Shave and a haircut...

One of the biggest outings we had this week was to go down to Washington Street so that I could get a much-needed haircut. The day started off terribly when Mason refused to settle down in the stroller. Mason I said. Not Jacob, the kid that screams if you even look at him in a funny way, but Mason, the best behaved little girl in the World. She screamed blue murder. So we couldn't go. And my hair grew longer. A few hours later we settled her into her stroller seat again and managed to get out. The kids were fine and mom took them for a stroll around the park at first street whilst dad was groomed. Here are before and after pics so you can see what newborn twins does to you.

Friday Morning Hangover

Hungover on BABIES that is.

Just in case you forgot how cute the cutest twins in Hoboken and the WORLD really are.

Dinner and a Boobie

I finally did it.

Only because circumstances deemed it necessary really. But today, I actually breastfed Mason and Jacob at the SAME time. That's right. You heard it here first. I used the traditional "football hold" for each in honor of the new NFL season.

Harvey had run out to pick some stuff up from CVS when both kids started crying. It was actually good practice for when I'll be home alone with them next week as Harv has to go back to work. But, as obvious as it seems - you just humanly cannot get to two babies at once. First Jacob was crying, and wanted to be held so I picked him up. Then as soon as I picked him up, Mason didn't want to be in her swing anymore and started crying. So I put him down and went to her. And then he started up again. OY. It was close to their feeding time so I figured what the hell...I might as well try it. I positioned the Boppy - put Mason on the right, Sir Galahad on the left and suddenly I was able to enjoy the sweet sound of silence. It was actually easier than I had imagined. Harvey came running through the door about 5 minutes later. He wanted to take a pic for this blog but I forbade it. I mean, it's bad enough that I'm even writing about it and you are forming a mental picture of me breastfeeding two babies. Perverts.

Some quick twin highlights from the past couple days since I didn't have a chance to blog yesterday...

-We are now giving Jacob some medicine for what the doc thinks might be an acid reflux problem. She said it might help with the crying. We didn't hesitate for one second. Gave it to him right away. Didn't even look it up. Does that make us bad parents??
We also tilted their crib slightly, putting the mattress at a slight angle.
It seems to kind of be working a little bit...we think. Still too early to tell.

-Wed day / night was a little bit crazy with the two of them. One would cry. We would settle them, then the other one would start. I swear, we felt like they were plotting against us as if they were some kind of tag team. But overall, a pretty good night.

-Thursday (today) we noticed in the wee hours of the morning that little Mason had developed a lil' cold. Or allergies. Not sure. But she is really congested. And it makes us sad cause the little lady finds it tough to breathe. And we have to put these drops in her nose which she hates. And use that aspirator bulb thing to draw out the boogers and mucus which she also hates. I would hate it too if I were her size and I saw something as big as my head going up my nose. I'm sure it's not pleasant.

-Harvey and I also managed to watch the last two episodes of Project Runway and the Entourage from last Sunday during feeds today. And that is REALLY exciting.

That's all for now folks...

OMG! Did I really just say that?

OK, so a shortie but goodie today.

The day was pretty good. Kids are still cute as ever. Jacob still cries incessantly. Mason still chugs her bottle like a champ. And Harvey finally took a shower today.

But what I really want to talk about is the fact that I find myself talking to Harvey, referring to both of us in the third person as "mommy" and "daddy". It's really f'n weird if you ask me. For instance this morning I caught myself saying to Harvey, "Does daddy want mommy to make some coffee?" Ew. Yes. I actually said that. Or other things like, "Mommy's going to try and take a nap for 15 minutes...will daddy answer my phone if it rings?" But Harvey will do the same thing. When did this happen to us? Why are we constantly referring to ourselves in the 3rd person? It sounds like some bizarre porno if you actually think about it. I don't really know when this happened but I think it has something to do with having two babies. You don't even realize you're doing it. You just do. It was only today that I caught myself. I think I was totally embarrassed. For myself. I guess it's OK when I'm talking to the twins and say something like, "Did daddy change you and get poop all over your onesie?" Cause I'm talking to them. And they should refer to us as Daddy and Mommy. Or Daddy and Mummy as Harvey calls it.

Ok - off to try and take a nap. While the gettin's still good.

Monday Night Football

As Harvey and I were enjoying a rare, quiet moment this evening whilst watching the Packers from Green Bay take on the Vikings from Minessotta I was watching the game, checking my fantasy team and I said, "I dunno, I just can't believe it. I mean, I think it hasn't really hit me yet." And Harv said, "What, that we have kids?" And I was all, "No, that Tom Brady is out for the season."

