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2012: A recap. (Posted a week late cos… well… babies.)

pregnancy, twins January 7, 2013 Comments: 6

It’s pretty clear that 2012 was life-changing for me:
It was the year of pregnancy.
The year of anticipation.
The year of motherhood.
The year that my life truly began…
(Hey now – It’s my blog-gy & I’ll be sappy if I want toooo!)

January
Just 4 days into 2012, I found out I was pregnant. Happy freakin’ new year!
Got a haircut. Cos moms have short hair, right?

POSITIVO!
(Excuse my pee.)

Oh snap! It’s me! With shorter hair. Neat.
(Holy crap do I need to do something with my eyebrows!)

February
Went for my first ultrasound 9 weeks into my pregnancy.
Received the shocking news that I wasn’t just “with child” — I was “with children”. (Cue freak-out.)
Started seeing a high-risk specialist (for twins).

TWO!?

March
With the shutdown of the company I worked for, I enjoyed my first official month of unemployment.
Morning sickness kicked my ass.
Started a (this) blog.
Said goodbye (good riddance!) to Mike’s evil cat.

April
On Easter I threw up for the first (and only) time during my pregnancy. Stayed in bed all day.
Found out we were having 2 little girls. (Woo!)
Had lunch with a friend I hadn’t seen in a decade.

It’s a girl! (x2)

May
Took childbirth classes & a special “twinformation” class for twin moms.
Celebrated Mike’s birthday/Memorial Day at my parent’s house.

June
Had 2 awesome baby showers (1, 2). Was amazed by how much stuff we got.
Doctors put me on bedrest at the end of the month, due to a “shortened cervix”. Got 2 shots in my butt. Wee!
Forked over a chunk of cash for much-needed new windows in the nursery/our bedroom.

Baby shower belly.

My babies were delicious.

July
Started feeling REALLY uncomfortable at this point: Swelling, hemmorhoids, reflux… Ugh!
Spent the 4th of July on my parent’s couch, feeling enormous.
Went to a zillion doctor’s appointments.
Wore the shit out of my 2(!) maternity dresses.

August
My sweet little rosebuds arrived on the 3rd of August.
I spent my birthday (the 5th) in the hospital. The first one as a mom. My best birthday yet. (Awwww.)
Made a ton of bottles, changed a ton of diapers.

In the hospital. Not pictured: All of the sick bruises from a gazillion blood draws. Worst.

First photoshoot at home. LOVE.

September
Started getting a hang of the whole “parenting” thing.
Became an expert at diaper changing. Witnessed “open air poops”. (Yep, it’s as gross as it sounds.)
Had my belated birthday party at our house.

October
Celebrated my 2-year wedding anniversary with Michael.
Bought pumpkins that we never got around to carving.
Went to the Great Pumpkin Farm for hay rides, kettle corn, hot cider & all that autumn-y goodness.

PUMPKIIIINS!!!’

November
Enjoyed my first Thanksgiving as a mom. Ate lots of Tofurky. Wiped up lots of drool.
Went to an antique co-op with my parents. ~~Won a door prize.~~ Stole my mom’s door prize.

Thanksgiving thugs.

December
Took the girls to meet Santa. They were NOT impressed.
Had lots of visits with family.
Paid visits to 3 different houses on Christmas day.
Ate a shit-ton of cookies & homemade (vegan!) peanut butter cups.

Christmas photoshoot. That was… fun.

So that was my year — chock full o’ big bellies and tiny babies.
Thanks for being awesome, 2012. I couldn’t have asked for more.

Bullets. They’re not pretty, but they get the job done.

twins, vegan August 27, 2012 Comments: 5

Mike’s feet at Letchworth State Park a couple years ago.

Ok, here’s the dealio — I feel like blogging, but I don’t really feel like thinking, know what I mean?

The compromise? A nice little bullet-ed list of random thoughts/events/etc… Brilliant!

