Baby Update

Both Elsie and Elias are doing very well. There billiruben levels were high as of Sunday, and the doctor decided to put both under the special lights yesterday before the levels got any higher. I called this morning at 2 am and they said both babies' blood work came back with lower levels. :)

I was sent home on Sunday, and though the soreness is MUCH worse than when I had Emily I am trying to keep on the 800 mg Motrin three times a day and the pain is very manageable. This is good because yesterday they upped both babies' nursing to three times a day, and today it will probably be upped again to four. This means three or four trips back and forth to the hospital because of course the nursings can't be back to back, they have to be spread out as much as possible.

So right now the deal is that both babies just need to continue eating and growing. They both have the suck, swallow, breathe reflex down just great and are nursing very well. Eli for sure is the champ here. He surprised everybody with how well he does eating. Elsie is a little more finicky, and is already showing us that she can be quite the princess. As they eat more and grow, they will increase nursings. Until then the rest of their feedings are still done through a feeding tube in their poor little noses. The nurses explained that at this early gestational age and weight they just don't have the strength to nurse enough to get all the calories they need... hence the feeding tube. Once they grow and can eat more on their own without expending too many calories in the process, they will get to come home.

Until then we are making several trips back and forth to the hospital. Emily comes about once per day. She is very excited about her new additions and wants to help do everything! Of course Grammy is a tremendous help. While in the hospital she was carrying Emily's baby doll, as per Emily's request. Of course Grammy was going all out, and shhhhing the baby and rocking the baby. When we got on the elevator, the nurses at the nurses station just about jumped over the counter, as did everybody coming off the elevator. They all thought mom was trying to steal a baby! :) This made me laugh so hard I thought I was about to bust my stitches! For sure a laugh we all needed to lift our spirits and provide a story we will never forget!

My Mom is here.... and other great things

The top ten reasons I woke up thankful this morning (In no particular order)

1. I slept so much better knowing that my mom is here and anxious to take care of my family. Emily Grace couldn't have been more excited for her arrival and I know Scott finally was able to get the great night of sleep he needed now that my mom was here to help out with Emily.

2. When I went in to visit the babies at 2 am this morning the nurse had lowered Elias' oxygen level gradually until he no longer needed it. As of six this morning he still needed the CPAP, but didn't require any oxygen.

3. Elsie may potentially have jaundice, and while this sounds like a set back, it really isn't because it probably was going to happen anyway. Having it now means getting her under the lights now, not having to bring her in later, and also jaundice makes babies very lathargic which will allow her little body to hold on to those calories and gain more weight.

4. My friend Meesh is bringing me in a Maui Wowie smoothie from Tropical Smoothie this morning, causing instant grins from my hospital bed!

5. One of the nursery nurses is a parent of my fourth graders who also lives down the street from us. She is not in the Special Care Nursery, but it is still great to know she is here.

6. Emily got to show Grammy all around the nursery last night. She was very excited to point out all of the items for the babies, and where they were located. Scott and I tried to include Emily in most of the choices for baby items, and I'm thrilled she has taken such ownership of "her babies."

7. Last night Emily put her hand in the isolotte and was talking to baby Eli. He literally turned towards her and made a noise that Emily decided was him saying hello. She began talking to him, telling him her name, and he flung his little arm out towards her and when she touched it, he grabbed a hold of her finger, wrapping his tiny fingers around it. So precious. Mom has pictures, I'll post them later. I have never seen Emily so full of pride.

8. The cardiologist phoned the nurses station and said my blood levels finally looked how he wanted them. I still need to take the mag sulfate, but by pill which means I can get rid of this IV needle that I've had in my hand since Tuesday night.

9. Room service meals. Seriously. I just order from a menu what I want and they bring it within thirty minutes. And it is good too! Scott and I had biscuits and gravy yesterday with our breakfast and we both thought it was great! Who would have thought?

10. Tomorrow is Sunday. I should get to go home! :) And while it is never fun to be "that mom" who is discharged without her babies, I'm trying to view this as time God has given me to heal so that when Eli and Elsie do come home Scott and I will be able to take on the challenge of infant twins to the best of our abilities!

The babies are doing well this morning. Eli is at 25% oxygen, and they will try this afternoon to move it down again this afternoon. This is great progress! :) Elsie nursed this morning. Not too much, but was able to get her total amount of food which was beyond expectation.


Both are still in the isolletes so that their little bodies don't waste calories maintaining temperature. They both have IV fluids to help maintain weight, and they are both on antibiotics so that the fluid in their lungs don't develop an infection. That is why there are so many wires and are hooked up to monitors. And of course Eli has his CPAP machine that makes it impossible to see his face well.

Lori brought Emily in this morning and we went in to see the babies together. Emily has seen pictures of herself when she was in NICU and we've recently discussed with her the need for babies to sometimes have monitors and IVs when they are so little. I was worried that she would be upset by the wires, but she seemed to understand, and was just so excited to see her little brother and sister! I really loved snuggling with Emily this morning as we watched cartoons together. She is handling this all in stride! She even helped me brush my hair this morning.


Grammy flies in this evening. My mom is such a help, and we haven't seen her since Christmas. It means so much to me that Scott is just excited for my mom to come as I am. He's no dummy, and he totally is looking forward to her help, but he also misses my mom just as much as I do. Emily Grace keeps talking about how the pool in our neighborhood opens today, and she can't wait to go swimming with Grammy! :)

Baby update

This evening my nurse decided that it was a good idea to "detach" me from all my cords. Thank goodness! Between the EKG monitor, foot swelling machine, catheter, IV, and finger oxygen monitor, I was tied up beyond belief! I am so thankful to move around, and even though there has been much more pain associated with this c-section than when we had Emily and some complications, I can tell that moving around is already helping to get things where they should be.

Scott and I went into the special care nursery tonight to visit the babies. The nurses are really awesome, and we got to hold Elsie for about a half hour. She is doing really well... not really requiring anything special. We are praying that Elsie will be able to nurse tomorrow and master the suck reflex to eat. Prayer for that specifically would be awesome!

We still aren't able to hold Elias because he is attached to the CPAP machine to keep his lungs going. The nurse tells us that the process for Eli is that he first needs to breathe without the assistance of oxygen. Right now he is still requiring 28% oxidation. Room level oxygen is 21% and so he isn't that far off. After he is off the oxygen, he will need to breathe on his own without the CPAP machine. He may go right off the machine to breathing normally, or he may need to have an oxygen nose thingy (sorry... I forgot the term the nurse used!) to "remind" him to breathe, as the nurse explained. Then, when he is able to breathe w/o oxygen and w/o the CPAP he will next need to master the suck reflex to breastfeed.

So obviously Elias has more that he needs to do before being released than Elsie. The nurses here all call this "whimpy white boy syndrome." Apparently, statistics show that girls always breathe better than boys, and out of just the boys, white boys have the most breathing problems at birth out of all other ethnicities. I think this is fascinating. I have a room-mom at school this year who is a NICU nurse, and she explained this phenomonon to me a few months ago.

