Adzentoivich News

Ringing the Bell, Baby!

2008-12-01T13:35:00.004-05:00

How I Started My Day.....I got to ring the NASDAQ opening bell. Woo-Hoo!

Let the online holiday shopping begin!

Be A Good Cookie

2008-11-30T20:24:00.002-05:00

I read a touching story in Cookie magazine this month ( don't ask me WHEN I find time for magazines...you can guess where my library is these days. Let's just say it's not a comfy armchair, more like a hard porcelain seat...). A family was faced with the devastating news that their 2 1/2 year old has a rare pediatric cancer. During their search for treatment they found that less than 10% of all cancer research and dollars are dedicated to specific pediatric cancers. Most of these cancers do not affect adults and are unique to children.

They decided that they would do something to help. Being marketers by profession they decided to bake cookies and sell them, donating all proceeds to pediatric cancer research. Today, 2 years later their son is cancer free and they have raised half a million dollars to research and treat similar cancers.

You can go to their web site and buy cookies as gifts this holiday season. 75% of the cost of all cookies is donated. This is a tax deductable gift (but ask your Accountant, don't take my word for it).

You can also bake your own cookies and hold a bake sale at school, work or wherever. They will give you signs and whatever you need to promote your sale. After your sale you send them the proceeds which they then use for cancer research.

Such a simple idea. Such a great idea! Check out their site and read all about them. Cookies For Kids Cancer.

Brothers and Such

2008-11-25T16:22:00.006-05:00

Two announcements that I have been meaning to make:

CONGRATULATIONS ERNIE!

For winning the 2008 Henry Mancini Award for Emerging Film and TV Composer by the ASCAP Foundation. You are so awesome and we are all so proud of you!

CONGRATULATIONS BRYAN AND SAM!

For getting engaged and I can't wait for your wedding in December.

>>>>>>

Holiday time fast approaches. My, my, my...I just can't understand where the time goes.

Mama is back at work. Working hard and glad for it. Especially in these times that are so difficult for so many. I just read that Google is laying off 10,000 people. That is a little too close to home for me. If Google gets hit that means my industry is not insulated from this economic downturn. So far, only one client has had to pull their advertising. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

Business travel has been difficult for me as I have to lug the Medela Pump in Style with me everywhere I go. Silas is allergic (or has a sensitivity) to milk and we have not found a formula that he can tolerate yet. So I pump in my office. I pump at airports, restaurants and in the bathrooms of Fortune 500 companies. I never thought I would be THAT woman. But there you have it. I am.

The big boys are, well, BIG. I can't believe how they are really boys now and not babies at all. They are loud and rough and full of energy. I mean exploding with the stuff. They don't even sit still when they sleep. I oftentimes bump into one or the other of them in the hallway when I make my midnight trip to the loo. One or both of them are often found sleeping on the floor of thei bedroom (the fact that I removed their beds doesn't help that fact, but that's another post) or sleeping on the couch in their room. Sometimes Waylon will be on the floor in MY room when I get up to feed the baby at 3am.

Speech therapy is going well and both boys know a good number of words now. Reminding them to use their words has become another part time job. Tantrums have died down some but we are definitely still in the terrible 2s.

Silas is a cool little dude. He is so mellow - except when daddy has him. When he is with mama he is all smiles and bubbles. When he is with dada he is a screaming ball of spitfire. No idea why. Really. Just something about Ernie that sets him off. I think he can smell the terror on Ernie when I leave for work in the morning and he plays off of that.

All in all, we feel very blessed this Thanksgiving season. I want to thank all of you who have helped us make it through yet another year of fun and mayhem here in CT. We are looking forward to continuing along the same lines for years to come. Sort of a restless abandon, ALL THE TIME. Nothing like living on the edge.....I am doing my best not to jump.

P.S. new pics on the Adzentoivich Boys blog (link in sidebar)

We're All Surviving!

2008-09-16T15:22:00.002-04:00

Well, it's been 8 weeks and we are all still here. Woo hoo! Only 3 1/2 more weeks of maternity leave. Boo-hoo!

Silas - Growing Fast!

2008-09-03T11:37:00.004-04:00

These photos are from 5 weeks.

Well, Silas is 7 weeks old this week. Boy does time fly! I spent most of the last 7 weeks convalescing in and out of the hospital. There seemed to be one complication after another...

But I won't bore you with the details. Let's just suffice it to say that Yes, you can catch nasty infections from the hospital - even when you weren't sick to begin with. Five rounds of antibiotics later......here we are at 7 weeks!

Silas is a great baby. Sleeps like a champ. No colic. Very happy. Likes to "talk" and laugh all the time. Very different than his twin brothers - but in their defense they were 5 weeks premature and he was almost a week and a half late. So he was technically born "older" than they were. He also holds his head up almost all the time, can roll over from tummy to back and likes to "stand" on mommy's lap!

We have been having issues with diarreah and spitting up - well, Silas has, not me - we think it may be due to all of the anitbiotics his food source has ingested (that would be me). So he has been taking probiotics for the past five days in hopes of regulating his system. Other than that - he has been a dream!

The big brothers love the little guy. Vladimir likes to make sure the Calming Vibrations chair is always switched to "On" when Silas is in it. And Vlad also likes to pull the cord on the toy that makes music so Silas has something to listen to. Very cute. Waylon likes to look at Silas and makes sure he comes with us wherever we go.

Silas

2008-07-18T21:57:00.005-04:00

He's Here

2008-07-17T17:45:00.001-04:00

11:37 am
8lbs 7 oz
19.5 inches
Silas Wolfram Adzentoivich
Mother and baby are doing fine. Pictures and details to follow.

Due Date +6

2008-07-15T15:11:00.002-04:00

Scheduled the c-section. It will be Thursday at 10:30am. Assuming, of course, that things don't happen on their own before then.

Not exactly what I had in mind - but as I learned from my last birthing experience, as long as everyone comes out alright in the end, everything else is just small stuff.

Looking forward to meeting my son! FINALLY.

Due Date +5

2008-07-14T09:47:00.002-04:00

Yep. Still here.

I woke up at 3:00am and never went back to sleep. Was sure I was in "Early Labor" as it's called. Thought I was having the whole lower abdoninal and around the back contractions. Like 5 or 6 an hour. Thing is, once I got up and out of bed and started the day, seems like things have calmed down. Why does this happen every day? Maybe if I just stay in bed all day I will go into labor?

Got the Red Raspberry Leaf tea yesterday. So now I am on that and the Evening Primrose Oil. Let's hope these contractions are focused properly now.

I really shouldn't say that nothing is happening since I got out of bed. It could be that it just seemed more exciting in the middle of the night while in the light of day it is just sort of whatever. I am trying to keep positive. Next doctor's appointment is tomorrow at 8am.

Hopefully I won't need to keep that appoinement!

Due Date +4

2008-07-13T08:53:00.002-04:00

Well, made it through another night. Is that good or bad? I don't know.

Did I mention that I have a whopping case of SCIATICA?!?! Yeouch!! ("An important thing to understand is that sciatica is a symptom of a problem — of something compressing or irritating the nerve roots that comprise the sciatic nerve" ---really? hmmmm...wonder what that something could be?) .

If any of you could see me "walking" right now you would ROTFLYAO! And to make matters worse, child 1 and his cohort child 2 decided to wake up at 3:30am and wouldn't go back to sleep if MAMA left the room. This prompted me to "sleep" on the Lilliputian-sized IKEA couch in their bedroom. Did I mention that I am suffering from siatica? And how about trying to go down the stairs to breakfast this morning? Almost didn't happen.

Grandmother leaves for home this afternoon. Her prediction is that I will go into labor while she is en route. If only we were that lucky! Unfortunately, after 3 1/2 months hanging out with us she will not be here for the birth of child #3.

My next stop is to Mrs. Green's market to buy some Red Raspberry Leaf tea. Supposed to "focus" the contractions to make them actually do something other than be annoying. Just like me to have contractions that suffer from ADHD....

Due Date +Three

2008-07-12T21:09:00.001-04:00

Nothing to report but a wicked case of sciatica from all of the walking I've been doing.....

Due Date +Two

2008-07-11T10:03:00.003-04:00

So, this morning I woke up and stripped our bed and the boys beds. Folded a load of laundry. Put a second load in the wash. Baked a slew of summer savory biscuits (no idea what Summer Savory is, some sort of herb we got from the CSA last week) and two pans of Zucchini Bread. Do you think this could be "nesting"? Hmmm...I do hope so.

Doc appointment today at 3:00.

Still waiting. It can't be long now. Can it?

UPDATE: At doctor's office the nurse (who used to be a doula) recommended I try Evening Primrose Oil. So off I went to CVS to get some. So far I have taken two capsules - 1000 mg each. I also went for a loooooonng walk in the neighborhood after the boys went to sleep. Let's hope this does the trick!

1 Day Overdue

2008-07-10T16:36:00.003-04:00

Well follks, yesterday was the BIG DAY. Yep. It came and went. And nothing. Due date, schmoo date is all I have to say.

Still working. Still sitting here with my laptop. Still surfing real estate listings (which could become dangerous if I spend too many more days like this!). Waiting.

The two existing Adzentoivich Boys have been super-clingy to me the past week. I wonder if this means that they know something I don't? Could there be inter-womb communication going on with their little brother? Some sort of weird twin to newborn telepathy? I can only hope. For the past 4 or 5 days neither of them will go anywhere without MAMA. They would rather sit with me while I work on the computer than to play outside with Grandma or DADA. They have always been very happy to spend time with me but this has been ridiculous. Bath time won't go down unless I am in the bathroom to watch (of course it is quite difficult to lean over the tub and assist with the actual bathing at this stage of the game). And only MAMA is allowed to apply powder and diapers before bed. Please tell me this is all because they know that labor is fast approaching. Some sort of animal survival instinct. They want to preserve their MAMA.

Hmmmmm.....maybe I will do some research. I am, afterall, sitting at my laptop looking to kill some time....

Update

2008-07-08T15:12:00.001-04:00

The update is...there is no update.

No change since my doctor's visit last week.

We sit and we wait.

The suspense is KILLING me!! This baby is going to be gigantic by the time he decides to be born...a month ago he was already 7 pounds!

Still Waiting

2008-07-07T14:06:00.005-04:00

Yes, T minus two days until the "official" due date of baby boy #3. We are still in the holding pattern waiting for clearance.

Next doctor appointment scheduled for tomorrow morning. Will post update.

In the meantime, we greatly anticipate the first REAL contraction.....

Baby Watch

2008-07-02T08:24:00.002-04:00

Still on high alert over here. Baby watch is in full swing. And I have to say I do not like it one little bit.

My due date is exactly one week from today. I was ready for this baby to make his entrance a month ago!

The boys were born at 35 1/2 weeks, so I never got this far. I also wasn't sitting around waiting to go into labor because I was in preterm labor for two months before they were born. We were doing everything we could at the time to stop the labor.

Now I just sit. And I wait. And wait. I have contractions every now and again. As I have since about 5 months along. But honestly they aren't too big of a deal. I am waiting for the REAL DEAL to begin. I don't like not knowing. This whole idea of it all being out of my control does not bode well with me. In case you don't know me too well, I like to be the one in charge.

But...as you quickly learn when you become a parent....it is very seldom that you are really the one in charge. These little people have a way of making your entire life bend to their will. Very powerful creatures....

So we wait. And Wait. and wait......

Quick Update

2008-06-17T15:31:00.003-04:00

Hello Readers. Are there any of you left out there? I can no longer call myself a Blogger, and I am sorry for that. Maybe somehow, someday....

But in the meantime, a few updates.

Baby #3 is finally head down and ready to go! He was breech the entire pregnancy. I resorted to Chinese Medicine and something called Moxibustion which is basically lighting this sort of cigar sized incense below the outside tip of your left little toe for 20 minutes twice a day. Following each incense burning session you get down on your hands and knees and do a modified version of downward dog for 10 minutes.

I also did some other posture exercises which included putting my butt up on a stack of ten pillows and laying on my back so that all of the blood rushed to my head for 20 minutes twice per day.

And the last thing we did to get this boy to flip upside down was to put the iPod headphones on the lowest part of my belly with the volume down low (this is actually when I think he flipped). The baby has to flip over to get is ears closer to the sound. I am not kidding.

All of these were doctor recommended measures. And they worked! Baby Boy #3 flipped upside down at 36 weeks and 2 days. This was after my doctor and all of his staff told me that it was unlikely that he would flip and we were discussing things like external versions and c-sections. Now I am looking forward (?) to a nice normal labor and birthing experience. Nothing like the last time. Please keep your fingers crossed and send me some really good energy...

My last day in the office at work is this Friday because - well, hey! - I am three weeks away from my due date. And I have a suspicion that I am not going to make it all the way to July 9th before this little guy decides to join our family. I will be working from home beginning next Monday until the blessed event!

My Yahoo email no longer works. I think it may have been hacked. My password is no longer valid. This sucks big time because things like my bank and credit card statements are sent to this address. Not to mention my Victoria's Secret specials! Man. It sucks. So if you would please send your own email address of choice to my Gmail account I would appreciate it. My Gmail address is the same as my Yahoo address only with gmail.com instead of yahoo.com at the end (duh!). And if you don't know my Yahoo address then that's OK - I probably don't know you anyway!

My lovely Mother in Law has now been living with us for 2 1/2 months and nobody has killed anyone. She has been a huge help with the boys and the house as I have gotten bigger and more tired. Father In Law was also here for 3 weeks in May. He and husband tore apart our back porch and build a new one out of stone. Beautiful work. Someday, if I ever upload the pics from my camera, I will post some images of that for your amazement.

My boys are big kids now - or so it seems. They still aren't speaking much that is intelligible, but they are getting there. They have both had hearing tests and they passed with flying colors. It seems they are just taking their sweet time with the language thing. We had to get them new toddler beds today because their convertible cribs don't work when your kdis are climbers...these boys were climbing up on the sides of the toddler bed/crib to get on top of the dresser in their room. The dresser is about 4 1/2 feet tall! this is not acceptable. So we got them toddler beds with low footboards. Hopefully they will be able to reach the top of the dresser but not get on top of it. We'll see....

And now my boss just called me to her office so it is adios again. Ciao!

2008-05-30T14:48:00.003-04:00

I am sorry. This has absolutely nothing to do with anything. I just thought it was SO FREAKIN FUNNY I had to post it. This is not a doctored photo - this was issued by the State Department and syndicated by the AP. And in case you don't recognize them without their make-up...this is a picture of KISS with Condoleza Rice.

Priceless...

From left are, Tommy Thayer, Paul Stanley, Secretary Rice, Gene Simmons and Eric Singer

Meme Update

2008-04-29T13:13:00.003-04:00

OK. So here is the story.

