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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

nails on a chalkboard

There are some sounds in this world that always give me goosebumps. Styrofoam sliding against, well, anything. People chewing their cuticles (even though I'm guilty of it myself). Teeth grinding (ahem, Brennan). My husband's disgusting phlegmy-cough thing he does to clear his throat because he apparently never learned how to clear his throat like a normal person.

But lately, the biggest thing is loud chewing. You know, the person that is eating chips and can be heard a mile away. It seems like I've come across more of these kinds of people lately. Maybe it's because I'm preggo and VERY cranky lately, but this noise irritates the living poop out of me. And it always seems to be someone who eats a lot. Like, an annoying amount of food.

My most recent encounter with a loud chewer was a friend, who is quite possibly one of the nicest people ever born, but also one of the loudest chewers ever born too. It took every ounce of will power in my body not to scream at him to stop taking any more taco chips. Seriously dude, stop with the chips.

Yeah, go ahead and say what you're thinking. It's OK. I'm perfectly aware that pregnancy hormones = bitchiness for this mama. I'm currently growing two humans -- and their collective weight is almost 8 pounds. And I still have 6-8 weeks to go. So as long as I can bite my tongue and not be mean to people's faces, I'm letting the bitchiness flow here on the internet :D

Monday, June 27, 2011

A little bit of everything



Please excuse the following flight of ideas. I've clearly been absent from the blog world for too long and I'll be honest, for no apparent reason. So this is my attempt to make up for it. :D

Brennan's room has been painted and he's all moved in. It still needs to be decorated and fine-tuned, but I LOVE it already. See? Super cute, in my opinion. You can't tell, but the walls are more of a light blue than the gray-ish they appear in the photos. Obviously, it needs a lot more work, but we'll get there. It's on the list for July.




The nursery took a bit of a back seat to life for longer than I wanted it to. But we were finally able to paint it and found a dresser on Craigslist that's waiting to be primed and painted. I'd post pictures, but it's still a hot hot hot mess in there. All in time, my friends.

That's where the progress ended because we had visitors this weekend. It was awesome to see Larry and Caitlyn, and I didn't even stress about having people in my house. This is probably due in part to the fact that I'm getting too tired to care, partly because they are just low-maintenance people, and partly because they helped us move out of our old house. Which means they helped us clean parts of our house that you just don't really clean often. The really really embarrassingly filthy parts. And they still wanted to be our friends after it was all said and done. Good people, those two. I'm tellin' ya.

My birthday was last Wednesday ... the big 2-8. I didn't expect much and wasn't at all stressed about getting older. I had a nice relaxing day with the kiddo, then we headed off to Brian's office to pick him up and head to dinner. I called when we got there and he said he wanted to show me some new clays, so Brennan & I headed inside. The office area was empty, which was odd because it was 6pm and the parking lot was still full, but I didn't have time to contemplate that much because when I walked around the corner, a crowd of people yelled "Surprise!" All of Bri's coworkers, their ladies, and even Larry & Caitlyn were there with pizza, cake, and even some non-alcoholic beer for this preggo birthday girl. I was beyond touched that they all took time out of their schedules to celebrate with me. Again, we're blessed with FANTASTIC people in our lives. And I'm blessed with an amazing husband. I've never had any kind of surprise party thrown for me, so it was especially thoughtful. I <3 him.

So Larry & Caitlyn came a day early to surprise me, which was so sweet. Our weekend with them was full of the typical visitor stuff - beach, zoo, RedBerry, Kennedy Space Center, etc. I think they enjoyed themselves and it was nice to have them around. Especially since we won't get to see them when we're in MI this weekend because we'll be crazy busy. (Can you say mass chaos?)

I think that's enough random thoughts for now. I'll leave you with some pictures of a super cute kiddo feeding birds and petting a giraffe. This is why we love our zoo.



Friday, June 10, 2011

Nesting

Today I am 25 weeks and 3 days pregnant with my twins. The average twin pregnancy is 36 weeks long. Of course I could deliver earlier, heck, I could deliver tomorrow. But the best case scenario is that my body will hold on to these boys til they're at least 37 weeks.

So I have plenty of time before they're born to line up help for the end of the pregnancy and the time there after, and to get the house ready for their arrival. Yet I find myself in this crazy rush lately to get things accomplished. I think it's because I know that every day it becomes more and more of a challenge for me to accomplish even the most basic tasks -- cooking, cleaning, and keeping up with a toddler. My belly is the size of a woman's who is about 34 weeks pregnant -- you know, that time when you're starting to get uncomfortable, but you know the end is near? Yeah, my end isn't near. Nor do I want it to be really. I mean, of course I want the discomfort to end, but I want these boys to stay put for now.

Anyways, I digress. So, for the last two weeks we worked on cleaning out the guest room, painting it, and getting Brennan moved in. Now that he's settled into his new room (which he LOVES), I can concentrate more on the nursery ... and it needs plenty of concentration. I still need to decorate Brennan's room, but I feel like those are crafty things that I can do with a big belly. I cannot however assist in painting (it's a well ventilated area with low fume paint people, chill out), clean and arrange things how I'd like them, put clothes away (in a currently non-existent dresser), make beds, etc.... My time to do these things is limited. Very limited.

And while my hubby is VERY patient when it comes to my pregnant-lady neuroses, he also feels the need to "have fun while we can" and therefore chooses to fill the weekends with plans with friends instead of getting things accomplished. It's driving me bananas. Doesn't he understand that I need to nest, damnit, and I can't do it alone??! Humph. (This is me pouting.)

