Today is a great day!

Well, obviously I have a few reasons that make today a great day, but I have one specific reason in mind at the moment.

I am NOT throwing up!  Yes, I'm queasy and it has gotten worse over the past week.  But I am 7 weeks pregnant today and have not thrown up once!  I've gagged and I've opted to toss food out rather than eat it, but I've kept everything down!

When I was pregnant with the twins I began my hate-hate relationsihp with HG at 6 weeks 2 days.  I am ecstatic to have passed that date without one running-to-the-bathroom-with-my-hands-pressed-against-my-mouth episode!!!

Now if only this will last.  I'm being positive and thinking it will.  :-)

Wherein Amanda learns you can't buy everything

As in, you can't buy simple appreciation for what you have.

Christmas morning was pretty darn good this year.  We did very little for the boys and they were overjoyed with what they had.  Of course, had they not gotten a single item they would've been just as happy.  Ah, the joy of the innocent!

Christmas evening was a little hectic.  We packed up the kiddos, the presents for my family, all the kiddos stuff, and ourselves then drove across town in the monsoon-like rain.  (can't complain too much about the weather since it was 70-something degrees and all.)  Once at my sister's house chaos ensued.  The boys were past ready for a nap (but come on! it's Christmas! we don't need no stinkin' naps!), Tim and I were starving, my sister felt as soon as we got there was the best time for her to go upstairs and play with her daughter and her billion and ten zhu-zhu pets, my BIL was completely engrossed in a football game, and my Mom couldn't find anything in my sister's ill equipped kitchen.  Ugh.

I was finally able to get my sister back downstairs (she was supposed to be cooking but "hadn't gotten to spend any time with [her daughter] all day!!!". We swapped presents. Merriness ensued!

Then we headed back into the kitchen to finish up the meal while the men watched the kids.  BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! MEN WATCHING KIDS....HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!  Every couple of minutes one of her kids would end up in the kitchen asking for candy or drink or something or another.  Once we finally got it through their heads the answer was "no" regardless what the question was they quit asking for stuff.  Well, they kind of did.  Then they needed to come through the kitchen a billion times.  Why? Because they didn't like the toys they had in the living room and needed to find another one upstairs.  (we had a baby-gate up between the kitchen and den and it seemed to torture her kids to have a barrier.)

WHAT?!?!?!  These kids had piles and PILES of toys all over the living room.  I know this because there was almost nowhere to move in the blasted place!  Their paternal grandparents had spent several hundred dollars on each child, plus the gifts from their maternal grandparents, their parents, various aunts and uncles, and from Santa.  PILES OF GIFTS! But they didn't want to play with them.  And that's the attitude they seem to have in general.  Nothing seems to have any value to them.

I know a lot of children grow up with that attitude, but I don't remember it quite that way.  I remember having little, loving what I had, and although I wanted more I knew I had to be happy with what I had.  And I was.

I want to raise my children to appreciate what they have and to be grateful for gifts they receive.

Rant over!

Putting it out there.

****If you are NOT in a good place right now, please do not read****

Merry Christmas

May all your Christmas wishes come true!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Perfect Moment Monday

This just made my day today.  I was driving home and saw a series of signs posted on the boulevard.  I just had to share!

I'm glad he made it home for Christmas!

I Capture
Perfect Moments.

One Full Year - Jack

My big boy...Jack...

[caption id="attachment_1286" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="This is my very first picture! It's a little blury, but Daddy is so proud."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1290" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="My first smile was in January!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1289" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="By February I am totally cuter than Daddy!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1291" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="March brought the realization that jumperoos are AWESOME!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1293" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="I could hardly contain my excitement in April"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1294" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="Food? Is THAT what this is? (May)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1295" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="In June I decided "up" was a great position to be in!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1296" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="In July I had a wonderful time with my Grandparents"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1297" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="Munchmunchmunch August was yummy munchmunchmunch"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1298" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="I CAN STAND!!! (september)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1299" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="Baths were more fun that Trick-or-Treating in Octboer"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1300" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="What do you mean I have banana on my face? It was all the rage in November!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1301" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="yumyumyumyum Cake is GOOD yumyumyumyum Oh and toys rock yumyumyumyum"][/caption]

It's hard to believe that it's been one year since my baby boy made his way into the world.  Again, saying the time flew by is an understatement!  My baby boy started out at 6lb 7oz and 18 1/2" long; He's now 21lbs and 29 3/4" high.  He's also built just like his Daddy...solid.  Jack started out this little bundle of sweetness that seemed to take everything around him in and not much has changed but his size.  He is still so curious about everything and will stare and fiddle with something for the longest time until he figures it out (he knows how to open the baby gates but doesn't have the strength. figured them out months ago).  He's also such a sensitive little thing; telling his brother "no" sets him into tears just as his brother "yelling" at him does.  I think this little one is going to have so much to teach me and look forward to it every day!  Happy Birthday Jack-Jack, my little love-nugget!

One Full Year - Trip

My little guy...Trip...

My very first picture - 1 day old in the Level II Nursery

Because this is how I spent a good bit of January

I could smile, but no one could catch it on film in February

2 hour bottles have made me happy and round in March

Sun & Fun in the park in April

I don't like food too much in May, but I Love Mommy!!

