5 months

Already.
The babies are well over 1/3 of a year old.
OMG.
They're 21 weeks old. That's older outside babies than they were gestationally when we came clean about them being girls (since we knew from 13w).
Crazy talk.

They're really freaking cute these days. Lots of coos and giggles. They're within the developmental norms for actual age (being 5 weeks early, its expected they'd catch up by 5 mo), especially Avery. Quinn is a couple of weeks behind her, but (my non-medical opinion is she is) on track for somewhere between her physical age at birth (being IUGR and the size of a 30/31 weeker) and adjusted age.  At this point we have no reason to be concerned about her, but it is noticeable if you're around them a lot that she's not quite as physically advanced as Avery. Or maybe she's just destined to be more cuddly and less physical? Time will tell I guess.

oohhh hi. I guess I can not cry for the camera for a second.

I want to roll over soooo badly...

so how'd I do?

really going to hit my goal this time. If I keep saying it either I'll believe it happened or it will happen, right?

Last week's goal was 3, 4, and 5 miles (12 total). I ended up with 3.5, 2.3, and 4.5 (10ish). Not great, not terrible. This week is 13 weeks pre-race, and my last screwing-around-pre-training week before the proverbial heat is on. 3, 4, and 5 to do. 3.3 and 2.3 (lol) down.  Why the weird off plan mileage? Turns out there is a YMCA next to my office where I can use my AWAY membership 5 times/month. I have this crazy idea I can run at lunch once a week. I tried it today, hence the 2.3 miles. I could probably squeeze in 3 if I left my office on time...

we wish you a merry christmas

and happy holidays and all that jazz.

next year, buy outfits before Christmas Eve if you want them to match or coordinate beyond "both have snowmen on them" (They were an awesome deal for Gymboree though)

follow up

Semi-related to my last post, its time to start training for my next half marathon.
Much as I've discussed in the past (I won't even bother boring you with linking to all the whining), I have a two hour goal in mind. A time I used to hit with ease. This March I'm running the Georgia Half with a friend of mine, and I'm going to do it dammit.

hah.

Seriously though, I need to. I'm running NYC this fall, and for a lot of reasons it will probably be my last full for a long time, forever maybe, and I need to have a nice base to train with.

I joined Daily Mile (updates in the blog to come), and while this week is really 14 weeks out, have started training. I used Runner's World's Smart Coach to make me a plan based on my Thanksgiving 5k and my weekly mileage of 11-15 miles (which is a bit more...by a lot...than I've been running, but I think I can fake it). Its pretty low mileage, but I need that right now, need to build slowly and realistically.

The plan for this week is 3, 4 and 5 miles. Let's see how this goes.

perspective

I'll preface this by saying I've never been an ATHLETE. Never serious, never super competitive. No one is calling me up for select sides, wishing I'd move to their city, hoping I run in their race. Et al.

But, for 10 years I played rugby semi-competitively, and for a lot of that time, I worked out with rugby in mind. I didn't lift heavy enough or often enough, but when I did it was thinking ahead towards the season, looking at it as training. Not my hobby. Rugby was my hobby. Running ridiculously long races was my hobby towards the end of that too.

Now?
Now I'm lifting for the hell of it. For fitness I guess. But, not with an end goal, not with purpose of being better at something else.

I'm not sure how I feel about that.

sidebar: this is not the most worldly, introspective perspective post ever. first world issues for sure.

personality

gah, I almost want to use the word adorbs. Except it isn't a word.

Getting there.

We got a lot done yesterday!

We have handles - no more pulling doors open with painter's tape, or wedging your finger between the drawer and next cabinet to open it!

(and crockpot chili)

And baseboards (so the dog doesn't keep losing balls into the basement...there's a small gap between the sheetrock & floor as our ceilings are a smidge over 8 feet)

4 months!

It's incredible that the babies are 4 months old now! (Actually, 4 months, 1 week, and 2 days)

Yesterday they had their 4 month check up and were perfect by all counts. The doctor is happy with their physical development, even for Quinn who is still somewhat squishier than Avery. Quinn is definitely a few weeks behind Avery physically, but she's just fine for her adjusted age and is a bit ahead of her IUGR-weight age (that's totally not an official term, but someone told me IUGR babies develop somewhere between their 'size age' and their gestational age, and she was 31/32w 'size' at birth). Even though they'd both fall asleep prior to their shots - it was 7 pm and bedtime - they did quite well and only fussed for a few minutes.

