Thanksgiving, 20 weeks, and a surprise visit

So instead of going down the list of things for this week, I decided to do a normal run-of-the-mill post. Just to tell you all about my weekend.

First things first. I got the surprise of all surprises on Thanskgiving - my beautiful sister Shelby came up from Sacramento to surprise me! Here we are, can you tell we are sisters?

If you can't tell, I am the one in the kicky hat. Shelby is the prettier, younger, and skinnier one of the two ;) I also neeed my bangs trimmed in a major way...

Anywho, we were up in Seattle when Josh disappeared, I fell asleep on the couch, and then I was woken up to my sister kneeling next to me telling me to wake up. It was a wonderful surprise :)

We left early the next morning back to Portland. Josh has to work, so Shelby and I went downtown. We went to Pioneer Place and within 1/2 hour we were ready to leave. It was crazy busy there. Why would I go to a mall on Black Friday when I have spent every BF for the last 18 years working in a mall or shopping center?

Plus my sciatica started annoying me. Just a side effect from the diagnosis of babies, I can't run around like I used to ;) I get pains in my left hip and my back when I am on my feet for a while.

So then we got some Chinese food and I introduced her to one of my favorite shows, Dexter. She may be hooked now. BTW, I have loved the name Dex long before the show...

We went back to Seattle Saturday morning, Shelby got a new tattoo (above) - now we both have sparrows on the front of our shoulder :) So does my brother... Josh got a little work done on his arm, just some shading...

We hung out with Josh's sister and her fam, then came back to Portland Sunday eve to watch the new episode of - you guessed it - Dexter. And it was awesome. She also got to feel the babies move and kick. They were super active all weekend. In fact, one of them is doing pushups or situps or maybe they are both in their own little mosh pit rockin out right now. Definitely quite active!

Sadly I had to take her back to to the airport this morning. I miss her already, but I know I will be seeing most of my family in a matter of months.

Tomorrow will mark the official halfway point in most pregnancies :) I can't believe it. 20 weeks. WOW. I am excited to be closer to meeting these little ones but at the same time I am trying to keep the days going by slowly so that I can enjoy and relish in this. Despite the pains, acid reflux, blah blah blah I am really, really enjoying being pregnant. I feel like the babies are moving a lot and I love that feeling. I also know this will most likely be the last and only pregnancy I have.

I have also come to the understanding that I need to ignore most of the "advice" I am getting about childrearing. I am really tired of the "right way" and "wrong way" to raise the kids. It's funny how much I have changed. I have really become a protector of my family and my personal life. I have always been sorta to myself and have done things my own way. But now I actually get upset and even offended when people tell me what I should and shouldn't do, that it's going to be so hard to do this, I am going to need so much help, etc etc. Basically when people start in on me about the negatives I want to crawl into a corner. I want to do that because I feel like those who tell me how hard it is don't have faith in me. It pisses me off.

Um YEAH. I'm not stupid. I know it will be a challenge. But I also know that the pros WAY outweigh the cons. I know that all kids are not alike. I know that I will make mistakes. I know that my kids will act up. But I also know that I will learn. They will learn.

Getting pregnant has been a challenge. Having surgeries, injecting myself countless times, timing our intimacy and having every month for 8 long years end in disappointment and pain hasn't been easy. But it has made me stronger. It's made me a fighter....

I am devoting my entire life to the two lives inside of me. I will NOT complain about my children. EVER. I will never let a day go by not telling them how much they mean to me and how much I love them. I want them to grow up in a loving, low-stress household. I will do anything and everything possible to make that happen...

I have been getting stressed out with family issues, as you can tell. Not my family, mind you. I have always felt that my family has dealt with our own issues in a positive way. If anyone gets pissed off at someone else, we deal with it and move on. We know that time is precious and to spend our lives upset, tense, and plain unhappy is just stupid. We know that nothing lasts forever.

One of Josh's favorite quotes is "This too shall pass". Good and bad, it will pass, so you'd better enjoy the good as long as you can and move on from the bad. Otherwise you end up alienating your family, friends, and you just spend your life miserable.

What kind of life is that?

19 Weeks!

How Far Along: 19 Weeks!

Weight Gained: Still only up 15 lbs as far as I know... maybe gained a pound

Measuring: Still about 44", however my uterus has grown upward, the fundus is right below my rib cage now...

Babies are the Size of: A large mango..

Cravings: Ahh, what don't I crave? Let's see, this week has been more fruit. And cinnamon.. and noodles...

