Mythology and Rodents

Someone, unfortunately I can't remember who, gave Carina a book about the constellations called Once Upon a Starry Night for Christmas. I am totally smitten by her learning to say Cassiopia, Andromeda, Perseus, Hercules, and the rest. She always tells me that she doesn't like Orion's name. And she can't wait for Perseus to get there to save Andromeda from the sea beast. The book ends with the story about Argo, which she knows is "hers". (Carina is the keel of the great ship Argo.) Every time she tells me that "Pegasus is a winged horse" and "'Dromeda is a princess" it melts my heart.

She also, for whatever reason, has been asking me to make squirrels out of her play-doh on a daily basis. Here's the first I did, and it's pretty good if I do say so myself.


After I finish she wants to cut them up with the scissors. I'm not sure what to think about the fact that she seems to get great joy out of vivisecting my creations. I guess I should just be glad she's not asking for dogs or babies.

Slave Labor

Since I've received a few worried phone calls about the contents of the blog, I guess I'd better post something cheerful instead of just venting today.

Carina has really been taking to being a big sister, as we thought she would. She always wants to help and recently has decided she really likes washing baby bottles. Right after I snapped this picture, Gavin asked her if she could say "slave labor". (She can.) She also brings the babies toys all the time.



Aside on the photo: Only a dad would hold his twins like Rambo packing double heat.

I took the twins today and met some people for lunch. As we were eating, a lady from the next table came over and asked if I was "zoyapunk". (That's a screen name I use a lot.) She's from the local Mother of Multiples chapter and recognized me from my profile and the two babies I was toting around. I've been telling people for a while that having multiples gets you access to this underground club. Only other parents of multiples really understand what you're going through, and they are always sympathetic and wanting to help you get through the day. You also have no idea how many multiples there are around until you have them yourself. The local MOM group is really fabulous, and I've very much enjoyed getting to know some of them over the internet. I hope to go to the meeting next week and meet some in real life.

Last night I went to book club. It was so much fun. None of us enjoyed the book, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, but that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves. Next month we're reading Playing the Enemy. In addition to having an excuse to hang out with some great ladies once a month, the expansion of my reading repitoir is a good thing.

One final cheerful thought: Today is Friday, and Gavin has 2AM feeding duty for the next three nights thanks to the three day weekend. 6 hours sleep, here I come!

Dec 2009 Pre-Christmas

Twins Come Home

The Pregnancy - Day 255

Today is day 53 in Confinement. The parasitic organisms that have taken up residence in my abdomen continue to pummel my internal organs until my muscles contract regularly. I've been told this process will eventually result in my body expelling the little organisms and that they will look like human children. I have my doubts, as I've had regular contractions 1-2 times a day for nearly two months now and so far there is no sign of the organisms tiring of their warm home.

Meanwhile, my abdomen has swollen to alarming proportions to accommodate the growing organisms. The doctors measure this swelling on a "40 week" scale. I score somewhere in the 50s. As the clothing provided to people in my condition is also cut to accommodate the 40 week size, I am reduced to wearing a few highly stretched garments over and over. As expulsion of the organisms will be forced in 10 days at the most, purchasing new clothing is not efficient. If even such clothing could be found.



My spirits are relatively high as some of the stabbing pain that persisted through the last few weeks has subsided. Perhaps the organisms have become so crowded that they cannot maneuver their sharp, pointy bits into the same places anymore. Whatever the cause, I am grateful.

My prison-like diet continues to bore me, but I was able to sneak some of the good food late last week while the non-afflicted in my household were consuming to excess. The parasites seem to be more and more jealous of the food that I do eat as they seem to be attempting to expel it back up my esophagus on a regular basis. This has been causing more and more discomfort over the last two weeks. I look forward to the feast I will have once the organisms are expelled, and I am allowed normal food again.

