About: Cheryl Maguire
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Delivery Dilemma
November 24, 2007 | Leave a Comment
“You’re blood pressure is slightly elevated. We are going to move the c-section to today. Are you prepared?” the doctor asks.
“You bet. Get these babies out of me already, “ I respond.
On the drive to the hospital I am ecstatic. All I think about is being 70 pounds lighter. I would be able to switch sides when sleeping, wear my skinny jeans and walk like a normal person instead of a duck. I would be able to do aerobics and be rid of all these aches and pains. My body would be all mine instead of a host for two alien organisms.
Wait a second. What am I about to do? Oh yeah, that’s right. Give birth. Okay, I could get used to walking like a duck and maternity clothes are actually pretty fashionable these days. I think we need to turn this car around and go straight back to the house. Who am I kidding? Me, a mom, of twins? I don’t think so. I also don’t deal very well with pain, so the whole surgery thing is something I can do without. Ouch. Baby 1 gave me a hard kick. He obviously disagrees with my idea of being pregnant indefinitely.
I am curious to see what they look like. I have only seen vague ultrasound images. I wonder what color their eyes and hair are. Will they look alike? Will they be friends? There is only one way to find out. I am going to endure a great deal of pain and undergo major life changes. I am going to put aside my fears and march myself into the hospital.
“Are you ready?” my husband asks.
“Let’s go before I change my mind.” I respond.
The Teacher Who Believed
May 20, 2007 | Leave a Comment
I sat in the tenth grade biology class hoping this year would be better. I surveyed the surrounding seats only to find the same familiar faces. I let out a long sigh as my hope for a more interesting year quickly dissolved. The teacher entered the room with a warm inviting smile. His arms began to move up and down as he enthusiastically introduced himself as Dr. Pavlica. His energy level remained high during the entire first class. I began to wonder if he had one too many coffees that morning. I thought to myself it would be impossible to sustain this excitement for his subject matter for the rest of the week much less the year. I was dead wrong.
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Fitness and Nutrition Tips
May 6, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Spring is here which means summer is right around the corner. The warmer weather often motivates people to try to improve their health. Here are some fitness and nutrition tips. Read more
Going to the Club
April 25, 2007 | 2 Comments
In college I did my fair share of partying, clubbing and bar hopping. Now that I am a mom of twins, the club I go to is a health club. Even though my life is very different from when I was in college, I noticed some similarities. Here is a comparison of going to the clubs in college verses going to the club now.
Sleeping Beauties
April 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment
The solution was so simple yet I never saw it. At the time, the sleep depravation was definitely clouding my thought process. When I first brought home my boy/girl twins from the hospital, I experienced so many different feelings. I felt excited, tired, scared, happy, and most of the time confused.
Why are they crying?
Why won’t they sleep?
What am I doing wrong?
All my twins did was cry, spit up and projectile vomit. Part of the problem was a formula allergy. There was also another issue. It took me a while to figure it out.
During the day my twins napped together in the pack and play. At night they slept in separate bassinets in our room. During the day they slept like hibernating bears, peaceful and motionless. At night they slept like monkeys, noisy and restless. Nothing seemed to soothe them at night. We thought of everything but the obvious answer.
Other people suggested waking them up during the day so they would sleep more at night. This was unsuccessful. They suggested having white noise to recreate the noise of the day. This was unsuccessful. They suggested having a light on at night to replicate the light of the day. This was also unsuccessful.
When the twins were 3 months old their cribs finally arrived. We decided to transition them to their own room. They still woke up every 2 hours at night so we were hesitant to move them. On the other hand we knew it was time to give it a try. We put them in the same crib since it was so large. The first night in their new crib they slept 8 hours! Finally I realized why they slept so well during the day. They wanted to be together.
My Life as a Celebrity Assistant***
April 13, 2007 | Leave a Comment
I always wondered what it would be like to be a celebrity. I imagined it would be wonderful and glamorous. I never really thought about the downside. Now that I reside with two real-life celebrities, I’ve found that even going to a restaurant can be a major undertaking!
Selecting the Perfect Name
April 13, 2007 | Leave a Comment
When I received my “writer approval email” from Mommies Magazine, I was so excited. I immediately had visions of myself sitting at my computer, typing away as the next Carrie Bradshaw of the suburbs. Once my daydream dissipated, my eyes refocused on the email. The first requested item on the list was a name for my new column. Sex and the City was the initial idea that came to mind, but for obvious reasons that was not going to work.