Christmas Quiz

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? wrapping paper
2. Real tree or artificial? REAL
3. When do you put up the tree? Normally Dec 10th, but I think we are going to start going for the Sunday after Thanksgiving
4. When do you take the tree down? January 5th
5. Do you like eggnog? Eh...I don't think I ever really tried it?
6. Favorite gift received as a child? My Cabbage Patch Doll from my Grandma
7. Do you have a Nativity scene? We have a soft one for Cole, but not a "real" one.
8. Hardest person to buy for? my Grandma
9. Easiest person to buy for? Jack
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Christmas candle holders with teddy bears hotglued to them
11. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? Mail!!
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? The Christmas Story
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? December 15th
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Many times
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? World Famous Fruit Salad & pepperoni buns
16 Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear
17. Favorite Christmas song? Joy to the World
18 Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay Home/Travel Locally
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, & Rudolph! :)
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Big Gold Bow
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One on Christmas Eve & the rest on Christmas Day
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? That the retailers start putting out Christmas stuff before Halloween
23. Favorite Christmas tradition? Big Christmas Eve dinner and then movies around the fire
24. Up early or sleep in? I get up earlier than everyone else!
25. Who hands out the gifts? Me!
27. Do you tell the Christmas story? Yes
28. Do you leave cookies for Santa? We will start that this year! :)

Totally Inappropriate Vent

I have to say this b/c it gets on my very last nerve...I am so tired of reading about moms (on bbc) that "don't make enough milk" to breastfeed their babies. Do I actually care how you feed your baby? Not at all. All of my boys have used formula at some point and I am really glad there are such great ones out there. I choose to breastfeed b/c I subscribe to The Lazy Mom's Guide to Feeding which involves no prep work & no clean up (& hands-free feeding so I can type this! ;) . Anyway, I really get tired of reading about mom after mom who "doesn't make enough milk". Apparently, this phenomenon is pretty exclusive to the United States. I think it stems from TONS of pressure to breastfeed, but not really having the desire (or whatever) to actually stick with it for the recommended year. I totally understand that frustration also...in the beginning it can take a TON of time and have many hurdles to overcome. [I do understand supply problems can occur with working moms who have to pump...I truly feel bad for them b/c pumping gets old so fast & it is so difficult.]

BUT again my problem comes with the claim...

First, I have to say in about 99% of the cases it is probably completely untrue. It is pretty rare for a woman not to be able to exclusively BF a single baby (even twins) and generally involves some type of medical disorder that the mother would be aware of before giving birth. Seriously, there are women in Ethiopia living on 500 calories a day that are nursing their babies so really you don't need much to be able to nurse.

Second, I think it scares new moms and prompts them to give up too soon. If they continually hear from other moms about how hard it is to have a good supply, they start to doubt themselves and then get into the whole supplementing/weaning pattern which just creates a self-fufilling prophecy. I had a friend (who has no kids yet) ask me how in the world I made enough milk to feed twins when 3 of her high school friends couldn't make enough to feed their singletons.

Third, I think it is disrespectful to those who choose to formula feed from the start. It creates this whole vibe of "I only formula feed now b/c I physically couldn't nurse."

Anyway, there are a million legitimate reasons why people choose to stop nursing and I just wish people would stop using this "party line" excuse and actually open up and discuss some real issues that can come about when nursing. I think that would benefit everyone!

Warm Fuzzies...

Yesterday, while we were all getting ready for the zoo, I needed a quick place to entertain G while I was getting dressed. I decided to put him in his exersaucer since it has been set up in their room since about October of last year! (Okay...we actually just folded it up and stuck it in the closet when it was still C's room and then of course he discovered it and wanted it back out so he could do crazy things to it...) Well, he isn't quite big enough to actually exersauce so he basically dangled there, but while he was dangling his big brother decided to entertain him. As I was in the hallway getting my clothes & shoes on I heard C telling G about all the animals on the exersaucer...

Here is an elephant G...we will see an elephant at the zoo!

Here is a monkey...monkeys are at the zoo!

This is a LION...it says RRRRROOOARRRR!

My heart just melted!!! It was soooo sweet to see C being such a wonderful big brother...not only entertaining his brother, but actually teaching him and sharing his excitement with him. I am still all warm and fuzzy all over.

ZooBoo!! Saturday, October, 18, 2008

Today we were supposed to meet some friends at the Zoo for a special Trick or Treat event that they were holding. Unfortunately, our friends were unable to make it, but we did! C dressed up as a bat. When I brought home his costume for him to try on I instantly knew it was perfect. I have never seen him happier about putting clothes on! He did not want to take it off. Plus, he is the cutest bat I have ever seen! E & G were pumpkins...also the cutest things I have ever seen! I am so happy with their costumes! I got them at Carter's and they are perfect for 3 1/2 month old babies. They are basically supersoft fleece sleepers with hoods and they were just soft & warm and didn't have any extra annoying parts or things that needed pulled down or snapped on or moved around! I LOVE THEM! We got tons of compliments on our cute little bat and adorable pumpkins. I carried G in the wrap in the "hammock hold" and he peeked his little face over the top and held on with his tiny, chubby hands....he did look like a little round pumpkin! C loved looking at the animals. When asked about his favorite, he told us he liked "the giraffe with its TALLLL neck that eats the leaves at the very top of the TALLLL trees". We were amazed at how smart he is and how descriptive he was when describing the giraffe! I am so proud of my little man! J is going to take him back another day when it will be less busy so he can see the animals better...I am campaigning to take everyone back, but it might be nice for it to be a Daddy & C day.

Good Days and Bad Days....

Well, lately I have been posting about our good days...I guess I was due for one of the other kind. Today is Jack's birthday and I needed to run to the grocery store to get a few items for dinner. I asked him to leave me the car so no big deal, right? Wrong. I was a little stressed out right before we left b/c C was taking his usual sweet time and I wanted to go RIGHT THEN b/c I had just fed the boys so I thought they would be good to go. Finally, I convinced him that going to the store was more fun than driving his new taxi repeatedly off the bridge. So I get the boys buckled in and they are happily looking at their little wrist rattle things and I think "Woohoo! This is going to be cake!" Ummmm....not so much. G decides to completely meltdown in the car. Still no big deal. I figured he was tired and I was planning on wearing him in the store which would put him right to sleep. Yeah...not quite. I get him in the wrap and he immediately stretched out into standing position and started crying again. I shushed and bounced him a little and he calmed down so in we went. I thought for sure he would fall asleep in the store. Nope again. He pretty much cried off and on through the store. It made things a little harder b/c he kept wiggling in the wrap so I had to keep one hand on him most of the time. You would think people seeing me with a toddler & baby in the cart trying to comfort a crying baby in the wrap would have the courtesy to at least not deliberately steer their carts in my path. Apparently, I was doing such a good job juggling everything I should also have to steer around an obstacle course complete without annoying people peering into the cart or telling me that G "must be hungry". Yeah...thanks...I've only taken care of him 24/7 for the last 16 weeks...I'm sure the 3 minutes you've heard him cry qualifies you as an expert. Anyway, we finally get back to the car and C's GIGANTIC new shoes get stuck in the cart leg holes. AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Finally, I get him free but by this time BOTH boys are now crying in the car b/c if they are in their seats they MUST be moving. I had my own huge meltdown on the way home telling the boys they are freaking ridiculous & they are ruining Daddy's birthday and C never acted like that in his whole life...etc...etc... Of course, it didn't even make me feel better. I just felt worse for losing my patience, raising my voice, and just being mean.

