Twin Talk

If you missed this video that was aired on ABC news last night and GMA this morning, you must watch it now!  Of course as a mother of twins, I think this is hysterical!  I already have been witness to Lilly and Diana's shared language and you have seen my videos to prove their synchronization.  I am going to have to start pulling my camera out more often to capture our own little conversations on video!!

Our Anniversary!

Three years ago today Matt and I tied the knot!  Which means on Thursday we should be jetting off to our honeymoon in Hawaii.  IF ONLY...!!

If you are one who does not know the story of how Matt and I met, you are about to be fully enlightened.  Or you can just skip to the video at the bottom of us tying the knot.

In May 2005, Matt and I were set up on a 'friendly' blind date by our mutual friends Dani and Grant.  The reason I say 'friendly' is because the set up was more to do with the fact that both Matt and I graduated from IU and then moved to Washington DC for jobs, neither of us knowing very many people in the DC area.  Matt had graduated a year after I did, so we never crossed paths.  Or actually, apparently we did cross paths once which Matt unfortunately remembers but I do not as I apparently was not feeling well (at 2am in Kilroys) and had my head on a table.  We obviously never made eye contact, nor would I have remembered the next day if we had.

Fast forward to the night we really met.  Matt had picked me up from my apartment in Georgetown and we had drinks down by the waterfront at a restaurant called Sequoia.  From the moment I met him there was never a dull in conversation.  For all who know Matt, that's shocking, isn't it?  We soon realized that we both knew a ton of the same people (the wildest being my cousin Kelly who Matt knew really well in college.)  I went on and on about my amazing family and where I grew up and blah blah blah.  We closed down the restaurant in conversation that night.  I was the happiest girl in the world and am not sure what I expected from this 1st 'date', but it didn't matter...life was good!  Until....

...the very next day I got a phone call from my dad telling me that he had been diagnosed with cancer.  My world had been rocked, and there forever went the happiest girl in the world.  I am not even sure I would have remembered Matt after that phone call, but he didn't give me much time to forget as he had placed his 1st post-date phone call to me about one hour after finding out my dad's news.  I then relayed the news to Matt, fully expecting him to run far FAR away as fast as he could; but instead, he offered to come over.  I politely declined, preferring my friend Eileen's shoulder instead.  But Matt, the kindest hearted person I know, never let a day go by without calling.  And (very) quickly, he became my confidante and best friend and so so SO much more throughout some of the darkest days/weeks/months/years ahead.

Two years after we met, in August 2007, we got engaged at Sequoia, the place we 1st met; in September 2007 we both were moved back in Indiana; in October 2007 we bought a dog; in February 2008 we bought our 1st house; in March 2008 we got MARRIED; in February 2009 my mom was diagnosed with cancer; in June 2009 we found out we were expecting; in July 2009 we found out we were expecting TWINS; in December 2009 we lost my parents; in February 2010 we welcomed our beautiful baby girls into the world; and today, in March 2011, in the haze of raising twins, we continue to make our lives as stupidly crazy and chaotic as ever.  But that's what makes us work, and after everything we've been through, we know nothing could tear us apart.

To quote my dad as he was giving me away to Matt on our wedding day, which he thoughtfully had later written out so I would never forget, "I've had a great 29 years with you but the best times are ahead of you with Matt."  How true this statement ended up becoming.  I look forward to all of what lies ahead for Matt and I!

And finally, here is a clip of our wedding video.  This clip is as much as I have been able to watch from our wedding video...not quite ready for that yet.  We had chosen the song "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts for our 1st dance.  A perfect song for us still today.

ENJOY!!

Matt and Lauren Wedding Video

Our New(est) Addition

Yes, that is a minivan you are seeing, and it is officially the newest member of the Bajorek clan!!

As many of you know, we went the giant, oversized SUV route before the girls were born which we thought would be perfect for two kids, one dog, and double the baby equipment.  At that point I wouldn't have been caught dead in a minivan!  I mean, I was going to be a hip mom of twins cruising along in my SUV, pretty much doing everything I did before just with two kids in tow.  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Seriously.

