagon

Nine years ago today, I became a mommy for the very first time. Doubly-blessed the first time over, I still remember coming home from the hospital with these babies who each weighed 5.5 pounds. I could barely tell the difference between them at that time, and we made sure to keep different color hats on them, as well as different clothes, so that we wouldn't mix them up. Eventually, we polished one of Zoe's nails red, and one of Talia's purple, and keeping them straight was as easy as looking at their hands. When twins are your first children, you have no idea how much work you are doing, and whether or not it is more work than it is for one baby. Our subsequent children, both singletons, were much less work, but I didn't know that until I actually had them. On the other hand, because Zoe and Talia always had each other, nap time, play time, and feeding time seemed easier with them. Some people have asked how "overwhelmed" we were with the twins. Again,

A while ago, I was wondering about the average age in the house (16.7 years, by the way, with a standard deviation of 15.2 years), when I discovered this curious fact... Our current ages Tim: 39 Chris: 37 Zoe: 8 Talia: 8 Aaron: 6 Melina: 2 Sum: 100 years Of course, this is going to change in about an hour. Happy Birthday, Zoe and Talia!

I like to putter around the internet. I find other blogs, check them out, and then also check the ones that are written by people I know. Many people with whom I currently interact are people with things in common with me: kids, interests, work, etc. There is a subset of people that I once knew: the FB friends with pages, most of whom I haven't seen in 20 years. I often wonder if I still have anything in common with them. Last week, while I was checking out some blogs, I stumbled across this quote. "...it should be understood that for every wife the first duty is the making and keeping of her own home. Her first and best work should be done there, and till it is well done she has no right to go outside to take up other duties." JR Miller On first glance, I realized that I probably did not have anything in common with this person anymore. Then, I was somewhat outraged! Who would say this, much less condone it? Would this JR Miller think that I performed my duti

Tim is, right this very minute, stationed in our room, keeping watch over the little redhead as he sleeps. He is kid number 3 to cave to a nice little GI bug that I swear, we just saw in December. Remember? Aaron came home from his Christmas party sick? He and Melina ended up spending the last few days before Christmas just a wee bit ill. They didn't vomit too many times, but one time really is more than enough. Well, last Friday (luckily it was a snow day), Talia all of a sudden said she didn't feel well. She vomited once, and spent the rest of the day on the couch. Saturday was uneventful, but yesterday, Zoe caved. The poor kid wanted to outdo her sister, obviously, as she ended up vomiting 8 times! Thank goodness we've all been through this before -- the kids either get to the bathroom, or get it in the bucket. Keeps the spreading of germs and clean-up to a minimum. Zoe didn't go to school today, and essentially spent the day on the couch. After dinner, sh

It is rare to get all 4 children to look at the camera, much less smile nicely. The kids had a dance party with Tim yesterday while I was away. They seemed to have fun, and Tim was able to get a picture that just rocks! Enjoy.

Warm fuzzies are what I need right now. Not only is it the middle of winter, my least favorite time of the year. But I fear we are in the midst of pre-teen angst at our house. I cannot fathom the years to come with twins that are girls. The moodiness, the drama, the sheer pain of teenage girls. Ugh. Zoe asked last night about watching television -- something we monitor in our house. We try to keep the amount of television to a minimum, many weeks going without watching it at all. We also make sure we know what the kids are watching. The kids haven't watched that much at all in the last couple of weeks, but both girls were tired last night (not that they would admit it) and I just said, "No, not tonight." Zoe had the chance to reply, "Okay mom. Maybe tomorrow," and then go on her way. Instead, she opted to use her body language to show her displeasure. She smirked at me, and then slumped her shoulders. She dragged her backpack to the back hallway, glan

I am a big proponent of both nature and nurture. I think they both have an effect on a person's development. I just wanted to say that. Melina, being the fourth child, has no chance in terms of letting her nature stand out, considering all the nurturing going on around here. Case in point: Lately, Melina has been adding the letter Y to her words. Instead of card, she'll say cardy , or instead of gum, gummy . She also likes to say real words that end in the letter Y, such as mommy, daddy, puppy, kitty, ready, etc. She has grown up, all 2 years of it, around people who like to sing. (Not me. I like good and bad 80s music, and I hope that rubs off onto her or at least settled itself on one of the chromosomes I donated to her). Tim sings, the girls sing, and Aaron hums. Silence is not to be found around here. Having Aaron for an older brother has been good, and bad. He is a great influence when it comes to teaching her how to build something, or draw something, or helping

I had a fright yesterday. Melina was lost to me for about 90 seconds. It was the worst feeling in the world. It went something like this... Zoe and Talia had an orthodontist appointment yesterday, after which I said they could play in the snow. The girls agreed to watch Melina for 5-6 minutes, outside, while I put dinner in the oven and unloaded some things from the dishwasher. The girls are in charge of putting the clean silverware away, but because they were doing me a favor, I figured I'd take the extra minute and put the utensils away for them. All of a sudden, I hear a very faint, "Mommy!" It was Melina's voice, but I could not tell if she needed help, and I had no idea from which direction it came, so I ran out the front door. The girls, Aaron and a friend from up the street were playing by the fir tree out front. Melina was no where to be found. The ensuing conversation is below: Me: Where is your sister? Them: [Nothing. Not a sound. They just look

Each year, in January, I promise myself that this will be the year I get out Christmas and Hanukkah cards. That same year, in December, I curse myself for not doing it. I usually manage to send out a few, to people like my aunts and a few long, lost friends I don't speak with much, but I never do seem to get around to sending anything to people with whom I correspond regularly. Backwards, ya think? Someday, when I put cards at the top of my priority list -- right after taking care of the kids and in place of running (gasp!) -- I'll be sending you a card. At that time, perhaps I will even include one of those letters. You know the ones. The letters that describe each and every accomplishment that Jane and Johnny did, leaving out the fact that Jimmy is currently in the state penitentiary. In my opinion, you either love them, or you hate them. While I used to despise those things, I truly, honestly, seriously love receiving them! It doesn't matter if I see you and your

Last night, Tim and I watched a really cool program called, "In The Womb" on Nat Geo Wild. The first one we saw showed the development of kittens and lion cubs from the time of conception up until birth. The show utilized 3D and 4D ultrasound scans, computer imagery, and awesome photography to capture nature at its best. Being the physiologist that I am, this sort of program absolutely mesmerizes me. The second hour of the program focused on elephants, sharks, dolphins, and kangaroos. Way back in the late 70s or early 80s, I received a stuffed Kanga and Roo (from Winnie the Pooh). I still have those animals, and since then, the kangaroo has held some fascination for me. I don't collect them or consider them my favorite animal, but everything about them is interesting. I remember seeing a nature special on them long ago, and being dumbfounded at the birth of a kangaroo. They are born 4 weeks after conception (and completely underdeveloped) and make an enormous climb

I really just want to post something on this wonderful, rainy, first day of 2011. I have plenty to say, but not enough time to say it. Next time. Hope you and your family enjoyed a wonderful holiday season. For many of you, I wish a better year this year than last. Happy New Year!