BUT I didn't let that stop me. I decided that I needed to try again once every was back in good moods. We needed diapers so I made the executive decision to try WM this time. After the boys were fed and had played for a little while, I loaded everyone back into the car. E & G both protested until the car was moving so I decided that this trip was only going to happen if they were calm. I wasn't going to push it AND I was going to keep my patience this time if it killed me! Well, VOILA! The change in attitude and the lack of urgency about the trip made all the difference. When we got there, E got pissed that the car had stopped moving so he went into the wrap. [ I did make the discovery that the boys are too big to sit "froggy" anymore and put his legs to the sides (that might have helped earlier with G). ] I put G in the cart with C and off we went. No problems at all except they were all out of size 2 Swaddlers. We even walked around to find C a scarecrow. The funniest part was when we were standing in line...a lady 2 people back came up and asked me if the person directly behind me could go ahead of me since she only had 2 items (I only had 3 but apparently that 3rd item is the real time-killer). I said "Of course!" and she peeked in the cart and said "Oh my! There is another one in there!" Yep! There sure is. I think she might have thought the baby seat was items in my cart or something?
Anyway, I am moving today from the bad column back to the good one. :) We'll see if it stays there...

Full of Joy

On Facebook, there is a place to update your status and let people know what is going on at the moment. One of my friend's status read "_____ is full of joy." I just loved that b/c the instant I read it I was full of joy too. I hadn't even clicked on the profile or anything to find out why she was full of joy...it just made me happy to read and made me reflect for a minute on why I would be feeling the same way.

4 Big Reasons (and about 10 million little ones):

Science Questions...Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

So...when you have twins one of the most common questions you hear is: "Are they fraternal or identical?" And it really sucks to answer "I don't know!". During my pregnancy, I assumed the boys were fraternal b/c they had two separate sacs and two separate placentas (di/di twins). As I did some more research, I found that knowing that information meant ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! The only way to know one way or another was f you had identical twins sharing a chorionic sac (mo/mo twins) anything else was fair game. After I delivered, I felt like the boys looked fairly different and we picked little differences to help us tell them apart. Unfortunately, in the first few days those "little differences" changed everyday...thank God for the bracelets! When we got them home, I was fairly sure I knew who was who, but to avoid any major Mommy guilt, we painted one of G's toenails a manly shade of blue. By the time that wore off, I was easily able to tell who was who but J & other family members are forever mixing them up. It baffles me b/c I feel like although they look remarkably alike there are still enough differences to easily tell (unless they are wearing matching jammies and blankets and it is the middle of the night! Sorry guys!!). Most strangers automatically assume they are identical whenever they see them, but I NEED to know! I think we are going to spring for the DNA test sometime after Christmas...

Slacker... Monday, October 13, 2008

Yep..that's right. I'm a blogging slacker. It really has nothing to do with the fact that I have 3 month old twins b/c I am still online all the time if I am pumping or nursing. I did deliberately take off a few weeks right after the boys were born b/c it was a difficult transition and I really didn't want to post anything. Its not that the boys themselves were particularly hard it was just that there were so many changes...

I have definitely noticed some great changes in our household the last few weeks though:

*I am no longer a clock-watcher if I am home alone! That is a big one for me! I remember clearly when C was a newborn I would watch the clock all day and count the hours until another adult would be there to help me. Then, on one magical day...it stopped. We just did whatever all day and managed just fine on our own. This has finally happened with the boys too!

*C is taking his "Superman Juice" (iron supplement) like a champ! Giving us no trouble at all even though as J says "It tastes like chewing on a nail!"

*E & G are ROLLING OVER!!!! and LAUGHING!!! and TALKING!!! E is a HUGE flirt who just charms everyone he meets...G just doesn't care...if he is in the mood he will talk non-stop... or not. Whatever he decides. LOL!

*We are joining the church we have been attending since Easter. Hopefully, I can get more involved & really become a part of it. We LOVE the new pastor and his wife.

*Sleep has been decent. I will say no more since I don't want to jinx myself!

* I have started back into the Couch to 5K running thing. I feel sooo much better when I have a chance to workout but it is still difficult to get out more than the 3 days required for the program. I really want to do at least 5 days per week but it gets dark so early. I am looking into getting a Y membership for our family. That would definitely help!


Neat Fact: We went out to brunch after church last Sunday and ran into a famiy with a 6 year old boy, 4 year old twins, and the mom was pregnant with #4. I told J it was a sign. ;)

Broken Boobies Friday 8/29/08

WE MADE THE CHARTS!!!!!!!! Well, I guess I should say E & G did...but I did provide the milk! The boys gained over 2.5 lbs this month and are now official members of the 2 mo growth chart club! Woohoo! They did have to get their vaccinations though. The poor little guys were troopers though and stopped crying by the time we got to the car.

As for the broken boobies...I have mastitis. Which really, really sucks. Hopefully, this will be a short-lived one time thing! Luckily, it doesn't hurt when they are actually nursing so the remedy of more frequent nursing is pretty easy.

Big C is with Bic at The Great Stoneboro Fair checking out the minature horse show! (For which Bic had to pay the ungodly amount of $8 for C's admission...anyone else think that full-price admission for 2 yr olds is flippin' ridiculous?) He was sleeping when Bic arrived and I went into his room singing the "Wake Up" song which had no effect...so I decided to try his tactic. I climbed on the bed, looked lovingly into his sleeping face, and "yelled" "WAPE UP!!!" repeatedly until he opened his eyes. He thought that was hysterically funny and woke up in a great mood. I gave him a hug and kiss before he left and he replied "Thanks Ba!" (MUCH better than "Gross Ba!")

Question of the Day: Do you vaccinate? On schedule? What do you think of people who hold the opposing view? Western PA is a "pocket community" where many children remain unvaccinated or do not get their vaccinations on schedule. Not b/c we are a progressive, alternative-thinking area, but b/c parents cannot afford them and do not know about free or low-cost options. For that reason (and the fact that when I work I tend to work with at-risk kids) I like to make sure my kids are protected. It is kind of scary to consider either way though...we are in the midst of a measels outbreak right now. :(

Good Things:
*The boys are growing like weeds!
*C has decided that Ba's kisses are no longer "Gross!" (hopefully ;) )
*J just made an extra $250 just for driving to Columbus! (That should pay off the boys' drs bill from the hospital!)

