First Christmas

Sunday night, December 20th after church


Sock Monkeys!!
~Christmas morning~

English lapbook

To complement 3rd grade Rod and Staff, units 2 and 3 extra activities, I created THIS lapbook, called Building Blocks of English. The activity asks her to create a booklet--well, she'll make these mini books instead and paste them into a lapbook!! I thought that would be more fun and more presentable. I was in a hurry when making them, though, so hopefully you can understand them! I really should make more booklets about the various parts of speech that she is learning also, but oh well! She's been using the rules as copywork, so we may include those also.

More Pics

Elizabeth Grace at 5 wks

Abigail Marie at 5 wks

Numbers

BABIES
Age:
1 month and 2 days
Weight:
Abigail has gained 12 oz in 2 weeks ~ up to 7 lbs 5 oz!!
Elizabeth has gained even more!! 7 lbs 14 oz!!!!!!!!! She is quite the little Hoover when it comes to nursing--none of that lollygagging around like "little" sister.
Length:
They were both a bit over 21 inches.
Size:
Still in newborn clothing, barely--able to wear some 0-3 month items--preemie is TOO small now.....moving to size 1 diapers in less than a week...

SLEEP
I can occasionally get 4 hours of sleep simultaneously!! and it feels TREMENDOUS!

DIAPERS
We used 540 diapers this first month....that is around 9 diapers/day/baby. Considering their weight, it looks like they will soon be in size 1 diapers! We have around 1000 of them stocked up, so MAYBE we won't be having to run to the store till after the New Year?!?

ME
Despite some people worrying about my "skinnyness" {haha!!}, I am amazingly healthy--and I have lost 35 of the 50 pounds I had gained and able to comfortably button size 16 jeans!!! Considering at least 13 lbs was lost when the babies were born, I am doing JUST fine!

NURSING
about every 2 hours for 20-45 minutes, sometimes more, sometimes less......that's "on demand" for my babies!!

SCHOOL
We are currently in week 11 of 42 scheduled [including breaks]. Caught up and wondering how much of a holiday break should really be taken...

150 FREE photo cards!!!!

Visit Freebies4Mom to see how you can get 50 photo cards free [INCLUDING shipping] and if you are new, you can get 100 free when you sign up for SeeHere! WOWIE!! The 50 free expires Nov. 30th, so get a move on!!

The Mystery of History FREE

MOH vol. II has some free lesson plan samples online!
Thinking it would just be a snipit and knowing I would be ordering later, I hadn't cared to look--but today, I did just to compare to vol I and GUESS WHAT! Not just 1 lesson, but 9 lessons from volume II are in free pdf form! So--you want to try out MOH for 3 weeks? Or stretch it into 6? FREE QUARTER of History!! My guess is that you'll fall for the ease of the curriculum and want to continue with it--but if not, you aren't out any $$! We are planning on adding in historical biographies and fiction for my then-to-be 4th grader and 3rd grader. My kdger will just be around for the reading and possibly an activity.

Lactation Cookies

I've been looking for higher calorie good-for-you stuff to chow down on and lookie what I found! Not that I have the time to make cookies, but thought i'd share this recipe I came across anyway! Let me know if anyone tries it out!!
Lactation Cookies
1 C butter
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
4 T water
2 T flaxseed meal
2 Lg eggs
1 t vanilla
2 C flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
3 C thick cut oats
1 C chocolate chips
2 T Brewers yeast
Preheat oven to 375Mix 2 T of flaxseed meal and water, set aside 3-5 minutes.
Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggsStir flaxseed mix into butter mix and add vanilla.
Beat until well blended.
Sift dry ingredients, except oats and choc chips.
Add butter mix into dry ingredients.
Stir in the oats and then choc chips.
Bake 8-12 mins.

Baby Update 10/27

Abigail: AT BIRTH--6 lb 3 oz
5 DAYS OLD--5 lb 11 oz
TODAY {2.5 weeks}--6 lbs 8.5 oz

Elizabeth: AT BIRTH--6 lb 6 oz
5 DAYS OLD--6 lbs
TODAY {2.5 weeks}--6 lbs 9 oz

Yay!! They are gaining! Makes the feeding every hour or two or three easier to bear :) And I may even convince our dr. that breastfeeding twins is not only possible, but beneficial!! We're only supplementing every once in awhile and I'm trying to pump when I'm just nursing one [not very often].

What I have learned, part 1

1. Nursing one baby while pumping on the other side is NOTHING compared to nursing two babies.

2. Nursing two is NOTHING compared to rotating two babies and a breast pump.

3. Some people have no problem coming to see babies, even while hacking, coughing, sneezing, or throwing up is going on in their family.

4. Even more people don't want to interrupt our day, so they stay away----for a week----then everyone shows up!!!!

5. It is SO nice to have friends.

6. It's even nicer to have family.

7. Family holds no candle to church family.

8. I miss being in church.

9. H1N1 is all over and it makes people panic.

10. A full day of school is NOT going to happen for awhile.

11. Let my 6yo son take a break from his school and he forgets everything :)

12. Housework while homeschooling and taking care of 4 children is difficult.

13. Housework while homeschooling and taking care of 6 children, including newborn twins is just not important..........to me.........except that my dh cares.......so I try.

14. I really miss my house husband/Mr. Mom since he has gone back to work. :( And not just for what he does for me, our kids, and the house, but just so you know, he has been an awesome help around here!!

Welcome!!!

Abigail Marie
10-8-09
1:08pm

6 lbs. 3 oz.

18 inches
lots of DARK hair and a dark complexion; arrived in one contraction, one expletive, a yell, and 3 pushes total

Elizabeth Grace
10-8-09
1:24pm
6 lbs. 6 oz.
20 inches
a little blonde hair and nearly invisible eyelashes and eyebrows with a paler complexion; arrived with doctor's help after a quick ultrasound in two contractions, 4 pushes with much more groaning and a couple yells {no expletives}

Praise God! They arrived via natural vaginal delivery at St. John's in an OR room. It was a relatively "easy" labor--steady contractions started at 5:30 am and we arrived at the hospital about 9/10 or so. My "A" water was broken after noon I believe {details are a bit fuzzy} and I was wheeled into the OR. Babies both look great--scored 9s on their apgars and although they lost quite a bit of weight, are gaining it back now. We went to the dr. yesterday {5 days old} and Abigail weighed in at 5lbs 11oz and Elizabeth weighed 6 lbs even.
My recovery is a bit more slow. I started hemmorhaging Thursday night into Friday morning, losing lots of blood and having a lot of clotting--a nurse helped get rid of these by basically putting me thru labor again with another round of pitocin drip and then pushing on my belly till I yelled and delivered what felt like another baby just about. My hemoglobins tested fine that night, but I was still dizzy and weak with ringing in my ears and incoherent thoughts on Friday. the blood tests came back down at a 6.6 from a 9 on Friday, so I received 2 units of blood {and had been on IV fluids also}. We came home Saturday night and are recovering fairly nicely, although double the pleasure, double the work is all so true.......no more time, but I wanted to let the world know of my blessed arrival {the day before my 30th birthday, btw!!}.....

