Toddler Talk : Five

These girls are officially two and a half!! The past six months have really flown by with so many changes for our family it's not too hard to believe. Only a few more weeks before these girls become big sisters and a whole new kind of adventure begins!

Talk: Sometimes I think I have two five year olds on my hands just based on the things the say to us and to each other. They understand how to ask for the things they want, tell us what they don't want, and even share their feelings. They have many conversations with each other that leave us literally shaking our heads because, let's face it they are two and they talk like teenagers. The amount of understanding that comes from them makes us pretty proud. We can give them simple commands and they know exactly what to do and even like to give us a little push back when they don't want to do them. When they see mama in the kitchen the ask if dinner is ready, or if I'm in the closet they ask if they can get dressed too, if they can't find one of their sisters they always ask "where (insert sister name here) go?". Sometimes we have compared them to there big sisters when they argue and even tattle on each other. They (mostly Charlotte) loves to say "no" A LOT especially when she is upset or being asked to apologize to one of her sisters. Even though they have gotten pretty good and using their words to tell us what they want they still like to do a little screaming here and there to get their point across or when they need help. We are working hard to stop this habit now because who wants a two year screaming at them for something especially when there's going to be a newborn around soon. They are picking up on new things every day... learning to say the alphabet and pretty much learning it all on their own from one little toy they love to play with. It's amazing watching children learn and grow but I have to say watching two of them learn and grow together is really more than I expected.

Play: Since we have moved the girls have been able to have all of their toys back that they didn't get to use for over 3 months. They clearly missed these toys and have had a blast with ALL OF THEM. When looking for a house to rent we really wanted to make sure there was a room that could be designated the "play room" for them. We were lucky to find a house that fit that need for us and they spend a lot of them in there playing with the dolls and kitchen. We were given a toddler IKEA table and they love that thing, I often walk in there to find the table set up with plates and food. Usually one of them is getting the baby "ready" while the other is getting "dinner ready". It is so much fun to watch. They love Madison's play-dough and asked several times a day to "play play-dough". While unpacking I found a few of their old size 2 diapers and decided to give them to the girls so that they would stay out of the baby's diapers. They were and still are in heaven, they love to change the diapers and push their babies in the strollers... big sister material right there!! They still absolutely love the park and have such a blast any time we take them. They have gotten so good at climbing and really just having no fear.

Food: Food has been funny for these girls lately, the have become very opinionated about what they like and don't like. Olivia will almost always say she doesn't like something when she sees it on her plate her choice words are "I can't like it". After eating the things the "can" like she will sample the other food. Charlotte is much the same only wanting to eat certain foods, I really don't try to force them to eat every thing on their plate but I do try to make sure there is enough for them to choose from. One thing I won't do is make them something "different" from us... not happening. They do still enjoy their favorites, cheese, apples, and berries.

Sleep: I keep wanting to do a post dedicated to this topic but I am also still waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel. We've been moved for almost a month and there have been many good days and nights and many stressful days and nights. But we are getting there, going from cribs to beds is a big transition not to mention moving to a new house and back into your own bedroom. As I type this I have gotten up from the chair about 10 times already to say the same phrase over and over "It's bed time" "Go to sleep" "don't get up again" ugh... But like I said it's getting better and they have gone from crying when we put them down to just having "girl talk" until the fall asleep. I promise a post is coming soon!

News: A lot has changed since the last toddler talk... of course we have moved and we are settled into the house which feels really good. Things have changed with the pregnancy and little sister is coming sooner than we thought. Everyone is ready for her arrival and now it's just a matter of preparing the twins for what is to come. We are 3 weeks away and the girls are doing great remembering what we are teaching them about helping mommy with a baby.

These days changes happen so fast it is hard to keep track, twins definitely keep you on your toes and make you tired at the end of day... especially when you are 8 and a 1/2 months pregnant! There is nothing more rewarding than watching your kids grown and watching two of them grow together is just more than we could have ever imagined!