Don't get me wrong, we could have lived a happy life with our SUV, but the little conveniences of a modern-day minivan were consuming my mind (you mean I don't HAVE to do the shoulder-back-butt maneuver to open and close the doors with both kids in my arms multiple times a day?!)  And pretty much since the day we brought the girls home after they were born I was pining for one.  It didn't come until after we switched from the infant carriers to the slightly more annoying and difficult big girl car seats that I really stepped up my game and BEGGED Matt to make the trade.  And finally, after we made sure that other thirty-some year olds would also be seen behind the wheel of these unfortunate looking vehicles, we made the trade!  Goodbye forever my giant beast.  Hellooooooooo swagger wagon!

A minor example of the greatness of this vehicle is that I can open both doors to the minivan from inside the house.  Just this fine feature eliminates many near death experiences each time we leave the house as I am always struggling to keep both toddlers safe in my arms as I open that 1st car door.  The odds of me dropping one of the girls on her head in her lifetime just decreased dramatically!

Anyway, enough about my car crush.  Onto our weekend....

On Friday, Krista, Courtney and Addie came up to Indy to spend the afternoon at the Children's Museum, (aka, Dora'land; aka, Addie's version of Heaven.)  We were terrified to find out upon arrival that every kid under the age of 12 in the entire United States had also decided to hit up the museum on this exact day at this exact second (oh right, us parents of youngsters forgot there was such a thing as spring break.)  Luckily I was a member so we were able to bypass nearly everyone in line and only ended up waiting a mere 30 minutes.

Once upstairs and officially in the Dora exhibit, things were surprisingly less chaotic and all three girls had a great time!  As true to Diana's personality as of her one year birthday (the day the girls officially swapped personalities), she left me the second she got on her feet and was tearing the place apart, never once looking back to see where I was.  Lilly, who is now the shy and more hesitant one, always had to be sure I was close by, and when she couldn't eye me, tears would flow.  And Addie, well that girl wouldn't have noticed if the devil was following her...she was on a mission!

This was my 1st outing to the museum where both girls were walking, so thankfully Courtney was along to help!  It definitely makes me nervous for my next solo outing.  These pictures are pretty poor quality because they were taken from my phone.

All three girls waiting patiently in line.

Diana posing for a picture with some character that I do not yet know.

"Excuse me while I butt into your cute family of 3 to plant some flowers in your garden."  

Lilly is not so excited that I am behind the camera and not behind her. 

Look how tiny Diana looks compared to this other boy!  However, she did not shy away from a challenge! 

Lilly came in to join in the fun!  

Both girls playing together (separately!)  

Lunchtime!!  I still can't believe I have two mobile kiddos!  Luckily they both still walk a little like penguins so keeping up isn't too difficult - YET!

The rest of our weekend was spent with friends, a pre-wedding-anniversary movie and dinner for Matt and I, and today Matt kindly kicked me out of the house (to lessen the guilt when he mentioned the words "baseball draft" to me) so I got to spend the day getting a pedicure and shopping with Mindy and Wags.  I wish Matt had a baseball draft every Sunday!  (KIDDING!  TOTALLY KIDDING!)

Also this weekend, I officially canceled my gym membership.  I am sure you were all dying for another gym update.  On my cancelation form the guy wrote in the comments section, "Kids did not adjust to childcare."  More like, "Kids would rather DIE than come back to this torture chamber."

Birthday Weekend

As evidenced in the below picture, I celebrated my big 23rd birthday this past weekend!

Ok, you got me, those wrinkles do not belong to a 23 year old but actually a ripe 32 year old.  However, I don't feel a day older than 73!

Luckily, I am not one to get worked up about turning another year older and I especially welcomed this birthday b/c it was the 1st one in a long time that could really be celebrated.  My 30th was really awful and not worth re-living and my 31st was spent in a delirious haze of one month old twins, and when I really go further back I actually think my 28th and 29th birthdays sucked as well!  I know, "Boo-freaking-hoo, Lauren."

