Ballet Babies

I'm on a mission to find things that make Marek happy. The boy is having a hard time with his BIG emotions... Unfortunately these big emotions tend to be angry ones. So when my friend mentioned that she was trying out a new ballet class for her little girl, I figured I would tag along with my crew. The night before I packed enough pb&j sandwiches to feed an army, a half dozen of their favorite sweet potato muffins and a few sippy cups of water. I knew it wouldn't go well if any of the boys were hangry, so best to just nip that problem in the bud. We walked sans stroller to the subway, all four of us (Me, Marek, Charlie and LoLo) and met our friends at the United Palace Theater for class. The boys enjoyed running around on the floor while we waited for the teacher to arrive. I had low expectations. In all honesty, I have failed the boys on the "structured play" front, they are not accustomed to it at all. Other than story-time at the library, the boys "free play" as I'm too unorganized to actually do anything remotely planned. Apparently SOME studies say this is okay... helps with creativity (all disorganized and uncrafty moms rejoice!). However, the boys really surprised me with how willing they were to follow directions  (as well as any wild three year old can anyway). Marek kept leaping up to do moves before it was his turn and Charlie kept leaping up to do moves when it was Marek's turn.. .but overall it went SO well. At one point Marek turned around and whispered to me "This is so much fun Mommy!" and that sealed the ever lovin deal. While I'm not a quest to give my kids everything they want, I DO want to see them be happy people. And it has been so hard to get a smile on that kids face.

Of course once we got home I accidentally found the zebra puzzle piece before he did and we were right back into the regular llama-drama hour long scream fest. BUT later on right before bed, we talked about how much he enjoyed ballet class and asked me if he can do "lots more classes", and I felt hopeful. Maybe this is something we can bond over and talk about... even after a tough day of tantrums and not getting our way we can talk about how much fun we have when we dance. We have started having dance parties and he is a pro at them. Kid is a regular Isadora Duncan and I'm excited to find out what other activities bring him joy. Because he really could use a lot more joy right now. Charlie really liked dance class too, maybe not as enthusiastically as Marek, but he enjoyed moving and running and jumping. He also really liked the sweet potato muffins I gave them before class. THATS what he can't stop talking about (soooo my child). They say it gets easier when they are four... 5 months til I get my happy babies back. Right? Right?????

The ENERGY Monster

Rainy days are very tough for me. Not just for me, but for my boys as well. We all would much prefer to spend our entire day outdoors. Unfortunately, even during nice days we must retreat home to eat, nap and so that I can keep the house somewhat clean (however, there is the logic that spending less time indoors would actually mean less mess… but it just never works out that way for me. The place is messy no matter where we spend our time. I must have messy elves that clutter my place to disaster while we’re out.) BUT on rainy days we are stuck inside for the day. Rainy days are every mother’s worst nightmare. This is when you want to clobber all those Pinterest Princesses out there. Sure, I have a “rainy day” pinterest board, what mom doesn’t? BUT WHO has time to set up these awesome looking but impossible activities? I MUST have the crafty gene, I knit and sew…. lack of craftiness is definitely not my problem. It might just be that I have too many kids, or kids that don’t like to sit still (they really don’t) or kids that never want to do the same thing at the same time.  Apparently just because they are twins doesn’t mean they will have the same interests. What gives with that? Seriously. They pretty much have NOTHING in common. Except a love of throwing wooden train tracks when angry. They both agree that doing so is a great way to let out some steam (Mommy is working tirelessly to teach them other ways deal with emotion). They both like tv! But of course I decided in a fit of desperation to remove the television from our living room in hopes that it would help with some of the “threenager” issues we’ve been having. Also, I got tired of them fighting over what shows to watch. So I’m always at a loss during rainy days of how to keep these rambunctious boys happily indoors when outdoor activities are a no-go. Today we read for most of the day, which is great…. really really great. BUT makes it hard for mama to get other things done. With coloring or any other artsy activity I’m able to be involved while flitting about the room tidying and cleaning. While reading I’ve got at least one on my lap and the crawler climbing all over me. Coloring only entertains one of the twins, and only for about 10 minutes… then he needs some other form of activity. I find if he is bored, he gets what I call “ENERGY”. “ENERGY” is a disease that causes the child to start running back and forth, over and over again, sometimes with a twirl or two but ALWAYS with arms splayed out in hopes that things (the messier or louder the better) will be knocked over. I make him clean it up but that doesn’t seem to deter him at all.. I’m flummoxed because I do believe a bit of boredom is actually healthy for a child and helps to build imagination. But so far it only seems to feed my child “ENERGY”. When he does this I usually can calm him down with some pretend school work, but again, that lasts maybe 5-10 minutes before the ENERGY monster strikes again. Luckily, they no longer launch off the couch like they used to do. I don’t really know how I got them to stop doing that.  It was honestly probably just that they got bored of it.