Here goes…

Tomorrow I would have been 38 weeks pregnant. It also would have been the date of my scheduled c-section. Crazy. I truly cannot imagine still being pregnant at this point. Sooo happy that they’re already here!
Mike and I FINALLY got out of the house together on Friday evening. It was the first time I’d been “out” since being put on bed rest at 28 weeks (mid-June!). We went to Pizza Plant, where I pigged out on veggie chili & then was deeply saddened by the fact that they were out of vegan cheesecake (which Mike was letting me get for once — argh!!). We also went to Target, Babies-R-Us (of course) & the Dollar Tree. We were home by 9 to feed the girls and in bed by 10. Party animals, we are.
I can’t stop daydreaming about autumn. It’s always been my absolute favorite season & I get goosebumps just thinking about its awesomeness. Falling leaves, pumpkin stands, fresh apples/apple cider, crisp autumn air, snuggly hoodies/sweaters… Ahhhhhh! Can’t wait!
Mondays & Tuesdays are my “guilty pleasure” tv nights. Actually, they’re my only tv nights. I have zero interest in any singing/dancing-themed shows (when will they stop!?!), but gimme anything with Chef Ramsay and/or the distribution of plastic roses and I’m hooked! With that said, don’t even try to talk to me when Hell’s Kitchen, Masterchef or Bachelor Pad are on. F’real.
We still can’t quite tell the twins apart. Is that bad? Our simplest solution so far has been to dress Chloe in only pink, and dress Everly in everything else. Get it? Everly, ever-ything else? Shut up, it works.

Everly looks just like Chloe…

: …Chloe looks just like Everly.

Losing weight & losing our minds: 2 weeks of baby-dom.

pregnancy, twins August 20, 2012 Comments: 6

It’s been 2 weeks and 3 days since the little rosebuds arrived.

To say that I’m a little sleep-deprived would be an absurd understatement. Feeding the girls every 3 hours is really starting to take its toll. Mike and I are starting to resemble extras from The Walking Dead. It’s not pretty.

For two little people who weigh just under 10 pounds combined, our girls sure can eat. And fuss. And grunt. And poop. It’s like having 2 of those Tamagotchi things, only it’s a much bigger deal if we forget to feed them. Oh, and we can’t really throw them in a drawer when we get sick of them. (Though they would fit quite nicely… Kidding, kidding…)

Note: This is not a baby.

I think Mike is having the hardest time adjusting to our new (lack of) sleep schedule. Almost every night since we’ve brought them home, he’s woken up in the wee hours of the morning, thinking one of the girls were in his pillow. Yep, in his pillow. He picks it up, gently cradles it in his arms, straightens the pillowcase… Of course I thought this was hilarious the first couple times he did it, but now that it’s been going on nightly for almost 2 weeks, I’m really starting to worry about him. Each time he does it, I try to tell him that the babies are in their bassinets and he insists that he moved them onto the bed. After a few minutes he realizes what’s going on and gets upset with himself. Is this normal?? Either way, I reeeeally hope it stops soon. Demanding babies + hallucinating husband = super freaked out Wendy.

Warning: Before resting your head, please check for babies.

On a more positive note, I’ve almost lost all of my baby weight!

Less than a week after delivery, I weighed 142.5 pounds — down from 172.5 at my heaviest. So I somehow managed to drop 30 pounds in one week! Yay for having twins?! I’m currently at 138, 3 pounds more than my pre-pregnancy weight of 135. My belly is still jiggly, but to be fair, I had a bit of a “pooch” before the babies anyway.

I think my body fared pretty well, considering everything it went through over the last eight months. I have a few dark stretch marks on my right hip, and a bunch of transparent ones between my bellybutton & my incision. I’m hoping they’ll fade more over time & hopefully be less noticeable if I can tone up my belly some.

Another unfortunate, unexpected result of pregnancy is that my butt seems to have disappeared. I’ve always had ample booty (for a white girl), but now it’s more on the flatter side. I’m kind of sad, but I guess it’s not such a bad thing. Now that my boobies are back to their old (teeny) size, my down-sized booty is more proportional to the rest of my body. I just hope it doesn’t disappear completely…

Here’s an instagram photo of my belly/booty at 34 weeks, and how I look currently:

Getting there!

Well, look at that — Almost time for another feeding. *yawn* Are they 18 yet?!

A lot can happen in 1 minute & 36 seconds.

pregnancy, twins August 16, 2012 Comments: 10

Here it is! The time lapse project that Mike & I started at 17 weeks is now complete!

It could have been longer, but frankly, being pregnant made me lazy. Very lazy.

