Anatomy Scan....Check!

Today we had our "marathon ultrasound", aka full anatomy scan on both babies. While we're not sure how many toes each baby has or who's feet belong to who, we do know that all limbs, organs, chambers, spines, and heads are accounted for (see two heads pictured above). The girls (yes, they are definitely girls) are facing each other and both feet down so all that could be seen from the 2D ultrasound was a big foot party going on at the bottom of my belly. They each weigh in at 11oz and are measuring on track at 19weeks. The doctor said not to loose any sleep over the feet, and I assured him that is not what keeps us up at night (barking dogs, street sweepers, and the sounds of birds chirping way too early in the morning have that covered). He also said that I need to come back to meet with a different dietitian on Friday to start the finger pricking, and then back in two weeks to meet with both him and the dietitian on the blood sugar levels and next set of growth measurements on the babies. I asked if they had a frequent flier program I could join for free beverages or food in the cafeteria, but apparently no such program exists.

Our First Prom...Together

Now if it were photos from our proms back in high school, Jay would have been sportin a mullet and I would have been wearing a very stylish banana clip back in the early 90s (I still think the banana clip dos look good, but can't say the same for the mullets). For this prom we were out in our neighbors back yard, slow dancing and bustin a groove to popular 80s hits and more recent hip hop (bend over to the front and touch your toes). Hmmm, wonder why there wasn't any country music....

It's funny that you don't realize how big you are until you see yourself captured on film. This time around my belly is super high and super huge compared to when I was pregnant with Joseph (yes, I do realize there are two babies in there but c'mon...that's 14 oz of baby instead of 7). But according to the dietitian, I am "right where I need to be" in weight gain and need to continue gaining a pound a week. I was confused as to how exactly I would do this while on a low carb diet, but to my surprise and utter happiness I am being allowed 30-45 carbs per meal this time and 2000 calories a day. Now it would be nice if those 2000 calories could include a smoothie or huge bowl of pasta, but I'll be ok with apples dipped in peanut butter and a cup of pasta with two meatballs instead. :)

Go Penguins Go!

Penguins start in the Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight....Jay and Joseph are very excited. :) And yes, our girls will also be dressed in Pittsburgh attire (with the occasional Bears outfit of course).

Joseph in the Sprinkler

We turned on the sprinkler to water the grass out front when we got home from work last week (the never ending battle of us vs. the lawn), and the minute Joseph saw it he got super excited and started playing in the water. Hopefully he'll be just as excited about going in pools this summer! (Last summer he didn't particularly enjoy being in water if his feet couldn't touch the bottom) We spent lots of time playing outside this weekend, and visited a few parks (afterall, Joseph "needs park" almost every day) We also got the little pool out and gave Rosco a bath. Joseph was waaaaay more excited about this than Rosco, and kept saying "I want bubble bath". But it was a bit chilly so instead Jay gave him a cup to help rinse Rosco off. Of course most of the water ended up on him and not the dog anyway, and somehow I ended up getting squirted by the hose and dumped on by the cup.

Girls, Girls, Girls!

That's what you get when you count me plus the two little ladies in my belly! Jay has already said that because he is going to be outnumbered, he gets vito power on all decisions (sounds like reality hasn't set in for him yet). The girls are 6oz each, and looking good. I weigh much more than that, and am doing pretty good too. I'm enjoying my last week of a carb filled diet, the official news came this morning that I failed the initial glucose test. And so I graduate to the three hour blood test on Friday, which I also anticipate failing. And so I am eating all the fruit and pasta that I can, and will be indulging in desserts and potato salads this weekend before I meet with the dietitian. (after all, 5mos with hardly any carbs means I'm proceeding as usual until the finger pricking begins) And now back to the girls, we go back in three weeks for a full anatomy scan, and then every two weeks following for growth measurements. They are both positioned with legs down and heads kind of facing each other now, but that is likely to change. They literally look right on top of each other (somehow I thought separate sacs meant separate sides of the belly...not the case). They appear to resemble Joseph's ultrasound pics, they are ok with pink but it's not their favorite color, and they would prefer not to wear identical outfits (though they aren't opposed to coordinating). That's all we know for now. :)