So is it just this age? This lack of focus? Actually, they CAN focus. They could spend hours being read to (but they have to be able to move while listening), playing trains and cars, and I’m fine with that…. they do get in fights over trains and cars though, which means it never really actually lasts HOURS.

The ENERGY monster distracted with the help of mommy's camera phone

Please, I’m open to some rainy day suggestions. This mama needs some fresh ideas!

5 Possible Facts About Today

5 possible facts about today:

I may or may not have cut 3 inches of my hair instead of working through a rats nest knot

I may or may not have eaten half a gallon of coconut milk ice cream after all three boys were in bed #whole30daynegative1

I may or may not have ran the shower but actually read a chapter in my book this morning while Jason gave the boys their breakfast

I may or may not have chosen to go hang out at the sprinklers instead of getting some whole30 compliant ingredients to fill my near empty fridge.

I may or may not be writing this from the couch in the twins nursery, since me holding court (is that even a saying?) in here is the only way to get them to sleep nowadays , even though they've been asleep for at least 5 minutes out of fear that they will wake, start begging to play and make mommy's brain explode...

Warning: May not he grammatically correct. Also definitely not in chronological order.  Not gonna worry about it. Note: warning should be at top of post... Meh

One Baby and a Momma in Seattle

Marlowe and I waiting to board the Seattle Ferry. We so fancy. (Is that from a song? Everyone says it..)

This year Jason gifted me with the most amazing Mother's Day gift. A trip back home with Marlowe! He still needed to be introduced to many very important family members, so he absolutely had to tag along. Luckily I'm used solo transporting three boys, which meant that ONE boy, one very small boy that cannot yet walk or crawl felt pretty damn similar to traveling alone. Well, not really. But it was easier. I think you catch my drift. The day we flew he cried all of five minutes. It was as we descended into Seattle, so most likely due to painful ears. We started with a two hour subway ride to JKF, where we caught our six hour flight to Seattle. Which means EIGHT hours, with only five minutes of crying. I was so proud! Until I realized it was probably because my poor youngest child was STOKED to have so much undivided attention from momma. The last time he had eight hours free from temperamental toddlers was during our four day hospital stay after he was born (four days of BLISS. Best vacation ever. Not kidding). To be fair, the twins have never really experienced this luxury either.... That's a whole different parental guilt trip blog post though. But Marlowe entered a world that was already quite divided. The boys require so much attention and are what I like to refer to as "spirited" (Old School Folks would call them "challenging" or maybe even "rebellious".  I like rebellious better, maybe even more than I like spirited.)  Marlowe, on the other hand, is apparently a pretty easy going baby... As long as I'm at a touchable distance. I never had time to stop and appreciate or even realize this until I went on my trip back to Washington. I kept waiting for him to break down, and he just wouldn't. Apart from two hours that I spent at the movies with my sister, he was a perfect smiling little angel. THIS IS WHY PEOPLE HAVE MORE BABIES! I swear to goodness, my little pumpkin pie almost tricked me into thinking I wanted more! Babies that get a lot of attention generally are pretty happy... This I've concluded based on my scientific research involving just one baby. My theory is that it's all a biological diabolical hoax to get you knocked up again.  And, I'm sorry to all those waiting on another pregnancy announcement from me, but it just isn't going to happen. I don't need to try for a girl, I'm content with my three little men. And I don't think we can squeeze any more cheeks (however small and however cute) into this NYC apartment.