Tummy time in June isn't quite as miserable as it used to be

[caption id="attachment_1272" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="This water stuff is kind of cool...especially in July"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1273" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="Is it still a raspberry if you do it with blueberries in your mouth? (august)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1274" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="September brought my first cold. Do I look sick to you?"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1275" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="By October I've realized that I AM the most beautiful baby in the mirror!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1276" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="In November I realized that banana was GREAT for styling my hair. Don't you agree?"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1278" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="This December I got to eat a lot of cake and got fun new toys and got the Happy Birthday song sung to me a billion times (I counted)"][/caption]

It's been a year since my little Monster made his way into this world.  It seems almost unreal!  To say the time flew by is an understatement.  My little guy started out at 6lb 5oz and 19" long; He's now 18.8lbs and 29 3/4" high.  He started out this little bundle of baby that had a problem with his oxygen levels and wailed because the nurses wouldn't leave him alone; Now he's this super smiley little toddler that loves to hear his own voice and thinks climbing on things is just the most fun!  He changes and grows and changes some more every day.  Each day (even the bad ones) is a blessing that I wouldn't trade for anything!  Happy Birthday Trip, My little Monster Man!

Please No Presents!

Jack-Jack & Trip-Monster are turning one year old this Friday.  I. Cannot. Believe. It.  We're having a small party for them on Saturday, since, you know...Friday sucks for most anyone gainfully employed.  We're even having the party in another state to make it easier for family to come.  Isn't that so nice of us?

Well, it's about to be not-so-nice.

We are driving 4 1/2 hours Friday afternoon (you know...the boys' birthday).  Why are we doing this?  So we can throw their party 1/2 way between Tim's parents.  This is done in the hopes that both of his parents will be able to make it.  The FIL is definitely going to be there.  Tim was going to drive and get him if his doctor hadn't released him to drive, yet.  The MIL?  I've got no clue if she's coming!  Well, that's a lie.  I've got a couple of huge clues that she won't be there.  Really woman?  You've got a valid reason to miss your only grandchildren's first birthday party?

The MIL has told the FIL, because even though they've been divorced for 20 years and all of their children are grown and they live in different states they talk all the time, that she doesn't know if she'll have the money to come.  I'm not sure why she wouldn't have the money.  It's not as if we didn't plan this party months ago.  It's not as if she didn't borrow money from someone for gas to drive across two states when FIL had his recent heart-attack.  It's not as if we've asked her to bring any presents.

But what has the MIL told us, you ask?  She has been extremely vague until tonight.  Tonight she told Tim that the doctor told her she couldn't ride in a vehicle for more than 30 minutes because her foot would swell and she has a blister on it (MIL is diabetic due to very poor health habits AND she smokes).  Hmmmm...that sounds a little odd since last week I was told her doctor had released her back to light wheelchair duty at her job which he knows is almost an hour drive away.  This is also a little odd since she told me about the blister the same time she told me about being released back to work and the doctor hadn't said anything at that point about any of this.  Plus, why can't she prop her foot up in the backseat while her good-for-nothing husband drives?!?!?!  It's not like this is just some random event she's been invited to...this is her only grandchildren's first birthday party!!!  And I can just about BET that these will be the only grandchildren she'll ever have and can guarantee this is the only first birthday they'll have.

To be even more convenient to the in-laws (and in all honesty some other friends that were invited that I know are on a beyond shoe-string budget) I wrote in large lettering on all the invites "Please no presents!"  Did you guess that she also tried to use the no-money-for-presents excuse?

To say Tim is upset about this is an understatement.  The fact that his mother abandoned him for some guy when he was 9 was forgivable.  The fact that she has fed his brothers' addictions and co-dependancy is forgivable.  The fact that she doesn't feel the need to call when his grandparents are deathly ill is forgivable.  But this. Is. Not.  He's already said (many many many times) if she doesn't show up for their party then she's out of their lives.  I will no longer email or mail any pictures or videos or other updates.  He will no longer call her so she can hear the boys giggling and "talking".  She will be written out until she can get her priorities straight.  (did I ever tell you about driving up to visit her only me and the boys just so she could spend time with the boys and she ended up planning something else at the same time. she'd had two months notice I was coming and was only home for an hour while I was there.)

Needless to say, I support this 100%.  It wouldn't hurt my feelings one bit to not have to listen to her say "Twiiiiii-iiip! Can ewe say Mammaw?"  His name is TRIP and YOU are NOT his Mammaw.  MY Mom is his Mammaw; like I told you BEFORE they were born.  (She said she didn't want to go by Mammaw-"last name" even though my Mom has been called Mammaw for almost 12 years and I'd really rather not confuse my boys.  There needed to be some way to distinguish the two.  My Mom was even nice enough to say she'd go by Mammaw-"last name" too!)

So that's the drama we're rolling into this weekend.  I honestly hope the woman isn't there just so I don't have to play nice.  She's a good person, but plain sucks as any form of maternal figure.

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On a completely good note I keep getting requests for stuff that I've been crocheting!!!  That excites me to the Nth degree!!!  Of course right now I've got so much left to do for Christmas gifts that I haven't been taking many requests, but that will change very soon.  My neighbor even came over today and said she'd get her 15yr old son to give me an idea for a design that he'd like and then he'd take it to the skate-park that he frequents.  If the guys there like it I'll probably consign a load of them to the owner of the park.  Apparently true skateboarders are really big into supporting local people.  That rocks for me!

Well, I got sidetracked with Etsy and Ravelry just now and completely lost my train of thought (me?  imagine that!) so I'm going to stop here.

Wish me luck!

Confession (not a bfp announcement I swear)

I had to add the no-bfp to the title because I've seen posts on other blogs that start out similar to that and then announce someone starting their second trimester.  Yeah, don't want to do that to anyone.  Now on to my confession.

I. Feel. No. Pity. For. Her.  None at all.  Not one single iota.  Who am I talking about?  Evil SIL.

It turns out that doctors are really wrong about Evil SIL.  They told her ages ago that she would never have children.  She now as one that she constantly neglects.  She's had a minimum of 2 miscarriages.  She has also now had her second ectopic pregnancy.  I felt badly for her with her other losses, but with this most recent one I have no pity whatsoever.

