Molly, the Twins... and Everything After: August 2011

I've been thinking lately, that these poor babies are really not getting a lot of blog time! Things are so crazy here with work, Rob working 6 days a week (BOO!), Molly, the ever busy body...just trying to keep up exhausts me.

In another life, I had another blog about our struggles with trying to conceive. It was my bible for many moons...a source of therapy unlike any other I've ever received...and a true comfort in a time of great need during our marriage and lives. I blogged religiously and each comment was a stitch to heal my wounded soul. This blog, which soon needs a new title, is more of a diary and keepsake for my children when they are older and can appreciate their mother's perspective and memories. Maybe this will be something they cherish when I am no longer here to talk to them. Who knows...they may just think I'm cheesey and toss it to the side. Either way, I enjoy cataloguing my sweet girl's milestones here, and the good Lord knows I haven't written a sentence in her baby book. *Must do that before the twins arrive.*

Anyway, I digress. During my pregnancy with Molly, I basically blogged about my pregnancy the whole time, without really blogging about anything else. I'm sure it was very boring for others to read...but, being pregnant with Molly consumed my life. This pregnancy, poor 2nd and 3rd children, can't consume my life...because I have this 18 month old ball of energy who has absolutely no clue what is going to happen in say, oh, about 4 months. I kind of feel like I looked up one day and here we are - with this big belly (I can no longer see my feet) and these gymnasts doing back tucks in my belly. So, right now, I want to document only information about this pregnancy. You know, because I'm a 2nd child and I was oh so neglected, that I don't want these guys to feel that way. ;) (Mom - I hope you can hear the sarcasm there...)

Morning sickness - Yes, please. This time, I took zofran pretty regularly the first 12 weeks. It didn't totally help, but, it definitely helped a little.
At 22 weeks, my stomach still turns at raw meat. We eat out a lot these days. (However, I cooked a full meal tonight AND was able to eat it! GO ME!)
Movement - ABSOLUTELY! I've been feeling them move since about week 11. Although, textbooks say I couldn't feel them until week 13. Rob has just felt them this week - little peanuts are getting strong!
Cravings - SWEETS, just like with Molly. I could eat an entire cheesecake. Well, not really, because I get full really fast...but, it sure sounds yummy. Also, I'm addicted to Flavor Ice popsicles. ADDICTED, I tell ya.
Weight gain - I've gained 10 pounds as of 2 weeks ago...probably another 2 or 3 since then. I gained 13 total with the Moo Bear.
Today, at 22 weeks and 1 day, I honestly think I am as big now as I was with Molly the day I delivered. NOT.KIDDING.
These precious babies were transferred on 4/4/11 as blastocysts (IVFers will know what I'm talking about). Molly was transferred on 6/6/09. Kind of strange that they were both transferred on dates with the same first 2 numbers. That sounds weird, but you know what I mean. Molly, as an embryo, was also a blast.
Our official 40 week due date is 12/20/11.
I have finally ordered cribs! YAY! They are ready to be picked up when I want to go get them. This means going by myself, because I'll have to fold up the seats in the middle row of the Tahoe to get them loaded.
I am buying material tomorrow for their nursery...Mom is going to help me make bed skirts, pillows, drapes, etc. I'm not doing bumpers for the little ones. Gender neutral nurseries are DIFFICULT to decorate. I'll post pictures when (if) it's finished. At 28 weeks, Molly's nursery was already painted and Rob was working on the chair rail. Again, poor 2nd/3rd children - ha.
I think my OB is really pleased with my lack of neuroses this pregnancy. I would go in with LISTS of questions when I was expecting with Molly. This time, I just rattle a few randoms off the top of my head.
We have names picked out, but aren't telling. They are mostly family names, but not all 4 of the names are family related. I'd like to think of a sweet way to tell the people who they will be named after. At the moment, I'm at a loss.
I am exhausted, all day, every day. This is either due to the fact that I am sustaining not only my life, but that of 2 others...OR...that I have a child who never sits down except to sleep :). And, I wouldn't trade that butterbean for the world.
I'm already trying to break myself of the habit of calling them "the twins". They need their own identity.
People ask you funny things when you are having twins...some of the questions I've gotten are:

