the family MARS

Happy Mother's Day: Mommy, Grandmom, Amah, Gram, and Auntie!

posted by roman mars @ 9:24 AM 0 comments
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Thursday, December 06, 2007

One year later!

Well, we survived. For those still following along, the boys are massive and quite charming. Carver is 26 lbs., Mazlo 24.5. They're both about the same height: 29.75".

Mazlo can walk like nobody's business, Carver is getting there. Carver can feed himself with a spoon, Mazlo is having none of that.

We're leaving the bunker of our snow covered one bedroom apartment in Chicago for a sunny home in the East Bay. We're very excited to start something new, something, hopefully, a little easier.

I've put a score of new photos on the Flickr. Check them out.

posted by roman mars @ 8:58 AM 0 comments
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Monday, September 24, 2007

New Pictures on the Flickr.

posted by roman mars @ 8:48 PM 2 comments
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Saturday, August 18, 2007

It's been way too long! The boys have grown quite a bit. I've uploaded a bunch of photos to Flickr from the last couple months:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11779268@N08/

posted by roman mars @ 9:07 PM 0 comments
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Friday, June 08, 2007

We're off to New Jersey! The boys travel for the first time tomorrow. More pictures and updates to come, once we find a new place to live in Chicago.

posted by roman mars @ 8:53 PM 1 comments
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Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Sorry for the long delay. If you know our tale of woe, you know why I haven't been able to update. The boys are healthy. The parents are surviving. We had nice visits with friends recently and they took pictures. You can view them all here. Here's a sample:

posted by roman mars @ 9:48 AM 0 comments
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Wednesday, April 25, 2007

On ze changing table...

posted by roman mars @ 8:26 PM 4 comments
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Staring Contest!

posted by roman mars @ 8:23 PM 1 comments
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posted by roman mars @ 8:21 PM 0 comments
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Future Careers Revealed!

Labels: belly

posted by roman mars @ 8:00 PM 0 comments
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Thursday, April 19, 2007

posted by roman mars @ 7:46 PM 0 comments
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Sunday, April 15, 2007

Right Click and Save Target As...
CarverMazzyPG.mov

The feel good film of the spring! Short on plot, but great performances.

posted by roman mars @ 7:37 PM 1 comments
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Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Bath time with Carver.

posted by roman mars @ 8:23 PM 3 comments
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Sunday, April 08, 2007

Happy Easter, everybody!

posted by roman mars @ 10:05 AM 3 comments
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Naked time on the towel.

posted by roman mars @ 9:56 AM 0 comments
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Soulful Mazlo

posted by roman mars @ 9:55 AM 0 comments
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Forlorn!

posted by roman mars @ 9:53 AM 1 comments
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HA!

posted by roman mars @ 9:51 AM 0 comments
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posted by roman mars @ 9:49 AM 0 comments
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posted by roman mars @ 9:48 AM 0 comments
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posted by roman mars @ 9:36 AM 0 comments
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Saturday, March 10, 2007

Team Mars ventures outside for the first time!

posted by roman mars @ 1:30 PM 1 comments
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Friday, March 09, 2007

Attacked by octopi!

posted by roman mars @ 10:25 PM 0 comments
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Bring on the cute.

posted by roman mars @ 10:16 PM 0 comments
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Thursday, March 08, 2007

You'd think that the kids being more calm at night would make it easier to update the blog, but it turns out that nighttime has become a perfect time to work, so blogging has suffered. My apologies.

Medical update: The boys had their three month "wellness" appointment today and they're great. Mazlo weighs 11lbs7oz and Carver weighs 13lbs1oz, and they just keep getting cuter. It's nothing to worry about, but Carver continues to test positive for blood in his stool. Mae is back on the dairy free diet. He's nowhere near as bad as Mazlo was, but we're not taking any chances. Hopefully he'll get better without us having to take him off of breast milk completely like we had to with Mazzy.

Labels: bears, cuteness, microscopic blood loss in stool

posted by roman mars @ 8:03 PM 0 comments
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Sunday, February 25, 2007

posted by Sofia @ 4:15 PM 4 comments
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Thursday, February 08, 2007

The boys had their 2 month appointment today, and other than the trauma of giving them four shots worth of vaccinations each, all is great. Well, all will be great when they feel better from the vaccinations. Mazzy was almost inconsolable when we got home today, but I think he finally wore himself out. Carver's also cranky, but is now resting next to his brother.

