Insta-Friday| Week 5

  

  

    

  

  

1. After much 'middle-of-the-night' thinking, I have set up a little baby area on the dresser in our room. I was planning that they would sleep in the pac n' play in our room for a while, and that we would do middle of the night changings/feedings there... however since we only have 3 bedrooms, Gammie is sleeping in the twin's nursery, and I decided it would be better to have mostly everything in our room for the first month or so... Hence, the baby area... with preemie clothes, that I am hoping will be too little for them!!


2. My mom makes the best coffee cake in the world. Apparently except for in my oven, which refuses to work correctly... it's still delicious though!


3. More crafty-nesting. A handmade sign for the front door (mostly for the annoying UPS/FedEx guys...).


4. Absolutely delicious tomato and cheese tortellini soup... and I am claiming that I can no longer say I don't know how to cook... I'm getting good at this whole planning/prepping/cooking thing.... just in time to have twins and not cook for a couple of months, haha!


5. Well, after another little trip to the ER on Saturday night (Baby Girl had flipped and I couldn't feel her moving like she should have been- however both of them checked out just fine!), I finally ACTUALLY packed my hospital bag... most of the stuff has been gathered and sitting in my room, but now it's actually packed- getting close!!


6. Gammie has been bored waiting on the babies- so while Jarvis sleeps, she knits! Super cute hats and flowers....


7. We've been eating much better and trying to avoid processed foods. But I'm 9.5 months pregnant with twins and it's girl scout cookie season, I can't help it. I'm craving peanut butter patties all the time... however Minot doesn't start selling them til the 18th!!! So a friend shipped me 4 (Thanks Melanie!!) and my mom brought me 3... this is the LAST BOX... boo.


8. Made my mom a set of un-paper towels. I seriously dislike making these (tedious annoying work), but these are out of monk cloth (more like a dish towel material) and I can't wait to see how they work out. They are super absorbent...










Next week, my Insta-Monday will likely be an Insta-Sunday... because Monday is BABY DAY!! :)

Daddy's boy | p52 | 2012

My boy, standing by his daddy while they read a book... They have the EXACT same hair (except Daddy has a double cowlick, and Jarvis only has one)... I swear this child is nearly a carbon copy of his daddy. Check out those little tufts of hair sticking out. We call it hedgehog hair, the thick, stick-straight-out hair that holds any slept-on or hat-shape. I cut hubby's hair that night (gotta keep up with the military regs!) but I'm letting bitty's grow out, I kinda like the shaggy-ness!

 Seriously- so sweet. He adores his daddy.

Check out other Project 52s at:

styleberry BLOG | The Carter Family | Bugs & Boo-Boos | What We're Sayin' | Moments & Impressions | Our First Little Bundle Of Joy | Phreckle Face Blog | Aubrey My Love

And if anyone else wants to link up- let me know!

37 weeks | The Fishies

Yes. I'm still pregnant. 


Um seriously- We hit 37 weeks tomorrow. HOW???? These babies are gigantic, but apparently content to stay in. With my track record with Jarvis (42 weeks and 30 hours of pitocin) I've decided I'm meant to carry multiples, my babies never want to come out!


Right now, I'm guestimating (yes, that's a word) that she will be at least 6 lbs and he will be at least 7 lbs. We'll see when they get here, but that's my guess! (add that up- 13 lbs of baby, not including TWO placentas and an insane amount of fluid- no wonder I can barely walk or stand anymore. yeouch)


And here's the 37 week shot. Yes, I'm in pajamas, and I no longer care- I'm 9.5 months pregnant with twins, I figure it doesn't matter anymore- haha!

When I am sitting down, my belly is basically flat on the top and I can use it as a table. Cliche? Yes... however very true! Some of you had remarked last week that it looked like they dropped some. Nope. Baby A is shoulder first and not engaged. And Baby B is breech.

And at last- we have a DATE!!

Typically, scheduled c-sections are done about a week early (39 weeks), however with twins, my doctor is comfortable doing it at 38 weeks. This would be February 3rd/4th, so we have scheduled the c-section for....

February 6th!

The reasons for having a  scheduled c-section are complicated, and although it's not my frist choice, basically it comes down to the fact that their positioning and sizes indicate I have a high chance of having baby A naturally and then having to have a c-section to get the bigger, breech baby B out. Which is not ideal. So instead, we will be having a c-section at 1:00 pm on February 6th. Once again, assuming I do not go into active labor before then. (Which I do not think I will!)