Are you going to dress them alike all the time? I love that. (The answer is no - they need their own identities...and, a boy cannot wear dresses.)
Are they identical? (Sure...except he has a penis and she does not. Sure, except he has an X and a Y chromosome and she has 2 Xs. Absolutely. Pretty much, I'm mean about this one, but, I'm pretty moody pregnant and have a very low tolerance for just about anything or anyone.)
Jeez...so, you are done now, right? (Unless the good Lord decides we're not. We are, however, 99% sure we are finished with the IVF route of having babies - for inquiring minds.)
Are you having your tubes tied after this? (um...no. These three cost us about $30K in CASH - excluding what insurance paid. If we get a free one, we'll take it!).
Why aren't you bigger yet? (I don't know... I eat all the time.)
Are you sure you are eating enough? (Uh...I eat ALL.THE.TIME. Don't believe me, ask my husband.)
Oh.my.gah...are they natural? (As opposed to...? Aliens? Yes, my children are natural...they may have been fertilized in a petri dish, but, they are not sent off to grow in an alien spaceship for 40 weeks.)
Ooh...If it's 2 girls/boys I'll take one. (Uh, thanks. But, we thought we'd keep them both.)
Oh my gah - are you totally freaking out? I would be. (Well, not really. The logistics are kind of hard to figure out, but, I'm sure we can handle it. I mean, the most important thing for children is for them to know they are safe and loved. We have that covered, for sure!)

People are funny. Most days, I have a good sense of humor about things people say. Some days, it annoys me. People mean well, I just think (myself included) that most of the time things come out of our mouths that never bothered to pass through our brain. (Like when someone told me recently that I better get moving my butt because I was getting big...Yeah...thanks for that. I'll just go on a starvation diet....because this huge belly is just a beer gut :)). I PROMISE I'm not trying to be smart, I just have an attitude pregnant...and it's pretty sarcastic...and I do love my friends and family...and occasionally, the random stranger who asks me some jacked up question about my babies.

The one thing I can say about this pregnancy, no matter my freak out the morning after we found out it was twins, my complaining about morning sickness, tiredness, my worry that we had tried too soon and thus, robbed Molly of her only time in life where it would just be the three of us (which is RIDICULOUS...well, all of those things above are!), we are truly, amazingly, Blessed Beyond Belief. I love using that phrase...to me, it has three letters and we have three babies...we have three years of expecting Molly, our year as just the three of us, and now we have this third year..where we are expecting these latest miracles God has given us. So, my sarcasm aside, I absolutely, 100%, with all of my heart, believe that we are where we are meant to be and am happier than I have ever been.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Who, really, can not see the hand of God in this?

Baby Girl is on top facing down, Baby Boy is facing up looking at her feet.

Oh, and, I know...I totally wrote about all three of them, not just the babies. Did you really think I could write about the twins without writing about the Molly Moo, too?!

I can't believe my baby is old enough for preschool!! She is going to a preschool 2 days a week...and is HAVING A BLAST!!! She gets a little bit upset when I leave her, but, it lasts, seriously, like 20 seconds. I know because I stood outside the door and waited :). She goes from 9 - 1 and when she gets home, the poor girl is so worn out. When she's tired these days, she will make the snoring noise (which we play a lot pretending Mommy or Daddy is asleep and she "wakes" us up by "scaring" us with her very terrifying BOO! and hysterical laughter! She's got such a personality. The director at school was bragging on her about how advanced she is for her age...I guess that is probably a product of being an only child (FOR 16 MORE WEEKS!!! OMG!!!) and an only grandchild on Rob's side...and basically, spending her entire days with adults only. She is just such a big girl.

Here are some pictures from her first day at school...

Watching Mickey Mouse...

So excited that Daddy went late to work so he could see her...

Eating breakfast

Loving school already!!!

Oh, and, P.S. In case you didn't see this above...We have, like seriously, only 16 weeks to go until we meet the twins. Yes, that's only 38 weeks...but, who am I kidding? I barely carried Molly 38.5 weeks...Momma ain't planning on carrying 2 for 40 weeks! I did finally order some cribs...so, at least these kids will have a place to sleep. Still no nursery decorations! Definitely different with the 2nd (& 3rd!!) child...Molly's nursery was basically finished by now...and I totally drove around with her car seat in my car for like 6 weeks before she arrived!

And, in case you are wondering, this is how she is at night after she's been at school...