Eloise at 21 months

This little lady is 21 months old & full of spunk! She could still be nick named "Mellow Elo" when we are talking about her being able to simply go with the flow but she can be quite the rascal! She keeps us on our toes as will the whole crew in the coming year but for now...even if for just one more week, Elo Pancakes is the baby of the family & we love her dearly! 

I have not been to the park at all since my mom arrived nearly 7 weeks ago but this pregnancy coming to a close, I have had sudden bursts of energy & this morning was one of them.  We went to a nearby park & let the girls run free. I found myself a sunny spot & enjoyed watching them climb, yell & giggle as they played.  My favorite spot was at the bottom of the slide where I could see Eloise's little face with a huge grin all 30 times she came down. I wish you could hear the giggle that comes with it! 

She then did some trick moves down the slide turning about or going on her tummy. She was slightly stunned when she arrived at the end of the tunnel this time.....

21 things about Eloise at 21 months:

1. Elo is pretty much fearless on the playground or at home keeping up with the big kids. Her favorite place to climb on at home is the back of the couch which is a little to close to the tile if you ask me! She gets to the top, throws her hands in the air & says "da!" which is "ta-da!"
2. She has just begun attempting to dress herself although is usually found putting shirts on her legs & shorts on her head.  I got her up from a nap a couple weeks ago & she still had the same stretchy shorts on her noggin haha!
3. Eloise is telling us when she wants to go potty sometimes & if you are quick enough to get her on she will go! If I weren't gigantically pregnant I think I could potty train her very easily over the course of a few days.  That is on the to do list for May along with making the switch to a big girl bed. 
4. Precious little girl loves to lay down on her tummy with her tush up in the air when it's time to go to bed. She says "pat, pat, pat" meaning she wants her bottom patted. If I stop & walk to Charlotte's bed Eloise will pat her own bottom till I return....& you bet I set her up to do that as much as possible ; ) 
5. She loves to color & draws all over the page then points at her squiggles & says
   "sake" meaning "snake." That's pretty much her favorite thing to draw. 
6. Speaking of "sakes," Elo thinks any worm as small as a dime is a "sake." She pretty much had a complete breakdown on the back porch with Rob the other day because she saw a "sake!" which was no larger than the typed word "sake." She was really scared though & was thankful for her daddy's protection!
7. I have no doubt that Eloise will forever be a dog lover! She & Bella spend a lot of time together. She LOVES to pet anyone & everyone's dogs. If they are little, she squeezes their necks so hard we are afraid she will break them.  The hilarious part is that once we are back home talking about the dogs we met that day, anytime we mention the name of the dog she grabs her wrist & says "bite." I say "That doggie didn't bite you Elo" & she grins & says "noooooo."  Her favorite dogs right now outside our house are Chestnut & Holly. 
8. She continues to be really into books & loves to snuggle up for a good read. Her favorite series of books by far are the "Carl" books about a lovable Rottweiler who is often put in charge of babysitting while the mommy is away.  There are very few words in the book so we get to make up the story as we look at the pictures. Very cute books!
9. Her favorite shows to watch right now are Babar & Curious George. When she requests Babar she says "I wah Baby Babar" meaning the episode where Babar takes his first step.
10. She also frequently requests to see a video of Frosty the Snowman on my mom's ipad. She gets SO excited & says "Fos-tee! Fos-tee!"
11. She continues to build her vocabulary at a rapid pace surprising us each day with new words & phrases. She is super polite saying: yes please, thank you, excuse me & you're welcome with her adorable pronunciation. 
12. Eloise can hardly wait to have her brothers out of my belly. We still don't think she has any clue that there will actually be two of them but that will be a huge plus according to her. This week she walked up to me, patted my belly & said "I wah hold baby." I think I melted. 
13. She is happiest when outside running free which can thankfully happen nearly every day of the year here in Orlando. 
14. She has quite the arm & can throw the ball accurately. She has also been known to kick it a couple times in a row like a soccer player. She is working on catching but it has proven to be tricky. She threw a fork directly at my head at the dinner table one night. It flew SO fast about an inch away from my forehead. Daddy took care of that one.
15. She responds to discipline really well & has so far not required more than a handful of swats to the tush. A stern talking to sends this girl into tears requiring mommy or daddy to hold her until she calms down. 
16. She has become an INCREDIBLE eater since my mom got here. She turned into a carnivore enjoying all meat we put in front of her. She will scarf down all fruits, most veggies, pasta, etc. She is still a milk monster that would drink a couple gallons a day if I kept her sippy cup filled to the brim at all times. She is a growing girl that's for sure!
17. Elo still self soothes with a finger in her belly button & her hand over her mouth with her palm facing out. The best part is that she calls her belly "body" & when she is frustrated with a car seat strap or a tricky layered skirt you can hear her saying "body, body, body!" 
18. The mellow side of Elo still enjoys a morning nap & an afternoon nap on most days. We talk about phasing it out & on some days we skip the morning but there is something so relaxing about having that less chaotic hour in the morning. Her usual sleeping is 7-7 overnight followed by naps from 9-10 & 1:30-3:30. If she skips the morning nap she will sleep for a good 3+ hours in the afternoon.
19. She loves her sissy Charlotte & can pronounce her name very clearly. She follows her around, repeats what she says like a little parrot, swipes her toys & runs off SO fast we all struggle to catch her & is affectionate giving sissy lots of kisses & hugs whether they are welcome or not. 
20. Eloise likes to count along with us but says "five" over & over & over. She loves the songs sung at story time at the library & frequently requests them at home. We got some jingle bells so she can sing "shake'em up high, shake'em down low" that turns into a marching in a circle song.
21. She is learning new things often. She can identify a "C" & an "E," a star & a heart & thinks everything you show her is the color blue. 