Birthday and Hippie Baby Clothes

Let me just take this moment to say what wonderful friends I have. We held my birthday dinner at home last night. Sarha and Debbie both provided me with some things to do on bedrest (I'm starting the bibs today, Sarah!). Everyone volunteered to come to the house for lunch periodically so that I could have some company during the day. We had a great time and actually ate up the humungous amount of BBQ I ordered. Carina had a great time playing with everyone, doing Sarah's hair, and insisting that I open all my presents as soon as she could convince me to.

My wonderful husband Gavin got me the Kindle 2. I've been coveting a Kindle for 2 years, but was never able to justify the cost. I downloaded The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society last night, which is the first book chosen by our newly minted book club. It was pretty cool - a couple button pushes and I have a new book without leaving my couch! This could be really dangerous. :)

Before the bedrest order hit, I managed to finish laundering the tie-dye onesies from the baby shower last weekend. Here are the results - click here for more.


There are about half a dozen shirts that came out really, really well. Including the one with the circles in the picture above, which might be my favorite - I believe it is by Debbie. The only problem was creating those circles required like 100 rubber bands wrapped tightly around little bunches of cloth. My hands were green for two days from the dye; in fact, there is still a green tinge to a few of my fingernails.

Tiaras and Dog Collars

Picture time! We've definitely slowed on the picture taking. These are all the good ones I've taken since Christmas.

She's fascinated by the dogs' collars. Whatever, it makes her happy.


She got a tiara for Valentine's Day. Interesting.


It's hard to tell, but day care did her hair in pig tails again.


She loves these blocks from Grandma Sheppard.

Airplane!

Photos

I haven't been keeping up with my photos recently. Here are a few from the last few months.

Here are Carina and I at her first football game. Too bad the Huskies suck this year.


When we were in Seattle, we had dinner with some of my friends from drumline. Here are all the kids (except Larson, who was already sleeping). I like this picture because it kind of shows how all the kids were with each other all night. David, the oldest, was fairly calm. Josh was going nuts (they got a lot of sugar that afternoon, apparently). Carina was interested, but bemused, by both of them.


We went to a park and got lots of photos of Carina playing in the leaves. The fall color was awesome while we were there.


Here are Carina and I in our Halloween costumes.


And here are the Baird twins on their first Halloween. I can't remember which was the pumpkin and which was the ghost.



We went to DC over Veterans Day weekend. This is pretty much how Carina looked all weekend - tired. We're at the air and space museum in this photo.


We had fun eating lunch in the sculpture garden that day. I didn't get many great photos in DC, but Gavin put some good ones up on his photo blog.

Wyoming

We are having a great time in Wyoming, as always. Monday and Tuesday we left Carina with her grandparents and did some hiking. We went to Lost Twin Lakes in the Bighorn mountains.

It was about a 5 or 5.5 mile hike in. This is the first time I've used my new backpack for actual hiking; I bought it before our trip to Patagonia, and we haven't been backpacking since. I was pretty tired by the time we got up there, but I can still walk a ways, it seems. We camped below the "lower" Twin lake. Before hiking out on Tuesday, we were discussing hiking up to the "upper" lake. Gavin turned to the side, though, and said "I'm interested in what's up there." So, we climbed a small mountain, instead.


We've been mainly playing with kiddos since. Carina is having fun with Cousin Caroline, although Caroline is a bit much for her sometimes. Carina has also definitely started talking. In addition to "daw" (dog) and "meel" (milk), which she's been saying for a while irregularly, we have heard new words "bir" (bird) and "Dacks" (Jackson).

Maroon Bells Photos

I'll write more later about the trip, but for now here are some photos.


by jmendeck

Photos Galore

I haven't done albums in months, but today I went nuts and made albums for the second half of Carina's first year. They're on the Baby Countdown page here. It's probably a bit much for most people. But, she has grandparents and they read this site.

Why did I have all this time on my hands? Because I'm sick. Again. This is after the stomach thing last week that had everyone convinced that I was pregnant. My runny nose isn't a patch on Carina's, of course, but unlike some people I do care if I have snot running down my chin. (Ew!)

Really, You Have a Blog?

