tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123791362011-06-08T01:34:15.688-05:00Periodical chronicles of parenthood.J.noreply@blogger.comBlogger2371100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-3739215711584626842008-07-11T15:52:00.001-05:002008-07-11T15:53:51.424-05:00

See what you've been missing. Visit us at our new site: www.gojoycego.com.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-20007676948467217442007-02-19T11:52:00.000-06:002007-02-19T12:17:51.500-06:00

Ah, you poor folks out there in blogger land! We've been too busy to post much, so look at what you've been missing:David: "Bear's hungry!"Me (looking over at teddy bear, who seems fat enough to me): "Ok!"David walks over to his bucket of blocks, grabs a circular one, holds it upside down like a cup, and brings it over to the bear.David: "Bear wants water."David gives the bear a couple of

M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08055111118740294558noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-47204857323572886512007-02-07T22:29:00.001-06:002007-02-07T22:32:12.621-06:00

Almost a month since the surgery, can I celebrate?I want to write, because for once I have time and can, and because Ihave thoughts I want to write down and remember.That's the tricky bit, though. Sitting at the computer brings on anaurora borealis with cosmic vibes and universal proportions--in myhead. My ears hum and buzz, static crawls just beneath my scalp, andI feel like someone is using a

J.noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-63788376762162480022007-01-24T14:56:00.000-06:002007-01-24T17:19:46.263-06:00

Monday, the day the AVM burst (and I didn't yet feel bad) playing at our favorite park.Then I put babies to sleep. I fell asleep with David and woke up feeling bad. I thought I had some kind of weird migraine. My head hurt and I couldn't see well, and slept, slept, and slept. I begin to lose words. On Wednesday I tried to see a neurologist but the appointment desk made a mistake, and

J.noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-3589346660895373592007-01-23T18:43:00.000-06:002007-01-23T18:58:36.308-06:00

Two babies turn two today.Bonus--I'm beginning to remember some songs today, too. Like the helicopter song, and of course, Happy Birthday.Brain is still so addled. Some days worse than others. After realized I hadn't slept in, oh, two weeks, we decided to try a different medicine (Keppra from Dilantin, if you cared) to see if I could feel a little better. Not sure how well it will work, but I

J.noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-24844893000435550272007-01-19T19:44:00.000-06:002007-01-19T19:59:00.481-06:00

A week ago I slept in an ICU bed at St. Luke's. It was a dreamless sleep. But today I am at home, and this afternoon even dreamt of beaches and conches and O'Keefe.

J.noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1404120499135936672007-01-16T15:11:00.000-06:002007-01-24T13:57:06.542-06:00

Some parents a baby book. Some parents have a scrapbook. We have a blog.And part of the purpose of this blog is to help us remember these first few years of parenthood and perhaps share some of these memories with C&D as they get old enough to understand. For example, if they ever ask "how tough is it really to raise twins", then we'll have some evidence to back up our answer.And while most of

M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08055111118740294558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-20616124583379826932007-01-01T12:29:00.000-06:002007-01-01T13:09:13.999-06:00

Well, not for too long. Almost lunchtime, and need to go see if the avocados I bought yesterday really are ready to eat, or if the Ripe Sticker is as false as it usually is.But C&D finished their lunch, and what a lunch it was. They split a bag of tater tots (after grabbing the last one, David noted "Potatoes all gone!"), along with some salmon and peas. But that last potato was special -

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1165006082818904592006-12-01T14:31:00.000-06:002006-12-04T10:31:30.556-06:00

He can count to 12. This afternoon he counted twelve steps down to the bottom of the stairs, but Matt says he counted to 12 last night. I remember being small (maybe five?) and impatiently counting the seconds it would take for my mother to drive home. I distinctly remember being somewhere in the middle of the neighborhood, looking around and counting, "five hundred and three . . . five hundred

J.noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1164504829038641222006-11-25T19:31:00.000-06:002006-11-27T08:52:37.040-06:00

David can count to seven. Holy moly. Yesterday he could do to six. He just woke up that way, counting flowers on a tortilla warmer. The day before he was counting bits of cranberry sauce on his plate, up to four. Holy moly. Where did he learn that?

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1164056296987258582006-11-20T14:28:00.000-06:002006-12-13T22:49:51.860-06:00

Did you hear? The U.S. Mint has given up on the golden Sacagawea dollars first released in 2000. They haven't given up on the concept of a dollar coin, however. Instead, they're hoping that in 2007 we'll happily use their new dollar coins, decorated with pictures of dead presidents on them.Give me a break!Nothing against the presidents, but every other piece of U.S. currency already has a

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1162178294733972082006-10-30T21:18:00.000-06:002006-12-30T13:38:54.050-06:00

The hardest part about moving has been explaining to people that I am perfectly aware I am moving my little toddler-children into a two-bedroom house with no yard and smack dab in the jumbled-up zoning-free center of the fourth largest city in the U.S.Yes, two bedrooms. By modern housing standards, they are small; the master bedroom is 14'x17' and the second bedroom is about 10'x12'. If we

