Now it's personal

(Yes, we took the month of March off. We were...busy.)

We are mere weeks away (hopefully) from welcoming Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum into the world with open arms and we have been bizzay. We've moved into a wonderful little rental house with an astounding view and lots of storage space. We bought a minivan that once smelled like leftover Korean food but now just smells like industrial cleaner. Behold.

Dead sexy, no? And the van ain't too bad either.

Also, there have been job interviews, baby classes, doctor appointments, and one long ordeal of trying to sell a house.

The nursery has been set up beautifully by Mama Bear and we can't wait to fill it with wee ones. Except now we have an infestation of carpenter ants in that room. Never seen them? They look like this:

I'm not one to be grossed out by the creepy crawly things of this world, but something about the idea of these suckers taking over the nursery triggered a manly "protect my kids" reflex. I vacuumed up scores of them with a vengeance. I was like Rambo with an upright canister vacuum flamethrower. A grim half-smile crept across my face as I felt each one go "thoomp" into the hose. A tiny voice in my head said "why are you reveling in the destruction of these harmless ants?" To which I replied, "They drew first blood."

Regardless of my bravado, these things will likely have to be taken care of properly by an exterminator. Anybody with any experience of dealing with carpenter ants before? How did it go?

To and Fro

I got an honest look at what twin parenting looks like in all its good and bad. (And I really don't think I saw it all that bad.) My good friends Becca and Joe had twins prematurely last fall and have been doing a marvelous job chronicling the joys and struggles of being parents of twins with some special needs. If you have any interest in premature babies, twins, PKU, or any combination of the three, I highly recommend you visit their blog.



I saw amazing things in that household. I witnessed the quieting of two babies at once by one man. Two babies, one man! I saw that same man change diapers in no time flat, whip up bottles of formula, feed his son through an NG-tube, and browse Tweetdeck and videos of Louis CK and Patton Oswalt. It was awe-inspiring. It gives me a goal to strive for. Joe, you are a true Dad of Twins.



It's been a busy month or so since...a month or so ago. Mama Bear continues to grow those babies at a rapid clip and has begun to express concern that the boys soon will grow too powerful and start making unreasonable demands on the management. Their kicks and flails and odd yoga poses are commonplace now, but no less thrilling. For me, at least. Mama doesn't seem to when Baby A goes into Downward Dog and forces his rear end into the spot where her appendix used to be. Namaste.

Soccer Players or Male Rockettes

The biggest thrill of the past two weeks has been the palpable activity of Boy 1 and Boy 2. They have been kicking and flipping and twisting and making all sorts of in utero workout routines. At least, so says Mama Bear. Every time she comes home and tells me that the boys were practicing their floor routines, I have a moment of gender envy and wish I could know what she is experiencing just for a moment. (And that one moment would be plenty.) I imagine our boys looking something like this when they are active:



Twice I have had the good fortune to feel them/one of them move. Both times it felt like a mini lightning bolt of wonder shot through my hand straight to my heart. It almost hurt, it was so incredible. I can't wait to meet these guys.



The house continues to have lots of foot traffic but no buyers, save for one low-ball offer that we turned down. (Fingers crossed that that wasn't a bad idea.) It's frustrating that we aren't able to start putting a nursery together now because we are hoping to be somewhere else when the babies arrive. We have all this cool stuff to put up and make this "parenting" thing a little more real, but our hands are tied and it remains boxed up for now. Patience, Papa Bear. All will work out.

(By the way, we are praying madly that things will all work out.)






Heard:
I've been digging into a couple new records lately. The first is Poison & Wine EP from The Civil Wars, a haunting and sweet little collection of songs for those who like beautiful tunes with a tragic tint to them. A great set of sounds for those who like Iron & Wine, O Brother, Where Are Thou? and things involving crossroads.



 The second is Your Love Never Fails from Jesus Culture. This one heavily features Chris Quilala, Kim Walker, and Melissa How. I've been rediscovering some of the newer worship music out there and I've liked this one, mostly because of how unbelievably rockstar Kim Walker is when she leads the songs. It's a natural talent, not a showy putting on of "lead singer-ness." It's raw and incredible. "Sing My Love" is excellent.