Mazlo hasn't had any visible blood in his stool since he switched to the Elecare formula, but today we got confirmation that there are no microscopic traces either. I did have the pleasure of buying Elecare for the first time today (normally the doctor gives us free samples) and it was $270 for six cans of powder! That boy better get a job soon.

Well here's what you've all been waiting for...the numbers. Mazlo is 9 lbs 7 oz and Carver is 11 lbs 1 oz. Boom!

posted by roman mars @ 7:24 PM 1 comments
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Thursday, February 01, 2007

Boys on a couch.

posted by roman mars @ 7:34 PM 3 comments
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First off, the kids are cute and everyone's healthy. Mazlo seems completely better on the new formula, but he still has a lot of catching up to do if he wants wrestle in Carver's weight class. They still don't sleep very long at any given time and I pretty much have to hold Mazlo on my chest all night or he won't sleep at all. Crazy kid. The night before last and the workday following were particularly rough, but all four of us got a nap together on the couch in the late afternoon and we felt a lot better.

They are now 8 weeks old, of you can believe it. It feels like we've had them for years. I can't remember what I used to do with all the time. This is our longest stretch without any help, so I've appreciated Grandmom Mary and Manny Max all the more. The boys probably would've survived, but Mae and I would surely have been dead by now if it weren't for them. I can't thank them enough.

Max also left his mark by referring to the boys as "Spazlo" and "Calmer." He nailed that one.

posted by roman mars @ 9:51 AM 2 comments
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Sunday, January 28, 2007

Ladies and Gentlemen, your Chicago Bears!

posted by roman mars @ 7:15 PM 3 comments
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My Manny Max

posted by roman mars @ 7:10 PM 0 comments
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Wednesday, January 17, 2007

You make the call!

There is an exciting new development in the twins saga. The OB/GYN who did the C-section called today and said that there were actually two placentas fused together (i.e fused, dichorionic) in the uterus. During all the ultrasounds they always thought it was only one placenta. That means the boys may not be identical! All monochorionic twins are identical, and all fraternal twins are dichorionic, but about 30% of monozygotic (identical) twins are dichorionic. So if they were monochorionic we'd know for sure, but now they could be just equally handsome fraternal twins. Them being fraternal twins could explain a few mysteries, like why Mazzy is the only one with a milk allergy, or why Carver looks big enough to eat Mazlo. However, they are very similar looking (all the NICU nurses thought they were identical) and they have the same blood type.

Here's the user participation part of the program. In the comments section, put in your vote of identical vs. fraternal, and secondly, tell us if we should pay $195 to get the boys' DNA tested. You make the call!

posted by roman mars @ 5:57 PM 7 comments
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Monday, January 15, 2007

Mother and Carver

posted by roman mars @ 7:29 PM 4 comments
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The developments over the last few days are as such: Mazlo is doing very well on the Elecare formula. No frank blood in the stool and no diarrhea. Hooray! The scary news we got over the weekend was that the CBC blood test he got in the emergency room wasn't fine after all, and he actually had a significant drop in his hemacrit level (i.e. low red blood cell count). So that confirms it, he was bleeding a lot (It didn't just look like a lot to his nervous parents). There nothing to really do about that now, but if he starts bleeding again, there will be less "wait and see" and more "let's stop this immediately." We described our efforts to cut out milk and soy in Mae's diet during the time when Mazlo was getting worse and the GI specialist recommends that we not try to breastfeed Malzo anymore. He's a sensitive boy and there's no real way to tell what is causing the problem. With his blood count so low, there's no sense in experimenting.

Mae is sad that Mazzy can't breastfeed, but now that she doesn't need to watch her diet, I was able to console her with a coconut donut and philly cheesesteak.

Also, he put on 5 more ounces, so he's now 7 lbs 8 oz.

