Hippo

Watch this crazy video of the Hippo at the Zoo!

highlights of a biped

Madeleine at the zoo showing her stuff.

Top 10

Max and Madeleine's Top Ten Favorite-est Things in San Diego

10. The little playground near Auntie M and Uncle T's house. Particularly the tall slide and the creepy frog.

9. Seeing Mommy squashed between the car seats in the back of the volvo.

8. The lemon tree in the side yard.

7. Auntie Martha's deep bath tub.

6. The weather.

5. Monkeys at the zoo.

4. The hippo at the zoo.

3. Skateboarding with Uncle Ted.

2. La Jolla!!! The beach!!!

1. Bailey, the dog.

#7

#6

#5

#4

#3

#2

#1

California....California....

We're back from vacation. We hope all of our friends and family had a wonderful Thanksgiving day and have started the holiday season well. I heard today that Hanukkah is on the 4th of December! Sucks to be Jewish this year! (just kidding, of course) that is very early- I'd be hard pressed to get my shopping done by that time.

On Monday we left for San Diego. We left early! Michael and I were up by 3:30 (actually I think Michael got up earlier than that!) and at the airport by 5:30. The kids did mostly well on the way there. The plane and all the people on it didn't cease to amaze them. Their favorite activity was standing on the tray table and looking over the seats. Although they didn't sleep as much as I would have liked them to (Max fell fast asleep as the plane touched ground) I cannot complain about the flight. That is until I discuss the ride home....

We went to see Auntie Martha and Uncle Ted, but the highlight was really their cousin Bailey, the dog.


















Now, in this photo Bailey potentially looks like a big dog- at least he is shaped like one. He is not. He is the size of a new born baby, a very oddly shaped newborn baby. He came up mid-thigh to the babes and they thought that was the funniest damn thing ever! In fact, Madeleine could not stop repeating the word, "doggie" over and over and over. At one point we all thought she was referring to us and that our name was actually "doggie".

Mommy= doggie
Daddy= doggie
Marthie=doggie
Uncle Ted=doggie
You get the idea.

We enjoyed many parts of San Diego, number one being Uncle Ted's and Aunt Marthie's awesome house! We touched every thing on our level. We dropped anything heavy that we could find on their wood floors. We dragged their fabulous rocking chair all over. We swiffered our tail off (if your name is Max). And, best of all, we fed the doggie everything! Bailey must still have the runs.

We visited the zoo and the beach. We ate ice cream and Uncle Ted's homemade apple pie. We drank from Auntie Marthie's cool water bottles and chased the dog till our legs couldn't run anymore!

Thanks, Martha and Ted, for a fabulous Thanksgiving and a wonderful vacation. It was great to see you. The Meyers' appreciate your hospitality!

Breast Milk

Breast milk. I have it. I lactate, and have been doing so for over a year. It doesn't gross me out but I know that it grosses other people out. My kids love it. They are attached to it. I'm not sure if they are attached to nursing (the act of sucking) or to the milk itself. Incidentally, they do not like Cow's milk. They don't drink it and when someone refers to 'milk' they think of my milk, which, has to be better than the average cow's.


I know that my nursing 17 month old babies is a debate. I know people have strong feelings about it. I know that it surprises some, perhaps it disgusts others, I know that people do not understand why I continue. They have told me this.

Let me tell you.


I worked hard to lactate efficiently for my babies. I worked hard to get them to latch on and have breast milk be their sole source of nutrition. In fact, it was probably one of the most important things I did while my babes were infants. Now that I have it I don't know how to take it away nor do I think it is important for me to do so.


When the babies were born they were rushed to the NICU. They received my milk or colostrum mixed with preemie formula. They had to have formula in order to grow, to become stronger. We couldn't afford for them to lose weight in the few days they waited for my milk to come in.

I nursed Madeleine first. She was four days old. She latched on beautifully and sucked like she knew how to (and of course she did, really). I have to say that I was scared to breast feed. I didn't know if I would like it, if it would feel weird or make me uncomfortable. I didn't mind it and thought it was amazing that I could produce nutrition for my babies just as I had done when they were in utero. I was proud of my body for doing what it was suppose to do as it had failed me many times over throughout my life.

