Update

I had a few follow up doctors appointments today and everything went fine. I saw my endocrinologist this morning and I've gained a total of 20 lbs since becoming pregnant. I guess that's not too bad for being 23 weeks with twins? She told me I'm on target so hopefully she wasn't just trying to make me feel good. We'll see what my thyroid levels come back as but so far, I'm remaining regulated and we haven't had to adjust my dosage. My blood pressure was also normal at 120/74.

I saw my OB's office later in the morning and it was fairly uneventful, as I expected. Since I'm also seeing a perinatalogist, they don't do much these days except check my urine and the babies' heartbeats.

I also got to schedule my diabetes screening test - it's August 21st - right before we leave for vacation. I'm glad they were able to squeeze me in before I leave.

Both my endocrinologist and OB didn't think there would be an issue with going of town for vacation. I was worried because we had already committed to the house and paid. My OB said I should be OK to continue normal activity until I'm about 30 weeks (unless something happens in the meantime). She did suggest that I get a copy of my records before we leave "just in case".

I see my peri next week and they'll check my cervix and I assume they'll do another u/s.

The babies are getting more and more active each day. Todd saw them move on the outside the other night and I think he was both amazed and creeped out. It's still so weird to think there are TWO babies in there.

This weekend will be fairly busy as it's our "work on the nursery" weekend. Saturday, we're cleaning everything out of the guest room so we can paint on Sunday. Once the room is painted, we can work on putting the cribs together and then.... decorating! The part I'm most looking forward to.

What A Hassle!

We got some things knocked off our baby registry this weekend but it came with a price!

** Warning - Vent Session **

We met my mom and MIL on Saturday morning and planned to purchase the cribs, mattresses and conversion rails at BRU. Sounds easy, right?

I knew it was going to be slightly difficult because we wanted to get their 10% muliples discount. The one catch is that the items have to be purchased at the same time and on the same receipt (side note: if you or someone you know are expecting twins, BRU offers this discount on almost all of the bigger items).

We head back to the crib section and I told the girl behind the counter what we wanted to do. She looked up the cribs and said both were in stock. Excellent! They also had both mattresses so we were prepared to take everything home that day.

She wrote up the ticket for the crib and ordered the conversion rails. I also wanted to purchase the rocker I picked out because I had a $30 coupon. She placed the order for that and wrote up the ticket so I could pay for it.

So far, so good.

We got to the register and I explained the discount situation to the cashier. She said, "No problem. We can do a split tender". Excellent!

She rang up the sale but forgot to include the mattresses. Mistake #1.

Mass confusion ensues as we try to determine which credit card was processed and whether it went through. She rang up the sale again and we got through that one OK.

Then, I went to pay for the rocker. I handed her my ticket, coupon and gift card and she said, "You can't use the coupon because the rocker isn't $200 or more". I looked at the ticket more closely and realized the girl wrote down the ottoman and not the rocker.

So, I had to get out of line and went back to the crib section again. Mistake #2.

There was a different guy there and I explained what happened. He fixed it in the system and called back to the stock room to see if they had the rocker in stock. They did! Excellent!

He gave me a new ticket and I went back up to the register. Transaction complete.

So now, we're just waiting for them to bring up the items so we can load them into Todd's truck.

One crib box appears. And then the rocker.

And then a girl approaches me and says, "There was a mistake in our system and we only have one crib in stock. We'll need to order the other one". Mistake #3.

She said they would need to return one of the cribs that we purchased and then I'd have to buy it again when it came in.

I explained the whole discount/split tender situation to her because I could see that being a problem.

She had to call a manager over. The same guy who fixed the rocker for me.

At this point, we've been in the store for almost 2 hours.

I asked if they could check another store and I'd just go pick it up. He said they'd be happy to do that but they still needed to return the crib to adjust their inventory.

Uh? Your inventory was wrong to begin with?!

So, we found the crib at the next nearest location and decided to put the return on a merchandise credit so we didn't have to mess with anyone's credit card.

Part II
Yesterday, we went to pick up the crib and I told Todd, "Watch. The crib won't be there or it'll be the wrong one".