Belly Button: Getting flatter! Josh looked at it the other day and said it looked "freaky" ;)

Stretch Marks: nope! so far so good!

Sleep: Again, eh... it's been ok, I have been napping a lot in the afternoons...

Genders: Still a boy and a girl :) And getting closer with names, although we aren't sure so we aren't gonna talk too much about it here (sorry!)

Labor Signs: None whatsoever :)

Worst Moment: The scaitica is a killer. It has migrated from my left hip to my inner thighs (?). Plus I have had acid reflux like mad! I had never really had it before. I woke up two days last week with a sore throat because of it. blech.

Best Moment: Feeling definite kicks!!! It's too cool for words! The Boy has migrated a bit further south and has set up camp right above my bladder. He kicks me really low in my abdomen. Last night he actually woke me up with 3 swift thuds :-) The Girl is up higher on my left side. She kicks these little dainty kicks and squirms a lot. I have been feeling her way more than The Boy, the week before it was the other way around...

What I Miss: Dairy products. I really want some yogurt.... Plus I tried making tomato soup with almond milk and it was kinda gross...

What I'm Looking Forward To: Lots of things! More kicks, my crib here tomorrow... Thanksgiving and lots of turkey!

Milestones: The biggest milestone would probably be feeling the kicks more and more. It's so reassuring that I can actually feel them moving around and I know they are doing just fine :)

So other than that I have been relaxing, making more etsy stuff, and spending time with Josh. I do get tired super easily, though - We went to run errands the other day and halfway through the grocery store I needed to go sit down because I was feeling faint. I just need to listen to my body and not overdo it! I'm telling ya, if I was still working I would be totally not helpful...

Hip hip, Hoor-OW!

I am getting an awesomely fun pain which I never thought of. My left hip is killing me...

I try to sleep on my left side because I heard that it give better blood flow to the babies. Or something like that. And anything I can do to keep my babies healthy and comfortable I will do in a heartbeat.

Apparently it is caused by the hormones relaxing and softening the joints and muscles so that the hips can widen for childbirth. I wish I could tell my body I'm having a c-section and to not waste time giving me child-bearing hips.

Also, I think I angered my hip by doing a little housework. I have a loft room upstairs which I am considering making the nursery that has four items in it - a chest of drawers, a dog kennel, a small storage ottoman, and a big screen tv. It would be a "real" room however the cable needs to be rewired to accommodate the tv. Or we need to sell the damn thing. So now it is the place the dogs hang out when we leave and can't take them with us. Hence the kennel. I don't know what to tell you about the ottoman....

Anyway, I went upstairs to vacuum, which required me to roll the tv into a corner. I also vacuumed the staircase. After I was finished I could barely walk on my hip. Cool....

On the upside of today, I got a notification that my crib will be delivered on Wednesday :) I also ordered these from babysteals.com:

For those of you who don't know what they are, they are called "Babylegs NoSox". They are like legwarmers/arm warmers for babies. the kiddos can grow into them too! Find out more at http://www.babylegs.com/. My favorites are the black pirate ones and the blue ones on the top row. they have apples on them :) I got a killer deal on them, too. All 10 pair for $49, normally $12 each! If you haven't gone to www.babysteals.com you need to. They put up a heavily discounted deal every morning at 8am PST sharp. They also have sister sites www.kidsteals.com and www.craftsteals.com.

I can't wait to put these on my babies!

18 weeks and a picture :)

Ok, here's a little update! And a photo!

How far Along: 18 weeks today :)

Weight Gained: As of my last appt (last week), I have gained approx 15 lbs since pre-baby. I thought it would be more...

Measuring: 44 inches. Keep in mind I wore a size 31 jeans pre-pregnancy. So those 15 lbs I mentioned? All in the belly ;)

Babies are the Size of a: Mango! Or a bell pepper! Approx 7 inches head to rump.

Cravings: This week has been fresh fruit and veggies, mainly apples, carrots, and watermelon. And pineapple :) And still a ton of water, but I have also thrown in almond milk, orange juice, and vitamin water...

Belly button: Still an innie!

Stretch Marks: Nope, not so far anyway!

Sleep: Same. not fantastic, not bad. I still take my naps every day. And whenever I am sleeping I have crazy dreams!

Genders: Boy and a girl!

Labor Signs: NONE! Whew! Since I left work I haven't had a one.... lots of ligament pain though!

Worst Moment: No bad moments last week! All good!

Best Moment: I pulled the trigger and finally got the babies their first big purchase - a crib! Now I need to buy the other one, mattresses, and bedding... I am trying to hold off a little bit more because I know my cat will want to take up residence once it's all made. My crib will be here by Friday!

