My Mom, Lynn Demi, arrived in town last Thursday to visit Geof, the Wonder Twins and me over the July 4th holiday. As one who has never exactly embraced the phrase "packing lightly," mom brought twin suitcases for her extended Independence Day weekend. But, to her credit, only one of the suitcases was crammed with her clothes and toiletries. The other, affectionately known in our family as "Big Blue," was full of something entirely different.
Blue is a light blue, hard-shell suitcase, which was at one time the largest suitcase you could take on an overseas flight. Blue dutifully served our family on trips to Japan and several other foreign counties over the years, but the journey to Raleigh was his last. Blue is dinged, dented and doesn't exactly lock right anymore, so it's time for him to retire to the great conveyor belt in the sky. But, before leaving, he made one final delivery. He brought the twins some very special things that Grandma had kept for them for the past 31 years - my baby clothes and toys!
Yes, I know it's hard to believe that I once only weighed 8 pounds, but it's true, and the girls now have the duds to prove it! I won't say my old clothes are exactly on the cutting edge of infant fashion, but if retro is all the rage, then the Wonder Twins will be stylin'. Plus, gingham is always cute no matter if it's from 1978 or 2008. Now, about the pastel bonnets...
Here is a photo Mom snapped of me standing in front of the nursery closet where we hung up all my old clothes and blankets. Mom washed them all to defy any dingy smells, so every time I open the doors, I get a rush of Downy freshness. Ahhhhh...
On Friday, we decided to trade the Triangle for the waves of Wrightsville Beach. The sun was shining, the sky was bright blue and the ocean breeze kept it from feeling like a coastal Carolina oven. Perfect beach weather!
Geof and I always eat lunch at the Trolley Stop, a glorified hot dog stand about a block off the beach, whenever we're in Wrightsville. Not wanting to break tradition, Mom and I walked from our chair-flanked spot on the sand to the mini-restaurant on a mission to retrieve five surfer dogs. (Surfer dogs are hot dogs with cheese, mustard and bacon bits. So yummy!) As usual, there was a line outside the Trolley Stop full of others waiting in the sun for their delicious dogs. So, we claimed our spot and waited. And waited. And waited.
Mind you, I was only wearing my not-so-sexy maternity bathing suit and flip-flops at the time. Although it's much more concealing than my normal swim suits, I wasn't exactly wearing layers of clothing. That's why I was caught off guard by my sudden need to sit down. Whew! Out of nowhere, it had gotten hot, and I was tired.
Finally, we made it inside to place our order, and by then, I was feeling a little woozy. Not wanting to freak out my mom, I just sat on the floor and declined to mention my urge to get sick. Ugh. As the line crept forward, I'd stand up, but after a few moments on wobbly knees, I'd slide back down to the floor again. I knew I needed to eat to boost my quickly plummeting blood sugar levels, but getting to the counter was going to be a feat of strength.
Eventually, we ordered our dogs and as I was trying to pay, I started seeing things in ever-increasing levels of black and white static like when old school TVs go to "snow." I knew I was in trouble. I left Mom inside to pick up the order, and I dashed outdoors for a place in the shade where I could chill out and await my food. Minutes later, Mom arrived with the order, and I quickly downed a lemonade and surfer dog #1. I immediately felt better. See, the Trolley Stop really does serve miraculously good food!
We walked back to the beach without a problem, but I made sure to take it easy for a while. I triumphantly downed another dog for good measure, which made the twins happy. They apparently are culinary geniuses who know tasty treats at very young ages.
Later in the afternoon, Mom, Geof and I went splashing about in the ocean. I had not been swimming since my belly had blossomed, so this was truly an extraordinary exercise in bouyancy. Michael Phelps and Dara Torres have nothing on pregnant me! The only weird part was having to use my core muscles. I haven't exactly been doing a lot of stomach crunches lately, considering I'm not allowed to lie on my back. So, the abs are feeling a little weak. Despite that, I still managed to float on my back, as Geof and our friend, Mark, made whale sounds.
Here's a picture of Geof and I with Mom on the beach.
Saturday was all about the Wonder Twins! We went shopping at many, many stores looking for bargains on baby clothes. I ended up with six onsies and three sets of socks. So cute! There are so many darling things out there that I want to buy, but since the girls are coming in the winter, I really need to wait and get them things with sleeves instead of sundresses and sandals. Resisting is tough!
Since Geof was working at the TV station, Mom and I headed over to Cary post-shopping extravaganza for the fireworks display at Koka Booth Amphitheatre. The crowd was enormous and so were the ants, but we managed to eat our BBQ dinner without too much interruption from either one.
The fireworks display was incredibly beautiful as it reflected over the lake. I wondered what the twins thought about the rapid-fire booming of the fireworks, but they didn't really kick a lot, so I assume they thought it was just really loud digestion. "Wow! What did mommy eat this time?!" No, ladies, it was not another pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.
Mom left for Cincinnati on Sunday, but she'll be back to visit the girls again over Labor Day weekend. By then, they'll be much bigger and eager for another fun visit!
