Miracle

Which I am sure will not be repeated. Put both babies down right after MoJo last night and they stayed for a while. V woke up a few times but A slept through the night and woke up with a smile! V is loving a brown bear (a ver expensive Belgian bear we had bought to go with oso, but M would not buy it) and cuddles like a maniac with it. Oh, I took some olive oil and a comb and removed most of his cradle cap. So gross, but so satisfying (do not make a face, you know you love to pop zits etc.). Some hair came off with the crud, so he is quite bald now, with long, black hair at the base of his neck. Baby mullet. Yeah!

Trickster

After catching M in another fib today she told me: Sometimes when I have a smile on my face it is because I know that you think I am doing a good job but really I have a secret of something I did that I am not supposed to. At least she is honest about that....

Sleeping Stars

A went down right after J and his best friend and slept all night! She was not even bothered by her brother using her leg as a cuddling and sucking device. V woke up once at 3:45am and once at 6:40 (at that time it does not bother me) and he is still asleep with F on the bed. I am having coffee and watching Curious George with J and his bud while A chills in her rocking seat with her favorite toy (a dinosaur thing). Today is rainy so I am not sure of what we will do. Maybe a movie?

Some Comments

J, after the 'Elmo loves you" end of Sesame Street-  Elmo does not love M because she thinks it is babyish.

M- Is this another virgin of Memory (while unwrapping a juice pack that had a memory game printed on it)?

You Want Attention?

Just push this puppy up Lenox Ave with a baby on your chest in a carrier, your son as captain, his best friend in one seat and your other baby in the other seat. On the way to the picnic we had a different but equally impressive configuration as J and his friend alternated as captains, both babies sat in the stroller and big M walked beside it. Oh, did I mention that it is hot as hell and that I had 30 lbs of food and drink on the stroller too? We had a lovely picnic with friends. We gave M over to her best friend for a sleepover and brought J's best friend over here for one. We never want to have fewer than 4 kids here, lest we not feel challenged:) Today was nice though. We split the kids up and I took one for a long walk with M and her baby while J was at the zoo with his BT posse and F took M and V to Costco with Tío G. Babies actually did some napping while separate, guess they rile each other up. I still smell like fennel. I tutored today as well. Money, picnics, friends, kids, Costco (not in order of importance) that is what it is all about on a perfect weekend day.

Fennelmania

So I started taking a natural supplement called fenugreek to promote lactation. To my horror, I now smell like fennel. I hate fennel, finocchio, hinojo or anything like it (licorice, anise etc). I cannot believe that it is exuding from my pores. I guess the good news is that I do not smell like almond croissants or some of the other items I ingest. It also seems to work as far as the milk thing is concerned. Fennel oh fennel. I do hate you.

Recent Comments

J (while walking on the street)- There was a time when people did not have buildings and then people builded them. (when he saw an old man with a yankee's cap)- why is it (the NY) scribble scrabble?

M- Can you imagine if you were like a mom with no husband and you had twins and you had no older child to help you?

M (after learning of the guillotine)- Why didn't they just run away? Why would you let them chop off your head? You can't just chop off someone'e head, you have to give them one more chance.

J (at snack time) - No thanks, I am watching my weight.

J (after putting on headphones in the car to listen to the cranberries)- Do I look cool?

M (as we walked with babies to meet J and F for lunch)- It is a good thing J is not here or he would traumatize the babies.

M (as AleVit screamed in the stroller)- If I were you, I would freak out

On My Bed At The Crack of Dawn

M-Why are you kissing that water bottle? You do not know where it has been.
J- No, I am sucking it.

J -Do salamanders get shots?
Me- No.
J- Then I want to be a salamander.

M to V- V, you are the cutest one in all of France and Italy and anywhere else I know. You do not have a Christian nose, it is straight.

"When I Am A Grown Up

I am going to have water guns and candy guns"(J). Pause to look to A. "You have so much longer than me to be a grown up."

Da Club

MoJo has an imaginary club where all things glamorous and verboten exist. Every day I hear about a new item in the club (gum, gold, limos). J told me they had real and water guns in the club and I told him weapons were bad. M clarified that they have bad guns, like the ones that killed MLK and John Lemon and that they have them there, crossed out, so that they cannot be used anymore. M then told me that she was the Ms Connor (her headmistress) of the club and that her friend was the Ms Holt (the head of the lower division). I said "really?"- No, not really, she explained, it is just a model, I am in charge and she is my assistant.

