Hyperfertile Freak

A Year Later...

2009-05-28T12:31:00.004-04:00

What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, Scott and I were waiting in anticipation of if we were having a baby boy or another baby girl. As the story goes, we found out we were having TWO boys. It was definately the shock of a lifetime. As many of you are aware, I was not happy. I thought there was no way I could be able to care for twins and a 2 year old. I thought Claire was going to hate me for not only bringing one baby home, but for bringing home two. I also was told that day that I would have to stop working. I was blown away.

Now, a year later I cannot imagine my life without these boys. They are honestly the most precious and loving babies. Claire, Ryan and Isaac light up my life. They are my world. I am also very proud of myself. I am able to take care of three kids alone and pretty well if I do say so myself. We are able to go places or just play at home. Claire also has adjusted very well to her brothers. She loves them and loves helping Mommy take care of them.

I have wondered if I only had one of the boys which one it would have been. The thought is so sad because they are both an important part of our family.

As for work, that has been a challenge. I am okay with working my weekend nights, but I really miss working more intensely with my young adult patients. I feel like that part of my life is on hold...but to be honest, I would much rather make the sacrifice so I can spend more time with my family.

Hi...

2009-04-05T04:15:00.002-04:00

I have really been a slacker at updating this thing! I guess when push comes to shove I am more of a one-liner facebook status kinda girl...

Anyway, to sum up what is happening...basically I am TIRED! I am drained most days because these boys have just become the worlds worse nappers. Usually I could drive them around to help them fall asleep, but not so much anymore. They WILL fall asleep in the car, however only for the actual ride...they won't stay asleep in their seats anymore.

I guess working weekend nights doesn't help the situation much.

I miss sleep...

Long time coming...

2009-03-01T01:52:00.002-05:00

I have been quite the post slacker recently, but with my new found love of facebook I kinda do my "updates" there.

The biggest thing for me now is the challenge of my work schedule. Honestly, there really isn't any good way to work with my situation. I have basically settled (for now) on working every weekend 12 hour nights and a few evenings a week. The nights are okay, the hardest part is not sleeping on Monday when I come home from work until bedtime that night. I hope I don't go completely insane from poor sleep. I also miss doing the job I used to do, working with young adults. I still work with them occasionally, but it is no where near the degree I used to.

The boys are doing pretty well. Ryan still really stinks at sleeping, and has basically resigned himself to only sleeping in our bed. I am not sure how to break that habit...Isaac does pretty well in his crib, but I occasionally move him to our bed too if he won't go back to sleep in the middle of the night. I had them in our bed initially because they were both up so much in the middle of the night (especially Ryan) where I couldn't imagine being able to sleep any other way.

Claire is in potty training hell (or really I am). She gets the concept of peeing on the potty and will do it when we take her, but will never ask to go. No poop yet. I can't wait till it gets warmer so she can go diaper less in little dresses. The pressure is on since she starts PreK in September (and turns 3 end of August). I hope they don't kick us out!!

This is it for now!!!

Moving on up...or should I say out!

2009-01-08T18:01:00.000-05:00

Both boys are now officially facing out in the baby bjorn! Yay boys!

Random questions...

2009-01-06T13:15:00.001-05:00

Where do I find a kitchen table that will fit a family of 5?

Why do I have no motivation to diet?

Will I ever be able to exercise again?

Why are kids really into "Max and Ruby? It is quite annoying!

Why is formula so dang expensive?

Why doesn't starbucks deliver?

Why can't my house ever stay clean for longer than an hour?

When will I find the time to clean the maternity clothes at of my closet and bring up my winter clothes from the basement?

Why do I have to change the batteries in the swing every 4 days?

Ughh...I am in a mood! I blame the weather! Here is a cute picture of Isaac to lift the mood though...

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-01T13:26:00.004-05:00

We had a quiet night in last night...it was very nice. My friend and her family were supposed to join us, but she got that nasty stomach bug!

I start back to work "officially" on Saturday. It gives me mixed emotions to go back. On one hand, I get adult interaction and time away from the house...but on the other hand I am going to miss everyone!! Right now I am going to be working every weekend, mostly nights and a evening during the week. I am going to try this schedule for 6 months, and if it doesn't work out I can try something else!

Here are some Christmas pics:

2008

2008-12-29T13:54:00.002-05:00

2008 in Review
1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? Um, had two babies at once!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Not so much...I was supposed to lose weight!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Besides me...Debi, Melissa, Emily

4. Did anyone close to you die? Yes, Scott's Mom-Mom passed in February. My friend Val lost her doggie too...

5. What countries did you visit? None

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? More wine...

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
February 13th - found out I was pregnant
May 28th- found out I was having twins and also was told I could no longer work.
September 17th - my babies arrived

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Taking care of three children by myself!

9. What was your biggest failure? I feel like I have lost everything I worked to become at work!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Three months of terrible morning sickness, Four months of "house arrest."

11. What was the best thing you bought? Minivan!!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My husband's for picking up the slack when I was unable to do anything!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Not sure...

14. Where did most of your money go? Bills!!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Having my boys!

16. What song will always remind you of 2008? Meesca Moosca Mickey Mouse!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier
b) thinner or fatter? fatter - I just had twins
c) richer or poorer? poorer, MUCH poorer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Had more time going out!

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Sitting on couch...

20. How did you spend Christmas? At home with my family and friends...

21. Did you fall in love in 2008? Oh yes, times two on September 17th.

22. What was your favorite TV program? House Hunters, 30 Rock, House

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I ain't a hater!

24. What was the best book you read?Oh goodness, I read SO many books this year. My favorites are..."The Time Traveler's Wife"-Audrey Niffenegger, "Bright Shiny Morning" - James Frey, "The Pillars of the Earth" -Ken Follett & "Escape" - Carolyn Jessup.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Mickey Mouse Clubhouse soundtrack...

26. What did you want and get? A baby...I got two!

27. What did you want and not get?An uneventful pregnancy

28. What was your favorite film of this year? Shit...I haven't been to the movies since 2006!

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 30! I took care of twins and a two year old!!

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? More money!!

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Maternity

32. What kept you sane?My family & friends

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I think Anderson Cooper is sexy even if he is gay!!

34. What political issue stirred you the most? I don't get why people get all nutso over gay marriage...let them marry!!

35. Who did you miss? My dad!

36. Who was the best new person you met?Well, the boys, obviously.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. Things don't always go as planned, but that is ok!

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
ummm...I watch too much Playhouse Disney...but here it goes!

Oh no, no, I never go to work
Oh no, no, I never go to work
Oh no, no, I never go to work
Oh no, no, I never go to work

On Mondays, I never go to work
On Tuesdays, I stay at home
On Wednesdays, I never feel inclined
Work is the last thing on my mind
On Thursdays, it's a holiday!
And Fridays I detest
Oh it's much too late on a Saturday
And Sunday is the day of rest

WOW!!

2008-12-06T07:44:00.001-05:00

Isaac slept from 8:30-7:30 last night!!!! Too bad Ry guy was still up every 3 hours on the dot!!

My little Russians...

2008-12-05T13:09:00.003-05:00

"Sergey"

He is going to kill me for this later...

Not wearing a "Russian hat," but totally sporting Matryoshkas on her shirt!!

Scary Santa...

2008-12-03T11:46:00.004-05:00

For those of you who don't know, "Scary Santa" is a cherished tradition in my family. This Santa was a "hand-me-down" from my cousin to my sister and I when we were just babies. This Santa has been scaring the crap out of us for many years. Every year my sister and I somehow manage to give him to each other as some sort of present. I currently have him and I am sure somehow Mandy will get him back before the new year. I am proud to say that he is now scaring a whole new generation of kids...

Poor Ryan...

Isaac looks scared...

"Get this guy away from us"

"Seriously...get him off"

Claire saying "Well if I have to hold him, I might as well feed him"

Ryan -vs- Isaac

2008-11-29T21:46:00.007-05:00

These boys sure are keeping me on my toes! They keep me busy all day long (and nights). Believe it or not, they are very different boys. Here is a list of there differences:

Ryan/ Isaac

Weighs 11lbs3oz /Weighs 10lbs4oz

Prefers to be nursed /Prefers bottles

Likes to be snuggled close /Likes to be held out facing the world

Never spits up /Is a spit up machine

Up EVERY 2 1/2 - 3 hours at night /Sleeps from 9-4:30 most nights

Falls right back to sleep /Wants to stay up and party

They are both cutes as a button though as evidenced by the pics below:

Baby weight!

