Tongue Tied? WTH.

So Christopher is apparently "tongue tied".

Not 'tongue tied' as in "I can't speak". The 'tongue tied' that causes issues with breast feeding, bottle feeding, speech and according to many reports--"french kissing later in life". Much later I hope. But I'd hate to be yelled at years down the road when my son is dating.

The issue is "resolved" by cutting/snipping the frenulum underneath the tongue. (The thing that attaches your tongue to the bottom of your mouth. But ewww and ouch!!! My poor baby!

So. . . what to do???

I'm still in debate.

Wowza! ONE MONTH!

My little boys are exactly, one-month old today.

I can't believe it! Time has flown by so fast with each day already planned out. . . get up, pump, get house somewhat clean from yesterday's mess, get ready and put some darn clothes on, pump, and then off to see my boys. Then around 5pm DH arrives and we stay for a few more hours with them. Then the long drive home. Rinse and repeat.

But I love nothing more then when I get to see them every day. And when DH come walking through the curtains into our NICU spot, I can relax even more. I cannot wait for him to be on paternity leave when the boys come home!

We are still hoping they will come home sometime in November. Yesterday one of our nurses told us that Mason will most likely come home before his brother-- which I was afraid of. I dreamed of loading them both into the car at the same time and driving off for home all together. *Sigh*

Not to mention how difficult it will be taking care of one baby at home and then still traveling to see the other in the NICU every day. . . How in the Hell is that supposed to work?!??!

Oh well, for now I will concentrate on all the great milestones they have had over the last month. After all one nth ago exactly, I was in labor. . .a few hours away from seeing them for the first time!

Mason: Moved from C-Pap to nasal cannula and this week had the cannula taken out! Breathing all by himself! He has had all of his umbilical and pic-lines removed. He is currently digesting 32 cc's of breast milk (with additional calories) and has not had any billilights in weeks! He also had his first bath on Wednesday! He has moved from 2 lbs 14 oz to 3 pounds 14 oz! One whole pound of weight gain!

Christopher: From ventilator to C-Pap and now on he is using a nasal cannula. His umbilical lines has been removed. Every day, he is receiving lower amounts of IV fluids through his PIC-line because his feedings of "neocate" (a gentle, lactose and soy-free formula) are increasing--now up to 7 cc's! Chris has not needed billilights for weeks and is getting help with too much fluid retention. He peed 81cc's yesterday in one diaper! His weight now has moved from 2 lbs 15 oz to 3 lbs 15 oz! He has gained a whole pound, too!

Wow. They are amazing. Happy one-month birthday little ones! Mommy and Daddy love you a million times!

Week one. . .

Week two. . .

Week three. . .

Week four. . .

Christopher.

Mason.

I LOVE YOU SWEET BOYS!!! - Mommy XOXO

Happy one-week birthday to you two!

Today my boys turned one week old.

It was our first night away from them. It took us a while to get started this morning since I am pumping every 2-3 hours and we had to worry about basics at home (Cat feedings and meds, washing the pump parts after each use, eating, packing for the day. . . )

After that we drove to finish a few errands we had planned out for last Saturday-- and we all know what happened that day!

DH and I went to Buy Buy Baby where they have the glider we wanted and finally made the purchase. This is basically what it looks like, plus the ottoman.

We also purchased the covers for our carseat carriers in winter.

After running around town for a couple hours, it became a day full of excitement as we found out that Christopher's brain scan (ultrasound) came back perfectly clean and that Mason's was only showing a slight possibility of a bleed, meaning at worst it could be a stage one, but the doctor doesn't think it's a definite. Either way, a stage one bleed resolves itself on its own without harmful effects.

Secondly, I got to hold my boys for the first time!!!

I was able to 'Kangaroo' Chris first, but only for a half an hour since he is still under the bili-lights (u/v). He was/is so precious. He never had any alarms go off and seriously never looked like he was more at rest. I held him on my chest under blankets as DH looked on, pet his little body, kissed him for the very first time and held my hand.

Only a little bit later, it was Mason's turn.

DH was so wonderful. He wanted me to hold them both first because "I'm their Mom and they need their Mommy." *Melt*

So I then held Mason for almost 3 hours. It was wonderful. Even when I had to pee so badly by the end. Mason only had one alarm go off during that time. I sang/hummed "Baby Mine" to both of them, but also played the song on my iphone for Mason. . .and then I played "Lullaby" by Billy Joel--and cried. . . and played "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson . . .and cried again. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life--I cannot wait to do this again and again--but mostly, I cannot wait to see DH kangaroo them both tomorrow.

Oh, so much has happened!

21 weeks and 5 days.

Well, I am taking a break from the craziness for a minute to update!

