Below are actual conversations I had with Noah this weekend.
Me: Noah, did you take Brat Pills today?
Noah: No Mommy, you didn't buy me any
**For the record, Noah had a rough weekend with regard to whinning and his overall behavior. The pièce de résistance was Sunday afternoon at Michael's when he laid on the floor of the frame department and started moaning that he wanted candy.
Later that evening, in the car
Noah: Mommy, I am tryyyyyying to have good behavior.
Me: Well sweetheart, than what is stopping you? (thoughtful pause)
Noah: My life.
Me: Hysterical laughter, followed by a sudden urge to Tweet.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
A letter to our friend Dr. Carter
Dear Dr. Carter (Mommy said we can’t call you Andy):
We wanted to come by and see you on our birthday but we heard you were on vacation. We have never been on a vacation, but Mommy and Daddy said that it may be a while before we get to go on one. We think it has something to do with the fact that the last time Mommy and Daddy went on a vacation they came back with us as a souvenir. Go figure.
We wanted to come by and see you on our birthday but we heard you were on vacation. We have never been on a vacation, but Mommy and Daddy said that it may be a while before we get to go on one. We think it has something to do with the fact that the last time Mommy and Daddy went on a vacation they came back with us as a souvenir. Go figure.
So far life is pretty good. Although we may fight sometimes, we really do love each other a lot. We love going places and now that we are *almost* walking life is starting to get a lot more interesting. Did you know that in the bathroom there is this big thing with water in it? When we don’t think Mommy is looking we like to go in there but she always manages to find us before we can play in the water. It’s like she has eyes in the back of her head!
We love going swimming in the pool and we love it when people play with us, especially our big brother Noah. We also like going to Costco because they have carts big enough for both of us to sit in them at them same time. And they give out free food! We went there with our Papa and he got us SIX samples of Mango Mousse. Every time we giggled he went back and got us more. The power of twins. Who knew?
We also like Costco because people know us there. Everyone stops to makes funny faces at us and they ask Mommy the silliest questions. Are we twins (Duh)? Are we identical (No. And we can prove it thanks to the pictures you graciously took)? Are we natural (Do people think we came from a box)? And they also like telling Mommy that “she must have her hands full.” She said that the next time someone says this she is going to ask if they are offering to come over and babysit. We don’t think we are a handful. We are simply little girls that know what we want. . and we go for it.
Anyway, we’re sorry that we missed you on Friday. We just wanted to say hi and thank you in person for helping bring us into the world (nice catch by the way!)
Warmest Regards,
Hannah & Abbie. . . a.k.a. The Foxettes
P.S. Isn’t it amazing how we learned to blog before we learned to read?!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Happy 1st Birthday Hannah and Abbie!
Hannah and Abbie and ONE Today!
Abigail (Abbie) Eden (pink)
20.1 pounds
Hard to believe that one year ago today THIS is where we started. 
Abbie
Hannah Eve (purple)
a.k.a. Baby A, Hannah-Banana, Hannah-Boo, Hannah-Belle
21 pounds
29 1/2 inches
18 inch head circumference
Abigail (Abbie) Eden (pink)
a.k.a. Baby B, Abber-Dabbers, Abber-Dabber-Doodle, Crabigail
20.1 pounds
29 inches
18 inch head circumference
Hard to believe that one year ago today THIS is where we started.
Mommy
Hannah
Abbie
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Finishing the marathon
The first year as a “mom with multiples” has been like running a marathon.
This time last year I was waiting with bated breath for the arrival of twin girls. Up until that point, Dan and I had spent 8 months living from one doctor’s appointment to the next. My days were filled with visits to the
In hindsight, I think we were so fixated on “the birth” that we didn’t stop to think about what happened next. And then when Hannah and Abbie were born, we were so busy trying to keep our heads above water that we never stopped to take it all in. I went to a “Moms of Multiples” meeting back in May and when the topic to turned to what we as moms were doing to take care of ourselves, I told the group that I wasn’t taking care of myself. That I couldn’t take care of myself because I was too busy trying to keep my head above water and survive.
Someone once told me that the only people who can truly understand what it’s like to be a “mom of multiples” are moms of multiples. That it doesn’t matter how many children you have, or how close in age they are. Because it’s impossible to know what having two babies is like unless you actually had two babies at the same time. At the time I thought it was bullshit. This wasn’t my first pregnancy. I knew what I was doing because I had done it before. I also knew that I possessed what many other women lack: confidence in my abilities as a parent. That may sound haughty, but knowing that I am a “good” mom (whatever the hell that means) has given me a degree of strength in my thirties that I sorely lacked when I was in my twenties. But the reality is that unless you’ve been in my shoes, you really don’t know how hard it is. You can’t know.