2008-11-25T12:06:00.004-05:00

Ughh, how I hate trying to lose weight during the holiday season! I have 10lbs to go to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but...I have 20lbs to lose to get back to where I should be! I did well for about a week, but there are just some temptations out there that I just cannot avoid. In no particular order, here are my downfalls:

The pumpkin spice latte...even though I get it "nonfat" it all adds up! Plus every time I get a latte I HAVE to get one of the next thing

Ahhh the Starbucks pumpkin scone...I don't believe there is anything better!!

And damn Weis markets with their addictive pumpkin muffins!!

And seriously...cannot resist the pie!!!

Clearly there is a theme here...hopefully fall will be over quickly!!!!

Christmas shopping...

2008-11-21T09:22:00.003-05:00

Well, I began shopping before Halloween this year for multiple reasons...the top two are because 1) I need to buy almost everything online (since I am a freak show when I leave the house) and 2) What the hell else do I do now-a-days?? I am finished Claire (although I keep seeing stuff I want to get her). My top 4 favorite things I got her are:

The old school Bozo the clown Bop Bag

This tent system which will be fabulous outside next spring!!

The Leapfrog Tag system (yes I realize she is only 2, but she LOVES reading and knows all of her letters and what sounds they make and tries to read so I think she will like this toy)

This is just too dang cute...she broke her other toy stroller and this one was a lot cheaper than the toy double stroller!!

The other stuff is mostly just toy food since my Mother-in-Law is getting her a nice wooden toy kitchen.

Now, I am stuck because we got Claire a bunch of cool toys and I was planning on only wrapping up diapers/wipes for the boys. This may look crappy in the Christmas video we take. Would it be dumb of me to wrap up the summer clothes I bought for them back in September on clearance?? I am sure it doesn't matter, but I am afraid they are going to be like "What the hell" years down the line!! Perhaps I should make some of Claire's toys for all three.

BTW - if anyone wants to get ME a Christmas gift...keep the wine coming!!

Hi!

2008-11-20T08:09:00.003-05:00

The longer I go without posting, the harder it is to post! Things have been going pretty good in the land of insanity! I think I have been doing a pretty good job! The boys turned 2 months on Monday. They are growing great! Isaac is now 9lbs 3oz and Ryan is now 10lbs 1oz (double his birth weight). They definitely have personalities...Ryan is my little snugbug and likes the be held close while Isaac is more inquisitive and likes to check everything out! Isaac is doing awesome at night only really waking up once to eat (although it is a chore to get him back to sleep). Ryan is still waking up every 3 hours at night (but he always goes right back to sleep).

Claire has gotten more comfortable around the boys (see new layout pic) but still has a hard time with the crying! We have starting some potty training. She will sit on the toilet and pee. but she still won't tell us when she has to go. I guess that will just come with time! We are looking into preschools for next year. I am liking the Redeemer program (mostly because it isn't a Coop and it has some religion which she clearly isn't getting much of at home). Does anyone else know of any 3 year old programs??

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T14:33:00.002-04:00

Claire has been really pumped up for Halloween this year. She gets excited about looking at pumpkins, Halloween decorations, costumes, trick-or-treating, and CANDY! She had a blast on the Avenue for trick-or-treating this year!! She also had a blast playing with friends at a Halloween party today. Tonight, we attempt actual trick-or-treating!

This makes me very excited about Christmas...I hope the "magic" comes back this year since I will have a two year old that will be super excited about everything! I have almost finished her Christmas shopping online already! The boys will probably just get diapers and wipes!!

As for the boys...they are 6 weeks now and growing everyday! Some of there newborn sizes are getting too small (that is pretty good for kids born at 5lbs)! I am still lacking in sleep...I wish I had time to catch up! At least Scott and I are going out for my birthday Saturday night...I can drink wine without having a screaming baby in my arms!

Happy "Due Date" boys!!

2008-10-24T12:15:00.002-04:00

Well today I can stop saying that the boys adjusted age is "negative" because now they are officially "zero!"

Today I managed to venture out to my friend's house with all three in tow for a playgroup! Everyone seemed to handle it quite well (including myself)! We even stayed almost 2 hours!

Maybe I can manage this twins + toddler thing afterall!!

One month old!!

2008-10-17T11:27:00.004-04:00

Still technically a negative age though since they were not due till 10/24!

They are fighting already!!

2008-10-09T15:43:00.003-04:00

It seems that Isaac likes biting his big brother!!

So tired...

2008-10-08T11:45:00.002-04:00

So sleepy baby stage is officially over!! We now have two babies that enjoy being awake at all hours of the day. The night before last was the worst! Literally someone was awake from midnight-7am (including Claire). I don't think Scott or I slept more than 45 minutes at a time. Luckily, yesterday I brought the swing upstairs and discovered that both boys seem to calm down in it. Mandy let us borrow her swing as well, so I am thinking the second swing is going to go in our bedroom for those no sleeping moments!

Ryan is having some gas issues! The boy is impossible to burp...you can tell he is uncomfortable too because he bears down and screams. Mylicon doesn't seem to be helping too much. Any suggestions??

I have been taking daily walks with usually 2/3 kids (my mom will watch one of the babies while I walk). Both babies seem to like the sling and bjorn (thank God), so taking Claire for a walk to the park has been pretty pleasant. I will say that sitting in my butt since May has really taking a toll on my endurance. I am getting winding so easily...it totally sucks, especially considering I have never had any problems taking long walks!

Anyway, sorry for the slacking in posts, but seriously my life has been pretty chaotic.

Also, Happy Birthday Scott...sorry your 30th isn't going to be anymore exciting than feeding babies and changing poopy diapers!

We are growing!!

2008-10-01T12:54:00.002-04:00

I took the boys into the doctor's today (with the help of my Mom) for their 2 week appointments. They are growing great! Isaac left the hospital on Friday at 4lbs 12 oz. He is now 5lbs 4oz!! Ryan left the hospital on 9/21/08 at 4lbs 12 oz. as well. He is now 5lbs 7oz. Our doctor is completely shocked by how much they have gained.

We are feeding every three hours. One baby gets nursed while the other gets a bottle of 1/2 breastmilk 1/2 formula and then we switch for the next feeding. I try to space the feedings apart by at least 1/2 hour so I don't have two hungry babies at the same time. This has happened though...I basically nurse one while the other is propped up on my knees with a bottle. No one gets burped when this happens. Usually just when I start a feeding Claire has needs that she demands be met instantly! Oh well...hopefully I figure out a better system soon.

Thank God for help!

2 more pics

2008-09-29T09:04:00.001-04:00

Sleepy Daddy and boys

Claire Bear being a ham!

Together Again!

2008-09-28T16:57:00.001-04:00

Everyone is home!!

2008-09-27T13:24:00.002-04:00

Isaac came home last evening! He is doing great! We took them both in for weight checks today. Isaac is 4lbs 12 oz which is the same as when he left the hospital and Ryan is 5lbs 2oz which is up 5oz since when he left the hospital.

I will post pics of both boys together once I upload them on my computer!

The madness begins...

Quick Update...

2008-09-24T14:46:00.004-04:00

Sorry for slacking... but between caring for Ryan and Claire, Scott working half days, and trips to see Isaac I am kinda lacking in the free time department!

Ryan is doing well, he sometimes had difficulties with feedings...but hopefully he is maintaining or even gaining some weight.

Isaac is off CPAP and they are pulling his tube feeds today. He nursed well for 30 minutes today. Hopefully he will be strong enough to come home next week!!

Claire is adjusting to Ryan much better. She always wants to know where he is and what he is doing. She gave him a kiss yesterday too.

Here are some updated pics...

Baby Isaac

Baby Ryan

Claire being braver

Claire and baby Ryan

2008-09-22T09:38:00.002-04:00

This is as close Claire will come to "baby brother Ryan" (this is actually what she calls him)!

I will give updates on Isaac later this afternoon. I am going to go see him at noon.

Back from the hospital...

2008-09-21T18:07:00.005-04:00

Thanks to Mandy for posting the birth of the boys! I was discharged today minus one. Isaac is still in the NICU. He is having a difficult time maintaining his breathing on his own. He is currently on CPAP on room air. He had a trial off CPAP for about 4 hours today on did okay, but not good enough to keep him off. He has Respiratory Distress Syndrome which is pretty common in preemies (especially boys) and is expected to stay in the hospital for another 2 weeks or so. It was so hard to leave him at the hospital today, but at least I know he is in good hands.

Ryan is doing fabulous. He came home with us today and was actually D/Ced from the NICU on Friday. Everyone is amazed with how well he is doing for a 34 weeker. He is nursing well, but still needs to be supplemented with a high calorie formula due to his tininess.

