These Are Sing Alongs

What is almost as good as seeing the real thing?

I may or may not have mentioned that I just love Morriessey and The Smiths. And in an attempt to disinterest you here are some videos.

This first is Colin Meloy of The Decemberists whom we saw in 2006 but did not play a Smith's song, the video isn't great but I just love Meloy's voice, so unlike any other.



This next one is Pete Yorn, whom I saw with my dad in 2007 and who played this very song but this clip is from earlier in that tour.



I've never seen Kristy MacColl in concert but 'She's Having A Baby' is my second favorite John Hughes movie and I love this version of this song.



And because nothing is as good as the real thing:

Funny or Scary?

I love being pregnant

Last night I was taking a bath and the baby starting moving around so much that I could see it kicking from the outside so I pushed slightly on the spot and the little booger pushed so hard I felt like I was about to witness first hand that scene from Alien when Officer Kane gives 'birth' to an alien and I started laughing out loud.  Pregnancy isn't always this much fun but it's times like these that I just really love being pregnant. 

Not ready to board ourselves in quite yet...

I used to never get sick.  Maybe a cold here or there, but not usually something serious.  I think one reason I don't get sick is that I just can't handle it.  I am perhaps the world's biggest baby when it comes to being ill.  Unfortunately, getting sick seems to be one of those things that happens to me more often when I travel.  I have been to Arizona four times.  Twice in December, once in May and once in June.  Both trips that took place in December resulted in a 24 hour like illness that was far from pretty.  Especially that first time when I was meeting my husbands family for the first time and I almost threw up in my sister-in-law-to-be's car and monopolized my other sister-in-law to be's bathroom for the better part of one day.  That sickness was perhaps the worst I've ever had as being in someone elses home only seemed to make it worse.

The next two times all was fine.  Then the last time we visited I got sick once again.  It was like Deja Vu except we were in Ikea and not a ski shop when the illness came on unexpected.  I suspect I got sick on the plane being December and high flu season.  We haven't been back to Arizona since but we leave three weeks from today for Arizona and I must admit ever since we have started planning the trip I have been a tad bit nervous about getting sick.

I have already had the flu twice this year and I had flu like symptoms a third time but it could have been morning sickness that was really bad.  My point is though, my immune system seems particularly weakened.  Next to flying with toddlers seated in my lap for five and a half hours getting sick is my number two concern when it comes to flying next month.  I had bought Airborne chewables but it turns out they aren't recommended for pregnant ladies.  So to say the leasy I was already a little worried when I started reading about the swine flu. 

Now I know we aren't travelling to Mexico but we are travelling to the state with the second highest number of confirmed cases, California, the day after we arrive in Arizona to attend one of the most crowded places in California,  Disneyland.  Now at first I was trying to keep this in perspective, there are millions of people of which only a handful are sick with this condition.  I mean the regular flu kills approx. 36,000 people a year.  But then I read this and I just became even more worried.  The more I read I don't know if I should be worried or if I should just curse the media under my breath and move on. 

With talk of school closings and the report that a 23-month old died in Texas I am becoming, I must admit, even more worried about our upcoming trip.  I would hate to cancel a trip almost two years in the making, especially since there is a lot involved (seeing Todd's father who is flying in from Germany, seeing his grandfather who is 84, meeting nieces we've never met, introducing the twins to a lot of family they've never met) and we really don't know when we'll be able to travel again (hence the reason for going through with this trip in a bad economy at 26 weeks pregnant).  So at this point I don't want to cancel our travel plans, however, we have two toddlers and a pregnancy to take into consideration and I am beginning to stress even more than before.

The hopes of a vaccination early next month don't thrill me much either as apparently a swine flu vaccination in 1976 might have caused more harm than good during a previous swine flu outbreak.  So do we just sit back and carry on as normal or do we start considering a trip revision?  Or should we wait and see if it gets worse and then make a decision?  I am afraid I might be losing sleep over this issue.

It is spring.

I have a confession. My house looks to be the result of some terrible natural disaster. And in a way, I guess it is. I sort of began spring cleaning last week but it is rather tiresome and now there are just stacks and boxes everywhere. Sometimes I just want to give it all away.

Our test trip this weekend went rather well. Not only did we have an overall wonderful time but we learned quite a few things about travelling with the children that should come in handy next month when we try and avoid swine flu on our trip to Arizona and California.

The National Zoo was a great hit but we had to throw our plans out the window at the entrance at 10:30 Saturday morning. Who knew that the crowds would be so bad on our first 90-something day of the year. We were turned away by policeman at the gate and decided to do the National Mall and move our zoo outing to Sunday. The walk on the National Mall sent me into a fit. Braxton hicks contractions, nausea, dizziness. Hydration, relaxation and a slower pace will be absolutely neccessary in the weeks to come. I don't look forward to being so pregnant in the summertime. The Air and Space Museum was like it always is and I wonder why I'm so drawn to this particularly museum that I always find myself in when I travel to D.C.