When I wrote my things I thought one was a lie - but it turns out they are all true. The sad thing is, I didn't know that. My husband had to tell me!

Yes - I did have fire engine red stripes in my hair back in oh, I'd say 1999/2000 or 2001? Those were the dotcom days and the days of Epoch Entertainment when I was a drum-n-bass promoter. Fun times. Now, if you ask my hubby, he will say they were magenta, not red....but he has been known to be a tad color blind.
Yes - I have been to Portugal multiple times. We went to Lisbon twice, then travelled down the West Coast to the Algarve once and on another trip wen to the Portugese island of Madeira. It is one of the most beautiful countries I have even enjoyed. And back then, I guess it was back in 2001/2003 ish, they were not part of the EU and so the US dollar exchange rate to the Escudo allowed us to travel in style. Those were the days.
Yes - I did pierce my nose. However, it lasted only about a month. You see, I desperatly wanted a little diamond stud and I attempted to swap it out Mother's Day weekend before I went home to see my mom. I knew she would object to the piercing, but at least if it was a cute little diamond it would be less offensive than the stark steel ball they used to pierce it with. This was probably sometime around 2002...the hole closed up in hours as I tried to put the new stud in. I never was able to open it back up. I ended up giving the little diamond to my cousin Natalie who is studying marine biology in New Zeland as we speak.
Yes - I have a huge scar on my knee from a High School ski trip accident. That would be back in 1987. There is a long stupid story behind that one I assure you. Let's just say there was a gondola involved and some bad judgement on my part. Stupid kids.
Yes - I did swim with the Polar Bears Club in Coney Island on New Years Day. In fact, that was one of my very first blog posts. That is a very good memory. I hope to do it again someday.
Yes - I did read a book besides Good Night Moon (available on books.google.com) since the beginning of the year. This is the one I thought was a lie. I completely forgot that I read A Thousand Splendid Suns back in January. Lord knows where I found the time. I completely forgot I read it - Ernie had to convince me that it was true. So, Josette, in my mind, you are the winner :-) And now that I am able to recall that I read it, let me recommend it emphatically. It is an excellent novel. I think I may have liked it better than The Kite Runner.

So, Josette is the winner sort of, but not really. I am sorry I am suffering from pregnant brain and twin mommy brain all at once. I did not start out this meme with the intent to lie to my friends and family....though I am really surprise none of you believed that I had been to Portugal...

Anne's Meme

2008-04-07T16:50:00.003-04:00

OK so I've been tagged by Anne (see link in right column - I am too lazy to grab the URL and embed it here, sorry!) to do this meme. Hers is pretty funny. And I haven't been writing much at all lately so, why the heck not!?

OK. So I am going to list 5 things - or was it 6? - about myself that are non-important and silly, or what have you. One of these things is NOT TRUE. You have to guess which one is the lie. Then please post your pick in the comments section. The winner gets a prize (or so Anne says). When I see what she gives out as a prize then I will let you all know what I am giving away. I don't want to be an over or under-gifter ya' know.

List below.

1. I once dyed my hair fire engine red stripes.
2. I have a four inch scar on my knee where a ski once sliced through it
3. I have been to Portugal more than once
4. My nose used to be pierced
5. I once jumped into the Atlantic Ocean on January 1st with the Polar Bears Club

and for good measure...

6. I have read a book this year (other than Good Night Moon, etc.)

Happy April Fools Day 2008

2008-04-01T14:56:00.002-04:00

Why I love Google:

If you have a Gmail account you may have seen the "new feature" announced today...gotta love those crazy Googlers

Baby Update - Half Way There !

2008-02-21T16:33:00.003-05:00

Yes, lest you all forget that I am expecting another son...

(quick update on yesterday's post...the washing machine is a Whirlpool not a Maytag and it is SO COOL!)

So, this little guy (just one this time 'round) has made himself known. Recently I have been feeling the jabs, pokes and flips of the newest Adzentoivich-to-be. Of course these were few and far between for the past couple of weeks, but now I can say they are pretty regular. There he goes right now!

And yesterday morning, when I lay in bed awake at 5am (no not to feed my goats, you have to read Anne's blog for those stories) because one of the boys in the next room decided 5am was a great time to play with his talking, singing, migraine-inducing doggie....I noticed a hard little lump protruding from my belly. Baby Butt!!!! Now this is exciting. If you have never experiences a tush, foot or fist pushing up through your abdominal wall you are really missing something big. All of a sudden it became a reality that there is, in fact, another living Adzentoivich boy in there - and he will be joining us sooner than we can imagine!

Way cool.

So, I compared my current one baby-belly to pictures of my two-baby belly from 2006. Guess what? Same size. So, I can't say that I became so HUMONGOUS because I was carrying twins. It looks like this time around I am on track to be just as rotund. And the funny thing is, I have gained about the same amount of weight as I did at the same time in the last pregnancy. Which, really, is almost nothing. Like 6 or 7 pounds. Needless to say I was no twig when we began this adventure. But still. It just all goes to the belly. Unbelievable.

I won't gross you all out again with belly pictures like I did the last time. I promise. But I do, however, have a pretty cool 3D ultrasound pic of Baby X (that's what we're calling him as that is the next letter in the alphabet after his brother's names). He looks just like his older siblings.......when I get to my home computer I will post it (you see, I am on my work laptop at the moment. Shhhh).

All the Latest

2008-02-20T14:56:00.004-05:00

So. On Sunday, race day, I turned to my son Waylon and asked..."Are you going to be good and let mommy watch the race today? At least the end?" and he looked me square in the eye and shook his head an emphatic "No".

And he wasn't kidding. I didn't see one lick of the race. I did get to see some of the stuff leading up to it. All of the old race cars going around the track and footage from the beach days and past champions. It brought a tear to my eye thinking of Grandpa down there all those years ago. And about how, in 1973, I was there with my parents and Grandparents because my dad was going to get to drive his cousin's car (which didn't actually happen, long story). It was really a walk down memory lane for me. Very emotional.

Well, I have to admit it wasn't all Waylon's fault that I didn't get to see the race. Vladimir had a hand in it too.

No, really. I am kidding.

It goes something like this.

We generate a lot of dirty clothing at our house. Especially since the boys now play outside and their diapers have the huge challenge of containing liter upon liter of fluid overnight without bursting...

So, with my work schedule I don't typically get to the laundry until the weekend. This weekend was no exception.

On Saturday we found a new playground and took the boys to play for an hour or so. Then we went to Target or the Grocery Store or somewhere. We weren't home long enough for me to make a dent in the dirty pile before it was time for dinner, bath and bed (the kids' routine, not my own).

I figured it would be OK since, with President's Day, I had a three day weekend to deal with the clothes. I managed to get two loads into the wash before bed. One made it into the dryer and the other was doomed to mustiness as I galantly went to bed without drying it. I knew the boys had one more clean pair of PJs if I needed them in a pinch.

Sunday - late morning. I go down to the basement to put the wet clothes into the dryer and add another load to the wash - in an attempt to get the laundry settled before race time.

The laundry in the washing machine was sitting in a full basket of water. It didn't drain.

I turned the little knobby thing trying to get the basket to spin but nothing happened. Finally I finagled something in such a way so as to make the basket move around a little.

Task accomplished.

An hour or so later husband goes into the basement for something unrelated to dirty clothes. I ask him to please put the wash into the dryer. He reports to me that the wash is still sitting in water.

Huh?

30 minutes later he comes upstairs to tell me the washing machine is broken.

Great.

No washing machine and two 18 month olds do not a happy or clean smelling household make.

After several calls to Father In Law to confirm that the machine was in fact broken, Husband decides that it may be the timer that needs replacing. He then shuffles through the multiple phone books in our house and calls all three of the appliance repair stores within 30 miles. None are open on Sunday. It is the suburbs so I don't know what he was expecting.

So, race is starting....

We all pile into the minivan and head to Home Depot to look at wahsing machines. Not to BUY one mind you. But rather to LOOK at them and decide which one, if the timer cannot be replaced, would I like to have? They all seem the same to me. And since when is the washing maching "Mine"?

Water in.

Suds.

Spin.

Water out.

Clothes clean.

What do I know about front loaders, HE detergent and steam cleaning?

We pick out one that seems to be not too expensive. That is the deciding criteria.

Get home. Race in progress. Dinner time. Followed by bath time. Followed by tantrum (not mine, my child's. I swear). Followed by lengthy going to bed process.....

FINALLY I make my way downstairs and say out loud, pouting, "Might as well turn on the TV and watch the last few laps" to which husband replies...

"Oh. It's over"

"How do you know?!" incredulous,

"I watched the end while you were in the bathroom doing bathtime. Want to know who won?"

"No."

But I do know who won. I didn't watch one minute. And I have the entire thing on my DVR (twice, for some reason. How does it record the same thing, at the same time, twice????) - and I will never watch it. Who has time?

So, my new plan is to organize a family trip to Florida for Speed Week in 2018 when all of my boys will be old enough to enjoy and remember. Their Grandpa is going to come along too, and hopefully Uncle Bryan. I want my sons to someday watch the 100th running of the Daytona 500 with a tear in their eyes as they think back to the year we all went together...that's the Wood family legacy.

And in the end we ended up with a new front loading Maytag washing machine that was neither one of the ones we saw at Home Depot nor the least expensive we could find....and it was just delivered this afternoon.

I just got a phone call from husband...

"Your new washing machine is here"

"great."

"You have to read the manual. It is the size of a phone book"

"Awesome"

But how bad can it be? At least I hope to get through enough of it to run a load of wash before morning. The boys may have to sleep one more night in sweat pants and hoodies....but they'll survive.

Daytona 500

2008-02-15T14:57:00.002-05:00

Yes. It is that time of year again. The Daytona 500 is this Sunday. I am so excited. It is the 50th Anniversary. 50 years. It makes me think of my Grandpa down at the beach in Daytona at the very beginning. And my dad and his buddies building race cars in our garage at all hours of the night for the race on Saturday. It is sooo in my blood. I get emotional at this time every year. This is my heritage.

It makes me a little bit melancholoy to see all of the big corporate changes happening to the sport. Now the name is the Sprint Cup. Changed from the Nextel Cup the past two years. Before that it had been the Winston Cup for decades. It seems the tradition keeps slippin further and further away. And then there are the cars themselves. Now they are all the same. Boring. And the corporate sponsopship has moved from the likes of Skoal Bandit to Bank of America. Sad.

And the guys themselves? The drivers? All pretty boys groomed for the cameras. Corporate spokespeople first and red neck race drivers second. It seems to take away some of the raw spirit of the sport. The authenticity.

Heck - NASCAR made the front page of the NY Times today. Unheard of!

All of that being said - I am still a supporter and am all fired up for the big race. I hope someday all of my brood of boys will be able to enjoy with me.

Promotion News!

2008-02-01T15:42:00.000-05:00

Here is some non-baby, non-twin-related news. Amidst the craziness of my at-home life of a harried new mom to twins (who happens to be pregnant), I managed to get myself a shiny new job title! Horray for me. I am going to take a second to pat myself on the back for a moment.

Ah...that felt good. Thank you.

My brand spanking new title is (drum roll, please)Account Director.

Finally moving up the ranks of middle management. Yay for me.

Husband is, of course, very happy though still pushing for VP status....

BOYS!

2008-01-27T20:30:00.000-05:00

Yes, another boy. We are having another boy. It's a boy. Just one boy. So that will bring us to a total of THREE boys. Yes, we are very excited. Ernie is jumping for joy. He is building his "clone army"...

Vladimir Learns to Blow His Nose

2008-01-27T20:24:00.000-05:00

Not to be outdone by his brother - Vladimir soon learned how to blow his nose. He also mastered the concept of recycling, using the same tissue more than once!

Fuel Economy = Big Bucks?

2008-01-15T14:31:00.001-05:00

Here is whay I read today in an article about the North American Auto Show in Detroit:

Every automaker has given a glimpse over the past two days of its strategies for dealing with tougher U.S. fuel economy regulations, rising oil prices and a surge of global warming rules around the globe. While Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. have pledged new hybrids, General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC have touted a variety of approaches. Ford Motor Co. has bet big on a single technology.

But in interviews with the Free Press, Detroit executives said the technical hurdles to meeting a 35-m.p.g. standard by 2020 were less difficult than getting customers to accept the changes and extra costs that come along with the goal.

GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz told reporters at the show that the new U.S. rules would cost the industry $5,000 to $7,000 per vehicle, with much higher costs possible for some models.

Yeah...right.

Funny that I own a 2001 Hyundai Accent, 4-cylinder, hatchback that STILL gets more than 30 MPG. Know what I paid for it NEW? $9,700. Does Hyundai know something that Ford and GM don't about fuel technology? Is my car made out of some super light material with a hyper-aerodynamic design? I think not. Maybe the technology in my car cost Hyundai $7,000 and the rest of the car only cost them $2,500? Maybe.

You can get a brand new Hyundai Accent for $10,700 - list prince - and the MPGs listed on the web site are 33. This is with NO Hybrid technology, mind you. Just good, efficient design.

So how come it is going to take another 12 years for the American automakers to catch up to the Koreans? It is such a joke. Just another excuse to jack up car prices and stick it to the American consumer while continuing to support our dependence on foreign oil while harming our environment.

Greed - priceless.

Waylon Learns to Blow His Nose

2008-01-14T20:50:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year

2008-01-10T17:08:00.000-05:00

Yes...I know I am late. Sorry. I have been finding it increasingly difficult to get to the blog these days. I don't think I can really be called a blogger anymore.

So, a couple of things that you all most likely already know.

1. I am pregnant. Again. No, it is not twins again. This time there is only one, and yes, I am sure. However the interesting thing is that the doctor says it began as two...identical yolk sacs seperated by a membrane. One developed and the other didn't. So - we came very close to another set of identical twins. Weird, isn't it? I wonder if this new baby will feel all of it's life like somebody or something is mising? This newest addition to the Adzentoivich clan is due to arrive July 9th or thereabouts. So I don't know if we will be able to hold the Second Annual AdStock at the end of August. But I will keep you posted.

2. I don't know if there is a number two. Hmmmm. Well, my grandfather just turned 90 and we are having a big wingdig this weekend for him. That's pretty impressive I think.

3. Ernie got himself a nice shiny new Mac laptop. You know, the cool little white kind? I am having a little bit of computer envy.

4. I had a birthday.

The Adzentoivich Super Twins are doing swell. Big. Real big. They weigh 27 pounds and then some...each. Almost three feet tall. They don't sleep in cribs anymore. They are in their toddler beds, or the floor, or the IKEA couch, wherever. But the point is they are sleeping better. Yes, Waylon climbed head first out of his crib and that was the end of the cribs. They love playing Landscaper's Challenge outside since the weather has been mild. Vladimir digs in the garden, removing leaves to the grassy part of the yard, while Waylon moves the bricks that form the garden "wall" border from place to place around the patio. I haven't seen their master plan yet but I am sure it must be quite crafty.

