YES, THEY ARE TWINS!!!!!

I have a few things to say about comments from the public about my girls.

1. YES, THEY ARE TWINS!!!!! You must be a freakin' genious!

2. Yes, They are both girls! Was it the pink shirt, pink pants, pink socks or pink shoes that gave it away?

3. No, it is not time for their nap! If it were, I wouldn't be out right now, I would be at home putting them down!

4. Yes, I do have my hands full! Again, you must be a freakin' genious!

5. And lastly, No, I do not care about your brother's girlfriend's cousin's friend who has twins! So please, spare me!

Disrespectful, really?

I met up with a friend the other day who has a son a couple months older than my girls. We met at my friend's mom's house, weird, I know, but it is central to both of us so it worked. Anyway, there is absolutely NO baby proofing in the entire house and the strangest part is that the little boy (15 mos.) doesn't get into anything. Not a single latch on a cabinet, tables are full of doo-dads, mostly glass, picture frames everywhere, I mean nothing is protected. It took about 6 seconds before my girls realized they could reach all of the glass doo-dads and proceeded to try and grab every single item in the house. My friend's mom commented that her grandson is just incredibly respectful. Now, this has me a bit confused. Is it possible that my girls are disrespectful? Until now, I just wrote off their curiosity as, well, just that, curiosity. Isn't it normal for babies to explore their surroundings using ALL of their senses? And, isn't touch one of those senses? I'm not afraid to tell my girls, "no" when they are around sockets, getting too close to the stairs, etc., but I also have socket plugs and a baby gate blocking the stairs. Does this make me a bad mom that my babies aren't incredibly respectful, or, is it just really weird that this kid isn't going through the Tupperware in the cabinets? I'd like to think that he is a little off, but he really does appear to be quite normal aside from the lack of curiosity thing. Who knows, but I'm not going to write my girls off as disrespectful just yet.

Best Day Ever!

So, I'm minding my own business this morning when my dad called. Very calmly he said to me, "I got you a gift that you might like." Now I love my dad, but it is hit or miss with his gifts. I've gotten a fluorescent green, one size fits all Olympics hat: miss. Hand held roto-rooter: miss. I was skeptical. Let me just say, he hit the nail on the frickin' head this time. I am the proud new owner of a BOB twin jogging stroller! I cannot explain to you how awesome this thing is! Aside from the fact that it is the size of a Smart Car, it is wonderful! I LOVE it!!!

I've been thinking about my next stroller purchase a lot lately after my dumb-ass mom moment and a run in with some Thornton thieves, but I have not once mentioned any of it to my dad! Completely on his own, he goes to REI, buys a stroller (the best stroller ever) and now it's mine!

I went running, well, run-walking this afternoon, and it really is the best. It rolls so smoothly, turns on a dime and the girls were in shade the whole time. Big improvement from the Twin Jeep stroller I've been rockin' since the girls outgrew the Snap'N'Go. Anyway, life is good! Such a good day!

A Lot Has Been Happening!

In tune with my last post, I've been busy! The most exciting thing that has happened lately is the girls' first birthday! I know everyone says this, BUT, it went by so fast! I can't believe it's already been a year. It is incredible to see just how far they've come. They both can walk (well at least take a couple of steps before plowing into the ground), express themselves, chatter, play, and even joke. When the girls were itty bitty, people always used to tell me, unsolicited, of course, that it gets so much better. I brushed them off because I couldn't imagine that it could possibly be any more fun that it already was, but they were right!

I saw a one month old the other day and didn't miss it a bit! Yea, their sweet and cuddly at that age, but I would much rather be pushed away when I try to give hugs because there is nothing better than, fill in the blank: watching them rolling on the floor laughing, feeding themselves, seeing them get so excited they can't contain themselves when, again, fill in the blank: Daddy comes home from work, they discover a squirrel in the tree, they see chickens, ducks, rabbits, the list goes on and on! It is the best!

We celebrated their birthday at our house with friends old and new. It was mostly for Will and me because, let's be honest, they're never going to remember it! But it is important to celebrate these milestones because once we hit them, we can never go back. Soon it will be kindergarten and not too long after that, college. I look forward to watching them grow. If the years to come bring half the joy of the previous year, then I have a lot to look forward to!

HELP!!! Two babies, no naps, and a mother losing her mind!

Like I've said, the first nine months were smooth sailing. But the last two have been miserable! I CANNOT get my girls to take naps anymore unless I'm driving. While it is very nice that they’re able to sleep in the car, the whole driving thing is old. I’ve put more miles on my car in the last month than my husband who has a commute and does outside sales. My transmission slips when shifting from first to second gear and though I’ve been told my car won’t just break down, it will continue to get worse until one day it no longer starts, I still have visions of me, the girls, side of the road and smoke streaming from my engine. That would really suck! All of a sudden an hour and a half of crying through a nap isn’t looking so bad.

I’ve tried everything. White noise, separating the girls, letting them cry it out, putting them down with a toy, wake periods of three hours (too long), two and a half hours (too long), and two hours (are you kidding me, they’re almost one and they can’t stay up for longer than two hours?). I even called the doctor, whom I adore, but he had nothing to offer. It just isn’t happening and I’m losing my mind.

I haven’t had a break for as long as I can remember. My husband is wonderful and insists I get out of the house on weekends, encouraged my signing up for the interior design classes (by the way, my teacher farted in class on Monday, more on that to follow), but there is little he can do to help during the week, and I need help. Do I put them in daycare one day a week and let the daycare staff deal with them? I can see it now, “11 month old twins kicked out of local preschool for not napping. Their return is not likely.” I just don’t know.

So, as I sit in my living room writing, trying to ignore the screams from above, I plead for someone out there to help me. Does anyone have any advice?