Quilts for Cowboys

Our little buckaroos Owen & Anson received their gift from G.Gran, my grandmother last week.  I was overwhelmed with how much love & hard work went into making these beautiful quilts for the boys!  She had sent me the pattern early in January & had requested some direction in choosing fabric.  She also had the fabulous idea of making them the same but different so we changed the order with red & blue fabrics. My mom & I looked & looked at fabrics online & fell in love with this Michael Miller Lil' Cowpoke fabric.  The horseshoe & bandanna fabric are in the same line but we found the brown/tan gingham to coordinate. Love the final combination we ended up with!

They are ADORABLE & I can't wait for the boys to enjoy playtime & snuggles with these sweet quilts made by a woman that loves them dearly. 

We sent her the picture of the mobile we are working on & she hand quilted some of the shapes into the quilt.....

horseshoe

cactus

This woman is known for outdoing herself...must be where my mama got it from : ) Along with the quilts for Owen & Anson, she sent mini quilts for the Owen & Anson baby dolls the girls love. They are the exact same minus the substitution of ric-rac instead of prairie points.  She said that she got to the end of finishing one mini quilt & was 6 INCHES short on the ric-rac forcing her to drive back to the fabric store. That is so something that would happen to me! I am glad she didn't give up ; ) Eloise was too, I think that she may have thought they were for her....

She got her babies, snuggled up with them & started to feel sleepy hence the finger in the belly button & hand over mouth. LOVE that about her : )

Daddy came over to give her some kisses on her belly & wake her up....

Here she is holding both baby brothers. She makes it look so easy!

Special thanks to a Great Grandma who explores her crafty side on a regular basis! We love you!

Snip Snip- Eloise & the first haircut!

Eloise beat Charlotte in the rate of hair growth & required a haircut months before her sissy did! She probably could have used a haircut a couple months ago but I started putting it in pigtails & we all melted at the cuteness so it got put off. 

Here she is just before leaving last Friday for the big cut! Crazy looking huh?

I was really sad to hear that the place in Avalon Park where Char got her first haircut had closed down.  I resorted to "googling" to find a salon for kiddos. I found one not too far so we made appointments for both girlies.  I figured it might be a LONG time before they get another one once the boys are here : ) 

Eloise picked the race car to sit in & she was not too sure about it...

Then she got a lollipop & realized there was a mirror in front of her...

Anytime she felt a little unsure, her big sister was there to provide encouragement. She placed her hand on Elo's knee a few times & told her how she was a big girl & that it doesn't hurt to get a haircut. Pretty precious!

We were debating on the way in whether we should have bangs cut on Charlotte. Thankfully Eloise went first  & we witnessed the stylists inability to follow directions.  I had requested that she barely trim Elo's bangs which upon arrival swept across her forehead & tucked behind her ear. This woman was very nice but did the exact opposite of what we asked.  She brushed Eloise's bangs straight down & snipped straight across about an inch & a half above her eyebrows!! That sealed the deal, Charlotte would just be getting a trim, or so we thought ; ) 

Eloise was happy as could be & smiled nearly the whole time...

Here she is when it was all complete & she looked in the mirror....

Eloise got to spend some more time playing in the car while Char hopped onto the motorcycle without hesitation. SO different than her first haircut. She is quite the pro at climbing onto her Daddy's motorcycle all by herself so it didn't surprise me that she chose a motorcycle instead of the princess chair.

For Charlotte I requested that she just trim her hair & specifically said "no more than a HALF INCH." She combed the back of her hair down straight & snipped off a good three inches! What the heck? It turned out cute but is way shorter than we had hoped.  We will definitely go somewhere else next time : )  I will have to post a picture soon of both new hair-dos, they are pretty cute!

As irritated as this situation made us, it provided for some good wide eyed "what the heck" looks followed by a good laugh in the car.  The part that made me laugh the hardest was that after Elo's cut she put these little Hello Kitty clips in her hair.  Eloise played & watched Charlotte get her haircut with them in.  At Charlotte's first cut they put a clip in her hair as a gift to take home so I was just assuming that it was the norm.  So, when it came time to check out, she asked me from across the room "You like the clips?" to which I replied "yes, they are cute" thinking that she made them or something but then I heard her say "uh hum" as she grinned and added further charges to our ticket. I quickly said "I like them but would not like to buy them today." She looked irritated & came right over to Eloise and pulled them out of her hair! Haha! It was so awkward I had to grin in the moment. I just thought that was really deceptive...another reason I would not return or refer people here. 

