Busy, Busy, Busy!

How is it that a to do list can magically multiply? I swear I cross one thing off, and 5 more sprout up in its place. That darn list multiplies faster than these stretch marks on my belly!

With the list growing exponentially, it is pretty easy to get overwhelmed. (Especially when I'm so good at getting overwhelmed.) As the clock ticks and the arrival of these nuggets gets closer, my willingness to take it easy has dramatically decreased! Instead, I've been in check-list mode. Trying to get as much done as possible in the next couple of weeks, just in case these boys do decide to come early.

Truth of the matter is, we've been busy little beavers around the Ormond house. Cleaning, organizing, hanging up decorations, preparing the nursery...oh, and of course baby projects!! Remember that kitchen that was such a disaster a couple of weeks ago? Well, we can now see the table, the top of the island AND the counter tops! In fact it's clean enough to cook in again. :)

As far as the house goes...we put up a picture collage. And I absolutely LOVE it. Makes me smile every time I walk by to see all those faces smiling back at me.

 Our piano is even clutter free! (And has pictures hanging above it!)

 

The craft closet got some love and is just about done. I love knowing exactly where everything is. Makes getting all these baby projects done that much easier.

And now for the part I know you all really care about...the NURSERY!!! 

The nursery furniture is still not quite finished. Grandpa is working like crazy to get them stained, and we are SO excited for it all to get here!! But until then, we have to get things as ready as we can since they could be here so soon. It has taken some creativity to organize all of their things without dressers to put them in, but we are making it work!

It's been quite the organizing task. How does a mom-to-be really know how to organize all that baby stuff? Cause in case you didn't know, there is a LOT of stuff that comes with having a baby...let alone TWO of them! That's DOUBLE the stuff just about - trust me, I've been organizing all of it. But not only is there a lot of it, how do you really know where it needs to be? What you will really use? 

Well, ya don't. You just guess. Sure looks pretty though. Even if we do find out it is not at all functional, at least my nesting mania can relax a little without all of the clutter!

First things first, gotta have all those baby necessities. So we tucked them inside the drawers of the dresser we do have here. (One that the Ribao's gave to our little nuggets) The top of the dresser folds out and converts into a changing table. The top drawer will have all of the diapers in it with some wipes and such things. We ordered all of our diapers last week (CHECK that right off the list!), but they aren't here yet, so no picture of that.

Next drawer down, baby essentials. Bibs, socks, burp cloths, binkies, fingernail clippers...all organized and put just so.

Next we have baby clothes, preemie and newborn sizes at least!! And oh how fun they were to wash and fold. They are SO tiny. Especially the little preemie size sleepers and onesies. Maybe it was just because this was the first load I had to do, but doing laundry for the nuggets is much more enjoyable than doing our own! 

The bottom drawer is stocked with crib sheets and mattress protectors. We bought the sheets last week and ordered crib mattresses (CHECK!)

And until our cribs can make the trip from Colorado with Grandpa, we have two Pack-N-Plays set up. (Ever so generously brought to us by our great friend Brittany). They are wonderful. They have the napper that flips over to be a changing table. 

And hanging next to the pack-n-plays some extra storage space. We do have some disposable newborn diapers to get us through those first few days of extra gross diapers so the cloth ones aren't stained.

Even the inside of their closet is ridiculously organized!

Top of the closet has some extra blankies, cozy stuffed animals, extra diaper bags.  Boppy's, Bumbo's, floor mats, and extra disposable diapers - just in case!

It's been quite the productive week for the nursery, and for the check list. We bought a hamper. 

We put our hanging diaper pail inside of it to hold those wonderful diapers.

And don't forget about the projects!! There's been a lot of them going on around here. One of them was this book sling to hold all of those wonderful books the boys already have!

They aren't even here yet and have some of the greats already. Can't wait to add to their collection or to be able to read them bedtime stories and see which ones end up being their favorites. :)

 Another project finished this week was a car seat canopy. One down, one to go!

A peek at the inside fabric...

And the stitching...what can I say, my sewing machine is amazing! :)

But nope, no babies to put in them yet. And good thing, because I only have one finished! 

Perhaps my favorite project of the week...crib quilts!!! Well, at least the tops of crib quilts...or at least one crib quilt. :) The other is still in process. Unfortunately, you don't get pictures of them quite yet. We're waiting until both of them are done to show them!

In the meantime, I gotta get off this darn computer and get busy. So many projects still to do, an office to declutter and organize. 

All the while this belly just keeps on growing...

