A Rare Occasion

On Sunday, we went to my niece's college graduation party and saw a rare thing...all 9 grandkids in one place. The perfect reason to snap a photo. After about 100 photos taken with four cameras, I think this is the winner. The oldest is 22 and the youngest is 10 weeks.

From left to right, starting at top: Sidney, Michael, Sam, Stacy - the graduate (holding Mitchell), Danni, Zoe, Alix (holding Alyse).

Take care,
ZMA's mama

Catching up...

A lot has happened in the three-and-a-half weeks since the last post: Two visits to Newaygo, my return to work (early, due to that darn best rest), a trip to Bay City and Mitchell and Alyse's two month check-up.

First, some pictures from Zoe's trip to my parents' house at the end of May, where she got some major spoiling.

Observe Zoe in her self-decorated ballerina outfit, courtesy of Honey. Now she thinks she's a ballerina princess! I'm sure Rich will be putting in some overtime playing catch with her to counteract this stage.

Enjoying the beach with cousin Danni:

Petting a stingray at John Ball Zoo. Notice how she has her tongue in her cheek. This means she's extremely proud of herself.


Until this visit to the zoo, we could rarely get her to pet anything more wild than Busia and Dziadzia's cats or my sister's small dog. Quite a step for her. As I was told, it took a bit of coaxing and a lot of patience.

Honey, Aunt Shane and Danni started Zoe in the petting zoo and worked her up to this....

What happened to ponies?

Thanks to the family for showing her such a great time.

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As I've mentioned, I don't know where we'd be without all the help we've received the past two months. This includes Monday visits from The Good Doctor and Wednesday visits (which often extend into Thursday ... or Friday) from Busia. Here she is on one of those visits. I left her alone with the three kids to run errands and came home to find two sleeping babies and a happy 3-year-old. Ahhhhhh! What a pro.

The second week of June we all trekked to Newaygo. Rich was supposed to go on his annual kayaking trip with the guys from the News. They kayak the Pine River and camp in a town about 30 minutes from my parents. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate and his kayak remained fastened to the top of our mini-van. While Dad rode out the storms, Mitchell and Alyse got acquainted with some of their cousins.

Cousin Sam was more than happy to take a baby off my hands and soon had Mitchell chuckling.

Seeing a cute photo op, I plopped Alyse in cousin Sid's arms. He was decidedly less enthused about holding a baby (I believe his exact words were, "Could you take this baby NOW?"). Despite that fact, Alyse tried to charm him with her sweet smile.

Zoe spent every morning at Honey's in her favorite spot...the hammock swing.

This past Sunday was not only Father's Day, but also the day we took a trip to Bay City to celebrate Busia and Dziadzia's June birthdays.

The trip enabled Mitchell and Alyse to meet their great-grandmother, SupaBusia!

Zoe kept busy playing lawn darts with Dziadzia, petting her 'best friend' Calico...

... and running through the sprinkler.

Mitchell had a good time grinning for the family (Thanks for holding up my head, Dad)!

As did Alyse.

The birthday boy and girl.

A final bit of news. Mitchell and Alyse had their two-month check-up on Monday (they are nine weeks). Mitchell tips the scales at 10 lbs. 7 oz. and is 22.75 inches tall. A gain of 9 ounces and 1.75 inches.

Ms. Alyse checked in at a mere 9 lbs. 4 oz. and 22.5 inches tall. A gain of 3 oz. and 1.75 inches.

Both kids remain in the 50th percentile for weight and the 25th for height for their actual age and 75th and 50th for their adjusted age (the age they would be if they were born on their due date).

That's all for now. Take care.

ZMA's mama

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there... but particularly this one.

So, yeah. Twins. They're a little bit of work.

We've been quite fortunate, actually. Friends and neighbors have been dropping off dinners and both of our mothers, along with Sonja's sisters Shawn and Shane, have camped out in the soon-to-be-twins-room for an extended stay.

Just when we get everything down to a science, those things will disappear and we'll start learning new routines all over again!

But moments like this (particularly because they're sleeping simultaneously!) make it all worth it:

Tummy time is fun, too:

So, let's get to know our new additions a little better. (It's important to stress individuality in twins, you know.)

