Miracles

Good morning.  I'm up with insomnia.  Sometimes I get all paranoid and freaked out when I'm up in the wee hours--and it started out that way because I panicked thinking that baby E wasn't moving like normal...but then she did and I got in a better frame of mind.  (I have at least one "freak out" per pregnancy when I think that the baby isn't ok).  Anyhow, then I was thinking about the miracles that I've seen in the course of this pregnancy.

The first isn't really a miracle...it's just a coincidence, but it's worth telling anyhow.  At the start of December I had a bad stiff neck for several days. I got a chiropractor referral from a friend and scheduled an appt.  I knew from previous chiropractor experiences that I would be asked if I was pregnant before they did any x-rays.  Since I COULD be (but didn't think that I was), I decided to buy and take a test so that I could say for sure that I wasn't (the last time I'd been to a chiro they wouldn't do them because there was a possibility, and I didn't want that to happen again).  Well imagine my surprise, there in the Fred Meyer bathroom just minutes before my chiro appt, when I got a postive test result!  I was a little distrustful of it, but was excited at the prospect... I had miscarried in late September, and we felt like it was a good time to have our fourth and final baby, so the pregnancy was planned and welcomed.  No x-rays, but the chiropractor did a fabulous job anyhow, and if anyone wants a referral let me know!

So everything went as expected for a month and a half, and then I had cramping and bleeding.  I had never bled during pregnancy, and have never bled since that day.  That one day of cramping and bleeding got me in for an ultrasound (which I don't normally get at all) and I found out that I was having twins.  I was 11 weeks along.  Some might say this was a coincidence as well, but it wasn't.  Though it took me a while to really get comfy with the idea of twins, I knew right away that it was God's will.  And I also feel that the trauma of that day was a blessing in disguise because it gave me an early heads up.  I was able to totally change how I eat (quinoa casserole & protein-laden smoothie, anyone?), and to be much more vigilant about things like prenatal vitamins.  I don't think I would have known they were twins until 5-6 months were it not for that ultrasound.

There are other little blessings that I won't say are "miraculous" but they are still blessings: 

The change of heart that I've had about my life & my last pregnancy being "hijacked" as I termed it back then.  That's a big one.  Sure this pregnancy isn't like the others...but it's pretty amazing in other ways.  I'm getting close to having an "outtie" belly button for the first time...that's exciting all on it's own! ha ha.  But seriously, I'm pretty uncomfortable considering my gestation (29.5 wks), and I'm huge (belly measurement was 38 cm at my last appt...that's pretty much full-term for a singleton), and I don't know if my hips will stay intact for the rest of the pregnancy, but the babies and I have been very healthy thus far.  I've gained about 13 pounds, which is far less than any of my other pregnancies (and they are estimated 2.5# each, which is right on track).  And it's pretty fun to feel kicks and bond with two babies!  Plus I get to do a lot of ultrasounds, which I've never done before (except one at 6 wks with Moose to find out the due date)...it's so fun to see the babies : )

Take home outfits to pack in the hospital bag

I also consider our infant seats to be a blessing (bought one and found/was given the second), but I won't bother writing out the story because this blog post is getting really long. 

Lastly, the latest miracle.  The kids and I were in a car accident.  At first it seemed horrible-- bad damage to both cars (and I really loved my car).  But no one was hurt at all (the kids didn't even seem phased by it!) and the other driver was found at fault.  His insurance paid for a rental van for me to use, and they totalled out my car.  (they'll also replace the kids' carseats, if needed...but I haven't been able to get ahold of anyone to do the inspection yet).

We needed to get a minivan anyhow.  We didn't have a lot of money set aside for a new car this year, so the money freed up by "selling" my volvo was a huge blessing.  And it was great, because HH bought the volvo at an auction for $2700.  It had a lot of miles on it to begin with, and I drove it happily for almost two years.  Towards the end it was starting to have some quirks that we hadn't had a chance to fix yet.  Anyhow, insurance paid us $4800 (would have been more but it had 227000 miles on it).  Nice easy $2000 profit (plus the initial investment that he paid for the volvo) to put towards the minivan : )

I had things that I liked about the volvo that I still wanted (leather seats most of all) and I had things that I liked about the rental that I drove for a week (remote opening slider doors!), and we were able to find a Toyota Sienna that has those specifications and runs well.  It's 2001, so it is used...it has some quirks and scratches and such.  We need to take it in to have a couple of things looked at/fixed, but I really am happy with it.  AND it only cost us $400 out of pocket thanks to the accident.