What I Miss the Most: Still coffee... And my peeps at work.. But I don't miss work ;)

What I'm Looking Forward to: relaxing this holiday season and taking time to take care of myself, therefore take care of my babies. This is the first holiday season in around 18 years that I am not working....

Milestones: I am starting to feel the babies move not only when I am lying down. I'll be sitting on the couch and I can feel them kicking and moving around. Still not hard kicks, but they are definitely moving :)

So, progress! It's amazing how fast time is going by, yet how slow it is too. I am really enjoying my time being a "housewife" and I am getting more and more into it :)

I also want to give a very special CONGRATULATIONS to my dear internet friend Shell! She had a perfect baby boy on Nov 13th whom she named Benjamin! She was a long time TTCer like me and it's so wonderful to see her dream come true!

Twin sentiment :)

Thank you Katie for this!!

Two Times Blessed

Two little hands
Two little feet
As a new Mother she will greet

Hugs and kisses
she will have galore
For now her heart
will greet one more

Two little hands
Two little feet
Two little hearts make
a joyous beat

But as you can see,
I’ve been doubly blessed
For I will have two babies
to hold close to my chest

To those who may say,
you’ve got your hands ful
lI will reply
so calm and so cool....

Four little hands
Four little feet
Two little hearts
make my life complete!

“If you think our hands will be full…imagine our hearts.”

First day as a "Homemaker" (stop laughing)

So what did I do on my first day of not working?

Lemme see... I woke up at 8:30... had some toast, made hot chocolate (soo much cheaper AND better than my daily stop star.bucks...

Kissed Josh bye when he left for work... Then I decided to be miss domestic and I made bread. From scratch. and it was yummy:

It was a cinnamon bread recipe and oh so good... I usually make bread with my breadmaker, but this was my first normal loaf. Oh, and by "usually make bread" I mean "rarely make bread".

Tomorrow I am going to attempt pumpkin bread....

I also painted these totes:

I ordered the totes from ecobags dot com a while back. They are canvas/hemp and super cool. They are about the size of those reusable bags you get from the grocery store but how much cooler are they? The owl's eyes & wings and the elephant's ear are hand-stitched felt... look for them on esty soon!

I also snuggled with my dogs on the couch and watched bad tv....

Tomorrow I have to go over to my old store to drop off my keys and pick up my paycheck. Thank God it isn't my last check... I still have this week, vacation, maybe sick time, and disability coming to me over the next 2 months.... Josh keeps making comments about me being "unemployed"... Technically I still have a job...

That's pretty much it :) I am slowly dipping my toe in the housewife pool. So far the water is nice and warm, but totally alien to me. I guess I will just get used to it!

Update from my Dr appt

So my appointment went well today. I got to hear my babies hearts beating away, which is always great :) Plus my doctor pulled me out of work. With the contractions, spotting, and overall discomfort without much to do about it we both thought it was for the best. I am freaked out but relieved that I don't have to worry about the need to be on my feet, even for a few hours. Being in retail I can't not be on my feet all day, and with the holidays coming up I can't fathom the idea of literally running around all day...

So I am really hoping that my HR dept will cooperate and give me my disability. My last conversation with them went well, they wanted to put me at part time because my doctor initially pulled me down to 6 hours a day. I was able to fned that off by letting them know I had my followup today. So technically I am still full time. Which means I am still entitled to my benefits. I left a message for the rep I have been talking to, so she should call me back tomorrow.

So there you have it! No work for me, at least for a while :) Now I can fully concentrate on growing my babies and keeping them healthy. That is the absolute most important thing to me, I can't imagine putting them in jeopardy by putting myself in jeopardy of pre-term labor, preeclampsia, or placenta previa. With all of the studies that have been done on the effects of constant standing and pregnancy risks, it was kind of a no-brainer. Being high risk as it is I will do what I can!

17 weeks....

And all is well! Here's a breakdown of everything so far:

How far along: 17 weeks today!

Weight gained: not sure, I'm guessing around 10-15 lbs but I will know tomorrow. I don't have a scale at home :) I think the babies are eating my existing fat ;) Oh, and as a reference I was wearing size 31 jeans pre-pregnancy...

Measuring: 43 inches around with my belly button as a reference. This is a better way for me to know that the babies are growing rather than how much I weigh...

Babies are the size of: a turnip!

Cravings: Noodles, bacon, and beef. I have developed an aversion to milk though! It makes me sick to my stomach now! I also drink gallons of water, I seriously crave it! One day last week there wasn't any bottles water in the house and I about lost my mind!