My Mom called me to let me know that I needed to pray for Evil SIL because she was in the hospital.  My mind jumped to OMG-is-she-about-to-die?  Since I'm confessing here I'll admit that I was hopeful this was what was happening.  I'm sure that makes me a horrible person, but this thing my brother calls his wife is a miserable excuse for a human being and not even remotely an excuse for a wife or mother.  Aaaaanyway...back to the story.  My Mom then explained that she was having an ectopic pregnancy and was being rushed into surgery to have it removed.

I did pray for Evil SIL.  So did my Mom and Sister.  We all prayed that she came out of the surgery OK and that the doctors found the need to remove both tubes.

I DO feel sorry for my Mom, though.  This is another grandchild that she will never get to hold.  That breaks my heart.  Even though she shares my feelings in regards to Evil SIL she would have loved that baby just as much as she does her other grandchildren.  As a matter of fact, she would have had a very close relationship with her because she would be taking care of her at least every other weekend like she does my nephew (Evil SIL's son).

So there.  I got it off of my chest.  My brother and his wife are both losers to the Nth degree and I feel no pity for them that this pregnancy was not successful.  I pray that this little life will be born to amazing parents that truly want her and will love her like she deserves to be loved!

ps I wouldn't have actually wished this on her, but I have wished sterility on her and continue to.

HALP!

I've started an etsy store.  I've been really getting back in to my crochet and have decided to start selling some of what I make.  I've still got to build up my stash of ready-to-ship stuff before I start doing custom orders, though.  Until then I've got a couple of wipe cases and burp rags and bibs to sell.  I've decided that I'm also going to start making these things.

So here's my dilemma...what should I call my store?  I'm going to sell crocheted items and handmade baby items (not clothes).  Right now it's called "Trip over Jack crochet".  Please give me some ideas!!!

Do you know...

How many days are left until Christmas?

I've got sooo much left to do.  We haven't purchased a single gift yet.  I'm not kidding!  I'm trying to make a bunch of Christmas gifts this year and so far that's going OK.  I've still got plenty of work left on that, though.

This year I am thankful for so much.  I've made some new friends and found a few old ones.  My family is all in great health.  My in-laws are doing very well despite the health issues they've run across.  I have a house full of love and food (two necessities in life)!  I really couldn't ask for more!

So how prepared is everyone (and by everyone of course I'm talking to my 3 remaining readers...tee-hee) for Christmas?  And what are you thankful for?

Miscommunication

The proper title for this post should be "Complete and Utter Lack of Communication".  But miscommunication is shorter.

To add more drama to the previous post Tim's Mom fell at work the other day.  She broke two bones in her leg and had to have surgery.  Guess who called and told Tim?

His Step-Dad?
Nope.

One of his brothers?
Nope.

His Step-sister?
Nope.

His Dad?
Nope.

His Mom?
Yup.

You read that right.  Tim's Mom called him from her hospital room the morning after her surgery to let him know that she'd been injured and had surgery.  And this is pretty much how it goes on that side of his family.  If anything happens, his Mom calls him afterwards to let him know about it.  And don't jump to sweet conclusions that nobody wants him to worry, because that has nothing to do with it.  No one seems to think he needs to know since he's out-of-town.  His Mamaw is in the ICU?  His Mom will call after a couple of days (even if the doctor doesn't know if she'll make it through the night).

I. Just. Don't. Get. It!

Of course if I were on the outside looking in I'd think that Tim was very lucky he got a call from his brother to let him know about his Dad's heart attack. But I'm on the inside so I know that the reason that happened is because there is no one adult enough to take care of things for his Dad (disability, bills, locking up his keys and wallet so the loser family members don't steal his vehicle and money).

What is wrong with these people?!?!?!  Ugh!!!

I've decided that when I see Tim's Step-Dad at the boys' party I'm going to take him aside.  I want to make sure he has ALL of our contact numbers in his telephone and emphasize the importance of CALLING if anything happens to a family member.  I know the man has been married at least 5 times and still has children coming out of the woodwork, but come on!

I just had to get that out.  I feel better now.  No really!  I feel relieved!  I promise my next post will be much nicer and not so woe-is-me-my-in-laws-suck. :-)

Still kicking

I'm alive.  I promise!  And I'm going to try and do an actual real post!  (Not just begging for votes in a photo competition).

All is well in the Waiting household, but outside of it is another story.  There has been so much family drama, but thank God it's calmed down for the most part.

A couple of months ago we got a call from Tim's brother telling us his Dad was in the hospital for a heart attack and the Chaplain had just gone back to see him.  And that's all he knew.  WTF?  You don't call a guy and tell him his Dad's had a heart attack and the God-guy has gone to his room and you don't know anything else!!!!  It turned out the Chaplain was just getting info for my retarded BIL (not really retarded, but damn near IQ-speaking...honestly).  FIL's heart stopped at some point, they tried for a heart-cath but didn't do it, then they rushed him into quadruple bypass surgery.  It turned out everything major was at least 90% blocked with his front ventricle being 99.9% blocked.  There was NO REASON he was alive as far as the doctors were concerned.  Even the veins (or arteries...not sure what they said anymore) in his legs were 90% + blocked.  They ended up doing a triple bypass instead of a quadruple.  His coloring honestly looked better after his surgery than it had since I'd met him.

