New Heads

Let's play a game.
Can you guess which baby this is?? No cheating!
If you guess Eleanor, you are just plain wrong! It's Abo! That's right dear readers, Billy Ray Cyrus's smaller female stunt double no long resides among us.
Time for some before and after:

Before:
After:

Before:
After:

This is also the new Abigail face. She is saying, "CHEESE!" Cute, right?

On the Shelves Next Summer: 101 Handy Uses for Mac and Cheese by Monkey and Bear

In these trying times, Monkey and Bear are researching ways to help save money. Since they are only 19 months, their resources are limited, but they do have a lot of access to macaroni noodles and cheese sauce. They have been working diligently on their research and have compiled it into their forthcoming book 101 Handy Uses for Macaroni and Cheese, published by Penguin and on shelves next summer. Below are some of their newer findings. Enjoy and stay tuned for their upcoming book tour!

• If you are on a budget and your child needs PE (pressure equalizing) tubes, simply stick some elbow macaroni with cheese sauce on it in her ears and Voila! The noodle will open the ear and the sauce holds it in.
  
• Another handy use for said macaroni and cheese: earplugs. This is Abigail's over all fav.
  
• Cheese sauce can double as hair gel.
• At a loss for how to wear your hair for your big date? Try rubbing a few noodles with cheese through those hairs just above your ears for a snazzy decoration.
• Too young for pierced ears? No problem! Just stick a noodle on each ear and problem solved!

Need more tips? Contact your local bookseller about preordering their book today and you can get the handy companion book *352 Things That Fit Down a Laundry Chute. But wait! There's more! Order your copy today and you can get Monkey and Bear's first book **The Toddler's Guide on How to Condition Your Parent for the low, low price of $19.99! That's right, 3 timeless treasures for under twenty dollars! Call now, operators are standing by.



*Exerpt from 352 Things That Fit down a Laundry Chute:

267.) Dirty Diapers
268.) Any shoe in the house, although Daddy-sized ones can get stuck
269.) Cats Authors' note: This posture is only theoretical as neither Monkey nor Bear has been able to coax and lift one high enough to test the theory.
270.) Soda cans
271.) The Sunday paper

**Exerpt from The Toddler's Guide on How to Condition Your Parents

Chapter 82: Don't Go Silently Into That Good Night
As we have discussed in previous chapters, it is always recommended to keep your parents off their guards. This is especially true and easy in reference to sleep. It has been our experience that a sleep deprived parent is a controllable parent. Want to watch "Abby's First Sleepover" 600 times? Simply pretend that there is electrified force field surrounding your bedroom that shocks anyone under the age of 5 when crossed. Scream at the proper decible level described in chapter 36 (Screaming Cuz We Like To) and for added affect, do the noodle technique as described in chapter 51 (Affective Tantrum Throwing and You). If properly executed, you should be able to watch that episode of Sesame Street over and over. Good Luck!

LIfe Goes Better With Duct Tape

Oh dear Readers, there is never a dull moment at Casa de Gato y Ninas. If you were cogniscent during the 70s or if you have had experience with toddlers, you may have heard about a fad called streaking. Well, we here under the bigtop are going through a retro-phase in that our little Monkey is all about the naked. Actually, she is more about the diaperless life than the Full Monty. I personally think toddler nakedness is pretty cute, but the cuteness stops when said toddler pees all over the floor, bed, towel, her hand, etc. So until she is more ready to be potty trained, we are breaking out the duct tape. Red Green would be proud.

Slow Down, You Move Too Fast!!

Oh dear readers, the wheels of change are rolling fast. My old road is rapidly changing and I should get out of the new one if I can't lend a hand cuz the times they are a changin. Okay, I will stop with the 60s song lyrics, but life is changing here at Casa de Gato y Ninas. Too fast for my tastes!

My dear readers, Abigail has started the ball rolling with a huge milestone. She figured out how to climb out of her crib tonight. To be fair to her, she's been working on it for about 3 months, but this time, she was successful, to some extent. I say this as I intervened before she hit the ground, literally. I was in the bathroom and heard what I thought was her gearing up to scream. It's a very distinct Abigail noise that is the vocal equivalent of a pitcher winding up for a fast ball. Even though Eleanor was clearly not asleep, I quickly scooted in to try and nip the crying jag in the bud. Since I was going from the bright bathroom to the dark room, I was pretty much blind, but could tell from her noises that she was standing, so I moved toward the sound, expecting to run into the crib rails. Instead, I ran into her body!! I felt her second leg fall off the top of the rail and grabbed her under the arms just as she was about to drop to the ground and certain head trauma. Sniff, sniff. My babies aren't babies any more!