Silent But Beautiful

M commented as both babies relaxed this am while I stripped the beds.
Short but seet (silence and kids)

WOW, Wednesdays Are CRAZY

I survived the day and thankfully ended it on a nice note, having dinner with tía D and sister C. My children  sure seem easier when I have two more people here and I come home to fed and bathed kids. MoJo has actually been adorable. My being back at school seems to have shifted their universe back into normal and they are both super sweet. When I went to check if they were asleep, M told me to please remind her to work on her challenge, which is to watch her tone and to be nice, she declared. I told her that she was nice and that watching her tone was a good challenge but that her behavior was excellent. She said, "I know, because I already started the challenge." Some other funny things these kids have said lately include... when I told M and J to get a job to pay for something they were wasting or broke (I cannot remember), M quipped (sincerely) "Oh, you have to have a job to get money? I thought you just went to the bank." M is obsessed with Barbie games on the computer, so J apparently was playing it as well in after school. A third grade boy apparently asked him why he was playing a "girl game". J shot back, "because I like it" and M also shot him a dirty look. The teacher who told me this story said "it warmed my feminist heart"- I must say, I liked it too. I cannot believe I booked movie tickets for next Wednesday, post my East Side meeting. What am I crazy? Oh, yeah. I am. Off to bathe before I smell more homeless than I already do. PS F's trip was extended a day. Yeah (that was sarcastic).

Milk Mania

Today was my second night back. AleVit gave me a run for my money last night (of course) so I am wiped and will be concise. Nice to be in school. Lots going on. Finishing my sub's reports, she is very behind and the templates and format too foreign for her. MoJo happy to see me in school and I them. AleVit drank (not their fault) 4 (!) big bottles each from 8am to 2pm. Have to talk to the woman caring for them . They are going to get a stomach hernia and I am going to fall drastically behind at this galloping pace (they consumed about double what I calculated). F is in Seatlle but I managed to do 4 baths (oops, I was not one of them) and dinner for two as well as 4 bedtimes without hurting anyone. I did, I am ashamed to say, yell at a baby at one point. They are miraculously asleep and will maybe be kind and let me sleep (fat chance!). Off to la camita. PT awaits me tomorrow am pre-work and tutoring and my East Side meeting post work. Loooong day ahead. A domani!

Sexy Super Hero Time

As I tried to read J one of his awful super hero books tonight, I had a laughing attack brought on by the sound of our upstairs neighbors fucking. Yes, that is right, I am sure, even though I never heard it before in this apartment (it was like our anthem on 94 St), they were humping and pumping and I could not stop laughing as I read about Lex Luthor "ejecting from the cockpit" etc. J commented that the sound was like one he makes when playing his drums. M wanted to know what it was and I said "rodents." Really? She inquired. No, I said. I thought it was too hard to read without peeing in my pants and I had to have F take over.

Oops

Forgot to post last night. Had a fab day at the zoo (despite the cold and rain) and a nice Greek Easter dinner with the C sisters. It takes a brave bunch to invite our posse over. I am now pumping, for the second time this am, thinking about all of the stuff that i need to take to work. BTW I have prepared nothing for today, I assume that my sub has a plan. My first break up with the babies. One of many. But a hard one. Good bye maternity leave! Thanks for the freedom!

Today's Comments

As I lay on my side nursing and reading a story..
M- You look like you still have a baby in you.
Me- Thank you.
M- Is that bad?

J- Do you know what hiccups are? A ball boucning from your head to your toes.

Me- Sleep well.
J- Don't say sleep well. Say "Have a good night" because I am not going to sleep.

M- Do I have a good report?
Me- Yes. Excellent.
M- A+?

Gym Show

M was so cute in her show on Friday morning. She smiled radiantly like she did a few years ago at her BT graduation and just enjoyed every part of it. Her teacher had the Kindergarteners show off a variety of skills, some very tricky, but M remained unphased by the hard parts. F and I prepared for the worst at times, as some of the equipment in the obstacle courses were clearly for smaller children. Would she get stuck in a metal bridge contraption and carry it off on her back? Would she trip and do a face plant? Nope. That would have been me I guess. At the end of the day, she got a tacky red and white stuffed pig and the little crappy ziploc bag with half used erasers that they have been using to monitor her behavior. I graduated from the erasers, she proudly declared. What a scholar athlete! Then she added "but my teacher says I still need to listen to her." There's my girl!

