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Just when I thought Brodie had reached a turning point, and was eating three meals a day consistently, he went on a solid food strike that is now on its 5th day.  He will only eat Cheerios or a few bites of random food items.  The good thing is he is still willing to drink milk and water from a cup.  He likes soy formula.  He is sleeping better, and accepting a bottle at night.  The good always seems to out weigh the bad.  The bad isn't really bad, just frustrating.     

From the time they wake up in the morning until they go to bed at night, they are crawling.  Crawling neck and neck racing throughout the house.  Hands, arms, feet, legs over lapping and tangled at times.  They find their way over, under, or around most obstacles.  Their speed increases when they near a new, exciting, and sometimes unsafe destination, and decreases when being coaxed by Mom in a direction they don't want to go.  Yesterday they both popped up to standing.  Standing, yet their entire body is waving like a flag in the gusty wind, arms out, legs spread wide, and feet turned at uncomfortable angles in attempt to learn to balance and not fall over. 
The baby gates are in place, yet they are naturally drawn toward the areas of the house that have not yet been "baby proofed".  Brodie being the most adventurous of the two, reached out for the shoe rack, misjudged and hit his chin resulting in a scuffed chin.  In the same day, he pushed the gate in the kitchen, busting the lower right corner open, and fell head first through the gate, down the only step in our house, landing on his forehead.  Another bruise, just when the bruises on his forehead had all healed.  Holding an icepack larger than his head to the bump worked wonders on reducing the bruising.  This is just the beginning.  I do my best to prevent boo boos, but the 2:1 ratio doesn't always work in their favor. I can't prevent them both from falling, tripping, flopping, tipping over, etc at the same time.  I am not a super hero.  But if I were, I think I would aspire to be Wonder Woman.  Not sure why, other than I think her name is cool.  I had Wonder Woman pajamas when I was a kid. 

Ever since Brodie started crawling, he has also been talking, nearly non-stop.  We have no idea what he is saying or singing, but this doesn't bother him.  It's fun to listen to Lucas and Brodie talk to each other.  I have no idea if they can understand each other.  But I'm sure in just a short time, they'll know what they are talking about, and I'll still be out of the loop. 
When it's bedtime, Lucas winds down easily and falls asleep snuggled up with his blanky and sucks his thumb.  Brodie's energy continues to escalate, as he gets more and more tired.  He fights falling asleep.  He basically is bouncing off the walls before he finally gives in to sleep.  Our bedtime routine includes a bath.  We read a book.  I nurse him, give him a bottle, sing him nursery rhymes, and rock in the rocking chair.  So far, I haven't figured out the right combination or magic trick to get him to calm down.  Does anyone have an suggestions?  

I've been breast feeding Lucas and Brodie close to 1 year.  In retrospect, the experience of breast feeding twins has been exhausting.  But at the same time, if given the opportunity, I would do it again.  (For the record, I am not doing it again.  Lucas and Brodie are more than enough for me to handle.)  The experience of being a mother is one thing, but the experience of breast feeding has added a special bond between me and my two little ones that will last a life time.
I consulted with Brodie's GI physician about weaning.  I consulted with a pediatric nutritionist.  I consulted with the boys' pediatrician.  I've been researching on the Internet, talking to other moms, and reading as many books and articles on the issue.
Based on the information I gathered and the recommendations from the boy's physicians and nutritionist, here's my plan:
They are currently nursing 6 times a day on average, including 3 solid meals and 2 snacks which includes breast feeding.  They already drink breast milk from a cup.  During the day I am going to replace one breast feeding session with a cup of milk.  Brodie will be weaned onto soy formula, and Lucas onto whole cow's milk. 
I will have to see how it goes.  I think I will drop one breast feeding session each week, replacing it with a cup of milk, until all the is left is one breast feeding session before bedtime.  They seem to like this one the best. I will continue pumping once before I go to sleep at night.  I'll use the breast milk to mix with the cow's milk and soy formula, to help get the boys use to their new milk.  Once they are use to drinking the new milk, I will not have to pump anymore.....yipee!  They need 24-32 oz of milk a day. They are still taking iron supplements.  And drink between 2-4 oz of water each day.  
Lucas has already weaned himself from the breast at night.  He has been sleeping through the night since April.  Brodie does not.  He is a continuous challenge. He loves to suck.  I have become a human pacifier.  He won't take a pacifier, a blanket, a toy....anything.  He kicks them all away and spits out pacifiers.  Lately he has been waking up ever hour crying.  The only way to get him back to sleep is to put him on my breast.  His pediatrician suggested I wean him on to a bottle at night.  Try to stretch out his feedings to at least 3 hours.  She believes that he still needs food at night.  I think he does too.  He loves to drink milk at night.  Since he is still underweight, and trying to catch up, still not eating solids well, and is easily distracted while breast feeding during the day, he needs any additional nourishment he will take, whether it is day or night.  My hope is that he'll start take a bottle at night, rather than my nipple.  He has the potential for getting more milk.  Maybe if he drinks more milk, he'll sleep longer, and eventually start to sleep through the night.  I would love to get more than 5-6 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night.  And I believe Brodie would be quite a lot happier, if he got more sleep. 

