Breaking Up is Hard To Do

(Gavin is incapable of drinking grape juice without getting it all over his face)

Gavin has had a crush on a lil girl in his class for a few months now. Her name is Chloe and he just thinks she is the bee's knees. Mostly, in my opinion, because she plays with him at recess. He often wears costumes to school and she seems to find them intriguing and will play along. Last week he was a "knight" and at recess, she played the roll of the princess.

Gavin's often the type of kid who is left out at recess, so it always made me happy for him that he had her to play with. One day, he announced that he was going to marry her. I blew it of, trying not to make a big deal of such an announcement, partly to encourage him to open up to me knowing I won't make a big deal about things and partly because I'm not sure how much I should encourage this young love. I would like to be a grandmother some day, but not for at least 20 more years.

Yesterday when Gavin and I arrived at his school, Chloe announced that she'd made him something. She went to her backpack and grabbed an envelope ~ yellow with hearts drawn all over it. Also, a home made sketch of Spiderman ~ one of Gav's favorites. Inside was a note reading "Hi Gavin. You are a lot of fun to play with. Chloe"

It just might be the cutest thing I've ever seen. The first "love note" that one of our boys has ever received.

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Today, everything is different.

As I was dropping Gavin off, during our routine of snuggling and hugging goodbye, I hear her say out of the corner of my ear "I'm not playing with you today, Gavin. I'm playing with my new friends". As if to prove it, she walked over to the two boys she was referring to, turning her back on him.

I'm not sure if he heard it, was paying attention, or cared. But I was and did. And though she's a sweet girl and wasn't *trying* to be mean, words hurt. And I won't always be there to hear and defend my boys. They'll have to learn the lessons of how to deal with these situations when Mom isn't there to stand up for them.

I hate that my role is changing from their constant defender to the one who picks up the pieces, hours later when they arrive home from school and maybe decide to confide in me about the joys and hurts of their day.

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On a platonic level, my boss broke up with my co~worker today. More accurately, he was laid off. There was very little notice given and it's a rather tough pill to swallow ~ at least for me. He probably handled it better than I did... but in my defense, he is not pregnant with twins. :)

For the last 6 months, he and I have been working in the satellite office together. He's been a pleasure to work with in every way a co~worker can be. He was a wealth of knowledge in a field I'd considered myself relatively well versed in ~ and taught me a lot. He was easy to talk to and never seemed bothered about my stories of the boys and Shawn. He was kind, courteous and helpful to our clients. He is one of the most hilarious people I've ever met and is married to one of the most hilarious writers I've ever read (at least in blog form!).

On a personal level, he had a love for his wife and family that you don't see too often these days. He's just a really good person... and it's not every day that you meet someone who is genuinely good.

He left today, about an hour before I did. As soon as he was gone, the office felt huge and empty. Immediately I felt lonely, thinking about the 7 hour days, four days a week that I will sit in that quiet office alone.

I may have to start dragging my boys to work with me to entertain me when the phone isn't ringing.

Or perhaps I'll get a blowup doll to put in his chair. Do you think the clients would think me strange if they walked in to my office and saw that? ;)

What Would Waileia Do?

Being pregnant isn't too different from not being pregnant in most ways.  My days consist of waking up, grooming, making lunches, working, feeding my blog addition, cooking, cleaning and trying to find time with the boys and Shawn.  Most of the time, I don't have to make a lot of decisions where the Keiki are concerned.

Occasionally, I'll find myself in a situation where there is a fork in the road and I have to figure out which way to go.  Under normal circumstances, I'd choose what I want and go down that road.  Even during the pregnancies with my boys, I'd use this tactic.
Now, however, I am in a position where the lives in my tummy do not belong to me..

. are not genetically a part of me... and the responsibility for their well being is different.  Not more or less important, just different.  I no longer think about what I think might be Ok or not Ok, but rather what their mother would do if these babies were in her womb instead of mine.

"What would Waileia do?"

(Waileia is BabyMama's name ~ it flows better with my saying and she said it would be alright to use her name here, in this space.)

As an example... my doctor told me it'd be safe to drink an occasional glass of wine.  While that sounds deliciously tempting, I think to myself "WWWD?" and  I think she'd likely decline.  But not without first taking one teensy tiny sip just to taste it.  I hope. :)

Another example ~ my co~worker recently purchased a small motorcycle.   I have never in my life ridden on the back (or front, for that matter) of a motorcycle.  He graciously offered to take me for a ride ~ would even let me borrow the helmet for safety.  Although riding through

 the streets of Denver on a beautiful spring day with the wind blowing through my hair *

does* sound tempting, when I ask myself "WWWD?", the answer seems obvious.  I think she would to pass.

