writerswife

That's pretty much life lately. The plague still hasn't cleared out completely. The girls are on the mend and we're finally better. Teething is starting for them and they are so funny as they chew on everything in sight.

School is going and we have conferences this week. That means I won't see the girls after Wednesday morning. ON the upside, I have Friday off to spend with them. I'm going to watch a friend's kids so she can study for a major test. That should be great. They are some neat kids! I think the older girl and I will bake something and the boy can doodle with videogames. Or...we can all doodle with videogames because they're fun! THe little boy adores the babies, too. He'll be fascinated with them.

Time to go figure out dinner...or go to bed. Either one is good. Maybe grab some bread and go to sleep. Sleep is soooo valuable.

I've got a nasty cold or flu or something, and I'm crazy busy. I just don't make time to post here any more. It'll come back sometime, but for now it's not feasible.

WD is taking care of the girls most of the time right now because I'm out for the count. Overall, life is still amazing. It's just very hectic.

I hope you are all well and that things are going ok. Time to sleep again.

...and it's made life here quite hectic. This time of year always is hectic since the students I work with organize the Homecoming Court and dance. This year it's just been more to think about. Thankfully, I have most of the school events down.

It's important to me that WD have time for writing and writing workshops, but it's going to be very interesting figuring out how to work things without him. The other thing I find is that I'm not very sympathetic when he talks about how busy he is or if he's tired. That's a fault on my part. OTOH, it would be courteous to not tell me. When you are only taking care of yourself, I can't find a whole lot of sympathy. Especially on the days when I've been busy nonstop from 5:30am-10:30pm.

The girls are just amazing. They are doing more and more each week. They're 23 weeks and still haven't rolled over. That worries me a bit, but not too much. They're trying to do it. Thalia puts her arms and legs in the air and tips from side to side. Calli prefers to rock back and forth by pushing with her feet and arching her back. She's so close to rolling, but she just doesn't get that last push in. They smile and laugh a lot now and that just makes my day. Overall, they're happy and easygoing. That makes our lives so much easier. I can't imagine dealing with colic or reflux with two babies.

I feel like I'm doing what I should be doing with my life. Motherhood makes me feel complete even if it does wear me out.

To sum it all up: tired but happy, so very, very happy.

I LOVE it!! It's hard. It's all the time. It's gross. It's just AWESOME! The girls are starting to laugh more and they smile so much. We're fortunate to have very happy babies. Taking them to the sitter is not so bad. For the first few days it was a brilliant break. I could get work done and run errands without hauling the stroller around. Now, I miss them so much during the day. They love the sitter. She has a zillion kids at her house, but she manages everything so well. She's been doing this for fourteen years and her own children are wonderful. A lot of the kids are only there before/after school. The babies and 1-4 year olds are there longer. The girls love it. The bigger kids entertain them and give them toys/pacifiers as needed. I know the sitter knows what she's doing and that gives me the peace to leave them each day.

Today has been joyously slow and relaxed. The girls slept great last night. WD and I watched a series of The IT Crowd and are now working our way through LOST (season one). I really wish I'd jumped on the LOST wagon earlier. The girls and I caught a loooong nap earlier and I feel awesome. Giving up my daily nap has been the hardest thing. I should get moving on the laundry and such, but there are two more days to this weekend. I've just now gotten cleaned up for the day and it has been delightful!

I purchased an Audible.com account about a year ago and I love it. At first, I would forget about it and credits would accumulate. I actually miss that because I could pick out 2-3 books to listen to. Now, I'm eager for the new credits when they roll in each month. Throughout the pregnancy and this summer, I managed a bit of reading while the girls were napping. The list and opinions (nothing too thought provoking - liked/didn't like) are behind the ( cut. )

I took the girls up to my dad's house for a day so that WriterDude would have some peaceful writing time. It's also easier to leave him alone to write if we aren't around. Staying there can be a bit stressful. It's not because of my dad since he was actually away on a fishing trip, but because of lack of AC and the routine at home. All that aside, I think I want to take the girls away for a little vacation every so often so that WD can write.

