The Babies...

Don't have the time or energy to post pictures right now, but I wanted to let my faithful readers know that.....


The babies are both 100% GIRLS!!!

Both babies appear perfectly healthy and they are measuring right in target.

We are overjoyed!

Pictures!

A few recent pictures of my beautiful baby girl...

I love her so much that it makes my heart ache.

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17 Weeks Pregnant with Twins! The babies are now over 5 inches long from head to butt and weigh over 5 ounces each. Less than two weeks and we will know what we are having!

17 Week Update...

I had my regular OB appointment this morning....I am 17 weeks pregnant today. The babies both had heartrates in the 160s-170s and we could hear them bouncing around in there on the doppler. I have been able to feel faint movement for several weeks now, but it is definitely getting a bit stronger now. I am measuring 20 weeks. My BP was perfect, 100/70. Urine was good, no UTI this time. Weight is good, 10 lb total gained (only 7 lb gained from my baseline weight...I lost 3 lb in the beginning). I am having occasional braxton-hicks contractions and very mild swelling in my feet...my OB recommended a maternity belt to help with this + extra rest and liquids. Overall, a good visit and no complications so far, yay! My next appointment is Dec. 17th (19w2d) and my "big" ultrasound will be that same day! We can't wait to find out what we are having! In January, I will start every 2 week visits. As of now, I am feeling fairly good but I tire really easily and sleeping is starting to get difficult. I am taking medicine for acid reflux (I had it horribly with Rosalyn also) so that has helped my sleeping some. I will try to post some new belly pictures soon...I need to charge my camera battery first!

Miss Rosalyn is doing fine. She is so funny...that girl keeps us laughing all the time. She is talking up a storm and is super sassy (probably not such a good thing!). I will also post some new pictures of her later...I am having her Christmas pictures made this week--hope they turn out good!

We went to MS for Thanksgiving and loved seeing all of my extended family that we haven't seen since March. We are planning to go back during the Christmas holiday as long as the babies and I are still progressing nicely :)

Halloween and 13 Week Update

First, here are a couple of pictures of my sweet little trick-or-treater...





She had so much fun doing "chwicka chweat" and getting candy. Our little butterfly princess was precious! However--note to self for next year--a toddler suffering the after effects of large amounts of candy is NOT so precious!!

Today, I am 13 weeks pregnant...officially in the second trimester...yay!


Here is what the babies look like (we had an ultrasound this morning)...

Baby A

Baby B

And here is what I look like today...

My ultrasound and appointment went very well. The babies are each 7 cm exactly which means they are measuring perfectly on target. They weigh a little less than an ounce each. They both have heart rates in the 150's-160's. They were flipping and turning everywhere...literally doing somersaults! I have been able to faintly feel them moving this week which is fun. Baby B was sucking his/her hand, so we may have another paci addict :) You can't tell in the pictures, but I was able to see SO much detail...fingers, tose, nose and mouth on the profile, etc. It was amazing. The doctor and ultrasound tech said they are looking perfect! I have gained 5 lb total which is a good start. My blood pressure is great and no other concerns at this time...I will go back on December 1st for my next OB appointment, We will have our "big" ultrasound (and find out the sex of the babies) on December 17th. We are so excited!

I will try to post again later this week!

12 Weeks...

This is what the babies look like today!





This is what I look like today!

I am 12 weeks pregnant today...nearly out of the 1st trimester! The babies are each 2.13 inches long and weigh 1/2 an ounce each. I am feeling good overall, just really tired at the end of the day. I heard the babies' heartbeats yesterday using the doppler at work...that was fun :) My belly (as you can see above) is growing...I think it is about the same size now as it was at about 16 weeks with Rosalyn. I am still mostly in the "pudgy vs. pregnant" stage...I see people looking at me funny like they want to ask about my pregnancy, but they aren't totally 100% sure that I am indeed pregnant and didn't just have too much pizza for dinner! I think I have gained about 3 lb so far. We are getting more and more excited as the days go by...I am beginning to make lists of what all we need (bought a box of newborn diapers just this week!) and starting to dream up little schedules and routines for Rosalyn and the babies. Those of you who know me well will understand that I cannot help myself when it comes to these things...I am a planner at heart :)

My next OB appointment is 1 week from today (Nov 3rd) and I will also have an ultrasound that day. I will keep you all posted!