When I explained my reasoning to said co~worker, he asked me if I thought BabyMama would like to go to one of my favorite band's concert that is coming to a venue near me soon... giving me an excuse to use my justification measures for fun, too.   I don't know if she likes that band of not, but when I was telling her this story she agreed with my reasoning that such a show would be perfectly harmless to the growing apples in my tummy.

A few days ago, driving down a two lane road on my way to work, I saw cars ahead of me on both sides of the road swerving to avoid what I assume was debris in our path.  As I got closer, I saw that it was, in fact, a prairie dog.  He was limping and had somehow wandered away from his habitat on the other side of the busy road and was desperately trying to return.

While BabyMama was here, she was quite enthralled with these adorable lil natives and took great joy in seeing them.  I thought for a moment about "WWWD?" and this time was torn.  Her love for prairie dogs might inspire her to stop and help this poor lil guy to the other side.   But would she do it at the risk of her life and her babies' lives? Being exposed to oncoming traffic and potentially rabies or angry prairie dog bites... Probably not, I decided.  Even though they just may be the cutest lil things ever!

 

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We have a winner!  Although I hate it because it never picks me, I used random.org to pick the winner of my lil Earth Day contest from all of my lovely readers who left a comment.  Ironically, or maybe not (?) it picked Greenblogger!

So, my lil rock star winner, please email me at joyfish01@gmail.com with your T~shirt size and your preference of gift. You may choose between earth friendly cleaning supplies or earth friendly hygiene products.

Thank you for participating ~ I love the ideas that you guys shared and I love that I'm not alone in my crunchiness. :)

Happy Saturday!

Distance

Right now, as I type, my parents are somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean.  They are on their way to Italy with my grandparents and my grandpa's sister & her hubby.   They will be arriving at midnight Indiana time and 7am Italy time.  They're going to do things that I've only heard stories and seen pictures about!  And though I'm happy for them and can't wait to hear stories of their adventures... I'm feeling melancholy about the whole thing.  

I talk to my mom just about every day.  Sometimes it's multiple times per day, depending on what's going on in our lives.  This morning we said good bye for two weeks.   Two. Weeks.  

It doesn't need to be said that my mom and I are close ~ I'm sure that's obvious just by the amount of times we talk on the phone... But really, we're more than "close".  It's almost like she's an extension of me.  With the exception of only our religious and political views (granted, those are big differences), we are almost the same person.   We think the same thoughts and speak in the same voice.  We have the same eyes and the same sense of humor.  She knows me inside and out... possibly as well as I know myself (and I like to think I'm pretty self observant).  She knows probably more than Shawn would like her to about our relationship... She knows everything I know about my boys.  

She's the type of grandma that every mother wants for their child.  She's the type that thinks everything they do and say is cute, sometimes even the things I don't see the humor in.  I call her to share their little boy~isms as they are happening.  I call her when I need to vent about things that are frustrating me in my life.  I call her when I need parenting advice.  I call her when I need marital advice.   I call her when I'm bored.  I call her to catch up on what's going on back home.

The distance of roughly 1,000 miles has done more to strengthen our relationship because of the measures it takes to remain close in spirit.  Our time together, though infrequent, is a large chunk of quality time.  We do the best we can with what we have.  

So this widening gap between us today is bothering me ~ more than I thought it would.  I miss her already and though I know her chances of surviving the trip are very good, I worry as I always do when we say goodbye, that I won't see her again.  But I will... and soon.  In fact, we will get to spend Mother's Day together this year ~ the first time since Gavin was born that this will be the case.  First, I have to survive these next two weeks.

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We found out this week that my brother, who at the ripe young age of 27 had a small stroke ~ due to a rare blood clotting disorder, likely has Lupus.

Now I haven't done a lot of research about this... but I do have a girlfriend who has been diagnosed with the same thing, as well as her mother.  I know it can be life threatening.  And I know it mostly affects women.

I don't believe this has been confirmed by his rheumatologist yet, but it's scary as hell for us and I can only imagine how my brother's feeling right now.  I haven't been able to reach him so far, and I'm not sure he's ready to deal with me ~ with my questions, my concerns, my sisterly advice.   

