Pardon Me, Have You Seen My Mojo?

Somewhere, about the time I found out I was expecting twins (July 28, 2005 to be exact) I lost my mojo. Years of focusing on my body in terms of being healthy, and as part of that, staying in shape, went out the window faster than you can say "ultrasound." Suddenly my body was no longer about me, it was about them. The Fit Pregnancy poster child I imagined I would be did not happen...I don't think they have a magazine called "Fat and On Bed Rest" or "C-Section Stomach Rolls". And then I think somewhere along the way I got disconnected from my body. It was doing things I didn't like that were threatening the pregnancy, and so I think I sort of told it to go to hell. Then I had the little munchkins, and breastfeeding meant that my body still wasn't really my own.

About a month ago I realized that this 'body' that I was living in was, in fact, mine. Problem is I don't quite recognize it. And I can no longer give the "I'm sure it will go back to normal after I stop breastfeeding" excuse. It is what it is going to be. And while part of me is peeved that it didn't go back to normal like so many of my friends have, I still miss being its friend. At the same time, I don't have the drive to focus on it the way I used to....I can't help but think "you'll have years to focus on your body--you won't have years to be with your children and have them actually LIKE you." But I'd have to be honest and say that I do miss being in better shape, and in the end I think I am a better person when I'm a little bit fitter. (I also keep getting this question from people--"So, what are you doing for exercise these days?" (JDP being a recent run-in on Chestnut as an example). The look on my face is so OBVIOUSLY guilty they don't even need a real answer. I feel like I'm talking to someone who is wiping their nose to try to tell me to wipe mine. I mean, if I looked like I was getting a lot of exercise, would you really ask the question?)

A few weeks ago I went in search of my mojo. I finally took Krista's suggestion and went to this class at the Dailey Method near her house. And i'm TOTALLY hooked. I have had to eat humble pie--i'm uncoordinated, totally inflexible, and have outdated outfits (remember the women who wore Jane Fonda-like outfits to step class into the mid-90s--i'm the modern-day equivalent), but I have just had to accept that i'm not even remotely cool anymore. I haven't taken the munchkins yet, but they have an adorable room for childcare and half the time there are no other kids there. So my guess is they'd have a blast and get a ton of personal attention. I have no idea if it will make my body look better, but it makes me feel a thousand times better, and I guess that is the most important part.

It also gave me the excuse to buy some new workout clothes at Lululemon, the BEST and most flattering workout clothes you'll ever see. I mean if the person staring back at me in the mirror is a stranger, at least it should be a nicely dressed stranger, right?

Here's a video of how Dylan keeps her svelte little figure...

No Mardi Gras for You!!

I have a bag of old necklaces in a drawer in my room. One day I brought them out just to see if c/d would like them. They went crazy. D liked to put them on her arm and shake them up and down. Within two minutes C had EVERY necklace around her neck. D has since gotten the hang of it and when I bring the bag out she cheers. She has one she REALLY likes (multicolor) and C very sweetly gives it to her immediately (they are starting to get that concept...yours...and they LOVE to be thanked after they share something...much better than being scolded for biting I guess). It is the second truely "girly" thing they have liked (the first being having their hair combed/brushed--I think that just feels good). It is sort of weird to watch, but I'm not sure they like it because they think it is girly--I think they are just in the "put and take" stage and taking the necklaces on and off is fun.

Anyway, no matter the reason, it is official. No mardi gras for either of them....EVER!!

Blissful Break

This past weekend I went up to Napa for a night with my friends Krista and LJ. It was, in a word, blissful. The only thing I didn't like about the entire trip was that it was too short--one night just wasn't long enough to miss my life :-).

There were so many great things about the weekend. Starting with the company--it is so great to be able to hang with people who know you SO WELL--and still like you. We talked A LOT about A LOT. I feel so lucky to have friends like them, and so excited that we are going through the same stages of life together.

So the company was amazing, the hotel (Meadowood) was quite the Bushwood of Napa. The food--lunch, dinner, and the wine in between--was as good as you'd expect it to be in Napa. And the best part? We slept in until 9am!!!!!!!!!

