Takin' Care of Twins

Baby Talk Today

2012-02-02T21:40:00.000-05:00

My Peanut woke up from her nap earlier than the Big Man today, and we laid on the couch, snuggling and chatting for a while. I had worked all morning, and they had been at school, so mostly, we talked about school. We read a little, and while doing that, the mail lady that we have dropped the mail off. Anora immediately got excited, looked towards their bedroom, and exclaimed, "Mommy, Liam is awake!"

I replied, "Sorry, sweetie. Keep listening. It was just the mail lady bringing us mail. Hear her? Now, she is walking down the steps."

"Oh," she said, disappointedly. "Mommy, will Liam be awake soon? Liam is my best friend ever."

I nearly died. right. there. I love my kids, their relationship with one another, and our life together.

I love the random things that my kids say. I think that they both came up to me and randomly told me that they loved me three or four times each today. They are turning into such amazing little people.

Much love,
Care

Results

2012-01-31T22:18:00.000-05:00

The results have come back okay thus far. My doctor felt comfortable enough (or simply saving time?) to call me on the phone and go over my results instead of making me come back in and go over the results in the office. So, I felt good about that, mostly.

We are going to watch the lump for now and see if it changes in the next six months. He actually think that it is just normal breast changes do to nursing and my age. So, on top of every thing else, I guess that I just have lumpy breasts now.

Lovely. :-)

Much better than the alternative though. I'll take lumpy breasts over cancer any day! Thank you for all of the emails, comments, and texts/calls (from local friends). I really needed you guys in my corner and appreciate all of the support!

Much love,
Care

Imaginative Play

2012-01-24T17:37:00.000-05:00

My kids are playing "princesses" with their toy house right now. It is VERY Nora directed, but Liam is such a good sport. This whole imaginative play thing to this level is so fun to listen to. Actual bits of conversation from the last five minutes:

Nora: "Ack! [seriously, she said 'ack'] You pooped in your pants, and we don't have any wipes! Go wait for me in the tub."

Liam: "Don't you love my new shoes? They are green!"
Nora: "Ooooo, and they match your dress."

Nora: "I AM THE PRINCESS!"

Liam: "I'm sleepy."
Nora: "Well, get in your bed, silly boy princess!"

Nora: "Oh NO! The kitty is out of food."
Liam: "Time to go to Target!"

I love my kids!

Love,
Carrie

Appointment Changed

2012-01-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

I ended up calling my doctor late last week and discussing the fact that he wanted me to be seen right away, but that the imaging center could not get me in until February. He ended up calling the center directly and asking one of the techs there that he knows personally to come in and see me earlier. So, I have an appointment for this super early Wednesday morning. I won't know anything that day. They will just be forwarding the report back to my doctor the following day, and I will have a follow-up with him as soon as he gets the chance to review it. We are hoping for Friday.

I'm both happy that it is sooner and very nervous. Something about the fact that my doctor was concerned enough to call in a favor from his friend over there makes me really nervous.

Trying to stay positive. /sigh/

At least I will have answers sooner rather than later.

Love,
Carrie

Complication

2012-01-17T22:49:00.001-05:00

I went to see my OBGYN last Friday because I'd felt what I thought was a lump in my right breast. Being that my grandmother is a breast cancer survivor, I am overly aware of the need to make sure that it is nothing. Needless to say, it was a lump, and I now have an appointment for a breast ultrasound (since mammograms are not as effective in women in their 20s) on February 8th, which is the soonest appointment that the imaging specialist they are sending me to has available.

If that comes back as a solid mass, they are going to send me for a mammogram (even though it isn't as effective) and to a surgeon depending on those results. If it comes back as a cyst (fluid filled), I'm in the clear for now. Cysts are the most common occurrence of lumps in my age group (via my doctor).

I guess that with all of my other issues via IVF and infertility that I have not been surprised that something else is potentially wrong or a little off. Even if it is only a cyst, it is still some random other issue that my body is dealing with.