Growing and stretching

I've already updated about my baby girls's growth--15 lbs of baby inside this belly? Yeah. They are definitely stretching me--in SO many ways. Stretching my patience. Stretching my belly. Stretching my hips. Stretching my emotions. Stretching my family. Stretching my dh's patience. Putting us both on edge. With each other. With the other kids.
No, that is probably not God's intent. I don't think He wants me to feel like cursing at anyone who touches my belly during a contraction or tries to talk to me about ANYthing during those seconds of extreme discomfort. But just knowing that this curse of labor is the natural way of life here on earth and that thru the curse, we are brought joy unspeakable makes this short time a little more bearable. Thru sin, we find Jesus. Thru the curse of labor, we produce wonderful blessed fruit. Growing babies is hard work, but I know it is just a season. A season I have repeated multiple times and a season that I know will turn into a new season of growing infants, toddlers, children.....it makes it much easier to ENJOY each season when I have seen many pass. When the older ladies at church or the store tell you how quickly time passes, you nod and agree, not really knowing--not with #1 anyway--but by #3 or #4, you SEE the time passing quickly with your older children. And you realize you should ENJOY the stretching. The growing. Do I always do that? No, but it's a great reminder. In a blink, these babies will be in my arms, not my belly. I don't want to rush that, although my body feels like giving up :) and I'm a bit of a whiner sometimes *LOL* just ask my dh!!!

This morning I went to my OB appt. Tomorrow I will be 39 weeks--UNBELIEVABLE!! I am dialated to a "stretchy 4.5" and 90%+ effaced. The only thing stopping labor? Who knows. Probably just the water breaking. If I do not go into labor before, I am scheduled to go in Monday morning, October 12th at 7am and we will start a natural induction. She will break my water and see how it progresses. Everyone's guess is breaking the water is all it will take for Abigail to quickly join us. I have no option but to deliver in the OR where they will have an ultrasound machine ready to check on Elizabeth as soon as Abigail emerges and follow "baby B's" progression and position to make sure she descends and does not flip around. Ideally, I would prefer a nice room with a shower and room to be up walking [if I really feel like it!], but we'll see what they let me do--I've grown very adament about letting MY desires and wishes known, so I will NOT be strapped to the bed and content just laying flat on my back JUST in order for them to monitor me and the babies--are you kidding? I'm not planning on having an epidural either, so they WILL be letting me up and around if that helps encourage the labor and feels better with occasional monitoring of the babies too. They are gonna have their hands full with me, that's for sure--I'm not one to make it easier on THEM just because---that's not what I feel is God's intent and it definitely not MY job to make THEIR job easy. So please pray I have patient nurses!!!
A little on edge? Yeah--and hormonal--and perfectly fine with using these GROWING babies as an excuse for being outspoken and, well-----not so nice sometimes.

.........Just me......growing and stretching.........

Ultrasound 10/5

I have a couple pictures, but they aren't on disk and I haven't scanned them yet--they get blurrier as we go along. I guess there is just not enough space for wonderful photo ops anymore!!
Abigail
{Baby A}
vertex posterior [head down but face up]
fluid levels great at 3.5
heartrate in upper 140s
measuring 37+ wks at 7 lbs. 4 oz.
Elizabeth
{Baby B}
oblique [head down but body transverse--across the top]
fluid levels great at 4.4
heartrate in lower 150s
measuring 38+ wks at 7 lbs. 12 oz.

Reminder--it is very difficult to get extremely accurate measurements, especially this far along, but those are the educated guesses! Definitely do NOT want any more preemie clothes! and I think we are good on the newborn too [clothes and diapers]. I don't know if they will be little for awhile like my 4yo daughter was, but if they grow like the other 3, they will be in the 0-3 month clothes in no time at all!! Good thing I have them all washed and in the dresser already!

Pregnancy Update week 38

You would think this would be a welcome babies blog or baby update, but NO--it is still yet another pregnancy update!! I am 38 weeks, belly measuring 44 and weighing in at 192 lbs. We discussed induction--natural first, then the possibility of medicinal induction. She checked me and stretched me [OWW!] and I am still walking around--at a 4!!!!!!!!!!! Contractions? yes. regular? NO! Painful? YES!! [Making me question the "no meds" kinda pain] Tired? yes. Cranky? yes. Uncomfortable? Most definitely. And weepy. And impatient. And kinda angry. And kinda lazy too. And ready for a 2-day "vacation" in the hospital where someone brings me food, does my laundry and my other children are in the well and capable care of SOMEone other than me [this is still up in the air--probably the #1 reason I would like a home birth--we wouldn't have to mess with shipping the older kids other places].......
And, no, this is not a cry for help---we have our lists of completely capable babysitters and caretakers--some to come here at night or some for daytime playdates. It'll be my dh that has to juggle these things and I just fear he will be stressing out {and stressing ME out} instead of enjoying this new adjustment time together. He's already stressing ME out with his apparent need for MORE drama in his life---he called a realtor "just to see where we stand" in case we decided to sell the house [since seeing a great deal the other day on some land and a house]. He also went to find out our credit scores and stuff "just to see".....ummmm.....okay......I'm gonna stop there because I could SOOO go off on an emotional tangent that would be completely irreverent and disrespectful of my dh........and I would just regret it....... later........