What have you guys been up to?

As Opposite As Twin Brothers

The twenty-one week checkup (couldn't get in with the doctor at twenty weeks) was on Tuesday. Another ultrasound and a meeting with our new OB (our old one left the clinic at the new year). The ultrasound showed the different personalities (or more likely, different sleep cycles) of the two boys. Baby A was uncooperative and moody, doing little more than mooning the ultrasound tech the entire time. Baby B, however, was acting like Peter Griffin on Red Bull.



He was spinning, flipping, turning, not holding still at all. Perhaps it's a foretaste of what family pictures will be like from now on.

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE:
We felt the babies move! More specifically, Mama Bear felt "something" that was probably babies last week, then felt that "something" several times last Friday. While she was laying in bed, she felt it strongly enough to call me into the room where we both saw her stomach MOVE. Bloop. Just like that it moved! We put our hands on her belly and felt Baby A kick (or punch or roll or something) on his side, then Baby B outdo his brother on the left side. It was...(wait for it)...breathtaking.

Mama Bear is now growing at a rapid clip, making up for lost time after a nauseous first trimester with little to no weight gain.



The house has had all sorts of activity lately. Lots of showings and open houses and needs to quickly evacuate the house for a couple hours. We are racking up steep dog-sitting debts to some good friends who thankfully like Win despite his googily eyes.

Seen:
We caught a couple of films over the weekend. The Social Network was playing at the Riverview (best movie deal in the Twin Cities). I was leery going into the viewing for some reason but it turned out that I had no reason to be at all. The movie was fantastic. A wonderful character story and a wonderful performance by Jesse Eisenberg, no matter how accurate or fictional it may be.

Next was a morning matinee showing of The King's Speech. I am a fan of just about everyone in the film and had high hopes. It was great but...not as great as I was hoping? I am soon to graduate into a rehabilitation-based career and had a professional interest in seeing how they depicted early speech therapy and was encouraged by how it was portrayed. Again, not sure on the historical accuracy but I appreciated how Lionel Logue's career was based out of a need to help people regain a load-bearing piece of their life after some trauma, either physical or emotional.

What have you seen lately? What did you think of it?

The Latter Half

We've passed the midway point of this pregnancy. Mama Bear hit twenty weeks yesterday. (Technically the halfway point for multiples is usually around 18 weeks as 36 weeks is considered full term.) I've grown accustomed to the idea of pregnancy and the two virtual boys that are floating upside-down in her belly. Now I get to adjust to the idea that these little guys will be here sooner than I think.

More official baby gear keeps streaming into our house. This week Mama Bear used her bargain-hunting super-powers to buy many adorable outfits for our chitlins. (It is frustrating to think that our children will wear these outfits only a handful of times, if at all, before they outgrow them. After that, we turn them into costumes for Win.) 

The stroller and car seats also arrived this week. There's a level of excitement about it that I relate to getting a new car: lots of new features to try out, you want to show off the latest model out in public, you imagine all the off-road trails this beast could totally handle. Then you remember that it's a stroller and you will never ride in it. And you are the engine.

(Speaking of which, we opted for this bad boy and the 22 lb accompanying car seats. We originally planned on the 35 lb capacity seats but then realized that we didn't want to potentially push around 100 lbs of baby and accessories.)

We're gonna be badass.

Finally, I want to start a feature here that I am blatantly ripping off from a blog I used to read that no longer exists, and whose idea (assuming it was his to begin with) is now very popular. I want to share things that I have recently seen, heard, and read.

Seen:

Over the holiday break, I watched a lot of things. Football. Basketball. The American version of Top Gear (surprisingly entertaining). Several movies. Heavy on the Jeff Bridges. True Grit (his performance was outstanding, but the rest of the movie was meh) and Tron Legacy (his performance[s] were pretty ok but his channeling of the Dude was heavy handed, the visuals were stunning, and the story was entertaining enough to keep me engaged) in the theater. Sherlock Holmes (a lot better than what I had been told), The Rock (gets dumber with each viewing), and Coraline (loved loved loved it) on DVR. We finished off the break with The Men Who Stare At Goats (more Jeff Bridges, and a very entertaining story).

