Working 9 to 5

Or more like 7:30 to 5:30 ...

Yes, I'm officially back to work. A working mom. I've been back two weeks now and it's really not that bad, to be quite honest. I had one hiccup the other day while running errands during my lunch hour at the mall - there were TONS of moms pushing their kids around in strollers and my heart clutched a bit in my chest. I should be at the mall with my kids instead of heading back to work! But then I realized I have twins and going anywhere by myself is just crazy talk!

The majority of days, I kiss my boys good-bye and skip away. I'm HAPPY to be at work! I've gotten a lot of "Oh, how are you holding up?" with pitying faces. Um ... fine. Really. I'm fine. And then I feel guilty because I'm not crying over my iPhone pictures in my cube the whole day.

What I think makes a difference is that I'm working four ten hour days so that I have Friday off to be the boys. I LOVE IT. I so look forward to Fridays and it makes the long work days oh-so worth it. Plus, I really like our daycare. I feel comfortable leaving them there and with the people that are taking care of them. So with my mind at ease - I'm able to enjoy work. I like to think that I'll be a better mommy because of it. Once the boys start moving around and the weather gets really nice - I may have some trouble. But so far so good!

My boys are growing, growing, growing! Here they are at eight weeks:

Logan (left) and Cooper (right)

 

 

Now they are almost FOUR MONTHS OLD! I can't believe how time has just flown by ... I'll blink and they'll be in college. Slow down, my little tigers! Their personalities are starting to show. Cooper is Mr. Smiley Pants. This kid will be screaming his head off and will give you a smile while he does it; which helps ease the pain in my eardrums.

 

Logan is Mr. Stoic. He's definitely his father's son. Logan likes to observe and look around. The only thing this kid has of me is that he loves TV. I sit him up next to me and together we zone out to the tube. Parental Bonding.

Lord, my kids are cute.

I have to give some props to Husband. I know I toot his horn quite a bit but really, folks. He so deserves it. Take this past weekend - the boys brought home a nasty cold from daycare early in the week. I got hit with it worse than the rest of the family on Friday and it got worse as the weekend went on. Not only did Husband come home early from work, he took care of the boys by himself the WHOLE WEEKEND. If you are a parent to twins, you understand that twin parenting takes two. It can be very overwhelming if you are by yourself for an extended period of time. Our boys feed different, sleep different, etc. It's a challenge to console two screaming babies by yourself...

BUT - he did it and let me lay in bed. He washed bottles, did laundry, made dinner, and kept watch over our babies while I put my feverish, snot filled head to bed. And on Sunday night when Logan woke up screaming - Husband shooed me back to bed and took care of it. I have oh-so many blessings in my life ... my husband is my number one blessing.

Logan and Husband a few weeks ago. Mr. Logan woke us up early. If you look closely - the alarm clock says 4:25 a.m. That's early.

 

 

In a nutshell - I'm getting a hang of this mom thing. I love it. I love my boys and the joy they bring to us. Oh-so much joy. Yes, I'm tired. Yes, I (still) hate pumping. Yes, I miss my pre-pregnancy body. But I have two healthy boys. A loving husband. A flexible job. Life is good.

 

Just put me on a beach with sun, sand, ocean, and a pina colada and life will be damn near perfect. :)

 

~M



 

The "Mom Body"

It's been just about two months since I gave birth and I'm still adjusting to how completely my life has changed! And it's pretty darn cool. Really! It is! (and maybe the fact that the boys are amazing sleepers!)

Gone are the mornings of sleeping in and my leisurely shower. I'm on call for my little nuggets (with help from Grandma!)  And I feel like a slave to my breast pump - who I'm developing a serious love-hate relationship. At the moment - I HATE it. But I'm grateful to be able to supply breastmilk to the fellas. Pumping for twins is a daunting task and I feel that I sometimes spend more time with my  pump than my boys. Curse you, Medela.

But my biggest struggle is with my body. I KNEW my body would be different. I knew it! I thought I was prepared for the change. Not so much. I was in good shape during my pregnancy - I only gained 28 pounds but Lord! I don't think I was truly prepared...

