Road Trip...

This weekend we took the babies on their longest road-trip yet. We went to Wyoming for my cousin's wedding. They both did great on the trip. They have new convertible car-seats (yes we're a little slow but they still fit in their infant seats just fine) so they have a whole new view and they can now see each other. Several times on the trip they were playing peek-a-boo with each other or handing each other things and laughing.

We learned several new "fun" things on this trip though, since this is the first time we've traveled by car for such a long distance and the first time we've traveled at all since they've started walking.

One, is that stopping turns into an hour ordeal. We actually didn't have to stop too often because of the timing of our driving but we did have to stop to feed the babies and let them run around a little bit. Emphasis on the running around part. We stopped at a rest area in Wyoming called Little America. Both Marcus and I needed to use the bathroom so we took turns being alone with the babies in a store.

Holy, two babies going two different ways each one getting excited about every random little object on the shelves. It was ridiculous. Now that they can walk they do not want to be carried especially after being in the car so off they went everywhere.

An older man called me over to his table at one point after watching me with the babies for a little bit. He said to me, "Young lady I want you to know that you're going to have your hands full for quite some time." haha um yes... thanks for pointing out the obvious.

We also had an interesting experience our first night in a hotel. We only own one pack and play because we mainly used it when they were younger and could share. So we brought along the one and assumed that our hotel would have cribs (every hotel we've stayed in this last year has had not one but two cribs for the babies).

We arrived at our hotel around 11pm called the front desk and learned that they did not have any cribs. Crap. There's no way they can share a pack in play these days so we at first put Eli in the pack and play (because he's generally the less calm of the two) and put Emerson in the bed with us.

Eli went right to sleep...

Emerson on the other hand thought that it was party time. She kept standing up and jumping on the bed, she was turning circles, attempting to dive over both Marcus and I. Tapping us on the heads when we weren't paying attention. Any attempt to lay her back down elicited giggles as though we were playing the funniest game ever.

So plan two.

Take the sleeping baby out of the pack in play and hope they would stay asleep during the transfer and put then crazy baby in the pack and play. Once again the baby in the pack and play went right to sleep the one in the bed thought it was party time.

So we switched one more time because Eli cannot be trusted in beds he'll just dive off  head first into the darkness of the night.

Emerson ended up staying in our bed that night. I had essentially no sleep between wrestling her back onto the bed into a laying position and then once she was asleep trying to find room on the bed. Emerson is a bit of a wild sleeper.

She doesn't hold still and pretty much goes in circles. I kept waking up to toes in my ribs as she tossed and turned all over. Her wild sleeping habits are why we had to separate them in the first place when they were still pretty young.

Clearly, co-sleeping is not for us.

Luckily our hotel in Wyoming had another pack and play and there ending the sleeping drama.

More later including pictures ...

Head Dive into the bathtub...

Today while at work I got this email from Marcus:

"Emerson Fell head first into the bath tub when Eli was taking a bath. Clothes and all in she went. She popped up and looked very surprised but survived."

When I inquired about how this happened he sent some follow up information:


"She was trying to reach the alligator and her little feet came up and she was a teeter tooter and in she went, and I must say it was a smooth dive into the water.  it was really funny."

Does it make me a really bad mom that I laughed hysterically at this? (It's also Marcus' description of the event that makes me laugh). Marcus sent me a picture of her in the bath with all her clothes on and she looks so pleased with herself.

*Footnote #1- She loves the bath so it doesn't really surprise me that she was pleased that she somehow ended up in the water. It's hard to give both babies a bath at the same time because Emerson seems to think that she needs to do the back float in water so she can kick with her legs and splash with her arms.  Eli does not appreciate being kicked repeatedly by his water loving sister. So we usually give them baths separately while the other one stands and watches. Hence why Emerson was next to the tub but not in it.

*Footnote #2 - We are lucky that all is well and it's a reminder about how quickly something like this can happen. Luckily Marcus was right there and she apparently is a natural diver who was not hurt or scared in this event.

First Haircuts...

We've been (or should I say) I've been resisting giving the babies haircuts. I loved their crazy, messy, hair and many people kept telling me to cut their hair and for me that always makes me want to do the opposite (I don't know why I can't help myself).

See isn't their crazy, messy, hair fun?

She seems satisfied with messy hair

But today for some reason I felt inspired and so after looking up a place that cuts kids hair off we went on our hair cutting adventure.

While we waiting both Eli and Emerson explored a little bit by walking. They've never walked in public before and it struck me that my babies were growing up.

They were both a little nervous at first and just stood in one place but they eventually got brave and set off on their own.

I was trying to get a before shot of both of them but they didn't want to sit still.

Eli went first...

and for the most part it was very uneventful. He kept trying to look at himself in the mirror and he fussed a little bit when she cut around his ears but other than that he did really well.

Isn't he cute?

I'm not going to lie I was tempted to keep his hair like this. It looks cute short on the sides super long on top haha.

And then he was done. Looking all grown up with his new haircut. Another hair dresser took Emerson while Eli was finishing up. Marcus set her in the chair and she immediately started screaming. She was shaking, crying, and was hysterical. Poor baby. When Eli heard his sister start crying he immediately started looking around and getting upset himself so I had to take him over to see her. 

I picked her up and she kind of calmed down, but she was still very unsure about the whole thing.

I held her while we just trimmed up her bangs and the back a little tiny bit. She really didn't need much done.