Maxy didn't nurse until he was 10 days old. He didn't know how and didn't seem to want to. He had a poor suck reflex. He had a hard time getting the milk out and seemed to root constantly. In addition, he had a hard time getting enough milk in the bottle. He would fall asleep and refuse to take in the entire 70 cc's required for him to grow.

I cannot remember how it all transpired, sleep deprived that I was/am, but I do know that by the time the babies were 8-9 weeks old they were fully and completely on the breast. This was after we saw a feeding specialist/lactation consultant twice. I took the medication reglan and Fenugreek to make enough milk. I was able to exclusively breastfeed my twins. An accomplishment than many are not able to do.




I'm proud of this.


Our breast feeding relationship is a special one; one that I will not always have. No, I do not plan on breastfeeding until they are in kindergarten. But, if I did it really is none of your business. Sometimes my milk seems to be the only thing that calms my babies. Sometimes they need to nurse more than anything else. Why would I deny them that?



Of course they eat food just like other children. They have nearly all their teeth and do not require pureed foods. They also eat dairy in the form of yogurt and cheese. So, I guess the question "do they need breast milk" is a tricky one. Do they require it to grow in body? No. Do they require it to stave off diseases? Maybe. Do they need it to be comforted? Sometimes. Does it hurt them? No. Does it help them? Yes. Does it hurt me? Sometimes. Does it help me? Yes.



Why would I stop now?


I will discontinue our breast feeding relationship when it makes the most sense to do so.





Great Breast Milk Websites:

Breast milk
Kelly Mom
Reasons to Breast Feed

To You, My Sisters

To You, My Sisters

by Maureen K. Higgins

Many of you I have never even met face to face,

but I've searched you out every day.

I've looked for you on the Internet,

on playgrounds and in grocery stores.

I've become an expert at identifying you.

You are wellworn.

You are stronger than you ever wanted to be.

Your words ring experience,

experience you culled with your very heart and soul.

You are compassionate beyond

the expectations of this world.

You are my "sisters."

Yes, you and I, my friend, are sisters in a sorority.

A very elite sorority.

We are special.

Just like any other sorority,

we were chosen to be members.

Some of us were invited to join immediately,

some not for months or even years.

Some of us even tried to refuse membership, but to no avail.

We were initiated in neurologist's offices and NICUs,

in obstetrician's offices, in emergency rooms, and during ultrasounds.

We were initiated with somber telephone calls,

consultations, evaluations, bloodtests, x-rays, MRI films, and heart surgeries.

All of us have one thing in common.

One day things were fine.

We were pregnant, or we had just given birth,

or we were nursing our newborn, or we were playing with our toddler.

Yes, one minute everything was fine.

Then, whether it happened in an instant, as it often does,

or over the course of a few weeks or months, our entire lives changed.

Something wasn't quite right.

Then we found ourselves mothers of children with special needs.

We are united, we sisters, regardless of the diversity of our children's special needs.

Some of our children undergo chemotherapy.

Some need respirators and ventilators.

Some are unable to talk, some are unable to walk.

Some eat through feeding tubes.

Some live in a different world.

We do not discriminate against those mothers whose

children's needs are not as"special" as our child's.

We have mutual respect and empathy for all the women who walk in our shoes.

We are knowledgeable.

We have educated ourselves with whatever materials we could find.

We know "the"specialists in the field.

We know "the" neurologists,"the" hospitals, "the" wonder drugs, "the" treatments.

We know "the" tests that need to be done,

we know"the" degenerative and progressive diseases

and we hold our breath while our children are tested for them.

Without formal education,

we could become board certified in neurology, endocrinology, and psychology.

We have taken on our insurance companies and schoolboards

to get what our children need to survive, and to flourish.

We have prevailed upon the State to include augmentative communication devices

in special education classes and mainstream schools for our children with cerebral palsy.

We have labored to prove to insurance companies

the medical necessity of gait trainers

and other adaptive equipment for our children with spinal cord defects.

We have sued municipalities to have our children properly classified so they could receive education and evaluation commensurate with their diagnosis.

We have learned to deal with the rest of the world,

even if that means walking away from it.

We have tolerated scorn in supermarkets during"tantrums" and gritted our teeth while discipline was advocated by the person behind us in line.

We have tolerated inane suggestions and home remedies from well-meaning strangers.

We have tolerated mothers of children without special needs

complaining about chicken pox and ear infections.

We have learned that many of our closest friends can't understand

what it'sl ike to be in our sorority,

and don't even want to try.