And I completely blame celebrities. Yes, that's right. Celebrities. And their amazing bodies one, two, three months after giving birth and who claim to have lost weight by "running after their children." Harrumph. Explain to me how you lost weight "running after" your newborns ... But I digress. Celebrities give the general public a greatly distorted view of how a woman should look after giving birth. Women feel the pressure to get back to their pre-pregnancy weight immediately and men think women should be walking the Victoria Secret runway three months later (damn you, Heidi!).

Heidi 8 weeks after giving birth. (Gag)

Thankfully, Husband likes me just the way I am. But I'm still working on it myself. I'm in a horrible limbo at the moment where I'm still too big for my pre-pregnancy clothes but too small for my maternity clothes. I've pretty much lived in my PJ's (which has been so comfy!) but when it's time to actually get dressed and venture out into the real world - dilemma city.

I came across an article on Today.com (here) on how out of 3,000 women polled 31% hate their bodies. And my inner voice screamed "Me too!" The article ends with pictures of women and their post-pregnancy bodies. MAJOR kudos to them for posting pictures. They are much bolder than I. Their pictures showed me that I'm not alone. That there are other women going through what I am too. (I know, duh).

It's a mindset thing. An attitude thing. We leave for Florida in a few days. (17 hours in a car with two infants AND my in-laws. And, of course, we leave the day after the boys get their two month shots...Yes, we are crazy.) I've purchased a few things to get me through - mostly dresses to conceal the still-look-five-months-pregnant-tummy and my Pamela Anderson boobs (I can't tell you how much I miss my "old" boobs ...). Hopefully the dresses will get me through the week. Don't even get me started about swimsuit shopping. Horrendous.

So I'm learning to love the post-pregnancy me. I'm working out when I can and that helps me feel good. My body carried twins for (almost) nine months and successfully delivered twins. Not too shabby. I want to feel proud. So I'm working on it.

~M

P.S. here are the answers to said survey. Very interesting results!

Updates! Updates!

I have to be the world's worst blogger ... really, I am. But I'm back! I promise! So grab a cup of coffee, a muffin and sit down for a long read. Quite a bit of news to share!!

Here I am at 36 weeks at the end of December. I was feeling pretty good! A bit more round and the waddle had definitely set in. But all in all - I knew I'd make it to my projected date. The monitoring continued to go well and the babes were doing excellent.

I had an appointment with my OB and everything checked out fine. No swelling. No major contractions. The babies looked good. So we scheduled my C-Section for January 10th. Husband and I continued to procrastinate as we thought we had plenty of time!

I made it through Christmas! I made it through the New Year! Husband and I were high fiving each other on a job well done. January 10th was in sight!

Flash to Sunday, January 6th. The day before I had gone to get my eyebrows waxed, waddled around the mall, and hung out at my parents. Sunday - my back was killing me; which was no different from any other day as my back had been hurting for a good solid month. I mean, I had over 10 pounds of babies in my front! The back was bound to hurt! So I decided to be lazy on Sunday and keep myself on the couch. My dad came over to help Husband put a garage door opener on our 3rd car garage and I thought that would be a fabulous time to take a nap.

I awoke at 4:30 that afternoon and forced myself to get up. I waddled to the bathroom and turned on the shower hoping that would make me feel better. I hadn't taken a shower in about two days (ew. I know). I stop to go potty first and ... uh, wait. Was that my water breaking?! It sure wasn't like you see in the movies ala Sex in the City when Miranda's water breaks over Carrie's shoes. It just felt different...

I think that I'm losing my mind so I start to Google "water breaking" or "feels like when water breaks" and read up. Nothing seemed similar to what I just experienced so I figured I was overanalyzing. And I just wanted to take a shower! But ... I went to the bathroom one more time and it happened again. I decided to call the doctor to just make sure.

I explain what happened and she tells me that it sure sounds like my water is leaking and that I should head to the hospital. Wait ... what?! I'm scheduled to deliver in four days! I haven't taken a shower in three days! I'm not ready to give birth! I stupidly ask her if I could take a quick shower and she assures me that I should get myself to the hospital.

Oh boy.

Thankfully, I did have a hospital bag packed ... sort of. With shaking hands, I quickly grab what is needed and waddle down the stairs to Husband.