30 Weeks

It's been a BUSY week at our house. So stay tuned, because there is more to come.

This GROWING Belly

As a lady of the pregnant persuasion...I tend to read a lot of articles or books on the subject. Today I got an e-mail that informed me over the next couple of weeks these babies will TRIPLE in size. T.R.I.P.L.E. Does that give anyone else a heart attack? Because I know exactly how big this belly feels...

29 Weeks

The idea of those nuggets tripling in size inside of that belly...oh man! It is already just about as tight as it can get! I have babies in my rib cage, squishing my bladder, pushing on my diaphragm...they are all over the place. 

But, they are pretty darn cute, so I will forgive them.

See?

 Baby A's profile

The limb around the edge is Baby B's, 

we haven't decided if it is his leg or if the headlocks

 have started already! :)

 

Baby A's little face

Getting so big! And of course, always his little hand next to his face.

  Baby B's Profile

Love the pouty little look he's givin' us.

 Baby B

Again it was hard to get a frontal view of this lil guy, too many parts in front. The bumps right next to his nose are Baby A's toes. They love to kick each other in the head. Trust me, we've seen it!

I'm biased of course, but they're the cutest little nuggets I've ever seen! And I give them permission to stay in there for at least 4 more weeks. (That's what we are down to! How did that happen?!) That's what the doctors are hoping for. Realistically they could come anytime between the next 2-8 weeks, but the process has already begun. At our doctor's appointment last week, I was already dilating and 70% effaced. Translation: take it easy so these nuggets don't come too early!

Again, in case you haven't gathered this yet, taking it easy and I do not get along very well. There is so much to do still. House to clean and de-clutter, baby things to organize, laundry to do, projects to finish! 

Yesterday I ignored the whole "take it easy" directive and pounded out the nursery. It's not completely done since we still lack furniture, but everything is organized at least. All we have left is to put up the decorations. Then once the furniture gets here to finalize the layout.

It gets me so excited!! And then the contractions start and I remember why exactly I was supposed to be taking it easy in the first place. So today I'm on the couch, eating lots of cereal and popcorn (not necessarily at the same time) and watching Christmas movies. Because that's the kind of mood I'm in. Maybe tomorrow I will work on finishing those crib quilts...we'll see!

A Mell of a Hess!!

Life at the Ormond household lately has been...well...pretty much chaotic! With summer coming to an end we've had family barbeques, birthday parties, friends moving to Hawaii, baby showers...It's been a busy few months. So, please excuse the mess...and the absence! 

But when your house looks like this...

 

 

 

It makes it VERY hard to get much of anything done, let alone update the blog. Especially when your friends are moving to back to Hawaii and you want to spend lots of time with them before they leave...and then they bring car loads of stuff and put it all over your kitchen, in any and every spare inch of space - making your house look like an episode of Hoarder's! :) (a little joke of ours)

Now, let me just say that our house does not normally look like this. There have been a few extenuating circumstances. Yes, the Ribao's brought us lots of stuff. And yes, the kitchen was completely cleaned before they did...BUT it might have been the only room in the house. Every other room in the house is still full of boxes and clutter while I reorganize and decide the most functional way to make room for these twins - and all the stuff that comes with them! Ahh, nesting.

But when your belly looks like this...

 

Week 27

Things move perdy dang slowly. Regardless of your intentions. 

So, yes, add this mess of a house on top of trying to get everything organized, put a nursery together, baby projects - it is no wonder at all that it is already somehow SEPTEMBER! Like already almost a week of September. WHOA! 

Slow right down time. That means these little nuggets could be here VERY soon. And they have had us worried more than once already that they want to come out sooner rather than later. Last Monday we were out having dinner with our dear friends the Ribao's (who today are on a plane, on their way back to Maui...*sigh*) when I got super uncomfortable. My belly felt like it was going to come right out of my throat. I tried to eat...but that wasn't helping. The discomfort got worse, and I started to realize it came and went...Oh hello contractions - that's what you feel like, a giant charlie horse all the way around my belly. 

Now I know contractions are normal at 28 weeks, Braxton Hicks contractions, preparing your body for the real deal...but these were happening a LOT. Like 9 of them in 45 minutes a lot! We called the doctor's office and they said come now! So we went to Labor and Delivery. Got hooked up to monitors and sure enough, contractions 5 minutes apart. They gave me a shot to stop the contractions, followed by a steroid shot to help the boys' lungs start developing quicker just in case. They also did a test called an FFN that tests for a certain protein that shows up when you are going to go into labor. It came back negative, meaning we had less than a 1% chance these twins would come in the next two weeks. Then they sent us on our way, told me to take it easy (no bed rest yet, thank goodness!) and to follow up with our regularly scheduled doctor's appointment on Sept. 6th (tomorrow!).

