One Month Old

Everyone,

The boys were one month old yesterday. I wanted to wait until I had their official stats to do an update on them. We went to the doctor this afternoon (no accidents on us this time! we are getting better!) and here you go.

Pirate- 21 inches long, head circumference: 14 1/4 inches, and weight: 8 lbs, 1 oz. You read it right, 8 pounds! He has gained almost 2 pounds since birth in just one short month. I just can't believe how big he's getting. He has also grown an inch and a half. He also got a shot for hepatitis B which he cried over. He doesn't typically cry much but he was not happy about this activity. Poor little guy. I hate getting shots too! Right now he is in the 25th percentile for everything, which is a good size. He is doing all the stuff he should be of eating, making nose, tracking, focusing on faces, peeing, pooping.

Professor- 21 inches long, head circumference 14 5/8 inches, and weight: 8 lbs, 3.5 oz. This boy has gained 2 whole pounds since birth in one month. My dad says that's right around a 30% growth rate. I just can't believe how big he is getting too! All those feedings late at night are really paying off. He is doing all of the developmental things like making noise, eating, peeing, pooping, and starting to track just a little. He is also in the 25th percentile for everything. He got his Hepatitis B shot today. Poor little guy cried so hard he gave himself the hiccoughs.

They are doing fantastic! I can't believe how good they are doing, and that it's been a whole month since they came into the world. I still am amazed that we are a family of 6 (including the dog) and that we are surviving. Honestly, when I thought of the first month of twins at home, I thought of just surviving and not doing much else. And that's what happening. I am starting to get a little bit of my life into a new kind of normal. Things don't seem to be as frantic as the first couple of weeks. But it's still kind of crazy here. Although I think with 3 kids, crazy is the new normal.

Check out my dad's blog for a cute little video of the boys.

Safire

To Butterfly

Butterfly,

Or Big Sister Baby Girl Honey Baby Red Bird (insert the rest of your full name here). I love that you have nick names for yourself. It's probably because for the first 10 months of your life, we only called you Baby Girl. I read in a book that you should turn in response to your name so I tried and tried it. You would not turn around! Finally, I said, "Hey Baby Girl!" and your head whipped around. Oh. I started calling you by your first name then, although I'd say we still called you Baby Girl 80% of the time. So I love that you have different names for yourself.

And even though you call yourself a lot of different things, you definitely know who you are. You have a stubborn streak a mile wide and I love that about you. I hate it when we butt heads on things like nap time or whether or not it's dinner time, but I love that you stick to your guns. I think it will serve you well in the future if you don't let it get the best of you.

I love how you are a mix of girly girl and tom boy. You love to wear dresses and dance to music and dress up. But your favorite toys are cars and tools and aren't afraid to get dirty. You can change the batteries in your music light all by yourself (with supervision of course).

I can't wait to see how the baby brothers react to you. They are going to love you! And you are going to love them, or at least love to boss them around. I know our ordered life has turned to chaos because of their arrival, but I really do think you'll have a great relationship. At least I hope you do. I feel like my brother and I are very close, and I hope for that for you 3 as well.

Thank you for going to bed when we insist. Thank you for loving your bath and saying things like "I want you because I love you and I love you because I want you to do [insert thing here]." Thank you for insisting that we say good night to everyone from me and Daddy to the Christmas Tree and asking the house to stay here.

We love you Baby Girl!

Mommy, Daddy, and the Brothers

To Pirate

Dear Pirate,

I can't believe how patient and pathetic you are. As loud as your brother is, you are not. But you pull the most sad pathetic faces that I just can't help but love them. I think you will probably be a lip pouter as I was. I never realized how cute that is!

You do actually sleep fairly regularly. However, you also pee all over me fairly regularly too. Like yesterday, when you peed, pooped, spit up and sneezed all over me in about an hour's time. I didn't even change my clothes because why bother? Thanks for that. I think.

And I'm still trying to figure out the mystery of your peeling forehead/eyebrow area. It's beginning to annoy me. But your cute little ear notch distracts me from your flaky skin.

Love,
Your Mom

PS- You know how Professor used to smack his lips after he nursed? Well, you do it before. It's so nice to know how happy you are to have mommy around.

To Professor

Dear Professor,

I know you are only 3 weeks old, but do you think you could at least sleep for longer than an hour? And when you are sleeping, do you think that you could stop grunting and squeaking long enough for me to at least get the 20 minutes of sleep at a time that I seem to be getting?

Much love,
Your Mom

PS- I think your eyes may be staying blue! You are staring up at me adoringly (and are also partially forgiven for not sleeping) and your eyes are so bright blue they remind me of the spring sky we had yesterday.

I Went, I Cut, I Couldn't Leave

Everyone,

This afternoon I went and got my hair cut. I gave up a nice nap because when I left, all the kids were sleeping. But my hair had to go. It was so long. It was long enough that as I was brushing it, I couldn't brush the ends because my arm did not go that far back. It was brushing my forearms when I was standing up and my arms were straight down. It was attacking Juice at night. He was begging me to cut it. I was begging myself to cut it. So I broke down, skipped my nap, and went.

I went to the local kid's place because if I donated it to Locks of Love, they would cut my hair for free. Okay then. Free hair cut, check! They were fast. The lady put my hair in a pony tail, snipped and then braided it to send away. Once she got my hair off, I thought, "My hair!" Although I was not sad to see it go. She evened everything out and told me horror stories about working there. Like people being bit so hard by kids they had to have stitches! Does not pay to work in a kiddie salon!

I was there 10 minutes and then went back out to my car (by way of the free samples at the cinnamon roll place...was all about free stuff today).

I was all excited to be able to get back to my house in record time and I was sure that the boys needed me or something. I hopped into my car, put the key in, got a tiny "rrrr...rrrr" and then nothing. Ohhhh...I tried again. I waited a few minutes and tried again. Nothing. Sigh. I called Juice. And then I called my in laws to come and get me.

Luckily, the hair cutting place was in the mall and I parked right in front of S*ears. So they brought out their little battery check machine to my car, got it at least started and got it into the work bay area. They checked the battery: dead. New battery installed in about 30 minutes (it pays to tell the worker who is checking you in that you have 3 week old twins at home and they are pretty fast).

It was nice to have my father in law there to come and get me and to help me through the whole battery process thing. Because frankly, I hate the car stuff. If Juice could do it all the time, he would. I even hate going to get the oil changed. I will do it because it makes sense for me to do it but I still don't like it at all. So thanks New Grandpa! (This is what Butterfly calls him...my dad is Old Grandpa because they were here first visiting.)

So I did get home. Before the boys needed to eat even (although Grandma had to convince Professor to hold out with a pacifier until I got there). I'm just happy that the hair is gone. It will be much cooler in the summer!

Safire

To Jill and Everyone Who Sent Stuff

Everyone,

Thanks for the little gifts! They have been a lot of fun to get in the mail. The boys got these sweet little outfits from Jill (see her blog here). They also came with hats but apparently they got my big head because the hats did not fit on them. But not to worry Jill, they have your hats on in my siggy picture, even though you can't see them. :)

I actually stayed the whole time at church yesterday instead of skipping out after sacrament meeting. And I took both boys to relief society and enjoyed the lesson. Why? Because everyone at church swooped in and wanted to hold the boys. Sure! I love that our ward has been so supportive and helpful with these guys. The bishop even mentioned to Juice that he loved 'hearing' from Professor during sacrament meeting (the boy has a set of lungs on him!)

Safire

Happy Birthday Butterfly!

Everyone,

Butterfly is 3 today. 3! I can't believe it's been 3 years since she came into our lives. She has grown up so much. It's interesting to have newborns again and think that this time 3 years ago, we had another newborn. She was so small. She was so new. And we were new to parenting. While we didn't know what to expect (because what brand new parent does?) we were so ready for her to join us.

Because it took us so long to have her in the first place, I suppose it's fitting that today was our annual baby reunion with our infertility clinic. They have a big party every year for those who have had success with them. They have clowns, face painting, pictures, and balloons. Butterfly got a purple dog balloon from the clown Bubbles. Everyone oohed and ahhed over the boys, and Butterfly ran around having fun with her dog on a leash. We also had yummy lunch and I got to talk to all my old work buddies.

When we got home from the party, Juice took a nap and Butterfly and I played with her new cars and new tea set from Nana and Grandpa. Dinner happened, and then cake. We ordered her an ice cream cake and I got to enjoy some this time! Yum! She was having a hard time blowing out the candles because she was blowing over them and not on them. Very cute. We each had 2 pieces of cake (except Grandpa who only had one) and opened a few presents.

