Friday, August 29, 2008

More new photos

More new photos are in the slideshow. Click on a photo to see a larger version and the captions.

http://picasaweb.google.com/thornburgsnc

The link to all our photos is above.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Top 8 Things Not to Say to Your Breastfeeding Wife

8. "Would you like hay for dinner or are you going to chew your cud?"
7. "Give me a B - O - O - B - I - E - S...what's that spell? BOOBIES!!" Picture Jon in a cheerleader outfit with pom-poms...okay maybe not. How about cheering babies?
6. "Moo!!" along with cowbell noises
5."Come here...I need to install your nose ring"
4. "Happy Smohrs make Happy milk"
3. "You really need to fix your leaky faucets"
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWnmCu3U09w
1. "Shannon is going tribal!!"

I hope Shannon doesn't kill me for posting this list!!

Sunday, August 24, 2008

New photos

see the new slideshow to the right

Thursday, August 21, 2008

First Business Trip

I'm on my way home from my first business trip since J&S were born. I do miss everyone, but the entire trip was not as bad as I thought it would be. Good to know because ye olde travel schedule is going to get busy in October. Of course, I was only gone for 1 night. The upcoming trips will be longer. I'll also admit running home before going to the airport yesterday to collect 2 "essential" items I forgot...I also got to say goodbye to S&J&S again.

So where in the world is Jon? Dayton OH International Airport (at the moment). A fairly dumpy airport, but at least they have free WiFI and the airfare was $600 cheaper than flying to Cincinnati (where my meeting was).

I have some more time to kill....I think I'll see if I can find something for S&J. I think they deserve a trinket to commemorate my first trip. Shannon probably deserves something too.....like an afternoon at Bella Trio spa!

Monday, August 18, 2008

Caught Red Pawed

I noticed as I walked into the kitchen Friday evening that another almost ripe tomato was missing. (FYI, tomato plants are in barrels along the driveway. I walk by them daily.) I complained to Shannon, again, about another year without homemade pasta sauce, homemade salsa, or fresh tomatoes for my salads. During my tirade, Shannon exclaims "OMG! A squirrel just climbed the tomato cage and swiped another tomato." Mystery solved.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Update & Other Musings

I thought an update on Sophie and Jacqueline was in order. We've been pretty busy lately, so haven't had much time to visit neighbors or post to the blog. One big event was the Walbring (my Mom's family) family reunion. I think it was a huge success and I had a great time. Sophie and Jacqueline coped amazingly well with all the people and activities over the weekend. Of course, they were tired too and were a little cranky for a few days after the reunion ended.

For those who inquire (and those who don't), Sophie and Jacqueline are close to sleeping through the night; corresponding to Mom and Dad getting more sleep. We put them to bed about 9:30 PM, after a bedtime feeding. One usually wakes up between 3 and 4 AM. I think the other would continue sleeping, maybe thru the night, but we wake the other to feed at the same time. Much thanks to Shannon for handling the 3 AM feeding solo so Jon can sleep (fyi..duties are split fairly even....I handle any issues from 9:30 PM till I fall asleep; and again from 5 AM to 7 AM).

A big, recent "Dad" learning moment was realizing that the girls like variety. Once you handle the hungry, diaper, and sleepy issues, keeping the twins happy is just a matter of finding the toy they want to play with or the room they want to hang out in. Both really enjoy sitting on the front porch looking at the sky and trees.

Sophie still is the mellow baby in the house. Although she seems to have developed a more serious aspect to her personality. She spends a lot of time concentrating very hard on various items (hands, lights, mobiles, etc.). She furrows her brow and stares very intently at the object. Usually during these periods, she'll let out a heavy sigh. Like she is saying "woe is me." She generally is a quiet, happy girl. However, if she gets upset she can really holler! Sophie is still bigger and more physically advanced than Jacqueline too. Although, Sophie is losing her hair!