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-48729739603747462312006-10-30T13:41:00.000-06:002006-12-30T07:20:39.211-06:00

Good Morning!!! "precious babies!!" I was thinkingabout you this morning in music class with Dad andMommy with the movers. I was thinking about the"Hokey Pokey" dance we learned on Saturday with me.You learned it so well, you could probably show yourmusic teacher how to do the "Hokey Pokey". It was somuch fun being with you over the weekend; the singing,the dancing, the reading, and the lunch

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1162176989486817202006-10-29T19:47:00.000-06:002006-11-18T19:53:56.493-06:00

Tomorrow we move to the new house, newly painted and cleaned by my parents, and then babyproofed and carpeted my Matt (the floors are mostly quarry tile, painted concrete, and pine). And I got to play general contractor while my mom took a turn at baby-wrangling.I'm going to miss our little house, the house that we bought because it was cheaper than rent and halfway between Sugar Land and Rice.

J.noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1160793635657139132006-10-13T19:25:00.000-05:002006-10-13T21:43:58.220-05:00

Packing, Big Thicket annual meeting tomorrow (Cong. Brady showing up, and lots of other people, besides), C&D have both battled colds and the resultant sleepless nights, I strained my back, and this week visited every store in the Galleria area to find the Perfect Shirt to wear with my Perfect suit. Oh, and, right, I had to buy shoes. (I didn't want to visit every store in the Gallera area to

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1160444309759574112006-10-09T20:32:00.000-05:002006-10-09T20:38:29.776-05:00

is not the same. Today, right before bed, David opened the hall closet and pulled out an old tube of Christmas wrapping paper. He unrolled it and the house quickly filled with the loud crinkle of paper while I cleaned up the last remnants of dinner. Within a few minutes I found C&D walking over the paper, by this time unrolled like a red carpet through the entire length of the kitchen.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1159731888410067032006-10-01T14:21:00.000-05:002006-10-01T21:02:27.806-05:00

I'm supposed to be busy. I'm supposed to be listing the rest of my things on eBay, and checking on my Craigslist responses for the things I have posted there to sell. But I had to post here, first.Yesterday someone came to pick up our deep freeze. You don't need a deep freeze when you take your babies to Whole Foods two-plus times per week because they like going there as much as the park.

J.noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1158698916665901012006-09-21T13:16:00.000-05:002006-12-30T13:39:35.908-06:00

I really like how now the American public can rely on the good ol' television set to teach their children everything they need to know. Now, in addition to the squeaky CTW franchises and the sugar-coated cartoons on Nickelodeon, we have a channel specifically geared to babies called BabyFirstTV. With 24/7 programming that changes every five minutes (yes, I said five minutes) that addresses

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1158640309853830112006-09-18T22:31:00.000-05:002006-09-28T09:03:13.636-05:00

Fiona, this one's for you:Tonight, as Carmen snuggled up next to me and tried to fall asleep, she told herself one of her favorite stories. It's called I Hear; it's a board book and not much of a story book, but she likes it very much anyway. The night went like this:Snuggle, roll, flip, flop, kick."Iiiiiii heeeeaaaaar . . . birt. Twee, twee, twee."Kick, kick."Iiiiiii heeeeaaaaar . . . gog.

J.noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1158202564646024972006-09-16T13:10:00.000-05:002006-12-30T13:35:55.592-06:00

Life BB (Before Babies) was in a lot of ways very different.For instance, we could leave the house on a moment's notice. We could stay up past bedtime on a school night (well, I could, Matt couldn't). We didn't need to plan our day around an afternoon nap. We didn't need to restrict eating out to outdoor restaurants with concrete floors.Now, it takes us a little longer to get out the door.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1157687303461574202006-09-07T22:38:00.000-05:002006-09-11T11:04:47.296-05:00

I did have a camera yesterday when two of the neighborhood kids dug through my recycle bins and fashioned themselves armor in order to battle with each other, and also fight against a younger sibling's 3-foot long plastic alligator. After I made peace with the fact that they were digging through my trash, my mom (here this week), Matt, and I all laughed and laughed as we watched them from our

J.noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1157686690046743392006-09-07T21:52:00.000-05:002006-09-07T22:38:10.156-05:00

Had two back-to-back showings for the house this evening. The first was during dinner, when we took the babes to the Galleria. Carmen called it the "'ria." There isn't a word she doesn't try to say. Having her around is like having a pet parrot.We had already been to the Galleria this morning, but they didn't mind going again. This morning the cosmetics counter staff at Neiman Marcus gave

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1157578910248825762006-09-06T09:05:00.000-05:002006-09-07T23:07:19.066-05:00

The memory card is full. Time to post some pictures while I achive and store some of the more memorable moments lately. Today's memorable moment? David lifting his shirt and adhering bee stickers to his little tummy-tum-tum, fixing his shirt back down, and then lifting it again to apply more stickers. Funny little kid.Sorry so many of these pictures are blurry. I either need a faster camera, or

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1157488184859638552006-09-05T15:11:00.000-05:002006-09-08T22:11:15.936-05:00

Two pictures from the place Carmen calls the "pwaygrowd."

