28 Weeks

Got a surprise at our 28-week ultrasound...3D images!  The tech asked if we had any 3D images done of the babies.  I told her that we hadn't and didn't really think anything of it...anyone I know who's had it done has gone to a separate ultrasound lab and paid extra for the images.  I thought it would be cool to see, but we're already having enough ultrasounds done, and they'll be here soon enough, that the cost didn't seem justified to me. A few minutes later the tech switched the machine over and started doing 3D views right there!

Twin A: 2 pounds, 11 ounces.  And cute as a button.  Just look at that profile!

Twin B: 2 pounds, 7 ounces.  Also cute as a button.  B was facing a different way and harder to get images of, but you can still see the cute face.

Tyson and I might be a bit biased, but we think we make pretty cute babies. 

Post Weekend

It was a Christmas-y weekend, which involved:

Making cranberry bars.  These are a must for this time of year.  And they've been my breakfast all week...

Going to see "A Christmas Carol".  One of our good couple friends scored some free tickets (win!), and the husband HAD NEVER SEEN "A CHRISTMAS CAROL" BEFORE.  Like, not even the Disney version.  He had no idea what it was about.   Luckily he enjoyed it, and it really was awesome.  Except when I went to the bathroom at intermission and the old lady behind me decided she had to chat me up because I'm pregnant.  Which wasn't necessarily so bad until she told me "Wow, you're huge already!" after finding out I still had a couple of months to go.  And yes, she knew by this point in our conversation that there are twins in there.  Gee, thanks...

Christmas present wrapping.  This year I used craft paper, burlap, baker's twine, and gift tags.  I already had the craft paper and burlap from last year, so all I had to buy was the twine and tags.  Directions: wrap gift with craft paper.  Cut a small square or length of burlap.  Hold burlap in place by winding around and around and around with baker's twine.  Add gift tag.  The end.  I'm picky with my gift wrapping.  The craft paper's great because it's so heavy, and the roll is so thick it lasts forever, which isn't bad for $4.99 a roll. And you can use it year round by tying with different ribbon, etc., unlike most Christmas paper, which tends toward the cheesy side.  Also clear gift wrap tape is a MUST.  Regular Scotch tape just won't do.  

Post Weekend (Even Though it's Almost the Next Weekend...)

Last weekend was the first weekend in a long time that I pretty much did whatever I wanted all weekend.  I didn't even leave the house at all on Sunday, which is UNHEARD OF for me. Usually I get restless cooped up inside all day but somehow it was just what I wanted.

So were these brownies.  Plain old $1.29 from-the-box fudge brownies.  And they were delicious (as were the remnants of batter that I scooped up).

Hello veggies.  You are about to become the start of some delicious chicken dumpling soup. Which was super delicious (enough that I'm going to make it again by request this weekend) and healthier than the aforementioned brownies.  No yummy batter to lick up at the end, though.  And how is it that celery is nasty on it's own, but becomes delicious as soon as you combine it with carrots and onions to create soup?  Also did you know that the combination of carrots, onions, and celery is called "mirepoix", particularly when used as the base for a soup? There's your bit of culture for the day.  The French always know how to make things sound better.  We don't even have a word for the combination of carrots, celery, and onions in English, except for the generic "veggies". Which doesn't quite have the same ring to it...

Also did some comfort reading.  Like comfort food, but reading instead?  Whatever, it's all good for the soul. Except that now my belly gets in the way of words and turning the pages.

One of fall's guilty pleasures: stepping on crunchy leaves.  Which reminds me, I DID leave the house on Sunday to go for a walk.  So that kind of counts.  And actually I don't feel one bit guilty about stepping on crunchy leaves.  So just one of fall's ordinary pleasures then. Crunchy leaves are MADE to be stepped on.

And a bump pic.  The bump kind of blend in with the shrubs.  But how pretty are they?  I couldn't resist.  Even with the gutter, etc. in the background.  

20 Weeks

20 weeks (and 6 days), and it's still hard to believe that we are going to have two babies. My belly is expanding, my back hurts more, and I'm still in bed by about 9:00 every night, yet I can forget I'm even pregnant sometimes. Although A and B don't seem to have any problem giving my belly some not-so-gentle reminder kicks every so often (like whoever is kicking me in the belly button right now...you could totally stop doing that).  I can feel their kicks getting stronger (not like two weeks ago when "was that a baby...or just my stomach?" was the norm). Tyson can even feel them, and sometimes they're so strong they startle me.

I thought that maybe getting to see them again last week would make it more believable. While it was fun, and they were moving around like crazy, it's still weird to think that there are TWO LITTLE PEOPLE INSIDE OF ME.

A is the stubborn one (I'm convinced it's a feisty little girl, Tyson thinks it's a boy), and while he/she was moving around like crazy, they just wouldn't turn around so we could get a good angle to see his/her face.  He/she really liked showing off their spine though...

B was much more photogenic, and started with this feet-above-the-head maneuver just to show off after how stubborn A was being. Then he/she decided to go for the ultimate in cuteness and start sucking his/her thumb.

Tyson and I think they're pretty darn cute.  

Team Green

When someone asks me if we are finding out the sex of our babies, and I say no, I've found that I get one of two reactions.

1. "Good for you guys!  That's so exciting!"
2. "Seriously?  You're not going to find out until they're born?  Wow better you than me!"

(Note: #1 is the only appropriate reaction.)

In fact, finding out the sex before birth has become so prevalent that usually I'm not even asked if we are finding out the sex or not.  Instead, the question is, "So when are you finding out the sex of the babies?".  My response, "When they're born" then incites reaction #2 from above.  And then some...

Never mind that finding out the sex of a child before they're born has only been technologically possible for a small amount of time, and really only become "the  norm" in the past decade or so.  Forget that for, oh, basically all of human history, people (*gasp*) didn't find out what their children "were" until they popped on out of mom.  Nope, despite the past thousands upon thousands of years, all of a sudden I'm the strange one for waiting, and wanting to wait,  to find out.  And really, it's not like we have a lot of options here. I'm not going to pop out an elephant - I can pretty much guarantee that they'll be one of two things.

What gets me even more is when people with reaction #2 start wailing, wondering how on EARTH will I be able to make any decisions or purchases not knowing if they are boys or girls.  Some even turn this around and start talking about how this will affect them, and how will they know what to buy for a shower gift?  Because, of course, I only made this decision to inconvenience them.  It kills me even more when I get this question from people who are around my parents age, who (in all likelihood) had children without knowing the sex.  So to them and the apparently paramount questions, "But how will you know what to buy?"  I want to say, "Well what on earth did you do?"  

Related to the above, I also get asked how in the heck am I going to know how to decorate their nursery.  First of all, as someone who does interior design for a living, I take offence to that.  Second, this implies that I can only decorate in pink and/or blue.  Because there are no other colors in the world.  Seriously, do you know how many other colors there are? Even if we did know the sexes, I would probably STILL not decorate in pink and/or blue (*gasp again*), because everybody does.  How original.

Now I don't really mind when people DO find out what the sex of their baby is.  I'm not trying to imply that waiting to find out is superior or anything like that.  And I don't mind people decorating in pink for their baby girls, or blue for their baby boys.  Hell, pink is my favorite color, and if we have a girl (or two), they will have their fair share of pink things. But I DO mind when people imply that not finding out the sex of our babies is crazy, and that we can't make any decisions whatsoever without finding out.  As if everything hinges on the fact that they are boys or girls.  We don't really care if they are boys or girls (although secretly we are hoping for one of each).  We can't wait to meet them the day they are born, and it's exciting for us not to know until then just who they are.