As I said, she's been working on this for a while, so we have been reading up on it. I remember reading a message board discussion where a mom was contemplating toddler beds as her little one was going AWOL from the Infant State Penetentiary at 13 month old. Her question for the audience was, "Isn't she too young for this?" to which one person replied, "Clearly the answer is no. You may not be ready for her to graduate to a big girl bed, but she is." I remember thinking how harsh but how true that comment was, not just in reference to the bedding situation. So many times have the girls done something when I wasn't ready to hit that milestone yet. They did it with crawling, teeth, walking, and talking, just to name a few. I am sure the Great Bed Migration of 2008 won't be the last time that the Bear and Monkey leave Mom and Dad bewildered and in their dust. So before I get too sappy and nostalgic on y'all, I'll leave you with a good song that talks about looking back. Please note the section after the weird little Robin/Kermit conversation-it made me tear up:

So that was my evening. Just another day under the Big Top, I guess. Stay tuned for our next installment where Eleanor, not to be outdone by Sister, gets a job and goes off to college at 19 months. Until then, courage.

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY Anniversary

Per usual, I am a day late and a dollar short, but I failed to log our 2nd matrimonial anniversary last month. Although we didn't do much on the day itself, the day before, my beloved surprised me with a meal at Broder's Pasta Bar. So super yum, I can still taste it. If you ever have the opportunity to go, please do so.
Another of our traditions is to have our photo taken at the site where we had our nuptials, the Lake Harriet Rose Garden. Since the babies were there in spirit ( although at that point we thought it was just baby), they are dragged out and bribed to look cute. All I can say is that it's a darn good thing that they are just naturally adorable and photogenic, so even when they are screaming bloody murder, the shot isn't totally lost. So without further ado, a summary of our last 3 September 23rds at the Rose Garden:
2006-the original shots



The whole scene








Vowing








Favorite Photo (technically not at the Rose Garden, but still pretty darn good!)












2007 First anniversary (Monkey and Bear 6 months old)




Abigail-the only happy shot of the day

The Monkey-Check out that hair!










The closest we got to everyone looking at the camera-BEST shot of the day.













Pretty cute

2008 Second Anniversary (Monkey and Bear 18 months old)
What a difference a year makes! The girls are almost to big now to manhandle into submission, so this was a pretty difficult shoot. But our perserverant photographer, Sez, stuck it out and got some wonderful shots. The biggest disappointment was that they cut down the tree under which we had our ceremony. Sad.




One of the cutest photos of all of us













Eleanor and Daddy discuss the pros and cons of drinking the water in the fountain












while Momma and Abigail look for life in the bottom of the fountain













Doing the Cheerio Dance











This was such a great shot last year, that we tried to redo it this year...yeah, not so much. Every time we tried to get closer together, A would scream. Sigh. A sign of things to come, I fear.







What's left of the tree.











There you have it. Clan Gacek-where every day truly is an adventure! I will leave you with one last photo: in front of our new house. Please note, we did not try to all dress alike, it just sorta happened. Hope all is well and until next time, solid.

Adventures in parenting

So the Bear has a yeast infection and I got nominated to go to Walgreen's to get her some medicine. Apparently buying an antifungal medicine for your daughter is akin to buying her a box of femine hygene products-in other words, not something daddies do. So there I was, 8 at night staring at the Monostat and Vagisil and not seeing what it was the nurse line suggested. I finally sucked it up and asked the pharmacy tech where I could find Lotramin AF. He pointed me toward the foot powder aisle. Yeah, that's right, the foot powder aisle. Unlike my assumption that Lotramin would be something like the adult drugs for a yeast infection and therefore housed with them, Lotramin is used for athlete's foot and jock itch.

A little dazed and weirded out by the jock itch medicine for my 18 month old child in my hand, I wandered past the ice cream aisle. I remembered that Walgreens is the only place that carries our favorite flavor of Ben and Jerry's (Triple Caramel Chunk, seriously, I could mainline it) so I grabbed that, too.

