5 am

Middle of the night tantrums demanding impossible items are my favorite.  (Tonight's requests: Grammy, a "different protein bar", "to see the sun now" and a pirate ship.)  (Also Cecily is up.)

Last bit of Christmas

But it was a hit!!!

Santa's favorite

Does he know this guy or what?!

Littlest elf

Can you believe it, Santa came and I'm still awake?!?!

Merry Christmas from Noodle

He came!

All that petitioning by Arthur's grandparents must have worked.  There are a lot of gifts under this tree!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Five years.

It has been five years since our Stitchy cat was called away from this world.  Our lives look so different now it is sometimes hard to remember the days when it was just the three of us - me, Art and sweet Stitch.  But I do know that those were the first days of our family - my very first experiences of being a "Mama," my first chance to get a glimpse of the father my then-boyfriend would someday become.  I will always be thankful that little cat decided to be ours... He was truly one of the greatest blessings of my life.

We love you, Stitchy-cat, and still miss you so.  Hope you and Compy are together, and that you're being nice to him.  It is Christmas, after all.

Nursing a 6 month old

She is lying on her belly on the floor.  Still eating.

A happy good morning

Full bed = Full heart

My best girls

A year ago almost to the day I threw up in the Homegoods parking lot.  Today I took my B-B-Cuties (see what I did there?) into my office where they charmed everyone they met and napped while I worked.  Then after an hour in traffic we finished our Christmas shopping at that same Homegoods.  What a difference a year makes... They are the best girls in the world.  (I have mostly forgiven them for all the vomit.)

"Are they always happy?"

Sometimes not.

From the backseat

Mama, I need to listen to the Santa songs!  (He is his father's son.)

Somebody's excited!

to see Aunt Emmie and Auntie Hannie!  And Panda Santa!

Arthur Says

Mama, Santa Claus is comin' to town!  He's comin' to town REAL SOON.  I so cited!

In the backseat...

A: I see fireworks!  Big ones!!  Blue!  Red!  Fireworks and the castle!  And I see Jingle Bell!  And Peter Pan!

M: Oh, Arthur, I think you mean Tinkerbell!

A: No Mama!  I see FIREWORKS and JINGLE BELL!

Chef

At least I dont have to worry about cooking.

(He is making noodles and protein bars.)

Another day

Another dollar.

Goofballs.

That is all.

Half full

It certainly is a crazy life, but when the day ends with this, it's impossible not to see the glass half full...  Our cup runneth over.

View from here

If we have any more kids, I'm going to need a wide angle lens.   And a bigger bed.

Singing in the rain

For our next adventure, we will cut down a tree!  In the rain!  While singing Christmas Carols!  

(Actually not our tree.  After much deliberation this is the tree we picked.  It had a double trunk.  Of course.)

Starting Solids

Starting Solids with Baby #1: Research for weeks.  Make numerous trips to Buy Buy Baby and Whole Foods.  Buy organic   brown rice.  Rinse and let dry overnight.  Blend to a fine powder and cook on the stovetop.  Film entire process with "real" videocamera.  Starting Solids with Baby #2: Shit, she's 6 and a half months old.  Grab one of Arthur's old sippy cups and  give that girl some water!  Starting Solids with Baby #3: ....  (We only have one sippy with handles.)  Glad we captured this moment for the baby book.

King Arthur Says

On the airplane at midnight: We gonna fly like Peter Pan!

Mo get down!  Mama!  Mo didn't yisten!  Mo go to time out!

Oh hi Mo!  You want play with me?  We play blocks!

Mama!  Go get my iPad, I stay here with my yittle girls.

Disney Day One

@ the park at 8am
Watched Mickey arrive by train

Met Mickey

Met Alice and White Rabbit

Met Ariel

Ariel's ride twice

Small World

Philharmagic

Peter Pan

Haunted Mansion

Met Chip & Dale

Ate pretzels

Pirates of the Carribean

Jungle Cruise

Tiki Room

Left @ 1:30pm

Lunch at the Grand Cafe

@ the park at 8pm

Ate Caseys Hot Dog

Teacups twice

Dumbo

Ate popcorn

Celebrate the Magic

Wishes

Indy Speedway

Buzz Lightyear

Winnie the Pooh

Space Mountain

Ate candy apples

Left the park @ midnight

Late night at MK

Just hanging out with his bffs.  

Taken around midnight.  These kids are Vikings.

Ready to meet that mouse!

Tootsies

If nothing else, our toes are ready.

Arthur says, "Mama!  OH MY GOSH!  Your pigtoes are real real real pretty.  I yike em!"

Poobah's Response to Old Man

Do not get caught up on Art and his little pill box. He is desperately holding onto the carefree days of the past.

Did anyone notice t-shirt our boy Art has on? Oh yeah...The Penny Bar!!!