ANYWAY----babies are still comfy cozy in their nest despite the onslaught of unneeded stress. Perhaps Elizabeth is just awaiting Abigail to get out of her way--and maybe Abigail is getting so crowded that she's not able to descend in the proper anterior position to progress labor. And maybe these girls just aren't quite "done"....... a lot to wonder about.
The weather changed and a front has moved thru---no labor.
The moon is almost full and will be on Sunday, October 4th. Labor? Maybe. I have no idea the real science behind it, but I do believe it effects us. And hospitals. And birthing.
If there is still no labor {as in the hard labor with FRUIT being produced, not this pre-labor with contractions 20-60 min. apart making me dbl over and yell at the kids to not touch me for those 45 seconds}, I will have my 6th official ultrasound Monday morning to check on baby positions---we'll see what kind of measurements they can get too. My tech has had her baby and is on maternity leave, so I just trust I get a capable non-student that has done twin scans and is understanding and actually educated *LOL* you know--from more than a book ;)
Still no labor after being pushed on and prodded by the u/s tech on Monday? My 38.5-week appointment will be Wed. morning.
Still no labor after even more prodding [and stretching and stripping] on Wednesday? We will be scheduling a medical induction to take place October 12th or after........despite my crying "no meds!!!" "No intervention!!!!" I have researched the "cost" and agree that allowing this pregnancy to go post-40 weeks may very well be dangerous for the babies........and that is where I question if I'm supposed to just trust God and my body {which, btw, is really screaming for relief from pregnancy, but that's just my low-tolerance for pain} or trust the doctors and science that God has provided.....

I will turn 30 on October 9th.
*sigh*
I will be 40 weeks on October 15th.
*sigh*
.........Just Me................

Totbooks revisited

Totbooks? Lapbooking for toddlers............

Well, my 2yo now has an obsession with trains ever since he saw one up close and a bit too personal at a friend's house the other day. Apparently, his obsession is a love/hate relationship. He gets very excited when seeing a train or talking about Thomas the Train, etc. But at night? That's where the hate comes in---he is terrified of SOMEthing at night and all he can say is 'train' or "I hear it!!!!!!" at the top of his voice. If we don't get him to sleep before the train goes thru town, he hears the whistle and runs TERRIFIED out of his bed. Last night, we left the light on and it was fine eventually--we don't even live close to the tracks, but we can faintly hear the sounds. I guess spending the night at our friend's house is out of the question [sorry, Becky!!].
Well, we've tried just about everything these last couple nights and even went down to see the trains yesterday [none were running, but some were sitting on tracks]. TODAY?!? Making a Thomas the Train totbook. She has several other totbooks that would be GREAT to do--but they require more hands-on from mom than I believe necessary for this age :) unless of course, you have no older kids or babies needing attention!!!!!
My solution? Well, for future books, my 8yo can take charge and be the teacher {which she LOVES, by the way}, but for this one my 4yo and 2yo are just teaming up with mom. The 4yo can cut most of the booklets and she is now coloring a few of the trains [since the 2yo is DONE for the day and ready to cut the scraps]. I did the number line and will cover it with clear packing tape for durability. I will be mounting the shape cards on some cereal boxes and covering those in packing tape as well. In fact, if this becomes his favorite book, everything is getting taped for added durability. I have old blue file folders, so I'm opting for blue instead of plain. And we'll set it up like she does on her site [except I always print on draft, so my colors aren't so bright and pretty]. Big Machines may be in our future--and maybe even Handy Manny since tools are a favorite of my tot also!!!
HAPPY TOTBOOKING!!!!

Counting Caterpillar

New File Folder Game!!!!
Sorry, I haven't transferred it to a pdf file, but I have the word doc. if anyone is interested to try to get it via email attachment.
I got the idea from the Horizons 2nd grade workbook--there is a caterpillar to fill in the numbers when skip counting by 2s, I believe, so I decided we needed a counting caterpillar that they can do ALL and ANY skip counting on.
My 4yo can count by ones up to 20 while my 2nd and 3rd graders can skip count by 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, 10s, 11s, or 12s----that is, up to 20x12!!!! Yeah, that goes beyond the multiplication charts, but why not!! There are prime numbers included but it was giving me too much of a headache trying to figure out if it was worth deleting those circles in order to save a page of printables, so all the numbers 1-110 are included, then just the multiples that go beyond that {up from 6x20 thru 12x20}. There are 5 pages of number circles that need to be printed on cardstock or glued onto cardboard and laminated [I'm awaiting a good packing tape deal for this job]. Then the 2 pages of caterpillar will just get cut out and glued into a file folder, also getting laminated or taped over. I may add a cover page as well for the outside of the folder and a little tab decor for the tab of the folder. The number circles will be contained in a zipper baggie in the folder.
Leave a comment or mail me if you want me to send this to you! I had great fun creating it on Word and look forward to putting it together with the kids!!

Confucius Lapbook

MOH Volume I, lesson 65 "Confucius"

Mini-lapbook time!!!

Homeschool Share has an ancient China lapbook that we will use just a few ideas from.

We recently read aloud Little Pear by Eleanor Frances Lattimore and may be looking for Little Pear and His Friends as a follow-up reader for the kids. I used Sonlight's read-aloud guide for questions and vocab lists. The kids just wrote out the vocab words to see the new words and then we discussed their meanings.

Now we are ready for Confucius and plan on watching Mulan and we may as well do a mini lapbook!! {even though Daniel is not finished, since we haven't hit on the lion's den or writing on the wall yet, but that is SOON!}

We used only 1/2 a file folder for this mini-lapbook--a quick one full afternoon lesson!
1>have 8yo dd start on Confucius copywork during the prior week
2>read MOH lesson on Confucius
3>fill in a couple mini books from homeschool share
4>cut out extra pictures and have 6yo put together lapbook
5>have 8yo finish copywork and put together lapbook

SIMPLE!! And I really think Confucius is well-known enough to require the extra time spent!!
The only item not at homeschoolshare or in MOH was the yin-yang symbol, although MOH mentions it. I googled it so my 8yo could draw one of her own to include--that is a very well-known symbol and I thought it important to explain as well.......
I will cover these easy mini-lapbooks with clear packing tape [again, my idea of laminating] and they will be ready to show at an upcoming homeschool event like Writer's Club or something. YAY!!

Macy's Makeover

I have a fellow homeschool [and twin mom] friend participating in the Macy's and Clinton Kelly Makeover America [Overland Park, KS]. The winner gets a trip to NYC and $5,000 shopping spree!! You can vote for Amelia in the green shirt here. Honestly? There were only a couple others I would consider anyway--so you might as well vote for Amelia!!!!

Pregnancy Update week 37/38

Friday, at 37 weeks 1 day, my belly measured 40 weeks and I'd only gained 1 lb in a week. My dr. had arrived back into the country and was a bit surprised to see me :)
My bp and urine STILL look great and the babies' heartrates were fine as well. I was 80% effaced and dialated to a 3, with Abigail's head at a -2 [-3 is the "stuck", lightened, DOWN to stay position most dr.s say].
<-- Pink Paisley calico fabric......Sorry you can't see it very well, but it has quite a bit of green [seafoam to be exact] and some brown in it. This will be one carseat cover and some other things in the nursery.