Husband is just stepping down off the ladder in the garage when I open the door.
Me: Um...You need to take me to the hospital.
Husband: What?! Why?!
Me: Well, my water broke and the doctor said to come to the hospital.
Husband: Okay. [Not moving - just staring at me]
Me: Um ... we need to go now.

Thankfully, Husband got his rear in gear. I sat in the kitchen crying in fear and excitement. My dad was wonderful and sat with me telling me everything would be okay. And then we were in the car on our way to the hospital.

We drove in silence holding hands. We just thought we had more time to prepare ourselves!

It being Sunday - the hospital was pretty deserted. No wheelchair to take me to the maternity floor. I had to waddle my way there - with my water leaking the entire time. Lovely. We get to the right floor (after taking a detour) and I'm standing for what seemed like ten hours at the Labor and Delivery Desk while they ask me all sorts of questions. And the water is still leaking.

FINALLY we get to a room and I put on a gown so they can start monitoring my belly. Husband had placed calls to the grandparents and they were on their way. We still didn't know if we were going to be delivering the babies that night or if I was going to be sent home. Finally we ask one of the many nurses in the room what is going on and she informs us that we are delivering the boys that night. In fact, here's the guy to put your epidural in! You're headed to the operating room in 15 minutes!

WHAT?!?!

Husband frantically calls our parents again to tell then to hurry. I quickly take this picture so I can text my brothers:

Notice the greasy hair and the look of excited panic.

The epidural wasn't that bad - I think I had a pro inserting it. Then they start to prepare Husband with scrubs and test me to how numb I'm getting. It's such a weird feeling! I'm yawning and shaking uncontrollably, thanks to the drug. And I started to REALLY get freaked out. Thankfully, my parents arrive just as they are about to wheel me into the operating room. So I was able to get a hug and some reassurance from my momma. It helped to calm me.

Once we get in the room - it's all business. I'm transferred to the operating table. Taylor Swift is playing in the background and all I can think about is that I don't want my boys to be born during her annoying "We are never getting back together" song. I'm still shaking and yawning but aware. The doctor doesn't waste any time and we're off and running. Husband stands by my side to watch while I just pray and stare at the ceiling.

I hear Husband gasp: "Oh, cool!" and then I hear our first little boy crying for dear life. Cooper Paul Proost weighing 4 lbs 14 oz and 18 inches long came out first. In the same minute (!) Logan Kenneth Proost followed shortly after weighing 5 lbs 14 oz and 18.5 inches long. Both babies crying and looking absolutely perfect.

I'm crying. Husband is crying and trying to take pictures and videos and make sure I'm okay. He was wonderful. From the time I called the doctor, got to the hospital, and delivered my boys - only 45 minutes had passed!

It was a slow Sunday, so no one was in the recovery room. Both grandparents could join us and we all hung out while the boys had their first baths and I came down from the heavy drugs. It was simply amazing to stare at these little guys and realize that they came out of my belly!

Cooper Paul Proost

 

 





Logan Kenneth Proost

 

We finally made it to our room at 11 p.m. that night. The boys were taken to the nursery so that I could recover (so recommend doing that your first night!). Husband passed out on the couch - but I couldn't sleep. I was just so wired and jazzed. I gave birth! I have sons! All the trials and heartache of the past three years seemed so far away. I'm a mom. I cried a bit and thanked God for the men in my life: Husband, Cooper, and Logan. I thanked God for their health. Both boys did not have to go to NICU - their coloring was perfect and they were able to breath on their own. I made it to 37 and a half weeks - so they think that definitely helped them! I was just so overwhelmed on how blessed I felt (and still feel!).

 

Our hospital stay was fantastic. The nurses were so helpful! I did struggle a bit with the drugs. While I so appreciate the epidural - it did a number on me. Headaches, nausea ... you name it. It was a bit miserable. Plus just having major abdominal surgery - you can't move as well... 

 

LONG story short (or shortened) - I would do it all agin in a heartbeat. To hold my boys and hear their baby noises or to hear them snoring - it just warms my heart to pieces. Little bitty pieces!

 

Here they are the day we headed home in Husband's lap. The trip out of hospital is a whole other story ... it will be quite the interesting day when I take the boys out in the real world for the first time! (It's still flu season, people! We're staying inside!!)

