Conversation Snippets From a Recluse

Because my social interaction is limited to my mother-in-law, husband, daughter, and Facebook/blogs, I sometimes fear I am losing my sense of normalcy. I spend the majority of my time watching Eliza or thinking about twins and the rest of my time watching television and reading. This entire "lay down and rest" condition is turning me into a socially awkward hermit.

Due to my life being rather uneventful, I often feel as though I have nothing interesting to blog or write about. Things thankfully (very, very thankfully) have calmed down, so now my life updates are: "The babies gained 12 grams!" or "Eliza ate a hot dog!"

As I was brushing my teeth and preparing to go to bed, I thought about some of the ridiculous things I said today. Could I write a blog post about all of this exciting stuff? Why not!?

Here are some highlights from today:

Eliza: "As-not!"
Me: "Eliza, did you just say astronaut?" [She totally did! Thanks, Umi Zoomi.]

"The babies are nearly the size of a spaghetti squash! Wait? What is a spaghetti squash?"

"Really, Oprah? Show me a good episode!"

Nathan: "Did you start Cupcake Wars without me?!"
Me: "Maybe...You're always busy, and I want to watch it!"
Nathan: "Sorry. I guess I was too busy feeding our daughter."
Me: "I'll pause it."

"Nathan, you have gotta watch this! This lady wins both showcases on Price is Right!!"

Nathan: "Do you think I could play Wii for a little bit?"
Me: "But Jurassic Park is on..."
Nathan: "But this is the second time you've watched it tonight, and we own the movie."
Me: "....."
Nathan: "Fine. I didn't want to play anyway!"

I really can't wait to feel like a contributing member of society again. In the meantime, I should probably let Nathan play his video games. He definitely has earned the right after full-time Eliza duty!

And, just so I never forget...
In other news, Nathan and I had a water fight today. I was outside watching Eliza and him play and decided to make things interesting. The hose was there, and the water was waiting; I hit Nathan directly in the face! I didn't think he would retaliate against a poor, pregnant woman. I was wrong. He thoroughly soaked me as I laughed/screamed, and Eliza stared in disbelief.  I don't think I have laughed so much in weeks.

Brace Yourself

Tomorrow morning, we've leaving for Seattle. Nathan, Eliza, and I are going to visit two of our favorite couples before flying out to South Carolina on Friday. Although I've been to Washington countless times, I have never visited the western side of the state. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be doing much exploring. I couldn't make it through Costco earlier this week, so I don't plan on wandering through a new city.

I'm a little worried about the trip. Well, I am actually very worried.

Luckily, we found great flights and our travel time is surprisingly low (compared to our UT to SC flights). I plan on using a wheelchair throughout the airport and letting Nathan handle the stress of flying with Eliza. When Eliza and I flew home in April, we cried together on three of our four flights. Nathan was sorely missed. Flying with a toddler can be a traumatic experience for both parties! I don't think we'll ever want to fly with twins, so that is why we opted to travel home this summer.

With that in mind, I am prepared for the worst. However, I keep telling myself this time will be different. I am not going to stress, I am going to drink tons of water, and I am going to focus on relaxing. That will work, right?

Hopefully, Hurricane Irene will avoid the beach house, and we can relax by the ocean next week. I can't wait for Eliza to be with more family. Bring on the vacation!

21 Weeks

We decided to ring in the 21 week marker with a visit to the emergency room this morning.

At 4:15, I woke up with abdominal pains, back pains, and constant pressure in my lower stomach. These were the three symptoms I had when I went into preterm labor at 29 weeks with Eliza. I tried telling myself I just needed to eat, stretch, or use the restroom. After doing all three of these things, I felt no relief. Laying down did nothing to ease the pain, so I decided it was time to wake up Nathan.

We said a prayer and then immediately left; I was grateful we were only three houses down from the hospital. We were seen immediately and hooked up to fetal monitors, which would let us know if I was having any contractions. After an hour of monitoring, the doctor determined the pains were caused by uterine irritability (I had to come home and Google that term for further explanation).

My instructions were to go home and lay down for the remainder of the day. The doctor believes the discomfort is related to my body trying to keep up with the growth of the boys. Apparently, I am pretty small and the boys don't have anywhere to go but up and down. She stated that once I begin growing outward more, the irritability and the constant pressure will subside. I guess it makes sense.

I am extremely grateful everything is okay tonight. This morning, I started panicking as I envisioned the worse case scenario.  A blessing from my father-in-law and Nathan has brought me a great deal of peace, and I have the knowledge everything is going to be fine. These babies aren't going anywhere for a while!