Thursday
The normal 8 hour drive to Oakridge, Oregon took 11 1/2 hours taking into consideration the twin factor.  The longest we drove without stopping was 2 hours.  Lucas and Brodie never slept at the same time.  But they did coordinate crying at the same time.  I can't blame them, being buckled in a car seat for hours on end, unable to move around, isn't fun at all, especially when they just started crawling last week. 

Friday
12 Midnight
Our plan was to arrive in Oregon before 7 PM. We arrived way after dark.  Too late to setup camp.  The event promoter found us a hotel room for the night, or what was left of it. The 1st night of less then 4 hours of interrupted sleep. 
5 AM
We woke up early in order to get our tent set up and eat breakfast before my husband left for his first day of mountain bike guiding.  The event offered three meals each day to the guides and riders.  Each morning breakfast was served at 7 AM and consisted of pancakes and slimy scrambled eggs.  (At least that's all I could eat due to my dairy elimination diet.)  I don't like eggs, but I needed the protein.  One can not live on pancakes alone while breastfeeding twins. The only saving grace was my glass of soy milk and Kashi cereal that I brought with me.  I tell myself each day, "I love soy milk."  If I keep telling myself, maybe I will love it some day.
In addition to nursing the boys, I brought them a variety of pre-packaged purees for their daily meals. They ate them tentatively.  The green beans were a big NO.  But everything else was consumed with a lot of patience and persistence on my part to get Brodie to eat.  I realized that Lucas and Brodie are spoiled because they've been eating home made food all this time.  There really is a taste and texture difference.  I can honestly say this, as I taste everything before I feed it to them.  
Afternoon
While my husband was out riding his mountain bike in the Cascade Mountains, I spent the morning setting up camp and entertaining Brodie and Lucas.  We went for a trail run for just over an hour.  I counted 20 different wild flowers.  The boys took a nap as I ran along the Willamette River pushing them up and down hills on a gravely, bumpy road.  The boys crawled around in the park, pulling, picking, and occasionally trying to eat the dirt, grass, weeds, and flowers.  They also played with their toys in the tent that I converted to a playroom each morning after waking up.
Night 
We took advantage of the free showers at Oakridge High.  This was Lucas and Brodie's first shower experience.  Luckily, it went well.  Steve showered with Lucas.  I showered with Brodie.  The womens locker room had community showers.  I striped Brodie down to his diaper and set him in his traveling high chair on the floor while I undressed.  Then we both took a shower together, with all the other naked women.  This was a slippery experience.  A wet, slightly scared, kicking, squirming baby is hard to hold on to, especially when you add shampoo.  I used baby shampoo to clean both of us head to toe.  Brodie was wide eyed the entire time.  He got quite a lot of attention from the other women.  The shower was was very hot!      
It took an hour to get the boys to sleep in their Pack N Plays.  1 AM they both woke up crying, hungry, and freezing cold.  In order to get them back to sleep, my husband held one, while I nursed the other, then we switched.  Eventually, all four of us ended up sleeping together on the floor of the tent in a pile of blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags.  Some how I ended up with no covers, and baby arms sticking into each of my sides.  I could barely move.  At least everyone else was sleeping.  The 2nd night of less than 4 hours of interrupted sleep.