As I was leaving the store with my little bag and contemplating the weird look the check out clerk gave me, it dawned on me that I had just purchased a tube of jock itch ointment and a pint of ice cream. Wow. Probably not a combo that clerk sees often. It reminds me of my most favorite grocery order that I ever rang up while working at the MPFC: a box of condoms, a can of spray starch, and a cucumber. I didn't even ask him if he wanted paper or plastic, just dropped the items carefully in to the bag and let him go on his way. I think I did tell him, as my Wally's clerk told me, "Have a great night," and all with a straight face.

Misery loves company

So apparently I am not the only one who is annoyed by some aspect of "Goodnight Moon." Check out this post on one of my new favorite blogs, "The Poop." While there, read past posts on Elmo. I recommend having a tissue and a bottle of Advil near by as you will laugh until you are both aching and crying. So without further ado, The Poop:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/parenting/detail?blogid=29&entry_id=29476#readmore

Should I Be Concerned?

The other day, I was giving the girls a bath. We got these great letters that, when wet, stick to the tub. The girls LOVE them and love to try to get them to stick to other things. So on the day in question, I looked over at Eleanor and she was trying to get the "A" to stick to her chest. I guess my only saving grace is that the letter is orange.

So my friends Jen and Amy sent me these. Way too funny not to share. And why are they funny? That's right, because it's true.

Toddler's Creed part 1

1. If I want it, it's mine.
2. If I give it to you and
   change my mind later, it's mine.
3. If I can take it away from you,
   it's mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago,
   it's mine.
5. If it's mine, it will never belong
   to anybody else, no matter what.
6. If we are building something together,
   all the pieces are mine.
7. If it looks just like mine,
   it's mine.

Interestingly enough, shortly after I received this first one, Bear learned how to say, "MINE!"


The Toddler’s Creed part 2

1. If it is on, I must turn it off.
2. If it is off, I must turn it on.
3. If it is folded, I must unfold it.
4. If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.
5. If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.
6. If it is high, it must be reached.
7. If it is shelved, it must be unshelved.
8. If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.
9. If it has leaves, they must be picked.
10. If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.
11. If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.
12. If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.
13. If it is closed, it must be opened.
14. If it does not open, it must be screamed at.
15. If it has drawers, they must be rifled.
16. If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table.
17. If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.
18. If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.
19. If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.
20. If it is stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.
21. If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.
22. If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.
23. If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.
24. If it is paper, it must be torn.
25. If it has buttons, they must be pressed.
26. If the volume is low, it must go high.
27. If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.
28. If it is a drawer, it must be pulled upon.
29. If it is a toothbrush, it must not be inserted into my mouth.
30. If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.
31. If it is a phone, I must talk to it.
32. If it is a bug, it must be swallowed.
33. If it doesn't stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.
34. If it is not food, it must be tasted.
35. If it is food, it must not be tasted.
36. If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.
37. If it is a carseat, it must be protested with an arched back.
38. If it is Mommy (or Daddy), it must be hugged.

I am toddler!

I would like to add the following:

1. If it has wheels, it must be flipped over and studied intensely
   
2. If it has seat belts, I must lock them myself.
3. If it is a cat, I must lay on, pull parts of it, poke its eyes, taunt it, and otherwise make it miserable.
4. If it is a diaper, it must be protested with an arched back and earth-shattering screams.
5. If it is food, it belongs down my shirt.
6. If it is food and it isn't down my shirt, it belongs on the floor or in my seat for later snacking.
7. If it is a sister, it must never sleep when I am awake.
8. If it is a rock garden, each rock must be individually inspected for quality purposes, then moved to a holding location.
9. If it is 3 AM, I must be awake, as should everyone else in the household.
10. If Mommy/Daddy has a bad day, I must sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and dance until she/he smiles.
    

Our New Favorite Song

There's something different here

No, I didn't get my hair cut or lose weight (GOD I WISH!). I just figured the old blogspot needed a fresh coat of paint and a little remodeling. Notice the new background and Monkey/Bear photos. One thing I have noticed about them getting older is that it's more and more difficult to catch them being cute at the same time, not that it was EVER easy.
Notice, too that there is a new feature. The copy cat is at it again. Yes, Pepicek, I stole your feature of letting us know what is in and what isn't, but it's only cuz I love it so much. It so helps me to make sure that my little circus is just that and not crossing the border into freak show.
So, until next time, hope all is well. Stay tuned for an update on the Ringmaster and Man's Geek Fest 2008-X-Files, Dark Knight, AND the Star Wars exhibit?!?! Nerd heaven! I seriously can't wait!