This trip also made me realize how invaluable having family to help really is. Even if it's just to play with him for a few minutes. Anyone asking "Can I hold him?" Was returned with an enthusiastic "SURE! HERE YA GO!" and a wiggly baby thrown into their general direction. I wish I had my entire family living with me here in the city. Having family close is such a precious thing. Day to day, week to week, month to month, season to season, etc... I go without that help. Jason and I made the choice to live across the country so that's that. It's just one of those things you don't realize you miss until you see what you could have had.

Blowing bubbles in JKF

On my resume "nursing while babywearing and pushing a double stroller" will be the first skill I list. Obviously a boss at multi-tasking. 

Flu Fun

Marlowe sick with his first flu and fever :(

So January is almost over. How the hell did that happen? This month has flown by and not because we were enjoying ourselves. Unfortunately, we suffered with the flu for the first two weeks. It was horrible, disgusting and I can't believe we made it through. It all started after a vigorous hot yoga workout that left me feeling amazing. I was so happy "YES, I killed that class!"  Soon after I started feeling sore shaky.. But who doesn't love a good post workout ache? However, feeling chilly was pretty weird, especially since my apartment is usually kept at a toasty 80 degrees (building management controls our heat). Jason suggested that I take my temperature. I NEVER get fevers... I may get sick, but fevers are not common for me. So when the reading came back as 102 degrees I was quick to find a plausible reason that did not include illness. I was embarking on the Whole30 eating regimen and had begun PIYO workouts. That's A LOT for a body to take on (hello New Years Resolutions!). With all of these changes I was certain that my body was just in shock. That 102 fever must be because I overdid it, right? Especially after a hot yoga class? Pretty sure that can happen.... right??? Well three days later and not feeling any better I finally took myself to Urgent Care. The doctor looked at me and was ready to pronounce me sick with a "bad cold', but my intuition told me it was worse than that. I asked for the Flu test. The doctor said "Sure, but you are too well to be sick with the flu". Should have seen the look on her face when she came back five minutes later and told me it came up positive. Yup, well... Moms aren't allowed to act or look sick, didn't she know that? It was too late for me to take Tamiflu so I had to power through the fever with rest (ha. HA HA HA.) and lots of fluids. That night Marlowe came down with a fever and three days later Charlie, and two days after that Marek. So far, Jason remains healthy (which he loves to point out and tease that it means he has a stronger "constitution") and I'm praying it stays that way. Because men can't handle sickness as well as we women folk.
Getting the flu is terrifying when you have little children. Marlowe is too young for the flu shot and is at higher risk just because of his age.  Charlie I worry about because he is teeny and seems to have a harder time bouncing back from illness... Marek does pretty well, thank goodness. The flu only lasted three days for him.  However, this year there are SO MANY horror stories of the flu. This strain is horrible and crippling for some (I think my family lucked out. It could have been SO MUCH WORSE). Of course I was reading all the scary articles while we all were suffering, which is not the best idea.... but I was so relieved when the fevers dissipated and they started eating again. Yay! We made it through the flu without a single hospitalization! Which I consider a victory with this nasty strain.
Now we are getting back into our regular routine, which is a bitter battle after a sickness like the flu. Fact is the boys get very spoiled while ill, and if mama is suffering as well then they also get away with murder. Which they did. They totally murdered my apartment, but this lucky mama has a friend that treated her to a housecleaner once the sickness was gone. That is a RARE treat and it was much appreciated!
Who else is dealing with the flu? What are you taking to get you through it? Tamiflu saved us and I think the elderberry I was shoving down our throats made it less severe. Stay well everyone!