M's Get Well Card

I found a card for one of her classmates in her bag. It read:
"Bark too health. Catch the bus not pink eye."

A future at Hallmark?

Shift

AleVit seems way calmer during the day. Went out for  a walk and gave them a bath yesterday morning without a single tear being shed. WEIRD. V took such a long nap that I had to check if he was breathing a couple of times. The flip side is that hey are worse at night. After being champion sleepers they are reverting to professional ball busters. This is, of course, in preparation of my going back to work on Monday. Off to make breakfast and get everyone ready for leaving the house. M has her gym show this am!

Tía C Taught J

and he told his class at school..
"don't yuck my yum"
classic

Morning

Regular. Laundry going. Dishwasher too. One baby asleep (yes!) one awake. About to be bathed before they call child services. He has lint stuck in between each finger, smells homeless. I will miss these mornings as they are about to end. Tomorrow exactly. Monday morning I will be rushing out the door. Leaving my two bundles of joy/maniacs in another woman's hands. It will be hard. And it will be good. And, like with all separations, I will appreciate and love them even more at the end of each break. And like with all changes, I will get used to it. But I will loathe the pumping. And milk schlepping. Off to bathe Thing 1.

Happy Birthday Irene!

Abuela Irene, turned 83 yesterday. Woo hoo. She celebrated by going to get her hair done, going out to lunch with friends, and then to Bingo. At Bingo, she won back all that she spent. I want to live it up like her when I am old. Te quiero mucho!

Professionals

AleVit was CRAZY last night, took forever to fall asleep and woke up every 2 seconds. Water boarding has nothing on this duo. For our current rainy day we are going on an adventure! Walking up to 125 St blue line to fly down to Times Square to visit a colleague with a newborn. Back home by noon to leave to tutor 12:45. Back home to chill before leaving for the UES Wed meeting. But, upon my return I will be going, gasp, out to dinner with F, for no reason. Just to spend money and get away from children. Luxurious I know.

Excerpts From a M Worksheet

1. What is your favorite subject at school/ Why do you like that subject?
Drawing it is nice
2. What is your least favorite subject in school? Why don't you like it as much as other subjects?
running too much energy
3. What is your favorite...
food? candy
sports team? Yankies
book? the cat in the hat
type of music? rock
restaurant? Delucks
7. Describe the members of your family.
The babys are cute
8. What do you like to do in your free time?
art table and dress up

When I read this I am a little relieved that she is still little.

J's Homemade Riddle

Why were the babies crying when the robbers stoled their candy?
Because the police got dead and then their ghosts for the police and then they got dead and then the ghosts got the robber and he went to jail and the babies got their candy.
TA DA (that's me).

Email From M's Teacher

She is! I think she has made a great effort at school. We are so proud of her. On the flip side, I discovered that M was chewing gum today. I asked her where she got it and she pulled another piece out of her underwear! This obviously does not warrant losing an eraser, but we talked about being honest and not "sneaking" things when she knows she shouldn't have them. (It was kind of funny...)

WTF? I GUESS SHE REALLY DOES NOT AGREE WITH THE NO GUM RULE. THIS MEANS OF COURSE THAT SHE IS TAKING IT FROM SOMEWHERE (CAUGHT HER DOING THAT ONCE ALREADY) AND STUFFING IT IN HER UNDERPANTS, GOOD CHOICE. WHAT A WHACK JOB!

PS

One of my old posts just reappeared. Yee haw! There may be blogger justice and order after all.

Advertising Perceptions

So this is not the exact ad, but there is one like this at the bus stop at school, for an H&M bikin. Top $4.95. Woman tan. J remarked on day : That really is a sexy girl. M added: She looks like Michael Jackson as a girl. Day 2 M added: $4.95 is cheap. I hope it is still on sale when I am allowed to wear one.

I DON'T.

