Sometimes it takes outside eyes to notice things about your kids. When you’re so close all the time, it can be hard to see the proverbial forest for the trees. That, and I think I just don’t see them the way other people do. I can’t, I’m their mother.
Prime example, the way every single person who sees Daniel says “wow, he looks exactly like M!” And while exactly may be an exaggeration 
(Daniel has my nose, while Rebecca has M’s), it must be a fairly strong resemblance since almost everyone says the same thing. Me? I don’t see it. Like, at all. Well, OK, once I saw a picture of M as a toddler, and then I definitely saw the resemblance. But the M that I know now? Nope. He just looks like M to me. And Daniel just looks like Daniel.
With Rebecca in the looks department, there’s less consensus. M says she looks a little like me, my mom thinks she looks like M’s sister. And I think she’s just funny as hell, and her eye and hair color change depending on the day’s light.
Last night, though, I was talking to a friend of ours on the phone and describing Rebecca’s current mobility status. She loves to walk while holding on to both of your hands. If you take one of your hands away (wrench it out of her fingers), she’s perfectly capable of walking and holding onto only one of your hands, but she hates it. 
She would much, much rather have both. I don’t think she wants to walk until she’s totally comfortable with the idea, and she was the same way with crawling. She took her sweet time mastering each little component, and though everyone was certain she was mere moments away from crawling, she worked on it for a solid six weeks before finally doing it on her own.
My friend just laughed. “Oh my god,” she said, “she’s just like her dad!” And it’s so true. M fears change. Change involves newness and risk. What if it’s worse than what I already have or already know how to do? Better to stick with the devil you know. It took him over a year to buy a new car, several years to change jobs, and we won’t even talk about how long it took him to get around to proposing to yours truly.
So, M, there you go. No more joking about the milkman. They’re definitely yours.
read blogs on my iPhone… not much at all. We finally left because we had a lunch date at noon with my friend Marci (hi, Marci!) and her husband. Not only did she realize that she and her husband were wearing our sorority colors, but then they walked into the restaurant, 
and M and I were wearing practically the same thing. It was a little creepy. But so odd that we had to take a picture. And if you’re in Times Square and like BBQ, I highly recommend 
It still has pretty much no appeal to me, I have to say. Especially on a Saturday afternoon in the summer. It’s ridiculously crowded and a total sensory overload. But hey, we saw the Naked Cowboy, as well as M&M World and it’s somewhat ironic across-the-street neighbor, a “gentlemen’s club” with an enormous billboard of Jenna Jameson. Ah, New York.
. 
Sunday morning, another quiet 4-hour train ride home. The kids were napping (or on their way down) by the time we got home, so we had time for the full report from my SIL. The kiddos did wonderfully, were pretty much on their best behavior, napped when they were supposed to, and all of that. And my SIL and her boyfriend, since they don’t have to do this every day, had plenty of energy to just play, play, play whenever it wasn’t naptime. Everyone had a great time, and the kids seemed happy to see us when they woke up from their nap, no drama at all.
I didn’t think the kids were ready. Infants are hard, you kind of have to know them and what they need. But you know what? Now, I’m ready. The kids are ready. I need a break, M and I need a break together. We need a few hours to not worry about naps, not have babies screaming at us, not stress about what needs to get done around the house. The kids are on a fairly predictable routine, are up for more activities and different foods and all of that. While not in every way, in many ways they’re much easier than months ago. Plus, my medical-student sister-in-law is on a relatively lower-stress rotation this month, so actually has the time and energy to take this on (thankfully, with her boyfriend there as well… I wouldn’t make her take both of them by herself!).
She’s going to need detailed instructions on the kids’ schedule, what they eat, etc. (which she requested, but I would have done anyways…). I need to make sure there’s plenty of the “right” food in the house. I need to print out all of the emergency contact info, including directions from my house to the emergency room (hey, just in case!). Oh, and I need clothes for myself, as I don’t think shorts and a ratty t-shirt are really appropriate attire for a Broadway show or dinner in Manhattan. Gah! Gotta go!