Well That Was Unexpected

I'm gobsmacked.  The article I wrote for xoJane made it's rounds in the infertility world, showing up in my feed from FB pages I follow, without my prompting. It may never happen again, so excuse me while I gloat just a tiny bit.  I'm so happy it was shared (4.8k times!) and brought hope to others dealing with infertility. Infertility sucks. I want all deserving potential moms and dads to get their "free baby"! It makes me sad knowing that my story is not the way it normally turns out. BUT, you really never know.

Thanks to my friends and family that read it and to those that shared it :) The more page hits, the more likely they will allow me to write for them again!

See my article here:
Infertile for 7 Years and Now I have 3 Kids Under 3

Getting Some Time to Myself After Baby

Cant.stop.baby-wearing. On our way to the doctor yesterday

Tonight I am forcing myself to get out.  Any mother of a newborn knows how hard the first time away is, if even only for an hour or two. Actually, BEING away won’t be so hard, its the tearing myself apart from the cute, wriggly newborn that spends most of his days attached to me like an additional appendage.  My excuse for near constant babywearing is that I fear the twins will trample, feed, pick up, or basically unintentionally kill my littlest. However, the truth is I love it. Chances are this is my last child, and I plan on snuggling 24/7 until he is actually strong enough to wrestle himself away from me. I hope he is prepared to put up a good fight, because I won’t be letting go easily.

The downside to this constant togetherness is that I feel like he NEEDS me ALL THE TIME.  When in fact, my husband can take care of him almost just as well as I do. He doesn’t have the preferred boobie milk delivery system, but Marlowe will settle for a bottle (if he must). After being excited about his two month doctor appointment yesterday because it meant I was going to have “me time”, I determined I was in dire need of true, actual time alone. If I’m considering time out with just ONE baby as “me time” then the situation must be extremely serious.

Here’s the problem with mama “me time”: Unless you have money to hire a babysitter during the day for a few hours, it has to happen after the kids go to bed. I don’t know about other moms, but once bedtime rolls around (7:30) I’m completely knackered. All I can really be bothered to do is watch some crap reality TV or MAYBE read. And if I’m reading it has to be something like Kinsella, Giffin, or if I’m feeling slightly more awake than usual maybe Gabaldon.  Once the sun goes down my brain is too fried for the greats like Wharton, James or Kundera. I miss feeling smart… so forcing myself to go to yoga tonight at 7:30 feels like an exercise in endurance. It’s not really “down” time; I will never consider exercise down time. BUT hopefully it will keep my brain awake enough to have some thoughts to myself, rather than just turning it off like I usually do. Hmmm. Is it weird to go to yoga so you can daydream? Probably, would be my guess. Either way, I’m super pumped and excited to hopefully make this a regular thing.  Just the idea of listening to music on my headphones the entire way there and back is enough to put a huge smile on my face. Hopefully Marlowe rewards my efforts by sleeping through the night. Oh, there ya go. That’s what I’ll most likely daydream about. Sleeping all the way through the night until morning…. bliss.

What My Crazy Pregnant Self Did Today

I was starting to feel like a loser for not getting the "nesting" instinct. Surely by 32 weeks (tomorrow), it should have started, right?  So in a fit of frustration I forced myself to organize my twins' closet, retrieve things the newbie could use and I went crazy in the kitchen... Managed to make Kale Chips, Chard Chips, Parsnip fries, hamburger buns, three swiss chard/garlic scape quiches (to be frozen for post baby days), rhubarb tea and granola bars.  My feet were about ready to fall off after I finally washed the final dish.  I've been immobile on my butt since, but at least I can say I had a productive day! Here are recipes/instructions for what I made:

Kale Chips:  Simply "de-bone" (is that what you call it?) the kale by tearing the green stuff from the stem stuff.  Do this with a bunch of the kale. Place it on a cookie pan. Drizzle some (NOT TOO MUCH) olive oil, sprinkle with mineral salt and mix it up. Bake in a preheated 275 degree oven for about 20 minutes.... I never time it, and it never seems to burn. Just gets nice and crisy :) Same rules apply to the Chard Chips.