Blue is a light blue, hard-shell suitcase, which was at one time the largest suitcase you could take on an overseas flight. Blue dutifully served our family on trips to Japan and several other foreign counties over the years, but the journey to Raleigh was his last. Blue is dinged, dented and doesn't exactly lock right anymore, so it's time for him to retire to the great conveyor belt in the sky. But, before leaving, he made one final delivery. He brought the twins some very special things that Grandma had kept for them for the past 31 years - my baby clothes and toys!
Yes, I know it's hard to believe that I once only weighed 8 pounds, but it's true, and the girls now have the duds to prove it! I won't say my old clothes are exactly on the cutting edge of infant fashion, but if retro is all the rage, then the Wonder Twins will be stylin'. Plus, gingham is always cute no matter if it's from 1978 or 2008. Now, about the pastel bonnets...
Here is a photo Mom snapped of me standing in front of the nursery closet where we hung up all my old clothes and blankets. Mom washed them all to defy any dingy smells, so every time I open the doors, I get a rush of Downy freshness. Ahhhhh...
On Friday, we decided to trade the Triangle for the waves of Wrightsville Beach. The sun was shining, the sky was bright blue and the ocean breeze kept it from feeling like a coastal Carolina oven. Perfect beach weather!Geof and I always eat lunch at the Trolley Stop, a glorified hot dog stand about a block off the beach, whenever we're in Wrightsville. Not wanting to break tradition, Mom and I walked from our chair-flanked spot on the sand to the mini-restaurant on a mission to retrieve five surfer dogs. (Surfer dogs are hot dogs with cheese, mustard and bacon bits. So yummy!) As usual, there was a line outside the Trolley Stop full of others waiting in the sun for their delicious dogs. So, we claimed our spot and waited. And waited. And waited.
Mind you, I was only wearing my not-so-sexy maternity bathing suit and flip-flops at the time. Although it's much more concealing than my normal swim suits, I wasn't exactly wearing layers of clothing. That's why I was caught off guard by my sudden need to sit down. Whew! Out of nowhere, it had gotten hot, and I was tired.
Finally, we made it inside to place our order, and by then, I was feeling a little woozy. Not wanting to freak out my mom, I just sat on the floor and declined to mention my urge to get sick. Ugh. As the line crept forward, I'd stand up, but after a few moments on wobbly knees, I'd slide back down to the floor again. I knew I needed to eat to boost my quickly plummeting blood sugar levels, but getting to the counter was going to be a feat of strength.
Eventually, we ordered our dogs and as I was trying to pay, I started seeing things in ever-increasing levels of black and white static like when old school TVs go to "snow." I knew I was in trouble. I left Mom inside to pick up the order, and I dashed outdoors for a place in the shade where I could chill out and await my food. Minutes later, Mom arrived with the order, and I quickly downed a lemonade and surfer dog #1. I immediately felt better. See, the Trolley Stop really does serve miraculously good food!
We walked back to the beach without a problem, but I made sure to take it easy for a while. I triumphantly downed another dog for good measure, which made the twins happy. They apparently are culinary geniuses who know tasty treats at very young ages.
Later in the afternoon, Mom, Geof and I went splashing about in the ocean. I had not been swimming since my belly had blossomed, so this was truly an extraordinary exercise in bouyancy. Michael Phelps and Dara Torres have nothing on pregnant me! The only weird part was having to use my core muscles. I haven't exactly been doing a lot of stomach crunches lately, considering I'm not allowed to lie on my back. So, the abs are feeling a little weak. Despite that, I still managed to float on my back, as Geof and our friend, Mark, made whale sounds.
Here's a picture of Geof and I with Mom on the beach.
Saturday was all about the Wonder Twins! We went shopping at many, many stores looking for bargains on baby clothes. I ended up with six onsies and three sets of socks. So cute! There are so many darling things out there that I want to buy, but since the girls are coming in the winter, I really need to wait and get them things with sleeves instead of sundresses and sandals. Resisting is tough!Since Geof was working at the TV station, Mom and I headed over to Cary post-shopping extravaganza for the fireworks display at Koka Booth Amphitheatre. The crowd was enormous and so were the ants, but we managed to eat our BBQ dinner without too much interruption from either one.
The fireworks display was incredibly beautiful as it reflected over the lake. I wondered what the twins thought about the rapid-fire booming of the fireworks, but they didn't really kick a lot, so I assume they thought it was just really loud digestion. "Wow! What did mommy eat this time?!" No, ladies, it was not another pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.
Mom left for Cincinnati on Sunday, but she'll be back to visit the girls again over Labor Day weekend. By then, they'll be much bigger and eager for another fun visit!
You are so darn cute!!! You really are one of the most beautiful pregnant Mama's I've ever seen!!! Oh, and if you think your stomach muscles feel strange now, wait until the Wonder Twins are out of your belly. You'll experience what I like to call "pillow belly..." soft, squishy, and a nice place for the twinsies to rest their heads. The good news is, it goes away! :)
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