1. We have sold our house. We have to be out my August 1st.

2. We have an accepted offer on another house. We should be moving in August 10th.

3. We will need to spend the "in-between" days 100 miles North at my in-laws with both our cats.

4. We are in mad packing mode to be out my next Sunday! Ahhh!

5. I'm seriously preggo!

So sorry, I haven't updated in so long but has been nearly impossible to have time for anything.

But I can't disappoint this week with my banana babies!

Week 20/21 stats!

Weight Gain: I have gained about 13-15 pounds since the FET.

Cravings: I have finally had some cheeto puffs last week. But my main cravings consist of melon (any kind), ice water and a good Coke with lots of ice.

Nauseous: I get nauseous when I need to eat.

Belly touches: DH is my constant belly toucher since we have been busier than ever lately.

Feeling: Tired and achy, I've had some really painful pains on my right side where I can't even think about moving my right leg without excruciating pain. DH and I went to the ER for it on Wednesday night-- and they couldn't figure out what was wrong--story of my life. I thought it may have been my kidney stones acting up again, but it doesn't seem to be the case. The doctor wrote me a Rx for vicodin but I am afraid to take it, despite the fact he says Women do all the time. I'm not convinced. I told him I paid over Thirty-Thousand dollars for these babies and I;m not screwing it up for some vicodin.

Emotional state: Stressed about the move, but happy to have the house sold and to have pretty much decided upon our next home-- pending on the results of our inspection--even though it is a new home we've decided to have one anyways. But as soon as we get to move in, I will try to get the nursery completed asap! :)

Movement: They move a lot. It can get annoying sometimes with two of them in there! :) But DH has felt it a few times-- but we can't seem to time it right on a regular basis yet. No massive punches yet.

Maternity clothes: I'm feeling fairly well stocked for now, although I know I'll need a few new things once the colder weather arrives. I also bought two nursing night gowns today from Zulily-- my current obsession.

Nesting: House found! All brand new appliances purchased! I am pumped! The hard thing is going to be controlling my spending on new items for the entire house. But man it's so hard. I'd really like to get a bedroom set for our Master bedroom since we are still using a mismatched one I've had since I was in 2nd grade! In addition, I'd love a set for the guest room since my in-laws will most likely be staying with us for a bit after the Boys are born. Well, that and a new couch and dining room table. Yeah, nothing cheap about a new place! :)

I would just love to be able to show off our schanzzy home during my baby shower that will take place at our new house. We figure that is a good idea since we don't know if I will be on bedrest during that time or not.

Baby purchases: I MUST STOP LOOKING AT ZULILY. I am obsessed. Seriously, I have a problem! What haven't I bought for them?

Baby gifts: I received a great gift from our current neighbor. A few thing from our registry at "Babies 'R Us": the two Cookie Monster bath hoodies, nail clippers, hair brush and comb set and a bottle of Aveeno baby wash-- BATH TIME! :)

Half baked for a twin Momma!

Week 19 stats! My mango babies!!!

Weight Gain: About 10 pounds now since FET. (Lost about 8 during the first few and have since gained it back and then 10 more!) I've been gaining about 1-3 pound per week.

Cravings: Decaf Iced tea, Colas, Cheeto puffs (still haven't eaten any!), any melon.

Nauseous: Pretty darn rare.

Belly touches: No one new recently. I enjoy DH's tummy touches the most anyways. :)

Feeling: Worn out easily. I hate stairs. These extra pounds and belly pulling forward are hard on my body.

Boy or girl: We know they are boys! Two little boys. It's been way too tempting to shop!

Emotional state: Excited put a bit stressed. We have accepted an offer (A low-ass, cheap offer) on our house. Can't believe it actually. But we are still waiting for the inspector to come next week Tuesday to be able to finalize everything. So in the meantime we have been frantically looking for homes we like since we have a "move-out" date of August 1st!

We also have the four most adorable 4-5 week old kittens in our house right now. I know some people may think I am crazy, but I can never turn any animal away. Just can't. So we have been taking care of four feral and VERY well behaved kittens for almost a week now. Problem is DH and I see this differently. He is VERY worried/upset that I will end up with toxoplasmosis. I am not as worried based on the fact that we have fostered feral and domestic cats since 2006. So I figure, if I hadn't gotten it by then, what are the odds of getting it for the first time now??? Either way, I understand his concerns to be on the safe side. So for the last couple days DH has been in with them exclusively and I still make the food, etc. before we tale them to the Humane Society tomorrow to go out for fostering. But I tell you, it's very hard. They are so dang precious! See photo of 'Moostache' below :D

"Who's a big mess after they eat?!?!?!"(By the way, that is DH's hairy arm, not mine).

Movement: I'm pretty sure I can feel them moving around a bit and doing some light punching exercises. But nothing DH has been able to feel yet. I can't wait for him to feel them!

Maternity clothes: Haven't bought any this week-- but I will need some bigger underwear and bras very soon!

