Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Ten Things About Me

Ok, so I follow this blog called the Bower Power Blog. It's written by a lady with 3 boys and one on the way. We have very similar views on life, Jesus, parenting, and how awesome sons are. She does crafty DIY stuff and I drool over her creativity and big house in Georgia. (I don't know what it is about bloggers, but they all have gorgeous, big houses... either they make a crap ton on AdSense or I'm missing something!)

Anyway.... she posted a blog today entitled Ten Things About Me. She said we (the creepy readers who check her site almost every day hoping she posted something) could do it too. So here's mine, in no particular order:

1.  My name is Hannah. My husband and I were high school sweethearts and spent 4 years doing the long-distance thing while I went to college in Philly. We will celebrate 5 years of wedded bliss next week. We have one adorable son who is almost 2, and twin boys on the way!
When Jeremy proposed to me during the Steelers/Cardinals Superbowl game in 2009.

Easton over Memorial Day Weekend, eating ice cream with 'Merica sprinkles
2. While we're talking about ice cream, we'll head there next. Ice cream is my favorite. Cookie dough is the way to go. I could eat it every night. Perry's is the best, I'm too much of an ice cream snob to eat Aldi brand.

3. Jeremy and I love to hunt. I'm a beginner (code word for haven't-actually-killed-a-deer-yet), although I brag to him that I had a hunting license way before he did. He didn't get countrified until we started dating. We especially love bowhunting, and I have the most beautiful pink-accented bow. I only seem to get to hunt every other year, because the idea of pumping breast milk in a tree stand just sounds way too complicated. With the twins coming soon, I'm assuming I'll sit out another hunting season.
Jer and I headed out to go hunting in 2012.
4. I'm cheap. I have to find the best possible deal on everything. I can sit in the body wash aisle for 20 minutes trying to get a perfect product: smells great, moisturizes well, and is the cheapest per ounce possible. I LOVE when I find an article on the internet that shows the best toilet paper based on price, softness, and strength. (in case you were wondering, that toilet paper is White Cloud Ultra, only available at walmart.)
Yeah, I know I'm a loser. It's a problem. I get way too excited when I find a double pack of contact solution that not only has 33% more for free, but is on sale AND I have a $4 off coupon. It's like winning the lottery for me.

5. I love lists. And Excel spreadsheets. And making lists in Excel. I don't know why, it's just fun for me. I currently have an Excel spreadsheet on my fridge with a list of things that need to get done before the babies get here. I get a lot of joy out of crossing items off that list.

6. I have 5 sisters. We are some of the most sarcastic people you'll ever meet.  We've been known to make people cry using only our words. Sticks and stones are the least of your worries. We have good hearts, though, we'd probably do anything for you and for each other. (Think of a sour patch kid. First we're sour, then we're sweet!)

7. I love being a mom. The idea of having 3 little boys in my house excites me more than it stresses me out.  And I don't think we're done. My one Aunt has 12 kids, another Aunt has 6, and my parents have 6. Big families are AWESOME. Although, we'll stop before we hit Duggar level. I just think being a mom is the most important and rewarding job out there. And little boys are just the sweetest. After growing up with 5 sisters I'd be totally fine with a bunch of boys. So far I'm getting my wish!

8. My husband and I are almost always in the middle of watching a season of Friends or How I Met Your Mother. We bought the whole series of Friends after we got married and I think we've watched the whole thing at least 5 times since then. HIMYM is relatively new to us, we're on our second time through it right now.  

Not the most wholesome of shows, I know. But I guess at 10pm, we don't want to have to watch a real intricate story line on some deep show. We like to laugh and then go to bed. There's enough crap in the world, I don't want to spend my evenings watching the shows where cops try and figure out why some crazy person killed 17 people and cut off their left pinky toes.

We did go through a House phase, but that didn't last too long. We also watched a bunch of Big Bang Theory, but it's not on Netflix and I'm not re-watching the same 5 episodes that play on TBS.

