Snap

Well, today I finally lost it. For over 2 months now we have been listening to our upstairs neighbors stomp around and slam their door each and every time they come in and out, and least of all steal the only good parking spot that is the easiest to get the girls in and out of the apartment. That's right I can leave for 5 minutes, literally and when I come back the spot will be gone. Well, tonight was the night I snapped. We were trying to get the girls to go down for the night and the guy just kept going in and out and in and out slamming the door like every 5 minutes. Finally I got up and noticed the door wasn't shut all the way. The next time he came out and slammed it I opened our door and went out. At this point I just asked him if he could please not slam his door every time he went in. I think I really scared him, I don't think he was expecting anyone to jump out like I did, because he just kept saying sorry. It remains to be seen if he will slam the door when he goes back in, but here's hoping he doesn't and here's hoping nothing happens to my van or that he doesn't slam the door even more! Oh well, I guess 5-6 more weeks :-)

And So It Continues

Today has been a continuation of yesterday's not so good format. The girls are going through something, or are having a not so good reaction to the medicine they are on for that ring worm. Last night Maddie woke up at 1:00 and would not let me put her down. I even had to hold her while trying to pump...not an easy feat to say the least. Then once I had finally gotten her to fall asleep and stay asleep Natalie woke up and did the same thing same, only she wouldn't go back to sleep so I had to hold her on the couch for 2 hours. Finally at 3:30 she went back into her crib and then both girls woke up at 5:00 screaming. Luckily after eating they slept until 9:00. Only my sister and I had planned to leave for the zoo by 9:30...we finally got out of the house by 11:00. In the meantime I was throwing laundry into the wash when I picked up a basket in the living room and it had over 300 ants I am guessing, and that is not a big exaggeration, crawling around in it and on the carpet around it...I have never been so grossed out in my life...I mean this is IN THE HOUSE...not an ant hill! So I washed that load twice and there were still ants in it...so I dried the clothes then shook them all and had to wash them again! So one would think that is the end, but no. At the zoo both girls had to be changed because of full diapers. Then we went to Wal-mart to get some things really quick and as soon as we walked in the door Natalie started screaming. I looked at her pants and you guessed it there was poop leaking out...so we ran around literally got what we needed and she got changed again. Then we got back to the apartment and I told my sister to shut the apartment door and to not let my cat, Bailey, out. Well, you guessed it again, I come back and the door to the apartment is wide open and Bailey is standing on the side walk. I started yelling for my sister to get the cat, but luckily she just laid down so I could drop all the stuff I had in my hand and grab her and get her back into the apartment. I am sure hoping for an easier night tonight and a better day today, because I am exhausted. At least my sister is getting the best birth control one can have!!!!!!!!!!

Roll with it

Today, or this morning I should say has been one of those mornings. Natalie woke up at 5:40 so I got up to feed her. In the process Maddie, who was sleeping in her swing, woke up. So I got her out and she wouldn't let me put her down just kept crying, finally I laid her down to change her on the floor. Well, no sooner had I gotten her diaper off she started peeing. All over me and the floor. Luckily we got these foam tiles for them to play on and it went on those. So I got her cleaned up and on we went. Then after breakfast she had pooped A LOT and I was trying to change her and clean the stuff that was half way up her back when she reached around and grabbed a whole handful before I could stop her and then rubbed it all over her stomach. AHHHHH, so while I am drawing up the bath she goes to the bathroom again all over herself. I am like good thing you are headed to the bath. Then clean out of the tub, Natalie crawls over and pukes on her head....what next. It is 8:30 and we have already done it all..haha, but all you can do is roll with it. Here's to hoping for a better day!

5 Years Gone By

Yesterday was my 5 year college reunion. I cannot believe that much time has passed already. It was very surreal being back on campus and seeing people I had not seen since we graduated. At the same time it was a lot of time and it almost felt like no time had passed. When we were sitting at lunch, though, it was weird because I found myself sitting at a table with all the girls who live in the Indy area, yet we hardly see each other. One girl even commented how sad it is that we get so caught up in our own every day lives and time just flies by. This is true, but then we miss out on those friendship/relationships that we could be fostering and enjoying more of. On my way home I thought about this and have now suggested to my friends that live in the area that we try to get together for monthly dinner "pitch-ins" at someone's house to catch up and spend time together...we will see if that pans out. But I guess that point is to foster the relationships you do have and don't let 5 years slip by before you know it.

The Perfect Day

When today started I was thinking, great here we go, another bad day, but instead of being bad it turned out to be the perfect day. Maddie woke up at 4:00, as her usual, she ate and I put her in the swing and she feel asleep again until 7:00. So we played a little until Natalie woke up at 8:00...a good thing since she wouldn't go to bed until after 10:00 last night :-( So we ate breakfast and I started the laundry. When the first load was done I turned on the dryer and it made the worst noise I have ever heard and I thought "great I have at least 4 loads of laundry to do today and the dang dryer is broken" But after a little shake and a cleaning of the lint trap it seems to be working fine. (We are still getting a new one once the house is done...I can't wait all new appliances and Whirlpool's cabrio washer and dryer!) Then the girls actually took a morning nap, over an hour long. So we ate and I loaded them up for our weekly Friday trip to the store. I hate these because of all the gawkers and annoying people who stop me, but I needed to go. So to walmart we headed. Since I had a big shop to do I put Natalie in the snugli and kept Maddie in her carseat. Can you believe it, but I made it through the entire store without a single person saying, "look twins" or stopping me to look at them. It was awesome! Then I got home and unloaded everything before it started to pour. I cannot believe my luck today. I think I am going to buy a lottery ticket, it might be our lucky day tomorrow if we do!

Child Proofing, things you really don't think about

Monday's topic at the new mom's support group was child proofing. I had always thought that we were doing a pretty good job of preparing our house until I heard everything you need to consider. It really is amazing the things you would think are common sense in child proofing, but really some of the simple things slip your mind. For instance one knows that you should put a child safety gate by the stairs at the top and the bottom, only I didn't realize, but it makes sense, that the gate shouldn't be placed at the top of the stairs but before the stairs! Of course the child is going to go stand at the gate or shake it even and when it comes loss down they go. Common sense one would think, but that is where we were going to place the gate until this was brought to our attention. Also, cleaning supplies under the sink. I think almost everyone keeps their cleaners and dishwasher soap here, but even if there is a child lock on the cabinet kids can still get into it and try to eat it! Outlet covers, I never would have thought that a child would actually sit there and try to pluck them out, but apparently they do, so those aren't a "for sure" thing. Shelves and other media paraphernalia need to be screwed to the wall. I was so glad this was brought up because we have two really big bookcases that go in our living room that probably would topple over really easily if one of the girls tried to pull up with it, so these will be screwed down once we move. Finally, table cloths. I have a ton of these that I use all the time, and I didn't even think about the girls going and pulling on them, so holidays only now! I think for safety purposes, and it will make cleaning easier, once we move we will be taking the minimalist approach to decorating at least for a couple of years to make sure the girls stay safe. I know that even if we are ultra careful they are going to get into things because that is what little ones do, but we will try to help them stay out of trouble by not putting trouble at their level.

Pushing the Limits

Today I had to take Maddie to the doctor for an unplanned visit. She has had a rash on her face for about a month and we had been running through the litany of antidotes, lotion for excema, jock itch lotion, etc, all to no avail so I called this morning and they wanted her to come in. It was 9:00 and they wanted us there at 10:00. To a normal person this would seem like no problem, but for me, who was not showered and the girls not dressed it was going to be a challenge. So I dressed the girls really quick put them in the crib to play and jumped in the shower. I surprisingly got ready quickly and was ready to go with enough time to load them into their car seats and head out. Only when I got to the crib there was orange puke everywhere from the breakfast of carrots and Natalie was covered. Maddie luckily was fine so she got strapped in. Somehow I made it to the doctor on time. The appointment went well, only I felt horrible because Maddie has some how gotten ringworm...GROSS! I guess even if a cat doesn't have it they can transmit it, Tom says that is another strike against the cats...I wish we could build them a fortress or something in the basement where they could just live and not be under foot all the time, but I digress. So I have to head to Target to get Maddie's 3 prescriptions after the appointment. Me being the fool I am head into the store without the bottles, knowing full well that it is nap time and they are going to be hungry any minute. Well, I should have known, because there was Maddie, being "that kid" screaming because she was tired and hungry and the bottles were in the car. Luckily the girls love my car keys so I gave her those and we managed to get out of the store without causing to much of a scene. But never again will I push that limit and try to go without a bottle when I know I will need one! Lesson learned, keep the kids away from the cats and always have a bottle on hand :-)

A Big Thank You

I must send out a BIG Thank your to Jeanelle for telling me about a new mom's group that meets in Speedway each week. It was so nice to get out of the house and see other mom's with babies the girls age and to have my questions answered. I have to say Thank You Thank You Thank You! I look forward to going to future meetings and to having play dates!