The whole time we were in town for the FIL the rest of the in-laws expected Tim to take care of EVERYTHING.  (Note: Tim has two brothers and two uncles that live in the same city as his dad.)  No one gave any thought to the face that we had the boys with us (tell me who wants to sit with 2 nine month old babies in a hospital for hours?).  I finally got some of his family to watch them since Tim was NOT leaving the hospital.  Tim's brothers came to see their Dad the day after the surgery...they. asked. him. for. money.  THEY ASKED THE MAN IN THE HOSPITAL BED WHO'D JUST HAD HIS CHEST CRACKED OPEN FOR GAS MONEY SO THEY COULD COME SEE HIM!!!  Are you freaking kidding me?  NO!  They really did it!  The druggie BIL did it again a couple of days later.

Backstory:  Tim's brother's live with his Dad who lives with his Dad in a huge house.  Tim's Dad takes care of his father and his two loser sons.  The brothers are in their early and mid-twenties.  One just got out of jail for B&E while drugged up.  The other is a drug addict who rarely has a job and when he does it's only for a week or two.  The drug-addict BIL has pawned FIL's TVs and tools on numerous occasions the last one being just a month or so prior to our visit.

One of the days we were there we went to FIL's house to take care of Grandfather and to make sure all the bills were paid.  Drug-Addict-BIL came upstairs.  I confronted him about the tools he pawned since our tile saw was among them.  He got indignant and told him exactly what I thought of him.  BIL, Tim and I ended up getting into a big argument and BIL yelled "F*&% YOU!" at me.  Well...Tim didn't take to kindly to his brother yelling that at me and he flew across the room before he could reign his temper in.  I'm proud to say that Tim managed to not hit his brother (and not ashamed to admit I didn't nothing to try and stop him from hitting him). Skip ahead to the next day: We finally managed to talk both BILs into moving to another state to stay with their Mom until they could get jobs and get on their feet (laugh with me anyone?)

Long story short(er), we finally got everything taken care of for Tim's Dad and got the hell out of Dodge.  Tim lied to his family and told them he had to go back to work, but we actually went to my parents house.

My parents roof had been leaking and the insurance company would only pay for 1/4 of the cost to replace it.  Tim and my Dad removed the old roof and put a new one on.  It turned out that the old roof had been put on completely wrong.  It's a total miracle that it hadn't been leaking since it was put on 10 years ago.

Wow...this post is really rambling and not-so-to-any-point.  Ugh.

**************************************

I'm getting back into my crochet.  If you're on ravelry, come find me!  I've got links to my projects on the right side.  I'm so excited about all I've been working on lately!  It's like I picked my hooks and yarn back up and had so much more knowledge than I did before.  I'm not sure what happened, but I feel like I really know what I'm doing now!  I'm not afraid that if I make something for someone they're going to look at it and say, "this looks like CRAP!"  (no, I don't have any self-esteem issues...hahahaha!)

I'm itching for a reason to make some cute baby-girl stuff!  I'm making an etsy store just so I have a reason to keep crocheting.  I'm even making Christmas gifts for my family.  I forgot how relaxing this craft can be!

Well...enough rambling for one post.  I'm trying to get back into things and read and comment more.  I'm much more active on Twitter (if you want to follow me, the link is in my sidebar).

Please Vote for Jack & Trip

http://www.multiplesandmore.blogspot.com/2009/11/halloween-photo-contest-top-40.html Vote #9

I didn't realize there are 3 rounds of voting for the boys. This time you need to go to the link in the attached message. Find the poll on the right hand side and please vote for #9. I believe you can only vote once per computer, but I’m not 100 percent sure.

Please feel free to forward this to as many people as you'd like!

Friday Five

It's Friday and that means it's time for Friday five! Click the picture above to head to Suzy's Blog and leave your answers or link to your own post!

Here are today's questions.

1) Which one is more irritating- being too hot or being too cold?
Too hot. And of course this is a catch 22 situation since I live in a southern coastal climate!

2) Were you born in the winter or the summer?
I was born in the summer. Maybe that's why I still can't stand winter even though I detest being hot. ;-)

3) What are your favourite foods to eat when you need to warm up and cool down?
To warm up I drink coffee or hot chocolate. To cool down I chug any cold beverage I can get to.

4) Which one are you more likely to suffer from- hayfever or flu- and does it run in your family?
ALLERGIES!!! Apparently I get them from my Dad.

5) You are granted a day of perfect weather whenever you like. What day do you place it on and why?
Mid 60's in the mountains with a clear sky. Beautiful!

October 15th

Remembering the one that isn't here today.

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.

A Must Read!

If you haven't read this post, you should.  This post may be help you or someone you know.  This post may be just what you or someone you know needs to read.

Folliculitis?

Trip keeps getting these welts on his arms, chest, and back.  The doctor on base first tried to tell me they were eczema (he saw them as they were healing and they were crusty). Upon my insistence that I knew what eczema looked like and this was not it, he claimed it was folliculitis.  Since when does folliculitis start out like a spider bite??

These welts first started showing up on him when we went to Greenville and he still has 5 scars from where the old spots were.  This morning I found a new one...I am not pleased.

It's not easy to take a picture of a squirmy baby's arm!  I wish i could have gotten a better shot so you could see the bumps all over the welt.  Tomorrow it will have a head on it (not like a pimple...more like a fire ant bite) and a few days later it will begin to get crusty.  I don't know what's causing these and it's beginning to drive me up a wall!  Any ideas oh wise internets?

************************

On a side note, if you had a choice of living on a military base in England or one in Japan, which would you choose?  Yup!  It looks like those are the possibilities we have right now.

Bullet Post, sorry

• Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments on my last two posts!


• I'm 32 today.  It seems unreal.  This is the first birthday I've not had a great build up for.  It's almost just another day.  I don't feel 32...if there is such a feeling.  I'm very happy to be where I am today. :-)


• Things with Tim are much better.  He finally de-stressed for a week which made him realize how stressed he had been.  We both realized that week how we hadn't fought even once...BREAKTHROUGH!  Since then he's been working more on not bringing work home and I've been working on not letting my stress affect us.


