Thursday's adventures-no details too small to share

I was SO tired last night that I did not change positions once OR get up to use the restroom! I don't think I even took the time to arrange myself in my nest of pillows! I slept good and hard!!

I did not sleep half as good on Wednesday night. I was just so excited to get up and get Thursday going! I started off the day with a trip to the airport. I of course needed to use the restroom after a 45 minute drive, so I left the car with STE & S and ran in. I didn't think anything of it since I wasn't leaving the car unattended and it was still running! I cam out to find the 'security guy' in a bit of a tussle with S. I then got a firm lecture about not leaving my car when coming into the airport. I thought that was it until we noticed in the rear view mirror that he was writing down my license plate number. We'll see what comes of that!

So we have a 10:00 OB appointment planned and we got to Roseville about 30 minutes early. What better way to kill some time than a quick trip into Wal-Mart. Apparently STE & S thought I'd been exaggerating about the heat and they arrived in long sleeve shirts. They quickly bought a suitable short sleeved alternative and a few other 'necessities'.

We arrived at the OB, supplied a urine sample and checked the weight. I probably gained more in 3 weeks than I 'technically' should have, but I have now gained 25lbs by 20 weeks which is exactly the goal recommended in our multiples book. My blood pressure and pulse were both great and then it was time to get down to business with the Dr. He had a med student do the heartbeats and she had a bit of trouble finding both of them, but she did in the end. Mom and Dad finally got to hear the heartbeats! There really wasn't anything else to discuss, so we tossed around dates for a c-section and STE had some great 'stumper' questions for the doc. After the appointment the med student actually came out with a book to answer STE's question and copied it for her.

We had planned to meet Brian, the kids, my MIL Nancy and my SIL Betsey for lunch at 11:00. We of course had some more time to kill so we ran into the Vitamin Shoppe. Lunch was wonderful. My burger did not disappoint and I found it a bit easier to eat the entire burger in one sitting than the last time I had it in September. I went with the California burger again, sourdough, avocado and pepper jack cheese! BJ's had a special pizhookie that is not normally on the menu-so of course we had to try it. Ghiradelli Chocolate Chunk cookie (baked fresh and still warm) with 2 scoops of delicious chocolate ice cream! It was quite rich, but delicious. Any of you near a BJ's Brewery should definitely plan to get in there and try one!

After lunch we of course had some more time to kill so we went by the Jelly Belly Store to pick up some Belly Flops (and a few other things). We stopped by In N Out so S could get a fix and then we were on our way to the ultrasound! Even with all my careful planning we were still a few minutes late (my goal next month is to be on time or even early). Melissa met us there and they quickly got us back for the big show.

We had the world's nicest, fastest tech ever. What took almost 2 hours and a lot of discomfort for me 2 years ago, this tech was able to do in less than 1 1/2 hours and without hurting me at all! She walked us through the whole scan pointing out everything and what she was looking for. Both babies looked great and were definitely moving A LOT!! I felt little sensations that I probably wouldn't have even thought anything of if they had not been saying 'oh look she just moved!'. Baby A is definitely a girl and she had a great heart rate of 150. She measured 19weeks 4 days and weighed about 12 oz. Baby B was clearly proud of his manhood and put on quite the display. His heart rate was 147 (up from the lower and more worrisome rate of last month). He measured 20weeks 2 days? (I know it was a little over 20 weeks) and weighed about 13 oz. The books are currently equating them with the length of bananas. We got some beautiful pictures that STE will post for us when she's rested up (it was a long day for them too).

For those that don't know Melissa is the one responsible for matching us all up initially 3 years ago. If I hadn't taken a HUGE step outside of my comfort zone and had lunch with 2 total strangers off the Internet, I never would've met S & STE and their amazing families. We are all still SO thankful to Melissa for the part she played in this and for wanting to make them parents more than anything in the world. Melissa is like my surrogate IM. She comes to darn near every ultrasound and is always available when I need her. I am so thankful she came into my life for many reasons beyond surrogacy!

After the ultrasound we had a couple of hours before Ciera's softball game so we went and saw Eagle Eye. It was actually quite enjoyable for a movie that we had to pay for (I don't typically see movies in the theater-the cost gets me all worked up). The movie was a little longer than we expected so we raced over to Ciera's game. She got to pitch last night so it was a nice chance for STE & S to see how we spent so much of our time and why Ciera works so hard. It was a very easy game though and not quite an accurate picture of what the games are typically like. It was still nice to share that with them though.

We left the game with enough time to drive through In N Out one last time before arriving back at the airport. By then my belly was definitely ready for some more food. I was back home by 9 and got to tuck the kids into bed before heading off myself.

I tried very hard to pay attention to any baby movement and there was some, but nothing that STE would've been able to feel. I think I rubbed on my belly through the whole movie though, hoping that I could get a big enough nudge that she'd be able to feel. Next time!!

20 weeks and an ultrasound!

We had our 20 week ultrasound today. STE & S flew down for the day-and what a busy day it was. I'll post about it all tomorrow, but wanted to share the ultrasound quickly before I pass out. The babies were both VERY active and I believe STE enjoyed seeing them move around so much. Apparently the placentas are up front, which may be keeping me from feeling the babies as much as I'd expect. Baby A had a heart rate of 150 and Baby B had a heart rate of 147. They were both measuring on target, although A is slightly smaller right now. Everything looked good and we got beautiful shots of the babies. The tech was wonderful and had no trouble determining the sexes of the babies.

P & L will soon have a sister AND a brother!! Baby A is a girl and Baby B is a boy!! We are all so thrilled that the babies look healthy, are active and that there's a girl and a boy. It is all just perfect!!

I've been liberated!

Last night was my last night as an active board member for anything. I've been 'slowly' trying to relinquish my position on the girls rec softball board for 2 years. They have finally found a replacement for me and I no longer have to attend 2 meetings a month. For the moment I feel very good about leaving (and not leaving them in a bind). I'm sure by April I'll have found something else to commit my time to. I did volunteer to join the school board (a co-op) and they wouldn't take me seriously because I already do so much at the school. This is actually a very good time to 'lay low' and I'm sure I'll enjoy it more than I think.

I've begun to notice a pattern in my nighttime urinary needs. For over a week I've been waking right around 4:52 to go to the bathroom. I know 4:52 seems rather specific, but the clock has honestly said 4:52 for the last week. I find that a little odd and slightly disturbing. I wonder if the babies start moving and wake me at that time. Speaking of moving, I was able to clearly notice the babies moving again last night and this morning. I'm starting to get very excited!

You might've noticed that I took a break from reading for a few weeks. After the Twilight series and Ender's Game I've been unable to get into anything else. I've picked up several different books and none of them called me to finish more than a few pages. I finally broke down and bought a new (in paperback) book by Nicholas Sparks (whom I love but don't like to confess to reading), The Choice. I stayed up until at least 12:30 reading last night before I couldn't keep my eyes open. The babies kept me company several times though and I even had to take a break for a midnight bowl of SpaghettiO's. After taking the kids to school I climbed back into bed with my book. I spent the next 3 hours bawling at the rest of the book. True to form, Sparks delivered a tear-jerking love story that leaves you wishing for more. I have a slight headache from crying and I am starving.

I plan to head to the school to make my Thursday copies since I won't be able to tomorrow. I think we'll be having tacos for dinner-unless I can talk myself into going to the grocery store for a can of enchilada sauce. Then Logan has soccer tonight.

I almost forgot to share a Logan story. When I came home from my meeting last night I expected/hoped that both kids would be in bed. It was 9:30 after all. Well, Logan was not in bed. He was at the computer with Brian. Apparently Logan wanted to know more about the Presidential election and Brian was showing him the projected results by state and explaining how they make 'projected results'. It's a little hard to be upset when they are seeking knowledge for knowledge sake. How we respond to their curiosities about the process now could have a lasting affect on their political interests in the future. This election has been such a wonderful teaching opportunity and I don't think their talking about it much in Logan's classes. I know that they are in Ciera's (because I make the copies), but Logan has generated this interest on his own and it's so exciting to see. And just for the record, when we were at Barnes & Noble buying the Obama books, we did look to see if they had McCain books for kids and they didn't. They had a McCain picture book at Sam's Club, but nothing that really could give him information about this other nominee. Does anyone else find that odd?

I felt the babies last night!!