J.noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1157289330658901102006-09-03T08:11:00.000-05:002006-09-03T09:19:50.436-05:00

Matt, boxing things up: "This is the house where we really figured out who we are. We went from building an entertainment center [that could hold a 27" TV] to trying to get rid of it [who needs TV?]."Matt thinks the entertainment center would make a terrific wardrobe.

J.noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1156821532260750572006-08-28T22:07:00.000-05:002006-09-01T14:13:26.473-05:00

Dear Babies,Today we gave the realtor a big fat check to serve as earnest money on a new house. Your new house will have one fewer bedroom (2) than this current house, and no yard to speak of. This, by American standards, is a Very Uncommon Thing to do. In fact, some people might think we are outright crazy.So, in order to better articulate why we are moving to such a house while also

J.noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1156737957286838572006-08-27T21:10:00.000-05:002006-08-27T23:05:57.356-05:00

Today is apparently August 26th.I guess that means C&D turned 19 months three days ago. Oops. I had completely forgotten.No surprise, though. We've been busy.I know, there isn't a time when we're not busy. I never post and say, "Well, it's been pretty boring around here!" But lately, really, we've been busy.First of all, C&D keep us on our toes. Well, okay, maybe not on our toes. More

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1155272827765851032006-08-10T22:33:00.000-05:002006-08-18T10:33:53.330-05:00

I have almost forgotten there was a time (like, say, last week) when they couldn't talk. Now, they can both say and sign so many things. We have conversations, we follow directions, we dance with our dolls and feed the stuffed horses hay. We follow each other around and imitate each other like a household of parrots. We say and sign when we are hungry and when we are thirsty, we make jokes (

J.noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1154395033240678272006-07-31T20:16:00.000-05:002006-07-31T20:17:13.256-05:00

Finally. Tell David he's next.I wonder if she'll remember tomorrow? A few days ago, when she woke up the first word out of her mouth was "tractor." That word she hasn't forgotten.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1154054175791439592006-07-27T21:08:00.000-05:002006-07-27T21:39:32.720-05:00

Well-baby checkup today. I schlepped them all the way in to the doctor's office to have him tell me they're fine. Fine? They're not fine, they're marvelous!C&D enjoyed talking to the doctor as he counted their fingers and toes, but did not appreciate the feeling of his stethoscope on their backs. After that, the visit accelerated downhill. I think they wondered if they were going to get

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1153974462483906842006-07-26T23:12:00.000-05:002006-07-27T21:48:01.260-05:00

Today David lifted my shirt to kiss my back, my belly, or my shoulder no less than a dozen times. When I was standing, he would lift my pant legs and kiss my shins. He rolls on the floor with Carmen and kisses her knees, her hair, her elbow, her heel. At the Learning Tower, he leans toward her and kisses her shoulder while she squirms and giggles.Carmen has been attempting a new word or a new

J.noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1153534193275801872006-07-21T21:08:00.000-05:002006-07-21T21:14:25.393-05:00

This blog entry says it better than I ever could. Unwise ideas, yes, but still so much fun!The original post about the games toddlers play is at Mom 101.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1153523597194623842006-07-21T16:57:00.000-05:002006-07-21T18:21:45.766-05:00

The babes are outside with Matt taking a bath. When he poured in the hot water, he hadn't yet added enough cold, so the water was very warm. Carmen stuck her hand in, signed hot and said "haaaaaah," and then blew out of her mouth, pfooooh, indicating I should blow on it to cool it off. I laughed at the thought of blowing on their bathwater.They're back from the bath. We horsed around on the

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1153452186375623782006-07-20T22:15:00.000-05:002006-07-20T22:23:06.393-05:00

I put the big baskets away this morning. Maybe I should have left one out. Bad mama. Carmen tried to push him around in it, anyway, but David didn't react favorably so she gave up on that activity.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1153398258545469982006-07-20T07:19:00.000-05:002006-07-20T07:24:18.566-05:00

David is called "Day-dee." Sweet!We're also working hard to say earring and turtle ("tur-tur," according to David).But I'm still Daddy, and Daddy is still Daddy, too. More often, though, we're just "eh, uh, uh!"Now off to get more of baby kisses (on my arm, on my back, on my leg, on my face) and persaude them that oatmeal (again!) is a perfectly exciting breakfast. Maybe I will also give them

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1153365194226570972006-07-19T21:41:00.000-05:002006-07-19T22:20:50.576-05:00

Carmen rolling around in bed, trying to get to sleep:"Hi, hi. Hi, hi. Ah-tchu. Ah-tchu. Wow. Wooooow. Wow. Wow! WOW!"Sweet dreams, silly.More words that we remembered as we walked with the babes through the Galleria today:Up -- Carmen sometimes says, "puh," rather than "up"Down -- said with emphasis, more often by Carmen than David, and she actually got the "n" sound in there tonight.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1153334540012831022006-07-19T13:19:00.000-05:002006-07-19T22:06:44.126-05:00