Saturday
Morning/Afternoon
No trail running today.  I had to accept the fact that I have a sprained left foot.  We took a long walk, the boys napped, and then played around camp.  The plan was for my husband to take over watching the boys upon his return to camp, so I could go mountain bike riding each afternoon.  This happened only once.  So after entertaining Lucas and Brodie all day, I pedaled out of camp around 4PM all alone and on to a trail I had never ridden before.  I have to admit, the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful, but being alone in an unknown forest was spooky.  Taking my safety into consideration, I returned to camp after 45 minutes.  I  just couldn't continue riding alone, not to mention, I was already exhausted from my day with the boys.
Evening
The showers were freezing cold because we arrived a couple hours later than last time.   I just couldn't bring myself to subject him to a cold shower.  So I showered first, while he watched curiously from his high chair.  Brodie had a terrified look when the cold sprinkles touched his body.  I soaped him up and we spun around in slow circles, letting the fine mist of the freezing cold shower rinse off the bubbles.   He made it out with dry hair and no tears. When I met up with my husband and Lucas, I found out he had done the same thing.  Lucas had dry hair too.  At least all the sunblock and dirt was cleaned off of them before they went to bed that night.
Night   
Even though I dressed Lucas and Brodie warmer, they eventually both ended up sleeping with us on the floor again.  This time I made sure to get some covers.  The 3rd night of less than 4 hours of interrupted sleep.
Sunday
We decided to leave one day early.  Today was my husband's last day to guide.  He returned to camp by 12 Noon.  Lucas and Brodie took a 1 1/2 hour nap in the morning which allowed me to start packing.  By 12 Noon, I had the tent put away, and almost everything packed.  Lucas and Brodie were left playing on a king side blanket with a few toys in the middle of camp, while packed the remaining gear. We left Oregon at 2PM to begin our long drive home.  Funny now, but not when it was happening:  Lucas screaming at his highest octave, while Brodie copied him in perfect tune.   Singing "8 little monkeys jumping on the bed...." and "Itsy bitsy spider" over and over and over until I started to lose my voice.  By the time it got dark, I was so tired I couldn't help my husband drive the rest of the way home. We arrived home at 12 Midnight.  We improved our time. It only took us 10 hours to get home.  We vowed we would not drive the boys anywhere for at least the next two days.
Monday
Lucas and Brodie were so happy all day.  They acted as if the had never left.  They love being home.  With my husband's help, I took a 2 1/2 hour nap.  Then we walked with the boys to the grocery store to do our shopping for the week. 
Tuesday
I rode my bike with Lucas and Brodie to McKinley Park to run.  My ankle is still sprained, so we walked.  We met up with a couple of moms for an impromptu picnic and snack sessions with all the kids before riding back home to hang out to play the rest of the day. 
Wednesday
Today is the 3rd day of no driving.  After going for an hour long walk this morning, we stayed home and played.  Audra came over to play with Lucas and Brodie for a few hours.  Then they took their afternoon, and were content to play in the playroom the rest of the day.  I gave them both a quick bath, and they were off to bed by 7:30 PM.   