That's it really. I am just working and trying to eat large amounts of protein to grow another Super Baby. This proves a little bit of a challenge as every time I eat in the presence of the Wonder Twins they end up consuming at least 2/3 of my cereal, sandwich, ice cream, pie, cheese, enchalada...you get the picture. So I have to hoard my food at the office or late night (like 9pm!) after they have gone to sleep.

Everyone's Doing It...

2007-12-08T09:50:00.001-05:00

Get Elfed

The Magic of Bumbo

2007-12-04T13:21:00.000-05:00

Yes, I did post about how these seats had a safety recall. I think this little video explain why!

(no, none of these are my kids. Wish I had thought of it though)

Posts #22 - 26

2007-11-27T12:05:00.000-05:00

OK OK. So I fell off the NaBloPo wagon. Sorry about that folks. Here is the story.

Thanksgiving was at my house this year. This was my own doing. I wanted it this way. And it was fine. My grandfather came from his nursing home with my parents and it was just them and us and my sister. A small gathering. Intimate. My mother made some green bean caserole, some sort of cauliflower caserole and two pies. My sister made corn bread and bought the wine. I did the rest. It was quite a spread and very traditional.

The boys were not interested in anything remotely Thanksgiving-y. All they wanted to eat were cinnamon graham crackers. Much of their dinner was left on the floor. Half way through the meal they began to fall asleep so we knew it was time for them to visit Swingtown and napping ensued.

This was actually excellent timing because I was able to enjoy my feasting using both hands and taking time to taste the foods. Perfect.

Later, we realised that Waylon was wheezing and that his breathing was very labored. I pulled out the nebulizer from when he had pnemonia at 6 months old. This helped him for about an hour and a half, then we needed to do it again. Poor little guy was miserable.

Company departs and we try to put the boys to bed. Waylon would have none of it and his breathing seemed to worsen. So I become, once again, that woman who calls the pediatrician on every single holiday with some sort of question or concern. (remember the one last year when I called to say I had dropped a box of chocolates on the baby's head while we were in Target?!)

Doctor says to keep giving him the medicine every two hours through the night and if he gets worse to go to the hospital. Then to bring him to the office first thing in the morning.

Nobody got any sleep that night. Baby spent all night in mommy and daddy's bed, not sleeping. Other baby was in his own room and woke screaming to find his brother missing.

Go to doctor. Doctor says, "no more monkey's jumping on the bed" - no he says "sounds like he has some pnemonia again and definitely is wheezing". More meds. Antibiotics, steroids, asthma stuff. Great.

Second baby has chronic runny nose that ends in his mouth every time. Gross, but at least he is able to breathe so he gets very little attention over the next several days.

So, the next night, nobody sleeps. Try to get Waylon to sleep in his own crib. It doesn't work. Spend the night alternatingly putting him back to his crib, carrying him into my room.

Next day, back to doctor. Doctor says "Ooo eee, ooo ah ah ting tang walla walla, bing bang..." - no he says "sounds like he is doing better. Keep him on the meds and bring him back on Monday."

That night, nobody sleeps....blah blah blah.

Monday, we all go to the doctor for a scheduled 15 month check-up. Sick baby gets no shots but his poor, neglected brother gets two for good measure. Plan of action is to keep sick baby on nebulizer through mid-January to prevent him from getting more phnemonia. Problem is, sick baby HATES nebulizer more than he hates eggs (just like his daddy).

Other piece of adivice from pediatrician at 15 month check-up - create a room in your house where they can play. Take out all of the furniture and put a light in the ceiling. Put pre-school-type padding on the floor and pad the lower half of the walls if you need to. Put lots of pillows on the floor. Oh yeah, and the room should have no windows. Why you may ask? Well, this is because one boy likes to bang his head on things like the floor or the wall and then his brother follows along and they both think it is hysterical. They both also enjoy breaking every gate we have in place to confine their world, and crawling up and down the stairs ar breakneck speeds is a favorite passtime. Also, slamming one another's fingers (and on occassion, one's own) in the piano is great fun! And lastly, the best time these days is had by shaking the gate that seperates them from the flat screen TV and the cabinet it is on so that both the TV and the cabinet shake and teeter precariously. And the floor lamp has already been knocked down, broken and removed from the room.

Did I happen to mention that this is my livingroom?

Does this sound like a fun place to play or solitary confinement?

And, by the way, we live in a 100 year old house. Every room has windows, mostly they are only 2 1/2 feet off the ground (perfect for boys to bang on), and every room has weird angles and corners. There are no simple, square, one point of entry rooms in our home. So, unless we move this isn't going to happen.

Today mommy is back at work and babies are having a daddy/baby-sitter day today. Mommy is a wee bit tired after such a fun filled few days at home with the family, but wouldn't trade it for anything.

Now, if anyone knows of a house with a room like that for sale, let me know.

Post #21

2007-11-21T10:28:00.000-05:00

OK, I admit this wasn't written by me - but I had to pass it along.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Who's Sitting At The Children's Table?

Lifetime Products, based in Clearfield, Utah, commissioned a survey in October about American trends related to the ubiquitous kiddie table. Here are key findings:

More than nine in ten adults surveyed (94%) have sat at a kiddie table during Thanksgiving, while 83% have sat at the kiddie table for Christmas and 47% have sat there during Easter meals.

More than one in four adults (26%) and almost half of the children surveyed (44%) think the kiddie table is just plain more fun than the adult table.

Most often, adults ages 18-24 years old say their kiddie table was a plastic folding table (37%), but only 6% of respondents ages 45 and older can make that claim.

Forty percent of adults ages 18-24 say their kiddie table was set with disposable plates and utensils, while only 11% of adults ages 45 and older make that claim. Also, 84% of adults 45 and older report that their kiddie table had a tablecloth on it, but only 54% of people in the 18-24 age group say their table was set that way.

Post #20

2007-11-20T22:07:00.000-05:00

This post was supposed to be a video from YouTube but for some reason it didn't post. Darn technology!

Go to YouTube and search on How To Sleep (or try clicking here) by Robert Benchley. I wonder if Lucy and Ricky know this guy was sleeping in their bedroom?

There are some good tips on how to get a good nights' sleep after Thanksgiving dinner too.

Enjoy!

Post #19

2007-11-19T23:23:00.000-05:00

Must...sleep.....sooo......t-i-r-e-d.......

dinner...in...city...with..google.....

just...got...home.....

must...blog....damn...na-blo-po-mo.......

night...night...dltbbb

Post # 18

2007-11-18T21:01:00.000-05:00

First, have you seen Josette and Anne's blogs today? OMG...for a dose of the funnies, click here now. And then here.

Finished laughing yet? Wow. Those are good photos. I myself never indulged in the perm craze due to my naturally curly hair and all that. MY sister however, she was all about the perm. Unfortunately, I have no photos from the past to share with y'all. But I am going to keep it in mind the next time I am at my parents' house and have access to the family albums. That's funny stuff.

So, today what did we do? We had a little Thanksgiving of sorts, early-like. Jen and Steph from the perm era came over with their kids (three in all aged 10 mos to 7 years) and our new friends Joe and Marnie with their son (age 2yrs). We all got bundled up cuz it was cold here today don't ya know, and trekked down to the UBS Thanksgiving Parade Spectacular!

Husband and I have gone for the past two years. It is right down the street afterall. Last year we brought the Wondertwins in their Baby Bjorns, but they slept through the entire thing. This year, they were all bright eyed, demanding to sit atop daddy and/or mommy's shoulders. Lucky for me I had Uncle Steve standing by to do shoulder duty. I mean, have you ever tried to carry close to 30 pounds on your shoulders?

So, all the kiddies loved it. The Baranello family brought thermoses filled with hot cocoa. The kids all got to see Santa at the end. All of the favorite balloons were there; Kermit, Ms. Piggy, Beetle Bailey, Betty Boop, Big Bird, and of course Elmo and Dorothy.

Back at the house we continued the festivities with hot chili, warm apple cider and brownies. Yummm. Kiddies played (fought) with toys and the living room became a preschool for the afternoon. It was really a scene right out of Family Vacation or something like that. No, really the kids played together really nicely, especially giving their wide-range of ages. It was so nice to see them all running around, laughing and playing. At the end of the day it really felt like a special holiday moment. And yes, I am cheesy, I can't help it.

I promise to post some pics of the day (no, I didn't take that aerial shot of Elmo, I lifted it from the Parade site...psyche!). And I really hope you all have a wonderful and memorable Thanksgiving this year surrounded by friends and family!

Post #17

2007-11-17T21:06:00.001-05:00

Since I spent the entire day with the boys, on my own, and they completely wiped me out, I am going to follow the advice of the late, great Red Skelton and "give the people what they want" (well, one person anyway). Following are more pics of the wonder twins. Enjoy!

Vladimir smiles for daddy while mama is in Orlando at a nasty hotel...

Vladi is ready to play catcher.

Waylon in his new favorite helmet, poses for the lens.

Oh yeah. P.S. - they are that tortellini, pumpkin, tomato paste stuff for dinner again tonight! Left overs from a few nights ago. And hot dogs worked well for lunch. I guess they like processed meats. Go figure.

Post #16

2007-11-16T20:39:00.000-05:00

Today I spent the day in NYC. Boy, was it cold. It felt like winter. Brr. And it is only supposed to get colder over the weekend. Sunday is the Thanksgiving Parade in town. With the big Macy's Day Parade balloons. Or I should say the rejects from past Macy's Parades that didn't make the cut this year. They also fly some that are brand new and need a test run before the Big City parade on Thursday. Either way, it is a fun spectacle and the entire town, and more, come out for it every year. I am really looking forward to the boys' reactions this year. Last year they slept through it.

I spent the day at Yahoo! today and got to see all of my former colleagues. Most of us have moved on to different agencies but we all keep in touch via email from time to time. When I walked into the room it was like I had stepped back in time to my former office. Some of the folks there I hadn't seen since the day I left. It was really nice.

Yahoo! gave us each a big flippin' umbrella as a parting gift at the end of the day. Not so sure what to do with such a huge umbrella in the suburbs seeing as we don't play golf. In the city we used umbrellas like that when we had to walk around town during a downpour. Now that we are suburbanites we take the car everywhere. Not all that much walking to do. Maybe we can take it to the parade on Sunday?

OK. Gotta run. I just heard Mrs. Jinx puking in the dining room and I'd better go clean it up.

Mrs. Jinx is the cat...

Post #15

2007-11-15T20:51:00.000-05:00

I am back at home. Regular day at the office today.

It feels good to be back at home with the family. I missed the boys so badly. It is great to be back with them. I love getting to put them to bed and read them their stories.

They haven't wanted to eat anything for the past month or so. I thought at first it was because of the teething (they each have about 14 teeth already) but now that they are all in and they still don't want to eat I don't know.

I am so desperate to get them to eat that I made a gross concoction tonight with the hope that they would get some of it into their gullets. It went something like this.

Meat Tortellini
Corn
Canned Pumpkin
Tomato Paste
Bread Crumbs
Wheat Germ
Cinnamon

Mix all together, put in casserole dish and bake for 25 minutes (or dish out lukewarm before screaming gets too loud).

Believe me, I do not believe in torturing my children. I ate the stuff first. I stood in front of them pretending that it was "sooooo Delicious!" Blech. But it ended up being my dinner too. I am a team player don't ya' know.

Waylon actually ate quite a bit of the glop. Vlad, not so much. I redeemed myself with garlic bread which we all enjoyed very much.

This culinary delight was topped off with one Empire apple, that nobody really ate.

Ah well. I will keep on trying new mash ups until I find something that they will eat. In the meantime, I don't think we have to worry about either of them wasting away....

Post #14

2007-11-14T07:54:00.000-05:00

Well here I am at the end of my trip to Orlando and I managed to post every day! Granted, yesterday's post was sort of lame...but at least I logged on and typed something. I feel very accomplished!

Last night we went to the House of Blues at the Magic Kingdom and had dinner and saw a Keller Williams show. Judy and I took the client. It was a pretty good dinner. The atmosphere at House of Blues is pretty cool. The entire place is a follk art piece. Folk art on the walls, ceiling, floors....we were trying to figure out if it was authentic art or "Disney" art. I still have no idea.

The show was pretty good. I guess Keller Williams is popular with the hippie kids and the older generation of Dead Heads. The kids were dancing the free-style and the older folks were in the balcony (more expensive seats) swaying back and forth. It was actually more entertaining to watch the crowd than to watch the show.

Today I planned to sleep with no alarm and then have breakfast and grab a cab to the airport. I guess I didn't fill-in my better half because at 7:15 my phone rang and there he was. I heard the boys in the background tearing apart the kitchen. Ah, well. I guess I didn't really need the extra sleep.

It was a productive few days and enjoyable too. I can't wait to get home anc see the family this afternoon. I miss them so much!

Post #13

2007-11-13T07:41:00.000-05:00

Last night I ate Gator. It was pretty good. We had a great dinner with Yahoo.

Everyone hates this hotel. It's not just me.

Post #12

2007-11-12T17:50:00.000-05:00

To answer Steph's question - yes, we are in Celebration. Though not in the cute little town. We just drove through there and it was so bizarre - clean, orderly, art-deco architecture mixed with PLantaion homes. My co-worker Judy keeps calling it the Truman Show. And would you believe I saw billboards advertising condos starting in the $100's?! I mean, can you really buy a place to live down here for that little? It is very tempting.

And to answer Steph's other question - the cab driver said he hated Haititans because he is an American who has been driving a cab since April 1980 and in the past 5 or 6 years he has seen the Hatians take over the taxi cab business in central Florida. He said they are terrible partners and he has to share a cab with one because there are no other Americans to choose from. He said they all lie and cheat and can't speak the American language (please believe that I am not making any of this up). He asked me if all of the taxi drivers in the Northeast were foreigners too. I was like "um...yes?"

Then the guy told me about his father who was in "that generation that Tom Brokaw wrote about". He fought in WWII and lost a lot of good men. He was a "seer" or a "psychic" and my cabbie felt that he had inherited some of his father's gift of sight. He also told me that when he was 18 he was a hippy-wannabe and that he used to use the Lord's name in vain and say GD all the time. And now he wishes he could take all of those bad words back (the guy was like 60). He also told me that he began reading scripture when he was 18. And it dawned on him then, and it becomes clearer to him each year, that in America people are too self-centered and materialistic. And what did I think about that? He also told me that he forgets stuff and thinks it might be early onset Alzheimers. And by the way, he hates computers and doesn't own one and doesn't believe in them and Bill Gates is a theif and a liar and so are all of those other people who made computers and "that internet" - HELLO! I am here to attend a conference about INTERNET MARKETING!!! I was so glad that we got to my hotel before he asked me what sort of business I was travelling on.