Juice and I got her a little laptop of her own. It has Cinderella on it and you can use a magic wand to make the choices, or use the glass slipper mouse to move the cursor around. It is SO CUTE and you should have seen the look on her face. Oh wait, I think I have it on camera. She loved it and I'm expecting to be annoyed with in by this time next week. Good times.

I still can't believe she is 3 years old. Where does the time go? She can count to twenty (although she thinks that 1100 is right after 20 and the end of counting), she knows most of the shapes, most of the colors, and can recognize her name. Her friend from my mom's group sent her a few little books and by the end of reading them, she could recognize the word 'woof'. She runs, she jumps, she pretends like there is no tomorrow and all she wants to do is play. She says, "aww, a baby!" every time I pick one of her brother's up. She thinks every dress she puts on is a dancing dress and has to have music. Although not the same music that she likes for every day. She likes faster songs for every day, and only likes to listen to classical music if she has a dress on. Go figure.

I think she is having a harder time adjusting to the brothers than she always lets on. The past couple of days she has not been her usual cheerful self. She is crying more often. I can tell it's a fake cry, but she is crying none the less. She also bit Juice this afternoon. We had our new stroller out with the boys at the party today and she wanted to help push it. Fine. Except it has a tendency to tip backward and she was pulling on it. I finally told her she couldn't push it if she kept pulling it down. So she stopped and started to cry. We needed to get home so Juice just picked her up and we headed out to the car. She cried she wanted to get down. He told her he would put her down when she stopped crying and would walk. Her answer to that was to bite him. Boy did she get yelled at. And then she cried harder because she was in trouble. Ugh. 3 is turning out to be harder than 2.

But it's amazing to be able to have a chance to parent someone who is 3 and a new big sister. I hope that we will be able to do a good job. Juice said that he remembers things when he was 3 years old, so I'm hoping that we are making good memories for her. I wish I could have given her a birthday party with all her friends, but it's just too hard with the boys to do that. I'm hoping a cake, some presents and then a trip to the 'pond restrant' will be a good birthday memory.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl. Oh, sorry, Big Sister. Or Baby Red Bird. Or Honey. Or one of the other terms of endearment we have for you. Because you are endearing. Very. Love you!

Safire (and Juice and the Brothers and Soot)

Diaper Changes and Doctor Visits

Everyone,

We really shouldn't change diapers at the doctor's office anymore. Last time, Juice got peed on by Pirate. This time, we both got peed on by both boys. Our odds are going down. We should just skip diaper changes at the doctor's office all together. (Juice didn't technically get peed on...Professor peed on his clothes and I didn't bring a change of clothes so Juice had to hold him in wet clothes which then got his shirt wet. I, however, had Pirate who peed a significant amount on the changing pad while I was changing him. Missed his clothes, got mine instead.)

This was their 2 week doctor visit. Everything looks great! Let's start with the oldest:

Pirate was a calm little baby for them because we got there a little early and I sat in the waiting room and fed him. So he just took everything in stride and stared wide eyed at the doctor while she was checking him out. He now weighs 6 lbs, 7.5 oz. He passed not only his birth weight but his brother's as well! He is 20 1/2 inches long (gained an inch from birth) and his head is 13 7/8 inches around. He got his foot pricked for the repeat PKU test that they did in the hospital. Apparently that's standard now. Poor little boy cried a little, but he was pretty calm through most of the blood testing. A good report!

Professor squalled through the whole exam. He was not lucky enough to be feed before and cried while he was poked, prodded, listened to, and put on his belly. He now weighs 6 lbs, 13 oz. A whole pound bigger than his brother at birth! He is also 20 1/2 inches long and his head is 13 7/8 inches around. So other than Professor being heavier, they are basically the same size. He got his foot pricked for the repeat PKU test from the hospital. He blood clots well because the tech had to squeeze it down his leg for drops to come out of his foot. Poor baby screamed bloody murder through the whole thing. And this was after I feed him as well. He had to put on his wet clothes to come home and fell asleep almost instantly on the way home.

One thing that happened that irritated me just slightly was the doctor. She was nice enough, but she asked me if I was breastfeeding them both. When I said yes, she asked if I was feeding them exclusively. I said yes. She looked surprised, looked at her chart, and her eyes widened a little bit when she read the weights. (I'm assuming she read the weights, that's what I would read.) She then asked me if I was getting any rest. Um, yeah. If you get them on a schedule it's not that hard. Her surprise and her assumption that I am pushing myself too hard to feed these babies the best possible food for them set me slightly on edge. Why is it that people don't feel like you can feed more than one baby and be successful at it? We are obviously doing very well. It can go great. I feed them between 8-9 times a day which will slow down as they get older and have bigger stomachs. I do spend quite a bit of my day nursing, but I find nursing relaxing. I am forced to sit down and spend some time with each boy. I do tandem feed them (feeding them both at the same time) only when they are both hungry. At night, Professor always wakes me up to eat, and then when he's done I will wake Pirate up to feed him. Otherwise, 20 minutes later, he wakes me up just as I've gone to sleep. It's a good system and it's working for us. We normally get about 3-4 hours of sleep in a block. Which is good for newborns.

They really are very good babies. Calm, easy going, easy to soothe. Loud noises don't wake them up (thank you squealing and jumping big sister) and they are just so cute.

We stopped by Dr. SA's office on the way home to show him the babies. All the techs got a kick out of seeing them. Sadly, Dr. SA only works on Mondays and Thursdays so I'll have to go back on Thursday. I forgot my camera and I wanted a picture of them with him anyway.

Butterfly came with us to the doctor and got a sucker and a sticker for being such a good big sister. And she really is. Unless it's nap/bed time or a meal time. Then she's hard to deal with. She testing her boundaries to see if they are still the same and is very frustrated to find out that they are.

The boys have a visit in 2 weeks for their month old appointments. According to the little book the office gives me, I should be starting vitamins with iron at one month, and they should sleep and eat as their milestones. Also, I shouldn't give alcoholic beverages to them. I'm glad to know I shouldn't do that. It takes a load off my mind. (Seriously, who writes these things?!)

Butterfly has her 3rd birthday on Saturday! We ordered her cake (I only want an ice cream cake Mommy. Not a regular cake and not a small break apart cake like last time [cupcakes].) She wanted a Nemo cake and so we'll have that on Saturday with Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma's birthday is the next day (Mother's Day) so we are all going out to dinner on Monday to our favorite restaurant by the pond. Butterfly's name for the Red Rock Canyon Grill. Of course, we will be having Something Chocolate!

Oh, and I did go out with a few of my friends here for the Something Chocolate last week. I have pictures but I haven't loaded them from my camera. Boy that was so good! Good chocolate, good friends, good times. :)

Safire

2 Weeks Old!

Everyone,

The boys are now two weeks old today. Wow. I just can't imagine them not being in our family. I know I worried a lot before they were born how their birth would affect our family. I wondered how I would be able to parent/mother/love 3 children, 2 of whom were going to be very demanding for awhile. I worried if I was going to be able to bond with the twins. I guess specifically, I worried I would bond with one and not the other. But it was just like with Butterfly. The moment they came out, I was head over heals in love with them. Their entrance into our family has only improved the family dynamics. They fit in perfectly.

(See my new signature picture!)
Let's start with Professor today since he just peed all up his back and is currently being changed. And screaming his displeasure at the current situation. Professor is our loud guy. He's also the mellow one. He only cries when he's wet or hungry. But it's the loud lusty cries. He sleeps like a champ, eats like a champ, and is just an easy baby to take care of. Now, he was up for several hours last night complaining about who knows what. He is also our snuggle bug. He does not want to be alone. He loves having someone with him. It's a good thing he is a twin!

Pirate is very aware. He has this sharp little face and these big alert eyes. He does not cry so much as squawk until someone comes over to see him. Now he will ramp up the crying if you don't respond to the squawking but for the most part, he is pretty quiet. He is also very patient. If both are crying, I have to take care of Professor first and then I can take care of Pirate. And he's okay with that. He is so strong and can pick up his head already. He knows the sound of my voice and will turn his head to me when I call to him. He could care less if he's alone or not, but tolerates his brothers head whacking really well. He also tries to suck on his hands when he's hungry. Never mind his own.