Carver is his awesome self, enjoying all the breast milk he can eat. He drinks a milk based formula, so we know he's OK with whatever Mae eats.

posted by roman mars @ 4:45 PM 0 comments
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Friday, January 12, 2007

Doctor visit update: Mazlo put on 5 more ounces in three days, bringing him to 7 lbs 2 oz. Carver is now a whopping 8 lbs 7 oz! We have an appointment with a GI specialist on Monday, and while she and our pediatrician were consulting today, she decided to put Mazlo on a simple amino acid formula for the weekend. He's not getting any worse, but Mae's diet changes should be having an effect by now and nothing has changed. I'm a little sad about that, but I'm glad there's a plan to follow, and maybe, just maybe, we'll see some improvement this weekend.

posted by roman mars @ 4:23 PM 0 comments
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Wednesday, January 10, 2007

There was quite a drama last night, but everything is OK now. Mazlo had a very bloody diaper and no stool, so after calling the doctor we went in to Children's Hospital. It was very scary, but after all the tests (CBC, X-ray-- which again ruled out NEC) I feel much better. The nurse saw a sore in his bottom that may be causing all the recent trouble. There's nothing to be done, but let it heal. So, it was a rough night and he's a little cranky today, but knowing what's going on really helps (us, if not him). On a side note, all the nurses commented on how handsome he is. He is handsome.

posted by roman mars @ 12:55 PM 4 comments
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Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Apparently, parenthood is a euphemism for constant, agonizing worry. Carver is going strong and is actually turning into stout little man. Mazlo isn't any worse, but blood keeps showing up in his stool and scaring his dad half to death. The Axid seemed to be working for a few days, he was calmer and had little to no blood for days, but yesterday it came back. It could be because of some milk ingredients we discovered in some of the food Mae had been eating (It's everywhere! I had been making chicken and vegetables in a skillet almost nightly and I discovered that the frozen, grilled chicken strips I bought have milk in the natural flavoring.). I took him into the doctor today and we're back to wait and see mode. The good sign is that he is now 6 lbs 13 ounces. That's 10 ounces in one week, which is awesome! He's also not in any real distress, has no fever, is not particularly fussy (but this is very difficult symptom for me to asses), has good bowel sounds, and has a nice soft belly. He also may have (wince) an anal fissure that may account for everything and this latest flare up has nothing to do with his milk allergy at all. There are so many bits of information and variables, it's hard to know when to feel reassured or completely freaked out. I'm having a hard time sleeping, and considering that I'm up all night, taking care of babies all day, and going into work part time is just crazy. Mae is, of course, amazing, and is serving as the rock while I'm in freak out mode. We'll switch roles again, to be sure. That's the latest.

posted by roman mars @ 7:29 PM 4 comments
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Sunday, January 07, 2007

My boys.

posted by roman mars @ 4:36 PM 1 comments
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Punch in the face!

posted by roman mars @ 4:34 PM 0 comments
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Evil and eviler

posted by roman mars @ 4:29 PM 0 comments
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Saturday, January 06, 2007

Bat Boy found in Chicago!

posted by roman mars @ 12:10 PM 0 comments
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Tuesday, January 02, 2007

There was another doctor visit today. Mazlo weighed in at 6 pounds 3 ounces and Carver is now, get this, 7 pounds 5 ounces. So Mazlo's putting on good weight (more than the 1 ounce per day average) but he's still getting blood in his stool fairly regularly. Dairy could still be the culprit, because it takes weeks to get out of Mae's system, but it seems slightly worse than last week, so it's hard to say. Our pediatrician thinks it may be acid reflux irritating his GI tract, so they started him on children Axid (now in new bubblegum flavor!). He has other symptoms that support this, most notably, he arches his back uncomfortably after he feeds. I really hope that's it and the drug will solve the problem. If it is, I'll have to take back everything I've ever said about Acid Reflux being some bullshit made-up disease used to sell the unnecessary "preventative" medicine that was originally designed to treat ulcers, but when Australian scientists discovered that bacteria caused ulcers (not high doses of acid) it became completely useless and has since been searching for a disease to cure to justify it's exorbitant cost to the pharmaceutical giants that developed it. So these billion dollar multinationals created a whole new class of consumer pharmaceuticals, medicine you take before you get sick, i.e. medicine for the well. One part evil, two parts genius.

