perhaps i failed to mention…

in some sleep deprived state months ago i booked us all on a trip to d.isney. well really d.isney and uni.versal. it was one of those pie in the sky ideas. knowing hook is at a perfect age for it. and his entire world has been flipped upside down. and it’s damn cold in mn in the winter. and honestly not really considering the whole the wigglers will be 13 month old thing. 13 month olds who don’t sit still. and want to run. and jump. and play. all the darn time. so i am a bit trepidatious as i sit here less than a week out. have i mentioned the wigglers have never slept in anything besides there cribs since they were about 3 months old…. oh right. that is the real concern. sleep. i enjoy it. m needs it. hook loves it. so hopefully we will all get some. the plan is two days at uni.versal. staying on site. pretty much just to see the h.arry p.otter stuff. and whatever else is close by. and then a solid 4 days taking in the mouse. while lodging in a pirate themed room. oh yeah. and the boy doesn’t know. at all. the wigglers do but well they aren’t talking. it should be amazing. and memorable. and i have no doubt i will have stories to tell upon our return.

oh and look at the time

it just keeps moving forward. the wigglers have already witnessed the advent of their 13th month here. and they are well immersed in their nascent toddler-ness. there are so very many things i love about this age. and some that i am not quite as fond of… cindy lou hugs magoo. constantly. at times even tackling him to do so. and if you ask for a hug nine out of ten times she will oblige. the baby girl is obsessed with rubbing or whacking her head into things. not entirely fun when she head butts you but oh so sweet when she comes up and rubs her head on your leg. your arm. or your head. oh and her giggles. pure magic. i want to bottle them up and save them forever. because i am relatively sure no one could hear those giggles and not melt into a smile. she also loves to lay on her belly or her back and play with things or look at books. for the fleeting two minutes that count as attention for a 13 month old. but all the same i like it. and magoo. he is a handful. but not in a bad way. he has started pushing his sister out of the way with a quick shove. not really a fan of that. though it is somewhat comical to witness. magoo tries to repeat words. or sign for things much of the time. he says buh (book) and da (dog) over and over. while frantically pointing. the boy is a bit intense. and persistent. he shakes his head no when he goes near something he knows he is not supposed to. and you can almost see him trying to stop himself. self-control is hard. and i imagine it is super hard when you are just over a year old and everything. i mean EVERYTHING. is new to you. but he actually is pretty good about listening. unlike a little girl who shall remain nameless. magoo blows kisses. and will run into your arms. he wants to be around people all the time. and has started screaming or rather screeching at times to get his way. we are not fans and are doing our darndest to try to not give in. and to curb his um, over enthusiasm at times. both my wigglers line up at the baby gate frantically signing “eat” when i ask if they are hungry. and again when i ask if they are ready for a nap. (judge all you want for the gates but really with two i see no other way short of tethering them to the wall. or duct tape. hmm…. ). they lap the coffee table in rapid succession. often dragging a “bike” or pushing a coz.y coupe with them. magoo pushes cindy lou around in the car. and they both love to push it up to a couch. or a table. and then climb out the window on to the furniture. there are so many -sometimes even too many – things going on with them at once. i love the mornings when we walk (or drive when sub zero) hook to the bus stop and they have breakfast and then i sit down with a cup of coffee and watch them play together. and laugh. and smile. and just explore the world around them. i feel so very fortunate to be able to bear witness to their days.

the time it goes so fast. too fast.

resolve

i generally do not make new years resolutions. maybe because it is too touted by the media as the thing to do. and it is evidenced by the overwhelming number of people at the gym. and the sales on crummy processed frozen meals. and offers for reduced prices on all the things that might just possibly improve your life. it’s all too much for me. too contrived. and commercialized. yet I still like to believe that we get a chance to start over. or at a minimum attempt to improve our lives in one way or another. perhaps not a clean slate but one where the chalk marks have been brushed aside. i could not have asked for a more magical 2011. sure there were difficulties. trials. tribulations. things that I wish had gone differently. or that I had reacted to differently. but all in all when I add up the sum total we definitely came out on top. three incredible, awe inspiring, healthy, adorable, fun, and loving children. a strong and loving relationship. our health. financial stability. and happiness. there was not a single day in the past year where I doubted the love within my family. so a new year brings with it the offer of a change. an opportunity. a chance to make things a little better. and I intend to embrace that chance. and do whatever I can to ensure our continued path of happiness and good fortune. by laughing more. and smiling more. and doing my best to live in the moment. a happy new year indeed.