My parents left yesterday afternoon and Juice's parents arrived late last night. I was alone with all 3 kids for a few hours. My very first time alone with the twins at all. I survived, but I think it hit me right then than I was the mom of 3 kids. Wow, 3. Weird.

Safire

PS- Who wants to hate me that I am back in my pre-pregnancy clothes? Nursing 2 babies!

Butterfly and the Boys

Everyone,

Butterfly loves her brothers. Every time one of them makes a little noise, she runs over there and says, "Don't worry! Big sister is here!" She loves to get diapers for me, get the boys their pacifiers, and hold them. After a second of holding, she will basically throw him back at you and rush off to play. Of course, she only wants to hold them when they are awake and hungry so she really doesn't care to hold them if they are squirming. Which is the only time she wants to hold them. And around in a circle we go with that.

She asks all the time, "Which baby is this?" I always ask her baby what baby she thinks he is, and she is right about 80% of the time. Of course, she insists that Pirate is Professor or Professor is Pirate to be funny.

One of the boys just sneezed and she piped up and said, "Bless you one of the babies."

Safire

One Week Old

Everyone,

I can't believe how fast these boys are growing and how fast time is moving. They are now a little over 1 week old. They are starting to grow longer. They are heavier. They eat like champs and don't spit up (Pirate maybe once or twice). We are seriously so much in love with these boys. Even Butterfly wants to hold and kiss and cuddle them all the time.

I love that if they are crying, all I have to do is talk to them and they instantly quiet down and turn their heads towards me. I love the intense little looks Pirate gives me while he's nursing. I love the way Professor's hands stroke his ears when he is almost asleep. They both dream quite a bit and it's almost always happy. Pirate gets these cute little half smiles and Professor chuckles. I know, I know, it's probably just gas. But boy is it cute gas and I look for it whenever I can.

My friend Laura came over and took pictures of the boys when they were a week old. They are such cute pictures!! I can't even pick my favorites because the ones she sent me are just so dog gone cute. I'm planning on using them for their birth announcements.

Speaking of announcements, I can't decide what to do. I made 2 of them, just for fun and now I love them both. Since I can't put them up here for a vote (too sleep deprived to try), I will describe them.

#1- This is a 3 picture announcement on a blue polka dotted background. (Juice does not like the back ground and it may change to solid blue.) The boys each have their own picture with their names and stats below them, and the 3rd picture is of Butterfly looking at both the boys.

#2- Only one picture on this announcement on a solid black background. The picture is of both the boys and it is also in black and white. Their names and stats are on the side in white. It's very classy looking.

I love both announcements for different reasons and every time I think I've made a decision about one, I want to get the other. They both cost the same so that's not an issue. I like that the first announcement has Butterfly in it and that their stats are under their respective picture. I love the black one because it's just so clean and simple and classy. (Plus I love the picture the best.) But I'm not sold on the back ground of the first one, and I don't like in the second one that you can't match which baby goes with which name.

Anyway, they are sleeping around 3 hours at a time at night so I'm feeling like I am getting some kind of sleep. It's amazing what having 2 babies in the same sleeping space will do to elongate the sleeping just a little. Juice has gone back to work, and I really miss him during the day. It's been nice to have him around for company and help. My parents are still in town and leave on Thursday. Juice's parents arrive on Thursday as well so I will not be without help at all. And when they leave, our 14 year old niece will be here for a month or so. I think we've got the help thing covered for right now.

I'm sitting next to their bassinet and I keep glancing over to see their cute little heads all snuggled up together and marvel at how 2 totally separate and unique beings came out of me on the same day. It's totally amazing.

Safire

PS- Laura, Jen, Krista, Ida, Lis, Kirsten, and Anie- if you're still up for chocolate, email me for the details! (safirecat [at] gmail [dot] com)

Day 2 At Home

Everyone,

It's been a good day. The boys are eating like champs. Their jaundice is starting to go away. Pirate has at least 8 messy diapers a day, and it leaked all over me, Juice, and my parent's bed today. Fun stuff! Professor is a very laid back baby. My mom calls him our bonus baby. It's nice to have one that I don't worry about too much. He smacks his lips every time he is done nursing. It's so nice to be appreciated just a little.

Juice asked me what the plan was for today and I said, "Feed a baby, change a baby, repeat to a different baby. Or the same baby. Probably both."

Butterfly is having a little more difficult time. She is happy about the brothers, and really enjoys showing them off. But she throws more tantrums when things are about to change and tries to play Juice and I off each other when one of us says no. She has been asking for me to do things more often which I'm sure is a novelty for her. I have not been able to walk around for so long that for her to see me walking around is fun. It's an adjustment and we'll get through it.

I did start working on the delivery story. I don't want to give up any details so it will make a good story but most of you know a few things so I'll put those up. They were both vaginal deliveries, about 6 minutes apart. I did end up with pre-eclampsia for my blood pressure but it came down nicely about 48 hours after delivery. The gestational diabetes is gone (yay horray!) so I'm back to eating regular food.

Speaking of food, I'm ready for my Something Chocolate! (All local gals, want to go out sometime soon and get desert with me?) I haven't had sugar in so long and I feel like it coats my mouth funny and isn't always good. Amazing what not eating something will do.

I'm off to bed since the boys are still asleep. But here's a cute picture to leave you with. Pirate on the left, Professor on the right. They do not look a THING a like. I think Pirate looks more like Juice, and Professor looks more like my family. But they are great boys and we are having so much fun with them.

Safire

We're Home!

Everyone,

Just to let everyone know that we are now home from the hospital. We are all doing very well, although Professor wants to be held all night long or eat all night long. Makes for very long nights.

They don't look a thing alike. Pirate looks more like Juice with a very angular face and pointy chin. Professor reminds me more of Butterfly and my family being rounder and blond. Pirate is very aware of things, and Professor hates being alone. Last night, I put him in the bassinet with Pirate and Professor scooted over, rubbed his forehead on his brother's, and fell right asleep. It was such a cute brother/twin moment. This is going to be so much fun!

We went to the first pediatrician visit for both of them this afternoon. Wow it's hard getting around with 2 babies. And Juice was with me! And we left Butterfly home with the grandparents! Both babies are doing well, and it looks like their weight loss after birth is evening off. I am breastfeeding both so far. They have slight jaundice but nothing to worry about.

Just a picture to leave you off with. Both boys are sleeping right now and I am going to go sleep myself. We love having the boys with us. It's amazing how easily they fit into our family and into our lives.

Safire

36 Weeks,6 Days, Almost There!

Everyone,

I almost made it to 37 weeks. Doctor's appointment this morning. Blood pressure very high and now I am 6, almost 7 cm. Sending me to hospital. Birthday today.

Hugs and kisses,

Safire

P.S.

Stats:

Baby A (on the left) = the Pirate: born 4:03 pm, 5 lb 13 oz, 19.5"

Baby B (on the right) = the Professor: born 4:09 pm, 6 lb 3 oz, 19.5"

36 Weeks, 5 Days, Doctor Visit

Everyone,

Sorry this is a later post today but I just wanted to wait and post something after my doctor's visit. Today was my last Dr. SA visit. I am sad to not go to his office anymore. He is so good. If anyone needs a referral to a really good perinatologist in Maryland, they should email me.

Anyway, as I was checking in, he was going to see another patient and stopped and asked me what I was doing here. I wonder the same thing! He didn't expect to see me again. Neither did I honestly. But we were.

So, on to the babies. Baby A is doing really well. He is very very low still. He has his little heart issue, which will now continue on through birth. Dr. SA said that if they ask us who we want to see him for his cardiologist to be checked out, to go with the cardiologist that we did the fetal echo cardiogram with months ago. Check. But he is doing well otherwise. He is moving and breathing. His fluid looks good and the cord and the placenta are all doing well.

Baby B is fine, except his is just not practicing his breathing. We must have spent half an hour trying to get him to breath, and then towards the end just move. Now, he has no problem moving right before I go to bed, or early in the morning. He just was sleeping and refused to get up. Stubborn boy. Gets that from both parents, I suppose. Dr. SA was able to get him to move and breath, though so he's just fine.

So, now, let's talk delivery. He said that he will call my OB's office and have them schedule me for an induction on Wednesday. He doesn't think that we need to go any longer than that. Things can go wrong at the end of a pregnancy, and we may as well not mess with it. Especially since I am 5 cm. We don't want an accident or an emergency. He also said that if anything changes, the babies don't move as much, I have strange discharge, or anything, to just go. He looked at Juice (who was able to come with me today) and said "Gag her if you have to. Tell the hospital that you need to come in!" Haha...he is so funny.