It has made me reevaluate my lifestyle choices of late. I haven't focused as much on enough exercise, organic foods, or even just enough water. I have had to make a lot of decisions based on having a small budget, but I want to reevaluate what I am doing in those regards. I understand that my body doesn't process hormones like other womens' bodies, and because of this fact, I need to make sure that my body is in amazing condition all the time so that I am in a good position to deal with any issues like this that come up.

I am scared though. I'm trying to not let it consume me... after all, the chances that something is really wrong is probably less than 5%, maybe less than 1%... but, then I just think about the likelihood that anyone else would have one blocked tube from birth, one overly distally dilated AND blocked tube from birth, PCOS, hostile cervical mucus, and a luteal phase defect... What is the chance of that? Surely to have all five of those issues, the chances have to be less than 1%, and that is what scares me. /sigh/ I'm not a normal case, and I will never be a normal case. And, then I get more scared. Then, I think about the fact that I am a single parent to two of the most beautiful people that I have ever met... And, I get more scared.

It's going to be a long three weeks.

Carrie

Catching up with photos! Round 2.

2012-01-16T12:24:00.000-05:00

In late November (I think?), we went to one of our local story time groups, run by the lovely and talented Dawn (who is also the kidlets babysitter, an amazing setup because they absolutely LOVE her). We were doing a mimic the artist type series, and this was one of the projects. They learned about Jackson Pollock and then made their own Pollock-esque painting. It was ridiculously fun and completely messy (the neat freak in me had to be constantly told to take a back burner...).

I miss Li's hair that long! /sigh/

Best,
Carrie

Catching up with photos! Round 1.

2012-01-14T21:59:00.001-05:00

"Super fresh" shoes (as dubbed by a dear friend of mine). I bought these great shoes from my mothers of multiples consignment sale this past September, and they quickly became Liam's favorite shoes. He lives in them. :-)

Love,
Carrie

As a freakin' awesome aside, I am up to 300 followers! Love it! You guys are amazing.

Wordless Wednesday - Liam

2011-12-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

There are few things this beautiful.

Love,
Carrie

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T09:41:00.000-05:00

As I am writing this, Liam and Anora are with their dad for their Christmas with him, and on a day that I could have slept in, I am up and have been up for hours. I am so used to being up with them everyday at 7am that it is very hard for me to get away from that, I suppose.

Anyway, it has been interesting for me to reflect on how this Christmas was different for me. There was still the minor stress of running around and dealing with last minute plans and issues, but it was different. There was some resemblance of focus in my life. I knew how I wanted my children to view this holiday, and this was the first year that they really "got it." I wanted to focus on doing activities together and spending time with one another, instead of just the capitalistic consumerism connected with this season.

But, my focus helped to make everything run smoothly. For the first time ever, my family did Christmas morning at my house. Instead of my mom cooking our traditional eggs benedict for breakfast, a friend of mine took over that task, so that I could still focus on Liam and Anora and not solely on making a meal for my family (and so that my mom could do the same). We all sat down together, my friends and family, and we ate, laughed, and focused on one another. Yes, maybe this isn't some huge realization or accomplishment, but for me, this was epic.

The last few Christmas's have felt rushed, disconnected, and overly stressful. We were always overbooked and overtired, running from one house to another and loosing focus of just spending time together and enjoying the simple pleasures of this time of year.

I felt like I could breathe this Christmas.

And, as cheesy as this sounds, that was the best present that I received, by far.

Love,
Carrie

Halloween 2011

2011-12-22T22:38:00.000-05:00

I got around to putting up a new banner! FINALLY.

I know. I know. SO late on this Halloween post, but it is too cute to pass up. And, I will get around to getting all of my updates posted over break... I hope.

(Inside their classroom at school.)

(The two/three year old class costume parade.)

