Quote of the Day

"Silence is Golden".

I don't really know who wrote this...

but I know they have kids.

Ahhhhh, silence. I miss you, too.

Graduation Day!

So the kiddos have finally graduated to eating something other than milk!

We started with Avocado, same as Emma, and I noticed again the trend of Romy being more like Emma...she did really well with the avocado, even manhandling her own spoon; while Henry was pretty lackluster about the whole shibang.

We have since moved on to rice cereal, and Carrots & Fenchel. Same old story: Henry's not really a good eater while Romy will basically try anything. Hopefully Henry stops being so picky!! ...or Mama finds a food that he actually LIKES. Either way, it's a nice step towards independence!

"Go on, Henry! Try it!!" - Big Sister Emma

I think this is sign language for, "Bleeeeeeeekkkk!"

FAIL.

SMILE! Picture Day!

We finally got around to having some "professional" (read: not by US) photos of Emma & the babies taken.

So we went to the park with Emma, the babies, Papa...and a dirndl (typical Southern German dress, typically worn at Oktoberfest). However, Emma decided her favorite outfit was her birthday suit and promptly stripped down to play in the fountain. It was super warm that day, so it was OK.

I'm so excited for the pics, and happy to have the moments of my sweet Emma immortalized on film. Olga kept asking me, "Is she always this happy?". I was proud to say, YES!

Emma always on the run!

Olga had to work that day.

Photoshooting over.

Dirndl & Vans...that's my kid.

How you do it Part II

With the help of this sweet-hearted little girl!

Lookalikes

I think its so fun - albeit sometimes difficult - to find out who your children looklike.

People will disect your childs face (and body!) and say its your great-grandmothers nose! Or your great-uncle's hands! Sometimes its so hard to see it, and the eternally adulterous mailman is blamed!

I think with my Henry its quite clear who he resembles...what do you think??

Nice haircut, Sam!

It's so clear, isn't it??

This last one is just for me.

Don't I look cute here? My mom made this outfit.

Are you convinced??

Abgestillt!

Ich habe abgestillt! - translation: I weaned!!!

Sorry, I had to write it in German because it's all I've been talking about lately and since I speak so often in Germany, I thought I would share it here too!

Sidenote: Can you believe I had a dream in German the other night?? And I only remembered it later because I talked to the person I was talking to in my dream, and then looked back on the dream and thought, "Hmmm, I can't believe I didn't think it was weird that I was dreaming in German!". How strange I am...

So, I am officially done being a cow - as my thinksheissodamnfunny husband puts it. In the height of it all I was pumping over 1.5 liters a day. It was extremely difficult though. Pumping 7-8 times a day while caring for twins - alone. In the end, I'm glad I fought through it, but now that it's over I truly can't see where I had the time!! I'm only a week and a half out and already it's overwhelming the time I have - of course only to be spent cleaning, doing laundry, changing poopier diapers and holding crying babies! :)

You would think in this nature-loving Germany that they would recommend you breastfeed your child until 2 or so. But not so! Here, they actually only recommend BFing until 4 months, and then starting with brei (rice or oat cereal). I thought that was a bit early. I had a student who worked for WHO (World Health Organization) and I found her to be quite informed on alot of childrens health subjects, and she told me WHO recommended to BF until 2 years old.

Interesting that German Doctors don't recommend the same - or even just a bit longer than 4 months. I remember when Emma was 15 months and we were in a playgroup and she came to me and wanted to drink, the other mother's eyes about popped out and the Group Leader asked me pointedly how old she was. I felt very judged, but didn't give one s&%t - I sat Emma down and cuddled the hell out of her while she drank. Emma was early with EVERYTHING. Speaking, walking, jumping off tall buildings - and never once sick during the time she was breastfed! I was fine with every minute of it - kinda miss is, actually :(

I breastfed Emma until 18 months and was disappointed it wouldn't work so well with the twins. I definitely know some twin mothers who it works wonderfully until they're well over the age of 1. But for me, for my sanity, and for my body who in the end was fighting a losing battle between sleep/health/milk production...the time is over.

It's the same as any person with their child: I did the best for my kid(s) with what I had, and with what my limitations were (are!). So, now it begins another chapter: learning about formula!! So far, I'm pretty clumsy at it. We're still working out the kinks, but it's going fine.