Pregnancy Update....Again

Remember that time I told you all that I moved up a whole week and one day at one doctor visit? Turns out it can go the other way too! As of February 3rd my due date was changed to April 1 by my high risk doctor with my OB on the fence. The past three weeks I have been going by the adjusted due date making me 34 weeks 5 days as of yesterday's appointment. I have been seeing my OB twice a week since February 3rd and each time my "weeks" according to them was 8 days behind mine. So.... according to my OB yesterday I was 33 weeks 4 days. Confusing I know but in all honesty I wasn't really worried about the dates being the same just that baby girl was doing what she needed to do at each appointment.

So back to yesterday.. going into my growth scan ultrasound I was scheduled for a March 15th c-section... putting me at 37 weeks 4 days by new due date and 36 weeks 3 days by old due date. Everything went great with the scan she is weighing 6 pounds 4 ounces although my belly is measuring on track at 33 weeks. So it's possible she doesn't actually weigh that much...but let me tell you girl has some long legs! She passed her BPP (biophysical profile) basically a test to make sure baby is doing what she is supposed to do.. practice breathing, gaining fat and muscle, checking amniotic fluid ect. After the ultrasound I saw the midwife at my practice and after going over all the exciting fun stuff she mentioned the possibility of changing my c-section date because it was "before" 37 weeks. I explained to her what the high risk doctor had said and why the due date was changed in the first place. She let me know that because they didn't see my 6 week ultrasound they went off of my 15 week ultrasound and that is why they changed it. However, going from the 6 week ultrasound (which is the most accurate for "dating" a pregnancy) I was only 2 days ahead of my last period date (i.e.: the original due date). I was then told that her and the other two doctors were discussing what to do and would let me know.

Let me say that I know there is a lot of discussion about having babies too early, elective c-sections, natural births, on and on. This situation is unique to me and the only thing... the only thing.. I care about is that baby girl is healthy and comes when she is supposed to. There are risks associated with Cholestasis therefore creating the need for a delivery at 37 weeks. I trust my doctors more than anything and I will do what they suggest because I know they have mine and baby girl's best interest in mind.

Now that, that is out of the way... I ended up talking to my OB yesterday afternoon and he did suggest that after speaking with the other doctors and reviewing the ultrasounds again that my due date should remain April 9th. Creating the need to change the c-section date by one week; we are now scheduled for March 22nd. On this date I will be 37 weeks 3 days, I am comfortable with this decision and we will move forward with monitoring the baby for the next 3 weeks if for any reason they are not comfortable with what they see or how things are going a decision will be made based on those factors. But for now baby girl is doing great, moving a lot and passing all of her tests.

Its been quiet the roller coaster for the past few weeks, I am hoping things can relax a bit over the next few weeks. Little sister will be here before we know it and all of this confusion will be nothing but a memory. I am thankful for my wonderful husband, family, and friends for helping me and supporting me during all of these changes. We are all anxious to meet her but are perfectly ok waiting just one more week.

Last pregnancy update here 

Thirty Four Weeks

How Far Along - 33/34 weeks
I'm just going with the "double week" dating system at this point.. the number of weeks doesn't change the fact that she will be here in 3 weeks!

Total Weight Gain - 23 pounds - The doctors office got a new fancy digital scale last week so maybe it's more accurate than the old style slide scale... we will see at my appointments this coming week!

Maternity Clothes - Every time I walk into my to find something to wear (most likely one of my 5 gray maternity shirts) I see my "non-maternity" tops and I find myself asking "could I fit in those" haha no way but listen after a while you just want something different! I know this belly has really gained some circumference over the last weeks because my favorite tank tops are starting to no longer cover "all" of my belly... but I'm gonna make it work... because hey they are my favorite!

