Happy New Year!

Happy Mommy!

It's 3:33 AM and the boys last ate at 10:30 PM. They are just starting to wake up now. I fell asleep shortly after 11...I woke up 3 in a panic because no one was crying and I woke up on my own after about 4 hours of solid sleep - that hasn't happened in months...honestly can't remember the last time I slept longer than 3 hours. In my amazement, I woke up Striker (sorry!) and told him the glorious news!! He was immediately concerned that the boys were both still breathing - they were - of course I'd already checked :)

Alex had kept Striker up until about midnight since he was wide awake and a little fussy after his last feeding, but that meant that even Striker got a solid 3 hours!!! We can safely say that hasn't happened since December 7th prior to 3:48 AM. :)

This was especially a nice gift from the boys since Alex set a new record for the number of times and total time spent feeding yesterday and Tony ate on the higher end of their average. They are plumping up and Tony is filling out quite nicely...take that stupid hospital nurse that thought I was starving my children!!! Leave me with Google and I'll figure out how to get my sleepy jaundiced son to eat!!!! Still bitter...sorry.

Tired Striker

You may have noticed that the boys don't look that much alike...or at least that it's fairly easy to tell them apart. Striker and I have been known to mix up a baby at 2 AM when half asleep. This becomes an issue for the purposes of our nursing/diapering log and general confusion for the other half asleep parent.

Tonight at only 8PM (when we were both wide awake), the following conversation occurred:

Me: Which side for Alex?
Striker: Alex is on the right.
Me: Ok. (Begins nursing)
Striker: (reviewing the log again) oops, I screwed up.
Me: (peering over at the log) Um, Babe? This is Alex, not Tony...did you write that on the wrong side?
Striker: Oh, we're good!
Me: (sigh) (laugh)
Striker: Blog?

At least he knew what was coming :)

Signs You're a New Parent

This may only apply to twin parents, at least in this severity...at least I hope.

Mom: I stink. When did I shower last?
Dad: Not today. I didn't either.
Mom: Hmm, was it yesterday some time?
Dad: Maybe.
Mom: Wait, what was yesterday?
Both (realizing yesterday was growth spurt/day of constant feeding/diapering): Nope!
Mom: Guess it was Saturday. Pretty sure it was at night at least.

This conversation may or may not have transpired between Striker and I while going to sleep at midnight tonight. ;) It probably shouldn't be shared publicly, but this is our life. We love every stinky moment of it. We do make the extra effort to shower before non family visits though...sorry family!

And in case you're wondering...I still haven't painted my toenails since removing the (very old, half worn off/grown out) polish on Christmas Eve. Striker commented then that it was the first time he'd seen my toenails naked in the almost 8 years he's known me.

Update on the boys: they are staying awake longer during the day and recognize Mommy and Daddy's voices. Pretty sure that they are about 7 (Alex) and 6(Tony) lbs each...both are about to move up to the next size in clothes (that'll be 0-3 for Alex and Newborn for Tony). They had a crazy growth spurt Sunday that included 21 diaper changes and 9.5 hours of feeding time. Yes, we're still tracking that stuff and are considering adding our showers to the log as well. We already record our vitamins and medications there ;). Oskar is a very good boy and now snuggles with the boys and worries about them when they cry. He's a good big brother!

First Official Mail

The boys received their first official mail (not counting cards and gifts) - their Social Security cards! Striker is already working on our 2009 taxes. ;)

Merry Christmas Eve!

We were in bed by 9, though Tony wasn't quite ready to sleep. Now that he's finally out (but still in my arms), Alex is starting to wake up. It's Striker's turn to sleep right now. I slept from 9-10.

Motherhood is the most challenging and rewarding thing I've ever done. I would face every single struggle all over again just to hold these little boys in my arms. I love being Alex and Tony's mom!

Bad Patient Service

There are 2 reasons that we'll be changing doctors for the boys. The main one is that I don't feel they are that supportive of breastfeeding and have been too quick to suggest supplementing both boys despite their both growing on pace. They don't ask very many questions which is necessary for proper diagnosis. I'd rather take them to the family practice physician who finally got my Chiari diagnosed.

The other is this note:
To Our Patients:
Please verify with your insurance company if the doctor you will see is under your plan. We don't have enough time to verify your eligibility. If the doctor is not covered, you will be responsible for the full amount.

To quote my mother in law (who works in an urgent care office), "that's their job!"

What A Difference 6 Months Makes!

You may recall about 6 months ago when I was sitting at Robbins Bros getting my wedding ring cleaned and had the revelation that the next time I did that, I'd likely have 2 babies at home. Actually I said with me. Well I took KT's advice and left the boys at home with Striker and their Oma and stopped by Robbins Bros after my doctor's appointment today. (Side note: it was really weird to not be pregnant at my OB's office. First time that I'd been there and not had to visit the restroom before I got weighed. All is well and I go back in 4 weeks...in the meantime I'm allowed to take walks and moderately use the stairs but nothing that counts as exercise.)

I was asked by both my mom and aunt if I missed the boys while I was out by myself. I actually missed the belly more, because I'm not used to taking the boys with me places outside of my body yet. I am used to driving while talking to the belly or playing with Tony when a good song was on the radio. I even drank lemonade (official beverage of making the belly dance) before the appointment out of habit. Of course I missed the boys, but hopefully someone will understand what I'm trying to say here.

Anyhow, I am becoming concerned about a few of the changes that momhood has brought to my life.

Exhibit A: While sitting in Robbins Bros waiting for my rings to come back to me all nice and sparkly, I see a young guy looking for an engagement ring (duh, I was in "the world's biggest engagement ring store") and think about how much my life has changed, that I have 2 little boys now, and that one day they will be engagement ring shopping. I feel a little weepy. I blame the hormones (by the way, how long can I legitimately get away with blaming hormones for unJennlike behavior? Ruth?).