Heard:
Besides the podcasts I recently mentioned, I have been enjoying The King Can Drink The Harbour Dry, by the Dimes. It is marvelously crafted and super delicious to hear. Go check it out. Better yet, enjoy this tidbit.

Read:
Currently working through several books at once, making no progress on any of them. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain, Twinspiration by Cheryl Lage, Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years by Diarmaid MacCulloch, and The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson. It's a safe bet I will still be working on all of them when the boys arrive.

What I Listen To, Part 1

Several people One person recently asked me about the podcasts I listen to on my commutes, dog walks, while doing dishes, vacuuming, mowing the lawn, etc. I will use this space to list some of my favorites. Titles are in no particular order and I have almost certainly omitted something.

1. "The News From Lake Wobegon" from A Prairie Home Companion. Garrison Keillor spins yarns about stoic Norwegian Lutherans in small town Minnesota. Since I am a Norwegian Lutheran from Minnesota at my roots, this show is like listening in on a family reunion. Even though I've heard just about every one of the Lutheran jokes he uses, I still chuckle. And who doesn't think "Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility" is funny?

2. "The Dinner Party Download." Another American Public Media presentation, this one comes from 89.3 KPCC in Los Angeles. It is, by their own description, "a fast and funny 'booster shot' of news and culture designed to help you dazzle your friends and family at this weekend’s dinner party." A sort-of funny joke, a little news recap of the past week, an interview with the weekly guest of honor (usually some variant of artist or ne'er-do-well), a history lesson with booze, and some cuisine talk. Finally, they leave with a song to drive to or from your dinner party. It's a good commute-length show with wit. Me likey.

3. Mars Hill Bible Church sermon podcasts. Gotta get my weekly Jesus. Rob Bell is a well known Christian speaker and teacher and is also one of the founders or Mars Hill Bible Church outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He and fellow teaching pastor Shane Hipps are the preachers in this podcast. Candid and culturally relevant, they provide historical context to the passages and help bring them to life, at least for me. As this is a religious podcast, I expect everyone to have lots of opinions about this one, and I expect few of them to agree with me wholeheartedly. I'm totally cool with that.

4. The Moth. "True stories told live on stage without notes." This one gets me with its brutal and occasionally unbelievable honesty, frequent cringe-worthy moments, and more than a fair share of laughter. The folks that have the guts to get up on stage and spin this true yarns are really good storytellers.

5. Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me. NPR's weekly "news quiz" features the soothing baritone of former NPR news host Carl Kassell, the usually witty banter of host Peter Sagal, and a rotating trio of panelists with varying abilities to crack a joke (my favorites are Mo Rocca, Paula Poundstone, and Tom Bodette, though Roy Blount Jr is awfully good off the bench). A good way to get caught up on the headlines you probably missed, usually involving a naked pizza delivery man or a explosive pastries.

That's enough for round one. I've got lots more to share but you don't really care that much. We'll continue this later. Let me know what you listen to. Maybe I'm missing some good shows out there.

The Christmas Where Everyone Shouts, and some news

Balloon and Bridge, originally uploaded by the_dharma_bum.

This year's festivities in my family's home were probably the most entertaining that I can remember. Easily the most raucous. (Blame that on the aquavit.) Our family was expanded by the addition of our dear family friend (and surrogate sibling) Mo and the two baby boys a-brewin' in my wife's belly.

That's right. Two baby BOYS.

We found out that news clandestinely on the 23rd and surprised both sets of parents with the news over Christmas. It was received with a mix of exclamations of joy and sharp inhaling of breath through clenched teeth. The next few decades should be fun.

I'm now camped out at the in-laws' bunker in West Michigan, enjoying DVR'd episodes of Top Gear (the American version, surprisingly entertaining) and sporting events. We saw True Grit (it was ok). I got a few books to read (Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years and The Girl Who Played With Fire) and new socks to wear (argyle patterns in cashmere and lambswool). It was a good Christmas.

Also, our home is now officially for sale. Someone please buy it soon.