Please keep him and his family in your thoughts for me.  

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I've got some upcoming changes at work to look forward to.  My boss has been stressing out a bit about finances and with summer looming ahead I have been stressing about balancing work and time with my kids.  The cost of day care for two boys instead of just one is going to leave me with about $400 per month.  

I'm having a hard time stomaching sending my boys to day care all summer for $400.  I remember summers spent having fun as my stay~at~home mother carted us around town in the family car, catering to all of our whims.   I didn't spend a day in a day care in my entire life.  Though during the year it's easy to justify the cost of pre~school for one child when income seems to matter, this is a whole other story.

When I started doing some figuring about cutting back my hours to 3 days a week instead of 4.5, it turns out that I'll bring home about the same amount because I'd be paying less for day care.  It seemed like a win~win situation for my boss, trying to cut expenses and me, trying to spend more quality time with my boys while they are young enough to enjoy and desire time with their mom.  

So, starting in June, I will be spending Tuesdays and Thursdays with my favorite little people... we'll be swimming, having picnics in the park, going to the library, frequenting museums, playing with our friends and relaxing.  

I really do believe I am a part time girl.  I have not yet mastered the skills of being able to squeeze in a week's worth of laundry, checkbook balancing, house cleaning and errand running while still enjoying time with my family, time for myself (what's that?) and time just regrouping and getting ready for the upcoming week.  

I'm feeling very excited about this summer now, instead of the dread I was feeling a few days ago.   And I'm thinking this 3 day a week schedule is something I'm going to do my darndest to keep up, even after the lazy days of August have come and gone.

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On the baby front... Today marks 15 weeks.  The lil Keiki are the size of apples!   That seems SO big to me... and my tummy reflects that observation.

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Just a few days left of the contest I copycatted.  I don't know if you guys are out of ideas or perhaps didn't make it to the bottom of the seemingly bottomless post, but if you'd like to participate, it's not too late!   I'll pick a winner this weekend.

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Thanks for letting me vent a bit... I know my "problems" are minuscule compared with what other people have going on in their lives.  But this space is the best place for me to get it out.  I promise to have a more entertaining post the next time you stop by to visit.

More on being green

Because though I have lots of small passions, this is my one big one. I thought I'd share some ideas of what we do to be more earth friendly and perhaps my readers will share other ideas in my comments that we haven't yet thought of!

1. Recycle ~ this probably doesn't need to be said but we bring home packaging from the lunches we take to work/school and recycle everything we can... as well as everything we can that we produce at home. We end up with one trash bag a week at our curb for our family of 4. (we are in the process of shopping for a composter so we can reduce that amount to one bag a month) We live very near a landfill that we not so lovingly have named "Mt Trashmore" and it's a sore sight ... constantly reminding us where our waste is going and what it's doing to the beautiful landscape of our state.

2. I bring canvas shopping bags everywhere I go to avoid bringing plastic bags home. If I forget, I ask for paper bags to use to put our newspaper recycling in. I was able to find bags at thrift stores for less than $2 each.

3. We bathe together often ~ the boys will share a bath with me or Shawn to cut down on water consumption. I also ask them not to flush until both boys have used the toilet when they have to go at the same time. Shawn and I do the same (eww I know but I think/hope it makes a tiny difference).

4. In Colorado the climate is very dry so we must water our yard... We will probably one day xeriscape it but for now we have two lil boys that run around and need room to do so. We do have a sprinkler system with a timer so we can water as little as possible and still have a green yard. We also use Worm Poop to fertilize (which comes in reused plastic water bottles!).

5. We reuse water bottles at work and don't buy bottled water for home. We drink from reusable containers while we're on the road.

6. We do not buy paper plates and cups. We use glasses and ceramic dishes for every meal. I only run the dishwasher and washing machine at full loads. The washing machine is always set to "cold".

7. We buy recycled paper products as often as possible. The only exception is when Gavin has a cold and his nose is running so much that he needs tissues with lotion to avoid chapped upper lips.

8. We buy 75% of our clothes at thrift stores and eBay, and recycle/donate the unwanted clothes back to thrift stores and occasionally eBay.

9. Though we have a family of four, we drive economy cars. We used to drive a minivan, which was wasteful because we rarely had the back seat occupied. We are now averaging 34 mpg in my Versa and Shawn's Echo averages 44 mpg. Our goal, once our cars are paid off, is to eventually get a hybrid or electric model if there is one available when we are ready for a new car.

