soon

things that make me think these boys are coming soon...

1.  mild yet fairly regular contractions.

2.  on average, i get up 3-4 times to use the bathroom between the hours of 12am-7am.

3.  the other day i was lying on the bed and i asked kevin if he would help me get up, because getting up from a lying down position is very awkward and uncomfortable these days, and once he got me to a sitting position on the edge of the bed i burst into tears.  the poor guy.  he hugged me and comforted me - apologized over and over because he thought he'd hurt me.  through tears, sniffles, and broken breaths i told him i was fine and that he hadn't hurt me - that it just always hurt to try to get out of bed.  i tried to quickly get my tears under control and i succeeded, but it was the kind of crying that had i been alone i may have sobbed and sobbed until i fell asleep just because it would've felt good.  

4.  we finally sold our saab, which really is a huge blessing for us!  so yesterday i went with kevin to drop off the vehicle to the new owner, and as we pulled out of the parking lot i looked back at my sport-luxury sedan and tears welled up in my eyes.  

5.  later that same day i went to the grocery store to do our weekly shopping.  i wandered through the store with purpose, only going down the aisles that had items i needed.  as i reached for the last item on my list, a 12oz can of frozen concentrate minute maid orange juice, tears once again pooled in my eyes...  i was just so pleased knowing that i had gotten great deals with my wildcard savings, and that i was saving us money, and that kevin would be pleased.  

6.  last week kevin and i were driving home from somewhere - to be more specific, i was driving and he was riding along while talking with one of our tenants on the phone.  we sat at a red light at the intersection in front of the police station.  there are three lanes there - the farthest one to the right is a turn-right-only lane, the next lane goes straight, and the next lane goes straight to the next traffic light and then turns left.  so we sat in the middle lane waiting patiently for our green light.  kevin still on the phone and me in a bit of a daze, i see a green light and remove my foot from the brake and begin rolling into the intersection.  out of the corner of my eye i catch kevin waving at me with a concerned look on his face.  i think to myself, i wonder what's wrong, as i nonchalantly glance once more at the light.  oh, that's what's wrong!  the green light i saw was for the lane to the right of me.  i moved my foot back to the break and continued to wait patiently while laughing my head off - kevin wasn't as amused.  in actuality it all happened quite quickly - our vehicle never even made it under the traffic light, but it felt like slow motion.

7.  earlier that same day i walked into a screen door.

please tell me that all of these things mean that they're coming soon!  

my mom

my mom is here!  you know what that means, right?  really good food, a really clean house, trips to the park with otis, various outings to different stores for things that i must have... a proper mop bucket, toys for otis, random grocery items, etc...  did i mention all of the things she brings up with her?  outfits for the boys, books for the boys, musical keepsakes for the boys, spaghetti sauce, whole wheat pasta, a sleeve of plastic cups, meat from allens bros, and tennis balls for otis.  she's funny in different ways and all together wonderful - it's a real treat.  she washed the leaves on one of my plants - apparently it's leaves are brown and dying because they can't breathe through the dust collecting on them.  this visit is just a short one, but the next one will be really special!

saturday

it started off as a bit of a moody-blues day - the sole reason being that once i was showered, i also had to get dressed.  you see, i'm eight months pregnant, measuring more like eighteen months pregnant, and that means i've outgrown every article of clothing i own. not to mention that it's 75* and my maternity wardrobe consists of pants, sweaters, and long sleeve shirts.  why don't i invest in more clothes, you ask.  well, i'm just not sure it's worth it since these little guys will be here so soon.  so in the mean time, i guess i'll just stick to my $2.99 men's undershirts and maternity pants that i can roll the cuffs on to look like capri's.  

once i recovered from my little meltdown it was off to ives park for a picnic.  a pesto wrap with turkey and provolone, pink lemonade, a loving husband, a couple of great friends, and a blanket made for a splendid afternoon.  ooh, and after the picnic we went and got ice cream!

within a few short minutes of arriving home we decided to finish the last of our "things we'd like to have assembled before the babies arrive" projects.  what do you think?