• Jack is on the verge of crawling; he can move backwards for a few "steps".  He gets so excited when he moves a little and begins laughing so hard he falls down.  Hilarious!  He's not real big on solid foods.  He'll eat those little puffs occasionally and loves to gum biter biscuits. I'd like to work towards real table food, but he seems to choke very easily and doesn't chew too much.  He doesn't love to take naps, but once he's down he takes long ones!  His hair still stands straight up and I love it that way!  He still looks just like his Daddy.  He's very social and loves to smile at people for attention.


• Trip was late on rolling, but now there's no stopping him!  He's also noticed that his brother does this neat trick of getting up on his hands and knees, so he started that yesterday (competitive already?).  He often rolls to where Jack is to take his toys.  He still dislikes being on his belly, but seems to see that it has it's advantages.  He loves food!  I plan on introducing him to real table food the next time we go out to eat (the babies are in bed when we eat dinner and I don't eat real meals during the day).  Trip loves his naps, but they're not as long.  When he's really sleepy and you lay him in his crib he smiles at you; it's so sweet!  he doesn't nap as long as his brother, but it's all he needs.  Trip looks more and more like my side of the family every day.  He does have his Daddy's temper (Daddy got his under control years ago, though).  He's fairly quick to throw a tantrum or scream when he doesn't get his way (no really...he literally screamed at me one day when I took a toy from him to put him in his carseat).  I recognized his temper very early on, so this is no surprise.  (Any advice on dealing with bad tempers is accepted!)  He studies his environment and the people in it.


• Traveling with two babies and two dogs across two states by yourself is something I would advise no one to do.  At least the two hours of screaming kept me awake for the last leg of my trip!


• We've begun talking about the possibility of a future addition to our family.  We're not sure if it's something we could really afford right now.  We'd definitely want to hold off on trying until we begin potty training the boys.  Tim has told me that if I decide I'd like to try to have another baby, then he'd be on board.  He loves the boys so much and couldn't imagine saying no to bringing another one into the world.  I DO NOT want to stress about getting pregnant again.  I really don't want to have another set of twins either.


• I feel like there's something that I'm supposed to be doing, that's not getting done.  What it is, I have no clue.  Hmmmmmm

Cut it all off...twice!

Before: 

After:

And because that just wasn't short enough, I cut it again 8 days later!

I finally got it as short as I wanted it!  Now if only I could get Tim to quit teasing me about putting on a ball-cap and going by a boys name. :-P

Belly Pics - The After Edition

I've seen so many belly pics.  I've taken so many belly pics.  And it's always amazed me to see how beautiful a full pregnant belly is.  To think that a life (or two or more) is growing beneath that skin!  Absolutely amazingly beautiful!

[caption id="attachment_1179" align="aligncenter" width="459" caption="About 3 1/2 Weeks Before Delivery"][/caption]

But how many after shots have you seen?  Sure, we've almost all seen the "jowls of the dog" that a certain Mom of 8 sported before her tummy tuck, but did you know she didn't show it all?  She still had belly tucked in.

I finally got the nerve (after losing over 60 pounds) to take a few shots.  It's amazing how much your body can stretch to accommodate two babies.  It's also pretty disgusting what it can look like afterward*.

[caption id="attachment_1175" align="aligncenter" width="459" caption="About 6 1/2 Months After Delivery"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1176" align="aligncenter" width="459" caption="Notice the "flap""][/caption]

I have 13+ pounds left to lose, but as you can see it will only make the situation ickier.  Notice the flap hanging over in the front?  It will continue around to my sides once I've lost the rest of the belly fat.  See how the skin hangs over the belly button (I only wear the navel ring because the hole gets funky if I take it out)?  Yeah, it's not pretty.  But I never knew what a twin pregnancy would do to my body!

Well, I'm not really complaining, I just wanted to share.  I was always curious what a pregnancy would do my body.  Guess now I know! ;-)

*for the record, I would have done anything it took to get my little boys.  my body can be repaired, but my heart never would have been if I didn't have them.

Makes My Monday

TWIN PRETZEL!

OK, so they don't look as twisted in the picture as they did IRL, but still!  I laid them down in the floor so I could get some bottles ready and this is what I walked in on...with one difference.  Jack was sucking in Trip's thumb!  So funny!  Of course usually he's not being quite so nice to his brother; Jack's usually kicking him or pulling his hair (resulting in Trip pitching a screaming fit).

Play along @

****************

Goals this week

1. Put all clean laundry away the same day it's dried.


2. Do not put off making bottles until bedtime.


3. Bake a cake.


4. Make dinner every night.

What I'm thankful for

1. Tim & I replaced the outdoor faucet off the back porch.


2. My tomato plant hasn't died (I'm horrible with outdoor plants).


3. My new haircut turned out pretty decent.


4. My childrens' smiles!

Two for Tuesday

One of my good friends came into town last week and hung out for a night.  It was beyond hot so we decided to bust out a little sprinkler mat I had for the boys.  It was a huge hit!  Jack is definitely a little water baby.  Trip liked it, but not nearly as much as Jack.  It was definitely a great way to cool off!  In a couple of weeks we're going to try a pool!

 

 

Debi is hosting Two for Tuesday so go check out who else is playing along and while you're at it post a pic of your fave twosome!

I can't believe they're already 6 months

The boys had their 6 month check-up today and all went wonderfully!  We actually got to meet the pediatrician on base for the first time.  I LOVE him!  He's very pleased with how the boys look and act. 