This has been a long post...but the bottom line is that I feel very strongly that the "bonus baby" is very much part of Heavenly Father's plan for our family.  Whatever may happen in the future, I know that He has been giving us blessings in disguise and helping us to be ready for these babies. 

My progress update

Ok, so last week I said that I wanted to get certain things done, so let me report on them....

Bracelets. 
I made the twins name bracelets.

Then I made all five kids an initial bracelet.  I wasn't going to do one for Moose, but he put on Monkey's and didn't want to take it off.  To get him to give it back, I promised to make him one.  I was hesitatant to do it, but I love when he wears it!  It's very masculine.  Chick's isn't as cute as the others, I know.  I made hers just like Monkey's but in green.  She complained that she wanted the pink, but Monkey liked hers...so Chick got the leftover beads and it became a rainbow bracelet.  I don't like it at all, but that's what you get for being picky, I guess.

I also restrung a beaded necklace of mine that has been sitting around waiting to be repaired, so that was a huge little accomplishment.

Hair flowers.
Let me say right now that I don't crochet, but I do thrift store shop.  A year or so ago I found a bag of crocheted pieces-- squares, flowers, etc all in different colors.  I don't know if the person was just practicing a lot, or if they had several projects that they started and never finished?  But I knew that I could do something with it...so I put it all in my "refashion" box until inspiration struck.  Which it did a couple of weeks ago.  I looked through there and found that there were four flowers of the same color pink--all different sizes and patterns.  So I put felt and a barrette in the back, and a brown leather button on the front of each (all buttons are also different sizes), and voila: matching hairflowers for my four girls!  I also did a bonus light pink, and will also be finishing a white one soon.

Also I did the flowers for the hats that go with the cocoons.  I bought blue yarn, even though no one voted for it, and didn't like the flower.  So then I bought a raspberry colored yarn, and love it.  And I'm especially proud that I was able to make up a way to make the flower all on my own.  Like I said, I don't crochet, but I did want a similar look.  I think they turned out pretty cute ; )  Now to find a big wooden platter for the photoshoot...and of course wait for the little ladies to make their appearance.

The kids and I went garage saling yesterday.  I got a few clothes for Moose and Monkey, and a toy or book for each (they were very good), and some maternity clothes for me.  But mostly I got school and grow into clothes for Chick, and some things for the babies.  The first sale we went to was at my brother & SIL's house, and that's where I got the baby stuff and maternity stuff.  Including a maternity swimsuit that fits well and is green, but will still take every ounce of self confidence that I possess to get me to go out in public in it.
Funny thing about the garage sales: about 3 people asked if Monkey and Moose were twins (they were in a double jogging stroller).  I would respond by saying that no, they were 18 months apart, but that I am expecting twins.  Then the people would look at me and say, "Really?  How cool!  But you aren't very big!"  Seriously?!!  And no joke, it was about three different occasions--different people, different g-sales, same conversation.

One lady also said that I must be Mormon.  I don't know if she was kidding or not, but I told her that I was...to which she said something about us not believing in birth control.  I said that we're fine with birth control, and her friend said that we just like our families.  Exactly.

Speaking of liking my family: Moose has started saying his own prayer at night (with help, of course) and it is SO CUTE.  It's a good thing he is so cute sometimes, because he's a serious stinker sometimes and he needs to keep a good balance for self-preservation.

Ok, so here's my belly.  you can decide if you think I'm big or not.

I felt pretty huge with Moose...and looking at this post, I was pretty close to the size I am now...but my belly this time is a lot more rounded out--wider, higher, lower, etc. 

K, also HH worked on painting the nursery, but that'll get done this week, so no pics yet.
I didn't start the blessing dresses.
So for next week: nursery pics, blessing dresses.  That's probably all for this coming week, since I'm teaching preschool this week and will be starting layout as well.

Projects and Purchases

Ok, so I'm not purchasing many new things by way of baby stuff...I've already had two girls, after all.  But we do need a few new things.

