Welcome Home Ada!

Yesterday we got to bring Ada home from the hospital! Neither of us could actually believe it until we had her in the car, and I was afraid that we were unsafe getting her home because we both kept checking her in the rear mirror... But she's home. Aside from some challenges getting her to eat in her new environment, she's doing great. We got to sit out on our back deck last night, holding her in the twilight before heading back to the crib. It was the peace and contentment we've been hoping for during the past 10 weeks. We are 50% of the way back to solid mental health.

Unfortunately, Logan is still enjoying all the ladies in the NICU, and his cool digs in Capitol Hill. He is not a fully baked mini-muffin yet, and won't be home until next week at the earliest. I am distraught leaving him by himself at the hospital, but all those ladies just love him right back.

Unfortunately, at the least convenient time we are having computer troubles at home, and very little will to get them working, so I can't upload pictures yet, but they will be SOON!

The Nursery At The End Of The Tunnel

We have been having a pretty good time setting up the nursery, and all the baby stuff. After we moved, we unpacked all our gifts and it was like receiving them all over again! Actually it was better, because we had met Logan and Ada, and knew how fun it would be to spoil them with all these goodies.

We organized everything on shelves, and shuffled the furniture like a rubiks cube until it was just right. AND I LOVE IT! My favorite part is probably the love seat, I searched high and low for a seat that was just right -- enough space for me, a nursing pillow and two babies, and it can even dress up the living room in another year or two. The changing table is fun too, I have to admit that the baskets and storage in the room appeal to my organizing nature, and the baskets are already stocked.

Dave has been putting his energy into baby stuff also -- assembling the crib and co-sleeper, the stroller, car seats, monitor, you name it... If there is any detail we've left untouched, it's going to be a big surprise!

So the countdown has begun. Right now we are hoping to have both Ada and Logan home by the end of the weekend, cross your fingers and get ready to meet them!

Tips For Seeing Summer Shows

DO NOT:

See a show at Red Rocks with "open admission" tickets. I am still regretting our trip to see John Mayer last summer, and it was certainly nothing to do with the actual John Mayer. I'm still put off music concerts a year later!

DO:

See the biggest movie of the year on opening night. Be sure that the reviews are good, buy tickets in advance, get there early, and valet park if necessary. For some reason, everything came together; going to see The Dark Knight this Friday was hassle free!

The crowd was so excited to see it that they were screaming and whistling through the opening credits. It was hugely entertaining, the best ten bucks I've spent all year. I had similar experience with the openings of South Park and The Matrix. There's something magical about movies and big crowds that just makes me love living.

Everything Else

Dave and I are LOVING our new house. It's just a ridiculous amount of space compared to the condo downtown. We've been eating on the deck in the back yard, watching the bunnies munch the grass and listening to the trees rustle. We are nearly unpacked now, and have even ordered a couple new pieces of furniture -- a beautiful black kitchen table and chairs, and a new striped loveseat that will start in the nursery. I can't wait to get a home theater put in -- but until then, we are using a little set from Goodwill to tide us over. I have been missing So You Think You Can Dance!

Unfortunately, I also just found out that Project Runway is premiering this week! And that Goodwill set doesn't get Bravo... Hmm, I need to figure out a plan.

In other news, I've been able to keep up with reading and movies over the last couple months. We saw Iron Man and Get Smart, both of which were fun summer action movies. Robert Downey Jr. is amazing as Iron Man, I loved him. This coming weekend is The Dark Knight, the movie I've been looking forward to all year. Even given our crazy situation, I think I might have to pony up for the tickets in advance, and deal with the crowds. I'm just way too curious, and my days goofing off are numbered.