Really, I could go on and on, but then it might seem like I should have missed my family more! I love, love, love my life, but it was nice to escape it for a few hours. (And unlike my lovely cohorts, I didn't have to pump, which I gotta say, made me really happy!)

So what did the mice do while I was away? Maybe this will give you an idea...

Stroller Strategy

Stroller envy is the worst. You laugh, but I'm serious. As a mother of twins I am permanently attached to my stroller. And since I hardly drive (<5000>
The thing w/ strollers is that it isn't like a car. You buy a car and you have car envy, you let it go, because buying another car is just not an option. No, with a stroller it is just expensive enough that you have to REALLY have stroller envy, but it is just cheap enough that you can (sort of) justify the purchase.

Andrew doesn't get stroller envy. His thought is "why do we need more than one stroller?" (This coming from a guy who tried to argue that we didn't need a rug in the nursery (which is cold and all hardwood) because "they won't walk for awhile, so who cares." Uh, yeah, whatever.) So my new trick is that I always ask people--in front of Andrew--how many strollers they have.... and this makes me look GOOD. The answer varies from 3 to 8...not kidding. I have found that people with one baby actually have the most strollers--I don't know why, maybe because single strollers are less $, thus less justification needed. Except for the fact that a lot of these single stroller people have, among their 3-4 strollers, a bugaboo, which is so expensive that if i bought one and then asked for another stroller i think andrew might divorce me.

Anyway, we have 3 strollers--1. a double snap n go we got as a gift...crucial for the first months with twins, and sadly my patoots are SO small they are just about to get out of the bucket seats. 2. a mcclaren twin traveler my mother bought for when my nephews visit that she sort of 'permanently' lent me and now acts as our car/travel stroller. not fantastic but does the trick. and 3. a baby jogger city series double. huge, but great for walking around our neighborhood and (i thought) for running.

But then i started running w/ a friend w/ identical twin girls and she has the bob double. and it rocks my world. so when the 06's went on sale i went and bought it. i'm convinced it will make me run more w/ C/D, which will in the end pay for itself because i'll use less nanny time to run. At least this is what I told Andrew : ).

My how life has changed. A few years ago I was justifying my shoe collection.
(The pics are just ones I love...D top, C bottom).

Da Da and "What's Her Name"

To help the girls learn names I often point out everyone and say their name. I point and say "Charlotte, Dylan, Dadda, and Mama." They look around, smile at Andrew and say "Da Da." Then they look at me like "And you, you're the lady who is around all the time. Why do I need to learn your name?"

Sweet. now if I could just get their father not to cut his hair so short.

House of Sand

There is no way around it---we are a house of sand. We pick up sand everyhwhere we go---all the parks we visit have it, the beach has it, I think even the Palace of Fine Arts and Discovery Museum have it. The worst is when we come home after the house has been cleaned--(yes, for the first time in my life I have a housecleaner once a week and it is AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME)--we walk in the door and I can hear the little pitter patter of sand smattering the hardwood floors.

Hard to complain about sand from the beach when the weather has been this amazing though. I honestly don't know how people in really cold or really hot climates do it. C/D are outside usually twice a day. I'm guessing mothers in less forgiving clients are a lot more clever than me. (and yes, we don't get weather this nice that often, so when we do I put on the wonderful warmer weather clothes that I'm too practical (i know, whooda thunk it) to buy (the rompers are Aunt Linda/Uncle Dick gifts and those bloomers are more G. Pegster)

Videos

I have to post a few...this one is Dylan's version of "hi." It sounds more like "ai" but the judges (her parents) are giving it to her (and yes--she treats those long wooden toy pieces like they are cigars).



This is Dylan saying her version of "ought oh." It sounds more like "hmmm mmmm" and she often does it preemptively, but again, we're easy judges.

Due Day

I thought March 6th would be a big day in my life... it was my original due date. It basically went out the window the minute I found out I was having twins (my c-secion was originally scheduled for 2/6).

So 3/6 is just another day for us. Here are pics of the girls in our moses basket...what a difference a year makes! (c on left top, d on left bottom)