Billy Jean

So you all remember that beautiful, long, curly head of hair that Stephen has been sporting this winter..? Meet the new interview ready "do". He loves when I try to take pictures of him to put on here, can't you tell? Stephen is headed to NC for an interview at a school down there on Wednesday (all expenses paid by the school) so we decided it was time for the hair to go. It was so much fun while it lasted :( These pictures were stolen right after he got out of the post home hair cut shower so though you can't see it in it's fully dried glory.. you get the idea. I have been cutting Stephen's hair since my first visit to Sarasota when we were dating lo those many years ago. I remember being flabbergasted and pretty terrified that day when he handed me a pair of paper scissors and casually asked if I would cut his hair before we went to the studio. I was so afraid he would turn out looking like a badly shaved poodle or something, I even called Mary to get a tutorial over the phone (she had been cutting his hair up until that point). Thankfully it turned out great and the rest is history. His hair, unlike my own, is super easy to cut and pretty hard to mess up (though I have messed it up a couple of times over the years...). It's so thick and curly that the texture pretty much hides any potential scissor slip ups..anyway.. looks pretty good right ?



We are pretty psyched about the interview that sparked this visit to the Sarah McCann Salon. The actual interview is an all day affair on Thursday so if you think of him that day please say a little prayer for peace, confidence, and a clear mind.. and whatever else you might think would be a help.



The weather was beautiful today and we spent it outdoors. I am still having trouble with my hip being painful but if I walk pretty slow and take smaller steps it's not bad at all. This is a lot harder than it sounds though.. particularly during the week when I am at work. I keep getting run down in the concourse when I venture down there for my "Yogurt and Green Onion" chips to go with my peanut butter sandwich at lunch.

I had a gift certificate to Barnes and Nobles (from the associates at the firm - holiday present this year) that I have been meaning to spend so we headed to the one in the village, near the West 4th stop. I wanted to get a good book on twins and after thumbing through the 3 they had in stock I decided on the one in the above picture. It's super informative, full of practical tips, and has a lot of really interesting information and records about multiples. For instance.."The world's most prolific mother, in Russia, reportedly gave birth to 69 children from 29 pregnancies. Between 1725 and 1765, she delivered a total of 16 pairs of twins, 7 sets of triplets, 4 sets of quadruplets and 2 singletons." Honestly, I think that I would have turned to celibacy after the 3rd set of twins.

While we were in the neighborhood, we decided to get Pinkberry and, on the way there, passed the little weekend street fair on Bleeker. Our favorite lady was there, selling her bakelite wares. Last year, Stephen bought me some of her silverware and an ice cream scoop for Christmas. We were shooting the breeze with her and fingering through the cookie cutters when I spotted a bakelite baby spoon. "Do you have a baby?" she asked. "Actually, two on the way." I said, patting the bulge under my coat. Turns out she had exactly two baby spoons and two baby forks!! I saw the price on one and immediately started to put it back when she offered to sell them to us, all four pieces, for less than the price of the one in my hand. When I asked her if she was serious, her response was "You're having twins!!!!! You have just made me so happy!!" Consequently we are now the proud owners of bakelite baby ware. We only use our bakelite silverware on special occasions or when having a treat like late night ice cream. I can't wait to set the table for a special dinner and be able to give the babies their own special utensils that are just like mommy's and daddy's.. only smaller :)

I bought a dress at Motherhood a few weeks ago and they gave me a little gift, mother starter pack thing. It had an infant bottle in it. I set it out on top of the bread box today just to see what it felt like to have baby things sitting around. The sight of it makes both of us smile.



Here is the belly today. Though I am still wearing my regular clothes (unzipped jeans held up courtesy of my "Bella Band" - Thanks Nicole!), Chang and Eng are doing their best to grow gigantic and alter my center of balance. I already have a slight waddle going (yikes). Not quite halfway yet!!!

While I was flipping through the twin book in B&N today, I came upon the section on co-sleeping and was scanning the notes on letting the twins sleep together in the same bed while they are small. They reasoned that they had shared a uterus and typically are happier and more settled sleeping together. I started to explain this little tidbit to Stephen, who was standing nearby, when I burst into tears. The thought of those sweet little babies cuddling together, of the eternal bond they are developing even now was just too much to take in that moment. I just wanted to protect it, protect that bond, protect their tiny relationship. The idea that they already have a connection that strong is so special to me.