So the babies and Jarvis should share a birth-date. Makes it easy to remember if all the birthdays are on the 6th of the month! ha!

Had a dream my water broke last night, and then chaos ensued because my hospital bag was not packed. So guess what I am doing tonight?? Time to actually pack it up- getting close!

Insta-Friday | Gammie

Gammie flew in Friday and it's been wonderful! We are having a blast. It's nice to get this down time and get to get her used to our house/routines again before she has to fend for herself for several days. 

 

 

 

1. I love my good little eater... made a veggie lasgana, and he helped by chowing down on raw squash, zucchini, and bell peppers. Making our own baby food with fresh, natural flavors was one of the best decisions I have ever made!


2. Cloth tissues came in and I love them! Figuring out our system still, but I think it's going to work out just fine.


3. Taking Gammie on a pretend plane ride- so cute!


4. All ready to 'go work' in boots, a dada suit, and his work hat. He's been such a pretend player this week!


5. Girl time! I got a haircut, we hit up a fabric store, and then feasted on Olive Garden. Love having my mom here!


6. Somebody is knitting some newborn hats (and it's not me!). Glad Gammie knows how to knit, because I can NOT!




Happy Monday!

Waiting | p52 | 2012

Officially 36 weeks. My mom flies in this afternoon... scheduled c-section in less than 2 weeks.






but for now, we sit. and wait. and I get bigger by the day!

Check out other Project 52s at:

styleberry BLOG | The Carter Family | Bugs & Boo-Boos | What We're Sayin' | Moments & Impressions | Our First Little Bundle Of Joy | Phreckle Face Blog

And if anyone else wants to link up- let me know!

36 weeks | The Fishies

Tomorrow I hit 36 weeks! Most people consider this full term, even for singleton babies! 

They should be very well developed with maybe a little more lung development to go. I'm guessing that Baby B is nearly 6lbs and Baby A should be above 5lbs now! Um yes, ouch.

I'm honestly shocked at how much they are still moving around considering they have no space! They are still rolling, and in the past two weeks Baby B has flipped from transverse to breech, and back! I took a video of them moving around, you can watch it here.

I have an appointment on Tuesday and we will be setting the scheduled c-section date then, but I'm expecting it to be sometime between Feb 1st-6th. We may have one more ultrasound to check positions and weights. I'm hoping if we make it to a scheduled c-section at 37/38 weeks that they will not have to stay at the hospital very long, if at all! We'll have to see!

My mom flies in tomorrow to help out for the next week and a half until the babies are here. Jace is still working full time, so it will be such a relief to have some help! She's been working hard to get everything wrapped up with her business so she can stay for nearly a month- such a blessing! And then my dad will be here for two weeks, and then Jace's dad and step-mom for a week. So we've got at least 5 weeks of help, yipee!

Not much else to share- but here's my 36 week picture!

this much [24 months]

hahaha... this is becoming late every month, haha! Oh well, if it gets done while he still in that month, then I will consider it good!


Like I mentioned before, I spend most of my day sitting down. And our favorite thing to do right now is to read books on mommy's lap. This is not comfortable in the least. Like at all. There's not enough room for 4 of us in that chair. But I love it. So we spend hours with him running to get more books off the shelf to read. It's awesome.


Oh, and those of you who have said you are proud of me for still 'dressing cute,' this is what I actually look like at home. Comfy pants, shirts that never cover my belly (because only like 3 still do), and a ponytail. I save all the cuteness for when I go out :)


So here's some more bare belly for you, complete with stretch marks and a popped belly button, haha! But this, this is real, this is me, and my boy.

linking up with styleberry blog for her this much project...

Belly Composite | Twins

Just for fun, I thought I would do a belly composite! I'll add another row as we hit the next 3 weeks!

the fishies:

and I thought I was uncomfortable at 20 weeks, lol... I can't believe that I am still going to get bigger...

Insta-Monday | The Random/Green Edition

A little big sneak peak into the past week...

 

 

1. Monday night, the bit woke up after just an hour of sleep coughing, puking mucus and unable to breathe. Luckily, the ambulance services here on base were here within minutes. A ride for the bit and mama in the 'be-oo-whe-oo' (ambulance), some steriods, a couple of nebulizer treatments and he was back to normal. Looks like he had croup. We sat on a cot in the hallway of the emergency room for over 4 hours, and this hyper/exhausted kiddo was amazingly well-behaved. And that brought our ER trips up to 3 in less than a week :(

2. Guess who painted their own toenails at 35 weeks pregnant with twins?? oh yes.

3 & 4. Big boy got around 40+ hot wheels for Christmas and his birthday. Thus, I finally had a reason to make a car caddy.  (Idea from here- still planning to add heat transfer numbers!)