Matt and I realized this morning that I neglected to mention several more words that the babes have been working on, lately. They almost always sign the word that they are trying to say, so our odds of guessing correctly are higher than they would be, otherwise. For instance:Potato -- tha-tuDown -- dow!Broom -- boomBread -- breahBear -- bayerBubble -- bobleThank you -- ta-tuBlock -- blahSit --

J.noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1153282348402403782006-07-18T21:34:00.000-05:002006-07-18T23:14:58.280-05:00

The babes think whole goat milk yogurt, sweetened with a splash of maple syrup, is divine. They can't slurp it up fast enough, and eventually try drinking it straight from the bowl. David tries to say "go-gur," but today decided that he would just sign ice cream. Same result:I found out recently that the CBS reality show Big Brother had a new twist for its fourth season--a 24/7 live video feed

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1153107566246701472006-07-16T22:22:00.000-05:002006-07-16T22:39:32.943-05:00

At the park today. There was a cricket game behind us. The babes can swing long past the point we are tired--40 minutes, easily. Matt is wearing a hat that was mine until he squashed it.More text comes later, as soon as I have a chance. They are silly and sweet, these babes:Carmen showing her interpretation of the ASL sign for penguin:The purpose of puddles is splashingCarmen shopping at

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1152492177365912882006-07-09T19:41:00.000-05:002006-07-16T16:34:06.583-05:00

Turned in my report yesterday, but it still needs more edits, so the blog hiatus continues. Your loss--they're awfully funny these days, and I'm already forgetting some of the best stories.

J.noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1151281177292963302006-06-25T19:19:00.000-05:002006-06-27T05:11:40.010-05:00

Do you think he heard me?

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1151203467652521552006-06-24T21:43:00.000-05:002006-06-24T21:44:27.660-05:00

  

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1151180146891198882006-06-24T15:15:00.000-05:002006-06-24T15:15:46.993-05:00

We went to the beach today. David enjoyed the sand and water, but Carmen did not. After all, the water was wet, and the sand dirty. They both enjoyed the seagulls, though had we been in California they may have enjoyed the drunk pelicans more.Pictures later. I think the camera is still in the car.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1150947186180017052006-06-21T22:10:00.000-05:002006-06-29T17:34:42.300-05:00

I should be in bed. But I'm dawdling. What else is new?The babes have entered a hats phase. Boxes, baskets, a plastic molcajete, and various parts of our wardrobe are all strong candidates for being worn as hats. Carmen prefers the over-the-eyes look.Whole Foods today, and Madison the Magical Juice Lady was working. She showed the babies a carrot cheer--complete with a shaking booty--and the

J.noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1150649904573373672006-06-18T11:33:00.000-05:002006-06-18T11:58:24.593-05:00

Father's day and all, so Guest Blogger got to take the babies to Hermann Park, Houston's premier pigeon and duck habitat and home to it's only hill. (in true Texas fashion, it's a pile of leftover dirt from building a football stadium, but it is nonetheless a hill).We tried just a walk in the stroller, but Carmen kept signing "Shoe! Shoe!" to say that she wanted to walk around. Shoes are their

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1150641974530792782006-06-18T09:42:00.000-05:002006-06-21T13:41:59.333-05:00

The rice cooker broke again. It was our third. Cuisinart, what's with your rice cookers? The third did last longer than all the others, by at least a month, despite being used at least once a day (for oatmeal and whatnot, not just rice). But it still broke.So we give up. We bought a Zojirushi. Figure a Japanese company knows something about making rice cookers.

J.noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1150639779331325032006-06-18T08:31:00.000-05:002006-06-18T09:10:24.886-05:00

David just left to take the babes to Hermann Park to talk with the ducks and geese and leave me with a little peace and quiet to work on my BTA strategic plan for the BTNP. The house is quiet and strange as I sit here, all by myself, with the restless cat for company. For Father's Day I gave Matt an Eric Carle book called Mister Seahorse. Seahorses carry the eggs of their young until they are

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1150483357284124592006-06-16T13:42:00.000-05:002006-06-16T13:42:37.393-05:00

Yesterday Bill Gates, the world's richest anybody, announced he was leaving Microsoft to focus on working for his family foundation. Go, Bill, go! I'm proud of you, man, and hope more of those in your cohort will follow your example.Just remember that whatever new projects you undertake, Microsoft products are still awfully buggy. The world might be your oyster, but that doesn't necessarily

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1150343089356627542006-06-14T21:43:00.000-05:002006-06-14T22:44:49.440-05:00

David this morning, deciding he needs a bigger spoon. He ate the rest of his oatmeal this way. No bib because babes have decided they are uncomfortable, uncool, or are too much fun to take off. And because parents have decided that after these people eat, they need a change of clothes, anyway, so why worry about the bib?A couple of weeks ago, chubby bunny with grapes. This is pretty much the

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1150251728632294762006-06-13T21:15:00.000-05:002006-06-13T21:22:08.653-05:00

Until I can take the babes backpacking, they are never going to see more the handful of stars that you can see only on Houston's clearest nights. Until then, how about this planetarium for a night light?In other news, when I ask C&D "Where's Mommy?" they both sign Mommy. "Yes," I say, "but where?" I give up.Sweet dreams of clear and starry skies.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1150167569060695952006-06-12T21:36:00.000-05:002006-06-12T22:00:28.890-05:00