I was just happy to make it out of the car in one piece. Maybe this isn't the scary part of Florida, but that guy was one character that will go down in the books.

Today we went to the hotel where the conference was. We were unable to get a room there when we booked ourselves for the conference because it was sold out. Well my lordy. It is soooooo beautiful! The Omni Champions Gate (or something like that). There is no comparison between the two hotels. I don't know why the conference organizers chose this dump as second to the conference venue.....

But all else is good. The weather is nice. We had breakfast with the client at Shoney's - which was delicous in a gross way. Biscuits and gravy. Yummmmm. And we had an excellent lunch at the conference hotel. And in about an hour I will be off to dinner with Yahoo and the client at Charley's Steakhouse, so I am sure it won't be a low-cal dinner. Though the sinus infection and antibiotics will keep the alcohol at bay, I am sure I can find other empty calories to take it's place - like maybe Dessert!

Post #11

2007-11-11T21:12:00.000-05:00

Hubby and I had a very romantic, relaxing evening at the Doral Arrowwood Hotel in Rye Brook, NY. It was a beautiful resort. Our room was OK. Ernie used the gym and the sauna and steam room. We went to Tarrytown, which is an adorable little village on the Hudson River for lunch today. There is an amazing Greek place on the corner of Main Street that had a 20 minute wait. We sat outside and ate with our coats on to avoid the wait. The gyros were amazing. Like the best I have ever tasted. Wow.

Then Ernie dopped me off at the airport (conveniently 10 minutes from the rresort) and off I flew to Orlando, which is where I am right now. In a crappy hotel. One mile from Disney. The hotel is the Radisson ORlando Celebration. I arrived at 7pm. I have three nights accomodations which had been reserved for more than a month. I check in and they tell me at the front desk that I only had two nights booked. I was like, um, please check again. I am tired and hungry and still suffering from a sinus infection.

I convince them to give me a third night. After a few minutes in a back room, the front desk person came back to tell me "no worries", they would have a room for me.

I get to my room and unpack. OK. Starving. I tell my boss and coworker that I am not going to join them for dinner because I need a good nights' sleep. I call room service, about 100 times, and realize there is no room service. I call the Guest Services number and they ask if I want to speak to a manager and I tell them no, I want some food. Can you get me some? Again "do you want to speak to a manager?" So I hung up.

There are two menus under my room door from local pizza joints. Visions of a creepy delivery guy from central Florida coming to my hotel room gives me chills. Plus, I gave almost all of my cash to the super-creepy, bible-thumping, Hatian-hating, ex-hippie, army brat taxi driver on the way to the hotel.

An hour later I switch out of my comfy sweat pants back into my travel clothes and make the treck across the tropical waterfall area to the next building where a deli and Pizza Hut are. Gross. Starving. ??? What would you do?

I ordered a veggie lovers pizza and bring it back to my room. Gross. But at least now I'm not hungry.

That's it. Again. Don't ever stay here. Terrible service and I have only been here for two hours.

Oh yeah, and the up button on the TV remote doesn't work either. Geesh.

Post #10

2007-11-10T09:09:00.000-05:00

Today hubby and I are going on a mini-vacation! Woo-hoo. We are going to a resort two towns away. Though very close to home, it IS in another state (NY). So we can feel like we are "esacaping" for the first time in 14 months.

We were supposed to spend a long weekend in Orlando since I am going there on business tomorrow. But the airfares were so high it made no sense for Ernie to pay that much for a couple of days away.

So Aunt Dee and godparents Carleen and Jeff are going to be home with boys for the night.

Husband is stressing because I am online. I'd better go before he explodes. Then I might have to kill him.

Post #9

2007-11-09T16:31:00.000-05:00

What we did today...as captured by my cell phone...

Post #8

2007-11-08T21:41:00.000-05:00

Jozet commented on the toy recall post and sent along this link to a really cool site where you can find great toys that (most likely) will not harm your child.

Tomorrow is another PTO day from work! Woo-hoo. I get to hang out with all the boys for the day; hubby, Vladi, Waylon. My favorite men. Very exciting.

Thinking the boys might need another hair cut. Their hair is starting to look like their Grandmother Adzentoivich's. Maybe we will take them to the old barber shop tomorrow during our family day.

Sinuses are clearing up yet I still feel oh soooo tired. I've got to go to Orlando this weekend with work. Actually with my boss and the client. Though I am not complaining. It should be a fun conference. Typically, when I travel for work I end up in Saint Louis, which is a fine city, but I will surely appreciate the warm and sunny Florida weather for a change.

NBC is broadcasting this stupid Green Week. All of the shows have a Green theme. Only it is really stupid. I don't know what they are trying to get across. I guess maybe just reaching the most people to let them know that being Green is now "cool". But wouldn't it make more impact if NBC/GE actually became Green themselves. As companies? I know GE produces windmills and alternative energy research, etc. But are the networks Green? I don't know. I have yet to hear of any Big Business making any sort of radical change in the name of Green, though they are all jumping on the PR band-wagon for the sake of good press. But what does it all really mean?

If we want to really get involved I think we need to turn off our TVs and do something.

Here is the link to the Green Party web site
Here is the link to TreeHugger.com where you can find Go Green Guides
Here is the National Geographic Green Guide
And the US Green Building Council
Lastly, the Sundance Channel's Green Programming Site

We just had one of the City organizations come to our house and test it for energy waste. Since our house is heated with Gas and is almost 100 years old we qualified for this test. They spent a couple of hours replacing all of our lightbulbs with super efficient CFL bulbs (though we already had quite a few). They also tested the sealant around our windows, doors, walls, etc. They also tested all of our appliances and gave us a little watt tester to find out how much energy they draw when off but still plugged in. So now we are starting to unplug things like the toaster over, when not in use. I try to use the cold water a lot more than the hot. My sister and I carpool to work every day.

I know we aren't the Greenest family - but we'll do all we can to be better at it. I am looking into kitchen composters now.

And what do you think about this?

Post #7

2007-11-07T20:53:00.000-05:00

Did I miss a day? I didn't think I did. Did I? Oh NO! I hope I didn't.

Does this sound weird? This isn't weird. It is very typical for me to not remember something so seemingly simple. Deal With It (as Taylor from Kid Nation might tell you, yes I am watching it...deal with it).

I was talking with my friend Melissa last evening while waiting for my sinus medication at CVS. Ah yes, it is that time of year again. The annual sinus infection-a-thon. Everyone is doing it. Really.

But anyway, I was speaking with Melissa and she said how glad she was that I was blogging again as that was how she kept tabs on me. This got me to thinking.

Blogs are truly a great tool for moms and dads who have no time for social phone calls, etc. I think of all of the great, funny blogs I read and the far majority of them are written by witty, busy moms. Somehow, once the kids are asleep and the wine comes out, it is very satisfying to sit and blog while watching TV, or whatever ('cause you know we can't do just one thing at a time).

I think a lot of it is a time thing. It isn't always that free time comes along during acceptable calling hours, but it is never a rude time to blog. And all of that great blog material that comes to you as you care for children/work/run the household/etc./etc. is just too good not to write down. I mean, you've got to get it out of your head somehow.

So here is a shout out to all of us moms who keep in touch through our network of blogs. I am not hurt or offended if you don't call as often as you used to - as long as you keep on blogging!

Post #6

2007-11-06T13:45:00.000-05:00

Wow! I think I have already beat my NaBloPo posting record of last year...

So, I was recently online (OK, you caught me, I am online right now) and decided to Google "Toy Recalls", you know, just for fun.

Scary stuff.

I went to the Official Government Site of Bad Toys (or something like that) and I could hear the song clear as day "...Here on the Island of Misfit Toys, where we don't want to stay..."

All of those poor lead-full toys will not find themselves under anyones Christmas tree or Menorah this year. Boo-hoo. And if they do, they will be swiftly kicked to the curb by any fastidious mom who keeps up with The Today Show or NPR.

Interesting that Mattel has a video on their Consumer Safety site. They are reassuring parents that it is OK to buy Mattel toys for Christmas. Like they didn't know that those manufacturers they contracted with in China and now Mexico were using lead-based paint? And it just so happened that their "rigorous safety control" testers never found any elevated levels? He says they "have been working hard" (where have we heard that before?) to make sure there are no more issues. How about working a little harder? Shouldn't they have this process in place by now after 60 years in the business?

How many other parents have had to sit at home waiting three weeks for the results of their kids' blood lead-level tests to come back? Hubby and I, for two. And our friends Joe and Marnie, for two more. How much money is this little oversight costing the healthcare industry in this country as more and more babies and toddlers are being tested for lead? And more than once?

Now, before I go off here, I have to admit that our kids' lead levels were not likely elevated due to toys (though we have found three on the list so far) or bottles, etc. but the Pediatricians are now testing regularly at check-ups. And once the level is identified as "high" a second test must be done and all results must go to the State Department of Health. This is a lengthy process involving insurance companies and state agencies. Does anyone think this isn't going to bite us somehwere down the line? Though I would much rather have it make a dent in my pocketbook than in my childs brain.

I think for Christmas this year I am going to buy all wooden toys painted with soy paint. I found one interesting company and haven't seen it on any of the recall lists - yet. If you have, please let me know.

Books are awlays good to. We have soo many and the boys love to chew (eat) on them. I often wonder if maybe the books don't have lead in the ink. I haven't heard anything about that yet.

Ironically, I just heard my insurance premiums are going up for 2008.

Post #5

2007-11-05T10:13:00.001-05:00

So, what I was trying to say before my laptop conked out last night...the boys went to Stew Leonard's for the first time yesterday. They LOVED it, of course.

It's the Disney World of Dairy Stores. I had my first job there when I was 16. I was a cashier/ Jennifer was too. We got in trouble We quit by walking out when we were supposed to be on a 15 minute break and we went to a football game instead. Can you believe that? I can't believe I ever behaved that way - but hey, I was 16.

Post #4

2007-11-04T20:28:00.000-05:00

Computer is flashing Low Battery, Low Battery.

Me, I caught the boys' cold. I am also flashing Low Battery, Low Battery.

So sick...

Husband comes home tomorrow. Yay!

Boys had their first trip to Stew Leonard's tod

Post #3

2007-11-03T20:55:00.000-04:00

Wow. I almost forgot about this today. I hadn't even logged onto the computer and just remembered as I was about to sit down for my evening TV viewing. The boys are asleep, the kitchen is clean. The washing machine and dryer are both whirring away. Mega Blocks are put away. Stinky diaper's are out in the trash. Now it's my time. I typically last about an hour or so before I drift off.

Aunt Dee and I took the monsters to Bennigans today. I had never been to a Bennigans before, and now I know why. Ick. The set-up was good for the boys and it was so massive that I didn't worry that they were disturbing anyone. But the food? Yuck. Gross. Deanne's sandwich wasn't too bad, but the thing I had was nasty. The boys milk shake was gross too - and it's pretty hard to mess that up. Yes, they are drinking milk shakes these days as they are one of about three things I can convince them to eat. Seems they are on a hunger strike lately. Especuially Waylon. He won't eat anything. He does OK with avocado, french fries, spaghetti, milk shakes and cookies. Pretty much my worse nightmare. But I figure that anything I can get into his gullet is better than nothing. Right?

Boy was it cold and windy here today. They say we are getting a taste of Noel - that storm that hit Florida at the end of the week. It is really cold. Like 40. Feels like winter, finally. Boys had to wear their little winter coats for the first time, courtesy of the Mother's of Multiples tag sale a few weeks ago.

I found Heroes on the G4 channel, which I thought was a video game channel. I guess Heroes appeals to the same demographic? All season 2 episodes. I think I am going to stay up for a couple of hours and catch up on what I have missed so far this season. We have a DVR which records probably 25 different shows a week but I honestly only ever get to watch one or two of them in any given week. I see the appeal of the gadget but there are still only so many hours in a day to watch TV.

OK. So I fulfilled my obligation today. Even if it was a lame-o post....I promise they won't all be this bad.

Nighty-night.

Post #2

2007-11-02T09:17:00.000-04:00

Yay! I am on day two. Are you proud of me?

It is also day two of just me and the boys at home. Vladimir is walking around going something like "blegh, agh, yagh" and bubbley stuff is coming out of his mouth. This is because he has his brothers cold and his snot is running from his nose to his mouth. I guess he doesn't like the taste? Aren't little boys supposed to like eating boogers?

No big plans for today. But definitely going to take the boys out in the minivan for a trip to Target. Right now I am just waiting for them both to poop before we go. Gotta love that. I've been thinking about it for a good 24 hours. A trip to Target sans hubby. I can buy all those non-essentials that look so cool on the TV ads without a little birdy whispering in my ear about not spending money, blah, blah...

I got a call from said Husband last evening. Seems he is having a swell time in LA. He met some guy who wrote all the music for the new Halo game. He asked him for his reel and told him that he was looking for some more composers. Husband is a good networker. He always seems to do well at those things.

Today I am supposed to have my first professional piece published by MediaPost. If you subscribe to any of their gajillion eNewsletters you just may see my name today.

I remembered to give the cat his pill this morning.

If you ask me, I think I have accomplished quite a bit today already. Now if only I could convince the boys that it would be very OK to let mama take a nap - she has earned it! Somehow I don't think that one will go over very well. I have difficulty convincing them that it is OK for THEM to take naps....ah well. The daily marathon continues.

The boys just put on their Halloween costumes and are playing together as a puppy and a lion...

Post #1

2007-11-01T09:35:00.000-04:00

OK. Peer pressure. I never could resist it.

I am not going to commit to anything as organized as Josette's NaBloPo schedule - but I will do my best to write something every day this month. Try. Last year I didn't even come close. But this year they have my picture here so I feel like I sort of HAVE to do it....

Hubby is in LA at a music-writing conference. I am on three days of PTO from work so that I may stay home with my wee lads while daddy is away. I get them solo for the weekend too, so it is me and the boys for five days. I am thinking they might like the mall.

Sister is living with us, for those of you who might not know. She has converted our basement into an adorable little studio apartment. It is working out quite well as now we have a third set of grown up hands around the house and that's a big help.

Baby Waylon is sick with a nasty cold. Last night when I checked in on him there was a stream of snot from his nose to the crib mattress where it joined it's brethren in a puddle of ick. Poor kid. And lucky for his brother they eat the same books and drink our of the same cups and chew each other's fingers. Only a very slight chance Vladimir may catch it from him.

Halloween - wasn't as fun as last year. Our neighborhood last year was so overrun with minivans dumping kids at the end of the street that it was impossible to drive down the block. This year, we all kept our lights out and hid from the goulies and ghosties. Ba-humbug.

Hope you all enjoyed your fright night. I am thinking next year will be much better for us because the boys will "get it". This year they just sort of stood in their costumes looking confused.