I still can't believe it. It just doesn't seem fair. It sucks big time. And Jacob and Mason agree. They were really looking forward to the upcoming season. One of the reasons they wanted to be born before the season started.

Mason asked me to post this photo taken only a week before the wee little ones entered this world. Here's to you Tommy...here's to you.



Oh yeah, here is a hysterical link that my friend Tricky Dick Lufrano sent over earlier today. It made my night...it could make yours. I will read it to the twins as a bedtime story tomorrow evening.
http://www.holytaco.com/2008/09/08/our-tom-brady-conspiracy-theory/

Babies Big Day Out

Today we took Mason and Jacob out on a road trip for the very first time. We went to Babies R Us to pick up a few essentials we were missing. You know, like a sleep positioner, baby nail files, magic crib sheets, baby cotton balls and of course a travel case for their pacifiers. We also picked up a few more outfits even though they have SO many clothes right now we don't even have room in their closet. A big thanks to everyone who sent them a onesie, bib, dress, shirt, sleepsuit...you name it, these kids have it. So thanks to you all. They are the best dressed babies in Hoboken.

The trip went well. Except right at the very end this old woman came up to me as we were checking out. She was eying the twins and then started asking all sorts of questions. Nosy old biatch. Then she said, "Which one's the crier? There's always one crier." And just as she said that, Jacob woke up and answered her. I think he was showing off actually. We managed to get him to stop crying with a bottle in the car...

I think they liked their big day out. They are in training for their big road trip up to Boston next month. Woo-hoo.

Things that make you go Whaaaaaaa...

Off the top of my head, the top 5 things that might make you scream blue murder would be:

1. Getting your fingernails or teeth pulled out with plyers. (with no anesthetic)
2. Chinese tickle or water torture.
3. Being attacked by an angry badger or polar bear.
4. Having your genitals squeezed or stamped on.
5. Being repeatedly stabbed in the eye with a sharp number 2 pencil.

Not being cared for and having two lovable parents cater to your every whim. Changing you, feeding you, playing with you, dressing you. I don't think any of that is cause for crying. But then again, gas pains can be bad. Real bad. But they wouldn't go in my top 5 reasons to scream.

Last night was alright. The early evening though was killer. Sir Galahad cried and cried and cried from about 7:00 - 12:30. So much so that we even called our pediatricians office. But the doc on the other end assured us everything was fine...he was just a crying newborn. And possibly could be the "C" word. I don't want to even write it. But you know what I mean. So for the remainder of the night we put him in his swing to sleep. (not swinging) But he seems to like that position more. But after his last feeding we put him in his crib. Lets see how long that lasts...

Screaming down the house!

How can something this cute be so f'n loud?

Oh-my-Gawd! Why does Jacob not stop crying? Is this what I signed up for? Really? I didn't realize when I decided to be a mom how much babies cry. Seriously. I mean, I knew my life would change. A lot. And I was totally cool with that. I knew I wouldn't be able to go out to bars all the time anymore. Or movies. Or even just lie on my couch and watch crap TV. But honestly, I have to say I had no idea what was in store. I kinda knew that the 2 babies would be a lot of work, but I didn't know how much they cry. And how loud it can be. Again, this is really just our first week alone. Without our security blanket Ann Marie. And the kids are only 5 weeks old. I know we'll get the hang of it. I just don't know when.

Yesterday was a pretty good day. We went out with the kids and met our friend Maria in the park who has 2 kids of her own. We even managed to go out and eat at The Pita Grill. The night was OK. Nothing too crazy. Jacob was a little bit of a nutball early evening, but that's to be expected. They essentially slept for 3 hour stretches. And it was only for his 4AM feeding that he wasn't interested in sleeping again.

Oh yeah - also for that 4AM feeding, I was so tired that when I made him his bottle I forgot to mix the formula with the water. I just put the water in the bottle, shook it up and gave it to Harvey to feed him while I was taking care of Mason. It was only after he had about 1/2 an ounce we realized what a sleep deprived retard I was.

Today has been rainy so we've been cooped up. And I think the kids felt it. Because they barely slept at all today. Including Mason. They've been feeding normally, but they just refuse to sleep. Now that it's dark out, Mason has gone down. And of course, Jacob is throwing his usual temper tantrums. I swear we've tried everything. Even reasoning with him.

But anyway...another night. We'll see how it goes. Tomorrow is that start of football! The first Patriots game. And I won't even be able to watch. Damn you NFL for only having your package on Direct TV (which Harv and I are unable to order in this apartment).

Hopefully Tom Brady will get a better sleep than Harvey and I will. He better. Or I'll be really annoyed with him.