We have our own personal copies of Emily Perl Kingsley's "A Trip To Holland"

and Erma Bombeck's "The Special Mother".

We keep them by our bedside and read and reread them during our toughest hours.

We have coped with holidays.

We have found ways to get our physically handicapped children

to the neighbors' front doors on Halloween,

and we have found ways to help our deaf children form the words, "trick or treat."

We have accepted that our children with sensory dysfunction will never wear velvet or lace on Christmas.

We have painted a canvas of lights and a blazing Yule log with our words for our blind children.

We have pureed turkey on Thanksgiving.

We have bought white chocolate bunnies for Easter.

And all the while, we have tried to create a festive atmosphere for the rest of our family.

We've gotten up every morning since our journey began wondering how we'd make it through another day, and gone to bed every evening not sure how we did it.

We've mourned the fact that we never got to relax and sip red wine in Italy.

We've mourned the fact that our trip to Holland has required much more baggage than we ever imagined when we first visited the travel agent.

And we've mourned because we left for the airport

without most of the things we needed for the trip.

But we, sisters, we keep the faith always.

We never stop believing.

Our love for our special children and our belief in all that they will achieve in life knows

no bounds.

We dream of them scoring touchdowns and extra points and home runs.

We visualize them running sprints and marathons.

We dream of them planting vegetable seeds, riding horses and chopping down trees.

We hear their angelic voices singing Christmas carols.

We see their palettes smeared with watercolors,

and their fingers flying over ivory keys in a concert hall.

We are amazed at the grace of their pirouettes.

We never, never stop believing in all they will accomplish as they pass through this world.

But in the meantime, my sisters, the most important thing we do,

is hold tight to their little hands as together,

we special mothers and our special children, reach for the stars.

Communication

If I think back to what I have done in a year and a half time it is nothing compared to what my children have accomplished! Granted the last 17 months have been a whirlwind and we have all grown in the Meyers Family, both size wise for some of us (Max and Madeleine) and emotionally for others (Michael and myself). But what about before the babies' conception? What about from the time I was 23-24.5? Nothing much happened. I cannot even remember it!

However, in 17 months time my babies have learned to roll over, to crawl, to grab toys, to eat, to walk and now they are learning how to talk. Since Madeleine started to walk well she has made huge gains in the language department.

Madeleine says:

Baby (clearly)

Apple (Bapple)

Ball (clearly, it is her favorite word! Everything is a ball whether it is a real ball or a christmas ornament or even a pea- it is a ball)

Balloon (boon)

Book (boo)

Dog (clearly)

Duck (Dut)

This (Dis)

Binky (bee)

Stinky (anky)

Leaves (leeeesss)

Bath (Baa)

Mama (lovingly)

Dada (excitedly)

Bye (clearly)

Hi (enthusiastically)

No (dohhhh)



Max says:

Baby (Ba...by)

Apple (Aappol)

Ball

Book (boop)

Dog (clearly)

Duck (Duk)

This (Dis)

Shoes (soooos)

Binky (bimpy)

Yucky (acky)

Stinky (sinky)

Bath (Baa)

Diaper (iiper)

Uh- Oh (enthusiastically and clearly)

Mama (lovingly and a little whiny)

Daddy (excitedly and clearly)

Bye (clearly)

Hi (enthusiastically)

No (nooooo)


It is wonderful to be able to talk to your kids and have them talk back. I cannot wait for more.

Lessons Learned

If I were to die tomorrow what lessons have I learned that I would want to pass to my children? How would I have lived life differently. In no particular order:

1. I would never have started smoking. Even though I do not smoke now I wonder what damage I did before.

2. I would have stayed in college the first time. That would have been a hard road to navigate but would have been worth it.

3. I would have recognized that my 'majors' were not lucrative careers. You can only go so far in French and Comparative Literature.

4. I would have invested my money earlier.

5. I would have never quit the track team on the first day.

6. I would have thought harder about vegetarianism.

7. I would have travelled more while in Europe.

8. I would have worked harder to stay in touch with my sister. We are in touch now, but how many years/experiences did I miss out on.

9. I would have worn sunscreen more.

10. I would have exercised more as a teenager.

11. I would have judged less.

12. I would have put myself in the number one position, no matter what.

Granted, you cannot live life again. And you shouldn't mourn the past. But to recognize lessons learned- now that is worthwhile.

