The Grandma Edie Gig

My Gig as Grandma Edie..
Started officially on June 5, 2012, an hour or so after midnight. There is somethng magical about meeting a new human being, holding them in your arms, minutes after their entrance into the world. And meeting two new humans is double magic.
Henry and Ellison are the new sunrise that never sets on our family. With their wonder-filled eyes and smiles that light up their faces and those of everyone around them, our twins are a source of promise for us all.
Being their Grandma Edie means I can give them a new nickname every week, teach them how to make sand castles and Christmas cookies and introduce them to all the good books.  It's a gig I'm going to enjoy.

When Daddy gets the flu....

you spend a little more time in your crib whining after you wake up and a little less time playing "I'm gonna eat that tummy" on the floor with him.

you practice holding your own bottle with a pillow and a towel under it because Daddy keeps dozing off.

you spend a lot more time with Mommy from 11pm to 6am.

Reunions of all sorts.

Today we attended our first family reunion with our twins.  It was a bit chilly so they wore bear coats and fleece blankets and passed from one relative to another around the bonfire at Weldon Spring State Park.  They were great sports and I can't recall either of them crying at any point.  

I have noticed this before, but no change is ever so noticeable as it is when in the comfort of your family: Having children changes everything.

Happiness in a Leaf Blower

When you're a new Dad, whether stay-at-home or working, there are certain activities that you don't do as often (no, I was not referring to that).  One of the saddest losses for me has been my use of power tools, which decreased sharply, NOT for lack of jobs that need done desperately, but because their use may:
A. Wake sleeping babies even if you work on the other side of the house, outdoors, underground
B. Deafen conscious babies if you try blaring Barney on surround sound to mask use of power tools nearby
C. Blind the babies if you try to wear them in a Baby Bjorn and use a reciprocating saw
D. Cause damage to growing bones and joints if you allow them to "help Daddy" use a framing nailer

Parents Birthdays Lacking Post-Baby?

My wife asked me the day after her birthday, "Did you forget it was my birthday yesterday?" In reality, I was painfully aware of it for weeks. I felt trapped when gift shopping crossed my mind.  The idea of taking twins to the mall isn't frightening by itself but to go shopping for an amazing birthday gift for the woman that outdoes her self every holiday for me WITH TWINS was overwhelming.  Meijer seemed to offer nothing worthy of her, thus looking for a personal gift post-grocery shopping with tired babies proved fruitless.  Shopping online only works if I'm ordering more of something that I already have such as toiletries and cleaning products, appliance replacement parts, or any baby stuff with a recognizable brand name.  Otherwise, it's a crap shoot of Chinese postage labels, bad stitching, and strange, "not exactly urine", smells. 

Why do I think anyone cares about me?

April 2012

If you're reading this you may want to know why I think my thoughts are worth sharing. This will be a small summary of a long story but I'll offer up the highlights of what's important:

1. I'm expecting twins in June or July.
2. I have 2 small dogs, Ollie and Jack.
3. I am preparing to be a stay-at-home Dad.
4. I am remodeling my home myself, including a bathroom addition.
5. I was laid off of my job of 5 years the day after Christmas 2011.
6. I am male nurse.
7. I live with my wife and a roomate, her best friend, Nick.
8. My wife is a therapist.
9. I'm trying to join (they see "infiltrate") the local "Mothers of Multiples".
10. I sell books online that I purchase secondhand.
11. I'm practicing being Catholic again so I can get my babies baptized.
12. I currently babysit a 5 month old child for 40-50 hours a week.
13. I train Ollie, my miniature daschund/miniature pinscher mix in agility.
14. I am an odd, hyperactive, liberal, multitasking, organizing, scatterbrain.
15. I was diagnosed as OCD at age 15 so I'm going to stop on #15.

So we'll see how exciting my life actually seems when translated into blog form.
Cheers.