So I went to three local "Moms of Multiples" sales.  The first two were on the same Saturday, and the third was last weekend. 

Here is a picture of the baby loot from the first weekend.  Baby seat, portable swing, baby clothes, & several pairs of shoes.  I also got things for the other kids-- grow into clothes for Moose, ballet tights, etc.  I spent $100 for everything.  I got one matchy-matchy outfit set (pictured on the right), but in general I'm avoiding outfits that are EXACTLY the same...I'm worried about my other kids being able to tell the babies apart, so I like coordinating outfits more than exact matches.

Anyhow, this next picture is from the second weekend (third sale).  More grow into stuff for the other kids, Sandals for Monkey--but I bought two pairs of them so the twins will have matching sandals when they get to that size. 
Moose got one of those stuffed animal backpack harnesses.  Judge me if you want--I've always looked down on them myself-- but he has no concept of parking lot safety, and carrying two infant seats and having him bolt into traffic doesn't sound like the best option.  I'm pretty sure that anyone seeing me with my crazy little brood will agree that sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
Anyhow, I got one more little matchy outfit set...These adorable Christmas dresses and sweaters!!  My other girls were both approximately a year old at Christmas, so I knew I'd need dresses anyhow.  Plus all four items were only $13 and are in perfect shape and are seriously so cute.  I also got more onesies...things of which I suspect I'll go through quickly enough to warrant having extras.....

I procured a second infant seat for free, so we're set for those. : )

I'm still on the lookout for a triple stroller, though I recently read that someone used one of those metal yard carts/wagons...and that's an interesting idea. What do you think?  Which would you get?  It'd be for going on walks and for outings such as the zoo.

Ok, so that's it for shopping.  Now on to projects!!  After almost a complete year and a half of having the components sitting in various locations in my kitchen, I give you: the bow frame.

I know, it's super simple, and should never have taken so long to get finished and up.  I have no excuse.  But all that matters now is that it's done, and I like it.  : )

And here is the hat and cocoon set that I knifty knitted.  I did them slightly different--one has a 1/1 knit/purle pattern, and the other is 2/2.  And one has a rolled edge, but I broke it up so that each set has one of each...not sure if I'll keep it like that.  Anyhow, I did a big notch at the top of each cocoon, and then a little loop and button to close it up.  The buttons aren't sewn on.  I'll wait to see how the babies fit inside before finalizing the closure.

I'm going to make little flower clips to accessorize the hats.  Here's a picture of a sample of what I have in mind, but I'm not using that color...I have to buy the right color yarn still...

I'm thinking of either the fuscia-red or the aqua in the picture below.  Which would you do?

We've also done some little home projects, but no pictures.

I'm also growing some babies, but I'm also missing a current picture of my pretty impressive belly.  Soon, I  promise.  But as of a few days ago, the babies were doing GREAT.  They're both about 1#5oz, and developing equally and healthy in every way (that you can tell in an ultrasound).

I've gained 10 pounds so far, which still amazes me, since my other pregnancies were 30-40 for singletons.  But of course, I'm only 24 weeks along, and will likely start packing it on as the babies get bigger.

Next up: hair flower clips for all four girls, name bracelets for the twins (yup, we have the first names picked and are just deciding on the middle names!), painting the nursery, and blessing dresses.  Maybe I can get that all done this week and post next weekend with the results.

I got fabric for the nursery bedding and decor, but I want to get the room painted and the carpet done first.

Ok, that's all.  Signing out.

My date with Monkey

So, Monkey's birthday was over 4 months ago.  I'm a little embarrassed to admit that we JUST got around to doing her birthday photoshoot and date!  But so it is. 

My aunt watched Chick and Moose, and Monkey and I went  out for our special date.  It was very fun...she's a sweet little friend.  We went to the temple for our photoshoot, because I needed pictures of Monkey at the temple for an Easter present that I'm making for her.  It was a rainy day, but had enough dry moments for us to get pictures taken.

Then we ran a couple of quick errands, and went to Dairy Queen for ice cream.

Then we had a little more time, so we stopped for thift store shopping.  I LOVED some Easter dresses at Fred Meyer, but couldn't rationalize spending so much when they don't really NEED dresses.  So we found some at the thrift store ($10 for both...I can handle that).  They don't match (like, at all.  totally different styles) but I guess it doesn't matter, right?

