Happy Birthday Noah!

Even though Noah's birthday isn't for a few more days the time is getting short for me so when my parents decided to come down for dinner I thought this would be as good a time as any to have a cake for Noah.

Someone had this Elmo cake pan at Bible study last year and I snagged it.  Totally awesome even if it did take me practically all day to make and frost it!

When he finally figured out what it was, Noah thought the cake was very cool!

While we sing Happy Birthday, Noah's version is "Happy Diaper".  He's been singing that to my mom all week and she always hope it's a "happy" diaper!

And he knows ALL about blowing out the candles!

After licking off the candle... a frosting mustache!

The cake was Betty Crocker gluten free Devil's Food cake and even though the pan called for 2 layers I think it would have been too thick/heavy.  As it was, we had a thin cake, but it tasted pretty darn good!  And eating the eyeballs and nose, etc, was fun for little boys as well!

Time for presents...

Aunt Annika brought lizards, one for each of the boys... they are a BIG hit!

Noah got the orange one... orange is his very favorite color right now!

Annika also got this fun plane that the propellers spin, there's a pilot that comes out, and a cargo hatch on the bottom the holds a little life raft.  Super cool.

Of course the parents are the ones that get the boy a toy with 30 pieces... don't ask me what we were thinking!

And someone has been very envious of Brother's Hexbug Nano that he bought last month... so we got him his own...

Orange of course!  And I have to say, kudos to the Hexbug people because apparently various colors of bugs are rarer than others.  So when I emailed to ask about finding an orange one they just sent me one!  I guess orange is rather rare.

And finally... he figured out how to get stuff out of bags most efficiently... just dump it!

Here's a very cool beach towel from Nana and Papa that has "Mani and Yanni" on it.  That would be Mater and Lightning in case you were wondering!

The birthday crew!  Annika's the end of February, my mom was last week, and Noah this week.  Yes, we have a lot of family birthdays in February and March!

Wordless Wednesday: Science with Daddy

Brian boiled purple cabbage to make ink... then he used vinegar and baking soda to show Cory how the colors would change.  A little acid/base chemistry!  Why yes, we are science nerds...

36 Weeks = Full Term

According to my doctor at least I am now considered full term with twins.  And I am so DONE with being pregnant.  The itching on my belly is barely contained with benadryl cream and full on benadryl at night (I can't take it during the day or I'm worthless... or at least more worthless than I am already!)  Of course then I had to go read the ingredients today and discover that the cream is full of parabens... something I've been trying to avoid for the last two years in all cosmetics and body products.  Ugh.

Sleeping with Daddy's blanket... before the sick

On top of all that, Cory finally succumbed to the plague that we've all had and left us a lovely mess to clean up Thursday afternoon.  It required a carpet cleaner rental.  Noah stepped in it so I tried to carry him to the bathroom and of course managed to pull something in my lower stomach.  So, I'm back to the walking like a cripple and taking many minutes to get in and out of bed.  At least it's not my pelvis so I can sit somewhat better this time around.

I think we are all mostly healthy now, but Noah is on quarantine from any large group activities since he seems to be the most likely point of infection.  Poor kid.  But at least he got a few days by himself with Nana and Papa and he's having a ball.  Jello is the highlight of his week.  Who knew???

And on Wednesday the teachers at Brian's school (and my former) had cake and ice cream for us at lunch and supplied us with more diapers.  They even had a small gluten free cake for the boys.  We totally love this school!

At this point I kinda hope the girls wait another week since Noah's birthday is on Saturday and I'd really like to have a small party for him.  But at least my doctor will be back tomorrow night and my friend who will be my doula is back from her trip to Hawaii.  So... anytime!

35 Weeks and Holding

Well, I'm definitely feeling better than I was on Thursday.  Although you can see the lovely bruise on the back of my hand from the blown IV.  There's a matching one on the other hand.

