My first Craigslist purchase

So we've been working on the house a bit.  And I previously mentioned that in this process I had a little side project to refinish a chest of drawers I found on Craigslist.  We needed something new to put the TV on in the new "hearth room" area.  I wanted something taller than your run-of-the-mill TV console table so you could see the TV from the kitchen island.

I found this hand made item on Craigslist for what I considered a pretty good deal.  The seller found it at an estate sale (something I hope to do myself someday - love estate sales, especially in the big homes around here).  He sanded it completely down to the original wood - a plus for me because I don't have the time or energy to clean up all that dust. 

It is a mid-century modern style, with a little curvy twist.  Our house was built in the early 60's, but it has a slightly French style to the details.  We are trying to stay true to the era while keeping a classic spin on things, to allow continuity with the old trimmings in the home.  Honestly though, I really don't know what I'm doing.

Here is the piece before 2 coats of primer and 3 coats of paint.  Some people would kill me for painting this wood.  Oh well.

Don't mind the baby swings in the back, not an accessory I plan to use.

I picked a color that is within the same tone of our walls, but a different hue.  I wanted the two colors to blend but still add a bit of life to the room so I could play the hue up in accessories such as pillows, rugs and art.  I'm going with blues and yellows in this very neutral grey space.  Part of me wishes I'd been a bit more bold and painted it two different contrasting colors, or one very bright pop color.  My fear was I would ruin the piece altogether, so I played it safe.

The Ugly Dolls do enjoy a good episode of Mad Men.

The only true accessories we currently have are a pair of pillows on my new leather chairs.  These sit exactly opposite of the chest, all flanking my black fireplace.  I love the chair and pillows, but they aren't enough just yet to make the room pop.  Clearly we need some art on the walls and probably a rug with some crazy color.

It needs some color oomph.

The only walls we have figured out are the two here, from the dining space looking into the entryway, or the kitchen off to the left.  This photo is not great, but you get the idea.

And here is a pic of my entryway (this photo is also terrible) from the front living room, which is currently known as "the octagon of doom." It is the kid space for now and last on the list for decorating. I carried this blue from the hallway into the kitchen.  It will be our main accent color.  But I also plan to use the other blue you see here and a lot of yellow.

It is all still a work in progress, and I will have more updates later, but things are coming along and this place is starting to feel like our home, not just some one's house that we moved into.

The fastest winter of my life

My God, where does the time go?  What is today, the 23rd of March?  The boys will be 10 months on Sunday.  Lillian will be 2 years 9 months on Saturday.  And I will be 84.  No really, I just feel like I'm 84.  84 going on 83 maybe.  Things are getting a little easier.

When they hear the bath water, they come pounding down the hall.

I don't know if its just that we had a mild winter and I never hit that "Oh my God will February ever be over?" stage or that the last 10 months of my life are a complete and total blur.  I feel like an amnesiac.  I can't remember what we ate for dinner yesterday.  And I likely cooked it and went to bed with some of it on the seat of my pj pants.  That's what sucks about our situation.  Babies are awesome.  Babies are cute and snugly and I want to eat mine up every day.  But babies are a lot of work, we all know this.  And to have two at the same time and a toddler, well, I might as well drink away my memory.  Wait a minute...

Exploring the deck.

The weather has gone from a mild winter chill to completely ideal.  But it's way too early, don't you think?  75 degrees in March?  The grass is completely green and already needs mowing.  Which sucks because this means I will be without two hours of my husband's help every weekend for the next 6 months.  We've been able to get outside on a regular basis for a couple of weeks.  It's a total pain in the ass.  But, of course, it's worth the 2+ trips up and down the lower level stairs to the garage (basement level) to put each kid in the stroller or car and get out to the park or the neighbors' backyard.

My little Will through the hand of his brother.

As much as I love these kiddos right now, I am looking forward to the boys' walking.  We can take these little balls of toddle to the pool for their first swims.  We can take them outside (and they can get there on their own hopefully) and watch them explore the yard without trying to put everything in their mouths.  They will move to bigger car seats and actually be able to walk to the car themselves, instead of me making two trips, up and down those stairs (which are probably keeping me healthy so I shouldn't complain).  I love this age, I really do, and I am trying to savor it, but at the same time, I am tired.  I am ready for something easier.

Aren't I beautiful Mama? Yes Samuel, you are.

I am ready for them to start picking up their own food.  One of them is doing quite well.  William ate his own pancake tonight (breakfast for dinner on Fridays is the BEST!).  He eats cheese and black beans and green beans and rice and oranges and banana and avocado and cheerios.  Sam eats cheerios.  He will eat the other things as well, but I have to pick them up, put it on a spoon and stick it in his mouth.  If I try to put anything in his mouth directly from my fingers, he spits it back out.  And whatever I put on his tray, other than a Cheerio, he throws to the floor.  He's either not quite ready or incredibly lazy, but he knows exactly what he's doing.

Will so far is the only one pulling up.  Sam is close.  He gets one leg up and then just gives up.  Again, not sure if he's not ready or maybe a little lazy.  But he is so darn cute, and the most photogenic kid.  I have three very cute kids, but this kid LOVES the camera, and I mean literally loves the camera.  Not only does he look good in every picture I take, but he cannot leave the thing alone.  I can't get a picture of anyone else without a part of Sam's anatomy also in the picture.

New trick means no nap!!