Adventures in Parenting: Lesson Two

Stranger anxiety is my next big lesson I have been learning about. The girls have entered that stage and it is so sad. From what I have read this is a developmental milestone, so in a sense it is good that they are experiencing this, but very sad at the same time. Stranger anxiety is when the baby learns that he/she is actually a separate person from the mother/father, but it is very scary for them. Last weekend Tom's mom and dad came over and the girls instantly started crying...not just crying shaking and heaving and reaching out for me. Natalie eventually stopped, but Maddie was so upset she just kept burying her head in my shoulder. Then I took them to the store the other day and as usual people kept coming up to us, only this time the girls would start crying every time someone would walk up. After that experience I started doing research and reading up on the topic. That is when I discovered this to be a milestone. I also discovered how to handle it, which has yet to be tested. It is recommended that if a child gets upset then they should go back to the parent to calm down. Then once the child is calm you should sit and engage the child in an activity along with the "stranger" then once the child warms up you should have an easier time either leaving or letting the other person interact with the child. Also, never sneak out of the house if your child is upset because this can cause the anxiety to increase because in their eyes you have just disappeared. You need to kiss and hug the child and tell them where you are going and that you will return. This way they can see you leave and return and they will not be upset. If all else fails know that this is just a phase that they usually outgrow by the time that they are 1 and explain it to your family and friends what is going on, because these situations can be embarrassing for the parent and hurtful for the "stranger" but like they say, "this too shall pass!"

Baby Signs

A few weeks ago Tom and I embarked on the long journey of teaching the girls baby sign language. They recommend starting around 9 months, but say you can start anytime, but to be patient with younger babies because it will take longer for them to pick it up. Well, here we are a few weeks later and Natalie can already do the sign for milk! It truly is amazing that she can already communicate with us and it is only going to get better. We have started with a handful of words...they recommend only doing about 5, but there are so many, around 12 or so that we say over and over again on a daily basis that we just go ahead and use their signs and we are just waiting for the girls to catch on. The words we are signing at the moment are: Mommy and Daddy, (of course :-)) Milk, kitty, book, sleep, cereal, bath, diaper. Then sometimes we will just sign something if we remember the sign. We bought the baby signs program, it came with a dvd, a guide of 100 words and 4 cardboard books to read with the girls that show the signs in action. It really is cute and we cannot wait to be able to communicate with them and to be able to understand them sooner. From what I have read sign language helps them speak earlier too! I know this system works because I had a co-worker who taught his son sign language and it was awesome when I would babysit him because he wouldn't cry when he wanted something he would just sign it and I could get it. So here is hoping that the frustrating crying and not understanding will diminish and open communication will start sooner!

The Quiet

For the first time in a really long time the girls are actually taking a nap in their own cribs...A Miracle really, I cannot tell you how long it has been. To be honest I guess they never really take afternoon naps in their cribs, even though they would sleep more peacefully if they did. Today, however, I finally got them to go down in there, no telling how long it will last, but for now I am enjoying the quiet. It is amazing how loud little baby laughs and talking can be at times, when componded with the television, the cats, the cars driving by the apartment and the air conditioner running. The laughing of the girls I love, their happy shrieks are amazing and I find myself laughing so hard I am crying at times because they are too funny. But for now I am going to enjoy the quiet, while I have it and try to catch up on Harry Potter. I am re-reading the 5th book, for the movie that comes out in July and then I will do the same with the 6th since the 7th book is due out a week after the movie...I am to excited, but sad to know that it is the end of the series. But anyway, back to the peacefulness while I can.

The Trail

Today as I stumbled into the shower tripping over the girl's bath toys I couldn't help but laugh to myself because they have taken over. You cannot make it from one side of the apartment to the next without stepping on something or having to move something else. It is pretty funny when you think how small the girls are and how much space they take up. Their toys and shampoo and bath stuff cover the bathroom...they don't even have that much hair yet, they have 2 different shampoos, no more tears and selsun for their cradle cap, 2 soaps, lavender nighttime calming and regular, a bazillion toys...that is just the bathroom. We still have both swings set up, I know, but they still use them EVERYDAY...they love them, so we aren't getting rid of them just yet, then the bouncy seat and the pac and play and don't forget the exersaucer...which we only have 1 of...thank goodness. But that is okay, we love them. It is just funny, tonight even Tom said, man you don't realize how much clutter comes along with kids until you have them and ours is multiplied. At least in the new house we will have more space to spread the clutter around and a designated area for the girls in their bedroom and the loft for all the toys! Can't wait...do you think we are excited...haha!

Bad Mood Days

Do you ever just wake up in a bad mood, not really knowing why, but just crabby? Well, today I did. Maybe it is because I went to bed after 11...a no, no, no in the land of Stahl. Then Maddie woke up at 12:30, so I rocked her and tried to put her back into bed, only to have her wake again. This went on for over an hour when I finally gave up and we slept on the recliner together for most of the rest of the night...I guess she just wanted to be held or something, cause she sure snuggled up and held on to me. So after sleeping a few hours in bed I woke up at 7:15 in just a horrible, horrible mood. Snappy and unhappy. Maybe it is the weather or the lack of sleep, or the fact that we are pretty much trapped in the apartment today because of the race and our street is a one way out, not in...but anyway, I guess I am just complaining and hopefully I will snap out of this soon...there is no point in being crabby, even on a rainy day!

Prunes are the worst!

The girls have finally been introduced to all the first steps food. Yes, it took a really long time, but my family has a lot of food allergies so I took it slow and instead of introducing a new food every three days I did a new one once a week. Now that we have introduced them all I can honestly say that prunes are the absolute worst. While the girls really like them they are so messy. The stains they leave when the girls spit up are amazing. It is like black sludge that stains everything...it is really gross. The second worst food is the carrot. The girls don't really care for this veg so the stain should be minimal, but who would have thought that these foods could cause so much damage. The good news is that so far the girls aren't allergic to anything we have given them. So on to the next step in a few months...yippy!

Peaceful

The past two days I have taken the girls for a walk in a park in Avon. As Tom would say, "Avon got it right." This park is wonderful and is located right behind the Town Hall. It has two playgrounds and a very nice paved walking path that is probably 1.5-2 miles long and it even has a frisbee golf course. It is quiet and serene and I really enjoy running around it. These runs are so peaceful and I have discovered that if I go in the morning after the girls eat they will take their morning naps while we are out either in the car or while we are walking. This gives me a good 30-60 minutes of peace and quiet. Time to listen to my Ipod and to think, while still being with the girls. Time to reflect on the day and what is going on and to soak up some sun and get exercise at the same time. It is almost like that hour of time is perfect. I pass very few people and the ones I do pass leave me alone, it isn't like going to the store where you can't walk down an aisle without some one talking to you. It is almost like there is an unspoken rule that everyone is there for the same reason, exercise and peace and quiet. I truly love these times :-)

Vote for Tom

MYSigg, a water bottle company is having a contest to design their next bottle and Tom has submitted an entry. If you have a chance go to: http://dcpstudio.com/golduser1/MySIGG/
and vote for his bottle, it is the bottle that says:
Bottle Name: Recycle
Stylist: Tom Stahl
SIGGART Saying: Reduce, reuse, recycle.
Also, check out their other bottle designs. In an effort to do my part and to help the environment I have made the investment and purchased this bottle so I will stop using bottles of water everyday. While I use one bottle per day and fill it up I am still adding to the waste. Also, did you know that petroleum is used to make plastic bottles? Yup, that is right so I am trying to help with the gas problem as well. On another note, we will also be switching to more earth friendly cleaners such as Seventh Generation once our current cleaners are finished. So if you are earth friendly check out these bottles and seventh generation products!

Adventures in Parenting: Lesson One

Over the last several months I have gotten very sloppy about the contents of my diaper bag and I have been moving to a smaller and smaller bag, thinking I need less and less stuff. Well, yesterday I paid the price and learned a very important lesson: IT IS BETTER TO BE OVER PREPARED, RATHER THAN NOT PREPARED AT ALL. See, yesterday we went for a walk around the new hood and I was taking Maddie out of the stroller, only to find her completely soaked when I picked her up. That would have been fine and dandy had it only been pee, but no such luck, it was poop too, all over...very gross. So there we were with my tiny diaper bag, a few wipes, some diapers and a onesie to put her in, no clothes or shorts or anything to put the dirty diaper in and we were off to the store since we were already out. So the poor thing had to wear only a onesie to the store because of her momma's lack of organization or laziness if you will. So, today when we set out to go look for a couch I was prepared. Back to the big diaper bag with several onesies, extra shorts and tons of wipes and diapers and bags for dirty diapers, hoping we wouldn't have to use it, but ready all the same. After a little while we walk out of one of the stores and Tom says he thinks Maddie needs to be changed and I asked if she was poopy and he said he didn't think so, but that he kept smelling poop somewhere. So I set to change her, taking off her pants, only to find poop ALL over her leg, her pants the onesie, everywhere. It was to much and I just started laughing because I couldn't believe it was happening AGAIN. But, at least this time I was ready and got her cleaned up and dressed and headed out to the next store. The whole ordeal was so much for her she fell right asleep and slept until we got home. So, to all you parents out there, don't get lazy, carry the bigger bag and have everything you might need every time you go out. I used to do this and forever more will do it now!

People really are ignorant

This week the girls turned 7 months old. Very weird to think they are that old already, but hey time flies when you are having fun...right? It has been great being able to get out of the house and show them around the world...they like going to target and watching all the products pass them by in the cart, their eyes get really big and it is pretty cute and it is great not being house bound. This freedom, however, comes with a price. The price of having to deal with ignorant people. Tom and I usually want nothing more than to do our shopping or have a nice peaceful meal out with the girls, but that is not a luxury anymore, because you would think we were traveling with a circus or something. Everyone stops us and says, "oh twins," or "oh you poor thing," when I am alone. I do not consider myself a "poor thing" I consider myself lucky, lucky to have 2 great daughters to love and who love me back. The worst are the people who stop us and try to touch the girls or ask pretty dumb questions, like "are they boys?" I want to say, "yes, they are boys and I am raising them to be gay, that is why they are in all pink clothing and pink car seats" Come on people give me a break. The best was when we went out to eat last week, we had both girls in their car seats and the guy seating us asked how far apart in age they were...are you serious? My mom says this circus feel will only get worse as they get bigger and look more alike, but all I want is to be able to get in and out of the store without being bothered. Oh, well I guess this is about the only down side I can see about having two instead of one, but once again I wouldn't change it for the world, I just wish people wouldn't be so ignorant and would mind their own business, like we mind ours!

