It doesn't take much

I was thrilled today to open my email and discover that I was one of the respondents chosen for a free Bounce Dryer Bar from Viewpoints! We don't use fabric softener in our house, and only on certain loads of clothes do we use dryer sheets (Dana's work clothes, dish towels, and cloth diapers). I'm excited to see how the bar does and determine how long it lasts! I will definitely let you know what I think.

Gifts for the boys

I am so grateful for all the gifts that have been coming in for the boys, and for us. We have cans of soup and cornbread mix in the cupboard, and casseroles in the freezer thanks to ladies from our congregation. We also have size 1 diapers thanks to them also. Gifts have been coming from family and friends, from here in town and far away. One surprise gift was 2 crocheted blankets from a friend in Charleston. Here are some photos of a few things we've received these last few weeks.

These warm fleece pants with zip up hoodies were a gift from my aunt and uncle. They look and feel so snug and warm!

These adorable onesies came in from Aunt Pat. I love the slogans, so true! She dropped these off yesterday after taking Kaia to the movies.

These adorable jammies are from June. She's making sure her newest grandsons are well dressed. When Mo was coming it seemed like everything we received (through baby showers, from friends and family) was sports because that's what was out in the stores. I liked those things, but love the recycling and dinosaurs and puppy prints we are getting this time even more.

Last, after months of trying to figure out what to do when I have 2 infants and need to set one down, I decided a Moses Basket would be perfect. I'm not a car seat carrying mom. My back does not like me that much and it would be hard to carry 1 boy, a car seat and wrangle Kaia and Mo. Mom bought me this beautiful Moses Basket, which is lightweight and will make the perfect portable bed. I can wear one boy in a sling or pack, carry the other, and just sling this over my arm or have Kaia carry it.

And don't worry, the diaper table is still getting good use! The cover for the changing pad remains in a wicker basket underneath to keep it cat hair free.

I also have exciting news... the big day is set! If these boys don't make an attempt to come on their own, then my c-section will be Thursday, October 15th! So I know I will be meeting my boys in mere days!

Pregnant Men

About 2 weeks ago, Dana let me know that I was very cranky when I got home from work. I agreed, and I told him, "Next time you are 32 weeks pregnant with twins, I promise you can be as cranky as you want to be." He laughed saying he never wanted to be pregnant with twins, and quickly corrected that to never wanting to be pregnant at all.

I'm sure it's something all expectant mothers have dreamed of, having our husband be the one pregnant, even for just a day or two. It's an experience that I don't think men will ever fully understand. On a daily basis I wish I could take my belly off and have Dana carry it for a few hours. I've told Kaia that I'd love for her to be able to do the same (talk about birth control!). While at this time us women are the only ones that can bear children (I don't dare put it past scientists to figure out something else one day), men can get a taste of what we go through.

I invite you to check out Darren Garnick's 24-Hour Diary of a Pregnant Guy. He wore a pretty intense belly suit to give him the experience of pregnancy. It was complete with 11 pounds of shifting water to help with that off-balance feeling.

I do happen to be jealous that his suit only added 33 pounds. I was up 45 pounds at my last appointment, and should continue to gain at least a pound a week (the boys should gain 1/2 pound each for every week they stay in). Enjoy your look into his experience!

Naughty!

Dear Readers,
I have been a very bad blogger. I have had an appointment in Seattle, and haven't updated you all yet. We've received some fabulous gifts for the boys, and I haven't taken photos to show you. Just when I thought I'd be resigned to wearing the same 3 outfits to work every day for the rest of this pregnancy, I was gifted with 4 more shirts and a dress by my aunt and uncle and still no photos. We've been blessed with food and diapers from the congregation, and I haven't mentioned it until now. You have been by to say hi, to check on our progress, and I haven't written a post or even visited you in most cases.

I'm sorry! I do think of you, and I do miss reading your blogs and commenting. I've composed several posts in my head, but not one has made it onto this blog. Barb mentioned my ticker, and what's scary is I have fewer days than the 46. In 24 days or less, we should be meeting these boys. There is a big part of me that wants them to stay in at least another 11 days or more to cook, but another part of me would like them out now!

My appointment Wednesday was my last visit to Seattle! My good friend Jenny and her youngest daughter Anna came with me. The NST looked good, once I woke Bryce up. The ultrasound was done by a very sweet, but very SLOW intern. It took a full 2 hours, something that hasn't happened before. By 3:15 p.m. when I checked in for my should have been 3 p.m. appointment, I was beat! So was my perinatologist, who is about 4 weeks ahead of me.