Even though we don't have a "potential release date" set, we are confident in the care and growth our precious little ones are getting in the special care nursery. I am not nearly as emotionally wrecked as I was when Emily was born, probably because with twins it was to be expected that they need special care. Scott is thankful I'm not such a mess! :) I'm trying to see this time as a time for me to repair from a painful section. I diffenately hurt more, and hopefully will be over the pain before our babies are released to go home with us.

So Scott and I are in the hospital together for the night, while Emily is with our friend Lori. Emily will get to visit her new baby brother and sister in the morning, and then Scott will take her home. My mom gets here tomorrow via plane. Scott and I can't wait! She is such a help, and Emily will be in great hands with Mom, which will allow us to focus on the babies.

I'm sure I'll have an update tomorrow. We all know how well I do being still, so being in a position where I am sitting or laying all day is dreadful! I am spending my time reading one of the five books I now have on parenting twins, blogging, walking to the nursery, or watching HGTV.

Thanks for all your prayers for baby Elias and Elsie! Hopefully we'll have pictures to post for everybody soon!

Baby Eli and Baby Elsie

Baby Elsie was born this morning at 4:41 am and weighed 4 lbs 7 oz. Baby Eli was born at 4:43 am and weighed 5 lbs. 5 oz. Both babies were crying loudly when they were born, which is always a good sign!

The hospital's policy is that any baby born before 37 weeks go directly to the NICU for a minimum of six hours. But before they were taken there Scott and I got to hold them both, which was fabulous.

Right now both babies are in the NICU and will be for awhile. Elsie is doing just fine, but we're waiting until tomorrow to see if she can feed with the suck/swallow/breath reflex. Elias has a few more problems. He is on a C-pap machine because his lungs aren't developed yet. He is also receiving oxygen, though only at 28% (normal room air is 20%) Once he gets off the machine and oxygen, then he will also need to show that he has the suck/swallow/ breathe reflex.

Both of them are just perfect! What a great gift from God?

Its 2 am and my water broke

I got a sleeping pill in order to make it through the night with all the infant heart monitors, contraction monitors, IV's and things. I am not one much for sleeping pills, so when I woke to a puddle I embarrassingly told Scott that I thought I didn't make it to the bathroom on time.

When I got up it became obvious that wasn't the issue. Luckily my doctor is already here delivering another woman's baby across the hall. She will be in soon. All my OCD self can do until then is blog with updates. Makes me feel better. Oh yeah, and I call and wake my parents up to tell them the news. My poor mother has lived her life the past week with one foot on a plane and one foot off as we try to guess when the best time for her to come is. She has been so patient, but I know she wants to be here ASAP!

Anyhow, it could be a long morning, or if it is anything like when Emily was born, it could go by super fast and we could be seeing our babies soon. :)

Babies could possibly be here tomorrow :)

This afternoon I called my doctor because we've been concerned for a bit about the lack of movement from our baby girl. Today there was literally no movement from her, and so when I called and told my doctor this she said to come in just in case. They did a non-stress test, where they hook me up to external monitors to trace each baby's heart rate. Both babies had great heart rates, but there was still little movement from baby girl. So they decided to do an ultra-sound in the office. Basically the ultra-sound test is called a BPP where they look for eight specific movements, and to "pass" both babies need to show all eight movements within thirty minutes. Baby boy did great, and got all movements right away. Baby girl only got 4/8, which automatically got me a one way ticket across the street to the hospital.

When we got to the hospital my doctor wanted me to be hooked up to monitors to make sure that both baby's heart rates didn't drop during contractions. They told me that if I didn't have contractions on my own, that they would induce contractions with pitocin. That kinda freaked us out because that would send me in to labor, and would mean a c-section this some time tonight. Luckily, I had plenty of contractions on my own, and we were able to by-pass being induced.

Now we wait to make sure both babies do well tonight, and tomorrow morning at 7 am my doctor will do another BPP test with ultra-sound. If baby girl doesn't get all eight movements, my doctor will take the babies tomorrow morning via c-section.

I will be 35 weeks on Friday. I'm glad that we've made it this far, but we really wanted to make it to 36 weeks, as this is when twins are considered "full term." But, everybody says that 34 weeks is great for twins. We're a little nervous, but also very excited. Of course, she could pass with flying colors, but so far this evening she hasn't moved on the monitors at all. This doesn't mean anything is wrong, but my doctor would rather be safe than sorry. She's probably just so low and cramped that she can't move!

Anyhow, the big news is that Scott and I have FINALLY decided on names for both baby girl and boy. We've had Elias David (Eli) picked out for our little boy for months now, but just tonight we finally decided on Elsie Faith. Maybe tomorrow we will get to meet these two precious babies. Maybe not! :) Either way, Scott and I are hanging out in the hospital room, and Emily is at Lori's house. We'll see what happens in the morning!

Something I accomplished while sitting down...

Cloth baby wipes

Thanks to Becky for this great idea! Scott and I have decided to do cloth diapers, but I was leery about cloth baby wipes. After talking with Becky and doing a little internet research, this was my project this afternoon.

One of the things Scott and I felt we "just had to have" with Emily was a diaper wipes warmer. Now I am using this wipes warmer to keep some of the older nastier baby wash clothes from Em in a solution I found on the internet. I think it will work quite nicely, and if I am already washing diapers, what's a few more cloth wipes?

Solution:
2 C. water
1.5 T. Baby Oil
1.5 T. Baby Lotion
1 T. Baby Wash
2 drops lavender oil

34 Weeks

This morning I went to my bi-weekly appt. Scott and I have resolved that our doctor could potentially want to take the babies at any time now if something should alarm her at an appt. Therefore we've each packed a hospital bag to be kept in the car with a fully stocked diaper bag.

Luckily today was not that day. My doctor strapped me into the non-stress test machine with elastic bands and monitors for each baby, as well as a contraction monitor. Basically all I do is sit in this comfy recliner in a special room with a t.v. and watch HGTV for 30 minutes while the computer prints out a strip of both babies' heart rates and another strip that shows any contractions I have. When the doctor came back in she said that the babies' strip looked fabulous... just as perfect as could be! However, I did have some contractions that concerned her. *Side note- I've been telling her for three weeks now that my contractions happen all the time, but she chalked that up with having twins and called it "normal"...until now* She said that now I needed to be on bed-rest... not just "limited activity." At least she understood what I was trying to tell her before, because these contractions get painful!

So now I am on bed-rest. I would say that for the past three days I haven't been up moving around too much at all just because the pressure and contractions get painful, and I sit down. So "bed-rest" won't be too much of a change from the activity level that I had this weekend.