The books I've read are:

• Understanding Exposure -- I'm regaining my interest in photography lately, and this book is a good summary of how to use shutter speed, aperature and ISO to your best advantage. Not a page turner, but a good refresher.
• Peace Like A River -- excellent novel about a family in the 60s, in the northern midwest and their trials and tribulations. It's better than it sounds. And one of the few books I've read that I really noticed and enjoyed the language.
• The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter -- not so much recommended, about a mish mash of personalities in the south, in the early 2oth century. Not my taste.
• The Worst Hard Time -- nonfiction, about the American Dust Bowl in the '30s. Unbelievably depressing, and way too repetitive.
• Life of Pi -- a fascinating novel about an Indian boy who gets shipwrecked -- with exotic animals from the ship. Dave didn't like it so much, but I thought it was engrossing.
• Remember Me? -- The latest Sophie Kinsella chick lit. After this string of fairly depressing stories, it's a relief to read a page turner with a couple chuckles here and there.

Finally, I've been doing a little shopping lately. It wouldn't ordinarily be a high priority, but since I don't fit in my skinny stuff, and I don't fit in my maternity stuff, desperate times call for desperate measures. I've actually managed to find some cute clothes with stretchy waists at Lucy and JCrew. I'm starting to feel like a cutie again! Now there is some silver lining.

Coping and Counting Down

Well, it's been eight weeks since I was admitted into the hospital. In the last 56 days, I've been at the hospital for 54 of them, probably averaging about five hours a day. Most of them have been happy, although the first week was traumatic, and the last couple have been very stressful and fatigued.

The hardest part for me has been trying to work with Logan and Adelaide at breastfeeding. When they were born, they were too little to coordinate breathing and eating, and they are just starting to get the hang of it. Right now it seems like they will have a gold star day, and then completely forget everything the next day. It's been stressful for me, because the progress is so exciting and the steps backward hurt that much more. I'm fortunate that I have been able to supply them with milk all this time by pumping, but to say that I'm sick of it is an understatement.

The other hard part is anticipating when they might be able to come home. We are so excited, it seems like we are counting the minutes, and it's by far the most common question we're asked. Of course, at this point we still don't know. We have to plan on their 40 week due date of July 29, and hope for a pleasant surprise.

This isn't to say it's all bad news, in fact it's almost all good news. They've had lots of tests to make sure they are healthy, and everything has been fine. They've been gaining weight swiftly, Logan is over 6 pounds now and Ada is over 5. They are absolutely gorgeous, sweet and cuddly in a way that melts me and slows my feet on the way out. I'm completely in love, what could be better?

ABCs of Moving

We've moved! Wow, I really forgot how much effort it is to move, yikes... Dave packed up most of the house in a weekend, so we thought it would be pretty smooth sailing from there. But it turns out that we really underestimated the "little stuff" that could wait until the last minute. We ended up with a very late night before moving day, Dave was worn down to a nub.

And for some crazy reason, I was thinking that if you hire movers, surely it's not that hard to stand around making comments. Whoops. I ended up doing lots of last minute cleaning in the old place, and packing all the breakables in the car. Then I was directing traffic at the new house, so pretty much 8 1/2 hours of work and exercise for someone who is pretty crabby and would rather be somewhere else.

And then -- everything is still in boxes! It took us a few days to track down the plates and underwear. We still have some piles of stuff, but who knows when we'll bother with them, if we haven't needed the stuff by now...

So here's my advice on moving -- hire packers, cleaners, and movers. And stay at a hotel the night before, so you have a proper bag packed and can get some sleep instead of fussing with details late into the night.

One of the other trials we've been going through is to arrange for appliances in the new house. I ordered a couple online, including a fridge from Home Depot. Unfortunately, their return policy is... let us say... inflexible. When we decided to exchange it for a nicer looking model, Dave had to go crack some heads at the local HD to make it happen. But look how happy!

We LOVE the new house. It seems enormous compared to our old place, the sirens are quieter, the trees rustle, and the neighbors bring baked goods.

PS (Baby Update): Logan and Ada are doing wonderfully. They were a combined 5 pounds at birth, and are a combined 10 pounds today! We are working on their last couple milestones, and are still planning to bring them home this month.