Exhibit B: I'm never early places. Usually right on time or within 10 minutes late. For the 2nd time since officially being a mom I was EARLY today. I've made MANY trips to my OB over the last 6 months. I was 20 minutes early to my appointment today so I had time to go get a Peppermint Mocha (Christmas in a cup) and drink it before my appointment. I shared my concern with the Queen and she assured me that this was to be expected since I was overestimating the time to do everything right now and that at some point I'd stop doing that and return to my "normal" arrival time. Shared thought.

Exhibit C: I stopped at Babies R Us on the way back (which I have visited WAY more times than Target in the last few months...sigh...Exhibit D?) and purchased one of the stupid nursing cover up thingies that I swore I'd never buy. (This is NOT like the changing table issue. This you may mock me for.)It's not wide enough to cover tandem feeding twins, but I bought it with the intention of using it as a pattern to make a twin size version. (And I actually think that I will return it, along with the other items that I've been accumulating to return to various places. They are in bags with their receipts if I have them. If I actually return them, we'll have Exhibit E.) I had a feeling that there wouldn't be a good selection online for twins that were wide enough and long enough to actually cover up. There isn't. I may contact the nice people that make the greatest twin nursing pillow on the planet (also the only one) and see if they'll let me sell them my idea to make a fortune. I also have an idea for including a BlackBerry pocket and burp cloth/drool catcher. :) It's my million dollar idea...maybe I shouldn't have posted it here for the world to see? And yes, I just might try to make one in festive Christmas fabric before Friday...it'll be my prototype. This is Exhibit C not because I'm being crafty, but because I'm potentially creating and selling a mom product. Seriously? Who am I?! Ooh, maybe I can go on Shark Tank?! That chick with the elephant medicine dispenser is making some good dough!

Hmm

Filing this under things that make me go "hmm"...
Way back in the distance, that's a pink flocked tree. More salmon colored actually...YUCK!!

This is My Life

And this is my second time writing this post...the first draft got lost in my BlackBerry while going back and forth between BBMs. Sigh.

Last night was the first time that I was home alone with the boys all by myself for 2 hours. Striker was bowling his league and I was finally able to convince my mom to go home and get some rest around 7:45. (She's been working a ton of hours then coming over after work to help and feed us with holding her grandsons as payment - Thanks Mom!)

I took this picture because I was amused that Oskar curled up next to the Boppy with sleeping Alex. It was only upon further review that I noticed all the other fun things in the picture:
-People Magazine - essential for my entertainment during feedings
-"the football" - our log of feedings and diaperings - mock us if you must, but a must have with twins
-TV remote - no explanation necessary
-wipes and changing pad with bonus dirty diaper - since we are spending most of our time hanging out in our bedroom until I get a green light on stairs, our bed has doubled as our changing table. In order to keep Alex awake during his feedings, we change his diaper halfway through otherwise he only eats for 10 minutes and passes out with food coma face.

Poor little Tony has a blocked tear duct, which resulted in my first call to their pediatrician today. It's very common and nothing too serious. It just means he has a goopy eye until it works itself out. It doesn't seem to bother him, but he's a tough little guy!

We're trying to get and upload audio of Tony eating because he makes the funniest noises for such a tiny guy!

Birth Day Prediction Winner!!!

I know you've all been wondering who guessed closest to the boys' actual birthday, and the winner is, drum roll please...

Veronica AKA Bianka's (and Karin's) Mom and Maddie and AJ's Oma!!!

Her official guess was only 4 1/2 hours off and she was only an ounce off of Tony's weight...I'm totally impressed!!! Even better is that I conveniently have a picture of us together for posting purposes ;)

Hopefully she'll come and visit soon...she deserves to hold these boys for hours, well probably days, to make up for all the time the Kolbow family practiced with AJ.

Alex and Tony's Birth Story

So I'm finally getting around to writing this post...sorry for the delay, but I didn't want to rush it and leave stuff out - that means it'll be long ;)

Here's a quick summary of the events leading up to 9:59 AM:
3:48 AM - Water breaks in bed, Striker gets out of bed the fastest I've ever seen him wake up and start moving. He was super cute and very helpful. He stayed calm and managed to remember to grab everything except the diaper bag. We're both super excited and relieved to not have to count and time contractions. Water breaking means guaranteed admission to the hospital and a birthday within 24 hours! I like the efficiency and that I will have not once gone to Labor & Delivery with a false alarm - YAY US!

Approximately 4:15 AM - We leave for the hospital in the rain. It's a Monday morning, but thankfully before rush hour. We listen to Mariah Carey Merry Christmas. I'm calm, excited, and typing away on my BlackBerry while Striker drives us safely to the hospital.

Approximately 4:45 AM - We arrive at the hospital, Striker grabs a wheelchair and takes me up to L&D. While not confirmed by a medical professional, I'm pretty sure that my second bag of water broke right before we got to the hospital. Thank goodness for beach towels!

By 5:30 AM - I've been admitted, changed, hooked up to monitors, checked, dilated to 3-4 cm, and had my c-section scheduled for 9:30 AM. Baby B was still firmly transverse (horizontal) and no one wanted to bet the odds on which way he'd flip. Once my water broke I started having some pretty decent contractions but wasn't feeling much pain...mostly just uncomfortable, but tolerable. The nurse began prepping me for surgery.