This started because when I asked them what they wanted to be for Halloween, Liam asked to be a "bad guy," and Anora wanted to be a "snow man." Not really sure about the whole snow man thing, I ran with the "bad guy" concept. Liam was "the 1%," and Anora was a hippie (which she was thrilled about) or the "99%." Liam got to pick out his suit (yay for Ross, it was only $13), and Anora's costume was piecemealed together from mostly stuff we already had. Since we live in a very liberal neighborhood, it was automatically assumed that Liam was a republican when I explained his desire to be a "bad guy." Anyway, so much for political statements at the age of three. They loved it and proceeded to ask to be a "bad guy" and a "hippie" for a couple of weeks after Halloween.

We also carved pumpkins. :-)

Best,
Carrie

Home.

2011-10-12T00:14:00.000-04:00

I'm laying in my bed, surrounded by boxes, listening to the static of my children's video monitor and The Roommate shuffling boxes in the other room, and it's been a long time since I have felt this at home.

More later. Pictures soon. I'm loving life.

Love,
Carrie

This has to be the longest break that I've taken...

2011-08-29T00:48:00.000-04:00

There have been a lot of changes in my life in the last two months. More than I care to discuss on here, but one big thing was going from being unemployed to having two jobs. I'm currently serving at a local restaurant that just opened and adjuncting at the school I got my master's degree from. I taught a month long expedited course over the summer, and that took over the entire month of July for me. Fall classes start this week. I will be teaching and attending one class of my own towards my master's degree in applied linguistics.

The kids have spent two weeks total with Dave over the summer too: one week in July and one in August. They have loved the extra time with him, but it's been hard on all four of us I think. Just a lot of transitions. They have also spent two weekdays with him most of the summer, which has made settling into a solid routine hard. I'll be glad when the school year starts, and we all settle into a new rhythm.

They also start preschool in a little over a week. Wait for a freak out post when that happens...

I'm trying really hard to love and cherish the small moments in my life: evenings alone with a good book, laughing with close friends, a hot shower, a smile from my favorite little people, moving music.

I'm still trying to find my balance and footing on this uneven Earth.

Best,
Carrie

Most Bad Days...

2011-07-04T02:30:00.000-04:00

Are followed by better mornings... This is especially true when your mornings start with these guys.

Even more so when they start with these guys and ferry rides.

Best,
Carrie

Sometimes... Part II

2011-06-30T21:08:00.001-04:00

Sometimes the symptoms of a divorce are the inability to breathe, a tightening of the chest, and damp cheeks.

Sometimes the people that you have cared about the longest are the ones that hurt you the easiest.

Sometimes crying means that you get hung up on because it's not his job to deal with you anymore.

Sometimes erasing the last seven years seems like it would be easier than living through the next four months.

Sometimes my voice gets caught in my throat because I don't have words to express how much I would like to not have to deal with him anymore.

Sometimes I have bad days.

Today was a bad day.

Sometimes I just want to start over and learn to breathe again.

Sometimes I just really value having my kids home in their own bed and sleeping soundly.

Sometimes I borrow Oscar (the puppy) to hang out with me and act as a stress reliever.

Sometimes I watch Arrested Development after the kids go to bed.

Sometimes I even watch it with Oscar.

Sometimes stupid, simple things make my bad days just a little bit better, a little bit more bearable.

Tomorrow is a new day.

Blessed.

2011-06-26T21:56:00.000-04:00

Today, I feel blessed. The kids are back home and sleeping soundly in their bed after a long weekend with their dad; I have popcorn and Arrested Development, good friends that kept me busy all weekend, TWO jobs lined up to start in a couple of weeks, and a new master's degree starting this fall (got accepted to the Applied Linguistics program to start my degree in TESOL, teaching English as a Second Language!).

I'm a lucky girl. It's been a rough few months, but I feel the Earth beneath my feet again. There are a lot of things that are not perfect right now, but I am enjoying the little moments with my children, with my friends, and even those quiet moments by myself.

Though, I'm not going to lie... I completely appreciate my friends and family who have carried me through this time. You are all priceless, and I am so blessed to have each and every one of you in my life, even if I fail to say it enough. Thank you a hundred times over, especially to my mom.