If my boy gets better, I swear, I'll take it all back.

posted by roman mars @ 10:30 PM 0 comments
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Monday, January 01, 2007

Team Mars ushered in the new year with extreme fussiness. Huzzah! I'm fairly certain aliens inhabited the children and no amount of holding, feeding, or rocking could thwart their evil insomniac agenda. Here's a couple of pictures from back when they were calm and sweet. Mazlo face up. Carver face down. Probably. I think.

posted by roman mars @ 3:47 PM 0 comments
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Wednesday, December 27, 2006

The boys went to the doctor today. It was Mazlo's first time, Carver's second. Carver helped Mazzy through it. It was all great news. After a mix up with the charts (the doctor thought Carver's discharge weight (6lbs) was Mazlo's (5lbs6oz)), we discovered that Mazzy put on 6oz in four days! Average babies put on about an ounce a day. Not my boys, if they don't put on 1.5 ounces a day they shouldn't even bother coming home for dinner. At this rate, they'll be 600 pounds each by their eighteenth birthdays. Then they can take out Tokyo.

As it turns out, Mazlo likely has a milk allergy. Let the nerdiness begin! This means Mae is completely off dairy, so the milk protein doesn't go into the breast milk. She's taking it very well. Today we learned Oreos don't contain milk, so there's that, but milk, butter, chocolate, cheese, etc. is out.

Here are the stats:
Mazlo is 5 lbs 12 oz and 19 inches long. Carver is 6 lbs 11 oz and Mom can't remember his length. Nice job Mom, jeez.

posted by roman mars @ 7:01 PM 0 comments
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Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Grandmom Mary arrives!

And Mazlo shows off his newly developed neck muscles.

posted by roman mars @ 8:26 PM 1 comments
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Sunday, December 24, 2006

We have met the enemy, and they are ours.

The war has begun. Every three hours they feed. Including prep, changing, eating, burping, and cleanup, each battle takes 1-1.5 hours for the two of them. That leaves about 1.5 hours in between to do dishes, laundry, eat and (quite rarely) sleep. You find your morale hinging on the smallest of victories: Carver takes a full feed in under 15 minutes; there are no traces of blood in Mazlo's stool (Even though he was discharged, his stomach irritation is there. Thankfully, it seems to be lessening.). And the minor setbacks are devastating. I can't believe we've only had them both home for 24 hours. This is why babies are so cute. They are evolutionarily designed to make parents want to go through this with them. And they are so, so cute.

Yours with great respect and esteem,
R. K. Mars

posted by roman mars @ 3:34 PM 2 comments
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Saturday, December 23, 2006

All them boys, and all them boys, and all them boys
Leaving no man behind, Team Mars returns to base camp. Welcome home Mazlo Rocket.

posted by roman mars @ 3:44 PM 1 comments
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Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Carver comes home!
A 12/20 pictorial.

posted by roman mars @ 7:15 PM 1 comments
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Our cute boys. Mazlo is doing great, and eating quite vigorously (his 36 hour fast seems to have finally awakened his appetite), but he needs a couple more days in the slammer. We took some final picture of them together in the hospital before we broke Carver out.

Back together

Mazlo cutie

Carver smiley

posted by roman mars @ 7:08 PM 0 comments
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Tuesday, December 19, 2006

It's been a long couple of days at Team Mars. We got a call in the middle of the night Sunday that Mazlo had blood in his stool and may have a kind of nasty intestinal infection that is unfortunately not that rare in premies. A day and a half of tests and X-rays later it looks like the worst possible diagnoses have been mostly eliminated, but we are proceeding with caution. He's been on an IV and on "bowel rest" for 36 hours now, as well as a course of antibotiocs. Sadly, he and his borther have been bumped down to nursery 3, which is where they started two weeks ago (They were last in the final nursery, number 8, which is known as "feeders and growers."). We may be able to feed Mazlo breast milk later today, if no other symptoms arise. All the nurses keep commenting on his vigor, because if he has the bad thing (called NEC--but don't look it up, seriously) then he wouldn't be active or want to eat at all. We're not out of the woods yet, but I'm less worried than I was.

