Just some rambling...

It's been a long week and I am totally exhausted! The weekend is going to get even crazier. I am finally starting to feel better, thank goodness! My Bronchitis seems to pretty much be gone aside from the random coughing fits I have every once in a while. I am not puking nearly as much as I was. I've had terrible morning sickness with this pregnancy. It just shows all pregnancies are different. With my last two pregnancies I felt nauseous all the time but only actually puked like once or twice the whole pregnancy. I would just eat crackers and ginger ale and it would settle my stomach at least for a little bit. This time it does nothing. I'm in my second trimester now, so that might be the reason that the morning sickness is passing.

Tomorrow I am having a birthday party for John. Pretty much just family and a couple of his friends. We're going to tell everyone then about me being pregnant with Twins! So we'll see how it goes. I'm excited to finally just get it out in the open. I think everyone will be happy to our faces and then once they leave they will be like WTH. I know it's going to be a huge responsibility for us being the mommy & daddy to five little ones. It is what it is though and God and the universe must have a plan for us or it would not have happened. We will figure it out and make it work. I have the most awesome way of telling them, or at least I think it is. I will tell you all about it tomorrow once it's done and post pictures.

Tonight we are going to sit Aiden and the girls down to talk to them about it. I'm sure that they have heard John and I talking about me being pregnant but we haven't actually sat them down to explain it to them. I really hope that they are happy with the news. I often worry that having another little one, actually two of them will be taking away from the three what we already have. How could we possibly spend quality time with all of them and let them each know how much we love them and how very special they are to us. I don't know, I'm sure it will all be fine. These are just the things that keep me awake at night. I think I just stress out about things and worry too much.

Well, I have to run. We have a ton of things to do around the house to get ready for the party and errands to run. Then tonight I will start cooking and baking....

Life....

"Well, despite the joking and the razzing, I see a lot of love here. And with love comes hostility.....

Life can be difficult sometimes. It gets bumpy, what with family and kids... and things not going exactly like you planned. But that's what makes it interesting.

In life, the first act... always exciting.

The second act... that's ...where the depth comes in."
♥ ~ Grown-ups

14 Weeks...

Hello Second Trimester!!

Your babies each weigh about 1.5 ounces and are 3 to 4 inches in length. Their bladders are beginning to function and, believe it or not, they actually begin urinating. In fact, although doctors are not really sure how or where your babies' urine is produced, they do know it is one component of the amniotic fluid, which regenerates itself every 3 to 4 hours. Your OB may discuss performing an amniocentesis at your next appointment, particularly if you are over 35 or if you will be by the time your babies are born. Amniocentesis is a prenatal test used to detect the most common chromosomal and genetic birth defects, including Down Syndrome, cystic fibrosis, and spina bifida.







*Thyroid gland has matured and your baby begins producing hormones which will be used throughout his or her life.
*In boys, the prostate gland develops
*In girls, the ovaries move from the abdomen to the pelvis
*Your little one may have learned to suck his thumb by this point!
*Your child's bones are getting harder and stronger by the day!
*Your baby's skin is very transparent still
*Lanugo (very fine hair) covers the baby's body and will continue to grow until 26 weeks gestational age - Generally this will be shed prior to birth. Its purpose is to help protect baby's skin while in all that water!
*Your baby is 3.42 inches (8.7cm) long and weighs about 1.52 ounces (43 grams) - approximately the weight of a letter!

Love is...

Tina Fey’s prayer for her daughter...

Tina Fey’s prayer for her daughter... Is…Genius:

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her
When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.

Another ultrasound...

Today we went to have another ultrasound and to have some blood work done for the Sequential Screening. So we got to see our little bugs again. Baby A was being very cooperative for the ultrasound tech but Baby B, not so much. The ultrasound tech kept trying to poke the baby to get it to roll over so that he could get all of his measurements that he needed but the lil bug was being stubborn. lol. I think in the end he got all everything he needed and he took some blood work. So I should be hearing back from them in about a week. It's just so amazing seeing them there on the monitor. We got a couple of more pictures of them and I scheduled my 19 week ultrasound scan for June 6th. So hopefully if they both cooperate at that point we'll find out what we're having! I can't wait!!!

L.O.V.E.

The best thing in the world is when your child says mommy for 5 minutes and when you finally ask what... he replies "I love you, that's all". I am blessed with 3 beautiful and amazing kids... Some days are harder then the other but I wouldn't change a thing... Kids make life more interesting... :-)

13 Weeks...

Your babies each weigh about 1/2 ounce and are between 2.5 and 3 inches in length. Their digestive tracts continue to develop as tiny villi (hairs) form inside their intestines to aid the digestion of food, and their pancreases have begun producing insulin. All 20 teeth buds have formed inside each of their mouths; but, of course, the teeth aren't visible yet. (That would make predicting orthodontist bills way too easy!)



*Your infant is about 2.91 inches (7.4cm) and weighs around 0.81 ounce (23gm) - This is about the same weight as 4 quarters.
*If you could peek in again you may spot your baby as he begins to practice inhaling and exhaling movements
*Eyes and ears continue to move and develop
*Baby's neck is getting longer, and the chin no longer is resting on his chest
*Her hands are becoming more functional - Your baby may find it comforting to start playing with her fist.
*At this point all nourishment is received from the placenta
*On your next doctor visit you should be able to hear heartbeat with a Doppler by now - (Don't worry though if you can't, the heartbeat can be confirmed through U/S). Your baby's heartbeat is much rapider than your own and may remind you of the race towards birth that he is running!

Fun Stuff...

Congratulations!

Your Due Date Is Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Your conception date was most likely Tuesday, February 01, 2011
You are in Week 13 of your pregnancy Why is this?
Your Second Trimester will begin 4/26/2011
And your Third Trimester will begin 7/26/2011
88 days down, 192 to go!