Overall, it was a pleasant experience and we enjoyed seeing Eloise get her monumental first haircut.  She is right around the corner from turning two in just 3 more months! In many ways, she still seems like a baby but I know once Owen & Anson are here that she will seem huge! For now, she is still my baby : ) She is loving giving big kisses right on the smacker & gave a sticky lollipop kiss to her Daddy before getting out of her race car.  You know he loved every bit of the stickiness that came with that sweet kiss! 

Valentine's Day 2013

Oh Valentine's Day, how we enjoy you : ) As every year looks different, this one was no exception.  A few days prior to the special day, my mom & the girls worked on some Valentines with markers & stickers.  The stickers smelled like strawberries. Eloise was covered in them while Charlotte later admitted to eating one of hers. I guess they were too yummy smelling to resist! 

My dad flew in on the eve of Valentine's Day to spend the weekend with us.  We were all looking forward to his arrival, especially my mom who has missed him so much in the weeks she has spent in Orlando.  I am in no shape to go out on a date in the evening at this point in pregnancy so we planned for a fun filled day at home for me and a few activities for others.  We have LOVE having my dad here!  The girls are totally smitten with him as he plays pretty much non stop during his visit.  Also, it makes me smile to see that my parents still love each other & seem to enjoy each others company more with each passing year.  It makes me look forward to being married for 30 + years.

We got up at the regular time & enjoyed some breakfast tacos prepared by the Valentine Hotel chef Robby.  Rob & I gave the girls a Valentine card & a little bag with a couple things for each of them.  They each got a headband & then Eloise got some stickers while Charlotte got a little pink coin purse with some coins in it.  Since Charlotte has been completely obsessed with wearing her Bass Pro camo hat for 3-4 weeks, 24 hours a day (literally, she sleeps in it), I thought a hot pink  headband was the perfect solution! Think again mama! Charlotte ripped it off her head & threw it on the ground exclaiming "I DON'T LIKE IT!" She then put her camo hat back on & walked out of the room as my Dad started singing the country song "Gimme, gimme, gimme a red neck girl." Hahahaha! She is cute no matter what is on her head but I did force convince her to wear the headband for a picture or two before they took off for the Science Center with my parents. 

our little Valentines in their "Little Love Bug" shirts my mom picked up for them

It has been more than amazing to spend this much time with my mom since her arrival at the beginning of January. We have always been told that we look just like each other & I have always believed it but it was confirmed once again a couple weeks ago.  My mom was at Target without children & ran into a neighbor of mine who had never met my mom or seen a picture of her.  She walked right up to my mom & said "Are you Lauren's mom?" Ha! I only hope I can be a beautiful as she is when I am a grandmother! 

So, the happy grandparents & the little love bugs enjoyed a good portion of the day at the Science Center. They came home with all sorts of stories! I rested all day while my Valentine worked hard in the office.  Eloise was a little out of sorts when she arrived home since was forced to be awakened from too short of a nap.  I jumped in with the only creative thing I could do for Valentines Day....printing off something I had seen on Pinterest. It was working on patterns with candy hearts which was WAY over Elo's head but just right for Charlotte.  It was going well until they figured out it was candy ; ) 

Both girls received a couple other cards from G.Gran, cousins & friends.  Uncle Kyle had thoughtfully put together a pink cup for each girl filled with goodies (ring pop, Valentine, stickers & a Mickey & Minnie pin). Charlotte could hardly wait to eat dinner & drink out of her cup.  She is quite capable of using a big girl cup & not spilling the contents.  We filled Elo's sippy cup with milk as we sat down to enjoy our steak dinner.  Eloise started screaming bloody murder. We couldn't even hear ourselves talking as we tried to figure out what was causing all the heartache.  Somehow someone figured out that it had to do with the pink cup & asked Eloise if she wanted her pink cup to drink out of.  She immediately stopped crying & said "ya" to which we all laughed.  I would usually say no to her using a big girl cup at dinner but it was Valentine's Day so I said of course : ) She was a mess & couldn't keep her fingers out of it & ended up dumping the milk onto her plate making her bites of steak float. Oh well, it was worth a try!

After dinner we enjoyed a yummy "mostly" sugar free dessert in honor of my diabetes thanks to my lovely mother. It was layers of strawberry jello, cool whip & strawberries. YUM! What was even yummier was the mini sugar cookies my mom had bought at a Farmer's Market last weekend. I couldn't resist one which turned into two which made my after dinner blood sugar a little higher than usual.  I didn't feel too bad about it since it was Valentine's Day & I am always such a good diabetic patient : )

So, it was a wonderful low key Valentine's Day! Just for the record, our usual Valentine Card we send out in lieu of Christmas Cards is being postponed until the two newest Valentines arrive! Be on the lookout!

One happy Gigi!

