Something To Remember...

”Nothing you do for children is ever wasted. They seem not to notice us, hovering, averting our eyes, and they seldom offer thanks, but what we do for them is never wasted."

-Garrison Keillor

That sounds about right. As a teacher and a mother, I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. When it comes to kids, nothing you ever do for them is ever wasted. They may not notice right away, but they will later. Everything counts when it comes to kids.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!...

I just can't take the suspense anymore. Every year during the week of Christmas, I get as anxious as any little kid, even though I'm a grown-up. I just can't wait to see my kids' faces when they open up their gifts.

I. Just. Can't. Take. It. Anymore. Gaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!

Are you as excited as I am?

It's Magic...

Well, Christmas is almost here and before I know it, it'll be over. It always seems to come and go way too fast each year. I guess it seemed to last forever when I was a kid. Now that I'm older, it goes by so quickly that it's over before I even knew it began. I guess that's the beauty of being a kid; a few weeks seems like such a long time.

I miss that feeling. I miss the anticipation of Santa coming to my house while I'm asleep. I miss leaving cookies and milk for him, along with a letter I'd worked hard on writing. I miss "hearing" the reindeer on the roof in the middle of the night. Being a kid seemed so much more fun than being an adult. However...

Now, of course, I get to BE Santa. I get to see my children's faces light up when they open their gifts from him. I get to sneak stocking stuffers into their stockings while they are fast asleep on Christmas Eve. I get to assemble millions of pieces of toys to make sure they are ready for play the next morning. I get to listen at the foot of the stairs while my children fall asleep lightning fast so that Santa comes to our home. I get to be the one who leaves the cookie crumbs on the plate with a half-drunk cup of juice, knowing that my children will wake up and see the magic they believe in has come true.

It's all a part of growing up, I guess. I get to recreate the magic I experienced as a kid for my own children. And in doing so, I feel the magic within myself. 'Tis the season, my friends.

Consider The Sun...

They didn’t consider the sun when designing this wall. Heh.

Happiness...

It's not difficult to make a woman happy.

A man only needs to be:

1. a friend
2. a companion
3. a lover
4. a brother
5. a father
6. a master
7. a chef
8. an electrician
9. a carpenter
10. a plumber
11. a mechanic
12. a decorator
13. a stylist
14. a sexologist
15. a gynecologist
16. a psychologist
17. a pest exterminator
18. a psychiatrist
19. a healer
20. a good listener
21. an organizer
22. a good father
23. very clean
24. sympathetic
25. athletic
26. warm
27. attentive
28. gallant
29. intelligent
30. funny
31. creative
32. tender
33. strong
34. understanding
35. tolerant
36. prudent
37. ambitious
38. capable
39. courageous
40. determined
41. true
42. dependable
43. passionate
44. compassionate

WITHOUT FORGETTING TO:

45. give her compliments regularly
46. love shopping
47. be honest
48.. be very rich
49. not stress her out
50. not look at other girls

AND AT THE SAME TIME, YOU MUST ALSO:

51. give her lots of attention, but expect little yourself
52. give her lots of time, especially time for herself
53. give her lots of space, never worrying about where she goes

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT:

54. Never to forget:
* birthdays
* anniversaries
* arrangements she makes

HOW TO MAKE A MAN HAPPY:

1. Show up naked
2. Bring alcohol

Nine Things I Hate About Everyone...

1. People who point at their wrist while asking for the time.... I know where my watch is pal, where the hell is yours? Do I point at my crotch when I ask where the toilet is?

2. People who are willing to get off their ass to search the entire room for the T.V. remote because they refuse to walk to the T.V. and change the channel manually.

3. When people say 'Oh you just want to have your cake and eat it too'. Damn right! What good is cake if you can't eat it?

4. When people say 'it's always the last place you look'. Of course it is.. Why the hell would you keep looking after you've found it? Do people do this? Who and where are they? Gonna Kick their asses!

5. When people say while watching a film 'did you see that?'. No Loser, I paid $12 to come to the cinema and stare at the damn floor.

