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December 30, 2007
Good Food, Good Beer, Good Kids
Tim: It’s been great having Christmas week off. Sleeping in late, having lots of wife and baby time, watching Frank Capra movies, etc… On Thursday we had an unquenchable taste for fish and chips so we spent almost an hour looking for a place in Athens that had it. We are still adjusting to small town America where everything is not at our finger tips. In Pittsburgh we would have had our choice of a dozen or so establishments that would have fixed us up with our desired Pisces, potatoes and potations. We finally found it at The Globe in downtown Athens. This place may be our substitute for the Sharp Edge in Pittsburgh. An old world pub kind of place with great food and over 80 European beers to choose from. Anyways, the fish and chips were excellent – we felt like Frankie in Angela’s Ashes – if they were wrapped in a newspaper, we would have even licked the grease off the editorial page. We washed it down with a Belhaven and a Highland Oatmeal Stout. The twins snoozed away in the booth seats while we our consumed our vittles.
Tim and Jo: Yesterday we decided to take a trip to Helen for a dose of Georgia-style Bavaria. It’s as close as we’ll get to München in at least the next several years. As soon as we got there, we needed to feed the kids. We provided many passersby with free entertainment as we sat on a bench with bottles and babies in hand. The cats were out of their bags, so to speak.
For lunch we went to Altstädter Weinstube & Biergarten so Tim could get his own bottle. We had an olive and gherkin appetizer and for the main dish, three kinds of wurst –weinwurst, smoked bratwurst and rindswurst.
It came with a gigantic pretzel that was more bread than pretzel and we drank an Aecht Schlenkerla Urbock Rauchbier (smoked beer) which Joanna said was like drinking a stout by the fireside, except the fireside was in the beer! The kids dozed away on a nearby chair. Looks like a nearby gnome wants to wet his whistle...
We strolled through Helen going into shops we hadn’t been in before (like the live tarantula exhibit and the leather store--Das Ist Leather--a mishmash of faux-Bavarian, redneck and biking cultures) and stopped for some apple strudel and funnel cake. There was a big tree decorated for Christmas and a Santa or two leading horse drawn carriages through the streets.
We stopped at Nora Mills and got some stone-ground buckwheat pancake mix, pickled okra and berry preserves. The kids were getting a little restless being in the slings all day long to so we left for home. When we got there they were really cranky! They must have realized we were having all this fun and leaving them out!
Posted by Tim and Jo at 05:36 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Magic Bags
Tim: Someone gave us a sling for the babies, and we bought ourselves another one. We've been able to do all kinds of things with the babies because of them. We recently went to our local coffeehouse carrying Ian and Elanor in baby slings. With our kids inconspicuously ensconced, we slurped our coffee and hot chocolate, and heard not a peep from them. They seemed to enjoy their first coffeehouse experience. Actually we accomplished this baby hiding feat for the first time a couple weeks ago when we had dinner at a little pizza joint. Our ruse was well executed and no one looked suspiciously at us until a couple from a nearby table tip-toed over and asked us if we had babies in our slings. The jig being up, we confessed and gave them a peek.
Joanna: These slings are our magic bags. For one, they almost completely disguise the fact that we have twins, which keeps strangers out of their faces when they're so little (and yes, we're finding that having twins attracts a lot of attention). It just looks like we're carrying a large handbag, or our dog, as Aunt 'Stina realized. The other thing is that when they're fussy--especially little Ian--dropping them in the bag and walking around for awhile calms them down when almost nothing else will. It blocks out light and sound, and they love the motion of walking. It's the kids' sensory-deprivatory-pseudo-womb-therapy. (It is also good therapy for us – no screaming kids in public…yet!)
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December 28, 2007
Stockings Make Great Swaddlers, Too
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Babies' First Christmas
Here's our best present this year--they came a little early, but we couldn't have been given anything better!!
Joanna: To keep things from getting crazy (and because Tim has a really hard time waiting!), we celebrated Christmas early with just the four of us. We have a miniature tree on our fireplace, just the right size in our cozy little apartment.
We like looking at our tree, but we love looking at our babies looking at the tree! They will sit watching the lights flash for a half hour or more!