--> Violet Paisley calico fabric will be the other carseat cover and some various nursery items. You can see the blue, but it also has that same seafoam green [which I bought so we can do some trim work with and bring out that green].....EXCITING!!!

The plan when we go to the hospital is for them to check my cervix, then do a scan to make sure of the babies postions. After dbl checking to see if they are still vertex, I will also be asking if Abigail is posterior, just FMI [that's for MY information]. I delivered one face up and it would have taken a lot less pushes if she had been anterior instead--just want to know what I am up against :)

They will then determine if I need to be in the OR or in a regular room. I will only be getting an epidural/spinal if we have an emergency csection. If it is a life-threatening csection, I will be knocked out with general anesthetic. But as of right now, we have the go-ahead for an all-natural vaginal delivery whenever they are ready!!!

Speaking of ready, I thought we were going this morning, but I ended up sending John off to work. All night, I felt nauseous and achy, then started contractions about 15 minutes apart, with a whole lot of discomfort between. Although this could very well be prelabor, I'm thinking it is the start of a UTI instead, so i took a couple cranberry pills after a bowl of cereal this morning. The contractions slowed to only 20-35 min. apart now and we're going about our day as usual......
It could very well be another week before these babies make their appearance, but I may just seclude myself in order to avoid all the questions *LOL*

"no babies yet?" well, yeah, there are babies, they are just still in my belly, as if you could not tell........
"wow--when are you due?" well.....ummm.....I'm 37.5 weeks right now, so anytime between now and October 15th......
"are you okay?" yeah--sure
"are you tired?" umm, YEAH!! So glad you noticed!!
"When are you due again?" *SIGH*
I know, I know--people don't know how to react and it is nice to know that people CARE, but it's making me get impatient and I told myself I wouldn't get impatient!!! Trying to enjoy these last few days before the LIFE-CHANGING arrival of Abigail and Elizabeth............just me.............

"Baby Cleaning"

Last spring, I mentioned our "baby cleaning" as comparable to others' spring cleaning......well, we're still plugging away [thanks to the help from many friends!]......and for those of you who do keep their house spotless and have a wonderful cleaning schedule [or a maid?], I applaud you!! That is NOT me [as recently witnessed by many more people than I am completely comfortable with]!!
We have rearranged rooms and are on the last stage of getting the nursery ready and organized. In fact, the full sized crib just got completely put together last night [as well as our new dbl stroller! What a great hubby!! Better late than never!!!] and the crib is ready for the sheets that are coming out of the dryer sometime this afternoon. Our porta-crib is getting a makeover with the foam being recovered by a lady willing to take in all my sewing projects *LOL*. We happened to have most of a vinyl tablecloth that I had gotten originally to recover our dining room chairs and she'll use it to make the foam waterproof again {YAY!!}. She is also fixing some blankets that have the binding coming off and an OLD Strawberry Shortcake blanket of mine [yes, mine!] is getting a makeover as well [my request is just to have her fold it in 4ths and bind the edges, making a good baby blankie for the floor]. I am awaiting a pattern to come in at Joann's Fabrics for covers for the carseats and have already picked out a couple fabrics i really like and think will coordinate well with each other and the stroller---Pink Paisley and Violet Paisley. they are dark enough to not shout "stain me!" and still be girly and pretty. I loved all the pink and brown stuff, but there were NO coordinating fabrics in the store that weren't mostly white. These are the SAME patterns, just in different colors. I believe I could even get green or yellow in the same pattern! No matter, I will be getting extra fabric to also help recover an old swing and various other projects. I'm so happy to be able to rely on a 'seamstress' that won't charge me an arm and a leg, but I am happy to give her business to help support her and her family.
Back to the cleaning........I am majorly lacking in the strength, ability, and endurance areas, so slow going is all we got! I will ever be grateful for the friends that have come in to help [and motivate]. There is no way our laundry would be getting done, the baby clothes be on the shelves and even our pots and pans cleaned [even if the counter is still cluttered!].
I hope having places for things will make it easier for dh and others that come in after the babies come [and for me and the kids as well]. Most concerning? Probably the lack of ability for anyone else to use the washing machine or dishwasher without me *LOL*...... The older 2 kids understand the dishwasher, but the soap and fabric softener/vinegar for the washing machine get confusing for them [and anyone else that comes in and sees my variety of products!!]. does anyone else water down their fabric softener?!? It works just as well when it is 1/2 and 1/2 and the vinegar rinse? I usually use it and only the fabric softener on stuff I want extra soft or smelling extra good. I also tear the dryer sheets into 1/4s or 1/6s in the summer--we'll go down to 1/2s for fall and maybe have to use full ones for winter to cut back on the static. Yeah--I'm probably over the top frugal, but it works!!! It just confuses anyone else ;> and my dh hasn't tried to load the dishwasher since it was installed, but I'm hoping the kids can continue that chore without him as long as he can step up to other tasks.......and that list keeps growing..... we now need a new flusher on the downstairs toilet [the "chain" on the inside isn't metal, but plastic, so there was no 'repair with paperclips' or something].........and I'm really hoping the sectional missing the hide-away-bed gets a board in it so company won't get lost when they sit down.....you know, all the little things *LOL*

Pregnancy Update 9/18/09

Went for my weekly appointment on Friday. It went much better than last week--the doc seeing me while my OB is gone was looking forward to a weekend off--he told me the name of the other doc on call this weekend while he finally got a break :) Why did he tell me who was on call? Well, probably because I am 36 weeks, 75% effaced and dialated to a 1.....with twins.....

My urine and bp still look great, even though the swelling is getting pretty horrible in my hands and feet. I'm at 189lbs. and my belly was measuring at 40. He insisted the swelling was pretty good and he's surprised it hasn't been bad before now. The only way to help it is to keep my feet up, which i try to do at least some during the afternoons.

My OB gets back on Thursday, so we'll see if we can last that long :)

I also got to go see our family doctor who delivered my last 2 but is no longer delivering. I wanted to ask him if he had time for 2 new patients and give him the heads up on the twins :)

When he walked into the room, he said, "Hello, Fertile One!" Always good for a laugh! He is no longer doing any on-call work and will not see the babies in the hospital at all--it will just be whoever is on call, so I didn't get a lot of answers about hospital policy on the "what-ifs", but he was encouraging about me being this far along, saying there is a higher than 95% possibility that we won't need any kind of NICU time, thus, no separation from me and the babies [since the NICU is in the other hospital]..... He was encouraging and uplifting and seemed to be doing well himself now that he isn't constantly working like he has been for the last 25 years or so...

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Free Geo-Trax DVD!!

Easy to get--didn't have to enter credit card info or anything!!!