Early this morning, as Carmen held onto my pant leg, standing with one foot inside Matt's brown shoe and wondering what to do with the other, David picked up one of my sandals, put it over my foot, and said, "Mahmee!"Who, ME?As Matt drove away this morning, Carmen signed car and mommy . . . but I think she meant Daddy. As in, Daddy is going in the car [to work].Buoyed by their apparent progress

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1150082145156285492006-06-11T21:57:00.000-05:002006-06-11T22:15:45.170-05:00

This is from Friday. Matt scanned it yesterday, I think, when he was setting up all the little whatnots on the computer, like the scanner and the DVD burner. You can see there was a hair on the glass. I need to redo the image but thought I could use this image to hold a place in the blog.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1149979797976040602006-06-10T17:25:00.000-05:002006-06-10T17:49:57.990-05:00

Matt took Carmen out on an expedition this morning to Fry's, Target, and the Arandas bakery (I had a hankering for pan dulce). While he was listening to Car Talk he heard the Mini-Van Mom song by The Kegels. If you have a child, plan to have children, have had children, or have the dubious fortune of living in the suburbs (where there are lots of minivans . . . and children), you have to hear

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1149736611856552452006-06-07T21:42:00.000-05:002006-06-07T22:25:50.726-05:00

What sign takes babies just one demonstration to learn?Ice cream.Do the sign while you feed babies a mango sorbetto. Watch them raise their eyebrows and say with their eyes, "Hey, hey, hey, what's this?" A busy couple of weeks. I've been increasingly under the weather (allergies? Tired Twin Mama Syndrome?), and last Monday David got sick.Then Matt got sick.Then this past Monday, Carmen got

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1149463674759527922006-06-04T12:18:00.000-05:002006-06-04T18:27:54.833-05:00

Antibiotics in corn? Um, no thank you. Guess that's one more reason to grow your own (or get your veggies from the co-op!).The babes are chasing each other back and forth as I type. I can't see them, but I hear their feet slapping the floor. Once in a while I see them out of the corner of my eye, prancing like little horses and squealing. Both continue to add signs to their vocabulary, and

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1148769261679143532006-05-27T17:25:00.000-05:002006-05-27T17:34:21.746-05:00

"Tat-ta." That is "tractor" according to a little girl who wouldn't go to sleep last night until after she sat on my lap in the dark and ate a significant number of Purely O's while the boys--Matt, David, the cat--slept."Sleepy." That is an adjective most frequently used to describe the little girl's mother.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1148588463730460452006-05-25T22:51:00.000-05:002006-05-28T12:58:46.676-05:00

I don't get it. What is this supposed to be? A Texas Two-Step? Practice walking like a peg-legged pirate? Imitating my hunched-over, stiff-legged limp in the morning? (You would limp, too, if after a long day of baby wrangling you had to sleep on the little sliver of mattress space Carmen allows me.) This video was taken yesterday.Yesterday I also found out that Carmen doesn't like ketchup.

J.noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1145816849754763882006-05-23T13:07:00.000-05:002006-05-22T07:43:56.826-05:00

Playing with my dad's F-150 the weekend after my birthday (a month ago):Working on our aim, the same weekend. The hardest part about sitting in a chair, the babes find, is knowing exactly where to plant their butts. A month ago, Carmen wasn't especially good at it. Today their steering is better, but they still need to refine their aim.This is the way we take a bath, take a bath, take a bath .

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1148235848492025372006-05-21T13:24:00.000-05:002006-05-21T13:24:08.570-05:00

Fine, but only if Carmen stops hogging the king-size bed.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1147737761091556102006-05-15T18:59:00.000-05:002006-05-15T19:02:41.116-05:00

I forgot.Matt reminded me that we are on our third rice cooker. So add that to yesterday's list.But Cuisinart paid for the replacements.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1147719882830145562006-05-15T14:03:00.000-05:002006-05-15T14:04:42.883-05:00

More women should have babies at home, not in hospital, says Health Secretary . . .

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1147666262363034122006-05-14T22:21:00.000-05:002006-05-15T07:00:09.786-05:00

We went to the George Ranch today. Of course. What better way to spend a sunny day? We visited the horses and Carmen was so happy to see them that she blew them kisses. Then she asked, in sign, where were the cat and sheep? The Big Red Barn has cats and sheep. After spending time with the horses and cattle (and no cats or sheep to be found), Carmen then asked for the dog and pig, so we

J.noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1147574330443825692006-05-13T21:36:00.000-05:002006-05-13T21:38:50.456-05:00

The computer is still not doing everything it's supposed do, but we're mostly just dealing with it. Uploading the pictures and whatnot is going to be harder for a while, but maybe I can try to post a few tomorrow.In any case, it's not going straight to the landfill like a toy I came across tonight. What a waste of plastic and red fur.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1147058802501061292006-05-07T22:00:00.000-05:002006-05-09T19:09:04.403-05:00

