Doug here:
So Sandy looks at me the other day and says, "Have I ever told you the story about my dad and the prostitute?"
(It's not what you think, she was referring to the time she heard the word on TV at age seven and he had to explain to her what it meant).
Which was only topped by the time my friend Lisa was interning as a victim's advocate for the Denver Police Department and told me, "I had to miss out on a double homicide because my Dad was graduating from clown school that day."
That one was just like it sounded.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Sisters
Doug:
So the other night the girls seemed to really start looking at each other for the first time. We were sitting next to each other, each burping a baby, and they just started staring at each other. And then Tava broke into this big grin (we call them Tava-smiles, they take up her whole face). It looked like she was thinking, "Hey, you look fun, we should play sometime."
Analee's expression said something like, "Who the hell are you and why are you in my room?"
I don't know if this is foreshadowing their relationship as teenagers.
So the other night the girls seemed to really start looking at each other for the first time. We were sitting next to each other, each burping a baby, and they just started staring at each other. And then Tava broke into this big grin (we call them Tava-smiles, they take up her whole face). It looked like she was thinking, "Hey, you look fun, we should play sometime."
Analee's expression said something like, "Who the hell are you and why are you in my room?"
I don't know if this is foreshadowing their relationship as teenagers.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Recognition
Doug here,
Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything, I haven't felt like I had much to say. I know most people that know me probably have a hard time believing that, but it's true. This baby stuff all seems so cliche when you talk about it, but most of it is true. The short of it is, the first 8 weeks were hard. Really hard. And I didn't find it all that rewarding. Or that fun. And I don't know how much the twin thing magnified all of this, but I'm pretty sure it was considerable. Our pediatrician (a mother of twins herself) has a great saying: one child is a hobby, two kids are a job (I don't even want to think about three).
Anyway, things got a lot better around week 8. The girls started sleeping better for one thing, and as everybody knows, that helps a lot. But more importantly, they started to get really cute and, even more, they started reacting to the world around them and began to recognize us. Then they started smiling. Then about two weeks ago, we got our first laughs. Well they've got me now. There are still moments, of course, but now I see the attraction.
Anyway, just thought I'd say hi. Here's my new favorite photo:
Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything, I haven't felt like I had much to say. I know most people that know me probably have a hard time believing that, but it's true. This baby stuff all seems so cliche when you talk about it, but most of it is true. The short of it is, the first 8 weeks were hard. Really hard. And I didn't find it all that rewarding. Or that fun. And I don't know how much the twin thing magnified all of this, but I'm pretty sure it was considerable. Our pediatrician (a mother of twins herself) has a great saying: one child is a hobby, two kids are a job (I don't even want to think about three).
Anyway, things got a lot better around week 8. The girls started sleeping better for one thing, and as everybody knows, that helps a lot. But more importantly, they started to get really cute and, even more, they started reacting to the world around them and began to recognize us. Then they started smiling. Then about two weeks ago, we got our first laughs. Well they've got me now. There are still moments, of course, but now I see the attraction.
Anyway, just thought I'd say hi. Here's my new favorite photo:
Thursday, May 14, 2009
First Road Trip
Sandy here:
A couple weeks ago we had to make an unscheduled trip up to Denver. I've learned another important rule about babies--the smaller they are, the more stuff they require. We loaded up our Land Cruiser with just the essentials (clothes for me, Doug and 2 babies, diapers, wipes, 2 jiggly chairs, 1 swing, clock, baby monitor, diaper bag, 2 boppies, 1 twin nursing pillow...) and took off. The girls did great and Doug and I had lots of fun (for the most part) riding with them. Audrey had a good time with her cousins--she sometimes calls them "cousins" and sometimes says "Tavanalee". She helped pick out their clothes every day, and is pretty good at telling who's who (we used to think she just said whatever name she remembered, but when you ask her, she pauses for a moment, like she's thinking, before she responds).