 

 

I'm so thankful for all the well wishes and prayers people have said for us. Everything went so smooth and we couldn't have asked for any more blessings!

 

 



Robin takes on Batman ...

I've officially entered in to my 32 week of pregnancy which means weekly perinatal (high risk) doctor appointments for monitoring. I walked in with not a care in the world! I mean, I've had such a great pregnancy this is just old hat, right? Wellll .... sorta.

Turns out that Batman and Robin are about 19% different in weight. Batman is currently 3lbs 8oz and Robin is 4lbs 5oz. Nothing super major - but enough that my doctor is concerned. Batman should be bigger and more in line with his brother. So to keep an eye on that difference I'm now getting monitored two times a week with the perinatal doctor. And at any point in time - they could tell me to hustle over to the hospital and deliver if they don't like what they are seeing with the boys.

Oh Goodness.

And let me tell you about "monitoring." It's not a horrible experience by any means! But I felt nervous all the same. Each baby gets their own fetal monitor and they look for certain things over a 30 to 40 minute period. How do the babies react during a contraction? How steady are their heartbeats? Are they along the same lines in heartbeats, etc. I found myself constantly asking "what does that mean?" or "is that good?" or "is that supposed to happen?" The nurse was super patient and explained every little thing to me. It was just weird to have the goop they spread over my tummy as she pushed and prodded trying to see how the boys were laying. And of course, they were MMA fighting so it was hard to locate their heartbeats right away and I got more goop spread over my belly (it stinks once it dries. Ew.) I always breath a sigh of relief when I hear their hearts beating - but this was just nerve wracking! And I get to do it twice a week!

I think I have been living in a nice ignorant bubble thinking I could make it 38 weeks to my picked out date of January 14th (for my c-section). Oh silly Mara. My perinatal doc told me I need to make it to at least December 28th where I will be 36 weeks and the boys won't have to stay in NICU. My OB thinks I can make it to January 4th - but no later. I'm crossing my fingers for January 4th. Just for the simple fact that I want more time to prepare - for what? I'm not sure. I think I'm ready as I'll ever be - I just want more time! I still need to order blinds for their room! I haven't found frames for the art work! I still haven't found a pediatrician, for goodness sake!

Slight anxiety. That's all.

So now I'm on my knees praying that I will make it to January 4th. That my boys will be safe and healthy. They aren't an alarmingly small size - but Batman needs to do some major catch-up and it might be better for him to gain the weight in the outside world rather than in my tummy. And those boys are definitely squished in my tummy... When they kick or punch or head bang - they like to do it in opposite directions. I can only imagine some faces I've made while trying to play it cool in meetings. It always surprises me when they go full force!

I will now start my mantra of January 4th and I'll be sure to tell the boys every night before I go to sleep that I don't want to see them until then! It's their first test to see if they will obey Mommy. Here's to hoping ...

~M

Pregnancy Skincare Routine

I've been blessed in many areas during this pregnancy. Yes, my hips keep me up at night and thus I'm walking around with under-eye bags that scare little children away. Yes, the Restless Leg Syndrome in my right calf has gotten to the point I dance around the bedroom until Husband is able to massage it. However, those things are outweighed by the many, many positives. I haven't been too sick (knock on wood). I've maintained a steady but healthy weight gain. I feel large - but at almost eight months I'm not LARGE, if you know what I'm sayin'. And finally - my face has stayed relatively clear.

If you know me - I'm a maniac about my face care. I NEVER EVER go to sleep with make-up on. I won't even take a nap on my pillow with make-up on! I started tackling winkles and using anti-aging stuff at 25. I'm always willing to try new skincare and love to research! I think this is all influenced by my mother - she is 64 and you would think she is 45. Her skin is amazing! Some of it might be genes but I do credit her healthy eating and smart skin care.

SO! I thought I would share my pregnancy skincare routine with you! I did switch things up a bit once I got pregnant because my skin did change. I still have incredibly oily skin (always have ...) but once I got pregnant, it took a more combo route. Don't get me wrong - I still get oily just not as hardcore as before babies-in-belly.