I was worried we'd get yelled at for their being so thin still, but all is well and they're perfectly on the curves they've established! Since last month, Avery has gained 1 lb 9 oz and Quinn has gained a pound. Its crazy to think Quinn at 4 months is less than half a pound larger than my brother was at birth!

They've only gained a 1/4 in and a 1/2 in, so I guess they've spent this month porking up. Avery's thighs look all chubby now :) And they have giant heads for their skinny little bodies, given that 39 cm is over 25th percentile. I think even I can give up adjusted age on stats now and just go with actual.

Quinn

Poor baby is just dangling. She's a lb too light and an inch too short I think!

singleton

Sunday morning I had some things to return to the store, so I decided to take Quinn with me for the trip since she was up and chipper (Avery of course woke up as I walked out of the door...). This is the first time I've taken just one baby anyplace (excepting the early days when Quinn was in the NICU and we went out to eat with Avery, which doesn't really count anyway, especially since newborns are uber easy to leave the house with).

Omg.

Easiest thing ever. 

Quinn around 8 weeks old in a 0-3 sleep gown. 9 weeks later and her feet almost reach the bottom

Now, I admit,

Cloth diaper reviews, part B

disclaimer: these were all purchased with my own money and I receive no compensation for reviews.


One Sized

Bum Genius 4.0.So far so good. We started using these around 9 and 10 lbs and they fit just fine. Both babies are still quite skinny (though their thighs seems darn chunky compared to their newborn legs), and we haven't had any leaks except one from user error (a NB insert for 6 hrs isn't a good idea even at 16 weeks and 11ish lbs).

We also have a couple of Flip covers and some stay dry inserts which are made by the makers of the BGs. The fit is the same, they're just more trim since its less fabric. I like them, especially since its fast and simple and less volume in the laundry and less to hang dry. They also held in a giant 3-days-worth of EBF poo this weekend (just imagine the mess that could have been. it took 4 wipes to clean up. my life is exciting, isn't it?). That said, these are kind of "my" diapers. I love using them because they're faster in the laundry - no stuffing etc - and smaller in the diaper bag, but everyone else seems to throw the whole shabang in the pail regardless of if the shell is soiled. Granted, I haven't really explained  the AI2 concept to anyone. I am always a little wary of scaring folks with my diaper chatter, especially since these are more "complicated" than your basic pocket from the diaper-changer's perspective.

BumGenius Elementals
These fit pretty much the same at the 4.0s, but are not pockets and are somewhat trimmer in the bottom. So far so good. We haven't given these a run for their money yet, but I have a feeling they'll be a good choice for outings and such due to the organic cotton which I've found to be nice and absorbent.    I kind of want more, but I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of BG's new "freestyle" - the AIO with a stay dry inner AND flap construction - so I'm holding off.


Oh Katy These are OK. They're a little trimmer than the BGs, and I like the snap-over waist. However, it never seems to lie flat (seeing as we are no where near the outside snaps). The hip snap is good though, and they work fine. The colors are awesome too.

Avery's first OS diaper (around 10 w and 8.5 or so lbs)

Rumparooz These are my favs. If they weren't $$$ I'd get a full stash of them (I think 5 of our 6 were bought used). The aplix and snaps fit equally well, even on our skinny babies. I like the fleece more than suedecloth too, and they're easy to stuff (some of our more well loved BGs seems a little sticky inside). They're a little more fluffy than the BGs, but I love them. The leg gussets - inside and out - are also nicer to me.

Quinn's first OS diaper (probably around 10w and 7.5 or so lbs)

Kawaii
We have three (bought used, I think they're One Size Minkys). They fit similarly to the BGs, and the minky fabric truely is soft. The inside is sort of rough though, and I'm not sure if its from age or just lower quality than the other diapers (given the cost and all). But, so far so good in terms of diaper-duty. The pocket is GIANT (deep/roomy - the opening itself is sort of narrow) on these and I think I might like them a lot for overnight.