Initially, I thought camping would be a good option. I love it and in a couple of years, the girls would be old enough for me to manage on my own. Then, I started getting all fearful. There will be other people in the campground and tents don't lock. So, maybe WD can come along and write somewhere during the day while the girls and I do other things. That or we can do little trips to places throughout Ohio so that he has full days free. There are lots of things that I want to see and think little ones would enjoy. Columbus has loads of things to do. There's the Wilds (www.thewilds.org) in southern Ohio that looks really interesting. Sauder Farm and Craft Village is close to many of my cousins. Visiting family and friends, etc.... The metroparks throughout the state are awesome, so there will be plenty to do.

It's harder to find time for WD to dedicate to writing because we're both just swamped. By the weekend, I need help with the girls because I'm worn out. It will be interesting to see how teaching will change this year and what the routine will evolve into.

WorldCon proved to be the biggest, most different experience/change in life since having the girls. I'm not much of a night owl or party person, so I didn't mind having to skip the parties, but I did miss some of the panel-going. I learned a ton about traveling with the babies. I'm wondering how long that info will be helpful since they're growing and changing so much. ( Now I know... )

I've been reading/listening to these books and just finished book 3. I don't know exactly how I feel about them. The characters are developed enough that I care about them and continue reading, but they aren't a "WOW!!!" kind of book for me. They're more a diversion. Still, a fun diversion. I'm not sure if I will enjoy the tv series, TrueBlood, or not. I do have a Fangbanger t-shirt WD brought home from a con. It was forced into his bag by somebody, I'm sure. Free t-shirt! The books are funny and do entertain me, but they don't stand out as much a Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld books do. I'm still in awe of anybody that can spin a story and get it published. It really takes some skills I don't have to do that. I appreciate that ability in others. Just like I'm in awe of mechanics and their abilities. I so wish I could fix things in a useful way. I'm good at rigging stuff with duct tape and paper clips when needed, but real mechanical stuff is another thing. So, books=entertaining but not on my best reads list.

Hmm...I had to look at a calendar to verify that I had skipped a day. Things are going well, but I've learned that restaurants after 6pm are not a good idea for the girls. We might have made it today, but I didn't want to chance it. (( MommyCon Part 2 )

We made it to World Con in Montreal with few problems. The girls did great for 11/12 hours of travel, but that last hour was a doozy. The hotel staff has been very kind to us and sent a microwave to our room after I asked if there was one available to use. We have heard "deux bebe!" a lot. Apparently, the girls are an attraction. This is good because then I don't feel self-conscious about the fact that I'm in a t-shirt and jeans with frazzled hair and untied shoes. I'm thankful the girls sleep through nearly anything as there is a street festival going on outside the hotel. It is apparently time to celebrate speaking French (francophile festival). Opted not to buy a member as I feel a bit guilty about all the money going into this trip already. I plan to wander around Montreal a bit tomorrow. The girls are fine as long as they aren't in restaurants. We think it's the smells. I think there should be an area set aside for MommyCon. There is are some awkward ages where the con programming just isn't appropriate for the kiddos. Also, it's nice to sit around with people going through the same things. I love being around people that think nothing of talking while I burp a baby or change a diaper. It's quite nice. I'm sure I'm forgetting something. So far, 3/3 pacifiers are still accounted for. This is a good thing for the trip back home. One new sleeper has been tossed due to a poop-splosion on the train. One sleeper is drying in the hotel bathroom. The other four are fine. Time for bed and to let WD use some of the Internet time we're paying for.

It's been a long time since I posted anything on here about living with a writer. Mostly I'm out of things to post about. Our life settled into a routine after WriterDude became a freelanceer full time. He is so very happy and that makes life much easier overall. Things used to go something like this: (( life pre- and post-babies )

Provided my passport arrives in time, I'll be going to WorldCon with WD! I'm all squeeeeee about this trip!!! I had hoped to go to South Carolina with him, but that fell through due to kenneling costs. I've been thinking about the trip already and mentally listing things I need to get together. I really don't understand the fuss about traveling with babies. Yesterday I went up to Toledo for the day to visit family. Getting ready for this trip is a bigger deal, but it's not that hard.

( I really don't understand )

The coffee shop in town reopened. How does this relate? WD does lots of writing there. So, he's been out and about getting things done. That makes me happy. It's hard to find time, energy, and motivation lately.