As I was lying in bed with my hands on my belly (like most nights) I finally felt what I've been waiting for-the quivery feeling rather than bumps and nudges. It went on for several minutes too. I also had a moment earlier in the evening where part of my stomach got a big hard spot-baby had moved and you could feel the change in my stomach. I'm SO hoping I can pay a little attention to the belly on Thursday and maybe STE will get to feel a big nudge.

That's right! Mom and Dad will be here in 2 days to see their little babies on screen. Hopefully everyone is cooperating and we'll get to see whose in here. My money is on one of each.

I really don't mean to complain so much about the weather, but I'm ready for a nice California winter-what the rest of the world calls Spring or Fall I imagine. I've grown up a California girl and I really don't know (nor do I care to learn) what a real winter is like. I'm perfectly content not really owning a jacket.

Thank goodness for Mondays!

This was a long weekend, but we all had a great time. We started off Saturday with Soccer bright and early. Logan's team was moved from the 1st division to the 4th division, so we were expecting a more evenly matched game, and it was. The boys still lost by a few goals, but they spent WAY more time at the other end of the field than normal. Once the boys realize that they don't have to be ready defensively all the time they should do better at being aggressively offensive.

Ciera and I left around 12:30 for Stockton. Brian and Logan hung out until the flag football game at 3:00. The boys' also lost this game, but Logan continues to have a great time and is loving pulling flags and receiving the ball. He even got to quarterback a play this week. They then headed down to Stockton to see Ciera's last 2 games of the day.

The girls had a much better weekend and played well together, with only a few hiccups. They were the #1 seed Saturday so they didn't have to play again until 12:45 on Sunday. Since we had booked a room that meant we'd get to sleep in on a tournament day-unheard of! They had another great day on Sunday and came home with 1st place trophies (Ciera's first non-participation trophy). Ciera got to pitch 2 innings over the weekend and she was caught smiling and chatting with teammates all weekend. The girls even got her to take part in a 'solo' cheer-first time EVER!!

Let me tell you about our room! Our general objective when staying overnight for a tournament is a decent room for as little as possible. We get our game times on Wednesdays and I spend the next 3 nights trying Priceline. The place we stayed last time we got for $60 (non-pricelined), so I was unsuccessfully trying to get a 2 star for less than that. I ended up with a 3 star for $70 and it was ABSOLUTELY worth the extra $10. They were doing renovations so it didn't look like much from outside or the hallways, but the rooms were wonderful. The beds were soft, down comforters AND pillows! And, the best shower head and water pressure we've ever experienced in a hotel! Because of the renovations there was no room service, so to make up for that the hotel had a continental breakfast for us. It was just cereal, juice, bread, muffins and fruit, but it was so nice to have fresh milk with cereal and there were some good choices (fiber 1 raisin bran/clusters was pretty good). If we end up in Stockton again next weekend, we'll definitely try to stay there again.

A surro friend drove up to Stockton to visit and see some softball. Stockton is about 1/2 way between her and I, so I was thrilled that she was willing to make the drive at 30 something weeks pregnant. I got to meet her boys and it was so nice to catch up with her. Unfortunately, while she was watching the games someone broke into her car and stole her stereo. I felt so bad for her and incredibly angry that people would do such a thing!

We didn't get home until 8:00 last night and boy were the babies and I tired. Logan heated up some milk for me and I took a hot shower. Then we were off to bed.

Monday was picture day, but I didn't remember until 10 minutes before school. The kids weren't too excited about it anyhow so we'll just go get them done on our own next month. This is the first year I haven't bought the ridiculously overpriced school pictures. I'm not sure if I feel like a horrible parent or if I feel liberated.

I decided several weeks ago that it was time to turn in our plastic bottles and soda cans. I finally got around to doing it today. I put a tarp down in the van, so nothing accidentally dripped in my beautiful van and spent the next 30 minutes filling it from top to bottom with bags of recyclables. It took another 30 minutes to unload it all into the cans at the dump. When all was said and done I walked away with $133, dirty hands and an emptier garage. My goal is to take each bag as I fill it up from now on AND get my van back in the garage-soon it will be cold and I hate having to wait for the windshield to defrost.

I thought ahead again on dinner and put another frozen soup into the crock pot. Friday we'd had clam chowder (and when I say we I mean I cooked it for Logan and Brian-Ciera and I had something else that I can't recall). Tonight we had a ravioli soup in a tomato base and corn bread (whole grain and tomatoes for the babies). It's one of my favorites.

One of the reasons I've been dying for the weather to cool down is that my skin is starting to need moisturizing. If I moisturize in the morning my skin feels extra hot and sticky all day. I decided today that I will start moisturizing at night and at least my body will get 8 hours of moisture therapy. We'll see how often I really get to doing it. It's good to have goals though.

You'll all be relieved...

to know that by 2:00 the burger desire kicked back in. I enjoyed another delicious at home beef/turkey burger with Pepper Jack cheese. I even added some brown mustard to my wheat bread. It's amazing how much better the meat tastes than a 'fast food' burger (had one of those last night and was so disappointed).

Why is my belly always wet?

I've noticed the past few days that my shirt always seems to be wet when I leave the kitchen, right around my belly button. How does this keep happening? While I was mixing up my meatloaf yesterday I somehow got meatloaf on my belly as well. Somehow my belly has grown larger than I realize and I'm continually butting it up against stuff in the kitchen. I've also noticed I need more room between my car and the next car in a parking lot than I used to. I parked close-ish to Brian's car last night and I had to move the car so I could get out. There just wasn't enough room to squeeze my belly through. Where did this come from and who is responsible?

The good news is my belly is now growing faster than my rear! YEAH for miracles!!
Speaking of miracles, I had planned to make myself another burger for lunch today. Guess who doesn't really feel like a burger right now? The babes wanted oatmeal instead! Fickle little things! I'm hoping this means that these two will be really great eaters when they get out, unlike their brother.

This morning has been good. The kids and I all slept in for an extra 1-2 hours and went to school an hour late. This was a compromise with Ciera as she wanted to skip the entire day because her friend would not be at school. Unfortunately for her she had several projects due today. I will however be picking her up early. I just found out this week that her and her friend have been given 'extra' assignments when they finish their regular work early. This week they had to write a report on 'plate tectonics'. If I had suggested that she do extra work she would've been very upset. But since Ms. Samantha assigned it she's actually excited about it and has worked quite hard on it. It's been interesting to watch her this year. She's gone from a girl who did the bare minimum to get by me and her teachers to a girl who relishes these 'extra projects' and wears them as a badge of honor (although she's not prone to talking about it-she just does it). Her teacher has really 'reached' her and I'm SO thankful for that. Logan has had 2 very good weeks since we started our 'new plan' of getting our work done and not screwing around with his friend in class. We are working VERY hard on preparedness and HIM budgeting his time correctly to get his work completed on time and in a neat and appropriate manner.

Night 2 with my new pillow was wonderful. I'm not sure that I'm using it 'correctly', (I'll have to look up the pillow online and see how the model lies with it) but I am sleeping very comfortably again without tossing and turning too much. How exciting will it be when I get to the stage that I CAN'T toss and turn anymore without great effort!

I was able to call today and get my Nov and Dec ultrasounds scheduled. I was able to speak with my favorite scheduler that went so far above and beyond to get us scheduled last time. I had actually forgotten her name, but she recognized mine! We h ave our 20 week ultrasound next Thursday. Our 24 week ultrasound will be Nov 20 and our 28 week ultrasound is Dec 18.

We've got another busy weekend ahead of us. Logan has soccer at 9am and flag football at 3pm. Ciera is headed to Stockton for 3 games at 3:45, 5:15 and 8:00 pm. There is no way we're driving the 90 minutes back home at 10:00 at night so I'm hoping to priceline a hotel tonight. I really think these hotels are overcharging for what you get, but when you add in the gas savings plus the time driving it is worth it in the end. On Sunday they'll have 3 games to win the championship. The first game won't start before 11 though, so we'll at least get to sleep some. Yes, if you do the math Brian and I won't both be able to be at Logan's football and Ciera's 3:45 game. We'll decide tonight who goes where. The weather should be in the high 70's to low 80's, so I can handle that.

A mid-afternoon surprise post!

I seem to have fallen into the pattern of posting at night before bed (or the am on the weekends), but I figured I might forget how excited and happy I am right now if I was to wait until tonight.