Anyhow, that was our date.  It was fun, because she really is a fun little gal.  She picked out her outfit and hair accessories.

Outtakes:



This statue was her favorite part!

Lots of kid stories (but no pictures, sorry)

Ah, my kids.  Sometimes they are completely charming, and sometimes they are the biggest stinkers EVER.  A lot of the difference seems to have to do with my amount of sleep...which doesn't bode well for today, since I'm up with insomnia.

Anyhow, the stinker moments:
Yesterday the girls were going to watch a show while I took a nap.  (Moose was already napping).  Their instructions were, "you can watch a show as long as you are able to turn it on by yourselves, and DO NOT come wake me up."  I napped for about 1.5 hours, and they came in about 4 times because the sound wasn't working right.  The fourth time I was awake enough to tell them that they didn't get to watch a show...but by then I was awake for good.  And quite irritated.

So then they decided to get a puzzle or something out of the hall closet...and were very noisy about it and woke up Moose.  who went out into the living room and opened up a bunch of dvd's and made a big mess.  I told the girls to clean up the movies and shut the cabinet (which locks), but they didn't.  So now they are grounded from any shows for the rest of the week.  And the rule is that if you wake someone up from a nap (primarily another child...maybe I should include myself in the rule) then you must take a nap yourself.  So after they cleaned up the movies, they both were sent to beds...Chick in her room, and Monkey in mine (otherwise they'd just goof around in their room together).  I gave Monkey strict instructions not to touch anything, since I'd been preparing for preschool in there the night before and hadn't put away the materials that could be potentially damaging.

A few minutes later I thought, "I'd better check to make sure Monkey isn't getting into anything."  She wasn't on the bed..."Monkey, where are you?!" She answered from the side of the bed. I walked over and asked her what she was doing..."Nothing."  Then I saw the big black sharpie pen...that she was using to color on the side boards of my bed, and a little on the mattress. 

I am grateful to Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser, because it just might have saved my child's life.  The mattress still has some marks, but not too bad.  The bed frame was more important to me and that came completely clean.

to transition from stinker to charmer:
Yesterday morning Monkey came in and woke me up by asked me to tie something for her.  I looked, and she had on Chick's fanciest Sunday dress.  I told her that it was not hers, and it was a Sunday dress anyhow, and how did she get it out of the locked closet anyhow? (yup, we've taken to using tension rods to "lock" the closet shut because Moose likes to pull everything out and Monkey likes to change her clothes several times a day).  Evidently Daddy unlocked it the night before while I was out visiting teaching, and forgot to relock it.  I told the girls to go clean up all of the clothes.

Then I heard Moose in the kitchen.

(once again, we're locking the kid out of things: we put gates at the entrances to the kitchen because otherwise he'll get into the fridge, or there will be toys on the kitchen floor, or kitchen gadgets on the living room floor, and I just couldn't stand it anymore.  I have always been pro-letting kids explore their enviroment, but I can't keep up with the chaos that it was creating.  And Moose is starting to sound like a little terror in this post, but really he's just almost two.  He does throw some impressive fits sometimes, but generally he's a good kid.)

Ok, anyhow, I heard Moose in the kitchen.  One of the girls had gone into the kitchen and had left the gate open, and I could hear the clank of glass.  So I hurry in, and he'd gotten into the dishwasher and gotten out three of their favorite drinking glasses (dirty, but nevermind about that), then he'd gotten into the fridge and gotten out the bottle of juice.  He'd put everything on the table, and taken the lid off the juice.  BUT he didn't try to pour it...instead it seems that he just waited for me to come, and then he asked me for some juice.  I was so happy that he hadn't tried to pour it himself that I gave him some. 

Then I checked on the girls.  And wonder of wonder, they really HAD cleaned up all the clothes and had gotten themselves dressed in appropriate clothes : )

So it turned out to be a good morning, despite some ominous beginnings.  Then we had preschool here, which went so great, and I'll post about that later.

Another cute thing: when I was napping on Sunday (I promise, I'm not always sleeping.  Like now...not sleeping.) Chick decided to make bread.  HH did some overseeing of the process, but not any directing...he just let her do her thing because she told him that she knew how.  The secret recipe? 
crushed tortilla chips, oats, and milk. 
mix all ingredients in a cereal bowl, and place in the freezer.
look dismayed when it doesn't magically turn into bread.