Shortly after 6:00 AM - the anesthesiologist - Dr Edwards - came in to put in the epidural. I hadn't requested it yet, but she'd just started her shift, knew I'd need it before 9:30's surgery, and wanted to get it in while she had plenty of time. Efficiency...like it! She gave me a test dose of the happy juice to make sure that it was properly in place. I didn't need the full dose yet because I wasn't in pain...freakishly high pain tolerance of course. It worked and I laid around saying over and over how weird the epidural makes you feel. It's exactly how everyone describes it, yet nothing like it at the same time. I seriously probably said "that's so weird" several dozen times in the less than 5 hours I had the epidural in.

Around 7:00 AM - I started to feel pressure with the contractions and asked the nurse to check me because I was second guessing my pain tolerance and didn't want to deliver Baby A before I knew what was happening. I was at 5 cm. Holy wow things were progressing quickly!!! There was discussion of whether or not we'd make it to 9:30.

Around 7:30 AM - I decided to just go ahead and get the happy juice pumped through the epidural since it was already in place and I was starting to really feel the contractions. Why feel them if I didn't need to? That's sort of like beating your head against a wall for fun.

7:30 AM - 8:30 AM - Under the influenece of the epidural...that's when this first picture was taken. By this time they'd already pumped me full of IV fluids which is why I look so puffy. Luckily the epidural seemed to slow my progress down a bit so that I was less worried about giving birth both ways. (Sort of like poking a sharp stick in your eye for fun).














9:30 AM - I was wheeled into the OR and final preparations for surgery began. There was Christmas music playing the whole time. The blue curtain went up and it was just me, Striker, and Dr Edwards while we listened to all the people on the other side chat about Christmas gifts and shopping. The NICU doctor came to my side of the curtain and introduced himself...Dr Schultz. I really appreciated him doing that since it was really odd to be behind the curtain while so many people were working on you on the other side.

9:59 AM - Alexander Martin was born. He began crying right away. While Dr Schultz and team were checking him out, he peed all over.

10:00 AM - Anton Mikael was born. It took him a few extra seconds to start crying...from the limited reflection in an overhead light, I think I saw the cord wrapped arond his neck (I've got to remember to ask my OB when I see her next week), so maybe that's why. He also peed all over Dr Schultz and his team.

10:01 AM - 10:30 AM - Striker went over to be with the boys while I laid there and got put back together. My doctor confirmed that I had a good amount of scar tissue from my ruptured appendix when I was 10. Perhaps that was at least the partial cause of my infertility as I'd suspected. I heard Dr Schultz tell my OB that both boys APGAR Scores were 9 & 9. I laid there crying like a baby. Dr Edwards was awesome and told me what was going on, asked me about our journey to that moment, and generally just comforted me. I will always remember that moment. It's tough, because you're left there all alone while Daddy is off with your babies and all you want to do is see them and hold them after going through so much for them to get there. When I told Striker that later, he felt bad, but he was supposed to be with our boys, that's where I wanted him to be. It's just tough to explain or understand unless you've been there.

Dr Edwards took a bunch of pictures of the 4 of us together for the first time. It's pretty impossible to get everyone's head the same directon with the stupid curtain in the way, but I still like this picture:

10:30 AM - 12:30 AM - We were all taken back to my original LDR room where I promptly got nauseous when they sat me up which prevented me from holding the boys right away. Striker got to hold them and take pictures with them (courtesy of Jennifer Dahl). Jennifer gave them their first baths while I willed my stomach to cooperate so I could hold my babies!

1:00 PMish - We finally made it up to the postpartum floor and got the twin room - score!!! It's in the back corner of the floor, has 2 hospital beds (no pull out chair or sofa for Striker), and lots of room for visitors and stuff. It was only when we were being discharged that we learned that there was another set of twins born the same week...we just beat them to the big room...good job boys!

Grandma Barbie holding Alex and Oma holding Tony:

I feel that I should mention that the hospital requires ALL visitors to wear those stupid yellow masks. In some ways I sort of liked it, but mostly it just annoyed people. Please don't think that I'm some germ freak that made the boys' grandmothers wear masks to hold them!



Opa was SO EXCITED to take this picture...and break the rules by removing his mask!

Auntie removed her mask the second she came into the room every time. She's quite the rebellious rule breaker!

My Aunt and Uncle (I so need to teach the boys to call him Uncle Ding Dong):

First Appointment

I am pleased to report that despite the boys deciding to cluster feed all night, this being our first trip out of the house together, a dead car battery (or possibly starter), and it being 58 degrees outside, we are all safely bundled in the car and on our way 10 minutes early.

Being able to put the boys in their car seats in the comfort of our temperature controlled bedroom with plenty of time to surround them so they are sitting snugly makes for happy boys and a happy Mommy.

We're going to be on time...I wonder how often that happens for these first appointments?

2 Hour Response Time

Thursday afternoon, I had a message from Queen B on BBM that went unanswered for 2 hours. This is completely unacceptable given my average response time (exact time will be commented by the Queen). When I finally answered, I told her I'd explain on the blog, it just took 2, make that 3, days longer than planned. Here's my explanation:

Thursday was discharge day from the hospital, but my OB didn't come by until after 2 PM, so we got a late start on the paperwork. Shortly after 3 we got our stack of paperwork, got my staples removed (only 11 of them), and started preparing for departure. I won't bore you with all the details, but by the time the boys were fed, changed, and packed it was 5. Then we had to wait for a wheelchair. Then we dealt with the most RIDICULOUS example of Rule Following vs Common Sense.