Some days, just getting me to drag my bloated booty upstairs to the nursery was like pulling teeth. Not to mention the fact that I couldn’t be bothered to put on makeup most of the time and was paranoid that I would look hideous. Oh, and then there was the whole “stuck on bedrest from 28 weeks” thing, resulting in a shorter than intended video.

Thankfully, despite all the setbacks, we got it done and it turned out pretty darn (darn? yeah, I’m a mom now) well.

I’m soooo glad we did this!

When delivering rosebuds, be mindful of their thorns.

pregnancy, twins August 14, 2012 Comments: 6

The girls are currently sleeping snug as lil’ bugs in their Pack-n-Play, so I’m taking advantage of a little “free time” to type up their birth story… (But something tells me I’m going to be writing this in more than one sitting.)

Ok, where to begin…

I guess it all started on July 31st, while at my high risk specialist appointment. My blood pressure was highly elevated and I was told to contact my obgyn. I had already scheduled an appointment for 2 days later, on August 2nd, so I figured I would just wait until then to inform my doctor. That is, until I took my blood pressure at home and found that it was 180-something over 100-something (translation: wicked high). I called my Dr. and she told me to go to the hospital to get checked out. This was on Wednesday, August 1st. We went there, got blood drawn (ahhh!) and urine samples taken, then was sent on my merry way. No idea why they didn’t keep me there longer.

Being monitored. Fun times.

The next day, on August 2nd, I went to my scheduled obgyn appointment. My blood pressure was taken (still super high) and I was instructed to go to the hospital (a different one) to get monitored for 24 hours. This part was a nightmare. After many failed attempts at trying to lower my blood pressure, I was finally given an IV and put on magnesium to prevent me from having seizures or a stroke (scary!). The meds burned like hell as they went into my arm and I immediately started crying. I guess this is where I hit my breaking point. I was in pain and terrified of what was to come. Thankfully, the babies never showed any signs of distress throughout all of this chaos, which was a huge relief.

After what seemed like days of being pumped with magnesium and feeling like I was hit by a truck, a doctor came in around midnight on August 3rd and told me they were going to proceed with the c-section. I was both relieved and terrified all at once — relieved to finally be put out of my misery and get those babies out, but terrified at the prospect of getting my guts cut open.

Soon, two nurses came in and shoved a catheter in me — this part was awful and the nurses were far from compassionate. I was in a ton of pain and they were just plain cold as they did their business. Not cool.

Shortly after my visit with the nurses from hell, Mike said goodbye and I was wheeled into the operating room. I was picked up and placed on the operating table, where they had me sit on the edge and arch my back like a cat while they inserted the spinal block. To my surprise, the spinal itself didn’t hurt all that much — the worst part was trying to bend over/arch my back with such a big belly and all that nasty magnesium coursing through my body.

Once I was all numbed up, which didn’t take long at all, the procedure began. I honestly don’t remember much about it, aside from being weirded out about not feeling my legs and grossed out hearing all of the stuff being suctioned out of my body. Oh, and tons of pulling and tugging. And f-bombs being dropped by the doctors behind me (Mike couldn’t believe how unprofessional they were).

I was pretty out of it and had my eyes closed the whole time, but when I heard little Everly cry for the first time, I knew everything was going to be okay. I don’t know how long I was in there, but Mike said it seemed to take forever to sew me back up.

The next 24 hours were pretty much a blur. I was still on magnesium and really can’t remember anything about the first day of the girls’ lives. I didn’t even get to see them until the following day. My first glimpse of my babies was via some photos that Mike showed me on his iPhone. I was upset about this at first, but now I realize that even if I did get to see them, I probably wouldn’t have remembered anyway. I was that out of it.

Everly Autumn Rose

Chloe Winter Rose

Despite being born at 34 weeks & 3 days, the girls were well-developed and healthy. They only spent about 3 days in the NICU. Everly needed a little bit of oxygen for a while and Chloe needed help regulating her temperature. The strength they showed was amazing. They were in open cribs within a couple of days, and by August 6th they were in our room with us. The following day, we all went home together.

I celebrated my 34th birthday in the hospital (on August 5th), and despite still being in a ton of pain, it was the best birthday I’ve ever had. Two days earlier I had been given the best gift anyone could ever ask for — 2 perfect little miracles. What more could I ask for?