I think Matt realized my bad birthday karma because I told him so because he certainly made it extra special this year...buying me flowers, gifts, taking over twin duty, and even letting Court and I shop while he strolled Lil and Di around the mall.  Courtney had gotten back from her spring break in Key West (brat :) so she was able to stay with us all weekend, and we also were able to meet up with Krista, Addie and Ellie for lunch.

Later that evening we had Elaine babysit so we could head to dinner with the Albrights, Pulleys and Stephensons.  Poor Elaine was welcomed into our home by two very unhappy toddlers and apparently they stayed that way for the next 2 hours.  She said that they were screaming so loud she was afraid the neighbors were going to call the cops and she was going to be deported back to Portugal. :)  That's what I love about her...her brutal honesty!  (And the fact that she is AMAZING with my girls!)

Thanks to all who sent birthday messages and helped me celebrate the big day!

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On a more serious note, I wanted to share this website for my sister-in-law's dad who has recently become quite ill.  Mark and Steph and particularly Stephs' dad, Pete, could use your thoughts and prayers.  Pete is in a fight for his life (that I am boldly going to say he appears to be winning!)  Considering what Mark and Steph just had to go through with my parents, I know they could use any amount of support and encouragement as possible.

Caring Bridge Website for Pete Graudins

Spring Fever

Surviving 1st full winter with twins?  CHECK!!  

I have concluded that jail and winter have a lot in common, although I have never actually spent a night in jail so I believe that winter is worse.

Thank you, sunshine, for shining light back onto our lives!!  We (obviously) cannot get enough of you!

Are we divas, or what? (Lil pushing Di) 

Lilly was quite the social butterfly on this outing, waving 'hi' to everyone she saw.  I actually think she is saying, "No more autographs, please!"

Diana's turn behind the wheel.  Watch out...she's a fast one!

Later on that evening, we took yet another walk while we anxiously waited for daddy to come home from his business trip!

Today we headed to Holliday Park to play and picnic. 

Mind you, it's 55 degrees - not exactly picnic weather unless you are as desperate for fresh air and something to do as I am!

Another day in the life of a diva.  Miss Lil, Queen on her throne. 

Di and all her diva'ness.

Weekend Recap: Birthday Celebrations

We headed to Jasper this past weekend for two separate birthday bashes:  the 4 year old Thomas and the 86 year young grandma Lila!

Thomas' party was at the newly renovated Cabby O'Neill Gymnasium where the girls had all kinds of room to show off their new walking skills.  Di is nearly always found on her two feet but Lilly still favors crawling; however, the pressure is on and I have a feeling she will step it up fairly quickly.

Feeding Lilly & Diana pizza and breadsticks on the gymnasium floor.

Lilly, Matt and Diana taking a time-out in the bleachers

After the party we headed over to Mike and Maureen's where we were staying and prepared them for their evening babysitting duties.  This entailed one thing:  keeping up with twins!  Trust me, this was a piece of cake after raising four spunky kids of their own.  The girls absolutely loved the stairs at Maureen's and I am pretty sure between the four of them they conquered 700 flights of stairs.  I think it is safe to say that Maureen and Mike got their workout for the day. I wish I had taken pictures!

The festivities for grandma Lila's birthday kicked off at Tom and Cindy's gorgeous new cabin then it was off to French Lick for a nice dinner at 1875.  After dinner and lots of wine, it was time for speeches, or should I say tales from grandma's past?!  There were 32 of us at this dinner, so there were lots of tales!  My all-time favorite was one I have heard several times - when grandma had Roger and Scott (the twins who came after SIX other boys), her and grandpa left them in the hospital after birth while they took the other kids on a vacation to Cincinnati for a WEEK!  Roger asked if I would ever dare have done that after I gave birth to my own twins, and my response was, "if I had known then what I know now........!" and an across-the-table high-five to grandma Lila!  The other thing I learned was that grandpa Jerry was less than thrilled each time Andrea and I begged to spend the night at their house and grandma would have said yes.  I had no idea...I thought he loved having two obnoxious 10 year olds crawling into the pantry at all hours of the night searching for the best new snack and then waking up bright and early ready for them to cook us breakfast!