The policy on the Postpartum floor is that the ID bracelets are matched up (between mother/father/baby) right at the door, a consent/acknowledgement form signed, and the Lojack bracelet cut off. To do this means that the baby's hands and feet must be uncovered. Times 2. This meant that neither could be wearing more than a t-shirt and then swaddled from the walk from our room to the exit door of the floor. It was in the 50s outside, so we had to carry their outside clothes with us. Times 2. We weren't allowed to put them in their carseats until we were out of the hospital - I had to carry them both while riding in the wheelchair. I waited with the nurse right inside the door while Striker got the car and warmed it up. Then we dressed the baby in the front seat of the car while the heater prevented frostbite and put them in their car seat. Times 2. We created quite the back up in the
patient loading zone, but luckily there was some nice lady we overheard telling everyone that we had twin babies we were putting in the car. People apparently love them some twin babies ;)

We were forced to follow these ridiculous rules despite having a 5ish pound baby that was almost put in the NICU 36 hours earlier because of his issues regulating his body temperature. THANK GOD we were able to be discharged on Thursday before Friday's storm. I could not have imagined doing all of that in the rain.

In hindsight, the only thing we could have done differently would have been to dress them in the lobby, but the temperature there was too cold for Tony with the doors opening and closing constantly, so I guess what we did was really the best thing for the little guy. Times 2.

Did I mention that I'm supposed to be taking it easy? I was so exhausted when we got home...definitely overdid it. Apparently being a mom brings out the rule breaker in me ;)

We're Home!!!

After a rough few hours after we got home, at 4:30 AM, I think we're going to survive the toughest time in the life of twin parents. Please let me keep my optimism!!!

I overdid it in the process of getting home...I took it easy, but after sitting on my butt for 5 months, I don't have much physical endurance right now. My mom and sister were both here to help us and thank goodness for that!!! Striker is still getting used to napping vs sleeping, and when I'm down and out, he overdoes it and gets exhausted. He's super awesome and is a phenomenal Dad and Husband!!! When helpers are here, they are really helping him the most until I can heal enough to share the workload. (I'm trying to be patient, though have resorted to taking Motrin...if I could just sit around and sleep, I wouldn't need it).

The boys are really good babies right now and are making it pretty easy for us to learn their needs and wants. Sometimes it's not until after a much needed nap that I figure it out, but trial and error has gotten us through a few tough moments already. Every single class that we took was 110% worth it, even though I'd already knew or read most of the info taught from my time spent on bed rest. When you're sleep deprived and holding a crying baby, that repeated knowledge sticks out way better and takes over when your only instinct is telling you to crawl into bed and pull the covers over your head.

Our biggest challenge right now is helping Tony (and sometimes Alex) control his body temperature and the transition to his new environment made him a little fussy until I got the right temperature for our bed room (74-76 degrees in case you're wondering). I learned at the hospital the ratio of my body temp to Tony's with a specific amount of clothing for each of us. This came in quite handy tonight, once I got us balanced, the boys settled right down. (Alex's layers are just one less than Tony's).

All 3 of my men are sleeping at the moment and we're settling into our new pattern...I would say schedule, but there is no control over it at the moment ;) I'm pretty sure Striker will agree with me after he gets a few hours of sleep. We're doing a good job of letting each other know when we've reached our breaking points then taking over so that whoever needs it can get a few solid hours. I just woke up from mine, hence the optimism :)

Our other "challenge" right now is that we're having to feed the boys formula to supplement until my milk comes in, because we need them to plump up quickly to help with body temp issues and general growth (and while it's TMI, some milk just started to come in at my last pumping - THANK GOD!) This is challenging because Striker (or anyone besides me) needs to feed them to help preserve our shot at successfully breastfeeding, which means it's one more thing for Striker to do. He has not once complained, but I know it's tough on him. It's not all challenging though...my biggest problem is trying to get Striker to stop making me laugh for fear of rupturing my incision. There are definitely worse things :)

This has totally turned into a baby blog and there's nothing going to change about that until I do something besides take care of my babies 24/7. Consider yourself warned ;) I have several posts pending (evil nurses, rule following vs common sense, Alex and Tony's Birth Story, and of course daily updates like this), and will fit them in probably around this time every day. Ha! As if I could actually schedule ANYTHING right now!

Random side note: Can I tell you how nice it is to lay flat on my back?! I am so happy to be able to sleep in my own bed, but it's high and kinda hard to get in and out of...especially without using my stomach muscles.

Ok, time to catch a quick nap before someone wakes up...guaranteed NOT to be Striker first ;)

What's In A Name?

One of the questions that I've been asked quite often since Monday is "how/why did you pick their names?"

When I was asked again tonight, I knew I was not only severely slacking on posting, but finally wanted to write the post that I started in my head Labor Day weekend. My procrastination ends now while all 3 of my boys are sleeping...Daddy Striker is finally snoring, a sure sign that he is finally sleeping well. :)

Since we underwent IVF and knew there was a possibility of multiples, I'd picked 2 girl names and 2 boy names months before these guys were even conceived, but didn't share them with Striker until our "name the babies summit" in July after we'd learned we were having boys.

Being a tad OCD, I knew that if they were both boys I wanted them to have the same initials and that there a few family names that made the short list. I also wanted something that was short or could be shortened to something easily spelled since they were destined to spell their last name their entire lives.

Before Striker and I convened for our "name the babies summit", I consulted with the Queen for name suggestions that started with my chosen initials to make sure I wasn't overlooking something. I highly recommend her for assistance in naming your offspring - she's very helpful and thorough ;)

We agreed upon their names very quickly...it also helped that Striker was open to suggestion and only wanted veto power. So, how they got their names (the long version)...

Alexander- Completely randomly selected. At first Striker almost vetoed it. He thought of Alex Trebec, I pointed out that A was already the overachiever and that was fitting and it grew on him in a matter of minutes.