Totally Random Note:

This morning, in the shower, I noticed that I still have a little burn scar on my leg that I got 2 years ago. This scar is, in fact, a cigarette burn on the back of my right thigh and I got it while searching for my ride home from Abigail's birthday party in the village. I was walking, arm in arm, with Abby ..while talking on my cell phone to Nathan who was parked somewhere in the vicinity, there to pick me up in Stephen's absence. Abby was smoking and when she tried to share her cigarette with me, by placing it..or attempting to place it directly in my mouth while I was talking to Nathan, it fell out and somehow managed to fall right down my shirt and subsequently, down my jeans which lead to me squealing and jumping around screaming "I'm on fire!! I'm on fire!!" into the phone, while smacking at the leg of my jeans. Sigh. Poor, sweet, patient Nathan. Something tells me I won't be having these sorts of adventures after August 26th.

I have been listening to the hits of Michael Jackson for the duration of this post.. Billy Jean is not my lover... but it sure is one heck of a kick ass song.

warm wind from the south..

I received a special UPS delivery at work today. Gram sent me a collection of fresh flowers from her yard. They arrived safe and sound at 30 Rock, nestled in their shoe box, having been nourished by a damp paper towel wrapped snuggly around the stems. They made my office smell wonderful while they were there, and now they are sitting in a vase on the kitchen table so that you can smell them when you walk in the door. Gram, you are pretty much the coolest grandmother around - you rock my face off. Thank you a kamillion.

Daffy Down Dilly

Stephen brought home some daffodils yesterday. These are the first flowers I have gotten since finding out about the babies. Secretly I have been willing and wishing for him to bring me some flowers and that day finally arrived. He could not have made a more perfect choice. This picture doesn't do them justice. I adore daffodils. I love their sturdy stems, their joyful flower faces, their cheery bright color. Most of all, I love the way they smell...fresh and clean, like spring.. like yellow.. like .. my front yard when I was growing up. Brightens the house having bottles filled with happy yellow sitting around at various intervals. I always put my flowers in many small bottles instead of one large one, I enjoy being able to see them everywhere I look. Feels so decadent to have a little bouquet on the sink in the bathroom.

Weekend Treat

This was my lunch on Saturday. Organic chicken nuggets from Trader Joe's (with yellow mustard of course), celery...and a glass bottled Coke. This is not just any Coke, this is Coke made in Mexico... this is the best Coke you have ever tasted. They use cane sugar instead of the corn syrup that we use in the US so it doesn't taste so syrupy sweet. I have "given up" caffeine for the babies, but this is my weekend treat. A Mexican Coke on Saturday. Just talking about it makes me wish I had one right now, alas I will have to wait another 5 days.

The weather this weekend has been pretty spectacular. We went to the Brooklyn Museum on Saturday (I forgot my camera :( ) and then went out to dinner with Matt and Lonna, Indian at our favorite Indian place in Park Slope - Bombay Grill. We had the leftovers today for lunch. Love how Indian food is actually better the next day.

I don't really have anything very interesting to day tonight. My hip joint started hurting so bad last night that it was actually hard to walk...my sources say it is normal in pregnancy and can happen at any time. Just sorry it struck when it did because I had to miss the Easter Service today at Redeemer. Can't really get there when you have trouble walking to the kitchen. The pain kept me up last night too - still feeling groggy and serotonin deprived. I thought it better not to take a late afternoon nap in the hopes that I might be more able to sleep through the night tonight. Since I am now boring myself with this entry, I will bid you all goodnight.

small spaces

I am going to miss our tiny apartment. Where else will I be able to watch Stephen make chocolate chip cookies from the bathtub ? Big houses are overrated.

Latest

Belly's getting bigger. 

Craving berries, any kind will do. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries.... I know they aren't in season but wherever they are getting them from around here.. they are ripe and fresh and I can't get enough! Yesterday we had a catering tasting at work and they brought ... a berry salad!!!!!! I ate two bowls full. They brought fresh whipped cream to go with them but who wants that ??!?! It would cover up some of the berry taste!!!