What $30.00 will buy you

I remember when I was a freshman in college and you could buy gas for $1.00. Now that was 9 years ago, but for about $15.00 bucks or less I could fill my entire gas tank up. Well, now I could buy a quarter of a tank of gas for that amount. Yesterday, much to my dismay I realized that I was completely empty and had to break down and purchase gas. I told myself I was only going to spend $30.00 in hopes that this will tide me over for awhile and prices will go down. Well, as the ticker kept on ticking I realized I was barely going to get 8 gallons for $30.00, but I still stopped the pump then, got in my car and turned it on...holding my breath I looked at the gauge...it was half full. The sad thing is, I was actually happy that it was half full, because I thought for sure it wouldn't even be that much. So, I guess now I am going to cut my driving down even more than I already do, no more going out just to get out of the house, because those prices are just to ridiculous. I will sure enjoy when our house is done so I can just step outside to go for walks and I won't have to drive somewhere to feel safe...but until then, the driving will be limited :-(

A+++++++ Customer Service

I have always known that LLBean had great customer service and great products. I know I know this is going to sounds like an LLBean pitch, and okay, it kind of is, but they are the best! I have loved LLBean for a really long time, their fleeces and duffles are the greatest. So, last week I ordered the girls some little duffles for our little trips planned this summer and for when we go to their YaYa's, my mom's house. :-) Well, the bags arrived today monogrammed and everything and I took them out of the wrapper and they were so tiny, not the size I thought I had ordered. I have an overnight/weekend duffle from there which I thought was a small, oops it was a medium. So I thought I was going to be screwed because I had them monogrammed and everything, but nope, LLBean said no problem, ordered me up new ones in the bigger size, set up the monogram again and said they will be here by the beginning of next week. I couldn't believe it, even after the monogramming, it is amazing. This isn't the first time that LLBean has surprised me. Back in High School I had an LLBean back pack that had a zipper that got caught on my locker and ripped. I sent it back to LLBean asking them to fix it and they sent me a brand new bag...mine was at least 4 years old, now that is what I call quality customer service. So if you ever need a bag, a fleece, clothes or you are just bored surf their site, it is great!

Diaper Me Please Daddy

Last night Maddie woke up screaming at 1:00 am. This isn't to untypical, the girls will usually do this when their pacifier falls out and they don't want to suck their thumb. Only the typical response is pacifier goes back in and the girl goes back to sleep. Only last night Maddie opened her eyes looked straight at me and had this look like "are you crazy?" then she proceeded to scream, so I went to pick her up to rock her for a little bit only to find her soaked, bed soaked, pj's and her sleep sak, so I take her into the living room to change her and as I am stripping her down each article of clothing is wetter and wetter until I get to her onsie, where I then reach for her diaper, which isn't there. That's right, NO diaper. At that point I am really annoyed because Tom had dressed her after her bath, and had forgotten to put her diaper on. The poor girls must have wet herself several times. So Tom wakes up because of crying and I am like next time can you please put a diaper on Maddie and he tries to tell me that I was the one who had dressed her, because I gave her the bath, but then we had switched and I also did Natalie. He then realized what he had done and went to change her sheets. The longer I sat there the funnier this all turned to me and I found myself sitting in the dark livingroom laughing to myself. It was all to funny to think that at 7:30 pm a diaper was missed and we have gone several nights of sleeplessness and we have never done anything like that before. Hopefully in the future we won't make mistakes like this again, because the only person I feel bad for is little Maddie who woke up cold and wet...poor thing.

Mini Anyone?

Yesterday as the girls and I were watching the Mini Marathon on TV I couldn't help but wish I was there running it. I know it sounds crazy, but I really enjoy it, it is such an accomplishment to say you have done it. I have completed it 3 times already and every time I say I am never going to do it again, but I always find myself running again. So yesterday after watching it I decided I am going to do it next year and I signed up. A whole year in advance...haha CRAZY! Then I was thinking, man it would be really fun to get a bunch of people or moms together and we can all train together with our babies...are any of you out there interested? We would have a year, good exercise time to chat and fun at the end...so if you think you might want to give it a try let me know. I am NOT a fast runner, my best time was 2:18 and that was a couple years ago before kids and such, so if you wanna give her a try lets do it!

Reflection

Today is graduation. I am not walking, but I will get that diploma soon...still a very surreal experience to know that it is all over, no more classes or lectures. The past couple of days I have been reflecting on the whole experience. The three years of driving to the near southside, beating traffic, writing papers and cramming for tests. The stressful semester when I was pregnant and then the semester off when the girls were born and I was on bedrest. Would I do it all over if I had the chance? You bet I would. It was a challenging experience and I am stronger now for having completed the degree. I don't know what I will do with it, or where my future career will go, but I am glad I had the experience and that I was able to achieve this feat. I guess what I am trying to say, is if there is something out there that you have been wanting to accomplish, but you think it will be to difficult, give it a try anyway, do it. Do it for you, or do it just to say you did...you will thank yourself in the future and you will feel very proud of yourself too!

I did it!

15 weeks, 4 papers, 3 presentations, 5 exams and 2 A's later I am finished with school. I cannot believe that tomorrow is graduation. I am not walking, but the simple fact I am done, have my MBA and still had my baby girls amazes me. I am very proud of myself and it feels so great to say I did it. It is a very surreal feeling though. After three years of studying I cannot believe that I don't have to read any more textbooks or write anymore papers or sit in anymore lectures. I can now spend more time with the girls and I won't be getting frustrated when they don't want to nap and I need to study. So yippy for me... I DID IT! :-)

In Progress

Well, our house is officially in progress. They have already dug the hole and poured the walls for the basement...very exciting. It is fun to drive by each day or every few days to see how things are going, but we just can't wait to move in. Once the house is framed we will get our closing date. Hopefully sometime in the middle of July, so we are counting the days. It is hard to believe we have already lived in the apartment for a month though, so at least the time is passing quickly. So yippy skippy we are progressing along!

Realization

Today I went shopping with my mom and aunt and I was having absolutely no luck finding any jeans that would fit me...much to my disappointment that is for sure. Then on our way out I saw two pairs that looked nice so I said okay I will try them on. Well, they fit and I realized, I am no longer a "teen" and my body at the moment is not that of a "misses" and yes I should be shopping in the women's section where clothes are made for women with curves and who have wider hips because of babies! I think I was in denial or something, but I am glad I found some jeans that are somewhat flattering and look nice, not like I tried to squeeze into someone else's pants. On another good note, I discovered that the look this summer in women's shirts is great for hiding post-baby belly bulge, because the shirts are like empire waist shirts and they are super cute!

Connecting

Recently I have been thinking how weird and cool it is how connected you can become to people you don't really know very well, have only met a few times or have never met. I am saying this because of the connection that blogs have given people. I feel like I have joined a small community or something and I am able to keep up with my "friend's" lives through their blogs. While some of you/them I have only met a few times I feel like we have a connection and I really like it. I enjoy sharing my stories/complaints and hearing what everyone else is doing in their lives, how their jobs are and how their children are progressing. It really is cool and fun and I am glad we can all share these moments together!

Health Care Scams

Last week I had to take the girls to get their 6 month shots...which I hate! When we got there the doctor informed me that our insurance would only cover $12 of one of the shots, the rototech (sp?) and that we would need to go to the health department to get it, because it cost the doctor to much to only get that little from the insurance companies. I was not to pleased about this, luckily it is an oral shot and no needles were involved. So I head to the health department where the shots for both girls was $1.00. This lead me to think, what the heck, why is it so expensive to get it at the Dr.'s and so not expensive at the health department, the whole notion just did not make any sense to me. I know health care is a rip off, I mean when the girls delivery probably cost around $100,000 or so and we did not pay that much and the insurance did not pay that much, why is there such a disparity in the costs charged to people. It is simply ridiculous and something that I wish I could understand, but I simply cannot!

Freedom

On Friday we got the offical go ahead, the girls are now allowed out of the house! We are so excited. So, we took our first family lunch trip to Three Sisters Cafe in Broadripple for lunch on Saturday and then to Meijer on Sunday. It was the first time in 8 or 9 months that Tom and I got to go to the store together. It is going to take some adjusting to going out with everyone, but it is fun at the same time. The girls handled their first experiences well. Maddie doesn't like loud noise and the restaurant was a little loud, but she did well and Natalie actually slept the entire time we were in Meijer. But at least now we can actually go out and have fun as a family, fun times are ahead!

Ants

Our apartment is infested with ants. It really is gross and annoying. I don't so much mind them if they stay to one place, but I feel like once we kill them in one area they appear in another. It all started in the kitchen, then they were by the couch... very odd if you ask me. Then randomly in the middle of the floor by the washer and dryer area, just in the middle of the hall. Then by the front door and again today in the kitchen. We have set up those ant traps everywhere and we have been spraying, but it is not helping. Yesterday I opened my book in class and low and behold there was an ant...it had traveled all the way to the University of Indianapolis with me! Today I bleached the kitchen floor in hopes that that would help get rid of them there and I plan to spray again, if that does not help I am calling in a maintenance request and asking the apartment people to take care of the problem because in all honesty it isn't our problem, but that is what happens when you go from being a homeowner to a renter. You are used to taking care of your own problems and not relying on someone else who in all honesty will probably take their sweet time doing it. So if you want something done right, do it yourself!