16 Weeks and Growing!

Well apparently it's true, two babies do take up more space than one. If you had to take a guess and didn't know me you'd probably put me at the end of my second trimester instead of towards the beginning. I seriously don't even think I'm eating that much, but I am trying to get some carbs in now while I can because I get tested "early" for gestational diabetes this week. Oh well, the upside is that this time I have the clear drink instead of the nasty orange and cola flavors that I've had before. And of course the more obvious upside of not being able to gain much weight on a diet of vegetables, nuts, cheese, meat, and fish. Oh yeah, and eggs. Yummmm. (is the sarcasm coming across?) But until then, bagels and fruit for breakfast it is! I'm also making pasta sauce. Wishful thinking that I'll make it through the entire batch before having to prick my finger after each meal.

Chatterbug

An appropriate nickname for Joseph these days. Over the past week or two he's turned into quite the talker! We went out to dinner on Saturday night and he jibber jabbered the entire time (and not using an inside voice...something I was told to do quite often when I was younger) I think Jay noticed the difference right away after being gone for a week....hard not to because it's amazing how much Joseph understands now. At breakfast this morning Joseph said "momma fork please". And after I gave him his gummy bear vitamins and told him to chew them he finished and said "I chewed it". The best was last week when I told him if he ate his macaroni then he could have a treat, and he looked at me, rolled his eyes and said "no-ooo, I eat chicken" (like duh mom, I don't want the macaroni I want more flippin chicken). A not so cool recent development is that he screams like crazy during his bath, like it's some form of ancient water torture. Seriously, our neighbors must wonder what the heck is going on inside our house. :)

Turn my back for one minute...

And Joseph climbs his way up to sitting on the kitchen stool and tries to make a phone call. I literally only turned my back long enough to wash one sippy cup! Maybe he wanted takeout (thai please!).

Actually I've been pretty weird about food lately...I get hungry but I don't feel like eating (and let me say that is a very new feeling for me!) Nothing is very appealing though I do become fixated on certain things that I have to have right away. Yesterday all I could think about was an asiago cheese bagel with veggie cream cheese, so that's what I got this morning. (I'm thinking of getting it tomorrow morning too.) The other night it was pasta, so Jay was very accommodating and made dinner while I sat on my ass (something I am always in the mood to do these days). I have to get my carbs in while I can, since I'm being tested for gestational diabetes in a few weeks (oh joy of joys). I've already been told that I will fail the test it's just a matter of when. Lovely.

Joseph is clapping his hands to sesame street right now (ladybugs twelve, at the ladybug picnic). We also worked on his letters and sounds using starfall.com (awesome site!) The banana and cookies for dinner didn't exactly score me high parenting points though (at least there was milk). And now Rosco is licking the crumbs off the couch. Nice.

Twins!

That's right...I'm pregnant....with twins! It all started with this ultrasound picture on Friday, March 13th. They had just wrapped up taking pictures of "the" fetus when they started taking shots of my ovaries. As they moved across my belly to get to the other ovary another heartbeat flickered on the screen. Jay actually recognized what he was seeing, and the technician and doctor confirmed...there's two in there!

Another ultrasound with the perinatologist last week confirmed that the twins are identical, two sacs but one placenta (mono-di). That means that through some twist of fate the egg split into two sacs, but the babies share the same food source and blood. So there's a higher chance of complications....yadda yadda...we'll be having lots of ultrasounds.....blah blah blah....had to switch doctors and will be seeing specialists....likelihood for bed rest and c-section....I could continue with all the details but then your eyes would glaze over and you'd be less likely to come back to the blog for updates and I'd have to talk to people on the phone more and that sure isn't going to happen.