Baby Ryan
Baby Isaac

I will post the actual birth story and more updates later...I am just too exhausted today!!

The Boys Have Arrived!

2008-09-17T19:35:00.002-04:00

Hi! This isn't Becky, it's her sister Mandy. Becky is currently recovering from her C-section this afternoon. And we all know what that means... Ryan and Isaac are here! She almost made it to 35 weeks, so she didn't do too badly at all. And best of all, both boys are over 5lbs! Here are (what I believe to be) the official stats:
Ryan (Baby "A"): Born 9/17/08 at 3:18 pm. Weighs 5lb 2.6oz and is 18 inches long.
Isaac (Baby "B"): Born 9/17/08 at 3:19 pm. Weighs 5lb 2.4oz and is 19 inches long.

Ryan is doing very well and is breathing fine on his own. Isaac is having a little more trouble and is on CPAP (I'm pretty sure that's right), which can supply oxygen as needed. He hasn't really needed to use the oxygen, but it's there just in case. He's been struggling some with the breathing, but Scott and my mom both said that he was sounding better than he had been earlier, so that's good. Both babies are in the NICU and poor Becky won't be able to see them until tomorrow morning. Scott took me up there so I could meet them and they are both tiny, but completely adorable. They definitely favor Scott, but that's only fair since Becky already has her doppelganger in Claire Bear.

They moved Becky to her room around 6:00 and she's trying to get some rest while she can. You can call her cell phone if you would like to say hi and congrats. It was a very trying day for her, but she'll be fine. When she went to the doctor's earlier today, her blood pressure was still very high and she was already 5 centimeters dilated. The doctor said that she had to go to the hospital and that they may very well have to perform a c-section. She wasn't allowed to drive herself, so a nurse from the office actually took her. Scott met her there and I guess they didn't like what they saw once she arrived, because the next thing I know, my mom is calling me at work to say they're prepping her to go to the OR.

So, that's the story so far as I know it. Hopefully Scott will e-mail me the pictures he took when they were born and I will post them for you. Until then, happy thoughts for Becky, Ryan and Isaac.

This sh*t is really getting old!

2008-09-15T16:38:00.002-04:00

I went to the hospital again today...three hours later - still 3-4cm, still have high b/p (156/117), and still pregnant. At least when I go on Wednesday, I can go to my OB's office instead of the torture of hospital triage. Although...I am sure if my b/p remains high, he will send me over there anyway.

I am so tired of being pregnant, although I am not ready for the challenge of twins either...

Yesterday, the girls came over to throw me a shower! The boys got some nice outfits for the upcoming months. The food was excellent and the conversation was interesting!

I started an Ann Tyler book recommended to me by Val, seems interesting so far...

Bored...

2008-09-13T12:02:00.004-04:00

Ughhh....I hate doing nothing! I hate television and all the crappy shows that are on! Who the hell is Tila Tequila anyway and why is she famous?? Why do I want to vomit every time I flip past Jon & Kate?? Why is everyone on Bravo gay?? Why does my People magazine suck this week?? Why did I finish a really good book ("The Time Travelers Wife") last week leaving me with only crap to read (I refuse to start reading the Nicholas Sparks book I found on my bookshelf...I don't think I can take the cheese)?? Why isn't anyone updating their blogs so I can at least read that?? Why did I stop getting a paycheck last week...now I can't online shop?? Why does Claire want to play everywhere but where I am (at least watching her play is interesting)??? I would join Facebook and start that addiction, but I get paranoid that former patients will try to look me up...

Okay...enough complaining.

I need:
Book recommendations (FYI - I hate mysteries, most chick lit, Harry Potter type books and romance novels)
Movie Recommendations
Fun websites

Thanks!

I'm back...

2008-09-12T17:08:00.002-04:00

Well, luckily I am not anymore dilated than Wednesday...but my blood pressure is elevated. I think my last reading was 165/108. They drew some labs and luckily I am not in preeclampsia yet. Basically it means more bedrest and another hospital trip on Monday to do this all over again!!

Still here...

2008-09-11T15:43:00.002-04:00

I am hating this bedrest crap...but whatever at least I didn't have to spend the majority of this pregnancy in bed. My Mom and my MIL are both helping out with Claire so I can keep this kids cooking hopefully another 2 weeks. I will update after my hospital visit tomorrow (as long as they don't keep me).

BEDREST :-(

2008-09-10T12:27:00.002-04:00

The time has come where I am now on bedrest. I went to the OB today and I am 3-4cm dilated ans 70% effaced. I have to go to GBMC on Friday to see if I have progressed anymore. This sucks. At least I am not in the hospital yet.

Getting around town with 3 kids...

2008-09-08T16:24:00.024-04:00

This has been a worrisome subject for me since I found out I was having twins. I looked at triple strollers online, but it just didn't seem worth it because they are so freaking expensive. I realized the best bet was "wearing" one baby and pushing Claire and the other baby in the stroller. Of course, that may not be the best solution all the time. I do feel fully armed with baby stuff to make going out with three kids possible. Here is what I have ready to go...

First, after much debate I have the Kolcraft Contours stroller. Scott but it together on Saturday and it is really neat! I love all the different seat options that are available. The downside is that the seat for Claire doesn't have a place for her to rest her head comfortably and that it is like a small bus. Still neat though!

We also have a double snap and go stroller which I scored off of Craigslist for dirt cheap. This should work well if I go to somewhere where Claire can walk/play and I can push the babies around.

My sister in law also gave us her Maclaren side-by-side stroller which will be good when the boys are older.

Now for the fun part..

This carrier is called the maximom twin carrier. It kinda looks like a double bjorn. It has mixed reviews online. People either can't live without it or think it is a piece of crap. I got it used on eBay. The good news is that when i am done with it, I can sell it back on eBay at the same price that I paid for it. Since it is a specialty item, there are ever only a few listed at a time with lots of bids. This carrier can be used until the boys are around 4 months old.

I also have the moby wrap from when Claire was a baby. It is a semi-complicated huge piece of fabric to tie your baby to your body. The benefit of it now is that it can do a twin hold for twin up to 3 months old. I can also use it for one until they are toddlers (apparently).

I also am the proud owner of the old standby bjorn...Claire and I used this a lot. I believe Claire outgrew it around 6 months old.

I have sling that was recommended to me by my neighbor that just had a baby. It is a ring sling with many different ways to position the baby. This obviously only hold one as well. It is called a slingezee and I haven't read a bad review anywhere. This apparently holds up to 35lbs.

I own this sling, but I think it is a piece of crap. I only used it once with Claire and it felt like I was never able to get a secure hold. It is the infantino sling. The funny thing is that I now own two of these thanks to Mandy dropping off my old one and her sister in laws old one too.

I also have the ergo carrier which gets rave reviews everywhere online. You have to wait until the baby has some head control before you use it, but it can be used on the front or the back for up to 60lbs. Apparently people swear by this carrier...I thought we would give it a try.

I also have a mei tai which can be worn in the front, back or hip. I can actually combine the ergo carrier and this and wear one on the front and one on the back. Again the baby needs to be a little older with some head control to use it. I can combine it also with the slingezee wrap to wear two at once. This one was handmade on etsy.com and can hold up to 35lbs.

I also own the playtex hip hammock. I used this a few times with Claire. I can't say that I like it all that much, but it wasn't the worst thing ever. It is for babies/toddlers 15-35 pounds (although from past experience, I was done using this when Claire was around 20 pounds).

Hopefully, the options will keep the babies happy. I will have to let you all know what worked best after I get a chance to actually use some of these. Also, hopefully with all this baby wearing I will be able to shed some pregnancy pounds!

Another day...another uneventful OB appt.

2008-09-04T17:53:00.002-04:00

Not much happened at today's appointment. I lost 2 lbs (which is very strange) and everything else is in it's place. I start going weekly now and I also start my NST's (which is a test that basically measures fetal heart rate, contractions and movements) next week. My OB said he would let me go to 37 weeks if I can make it that far...that would put me at October 3rd. It sucks being pregnant, but honestly it would suck more having two babies in the NICU (plus I am no where near mentally prepared for twins yet). My OB also confirmed that my chances of C-section are pretty high since both babies are breech...we shall see what they do.

Claire was pretty funny today! We were walking to the car and she said "Mommy, take Claire Bear's hand." She is such a goose!

Oh SNAP...Stretch marks!!