It turns out that what I thought was an allergic reaction to carrots for Trip was actually just a flare up of eczema.  The doc did explain that with his skin already so sensitive and Tim's family history of food allergies we do need to keep an eye on him; eczema can be caused by food allergies.  He also said that the fact that Trip will only really eat squash or carrots might be his way of protecting himself from food allergies, but to keep trying new stuff (and retry ever couple of weeks).  He took the cream that the urgent care gave me for Trip's eczema and threw it away but gave me a new prescription for something safer for his face.  If the eczema gets worse or doesn't get better after a while he wants to send him to a dermatologist and allergist to see if we can figure out a cause.  He also said to not be concerned that Trip just rolled back to front for the first time 2 days ago and front to back 1 day ago, as long as he can do it and he's not behind anywhere else.

As far as Jack is concerned, there is zero concern.  Jack is a human garbage disposal.  Whether or not he likes the food you give him he usually keeps eating it.  It's so funny, though.  He makes this horrible face and shakes his head, swallows, then opens his mouth for another bite!  Crazy little guy.  He does seem to have a touch of eczema on his face, but we're only supposed to put Vaseline or something like it on it.

At 6 months:

Trip is 16.4 pounds, and that is
at the 21st percentile for weight.

Trip is 27 inches, and that is
at the 60th percentile for height.

Trip has a head circumference of 17.1 inches, and that is
at the 32nd percentile for head circumference.

 

At 6 months:

Jack is 16.8 pounds, and that is
at the 28th percentile for weight.

Jack is 28.5 inches, and that is
at the 41st percentile for height.

Jack has a head circumference of 17.7 inches, and that is
at the 75th percentile for head circumference.

2 months ago Trip was 20th% for height and weight; Jack was 8th% for height and 29th% for weight.  I’m so proud that they’re doing so well!  I'm also extremely happy that they’re in the middle range for height now instead of on the smaller side.  Tim is so excited at the thought that the boys might be “average” height (which is 6” taller than him).

Bugs!

Check out the bugs on my front and back porch.  The spiders are actually 1/2" or smaller and all clustered together.  Their webs are overlapping each other and intertwined, so I don't imagine they're all able to catch a whole lot.  I think they might be baby banana spiders.  If so, I hope they stick around!!

[slideshow id=3386706919803002180&w=426&h=320]

Tonight I'll try to remember and take pictures of my nocturnal insects.  I get at least a dozen slugs on my front porch almost every night.

Better vs Worse

We're back from Disney.  I had the most wonderful time meeting some of my favorite people (her and her in that order) from the wide world of the web!  AND I GOT TO HOLD BEAUTIFUL BABIES!!!!  Can I just tell you all how delicious these little ones were?  I can? 

THEY WERE BEAUTIFUL AND DELICIOUS AND SWEET AND SO LOVELY TO HOLD!!!

Jen and Farah were just as wonderful IRL as they are on-line.  I'll admit (no one but my husband knew this) I was a little nervous to meet Jen.  shock! gasp! I know.  She just always seems so upbeat and happy and perfect on-line...and truth be told she comes across the exact same in person!  I have serious self esteem issues, though.  How can anyone so perfect and all even consider meeting me?  No really...this is just me being honest.  Now why wasn't I nervous to meet Farah you ask?  I've "known" Farah a while longer and have conversed with her so much that she already felt like an IRL bestie.  Regardless of my nerves or lack of them it felt like I'd known both of them forever!  I would have to say they were the highlight of my vacation (even if I did talk their poor ears off).

Now for the title topic.  Better?  I'm not nearly as frazzled as I was before I left.  I'm still fried enough to have lost my phone yesterday (still can't find it...drat), but not so lost that I can't remember what day it is.  Yes, before I went on vacation I couldn't tell you what day it was.  I'm still exhausted, but that has to do with the "worse" part of the title but I'm not quite as tired as I was before.  The boys are doing much better at eating solids and taking naps in their cribs (long ones, too) and semi-sticking to a four hour feeding schedule.  This has made for a much happier Monster.  Jack-Jack just kind of rolls with the punches regardless.  Jack even sleeps through the night once-in-a-while!  Trip...at least he's only waking up once or twice a night, now; that's better!

Worse.  My marriage.  My self esteem.  My depression.  My nightmares.  I went back to the doctor today and it's kind of a chicken vs egg situation...is it the poor sleep causing the stress or the stress causing the poor sleep.  Either way something has to give.  I didn't even sleep well in the hotel (but I DID sleep in).  He's upped my meds a little more, but doesn't know if that's the real fix that I need.  I guess we'll see in a few weeks.

One of the most horrible things about the "worse" issues is that Tim doesn't even seem to realize any of it.  I've talked about my depression and he's known about my self-esteem (or lack of).  I've told him about my nightmares, too.  We don't talk much and we seem to bicker and/or fight a lot.  We literally spent the majority of our vacation fighting.  But he doesn't seem to realize that anything is wrong with "us".  I've tried to talk to him, but I just can't get him to really talk to me.  When he gets in one of his moods (which he seems to stay in lately) I can't get him to open up to me about it.  He seems to always tell me that he's not upset with me, but then he lashes out at me.  Sometimes he tries to blame it on some asinine little thing, but then something comes out and he's angry with me.  I can't even begin to imagine what's going on in his head and he's not giving me any hints right now.  It's taking its toll.  Who wants to constantly fight with their spouse?  Or if not fighting just cohabitating, but not really communicating.