He is also going on vacation this week so he won't be around. Sad. But they are going biking at slick rock in Utah. So he and my parents are just going to trade places for a week. I will wait and go show them the boys when he is around.

Other things he told me was that I have a bad track record with contractions. I just do not feel them. He said if we hooked me up to a monitor, I would probably be contracting all the time. He said not to expect actually going into labor ever, and once I get to 5 cm I should just be induced. Okay then. Thanks Mom for the good genes I guess. :) He also said that all I need is a prick and we will have Baby A within minutes. Yep. Sounds just like Butterfly's birth. Now I'm interested to see what happens with Baby B.

We have decided not to wait until Wednesday. We will do this on Sunday. My parents will be here by dinner time on Saturday. Sunday morning, we will call, go in, and have these boys hopefully that morning or afternoon.

Unless of course something happens between then and now. Or Juice gags me and throws me over his shoulder, er, carries me...er, escorts me to the car and we go have the babies then. I have another OB appointment tomorrow.

Safire

36 Weeks, 4 Days

Everyone,

I just don't know what to say. Nothing is happening. It's good.

The End.

Safire

36 Weeks, 3 Days

Everyone,

I am back from my doctor's appointment. It would have been earlier but the doctor I was supposed to see got stuck in the OR or something, so I saw another doctor. I have no doctor loyalty when it comes to my appointments. Whoever can see me is fine.

So. An update. I have not gained any weight. Normal for GD. My blood pressure is high, but not as high as it was on Friday. I am also not spilling protein but sugar but again that is normal for GD. I am still 5 cm. Well, at least I haven't dilated more! Both boys are looking good, and Baby A is moving around so much they can't seem to keep track of his heart beat. I am measuring 40 weeks today, which is up from Friday's measurement of 38 weeks. They are still both head down, and things are going just swimmingly.

We talked about delivery. Both Dr. SA and this practice are willing to shoot for a vaginal delivery at this point. He is having the nurse that schedules all the inductions to change my c-section to an induction and go from there. He said that he doesn't think I will make it that far. But, he would like to see me at least get to 37 weeks as most of the lung maturity issues seem to disappear at that point. So only about 5 more days. He said that the longer I go the better. He would like to see me do 38 weeks. I made a face at that one and he laughed and said if I go in next week, they will not stop me and just go for it. So unless I spontaneously go into labor myself, I kind of have my "pick" of days next week, or I can wait until the 29th.

Half of me is interested to see how long I can last at 5 cm, but the other half is screaming to get this done with! I want to do the best thing for the boys. But I don't want to have an emergency on my hands either. I will ask Dr. SA on Thursday and see what he says.

I asked him about my blood pressure, and he says that they would like to monitor it a little more closely. So I have another appointment on Friday just to be checked and see how that is going. He said that taking it easy will help a lot. But of course, if I take it easy, I may be pregnant forever. He reminded me the signs of preeclampsia, and said if anything changes or I have any questions, call.

So, doctor's vote: Keep babies in until 38 weeks.
My vote: 37 weeks/undecided
Your vote??

Safire

36 Weeks, 2 Days

Everyone,

Still here. Still pregnant. Part of me is interested in how long I will sit at 5 cm. Part of me panics every time I think about it. It's about 11am, and no call from my doctors. With Butterfly's birth, I had the induction scheduled by now. Maybe it's because I am only 36 weeks. It's probably because it's a different office. Boy are they going to be surprised when I walk into their office tomorrow!

My new goal to get to is Wednesday. And if I pass that, then Saturday. I had no more contractions yesterday, and none today. So far. I will update if there is anything else happening today. (Although I'm hoping for a very boring day.)

Safire

36 weeks, 1 day

Everyone,

Now that we've decided to kind of wait and see what happens, the day is going by SO SLOWLY. Yesterday was full of contractions ranging between 5-10 minutes apart. But they didn't hurt, I could still talk through them, and if I got up to do something they actually went away. And having the day split up into tiny increments like that makes it very slow.

Last night I had a few very painful contractions. We had our old neighbor sleeping over in case we needed someone but the contractions stopped and I slept really well. This morning, I've had no contractions and the babies are very active. So much for going into labor spontaneously!

I have another doctor's appointment on Tuesday and we will see what they say then. Of course, they may just call me on Monday and get everything set up for Tuesday to be induced. I may just decide I've had enough of this and go in one day. Wednesday might be a good day. Or even next Saturday when my parents are here. I may go into labor and things may move forward.

One good thing about all of this is I finally packed my hospital bag and did almost everything on my to do list. So now we are really just waiting for them. And every day will help them get bigger.

Safire

Still Pregnant, Still Waiting

Everyone,

I called my doctor's office this morning, and we decided to go ahead and wait a few days. Technically at 36 weeks they are still preemies. And we want to give them the best possible start in life. Yes, I know they will be born sometime this week. But we're hoping a few more days will get them a few more ounces.

Although I've been having contractions all day. And some actually hurt. But nothing I can't sleep through or talk through.

We are kind of sad at the loss of the cool birthday, though. More tomorrow!

Safire

Doctor Visits, 35 (Basically 36) Weeks

Everyone,

Thursday was a Dr. SA visit. Both boys are doing well, of course. We did a growth scan on them this time around and Baby A was around 5 lbs, 3 oz. At least he grew. Now, it's probably not very accurate because we could not see the top of his head. He is SO FAR DOWN I can't even cross my legs any more. He is seriously going to just fall out. He is doing well on his breathing, and seems to be squirming around a lot. How he can move is beyond me because I feel just enormously huge. He gets the hiccoughs at least 4 times a day (like right now) and doesn't really kick. Although we saw him kick really big but I didn't feel it since apparently my placenta is up where his feet are. No wonder I don't feel him as much as I do B.

Baby B is doing very well, weighing in around 6lbs, 3 oz. So there is a pound difference in their weight. And he is crowding in on Baby A's space the whole time. He is doing his breathing thing all the time now and looks great.

When Dr. SA came in, he said that he had just talked to Dr. Big Hands about my hospital stint the day before. He said that it really does look like they are in a great position for delivery. He said that he is also on call this weekend so he wants to see me and the boys this weekend at the hospital again. Like for delivery. Sure, like I can pick the day! He said you never know, and sometimes you CAN pick the day. He thinks this will be an easy delivery, and the boys are ready. He says my body is ready. In his words, "Let's do this thing."

Boy did I leave his office feeling pretty good. And ready. Although I still want to get to my goal of 36 weeks, things seem to be headed in the right direction.

This morning, I saw the midwife at our practice. My blood pressure is still up there, but no protein in my urine. I have gained one pound again. She looked at the babies on the ultrasound really quick and kept saying that these were big twins! I am only measuring 38 weeks, probably because Baby A is half way out already. So I got tested for Group B strep as everyone does, and she checked my cervix.

I love the looks on these doctor's faces when they check me. It's like I break all rules or something. She asked me how dilated I was on Wednesday...I was a 3. Now, I am a 5. This is strangely like the end of Butterfly's gestation. I went into the doctor on Friday and was 5 cm dilated too. I lasted the weekend with her, but I really don't think I'm going to last the weekend with these guys.

In fact, I am picking not to. Both Dr. SA and Dr. Big Hands will be around. Both expect to see me this weekend. The midwife today said not to wait if anything feels off, just call and go in. So tomorrow morning, I am going to call and go in. And get things going. My blood pressure is high, I'm 5 cm with twins...they will probably keep me. At least, I hope. We decided that tomorrow is a good day because Juice is off and we've arranged all of our child care for tomorrow. (if they don't keep me, she will have a great time playing at a friend's house all day. A win/win situation for her.) Tomorrow I am 36 weeks exactly. Everything is in the cards.

Another fun fact about tomorrow. Butterfly's birthday is 05-10-05 and if you add the month and the year together, you get the date. It's how Juice remembers it. Tomorrow, 04-12-08, is the same thing. Add the month and the year together and you get the date. Talk about making it easy for him! :)

I go from being elated and excited to terrified and nervous. Not at all good for my blood pressure I'm sure. Things I am excited to get over with: the huge belly, the need to pee all the time, the gestational diabetes, no chocolate ban, bed rest. I am super excited to see the twins and start to get to know them. Things I am terrified about: pushing out 2 babies and not just one, breastfeeding both, having them be old enough to come out and thrive and come home with me, having them be able to suck and swallow well enough to try and breastfeed, going through the post partum jag that everyone goes through, having 3 kids instead of 1.

