20 Years Later

20 years ago, last week, a guy in my high school asked me to prom. He was a year younger and while it wasn't common to date someone not in ones grade, something about him caught my eye that spring. He was skinny, wore his hair a bit long, hung out with a group of guys that I think were kind of the little punks of the school and had a face that made my knees weak.

I said yes.

I really don't even know how it happened that he asked me. We honestly had never spoke before. I think we had a friend in common or he had a friend who knew one of my friends, and somehow, someone said they thought the other was cute and word got back... and... well, you know how it goes...

Before we actually went to prom, we decided it might be good to go on a date, you know, so we could see if we liked each other? A week later, he took me out to play mini golf and then for dinner. I think it was a double date with another friend of his in his class who asked one of my friends out. (Clearly it was that long ago that some of the details are escaping me).

We hit it of... and over the course of that summer, we fell in love... he was my first love and I was his.

That skinny, long haired, little punk who I fell in love was Tidy (if you hadn't guessed).

Over the past 20 years, while we were not together the whole time, we stayed connected and finally ended up getting married almost 8 years ago. He is my love, my best friend, my biggest fan, my partner in crime and my home. And there's no way I would have been able to get through these past 5 years of infertility hell without him. I could never have imagined that all those years ago, a simple prom date would turn into this crazy fun adventure we call our life.

And now, we are expecting twins and the next 20 year adventure is just about to begin. I hope you're in for a wild ride, Tidy, cuz I can't imagine it's going to be anything but!

I think these hormones are making me a bit sentimental...

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And now the stats.

(So sorry I've slacked so bad on posting this week! It's been a very busy two weeks as you will see below)


Status: 29w5d

Weight Gain: Last Monday, over a week ago, I weighed in at the OB's office and it was up 31 lbs. 

Symptoms:  Heartburn if I eat too much, but ice cream seems to cure it! Also having some mild Braxton-Hicks contractions here and there, but not every day. 

Cravings: Nothing specific, but I have been extra hungry again these past few days and wanting protein

Aversions: None to speak of

Exercise:  Saturday: 30 min walk with Tidy& the pog, Monday: 45 min prenatal yoga, Wednesday: 45 min power yoga at lunch, Thursday: 30 min brisk walk with Tiday & the pog. (That was all last week, I think...)

Best Moment of the Week: We had a second shower this past Sunday with our friends here in town. Hubbies and partners were invited. It was perfect...very relaxed, good beers, great food, sweet gifts and a bunch of our dear friends who have supported us through these years, making us feel normal, accepted and part of their lives as we watched them achieve where we struggled... family building. We are blessed to have such great friends. Thanks everyone! Words can not express our gratitude.

What I Look Forward to: May... April has been and will continue a bit too busy!!! We had our first parenting & childbirth class this past Saturday, the prior Thursday I had a breast feeding class, Tidy just got back this evening from a Dog meet Baby class at the Human Society, Saturday we have our second (and final) day of parenting & childbirth and then this coming Monday we are meeting with one of the three Pediatricians we want to interview in our practice to be the twins doctors.... PHEW! I'm dizzy just thinking about it all. 

Showered

This past weekend, I was spoiled by my and Tidy's immediate and extended family. We had our first baby shower... and it was just as I had hoped it would be.

We gathered in a private room at a restaurant in the town where both of our parents live on a Saturday afternoon. The weather was unseasonably warm, nearing 80. Just before noon, my sisters, mom and I arrived to put the favors, decorated cookies mimicking an illustration from the invitations, onto the tables. The prior day, my mother in law had dropped off the beautiful centerpieces she put together. 

It was picture perfect.

Around noon, the guests started to arrive... many of our close relatives, a few dear friends from high school and the infertility community. We ate fantastic food (and to-die-for carrot cake cupcakes for dessert) and opened gifts. Tidy showed up to help open a few, specifically some bought just for him: a diaper bag just for "dad" and a pair of onzies  and socks from our college alma mater (best non-registry gift of the day!).

It lasted for a few hours and for the most part, I was able to talk to every one of the 25 or so guests there and genuinely thank them for coming and for their generosity. I felt spoiled. Tidy also bounced around to say thank you. He HATES these kinds of social engagements, especially having to walk into a room full of 25 women... but he did great thanking everyone individually. Little does he like to admit, but I believe him to be VERY charming ;-)

After gifts and a few other conversations, the guests started to leave, we packed up my dad and MIL's SUVs with the gifts (yes, we needed 2 large trunks) and made our way back to my parents house.