She said that the boys looked great. Bryce is measuring at 4 lbs 3 oz and Brendon at 3 lbs 15 oz. She also explained to me why Dr. Walker (the specialist) recommends a c-section. She also let me know that with my history of easy vaginal births, she would be supportive if, knowing the risks, I wanted to try for that. 5% risk of complications is really small considering everything these boys have gone through, but I'm happy to cut that specific risk to pretty much 0 and have a c-section. Plus, that way I can have another tubal ligation.

The boys are doing so well, that as far as my peri is concerned, we've accomplished what we needed to with them. She said if I were to go into labor today, she wouldn't try to stop it. So my job of baby carrying has shifted from taking care because they need it, to taking care because I need it. I'm battling swelling, exhaustion, insomnia, upset stomach, reflux, and just general crankiness. If I've talked to you lately, and I was rude, I apologize. It's really not intentional, I just have no patience or tolerance left in me. Just thinking at times is too much.

I hope that doesn't read as whiny. That isn't my intent. I just want to keep track of what's happening right now. I think even easier to forget than the pain of labor (and I realize that I did have an epidural both times, but it hurt before the epi) is the way we feel before labor. Those last few weeks of waiting. In the last few months I kept looking back thinking I was whining too much those last weeks with Mo. It couldn't have been that bad. Well, now I'm here, and this pregnancy is very different from the last, and I no longer condemn myself for being a wuss. I wasn't, it's just easy to forget how it all feels.

I am still enjoying watching all the interesting shapes my belly can become. I also love to see the elbows and knees, hands and feet that seem to almost constantly be tracing my belly. I even enjoy feeling them push each other, especially after reading that it's in this last trimester that twins will begin interacting with each other.

I'll post again this week to share some of our new treasures for the boys. I can't wait for the day where I'm posting their birth announcement, and busy snuggling them in my arms.

She's Hot!

Kaia is on today's local news. The weatherman goes to different schools and does fun activities with the kids. To watch her visit HERE You'll need to scroll down the page halfway, until you see "Jordan Youngs visits local schools" on the right side.

The Wide Hollow video is currently labeled as video 1, and should be the video up for just hitting play. Kaia's part of the warm air, and she's wearing a pink and blue shirt. And they are all in first grade, not kinder. Very important distinction when you are 6!

My Secret Weapon

This morning I discovered a way to get two kids up and moving so that we can get out the door on time.



Thank you YouTube and Madagascar 2 music videos.

32 weeks and growing!

Believe it or not, I can still get the shirt on.

The belly isn't so pretty anymore with the stretch marks and random rashes. But the cargo inside is beautiful!

Convenience

We don't usually eat convenience foods in our home for dinner. The occasional chicken nuggets and tater tots, hamburger helper, or frozen lasagne is about it. Those are often for busy nights when I'm working late, have a moms' devotional, or am not feeling well.

I think all of you would agree that it's not the healthiest, and it certainly isn't the most frugal of food choices. That has all changed lately. I am now 32 weeks along. My multiples book recommends that women quit working at 28 weeks. Many women I know that are carrying twins are already on bedrest. Me, I still get up and fix Dana and I breakfast, pack lunches, get the kids dressed, take Kaia to school, drop Mo off at Grammy and Papa's and then go to work. So when I get home in the evening, dinner has to be prepared and eaten quickly so that I can lay down and get off my swollen legs, cankles and feet.

It's been hard to find convenience foods that still fit into our budget. I've decided that the extra dollar or two spent on a dinner is worth it to keep Brendon and Bryce in longer and out of NICU, and therefore have allowed myself to spend a little more than I normally would on our dinners. I have been surprised to find that not all convenience foods are overpriced.

Flav-R-Pac makes a stroganoff frozen meal that only requires the addition of ground beef and water. It was $2.69 for the bag. The bag contained approximately 3/4 of a pound of their mixed veggies (the fancy kind with water chestnuts and french cut green beans), approximately 2 cups of egg noodles, and a packet of frozen sauce. For once a meal actually called for 1/2 pound of ground beef, rather than a full pound. I never add a full pound of beef to anything, but I never follow directions either. The meal was quick to prepare, tasted great, and made plenty of servings. The 4 of us ate, and had a small amount leftover for my lunch the next day.