Best,

Care

Finally did it...

2011-06-24T14:00:00.001-04:00

I have wanted to get a tattoo for a while, and shortly after Dave and I separated, I was reading some Samuel Beckett and came across this quote: "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." It summarized so much of what I wanted out of my life. My marriage didn't work out. There was no denying that or changing it; I'm thankful for what came from it (my children), but I know that it was the best conclusion to the situation. However, I have certainly not given up on love (though maybe marriage, in general, but that's a much longer explanation) or my dedication to my family.

Yesterday would have been my five year wedding anniversary with Dave, and with the intent to add some closure to that situation, I felt it fitting that I get the tattoo that I have been planning for sometime. It so completely summarizes where I am and how I feel about life right now. I LOVE how it turned out too.

I only have a mirrored picture of it right now due to the location, but here is a taste. Better pictures later when I can hunt someone down to take them.

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.

Best,
Care

Tomorrow.

2011-06-22T22:57:00.000-04:00

Ever tried.

Ever failed.

No matter.

Try again.

Fail again.

Fail better.

Vegetarian Biscuits and Gravy

2011-06-20T15:35:00.002-04:00

Liam and Anora spent Father's Day with their dad, and I spent it trying not to think about it being the first Father's Day that they were spending without their mom.

Last night, I needed fresh air and a break from my apartment, and on a whim, I drove up to Richmond (which took almost two hours longer to drive to because of the traffic). It's truly an amazing place. It has a broader subculture than we have and has a college town vibe in a lot of ways. I went up to Richmond a few weeks ago; while there, I ate at this little place called 821 Cafe. They had vegetarian biscuits and gravy; one dish that I have missed a lot being a veg for the last almost eight months and that I had yet to see on a menu. Even better, they were amazing. So this morning, I picked up a couple orders of vegetarian biscuits and gravy from that wondrous little hole in the wall, gulped down coffee from Ellwood Thompson's (a local health food store that also owns a coffee shop/deli), headed back home to pick up Li and Nora, and shared my biscuits and gravy with them.

I needed a few hours by myself in the car to think and relax. I'm in a constant state of flux in my life right now, and that stress has gotten to me recently. Driving is therapeutic for me; I have always felt that way. (Maybe that's why I've always gotten a kick out of Dashboard Confessional...) I find it a healthy way to cope with stress. The time alone with just my music and ever changing scenery, maybe... Whatever it is. It works. I also don't think that I was built to be static as I have an almost unceasing desire for motion... which driving helps to fulfill. It helps to mellow that stress and let's me adjust my mindset. I got back this morning feeling so revived and comfortable again. I don't know how long that will last, but it was worth the gas money for sure.

Today, I feel recharged.

Best,

Carrie

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T18:38:00.001-04:00

Happy Father's Day, Dave. You are an amazing father, and regardless of everything else, I'm glad that we dove blindly, headfirst into parenthood and that I am still sharing some of this with you.

Best,
Care

On a happier note...

2011-06-13T21:40:00.000-04:00

Pictures from a trip to a local play area, taken about a month ago right before I cut Li's hair again...

You have to admit. I have some pretty cute kids.

Best,
Carrie

Everyday

2011-06-10T13:02:00.041-04:00

I was asked last night by someone very close to me if I missed Dave... To which I responded, "Everyday."

I do miss him, but not in a lot of the ways that might make sense. There is a lot that I don't miss and a lot that I won't let myself miss. I do miss my best friend. I miss the familiarity and the comfort. I miss a lot of things that I'm embarrassed to admit that I miss, like just how much easier life was. Not having to worry so much about budgets and finding childcare. I miss having someone to share every part of my life with, even if I was sharing less and less of it with him.

I probably miss the familiarity most of all. I just miss talking to him too... that easy, flowing talking that rarely happened but that I cherished. I miss car rides together.