Oh well. I would really like to shoot for 36 weeks, but right now we are just making it day by day, knowing that every day these two keep baking the better! But that doesn't mean that I don't feel a little whiny every once in awhile. I told my mom on the phone this morning "I just want these babies OUT!" But then I remind myself that it wouldn't be good for them to be born now, even it it meant getting my body back! :)

And just for a little perspective... at normal OB appts. the doctor takes a measurement of of a pregnant woman's fundal (sp?) height. Basically the outside measurement of the big 'ole belly from the top of the pubic bone to the top of the uterus. Well, today mine measured 45 weeks. Yeah. So, not that it is possible, but if a woman could go five whole weeks late with her singleton baby, her belly would be as big as mine is right now. Great. I can't wait to see what I will look like in another week! *sarcasm*

Trampoline + Sprinker = A great way to cool off

This is how we enjoyed our Sunday afternoon. Hope everybody else had an enjoyable day as well!

Yucky Dinner

Tonight I decided to make a new recipe for dinner. Basically it was your traditional mexican casserole that layered flour tortillas between a ground beef mixture and refried beans. It called for chopped green peppers, olives, diced tomatoes, and lots of other yummy things that seemed to promise a good meal.

I made the mistake of using ground turkey.

Now normally when I use ground turkey it tastes just fine. But this was absolutely awful. Even the topped shredded cheese and dollop of sour cream couldn't disguise the awful flavor.

Poor Scott wasn't going to say a word, but as soon as I made a comment about how I didn't like it, he looked so relived that I said it and not him.

Here's the thing. Making dinner takes a lot more effort than it normally does. Quite honestly it takes just about everything out of me these days. Team that up with the time I spent and the ingredients that were wasted, and I burst in to tears.

So now I have red eyes, and a family who is still very hungry with no dinner to serve. Looks like we're hitting a drive-thru.

Anybody else have a dinner flop like this? What a bummer, huh?

Is this how you sleep?

Emily has always been a napper. In light of yesterday's lunch-bunch episode (see yesterday's post and updated comment) I thought I would share some recent pictures that showed Emily's ability to literally sleep anywhere. She plays long and she plays hard. Where she passes out to sleep is sometimes your guess as well as mine.

The first is from last night. She had a very full afternoon. First she had a drumstick with her daddy on the front porch, then she played slip and slide with her dear friend "Jofus" (Joseph) on the front lawn while daddy pulled weeds. She played with my friend's puppy until bath time, and then went straight to sleep when she hit the bed. Sometimes you're just too exhausted to move!
The next picture is a little hard to see. This is the box that the babies' dresser came in. Emily played with it for a full week, and on this day she curled up and took a nap in her box. Scott and I laughed pretty hard when we found her passed out inside, with the front "door" closed.

Here are some other favorites from long ago:

Big Day for Emily

Today I drove Emily to preschool. But it isn't just a regular preschool day. Today she gets to stay after for "lunch-bunch." Basically, all lunch-bunch is is a time for kids to stay after, eat their lunch at preschool, play, and do a craft. Normally there is no opportunity for Emily to go because Ms. Shari picks up the kids from preschool at 11:45, and when working I can't pick up Emily when lunch-bunch is over (1:50).

She has been asking ALL YEAR to go to lunch-bunch because her dear friend Ella attends lunch-bunch every day. Ella is a year older than Emily, and used to go to Ms. Shari's house with Emily ever day. Emily misses Ella terribly, and the only time they see each other is in passing at dance, which always results in both of them running to each other with big hugs. It is far too cute!

Well, Scott and I decided to sign Emily up for lunch-bunch this one time. We picked her up together at Shari's yesterday and told her the big news. Then we told her we needed to go to Target to get a new lunch box. She was thrilled! We spent the afternoon getting a cream slush from Sonic, picking out a new super-special lunch box, and choosing the best things for our lunch. (BTW, when asked to pick out a dessert for her lunch, my kid passed up the pudding for mandarin oranges.) What an afternoon!

Then this morning I walked Emily in to her class and before I could inform Ms. Hope of Emily's special lunch-bunch attendance, Ms. Hope said to Emily, "I saw you on the list for lunch-bunch today! How exciting!" Apparently Emily has also been asking her teacher to go to lunch-bunch all year.

As I walked out of preschool my child was beaming. I'm sure she drove her teacher crazy asking, "is it time for lunch-bunch yet?" about a zillion times. I'm thrilled that something that I would consider "no big deal" is such a joy for Emily. I think I could learn from Emily how to see the excitement in even the simple things.

Now off I go to pick her up. Who knows the stories I will be told about lunch-bunch and the accompanying activities. I will make sure to be just as excited as can be while she shares.

I think I have control issues... ??

In the past few weeks there have been many things that I felt are out of my control. Most of all is the birth of the babies. Now before I had my doctor and friend who was planning on delivering our babies 5/15 via scheduled c-section. I felt we had a plan. As soon as the babies were born we would look at the potential "come-home" date. If both babies had no problems and it looked like we would come home within a couple of days, my mom would immediately book a flight and be here. If it looked like they would need some time in the neo-natal nursery, mom would wait until it looked like they were ready to come home. The idea was that I needed my mom during the time we were home.. not during the time they were in NICU. We had this plan. It was a plan we all were comfortable with, and the May 15 date gave me a goal to "stay pregnant" until then, and also a mind-set of "I can do anything until May 15" that helped as the discomfort grew.

Now that my doctor is out on bedrest with her own pregnancy I am seeing another doctor in her practice. First things first. This doctor is also amazing, and I am so thankful that she is in the practice for me to go to. However, her approach is slightly different. She says 5/15 is a good goal, but she really doesn't see the need to take them at that time if they are still growing. She sort of has a "wait and see" approach. This if fine of course, and honestly sounds like the best plan for the babies. But it leaves me thinking, "Then what exactly is my 'due date'?" All of the sudden our plan won't work, because even if I make it to 5/15 that doesn't mean we will have a c-section that day.

Of course now there is thought that I may not even make it to May 15. This thought has grown in light of last week's hospital stay.

And what exacerbates my feeling of being out of control is all of the end of the year events that Emily has coming up during that time. Between her preschool end of year activities, dance recitals, friend birthday parties and more I can barely keep it straight! Just the dance recital alone has my head spinning. First there is the informative parent meeting. Then pictures, costume dress rehearsal, final dress rehearsal at the theater, call times, instructions for everything up to what color blush to wear on their cheeks, etc. This all the week that I was "due" to have the twins. Hmmm. I'm feeling a bit out of control.

So what did I do today? I dropped Emily off at preschool, and went to Panera. After a decaf coffee and a cinnacrunch bagel with non-fat cream cheese I left with a fairly clear head. After a nice nap (sleep was an issue last night) I plan on typing up directions for every activity with a date and time posted to the front so that whoever it is helping, whether it be my grandma, Mom, or friend, will know exactly what to do, where to go, and how to get Emily there.

