Armed and Dangerous

Firsts and Fifths

Hey All,

We've got loads to post as opposed to posts about loads which, believe you me......we could do....but I'll keep you, dear Readers, safe from that. I hear your collective sigh of relief and shall now move on.

First off, today Kicky and Jumpy are 5 months old or 152 days old. It's difficult to believe. Okay, hang in there readers who aren't into the bragging parent thing. There will be non-Kicky-and-Jumpy related stuff at the end. The boys are kicking and turtling (a precursor to crawling) and doing pushups. They are on the first step of a journey that will soon have them crawling, then standing, then walking then running....away from me. Sigh...how sad. They are going to grow up and move away. Yes yes.... I know that my job is to raise independent adults who will add value to the world. But they are so cute and I love them so much....and it's sad to think they'll grow up and away from us.

In addition to pushups and other fun things, there have been some "Firsts" (hence the blog title, don't make me explain the "Fifths" part). The boys are both holding their bottles. Jason has managed to scoot on his back from one end of his crib to the other. Both have said "mum" - which I liberally interpret to mean "Mom". Both boys recognize the bib as a sure sign that dinner is imminent. Jason puts everything into his mouth. Kevin continues to chat us up and has had some impressive conversations with his dog, Blue and with Joe and I...but frankly, Kevin prefers keeping company with Blue. They both express discontent and satisfaction now. Jason has started doing the shy guy look at you/look away from you thing and when I pick him up he hugs me and snuggles against my neck (gosh I'm a sucker for that move).

Yesterday I was reading to the boys and had to separate them as Jason was kicking Kevin. Kevin didn't seem to mind so much but I don't want to encourage any Cain/Able behavior. I know I ascribe certain attitudes to them (shame on me) but frankly, Jason frequently seems put out that he has to share his mom-time (or dad-time) with that other baby. Anyway, I read "I Knew You Could" to them. Kevin enjoyed it. Jason, not so much. I mention this book as my Mom bought it for the boys. But as I read it, I thought that maybe it might have been for me or at least, while reading it, I felt that the message was aimed at me. The message being...well, heck, it's difficult to melt it down to a sentence or 2. Spend the money and go read it yourself. It's worth it.

Let's see...other Kickybear and Jumpybear news....Kicky has not been himself lately. Up at 2 am, chatting away and generally disrupting the sleep of all the other Dohertys. One night a bottle at 1 am. Last night a bottle at 2 am. Still waking up at 5:30, ready to start the day but then eating and falling back asleep and napping erratically. Incosolable crying. Now, this isn't Kevin. He's not a crier, until lately. Is it teething? A growth spurt? General crankiness? You got me. After a rough start today, he settled into his normally cheerful persona. Jason....continues to be a champion nighttime sleeper (now that I've said it, I've prob jinxed it.) We're back on the "bottle, bath, book and bed" routine. This seems to work however we did notice some resistance last night. They've figured out the pattern, maybe? At 5 months of age, could it be that they are already smarter than us? Eeek.

Other big news...The boys were baptized on June 28th. It was a great day as it was also my Dad's birthday (Happy Birthday Dad - we were thrilled that we could all be together to celebrate!). The boys were troopers and neither a peep was peeped nor a tear was shed. They looked like mini John Travoltas in their white suits.

As Edna Mode would say Luck favors the prepared, Darling. But they say God laughs at those who make plans. So if A, then B. We put new batteries in the camera to facilitate many baptism photos being taken. Wouldn't you know...the new battery was from a batch that were bad and we didn't get one photo. Not one. Anyone who attended and got photos...we'd be very grateful if you could send us copies. We'll reimburse.

Afterwards there was a meet-n-greet at their Aunt Cindi's. The boys behaved well and got to meet most of the family and many great friends. Thank you to all who attended. The day flew by and I'd hoped to chat with everyone, hopefully I did but I know I got only a few seconds with some people so my apologies to you and hopefully we'll have a get together later in the summer where we can catch up good-n-proper.

Many thanks to all who traveled great distances. My parents, my Aunt Diane, CJ Karen and the boys, Rob Tommy and John, Mark, and Sue. Many thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make the party special...all the terrific food, everything decorated so nicely...We really are so amazingly blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives.

Back to birthdays.We're having ice cream...no cake. Don't get all traditional on me...it's just toooo hot to bake or cook. Since the boys are born in Feb...it's pretty much a certainty that they'll have real baked cakes for their big day. With the price of oil, we might use the heat from the oven to warm ourselves.

Stats for the 5 month mark: Bigger than last month. Ok, I didn't weight and measure them. Look, it's hot, it's late and both boys are in bed. I'll get the stats later.