First of all, we're beginning our 19th week and that's pretty exciting. Then I finally got my hair cut so I can start wearing it down again-if it ever cools off. After the cut, I went grocery shopping and ran into a friend I haven't seen in several years and my Aunt who just became a grandma last month. It was so nice to see both of them-quite the surprise. I finally bought some ground beef and Pepper Jack cheese. I cooked up 2 patties, melted cheese on them and put them on fresh sliced sourdough. YUM!!! My belly is SO happy right now-imagine if I had added any condiments or vegetables (I was too hungry to bother with extras).

I'm getting ready to mix up some of our favorite ground beef recipes (I make them 50/50 with ground turkey). This should make it very easy to pull something from the freezer and get my ground beef fix. I'm not typically a big beef eater so this 'need' has caught me a little off guard. Although some of the more observant readers were able to recognize this as a 'pregnancy craving' long ago.

So here's my new pregnancy development. It's so exciting when something happens that I remember happening in the last pregnancy. First the side stitch (which I did get again today) and now the sharp movements when I use my ab muscles (I think that's what's happening). I've found lately that when I sit up sometimes I get a sharp sensation in my belly that I do believe is baby. I do recall that as the babies continue to get bigger, this happens more often and becomes more uncomfortable. There were times during P & L's pregnancy that I'd go to turn over a little and not be able to because of the sharp, sudden sensation. Grow babies, grow!!

A little personal background info

I had forgotten that not everyone knows about my eating challenges. I may be the pickiest, most non-adventurous eater ever. I have tried really hard to 'try new things' in the last two years, but I am still a rather picky eater. S & S are aware of this and have accepted me for who I am, although they have been responsible for some of my more adventurous food attempts.

A follower has kindly been trying to make suggestions to deal with my food issues. Her latest suggestion made me realize that I've never gone into detail about things I will not eat. Her suggestion (while I'm sure it will sound good to some) is not something I could even manage to choke down-even not pregnant. Spinach salad with pears and poppy seed dressing? I'm sure there are people who eat this, but I am not one of them. I can do Spinach dip, canned spinach, spinach blended into a shake, a few pieces of spinach in a romaine salad, but never spinach salad on it's own. Pears? Where do I even begin with pears? I'm just not a fan-never have been. I do buy them because my family likes them but I can't stand the thought of it's texture-canned, frozen or fresh. Poppy seed dressing? I'll admit I've never actually tasted it and I could be convinced to stick a 'test finger' into it, but I would never start out with it poured all over anything. Even poppy seed muffins I'm skeptical of. Does it change the flavor or just give you little seeds to pick out of your teeth?

So here's the real problem right now. These babies have messed with all of my food senses. It's not that nothing tastes good, it's that nothing SOUNDS or SMELLS good. If someone was to just make me food when I'm hungry (roughly every two hours) I would eat it and be satisfied. The problem is I have to decide what to make or put in my mouth and by the time I can talk myself into anything I'm starving! I decided this morning to just throw a frozen pork roast into the crock pot with a can of Italian seasoned tomatoes. I gave myself all day to decide what to eat it with, on a roll, with rice or potatoes. By 4:00 I still could not decide. Ciera wanted it with rice, but Brian said the roll sounded good. Since I didn't have to cook the roll, rice lost out. It wasn't bad and I've been able to eat little sandwiches all night, but the smell of the sauce all day was driving me crazy. I actually had to close my bedroom door while I watched a movie so I wouldn't smell it so much. I have a bag of frozen clam chowder that should be very good (for everyone but me), but I'm so afraid of having the smell in the house all day that I can't bring myself to fix it yet.

Today was basically good, but I am going to have to take an afternoon nap soon. I watched another movie instead of napping today, The War. It wasn't bad. I got the Scholastic fliers ready to distribute while watching it. I did copying this morning at school since I have a haircut appointment tomorrow morning. One of the moms at school delivered twins last year. She offered me her big pregnancy pillow and I happily accepted. She had been worried about asking in case the thought of using someone else's pillow freaked me out. No freak out here! In fact I had just been thinking last night that I was going to have to go buy another pillow soon. I can't wait to try it out tonight! And, my Old Navy box arrived. The capri's didn't quite work out-an odd fit, but the jeans, khaki's and 'lounge suit' worked out great! I REALLY need it to cool off soon! Tomorrow's high is supposed to be 88 degrees-in mid October!! It should cool off by next week, but who knows how long that will last.

18 weeks 5 days!

How did we get here already? We are half-way through this pregnancy already!

I finally have some pregnancy related stuff to share! Although I may not be expanding 'outward' as quickly as people expect, the babies are definitely settling into all available space in my torso. My belly is now 'hard' from right under my breasts all the way down. Without a shirt you can even see the outline of baby space from my chest down to my waist. And I can notice sensations when my bladder is full. I've even found myself needing to rub/massage the outline of my 'bump' when I've been sitting for too long.

I've been trying to decide if I have pregnancy congestion, do I have a cold or am I reacting to the change in the weather. I tend to think it's pregnancy congestion and then I'm hit with an aching in my eyes. Is it because I haven't taken an afternoon nap since Thursday or do I have a cold trying to settle in? So far I've been able to manage it with saline spray, tissues and some Tylenol (one dose a day has been all I've needed). The weather has been reaching 82 degrees by the afternoon the last few days and I'm not enjoying it. I'm having to change clothes in the middle of the day just to get through. I'm also running dangerously low on fitting capri's. The pair I put on today worked fine as long as I was standing. As soon as I sat down I needed to unbutton them-quite the sight while driving down the highway. I do still have one pair that is still comfortable. I'll just have to do laundry more often or the weather could just get on with it and let me wear jeans!

FOOD! It seems that this is my eternal pregnancy struggle. I'm having a difficult time thinking of things to eat. Nothing really sounds good and there's quite a few things that actually sound and smell horrible! The family had pot stickers last night for dinner-generally a favorite for us all. The smell of the pot stickers is never good, but even the sauce smelled horrible. Oh, and we received a free Oberto Pizza-Roni beef stick. Ciera took a bite and decided she didn't like it. I thought it's a beef stick, I'll take a bite at least. I couldn't even swallow it! Do NOT try this at home! I can't imagine anyone even buying one of these. The babies have eased up on the sugar restrictions, but I'm still not operating at full sugar desires. I still have over 1/2 the tin of butter cookies. At Saturday's game I got sidetracked looking at someone's bag of fun size Snickers and Kit Kat's, so Sunday I went out and bought my own Snickers and Twix bars. It's Tuesday evening. Those bags should be gone by now and I still have enough for another day or two. I have delicious pumpkin cheesecake just sitting in my refrigerator. We had another Coldstone Tuesday trip and again the babies did not scream for ice cream! Unfortunately they are not really screaming for anything. It's a strange feeling to eat because you have to, not because you want to.

As for my Tuesday, it wasn't too bad. I went by Target for a few things and took a leisurely 'stroll' through the store. I was back in the car in under 40 minutes, not bad for a slow pregnant woman that can't remember what was on her list. By 9:30 my eyes were really starting to bother me so I thought I'd lie down for an early nap. Didn't happen! I did manage to rest while watching The Baby Lab. It was quite interesting. They followed 4 couples through their IVF cycles and births. I got some laundry going, found something to eat and settled in to watch August Rush on HBO. I really enjoyed this movie! Finally, a movie worth the 2 hours I spent watching it. And then it was time to get the kids again.

Ciera and Logan each got to bring a friend for Tuesday Coldstone. We didn't have time this week for anyone to come for the afternoon, so this was my way of trying to squeeze some friend time into our week. Ciera was then off to hit and pitch with Brian and Logan and I went to Barnes and Noble to pick up his book report book. This month he has to read a biography. He was going to read about Babe Ruth, but decided last night that he would really like to read the Barack Obama book. In the last week he has become very curious about the election, candidates and the propositions that are being advertised. It's been exciting to see our 9 year old so interested and full of questions and opinions. So when he said he'd like to read the Obama book, it seemed like the obvious choice given his current interest. At the very least the book should put to rest the rumors floating around school (Obama is a baby killer and Obama spits on puppies).