First things first: I have expensive taste. The products I use are not cheap. I admit it. Oh, but they work so well! I have a monthly "face care" budget so I work on getting a few products at a time and try to plan ahead. I'm certainly not able to buy everything all at once. But in the long run - it's so worth it!

The majority of the products I use are from Kahina (http://kahina-givingbeauty.com/). Not only are their products safe from all the acids and chemicals you need to avoid during pregnancy, they also help women in third world countries. How cool is that?!

MORNING ROUTINE
1. Wash face
     Four to five pumps and apply in a circular motion all over my face and my neck (don't ever forget about your neck!! It can get damaged and wrinkle just like your face!). THEN I use the holy grail of all face tools: The Clarisonic. With so many brushes to choose from (I use the deep pore cleansing brush) - this gentle exfoiliator is just what the doctor ordered. Love. It. And completely worth it's weight in gold!

2. Toner
     For this - I go cheap: Apple Cider Vinegar. A few drops on a cotton ball and apply to face. I can't begin to tell you all of the wonderful things that Apple Cider Vinegar can do for you! Your hair, your skin, your digestive system (if you drink it).... It's great! Yes, it has a strong smell - but I'm used to it and it doesn't bother me.

3. Argan Oil
     While my face is still damp from my ACV, I apply Kahina's Argan Oil. This. Stuff. Is. Amazing. I kid you not. Josie Maran also has Argan Oil but I've found that Kahina's works better with my skin. Josie's is a bit too moisturizing for my oily/combo face.

3.1 Argan Oil the belly!
     Side note here - I then use Josie Maran's Argan Oil and rub it over my belly, boobs, and love handles. I don't use Kahina for this because it is so expensive and Josie's is just fine for my belly. Some say that the argan oil can combat stretch marks, etc. I'm sure this isn't very true because stretch marks come down to genetics BUT so far, I have no stretch marks. What's the harm in trying, eh? Plus, I have a well moisturized belly. :)

4. Moisturize with SPF
     Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Mattifying Lotion with SPF 15 is my go-to. It has solid ingredients, protects my face (AND neck!) from the sun, and doesn't make me break out or get super oily. It's all about protection from the sun!

5. Primer
     After I brush my teeth to let the lotion set - I apply a pump of Bare Escentuals Oil-Free Primer. I've tried a lot of primers - and this one works the best for me! I still get a bit oily - but nothing that a quick blot won't take of later in the day ...

6. Moisturize Body
     I like to give the primer time to set so I head to the rest of my body. Technically this isn't the proper thing to do as you really should apply lotion to your body right out of the shower in order to retain moisture. But I focus on my face first while my hands are their cleanest. To each their own ... I don't use anything fancy-pants. St. Ives Shea Butter (from Target) has worked wonderful for me! Nice scent and it truly keeps my skin moisturized!

7. Apply make-up
     After a solid hand washing, I apply my make-up. Bare Escentuals' new concealer is WONDERFUL. Adore it. It hides the dark circles and makes me look all bright eyed and bushy tailed. Plus I can spot conceal on major breakouts, if any.

     I always used Bare Escentuals as my foundation - but as my pregnany progressed, my skin was looking more and more cakey when using it. So I switched to Givenchy Fluid Foundation Airy-Light Mat Radiance SPF 20 (long name, eh?). This sucker is expensive! BUT I tried samples for a long time... I would go into a different Sephora store and just ask for a sample in the shade I knew worked. Then I'd use that for awhile. They are pretty generous with samples! Once I felt like I could make the investment, I did. So worth it.
     I put a small amount on my fingers (maybe a dime ...) and then just spread it on with my fingers. . I like full-coverage and this does the trick!

   
 My setting powder is Make-Up Forever's HD powder. It really is wonderful! I bought the travel size from Sephora about four months ago and I'm still using it. A little bit goes a long way!

     Blush - color depending on my mood. I love NARS and MAC blushes. Bare Escentuals is getting better ... Next up: chapstick. THEN I head to take care of my hair. Mascara is the very last thing I apply before heading out the door, strangly enough ... I don't know why really ...