We were very glad the shot helped and that these babies will still be cooking a big longer. But still, talk about a SHOCK! Especially when the nurse told us if we could get six more weeks, they would be surprised, and SO grateful. SIX. Six weeks. Now, that number is FIVE. We knew they would come early, but to have someone tell you that if you can just get six more weeks makes it sound much, MUCH, MUCH sooner.

All of that planning I've been doing, all of those checklists...I'm pretty sure everything flew out the window at the sound of those two words...SIX WEEKS. Now it is just crunch time. Put things away, finish any and every project possible. The nursery unfortunately is one of the last things we will be able to do. The furniture will be on its way from Colorado with Grandpa and Nona soon though (YAY!!!!!!), and then I will be able to nest away - finding places for every last detail of baby needs. Plus we have one more baby shower on Saturday, so I'm waiting until after that to officially put things in their places.

So, consider yourself officially caught up for now. Yes, there was a Colorado trip, and yes, it was amazingly fantastic! But those pictures will have to wait. We got baby business to catch up on. Bring on the baby posts!!

Because I don't know about you, but this girl could use a break from this today...

Especially since my ankles are looking like this...

Reacting to the News

IDENTICAL twin BOYS!!! Yah, the news is still the same...and somehow, so is my reaction! Every time I tell anyone or I have someone ask me about it my heart starts racing and I think...IDENTICAL twin BOYS!! Because you know me, everything is CAPITALIZED when it's exciting and I'm slightly FREAKING OUT! :)

As always, the emotions and thoughts come in floods (we've upgraded from waves now...it is just right to a flood of thoughts!) BOYS - I'm beyond excited! That part of this news was easy for me to handle. IDENTICAL - now that might be a different story. For some reason identical just freaks me right out.

What if we mix them up?! How do you make sure they feel like they have their own identity? What if one commits a crime and frames the other for it - their DNA will be identical too ya know?! (Yah, I watch a lot of crime shows...what can I say?!) Do we have them match? Do we care if they match? Ok, we know it's boys, do we really want a baseball theme? Are the names we picked out really the names we want to give them for the rest of their lives? What if we name them backwards, Baby A should have been Baby B and vice-versa? And the one Tadd laughed at the hardest - what if I grow their boy parts wrong? How does my body know how to grow them? I've never had any!

That's just some of my randomness. Trust me there is plenty more! Having twins was complicated enough, now having IDENTICAL twins just makes it seem even a little more intimidating. I told Tadd we will have to paint their toenails or something...markers wash off too easily! 

Tadd's reaction (other than the goofy grin plastered on his face)...

"It's a dream come true!" 

 His exact words in fact. He says every dad wants a boy, and to get two at the same time - Awesome!

That's a guy for you...I worry constantly and think of the craziest and silliest things...He just goes on being blissfully happy, living his ultimate dream apparently. We will see if that excitement lasts when those dream fulfilling boys are the reality of two screaming newborns at our house. 

I won't lie, knowing these lil nuggets are boys is kinda fun. Okay, it's really fun. I like being able to tell Tadd "Your boys sure are wiggly tonight" or "Will you tell your sons to stop pushing on my bladder?" And I used to think they listened. Tadd would talk to my belly and tell them to be nice to mommy and they seemed to listen. Now when he talks to my belly, I think they recognize his voice. They seem to get excited and move around more! Which is fun too. It makes me cry every time. Ahhh, pregnancy hormones! 

Wiggling babies is indeed a strange sensation. I've been able to feel them off and on for a few weeks now. Kicking babies - now that's even more strange...yet equally awesome! They started actually kicking about a week ago. It was a Sunday and I had to work, and they just started kicking. If I pushed on my belly they kicked me back. :) It always makes me giggle. 

These boys are definitely starting to become more active. Not enough that I can pinpoint a time of day they move more, or what foods make them kick (at least I hear that foods have an impact) - but they move enough I know they are there. Tadd has even been able to feel them. One of them kicked him at church on Sunday - quite comical. The look on his face was great. Before that he'd felt them moving a little, but this time it was a KICK!

It is amazing how fast time has gone by. I mean really, 21 weeks this week. How did that happen? I mean sure, I think back and March sounds like a really long time ago. But as far as the pregnancy goes, how did this belly get so big?

