Christmas 2011

We had a wonderful Christmas this year!
We were really excited that Devry was able to come home for the day.
He arrived home around 6pm on Christmas Eve. We knew he would be coming home that night, but weren't sure how late it would end up being, so we were THRILLED to see him at 6. We enjoyed yummy Chinese food at Devry's Parents house. All but one of his brothers were out of town for Christmas, so we just enjoyed a small get together with his parents and Tim and Danizza.
We came home Christmas Eve and opened our traditional Christmas eve presents...pj's.
Payton was so cute opening his presents. He was SO excited, and loved his new pj's.

After Payton was in bed, Devry and I stayed up late setting up gifts. We had Payton's big gift to assemble and it took a while. We finally got to bed around 1. We didn't wake up until Payton did at 8. I was shocked. My entire life, I have LOVED waking up for Christmas morning. I was always up first, and wouldn't let anyone else sleep. I never sleep good the night before, and usually am out of bed by 6. Not this year, I slept like a rock, and didn't hear a thing till Payton was awake. Crazy for me! My mom was SHOCKED when I told her :)

We came out and opened stockings in our family room. Santa spoiled us tons this year!

Payton LOVED opening presents. He was so fun to watch. Every present he would open, he would get SO excited, and say "OH NO!!".....although he seemed to mean "OH WOW!" I LOVED seeing his face light up everytime...even if it was a toothbrush, or socks.

These two cuties had a ton of fun opening their presents together! Love them!

This next picture is so cute! I walked in the room and noticed them both sitting on the couch, completely involved in opening the present they were on. And both of them are sitting with their ankles crossed. It makes me laugh because it is something Devry always does...when he's sitting, sleeping, anything. And now Payton does. Anyways, I loved spending Christmas morning with these guys!
After stockings were done, we headed into the living room for big presents.
Here is our Christmas Tree.

Once Again, we had a blast watching Payton open his presents. He was definitely spoiled rotten by us and our families! He sure did love every gift though!

Devry and I were also so spoiled! We received such wonderful gifts, and felt so loved! Devry gave me some wonderful gifts, but best of all was his surprise that he was staying home with us until the 26th! I thought he had to go back to Rock Springs Christmas afternoon/evening, so I was thrilled to find he got permission to go into work late so he could spend the entire day and night with us.

We saved Payton's big gift till the end. It was all set up and covered with a blanket. When we pulled it off, the look on his face was priceless. He has been obsessed with trains since he was really little, so we knew he would love it. Our goal was to find a gift that he would love for a long time, and would keep him occupied for long periods of time....especially for after I have 2 newborns to care for. I think we found the perfect gift!!
His Train Table...

He spent every second we let him playing with it for the rest of the day. He had so much fun figuring it all out, looking at all the different trains, making the sounds and lights go, and adding his own toys to the set. I have never seen him so excited about a toy! It was great to see how much he loved it. So worth it! He has spent hours and hours playing with it since Christmas. I know it will continue to be a favorite activity for him....and for his little brothers when they get old enough. I'm excited to have it!

After we finished with presents, we ate breakfast, and enjoyed playing for a bit. Then we got ready and went to church. Payton looked adorable in his little red shirt and tie. He loved getting to take some new toys and books to church with him.
Here are some pictures of us dressed up and ready to go. I actually made it in some of these ones! I am behind the camera most of the time, and haven't made it in many lately (this may or may not be purposely :) )

We enjoyed Church, then came home and had Devry's Parents, Tim and Danizza over for Turkey Dinner. We all contributed parts of the dinner so it wasn't an overload on one person. It was delicious, and we had so much fun spending some time with family .
The rest of the day we spent, playing with toys, relaxing and enjoying time together celebrating. It was nice to have Christmas morning with our own little family, and to enjoy some time with Devry's family too. We got to Skype with my parents, and as always love talking to them.
We had such a wonderful day, and loved seeing Payton's excitement!
Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas too!

Christmas

After having a hard couple of days, I woke up today with the determination to have a better one. I was looking up a recipe online and came across this video on one of my favorite recipe blogs. I am so grateful I watched it.

Reflections of Christ Slideshow from Reflections of Christ on Vimeo.