Belly button: innie, but it's flattening out.


Stretch marks?: Nope not a one... hopefully it will stay that way!

Sleep: Eh. I take a nap when I get home from work, but sleeping at night has become a challenge. I have found that putting my body pillow under my belly helps me sleep on my side better. I can still kinda sleep on my stomach, but I do need a little pillow-manuevering to do so...

Genders: a boy and a girl!

Labor signs?: Not really, still more Braxton Hicks though.

Worst moment last week: continued spotting. Babies are fine, but one of my placentas has gravitated toward my cervix. Not covering it, but too close for my comfort.

Best moment: telling Josh the genders :) I gave him a bunch of baby stuff - mostly sale Halloween, such as two skeleton sleepers and two fuzzy costumes (a puppy and a sweet pea). The last things I gave him were 2 sleepers - one blue/black stripe that said 100% boy on it and one pink with guitars. He was beyond thrilled but we were both sad ye wasn't there for the u/s. I had it early because of the spotting, he had to work.

What I miss the most: Energy. and coffee..

What I am looking forward to the most: feeling definitive kicks! The babies' cartilage is beginning to harden so I should be able to feel it soon!!

Milestones: Being able to actually but something gender-specific!

So there you have it!! So far everything is in track. I have an appt tomorrow and I am really hoping to be able to quit work. It's been exhausting and uncomfortable...

What's in a name?

So we have been thinking of names for our little ones... I also think we aren't really going to decide until we see the little ones, so you may see names on this blog that are just in our heads and not necessarily the names of "Rice Cake and Rice Cakette" (thanks to Jenna for the nicknames!)...

I can tell you however we aren't very traditional in our name choices. You will not see Michael or Michelle here, nor will you see more common trendy names, such as McKenzie or Tyler. While I have nothing at all against these names, Josh and I are a teeny bit more unique than that...

I DO love some boy names for my little daughter, such as Dylan or Chase or even Cash (I adore Johnny Cash). But I also like super girly names like Chloe or Lily.

For our little boy we are seriously thinking Dexter. Little Dex. But we aren't ruling out other names like maybe Callum, although I am not thrilled with the nickname "Cal", it reminds me of Cal Worthington and his Dog Spot. For those who were products of the Eighties, especially in Orange County, CA, you will know what I am talking about...

We already know our daughter's middle name will be Anne. It's my and my mom's middle name. Our son's middle name will be David, Josh's dad's first name and Josh's middle name.

Woah. I just said "our daughter" and "our son"...

Any suggestions???

Ultrasound today (and genders)

So I had more spotting yesterday so I went in today to make sure all was going well. The u/s tech thinks it had something to do with one of my placentas moving down, it's really close to the cervix but not covering it. I will know more next week when I see my dr - he wasn't there today due to a delivery.

The babies are doing just great! Both are measuring perfect, totally active, and healthy. It was adorable - while one was being measured the other kept poking her little head into the shot and then getting a swift kick in the face by the first little guy :)

Did you get what I just said there? Yes, we are having a boy and a girl! I am beyond happy over the news! And it was absolutely unmistakable too, definitely a boy and a girl :)

So now on to names........

Halloween, Work, and just plain Life

So halloween was ok... It was good, but everyone seemed too tired to care about dressing up, minus my 10 year old niece who happens to be something wickedly goth every year. This year she was Snow White after the poison apple but before waking up. So dead Snow White. Sweet...

I haven't been feeling great at all for the last few days. I am still sore from working last week. I barely do anything I still feel like I worked out like a mad woman! Plus I had some light spotting yesterday and today. It's dark brown, very light, and no cramps or contractions accompanying so I know it's just my body yelling at me to take it easy. I have an appointment on Nov 11 and my cervix and placentas will be checked to make sure there is no placenta previa... I have a feeling it's just one or both of my placentas moving a bit. But still scary!

It will all be ok....

I have to thank God every day for giving us this amazing gift, my two babies. I have a husband that loves me more than anything. I have a family who cares immensely. I have so many good forces rallying around this experience and the two little ones, it will all be ok...

I have very specific ways I want to raise my children. I want them to know they are loved, tell them and show them every day. I want to always speak to them with respect and logic. I want them to learn to respect all living things and Josh and I. I want them to know that I will never be upset with them if they are honest with me, no matter what. I want them to know what it's like to play outside, have fun being with family, reading, just spending time being a kid....

I know it's easier said than done, but at least I have a jumping off point....