  

 

It's been 11 months and I'm still breast feeding my twins.  They are finally eating solids 3 times a day.  But they still love to nurse.  I'm still pumping breast milk once a day, before I go to bed at night.  It keeps my milk supply steady, reduces discomfort through the night, and provides the kids with breast milk they drink from cups with their solids throughout the day.  In addition, they are both still nursing about 6-8 times a day. 
The question is, I'm going camping....  should I pump or not?  I pondered this over and over in my head today trying to figure out what to do.  The easiest solution would be not to pump.  I wouldn't have to bring the car adapter, pump, accessories, attachments, etc.  I wouldn't have to worry about cleaning the pump parts.  However,  I can't take a chance of my milk supply decreasing even just a little bit.  I have worked so hard to breast feed Brodie and Lucas over the past 11 months, and I don't want to mess it up now.  So, my decision is to pump. 

No hand holding. Avoid bouncing and standing.  Do not help him pull up. Make sure he is rolling both ways, and that he goes in and out of sitting both ways.  To increase his upper body strength play wheel borrow and practice high level sitting.  Continue to place him on the floor on his belly or in a crawling position.  Remove objects that encourage him to pull up.  Add obstacles to the play room floor to encourage him to crawl over and under, which will increase his upper torso and arm strength.
Tuesday was Brodie's first pediatric physical therapy evaluation.  The referral was made the end of April.  It took 2 1/2 months to get his first appointment, which happened on Tuesday because there was a last minute cancellation on the waiting list. 
Lucas started crawling early last week.  A few days later, Brodie started crawling.  Lucas is very stable and methodical when he crawls.  In the last week, he has progressed to kneeling, hands free.  Brodie tries to copy his brother.  But he is a wobbly, unstable risk taker, which has resulted in several bumps and bruises on his forehead. I know it's just a matter of time, and he'll be crawling around chasing Lucas down the hall. 
The physical therapist reminded me that their adjusted age is only 9 1/2 months.  Just when I thought they were almost 11 months old, 6 weeks were subtracted.  The good news is, if I use their adjusted age, developmentally they're doing good.  But they still have a long way to go to catch up.  The physical therapist said she will use their adjusted age to measure their development up until they are two years old.  I hope they catch up before they turn two. At least I have the guidance from the physical therapist, so I can help them as they learn to crawl, walk, run, skip, hop, jump..... 

My two little crawlers are fast asleep as my husband and I pack to leave for our camping trip to Oakridge, Oregon.  We'll be attending Mountain Bike Oregon, a 3 day guided mountain biking adventure.  This year my husband will be one of the guides, mountain biking all three days.  I on the other hand will be the 24/7 mommy, entertainer, protector, nurturer, and food source. 
I'm bringing my mtn bike in hope that I'll be able to ride a couple of days in the late afternoon, once my husband returns to camp.  But just in case I don't get to ride, I'm bringing my running shoes and the Bob Ironman Double running stroller so I can take Brodie and Lucas for a trail run every morning.  They'll get their morning nap, and I'll get to see the beautiful scenery while I get some exercise. 
This will be our first camping trip since Brodie and Lucas started crawling.  Luckily we are camping at a park with a huge grassy area and playground.  I'm not quite sure what to expect.  But I'm looking forward to our next camping adventure with the kids. 

Suddenly sticks, rocks, and several water balloons came flying full speed from the bluffs, bursting open as they hit the ground around us.  I immediately came to a stop, freaking out, yelling at the top of my lungs, "Stop!  There are babies!"  The group of teens who were walking on the bike trail in front of us, also stopped and proceeded to yell up to the group of young people on the bluffs, who continued to throw water balloons down, as they yelled obscenities.  As soon as I could, I pedaled pass the group of teens to get as far away from the bluffs as possible to avoid being hit by the continuing on slot of flying projectiles from above.  It took 10 minutes before I realized the mile marker signs along the bike trail have the phone number for the ranger dispatch.  I have no idea what happened after I left the scene.  Some people don't think before they act.  I hope no one was injured as a result of their dangerous actions.
We finished our ride, logging over 22 miles in 2 hours later, which included climbing the hills up to Beals Point.  My legs were tired from pulling Brodie and Lucas in their bike trailer.  We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon swimming at the pool and relaxing indoors with the A/C. 