Other Jobs I Could Add To My Resumé

Professional nail cutter - 8 hands and 8 feet with 5 nails each plus mutant growth pace = lots of nail cutting

Professional Bather- Stinky children make for lots of baths

Professional Laundress- Self explanatory

Professional Child Care Coordinator

Professional Eater- You have heard enough about this one

Professional Recylcing/Hand Me Down Lady- this one I actually love. I could have a center for this here!

Worry Dolls

F came home with a little bag with one of these dolls for M and J. M knew about them and was thrilled. J asked me why his wasn't working. Maybe we should all put these under our pillows at night to carry our worries away. J also told me that I was "turning"  old as he looked at my hands. He informed his father, as he flashed a flashlight in his ear, that he needed to clean them. J is having a playdate with a little girl today after their yoga class and he is thrilled. He asked me to bring her candy since she is "not on a candy break" like he is. Off to tend to a crying baby. I knew it was too good to be true that they were both asleep!

Mat Fun

The rain lent itself to our first am of real play. I moved the coffee table and laid down a blanket full of toys. AleVit beginning to really grab and coo and it was fun. Alternated feeding and napping with baby while other slept on new play area. The bright side of the rain. And of course they are learning to chill now that my leave is over!

Rainomania

Sad to say that it is going to be raining ALL WEEK putting a literal damper on my last week at home. That is right, my maternity leave is OVER and I am back to school on Monday, May 23. I have a full week ahead with lots of meetings, tutoring etc. I will try to get work done today (both babies miraculously asleep right now- may be a first in the am in the home) before I meet with my colleague about June job. Need to polish July camp schedule as well. I hoped to go to yoga tomorrow but if it is torrentially pouring I will have to skip it. Hasta luego. Where are my lost posts damn it?

New Sign On MoJo's Bedroom Door

No Brothers Allowed

It is good to dream big!

Homesick

Dear Mama,
I feel home sick i miss you and papa and J

I found this and my long lost child (she has been gone since her birthday party yesterday, followed by a sleepover) when I returned from the Aids Walk. I raised $1,246. Unlike other years where I pester and insist and remind, I sent out only 1! email. I am saving my badgering for my next fundraising endeavor, the NYC Marathon. I need to raise $2,620! for that. It is raining. And will continue all week. We are chilling at home while F fixes the 1000 broken toys, ceramics, and parts of the bathroom that (thanks to J mostly) are broken. He took over an hour to make a new hole in the sink cabinet door that J destroyed so he could re-attach the hinge. Ditto for the toilet paper holder that J ripped out of the wall. Weighed AleVit. V is 13.7 and A 10.7 lbs. Whoa! No wonder he feels heavy.

Saturday!

Walked the Healthy Kidney 10K this morning with my mother, who is dying from allergies. G money ran with an Achilles athlete. It was damn humid. F had to go to work unexpectedly so he dropped off all 4! monkeys at tía C's home (gracias!) for an early am play date. Cabbed from the race to 94 st courtesy of abuela. J left for music. We all took M to a birthday party and then I walked home with G. Chilled most of the pm with bebés (and J when he returned) until we took J to a haircut at the barbershop. My feet hurt and I have the aids walk tomorrow. Ay ay ay!

The Explanation.. Hope It Works!

Blogger is back

What a frustrating day. We’re very sorry that you’ve been unable to publish to Blogger for the past 20.5 hours. We’re nearly back to normal — you can publish again, and in the coming hours posts and comments that were temporarily removed should be restored.  Thank you for your patience while we fix this situation.  We use Blogger for our own blogs, so we’ve also felt your pain.

Here’s what happened: during scheduled maintenance work Wednesday night, we experienced some data corruption that impacted Blogger’s behavior. Since then, bloggers and readers may have experienced a variety of anomalies including intermittent outages, disappearing posts, and arriving at unintended blogs or error pages. A small subset of Blogger users (we estimate 0.16%) may have encountered additional problems specific to their accounts. Yesterday we returned Blogger to a pre-maintenance state and placed the service in read-only mode while we worked on restoring all content: that’s why you haven’t been able to publish.  We rolled back to a version of Blogger as of Wednesday May 11th, so your posts since then were temporarily removed. Those are the posts that we’re in the progress of restoring.

Again, we are very sorry for the impact to our authors and readers.  We try hard to ensure Blogger is always available for you to share your thoughts and opinions with the world, and we’ll do our best to prevent this from happening again.

