Odd Things 6

It's Friday again! Hoorah! I've been trying to pay attention to odd things all week, but for some reason I'm still trusting my baby-brain to remember it all! I didn't write a single thing down! Well here goes anyway.

One of my favourite websites has added an new, very odd, component called invisible cats. It's odd how much I enjoy these pictures! To see more, click here.

My son says "yippee ki yay" a lot. It's odd how my mommy senses go on super alert every time he does, because he has never seen ANY Bruce Willis movie, let alone the Die Hard series.

I think that every time I take a shower the water makes my belly grow bigger.

I woke up this morning thinking about how much I am going to enjoy sleeping in tomorrow. Ok, so maybe that's not so odd, but sleeping is on my mind a lot!

Feeling Twin A flip from head down to head up while Twin B apparently simply supervised.

Finding out that "the super odd feeling" was Twin A flipping.

Waiting in the doctor's office for over an hour with nothing to do but stare at a diagram of the male urinary system.

Having X hang out with me on the couch while he touches my stomach waiting for the babies to move.

Wanting so many pickles. Pickles all the time. And peanut butter toast. And freezies. And watermelon. And cereal.

Cereal and milk give me heartburn.

People who live here pay more than twice the provincial average for rent. This particular family does not make twice as much money, I am sure!

I miss coffee, but can't stand to drink it right now.

Speaking of hungry all the time....

Waiting!

This was me this afternoon. Let me tell you about it! 2 weeks ago I had my regular checkup with my family doctor. At that time she put in the referral for me to see an OB. Usually in this province you don't get referred to the OB until the 8th month, but because I'm pregnant with twins she put it in early. I really expected to hear from the office that I would have an appointment sometime in July. When I talked to them this past Friday they told me I had an appointment for today! Woah. That was quick.

I arrived at the office 3 or 4 minutes before my scheduled appointment, which was for 3pm. At 3:20 the nurse called me in to do my blood pressure and so on. Then she put me in the next room to wait for the doctor...

So I waited...

At 4:26 the doctor came into the room I was waiting in, handed me my file and told me to go wait in "room 9" and he would be with me shortly. Dude! An hour and a half? Surely that's a bit excessive! And of course my appointment lasted less than 15 minutes! That time even includes the quick ultrasound! He took down my medical history, quickly read all the reports from previous ultrasounds and blood tests, then told me to hop up on the table for a quick u/s. Really, the appointment was fine. He seems like a capable doctor. He told me that I am classified as "high risk" because of my age, and because it is twins. He also told me that apparently Twin A didn't want to be upside down anymore. They are now both in the breach position, cuddling. At least they're not kicking each other in the head anymore. So he 100% agrees with my c-section decision. They are good though, healthy, the right size, beating hearts, moving appendages and all that, so I'm happy too. Despite the waiting. Worst part about the waiting? I finished the book I brought in the first waiting room! Boo!

Routine!

These days it's tea rather than coffee...but you get the idea. I'm afraid my life has become quite routine over the last few weeks. Not that I'm complaining, it just might seem a bit boring, therefore I haven't had much to write about! I get up early, meet A at the door, get breakfast for X, get them both in the car, go to school, come back, get A a snack, put her down for a nap, get her up, in the car, get X from school, come back, get lunch, put A down for a nap, get her up, get a snack or two, meet her mom at the door, crash on the couch. Repeat. Of course there are some diapers, some great quotes from X and time with M mixed in there too!

We did go to church again this Sunday. I know! We're almost regular attenders! If only we could find one church to attend. We went to the Alliance church again because X loves the Sunday School program so much. A friend suggested a couple of churches downtown, and I think next week we'll try one of those out. I don't want to say anything specifically mean or destructive, but at the Alliance church M is constantly reminded of Mandy Moore's character in the movie Saved. Great movie. You should see it. This week's service was dedicated to the team who went to Mexico on a "missions" trip. Missions and Work n Witness trips have value, no doubt. I was just left uninspired. Maybe it's because I am in no way acquainted with any of the people who went. It could also be because I enjoy debating taking money and doing the work versus sending the money in addition to the money I would spend on a plane ticket to an organization already there so they can do twice the work. It's a good debate.

We also helped my mom move this week. She said this is the 8th move in a little over a year! That's a little excessive! X and I have only moved 3 times in the last 12 months. 4 houses, 3 provinces. Yep, his life just might mirror mine a bit! Hopefully we'll be a little more stable from here on out with lots of notice between moves!

One more thing that I've added to my routine this week is a SAL (stitch-ALong). Yes. I cross stitch. I'm a nerd. In a lot of ways. Not only do I cross stitch, I'm also a sci-fi fan. My buddy Mamacita and I working on the same project. I think we started on the same day. Just so you know, she's kicking my butt. I'll put a couple pics up of my finished work...later. :)

The Pressure's on!