Christmas easily turns into such a commercial holiday. I am guilty of wanting to make sure I have the best gifts, baking, decorating, and cooking possible. Nothing is wrong with all of those things, except when they replace the reason we celebrate Christmas. As I watched this video, tears began to flow as I reflected on the Birth and life of our Savior, Jesus Christ. As I remembered the tremendous sacrifice his life was, I felt humbled and motivated to change my focus around Christmas. As a Christian family, we feel so blessed to have a knowledge of the Savior as an everyday part of our life. This season truly is about his birth, life and sacrifice. I want my kids to learn and focus on that when Christmas time comes around, so I need to! I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, enjoying time with your family, creating wonderful memories, and most importantly, remembering the wonderful man who came to this earth and sacrificed His life to be our Lord and Savior. May you all truly remember what this Holiday is all about. Merry Christmas!

Some days..

My blog is kind of turning into my venting board. So I'm sorry if you are looking for cute pictures or fun happy stories. Maybe next time :)

Today has been hard. I worked last night, and had a very busy night. I came home and luckily my mother-in-law kept payton for a few hours while I slept. I was so grateful for that. I always am. I laid in bed for a while though because my back was aching so bad. Being on my feet for 12 hours straight is affecting me A LOT sooner with this pregnancy. I am trying everything I know...chiropractor, icy hot, heat pad, hot bath, tylenol, etc etc. Some things help a bit...for a little while. But every time I work it aches constantly for at least a day or more. I also have pretty bad sciatic pain already. Between the back pain and the sciatic pain, sleeping has gotten to be difficult. Even when I come home from a long night of work exhausted. I struggle to sleep. And then when I finally get to sleep and am resting....I wake up cause I have to pee. ugh. It really is a good thing these little babies are worth it!

I woke up at 11:15 and went and got Payton. He is challenging lately. And I am loosing my patience. He has been whiny, moody, and throwing tantrums. His tantrums usually consist of him collapsing to the ground. It KILLS my back when I am holding his hand and all of a sudden he screams and drops to the floor. I don't want to let him go and have him get hurt..but having his dead weight by one hand really is hard. And often the only way to deal with him is to pick him up. Picking up my screaming crying 35 lb child is also painful for me. I don't know what to do. Rewarding him doesn't work. Time outs don't work. Taking things away doesn't work. I know I deserve every bit of what he gives me because I guess I was the same way as a 2 year old. But when I am running on 3ish hours of sleep, having worked the night before, and having constant back pain, I can't deal with it well. I am trying SO hard to be a good mom, especially the days after I work. I don't want to stick my kid in front of the TV with all the snacks and toys he wants, yet sometimes that is the only way I can function! I felt like I failed today. I lost my patience, yelled at him, put him in his room over and over again, and felt like I wanted to pull my hair out all day. How do I deal with him? Any suggestions? What works for your terrible two year olds? The problem is that I feel so bad for him at the same time. He misses his dad. He has a zombie mom. He knows what is allowed and what isn't. He knows when he is doing something wrong. He knows what punishments are, but it never stops him from doing it again. or ignoring me. or throwing a fit.

I had a list of things to do today, trying to get everything ready for Christmas. Devry will be home Saturday night, and may have to go back Christmas night, or monday at the latest. I want everything to be completely ready when he comes so we can spend the time he is home together, and not worry about getting "stuff" done. I want as much cooking done as possible. I want the house clean, the presents wrapped etc. I failed at my list. miserably. While Payton napped, I did dishes. And that is as far as I got. I don't know how I am going to get everything done.

Today I just feel like a failure..as a mom, a wife, a housekeeper. Devry got off work tonight, of course tired and worn out. We talked for a while and all I did was vent, complain, and acted like an insecure, emotional person. He felt so bad, and guilty that he wasn't home to help me with more. Yet, he isn't here because he is working between 13 and 18 hours a day! Making money to provide for us, and make it so I don't have to work after having the twins. I feel so bad that I spent our time talking causing him to feel bad.