Parsnip Fries:  Still perfecting this one, but today I washed and peeled four parsnips with a peeler thingy, then I cut each one into three sections, after that I cut each section into wedges about 1/8 inch thick.. put them on a cookie sheet, sprinkled them with olive oil, garlic and some rosemary. Baked at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.  After about 10 minutes of baking stir the parsnips around a bit.


Swiss Chard/Garlic Scape Quiche: (NOTE: I have not yet taste tested these. MAKE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!)
Quiche Crust

Quiche Filling:
-1.5 cups of grated cheese of choice (my favorite is Gruyere)
-4 teaspoons of flour
-1/3 bunch of garlic scapes, washed and prepped (cut off bulbs and cut into 1 inch pieces)
-A few swiss chard leaves, washed and chopped very small.
-handful of sundried tomatoes. Chopped small 
-3 eggs
-2 good squirts of Dijon mustard
-1 cup of milk (or half n half if you're feeling too damn skinny!)
-1/4 teaspoon of salt
-Freshly grated parmesan for the top

1) Make the crust. Its easy, just do it. Recipe link above quiche filling instructions.

2) Fill the quiche crust with the grated cheese, add the flour and kind of mix it up with your hands. You could also mix the cheese and the flour separately in a bowl, but then your just adding a dish to wash later. I try to minimize unnecessary crap.

3) Top evenly with the scapes, chard and sundried tomatoes.

4) Whisk eggs, mustard, milk and salt in a separate bowl.

5) Pour over quiche filling as evenly as possible.

6) Grate some fresh parmesan cheese on top, as much or as little as you want.

7) Bake in 400 degree preheated oven for about 50-60 minutes. Or cover it and put it in the freezer for future nights when you just don't wanna.

Rhubarb Hibiscus Tea

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Hamburger Buns


Nesting instinct or no, I think I can be happy with the amount of "nesting" done today.  Even if forced!

Buh Bye Winter!

 

 

I feel like we are finally coming out of hibernation. This winter has been awful! Between morning sickness (YUP, unexpectedly pregnant with boy number 3! Due August 31!), the seemingly apocalyptic winter weather (i.e. unstoppable snow) and sickness after sickness after sickness the boys and I are ready for spring sun! 

I'm excited to wear something other than sweat pants and extra large hoodies. Time to break out the sandals, tank tops and sip iced coffees (I'm allowed 1-2 cups of coffee a day according to my doctor. I'm a mother to twin toddlers.... don't fight me on this one.). No more "snowy/rainy day" activity madness... My boys just eat art supplies anyways.  The one time we went to a scribble art class they spent the entire time screaming and stomping on all the well behaved toddlers' artwork. They may look serene and angelic in the photo above, but they are straight up BOYS.  All snails and puppy dog tails, these two! *Love them.

My boys are outdoorsmen. They like to explore and chase birds for now.  They can be artistic when they are older and more coordinated. For now they just want to know how the world works and why they can't eat that little bit of a balloon on the ground. Why not, mommy???! Pneumonia, and gross. THAT's why.

Winter at a glace:

 <scribble art class (before the destruction)



               just some no nap kisses>

 <Fav winter activity: Cuddling and reading.





                       And more reading>

<Indian Road Playground






          Fort Tryon, just a bit icy...>



 

FIRST AWESOME WEATHER!!!! The day they opened The Great Lawn in Central Park. We got there before it become annoyingly crowded. Look at us! We own NYC :) Also, look at their faces. Seriously.



Just so you know... This is my "normal". They NEVER go in the same direction. They coordinate this, I know they do.

One of the Many Perks to Living in Inwood

Flowers In Fort Tryon Park-Beginning of Spring

NOTE: This post was written April 2013, but I just now got around to publishing it :)




This picture makes me ADORE where I live.  Just a five minute walk to Fort Tryon, and a short (albeit GRUELING) uphill mini hike away.  The trip is even shorter when you have your two napping adorable Littles, a great friend and her very own Little to keep you company.  I'm hoping for many more days like this this spring :)

Today felt good.  With twins its a day by day thing... Having a great day today means NOTHING for tomorrow.  However, I am having more and more "feeling good" days.  We are all falling into a more predictable schedule and the night time crying/waking is diminishing, and mommy is getting her sanity back, JUST in time for the predictably amazing NYC Spring.  