20 Weeks

Oh that's right, because there are TWINS in that belly. IDENTICAL twin BOYS!! (Yep, still slightly freaking out at that news!) That's how it got so big. Two babies the lengths of large carrots. (Last week the e-mail said bananas, this week carrots...I think a banana sounds bigger personally.) Does that blow anybody else's mind? Cause mine sure is blown. I swear it wasn't too long ago they were only the length of an almond or an apple. Does time always go this fast with babies?

Apparently. Or so I'm told. Definitely seems to be flying by for us. But I'm glad we've been blogging about it so you can all read along with our journey! And don't worry...there's plenty of journey left. :)

The Verdict is In...

Well, don't worry everyone, we did not fall off the face of the earth! Our lives have just been full of a lot of craziness lately. But don't you worry...it's about to become filled with even MORE craziness!
(More on that later)

I know why you all have really been checking in on us - yep, that's right, I can stalk you all! Okay, I just see how many times the blog is viewed, and my guess is you haven't kept coming back to re-read our thrilling stories...you've been waiting and waiting for the details. We sorta left ya hangin' about the genders didn't we...

Well, some people know that we are even meaner than you think. We've known for weeks...since my belly was this big...
 

18 Weeks

 ...That at least one of our nuggets was a little BOY! That's right - at our appointment on June 20th we found out - the doctor told us we were for sure having one little BOY!

Baby #2 wasn't as cooperative, so we decided to torture all of you, and wait to share that news until we knew for sure what both babies were and make a big announcement about it.

Of course, now we've known the genders of both babies for a good two weeks and have just been so crazy I haven't had a chance to make the news official.

So...here it goes.

 The verdict is.....

BOYS!

Now, let me just say, this has not been the normal pregnant experience. For many reasons. I have not been sick at all. (Angry - oh yes. Hormonal - definitely. Exhausted - and then some, especially in the beginning! Sick - not so much.) We have not had a doctor's appointment without an ultrasound. Every doctor's appointment seems to come with a surprise. For example:

Appointment #1: We get to hear the baby's heartbeat...and *surprise* we find out we are having TWINS!

Appointment #2: Doctor cannot hear distinct heartbeats so *surprise* ultrasound it is.

Appointment #3: Doctor again can't hear distinct heartbeats so *surprise 1* ultrasound! *surprise 2* a BOY!

Appointment #4: Our ultrasound with the high-risk specialist *surprise 1* Baby #2 is a....BOY!!!!!!! *surprise 2* These BOYS are IDENTICAL!!!

Yep, that's right. The extra verdict is in...IDENTICAL twin BOYS!!! Is anybody else's heart pounding like crazy after reading that?! Because even after two weeks of knowing that, my heart is still beating like crazy after typing that!

On top of the big news, we got even one more surprise at our visit with the specialist. We now have to have doctor's appointments with ultrasounds every TWO weeks! Yep, add just a little more craziness to our lives. Now that they know they are identical they have to keep a closer eye on them to make sure something called twin to twin transfusion. From what I understand, since the babies share the placenta, they have to worry about the shared placenta containing abnormal blood vessels. This connects the umbilical cords and circulations of the twins - usually resulting in one twin getting more nutrients than the other.

Being pregnant with twins, you are already at higher risk for a lot of pregnant complications like preeclampsia, preterm labor, gestational diabetes. But all of those things can be tested for at your regular checkups or have symptoms associated with them. Twin to twin transfusion is not something you can test for, and has no outward symptoms. So, they keep a close eye on the babies and make sure they are growing at a similar rate. Twin to twin only happens in about 10-15% of identical twins, so we have good odds that our little nuggets will be just fine! And if we get to see them more often, whose complaining? :)

 So, I vote that from now on, no more surprises at the doctor's office. I am not sure my heart could handle anymore surprises. Now it seems like the only surprises we could have would be bad surprises...so I'm really hoping no more! Just routine appointments from now on please :)

And here's what you were all really coming back to check on us for...the pictures!!

Baby A - Heartbeat 144 bpm

Baby A- Profile

Baby A - Close up profile 
(You can see part of Baby B's face above Baby A's!)

 

Baby A - BOY!! 
(Baby A is the more cooperative...we knew he was a boy a week before!)



 

 Baby B - Heart rate 157 bpm

 

Baby B - Profile

Baby B - Profile closeup



 

 Baby B - BOY!!!



In all honesty though, we are thrilled. Tadd is on cloud 15. (It's even higher than cloud 9) Twin boys is what he said would be awesome ever since we found out we were expecting. He came out of the doctor's appointment with the biggest grin on his face - and I'm pretty sure it hasn't left yet.