10. In the winter, our thermostat is set at 65~67 degrees. We are usually gone all day at work/school and there is no sense heating an empty house. We wear layers and have blankets available for chilly evenings.

11. In the summer, the thermostat is set at 80~82 degrees. We rarely use the air conditioner and try to cool the home by opening all the windows through the night, letting in cool Colorado breezes and shutting windows/blinds during the day to trap the cool air in. It works except in the hottest weeks when the a/c has to run to help maintain a comfortable temperature.

12. I buy organic and natural products as often as possible at the grocery store.

13. We use paperbackswap.com to get recycled books and Shawn trades video games on tradegamesnow.com to avoid purchasing these products new. We rarely buy anything that hasn't been used before ~ utilizing eBay and Craigslist in addition to thrift stores. We are still consumers, but feel better about what we own when it has been pre~owned.

14. We don't live close enough to the city to use public transportation but Shawn carpools twice a week with a co~worker that lives near by and Tyler takes the bus to and from school.

15. We hibernate our computers when they aren't in use and unplug every appliance that we can when it isn't being used. We never leave cell phone charges plugged in.

16. We use a battery charger to charge batteries.



17. We try to waste as little as possible... we reuse plastic bags for the lunches we bring to work/school until they are nasty and then they are recycled. We always eat our left~overs and try not to dump food down the drain.



18. When we're out in the neighborhood, the boys pick up trash/recycling and bring it home with them to make our surroundings prettier (this is something they came up with on their own!).

19. We grow our own herbs and vegetables... plus have lots of trees, house plants and flowers. It makes everything prettier and helps offset our carbon usage!

20. We buy locally as much as we can, supporting local businesses and frequenting farmer's markets (which are so, so fun! the boys love samples) and local berry patches. We try not to eat out more than once a week and when we do, we love to support restaurants with good environmental practices!

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I know there are many more things we could be doing and as our financial situation improves (read ~ when we're done with day care costs for good!) we intend to do things like purchase solar panels and tankless water heaters and more fuel efficient cars. But for now we're hoping all the little things add up to one big difference.

I'd love to hear your ideas and ways you have found to make the earth cleaner for our babies. In fact, if you're still reading, I think I'll jump on the blog bandwagon and do a random drawing for a yet to be determined greener living package to be mailed to one of my commentors. The more ideas (that I haven't already shared) you come up with, the more chances you'll have to be entered in the hopefully very cool green prize give~away. So have fun! :)

On Earth Day

We border on the edge of brainwashing where being green is concerned ~ and I don't mean green like Kermit. It's a relatively new obsession, I'm ashamed to say. We used to throw things in the trash without a second thought... not turn off the water when we brushed our teeth... shower as long as our lil hearts desired... buy cars that were cute rather than gas efficient... I hate to even think about the damage we did.

As our family has grown and aged, we strive to find ways to protect our growing boys... and as we've educated ourselves on things from the food we eat to the air we breathe to the future of our planet, it's become something we could no longer avoid and still feel like we were giving our boys the best life possible. We had to change and live our lives responsibly once it seemed their future was going to be affected adversely by the decisions we were making.

It helps to have boys as precious as mine are... but I'm not biased or anything, right? :)

It also helps to live in a state where within a half an hour from our home, we can hike to places like this:
We're always looking for new ways to be greener and "recycle" is a very large part of the boys' vocabulary. They're very involved in making the earth cleaner and us doing our part. I feel like it's imperative for their generation to have such practices be ingrained in them to help make a difference for their sake and their children's sakes... I feel I wouldn't be a responsible parent if I didn't teach them to take care of this precious gift in our Earth.

Thankfully Shawn's on board with this, also, as are the boys. They get a kick out of doing things to show their love for the Earth. And I couldn't be prouder of them.

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We had plans this past weekend of attending a rally for Barack Obama. Although he wasn't going to be there, it was a celebration centered around support for him and Earth Day. In the end, we still supported Earth Day, but from home.

We are lucky enough to live by some fantastic neighbors... one of which brought us a meal while I was on bed rest, who happens to be married to a fellow that works for the developer of our neighborhood. This job gives him such perks as having the awareness of building and landscaping materials that are going to be discarded, and therefore free for the taking by recycle friendly folks such as ourselves! When he found out that a landscaped sales center trailer was being demolished and the landscaping would be scrapped, we took it upon ourselves to recycle the materials.

