Sugar and Spice: Week 15

What a week!! People. It. Was. CRAZY!!!! And emotional. And I'm glad it's in the books. And behind us. Looking forward to a better week! Let's start this week's Sugar and Spice!!

 

Sugar:

 

*SURVIVING my first week, back to work. I cried many times. Leaned on friends at work. And I'm grateful, that our girls get to stay with Rach, when both James and I are working!

*The HUGE sale at Target!! For real. If you haven't been, run now. Or first thing in the morning. I'm not lying!! GREAT prices on diapers, wipes, baby clothes, and baby gear. With coupons, some stuff was free!! And they gave us giftcards, just for shopping this week!!

*Shopping for James and I. Since we saved some money this week, on diapers and wipes, we bought some clothes. Because you just can't pass up $5 shirts and tanks. And $8 shorts!! Not when we have over 40 days of 100+ temps, a year!!

*A little splurge for this momma. Essie's Tart Deco nail polish. LOVE this color!! It's perfect for Spring!!

*Beautiful, 70 degree, Spring weather. Thank you Jesus!! This week was just beautiful!!

*A long lazy, Friday evening. Spent laying under our tree, in the backyard. With the girls. Enjoying each other. And this weather!!

*A yummy dinner, with our "Firefighter Family." Good food. Great company!!

*Hart of Dixie. LOVE this show!!

*Bible study. This week, I just needed it. God answered my prayers. And my soul feels complete again!

*Baby bath time!! My favorite time of the day. Playing with our girls. Watching all their cute facial expressions. Just soaking it all up!!

 

 

Spice:

*Going back to work. Being apart from my girls. It was almost too much for this momma to take!!
*All the demo going on in this city!! So much controversy going with it. So much destruction. So much dust and smoke.
*Eating McD's twice for lunch. This week. Because the cafeteria was insane!! I need to start packing my lunch.
*My aching feet. I forgot what it was like, to work 12+ hours/day.
*Dry hands. I NEED to go buy some good lotion. Working in the hospital, is tough on your hands.
*Doing our taxes. When did it get to be so crazy? We finally got them in the mail on Thursday!!
*Cancelling my mani-pedi. Because my feet were so tired, I couldn't think of walking from my car, to the front door.
*Sonic charging me full price, twice this week. During "Happy Hour." For my favorite diet cherry limeaid. FAIL!!
*Re-runs of Grey's Anatomy this week. What's up with that?!?!
*And re-runs of 2 Broke Girls. I miss my favorite TV shows!!

It was a crazy week. This weekend completely made up for it!! Lots of time spent with my little family. Cuddling. Comfy in our pjs. Loving our life!! The little shopping trip to Target today, was a total success!! Love when that happens!! Have a GREAT week!!