Carver is going strong and really took to breasfeeding for the first time yesterday. He always gave it a shot, but this last time it seemed for the first time that he could actually get all he needed to eat directly from Mom, which is awesome. I'm already sick of washing bottles and pump parts. They've all but released him to us. We may wait a day to make sure Mazlo is OK, but Carver will definitely be home by this weekend.

posted by roman mars @ 8:39 AM 0 comments
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Sunday, December 17, 2006

Behold: cute overload.

posted by Max @ 8:57 PM 2 comments
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Happy birthday to our Niece/Cousin/Cutie Ava.

posted by roman mars @ 6:17 PM 0 comments
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There are a couple of new photos on the photos page. The boys are doing pretty good. We are now being told that Carver may be home on Tuesday. I brought in his car seat for his final test. Because they are so small they put them in the seat while they're hooked up to the monitors to make sure they don't slump so much in the seat that it causes breathing problems. I'm glad someone is thinking about these things! Mazlo has at least a few more days to go and my guess is that it'll be more like a week.

I have two days left at work and then I'm home for three weeks. I'll still have all of my vacation and sick days for 2007 left to spend if I need more time, but I may save them for after all the help leaves. I hope I can get up the energy and interest to work again. Right now I can't fathom it; I'm all about the babies.

posted by roman mars @ 6:03 PM 0 comments
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Wednesday, December 13, 2006

The parents are settling in to being back home, but the babies are still locked up in the joint. Once you get into the Special Care Nursery, you really have to prove yourself to get out. They each need to maintain their body temperature (check, check), have low bilirubin counts, i.e. no jaundice (check, check), consistently eat their minimum requirements every three hours (check, no check). Mazzy is a little sluggish on the bottle and requires extra assistance. He is still the cutest little monkey you've ever seen, but he's just not a good eater yet. Carver, on the other hand, is doing great on all fronts and could be home with us in the next day or two. Since they're identical, I can say under oath that Carver is also the cutest monkey you've ever seen.

I'm not sure how we're going to fair with one fragile little newborn at home and one in the hospital, but we will manage. They won't keep a healthy baby in just because his brother still needs to hang out. With us going back and forth a couple times a day, Carver's going to get some early experience with his car seat (Thanks Grandmom! Thanks Wentworths!).

That's the happs for now. I'm going back to show them off to our friends and hold them for a couple hours. Holding them has an almost narcotic calming effect. Blissful even. I've lost all interest in other worldly things. I'm a baby junkie.

posted by roman mars @ 1:20 PM 5 comments
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Monday, December 11, 2006

Fight the power!

posted by Max @ 5:38 PM 0 comments
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Friday, December 08, 2006

Mae and I are leaving the hospital in a couple hours, but the boys will be here for a few more days at least. They are off the lights and in open cribs. Once they demonstrate they can keep down 30mL of food every meal and they start to put on some weight, they'll come home. It'll be sad to leave them. The bright side is that this gives Mae a couple days to recover without having to care for them 24/7 and I'll get a little sleep. I've got a 1000 yard stare that numerous dining establishment workers in the neighborhood have commented on. A bed will be most welcome. We will come back every day for several hours to deliver milk and hold them. They're fun to hold.

Oh, it's official, I turned in the birth certificates:
Mazlo Rocket Marecek
Carver Atomic Marecek
I decided to give them secret identities.

More soon.

posted by roman mars @ 3:02 PM 1 comments
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Thursday, December 07, 2006

Mazlo sunning hisself

posted by Sofia @ 5:49 PM 0 comments
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Hello friends. I haven't the strength to type for long. The babies keep us on a pretty tight schedule. Everyone is doing very well. Mae is up and walking around (slowly) and the boys are taking bottles (and breasts) and Mazlo's off the oxygen and antibiotics. Currently, they are both chillin' under the purple glow of light therapy, where they get to wear the cutest foam goggles. I'll have more pictures tomorrow. We'll be home sometime Friday, but the boys will hang out here for a while to put on weight.

They look really good and they are mesmerizing in person. Baby TV!