I finally tried out my frozen Yankee Pot Roast Soup that I picked up on my visit to P & L. I put it in my crock pot and it turned out great. When we got home from Barnes and Noble it was ready to eat. I didn't care too much for the meat, but the carrots, potatoes and broth were delicious. I think I will make the Ravioli Soup tomorrow. Football practice was good. Logan has gotten so much faster since August. It's great to watch him put so much effort into something and work so hard. He really is having a great time. And now that we're home it's time for bed. Not bad for a Tuesday!

Shave and a haircut...

This weekend was P's first professional haircut.  

Saturday morning, we rode our bikes across the boat canal to the local barbershop.  P watched his Dad, then felt brave enough to try on his own.  Lesson to Mom- I do just as good a job at home, with fewer tears but we never get as darling of photos!  No worries though, tears quickly dried, and then we rode over to Great Harvest for cookies and steamed milk.  A nice family morning followed by uber-naps in the afternoon.  Still trying to figure out how we're going to bike with 4 little ones, but I'm sure DH will figure something out...

(Look closely at the last photo- it's a unique family portrait!)

Another Monday!

Sunday warmed back up a little. I had to sit in the shade during Ciera's 1:00 game, as it was just to warm in the sun in my jeans. The girls played 2 games to win the Championship. The girls had a lot of fun, and I'll leave it at that.

Logan also seemed to enjoy himself despite the fact that 'softball ruins his life'. Oh my dramatic son! Logan and the other boys hung out on a hill overlooking a soccer field and 'chatted' the afternoon away.

After the games we stopped by the Halloween store to look at costumes. We've been talking about it since September and we just hadn't had a chance to get both kids there at the same time. Logan found his costume quickly. Anyone remember Scream? Yep, I was able to talk him out of the 'bloody' Scream mask though. He wore the costume the rest of the evening. Ciera was unable to find a costume that wasn't $60 so we stopped by Party City on the way home. She decided on a HoneyBee, which is hilarious because she's terrified of bees. It's 'technically' an adult costume but she plans to wear a t-shirt and leggings underneath the skimpy dress.

Brian and I were able to watch a movie Sunday night before everyone needed to go to bed. We watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall which was so inappropriate for the kids that we got to watch a movie alone. It wasn't too bad, there were many hilarious scenes.

Monday Brian got to stay home with me. Happy Columbus Day!! We watched 1408, which was quite disappointing. If anyone can explain what the heck happened, PLEASE leave a comment! We spent the rest of our time watching horrible day time TV. We stumbled across Wife Swap and that show is just so irresistible. Then it was time to pick up the kids and we hadn't even had lunch yet. We all went to Jack in the Box for a special after school 'linner'. Then it was time for Ciera and Brian to head out for Ciera's lesson. Logan and I played a round of Sorry and I won but tried not to gloat to badly. I took a quick nap while Logan and Brian went out to play until it got too dark.

The real week starts tomorrow and there's much laundry to be done. Fortunately we've all done a great job of keeping the house picked up this week, so I won't have to clean tomorrow as well. If I really try I can probably come up with something to do with chicken and the crock pot and we can have an actual meal before flag football practice on Tuesday.

The babies are doing good. I find I have to take more 'deep' breaths every now and then and I really have to pace myself when getting around. I experienced some 'side cramps' this weekend. You know the stitch in your side when you run really fast? I remember getting them last pregnancy and they appear to be back. If I press on the spot while it's happening it tends to go away quickly, but I just don't get WHY it happens. I haven't found it addressed in any pregnancy books. It is reassuring to have things 'happening' a little bit though. Soon I'll have many pregnancy related things to relay-and won't that be nice to hear about! I've also started to get 'burning burps', is it heartburn, acid reflux, I have no idea. I do know that I don't care for it though.

A breezy Saturday

Friday was a long day getting the house 'ready' for a DeMarle party (silicone bake ware). By bedtime my back was hurting a little and I knew I'd done a little too much. I debated between taking a hot shower and just falling asleep. I was already in bed though and the thought of getting up to get in the shower was just too much.

When I awoke Saturday I felt much better. We were able to sleep until we awoke on our own (9:07). We spent the day down in Folsom for Ciera's tournament. The girls ended up winning all 3 games, but they certainly had to fight in 2 of them. The worst part was that we should've won all 3 easily. Brian and Logan went to football that evening. They did not win again, but Logan still had a great time. He made several diving flag pulls and caught the ball several times as well. I love that both of my kids would rather play than win. Of course winning is nice, but the are out there because they love playing the game. Logan also seemed to have a good time at the tournament playing football with the other brothers. Although the weather got a little too cool, it was so nice to not sit out there burning up. It was very breezy and that made the evening games VERY cold, fortunately I have 2 built in heaters.

We only have 2 games today to win the championship. If the girls can hit and not make silly errors than we should be just fine. We should be done early enough in the afternoon that we can even watch a video tonight.

18 weeks 1 day!!

How have we gotten so far along?! Have you checked out the ticker lately? The babies look so darn cute spinning around in there.

The weather turned breezy yesterday and the temperature has finally dropped! It feels so nice to not be deathly hot! I've never had a great internal body temperature regulator, but these babies have really put my regulator out of whack. Poor Ciera has taken to closing the vents on her side of the car because I've had the air up so high.

Ciera has also come to the conclusion that my eating desires are 'messed up'. Logan was complaining last night because I never want to eat Chinese Food anymore. Ciera pointed out that really I don't want to eat anything other than a burger, and she's getting sick of burgers! I pointed out that soon the burger thing will pass and we'll only be eating something else. It's been sort of fun to see her 'get' the irrational pregnant behaviors this pregnancy.

I'm also pleased to announce that the babies are loosening up on their sugar restrictions. They still really want hot milk and burgers, but they did allow a fairly large sum of chocolate to pass over my lips yesterday (calcium and protein). I'm eager to see if they allow me to enjoy the pumpkin cheesecake tonight.

Yesterday was a short copying day since the copier ran out of toner. I took a much needed afternoon nap under the covers with the wind blowing through the windows. This was the first nap I'd taken all week. I had a bit of an energy boost earlier in the week and skipped the daily naps. I'm contemplating climbing back in the bed right now just to snuggle up with the blankets.

We have another busy weekend ahead of us. Fortunatley, Ciera plays fairly local this weekend. It will only take about 40 minutes to get there each day. Unfortunately, Logan's 2nd flag football game is right in the middle of Ciera's 2nd and 3rd game on Saturday. He's still not sure which parent gets to see his football game, although I think he's leaning towards Brian. Sometimes I feel a little sad that I'm no longer the 'it' parent, but then I remember how incredibly lucky we all are that Brian is such an amazing father and that is exactly what I had wished for. I try to remember that we each bring something different to the kids as their parents and it's OK for him to be the fun guy that they want around.

Bumps and nudges

At my OB appointments they give me a 'newsletter' about what to expect at each point of the pregnancy. The 16 weeks issue talked about first fetal movements. Here is what it had to say, "The first fetal movements or quickening are usually described as a 'fluttering,' or like a butterfly, or tiny bumps or nudges. They may be mistaken for gas pains or hunger pains." Well I have been waiting for a feeling similar to gas pains or the fluttering. Apparently these babies prefer to nudge and bump though. I get quick little nudges that I've wondered momentarily what they were, but then they are over and I don't get a chance to confirm that it's movement. I'm very hesitant to claim movement without any sort of proof. It's nothing regular enough to count on either. I lie in bed at night with my hands on my belly waiting to feel or see something and I have such a hard time sorting out my breathing and heart beating from my hope of having felt the babies. So at the risk of sounding crazy I've not mentioned my obsession with movement until now. Hopefully in the next few weeks it will become more obvious. Feeling a baby move inside of me is one of the only things I miss about not being pregnant for myself. It's amazing to me that I can still enjoy fetal movement but not have to care for a newborn every night. I also wish I was better at putting those sensations into words for STE. I don't think I was ever able to adequately describe what things felt like. If anyone knows of a great site that is very good at explaining the sensations let me know.

I had a leisurely morning and watched Things We Lost in the Fire with Halle Berry instead of taking my nap. I finally found some more of the Raspberry Preserves that STE sent me last March, so I had a few english muffins with butter and Raspberry this morning, as well as a peanut butter and raspberry sandwich with a large glass of hot milk. For lunch I had a Chicken breast sandwich with Cheddar Sunchips, an apple and 2 chocolate pudding cups. I think the prohibition of sweets may have been lifted by the babies. I'm debating on another pudding cup as I type (it does count as protein and calcium). While thinking about dinner last night I pulled out a lasagna I froze a month ago so we have an actual dinner planned for tonight. Unfortunately, Ciera and I already ate the sourdough bread. We do have fresh romaine, perhaps we'll have salad as well.

