Winter ONEderland Birthday Parties

I've learned a lot over the last year, about my limits, my strengths, about being a parent of twins...and also when not to schedule a birthday party for those twins.  You know when not to schedule a birthday party for the twins?  On the weekend of their birthday, that's when.  Because these kids apparently really are blizzard babies.  And the snow their first birthday created made this past weekend a super fun, SUPER tiring one. 

So tiring, in fact, that I still don't have it in me to write a post to go along with the pictures I'm about to share.  Maybe I'll come back later and fill in the details.  Then again, I do have one year old twins...so maybe not.

First, in CT on their actual birthday:

This Saturday we threw the first real party for the boys, in MA:

And finally, Sunday the rescheduled party, back in CT.

Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us.  It means a lot to us.

Halloween 2015

...sometimes I'm too tired to write a post...but I think these speak for themselves.

Trick or Treating on the docks

Babies on a Plane

Last week Brian and I met my whole family in Orlando for a week-long, fun-in-the-sun vacation.  The babies did great.  They have once again proved to be laid back, go with the flow kind of kids, and for that, I am so grateful.  It's always a little nerve wracking taking twin infants anywhere new.  It takes a lot of planning and sometimes research to ensure that everything we need will be available to us.  And if not, it takes a little creativity to figure out how we'll manage. 

We've been traveling with the boys since they were a month old, so we know they are resilient.  But our travel has always been by car.  I've heard horror stories about flying with babies and the trouble they have with their little ears, sitting still or staying quiet, and rude, mean strangers on the flight treating parents badly because of a crying baby.  Multiply that by two, and I was kind of freaking out internally.  I read stories and know of some that made little gift bags, if you will, for fellow passengers, thanking them for their patience and debated making them for us.  But then I came to my senses.  These are 9 month old babies, who don't know any better.  They are, for the most part, very easy going, smiley babies who aren't any trouble.  If, for some reason, they were going to act up, I wasn't going to bribe our neighbors to be nice to us.  No, I was going to demand respect and kindness, should we have any trouble.  I had a few comebacks in my pocket, ready for anyone who was stupid enough to make comments about our crew.  Luckily, I never once had to even consider going to battle with our fellow travelers.

Because Jack and Bobby fly like seasoned veterans. 

They didn't even bat an eyelash during take off or landing.  If the change in cabin pressure hurt their ears, we didn't know it because they were either sleeping or laughing or flirting with people next to us.  It was amazing, and I'm so proud of them.  Even after being on the road (and in the air) for a very long stretch, they were gems.  It. Was. Amazing.

As for our neighbors, they were also amazing.  I boarded all planes (4 total) carrying both boys myself, as Brian was carrying our bags.  As I walked down the aisle, most people smiled and waved, said things like, "God bless you", or "You've got your hands full!".  And when I sat down with both boys, all but one person offered to hold one for me.  On this trip only, I threw away my "no stranger" rule and happily handed over a baby.  It was great!  That said, it was also very tiring.  We opted to bring our car seats and our stroller with us, because we had two layovers that were several hours long.  At every boarding, we had to pack them up in their covers and walk them down the ramp.  While also toting two babies and two pieces of carry on bags.  One passenger offered to help, but otherwise we were on our own.  (Which is why I carried the boys-Brian carried all 5 bags himself!)  It was a bit of a cluster you know what and we got a lot of attention and admiring stares.

Oh, and while holding a 9 month old baby on your lap during a flight, you cannot participate in the in-flight beverage distribution.  Nope.  It doesn't work!  On the way home we bought our own bottles of water and shared them.  It worked so much better.

Here are a few observations about vacationing with twin infants:

1. Pay extra for the airport parking that is right there.  Do not try to save $100 by parking in the economy parking.  It adds an extra step to an already tiring process.  And also, you will almost miss your flight.

2.  Airport security with two babies is a nightmare.  Thankfully we were able to get into a faster line with less people each way, but we still managed to almost miss our first flight, and we lost a blanket.  We also got stared at.  A lot.

3. No matter how many people you are vacationing with, it will still not be relaxing.  Perhaps when they are teenagers?

4. Babies move.  Put your alcohol in sippy cups, or else they'll drop them.

5.  People on vacation don't care if you have a baby in a stroller.  They're still rude when they "have" to get to an attraction. 