Now that I am literally at the 26th mile marker of my twin marathon I am forcing myself to look back on the last year of life. In many ways this has been the hardest year of my life. Harder than anything I could have ever possibly imagined. We’ve weathered a lot. Including but not limited to jaundice, RSV, torticollis, physical therapy, more doctors and co-pays than I can count, breastfeeding, multiple stomach bugs, not to mention full-time jobs and the needs of another child. I’ve been peed on, crapped on, and vomited on multiple times. And at the end of the day, I’m still here. My girls are here. Noah and Dan are here. Noah, Hannah, and Abbie are happy, healthy, and thriving. They are loved by family and friends around the world.
Sometimes the greatest gifts we receive are the ones we didn’t realize we wanted (or needed). I can truly say that the LAST thing I ever envisioned hearing someone say to me were the words, “congratulations, you’re having twins.” It was so unexpected and overwhelming, and to some degree that pronouncement is still sinking in because in that moment our lives were changed forever. In ways both big and small.
Letting one girl cry it out at night wasn’t much of an option because Hannah and Abbie share a room. Teaching one a lesson ends up pissing the other off.
As Dan and I tag-team the girls, sometimes Noah is forced to fend for himself. Which causes me to feel guilty that he is being ignored. I’m Jewish, so guilt comes with the territory.
Everything is doubled. Diapers, clothes, shoes, toys, etc. What we’ve spent in the last year on diapers, wipes, and formula would frighten people.
But I wouldn’t trade any of it. Why?
I love watching Hannah and Abbie play with one another when they don’t think anyone is looking.
I love the look on their faces when I come into their room each morning.
I love how they light up when Noah plays with them.
I love watching them fight with one another. For the moment, it’s still cute.
I love knowing that they will always have each other, and a big brother to protect them.
My mother has always told me that G-d have me my shoulders for a reason. . . and that he will never give me more than I am capable of handling. The last 18 months have rendered this advice true. To this day, strangers will approach me on the street as I am pushing my double stroller and they will say, “Wow! You must have your hands full. Better you than me!” This sentiment used to really bother me. But then I decided to own the sentiment.
“You’re right. Better me than you. Because unlike you, I can handle this with grace and a sense of humor.”
Bring it on.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Training Camp
Yes, I waited in line for about two hours so that Noah could get Kurt Warner's autograph (Cardinals quarterback). And yes, I played the "twin card" and used the girls as leverage so that my dad could get on the field with us (we we in a special area and they weren't letting anyone stand on the grass).
Just as Noah reached the front of the line and was about to ask "Mr. Warner" to sign his shirt my dad leaned over and said, "I hope that you're not signing all those autographs with your throwing arm."
After being a season ticker holder for 21 seasons (and 19 of them losing seasons) my dad can say whatever he wants, when he wants.
The power of twins. . .
We can now add Neil Rackers (place kicker for the Cardinals) to the list of people who have made goofy faces/noises at the twins. Alice Cooper is also on this list. 
How I lost Noah's underwear
There is no camp or preschool or daycare this week. So I took the week off from work to hang out with the kids.
After spending some time at the gym, we headed over to Desert Ridge to have lunch and play in the splash pad with friends. Between the two adults we had two 4 1/2 year old boys (Josh and Noah), twins that are *almost* one (Hannah and Abbie), and another baby girl who is about 7 months (Becca).
You could say we had our hands full. And it was hot and humid. Well, Arizona humid.
After lunch my friend took the boys to the bathroom at Paradise Bakery to put on their swimsuits. After they were done playing she offered to take them back to the bathroom to get dressed.
Which is when I realized that somewhere between the bathroom and splash pad I had lost Noah's underwear. So he went home commando. Like I was buying him a new pair for the car ride home.
Except by the time we got home I forgot that Noah wasn't wearing underwear. In fact, I didn't realize it until four hours later when we were at the mall and I looked down and saw Noah's tush hanging out.
I can only imagine the calamity that ensued when some nice couple sat down at down at Paradise Bakery to enjoy a their Turkey Cranberry sandwiches and saw Noah's tighty-whitey's at their table.
After spending some time at the gym, we headed over to Desert Ridge to have lunch and play in the splash pad with friends. Between the two adults we had two 4 1/2 year old boys (Josh and Noah), twins that are *almost* one (Hannah and Abbie), and another baby girl who is about 7 months (Becca).
You could say we had our hands full. And it was hot and humid. Well, Arizona humid.
After lunch my friend took the boys to the bathroom at Paradise Bakery to put on their swimsuits. After they were done playing she offered to take them back to the bathroom to get dressed.