In true Resa fashion...my first reaction after finding out was, "Tadd, we need to go fabric shopping!" So we did! And the fabric we picked out is fantastic! I can't wait to get started...but wait is what I will have to do since I have an anatomy final in one week. And let's be honest, with all of this excitement going on, who would have been studying? Not me is the answer to that one! So I have to buckle down for one more week...then let the crafting begin!

Father's Day Surprise!

Knowing that I have the world's greatest dad, it is always hard to pick out Father's Day presents. This year just seemed extra difficult...he's building us cribs and dressers after all! I have been looking for the past couple months. I had settled on a nice John Deere puzzle...which I knew he would love - but it still just wasn't quite right.

Now, let me also say, I have the world's greatest mom as well! And seriously. It's not just a plug since I said it about my dad. But mom's are always easier to shop for...at least for me. I know exactly what will put a giant smile on Mom's face. (And if I ever get that quilt finished...she will love it!) Dad's are just more difficult. Okay, let's just be real honest - men are just more difficult to shop for!  

(I have yet to figure out anything for that Daddy of our nuggets/my hubby...)

Anyway - back on track - I had been trying to figure out something to go with Dad's puzzle...and one day the week before Father's Day, I got the e-mail. A 25% off deal for Southwest! The tickets had to be purchased that day, and could only be used the weekend of Father's day! (Can we say a sign?!)

My niece was having a ballet recital the weekend of Father's day and I had wanted to go...but tickets had been too expensive when we talked about going. So, of course I called Tadd at work with his favorite loaded question:

"How much do you love me?"  :)

The response is always,

"Lots...Why?"  

(He quickly figured out in dating/marriage that the question is always followed by a very large favor!)

And of course, this time was no different. I quickly explained the details of the e-mailed offer, and how I had that weekend off, and that it was Michelle's ballet recital, and I could surprise my family, and it could be part of Dad's father's day present, and I felt really bad that I wouldn't even be home for Tadd's first father's day, but I really wanted to go....

Yep, it really did go about like that. Me rambling frantically trying to convince him it was a wonderful idea. With a chuckle he simply said, 

"Slow down...You deserve it. Of course you should go!"

And with that the trip was planned! I called my sister and made sure it was okay I came (like I really had to ask)...and she was the only one who knew! 

Imagine my dad's surprise when they showed up Friday afternoon after a day at the doctor's office with Grandma Chocolate in Denver and came into the living room to find me sitting on the couch! It was almost as good as the surprise on Mom's face when she came in 10 minutes later when she arrived from Alamosa. So many screams! So many hugs! Such a fun filled weekend.

It was a fast trip, but we packed in the fun. My brother and his girls were there, as well as my younger sister and her little boy. All of the kids played so great together. It was a kids only table outside. Adults not invited. They giggled and told stories and just had a blast together. Ahhhh - cousins! Don't we all love them?! I know I love mine like crazy.

 My two year old nephews are only a couple months apart, so we joked all weekend about having twin boys and how this is what it would be like.

If twin boys means we get to do these fun boy things...I am totally game! 

Lincoln Logs!

And Tonka trucks!

And a miniature table for the boys to eat at...

Whose heart wouldn't melt for those things?! Because mine is an ooey gooey pile of mush after looking at these pictures again! 

Even when they aren't all smiles and giggles...

You get this monster face...

 Or the lazy, I'm pooped and too tired to play looks...

Yep, I think I could handle twin boys! Then again, girls really are fun too. And they just bond like boys don't. Boys will play together, but then move on to a new toy and not think much more of it if the other doesn't follow. Girls on the other hand...they are best friends for life. Like these two cousins. If you wondered where one was, just look for the other!  

Plus they do fun girly things like be a ballerina, and pose for a million pictures.

Another fun highlight of the trip was getting to meet my cousin Angela after the ballet recital for lunch. It had been years since I'd seen her or her family. And to make it even more fun - she has six year old twins! Michelle loved that they were all the same age. They were instant friends - instantly planning play dates and swimming adventures together.

And my cousin is alive. She looks GREAT in fact! Twins haven't slowed her down one bit. So there is hope! :)

We missed Tadd. In fact first thing when I got there my (almost) 2 year old nephew Bennett's first words to me..."Where's Tadd?" haha. A question that continued for the entire trip. He's a very loved uncle! Even without him, it was such a fun trip. I can't wait to go back in a month - especially since we're having a baby shower! :) YAY!!