Sleep - Soon to come a post about (re)sleep training toddlers after you move and put them in beds... If that tells you anything about how my sleep has been! I just keep reminding myself that baby girl will be her in 3 weeks so I have 3 weeks to get the twins on a good sleep schedule AND sleeping through the night again. There is progress so I am hopeful I can maybe have a week before she arrives of something that resembles sleep. when I do get a chance to sleep uninterrupted by the twins I am sleeping pretty well. Eventually, my hips start hurting and indigestion sets in and by that time the twins are usually in bed with us... So it is what it is at this point!

Miss anything? Getting out of bed without feeling all the muscles pulling in my belly and walking from the bed to the bathroom without being out of breath! I love hearing other say I sound like I just ran a mile when they talk to me on the phone... I want to say "why yes I did just run mile, thank you very much". Baby girl certainly loves to have her little booty pushing right up under my ribs... I am however thankful that it's not her foot or elbow!

Cravings - Still pretty much hungry all the time and majorly craving anything sweet but finding chocolate gives me indigestion so I am kinda just doing what ever I want and dealing with the backlash as it happens. Hey I only have 3 weeks left might as well enjoy them!!

Symptoms - If you didn't notice yet... indigestion! I Remember how bad it got with the twins to the point where I was sleeping sitting up. I am feeling that time is rapidly approaching. Sometimes it gets to the point where I actually feel like I will be sick... so that is fun. I've also started to get some mild swelling in my hands and feet as the day progresses.

Looking forward to- March 15th?? Ok, so yes, when you get to the end of your pregnancy you start to feel like "I'm just ready" while I do feel that way I am conscious of that fact that if not for the Cholestasis I would still have 5-6 weeks left. Even though the thought of meeting this new little girl is on my mind daily I am also trying to cherish every single movement and moment I have left with her all to myself... and maybe trying to commit all of it memory... we never know what the future holds. My sister in-law and good friend are throwing me a little baby sprinkle this weekend... I can't wait to spend some time with my friends and family.

Family Photos

Being a photographer I love to capture memories for my friends and family. But at the same time it can be difficult to find someone to photograph your own family!! And we tend to put bigger family photos on hold for probably longer than we should. I have plenty of photos of my girls but knew I would want some photos to document this pregnancy and our final few weeks as a family of 6. My good friend has taken photos for us in the past and I loved them so we made a "date" to take some family / maternity photos this past weekend.

I cherish anytime I can have my family together to capture fleeting moments in our lives. Soon there will be 5 girls for us to love, those first moments and days will no doubt be capture by my camera. I can't wait to share them...

Favorite Eats: Autumn Chopped Salad

One of our most favorite salads to eat as a meal! My husband LOVES salads but only as a side, I too love salads but could eat them as my main meal most of the time. When I first started using pinterest this is one the first things I pinned and we couldn't wait to try it. Because I agreed to put chicken on it my husband was willing to try it as his meal and not just a side dish.

I've tried a few different variations of the recipe so I will say add and remove anything you may want! BUT do yourself a favor and definitely use the dressing recommend it is AMAZING!!

 Original Ingredients:

-6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce (I usually chop up about 3 of the bigger sized hearts)

-2 medium pears, chopped (we have used pears and granny smith apples... something a little on the tart side)

-1 cup dried cranberries

-1 cup pecans (This is not something I have added.. but if pecans are your jam throw 'em in there)

-8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled (I usually use turkey bacon and chop it up before throwing it in the pan)

-4 to 6 oz feta cheese, crumbled (a must!)

-Poppy seed Salad dressing

-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Even though the recipe doesn't call for chicken we added it in...because we love chicken! I typically will cut up 2-3 chicken breasts into tender or bite size pieces season with garlic powder, salt and pepper, I then cook it in a small amount of olive oil. I always add the chicken directly to the salad after about 5 minutes of cooling... I love warm chicken on cold salads! But cook and serve as you wish!

Instructions:

On a large platter/bowl combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon, and feta cheese (Top with chicken). Drizzle generously with poppy seed dressing, followed by some of the balsamic vinaigrette. 