He was my best friend for the better part of six years. Six years of memories and inside jokes and stupid voices for the dogs. Six years of building a life together. Six years of fighting and making up. Six years of not really knowing what we were doing or what we had gotten into. Probably the better part of the last three years growing apart. I might even put a lot of this on my first IVF cycle and my miscarriage, specifically, even though he was amazing in a lot of ways through all of that. Something in me broke going through that, being sick for so long, and not always having him by my side. Infertility was my own personal battle, as much as he might have tried to make it his; most days, and especially on my darkest days, I fought that battle alone. I think that our spontaneous trip to DC (the only spontaneous trip we ever made) the night that we found out that I'd lost that first baby was the beginning of the end for me, and some smaller more intimate personal struggles between the two of us were just nails in the coffin. Maybe it would make sense for something like that to bring us closer together, and for a while, I thought it did. But, it came down to the fact that he couldn't be what I needed in a partner, and that isn't his fault. We are just two different people, who need very different things.

I have some really great memories of our life together and some equally terrible ones. It was a journey, and it was worth it. But, I'm still getting through it. Still processing everything. Still moving on.

Now, the hardest part for me most days is living alone and not having someone to talk to when the kids go to bed. That was one nice thing about having a roommate, not having to live alone or carry that burden alone. Safety in numbers and not such a loneliness at the end of the day.

Don't get me wrong. I have amazing people in my life, intensely supportive friends and family, but there is a piece that's missing. I know it won't always feel like that, but it does right now. I'm still working through it, still picking up the pieces, still fitting the facets of my life back together.

Here's to the next post not being so depressing.

Best,
Care

Sometimes...

2011-05-26T23:42:00.003-04:00

Sometimes this blog breaks my heart.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed.

Sometimes I miss comfortable, even if I wasn't happy.

Sometimes I feel like my children are perfect.

Sometimes I wonder who took my normally lovely kidlets and replaced them with crazy toddlers.

Sometimes I worry about anything and everything that could possibly go wrong right now.

Sometimes I feel so lonely.

Sometimes I feel so content with where I am and what I'm doing.

Sometimes I embrace the discomfort in my life and value the change, the growth.

Sometimes I wonder if I've made the right choices for my life and for my children.

Sometimes I feel utterly lost within the chaos that has consumed parts of my life for the last year.

Sometimes little things make me refocus my energy.

Sometimes I think that I made big mistakes but have come out of this a better person.

Sometimes I know my kids deserve to see their parents happy, even if that means that they can't be together.

Sometimes I think about anniversaries and milestones that will be missed, replaced, and changed as the years progress.

Sometimes I believe that I understand myself and what I need.

Sometimes moments with my children make me completely see who I am through them.

Sometimes my friends help me to cope.

Sometimes nothing that anyone can say or do help.

Sometimes the smiles that I receive and the encouragement from my friends and family make all the difference.

Sometimes the days are long.

Sometimes they aren't long enough.

Sometimes when you love something and loose it, you regret it. And, sometimes you don't.

Sometimes I wonder if anything that I write here will ever be thrown back in my face, used against me, or mistaken as something that it's not, which is why I don't write much anymore.

Sometimes I resent that.

Sometimes my whole world feels perfect and complete just the way that it is at that moment.

Sometimes things change.

Sometimes people change.

Sometimes it's good. And, sometimes it's not.

Sometimes love has to adapt and find new ways to express itself.

Sometimes I have to reevaluate who I am.

Sometimes my children are what gets me out of bed.

Sometimes their kisses are what puts a smile on my face.

Sometimes I blame all of my gray hairs on them.

Sometimes I feel safe living alone. And, sometimes I don't.

Sometimes I drown in self-pity.

Sometimes everything makes me laugh.

Sometimes everything makes me feel like what I'm doing is exactly on par with what I should be doing.

Sometimes my children surprise me with the questions they ask and the things that they come up with.

Sometimes I cry after their Dad picks them up.

Sometimes I weep after.

Sometimes the moments of my day that are the best are the ones when I'm wiping away their tears and kissing their boo-boos because I'm there to do it.

