I finally got my baby photo compressed to a reasonable file size. Use these photos to address the poll.
Jon - 1970
Jacqueline - 2008Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Welcome to Alina Grace Mohr Goldfine!!!
Due July 31st, Miss Alina Grace Mohr Goldfine couldn't wait to come into this world and join her baby cousins. Alina was born on July 24th at 1:30 a.m. weighing in at 6 pounds 11 ounces and 19 3/4 inches long.
This story is too good not to share...
Tara went into labor at 4:30 p.m. while visiting our parents' house in New Hope to enjoy the pool. Mike had just called from work to say that he would be by soon to pick her up to go home. Dad was prattling on about how he was going to take advantage of the tax law changes and convert all of his traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs, and Tara felt like she had wet her pants. She waited for a break in the conversation, which did not come, and finally said "uh, Dad." Dad looked at her and said, "I know, I'm probably boring you." Tara replied, "no, I think that my water just broke." Dad asked, "are you sure?" Note...this must be a common doctor question as it was the same question I got when I called the OB on call the night my water broke. Of course, all of we first-time moms are thinking how do we even know...this is the first time we have done this!!!
Mike comes and they drive an hour back to Philly. Tara hadn't packed a bag for the hospital yet (love ya, girl, but you are the supreme procrastinator), so she does this, takes a shower, and eats dinner. It is 8:30 p.m. before they get to the hospital (o.k., I was freaking out that it took us an hour to get everything together and get to the hospital). At 10:30 p.m., she is only 2 cm dialated (I was 4 cm upon arrival). And, as you see above, Alina arrived at 1:30 a.m. By the time that Tara felt that she had to ask for an epidural, she was 9 cm, so it was too late.
At any rate, Tara and I had the totally opposite pregnancy experiences. I had every symptom known to pregnant women and was wearing maternity clothes by Thanksgiving (our transfer was in October) and then I had the only slightly less than mega-marathon labor of 16 hours, 6 of which were spent pushing. Oh, and there was 87-pound weight gain. And then there's Tara...not sick...no edema...no carpal tunnel...so svelte that an outfit that I had wanted to wear for my shower in April but couldn't fit into was way too big for her a couple of weeks ago...gets the three-hour labor!!! Darn her!!! Oh well, I suppose whoever said life was fair???
Well, however Sophie, Jacqueline, and Alina got here, we are are so happy that they are here and we are looking forward to much family fun in the years to come!!!
P.S. Sophie and Jacqueline were secretly wishing for a little girl cousin :-)
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Beer Bucket List
All About Beer magazine (www.allaboutbeer.com) published a list of 125 places to have a beer before you die. You might want to check out the list and see how many places you have patronized. The list definitely gives me another goal in my life! I think I need to travel internationally though.
In the order ranked by the magazine, here are the places I have quaffed a few. As a special treat, #126 is the one I think should have made the list.....
#23 - Henry's 12th Street Tavern, Portland OR. Visited during a conference one year
#25 - World Beer Festival, Durham NC. It's right down the street...been every year but 1.
#39 - Flying Saucer Bar, Raleigh NC. Better selection than Tyler's!
#44 - Tailgating at a SEC football game. I still don't like Georgia fans.
#76 - City Tavern, Philadelphia PA. Very colonial. They serve the beer in pewter mugs.
#88 - Baumgartner's Cheese Store & Tavern, Monroe WI. Beautiful stone building. Hung out there after a wedding in 1994.
#110 - The Gingerman, Austin TX (& Houston TX). Where I first discovered the world of craft beer.
#118 - Top of the Hill Brewery, Chapel Hill NC. Wonderful view from the balcony and great beer. Clientele can be a little snobby sometimes.
#125 - The Happy Gnome, St Paul MN. Also patronized during a conference.
Close but no cigar....
#9 - Monk's Cafe, Philadelphia PA. I was there for brunch...drinking Mimosa's.
#16 - Seats on top of the Green Monster at Fenway Park, Boston MA. The seats were not there last time I was at Fenway. I did sit in the outfield bleachers.
#31 - Turn 4 Suites and Indy Motor Speedway, Indianapolis IN. Yeah right, like I could get seats......I did drink beer at the Indy 500 though.
Place that should be on the list.....
#126 - The Terrace at the U. Wisconsin Union. Beautiful place to eat brats, ice cream, and drink beer while overlooking the lake on a summer evening.
In the order ranked by the magazine, here are the places I have quaffed a few. As a special treat, #126 is the one I think should have made the list.....
#23 - Henry's 12th Street Tavern, Portland OR. Visited during a conference one year
#25 - World Beer Festival, Durham NC. It's right down the street...been every year but 1.
#39 - Flying Saucer Bar, Raleigh NC. Better selection than Tyler's!