Pumpkin Time!!

Since Halloween is this coming Saturday, we are doing something fun every day this week...


Sat (yesterday): go to the pumpkin patch with Nana and Pop
Sun (today): decorate pumpkins after church
Mon: color pumpkin picture
Tue: go to the store to pick out halloween candy and decorate candy bowl for our porch
Wed: dress up day at Mother's Day Out
Thu: decorate a wooden pumpkin door hanger
Fri: make pumpkin cookies
Sat: trick or treating!


We have several special sweet halloween books to read each day. We are also talking a lot about pumpkins and studying the color orange.


Yesterday, we went to the pumkin patch and today we painted our pumpkins. I took lots of pictures, so here are a few to enjoy. As you can see, Rosalyn mostly refuses to look at the camera or smile for pictures lately! I have decided that her special birthday video for her 3rd birthday party will probably be markedly shorter than in the past due to lack of photos. Here are the best ones I could get of the little stinker!

I have loved every "stage" with Rosalyn so far, but I have to say it is really getting fun now that she is old enough to enjoy doing things like decorating pumpkins and dressing up. She is so excited about life that it is contagious! I can't believe she will be 26 months on Tuesday...growing up waaay too fast!

Today while we were outside painting the pumpkins, she was so happy. She kept telling our cat "Ra-Ra, look, I paint-in a pumpkin, Ra-Ra, look!" She is also still talking about the pumpkin patch yesterday...she told Jason "Da-ee, I go to da pumpkin patch wis Nana an Pop an Momma and I ride da chain (train). I go fast!" So precious!! I love her :)

10 weeks today!

I am ten weeks pregnant today. The babies are about 1.22 inches/0.14 ounce each--I have combined 2.44 inches/0.28 ounce of baby in me : ) Anyway, I am feeling ok and overall this pregnancy has not been too different from my pregnancy with Rosalyn. It just seems my symptoms have been a little more intense and showed up a little sooner and my belly is growing much faster! I will post some pictures soon, hopefully. Someone who shall remain nameless (but weighs 29 lb and can't pronounce her 'R' sounds) broke my camera this week, so pictures will have to wait until I can purchase a new one. The unnamed person was trying to do "Click, Take a Pic" with Dora on TV.


Rosalyn is sitting beside me watching Sesame Street...one of her favorite TV shows! Unfortunately, she has been allowed to watch more TV lately because I have been quite tired and nauseated some days. She doesn't mind, but I feel guilty. She just finished her favorite breakfast--cheese toast, mandarin oranges, and warm milk. She requests that combo nearly every morning as soon we get up! She had "picture day" at school yesterday and she looked SO cute when I dropped her off (again, no camera to show you!). I can't wait to see how her school pictures turned out. I am a little nervous because she kept showing me how she would smile for her "pik-cha" and her fake smile made her look like a little turtle (a cute turtle, of course)! She is so adorable and hilarious...she brings more joy and laughter to Jason and me than we could have ever imagined!


I will try to post another update later this week!

9 week update...

I am 9 weeks pregnant today and my first "official" OB appointment was this morning (we have been under the care of our fertility doctor up to this point). We are using the same doctor that delivered Rosalyn...we love Dr. Leeds-Richter and feel extremely comfortable under her care. She and I really "click" and share the same opinion on most things which is a good thing considering that she will be guiding us through so much over the next 7 months or so.


The appointment went very well. We saw both babies on ultrasound and they looked perfect with fast little heartbeats. They are almost 1 inch long and nearly 1/10 of an ounce now. Dr. L-R said they couldn't look better!


My blood pressure was perfect and no weight gain so far. She said I need to plan to gain about 45 lb...that is roughly 1.5 lb/week average assuming we deliver full term...yikes! I gained 26 lb with Rosalyn so that seems like a lot! I am sure I will find a way to make it happen though :) I do have a mild urinary tract infection, but received medication to treat it. I had a lot of UTIs during my pregnancy with Rosalyn so I was not really surprised. I still have a prescription of Zofran for nausea but thankfully I haven't needed it much. She checked my cervix and it was long, hard, and closed which is exactly how it should be at this point, so no worries.


