Hoppy Easter

The Easter bunny

All of the kids just loved the bunny. With the boys we had a long wait with Chloe none at all. We are so lucky that the local bunny is awesome.

Egg Decorating
You want to have lots of fun.... Try dying eggs with 3 kids under 3. The loved throwing the eggs into the dye to make a big mess. After of all the splashing the bottom of my right foot was pink. BUT we did have some very beautiful eggs. The kids had so much fun and we will be sure to do it again next year.

Easter day
As soon as the boys woke up Erick took them to the bathroom. While he was getting them out of diapers I set up. I got into position and filmed.


They loved their baskets. It was awesome to see their faces and the magnets are a hit.

Later in the day the family came over for lunch and an egg hunt for the kids. We do money in the eggs because god knows the kids dont need more candy and it builds their savings.

AND for your viewing pleasure.....My first belly picture this pregnancy...23 weeks

Hoppy Easter

Paccy and potties

I know, know I, I always have an excuse as to why I havent blogged lately. BUT truth be told a few big things have been happening in our house the last 2 weeks. They involve two very important things. Paccys and potties. I know sounds so exciting but really it took some work.

Paccys- Many of you know I have attempted to kick the paccy habit a few times and FAILED with a bog fat F. I knew the boys were ready but very strongly attached. I kept making excuses as to why I needed to put it off. First I got pregnant and was so tired I was napping when they napped, then I was to busy, after that came the potty (more on that later) and I didnt want to many changes at once. Lastly we got sick (10 days of coughing no fun). We were already down to only getting them in bed. I spend a lot of time in Target (we are there at least once a week). Well the boys BEGGED for pillow pets every time they saw them. So we started talking about the paccy fairy. We told the boys all about how one day she would come and leave a gift for them and take the paccy away forever. That she only comes to big boys and girls. When they started telling me this I moved on to asking them what they wanted and pointing out the pillow pets in Target telling them that one day soon the fairy would bring them one if that is what they wanted. The whole process took about two weeks. We knew it was time when we would put the boys down and they would take their paccy and tell us about the fairy.

This last weekend we were at Erick's mom's and we told her about our plan. We were at Target to get toothpaste and showed her the pets. She decided to get them and let the boys pick the ones they wanted. When we got back to her house I went and tossed the paccys.

Owen and Wim the turtle

Ethan and T-bone the dog

We had the boys name their own pets and whenever they asked about the paccy we asked them right back. The boys always responded with "the fairy came and took paccy forever". We had about 5 min of crying/asking for the paccy the first nap and about two days of asking without crying. They are doing AWESOME without it.

Potties- We have been working on using the potty for some time now. Not forcing but letting the boys know it is there and putting them on it when they want. We were only making them use it before bath. In the last two weeks we have stepped up our game and the boys are rising to the occasion. I am extremely proud of Ethan. Im sure Erick will agree that when we started this we thought that Ethan would train last. He proved us wrong. He has decided he no longer wants the rewards. If I have him in a diaper and tell him to use it he has and will cry. He hasnt pooped in underwear in a few weeks and we are able to take him out in underwear without accidents. He even made it the 2 hr drive to and from Erick's mom's house dry. Owen is totally in it for the jelly beans. And he knows how to work the system. If we are home they are in undies for the most part. We keep the undies in the bathroom under the sink. Accidents arnt a big deal and the boys pick their own undies out. So far so good.

My boys are growing up at a rapid pace. Yes I know that doing this now could mean doing it again after the new baby comes but I am glad we are laying down the foundation now. It isnt hurting the boys and they are loving the attn and praise.

I will try my best to keep you updated. PS No new news on the pregnancy. We still dont know the gender and are looking forward to finding out at the party. Lots of movement and kicking going on.

Infertility HURTS

Infertility is a heart-wrenching, faith-questioning, relationship-testing, life-altering experience. April is Infertility Awareness Month. Whether a friend, a family member, a colleague or yourself has fought through this difficult fate that MILLIONS of women are fighting day in and day out. They are walking or have walked to hell and back for the chance to be a MOM. It is not an easy road to walk and it sticks with you for a lifetime. You never forget the sting that was created. And even when you have a child the sting still burns. You are never quite whole and you never forget it. Every time a friend/ family member gets pregnant you think "did they have issues?" "why me?" "why so easy for them?" It not only hurts you but hurts the people you come in contact with and tarnishes relationships (sometimes to the point they are beyond repair). It challenges families, and pocket books. And so much more.

This pain is made worse when a company, group, or person uses these feelings. PETA decided to have a contest to honor Infertility Awareness Week. What is the prive you ask....a vasectomy. It is completely insensitive! When called on it PETA is saying...

"we're not exploiting infertility, we're bringing awareness to overpopulation".

When told they offended a large community of animal lovers and were losing support. They reply that it "remains to be seen" and "the contest would go on as scheduled whether its offensive or not."

"The response has been positive and they havent gotten many calls from people that are offended."

The last one is the one I URGE you to change.

If anybody wants to call PETA and tell them they are insensitive please do 757-622-PETA (7382)

Infertility hurts and it is real it is not a joke or a topic to be used for political gain especially from a group that doesnt care that they are hurting people in order to push their own agenda.