6 Months, How Time Flies

Yesterday Natalie and Maddie turned 6 months old. I cannot believe how time has flown by. They are now rolling over in both directions like it is no big thing...Natalie uses this as her mode of transportation and she can't be left alone at all because she is half way across the room when you return. They both seem like they could crawl at any moment, we believe Natalie will crawl first, but Maddie will talk first. They are eating food now...they like their sweet peas and especially like sweet potatoes, but do not like carrots...it is pretty funny to watch, the faces are classic. They are growing into their own personalities and starting to sleep through the night more...a very nice bonus for me. Other than that I still cannot believe that my little babies are so big, I just love holding them and listening to them laugh, especially when they get each other to laugh, it is very special and fun. I know they are going to change even more in the next 6 months, I mean that is what growing up is all about right, but for now I am happy just watching them as they develop and as they get to know each other!

Done Deal

It is completely official and a done deal... we have sold our house!!!!!!!!! We are so happy and excited and now even more ready for our house to be complete! Living in an apartment sure isn't all it is cracked up to be, if it is even cracked up. So far since we have moved in, on Saturday, so 4 days ago. I have had to clean the drain in the tub...it was so clogged the drano wouldn't even go down. And get this...soooooo gross there were clothing tags and caulk shoved down it...that is right CLOTHING Tags...who does that. So I dug those out. Then this morning the toilet wouldn't flush and we have ants...now the fridge is making weird noises...ahhhhhh the joys of renting...4 months 4 months...I hope we survive. We are thinking about making a poster to put up to remind ourselves of just how short a time we will be here and we might actually have to in order to make it...wish us luck :-)

The Move

The first move in our journey to the new house took place this weekend. Things went went pretty smoothly even though it was chilly and we weren't totally packed.
One of my good friends an Tom's good buddy and his brother and Tom's parents helped us, we couldn't have done it without them...THANKS Guys!It took a couple hours and a few trips back for Tom and I but it is done now and the house is clean and ready for closing tomorrow. We are so happy to have this chapter over and are ready for the new house, even though we have to wait 4 more months. Apartment life is sure different than living in your own house. Everything seems backwards to me...like the faucets and the door on the fridge, to me they all open in the wrong direction. Then there is getting used to the noises of neighbors, like th people upstairs who sound like they are stomping all over the floor, when in reality they are probably just walking normally. Then there is not having a garage, ugh it is horrible, especially with the girls and having to carry them to the car. We keep saying it is just 4 months, just 4 months and know in the end we will appreciate the new house that much more. So for now we are just trying to settle in, unpack what we need and continueing to get rid of the stuff we don't need but have moved again. Oh and of course there is that always that one thing that you pack that is battery operated and starts to die or in our case the carbon monoxide detector that I packed and that was buried in the back of our storage closet under the stairs that kept beeping. I was in the nursery and I kept hearing it and I asked Tom and he said he would look for whatever it was. Well, wouldn't you know it, it was the carbon detector that was buried in the last box, on the bottom in the very back of the closet...wouldn't you know it, it "needed fresh air" well it is sure getting the air it needs now, sitting outside on the porch because it wouldn't stop beeping. So that is move one...one more to go, ahhh. I am sure there will be more stories though from the land of apartmenthood, so look for them over the next couple of months!

Stress Is Derailing My Weight Loss

I cannot wait for this move and school to be over, because all of the stress in my life right now is wrecking havoc on my goals to loss weight. It is unbelievable how much of a comfort/stress eater I am! Sad that I have no control, but when I get stressed bring on the chocolate, ice cream and M&M's for sure. I wish I had more will power but I don't, so I look forward to having things settle down a little so I can concentrate or actively try not to eat as poorly as I currently am. I also look forward to taking the girls on walks in our new neighborhood and checking on the status of the new house...yippee!

Our First Moving Accident

Yesterday was a whirlwind of packing and trying to get organized. We have quickly realized that we have entirely to much stuff. We have been separating everything into two categories, the new house and apartment. Yesterday I packed about 10 boxes, none of which said apartment...there for this makes me think, do we really need all this stuff if we can live without it for four months? We are seriously considering having a huge sale once we have moved and are settled because we obviously do not need all this stuff if we can live without it. But on another note, we had our first tragedy yesterday I was taking shelves down in the bathroom, when my biggest bottle of perfume, my cool water fell onto the floor and smashed into a thousand pieces and went everywhere...gone, gone, gone and the smell was AWFUL. I mean that stuff smells great in small doses, but when it is everywhere it was a bit strong. Luckily it has started to disintegrate and isn't as strong today!
We also, signed our lease for our apartment and we are ready to start moving in. We are going to clean the carpets tomorrow so the girls have somewhere clean to crawl, because it is going to happen any day now and then we will start moving stuff, with the big moving day Saturday. We will be happy when things settle down and we can live a little more normally for th next couple of months. So that is the update from the hood for now.

Sold

Well, in under a month and a half we have managed to sell our house! We close April 10, but the sold sign is in our yard...we are so excited. It has been a crazy and hectic month or so, but worth it. The down side is we are headed to an apartment for the next four months. We decided that we just weren't seeing what we wanted in the houses we were looking at, so we have decided to build a house in Avon. We are sooooo excited and the house will be great and perfect for us once it is complete...in July :-) That is the only bummer, but it will be wonderful. We are going to have about three times as much house when it is all said and done. The new house will have a basement that over time we are gong to finish and put a guest suite and office in, but we are very excited.

Spring has Sprung!

Well it is officially spring and the weather has certainly changed to match the season. I love it. I was able to take the girls out for a walk yesterday and hopefully today we will get out again, if the weather cooperates. It is so nice to get some air and exercise and not have to be inside all day. The girls are still on "house arrest" until May. Who knew that flu and RSV season lasted so long...I had no idea, but I am counting down the days until they are able to leave more often. But until that time we can enjoy our neighborhood, at least until the house sells. We thought we were done with it the other day when we had an offer, but while we were countering the couple looked at another house on our street and made an offer on that one...UGH! And believe it our not last night when I was coming home from school, the lady that lives there was already moving stuff out...man that should have been us...but oh well, we have 4 months to sell this place. We have opted to build a house in Avon and we close on it at the end of July. We signed the papers when we thought we had an accepted offer on our current house, but I guess that is how the real estate game is played. So now we are back to showings...well waiting for people to want to see it...it has been a slow week and we sure hope it picks up, cause we GOTTA sell :-) Anyway, enjoy the weather everyone and WELCOME Spring!

A Week of Firsts

Last week I took the girls to my parents house for the week. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the time with my family and the daily companionship! The girls also had a lot of firsts. Their first long distance car ride, which they handled really well, only one stop on the way there to eat, and no stops on the way back. That is right, they slept the WHOLE way back, over 5 hours, it was great. They got to meet their great grandmother for the first time and they got to eat rice cereal for the first time. Natalie took to it right away and I couldn't get it into her mouth fast enough, but Maddie didn't like it as much. They are both, however, now doing much better and are really getting the hang of it! So that is that many firsts for one week, but it was a lot of fun.

Do you ever think

Today I was sitting in my cousins room looking at all his pictures and I thought to myself, "Geez, I don't even really know Ryan anymore." This thought made me pretty sad, he is in college now and has grown up and is no longer like my little brother, like he was when we were growing up. Then I kept thinking about how much has changed over the past couple of years. My cousins are older, in college, almost driving etc. My sister is a junior in high school on her way to her senior year and then onto college...I still remember when she was born, but that was 16 years ago. I am a mom now and all the kids I used to babysit are growing up and going to college and somewhere along the way we all went on different paths. I know this happens to a lot of people. I even have friends who I no longer have much in common with, yet they have always been my friends so you don't want to let that go. When do we come to that pass where things change and why do things change so much. You think you will have a certain kind of relationship with a person and that, that will be the relationship forever, but that isn't the case. As we age and time passes our friendships change and all we have left are the memories and the new relationships that form. But it is always important to remember those friendships, or relationships that we have had in the past and move forward and continue to live life with love.

When your car is smarter than you

Technology today really is an amazing thing. I mean take the DVR that can record your shows for you and allows you to pause, and rewind live tv and other such wonderful things like the internet. Well, now even my car seems smarter than I am. The other day we loaded into the van to go look at houses and there was a weird light on, on the dashboard, I of course started freaking out and Tom said not to worry and looked in the manual. Well, it turns out I had a very low, not flat, but extremely low tire. It only had 25 in it when it need 35. I couldn't believe that my car could tell me to air it up, but it did. It also can tell me what percentage of oil I have left, which is very nice because I am very bad at getting my oil changed on time! So there you have it, one day we might not have to drive, we will just get in our cars tell it where we want to go and sit back and relax, now wouldn't that be nice!

More lessons in Real Estate

So this weekend we learned another lesson in selling your house. I have heard never get emotional, but we did. We were out with our realtor looking at houses when she said they people looking at your house want to know if you can be out by the end of the month. We thought she was joking, but she said she was serious, so we said well tell them to give us an offer and we will see. So we waited and later she called us and told us that they would be writing us an offer the following day, Sunday. So all day yesterday we sat and we waited and ran different scenerios around about where we would go and what we would do if they gave us a good offer. Only the offer never came so we worried about it all day for nothing. It is weird this selling your house thing, one minute you are on a high running different situations around and the next you are back to basics waiting and showing again...it is a bum deal and a stressful one at that. On another note, Tom and I are thinking about building a new house in a subdivision in Avon. All the houses we have looked at are so old and would need so much updating that we are heavily weighing the options of just building new and starting fresh...so more to come on that!