6.  Having to wait in line for an attraction with a sleeping baby in 90 degree weather is pretty much like being in hell.  I never realized how not baby friendly Disney was until I went last week.

7.  Even though they might be too little to remember the vacation, it's still worth going.  We have the pictures and the memories.  And seeing their little faces examine new things was so cool.

The boys most enjoyed:

Playing in the pool (a complete surprise-he usually isn't thrilled!)
Eating french toast with syrup for breakfast every day
Playing with cousin Jameson
It's a Small World
Seeing the Penguins at Sea World

Overall, a great trip!

Hard Days and Home

Sometimes, this all feels too hard, this lifestyle we've chosen. When we're all too tired but have to go out, and we run out of water or the diaper bag is deep inside the cabin, behind the laundry pile and a bin. Or when it's 95 degrees outside and it's low tide, and I have to walk 1/4 mile just to get to the car.

But then I remember what it was like when we lived in our huge 2 story apartment. And we had just as many frustrating days when we were both too tired but had to go out, and we had no hot water, or we couldn't get out of the apartment because of the snow. And there's always a laundry pile with all the things buried underneath it, let's be honest.

Frustrating, hard days happen.  No matter where you live.  And when you have 6 1/2 month old twins, everything is harder.  Everything.

Sometimes it feels like too many people are in the wings, just waiting for us to fail. Waiting to tell us, "I knew it wouldn't work" or "We knew you couldn't do it with the babies". And that sucks. And that makes the hard days even harder, because I know I can't tell anyone how frustrated I am at that moment. Because I told you so. Because you can't do this with babies. Because, because, because...

And it feels like we can't fail now because if we do, people will make us feel like failures. But the truth is, I think we would have been failures if we didn't even try.

Yesterday was a hard day.  It was raining and high tide wasn't until the late evening, so we stayed inside all day.  It was hard to remember those warm, salty days when it was just Brian, me and the wind.  It was hard to remember the sunsets and fireworks at anchor, and hard to imagine our boys scampering along the harbor islands, tan and sure of themselves on the water.  It was hard to imagine teaching them to appreciate the silence, the solitude.  The peace.

But today?  Today is glorious. 

Today is the kind of day that I thank God we live where we do.  And I know how lucky we are to live here, right in downtown Boston, literally right in the harbor.  As I type this post, our boat is gently rocking, the boys are napping and I remember why I love it here.  I remember that this is home.

Our "back yard" today.  Top picture: Sailboat races and the Coast Guard.  Bottom pictures: Our fair city.  Sadly the collage cropped out my favorite view of the skyline, the Zakim Bridge, which is to the far right on the bottom right picture.

Easter 2015

This weekend we made our way down to Connecticut to visit my family for Easter. We drove down after Brian got out of work on Friday so that we'd miss the rush hour/Easter traffic.  While we did accomplish that, we got there very late, throwing me off of my 9:30/10pm bedtime schedule.  Needless to say, I was very tired on Saturday!

Saturday a few members of my New York family came up to CT to meet our boys for the first time.  While I missed those who couldn't make it (due to rescheduling) I was very happy that my dear Nana was able to come.  She is one of my most favorite people and it meant a lot to me to see her holding my sons.  Especially because my Papa (her husband), whom Jack, our first born is named after, is no longer with us.

Here's a picture of the 5 of us on Saturday:

It was lovely to see everyone.  I missed going to NY this year for Christmas because I was on modified bed rest (really, just had to stay close to home and take it easy), so I haven't seen them in a really long time.  We used to see each other regularly, but life has just gotten in the way of that.

Saturday night my sister Christina (Auntie CC to the boys), niece Mariah and nephew Dominic babysat for Brian and I so we could have our very first date night away from the boys.  It was so nice to get away and reconnect.  While we share a very small space daily, it's become rare when we can actually slow down and have "us" time.  We went to the casino and had dinner, played some slots and had a couple of drinks while listening to live music. 

 

While we were away, the boys had a fun time.  Here is our sweet nephew Dommy playing with his cousin Bobby:

And our sweet niece Mariah cuddling with Bobby (they played with Jack too, he just fell asleep earlier.)

On Easter Sunday, I woke up with the cold that Brian and the boys had the previous week.  Luckily for me, there were lots of people to help Brian hold, feed and love the boys, so I was able to take a nap.  Before that, we ate lots of good food, played with all the kids and watched a very competitive egg hunt between my niece and my sister Lauren.  (My niece won this year!)