Fun Birthday Facts

* Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
* Half Birthday: April 24
* Birthstone: Opal
* Birth Flower: Calendula or Cosmos
* Your baby will be born in the Chinese Year of The White Metal Rabbit
* This time next year your baby will be 25 Weeks Old!
* Your baby will start kindergarten in 2017, be old enough to drive a car in 2027, finish high school in 2030, and will graduate from college with the class of 2034, give or take a year. Can you imagine?

1st Ultrasound... It's TWINS AGAIN!!!!!

Ok, where do I start.... today we went for our first ultrasound for this pregnancy. We patiently waited our turn to be called into the back. I had to drink like 32 oz. of water so that I had a full bladder. For some reason every time I drink water it makes me want to vomit! So I was sitting there waiting and all of the sudden I felt like I was going to puke! i started coughing a little bit trying to hold it back and all of the sudden I burped and threw up a bit in my mouth. John just looked at me with this serious look and was like "are you serious?????" I seriously wanted to punch him out, as if I was doing it on purpose and I wanted to puke in the middle of the waiting room! lol.

So the ultrasound tech came out and called my name. John and I got up to go into the back and she looked at John and was like, "did you want to come back too???" Duh, like she had to ask. So we both replied of course! So she explained she was going to take me back first and then she would come back to get John. She took John back to a waiting room in the back so he could wait for his turn to come in and she took me into the exam room. The ultrasound tech asked me a bunch of questions about my pregnancies and kids and got started. I laid down on the table and she jelled up my belly to get started. I of course turned to the monitor so that I could see what was going on and she literally turned the monitor so I couldn't see! I was so pissed! lol. So after she checked out a few things and possibly asked me a couple of questions, I actually don't remember because I was so anxious waiting to hear that everything was ok. She looked at me and asked, "are you ready???" I was like of course! Is everything ok??? She told me I was pregnant with Twins!!! I had this overwhelming rush of emotions all of the sudden so I just can't even explain it. I am obviously very blessed but at the same time feeling quite overwhelmed. I have Aiden who is about 4 1/2, Raelene & Violet which are almost 2 1/2 and come October we're going to have 2 more newborn babies in the house. I'm excited, scared, happy, blessed, nervous, like I said just a huge rush of emotions! The ultrasound tech continued to take all of her measurements for both babies and then asked me if I was ready for John to come back. I told her yes but that she might want to have the smelling salts ready for him. I thought he might need them. She asked if I wanted to tell him or if I wanted her to tell him. I of course told her to tell him the great news.

She left the room and came back with John. He had this scared look on his face when he came back into the room and asked if everything was ok? I told him it was and he said oh ok, I was just wondering what was taking so long. So she asked him if he was ready and of course he was way past ready. So she put the Doppler thingy on my belly and was like well here is a baby right here and here is a second baby right here... it's Twins! John just looked at her and was like OMG are you serious?? As he laughed in a nervous giggle. He leaned over and held my hand and gave me a kiss. I'm sure he is happy and just as overwhelmed feeling but I know we will make it work. Both babies had a good healthy heartbeat. Baby "A" was 177 and Baby "B" was 175. They are in two separate sacs, so they are fraternal twins again. Baby "A" is measuring 12 weeks 3 days and Baby "B" is measuring 12 weeks 2 days. So she said I am due about October 25th, 2011. Both babies were jumping all over and very active. The US tech said that Baby "B" was very cooperative and was actually posing for her. haha. At one point after John had come into the room and we were watching them on the monitor one of them reached their hand up almost like a wave saying hey, here i am or a high five. it was awesome and totally rocked!!!

So there you have it... lightning can strike the same place twice because as of October I will be the mommy to a Singleton and two sets of twins! I am truly Blessed...

12 Weeks...

Your baby is about 2 1/2 inches from crown to rump this week, and weighs anywhere between 8 and 14 grams. She's about the size of a plum now, with fully formed and functioning organ systems and distinct genitalia. While no new parts are forming, everything is maturing: fingers and toes have separated, the nervous system is developing, the small intestine has moved from the umbilical cord into her abdomen and the pituitary gland at the base of her brain is starting to produce hormones.

By now, baby is also able to move around, open and close her mouth and clench her muscles. She reacts to little pokes and prods, but you won't be able to feel her movements yet. The amount of amniotic fluid in your uterus has increased to about 1 ½ ounces, and it will keep increasing through the months to come, helping to keep your baby safe and cushioned.

Smitten & In Love...

So today I went to the doctors for my first check-up with this pregnancy. We're not set on a date yet, she wants me to go and get an ultrasound on Thursday to confirm the date because I'm not exactly sure of my last period. The date I kind of figure is 11/1/11. We'll see how it goes on Thursday though and what they say.

I have to say that I feel like this pregnancy has been my hardest. I have been really sick as far as feeling nauseous all of the time! Not only feeling nauseous but actually throwing up. So I guess you can say that I have morning sickness but I have it all day long! I never had morning sickness with Aiden or the girls. I just felt nauseous all the time with those two pregnancies. Plus, I've been really sick for about a week and a half with Bronchitis and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.

Anyway, back to the doctor... so we have a heartbeat. I am smitten and in love again. I love that sound of hearing your baby's heartbeat for the very first time. Actually, who am I kidding... I love hearing it all of the time. There is just something about it that I can't explain. Dr. R said there is one in there and I just laughed at her and said "yeah, that's what you told me last time and then when I went for my Ultrasound there were two babies in there." lol. Honestly I think I might have heard two heartbeats. You could definitely hear one loud and clear but I think I might have heard something else in the background. So we'll see what happens on Thursday. I'm excited to see my lil baby <3