Lessons in Buying and Selling Houses

This week has been a week of real estate lessons. I have learned that it is VERY stressful trying to sell your home, especially when you add on top of that twins and a cat who doesn't like strangers and has to be packed up and taken with you when there are showings. I have learned NEVER to leave the house with it in any other form than tip top shape, because you never know when someone will want to see your house...I found this out the hard way. I took the girls out for a few hours to look at houses with our realtor and while I was driving home I got a call that someone wanted to see our house at 3:30...it was 2:00. So I had 1.5 hours to get home, feed, change the girls and clean the house, I had their toys laying everywhere. Oh, and I had to catch the cat to take her with me...I thought I was going to die, but some how I managed, got the house clean and out the door we went again. The girls were super crabby that night from lack of a proper nap, but we did it. Oh, and yes I found out today that it was an investor who looked at our place and if they made an offer it would be under 100k...why are you even wasting my time I wanted to scream when I found out, but oh well, I digress. The other lessons I learned are, pictures are VERY VERY VERY deceiving and a house that looks great on the websites, can look absolutely horrible in person. I also learned, that our house really isn't that bad and we might have to end up staying here, because the houses that are nicer may just be out of our price range, but we shall see. So to all those out there considering buying and/or selling have patience and remember it is just a house others will come and at some point yours will go!

Curse of the new clothes

I swear my girlies know when I put them in something new. It doesn't matter if it is a new onesie or new pants or a new shirt, they can sense it, because each and every time they blow out their diapers. I am becoming a whiz at getting stains out, but it is still a pain, and all those stains do not always come out. But it is inevitable that within 2 hours of being put into something new that loud explosion will be heard and no sooner than I can pull them out of whatever they are sitting in or laying on, there will be poop everywhere. You can't get mad, I mean they don't know what has happened so all you can do is laugh, put them in the bath and know that next time it will happen again! So here is to the curse of the new clothes, let them be fresh and clean for an hour, because that is about all they will get...if that! :-)

It's Official

Today the sign went up in our front yard...it is official our house is now for sale! It is exciting times to say the least and we are crossing our fingers that it sells fast so we can get into something bigger and with a basement! So if you know of anyone looking for a three bedroom, two bath in Brownsburg send them our way!

Happy Four Month Birthday Baby Girls

To my Beautiful Baby Girls:
Today you are four months old. I cannot believe that this much time has passed already. Luckily your momma hasn't had to go back to work and I am able to spend each and every day with you, watching you grow and passing milestone after milestone. Although you are identical, you two have very different personalities and it is exciting watching you change every day. You are both starting to roll over now and sit up a little on your own. It won't be long before you are crawling and next walking. It is all so exciting and I am so grateful to have the two of you in my life. I know your daddy feels the same way. We were nervous about having two babies at one time, but now I cannot imagine what life would be like without you. The two of you look at each other now and you laugh at each other and hold hands and play. It brings smiles to our faces. You even laugh at us and it makes me laugh so hard sometimes that I cry out of joy. You two are the most precious things in my life and I just want to wish you a happy four month birthday my baby girls. I love you! Your Momma

Snow Days

Today is an official snow day for Tom. His work told all non-vital employees to work from home and not to report to the office. Lots of fun I think, a day home with the family an added bonus to the weekend, a time to remember. However, there are a lot of adults who feel that snow days are a burden and a pain. This makes me wonder, WHY? When did snow days become such a pain? When we were kids we used to huddle around the television waiting for our school's name to scroll across the bottom of the screen, waiting in anticipation for that day off, that day of fun and freedom. But as adults we don't wait for that fun, why is that? Shouldn't we cherish the time with our families. Yeah, so you can't go out into town or do anything, but do we always need to be on the go, running here and there. I think sometimes we as a society need to take a step back and slow down, enjoy life instead of watching it pass us by at warp speed. So instead of worrying about all the work that might be waiting for you when you return to work, sit back, enjoy a good book, or play a game with your family and enjoy life!

When Smells Evoke Memories

A few weeks ago I got some new face wash, just good ole Neutrogena, but it was a new one for me and I must say I enjoy it. Not for the pimple control, but because every time I was my face I think of going to Florida when I was a child. I don't know why, but for some reason the way this soap smells just makes me think of Florida and spending time at my grandparents condo. Maybe I used to use this soap when I was younger, or maybe it just smells nice and makes me think of the warmth, but whatever it is, it puts a smile on my face each time I use it. Maybe I am just urning for warmer weather and the days of summer and sun. The fact that we are on the boarder of the blizzard warning or the fact that is has been below freezing for ever, but whatever it is I enjoy the memories.

Murphy's Law

Well, it seems like when it rains it poors or something like that. Tom and I have decided that it is time for us to put our house on the market. We don't have enough space here and we need a basement for that nice tornado season. So we have been doing small projects and getting the house ready and of course wouldn't you know we have had things start to break on us! First it was the heater...one day we woke up and it was literally 59 degrees in our house...way to cold for the little ones, so we had to have a repair man out, only to find out that we needed to change our filter...go figure, but now we know that we have to change it a lot more frequently than we had thought. Then yesterday I went to do a load of laundry and the washing machine wouldn't start. I thought okay, either the pipes are frozen or the washer has finally died. Well, wouldn't you know it the pipes were frozen. So Tom had to run home during lunch in order to help unfreeze the silly pipes. I guess it is just way to cold out there for those pipes on the outside wall. So luckily we haven't had to shell out any money, but we hope we can get out of here before something major breaks! So keep your fingers crossed and if you know anyone looking for a three bedroom ranch in Brownsburg, let us know!

Prozac Nation

Today I discovered that we really do live in a prozac nation. Yes today my little 5 year old kitty was put on anti-depressants today. She has a problem with displaced aggression, where she will for no reason at all freak out and get mad at us, hissing and screaming and we just can't have it anymore with the little girls around anymore. So we took her to the vet today to see what could be done and they put her on some form of anti-depressant. I hope this helps because it is the last ditch effort in order to keep her with us. I love her...she was my baby before I had babies, but now they take precidence and she has to shape up or move out. So here's to the cat anti-depressant, hopes it works.

Date Night/Instilling Bad Habits

Last night Tom and I had our first date since the girls were born. His parents came up to watch them so we could go to dinner and shopping at Keystone. It was really nice to spend some time together alone...we hadn't been out together since about August, since I was put on bedrest in September, so it was nice to get out. We did miss the girls though and were happy to come home to them. They were great for their grandparents so it looks like we will get to do it again sometime :-) On another note, I feel like we are instilling a bad habit with the little ones. We have discovered that they will sleep for 5-6 hours at a stretch at night if they are in their swings, so we have started letting them sleep there at night. We don't even try to put them in their beds anymore because if they sleep we get to sleep. I fear that this is going to develop into a bad habit, and I really hope that they will go back to sleeping in their bed soon. But I have read and heard of other kids who sleep in their carseats, so I guess whatever works right? So today the crib is leaving the bedroom so the swings can move in, because Tom and I are sick of taking turns sleeping on the couch. Yes, we have slept everywhere with these little ones. On the nursery floor, on the couch and in the guest bedroom in order to be closer to them. I know, one would think that the monitor would work just fine, but they still have this little bad habit of choking in the middle of the night, so I like to be close to them in case this happens. So that is the update from here and I am glad we will get to continue date night, because it was fun!

We have finally joined the ranks

Well, it has taken us long enough, but we have finally joined the ranks of DVR owners. For over a year now I have been wanting a DVR, but we never got one...I guess we thought it was silly or something. Now mind you we never used the VCR, we just missed shows or actually still had people tape them for us, but last night I did it, I made the jump went to Best Buy and bought the DVR. I have felt like a slacking mom, because I know I should be in the nursery doing the last feeding with the lights dim and lullaby's on, but the girls always go to bed right when "my shows" are on and I don't want to miss them. Well, now I don't have to and I am so excited, now I can have the best of both worlds :-) It was really cute last night, Tom got really excited when we started messing around with it since you can pause and rewind live TV, it is really really cool. So it is official, the VCR that has sat in the closet for 2 years now is going bye bye and we can finally say we are officially in the 21st century, ha ha!

6 things you have been told before, but really must do!

As a new mother people are always trying to give you advice. Some of it is beneficial some of it is not. I have discovered, however, that there really are 6 things you must do or remember as a mother.
1. Sleep when the baby or babies are sleeping! You hear it over and over again sleep when they are sleeping, and even though it is hard sometimes to make yourself sleep in the middle of the day, it is essential to do so in order to function. At first I was resistant to sleeping when the girls were sleeping, but now I understand how important it is to get as much sleep as possible, even if you only get an extra 20 minutes it will help you survive.
2. Shower as early in the day as possible. It really is amazing how great a shower can make you feel, even if you know that you are going to get spit up on you the minute you walk out of the bathroom, it is nice to be clean even for 5 minutes.
3. If you can't shower early at least wash your face and brush your teeth. Yes, this is a cover up, but in the long run it makes you feel so much better!
4. Always remember that it took 9 months for your body to stretch and for you to put on that extra weight so it isn't going to come off over night. I have lost a lot of my pregnancy weight, but the skin doesn't hang the same and I still need to lose more, but it has been really hard to remember that it has only been 2.5 months and it takes the average woman 8 months to return completely to her pre-pregnancy body...but it would help if I would get on the treadmill too!
5. Remember to eat. I know this seems simple, but sometimes you get so wrapped up in baby you find it is 2:00 pm and you haven't even had breakfast. You have to take care of yourself in order to take care of the little one.
6. Always follow your intuition. If you think something isn't right then do something about it...if your pediatrician tells you something that doesn't seem right for your child get a second opinion, your babies life might hang in the balance if you don't!
I know these seem like common sense, but sometimes you get so wrapped up in the day to day you forget to take care of yourself and to look forward. Just some things I have learned are really true.