Martin - Striker's middle name (and the Queen's maiden name...she refers to him as "her" twin). Striker and his dad share the same first name but have different middle names. This was our version of that trend. Martin was also Striker's Opa's name.
.
Anton - We debated between Anthony and Anton for months. We knew we'd call him Tony either way. There is an Uncle Tony on Striker's mom's side of the family. I was worried about making the poor kid spell both his first and last names his whole life. Anton is the German version of Anthony and Striker really wanted to use it. We tentatively agreed on it, but knew I was concerned...until Labor Day weekend when we were at the annual gathering for the Dance Group and "Anton aus Triol" (popular at Oktoberfest celebrations) was played. Baby B threw a party in my belly and "danced" the entire song. How could we NOT name him after his favorite song? He'd later repeat this performance several times whenever he heard a good polka. In fact we "danced" together at times as well...I'd tap a 1-2-3 beat on my belly and he'd kick back. Should he ever complain about having to spell his name all the time,
I get to tell him that he named himself. ;)

Mikael - We needed an M name to go with Martin and liked Michael/Mikael. The spelling corresponded to whether or not we used Anthony or Anton. Mikael is also one of Striker's closest friends, he was in our wedding, and was in the dance group with Will. It just fit.

And that is where I'd ended this post in my head, until Monday when we learned that the boys' first nurse's name was Jennifer Dahl. According to the resourceful Queen B, there are 110 Jennifer Dahl's in the US. What are the odds that 2 of them would be at the same place at the same time?! Especially that a nurse would randomly be assigned to boys born to someone whose maiden name was Dahl?! Craziness!

I'm a Mommy!!!

I'll do a more lengthy recap later, but please welcome:
Baby A - Alexander "Alex" Martin
6lbs 12 oz, 18 inches, born at 9:59 AM

Baby B - Anton "Tony" Mikael
5lbs 1 oz, 17 inches, born at 10:00 AM

Alex and Tony are sleeping, so now Mommy and Daddy are napping too!

It's 3:48 on December 7th...

...And I'm in labor!!!!

Apparently these boys just wanted their own birthday...and will be born either today or early tomorrow since my water broke! Striker won't have to share his birthday and his 30th birthday gift will be here on time ;)

BTW, 4:15 is the perfect time to commute on a Monday morning :) We are driving safely in the rain listening to Mariah Carey Merry Christmas.

Of course they picked a Monday...Striker was born on a Sunday and I was born on a Tuesday. Love these boys!

BTW, so happy I ate a HUGE dinner last night!!! We went to Red Robin and I ate: a cup of chicken tortilla soup, Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Wrap and fries, and half a chocolate shake. Needless to say, I'm not hungry yet.

Thanks to all the well wishes and early morning commenters...Facebook First Responder was Ann, BBM was ABBA, and text was Judy Hsu!!! My ear still hurts from my mom screaming into it. :)

Almost to the hospital...it's showtime and I need to fix my hair!

36 Weeks Belly

Will this be the last one? (Hey look, I have a butt!)

36 Weeks

Today was the final ultrasound for measurements for the boys. When we arrived at the hospital we were forced to wear a mask "for 'our' protection". Please note, I received both flu shots. I wanted to argue this point, but the rule follower in me kicked in. When you are already warm and breathing takes some extra effort because you are 9 months pregnant with twins, wearing a mask DOES NOT help the situation. The best part is that I get to wear one again tomorrow for my non stress test. Did I mention that I was also huffing and puffing from my walk into the hospital? They were running 45 minutes behind, so the 2 reserved spots near the bat cave entrance were both taken. I had to park in the regular lot. Sigh.

A is measuring full term (39-40 weeks) and is weighing about 6 pounds 14 ounces. B is measuring a little small at 34 weeks and 5 pounds, but that's been consistently where he's measured. All 3 of us are doing well, so we're just going to continue the non stress tests and wait for them to decide when they want to be born.

I'm just impatiently sitting around and waiting. We all know how patient I am and how well I wait for things. ;)

Belly picture will be posted shortly...Striker is bowling :)

Eviction Proceedings - Day 2

Today I:
-Napped until noon (I was up until midnight and wake up every hour and a half or so, so don't be too jealous)
-Ate WAY too many Oreos
-Spent the entire afternoon sitting up and reading...finished Going Rogue - highly recommend it
-Noticed that stretch marks are now appearing on my belly like fault lines near the San Andreas...luckily they have not traveled north of the belly button
-Answered numerous inquiries by phone, email, Facebook, text, and BBM as to whether anything was happening - not a darn thing
-Got stir crazy, needed out of the house and decided to go watch Striker bowl league tonight, he drove and we're within an hour radius of the hospital
- Tomorrow is 12/3, 36 weeks and the last big ultrasound for measurements - it's at 3:30 and I promise to update Facebook and the blog ASAP after, though that may not be until 5 if they can do my NST after the ultrasound
-Committing to y'all that when things happen: 1) Mass BBM will be sent to all contacts where updates will be posted in real time, it'll be like a group chat, so you can all entertain each other...this will also allow Striker or others to update should I be unable to; 2) Facebook will be updated regularly...now would be the time to add Striker and Lil Dahl if you haven't already; 3) I have a list of people to text, if you'd like to be on this list (and don't fall under the first 2 notification categories), let me know.

Once again, technology/communication plan is in place, hospital bag is still not packed...I should probably do that when we get home. ;)

-It seems that B is currently tap dancing on A trying to shove him out (at least he listens to Grandma Barbie). Other than that, they've both been pretty quiet the last 2 days...perhaps they are resting up for their big debut?

LOUD Carpet

This picture doesn't do it justice. They are the brightest neon colors that I have ever seen and also the new carpet at Striker's Wednesday night bowling alley. Seriously, you need sunglasses to look directly at it.

Let The Eviction Begin!

Tonight we are enjoying dinner cooked by Mr KFuj (at least I'm assuming so since it involves raw chicken), watching Kings vs Ducks (let's go Kings), and dessert of Double Stuf Oreos and Dr Pepper.