Two naked babies. Brodie crawl-rolling under the crib.  Lucas crawling down the hall. I pick one up and put him down. By the time I pick the other one up and put him down, the other one has crawled or crawl-rolled away.  I keep repeating, pick up, sit down, pick up, sit down.  I get faster each time.  Finally, they are both in the tub.  Splish splash, Brodie's taking a bath, as Lucas crawls around the tub trying to grab the inflatable faucet cover, shampoo bottle, washcloths, anything but his toys.  Rub a dub dub, Lucas is in the tub, as Brodie jumps around like a frog, flinging toys and splashing water everywhere.  The drain is pulled, Brodie and Lucas are wet and slippery like two fish out of water.  Lucas crawls away leaving his frog towel behind.  Brodie rolls away leaving his duck towel behind.  I keep repeating, pick up, sit down, pick up, sit down.  Finally I get their diapers and PJ's on.  Now it's nursing, rocking, and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star sung over and over, until my two little ones are asleep in their beds. 

Who would know that just over an hour ago, Brodie and Lucas were both napping, the house was quiet and calm, while I cleaned the kitchen.  Then Lucas woke up.  I nursed him and just as I set him down on the floor to play, Brodie woke up.  I started to change Brodie's diaper, when I heard Lucas start crying in the play room.  The cry of a possible unsuccessful attempt at pulling himself up.  I picked Brodie up and rushed out to check on Lucas.  He was sitting on the floor with big tears flowing down his cheeks.  I sat down with Brodie in my lap, and pulled Lucas up on to my other leg for a group hug.  As soon as Lucas was calm, I set him back down on the floor, and carried Brodie back to the nursery.  I set Brodie down on the floor, and went out to get Lucas.  I might at well change both of their diapers at the same time.  So while Lucas crawled around on the nursery floor, I changed Brodie's diaper, as he kicked and screamed due to being gently restrained.  If I don't do this, he continually turns over and over making it impossible to change his diaper.  Now Brodie was creatively crawling/rolling around the floor.  He hasn't quite figured out the proper crawling technique yet.  I could hear my cell phone ringing in the distance.  After finishing the diaper changes, one by one we moved back up to play room.  I checked my cell phone messages.  I had missed a call from my brother.  I called him back.  Tag he's it.  I had to leave a message.  It was now time for lunch.  I buckled Lucas into his high chair, and went to get Brodie.  The phone rang, and it was my husband.  We talked for a few minutes and the front door rang.  Our friend was here to fix our front yard sprinklers.  He passed the phone to our friend so he could talk to my husband.  Lucas sat babbling in his high chair waiting.  As I buckled Brodie into his high chair, our friend came into the house to return the phone stating my husband was still on the line.  I grabbed the phone, finished my conversation with my husband, and started to prepare the kids lunch.  They ate O's and tofu with cinnamon while waiting for their food:  squash with sweet potato, peaches with banana, breast milk from a cup, and water in a bicycle water bottle. 
One cup and one water bottle works wonders.  It allows me to simultaneously give Brodie and Lucas a drink without making a huge liquid mess.  The one drinking from a cup, occasionally tries to toss it over his head.  But I usually have a good hold of it with one hand.  They have a hold of it with two hands.  The one drinking from a water bottle can toss it, and it hardly spills. Plus I can close the spout when they refuse to give it up.  Well, inevitably there is always a huge mess at meal times.  By the end of lunch, all three of us, including the floor and both high chairs were covered in crumbled pieces of tofu. soggy O's, sticky squash-sweet potatoes, and slimy banana-peaches.  Brodie and Lucas both had new hair styles, food in their ears, up their noses, in between their fingers, on their faces, and under their chins. One by one I cleaned them up, and let them play on the floor in their play room.   I proceeded to clean everything up so we will be ready for dinner, when we get to do it all over again.
As I sit here typing this blog, Brodie and Lucas keep taking each others toys.  They both scream. Lucas leans over and tries to bite Brodie.  Brodie leans over and tries to pull Lucas' hair.
Sibling rivalry has already begun.  For the most part, they play nicely together.  And I wonder why I'm so tired in the evening.  This was only an hour of my day that began this morning at 4:15 AM.  