They actually had the right crib on hold for us so that was a relief. I got a new purchase ticket from the girl in the crib section and headed to the cashier with my merchandise credit. Should be an easy transaction, right?

No. The guy rang it up and told me I owed $45. I explained the situation and asked if he remembered the 10% discount. He said "no" and looked all flustered and confused. He reached in his pocket and scanned some card and then told me I owed $25. Again, I told him he was wrong. The merchandise credit should be for the exact amount and he's not ringing it up correctly. He started getting aggrevated with me and turned the computer screen around to show me the pricing.

Meanwhile, the line behind me is growing with 4 people waiting and staring. Finally, I just said, "It's not right but I'll pay it so I can get out of here".

Another guy brought up the crib and was waiting for me to finish so he could take it out to the truck. Todd could tell I was pissed and asked what happened. I looked at the receipt and said, "He gave me $10 off and not 10%".

I was so fed up that I just wanted to get out of there. I guess the other worker heard me and asked if the price was wrong. I told him and he said, "Come back in with me. I'll fix it for you".

He ended up being the assistant manager and gave me 15% off instead of 10%.

Seriously? Should purchasing 2 cribs be THAT difficult? I worked retail for 15 years so I totally get that things happen. But every transaction with that store has been disastrous.

When I was creating my registry, several items were discontinued or out of stock. When I went into the store to finalize my registry, I'd try to scan something and it would say "Low inventory. Please scan another item".

And, then my sister purchased my double stroller and after a week, it was still showing on my regisry as not purchased! I had to call customer service to have them fix it. I'm still not convinced that it will update correctly and I can see getting double duplicates of things.

For being one of, if not THE, largest baby retailer, you'd think they would have their act together a little better than what I've experienced.

Anyway, we now have both cribs, mattresses and the rocker. And, Operation Clean Out has begun. We got all of the closets cleaned out/re-organized. Next weekend, we'll completely empty the soon-to-be nursery and paint.

No wonder it's recommended to begin planning the nursery months before the baby is due. I'm exhausted already!

22 Weeks!

How far along? 22 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Around 15 lbs
Maternity clothes? Yes
Sleep: Not great. I've been fighting a cough for 2 weeks. Finally called the doctor and she said it was OK to take Claritin and Robitussin DM.
Best moment this week: SEEING the babies kick
Movement: More and more each day. I rarely feel both moving at the same time. Baby A (Christopher) is still the one I feel most but Kendall has gotten a few good kicks in.
Food cravings: Still love anything Italian.
Gender: A boy and girl!
Labor Signs: No, thank God.
Belly Button in or out? Technically, still in. But barely.
What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach.
What I am looking forward to: My next appointment with the perinatalogist so I can see the babies again.
Weekly Wisdom: Don't push yourself. I'm learning VERY quickly that I'm not the woman I was before becoming pregnant (i.e. getting out of breath, tired)
Milestones: Every day closer to viability is a milestone.

Here's a 22-week pic:

So Much To Do, So Little Time

Since finding out the sexes of the twins, I've felt the pressure of trying to get prepared for their arrival. It's pressure I'm putting on myself because I want to have everything done NOW. It's just me. My goal is to have the room ready for loading before my baby shower on 8/15.

I finalized my registry a few weekends ago so that's done. Phew! Thank God my sister went with me because she made some good suggestions about a few things.

But, after deciding on the baby furniture, I realized the room I had initially chosen for the nursery isn't going to work.

So, now we have to get rid of the guest room which includes tearing down the bed, cleaning out the closet (which has been used for storage) and painting.

On paper, it doesn't seem like it will take that long to complete. But, I'm running out of weekends. I was busy all day yesterday and I'll be gone for most of the day today. Next weekend, Saturday is packed but I do have Sunday. And, then after that, there's only one weekend left before the 15th.

My mom and MIL have graciously offered to purchase a crib, mattress and bedding set each. At least the kids will have a nice place to sleep!

I can't believe how fast time is going. I completely realize that things don't have to be perfect in the next few weeks. I'm most worried about being placed on bed rest at some point and then I won't be able to get anything accomplished. Of course Todd will help but I don't want to miss out on the decorating. That's the fun part!