Tim: This twins’ first Christmas Day was a lot of fun. Most of the family gathered at Sam and Tracy’s place at 10 am (sharp!) for a scrumptious brunch. Much of the family got to hold the twins for the first time (except for their cousin Mark who’s an old pro with them.)
Sweet Sarah loves her babies, too!
Here's one of the few times we actually got to hold the twins on Christmas!
Ian and Elanor received many nice gifts. Their great-grandma gave them twin snow angels with their names engraved on it.
Another highlight was a pair of big fat piggy banks, one pink and one blue--they're almost as big as our little piggies!! So now we can throw our loose change in them and in twenty years we may have enough money to buy a few books for their first semester of college.
The kids were zonked out in the car ride home, but when we got in the house it was a marathon scream-fest. Overstimulation for both the twins and for their exasperated parents!
Posted by Tim and Jo at 11:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 22, 2007
Our first month as parents
What we've learned so far...
• It’s only been four weeks, but we can’t imagine them not being a part of our lives at this point
• Parenting is a mixture of tears and laughter—hopefully with the latter prevailing on most days
• It’s also just about the hardest work I’ve (we’ve) ever done—it wins out over the dissertation process, though I don’t know if quite beats the “pregnant with twins” process. Yet.
• Raising twins is a community process-we would be insane at this point if it weren't for all the help and support we've had from friends and family.
• We laugh ourselves sick at their antics, and realize that they’re going to hate us for it later! Especially if we keep this up when they're teenagers...
• The law of supply and demand applies to sleep—the less you get, the more you would give just about anything to get enough!
• As much as they love each other, if you put the twins too close when they’re hungry, they will eat each other
• Washing bottles and clothes is reminiscent of the “Myth of Sisyphus”
• One month old babies have a ton of personality. They both make hilarious and distinctive faces, especially when they’re waking up. I think it helps that we have babies we can contrast with each other. Ian is a little high-needs, he tends to be fussier and more demanding, and get overstimulated pretty easily. Elanor tends to have a calmer disposition. However, every once in awhile, they decide to exchange personalities a-la-Freaky-Friday just to keep us on our toes.
• Being home alone with twins is like being a triage nurse. You have to constantly evaluate whose needs are greater at any given moment, and try to give the comfort you can to the one who has to wait, while at the same time trying not to feel guilty if one of them is crying at a point when you can’t do a darn thing about it.
• Cuddling two sleepy babies is one of the most precious things we’ve been given in this life so far
• Three important pieces of equipment: swaddlers (we wouldn’t even get the sleep that we’re getting without them!), baby bags (more on that in another post!), and pacifiers.
• We've gained a greater appreciation and thankfulness for God's sovereignty over our lives because we are constantly being plagued by thoughts like: Are we burping them enough? Are they gaining enough weight? What if they get really sick, injured, etc... Will we be good examples to them? How are we going to (pick one, pick them all!) afford diapers for the next two or three years, find the best education for them, put them through college, etc...? From the smallest things to the largest things, we are realizing to a deeper degree how utterly helpless we are without the Lord's providence, and how utterly thankful we are for it.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 12:20 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
December 21, 2007
Hobbit Christmas Cheer
My good friend Grace sent me a link to this elaborate Christmas celebration taking place inside Bag End. I love "the ranger" baking a pie, and the little gingerhobbits.
*chortles*
Someone is incredibly creative!
Posted by Tim and Jo at 09:50 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 19, 2007
Captions, anyone?
So, if we had gotten our booties in gear and sent out Christmas cards, this is the picture we would not have sent with them!
But it makes us laugh uproariously all the same! Any shots at a caption for it?
Posted by Tim and Jo at 12:26 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Merry Christmas to all!
Posted by Tim and Jo at 12:22 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Attack of the Paci Thieves
Ian and Elanor have started to notice each other a bit more. They've always slept well close to each other, and tend to mirror each other's emotions, but now we see them actively looking at each other when they're close, and expressing an awareness of each other's presence. Unfortunately, sometimes their interaction takes a sinister turn.
Yesterday, I laid them together on the couch while I finished getting dinner ready. They both were calm, and getting sleepy. Soon, I heard a wail come out of the living room. Ian was squalling and Elanor was laying there with his pacifier in her hand, and an innocent look on her face, "It just fell out, I promise!"
I went back to the kitchen. After a few quiet minutes, I went in to check on them. Here's what I saw:
Ian wasn't taking any chances. He waited until evening for payback...