And even better, I can eat SUSHI again, and fresh unpasturized cheese - which are definitely a great part about Europe! And I can drinkdrinkdrinkdrink red wine and martinis and anything else I want again. Oh Lordy, now if we could only get a babysitter for these 3 kids o' mine!!

Mini-Playgroups

One of the best things about being home with the babies, is actually knowing so many other women with babies themselves. Either from my own (small!) circle of friends, or through the Krabbelgruppe (play groups) I'm apart of!

Even if we're only going to someone's house with one other baby; with my two we are instantly our own playgroup! haha, that's one advantage of twins, I suppose.

Perhaps you remember my friend I wrote about previously here. I'm so happy to report that she has a new addition to her family: Jonas Hendrik was born about 1.5 months ago, and has been loved incessantly everyday thusfar! My friend Sandra was instrumental in getting me through the first few weeks with Henry & Romy, even when she was 8 months pregnant, she was STILL willing to grab a crying baby and hold him (it was ALWAYS "him") as long as it took to calm him down.

We live right down the street from each other, so we see each other often. Like yesterday when I dropped by for a few hours and we cooked, drank coffee & ate cake, and watched our babes have fun together. These experiences are so wonderful, and almost as good for me as for the babies!

So here are our makeshift trio, enjoying some fun times together:

That's Mr. Jonas in the middle!

Here's my kid stealing her kid's pacifier!!

Bad Romy!!

It's great to have good friends, and even better that my kids can start their friendships so early. I know firsthand how important it is to have good, healthy, and longlasting friends. I'm lucky enough to have a few of those, and I hope all my children will be able to say the same thing someday!

Guerilla Knitting

Have you heard this term before?

Perhaps you have some in your city, too?

Here is the wikipedia entry about what it is and a few pictures.

It's basically where people put their knitting around or on objects around the city (statues, poles, trees, etc.). Even outside Museum entrances...and we have alot of Museums here!

I think it's best when it's on a statue! These proper iron and marble works of art of men like Napolean, Goethe, and Proust with a little bonnet on their head! If possible, it actually completes the statue! :)

These are trees along the path leading to the river.

It's actually quite beautiful to see them!

It's all over Frankfurt, and I think alot of other European major cities. How about you?? Have you seen this in your area? I'd love to see some pics! I'll keep taking pics of other objects and update this in case anyone's interested!

8 21 14 20

What are these numbers, you ask?

Aside from being our winning lottery numbers that I will be playing tomorrow...

THESE are the numbers of the date & time that we got ALL 3 KIDS TO SLEEP WITHOUT A PARENT BEING IN THE ROOM for the first time since we had had 3 kids!!!

8/21 at 14 (2pm): 20.

I will remember and consider myself blessed for this date and time as long as I live!!

I have not been in a room with ONLY Christian during DAYLIGHT HOURS since the twins were born. Unbelievable? Nope. Not when you have no one else around.

I did the math, and taking away their sleeping hours, I'm with the babies (awake!) 14 hours a day.

I'm pooped. :(

And I miss my husband. :(

And I'm out.

Recycling Old into New

I already wrote about this type of project here.

Reusing and Recycling what you already have is a great way to spruce up your house (or closet!) and also great for Mama Earth; and those are two things I like alot!

This tie-dyed sheet was made for me by the fabulous Miss Kary for a 70's party I had at my house. I loved the colors so much that when it came time for me to pack up and move to Europe I just KNEW I would keep it and find a new use for it.

That time has come! After a weekend long sick binge by Emma, where she managed to get sick on almost every piece of clothing, bedding, and piece of furniture within a 2 foot radius of her, I realized I need more than one duvet & pillow cover for her bed. Duh, Mom! What happens when you wash it and there's nothing for the comforter??!! Silly me.

So I looked through my fabric (because again, why buy something, when you can make it and ESPECIALLY using fabric that you already have!), and I found a piece that was extremely colorful. I needed a neutral backing, which I didn't have in my stash, so began looking to buy some other fabrics. Low and behold I needed something from the basement, so went down to get it and came across Kary's sheet. It was perfect! It had almost every color of the fabric I had, plus was totally funky! Just my style...

So, here are a few pics of the final result! I think it came out really nice. Very colorful & homemade for my baby!

Check out the flip side!

And in the end when all the kids have grown out of these duvets - you can easily use them again for another project because it's just one interrupted piece of fabric when you break them apart!

So, voila - another way to recycle into fabulousness.