Oh, but one of the interruptions to my nap yesterday (you know, one of the four), was Chick asking if she could melt a little bit of butter that I'd put into a ramekin.  They were having plain popcorn and wanted to butter it.
"How will you melt it?"
"In the microwave."
"How long will you set the microwave for?"
"Half a minute."
"How do you set it for half a minute?"
"I'll push the 'add 30 sec' button."
I love when my kids learn new tricks.  I let her do it, and all went well.  The popcorn was all eaten when I came back out.

On Monday night we made "get well cards" for our neighbor who has been in the hospital with double pneumonia.  Monkey asked me to draw "a crack in the wall" on hers.  HH and I exchanged looks...what?  Then Monkey said, "like in Madeline."  OH!  In the Madeline book she goes to the hospital to have her appendix out...
"and a crack in the ceiling had the habit
of sometimes looking like a rabbit."
So I asked her to bring me to the book, which she did.  And she found the picture for me, and then I drew the rabbit on her card, and wrote the story in the card for the neighbor.

Another cute Moose thing:  He always gives me a hand to help me up when I'm sitting on the couch or laying in bed.  Such a little gentleman.  Also, when he wants me to read him a story: he'll sit down in my lap, and then take my hands and place them on the edges of the book. 

And all of the kids have been making a game out of quoting the Madeline book,
"and to the tiger in the zoo,
Madeline just said pooh-pooh."

They also seem to be working on Memorizing the Fancy Nancy book and the Edwina the Emu book.  Have you read Edwina?  If you haven't, then you definitely should.  Edward the Emu is also pretty great.  We checked them out from the library, but I definitely need to buy copies for us to keep.

Ok, that's it for kid stories.  Now I'd better get back to sleep, if I can, or the stories from today will be more stinker than charming.  (and I don't want to have to report on stinker Mama stories!)

19 week ultrasound report : )

Poor little Moose will be so outnumbered!  Maybe someday we'll get him a dog.
Dressing twin girls will be so much more fun than dressing boys!  But now I have two blessing dresses to make (if they'd been boys then I'd only have done bow ties).

The ultrasound tech took a really great picture at the end of both babies together, but didn't include it in the pictures that she printed, and it's not on the CD  (???).

Anyhow, other good news: My placenta is up out of the dangerous range, and my cervix is not shortening!  Yay!  I did have a lot of cramping last week, but we have ruled out the three most dangerous (in my opinion) reasons (I also was tested for a bladder infection, which I don't have).  I guess maybe I just need to drink more water.

Both little girls are developing right on track and everything seemed pretty equal.  They both were kicking each other, but they really don't have much leg room, so I guess it's okay. 

Here's a little video:

All in all, it was a very reassuring ultrasound! And a special thank you to my parents, who rescheduled their day to come watch the kids with very little advanced notice! It was nice to have them there, but it was also nice to not have to worry about them when they got bored with the ultrasound.

Slapping some photos on the blog

I've been meaning to post forever, but didn't have the pictures taken/loaded, etc.  FINALLY I have them and here you go.

I had an ultrasound 2 weeks ago, and everything looked great.  Placenta still low, but it's early enough that I don't need to worry yet (so I'm not).  I might know the genders, but I'm not telling because it was so early & not 100%.  There was some doubt about 1 or 2 placentas, but then the radiologist determined that it was just one.  So still identicals.

The great news is that with the ultrasound and seeing the babies I have had an attitude change, and am totally excited for them.  It'll still be crazy around here, but good anyhow.  So I went from feeling like my life was hijacked to looking forward to this wild new experience.

Here's me and my belly at the start of 17 weeks.  Seriously huge for 17 weeks.

Cast your vote on what you think I'm having (in the sidebar)...I'll find out for sure in another 2 weeks!

And on an unrelated, but equally thrilled note: I got this awesome packaged from my friend Lia!  It was so exciting!!  Reading materials AND homemade goodness?  Too exciting.  Isn't that fox the most awesome thing ever?  And I love love love the coasters!  Not pictured is some copper wire that had a tag "for your hubby"...which was so thoughtful and surprising (HH likes to strip copper wire for recycling.  I know, he's weird).  THANK YOU, LIA!