Here's a few gems from our first road trip/vacation:
On the road again....Hey--you gonna drink that bottle? (Tava front, Analee in back)
I asked Audrey to sit behind her cousins so I could take a photo and this is what I got (Tava left, Analee right):
Another pic of all the cousins! (Tava on the left, Analee on the right)
Scott and Molly graciously watched the girls for us one night so we could have a date--not sure who had more fun (Scott has Analee, Molly has Tava):
We took the girls to Music Together (a music class for babies and toddlers) and they had a blast! Doug is holding Analee, I'm holding Tava:
When we were younger, Brother's Bar was the site of much drinking and debauchery. Oh how times have changed (I'm holding Tava, Doug has Analee)!
One thing absent from all these pictures is Miliya. She spent the weekend with our friends Matt and Ambika, who have a dog of their own. Miliya got to go on hikes every day (some around water) and had a thoroughly good time. In fact, when we got home, she looked at us like, "Oh, you again. Where's that other couple? You know, the people who take me to do fun things?"
A couple weeks ago we had to make an unscheduled trip up to Denver. I've learned another important rule about babies--the smaller they are, the more stuff they require. We loaded up our Land Cruiser with just the essentials (clothes for me, Doug and 2 babies, diapers, wipes, 2 jiggly chairs, 1 swing, clock, baby monitor, diaper bag, 2 boppies, 1 twin nursing pillow...) and took off. The girls did great and Doug and I had lots of fun (for the most part) riding with them. Audrey had a good time with her cousins--she sometimes calls them "cousins" and sometimes says "Tavanalee". She helped pick out their clothes every day, and is pretty good at telling who's who (we used to think she just said whatever name she remembered, but when you ask her, she pauses for a moment, like she's thinking, before she responds).
Here's a few gems from our first road trip/vacation:
On the road again....Hey--you gonna drink that bottle? (Tava front, Analee in back)
I asked Audrey to sit behind her cousins so I could take a photo and this is what I got (Tava left, Analee right):
Another pic of all the cousins! (Tava on the left, Analee on the right)
Scott and Molly graciously watched the girls for us one night so we could have a date--not sure who had more fun (Scott has Analee, Molly has Tava):
We took the girls to Music Together (a music class for babies and toddlers) and they had a blast! Doug is holding Analee, I'm holding Tava:
When we were younger, Brother's Bar was the site of much drinking and debauchery. Oh how times have changed (I'm holding Tava, Doug has Analee)!
One thing absent from all these pictures is Miliya. She spent the weekend with our friends Matt and Ambika, who have a dog of their own. Miliya got to go on hikes every day (some around water) and had a thoroughly good time. In fact, when we got home, she looked at us like, "Oh, you again. Where's that other couple? You know, the people who take me to do fun things?"
Friday, May 8, 2009
Family Resemblance
Sandy here:
Everyone has an opinion about who the babies look like (and no, we don't have a milkman), so I thought I would offer the following:
Analee:
My baby picture:
Need I say more?
Everyone has an opinion about who the babies look like (and no, we don't have a milkman), so I thought I would offer the following:
Analee:
My baby picture:
Need I say more?
Monday, May 4, 2009
So Alike it's Scary!
Sandy here:
Up until now, it's been pretty easy for Doug and I to tell the girls apart. They still have a weight difference, so if all else fails we can heft them to figure it out (won't that be fun when they're in middle school!). Lately though, they've been looking more and more alike. Take this picture for instance--we just took it over the weekend. Who's who?
Up until now, it's been pretty easy for Doug and I to tell the girls apart. They still have a weight difference, so if all else fails we can heft them to figure it out (won't that be fun when they're in middle school!). Lately though, they've been looking more and more alike. Take this picture for instance--we just took it over the weekend. Who's who?
Friday, May 1, 2009
Recession
Sandy here:
So this recession is hitting everyone pretty hard. Analee recently lost her job, and she's pretty depressed about it. All she wants to do is hang around the house all day, drink beer and watch TV:
So this recession is hitting everyone pretty hard. Analee recently lost her job, and she's pretty depressed about it. All she wants to do is hang around the house all day, drink beer and watch TV:
Monday, April 20, 2009
Photo Update
Sandy here:
The girls are getting much more alert and smiley and their personalities are really starting to come out (Doug and I are in so much trouble!). I've been having a lot of fun with them lately and wanted to post a few more recent pictures:
Analee is tired of all the attention when she goes out in public, so she has decided to go incognito from now on:
Tava says, "Daddy, just wait until we ask for the car keys -- you won't know what hit you!"