People keep telling me how small I look and I'm thinking... what planet are you from?  It's very odd to me because I know I'm way bigger than I ever was with either of the boys (comparison 35 weeks with Noah), and it is ALL in my stomach too!  Notice how far back I'm leaning?  Yeah, I didn't realize that until I looked at the pictures, but it's counterbalance!

I was measuring at term a couple weeks ago and he didn't even measure me last week.  At the last ultrasound they were also still growing each at the rate of a single baby so I'm guessing (according to the online averages) that they are each at least 5 pounds by now.  That's a lot of baby in there!

Now we just play the waiting game...

35 Weeks and a Little Hospital Adventure

I keep thinking today is Saturday... might have something to do with losing an entire day yesterday.

My poor sick toddler shared his bug with me yesterday.  I spent the day on the couch and about the time Brian got home from school I lost it all... and couldn't keep anything down for 6+ hours.  By then I was pretty dehydrated, which was giving me some pretty strong contractions.  So, thankfully my mom came down to get Noah and we went in to the hospital.

Let me just say up front... I know they have a place and a job to do, but holy cow, sometimes I think hospitals are the most inefficient, worst places to get well in.  Sheesh!

We got there a little after 10, I had called the OB on call and knew they would give me fluids, but it still took them almost 2 hours to get my IV started and I was complaining that I was dying of thirst.  Not to mention they didn't listen when I told them I have tough veins to stick even when I'm NOT dehydrated and instead they blew out both hands before trying my arm. :(

But finally they got both babies on the monitors (oh, how I despise those things!) and an IV in.  It took almost 2 full liters of fluid and me drinking on top of that (they gave me some anti-naseau meds so I could) before I felt like I didn't need anything more to drink.  That's bad!  And for a pregnant girl going 8 hours without needing to pee... yeah.

The girls were champs through all the contractions so that bodes well for later!  And as long as they don't make me lay on my back (those labor beds are ridiculously hard) I think we shall do fine when the time actually comes.  And my own heart rate was so high they wouldn't give me a shot to stop the contractions.  Apparently it makes your heart race and you feel like you're having a panic attack so I'm glad I avoided that!

So it took 6+ hours for my contractions to stop and now my stomach muscles are way sore, but I'm home, slept half the day, and hopefully the worst is past us.

Here's to another week of sleeping in my own {comfy} bed and getting a few more things done!

What's Going On...

So... attempting to do the #febphotoaday thing has made me a slacker in the actual posting department.  Although there's really not a whole lot to report...

We're just kind of hunkered down here at home, playing the waiting game.  As of last Friday I am 34 weeks and they officially won't stop my labor if it starts, nor have to send me to Seattle.  So yay for that!  I've been waking up some nights to contractions, which makes me extra tired the next day.

Add to that a puking toddler (last Thursday and then again today) and I'm just not really that into blogging right now!  Although he is awfully cute... he likes to climb up the back of my chair and kiss me.  He's really into the kissing thing lately.

You can also see that we've painted half the room yellow (the other half will get painted later when we have to move the rest of the stuff out - like in 6 months) and are sorting out baby stuff.

Basically, I would love to have these babies tomorrow because I am so freakishly uncomfortable.  But I also want them to have the best chance at being healthy and not needing any extra care so I know they really should stay in another week or two!  What a dilemma!

That's my life, how's yours?

Wordless Wednesday: Mini Me

Someone has figured out (more or less) how to use big brother's camera and enjoys taking pictures of everything!

Favorite Photo of Me - #febphotoaday

From our anniversary in July.  And yes, I use it as my profile picture for everything at the moment!

Handwriting - #febphotoaday

I do love to write notes!

On Baby Showers and Sad News

No, the two aren't really related except that they happened on the same day.  I had a really nice baby shower last night, but it was dampened with the knowledge that my brother and sister-in-law lost three friends in an avalanche just after noon.  I only met one of them once (at their wedding), but it doesn't matter.  It's still sad and hard for everyone.

