twins

so i haven't posted in a while about the multiples chat board, but the ladies on the board are at it again...today's topic: having twins. a woman posted that she really wanted twins and was asking if there was anything she could do to help her chances. alongside of very sarcastic answers like suggesting sex back to back or sex with multiple partners, the ladies were very snarky and downright mean. they make comments about fertility treatments and pregnancy problems. they even went so far as to say while noone on the board would wish they hadn't had twins, they wouldn't wish multiples on anybody. umm...i would wish mulitiples on everybody, especially if twins were something they were hoping for. sure, laney and alie are a lot of work, but so are any other pair of children. they have both been a joy to raise and i really have loved every stage of their lives. i have loved watching their bond from the day they were born, a bond really only shared by multiples. i love watching as they develop, each in their own way and in their own time. i love watching two little girls, who look so much alike, grow with such different personalities and interests. i love that they sometimes let me share in their bond and the three of us can do something special together. laney and alie make me feel so special, lucky and loved! of course i would never wish bedrest or NICU time on anyone, but these are not requirements of a multiple pregnancy, only a possibilities. again, i need to stop chatting on this board!

Getting somewhere...

Today, Louise (the boss lady) came into my office to tell me that she had promoted me! I'm really excited. She promoted me internally yesterday I believe (which in a stinky state job doesn't change your title externally, but changes your pay scale which should help my merit raise...if I get one this year). She says she's working on promoting me externally, which would be a title change. I have been waiting for some sign that she really did see the time and effort I have put into my job and how hard I have been working, and this is it (although my strong performance review made me feel great too)!

I am getting ready to go away with Brooke and Farmer this weekend to Katie's baby shower. Tonight we are headed to CT and tomorrow night we will be staying in MA. It will be nice to just have time to get away :)

end of the long weekend

Wow! What a weekend. I did lots of working and lots of playing. I kicked the weekend off with two of my favorite couples: the Ambroses, Cirucci and Bri and we drank wine. Brooke, Cirucci and I drank lots, played some Wii and chatted. It was lovely and a great way to start the long weekend. Saturday and Sunday I got lots of work done. I did the grocery shopping (walked to and from with the jogger), cleaned the house, mowed the lawn and organized the girls room. Saturday night I had dinner at Brooke's house (I walked there too) and Sunday night Cirucci, Brian and my brother came over for a cookout. Today was a fun day...the girls and I had breakfast, played in the living room and swam in their new frog pool in the backyard (well christmas-time new, Santa brought it). I loved hanging with my little girlies all weekend, snotty noses and all! They make me laugh on a regular basis, and say the funniest things...its awesome being a mom.

Friday, 3:55 pm

Today is that Friday. The Friday before the long weekend where most everyone takes off making their weekend even longer. I am here. At work. Not doing a whole lot of anything. I have taken two appointments. I have taken a phone call from an angry mother with unreasonable demands that I ended up laughing at after I hung up the phone. I have obsessively checked for my grade (still not posted but due tonight by midnight...not holding my breath). I have watched Brian's video of his vacation to the BVI. I have checked the balance of my checking account. I have imed Brooke, added pictures to my facebook page and chatted online with Katie. Brian showed me this pilot game and that kept me busy for about an hour. It probably would have entertained me for longer if I wasn't doing so badly. I have read lots of blogs. Some of people I know. Others of people I do not. I have read postings on the multiples chat board. I have pondered how I became involved in that chat board and why the other multiple mommies don't like me (only one person responded to my post yesterday about diaper bags :(). I have thought about the nice weather this weekend and what the girls and I are going to have for dinner tonight. I have discussed grills with Brian (he likes gas and I like charcoal). I have tried to figure out what time Carl might be home tonight.

I am going to pick my kiddos up shortly. Have a great weekend!

good things

yesterday afternoon, i convinced carl to call the lady at the dental insurance office. he is now one step closer to making a dentist appointment. in addition, last night while i was at brookes, he "cleaned" the kitchen....i didn't even have to say anything. i'm happy with his effort!

AND kristy won! woohoo. obviously she was the best dancer, but i had my doubts as to whether or not she would win dancing...but she did! i have a super secret crush on mark ballas who i think looks like The Beef (I have a new secret crush on The Beef also since watching disturbia the other night).

i'm moving right along with the book club book. i am still waiting for slacker professor to grade my paper from 4 weeks ago. he is uber frustrating! i made sadie a cape, aiding her in her role as super sadie for her surgery tomorrow. i am looking forward to memorial day being over (so i might get my husband back).

husbands!

So just to get this straight before I write the blog, I love mine.

Yesterday afternoon, I took the toddlers to the grocery store, by myself. Not that I haven't done this before, but it seems as though I am doing everything....by myself these days. I have this laundry list of chores at home that need to get done. I asked Carl to do one thing: put stain stick on Alie's shirt and my jacket. This morning, I come downstairs. Not done....unfortunately, I wasn't really suprised.