Ah yes, lest I forget. Today is our 9th Wedding Anniversary. Wow.

Bumbo Seat Recall

2007-10-25T15:00:00.001-04:00

Oh my GOD! I talked about this Bumbo Seat on this and my other blog. If you bought it please read the warning and BE CAREFUL! Babies have actually cracked their skulls....terrifying.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08046.html.

Sometimes it Doesn't Suck...

2007-10-15T11:19:00.000-04:00

Yes, I made it home from Saint Louis and we took the boys to the doctor and then to the hospital for a second blood test to check their lead levels. It was so terrible. The little guys each sat on my lap, one at a time, while the phlebotomist put the rubber band around their bicept and then drew blood from their little arm. Wailling ensued.

Almost three weeks, several calls to the state and city Departments of Health, a couple of lead test kits from Home Depot and many emails and phone calls of advice from friends and family later and the test results are back and the lead levels are NORMAL.

Original levels:
Vladimir 20
Waylon 15

Second test levels:
Vladimir 4
Waylon 5

So now we can rest easy. We are still giving them the vitamin supplement with Iron and cleaning the house from top to bottom while pumping the boys full of OJ, but we can be at ease knowing that their lead exposure was very limited and short-lived. Horray!

Life is good - nothing else really matters but the well-being of the boys, and that's the truth.

Sometimes it Sucks

2007-09-28T02:01:00.000-04:00

So, I know I just wrote about how things are great and all that. Well, I should have known better than to tempt the "gods" or whatever.

Hello, I am writing to you from the Crowne Plaze hotel in Saint Louis, MO. I spent the night being entertained by a creepy troll-like magician and "networking" with a slew of cool media and agency types in a really cool location, the Transportation Museum in STL. The place was very cool. I was with my boss and our company's CEO.

Backing up to this afternoon, I sit in an office with my client and their legal compliance person discussing a contract with a potential vendor. The fire alarm rings and we are shuffled out of the building with the other 2,000 employees of the world's largest car rental company.

We get back into the office and I get a call from hubby. He is calling from my sister's phone because he is on the other line with the boys' pediatrician. When the boys went in for their one year check up they took blood. The results came back and apparently the boys have "high" lead levels in their blood. I ask "What does that mean". He doesn't know. So they say we HAVE to bring them back in the next day (tomorrow) for additional testing for lead and "some other things". I ask WHAT OTHER THINGS?

He doesn't know.

Are my boys going to be developmentally delayed?

Doesn't lead paint cause retardation?

Seizure?

DEATH!?

So I sit here in the hotel counting the minutes until I can get on the plane anc fly back to Laguardia and then get in the car to take me back to HOME. I anticipate getting home aroun lunchtime and then we take the boys to their doctor at 3:00. This is torture - for me.

Could this be related to any of the China-made toys? Is it our old house? or hosues? Is it from the window replacement construction we recently completed which released century-old paint and dust into our home air? I don't know. But I do know that if they do have dangerous levels of lead in their blood we will likely put the house on the market and buy a brand spanking new house with ZERO lead paint.

Please pray for us or whatever. And please send me some good vibes so I can cope with this. I realize that this is the benchmark for how I may deal with problems they may face throughout their lives. I have to be OK with this and trust the doctors and the tests. I know this. It is just so hard because I am not there to hug them.

Long, long honkin' time

2007-09-17T21:50:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know. I am sorry. It's been too long. I have not called. I have disappeared off the face of the Earth. But I did manage to get my boys and myself and my hubby through one full year. Yay! Now I am ready for a nap or a stiff drink. Or a nap AND a stiff drink (not necessarily in that order). Maybe even a smoke. That would be a cigarette, not the other "bad" kind of smoke. But as I have been warned by my ever-loving mother "she will tell my boys what a good mother I was" as I lay dieing from smoking a cigarette at my cousins wedding. *sigh* life is hard, ain't it?

But really, it's not. It's just dandy. I am only positive about where we've been and where we go from here. I do feel like I spent the past year living in somebody else's brain, not to mention somebody else's body. Now I am very relieved to report that both seem to be on their way back to me, their rightful owner. We seem to have successfully exorcised those foreigners from our being. Phew! Now we just need to be very, very careful that the renewed me doesn't go and get herself knocked up again....that would be falling backwards wouldn't it?

But really. The front walk was finished. Ernie did a great job. Now there are three other homes in our little Hubbard Heights neighborhood who are building strangely similar walkways...he started something. Too bad he couldn't have gotten something for his backache.

So, I'm watching Singing Bee - best show EVER. Those of you who know me know that I woudl totally go home with that trophy. Oh yeah. It would look awesome on my mantel too.

But I digress. I think.

So my kids are one. My job is killer. I am getting recruiter left and right from the likes of Google, Starwood Hotels, Avenue A, it is sick! Former clients are contacting me about doing consulting work. I am HOT! And loving it too. But really, I have a great gig where I am and it just isn't the right time for me to explore too many other options. But mama ain't stupid either. I'll just say that I listen to whatever they have to say, even if it is with mouth agape. All of a sudden everyone wants me, two young adorable boys, a grown man who shares my home, my boss, my client, GOOGLE (yes, the Google), and others who would mean less to those of you who aren't obsessed with the world of search engine marketing and interactive mumbo jumbo. Please don't take this as bragging. I'm really not. I am simply sharing with you all my amazement at how uncannily ironic life is. Remember about a year or so ago when I had no job and was 5 months preggers with twins and FREAKIN the F**K out!? Well, here is karma in effect. Believe.....

So, of course there are more than a million pics to post for y'all to share in the joys of the Adzentoivich summer. Many of you were there. There were so many "events" these past three or four months. Weird. The next thing the hubby and I are looking forward to is seeing Bob Dillon and Elivs Costello in Bridgeport, yes B'port. What we CTers used to refer lovingly to as "the armpit of Fairfield County" - nice, I know. But now there is this new stadium venue there and all of these great acts come to the 'port. So we're going. We have a few baby sitters now - one being my sister who recently relocated from the West Coast to our basement. And the other being this lovely Peruvian girl I found on Craigs List - I've been meaning to thank Craig. Thanks!

OK - husband and sister have just returned from their various lucrative ventures. Time for me to take my leave and enjoy a gin and tonic.

Look again soon for pics. I've missed you so.

SWAK *

Ernie Joins the Brotherhood of Masons

2007-05-27T10:03:00.000-04:00

No, not the Freemasons. That would be too cool.

The actual hands, on, stone-working masons. In all of his spare time, he has undertaken the huge project of rebuilding our front walkway. Not only is he rebuilding it, he is laying blue stone bordered by belgium block. AND he is adding a side walkway and a flowerbed.

He is Superdad.

Stay tuned for pics of the finished product!

The Passion of the Peeps

2007-04-05T13:07:00.000-04:00

I wish it was my own silliness that came up with this (I lifted it off of some NYU web site).

Happy Easter to all my peeps!

The Inevitability of it All

2007-04-01T21:33:00.000-04:00

What is "all"? You may ask. Well. ALL. Everything. Life.

I always thought that people said that once you had kids you felt young again. That you suddenly saw the world through their eyes. That everything seemed possible.

Something must be wrong with me. Really. Depression? Obsession? Neurosis? Paranoia? Pessimism? Psychosis? All of the above? Probably. Or at least a combo platter of a few.

When the boys were first born (7 months and one week ago) I was overjoyed. I was awestruck by them and the fact that I actually GREW two people inside myself (me?). I was intimidated by the smallness and tenacity of them.

And I was tired.

And I am still tired.

And now I am fat, too. (you, know - the breast feeding it let's you eat A LOT. No more breast feed - no more instant fat burnie uppie.). And tired.

I have become accustomed to the exhaustion. I never thought I could but somehow it just happens. You wake up one morning and feel really awesome because you had 6 hours of sleep. 7am is sleeping in. And somehow it is all OK. You go on. You make it to the office, work until 6 or 7 and then come home, do baby stuff, go to sleep and then do it all again. It just works itself out. I suppose it has to really. Life goes on, as the saying goes. And you just sort of ride the tide the best you can.

So my problem comes from the extreme proximity I feel to my own mortality. Before the boys were born I understood that life comes to an end, we all die, etc. I am well-read in the writings of the Dali Lama, the Apostles, and Lao Tzu (or whoever wrote the Tao, I am having such a stupid moment right now, can't think). I am acquainted with the philosophers, Shakespeare, all of the great thinkers. I even studied Metaphysics. I understand the Universal. Though I wasn't necessarily convinced that God existed in the Catholic sense, or if there was a Heaven and a Hell - I was OK with the idea that one day we would all be gone from this life. I was OK with that.

Now - well, all I can think of is that I will die, Ernie will die. We will leave our boys in the world alone. Our deaths will be painful to them. My parents will die and leave their grandkids - I know how badly it hurt me when my grandfather passed away, it still hurts. And the idea that my boys will die is too much for me to take. My heart explodes a little bit and I get dizzy just aknowledging the fact. Even if they live to be 100 - they will still die. And I don't think that is OK. I know they will suffer throughout their lives. And THAT IS NOT OK! I think I am going to throw up now.

I don't understand how people can say that when you become a parent you see the world through your children's eyes, blah, blah, blah.

Does my issue stem from too much exposure to The Cure and Morrisey in my youth? Did I OD on Marilyn Manson in the 90s? I am usually such an optimistic person.

I don't know how or when I will ever get past this. I expected to worry. Parents always worry about their kids. But my thought process is absurd. I am worried about their life leading up to their inevitable death.

Don't get me wrong. I also think about things like taking them to the farm in the summer. Teaching them to swim and to ride a bike. Going to see them in the game, or the school play. Watching them take their first steps.....

But then I read these assinine books telling me things like:

any food you give your 7 month old has the distinct probability of choking him to death
don't ever leave your baby in his high chair for five minutes while you prepare his breakfast in the next room - he will surely get the strap wrapped around his neck and suffocate to death
do not, in any circumstance, wash your child's clothing or dinnerware in detergent! And NEVER EVER use bleach in your home if children are living there. The mere presence of these things will surely cause your child's skin to blister and he will undoubtably be blinded for life. Instead, clean everything you own with Vinegar
always keep your child facing backwards in his car seat. Even if this means that your child will have to bend his legs and do leg presses against the back of the seat while riding in the car.
give your 7 month old finger foods, such as peices of fresh fruits like pears. And in no circumstances should you feed your 7 month old fresh slices of slippery fruits, such as pear, or it will certainly slide down his windpipe and kill him at the lunch table
the 7 month old's diet should be primarily breast milk, or formula (milk-based), but do not give your child dairy products such as yogurt, milk or cheese until after 1 year of age or a severe allergic reaction may occur resulting in death

What do you do with information like this? Is it truly meant to be helpful? If so, How? I don't get it.

I have decided to stop reading all of the books. It is not helping my mental state.

Does anyone have any positive advice on how to introduce solid foods to your 7 month old? Any ideas on how to keep a child alive past his first birthday while still having clean clothes and a mold-free bathtub?

I guess a dirty house is inevitable too.

My neurosis aside, my boys are doing very well in spite of me. They are very large. At their 6 month Dr's appointment the pediatrician said "They are perfectly average - for NINE month olds!" Thank god.

Need to Install A Child Safety Seat?

2007-03-12T23:54:00.000-04:00

Check out this nifty web site that will tell you how.

There are also certified persons in most states who will install your car seats free of charge. In Fairfield County CT there are a few firemen in the Stamford/Greenwich area who are certified to do this and they hold clinics a couple of times per month. We were shocked when we had them install the infant seats in our Hyundai when the boys were little. It was incredible to see the lengths they went to in order to make sure those stinking bases stayed in place on the back seat. Picture large fireman type kneeling on top of the car seat base in the tiny backseat of our Hyundai hatchback while fireman type number 2 snaked around him to insert the seatbelt buckle into the recepticle. We were never able to replicate it.

Nobody Builds an Aqueduct Anymore

2007-03-11T00:11:00.000-05:00

I am sitting here thinking about the great civilizations and my degree in Art History. I am thinking - wow, we sort of suck. I mean our generation created the internet. And that is pretty cool. But does it really have the same impact as The Aqueduct?

Have you ever played Civilization (or Civ, as we call it around here)? I mean, once you build an aqueduct your civilization grows. They are enabled to create agriculture and hospitals. Everything becomes more hygenic, waste management emerges. All possible because someone figured out how to transport water from a place with plenty to a place in need.

Such a simple idea to affect so many throughout many, many generations.

Does anyone do that anymore? I know I don't. Sure, the internet is civilization-changing but not on the same level. It doesn't allow people to live longer or better. It really is just another medium for commerce and information. It isn't a necessity for better living or better health.

Conversly, it may actually have a detrimental affect on your health if you spend too much time with it.

This may be a stupid post. I know. It has been so long since I posted anything and there have been oh so many thoughts in my head of late. So you will have to humor me. Or just skim.

Call Child Services

2007-03-10T23:42:00.000-05:00

I guess I am really the worst mother ever. Really. So call. Now.

Here I am. Late in the evening....

My darling husband has decided today was a good day to drive out to our place in Pennsylvania and get out car inspected (cuz, you know, all of our cars are registered there. Don't tell Jodi Rell - she's the Governor of CT, I think) and check on our place. Last month our electric bill was double...even though we haven't been there and the heat and water, etc. have all been shut off since the fall. We think, might we have squatters? Hmmmm....hoping I don't get a call telling me that hubby T'C et.al. are in the midst of confrontation with scary ATV-type folk (what does that mean, anyway?).

So Ernie is in PA. Today it was me and my boys. My cousin and her daughter and her friend came over for a visit. It was nice to pull my head out of the 15 year old Champion-sweatshirt-and-running-pants (Running pants? Nobody around here doing any running) day and speak with adults. They came and left, and the boys and I enjoyed a few hours of screaming before dinner.

Dinner was a bust. Only one boy decided to eat. The other one just figured he'd continue to scream. It felt good for him. Not so good for me.

So then I made the executive decision that there would be no bath tonight. For anyone. The boys seemed fine with that. In my defense, it is difficult enough to coordinate a double bath when there are two adults in the house, but when it is just me - and it has been just me all day - it is darn near impossible. So I surrendered.

Then we all went upstairs and I filled the humidifier (which hasn't been cleaned in about a month) and emptied the diaper pail. Then I changed each boy into pajamas and cleaned their faces and bottoms with a wash cloth. I attempted to give Baby A a bottle but alas, he was still not hungry. So to bed he goes with no dinner, no bath and no bottle.

Then Baby B has a swig of the bottle and takes only 3 ounces. This is a kid who typically takes 8 ounces in a shot. But 3 it was and I couldn't argue. He proceeded to fall asleep. OK.