We got things like mulch... stone... irrigation tubing... oh, and a 3ish year old Maple tree. Which we are estimating to be worth about $400 if we'd bought it. Getting it to the back yard was no small feat, as it was a very heavy tree to move and Shawn had one neighbor hubby helping him. But they not only drug it through the neighborhood riding on a piece of plywood, attached to the back of a Jeep (yes, a hole was burned in the bottom of the plywood, but as far as we can tell the tree was not harmed) ~ the best two good ol' Indiana boys could come up with in a pinch without risking losing the tree to men with big trucks that were ready to snarf it out from under them, and got it back to our house in one piece.

Next task, getting it in the ground... He had lots of help from our best lil helpers:
And here is the finished product... sans river rock that we acquired after this picture was taken:

Tyler helped give it lots and lots of water, too, because it looked awfully thirsty after it's big trip!


And did I sit around on my lazy bum the whole time all this physical labor was being done? Nosiree! I cleaned the house, did the laundry, and also did some planting of my own. I'll wait to share photos until after some of the seeds are growing... but I planted all kinds of flowers, herbs and vegetables.

It was so great to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather we had all weekend... And things look promising for the next week as well. Hooray!

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Thanks for the well wishes for the car... It ended up being a broken alternator ~ to the tune of $500. Ouch. But it's all fixed now, and hopefully will stay that way for at least a couple more months!

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I'll leave you with one more photo... just because it's been awhile since I posted pics... that Shawn took tonight of Gavin.

I think we'll keep him :)

Of Lemons and Tows

Shawn's car died yesterday and he was stuck at a Wal*Mart for over an hour until the boys and I could get there to rescue him. He works quite a ways from our home, has an hour commute each way, and before we could head out to get him I had to call a tow truck and find a repair shop before it closed. I heart Google!

Anyway, the car will hopefully be fine, with some repairs ~ though we don't know the extent of the damage yet (crossed fingers for minor repairs, please!). I just had to share with you the slogan on the bottom of the business card he got from the driver:

"We don't charge and arm and a leg ~ we just want your tows"

Cute, no?

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And in surrogacy/pregnancy news... Today marks the first day of my 2nd trimester!! I can't believe we're already a third of the way through! I'm not noticing a huge increase in my energy level but I think that might be because I am eating too much. I seem to have lost all self control when it comes to food... I don't know if it's the sense of smell that is increased dramatically while being pregnant or we're picking really tasty things to eat but everything seems to be tasting better lately!!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to coasting through this trimester, taking advantage of a tummy small enough that I can still bend, not yet swollen ankles and some range of motion. I have big plans to start walking more each night and increasing my activity level so I don't give birth to 9 lb babies and to really work on my self control where food is concerned.

And the babies? As big as lemons! They are 3 inches long by now and their little organs are all starting to function... they are peeing amniotic fluid and sucking their thumbs (which we thought we saw at the ultrasound but apparently they aren't supposed to be doing it until now ~ they must be quick learners!). Their spleens are starting to work and they can grasp with their hands.

Happy Thursday :)

Who are you and what have you done with my son?

Tyler has a new term of endearment for me. "Girl". I haven't corrected him, even though it could be disrespectful? Or maybe it isn't? Either way, it makes me giggle and a giggle now and then is Ok by me.

It's often in response to a term of endearment from me... For example, we'll be exiting the car at school, the store, etc, and I'll say "Let's go, Daddio!" to which Gavin usually replies "Ok, Joe!" and Tyler started saying "Ok, hot girl!" (hot? well, I'll take what I can get, even from a 6.5 year old).

I've tried to get the kids to answer me when I ask them to do something, like brushing teeth, with an "Ok, Mom" or some such response. Today I yelled into the other room while I was getting ready for work to see if they were doing what I'd asked them to do and I got a "Sure am, Girl!".

I should enjoy this while it lasts... it makes me feel young.

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Sorry for the lack of excitement 'round these parts this blog. We've had a few days of just gorgeous weather and have spent a lot of time outside enjoying it. Yesterday was almost 80 degrees and sunny and today the high is 53 and it's going to snow tonight. Grrr.

Other than that, we've just been plugging along doin' our thang.

Happy Wednesday :)

Here's the thing with boys...