BottomBumpers
I only have one of these - the snap down inside is a cool way to adjust the fit, and its pretty trim for a OS. The soaker is super soft too. Its perfectly fine, but I'm not smitten - for the money, I'd rather stick to more utilitarian pocket diapers and splurge on some sized AIOs for trimmer clothes.

Grovia
We have several of these AIOs. I love the side snaps and trimness - even with them snapped down  - and how narrow they are between the thighs. We have long skinny girls, so this is a bonus.  You do have to be sure the soaker is tucked in when you put them on, and tuck the sides in behind it/on top of each other (this issue would go away with a larger baby), but so far so good. My only beef is the leg holes are still too big on our peanut baby, even with the second soaker snapped out, so I can't leave these out for grandmas (or, well, anyone but me since I clearly have a PROBLEM with diaper obsession...)

Avery in a Grovia and Quinn in an Oh Katy, 16 weeks (probably pushing 12 and 11 lbs, respectively)

We also have several grovia shells. LOVE these. They're lined with a mesh, so there's no PUL on baby, and the fit is trim. NB and small prefolds fit nicely inside, but I also love their snap in soakers because they are a) absorbent and b) don't move around. I'm itching to get more, as I have more shells than soakers (though plenty of prefolds...). But, see commentary on Flips about them being "mine".

Fuzzibunz
We have two OS Fuzzinbunz, and I have to be honest, I only used one twice before putting them both in the to sell pile. It worked fine, and it wasn't that hard to adjust down to fit, and was relatively trim on our then 9.5 lb baby.  BUT....we have two in diapers. Due to the elastic, this is just NOT an adjust-on-the-go diaper...so...I will be selling them.


I think that's it in our current sized and one size pocket/AIO stash...I have a couple of other things to review in another post.  We do also have a couple of beyond adorable Blueberries, but they will need to wait a bit - they look bigger than our BGs, so I'm holding off on those until the babies are more like 13/14 lbs.

the good, the bad...

Musings on Kitchen Renovation

A Sonnet

(actually I have almost no recollection of poetry from senior year of HS, so this is really just a random assortment of thoughts. feel free to read it in iambic pentameter. I don't care if its not written that way. Do it anyway.)

Countertop ordering is easy and sort of amazing.
Show up, point to what you like, go to yard.
Dudes come to house and measure

Under a week and two money orders later, you have a fully installed countertop.
Fastest kitchen project ever. Miraculous.

Plumbing is expensive. Doing it yourself takes forever.
I can't even talk about what we paid to have our sewer pipe replaced.
And did I really spend 5 hours - 10 man hours - moving our hot and cold water lines?
But its nice to have running water and a dishwasher.
We have babies. Bottles are a pain to wash.
And plugging in all this business only took an hour.
Instant gratification, saved for the end.

Cabinets are easier to install than I thought.
But I won't pretend.
My wife did almost all of the work.
She'll get credit for the new baseboard too.
I can't wait for them, so I can stop kicking the dog's toys into the basement by accident.

And alas, we need lights. and window coverings.
and hell, new windows.
this is only the beginning.
eek.

All done

With this load, all of our stuff is offically out of PA (tear). Its kind of a bummer we had to make another trip, but between the pregnancy and fast closing, we just didnt have time for a garage sale. All the stuff at our new house waiting to be disposed of took up more space in the van than this load would have!

Cloth diaper reviews, part A

Its been a while...
At this point, we've mostly moved into one sized diapers, but I admit I have a soft spot for a nice, trim sized diaper. So...a few reviews to date...

disclaimer: these were all purchased with my own money and I receive no compensation for reviews.

Sized

Bum Genius AIOs (discontinued except XS). Love. Love. Love. Trim, sturdy, excellent fit. Our XSs are in the to-sell pile now. The Ss are favorites of my mom, who is anti-cloth just because, well, she is (she admits she doesn't have a reason, she just thinks disposables are "normal"). I just bought half a dozen used Ms because I love these so much and am bizarrely worried I won't be able to find them in 3 months when we need them. Considering about 70% of my stash of these was used, the aplix is in great shape, and the smalls work just fine overnight with a hemp doubler inside.

babies in Extra Smalls, around 8 weeks old.