Storytime is a favorite around our house:
All of this activity can make for one tired Tava:
Analee, not so much:
The girls are getting much more alert and smiley and their personalities are really starting to come out (Doug and I are in so much trouble!). I've been having a lot of fun with them lately and wanted to post a few more recent pictures:
Analee is tired of all the attention when she goes out in public, so she has decided to go incognito from now on:
Tava says, "Daddy, just wait until we ask for the car keys -- you won't know what hit you!"
Storytime is a favorite around our house:
All of this activity can make for one tired Tava:
Analee, not so much:
Friday, April 17, 2009
The Vault
Sandy here:
So, we've been going through our photos, and I came across one that made me laugh. This was taken just a few days before the girls were born, when I was on "couch arrest." Boy was I large and round!
At least I'm approaching a more normal size now--this was taken a couple weeks ago, when our friends Adam and Elisa and their baby Ethan came to visit (You can read about their trip here)
Amazing what 2 babies will do, eh?
So, we've been going through our photos, and I came across one that made me laugh. This was taken just a few days before the girls were born, when I was on "couch arrest." Boy was I large and round!
At least I'm approaching a more normal size now--this was taken a couple weeks ago, when our friends Adam and Elisa and their baby Ethan came to visit (You can read about their trip here)
Amazing what 2 babies will do, eh?
Monday, April 13, 2009
Exercising with Babies
Sandy here:
The weather in Durango has been typical spring--warm one day, rainy the next, snowy the next, really windy the next...Today is a warm day, and the rest of the week it's supposed to be rainy/snowy. A perfect day to take the girls out in the Chariot. They wake up around 10, have late breakfast, and I begin the "load girls up" process, which because it's just me (and two of them) is a bit involved and takes a little while. Molly got us these infant sling things that are great--basically the babies are riding in a hammock in the Chariot--well, a hammock with a neck support and clip--but again, they take a little finagling to get babies in. I get the babies in their jackets (which they don't like--not sure why), load Analee up, go back in to get Tava, load her up, decide that I'm feeling brave so I'll take Miliya with me, get my water bottle, cell phone, put keys in the door, grab the leash for Miliya, head outside to do the final snap down of the protective cover over the babies.....
Analee has had a massive spit up--all over her face, jacket, onesie, pants, socks, etc. What I find so interesting when babies spit up is that it's usually a quiet thing in that they don't cry or yell--they just get one of those dazed looks on their face like "What just happened?" (Those of you with babies know exactly the look I'm talking about.) Now I have to unload Tava and get her someplace safe (ah! the swing!), and commence the clean up process with Analee. Normally Tava likes the swing, but at this moment she decides the swing sucks and lets me know in no uncertain terms about it. Miliya is following me around, tail wagging, with this expression like, "Are we going soon? What about now?"
I get Tava calmed down (kneeling down in front of the swing as I'm holding a nearly naked Analee in my arms) and go back to washing/dressing Analee. The eternal optimist, Miliya is still following me around.
I decide that I can salvage this walk, so I put Analee someplace safe to go inspect the Chariot and realize the damage is more extensive than I initially thought. The sling is soaked in spit up and there is even some spit up underneath the sling on the seat and floor of the Chariot. By the time I get this cleaned up (with Analee now upset), the sling is soaking wet and there is no way I can put a baby back in it until it dries.
So instead I came inside and ate some chocolate chip banana bread.