My to do list, with the exception of packing my hospital bag and removing the stupid Verizon message from my mobiley posts - no it's not under Email Settings, is complete.

You Have Been Warned

The next person to send me a picture of Oreos will cause me to eat the remaining White Fudge Oreos and drink Dr Pepper!

35 Weeks

We took this picture this morning before turkey dinner. It is now post dinner and the boys are enjoying their post dinner food coma. I've only had sporadic contractions since the Oreo incident on Monday. I've also been sitting on my butt pretty much exclusively since then.

Happy Thanksgiving 2009

This year I am most thankful for:

Striker for helping me through another year filled with things neither of us ever planned on...and overcoming his phobias to be super supportive and not strangling me even though I tried his patience on far too many occasions to count. I am incredibly privileged to be married to such a wonderful, loving, caring, fun, and supportive man.

Being given the opportunity to grow 2 humans and experience the joy of pregnancy...even all of the scary and uncomfortable stuff too! The added bonus was getting to experience it at the same time as so many of the women that I'm closest to!

My family for supporting us, and particularly me, through acts of service, time, or financial means, so that I could make growing 2 healthy boys my priority. Ok, at times it was basically slave labor, and I'll never be able to repay you, but I will be eternally grateful!

Friends that are only a BBM, text message, or phone call away...even if I rarely answer my phone. :)

Finding more good doctors that helped to change my life forever. Let's hope this is the last year that I need to list this one!

Learning which people are there for me no matter what, and removing those that aren't from my life.

Striker's coworkers for making it a great place to work...happy work life + happy home life = a very happy Striker = a happy wife.

The furries even though they drive me crazy sometimes and create messes and disasters that would otherwise not happen. Without them I would have gone completely insane sitting at home by myself for 5 months.

All the little things that make me happy: BlackBerries, Blogging, Facebook, Farmville ;), Grocery Delivery, Starbucks Christmas Cups, Massages, Pedicures, Rule Breaking, HCBC Gatherings, Countdowns, Fake Thanksgiving in October, Seasonal Treats (I WANT MY OREOS), Headless Weekly Maternity Photos, Quality Time with the Hubby, Good Books, and lately Rule Breaking ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gobble Gobble Day

Just in case you forgot, Thanksgiving Eve is the official Gobble Gobble Day. At least for the Queen and I. Gobble gobble.

Birth Plan - FFSU and Blogging

I was asked by the Queen today what my birth plan was as it pertains to FFSU and Blogging. Rest assured, all bases are covered.

Both Striker and I will have our BlackBerries (assuming that the boys hold out until my transfer from Pearl & AT&T to Tour & Verizon is complete...should be up and running no later than Friday unless AT&T holds my cell number hostage), this will connect us to both Facebook and mobiley posting. Chargers are on the list of things we must grab when en route to the hospital. I am much more likely to forget my vitamins and iron supplements (and Striker's meds) than my BlackBerry charger ;)

Should reception be an issue in LDR (that's Labor, Delivery, & Recovery) or should I require an emergency c-section (and we're hoping NOT), both my sistor and aunt are equipped for mobiley FFSUing...though my sistor will likely be the more reliable one, since my aunt NEVER updates her status.

KFuj will also be standing by to FFSU and mobiley post and will be in charge of the list of due date predictions.

I aspire to live up to the high standards set by both KT and Bianka while in labor. It does help that I have a crew of BlackBerry enabled family members who will be at the hospital with me...just in case. All of the postpartum rooms are private, on the top floor, and have large windows, so I'm anticipating decent cell reception...hopefully this is the case since the Queen is already taking an average of my BBM response times pre-boys so that she can mock me once my hands are full. My frequent napping might actually lead to a situation where my response time improves once I'm no longer sleeping half the day. :)

And please, no one point out that cell phone usage is generally frowned upon in hospitals...as the Queen also pointed out...we're paying them. :)

All I Want...

...Is a few more Oreos. See, when my mom was pregnant with me, she ate Oreos and Dr. Pepper right before her water broke. It's been a joke that when I wanted to evict the boys I just needed to do the same.

It's Christmas time (yes, I am aware that it is not yet Thanksgiving...I broke my own rule and started celebrating 9 days early this year), and that means White Fudge Oreos are here! I'm very big on seasonal treats...See's chocolate balls at Christmas, chocolate eggs and a bunny at Easter, candy corn before Halloween, you get the idea. I commented last weekend that I hadn't been able to find White Fudge Oreos on my limited outings and really wanted to find them. My sister found them and bought me a box yesterday. I ate two around 4:30 despite her warning that I'd better not go into labor. I argued that since I wasn't eating them with Dr. Pepper, I was safe. So tasty!!! I immediately put 6 into a bag and labeled it 12/3, intending to eat 3 for each of the boys on what I've decided is eviction day. I'll be getting the Dr. Pepper later.

Fast forward to just before 9:00...I'm watching Dancing With The Stars and feel what is clearly a contraction. This continues for half an hour with contractions every 5-6 minutes before I alert Striker and consult my experienced mother friends...they are generally polar opposites on the medical front, so they make drawing conclusions pretty easy by finding the middle. I decide to try control alt deleting because I refuse to believe that the boys would violate my post-turkey dinner rule. A half hour goes by and the contractions are farther apart. Convinced they will be going away, I decide to go to sleep. Other than a few random ones felt when waking up 45 times to go to the bathroom, it was definitely not real labor.

Another scheduled non-stress test this morning and I was sent home. YAY! I was told by the nurse that they are no longer worrying if I have contractions since I'm 35 weeks on Thursday. She did however tell me to come in if there was decreased fetal movement, my water broke, or if the contractions started to bother me.

I really want to eat a few more of the White Fudge Oreos, but Queen B won't let me. :(

Coincidentally, Diane posted this today. Oh how I want to try those too!!!