Since having my sanity (aka night sleep) back, I've been craving some pavement time.  My solution was to wait for Jason to return home from work and run then... however, that would definitely end up being just a seasonal thing and therefore NOT good enough.  Jason suggested that I meet him with the boys in mid-town right after he gets off of work.  This idea was certainly an improvement however visions of tired and pissed off subway commuters screaming obscenities at me for bring a double wide or double long stroller on during rush hours shied me away from the idea. Rightly so. I would have been a pissed commuter too (prior to kids. However, now? I GET IT.).  

Luckily, last week I braved the subways and traveled all the way to Union Square.  I was determined to not be confined to my usual one mile radius surrounding the apartment (MUST learn how to nurse in public without feeling embarrassed.. would make life so much easier!).  And of course, since I'm a mother now, I bypassed my pre-mommy store (Sephora) and walked straight into Babies R Us (Ill be back some day Sephora!).  I couldn't believe it... BRU had the Bob Revolution Duallie on clearance for $300! WHAT? Unfortunately I am not an octupus, so I had to drag Jason back down to BRU on the weekend.  This is actually funny, because in order to get back home (including a detour to Central Park to test out Bob) we had to haul TWO double strollers (each containing one baby so we only looked half insane) on two separate subways and up and down too many to count itty bitty elevators.  It was like Real Size Tetris. 

Testing out my new Bob. Screaming Marek riding the "trunk" ;)

Not Happening...

I was about to write a post but then Marek woke up screaming! Laters ;)

26 weeks and 4 days... its been a while!

It has been a while since I've updated! The biggest update is that Im now on bedrest due to a high blood  pressure that will just NOT go down.. Otherwise I feel great! I've been on bedrest since last Thursday and I'm doing everything I can to keep myself sufficiently occupied. Mostly I'm reading books,knitting and napping :)  I have a doctor's appt this Wednesday and I'm hoping that the doctor can give me more information on what exactly she means by bedrest...
At the last growth scan (around 25 weeks) the babies were measuring right on target at 1lb 7 oz and 1lb 8 oz. By now they could very well be over 2 lbs each!  Meaning I have over 4 lbs of babies in there! No wonder I can't breathe :) Both boys are very active and LOVE hanging from mommy's ribs and kicking her bladder.
Here are the latest pictures :)

Here are Charlie and Marek showing off their new trick, bending completely in half! Their toes are touching the back of their heads... Both boys were positioned like this at our last ultrasound. The ultrasound tech even thought it was pretty funny :) 

Mr. Marek :)

Charlie :)

One thing I've noticed with my boys is that they have completely different profiles if you look at the foreheads. I can't wait to see what they really look like!!!!

20 Weeks!

I am 20 weeks as of yesterday, what a milestone! The babies are becoming EXTREMELY active and I know we will soon be able to feel them from the outside. I can't wait for Jason to be able to experience their movement as well.  So far I have gained about 19 lbs and besides some shoulder, neck and hip pain I'm still experiencing a relatively easy pregnancy, thank goodness! Monday we have two doctors appts, one is the anatomy scan (however, we will not be finding out the sexes) and the other is my regular OB appointment.  Both Jason and I have taken the day off for this and I'm extremely excited to see my babies again! I know they have grown a lot since their last scan just by the strength behind their little kicks and jabs :)

