Juggling act

A developing skill set....

Babies on Tour

Mother's Day -- not my favorite holiday, but who's asking? Babies Geo and O took their first museum tour -- with Grandma and Nana -- a quick scamper thru the picturesque Philipsburg Manor in Tarrytown. The site of many class trips from Nana's school days (in the 19th century?), what better place to begin the tourist life? Does it count if you're not awake?

Things that matter, things that don't.

Things that matter:

Georgia weighs seven pounds, and Odessa weighs almost EIGHT.

They're growing faster than zucchini in July, but more delicious (and unlike zucchini, we don't wonder what in the name of Britney we're going to do with that much baby.)

They eat four thousand times a day. They no longer sleep for more than an hour or two at a time. When they wake up crying, they wake up the other one too. Also, we've taken to calling them "that one" and "the other one." We're tired.

(Photo: Odessa at Odessa (the diner) with Aunties Lorna and Mary Ann)

Things that don't:

Everyone is very concerned with whether the babies are boys or girls. Staci has taken the brunt of it... She got yelled at by a lady who thought we were creating traumatic confusion for them by not draping them in pink. Another person was upset because they were wearing blue (which is mostly all there is besides pink) but then realized that there was a pink blanket in the stroller and calmed right down.

It boiled over this weekend. Previously, an old queen had called to congratulate and inquire about gender, but was adorably addled and ended up asking "what's their sexuality?" Which seems no weirder or more intrusive than the demand to know what bits the babies are sporting Down There. I said "they're queer, haha!" and we shared a little guffaw.

But then this weekend at Bob Kohler's memorial, we were loitering by the pop'ems when Penny Arcade asked the boys-or-girls question, and I had just had enough and reverted to "they're queer!" Penny freaked out.

- How do you know?! Did you do The Test? The Test that the whole country is hoping for, so they can abort the gay babeeees!!?!

- No, I'm pretty sure it's nurture.

- I thought we were about freeeedommm!

Flotilla was nearby, and whispered to her "No, it's good -- then they'll be on our side!"

(Photo: Baby O with Aunty LaurieWen at Bob's memorial.)

Later, during her eulogizing of Bob, she performance arted us in retort. Penny repeated the conversation we'd had 20 minutes earlier, but shriekier, even more accusing, over twanging guitars. I'm not sure how it was related to the eulogy...

Anyway, turns out that babies' gender coding is a topic that seems to strip onlookers of all decorum and erase strangers' sense of boundaries between themselves and our family. No such thing as just letting the babies be -- people want you to graffiti their grown-up identity onto them right now. And if they think you've written it wrong, you're in for an all-out intervention. Yikes! I was thinking I just wanted the babies to experience the exciting breadth of the world, but now I've gone all protectionist. Kindly step away from the babies.

Hey, are you guys getting much sleep?

 

Define "sleep."

Cryface

And now for our next episode of hate-us-later, we te presente: Cryface. The spit-up factor(y) is becoming rather enormous. And although we're really assiduously working to fix it -- trying everything from special starchy formula to propping up the babies in terrible positions all the time to denying Staci the cheese and caffeine that she can't believe she's not allowed to eat again -- the heartwrenching story of the cryfaces demands a public. Prepare to weep, our public.

Zeroeth birthday.

This weekend, May 3rd or May 4th depending whether you heed doctors in Boston or New York, was the babies' zeroeth birthday. Their 40th week since hatching as little twin pre-zygotes. Their due date. We took them out for crepes. All the Brooklyn aunties came...

First Sleepaway

Don't they have any cribs in this place?  We look like the stork just dropped us off!  

Oh well, at least if we're camping, it's indoors --- 'cause it's raining out there.   And we can wash our clothes because we ran thru them, and the diapers, at an astounding rate.  Mommy and Mama haven't figured out yet that, like Queen Victoria, we travel with trunksful of clothes and equipment.  Oh well, with four people to take care of us (Mama, Mommy, Nana and Him) camping isn't that bad.  Him???  Our grandfather's having an identity crisis.  He can't decide what we should call him.  

Big Kids

It's good times in the Bronx, as the babies bring Villagers, Brooklynites, Jersey girls and Irish jet-setters uptown like flies to honey. Did youse ever think you'd spend as much time in transit?!

Our friends (and our parents) have brought us great food, sang songs to the babies, preemie-sat, listened to our stories about poop and brought us back to the grown-up world with a firm hand when we've gone too far. Thanks, lovelies!

xoxo

(Photos of the friends are here. If anyone has more, we want them, please send!)

Georgia wakes up

Baby Geo played with something for the first time a few days ago (no idea when, time is a delicious marshmallow.) Seems simple, but given that the kids hadn't done much till then except lie around and eat, it's huge. Thanks to Uncle Nikita and Cousin Nikki for the toy that sparked the big awakening!