Welcome to the Roe household blog. We're attempting to post 365 days of pictures in a Roe. Cork and I have been married since 2002 and welcomed identical daughters in August of 2009 after a struggle with infertility. Our girls were definitely worth the wait and I say they were destined to be here because they were conceived on my birthday, due on my sister's birthday and born on my grandma's birthday. What are the chances of that! We welcomed our third daughter in June of 2012. We all fell in love with her right away. She has two amazing older sisters who love to watch over her.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Arya, Don't Eat That


I say "Arya, Don't Eat That!" way too many times a day. Every time I say it, it reminds me of the absolutely hilarious web site entries called Steve, Don't Eat It! I had tears streaming down my face when I read his site about 5 years ago. I hadn't visited it since, until today. Sadly, he's only added one additional food item in that time. The site is worth a read if you have a little extra time.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Back St-Roe-kers



I think we may have 2 future swimmers on our hands.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Snap Crackle and Pop

I had to take the kids to the helmet place yet again for Eiley to get an adjustment today. They were both exhausted before we left and crashed while nursing. I laid them on the floor to put a stroller in the car and pack a few things and they stayed there.

Eiley's helmet is now ground down to the hard outerlayer where it's giving her a sore. The hope is that the sore spot will heal while she's wearing the helmet. If she keeps the helmet off too long it can't go back on as she will have grown out of the spots that are in constant contact. We have an appointment in just over a week. If her head is healed up by then, they'll patch the helmet back to where it needs to be and we hope the pressure sore doesn't re-appear. If the sore does not go away, the orthotist said he would need to rescan her and make a completely new helmet.

I was trying to get some cooking done this afternoon and A&E would not stay out of the cat bowls. I decided to give them their own bowl of rice krispies to play with to distract them. The cereal stayed in the bowl for less than a second before it was dumped. I needed to clean the floor and knew going into it that this would be the outcome. I should have taken an after picture as the cereal was everywhere. They had fun and it kept them out of the cat bowls for about 2 minutes. After the 2 minutes were up, they were right back at the bowls and had trailed the cereal with them.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Hookah Momma

Eiley has decided she wants to smoke my breast pump like a hookah.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

My Big Fat Greek Fest



We took the kids to Greek Fest today. Eiley was exhausted from resisting sleep the last few days, so she took a nap. Arya enjoyed some Greek pastries with us. She wasn't quite as thrilled about the Saganaki (greek fried cheese) which was amazing, but a little salty.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Electric Slide


The girls let me know what needs to be child proofed. This is Eiley dancing by an electric outlet because she was so excited about finding it. I have plastic plugs in most outlets, but forgot this one. It was quickly baby proofed after the pic was taken.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Hippie Hippie Shake


We have new neighbors. I'm pretty sure they saw me picking lettuce in my garden today looking like this. I feel like I'm totally hippied out here. Notice my lack of a shirt and their tiedyed shirts. I put shoes on since the dirt in the garden was a little wet. I had to carry E in the Moby since she is still not feeling well and wouldn't let me put her down all day. I had to carry A on my hip since she eats every little thing she can get her hands on. She knows what "Don't eat that" means, but that doesn't mean she listens.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Blond Hawk Up



What is there not to love about a baby mohawk?

Arya has a little attitude lately. She's all smiles and then gets angry quickly. [sarcasm]I certainly was never like that [/sarcasm]. Tonight, she and Eiley were grabbing pacifiers back and forth. This is something they've done for months and have always thought it was funny. Arya was laughing, then decided she was done and got angry. For the first time ever, she deliberately hit Eiley. I have no idea where she would have learned that, but it isn't questionable whether it was on purpose or not. Poor Eiley didn't know what to do. She was completely stunned by her very first bitch slap.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Had A Bad Day


This morning was a bit chaotic around here. Eiley and I are sick. I usually try to get up before the girls and get a few things done, but not today. I slept in until they woke up. I got them fed, with Eiley refusing to eat most of what I gave her because she wanted bread. This is when it starts to get hectic. Arya gets changed first, then Eiley. As Eiley's diaper is being changed, Arya is crawling off to examine the nice pile of vomit/hairball one of our cats left us. I don't get her in time and she needs her hands washed. I wash her hands, put both kids in the family room and go to clean the vomit. While cleaning the vomit, I see that one of the cats has peed off the back of the couch onto a living room table. I determine right then that he's going to the vet to see if he has a urinary issue or if he's just being a pain in the ass since both kids are mobile and he's not getting as much attention. While I'm cleaning the urine, Arya figures out how to get her diaper off. I hear the tabs being pulled, clean up my hands and put her diaper back on. She isn't dressed yet because I wanted to clean up the cat mess before I cleaned up everything else. I got back to the urine and the next thing I know, here come both kids, crawling and giggling toward me. Arya has no diaper on again. I go to find the diaper and find a nice urine puddle from her in the kitchen. I was just glad it was in the kitchen tile and not on carpet. I put Arya's diaper on at least 8 more times before I have things cleaned up enough to go get her dressed for the day. I walk into the kitchen and see Eiley's face and hands are covered in liquid. I think it's water and look around for the source. Nope, not water. She's coated herself in running, liquidy mucus. All of this is before 8:15 am. We got up 90 minutes before that and had a good 45 to an hour in the high chairs.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Kicking It Old School


I got this old toy out of the basement today. Both kids love it.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Happy Father's Day


Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there, especially my dad and husband.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

The Bird

Seriously, who teaches a gorilla to sit at the zoo and flip people off?

A and E sat with a much tamer gorilla and posed for a pic.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Friday Night Fever


Arya had a fever today. It wasn't really high, but she was not feeling well. She spend most of the day clinging to me and taking short naps. She's crashed on my torso as I type this. Every time she goes into her crib she wakes within 15 minutes and cries pitifully.

Eiley did really well most of the day being more independent than she normally is. After dinner I was trying to rock both of them, but she wanted alone time and was not happy to be sharing me.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Jail Birds


I did the bedtime routine myself today. The girls can move incredibly quickly now. They were less than amused with me locking them in their room while I cleaned out their helmets.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Zoo Landers


We went to the zoo today. I spent the first hour feeding them and listening to comments about them being twins and their helmets. I had one child approach me and ask if I wanted the gum ball eyes out of the sponge bob square pants popsicle he was eating. Thanks, but no thanks.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Minor Adjustments

E's helmet was giving her issues last night and this morning. I took it off because it's started to rub the skin away on a small spot. She just needs a quick adjustment to the inside of the helmet to fix it. We should be able to stop in tomorrow for an adjustment.

The kids and I went to the gym today. I did my usual scan for the pink helmets when I went to pick them up from the kid care. Someone was standing right in front of me, holding Eiley, and I completely looked past her. I am so used to the helmets being on that my brain couldn't process that she was there for me.

Eiley hasn't had as much growth as Arya since they got their helmets. Even so, I see a change in her head. She is slowly growing a forehead that she didn't have before. Her head is still long, but it's widening out a little.....I gave them crackers and snapped a picture so they would stop opening all the kitchen cabinets. It's time to child proof them.

Monday, June 14, 2010

The Craft

I spend most of the time on this blog talking about the twincesses and now about the adults in this house, so here's a few random things about me.