This afternoon we loaded into the car and drove through the heat and brown haze to attend Lucas and Brodie's doctor appointment.  Neither of them shed a tear when they had their fingers pricked.  The test results showed their iron levels are now normal.  They still have to continue taking their iron supplements in order to build up their iron stores.  The additional good news is Brodie's heart murmur is gone!   

Mr. Inconsistent

Tuesday night Brodie slept from from 6:15 PM to 2 AM, then from 2:15 AM to 6 AM.  It was a rare gift of sleep.  I'll take it when I can get it. 

During breakfast, Brodie refused to eat anything except for O's (Cheerios). A couple hours later, while hosting the babysitting co-op, he decided he was hungry when he saw another kid eating.  For some unknown reason, Brodie eats best picnic style...that means sitting on the ground/floor/grass with no bib, no high chair.

We only had one baby to watch, but two moms came over to help, so the kids could play.  For nearly 3 hours, there were 3 moms and 5 kids all together in the same room.  It was a bit wild at times, but everyone had fun.

Around 11:30 AM, Brodie decided he needed a nap.  Considering it is usually almost impossible to get him to take a nap during the day, and that's in a quiet house, I put him in his crib to sleep.  He power napped for 30 minutes and woke up determined not to miss another minute of play time.

He refused to eat lunch, and dinner. Today his food of choice was breast milk direct from the source, me.  He didn't want anything to do with spoons, bibs, bowls.  I know he would have eaten more Cheerios, but I can't let him eat "O's" for every meal. 

Brodie fell asleep at 6:30 PM, slept for 30 minutes, then woke up crying.  I dosed him with Baby Gas-X, and nursed him back to sleep.  I can only hope he'll sleep for a least another 3 hours before waking up for his late night meal.

Mr. Consistent

Lucas slept through the night, again. He ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner like a champ, again. He likes his high chair.  He took a 2 1/2 hour nap.  Some days he naps for 3 hours.  He fell asleep at 6:45 PM, snuggling his "lovee" and sucking his thumb.  He's still sleeping and will most likely not wake up until around 6 AM tomorrow morning.

I love them both.  I wouldn't want either of them to be an different.  They equal each other out and keep me on my toes.  Right when I think I've figured them out, they change.  Every day is an adventure.   They make me laugh. They make me cry.  They always make me smile.  At the end of the day, I am exhausted.

This evening as I was brushing my teeth, I looked in the mirror for the first time today.  I realized I never fixed my hair, and I was covered in dried sweet potato.  Just another fun filled day with my boys.  I'm off to bed. Good Night!
 

 

Just a little frustrated...

Brodie and Lucas...
will no longer tandem nurse before bed
no longer fall asleep while nursing in the evening
cry when I put them to bed
each have 3 or more new teeth coming in at the same time
gag when I give them their iron supplement drops

Brodie...
has a gassy tummy
screams when he doesn't get his way..whatever his way is?

Lucas...
constipated

Mommy...
has sores on the base of her nipples from Brodie's newly acquired top teeth
went from a happy lacto-ovo vegetarian to an unhappy vegan on behalf of Brodie


Here are a few positives:
Lucas...
still sleeping through the night, at least 10 hours
crawling and trying to pull himself up

Brodie...
waking up every 3 hours, rather than every 2 hours throughout the night
rolling and pushing himself up on all fours

