A few weeks ago my friend Laurel (Si’s mom) asked me for a list of things I might need for the babies which she would circulate amongst our mutual mom friends. I obliged with a detailed list of baby things and household/childcare help needs. She wrote back and said, “Perfect!” Strange response, but I was happy, nonetheless.

Art’s preschool teacher, Jen, invited us over to try out the new loft she had built in the preschool. Then she reneged saying she had to be somewhere, but she did have a box of things for me to use for the babies. Sounds great, I thought. We’ll do the loft another time and pick up the box.

Josh offered out of the blue to come over and play with the kids this morning. Weird. Usually he offers to take them to a pool or the dog park, not just putz at home. Whatever. This meant I could get my important errands done with Ben, unencumbered. We needed groceries and a new toilet for the basement.

Ben said, “Let’s make it a date and dress up!” Sounds fine to me, I thought. It’s not often we get to run errands together without the kids. So we’ll go to Menard’s looking cute. “Ok,” I said, “But I have to get these errands done.”

So I dressed up in my recent loans from my stylish and pregnant sister, Emily, and tried to beautify my face a little, even thought I was cranky.

I was TOTALLY surprised when I arrived at Jen’s house to find a room filled with women I LOVE dearly throwing me a baby shower!!! I had no idea!!! I was so overwhelmed with love and good feeling I just had to cry. There was delicious food and sparkly drinks made by Jen, the house had a clothesline of baby clothes across the living room and pink balloons in pairs. The gifts were new (like a brand new ergo carrier with the new improvements I have drooled over) and used (like a onesie that Art’s friend Henry had worn!). One friend happily thrifted a basket full of baby girl clothes and one friend gave me two big bags of handmedowns that her daughter (Evva!) had hand selected and a programmable rice cooker, which I only put on the list as a lark since it would just be a great convenience in busy baby times. I could go on and on. I’ll stop now, but not before thanking Jen for hosting such a lovely morning and Laurel for co-conspiring in it’s organization. Check out the pictures and feel the joy. It was a wonderful morning that filled me with love and energy.

I got this email late last night from jessica:

 For the record, here’s what a snoogle is:

I took all four kids by my lonesome to the MN zoo (Art and Lew and their friends Si and Anthony, who we watch on Tuesdays). A number of parents said, “You certainly have your hands full!” Which was true. It was fun and easy until Lewis wandered off towards the end and we couldn’t find him. A very scary moment for him and his Papa. We found him further down the trail, crying with a friendly zoo person. Art was very concerned about Lewis and gave him a nice long hug, as did I.

Anthony eyeing a gibbon (Well duh, that was a gibbon).

After we found Lewis Art and Si easily agreed to hold onto the stroller back to the car.

The other day Devontae (my little brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters) and I went to Water Park of America (I had a couple free tickets). It’s the huge beast of a building across from Mall of America. I was excited to see what the place was like, and it was entirely dissapointing. Certainly worth two free tickets but a total ripoff for the full price $26 (each!). The most fun was this huge wave machine thing that shot a 20 foot wide sheet of water up over a hump and you could surf on it in place. The slightest mistake and the board would get swept under you and then your entire body would be pushed up and over the hump in a sort of violent watery chaos. fun! Here’s Devontae, and below that is a lovely photo he took of me just after I had wiped out…

and here’s someone else’s photo with a clearer view of the ride:

We tried Art’s flippers.

Jessica took this photo. Notice her large belly at bottom left….

He seems to be enjoying adjectives. He was looking at his feet one day and said, “A tiny toe, Mama!” He asks if a motorcycle he sees parked on the road is “superfast” and he likes to be pushed “superhigh” on the swing. For a while he was describing the different ways he pees. Sometimes, when he’s standing up, he makes a “long pee”, or just a tiny pee. When he’s sitting down he may knock his knees together, feet pigeon toed, and call it “closed pee”. And recently he flopped his entire body over with his arms to the floor. I asked if that was a tired pee, and he said no, “Uh-sad pee, Mama.” So we have many different kinds of toes, ways of moving and ways of peeing.

Wow.  I'm really pooped today.  Tidied up the baby room, cleaned the floor and mopboards and such and got the random paint supplies and VV's (aka Good Will) stuff outta' there.  (I have a new obsession with washing painted woodwork.  Maybe it's because I don't have time or energy to paint the woodwork, which is what it really needs, but I'll tell you right now, the woodwork upstairs is clean.)  It's basically baby ready.  There's still stuff to be reorganized and moved about, but everything necessary is in place and ready for babies to use, including some shelves next to the changing area that are ready for the 170 diapers from the diaper service to arrive (thanks, Nan!).  And this all took me well over two hours, which included multiple breaks for catching my breath, sitting down after coming downstairs and sitting down again after going back up the stairs.  Oy. 

Ever since Art was old enough we’ve played the ‘blanket monster’ game. Basically just covering up a Papa or a kid and saying “I’m a blanket monster and I’m going to get you!” Lately Lewis has been on a blanket monster kick. Here’s the blanket monster kick: