Many Babies. Handle it.

Pictures issue is sorted, back on track!  Now let's backtrack a bit:  At the beginning of the month my sister, brother-in-law, and their baby came to visit.  Their baby is only six weeks older than Thumper, and this was the first time they'd be meeting each other.  Needless to say, we were all pretty excited.  I was a bit nervous, though.  Thumper had never really spent much time with any baby - usually his interactions have been from the safety of respective strollers or carriers.  How would this go?

As it turns out, really well!  The cousins got along as well as babies can; there was a lot of parallel play, and some closer-than-parallel play when they both went for the activity table at the same time.  (I wish I could share photos, but Thumper's cousin is not mine and I respect their privacy.)  There was a slight sharing issue; apparently, Thumper thought his cousin had the best taste in the world, because he immediately wanted to play with the same toy, puzzle piece, spot at the activity table, etc.  There was hardly any fighting, but they were like puppies, tumbling over one another.

And I have insane respect for anyone who dares take on more than one baby at once, whether it be through multiples or just having kids in quick succession (like my own mother did).  Talk about spinning plates.  Yeesh.  The Yeti and I are total agreement: if we have another baby (and the jury is still out on that) it won't be for some time yet, until Thumper is more toddler/little kid and less baby/toddler.  I know I can't delay that decision for forever, but it's really a moot point for probably another year, regardless.

Something funny from that trip: So Thumper's activity table is this one, which we love.  I chose it because it features a ball drop in the center, sort of like a pool table.  I wanted a table that had activities that were more than just pushing buttons, and this one fit the bill.  The only thing is that I wish the table had an option to only do lights, without sound, or maybe even just lights and the sound effects, instead of long, drawn-out songs, but we can't have everything.  Anyway, the table has a round dip in the middle, where the ball can spiral down like a wishing well.

When the cousins stood at the table together, my brother-in-law and I were both struck by the fact that the table reminded us of a TARDIS console from Doctor Who.  We talked about taking pictures of the kids and maybe photoshopping in some Doctor costumes, or the tall pillar in the center of the console, but didn't take pictures at that time.

The next day, the guys were out together and I was with my sister and the kids, and I realized one of the babies had taken the base of the light-up ring stacker and placed it in the center of the activity table.  They'd been trying to shove all manner of items down the hole for days, including ones that were much too big and unwieldy, but this one nestled into the dip perfectly.  More importantly, it looked startlingly like the TARDIS console pillar.  If the guys hadn't been gone I would have been convinced that one of them was playing a joke on me, but they were, and that isn't my sister's style.  So, apparently, the kids figured out how to build a TARDIS.

vworp vworp vworp

One more story for now, of the more personal, TMI variety: 

Before I even knew I was pregnant, sushi tasted wrong to me.  I actually thought I'd gotten a bad batch (and since I tested and found out pretty darn early, this means this was pretty much the minute I was pregnant).  The weirdness didn't go away; I hadn't intended to limit sushi consumption during pregnancy (I trust the place) but my tastebuds made it a moot point.  Most food tasted subpar while I was pregnant, actually.  After I had Thumper I tried sushi once or twice, but it still wasn't brilliant.  I wondered if it had been ruined for me forever.  

When my sister was here we grabbed dinner from the sushi place.  I hadn't tried it in a few months, and I was so surprised when it tasted just as I remembered it!  Finally, I could enjoy it again.  I told the Yeti, "I finally feel back to normal."  Which made sense; my body took a long time to make a baby, so maybe it needed time to bounce back.  

But I wondered if maybe it was more than that.  I still hadn't had a menstrual cycle since giving birth to Thumper, but for the past few months I'd been in "any day now" mode.  I'd had random, fleeting cramping, PMS-like grumpiness (mild, thankfully), and this seemed like yet another sign that my hormones were back in their pre-pregnancy mode.  

The day after my sister left, I started my period.  Perhaps being in Multiple Babies Mode jump-started my ovaries - though really, I would have thought they'd be cowering in fear.