C-isms

I walked into his room this morning as he woke up saying "Is that my sunshine I hear?"
He replied, "No Ba! It's C T!!!"

"Wape UP!!!!!!!" lovingly yelled into his (finally!) sleeping brothers' faces

Having a conversation with my mom about nights with the twins, I commented "Sometimes I just want to pull my hair out..." C came running over with a concerned look on his face and said " No Ba! Don't pull...CUT!!"


When I was nursing G and commented that my back hurt, he leaned right over and kissed it to make it all better.

Super polite...when asked if he would like to take a nap, he replies "No Thanks!"

Also, at naptime, after telling me "No Thanks" that he would NOT like a nap, I finally convinced his teary self to lie down and I would cover him with his knit blankets...he insisted on "dino covers" and then said "Thanks Ba! " when I covered him up even though he was ADAMANT that he didn't want to take a nap!

Last night when I was upstairs putting E to bed, he came running upstairs "Please come downstairs Ba and see Bic!" How could I refuse?

He hands me an envelope from his playhouse..."Op and see!" Whose it from? "Sant.....Claus!" (Already?????)

When G was crying..."Pick him up and throw him outside!" (Hmmm...do you think I'd get in trouble for that?)

Runs in circles..."I'm dizzy!" Falls down..."I okay! Just shall down!" (Rinse and repeat.)

Brings over a container full of puzzle pieces "I baked a cake!" Takes it away... "Too HOT!! Let it cool down!" Blows on it... "Blow!" Hands it back to me... "Chew Chew Chew! Don't choke!"

Bea taught him donkey sounds...Bic told him that if he eats "bales of hay" (Frosted Mini-Wheats) he will turn into a donkey...Ba gave him bales of hay" and a little container of milk to dip them in..."Donkeys dip the bales of hay into milk? That's CRAZY!!"

After yanking back the curtain while I was showering..."Hi Ba! Are you clean and shiny?"

I'm sure this post will grow and grow... :)

Nursing Nerves 7/6/08

Ugh! I must confess I really, really dislike the first few weeks of newborn life...I hate the whole dirty diaper count and watching the clock trying to get a sleepy baby to get a few more drinks in. I think it is even worse times two!! I look at my smaller twin's tiny face (and invariably compare it to his brother's chubbier, "healthier" look) and worry myself that I am starving him. I see him eating frequently, I know that he is getting plenty of milk b/c I watch him fall asleep with milk dripping off his cheek, and he has plenty of dirty diapers, but still I worry...
I bought some Mother's Milk tea to try and boost my supply and I am going to get some fenugreek tomorrow at GNC so hopefully in a few more days I will feel more confident! Of course, my supply is not my only concern with this little man...I also worry that he is working hard to nurse (he is a ferocious eater!) and is burning off calories that he needs to grow...

I long for the days of nerve-free nursing! They can't get here soon enough...

No questions today...

Good Things:
*J has actually came home from work at a decent time TWICE in a row...wait!! THREE times in a row if you count the day I went into labor!
*E & G stayed up late for Daddy and slept in until 6 am for Mommy! Good job boys!
*C was super easy to put down for his nap today and cuddled with me the whole time...so sweet!

C Conquers the Big Boy Bed 7/5/08

Here is my secret:

C has always slept in his crib from Day 1. Sure, he would take naps "on" people and cuddle in our bed until he fell asleep, but we never co-slept in the early baby/little sleep stages. Way too scary for me! However, for some bizarre reason around 19 months, we decided to let Little Man share our bed. I think that it started out with him being sick and us wanting to keep a close eye on him and make sure he stayed comfortable all night...but then it turned into an every night thing. As the due date of the twins approached, I started thinking that it would be a good idea to move him out of our bed and into his big boy bed. We got him new furniture & bedding and a bedrail to keep him from falling out and the room looked really cute...but still never got used...As the days went on, I started sleeping in there b/c it gave me room to manuever my gigantic belly and I didn't disturb anyone with my snoring or popping out of bed every 3 minutes to pee. But still C never slept in there other than for a nap or two. I was starting to get very worried about what we would do when the babies actually came home...apparently, that was a needless worry. The very first night E & G were home, C climbed into bed with us and the boys set up camp in their Pack N Play in the corner of our room. After several crying episodes, C got really tired of listening to it and started to cry too. We panicked! We already were worried that he would hate us for bringing his brothers to live with us, but now he wasn't even able to get any sleep!! J volunteered to take him into his big boy bed and lay down with him there where it would be quiet and peaceful. Seconds after laying down, he fell fast asleep and didn't wake up until around 8am the next morning. He has done this every night since! We are sooooo proud of our big boy!

Question of the Day: Would you buy a car off of a dealer who you had problems with in the past in the service department? There is a van I am interested in that is a great price, but it is at the dealership that gave us tons of trouble with our truck in the past. We have purchased 2 cars from them and have had great experiences with the purchases, but the service dept. has really left a bad taste in my mouth. I know that I wouldn't have to use that service department if I did purchase there, but now I kind of don't want to give them any business although I do think that van is really nice and a good price! What to do?

Good Things:
*The big boy bed is hit!
*The babies are sleeping fairly well at night! :)
*I am feeling a teensy big more "normal" now with everyone at home...I actually got bummed out yesterday when I spilled something on my favorite maternity capris b/c that meant that I wouldn't be able to wear them "next time". ;)

Back to the Blog...Cranky Bugs and More!! 7/2/08

So...things have been a tiny bit busy around here this past week! Sorry to be so lazy with my blogging! E & G are doing great! We call them the "cranky bugs" off of an episode of Thomas the Tank Engine. They are fairly patient with us, but definitely aren't afraid to let us know when something isn't right! C is still thrilled with them and loves to look at them and interact. Hopefully, his infatuation won't wear off before they get to the cute, smiley stage! Our wonderful neighbors came over yesterday with a delicious meal and held the twins while we enjoyed it in peace out on our patio. They told me that they boys are beautiful and seemed to really mean it...I LOVE that...it makes me feel really proud that I make beautiful babies...I hope that I can keep them as happy and fun-loving as their big brother! Overall, the adjustment has seemed fairly easy. The babies eat and sleep alot while the rest of us do our thing. It is a whole different world than bringing home C. All the nervousness and anxiety are basically gone (other than massive doses of Mommy and Daddy guilt b/c C has been the star of the show for so long...he is getting spoiled rotten and loving it though!) but I definitely do NOT feel the baby fever urge like I did immediately after C was born. Am I done? Who knows? But it is good to not have the "missing being pregnant" feeling that I had with C. I think I cried more b/c I was no longer pregnant than I did about other hormonal things. Even though I had an easy pregnancy I guess 5+months of not being able to bend at the waist or walk without waddling is not something I will remember quite as fondly...