Today. I make Carl a dermatologist appointment. He evidentally didn't pay the co-pay from his last appointment (last june). problem #1. he doesn't go to the dr unless i make his appointments for him. problem #2. since he didn't pay his bill, i get the lecture from the nurse! ugh. Then, i call to change his dentist to my dentist so that it is easier for me to make dental appointments for him. fyi...carl has not been to the dentist once since we've been married. he has probably only been once during our entire 8 year relationship!!! totally gross i know. oh and i have been paying for dental insurance for him since we were married...so i decided today would be the day that he would at least get an appointment made. the lady at the insurance company informs me that since he is over the age of 18, he has to change his dental provider himself. does the lady not realize that he won't? that clearly, when he married me, and now even more with his new job, i am not only the mother of his children, but i have taken on the role of mother for him too. if i am not able to change his dentist, he may go another 6+ years without a dental visit.

the sad part of all of this...i am beginning to break under the pressure. sure, i have the whole working mom thing down. that's not a problem. its the whole mother of three children thing i am having difficulty with. it is physically impossible for me to get everything done in a timely fashion....i can't clean the house, fold the laundry, make the dinner, take care of toddlers, schedule everyone's appointments, balance the checking account, pay the bills, empty the potties, do the shopping, go to work and do well in grad school without a break or a little bit of help. that's what i'm doing now, and i'm about to go insane...i mean he even worked on mothers day!!!!!

i know that this is a totally selfish blog. carl works a lot of hours and has lots of work stress right now, so it appears that he has more going on than i do... i am just looking forward to the fall, when perhaps he might find some time to spend with the girls and i, when we might get his un-divided attention.

blog worthy weekend

Friday night, tired and cranky I headed to Salibury for the big graduation (that by the way wasn't until 2pm the next night, but of course my parents made it seem as though it was a MUST arrive the night before type of time). Anyway, I was able to stop on the way and do some outlet shopping...I didn't buy a lot of stuff, a few shirts for the kiddos and a new pair of my favorite pjs for me, and i got some AWESOME deals (think $.97). When I arrived in Salisbury, my parents had a nice hot Olive Garden dinner waiting for me, and that was great!

On Saturday, it was wonderful to see Travis graduate! I was so proud of him and I have to admit, I was a bit teary eyed as the graduates walked in the room. After the graduation, I spent lots of time with him and Nicole. Travis chose a great restaurant for dinner which was lots of fun, although he and his girlfriend drink some nasty drinks. I can't wait to visit them in NY! Laney and Alie seemed to have a wonderful time at Auntie Cici's and Uncle Bri's. They told me all about the wonderful treats and activities they all did together.

Sunday...oh Sunday. Carl and I headed to the O's game with Brooke and Ryan. Yes, it was raining, but we had tickets! We started at Sliders...the plan: drink a few beers and head in. Then, the rain delay, hot dog eating, more beers, Carl's ringing off the hook phone, more beer, paying for beer with sacajawia (no clue how to spell her name) dollar coins, the tiny bathrooms, amd more beer later, we made it to the game in time to see the top of the third. We had nachos, and they bought me a foam finger!!! We made up a new "baseball game"....so I can't wait until the next time we venture to see the O's with them. It was SO MUCH FUN!!!!!

End of the spring semester.

Well last night was it. The big final for the sucky class...and man was that final sucky as well. I didn't get in the last minute studying I had been hoping for...yup you guessed it, another last minute "pool situation". So instead of doing a last minute cram session (proved somewhat effective in my undergrad days) I was making dinner and giving a bath to the kiddos (certainly not complaining though). It turns out any last minute cramming couldn't have saved me. Arvisais and his sucky case study questions strike again. The good news? A 55% will give me a "B" in his class...a "B" after this long, hard, sucky semester! So at this point its a waiting game. Brian M., Inda, and Louise have all informed me that I'm not a "get lower than a 55%" type of gal, but you never know with Arvisais as the prof.

I need to get going...I have to drive to Salisbury tonight for my bro's graduation (woohoo). I'm stopping at the outlets on the way to see what might be new and cheap in toddler fashion. I would like nothing more right now that curl up on the couch and hang with the fam, but alas this whole college graduation thing is definitely a big deal for the Trav and I am proud of him! He's had his moments when we all never thought this day would come (I know, kind of shameful since we are supposed to be his supporters). I will want to be there tomorrow.

Fun Nights!