The weather in Durango has been typical spring--warm one day, rainy the next, snowy the next, really windy the next...Today is a warm day, and the rest of the week it's supposed to be rainy/snowy. A perfect day to take the girls out in the Chariot. They wake up around 10, have late breakfast, and I begin the "load girls up" process, which because it's just me (and two of them) is a bit involved and takes a little while. Molly got us these infant sling things that are great--basically the babies are riding in a hammock in the Chariot--well, a hammock with a neck support and clip--but again, they take a little finagling to get babies in. I get the babies in their jackets (which they don't like--not sure why), load Analee up, go back in to get Tava, load her up, decide that I'm feeling brave so I'll take Miliya with me, get my water bottle, cell phone, put keys in the door, grab the leash for Miliya, head outside to do the final snap down of the protective cover over the babies.....
Analee has had a massive spit up--all over her face, jacket, onesie, pants, socks, etc. What I find so interesting when babies spit up is that it's usually a quiet thing in that they don't cry or yell--they just get one of those dazed looks on their face like "What just happened?" (Those of you with babies know exactly the look I'm talking about.) Now I have to unload Tava and get her someplace safe (ah! the swing!), and commence the clean up process with Analee. Normally Tava likes the swing, but at this moment she decides the swing sucks and lets me know in no uncertain terms about it. Miliya is following me around, tail wagging, with this expression like, "Are we going soon? What about now?"
I get Tava calmed down (kneeling down in front of the swing as I'm holding a nearly naked Analee in my arms) and go back to washing/dressing Analee. The eternal optimist, Miliya is still following me around.
I decide that I can salvage this walk, so I put Analee someplace safe to go inspect the Chariot and realize the damage is more extensive than I initially thought. The sling is soaked in spit up and there is even some spit up underneath the sling on the seat and floor of the Chariot. By the time I get this cleaned up (with Analee now upset), the sling is soaking wet and there is no way I can put a baby back in it until it dries.
So instead I came inside and ate some chocolate chip banana bread.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
At long last--a video!
Sandy here:
This video is already about 3 weeks old, which in baby time is a long long time ago (they are now demanding cell phones and wanting to wear make up). We have some more recent videos on our camera--someday, they'll make it onto the blog. But for now, without further ado--floor time!
This video is already about 3 weeks old, which in baby time is a long long time ago (they are now demanding cell phones and wanting to wear make up). We have some more recent videos on our camera--someday, they'll make it onto the blog. But for now, without further ado--floor time!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Identical-ness
Sandy here:
Whenever I go out in public, I invariably get "twin" comments. I was at the hardware store the other day (it's never too early to teach the girls the joys of home improvement), and had my favorite exchange yet:
"Twins?"
"Yes."
"Identical?"
"Yes, identical girls."
"My brother has identical twins--a boy and a girl."
What could I possibly say to that?
Whenever I go out in public, I invariably get "twin" comments. I was at the hardware store the other day (it's never too early to teach the girls the joys of home improvement), and had my favorite exchange yet:
"Twins?"
"Yes."
"Identical?"
"Yes, identical girls."
"My brother has identical twins--a boy and a girl."
What could I possibly say to that?
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Sleep
Sandy here:
So, at 3 a.m. last night as I was feeding the babies, I began thinking about sleep. One could even say I sometimes obsess about sleep--probably because I'm not getting much of it. It's probably similar to the way a heroin addict obsesses about his next fix.
My thoughts were as follows: My life is now divided into 2 distinct sections-- before the babies and after the babies. Here's how my sleep thoughts have changed:
Before: I'm not going to be one of those parents who tiptoes around their kids when sleeping. They are going to learn to sleep with noise!
After: Be quiet! Do you want to wake the babies? (or my favorite--you wake it, you take it)
Before: I really don't want the babies to get in the habit of sleeping with me.
After: If this will buy me an extra hour of sleep, I'm all for it right now.
Before: We've had this mattress for a while, maybe we should get a new one.
After: This is the comfiest bed ever!
Before: My babies are going to sleep in their crib.
After: Is it worth the fight right now to try to get them to sleep in their crib when they will sleep much easier in their jiggly chairs?
Before: I'm getting them on my schedule, not vice versa.
After: I wonder what time they'll let me go to bed tonight and when they'll wake me up to eat again.
Here are a few recent pics, we'll try to get a new slideshow and a video up this weekend.
Helping Mom make dinner (Analee on the left, Tava on the right)
Analee--look at that smile!