Sam is still the better sleeper.  Will's new found skill in pulling up lead him to an afternoon nap today of one hour and 15 minutes crying while standing in the crib.  This is after an unheard of hour and a half nap almost every afternoon for the past week (I KNEW he could do it!  AND I knew he needed it!).  I don't get it.  Two steps forward, one step back, I guess.  We had a little chat, and tomorrow is a new day.

Sweetest, smartest girl ever.

Enough about the boys.  It's Lillian's time.  Poor thing.  Not only do I not write as often as I want to, but it's always about 'the brothers.'  She is at the age now where things don't change as quickly, so each new thing is not so recognizable.  She is so smart though.  And such a kind little soul.  Yesterday, she snuck up behind me and said, "Look Mommy, my family."  She'd drawn a picture, all on her own, with 5 "people", one large, one medium, and three smaller, but two of these three very close in proximity.  And she also put an L on the page.  Even though it is backwards, (she does this a lot when we try to spell her name) she tried to put her name on the page.  I don't know what is normal for a not quite 3 year old, but this was pretty special to me.  What is even more remarkable is I asked her who was who on the page and she pointed out each figure - the biggest is Daddy, the next biggest is Lilli, the two right next to each other are Sam and Will.  And the last very small figure?  Well, that is Mommy.  I am the biggest presence in her life right now, but I am the smallest in significance, at least on this page.  I'm not taking it personal, I'm taking it as a sign.  My hardest years with her are yet too come.  But I love her so, and I will always think this little girl is something very, very incredible.  And because of that kind little soul she has, I have no doubt that she will come to appreciate me.  Probably in my days when I am much more grey and much less tired.  And I look forward to it.

9 months

So its been another several weeks since my last post.  I swear my life is passing before me.  I think about this blog everyday, but either cannot find the time, or the energy, or the inspiration to write about anything of substance.  We hit another milestone in this house, so that always proves to be a good time to update everyone on the babies and life in general in this household.

The boys turned 9 months on the 25th of February.  I cannot comprehend where the last 9 months went.  Or even the last year for that matter.  We are approaching the year anniversary of when I was put on bed rest and that whole ordeal seems like it was yesterday.  The fact that I have not had one solid daytime nap for almost that long is the only reality keeping me in check with how much time has actually passed.  Oh and I suppose the fact that the babies are huge - and I look at them everyday in absolute wonder regarding how they are here and how I could have carried such perfect little beings in my belly.  It really is a wonder.


To me the babies are big because I carried them and I saw how small they were for so long.  Even at 6.3 and 5.2 birth weights they were decent for twins.  Now at roughly 17 pounds, they are only around 5th percentile for 9 months.  But when I look at my stomach, and where they lived for 8 1/2 months, they are plenty big to me!  And healthy - main concern of course - they check out perfectly healthy at their 9 month appointment.

Sam Bear

Will Bean

We have hit a slight bump in our ever winding road here.  We are dealing for the first time with a baby that seems to have a little separation anxiety.  Lillian never had it, which I always took kind of personally.  I guess we get what we ask for right??  Sam is ok, he went through a little period at bedtime for a week and then was fine.  But Will, this kid is persistent, angry, and frankly makes my heart just hurt when I look in on him in his crib and he's crying for his mommy.  Its causing some major nap issues.  The kid was never a great napper, but there was a time when he was working out some hour and a half naps a couple of times a week.  Now we are down to two half hour naps a day, waking screaming at each one (most of the time).  He works himself up into such a tizzy, that there is no possible way the kid is going back to sleep.  So I think now we have a habit that is just so hard to break.  I've tried the Ferber method and just leaving him in his crib for "nap time" and for 3 weeks nothing has changed.  According to the doctor, most babies take to a method of sleep training within a week.  So I think we're screwed.  Maybe when he outgrows the anxiety or turns 4 and drops a nap entirely we'll be able to forget about this trying time.  But for now, man is it hard.  I've seriously contemplated going back to work over this issue.  It just seems that whatever I am doing is not right, and while I've tried everything, nothing changes.  And yes I mean everything, as well as reading every sleep book known to man.  I know the baby needs more than an hour of daytime sleep because by dinner time, he can be an absolute mess.  And yes, I've tried a 3rd nap, but most of the time he just cries for 45 minutes at which point its too late for him to fall asleep unless I want bedtime demolished as well.

Other than the nap issue making me crazy, the boys are really great.  When they get just enough sleep to make them happy, they are so HAPPY and cute and amazing.  They laugh and talk to each other, they crawl around after each other down the hall, they climb all over each other and play very well.  I love them to pieces.

While Will struggles with his naps, Sam is a great sleeper and would be a fantastic napper if he could sleep through his brother.  Sam is my snuggle bear.  He is friendly and curious and hates table foods.  He gags when you put a puff up to his lips, its hysterical yet annoying at the same time.

Will is a good nighttime sleeper, he's actually gotten noticeably better at it.  He is a mama's boy.  He is spunky and thoughtful and likes to bite.  He has taken quite well to table food, which means he could be bigger than his brother any day now.

Thankfully we have one boy moving to solids.  We buy 50 cartons of baby food a week.  Yes, 50.  We go through a canister of formula a week, and I am still nursing the morning feeding.  We spend easily $50 a week on feeding the boys.  That is half of what our previous weekly grocery bill was.  Needless to say, we are hopeful Sam will soon take to table food.  But there is also the hope that they don't start eating like their sister which would mean they eat half a banana and some cheese curls about every 4 days.

 All in all, life is good.  If it weren't hard, it likely wouldn't have so much reward.