Maybe accomplishing this task will help me feel a bit more in control of life.

33 Weeks

I went to the doctor on Monday. Sorry for the late update. I wasn't dilated on Friday when I was at the hospital, but I was slightly Monday. No worries though as the doctor said I could stay the same way without progressing for weeks. They did an ultrasound to check the fluid levels around both babies, and that came back just fine. I go back in Monday for them to check again.

Here are some pictures of baby Eli. He is in a better position that his sister, so both pictures are of him because we aren't able to get any of her. Anyhow, here's the thing about twin ultrasound pics.... everything is so squished in there that there really have never been any fabulous shots of either of them. Also the "4-D" is actually computer generated, which means the ultrasound tech takes a still picture and then does some work with the imaging. But our boy never stays put long enough for her to do that, and it results in a blur. Hence the blurry "hand " that you see on the first picture on the left side. But I still enjoyed getting to see his little nose and mouth. Very cute!

The second picture is my favorite, even though there isn't too much to see because he is actually sucking his thumb in this picture. That was so fun to see on screen!

We can't wait to meet these two!

Um... now what?

Today is my first day of no working, "limited activity." We decided to continue taking Emily to Ms. Shari's because having her here would mean little rest for me, and no fun for her.

So its 8:45 am and Emily is at Shari's, Scott is off to work, and I am at home by myself. I have a doctor's appt. at 10 am this morning.

And then what?


I need to find something good to read. It is going to be a long three weeks.

Moving towards ready

I have been looking for the perfect diaper bag for months. I had certain criteria that had to be met in order to be considered, and ended up with no considerable bags to speak of. I've looked on-line, in multiple stores, and even fancy boutiques (where I was reminded I am so NOT a boutique type of girl.) After looking for two hours on-line last night and coming up with nothing, my friend Meesh went to Target, picked up two bags that came the closest to meeting my list of "must-haves" and came over. She told me my indecision about a diaper bag was driving her nuts, and I must chose and pack one today.

So I did. And I played with both until I found the perfect diaper bag. Success! :)

Another great accomplishment that our afternoon brought was the van. Scott detailed the entire thing. He was out there from 1 p.m. until dinner time. He pulled all the seats out, wiped down the dash and all knobs, steering, and upholstery. He vacuumed and shampooed the rugs and installed all of the car seats. (2 infant seats, and Emily's new "big-girl" booster seat.) My blue mini-van sparkles just like it did the day we bought it. I couldn't be more excited with the cleanliness!

I guess my brief hospital scare really got both of us thinking about everything that still needed to be done before our little ones arrived. My personal hospital bag has been packed, with the addition of a new "mommy jammies" for the hospital. And now with the seats in stalled in my sparkly-clean van, and the packed diaper bag... we are ready for some babies! (Though another week or two of growing would be nice!)

Until then, I laugh at our baby boy's game that he plays with us. He presses his foot as hard as he can against my belly until the entire thing is pushed out and totally visible. I push it back in. He moves it over and pushes it out harder. I push it back in. Over and over we go as he moves his little foot and presses all over my belly. It is sort of like "whack-a-mole"

Saturday Plans

Yesterday I was released from the hospital around five. Thank goodness. Everybody was very nice, but still. It was a hospital. I didn't get any sleep on my over-night stay because they kept me continuously connected to monitors for each baby for their heart rates. They connect the monitors to my belly with 3-inch wide elastic bands that wrap all the way around me. There is one for each baby, and another that is to monitor contractions. Every time I would move, or a baby would move the nurse would come in and have to re-adjust them. Then they had to make sure they had two separate heart rates, and not two of the same. Needless to say, they were making constant adjustments all day and night.

Anyhow, I slept in until eight this morning. Those of you who know me well know that eight is totally sleeping late for me! :) Scott brought Emily downstairs and they have been watching "Captain Planet" marathon episodes in honor of Earth Day while I slept.

Scott has his computer test for the National Board certification this morning at 11:30. A friend of mine is going with me and Emily to the mall to pick a few clothing items that will complete my hospital bag. If the past few days did anything, they showed Scott and I that we need to prepare to have these babies at either time. Next on the list is installing the baby seats.

And finally, the very day I get my mini-van back from being fixed, Scott's truck goes in because of a check engine light. Turns out it will cost over $300. I don't think it is ironic that just last night our state tax return got deposited into our checking account. I thought that was very cool.

Hope everybody has a great Saturday!

Hospital Tonight

Today as I was at school alone in my class while my kids were on a field trip with out me. I was putting together lesson plans and basically prepping everything for a sub in case I can't make it the next two weeks when my long-term sub is available.

Sure enough, around 2 pm this afternoon I began having a few "issues." Not to be too graphic, but fluid leakage... not like the water break when I was pregnant with Emily, but surely a problem.

Basically, after three hours of different tests we really aren't sure where the fluid is coming from. And the ultra-sound showed our baby girl was not really moving the way they wanted her to.

They gave me a shot of trebutiline (sp?) which is what I took in pill form when pregnant with Emily and on bed rest all those weeks. It immediately stopped cramping/contractions.

Now I am just spending the night so they can monitor the babies heart rates and to make for certain the fluid isn't amniotic fluid.

Scott brought me a cheeseburger and a large chocolate milkshake :) and Amber came by to sit with me to ease my boredom. And anybody who has every had that shot knows how jittery and fidgety it makes you feel. I feel horrible for the poor nurse who has to keep coming in and altering my monitors every time I shift a few inches.

Thanks to my friends who took care of Emily this afternoon. I went straight from school to the hospital, so I haven't seen her at all today. Scott is at home with her now, and she called on the phone and asked if I could read her "Fancy Nancy." Naturally I didn't get the words just right since I didn't have the book in front of me. Emily made sure to point out my mistakes. I love that girl. She cracks me up.

I'll keep you posted. (if not my parents will just about freak!) Love you mom!

My school

Today my fourth grade team threw a baby shower for me. It was wonderful and fun to sit and chat with the people I work with. Everybody was so kind and everybody is is excited about the twins. I love how everybody is excited right a long with me. I walk down the hallways and everybody is checking to see how I am doing. They are all so supportive.

Right now there are five pregnant teachers on staff, and what amazes me is that our awesome principal comes to every one of the baby showers. He sits and eats cake with us as we ohh and ahh over the baby outfits. I'm sure it means just as much to the other ladies as it does to me that he is willing to take time to do that. And he didn't even get upset with me today when I poked fun at him for asking what a onsie was. :)

Then there is my team. I work with some of the best people I know. This year there are only four of us, and we are tight. We celebrate with each other, vent to each other, and give each other advice. We collaborate about everything from science lab lessons to dealing with strange parent situations. They are a lot of fun to be with. Every one of them is the type of person I would chose to spend time with even if I didn't work with them. I love all three of them!