Vielen Dank, nochmals Kary!!

How I do it Part I

I use props.

And done.

What a poser

For some reason, Romy always ends up in the strangest, albeit, posed positions in her pictures! There is something really classical about her looks. Her light blue eyes, her red, pouty lips...and yet that's where all the femininity in this little girl ends.

She is a LOUDMOUTH! **No comments from the peanut gallery about her mother!! :)

She is seriously s0 loud in the morning just squaking and talking that she wakes almost everyone up! But it's always this happy, joyful kind of loudness that is really funny to hear from little babies!

Anyways, here's my poser! Doing what she does best.

"You're stealing my best light, Henry!"

"No one wants to see your Women's Soccer onesie, Henry!"

Editors Note: Cute outfit on Romy provided by Auntie Lala! Mwaaahh!

What do you do all day?

I get asked this question almost daily. If not from friends and family, from total strangers on the street. Part of me finds it amusing because the answer should be quite simple to them.

But I think to some with only one baby they wonder how you can handle (survive!) with two; so they ask. And my answer?

DUH! I take care of babies!

And what do babies need??? Attention, food, clean diapers, and sleep. Not necessarily in that order. The only difference is that I do it twice as much. And try to do one (i.e., getting a baby to sleep, or feeding one) while entertaining, or quieting, or running away from the other one.

Oh, and I pump milk, clean the house, do the laundry for FIVE PEOPLE, and cook. If I do say so myself, I'm pretty amazing! :)

I read something recently which caught my eye while reading about sleeping & twins (because it's a CHALLENGE to get two babies in either ALMOST the same time, or totally OPPOSITE times to sleep!). It read, "He never gives you more than you can handle, I just didn't know I was this strong". Truer words were never spoken (written!) before. I take every day/hour/minute as it comes and know that when it's the worst and I'm just imagining how horrible my life is....the calm comes with the next minute and I think, "Ok, I can do this". My life is a tornado right now, but I just have to believe that I can do it...I AM doing it, and it will get better.

Of course Emma adds triple work. The kid has energy to spare. I love it when people tell me, "take her to the playground to tire her out". Um, HILARIOUS. Anyone who says that doesn't know my kid. They should say, "Take her on the Ironman and then maybe she'll go to sleep ON TIME".

But she is so *AMAZING* with the babies I can't really say one bad thing about her. Maybe that she loves them TOO MUCH, but hell...I'd rather have it that way than the opposite. She helps as much as she can and actually does very well being quiet when we are putting the babies down at 7pm to sleep. I'm so proud of her as MY baby, and a big sister to Henry & Romy.

The truth is that I (and Christian because he is a BIG help when he's here!) am exhausted when I wake up. Sometimes the day ahead of me is so daunting I would rather just be somewhere else.

But I can't. I'm here. This is my life. So I try to look at the positives - like a year to be at home with them, and minimize the negatives - did you know twins means 2???

And somehow, someway, in the immortal words of Donna Summer: WE WILL SURVIVE.

Things I can do one handed

I'm exhausted everyday. I wake up exhausted. I go to sleep exhausted. The only thing that keeps me going is that I know it will get better...well, that and I have no other choice!

Cooking, laundry, general cleaning along with caring for the twins (read: poopy diapers, spit-up, feeding them) can be downright somedays impossible. At least impossible to do it all to my former satisfaction of just one child. It's definitely a balancing act with the addition of the twins, and I have to re-learn how to do many things while almost always having a baby in my arms.

Which is where the idea of this post came from.

So without further adieu, here are the things that I can do one handed AND carrying a baby (even big old 14 lb. henry!):

• Cut Vegetables/Fruit
• Clean the Toilet & Sink (can't do the Tub yet!)
• Brush my Teeth
• Iron
• Make the Bed
• Talk on the phone (duh! Nothing can stop that!!)
• Wash (some) dishes
• Heat up a baby bottle
• Use the bathroom (tmi - sorry, but I was proud of this!)
• Collect the trash to be taken out
• Arrange flowers in a vase
• Write (short) emails
• Hang laundry to dry (yup, that's right! We don't have a dryer...very common in DE)
• Get Emma dressed
• Put my pants on
• Hold ANOTHER baby
• Give nose spray to another baby (and said baby already in arms)
• Dust

So, pretty cool eh?? I know what you're thinking, "Wow Jenn, you lead such a glamourous life in Europe!". Um, yeah.