Good or Free Deals

what? breastfeed twins? are you insane?

Those are the basic reactions from people--disbelief--ignorance.......even from "pro-breastfeeding" people!!
How? Are you sure? Really? Do you need bottles? You're going to be so tired! Really? That will be so hard! Will you get anything else done? What about the other kids? Really? Do you need special pillows? How? Really?
Thanks for the encouragment......and, yes, a special pillow or 2 would be GREAT, but $$ is an issue for me, so we'll see!!
Yes, I plan on exclusively breastfeeding my twins. And doing it as long as I can. I will pump if I have to and I will supplement if I HAVE to, but breastfeeding twins CAN be done and although I am in the dark on some things (namely, will they tandem nurse and what are the positions possible? Things that i can't answer until I try and find out what my girls want/need), but having successfully nursed 4 singles through their first year, I'm hoping hoping hoping that I can find the support needed to nurse these 2 blessings as well.
Here's just a little info that I have found helpful in order to prepare:
Pictures Pictures Pictures [be aware--there is some exposure :)]
Breastfeeding Twins

update

OKAY--sorry for no update since my OB appt. on Friday.....
not much to update, except I am refusing to deliver until my OB is back (24th)......
well, okay, I've now since come to terms that they may not wait and we may have to deliver with a less than cooperative dr. on call. I'm now okay with that. My dh and I are on the same page with wanting/needing a natural vaginal delivery unless absolutely medically necessary. And we know what each other means by that--unlike some doctors who, out of convenience and liability, will push for a c-section if anything looks SLIGHTLY off, thus, also pushing for an epidural or spinal and delivery in an OR.........not my ideal birth plan........
ANYWAY--that is why no update--I was too emotional and worked up to share.....
My bp was just slightly higher, but still normal, normal urine, normal weight gain [now at a total of 41 lbs gained, if I remember correctly], normal measurements [at 34 weeks, 39], and they are both vertex. Although, Abigail [A] was posterior [face-up] and Elizabeth [B] is down low crowding her sister as shown on this dr.'s quick ultrasound [which he finds necessary to determine position in case of delivery soon, being the pro-c.section doc he is]. Hopefully, Elizabeth will give Abigail the room to descend into the birth canal and all will "fall" into place when the time comes. I am having Braxton Hicks contractions still, sometimes fairly intense, but nothing to send me to the hospital--nothing regular, no gushes of water [just continual leaking of discharge/urine, apparently--sorry for the TMI *LOL*]..........
just me.......on a self-induced moderate bedrest now.....just doing less and less that may encourage delivery too soon......

"Free" Udder Cover

Udder covers [also known as hooter hiders or breastfeeding cover-ups] seem like a novel idea! I'm thinking I will actually have to try to cover up this time around--especially if they decide to tandem nurse and I want to prevent double exposure!! I hardly ever used a blanket before and could usually layer my clothes and keep blankies/burpies close enough on hand to prevent anyone's embarrassment.
But I just heard about THIS great deal and would love to try it---with coupon code either Chatter or cushv2.
I like Laila--what about you?!?
For $8.95 [that is the shipping cost], these would be great! I've seen them as tutorials for making them yourself, but I'm thinking it would cost just about that $9 for the materials, let alone the time and effort!! Not making the purchase right away, but it is definitely on my mental wishlist, that's for sure!!

NOW--here are some udders that need a cover-up!! *LOL*

Ancient History -- Great Scientists

I've mentioned our MOH volume 1 before, but I just ran across another GREAT supplement to our ancient history studies!! And just in time for this 3rd quarter also! Her study of the Great Ancient Scientists begins with Thales, dated 630-543 BC, not listed in MOH, but a great supplement to the times at the end of quarter 2 or beginning of quarter 3. Then comes Pythagorus {MOH Lesson 64}, Anaxagoras {not listed, but between lessons 70-72}, and Hippocrates {lesson 77}. Quarter 4: Aristotle {lesson 83}, Euclid {not l isted, between lessons 86-87}, Archimedes {lesson 87}, and for next year's volume II: Ptolemy {90-168 AD}. She includes time line figures plus great reading and extras on each of these scientists--all in a free pdf download here.

Not doing Ancient History? She also has Middle Ages and Modern Great Scientists!! I will download everything she has for free now because she may not have them available later! What is great is she has intended this for the grammar stage students {1st-4th grades}, or they can be read alone by the logic stage students {5th-8th grades} and supplemented with other extras.

What would make life easier?

Besides a maid, cook, and sleep...........

I've turned my wish list to the right into a "make life easier" list and included the registries I've made at Target, Wal-Mart, and Babies R Us. The reason? Well, Target and Babies'R Us each do incentive programs for their baby registries---anything NOT purchased we can get for 10% off and they should be sending the coupon for that sometime soon [or close to the due date]. Why Wal-Mart? Well, it is just a wish list, not a baby registry--and that is because the other 2 stores don't carry all the things on my personal wish list. They don't have all the portable crib stuff or the Hoover Floormate or even the Arm's Reach Co-sleeper!! But wal-mart.com does (as well as other stores, but I like that you can ship to store without extra shipping costs and pick it up locally at Wal-Mart).

SOOOOO----I am not telling you all to buy me stuff, but I am keeping track of what I think would be nice to have to spruce up the nursery, keep me organized, and keep me on track with new twin babies coming and MAYBE we can actually use that 10% discount to get a few things later!! If this helps anyone know what we "need", then great---but please know that I'm not trying to tell everyone to go out and buy stuff for us, but if you just really WANT to get these sweet baby girls something, then there are registries you can go to!

WalMart Ad Matches thru 9/8

I had some excellent ad matches at WalMart this weekend that are mostly still available. Aldi's puts out their new ad in the Monday paper, so they have new ads out now, but the Summerfresh and H&W ads come out on Wed., so you can still get these good deals thru Tuesday. Thanks so much to my friend who gave me the ads (from Jasper and Lamar stores--yes, Carthage is ad-matching these!!) Find Heinz, Hilands, BarS, or Breyers coupons and you have TREMENDOUS savings!!!!

Aldi's:
grapes $.79/lb;
bagged bananas $.35/lb

Other:
BarS HotDogs $.50/1 {x 4} = $2 {regularly $.88/1, saved $1.52}
Breyer's Ice Cream $5/2 {regularly $7/2, saved $2}
Heinz Ketchup 20-24 oz $.98
10 lb bag russett potatoes $1.99 [limit 1] {on sale for $4, saved $2.01}
1/2 gallon Hiland's 100% OJ $.99 [limit 1]

i don't remember the regular prices on the ketchup and OJ, but I am thinking they were about 1/2price. There are many other great deals, but these were what was on my list {we had a boy turning 7 on Saturday, thus the ice cream and the OJ to go with Saturday's breakfast!!}

WalMart also had 3lb bags of Granny Smith apples for $2.50.