While it may not have been fate that split the egg, it wasn't genetics either. While fraternal twins can be hereditary, there is no answer for what causes identical twins. Tall moms, obese moms, moms that eat lots of yams and dairy....all are linked to higher chances of twins...but since I didn't start eatting ice cream by the gallon until after I was pregnant it seems we were just lucky!

I'm feeling fine other than being tired and hungry all of the time....hoping that goes away soon...if not I'll be one large mama my the time the babies arrive! Due date is November 1, 2009...12 weeks down, 28 more to go!

Joseph's 2 Year Stats

Height: 36 inches (100%)

Weight: 30 lbs 4 oz (80%)

Head: 48 3/4 cm (50%)

No surprise that Joseph is still on the tall side...but the nurse was a bit generous with his height because she measured him at 37. (which he is definitely not). He started screaming the minute she walked into the room and told her "bye bye" several times before coming to terms with the fact that we were in a doctor's office. He calmed down in time to get checked out by the doctor though, and even said "Ahhh" so that we could see his 2 year molars. Only needed one shot and one blood test this time around, and that's it for the needles until public school time! He wasn't very pleased with the shot in his thigh but he got over that as soon as he realized there were robots on his band aid. But seriously....what happened to the suckers? No cutesy band aid or sticker could ever be as good as a lollipop.....unless they start coating band aids and stickers with sugar.

Two, Ha, Ha, Ha!

"Two, Ha, Ha Ha" is Joseph's consistent response to the question "How old are you?" And after weeks of preparation the answer finally fits....Joseph is 2! We made cupcakes to take to school and share with everyone, but did some pre-celebrating this weekend with family and will have post celebrating next weekend with more family. Hopefully next weekend he'll be a bit happier at cake time. While his mood did make for some cute pics I decided not to post the ones of his screaming. After all, it is his birthday.

Negotiate or Dictate?

This morning when I walked into Joseph's room he made a noise that was part whine part scream. (and not because I woke him up, he was already awake with the light on) When I asked him if he wanted me to leave, he said yes, I left, and the noise stopped. Easy peasy.

Some things are not as easy to resolve. Like not wanting to go inside after playing outside. Or wanting to watch Nemo everyday. And so the question is, which method is better.....reasoning or forcing? I tend to lean towards negotiating tactics when confronted with a tantrum. "If you put on your coat, then you can have a vitamin" (side note: whoever came up with the idea of gummy bear vitamins was a genius).

Joseph picks up new words every day so it is getting easier to communicate. His favorite phrases of the moment are:
"Apple Juice" (he gets very happy while drinking it, and lets you know by wistfully repeating the phrase after each sip)
"Rosco no Rosco stop" (clearly he learned this from me)
"Mommy sit" (usually accompanied by Joseph pointing to the exact spot he wants you to sit on)
"Daddy up" (translation: Daddy pick me up)

The Irish Soccer Player

The kid is part Irish so we had to put him in green today in honor of St Patrick's Day(I had previously dressed him in red, black, and white and when we were changing him into his more festive attire he kept crying "no....black.....no.....black" Translation: No, I want to wear black). He's looked like a little boy for a while now, but his haircut, height, and use of words all makes him seem so old. This morning while having his diaper changed, he happily sang "Patty Cake", rolling and kneading included. Patty Cake is much easier to understand than Joseph's version of the ABCs and Farmer in the Dell. He was actually singing the real words and not just the occasional C and Q or repeating of the word "dell" to a familiar toon. :)

A View of the After....

Sometime between 1938 and 1986 someone thought it would be a good idea to incorporate Cerulean Blue (a not so subtle turquoise) into our bathroom (since our house was built in the 30s I'm wondering if it was actually the original color). In 2009 we decided to rid our lovely home of the nasty color, and thanks to "Uncle Pat-ric-cak" I think we now have a color that will stand the test of time. (White has been popular since 1883) You can't help but no so much about toilet colors when living not too far from the toilet capital (Kohler) of the country. In addition to the spa and golf courses they also have a very nice toilet museum. Maybe we should have donated ours....