I've been writing this blog now for about 6 weeks, and every time some one new indicates that they read it, I feel a little more self conscious. I love that people seem to be enjoying reading this, but sometimes I just can't imagine why! hahaha. I've always wanted to write, but for this type of platform there is not editing or re-writing! Once it's out there, it's out there! I'm obsessed with bad grammar and public spelling mistakes, but I know my writing is far from perfect! There are times that I want to go back and count the times I use the word 'so.' I know I over-use it, and if I catch it, I will delete it! But secretly, I do wish I could start every new paragraph with that little word!

Speaking of spelling mistakes, my mom brought to my attention that I spelled "yard saling" wrong in a previous post. This was an on-purpose "mistake" by the way, and I had quite the philosophical discussion with her about it. I explained that we didn't go "yard sailing," that brings up too many strange mental pictures.

This is just not a proper depiction of what happens! Nor could I spell it "yard saleing." You never put an 'e' before 'ing' do you? We decided that I should have used "yard sale-ing," but just now looking for funny pictures on bing.com, apparently a lot of people use the spelling "yard saling." So, (there it is, can't help it) even though mom disagrees, I'll stick with my original spelling! And now maybe you understand a little more about my spelling ocd. And now you'll be looking for errors! I bring it on myself, I know.

Speaking of yard saling, we went again today! The big find? Homemade Filipino spring rolls! Oh baby! I mentioned that I'm continuously starving now didn't I? Therefore there is no picture to accompany this statement. I ate my 3 in about 45 seconds. I haven't had these fabulous creations since my wedding! (Shout out to the great community at Nanaimo Church of the Nazarene! They throw a fantastic wedding!) I also picked up a small baby swing for $5! Not too shabby either! You've got to watch the yard sale hosts up here! We stopped at one yard sale that had a high chair and they wanted $60 for it. No. The next yard sale wanted $4. Granted the second high chair was a little older, but still, a far better price! We just don't have room for a second high chair here yet, and I figure I won't need the second for at least 8 months! I might even make it to next year's yard sale season! Hahaha!

Ok, so this post is a little less focused than previous posts, hopefully you'll love my zaniness...zanyness...you'll love that I am zany. This word no longer looks correct in any form. I'm done for now. Stay tuned!!

Odd Things 5

This week has been full of changes, but at the same time it's starting to feel repetitive! Some odd things regarding pregnancy with twins? I'm about 23 weeks now, 17 to go if I was waiting until 40 weeks, but I'm thinking it will be more like 38ish, so that's only 15 weeks to go. That does not seem like enough time at this point. Actually, I'm feeling a bit light-headed now reading that. I'm having trouble comparing this pregnancy to the one with X. First, that was 6 years ago, and second, he was alone in there!

I know some of what I'm going through now I went through before with him, but I don't remember if it's happening faster this time or not really. I know I started feeling movement earlier, but that's typical for a second pregnancy. Now I'm definitely feeling two moving at the same time! I can see them move! The other day Twin B rolled over and it felt like I'd swallowed a tidal wave, but only in half of my belly! I have swollen feet and ankles full time now. Last week I could make the swelling go away by sitting with my feet up for a while, yesterday and today that's just not helping! So I will get "my feet" back sometime in November maybe. Also, I can no longer reach things on the floor when I'm sitting down. If something falls at my feet in the car? Forget it. It's gone.

Food. Food is odd. In my first trimester food was terrible. I couldn't eat very much. I had food aversions, "morning" sickness, and I'd eat a few bites and feel incredibly full. Now? I'm HUNGRY. All the time. Starving. Watermelon, pickles and ice cream? I see nothing wrong with that. That sounds like a perfectly reasonable dessert. Mmm. Pickles. I think I'll have some now. Pickles and tea. Yes. BRB

Lovely. Where was I? Ah, odd things. Unrelated to pregnancy? People are odd. That's a big one. Couldn't you just people-watch all day? I watched a crew of 6 men take 3 days to mow my lawn this week. There's actually not that much grass here. It's mostly sidewalk and parking. I see people getting frustrated with my speed-limit driving so they change lanes so they can beat me to the next red light. I see babies point at each other and wave in the grocery store while parents pretend the other baby is completely alone. Why do we ignore each other as adults? When did that become polite? Like when we turned 12? So we're all still acting pre-adolescent? Good choices.

My family is odd. In a great way of course. My son is an energetic ball of ridiculous public behaviour. But he is my son. We both have a tendency to not watch where we're going. Yesterday in the grocery store he ran full speed into a freezer and ended up flat on his back. He thought it was a great game. Last week at a yard sale he tried to jump over a baby toy, but wasn't actually looking at the toy and totally wiped out. He did get a lot of attention and I think that's what he was looking for as I was once again rifling through a pile of baby girl clothes. :) My husband is oddly fantastic. Sometimes I feel a bit guilty that I have such a great husband and that's odd. He does have weird quirks though. For example, every time we walk outside he sneezes. I think he's allergic to the sun. Maybe I could write the next sensation! Vampires don't sparkle, they sneeze...and they have a desire for clean kitchens, bathrooms and shiny cars.

I'm odd. But we all know that. ;)

Things That are Awesome (or not, depending on your point of view)

Recently I've been looking for more and more humour in life. Sometimes it's not that hard to find...especially if you're will to laugh at yourself! Here is a short explanation of a few things that are an awesome and constant source of snickering.