Posted by Eddie Kessler, Tech Lead/Manager, Blogger

M's Dinner Revelation

Having two twins in the house is much harder than i thought it would be.

Blogger Blues

So I guess I lost my last few posts. Blogger has been cuckoo since yesterday but at least it is up now. I should save or print or something. I am off to do my community service class and then to tutor but I will leave you with some lines...

M on V: He is not chubby, he is muscular.
J last night: Can I watch a rock video for dessert?

Hope them other posts come back, their disappearance into cyber space makes my ocd really flare up!

Other Lost Goodies

M was reading a book about something that referred to people's genes and she asked me.. What is Di-nah? (think dinner with a funny accent)?
____
When M asked me why her father always went away I said he had to because of work. I assured her that I never leave. Before I could finish my sentence she blurted "But you went to Paris." I said, Yes but that was one time in six years. Response: But you went.
Hard to have her forget anything. Jeesh.
___
My kids refer to sunscreen as "sunscream"
J tells M to "apology" to her
J goes to "Yusic" class on Saturdays

Happy Birthday Professor!

Happy Birthday to the best stepdad a girl, I mean woman, could ask for. You are truly a lovely grandpa and an infinitely patient stepfather. Love you mucho!

Morning Rush

After 3 perfect nights with early bedtimes and no mid-night wake ups, AleVit had a harder night. It was not bad, but when you get used to perfection... It probably did not help that I ate Thai Market for two nights in a row making my milk potentially spicy and gassy. Today I am trying to not be so reckless in my eating. I went to Silver Moon and had a baguette order and skipped the butter (just jam). I will not eat random crap all day long. I swear. I  got all children dressed and fed and out the door by 7:45am (except for A, who was sleeping and got tossed, I mean transferred in her sleep sack, dirty diaper etc from crib to stroller). My neighbor took MoJo to school and I hiked to BT with bebés for a Spring Fair meeting. Yes, the fun fundraising never ends. Babies were deceptively well behaved there. Stairs going down taking apart the stroller, a bitch. When I was 6 blocks away I realized I had to go back because I forgot a chupete with the clip thing on it there. I refused to take apart stroller again and toyed with the idea of leaving them alone for 30 seconds while I ran in. But even I am not that crazy. I peeked into the toddler room, the closest to the entrance, and asked a teacher, who does not really know me, to keep an eye on the stroller. I think he thought I was a random crazy lady but he reluctantly (but kindly) agreed. Walked back home. Nursing. Mothering until 2:15pm Then I will be off to tutor and then PT. Home to pump. Off to East Side meeting after that. Back and forth should be my middle name. Home for dinner with friends and sister. F will be back! Ciao for now. News on subbing for my sub and rock band rehearsal up ahead.

Flip!

Both bebés can officially turn from belly to back. A, who sleeps face down and is probably much stronger than V for it, did her first official flapjack move this am (I missed it but saw the results). V has had this trick down for a while already. Let the moving begin. Once really mobile I am truly in trouble!

M In Italian

She is reading "Goldilocks" to V in Italian right now.
It is really hard and she is working hard. Self motivated.

Goldilocks or Me in the Am Being Attacked By Children

Sweet.

Found Comments

 I jot down their clever and/or funny comments and sometimes forget about them. Here are some oldies (but goodies):

J- When the babies were in your belly we could not give them chupetes.

M- I think our babies are more precious than G (her friend's baby brother).

M- If we had less children we could get a mini car and parking would be easier.

Getting A Grip

on the sleeping. Babies seem to be able to go to bed earlier. Woo hoo! Tía C put A down on her belly last night at 8:30 am and I heard (I was at school) that she did not wake up until 8:30 am. Record setter. V also went down early last night and did not wake up until 1:30am. Which was okay since he took like a 5 hour nap in the pm and was probably low on calories. Speaking of which, I need to cut it out. It is not okay that I ate mini cannoli that I found in the mail room as a mid morning snack. It is  also probably bad that I ate half a Ritter bar for an afternoon snack , followed by a chocolate brioche (think brick) and then some chocolate chip cookie after Thai Market (my non-sweet obsession). I need to stop eating like the world is ending. I do not know why/how I am not obese but this cannot be good for my cholesterol or for anything. Sooner or later I will walk less, nurse less, and then before you know it I will be one of those ladies kids point to on the bus. I vow to try to be better tomorrow. I will by no means eliminate Silver Moon treats but I will cut back. I think. Lovely evening with Tía D. Off to do my back exercises and to la camita.