Bottom Bumpers
I just got a S one of these used and it is awesome. It seems to be a little shorter in the rise than our other smalls, but it has 4 snaps on each side. The insert is super soft and it dries pretty fast. I'm thinking about getting more, but will probably look for Mediums since I'm concerned about the rise.

Fuzzibunz
We have a couple of these in S that I bought used. The inserts seems weirdly small for the size of the pocket, but they work fine. There is NO way these would fit a 7 lb baby - we started using them around 10 and they just fit - but I like them, they're trim-ish, and we haven't had any leaks. I'm also considering more of these since they're pretty affordable for sized diapers.

Swaddlebees Simplex
We have 3 of these in the old version. These were my first sized diaper, and omg. So crazy trim, they feel like a disposable under clothes. They're a little taller than the bottombumper, and shockingly absorbent. These actually lead me to think the cotton holds more than microfiber.  Supposedly these run small, and I just picked up 2 used Ms I told will fit more like 10 than 12 lbs (which is what's marked), but we're still on the tightest snaps of the Ss, so I think we have some room in them.

Thirsties Duo
We have several of these in Size 1.  They were our first pockets and I really liked them. We used them with just half of the soaker for a while, then both when our then 7 and 8 lb babies started sleeping 4 hours at a time. When we moved into other pockets though, I kind of lost the love. The pocket is awkward and they're really bulky for a (semi) sized diaper - no trimmer than our OS pockets. Also, the aplix is not very sticky. Granted, ours were secondhand, but I bought them in good shape and they seemed to wear quickly. They're in the sell pile now.

outtakes

Our first photo card ever is in the works.
One photo session down, and no clear winner....but for your viewing pleasure, a couple of outtakes!

80% done

Maybe more? I can't really be bothered with such complex calculations at this point.

The kitchen is coming along.
All of these photos are from the same vantage point (the back door).

when we looked at the house (it was the same at closing, less the microwave and pans)

a few weeks ago. nevermind the collection of live wires dangling around.

now. for bonus points, there's power AND working plumbing.

faucet surgery

Our new house is not so new. To be specific, it was built in 1928. We bought it as an estate from the second owner, who purchased it sometime in the late 60s.  Based on the condition of the house, I think the front porch was closed in, the upstairs dormers added, siding replaced, and the kitchen renovated JUST prior to his purchase. The house must have been in tip top shape then.

Of course, as you may have surmised from the kitchen reno, nothing has been touched in the previous 40 years.

Since my mother in law is staying with us to spend some time with the babies (and my father in law will also be joining us for Thanksgiving and Christmas), we are getting a bit more use out of the semi-finished upstairs than I anticipated.

Upon purchase, the upstairs bathroom was, um...dirty. I should have taken photos, but lets just say there was rust in the toilet. It took my mother in law about 4 hours to clean the room (including scrubbing the tile ceiling. who tiles a ceiling? reno fail.). She's been here a week now and I got the first complaint Friday -- the hot water was leaking in the sink - not a drip, a steady stream, and the cold water knob basically turned to full blast upon being touched.

Like any good daughter with a handy dad (who fixed a similar leak in the downstairs bath a few weeks ago), I called for help. Sadly, I was told "pull the valve out and replace it". Sigh. Guess my free handyman is taking the weekend off.

So off I go. Remove the H/C sticker thingies, unscrew the knobs, unscrew the nut do-hickey.

well, this is lovely.

our tiny little nuggets

I'm late with this, but how are our 3.5 and 5 lb babies over 3 months old! And over 9 and 10 lbs!? They're rockstars, seriously. They're on track (for the later end) for milestones for their actual age, and they're huge.

Quinn
Birth: 3 lbs 8 oz (wayyyy below the bottom of the growth chart, even for 35w gestation) & 16 inches (slightly less far below but still at least an inch below the lines)
3 months: 9 lbs 9 oz (scraping the 1st percentile line for actual age, and around 10th for adjusted) & 22.5 inches (around 15th percentile actual and 55th adjusted). This is our IUGR baby, and I'm very proud.

Avery
Birth: 5 lbs 0 oz (

More progress

Of course there is no electric

Happy Halloween

I can't believe they're already over two months old!