More soon.

posted by roman mars @ 2:31 PM 1 comments
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Tuesday, December 05, 2006

New photos in photo section!

posted by Sofia @ 5:09 PM 2 comments
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Monday, December 04, 2006

tiny Mazlo tiny Carver

posted by Sofia @ 9:13 PM 1 comments
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Thursday, November 30, 2006

I'll have more to report later, but FYI if you scroll through the PHOTOS page, you'll find several of the shower on Saturday. It was awesome--thanks to Sofia, Max, Anne, Johanna, Julie and Devorah.

posted by roman mars @ 9:13 AM 0 comments
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Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Mae at rest, looking nothing like Jabba the Hut.

posted by roman mars @ 4:08 PM 0 comments
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Friday, November 17, 2006

In one more day we hit 32 weeks. Eight months down. Not too bad considering we came darn close to having them about two weeks ago.

Here's the happs: We got a call from the doctor and after talking with the high-risk specialists and the neonatal muckity-mucks, she's set B-Day for Tuesday, December 19th. Of course, as we've learned, they could always come earlier, but everyday they spend on the inside is a good one (except for Mae), so I hope that ends up being the day.

Now, them being born so close to Christmas doesn't mean you're allowed to get them one gift for both their birthday and Christmas every year. That's just cruel. They'll already have to contend with a whiny clone taking all their stuff, so give them a break.

posted by roman mars @ 11:34 PM 4 comments
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Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Onesies!

Sofia and Max have outdone themselves.

posted by roman mars @ 6:17 PM 0 comments
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Mae is resting at home and I'm going into work sporadically when I can find someone to stay with her while I'm gone (Thanks Anne, Devo and Dan!). We had a doctor appointment yesterday, and there has been no change except the babies are HUGE! Twin A is 4lbs 4oz and Twin B is 4 lbs 13 oz. With twins you're generally hoping they get to 5 pounds, so if she can suffer through another couple weeks, we'll be more than OK.

posted by roman mars @ 7:45 AM 0 comments
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Monday, November 13, 2006

It has come to our attention that the shipping fees for some of the stuff on the Target registry is nearly as much as the items themselves. You only discover this once you go through the whole purchasing process. That's unacceptable! We chose Target because they are (a) reasonably priced, (b) very close by and (c) heavily marketed toward our particular VW-driving, Ikea-furnished, sushi-eating, hipster demographic. They have paid a high price to cop our style, and that must be rewarded. Anywho, if you would like to get a little something-something for the kids, it is greatly appreciated, but don't feel you have to pay exorbitant fees to do so. There are gift cards that can be purchased on the registry, but if you even want to avoid that unnecessary fee, you can always go to your friendly neighborhood Target and purchase one yourself and send it. That's only $.39 shipping AND handling. Beautiful. (Let's have a little postal service aside for a sec, shall we? I know it's frustrating when stamps continue to go up in price, but really, for 39 cents they'll take a letter across the country for you. For 39 cents I wouldn't take a letter down the three flights of stairs for you, and I'm going there anyway.)

Also keep in mind, we accept checks. Seriously, Mae may be different, but I don't especially go in for ceremony. As my Mom used to say when I refused to eat my beans after they touched my mashed potatoes (I had some...issues.), "It's all going to the same place." So if the check route feels comfortable to you, lovely. If that is no fun, and one of the reasons you give gifts is to provide the joy of opening a huge box (and you don't mind giving Target their cut), I completely understand that too. Giving presents feels awesome.

All right? Sorry to be so blunt, but I don't want anyone to feel pressured into paying extra just because a slick store's website told you to. I'm all about saving money. I have a saying, "There are two ways to make money: making money and not spending money." Unfortunately, I only really excel at the latter. Damn public radio.

Thanks friends! Now back to our regularly scheduled programming of harrowing hospital visits and cervical updates.

posted by roman mars @ 10:37 PM 0 comments
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Saturday, November 11, 2006

These are the guys causing all the trouble. This is a view of the top of their heads, right next to each other resting way down in Mae's pelvis. They are not conjoined, they just like each other.

posted by roman mars @ 12:46 PM 3 comments
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Thursday, November 09, 2006

We're back home. Mae has been contraction-free for 36 hours. That was a close one. If you're ever offered several hundred mL of Magnesium Sulfate (or "mag", as it's known on the street) I advise you not to take it, unless of course you're having pre-term labor. I looked like a miserable experience from my perspective, and Mae is currently asleep, so she can't confirm right now, but I think that from her perspective it was miserable too.