2008-09-03T09:39:00.002-04:00

Well I found out Sunday that I have stretch marks. I thought I was doing well because I hadn't seen any, but apparently I was wrong! I looked at me naked belly in the mirror on Sunday and saw a crap load of purple and blue stretch marks. Apparently Cocoa butter is not enough when twins are involved! The stretch marks have probably been there for a while, but since I cannot see anything below where my belly button used to be I never knew...

Here are some items I can now cross off my list of things I'll never do...

Wear a bikini
Wear a midriff top
Model for playboy
Be a stripper
Go to a nude beach

I am sure there are more...but these are all I can think of right now!!

All is well with the world and my cervix!

2008-08-29T17:48:00.002-04:00

Well my ultrasound went well today! My cervix is unchanged from the last visit! YIPPEE!!! The babies look awesome and are measuring 4lbs and 4lbs 1oz. I am very hopeful to make it to 36 weeks!! They are both unfortunately still breech which means higher probability of c-section (boo) but considering how active they are...hopefully they will both go towards the light!

32 Weeks!!!

2008-08-29T07:35:00.002-04:00

Yay! I have officially made it to my 32 week goal! It is crazy to think that 14 weeks ago I never thought I would have made it this far!!! We are in the homestretch...just 4 more weeks till they will probably evacuate the stow-a-ways!! Ultrasound is this afternoon! Please pray for me to have growing babies and a long cervix!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Claire!!

2008-08-28T07:59:00.004-04:00

Today is my little Bear's 2nd birthday! This year has really flown by...I can't believe my baby is a little girl now! She is so much fun and just the light of my life! She amazes me everyday! Happy birthday Goose!!

I'm Dragging...

2008-08-26T17:41:00.002-04:00

Well, it sure is getting harder, the days seem to be getting longer and I can tell you I am getting bigger. My energy is just going downhill at this point...

I look forward to sleeping which is kinda crazy since I sleep like CRAP!! I am literally up every hour peeing and shifting. I just can't get comfy no matter what I do.

Anyway, enough complaining, I am blessed...blah blah blah!

We had a family party on Saturday for Claire's 2nd birthday. It was fun but tiring!! She definitely had a good time playing with all of her cousins! It was funny watching 6 little girls playing ranging from 5 years to 10 months. I am glad I get to throw some boys into the gene pool.

Claire's actual birthday is Thursday. Scott is taking off of work and taking her to the fair so she can see the animals. My kid is REALLY into farm animals! I can't even begin to tell you how many times a day we sing "Old MacDonald" together. I EIEIO constantly!

I'll add some pics from the party in this post when I am in the mood.

Hi, it's me again...

2008-08-21T08:41:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts in the last few days...blame it on laziness, blame it on exhaustion, or blame it on the fact that I got nothing gone on here people!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday, I had another OB appointment. Things are going pretty well. My cervix seemed unchanged from my OB's perspective. I have gained 36lbs so far in this pregnancy, which I am still surprised at considering with Claire I gained 65 total at 37 weeks. I guess I have less to eat with Scott doing the grocery shopping and all (not that I am complaining). My uterus is now measuring at 41 weeks. Everyone in the OB office thought that was quite funny considering I'm not even 31 weeks yet. I am definitely huge! None of my shirts fully cover my belly, so I am always showing a little skin!

We are getting the nursery in order now. Scott painted a few weeks ago and we should expect the cribs sometime next week (Scott's cousin is graciously giving us hers). I just got an email saying that our wall letters are complete with a picture preview (below)...pretty cute huh?

I have been shopping up the end of season sales online to get the boys a wardrobe for next spring/summer. Claire is already pretty much set thanks to her girl cousins!

This Saturday we are having some family up for a small gathering for Claire's 2nd birthday! Hopefully the weather will be nice!

Becky Needs...

2008-08-16T13:14:00.002-04:00

I got this game from a blog I read. Google your name and the word needs (i.e. Becky needs) and write down the top 10 hits and see if they hold true. I wanna see everyone's answers!!! Here are mine...

1. Becky needs a cactus shoved up her vagina - First off...WTF? Why is this my top Google search? I don't think it is safe for the babies or my cervix to have a cactus anywhere near my vagina right now...FALSE!

2. Becky needs a bullet in her head - Wow, I am getting nothing but positives here. Although some days I may feel like this, I have to declare this as FALSE!

3. Becky needs a Friend - Don't we all? TRUE!

4. Becky needs a Man - Have one, but thanks! FALSE!

5. Becky needs friends, not boyfriends - Sounds good to me! TRUE!

6. Becky needs a psychiatrist - I most definitely agree! TRUE!!

7. Becky needs a home - Got one already! FALSE!

8. Becky needs to update - I get told this on my blog from time to time so...TRUE!

9. Becky Needs Massive Amounts of More Money -Truer words have never been spoken...TRUE!

10. Becky needs an Exorcism - Depends on who you ask...TRUE/FALSE??

Picky eater!

2008-08-13T10:46:00.003-04:00

Claire is a very picky eater. Our lunch/dinner choices are only hot dog, pizza, pasta or mac & cheese. It kinda drives me crazy that every time I try and have her try something new she hands it back to me before putting it in her mouth and says "I no like it."

We have had two successes lately which makes me think that it is all in what we call the food. A week ago she ate an entire slice of meat loaf because Scott and I told her she was going to eat "meat cake." This weekend, we decided to try chicken nuggets again (this has been a Claire reject food multiple times). Instead of telling her it was chicken nuggets we told her she was going to eat "chicken cookies." Wouldn't you know...she ate them all up.

I think the moral of the story is that Scott and I have to be more creative in what we call food!

Wonderful Coworkers!!

2008-08-12T18:15:00.003-04:00

This morning I got a package in the mail from "Let's Dish" containing 8 premade meals. I was soooo excited! I looked and saw it was from my coworkers. I can't believe how generous and sweet they are to do that for me!

I also think it is funny that I got the package the day after my fridge post!!!

What my fridge looks like now that Scott does the grocery shopping...

2008-08-11T17:51:00.003-04:00

Granted he was at the grocery store as this picture was taken...but I always kept a nicely stocked fridge.

Binkie update...

2008-08-10T13:51:00.002-04:00

Claire went down like a champ without the binkie for bedtime. She never even asked for it! She actually went to sleep in record time. We were so surprised that it didn't even seem to phase her being without the beloved binkie. She slept till the normal early time of 6am and woke up happy.

Today for nap she had a rough time going down, but never mentioned the binkie. I think it probably had to do with the crazy thunderstorm that was beginning at the start of nap (seriously when it hails it freaks me out too).

So far so good!

Operation Bye-Bye Binkie! (updated)

2008-08-08T17:27:00.004-04:00

Update: We took all her binkies and had her put them in a plastic bag this morning which she wasn't too pleased about...but handled it well. Scott took her to Toys R Us and let her roam around and pick any toy she wanted. he said she had a blast and would up choosing a small Sesame Street toy. We also took her to get pizza at lunch (her favorite) and kept telling her what a big girl she was being for giving up the binkies. At nap it took her 30 minutes -vs- her normal 5 to go down. She mostly was playing and jumping and only yelled out a few times for the binkie. She slept 2 hours. Cross your fingers for tonight going as smoothly!!

Well tomorrow is the day that we are taking the binkies away! We have been telling her that we are going to mail them to babies in need for about two weeks now. I am pretty sure this is not going to be fun, but it makes sense to get her off the binks before the twins arrive! Luckily she only really uses them at night and nap time. Scott is going to take her to Toys R Us this weekend so she can pick out a prize for being such a big girl. I will update this weekend to let you know how it all goes down!

Not much else has been happening...I had an OB appt. Wed, nothing significant happened...no cervical check this visit. The good news is that I don't need a cervical u/s for a few more weeks! It is funny that I am 29 weeks, but I am measuring 38 weeks. I am going to look like a freak in a month!!!

Routines...

2008-08-05T14:24:00.003-04:00

Well since I have been on "house arrest" our day seems quite boring. This is the basic routine Claire and I have had everyday for a month!

Wake up
Eat breakfast
Watch some playhouse disney
Go to drive through starbucks (where they all know me now)
Play outside (chalk/bikes in driveway and swingset)
Eat Lunch
Watch Elmo
Nap
Eat Snack
Play Downstairs
Play Outside (sand table and swingset)
Eat Dinner
Watch Elmo
Play Outside until Scott gets home

It is getting pretty old...I am so tired of doing the same thing. I miss going to parks with friends, shopping, working, and feeling like I can do more.

I know the end result is completely worth it and I will miss being able to do this much if I go on bedrest...but I feel like I am losing it sometimes!!!