Tired Striker

This is what 55 games of bowling in 9 days will do to you....at least his arm hasn't fallen off yet or his hip dislocated.

In addition to winning some money, he also beat Vince Wood in their match today. On a side note: I learned that Vince Wood went to CSUF, where Striker and I met...who knew?

Oh and while Striker did not bowl another 300 this week, he did bowl a 279 (stupid 10 pin) and picked up the 7-10 split for the first time! (For all you non-bowlers, that's the 2 pins on the opposite sides of the lane in the very back.)

My Sistor Did This

And he looks thrilled doesn't he?

Happy Unbirthday Uncle!

So, this is going to be one of the boys's role models....
Birthday gifts (which he LOVED) included:
Ruffles
Ding Dongs
Ding Dong Birthday Cake
In N Out Gift Card
Snickers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and Butterfingers
A kid picking his nose on the bag
And a gorilla card that blows kisses from my Aunt

Karma

Yes, I finally put the picture in the frame. And the one downstairs too. I hear the Queen has some pictures that need to be hung...

34 Weeks

Not sure if you can tell from this picture, but the belly has dropped. Like when I sit in bed, it touches the mattress (no, I can't sit with my thighs touching, at least not comfortably). I am continually amused at how the aliens have completely taken over my body.

Still waiting on the pictures from Striker's Surprise Shower. Something about people having to work. I was busy napping most of the day today and playing with B who I swear was trying to turn himself head down. There was also a period of time where I think they were taking turns kicking each other.

I've had 2 non-stress tests now, with a third tomorrow. Striker gets to chauffeur me there since it's his Friday off. Yay! Both have been uneventful so far, with the exception of B getting zapped for sleeping. I told Striker that I had to be sure to eat later to avoid a repeat performance. Orange juice and some protein make him do a happy dance.

We plan to finish the last minute stuff this weekend and pack my bag for the hospital, not that they are allowed to be born before December 1, but because then we can do a little Christmas decorating next weekend. Yippee!

The Best Laid Plans

We found out last night that they would finally be paving the streets around our house...YAY! Of course it was sort of short notice...they'd be doing so today and tomorrow. I was initially quite thankful that this was transpiring now instead of in a few weeks when I'd likely go into labor while trapped in my house. According to the schedule, they'd be paving the street right in front of our house on Thursday which was good since I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for today and planned to drop Oskar off at the groomers on my way there and back.

I spent the morning monitoring the progress and everything appeared to be going according to schedule... I took Oskar to the groomers, came home after my appointment because he wasn't ready, and left to pick him up without issue. When I was turning onto my street I saw this:
















Oh oh, Houston we had a problem! You see, not only did I have Oskar with me (with only his collar which he can pull himself out of since he's a dachshund and his chest is so strong - walking him on a leash requires a harness) but I was operating on a fairly tight schedule in order to shower and get ready to go to Will's Surprise Shower at his work. I couldn't park my car any closer than approximately a quarter mile from my house. I could drive down the middle of my street, but couldn't park or get into the streets that lead to my garage. I circled trying to figure out the best place to park that would require the shortest distance and the most time spent walking in the shade. While it was only in the 70s today, I have not walked a quarter mile (much less a half mile round trip) in over 4 months. I was not prepared for a walk of that magnitude and was in need of a bathroom since it had been almost an hour since my last visit. (Go ahead and laugh...have 10 pounds of baby sit on your bladder and see how often you think it needs to be emptied).

I found a spot that I considered best case scenario, left my purse in the car and took only my cell phone and keys, crossed my fingers that Oskar would behave himself on the leash and set off with the following mantra in my head "Please don't go into labor. It's only November 18th, Will's surprise shower is happening in an hour and a half and your being there is part of the surprise." (Repeat)

Oskar was already tired from his trip to the groomers, but thankfully made it about halfway back before he started dragging and slipped out of his collar. Unable to afford slowing down, and being quite tempted to start knocking on doors, I picked Oskar up and carried him the rest of the way. (BTW, bending over to pick him up is something that I find rather comical...I'm surprised I haven't toppled over and crushed him yet!)

















I finally made it to our house half an hour behind schedule and considered having my sister drive 10 miles to my house to drive me the quarter of a mile back to my car, and bless her, she was going to, but I realized that it would take her too long to get there. I still needed to shower (and boy was I sweaty after all that physical activity!) but knew that in order for the mantra to be effective I need to drink a glass of water and lay down for at least 10 minutes...it's amazing how doing that is the pregnancy equivalent of ctrl+alt+delete. Anyhow, I showered and left the house in record time and made it back to my car just in time to make it to the hubby's work on time (well a few minutes late because of construction detours and then several cop cars blocking the detour street).

The highlight of my walk was the construction guy apologizing to me as I waddled past. I told him it wasn't his fault that I had stuff to do today, but he said he felt bad given my condition...I really should have asked him to give me a ride to my car...Hindsight.

Going Rogue

Also known as Rule Breaking: Christmas Edition.

I usually have a strict no Christmas before Thanksgiving policy. Except that I'm not decorating for Christmas this year and decide to cheat my own rule and listen to Manheim Steamroller's 25th Anniversary Collection of Christmas songs today while driving around. It's not entirely my fault....I went to Target to buy Sarah Palin's book on the way to my non-stress test and walked right by Christmas CDs after deciding that I wanted to load my ipod with Christmas music for the hospital last night. Just call me CPL :)

33 Weeks & 3 Days PG Today

Striker bowled a 300 yesterday. He placed 3rd in the sweeper and had the third highest in qualifying in both regionals. He was 3 for 3 in softball today. He hit a 3 run home run.