Pregnancy Update: Week 37

How far along? 37 Weeks!!
Total weight gain: 38 lbs (Pre-pregnancy weight: 115 lbs). I don't even know how I'm gaining weight. I barely eat anymore.
Babies are the size of: The twins, are as long, as a stalk of Swiss chard.
Babies' development: From what I hear, the twins are running out of room. They're growing so big. That all these things I'm feeling, are the babies stretching and wiggling. No more hard kicks. :(
Estimated length of babies': About 19.13 in
Estimated weight of babies': Around 6.30 lbs. That's each baby. I know that my girls are quite that big. But still. That a lot of baby!
Maternity clothes: Clothes?? Why do pregnant women need to wear clothes? I'm pretty sure, I've worn pjs for days. Weeks even. And now, I don't even want to do that! Everything is irritating my belly. I've begun to wear underwear and big shirts around the house. Except when we have visitors.
Stretch marks: I'm moisturizing, like my life depends on it! No lie!! But I'm pretty sure, that I see a little stretch mark coming on. And my new BFF....she's just keeps on getting darker.
Sleep: Sleep?? What is that? I can't get comfortable to sleep. My belly is just too big. Last week, I was all about sleeping. This past week, almost nothing at all!!
Best moment this week: Installing our car seats. It just made all these things so real!! 5 days until our induction. I'm nervous and excited!!
Miss anything: Sleeping. Being comfortable in my skin. A belly that doesn't itch so much. My word!! I look like a crazy lady, scratching my belly.
Movement: It's definitely not the hard kicks, from a few weeks ago. More like turns, wiggles, hiccups, and hands and feet pushing against my belly. At first, that was a little spooky. But it's something that I'm growing to love. I almost feel like I can grab the girls' hands. :)
Food cravings: Thanks to this lady, I'm back to loving crispy tortillas with cheese. Not quite a quesadilla. Better! And water with orange slices. Yum! I can't get enough!!
Gender prediction: 2 beautiful little girls!!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Eating more than half a sandwich. I can't eat too much. Or else I get sick to my stomach. Also, trying to bend over. Good thing I don't have to tie any shoes.
Labor signs: Braxton Hicks contractions are happening more and more every day. I get at least 1 bad one a day. I have to stop what I'm doing. Just to get through it. The Drs. tell me, this is very normal. And actually really good for me and the girls.
Symptoms: Light headed, when I do anything to exert myself. If I get up too quick, lie on my side, bend over, laugh too hard. I'm also incredibly sore. Like I've run a marathon or something.
Belly button in or out: It's as out as you can get!
Wedding rings on or off: They're very tight. But I managed to jam them on, for both of our outings this week.
Happy or Moody most of the time: I've been on "Cloud 9" all week! Singing to my girls. Taking in these last few days of pregnancy.
Looking forward to: Finally holding our girls!! This week. I just can't believe it. After all we've been through. This is just a miracle. Soon we'll have Gwen and Melia to hold. And love!!

Pregnancy Update: Week 36

How far along? 36 Weeks!! I NEVER thought I'd get this far. Wow!!
Total weight gain: 36 lbs (Pre-pregnancy weight: 115 lbs). Can I get a bulldozer, to help us get around? My back is refusing to do anymore work.
Babies are the size of: A canary melon. Again, I turned to this girl. She not only told me what a canary melon is. Lola brought me one. :) It was so sweet, and delicious! Right up my alley!!
Babies' development: The twins' wrinkly skin, is not so wrinkly anymore. There are starting to pack on the lbs. :) Our Dr. can't get over their chunky thighs!!
Estimated length of babies': About 18.66 in
Estimated weight of babies': Around 5.78 lbs. Each people!!
Maternity clothes: Are we talking clothes here? I live in pjs and big shirts. I've done "graduated" out of most of my clothes. Maternity and all! James bought me 5 pairs of "super maternity, flannel pjs." I'm wearing the heck out of them! With some men's white "muscle" shirts. Size XL please!! When we have to leave the house, I've got 2....maybe 3 outfits to wear....
Stretch marks: I'm seeing a hint of something. But I'm not completely sure if they're stretch marks. Here's to hoping they're not. And all moisturizing is doing it's job!! But oh that line....she is so present!!
Sleep: Honestly, it's all day, every day. I'm up 3 hours, I sleep 3 hours. Like clockwork. I never realized you could sleep this much. Or be completely exhausted at times, with this much sleep. But obviously, my body needs to rest. So resting we are!
Best moment this week: Our appointment on Wednesday. Paperwork was completed. December 12th, is the "Big Day!" The "cherry on top," both girls have gained weight. between 6-9 oz. People that means I'm carrying over 11 lbs of baby!!
Miss anything: Moving with ease. A good, solid 6 hours of sleep. Without 5-6 potty breaks. Tying my shoes. Heck, I miss my shoes!! And my clothes. Oh, and eating a complete dinner.
Movement: All day. Every day. It's so amazing!! The girls like to be on the same side of my belly. That means, momma has a lopsided belly....most of the time! On Wednesdays, we have the girls' appointments. On Fridays, we have our regular appointments. Between any given Wednesday and Friday, the girls go from "head up," to "head down." The Drs. just crack up!!
Food cravings: Rudy's BBQ. It's all I can think of. Maybe it's the commercials. Maybe it's my neighbor. Crazy thing is, I've never eaten there! I could also go for this lady's pineapple upside down cake. Yum!
Gender prediction: Still 2 beautiful little girls!!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still the mention, thought, or smell of flan. I know!! Totally weird.
Labor signs: At least 2 Braxton Hicks contractions a day. Once in a while, one will be really bad. Like I need to stop, and breathe it out. I've had a couple at night. That wake me up. I actually had one on Monday night, that brought some tears. I can tell, we're getting closer!
Symptoms: Just soreness. I feel like I've been working out, 24/7. My muscles are so sore!! My back is the worst. And when I try to bend over, I get so light headed.
Belly button in or out: Completely out!! I wonder if she will ever go back in....
Wedding rings on or off: On, but they are definitely getting tight. On Saturday, I couldn't even get my rings on. I halfway think, that has to do with all that Thanksgiving food....
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy most of the time. I can definitely tell you, I'm a lot more emotional. I've watched Giuliana and Bill a few times this past week. When Duke was born. Balled my eyes out!!
Looking forward to: Meeting our girls!! All of it. Holding them, snuggling them, feeding them, dressing them up. All of it! I'm so glad that we've scheduled my induction for December 12th. I now have a date to focus on. :)