Making progress

Of course, we still need the other half of the cabinets......and to hook up the plumbing and electric....the heat is on.

Yea climate change is a lie

Neighbor's yard, 3 inches of snow, 10/29

St Louis Rock and Roll Half Marathon

I went into this race with a good deal of trepidation. I was not well trained. My last half was more or less a tear jerker (also not well trained, but with unreasonable expectations). But, I went into this with a better attitude and a goal of finishing in 2:15, which isn't bad for my very minimal training.

The race started on a good note with a nice, well organized, uncrowded and excellent vendor-ed expo. Love.

Sunday morning, the temperature was perfect, and the weather was beautiful.  I was dropped off at the start(ish) at 7:05 and had EXACTLY enough time to gear check and pee. EXACTLY. I could not have planned it better. I was still in line for the potties when the wheelchairs took off. By that point, I also needed to do more - thanks AM caffeine! - so there was no leaving the line. Thankfully, it moved pretty fast and I got to my corral right as it was walking up to the start. I ditched my throw-away tee, and off we went.

Since I like to go out too fast, I hung with the 2 hr pace team for the first 5 miles. There was talk about this being a hilly course, but it really wasn't. There were a couple in the first few miles, and a few minor ups and major downs at the end, but nothing serious. AND I love end-of-race downhills. After I let the 2 hr pacers slip away, I just tried to keep it up. My plan was to walk water stops, and I managed to stick to it except two brief walks around miles 10 and 12. There was water an average of every 1.5 miles, so that helped a lot. I had some Gu Chomps around mile 8, and shortly there after put in my headphones. There WERE lots of bands and a reasonable number of spectators on the course, but I was pretty spent by this point and needed more distraction.

Overall, I felt pretty good the whole race, considering how little I trained. My left calf was tight for a few miles in the beginning - likely due to my scraped up knee from a fall on Thursday changing my stride - but it stopped bothering my around mile 9, mostly because my right calf was also burning by then :) There was only one time I got upset - when the 2:05 pacer chugged by me at mile 12 telling his group to pick it up till the end. I had no pick up. In fact, I kind of wanted to puke around here and teared up. Once we got off the bridge and there were people again I got over it though.

I finished around 2:07, I think about a minute less than at the MORE in April (which I was slightly - slightly - better trained for) so I think that's a win. And the medal was terrific. I need to get a picture. The arch is a little glittery, and it is a heavy medal. I hate cheapy race medals, so this was a bonus. The finish area and gear check/pickup was also fabulously well organized as well.

I had to walk a few blocks up the street to meet up with my family, so I stopped to see (I was crossing around mile 12.75/26 or so) the elite finishers of the marathon and some more of the half runners. I saw the lead female just behind her pace car - that was pretty cool. She had a good few minutes lead on the next woman. I could almost see her thinking "don't look back don't look back I'm behind the PACE CAR don't stop".

While I am still a little sad about my training, I've done ok writing it off to newborns and construction, and I hope to run this race again (for time perhaps).

you've got to be f-ing kidding me.

IT IS OCTOBER.

And if its snowing I can't bring our 13 week old babies to see the team we used to coach play :(

Rolling rolling

Ok we're not that advanced. But we are flying in style.

and how about this?

Also in the kitchen photos....the back of the medicine cabinet...

 Its still a little hard to see here, but those little gray shards under the cabinet are razor blades.

did you catch that?

In the kitchen photos of my last post, you might have seen this gem.

progress

Changes to the house have begun.

In no particular order...(disclaimer: I didn't take good post-purchase pre-reno photos, so all of my befores are from house hunting. Lots of random poses!)

Front porch before

it's hard to see here, but that's faux tile.

Front porch (floor) after

almost all the laminate is up! and aside from the rust line from the nails, the wood is in nice shape!

Nursery before

(I'm scoping out the prescriptions/doctors stuff hanging on the wall)

development

Look how giant they are. Seriously. I know they're still small (8 and 9 lbs at this photo), but they've nearly doubled in size since they came home and they don't look nearly as silly in their car seats.

also, can we discuss how "boy's" Carter's sleepers seem to be an inch longer than "girls"? wtf?

