Great Adventures with Grandma

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!

The Great Bathing Suit Search

Every year, women put themselves through the dreaded process of trying to find a cute bathing suit that minimizes their flaws (yes, we do actually have some) and emphasizes their attributes (showin' what ya momma gave ya). Because it's highly unlikely that the perfect swim suit actually exists, we ladies have to try on every suit ever created to find something remotely close. After many turns in front of the three-way mirror and requests for friends and significant others to swear they'll admit if our butts look big, we finally select one and hope that we don't gain weight over the several months between swim suit selection season (spring) and swim suit wearing season (summer).

Now, imagine that going through that process with a basketball in your belly. That is the experience I had tonight.

You see, my mom, Lynn, is flying into town tomorrow and will stay until Sunday evening. Geof and I thought her visit would be the perfect opportunity for a day trip to Wrightsville Beach, so we're going on Friday. I was totally excited, because my pasty white skin has barely seen the sun all season, and I don't want to scare the Wonder Twins when they come into the world with my white glow.

Then, I remembered the bathing suit issue. Hmmm. I hadn't planned on buying a maternity suit, because I figured it wouldn't be worth the expense. I had planned on just wearing a little terry cloth A-line skirt and a bikini top and calling it a day at the beach. Um, yeah. That plan went out the window, when the thermometer hit 95 degrees today. I knew there was no way I could sit at the beach in the heat and not go for a refreshing dip in the ocean. Terry cloth and water? Not so much.

So, before Geof's kickball game tonight, I went to Target. I knew the discount chain carried some some suits for the mommy-to-be set and was estatic when I saw the tops and bottoms were on sale for $14 each! Score! The problem was there were only about nine pieces left and of course, they were not in my size. "XS" and "XXL" were not exactly going to get the job done.

I did not dismay, though, because I knew there was another Target closer to the fields where Geof's team, Guaranteed Third Base, was playing. I stopped in and miraculously found more options than at the last store. While trying on a few tops, I asked the lady working in the fitting room if she could find the bottoms I liked in my size. She checked in the computer and discovered one at the Target store in Cary. I immediately asked her to put them on hold for me. I left with a black and white zig-zag halter swim suit top and grand visions of picking up the matching bottoms after Geof's game.

I skipped the post-victory party at Buffalo Wild Wings in Brier Creek and headed for Target in Cary. I went straight to the Guest Services area and asked for my item. My anxious excitement fizzled, when I discovered it was not the adorable skirt I thought I was getting, but instead a pair of boy shorts made of swim suit material. Not cute.

I trudged back to the maternity section for the third time in one night, praying there would be something decent in my size that would not make me look like a sea monster. I prefer not to scare small children, if possible, with my ever-enlarging belly.

I dragged a few options back to the dressing room and starting trying on suits. Again. The first one was a big, fat "no." It was comfortable, but the colors left quite a bit to be desired. The second one I liked, so I ventured out of the dressing room, daring to sneak a peek in the three-way mirror. With no one available to tell me if my butt looked as big as my belly, I needed the additional mirrors for feedback. The verdict? Good!

I returned the 1970s-inspired zig-zag top and purchased the suit that passed the mirror test. The top is purple, navy and white with flowers on it and a little ruffle across the top. It makes my baby bump look kinda cute, rather than like a just swallowed a watermelon. The bottoms are navy and have a mini skirt over the briefs to shield my upper thighs from view. (Absolutely necessary) It was a nice purchase for $28! Oh, and the Wonder Twins approve. I'd hate to start embarrassing them before they're out of the womb!

I'll be sure to post pics of me wearing it at the beach Friday. Can't wait for the babies' first swim in the ocean. Thank goodness, we can leave the terry cloth skirt at home.

A Visit from "Aunt Nancy" and "Uncle Tom"

This was a special weekend for the Wonder Twins, as they had out-of-town company travel to see them! Nancy Randall, who has been one of my best friends since fifth grade and singlehandedly helped plan my wedding, and her boyfriend, Tom, drove in Saturday from Winston-Salem to visit.

Nancy had not seen me since my birthday in April, so I was anticipating a big reaction from her to my constantly growing baby bump. When I met them at my house, the first thing she said was, "You don't look pregnant!" I looked at her like she'd somehow morphed into Michael Jackson. "What?" I said and promptly turned to the side to showcase the Wonder Twins in their full glory. "Oh!" exclaimed Nancy. "I can tell from the side, but you really can't tell from the front!" Hilarious. She is right. The girls are almost like a little basketball in my belly. They don't stick out on the sides, just the front! Geof likes to pretend to "palm" them.

Nancy and Tom came bearing gifts, which is always fun! They brought me a beautiful blue and grey floral maternity t-shirt, which I promptly put on and flaunted for them to see. They also brought some "Belly Bars" for the twins. I had seen them in the stores, but I had never tried them. They're almost like a Clif Bar (for all you runners out there) and chock full of folic acid, protein and other good baby-building ingredients. I plan to snack on them at work this week! Yummy!