But I have learned to feel accomplished in smaller things lately because I have also realized that nothing can take your self esteem to Zero faster than two screaming babies.

When they get going together and are both either tired, hungry, or just plain fussy and don't want to be calmed I begin to doubt my entire self-worth. And then perhaps another 15 minutes later and they are quiet again (hopefully!) and things begin to look up again.

It's a vicious circle, so yes. I take my victories in smaller quantities these days, but they definitely mean more to me than ever!

Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign

The changing of the movie title is the funniest because I normally know the real name, and seeing the new version is so strange because I question why they don't just keep the real name to the movie??!! We don't change the name of International Films, sometimes we translate, but we don't change the entirety of the name. Oh silly Frenchies...

For example:

Very Bad Trip 2?? Why can't you just call this Hangover 2??

If it's because people don't know what a "hangover" is,

don't you think they would've figured it out with "Very Bad Trip 1"??

Seriously.

If you really need this sign to stop you from continuing to drive,

then do us all a favor and keep driving.

Saying my final goodbyes

I brought my Mom's ashes with me on this trip. Christian and I had planned a special trip to Paris to be able to spread her ashes. By special trip, I mean a total of 2.5 hours because the Grandparents were watching all 3 kids and since I'm still nursing twins I couldn't be gone long!

My Mom had spent a few years in France and loved every moment of it, she was a definite Francophile. I had originally wanted to spread them in Paris & Bombay (now Mumbai) where she spent her Peace Corps years; however decided against it because I didn't want to separate her (in one or another sense of the word).

It was harder than I thought to let them go. I thought for a split second about keeping them, but then just realized it was only a box I would be keeping, not my Mom or her memories.

I took a breath, and just did it.

Sam and I chose a beautiful spot where we agreed she would be happy. It was a beautiful, sunny day in Paris that she would've loved. I think we gave her a nice view, too.

Miss you, Mom.

Rest in peace & tranquility

French Flea Market-ing!

I loves me a good flea market...especially French ones. No, not because my taste ranges in French antiques....but because they have super cool things for dirt cheap!

The French countryside from July through August rages every weekend with at least one, if not three or four different Flea Markets. It was so much fun! I got Emma a cool light projector for nighttime, some ice cream dishes, a baby so-that-Mama's-hand-doesn't-fall-off-from-holding-a-baby-the-whole-time bath seat, and Henry a bunch of cool clothes (since we don't really have any boy clothing!) for under 6 euro!!

Oh, I also got a bowling pin set where the pins are stuffed animals. It was brand new! I asked how much it was (in FRENCH, mind you!) and she told me and I promptly handed over 2 euro without even bargaining because it was so cute - and she looked at it and said, "well, okay I will also take 2 euro". Um, opps....she had originally said 3 euro, but I understood 2 - oh well, it was a great bargaining method after all! :)

Um, hello Thomas Edison, did you lose your phone?

It's here at this Flea market.

Is this for bad babies???

Emma on the bath seat on the street.

France in Pictures

We spent the last 3 weeks in France with Christian's parents, here are a few special moments that don't need too much explanation...

Zoo Time!

We decided spontaneously one holiday day here (May has 5 separate public holidays!) to go to the Zoo.

Emma absolutely adores animals and can correctly make the sounds of almost any you name...except things like badgers, hedgehogs, and other types that mama has no idea what they sound like so she always does the rabbit noise...opps!

She had a great time and saw so many great beasts o' nature, and I think it's still really important that she feels we do things for her and not just the babies. Obviously they are so time-consuming and although she handles it beautifully, she still needs to know she is a top priority for us as well.

Shocking. Emma's trying to break IN to the giraffe habitat.

"He's boring, Mama!"

In your face, sucka!

Ahhhh, my delicate, little Rosebud...

Tschuess, Zoo!! Bis spaeter!!

Partners in Crime

I see your baby.

And I raise you one.

Summer Festival

Emma's pre-school had a fun Circus party for their summer break celebration. (School is on break for 3 weeks starting Friday).

It was so fun, and the best part was seeing Emma around so many other children! She is such a social butterfly and afraid of nothin'. It's amazing to see this inner strength in a child so young.

Emma was the "assistant to the magician" for her portion of the show. She was amazing. She pulled the rabbit out of the hat, and promptly threw it into the audience with a smile on her face!