Today we took a trip to the park and we got a few pictures! (E is the one in his carseat...couldn't get any of C b/c he was too busy running around with Daddy! I did get a cute video of him swinging, but I haven't figured those out yet...) We didn't stay a whole long time b/c we left fairly close to lunch time and they still are working on the playground equipment, but it was still a nice outing!

Question of the Day: Work?? Agh!!! Who would have ever dreamed that I would actually feel bad about NOT going back to work? When C was born, it felt like I would lose an actual limb if I would have been forced into working more than super-minimal part-time! I seriously cried and cried for weeks at even the thought! But this time I am leaving a job that I LOVED and was good at and was very proud of...and it is much more difficult! Bic basically won't even consider babysitting 2 babies b/c they would be so young so I know I really don't have an option, but I am still considering trying to work things out. Hmmmm....I guess I just get such a sense of satisfaction and worth from it that it is hard to give up.

Good Things:

*E & G are doing fantastic and are seriously cute!

*C is loving on his brothers!

*C started sleeping in his big boy bed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I think Iwill dedicate tomorrow's blog to that whole story...we are soooo super proud of him!)

E & G Arrive!!! 6/25/08

[continued from "Labor Day 6/24/08"]

We slept for awhile until it was time for Dr. M to come. He checked me and saw that I was close to 5 and decided to break my water. He couldn't get a good hook on the bag of waters so he decided to let me get my epidural first and then add pitocin and then try again. That was an ingenious plan. Up to this point, while my contractions were very regular and showing up as strong on the monitors, they were pretty painless. I was at ease while they administered the epidural and WOW! did it work! The nurse checked me and I was already at 6cms with no pain. Dr. M came in and broke my water. It took a little while to go from 6-8, but once I hit 8 we were home free! The nurses scurried around trying to get the room ready quickly with all the millions of things needed for a twin birth. Dr. M came in a couple minutes later and saw that I was at 9 and very stretchy. He had me do a practice push with the next contraction and pronounced me complete! The nurses all came back in to get the delivery underway and were laughing at me b/c I was so happy and had the biggest smile on my face as they came in! After 3 pushes, they called Dr. M back in b/c Evan's head was ready to be delivered and I had to wait it out a few minutes as he got into position. At 2:56 pm, E was born weighing 6 lbs 3 oz and 19" long. He came out screaming! They put him on my belly and I marveled at how tiny he was! Jack cut his cord and the nurses scooped him up and took him over to be examined by the pediatrician. I asked Dr. M if I should keep pushing to deliver G. He then told me that G had flipped and was now breech! The u/s machine was brought in and the monitors moved so that they could track him on his way out! Dr. M basically pulled him out with the help of a few pushes to his shoulders and then maneuvered them through one at a time. It seemed to take forever to get his head delivered and when they did he didn't cry. I was so scared! The nurses suctioned him and he still didn't cry. I could see his chest moving so I knew he was alive, but I didn't know what was wrong b/c he wasn't making noise and his body was so blue. The nurses whisked him away and got him on the oxygen mask right away. I was so grateful to hear his big wail join his brother's shortly after that! They were screaming in unison! G was born feet-first at 3:06 pm weighing 6 lbs 8 oz and 20" long. I had no stitches, no tearing and literally no pain. I had to be reminded the first 24 hours to even take the Motrin. I was up and walking to the nursery to see my boys within 1 hour. It would have been sooner but that was the earliest that I could feel my right leg! I am so thankful for the wonderful delivery that I had and the excellent care that my dr and nurses took of me and my babies! Both boys did wonderfully and we were all able to go home together less than 48 hours after delivery!

Labor Day 6/24/08

I woke up around 10:00 this morning and came downstairs to make breakfast for myself and little man. As I was getting everything ready, I realized that I was having some contratctions. They were fairly strong (strong enough for me to stop what I was doing and take notice of how long it lasted), but very far apart. I was a little excited that maybe it would turn into something, but unsure since I was only have 3-4 each hour. Soon after we got up, my dad arrived to take care of C. I peeked out the window to see what he drove and realized that he had his pickup with no carseat for C and just a tiny "jumpseat" for me if we needed to head to the hospital. As I was getting ready to tell him about the contractions, he told me that my mom's assistant was missing work due to her car breaking down, so I decided to not make him panic and not mention anything. I did decide to lay down and relax since I knew that at best I wouldn't be leaving until after 5pm since I would have to wait for my mom or J to get off work.

As I was taking my nap, I was awakened several times by contractions but still pretty far apart. I took that as a good sign that this might really be it since they weren't phased at all by lying down. Luckily, I slept from around 11:45 until almost 2pm so by the time I got up it was almost time for someone else to be getting home. I TMed J and (very slyly) simply asked if he was planning on being home on time. He replied that he was so I started getting pretty excited and finished packing my bag and did a couple of other small jobs before he got home. There were still a few things left on our cleaning checklist, but luckily we had gotten almost everything done over the weekend! At 4:15pm I got a phone call telling me that Jack was on his way home! That was amazing b/c not only was he going to be home on time, he was going to be EARLY! AT 4:45pm, I called my mom and told her about the regular contractions that were now about 10 minutes apart and asked what she thought I should do. We thought that it would be best if he hung around for awhile to see if there was any more progression.

Around 5pm, C and my dad got up from their nap and I told my dad what had been going on. As soon as J got home, we took C for a long walk to see if the contractions would get any closer together. We walked to Subway and got supper. As we were walking there, the contractions began to get closer and closer together. By the time we got back, they were every 4 minutes so we kicked into high gear and finished our cleaning checklist and loaded up the car. We headed to the hospital and were taken right upstairs to L & D. I was hooked up to the monitors while Jack checked me in. After the monitors showed that I was having regular contractions the nurse decided to check me. I told J I would be disappointed if I wasn't at least at 5 cms. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. She reported that I was still at 2, but very soft. We weren't sure what the plan would be so we waited. Dr. M ordered an u/s to check for presentation and to check their sizes. As we were waiting for the u/s, the nurse checked me again and I was at 3cm. WOOHOO! Progress! The u/s was nice, but kind of boring since I had just had one the day before. J and I almost fell asleep several times since it was about 2am by this point. When we got back to the room, they checked again and I was close to 4cm.


[To be continued...these entries look a little different b/c obviously they were typed up several days later....]

Picture Overload 6/27/08

Momma and G& E

E & G

G & E

E & G

E & G

36 Weeks and Change 6/23/08

Today was my drs appt complete with growth u/s and NST. The u/s was awesome b/c apparently Diane had alot of free time so she spent tons of time showing me different stuff about E & G and getting some cute 3D pictures (these pics are of E)! We got to see E sticking out his tongue and practice breathing and we learned that G has hair! And they are still heads down! I get another u/s to check for presentation next week, but Diane said that she really doesn't think that they have enough room to do a complete flip at this time due to their sizes. (I hope not...plus, I am banking on the fact that they have stayed heads down since about 22 weeks.) I am getting so excited to see these guys! My NST went well too with only E getting the buzzer this time. G passed his test in record time. We also learned that E's estimated weight is 6 lbs 11 oz and G is estimated to weigh 7lbs!!!! I really hope that Diane is right on the money with this (like she was with C) b/c I really want to have nice, healthy, solid babies. I would love for them to both be over 7 lbs at birth. Hmmmm...maybe I should go eat that Ben & Jerry's tonight after all...