9.  Ever since we bought our house in 2012, I've had an interest in gardening. I had to start a garden from scratch and it's been so fun. Last spring, I dug up a bunch of my mother and grandma's perennials and planted them. Not many of them actually bloomed last summer, so this spring has been very interesting. I love seeing what pops up! I honestly know nothing about gardening, I kind of  just plop something in the ground and see what happens. I must have awesome soil because it is turning out wonderfully!

10. Since I mentioned gardening, we'll round out the list with the thing that I loathe most: ANTS. Our soil is sandy, so my entire yard is pretty much a giant ant hill. I have the little pavement/sweet ants, fire ants, odorous ants, and carpenter ants. I've researched them all and can point out which is which and how to murder them. When they come into my house I take it personally. If I see a spider, fine. I kill it and move on with my life. A fly? Who cares. It'll die soon. But if there's an ant in my house, that means there are a 100,000 more of them where that one came from. Nothing can piss me off more than seeing multiple ants in my house. Especially the carpenter ants. Those big, juicy ones don't go down easy. They can travel up to 100 yards from their nest looking for food. I think the dead tree they live in is in my neighbors yard. It takes all the self control I have to not burn the tree down when he's not home. It's a never ending battle in the spring/summer. Ok, I better wrap this up before I get carried away talking about those little black demons.

So there's my 10 things! Interesting, right? Yeah, not so much. But it was fun for me :)



Thursday, May 21, 2015

3 for 3!

Yesterday marked the beginning of my third trimester... FINALLY! I can't put into words how anxious I am to get those babies into my arms. I look back at pictures of the first day of Easton's life and I could just explode with excitement to do that day all over again. It's going to be painful and slightly terrifying to give birth to two babies, but all that will be worth it when my boys are in my arms!

Now that I'm at 28 weeks, my little men are the size of eggplants (says thebump.com) or tropical coconuts (says the Ovia Pregnancy App).  They are almost 2.5 pounds and almost 16 inches long (which is why I can get kicked in the hoo-ha and the ribs at the same time).  So that means that there are 30+ inches of baby in my poor, stretched uterus. Thank God babies like to curl up or my stomach would look super weird. I mean, I'm only 5'4" so the babies would be half my height if they were feet-to-feet in there.

Their main job between now and birth is just to keep gaining fat. Thebump.com even says that their lungs are mature enough that they would probably survive if born today. But we are hoping they stay in there for a little while longer. I'm aiming for 37-38 weeks, not that I have a say in the matter.

My birth preferences are all typed up, my meeting with the specialist about delivery is scheduled, and after next Friday my OB appointments start happening every two weeks! I still need to pack my hospital bag and diaper bag but I think I have a few more weeks to make that happen. The nursery is sooooo close to being done, but I have one or two more things to hang on the wall. I can't post pictures until it's all done! Ok, maybe just a quick pic of one or two of the details.



I'm still working full-time with no end in sight... ugh. I asked my doc when I can get out of work and
she pretty much said that she couldn't just "make something up" to get me out. It took major self control to not blow raspberries in her face like a 2 year old. I am blessed to have a physically easy job, I basically sit at a desk most of my 7 hour day. It's just hard to get home at 5pm and try to spend time with Easton while cooking or cleaning with my little energy. All I really want is to take a nap after work but I feel too guilty to miss time with my sweet, little boy. And that stupid laundry pile (yeah, not basket, PILE... don't judge me) just stares me down everyday reminding me I'm no longer superwoman!

The belly (and hands and feet) is growing well. I'm finding food stains on all of my shirts now because A. I can't sit close to the table, B. I eat constantly, and C. if food falls out of my mouth it will never reach the ground.

I've also found new uses for the belly. I can set a bottle of water or a bowl of ice cream on it, how convenient! To be honest, I'm scared to take a real belly pic. I don't have any full length mirrors at home so every time I am out somewhere and catch my reflection I have a mini panic attack. There's no way I'm THAT big, am I?! Oh Dear Lord, what will I look like in a month? It's terrifying to be looking full term already and knowing I could have almost 12 weeks left. My maternity shirts are getting too small already...

Oh well, I'm trying to savor the time I have left. I will most likely never carry two babies at the same time again so I might as well enjoy the last few months, as physically challenging as they may be. Plus, a small part of me is a little sad that the one-on-one time with Easton is almost over. Our sweet boy has been our world for almost two years and we have loved every minute of it. It's tough to think he'll have to take a backseat to his brothers for a little while. I know he'll be wonderful with them, though. It will be amazing watching him meet and love on his little bros.