Anyway.  Sorry to be all Debbie-downer, but I had to get it out.  That's what the blog is supposed to be for, right?  I'm also so far behind on reading that it's pitiful.  I think that I'm going to weed out my google reader.  I feel a little guilty for even doing that, but oh well.  I'll get over that and I think it's necessary.  I might also take a break from the blog (no snickering behind your fingers at "take a break"...as if I haven't been doing that anyway).  There's a lot of drama out there right now and it's kind of freaking me out.  For instance, even though I've met a couple of bloggers face-to-face I didn't have my kids with me so all I can think is, "OMG...what if they think I faked the boys??  They didn't see me with the boys!!  But I've got pictures of me with the kids at the hospital (and I'm in a gown)!!  And bare belly shots with my face showing!!"  No really, those thoughts went through my head lately.  Did I mention I'm having issues with self esteem and depression?  Oh yeah, and the doctor went ahead and added anxiety to that list after I talked to him for a few minutes (hence the non-stop rambling...sorry).

Whatever.  I'm still here, but I'm not, but I am.  And I will be back to reading very soon!!!!

Thoughts of the day in 140 characters (or less) at a time!

08:28 So happy to be home and back with my babies!!! #

10:16 OMG My Mom put the boys on a 4 hour feeding schedule & a nap schedule! #

10:17 & they have one wake up or less per night! #

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Thoughts of the day in 140 characters (or less) at a time!

18:43 I'm leaving my phone with my parents for the week (since we'll have the hubby's). I think I'm going to have twitter withdrawl issues. ;-) #

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Thoughts of the day in 140 characters (or less) at a time!

08:17 husband is apologizing for being slow. he doesn't know WHY he's slow this morning. maybe it has to do with the 1/3 bottle of rum he drank? #

08:18 ummm...drank last night I should say. 3 hours until the parents arrive and drunk husband did 1/2 the stuff he said he would last night. #

08:19 time to kick the last minute cleaning into high gear! after we kill the ant infestation in the attic. good times i tell you! #

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Thoughts of the day in 140 characters (or less) at a time!

08:16 3 DAYS UNTIL DISNEY!!!! #

09:40 Dr. appt this afternoon. I know they're going to say I'm nuts for coming in for swollen gums and a headache, but for 2 days?? #

09:40 Plus, now my ear aches and my gland is swollen (all right side stuff). And Tim is having similar symptoms on his right side. Odd. #

11:30 Yellow sleeper = blue toejam? #

11:41 Fussy baby doesn't want to be held or put down. Please don't be getting sick! Is blue toejam a symptom of a cold? ;-) #

12:08 Thank you God! Tim will be home just in time for me to not have to take the boys with me to the doctor! yay! #

12:56 Gay male student voted prom queen at LA school. I figured it would have happened at my old school first. #

13:03 Dr's scale says i'm only .4Lbs away from pre-pregnancy weight! :: #

14:33 Gum &/or sinus infection. At least she gave me an antibiotic. I'll be 100% for Disney!!! #

19:58 husband is pissy because he filled a trash can and i added a piece of HIS trash then told him to quit overfilling it. #

19:58 now he's going to get his OWN trash can. good for him. another trash can he won't empty until i say something about it. he's such a brat. #

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OMG A POST!!!

We've got 3 days before we head to Disney World.  I am beyond excited!  It's been 15 years since I've been and Tim has never been.  We've got 5 days and 5 nights of fun planned...well...we'll be there at least.  We're not much on the planning side (which is why I've been begging for restaurant recommendations at the last minute) but we'll still have a blast.  After having to plan everything down to my bathroom time for the past 5 1/2 months it will be nice to not have to be anywhere at a specific time (except for dinner).  Sleeping through the night...sleeping in...CAN'T WAIT!

On the other hand, I'm going to miss the boys horribly!  I haven't been away from them for more than two hours since we came home from the hospital.  Even in the hospital, they were just down the hallway.  My parents will be taking care of them, so I know they'll be in great hands.  My Mom even offered to take pictures and email them to me. 

********************************************

I've lost a grand total of 19.6 pounds since April 1.  I haven't stuck to my diet AT ALL over the past week, but I haven't been too concerned by it.  If I get too burnt out I won't be able to get back into it.  I think Disney will give me a nice break from it.  I didn't quite make my Disney goal, but I only missed it by 1.5 pounds.  I did have to buy new clothes to wear, though.  I feel GREAT!  It was wonderful to buy smaller clothes.  The jeans I bought after the boys were born are too big, now.  I finally purged my closet of all things maternity (except for a dress, but you wouldn't know it was a maternity dress if you didn't see the label).  Of course, I still can't fit into much of my pre-pregnancy clothes, though.  I'm 1.5 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight, but due to the way my body was morphed and contorted it will take more than that to get me back into those clothes.  I'm not bothered nearly as much as I was though.  I'm just grateful to have lost as much as I have and to not feel so self conscious in shorts and a t-shirt!

 ********************************************

Postpartum depression is still a bitch.  I'm sure that I'm not doing as well as I'd like to because I'm not getting as much sleep as I'd like to.  Both boys are waking up at least twice a night.  It's impossible to keep them on the same schedule at night (trying just results in even more wake-ups).  I'm typically up every 1-3 hours which means there's no consecutive sleep.  Most days Trip feels the need to be up for the day at 6 am.  I don't mind getting up with them too much because at least they're eating enough this way, but I'd like some good sleep once in a while (DISNEY!  WOO-HOO!).  Both of them are highly distracted during the day so I can't always get them to finish a bottle.

Solids...yeah.  It's definitely interesting trying to get either one of them to eat.  Jack has taken to it better than Trip, but neither one of them are big fans.  I can usually get about an ounce of food into Jack and if I'm lucky I might get an ounce in Trip.  He doesn't seem to like the taste of anything, though.  At least the faces he makes are highly amusing.  So far they've tried rice cereal (boo), green beans (boo), sweet potatoes (yum), and bananas (yum).  I honestly think that Trip just isn't ready for solids, but I'm going to keep trying.  I don't push the issue too much, though.  If I only get a couple of bites in him, so be it.