For those of you wondering about the hamburger craving, no it hasn't gone away I'm just trying to move on to other food options so that someday I can still eat a burger. If only I would buy some ground beef, propane and pepper jack cheese I could make burgers at home. The funny part is that this JUST occurred to me and it wouldn't be too hard to do.

A surprise for me and you!

This is the beautiful necklace that was awaiting me when I finally checked my mail this week. Apparently it came a few weeks early, it was supposed to arrive for at 20 weeks, or so says STE. Either way I love it and there's no way I'm waiting until October 23 to wear it. That's right in just 2 short weeks I will be 20 weeks along, more than half way there. Hopefully the necklace will take the guess work away for people who aren't quite sure if I'm pregnant or just putting on an alarming amount of weight!

Here I am yesterday at 17 weeks 4 days! I get my hair shaped up next Thursday, at 19 weeks, and hopefully then I can start wearing my hair down. Currently it just puffs up and looks really bad. I am so thrilled that I was able to wash these jeans and they didn't shrink up. They still fit! These were my lucky find, only $10 at Old Navy because they are 'last year's model'. I'm guessing that they will no longer fit by Thanksgiving, if not sooner.

Monday was a nice but busy day. I got a little involved organizing the snacks and pantry foods in the morning and then I got to have lunch with my mom for my birthday. I was so pleased with my BJ's Brewery burger from last week that I thought we should go again. I ordered the California Burger and it was delicious. Avocado, Pepper jack Cheese, 1/2 lb of beef on toasted sourdough bread! I then bravely headed to Motherhood Maternity in search of a pair of capri's since I've decided it may never cool down here. This store is never busy, but Monday at 1:00 in the afternoon all 3 fitting rooms were full. I had finally talked myself into going in to a store I hate shopping at and I had to wait for a fitting room!! Of course nothing seemed worth the cost and they really didn't have much to offer with it being October. Apparently I was supposed to buy capri's several months ago. I did luck out and find a few short sleeve t-shirts at Old Navy that will help tide me over until it cools off.

Monday afternoon Ciera had a pitching lesson with her dad and Logan and I worked on his book report that is due on Friday (yes, I type it for him, but he has to decide what to write and we talk about how to format it as we go). I haven't been doing to well at planning dinner so of course I was starving and couldn't possibly wait to decide what to cook. Brian stopped at Burger King for me. I ended the day with a soak in the tub and a wonderful conversation with STE.

Tuesday was just about like every other Tuesday. The kids went to school, I did laundry and cleaned up around the house. After school we went to Coldstone for our Tuesday special. I actually found something that sounded and tasted good, sweet cream with butterfinger. It's just a kid's scoop, but it was just perfect. At 5:00 I still hadn't really thought about dinner, but I knew it needed to be something quick since football was at 6. I ended up making a recipe from the Stovetop stuffing box (thanks Steph). I added a can of Turkey, a can of cream of mushroom soup and a bag of mixed vegetables together and then covered it with the stuffing. Throw it in the oven until heated and voila! Dinner was ready and not too bad. It had too much stuffing for Ciera's taste and too much meat for Logan's, but it was a home cooked meal that took very little effort or thought, plus it was done quickly.

At football practice tonight Logan got a turn as quarterback and may get a few plays in the game as quarterback. He was very excited and did a pretty good job for his first try. After football I came home and put the Scholastic orders in for the school. And now I'm ready for a snack and bed.

A non-burger related craving!

Saturday night I dreamed about Butter Cookies-you know the ones in the blue tin that you always see around the holidays. I have never once bought these cookies, nor do I generally eat them. I actually had to call Melissa to find out what they were called, where you can buy them and if I would be able to find them before the holidays. The answers to these questions are Danish Butter cookies, you should be able to find them anywhere and at any time of the year. Here's the truth, Safeway doesn't carry them but Long's does and they were only $3 for the whole tin! I have had a few already and they are very tasty. I'm looking forward to having some with my hot milk tonight before bed.

The weather on Saturday was BEAUTIFUL!! I actually got to wear jeans and a sweater and I think my belly was quite noticeable in it so I will take a picture in this outfit tonight for your viewing pleasure. It was probably mid 60's for most of the day with the sun only popping through every now and then. Ciera and I spent the day in Lodi for softball. The team had 3 games on Saturday. They won 2 of them, but they played so badly they are very lucky they won at all. Sunday's play didn't get much better. They lost the first one and won the consolation game. It was a truly disappointing weekend. Ciera got to pitch 1/2 a game on Sunday and had some pretty good hits though. She still had fun and hopefully they learn from this weekend and next weekend we see some better play.

Logan's first flag football game was on Saturday. They ended up losing but not by a lot considering they have his 3rd/4th grade team playing against a 5th/6th grade team (not sure how that worked out). I hear Logan did great and had a ton of fun. He got to play most of the game and was involved in many of the plays. I'm looking forward to seeing him play next weekend. Soccer was about the same as last week. The boys played hard but were not able to score. Logan did a great job of maintaining his position and being where he was supposed to be (this is a big thing for the coach this year). We have a bye week next Saturday and the teams will be reseeded (we've been in the highest division of 12 divisions for 5 games and we don't belong that high). We are hoping for more evenly matched games for the final 5 games.

While in Lodi I did stop by a recommended burger place, Andre's Cafe, for what has been voted the 'best burger in town'. Quite often it comes down to which burger option you order. They had many different choices. I chose one with grilled onions, jack cheese, avocado, lettuce and tomato and one with grilled onions, mushrooms, Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato, for Brian and I to share. I'm assuming that the burgers were 1/3 lb of beef since they offered a 1/4 lb burger for $.99 less. It was a tasty burger and we enjoyed both of them, but it still wasn't quite right. I wasn't disappointed, but I'd say the Squeeze Inn burger might've been a bit better and I definitely enjoyed my BJ's burger better. I could've just ordered the wrong one though. I think I've decided that the crucial element of my 'dream burger' was the garlic pepper sauce. I wonder if the burger place would release the recipe or sell a bottle of the special sauce? It's also entirely impossible that the burger was really just not as good as I'm remembering. Thankfully the butter cookies are even better than the were in my dream!

By special request

On Thursday when I chose to have a Carl's Jr. burger I was simply looking for something that sounded OK, that I could get in my hungry belly quickly. I really should've eaten something at the mall, but by the time I returned from the bathroom Ciera had already finished her food and it didn't seem like a wise use of our limited time to search out 'something' in the mall.

So when we pulled up at Carl's Jr. it was just a matter of did I feel like American Cheese and Bacon (Western Bacon Cheeseburger) or did I just feel like a regular burger (Famous Star). I decided on the Famous Star but when I made the giant leap to make it a combo it came with cheese-American cheese. They kindly swapped it out for Jack Cheese for me. It was most definitely not a satisfying burger other than my belly stopped shouting at me for 30 minutes so we could get to Target. The lettuce was green and the condiments were plentiful. The tomato was an odd texture (but I did eat it) and the burger was a little 'overdone' on the outside edges. It was a nice fresh bun though.

Friday was a nice day, finally into the mid 70's and we got a little rain. Not a lot but enough to cancel football practice. Brian and I finally got to watch Mr. Brooks. It had been sitting on my desk for almost a month-not a wise use of our Blockbuster pass. I was expecting a mediocre comedy and it turned out to be a psychological thriller-not the movie to watch right before bed. I must've been really tired though because I did not dream once about it.

Today Logan has a 9am soccer game and if they don't cancel it, his first flag football game of the season. Ciera and I are off to Lodi for softball, apparently they play through the rain, just not thunder and lightning. I am equipped with the address for 'the best burger ever'. We'll have to see if it beats the Lunch Laboratory.

The babies are treating me well. I was even able to eat a few Dove Bliss chocolates last night. My nephew gave me a bag of them 2 weeks ago and I'm still enjoying them one or two a day. These babies really do not like sweets and it's killing me. I have an entire jar of caramel sauce in my refrigerator and I haven't even been tempted to eat 1 spoonful, not even with an apple!

I just want to reiterate...