After being showered with gifts, we were showered with food at Taverna Agora, our favorite Greek restaurant in Raleigh. The food is fantastic, but my only dilemma is I can't eat feta. (Mommies-to-be are supposed to avoid soft cheeses.) Thankfully, there are many other tasty treats on the menu, and none of us had a problem picking an entree. Somehow, after stuffing ourselves with perfectly prepared seafood, veggies and pasta, we still found room to share a five-layer chocolate mousse cake. It was divine. Thanks to stretchy waistbands on pants for pregos, I was able to get out of my chair and pose for pictures without popping!

Following dinner, we went to Downtown Alive, a free concert series on Saturdays in Moore Square. We thought we were going to see Cracker perform, but by the time we waddled our way to the venue, a band called the Tubes was playing. The guitar player looked like Bill Clinton and the music was not good, so we promptly left, holding our full bellies as we walked!

Apparently, this was the weekend of gluttony, because we continued the eating extravaganza Sunday morning at the Farmer's Market Restaurant. We feasted on homemade biscuits, eggs, pancakes and pretty much everything else that was on the menu in some form or fashion! Delicious! You can see how fat and happy we look in the photos below!

We rounded out the afternoon with a movie ("Away We Go") and a pedicure session. Nancy offered to pamper my peds after reading a previous blog posting about how difficult bending over to paint my own tooties was getting. She did a fabulous job. My toes are an eye-popping coral shade, which is the perfect compliment to summertime and flip flops! Love it!

The Wonder Twins loved spending time with "Aunt Nancy" and "Uncle Tom," and look forward to their next visit to the Triangle! Hooray for road trips!

A "Home Run" of a Family Outing

Last night, Geof and I took the Wonder Twins to their first baseball game! The Carolina Mudcats (the mascot is some time of weird southern fish) played the Suns from Jacksonville, Florida at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, which is only about 15 minutes from our house.

We almost didn't make the game for two reasons. First, Geof was wrestling in our newly organized garage with a bike hanger that just wouldn't drill into the wall properly. After about an hour of waging war on the $5 piece of metal, Geof finally prevailed. But, by then, it was already 7 p.m. The game started at 7:15 p.m.

The second reason why we almost bailed on the game? Rain. Dark clouds. Wind. We just knew as soon as we got out to the ballpark and bought our tickets the sky would open up, and we would get soaked! However, the "isolated showers" also helped cool off the mid-90 degree temperatures of the afternoon, and we considered that enough of a plus to take the rain-related risk and go to the game.

We scored great seats in the nosebleed section under a small overhang (in case it rained) right behind home plate. We could see everything really well. After devouring hotdogs and french fries, we settled in to watch the AA teams play ball. The pitcher for the Mudcats, a Cincinnati Reds farm team, was quite talented, easily impressing Geof with his 97 mph fast ball.

We tried to explain to the Wonder Twins where they were and what was going on, but we think they mainly preferred dancing to the songs played between innings such as the "YMCA" and "Thriller." They also liked swaying to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." Thankfully, they are not yet interested in cute ball players.

Interestingly, I was not the only pregnant lady there. A woman sitting a few rows down from us was obviously much further along than I, because she was huge and her belly button (Geof calls it the "timer") had totally popped out! We got a good laugh out of her, when a foul ball came soaring over our section, and she ran like lightning up the stairs to an overhang and covered her head. I guess it was her method of baby safety!

Her husband was sporting a UNC-colored hat that said "#1 Dad." Upon seeing it, I immediately asked Geof (even though I already knew what he'd say) if the Wonder Twins got him a "#1 Dad" hat, would he wear it. He, as I expected, said "no." I guess the girls will have to get him the "#1 Dad" coffee mug next year for Father's Day. That would probably be a home run. :)

The Wonder Twins Get a Shout Out! Holla!

On Thursday, I attended the Wake Forest Chamber of Commerce's 61st annual luncheon and meeting in Wake Forest. I was there for work reasons - to listen as the department's new Transportation Secretary, Gene Conti, gave the keynote address. I had prepared his remarks, as well as a 23-page briefing memo chock full of information on any possible topic he could get asked about during the Q&A session following his speech.

Before I explain what the Secretary said, allow me to set the scene for you. The luncheon, of course, took place over the lunch hour. However, the event was not held in the comfort of an air-conditioned restaurant. It was held in a tent outside. There were only two fans. It was 90 degrees and sunny outside, and everyone was sweating.

I had scripted a joke for the Secretary to deliver at the beginning of his remarks about the heat that day. But, before he ever got to the joke, he went off the talking points I had provided him and started introducing the NCDOT staff members in attendance. Much to my surprise, he started with me!