Jacqueline is still more needy and likes to be held. She is not as demanding as she was before. Part of it is her maturation and part is our understanding of her "meltdown" point. Soothing and comforting her before she goes ballistic is much, much easier. She also is much better at soothing herself, especially when she is tired. Although Sophie is larger and stronger, I am convinced Jacqueline will be the first to crawl, walk, and talk. She already can wiggle her way across the floor using a crawling motion with her legs. She's just not strong enough to prop herself on her knees and hands. She also likes to stand (with assistance) on her legs and try to walk. Jacqueline also has an impressive range of coos, chirps, squeaks, and laughs. Sophie is not as talkative. Finally, Jacqueline may have inherited the "love to look at myself in the mirror" gene that runs in my family. She loves to look at herself; Sophie could care less.

As I wrap-up this post, here are some random thoughts that have been running through my head and some other news.

1. Some new parents leased a billboard on the Durham Freeway announcing the birth of their son. I guess that is a unique way to announce their happy news.

2. Remember a few years ago on a previous blog, I complained about tomato thieves that turned out to be raccoons, possums, and squirrels because of the drought? Well, the thieves are back. Three almost ripe tomatoes have vanished. Still no idea whether the thieves this year have 4 or 2 legs.

3. All the houses on our block are occupied again! YEAH! It's nice having neighbors. Several other new neighbors have moved nearby too!

4. I just remembered, World Beer Festival tickets went on sale today for magazine subscribers. I'm gonna stop here and purchase my tickets before I forget. Oh yeah, I suppose I should get back to work too.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Jacqueline Playing

This video is from a couple weeks ago. It's still cute though. Thought everyone would like to see it.


Friday, August 8, 2008

Look, Ma, No Hands!!!

One of the benefits of nursing two babies at once is that you don't need your hands to do it. You just latch them on and let them go!!! Even though I feel amazing and a sense of awe providing for the girls and value our bonding time together every day, nursing, as an activity, can be quite boring in general especially by the third or fourth feeding of the day. Try sitting in one spot for 45 minutes at a time every three hours with something tugging at your nipples, and you will know what I mean!!!

As the girls have gotten bigger and stronger, they are getting faster. But, I have also discovered that Mommy has gotten better at occupying herself. Daytime television sucks (funny how it entertained me while pregnant...that pregnancy brain must have made me stupid), so I watch Netflix, talk on the telephone, or READ!!! At this point, I have only read paperback novels...reading a hardback is too heavy and the newspaper is too cumbersome. Since the girls have arrived and I first attempted nursing them simultaneously, I have devoured three novels. They are not great literature, but enjoyable all the same:

(1.) A Simple Plan by Scott Smith. Character study more than action filled. People have told me that his novel, The Ruins, is much better than this one. Story is that a man, his brother, and his brother's best friend stumble upon a wrecked private airplane. There is a duffle bag with over $4 million in cash. They decide to take it and split it. Seems simple enough, but things quickly get out of control and a seemingly normal person ends up a multiple murderer. The money is eventually destroyed. Brings up an interesting topic of discussion about whether you would steal money from a criminal if no one would know, whether you would kill someone to protect said money or to keep from going to jail, etc.

(2.) The Fifth Vial by Michael Palmer. Medical thriller involving the trade of illegally-obtained organs. Kinda like that urban legend in which a guy wakes up in a tub full of ice to find that one of his kidneys has been removed, but much more complicated and nefarious. Again, Jon and I had an interesting dialogue about whether some people should be denied organs because they are not worthy or refuse to correct behavior (i.e., smoking, drugs, etc.) that put them in need of a transplant in the first place and whether people who make important contributions to society should be bumped up on transplant lists.

(3.) Natural Causes by Michael Palmer. Another medical thriller, but slightly less believable than The Fifth Vial. The author wrote the novel 15 years ago, and it is clear that he has honed his skills since then. The basic premise surrounds women who die during childbirth (good thing that I didn't read this a couple of months ago) and what is causing it.