#44 - Tailgating at a SEC football game. I still don't like Georgia fans.
#76 - City Tavern, Philadelphia PA. Very colonial. They serve the beer in pewter mugs.
#88 - Baumgartner's Cheese Store & Tavern, Monroe WI. Beautiful stone building. Hung out there after a wedding in 1994.
#110 - The Gingerman, Austin TX (& Houston TX). Where I first discovered the world of craft beer.
#118 - Top of the Hill Brewery, Chapel Hill NC. Wonderful view from the balcony and great beer. Clientele can be a little snobby sometimes.
#125 - The Happy Gnome, St Paul MN. Also patronized during a conference.
Close but no cigar....
#9 - Monk's Cafe, Philadelphia PA. I was there for brunch...drinking Mimosa's.
#16 - Seats on top of the Green Monster at Fenway Park, Boston MA. The seats were not there last time I was at Fenway. I did sit in the outfield bleachers.
#31 - Turn 4 Suites and Indy Motor Speedway, Indianapolis IN. Yeah right, like I could get seats......I did drink beer at the Indy 500 though.
Place that should be on the list.....
#126 - The Terrace at the U. Wisconsin Union. Beautiful place to eat brats, ice cream, and drink beer while overlooking the lake on a summer evening.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Long Time No Update
Phew!!! What an exciting 6 weeks. Jacqueline and Sophie will be 7 weeks old next Tuesday. They already have grown...physically and personality.
So what can I say about them? It's been so long since I've updated, I don't know where to start. How about if we start at the beginning?
Sophie started out as the independent one. She was more than happy to entertain herself in the bouncer chair, pack n play, or whereever. She also loved her pacifier. Jacqueline, on the other hand, well....she quickly earned the nickname "HM". "Her majesty". "High Maintenance". The running joke for a couple weeks was that we already felt very sorry for Jacqueline's future husband. Jacqueline always had to be carried. We bought a sling and I would carry her around for hours, with her all snuggled up and cooing like a bird. The only way you could put her down was to swaddle her really tight.
A couple weeks ago, Sophie started to crave more cuddle time and started losing interest in the bouncer chair and pacifier. Fortunately, Jacqueline became a little more independent. Give her a pacifier and she would lay in the pack n play for a while.
Very recently, they both have learned how to entertain themselves. Hands, fingers, toys/lights/mobiles on their chairs have become fascinating. They are starting to associate their movements activate the songs/lights and that their hand/figures are always nearby. They might not realize that they belong to them. Surprisingly, they like seem to like a variety of activities. Our job is to figure out what they want to play with. This morning, they are enjoying their swings. Yesterday, it was bouncer chairs.
Another momentous event occurred this week. We moved the girls upstairs to their nursery. It is time to begin teaching them to sleep thru the night. Also, they are geting too big for both to fit in the pack n play at the same time.
Shannon and her Mom witnessed their first developmental milestone this past week. Both can smile to display their happiness. Sophie started first. Jacqueline started a few days later. We already knew they had pretty smiles. They always smiled reflexively after performing some form of bodily function. Seeing a relfexive smile was a great hint to check a diaper.
Sophie and Jacqueline are growing like weeds too. At 4 weeks, Sophie was 9 lbs 5 oz and Jacqueline was 7 lbs 10 oz. This week, using our highly scientific daddy tare weight method, we determined Sophie is right around 10 lbs and Jacqueline is almost 9 lbs. Jacqueline is quickly narrowing the gap in their weights. Sophie is still obviously bigger because she is stocky. Seems Jacqueline is more like me....long and lanky. She isn't filling out...just growing longer.
Mom and Dad are doing well. I realized the other day that in the almost 7 weeks since Sophie and Jacqueline were born, Shannon has been alone with the girls for only 5 days. I took 3 weeks off work to enjoy the time with the family. But since I've been back to work, we've had great support from my Mom and Shannon's parents. Wow! What a life saver! Shannon has had company while I'm at work, someone to learn new parenting skills from, help around the house (thanks to my Mom!), and willing assistance for the late night feedings. I was relieved of late night duty for the week while Wanda (Shannon's Mom) was here. Thank goodness too because I needed the rest. Right after the girls were born, I developed a nasty sore throat and viral sinus infection. Nothing I could do about it but rest. However, how do you rest when you're caring for infant twins? 5 weeks later, I still had the cold. It was really draining my energy too. One night this past week, I came home and slept for 9 hours. Something I could only do with Shannon's Mom here. I'm finally feeling better...still a little froggy though.
With her Mom here, Shannon was able to get out some too. Tyler's seemed to be a favorite destination. Wonder why? Sophie and Jacqueline can handle about 2 to 3 hours out on the town before the meltdown begins.