Things I will miss: the big belly and feeling them move. The looks on people's faces when I tell them I am having twins. The need to gain weight. But having them out will be so much better than having them in. I'm ready.

I hope to have these guys in the morning/afternoon and hopefully will feel good enough to have some pictures up tomorrow (via Juice probably). If not, he will at least post stats of them this weekend and when I get home, I will try and get pictures up.

Wish me luck!!!

Safire

Why I Have A Bandaid On My Wrist

Everyone,

I had this really sweet post almost all typed up about Juice and was going to post it this morning but I thought maybe you'd like to hear about why I have a bandaid on my wrist first.

You see, yesterday, I was feeling pretty miserable. The cold was kicking my butt. Since Butterfly seems to be on the mend, she was also feeling a little more feisty. I think she is tired of me sitting around all day long telling her I can't do things because my tummy hurts. Poor thing. I was trying to keep her entertained (thank you Mom for the pony movie!!!) and I just could not get comfortable. My back hurt. My belly hurt. My head hurt. Why is this couch so hard and why does it sag so much when I sit in it?! Oh, right, I've got about 30 lbs on me that I normally don't have.

Butterfly finally got sick of me bouncing around and got down on the floor to watch her show. I stretched out, I curled up, I tried propping pillows around me, and I failed. Finally I got up and walked around the house for a little bit, doing tiny chores like cleaning the kitchen table and switching out some laundry. I could not get comfortable. Walking around made it feel like someone had put a vice on my lower back and was now making it magically grow across my lower belly.

Wait. Did I not have these conversations with my nurse every week about preterm labor and the signs? Did I not pay attention to all those books I read, and all those articles that come into my inbox weekly? Apparently not.

I put Butterfly down for a nap (but I don't want to NAP! I want to stay with yoooouuu!!) and I took a shower. Most of the time that kills whatever aches and pains I have. This time, just made it worse. I couldn't seem to get away from the pain.

Then I got out and heard Butterfly crying that her diaper was poopy so I changed her (with lots of screaming on her part, poor tired diaper rashed girl) and I put in Dumbo for her to watch. I took some tylenol and tried to lay down on my bed and get comfortable. No such luck. Finally, after much tears and re-reading the little booklet my OB gave me, I called them.

"I can't get comfortable and I have a horrible back ache and cramps and nothing I do seems to help. You want me to come to the hospital? Now? Uh, I think I can be there within the hour. Who is the doctor on call today? Not Dr. Useless. Oh good."

So yep, I ended up in labor and delivery again yesterday. I walked in, got all situated in bed #3 (last time it was bed #2...bed #3 is better with an actual wall and a picture to look at) and they hook me up to all the belly monitors. Well, they try anyway. Baby A was not being very cooperative and the nurse couldn't find his heartbeat. Kind of freaked me out. I think this is my biggest fear right now, that one of them has died and I don't know about it. So she found Baby B right off and got him on the monitor. And then she put the contraction monitor on me. And then she looked and looked for Baby A. She called in another nurse, who found him right away. Whew.

She then put the blood pressure cuff on me. Alarms started to go off. She looks at me and says, "Is your blood pressure normally very high?" Uh, no. She takes it again, and more alarms go off. I see her frown, and she turns and leaves. About a minute later, she comes back with the news that I have protein in my urine. And high blood pressure. Oh. I have no swelling, no headaches, no reflex problems, nothing else but those two things. She said that she though I was going to be in and out, but now she's thinking I may have the babies today. WHAT? Talk about high blood pressure!

Dr. Big Hands comes in and talks to me for a second. He orders blood work to check my liver function and 3 other viles of the stuff, some food and an IV for me. He says I look pretty good, but I am having contractions. Oh. News to me. So he also decides to check me and see how dilated I am. Most uncomfortable. (There is a reason his name is Dr. Big Hands!) I am 3 cm dilated, about 80% effaced and Baby A is head down at -2 station. So there is a reason I'm having monster back aches!

The nurse puts in my IV (which hurt a lot worse than the back ache at that point) and she gets me some food. I listen to the other couple in the room with me bicker (semi good natured) and enjoy my dry bbq chicken and wilted salad. The other couple is sent home, another lady comes in. I pull out my phone card and call my mom. We talk to pass the time. I call Juice and talk to Butterfly for a few minutes about the color of her pajamas and how they are so comfortable and how she built a house out of blocks with Daddy. I read my book. I stare at the chart of dilation and effacement on the wall. I get my blood pressure checked every 15 minutes and the nurse teaches me how to turn off the alarm because it goes off every single time. I start to get really uncomfortable in the little triage bed again.

I decide it's time to take a bathroom break, and they unhook me and hand me my IV bag and I shuffle off. Back in bed, I try to untangle myself from my mess of cords, and just make it worse. I decide to wait for the nurse to hook me back up. She does after a minute, and we have to find the babies again. Baby B is fairly easy to find and feel. Baby A is just not cooperating. I had to have another nurse come in and hold the monitors on my belly to catch him. She sat there for a good half hour with me. We chatted about middle school (she has a daughter there) and how they had 31 week twins that morning that were doing well. They take my blood pressure again and it has gone way down. No more protein in my urine. Huh.

Dr. Big Hands comes back in, sits down on the chair and chats with me for about 20 minutes. He says I look good and since my contractions have gone from every 2-7 minutes (I was not feeling them) to every 10-15 minutes, he's going to send me home. Yay! I was so done with the hospital by then. I'm supposed to stay hydrated this time. And if I come back in, they will not stop me. He even mentioned in passing that he would start me in labor if I wanted, but I really do feel like these guys need at least another week. If this had been Wednesday of next week, I would have said yes! But it's not, and the babies can cook as long as possible.

So I am home with only a bandaid on my wrist where the IV went. I have a Dr. SA visit this afternoon, and a regular check at the OB on Friday. I am feeling very very ready to get these boys out of my body. I will have made my last goal of 36 weeks on Saturday. Dr. Big Hands is on call all weekend (he was so enthusiastic about having a vaginal birth I kind of want him to be the delivery doctor) so maybe there will be more news later! I will write more tomorrow after my doctor visits.

Safire

PS- Juice was telling Butterfly that the 'brudders' might be coming out of me and she got so excited! He was also telling her that someone would come and stay with her if that happened and her bright face kind of dimmed and she said, "But Nana and Grandpa were supposed to stay with me." So see, the boys can't come until next Saturday at least. :)

Not Again

Everyone,

We are sick again. I am not pleased. Butterfly came down with a runny nose a few days ago. She is cranky, not sleeping well, and not her pleasant happy self. I don't mind working with her when she is sick. It's just part of being the mom.

What makes me annoyed is that now I am sick as well. And with the pending birth of the "brudders", I am feeling cranky myself. I don't sleep well anyway because I'm up several times for bathroom trips or just to roll over. But now, I can't even go to sleep because I am so congested. Juice has slipped through so far. That is a big blessing for us because I can't imagine all of us being sick and me being on bed rest and having him be ill as well.

I can pinpoint when we got the cold, and who from. And I'm slightly annoyed at the mom who brought her kid over with an obvious cold (and fever!) and gave us this crud. I'm hoping it's quick and runs through in about 7 days. I just can't imagine feeling like this and having to push 2 babies out.

I am feeling all fuzzy and I better stop now. Let's hope this gets better fast.

Safire

Bedtime Bargaining

Everyone,

This is what I heard over the baby monitor on Thursday night.

J: You can have 2 toys.

B: I have 2 toys! This bear and this bear! This bear has blue eyes and this one has brown eyes.

J: Okay, you are set then. Good night.

B: No wait! I want a drink!

J: No, you had a drink before we got into bed. Good night.

B: No! You said I could have 2 toys OR a drink. I don't want this bear! Take him away! Take him away!

J: (now faced with a sobbing 2 year old and a bear thrust into his hands) Uh...are you sure?

B: (sobbing) Yes please I want a drink!

J: Okay. (He walks out while she is still sobbing and gets her a drink. He silently gives her a drink, she slurps nosily and then lays down.)

B: Good night Daddy. I love you. Have a good sleep.

J: (A little dumb founded) Good night. Have a good sleep.

She did not make one more peep the rest of the night. Talk about knowing what she wants!