Baby brain. I fully intend on blaming every dumb thing that I do from now until October on this phenomenon. After October I will blame it on having three children. That's right, I have a plan. Some of the dumb things I do? Turning on the back burner while watching the pot on the front burner wondering why nothing is happening. Forgetting laundry in the washing machine. Staring in the fridge wondering where I put the Cheerios. Yup. Baby brain is awesome.

My son's mental musical catalogue. Not only can my 5 year old sing every song he's ever learned at Sunday School or VBS, but he also knows the lyrics to Aqua's "Barbie Girl" and Adele's "Rolling in the Deep." These two are special thorns in my husband's side. X also knows the lyrics to most Abba songs and a lot of Great Big Sea. On the other hand I am quite familiar with Justin Bieber's "baby" and have watched the you tube video for "Never Say Never" with him, so this really does work both ways.

My sister is awesome. Specifically her strange desire to embarrass my husband at every opportunity is hilarious. Generally, she's a ham. For example, here's my sister with her husband.

Recently my husband was away for an extended training course. During this training course he kept getting anonymous mail that had some homosexual innuendo. It drove him crazy wondering who was behind it. Now, he's known my sister for at least 10 years...so we sort of wondered why he didn't guess it was her sooner, but maybe he thought she wouldn't do anything THAT crazy. When he graduated from this training course she gave him a Chippendale's calendar. Good times. This morning when he came home from work he handed me this postcard:
With only two words on the back: "Miss you!" It was sent from Mexico, to his work. Now if you know where my husband works you know that this is a place filled with manly men and super-capable women. The postcard was send 2 and a half months ago, so we suspect the mail-room ladies showing it to everyone else before it was delivered to his box! Good times.

I hope no one gets offended by the above picture...including my husband! Hahaha. And just in case they read this randomly, both my brothers are also awesome. :)

One more awesome thing: I got my replacement phone yesterday! Hooray for being connected to the world at large once more! Now to collect all the numbers again!!

What? June? No way.

I can't believe that it's the first day of June already! Up here where the sun is rising at 4 am and setting at 11pm, we're hitting temperatures of 23-28C during the day and still having frost warnings overnight. Crazy times! The smoke is still heavy in the air from all the forest fires in the area, so outdoor activity is still at a minimum despite all the sunshine!

The last couple of weeks have been a great learning experience in our house! I know I mentioned that I started babysitting a 1 year old girl. Two weeks ago was a part-time week, last week turned out to be a 3/4 week because of the holiday and this week is our first full-time week. I must report that X's transition to one little girl in his life has been excellent!

When I first told X about the possibility of babysitting, he wasn't a fan of the idea. He told me it would not make him happy because if it was a baby they would cry all night while he was trying to sleep. When I explained that I would not be keeping her all night he opened up to the idea. Now a couple things to note here; first, no we did not clarify that two babies in October will be here full time, second, I have done childcare before. This is not the first non-family member to hang out with us all day, so I don't know why he thought I'd be keeping her for days and days!

For the last week and a half X has been studiously ignoring the presence of an extra body in the house. He's a 5 year old boy, so obviously she has not been ignoring him, but he quickly became expert at slightly turning his body so she was no longer in his direct line of vision. Pretty funny to watch actually. He was never mean, and always helped when I asked of course, but did his best to pretend she was not there.

The first day I had her before I took X to school she came with us to drop him off. When we were getting out of the car he told me he was old enough now and could cross the street by himself. I explained that even though he is a big boy I am not ready to let him cross any street in this super-busy town alone. Even in a 30k/h school zone. Even with 2 crossing guards. His response? "But Mooo-ooooom. If you bring her all the people in my class and all my friends will think she's ours!" Again, something to note here...I do get a few double takes when I walk down the street with a 5 year-old by my side, a one-year old on my hip, and an obvious baby-belly. X seemed ok when I told him it was alright to tell his friends that mommy was baby-sitting if they asked.

Yesterday we had a break through! After we picked X up from school we decided to take a quick trip downtown to return some library materials and, since it was released yesterday and I've been a super good girl, to pick up the 3rd season of True Blood from Walmart. On the way back we decided to make an ill-fated stop at Tim Horton's. The line-up was not too bad, not out on the road, so just 9 or 10 cars between us and the speaker, but 3 cars away we noticed the "we ran out of steeped tea" signs (my drink of choice these days), and then when we got the the speaker we were told they were also out of Iced Capps (M's choice). Before we got there and while we were waiting in line I realized X had been playing peek-a-boo for 15 minutes! And making sure the water cup and soother and toys were always in easy reach. Because she is still rear-facing he also gave us a minute-by-minute account of her every move. This morning when getting in the car to take X to school he asked if I had her water cup or her soother. He seemed to think it was very irresponsible of me to go on this 5 minute drive without either! too great. She also helped him with his homework this morning! He read his book while she listened and tried to sit in his lap.

All in all, this child-care thing was a great idea! X is going to make a fabulous big brother!!