Here are some pictures of the boys all dressed up for Easter.  Sadly these outfits didn't last very long, and I didn't get a great picture of them together.  One of them always seems to be crying during group pictures!  I also have to do better at remembering to get a family picture...next time! 

Overall, a very busy and fun weekend with family.  I hope your Easter weekend was just as lovely as ours was!

The Rest

In the interest of catching this blog up to present day, here is the rest of our month, in pictures:

The first full day the Bobby was in the NICU the door to our shrink wrap blew off (on our way out to go see him) due to the extreme weather we had.  A quick email to our friends yielded a group effort to replace and install a new door within hours.  Best. Neighbors. Ever.

Scenes from this historic winter.  The water around our boats does not usually freeze this thick.

Jack had his very first bath.  He did not like it very much.  He didn't like the ones that have since followed, either.

My sisters and niece were finally able to come meet our boys.  And due to yet another snow storm with hurricane strength winds predicted, we spent a weekend in CT at my parents house, which doubled as a nice visit with family.  Since I wasn't able to travel after November and missed the major holidays, it was nice.

And when Bobby came home from the hospital, he received his very first bath too.  (They didn't bathe him while he was there!!!  Isn't that ridiculous?!?!)  He didn't love it, but he didn't hate it either.

We attempted to get newborn/family pictures taken on the cheap by using Target's photo studio.  Not only was it a rushed, confused photo shoot, but the girl totally messed them up and didn't listen to a word I said.  These are screenshots of the online gallery.  We didn't pay for anything (not even a sitting fee) because I was so upset.  And we have an appointment this weekend to have more taken at a different studio (that we used for our Christmas photo).  Here's hoping they come out good and the photographer listens!  These outtakes are pretty hilarious to me.

And now, I can focus on real time posts.  Until I fall behind, that is. :)

Going Home...Sort Of

...so there we were, a new family of four, packed and ready to go home for the first time...when we received a note from our friend Ahmet that we might actually not want to come home after all.  In fact, we might not be able to go home because the marina, for the first time in at least two years, might have to be evacuated due to the high winds predicted with the blizzard.  He suggested we book a room in the hotel next door, like many of our friends and neighbors just to be safe.  So we booked a room and made our way there.

The drive over to Charlestown was quite hairy.  The weather had deteriorated rapidly and everyone in the city was trying to get home before it got worse.  Traffic was horrible and our babies were in the back seat crying.  We'd heard that the mirrors you put on the back seat so you can see your babies were dangerous, so we opted not to get them...that caused us major stress.  Not being able to see if the babies were breathing when they were quiet was too much!  Yes, we pulled over on the snowy road to check.  Yes, we know this is because we're first time parents.  After this trip, we decided the risk was worth it, and we purchased the mirrors once the snow cleared!

Traffic

The ride home

Our bridge.  Almost home sweet boys.

Earlier in the day we received an email from the marina telling us that we couldn't park in the middle of the parking lot because of snow removal.  But by the time we arrived home from the hospital, all of the outer spaces were already taken.  Thankfully our dockmaster is cool and he allowed us to park in the main lot, even though we were in that restricted area.  After what seemed like hours (it actually did take a little over an hour to get home...it usually takes 15 minutes) we finally made it to the hotel.

Maybe it's because they saw the stressed out, new mom, we just drove in the car with two newborns and oh my God we're really parents, look on my face, we were upgraded to a suite. I'm not sure how we would have survived those first two days at "home" without a kitchen and living room to be honest. 

Welcome "home" boys...

Hotel Lobby

In addition to getting a suite, we were lucky enough to get a room that overlooked the marina, so we could periodically check to make sure our boat was OK.  (It was.)

So close to home, yet so far away!  S/v Just Married, in the middle on the left, just waiting for her family to come home!

The calm after the storm.  And before the next one.

I have to stop here and say once again how wonderful it is to live in this community.  Not only were our friends looking out for us by telling us about the evacuation, they were waiting for us when we got the hotel.  Within minutes, Brian had help unloading the car which was no small feat considering we ransacked the hospital and had several bags of groceries (thanks to my in-laws!) in addition to our duffel bags, the diaper bag and two babies.  They really helped make a stressful, overwhelming situation a little easier to bear.   