Safire

Thursday Doctor Visit, 34 weeks

Everyone,

This week was a 2 doctor visit week, as will every week after this be. I went to my OB on Wednesday, and the Dr. SA on Thursday. Let's see, OB stats. I only gained one pound, which is good. And my blood pressure is still the same as last week, 130/80. This doctor didn't measure my belly. We did have a small peek at the babies. Both are still head down (imagine that) and moving very well.

The nurses scheduled me for a c-section on the 29th which annoyed me at the time. So I brought it up with this doctor and he said to look at it more as an end date rather than a c-section date. I asked if we could change the c-section to an induction and he said that was fine if they are still head down and doing well. I asked him to write it in my chart so the other doctors would know. I also asked about the on call doctor, Dr. Useless, because every time I call her, she does NOTHING. I was having a lot of contractions a few days ago and she said that she was not going to stop labor. Um, I thought we wanted to get to 36 weeks! And she said at 32, she wouldn't stop it. Useless. Luckily the contractions went away but I was told to call if I have these contractions, and so I did. Arg, it's so annoying to deal with lots of doctors and their different methods. This doctor said that it's the practice's policy to not stop labor after 35 weeks with twins so if anything happens after Saturday, the boys will come! I'm hoping to make it at least until the 19th when my parents will get here.

At Dr. SA's we just glanced at the babies and made sure they were still doing well. And they are. The tech didn't read my chart and didn't know about Baby A's PACs so she kept scanning his heart over and over. Then she started asking me if I'd had any coffee or caffeine and I had to tell her that he has this all the time. She was a new tech I hadn't seen before and was not that talkative. Both babies are doing well, and Baby B is actually doing a lot of breathing and moving around this time. Dr. SA came in, glanced at it all, said I was doing well and nothing has changed. Well, one little thing has changed. He said my placenta is looking a little old because it has these little wispy things starting to hang down off of it. But at 34 weeks, that's to be expected. They didn't even look at my cervix because they don't really care what it does right now. If everything is still doing well at next week's visit, he is going to take me off bed rest. Yay horray! I will still probably take it a little easy to make it to 36 weeks, and to wait until my parents get here. Then it will be walk walk walk. Dr. SA says I will probably go into labor before the 29th because my cervix is so short and I have fairly big babies. (Growth scan next week.)

My biggest fear is that my water will break at home and Baby A is so low that I won't make it to the hospital. Butterfly was born in 5 contractions after my water broke so it's a legitimate concern. But we shall see.

Safire

Good Things About Bed Rest...Maybe?

Everyone,

I am not one to wallow in self pity for very long. It could also be because I was able to get out today to go to my doctor's appointment and the sun was shinning, the breeze was cool and all the flowers have suddenly appeared. Butterfly and I soaked up the sun a little in the doctor's court yard area after a really good and easy appointment. More on that tomorrow.

So, feeling better. As I was sitting on the benches watching Butterfly chase the squirrels, I started making a list of good things about being on bed rest. So here you go.

• The boys will get the best possible start in the world, even if it is horribly boring.
• I don't have to make dinner every night (although I still do all the planning).
• I never have to pick up a toy.
  
• I can take as many naps as I want.
  
• I never have to wash a dish.
• I never have to clean a bathroom. (Although this one is bothering me just a little...)
• I can spend all day online and not feel guilty.
• I've done a lot of coloring with Butterfly.
• Butterfly has turned into more of a snuggler than she was before.
• I am learning to trust my husband that much more.
• It's kind of nice to have a built in excuse to not go or do anything.
• It's nice to have a built in excuse for Juice not to go or do anything.
• I have learned the house will not explode if things are not clean/picked up. Imagine that.
• I see Juice a lot more.
  
• I never have to change sheets on the bed.
  
• Two words: internet shopping.

It is nice to just have a chance to sit. Although I am missing out on a lot of fun things, it's nice to just sit and enjoy our house. I wish I had more patience for reading. I wish I could watch all kinds of movies but I am limited to what Butterfly is watching (mostly). I wish I could help Juice out more but he is doing pretty good on his own. (He is looking forward to the day when I can do things like laundry and cleaning again. I think he is realizing how much work I put in during the day with all the house stuff. I am too actually.)

I think I will really appreciate doing things once the boys are here.

Safire

Feeling Useless

Everyone,

When I was 8 or 9 years old, I remember helping my parents pack the car for a vacation. I think we were going to Mt. Rushmore. I had finished putting all of my stuff in the big silver van we called Flipper, and I was just kind of hanging around. My Dad asked me to take the video camera out to the car in it's case. It was heavy! But I was determined to be useful so I lugged it out there. As I was hauling it out, I heard my Dad say, "I don't know what we'd do without her. She's so capable."

Boy that gave me a warm fuzzy! And I was determined to be capable from that day on. And for some odd reason in my mind, capable also meant being strong. Later, I added healthy to that definition. I always wanted to pull my own weight, so to speak.

When I was at college in Idaho, I took a class about horse training and we each had our own colt to take care of and train. We were in charge of everything about the horse...the feed, water, care, etc. I used to get up at 5am (or earlier) just to go to the barn in the mornings and clean my horse's stall before I had to go to class. Since I was almost always the first one there in the mornings, I not only fed and watered my own horse, I cleaned her stall and then chipped the ice off the other horse's water buckets and watered them too. All 15 of them or so. I just hated seeing all those horses banging on their stalls wanting to be fed. My teachers called me the most capable out of the bunch.

I've been on bed rest for a few days now, and it's driving me a little crazy. I no longer feel capable. I can't pull my own weight and I just have to depend on others to do everything. Okay, mostly I depend on Juice to do things and he's doing an awesome job. I just wish I could help out with things like the laundry. Or the bathroom cleaning. Or really anything. Anything besides sitting here on the couch or in my bed just sitting. Juice keeps telling me I am not doing nothing, I am growing people and that's hard work. But I guess it's just that I can't actively do anything that is driving me a little batty. I'm so used to be able to lift things, run around, do my own thing, and see results that this is frustrating to me. I mean, I don't see 15 full buckets of water or a house full of clean and folded laundry. All I see is me sitting around getting huge.

Only a few more weeks. This morning my little ticker said I had 39 days left till my due date. My doctor has scheduled me for my c-section on April 29th, which is 28 days away. Welcome to April, the month these boys are going to be born!

And then I can go back to being capable. Hopefully.

Safire

Happy 29th!

Everyone,

Today is Juice's 29th birthday. Butterfly and I got him a tool box, his very first. He got it a few weeks ago when I was still able to go to the store and I drug him there to pick it out. Poor guy didn't get to open any presents today, but got a card from my parents with a download for his favorite game. Still, I think he had a good day.

This morning, Juice was working from home for a bit and Butterfly woke up. I went in and quietly reminded her it was Daddy's birthday, and she went staggering out of her room. When she saw him on the computer, she grabbed his hand and said, "Come!" She lead him downstairs, into the kitchen and reached up to the freezer door. (Yes, she can reach the handle!) Juice opened the freezer, and she pointed at the ice cream cake we have in there for him and she said, "Daddy, it's your birthday!" And in a 2 year old's mind, birthday = cake.

They had cake after dinner. I watched. And took pictures. And drank water. I did have one tiny little bite and boy did it taste good! Juice told me after his big piece that it was good and I should have some when I can. Sigh...I miss ice cream.

Happy Birthday Darling! We love you!

Safire

Professor's Whole Wheat Waffles

Everyone,

I know I promised this a long time ago. But now, here it is! I just made another big batch this morning (okay, Juice made them while I lounged on the couch and entertained Butterfly) and they make the house smell so good. Yum! I love these things. I think I am going to continue to make them for breakfasts after I have the twins. It's cheaper than cereal and probably better for us.

Professor's Whole Wheat Waffles

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup cooking oil

Mix together until batter is slightly runny (adding water or more buttermilk as necessary). Make with a waffle iron and enjoy!

Like I said before, these freeze excellently, double beautifully, and are tasty with syrup or jam or even peanut butter. I think one batch makes about 10-12 waffles on my small waffle iron. That is, if you don't spill a bunch out of the sides like I always seem to do. The batter will separate if you leave it in the fridge overnight but it's an easy fix with a fork or a whisk for a few minutes.

Oh, and please note that it uses BOTH baking soda and baking powder. And don't get them mixed up either...yucky. Also, if you find you don't have buttermilk, you can add one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of regular milk and let it sit for 10 minutes. If you don't have vinegar or lemon juice, a tablespoon of cream of tarter and a cup of milk will make it as well, although it won't be as tart. Regular milk does not do this recipe justice. It needs that buttermilk!