Next comes Miss Julia. Miss Julia is one of the hardest working women I have ever met. She cleans our hallway and takes care of all of us on the OPES blue hall. We've always known she was unbelievable, but thought it pretty cool that our district thought so too last year when she was voted staff member of the year. No one is more deserving. She checks on me all the time, and helps keep my kids in check. One day I was toting around my heavy book bag as we returned from the computer lab. She followed me into the class and addressed my students saying, "Now listen here. This is your teacher, and you need to take care of her. Next time I see her carrying this heavy book bag you all will have to answer to me." My kids shook their heads in agreement and all you could hear was this mumbled, ashamed-sounding, "yes Miss Julia."

Tomorrow the fourth grade is taking a field trip and I am unable to go. (Can't travel more than 30 minutes away). When our instructional assistant was asked if she would go in my place, she excitedly agreed. She even posted her status on facebook as "excited to go on the fourth grade field trip tomorrow!" Isn't it awesome that she is so willing to go? And I know my students will have such a great time and have fun with her.

Can you understand why I love my job? I'm not even talking about the kids... these are just the adults! How many teachers enjoy working with the other adults in their building? How many people, period, enjoy working with the adults in their building? I am very lucky.

Hostile?

Today could be described as "hostile." Scott and I have had three things going on today that just aren't pleasant.

First of all, is our van. One of the automatic sliding doors has never worked right and the dealership has had the car for three days now. They think they know how to fix it, but have literally taken apart the entire inside to replace an electrical componant. That part won't be in until possibly Tuesday, and they don't want to put the car back together until it is replaced. Mind you, our van is only two years old, and this is the eighth time we have brought it in for this issue. Yes, that's right. Eight times. I'm not saying its their fault... they are doing everything they can. But it is their product. So I asked them for a rental. They said no at first, but eventually saw my point (EIGHT TIMES!?!?) and I am now a not-so-proud drive of a Ford Focus. Oh well. I'm thankful for that.

Then there is the insurance hassle. I didn't personally notify my insurance company that I was pregnant until I was in my second trimester. Therefore, I will now be assessed a "penalty" that allows no out of pocket maximum, and will charge me for the first $200 for every service I receive while in the hospital having the babies. Never mind the documentation that I have showing that my doctor's office contacted them on 10/15/08 and received confirmation FROM THE INSURANCE COMPANY stating that I am in fact covered. So I got to write a wonderful letter of appeal today.

Finally, there is the medical and childcare reimbursement claim that we have. Basically this is a program that takes money straight out of my paycheck before taxes to reimburse us for childcare and medical expenses. Some how the company representatives are "unable" to receive emails from us containing the PDF claim forms and documentation that would reimburse us for over $700 of expenses. Four phone calls and seven emails later, still no luck.

Scott jokingly said the dealership probably added the word "hostile" next to my name in the computer. You know, I feel hostile today. But if we get these issues worked out, that would be great. (deep breath)

This week's Emily-ism

On Sunday we went to second service like normal, but ran in to a friend (my doctor actually) after the service. By the time we were finished chatting the third service had started, and in the lobby they were frantically trying to get people to take some of the donut holes that they obviously didn't want to keep.

I took one from the nice lady, and Emily I told Emily she could get one too. She did, but was uncharacteristically timid about it. We walked out the door as I popped mine into my mouth, and Emily just held hers. As we walked to the car where Scott was waiting I told her to take a bite. I told her it was just like a small donut.

A look of relief swept across her face with a smile and she said, "Oh! I thought that lady was trying to get me to eat a rock!"

Oh Emily. She constantly keeps us laughing!

Nursery progress

Here are pictures as promised. We still need to to paint the other tree on the opposite corner where the other crib will go. Lori came over and this tree was done within just a couple of hours. She's amazing. I painted the leaves and bird, but she did the second coat which was good because she paints without streaks.. unlike myself!

I couldn't be happier with the tree silhouette. It is so much better than I imagined! I can't wait to get the other one done and the nursery finished. As soon as Scott pulls the crib mattresses out and on the cribs, I will put the bedding on and take another picture. THe cribs look great in there too, and Scott is in the process of brining of the beautiful new tall dresser.

By this time tomorrow we will officially be ready for babies!

31 Weeks

This week is spring break. Scott and I are busy preparing the nursery for the babies. We hadn't made a decision on bedding, so on Friday night I told Scott I wanted to go out and decide on crib bedding, and not come home until we had some. He asked if we would need to get a hotel. Ha ha funny guy!

Now he is busy painting the nursery and base boards. He is quite the perfectionist, which is great for me. It looks wonderful! My friend Lori is coming over to morrow to help paint the tree silhouettes, and then we will move in the furniture and put up the window treatments.

Kind of funny that we are so near the end and just now getting the room together. I think Emily's room was finished well before Christmas, and she wasn't due until April!

Other than that, spring break is just about being at home this year. I can't leave more than 30-45 minutes away, as per doctor instructions, which rules out a quick weekend get-away. Emily and I are cleaning out her closet, and having fun around here. Tomorrow she will have a fun time playing with Lori's two munchkins while we paint.

If all continues to go well I will be back at work next Monday. I hope to make it at least one more week, but hopefully 2-3 if possible. I am getting to the point where sleeping at night is difficult. I got up nine times to use the bathroom last night. If that continues either Scott or I will be moving to the guest room... he didn't mention it, but I'm certain I kept him up last night. No need for both of us to be sleep deprived. And other than being very big in the belly, I'm doing okay. Shortness of breath, and ultimate clumsiness have taken over, but that is to be expected. I have my next appt. this Thursday at 10 am and I can't wait to see the estimated weight for these two. We're guessing I am hauling over 7 lbs. of baby already.

I'm sure everybody has heard that Becky and Jay had their sweet baby girl last Thursday. I got to chat with Becky for a bit this afternoon, and it seriously grew my excitement for my two to be here. I so enjoyed talking with her about how the first week was going. Being pregnant at the same time was fun, even though we live so far apart, but I realized that having a newborn at the same time is so fabulous because we will get to relate to each other and give advice to each other via telephone calls. Then once Jenny and Katie have their babies, it will be even more fun!

Hope everybody has a great week! I will post nursery pics as soon as it is ready!

So cute!

Today was the last day before spring break. My kids were wired though still fun, but nevertheless, exhausting. When I came home I had a kid who hollered for a "snack and a drink please!" a dog whining to come inside, and a cat very audibly explaining that her food bowl was empty. Then the phone rang. All of this before I could even set my bag down.

Finally after appeasing all of those above, I went out to check the mail, and found a package from Jenny. So cute! My mood instantly improved.



Thanks Jenny. I can't wait to put them on the babies!

This story disturbs me

I saw this in the newspaper yesterday

Even though it is so disturbing, I hope it gets people to reflect on their relationship with their own neighbors. Scott and I have always had some great neighbors. Remember Bessie? She still lives all by herself on Floradora. I love Bessie. She was a great friend. And I loved that at 93 she is still fiesty enough to shoot her potato gun at cars that go down the road too fast. I hope whoever lives next to Bessie watches out for her.