He explained that I work in the Communications Office and went on to say I'm helping expand the NCDOT family by having twins in the next few months. I suppose I should've stood up and waved, but I was still in shock at the very unexpected introduction. In response to the baby news, a collection "awww" came from the crowd, and I was showered with "congratulations" from everyone around me.

I consider it the Wonder Twins' first official shout out! Perhaps, it reaped benefits for the Secretary, as well. No one asked him any "hard ball" questions during the Q&A period. I think in a small way the twins helped with that. I mean, really, who's going to get nasty with a man who's traveling with a pregnant lady. No one!

I appreciated the Secretary's kind acknowledgement. I only wish I would've gotten it on video, so I could post it to the blog for posterity! Think he'd be willing to do a second take? At least this time, we could stick to buildings with AC!

Bump-ing to the Beat

Most days on the 25-minute drive between home and work, I listen to NPR. It's the easiest way for me to get updated information on the latest happenings in the world around me. But, some days, I just don't feel like tuning in. When the sleepiness sets in or a good mood strikes, I need music, not talking, to keep me moving. That's when I plug in my iPod and begin teaching "music education."

You see, Geof and I both LOVE music and want the Wonder Twins to dig it, too. So, we are making an effort to teach them in utero about rhythm and sound.

Here are two examples:

On my drive from work today, I shuffled through the hundreds of songs on my iPod, looking for something new. Before pressing "play" on an old Indigo Girls' album, I announced, "Okay, girls, this is the Indigo Girls. They sing and play all kinds of guitars. One day, we will teach you to sing and play guitars, too, but for now, just play air guitar with Mommy." I proceeded to play "Tried to Be True" and sing out loud (much to the hilarity of the drivers around me, I'm sure), while patting and strumming my baby bump.

On my drive to work today, the Wonder Twins and I swayed along to Joshua Radin's newest record, "Simple Times." In between songs, I interjected, "You are listening to Joshua Radin. He's a really cute singer/songwriter who can play guitar. You'll meet plenty of guys like him in college. Don't accept their offers to 'give you guitar lessons.'" When the next track started up, so did the rhythmic belly patting.

I think the twins like "music education," because I often feel little sensations of pressure in different parts of my tummy while we bop along to the beat. Nothing painful at all. Just the hint of movement. And, that makes me think they've already got the rhythm stuff down. Now, they're just practicing their dance steps.

Don't be surprised if they come out of the womb doing the moonwalk. It's Geof signature move! Like father, like daughters... :)

Happy Father's Day to Geof!

Today is a special day at the Demi-Levine house! It's Geof's first Father's Day! Yay! The Wonder Twins wanted to let their Daddy know that they love him very much, so they asked me (we communicate telepathically) to help.

First, we went to Target to find the perfect card, but we ran into a little bit of trouble, because a.) There are no cards that read "To Dad from the Wonder Twins" and b.) The cards that were left were really lame. They decided to abandon the card aisle and seek a more creative solution. They opted to make their own card, so I bought them a 68-cent piece of poster board and home we went to begin brainstorming!

Now, as you know, the girls bones are currently a fraction of the size of a Crayola marker and not exactly sturdy yet. Doing their own coloring, cutting and pasting was out of the question, but that did not hinder them! Oh no. They simply told me what to write, and I did the drawing and designing for them.

Their idea was pretty cute. On the front of the card, they wanted to pose the question: "What's better than winning an Emmy?" (In case you didn't know, Geof's won two Emmys for his photojournalistic work in television news, as well as a slew of other prestigious awards.) On the inside, they answered it: "Coming home to FOUR ladies who love you bunches!" (Their grammar isn't totally perfect yet, but we're working on it. :) ) The "four" includes Stella, our black and white house cat. The twins, Stella and I all added our own special messages and then signed the card.

As you can imagine, Geof loved his homemade card and gave the babies multiple kisses on my tummy to let them know how thoughtful it was.

The card, of course, came with presents. The Wonder Twins plan to be very athletic, so they thought Daddy needed new collapsable chairs to take to their future sporting events. They picked out two nice ones to replace the rusting metal beach chairs we've had since we lived in North Carolina the first time. Yikes! Geof is looking forward to using them as he cheers the girls on from the sidelines. As you can see from the photo below, Stella likes them, too!

Target actually carries little kid versions of those same chairs in pink, and it was all I could do not to buy them. Considering the twins are still in the womb, they couldn't exactly use them for awhile, but they were so cute! I could just see us all lined up like stair steps - Geof, me and the twins. Awww... Kodak moment in my head! But, alas, I refrained and vowed to save the money for more important purchases like two cribs!

The point of today is not gifts or cards. The point is to tell Geof how much we appreciate all he does for us each and every day! He knows I tire easily, so he does the laundry and puts it away, vacuums the house, and cooks dinner on the nights he's not working and cleans up without me even asking!! This, after working a 12-hour day with no lunch break! The twins and I couldn't ask for a better husband/Daddy to care for us. He is absolutely amazing, and we don't know what we'd do without him! Love you, Daddy!