Collars and Princess'

So lately I have been pondering baby clothes and what the makers are thinking when they assemble little outfits for newborns and infants. First off why put collars on newborn clothing. They have no necks so the collars swallow them up and make it look like they are suffocating, then when you try to put a bib on the child looks even more like it is being suffocated. Then, I am all for cute little girl clothes, but why does almost everything say precious or princess or I love mommy on it? They are adorable clothes, but it is almost like we are ingraining from the start that girls are princess and should be treated that way. It is all very odd to me and I love all the clothes but I just find it a little ironic that is all. Yes, I know a random post, but I just noticed all this as I was cleaning out the girls drawers, they are growing out of some of their outfits and we have had to upgrade and retire!

Ironies of Life

Lately I have realized that there are many ironies in life. Many of these have been brought about by my kids. It really is funny what is acceptable as a child, but is frowned upon as an adult. For instance babies are told they are good for burping or passing gas, but in adulthood this is seen as uncouth and disgusting. When a baby snores it is the cutest thing in the world, but when your husband or wife snores, it is just simply annoying. Even the babies passing of gas is cute, because you can't believe something so small can produce something so loud. Eating every hour or too is encouraged as a child, but not as an adult. Changing your outfit more than twice a day is okay as well, even though it will create monsterous amounts of laundry for your parents. It really is funny what starts out being acceptable and encouraged but later is totally frowned on by society. When do these things turn from good behavior to bad behavior? Anyway, this is just an observation I had lately!

Bumpers be gone

Today I had to take the bumpers off the girl's cribs. I cannot believe that they are big enough to be moving around a lot already, but they are. Yesterday I put Maddie in her bed horizontal and when I went back in to check on her she was laying vertical! It is crazy that they will be 2 months old next week and how quickly they are growing. So for safety sake the cute little bumpers had to be removed, although this will make it sooooo much easier to change the sheets I must admit.
In other news Natalie has developed a wonderful habit of crying from 6pm to about 10pm each night. She has to be held and wants to eat constantly, it is crazy the amout of food she is consuming...I believe they call this cluster feeding, but it is amazing to say the least. We are hoping she grows out of this little phase quickly, because the screaming is not her cutest aspect, but we love her all the same!

Back in the Saddle

This week I vowed that I would start walking again and trying to get back into shape...I cannot believe how long it has been since I last exercised and man I am in the worst shape of my life and working out is painful. So on Monday I broke out the old treadmill and started walking, Maddie was sleeping and so was Natalie or so I thought. She then started to fuss so I decided I would try out the snugli and see if she liked that. Much to my surprise she did like it so I walked for a little while with her and then decided I was bouncing around a lot since I hadn't worked out for so long and she would be better off in the crib watching me. Then today I was going a little stir crazy so I thought I would take advantage of the last few nice days out and take the girls for a walk outside. Maddie really likes the stroller rides and sat/slept like a champ as we walked around the neighborhood, Natalie I think was a little hungry but for the most part she enjoyed it too. I enjoyed all the curious looks we got from the neighbors, wondering what exactly was under that blanket! So for now my goal is to walk every other day and to try to get back into shape!

Mini Van Momma

Well, much to my dismay I am officially a Mini Van driving Momma. I know, I know, I swore I would never drive a mini van, but the true need for one could be seen the day we brought the girls home from the hospital and I was squished in the back between the two carseats, it was crazy. So much to my dismay we have purchased a Honda Odyssey. As far as mini vans go it is pretty nice, but the fact remains it is a mini van and I was devasted to trade in my CR-V. I know this is only one of the first scarifices I will have to make for the girls, but I know it is for the best! The safety features are great and there is so much more room that everyone will be happier. and we will actually be able to pack everything we need into the vehicle. The stroller was taking up all the rom in the back that you couldn't even put a bag of groceries in there. So that is the news from here other than I...the person who never leaves the house was sick this week with a fever and some weird cough, but luckily it is starting to clear up, now we just have our fingers crossed that the girls don't get it...that would be a rough one!

Lack of Sleep Leads To Mistaken Identity

Well, it has happened for the first and I am sure not last time! This morning I was feeding Natalie and Tom came in with Maddie who was wailing cause she kept choking on spit up and it was coming out her nose. Tom was tending to her when he said I think her tongue is swollen and her face and I said well we have to take her to the emergency room then NOW. He took her into the bathroom to examine her and came back and said this is Natalie right? I said no I have Natalie you have Madelyn. He was like oh that explains it then, I thought she was swollen, but Maddie just has larger checks everything is okay. So for about over 10 minutes Tom thought he had the opposite kid...I guess this is what it is going to be like the more they look alike. I think we will be bringing out the nail polish soon! Haha, oh well, at least he figured it out!

No one sleeps anymore

Well the girls have been home for 2 weeks now and my has it been an adjustment. Their days and nights are all mixed up so they will sleep for a good 3-4 hours in the afternoon and then only sleep for 1.5-2 hours at a time at night. It has been quit an adjustment to say the least. Neither Tom nor myself are getting much sleep either. I never knew how little sleep one would get with 2 little ones in the house I honestly don't know how anyone does it with higher multiples...it is crazy. At least the girls are gaining weight and healthy and I love them to pieces!

Hormones, Hospitals and Poopy Diapers

Well the girls have arrived and it has been a world wind on emotion, pain and exhaustion. They are not home yet, but we are enjoying the education at the hospital from the nurses. I have discovered that the key to a pleasant hospital stay is the hospital itself. The staff and hospital...Clarian North have been wonderful. My nurses at the delivery were great and really made me feel more relaxed and comfortable. Then the postpartum nurses were fabulous as well. On top of all that we have discovered that this hospital really works with families to ensure they have everything they need. They have family rooms that families can stay in for free if for instance their kids are in the NICU or pediatrics like ours, this is what we did Friday to be near the girls. Then they also provide meals free of charge for all breastfeeding mothers if their kids are in the hospital so I can eat for free while I am here staying here with the girls. It really has been a pleasurable experience as far as hospital stays go.
Oh did I mention, however, the way your hormones get messed up once you have the baby? Yeah, i cannot even look at pictures of our girls without crying. Tom put together this really cute little slide show of the girls and I watched 2 seconds of it and started crying...I didn't know why but we both started laughing about it...it is crazy.
And then there are the poopy diapers. Natalie has fallen out of 2 diapers today and the last one was full of poop...yes it was everywhere, in the clothes, the bed all over...it was pretty gross, but even with all this craziness I love my babies and they are fabulous!

Heating Pads and Dads

I have discovered this week that small comforts really are a blessing in getting through bed rest and the end of pregnancy! This week my dad came to stay with us and help around the house and cook for me, which has been fabulous since Tom has had to work late a lot and I haven't eaten this well in ages. When you can only stand for like 5 minutes at a time your meal options are limited so it has been great to have hot home made meals and desserts all week and having company all day just someone to talk to has made this last week of bed rest fly by. I cannot believe that it is Thursday already and I only have one more day of confinement. My other small luxury I have discovered are the ThermaCare heating pads. My mother in law bought me some when my wrist was acting up with carpal tunnel a long time ago, but I have discovered this week they are great to put on your back and sleep with them. My hips and back have been hurting so bad it is a really nice sleeping companion which I highly recommend! So I guess the morale of this post is...if someone offers you help TAKE IT and don't take your parents for granted :-)

Story of the Puking Cat

So lately and I cannot put my finger on why my cat has taken up the habit of puking in the weirdest and grossest places. About a week ago I was awoken in the middle of the night around 3:30 to the sound of her gagging and then a yak...yes she was in the bed with me. I turn on the light and on my blanket is ribbon and cat food...GROSS!!!!!! Then a couple days later she is running around chasing our other cat and she jumps on the top of the couch....YAK...on the top of the COUCH. Then just this morning she is sitting on the dresser and starts gagging and YAK again...which would have been totally easy to clean up but oh yes one of my drawers was open and in runs the puke...I was so grossed out...I don't' know if she is training for what is about to come with the babies or what...but this random puking has got to stop because it is nasty. Oh well my lover for her surpasses all the nastiness, but it certainly is a gross habit to say the least!

Stretched to the Max

Well we are getting down to the wire before these girlies enter the world and I tell you it is a good thing, because my body is stretched to the max. I have developed UGLY stretch marks and not just on my stomach...did you know you can get them on your hips as well...oh yeah you can and never mind the fact that my skin is so stretched that it itches all of the time and I have little rashes on my legs and my arms too. And don't forget the belly button...it is stretched but hasn't poked out yet. I am hoping it will hold out just a little longer...we have about less than 2 weeks and I just hope it doesn't pop, stretch all you want I say but don't pop, please don't pop.
As I sit here confined to my bed I truly wonder how anyone could think that being pregnant is a fun or actually enjoy because I have not had many positives from the morning sickness, to the blemishes all over my face and chest to the recent stretching, but I know in the end it will be worth it and for that I cannot wait!

Decreased movement say what?