Tava looking at her new BFF the jiggly moo-cow
Big cousin Audrey with Tava and Analee
So, at 3 a.m. last night as I was feeding the babies, I began thinking about sleep. One could even say I sometimes obsess about sleep--probably because I'm not getting much of it. It's probably similar to the way a heroin addict obsesses about his next fix.
My thoughts were as follows: My life is now divided into 2 distinct sections-- before the babies and after the babies. Here's how my sleep thoughts have changed:
Before: I'm not going to be one of those parents who tiptoes around their kids when sleeping. They are going to learn to sleep with noise!
After: Be quiet! Do you want to wake the babies? (or my favorite--you wake it, you take it)
Before: I really don't want the babies to get in the habit of sleeping with me.
After: If this will buy me an extra hour of sleep, I'm all for it right now.
Before: We've had this mattress for a while, maybe we should get a new one.
After: This is the comfiest bed ever!
Before: My babies are going to sleep in their crib.
After: Is it worth the fight right now to try to get them to sleep in their crib when they will sleep much easier in their jiggly chairs?
Before: I'm getting them on my schedule, not vice versa.
After: I wonder what time they'll let me go to bed tonight and when they'll wake me up to eat again.
Here are a few recent pics, we'll try to get a new slideshow and a video up this weekend.
Helping Mom make dinner (Analee on the left, Tava on the right)
Analee--look at that smile!
Tava looking at her new BFF the jiggly moo-cow
Big cousin Audrey with Tava and Analee
Monday, March 30, 2009
Laziness
Sandy Here:
We have decided that we're going to stop starting every post with "Sorry it's been so long..." That's just the way it is. We will hopefully get some pictures posted soon--the girls are having more awake time and starting to give you these smiles that just melt your heart (a good thing when they are still awake at 4 a.m.!), and their different personalities are really starting to emerge. Also, they are starting to sleep longer at night, which means I'm starting to sleep longer at night, which means I feel more human and like the newborn fog is gradually starting to lift away from me.
It's actually been a busy couple weeks around here (well, busier than our usual life with Tava and Analee). Scott, Molly, and Audrey were down for a visit, and Molly stayed an extra week to help out with the babies--it was wonderful! Audrey had a good time with her cousins, and it made me more determined than ever to raise good travelling babies so we can continue to go up to Denver regularly. More on their visit later...
As I put the girls down for their early morning nap this morning (really just an extension of night sleep at this point, but I like to call it nap, because then they can sleep wherever they want and I don't feel guilty they're not in their crib), and got my breakfast, I realized that one of the biggest things that separates parents from non-parents (besides the obvious kid thing) is a single word: laziness. As a non-parent, I could say, "Well, I really need to get dressed, do laundry, have breakfast, check my work email and do the dishes. But you know what? I'm feeling lazy, I think I'll watch an episode of "Alias" (my new obsession-thank God for Netflix) instead and do those other things later." As a new parent, the conversation runs something more like this, "Okay, the babies are down, not sure for how long (their naps aren't predictable yet), I have to get dressed, do laundry, eat breakfast, check my work email, and do the dishes RIGHT NOW--and do all those things quickly so I don't leave a trail of half done things around the house--because who knows when I'll get another opportunity to be productive!"
It's a great lesson in productiveness, time management, and those 10 minutes where you can say "Hmmm, I don't have anything to do--maybe I could watch some "Alias"--wait, is that a baby I hear?"
We have decided that we're going to stop starting every post with "Sorry it's been so long..." That's just the way it is. We will hopefully get some pictures posted soon--the girls are having more awake time and starting to give you these smiles that just melt your heart (a good thing when they are still awake at 4 a.m.!), and their different personalities are really starting to emerge. Also, they are starting to sleep longer at night, which means I'm starting to sleep longer at night, which means I feel more human and like the newborn fog is gradually starting to lift away from me.
It's actually been a busy couple weeks around here (well, busier than our usual life with Tava and Analee). Scott, Molly, and Audrey were down for a visit, and Molly stayed an extra week to help out with the babies--it was wonderful! Audrey had a good time with her cousins, and it made me more determined than ever to raise good travelling babies so we can continue to go up to Denver regularly. More on their visit later...