So, my sister-in-law planned a lovely shower and then didn't end up coming.  My mom took over and it was still fun.

I got lots of diapers and a few cute outfits as well.  I'm am sure this will not be enough diapers, but it's a start!

The cupcakes were amazing and just hanging out with friends was good.

Since the boys couldn't have the leftover pizza or cupcakes they've been enjoying the balloons... and they don't know that I came home with a whole bag of chocolate either!

This is the last "official" thing I have on my calendar.  For the girls sake they need to stay in a couple more weeks, but other than doctor's appointments (which obviously would be moot) I don't have to go anywhere or do anything more... other than keep my house clean hopefully!

Something I Hate to Do - #febphotoaday

Dusting.  I should have taken a picture of the top of my dresser before I cleaned it off... I don't think it had been cleaned since we moved in 2 years ago.  Yuck.

Drink - #febphotoaday

My favorite tea in one of my favorite mugs...

Time - #febphotoaday

The trains that go by our house... only the Amtrak is on a schedule and even then it doesn't keep it well.  Time is relative.

Something New - #febphotoaday

Lots of new things in our house lately... this is one of the letters for the girls' room that I decorated last night.  And then Noah undecorated them this morning and I had to redecorate them... oy, toddlers!

Phone - #febphotoaday

Some days this may be the most used phone around our house!

Heart - #febphotoaday

Have a heart... or two!

Blue - #febphotoaday

My favorite...

Inside My Closet - #febphotoaday

Laundry, my scarf/wrap from Saudi, my ducky slippers from college that the boys love to wear, my saxophone from high school and the one year I played in jazz band, my favorite blankies for napping under!

Makes Me Happy - #febphotoaday

This guy and his brother!  But I have a hard time getting both of them in a picture at once...

Trust...

I think I could probably write for hours on Trust... which makes it really hard to quantify everything in five minutes...

I have a tattoo (shocking, I know) on my back that comes from a time in my life when I really had to learn how to trust.  Trust in God.  To learn to let go.  That I don't really have any control over things anyway.

And that the outcome of trust is perfect peace.  When you don't have to control things, you don't worry about the outcome.  Oh sure, I still worry, plenty.  I think that's a family trait.  But when things start to get really crazy I try to remember that I really don't have any control over it anyway.  And if I did... whoo boy, it might not be the outcome I want!  I think I'd really rather God be in control!

I have to trust that God knew what He was doing with this pregnancy* giving me/us twins!  He must think I can handle it... even if I think I'm gonna go a little crazy!  But I guess it's easier to believe that He gave them to us so therefore we will be able to handle it.  Something like light at the end of the tunnel?

Trust must go hand in hand with hope.  If I didn't trust that He was in control I'd have no hope for how things would turn out.  Funny the way that works!

Now, trusting people on the other hand, that takes me awhile... my poor husband.  But that's a post for another day!

*I found out yesterday that at my current 32 weeks I'm measuring 40 weeks and that each baby weighs almost 4 pounds.  I'm kinda depressed over the fact that I have at least 4 more weeks to go and maybe/sorta hopefully more.

This is a post prompt from The Gypsy Mama. Join in?

Self Portrait - #febphotoaday

This picture is very indicative of my mood today.  After finding out yesterday that I'm basically as pregnant as a full term woman and I'm only at 32 weeks... I'm kinda down.

Front Door - #febphotoaday

Thinking outside the box again... this what hangs out by my front door.

Boy Quotes #8

Cory calls dental floss "tooth floss".

Cory playing with marbles and picked up one with a swirl inside: Mom, this one is called Hot Fire Toast. We also have Jump Marble (which doesn't really jump), Blast Marble, Blue Shell, and Green Booger.

Noah used to say "Hah-nee" for Thank you, but lately he's switched it to "Ha-tu". Still cute, either way!