I am feeling totally sane and way less emotional today. Wednesday was just a bad day and probably one that I won't even remember by the end of this pregnancy.

I'm back!

Wednesday I was an emotional basket case! I'm not really sure what happened or how I'm better, but Wednesday I spent most of the afternoon in tears one way or another. Happy tears, sad tears, tears because I can't believe I'm still crying and tears because it was still SO darn hot! Who knows what brings something like this on, but I'm glad it was only one day.

I woke up Thursday feeling much better and proud of myself for not having to cry myself to sleep. I slept great and woke up ready to tackle a Thursday. The kids didn't have school so I got to sleep in until 9:15. Logan went to a friend's house for the day and Ciera and I headed to the mall to do some exchanges. Ciera had lunch at her favorite place in the mall, The Cajun Cafe, and I stopped off at Carl's Jr for a burger fix. Ciera had decided the other day that it would be worth doing her own laundry to have it all smell 'girly'. So we stopped by Target to pick out her favorite scent. She started her very first load of laundry Friday morning. We'll see how long this lasts. I give it 2 weeks. Place your bets now.

Thursday night Ciera had another softball game. The girls did win again and Ciera got to start on the mound and pitched the whole game. This was a first for her this fall season. It was incredible to see all of her daily hard work on display.

Here we are at Friday. We are now 17 weeks and 1 day. I'm definitely over due for a picture. The belly is definitely growing and expanding daily. Fingers crossed we get the picture taken and uploaded tonight.

Music and Lyrics

You know you're one hormonal, pregnant woman if the movie Music and Lyrics can bring you to tears. I definitely don't remember crying the first time I watched it. It's not a horrible movie, but it really shouldn't have brought me to tears as early as it did.

16 weeks 5 days, OB appointment

This morning I did a little copying and typing at school and then I was off for my OB appointment. My urine, pulse and blood pressure all looked good. At 16weeks5days I've gained 17 lbs, which puts us right on track for a 20lb weight gain by 20 weeks. I 'think' the gain is a little slower this pregnancy than last, but that would be due to the sweets aversion I'm sure.

Dr. E had already received our ultrasound report and said everything looked great. He wasn't worried about the heart rates at all. He had a med student with him today and she found both heart beats quite easily with the Doppler.

I watched a friend's son this afternoon, so I only got a 15 minute nap but I'm doing OK. It was another hot day today, but weather.com keeps saying it will cool off soon.

I have to back up a bit and tell you about the fabulous burger I had last night at BJ's Brewery. The"burger of my dreams" had pepper jack cheese, caramelized onions and a garlic pepper sauce. So while perusing the burger menu I came across several delicious sounding burgers. The 'Melt' offered Cheddar and Swiss cheese with caramelized onions and a 'secret sauce'. I figured it might be close. It was still obviously missing the garlic pepper sauce but it was tasty! I had 1/2 of it last night and enjoyed the other half this morning for breakfast.

Logan had a scrimmage with his flag football team. They lost but they learned a lot to get ready for the first game this weekend and Logan even scored a touchdown. I think he's really going to enjoy being one of the older kids on the team this year.

16 weeks 4 days and the babies look GREAT!!

I had my ultrasound today and everything looked great! The babies are growing right on target with both of them measuring right around 16w4days. Baby A had a heart rate of 156 and Baby B had a heart rate of 131. I see my OB tomorrow so I'll ask about the difference in heart rates. The tech didn't seem too worried about it, but it's always nice to have a question for the Doc!

It appears as though Baby A's bum is right around Baby B's head, for now at least. Baby B was very active during the ultrasound and the tech said he (my gut, but no confirmation of this yet) was flipping several times. I guess that confirms that I am not feeling movement yet as I was VERY unaware of the flips occurring.

After the ultrasound I met Brian for lunch at a burger place downtown that people have been talking about for quite awhile and the aide at school recommended to me based on my burger 'desire'. It's a tiny little place called 'Squeeze Inn'. It seats about 10 people inside and they have a patio area out back. There's virtually no parking and the nearby businesses WILL tow your car if you park in their lots. It was not my 'dream' burger, but it's the closest thing I've tried so far. It was DELICIOUS!! They melt a ton of cheddar cheese on the burger and the edges get crispy melted. The bun was fresh, the lettuce and tomatoes were superb and they even used good sandwich pickle slices (rather than the horrible pickle chips one would expect). The fries were not great, but it was a deliciously filling burger for $5.

On the drive home I realized that the burger was missing a shake. So I stopped by In & Out for a chocolate shake. It was OK, but I was left a little disappointed as a result of my fickle sweet tooth. I made it home in time for a 30 minute nap. It wasn't quite long enough, but it sure was good.

There is no practice tonight for anyone so we're off to BJ's Brewery for one more birthday dinner and my birthday pizhookie (free on your birthday a fresh baked large cookie with ice cream on top).

What a weekend!

Saturday Ciera and Brian drove down to Stockton for the first softball tournament of our fall season. We picked up a few new players and now our girls are the 'older 12's' rather than the 'younger 12's'. They left at 7am and returned home at 8pm. Brian neglected to take a phone with him so I had to wait all day to hear how the girls were doing. Turns out they did great! They won the first 2 and tied the 3rd game. They were the number 1 seed in their pool.

Logan and I stayed home for Logan's 1:00 soccer game. They did not win, but they only had 10 players at the game so Logan didn't sit out at all. It was VERY hot (close to 100 I'm sure), but he worked hard and hung in there. He even played through a big scratch on his neck due to some large landscaping while retrieving the soccer ball. Logan got to spend Saturday night and all of Sunday at his friends house, thus avoiding a HOT day of softball on Sunday.

Since we were the 1 seed we didn't have to be in Stockton until 8:30. The morning started off nice and cool, but by the Championship game at 3:00 it was BLISTERING hot!! Fortunately we brought our pop-up so we were able to sit in shade all day, but I still somehow managed to get sunburned pretty bad! I ended up with a really bad headache, it might've even been considered a migraine. I came home, took 2 Tylenol, jumped in a cool shower and fell asleep with cool eye pads on my throbbing eyes. I was asleep by 7 and woke up Monday morning feeling MUCH better, except for the red face.

Those of you reading carefully noticed that we made it to the Championship game. This is something we had not done at all during the Spring. The girls played a great game and easily won the Championship game-their first of the season! They all got to go home with brand new Champion t-shirts.

I had a PERFECT waffle today!!

It turns out one should always follow the directions. If it says to use a whisk to combine ingredients until smooth, than don't get lazy and use a spoon instead. It made a huge difference in the 'inside' texture. It was still missing something though so I added some sugar-YUM!! The waffle of my dreams!

We made it out for dinner last night after all. Practice ended at 7:40 and we headed to Chili's (we only have a few options here in town). I knew that I wouldn't be able to get 'the burger' but they have pretty good burgers, especially when you add a little bit of the queso. I went to bed last night very satisfied.

What a nice day!

I had BIG plans of pampering myself today, but of course my plans quite often change. I had planned to get a much needed pedicure before my 1:00 lunch date. Well I came home from dropping the kids off and promptly climbed back into bed without setting the alarm. I slept from 8:30-11! No pedicure for me, there was simply not enough time to shower AND shave my legs before lunch.

I met up with a dear childhood friend that I've known since birth for lunch. I have been itching for a REALLY good burger so I googled Best burgers and Google recommended The Habit Burger Grill. It wasn't a bad burger, but it was definitely not the BEST burger in the area. Brian and I are going to try another recommendation in Downtown Sac on Monday. Keep your fingers crossed for me that I can find a burger that compares to the one in P & L's hometown. Overnighting the burger makes it one expensive craving!

So visiting with my friend was nice. We generally try to get together once a month to catch up, but the summer got away from us. After lunch I stopped by Sam's for some milk and fruit. I also picked up a mosquito eater. Logan has been complaining about the mosquitos in his room now that I open up the windows at night.

When I got home Part 2 of my gift from S & S and family had arrived. Part 1 came last week and I will confess that I did open the box early to see what was inside, but I didn't take it out or tell anyone about it, so I don't think it counts as cheating. Besides STE knew if it arrived early I wouldn't be able to help myself. I opened up both packages and got busy making my first batch of Belgian Waffles with my brand new Rotating Belgian Waffle maker. I have wanted one of these for almost 2 years, ever since we stayed at a hotel that offered 'make your own Belgian waffles'. I just need to find the perfect mix. The one I tried was a little 'thick' on the inside, but still tasty.