Pregnancy Update week 34

Went to the OB this morning for my now-weekly visit. She will be out of town--no, actually, out of the COUNTRY from the 11th till the 24th, so I am supposed to let the babies know that :)LOL....and in the meantime, I will see her associate the next 2 Fridays.....
Gained 3 lbs this week--which is good. My belly measured at 39, and I am truly proud of myself because I was pretty sure a couple days ago both babies turned head down and my OB agrees!! I went from feeling kicked/punched by someone {Abigail?} WAY down low all over to feeling like I had toes in my ribs and greater pressure down low.......
My bp and urine still both look great. I am just a tad bit dialated and starting to thin, although it is still quite thick and high. She did confirm our suspicions of Abigail being head down when she checked my cervix also----she felt her head, which means that she may not turn again if she has lowered this much. YAY!!

Time to kick it into gear and pack bags, I guess. I'm kinda figuring we may have 3 weeks more but maybe not--it's so hard to guess!! And I don't want to make myself impatient if we go the whole 6 weeks more either!!

Bridge to Terabithia

I know there has been a recent movie based on this book, but I never saw it--never even wanted to. The previews were all too mystical for my liking--too forgetful of God and worshipful of His Creation and the mystical make-believe world instead......

But the book. the book.......hmmmm......

I've been pre-reading a lot of the juvenile and young people books in our library so I can know what may or may not be good for my 8yo dd {reading at a 5th grade level with mostly understanding}. She cannot get enough reading material for her liking and would be lazy all day with a book if I would let her. The problem is usually that she is just reading for the entertainment value and it could just be fluff---no real substance. Sometimes, that is okay, but I know there is better use of her time.

A REVIEW
When I picked up one of our library's copies, I noticed some blacked-out words. Someone had kindly inked over the 5-6 words that were questionable in their mind. Indeed, after looking intensely and reading the context, I saw these were words I definitely did NOT want my children to be reading, let alone KNOWING existed in this manner ~LOL~ If used as a read-aloud, I could easily replace or skip these few choice words. I could also explain them, but I do not see the benefit Paterson could have been thinking of when including them. The setting and mind-set of poverty was captured without the swearing, I believe, although I see the truth behind their usage.

And then I began......"Ba-room, ba-room, ba-room, baripity, baripity, baripity, baripity-Good. His dad had the pickup going..." The story is less about this magical land presented in the movie previews and more about the growing up of an impoverished young boy. It is his story. His thoughts. His family life. His friendship with a neighbor girl that brought him into a new growth. She shows him how to imagine--how to think. It is amazingly REAL, capturing who this young boy IS and the difference between his world and his friend's, yet all the while, the similarities. They share a bond of friendship that goes beyond any teasing from friends and they create a magical playland in the woods they dub Terabithia. It is a retreat--a playhouse--a playground where they rule as King and Queen. Yes, they spend hours of every day imaginable there in their wonderland, but the book does not dwell on all the aspects. There are imaginary creatures and they "pray" to the gods of the forest, yes, but not because that is their religion---that is what is found in the classic books she informs him about.

Church is only attended on Easter and Christmas and is a drudgery for a little boy who hates being stuffed into new clothes and trying not to snore through what he sees as boring. Heaven is what is obtained by believing in God, not a sacrifice made and committing yourself to Him. There are many questions raised for discussion about religion and Truth, but not explored enough to leave a distaste in my mouth for wrong explanations. It is left pretty much open-ended. These kids are uninformed on the matter.

Warning: I cried. I will not tell you the ending and I will not tell you what I cried long and hard about---but I was touched and the well-written award-winning book "Bridge to Terabithia" definitely has some depth and can be made into a good school read, IMO, although I don't know how long I will wait till letting my children have at it.

Apparently, there are all sorts of study guides that can be found also, like this one at Amazon, although I haven't looked at any of them.
And now, I am curious about the movie. Not for my kids, but for me---anyone see it? Does it go more along with the book than the previews let on?

Art Carnival

There is a wonderful Blog Carnival of Kids Art Projects going on that you just might be interested in! Hurry and go look and you could even enter to win an adorable and useful tabletop easel!

My deal at Wags Sat. 29th

If you have not signed up for www.vocalpoint.com, you are missing out on great freebies and coupons. I was able to use my Rice Crispies coupons yesterday at Walgreens and they gave me $$ for taking 2 boxes. I just wish I was on top of things and had done this earlier in the week! Oh well!
2 boxes rice crispies on sale 2/$5
MQ free rice crispies ($2.50)
MQ ($1.00)
Total: $1.50
RR $2.00 {used on next transaction of some laundry detergent and toilet paper}
= $.50 overage!!!!!

If you know of other places to use my other $1 off rice crispies coupons, let me know!! I also just received vocalpoint's latest promo--Kashi Honey Cereal--haven't seen it in stores yet, so if you see a decent deal, let me know!

Ultrasound Pictures 8/26 and pregnancy update

Had a long afternoon yesterday with ultrasound and OB appt. I was so thankful to have the company of my dh though--it was nice to be out alone with him--almost like a date ~LOL~ a cheap date~ and knowing the kids were having so much fun playing with cousins and not napping :)
The ultrasound tech is also expecting and we've had many a good talks with her. Very neat to have real conversations with real people and since we see her every month or so, it is more than just a service she is providing.....

She was able to capture a good 3D image of Elizabeth with her leg in front of her face. See her cushy face and round nose? Looks like she has plenty of fat deposits already :)

She measured about 4 lbs 6 oz and very active still.

I just love baby feet--and we were able to get several good pics of their feet...together and apart. This one isn't the best, but it's both of them--kicking me down low :) YES--they are both breech right now. I was proud of myself because I knew this before going in. If it lasts more than a couple days, I'm probably gonna be panicking, but they are still so active that they could be 5 different positions before they settle down to come out in another month or so (crossing fingers). Just one of them turning is like a huge volcano bubbling. There is no real description with words--it's such a huge discomfort and UGHH....and then the 2nd one usually follows soon after.....

I tried to upload a video of baby B "Elizabeth" holding her toes momentarily and then letting go. It was adorable to see. but you'll have to settle for just her little foot--you can barely trace out her fingers below the toes. Apparently she's gonna be one that needs her toesies free to play with :)

We did get some cute pics of Abigail {Baby A} also, but she was more crunched up it seemed and not as easy to see and measure. She measured about 4 lbs even. You can see the front of her scrunched up face in this pic.