picture post

and here it is... drum roll please.  after hours of work and many many thanks to the foxes for their painting skills, we have a nursery that we love.  

things i love...

and if you ever want to come for an overnight stay - this will be your room.

elephantitis

anyone that really knows me knows that my favorite features of me are my ankles and feet and eyes.  strange, but true.  so you can imagine the horror i felt when i saw this...

where is my ankle bone?  whose legs and toes are attached to my feet?  and those things that look like tan lines across the tops of my feet are actually just from my flip flops being too tight - flip flops too tight - is that really possible?!  it feels like i've had collagen injected into my ankles and feet - you know, because fat feet are all the rage.  *sigh* i'm not really complaining - i actually think it's pretty funny.  i have sausages for toes, and for the first time ever... i have cankles.

on a more serious note, it's all worth it and i feel great!  and, tonight we're going to set up the nursery and i can't wait - hopefully that means i'll have pictures to post for you tomorrow!  

photo essay

dear readers,

i have not left you.  i have not reverted to my old habits of starting a blog and ending the blog all in the same week because i ran out of things to say.  please, travel back in time with me to monday where we will begin a 5-day journey in my flip-flops.  

monday after my NST and regular check-up, i met a few neighbors while i was out doing some light yard work, which uncovered the following:

tuesday, kevin banned me from yard work (though he appreciated all that had been done) and instead i spent a bit of time recovering on the couch.  i guess maybe i was a bit over-zealous with the rake and the pruning sheers and the bagging of the leaves... he he.  in the late afternoon i did get to take a certain chubby puppy for a walk, though.  this is a pre-walk photo:

wednesday was the day i most looked forward to because i got to see my boys.  the one on the left has my nose!  (please don't be alarmed by the top left corner of the first picture - the 3D thingy only focuses on a specific portion and anything outside of that zone gets cut out).  in the evening kevin and i ate a delicious meal together and then we took otis for a walk, all the while day-dreaming of the warm summer evenings we'll soon share strolling the boys around town.

thursday is a bit fuzzy - perhaps because there are no pictures to document the day with.  but i do remember having a couple of foxes over for omelets, brownies, and father of the bride - part 1.  

friday and today you might say i've been in a bit of a nesting mode.  on the left, you have baby clothes that are in the process of being washed, dried, folded, and sorted according to size and type.  on the right, you have number one out of the two baby quilts i'm making.  the one you see is very near the finishing stage, and isn't as girly as it appears in this picture.  the second one i will start sometime this week, and i'll post a picture of them together once they're finished.  this one below is greens and browns, the other is blues and browns, and the fabrics are different patterns.      

and that concludes this weeks walk in my flip-flops.  good-bye.

unemployed and loving it

today marks my first official day of being a stay-at-home-mom, or at least a house wife until these two little guys arrive.  *sigh*  i'm gonna like this.  such a joy wells up inside of me just thinking about the different tasks there are to do... some light yard work, laundry, preparing meals, cleaning, running errands, exercise, rest, time in the Word... all of which are things that i did before, but in more of a time crunch and with less gusto.  i'm just so happy to be able to give all of my attention to serving my home and my husband - such a privilege, such a blessing.  i hope i never lose sight of that.  i'm putting into practice something i learned from the time i spent in the sinclair home - a time of great growth and rich investments poured into me both intentionally and through just getting to be a part of their family - it's the 15 minute timer rule.  i think this rule may originally come from nancy campbell, but basically it involves setting a timer for 15 minute intervals and when it rings it's a reminder to stop and praise the Lord.  

this morning i had my first non-stress test at the hospital and everything went well.  as easy going as i think i am, i couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed by the methods used - based on the occasional thuds i could hear through the monitor and feel against my innards, my babies clearly didn't care for whatever transmissions were being sent off by the pads they placed on my belly.  i asked the nurse if these pads were basically the same as using a doppler and she said yes.  now if i remember correctly from prior articles i've read, the doppler should be used for very short periods of time.  yet, the least amount of time that a NST can last for is 20 minutes.  so, i don't know.  the results were all good and i don't know that i have any real concerns with the test - should i? 

following the NST i had a regular check up with my doc.  everything looks terrific - my blood pressure, sugar levels, no labor pains, etc.  according to his little tape measure thingy i'm measuring full term, but that didn't come as much of a surprise!  i have my next ultrasound this wednesday and i'll now be having regular check ups on a weekly basis and weekly NST's.  as per request from the specialist in syracuse, they won't let me go past 38 weeks so that means i've got 6 weeks or less before i get to snuggle my boys. how wonderful!!  

home

home. i love our home.




this morning we unpackaged these.




because we can't wait for the arrival of these.