Hold on Art, do not ever get old. Over the holidays I will model my high school football jersey. Oh yeah!!!

Poobah

Six months

Six months ago these girls spent their first day of life with their Dad in the NICU.  Today we had this.  You've come a long way, babies!

Little Turkeys

Oh so thankful.

Old man

Guys, it's happening.

Betrayal and other Sunday stories

Well, it was bound to happen.  As Arthur was loving on Norah, she got a two fistfuls of his golden locks.  The physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional betrayal.  "Mama, I stuck!  Norah stuck me!  Owwwwww Mama, Norah hurt Arthur!"

Cecily has no time for such games, she is  a girl on the move!

Second favorite question

"Are they both girls?"

Throwback

As a point of reference, here's Arthur in the walker at the age of 5 months and one week.  A week younger than the girls!  He has INCHES on them!  That boy is so advanced!

At Yaya's house

My Mom called me yesterday evening when we were getting ready to pick Arthur up. "Please!  Can Arthur spend the night?  We haven't even really gotten any time to play!"  (He had already been there 8 hours.)  When we asked him what we wanted to do he was very clear - "Stay with Yaya and play HOT WHEELS!"  There is a very cheesy quote that goes something like "The only thing better than having you as parents is my kids having you as grandparents."  But sometimes cheesy can be true, and in this case oh so sweet.

Shorty

They're getting big but are still so little.

Last one

Now she's yelling... This girl!

So pleased with herself

And I love how you can see Norah's profile cheering her on!

Roly poly

After many weeks of trying, ONE of these girls can roll back to front!  Although mostly she stays on her side like this until she rolls onto her belly in her sleep and wakes up screaming bloody murder.  (Even though she can totally just roll back the other way.)  It's good times, guys.

Norah is pretty much happy to just kick her feet and smile.

We survived

Just wanted you all to know that we made it through the night.  Barely.

They are so so lucky they're cute.

One year ago

One year ago we learned that when the universe opened to let our baby into the world, a second little soul slipped through.  Now that we know our girls, we are not surprised that Cecily did not want to wait, and Norah didn't mind the company.

One year ago we were so nervous - we imagined twice the exhaustion, twice the crying, twice the diapers.  We didn't know it would also mean ten times the sweet smiles, twenty times the giggles, a hundred times the joy.

Every day since, I have been thankful that we were doubly blessed.

From the backseat

"Mama I got a booger!  I put it in my snack cup!£

Whack-a-mole

Naptime today was just a three hour game of whack-a-mole.  Guess who won?

For Uncle Jeremy

Getting acquainted.

Building a fence

Alternately titled "We all survived til Daddy got home."

Best friends

I just posted this one to facebook last week but didn't share it with you guys.

Arthur said "Lightning and Mater BEST FRIENDS!  Arthur and Caty BEST FRIENDS!"  Indeed.

Bathtub of Babies

There's a lot of chubb in there!

So Ceci

She is the sweetest girl.

Stories of my life 11.3.13 5:10am

Remember when daylight savings meant choosing between an extra hour of sleep or an extra hour at the bar?  Now it's just one more hour in the who's on first of middle of the night parenting.  (Norah's crying.  Arthur's up. Ceci wants to eat.  I just fed her. No you fed Norah.  Arthur's up.  Ceci's crying.  Norah wants to eat.  I just fed her.  No you fed Ceci.  Arthur's up.)  Oh yeah - and we all wake up an hour earlier.

Yaya's Halloween Tale

We walked in the door at 5:30 with Arthur who decided that it was not necessary to nap on Halloween.  The house was a shambles because the carpet and flooring people had been there all week. There was much speculation as to whether Arthur would even put the shark costume on, he was not a fan.  But after seeing the first trick or treaters get candy, he was on board! Long story short, a great time was had by all, and Ya Ya and Poobah were exhausted as well, they pulled into their driveway at 11:00! On a side note, the girls poked their little feet through their costumes half way through the night with their enthusiastic kicking, I guess they thought the candy was for them too!

Happy Halloween from Under the Sea

Sleepover

No wonder he never wants to come home.

Dozen

12 years ago in probably snowy Meadville PA, some dude shared a piece of cheesecake with a girl down the hall.  We picked October 25 in retrospect as a day to mark our beginning.  Although it was not always a linear journey from then to now, every time I think back to the twists along the way, the sometimes unanswered hopes or wishes I can't help but think that one turn might have made a different ending.   A different life, a different family.  So today I'm so thankful for every moment of the past 12 years that brought us to this happy ever after.  Happy anniversary, Art.  Still can't get enough of your cheesecake.

Five months

Seems like it was yesterday and forever ago at the same time.  They are the sweetest girls in the world.

Two of a kind

But I really think they have their own look, too!  Do you know who is who?