They’re heeeeere!!

pregnancy, twins August 8, 2012 Comments: 8

Just a quick post to say that the rosebuds have arrived!

They were born on Friday, August 3rd (at 34 weeks & 3 days) via c-section, due to my increasingly high blood pressure.

Baby A (Everly Autumn Rose) was born at 2:42am, weighing 4lb 9oz.

Baby B (Chloe Winter Rose) was born at 2:43am, weighing 4lb 10oz.

They both spent about 3 days in the NICU for minor issues and were able to come home with us yesterday afternoon.

I’ll write up a proper birth post at some point. — As I’ve been told, babies are big time-hogs!

Ankles… Who needs ‘em?

pregnancy, twins July 24, 2012 Comments: 4

23-33 weeks. Forgive the blurriness.

33 weeks? Say whaaaat?!

I can’t believe how fast these last few weeks have gone by. These girls are gonna be here before I know it! Crazy!!

To be honest, I’m kinda hoping that they decide to venture out before my scheduled 38-week c-section. I’ve been in so much pain these days and I’ve definitely hit “the wall”. Baby A is destroying my poor cervix to the point where I was almost in tears the other night. I’m soooo ready to evict her from the premises. I hope they have a time-out chair in the OR, cos she is SO grounded.

I had my weekly specialist appointment yesterday and found out that Baby A miraculously gained 10 ounces since last week. Um… yeah… sure she did. Something tells me they mis-measured last time, way underestimating A’s weight. This time A weighed in at 3 lbs 13 oz and B was a solid 4 lb. They’re both continuing to do “practice breathing” & are as active as ever.

Once again, both girls were facing my back, making it impossible to see their little faces. The tech told me that they’ll likely remain in those positions until birth.

How far along? 33 weeks today!

Weight gain/loss: I didn’t notice what it was at the Dr. yesterday, but I weighed myself at home the other night & it was 170. Ouch.

Feeling: BIG. It’s so hard to get comfortable anywhere. Sitting, laying down, standing up… Everything hurts. My feet have gotten noticeably swollen & my ankles are MIA.

Maternity clothes? You know the deal… 2 dresses… blahblah…

Sleep: N/A.

Food cravings: Still want Thai food. And anything chocolate-y.

Movement? I’m pretty sure I’ve been feeling A having bouts of the hiccups. It’s very rhythmic & kind of annoying. But not as bad as when she tries to start a mosh pit on my cervix. B kicks me once in a while, but her position makes it a lot less noticeable/painful.

What I miss? Not feeling (and looking) like a beached whale, having ankles, sleep, sex, etc…

What I’m looking forward to: Getting these lil’ girls OUT!

No sleep? No sex? No likey.

pregnancy, twins July 18, 2012 1 Comment

No belly or ultrasound pics this week, so here’s a snippet of the nursery instead.

Another milestone accomplished!

When I found out about my shortened cervix at 28 weeks, the nurse told me to try to keep the babies cooking for at least another month (as if it’s really up to me… pfft). But here I am, at 32 weeks & 1 day and still growing my lil’ rosebuds.

My MIL took me to my 32-week specialist appointment on Monday and all looked well. I had my first non-stress test (NST), where they monitor their heartbeats to make sure they rise with movement and fall when they’re at rest. The results were great and I was told that I have “very active babies”. (Which means I’m going to be one tired mamma once they arrive.)

Baby A is a little behind her sister, weighing 3 lbs 3 oz. Baby B is a hefty 3 lb 15 oz. This is the first time their weights have been so different, which makes me kind of nervous, but the doctor didn’t seem too worried, so hopefully it’s not a big deal. They’re both doing “practice breathing”, which was great news! I’m hoping to avoid NICU at all costs!

Sadly, both babies were facing my back during the ultrasound, so we didn’t get to see their little faces at all. I’ll be going to the specialist every week now, so hopefully they decide to turn around by my next appointment. The back’s of their heads are great & all, but not quite as cute as their faces.

Ok… “Official” bumpdate time:

How far along? 32 weeks and 1 day.

Weight gain/loss: I’m up to 164! I was shocked when the nurse announced that number. I mean, I’m happy that the babies are growing, but it’s still crazy to hear such a high number — and to be okay with it. (Well, as long as I can lose it once they’re here!)