K, I gotta make breakfast before I have a mutiny.  or before we're late to preschool.  either way.

This, That, and Cute Kids.

Ok, here's an update on happier things than yesterday....

Last night I made three pans of beef enchiladas--one for dinner (but by the time I finished it was too late for last night's dinner, so we'll have it tonight), and two for the freezer.  I have leftover meat filling, so I think I'll mix it with beans and cheese and freeze some burritos too.

I just tried a new muffin recipe (Cinnamon Raisin) that is really good.  It has a sugar glaze on it, but I think they'll be fine with just some butter....maybe cinnamon butter?  The recipe only made a dozen, so I'll have to multiply it and make more for freezing.  I did half wheat flour.

Today I scheduled the ultrasound for next week, and I can't wait.  I'm a worry wart, so I'm looking forward to seeing the babies and making sure things are good.  We had what we THINK was two good heartbeats at my appt on Monday, but they were very close together so it's hard to be sure that they were different babies.  I've also started having contractions...I hear it's common to get them earlier with each subsequent baby, and especially with twins, so I'm trying to just ignore it...but I'll feel better to be checked out.  In most of the stories that I've heard the problems don't really start this early anyhow...and my previous pregnancies really have been wonderful.....

I've done two hats on the knifty knitter.  Two isn't so great considering how quickly the knitter goes, but I was trying new things.  On one I did a coordinating band of purl stitches, and on the other I did a knit-purl alternating pattern and had it come to two points with two pom-poms. The pom-poms didn't turn out so well, so I think I'll be redoing them.  Anyhow, it's been fun : )

(Both hats are for the Relief Society service project at church, but I'm planning to do some for my kids soon)

This is a picture of the new bunk bed.  The girls seem to be alternating who sleeps where.

My sister, Laura, gave us this awesome congrats gift.  It was so clever and fun that I had to share:



Nametags, for when we are so sleep deprived we need some extra help remembering who we are.  Matching flash cards.  Juggling balls.  Doublemint gum.  He or she, what will they be.  D&E candles...which set will we need?  There was also a box of Mike & Ike's-- to help us start thinking of names (This present was given to us a couple of weeks ago and has been sitting on the counter waiting for me to take the picture...I can't blame HH for eating the Mike & Ike's in that time!)

Chick:

I can't believe what a good helper she is these days.  I think if I let her she'd bring me breakfast in bed each morning.  She is looking forward to helping with the babies, but in the meantime she's great with Monkey and Moose.

Dance class is going well, as is preschool.  She did a great job reading me a book last night-- the contractions threw her for a loop since she'd never seen them before in her reading, but she took it all in stride.

She's set a good example of imaginative play for her siblings.  There's a recurring theme of wars and people "firing" other people (which is catching them on fire)...I think it's because several American girl stories are set during war times.  We just finished reading the entire Addy collection, and it was a good way to discuss civil rights, etc.  I don't think I made it through a single chapter without getting choked up, but I did a good job of hiding it.

Speaking of American Girls:  I've mentioned before that my girls love the Molly movie.  The other night Monkey must have asked Chick something, and Chick's response was, "The food which is on my plate is..."  I smiled and said, "Did you just quote the Molly movie?"  "No, Mom.  She says 'THAT' not which.  'The vegetable that you are lucky enough to have on your plate is...'"  HH and I had to laugh: no, she hadn't quoted the movie, but evidently she could quote the whole thing if  need be!

Monkey:

My goodness this girl can really crack us up.

Whenever she sees a pregnant woman she asks if the woman has "two twin babies in her tummy"...I'm trying to help her understand that USUALLY babies come one at a time.

Monkey likes to pretend to have "two twin babies" in her tummy too, and I love hearing their names.  "Faltelana" and "Christiana" are common ones...anything ending in "ana" is popular with her.  She's a good little Mama with her baby doll, too.  She feeds her the bottle, and then walked around holding and bouncing her carefully and saying, "shhh, shhh, shhh, shhh" softly and lovingly.  It melts my heart every time.

The other night the girls learned the phrase "female" and "male." Monkey said "Mama and Chick and Me are female."  "Moose and Daddy are mailboxes."

