Rosalyn, The Babies, and Life in General :)

I haven't posted in nearly a month, so this may be a long one! I am running low on energy most days and blogging is one of the things that sadly gets put on the back burner :( Anway, just thought I would post some new pictures/updates on us!


Ok, first a jumbled update on Rosalyn!


Rosalyn is 28 months now. She is full of life and energy and brings unimaginable laughter into our lives everyday. We love her so much! She is talking all the time...full conversations and 10+ word sentences. Her vocabulary is easily into the thousands. She is constantly asking me "What's dat, Mommy?" and loves to go, go, go! This morning when I woke her up, she said "Mommy, I wanna go to Wal-Mart!" She is a little procrastinator at times and will often tell us "I'll do dat 'gamorrow' (her pronunciation of the word 'tomorrow'), Momma." She is very active...anyone who knows her can attest to the fact that she never stops moving unless asleep! She can be quite bossy, but I guess she gets it honestly :) She is extremely social and seems to be a leader at this point in her young life. She can name/recognize many shapes and colors now. She can count and sing songs. She recognizes most capital letters and knows the sounds that many make. Her favorite games are "music show," "cooking," "check-up," and "babies." It is so much fun to see her imagination developing! Rosalyn has also definitely hit the "terrible twos!" She is usually sweet and able to be reasoned with, but sometimes she can really surprise us with the intensity of her tantrums! She weighs about 30 lb and is about 35 inches...wearing all 3T clothes now. We are working on potty training and she is doing ok with it so far. Her favorite drink is chocolate milk and her favorite foods are macaroni & cheese and grapes.


Here are some recent pictures of my sweet girl!!

Getting her first hair trim by Aunt Lisa

Being Silly on Christmas Eve

Holding a Sparker on New Year's Eve

My Little Angel and Me :)

Not wanting to participate in the photo-op

One of her favorite perches...standing on a chair at the kitchen counter to "help" me

Smiley Face

My favorite Little Paci Addict

Ok, now an update on the babies and me!

I am 23 weeks pregnant with the baby girls today. We have decided on names..."Baby A" is Caroline Grace and "Baby B" is Elaina Joy. It was very difficult to decide on their names! I had an OB appointment today and everything is perfect so far, thankfully. BP was 100/60 (great), I have gained 16 lb above pre-pregnancy weight (I am "allowed/encouraged" to gain 40-50 lb total), and urine testing was normal. I am measuring (fundul height; uterus size) 30 weeks now. The babies are about 1.25 lb each and about 12 inches head to toe each. Their heartrates were both in the 150's today at my appointment. They are moving so much now that we can see my belly jumping! I have my glucose test for gestational diabetes in 2 weeks. I will have another ultrasound and see my obstetrician again on Monday, February 8th. I was supposed to see her again on January 26th (same day as my glucose test), but she said that the babies and I are doing so great that there is no reason to keep that appointment. I will start every 1-2 week appointments after February 8th! Also, my c-section is officially scheduled!!! Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 at 1 pm! I will be 38 weeks exactly that day. Overall, I am feeling ok and blessed to be healthy, but still very tired most days...it feels like I am about 43 weeks pregnant instead of 23! I am at the point now where it is very difficult to get comfortable, sleep, eat, breathe, etc but I know it will all be worth it to have two big, healthy babies! I am only working 1 day/week now, so that helps a ton. Also, Jason and my parents are wonderful about being at my beck and call to help with Rosalyn, bring food, etc. which I am super grateful for.

Jason has been busy with work. I have the best husband in the world...he is working 60 hours/week so that I can stay home with Rosalyn and grow our babies. I love him so much and I am so thankful for everything he does for me and Rosalyn...we couldn't make it without him! In his spare time, he stays busy helping me prepare the nursery for the two new princesses (we are getting there!) and playing with Ros.

Here are two pictures from today of my belly :)

(Warning: one is a bare belly picture, in case that makes you squeamish!)

Thanks for reading this huge post! I will try to post more often!

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.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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!