Our first time making this salad we added the dressing directly in and we ate the whole thing.. it was that good! Second time around we added the dressings in again but didn't at the whole thing and tried to eat the next day... not a good idea! We now mix the dressing separately and add to our own individual salads... makes for perfect left overs! When mixing the dressing separately just make sure you have about 70% poppy seed to 30% vinaigrette. 

Thirty Three Weeks

How Far Along - 32/33 weeks
Right now my OB and my High risk doctor are not on the same page regarding this date. The high risk doctor says due date is April 1st and my OB says due date is still April 9th. I do tend to agree with my OB based on all of my dates. However, having cholestasis means an early delivery at 37 weeks. So it is hard to not worry about if the date is off by 8 days. My OB understands my concern and has agreed to meet me and the high risk doctor half way so we are delivering at 37 weeks 4 days (based on the high risk doctor's dates) and 36 weeks 4 days (based on OB dates). We both feel comfortable with this and baby girl is doing really well and will continue to be monitored closely until the delivery date.

Total Weight Gain - 21 pounds - My weight hasn't changed much over the last few visits, at one point I actually had lost 3 pounds which is pretty funny considering this girl already weighs 5 pounds! Since I am now going to the Doctor twice a week for monitoring that means I get to also check my weight twice a week... yay me.

Maternity Clothes - No change here! And I did buy myself a new shirt the other day for  our family/maternity photos because well.. it just made sense. I am getting to the point where I need to start thinking about packing my hospital bag and this has always been a tough one for me. A lot of the things I wear at home I will want to wear at the hospital so I struggle with when do I actually stop wearing them at home and put them in the bag??? We still have four weeks until it's time to "go" but I have a feeling those four weeks are going to go by really fast!

Sleep - Since moving and getting the kids into their own rooms I've been sleeping a little bit better... a little. I gave up the body pillow and that seems to have helped some as well.. I feel like I have a bit more room to move around. The twins are in toddler beds and we have been working through getting them to sleep in their beds all night (mostly Olivia), so they have me up several times a night, in addition to the braxton hicks, and new leg cramps!

Miss anything? I'm not missing too much these days; I guess when you are this far a long in pregnancy what you once missed is kind of a memory. I know I will soon be planning my first meal of sushi after this little girl arrives!

Cravings - I'm just hungry all the time... all.the.time. Being hungry leads to a lot of cravings and also the feeling that nothing sounds good. Standing in front of the refrigerator or pantry trying to decide what to eat is really annoying especially when you feel like you could eat everything! I do however think I could eat donuts every day... this is one of those cravings that you can actually taste when you think about it or say the word... if only it was that easy!!

Symptoms - Aside from the cholestasis symptoms as well as the side effects of the medication things are pretty much the same. Braxton Hicks and real contractions are the top of my list. I am trying very hard to listen to my body right now and  know when it is time to take it easy. Weekly NSTs make me feel a bit better knowing that the "contractions" are being monitored. I've woken up a few times with major leg cramps and the other night I had to wake the hubby up to help me get rid of it!

Looking forward to- Nesting has started and I find myself wondering if I should wait, I know that we are getting close to the 37 week mark so there is no time like now to get started. Because of the cholestasis I am required to see my doctor twice a week once for an ultrasound and once for an NST. It is great to see baby girl and know that she is doing well!

In case you missed my last update I talk all about the due date changes and the cholestasis.. you can check it out here (pregnancy update).

Pregnancy Favs

It's no secret that I am not new to this whole pregnancy gig. Things are certainly different with each pregnancy especially when there are years spanning one to the other or your are carring two instead of one. When I was pregnant with Kendal way back in 2004 the things I "liked" or wanted are very different than what I feel is a necessity now.. just a short 12 years later.