28 Weeks (yesterday)!!

2008-08-02T15:10:00.001-04:00

Well a day late, but still very exciting...I am 28 weeks. It gives me more of a sense of relief everyday! Now...come on next goal of 32 weeks!!!

9 Layers of Becky

2008-07-31T17:45:00.003-04:00

Stole from a blog I enjoy! Everyone is "tagged!" I would love to see everyones answers!!

LAYER ONE:
Name: Becky
Birth date: October 29th
Birthplace: Baltimore
Current Location: Baltimore
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Brown
Height: 5′8
Righty or Lefty: Righty
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

LAYER TWO:
Your heritage: Polish princess
The shoes you wore today: Dirty brown flipflops
Your weakness: Mexican Food!
Your fears: Taking care of three kids!!!
Your perfect pizza: Plain cheese or bbq chicken pizza
Goal you’d like to achieve: Take care of three kids!!!

LAYER THREE:
Your most overused phrase on AIM: Hmm..no AIM but I am forever saying WTF on email & texts
Your first waking thoughts: My back hurts...
Your best physical feature: My overstretched belly button
What you miss the most: having money to burn and no responsibilities

LAYER FOUR:
Pepsi or Coke: Coke Zero
McDonald’s or Burger King: Neither
Group dates or 1:1 dates: WTF is a date???
Adidas or Nike: I love my Nike shox
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: diet Nestea
Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla
Cappuccino or coffee: Coffee!!!!!

LAYER FIVE:
Smoke: Nope
Cuss: More than I should
Sing: Not so well, but often
Take a shower everyday: Honestly I have been on an every other day schedule lately (stinky I know).
Do you think you’ve been in love: Yes
Want to go to college: Not again
Liked high school: Parts of it!
Want to get married: Not again
Believe in yourself: Well I am no Peter Pan
Get motion sickness: If I read in the car
Think you’re attractive: Right now only to perverted men with a pregnancy fetish
Think you’re a health freak: I wish
Get along with your parent(s): Yep.
Like thunderstorms: As long as they don't wake up Claire
Play an instrument: No

LAYER SIX:
In the past month…
Drank Alcohol: I wish I could say yes to this
Smoked: Nope
Done a drug: Prenatals
Made out: Sure, but it's not quite as frequent as it was when I was younger :)
Gone on a date: Not so much!
Gone to the mall: Nope...I am on house arrest!!
Eaten an entire box of Oreos: No, but I could have...
Eaten sushi: No thank you
Been on stage: Not me, but at times my vagina has seemed to be...

Been dumped: No
Gone skating: I don't even want to picture me on skates
Gone skinny dipping: With Claire in my bath tub!!
Dyed your hair: Nope...after 7 years I am natural again
Stolen anything: No

LAYER SEVEN: Ever…
Played a game that required removal of clothing: Don't think so...but I enjoyed drinking in college!
If so, was it mixed company: If I did it probably was...
Been caught “doing something”: WTF does that mean???
Shoplifted: A peanut from Santonis when I was a kid
Changed who you were to fit in: Who didn't when they were young and dumb?

LAYER EIGHT:
Age you hope to be married: 25 - and my dreams came true!
Numbers and Names of Children: Claire (almost 2)...Isaac and Ryan (Coming soon)
Describe your Dream Wedding: In Vegas
How do you want to die: I don't know...but not on the toilet!
Where you want to go to college: Dude...
What do you want to be when you grow up: Independently wealthy
What country would you most like to visit: Australia

LAYER NINE:
Number of people I could trust with my life: 27
Number of CDs that I own: not too many right now...mostly all my music is in my itunes
Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: 3 or 4...high school track
Number of scars on my body: One on by boob from my mastitis surgery
Number of things in my past that I regret: Don't know...probably like 3. Nothing that eats at me though...

:-)

2008-07-29T10:57:00.002-04:00

Well good news people...my cervix somehow actually got longer!!!!! Last measurement was 1.6 and now I am measuring 2.2!! Apparently keeping off your feet helps it get stronger. I am so excited, I was worrying myself to death at the concept of bed rest. I feel much relief. All I have to do now is continue to stay off my feet as much as possible so I don't lose my gain!

The boys are measuring well. Baby A (Ryan) is breech and weighing in at 2lbs 6oz. Baby B (Isaac) is vertex and measuring in a 2lbs 7oz. Because Ryan is breech and Isaac is not they are literally head to head looking right at each other. Both boys are around the 45th percentile.

It did take forever today for the ultrasound because they had a vendor in trying to sell them a new ultrasound machine. I had to wait 40 minutes for them to set the machine up and then during the actual ultrasound the vendor had to explain all the functions to my tech. But honestly...I would have sat there for 6 hours not to be on bed rest!!!

Thanks for the prayers and well wishes!

Ultrasound tomorrow!

2008-07-28T17:26:00.002-04:00

Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers for my ultrasound tomorrow! If I have have any cervical changes I am on bed rest!!!! I will give an update tomorrow!

Preparing Claire...

2008-07-26T16:13:00.002-04:00

Well we have been doing our best to prepare Claire for the pending arrival of her baby brothers. I have a feeling it is not going to go over well because she gets very jealous anytime another baby is around. One example is when we were down the beach, Scott's Mom was holding a baby. All Claire could do is cry "no baby, no baby" until his Mom put the baby down. Another example is anytime Abby is around, my Mom isn't allowed to hold her without Claire getting an attitude!

On a bright note. When I ask her what is in Mommy's belly she says "baby brothers." Scott and I were also talking with her about our family and who was in it. She looked intently at us when we said our family is going to be Mommy and Daddy and Claire Bear and Isaac and Ryan. After we were done she says "and Gabby too." For those who don't know, Gabby is our cat!! I thought that was cute. Hopefully she is getting it a little.

Scott should start painting the nursery next weekend hopefully. I bought the baby bedding a week and a half ago from Walmart.com to be shipped to our local Walmart for free. Unfortunately today when Scott went to pick it up they "lost" the package. They refunded our money, but now we have to wait to get the stupid bedding again...I freaking hate Walmart!! Luckily I ordered the matching valances from eBay so we have something to go by for the color of the room! Hopefully seeing the nursery will prepare Claire as well.

I am in pain over here people!!!

2008-07-25T10:37:00.002-04:00

My freaking belly button feels like it is going to bust! It is stretching so very much and kinda looks like a smiley face right now!! It hurts so gosh darn bad!!! It feel like people are jabbing needles in it! Ughhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for letting me complain...I am done now!

Much ado about nothing...

2008-07-23T20:05:00.002-04:00

I had another OB appointment today which was uneventful. No cervical change during the internal. My OB swears that whenever he does an internal check it seems longer than the ultrasounds are measuring. I told him I probably just don't photograph well. I have another ultrasound scheduled for Tuesday to measure my cervix as well as the babies growth and developments. I get so worked up prior to these ultrasounds because I know I am a tenth of a millimeter away from strict bed rest. All I can do is take it easy and hope for the best.

I really miss working. Don't get me wrong, I love spending all this time with Claire but I just feel so unproductive. I miss the people I work with and the patients as well. However, I am sure when I have to go back to work this time around it is going to be so much harder leaving three rather than one.

I have ordered a few things for the nursery so far. I got wall letters spelling out each of the boys names to hang above their cribs as well as two paintings for the room. One painting is of a train and the other is divided in three of a train, boat and car. Thank goodness for EBay!! Now I just have to wait for Scott to clear out the room and paint it a light blue. We are getting two cribs from his cousin, mattresses from his sister and my Mom just ordered us a dresser/hutch. We will be snagging the rocker from Claire's room which she will be very unhappy about, but we will probably replace it with a cheap Ikea chair.

That is really all that is happening right now...

Isaac and Ryan...

2008-07-18T10:29:00.003-04:00

These are the names of our baby boys! Scott and I decided that we would each name a baby since we can't agree on anything! I had Isaac picked out a long time ago because I always have loved that name! Also, back when I worked in daycare Isaac was the name of my very favorite kid (I know Meg remembers him too) who I just adored! Scott finally decided on Ryan last night after much intense research (or so he says). I like the name Ryan too and I am honestly surprised he choose it because he hated my friend Ryan that I hung out with/ briefly dated right before Scott and I met. The middle names are going to be Ronald and William after both of our fathers. Unfortunately we are in disagreement over which middle name goes better with which baby! But hey...at least we have names!!

Yesterday my friend Jenni had a shower for my friend Debi and me with our friends from the neighborhood. I got a lot of baby boy clothes!! I was surprised how cute the clothes were since for the most part I have always thought boy clothes were boring. We really had a good time at the shower and I stayed out until 11pm which is probably the latest I have been up in a LONG time (God I am getting old)!!

