Pity party of one

Cheers, originally uploaded by A-Wix.

Not much to say tonight except that I miss my wife, I am intimidated by the list of tasks on the Get The House Ready To Sell List, I wish I could've had a long holiday weekend, and I'm hoping I can keep it together next spring when the twins (we'll call them Skeeter and Skipper) arrive, while simultaneously finishing my last rotation, studying for the boards, graduating, looking for a job, and looking for a house.

I am not dreading the arrival of that maelstrom, but rather wondering how I can thrive in it, not just survive it. I feel like it's going to be a rapid transition to wearing the big boy pants. I will not be the freeloading student, contentedly letting my wife bring home the bacon like she's done for the last three years while I've been "studying" in "grad school." Instead it will be my turn to take my place as Man of the House and provide for my family.

I don't want to just get through that crazy span of time. I want to be a really good dad from the get-go. I want to look back at that crazy span of time and say that I kicked its ass.

Cue the Rocky theme and time to punch some sides of beef. I'm the best around. Nothin's gonna ever bring me down.

Thanksgiving

A birthday quilt to celebrate family, originally uploaded by A-Wix.

Today the twins hit the 14-week marker. According to a weekly email from a website that apparently knows about such things, our babies are roughly the size of lemons. I have citrus children.

This year brings a new meaning to thankfulness. I am grateful that we have two healthy, growing children tucked safely in their mother's womb. I am thankful that Anna is healthy also and does everything and more to ensure she stays healthy for the babies. I am thankful that we have access to quality prenatal healthcare. I am grateful that our friends and family have been so supportive and generous already, offering things that they may regret when I take them up on it.

I am grateful for my wife, my best friend, my companion. She and I are several states apart this Thanksgiving and frankly, I don't like it. Circumstances didn't allow us to be together this year but she is taking advantage of an opportunity to celebrate with a side of her family she doesn't get to see often. She will also get to show of her babies bump to her relatives for the first time. And she will present this wonderful handmade quilt to her grandmother in celebration of her 90th birthday.

Don't pity me, however. I will enjoy my family's company tomorrow, enjoying delicious food and going hoarse trying to talk over each other and laughing heartily. Too bad we couldn't mush these two celebrations into one mega-Thanksgiving.

Be thankful, everyone, and be safe. If I haven't seen you lately, give yourself a hug from me and know that I miss you.

Time to begin to say goodbye

How does your garden grow?
Originally uploaded by A-Wix

We officially decided to sell our house today. We couldn't resist the perfect market conditions and sky-high housing prices and...wait, what?

This isn't 2006? The housing market did WHAT?

Shit.

Regardless, we had considered selling for a while, and due to the soon-to-be rapidly expanding clan, our time table has been bumped up several months. We want to get our house on the market lickety split which means we gotsta get a fresh coat of paint on the walls.

We've been here about six years and seen lots of things happen in that time. As much as I would love some more space, I'm going to miss this place. It has been a great home for us.

Know of anyone in the market for a lovely cozy tudor style in St. Paul?

Twelve weeks

We are humming along smoothly and Mama is getting bigger by the day.

The Nausea seems to be finally giving up and going home, but The Fatigue apparently didn't read the invitation all the way through and has stayed way past its welcome. Seriously, Fatigue. Bugger off.

Things we are currently pondering:

Should we try to sell the house now instead of waiting until spring time? Do we really want to try to schedule showings around the sleep/eat/poop schedules of twins? But do I want to finally face the scary realities of selling a house? I have a recurring nightmare of the realtor telling us our house is worth about $20 (give or take).

Do we need a minivan? (Papa wants one because they are SO COOL NOW. Mama isn't so gung-ho, or more accurately, simply rational.) Can we afford a minivan? (Have you priced out a new Odyssey lately? Geesh. I got student loans, man. We got future kids to pay for.)

And then there were four...

...and it was good.

(The babies at eight weeks, all wee and alienesque and wonderful)

And it threw the new parents-to-be for a loop. A joyous, surreal, frightening, but mostly joyous loop.

And the babies did grow and gain organs and bones and sinew and lose extraneous tails (we hope). And it was good.

(The twins at 12 weeks, a full 6x bigger than at eight. Boo yah!)

And thus began the saga of the Family Wicks. Stick around for all the fun and diaper changes and sleepless nights and wonderfulness.

This has been Papa A, broadcasting live from the front lines.