********************************************

Sorry I haven't been reading or commenting much lately.  Exhaustion, PPD, babies, etc.  You get the point, I hope.  I still care, I promise!  I'm hoping the vacation will revitalize me!

 Uh-oh...the Monster awakens!  Gotta run!

Thoughts of the day in 140 characters (or less) at a time!

11:26 should i tell the neighbor her roofers are peeing in her yard? #

11:27 i spend a lot of time in my kitchen and have the perfect view of their pee-spot #

11:28 i was just told i should have already made reservations at the Disney restaurants i want to eat at. so where should i eat next week? #

20:06 In bed for the night. I pray this headache is gone tomorrow. #

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Thoughts of the day in 140 characters (or less) at a time!

19:50 Love my new toy! tinyurl.com/dggesz I really am a gadget whore #

19:53 If only my least favorite TV personality didn't do the commercial for them...now I'll think of him every time I enjoy my new toy #

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What I Tweeted Today

• 08:01 Why oh why must you make a simple vacation so difficult? Why Military? #
• 08:02 Getting ID cards made for the boys today. This should be interesting. #
• 12:36 Military f-ed up boys info a 2nd time. Can't get IDs w/out corrections. Going to sit in line. #
• 12:38 A-hole husband acts like this is my fault. He'd rather be playing with his project car. I'd rather be napping...What's his point? #

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What I Tweeted Today

• 20:36 I've been having vivid dreams about bloggers & nightmares about IRL people. The nightmares are getting old. #

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What I Tweeted Today

• 10:42 Super confused. I keep losing weight even though i'm cheating on my diet more and more. #
• 15:18 Getting ready to enjoy one of my fav foods...massamancurry chicken.Yum! #

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What I Tweeted Today

• 08:37 LOVE my brand spanking new van (other was used) that I now drive! Hate the drama to get it, but it's done now. :-) #
• 08:43 We got the new one for $8,000 under MSRP. They lost $1,000 on it. They came out good, though. With the airbags having not been fixed #
• 08:44 properly, it was a huge safety issue. And them selling it to me that way...i could have had a nasty lawsuit against them. but who has time? #
• 08:47 twitpic.com/5md04 - Stock photo of the new van! #
• 08:48 baby boy slept until 9, little man started taking morning nap (IN HIS CRIB!!!) at 9. Lazy rainy day! :-) #
• 09:41 Is anyone using, or know anyone using Similac Isomil Advance? I've got two cans anyone can have! #
• 09:41 It's Similac Isomil Advance Soy Formula #
• 10:20 Trying to get baby boy to take a nap in his crib. seem futile so far. #
• 11:39 Baby boy up from successful nap. Little man taking nap #2 in his crib! #
• 15:31 husband is, yet again, being an ass. because i didn't think to do something that he thought i should have. i was busy feeding babies. oops. #

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What I Tweeted Today

• 09:03 f-ing dealership hit someone with my f-ing van in the two weeks that they had it and didn't tell us. i am furious. enraged. #
• 12:04 It was rearended by a UPS truck. Airbags deployed. Bumper replaced. And hidden from us. #
• 12:17 and the dealership says "it was just a tire rub on the bumper" #
• 12:53 I don't like being at a loss of what to do. Right now I'm stuck waiting for 1/2 dozen people to call me back so I can move forward. Grrrrrrr #

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What I Tweeted Today

• 09:23 Must leave house today. Must purchase anniversary card. Must! #
• 09:48 contemplating leaving boys in sleepers to go shopping...it's chilly outside (for Charleston) and all they have are summer clothes. #
• 14:46 Two exhausted babies; one crying one screaming. Please go to sleep! #
• 14:49 Crying child is now screaming. #
• 18:32 No idea what to do for screaming baby. He's been this way off and on for hours! #
• 18:46 Screaming baby has dozed off and is spitting in his sleep. Teeth? #
• 20:47 screaming baby is awake again. sigh. #
• 20:47 must write a real blog post soon... #

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What I Tweeted Today

• 13:13 tried to make homemade hummus...must do more research. any suggestions welcome! #
• 13:17 Trip just found the mirror on the bottom of his frog. He thinks he is hilarious! #

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What I Tweeted Today

• 09:59 Love how the husband acts resentful when i in to the store & leave him with the kids. #

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What I Tweeted Today

• 08:37 It's amazing how just a little help at night (and babies that sleep past dawn) can change your whole attitude! :-) #
• 09:57 FINALLY GOT MY VAN!!!!! and my camera #

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What I Tweeted Today

• 09:49 My beer didn't catch one damned slug. Any ideas anyone? #
• 12:16 My sister cried because she's too stressed to watch the boys tonight. It must be in the air (the stress) #
• 12:32 Sister called back and said she could watch the boys for a few hours. I really wanted her to watch them all night (so i could sleep). #
• 12:33 but I will GLADLY take what I can get! :-) #
• 20:04 Sister called back to say she'd only be able to watch them for an hour or so. She's so stressed. I told her we'd do it another day. #
• 20:05 My poor sister cried due to guilt over not helping me. I thought I was stressed out. She wins the prize! I hope she has a better day tom ... #
• 20:19 odd fact: I couldn't take pottery in school because I'm allergic to raw clay (of the red/orange variety). #
• 20:51 Only 13 slugs on the porch tonight. What IS their obsession with my porch?? #
• 21:22 Going to bed. Husband says he WILL help with night feeds. God bless him! #

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Disney World, here we come!

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