J was so excited to hear the report of the babies' sizes and to hear that Dr. M thinks it could be any time now, but we also have an end date in sight. It turns out that Dr. M is leaving the country (just for vacation...don't worry, he isn't fleeing to escape some criminal charges or anything) on July 10th. He told me right at the end of the appointment and commented that he would really like to have me delivered before he left. He didn't actually mention the word "induction" but I know that he doesn't really expect me to make it much longer than my next visit (if I make it to that one). I will ask up front at the next visit and see what he says...maybe he will be on-call and will schedule me for July 4th!! That is the day I am really hoping for! Also, I should mention that he would be gone until after my original due date so I know he wouldn't just wait and see.

Here is C just clowning around and trying to look like Ba! He LOVES my new sunglasses so we went and finally got him his own pair since he isn't as into his hats this year.

Question of the Day: WWYD in this situation? J & I just looked at each other with raised eyebrows and tried to distract C, but I know he heard it and was looking kind of upset (he really doesn't like to hear people yell or sound angry he is kind of sensitive that way)...

We went to the mall tonight to find sunglasses for C and as we were walking through the food court we heard this mom say to her kids (2 preschool boys...maybe 3 & 4):"d**n YOU!!! I am trying to eat!! Stop putting your sh** all over my plate!!"in basically the loudest & meanest voice ever! I mean, really screaming at them at the top of her voice. Did she not know that everyone in the whole mall could hear her? It was crazy!

Good Things:

*E & G are gaining weight wonderfully and are right on track!!

*End date of prior to July 10th is in sight!

*Found C sunglasses that make him look like a rock star!

DH 6/22/08

If you frequent message boards, you know that "DH" stands for "Dear Husband" (most of the time...sometimes the "D" can mean other things...). J definitely gets the DH Award for today!! He worked super hard from the minute he got up in the morning to help me "feather our nest". I was getting pretty anxious about the amount of work that still needed done when I got up this morning, but now I am so happy and excited about how great everything looks! The downstairs is completely done and the upstairs was cleaned earlier, but now just needs touched up and the carpets scrubbed. It is such a nice feeling to be close to completion.

And he has a great eye for fashion!! What more could you ask for? :D

Question of the Day: How much does your SO help with housework?

Good Things:

*U/S tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!

*The house is almost completely ready!

*C was a great helper through all the cleaning today!

Productive Day 6/21/08

Today was a pretty great day! I slept in a little and was awaked by the cutest man alive climbing into my bed and patting my face while saying "Open!" (No, it wasn't J! LOL!) After we got up and ate breakfast J & C mowed the lawn while I got ready to go on an outing.
We decided to get C's haircut since his poor head was getting drenched in sweat all the time. I hope it helps! So we went to the salon and J & C got their summer haircuts (that is C's new cut above!!) while I got my brows waxed. C did "okay"...not his best haircut visit especially since he spent the whole morning being excited about going. He ran around making scissor moves in his hair with his fingers yelling "CUT! CUT! CUT!" After that, we went to a little Italian restaurant near our house called Soni's. The food was sooo good and it was very peaceful in there. J & I both got salads with our meals, but C ate them both! He also almost finished his entire bowl of cavats and a HUMONGOUS meatball. That always makes me happy when he actually eats a bunch of food instead of putting it in his shirt or on his toes or other places that don't help him grow.
Then, I went and got an amazing pedicure! Part of the reason it was amazing was because the shop was really busy so I got to sit in the massage chair with my feet in the bubble tub for almost 45 mins!! I had a great selection of magazines so it really rocked! While I was in there, J text messaged me and said that I should get my nails done too which was super sweet. I decided against it though b/c my nails have been breaking off really bad lately so I felt like it would be a waste of money. The only downside to my pedi today was that it didn't really relieve the swelling like it did the last time. I guess I am just too close to the end to have anything really help.
After we got home, we started cleaning the house. I am having MAJOR nesting urges so I even busted out an old toothbrush to clean the grout in the kitchen. Hopefully, we will be able to finish it all tomorrow after church b/c that is J's last day off until Friday. He can get a few things done after/before work, but none of the major stuff we still need to finish. I will definitely feel a huge sense of relief when it is all done!

Question of the Day: I can't decide whether to be excited about the boys possibly coming this week or really trying and praying that they don't come until next week. I know when I was having PTL issues 36 weeks sounded sooooo good, but now that I am here it feels so early! Know anyone that had babies at 36 weeks? Were they able to go right home?

Good Things:
*Today I am exactly 36 weeks pregnant!!
*Our whole family is now "photo-ready" for the birth of the twins!
*Only one more day until my next u/s!

DQ Day 6/20/08

Yummmmmm!!! You know you want one!!

Today was a mellow day. Bic and Bea came over and C had tons of fun! We went for a ride to DQ and got some yummy ice cream.

No questions today...

Good Things:

*Yummy ice cream!!

*Bea helped me figure out where to put the clothes in the nursery.

*Finally figured out how to export my Excite address book!

Just 'lax, Ba!!! 6/19/08

With both my pregnancies, it started out the same way...drinking copious amounts of coffee (aka CAFFEINE!) the day I got my BFP (that means Big Fat Positive on a pregnancy test to those who don't know). I avoided coffee like the plague while trying to conceive b/c I didn't want to worry for one minute that I added a risk of miscarriage. Except for some bizarre reason, both times I got BFPs my day started with gallons of coffee. Then, the little niggling worry began to creep in...

What if I drank too much coffee and doomed my baby? Why did I feel the need to drink that much? Would any baby survive that much caffeine in one sitting?

Of course, the little worries do not stop there. I had tons of spotting with C during my first trimester so every trip to the bathroom (which of course there are millions) was preceded by a quick prayer. When I found out about the twins, I worried myself sick about the chance of Vanishing Twin Syndrome. (And the subchorionic hematomas on E's placenta never gave me much peace of mind either.) As each day passed, a new realm of worries would begin to overtake me. The days before my "big" u/s with C were plagued with concerns about finding birth defects or genetic disorders. I wasn't quite as concerned about that with E & G b/c I had gotten over that hurdle earlier in my first trimester with the Nuchal Translucency test. But I counted the days until I reached the 24 week point with them which meant that they would be viable outside the womb if I went into preterm labor. Luckily, C was a big mover so there were few scares with him throughout the 2nd and early 3rd trimesters and my big worries with the boys were the PTL episodes I had. (Nothing is more worriesome than meeting your transport nurse when you are a mere 30+ weeks pregnant and terrified that your babies were not going to be stopped from coming.)