As Ruth pointed out, there were a lot of 3's this weekend...My delivery date prediction is officially 12/3. They are my boys after all :)

XXXXXXXXXXXX

What's that? Why a 300 for Striker of course! He was celebrating both Maddie's and the Queen's Father's birthdays today. ;) I believe that it's his 9th adult sanctioned 300. Woo hoo!

Good Luck & High Scoring

Striker is in Las Vegas bowling this weekend. He bowled one tournament today and one tomorrow. Today he bowled 8 games of qualifying, followed by 4 games of match play, a semifinal game, and then the finals. Yep, 14 games in a row with only about a half hour break for lunch in between the 8 games and match play.

He bowled very consistently averaging roughly 230 for the 8 games. My math skills are sort of lazy, so that's close enough for me...Mr CPA Striker on the other hand....well I'll let him share that funny story in the comments if he wants. He ended up in 2nd place and winning $1000!!! Woo Hoo! It's been a very profitable few months for Striker in the bowling department.

I'm not quite sure how his arm hasn't fallen off, but he's hoping to do it all again tomorrow...at least it's only 8 games of qualifying tomorrow. Match play and finals will be on Sunday if he makes cut. We're hoping for a repeat performance, though I think there is more money in tomorrow's tournament. ;)

Everyone be sure to wish him "Good luck and high scoring". I've been doing this before he goes bowling for awhile now, and it seems to be doing the trick...or at least making Striker happy. :)

33 Weeks

This is a BlackBerry picture of the display on my digital camera after I took the 33 Week picture myself with the aid of my tripod and auto timer setting on my camera. Striker is in Vegas this weekend hopefully bowling lots of strikes and winning some money. I promise to upload the real picture just as soon as I upload it to my laptop.

Let's see, highlights for this week:
At my 32 1/2 week appointment, the belly measured a whopping 42 weeks. My doctor laughed with me, because really, if I go until 36 weeks I'll be 46 weeks belly size or more, and that's just so ridiculous, you have to laugh. Or cry. I choose to laugh.

Right after last week's post, the super uncomfortable belly took effect. It's like a timer went off or something. Back started to hurt, hips are just miserable, moving or changing position on a frequent basis is a necessity (or else I get stuck) but doing so is comical and pathetic all at the same time. My massage therapist mentioned that he felt a lot more tension in my back last Friday compared to the prior week, so that comforted me that at least this wasn't all in my head. The belly button is so ridiculously stretched out that I'm worried it may never be the same again! There will be no naked belly pictures taken or at least shared publicly for the remainder of this pregnancy. Sorry Jane!

Striker has pretty much taken over all household activities and I've resumed couch sitting/laying on an almost permanent basis. I can tell time by my sausage toes. If I stand for 30 minutes, I get sausage toes. If I am sitting upright with my feet down, I get cankles and sausage toes in 3 hours. It's seriously like clockwork.
My sister is staying with me for the rest of the weekend and my mom and aunt are coming to help with a few things so I can just continue to lay around and grow babies. I'm not on official bed rest, but I'm on self imposed do-nothing-but-rest. I think the boys had a growth spurt one day this week because I swear I did nothing but sleep all day! I'm trying to eat a little more, even though I'm not hungry, just to be sure that B is getting enough food.

I want both to be at least 5 pounds at birth, stay out of the NICU, and preferably be December babies (by strict requests of both Mr and Mrs KFuj who will be in Vegas Thanksgiving weekend and Auntie and Uncle who will be getting new carpet that weekend). I want December babies so that we all have blue birthstones. ;) However, Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away-holy crap!

Proof that Striker and My Sistor Love Me

I really wanted to take maternity photos with Striker because 90% of the pictures I've taken while pregnant have been of just me, or me and other people without Striker in them. Since the boys are just as much his as they are mine, I really wanted good pictures of us together. I just had a problem with paying a photographer hundreds of dollars when I had all of the ideas and a perfectly good camera to do the job....it's just really hard to take pictures of yourself. The other option was some studio, but that wasn't the look I was going for. And so, I talked my sister into playing photographer for us...she did a great job, and was cheap! We only had to buy her dinner. :)

I still have some editing and playing to do, but here's a preview. I've uploaded several to Facebook already as well. I just might get pictures into all the frames I have around the house ;)

For Queen B

The appropriate way to hold twins ;)

Happy Birthday Oma to Be!

Have a great day at the house of the mouse!

Diaper Challenge

During Striker's birthday extravaganza the grandmas to be decided it be fun to have Opa diaper a stuffed animal...

Tada!

Why I Shouldn't Make Fun of Queen B

Nope, I didn't cut myself with a knife, I took a big chunk out of my thumb with a plastic hanger for BABY clothes. I was removing one of the giraffe outfits that KT and Jane got for the boys and somehow managed to make a huge divit in my thumb...which then bled profusely while I frantically instructed the hubby to get blood soaking materials that were not baby clothes (I was sitting under a pile of outfits and was trying to balance the puddle of blood on top of my thumb). Thankfully, all outfits remained unstained after they were washed...my thumb on the other hand is going to take FOREVER to heal...something about my body's resources being allocated to grow two humans. I need to get cute bandaids for my thumb.

Striker's 29 Years and 333 Days Birthday

Also known as Striker's 30th Birthday, 32 days early. :)

In an effort to not completely miss Striker's big milestone birthday on his actual birthday in December, we celebrated it yesterday. I really wanted it to be somewhat special since it'll likely be his last birthday that isn't completely shared with the boys.

We went to Wabi Sabi for dinner and then had cake and presents at our house.
Striker with his green tea ice cream...














Striker's parents...














Mr. and Mrs. KFuj...














My mom and sistor...














Auntie and Uncle...















If you've never had Almost Better than, ahem, Anything Cake, you should try it!













Luckily the smoke alarm did not go off ;)