First Mitchell Dodson. Some of you may remember that Sonja and I met while I lived near Lake Mitchell. Therein lies the significance of his first name. The middle name, as many of you know, is my way of honoring my entire family... I had an idyllic childhood growing up on Dodson Court.

Mitchell is all boy. It's striking how much more aggressive and animated his actions are compared to Alyse (and Zoe as an infant). Just as he's about to latch on for a meal, he gives his head a quick and violent shake -- like a lion snapping the neck of an ibis it just chased down. (Hyperbole alert!)

Sonja's very into doctor visit statistics, so I'm supposed to report that as of Monday he surpassed his birth weight and is checking in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces.

Here's a couple pictures of baby boy:

Next up, Alyse Jocelyn. I hope she doesn't have name envy some day, but the significance ends at "names we liked." I, personally, liked the potential for A.J., although I don't think I've called her that once yet.

A while back, Sonja said "if we hadn't already had a baby exactly like her, I'd be worried about her." Like Zoe was, Alyse is calm, cool and deliberate in her actions. She wakes up from a nap slowly and looks around the room, waiting for somebody to notice that she would appreciate some attention.

She was up to 6 pounds, 7 ounces on Monday.

She's also considerably more photogenic:

As long as we're talking about kids, we might as well mention the 3-year-old running around the house.

Zoe has been absolutely great with her brother and sister. In fact, we're only worried that she might love them a little too hard ... like the neighbor's fish that a young Sonja hugged to death. There's constant kissing and hugging and touching. We're working hard to explain that such things should only happen during "awake time," but it's not always the case yet.

She's really not showing any jealousy toward them, which has been a pleasant surprise. About the only issue has been some meltdowns around her bedtime, we're assuming because her rituals with Mommy and Daddy have been truncated.

Ten days after the twins' birth was Zoe's third birthday. She got two parties, on consecutive Saturdays, with each side of her family.

First up was Mom's family, with a Princess theme. Much to Daddy's chagrin, she's very into princesses right now:

One of her gifts were these "big girl fancy shoes." She's now a more accomplished high-heel walker than her mother.The following Saturday, Dad's family was in town and a Dora-mixed-with-Princess party ensued.

For some reason, Zoe chose to wear her CMU cheerleader outfit that day. It's a hand-me-down from cousin Stacy, purchased while Mommy was a student there. So, we got a shot of all the former Chippewas in the house.

Zoe had her 3-year checkup, too. She's sitting at 37 inches (50th percentile) and 28.5 pounds (25th percentile). Still a wee lass, but catching up nicely.

That's about it for now. We'll post again when we have time ... probably right after Mitchell and Alyse's eighth-grade graduation.

35 Weeks and Counting

We've made it past 35 weeks and had a doctor's appointment and an ultrasound since the last post. At my last check, there was no significant change. It looks like brother and sister are, again, content in their cramped quarters.

Today we had an ultrasound. The babies are estimated to be 5 lbs. 11 oz. each, but there is up to one-pound margin of error. Hopefully they are more than less and we won't be needing those preemie clothes long at all!

Here's a picture of my 35-week belly, taken a few days ago. My mom says pictures don't do my girth justice, but consider more than 11 pounds of baby and "stuff" hanging out on my 5' 4" frame and you'll get the idea.


Zoe has been patiently waiting for brother and sister. We're trying to keep her routine as normal as possible, despite the fact that I can't do much for her. She's adjusting to bedtime cuddles and books in Mommy and Daddy's bed rather than in her bedroom and she fully expects me to be sitting in the same chair whenever she arrives home from daycare. She enjoys her new jobs of waking me up every morning and bringing me my socks and sweatpants, picking up whatever I clumsily drop and setting the table for dinner. She says when she grows up, she's going to be a helper!

Other things haven't changed so much. She still loves doing her art projects. Earlier today, Zoe used every kind of paint and marker she had on every kind of paper. When she lost interest in that, she found some new canvas...

As I type this, Honey and Zoe recently returned from a walk and are getting ready to make muffins. The twins are curled up tightly, taking a snooze. It's been a good day.

Reunion at Frazier State Park

Note: This post has been updated below.