6. People who ask 'Can I ask you a question?'.... Didn't really give me a choice there, did ya sunshine?

7. When something is 'new and improved!'. Which is it? If it's new, then there has never been anything before it. If it's an improvement, then there must have been something before it, couldn't be new.

8. When people say 'life is short'. What the hell?? Life is the longest damn thing anyone ever does!! What can you do that's longer?

9. When you are waiting for the bus and someone asks 'Has the bus come yet?'. If the bus came would I be standing here, dumbass?

The "It" Girl...

Liv has adjusted quite well to preschool. At first, she cried every single day we dropped her off; it went on for several months. Now, she's the life of the party and every kid wants to be her friend. One girl in particular cries and cries when they have to go home because she wants Liv to come with her.

Another one of her classmates lives just a few houses down the block from us. She and her brother have come over a few times just to see if Liv can come out and play. Livie seems to have become the life of the party...at just three years old!

If this is any indication of what her teen years will be like, I'm going to have to start mentally preparing for it now. With her sparkling personality, her sense of humor, and her flair for the spotlight, I'm going to be completely gray before she even goes into high school.

Sigh...

Our Family...

This is our holiday picture this year. Jack is holding Leia and Liv is holding Liesl.

It only took about five minutes for me to snap this shot. The kids were all very cooperative.

Happy Holidays!

The Definition Of Peace...

Santa was caught napping on the job. And isn't this beautiful?

Are You With Me?...

Tiger Woods is an idiot. Do you agree? He's really fucked things up with his infidelities. How could he be so stupid? That's easy...he let it all go to his head (no pun intended).

Of course, just like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, this will all blow over and he'll be the comeback king, repairing all of this by coming back to his game stronger than ever. And people will forget his indiscretions. And they'll forgive him because that's what happens when you're a star athlete with millions in the bank.

Except for his wife. She'll never forget it and the shame he's brought to their family. What an idiot!

Okay...I'm done now. Back to your regularly scheduled bitching...

The Twelve Days Of Christmas...

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.

It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So, there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.

The Spirit Of The Holidays...

Good news is that I truly out did myself this year with my Christmas decorations. The bad news is that I had to take him down after 2 days. I had more people come screaming up to my house than ever.Great stories. But two things made me take it down.

First, the cops advised me that it would cause traffic accidents as they almost wrecked when they drove by.

Second, a 55 year old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder almost killed herself putting it against my house and didn't realize it was fake until she climbed to the top (she was not happy). By the way, she was one of many people who attempted to do that. My yard couldn't take it either. I have more than a few tire tracks where people literally drove up my yard.

Special thanks to my friend, Lucas, who sent this to me. Heh.

Growing Up Before My Eyes...

Liesl and Leia...my wonderful twins! They're almost ten weeks old now.

Apple Does It Again...

Apple announced today that it has developed a breast implant that can store and play music. The iTit will cost from $499 to $699, depending on cup and speaker size.. This is considered a major social breakthrough, because women are always complaining about men staring at their breasts and not listening to them.

Two-Month Check-Up...

Liesl and Leia had their two-month well-baby visit yesterday and both girls are doing very well. They're getting so big now; it's hard to believe they were in the NICU for feeding issues their first two weeks out of the womb. These are definitely not the same babies!

Leia is now 9lbs., 10oz. at 20" long. Liesl is now 8lbs., 14oz. at 21" long. They have the same head circumference at 14". Comparing these current stats with the last month's ones and their birth stats, I'd say mama milk DEFINITELY rocks!

Both girls have umbilical hernias, which should fix themselves with time. Leia's is much better than it was last month, but Liesl's is more recent and is a bit bigger. We just have to give it time to repair itself; no surgery is required. Liesl also got antibiotic eye drops for her goopy left eye. I'm going to try breastmilk in her eye again before I use the drops. It worked when Jack was a baby and it worked on her last month for that issue. We'll see what happens. Breastmilk is a "wonder drug," after all.

They both got a vaccine in each thigh and an oral rotavirus vaccine and are feeling a little punky right now, but I'm sure they'll be fine...sore, but fine. Poor babies.