There's so much more to write about. What a great time my parents have had with the boys while staying with us. What a great time Joe and I had with them and how grateful we are for all their help and patience. How well the boys are getting on with Nanny Amanda. How much the boys love watching their cousins Molly and Joey. Kevin gets a kick out of them and smiles all the time when they talk to him. I'm sure Jason would also, if he would stay awake. We took the boys out for brunch and that went well. No tears or hissyfits. I'm sure those days are ahead of us but this one day went well.

So, that's it for K + J news. Readers who tuned out above can dial back in now....

Non Kicky and Jumpy stuff
Age in months. Why do people give the age of their child by months when years would be more appropriate? Today I saw an email from a woman who said she had a 24 month old. At what point is it just silly to use months as a means of communicating the age of a child? I don't think that my mom says she has a daughter who is 488 months old. Do you, Mom?

Tim Russert. Not that I am into mourning celebrities or becoming emotional about the passing of a stranger but...Tim Russert. I mean, really!? He wasn't that old and he seemed like a nice guy when I watched him on TV and apparently he took care of his health. There are truly evil people running around this planet and Tim Russert dies? Just doesn't seem right.

Madame Tussaud and Hitler. Again....Really?! Is it REALLY necessary to have Hitler in the wax museum? This just makes me suspect that the Germans think Hitler was just misunderstood and then, when someday the combined Germanies rise up and start with their warmongering.....I'll be saying "I KNEW it!" and "I told you so." I could be wrong about that, of course. Don't email me w/your gripes about this rant. I stand by my "is hitler necessary" comment. The warmongering comment is just filler.

How annoying are politicians who downplay the outrageous cost of gas by saing "Well, in Europe they pay $7.00 a gallon." Well, this isn't Europe. And there's really no need for us to pay $7 or even $4 because our oil reserves are full and we have access to loads of oil. On one of my more crankier days, I would prob respond to mr. annoying politico, "Well, in Europe they guillontined the rich." Considering the fat cats we have in the Senate and Congress, I wonder how that would sit? In case any gov't person is reading this....no, I'm not threatening anyone, I'm just pointing out that Europe's policies might not be all that wise.

One more oil/gas rant. We're being told to cut down. I'm starting to think "Why bother?" The fact is...when I was being told to cut back on my electricity usage, use CFC lightbulbs, turn off lights, etc. blah yadda blah. I did. I cut my usage in half. IN HALF. Guess what. They doubled the rates. So even though I cut my usage...those &*$%^ still hosed me. So, now "they" say conserve gas, save the planet, make trips count. Why? The cost will still go up because Big Oil knows we have no other options and we'll pay what they charge. I already recycle, turn off lights, use those horrible crap CFC bulbs (and yes, they are crap. They were free and they help a teeeny bit on the bill so we use them but I could light a match off one of Kicky or Jumpy's farts and get a brighter light).

Is anyone else exhausted by all the political coverage that went on earlier this year? I can't wait for the Wednesday after the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

I finished a book that I started last Summer. It wasn't a big book (Dorothy Sayers' Strong Poison - terrific read) but still, I finally finished it. Yay me.

I dusted the xbox and the wii the other day....I thought I heard them cry a little.

I had a Dr. Pepper freeze pop the other day and it was delicious. Why isn't Dr. Pepper (Mr. Pibb to you Southerners) more popular?

The Boston Pops Fireworks were great. The Boston Pops...well, K. Lockhart, sir, you are no Arthur Fiedler. You're not even Arthur Treacher. But I did like that little baseball number you played and it's pert near impossible to mess up the 1812.

Mom, you left your Chicken Soup for the Soul cookbook here. I'll pop it into the mail. Lots of good recipes in there.

Later ya'll,

Kathy

For Sarah

Better late than never.
See how much they love the t-shirts?










Kevin: Sure, blame it on the little guy

Jason: Photo with baby: 50cents

Let Them Eat Cake!

4 months old.

WOW

Keeping it simple....

Here's the delicious ice cream cake

that we ate to celebrate the big "4"

The upside of turning 4 months old:

Cake

Here is our dashing 4 month old

Jason:

("I don't feel a day over 3 months" says big guy Jason.)

Here is our handsome 4 month old Kevin:

("I can still pass for 2 months old, right?" asks cutie pie Kevin.)

Then there's the downside of turning 4 months old: shots

Kathy, out

The boyz are 4 months old and their dad is an idiot

On Sunday the boyz turned 4 months. Quite naturally, we filled their bottles with Haffenreffer and we celebrated in style. I cannot believe 4 months have passed...and sometimes I have a difficult time remembering life before my sons' arrival. Yes, that could be due to a backlog of sleep deprivation. But every day I come home from work to these two smiling little faces...damn, life is good. Even when:

Yesterday we brought them to the pediatrician for their four month checkup and inoculations. They are doing very well. The doctor was very pleased. Both boyz weigh in at 14.7lbs...yep, little Kevin caught up to Jason. Jason is still taller by 3/4 of an inch. He's 24.75 inches long and Kevin is exactly 2 feet. They did very well during their checkups until their shots. Then they were inconsolable for the rest of the day and into the night. If they weren't sleeping, they were screaming. The infant Tylenol helped out Jason during the evening, but still...nothing rends your heart like hearing an infant (or two) crying because they're in pain.

