Elle got a haircut

The title pretty much says it all.

Last week Elle was playing with scissors and she decided to cut a couple of stands of her hair. I took this as a subtle clue that she wanted to get a haircut. Well, that and the fact that she's been asking for one for at least six months now. Yesterday I finally gave in and took her for her second haircut ever. (That's right, she's four and a half and I'd only had her hair cut once before.)

We got one last picture of her before the haircut.

See the People magazine on the counter in front of Elle? It had a picture on it that made me laugh so hard I nearly collapsed a lung. Seriously. My chest has not stopped hurting since I saw it.

The bandanna! It kills me! For some reason!

Anyway, back to the haircut. I didn't like watching it. With each snip more and more golden red curls fell to the floor. I was thinking about how that was her baby hair, the hair she was born with. Why was I letting someone cut it? Clearly I was not ready for this and should have put the haircut off until Elle was a little older. Forty-seven perhaps.

But then it was done.

Now Elle looks like she's about nine years old. All her baby curls are gone. Boo hoo!

But it's not all bad news. We're donating Elle's hair to Matter of Trust. Soon those gorgeous curls will be soaking up oil in the Gulf. Here's an artist rendition of how a mat made with Elle's hair might look.

What a crappy picture. I can't believe I paid someone $300 for that.

Anyway, to sum up: Elle's haircut is cute but it makes me sad that her long hair is gone; I'm glad Elle's hair will soon be helping save the planet; even on the brink of death Bret Michaels somehow manages to look like a tool.

One year ago today I was getting ready for an embryo transfer.
Three years ago I hated the internet.
Five years ago I was 17 weeks pregnant with Elle.

Mambo

Yesterday I was unloading the dishwasher and Joseph was reading a book. All of the sudden he threw his book down and exclaimed "Mommy! I just remembered that I know how to mambo!"

And then he started to dance.

It was ... it was like Frankenstein and a zombie had a baby. And then that baby got drunk and tried to mambo.

I couldn't stop myself from smiling as I watched him thrash and clunk across the room. He moved with the enthusiasm and confidence that one only possesses when they know they are a good dancer. When he noticed me smiling at him he got a huge grin on his face and said "I told you I knew how to mambo!"

Then he mamboed his way over to the couch and sat down to read again.

Can we all agree that we'll never tell him that he dances like a drunken zombie baby? I couldn't bear the lose of cuteness that would occur.

One year ago I was in peak physical condition.
Two years ago today I was terrified of ET. I still am.
Five years ago today I got a belly.

If I can make it there I can .... never make it there

My family is planning a trip to New York. It's very exciting/terrifying. We've never been before (other than the one time we were and that hardly counts because we were there for less than 24 hours and I spent the entire time trying to appear casual) so it will be a fun new experience for all of us. I'm a little overwhelmed by all the options there are for things to do so right now I'm just trying to decide on a few main things. Here's what I've got so far:

1. Visit the World of Nintendo store. This is for Joseph's benefit. We'll be in New York during his birthday so there's no way I can say no to this.
2. See the Lion King on Broadway. Duh.
3. Baby snuggling.
4. Avoiding the subway like the plague because I am scared of it. Not scared in the "someone will rob me and pee on me way". More in the "we'll get so lost that we'll somehow end up in a dead end tunnel and we won't be able to find our way out and we'll have to eat pigeons to survive because I know so little about subways that I don't even really get that they're underground and there won't be a lot of pigeons around so we'll starve but I'll be to scared to ask anyone for help because I'm sure that if I do they'll notice our pasty white skin and tendency to adorably elongate our O sounds and they peg us as out-of-towners and they'll rob us and pee on us" way.
5. Visit the Museum of Natural History.

You would think a trip to new York would be no big deal for someone as cosmopolitan (ha!) as me but I'll let you in on a little secret: I'm totally neurotic when it comes to doing new things. Another secret? I can't keep a secret. I'm going to be in New York for 47 seconds before I'm standing on a street corner and yelling "I'm just a naive tourist! Please take pity on me! My cash and credit cards are in the side pocket of my purse!"

Oh my god you guys. I am going to die in New York.

Three years ago today this blog was the place to be when looking for giant schlongs.
Four years ago today I talked about shit.
Five years ago today I diagnosed myself with CHOFS.

Wear shoes if you use my bathroom

Jesse and I recently had a loud, angry argument that tested the limits of our marriage.

It was about eye boogers. Elle's eye boogers to be exact.

A little while back Elle was brushing her teeth and she swallowed some spit a little funny. Ever since then she's become convinced that she's going to choke when she brushes her teeth. Hence, teeth brushing time has become a group effort with Jesse and I both trying to encourage/cajole/force her to brush her teeth.

So a few nights ago the three of us were in the bathroom. Elle and I were standing net to each other and Jesse was sitting on the floor. As we were going through the usual "Oh for fracks sake, just brush your teeth already!" routine Jesse picked an eye booger out of Elle's eye and put it on the bathroom rug!

Oh my god! Eye booger! On the rug! Where I stand with my bare feet when I get out of the shower! Eye booger!

Because I am a calm, rational adult I presented my concerns to Jesse in a calm, rational way.