Sometimes I wonder what I would do without them.

Sometimes I can only focus on how hard being a single parent can be.

Sometimes I want to kick myself in the ass for getting married at 19. (No, that's all the time.)

Sometimes I hear the word "family" and a part of me breaks inside.

I'm reading A Prayer for Owen Meany right now, and there is a quote in it that sums up a lot of what I feel about divorce...

"When someone you love dies, and you're not expecting it, you don't lose her all at once; you lose her in pieces over a long time -- the way the mail stops coming, and her scent fades from the pillows and even from the clothes in her closet and drawers. Gradually, you accumulate the parts of her that are gone. Just when the day comes -- when there's a particular missing part that overwhelms you with the feeling that she's gone, forever -- there comes another day, and another specifically missing part." - John Irving

This sums it up for me. It's not a death and was expected, but sometimes I am overwhelmed with the loss of not my marriage but of my family and of my best friend. It is even hard to write that. I lost my best friend. It didn't happen this fall; it happened in pieces over the past few years. Thinking about it hard enough, there are specific events that I could dub as catalysts, but regardless, the outcome is the same. I lost the family that I had gotten used to. Not just the father of my children and the friend that he was, but I lost his family that had become my own. This tearing and breaking is the hard part, and it didn't happen all at once. It's gradual, but it's happened a lot recently at big life changes or life events. My graduation, Mother's Day, my birthday. All of these events that I wanted my family to be there, and it wasn't complete. I suppose that because there is rampant divorce in my family that I have always just expected that most families deal with it like mine has... We've always had ex-husbands and ex-wifes at Christmas parties, even when there are new husbands/wives/children/in-laws involved. Maybe my family is unique in that, but it just made me loose one more thing in having that expectation. But, also some of his friends, who became so dear to me, there are some amazing people that I will forever miss...

I'm working through this. Sometimes I don't want to deal with it. Sometimes, a lot of the time this semester, I was too busy to have to deal with it. Sometimes I wish I were still busy, and sometimes I'm thankful to be working through it now.

What I miss about my marriage is the convenience of it. Maybe that's harsh, but I feel like we were just comfortable enough to not change it or improve our situation. It was nice to have someone to rely on. It was nice to be a two parent household. It was nice to have someone reliable who went to work everyday, so that I could raise my children instead of someone else having to do it. It was nice to feel like you could ask for stupid things to be done and having an expectation that they would be... even as simple as asking for milk to be picked up from the store or for the laundry to be started. But, I feel like we both settled and neither were ever really happy. Sometimes I wonder why it took us so long to realize that, but it's the same answer as why I haven't had to deal with this really... We were busy. Busy finishing college, finding jobs, dealing with infertility, being pregnant with twins, raising our twins. We were too busy to realize that we weren't suited to make each other happy or even to progress through life together. We want different things and always have, just ignored it because it wasn't pressing at the time.

In the end, I think that we do this well together: this joint parenting thing. I think that we compromise, try to get along, and do this for our children. I think that we've made this work because there isn't another option. Sometimes I know that there are going to be times when the sense of loss is going to consume and overwhelm me. But, I know that I can work through it. I have faith in myself and my own strength. I have people around me who are an incredible support system. Sometimes I forget how hard some days can be and am slapped in the face by it, but I have people here to pick me up, dust me off, and send me back out there. Sometimes I resent having to see him all the time, even though there aren't any major issues. I just wish that I could have some real space, but that isn't an option. And, it's a selfish thought.

Sometimes it just takes some peace, some time, and a bit of balance to work through things. I have a lot of those things right now, and because of that, I have a lot of time in my own head. A lot of time to think, consume, and digest what has happened in the last year. Time that I haven't had but have desperately needed.

Sometimes I'm so grateful to have gone through all of this because at the other end of it, I have two beautiful children, which was the whole backwards reason that I got married anyway. With the insane amount that I love and cherish them, sometimes I still roll in how hard it can be to do this alone.