If you don't recall what our bathroom previously looked like, you can catch a glimpse of it here: http://conwayupdates.blogspot.com/2008/06/turn-my-back-for-minute.html

And yes, Joseph is wearing a pair of my slippers. Or as he like's to call them "momma boots". :)

Joseph and Rosco Finding Nemo

Joseph Playin Around

Well as you very well know, Joseph has a favorite movie, and that is Finding Nemo (we watched him get found again this morning. That Marlin sure is getting unbearable). But what you may not know is that he also has a favorite song (of the moment). Surfin from Ralph's Under the Sea CD. That's the song he is dancing to in this video. He's done much more elaborate performances but of course not while the camera was out. He surf's, wipe's out, and sings along to some parts. No dancing yet today, but we've bowled, shot some hoops, played "go go trucks" (a game invented by jay where he races his big yellow trucks across the dining room), and at swim lessons he jumped into the water without holding on to me (yes, I was there to catch him). Head still stays above the water but he seems to be getting more comfortable. He even blows bubbles (I told him that's what nemo does).

Preparing to be Two!

Jay was informed at daycare today that Joseph needs to be able to put on his own shoes and clothes for the two year old room (his next classroom). Nice of them to keep us abreast of what he should know how to do at each age (else we'd never know!) We'll be practicing for the first time tonight. :)
He's doing good with colors though, one day last week he turned to me, pointed at Rosco and exclaimed with excitement "Rosco is brown!). So we've started with small sentences it seems.
A few weekends ago when it was super warm I took Joseph to the zoo and he had loads of fun in the reptile house (which also contains fish else I never would have ventured in...I hate snakes). And speaking of snakes, we got to witness a python throwing up. Talk about fun. We've cut back to watching nemo just a few times a week, and so on Sunday afternoon we went to the aquarium at discovery world. Joseph wasn't as "awestruck" as the first time we went, but he had fun putting his hands in the water with the sting rays and pressing buttons to make gadgets move.

Still Happy

About the Steelers Superbowl win. A few shots of a couple of fans from last weekend.

Potato Fun

Joseph loves his potato heads, and it seems we've managed to keep track of most of the pieces (though an ear and set of feet have fallen victim to the land of the lost). As you can see he likes to use lips for ears and hats. I myself fancy the elephant pirate dressed for a birthday party. He's looking at me like I'm crazy, but trust me, wearing the glasses was his idea.....

Say Cheese

I think Joseph may actually understand what "saying cheese" means. He also understands what yes and no mean, and continues to get frustrated with us when we use the N word in response to his pleading to watch nemo. He's made several attempts to turn on the tv and dvd player by himself, and I find myself feeling strangely proud that he seems to almost have it figured out just from watching us do it. We allowed him to watch several scenes from the addictive disney movie this morning, and as soon as he woke up from his nap and had lunch he requested nemo once again (shouldn't have been surprised as the name of the friendly fish is repeated over and over at least 50 times each day). So as a distraction Jay took Joseph upstairs to play on the computer and practice his shapes and songs. Can't wait for it to warm up a bit so we can get outside and play! Next week we start swim lessons so that should help keep the little man entertained and get him ready for the summer. Only three more months! (yes, I naively still count May as summer).

Apple Juice

The clearest words spoken by Joseph. As he is now requesting his "Apple Juice" on a regular basis, we've decided to take the advice of a wise Bubbie and mix water in with the good stuff so he's doesn't drink too much of it. Not aiding us in our effort to limit his apple juice, is that I think when he sees beer or cider poured into a glass, he thinks that we are drinking some of the good stuff without him (which we are, but it's not what he thinks it is!) Still forcing him to have milk instead of juice for two meals a day, which I'm sure will mean that eventually he'll be diagnosed with a mild allergy to the disgusting white beverage. :)

Brrrrr it's cold....