Soon we have flag football practice and then we'll all head to bed, hopefully early. Logan has soccer at 1 on Saturday and Ciera has her first tournament of the fall season in Stockton. I don't get to go on Saturday, but am looking forward to seeing the 'new team' play together on Sunday. Another busy weekend!

Monday morning we get another peek at the twins. I'm very excited and can't wait to see them looking like hot dog buns! Oh, and next week it's supposed to FINALLY cool off. It was actually 95 degrees out today! In fact it was so hot that the chocolate chips that came in my gift were melted into a nice solid mass of chocolate! If I was 11 I could've had a swim party for the first time ever!

Happy Birthday Cyn!!

Happy Happy Birthday Cyn-y Dear,

Happy days will come to you all year,

If I had one wish, then it would be,

a Happy Happy Birthday to you from me!

I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing, pampering yourself day!

Lunch at 16 weeks

LUNCH-minus the onions!
It still didn't stack up to my burger on my visit with P & L, but it was darn good!
Next time I'll have to switch the cheese though, American is not my favorite. My lettuce was also not that green, but the tomatoes were excellent and those pickles sticking out on the bottom, those are sweet pickles. It was an enjoyable Thursday meal after a morning of photocopying.

Catching up to do

I was going to get caught up yesterday, but then STE posted the pic of P & L and I didn't want to bump them down, but it has to be done.

Sunday was nice. Logan and I had brunch at Panera Bread while Ciera and Brian went to the final day of the Jennie Finch softball camp. Apparently Jennie Finch and her dad personally looked at all of the pitchers for their form and mechanics (how neat is that). But, they actually pulled Ciera out to have her demonstrate her pitch for the other girls because her mechanics were so good (Thank you Kristen, our pitching coach). What an incredible honor! Ciera was very embarrassed about it, but Brian and I are so proud of her (plus it's a comfort to know that she has good mechanics and is less likely to injure herself). Sunday evening we all went to Brian's parents house for my birthday dinner. Uncle Jon agreed to grill his famous 'Yoshida Burgers' for me and OH were they good!

Monday I woke up with the intention of getting the house picked up and my fall decor out. When I got home from taking the kids to school I knew that I'd need a new plan. I just felt BAD! So tired and lethargic. I watched some TV, ended up watching Vanilla Sky, and then took a 3 hour nap. I still felt pretty bad and apparently the gals at school I looked really tired as well. Monday was our only free night as a family so I had hoped maybe we'd go out to eat for my birthday, but I just couldn't talk myself into leaving the bed. Brian was sweet enough to bring me home Burger King, the only thing that even sounded ok.

Tuesday I woke up feeling MUCH better! I picked up a few things at Target, went to the bank and came home to let the cleaning ladies in. This was our first try at finding someone to come clean for me every other week. When Logan came home from school he said, "This is the cleanest our house has ever been!" (which is not entirely true, but it was sweet). While they were cleaning I was able to get out some of the fall stuff AND take a 2 1/2 hour nap! When I woke up the house was clean and I hadn't had to do anything but pick up our clutter(actually I made everyone pick up their own clutter from around the house-Monday was not a happy night for everyone). Of course, since it was Tuesday we stopped by Coldstone after school as well. I was pretty hungry all day again. I started out with a bowl of oatmeal, 2 apples with peanut butter, 2 chicken salad sandwiches, a bag of sunchips (counts as a whole grain), 2 protein shakes, a bowl of yogurt, a banana, a tangerine, 2 crunchy tacos from Taco Bell (corn shell counts as a whole grain too), a kid size Coldstone and several glasses of milk and water.

Today I woke up feeling pretty rested, but I know I've got a big day ahead of me so I'm pacing myself this morning. I'm going to watch a friend's son for a couple of hours and then my kids have a minimum day, out at 12:30. Ciera will be going to her friend's house, but I will have 5 boys at my house for a couple of hours. Then we have Open House at school and soccer practice tonight. As if it wasn't tiring enough trying to decide what to eat all day! Today has started out OK, oatmeal, and some Chicken, Rosemary, Portobello Mushroom ravioli in an Alfredo sauce with a glass of milk.

Be sure to scroll down to yesterday's post to see the pic of the first day of Preschool!

First Day of School for P and L

Well, it was last week- but P. had Roseola in the meantime so it's taken me a while to post.  Don't they look so adorable!  It just melts my heart that the bear (a gift from Logan) and the blanket accompanied them to school on the first day- and every day since.

First day went well.  L. came home and told me: goat, baby, puppy, potty, eat, jump, out - which I guess summarizes the whole day!  Today (day two) they were excited to go, but there were a few tears when I left them.  It's only 2 1/2 hours 2 days a week, and right next door - so I'm sure it won't be too traumatic.

As for the "other" twins, we're back to food analogies, they are the length of a hot dog bun- and weigh as much as a C battery (which isn't a food unless you're 2 years old).  Things are getting very exciting!

What an exhausting day!

Saturday morning Ciera and I headed to Folsom (about 40 minutes away) at 7am for a Jennie Finch Softball Camp. 7 is the time I'm usually getting up, and I was supposed to be fed, food packed and out the door at 7? Well we made it and then got to wait in the registration line for an hour.

Ciera had a great day though. She had 2 teammates in her group so she wasn't all alone out there. They had several ladies from the Olympic team coaching at 7 different stations. It was really neat to actually get coached by the ladies hanging on her walls. What an amazing group of women. The girls got Subway and Gatorade for lunch, which are two of Ciera's favorites. I got to hang out for 7 hours and read my book while trying to keep an eye on what she was doing from a distance. It was a very nice day and only got warm the last few hours.

Somehow sitting for 7 hours was exhausting for me! The drive home felt MUCH longer than 40 minutes. We stopped off at a store in Folsom to pick up new sliding shorts. We just bought sliding shorts in the spring but the girl just keeps on growing! We finally got home at 5:30. I went straight to my bed and OH did that feel good to lie down! My feet were so tired feeling that I decided a bath with my 'magic mineral salts' would be a great idea. While I waited for the water to cool Brian brought me pizza in bed and Ciera and I told him all about the camp. The bath was everything I had hoped for. I went straight to bed to finish the last few chapters of the book and then I fell asleep!

I woke up this morning starving but feeling so much more rested! Today Brian is taking Ciera to day 2 of the camp and Logan and I get to hang out at home this morning. We need to run to Staples to get some things to keep Logan better organized at school and make brownies this afternoon. Today we are celebrating my birthday with Brian's family so we'll head to his parents' house this afternoon as well.

Oh, and the book, Sister of My Heart, was a good read once I got past not knowing how to pronounce their names.

Totino's pizza, gummi bears and candy corn-oh the joy of 15 weeks!

So Thursday was much like every other Thursday. I made copies at school in the morning and got a Whopper and onion rings for lunch again. I had a lovely 2 hour nap and then picked up the kids.
Ciera had softball so that means an early dinner of pasta. I am SO sick of pasta! I added some breaded chicken tenderloins and chicken nuggets to the menu. We have about an hour between getting home from school and heading to the ball field, so it always feels a little frantic to me.

The team had another great game and Ciera got to pitch some for the first time in several months. The other parents had been raving about the 'teriyaki chicken bowls' so Logan and I shared one as a second dinner. I was NOT impressed and sadly we threw half of it away. On the drive home I knew I was going to need something else to eat and Brian hadn't eaten anything yet. Suddenly I knew, I wanted Totino's frozen pizza. You know, the really inexpensive and fairly nasty pizzas that don't really even count as pizza. So we stopped by Safeway and picked some up, along with the gummi bears I'd been thinking about for several days (we did get some apples and pears as well). The Totino's was all that I had been hoping for and I was able to go to bed happy and full.

Friday started off with a bang. Today was the day Logan could bring our dog Scamp to school to share. Of course we had to give him a bath Thursday night so he felt soft and smelled like coconuts. We were finally running low on milk, so off to Roseville I went (I try to only go once a week to conserve gas and I'm getting lazy). I turned in all of our loose change, $165 worth of loose change. I went by Trader Joe's to pick up some creamed honey to go with my corn bread and some Pumpkin bread mix (without nuts). Then to Walmart to get some Shoe Goo for Ciera's cleats, yogurt, brownie mix, pudding mix, SpaghettiO's, pasta sauce, candy corn (who eats candy corn anyhow) and some more Totino's. My final stop was Sam's Club for romaine salad mix, milk, eggs and bananas. I had meant to pick up another sweater while I was there and totally forgot.