Short and sweet

We had my 18-19 week check today. The Dr was running about 20 min late. I am up 3 lbs from my last appointment (still down in total weight). We finally see the Dr and he walks in and asks if everything is good and do we have any concerns or questions. We say no and he asks "do you want to see your baby today?" We say sure and he walks out to set it up. We wait a bit and are walked to the U/S room. She asks why we are getting the u/s so early. We told her because he offered it. She gets to work. Baby looks good. She is pointing things out. She asks us if we want to know the gender. We tell her we would like her to write it down but dont want to know. She says she has a guess but isnt 100% sure. She also says she is having trouble seeing the face so we will get another u/s soon so we decide to just wait. She has me clean up and takes us to a room to wait for my OB. My OB comes in all smiles and says "we saw the gender? I know so I am going to make this fast before I spill it". he then tells us everything they could see looked good, downs and everything is low, he will see us in 4 weeks with another u/s at 27weeks.

We only got 2 shots of the baby this time here is the best one. Below that is the official report on the ultrasound.

Date: March 25, 2011

Ultrasound Examination Report

Technician/Reviewer: Deon Peterson, RDMS

Referred by: Dr. Savage

Indications: Rule out anomalies

AFP: n/a

Dating Summary from LMP: 18W6D

LMP cannot be entered because category is 'Pregnant'

Maternal Anatomy: WNL

Fetal Anatomy:
Lateral ventricles, choroid plexus, cerebellum within normal
limits. Orbits, lips, and facial profile not well seen. Four
chamber cardiac view not seen. Stomach, bowel echogenicity and
bladder appear normal. Cord insertion into the abdomen and
three-vessel cord seen. No spinal abnormalities seen. All long
bones visualized. No placental masses seen.

Placenta: posterior Grade 1

Presentation: transverse

Gender: not seen (a lie but they know we dont want to know at this time)

Amniotic Fluid: normal

Cervix: 4.49 CM

MEASUREMENTS:

BPD 19 W1D 4.34CM (lungs)
HC 18 W5D (head)
AC 18 W6D (tummy)
FL 18 W4D (femur)

US GEST AGE 18 Weeks 6 Days EDD 08/20/11

back seat bloging

Did you miss me? I know I am a bad blogger. Life tends to get in the way of keeping others involved or informed of life.

Life: I am on a total spring cleaning kick. So far I have finished the boys room, the 2 front most closets, both bathroom, and one of our bedroom closets. Not to mention when I sent the boys and Erick away for the weekend so I could shampoo the carpets, organize the toys and rearrange the living room. Erick has been busy with work as usual.

The boys: Potty training has entered the house. Ethan is really good and Owen likes candy. This fills my days most days. Trips to the bathroom, washing hands, next kid and repeat. It never fails that if one had to go they both do. Heaven forbid I have to go. Owen will argue with you that it is his turn to go. They are so smart and so different. Ethan loves to sing and read. Owen is a mans man and is rough but is also a wimp and cant take what he dishes.

The pregnancy: I have to admit that being pregnant with one is a lot different than with 2. And I also think the first 1/2 of pregnancy is boring. People always ask how you are and whats going on but really nothing is going on and no one wants to hear about gas. Now things are starting to get interesting. This week we can feel the baby from the outside. Erick has felt it a few times. This baby for sure likes the attention more than the boys did.

I have an appointment Friday and that is when we will get the date for my next u/s. Many of you know but for those that dont know....Erick and I have decided to not only find out the gender this time but to let you all in on it. May 21st we are going to have a party to announce. I cant wait to have some fun and food with friends.

Allergies

After a few reactions I took the boys into the pedi. I asked that the boys be tested for allergies. I told her I wanted the blood test not the scratch to start. The blood test checks for reactions with the following:

Dust
dust mites
Cat Dander
dog Dander
Cockroach
mold
Egg White
Peanut
Soybean
milk
shrimp
Walnut
Codfish
Wheat

Owen came back all clean, no allergies. Ethan is another story. He has some level of allergy to Cat Dander, dog Dander, Egg White, Peanut, Soybean, And milk. Time to put a call into the Dr to see what this means.

Quick appointment

Today I am 14w4d. I was a lot better at keeping the blog updated with the boys but here it goes. I had my second appointment with the OB today. It was seriously the fastest appointment EVER. With a twin pregnancy you get so spoiled. I got an ultrasound at every appointment plus the n/t, the anatomy scan, and BPPs. This pregnancy has been treated so different. Today I spent more time trying to get into the bathroom to give my urine sample than I did with the OB. It was seriously handshake, paperwork, heartbeat, handshake and out the door see you in 4 weeks.

Paperwork- AFP blood draw next week.

Heartbeat- I love when DRs dont listen. We got all excited we were going to get to hear the heartbeat for the first time. I pull down my pants and he loads me up with goo. I tell him exactly where the ultrasound tech has been finding the baby. He tells me the tech has a better machine than the little doppler. He looks for the baby and finally goes to the spot I said. We hear the HB for a few seconds then the baby decided it was done being nice and moved.

We go back in 4 weeks and then we will schedule the anatomy scan. Really we are not finding out the gender this time. This is our last pregnancy and we want the big surprise at the end. Not even Erick and I will know this time. I hope you all understand (and if you dont to bad) but we also will not be telling anyone the names we are batting around or eventually decide on.