But towards the end of the pregnancy, worries start up again. What if something happens to my baby(ies)? With C I had a strange day of little movement...I was super busy that day so I couldn't verify the exact number of times he moved, but I knew it was less than usual. I debated about addressing it with my dr b/c I like to be a "good" patient that always says/does the right thing and doesn't cause trouble. Thankfully, I did report it. C was induced the next day due to dangerously low amounts of amniotic fluid. Where the fluid went? We still don't know.

Today, I had a NST to check on the babies. It was their typical sleepy-time, but they were pretty uncooperative! Both got buzzed with the buzzers several times and G basically didn't respond to the buzzer until much later. I could tell that the nurse was worried about it...but when she went to consult with Dr. M he decided to wake up and follow the rules. I was able to go home after a short period of monitoring. Thank goodness, right? Yes, but...now I have that little worry coming back. Why didn't he respond earlier? Is it okay that his period of responsiveness was shorter than the non-responsive time? (I know he technically "passed" the NST.) Should something else be checked to make sure he is A-Ok? I do have an ultrasound scheduled for Monday at 9:30, but I think that I will call Melissa tomorrow and relay my fears so that hopefully I can have some peace of mind over the weekend. When these tiny people are still inside, we are the only ones who can speak for them.

Question of the Day: What would you do about the questionable NST ? Have you ever had one?

Good Things:

*I managed to get the carseats installed in the backseat of my tiny Vibe!

*Got a call from a friend volunteering to help with some baby things!

*C called Bea on the phone and demanded that she bring him "POPS!!!" (lollipops...his favorite candy on earth) when she comes to visit tomorrow. It was so stinking cute!!!

*Note about the title: C is an EXCELLENT, non-stop talker! However, he cannot say his "M"s, "R"s, or "F"s. J taught him to tell me to "RELAX" (hmmm...can't imagine why he would think I need to relax) so he often says to me "__LAX BA!!!"

Full Moon Frenzy 6/18/08

Tonight is the full moon...it is apparently a special full moon called the Strawberry Moon. Why is it called the Strawberry Moon? No clue. Maybe b/c it is June and strawberries are ripe in June? Maybe b/c it is pinkish red like a giant strawberry? Maybe I am just making that all up and there really is no such thing!

Today I woke up with a super sore left ankle. It hurts to put any weight on it and it is swollen unusually large...even for me! I hope it is nothing and goes away quickly, but it has kept me off my feet most of the day. The only other unusual happening has been....CONTRACTIONS! I was teasing Bic earlier today that if the boys were going to come early it was going to be today. Well, it is now 1:30 am and Contraction Master has become my new best friend! (Sorry Facestat.com!) We are currently about 5 minutes apart, but not horridly painful so I am hanging out to see what happens. They may just decide to disappear or maybe they will continue and tonight will be the big night...well, at this rate I guess I should say tomorrow will be the big day. Only time will tell...

Question of the Day: Know any fun facts about the Strawberry Moon?

Good Things:

* Carseats have arrived and are AWESOME!

*C was super cuddly and kissy today!!

*Might get to meet my new boys sooner than I thought!

What do you really look like? 6/16/08

So...my new obsession is this website I discovered completely by accident called facestat.com. You post a picture of yourself and define some criteria and people "vote" on your picture based on that criteria. I have always secretly wanted to go on "10 Years Younger" and stand in that box and see what people really think of me. (Oh, and the free dental work and Lasik wouldn't be half bad either!) Anyway, I can't decide if I am just a glutton for punishment or if I just really have an unhealthy obsession with what other people think of me...LOL! Anyway, so far I have been pretty pleased with the results...most people used words to describe me like "friendly", "fun", "natural", "bookworm" (VERY TRUE!!!), and "kind"...it was cool to read! Of course, there were some mean ones on there also and some that just didn't make sense (someone voted me as being 41-49 and another voter picked that I was African American! LOL!)...but overall it was kind of nice to get an idea of what kind of first impression I give. The pictures above are the ones that I used...I tried to pick good ones of course! (As excited as I am to meet my boys, I think I am even more excited to get back into shape again! I hope they are cooperative!)

Question of the Day: Do you think your self-image is pretty accurate?

Good Things:

*The boys are wiggling like CRAZY today which is fun to feel!

*C decided that he wants to be an Ohio State Trooper when he grows up b/c they get to wear cool hats!

*On the voting thing, most people picked that I was at least 5 years younger than I really am! WOOHOO!!

Some People's Kids... 6/15/08

Happy Father's Day!! Today C and I got up early and drove to Dunkin Donuts to get J his favorite coffee drink and some yummy donuts. As I was driving, I noticed a sign for a Summer Festival at a nearby lake. Whenever we got home, I checked it out online and lo and behold...there was going to be WRESTLING!!!! C and J LOVE wrestling more than just about anything. And better yet...it was FREE!! I was a little concerned b/c it was pretty hot today (not unbearable but high 80s) so I wasn't sure if I would be able to do an outdoor festival, but I was feeling brave. I packed up our stuff and told J all about our great adventure. We would go and see the wrestling and then we would go swimming and eat "fair food". Sounds like a perfect Father's Day for J!
It was super busy when we got there, but we were still able to get a pretty good view of the wrestlers. They were hysterical! (Obviously, for free you aren't going to get big name wrestlers,but these guys were all just comical! The one that ended up winning seriously looked like a woman! I really wish I would have brought my camera so I could have some pics of them to share.) We had a great time watching them though and cracking up over their antics. When they were almost done, C & I decided to walk over to the playground so he could play for awhile before he went swimming. When we got there, we noticed a few girls running around at top speed jumping off the equipment. No huge deal b/c I assumed there would be parents somewhere nearby to keep an eye on them. Ummmmmm...no! I am guessing they were there alone b/c no matter what they did, no one said a word. I commented a few times to the older ones about climbing up the slides while the other ones were going down, but that only worked while I was actually talking. I was getting a little annoyed b/c they were seriously way out of control and there were several little kids on the equipment. The grandmother that had a little one younger than C just left b/c she was getting too nervous with the big ones jumping around. We were waiting for J to come over and meet us when C finally got up the nerve to try the big slide. (He is like me, I think, and a little leery of heights. It isn't often that he will be brave enough to climb up to a really tall slide.) I was so proud of him for being brave!! When he was at the top, one of the hellions came tearing up the slide. She waited patiently for about 1/10000th of a nano-second before she decided to give him a hard shove. He almost fell off the top of the platform!!! It seriously took all my willpower not to yell at her! I ran up and grabbed him and he was fine, but I bet it will be awhile before he feels brave enough to climb that high again. Everytime I think about it I get really angry b/c all I can see is his proud little face looking down at me before he got ready to go down. After I got him calmed down, I explained to him that some kids don't have mommies to teach them how they are supposed to behave and how it is NEVER okay to push people! I sincerely don't know if those kids' parents were anywhere in the area or not, but if they were I hope they heard me. It was a huge disappointment to see kids behaving so badly the whole time and never a single correction.
Luckily, shortly after this incident J showed up and we went in the water. That made the whole day better. It was so relaxing to me to be able to get some of the weight off my legs and feet! It was glorious! C loved it too! He did not want to get out! The only way J was able to finally lure him from the water was to offer to take him on the swings so they could go "really high"!! I ended up crashing out the entire rest of the day...talk about feeling like a wimp! Oh well, it was definitely worth it!