By the time I was finished it was almost 1:00 and I was in need of lunch so I treated myself to a burger from Wendy's. The tomatoes were so fresh and delicious that I think it was a much healthier lunch choice than it sounds. After unloading and repacking the freezer I was able to get in an hour nap.

Logan had football again tonight so I took along my new book, Sister of My Heart. I actually started it this summer and lost track of it. So far I'm enjoying it. Tomorrow Ciera gets to go to the Jennie Finch Softball Camp so I figured I'd need something to read while I'm out there. It should be a fun camp. There will be several ladies from the USA Olympic Softball Team there to give instruction to the girls. Logan has soccer in the morning and I'm a little bummed that I won't get to be there. We've been fortunate to not have to miss too much of either one of their activities.

I have to confess that I need it to start cooling off soon. My 'non-maternity' capri's are starting to run out of room, especially when I'm sitting. I find I quite often have to unbutton them while sitting at the computer-perhaps I should stop doing that so much. I'm starting to get antsy about our next ultrasound. It feels like it's been forever since we last checked in to see how they're growing. I can't help but get a little nervous. Fortunately we only have to wait another 10 days.

Ooh! I'm also loving warm milk at night before bed!

Confrontation at BR explained

So I've been asked about my interpretation of my Baskin Robbins dream.

I've never really been one to remember my dreams often and I certainly don't tend to interpret or analyze them. I've found that if I'm caught up in something I will often carry it over into a boring and mundane dream.

I think the real 'moral' of this dream was holding my ground and standing up for what I know is right, regardless of how petty it may seem. I will admit that when I awoke from the dream I was SEETHING! It probably did affect my interactions with others all day-crazy hormonal pregnant woman. I will say that it did cause me to realize I needed to do something with my thoughts and take action with some things that had been bothering me. They are not 'fixed' yet, but I began the process of dealing with the issues and getting them out of my head.

I'm not sure how I ended up at Baskin Robbins though. We don't have one in town and I haven't really even been in one in a while. It does seem odd to me that Brian also had a Baskin Robbins dream that night.

Thankfully when we go to Coldstone on Tuesdays there is never anyone else there to cut in front of me in line.


As for today, I am feeling much better. I was able to get quite a bit of rest today. I started a new book last night, The Night Bird and hope to be done with it tonight. It's been a very good read and has kept me occupied most of last night and today. The kids both had friends over today so I had all afternoon to read without feeling as though I was ignoring them. I even made a complete dinner.

Tomorrow is another busy day, but it almost doesn't ever matter. Thursday's mark the beginning of a new week. We will be 15 weeks tomorrow! I'm starting to get a little antsy to feel these babies moving. I try not to get too worked up about it in fear that I'll have another boring dream that makes no sense.

Oh, and the baby ticker does seem to be looking better. They were spotted several times today not head down. I'm feeling a little better now!

baby ticker worries

The baby ticker is starting to freak me out. They've been bouncing around upside down for several weeks now. Is it OK for the blood to be rushing to their heads for such a prolonged period?

Today was basically better. I'm still tired, but that's due to a lack of sleep. Wednesday should be a great day for reading and resting. I'm hoping to finally start my new book. I've decided that I need to plan out something to eat between 2:30 and 3:00. I seem to wake up from my nap really hungry (although I ate lunch right before lying down) and I pick the kids up at 3:00, so I've been putting off getting something to eat at that time. I'm SO hungry by the time we get home that it's almost too late. If I start planning and preparing something ahead of time I can just wake up, eat and then pick up the kids. We'll see if I can stick with the new plan. I'm still having a hard time coming up with stuff I want to eat. Nothing is screaming at me!

I slept pretty bad last night. I've got some stuff rattling around in my head and I think it affected m y sleep last night. I had a really bizarre dream involving the Baskin Robbins employee. Somebody cut in front of me in the Baskin Robbins line and the employee refused to acknowledge that I was next in line. I refused to leave until she admitted that she was wrong. I recall being VERY upset and the employee just would not admit that she was wrong. I wanted her to check the surveilance video and she wouldn't. Meanwhile MANY people have now gotten their ice cream and I am still waiting to place my order-which I won't do until the employee eithehr admits she was wrong or is off work. I woke up still at a stale mate. I think waking to this dream put me in a bit of a confrontational mood today.

I made some oatmeal for breakfast and got everyone to school on time. I did some grading, copying and scholastic book order stuff this morning. I was able to get a nap from 1:30-2:30 and then we headed to Coldstone for our Tuesday ice cream. Ciera is still only getting the strawberry, mango, banana sorbet but Logan is branching out and trying new creations. Today he had marshmallow and cotton candy with gummi bears-I can't think of a worse combo, but he loved it.

Logan has football tonight and I've got a softball board meeting. Unfortunately it will probably be a long meeting! Thank goodness I planned a rest day for Wednesday (which wasn't an accident-I try to plan 'rest days' after I have a busy day).

SO thirsty, hungry and tired today!

I think the babies must've had a growth spurt today. I have been so thirsty and absolutely starving all day. I slept for 2 1/2 hours today and I'm still fighting to stay awake tonight!

My bladder is now in overdrive. I've been waking once in the night to go and last night I was up MANY times. I also had to get up during my nap-and that's just not nice.

Off to bed and hoping for more energy tomorrow!

Birthdays, birthdays, birthdays!!

Saturday Logan had a 9am soccer game and we were off and running for the day. The boys played a great game and hung in there with the #1 team in the age division. They didn't give up and they learned a lot!

After the game we had just enough time for Ciera to go pitch and for me to finish making the spinach dip and get presents wrapped up. Then we were on our way to my baby brother's little girl's 2nd birthday. In July they moved a little further up the hill to a house rather than an apartment. It's been a lot of work, but they all seem to be enjoying have some space and no neighbors! My niece, Dorothy, has gotten SO big and had such a great time with all of her cousins (she has many young cousins on her mom's side). It was so neat to see my brother so grown up and hosting a party so well. The food was great and he made sure to visit with everyone as well as play with his little girl.

After cake and presents we headed back down the hill (about 30 minutes to get home). We stopped and picked up Ciera's softball friend to come stay the night. When we got home Brian and Logan had about an hour to rest before heading off to Brian's sister's son, Steven's party. When they returned home 4 hours later it was clear that Logan had a blast playing football and games with the 11 & 12 year old boys.

For dinner the girls' wanted to go to a buffet, so that meant Chinese here. It's clear that the babies are still not ready for Chinese. There just wasn't anything other than egg rolls that had much appeal. I did manage to eat plenty of chicken, rice, green beans, zucchini and mushrooms though. I just have no desire to go back anytime soon.

The girls and I watched Penelope and The Wedding Singer and then they were off to bed. In all honesty, they brushed their teeth and were instructed to play/talk quietly in bed but to turn off the light and stop talking at 11. I went to bed trusting them to eventually be asleep by midnight and I was OUT! I did not get my nap for the day.

On Sunday the girls had softball practice so we were all up and out of the house by 8am! They both got up well though so I guess they did OK going to bed at 11:30. After almost 4 hours of practice we headed to Barnes and Noble to pick a nonfiction book for Logan to read for his next book report. For a child who insists he doesn't like baseball, he was very excited to get a Babe Ruth book. We stopped at Togo's, Rubio's and Panda Express to get some lunch. Anyone care to guess which place I ordered food from?

Logan and I got dropped off at home and then Ciera and Brian headed back out for a pitching and hitting lesson. That's right, that raises the softball practice time to 5 1/2 hours for Ciera today. When she got back home she was BEAT!! I guess that was enough practice for one day. She's been lying on my bed since she got home.

When I was shopping on Friday BLT's sounded good. I bought everything we'd need and we finally got a chance to make them. Dinner was good with some Turkey, avocado and cheese added in as well. I also finally got to have my cottage cheese with Cheeze-Its. And I still can't get enough milk. We are going through 4 gallons of milk in about a week and I don't think the kids are drinking much of it.

I think we may all be in bed by 9:00 tonight! Tomorrow everything starts again!