As for the 21 week photo, I'll post one later. I don't want to remember myself looking haggard and horribly trashy in over-sized pajama pants and a t-shirt (even though it's what I wear every day). It has worked out well that we take the weekly photo after church on Sunday because I basically wear pajamas every other hour/day of the week. Don't be too jealous, though. It isn't that glamorous :)

Well, That Explains It

Remember when I complained about being unable to breathe? After yesterday's appointment with our perinatologist, we know exactly why it has been hard for me to catch my breath. Apparently, both boys are breech and their heads are directly below my ribs. When my diaphragm pulls downward, two solid objects are in the way.

Resistance = difficulty breathing.

While the ultrasound was being performed, I looked down in disbelief as the technician's transducer (fancy name for the scanning instrument) moved further and further up my stomach.  I was surprised when her hand stopped only a few inches away from my ribs and the profiles of the babies' faces were suddenly visible. All of the movement I have felt has been much lower in my stomach, so I guess their legs are the only things moving! This past week, my breathlessness has only worsened, so I am really hoping they decide to switch positions sometime soon.

I know I've had 13 weeks to get used to the idea of twins, but every time we have an ultrasound, it is  hard for me to believe there are two babies growing inside of me. Writing plural words like "they," "them," and "babies" still seems so surreal. I guess once we have two of everything (include the boys), reality will begin to sink in. I know I've said it a few times, but really, I am so excited!

Snack Pack!

I remember when Becca was pregnant, she kept telling me: "I can't get enough chocolate pudding."

I'm not sure if this planted a seed in my subconscious, but recently, I crave Snack Packs constantly; no other brand of pudding will suffice. Every time we go to the grocery store, I find myself putting several packages into the buggy (I mean, shopping cart). Unfortunately (for me), Nathan and Eliza have both discovered they also love chocolate pudding, so the delightful snacks don't last long at our house.

Why Grandma's House is Fun

At Grandma's house, there is always something fun to do (especially when cousins are around!).

There is watercolor painting,

trampoline jumping,

 pool time,

water-throwing,

and even excavating.

And these are the adventures of only one day! It has been great to have Ellie and Hayden around this week. Eliza loves playing with other children, and I think she really needed the socialization.

The past couple of days have been great, mostly because I have been able to interact with Eliza, rather than simply watching her play with Nathan all day. I am gaining strength slowly, but surely. I hope my energy levels continue to rise and that I can do more with Eliza daily. Even though it may seem nice, laying on the couch all day reading and watching television is so overrated. I am done with the excessive lounging!

A Juxtaposition of Genders

Earlier this week, I sat outside and watched Eliza play with her adorable cousin Ellie. They ran across the grass, giggling and holding hands as their matching blonde curls bounced in the sunlight. It was picturesque. It was adorable.

I then looked to the other end of the yard at my three-year-old nephew, Hayden. He was furiously whacking a tree with some sort of tool he had found in grandpa's storage shed; I was horrified. Nathan ran over to stop the mayhem, but the mental damage had already been done (to me). I began to imagine two three-year-olds attacking a tree and felt myself internally freak out.

I have a little brother, so I know this is typical boy behavior. However, I had forgotten how rambunctious boys can be! Hearing stories of Nathan and his five brothers as they were growing up has only added to my growing concern. Boys are just a different breed (obviously).

That being said, I have also seen Hayden do the sweetest things this week. He has helped Eliza with puzzles and looked for her blanket when it was lost. He has watched the television shows she likes without complaining and even shared pudding! Best of all, he cuddled with me! Eliza isn't a cuddler, so this has given me hope that at least one of my two boys will enjoy sitting with me.

I think I can convince myself not to panic. Two boys is going to be awesome, even if it is at times destructive :)

Another Ultrasound?

I never thought I would say this, but I am really tired of ultrasounds. Last week, I felt as though I was going to have an anxiety attack as the technician performed an hour long ultrasound. I couldn't move, it's uncomfortable laying down on my back, and there were extended periods of awkward silence as the woman worked; Nathan and I just stared at a screen. Some ultrasound technicians give you a play-by-play and hold conversations, but not all of them. Every organ and bone is measured and then compared to the other baby's measurements. It's a lengthy process to say the least, but we are grateful for the technology and the peace it provides.

The babies still appear to be roughly the same size, which is wonderful news. Baby B is slightly larger, but there are no significant discrepancies. The babies are now head to head instead of head to bum, which I am sure is a relief for Baby B :)

Here are the boys at almost 20 weeks:

We have another hour long ultrasound tomorrow. Yippee!