Back from the beach...

2008-07-15T17:57:00.004-04:00

Well we are back from our extending weekend in Ocean City. Claire really had a good time. She thought the beach was one big sandbox and had fun playing. She also enjoyed playing in the Ocean with Scott. Probably the highlight of her time on the beach was chasing seagulls.

I for the most part spent the majority of the time in the condo reading a book. I did make it to the beach briefly, but it took a lot out of me walking in the sand. Plus, the tide was really high the whole time we were there and it kinda freaked me out because I hate ocean water. Scott and I went out to eat 3 times (once with Claire). I also made it to the playground to watch her play.

Here are some pics from the trip (mostly with Daddy):

In other news, I had a cervical U/S today and I measured 1.6 from 1.7 last U/S. This really isn't a change, so no bedrest quite yet!!!! I do know why my crotch hurts all the time though...baby A spends most of his waking time kicking me directly in the cervix. The U/S tech had a hard time in the beginning trying to measure my cervix because baby A's kicking foot kept getting in the picture. I am still on house arrest, but it could be MUCH worse!!!

Happenings...

2008-07-11T08:33:00.004-04:00

Well Claire is still having diarrhea, a though much less frequently than the past few days. I hope she starts feeling better soon because our diaper bill is through the roof :-)! We are going to be going to the beach for an extending weekend on Saturday. I only wish that I could do more at the beach besides sitting in the room all day. At least we are going with my in-laws so they should be a big help with Claire. Maybe a might even venture to a restaurant while away.

I am 25 weeks today which is awesome! When I get back from the beach I will have another cervix check to indicate if I need full bed rest or if I can continue what I am doing now. Wish me luck!!

Scott went out and purchased this for Claire yesterday:

We got a pretty good deal using a 20% off one item coupon as well as opening a TRU credit card which saved us another 10%! Scott's parents neighbor works at TRU and has agreed (for a nomial fee) to put it up for us early next week! Claire is going to be so excited!!

Up to my knees in...

2008-07-09T15:14:00.003-04:00

Well poor little Claire has had massive quantities of diarrhea since yesterday afternoon. It is the kinda that gurgles when she is going. Poor girl. Her little butt is bright red and sore from all the pooping. Whenever she sees me coming at her with a fresh diaper she screams ands runs away. She doesn't seem to have any other issues though.

I had another OB appointment today. My cervix hasn't changed since last visit, but I will have to official cervix ultrasound next Tuesday. I had the dreaded glucose test in which I felt nauseous during the whole OB appt. Apparently this is a possible sign that it may be positive. Ugh...that would just be the icing on the pregnancy cake (icing mind you that I would no longer be able to eat). I am overall up 20lbs in this pregnancy so far, which isn't bad considering at this point with my singleton pregnancy I was up 35lbs by now. I guess the big difference is last pregnancy I lived by a Chipotle and this pregnancy I do not (also probably the 1st trimester puke fest may have played a part).

p.s. - As I was writing this post, Claire was sitting on my lap and just had a major blowout all over my leg!!! Ew!

Dumb Survey Time...

2008-07-08T14:57:00.002-04:00

I am new to this blog survey stuff and all. I think I am *supposed* to "tag" people at the end, but I say do it if you want to...although I would like to read other people's answers...

2 of 20 survey

1. Two weird things about yourself: I put salsa on mac & cheese and I love the smell of gasoline.

2. Two physical attributes you like about yourself: My legs and my abs of steel.

3. Two personal attributes you are thankful for: My generosity and my ability to see good in most people.

4. Two changes you feel could change the world: No more drugs and stronger caffeine.

5. Two things to be thankful for today: My Claire Bear and that my babies are still growing inside me.

6. Two of your favorite things (not people): My house and my wedding rings

7. Two things you detest doing: Sitting still and washing the floors.

8. Two things you know you should do more: Exercising and eating better

9. Two things you want to do before you leave this world: Take a vacation with Scott without kids and Ride in a hot air balloon.

10. Two things about your house you'd like to change: Ugh...my dirty ass carpets on the main floor!! They were dirty when we moved in and no matter how much we clean them the dirt keeps coming back!! I would also like to have the whole house painted professionally.

11. Two favorite celebrities, and why: Elmo, because he keeps Claire entertained for 45 minutes and Wentworth Miller because he is just so hot!!

12. Two celebrities you don't like, and why: Keanu Reeves and Nicholas Cage because they both suck and I refuse to watch movies in which they star.

13. Two favorite books: "The Lovely Bones" Alice Sebold and "I Know This Much is True" Wally Lamb

14. Two cases of odd things that go together nicely: Salsa/ Mac and Cheese and wine/playgroups

15. Your two most "famous" scars: My mastitis scar and the scar under my chin from trying to hurdle an chain fence in high school.

16. Two things you've accomplished today: Going to the drive-thru starbucks and changing 7 (so far) poopy diapers (the girl has diarrhea today).

17. Two things you intend to accomplish today: This survey and probably a few more poopy diapers.

18. Two favorite things about Summer: Playing outside with Claire and sitting on my deck at night with Scott (this would have said drinking on the deck...but not so much this summer).

19. Two favorite things about Winter: Christmas and not much else (I hate winter).

20. If you had the money and time, what two things would you do in the next year: Stay at home full time and hire an Au pair!!

A view from my womb...

2008-07-07T18:14:00.005-04:00

I figured I should post my ultrasound pics from my last ultrasound (1 week later). This time we actually got profile pics, the first ultrasound pics were kinda hard to figure out. Sorry they are grainy, I just took a picture of them with my camera - I didn't feel like scanning.

Here are the boys:

In other news, we have decided to go with the cheap Wal-Mart bedding. It is around $60, and since we need two...

It is cute enough and I think I can decorate the room with trains, trucks, boats and cars. I think it should work out fine.

Taking it easy...

2008-07-05T21:20:00.002-04:00

Nothing much to report because I honestly have done nothing. I am very bored. It is funny how during the week I am on full Mommy duty (but obviously I can't take her out and do things), but when Scott is home he gets upset if I get up from the couch to go to the bathroom. I guess I should be grateful for the extra rest, but I am seriously not a person who likes to stay still.

Today Scott took Claire to a cookout at his friends house. They left at 2 and did not come home until after 7. I have not been home by myself for that long since before Claire was born. Too bad all I could do was lay in bed and read. Mandy did come over with leftovers though. I already ate all the pineapple stuffing, had a piece of corn, and a piece of jello cake. All were very yummy. What happened to all the taco dip though :-)???

We were able to see some fireworks from our deck that were actually decent, although I think they came from someones backyard.

That's about it!!!

24 WEEKS TODAY!!!!!

2008-07-04T09:15:00.001-04:00

I made it to my first goal of 24 weeks!! Granted I do not want to have the babies anytime soon, but at least I have some hope that the babies could survive at this point! Next goal is 28 weeks!

BPA bottle exchange

2008-07-03T07:44:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to first thank everyone for their well wishes and thoughts! I will definately be taking people up on the playdate offers !!

I also wanted to pass on that my friend just exchanged all her old open and used avent and playtex bottles at the Towson BRU and got a $90 bottle credit. Apparently no reciept is needed, BRU just needs to carry the bottle you are trying to exchange. Just thought I'd pass it on since some of you are planning to have more!! I am going to make Scott go and exchange our Dr. Browns bottles hopefully sometime this weekend.

Not so good...

2008-07-01T16:35:00.003-04:00

Well my cervix was measuring at 2.3 and it is now at 1.7. Considering that 4 is normal, this is not good news. I am now on house arrest and need to limit my activity significantly. This means no more trips to the park or Target. I need to lay down as much as possible as well. I think I could deal with this better is I did not have an almost 2 year old in my care alone from 7am-7pm. It makes for a pretty difficult time for both of us. I go back in two weeks to see if I stay on house arrest or if I go to full hospital bedrest. This sucks!!!

Other than my cervix, the boys are both looking very good. Baby A is 1lb 9oz and Baby B is 1lb 7oz. This is above average for both. The OB tech also told me that there is a chance that the babies could be identical.

If anybody wants to come by and hangout/ bring a kid for Claire to play with it would be much appreciated (as long as your are not disturbed by what my house may look like since I was told absolutely no housework, good thing I came home to a perfectly clean house today since my Mom had her cleaning lady give my house a good scrub).

Wish me luck...