She was being super dramatic in this picture.

And then she was done. 

I loved that they gave us locks of their hair and certificates for the occasion.  

Funny things...

The other day I ran to the store while Marcus stayed home with the babies. When I returned both babies were in their highchairs finishing their dinner. I walked in and Emerson put her arms up for me to take her out.

When I lifted her out something seemed to be missing....

It was her diaper. Marcus in the midst of changing the babies took off Emerson's old diaper and somehow forgot to put a new one on her.

The funniest part of the whole thing is when I asked Emerson, "Where's your diaper?" She just did her "I don't know hands". Even after I put the diaper on her she walked away with her arms up as if to say, "I don't know why I ate my dinner with a bare butt."

I had a good laugh about it and luckily we avoided any huge disasters which could have resulted from the forgotten diaper.

:::

Eli is obsessed with out shoes. He studies them, throws them over his shoulder and walks around holding onto the shoe by the shoe lace. Puts them on the table, sticks his face in them, makes piles, and even licks them (although he licks everything). Yesterday, he saw me put my foot in the shoe so he tried to do it too and missed...

I miss my friends :(

School starts in a few weeks and for the first time in 22 years I will not have a first day of school. I will not see my friends in class, there will be no more obsessing over papers and tests, no more study groups, and now we've all scattered across the country (literally) to start jobs and put our master degrees to work and it's all catching up with me.

I'm not even sure I know how to describe what it is I'm missing except that my friends in Connecticut and at grad. school were among the best friends I've ever had in my life. Friends who watched my two babies at basically anytime so I could finish my last year of grad school and travel with a travel seminar to Australia for two weeks.

Friends who knew about my food issues and would buy 15 different types of macaroni and cheese because they weren't sure which I liked. Friends who visited me in the hospital and kept me sane during the bedrest. Friends who introduced me to woodchuck cider (the only alcoholic beverage in the universe I can tolerate) and let me cry in the common room at the school over a less than stellar grade on a paper I worked really hard on and thought was brilliant (Seriously, not one of my finer moments).

Friends who saw me at some of my worst (PPD, grad. school, crazy anxiety wash your hands before touching my kids kind of worst) and who helped bring out my best. I miss them all each and everyone for the uniqueness, goodness and joy they brought to my life during our three years in CT.

Taken the night before the first one of us moved away. (Lots of crying in those days as we all said goodbye).

That night one of my friends had a bottle of holy water or oil or something and she decided we should give each other blessings (which may seem odd to some but in our circle not so much) so that's what we did. With the water we blessed the person to our right. 

I'm enjoying my new stage in life. I know that it's only logical to put good education to work but a part of me wants to rewind a bit and go back to when we were all living within 5 minutes of each other. 

I also miss my therapist he was really great :~)

"I don't know..."

One of my favorite things that Emerson does is this....

When we ask her a question and she doesn't know the answer she puts her hands up like this to indicate, "I don't know." It's so cute. She also uses this gesture to indicate "uh oh" like if she drops something.

This isn't the greatest picture since it's from a cell phone but I've been trying to get a picture of her doing it forever and finally we got this one.

::

Today Eli did the gestures for the Itsy Bitsy spider all by himself. I was singing the song with Emerson in the chair and I looked over to Eli who was sitting on the floor going through the motions. I had no idea he had even learned them. He was always a few beats behind but it was one of the cutest things I've ever seen, not to mention he was sitting in one place which he never does. 

::

The other day while I was at work Marcus went on-line to try and find some animal sounds to show the babies. I have no idea what he googled but he ended up here at a site with two characters named Boowa and Kwala (does anybody know about these guys?). On the main page there's a play button and the two figures start singing the most obnoxious song ever, but Emerson loves it. She smiles and bounces and flaps her hands. Marcus showed me when I came home from work and I had never seen her that excited about anything. It's truly adorable and the song is truly bizarre (and gets stuck in our head). Eli also enjoys the music from that site but he just likes to dance to just about anything. 

So whoever and whatever these things are they have captured Emerson's attention. 

It seems I'm the go to girl...

on all things job related. In the last two months I've created resumes for: Marcus, my sister, my mom, my sister-in-law, and my brother-in-law. My sister has contacted me on several occasions to help with cover letters and of course I've been assisting Marcus with his own job hunt.

Today, it seems my brother-in-law finally decided to put that newly created resume to work because he called me today for some very specific help. Which included:

Q. How do I upload a resume so the formatting doesn't get messed up?
A. Upload it as a PDF.

Q. How do I make a PDF.... wait how do I save the one you emailed me in word? How do I open the document? What do you mean.... etc, etc.
A. (Lots of step by step instructions I'll spare you the details).

*Hang up call #1*

*5 minutes later*

Q. How do you make it into a PDF?
A. I already told you how to do that.... okay fine I'll tell you again. (More step by step instructions).

*Hang up call #2*

*3 minutes later*

Q. How do I upload the document?
A. I don't know I have no idea where you're currently applying too. Usually you just use the upload button and then find what you want to upload in your documents file, but I can't really help you much more than that since I can't see the screen.

*Hang up call #3*

*2 minutes later*

Q. How do you spell immediately?

(In my mind I'm think you have got to be kidding me what am I your own personal dictionary, surely there are other ways to figure out how to spell words without a fourth phone call to me).

A. Um... you're on a computer use spell check.... okay fine you spell it...

*Hang up call #4*

It might be good if he finds a job quickly.