Here is Abigail's profile--see her little round nose also? SOO sweet to see my baby girls!! It is helping me to bond way before I ever did with any others. It's like they are just a foreign presence making me uncomfortable until i get to hold them, feed them, touch them, etc. Of course, this unexpected bonding also brings more worry--the what-ifs tend to creep in occasionnally and I just have to pray...

The OB appt. went well. We were ahead of schedule everywhere we went, starting with dropping the kids off :) A sure sign that dh was in charge and not me!! I was about 32 weeks 5 days and measured about 36 weeks. Strong heartbeats--ultrasound measured 139 and OB measured 140s. My bp is still looking great. I weighed in at 178lbs. I got a lot of questions answered and need to go ahead and make a call to our pediatrician to give him a heads up and discuss his take on when they need NICU, etc. Neither our OB nor our ped {he's actually our family doc} goes to the neighboring hospital with a NICU, so we're REALLY hoping it is avoided--although I enjoyed a nice tour of the NICU and was pleasantly surprised at how homey and inviting the atmosphere was. Our hospital choice--the one without a NICU--the birthing center at St. Johns lets the babies room in with you and you do not have to change rooms for labor, delivery, recovery, etc. They are also bigger rooms, making plenty of room for the older kids to come see us and visit. Siblings are able to come in and I believe other children must be 12+. It is a secured area and no one gets in the doors without clearance. Our other 4 kids were delivered here (although our oldest came before it was a birthing center and we DID have to change rooms, etc.).

Pregnancy Update

I know--I'm a bit behind on an update. I had an OB visit Wed. 12th and there aren't a lot of things to report. I had only gained 2 pounds in 2 weeks. I am 31 gestational weeks, still only measuring about 35. Both girls were active that day but heartbeats were in the 140-150s. My bp was perfectly normal and swelling really only occurs in the heat. The nurse asked if dh was helping out folding laundry, cooking, etc. and I tried REALLY hard not to laugh. Yes--he sometime grills on the weekend. And I have friends coming every once in a while to help with other household stuff. She encouraged me to get more help *smile*. I've been having more of the braxton hicks contractions but unless anything happens, I'll go back in 2 weeks for ultrasound AND the OB appt. After that--every week.......
The OB was more concerned about nutrition. She gave me a prescription for folic acid, said to take a stool softener if needed and make sure to take my vitamins and get in as much nutrients as possible....hmmm....I'm hungry all the time--sure--but not for what is in my fridge and cabinets......or for anything that has to be FIXED ~LOL~ The free chicken club I had from Arby's Wed. has been on my mind A LOT. So has a 1/3lb cheeseburger from Braum's.......and lemon chicken from Bamboo Garden........and.....well, I better quit now before I think I'm starving!!

Also, I opened a registry at www.babiesrus.com and hope to add more to it. I may open a Target one also. They both offer 10% off anything left on the registry at the due date, so that was a major motivator!!

Need a laugh?

Sketch Tuesday: Bathroom Cabinet Finds

Last week's assignment for Sketch Tuesday was something you find in your bathroom cabinet.

Daniel Lapbook--part 1

We have started our fall history---quarter 3 of volume 1 Mystery of History. Thus, the start of a new history lapbook about not just Daniel, but the Babylonian captivity and rulers and the food pyramid and general health information. Homeschool Helper has a Daniel lapbook and most of these links will be from there, denoted by an *. Since we are going in chronological order thru our history book, I'm trying to put it together chronologically also.

Book of Daniel accordian fold*
The Captivity of Babylon -- this is a group of notebooking pages that I got and I cannot find the site anymore. I will only be using page one and turning it into a booklet. If you want this pdf file, just ask!
The Ishtar Gate -- I made this book on word doc. and can email it to you if you are interested!! Information and picture gathered from bible-history.com.
We will be focusing on what happened with Nebuchednessar II, Daniel, and the food pyramid this next week, taking a "detour" to study Aesop and his fables the next week and continuing on with our MOH lessons--all those during Daniel's lifetime could add little activities to this Daniel lapbook, but the majority will be completed this week.
Food folder game This will be the second folder or a flap (for my preschooler). She may also have a Medley Match-Up game. The older ones will probably also need an extra flap or 2 in this folder for their coloring pages and activities I have found on the food pyramid.
GuestHallow.com has a free health unit based on the book "Food and Nutrition for every Kid". We will be using several of her mini books from her Nutrition lapbook--especially for my oldest:
Vitamin Storage Petal Book
Fats Chart
Fat Accordian
Nutrition Facts Book
Protein fan book
Protein Wheel
Vitamin ABCs long booklet
Saccaride Dbl Flapbook
Examples of saccharides dbl flapbook
What a way to incorporate Science into our school day!!
Change of names tab fold* I may save this for lesson 62 "Shadrach, Meshac and Abed-nego" along with The Fiery Furnace.
Lion's Den* -- a small unit on lions could be given with a classification of lions and what they eat, etc. This will probably be saved for lesson 67, "Darius I"
I will try to add more......but this will get our week started at least ;)

OB appt. 7/30

I had another OB appt. on Thursday. It went well. My bp is great and so is my urine :) so the painful swelling in my feet the other night is just me being up on them too long. Also, when I sit wrong or too long (i.e. when i'm driving and lean toward the right apparently), I get extremely uncomfortable and pain down my right leg which I guess is a nerve being pressed on with all this extra weight. The solution for not being on my feet OR my bum too long? Lying down. Not ordered to bedrest, but she encouraged me to find out what works best to NOT get the swollen feet or the pinched nerve. A nap each afternoon is just about necessary at this point....which REALLY slows any progress on the house!

Babies heartrates were in the 140s---they have been very active. I could even feel and see a definite foot, elbow, knee, or hand last night (Abigail)!!! Elizabeth has been getting the hiccups frequently also. I think it was helping me figure out where her head was last night--first, breech, then vertex later!!

Anyway--back to my stats--I weighed in with another 5 lbs added [in 2 weeks], making the total so far 30lbs. and although I'm 29 weeks, my belly is measuring 34 weeks. Yet, that is just length-wise and she noticed that I am definitely widening also---they may have been transverse again when she was measuring me, otherwise, I would have measured bigger.

As for the Braxton Hicks contractions that had started--they are less frequent and less harsh now. I have been drinking 64 oz of liquid (mostly water) every day this week......and I was even THIRSTY for more last night!! Of course, this makes me have to get up to go to the bathroom urgently, but this is helping with waking up 6yo ds to make him go to the bathroom also. [He has decided that he does not need any more GoodNights, so there has been a lot of morning baths and washing sheets lately.]