A very expensive, very fast, guaranteed-to-work-all-the-time-especially-during-baby-bedtime kind of Mac.But I won't.It's just that I have a growing collection of photos and videos that I want to post (and not just for your benefit), but I can't. I think this is because when we upgraded the motherboard's BIOS to try to get the RAID controller to work (it never did work), we apparently broke the

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1146970245639357052006-05-06T13:14:00.000-05:002006-05-07T12:03:28.913-05:00

Matt forgot to tell the story of Steve. So I'll make sure to get to it.Matt also forgot to say that Carmen can also sign good/thank you (but sometimes she blows a kiss as an equivalent sign), cracker, pig, ball, dog, diaper, cat (and she says, "ta!"), water (looks like eat, sometimes), milk, and she even thinks she can sign pear. Except that she doesn't sign anything that looks like pear, she

J.noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1146924461972289412006-05-06T08:53:00.000-05:002006-05-06T09:17:53.363-05:00

Ok, so you're a 2+ foot tall, 25+ pound little girl who's been watching our oh-so-interesting life for months on end, and you finally learn enough sign language to start expressing yourself. What would you say?This is what Carmen says (all sign language, a few half-spoken words sometimes along with):- Banana (usually, I want a ...)- Fish (We have fish wallpaper, fish pictures, stuffed fish and

M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08055111118740294558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1146855089056904922006-05-05T13:17:00.000-05:002006-05-05T13:51:29.120-05:00

Computer's sick again.Sniff.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1146542745469466132006-05-01T23:01:00.000-05:002006-05-01T23:05:45.483-05:00

Ouch.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1146323929626577382006-04-29T09:58:00.000-05:002006-04-29T10:18:49.700-05:00

The computer is almost back to normal, no thanks to the computer repair store. When I brought it in I felt like I was dropping Toby off at the pound (no matter that I've been lately tempted, stubborn cat). Boxes everywhere, and the technician reminded me of Dwight Schrute. And I had the distinct impression that I knew more than he did.Not good.So the computer went there, and then back home

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1145933912104381282006-04-24T21:45:00.000-05:002006-04-24T21:58:32.126-05:00

and it's your loss, because I had video of David using the slide (suddenly, umprompted, and all by himself!) this weekend. He even slid sideways and on his belly, he thought it was so much fun.Right now I'm on Matt's work laptop (I love you, Mr. Fluor).Apparently there is a problem with our RAID controller. It keeps thinking that the RAID-ness is degraded and there hard drives are faulty. We

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1145666192495450032006-04-21T19:20:00.000-05:002006-04-21T22:38:01.080-05:00

After lunch Carmen signed sleep. She was ready for a nap.So how long until she says, "Hey, I'll see you guys later, I'm going to bed?" What? Never? She signed socks today, but the sign isn't entirely right. Carmen's socks looks like a drunken version of shoes.Today I watched Carmen play on the porch while I fed David. She spun around in circles until she got dizzy, wobbled around for a

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1145561509098464092006-04-20T09:49:00.000-05:002006-04-20T14:58:34.590-05:00

She pantomimes peeling a banana, while looking at me with her eyebrows raised and head cocked. "Banana?" They're still green."Carmen, let's have bread.""Banana?"Maybe at dinner.She's figured out how to ask for other things, too. She walks to the television set and asks, "Baby?" She wants to watch Baby Signing Time. Who wants to bet Carmen will be the first one to ask to borrow the car?Using

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1145382798599115472006-04-18T12:37:00.000-05:002006-04-18T12:53:18.736-05:00

As our friendly computer (Clem the Data Dromedary) is in the process of being replaced (AMD 64x2 with a RAID system constantly backing up the hard drive), J. isn't able to blog. But news keeps happening, so we wanted to make sure that y'all knew about:- Carmen and her new necklace (plastic, fit in an Easter egg, $0.25 at target). It's a tough routine. Put it on. Say "Hi" so everyone knows how

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1145115409250920022006-04-15T10:12:00.000-05:002006-04-15T10:36:50.276-05:00

The Vocabulary's coming! The Vocabulary's coming!Yesterday Carmen signed potty and banana. She and David signed orange earlier, but I haven't seen it again. "Just give me the dumb orange, Ma," they're probably thinking. "We're hungry, already!"I should begin learning more ASL.Last night I was eating the last of my dinner and watching Carmen run up and down the hall. She's not really running;

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1144894761920610422006-04-12T20:15:00.000-05:002006-04-14T09:09:16.723-05:00

Minimal or no blogging for a little bit. For the second time in just over two years, the hard drive on my laptop has failed. As in, kaput, oops, kaplooey. Is it a case of bad luck, or is the laptop damaging the drive by running too hard or too hot? I don't know. If it's bad luck, then we just buy another hard drive (and maybe not the Fry's special, okay?). If it's a bad 'puter, then I have

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1144725205048956502006-04-10T09:17:00.000-05:002006-04-11T22:28:24.746-05:00

Guess who signed hurt, shoe, sock, and fish today? She signed hurt when she tripped and fell. We're not sure how she figured that sign out, since "hurt" is more of a concept than an object, and the sign didn't seem to register with her until today. She knows that when she puts shoes and socks on she gets to go somewhere exciting . . . like the grocery store (what did you think I was going to

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1144468120727523612006-04-07T22:42:00.000-05:002006-04-07T22:48:40.746-05:00

[Water sounds coming from home stereo.][Rock, rock, rock. Continue rocking throughout dialogue.]Baby - Hi.Tired Mother - Hi, Carmen.Baby - Hi . . . hi . . .hi.Tired Mother - Shhhhhh. Make mimi.Baby - Hi . . . hi . . . hi . . . hi . . . hi . . .[Continue rocking.][Fade to black.](I know I'll miss all this when it's over.)