But, being 5 weeks early (and gestationaly disadvantaged in Quinn's case, thanks to IUGR), they're not quite up with their 2 month old peers. I know all babies develop differently, blah blah blah, and we're no where near 2 mo adjusted, but its still a bit of a drag to have them be tiny newborns for what feels like forever (they ARE damned cute though).

And I was pretty bummed when a facebook friend from HS posted a picture of her daughter - who is three days younger- with a big gummy grin. I know it'll come in time.

They are getting cuter by the day though  :)

technology

Sometimes we forget how far we've come.

This charmer also came out of our new kitchen (screwed into the wall in giant metal box as this is clearly the inside). My amateur eye thinks it dates to the 60s (and, ok, that's about when it was last remodeled).

That's my Droid X hanging out there for comparison.

exhaustion, part 2

My disclaimer is the babies are not bad sleepers for their adjusted age.  And I do not spend 3 hrs a day pumping like my poor wife.

But I am tired.

We half abandoned the shift schedule. Sort of. We try to get Chris to bed by 9 and I take the babies, then she's the primary overnight since I have to go to work. When they're both up, we both feed them (then - or before- she pumps, oye). Its not a bad deal most nights since we can do the whole thing in 30ish minutes....most nights anyway. Sometimes one (::coughusuallyaverycough::) is up and screaming or insisting on being held for a few hours. Then it doesn't work so well. But it is improving.

I am crossing my fingers though that they're sleeping through the night (at least 11-5) by the time Chris goes back to work in 4 weeks.

Debut

At 22 inches, Avery was really pushing the limits of NB clothes.  As an aside, we have mostly Carters and Target stuff...a quick browse online of holiday stuff shows the recommended lengths on these clothes to be bigger than those at Gymboree, which limits 0-3 to 23". wtf? Avery is below 50% for actual age in length...

But I digress.

The little dolls in their first

I hope this isn't a sign.

We started demo-ing the kitchen.

I took off a wall plate with 4 slots (one of which was empty).

For bonus points, lets note those 3 switches were replaced around 2 years ago when the prior owner had some work done to spiff the place up enough to get a live-in nurse to come (per the neighbor, said owner passed a year ago).

I'd also like to point out it was a crummy electrician. The three way switch (middle) is wired wrong. I can't wait to fix that...

2 months old!

I'm undecided if I'm going to keep a separate blog for the babies. I was thinking I would use it for family/milestones etc, but really, I am making them photo albums and such as baby books and I have a shutterfly site...so...for now, its on hold. Besides, they're still newborns so we don't really have any fun activities to write about yet.

In the meanwhile...

The babies are 2 months old now (4w adjusted). At their last appointment, they were both officially on the charts!  Quinn weighed in at 7lbs 13 oz and 20.5 inches (that's 2 lbs in 3 weeks) and Avery was 8lbs 14 oz and 22 inches. They're both on the chart now (just barely for Quinn, and around 10-15th percentile for Avery). For their adjusted age, they're around 25th percentile (with Avery being 75th or so for length). So far so good!

And the little dolls are getting big so freaking fast. Here they are in BumGenius XS AIOs (with the lil'joeys, BG Ss (which fit), and a BG 4.0 pocket (which we haven't tried, though Avery is starting to fit into some of the smaller One Size pockets now).

running

So my new goal for my fall half is to beat my spring performance. A 2:08 isn't exactly spectacular, and is 15 minutes off my PR from 2008 (15lbs lighter and running, oh, 20 miles more/week than I am now). That said, my training has been spotty, with spotty midweek runs and roughly every other weekend long runs. I MUST get 10 mile+ runs in this Saturday and next though...A look back at my training log shows 3 10 miles within the 5 weeks pre-race, and fairly similar (though slightly higher) midweek mileage (though I am doing Crossfit twice a week now, so I think it balances out), so I think I can do this. This week and next (and the week of taper) I will focus!!!! haha. (AND I will not beat myself up...I have newborns at home! I am doing a good job here, right?)

Last night was our first true fall evening and it was spectacular, if overcast. I ran 6.3 miles after work.  I ran 30 minutes IN A ROW (I cannot tell you the last time I did that), then 3 10 minute periods. I felt good. I feel good today! I am going to try to squeeze in 3 miles tonight but we'll see.