The kids did remarkably well having little or no naps and they went to bed if not quickly with little or no fuss in the porta cribs in the hotel. It was a rewarding move that I'd packed breakfast cereal as they were in no mood to wait for Einstein Brothers Sunday morning. We made it to the zoo at 9:15 Sunday morning, they don't open until 10 a.m. The first parking lot was already full. It is a busy place. By 1 p.m. strollers had been blocked from the buildings as there were too many people there.


The kids LOVED the zoo. They pointed and said 'wow' at the pandas and the orangatan's. They loved the Tamarins and Meerkats. Oh, and the Toucans. They were adorable. They tried to get the Emu's attention. Unfortunately, we couldn't see the polar bears but we didn't have to worry about being mauled by one. The zoo is very vegatarian friendly which is always nice and I was able to get Boca burger kids meals with souvenir lunch boxes for the kids. The zoo doesn't have straws or lids however, for the animals safety. All in all, we had a wonderful time, and we will most definitely be doing the zoo again over the next few years.

So now we are home, unpacked and exhausted. And I have moved on. That's right making packing lists and taking flight notes for our upcoming trip. Three weeks from tomorrow. I feel tired already.

But first it's off to Romp N' Roll.

I don't mean to keep you wondering.

On Tuesday I went for my big ultrasound. The baby looked great and I had the same wonderful ultrasound tech who performed the first ultrasound two weeks earlier. The baby weighed 1 pound and was turning and movind and looking just beautiful. It is during the 'big' ultrasound that you get a video of the baby. When I had the big ultrasound with Bailey and Cooper my doctor's office was still doing VHS recordings. A month later they went to DVD. So with this baby I was to get a DVD recording. However, when the lady gave me the disc she said it might not work and if it didn't to call them back. So I came home immediately and watched the video and guess what? It didn't work. I wasn't going to call because I couldn't see how they could replace my live recording but I decided I would call just to see why the tech told me that. Well it turns out I get another ultrasound free of charge next week. I am excited as I will be in my 23rd week when I have that ultrasound and every time I get to see the baby it calms my nerves even more.

I won't however make you all wait any longer to find out what we're having. I have known for two and a half weeks. And it was confirmed again this past Tuesday, so without further ado....

The tech said "I would definitely buy blue, there is no question this baby is a boy."

So the draino test was indeed correct. As were Todd's premonitions. Here's to hoping this new baby doesn't have feet quite so wide as Cooper, all those never worn shoes might actually get some wear.

Also, just in case you were wondering I have a subchorionic hematoma, which is basically bleeding on the placenta. I would be more worried but one of the twins had that same thing at 7wks last time and it did indeed go away before I had the 11 week ultrasound. The doctor assures me it is very small and will probably be gone in a few weeks. I have had no further bleeding and have been trying to take it easyish. This ultrasound next week will be a nice chance to see if the hematoma is any smaller, which I hope it is.

Happy Conception Day

Two years ago this morning I was taken in for surgery at Martha Jefferson Hospital.  I had six eggs taken from my body.  After the surgery Dr. Thomas, the embryologist, came in and told us that even though there were only six, they were the best batch we'd had. 

Later in the afternoon outside of my body in a laboratory 140 miles away from home, Bailey and Cooper were conceived.

I just wanted to say, Dr. Thomas, I love your work.

On the way home I thought of you.

Every time I sit down to write a post about something I feel passionate about something occurs to end my train of thought. Sometimes it's a phone call, other times it's a woken toddler. It's been difficult to find the time and hold a thought.

This weekend my Dad and Grandmother came in for little X-man's second birthday and to celebrate Tyler's induction into Phi Eta Sigma. I love them both but having them here for three days and three nights makes me think I could really use some anger management and therapy sessions. When they woke the kids up at 6 a.m. as they were leaving Monday morning I literally held my breath until they left. Fortunately for everyone involved that was 6:01.

Making this weekend even worse was the fact that Cooper is teething, getting in four back teeth and has been less than delightful several times over the weekend. He seems to be feeling a little better. Let's hope the worse is over.

I had a doctor's appointment today. All is well with the baby but I have a small hematoma. My doctor is not concerned as the spotting went away, she thinks the hematoma will disappear on it's own in a few weeks. The baby weighs 1 pound and I lost half a pound. Don't worry. I immediately came home and ate six powdered dounuts. We are out of cherry coke. We do however, have a box of Strawberry Milkshake Oreos. I will begin working on them when the dounuts are gone.

We seem to have finally gotten an offer on that spec house of ours. It's quite a crummy offer to be honest where we'll end up losing somewhere in the ballpark of $50k. But at least that nightmare will finally come to an end and I won't have to have that luring sense of dread when my sister or brother-in-law call. I can't stop thinking about money and the relativity of it all. We spent so much money to get pregnant with Bailey and Cooper and yet now we have a family that is worth every penny of that money.

Did I tell you about my fear of spiders? OK, not only is the fear itself irrational it gets worse. My mother told me when I was a child that killing a spider would kill someone you love, and I to this day believe it. Yes, even now. I try to coexist with spiders but when I see one I feel crawling everywhere on my body. But in an effort to keep them alive I have set nice groundrules. They are not allowed into my bed, in my bathroom or around my children. When I was pregnant with the twins I had to kill a mean vicious spider who walked sideways, watched my every move and trapped me in the tub at 3 a.m. I didn't even pick up "A Brief History of Time" which was the murder weapon, and have still yet to finish it. I have not killed a spider knowingly since. Well today they broke another one of my rules. There was one playing in the playroom today. I tried to convince him to run along when I flicked him off of my skirt. But a few minutes later I found him within inches of my son. I squashed him with a Fisher Price book. Do you know I am worried I may have just sent someone to their grave.