Below you can see Emma's two besties, Lily & Mattia. They all have a serious love/hate relationship, says the school's teachers. They have formed their own "Fight Club" of sorts. They wrestle and play so hard that Emma comes home with bruises & bite marks...and I'm sure the other two do as well! One minute they're fighting with each other, the next minute they're taking on a row of 1 year olds - well, they probably had it coming! :)

Emma & Mattia

Mmmmm, popcorn!

Lily & Emma

She rides

So, Miss Emma is now mobile in a new way. She has her first bike - well, kinda.

Emma has been expressing interest in bikes since she stole Giosue's bike at her birthday party and took it for a spin around the lawn. She also says, "Emma's bike" to absolutely every person and/or bike we see on the street. Some (german) people are not amused.

So Christian decided safety comes first and bought her a helmet. Nice, right? WRONG. You see, her bought her this nice helmet...BUT NO BIKE. So when she put this nice helmet on and immediately asked her Papa with beautiful hazel eyes gazing up at him, "Where's my bike?" He had a big, UH OH moment. Mmhmmmmm.

So, we called that nice friend that Emma stole the bike from before and asked if we could borrow it. She obliged since her guy is now on a regular bike. **In Germany, most kids start on bikes with no pedals, so they have to learn balance - then they graduate to pedals and skip the whole "training wheels" thing because they have already learned to balance!

Within two hours of having said helmet, it already had taken some beatings...

She loves to ride her bike and feels like such a big girl. She IS in so many ways. She's only two and yet I already hear my parent words echoing in my ears, "it goes so fast". It sure does!

Proud (emma) Mary keep on rollin'!

Oh yeah, and sometimes she has to sleep & eat at the dinner table with the helmet or all hell breaks loose. Normal? Yeah, probably....

4 years ago today...

I was marrying the most handsome, smartest and perfect man for me.

Happy Anniversary, bubby!

We're starting to tackle the toilet

So we have begun the challenge of potty training.

Let me tell you, with 2 newborns squaking around the house, it has been easier to put it off than to get started. However, now I truly feel that she's ready to take it on.

She knows when she has to go potty before, but it's just teaching her how to hold it. She hates wearing a diaper if it's wet and can take it off herself and lays down to change it. (See previous post about how good she changes her own diaper!)

We haven't gone hard-core just yet. I think when we're in France for 3 weeks in July I will just put her in underwear and work on it then. It will be much easier when we're in the Garden or water all day to do it, I think.

She has a little Frog Potty (see below) and a Kinder toilet seat (see below below). She prefers the Frog more because she can still multitask while on it - sound familiar?! We've tried reading books to her when she sits on the Kinder toilet seat, but she just doesn't like to sit still! And obviously by looking at the photo, she doesn't truly "get" it's use just yet! :)

Hello Froggy!

Watch what I can build!

Just call her Minnie Mouse!

So, here's my plea to all my Mommy Friends...what can I do?? Any ideas would be appreciated, please send them ALL to me! Thanks.

My little Characters

Romy Jeane

Reminds me so much of "early" Emma,
Looks just like Christian & Hajo,

and is working hard to catch up to her brother's weight class,

makes the funniest faces with her mouth & tongue

Henry James:

Is a BABY baby, do you know what I mean?

Wants food IMMEDIATELY upon opening his eyes or all hell breaks loose,

needs to grow into his oversized eyeballs,

is affectionately called the "Starer" in German because of said eyeballs,

makes the funniest faces with his eyes and forehead all squished up!

The best part of babies is imagining who they will turn into. I find it so amusing to compile these superficial glances and actions into my memory and compare it someday to who they will be.

My night in pictures

The days are long, there's no getting around that.

But then Christian and Emma come home around 5:00 and I have help from him, and some fun with my cutie Emma. She loves the babies, so there's no jealousy when we're holding them, and she also loves getting her little paws on them!

However, she usually comes home from pre-school full of sand (yuck) and wanting to go in the garden and color on the sidewalk with chalk (yuck), so after dinner it's time for her to get sparkling clean (which usually only lasts for about 5 minutes!) before bed.

We started bathing the babies with her in an effort to conserve time (and water) - and she loves it! She helps with soaping them up and washing their hair - sometimes a bit too vigourously but nonetheless helpful.

Then we can all enjoy some quiet, much needed family time together, before Emma runs off to change her own diaper and does this...

...thank you Emma, and good night.