At this point, weekend long runs aside, I'm shifting my focus to my Thanksgiving Turkey Trot. My 5k times have always been dismal, so a PR  IS in my future.

on exhaustion

Don't get my wrong, the babies are adorable. They're even starting to sleep more (more on that another day), but for most of the last 7 weeks (5 home in Quinn's case), they've been up every 2-3 hours over night. I often think how easy a single baby would be - after all, it WAS easier before Quinn came home, logistically anyway - but I know that's (somewhat) unfair since our girls ARE fairly good sleepers for their gestational age. I don't know how people with bad sleepers (I'm looking at you Katy!) survive (and am hoping I am not jinxing myself with this post).

Our nighttime plan (which sorta kinda works out, as we haven't really worked out Bedtime yet, though I suppose the girls are a little young) is basically for me to be on duty until midnight or so, then Chris takes over until 5 am. I get 5-6, then she's got the babies from when I get into the shower until I get home. The upside of living with my parents right now (between houses and all) is my mom is sometimes around to help.  We've been able to make this work since (something finally went right and) Chris has been very productive in the milk department (again, fingers crossed) and is usually a feeding ahead. Neither baby loves to breastfeed, and Avery in particular doesn't latch well, so they're mostly on pumped milk. I think this is awesome for so many reasons:

• I can feed them
• breastmilk has such great antibodies formula can't replicate
• I'm pretty sure what we've spent on a pump + bags for the last 7 weeks is just over what formula would have cost us, so we'll be ahead financially soon
  and
• breastmilk (and breastmilk poo and spit up) doesn't smell that bad. I had a few wiffs of formula in the hospital and it freaking reeks. I don't want to think about the out-of-baby stuff until I am forced to!

But, before I am too sunshine and roses, here is what we get a lot of in the evenings:

so we're buying a house

because you know, having (two) tiny babies, a new job, and moving sounds like a good idea. Especially since it needs renovations. We're pretty high on the life stress list.

So, since I've been pretty MIA (new job and babies and all) I leave you with some pictures of what is (hopefullly) to come...

Home Sweet Home to be

the leaky utility sink. see the basement walls? that's old peeling paint. yum.

soo....the second floor was never painted....

The first floor bedrooms are smaller, but we'll be living downstairs for a long while (this will be our room).

That nook used the house the fridge (we think). Note that it is not in the kitchen.

new-ish oven. Old cabinets. No fridge or dishwasher. And can we discuss the countertop?

Looking a little skeptical about the weird corner range top and no fridge (or AC) at 34 weeks and 93 degrees.

can't fit your boat of a car into the garage? ok, trim the studs....

cancelled

I just cancelled my NYCMarathon entry. I'm kind of sad. I am in no shape to consider it and barely training for my October half, but still sort of sad (and I have to pay again next year...$$$...but it is NYC and amazing).

sigh.

my fall half

I am sure you're all in total suspense. Am I training? Yes.
Am I training a lot? not really
Is it even enough/interesting enough to write about? No.

I did 16 miles this week, including a 6 mile long run.  After taking a couple of weeks off when the babies were born, I reworked my schedule to ditch NYC (which I still need to defer from) and work up from effectively nothing to 12 miles the week before my half. Hopefully its enough. I'm still hanging on to the see-sub-2-hrs-again dream...

As a sidebar, this is my first rugby-free season since 1999. Which is before I played rugby. This is weird and a little sad (sort of, I don't really miss the being pummeled into the ground aspect of practice),  This vast expanse of free weekends is bizarre too (and endless feedings aside, I have no idea how to fill them).

Newborn diapering

Size conundrum I mentioned in my previous post aside, I've been pretty happy with cloth diapering so far.

First, they're pretty darn cute. 
Second, Bailey has, um, snacked on a couple of used disposables. Have you ever seen pee soaked disposable diaper gel? It reminds me of that silica gel stuff used to keep new shoes and such moisture free. Everyone in our house looks at me a little weird when I talk about it, but having that stuff next to our little newborn's bottoms 24/7 kind of skeeves me out.

Anyway, Avery is in cloth about 50% now, and Quinn will be soon (eg, when I make diapering decisions).