Thank you Ahmet, Walter, Jeff, Roxy and Dora...

Though the hotel was nice, we really just needed to be home.  Twins require structure and we hadn't yet had a chance to figure out what that structure was.  That first night on our own (without the nursery and nurses to help!) was rough.  Really, really rough.  It was the first time I wondered how the hell I'm going to manage this when Brian goes back to work.  (Which, by the way, is Monday!  Yikes!!)  When I woke up on day 2, I knew I needed to organize everything we had to make things run more smoothly when the boys woke up.

I laid out the diapers and the Vaseline packets (for their circumcisions):

I set up the feeding stations (Because we were in a hotel, we covered the surfaces to protect them from spit up):

 

and laid out the bottles and breast pump parts:

It did make things run more smoothly.  But we were still dumbstruck with how hard it is having twins.  And I wondered how it's legal to let new parents out of the hospital with twinfants without more training!  (And we both have always felt pretty comfortable around infants.)

Here are our first family photos:

...And finally, we were really going home!

The Day You Were Born: 1/23/15

Maybe you guessed it, or maybe you didn't, but on Friday 1/23/15 at 9:17am and 9:19am our twin boys were born via c-section. Needless to say, our lives have been forever changed for the better and we already can't imagine life without our little guys...

As you know, my pregnancy wasn't great. In fact, it was downright horrible and I never want to be pregnant again. So, on Thursday 1/22 at 9:45pm (yes, PM, after the day was already done!) when my OB called me and told me I have pre-eclampsia and asked, "How'd you like to have your babies tomorrow?" I almost yelled, "YES!". Instead I laughed in disbelief and looked at Brian and pointed to my belly mouthing, "TOMORROW!!!".

Nothing's boring with us.

Ever.

Especially because the boat wasn't ready yet, we were smack dab in the middle of projects and the boat was a disaster.  I mean, really, really disorganized.  And I didn't have the special soap yet that I was supposed to have for surgery.  So while Brian ran out to a 24-hour pharmacy to try to find said soap, I started tidying up as much as I could and double checked our bag. 

We didn't get much sleep that night.  We were due at the hospital by 6:30am but we were both up well before that time.  It didn't seem real, that after all the planning, swelling, throwing up, kicking, and anticipation that we were finally going to meet our boys.  And we'd be parents.

Holy shit.

To distract myself, I began taking screen shots of news sites to show the world as it was the day they were born:

A friend of ours also bought two Boston Globes for us.  Thank you, Jamie, if you're reading this!

The marina and city looked so peaceful when we got into the car, so I took this picture, that shows the date and time, with both in the background.  It's a little fuzzy, but I still love it.  Very "in the moment".

We were psyched when we got to the hospital and found a spot right up front.  Not that I was in active labor, but toward the end I was REALLY uncomfortable.  And also, we will NEVER be able to park here again.  So we did!

On the way in, I realized I never took a 36 week picture.  And that's another thing we'll never be able to do.  So I made Brian take one right there in the parking lot.

We checked in, I changed and they hooked me up to tubes.  Then I walked into the operating room and hopped up onto the table for my epidural.  YES, I really walked right in.  It was odd.  Very, very odd.  What seems like seconds later (but it was really 20 minutes) Brian was by my side and they were cutting me open.

And then what seemed like hour later (it was only a few minutes) we heard Jack.  He sounded like a duck.  Literally like a duck!

And two minutes later, Bobby arrived.  Sounding like a baby.  :)

Daddy and his boys in the operating room:

 

Introducing our boys to Momma:

Jack on the left, Bobby on the right:

 Later, in recovery, I finally got to hold them:

 

We stayed in the hospital for 3 nights, 1 night less than planned.  The weather was looking pretty dismal, and a blizzard was in the forecast.  Brian and I were really overwhelmed with the amount of people who came in and out of the hospital room, and the thought of having to stay an extra night because of the snow was just too much.  So we made it known that we'd be OK with being discharged early, as long as the boys were cleared to go.  They were, and so we began preparing to go home.

I shed my hospital clothes and dressed the boys in their going home outfits, including the hats I knit for them a couple of months ago:

Brian got their car seats ready:

 

Once everyone was packed up, we headed home.  

Kind of...