Joseph doesn't seem to mind the bitter cold, since we're trying to only have him ride in the car that has functioning heat (that's right, the 4runner is not blowing heat and it's 0 outside). Hasn't been too big of a deal since we carpooled one day and Jay's heading out of town tomorrow...it'll just be a cold ride to the airport for him unless he breaks down and wears a hat, scarf, and gloves. (what is up with men not wanting to wear coats and gloves when it's cold?) I tried to drive into work today (in the car that does have heat) and man that was a mistake. One inch of snow + bitter cold = freaking chaos. Oh well, it is winter in Wisconsin. Joseph loves wearing hats and mittens, even in the house (sometimes he gets upset if you try to take them off). We were able to de-mitten him last night, though we did find him sitting on the couch with his hands under his butt while watching "finding nemo". It's his favorite movie of the moment, he points at the tv and asks for "fishy". And he'll actually watch happily for 30 minutes, which allows us to either veg out early in the morning, or get some stuff done while listening to the now very familiar beginning scenes of the flick. For a while it seemed like Joseph's bedtime may have been getting later, but we're back to getting tired at 7pm and it seems the crib escapes have stopped....at least temporarily which gives us some time to figure out what to do next!

Happy New Year

Joseph went to bed on New Year's Eve a bit earlier than most, and started 2009 with a bang at 6:30 this morning (why he couldn't sleep until 7:45 like he did yesterday I do not understand). He has continued to show off his climbing expertise this week....but thankfully has not hopped out of his crib again since monday. We're debating on whether we should replace the front of the crib with the toddler rail that came with it (so that he can climb in and out on his own), or go straight to the twin bed (minus the frame, so that it's lower to the ground). We're not quite ready for the little man to be released from his cage, but it seems we have no choice. He is in control and loving every minute of it....

More Holiday Fun!

Happy Holidays!

Joseph in the Snow

We spent just as much time getting ready to go out in the snow as we did playing in the snow, but it was worth it to get these pictures. :) The boots were a complete nightmare, but we're going to see if plastic baggies on the feet make it easier next time. Once we got outside the only real problem was that as soon as Joseph falls or kneels down he can't get back up (picture the little dude in A Christmas Story). Joseph's been really good with amusing himself and playing with his toys, and sometime in the past few weeks it seems his 2 yr. molars have appeared! Which has motivated me to finish his baby book, I mean, we probably should have that taken care of before he turns 2 right?

Joseph and the Wii

Joseph is apparently a fast learner. After watching us all play with the Wii over Thanksgiving he decided one night that he'd give it a try. He pointed the remote at the screen, stood on the fit, and even mimicked us conducting an orchestra with Wii Music. Cool jammies huh?

Fall has flown by!

It's been way too long since our last post...crazy how fast the past few weeks went by! Jay is done traveling for the year, so now we're gearing up for the holidays and hoping his back feels better instead of worse sometime soon. Joseph seems to have gotten taller, and definitely more talkative. Today he threw up for the first time. Lucky for us it was on the kitchen floor and only happened once. It scared him a little but after a minute of crying he was back to his normal self. Since it warmed up a bit he helped us rake the leaves outside to prepare for the eventual winter wonderland. Maybe they'll actually come collect the yard waste soon. If not I expect a credit on my tax bill! Did I just say that? I really am getting old....

Totally Toddler

Well if I had any doubt, today I realized that Joseph is totally a toddler. He runs and plays with play do, but when he's feeling more helpful he puts away his laundry and feeds Rosco. He's learning to eat his food with a fork and spoon, and brushes his teeth when he's done. And today he wanted to drink from a "real cup" instead of his sippy this morning, so I took a little video of the monumentus occasion. Actually more impressive is that apparently he hasn't been using his pacifier during nap time at daycare. So last night I put him in bed without one and off to sleep he went, no fuss or noise. One would think you could just cut cold turkey based on that performance, but no, when I attempted the same thing when putting him down for a nap today, he screamed and cried so after 15 minutes I decided we would go with the "weaning" method instead of cold turkey. Did I cave too early?