Each is in his crib with the dirty water spewing hot mist from the humidifier. I stealthily grab the baby scissors and cut each of their 20 fingernails while they lay asleep. Ahhhh I win this battle!

Once asleep, and after doing the laundry and dishes and preparing the baby food meals for morning and emptying all garbage pails....I have a giant chocolate chip cookie for dinner and grab my laptop and head upstairs.

I check the boys and they are fast asleep. Their Rock a Bye Baby CD playing softly in their room.

So I creap back downstairs and grab a bottle of wine. Ahhh... the thought of a night to myself drinking wine and catching up on my blog reading. What decadence. And what a bad mommy. I am alone with the kiddies (and the kitties) and I am enjoying a glass or two (or three or five) of wine. C'est Teribile!

But that is the truth. I even feel like sneaking out back to have a cigarette. What will ever become of my children?

Oh, did I mention that while imbibing and indulging in the blogosphere I am watching The History of Sex on The History Channel (actually, I only caught the last 10 minutes of it. Now it is all about the Visigoths and the Roman Empire - seems like the same thing to me)?

I tell you, I am an abhoration!!! (is that a word? It must be the wine talking now...)

Bye, Bye Will!

2007-03-09T15:30:00.000-05:00

Adios Will (AKA The Well-Groomed Head)! My boss is leaving me. He is going to the "Gateway to the West" to work for the competition. Best of luck to you - and DON"T STEAL MY CLIENTS!!!!!

Just teasing. Good luck. Thanks for sticking by me during all of the crazy baby-ness. You have been extremely cool to work with/for and now everyone knows it. :-)

Car Seat Photos

2007-02-17T13:26:00.000-05:00

I don't know why, but for some reason I cannot add the photos I wanted to add to the blog post about the new car seat. Annoying.

Here they are. Graco Snug Rides then....and now.

New Car Seat(s)

2007-02-17T10:53:00.000-05:00

The boys have outgrown their little Graco infant car seats/carries. Remember these?

Well, they are now past both the height and weight limits. I can't believe they have grown so quickly. I mean, everyone says that "they grow so fast!" but you don't understand what that means until you see it for yourself.

So I did my research and found that this seat has an excellent safety rating, and also a good ease of use rating, yet falls in the mid-range of price. Believe me when I say that I was almost swayed by the pretty Brittax convertible car seat, even with it's $250 price tag. But I resisted and did my research using my trusty Consumer Reports Best Baby Products book (see link below), and found that this seat was indeed better and cheaper. Who would have guessed?

So we now have our two new car seats strapped tightly into our new minivan. We have to call the Greenwich Fire Department to find out when the certified car seat installers are on duty. There are only two of them in thr county and they are both stationed in Greenwich. We had them install the bases of our Graco seats when the boys were newborns and could not believe how tighly they were able to get them in. We have tried to replicate the results but to no avail.

I have crossed the line...

2007-02-03T22:07:00.000-05:00

...and bought a minivan

Oh yeah...ain't she sweet?

Pretty bad-ass...no?

I am ordering an undercarriage neon lighting package from my local too-fast, too-furious dealer (oh yeah, that might actually be my dad - Specialty Automotive. If you don't know, don't ask...). Notice the hot after-market tinted windows? How about the slick Mopar fin at the top of the hatch door? So smokin'. Umm, umm, umm. Watch out.

So, I am a true suburban mom. So much for strolling through Union Square with my babies. Or walking around the Grand Army Plaza Farmer's Market on a Saturday morning buying fresh Fontina. Instead I will drive my babies in the minivan to the mall and change them in the changing room at Macy's. Just doesn't have the same ring to it.

But please don't get me wrong. I am not complaining. Yes, we are extremely fortunate to be able to live where we do in a house that is big enough for two boys, two cats and a dad who must have one bedroom serve as a recording and composition studio. Yes, I know. I also have three vehicles sitting in my driveway, even is one is a minivan and one is a Hyundai (and the other is a monster truck Ford f150). I do realize and appreciate all that we have. It is just that it is such a dichotomy. I mean, who am I? I really don't even recognize myself. I am stalking Craigslist for baby sitters instead of for apartments, concert tickets or whatever else that sounds cool.

Geesh. I guess maybe I am having some sort of mid-life crisis, though I'd like to think I am only at 1/3-life. Or whatever.

I think I am just a complainer. God, please don't ask my husband to confirm this because he will heartily go off for about 4 hours with examples of how this is true while he toasts you with the very expensive scotch he saves for special occasions, such as when he is right and I am proven incredibly wrong. But honestly, I see an injustice or imbalance in the world, whether mine or someone else's, and I feel I must point it out and share it with everyone around me. Regardless of how annoying that may be.

So, work has been great. I have a new boss who is very cool. A woman who is top of our field. I finally have a mentor. I went on my first business trip since entering motherhood. I spend the night in St Louis last week. It was supposed to be two nights but my original flight ended up being a free tour of the 5 Boroughs of Manhattan. We took off from Westchester County airport and never got above 5,000 feet. They could not get the cabin pressure to adjust. So we flew around in circles above Manhattan for two hours burning off fuel so we could land back at Westchester County airport. Did I mention that this was in a 40 seat plane? I mean it was tiny. I got to see Times Square from a $1,500 vantage point. I am serious when I say we were so low that I could read the signs.

So I ended up spending that night in my own bed and flying out very early the next morning. I went to meetings and to a grown up dinner. I even got to wear a suit. That night I slept like a dead person in a bed made of heavenly clouds and pillow of the finest down (it was the Ritz, afterall), not stirring until 6:30am, when I was awakened by the phone and a knock on my door offering me the morning paper and a carafe of coffee. Bliss.

But I did miss my boys and high-tailed it out of there to get home by 10pm that evening. I think it was a successful trip. My next one is planned for this week but will be out and back on the same day. Hard on mom but easy on the kids.

So you might infer from all of this that the whole "Being a mom to twins has made me an insane zombie" thing has grown old. And you would be correct. I can happily say that it has all become 1,000,000,000% easier than it was the first 4 months. I never, even want to relive those months. Really. We are all much happier now. The husband/wife thing is a bit strained, but the mom/dad/kid thing is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better. Wow. I never thought it would feel like such a turn around in what seems like such a short period of time. All of the suckiness is gone.

If you wonder why there have been little to no blog posts I will have to blame it on my work. Since going back to the office full time I have been transitioned onto our biggest account as the lead account manager. It has been hectic but rewarding.

I must now run off to the train station to pick up Ernie who was in the City playing with the Brooklyn Youth Chorus in the Museum of Natural History togniht. But don't worry, my mother in law is sleeping upstairs. I am not leaving the boys alone. She goes back to Vegas tomorrow - then we'll see if I still think things are so much easier.

Until then, keep on riding dirty my friends.

MLK Post by a Frazzled New Mom (Are you tired of this same old lament yet....)

2007-01-15T15:04:00.000-05:00

You Rock, MLK. Thanks for all you did for us. Can't say lots has changed, still lots of people using the 'N Word' and all that, but you know...it's better. I guess. What do I know, I'm a white girl? I do know the news is always talking about how the cops are shooting folks because they are in a particular part of town, or their skin is particularly dark....still seems like there's a long way to go.

But on the lighter side of things (OK, that pun was unintended, and actually it sounds a little creepy, but I am going to leave it anyway)- MLK Day is a day of rest in the advertising world AKA I get the day off. And last year on MLK day I found out I was preggers when I got two pink lines on my plastic pee stick in the middle of a snow storm. I remember walking in the snow to Target in Brooklyn to buy a box of tests because I couldn't stand to wait a day to find out. Look how much can change in a a year...but I digress.

So, today I have a few minutes to write in my blogs. Everyone keeps asking me what's up because I never write anymore. It's not that I don't love you, I do, really. It is just that now that I have gone back to work in the office full time I can't seem to find time to write. The boys require less time but more effort. They sleep more but need to be entertained, or want to be entertaining, when they are awake. And so I must oblige. I am hoping that once they are able to play with EACH OTHER it will allow mommy more time to herself. Is this a pipe dream? Only time will tell.

The beginning of the year has been busy for the A's. We went to visit Great Grandpa Germano on his 89th birthday Jan. 7th (Oh yeah, and I had a birthday on the second, but we won't talk about that).

4 Generations
Great Grandpa Germano and WaylonErnie made his first-ever bundt cake from scratch. Both boys have rolled over in each direction. Grandfather Adzentoivich became Super Grandpa within his first 2 hours with the boys. Grandma and Grandpa Wood bought a timeshare in Antigua so we all will have a place to party into the future. Auntie Dee is in Hawaii. We had a party with all of our friends and their babies from NYC (And the Young-Crozet's who have just returned home to the states after 3 years in Switzerland!).

(Waylon, Leia & Vladimir)
Me, Waylon & Vlad ( 4 1/2 mos), Melissa & Noah (4 1/2 mos), Emily & Simon (9 mos), Krista & Leia (6 mos)Ernie and I have had the flu, the boys somehow managed to keep healthy. Vladi and Waylon had their 4 month vaccinations followed by a 102.2 fever. We made a trekk up to IKEA in New Haven in a fog storm in a borrowed minivan whose defrost button is broken...And now we are looking forward to shopping for a minivan of our own (Well, I am looking forward to it, Ernie keeps grumbling about the payments...).

That being said, I never got the chance to post my traditional Year in Photos for 2006. I promise to try to get to that before January is over. In the meantime, I will post some shots of the first two weeks' goings on.

Happy MLK Day! Keep on Rockin' in the Free World!Adzentoivich Totem Pole...

Congratulations!

2007-01-03T10:34:00.000-05:00

Well, well, well. Good news all around it seems.

Congratulations to my cousin Carleen and her new fiance Jeff. They were engaged on Christmas Eve. A September 1st wedding is in the works. We are so happy for them and couldn't imagine a more appropriate pairing!

Congratulations to my dear friend Stephanie (not cousin Steph, for those of you who also read her blog) who had a baby girl at 9:26 this morning. No name as of yet (I know what that's like...having waited 4 days before naming our boys). I was hoping for a boy to whom I could hand down scads of adorable clothing, but alas no. This is Steph's first child.

And lastly, congratulations to my former agency for being named Best Search Agency of the Year for 2006. Kudos, guys. I would like to think that although the employee roster over there looks much different than it did in Jan '06, we all had something to do with that success. Hurrah.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2007-01-02T19:52:00.000-05:00

Yes folks. It's that time of year again...my birthday.

Thank you, thank you.

In lieu of gifts, please order one of these energy efficient light bulbs and replace one regular bulb in your house. You will save money on your electric bill, and you will help save our environment. Really.

Happy New Year!

2006-12-31T21:50:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU all for your generosity surrounding the birth of our sons Vladimir and Waylon. We have been overwhelmed by the kindness of our extended family. Since bringing the boys home from the hospital in late August our lives have been a whirlwind of non-stop diapering, feeding, rocking, changing and swaddling. As your thoughtful gifts continued to arrive well into the fall we lost track of who was sent thank you notes and who was not. Please accept our deepest apologies if we overlooked you. You must all know that we did receive your gifts and appreciated them more than we could ever express. The boys have a veritable clothing boutique hanging in their closets stocked by all of you! We have opened savings accounts for each of them with the generous gifts that were made for such a purpose. We have bought hundreds (likely thousands) of diapers and baby wipes with the gift cards we received. All of the books and CDs have been read and listened to multiple times. All of the food and goodies were delightful and all of the great advice was priceless. We honestly could not have made it through these first few months without all of you. And though we always knew how great you all were we certainly could never have expected such generosity!

As we head into 2007 we feel extremely blessed to have these two beautiful boys in our lives. Though overwhelmed at times, as all new parents must be, we cannot express the happiness they have brought us. If you haven’t met them yet we invite you to stop by the house any time. We are both surprised by how much we love our new role as parents to these two cool little guys. The experience has been quite unexplainable. Who would have guessed?

We wish you and yours the best of everything in 2007. May you find health, happiness and good fortune before you and look back at 2006 with fond memories. We look forward to spending time with each of you in the coming year.

With Love,

Ernest, Nancy, Vladimir and Waylon

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-21T12:16:00.001-05:00

Blowing in the Wind

2006-11-28T18:04:00.000-05:00

We have a new view from the front porch of the house at Adzentoivich Woods. Windmills. 13 of them to be exact.

HUGE windmills.

If you don't want to click the link I'll just tell you - they cost $70 million and are 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.

Huge freakin' windmills!

Here is a photo of the new view (this is a mountaintop, not a hill, mind you)...And another (look closely)...One of the things we cherished about Adzentoivich Woods was the fact that when there you felt as if you were the only people in the world. You could see no neighbors, no roads, nothing.

Complete solitude.

Nature in it's natural state.

I have mixed feelings about these new addiitons to our environ. On one hand they are really, really cool. I mean really. They turn so slowly and silently. Giants on the hillside quietly bringing life through the wind to humanity. Harnasing the winds and squeezing from them electricity.

Clean power.
Responsible power.
Natural power.

Little or no by-products. No pollution (hello, co-gen plants?).

Almost majestic in their pursuit and stature.

Calming to behold and somewhat humbling.

Heck, we were even thinking of putting one up on the farm - though not nearly as large. And cousin Anne trekked halfway across the country in a gas-guzzling SUV to pick one up for her place.

Off the grid, self-sustaining power. Hope for the future.

On the other hand - HUGE FREAKIN' WINDMILLS SEEN FROM MY FRONT PORCH!

YouTube and Cat's Eyes

2006-11-14T14:09:00.000-05:00

So I uploaded that last post from my digital camera to my computer, then to YouTube. I posted it to the blog straight from the YouTube interface. For some reason I have heard that several people have been unable to watch it. Sorry for that. It is really just a random video of the boys laying on their tummy-time mat while Vladi cries and Waylon pedals his feet. So, sorry about that if you can't see it. I am new at the whole YouTube thing - at least the contribution aspect of it. Maybe I did something wrong when I uploaded it.

Yesterday morning, Ernie and I were sitting on the bed feeding the boys when Godzilla sauntered into the room. I looked at him as he walked past my side of the bed and continued to schlep underneath the crib into what is known around here as "cat jail" (the slats of the crib make it look as if the cat were in jail). I noticed his right eye was completely swollen and discusting. The inner eyelid thing was all pink and HUGE.

I said "Ernie, go look at the cat and put medicine in his eye" (this is not the first time this has happened to Godzilla, he seems to have allergies)

He said "But I am feeding a baby"

I said "I don't care, give me the baby and take care of the cat. His eye is really bad"

He said "Wow, that's a first. Take care of the cat instead of the baby?"

I said "Look at his eye and you'll see why"

So Ernie gives me the baby, now I have two. He goes to get Godzilla who of course doesn't want to be gotten. Once he catches him he yells to me from the other room...

"I think he lost it"

I yell back "Lost What?"