Shannon's Mom left this morning for Philadelphia. We wish she could've stayed, but she has another new granddaughter to attend to. Tara and Mike had a baby girl (Alina Grace) this week. Alena was about the size of Jacqueline, but looks exactly like Sophie. Congratulations to them!!
Besides family, I have to thank all our friends who have helped us over the last 6 weeks. Meals, grocery runs, yard work, and walks were all greatly appreciated. Y'all helped save our sanity.
That's about it. I'm sure Shannon has other details. Maybe she'll get a chance to update y'all with more information. I'll update the slideshow with some new photos.
In the meantime. Check out the two baby photos. Question #1. Do you think Jacqueline looks like my baby photo? Can you tell who is who?
Ugh....you'll have to wait.....need to reduce the size of my baby photo. Be patient.
So what can I say about them? It's been so long since I've updated, I don't know where to start. How about if we start at the beginning?
Sophie started out as the independent one. She was more than happy to entertain herself in the bouncer chair, pack n play, or whereever. She also loved her pacifier. Jacqueline, on the other hand, well....she quickly earned the nickname "HM". "Her majesty". "High Maintenance". The running joke for a couple weeks was that we already felt very sorry for Jacqueline's future husband. Jacqueline always had to be carried. We bought a sling and I would carry her around for hours, with her all snuggled up and cooing like a bird. The only way you could put her down was to swaddle her really tight.
A couple weeks ago, Sophie started to crave more cuddle time and started losing interest in the bouncer chair and pacifier. Fortunately, Jacqueline became a little more independent. Give her a pacifier and she would lay in the pack n play for a while.
Very recently, they both have learned how to entertain themselves. Hands, fingers, toys/lights/mobiles on their chairs have become fascinating. They are starting to associate their movements activate the songs/lights and that their hand/figures are always nearby. They might not realize that they belong to them. Surprisingly, they like seem to like a variety of activities. Our job is to figure out what they want to play with. This morning, they are enjoying their swings. Yesterday, it was bouncer chairs.
Another momentous event occurred this week. We moved the girls upstairs to their nursery. It is time to begin teaching them to sleep thru the night. Also, they are geting too big for both to fit in the pack n play at the same time.
Shannon and her Mom witnessed their first developmental milestone this past week. Both can smile to display their happiness. Sophie started first. Jacqueline started a few days later. We already knew they had pretty smiles. They always smiled reflexively after performing some form of bodily function. Seeing a relfexive smile was a great hint to check a diaper.
Sophie and Jacqueline are growing like weeds too. At 4 weeks, Sophie was 9 lbs 5 oz and Jacqueline was 7 lbs 10 oz. This week, using our highly scientific daddy tare weight method, we determined Sophie is right around 10 lbs and Jacqueline is almost 9 lbs. Jacqueline is quickly narrowing the gap in their weights. Sophie is still obviously bigger because she is stocky. Seems Jacqueline is more like me....long and lanky. She isn't filling out...just growing longer.
Mom and Dad are doing well. I realized the other day that in the almost 7 weeks since Sophie and Jacqueline were born, Shannon has been alone with the girls for only 5 days. I took 3 weeks off work to enjoy the time with the family. But since I've been back to work, we've had great support from my Mom and Shannon's parents. Wow! What a life saver! Shannon has had company while I'm at work, someone to learn new parenting skills from, help around the house (thanks to my Mom!), and willing assistance for the late night feedings. I was relieved of late night duty for the week while Wanda (Shannon's Mom) was here. Thank goodness too because I needed the rest. Right after the girls were born, I developed a nasty sore throat and viral sinus infection. Nothing I could do about it but rest. However, how do you rest when you're caring for infant twins? 5 weeks later, I still had the cold. It was really draining my energy too. One night this past week, I came home and slept for 9 hours. Something I could only do with Shannon's Mom here. I'm finally feeling better...still a little froggy though.
With her Mom here, Shannon was able to get out some too. Tyler's seemed to be a favorite destination. Wonder why? Sophie and Jacqueline can handle about 2 to 3 hours out on the town before the meltdown begins.
Shannon's Mom left this morning for Philadelphia. We wish she could've stayed, but she has another new granddaughter to attend to. Tara and Mike had a baby girl (Alina Grace) this week. Alena was about the size of Jacqueline, but looks exactly like Sophie. Congratulations to them!!
Besides family, I have to thank all our friends who have helped us over the last 6 weeks. Meals, grocery runs, yard work, and walks were all greatly appreciated. Y'all helped save our sanity.
That's about it. I'm sure Shannon has other details. Maybe she'll get a chance to update y'all with more information. I'll update the slideshow with some new photos.
In the meantime. Check out the two baby photos. Question #1. Do you think Jacqueline looks like my baby photo? Can you tell who is who?
Ugh....you'll have to wait.....need to reduce the size of my baby photo. Be patient.
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