That's just me....and my pregnancy update!!

Letting him be the man....

Check out this Tangle video on my friend's blog........it says it all!!

What to do for Preschool?!?

For my first child (girl), it was all about "starting homeschool"...buying kits...you know how it is....
Number 2 (boy) was not as ready for the writing and cutting or singing and nursery rhymes--he still has no interest in the songs and such! I didn't push it.
Number 3 (girl) likes sitting at the table--and has asked to "do school" since she was 18 months old or so. When number 4 came along (boy), it became necessary to have planned activity for the little two, but there definitely wasn't the funds to spend on a bunch--especially when we have so much laying around! Sure, they got some counting, sorting, etc. in their regular play, but it really should have some thought thrown into it too! And if they are within my sight, there is less likely to be a mess somewhere else!! So, a little mess at the table was fine :)
This past year, for the 3yo, she had a letter book. We kinda did a simplified version of the "letter of the week" curriculum that you can find anywhere and everywhere, including free online, but we definitely spread it out [over about 45 weeks instead of 26]. It's SO easy to do this.
Simplified Letter of the Week for age 3
I started out with an accordian folder that is labelled with the alphabet. In each pocket (a-b, c-d, etc.), I put in things that went with that letter. Any stickers I found, coloring pages, stories from old Highlights magazines or other magazines (i.e. a snake pamphlet was in the S file, some preschool letter cards we have were divided into each one, zoobooks filed appropriately, etc.). I also made sure to include one large printout of each letter in block form. A polka dot alphabet would work also. These letters were for matching letter stickers and maybe items that start with that letter which I usually put on my fingers for her to put on the letter (we used up leftover scrapbooking letter stickers and bought more letter stickers wherever and whenever I saw them on sale) and for cutting and gluing practice. You can go with these collage ideas too.
Where did she glue them? In a cheap wide-ruled notebook that we got on sale last summer. This was her Alphabet Notebook. After she glued on the letter, we filled the next couple pages with other drawings or stickers or color pages or booklets about that letter. For instance--following R, we had stencils of raindrops, cut outs of rectangles, and then rainbows I showed her how to draw.
A little over halfway through the alphabet, she started recognizing letters. She now writes her name in capital letters. We did not work on that--we did not spend a lot of time on this, even, but it was all she needed. You can go way more in depth than we did, but we kept it simple, knowing if it seemed too difficult, I wouldn't follow through. And we only did it on days she asked to do school or really needed some kind of planned activity.
What did my 2yo boy do? nothing really productive, but if he opted to be at the table, he was also allowed stickers, paper, glue, scissors, etc. After turning 3, I will help him start his own alphabet book!
Plans for Notebooks for age 4
In about 3 weeks, I will have a 4 year old. Since completing the alphabet notebook and recognizing most letters for PreK3, I think it is time to focus on numbers for a little while. I may use the same accordian type of system or we could just pull down all the preK wkbks sitting on the shelf. I will mix in colors and shapes also--one of those cheapie ruled notebooks will become her Preschool Book for this year--this REALLY cuts back on the mess of papers and "what do we do with this stuff" question. It also lets her use scissors and a glue stick :)
After this, we will go back to letters. I want her to see the lowercase and I have some wipe-off d'nealian sheets of all the letters that she can trace and try to write them. Maybe she will learn sounds. I plan on letting her watch some you-tube videos (there are adorable nursery rhymes, songs, etc.) and Starfall. We'll add in what we can, but a lot of things will probably be "taught" by my 8yo and 6yo as they take turns with the little ones and we will have newborn twins-- a new twist on daily life that I have no idea what it will bring!!

Just me.....and my ideas on a SIMPLIFIED PreK curriculum!!
Benefits of PreK? I believe it helps with a better ability to sit in Sunday School and other church classes and co-ops. It also teaches without pressure as long as you are laid back about it.
Get too laid back and not do anything? They may not be able to sit and use the glue at storytime at the library or other activities we like to go and enjoy. They will also need more of your help (cutting, etc) when you DO try to do something with them (or various other teachers they may encounter).
Don't forget about your preshoolers and toddlers this year!!
The ideas are really endless!

when the cat's away

I guess the saying is "when the cat's away, the mice will play".
Do your kids do this? Leave the room and the schoolwork is forgotten? Rules are forgotten? Knowing mom isn't there, you decide you CAN and SHOULD go ahead and poke sister with the pencil?!? Or just sit and doodle?!?
Just wondering--mine tend to, which makes it fairly difficult to accomplish anything anywhere BUT the school room when they are doing school.
We're working on that though---if I have one follow me around while reading to me or me quizzing them, the other tends to still continue working somewhat while left behind.

Now--what about when dh is away? We don't exactly play, but we sure are more lazy!! No reason to have it ALL cleaned by 5pm every day. No reason to have more than a baked potato for dinner. No reason to......well, you get my drift. Then comes the countdown--Daddy's coming home today!! Let's clean!!! Better catch up on the shopping (he'll need bread for sandwich lunches next week!)!!

My dh doesn't travel much anymore, but he was gone on a Missions Trip with our church this week--not far, just down to OK where the headquarters of Voice of the Martyrs is. He'll be tired when he gets home on Saturday and there is always an adjustment period for everyone, but OOOH how excited the kids and I will be to see him!!!! I told him he better not look at my belly first thing and just go WOW--although it will be nice to see if he really does notice a difference. Living with the growing day-to-day, it's not so noticeable sometimes.

Just me................filling in the void of a lonely Friday night by blogging...........

Ultrasound Pictures 7/23

Neither girl was overly cooperative during Thursday's ultrasound. By the end, they both ended up being transverse (sideways), at first facing one another's bottom sides, then both facing down, so baby A's bottom was in Baby B's face :) not really since there is a membrane between them, but that's the idea. A's head was on my right side down at the bottom of the uterus and B's head was on my left side, a bit higher. It seems like they may have more room this way, but I sure hope that at least A's head will head south when the time comes. I was, however, enjoying not getting kicked and prodded in the lower regions for a change.

Ultrasound #3 at 28 weeks

above, Abigail, weighing 2 lbs. 7 oz.

above, Elizabeth, weighing 2 lbs. 8 oz.

This is a sideways pic of the whole uterus, top to bottom (left to right). You can see Elizabeth's head area on top, then an umbilical cord and Abigail's body/bottom and then comes my bladder and cervix.

I go back to see my OB next Thursday again.