Enjoy!

Safire

Doctor Visit, 33 weeks

Everyone,

Yesterday was my weekly doctor visit with Dr. SA. Again, there is good news and bad news. And it mostly revolves around my cervix. It has decided to cop out and is now at a 0.4. Which landed me in full time bed rest. At least for the next 2 and a half weeks. I'm allowed to get up for the following: bathroom trips, a 20 minute shower, breakfast and lunch for me and Butterfly and that's pretty much it. I suppose it's good that I'm at least allowed to get up for these things and I'm not totally restricted or in the hospital. I'm also not on any medication which is good. I haven't been having a ton of contractions (not that I noticed contractions with Butterfly either) but my back is very achy in the evening. Dr. SA said that is probably where the dilation of my cervix is coming from. We talked a little about the boys going to the NICU if they were born before 37 weeks, and he said, "if you want these guys to come home from the hospital with you, you better stay down." Okay then. Down I am. So...any ideas to keep myself busy from the couch?

Now onto the babies! Baby A: he is so head down. They could barely measure his head he is so far down in my pelvis. He is measuring about 4 lbs, 5 oz. He needs to grow a little more before he's born. He needs to get bigger, hopefully around 2 more pounds. He still has his heart issues of PAC but not as many as before. Maybe every 10th beat or so, instead of every 8th beat. He keeps getting the hiccoughs and practicing his breathing a lot so that is really good.

Baby B: Sometimes in twins, one gets more of the nutrients. In our case, Baby B is the winner. He is almost a pound heavier at about 5 lbs, 3 oz. Which immediately throws me back into the c-section party. They won't do a vaginal birth if the smaller one is first. Only because if Baby B decides to flip around, they won't be able to deliver him breech because Baby A wouldn't have stretched the area big enough for Baby B to pass through. Now, I suppose if he stays head down, things might be different. He is one active baby, but is just not practicing his breathing like he should be. So he needs to stay inside until he finishes developing.

All good reasons to stay parked here on the couch, or in my bed. One baby to grow bigger, and one baby to develop more.

Of course, I was reminded of the preterm labor signs. Dr. SA said if my back ache gets worse and I can't sleep or get away from it, to call. And I'm suppose to say, "I'm coming in." not "Should I come in or not?" Also, this delivery could happen any day. I need to pack my bag and get all set because we are officially on baby watch. Anything that you guys took to have your babies that you found you couldn't do without?

Safire

Happy 80th Birthday Grandpa!

Everyone,

On Easter, my grandpa turned 8o years old. The Monday after, they had a huge party for him at a restaurant and everyone got to go. Everyone except me and Juice and Butterfly. And my cousin who is on a mission. All of my aunts and uncles and cousins got to go, along with some of my grandpa's siblings and cousin. Monday night I was thinking of them all night long and wishing I could be there. Granted, growing twins is a big job and since I'm about 30 days away (eek!), there's no way I could get on a plane. There's no way they would let me on a plane. Okay, I have to say that there is no way I would want to get on a plane. But I would have loved to have been there. My mom has sent me a few pictures but it's still not the same as enjoying it in person, you know?

However, my Nana is so thoughtful and sent us some money to go out to dinner that night so that we can celebrate the same night as everyone else. (She also sent money to my cousin on a mission so I hope he and his companion had a good dinner out too!) Since I'm no longer allowed out, we called take out at our favorite restaurant. Juice and Butterfly went to pick it up, and we enjoyed it. Juice got a pot pie, Butterfly shared his potato soup and my crispy strips, I got a salad and some kind of southwest egg roll thing that was very good. We sang happy birthday to Grandpa before we ate and chowed down. Yum!

The next day, the phone rang while Butterfly was taking her nap. She was still awake and I hear her pipe up "Hello Grandpa-Great! Happy Birthday! It's your birthday and we had soup!" So Grandpa-Great, you were thought of all the way out here. We hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Safire (and crew)

Easter Weekend

Everyone,

On Easter Eve, we decided we better use the egg dying kit we got last Easter at the White House Easter Egg Roll. But we started late (I am just so tired lately) and so we decided only to use one tablet. And then we had to cook 2 batches of eggs because the first batch we cooked in our awesome toaster and you have to poke holes in them in order to cook them. And once I did that, I didn't want to dye them. So we had to cook them the 'old fashioned' way of boiling water. Imagine that. Still, we had a great time and each dyed our own egg and ate them the next morning. This is a picture of Butterfly's egg.

Easter morning she was able to go through her easter basket. She had no idea she was getting one and was SO EXCITED to go through it. I got her some little people in plastic eggs, and gave her about 4 small eggs with 4 jelly beans in them each. The pictures are so funny because her mouth is so full of jelly beans that she can't even smile. But she enjoyed them and I got a little sad I can't eat them with her!

Her Easter dress I bought on ebay about 2 years ago with another thing the seller was selling. it's very cute, although really wrinkly. It fits her perfectly (lucky me!) and she loved prancing around with it on. She even got Juice to dance with her in our room so she could twirl and watch the skirt flare out. She looks so sweet in it, and not to mention grown up!

I pulled out my summer maternity dress too and remembered the last time I wore it. It was the Sunday before Butterfly was born. She was 2 days away from making her apperance. My cousin and his wife had come over to visit and we had dinner with them. I remember after they left, I had Juice take a picture of me in my dress to show my mom how much room I had left in it. Well, I put it on this time and wondered where all that extra room went! Here is me with my big belly. And also crazy long hair. I don't know what it is about my hair and pregnancy but it grows so fast and to great lengths. I am planning on getting it cut sometime soon. Hopefully I will be brave enough to cut of 10 inches for Locks of Love. I did that with Butterfly's pregnancy and I think it would be kind of a fun thing to do with every pregnancy. But right now, it's so long it's annoying. Hopefully I can get myself over to a good hair cutting place and have them chop it off this week. That way I won't have to deal with it long when the twins are born.

Our Easter was very low key this year. Notice big belly in the picture and figure out why. :) My mom sent us a bunch of new movies to watch and we were able to talk to my brother and sil and see their new baby Cappy on the web cam. (And bro, if you don't like the name, come up with one yourself on your own blog and update it!!)

Safire

OB Visit, 32 Weeks

Everyone,

There are weeks I feel like I am at the doctor's every single day. I have some really cute posts about Butterfly coming up, but for now, this week is devoted to her brothers. (Currently she is under our computer desk in her 'cave' eating an apple and talking to a stuffed cow. 2 years old is fun!)

So, both babies are still head down. No change from yesterday. Both heartbeats are doing well, although the OB could see the PAC's in Baby A's heart. He said that it's something he'll note in the chart to watch when we go into labor.

My blood pressure is good, although creeping up at 130/80. He said he'd be a little more worried if I wasn't at this pressure or around it because of all the fluid I have in my body now. I have not gained any weight in 2 weeks (gotta love the GD). My belly is measuring 37 weeks at 32, almost 33 weeks. So I am growing. He said he's not worried about the weight as long as the babies are still growing well. But if they are not growing well or have significantly dropped off, then we will look at my diet again and possibly put me on some medication that will allow me to eat a little more. But he did say my diet looks very healthy and he's not worried. The babies will take what they need. Dr. SA said at my last appointment "These babies will grow and grow and when they are born, you will be so skinny!" Haha...yeah right guys. Because chocolate and ice cream here I come once they come out! :)

Let's see. Next up was the birth talk. I had a bunch of questions about how this is going to go, since it's going to be so different than Butterfly's birth. I suppose each one is, but this is really different. He said because they are both head down and have stayed there for awhile, coupled with the fact that I've had one vaginal birth before, he'd strongly suggest a vaginal birth. This was before I brought up a c-section. He said there are a lot of doctors that just automatically opt for a c-section with twins but since I have 2 sacs and 2 placentas and previous stretching of Butterfly's birth, I am a good candidate for these guys coming vaginally. I asked him where I would be having these babies, OR or in the birthing rooms? He said that he'd rather do it in the birthing room as there is a little more room in there for everyone that is going to be present. (Him or associated doctor, 2 nurses, a pediatrician for each baby, and 2 nurses for each baby) He did say it's more of a doctor to doctor feeling, though and not every doctor in the practice likes to do that. So I still may end up in the OR, which is fine. I honestly don't care. I'm just trying to get a little picture of what's going to happen.