Posted by Tim and Jo at 12:19 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 14, 2007
Swaddle jokes a la "A Christmas Story"
I'm sorry--I guess we found a theme and we're running with it! Any more suggestions for captions?
Wahhhhhh!!! Mommy, I can't put my arms up!
Randy lay there like a slug. It was his only defense.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 11:36 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
December 13, 2007
More bad swaddle jokes...
So, to follow up our earlier swaddle post...
Tim is still the master swaddler (Ian especially needs a tight swaddle, or he won't settle--more on him later). I was admiring his work the other day.
Joanna: Wow, it really does look like a baby burrito. Bambino burrito!
Ian: [loud noise]
Tim: I think he put de black bean in de burrito!
Posted by Tim and Jo at 12:07 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 11, 2007
Alfred Burt carols and Bethlehem Down
Tim: I’ve been listening to the Alfred Burt carols recently. Every time I come back to them I discover new things in them: an archaic turn of phrase (“I met a stranger yest’-er’en”), a diminished chord in an unexpected place, a perfect marriage of text and melody, etc. In the lyrics there are some profound theological truths, like the foreshadowing of Christ's suffering and death in the Kings' gifts (from "Jesu Parvule"):
'Tis Thy joy to see
Kings on bended knee,
off'ring gifts to Thee,
sweet Son of Mary.
But Thou may'st not know
what these gifts fore-show
of thy future woe,
blest Babe of Mary.
It is really interesting to hear Christmas carols written with jazz-influenced chord progressions. Most carols are strictly diatonic and easy to digest musically. The chromaticism in the Burt carols matches well the wonder of Christ's birth and mystery of the gospel portrayed in the lyrics.
Another obscure carol I love is called "Bethlehem Down" by Bruce Blunt & Peter Warlock.
“When He is King we will give him the King's gifts,
Myrrh for its sweetness, and gold for a crown,
Beautiful robes,” said the young girl to Joseph,
Fair with her first-born on Bethlehem Down.
Bethlehem Down is full of the starlight
Winds for the spices, and stars for the gold,
Mary for sleep, and for lullaby music
Songs of a shepherd by Bethlehem fold.
When He is King they will clothe him in grave-sheets,
Myrrh for embalming, and wood for a crown,
He that lies now in the white arms of Mary,
Sleeping so lightly on Bethlehem Down.
Here He has peace and a short while for dreaming,
Close huddled oxen to keep him from cold,
Mary for love, and for lullaby music
Songs of a shepherd by Bethlehem fold.
The contrasts in the first and third verses are amazing, encompassing Christ's roles as King and as suffering servant, obedient unto death:
Beautiful robes / grave-sheets
gold for a crown / wood for a crown (i.e. crown of thorns)
Myrrh - sweetness / embalming
Posted by Tim and Jo at 09:20 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 08, 2007
Twinpathy
Our little guys--obviously--have been aware of each other from the womb. Pushing and shoving seemed to be the order of their relationship in there, with little Ian sometimes getting the raw end of the deal.
But now we're noticing that they're aware of each other at certain levels. They definitely sleep better if they're near each other. They'll snuggle up a little closer if we put them together.
Tim calls this picture "The Boppie Twins"
The flip side of this is that each of them is acutely aware of the other's pain and emotional distress. Which means, if one starts crying, a duet soon encurs. The other day, Elanor had some blood tests, and Ian was crying harder than she was over them.
It's very sweet, and I'm sure it will be a gift to them over the years, but it leaves mommy and daddy with a dilemma, especially if there's only one set of hands to deal with them. Do you comfort the twin who's sad/hungry/mad? Or the one who's emotionally imbalanced because of the other's sadness/hungriness/madness?
What's a parent to do? Here's how Tim copes: he has a special spot on the wall in the nursery that he bangs his head against. After a few whacks, he starts to feel a little more able to deal with the sadness/hungriness/madness!
Joanna, when they cry? After awhile, it's like the yodel song from The Sound of Music--"soon the duet will become a trio..."
Posted by Tim and Jo at 11:37 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 06, 2007
Many Thanks
There have been so many people who have helped us in the past two weeks that they must be rememebered:
Those who stayed overnight so we could get some sleep: Jane, Stori, Mom&Dad.