I still can't believe they're two months old. Wow!

Itchy...

A teacher noticed that a little boy at the back of the class was squirming around, scratching his crotch, and not paying attention. She went back to find out what was going on. He was quite embarrassed and whispered that he had just recently been circumcised and he was quite itchy.

The teacher told him to go down to the principal's office. He was to telephone his mother and ask her what he should do about it. He did it and returned to his class.

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the back of the room She went back to investigate only to find him sitting at his desk with his penis hanging out.

"I thought I told you to call your mom!" she said.

"I did," he said, "And she told me that if I could stick it out till noon, she'd come and pick me up from school."

Grrrrr...

Here's a sneak peek at the Christmas card Tiger Woods is NOT sending out this year.

Thankful...

I'm thankful that the photographer wasn't standing on the other side of this couple. Heh.

I Am A Machine...

I am a nursing machine. I have successfully weaned my twin girls ONTO the breast after having them be in the NICU on bottles for two weeks after they were born. I didn't think I could do it...and then it happened. Both girls are great at nursing and have been for several weeks now!

Of course, the minute I find a system that works (nursing them together, nursing them separately, etc.), they throw a wrench in my plans. I just take their cues and run with it now.

And life is grand...tiring, but grand, and sooooo worth it. (Insert big smile here!)

Holiday Virus...

The newest virus circulating is the UPS/FedEx/DHL Delivery Failure.

You will receive an email from UPS/Fed Ex Service along with a packet number. It will say that they were unable to deliver a package sent to you on such-and-such a date.

It then asks you to print out the invoice copy attached. DON'T TRY TO PRINT THIS. IT LAUNCHES THE VIRUS! Pass this warning on to all your PC operators at work and home. This virus has caused Millions of dollars in damage in the past few days..

Snopes confirms that it is real.

http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/ups.asp

A Girl After My Own Heart...

When I walked into the office yesterday, I saw Livie breastfeeding her baby, Apple. It was the cutest thing I've ever seen. She has even constructed her own make-believe breast pump for when she needs to leave milk for her babies while she's at school.

Oh, how I love her so!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like...

We put our Christmas tree up yesterday. Jack and Liv were very excited! The picture above isn't the greatest because I took it with my phone, but it'll have to do for now.

The holiday spirit is alive in our home. And snow is coming on Thursday! Woohoo! Are YOU ready for the holidays? We soooooo are!

Mmmmmm...

My Mom bought this fabulous triple chocolate cheesecake for Thanksgiving. It was 530 calories per slice. I ate two pieces and found the equivalent to God in it.

Finding My Groove...

As far as breastfeeding goes, my twins have completely different nursing personalities. Leia is all business. She takes what she needs and lets the nipple go when she's done. However, she's a puller. She likes to yank on my nipple a lot and it makes me insane. Liesl, on the other hand, wants to use me as a human pacifier. She takes what she needs and then some. Then, she proceeds to suck and suck and suck and suck. And let me tell you...that sucks. Both girls leave me sore for very different reasons.

Both girls are filling out quite nicely, though. They are using that Mama Milk and growing like crazy! I love it! However, I am definitely not opposed to giving them the occasional bottle of formula to give my body a break, especially if I've nursed three times in four hours. Ugh. Those infant growth spurts are a killer, especially if you're nursing twins. I have an abundant milk supply, especially with twins. I know the breastfeeding Nazis out there would kill me for using formula every so often, but they don't have to wear my tits; I do. And while my boobs are completely functional right now and not just for decoration anymore, I do not want to dread the next nursing session because it just might hurt since they're being used so much. Yeah, yeah...I know that the more you nurse, the less painful it will be. I've nursed four children with these breasts. It's just a completely different ballgame when you're nursing twins. If I don't feed them at the same time, I wind up feeding one or the other all day long and for the sake of time (and to keep my two preschoolers from burning down the house while I'm nursing), I need to simplify things a bit at times. If I'm nursing two babies at the same time, I can't possibly clean up spills, tame arguments between my two preschoolers, or do anything other than nurse. And sometimes each nursing session can last for a half hour or more.

If supplementing from time to time is a bad thing, then kill me now. I just need to give my body a break every so often. I love breastfeeding; I just know when my body has been overworked on some days and a little formula at night while I get some sleep isn't going to hurt anyone. And I guess I don't need to pump unless I'm going somewhere and I need to supply them with milk. I certainly can't stockpile any in my freezer for when I go back to work in February. I'll figure that one out the sooner that day comes. Right now, I have to find my balance. That's more important.

I'm finding my groove in all this. That's all. And it's not easy, but I'm doing it.

Lab Laws...

Um...this totally applies to my dog. Heh.

Black Friday, My Foot...

I will NOT be out shopping today. Thankyouverymuch.

(click on the cartoon to enlarge it)

How Pumpkin Pies Are Made...

Happy Thanksgiving!

My Dilemma...

I'd be lying if I said it was easy breastfeeding twins. In fact, it's one of the hardest things I've ever done. I'm struggling between nursing both and pumping enough to store in the freezer. I'm finding it difficult to keep up.

I can't seem to nurse both babies AND pump milk to store in the freezer. I just don't know what to do right now. Both babies nurse wonderfully. They have good strong sucks. However, even though I want to store pumped milk and freeze it, I can't possibly nurse AND pump; it seems to be an either/or type situation.

At first, since the girls were in the NICU for a couple of weeks, all I did was pump for them. Then, I started nursing Liesl and bottle-feeding my breastmilk to Leia. Then, I discovered that Leia could nurse just fine, too. So, I'd pump enough to give one of them a bottle of breastmilk while I nursed the other one. And I'd trade off on who got what the next time. Now, however, I'm running out of milk in the freezer and I don't know what to do now. And, frankly, I'm a little nervous about nursing BOTH girls full-time. I know the demands on me will be great.

I don't want to fail at this. It's the last time I'll ever breastfeed children. And I don't want to chain myself to a breastpump, either. I just don't know how I'll be able to store any milk if I'm nursing both girls exclusively. And I don't want to wear myself down into a little nub in the process. While I'm not opposed to using formula, I really, really want both girls to reap the benefits of my milk. I just can't pump AND nurse, even if I chose to do half formula/half breastmilk with them.

Any ideas? So far, the only choices I see that make any sense are breastfeeding exclusively OR using formula exclusively. And I hate that I feel like I must choose, when I really want to breastfeed both. The problem is with storing any milk at all. If I nurse only, I can't store. That is my dilemma...oh, and the intimidation of nursing BOTH exclusively. Yeah, that's pretty intimidating.

Why does it have to seem so hard? Any advice?

Global Warming...

This is the real cause of global warming. Heh.

Sleigh Bells Ring...

It's about to get a bit wintry 'round here soon. Thanksgiving Day is supposed to have a high of 38 degrees with the possibility of some snow. Knowing that I've been jonesing for some winter wonderland-iness, you would also know that snow on T-Day would make me smile.

Chicago may have some brutal winters, but I just love living here for the changing of the seasons alone. I don't know if I'd be happy in a place that was 85 degrees on Christmas Day. It's just not my thing. I like seasons.

And I like a good snowball fight every once in a while. Come February, I'll be bitching about the snow, but for now, I'm not. Enjoy my good mood now 'cuz it could change at anytime. Heh.

Thrilling In The Eyes Of A Three-Year-Old...

Livie has a UTI now. We've all been battling a virus lately, but Livie has been running fevers since Thursday morning. So, after the last 102.7 fever early yesterday morning and some discharge on her nighttime pull-up, I brought her in to see the doctor. She was actually able to pee in a cup, too. We'll know on Monday whether it's a UTI for sure. Right now she's on antibiotics as if she has a UTI. It's probable. Poor thing.

She is, however, all excited about having peed in a cup. Who would've known that something like that could be so thrilling? I guess you'd have to be three years old to understand that. Heh.

I'm just glad she's on medication to knock this thing out. My poor brave little girl...in such pain and still smiling.