 

5 & 6. We are in an ADA acceptable house on base. For some reason, this means that all our doors are an inch and a half off the floor (why??). This means lots of noise and light despite closed doors. For the past year, we have been using a towel thrown on the ground, ugly and annoying. I finally made draft stoppers. Knee high socks that I already had (for my business) and a 5lb bag of rice. Cute and practical! (We roll them away when we go to bed for the night to promote air flow.) (Idea from here) 


7. Somebody had too much fun in independent play time. Every.drawer.emptied. And once again I am glad we tethered his dressers to the wall.




And now the green edition part. It all started with cloth diapers 2 years ago. Since then, we have been slowly working towards being more self-sustainable and reducing our waste. This includes gardening, composting, hunting, etc. One of my focuses has been reducing our use of disposable products- specifically plastic and paper products. We use cloth diapers and primarily cloth wipes. We have reusable grocery bags that we use when we go shopping (and I am working on making some for clothing/store shopping as well). And this week- I ordered reusable tissues, can't wait to see how those work out!

 

  
8. Reusable produce bags for buying kiwis, bananas, pears, apples, broccoli, asparagus, etc. Instead of the plastic bags, we stick them in here to be weighed. Although, most are not stored in these but placed loose in the fridge or counter. (we need to go grocery shopping today! running low on fruit) (Find them here) 


9. These bags are for onions, potatoes, and other large items. These bags are made to release any fume build up so we keep the produce in them and they hang right on our wall in the pantry. (Find them here) 


10. Un-paper towels. Clean basket and dirty basket. I made these out of a double layer of flannel (like the cloth wipes, but bigger, these are 9x9). We use them exactly like paper towels- single use. I wipe off the counter, it goes into the dirty basket, I clean up a spill, into the dirty. I love that I feel like I am getting a clean, germ-free paper towel every time (instead of rinsing it and leaving it to mold in the sink until I use it again), but then when we get low, they get thrown in with the wash and are all clean! I have 32 I think, and that lasts at least a week or more. We now use 1 roll of paper towels every 3 or more weeks, instead of every 3-4 days! (Next time, I will use a white flannel/terrycloth, so they have different scrubbing textures and can be sun-bleached easily, ours are pretty stained!)




Although we like the idea that all of this is eco-friendly, I will be honest and say that our primary push is to save money and be self-sustainable. The more we can reuse and create ourselves, and the less we have to buy/import, the better. 


What do you do that's 'green?' We have more, but I'll leave you with this today!

Attitude | p52 | 2012

35 weeks. With twins. Wow. There were lots of moments I wasn't sure we wouldn't make it this far, for many reasons. 


It's finally gotten to the point where I have to be honest and say, it's hard. Physically, mentally, emotionally. I am stretched to my breaking point. My pregnancies before have always been easy physically, twins has been a whole new ball-game.


I walked out of my OB appointment this week frustrated, annoyed, and unhappy with his lack of concern or proactive-ness. I then proceeded to throw a full out 2-year-old tantrum in my car. Oh yes, yay hormones.


See, for the past month, I have been 'taking it easy.' I've been staying home more, sitting on my bum and not cleaning or organizing anything. I've been declining invitations places and I've been laying down or napping more than I ever have in my life. I normally 'create' something every couple of days, instead I was down to one little project a week. I wasn't cooking or really meal planning. I wasn't doing ANYTHING. I wanted to keep these babies in and I thought being lazy and resting would do that. I thought the pain would be better if I rested.


Then, despite my lazy ways, I went to the ER twice in 5 days for contractions. And my pain level jumped up again.


And after my latest OB appointment, I realized that all those things were doing was wearing me down mentally. I'm a do-er, I'm a go-er. I am a homebody for sure, but if I am going to be home, then I need to be creating, or cleaning, or organizing. 


Sitting at home, doing nothing, trying to keep my mind bored and occupied with nothingness WAS NOT WORKING. I was dwelling on the pain. I was CONSTANTLY counting contractions and rating their pain level. I was focusing SO much on every single day, that mentally, I was done. I was honestly hoping they would come any day. 