During my ascent sim last night, which was boring for me since they aborted every single run, I spent the time comparing baby notes with the guy sitting next to me. At one point I went to the blog to find a picture of Carina to show him. It has been a while since I posted any! We'll take care of that.

Having fun in the garden at Grammy and Grandad's.


Playing distrustfully with that messy birthday cake.


Finally eating some birthday cake.


A great one I got of her first trip to the neighborhood pool.


This is why the dogs have been banished to lie at least 5 feet from her chair during mealtimes.

T+2 minutes

The launch was great! We were maybe 3 or 4 miles away from the pad, and plumes were brilliant against the blue sky as the shuttle climbed. The photo above is just a few moments after SRB separation, at the full-res you can see the pinpoint of light as the shuttle races away from the 'dirty' SRB exhaust clouds. And if you zoom in, you can make out the SRBs tumbling away but they're only a few pixels big.

We're meeting some friends tomorrow and maybe we'll hang out on the beach near Canaveral. Mom and Dad have been emailing us some photos of Carina, and with those plus the ones Sarah put online we're managing to not call every day and see how things are going. :)

Baby's First Ski Trip

In spite of hurting my knee, the ski trip was not a complete failure. Our one day of skiing together was quite nice. Here's Gavin at the top of a couple double blues we tried early in the day. I have another nice panoramic shot from the top I'll have to add at home after I stitch it together.

And here's pictures of the both of us with Carina watching the Rusted Root concert from our balcony. She liked the music just as much as either of us. She didn't seem to mind the cold air, either, or the snow. That girl just rolls with it.

Design Block

The other night I was amusing myself and exploring PaintShop by working on a custom design invitation for Carina's 1st birthday party. I like what I've done so far, but I'm at a loss as to what to do with the background. Maybe a couple catapillers? Flowers? What goes with alphabet blocks? And an apple?

(Completely random aside - I just saw a trailer for a new movie with Jackie Chan AND Jet Li in it. Gavin's head is going to explode!)

Anyway, back on the invitation... I welcome all ideas. I thought about just sending it to Sarah and seeing what she came up with, but I'm having fun doing it. I just need help getting past a little creative block here.

Easter Photos

Carina's grandad took lots of great pictures on Easter weekend.

I love my Grammy, and Grammy loves me!

We got her "Easter toys" instead of Easter candy.

You guys, this dress totally messes up my crawling!

Grandad labled most of these "Carina Happy". I guess that pretty much summs it up.

She's starting to climb, people!

Shona is way more willing to get up close and personal with Carina than our dogs. Carina loves it usually, but that nose is cold!

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Amazingly, I had a few minutes today to put together some recent baby pics and movies.

She can stand up now herself by holding on to us or the furniture.


Gavin really liked this one. He seems to have a thing with me wearing stupid stuff on my head.


And then for movies...

This first one is several weeks old - just to capture her laugh.


This one is more recent - just having fun.

Making Friends

We've had a pretty social month. First, Kennda was in town for a few days. We got together with her, Becca, Cari, and the Pettys. Carina and Aerik got to know each other a bit.


Then last weekend, Carina had a play date with Lily. Here they are playing in their nearly identical exersaucers.


Carina had fun helping do the laundry this morning.

Snoozing

I think Carina inherited her sleeping habits from me. When we don't have the daily necessity of getting up in time to get to day care, we tend to sleep later every morning and stay up later every night. Gavin says that we're just getting her on Pacific time early, but by the time we head back to home she's going to be on Hawaii time at this rate.

I bought my brother-in-law a game called "Masons" for Christmas. We played it a couple nights ago, and it was pretty fun. It's sort of in the "Settlers" category of games. It doesn't have the trading aspect of Settlers, which is one of my favorite things about the game. Masons can be played by two people, though, which could be very useful.

For Tracy...

Apparently, I've been terribly remiss in posting photos of the Chunk-A-Monk. Let's remedy that a little.

This one I like to call: I'll smile when I'm on my belly, but only if that other baby smiles back!


She won't consider washing dishes entertainment for long.


I love the doggie, and the doggie's scared of me!


Isn't that cute? With the slobber all running down her chin?