How to keep two 16 month olds occupied for hours

Give them their carseat buckles while you wash the covers to the seats and voila!!

Random update

So if you have seen the little ladies lately, you will know that they are growing by leaps and bounds. This goes for their personalities as well. Here are 3 stories for your reading pleasure which all illustrate a typical day in the life of Clan Gacek.

The Monkey and the Cheese:

So I gave the girls cheese sticks-whole cheese sticks. Both of them plopped on the floor and started munching along. Well, for some reason, A got tired of eating hers and tossed it just a little ways away from her, but right next to Eleanor. So E grabs the stick and hands it to Abigail who narrows her eyes and tosses it again. Again, E picks it up and hands it to her. By this time, A is ticked, grabs the slimy cheese stick and with an exasperated UNH, whips it across the room. Eleanor did not get up to get it.

Music Soothes the Savage Beast[s]:

For those of you who don't know, we moved into our new Casa de Gato y Ninas this past weekend. Along with the house, we purchased a piano, intending for the girls to eventually take lessons. Well, needless to say, they are fascinated with the thing. They can both crawl up onto the bench and reach the keys. So yesterday they are both sitting up there playing away and pretty soon Monkey starts saying, "EH EH EH!!" Then the Bear joins in, both babies yelling, "EH EH EH!!!!" Finally E points down the keyboard. They wanted the bench to be moved down so they could play new keys. As soon as I moved them a bit, they were contented.

Comedy of Errors-funny and pretty sure we are doomed to the seventh layer of Hell:

Unfortunately, we had to make a somewhat unexpected trip to Chicago the week of June 16 for my grandmother's funeral.The whole family traveled there via minivan, which was an experience in and of itself. We also got to meet the two newest members of the family, Anthony who is 4 days younger than Monkey and Bear, and Noah who is now 6 months old. The 3 toddlers took to each other immediately and absolutely loved each other's company.

Being only 15 months, sitting in Church was not their idea of fun, so we spent a great deal of time outside having adventures. It was a beautiful day, very warm and hardly a cloud, so we spent a lot of time outside rather than in. The church was built in 1928, but in the classic Catholic church style which always seems to include millions of steps. So there we are, Abigail, Eleanor, Anthony, my cousin Shari, my mom and I, watching the babies run and frolick through the concrete pathways, ride the statuary and play the bongos on the Virgin Mary's head. Nothing too crazy, until the natives grew weary of their playthings and chaos ensued. First, Monkey decides she would like to do her best Nadia Comaneci impersonation by doing a well executed forward roll into Anthony's OCCUPIED stroller all while standing on the 4th to the bottom step of the entrance. My cousin immediately pulled back on the stroller, via instinct and I lunged forward to grab the still rolling Eleanor, only for both of us to trip over Abigail, who was having a senior moment and was crawling on the sidewalk. The end result was 3 toddlers screaming, 3 adults laughing hysterically, and one older late-arriving funeral attendee giving us all the crusty of a lifetime, damning us, I am sure, to eternal perril.

Feeling guilty that we were missing the service and worried that we would have a repeat performance of Miss Gold Medal 1976, we moved indoors to the OTHER set of 25 steps. At this point, my cousin gets tired of listening to Anthony whine, and lets him out of the stroller. He then immediately decides to show us HIS stair stepping prowess by going down the stairs like a big boy. Any of you with toddlers or younger children will know that when they are first mastering steps, more often than not, kids will back down them, using their hands and feet, in a modified bear crawl fashion. Going down like a "big kid" involves walking down the risers like any adult not completely inebriated or otherwise impaired, would tackle a staircase. I digress. Anyway, so Anthony is at the top of these stairs. To his credit, he did make it down about 5 before momentum took over and he started sliding down on his heals, but not going into a full-on log roll until about step 12. I should point out that this is my cousin Shari Lyn and any of you who know her, know that although she is only 5 feet tall, most of those 60 inches are occupied by lungs, so she shrieks, "ANTHONY THOMAS!!!!!!" Chris swears he didn't hear her inside the sanctuary up in the front of the church with the other pallbearers, but I think he is lying.