I've had a couple of fun nights this week. On Monday night, Carl and I drank some wine and watched our favorite shows on Monday nights. It was so relaxing and it was nice to sit down to spend some time together chatting, even if he wouldn't let me get cheese fries;) Last night I went to Brooke's for our weekly girl night and it was really nice. When I got there, her friends Tracy and Ky were there finishing up dinner. We spent some time chatting about life and the kiddos and it was really nice. After they had left, Brooke and I caught up on "Dancing" and the Hills. I actually forgot about all the things that have been making me so anxious recently, and that was wonderful!

Tomorrow night I am headed to Salisbury to watch my brother graduate. It should be fun! Carl isn't going afterall because he has to work (I know, so shocking!). The girls are staying with Auntie Cici tomorrow night! I also have some organization plans for our house this weekend (when I get back from the graduation of course). I just have to get through tonight!

PS. I'm still waiting on that grade from the paper I turned in 3 weeks ago now! The semester is over, grade my paper!!!!

Approaching the finish line....

before it starts all over again right after Memorial day. Tomorrow night I take my last final for the semester. I haven't finished studying yet and I have no clue how I will do in my courses this semester (thanks to slow grading professors, group work, and assignments cut from the syllabus) but at this point, as long as I pass, I'm good. My professor for Team Building is pretty terrible, and as much as I've enjoyed the material, he has made me hate the class. After tomorrow night, I have a week off and then its on to my summer classes. I am only taking one HR class from a prof I have never had before, so I have high expectations. My other class is outside the department and an in-person class! My "long" break will come after July 17th!

Wish me luck for tomorrow!

crocs and mothers day....

I took Friday off to spend with the girls. Laney and Alie have been going with Brooke to a playgroup at the school up the block from our home. I wanted to see how they were playing, so I thought a day off was in order. Instead of playing on all of the fun toys, Laney and Alie just wanted to hang out with me (which of course I secretly love, but did want to watch them be "big girls" too). After playgroup, we went with the Ambrose fam for some lunch at the mall and then to get crocs! The girls seemed neither here nor there about the crocs while I was purchasing them (well of course they wanted to the tags off right away) but as soon as they woke up from their nap, they were really excited to have them. We had dinner solo again, since Carl worked relatively late on Friday night.

Saturday, we had breakfast at Cici's because Carl worked until around 4. After breakfast, the kiddos and I went grocery shopping at Sam's and Superfresh. Later that evening, we all headed out to Dan and Mindy's bridal shower. It was ok.

Sunday was mothers day and it was a pretty good day. Carl and the girls "suprised" me with breakfast in bed, my very first handmade mothers day card and a gift certificate for a massage. I really appreciated all of it! I have been feeling overwhelmed recently with schoolwork and all of the "unexpected" hours Carl has been working. It was nice to have some time to relax. Later, Carl headed off to work, but came home in the early afternoon, so we had plenty of time to spend during naptime, before we headed off to dinner at my mom's house.

Happy belated Mother's Day to all of my mom friends!

Excited!

I have spent part of my day making travel plans. Carl and I have been going back and forth about what to do this summer, bumming about the fact that we will be in FL for his brother's wedding, but won't really have time to do much. Soooo....we decided to stay an extra day and do some Disney "stuff". We had already scheduled a dinner with the characters, which I KNOW the girls will love, but now we will be staying at the All Star Movie hotel at Disney. While we won't be doing the park, this additional night (and part of a day) will give us more time to enjoy the Florida experience (instead of driving down and then driving right back up!) I really think the girls will love this and I can't wait :)

I also booked a hotel (with my rewards points) for Katie's baby shower in Mass. Brooke, Barb and I are driving up together which should be fun! A nice weekend away ;)

Finally Cirucci, Wendy and I settled on a date for our NC girls week in July/August and I'm really excited about that as well. It is a bummer that Carl will be working this summer, but a week at the beach with the girlies will really be fun. How nice to have Wendy living in a "vacation" destination!

Stolen from Brooke

How long have you been a Mom?2 years 4 months
How many children call you Mommy?2 girls
Did you know what you were having?yup!
How old were you when you became a Mom?25
How long were you in labor? a long time.....
What's your favorite thing about being a Mom?everything
What's your least favorite thing?whining...
Do you want more kids? no
Do you plan on having more soon?no..
How many times have you been pee'd on? one maybe
Barfed on? a couple
Is your child named after anyone? Alison is my maiden middle name
How did you come up with their names? I love a Jimmy Buffett song with the name "Delaney" in it (its the name of his daughter) Carl picked Alison
When your child gets in trouble, who is the bad guy? we both share that role
What is the longest you have been away from your children? a few days for work
Bedtime routine? Bath every few nights, story, then tucks in with kisses
Are your toes painted? kind of...i painted them for Easter and never took the polish off
Last movie you saw in the theater? Pirates three
One thing you will not give up just because you're a mom? the things i enjoy...
One thing you did give up now that you're a mom? free time and the ability to sleep in
Best Mom perk: tons of hugs and kisses
Snack, you sneak bites from your child: ice cream
When the kid is napping, you are: reading, studying, just relaxing
Where is your child(ren) now?both in bed
Favorite place to buy maternity clothes? hmmm...Kohls I think

woohoo

This afternoon, around 3pm, I finished and submitted my final paper of the semester (holding breath for grades). All that I have left is my final next Thursday night. Between now and then I have quite a bit of studying to do, especially since the final is for the uber sucky professor.