Sometimes I let myself. I'm only human.

But, I know that this is where I am suppose to be; this is the direction that I'm suppose to be moving. This is the life that I have picked, and not the life that I stumbled into. It's messy and intense and hard and crazy, but it's perfect in a lot of ways. A lot of ways that matter more than just being comfortable. I want to be challenged. I want to grow. I want to feel pain and disappointment because it lets me know that I tried something. I did something.

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." - Samuel Beckett

Best,
Carrie

Bed time bliss

2011-05-09T18:55:00.000-04:00

There are few moments throughout my days that are as amazing as putting Li and Nora to bed. The conversations we have, the hugs and kisses, the children's classics, and the smiles that they now give me when I leave their room. It feels so nice to be in our own place and knowing that the stress that our old apartment was putting on them is over. They haven't cried even once going to bed in this apartment, and they cried almost every night in the last one. (And, that can easily be verified by my awesome new neighbors.) :-)

It feels so good to have my own space.

And, to celebrate this loveliness, I'm going to start reading A Prayer for Owen Meany tonight while drinking a glass of chocolate vino. I have a list of novels to read this summer that I've been anxiously waiting to start when the semester ended, and this is at the top of that list.

Best,
Carrie

Hola Baby Deal Alert!

2011-05-08T20:38:00.000-04:00

With my life getting so crazy this past six months, I haven't had the opportunity to do many product reviews, but Hola Baby sent me a couple of shirts for the twins right before my life got ridiculously crazy with hopes of having me do a review. With things settling down and me trying to blog more, they contacted me again to let me know that they are running a 20% off special right now that I wanted to pass on to you guys!

Hola Baby is an amazing company with some adorable clothes. I have the "mijo" and "mija" shirts for Li and Nora (translation is "my son" and "my daughter").

So, go celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Hola Baby! The sale is runs May 5-15, and with code "cinco," you get 20% off!

(AND! Stay tuned for a full review of Hola Baby soon with pictures of the twins rockin' their Hola Baby gear!)

Best,

Carrie

Moved, Passed, Breathing.

2011-05-01T22:15:00.000-04:00

We've moved out of the crazy apartment that we were living in. It's really hard for me to not completely go off on this topic, but let's me give you just one tidbit... The ex-roommate did zero cleaning when she left, so I cleaned the entire thing myself (including the globs of baby food and dried blueberries that were caked to the floor around where her baby's highchair used to be). Lovely. But, it's not the landlord's fault (or the new tenant's fault) that she is who she is. On a ridiculously positive note, I no longer have to interact with her. Ever. Huge relief. AND, I'm in a fabulous apartment with no roommate. This apartment is also only three blocks from the old place, so I'm familiar with the neighborhood and am actually closer to many of my friends (albeit only a few blocks closer). :-)

AND AND AND! I passed my oral exam and am one paper away from my master's degree. At my university, an oral exam is an hour and a half long exam that tests you on EVERYTHING that you've learned throughout graduate school. It's super hardcore, and I've spent a ridiculous amount of time prepping for it (and I have had some amazing study sessions with friends who either were in or are currently in my program). But, I PASSED! Huge accomplishment. If I were to fail it, I would have been able to take it one more time in a different semester and had I failed again, I wouldn't have gotten my master's. All of my courses would have been voided, and I would have had to begin again at a different school. Crazy, right?! Anyway, I freaking passed! :-D Come this Saturday, I will be celebrating the loveliness that comes with no longer being in school. I also have a job interview on Wednesday for a part-time gig (to supplement my fall adjuncting) that I'm pretty thrilled about.

Overall, life is peachy. The only downside to the craziness of the past few weeks is that I haven't seen as much of the twins as I'm used to seeing. Dave and my parents have been incredible picking up the slack and letting my get extra studying/packing/moving done. I'm so grateful to have their support right now. I'm excited to fall back into a rhythm and spend some more quality time with the peanuts.

Best,
Carrie