I'm thankful for the friendship we have now with Sergeant Rick and Linda next door. (this is what Em calls them.) I appreciate that we look after each other, and know we can count on them for silly little stuff like collecting our mail and watching our house when we are out of town, and they can count on us for the same. I enjoy the weekend chats we have on their deck when I pop over to say hello while Emily is taking her nap. They are great people.

But there is a house across the street with a boy just a year older than Emily, and even though I've talked with the mom a couple of times, we really don't know much about them. I know she just had a baby three weeks ago. Seems like she and I would have much in common, however life sometimes prevents us from getting to know the very people who reside beside us. I think I will make a point to go over and say hello... maybe bring some cookies or something and congratulate their new baby.

**TUNA UPDATE** TUNA UPDATE** TUNA UPDATE**

The two cans of tuns have been returned to the store where they were paid for in full.
Thanks to everybody who was concerned.
I slept much better last night.

Emily's birthday party pics

Emily turned four on March 7th. It was a Saturday, and made for a perfect backyard birthday, complete with perfect weather, and a Backyardigans theme. Emily had five friends over. We ate pizza, jumped in the bounce house and trampoline, played in the sandbox, and hit the pinata.

Now this may make Emily and odd-ball, but she is the one four-year old I know who still takes a nap. The party ended at 1:30 (right when her nap begins) and she was already pulling blankets to go to sleep. Ahhhh yes. She was out like a light and slept hard!

It was a good day for Miss Emily Grace!

I stole two cans of tuna today

Today was grocery shopping day. Normally I go to three grocery stores to play the grocery game, but I knew there was no way that I could do three today. I planned on just two.

By the time I got done with the second store I was so tired. The check-out clerk was extremely slow, and it seemed like her slowness just perpetuated the feeling of being tired and sore.

When I finally got out to my car I could feel myself getting wheepy. This is what I do when I am over-tired. I loaded my groceries and pulled my purse off the top shelf of the shopping cart... and there laying under my purse were two cans of tuna.

I hadn't paid for the tuna. And the idea of returning to the store to wait in line with the super-slow check out clerk just wasn't an option.

I got in my car, so upset from being tired, and hating that I can't do what I normally do. I was also upset about being a thief. I vowed to return the tuna cans tomorrow on the way to Emily's dance class.

So there you have it. I'm a tuna thief.

What I am thinking about right now...

So far we have looked into cutting back our utility costs. I've been the coupon queen at the grocery store. And we eat out less. This is the next item up for thought in the Johnson household. Mind you, multiply everything by two!

30 Weeks

So I'm about 30 weeks right now. This is the scary picture update of my large belly! The babies move around constantly, and I imagine this will lesson as there is less room to move.

Here are some pictures of what has been going on at our house. Emily was sick with a stomach bug one evening, and the next week she decided her baby would be "sick." Too funny. We've been spending a lot of time outside (before the past week of constant rain) and Emily and her friend Joseph (or if you're Emily, "Jofus") were riding on his gator that Em loves. And then there is the one that I love of Scott and Emily making a paper-bag puppet. And if you're wondering who that stylish girl is in the shades, well, that is Roxy the Rockstar. I dunno, don't ask!

I have yet to post pictures of Emily's birthday pictures. I'll try to get on that. Scott has been busy working on National Boards that are due Tuesday, and he is booting me off the computer right now. Our internet has just been fixed this morning for the first time in a week, and for that we're grateful. Spring break is coming up the week after next, and I am still just really holding on to be able to work. THe babies are getting big. We still haven't painted the nursery, but the cribs are in. I just don't want to pressure Scott about that right now with his due date looming (march 31 for his National Boards) but we will get on that during the spring break.

Yep, that's just about it. Enjoying the constant rain this week has brought, and the 70's weather that has been oh so pleasant. And trying to sleep in between the 8-9 trips to the bathroom I take every night. So far, so good! :)

swollen

Today could be described as a very bad day. I won't go into the details, but let's just say that by the time I drove home today I was in tears. I was very, very down in the dumps after a frustrating and challenging long day.

But now I am at home. My sanctuary because my family is here. I am sitting on the couch typing during "Family Friday Movie Night." A scheduled event for each week that Emily looks forward to. Nothing fancy, but we eat our dinner in front of the movie of her choice. Tonight its Peter Pan. Again. And it is fine with us. She is sitting right beside me, cuddled under the blanket, head on my shoulder. Scott is on the other couch snoring softly. Seriously a wind-down time that is so needed at this time of the week.

I am so grateful for Emily. She amazes me with everything she does and says. This week she told me she didn't want to go to dance class any more. She said it would only be fun if there was a ball. I smiled. She plays in the backyard, and can name five or six different birds that fly in our yard. Her favorite is the "Carolina Bird." (or Carolina Wren.) She can't wait for her "babies" to get here. She doesn't call them "brother and sister" but rather calls them, "My baby boy" or "My baby girl." She helps Scott and me pick out things for them, and tells us about what she will do with them. And daily she asks me when will they be ready to come out. I can't wait to go on the tour of the maternity ward with Scott and Em this Tuesday.

For four years Emily has been the only child. She has not had to share Scott and me with anybody else. In less than eight weeks she will be the big sister to two new babies. I worry about how she will take this adjustment. One baby is enough for any child to need adjusting to, but two new babies at once has got to be more challenging. I'm sure Emily will do just fine, eventually. I just pray that she always knows how much Scott and I love her, and that it will never lessen no matter how many babies enter our family.

10 + 1 thoughts on the weekend.

1. Friday night we had dinner with some great friends at one of my favorite restaurants. The she-crab soup didn't disappoint, and it was great to catch up with friends.

2. Friday night after dinner Emily "got sick" all the way from her bedroom, down the hall, and into her bathroom. Which leads me to two thoughts: I will never confidently know when Em has the flu, and when she just needs to empty her stomach and start over. I'm glad we own a carpet shampooer.

3. Emily went to a friend's birthday party on Saturday. I had only met these parents once, and found them delightful. They were so mellow, and their beautiful home was very "lived in." I could tell the mom didn't run around and clean like a crazy person before the party, but rather enjoyed her Saturday morning with her kids. I need to learn to be more like this woman.

4. We took a trip to the outlet mall Saturday afternoon. Specifically we were looking for infant crib bedding at the Pottery Barn Kids outlet. What a bust that was. The only thing I found were two crib bumpers that would go perfectly with what I want to do in the nursery, but they were $129 each!?! Seriously, everything else in the entire place was cheaper than Target for bedding, but it wasn't what I wanted. On a better note, Emily make out like a champ at the Carters, Osh Kosh, Children's Place, and Stride Rite outlets. We got some great deals in those places.