1. Despite the name of the blog, I am not a Roe. I did not change my name when we got married.
2. I still love my cats just as much as I did before I had kids.
3. I have a healthy obsession with Jillian Michaels and would love for her to be my personal trainer.
4. I love to sit outside in the summer and have a drink.
5. I could spend all day reading if I had no responsibilities.
6. Cork and I can be competitive and have been known to race to the mailbox, home from walks, and to the car in a parking lot. We have even raced strollers and carts with gentle nudging to knock each other off course.
7. I love throwing empty wine bottles.
8. My undergrad is in Anthropology. Once I got out of school, I worked for a food trade show company and then a healthcare company.
9. I love to eat frozen grapes and bananas.
10. I like the feeling of my big toes crossed over my second toes.
11. I'm almost always in motion and even move a foot or rock while I'm going to sleep.
12. I'm a huge klutz and don't always remember how I hurt myself when I find a bruise or cut.
13. My belly button is super messed up from the twinkies and a surgery I had right before I got pregnant with them. Not only does it look funny, but it has a hole in it that I could wear a ring in if I wanted, but it's never been pierced.
14. I can ride a unicycle.
15. I once broke my wrist falling out of a tree. It wasn't the first or last time I fell out of one. It also wasn't the first or last time I pretended the branches were gymnastic uneven bars. It was the first and last time I tied bandannas to my hands and pretended they were gymnast grips.
16. I can fake burp and am not above using it to make grouchy kids laugh.
17. I drink so little caffeine that I can get a buzz off of a can of soda.
18. I cook mainly vegetarian meals because meat grosses me out.
19. I've run a few marathons. Every time I think I should train for another, I think back to how my hips and knees felt for the year after each and that's enough to convince me I'm crazy to even consider it.
20. I'm no good at drawing or painting, but I love to make things.





Sunday, June 13, 2010

Blue Angels


In 2 more months, our duo will be celebrating their birthday. They used to get baths in this sink. Now the only way I could get them to stay in there was to bribe them with their vitamin bottle that they love to play with.

We went to the air and water show downtown today. The kids proved that when they are tired, they will sleep through anything. Eiley crashed while the Blue Angels were flying over head. She stayed asleep while we made our way to the car and packs of Harleys went revving by. Of course in typical A&E fashion, they both screamed almost the whole ride home while we were stuck in traffic.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Peridots Are a Girl's Best Friend



Auntie Karen gave the girls beautiful necklaces when they were born. They love looking at Nana's gypsy jewelry, so I let them wear the necklaces this morning. Of course I started with the stones on their backs to see how they'd do. They were very careful when they realized they were wearing something.

A woman at Target today asked if the kids were twins. Before we could answer she kept going and said "You're probably asked that all the time. That's a dumb question."

Friday, June 11, 2010

Bonus: Where Did the Baby Go?


When I was a kid, my family owned a Little Golden Book called Where Did The Baby Go. I'm not sure, but I think it was that book that had an illustration of a child wearing a big hat and possibly pearls. Arya loves to wear this hat during the hour her helmet is off. She reminds me of the little girl in that illustration. Of course she's much cuter than the girl in the illustration.

Eiley was not having as good of a night as Arya.

Brush 'Em Brush 'Em Brush 'Em



I've been letting the kids brush their teeth while I brush mine. Okay, they don't actually have teeth yet, but they think it's funny and I figure it can't hurt. Eiley has one that's right below the surface, but it just can't break through.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Pots and Pans and Cups, Oh My

The kids discovered today that the kitchen cabinets open. They each discovered it on their own, while the other one was sleeping. They both love this "new" toy I picked up at a garage sale. It is so old that the sound system sounds like the speak-n-spell I had as a child. It's hilarious to listen to compared to new toys with sound.
The girls and I go to a playgroup at the hospital almost every Thursday. I think the first time I went was when they were almost 3 months old. Before that, I was too nervous about bringing them somewhere like that on my own. We've had our rough weeks, but usually we have fun. The kids in the group range from a few weeks to a year old. There is always a facilitator who helps run the group and she brings different people in to talk to us based on topics we've told her we'd like covered. It's more of a support group for new moms than a play group for the kids, but the kids really enjoy it. Today, the facilitator asked if I'd be willing to bring the kids in and talk to a group of parents expecting multiples. Cork and I took the Multiples and More birthing class at the hospital while we were pregnant and loved it, especially the last night where we got to talk to a set of parents with twins. She was going to talk to the woman who runs the class and let me know if they still needed someone for the June/July class. Hopefully they do because I think it would be a lot of fun to go in and talk about our experience.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Jeopardy

The answer: Cat fur, cat food, cat tail, paper, and kleenex.
The question: Things Arya put in her mouth today.