Monkey outgrew calling the "hospital" a "hopsital" but she still has funny little ways of saying things.  One of my favorites is getting "she" and "her" mixed.  As in: "She's going to she's house."

Playing with an awesome new toy from her birthday party.

 Moose:

Ah, dear little stinker Moose.  He throws more tantrums than any child ever, it seems, but he's also very loving and sweet, and plays well with his sisters.
He sometimes goes potty in the potty seat, and I think we'll ramp up the effort in the summer when he can be outside more.  (he'd probably do really well if we consistenly gave him the opportunity...I'm just not up for the effort and possible mess right now!)
He says a lot of words now...pretty much anything you ask him to, if he's in the right mood.  My favorite is "BaLaLa" for Banana.

He's obsessed with "truck!" and "woof" and "neigh!"  (the animal sounds are always instead of the animal name, but paradoxically it's always "kikky" and not "meow")

A less positive thing: he never goes voluntarily to timeouts.  Any suggestions?  I'm trying to not pick him up (the kid is a TANK, and I can REALLY FEEL IT when I do pick him up, which can't be good), but I have to be consistent in disciplining him...he already seems to think he can get away with anything.

Oh, another funny thing: he was looking at a picture of himself from before he cut his forehead, and he touched the picture on the forehead and acted concerned (obviously wanting to say something).  My guess is that the cut is part of his definition of himself right now, so it was weird for him to see a picture without the cut.  He points the cut out to people a lot....

sorry about the red-eye.  It matches his sweater, at least....

What I think of Twins (a venting, journal post)

(This post is me venting my feelings and thoughts.  It's really more of a journal entry, so read if you want.  It's maybe a little negative, but it's how I feel, so if you read it, then don't lecture me on my attitude.)

I can't find any pictures of it (so maybe I dreampt it) but there was a Wonder Woman episode where she fights evil twins in a warehouse (they both had long blond hair, and might have been robots?  I can't remember). 

I think that show has influenced my opinion of twins.  I think they're a little creepy.

And I think they've hijacked my life.

And it's like I'm expecting my second child-- you know, where you can't imaging loving the new one as much as your one and only child?  I feel like that: how can I love TWO babies?

Maybe that's rediculous, but I'm just documenting how it is.

And to the person who said that this pregnancy will be just like any other once the  idea has settled down: I disagree. 

I already have some of the "symptoms" of the third trimester-- hobbly walk because my ligaments are all crazy, not being able to sleep on my back (actually that NEVER happened with my others, but has already happened this time).  And Moose can't sit on my lap (already) without hurting my belly.  So I don't think I'll be able to just "forget" sometimes that I'm pregnant like I did with the others. 

Plus this time is much more of a strain in all aspects of my life.  Buying a new car isn't in the budget, but now it has to be.  I'll need some new baby gear (though I'm going with the bare minimum & getting second hand as much as possible).  Twice the diapers (I do feel like I NEED to buckle down and do cloth more than I have with Monkey & Moose, but even with the money saved, that's twice as much WORK).  And my Mom suggested that I might need to pay someone to come help out, which seems incredibly impossible--especially if combined with an interruption of my design work.

And I do try to not stress about things-- most of it is out of my control and I recognize that and do my best to put it out of my mind-- but this is a drastic life change, and it's hard to even come to grips with how I feel about things.  And OF COURSE I want to be as prepared as possible...seriously, what mother-to-be DOESN'T?
So I try to fill in the blanks as much as possible. 

I don't know when the babies will come, so I need to get the hospital bag packed early. 
I don't know if I'll be put on bedrest, so I want to know who to call when it happens...and have things ready here to help life continue as normal also.
I don't know if I'll have a c-section or if the babies will have a NICU stay, so I want to have the freezer well stocked with meals.

Gone are my old "pregnancy is a time to get lots of projects done" philosophy.  I keep paring down my to-do list.  I went from "move the girls to a different bedroom and decorate it and make them both new quilts" to buy a bunk bed for them to stay in the same room that they're in.  The downstairs bathroom won't get redecorated, and the downstairs spare room MIGHT get cleaned, but maybe not.