I'm 21 1/2 weeks and still feeling good. I am having problems with foot and ankle swelling. Yes, I have cankles. It's so lovely. But, if that's the worst symptom I get, I'll take it.

Dear "Anonymous" - This Post Is For You....

Let me start out by saying I know I opened the door by asking what people thought about my last post. Now let me tell you what I think of you.

First, it must be nice to hide behind a shield of anonymity. If you really want to say something, why don't you create a profile so people can find out who you are? At least I have the guts to put my feelings out there with an identity.

To answer your multiple comments, perhaps I need to describe Kobe in a little more detail.

From the time he was a puppy, he has been difficult. And by difficult I mean, destructive and unbalanced.

And before you start going down the road of training and patience, we've been there and we've done that. I'm guessing you are probably one of those "We Must Save All The Animals" people and that's fine. It's your right and your opinion.

But, how dare you accuse me of being an unloving pet owner. We cared for both Kobe and Kaly for the last 11 years. And, we cared for them equally.

Over the last 11 years, Kobe has managed to destroy furniture, carpet, doors, windows and walls.

We fixed it all without saying a word.

3 years ago, he got bloat. Who do you think identified it and insisted we take him to the vet? Yes, that's right. It was me.

Who paid $7,000 and visited him in the ICU every day for a week? Yes, that's right. It was me.

Who feeds him every morning and takes him for walks? Yes, that's right. It's me.

He is my husband's dog and I do feel differently about him than I did Kaly. That is true. My feelings didn't happen overnight. It has been slowly over time and as a result of constant destruction.

These recent incidents of peeing and pooping started over a year ago. I'm not an idiot - I understand babies pee and poop. If you are going to leave comments, at least make a comment that isn't condescending.

I'm tired of coming home every day to my house smelling like a toilet.
I'm tired of waking up in the middle of the night 2-3 times/week to the smell of poop in the house.
I'm tired of watching him not be able to hold or completely empty his bladder.
I'm tired of watching him struggle to climb the front steps because he can barely walk due to arthritis.

It's not that I don't love Kobe. I do. We've had him for 11 years. But, I am at the point that something has got to give.

We're expecting twins. My priority will be my children. Over anything else.

We can't afford to spend $6,500 on new carpet again. He caused us to do that 4 years ago.

So, before you start making judgments about people based on one posting, perhaps you should sit back and realize that you don't know the person who is writing. You know absolutely nothing about me.

Since you seem to have so much to say, why don't you start your own blog? I'd love to leave some comments of my own.

Adventures with Kobe

For those who have followed my blog, you probably remember me mentioning our 2 dogs and cat.

We lost Kaly in January but we still have her older brother, Kobe. Kobe is my husband's dog. Plain and simple. I tolerate Kobe. I can describe him in one word: neurotic.

He's a good dog but I don't think he was the brighest dog in the pack. At his prime, he was 118 lbs and a good looking dog. But, if a thunderstorm comes through, he runs around the house like a 5 lb. wussy. The cat just looks at him like, "Dude, pull yourself together".

An example: A thunderstorm came through one afternoon when we were at work. Kobe apparently felt the need to get into the guest room even though the door was shut. So, he tried to dig his way under the door. $7,000 later, we have new carpeting in the house.

Are you getting the picture? He's an asshole.

He's now 11 and near the end of his lifespan. Over the last year, we've been dealing with his inability to hold his bowels. He'll poop in his sleep or when he gets excited or barks. Thank God it hasn't been "messy" and you can pick it up and move on.

But, still. It's GROSS.

Over the last few months, he has also started to leak urine. He's not leaving puddles in the house or completely emptying his bladder. It's more of a drip. Which causes him to constantly lick himself.

GROSS and ANNOYING.

So now I've set the stage to tell you about our trip to the vet last week.

It was just a check-up to get his medications filled - easy, peasy, right?

We walked into the office and there was a lady with her dog at the counter so Todd took Kobe and stood to the side of the front door. Kobe is pretty good with other dogs (plus, he's so damn old, he probably couldn't see him). Kobe decided to lay down and we stood there waiting to check in.

After a few minutes, Todd looks at me and says, "Kobe is pooping". Greeeaaaattt.