The obvious conclusion of all speeches was that grandma did one heck of an amazing job raising one heck of an amazing family and I am very lucky to be a part of it!  Oh yeah, and that the baton has been passed and the girls now rule the Seger family, per Emily!

This only represents half of the grandchildren!  Back row:  Mark, Adam, me, Phil, Andy, Chris, Andrea, Emily, Jen; Front row:  Abby, Grandma, Kaitlin and Courtney

The 'out-laws' (Matt buttering up to grandma Lila just in time to hit some slots)  Brad, Krista, Brent, Eric, Alina, Joe, Steph, Audrey, Grandma, Matt

Jennifer, me, Emily, Andrea and Abby

The mom's group:  me, Krista, Jennifer and Audrey

Girls on one side...boys on the other!  

Me and Abby with the guest of honor!

Maureen had informed me that the girls did pretty good on Saturday night, so I was very happy to hear that!  On Sunday, after they had gotten so much of a workout from Mike and Maureen on Sat. night and after we all devoured some delicious blueberry pancakes, they slept the ENTIRE trip from Jasper back to Indy!  Unfortunately, Maureen, this means we will never be making another trip to Jasper without coming to your house and burning some energy on those stairs...and ummm...eating more of those pancakes!  THANK YOU!

Note to Self

Do not ever take your 1 year old twins by yourself without babies' daddy or another kid-free adult to a semi-trendy but not totally un-kid-friendly cafe at lunchtime on a Friday where a stroller cannot fit therefore you are lugging both kids in your arms from down the street because there is not one parking space available and then you are trying to hold them both while you wait 20 min. for a table and your twins had decided to forego their morning nap and it's past their lunchtime so they are starving and Twin A melts down in hysterics and uses all 23 pounds of her being to wrestle out of your arms while you are also holding Twin B along with a diaper bag and two snack cups and you can't let either twin down because neither is capable of standing without wanting to crawl around on this semi-trendy restaurant's floor and people are staring at you without hiding their sympathy and you are trying to shut Twin A up with all the bribery items you made sure to pack including but not limited to raisins, goldfish, pacifiers, sippy cups and a tube of lip gloss all the while you wind up publicly humiliating yourself and your friend and her son who you abruptly bid farewell to the second you finally got seated because Twin A made it very clear she was not accepting bribes today and hated your guts and you furiously calmly walk out of the restaurant while leaving Twin A's coat behind and she continues to wrestle you like an alligator as you walk out the door with Twin A under one arm and Twin B under the other arm and you are using all your might not to drop both of them on their heads in the middle of the intersection while you are sure the entire restaurant is watching you from the window.

And I thought the gym was hard.

Sorry Jackie and Will.  Lunch in my kitchen next Friday is on us.

P.S. I need wine.

Breakfast of Champions & Gym Day #5

Multiple choice question:  What do you think my girls chose to eat for this morning's breakfast?

A.  Wheaties

B.  Oatmeal

C.  Yogurt

D.  Iams Lamb & Rice Dog Food

I am guessing all of you answered this one correctly....the answer is D:  dog food.

How did this happen?  I was in the family room addressing two cards that I needed to mail while the girls meandered into the kitchen.  Not unusual and I took note to give them 2 minutes before I checked on them.  However, I was captivated by more Charlie Sheen saga on the news (I mean, really...who isn't?) and lost track of my 2 minutes.  All of a sudden I was jolted out of my trance by something far worse than children's screams...complete and utter silence.  This only meant one thing:  Trouble with a capital T.  I hurried my way into the kitchen and was horrified at the sight of both Lilly and Diana with handfuls, and yes, mouthfuls, of dog food!  I, without thinking of the consequences, screamed at the top of my lungs, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"  I screamed so loud that I literally made Lilly jump and her and Diana confessed their hatred to me for the next hour and a half.  What is even more horrifying is that when I first caught them they were happily chowing (pun intended) the dog food and even smiled at me with big soggy wet dog food grins.  ICK!! ICK!!  ICK!!

After screaming, removing the dog food from their hands and mouths, I then ran to get the camera.  This is an event that could not go undocumented!