Have a lot more energy these days, even helping with dinner lately instead of collapsing after getting home from work. Hormones are pretty nuts though. Mood swings are not only severe, but the lows are really hard to climb out of. The stress of our currently nebulous job/life situation doesn't help anything. Going to Babies R Us last week to register threw me into a 2 day tailspin. Overwhelming doesn't begin to describe it. How can I decide which 2 cribs, swings, high chairs... etc.. to register for when I don't even know where we are going to live.. hmm...and then there was the news on taxes this year.. yup.. we owe.. again. Spending time with new friends seems to be the best tonic for these scary moments. Thank goodness there are plenty to go around. Wish we could take them all with us when we go. At least there are more good days than bad and feeling these little babies moving around seems to overshadow it all with a sense of awe and wonder. 

sight for sore eyes

I had a bit of a blue day today. Our life has been up in the air ever since those two little lines showed up on the first test. It seems every time we feel close to some sort of resolution or conclusion, we are put on hold. I was super tired on the way home tonight and mentally composing a post that would allow me to vent all of my frustrations and disappointments. I wanted a chance to complain out loud instead of keeping it all in my head. I reached 32nd Street. I crossed to our side and trudged along listening to my Modest Mouse. Then I looked up. There, in the distance, I saw Stephen and Oliver coming back from their evening walk. My spirits lifted. I waved to get their attention and they saw me. Oliver's ears pricked, then went flat against his head, and he strained against the leash. Stephen took his mark, then bolted in my direction, giving Ollie his chance to run as fast as his little dog legs could carry him. My spirits soared. Seeing my best friend and our tiny bullet of a pup racing towards me blew every last anxious thought from my head. What a feeling :) My thoughts are back in check, optimistic for another day.

I have decided to start letting the babies listen to my iPod when I get home at night -now that they can officially hear and everything. Music is such a huge part of my life and I would love to be able to share that with them. I am sitting here with my ear buds tucked into the waistband of my yoga pants. I started them on a mix including Regina Spektor, Modest Mouse, Feist, Nirvana and Amy Winehouse (among others). Then I thought that, being that it is dark outside, they might like something a little more soothing - so they are currently swimming to the best of Saint-Saens.

String Cheese Incident

I woke up at 4:15 am, absolutely starving-to-death. This despite having faithfully eating a large portion of chocolate ice cream before bed. I was slightly annoyed but knew I couldn't go back to sleep unless I got up and ate something - the hunger pains were pretty insistent. Since I was up anyway, I decide to visit the bathroom to get rid of those 5 little drips that always need getting rid of before dawn. I flushed the toilet and stood for a moment, pondering what snack would be the quickest and least fuss, before washing my hands. I was startled out of my sleepy stupor by a splash and the feeling of water on my heels. Too sleepy to be coherent, I was able to muster, "Eek! Eeeek!!! The toilet...eeek!! It's peeing on me!!" Stephen jumped out of bed and stumbled to my rescue. Turning on the light we saw that the toilet was indeed overflowing.. for no reason I might add - it was fine before we went to bed and I certainly didn't give it any reason to be clogged. Stephen assured me he had a handle on the situation and sent me back to bed. After retrieving my chosen snack of string cheese, I peaked in on him again only to find him staring blankly at the overflowing toilet with a toilet brush in hand. Not 3 seconds later, the toilet mysteriously emptied itself and all was right with our plumbing. We put down some dog towels to soak up the water - vowing to disinfect in the morning - and crawled back into bed with my string cheese and an attack of the giggles over what had just happened. Never a dull moment.

Opening

The opening last night had great turnout for such a rainy and miserable evening. I rode out to Newark with Carol and Kane and they stayed for a good while visiting and checking out the work. Other notable faces from our crew were Thomas and Bethany, Adam and Nicole, and Emily and Carrie Anne. It's always hard at openings to figure out how to get to spend a decent amount of time visiting with everyone.



A bunch of people that Stephen works with at the Newark Museum came as well and it was so nice to finally meet them and put faces with names.



This is a shot of David's bird powered drawing machine. The cage contains motion and sound sensors that detect the finches movements and chirps. Their movement causes the entire mechanism to spin around, it stops when they stop. Their calls dictate the movement of the arm containing the Sharpie and thus a drawing is produced. David sold this drawing to someone at the show. He hadn't even thought about pricing it because it's not usually something people want to buy! No complaints.



Stephen and David's work went together seamlessly.



There was an open studio night in Jersey City last night so we were all afraid no one would make the trek to Newark for Red Saw. Thankfully we were wrong! There was an early wave of museum friends and others and then a slight break for about 20 minutes and then the place started filling up again as the Jersey City crowd trickled in.



I think this installation looks like something you might see in an old geology professor's office. I feel like there should be pipe smoke wafting about.



The drawing in the lower left corner of this photo sold too. The Martins are now the proud owners of a Stephen.









Saltines. Cleverness.



Here is the gang afterwards grabbing a late dinner.