2008-07-01T08:26:00.003-04:00

Today is I have my ultrasound at 1:45. Please wish me luck/ say a prayer that my cervix hasn't gotten any shorter/more dilated and that the babies are well. I am getting pretty anxious about it already! I will post afterwards to let you know how it went (unless it went really bad and i'm stuck at the hospital).

Check out my ride...

2008-06-29T08:21:00.003-04:00

It's official...I am now in a Mommymobile! We bought an Odyssey yesterday! I am excited about it and all the cool things it can do! My favorite thing about it is the backup camera that you see out of the rear view mirror! I just never thought I would ever be the owner of a minivan.

Pardon me looking like a wreck in the picture...it was a long day!

Claire Bear

2008-06-27T07:40:00.004-04:00

Claire has just been amazing me with the things she is doing and saying now-a-days. Here are some examples of my 21 month old's uber intelligence.

1. My Mom brought us over pizza for lunch early this week. She also bought Claire a pinwheel. When she hands Claire the pinwheel, Claire runs in my purse gets out a dollar and hands it to my Mom while saying "Thank You." My Mom and I nearly fell on the floor laughing!!

2. Claire has a little magnadoodle that she likes to scribble on. She also likes to tell Scott and I what to draw on there for her. This morning she asks Scott to draw her a "circle." His circle wound up being a little wide and Claire points at it and says "Oval."

3. Driving to the park Wednesday, we were at the stoplight of Joppa/Honeygo. She points to the Left yelling "this way, this way...POOL." She was pointing the way to go to the White Marsh Pool which we had a party at last weekend!!

4. Whenever we go to a room full of people, she likes to yell "HI GUYS!"

5. My Mom got Claire a jelly bean bouncer (pic below)...every time we go down to the rec room she sees it and yells "WOW...NEAT" before hopping on. She also remembers that Grandma bought it for her!!

Okay...enough Mommy bragging...she is such at a fun age! It is really cool that she loves and knows her numbers, letters, shapes, and colors. It eases my mind that she already knows these things since is going to be the youngest in her class having an end of August birthday! Hopefully she doesn't become a bad ass once the twins arrive!!

SEXY!!!

2008-06-26T11:53:00.002-04:00

I am going to have to keep Scott away with a stick when I wear this pair of "supportive lingerie"...

Another OB Appointment

2008-06-25T11:45:00.003-04:00

Well nothing really to note at today's appointment. He had a hard time finding baby A's heartbeat, but finally found it right on my belly button. No internal this appointment, so hopefully I haven't dilated anymore. My OB will do one once a month, but says more than than can irritate the cervix. As for my varicose veins, apparently they will only get worse at this point. He told me to buy "supportive underwear." WTF IS SUPPORTIVE UNDERWEAR??? I have a full ultrasound that I need to schedule for early next week to check on the cervix and the boys growths/ developments as well.

As for other stuff, I am super emotional lately. On the way to the OB appointment, "Landslide" came on the radio and I started crying. I don't even really like that song, but when whiny Stevie Nicks sang "Well, Ive been afraid of changing cause I've built my life around you; But time makes you bolder; Children get older; I'm getting older too" I just lost it. Recently, a song they sing on the Playhouse Disney show "Bunnytown" has brought me to tears as well. Dang pregnancy emotions...

My list of pregnancy complaints...

2008-06-24T15:01:00.002-04:00

Here is my new post. OB appointment tomorrow, will hopefully update with positive news tomorrow.

Here are my current complaint:
1) Vaginal Varicose Veins - Got some huge ones down there. They hurt so freaking bad...it is basically like having hemmorhoids on your labia. Apparently they occur in 50% of twin pregnancies. Lucky me.
2) Reflux - Everything I eat comes up/ goes down/ comes up/ goes down. Pain is very much involved.
3) Consitpation - Nuff said.
4) Backaches - Nothing seems to be helping, not even Scott's attempt to rub my back.
5) Acne - Dang Hormones.

And you requested a new post...

Boys!

2008-06-19T07:32:00.002-04:00

Lately, I have been observing little boys (not in the perverted way) since I do not have any first hand experience with them (besides my daycare years which were many moons ago...in fact I thought the other day that one year olds I used to take care of in the daycare center that were so near and dear to my heart are now in high school...but I digress). All the boys I have observed are a lot more physical (climbing, running, jumping) than the little girls the same age. This scares the crap out of me since I will have two to chase. I also have to learn to like trucks, action figures, and sports. Scott tells me that I better learn how to play catch by the time the boys are one. Don't get me wrong, I am very excited about having boys...but to me they are still very mysterious creatures.

In other baby boy news, we are struggling with coming up with any names. If anyone wants to share any cute names they are willing to "give away" please do. We have to come up with two and it seems to be quite a challenge.

Also for those Moms that have had more than one child, did you go all out with the other kid's nursery? I can't really justify spending a lot of money on bedding sets when I will need two. All the really cute ones are at least $175 and multiply that by two. I guess if I just get plain crib sets and decorate the walls it will be just as cute! Honestly, who ever really sees the nursery anyway.

Pool Girl

2008-06-16T09:21:00.005-04:00

Well it's official...Claire LOVES swimming (unlike her Mommy). We went to Maddie and Alex's 3rd birthday party on Saturday and Claire was a little fish. She really had fun!! I will share some of her pics!

Busy Day

2008-06-13T09:00:00.002-04:00

Yesterday turned out to be quite a busy day. We started out at Snyder park with Debi and Jenni and some of thier kids (the others were in a summer 3 year old camp week). We didn't stay too long because it was quite hot. This particular park we like to go to is good because it is NEVER crowded and it is pretty big for the kids to run around and not get into too much trouble. We do sometimes run into the occasional 12 year old hanging out smoking cigarettes...but well no biggie as long as she doesn't offer one to my 1 year old. We have also found the remains of a dime bag once, probably the 12 year old's stash (we did throw it away btw...not enough to make a profit or get high...kidding). After the park, we went to the PH playgroup. It was fun seeing everyone! Claire had a good time following around Conner and stepping on babies. She also enjoyed running into Meg's living room trying to knock down her glass vase because she thought it contained "bubbles" (actually it was glass beads). The taco dip was really good except that I barely got to eat any because Val was being very possessive of the Mexican goodness. After we got home, Claire took a too short nap and then we spent the rest of the day in her pool (well she was in her pool, I was sitting in a chair with my feet in the water.)

In other news, my work called to tell me that they received my short term disability paperwork. The woman said to me "you know you don't have long term disability..." I said "Yes, I know." She then said "It would have been good if you signed up for it because you never know when you will need it." I was like "WTF lady...you don't think I haven't thought of this." What I actually said though was "is it too late to sign up now." She just laughed at me. I hate people sometimes.

Claire's new obsession is going on playhousedisney.com. She likes to play the Mickey Mouse games. It was cute at first, but now I can't get on the laptop without her yelling "Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse." Somehow, from her playing her Mickey games, she changed the layout of desktop and I do not know how to fix it...apparently having your kid hit random buttons on the computer changes the layout. I wish I was more computer savvy.

OB appointment

2008-06-11T13:02:00.002-04:00

I saw my OB today. Everything is going okay, I haven't dilated anymore and everything seems to be right on track. This is good news because I have been getting myself all worked up this week thinking about the worst case scenarios! I asked about a high risk OB and he said that he will definitely refer me when I need one, but I seem to be doing pretty good so far. He also told me not to Google everything because I will always find the bad over the good. I am seeing him every two weeks now. I also have to get an ultrasound every month as well. I am off to rest now since Claire is currently napping!

Roseola and swingsets (nice combo)!

2008-06-08T08:20:00.000-04:00

Well it definitely was roseola! Her rash is in full force, mostly on her back and neck. While the fever has diminished, the sleepiness and irritability persists. Yesterday nothing we did could make her happy. She was so irritable!!!! Everything we did produced whining, tears and temper tantrums. Even watching her main man Elmo on TV wasn't enough for her to chill out. Let's hope that today is better!

Those who have been around my kid recently need to know that incubation of the disease is 10-15 days...so you will probably find out next week if they are infected. The good news is that if your kid has already has roseola, it is very rare that they will get it again!

In other news...we are currently looking into swingsets for Claire. Does anyone have any recommendations of places to look? I know they sell them at Toys R Us, Lowes, BJs and online. Any difference in quality? I think after listening to horror stories that we might suck it up and hire someone to put it up for us. I can't imagine Scott trying to put it up even with the help of Ed. I would rather have piece of mind that the thing isn't going to topple over when kids are swinging.