Great Day!

Lots of kids. Trip to Costco. Nice brunch. Long park time. Dinner with friends at home. Only thing missing was F! Tomorrow I sub for the sub. buona notte!

Morning Ideas

J- It would be crazy if a monster babysat us.
Me-Do you want me to get one?
J-Yeah, but do we have to listen to him?

____

M as she rocked thr stroller (as I am doing now with my left hand while I rock the other monkey with my right foot): This is amazing that I am pushing the stroller while I get undressed.
A multi tasker in the making?

Happy Mother's Day!

AleVit gave me a great night (I put them down at 8:30pm and it worked! Straight to 2:20am for A and 6 am for V!!). MoJo still asleep. Happy mother's day to my mother, stepmother, grandmother and to all of you mothers out there. Enjoy your day!

9:06pm

And I am off to bed. I cannot remember the last time I went to bed this early. But babies seem down for it. MoJo is down. F is at the airport. I am so tiiired. Walked 7.9 miles with my mother this am. Walked about 3/4 of a mile home from brunch and then about a mile out and back to the playground. I got a great mother's day gift (besides the twins I mean). A hefty gift certificate to Silver Moon so I can sustain my almond croissant passion. F is the best and knows just how to show me his love, right through my eating frenzy disorder:) I also got a lovely card and flowers. We celebrated today since he will be gone tomorrow. We all 6 ate out for lunch and had to field constant questions and comments (Yes they are twins, yes they are all mine). One nice lady, upon confirming that I was indeed the mother, said "much respect." I liked that. Simple. Sincere. I am lucky to have as much help and as many resources as I do as surely there are tons of other mothers with more kids, less help, less funds. Much respect to the women of the world on this mother's day eve. We may not rule the world, but we are clearly the superior sex. I would not give up the ability to carry, deliver, and nurture a child for any of the advantages that males have. Rambling. Off to bed. Stay asleep AleVit. I implore you!

Recent Random Thoughts

M- Will I die in the winter or the summer?
F- I don't know, I don't want to be there to see it.
M- I don't want to see you die.
J- I am going to die when I am an old lady.
___
J as he was on F's shoulders bouncing a frog toy on F's head.. He does not like you. You do not have any grass.
___
M at the end of a park outing... We wanted something fun and exciting like a surprise playdate.
____
J on V- He does not recognize the city.
____
I told the kids that my "challenge" is to yell less. M- that is a good challenge for you.
___
J was obsessed with buying a toy. I said: We do not just buy a toy for no reason. J- There is a reason. I want it. A lot.

Morning Chatter II

J- There is another way to say look for bugs in your hair.
Me- Check for lice?
J- Yeah. They did it to me in school.

J- I did not like Boston,
Me- Why?
J- Because there was no washer or dryer.

Bowery Beer & Beignet Babies (BBBB)

AleVit just got back from their first night on the town in the Bowery. Our friend E's going away party. They were cool beans, hanging out first in carriers and then in their carseats as we ate. A drunk man almost knocked me over as I was putting A in the sling, but she was unfrazzled and he was so far gone that I opted to not say anything. AleVit was perfectly behaved as I ate a scrumptious shrimp po boy and very yummy beignets. Now we are back. Hope they sleep off the beers I drank. Tomorrow is another day. Today was a tough one. A letto!

Friday Friday

Babies asleep. One on me. One next to me. I bathed them and gave them their vitamins. I think I am going to do it daily and it never happens. Sort of like my own bathing. Sporadic. Short day with them today as a sitter is coming post lunch so I can go clean up Riverside Park with the fourth grade and pick up the other two monkeys. Camp meeting while M does her art workshop. J needs a haircut. M needs sandals. I need a haircut. That isn't happening. My sub is out on Monday and I offered to go in to teach. Am I crazy? Sunday is mother's day and F will be in London. Boo! Next week is already jam packed with tutoring, pt, rock band rehearsal play date, yoga maybe? Time time. Like I said before, does not seem to be on my side. Wish I had more. Will try to savor these last two weeks with the babies. Next weekend is crazy. 10K race on Sat and Aids Walk on Sun. Birthday party (M) on Sat and Zoo outing on Sun (J). I miss M, the mother and I miss my croissants damn it! Off to attempt to put a baby down to do my back exercises. Fat chance.