Happy Halloween

We all dressed up in our costumes last night and hung around the neighborhood for the usual festivities. Joseph trick or treated up and down three streets, ringing doorbells, waving buh-bye with his flashlight, and even uttered a thank you to one candy-giver towards the end of his travels. He lasted a full hour and was spent by the time he went to bed at 7:30. And he slept a full 12 hours which was nice for us since we were at the annual party in the hood. Though Jay could have probably used a few more hours....I'll be surprised if he doesn't go out and get french fries. :)

Trick or Treat

Joseph partook in some pre-Halloween festivities this weekend at daycare and in "downtown" tosa. On Friday he wore his dinosaur costume to school with his hair all spikey (but of course I forgot to bring the camera) and we had dinner there with the other kids celebrating. Then on saturday the village (just a mile down the road from us) had a trick or treat event with the local businesses, so Joseph sported his warmer frog costume to make the rounds and collect his candy. He's become quite a fan of candy lately. I'm trying to limit him to one piece a day, but he always repeats "more more more" when he finishes. Hopefully once Halloween is over and the pumpkins filled with treats are put away he'll forget about it (out of sight out of mind right?) On Halloween night we have trick or treating in our neighborhood, and this year it looks like Joseph will actually be awake for it! His bedtime is usually 7:15ish, though last year it was more like 6. We're happy for the change, but who knows what falling back will do to the routine. (Please please please don't let it mean that he will be waking up before 6....that would be waaaay to early......and yes, I know I'm spoiled....but I'd like to keep it that way for as long as I can!)

Picking Out a Pumpkin

Joseph and I went to Apple Hollar yesterday and met up with some cousins for some apple pickin and pumpkin patchin. He had fun eating apples covered with dirt (ok not covered, there were only a few times I couldn't get to an apple before he did) and as soon as he saw the pumpkin patch he went straight for the fatty pictured above. He tried to lift it but couldn't quite get the 16 pounder off the ground. He also enjoyed watching the billy goats they had at the hollar, and he may have enjoyed feeding them a few kernels of corn that apparently they were not supposed to have (who knew, I mean the warning was posted on signs and everything but that was after we saw the kernels lying on the ground). So we did some fun things this weekend, but in general Joseph wasn't in a very good mood. He seems to be going through another funk. Today he wouldn't stop crying unless he was sleeping, outside in his stroller, or in my arms while I walked around (meaning I had to be upright, no sitting down and cuddling, only standing). Needless to say I'm a bit tired and a bit relieved that he went to bed early. But he did let me sleep in until 7:30 this morning and hopefully he'll be happier tomorrow.

Joseph's 18mos Stats

Height: 35 inches (98%)
Weight: 27lbs 6.5oz (70%)
Head: 47.75cm (50%)

It seems we were right about his height and weight. Doctor says this puts him on track to turn out around 6' 2"....but only time will tell!

Pumpkins & Animals

We went to a petting zoo last weekend while the weather was still warm, and while Joseph doesn't much care for the animals and the noises they make, he did enjoy the pumpkins. Even though the animals scare him, he is starting to learn the sounds that they make. He can do a duck, cat, dog, and we're working on monkey, cow, and snake. He's been in a better mood the past couple days, so hopefully the crankiness was just a phase or teeth coming in. His 18 mos checkup is Tuesday so we'll have some new stats soon! (and we'll find out whether or not his ears are all clear) We think he is somewhere around 28 lbs and 35 inches, judging by where he measures up to the kitchen counter. Pretty soon there won't be much that is out of his reach!