As I put the girls down for their early morning nap this morning (really just an extension of night sleep at this point, but I like to call it nap, because then they can sleep wherever they want and I don't feel guilty they're not in their crib), and got my breakfast, I realized that one of the biggest things that separates parents from non-parents (besides the obvious kid thing) is a single word: laziness. As a non-parent, I could say, "Well, I really need to get dressed, do laundry, have breakfast, check my work email and do the dishes. But you know what? I'm feeling lazy, I think I'll watch an episode of "Alias" (my new obsession-thank God for Netflix) instead and do those other things later." As a new parent, the conversation runs something more like this, "Okay, the babies are down, not sure for how long (their naps aren't predictable yet), I have to get dressed, do laundry, eat breakfast, check my work email, and do the dishes RIGHT NOW--and do all those things quickly so I don't leave a trail of half done things around the house--because who knows when I'll get another opportunity to be productive!"
It's a great lesson in productiveness, time management, and those 10 minutes where you can say "Hmmm, I don't have anything to do--maybe I could watch some "Alias"--wait, is that a baby I hear?"
Saturday, March 7, 2009
I am a new woman!
Sandy here:
The babies pretty routinely nurse about every 3 hours (sometimes shorter during the day--you know, they get bored like we all do and decide "might as well eat!"). Sometimes we can get random 4 hour stretches between feedings--but it has not happened regularly. Given that each feeding takes close to an hour, that means if I am really focused I can get a maximum of 3 hours sleep in one stretch (of course, no matter how tired I am, I can't "sleep" on command, so the full 3 hours rarely happens). Also, I have learned to "do the math" every time I wake up to figure out how long it has been between feedings (and how much sleep I got). The girls are also suffering through their second round of colds (they're not so good at blowing their noses yet, but I keep trying!), so getting them to sleep for long chunks of time has been challenging.
All this is background information for the other night when, about an hour after their last feeding (at 11:30 p.m.) Tava started crying. I went in to help her out (with this cold she sometimes needs to sleep upright, but has decided the swing and jiggly chair are evil at night and won't sleep in them), and shortly thereafter Analee started crying as well. I hauled both of them on the futon couch with me and we all went to sleep. I woke up at about 4:30 a.m. and my thoughts, in this order, were:
1. These clocks can't be right
2. I must not know how to "do the math"
3. Doug must have snuck in, taken them away, given them a bottle, and replaced them on the futon with me.
They slept until 5 a.m.-- 5.5 hours between feedings. It may not happen again until they go to college, but there is now a light at the end of the sleep tunnel.
The babies pretty routinely nurse about every 3 hours (sometimes shorter during the day--you know, they get bored like we all do and decide "might as well eat!"). Sometimes we can get random 4 hour stretches between feedings--but it has not happened regularly. Given that each feeding takes close to an hour, that means if I am really focused I can get a maximum of 3 hours sleep in one stretch (of course, no matter how tired I am, I can't "sleep" on command, so the full 3 hours rarely happens). Also, I have learned to "do the math" every time I wake up to figure out how long it has been between feedings (and how much sleep I got). The girls are also suffering through their second round of colds (they're not so good at blowing their noses yet, but I keep trying!), so getting them to sleep for long chunks of time has been challenging.
All this is background information for the other night when, about an hour after their last feeding (at 11:30 p.m.) Tava started crying. I went in to help her out (with this cold she sometimes needs to sleep upright, but has decided the swing and jiggly chair are evil at night and won't sleep in them), and shortly thereafter Analee started crying as well. I hauled both of them on the futon couch with me and we all went to sleep. I woke up at about 4:30 a.m. and my thoughts, in this order, were:
1. These clocks can't be right
2. I must not know how to "do the math"
3. Doug must have snuck in, taken them away, given them a bottle, and replaced them on the futon with me.
They slept until 5 a.m.-- 5.5 hours between feedings. It may not happen again until they go to college, but there is now a light at the end of the sleep tunnel.
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