Sad day in Lieberland

Ann Marie is leaving us for good in 27 minutes. And I can't stand it. I know all will be OK, but we will miss her very much. Even more than the kids I'm afraid. So I'll tip a 40 to my nanny, baby nurse and friend...Ann Marie.

Diaper Sausage

Mmmmm...dirty diapers.
Believe it or not, this is about a day and a half worth. That's right. These kids poop and pee a lot. I mean, I don't think any more or less than any other newborns. But it's still a lot. More than me. And Harvey. (At least I think more than Harvey but I guess you never know.)

Oh yeah, and this diaper sausage is courtesy of the Diaper Genie II. Not to be confused with the original Diaper Genie, The Diaper Champ or The Diaper Dekor. All of which we sweated over when deciding which diaper receptacle to purchase based on which best suited us as a couple. Some people loved it because it "kept the smell in". Some hated it because you had to buy special diaper sausage casings (liners for those of you not following my stupid joke). I think at one point we were going to buy the Diaper Dekor but then a friend of mine told me that hers broke. Oy. So, I figured we'd rather have the stinky bin that kept the stink in. And didn't break. And that we would splurge the extra dollar or two and make an effort to get the proper liners. Plus they sell them at BJ's. And we're members.

If anyone can guess how many diapers are in this diaper sausage you can win the next one. We'll save it for you. Promise.

The Last Supper

Tonight Harvey and I went out to our favorite Sushi restaurant, Komegashi. It's been a while since I've even had sushi, much less gone out for it. We figured since Ann Marie is only here until Friday, we should take full advantage. Tomorrow, is the start of the football season, and even though Ann Marie will still be here, it's not like we can go out to McSwiggens or Willie McBrides, have a few pitchers, get kinda drunk and come home. We have 2 kids now! So we'll probably order in and watch from home. Whilst feeding a baby or two. Which is totally fine.

But at dinner tonight it honestly felt like it was our last supper. The last time we would be out on our own and not have to worry about who was watching our kids. It was kind of a weird feeling. Dinner was nice. My Asahi was tasty. But we spent most of the time talking about what it would be like when Ann Marie is gone. I was sad. I am sad. I think maybe just a little nervous. But I guess we'll figure it out. I think I was nervous because, as I said in my last post, Jacob (and Mason to some degree) was crying most of the day today. And Ann Marie was here! So if she can't stop them from crying, what the hell are Harvey and I going to do? Ha ha ha.

I guess tonight was also a bit of a realization that our lives are forever changed. For the good I'm sure. I guess it will just take a little getting used to. No more hanging out in bars most nights. No more sleeping in on weekends. No more going to movies whenever we want. Or having dinner parties. I knew this going into the whole "having a baby thing" but now that it's here and it's real and Ann Marie is leaving us I think it's actually sinking in. Even when we've been on our own the past couple weekends - whenever it's gotten really hard I would always look at the clock and know Ann Marie was coming back. "If I can only last for 6 more hours" I can remember thinking at one point.

But anyway...I am looking forward to the challenge. Even though it will be totally hard. And time consuming. And tiring, I'm sure. But as Harvey said, we are actually shaping lives here. And we are going to watch them grow up. And they'll play together and become more interactive. And c'mon, we're parents now. Which is pretty damn awesome in itself.

Baby Cam! Baby Cam!

Today was a pretty good day. Well, Ann Marie is still here, so how could it NOT be a good day? We took the kids out on our communal patio this morning. Talked to them about the upcoming football season. Let them know that we were on the waiting list for Patriots season tickets, but couldn't promise that the Pats would be any good by the time they were old enough to go to games. Couldn't even promise them that Tom Brady would be around. And I think they were OK with it.

Both kids were a bit fussy all day though. Not sure why. Well, maybe because they are 4 week old babies. They just didn't want to sleep. We all took a walk later this afternoon. Went further than we ever have...all the way up to Washington Street. And then to the river. We showed them the NYC skyline, but again, didn't really get much of a reaction from them. Their Aunt Mya came out to meet them and brought them some cookies. They were sort of pissed because they have no teeth and would not be able to get through the delicious chocolate chips. But oh well. Even a chocolate chip cookie can't compare to breast milk.

Here are some videos of the kids we took today. Enjoy. And yes, they really are that cute.

Little Mason after having a bottle.



Baby Jacob chilling in his bouncey seat.

Jake gets new nipples!

That's right, you heard it here first. This afternoon, at approximately 3:00 Jacob Galahad was upgraded from a Stage 1 to a Stage 2 nipple.