31 week blues

never thought i'd say it, but i think i've gotta a case of the 31 weeks blues.  i decided to wander off of the conference center's grounds today and skip on over to the mall - not that i have money to spend, but it was something to do and there were a few maternity related items that i was in need of.  the mall here isn't as large as the Carousel Mall in Syracuse, but in many ways it's much nicer.  i strolled up and down the mall looking for the stores that suited me, and took notice of the other stores that i would like to suit me.  these other stores had their seasonally appropriate window displays perfectly decorated with quality garments in vibrant patterns and colors that were calling out to me, 'wait!  come back!  try us on - you know we're tailored precisely for your frame.'  i hung my head slightly and whispered back, 'no you're not - not right now - not this season.'  

i remember somewhere around my 26 week mark coming across a website for ladies expecting twins.  i started reading comments that were left by these ladies about how they missed their body's and couldn't wait to get their figures back - blah, blah, blah.  i remember being totally frustrated and thinking they just don't get it - they're selfish, etc.  and now, here i am, ashamed to admit that i somewhat relate.  

i walked into a children's store today to browse the infant sale items and one of the sales associates asked me when my baby was due.  i said, 'actually we're having two and we think they'll arrive in May.'  she commented that she thought i looked good for twins and that i wasn't very big.  she was nice and it was a fun conversation, but i left the store thinking... not very big?  i'm out-growing maternity clothes and all of my shoes are tight and.... well, let's just leave it at that.  

so, all that to say, i think i'm having a bout of the 31 weeks blues.  it'll pass, i know.  in fact, i'm certain that as soon as i wake up from my nap it'll be like a whole new day.  

sweet dreams. 

ohio - day 3

i woke up almost hourly last night thinking that i was in labor - not because i was in any discomfort or having contractions (i have yet to know what that feels like), but because i kept dreaming that i was in labor.  the hard part about being in a hotel room when you're having trouble sleeping is that you're stuck.  if i was at home i could quietly leave the room, so as not to wake up kevin, and i could go watch tv in the living room or read a book or clean something.  so what did i do last night, you may be wondering.  first, i went for the tossing and turning option, which at this stage in the pregnancy, i may as well have just started jumping up and down on the bed.  i don't know if you can relate, but lying down makes me feel like a beached whale and with every toss or turn comes some strange grunting sound that i'm fairly certain sounds nothing like the noises a whale would make.  on to option number two, i propped myself up in bed with pillows, placed my hands on my belly, and tried to determine if the bulges i was feeling were heads or butts, the same baby or two different babies.  if you ask me, it's nearly impossible to come to a conclusion on that, which brought me to option number three.  i peeled back the covers, slid myself out of bed, and sat myself down at the desk.  next, i opened my laptop, hit the mute button, dimmed the screen, typed slowly and quietly, and i caught up on the news and played online crosswords puzzles.  i eventually did climb back into bed and was able to sleep and sleep and sleep without having dreamt that i was in labor.  

ok, so update/confessional on all things prego...  i'm still waiting to have those cravings that makes me send kevin out in the middle of the night for a milkshake.  i have yet to experience this full/thick head of hair that i'm supposed to get.  my rings do come on and off as easily as they did the day i got married!  i like the way my belly button looks (though i have a feeling that may change in another week or so - i think it's on it's way out).  shaving legs and clipping toe nails are just ridunkulous undertakings - i can't even see my feet - what do you think that says about the east of those conquests?!  don't panic, i still do it, it's just not my favorite activity.  

and this concludes today's segment of... things you never wanted to know and then some... 

ohio - day 2

31 weeks