Then the big question...when?! He talked a lot about the fact that even though full term for twins is 36 weeks, the babies are often still premature. If I can, he would prefer me to go to late 37 or early 38 weeks. Even a week in the NICU can be hard on the babies. I told him I would rather have the babies in 37 weeks, just because I have help that week! Besides, I think I might cry if I have to have these babies in May. Butterfly was 10 days early. I would hate to think that these guys could go and be only 4 or 5 days early. I understand wanting to keep them in as long as possible for their health, etc. He did say we will weigh the risks of the babies against my risks, because as I go farther, my risks for high blood pressure and other problems go up.

I asked him when he would stop stopping labor should I go into it. He said that right now, he would try very hard to stop labor. At 35 weeks, he wouldn't try AS hard but he would still try. At 36 weeks, he would watch me and hydrate me and if things progressed, they would go forward. 37 weeks they would probably not stop me if I came in in labor. 38 weeks they will induce me before I get to 39 weeks. So he said I was free to start walking and going grocery shopping again in the 37th week. If I can.

He did request that I have an epidural. That way, if there is a problem with Baby B, things would be all in place to get the baby out as fast as possible. He also said it's very painful if he has to turn the baby around and I won't tense up if I have an epidural. Fine. All really solid reasons to get one. I didn't have one with Butterfly because she came SO fast, but I'm willing to do this when I get in. I'm hoping to go in dilated and just get the epidural right off before it gets too painful or they break my water.

Okay, so the birth of Baby A is pretty straight forward. Baby B's birth will be a little more complicated. He said that they will probably do an ultrasound after Baby A is born just to check and make sure that B is still head down. They will then guide his head down and either deliver him still in his sack (to prevent any cord problems) or will break his water if we are sure the cord is out of the way. He said it can take up to 20 minutes between babies, but they don't typically like to see that. If B flips over, they will try to turn him. If he resists or there are complications with his heart rate, they will just pull him out feet first. But only if they continue to stay close in weight. If Baby A drops off weight and Baby B is quite a bit bigger, they will do a c-section.

Whew, did you get all that? It's a lot of information, but I always like to have more information than not. Now, most of what we are talking about is best case scenarios and I'm well aware that things will go not as according to any sort of plan because that's just how birth goes sometimes. At least my doctor and I have some kind of plan, and I can go into this knowing a few options for me.

And because I am doing so well, I have a visit in 2 weeks instead of next week. But I still see Dr. SA next week, and after my 2 week OB visit, I go to every week. I'm still shocked that it is getting so close!

I am ready for it to be done. I am SO TIRED. I fell asleep the other afternoon and didn't wake up until 9:30pm, missing my book club! Sob! I am also starting to feel a little queasy in the mornings again which is not pleasant. I am starting to fantasize about rolling over without feeling like a crane has to hoist me over. And of course, I can't wait to eat whatever!

Safire

Thursday Visit, 32 weeks

Everyone,

This morning was my weekly visit with Dr. SA. First off is always my fetal fibronectin test and cervix check. If you remember from last week, my cervix was very very short and they put me on 'restricted activity' to help keep these guys in at least a few more weeks. This week, my cervix is long again (typically doesn't happen but it did this time...lots of prayers, thanks everyone!) at 2.9 or so. I am still on 'restricted activity' though so that this blessing will continue.

Once we are done with that, on to the fun part...the babies! Baby A: he is still head down and totally engaged in my pelvis. The tech said that he is not going anywhere now unless it's out! He still has his heart PACs every 8th beat or so. He is now facing my back and is in the right position for delivery (although he can still turn around and we still have a few more weeks). He is practicing his breathing a lot, and moving great.

Baby B: He is one active baby. He is just fine, looking great. No issues with him. We were able to get a few shots of his face, mostly just him laying on his side with his arm up around his head. So cute! I don't know what it is about my kids and having their hands up near their faces but Butterfly did and so does he. He is also practicing his breathing. Every time the tech would get the wand near his head, he would push back out. Boy is that uncomfortable! She said she can feel him push back and then my stomach contract a little. So not fun for me. But he is very aware of the wand and spends most of the time punching/pushing at it and trying to get at it when we are on his brother. Busy guy!

All in all, a really good report. Nothing terribly new from last time. They will scan for growth next week, and it will be my last fFN test. Apparently after 34 weeks, they don't really care if you are going to go into preterm labor or not. Huh, guess at that point it's not really preterm labor is it? Wow, crazy.

My parents are due to come stay with us in less than a month. Which (I hope) means I'm going to have these guys in about a month. Tomorrow I have my regular OB appointment and we'll talk more about birth at that time. I just can't believe it's getting this close and I've made it this far!

Safire

Managing Gestational Diabetes (for me)

Everyone,

I guess I'm about 3 weeks into my gestational diabetes diet and things are going well. I seriously don't know how I failed the 3 hour test twice (neither does Dr. SA) but I did and I am being a very good girl. Even with all the Easter candy around. It is my favorite candy, with those peanut butter eggs, starburst jelly beans, and cadbury cream eggs. I have had a few searches and hits on my blog about GD so I thought I'd lay out what I eat in a regular day. Everyone is different, and I think just testing your blood often and accurately will let you know what you can and can't do.

In college, my favorite professor used to make us waffles on the last Friday of the month. They were whole wheat buttermilk waffles and I used to love them. He gave us all the recipe and I used to only make them when I had time. Now, I make the time to make them and I freeze them. They have no sugar added and are so filling and tasty. I have one for breakfast (yes with butter AND syrup since my sugar levels are around 70 in the morning or below normal) and a big glass of milk. Butterfly can down two of these at a time, and prefers hers with jam or just straight up butter.

I test my blood again 2 hours later. If they are good (below 100), I will have a small snack. Mostly yogurt made with splenda and peanut granola. Or an apple with peanut butter. Or a cold hard boiled egg. Sometimes it's just too close to lunch and I won't have anything so I can have a nice big lunch.

For lunch, I have a variety of things. Frozen personal pan pizzas, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (sugar free pb and j, of course), egg salad sandwiches, leftovers from the night before, egg and sausage burritos, or low sugar oatmeal. I do feel like I'm eating breakfast all the time because it's the one thing that's tasty and easy to make.

Again, 2 hours later I test my blood (if I am awake). Most of the time it's around the 105-115 range so I don't have anything to eat then. If I'm starving, I make sure I have just straight protein like another egg or some leftover meat from the night before.

Dinner has been a little bit of a hassle just because Butterfly doesn't always like what we are eating. So I haven't really changed our diet for this meal at all. I just eat a smaller portion of it than I normally would. Like last night, we had pork roast, parsley potatoes, and veggies. I loaded up my plate with veggies and pork roast, and had only a very small portion of potatoes. (It was sad because that is probably my favorite part of the meal but I want the boys to be healthy too...) The night before, we had bean and cheese burritos from a recipe I got off of a diabetic website. They were so tasty and filling!

Again, another 2 hours later and my blood gets tested again. If I'm below 100 again (last night I was at 81! Super low!) I have something to eat. Either popcorn or a whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter on one side and butter and jam on the other. And another glass of milk. Or sometimes I'll have string cheese and some dried fruit. Or apples and peanut butter. Or an egg.

I have no idea if I'm getting everything I need out of this diet, but so far it's working for me and I feel like I'm actually eating good things. I have loved the menu planner at onetouchgold.com which has given me an idea of things I can and can't eat, and portion sizes for 2100 calories. They have a few really good recipes too which I've enjoyed reading through. If you search 'diabetic recipes' you get a ton of things to make and most of them are very good.

Things I stay away from because they seem to kill my numbers: cereal, pasta, crackers and white bread. Things I eat because they do nothing to my numbers: eggs, cheese, fruit, and meat.

Really, I just try to keep portion size in mind and eat smaller amounts more times a day. If I find I want, say a muffin, and my blood sugar levels are too high for me to eat it, I just wait two hours and have it then. I refuse to eat any kind of sugary stuff (candy, tarts, pies, ice cream, cereal, chocolate, etc.) and try to eat more protein and have only healthy snacks in the house.

It's been working out good for us, but I really can't wait till it's over. Still dreaming of that Something Chocolate!

Safire

I am an AUNT!

Everyone,

My brother's very first baby, Cap (not his real name), was born last night at around 10:30pm MST. He was unknown breech so they did a c-section after about 8 hours of labor. He is 8lbs even and 21 inches long with long fingers and big blue eyes.

Check out my brother's blog for more information, or I think my Dad is going to post some information too.

Congrats to the new little family!

Safire