So, a rundown of my reviews to date on our newborn diapers:

Prefolds: nice and soft, love how fast they wash/dry, cheap and absorbant. I don't love changing them since, well, they're wet, but they go on fast and I love them for when I know I'll be changing a diaper again asap (eg, before a feeding). They're also a million times better than bibs as, well, bibs. Maybe we have crappy bibs but spitup seems to roll right off of them.

Workhouse fitteds: So far s

Cloth diapers

We're slowly starting to use them, but I had to order another box of disposable newborn diapers today. Extra painful since besides all of our diapers, we have about 250 size 1 disposables awaiting little bums! Our little Quinn is just hitting 4.5 lbs now, so it'll be a good while until she fits will even in the newborn stash I got us.

fitting into a lil'joey...but not quite into the BumGenius XS yet!

adorable

Introductions to the babies - Avery & Quinn - at our mommy/ies blog.  I figure people interested in the babies probably aren't interested in my fitness issues or house remodeling.

Quinn, 1 week old

Avery, 1 week old

Update your reader to include our babies, if you're so inclined!

moving (sort of)

For various reasons, our baby stories will be published separately (mostly so its easier to share with family etc without boring them with non-baby stuff).

Update your reader and bookmarks if you're the following type!

http://dilbatotini.blogspot.com/2011/08/babies.html

smitten

Our babies came at 35w1d due to a diagnosis of IUGR in Baby A (I'll go into the details some other time, but this turned out to be an excellent clinical decision).

They're little but perfect.

radio silence

I haven't posted in a while. No workout updates (and I'm deferring my NYC entry to 2012, but that's other post).

Here's why:

Honeydew Melon

Thanks BabyCenter.  And we're having babies Friday - 35w1d - so place your bets.

http://www.expectnet.com/games/dilbatotini

NYC Marathon Training, Week 3

15 Weeks to go. And so it continues.

Monday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Tuesday

Scheduled: 3 m

Actual: 3 m (28:01) and Crossfit (29 squats and 400 runs. I did 65 lbs on the squat and was sore for 2 days. I think I did 4 sets in 25 minutes.)

Wednesday

Scheduled: 5 m

Actual: Rest.

Thursday

Scheduled: 3 m

Actual: 3 m (29:47, 101 degrees without index, holy hell) and Crossfit (deadlifts and pullups. Did 135# and green band, 55 reps total of each).

Friday

Scheduled: Rest

Actual: 5 m on treadmill (43 and change)

Saturday

Scheduled: 6 m (long)

Actual: Rest.

Sunday

Scheduled: Cross

Actual: 6.75 m (1:05:51. And I only stopped 4 times which is a record for me, not even considering it was 83 degrees and so humid I literally dripped when I stopped)

Weight:unknown, since I refuse to record a number after eating fast food :)

shopping

Since we sold our house, we've been house shopping!

Keep in mind we saw 46 houses before buying in PA, so we anticipated nothing less here, especially given our quite limited budget given our losses in PA and the reality of NJ real estate taxes (about double PA, like everything else here).

We've seen some gems....mostly gems of estates, with "vintage" kitchens circa 1953 and not touched since, original carpet, second floors that smell like they haven't seen an open window since 1964.  In an effort to not be a digital packrat, I've deleted the photos from the places we walked out of saying "not a cold chance in hell".

But here's some gems from the houses we've considered...

This one is a nice property. 3/1, with potential for expansion with just a small/bathroom sized dormer into 4/2.  Nice big corner lot (by our standards, about 1/4 acre) nice neighborhood and good schools (just 3 blocks away!), though the other side of the street backs up to a small highway.

Lawn furniture needs to be on FAUX GRASS. Don't hurt the real grass. The gnome is watching.

An older house, also in a good area, nice fenced yard, some character. 3/1 with a big family room addition on the back.

And creative decor all over the basement. Plywood and spraypaint is my idea of a finished basement for sure!

These are from a tiny little house, one our realtor calls a "dollhouse". It is actually super cute, a 2/1 with a fenced yard and a nice garage and a finished basement.

Random pile of painted rocks in the middle of the basement.

OH. Enter the finished area, and its a basement "fireplace". Interesting remodeling choice, but OK.

And the kitchen...compare the width of that doorway to the width of the stove.  No requirement to host Thanksgiving!