Car Seat Photos

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)

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...

...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....)

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!

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!

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!

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!

Blowing in the Wind

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

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

New Post

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

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

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

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

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

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"

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

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

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.