We went to a park today. They loved the swing. E loved the slide, but A was not thrilled with it. Taking them to the park is not easy on my own, but I'm determined to do everything with them that I would do if I'd had them one at a time. I don't want them to miss out on something just because I thought it might be hard for me. Things can take more planning, but as a MoM I feel like it's my responsibility to figure things out and just do them.

ETA: This is E not A, but I liked the picture.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Destructive Duo

They may look peaceful while they sleep....

but these two continue to get into everything while awake. Today, they worked together to rip off the bottom of the fridge while I was cooking. They had toys spread around the kitchen, as you can see, but non-toy objects are much more fun.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Tales from the DMV

I have so many things to write about today.

We stopped by the DMV today. After almost 5 years at my current residence, I figured it was about time to get a license with my address on it. The woman that helped me was very nice, but I had a really hard time keeping a straight face with the following exchange.DMV lady: Twins?
Me: Yes
DMV lady: Are they both yours?


Eiley and I made a pie this afternoon while Arya slept. I think it's a pretty good looking pie for our first attempt.
Arya decided to try to climb the stairs today while I was changing Eiley's poopy diaper. She was on the first step when I saw her. I figured Arya had a helmet on and she seemed to be stopped, so I left her. She fell off the step, smacked her head and got right back up. The helmets really do come in handy at times.

I was attempting to tandem nurse them this afternoon. Eiley was grabbing Arya's eyes and jerking her head back by grabbing Arya's helmet and pulling. Arya was grabbing Eiley's mouth and my boob. Both were making it nearly impossible for the other to nurse. They were getting increasingly angry and then at the exact same time they both chomped down and bit me super hard in frustration. I always find it a little eerie when they do things like this.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

McFly

Each day we remove A&E's helmets for an hour. I'm always amused at their version of helmet head.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Staind


My parent's came up this weekend to watch the kiddos. I spent today staining our sliding door that was installed while I was pregnant. After I finished, I cleaned up and Cork and I headed out to dinner. We had a long over due night to ourselves and amazing food. Thanks mom and dad. Tomorrow I have to add the polyurethane coats.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Ocean's Two

These two work together a little too well already. Arya in particular is into EVERYTHING! Since Arya is a little ahead of Eiley on the mobility front, she is the one who usually gets into something first and Eiley is quick to follow.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Back in the Saddle

I'm back! After way too long, I have my camera back. I'm not too happy with Sony right now. I don't know if I'm more upset with them, my cat who threw up in my bedroom last night or my other cat who peed on my couch. I think Sony may be lucky that I have a couch pee-er.

I've spent way too much time today cleaning my couch and it still reeks like cat urine. I had to test if Nature's Miracle was going to wreck the fabric before I doused it. I don't know why I bothered. If I can't get the smell out, the couch will be wrecked any way. I'm tempted to move the couch into our basement and move our old ratty basement couch into the family room until I can get it cleaned. This is the same cat who peed on clothes in my living room the other day and got the carpet a bit as well. He can somehow jump everything imaginable, but he refuses to go under or over a baby gate. His litter box has now been moved to a very inconvenient place for us, but at least he will always be able to get to it. In his defense, the few times he hasn't been able to get to his box, he has always looked for something else to pee in or on. He's used plastic bags, his toy box and a pile of clothes over the past few years. This is the first time he's ever picked the couch. He isn't allowed on the couch, so maybe he thought he was being clever again. I am less than thrilled with his solution. I wish I'd had some plastic bags on the floor last night.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Scooby Snacks


A found the cat treats today. Sikozu heard her get into the cabinet and came running. He patiently waited for her to give him a treat as she waved the bag all around. Hopefully she doesn't figure out how to open it and give him treats any time soon. Actually, I hope she doesn't figure out how to open them and eat them herself. She puts absolutely everything in her mouth.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Relax Don't Do It


I may be a bit too relaxed as a parent. I was cleaning our family room while the kids played. I let them ransack a bag from Target. I don't think a plastic bag is the best toy choice, but they were happy and were shaking it around and not trying to eat it like they try to eat everything else. By the time I snapped a picture, they had moved onto the toothbrushes that were in the bag.