Gigi, Robs' Grandmother & her sister in law came to visit last weekend. It was double the fun because Grammy overlapped their trip.  The kiddos were enjoying EVERY minute of extra attention & I of course enjoyed the usual resting that takes place when there are plenty of helpers around : ) 

On Friday afternoon the cousins came over to play. The girls went straight for the dress up bins which always means we are going to be laughing as we watch their dance moves. Here are a few pictures....

their faces make me laugh so hard

It has been said by more than a few that these two resemble each other : )  I concur!

Beautiful Grammy & Beautiful Karis

the girlie pies

the lone ranger singing "Oh when, Oh when will my cousins be here?"

Failed attempt at getting all kids in a pic with Grammy. It will surely be easier when their are six of them next visit ; ) 

 We did make the attempt to get Gigi with all four & depends on what your definition of good is but I think this sequence of pictures is better than good ; )

It is just one of those "realistic" shots of how most posed photo opportunities go when there is more than one child.  Elo probably deserved getting her pigtails pulled after all the times she body slammed Isaac on Saturday ; ) By the way, that is not a mole just under Charlotte's nose as my brother originally thought. Eloise threw a puzzle (with her good arm) & caught Charlotte in the wrong place at the wrong time. I did have to convince Charlotte to remove 2 layers of clothing & her camo hat to have her picture taken. Maybe I should have let her keep them on just to show what life is really like with that fashionista.

Virginia is one of the most relaxing people to spend time with. If you remember, last summer we made the trek from here to Michigan to spend a week with this woman so of course we love her! She is so kind & can snap the girls out of a grumpy mood drawing them into "helping" her with something.  It is such a gift for Rob & I to each have one Grandmother around for our girls to be loved by.  We are looking forward to visits from each of our Grandmothers following Owen & Anson's arrival. They have both said how much they would like to come visit & offer a helping hand....something we could never turn down.

We will end with this lovely picture of three beautiful ladies......

Expecting the Unexpected: 30 week update

This past week has been a great one for multiple reasons. Just to name a few, we have both Grandmas in town, we had another good report all said & done & we are on the move getting things ready to welcome the boys. 

On the flip side, I think my body has tried to call it quits this week. I hit the super uncomfortable phase and I was reminded of the beginning of my pregnancy where my doctor said "this pregnancy is going to be much harder on your body." I am pretty sure at 10 weeks pregnant I laughed about this comment thinking "probably not, I did get quite large with Charlotte by the end & I survived."  What may be better advice upfront is "this pregnancy will be harder on your body because at 29-30 weeks you hit the point of feeling like you are 42 weeks pregnant but then you have to stay that way for as many more weeks as possible." I know everyone's body type differs which means that there are some people that make carrying twins look like a breeze. I am not one of those : ) I am waddling like nobody's business &  moving at the pace of a turtle.  I think my pubic bone is completely spread apart now & if I don't have on my support belt I can barely walk without wanting to cry.  I am contracting anywhere between every 5-10 minutes around the clock...more on that later. I am still enjoying this crazy experience of growing two babies, I am thankful to feel all those wiggles & I am even more thankful that they are still INSIDE growing well!

So, here I am at 1 day away from 31 weeks, resting on the couch which is where I spend quite a bit of time..

You can see my Winnie Palmer cup on the far right. That thing has become my best friend.!

 We have had an exciting week full of time spent under the care of medical staff.  On Tuesday, I had contractions on & off all day long. I spent A LOT of time resting that day minus the quick drive to drop off & pick up the Expedition for an oil change.  Around 5:30 I started timing them via my contraction app & quickly noticed they were 4-5 minutes apart & uncomfortable. An hour in, I was thinking that it felt really similar to when I went into labor with Eloise but was in denial. With Elo, I showed up at the hospital & was about 4cm dilated.  That made me nervous but made the decision easy to make since I sure as heck didn't want to be delivering 30 week babies at home or in an ambulance.  With the frequency & increasing discomfort we decided to head to triage after talking to my doctor around 7:15.

They got me in quickly & put me on the monitors.  The boys were very difficult to monitor so they decided to order an ultrasound for a BPP & continue monitoring my contractions.  Within the first 2 hours, we saw lots of contractions. I was overjoyed when the nurse brought me a giant carafe of water & a cup. She also had a dose of a medication that would hopefully slow down my contractions. She said drink up & I did! She refilled it for me a couple times...I love water right now! The doctor checked my cervix & said I was basically closed (good news). They also ran a test called Fetal Fibronectin.  This came back negative showing that the likelihood of me going into preterm labor in the next two weeks is low (also good news). The ultrasound was soon after & the result of that was : Owen behaved perfectly but Anson (our little stinker) waited until the last 30 seconds of his allotted time to get his points for breathing which is basically noted by seeing the diaphragm move up & down. He finally complied : ) The medicine kicked in & the contractions spaced out a bit so we got to go home.