Dr. L-R was able to answer all of our questions and give us some reassurances about our many concerns. We will definitely have a repeat scheduled c-section for 38-40 weeks as long as I don't begin labor before. She is very optimistic that the babies will be "full term" or at least close. She reassured us that even though I am considered "high risk" and everything is "more" with multiples (more nausea, more soreness, more braxton hicks, need to eat more, need to rest more, etc) as long as I take it easy and follow my body's signals (eat when I'm hungry, rest when I'm tired, etc) that there is a great chance that things will be perfectly fine! That made me feel much better.


My next appointment is November 3rd. I will be 13 weeks that day...starting the second trimester! I will have an ultrasound that morning and then see my OB.


Thanks for reading my long pregnancy update!


In other news, Rosalyn is doing great. She is growing so much and talking all the time...she says the funniest things. She is so precious and makes me smile all the time. She frequently hugs and kisses me for no reason and says "I wuv you, Momma"...melts my heart like nothing else. She will always be my first baby and own that special place in my heart. I think that the main thing that has really bothered me about having twins is that I don't want her to feel "displaced." I am going to try to really come up with a plan to still have adequate time with her after the babies are born.

The Reason I Have Been Too Tired To Blog Lately...

I am Pregnant!!!

With Twins!!!

(Baby B is further away in the picture which causes him/her to appear blurry)

Yes, you read that correctly...Rosalyn is going to be a big sister X2 :) We are overjoyed to be expecting twins! My due date is May 11th although realistically the babies will likely be born in April. I will have a repeat cesarean. I am currently 8 weeks + 2 days pregnant. We went for an ultrasound this past Tuesday (8w0d) and saw both babies strong and healthy. They are definitely fraternal...so they could be both girls, both boys, or one of each! We will find out the sex sometime in December. They each measured exactly 1.38 cm and each had a heart rate of 156. Our doctor said each baby looked perfect and our rate of miscarriage at this point is very very low.

I am feeling pretty good most days, but I am much sleepier and more nauseated compared to my pregnancy with Rosalyn. My belly is already growing which is funny. I look 12-14 weeks pregnant rather than 8. No weight gain so far. I have actually lost 4 lb over the past few weeks. I am sure this will correct itself with time :) I will admit that I am a little nervous about gaining the amount of weight that twin moms are "supposed" to gain. I gained 26 lb with Rosalyn and that seemed like a lot!

My next OB appointment is this coming Tuesday...I will be 9 weeks that day. I will update as soon as I can :)

So, we know that there will be 2x this...

But there will also be 2x this...

And we can't wait!

We are already so in love with our two sweet new babies!

Rosalyn's Birthday Party and First Day of School!

BIRTHDAY PARTY!!

Rosalyn looking at me like I am crazy when I marched into her room singing "Happy Birthday" bright and early Thursday morning (her actual birthday)...

Dining Room with Balloons...

Adorable Birthday Cake...

Yummy Food!

Opening Gifts...

Blowing Out the Candle...

Rosalyn had a wonderful 2nd birthday party yesterday! We had lots of great friends and family members there. The cake and food was delicious and Ros got lots of neat presents. We also watched a slideshow video of her second year. Thank you to everyone who was there! It was such a fun day!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL :)

First lunch (ham/cheese sandwich, carrots, fruit twist, yogurt puffs, water)...

She was tired of taking pictures (she hates pictures just like her daddy!)...

On the way...

Modeling her backpack (she also has a matching napmat and lunch box)...

Rosalyn's first day of school was today! She did great and seemed to really enjoy herself. She will be going Monday and Wednesday 8:30-2. She did not cry at all when I dropped her off...I have to admit I got a little teary when she said "bye, momma, I wuv you, la-er" and ran off to play. When we picked her up, her teacher said she was very happy all day but did not take a nap (I was not surprised!). She even has a take home folder with her "work" in it! She is the youngest and smallest in her class (due to her late August birthday) but that didn't seem to bother her at all. My baby girl is growing up!

Her 2 year old check up was this past Friday. She weighs 29 lb (77%) and is 33.5 inches tall (37%)...short and chunky as usual! Her pediatrician examined her head to toe and said she was perfectly healthy, normal, and "very verbally advanced" (whatever that means). We think she is adorable and great no matter what! We have to go back in one month for her flu shot and after that we are free until she turns 3 (unless she gets sick).