One Track Mind

I just read J's class newsletter that quotes what each child likes to do with his/her mother or why they like her. Most kids had several sentences, specific to the question. My son:

I still like playing with action figures.

The Party Is Ending

but everything seems to be more or less falling into place. Babies cry less, found a helper who is a keeper, M went back to work today (boo!), which means that I am back soon too. 18 more days of maternity leave. These puppies turn 3 months in 3 days. My oh my. Getting excited about leading camp and nervous about June job. Excited to travel in both June and July (do not think my fellow plane travelers will feel the same way...). Body sore but milk production still seems good (not related). Babies chill more. POTW pressure ending soon. F is off to London on Saturday. It will be an intense mother's day, full of mothering, not like other days where I play bridge. Just kidding. I love my life as psychotic as it can seem. I am lucky to have so many people in it. I just need more time!

Happy Birthday Tía D!

I have known you for 32 of you 37 years1 You are the most loyal and sweetest friend a gal could have. Hope you enjoy your day. Love you mucho!

J's Foray Into Death

Will Uncle D die before me?
Yes probably. Older people die first..
So I will die before the babies?
Yes, probably but that is in a long long time. Everyone dies eventually.

J's Current Musical Idol

Even singers?

This, I Could Do...

I do not want to jinx myself (but I will), AleVit seems to be growing up and calming down some. A lot less crying overall, more chill time. V slept for 4 hours and while A was virtually awake and calm the whole time in my morning walk yesterday. My foot still hurts. Have to ice and stretch. This am they woke up 8:45ish and have been hanging out calmly. V likes to suck A's arm and she does not seem to mind. Workers here painting (remember the perennial ceiling issues?) and the laundry is going, I cleaned up some this am while they slept, folding laundry while they hang out near me on bed. Okay, now A is fussing because I left. Back to the bebés.

Morning Chatter

J- When I am am old man I will be V's grandpa.
---
M- I know why they put cartoon characters on toothpaste, so kids will be excited to brush their teeth.
Me- Yes, that is called marketing.
M- Yeah, then they have ads and ask you to pay a lot of money for stuff and they know you are silly and are like "I want that."

Penny Journal

M worked on the multiple page entry, complete with tons of pictures from the weekend, all on her own. I only spelled the word "vegetarian" for her. She is the last kid to be POTW and the only one who did her own writing. She will read it to her class tomorrow. Here goes:
page 1-On Saturday me and M went to Fairway we went to an icey cold room I was being held almost the whole time mostly by M
page 2-But also J(backwards). On sunday we went to a birthday party. The birthday boys name was Federico (he is J's friend) - SHE USED PARENTHESES!
p. 3- Here we are (lots of pictures of them playing)
p. 4 i loved the pizza (backwards zs) and cake and cupcakes.
p. 5 of course i loved lunch. i was happy to hear that M's mom is
p. 6 a vegetarian and that there was no bacon in dinner! Saturday I had a picnic with M. She put a daisy in my ear!!!
p. 7 On sunday we went to a park near M's house. she learned to ride on a bike with training wheels!!! i love you M. xoxoxoxo love Penny

THIS GIRL CRACKS ME UP!

Big Bad J

He has been on a roll, insulting everyone but the babies, yelling at everyone (last week was "you are ugly!" to his abuela), even throwing some pebbles at abuela's face. He is bad to the bone. But, J is a little boy and he is scared to be on a different floor than the one I am on. We were downstairs with tía S and he wanted a dry t-shirt (ocd about being wet) that required going upstairs. S ingeniously suggested that he take the phone so we could talk to ease the fear while he went up. J was thrilled and spoke to me while he went up. He asked a few funny questions like "this one?" Once he was on his way down I told him to hang up.
"What does that mean?" After his t shirt trip he took another because the phone, as a walkie talkie, was just too much fun.

J's Bedtime Selection

(excerpt from The Owl and the Pussycat):
The owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,
What  beautiful Pussy, you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!...
They sailed for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows;
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stoof,
With a ring at the end of his nose,
HIs nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

WTF?