is someone stacking the poll?

Aubrey was clearly in the lead, and Quinn is now coming out of nowwhere for a tie..
We'll find out who it is soon..they are both so close!!!

Babies Birthdays

How does time go by so quickly? It seems like yesterday that I was pacing the halls of Christ Hospital waiting for those babies. I remember the really strangely uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room and I remember staring at the double doors, nose pressed again the tiny windows, the world inside gridded by the little lines in the window glass. Seeing the babies for the first time was a little surreal, I saw them before seeing Christie, and as beautiful as they were, and as excited as I was to be with them, I kept thinking that they should be with Christie and I should be seeing all three of them. It took awhile, but finally everything was perfect and Christie was sitting in the hospital room holding the two sweetest babies I've ever seen. Obviously, by now the babies are way too big to hold at the same time, but if I had to choose a time that I loved in this past year, it would be holding both of them at the same time, heads lined up next to each other...It gave me the same feeling that having Walter and Lucy both curled up next to me does...which is good..

I promised Christie I would post some photos of the first birthday party. It was crazy and fun. There were a lot of kids there..mine were part of the wildness. The babies were super well behaved. Aubrey spent some time trying to hit me, and then spit at me..but, I have to believe that this is a phase (right? right? right?) I was shocked to find that Aubrey and Quinn made it through the whole night without crying at all..just the amount of people and attention is usually so overwhelming that most kids are bawling. write more and add photos tomorrow.

photos of the little ones

Here are some recent photos of the babies. Aren't they beautiful? In the photo Aubrey is pointing. If you could listen to the photo, you would hear her saying "dat?" as in "what's that?". It is interesting to compare her very demanding curiosity to Quinn's, who is curious, but more willing to wait and soak it up as it comes.

atomic energy

Matt was probably wondering why I was asking about pro tron and neutrons and atoms during teeth brushing last night, we moved on and I never got to explain why I had asked. (Matt is the repository of all information that I am not..math, science, political history, geography..I could go on, but it would just further highlight my deficiencies so I'll stop there.) The reason behind the questions was Walter. I am searching for the appropriate analogy for his boundless energy. About 2 years ago I noticed a serious ramp up in his energy levels...but over the summer it reached a new frenzy and is now at, what I really pray is the high point. Walter is like a neutron ..constantly, moving, constantly...I don't know where he finds the energy..In the midst of this new energy high, Walter has taken to literally climbing the walls. Grammy Sheila caught him on film, so I'll add the photo.

Don't think because I've been ranting and writing about my own kids that I have been neglecting my sweets..Aubrey and Quinn-Quinn. I usually call Aubrey "Aubs" and Quuinn, Quinn-Quinn, I don't know why, I've just fallen into the habit. I regret to write that Quinn is quickly growing out of his baby body. He is looking more and more like a toddler every day. They are both lightening fast and pulling up, but Aubrey still has more of tiny, baby look. Quinn also has a full mouth of teeth to compliment his toddler look. I'll try to get Christie to post soon, but these babies are keeping her pretty swamped these days.

recent news

Unless you have been living in a cave you have probably heard about the recent news in Cincinnati..the mother who left her 11 month old in her car while at work, and came out to find her dead in the car. This happened about a year ago as well, very similar circumstances, same outcome...there was a big media circus about it, tons of radio time and editorials dedicated to trying to figure out if the mother was a fault, or if she should be prosecuted, etc. (she wasn't)..this time there was a similar media frenzy when the story broke, but now it seems to have passed. It is as if the community has already become hardened to this..or has the media just determined it to be "old news", or are they trying to be more conscious of the family? I don't know, but this case pushes my buttons and since I have a place to rant, I think I might. I don't know whether or not the mothers should be prosecuted, I don't know much about the law..but I agree with the argument that in the end it probably won't matter...they are suffering and they will continue to suffer in a way that make prison look like Christmas morning. I can't imagine how they must feel, how their older kids are feeling, how their marriages will survive...I don't have much to say about that end..but I'm just getting warmed up to the part I feel so strongly about and that is this...

I really believe these 2 instances (and countless other ones) point to a bigger societal issue that is not being addressed by the media frenzy, or even among the co-workers and family members I have talked about this with...there is a major problem with women in our culture at this point in time trying to do way too much. Women of my generation were raised to believe and embrace the idea that they could have it all, and we all set out to do that...but the reality is very different from this vision...our culture still lacks some of the fundamental support systems crucial to the success of this idea. There is not affordable childcare for working women, there are not mandatory paternity leaves, there are not professional part time positions available for women who want to decrease hours and stay at home with young children..and yet there are huge expectations on women to achieve this harmonious vision of a family life that just can't happen. It is frustrating and heart breaking to see the fall out of this situation. Clearly, it can be a matter of life and death. Is it really worth that? Can we look at how we are supporting families? moms and children and the poor dads that have to deal with the overloaded-over stressed-burdened by unrealistic expectations -women?

Update

Ok - been meaning to update. Aubrey's appt went well - she has a mild abnormality of her right hip which they will not treat unless it causes problems with her mobility. I will take her back at 13 mo (assuming she's walking by then) They are both very active, crawling & pulling up like crazy and wearing me out! They also fight over every toy - just the beginning, I'm sure. I cant believe they're almost a year old I'll have to start planning the shindig soon:) I'll add some pictures, you can check out their new haircuts. Poor Quinn screamed the whole time but his hair is ok. Aubrey sat like an angel and got chopped!

Quick update

I have not written in awhile, I've been busy, busy, busy. And so have Aubrey and Quinn. Quinn is crawling everywhere. If I knew how to post video I would, because the way he crawls is really cute, very deliberate and very quick. He is also saying a few words, dada, dog and mama..I'm working on Aunt Carrie, but I'm thinking it might be awhile. Aubrey is also on the move. She is currently spending a great deal of energy trying in vain to stand up..but she can't quite manage it, so she holds her legs straight and keep her head on the floor, sort of bear crawl style. She has also proven to be a bit of a trouble maker. Ask Christie and Marc about the Sushi restaurant! Aubrey also has some tricks up her sleeve and like to do " so big" and then clap. She is a super star! Chrisite got their hair cut over the weekend, they both look really cute, but Aubrey's is a little on the waif-model-wispy side, which she doesn't quite pull off. I'm not willing to call it a bad haircut though, because she is still so beautiful. Aubrey also has to go for a visit with the pediatric orthopedic for a check in on her hips. I'm sure Christie will let us all know what happens....