Great medicine really to help those contractions slow down but man oh man, it did a number on me! Robby left me at the front of the hospital while he went to get the truck. He was only about a 20 foot walk from me when he pulled up so I started towards the truck. Side note...I have no problem getting in & out of the Expedition since it has running boards but the truck is a whole different story! The best way for me to get in is for Rob to get in his seat first, I open my door, put my left foot inside the vehicle which is quite a feat, hold on to the handle on the ceiling of the truck with my right hand while putting my left hand in his. We count to three & I attempt to jump while he pulls me in.  We tried the gentlemanly way of him opening the door for me & "helping" me in which was pretty much a double handed tush push. I quickly tired of getting wedgies every time so we figured out the new & improved current way of entering the vehicle. Back to the story, once I opened the door, he was just laughing & laughing.  He said I looked like I may have been under the influence of alcohol as I stared at the ground attempting to walk or waddle rather in a straight line but failing miserably.  The whole way home I kept telling him that he was driving really really fast (he wasn't). I at e snack & then laid down in bed. I think I might have been asleep before my head hit the pillow & it took a good 12 hours of sleep to feel somewhat coherent.  Jeannine, my sweet mother in law sent Charlotte in to wake me so I could eat something before my appointment. Wow! What a trip! 

Here are the two reasons this mama is getting so much rest...Grammy & Gaga

Grammy painted Char's nails today & worked on some coloring.  Charlotte is responding really well to her Grammy & has either napped or taken her full rest time since she arrived. Yea!! Thanks Grammy!

rEloise is pretty much loving her Gaga, preferring her over  me & Rob : ) One morning we walked in to get her from her crib & she just stared at us, held her hands in the air & said "Where Gaga?" Hahaha!

Not only are these two women making sure I rest but they are being my hands & feet to the girls right now with the things I can't do.  They have been pretty happy girls...all four of them ; ) I am SO thankful for their willingness to love on us in such practical ways right now.  I am attributing much of this excellent growth in the boys to them allowing me to rest. 

We had our MFM appointment Wednesday that included a growth check, BPP & review of the past weeks blood glucose results. We saw the regular OB this morning.

Summary:

• Both boys packed in on this week & gained 13 ounces each!                                                                 
• This makes Owen 2 lb 15 oz & Anson 3 lb 15 oz equaling almost 7 pounds of baby in there which explains why my body might feel like it's done ; )  
• This makes the discordance 25% instead of 33% like last visit
• The fluid & dopplers look fabulous
• BPP- Owen was perfect, Anson decided to avoid any sustained breathing for about 35-40 minutes which bought us a ticket for an NST in triage.
• NST looked great so once again we were sent home!
• The MFM doctor was pleased with my blood glucose results. There was only one out of range that said "bit of milkshake" right underneath....I couldn't resist! He said that if he has to deal with seeing one out of range per week because I enjoyed a yummy treat, he is quite alright!
• I weighed the most I have ever weighed in my life today which made me smile...it is for a good reason! Even on my diabetic diet I am gaining 2-3 pounds a week. 
• My fundal height is about 43cm
• Repeat NST in office today looked great
• Still contracting very frequently with slight to moderate discomfort. I have a prescription for the medication I was given in triage & have been advised to take it around the clock if I am contracting that frequently. So, beware I may be somewhat zombie like from now until those little buckaroos arrive!

On the non medical front, we have been busy at home even with the resting! We have made a cute little scrub cap for me to wear in the OR. I have bunches just from working but they are mostly girl colors so I made the switch to some brown, cream, blue & green fabric.  Very cute end result! My mom & I are almost done with two western mobiles for above the cribs which has taken a lot of hand stitching while laying down.  We got the fabric in for the curtains for the boys room which my mom is taking on as her project.   We ordered & received two Wild West little outfits for the boys to wear home from the hospital. 

And one thing that took little work (pretty much just opened a box I received in the mail) was a quilt that my sweet friend Halie made for the boys.  The fabric is SO cute & I love the hand stitching around the edges. She made a quilt for Charlotte which is now shared by both girls so it is extra special to have one for the boys too!

This past week has been full of fun, productivity, a couple scares & lots of laughs. The Valentine Nest is still in working order thanks to Grandma's that haven't lost their touch from the early years of parenting kids & managing a household.  Onto more rest & more water for me (along with that diabetic diet) in hopes that these babies make it another 3-5 weeks!

Expecting the Unexpected: Big Belly

Here are the  favorites of our photo shoot at 28 weeks....

Thanks again to the lovely Erica Ruess : )