Diana won't eat pancakes, but she sure did love her big bowl of Iams! (Notice the remnants still on the mat.)

Lilly is looking at me like I just took a chocolate cupcake out of her hand!  It's DOG FOOD Lilly!  You are not a dog!

And now on to my next big screw up of the week:  gym day #5.  Let me tell you what is worse than being paged over the intercom every single time you are there...NOT being paged over the intercom while someone else is being summoned to the childcare center but hearing MY girls screaming in the background!!  Yes, that is right.  That would be like getting a babysitter so you can go shopping but taking the baby monitor with you to the mall.  Uncool.  I actually watched as people giggled at the sounds of children in hysterics over the intercom.  By all means, I would too if I knew they WEREN'T MY KIDS.

I later found out the reason I could hear my girls' screams is because each of the instructors had to hold Lilly and Diana the entire 45 min. I was gone, so they were holding the girls as they were making the announcement.  So, gym day #5 = another BIG FAT FAIL.  (Diana, my dear, you get more like a C+.  Lilly, sweet angel, you get an F.)

Walk of Shame

No, not the kind where you are caught walking through campus in last night's clothes.  That was so yesterday (and so not my style. :)  Today's walk of shame refers to the walk from the treadmill to the childcare center after your name is announced again over the intercom.  Same head hanging low, same amount of humiliation, same pity from fellow onlookers.

To explain, these past few weeks it has been my mission to begin the socialization process of my sweet leg-clinging totally dependent mommy's girls.  Why are my girls such leg-clingers?  Because they love and adore me.  Plain and simple.  Oh yeah, and because they are around me all day/everyday with the exception of 5 hours on Wednesdays.  They know no different.

It had been nearly 5 months since we'd been to the gym because of Diana's hospitalization and my reluctance to return during the germiest months of the year, so I knew our 1st few visits may be ugly, but I was determined to give it a go.  We have now been 4 times.  And none of them even resemble any form of beauty.

Day #1:  All the familiar faces from before were still there, which reassured me immediately.  I set the girls down in the middle of 1,000 toys and they were instantly distracted.  I snuck away and hoped for the best.  Twenty minutes later over the intercom:  "Paging all Lifetime members, will Lauren Bajorek please come to the childcare center?"  (Even though they form that as a question, it's totally a statement of urgency.)  My 1st trip down the Walk of Shame.  I thought, "Please please PLEASE let it be a poopy diaper!"  But when I opened the door to the childcare center, my hope of a big blowout diaper was diminished as I heard the earth-shattering wails from both Lilly and Diana.  Earth.  Shattering.  I picked both up and not only were they fine the second I picked them up, Lilly started laughing and was begging to be put down to play with her toys.  Diana followed suit, and for the next 30 minutes we all played in the childcare center.  Me, Lilly, Diana and 6 other well-behaved toddlers.  Awesome.

Day #2:  I set them down again, surrounded by 4,000 toys this time, and jetted off.  I heard some whimpering but hoped for the best.  I headed straight upstairs to a treadmill, set it for 20 minutes and was assured I would get at least that much time.  Twelve minutes later I hear, "Paging all Lifetime members..."  Dear God this cannot be for me already?!  "...will Lauren Bajorek please come to the childcare center?"  I cannot write the expletives that were rolling around in my head as I again walked the shame off.  This time, I didn't need to open the doors before I heard the same earth-shattering wails - I heard them from down the hall.  I walked in and saw the helpless instructors trying so desperately to calm the girls, but I knew as well as they did there was no hope.  Fifteen minutes and a lot of work later, I finally calmed them down enough to once again enjoy my workout on the floor of the childcare center.  Me, Lilly, Diana, and all the other toddlers.  Awesome.