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1144123002530431622006-04-07T15:48:00.000-05:002006-04-11T13:30:48.383-05:00

These are the pets I love, these are the pets I love: horse, horse, horse, horse, neigh neigh neigh neigh neigh!Yippi-yai-yo-kai-yay and howdy from Texas. A few weeks ago I was filling out a form that asked for my occupation. I wrote "baby wrangler." The entirety of my day involves feeding, leading, and herding two little babes who have learned to run far around and afield like a pair of happy

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1144352986109712522006-04-06T13:03:00.000-05:002006-04-07T09:25:06.110-05:00

Today I took David back to Dr. Mazow for a look at his eyes. Matt had a meeting, so Carmen tagged along and I tried not to act outnumbered. Once again, David began crying soon after the doctor entered the room. Hopefully by the time the two meet again (when David turns three), the doctor will have a fresh start on making him smile.I like Dr. Mazow, anyway.An hour later we left the office, with

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1144206301739752852006-04-04T21:33:00.000-05:002006-04-04T22:05:02.280-05:00

What does David like best about black beans for lunch? The mess, of course. What I like best about this picture is the spoon AND fork in hand, as if holding both would help him eat all the faster. Fortunately dessert was much neater (except for the apple peels that he spit out).Carmen is much neater (snicker, snicker). She only rubbed tomato sauce into her hair at supper today.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1143344809813909752006-03-25T20:22:00.000-06:002006-03-26T08:48:39.423-06:00

Today, a trip to the Galleria. Since Matt's mom needed a family portrait for a project, we made an appointment at Picture People (I had another coupon for a free 8x10, of course). David wasn't particularly enthusiastic about having his picture taken. Maybe he thought the photographer was going to poke him in the eye, just like Dr. Mazow. Thankfully, she was fast and did not make strange baby

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1143148692220794802006-03-23T14:58:00.000-06:002006-03-23T20:50:55.930-06:00

At our baby shower, we should have registered for home appliances, not onesies and strollers.We already replaced washing machine (I am certain that the chore of cloth diapers broke the other one). Tonight we will buy a new dishwasher. We will choose the toughest, meanest one at the store. Carmen proof-ness will be a plus (she didn't break our current dishwasher, but that doesn't mean she

J.noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1142998969876686812006-03-21T21:08:00.000-06:002006-03-21T21:57:51.333-06:00

David took one and half hours at lunch today. He was busy enjoying taking little bites with his spoon. When he ran out of his turkey and tomato sauce, he ate some plain tomato sauce, and when I realized he had no intention of stopping, I brought out some applesauce (saucey things are better eaten with spoons!).While he was eating, Carmen was learning to use the new shape sorter as a stepping

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1142967753051428192006-03-21T12:59:00.001-06:002006-03-21T13:02:33.100-06:00

Sweet boy!The interesting thing (to me, anyway) is that he figured out how to use a spoon despite the fact I'm always eating with my fingers (and letting them feed themselves the same way). Hmm. Time to start behaving myself.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1142967263374330932006-03-21T12:49:00.000-06:002006-03-21T12:54:23.396-06:00

. . . and he just figured out, all by himself, how to eat with a spoon. He figured out how to use a fork last week by stabbing everything on his tray, but spoons are so much harder because you have to hold them just so or your yummy turkey spills out. Wow. Smart kiddo.Back to parenting . . .

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1142740638061180122006-03-18T21:15:00.000-06:002006-03-18T21:57:20.590-06:00

Today we went to the Galleria to look at watches and, like the bear who went over the mountain, also just to see what we could see. We first visited our secret third-floor hiding spot and let the babies hang onto the balcony rails and stair at the people shopping below. Carmen passed her foot between the rails and shook it. Rattled at the thought of Carmen squeezing between the rails and

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1142653150569377382006-03-17T15:13:00.000-06:002006-03-17T21:55:17.583-06:00

Carmen went to bed excited last night. Even as I rocked her, she fought me in her sleep, rolling onto her back in my arms and slowly, softly, kicking her feet, as if walking in her dreams. I finally put her down for the night at midnight, and at four in the morning rocked her again until dawn.Figures.Just before bed last night, she and David decided that they would walk about the house, up and

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1142479378438006362006-03-15T21:13:00.000-06:002006-03-15T21:26:41.703-06:00