I thought I would share some of my favorites and yes, must haves (I think so anyway) for pregnancy... I could say stress free, fun filled, easy going... ect. but hey "things" don't make that happen, but they can help.

Contigo Shake & Go Tumbler  Of course drinking plenty of water is important while pregnant and after. I really have "enjoyed" drinking a lot of water this time around but always felt like I didn't have the right "cup" to fill up. Either they weren't big enough or didn't keep my water cold. While visiting my sister she was using this tumbler and she told me how much she loved it because it kept her water cold. And let me tell you my sister is all about trying new water bottles. So as soon as I got home I bought one and this thing hasn't left my side since then. I love it! Not only does it do what it's supposed to do in keeping my water cold and ice frozen you can remove the straw and shake up any drink powder you may want to add in. Once you remove the straw the area where the straw was closes up and the lid is sealed... Genius!

Snoogle Total Body Pillow I have never been one for body pillows; I just don't see the point and they take up too much space when you are trying to move at night. But this thing has seriously helped me get some sleep when my body is achey. Around 12ish weeks I started to experience some back and hip pain (early I know.. remember the statement above about this pregnancy gig not being new.. yea it causes crazy symptoms to pop up early too) my husband kept telling me to put a pillow between my legs and I just didn't want to do it...again with the too much stuff in the bed. Sooo after more complaining and some research I decided I should try something and of course my husband wanted me to get this body pillow so he could use it "after the pregnancy". As soon as  I opened it and laid down with it I was sold! It was very comfortable and even though it was "in the way" when I wanted to lay on my other side I figured out how to make it work, and it has helped so much. My back pain as well as my hip pain went away after just one to two nights of using it. Now keeping it real getting further along and bigger I don't like it as much because let's face it I am up a hundred times each night and I move around A LOT to get comfortable... so it has been passed on to my husband a little earlier than he expected. I will still use it if my back starts bothering me and it does help... so my opinion if you love body pillows this is definitely the one for you even if you don't "love" them but are looking for some pain relief I don't think you can go wrong.

Secret Fit Maternity Leggings Believe it or not before this pregnancy I had never worn leggings.. I know its a little crazy but they just didn't appeal to me. Until a trip to motherhood maternity when my oldest daughter convinced me to "just try them on". From that moment I was hooked (for now anyway) they are super comfortable and give a bit of a stretch ... you know in case you put on weight in other areas than your belly. I bought these gray ones and a patterned pair.. looking back I probably should have passed on the pattern as I haven't worn those nearly as much but to for lack of comfort. I would definitely suggest buying them when they are buy one get one 50% off or on some sort of sale.

PreNatal Gummies  When you are pregnant with twins you have to take "extra" vitamins and for me I was taking two and a half per day and I could only get them through prescriptions. So this go around it was nice to be able to buy something off the store (target) shelf. I've tried a few different brands both gummies and non. But my favorite by far is the target brand (up & up) prenatal gummy. They taste great, don't make me nauseous, and I feel like I am satisfying a small part of my sweet tooth! And yes another bonus (especially when you have to buy them some frequently) they are not going to break the bank!

Maternity Short Sleeve T-Shirt I LOVE these shirts from Target they are so comfortable and stretch nicely. They also have them in long sleeve which is nice for cooler days. I own one of each color and plan to make them last the rest of my pregnancy and after.  Now I will say the photo represents them being super long and I don't think they are that long... like they wouldn't cover my butt the way they do the for the model in the photo. This is definitely a staple for your maternity wardrobe and they are super reasonably priced... and who doesn't love that!

Longline Knit Cami these tanks from Forever 21 are amazing! I bought a few before I was pregnant because I like my tanks longer and they have turned out to be the perfect tank tops (cami's) to cover the bump in all it's stages. Here I sit nearly 33 weeks pregnant and they are still perfect even when my maternity shirts are wanting to show off my bare belly these tanks keep it well covered! And at less than $4 each you can't go wrong!