precipice

here we sit on the edge. Our feet hanging over. contemplating the jump. the past year has been amazing. Incredible. Indescribable. Exhausting. and exhilarating. it has all gone too fast. my children – all three of them – have grown and changed in amazing and remarkable ways. I am anxious for a new year. looking forward to all it has to bring. and hesitant at the same time. we have plans. ideas. intentions. and hopes for what the next 365 days will yield. of course there is no way to know what is on the horizon. but I am looking forward to it. and ready to embrace it. hoping for the best. for my family. and yours.

merry merry

this week

we sumo wrestled in the doctors office

we had apple sauce yogurt with a spoon

or we smeared it everywhere

i forgot i was making coffee. twice.

we chatted with the cat

and we rode around in our car with a pink sock monkey

being one is kinda fun!

who needs sleep?

my babies sleep through the night. sometimes. i really can’t complain. most nights either one or both of them is up. but only once. and then i am up at 7 to get hook off to school. and they are pretty much okay until then. most nights. but their progress in the sleep department has in no way improved mine. i am up. usually 3-4 times a night. call it insomnia. or paranoia. or just plain ridiculousness. whatever it is i is weighing on me as of late. i want to sleep. i am tired most of the time. and yet i can’t seem to make it happen. most nights i fall into bed. exhausted from who knows what. and i sleep soundly. for a bit. and then i am up. thinking. planning. remembering. worrying. hoping. time and again. not sure if the sleep deprivation is contributing to it. or feeding off of it. but wow i would love a full night of sleep. obviously not the biggest problem ever. but i have to believe that a little more sleep would go a long way. to maintaining my sanity.

welcome surprises

today i went out to get the mail hoping for a few holiday cards. and there were a few. but much better there was a package as part of the holiday craft exchange organized by An Offering of Love. inside was a great ornament from the ladies over at Romancing the Stork. along with a kind note and a cute xmas card featuring the lovely ladies and their adorable boy. thank you so much for the thoughtful ornament featuring hook, mr. magoo, and cindy lou who. it is a perfect addition to our tree. and your blog was a perfect addition to my blog roll. thank you!

we survived!

relatively unscathed i will say too. friday the wigglers turned one. and yesterday we hosted a little soiree in their honor. or perhaps in our honor for making it through this challenging. amazing. fascinating. awe inspiring. tear inducing. too fast. too slow. first year with twins. we really had no idea what to expect. and even with that i think virtually every facet of this past year exceeded our expectations. having two babies means someone always needs something. it meant when one was sleeping the other was often awake. it has meant two times the mess. two times the diapers. but it has also meant double the smiles. and the sweet sleepy breathes on my neck. two times the laughter. and the fun. the good has definitely outweighed any bad. and i would do it all again. in a second.

and the party. i will admit i was panicking a bit. m is amazing. she loves to make fantastic food. and gorgeous cakes. both of which i appreciate. but it can at times be stressful. and the fact that i spent most of my days talking to babies. and pets. has left me well perhaps a little stilted socially. but i was also excited to see friends. and to celebrate our babies. and the fact that we survived. it all went off without a hitch. as it should have. naps were a little tough yesterday. so that made things more interesting of course. but then people arrived and both magoo and cindy lou who ran about and danced. laughed and smiled. they were all over the house. and then they ate cake. magoo was measured in his efforts. he sized up the cake and stuck a hand in. slowly. picking bits of it off and eating them. i handed him a spoon and he was pleased to feed himself bits of it. cindy lou on the other hand was very excited about cake. she immediately picked up the whole thing. blue frosting and all. and shoved it on her face. she put some on her head. and mashed it about. it was comical. and adorable. in her handmade tutu (by a friend) and thing 2 shirt. i bathed the munchkins and they went off to bed. while we continued to celebrate. it was perfect. and lovely. and i appreciated everyone who made the effort to celebrate our amazing babies with us.

we did indeed survive. and thrived. looking forward to year two!

now we are one

and there it is. the wigglers are one. magoo and cindy lou who. my babies. my little humans. are one. i have no idea how this happened. today was like any other. well almost. all of it was tinged with something. different. magical. amazing. we woke up. and walked hook to the bus. and ate a yummy breakfast. before heading to the post office. and a nap. we know how to live it up around here. there was lunch. and some playing. and another nap. i was able to spend some time with each of my babies. individually. and appreciate their unique and fantastic differences. cindy lou hugged me. at least three times. and magoo fed me carrots. and toast. and finally we opened gifts. the babies of course were more amused by the paper. and the decorations on the gifts than the gifts themselves. it was fantastic. and perfect. this past year has been indescribable. it has gone too fast. and yet i feel like my babies have been here forever. i never knew i could experience such happiness. and fulfillment. they are my miracles. the little people i waited forever for. and they were completely worth the wait. happy birthday my little loves!