Nesting: We are looking for the new house-- pretty much buying it for the kids. I'd say that one Hell of a nesting project :)

Baby purchases: I swear I am tempted to buy things every day. I just bought more cute boy things today on Zulily. I LOVE that place! I believe I bought several onesies, two pairs of shoes, a few cute little boy hats (fedora style :) and a maternity shirt for my ever-expanding belly.

18 weeks preggo with TWO BOYS!

My bad, everyone.

I had intended to post on Sunday after we had told everyone and I could make a weekly update. But with the Open House, every day showings and constant cleaning before and after--not to mention hunting down the cats to take in the car for our hour+ wait-- I have not had the time. I can only imagine what this will be like hen we have the dang kids-- Oh did I mention-- they're both BOYS.

Holy cow, eh?

DH and I were convinced we had one of each in there. No idea why we thought that, but we did. Perhaps it was because our perinatologist was so sure one of them was a boy back at 12 weeks and didn't know on the other one yet. Clearly, Baby A was not cooperating then--and still wasn't at the last check-up.

We had a LONG ultrasound with not the nicest tech doing it. At one point she actually said, "This baby is not nice at all." Umm. Excuse me. Perhaps you're the one who can't do their job-- babies are babies--they do whatever the Hell they want.

Anyways, We got to see the two again and despite Baby A's awkward position (they were right on top of one another-- each head next to the other's feet) we got some pretty good 3-D photos of them. (Soon to come when DH scans them for me).

What was a little concerning is that Baby A's placenta is on my cervix. Not completely covering the whole thing, but enough that the Doctor put me on "pelvic rest" until we see some change. Her hope is that as the uterus expands it will continue to move away from the cervix and not more onto it. Yeah, lets hope. A placenta previa will put me on bedrest for sure!

In other news-- I hate going to OB appointments. They are completely pointless when you have a perinatologist. I go in and pay to have her find the heart beats for two seconds and then leave. Why do I waste my time and money for that? Within a few days I see the specialist and get the king of all thorough ultrasounds. So someone please explain to me what the point is. I am a lost and confused preggo lady.

The babies look pretty good from what I can tell. Baby A had a heartbeat of 153 b/m and weighed about 8 ounces. Baby B's heart rate was 142 b/m and weighed about 7 ounces.

Now for my weekly stats.

Weight Gain: About 8 pounds now. I seem to be gaining 2-3 pounds per week. I feel like that is a lot. My books say at my weight I only need to gain 1-1.5 pounds per week. So I am going to try and be even more careful about what I'm putting in.

Here's my belly at 18 weeks. . .

Cravings: Teas, Cheetos puffs (although I haven't had any), gazpacho.

Nauseous: Just the occasional one when I begin to eat in the AM.

Belly touches: DH, friend, fellow art teacher and my Uncle Joe talked right to them on Friday when we told him and my Dad they are two boys. (My Dad is an identical twin). His twin Brother, My Uncle, is crazy mind you-- doesn't everyone have at least one crazy Uncle? He pretty much grabbed my belly and yells something like, "Hey babies! We are gonna part-aayy!"

Feeling: Good Lord. The right side is still driving me nuts. I also don't feel that "Second trimester burst of energy" that people talk about. Yes, I am less nauseous, but I certainly don;t feel like my old self. Maybe it's a multiples thing.

Boy or girl: Sorry, no blue cake to reveal. We decided against it since my parents couldn't come on the same day as DH's parents. We ended up telling them both separately, which was totally fine. I am pretty sure DH's Mom wanted at least one girl, but I'm sure she'll get over it.

Emotional state: Up and down. I feel kinda bummed sometimes--but I think it's mostly because I am bored. I'd love to clean this house from top to bottom and decorate the nursery--but I can't. Not on;y do I not have the energy, but our hope is that we will sell this place and find a new home with a much better room and layout. So there isn't much point in becoming too invested or involved in designing one here until we know for sure that we have to stay put.

Movement: I feel sudden pains and jolts but nothing I can say is for sure a baby movement.

Maternity clothes: My new maternity swim suits are pretty sweet! I got both of these from 'A Pea in the Pod' on sale.

Nesting: Again. Awaiting our house sale for most of it. However, I did organize the downstairs closet on what used to be my office. It now holds all of our baby things. I could stand in there at stare at it all damn day.

Baby purchases: Oh geeze. DH and I had a Kohls shopping marathon last Friday after we knew they were two Boys. We pretty much bought everything in the store that we wanted--getting quite a few things on clearance. In addition, we went rummaging that same day and found a lot of new things for super cheap. Since then I have looked in the clearance of every baby store buying the good deals. I have also washed each item, bought blue velvet hangers and size separator tags to use in the closet.

My problem now is trying not to boy every cute piece of clothing I see that is on sale or clearance. But MAN! It's so hard not to now that we now there are two little Boys coming this Fall!