I've accomplished the following this week:

-grad work for one class (ought to get crackin' on the second class)
-lots of playtime with funny girls
-went to Mothers of Twins meeting (yay for the lady starting a group around here)
-did not volunteer for much at that meeting (this is hard for me, I had to sit on my hands)
-ran errands yesterday (found 264 diapers for $44=$.17/diaper).
-took babies to friends' house twice
-did more grad work with friends' boxer (72 lbs) sitting on my lap
-biked with Fen two nights
-did crunches and push-ups tonight
-have showered every day

This lj is becoming a way to remind myself that I'm still managing to do things non-baby. However, there's been plenty of ooohing over the babies and more pics are up at www.flikr.com/photos/writerswife/ .

Goodnight all!

I'll post instead. Life is crazy busy and when I'm not working on something, I'm sleeping. Sometimes I go walking instead. The days have settled into a routine of wake, snuggle baby that wakes first, get second baby, hope for time to prep bottles before screaming starts, feed, diaper, and nap. Feed, diaper, and nap get repeated for a chunk of the day. I squeeze in some other things, but for the most part it's a constant repetition.

The girls are amazing. They like sitting up with help. They are just amazed by lights and ceiling fans. I'm a little concerned that they hate tummy time and don't want to hold their heads up when on their stomachs. They push off our chests to look around quite a bit. Maybe in the next couple weeks they'll move forward on that. There's also not much movement toward grasping objects. Again, it might take a few more weeks. Being a few weeks early makes me think that some of the milestones will happen a few weeks later. Calli and I sat and looked through a magazine last night. WD said she was looking at everything while I read.

WD is not getting the fiction writing time that I'd like to give him. He's been an AMAZING help with the babies. It was his idea to take the shifts and it works so well. He's also so great about fixing the bottles and so much other stuff. My SILs are amazed with all he does to help. The girls just adore him. It's really awesome to watch. And now before I start gushing because of late night blogging, I'll go to bed. The dogs would also like more water and food, so...goodnight all.

No, the girls aren't that old yet! WD stayed up working all night Sunday and watched the girls during my grad class. The prof never showed up so I got home early, but he still didn't get much sleep. I took the girls all day yesterday. We went to lunch at Bob Evans, hung out with some teacher friends, dropped the broken stroller at UPS to return to Amazon (great customer service BTW!), fed and watered the in-laws' indoor and outdoor cats, and drove to Toledo and back. It sounds like a lot, but it was a very relaxed pace for the day.

I've been up and moving all day so far. No naps! This is news and it means that I'll get some things done. This post is my sticker for the day. Some of the things getting done are on the "when I get around to it list" and that is very exciting.

Done:

-started packing for July 4 weekend (Holy Cow babies need a lot of stuff!)
-on my third load of laundry for the day
-two loads folded
-sorted and emptied through two of many odds-n-ends containers
-sorted through junk from my old car and washed out the laundry basket it was in
-dogs have been outside, fed, and watered
-played with babies (their smiles are like crack)
-finished grad assignment for today
-printed next grad assignment
-scheduled vet appointments for the dogs
-booked kennel time for the dogs
-entered appointments into Google cal so the WD can see them

I have not yet showered or eaten a proper meal, but fig bars and Triscuits are healthy, right? I might get to put showered and shaved on that list today. Then again, I'm wearing jeans all weekend so it can wait if necessary. It's amazing how my priorities have changed. I am teh sexy lately. OTOH, we're surviving and all Hell has not broken loose here. My priorities are so much different than they were before the girls. I'm okay with that. I mentioned they're smiling, right? That makes up for so much. Time to go feed the hungry little monkeys.

This post is to remind me that while I did spend my entire day in one room (on one blanket on the floor), I did actually accomplish things.

-babies were fed at 7am (woot for extra sleep)
-bottles were washed
-dishwasher unloaded and loaded
=refrigerator cleaned of gross food
-pancakes made
-babies fed at 10/11 ish
-snuggled fussy baby
-changed some very rank diapers
-fed babies at 2
-fed babies at 5
-showered, brushed teeth (the only thing I actually expect to accomplish aside from feeding)
-garbage is on the curb
-babies are changed and chilling in bouncy chairs

I feel like I waste a lot of time napping, but I'm exhausted some days. Tomorrow may be one of those days since I pushed hard this morning. I have not squeezed in a walk today. I also need to work on a translation for WD's mom. Walking makes me happy. I do have to admit that I love showing the girls off. My body worked hard for these babies and I like taking them out. I'm also proud that I can manage two car seats and a diaper bag by myself when grocery shopping and running errands. Tomorrow it's off to BG to buy books for my grad classes and maybe a visit to Dad or brothers.