So yes it was an incredibly sad day, having to say goodbye to such a dynamic and wonderful lady, but really, there she was in all three of those little ones, having the time of her life.

So as you can see, most days we have our work cut out for us. As they say on Jon and Kate Plus 8, "It maybe a crazy life, but it's our life." Here, here, Gossleins.

A top nine list for entering the second year of life

Yeah, I know it's May.
So what better time to reflect yet again about all the things that we have learned in our first year of life in the Monkey/Bear Initiative. Here it is, then, without further ado, the top nine things that both the Ringmaster and the rest of the circus have learned, noted, or experienced since March 18, 2007. Oh, and there's a bonus gripe at the bottom of the list. ENJOY!!

1. Falls are much easier to take when cushioned by a sister.
2. If you are ever watching our girls and you want them to bring you either the television remote or the telephone, ask them to bring the No. This is now officially their names. Similarly, the girls’ names have been changed to Eleanor No and Abigail No.
3. Jamba Juice in Whole Foods has the very best music to get your groove going. Whole Foods also has a lot of cheese for sampling.
4. If you are ever building a structure in California and have run out of materials, use wet Cheerios. They are stronger than any other substance out there, save maybe partially chewed grape skins, and could definitely stand up to the earthquake activity experienced in the region. Currently, there are 5 cemented to the dining room floor that will require jack hammers and industrial buffing devices if they are ever to be removed.
5. Daddy really likes it when you use your toothbrush to comb his hair, especially if you have been sucking on the toothbrush so it’s nice and wet.
6. There is absolutely nothing cuter than a 14 month old saying, “Thank you.”
7. The drumsticks from the Bee Band do fit in the VCR, but they tend to get stuck on the door flap when you pull them out due to the little Cilia on both sides of the sticks. This requires one to pull as hard as she can while grunting. This also often requires a diaper change.
8. Cheerios are much better if chewed by a sister then pulled out of her mouth and stuffed into your own mouth.
9. Although it would seem like they would, the afore mentioned drumsticks do not make any sound when used on the head of a sister. The sister, on the other hand, does.

And the previously referred to bonus gripe for your enjoyment:

· An issue that needs to be addressed:

Dear Margaret Wise Brown,

Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful story like Goodnight Moon. The repetitive rhythm of the text captivates my daughters and they love to listen to them over and over and over. However lately, I have become increasingly annoyed with the choice of text beginning with “Goodnight Moon.” Why follow this sentence with, “Goodnight cow jumping over the moon?” This, in my mind, breaks up the flow of the story by repeating “moon” too quickly. Another sticking point is why say goodnight to nobody? “Nobody” is not mentioned prior to this spot in the story, and yet there is a whole page devoted to nobody. Conversely, the telephone one of the first things listed as occupying space in the great green room, and it never receives a goodnight nod from the narrator. Perhaps it could replace nobody.

I recently read that you wrote your stories as children liked to hear them, not as adults think that they should be written. This is indeed a noble and most child-centric way to write and I fully support your effort. However, please know that until the telephone gets its just dues, nobody loses its significant, yet random kudos and the cow and the moon issue is sorted out, 2 little girls in Minnesota will be denied their AAP recommended 15 daily servings of your story. I realize that you have been dead since 1952, but science has made some great breakthroughs in cryogenics, so I am certain you will be able to make the necessary changes to your “classic” in time before my girls go into Moon withdrawal.

Thank you for your time.

Sarah A. Gacek

It's Elemental

Dear readers,
Ever want to watch Monkey and Bear grow before your eyes? Now you can do so! Notice on the right side of your screen there is a new addition to our virtual home: a slide show. Right now, I am still working on putting the pictures in order, so one could be very confused as to the time line of the show. Never fear, dear Readers. I will get it done so your brain won't be taxed with why poor baby E's hair grows and falls out constantly.
Until later, warmth.
-s-

Back to the Future

So I was packing up books today and ran across my copy of Ramona Quimby, Age 8. Staring up at me in the box was this book cover:

And the first face I thought of was this one:

Do you think I should aside one of my sick days already for blue oatmeal day?

Karaoke with the Monkey

And now for your listening pleasure, Eleanor "the Monkey" Gacek is ready to take the stage.