Trying to be discreet, Todd hands me the leash and heads to the public bathroom at the end of the lobby to get some paper towels. He cleans it up and heads back toward the bathroom.

We got the mess but not the smell. So, now the entire lobby smells like poop.

Meanwhile, one of the techs comes out and wants to weigh Kobe. I get him up and we start heading toward the end of the lobby where the scale is. Kobe loses his footing on the tile and takes a header. The tech tries to help him up by lifting his back legs and presses on his bladder.

Kobe starts peeing everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE.

So, I'm standing there in a puddle of pee and we're trying to get him up and I see Todd out of the corner of my eye.

He's poking his head out from the bathroom.

He mouths, "I think I overflowed the toilet".

Could this get any more embarrassing?

I looked down at his feet and I see water starting to come out into the hallway.

Yep, he overflowed the toilet. He put the poop AND the paper towels down the toilet.

At this point, the tech is so focused on trying to get Kobe up that she doesn't see what's going on.

I looked at Todd with my "Fix it!" face and he says, "I tried".

He comes out of the bathroom and walks over to us and says, "Um, there's a problem in the bathroom".

Of course the entire staff was very nice about the whole thing and thank god they know us. If it were our first time there, I don't think we would've gone back.

Anyway, we got more meds for Kobe but I'm not sure it's helping that much. I basically told Todd that I won't put up with it when the babies come. So, Kobe has about 3 months left.

That may sound mean to some but I've been more than tolerant with that dog over the last 11 years and I can't have a dog peeing and pooping in the house with 2 babies. Todd isn't ready to let him go yet. In Todd's mind, he's still able to go for very short walks, he still eats and he can still climb the stairs so he has quality of life.

I understand that but what about our quality of life? We've been dealing with this problem for over a year and it's not going to get any better.

I'm hoping that we'll have some divine intervention and Kobe will go naturally so we won't have to make that decision. But, I'm prepared to if he's still here in October. He's had a good life with us.

What would you do? Am I being heartless?

Twins Gender Reveal!

Meet our son, Christopher Todd:



And our daughter, Kendall Marie:



We are absolutely thrilled!

Today's ultrasound went great and both babies looked good. All measurements were right on track. My cervix is long and closed. It didn't even budge when the sonographer pressed on my abdomen - a good sign! The doctor said he didn't think I'd have any problems with my cervix. Phew!

He said my only concern from now on will be pre-term labor (which I knew). I'll continue to get sonograms every 4 weeks until I'm 32 weeks and then they will start to see me weekly (assuming everything stays on track and I don't develop any complications). I will also continue to see my regular OB office to continue monitoring of blood and urine.

As soon as we got home, I told Todd that we had to go buy some outfits! I know we'll get plenty of clothes but I really needed to do something to celebrate. We've both been on cloud nine since we found out.

20 Weeks and Ultrasound Eve!

I've hit the official "full-term" half-way point! How do I feel?

Relieved, cautious, reserved, excited, anxious, nervous....

Enough adjectives for you?

I can't believe how quickly the last 5 months have gone. And, more surprisingly, that I only have 3 (maybe 4) months left! I am so thankful that I haven't had any issues thus far but I know things can change in an instant so I'm careful not to count my blessings too often.

My 20-week ultrasound is scheduled for tomorrow at 2:00 pm. I know that it will be quite extensive and I'm so looking forward to it. I haven't seen the kids since I was 12 weeks and I know I'm going to be amazed at how much they've grown. God, I sound like a mother already!

This will be my first appointment with the perinatalogist's office and I really hope I like them. I have a friend who was referred to them with her pregnancy and she didn't have very nice things to say. I know everyone's view is different so I'm hoping I have a higher patience level than she did. I'd hate to be "stuck" with a doctor's office that I hate for the next few months.

I'm feeling the babies move every day now. Baby A is still the more active one or at least the one that I feel most often. He/she kicked the other night and I actually felt it on the outside - how cool is that?! They both get really excited after I eat so I either eat kick ass food or they take after their mommy and just love to eat. Feeling them move never gets old. It's exciting every time.

I'll make sure I post after my appointment tomorrow to announce the sexes. Mama says, "You babies better cooperate"!