On a sad note Jason and I lost our pretty kitty Silly yesterday.  She managed to slip through a very small crack in our window and fell 4 stories to a hard concrete sidewalk.  We took her to the vet the morning after (she fell at around 9pm at night) and the diagnosis was not good.  She had extensive internal damage of her kidneys and her liver.  Her heart was also moved and she had a large bubble in her chest cavity. The vet said that cats are very resilient and of course there was a chance, however small, that she would survive (She didn't look too convinced, but what is a poor vet going to tell a sobbing, near hyperventilating, largely pregnant woman who desperately wants her precious cat to live?) so she said if we wanted, we could give her pain meds and antibiotics for a day and see if it looked like she was showing any improvement.  We chose that route and I stayed home the next day to monitor her (my eyes literally never left my poor kitty, unless it was to go to the bathroom) and it was made apparent to me that my baby girl was not going to make it. The air bubble was definitely making it hard for her to breathe and she wasn't even slurping when I would try to give her a dropper of water (and food was impossible). My heart was BROKEN and I was beyond devastated. I knew though that I did not want her to starve to death or die of dehydration... so we made the decision to bring her back to the vet to be put down... Both Jason and I were there with her when she got the needle. I got down to her level so she could look at me and have something familiar to look at while dying... literally the hardest thing I have ever had to do...She (along with our other kitty Gula) traveled with us from Seattle, to Tacoma, to midtown NYC and then to Inwood NYC... she has done everything with us and while she tended to HATE strangers, (thereby making her a very unpopular kitty with friends) she LOVED and ADORED me and Jason, showering us with frequent kisses and cuddles.  At least once a night I would wake up to her trying to spoon me while sleeping,  she also loved to sleep on Jason chest and never once did she seem to mind his consistent and loud snoring.  Both Jason and I will miss her a ton, and I'm SO sad that my babies will not get to meet this very special cat... However I will always remember her fondly and I know that no one will mess with my babies with such a feisty cat as one of their guardian angels ;) RIP Silly Bear.. .love you so much!

Here is a picture of my pretty girl with Jason, doing what she does best:

and of course, here is the 20 week belly :)

18 Weeks!

    Yesterday I was 18 weeks! I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going by... I am anxious to meet my little ones so it doesn't bother me too much :)  In honor of reaching 18 weeks I had an ultrasound to check for cervical length (basically  making sure my body isn't already trying to get these suckers out before their due date!) and of course I thought that they would only check for that so I told Jason he need not come (it was early in the morning and he would have been late for work) but BOY what a mistake! I asked the tech as soon as I got there if they would at least take a peek at the babies and she said " OF COURSE! that's the fun part!" She spent a good half hour on them and it was probably the best scan so far :) Both stinkers measure PERFECTLY for their gestational age. One is 7 ounces and one is 8 ounces.  What is funny is that the 8 ouncer is actually smaller, but fatter ;) LOL. I LOVE IT!  She measured femurs, heads, tummies, legs, etc.. She could have told me their sexes but I of course said that we do not want to find out :) So hard to say that! I WANT TO KNOW! but at the same time I don't... what a conundrum!
     Im also currently reading a book titled "Baby Brain Rules". So far I am loving it! It delves into the basics on how to raise an intelligent child.  The recommendations aren't necessarily what I was expecting.. (apparently playing Mozart to your belly does not increase IQ or math skills!). The basic recommedations are to not stress, make sure to gain the proper amount of weight, eat a diet rich in paleo type foods (nuts, berries, meat, veggies, etc..), there is another point but I can't remember it right now! Darn it! Either way, I need to focus on eating healthier and keeping myself calm.. I tend to be a worrywart and it will do my babies no good!
 In other good news my blood pressure has been "optimal" for the last three readings I have had... My OB instructed me to purchase my own monitor because I was consistently reading high at her office which freaked me out... Had to do a 24 hour pee jug test and everything to make sure I wasn't spilling any protein.  Everything must be fine though because I have not heard from them regarding my results :) Phew! No pre-eclampsia please!
 Jason and I have both noticed a definite increase in bump size in the past week or so, its good to actually look pregnant rather than just chubbier than usual, you can see for yourself!.  Here are some pics for this week!

