Curriculum of the Day: Remembering

About one year ago, I rose up from my doctor-ordered bedrest and went downstairs in jubilation. I had made it to 34 weeks with my twins still inside me. Getting to 34 weeks is one of the many twin benchmarks you really strive to hit. After 34 weeks, most twins are past the “danger zone” of coming too early and requiring long stays in the NICU (Neonatal Unit).  My maternal fetal medicine doctor basically told me to get up and walk around and signed off on me. Go forth and be a mother. (Little did I know it would be less than two weeks later!)

It’s so strange to read back on my old posts from around this time. It sounds cliché to say it’s like another lifetime ago, but it truly feels that way. I refer to the girls kicking me and seeing their pictures on the ultrasound, but back then, they were just a concept; an idea of children, with no understanding of what it actually means to have them in your life, everyday. Now, they are Lyra and Ripley, who giggle when you tickle them, and cry when they fall down, and pound their feet when they get frustrated. It is almost like two separate realities. It’s fascinating to look back and remember, but I’m very glad those times are over and our girls are here, sleeping downstairs as I type this post.

Word of the Day: Stonehenge

Martha Stewart was driving by our property sometime last month and was stopped by her dogs who wanted to look at Marty's stone sculptures. (We didn't meet her but Lauren's fiancé did.) We have a rock wall along the road where Marty stacks rocks. It's a form of meditation for him and has ended up being an identifier for our house. Martha’s dog,  Francesca, “blogged” about Marty’s stone sculptures on Martha Stewart’s website.

Curriculum of the Day: Safety

The BMDs are at it again. We’re attempting to clean out our “rumpus” room on the main floor so it will truly be their rumpus room, rather than Marty’s office, equipment room, and drawing studio. The cleaning isn’t done yet, but the BMDs have this room in their sights now and keep heading for it. Ripley in particular has a sixth sense of danger. I am thrilled by her curiosity and bravery, but also terrified by it. How am I going to keep this girl safe? If I leave my little hand drill on the floor two rooms away and turn away to feed the birds for 30 seconds, she will find it. The bathroom door always needs to be closed when the girls are on the loose or they’ll be trying to shovel kitty litter into their gullets when we turn our backs. This has lead to kitty accidents because they can’t get into the bathroom to use the cat box!  

Gates have been going up like mad around the house—the top and bottom of the stairs going up, and the top of the stairs going down to the lower floor. They attack these gates like inmates, pulling as hard as they can and making the gate bounce back and forth in its lock. Ripley even took her sippy cup and scraped along the bars like someone out of Shawshank Redemption.

And they are taking their spills. Ripley has a scrape on her nose today and Lyra has a bump on her chin. Even with constant supervision, a sudden fall as they’re reaching behind the animal food bin to snag our wedding picture can result in a little bruise. Out with the witch hazel once again. The spirit of adventure must not be stifled, but it must be very carefully watched or the BMDs will explode.



Lyra attacking the safety gate.



A good way to keep BMDs from causing too much damage.   The Sesame Family Robinson Box Ride.