Headed up to the Tri-Cities this weekend for some visiting and a Family Reunion/Baby Shower-turned-strictly-Family Reunion.

Say huh? Well... there's been a groundswell for a Sinicki family reunion for a while. The impending arrival of my cousin Jim's (and his wife Kris') baby became the impetus for planning one. A baby shower portion of the event was kept a surprise from Jim and Kris... and, apparently, from Rylie Claire (below). Her early arrival meant Jim and Kris missed the party (we're granting them an excused absence).

The cancellation of the baby shower meant we could all focus on the great spread of food (special kudos to Aunt Kathy's Polish meatballs) and having some fun at my cousin Cindy's beautiful home. There was so much going on, we forgot to pull the camera out until the very end.

Here's our host and hostess with the mostess, Cindy and Mark. It's a safe assumption that their daughter, Katie, was entertaining Zoe somewhere when this picture was taken. Zoe had a great time with her friend.

Dziadzia took some swings at the green Mark set up in the backyard, beyond a pond.

And here's Uncle Butch explaining the finer points of horseshoes to the audience on the deck. When we packed up, he and cousin Kenny were still undefeated.

There were still some shower prizes to pass out. Zoe "won" this stuffed dog in a purse that she now insists on sleeping with. What are the odds Zoe's name would be drawn for that prize? I think we need to investigate.

It was a great time. Special thanks to the Fraziers for hosting and to everyone for the delicious food. Hopefully we'll get to meet Rylie at the next one!

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE...

Gotta love the blogosphere. I make a comment about our lack of photos and they start showing up in my email inbox. Here are some more from Busia via Cindy. Thanks!

The first one is Zoe, Katie and Busia relaxing on a hammock...

... which probably happened after Katie and Aunt Steph wore her out on the trampoline:

Not sure if Katie, Aunt Steph or I really blasted a shuttlecock before this next shot was taken, or if we were pausing to admire the clear, blue sky.

And, last but not least, a peak at some partygoers. Girls on the deck...

... and boys in the yard.

The Graduate

Proof that pretty girls of all ages grow up too fast:

We headed northwest this weekend to celebrate the high school graduation of cousin Alix and had a great time hanging out with Sonja's entire immediate family and much of the extended group.

The party was Saturday. The highlight for Sonja and I (besides the company, of course) was the incredible Mexican feast. Really delicious. Since Zoe stuck mainly to the usual fare (refer to blog title), here's some of the party favors she enjoyed:

First, there was this adventure with Aunt Shane, our gracious hostess:

Then some swinging with Papa:


On to burning off some noodles on the trampoline:


Then catching up on family news with Aunt Shawn and cousin Stacy:


And, of course, plenty of time to get her drink on. (What Mexican feast would be complete without some sangria?)

There was also plenty of action back at home base, Honey and Papa's house, on Saturday and Sunday. Early in the morning, Zoe was ready to go for a walk to see the pool. Not surprisingly, Honey obliged. Here they are, still in their PJs:


And, still in PJs, hanging out in the tent Honey made on the clothesline:



We also were paid a fun visit by Sonja's childhood friend, Lori, and her daughter, Carle. The two little girls were born four days apart:

Here are two absolute favorites captured in one photo: Cousin Danni and the pool!

If you think Daddy's face looks surprised in this next photo, you should have seen it the first time Zoe jumped off the diving board. It was right about the time I looked away to say "There's no way she's going to..." that Zoe launched herself into my arms. Fun stuff.

We purposely skipped our Sunday nap so Zoe would sleep on the drive home. By about 3 p.m., she was pretty pooped, but extremely buoyant:


It was a very relaxing weekend and great to see everybody. We're already looking forward to our next trip.

You'd think that's enough for one blog post... BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

As typically is the case after a fun weekend, the party extended for Zoe when Aunt Tephs came over for her Monday babysitting gig. This particular Monday also included a visit from Busia and Dziadzia, so Aunt Tephs could make an appointment.

Here they are, saying goodbye after a fun couple hours of walks and playing in the backyard:

That's a lot of visiting with a lot of wonderful people in a very short time. What a lucky girl.

Now, we start looking forward to a full week off.