She's on strict bed rest and only allowed to get up to go to the bathroom. It took her about five minutes of being home to realize the many glorious and wonderful things that can be accomplished on her way to the bathroom. Apparently doing the dishes and emailing count as activities that can be done on the way. I don't think this is what the doctor intended, so I've had to put my foot down. Let's see how long that lasts.

That's it for now, more later.

posted by roman mars @ 8:36 PM 0 comments
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Wednesday, November 08, 2006

No need for great alarm, but we've been in the hospital for the past day and a half. Mae went to her regular doctor appointment, and because she was a bit dialated, she was told to go to the hospital to be monitored even though she hadn't really felt any contractions. As soon as Mae got to the hospital, the contractions really started in earnest and we were pretty convinced that she was going to have these boys last night. Sometime around 4 am though, the contractions subsided (with extensive medication) and we bought a little time. We are staying here until a treatment of steroids can be administered to get the boys' lungs in shape, in case they do come early. We're trading in what are sure to be promising baseball careers, for basic oxygen exchange. Even though they'd swing for the fences every time and lay waste to an admittedly thin MLB pitching roster, being on the 'roids will keep them out of the game. I ask you: is this fair?

So, we're very sleepy and WBEZ is getting a couple of unplanned repeats, but otherwise we're all good right now.

Just because the Northwestern Neonatologist made me feel so much better last night, I want to relay that even born this early to odds are extremely, overwhelmingly good that they'll both be healthy and fine. We'll just have more time to spruce up the place before we can take them home.

More soon, friends.

posted by roman mars @ 7:58 PM 1 comments
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Tuesday, November 07, 2006

We just passed the 30 week mark, which is very exciting. At this point there's an escape hatch if anything should happen. We're still hoping they hang out for another 5-6 weeks, though. I still have furniture to move. Mae just needs to make sure they're born this year, because it'll save me a bundle on my taxes. These boys have got to start pulling their weight! Anyone want to start a birth date pool?

It's election day and I got into work late because of what can only be described as "voting theatre" in my polling place. It was quite disorganized and the knowledge base of the voting officials was on the narrow side. Alphabetical order proved to be too complex an organizational system. One worker kept telling people who were checking in to put their "John Henry" on the line. Oh man.

Back to babies. They are now (I'm guessing) just over 3 lbs. each. Mae is very uncomfortable and has taken to sleeping sitting up on the couch at night. The worst part is that she's very hungry but the boys take up so much room that her stomach is too small to accept much food, and if she accidentally overdoes it, she gets sick. I think it's safe to say that we're happy to get two out of the way at once, so there's no temptation whatsoever to try this again.

We're also still accepting name suggestions. Right now I call them Romulus and Remus. Sometimes Tester and Control. Fill your choices in below.

posted by roman mars @ 8:23 AM 1 comments
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Sunday, October 22, 2006

Growin' babies and lookin' good.

posted by roman mars @ 7:05 PM 4 comments
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Profile!

posted by roman mars @ 4:52 PM 1 comments
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Friday, October 13, 2006

27 weeks and counting.........

posted by roman mars @ 2:07 PM 2 comments
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Thursday, October 12, 2006

Sofia sez:

Mae's official babies shower is a MAIL-ORDER shower -invites forthcoming.

The no-stress, Thankgiving soiree will take place:
NOVEMBER 25, 2006
2 p.m.
Logan's Square

More soon.

posted by roman mars @ 1:08 PM 3 comments
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Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Welcome to the Marecek/Mars twins website! You can find photos, a registry, and updates right here. Sofia and Max are spearheading a small, low-key babies(!) shower while they're here over the Thanksgiving holiday. More details soon. We know many of you can't take a trip to Chicago, especially on the busiest travelling weekend of the year, so no worries about not showing up. But, we'd love to hear from you! Leave a message/comment on the blog here and let us know how you're doing. Any and all well wishes are appreciated. We're going to need it.

posted by roman mars @ 11:30 AM 2 comments
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MARECEK / MARS FAMILY

Saturday, May 10, 2008