Thanks for reading this long update!!

TWO!!

I cannot believe that Rosalyn is already two years old...where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday she was a sweet, tiny newborn snuggled on my chest. She is still snuggly and usually sweet :) She is the light of our lives and brings joy to our hearts every second of every day...I am so grateful to be her mommy. It has truly been the most rewarding experience of my life. I love that little girl more than words can say.


Tomorrow is her check up and she has to get a couple of shots :(. I am hoping she does ok with them...she has been fine in the past (with extra tylenol for a day or so), so maybe this time won't be any different. The only difference is that now she is really old enough to scream and fight, so it could be bad...I will update tomorrow with her growth, etc.


What is Rosalyn up to these days??? Talking and running around non-stop! She says so many words that we've lost count (1000+) and is learning more every day. She speaks in full sentences (up to eight word sentences). She can easily carry on simple conversations with us. Of course, her speech is still has "toddler pronunciation" and cannot say 'r' very well but those close to her easily understand most of what she says. She pretends to sing several songs. She can count to 10 (when she wants to). She can identify by sight 15 alphabet letters and can tell me the sounds of several of those. She knows a few shapes and colors. She can make numerous animal sounds and point/name 20 body parts. She has quite a little temper and spends time in "time out" occasionally :). She loves to climb and play on anything she can find and is a real daredevil. She is extremely outgoing, social, loves to play with other kids. When we pull into church, she usually says "I go chuch, Momma. I wanna pway (play) fwends. I wuv fwends."


She is adorable!


Today, for her birthday we got up early (at 8...early for us!) and went to eat doughnuts/chocolate milk for her special birthday breakfast. After running a few errands, we returned home to to watch Noggin and play for a while before lunch/nap. After nap, we played with Daddy until dinnertime. After dinner, we went to her "open house" night for the Mother's Day Out program she will be attending starting next week (more on that in another post!). After open house, we came home and visited with Nana and Pop for a while and ate treats from Sonic. It was a very happy day!


We are having her birthday party on Sunday afternoon, so I will definitely post some pictures after!

Water Play

The pictures above are of Rosalyn enjoying one of her all-time favorite activities...playing with water and soap bubbles in the kitchen sink. This activity is an instant mood lifter in our house! She will easily spend over an hour quietly playing at or in the sink! Of course, I don't leave her unattended but it does make it easier for me to cook/clean in the kitchen!

I cannot believe she will turn 2 at the end of the month! Crazy! At the end of the month, she will have both her two year old check up and her first dental appointment...I have a feeling I may have a story to share after that one!

Long time, No blog!

First, a few pictures..

Me, My Mom, Ros, and Sis-in-law Kelsey at Diego and Jessica's Wedding.

Rosalyn was not very well behaved, if you can imagine :)

She and I spent the wedding in the church's "cry room."

This is why you never leave a toddler alone with markers

no matter how bad you want to see the next segment of Oprah!

She LOVES to clomp around the house in these shoes!


Sweet girl...

Tonight, getting her hair brushed after her bath.

Doing her "funny face."

I am not sure who taught her that trick...

I know it has been forever since I blogged...I have gotten several "complaints." :)

We haven't been up to much, just staying busy with our usual routine. Rosalyn is growing like a weed and talking like crazy. She is saying 3-5 word sentences now.

Here are a couple of funny things she has said lately...

My mom was holding her and she (Rosalyn!) passed gas on my mom's leg. Apparently, R does not yet know the difference between gas and the "real thing." She told my mom "I poop you leg, Nana."

Yesterday, we were at Wal-Mart. Jason was busy looking at sprinkler systems so I took Rosalyn to look for a rug for her bedroom. I said "Do you want to find a cute rug for your room?" and she shook her head and said "No, Momma, bugs nasty." She was rather disgusted that I would ever dream of buying a "bug" for her bedroom!

She is 23 months old today and such a delight (when she is not having a temper tantrum) and we love her more and more each day. She has started regularly saying "I love you, Momma" and hugging or kissing me for no reason...it is SO precious!

Aside from Rosalyn, Jason and I are both busy with work and life in general. I did my least favorite chore today...scrubbed all three bathrooms. Ugh!

I am planning to blog more regularly now that my hiatus is over!