When you are emptying the clean clothes from the dryer and you find something like this in the bottom of it... it's really hard to tell whether it is a "treasure" that was found on the playground, put in a pocket and then forgotten about...

or if your dryer is falling apart.

In our dreams

Lately we've been doing some traveling, the boys and I (sometimes Shawn will meet us too). I can not take credit for this idea, as I stole it from a movie, just like I stole hi/low from another movie. But hey, I'm not very creative... so I feel it's better to steal someone else's great idea if I can't come up with one on my own, than never do anything fun at all, right? Right?

Anyway, we've been having lots of adventures at night while we're supposed to be sleeping, meeting in our dreams at such places like Disney World, the Pirate Pool, even a movie/bowling date with their cousins in Indiana.

Right before bedtime, you'll hear things in our house like "don't forget your towel and noodle" or "I'll meet you at the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at 10pm!". The boys really get a kick out of it and talking about our night time adventures when we first wake up in the morning helps them start the day out in a good mood, which I like, too. I find they are much more gutsy in their dreams than they are in real life. Gavin, who was scared of the indoor/outdoor tunnel water slide the last time we went to the Pirate Pool, went on it several times in his dream. And he also got 15 strikes when we bowled last night! In Tyler's dream, each bowler won a game, so everyone left feeling proud of their accomplishment.

Tonight, Gavin decided he'd like to go to the beach ~ specifically Gulf Shores (which they remember fondly from the last time we visited). On a snowy day like it is here in Denver today, that sure sounds like a good plan to me!

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In other news... I heard from my co~worker today. His wife is on the mend and trying to get her strength back. She gets to go home today! I appreciate your healthy vibes and thoughts and I know they will help her heal and get back to her babies! You are the best :)

I need you

Things went well last weekend with the Makua. We played and ate and laughed all weekend. The boys loved them and Tyler cried when they left. We are anxiously awaiting our next visit with them at the end of May when we do the 20 week ultrasound. The 12 week ultrasound showed very little risk of chromosomal abnormalities, which is fantastic, and just what we'd hoped for!

For now, we're back to the grind and life as we know it. Planting spring flowers, getting hair cuts, playing card games...

But I need your help. My co~worker's wife had a baby last week ~ I got to meet the baby in the hospital right before the Makua got here. J's wife is having some postnatal complications and is in the hospital again. It doesn't sound good and I'm worried for their family. You guys were so awesome with your support and prayers with the twins and I'm hoping I can ask that of you again for N... I can't imagine having a brand new baby at home and not being able to be with him. I can't imagine how J must feel watching his wife go through this. And their two boys, young and innocent, waiting on Mom & Dad to come home.

If you would, please send healthy vibes, thoughts and prayers their way... Thank you in advance ~ you guys are the best!

B~Lime~y!

The Makua are here! They made it safe and sound... and got to see their lil Keiki (Hawaiian for babies) yesterday. They are getting so big! The size of limes this week... Check out the illustration of what's going on inside this week...


The ultrasound was great ~ we got to hear heart beats... see them having hiccups and sucking thumbs... At one point they got a really great profile shot of one of the twins ~ already beautiful! They definitely put a good show on for their Makua! They placed their hands on my tummy to say "hi" to their Keiki and it was just really awesome to get to be a part of this... The test we were there for, so far looks really good. They were looking for signs of chromosomal abnormalities but everything looks perfectly normal ~ hooray!

My boys LOVE having the Makua here. BabyDaddy is an artistic Lego genius and Tyler had a hard time going to school today because he'd rather play and see what BabyDaddy creates! Gavin was drawn to BabyMama and quickly overcame his shyness with her. He wanted to sit by her at dinner and I think BabyDaddy might have some competition as Gavin's trying to move in on his woman. ;) It's quite obvious, seeing them interact with my boys, how fantastic they are going to be as parents when their Keiki come into this world. I feel so lucky to get to experience this with them... and it's even better that it's been such a fun experience for the boys as well.

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I probably won't make it online much the rest of the weekend as we'll be busy having fun!! I'm at work right now, trying to stay motivated but clearly that's not happening... but we have another doctor's appointment this afternoon so I'm just here for a few more hours. I'll fill you in on the rest of our visit later...

Oh, and on your way out, would you stop by Ria's and send her some birthday love? She's quickly nearing the end of her pregnancy and starting to not feel so hot (though she is still a hot Mama!) ~ I know she'd appreciate it. :)