5. I went to church with Emily by myself... something I rarely do. With national boards deadline quickly approaching, Scott got in a groove and decided to stay home to type in a quiet house. It was weird sitting by myself, and it make me realize how hard it is for so many moms to bring their kids to church without their husbands.

6. I played another round of the grocery game today. I will never get over the thrill of watching my grocery bill go from $142 to $68. Today was a great grocery shopping day.

7. Goodbye second trimester. It seems like the moment I hit week twelve I got over the being tired, and life returned a little toward normal. I've made it well beyond the "point of bedrest" with Emily's pregnancy, and am going strong. Other than the pneumonia I dealt with, I have had very few problems throughout my second trimester and I am grateful.

8. The third trimester: Let the discomfort begin. I sometimes have to remind myself that I am hauling around and growing two people. Both are already over 2.5 lbs, which is wonderful that they are so healthy, and growing at the same rate. My belly sometimes moves in earthquake-like waves that are extremely crazy to see.

9. Due date: I'm still teaching every day, and though my principal says he'll be thrilled if I make it to spring break (April 6) I plan on making it to at least May 1. So far we have no reason to think that I won't. We were thinking that maybe I could go to 38 weeks, which would put me at delivering around June 1. (I was shooting for this date because I would be able to make it to Emily's dance recital on May 29). But my doctor says that the babies would be over 8 lbs each by that point, and there is no way I would be able to carry them that big.. there would be no room. So looks like the c-section is scheduled for May 15.

10. Emily refers to the babies as her "little girl" or her "little boy." I love this. While we were shopping we picked out some onsies and things. She walked around Carters saying things like, "Oh how cute! This would be perfect for my little boy!" We got a onesie for each baby that says "I'm the little brother" and "I'm the little sister." Scott thought these would be perfect for them to come home in from the hospital. I love to hear Emily excited about her new siblings. She is so darling.

11. Now it is dinner time. After my exhausting grocery shopping trip that my nap didn't fully help to recover, I'm very thankful for the frozen lasagna I threw in the oven. The buzzer just went off. Yummy. Easy. Perfect.

Weather inspired taste buds

I've always had this thing with music that went with the seasons. I know I've talked about this before, and Heather probably remembers my fascination with Fat Boy Slim and summer. And Travis and Radiohead in winter.

And my comfort food correlates with the weather. Give me a rainy day, and I'll prepare you an awesome pot roast and mashed potatoes.

But this past two weeks are weather has been all over the map. We had a "snow" day one weekend, only for Emily's birthday party to be beautiful and 82 the next. Now we're back this weekend to the cold and rain. I put some stew meat on in the crock pot on Thursday thinking it would be cold and rainy, and it was still warm and pretty. Well shoot. I can't eat a stew when it is 80 outside?!? That is just crazy talk!

And now today it is very cold, and all I keep thinking about is the she-crab soup that I will order when we go to Copper River Grill with friends tonight. Seriously, it was the promise of this soup that got me through the bitter-cold day.

When did I become such a weather-inspired eater? Its not like we're talking about summer vs. winter vegetables.

Connections

Tonight during dinner Scott was telling me about something that happened in his classroom. When there was a lull in our conversation Emily randomly asked, "Why do we have a throat?" So we exchange glances, and proceed to explain that a throat is for carrying food to our belly and air to our lungs.

Scott and I continue our previous conversation and again there is a lull. Again Emily speaks, continuing where she left off with her previous question, "well... because I swallowed a yellow jewel the other day. I keep looking in the toilet, but its not there." Scott and I question her, and say something about not putting things in our mouths, choking, etc. Then we thought the conversation was over.

Then after dinner Emily looks at me and says, "Maybe I should check my lungs?"

It is then that I realize she is super concerned that if the yellow jewel wasn't found in the toilet (which I'm impressed she understands that connection to her belly) then it must be in her throat, since Scott and I told her job of the throat is to carry to the belly and to the lungs.

Too funny. Very insightful, yet hilarious. I love toddlers. When they explain themselves they make total sense!

Birthday Girl!

Our baby turns FOUR today! Where did the time go? She amazes us with the things she says and wonders. Scott and I delight in her personality... she is such an individual! Our biggest blessing! We're so thankful for her and the joy she brings us!




There is nobody quite like Emily Grace!

Back at school today

I was finally able to return to school today. I was nervous that I would be exhausted by lunch time. But I found that my kids really helped pull me along. They are so full of energy and life, that it is hard not to be taken by their contagiousness.

One of the things on my "to-do" list today was to pick out a picture book to read at our school's Barnes and Noble night tonight. I'm signed up to read during the 6:15 slot, and I really hadn't thought much about what I would pick. Before dismissing them for a bathroom break I asked them if they would think about their favorite picture book read alouds, and meet me back on the rug with one if they can.

Every single kid came to the carpet with a book.

I was a little surprised, and at first I must admit I was afraid they just grabbed a book with little thought. But I was so wrong. My kids really thought about it, and were so excited at the idea of remembering the journeys we'd taken together with those books. As each kid gradually made their way to the carpet, the others would remember that book, and comment, and always with a smile.

We went around the circle and shared each one, and the kids told why they chose the specific book. Eventually we very naturally decided on a group of about six that were some of our favorites. It only seemed right to scrap what I had planned, and to read.

So there I sat with my "pretzel legs" on the floor. Surrounded by my kids, and so pregnant I didn't know how I would get up. And I read each of those stories. After each one we talked and laughed and shared about why it was such a favorite.

Eventually we finished up, and we realized we were late for library. Like ten minutes to library. The kids love to go and exchange their books and our Media Center specialists is killer awesome. But it struck me as so special that these guys were so engaged with me reading and talking with them, that time didn't matter. They didn't notice, and neither did I.

I couldn't have picked a better, impromptu, way to re-connect with my kids after being out almost a week. It was fun.

Sulfamethoxazole

Turns out third time may be the charm! Today is such a better day after starting my third antibiotic yesterday. I still can't breathe in deep without a coughing fit, but I feel much better. Emily has a mild fever, and Scott is taking her in to the doctor this afternoon for what we suspect is either a sinus infection or ear infection. Some antibiotics and she should be fine.

Since she was up a lot last night, Scott stayed home from work today to take care of us. That was great, because I haven't even been able to take care of myself really, and Emily really needed somebody to take care of her too. Scott make sure everybody got their medicines, fluids, and warm blankets before we were adequately comforted for naps. Then he got busy picking up and cleaning the house. Boy am I thankful!


On a funny note, I was catching some news on T.V. this afternoon, and scrolling along the bottom was this headline: "Megan McCain blames presidential campaign for her diminishing love life." Apparently there is a story on this on cnn.com

I will go check it out... I'm bored and it sounds amusing!

Weekend Reflections

We had a "snow day" today, so the work week doesn't really begin until tomorrow. Here are my reflections from a weird weekend...