So with number 21, I have had some good laughs thinking about the countless hours I spent working with Charlotte on letters, numbers, shapes & colors by the age of 21 months. Poor little Eloise's education has been on the back burner but praise the Lord, she can still learn : ) I read this book called "Juggling Twins" in preparation for my next circus act (current circus act is just acting as a side show).  I honestly don't think I would have liked this book had the twins been my first pregnancy as I was a little uptight about routine & had lofty goals, some of which were attained & some not. There is something so freeing in having a second (or third or fourth) baby. Even though it is busy & getting busier, I feel like it has made me chill out....really good for me & for the kiddos. Back to the book, I laughed out loud so many times as I read through the chapters & must share an excerpt that directly applies to number 21.

"Be forewarned that there is always one mother at the playground who will smile placidly at the baby in her stroller while announcing 'he's really an easy baby...he's already sleeping through the night," when you know for a fact that the child is so young that the woman is still wearing pants that have an elastic panel in front. Don't be alarmed. First of all, she is probably lying. If not, then what she really means by "through the night" is that they slept through the crying the other night and eventually the baby fell back asleep without eating. (my fav part) Bear in mind that she is also the mother who will later be telling you that her kid is doing phonics when yours is out-of-her-head proud when she stacks 3 blocks into a tower. If it helps, you can feel very confident that she paid big, this braggart, because the hour after the "through the night" stretch was likely a nightmare of famished, manic meltdown from which it was difficult for her baby to return."  

This made me laugh & was a good reminder that comparison is not beneficial. Eloise can for the record stack more than 3 blocks but we have lots of learning ahead as we help her understand that not everything is the color blue & there are other numbers than "five."

Here are a couple more pictures of our active little girl....

She does slow down every now & then to give her mommy's belly some attention...

21 months of joy filled days watching God reveal more about this little person in our care. We love you Elo!

Expecting the Unexpected: 33 week update

Oh me, oh my as Eloise would say! This mama is feeling gigantic....that is pretty much the only word to describe the massive growth I have experienced in the past few weeks.  I am 33 weeks & 4 days today just trucking along as well as I can! This picture was taken on Sunday when we were headed to lunch. My mom was outside with the girls on the other side of the driveway. She said that it seemed like it was such a long time between when she saw my belly & then my face. She was laughing hard. It's unreal & I am definitely thankful we are nearing the end of this pregnancy!

We have had a couple visits a week the past two weeks but no major findings to report so I have been laying low & not blogging. I figured I would save it all up for today. Last week, I maxed out at the most I have ever weighed in my life making my total gain = 46 pounds. My fundal height was 49cm at 32 weeks. When Dr Peppy went to measure I heard Robby say "It's like Everest!" Haha! I agree. More about the belly size later. 

Today we were at the hospital for a sonogram with BPP, Dopplers & growth assessment followed by an NST.  The end of this story is that I am home writing, not having babies today but..... the real end is near! 