I forgot to mention earlier that the pediatrician told us that maybe little Jacob just wanted his food faster. And that he doesn't want to wait or work that hard for it. So...we're trying out a bigger nipple to see if it works.

Exciting times over at the Lieberman household, exciting times.

We don't have to take our onesies off...to have a good time. Oh no.

"Happy 1 month birthday to you.
You smell like a cup of poo
But not all the time
Mommy and daddy love you"
(sang to the tune of "happy birthday to you")

Great song. I know. If you can believe it, I JUST made it up. Now. This very second.
So yesterday was Mason & Jacob's 1 month birthday. Yes, I know! Already. Can you even stand it? We didn't party too hard, although a few milk bombs were downed. And some "gripe water" was had. I even had a little Baileys in my coffee in the morning so they would get a tiny hit of it through the my breast milk that night. Oh yeah. (Jacob wants to give a shout-out to Uncle Andy for showing him the way in the milk bomb department)

So I haven't blogged in over 24 hrs. I guess I've been busy. Honestly, I have no idea where the time goes. What has happened since then, besides all the partying you ask? Well, I'll breaka break it down for you.

-Mase and Jake spent lots of time with their English relatives. They also learned some new words from Nana, Papa, Auntie Mel and Lewis:
Nappy = Diaper
Cot = Crib
Pram = Stroller
and the best one of all,
Dummy = Pacifier

They were very sad to see them go. As were Harv and I. But the kids promised us that if we took them over to England soon they wouldn't cry or scream or on the airplane. Even when we take off and land. So we're looking into it.

-Ann Marie came back Monday afternoon. Thank God. Seriously, you have no idea how much I'm going to miss this woman. I've already cried thinking about her departure. We were on our own Friday night thru Monday afternoon and it went OK. But the nights are pretty brutal. And we get a little scared. But we shouldn't. They're babies right. We're the adults here. I think.

-The kids slept fine with Ann Marie here. Jake had no screaming fits that we know of. He even slept longer than Mason at some stretches. I'm chalking it up to the fact that he wore himself out over the weekend so was super tired. :)

-I had my fantasy football draft. And I dunno how I did really. This is the first year Cracky hasn't had time to really prepare for anything so I totally winged it. And it was hard. And semi-stressful. But all in all I had some really good picks. And some questionable ones. It's weird that all of a sudden the love of my life, fantasy football, is taking a backseat. And I don't care that much. I mean, I do care. Sort of.

-The twins went to the pediatrician this morning for a weigh in and the 2nd part of their Hep B vaccine. They weighed in at a healthy 8 lbs 2 oz for Mase and 8 lbs 8 oz for Jake. They amazed us all, as Mason definitely looks a little chubbier and generally eats more. But I guess she also must poop more too or has a faster metabolism or something. All is well. They are both in perfect health. We told the doc about Jake and his screaming fits at night. But that he is somehow fine with Ann Marie. She said that she thinks he is A OK, but "smells our fear"! Seriously? A month old baby can tell if your stressed or anxious? I believe her cause she's a doctor but still seems odd. So no formula change, no drugs...yet. Stay tuned.

Those are the highlights. Not really sure what I did most of the day today. Oh yeah, Mason puked up her 11:00 bottle. So I had baby sick all over me. I have to say, it's been a long time since I've had puke all over me. Too long. Maybe it was a delayed reaction from the big 1 month birthday party yesterday. Mason also would like to give a shout out to Uncle Andy for showing her how to deal with a milk hangover. What a guy.

Some pics from the Lieberschnitzels visit:

Sorta Deep 5 AM Thoughts

Just wanted to make an entry to say how amazing this whole mom thing is turning out. I mean, I look at Mason and Jacob and cannot believe that my body made them. I mean, seriously...how crazy is that? I just stare at these two little humans and can't understand how 10 months ago my insides were full of Stoli Raspberry, Yuengling and Jaeger - not two beautiful little babies. And now they are here. In all their glory. And I love them so much and just feel so lucky to have them. Despite the fact that I've been up since 1:00 AM. Yes, Jacob is still having screaming issues. The little guy is just uncomfortable and there is nothing I can do. Which is really really sad. But we'll figure it out. Eventually. Until then, all I can do is stare at him and Mason. Really. They are kinda mesmerizing.

OK, off to bed now. Apparently you are supposed to sleep when they are sleeping. So I should do that. It's a big day for me tomorrow...we are going to try and get a picture of the twins with their cousin Lewis. Which should be fun. I'll post it tomorrow. Along with some more gratuitous pics of my lil' darlings.

Sorry for getting mushy, but I'm a mom now. I think it's sorta allowed.