I am sure there are many more "things" that have made this pregnancy one to remember but these are just few things I have found myself enjoying on a (near) daily basis!

* All opinions are my own and no compensation was received for the post.

~Kristy

Pregnancy Update

You may remember from my last update nearly two weeks ago that I was 29 weeks ... today I am 31 weeks 6 days, making me 32 weeks for my next update ?!?! Wait isn't that a 3 week difference... yes, yes it is... Sound confusing, well it is for me too! Here's a little update as to why my week jumped up 8 days in one appointment.

First, a little symptom update...the past 6 or so weeks I have been itching ... A LOT ... no rash, no hives, no redness just itching! I let my doctor know and he wanted to see me to rule out PUPPS. After taking a look he said I didn't have PUPPS and he wanted to run some blood work thinking my immune system may be causing the itching (i.e.: something I would just have to deal with). While waiting for the blood work results we tried a few different things to alleviate the symptoms nothing really worked. But also let me just say that it wasn't/isn't unbearable and its severity comes and goes. At my next appointment (2 weeks later) doctor only saw an elevation in the "bile acid" levels from my liver/gallbladder. On a scale of 1-10 being "normal" I was a 10. He wanted to recheck my blood in two weeks, meanwhile having me try a course of medication to help with symptoms. After about 3 days of the medication I was feeling sick and the symptoms weren't improving so we stopped the medication and he decided to call the high risk doctor just to be safe based on my blood work. He told me a little about why he wanted them involved and let me just say when your doctor says "I don't want to scare you but...." the first thing you do is panic.

A week later (yesterday) I saw the high risk doctor and had an ultrasound.

Update on baby... Baby girl is doing great.. yesterday (Wednesday) I was 30 weeks 4 days. All of her measurements were coming up 33 weeks or 34 weeks and when they estimated weight she was 5 pounds!!! Let me just say I was very shocked Kendal (my biggest baby) was only 6 pounds 13 ounces so hearing that this little one was already 5 pounds with 9 ish weeks to go I was a more than a little worried. After the ultrasound the doctor and I talked about "dates" I told her that every ultrasound baby was measuring 1-3 weeks ahead but they never discussed changing my due date. She asked to see photos of early ultrasounds and I showed her the six week one to which she promptly said "that is not a six week baby" uhhhh ok?? I know I was six week by dates.. when you are trying to get pregnant you pretty much know every single date necessary to help you conceive and I knew all of those dates. It didn't make sense that I would be so far ahead of where we "thought" we were based on those dates. The doctor went a head and said it was time to change the due date but could only change it by 8 days.. immediately putting me at 31 weeks 5 days! I was shocked but it did help explain her measuring so much ahead but still even with the change she is 2 ish weeks ahead of the game. Now I know that these measurements (especially towards the end) are just estimations and could be off in either direction. But needless to say baby girl was due April 9th with a scheduled c-section for April 5th and now is due April 1st.

Update on liver/gallbladder issue... We next discussed the reason I was actually there. Unfortunately, the doctor hadn't received all of my records from my OB so I gave her a list of my symptoms and what my doctor had told me about the blood work. She immediately diagnosed me with Cholestasis  (click the link for details)... in short Cholestasis is brought on by the high levels of pregnancy hormones present in the last trimester of pregnancy; affecting the gallbladder function causing the leakage of bile acids into the blood stream in turn affecting baby.

OB appointment update today... Doctor agrees with high risk Doctor assessment although he doesn't necessarily agree with changing the due date based off of ultrasound. So we decided to go with the c-section at About 37 and half weeks. I will start twice weekly visits next week. One visit being an ultrasound to monitor Growth and the other an NST. 

It has definitely been a lot to process over the last few days. But I know that my baby and myself are in good hands for the rest of the pregnancy. It's hard to believe she will be here so soon! Either way we are ready (almost) and excited for her arrival! 

Weekly updates from here on out ... I'm sure things will change quickly!

~Kristy