NIGHT ROUTINE
Following steps 1 thru 3 in the morning routine (including "arganing" the belly!) Step 4 for night is a bit different. Also note - I do a clarifying mask after washing my face two times a week. Kahina's is fantastic but so is Paula's Choice Carbon Mask. I let it sit about ten minutes and then use the Clarisonic when rinsing it off. Skin feels just lovely.

4. Spot treat (if needed)
       If I have a HUGE breakout then I put just a teensy-tiny amount of Paula's Choice Benzoyl Peroxide on it. PLEASE, PLEASE check with your doctor before using anything like this. My doc gave me the okay - and I only use a small percentage IF I even spot treat. I do not do this every night - only if I have a huge pimple that just needs to go away. The little stuff I can handle.

5. Eye Serum
     Part of my wrinkle defense! I apply Kahina's eye serum around my eyes and let it soak in for a minute or two.

6. Lotion
     For nighttime, I go a bit heavier in the face lotion. Kahina's face lotion is too moisturizing for me to use during the day - but is simple wonderful for me to use at night.

Another tip to combat pimples: after you have completed your face routine, apply a small dab of cortosine cream to your zit or pimple. Let it dry and then head to bed. This cuts down on inflammation and redness. When I wake up in the morning, I have a blemish I can easily conceal or no blemish at all! But I do this at the very end of my routine to leave it on overnight.

And Voila! My routine. :)

~M
     

My "won't do's"

I recently read a blog where the mother wrote how her list of "won't do's" went out the window the minute she brought her son home. Husband and I have our own list of won't do's ... some I think are pipe dreams (i.e. Husband's rule of no eating in the car ...) and some might be possible.

So until Batman and Robin arrive, here is my list of what I will TRY (key word here, people: TRY) to do and not do:

1. No co-sleeping.
     I might be able to actually follow this one since I have two on the way! Makes it a bit more complicated with two, yes? Now, I'm all for napping in bed. If the kids wake up at an ungodly hour and I might be able to squeeze a few more minutes of sleep - then I'll pile them in bed with me. But none of this sleep with Mummy and Daddy thing until they are six. That's just ... weird, IMO. Plus, I truly want our bedroom to be just about Husband and me. That's our safe place. And knowing myself - I probably wouldn't sleep if both kids were in the bed because I'd be worrying too much (I'm quite the worrier ...)

2. Breast Feed for as long as I can (at least eight months!)
     I'm trying to be realistic with this one. I'd like to breast feed for as long as I can but I know things can come up and change this wish. My milk could dry up or I'm not making enough (twin boys after all...). I'm not too sure how things will go once I return to work ... I'm trying to keep an open mind and take it as it comes.

3. Have a set schedule.
     Everything I've read about raising twins is schedule, schedule, schedule (and routine!). If we keep a regular schedule/routine - then life with twins would be (could be?) easier. Husband and I are pretty simple people but we are used to doing our own thing. I think this might be harder for us to adjust to with kids ... shedding that self-centered nature.

4. Make my own baby food.
     This just might happen as I have Husband totally on board. He thinks its a great idea and I would truly like to be able to do this. My luck the kids will only like sweet potatoes and fried chicken. Husband and I were quite the picky eaters growing up so I'm preparing to face that same battle.

5. Work Out
     I'm not a die hard gym rat but Husband is quite disciplined in heading to our basement to run on the treadmill or lift some weights. You would think he would be a good influence on me now - but I usually just wave at him from the couch as he heads down the stairs. We're lucky enough to have a mini-gym in the basement so in an ideal world, I'd put the kids in their pumpkin seats and walk on the treadmill or do some free weights. Of course, I might be so tired I can't even see straight let alone go walk on a treadmill. Crossing my fingers on this one.

6. Not rely on TV too much
    Since I know myself, I will not be saying "no TV" altogether because that ain't going to happen. It just won't. I've got two at once and I think the TV might just save my sanity here and there. BUT I do hope to not rely on it too much. I want to use it for those dire times when I just can't take it anymore or I need just five minutes of Mommy time.

7. Husband first.
     My father always said he's a husband first, father second, and son third. I would like to follow that, too. I don't want to put our children ahead of our marriage. I'm a wife FIRST and then a mother. I don't want to make our lives all about the kids. I still want Husband-Wife time - even if that is just holding hands as we snore in bed. I'm going to love the daylights out of Batman and Robin, but I also desire to be a good wife. In the long run - that will make me a better parent, I'd like to think.