When the kids went down at 8 tonight I ran to Michael's to see if they had any wooden letters I can use in the nursery to spell the babies name above the crib. It is so different to be out at night now that I have kids. I decided to run by Jersey Mike's for a sub. Don't go to Jersey's Mikes to get a sub three minutes before they close, it will not be the best sub you ever had. In my defense I didn't know they closed at 9 until I had ordered my sub. In their defense, they did offer to let me eat it there.

Last night was bookgroup. We have had the same group of five people show up two months in a row. I hope that is a good sign. I have met some new people and read some interesting, and less than interesting books. This month we are reading "Brave New World". Three of us have read it but don't remember it. Two of us read it so close to Orwell's "1984" we can't remember which is which. My memory is so bad now that I can't imagine when I get to be 91.

There, I think that is all I have on my mind, nothing passionate, but it's something.

21 weeks 5 days

First picture I've taken in 4 weeks, I remember now why it's been so long.

What?

So I like this song, but what the HECK does "are we dancer" mean? Seriously, I am lost...any clue?

I have yet to borrow the neighbor's double sided axe or my brother-in-laws .38 but he'd better watch out.

My husband is such a romantic, sweet guy. Lately, he has just been saying the sweetest things to his wife, who is 20 weeks pregnant with his child. For example, the other day I was joking about how old all of our friends were getting and that I, not surprisingly, am still the youngest. He said "But you have us all beaten with stretchmarks." I think I ignored him for about 30 minutes.

Then yesterday, we were out shopping and a lady came up to us who had 4 year old twins and a 15 month old. She told us that it gets more and more fun and that soon we will want another one. I made some comment about already being there and she made another comment that suggested she thought we were trying, not halfway there. I told Todd that I was a little frustrated, I mean don't I look pregnant and not just fat He told me he was pleading the fifth because I was asking him if I looked fat. I think pleading the fifth suggests he too thinks I just look fat.

Then one day he choose Max over me to sit with him ont he couch and told me I couldn't share his blanket.

When I made a comment about how cute Bailey's clothes were yesterday, he made a comment that I had gotten rid of all my cute clothes.

I could be angry. Even hurt. Instead I'm watching T.V. Snapped.

We do have Dish Network. We don't ever watch it with the exception of laundry day when I watch television to help with the motonous job of sorting, folding and putting away 13 loads of laundry. I Tivo several programs for these times. Crap really. A Baby Story, Adoption Stories, Jon and his Miserable Wife and their 8 children. But lately I have been bored with my program choices. I wanted to spice things up. Then I remembered one of my favorite shows from back before I was pregnant. It is called Snapped and it is a program about women who snap and murder people, usually their husbands.

It is actually a pretty interesting program. It's like CSI, but 30 minutes instead of an hour, and told documentary style. With the exception of no Grisham, it fills a nice void when I'm matching 67 pairs of socks.

It turns out women kill their husbands for all sorts or reasons. Some of them want to live with their Cuban boyfriends, some are trying to make their house payments with life insurance money, and some...well, some just snap. I've yet to see anyone kill their husbands because they begrudged them a spot on the sofa, but you never know...

In less than three weeks!

Our big ultrasound has finally been scheduled. I know that most people only get one ultrasound during pregnancy (and that's nowadays) but having rountine ultrasounds with the twins has made it a lot more difficult to go so long this time without an ultrasound (and we have already had two, one at 7 weeks another at 11 weeks). With the baby moving I have felt a little calmer but I am really looking forward to the longer, more in depth 22 week ultrasound. And of course, we do want to know what we are having.

This big ultrasound raises a small problem however. The past two routine appointments have been on a Friday and my sister has been able (and quite willing fortunately) to watch the twins for me as she is off on Fridays. My ultrasound is on a Tuesday and we don't really have alternate care for the twins. My mother-in-law works Mon-Thurs and so does pretty much everyone else I know. I would like to have Todd come along for the ultrasound, as I know he will enjoy it as much as I will. So that doesn't leave us a lot of options for childcare. I have a few friends who stay at home but they all have their own kids and I have never asked if they would watch my kids. I just feel like asking other mother's to watch my two is asking a lot. I know if we are truly desperate we can bring the twins to the ultrasound but I am not sure that the tech would like that very much, not to mention that is would keep Todd so busy that I'm not sure he would really benefit from even being there if that is the case.

So should I ask my mother-in-law to take time off of work? Do I ask one of my few friends I have left to watch my children? Or do I just accept the fact that Todd won't get to be there for the BIG ultrasound?

We have known about the ultrasound on the 21st for almost a week now and as excited as I am about seeing the baby I haven't been able to stop thinking about this predicament. Maybe that's the reason I have such bad headahes lately. I worry about every silly little thing.