I wanted to figure out if this was a good deal or not. The frozen mixed veggies in this mix go on sale for $1.25 a 1 pound bag. I can buy a bag of egg noodles for $1 if I find them on sale. I have no idea what was in the sauce mix, but to make this homemade, it would likely cost me about $2 for the ingredients in the bag (depending on the sauce mix). So I think the $2.69 price tag was well worth the 20 minutes I didn't spend in meal preparation.

Photo from Farmhouse.com

I also found a hamburger helper style boxed dinner last night at Albertson's that was excellent. It's made by Farmhouse and it was a salisbury dinner. It was mini-lasagne noodles and a sauce packet. I paid $1.19. The only additions were hamburger (I added about half a pound) and water. I also chose to add the last of the frozen peas in the freezer (about 1/4 cup). It made plenty of servings, and tasted good. The noodles and sauce made from scratch would probably only cost 40-50 cents, but once again, the extra 69 cents or so was worth it.



Tonight it's pork ribs that I bought for 50% off, and they've been in the slow cooker all day. I just need to microwave the broccoli, and top it with cheese and we have a meal. Good thing too, as my cankles are looking forward to the rest.

Mo the Builder

While he may have loved dressing in his sister's clothes, he has really become all boy lately. If it has wheels, Mo is interested in it. From his Hot Wheels collection, Thomas the Tank Engine trains, John Deere tractors and heavy equipment, to his Monster Trucks he loves them all!

Last night he couldn't stop talking as he played in our dirt patch out front. The dirt patch used to house 3 bleeding hearts, but for the most part they were lost when we re-did the sprinklers as that is where all of the water and sprinkler system "stuff" is. I think that while the dirt patch may not be as pretty, it's far better. What do you think?

There isn't much to see on the video, as the sun had gone down, but the conversation was too good to miss!

Show & Tell: The Nursery and More Gifts

Here it is! The nursery is getting close to being done. The crib is together, and I'm happy that the honey pots never came down from the walls.

The blankets were made by June (aka Grammy). She said there were so many fun boy prints, but she realized that Mo would think they were for him. So she stuck to the Winnie-the-Pooh theme, and I think it's a great idea. We don't need to ask for any sibling rivalry, and they definitely match the nursery.

She also bought the boys some Pooh outfits. They are newborn size, and still so tiny!

And of course Grammy had to do some crocheting and knitting for her newest grandsons! She made 2 swaddle sacks.

And she also made two hoodies for the boys.

Someone is getting good use of the changing table already. Boomer stays out of the crib, but he has always loved to sleep on the changing table.

Thanks for visiting! For more Show & Tell, visit Kelli!

Food Thoughts

Food and I currently have a love hate relationship. I still have the same calorie needs (at least 2700) but very little room in my stomach to take them in. I now know the feeling of being full, but still hungry.

I am surprised how each pregnancy has been different in my eating habits. With Kaia, I was all about eating hamburgers. With all 3 pregnancies I have loved Tabasco sauce and continued eating spicy foods. This time around, I'm surprised by seafood.

Normal me doesn't eat much seafood. As in not much, I mean that canned tuna, dungeness crab, and breaded fried shrimp and fish are all I eat. That has really changed the past few months. On July 1st I went to a bridal shower, where the cook (a lawyer in town that has also been to culinary school) made paella. I was nervous about taking much as it had salmon, shrimp, tilapia and some other fish in it. I am big on trying new things, so I grabbed a decent sized serving, and figured I could at least pick out the fish if needed (I was hungry after all). I didn't need my back up plan, because I really enjoyed it.

Then on August 1st, I went to the wedding. They had 3 chilled entrees with sauces. Pork, chicken, and salmon. The servers were trying to have everyone taste all 3 dishes. I asked for a small serving of the salmon, and was surpised by what was considered small. I spooned two healthy sized dollops of the cucumber dill sauce to the side of it. Then I surprised myself by finishing every bite.

Finally we went to the beach, where I couldn't wait to eat fresh dungeness crab! And I did, but I also indulged in grilled prawns, baby shrimp on a salad, and breaded fried shrimp as a main course.

Now I'm wondering, will my taste for fish last past this pregnancy? It would be nice to be able to enjoy it at get togethers in the future, but I'll just have to wait 45 days to find out.

Yes, 45 days or less and the boys will be in our arms! I am excited to meet them, see their faces and give them lots of kisses, as is Dana and the kids. I am also looking forward to a few other things. Like a good chef salad. Brie on french bread. A margarita on the rocks, and having a beer while watching football. Yes, in a short time, I'll have so much to enjoy!

Be sure to visit Friday to see some nursery photos and some of the new gifts the boys have received.