Day #3:  This visit came after a trip to the pediatrician not for the purpose of asking how to break my girls of their clinginess, but I made a point to ask anyway.  After assuring me "it's just a stage" that is heightened by being children of a stay-at-home mom, she recommended staying in the childcare center with them for a day so they get acquainted to the environment.  So, Day #3 my workout was once again spent in the childcare center playing with Lilly and Diana while saving some random child from hitting some other random child on the head with a plastic banana, then trying to sneak behind the big toy kitchen to see if L & D could get along without me.  That always lasted 30 seconds until Lil would let out a big wail.  Diana by this point is all over the floor having the time of her life, but when Lilly starts to roar, Diana follows suit.  And that is where the problem lies.  They feed off each other.  There are two of them and two full-time staff who cannot spend my entire workout holding my two girls when there are 10 other toddlers to tend to.  Luckily, the instructors are encouraging and told me they have never had a parent cancel her membership because her child(ren) did not eventually adjust.  So, my mission continues and we proceed to Day #4.

(Public Service Announcement:  Lilly and Diana have officially swapped personalities.  A blog entry confirming this announcement will be posted at a later date.)

Day #4:  This time I told the instructors that they can let Lilly and Diana cry for as long as they can handle it.  Luckily, there were only 3 other tots there, and they were all older, so the attention was given to L & D.  The instructors are as determined to conquer this mission as I am.  I headed up to a treadmill, set it again for 20 min., the entire 20 minutes I spent watching the clock and holding my breath each time the music stopped waiting for my name to be announced over the intercom.  Halleluja!  The 20 minutes were up and then came a 5 minute cool-down (do I really need a cool-down after walking at a pace of 3.5 for 20 minutes and burning 44 calories?), and I STILL had not been paged.  Wow!  Could this mean that Lilly and Diana are actually..."Paging all Lifetime members, will Lauren Bajorek please come to the childcare center."  RATS!!!  Hello Walk of Shame.  We meet again.  One look at L & D and I knew instantly that they had bawled the entire 35 minutes.  Every single second of it.  They had cried so hard that they were still gasping for air when we arrived home 30 minutes later.

To conclude, I have spent 4 hours getting the girls ready and fed each day + the 25 minute drive each way x 8 trips + lots of whining and objecting = 7 1/2 hours and a headache vs. my total workout of 1 hr. and 2 min. and exactly zero sit-ups.  Awesome.  Can't wait for Day #5!

Playing like big girls on our big girl table!  They are growing up too fast!

Officially obsessed with sitting in the big girl chairs.

Diana's favorite thing in the WORLD is snack time.  And oranges.

Lilly giving 'baby a hug'!

Along with polishing our socialization skills, we have also been working on our table manners.  Here is the 1st time I introduced 'the spoon' to L & D.  They obviously find their fingers to be a much better means of shoveling food in their mouths.  I too find that to be the case for the time being...it is hard teaching etiquette to two quick eaters!

We officially have a walker!!  YAY for Diana!!





And we also have a new game that daddy loves to play with Lilly.  I don't even know what to call this...child abuse?

Our New Tricks!

Or as I later realized, mostly Diana's new tricks!  Once Lil starts to feel better, I will be sure to present you with her new tricks as well...when she actually does them in front of the camera.  Diana is definitely eating up the camera these days!

TRICK #1:  Patty Cake, High Five, and then face planting.





TRICK #2:  Perfecting the "Burger pout". 
(Sorry Burgers, that's what Matt calls it!  You can thank me and my mom for that, although I do think we are far less dramatic than D & L!)

So dramatic for girls of such a young age!!

Diana



Lilly



TRICK #3:  Tug-of-war.





TRICK #4:  Walking!!

Diana and Lil are neck and neck when it comes to walking, but for some reason every time I pull the camera out to get some of Lil's steps, she immediately starts crawling.  We still have some time before they are fully on those two (more like four) feet, but I know it won't be long!  This is Miss Diana's walking debut!




Saving the best for last: 

TRICK #5:  Synchronized...umm...rolling?

I have no idea how I happened to capture this on film, but I think it's hilarious!  Perhaps L & D have a future in a synchronized swimming?  Lil needs to work on sticking that landing instead of sticking her foot in Di's mouth.  (P.S. Please ignore the music in the background.  It was music hour at the Bajorek household and Buffalo Gals was the song of the moment.  Is this really a kids song?)