- Mom being sick is good for dad and his daughter. Scott and Emily were pretty much on their own all weekend since I was in bed. This allowed Dad to take care of the mundane tasks that I normally do. Some highlights were the obvious jungle adventure (previous post) and the "matching tattoo" of a caterpillar on Emily's right upper shoulder. Oh, and I can't forget the peaut butter, jelley AND banana sandwich he let Emily make by herself.

- Being allergic to penicillin is not cool. I began my third antibiotic today in hopes that it will clear up my sinus/repiratory/ear infection before I have to be admitted to the hospital to treat me for pneumonia. It would help if I could take a heartly dose of penicillin.

-Seeing the growing babies never gets old. I love ultrasounds, and since we're having twins, every visit promises an ultrasound. I love it! Right now both the baby boy and baby girl are reasuring 2 lbs. This is bigger than an average singleton baby.


- I would hate to be a weather forecastor. We were told by several news sources (Including the national weather service)to expect up to 5+ inches of snow. The schools all canceled school for Monday, only for us not to even get a single flake.

- The Neti Pot is my friend. So gross, but works so well.

- Starburst jellybeans are the best stuff every! And the babies both love sweet sugar. I ate a handful and they started moving like crazy. Scott could see my tummy rumbling around and he thought it was quite weird. The were really moving and kicking.


- I really hope to get to school Thursday.
Pray that the meds keep me well!

What makes a sick mom smile

Today hasn't been the best day. I spent most of the day in bed, and it has just been in the past couple of hours that I have finally (though quickly) started to feel better.

That said, I wanted to share one of my highlights of today that came right in the middle of feeling the worst.

Emily and Scott went on a "safari" this morning. Emily put animals all throughout the downstairs, and then asked her daddy to wear his "safari hat" before taking him downstairs with flashlights.

I don't know if she has been watching too much Jeff Corwin or what, but this cracked me up. Scott and Emily walked through the entire downstairs on tip-toes, excitedly pointing their flashlights on each beast they stumbled upon. Scott came to get me and told me I couldn't miss the cuteness going on downstairs. So I wearily made it down there and wasn't disappointed.

What a duo!

If anything, mommy being sick makes for some quality daddy/Emily time. Right now they are out grabbing a bite to eat together, and picking up a "yada" (Pinata) for Emily's birthday party this Saturday. I'm thankful they are having a good day together.

Weekend Outlook

Its 3:30ish on Friday and I am sitting at the computer with my PJs on. Emily is at my feet and has just pulled her socks off to pick out the "toe-jam" from between her toes. I had to leave halfway through the school day today because I'm still pretty sick with a sinus infection that has only gotten worse. I had a brief appt with my doctor who prescribed me a new antibiotic and then I went to pick up Emily just before nap time. After two hours asleep snuggling with her, and the promise of a more powerful med, I am hopeful to be back to my regular self soon. My family and students deserve better, that's all I can say.

And other than that, we have just a lot of to-do things this weekend. I was hoping for Scott to be able mow the lawn tomorrow morning, but it looks like that won't happen with the crazy weather.

It is 78 out right now, with the high reaching 70 again tomorrow. We're projected to get almost 3 inches of rain tonight and tomorrow, but then... what?!? That rain Sunday night will switch over to snow and some forecasters are calling for over an inch after the temp drops to the forties. That is a lot of the Midlands, and will surely shut the schools down Monday. That isn't even the mention of the slight chance of severe tornadic weather that we may have Saturday.

What a weird forecast. Should make it interesting!

25 weeks

I'll be 25 weeks tomorrow. At my last appt. the baby girl was laying face down across the bottom, and the baby boy was literally standing on her bum, with his head shoving my stomach and esophagus and diaphragm up too high, making it very hard to breathe, no less eat. I am learning to eat smaller portions almost constantly throughout the day, which is hard for somebody like me who gets going and forgets to slow down. And I feel full a lot. Probably because there is getting to be literally no empty space in there! Scott is getting used to my small appetite at meal time, which is also not like me!

Normally I get lots of low kicks, which is so much fun since I didn't ever really feel kicks with Emily. The low kicks send me running to the ladies room, but I still delight in each one! Just today I started feeling kicks really high, which means somebody probably turned. I can't wait to return to the doctor on 3/2 to see who it is!

So far the entire pregnancy has gone really well. Great in fact when you consider I was on bed rest with Emily. On the 3/2 appt. we will talk about possibly pushing my due date back from 5/15 to 5/28 because of everything going so well. I am thrilled! :)

I'm starting my own list!

I don't know about you, but I am sick of the constant chatter about the economic downfall. Now I don't disagree that these are extremely rough times that are touching everybody, its just the "over-talk" is getting on my nerves. But sometimes I get annoyed when the person being interviewed on the Today Show, the financial analyst on CNN, and the writer for Real Simple all have the same message. You've heard it before, but here it is again... the tips to survive a tough economy. (Hold on, this may change your life)

1. Don't buy on credit
2. Cut back. Use less shampoo, less toilet paper, etc.
3. Car pool to work
4. Pay-off any debt
5. Brown bag to work
and my personal favorite...
6. Make your morning cup 'O joe at home, and skip the $4 coffee bar

Phew. Thank goodness I heard that valuable message on all three venues. I don't know what I would have done w/o it. My finances are saved!

But in all actuality I thought it would be fun to start a new list of things that we see where the price is actually going down.
I'll start:

1. Behr Paint at Home Depot- Old Price $22 New Price $16
2. Gallon of milk at Publix- Old Price $4.09 New Price $3.19
3.Gas- Varying up to $3.89/gallon Current price $1.79/gallon

What am I sick with?

For the last couple weeks schools in our have reported very high amounts of absences and children being sent home sick. Schools have reported numbers of absences in the hundreds, varying from whopping cough outbreaks at one school, to flu at another.

In my class we have had what I have jokingly referred to as the T.B. outbreak. More kids have this awful cough than not. They don't run fevers, or have any other symptoms... just a horrendous cough that lasts for more than a couple weeks. One child in my class has been on antibiotics since mid January, with no sign of kicking the cough. Of course they still come to school because they aren't really "sick" and can't miss weeks of school for a cough... so around and around it goes.

On Friday a student was out sick with flu. By Friday at 2 pm, the remaining three who sit at her group were sent home with flu. Also, Friday afternoon my good friend Meesh called to warn me that after five days of being told her son doesn't have strep, the doctor's office called with news that the longer strep test came back positive. She warned me because her son was hanging out at our house earlier this week.

So I ask you... what could this be that I have this morning? I didn't feel so hot by last night, and right now am so congested that my head is pounding, my throat killing me, and my stomach churning in a not so good way. I couldn't sleep past 5:20 (on a Sunday!) which is a total bummer. My fever is just around 100.

Any guesses?
I'm off to see what meds I can take while pregnant, and then to lysol the entire house.
Hope your family stays well! :)