I think back to it, just a few days ago, and it already seems like a dream, like it never even happen. But I have pictures to prove it did.

Experiences like this, that we have waited so long to experience as we struggle to get pregnant, go by in the blink of an eye. If we don't revel in them, in that moment, and be grateful for how it unfolds, we might regret not absorbing every moment of things that others possibly take for granted.

I'm so grateful to my mom, sisters and Tidy's mom for working so hard to make this a day that I have dreamed of. I hope they know how very much they made a part of my dream come true.

Checking Things Off

Checking things off the to-do list is helping me sleep better I think. For the last week, I have been waking up at 3 or 4 in the morning with a busy head, not being able to fall back to dream land. It sucks, because it makes me so tired during the day. This actually seems to happen to me as the seasons change, especially as winter turns into spring. It reminds me that I need to go back to my acupuncturist for a balancing session...

But, back to the checking off. This weekend we've been very productive:

• We bought a studio couch for the nursery. I've been doing a lot of research on what type of seating to get for nursing the babies. Although a rocker or glider sounds nice, we've decided to go with a larger 2-seater couch so that I can have enough room to tandem feed the twins. It also converts to a bed by putting the arms down, in case I need to just fall asleep in there. Next step: Find someone who can make baby friendly (read poop, pee and spit up friendly) covers for the cushions.

• We bough the B.O.B duallie stroller, in navy, WITH the cup holder attachment, thanks to my very generous dad. THANKS DAD!!! 
• We bought new electrical outlets that are white, because the current cream ones in there won't match, but MORE importantly, they are GCI outlets so there's a bit more protection in there.
• We also went to buy the paint for the room, (and, by the way, it was the bottom middle one), but they were out of the base required to make the color, so our plans of painting the nursery this weekend were foiled... Drat! But I took a whole week off during Tidy's spring break (the last week in March) so we can finish up much of the painting and planning.
• We also decided on a bassinet/crib/toddler bed system... now, the trick is to find out where the best place is to buy them to save the most $$ on shipping, since I can't seem to find a store that stocks them. I'll post pics as soon as we have those up.
• I found a beautiful piece of yellow fabric to turn into a wall hanging to brighten up our "cheery" grey walls

• AND I bought this sweet print from Etsy. My friend Mags pointed it out to me and it's PERFECT because 1) It goes well with the light I want to put up, 2) Its is in the same colors of our nursery AND 3) The song is very sentimental to me, since I recall this being one of our family songs sung a lot to us as babies. 

So, you see? Lots of checks on the list of to-dos, makes me feel VERY happy and accomplished. It's starting to come together. AND I'm sleeping better. 

Next up? Our first baby shower is this coming Saturday. EEEEK! I'm going to a baby shower!! And it's for ME!!!! (Well, I guess Tidy too .... ;-) ).  

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And now, the stats: 

Status: 24w3d

Weight Gain: My guess of 23 lbs was a little low. I weighed in at the OB on Friday (24w1d) at 26 lbs up. Feeling a bit "fat" but loving these curves. I think my bum is getting a bit bigger, but overall, most of it is in my belly. (I think)

Symptoms: I'm absolutely loving the daily movements. That's really the only symptom I have right now. Some days I am more hungry than others, but mostly I feel pretty normal. I still have some gallbladder pain here and there, but definitely manageable with diet modifications. I had an amazing massage last week from a massage therapy student learning to do prenatal massage, so it was FREE! (Anywhere we can save $$ right now feels so good) and so the back is feeling great. 

Cravings: None to speak of

Aversions: None to speak of

Exercise: I finally made my 4 day goal!! It took me long enough... Saturday: 3.5 mile elliptical, Sunday 60min spinning, Tuesday: 45 min power flow yoga. Wednesday: 1 hr prenatal yoga. I also went to go find a swim suit for working out in, but I can't seem to rationalize buying a new one for $60 or so just to fit me for 3 more months. We'll see. I haven't seen a pregnancy speedo out there, but haven't done too much research. The larger sizes that fit my belly are too long and don't cover my boobs... such a quandary.

Best Moment of the Week: My OB appointment this past Friday. I'll write another post on that shortly. Basically, it gave me the hope that I could have a birth closer to one that I've wanted, rather than assuming I need to move directly to a c-section. I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to have a c-section, but for me, I'd like to have a vaginal birth if possible.... Oh, and #2 on the list of best moments this week, was my shopping trip with Tidy yesterday. I think things are starting to feel a bit more real for him too.

What I Look Forward to: My first baby shower on Saturday with my family.