He's also picked up from brother that I am "Mom". I'm not sure I'm ready to let go of Mama, but it's pretty cute coming from this little tiny guy, "nigh nigh, Mom". :)

I'm having ham and cheese on crackers and Cory tells me, "Mom, I want an open lid sandwich too!"

Playing with a set of stacking cups that have animals on them:
Me: Noah, what does a mouse say?
Noah: Hello, Noah!

Cory: Do you remember what these are Noah? (pointing to a walrus' tusks)
Noah: looks at him
Cory: Ribazuba! (which is the scientific term and we learned this on NPR)
Noah (with much feeling): Wooooow!

Sun - #febphotoaday

After being lovely the last few days the sun did not come out to play today... so I found another favorite sun!

Button - #febphotoaday

From my favorite long sweater.

DIY: Valentine's Wall Hanging

Soooo, how many of you have heard of Pinterest? :)  Well, in the last few weeks I think I've finally figured out how to use it and I've found lots of cool things there.  I found this conversation hearts pin and thought I would try it.  I ended up modifying it a bit, but here is my result!

The main reason I ended up modifying it is because just 3 weeks ago the local craft store had NO Valentine's stuff in yet so I couldn't find the bigger wooden hearts.  But they did have these small ones already painted red so I decided to go with that.  Want to know how I did it???

• Add a second layer of red paint so it matched what I had at home already in case of mistakes
• Print out my family's names on the computer - I used Cupid font at 120pt with a size 11 space between each letter
• Place the name on the heart and trace the outline with a ball point pen.  This leaves you with a faint indent in the wood that you then fill in with paint! (works best in daylight)
• Paint names white - and now I know why the pin I saw didn't have any red hearts... it took me at least 4 coats to cover the red and it's still not great.
• Use some kind of glossy finish - I have an acrylic spray to seal the hearts
• Glue onto ribbon at intervals
• Fold the top over and glue for a loop.  Glue three toothpicks together with a white piece of string in the middle to create a hanger. 
• Glue bow together and to the top
• Hang and enjoy!

The best part about this project is that you could easily modify it to match any decor or any season.  Change paint colors, use a different shape of wood, etc!  And beyond the paint and brushes I already owned, the supplies cost me about $6!

And yes, there are 2 extra hearts at the bottom for the girls, but even if you come to my house you won't see them, they're in hiding until the girls are born!

So do you Pinterest? (that's me!) Leave a comment with a link to your profile so I can follow you! I always need more inspiration!

Dinner - #febphotoaday

A little stir-fry action!  We have this frequently, usually with the same ingredients, but different sauces.

31 Weeks and moving slow...

I am now officially 31 weeks... and have at least 5 more before the girls are considered term and probably it would be best for them if they could go a week or 2 more than that...  For the sake of not being able to move around well I kinda hope they come early, but for their sake I hope they stay in.  I'm stuck!

For a little frame of reference here's my 35 weeks picture with Noah.  And yes, I wore the same shirt on purpose for comparison.  And no, I don't know why I thought that much height was good for my hair, sheesh!

At my last appointment (2 weeks ago) I was actually measuring 35 weeks and if these babies are growing at the normal rate they are just over 3 pounds... each!  I'll get another ultrasound on Friday so we'll see if they are still measuring each as a singleton or if they've slowed down 'cuz they're getting kinda cramped in there!

On the home front I've got the newborn clothes all washed and in the dresser, just waiting for some wall decorations to come in the mail so we can put them up and then the crib in place of Brian's desk.  I've gotten a ton of little projects done in the last week and aim to do a bit more organizing and purging.  I think the nesting has set in!

10am - #febphotoaday

Time for church!

Stranger - #febphotoaday

The idea was good, the execution, not so much.  Today was mostly taken up by a funeral so I'm giving myself a pass...

Hands - #febphotoaday

The first thing that came to mind...

Real...

When I think about "Real" the first thing that comes to mind is the Velveteen Rabbit.  I loved that story as a kid, but it always made me sad that the rabbit was so threadbare.  I think I get it a little bit more now...