Question of the Day: What did you do for Father's Day this year?

Good Things:
*Got to see funny wrestlers!
*Went SWIMMING!!
*J loved his Netflix subscription that we got him for Father's Day!

Sleepy Saturday (I think?) 6/14/08

Well, today was a really boring day. I don't like how each day runs together so much. I like to have at least a few plans each week to break it up, but I really didn't want to schedule anything major since I don't know when E & G will want to make their arrival. Today I woke up tired though so maybe staying home was a good thing. I napped almost the whole day and then had a brief spurt of energy so I got the outsides of the windows washed, put away almost all the new clothes in the nursery, and started in on the kitchen. I would really LOVE to get most everything finished off my list this week so that next weekend (J's weekend off) we can do any "finishing" but also just relax and enjoy some time as a family of 3!

Question of the Day: Any good baby monitor recommendations? I was just thinking of how crappy our FP Sounds N Lights monitor was when C was tiny...we actually stopped using it completely by the time he was 6 mos b/c it was easier to hear him with the stupid thing off! I am not looking forward to using it again...anyone love theirs?

Good Things:
*Found out the seats should arrive on Wednesday! WOOHOO!!
*Thought of a cool Father's Day idea for J! (Nothing like waiting till the last minute to get your brain in gear!)
*Got a few more cleaning tasks crossed off my list (and got my new bottles washed finally!!)...

More Carseat Freaks and the Attack of the Polar Bear 6/13/08

Ordered the carseats that should actually fit into the Vibe today. (Thanks Bic!) Now, all we have to do is hope that the boys aren't delivered before their seats!! Today was sooo hot and humid, but luckily this evening a big storm rolled in and cooled it right off. I hope that this is the beginning of the cool front that we are supposed to be getting. Now that it is getting closer and closer to the boys' arrival, I am getting so emotional. All I want to do is cuddle C and kiss him to pieces b/c I know it is going to be so hard for him when they arrive. Luckily, he is a fairly independent kid so he can play by himself without many problems. So, I feel guilty for that b/c I am going to be spending so much time with the munchkins, but I also feel guilty that I don't spend nearly as much time talking to E & G as I did when I was pg with C. I hardly ever rub my belly much b/c it makes me have contractions so I kind of feel like I am not as bonded with them as I was with C. And I still feel this sense of disbelief...like none of this is real. I don't know. Part of me feels like I am doing a great job of getting ready for them and the rest of me feels like it is hopeless and I will not be able to do a good job. Bic didn't help matters much today with his comment about how people didn't used to take their babies anywhere for months after they were born. He is completely convinced that it is impossible for someone to take all three of them somewhere by him/herself. I really don't want that to be me. I want us to be able to do fun stuff and take C places with his brothers. I know that it won't be the easiest thing I have ever done.

Anyway, enough of the worries...who can worry when they are under attack by a crazy POLAR BEAR!!!

Ahhhh...the polar bear sleeps....

Question of the Day: Am I completely insane for ordering carseats that will take at least 5-7 days to be delivered when I am 35 weeks pregnant? Nevermind. I think I already know the answer to that one! ;)





Good Things:
*Got the new seats ordered!!
*Cool weather is moving in!
*C's polar bear impression was the best thing I have seen in ages!!

Does this look buckled right to you?? 6/12/08

I am such a carseat freak!! I was so excited today when Bic brought over the Nautilus he bought to keep in his car! This seat is so cool! C seemed to really like it too! All the straps were easy to adjust and the install was a breeze...Bic actually installed it himself under my supervision. Anyway, it is nice to see more seats that harness past 40lbs. Now, I am in the market for more seats that will fit 3 across in our car. Unfortunately, the truck did not sell to either of my eager buyers and I just don't know if it is a great idea to take way less on a trade. We are going to do a few more repairs to it and hope that I can list it for more, but still sell it. Right now, we think that since the power window motor needs replaced and the 3rd door handle isn't working right that it is scaring people off. Seriously, those 2 repairs would end up costing less than $100, but I guess it will be better if we suck it up and do it ourselves. Also, I think that the wheel sensor might need replaced...another cheapy job, but as the buyer I guess I would want everything done for me too. Oh well, the more I was thinking about it the better it would be if we wait a little longer. Depending on what happen with J's job situation (he had the interview for "the job" only 5 miles away AND he has a small opportunity for a raise/promotion at work), we might go an entirely different way with the whole car situation.

Question of the Day: Would you buy used carseats if you felt that they were well-maintained? I really don't think that I can do it. I know that the chances of anything being wrong with them are very, very slim, but it just seems too scary to me. I can't even really imagine using one that I borrow from a friend or relative. I don't know why...just a weirdo that way!

P.S. I am just kidding about the title of my post!! C decided he needed to "buck" himself in and that was the beautiful result! LOL!

Good Things:

*The Nautilus has arrived!

*Talked more to my neighbor and made an actual plan of what we would do if I needed her to watch C while we went to the hospital.

*Got to talk to some friends that I hadn't heard from in awhile!

Ding, Ding, Ding...the Ice Cream Truck 6/11/08

Today was a pretty uneventful day. That is a good thing after the last two! We just hung out around the house...I kept randomly napping throughout the day wherever I was while J and C cleaned like madmen! They got most everything done except the bathroom and kitchen and a few little jobs in the other rooms so I am feeling pretty good about the way the house looks! Carpets still need scrubbed, but that seems to be the only big thing left (other than the 2 rooms not done!)...J cooked steaks on the grill. C was pretty happy to eat "moo", which is kinda creepy, but at least he ate a bunch!! Then, I left to go test drive yet another mom-mobile. I came back about a half-hour later and I could see J & C walking up the sidewalk toward our house. C had something all over his face!! I could not figure out what in the world it was until I got out...his face was bright blue from his snow cone!!! J told me that they heard the Ice Cream Truck while I was gone and just had to get something. C LOVED it!!

Question of the Day: Would you drive yourself to the hospital if you were in labor? What if you didn't really think it was the "real deal"?

Good Things:

*The house is almost clean!

*It really stayed nice and cool most of the day and was finally COMFORTABLE!

*Perfect day for napping!