I decided it was time for an attitude adjustment. Don't get me wrong. There is still lots of napping and sitting going on at this house. I'm still aware of my boundaries and I'm being careful. But I've done more in the past 3 days than probably the last month combined. (Which is still actually very little- I'm talking I did a load of dishes and cooked dinner, lol!) But I made a point to NOT DWELL on the pain. To ignore the constant non-intense contractions and only pay attention if they really hurt. 


And you know what- it worked! I am hurting less, sleeping more, and contracting less. And I am determined to keep these babies in as LONG as my body will hold out. It's so much better for me, and them, if I am mentally in this game, and not emotionally worn out. 




3 weeks left. At 38 weeks we will have a scheduled c-section. A natural delivery is still on the table depending on their positions, but we are pretty much expecting a c-section. They will continue to stop labor as long as they can. Although I am hoping we don't need any more hospital visits until it's time.


We had an ultrasound for the babies Wednesday, and they looked good. The techs at the clinic and hospital know me now, and they compare ultrasounds and the babies positions and sizes, haha! So funny. They keep joking about when I'm going to deliver. It's so hard now to get good pictures of them, because they are seriously crammed in there. Ultrasounds are not perfect, and each time there's more error for measurement, but here are their latest weights:


Baby A- Girl: 4lbs, 5ozs
Baby B- Boy: 5lbs, 2ozs


Both dropped a bit on their weight curve, but their heartbeats and fluid levels looked great. My original goal was to get the both over 5lbs, and we are working on that. Right now, every day they stay in is another day they are with us, and not stuck in a NICU. 


3.more.weeks. We've got this ;)

Check out other Project 52s at:

styleberry BLOG | The Carter Family | Bugs & Boo-Boos | What We're Sayin' | Moments & Impressions | Our First Little Bundle Of Joy | Phreckle Face Blog

And if anyone else wants to link up- let me know!

Insta-Monday | A birthday

In the last week, I've been to the ER twice to stop contractions... once again, no progress, just a horrid shot that makes me feel hot, shaky, and makes my heart race. But it works! It kicks the contractions back down to minimal so I can go home... We made it in and out in under 3 hours last night- woo hoo! But I had to leave after taking an Ambien, because they hoped a good nights sleep (which I haven't in months) would make a difference. Boy did that alarm hurt at 630am... still super groggy! So there aren't many pictures this week, despite his birthday/birthday party...

 

 

1. Reading the wheels on the bus with our 'bus' hat on (aka, Daddy's old parade hat from his USAFA days)
2. Watching a 'big dada show' - Toy Story 3 on a lazy afternoon at home!
3. Apparently I like the Trinity Hospital OB floor and getting stuck with lots of needles... hopefully no more visits until the real thing!
4. Birthday boy's special dinner- homemade mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, berries, and kiwi. He INHALED it... and then his slice of homemade yellow butter cake with chocolate frosting.
5. Jarvis' new Bahamas hat from Grandma Alice and Grandpa Bob's cruise on Uncle Chris' ship. It says his name on the back. awesome.

Birthday Fun | 2012

Well, it's come and gone and I officially have a 2-year-old. Not sure how I feel about it... I wanted to share a few pictures from our family birthday at home, and his little party!


Here he is the morning of his birthday opening presents!

We got him the Tag Jr. Reader for his birthday.

His current favorite phrase is 'Oh, cool!' and you can see him exclaiming over some hot wheels from Poppy and Oma here!

With his expanded car collection!

Then after dinner, we had birthday cake (keep in mind, it's only 545 here, and it's pitch black outside :( )

Not sure of the candles...

Blowing them out with Daddy... 

Then the next day, we had a little low-key party with a bunch of his buddies. Last year I went over the top with his party- and although I wanted to do it again... I had to be realistic about what I could do! So we had the party at the indoor playscape on base with pizza, juice boxes, and cupcakes. Very simple and low-key, but he had a BLAST playing with all his friends! We didn't have anyone bring presents- because seriously, this boy has ENOUGH, and he had no clue they were missing!

Headed out to the party- he chose the new 'choo-choo' (chopper) shirt from Aunt Jackie and Uncle Patrick to wear!

My neighbor across the street made these delicious cupcakes!

His friends all singing Happy Birthday!

Cupcake!!

We learned to lick the frosting, lol....

He had such a blast, and I am glad we made a point to do something for him. I pretty much sat the entire time, but came in home in serious pain after just 2 and a half hours... unfortunately, my stamina is pretty much gone!