My argument: "Gross! You just flung an eye booger onto the rug! That's so disgusting!"
Jesse's counter-argument: "I didn't fling it. I wiped it."
My counter-counter-argument: long befuddled silence
Jesse's counter-counter-counter argument: "You're saying I flung it and I didn't!"
My counter-counter-counter-counter argument: "Are you serious? That is the biggest missing of the point ever. I don't care how exactly the eye booger got there. I'm just upset that it's there. The bathroom rug is not a giant tissue for you to wipe things on!"
Jesse's counter-counter-counter-counter-counter argument: "You're the one who keeps saying I flung it! Don't say I flung it when I didn't!* And anyway, it was just a little piece."

And it just got worse from there.** We've been married almost 11 years now. Maybe we ought to be applauded for finding new and creative things to fight about. Or maybe Jesse should not be allowed within 20 feet of a bathroom rug.

*Apparently you can tell Jesse he's gross and disgusting but don't you dare say that he flings things.

**To be honest, there was already some tension brewing before this argument. Jesse had neglected to buy me anything for my birthday and I wasn't exactly a happy camper about the situation. I'm over it now.***

*** Well, I was over it until some friends of ours gave me a belated birthday present of two bottles of wine and Jesse dropped one of them. And he dropped it in such a way that it first hit the tail light of my car and broke it. No, I am not joking. I guess I should be glad he didn't pick up the glass shards of the bottle and grind them in my face. Best. Birthday. Ever!

One year ago today I didn't want to get the swine flu.
Two years ago today I took a picture of the tiniest spider ever.
Five years ago today I wanted candy.

The cutest thing Elle has ever said

I'm still pumping milk for the twins. This morning I was moving a bunch of it from the freezer in the house to the large freezer in the garage. Elle watched me the whole time and when I was done she said "Mama? You maked all that ice cream for the babies?"

One year ago today I wanted a garden.
Two years ago today my kids had some thoughts about my eyebrows.
Four years ago today Jesse said the lamest thing ever.

The Birthday list - Year 33

When I turned 29 I posted a list of 29 things random things about myself. I've updated it every year. This is the version for this year. The original things are in black, the previous updates are in red and this year's are in blue. It's the most complicated list of random things ever!

1- I still have 2 baby teeth in my mouth. I don't' have any permanent teeth to replace them.
2- I'm allergic to the skin on apples. Also almonds. They make the roof of my mouth itch and my tongue feel numb.
3- I have never, in my entire life, purchased a tomato, an olive or a mushroom.
4- I close as I can remember I have moved about 15 times in my life. Make that 16.
5- I've had surgery to correct a lazy eye.
6- I almost always remember my dreams.
7- The only video games I have ever beaten are Theme Hospital and Kingdom Hearts. And Kingdom Hearts II.
8- The person I would most like to meet in the whole world is the Dalai Lama. Scratch that. I most want to meet Rachel Maddow.
9- My favorite poem is "Annabelle Lee" by Poe.
10- My secret guilty pleasure is watching Starting Over. That's not even on anymore. Now my secret guilty pleasure is porn VH-1 reality tv.
11- I like to take two Double Stuffed Oreos, take one part of the cookie off each and then stick them together to make quadruple stuffed Oreos.
12- My secret wish and ambition is to own a dog sled team and compete in the Alaskan Iditarod. (That's right, I hate the cold and physical activity of almost all kinds and I want to compete in the most challenging sled dog race ever.)
13- I'm still afraid of things hiding under my bed so when I go to bed I try to get in from as far away as possible so that nothing can reach out and grab my ankles.
14- Whenever I go to see a movie I forget what I'm there to see during the previews.
15- I used to have a huge paper doll collection and I sold it at a garage sale (probably for $1). I would kill to have those paper dolls back.
16- I often imagine what it would be like to shave my head.
17- Although I've never been stung I am terrified of bees.
18- I don't own a pair of winter boots.
19- I have a hard time sleeping without socks on, even in the summer.
20- I would like to have 4 more children. All boys. Oh my god! What was I thinking? Four more? I most days I can't even handle the ones I have. Two is plenty thank you very much.
21- I think Paris Hilton and Bratz dolls are destroying little girls in America. I don't blame Paris anymore. Now I blame Sean Hannity. And Glenn Beck.
22- I hate romantic comedies (not including Love Actually).
23- When I was a kid and I had to clean my room I would pretend that I was a maid cleaning the room of a rich kid. I would talk to myself in a British accent. I still do this.
24- I always drive the speed limit.
25- I believe in ghosts. Sort of. I am becoming more of a skeptic as I get older.
26- I think hot chocolate is gross unless it has peppermint schnapps in it.
27- If I could only eat one food for the next year it would be my mom's fettuccine. (Of course I would weigh about 400 pounds at the end of the first year....)
28- Tom Hanks is my favorite actor and Kate Winslet is my favorite actress.
29- If I could have any job in the whole world I would like to be an Imagineer. Or maybe a lactation consultant. Or maybe a doula.
30- I make my own wine. Sort of. I have bought the stuff needed to make my own wine.
31- As a kid the toy I wanted more than anything was the Playmobil Victorian Mansion. I covet it still. I will probably buy it someday.
32- I have been the captain of a Relay for Life team twice.
33- I have delivered 29 pounds and 7 ounces of baby.