Life has pretty much settled into a routine of prepping bottles, feeding babies, and changing diapers. I sleep when they sleep in the mornings and that seems to be where most of my time is lost. Somewhere in there I try to remember to feed the dogs, shower, and feed myself. Yeah, that forgetting to eat thing may account for a lot of weight loss. The girls are wonderful and are healthy. My life centers around their digestive systems. They've been a bit constipated, but the Karo syrup is helping. So, that's been life. I should be working on a final project for my grad class, but this is much easier and more interesting. I don't know why I do this to myself. I will be kicking myself tonight. After December, it will be easier and there will be a pay raise.

And it's now time to go wash bottles.

Here are the accomplishments since the last post:
-school finished - I went back for the last week so that I could get work done faster
-stroller purchased (combi twin sport umbrella) - must call company because I found a cracked part on Friday
-babies taken lots of places
-visited my dad with the girls (no husband or help)
-went to Columbus and cleveland with the girls
-two trips to Toledo with the girls
-rode bike with dog tonight
-much laundry has been done
-am fighting urge to make summer to do list--it's time to finish grad work and love on some babies
-bubble bath--first one since around early March
-took girls to local bar for lunch--few choices in our town --awesome bacon cheeseburger
-mght go to graduation for students tomorrow (leaning toward a walk around town instead)

Life is sweet! I plan to give up sweets and fast food next week. I got awfully used to cheeseburgers during pregnancy. It's time to see if I can make the twin tummy go away (at least a little bit). Summer is teh greatest!

I came across this post on a twin blog and it is just so true to how I feel right now.

http://howdoyoudoit.wordpress.com/2009/05/08/the-road-not-taken/

The girls are a joy and (knock on wood or wood laminate--whichever is closest to you) are so easy overall. It's just really hard to handle when you have two crying babies. It kills me when one starts to cry and I'm still feeding, diapering, burping (Etc) the other. It hurts the dog, too. Fen looks very distressed when I can't put one down to help the other. According to a book I was scanning, it's wired into us to want to soothe a baby. Makes sense for the survival aspect of things. Babies' only defense is that they are cute.

Life changes are hard no matter what, but this one is really throwing me for a loop at times. I'm getting sleep. I'm rested overall. I still can't think straight. I have learned the following:
-I'm good at being "mommy"
-I'm good at being a teacher
-I'm not good at doing both right now
-I have two unexplained bumpy patches on the backs of my upper arms. Hormones?
-I can feed two babies at once. There are bottles propped *gasp*, but only if I'm sitting next to the babies.
-there is more spit up in one newborn than you'd imagine.
-you cannot burp them too much
-WriterDude is my saving grace (must start planning Father's Day gift now)
-humor is essential to survival right now (see note about spit up)
-cradle cap and diaper rash are manageable

Tomorrow I have my six week checkup and WD has major deadlines. So, I'm packing out with one baby and he's staying home with one. We'll see how this goes. I think it will be a piece of cake having just one baby at a time. The Universe will now conspire to change that. It happens whenever I make plans. Not sure how we decide which baby goes where. At this point, it's not really relevant. Later, we'll learn their personalities and know who needs to go where.

That phrase is such a lie. Babies are noisy sleepers. Lots of grunts and gurgles ... oh, and the squeaks. The squeaks freak me out a bit. I have to readjust my concept of the "shifts" that WD and I have settled into. It's good that he can come to bed at 4am, but the babies then wake me up. I can't sleep through their noises. Instead of 10-6 for sleeping, I should be thinking 10-4ish. I'm getting lots of sleep for a parent of newborns. Most of it is completely undisturbed thanks to WD. This phase should pass quickly. Right now the babies are all bundled up in blankets because the only clean outfits they have are short sleeves. They are quiet and it's amazing. The upside for the day is that they make the best faces when they're hungry. They know what the bibs mean and open their little mouths. It's also when they smile. I can't wait until they smile about other things.