I'm so stinking excited, I could babble forever. I am so very blessed!

As always, thanks for reading my thoughts!



Tuesday, May 12, 2015

27 Weeks

I can't believe we're almost halfway through May. When did that happen? I'm going to be meeting my little guys in 13 weeks or less. That's crazy! I have a lot left to get ready but most of it is fun stuff.  Finishing the nursery, packing hospital bags, playing with all the baby stuff.  My poor husband, on the other hand, has a list a mile long that has to get done before the babies come. The poor man worked over 70 hours last week and that list sits on the refrigerator reminding him of all he has to do. (Yes, I made the list. I love making lists in Excel... I'm a dork)

But anyway, today I had a growth ultrasound to make sure those boys are growing well. Baby A, Maverick, is up to 1 pound, 15 ounces and Baby B, Tucker, is 1 pound, 12 ounces. They are both doing wonderful.  Mr. Maverick is living up to his name and going against the grain: he is still breech. Tucker is head down, so I imagine them kicking each other in the head all the time. And let me tell you, these boys are strong. My belly is always moving, I love it! Here's a few pics from this morning:


Aren't they handsome? Jeremy thinks the 3D ones makes them look like aliens but I think they are SO cool. Add a little more chub to those cheeks and that's what my newborns will look like!

I'll be at 27 weeks tomorrow so the boys are around 15 inches head to toe! This is the LAST week of my second trimester and I'm excited that we're in the home stretch. I've always loved being pregnant and it's even cooler this time around since I have the honor of carrying TWO babies. But I think with having twins, once is enough.

It's definitely a different ballgame... I'm much more tired, my legs get very crampy at night, the swelling has started, the heartburn has started, and just doing everyday tasks are already very hard. I try and keep my whining to a minimum but it does take a toll on your body. It took every ounce of self-control in me to not be bitter about the 90 degree weather this weekend. It was one of the worst winters I can remember and I normally love the heat, but 90 in May is a little bit hotter than I'd prefer while carrying two children. Once the AC units are in and the pools are open, then we'll talk.

I can't complain, though. It's wonderful to have made it to week 27 with not a single issue so far. I haven't had to worry at all, which is a huge blessing. God is good! I would appreciate your prayers as I waddle through the next 13 or so weeks. My appointments will be getting closer together and they will really be watching for any signs of early labor, high blood pressure, preeclampsia, etc. In a few weeks,  I will be meeting with the specialist about delivery... we will be praying that Maverick turns in the next few weeks so that we can plan the VBAC birth.

Thank you all for reading and taking an interest in my pregnancy!



Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Twin Shower

This weekend I was blessed to have a baby shower thrown by my mother and mother-in-law. I never expected to have another baby shower, but with twins you definitely need more baby stuff! It was a wonderful shower and I was blessed with much needed items, tons of cute clothes, and so many diapers. I think I have 8 boxes of diapers and probably 10 packages. I'd like to think I won't need that many, but I have a feeling that I'm going to need more than I think. One of the twin forums I follow had a post on diapers and most moms were estimating using around 25 diapers a day for the first few months. Oh dear Lord, this should be fun!

But anyway, it was a wonderful shower and the decor was just so cute. I wish I had gotten a few more pictures of all the little details. Here are some pictures!
 


I had lots of help opening presents. He was such an excited big brother, even though I'm pretty sure he has no clue what he's excited about.

I figured while we were all dressed up, it would be a good time to get some pictures of family.
All my sisters and their babies 
The twins and their soon-to-be cousin Helena- 6 weeks apart

I'm so blessed! I have such a wonderful and supportive family who loves these twin boys so much already. I spent Monday and last night working on the nursery: washing, organizing, preparing for my sweet boys. Last night, after I got most of it set up I just broke down into tears looking at it all. It is so overwhelming in the BEST way... two little miracles. Two precious newborns will be in my arms in less than 100 days. I could gush about them all day! 

Stay tuned to see the nursery progress!