He yells "I think he lost his eye"

Me "REALLY?"

He "I think so!"

Me "Well, call the vet! Call Rick and bring him over there right away" (Rick being our parent's friend who is a vet two towns over)

He "OK"

.....time passes

I think about where his eye could possibly have gone. Under the diningroom table? Under the refrigerator? Into the fireplace? And how would we ever find it? Would it start to eventually stink and lead us to it? Hopefully before the boys start to crawl...

Me "well, is it there?"

He "I think so. I dunno. I put some medicine in it so we'll see. I am going to watch him"

Me "OK"

Later....

He "Wow, his eye looks 100% better!"

Me "Oh good, so it is still there."

He "yeah"

Only that evening did I think about it and realize that it would be quite impossible for our cat to "lose" his eye. I mean, it is attached and all that. This I found to be quite comical. Both Ernie and I thought it was perfectly probable that our cat's eye could have fallen out from extreme paw rubbing or some such thing.

This is what happens when you are subject to extreme sleep-deprivation. Your cat can lose his eye and you don't really think a thing of it other than, I hope we find it before the babies do. It all becomes one big Fellinni film.

Playtime

2006-11-11T13:35:00.001-05:00

New Post

2006-11-11T11:44:00.000-05:00

I missed a few days of posts so I guess I am out of the NoBloPo thingy. I made it everyday for a week, at least! I think that is pretty good considering I have the babies and am working again.

I am going to try to continue to post daily, or as close to daily as possible. I have enjoyed reading other people's daily blog posts. I think this NoBloPo idea is great though, it has gotten a few folks (including myself) blogging regularly again.

Keep up the good work, and I will try to do the same.

Plant For The Planet

2006-11-08T12:05:00.000-05:00

This is a cool program being initiated by Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai from Kenya. She is the only black woman to ever win a Nobel Prize. Her goal is to have 1 billion new trees planted across the world in 12007 in an effort to stall global warming. All you have to do is click here and enter any trees you may plant during the year so that they may be counted.

You can read about it on Yahoo! News or at the United Nations Environment Programme.

Oh Britney

2006-11-07T23:45:00.000-05:00

Is anyone surprised that she filed for divorce from that idiot? At least she got him a job (a.k.a. record deal) so that his sons won't think he is a total loser.

And it was sure smart of her to have both of her sons sired by the same (deadbeat) dad. She definitely put her thinking cap on for that one.

Why are celebrities such imbeciles? Is this really the best our society has to offer our youth as role models? I mean, if she were some sort of musical genius it might be a different story, but in reality she is just a piece of tail. And now she isn't even good looking - though she did just birth two babies in two years so I have to cut her some slack and give her some props.

But Britney, really, can't you hire someone to make your decisions for you? Surely you can afford it.

Addicted to HGTV

2006-11-06T19:09:00.000-05:00

Hi, my name is Nancy and I'm a HGTVaholic...

Really.

Since I have been home nurturing my offspring I have also been feeding my addiction. And it isn't the home improvement or design shows that I am into. Nope. It's the real estate shows.

What You Get for the Money
National Open House
International Open House
What's My House Worth

You know. Shows that make me feel like an idiot for spending a gagilion dollars for a 1800 square foot 100 year old house on 0.10 acre. Dunce.

From what I can see we should be looking to move to Savannah, GA. Now you're talking about a nice place at a reasonable price.

But as my friend Krista says "but you have to live in Savannah (insert any town/city/state other than New York or one of it's suburbs)".

And of course she is right. We all know the sacred real estate mantra...location, location, location!

But moving somewhere like Savannah/Nashville/Pittsburgh would allow us to live in a mansion/estate/loft with every amenity, no mortgage and I wouldn't have to leave my boys to go to work if I didn't want to. Wouldn't that be worth the sacrifice of location? What would I really be missing? Starbucks (doubt it), Barnes and Noble (probably not), Walmart(absolutely not)?

So, when I start talking about taking a road trip to check out property in Memphis it may be time to stage an intervention.

Admitting you have a problem is half the battle, right?

What It LOOKS Like to Have Twins (at 5am) - 10 1/2 Weeks

2006-11-05T14:30:00.000-05:00

What It Is Like to Have Twins - 10 1/2 Weeks

2006-11-04T16:01:00.000-05:00

It feels like I have been hit by a truck.

All the time.

I eat things like salt and vinegar chips and Vienna Fingers because I am always hungry and cannot have; dairy, chocolate, spicy food, beans, gas-producing vegetables, too much caffeine.

I stink. Haven't bathed in days. Hair becoming like dreadlocks.

See my husband only on occassion, on which we yell at each other about things like; types of formula, adequate burping practices, poop diapers, vomit, showers, baths, dinner...

Have ungroomed eyebrows that are starting to look as bushy as they did in 1984.

Hairy legs.

Unmade bed.

No sex.

Jelly belly.

Dust bunnies, toilet bowl rings, dirty countertops, full litter box, dusty TV screen.

Stuffy nose, constipation, headache, backache, sore boobs.

General feeling of being overwhelmed and out of sorts.

Just when we think we are getting the hang of things and it is starting to get "easier", something happens like "uh ha! Gotcha mom and dad!! You thought you were soooo smart, now what are you going to do about this?"

Frustration.

I wouldn't give up my boys for the world. I am oh so glad that they came to join our family. However, I wouldn't wish this on anyone else. Unless they could afford a baby nurse, a nanny and a housekeeper. On most days there is at least a moment of amazement when I look at each of them and melt - that makes it all worthwhile. It's the days when I have had no more than 3 hours of disjointed sleep that make it difficult to see the forest for the trees.

"Big Box Stores" or "It Could Happen to You, Too"

2006-11-03T10:26:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I did something I never thought I would do. In fact, I am pretty sure that I swore to never do such a thing.

I joined a big box store. You know the ones I mean. There are lots of them, depending on what part of the country you live in. But they are all the same, really.

COSTCO
Sam's
BJ's
...

Big, giant testaments to American Consumerism. I think they embody at least 4 out of the 7 deadly sins (is that right? Vices? Whatever they are - like the Brad Pitt movie, "7").

Gluttony
Greed
Envy
Sloth

And I am on the fence about Pride/Vanity. You could say that fits too if you stretch it. And Anger fits if you take into consideration the parking lots and checkout lines.

So basically, these stores are gateways to Hell in Earthly form. They are also SOOOOO suburban and just gross, to put it in layman's terms (speaking of Layman, I always wondered whatever happened to my friend Lisa Layman and her husband Brent....they were Opera singers and very cool).

But alas, I am a sinner afterall. I have never claimed to be otherwise. And I Have even been called a Heathen on occassion (by, of all people, my mother). So maybe I shouldn't be surprised by my actions. But I am. So maybe I don't know myself very well. Perhaps you all saw this coming.

This latest development is right up there with driving a minivan. I will Never, EVER, drive a minivan. N-E-V-E-R

Unless, of course, anyone knows of a good deal on one post 2001 with less than 70k miles on it? If so, please let me know 'cuz the two-door hatchback Hyundai isn't so cute anymore. Economical, yes. Practical, not so much. Did I just say that? Geesh.

Admitedly, I am coveting my dad's new Dodge Caravan. It is just so roomy.

Sinner!

I mean, I don't think it is so bad to be a sinner. Aren't we all? But I would like my sinning to at least be FUN. Right? Like sex, drugs and rock-n-roll kinds of sins. Not big box stores and minivan envy kinds of sins. Blech. How did this happen?

I need redemption. Can anyone help me out here? Any ideas on pennance? I am not big on confessions in the Catholic sense of the word, but let's face it, this blog is my running confession to the world wide web. Sort of the same as God, no??

So I ask you, please forgive me for turning that corner of no return. Please look beyond my suburban, mommy, consumerist facade and rather deep into my free-spirited, environmentalist, rockstar psyche. I promise to never, EVER pile the kids in the minivan and roadtrip it to Orlando. For another 4 years at least....

Dinner

2006-11-02T20:54:00.000-05:00

8th Anniversary Dinner. Gads and gads of sushi. Delicous sushi. I honestly haven't had sushi in over a year due to pregnancy, blah, blah, blah. Ocha Restaurant in Stamford. YUMMY!!

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Wood for baby-sitting. Priceless!

Anniversary Song

2006-11-01T16:32:00.000-05:00

Yes, today is my wedding anniversary. 8 years. Wow. Time really does fly. People say it for a reason. Because it is true. Time flies when you are having fun, and as far as I am concerned the fun is just getting started!

Anniversary Song (Cowboy Junkies)

Have you ever seen a sight as beautiful
As that of the rain-soaked purple
Of the white birch in spring?

Have you ever felt more fresh or wonderful
Than on a warm fall nightUnder a mackerel sky,
The smell of grapes on the wind?

Well I have known all these things
And the joys that they can bring
And Ill share them all for a cup of coffee
And to wear your ring

Have you ever had the pleasure of watching
A quiet winters snow slowly gathering
Like simple moments adding up?

Have you ever satisfied a gut feeling
To follow a dry dirt road thats beckoning you
To the heart of a shimmering summers day?

Well I have known all these things
And the joys that they can bring
And Ill share them all for a cup of coffee
And to wear your ring

And I dont know how I survived those days
Before I held your hand
Well I never thought that I would be the one
To admit that the moon and the sun
Shine so much more brighter when
Seen through two pairs of eyes than
When seen through just one

Have you ever seen a sight as beautiful
As a face in a crowd of people
That lights up just for you?

Have you ever felt more fresh or wonderful
As when you wake
By the side of that boy or girl
Who has pledged their love to you?

Well I have known all these things
And the joys that they can bring
And now every morning theres a cup of coffee
And I wear your ring
-

And now we have these two beautiful children to add to our family. It can only get better from here! I love you Buppa.

Back to Work

2006-10-30T12:44:00.000-05:00

Today is my first day back to work. How weird.

I am working in my "home office", which is my diningroom table. Ernie is upstairs with the babies. I know he is supposed to be "watching" them, but I hear his music loud and clear so I know he is actually working in the studio. I want so badly to go up there to check on them but I am going to let him be the responsible daddy and I will trust that he is checking on them from time to time. My fear is that he has them in their swings in the next room and is leaving them there while he works, regardless of whether or not they are crying, choking, being eaten by the cats...

Really, I know he can handle it. He keeps telling me he can.

So back to work. It is nice to be in contact with grown ups. It is nice to look at spread sheets and to play with other people's money. Ahhhhhh....like therapy. It is like meditating. What a nice break from baby duty.

But really, I do miss the boys. It is strange to not be holding them all day long. I hear them crying right now...I think he stopped the music. Is he going to check? Hmmmmmmm.........nope. The music just came back on, and the crying got louder. Shit. Go check on your sons man!

Don't make me go up there. I don't want to usurp you...

OK, I think he's got them now. Crying stopped. Music started. It soothes the savage beast and all that. It's true with babies too apparently.

I think this working thing is going to be OK. At least until I have to actually GO to the office. Now that will be difficult...luckily I have about a month before I have to consider that. We have expanded so quickly that my former office has been recommissioned and there is no place for me to work until we move in December.

So this marks the end of my maternity leave. So sad, really. You only get to do it once in the lifetime of your children, and here it has already passed.

The Geekification of Boys

2006-10-27T10:20:00.000-04:00

My husband is bent on grooming a couple of geeks. Dorks even. My boys, the Adzentoivich Geeks. All three of them.

This morning I awoke to the sounds of Captain Beefheart. Who is Captain Beefheart? you may ask. Well, if you are a Frank Zappa fan then you must know Captain Beefheart. He was part of the original Zappa thing. I think he played the guitar or something. He writes lyrics like "the mascara snake in the rollo-barrel sniffed the perfume and said BAM!"(sic.) More spoke word than singing. And the musical accompaniment is more a caucophony of dissonent sounds and screaming guitar. Folks, this is geekier than Frank Zappa. I mean, you have to dig deeper than Zappa to find "The Captain", as Ernie so lovingly refers to him.

Yes, he was sitting there in the studio with the baby on his lap playing Captain Beefheart on iTunes.

Next I wholly expect to come home from work to see them watching Monty Python. I mean, we do own the complete set of The Flying Circus on DVD. I have to take partial blame for that. I bought it for Ernie two Christmases ago. And I did take him to see Spamalot for his birthday a year ago. What was I thinking?

Somehow I didn't foresee the ramifications of my actions. I mean, I wasn't even pregnant at the time, so give me a break. And if I were I couldnt' have known I would have a boy, let alone TWO boys. I mean, with a girl none of these things would have mattered. Ernie would have been too mesmerized and terrified by her to try to influence her tastes like this.

I asked Ernie if he was going to get them into an online game of D&D next, just to finish the project. He informed me (silly me) that no, in fact it is the World of Warcraft community which they will become members of. Hmmm. I have never played this game, but I must admit to spending pre-baby hours at The SIMS and The Movies not to mention Civilization. But I never joined any of the online gaming communities (though I do get The Sims e-newsletter). So I suppose I am not completely blameless here either.

But STILL.

Now they are listening to something about fish eyes and bumblebees "...From here to there it ain't far enough and from here to here is too short..." see what I mean? On the way to total geekdom.

I can see what is going to happen. As soon as the boys can speak the three of them are going to start quoting all of these obscure references and I will be left smirking, pretending to understand what they are talking about. Forcing a laugh even though I have no idea why what they are saying is funny. Sort of like my relationship with Mark Goldstein in high school. A completely brilliant and creative kid with an afro who wore a Members Only jacket every day and drove a huge boat of a car with Zappa blasting. Sometimes he gave me a ride to school and his sister and I would roll our eyes in the back seat. Sort of like that. Me, trying to be cool by understanding the Geeks among us.

Of the freaks and geeks, I was always more likely to be a freak who tried to "fit in" with the geeks. Now that I think of it, why? I guess I liked being the cool girl who was able to fit in with all of the other crowds as well. I mean, I did watch Life of Brian and The Holy Grail many times to try to understand what the hell was so funny when someone would say "...I can't eat another bite" or "...Wafer thin", and of course "Nee!" But I balanced it out with multiple viewings of The Wall. I never went to the midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but I bet if they still have it around here Ernie will be taking the twins as soon as they are able to hold their heads upright on their own.

I see my future, and it is filled with obscure comedy.

Fellini anyone?

National Blog Posting Month

2006-10-27T09:44:00.000-04:00

Takes place in November. You can find out more about it here .

I plan to take part in an attempt to get myself to write and think about things other than my babies. Not that my babies aren't wonderful and don't deserve my undivided attention, but I am going a little batty already. Just yesterday I found myself talking baby talk while holding one and rocking the other in his bouncy seat with my foot. When the baby talk stopped working I moved on to singing. My forte is a fine medley of songs ranging from "The Gambler" (Kenny Rogers) and On My Own" (Les Miserables), to "She's A Grand Old Flag" (traditional) and "Can't Go Home" (Bon Jovi). Only the choruses of course, because really who can recall an entire song on spot with no accompaniment? I have found that I cannot.