Real childbirth is messy, it's not pretty nor usually fun, but it's real.

Raising children is not always fun or easy, but it is real.

A real marriage is not like the movies.

All these things we see in the media and online aren't real.  They're pictures of what some people think is ideal.  The problem is, I bet if we could actually live like that we wouldn't be happy either.

Real life requires highs and lows.  Can you really understand joy and happiness if you've never known hurt and sorrow?  Can you be grateful for what you have unless you know what it is to not have? (not that I know much about not having, living here)

It's not easy, and sometimes I wish I could live in a fairy tale, but in the end I think that would be boring.  Real life is exciting, hard, messy, but it is also full of surprises, bright spots that shine, and things to remember and treasure for years to come.

And real life leaves it's mark along the way, leaving us just a little bit more threadbare than the pictures we see.

This is a post prompt from The Gypsy Mama. Join in?

Words - #febphotoaday

 

The card from my sister-in-law I got for my birthday.

My View Today - #febphotoaday

So I decided on a whim to join a photography challenge for the month of February... one photo a day on a theme listed with Fat Mum Slim.  I joined Project 12 (one photo a month) and then couldn't come up with anything for January (resolution).  Maybe I can do this one...

This is my view today, boys playing with their toys... that were mine when I was a kid!

Wordless Wednesday: Brothers

Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em!

Gone

In the past 6 weeks or so 4 people have passed away.  Three of them I knew fairly well and the fourth was a friend's step dad.  Other than Brian's grandma none of them would be considered "old".  And of the other 3, only one had any kind of terminal illness.

It's these last two that have got me the most.  Their kids are my age with littles like I have.  I've known them all since high school.  The first, just 2 weeks ago, had a massive stroke and died within days.  This one I played in the German band with.  He was a superb musician and always fun to play with.  My mom told me she'd just seen him at church the weekend before with his grandkids and then... gone.  I didn't even make it to the funeral because I was sick.

The second, just yesterday.  He's been sick for awhile, but that doesn't make it any easier.  His kids are all younger than me.  And a grandbaby is due any day.  I woke up this morning, before I knew, and that pregnant mama was so heavy on my heart.

October 2010 - helping Cory dump the apple waste from the cider pressing

I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that both of these men are with Jesus, but somehow that doesn't make it any easier.  It's not supposed to be like this.  It hurts.  Our world is too broken.

Who knew when you were a kid that growing up meant this?

Adventures in Pregnancy

So... last week I couldn't walk.  Nor could I sit for more than 5 minutes.  Hence the reason not a lot got posted here.

Thankfully there was a snow day at school and the boys were at my parents so Brian could take me to the doctor.  Doctor said?  Nothing to be done.  It's the cartilage all stretched out and the best thing for it is rest.

I'm not actually sure what triggered it, but thankfully I am now walking again and sitting, albeit for no more than about 20 minutes at a time.  I was rather worried about how I would survive the next 6-8 weeks!

And as I mentioned to a friend this morning, I'm very thankful that I know this has an end.  It makes it so much easier to deal with.  I can't imagine being someone living with chronic pain like this.

But really, I'm 30 weeks now and these babies could decide to make an appearance soon!  36 weeks is considered term with twins and that's not so far off... yikes!

Last night I went to a clothing swap and came home with 3 very large bags of newborn through 9 month clothes (plus a few for Noah).  Now to sort and wash!

And finally... I updated my blog design!  Come over and check it out if you get this in a feed reader!  I've actually been working on it for a year, but just needed the right picture for the header and got one from our Christmas photo shoot!

You can even update my button if you'd like to link to me!  See the code on the sidebar.


How are things with you all?

Wordless Wednesday: Goodbye Old Friend

You served me well for 140,000 miles (plus the 63k already there) and 13 years.  We've had some adventures together and it sounds like your new owner will take you on more.  Best wishes my little Red Turtle.