So from everything I have read about babies all the books say that after 32 weeks there is a decrease in fetal movement...well the movements aren't as strong because the baby runs out of room. Well let me tell you...I don't know if the writers of these books have ever been pregnant or not, but I feel like my babies are beating me up. One of them makes such big movements I get the wind knocked out of me sometimes and it can be quit painful...even their little hiccups seem to be stronger, it is amazing really. I really feel like all the books out there don't know what they are talking about. Some are okay, but I have yet to find a book that truly tells you about the truth to carrying multiples and what you should really expect. I mean none of the books tell you what happens when you actually DO go into preterm labor and have to go to the hospital and be put on magnesium...possibly the worst drug in the world or how humbling pregnancy is because when you are in the hospital you have to rely on people to help you do the simplest things like go to the bathroom...not fun let me tell you. I wish I had the ambition to write a book titled the truth to carrying multiples because there is a lot I have learned that I wish I did not have to experience first hand, but could have read about instead...but there was nothing out there that could prepare me for what I have experienced the past couple of weeks from the hospital visits and drugs to the boredom of bed rest...who knows maybe when this is all said and done I will write a book....I guess you never know!

In Need of a Hobby :-)

Well, yesterday I had a doctors appointment and she asked me how I was holding up. I told her emotionally I was pretty much about done and didn't know how much longer I would be able to handle being pregnant. Just the physical aspects are wearing enough but it has become an emotional balance now as well. She informed me I needed to get a hobby. I wanted to be rude and say how do you get a hobby when you won't let me out of bed...but I just said okay like what? She suggested cross stiching or something I just wanted to laugh...I am not a cross sticher. I guess for now I will go back to knitting, but if anyone has any ideas or has read any good books lately I would love some help on this one...help keep me sane the next couple of weeks!

When a Shower Feels LIke Christmas

This past weekend I was in the hospital for pre-term labor...possibly the scariest and most uncomfortable weekend of my life...but it will be worth it in the end when the girls arrive safely! I am now home on bed rest being lazy per doctors orders which is really weird to see all of the things around the house that need to be done and I can't touch anything. I have shower privileges and I can get food but that is all, other than that I am to be a couch potato! But one thing I truly learned this weekend is how you take the smallest things for granted such as a shower or the ability to go to the bathroom by yourself when you want to without asking someone to come help you. Yesterday I got to get unhooked from my IV for a little while and take a shower and I tell you it felt like Christmas...never in my life had a shower felt so good. I have gone camping for long weekends and been outside gross and dirty and I swear the shower yesterday was a 1000 times better than any other shower I have ever had in my life. It really makes you think about the small things you do on a daily basis that you don't realize how good they make you feel until you can no longer do them freely. So the next time you take a shower...take some time to enjoy it and all the other small things in life that are easily overlooked!

Feet Washing

So this is totally random, but the other day I was listening to the radio and they were talking about a survey on how often people wash their feet in the shower and it made me think...how often DO people wash their feet in the shower? I must admit that I am guilty of not giving my feet the attention they need and I guess I don't find it necessary to bend over each and every day and give those suckers a good wash. Don't get me wrong if I know that they are filthy I will wash them, and at least once a week they get a good scrub...but do you wash your feet daily?
Like I said this is a random thought but I was just wondering what others out there thought about their feet! I personally think feet are gross...clean or dirty but hey they get you from point A to point B so I am grateful I have them...but for now I think I will continue to clean them when I feel it is a must and not on a daily basis...anyone have any thoughts on this?

Measuring 36 weeks...Dr. wants me to hold out 6 More!

Well, once again I have not posted in ages and I have no excuses. I am no longer working it just got to hard and painful and I am so tired all the time I just want to sleep. Our girls are growing like crazy. Last week I was measuring 34 weeks... I will offically be 30 weeks tomorrow and yesterday I was measuring 36 weeks. It is really very crazy, they must be getting big in there. At our last ultrasound both babies weighed over 3 pounds which is great, so we are hoping by the next one at the end of the month they will be at least 4 pounds each if not more. It is crazy to think I have that much baby inside of me already and the doctor wants me to keep them in there for 6 more weeks. I told her I would do my best and laughed...like I really have a say in the matter.
Other than that I finally got to take my car in to be fixed yesterday...yes it has been almost 3 months since the accident, but they couldn't get me in any sooner..it will be nice to have the door right and not hear air all of the time when driving. So for the next couple of weeks I am sporting a nice mini van....a possible glimpse into our future? Oh well that is all for now....but I will try to do more updates and write more until the big day and then we will try to keep everyone updated after the arrival!

Karma?

So last night Tom and I were rear ended in his car this time...yes that is correct the second time in 6 weeks that I have been in a car that was rear ended. Luckily Tom saw the woman flying at us...yes we were stopped at a red light, the roads were dry and the speed limit was probably 35 miles per hour, but he just said hold on and started moving the car...luckily he was able to manuever enough so that the impact was deflected and there was minimal damage to the vehicle. I on the other hand now have developed this fear of driving, because all I want right now is to carry my two little girls as long as possible so that they are healthy and here we are in two accidents in under two months. When Tom and I got home last night we were just sitting there asking each other what we have done to deserve this and why we can't catch a break. Mind you, my car was only a little over a year old and Tom's is less than two months old...are we destined to not have nice vehicles...okay that is fine...but please give us a break over the next couple of months so these little girls can arrive safely. Tom and I are both firm believers of Karma and we both try to be good, honest people, but somewhere we must have messed up...hopefully we have paid for whatever we did...if not I know that both of us are going to be extra cautious, and polite!

Empathy Belly

On Saturday Tom and I went to one of our final child birth classes, it was educational, informative and beyond disgusting. I no longer feel that child birth is a natural progression of life even though women have been doing it FOREVER. The best part of the day was when the instructor made all of the husbands put on the empathy belly. It is a simulation style vest that has boobs and a pregnant belly that weighs 30 pounds. She made each husband wear it for at least 30 minutes and it was great to see how uncomfortable they were. On some of the fellas she even untied their shoes and told them to re-tie them...they couldn't. It was nice for the guys to have an insight into how hard it is to carry these babies, even though they got to take it off after a short while. For Tom I think he had kind of the rought part because we were down on the ground doing relaxation exercises and he was supposed to be massaging my back and stuff...he was clumsy and awkward, but I think he now has a better idea of what I go through on a daily basis...I would have liked to have him try to sleep in it, but at least he has an idea! For all you pregnant women out there...if you get the chance to have your husband wear and empathy belly do it...it will help you in the long run!

A Mother's Intuition

Well, it has been a long while since I posted here but I have been crazy busy trying to finish up summer session at school and work, and oh wait dealing with the fact that we found out we are having TWINS! Yes, it is crazy and we joked a lot about how we were not going to find out the sex of the baby unless we found out we were having twins and low and behold we are. I think deep down I knew from the beginning that there were two in there, but the doctors kept telling me there was only one so I believed them. I mean I had been so sick in the first trimester and then started to grow rather quckily all of a sudden and something didn't seem right so when I went for my 16 week check up we were finally dropped the bomb. I was in shock and amazement and then complete fear took over when I saw those two little bumps in there, but the shock is starting to wear off and now I am just going through the pregnancy motions. The funny part of this whole experience was when I told my family and Tom. My mother kept telling me to stop lying to her and well Tom didn't really think it was real either until he saw the ultrasound and the tears pouring down my face, but overall thus far it has been a positive experience. We will keep you posted as we progress. We are at the 20 week mark now, half way there already :-)

Announcement Time

Well, the day has finally arrived and Tom and I are able to share our news that you may or may not know. Yes...drumroll please...Tom and I are expecting our first child :-) We are very excited for the new arrival which is due mid-November. Yes, just a mere two weeks before I graduate from the University of Indianapolis with an MBA, but we will work it all out some how. Now it is time to prepare, enjoy just the two of us and figure out how our lives will change once the little one arrives. Yes, we are waiting to find out the sex. We figure there are so few surprises in life we might as well enjoy this one! So that is the big announcement for the year I guess!

No Deodorant Days...Do I Smell Okay?

Just a few minutes ago I realized that I left this morning without putting deodorant on. Now some might not think this is a big deal, but for me this is one of those daily tasks that gives me anxiety if I forget it. Usually I will keep an extra stick in my car or in my desk or somewhere accessible should the need arise to use it or if I am in a hurry in the morning and forget. Well, it turns out today is one of those days that I need it, but don't have it. This morning was a rough start for me, I couldn't get out of bed and then I was as usual running late, but even on those days when I am running late I usually, 99% of the time remember that I need to put on that deodorant. Today I am not so fortunate and to make matters worse I don't even have any extra sitting around. Yes, I have travelled to the store in the middle of a work day in order to purchase more, but today I don't think I will even have time to run out, so you know what I am going to do? I am going to sit here all day having anxiety over wether or not I smell okay. Now I typically do not have rancid BO, but this is not something I take lightly and there will be fear in my heart for the rest of the day that I do not smell fresh and I will wonder if other's can smell me, if I smell at all. Oh, why oh why didn't I throw an extra stick in my bag the other day while I was thinking about it. Oh well, here's to the No Deodorant Days!

Thoughts of The Good Ole West

About 5 times a week now I look at Tom and tell him we have to move out of the state of Indiana and that the time has come for us to get serious about where we want to live. I keep suggsting places like Seattle, to expensive, Portland Oregon, neither of us have been there, but it looks gorgeous, Phoenix Arizona, might be to hot in the summer, Colorado my true love, New Mexico, or any place out West. Oh, to wake up each morning and look at the mountains, or to be able to go hiking on the weekends. I know Tom will be in heaven when we finally make the move, where he can go mountain biking, and hiking and camping whenever he wants and I absolutely can't wait. It sure will be an adventure, leaving our friends and family, but for me it will be like going home. Ever since my parents moved me from Colorado to Ohio when I was 14, some 12 years ago, I have longed to move back. I don't know what it is about that state or the West in general, but it just calls to me almost begging me to come back. I do have fears and anxiety about moving, but it is all a journey, life is a journey that you can either sit back and relax or you can worry about it, so once that truck is all packed up there will be excitement, and fear, but I will be going home. I can't wait to take my kids hiking on Pike's Peak, or whatever mountain there is or watch them play soccer with the mountains behind them. It will be a wish come true and I can't wait for that day!