Dr. M vs. Preterm Labor: Round Three 6/9-10/08

So I had a WONDERFUL dr appt. today. Found out that the boys are both still heads-down and are weighing nearly 6 lbs each!! (Scrappy weighed in at 5 lbs 12 oz an Spanky weighed 5 lbs 10 oz.) (This pic is a 3D of Spanky sucking his thumb!) Dr. M was so pleased with their growth and that they were practice breathing so well. I scheduled my next appt for June 23rd. Before I left, Dr. M said he didn't think he would be seeing me before then, but if I needed anything to call the office. Ummm...less than 24 hrs later he had to see me again!

J and I took C out to dinner to cool off and while we were sitting there I started to feel sooo uncomfortable. I had told J earlier that I was feeling "off" b/c I slipped and fell in the kitchen. Well, I didn't really fall completely...just almost-did-a-split type of thing. (C had been "helping" take care of Boomie so he fed him and "watered" him except he mostly watered the floor! OOOPS!) Anyway, it kind of felt like a pulled muscle or something so I automatically assumed it was round ligament pain. I started to have the BH contractions at the restauarant though so on the drive home I decided to time them. They were nothing much...maybe 7-8 minutes apart and not horribly strong. So I decided to give C his bath (he picked orange this time) and get ready for bed myself. While I was running C's bath water I realized that these suckers were getting stronger. I still didn't really worry about timing them b/c they didn't seem to be ridiculously close together. After the bath, I was sitting in the glider reading C his bedtime stories when I realized that these contractions really were getting stronger since I had to stop reading whileI was having one. They seemed to be coming pretty fast too. After timing them for about an hour, I called the after-hours number and got a call back from Barb (the Nurse Practioner). [This was about 10:45 pm.]

B: "What's going on?"
M: "Well, I fell in the kitchen and I am not having any bleeding of leaking, but it seems like it started some contractions."
B: "When did you fall?"
M: "About 7pm and I had a pain after that but no contractions until around 8 pm. By 9 pm they were about every 7-8 minutes apart."
B: "Are they still 7-8 minutes apart?"
M: "No, now they are about every 2 minutes..."
B: "You are having contractions every 2 minutes?????"
M: "Yes, they last about 1 minute each..."
B: "You need to go straight to the hospital immediately!" ( YOU FLIPPIN' IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

So, I told J that I needed to go in and get that shot of Brethine that worked so handily last time this scene occurred....he told me to call him as soon as I knew anything, but we weren't worried b/c this was Round 3 of PTL and I was confident that it would be quickly stopped. It was a little tough to drive over I don't think that I even came close to the speed limit most of the time b/c I was concentrating on my breathing, but I wasn't in severe pain at this point. Once I got there and got all checked in, Dr. M decided that I needed to get the shot of Brethine. (Just as I had suspected...) They gave me the first shot and I was surprised to find that it did NOTHING. Didn't even slow them down. The nurse told me not to worry b/c she could give me the shot 2 more times. When she went to give me the next dose, we had to wait an extra 10 minutes b/c my pulse was too high...that shot also did NOTHING. The same thing with the high pulse for the third...which...actually MADE THEM STRONGER. UGH!! I was starting to get a little nervous here b/c it was about 3 am and I didn't know what in the world would go on...my nurse came back in and explained about transport (not quite as scary this time b/c I am so much closer to term) and then added that Dr. M may want to try something else first. He did...my magic bullet...magnesium sulfate. They added that to my IV right away and I felt the "tanning bed" sensation. Luckily, my room was super cool so it wasn't too bad. (Also, my super nice nurse Jessica came back in with plenty of ice water and cold cloths for my head.) BUT...the contractions still didn't stop. I was getting nervous. The nurse was getting nervous. I was thinking about what all I needed Jack to bring with him and whether he should meet me at the big hospital or if they would let him ride down with me from here. Then, the magic started to happen. The contractions started to feel a little less intense and then gradually began to space out. Luckily, by the next morning they were out of their regular pattern. My day nurse came in and was scheduled to turn it down...she waited it out b/c I was still having more contractions than the like to see...finally, Dr. M okayed turning it down to see what happened. Luckily again, they spaced out some more even with the lower dose of mag. Eventually, we got to the point where they looked like what I would have on a normal NST so I was allowed to quit the mag. No heartburn this time either! WOOHOO!!

Verdict: Dr. M 3, PTL 0!!!!!!!!!!!!

Before I left my nurse gave me the rundown:
*If I go into labor again before Saturday I will go to the big hospital for sure!
*If I go into labor next week (Sat. to Sat.), it will be dependent on my dr where I deliver, but there is a chance my babies could be sent to the big hospital without me.
*If I go into labor after that, I will deliver there and most likely my babies will get to stay with me and go home with me without any problems!! That is only 10 more days away!! WOOHOO!

No Question today either...too wiped out to think of one!

Cute thing: One of my preschoolers' moms works L&D at my hospital and she came in to "yell at me" for being there! She had pics from graduation and they were so cute!

Good Things:
*Labor was stopped successfully!
*C was super cute at the hospital and was really good for Daddy!
*Only 10 more days until full-term for twins!!

Bye Bye Truck!! 6/8/08

The beast is HISTORY!! Someone came and test-drove it today and basically said they wanted to buy it right then...well, if that wasn't good enough news...one of the other guys that has been emailing about it is really worried that he isn't going to get it so he sent me several emails and left messages on J's vm. Hmmmm...now I don't really know what to do? Go with the first guy who left all the messages or go with the guy who already test-drove it? I think that I will leave his one up to J! C might be a little sad to see his truck go...he got a little upset when Bic drove off in it the other day. But I think he will overall like the van MUCH better! (I hope so anyhow...he will miss playing in the bed of the truck and it was an awfully handy place to pop him if you were trying to get something done in the yard that required your attention!) Now, to find my mom-mobile for sure! Our biggest problem so far is that there are too many to choose from! (Un)Fortunately, vans don't seem to hold their value at all so the market is flooded with great, cheap vans! (This will really suck for us when we go to either sell this one or trade it in, but it is working in our favor to buy!) Everytime I think I have made a decision I find something else that either has a feature I want or is cheaper or is the same price, but lower miles...I am so scared to buy b/c I feel like if I just keep waiting someone will just drive up and park a brand new one in front of my house for free! (Okay...no...I really don't think that will happen, but it is just crazy how many we have been able to find and they just keep getting better.) Well, I should be able to get a better feel for when we really need to buy at my drs appointment tomorrow. They are going to do the total growth measurements and check my cervical length and I am going to ask Dr. M what the "big plan" is for induction or what-have- you...my mom is going with me which I think is fantastic, but so far she has been my preterm labor jinx so I hope I don't end up staying! LOL!

Question of the Day: Who would you sell the truck to if it was you? The first person who responded to the ad or the first person who test drove? (Obviously, they are both offering full price in cash.)

Good Things:

*The truck is SOLD!

*Found another mom-mobile that I might want that is lower miles than the one I wanted to buy last week, but actually a little bit cheaper (and it has leather interior that is in really perfect condition!)

*Drs appt. tomorrow and I get to see my BOYS!!!!