I was standing over Kevin when he got his shots and, of course, looked RIGHT at me when he was stuck three times. Naturally, I figured then he would associate seeing me with the pain. I'm sure it will happen when he's a teenager, after all. When I got home from work, I bent down to say hello and he looked up and smiled at me. Whew.

After that, I took Jason over to the changing table to change him (duh). He was just...screaming. I mean, he went ballistic. I did my best to calm him down but he just wasn't having any bit of it. Kay came upstairs to see what was the matter, and I totally snapped at her.

Here's the thing: as cucumber cool as I may seem on the exterior, I'm still very insecure with being a new parent. I want to prove to the world that I can do this. I can get very competitive with myself and I am not a happy camper if I cannot figure out a solution to a problem. "I don't need help."

I love my sons so very, very much and do not ever want to be the type of man that hands off a screaming baby to the nearest female in the room because I just can't deal. And I am willing to go WAY out of the course of reason and logic to prove that I can handle anything. I will physically stop people from offering or attempting to take my son away from me to belabor that point.

Back to snapping at Kay. I was frustrated above all of my son crying not because I couldn't seem to console him, but because someone would take him away and then be successful at consoling him. Kay reached out to console, and I think I did the human equivalent of growling. I then stopped, took a step back (mentally) and then began to try to explain everything I've just written above. My written word tends to be significantly more coherent than my spoken word.

She then said something to me that made all the sense in the world: sometimes, just because, a baby wants it's mother. Not it's grandmother, nanny or father. There's an ultra special bond between a mother and her baby. It was like someone had slapped me out of a stupor. Sure enough, I walked over to Kathy and gave her Jason. Kathy had also been offering to take him but I said it was ok, I got this. Jason cried for like 10 seconds and then calmed right down and snuggled in.

Damn, did I feel really, really stupid, arrogant and stubborn (I know, every one of you is saying: "uh, yeah...that's you normally, Joe"). What is wrong with me? That is like the most basic thing in human nature, and here I am letting my pride get in the way.

I suppose the best lessons are learned when you fail and then apply what you've learned from your experience to succeed the next time. School's in for me. Thank you, Kay.

More later,
Joe

Having been formally invited to muse...

Here is a small (and not very meaningful) list of how my life has changed since early Feb.


- No time to write lengthy epistles. Nouns, pronouns and verbs are now optional.
- Bathroomis interruptus - I sit, They sqawk, I'm done.
- Model employee. Punctual arrival means speedy departure.
- Used to be picky about the temp of food (hot, pls). Am now grateful to eat any food, any temp.
- New fav beverages: cold caffeinated ones (mostly 8 hour old tea)
- Before: Wii. Now: wee
- Can't recall the word for foot jacket but know daily oz. of formula consumed and # of poo/pee diapers.
- While holding 2 babies, I can use my feet to: scratch the dog's back, rub the cat's chin, pick up ____ from floor, turn pg of magazine (have not mastered this), click Tivo remote
(Not all of these at once but stay tuned...)
- Before: decadently slept in/lounged in bed. Now: jump out of bed to see adorable smiling faces (or not smiling but still adorable).
- Before: Couldn't hear spouse talking on couch next to me. Now: Can hear a baby blowing spit bubbles on 2nd floor while in basement hammering nails.
- Made that last one up....no time to hammer nails. Superglue is way faster, holds the nails better too.
- Used to read every word and type every letter.
Nw ra eey ohr wr ad tp eey ohrltr.

L t r,
K t y

Here I be

Greetings, all. Just wanted to take a quick moment to let you know I've changed the name of the blog to reflect Kathy's involvement. Her posts are truly excellent...waaaay surpassing my own "writing" and "observations". So anyway, I wanted to make it known that this bloggy is both of ours...no guest be Kathy.

:: waits for applause to die down ::

So...

:: still waiting ::

*Ahem*

Our nanny has begun work today. Her name's Amanda and has way more twin experience than either of us. So everyone send good karma her way. Kay has been looking after the boyz for the past two weeks and has done a terrific job. Thanks Kay! Now she can relax and be a grandma.

The kids are pretty much getting throught the night. Pretty much. Ok, not so much. But hey, they're babies. I do have to say that they're lucky we find them cute. The other day around 3:30 am I walk over to find out why Kevin's crying. As soon as he saw me, he let out a giggle and started waving his arms, kicking his feet and then began...well, talking to me. Various ga ga goos and laughs. But man, he had a LOT to say. Evidently, he had a great dream he needed to relate.

Suddenly, the fact that I was exhausted didn't matter to me at all. I'm just so damned happy these little buggers are in my life.

-Joe