Which is when I realized that somewhere between the bathroom and splash pad I had lost Noah's underwear. So he went home commando. Like I was buying him a new pair for the car ride home.
Except by the time we got home I forgot that Noah wasn't wearing underwear. In fact, I didn't realize it until four hours later when we were at the mall and I looked down and saw Noah's tush hanging out.
I can only imagine the calamity that ensued when some nice couple sat down at down at Paradise Bakery to enjoy a their Turkey Cranberry sandwiches and saw Noah's tighty-whitey's at their table.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Where we're at
Haven’t been writing much lately. In a nutshell there, has been a lot going on and by the end of the day I’m so exhausted that all I have the energy to do it sit and watch reality TV because it doesn’t require me to think, which at the end of the day is what I need most.
The biggest news is that we’ve put our house up for sale. There are a lot of factors that have gone into this decision. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 18 months, the housing market nationwide had completely collapsed. As just about every media agency has pointed out, it’s particularly bad in Arizona. We purchased our home in 2006 when the market was still hot. Since then it’s lost about 45% of its value. There is no equity, and we’re “upside down” in our mortgage, meaning the house is worth considerably less than what we paid for. From a business standpoint it will take at least 10-15 years for the home to regain its value, and with our mortgage being what it is, we can’t afford to make the cosmetic changes that we’d like to make. For all these reasons, getting out makes a lot of sense.
The situation is bittersweet. A house is nothing more than four walls, but a home is where family is (at least for me). And yet I find myself looking at the kid’s rooms and thinking about hard Dan and I worked to make the spaces “special” for them. . . and how in a few short weeks these won’t be their rooms any more. I remember how my aunt and I struggled to stencil the quotation above the cribs, knowing that it may be painted over by someone who won’t care (or understand) why it was special to me. And I remember the look on Dan’s face when I told him that we should paint Noah’s room two colors, and how hard he worked to get it done for the “big brother to be.”
I lay awake at night wondering if we have made the right decision, and hoping that 3-5 years down the road we will look back on the situation with relief. I’ve gone through a range of emotions: sadness, relief, stress, anxiety, joy, and disappointment. And for a variety of reasons I feel like I’ve failed my kids. But as a dear friend pointed out, “you would be failing your kids by not doing anything. And you’ve chosen to do something.” Like everything else in life, this decision is a risk but one that I really think (hope) will be worth it in the end. But I am also excited about the possibility of moving to a new house in a new neighborhood. Being closer to friends and in a more “family-friendly” neighborhood.
My biggest challenge at the moment is keeping the house clean and organized 24/7 so that it can be shown. And I’ve got my fingers crossed that we will find a buyer. Once we do, Dan and I will start looking for a new place. And in the meantime, we wait.
The biggest news is that we’ve put our house up for sale. There are a lot of factors that have gone into this decision. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 18 months, the housing market nationwide had completely collapsed. As just about every media agency has pointed out, it’s particularly bad in Arizona. We purchased our home in 2006 when the market was still hot. Since then it’s lost about 45% of its value. There is no equity, and we’re “upside down” in our mortgage, meaning the house is worth considerably less than what we paid for. From a business standpoint it will take at least 10-15 years for the home to regain its value, and with our mortgage being what it is, we can’t afford to make the cosmetic changes that we’d like to make. For all these reasons, getting out makes a lot of sense.
The situation is bittersweet. A house is nothing more than four walls, but a home is where family is (at least for me). And yet I find myself looking at the kid’s rooms and thinking about hard Dan and I worked to make the spaces “special” for them. . . and how in a few short weeks these won’t be their rooms any more. I remember how my aunt and I struggled to stencil the quotation above the cribs, knowing that it may be painted over by someone who won’t care (or understand) why it was special to me. And I remember the look on Dan’s face when I told him that we should paint Noah’s room two colors, and how hard he worked to get it done for the “big brother to be.”
I lay awake at night wondering if we have made the right decision, and hoping that 3-5 years down the road we will look back on the situation with relief. I’ve gone through a range of emotions: sadness, relief, stress, anxiety, joy, and disappointment. And for a variety of reasons I feel like I’ve failed my kids. But as a dear friend pointed out, “you would be failing your kids by not doing anything. And you’ve chosen to do something.” Like everything else in life, this decision is a risk but one that I really think (hope) will be worth it in the end. But I am also excited about the possibility of moving to a new house in a new neighborhood. Being closer to friends and in a more “family-friendly” neighborhood.
My biggest challenge at the moment is keeping the house clean and organized 24/7 so that it can be shown. And I’ve got my fingers crossed that we will find a buyer. Once we do, Dan and I will start looking for a new place. And in the meantime, we wait.
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