Here are the findings from today: 

• Both passed BPPs with perfect scores
• Owen went from 2lb 15oz to 3lb 6oz
• Anson went from 3lb 15oz to 5lb 1oz
• Perfect Doppler studies 
• Monitoring revealed two happy boys with plenty of oxygen & wiggles
• I'm contracting a LOT but what's new? ; ) 

We LOVE the doctor that reviewed everything & visited with us today.  He was honest & funny...both of those are high on the list of necessary characteristics in my book for a doctor.  He said that the weights went from 25% difference back to 34%.  He would have expected each baby to gain about 20-25 grams per day over the past 20 days. At this rate they would have been 4lbs & 5lbs even.  As you can see from the weights that were found today, Anson did just that and more. Owen on the other hand only gained about 9 grams a day, less than half of what Anson grew.  He figured out the growth percentiles & Anson is at 66th while Owen has fallen off the bottom of the chart at less than 0 percentile. The percentile number with these guys basically means that at 33 weeks & 4 days, 66% of babies are smaller than Anson which means that Owen is at the WAY bottom. The good news is that even though he is small, he still gained a little bit & according to the rest of the testing/assessment he is showing no signs of distress.  This doctor said that his probable recommendation for delivery is 35 weeks on the dot which is next Friday March 8th. He will visit with his fetal medicine team about my case & contact Dr. Peppy for a final decision.  I went ahead and got another dose of the steroid to speed up lung maturity & get the 2nd (final) dose tomorrow. 

In the meantime, I am scheduled for another NST this Friday, the 1st, & a BPP & NST on Tuesday, the 5th.  At either of these visits if Owen starts to show signs of not tolerating being inside mommy, I would likely be admitted & delivered earlier.  

So, I wanted to include a few things that have made me laugh recently or things I just don't want to forget from this stage in pregnancy:

• The belly really IS gigantic. Here are some moments that I have been reminded of how I really look.... No matter where we go people stare & whisper about me. I have been oblivious of this for a bit but Rob & my mom always notice. Lately, I have caught people & it cracks me up! One guy at a restaurant was standing about 5 feet away facing the same direction at me. He kept trying to look to the side with his head straight...like 8 times. He looked horrified. At Panera the other day the guy at the checkout asked with a completely straight face if I would make it through lunch. I should have told him with a straight face that I probably wouldn't.  Last week at the MFM office was my favorite. The sonographer had completed her assessment but had me stay in a reclined position. There was a towel over my gel covered belly waiting to be removed by the doctor if he wanted to repeat any measurement.  He came in, said hello & then removed the towel. Keep in mind that this man sees pregnant bellies ALL DAY LONG.  He could not hide his shock when "Everest" was exposed. He said "wow" but not to me, to himself under his breath as he looked away. We laughed hard when he left the room. Robby tells me he feels sorry for me every day as I do a 5 point "turn" to get off the couch or out of bed groaning the whole way.  He sees me hobble around the house like a little old lady. When I change into PJs at night, he can't help but stare at my bare stretch marked belly saying "how on earth are can you grow any more?" He also says that he is going to wait until I am asleep & then going to write a message to Dr. Peppy on the underside of my belly where I can't see it. Thankfully, I have not had much of an issue with poor self image but if I had to be pregnant for 6 more weeks, I think I would head that way ; ) 
• We frequently try to imagine what life will be like after the boys are here & we have all these little people to care for. The lack of sleep is the first thing that comes to mind. We visited a friend who had a baby last week at the hospital & once were on the elevator going down we stopped at the 6th floor. A super tired looking Dad with a sweet pink baby band on his wrist got on & said "6th floor please." Then he realized he was on the 6th floor & said he would rather go to the 1st floor. I said "Not much sleep last night?" He replied "No" then glanced at my belly & said "If this is your first baby, get ready, it is SO HARD!" We just laughed & nodded.  Once we were all off the elevator & away from the zombie dad we burst into laughter.  Robby said "Get ready?? You are one night in...we are going on four years of no sleep man & there are 2 babies in there!!" I could not stop laughing! Yes, we have had great nights of sleep throughout our parenting but the bottom line is, it is NEVER guaranteed! 
• One of the most challenging & sometimes frustrating parts of this pregnancy is struggling to help care for the girls. I had no idea how physical taking care of them is at the ages of 1 & 3 until I had to do it with a 45 pound weight on my belly. There is much lifting, leaning down to help pick something (or some child)  & hauling off of children to discipline appropriately in their rooms.  My mom does an incredible job of handling most of the shenanigans around here involving the girls but there are some things that only Rob & I should have to handle so I jump into action when necessary & regret it later that day. I did lean down to give Eloise a hug recently & completely lost my balance & fell over backward onto Robby's feet. We all laughed & they lifted me off the ground : ) Eloise alone causes crazy amounts of contractions with her unexpected body slams or attempts to 

I think that is about it!  We are feeling GREAT to know that I should make it to 34 weeks & hopefully 35 weeks with decent sized babies who will not have to spend much time in the NICU if any. 

We still desire your prayers that Owen would pack on a little more weight before entering the world, that God would provide rest for our family leading up to the big day & that they would be healthy boys that can breathe well on their own once they are born & are naturally good little eaters. 

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!