I forgot: While I was trying to sort and fold laundry ("trying" is the operative, since C&D apparently disagree with the way I sort and fold my clothes, and would rather just see everything all over the floor), David decided he needed to sweep. He still needs to work on his technique. I guess today he was hoping to use a push broom. Carmen is watching him from her perch, the potty on the

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1142477060004523522006-03-15T20:37:00.000-06:002006-03-15T20:44:20.026-06:00

Saturday Carmen figured out how to climb onto the futon. Then, like the silly girl that she is, she forgot. Whew.Sunday I found her standing up in her Radio Flyer wagon, pushing on the handle and rocking it back and forth to make it roll. I hid the wagon.Monday David figured out that walking is faster than crawling. But he still crawls most of the time.Today David swept the kitchen with me

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1142048598645268732006-03-10T21:19:00.000-06:002006-03-10T21:43:18.873-06:00

This was certainly David's day to practice his walking skills. Up, step, step, down he went all evening. He was so thrilled to be using his broom that we decided to take one step further on the path toward spoiling him deliciously rotten. We brought out a toy that I had been saving for him to receive on a walky kind of day like today. He liked it very much, though as soon as Carmen stopped

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1142037264131508072006-03-10T18:28:00.000-06:002006-03-10T18:41:10.926-06:00

David loves to watch me sweep, and will come running to find me whenever he hears the scratchy sound of my broom. Now that he can stand and walk a bit, today he got his own.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1141966414829535262006-03-09T21:59:00.000-06:002006-03-14T10:12:13.556-06:00

Today while Carmen slept, David and I snuck out to the porch to enjoy a snack of apples and cucumbers. This was the first time for us to use the toddler table. (The cucumber has a hole in it because I extracted the seeds, which are a little bitter.)David enjoyed his snack, BUT . . . he kept slipping under the table. Why is that, I asked myself. Carmen sat on the chair for a very long time on

J.noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1141862932188638032006-03-08T17:55:00.000-06:002006-03-10T15:51:23.796-06:00

She would probably have better success if she just focused on walking, and not flapping or hopping (which she actually managed to do before falling, but I didn't catch it on video).If at first you don't succeed, try, try, again. Even David gets involved with some supportive arm-flapping (but then notice later how he grabs the objects that he thinks she might want before she gets to them).I'll

J.noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1141742368109588972006-03-06T23:14:00.000-06:002006-03-07T08:39:28.183-06:00

. . . the time earlier today when Carmen was kissing the Waldorf dolls my mom brought this weekend. She was air-kissing them, saying, "Mwah! Mwah!". . . Carmen saying "Do-yeeee" (dolly) and "Bye" and "Hi," because she stopped saying them (like all her other little words). When will they come back?. . . Carmen's first steps (of course, now she has stopped walking . . . she'd prefer to climb or

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1141701869288145502006-03-06T15:21:00.000-06:002006-03-12T13:00:49.216-06:00

In the spirit of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo happening this time of year, here is a (semi-)musical version of what the babies have been up to these past few weeks. If you don't know these songs as sung by Bob Wills (Happy Birthday, Bob) or Asleep at the Wheel, fire up those MP3 search engines, because you don't know what you're missing. And, anyway, then you'll be able to sing along to

J.noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1141657320798727172006-03-05T22:36:00.000-06:002006-03-06T09:02:00.906-06:00

I just realized this morning that I am nursing two toddlers. Wow.

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1141466773058938652006-03-04T04:01:00.000-06:002006-03-04T04:06:13.080-06:00

New study shows altruism as early as 18 months. I actually think it begins a little sooner; C&D offer their food to me a lot (even if they've already chewed on it). At first they offered it when they were full or didn't really want any more, but often they'll eat something, like it, offer me a bite, then take a bite for themselves. They will even give each other toys, but that happens less

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1141436260571924222006-03-03T19:29:00.000-06:002006-03-03T19:42:55.866-06:00

A magical day, Matt said. This evening, after having only walked an occassional half step all week, Carmen walked 11 steps when Matt pulled her to standing. She clutched in her left hand one of C&D's favorite toys, a little peg man from their Galt pop-up toy. Later she practiced standing up and sitting down, standing up and sitting down, still holding her little man.David frequently crawls

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1141358425099829072006-03-02T21:44:00.000-06:002006-03-03T19:29:03.340-06:00

Came across this today: Not Milk?David and Carmen still haven't had dairy (what's the point?), but they recently had apples for the first time in many months. Carmen's body seems to have matured past its problems with them. This is a good thing, because David loooooves apples. The only time he has ever signed "more" is when he wanted another piece of apple. Just the sight of an apple on the

J.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12379136.post-1141017130650030282006-02-26T22:09:00.000-06:002006-02-27T06:28:31.000-06:00

Tempting Fate, but I'll do it, anyway.After last night's post, Carmen woke up. I rocked her as she rested her shoulder against my chest and watched the shadows from the television flicker against the wall, rocking until nearly one in the morning.Then she woke up to start the day at six. So maybe I am tempting Fate with this post. I will be on the verge of finishing it, and she will wake up,

J.noreply@blogger.com0