Spring in Indiana

Ah, spring has finally arrived! Warmer days, not waking up in the dark or driving home from school or work in the dark. The blossoms are on the trees and flowers are blooming, it is wonderful...well it used to be wonderful. I guess I should be used to tornado season in Indiana, I have lived here for what is going on eight years, but this year is the first year it is already getting to me. As I was sitting in the hallway truly scared for the first time ever on Sunday night, I kept getting angrier and angrier. First off, I was missing Desperate Housewives, I mean yes I know this is serious business, but the News people just cut in and don't stop the show.. ANNOYING. Second, I was like why were we so young, dumb and naive, to buy a house in the middle of a corn field that doesn't even have a basement...WHAT were we thinking. I keep telling Tom that if we plan to stay here for more than 2-3 more years we are going to have to move somewhere else that has a basement and isn't right in tornado alley, because I won't be able to stand it. Hopefully we hit the dirt running and can move out West before then, but if not then a basement house it is! But I guess in the mean time, we will just continue to watch spring bloom around us and run to the hallway when it gets bad out and hope that our little stick house doesn't get blown over by the big bad wolf...aka mother nature.

The Comedy of Daylight Savings

This Sunday for the first time in Indiana's history or at least for a very long time, Indiana will participate in Daylight Savings. We will be joining the East coast time, something I am very happy about. Never again will I have to remember if we are on the same time zone as my parents or my high school friends and in the fall it will be nice to have that extra hour of sleep. This whole transistion for me has been no big deal, but let me tell you something, for some people in this state who have never participated before, one would think that the end of the world is on its way. It is pretty comical if you ask me. There have been articles about how there will be more car accidents because people are going to be tired driving into work on Monday...never mind the fact that this time change occurs on Sunday morning, so if people go to bed at their usual time they won't actually lose any sleep. Oh, and the fact that the governor gave the taverns and bars an extension for this weekend to remain open until 4:00 am instead of the usual 3:00 am, so that they do not lose business because the NCAA Final Four is in town. I mean the governor gave an actual repreave over 1 hour, so the state doesn't lose an estimated quarter of a million dollars. This is not the end of the world people. It is simply ONE HOUR, just one measly hour. The rest of the country does it, except Hawaii and Arizona and look the world hasn't come to an end yet, so everyone just sit back relax and wait for fall when you get your hour back. Now I am not writing this to offend anyone and I understand that change is hard for some, but it really will be okay and life in a day or two after you lose that hour will go on as if it had never happened. So enjoy the extra daylight when you get home from work and do something nice for yourself!

Its No Wonder Americans Are Over Weight

Over the past couple of months I have slowly watched my scale creep up as my weight continues to climb. I must have been in denial as I bought larger jeans so that I could breath when I sit down and made all sorts of excuses up, like: "Its the holidays" or "well it is winter, I will lose it all come Spring." RIGHT, what have I been thinking, I should have nipped this problem in the bud several months ago, so the time has come now to do something about it. The sad thing is, I realized today as I was entering the foods I have eaten this week into an online food calculator just how difficult it is to eat healthy, even if you think you are eating healthy. I will get a salad from Arby's and say, "It is a salad...that is healthy" Well, a salad from Arby's has over 500 calories in it. Or say a naked burrito or burrito bol from Qdoba or Chipotle, with no meat or sour cream in it, well you know how many calories are in one of those puppies...if you get chicken the naked burrito is over 730 calories and even without the chicken and no beans, it is over 530 calories. I was shocked to see that I have been eating way over 2500 calories a day for the past couple of weeks, especially when I thought that I was eating healthy foods. After this realization I now can see why so many Americans are overweight or obess, you are led to believe you are doing something good for yourself, but in reality you aren't and the only truly way to eat yourself thin is to cook for yourself, a fact that I am going to have to quickly implement if I am to stay healthy. So for all you out there who eat out and think you are making healthy choices, think again and watch that nutrional information, you could very well be eating far more calories than you ever imagined!

It's Like Living With Rodents Or Some Other Supernatural!

Sometimes I am forced to wonder if our cats are truly cats or something super natural or even part rodent. This past weekend I walked into the laundry room to get something only to find the bag of cat food that was sitting on the floor open. It was a brand new bag so I turned around and asked Tom why he had opened it, since there was already a bag open that needed to be finished. He looked at me like I was crazy and said, "I didn't open it!" At that point I just starting laughing because we both realized that ChaChi had gone in there and chewed it open and had been eating straight out of the bag...it wasn't like he was unfed, his food bowl was sitting next to the bag completely full. I couldn't believe it, but it shouldn't have surprised me. This is the same cat who everyday moves the water tray and water feeder because he likes to drink from the right side, not the left and the very same cat, who has figured out how to open the desk drawer in Tom's office, was able to crawl into the back somehow and drag out an entire bag of rubberbands that he once saw Tom hide in the very back. The day I came home and saw the entire bag sitting in the middle of the living room, was certainly a shock, but I still had to laugh. These cats are certainly determined, when they want something they will find everyway possible to get it. I never would have thought that living with two cats, could be so interesting. I thought they would just lounge around, lay in the sun and take cat naps. I never thought we would have to cat proof our house, but it looks like we do. If nothing else, at least they give us a laugh every now and again!

SIX DEGREES OF SEPERATION/SMALL WORLD

Well we are back from our short trip to the Bahamas. It was, shall we say fun, but not what I expected. For some reason I though of the Bahamas as a totally beautiful Island, everywhere, not just at the resort we stayed at, but that was not the case. Yes, I understand that they were hit by a huge hurrican a while back, but at the same time portions looked like a third world country, which was a little shocking. But it was fun to say the least, get some rays and just lay around reading, not having a care in the world for 4 days, it was fabulous.
What was surprising, however, was that there on the Beach on Grand Bahama Island, I ran into one of my sorority sister's who I had not seen since I graduated back in 2002. It was so bizarre, we both kind of looked at each other as the recognition dawned on us who we were starring at. It turns out that she works for the Ministry of Tourism for the Bahamas, and had actually hired the company that hired my husband to come to the island. You never want to believe that people really are seperated by only six people in the world, but as more and more time passes and the world becomes smaller, you can't help but wonder is it really true...are there really only six degrees of seperation?

Just Call Me Grace...

So today started out as a normal typical Friday. I got to sleep in a little because I was stopping at SAM's Club on my way into the office to get office stuff and rolled in around 9:15. One of my co-workers went down to help me unload and two full cases of pop came crashing out of the vehicle and starting bouncing around the parking lot. We both just stood there waiting for them to explode. After the dust settled and none exploded we proceeded into the building. Well upon getting off the elevator I pushed the little cart off the elevator and three more cases of pop fell onto the floor and all over, after a little more laughing we proceeded and everything seemed normal. At this point I am feeling a little clumsy for the day, but am thinking the worst is over, well you know me, I have NO good luck. So I pack the cart up and head to the elevator to go upstairs to drop some stuff off. I hear the elevator ding below so I know someone is on it, when the doors open I am expecting it to be a courier or something, but no it is none other than Peyton Manning, oh yes the Indianapolis COLT's quarterback Peyton Manning. Well, there I am standing with my mustard and Parmesan and my cart full of pop, not really knowing what to say since I am in shock. Well, we finally arrive to the third floor and I push the cart off the elevator only to have an entire case of pop fall off the cart unto the floor, yes in front of PEYTON MANNING. I was so embarrassed, but he was really nice and he helped me pick it up and then he asked where Earshot was and he headed in one direction and I in the other. I have never in my entire life been more embarrassed than I was at that moment and to think this was my first brush with fame. Tom asked me why I didn't get an autograph, but come on when you are as graceful as I am the only thing I could think of was, oh man I just dumped pop in front of the Colt's quarterback, where can I hide. So there you have my brush with fame for the week and yes, feel free to call me Grace.

For the love of our pets

Sometimes you have to just sit and wonder why people get pets. We have two cats who on their good days are the best companions and cuddle buddies in the world, but on their bad days are absolutely horrible. Bailey, my little tabby is a like Jekle and Hyde. She will be all cuddled up with you on the bed or the couch or will push things out of her way so she can lay on you, acting and looking like the most innocent, sweet animal alive, but then she will smell something she doesn't like and it is all over, hissing and howling and screaming. This such thing happened to us the other night. We went to my in-laws house to see our neice and almost everytime we go down there Bailey smells something she doesn't like and freaks out, whether it is dog or the febreeze I sprayed when we walked in she freaked, scary freaking out with hissing and yelling. We have become somewhat immune to it, however, and after the initial shock wore off we walked past her and locked ourselves in the bedroom, or so we thought. We were in the bathroom when all of a sudden the door opens and there is Bailey, completely fine, but she has somehow managed to open the door, either she is totally possesed or the latch didn't catch, either way I think Tom and I were both a littler nervous at that point. But she was all lovey again and everything seemed fine. So not only do the little major freakouts make me wonder why people love animals, but the other little things, like yesterday when Tom starts cussing and saying gross and I asked him what was wrong and he said I stepped in cat poop, which only made me laugh, but sure enough right there in the middle of the living room was a cat dingle berry, so whether it is freak outs, dingle berries or hairballs, we still love our cats and I can't imagine life without them, but it does make you think, would you tolerate a human who poo'd on your floor or screamed at you if you smelled bad? It is an odd thing the relationship between a human and their furry friend!