It is funny to look at some of these things online. I guess gone are the days of kids playing on the aluminum swingsets that Mandy, myself and many of us spent out childhoods enjoying. Some of the new swingsets are out of control. For example:

Maybe if I had a crapload of money and acres of land this would be a possibility, but seriously? I guess some people actually do buy it since it was listed as a popular item.

Oh well, wish us luck on our swingset hunt!

Day 4 of Claire's fever!!

2008-06-05T08:25:00.000-04:00

Poor little Bear. Her fever started on Monday morning and it hasn't gone down without the help of motrin/tylenol yet. Other than some mild crankiness and not finishing all meals she appears to be fine. I took her to her pediatrician yesterday and he couldn't find anything wrong with her. He thinks the fever is going to turn into Roseola. I guess we will just have to wait and see if a rash appears. We are both bored out of our minds here on house arrest.

On Tuesday evening, I was able to go to a baby shower for my neighbor. It was nice to get out. One of my friends used to be an OB nurse for GBMC so she gave me the juice on all the OBs. She told me that the high risk OB that I was thinking about asking to be referred to is a major bitch. She says that the OB knows her stuff and is excellent but is rather mean/condescending to her patients which often results in tears. She said she has seen her make fathers cry. I guess it gives me something to think about...I don't like arrogant doctors, but if she can deliver the twins as close to term as possible I guess it is worth it. I haven't made a decision quite yet, but I will talk to my current OB about it at my Wednesday appointment.

20 weeks tomorrow...

SUV -vs- Minivan Follow-up questions...

2008-06-03T08:34:00.000-04:00

Thanks everyone for your comments to my last post. I think on our quest for a new car, I will test drive the Odyssey. I do have a few questions though...

1. Is it easier to drive a minivan -vs- an SUV? I always have driven small cars so I am kinda freaked out by the larger vehicle.

2. How much better is gas mileage on an SUV -vs- minivan? Forced into being a one-income family at this point money is a hot topic.

3. Which is generally safer? AN SUV or minivan? I always thought a minivan would be safer, but my MIL told me never to get a minivan because they are dangerous. She got this info from her brother-in-law who owns a body shop and says the minivans look awful when they come into him.

4. What is stow and go?

5. What features do you get with a minivan that make it a much better deal?

6. If you drive a minivan, does your husband willingly drive it as well or do you have to force him?

I guess I could Google all of this, but it is more fun to get answers from actual drivers!!!

I have a case of the Mon-days...

2008-06-02T10:41:00.000-04:00

Now that I am home everyday and can't really do much, I really miss the weekend when Scott is home to help. Today is especially bad because Claire has a fever of 102.3 and is just cranky. I called her pediatrician who just recommended keeping the fever down with motrin/tylenol and call him if it persists. Luckily she is eating and drinking just fine. We will be watching a lot of TV today!!

In pregnancy news, I really need to stop googling because I constantly freak myself out. Every time I feel an ache "downtown" I assume that my cervix is continuing to shorten. I also have been on message boards where girls are on full bedrest who have a longer cervix than me with just one baby. I really don't want to be on full bedrest!!! I would be miserable not seeing Claire.

We obviously need to get a bigger car since I am pretty sure three carseats are not going to fit in a Jetta. We are looking into the Highlander and the Pilot. Anyone else know of any SUVs with a possible third row? We have discussed the Odyssey...although I never wanted to have a minivan (however I never thought I would have three kids), it might be our best bet. For now though, we will search more SUVs.

Weddings

2008-06-01T08:39:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Scott and I went to a friend's wedding. He was a groomsman and I was one of the readers. The reception was in the bride's parents backyard. Luckily the rain stopped before the reception began.

I just have to say that weddings are not as much fun when you are pregnant. When I was pregnant with Claire, I attended two weddings where the alcohol flowed freely and I was stuck sipping on water. This time, not only could I not drink like everyone else, but I was also on dance restrictions from my OB. So while everyone drank heavily and danced the night away, I was a little wall flower. Scott doesn't seem to mind since he can drink as much as he wants since I am the automatic designated driver.

After 5 hours of basically sitting at the reception, I became very sore. I basically felt like my uterus was going to fall out. I hope it was just gravity, but if the soreness is still there Monday morning I am going to call my OB to make sure I am not dilating anymore.

On a hopeful note, I was talking to a wife of one of Scott's friends and she has a short cervix as well. She said they put a stitch in her at 19 weeks and put her on "house arrest" when she was 2cm dilated and she was able to make it to 39 weeks. Granted she just had one baby, but still it was hopeful to hear. She also gave me the name of her high risk OB that works out of GBMC. I may request a referral from my OB.

Not much going on today besides a potential visit from a friend and a birthday party for Claire's buddy Lexi this evening.

2nd ultrasound

2008-05-30T11:59:00.000-04:00

I had my 2nd ultrasound at GBMC in the high risk unit today. They were checking on my cervix. I measured at a 2.3 and normal is a 4. I am also a fingertip dilated. At this point, they recommend "taking it easy" as well as frequent ultrasounds. The doctor at the ultrasound gave me a lecture on not picking up Claire. I was like "okay, but how do I get her in and out of the crib?" She told me to basically limit it to necessity. Poor Claire, she has a real case of the Mommys lately. I think she must know something is up...

Thank everyone for there well wishes and prayers. It means a lot!!!! I am still in a state of shock.

New Blog...New Life

2008-05-30T07:21:00.000-04:00

Well, I always told myself I would never have a blog. I enjoy reading other blogs, however, I really was never into journaling. My circumstances have recently changed, and I figured I should try to write about them.

Scott and I found out February 13th that we are pregnant again. We were both very excited. We both planned this one so that Claire and the baby would be 2 years apart. We were also surprised because the pregnancy happened on the very 1st try. I guess I do not have any fertility issues since Claire was a "surprise!!!" I felt very happy that I was actually able to plan out the life I wanted, that being two kids two years apart. After this pregnancy I was planning to get an IUD to prevent a third. This pregnancy so far has kinda been hard, the whole 1st trimester was spent bending over the toilet all day long. I thought this was odd because I never has any nausea with Claire's pregnancy. When I went to the 8 week appointment, I told my OB that this pregnancy has been very "intense" as compared to my last. He told me that it meant I would probably have a boy. We did the quick ultrasound and everything looked good.

Recently I have been getting a lot of comments about how big I look so early (just what every pregnant woman want to hear). As one co-worker put it... "Oh my God, you're huge!" I thought that possibly I timed the pregnancy wrong and that I was actually further along (this happened when I was pregnant with Claire). I have also been tiring out faster on walks and day to day activities. Scott thought I was being dramatic.

On Wednesday, we has our ultrasound and we were excited to finally see the baby and figure out what "brand" we were having. When we got there, the lady ultrasound tech could not be nicer. She had me get up on the table so we could start the ultrasound. As soon as she put the wand on my uterus she exclaims "Look, you're having twins." I thought in my head "this lady really isn't funny...I don't like her sick humor." Then I looked on the screen and saw for myself. At this point I thought I was sleeping or on some sick reality TV show. I looked over at Scott who looked like he was about to vomit and I began tearing up. I started thinking "what the hell am I going to do with twins?" The ultrasound tech, however, was very excited! She kept saying how this was "wonderful and exciting," I decided I didn't like her anymore. Apparently the babies are not very shy and had absolutely no problem showing their personal areas. I found out pretty quickly that they are both boys and fraternal twins (separate sacs and placentas).

After we checked over the boys, they measured by cervix, which unfortunately is measuring short. This meant Scott and I immediately had to visit my OB after the ultrasound.

When we got to the OB office, all the nurses were gushing over us (WTF?). My OB came in and said "twins, how fun!" I was like "real nice of you to just pick up on this now." He said that he was surprised it was missed on the original ultrasound and said some joke about the baby regenerating. He then did an internal exam and asked if I was still working. I said "yes" and he said "well not anymore!" At that point I lost it and began sobbing uncontrollably. I guess he felt pretty awkward looking at my va-jay-jay while I am in hysterics so he left the room to get me kleenex.

Apparently, having a shortened cervix especially carrying twins can lead to premature labor. I don't need bedrest quite yet, but I am told to "take it easy." I guess my OB forgot what it is like having a 21 month old at home is like. I felt like saying "dude...I can relax more at work." He told me that he predicts I will be on hospital bedrest at some point, hopefully later than sooner.

I do have another ultrasound scheduled for today to see the actual measurement of my cervix.

In a span of a few hours I learn that I am having twins, I can't work, and I may have preterm labor. To say I am stressed is an understatement!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, this is my blog. I hope to update it often.