major whining

So its just about 10pm. Carl is not home. He left the house at 6am. Yes, that certainly sucks for him, but I'm a bit annoyed as well. I had planned an evening of paper-writing and DWTS at Brooke's. I thought for sure that Carl would be home by 8ish so that I would have at least had someone to talk to (especially since he has been working 6 day weeks for the past 2+ months). But he's not home. So i'm here, 3 pages into my paper, alone and ready to go to bed. Momentary pity party for me. This has been one sucky semester.

late night lifeguarding

Carl just called. His boss (who i refer to as "SH"...use your imagination) called a meeting for tonight. That's right, he just called at 3:45 pm about a meeting starting at 6pm which will last until 9pm. Ugh! So much for rushing to finish my paper right now. I will be solo this evening, well solo after the kiddos go to bed, so I will have plenty of time to work on it then. I was planning on going to Brooke's house to watch DWTS...but I will have to wait until tomorrow. I'm wondering what in the pool management world warrants such a last minute, long meeting!

another fun weekend

another fun and busy weekend has come and gone! carl worked again this saturday (i think we might be up to 8 in a row now) so the girls and i went with the ambrose fam to the arthrits walk at towson. it was a little cold (which was a mini bummer) but the walk was fun and there were some yummy sandwiches and bagels afterwards for lunch. after the walk, the girls and i hung around the house waiting for carl to get home before we went to help my parents with their new lawn mower. carl made chili and very delish beer battered fries for dinner...everyone ate lots!

sunday, we woke up early and ate blueberry muffins. we wanted to get two things for our backyard: a storage "seat" from target for the kiddos outside toys and a hose wheel from walmart to keep our hose under control and away from the girls when they are trying to play. We had and easy success locating the storage seat, but after driving around to a few walmarts, we were unable to purchase our hose wheel....i ended up just ordering it online.
later in the afternoon, while the kiddos were "napping" i went with some friends from work to brian l's house. as soon as i got there i felt really hot and yucky....so when i got home, carl and i laid on the couch and watched a movie. it was really nice :)

now its to paper writing. i'm working on the last paper due before finals. its due wednesday and i've barely started, so i need to get on that!

haircuts and cars

The girls got their first haircuts and it went relatively well! Laney cried, but sat still and I am proud to say, she is now mullet-less! Alie sat very still and was quite expressionless, but she enjoyed watching everyone else in the hair salon. Both haircuts look great-nice and even on the edges.

This morning Laney woke up with a nasty cough and a very runny nose. I am home with her...although she seems to be doing much better now. I'm wondering if allergies can sound that bad?? Carmax just called (I am having my car serviced for our upcoming drive to FL)....hopefully carmax- man will be able to figure out what is going on with the check engine light. We are headed to see Dr. Lake this afternoon to have Laney checked out, and then I'm hoping my car will be fixed and ready for pick up after that!

We are really excited for the arthritis walk tomorrow at Towson with the Ambrose fam!

walk down memory lane

Tuesday night I headed to Philly to pick a fair for Brian since he was picking up fairs in NJ for Natalie. I stopped in at Cosi on my way to Villanova for something...and ended up choosing the mint hot chocolate. Unfortunately, it didn't come in the big white mugs that I remember getting in college with Cirucci, but it was just what I needed to keep me going through the long fair. After the fair was over, I wandered over to the Gburg table and *gasp* there was a counselor there! I had such a great time chatting with Leigh Anne and hearing all about little Paul (and big Paul too). It's always nice to see a familiar friendly face when you're on the road, even if its only for one night.

Yesterday afternoon I did a college life panel for the graduating seniors at SPSG. I must say, I was a bit disappointed. It was wonderful to see Tevera, Mrs. Phillips and Steve but the girls were not very friendly or welcoming. Of course some were very nice and had some great, honest questions, but as a whole...I didn't love my experience. The graduating class this year has 76! I graduated with 34. I guess all things change.

Finally, today is the big day! Laney and Alie are getting their very first haircuts and I am really excited (most excited for Laney to get her mane under control). Marnie (who cuts my entire family's hair, and did my hair for my wedding will be cutting it. I wanted to teach the girls early on that sometimes, its ok to "pamper" yourself with a great haircut. I will be sure to take plenty of pictures and post them on facebook. Hopefully the girls behave and the cuts are a success!