So I am going to attempt to post on this blog every day in the month of November. Thanks for your support.

Finally...

2006-10-18T17:29:00.000-04:00

2 months have passed since I gave birth to my terrific, adorable, amazing twin boys. Two months since I had my abdomen cut open and two squirmy little humans were extracted from my womb. Two months since I have slept more than two consecutive hours. Two months since I went to work, ergo two months since I have had a paycheck. Two months since I began referring to myself as "mommy"; "mommy will be right back", "mommy needs to take a nap", "burp for mommy', "mommy will change your diaper as soon as she feeds your brother", "tell mommy why you are crying"... Two months, eight weeks, 60 days. Wow. Time flies.

So today, after two months of motherhood, I was finally able to go for a run. I ran. One block. Walked. One block. Ran. Another block. Walked. Another block. Etc. It was AWESOME! Forget about the fact that my abdomen has the tone of a jello mold and my ab muscles do absolutely nothing to support my "core". I ignored the awkward heavy, jiggly feeling of my belly as I lifted my feet; left, right, left, right. Walk. I was hardly able to lift my knees enough to even look like a jogger let alone a runner, but I DID lift them. I did. Even if it was just a little bit. I ran.

Let's not forget that I was on strict limitation throughout my entire 9 months of pregnancy, add the past two months to that, and that brings you to just about a year of no activity other than walking up and down the stairs (sometimes). And then let's also remember that I didn't really exercise while trying to conceive because of the two miscarriages. It has truthfully been about two years since I had an honest to goodness workout. I hate to admit it, but it is true. The months just flew by and before you know it here we are.

But I am so happy to say that I finally got my body moving again. Got my heartrate up a little bit without the aid of two fetuses in-utero adding to the load. A good old fashioned aerobic workout.

How was I able to do this with two miniture men at home, you ask? Well, Grandma Wood and Aunt Joan came over and took the boys for a walk so that I could have some alone time to be Nancy again. I even got to shower after the run. Amazing.
I have paid for my independence however. Since Grandma left the boys have been extremely fussy to the point that I wonder if something could be wrong with them, until I realize that if I feed them they calm down. They are dramatically increasing their feedings and amounts of formula/milk they eat at each. In one day we went from 3oz to 4.5oz feedings. The only way to figure out how much they need in order to feel full is to keep adding ounces until they seem satisfied and stop crying. For some reason I always have the fear of over-feeding them - I hate to see them spit-up, and so I guess I don't feed them enough...I forget that they are growing and developing and that I must alter their diet accordingly.

I am finally talking about going back to work. Though I approach this with mixed feelings, as I am sure all new moms must. I am very excited to get back to my clients and to have grown-up conversations and interactions on a daily basis, but I also dread the day when I don't see my boys for 8 hours. Unfortunately, we are not yet wealthy enough for me to be a stay at home mom, and if we ever were I am not really and truly sure that I would want to be. But maybe just for this first year....

Finally, I am feeling more like myself and less like a baby-feeder/changer/cuddler/zombie. I am feeling more like mommy, nurturer/teacher/role model. Much more fitting to my psyche. Horrah!

What Else?

2006-10-12T10:41:00.000-04:00

Can I talk about other than babies and being a mother? I hate to be such a bore. I am still more than a mom, right? I mean, right now I feel like nothing but a milk machine but I know the old me has got to be in there somewhere tucked away waiting to reemerge.

My husband is talking about joining some wild mushroom society in CT called COMA. He wants to get into COMA right now. It is the perfect season for it. I think he is looking for his inner-self too. Though I am not quite sure how rooting through dirt for mushrooms might do that. I don't think they are the mind-altering kind of mushrooms, or shrooms as you might call them. And I never knew him to be a big fan of mushrooms....maybe he's been sniffing too many baby diapers.

It makes me sad that the small plane crashed into the building on East 72nd Street in NYC. I used to work in the building next door, at the Strang Cancer Prevention Center, so I know the block very well. It is scary. But what makes me the most sad is that once they suspected that a sports celebrity was involved it became a "Great Tragedy". Before that it was simply the most interesting news story since the Amish school shootings and all of the media were crawling on it like little hungry ants. They were obviously looking for an angle to play: Flashback to 9/11, Terrorism, people trapped in the building, people hurt on the street, companies housed in the building that might be targets, accident or suicide, etc. Not once did I hear anyone refer to it as a tragedy, even though they knew there were two people killed the entire time. Not until they found out it was a Yankee, that is. Why was it not tragic when the pilot was just an unknown civilian? Are some lives worth more than others? The loss of one person more tragic than the loss of another? The media are really always looking for a way to market a story, even if it involves loss of life. It is very sad.

What else?

The fall TV season. Yes, I am watching lots of TV these days. My time spent outside the home has been drastically cut and my ability to do anything that takes two hands must come between feedings, which leaves me about 8 disjointed hours per day, including when I am asleep. So TV is the easiest way to pass the time while nurturing my wee babes.

TV.

I am loving Friday Night Lights. Loving it. The first episode presented a good case for not allowing your sons to play football. I love that Chandler guy. He used to be on another show when I was in college and my roommates and I used to classify him as "dreamy". Now that he is a bit older and a bit heavier he looks like my old boss, Josh. But he still has some of those dreamy-like qualities. Plus he is the compassionate, underdog coach, and that makes him even more appealing.

Men in Trees. OK, I know there are lots of Anne Heche haters out there. But I remember her from her soap opera days pre-Ellen. I always liked her and thought she had a very funky off-beat quality (which was proven during the post-ellen days). The writing of the show is very witty and she is funny. Plus I love that is it not a Lawyer, Police, Hospital show. It smacks a bit of Northern Exposure but what's wrong with that? I liked that show too.

Project Runway. This isn't really a new fall show, but I am so addicted! Ernie and I love to imitate Uli and Heidi. Love them. Will Jeffrey get screwed? I can't hardly wait until next week to find out. I hope Laura gets lots of stretch marks, that bitch...

LOST. Of course. This is a big hold out from last season. So far the first two episodes have been AWESOME. Now, I have heard people talking about the fake commercials that are on during LOST, but I don't think I have noticed them. Can anyone shed any light on this for me? And who fathered Sun's baby? And who is really in charge; Henry Gale ( hello...Dorothy's uncle?), or that chick with the blonde hair who brings Jack sandwiches?

30Rock. Watched this one for the first time last night. Funny. Loving Tina Fay, as always. I think this one will become a fave. And it is nice that it is only 30 minutes. Not a huge time commitment.

Then there is Earl and the Office. Faves from last season.

Then there are the MTV/VH1 reality shows that are so freaking funny.....total guilty pleasures that I watch only when I happen to catch them. I mean, it isn't like I know where they fall on the schedule and tune in each episode: Little Talent, Hogan Knows Best, Daddy's Spoiled Little Girl, My Super Sweet 16, etc. And what is up with Pants Off Dance Off?

Of course I love Million Dollar Listing on Bravo. And then there is National Open House on HGTV.

Am I pathetic? I know I am not the only one who loves fall television.

As soon as I go back to work we are getting a DVR so we can record even more shows. Then I will be able to watch Biggest Loser, which I love but is trumped by Desperate Housewives, which is on at the same time. Yeah, I am living large.

Grandparents Unite!

2006-10-02T17:16:00.000-04:00

All of the Grandparents, except for Grandpa Adzentoivich, spent some time with the new grandbabies this past week. The boys are now 5 weeks old - hard to believe. When they say they grow so fast they aren't kidding. Every day they look different and do new things. They have already rolled over from their stomachs to their backs on one occasion. We haven't been able to replicate it, but they both did it twice in one day last week. Perhaps we are raising two young gymnasts?
Everyone had a lovely time and enjoyed meeting each other. Upon arrival, Grandma A went to work changing dirty diapers. No time to lose when there are two boys to contend with.

This week will be the meeting of Auntie Dee Dee and Uncle Bryan. This should really be fun!

As the boys get older they want more and more interaction, which is fun, but extremely challenging for one mommy. Actually, so far the whole mommy thing has been quite a challenge. And lucky me, I get to go back to work in a few short weeks. Then it will be daddy who is faced with the daily challenge of entertaining, feeding and changing these little munchkins.

Can You Tell Who is Who?

2006-09-22T15:33:00.000-04:00

Hey Dad - Guess Which One of Us Pooped
Originally uploaded by nadzent.

At one month old the boys are developing distinct personalities and physical characteristics. The funny thing is that as they are growing older their mannerisms become more and more alike.

Can you tell them, apart?

Hints:

Vladimir is one minute older
Waylon is 6 ounces heavier
Waylon is one inch longer
Vladimir is usually more serious

Good Luck!

Tea Partay

2006-09-15T12:32:00.000-04:00

This is hysterical. Thanks to Tony C for sending it our way. Now that we live in Connecticut I suppose we deserved it.

It is an ad campaign and we are doing exactly what the agency wanted us to do, passing it along. Well, I say kudols to them for a job well done. This is viral marketing at it's best. I only wish it was my account and that Ernie wrote the track.

Anyway, enjoy.

http://www.teapartay.com/

I can't figure out how to get the actual video to play on the blog so you have to click through, sorry.

Brothers Holding Hands

2006-09-13T19:48:00.000-04:00

Brothers Holding Hands
Originally uploaded by nadzent.

This is my favorite photo at the moment. Twin magic is amazing.

9/11 Five Years Later

2006-09-11T18:50:00.000-04:00

Yes, I remember.

[ ]

Christie Todd Whitman is Full of Shit

2006-09-08T12:09:00.000-04:00

She is trying to say that she didn't say that the air at Ground Zero was safe to breathe after 9/11. Bull shit!

I was there. I had bloody noses for days whenever I went outside in Brooklyn.

We worried about the air we were breathing and eagerly awaited her environmental report. Ernie and I both had several visits to the doctor for treatment for upper respiratory problems for months after 9/11. When Ms. Whitman declared the air was safe we said "She is full of shit! Who does the government think they are fooling?"

We knew that years later this would come up and bite someone in the ass. We knew that people would suffer from disease and illness. We were not fooled.

Why do they think they can get away with this? They had to say the air was clean in order to keep people working to clean up the mess. In order to keep people riding the subways. In order to keep businesses in business, encouraging employees to continue to go to work.

Pathetic.

Being a Mom

2006-09-07T13:08:00.000-04:00

Hmmm...while my sons are sound asleep in their dad's studio and I sit here contemplating my new breast pump, I decided I might write down some thoughts about being a mom. I need something to distract me from figuring out the breast pump thing-y, I have been putting it off for a week now and just can't seem to stop procrastinating about it.

Being a mom.

So far being a mom means sacrificing my body for the sake of growing healthy babies. Luckily for me I have been rewarded with ZERO stretch marks and have already lost 20 pounds more than I gained while gestating. That puts me at a 50 pound weight loss after two weeks. Not bad. A pretty nice pay off after allowing myself to blow up like a Macy's Parade balloon. Of course the other pay off is two healthy happy baby boys!Leaving for Hospital

10 days post-partum

Being a mom also means being up in the wee hours of the morning, hanging out with two relatively strange boys. Sort of like college when I would be up at all hours of the morning hanging out with relatively strange boys. Only now I am painfully sober and can look into the eyes of these guys knowing they will be around, loving me for years to come, rather than wondering whether or not they will call me if I give them my number before we part ways.

Being a mom means sacrificing meals in order to make sure my boys are fed. This seems to be counterintuitive since I need nutrition in order to make nutrition to feed them. But it is nearly impossbile to find time to eat let alone shop or cook. Luckily my own mother has been keeping us stocked up on food and has been feeding us at least once per day. As I feed my children my mother feeds me. The circle of life thing lives on.

Being a mom means being in love with two little guys who can hardly hold their eyes open long enough to focus on my face. Two little guys you can hold in one hand each. Two little guys who are smaller than my cats.

Being a mom means you can wipe up poop from your hands/clothes/furniture, etc. without giving it a second thought.

Being a mom means when you think of buying a new car the most important thing is how many air bags it has, if it has stability control and whether or not a folded up tandem stroller will fit in the back when you have several bags of groceries. It's like a switch is thrown in your brain. Suddenly that convertible seems like a death trap and how did I ever drive one?

It's pretty cool so far. Right now I am being paged by my second born son who is probably extremely hungry and has poop in his pants. Looks like I am on. See ya.

Just call me Mommy.

Happy 40th Anniversary!

2006-09-03T11:59:00.000-04:00

To my Mom and Dad! Wow, 40 years. I can't even imagine that, and I was there to witness most of those years.

Sorry - no big parties have been planned to mark the day. I was busy birthing babies (one if whom has an extremely smelly diaper right now, and is not impressed that I am managing to post a blog entry while he sits in his poop) and such.

I do have to congratulate them on achieveing such a milestone. I honestly don't know at times how they could stand one another, but then again I think about it and realize that they are truly the only two people who COULD stand one another. And I mean that in the best possible way. Their honesty and openness is a great example for the rest of us (well, for me anyway), in achieving long term success. They are definitely not afraid to voice their feelings or opinions to one another or to others and I think that is wonderful.

Thanks mom and dad, and congratulations!!!

Ernesto

2006-09-03T10:27:00.000-04:00

Yesterday it rained. And it poured. Trees came down all over our suburban neighborhood - including one on top of our garage.Ernie climbed up to the roof and - assisted by our elderly Italian neighbor - chain-sawed the limbs, braving the 7o mph winds to do so. I chose to stay in the bedroom and nurse the babies rather than watch him. It only pissed me off that he couldn't wait to climb up there in the middle of the storm. So I ignored him. He is sitting here grumbling now as I write this because I am not presenting his "side", and I am explaining that this is my blog so why would I present his side? But anyway he states for the record that he was trying to be a good dad and "protect our investment" and make sure the limbs didn't break off even more and put a huge hole in the roof. So there - that is his side. He adds that it was a "calculated risk", even though last evening he told me that he almost died on the roof. If it were up to me I would have let a tree professional come out and cut the fallen limb and trim the rest of the tree as well. Or at least would have waited until the storm passed before getting up on the ladder. But what do I know? I am just a milk machine.

Our friends from The City braved the storm and we had a baby play date in the evening. The husbands thought it funny to walk around mooing.....they don't call it a nursery for nothing, especially when there are four babies under the age of four months.
I can just see the embarassment value of this photo in about 12 years when little Simon, Waylon, Vladi and Leia hit puberty...

Grandma and Grandpa Wood

2006-08-30T15:52:00.002-04:00

Grandma and Grandpa Wood
Originally uploaded by nadzent.