The show is going to be up for a month so if you are reading this and want to take a look please stop by.

The other cracker

David and his cardboard suitcase have arrived safe and sound from Cleveland. He and Stephen are unloading his car right now, stowing the sculpture he brought for the show indoors since he had an incident with an ice scraper this morning now has no proper rear windshield (it has been replaced by the requisite plastic and duct tape). They are planning to spend all day tomorrow installing their show - "Two Crackers From the Same Box" - at Red Saw Gallery in Newark, New Jersey. No... no one on this end of the game came up with the title.. that was all the curators doing. I hope it makes you smile or blush - I did both and either are favorable reactions. I will take lots of pictures at the opening on Friday, I promise.

In other news, we had our 3rd doctor's appointment today and got to see the babies again. I have gained 4 lbs - exactly what I was going for - and all of it has gone straight to the little kickers. Doc says they are super healthy and strong and are just the size they should be for 15 weeks. She is very pleased with their progress. We beamed our way through the entire appointment. Somehow getting to see these little guys makes the 1 1/2 hours we waited in the waiting room seem like only moments.

I am not posting the pics this time because they are really bad and there is nothing to see.. they move around so fast that it's really hard to get a good shot of them. The first glimpse we got of them today was the sweetest yet - one was sitting on the other's lap.. they were cuddling...I am tearing up just writing that statement..
They then danced all around and kicked at each other and got their legs all tangled up too so.. they are still very, very active. One new thing she noticed was a very faint hint of a line.. meaning there is a chance they could be fraternal after all. We will know for sure in 3 weeks when we go for the anatomy scan to find out the sexes :) Thank you, everyone, for your prayers for our healthy babies and this healthy mama.

Much, much love.

Up late..

Apparently how Ollie and I spent our Sunday.


Yeah man.. these are genuine Sour Cream and Onion Crick-ettes. Stephen brought them home. They were handing them out at Penn Station to promote a new show ("Bizarre Foods") on the Travel Channel. They have 9 calories, 1 gram of fat and are not a significant source of cholesterol, dietary fiber, sugars, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron.

I just finished cleaning the house in preparation for David's arrival tomorrow night. David, who has, on at least one occasion, come to stay with us bringing his clothes in an old cardboard box (despite my offers to give him one of our numerous duffel bags) somehow warrants a full on cleaning session. Don't know what it is about my personality that makes it impossible to have guests in my home if it is not spotless, even when they are sweet, easy going family members who really don't care if there is dust around the bottom of the toilet or not. I have also noticed that everything in my house that has any sort of label, has said label facing outward. Specifically in the bathroom, the highest concentration of labeled items in the space. Sadly, also in my cleaning closet, I can't seem to put the Comet away backwards and walk away. I can have a pile of laundry on the stool in the bedroom for weeks on end but if I accidentally put my deodorant away with the label facing the wall I find myself correcting the problem as I am running out the door in the morning.

Little things like that keep me sane for some reason. I like all my labels on folders at work to be the same size and type of font. I have two Redwelds on my shelf that are my patience builders. My helper was alphabetizing the letters therein contained and realized it was a little overfilled so she made a new label for a second, thus splitting the contents in two categories, A-L and M-Z. The labels she used for this are three times the size of the original labels and the font is different and a completely different size. She was being so helpful and all I could think about was that these did not match the rest of my collection. Sigh. No, I did not run back to my office and make new matching labels. I have kept them as they are to remind me not to be such a freak. It hasn't really worked. I cringe every time I see them.

Home Bound

More goodies for the babies :) Thank you so much Katie! I love it so much and can't wait to hang it up :)



We stayed in today. This week turned out to be a little rougher than the last. Tuesday I wasn't feeling well and left early from work. I stayed home all day on Wednesday resting. Nothing serious, I just felt very shaky, weak, and tired. I felt much better Friday but by the time I left work I was pretty wiped out again. Today we had planned to go to the Guggenheim, but after my shower I just didn't feel right so - we stayed in. Turned out to be a good choice. There was a black cloud over Manhattan and either rain or snow was obscuring the view of the city from the kitchen window. Eventually the cloud made its way to Brooklyn and we had a little bit of snow blowing past the window for awhile. Not the best weather for walking. Stephen worked on some sculptures and Ollie and I napped on and off while watching Planet Earth DVDs. All in all it's been a very restful day. Oliver got a bath and a manicure today so he was feeling pretty spunky.



One fine lookin' man. I really hope the kids get some of that hair.