The Amazing Day

I started writing a posting that was a little anti-holiday spirit.  Not mean, just a little cynical and sarcastic.  Don't worry, friends, that one will appear soon, but it requires video and pictures so this technology-inept blogger needs some time to make that happen.

As a result, here is a filled-with-holiday-spirit post for your enjoyment.

I just finished watching a so-so movie called What To Expect When Expecting.  Yes, it's based on the book everyone knows and loves although it's more of a silly comedy about the ups and downs of pregnancy and parenthood than any kind of instructional video.  It's the kind of movie where you know how everything is going to end 10 minutes after it started.  I knew what to expect what watching What to Expect..

The post is about the scene when everyone gives birth.  There are several pregnancies in the movie and all the moms-to-be, in true Hollywood fashion, deliver at the same time.  Two characters adopt a baby from Ethiopia and we see the adoption ceremony and their first moments with their child while the other moms are giving birth. 

I admit it...I teared up a little.  Yes, Jennifer Lopez and what's-his-name-teacher-from-Glee actually made me tear up.  It wasn't because their acting was so good.  It's not because the movie is Oscar worthy.  It was because I remember exactly what I was feeling when my surrogate called me to say "It's time!"  We are getting close to two years since the day my boys entered my life and the emotions really are still strong and raw. 

I am constantly saying how hard parenthood has been.  I have gray hair, I stress eat, I have no social life, I'm always physically and mentally exhausted, I'm homebound some days, I've given up half of my career, etc.  I am clearly not living up to my first post when I swore I would cherish every day.  What was I thinking???  No one can do that.  Fatherhood days are filled with oatmeal hair and that one of a kind diaper genie smell.  It's hard to cherish sticky hair and I hope to forget that eau de genie smell.  What I can say for now while I'm at my quiet, clean, poop-free work zone is that I know I truly love my kids (and Derek for raising these boys with me) and how much they mean to me.  That day they were born is still inside me more than I realized and remember that day gives me a wonderful feeling.

Potty Training

My friend, A., has a daughter who was potty trained when she was 2 years old.  Not two and 11 months, not two and a month, but by her second birthday.  I was intrigued.  I know that girls tend to be trained faster than boys, but I was hopeful my boys would be exceptional and be trained by two as well.  She told me that from the day her daughter was born she had a potty chair set up.

I remember when Derek and I did the baby registry I told him I wanted a potty seat.  He thought I was crazy.  "No one needs a seat for the first two years," he said. 

Derek may be insanely smart and right about a million things, but I got this one right.

So I can't brag that my boys are potty trained by 21 months, but I can tell you a few stories. 

A friend was recently over our house.  Aaron randomly decided to walk over to the potty and sit down.  A minute later we both knew there was definitely a "Code Brown."  She asked if he always did that.  The truth is he does it quite a bit.  Both boys do.  They seem to know when they're about to go to the bathroom and they love sitting on the potty to do it.

Also, a few days ago I changed Jeff's diaper.  Not 10 minutes later he said "DIAPER!" to me.  I thought he was just practicing his words.  "DIAPER!" he yelled again using the sign for the word as well. 

"Yes, I know.  You just got a diaper change."

"Nooooooo!  D-I-I-I-I-I-APER!" insisted his cute, little voice.

Fine, I thought.  I'll just pull your diaper down and pull it back up.  This will fool that tiny, little brain of yours into thinking you got a new diaper and it will prevent a tantrum.  Sure enough, though, he knew what he was talking about and really did need a new diaper.

Hallelujah!  I'm thinking that potty training might be better and easier than we could have hoped it would be.  We seem to have boys who are understanding the concept of a toilet and dirty diapers.  We're not pushing it at all because we know it's way too early to really train them.  If anyone has any stories about early training or training boys or training twins I'd love to hear them. 

I Love Daddy!

It happened. 

And if I didn't believe my ears, it happened again.

And if I still was in shock it happened again and again and again.

A few hours ago Derek and I were on Skype with his mom so she could talk to the boys.  Aaron has started saying "nana" or "mama" for "grandma" when he wants to Skype with one of the grandmas.  I wanted to show off his new vocabulary and I asked him, "Who is that?"  hoping that he would say her name.

Sure enough, he said "mama" and everyone was thrilled.

Then we tried to get him to say "I love grandma."  What he said was...

I love...........Daddy!

I have to say that was a pretty exciting moment.  Through all the exhaustion and tantrums life with twin toddlers is often a blur, but I'm pretty sure I'll remember this night for a while.  He said it a few times and said it as I put him to bed too.  He also said "I love Jeff" which is pretty amazing too.

You Know You're A Parent When...

Either I'm looking for them more, noticing them more, or there just are more funny articles about being a parent.  Here is one that made me laugh several times.  It's scary how many I understand.  Let's just say grocery shopping has become my replacement for a night out with friends and since I hated laundry before I had kids #19 is a pretty common occurrence these days.  Oh, and while #16 sounds like an awesome idea my life is more like #14 thanks to some interest in potty training.  More on that later.


1. Instead of running from projectile vomit, you run towards it.
2. You do more in seven minutes than most people do all day.
3. Happy hour has become the 60 minutes between your kids going to bed and you going to bed.
4. A night of drinking requires more recovery time than minor surgery.
5. A glass of wine counts as a serving of fruit.
6. You have mini-therapy sessions all day long with anyone who will listen.
7. Going to the grocery store by yourself is a vacation.
8. You can experience heaven and hell at the same time.
9. You think of physical pain on three levels: pain, excruciating pain and stepping on a Lego.
10. You have the ability to hear a sneeze through closed doors in the middle of the night, two bedrooms away, while your SO snores next to you.
11. You'd rather have a 103 degree fever than watch one of your kids suffer with it.
12. You'd rather go to sleep than have sex.
13. A 15-minute shower with the door locked feels like a day at the spa.
14. Peeing with an audience is part of the daily routine.
15. You use baby wipes to clean up random spills and the dash of your car.
16. You lock yourself in the bathroom and pretend to have diarrhea just to get a break.
17. You love Moms' Night Out and Date Night with the Hubs.
18. You have a secret chocolate stash because frankly, you're sick of sharing.
19. You've been washing the same load of laundry for three days because you forgot to dry it.
20. You realize you've been watching Nick Jr. alone, even though your kids have been in bed for over 30 minutes.
21. You can cook dinner, breastfeed, talk on the phone and yell at the kids, all without breaking stride or missing any of the TV show you are watching.
22. You get more excited about the Mini Boden Catalogue than J Crew's.
23. You decide to stick with your car for the next decade because a) you can't afford to switch and b) you haven't found a car wash that knows how to get all the milk stains and glitter removed.
24. By the end of the day, brushing your teeth feels like a huge accomplishment.