Thank you Minneapolis and thank you Ringmaster for that wonderful introduction. Hello everyone and thank you for coming. You know, being 10 and a half months, I've learned a lot about life, love, and music. So in honor of Valentine's Day, I'd like to sing you one of my all-time favs: "Love Hurts" by Nazareth.

Love hurts, love scars, Love wounds, and marks,
Any heart, not tough, Or strong, enough
To take a lot of pain, Take a lot of pain
Love is like a cloud Holds a lot of rain
Love hurts, ooh ooh love hurts

I'm young, I know, But even so
I know a thing, or two I learned, from you
I really learned a lot, Really learned a lot
Love is like a flame: It burns you when its hot
Love hurts, ooh ooh love hurts

Some fools think of happiness Blissfulness, togetherness
Some fools fool themselves I guess. They're not foolin me

I know it isnt true, I know it isnt true
Love is just a lie, Made to make you blue
Love hurts, ooh, ooh love hurts Ooh,ooh love hurts

GUITAR SOLO-Take it Abigail!!!

Wait, what? I wasn't, what now?

I know it isn't true, I know it isn't true
Love is just a lie, Made to make you blue
Love hurts, ooh ooh love hurts
Ooh ooh love hurts
Ooh ooh...love hurts.

Oh thank you Minneapolis! You are so kind, so kind. We love playing here! Thank you! We'll be back soon!

Yeah, don't ask what that was, but just know that I thought it was funny. It just looked like she was singing and that song popped into my head and....

See what we have to deal with?? Sigh. I sure hope those weird genes all went to Eleanor and not me!

That Old Black Magic

I am not your average Gen Xer. I only read 2 blogs regularly. I know other people have them, but usually I forget the address and it's such a pain to sift through my mail to find the URL.
So yesterday I am reading one of them and I come across an entry talking about Oujii. Now anyone who knows the Ringmaster, knows that I was ADDICTED to Oujii in late middle school, so of course when the word is brought up, I am all ears, or, in this case, eyes. In reading further, I see that kms refers to a procedure that you can do to "predict" your future children with just a necklace, a pendant, and your bare hands. Well now I am totally focused. What does the Ringmaster love more than french fries, Chipotle and Diet Coke but the mystic arts!! So of course I had to do the trick at my desk (yes, I have a job now...more on that later. Stick to the story at hand. Geez!) So you take a necklace with a pendant on it and hold it so it dangles from your right hand. Let it dangle over your left hand, holding it as still as possible. It will start to move and it will tell you not only the number of children you are having, but their sex as well. It all depends on the trajectory of the pendant: back and forth means boys (apparently they make you rock, possibly in fetal position) and in a circle for girls (cuz they make your head spin-or maybe it's their heads that spin). It will briefly pause between readings, indicating another child. At first the necklace gods were right on-circle, Eleanor, pause, circle, Abigail, pause, circle, pause, circle, pause, back and forth, pause, circle, pause, back and forth, pause...at which point I stopped the game. This far from scientific predictor coupled with the fact that if you already have fraternal twins, your chances for having another set with the next pregnancy quadruple, well, let's just say that me and my little Mirena are BFF.

incidentally, if you would like to read the original post, migrate to http://caffeinatedlove.blogspot.com/
and for something to quell your sorrows in a truly Minnesotan way, go to http://dackyardigins.blogspot.com/ great recipes and great photos.

That Old Sinking Feeling

So the babies love to play in our room. Problem is that the house is old and in order for the door to stay open, we have to use a rubber doorstop stolen from the Graves 601 Hotel fka Le Meridien. Well, usually, one or both babies will take out the doorstop and the the door will eventually swing almost completely shut. They are in there right now, giggling and babbling to each other. Any other person in their right mind would think, "Oh how sweet! They are playing together and having fun." Not me. Apparently I have issues, because I feel like I have been magically whisked away to 8th grade and the popular girls are in the other room making fun of me. Sigh. I know this is ilogical, since these "popular girls" are only 9 months old and can only speak Baby. But still, it's hard to refute when I go into the room and Monkey unsuccessfully lurches for the door to shut it before I get in. Then both parties guiltily put down the mounds of my clean underwear over which they had apparently been dishing. They stare at me and I swear I can feel the braces back on my teeth. Man, this parenting stuff is hard.