The Best Thing About the Fair....

Veloci-goat.

Dr. Grant got it all wrong. They didn't evolve into birds!

Baby's Day Out

Yesterday, my mother-in-law and Nathan gathered enough courage and energy to take three children and a wheelchair-bound pregnant lady to the fair. Our niece and nephew, Ellie and Hayden, are visiting for the week, and we thought the fair sounded like a perfect outing for the kids. There isn't much to do in Othello, so we were all excited about the petting zoo, rides, and, of course, the food!

First, we went to the livestock area and saw all of the animals. Eliza was fascinated by the cows,

 but refused to touch them.

She also refused to go near the pigs...

or have her picture taken with the sheep.

She was willing to look at the chickens, though, with Grandma (isn't my mother-in-law cute?).

After the petting zoo adventure, we were worn out! It was hot, the kids were tired and thirsty, and we all needed a break (after 45 minutes). Hayden sat in my wheelchair, while I stretched, and the girls munched on some snacks.

Before we went any further, I insisted upon buying an elephant ear! It's not every day that one has the chance to indulge in fair food, so I definitely took full advantage of the opportunity. Five dollars later (ridiculous, but totally worth it), I was the happy owner of a sugary treat.

Unfortunately, after a couple of bites, I knew the elephant ear wasn't good for me (too much gluten). Thankfully, Eliza and Nathan were around to finish it off. At first, Eliza wasn't too sure about the "cake" (as she called it).

However, she went back for seconds.

And then thirds before we decided she had eaten enough.

The best part of the day (for the kids, at least) was the car ride.

Although the day was an overall success, Nathan and I decided we won't be going back to the fair until our kids are old enough to enjoy a full day of fun. Ellie and Hayden let us know they had a better time at the McDonald's Play Place later on that day.

Figures :)

20 Weeks

I feel huge this week. Other than that, not much has changed. I'm still tired and doing as little as possible these days.

Nathan and I managed to complete three more 1,000 piece puzzles in a four day period.

We're awesome. Unfortunately, I have to stop doing puzzles for a while. Apparently, sitting straight up for hours on end isn't the best for my body. After spending the majority of Friday evening hunched over a puzzle, my stomach turned into a rock as the muscles began tightening. I thought going to bed would relieve the problem, but it didn't help too much. I woke up Saturday morning with the tightness still in my abdomen and then spent all of yesterday laying down.

Now that my nausea is mostly gone, I am hoping I can read without making myself sick. Book suggestions, anyone? Sadly, the library branch here is unimaginably small, but maybe they'll have some good books I haven't read. 

Also, look at how huge Eliza is! She's adorable.

What the @$&!

Something you should all know about Cecil is that she's the queen of southern expletives. These wonderful, colorful phrases include, but are not limited to:

Actually, I better not, there might be children watching.

But what I can recount to you is summed up in the following:

Like mother, like daughter. Eliza has become our little parrot. And while we were used to her beloved "OH GOSH!" after she drops things on the floor or her blanket gets stuck in the door, nothing could have prepared us for: "WHAT THE CRAP!?!?"

We can only hope it ends there. I can rest easy though, because no matter what much-more-serious language she learns from me, I can always say that Cecil started it.

Anniversary, Anniversary

Nathan and I celebrated our anniversary in a very traditional way: dinner and a movie. This, however, was a huge deal to us for a number of reasons:

A) We don't spend money these days.
B) We have only been to one movie since we've been married.
C) We have only had three dates (sans baby) in the last two years.

Crazy, right?

We felt a little guilty about going to Outback and then spending $19.00 to see Cowboys and Aliens, but it was totally worth it! Ty and Jenny, Nathan's brother and his wife, were able to join us, which made the outing even more exciting.

We ended the night with a quick trip to Sonic for milkshakes and ice cream. Lucky for us, someone drove off without their order, so we ended up with an extra strawberry milkshake and a delicious berry slush (which I was happy to take). Jenny is also pregnant, so we had a good excuse to eat as much as we wanted :) It couldn't have been more perfect!

Tonight, we're starting our third puzzle for the week and hanging out. Nothing fancy, but I'm happy :)

Thank you, Nathan for all that you do. I am grateful for all the sacrifices you continually make for our family. Eliza and I are blessed to have you. Happy Anniversary!

**p.s. This picture was taken as a joke, mocking the typical engagement stance, but I kind of really like it.


** p.p.s I would like to thank Becky for blogging about cool hair ideas. I loved the knotted braid, and it worked out great!