16 Weeks! For some reason 16 weeks feels like a milestone... can't quite figure out why though. Many changes have happened in the last two weeks. The biggest one being the move we just made this last weekend! We moved from Hells Kitchen (aka Midtown West, Clinton or the awful new nickname: MIMA) to Inwood, which is about as far north as you can get while still remaining in Manhattan proper. We love the neighborhood... much more suburban than midtown. We will definitely miss living 5 minutes walking distance from all the Broadway shows and amazing restaurants that mid-town has to offer, but we have think differently now that we have some buns on the ole' oven. Our new apartment is AMAZING. Jason picked it out entirely on his own and he did a very good job... the apartment has three bedrooms, our bedroom and the nursery are right next to each other and Brendie's room is on the other side of the apartment (so he doesn't have to listen to crying babies!), two bathrooms and soooo much closet space!

We had some HUGE help moving from my Sister In Law, Hillary... I was not allowed to lift and I would tire very easily so it was nice to have the extra assistance. We were also able to use her muscle and truck to go to Ikea and get some needed furniture. Of course we purchased a few baby items, including two cribs and a chalkboard! I am SO excited about this silly chalkboard, I have a feeling I will get much more use out of it then the twins in the long run :)

I have been trying to refrain from buying too many baby clothing items since I am told that I will probably receive quite a bit from friends and family, but yesterday I could NOT resist these stinking adorable outfits! Hopefully at least one of these kiddos is a little girl, otherwise these outfits will become the cutest gifts ever someday haha. I can see my babies' pictures being taken wearing these outfits this summer out in the sun (slathered in tons of baby SPF and wearing adorable baby sunglasses). I cant wait for them to be here!

Here is the 16 week belly shot :) Getting big!

14 Weeks!

Well the babies are 14 weeks today! Im starting to feel flutters and little rolls, especially after I have some chocolate ;) The babies will take after their momma (and grandmother) in the chocoholic department, thats for sure! Its pretty amazing to be feeling them, I can't wait until they get stronger and I can feel them more frequently!
We had the NT scan this week and everything looks perfect! Extremely low risk for down syndrome or any of the other trisomies. woo hoo! 
Here is this weeks belly pic :)

12 Weeks 4 Days!

This post will be short and sweet since Im exhausted!

We had a doc appt this morning and babies are looking great! The are measuring right on time and are cute as buttons.  I have my down syndrome scan on Friday and they have promised me even better ultrasound pics :)

Doctor is super hopeful that I will be able to deliver the old fashioned way, as long as babies stay head down (they have been head down the last two appts). She says Im healthy and young and doesn't see any reason why not. WOO HOO!

Here they are!

and here I am... feeling quite filled out. LOL

11 Weeks!

Sadly I have no ultrasound pics!But don't worry, there is a belly pic :) My next appt. is on January 9th and I can't wait to see the little bubs again! They got incredibly spoiled at xmas and I can't wait to set up all their new toys in their nursery once we move :)  Pretty much all my first trimester annoyances are gone... My biggest complaint is how uncomfortable my growing body is becoming... But that is to be expected.

Here is today's belly pic! It is after a huge lunch so its a bit exaggerated for sure :)

9 Weeks 5 Days Ultrasound!

I have graduated from my infertility clinic! They told me that they do not want to see me anymore as for the next 6 months at least I am no longer "infertile", in fact, being pregnant with twins I'm pretty darn fertile! Or rather "fertilized"? Gross.
I feel like I am already getting to know my babies with all of these ultrasounds.  Baby A is our quiet one, likes to hang out and relax... Baby B is our mover and shaker and little show off :) It will be fun to see these stinkers interact once they start talking and interacting with each other.
The next ultrasound will be Jan. 9th and the NT Scan (where they measure the babies' risk for downs) on the 13th... so a while to wait! But we will be thoroughly and happily distracted with the holidays and a beautiful wedding!!!!!!

Here they are!

The Belly!  at 9 weeks 5 days!

Baby A! Sucking its little thumb :)

Baby B! Dancing away :)

Super Silly Belly Pic 8 Weeks 4 Days!

Jason had to buy a wig for a shoot this week that he is working on for the webseries (this episode features drag queens!) and I could NOT  help myself when I saw this beautiful piece of art... This is so far my favorite belly pic yet!  Im huge because its night time and my pjs are ridiculous, but its whatever works these days with that belly!

Here you are :)