Feeling: HOT! This recent heatwave has been brutal. 90′s & humid. Yuck! Summer is my least favorite season, so I was dreading being so big during these scorching months. Also, I think I’m starting to get slightly swollen feet. Oh, and stretch marks are finally starting to make themselves known on my belly. Not a fan.

Maternity clothes? Still wear the same 2 dresses when I’m allowed to leave the house. I really don’t mind though… Why spend a lot of money on maternity clothes that I’m only going to use for a couple months? Sure, my doctors might have pools going every week to see if I’m going to wear my striped dress or my flowered dress, but what can ya do…

Sleep: Sleep? What’s that? A slim sheep?

Food cravings: Nothing lately. I just miss going out to eat. And I really want Thai food.

Movement? Still a lot. A is still kicking away at my cervix/intestines. B’s head is pushing on my bladder, so that’s fun.

What I miss? Honestly, lately I really miss sex. A lot. Yeah, I said it. I MISS THE CRAP OUT OF SEX. It’s been off-limits since getting put on bedrest & god knows when I’ll be able to partake in it after the babies arrive. Ugh! I apologize to any family members who are now totally creeped/grossed out.

What I’m looking forward to: See above? haha

Grow, babies, grow!

pregnancy, twins July 8, 2012 Comments: 6

I WAS going to do a bumpdate post a couple days ago, but got a wee bit distracted by the crazy turd who stole my babies.

So with all that nonsense behind me, here it is… 30 weeks down, 8 to go:

In the nursery, waiting for the stork to come.

How far along? 30 weeks and 5 days.

Weight gain/loss: Started at 136. Weight at Dr’s Friday was 159. Everyone tells me I look tiny, but I feel HUGE.

Feeling: HUGE! haha I think I have a bit of a waddle now, but since I’m on bed rest I don’t really do much walking anymore. In fact, I rarely leave the couch. It’s rather depressing actually. Every day is starting to blur into the next… Aside from the whole giving birth thing, I don’t have anything to look forward to anymore. Just day after day of being stuck on the couch. Ugh. Who would have thought that doing nothing all day would be so draining?

Maternity clothes? I only have a few maternity dresses (and only 2 that I actually like/wear). I save these dresses for when I get to venture out of the house for Dr. appointments, but the rest of the time I just throw on any of my “regular” ones that I can still squeeze into. The couch really doesn’t care how I look, so it’s cool.

Sleep: Still hard to come by. Especially during the recent heatwave we’ve had. Just can’t get comfortable.

Food cravings: Wendy’s baked potatoes! I don’t know why, but baked potatoes almost always sound so good to me.

Movement? Lots! Baby A is constantly kicking the crap out of my poor cervix and rectum/large intestine(?). She’s literally kicking my ass. Weirdest feeling ever. B is a lot less annoying, mainly due to her location. She does have some really powerful kicks though! They’re both most active when I go to bed & when I wake up. Mike has been holding my belly in the morning to feel them and although I’m usually half-asleep and out of it, I LOVE those little moments of bonding.

What I miss? Leaving the house!!! Shaving my legs… wearing cute dresses… caring about how I look… etc.

What I’m looking forward to: Scheduling my c-section & hopefully making it to at least 35 weeks.

This was a test shot that Mike took before the belly pics… I usually hate candid shots of me, but I liked the feel of this one for some reason.

Remembering June, the month of non-stop eating.

pregnancy, twins, vegan June 30, 2012 Comments: 2

I can’t believe tomorrow is the first day of July! – July!!

If Baby A continues to mercilessly kick on my cervix (the girl wants OUT!), it’s very possible that July will be their birth month. Of course I’m hoping to keep them in longer, but I’ll be 34 weeks at the end of the month, so it wouldn’t be awful if they came that soon. Plus, I really can’t wait to meet them! And be able to breathe/sleep/walk/leave the house again!

I’m way overdue for a “bumpdate” post, but I haven’t been taking many self portraits lately. Being on bedrest gives me no motivation to do my hair or makeup, so I’m not exactly feeling very photogenic these days. I’ll try to make myself presentable next week for a 30-wk update. No promises.

For now, here’s a little recap of the month of June, Instagram-style. (Where it appears that all I did this month was EAT.)