8. Not be a sports parent
     Granted this won't happen for a bit - but I sure don't want to be a Sports Parent. You know who I'm talking about... The parents that yell like maniacs at soccer games or push their kids to do something they don't want to do. Husband and I are very athletic and if our kids want to play sports ROCK ON. But if they want to play in the band or join the chess team or the bowling team - then I'm all for that too! I just want to be able to keep my mouth shut either way. I had to stop going to watch Husband play soccer because I started to turn into Brenda Warner - yelling at the team and being a bit over zealous in my cheering. Just embarrassing for the both of us! (I've gotten MUCH MUCH better! Plus Husband changed teams to one that actually plays well - so that helped).

9. Will not post ten thousand pictures and status updates all about the kids.
     How annoying are those people?! Soooo annoying. Do I want to read on Facebook that your kid had a blowout? Of course not! Do I need to see every facial expression little Timmy makes? No. But please post those pictures that are just too dang cute to pass up or do a once a month. Basically, limit yourself! I've done pretty well this pregnancy on my FB posting. I only throw something up there if I think it will make people laugh or I got a request for a belly shot. I'm not a weekly poster by all means. I know that when Batman and Robin officially come into our lives - I will think they are the cutest things ever and will assume everyone else thinks so too. However, I will not post to blue heaven about how cute they are. I don't want to be that parent. Don't get me wrong - I'm going to take lots of pictures! (You should see how many I have of the dog on my phone ...) I'm just not going to overshare... That's the goal, at least.

10. Will not give our dog away.
    You hear this so much and I totally understand why a family would do this. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. It is my hope since Holly-Dog is our first baby and is a mature 8 years old - she will adjust okay to life with two infants. She's chill. But she loves Husband to the ends of the earth and back so I'm holding my breath that his lack of attention to her for those first few months after the guys arrive, she won't regress to destructive puppy. I mean  ... look at this face. How can you possibly not love on her?!?!

Funny story: she was laying near my stomach and one of the babies gave a swift kick right to her head! She popped up and looked at me like "What the hell?!" and then decided to sit away from me. I laughed all day.

So there's my list. I'm going to think I'll be a rockstar. I'm pretty sure I might throw my hands up in frustration or just give up all together on some. BUT I will try, try, try.

~M

Ode to Buy Buy Baby

Dear Buy Buy Baby,

I love you. I really do. I think you are the greatest store EVER and I will never, ever, ever step foot in a Babies R Us again. Never.

You helped two people so overwhelmed with what we need to buy for twins that we ended up having a good time registering! We even made a friend - Hi, Harrison! - who was so helpful and remembered us when we returned a few days later. We love Harrison.

Every employee was so friendly. There were no sourpusses in the bunch. Your products and prices are wonderful and the store was so clean! We found everything we were looking for and then some. I think you are amazing, Buy Buy Baby. And I'm so glad you are in St. Louis!

Love Your #1 Fan.



Seriously, people. Do you have a Buy Buy Baby near you?! That store saved our lives. It really did. When we were done registering, a weight was lifted because we felt confident we were making wise decisions and had a solid registery. Our wedding registry was ridiculous and I can't remember what we were thinking back then - we registered for the silliest things!! (Oh, those were the days ...) BUT with Buy Buy Baby's help - we were able to tackle a task that we felt was so daunting!

I had researched and made a list - so I thought I was prepared until we walked in the store and saw everything that lay ahead of us. I remember Husband just standing in the doorway with a slack jawed look on his face. He turned to me and was like "I think we should leave ..." BUT we stuck it out and met Harrison, the nicest, most helpful retail person I have ever met. He answered all of our ridiculous questions, helped explain the difference between pacifiers (have you SEEN how many pacifiers there are out there?!?!?), and worked with us with our furniture. We love him.

All in all, I'm so glad it's done. It was one of those tasks that we would have continued to put off if my showers weren't so fast approaching. Now if only I could find attractive, non-frumpy maternity dresses to wear for said showers - life would be great! *sigh*

~M