Lessons Learned:

• Exercise
• Respect yourself
• Beware of toxins that enter your system, both physically and socially
• Be nice
• Money does matter
• Carpe Diem

Conception Day

Two years ago today the babies were conceived. My eggs were taken and injected with Michael's sperm. They grew in a dish for three days and then were put back into my body. Baby A and B continued to grow and became Max and Madeleine.

To see the progression of growth and to know that they started as mere cells and turned into fully functioning people is amazing to me.

I feel so incredibly blessed to know Max and Madeleine. I feel so lucky to be their mom. Happy Conception Day to my babies!

schedules, life and sleeping

What do you do the day after your anniversary, birthday, Christmas, fill in special day here.... It is just another day. Not that our anniversary was all that and a bag of chips. But, seriously, we are back to the routine, the schedule, our life. For what it is worth, Michael and I are 'going out' on our date night on Friday. Where? We don't know. If you have suggestions please comment below.

So today is Thursday. We have had our typical Thursday. A night of little sleeping and I wake up with a headache. Not that uncommon but less common than before kids (it's a long story but oddly enough I was allergic to dairy before pregnancy and do not seem to be anymore- who knew!). The babes and I take Michael to work. We search for something to do in the morning to exhaust the little rugrats, something that will cause sleepiness in the later morning. This will ensure a good nap and a fun day at school.

This morning I got a timely call from my dear friend asking for us to have a playdate. A sucker for non-planning, I oblige. The Ms loved playing with her son, T. In fact, I did very little parenting this morning as the babes played with T's toys and swapped water bottles, my friend and I caught up with each other (we haven't spent much time together in a while) whilst sipping coffee. Relaxing indeed.

At nap time (we left too late) we get in the minivan and make the 15 minute trek home. By the time we pull up in front of the building Max is sleeping soundly and Madeleine is making all the gestures that she too, is tired. I haul the kids up and miraculously Max remains sleeping. Madeleine, however, doesn't take her nap for another 45 minutes or so. grumble grumble. When she is ready she poops and cries as I change her dipe. Max wakes up and I soothe he and his sister back into slumber. Sounds good, eh?

Well, we are suppose to be at school at 12:30 (yep, prime time toddler nap!) As Madeleine falls asleep at 11:40 I'm going to venture to say that we are not going to make it to school. What am I crazy? To wake a sleeping toddler and drag two kids to the car? Sure, I'd like to have them go to school and get my bit of time to myself but honestly, with my headache, I'm not up to it.

It is 12:40 and they are still sleeping. We are not going to school today.

Happy Anniversary

It is Michael and my four year anniversary today. We don't have pictures- we eloped. Pictures were taken on that cold day in the court room but we never got the film developed (blush). My memories of the day are better than any pictures I would see anyway. Here's how it worked:

November 3rd: Michael and I talked about how much we hated the wedding planning stuff. We talked about eloping and 'just doing it' and having our own special wedding day that was our secret.

November 5th: I called Michael at work to tell him that we could get married on Friday. They had an 'opening' at noon.

November 7th: I picked Michael up from work. We went to the court house and got married. We spent the night at the Four Seasons Hotel. We danced, ate chocolate covered strawberries, toasted with champagne, it was perfect.

June 19, 2004: We had our wedding ceremony. It was lovely but not as good as our actual special wedding day.

November 7, 2007: We have twins that we love more than anything (besides each other, of course). We are so happy to have our family and to be spending the rest of our days together.

Dear Michael,
Happy Anniversary. I love you more today than I ever have before. I love that you take care of me by doing the dishes and cleaning the house when I'm exhausted, like last night. I love that you remind me to eat during the day because you know that I am more likely to grab a cup of coffee and a scone. I love that you make me laugh at least once a day every day, like this morning in the car. I love that you love our babies as much as I do.

I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you.

I love you,
Wifey

Independence

It's official, Madeleine is a biped. She has been working on walking for a while now but I couldn't figure out when I would officially call her a walker. Well, earlier (like Wednesday or something) this week she walked down the hall without holding on. I was shocked. Since then she has dazzled me with her independence.

She walks most places now. The videos below are from earlier in the week with some funny out takes.

I'm so proud of her. She got her helper leg on September fourth. It took her two months to really figure it out.