Behind the hormones, I know that it'll all get done ... right?

Thursday, June 2, 2011

from rational to crazy and back again

I remember the discomforts of pregnancy the first time around. The 3 month long stomach flu/hangover, the emotional roller coaster, the weight gain and stretch marks, the punches and kicks to the cervix aka "lightening crotch"... I could go on for days, but I think you get the point. This time around, it's worse. Double the baby = double the hormones = even more dry heaving, more emotions, weight gain, stretch marks, blah blah blah. And to top if all off, this time there's a little 25 pound person to run around after while playing incubator to two more.

But I've been able to stay positive and chalk it all up to growing big, happy, healthy babies. I'll deal with it all if it means that my boys will grow big and strong and stay put til it's time to come out. Because I love these boys with all of my heart and soul and we haven't even yet been properly introduced. Throughout the contractions, the increasing numbers on the scale, and my ever-growing abdominal circumference, I slap on a happy face because it's all for THEM.

But yesterday I hit a bump. A rather large bump. I was having a rather "large" day. It was HOT outside, which doesn't help (hel-lo Florida summer). Brennan and I made our way to the doctor's office for my OB appointment.

Slap in the Face #1: The Scale. I usually weight myself at home, first thing in the morning, in nothing but my birthday suit. The numbers have been creeping, but I've managed to stay sane. And I know that I will weight more at the doctor's office - fully clothed, at the end of the day, on a different scale. But the number this time hit me ... and not in a good way. Inner dialogue time: "Kel, it's fine. You're pregnant. With twins. You've gained the appropriate amount of weight in your pregnancy so far, and you will continue to gain the appropriate amount, nothing more. Pull yourself together. It's for the boys. OK, I can do this."

On we go to the exam room. Doc comes in, we exchange pleasantries and talk about the pregnancy thus far. Then I heave myself (and Brennan) up onto the exam table. For those of you who don't know, it's standard practice to measure the abdomen during pregnancy. Basically, for a singelton pregnancy, the abdomen should measure the same number (in centimeters) as how many weeks along you are. So, if I had just one baby in my belly, since I'm 24 weeks, my abdomen should measure 24 centimeters.

Slap in the Face #2: The Belly Measure. So, I lay back, the doc pulls out the measuring tape and stretches it down my belly. Here's how it went:

Doc: Well, you're measuring 34 weeks.

(Silence. Blood rushing to my face.)

Me: W ... w... what's the rule for twins?

Doc: Well, there isn't one. We just expect you to be bigger than a singleton.

Me: Um, 10 weeks bigger?

Doc: No you fat ass! Quit gaining so much weight. Put down the doughnuts for the love of God!

Kidding of course. I love my doc. She sweetly reassured me that I'm doing everything right. I read the twin pregnancy book that she recommended and am following the weight gain curve nicely. She also pointed out that I've made up for the lack of weight gain in the first trimester, like she wanted me to, and that I'm headed for the third trimester, when it's just plain harder to put on weight because your stomach is smushed. I said OK, we talked about increasing the frequency of my appointments now that I'm further along, and I headed out the door.

So I'm fine. I feel huge, well, I am huge. But I'm supposed to be. Yeah. Right. I'm supposed to be. It's for the boys.

Fast forward to home. I'm getting dinner ready. My belly is bumping the counter, collecting water near the sink, and I spill flour all over my shirt. Inner dialogue time again: "You remember these days while pregnant with Brennan. It doesn't last long -- Oh, wait. I HAVE THREE MORE MONTHS OF THIS!!!!!!" Enter, lump in throat. Brian walks in the door. I say, "Guess how big my belly is measuring?" He says, "34 weeks".

Begin crying fit. Mascara stains all over hubby's shirt. Random babbling through the sobs "I ... don't ... wanna ... be ... HUGE! Do you realize how big I'm going to get??!?!?!" Kisses and hugs and sweet reassurance from Brian eventually calmed me down. He helped me return to my normal mantra: It's for the boys. Yes. I will be huge and uncomfortable and utterly miserable, as long as my boys stay put until they're big and old enough to come out and come home with me. I might complain to my mom, commiserate with my friends, and cry to my husband. But I'll get through it. And I'll be a better person, and a better mom, because of it.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

I'm a survivor...


Brennan and I survived 4 whole days at home alone without Daddy. This normally wouldn't be all that difficult for me as I've lived on my own before getting married, lived on my own while Brian worked in Chicago for 6 months shortly after we got married, and lived on my own with Brennan for 3 months when Brian moved here to FL. However, contrary to what you (or I) might believe it's not so easy to be by yourself with a (crazy) toddler while 24 weeks pregnant with twins.

See, the greatest part of my days, other than naptime of course, is at the end of the day when my hubby walks through the door. Not because I've been burning with desire to see him or anything. I mean, he's pretty amazing and all, but it's mostly because I need a break. And he jumps head first into Daddy duties when he gets home. (Have I mentioned that I love him? Cuz I do.)

So to have no relief for 4 days was a bit intimidating. Brennan woke up with a random fever, sans other symptoms, from his nap on Saturday and spent the next few days just kinda relaxing and snuggling with me. I'd never wish sickness on my child, but I must admit it was a relief not to have him running around like a crazy person.

We were both pretty excited to pick Daddy up from the airport Tuesday evening. I hit 24 weeks that day and he so sweetly pointed out that the belly looked like it had grown while he'd been gone. I blame the horizontal stripes, but you can see for yourself....

Holy belly.