Never Stop Dreaming....

Way back when, I found myself dreaming. Dreaming of a baby. This was years ago. And even then, just a few weeks pregnant, I found myself dreaming. Dreaming of being a momma. Having a precious little baby. During that first pregnancy, I dreamt. Of babies, happy times, and lots of cute things. I even saved this picture....

After my miscarriage, I was devastated. I endured a few of those. Then James and I took a break. We just couldn't handle it. We needed time to heal our hearts. But this picture, it was a constant for me. I kept saving it. From one computer, to another. And I kept dreaming.

From the time, that I found out I was pregnant, I've constantly looked at this picture. Imagining what our sweet babies will look like. Knowing, that in some way, we will incorporate monkeys into their nursery. Or playroom. Because they are flipping adorable!

And gave me the faith, to keep trying. To continue believing, that one day, James and I would have a precious baby. Or two! ;) To hold, call our own, and love. Now I MUST find something similar. In a few months, we will have 2 baby monkeys.

Pregnancy Update: Week 6

How far along? 6 Weeks!!
Total weight gain: 1/2 lb (Pre-pregnancy weight: 115 lbs)
Babies are the size of: A pomegranate seed
Babies' development: They have tripled in size. And the amniotic fluid is protecting them.
Estimated length of babies': About 1/8 in
Estimated weight of babies': Less than 0.04 oz
Maternity clothes: Nothing yet.  
Stretch marks: Nada!!
Sleep: I'm just plain exhausted. I can't seem to sleep enough. Honestly, I feel like a bear, that NEEDS to hibernate....
Best moment this week: Telling our family and friends. My dear Lord, knows how hard this was to keep a secret. Dr. C and Dr. S are the only 2 people that knew. Other than our fertility Drs. It was so amazing to share our "little secrets." With the people we love most! Believe me, we've waited a very long time for this!!
Miss anything: Eating. And not feeling sick all the time. TMI: I've never in my life, thrown up this much!
Movement: Nothing
Food cravings: Dry Cheerios. I can eat these all day. Every day. Bing cherries always sound yummy. And good 'ol mac 'n cheese. You know, the box kind!
Gender prediction: James says there are 2 girls. I'm feeling there could be a boy and a girl. All the Drs. and nurses I work with, say 2 boys. My dear friend says, 2 girls. Only 9 weeks until we find out. :)
Anything making you queasy or sick: Every kind of food you can imagine. Meat is my new enemy. Spicy or strong smelling/tasting foods, send me running. Pretty much, I can only stomach dry cereal, crackers, fruit, and some veggies.    
Labor signs: None
Symptoms: Horrible "morning sickness." That lasts all day, every day. Crazy headaches, when I've been on my feet too long. And I'm exhausted. Like "barely keep my eyes open," after 2 hours of work. Not the norm for me. At all!
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Completely shocked, happy, and excited. James and I, have prayed for this, for a very long time. Honestly, I'm still in shock. I don't even know, if I completely believe what's going on.
Looking forward to: Everything!! There is not a thing, that I can't wait for. I want to experience the entirety of my pregnancy. Even all this "morning sickness."