Last Tuesday was quite the adventure.  I thought the Chariot was hooked up and ready to roll until it got stuck between the rear wheels of mine and my husband's cars parked in the garage.  By the time I got it unstuck, we were 20 minutes behind our scheduled departure time.  I had planned to leave a hour early, since this was our first time riding, instead of driving to our Tuesday morning run and walk.
We rode the bike trail to CSUS, then onto H Street, where we encountered a sign pole in the middle of the sidewalk making it impossible for the bike trailer to pass through.  So I had to lift my bike up, and turn the trailer 180 degrees, while staying on the narrow sidewalk.  We back tracked to the parking lot entrance, rode through the parking lot, crossed Carlson, and got back on the sidewalk on H Street and rode through the tunnel under the railroad tracks.  Even though Elvas had a wide bike lane and equally wide shoulder, we had to carefully ride into the lane to pass cars parked in the bike lane.  Elvas turned into C Street, which had a bike lane that would appear and disappear.  The sidewalk had a high sloping curb, so I avoided riding on and off the sidewalk if possible.  I finally made it to 33rd Street, and the road was closed due to construction.  I took the sidewalk down 33rd, crossed McKinley Blvd and rode into the park.  It took us 45 minutes.  We arrived just in time to lock up my bike and convert the bike trailer into a running stroller.  We met my friend and her son and ran 5 laps around McKinley Park.  After our run, we walked a couple laps with several other moms and their kids.  Around 11 AM, Brodie and Lucas were both hungry, so I nursed them sitting on the pavement next to the bike racks.  Apparently, it was lunch time. So the entire time I nursed Brodie and Lucas, we were surrounded by hundreds of kids attending summer camp, going in and out of the library building using the bathroom and getting their lunches.  I converted the running stroller back into a bike trailer, and we rode back home without any mishaps.  The cool thing about our adventure is we didn't have to drive.  The kids got their morning nap on the way to the park and their early afternoon nap on the way home from the park. 
Now it's a new week.  This Tuesday the AQI forecast is unhealthy for sensitive groups, and the temperature is suppose to exceed 100 degrees.  So we won't be riding or running at McKinley Park this week. 

 

June 1st, we received an anonymous hand written letter from a concerned neighbor stating our yard was out of control and they would appreciate it if we could mow our yard.  They also suggested we pay for yard maintenance, since it doesn't cost much. 
We have a new neighbor living across the street from us.  She moved in this last Spring.  She, like most of the other neighbors on our street, pay to have their yards maintained.
It just so happened my husband was putting gas in the lawn mower when I showed him the letter we had received in our mail box that same day.  He proceeded to mow the yard as he had planned, but was very irritated. 
July 3rd, we received an anonymous envelope containing a Sac Bee newspaper clipping of an article highlighted in green indicating a fellow homeowner in East Sac was fined for not maintaining their yard.  Stapled to the newspaper clipping was the yellow pages listing lawn maintenance companies. 
As I opened the mail, the new neighbor drove into her garage across the street.  I decided to walk over to introduce myself and ask her if she was the person who wrote the concerned neighbor letter, and did she put the newspaper clipping and yellow pages in our mail box. 
We were both polite, friendly, yet to the point.  She admitted she was the one who had given us the anonymous mail.  She also advised that we hadn't maintained our yard since June 1st.  I couldn't believe it had already been over a month.  I told her I must be in a time warp.  She said she moved into our neighborhood after living in Gold River, where everything was perfect all of the time.  She said if she had known we weren't going to maintain our yard, she would not have bought the house across the street from us.
I apologized to her for having our initial meeting under these circumstances.  I told her the past year has been crazy at our house.  I use to do all of the yard work, but then I got pregnant with twins, was put on bed rest, and now I'm a twin mom.  Life hasn't slowed down a bit.  My husband took over responsibility for the yard, but he hardly does any yard work.  I told her we would work on getting our yard under control and try to keep it under control. 
Paying for yard maintenance is not in our monthly budget.  But honestly, my husband will probably only do yard work once a month.  So my husband and I discussed the issue.  Our solution: hire a yard maintenance company.  We'll have to readjust our budge to make it work.  We called one of our long time neighbors to get the phone # for the yard maintenance company they use.  We shared the current new neighbor drama with them.  Their solution:  Put a big sign on our garage announcing the day of the week our yard will be mowed next.