To summarize, I think it's fair to say that I feel like the pregnancy and birth are a major thing to get through...maybe like a marathon (but I've never run one).  And then rather than feeling like I'll get to rest after that, I feel like I'll have a second marathon to run immediately after.  And that's daunting.  I don't know when life will feel normal.  I don't know when I'll be able to go out in public with all of my kids.  I won't be able to pick Chick's school like I'd planned because seriously, like I'll be able to drive her to and from school each day!  Can you imagine me getting there on time when I'm sleep deprived and loading up FIVE kids in the car?!  So she'll just go to the crappy school that she's assigned to (but hopefully just for this year).

There are positives, of course.  I LOVE my kids, and I try to remember that these new ones will be MINE, and I will love them as well.  And it will all work out.  And I do really love babies...with each baby I've had I've loved the baby stage more...having two might just cause my Motherhood joy to completely overflow.

But I think my concerns are valid also.

{Stats: I'm measuring big, but I'll know more about how they're developing next week when I go for an ultrasound.  I haven't gained any weight.  Aside from the health complaints listed above & the recent addition of heartburn, I'm feeling pretty good.  I'm starting to not have fatigue every day. 

I got two new pairs of maternity pants from the thrift store earlier this week, as well as a backpack to use as a diaper bag for when I need both hands free, and a cute maternity cardigan...I should be set on clothes until the weather gets hot...I've never been largely pregnant in the summertime, so I don't have any shorts}

A Party for Chick

Chick's birthday party was this weekend, and look how awesome I am: posting already!!  (of course, my house is in shambles, etc etc etc.  Sometimes you have to have priorities.)

This picture makes me happy inside.  LOVE LOVE LOVE those girls!

Anyhow, Chick wanted a "Rainbow and Butterfly" party, and after doing a little snooping through pinterest, I was more than happy to oblige!

Rainbow colored goody bags with rainbow ribbon wands and "butterfly" snack baggies (Chick helped me put on the pipe cleaners, and I love the added personality of them!).  That was it, but then they got more candy and little toys from the games, so they got to add to their bags later.

 The food table: netting rainbow backdrop, with some plastic butterflies hanging in it.
Skewered fruit rainbow, rainbow jello (I don't suggest doing the jello unless you like eating jello for the next week...we don't normally eat jello.), and of course the cake.

 As the kids started to arrive I worked on the butterfly face painting, while my awesome friend Kendra directed some parachute playtime, duck duck goose, London bridge, and Simon Says (and helped with some face painting).

  

Wings for Chick provided by our friend, Jon.

Once they all had their butterflies on, we played Roll-a-Rainbow (download from here).  The kids got to fill in their rainbows with M&M's and then got to keep the candy to take home.  My girls had spent quite a bit of time sorting the M&M's by color the day before the party...yay for helpers!

Next we popped the balloon rainbow.  The rainbow didn't turn out looking as I'd intended, but it didn't matter--popping balloons is popping balloons.  Each one had a toy or candy inside.

After all of the balloons were popped, we made Fruit Loop necklaces/bracelets.

Then they were thirsty, so they drank milk.  From sprinkle-rimmed glasses.  Someone came up with the idea of blowing bubbles, which would rise up to the sprinkles, and then pop back down into the milk again...which colored the milk and provided ample entertainment for several minutes : )

before

after!

And then the snacks and cake and rainbow sherbet.  I made a rainbow cake (like one that is floating around on Pinterest (where I got pretty much all of my ideas for this party), and I was quite pleased with how it turned out.  It did take some time to get it baked, but decorating it was quick and easy.  I bought edible butterflies on etsy--that was my one big "frivolous" expense for the party, but Chick has loved eating them and looking at them, and so in the end it was ok to get them.

Last was present opening.  Chick got great presents, and was very excited about all of them.  I will admit that I confiscated the Barbie...I'm just not ready for her to go down that road.  I had barbies at her age, I think, so I shouldn't be such a hypocrite.  She wasn't very excited that I took it away, but I don't know that it will be for too long anyhow.....

And then they all went home.  Except for my three, of course.  I cleaned up, ate lunch, and took a nap.  The girls played with all of the new toys for the rest of the afternoon.

A special thanks to Kendra and Maggie.  I COULD NOT have gotten through it without them.  I had been naive to think "it's just a couple more than for preschool, so I can handle it" but it was a lot.  Kendra also took most of the pictures.  Thanks, gals!!