Those made food for us: many folk from University Church, folk from Redeemer, family members (especially Aunt Lisa, Aunt Tracey, Mom&Dad), and Austina.
Those who visited Joanna during the day, helped clean the house and watched the babies - Aunt Lisa, Aunt Rachel, Austina, Ruth, Suzanne and Bethany, Jennifer and kids, UC people.
Those who bought or made nice things for us and babies: Mom&Dad (camcorder and phones that WORK), Aunt Rachel (swaddlers, Christmas ornaments and lots of diapers!), Aunt Tracey and Sarah (beautful pillows, toys), Tami (booties), Staters (clothes and Swiss Colony goodies), Melissa (Christmas ornaments), Karen (books), Austina (clothes and cuddles!), Kelly at work (clothes, diapers).
And thanks to the many others who have helped through their time, gifts, encouragement and prayers! We're realizing that raising these two little bits is going to be a team effort, and we feel so supported right now.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 09:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sleepers Awake
Tim: Ian is amusing to watch when he is waking up. He finds it a quite unpleasant experience. He stretches, contorts his face and squirms as if the waking world were a onesie that is too tight and he is being unmercifully squeezed into it. Sleep fits him much better! Elanor seems to be a lighter sleeper and is not as hard to rouse. She's like "ok, I'm awake. So start playing with me and feed me!"
Sleepy Ian
Wakey Ian
Sleepy Elanor
Wakey Elanor
Joanna: Today's been fun because they are suddenly so much more awake and alert than they used to be. We noticed a few days ago that they could track our fingers with their eyes. Ian follows our fingers more and more precisely. Now Elanor will turn her whole head to watch our fingers. And she'll just gaze up at us with her big beautiful eyes, too.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 09:40 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 05, 2007
Twin thought of the day #1
Quoting Shrek (on the verge of complete exasperation):
“Have you seen a baby lately? They just eat and poop and cry. And they cry when they poop and they poop when they cry.”
Shrek forgot to mention that they also pee...
Posted by Tim and Jo at 08:34 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 02, 2007
Family Time
Ian: Today we met lots of people in the family. They all wanted to hold us, so we were in transit most of the day.
Elanor: Can anyone say “dwarf toss”?
Ian: We heard all kinds of funny sounds that people make – lots of “ahhhs”, “oohhhs” and a few “hee hees” thrown in for good measure.
Elanor: We make funny sounds, too. People kept on joking about me having the Brown family digestive system.
Ian: So we went along with all the commotion and humored everyone. We really can’t figure out what all the fuss is about. It’s not like we can tap dance, or anything. We just sort of lay there and cry occasionally and they think it’s the greatest thing in the world. They like to call us names, too.
Elanor: Mommy calls us her lumpy things.
Ian: Daddy calls me “squirt.” I think it has something to do with all of the outfits I wet. They can’t figure out how I can soak through several layers of outfits and blankets and still have a dry diaper. I’m trying to work up to a world record. Or at least use up all my onesies in a single day…
Elanor: Anyway, we met a few family members before this—grandma and grandpa, and cousins, and aunts, so mommy and daddy put up some of their pictures, too.
Cousin Melissa
Cousin Josh
Aunt Trish
Aunt Lisa
Cousin Mark
Aunt Tracey and Cousin Sarah
Four Generations (Great-Grammy, Grandma, Mommy and Elanor, with Great-Grandpa and Ian in the back)
Posted by Tim and Jo at 11:10 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 01, 2007
SCREAMING twins & stuff
Tim: So now it’s all day, all night babies. The twins fill every nook and cranny of our consciousness. Twins here, twins there, twins everywhere. Twin’s stuff everywhere. SCREAMING twins and their stuff everywhere. We we even even are are seeing seeing double double. AAAHHH! AAAHHH!
Thankfully we have lots of people helping us. Joanna’s parents, other family members, friends, church friends come and bring us food and help us with the house, and tickle the twin’s chins. We’re starting to get this night feeding thing down. Joanna feeds them at 11pm, then at 12:30 am. I get up at 3:30 am and feed them. By then they are fat and happy, drifting in realms of lactosian bliss, sleeping until 6 or 7 am when we get up. It works most nights, and that’s the best we can expect for now.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 12:41 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack