The Weekend

It was a very exciting weekend for me in that I got to do my VERY first "exercise" since September 2010! My doctor cleared me to do prenatal yoga and I couldn't wait to try it out again.  I went regularly to yoga classes when I was pregnant with Chloë and I completely credit my easy pregnancy and maybe even my whirlwind 3 hour labor & delivery to it.  If nothing else, it just feels so good to stretch out and have that hour of mental relaxation and connection with the present.

I went Saturday morning with my pregnant friend, Sony.  Myke & Chloë were both a bit under the weather that morning so I came home to this:

Then Chloë and I took a little walk to get everyone hot drinks.  Here is the super-star in the attire she insisted on wearing for the outing: 

Can you tell she is nearly 2?!  Her way or the highway!

Joovy Big Caboose

Yes.  We got one.  It has 2 forward facing seats (that allow infant car seats to be attached) and has a jump seat for a 3rd child.  It's HUGE.  I have no clue how it will fit into a car on a regular basis.  When we went to pick it up I had to move Chloë's car seat next to the door and put down the other 1/2 of the 2nd row of our car to fit this beast.  It's sooo long!  However, it's one of the very FEW strollers that will seat three youngin's AND let you attach TWO infant seats at once.  The limo of strollers!  

(I'm not sure how this would even fit into a minivan, by the way)

2011: A Year of Big Life Changes...

This year is definitely set to be a life-changing one.  Yes, adding not one, but TWO more to the family...but also, we just found out that Myke has celiac's disease.  I won't go into the long, drawn out story, but after over a year of tests, etc, we finally got to the bottom of the mystery as to why his liver enzyme numbers were so elevated.  Celiac's is not an allergy to, but an intolerance of gluten (or wheat).  Your small intestine is damaged by wheat and over time stops absorbing nutrients into your body, no matter how healthy you eat.  Unlike many people with celiac's disease (or people who KNOW they have celiac's disease) Myke had no digestive issues or symptoms.  This diagnosis was quite a big shock.  At the same time, it was a relief to finally know what was going on so we can move forward.  (FYI- life insurance companies don't want to carry you if your liver enzymes are elevated--which is how we realized there was something wrong in the first place).

Soooo, we are 2 weeks into our new gluten-free diet.  Chloë and I still eat gluten here and there, but we try to all eat together as often as possible, so by default the two of us are also eating a lot less gluten.  So far it hasn't been too bad at all.  At first I thought it would be a nightmare with Myke already being on a vegan diet.  He already eats no animal products whatsoever.  (no meat, fish, chicken, eggs, dairy, milk, etc, you name it, if it comes from an animal, it's not in his diet).  NOW, with a gluten-free diet he can't have all the mock meats (BOCA burgers, fake meats, etc) that we used to eat so much of.  Not to mention no regular  breads & pastas.   Not even a peanut butter & jelly sandwich.   And no beer!!!

So far the diet change has not been a problem at all.  We have cooked so much healthier and more whole foods.  This is something we have wanted to do all along but the difference is now we are forced to.  We are also forced to be more creative.  We are still learning about the disease and the rules so I know there is a long road ahead of us until we got it down, but we're taking it one day at a time.

This afternoon was my first attempt at vegan/gluten-free baking.  Thanks to my close friend, Crickett (we have been friends since before 3rd grade!)- she gave me a GF banana muffin recipe.  She also has celiac's disease and has been our go-to expert on the diet so far.  These muffins turned out to be delicious!!  Very moist and mouth-watering!  You would never know they are free of common allergens (like dairy, eggs, wheat).  Thanks, Crickett!!

Muffins 

These look like fake smiles to me...but they LOVED the muffins!

Minvan Date Night!!

Date nights are a bit different now that we feel like the "clock is ticking" until the twins arrive.  Weekends are different as well.  Whenever we have free time we have been trying to utilize it to it's fullest potential.  We've been cleaning out the storage space we have, cleaning out closets, selling things on Craigslist, and now looking at cars.  Yes, as the reality of our situation begins to sink in we have come to the stark realization that our beloved 2007 Hyundai Veracruz will not fit a family of 5 with a large dog!  Yes, it has an optional 3rd row and has seat belts for 7 people, BUT car seats are a different matter.  The need for 3 car seats to fit into a car puts us in a unique situation.  We have tested multiple options of configuring the 3 car seats in our car in hopes that we would find something that will work but it is just not meant to be.  If we put all three seats across the 2nd row then the driver and front seat passenger have very minimal room to comfortably scoot their seats back.  With Myke being 6'5" we need all the length we can get for his long legs.  Two rear-facing infant seats take up a lot of room!  At first we thought we could use the 3rd row for one of the seats, but with the infant car seat bases in place, there is no way to easily access the 3rd row to put Chloë in her seat.  She would have to climb through the back trunk to get to her seat!  Anyways, it's just not going to work.  So we are now at the point of beginning to research car options.  From what we've seen thus far it would have to be a rather large SUV or a minivan.  At first I was a definite NO to a minivan but now I'm slowly starting to realize that it may be our only realistic and practical option.  Our parking space won't fit a Suburban so that's out.  Other options are the Armada, Tahoe, Sequoia, and a few others.

Soooo, to get to the point of the story, our date night included a impromptu stop at the Honda dealer so we could just look at what the modern minivan is like inside.  Of course they only showed us the 2011 version with all the bells & whistles.  Who really needs a Wii hookup in their car?!!  A backup camera, voice activated navigation, etc.  And it's NOT cheap.  That one goes for $42K!  Yikes!

You can see I'm not thrilled at the idea of driving the automotive equivalent of sweatpants.

(behind me is the 2011 nearly-top-of-the-line Honda Odyssey)

Myke is a bit more open to it..

On a side note/tangent- I DO NOT believe that minivans = soccer mom status.  Let me make myself more clear: I find minivans ridiculously dorky.  However, I have NO problem with the idea of being as soccer mom.  I played soccer growing up and loved it.  I would LOVE for my kids to play soccer.  I already plan for Chloë to be the next Mia Hamm!  I'll take her and the team a ziplock of sliced oranges at each game.  I'll happily be on the sidelines cheering her on.  I have no shame with that scenario.  Driving a minivan, though...the concept itself stills leaves me struggling with an internal conflict that I'm not sure I'm ready to face.

That said, a Honda Odyssey is still in the running.  

(and by the way, we did enjoy a nice dinner together on this date night as well...)

Growth Scan Update

Baby A- face with right arm partially over it

I had another detailed ultrasound yesterday.  With twins or more they do these scans every 4 weeks to measure growth and make sure one baby isn't outgrowing the other, etc.  It's in a separate office than my OB - in the Fetal Care & Genetics Center.  Both babies are growing well.  One is measuring a bit larger than the other.  One is 1lb 3oz and the other is 1lb 5oz.  Baby A is still head down.  Baby B is now transverse, with his head on my right side and bottom on my left.  One of them was totally kicking the other in the face during the ultrasound.  I questioned the u/s tech about whether or not there is the possibility of injury in the womb.  Has a twin ever been born with bruises on the face (or other area) due to being kicked/punched/jabbed/elbowed in the womb?   Apparently (and luckily), this does not happen.  I guess amniotic fluid makes for great padding.

22 Weeks Belly Comparison

22weeks with twins (1/25/11)

22 weeks with Chloë (2008)

I Couldn't Resist...

We are not prepared for twin boys.  We have no boy clothes.  We do have A TON of adorable baby girl clothes, however!  Today I happened to be in Old Navy looking for some maternity jeans (no luck in finding ones I liked, fyi) when I glanced over and saw the cutest little baby boy Old Navy fleece hoody jackets. Old Navy is smart to put the teeny precious little newborn clothes in the same corner as the maternity clothes...pregnant, hormonal women just can't resist the adorableness!   I have been paranoid throughout this pregnancy so far and I'm a believer in jinxing oneself.  I had been pretty clear with Myke that I do not want to buy anything for the twins until I am at least 24 or 25 weeks along- a milestone in gestation where there is at least a small possible chance for viability outside of the womb.  If you go into early labor and deliver before that, there is really nothing the hospitals can do to save the babies.  With my increased chance for preterm labor (because of the subchorionic hemorrhage) I just didn't want to "go there" and buy anything.  Today I broke my own rule.  It started out innocently enough- I just walked over to LOOK at the little hoodies.   But they were so cute AND there happened to be only two left--AND both of those were in the same size (0-3 months)...AND they were on SALE....that I caved and put them in my bag (no I did not steal them!  Old Navy gives you a shopping bag to carry your stuff in instead of a cart).  As I started to walk away from the newborn boy section I noticed two little cute pairs of navy blue cargo pants that would be a perfect match to the hoodies!  Also in sizes 0-3 months. I can't have these boys going around pantless, can I?  Yup, threw those in my bag, too.   I also bought something for Chloë, don't worry.  It was kind of surreal.  I bought clothes for THREE KIDS in one store, during one outing.  THREE KIDS.   That is just scary even when I type it.

Picture of the outfits (can't figure out how to rotate the photo)

Sunday

It's a beautiful Sunday.  The GB Packers are playing on TV.  Torn between the outdoor world and the indoor world--but splitting out time evenly so far.  We took Chloë and Kyla to the park for a bit and then came back when the nearly-two-year-old wouldn't stop asking for food.  This girl can eat non-stop!  Luckily, she eats pretty healthy.  She LOVES fruit.  I wish she would eat more veggies...but we're working on it.  She had a picnic out front for lunch and is now napping.  When Chloë naps, everyone naps.  It's the only time we get a chance to sit still and just relax for a few minutes.  She is a VERY busy girl - always on the move!  Once the twins are here I'll probably never sit still again.  I better invest in Starbucks. 

Pregnancy Numero Dos...A Double Dose!

I'm 22 weeks pregnant with TWIN BOYS!   I'm at week 22 and only just now starting to think of the reality of the situation and be able to wrap my head around the idea.  It's VERY surreal/shocking/scary/exciting!  Ultrasounds have shown 2 pregnancies and 2 placentas so that means fraternal twins...so they could look nothing alike at all!  Only time will tell.

I had some complications (why can't I just have a normal, uncomplicated pregnancy?  Is there such a thing?!) at the beginning of the pregnancy which lead to some strict and then "modified" bed rest for many weeks.  I still am not allowed to exercise, lift things, even walk long distances, etc.  Due to the complications I have kept pretty mum on all things pregnancy this go-around.  IE: I STILL have not announced it on Facebook.  Some people say that nothing is official until it is posted on Facebook so I guess this pregnancy is not yet official by those standards!

                                      Baby A -he is on my left side and head down

                                        Baby B- he is on the right side and is breech 
                         (he is the one I feel moving around a lot more than the other)

I'm now well into my 2nd trimester, and though I'm not out the woods yet, I'm beginning to feel much more positive about this pregnancy and the expected outcome- which is, TWO (hopefully healthy) babies! The due date is May 29th- Myke & my 6th wedding anniversary.

With Chloë's pregnancy I took weekly belly shots.  This time I've probably only had 2 taken the entire time.  Here is a comparison of what I looked like at 19 weeks with both the single and the twin pregnancy.

I should take another one as I've gotten even bigger in the past three weeks since this shot was taken!  I'm still "small for twins" (as people like to say) but I carried really small for Chloë and hardly looked pregnant to the outside world until the very end. I just looked thick in the waist.  This time around I've already gotten the comments from strangers questioning when I'm due.

Overall, besides gaining weight faster with the twin I can't say that it has been much more intense than my singleton pregnancy.  I had barely any morning sickness/fatigue.  With Chloë I think I puked at least 1x per day the first trimester.  Not to mention I was exhausted beyond belief.  The only other difference so far is that symptoms that I had late in my pregnancy with Chloë are already rearing their ugly heads.  Has anyone ever had tail bone pain?!  It's the worst!  If I lay on my back or sit on a hard chair for even a short amount of time I have to endure often excruciating pain to get out of that position.  It's an odd place to feel pain and I guess it's because the babies are sitting low and the weight is right on the tail bone when I'm in those positions....who knows?  The other symptom is the heart burn which seems to have started up in full force this past week.  It's nothing too intense...nothing a few Tums won't take care of.  We'll see where it goes from here!

Yay! It Worked!

Okay, I'm pretty happy so far with how user-friendly and easy blogger.com is for posting content.  I have done blogs before in the past but never on a regular basis.  I kept one when I spent a semester of college in Australia, again when Myke and I did our RTW trip in 2006/07 and then once again when I was pregnant with our first child, Chloë.  The third one was a great way for me to keep family and friends up-to-date on how things were going with the pregnancy - especially after we found out that our unborn baby had some potentially serious and life-threatening kidney disease and we were told that she had a very high change of having a rough life of dialysis and probably a kidney transplant by adolescence, IF she made it past the first couple weeks of life.  GROSS.  I don't even like to think about how horrible those last months of pregnancy were for us.  **As an update, Chloë is a happy and healthy little girl who will be turning 2 at the end of next month.  Her kidneys looked fine and beautiful at birth and they continue to do so- she stills sees the pediatric nephrologist (kidney specialist) in regular increments to make sure all is well and everything looks within the normal range.  So far, so good...and I expect things to continue like so.

I honestly just think we can see and know WAY too much with the advanced ultrasounds available today.  Since Chloë's birth, I have had 2 completely random strangers find my blog via a Google search and contact me telling me that they were currently going through the exact same scenario.  I kept in touch with both women through their pregnancies, attempting to send them hope, but not wanting to send a false hope at the same time.  The first woman had her baby a year after Chloë was born and she is perfectly fine.  No signs of kidney issues in post-natal ultrasounds.  The second woman JUST had her baby about 2 weeks ago and her baby is perfectly fine as well!  Both women had babies who showed up with enlarged, echogenic kidneys during a routine ultrasound and were given the heartbreaking news that their baby probably has ARPKD.  The 2nd woman's doctors found it before she was at 24 weeks gestation and they even suggested she consider terminating the pregnancy.  She did not do that and instead her husband and her forked out big bucks to have prenatal genetic testing done so they could know for sure if they were dealing with ARPKD or not.  They did not want to sit for months of not-knowing and waiting for their precious daughter to be born to find out if she was going to be okay.  The tests all came back negative!!  Great news!  They were able to relax and enjoy the remainder of their pregnancy and let the doctors be baffled over what they were seeing.  MOVING ON....  I just wonder how often this same scenario happens...

Welcome to My Blog!

I'm new to this website, kind of new to blogging, and, frankly, have no idea what I'm doing.  This first entry will just be a quick test to see if I can actually figure out how to post what I'm writing.  Please don't critique my blog for spelling and punctuation errors.  I'm not planning to have it published.  It's simply a place to vent/share news/have a diary and written record of the "goings-ons" in our day-to-day life as time seems to slip by faster and faster with each passing year.  Here goes nothing...