One year ago today it was my birthday.
Two year ago today it was my birthday and I wrote a list that sort of depresses me now.
Three years ago today it was my birthday.
Four years ago today it was my birthday and I posted the original list without spell checking it.
Five years ago today (huge surprise) it was my birthday.

Today I am sad

I've spent the last 36 hours in three modes: about to cry, crying, recovering from crying.

You know what? Add one more. Hiding the fact that I'm crying so that Jesse won't worry about me.

On Sunday my IFs flew home with The Boy and The Girl so on Saturday Jesse and I went to visit them and say goodbye. We got a hotel room near where my IF's were staying thinking that we would make the night into a nice, relaxing night away from the kids.

The visit itself was nice. We brought the babies Minnesota Twins onesies and a bunch of breast milk \. We went out to eat and Jesse had a turducken burger. I ate ice cream and drank wine and snuggled the babies. When it got late I kissed the babies goodbye and hugged the guys goodbye and made them promise about 20 times to send pictures and stay in touch.

As Jesse and I walked back to our hotel I was feeling pretty good, happy about how everything had gone. When we got back to our hotel room I sat down on the bed and Jesse asked me how I was feeling. I immediately burst into tears. Since then I've been crying once about every 14.7 minutes.

As I've explained to Jesse several times I'm not crying because of regret (because I have none) or a longing to have the babies back (because, no) but rather because I'm sad the whole thing is over with. For the past year the pregnancy, the babies and the guys have been a huge part of my life and now? It's just done.

I miss the babies. I don't have any maternal feelings towards them but I'm not a robot. I carried them and nurtured them for nine months. After they were born I held them and kissed their foreheads and tickled The Boy's double chin and teased The Girl's hair into a mohawk. I miss them.

I miss the guys. They're amazing people and wonderful fathers and I consider myself lucky to know them. Without surrogacy I never would have met them so now when people ask me why I am a surrogate I can add "meeting super cool people" to the long list of ways surrogacy has benefited me. We shared something pretty special and along the way I really came to care about them. Jesse likes them, the kids like them, I like them. They seemed to like me. I miss them.

I miss being pregnant. I miss feeling The Boy hiccuping when I tried to sleep at night. I miss seeing The Girl's arms moving around at the top of my tummy. I miss waddling when I walk and maternity clothes and heartburn and craving chocolate cake. When I was pregnant I got to play a part in building a family. I'm sad that's done now.

Not all the tears I'm shedding are sad ones. There's a lot of sweet to help even out the bitter. The babies are loved and adored beyond reason. The guys have the family they had been wanting for so long. I'm proud of myself for carrying and delivering two big, healthy babies. My family and I are enjoying the benefits of surrogacy, both the financial one and the ones that are a little harder to put into words. I know that as time passed the sweet will remain and the bitter will fade away. I know that part of the reason I'm sadder at the end of this surrogacy than I was at the last one is that the good parts have been so much better this time around. That in it's self is something to be happy about.

But...

But today I am sad.

Two years ago today I played in the snow with my new camera.
Three years ago today Elle had a cookie.
Four years ago today I made fun of people.

Weight loss tips that really, really work

Here I am two weeks post-partum and this morning I was able to put on a pair of pre-pregnancy jeans. And zip them. Woot!

Then I immediately took them off and slipped into some maternity yoga pants because just because one can wear pre-pregnancy jeans doesn't mean one should. Especially if one wishes to breath.

I've lost all of the baby weight. I think this makes me a weight loss expert. I don't want to keep all of my knowledge to myself so I'm going to share some tips with you now. Seriously, all of this worked for me.

1. Instead of having one baby, have two! It's a lot easier to get a head start on losing the baby weight when you lose 12.5 pounds just by giving birth.

2. Have people bring you dinners and come to your house and make you breakfast. Make sure that as many of the meals as possible are cheese based. Homemade mac & cheese, tater tot casserole and pizza boats are all good options.

3. Try to get a lot of sleep. Nap all the time. If you're feeling up to it do something strenuous like take a shower and then nap again. For added weight loss success whine to everyone who will listen about how tired you are. Be thankful that you don't have to care for two babies on top of all the whining you're doing.

4. Pump breast milk. Do it even it if you hate it. Ignore the fact that you always smell slightly like baby spit up and that everything in your house somehow ends up splattered with milk. Do it. Don't give up just because you're embarrassed that you start to lactate every time you hear a small appliance motor turn on. Remind yourself that someday you want to fit into your underwear again and then keep at it.

5. Watch the Discovery Channel and Investigation Discovery every chance you get. Cry a little bit every time you see the preview for the new season of Deadliest Catch. You will lose so much water weight via the tears you shed over Captain Phil!

So there you have it. These are all scientifically proven tips based on ...
science ... and stuff. I'm totally going to patent them and start a weight loss center and make a million dollars that I will spend on chocolate.

One year ago today Joseph saved the planet.
One years ago today we went to the zoo.