This is hard. Distance is hard. Pregnancy emotions magnify everything. I know we are doing what we need to be. I know there are lessons we need to learn, experiences that will help us grow and trials that will make us better. I am hoping and praying that I can find a better attitude. That I can see the positive things more. That I can be more patient with Payton, and more supportive to Devry. That I can not dwell on the pain I am having with my pregnancy, and appreciate it more because it is part of the blessing of having two babies. I couldn't find that today. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Decisions.

Time feels like it is flying by!
Is it really Christmas in 15 days?
I have felt like the past 4 months have just flown by.
Yet the time drags on when Devry is gone.
How does that work? How can time fly and drag at the same time.

Devry has had some changes in his job that is both good and bad.
He has been training in the "shop" since August.
They decided he is ready to go out and be a "Frac" mechanic.
I didn't understand any of the terms...very briefly the "Frac" crew work to fracture the ground and put a pipe down to get the natural gas or oil. All they do is the fracture part and another company comes in and does the rest. Each crew has about 30 people on it, and tons of semi's and equipment that is involved. So Devry is the mechanic on the crew. He is training with another guy for a few weeks, then will be solely responsible to fix anything that breaks or malfunctions (that can be fixed on the site). Its a pretty big responsibility. I am so proud of him for working so hard and learning things so fast that they feel he is ready so soon.
So this change means a ton of changes for us.
First off, his hours will increase a ridiculous amount. While in the shop he was working 9, 13ish hour days, then had 5 off. For now he is keeping that schedule but on his 9 days on he will go out with the Frac crew. They work about 16-18 hours a day.
Once he is done training, he will switch to a different schedule. He will work for 2 weeks, then be off for 1. The first week he works he will be out with the crew. The second week he will be in the shop. The week off is going to be paid (right now his 5 days off aren't paid).
So the good and bad of all of this.

Good:

• The money is amazing. He will almost triple his income. It has completely taken away the stress I had about paying for the twins, and surviving without my income. I am excited I get to be a stay at home mom when I have them (Although I will try to stay PRN, to keep my skills up)
  
• It will give him so much experience. He will get to learn everything in the field, and continue to work on the more in depth problems while in the shop. It will give him such a wide knowledge base of everything. He will be working so many hours and therefore getting tons of experience.
  
• He gets 17 paid weeks off a year!

Bad:

• The hours make it so we won't get to talk. They travel from rock springs everyday to the site they are working. It is usually an hour or two away, and in the middle of nowhere. There usually isn't cell service. He leaves between 2 and 5 am..and doesn't get home till around 7-10pm. We won't talk much. He will probably Never talk to Payton during that week.
• He will be 6-8 hours away from home the weeks he is in the field. That scares me since my labor with Payton was 7 hours. I am really scared he will miss it.
• He will be gone 14 days at a time. 9 seemed like forever. 14 is going to be hard.
  
• He has to work in the freezing cold (although he has worked outside his entire life, so he doesnt' seem to worry too much about this part).
  

Anyways, we really are excited that he will gain experience, and our income will be significantly more. We are debating how long term this will be, and whether it is best for us to be apart, or if we should move there. I am having a very difficult time saying good bye lately. The days he is leaving I feel like I am emotionally on the edge all day. I loose it over the tiniest thing. I am not coping well with it all. When I actually have to say goodbye, I cannot hold it together. I know prego hormones are contributing a ton, but I don't see it getting any easier. Payton and I do fine while he is gone. We miss him like CRAZY, but we have our routine and it works. I get overwhelmed and stressed sometimes near the end of his time away. I am very nervous about doing it with 2 more babies. However, moving there means I know no one. And if Devry is working 17 plus hours a day, its not like I would get his help anyways. So maybe it is better to stay here where I have family, friends, co-workers and neighbors all willing to help me out. Who knows! All decisions we are trying to make!

I will for sure be staying here until after the babies are born. We need to stay here until February to avoid paying a large penalty on our house. Plus, I have not heard great things about the hospital in Rock Springs, and I love my Dr. I will not switch. Most likely I will stay here and use people's help the first few months. Then my mom will come in July, and we may go visit Nova Scotia in August. We are thinking that if we move there it may be in September or October, when the babies are a little older, and perhaps sleeping through the night? Hopefully we can sell our house and not have to stress about that. So many unanswered questions. So many decisions to make.

I am so incredibly grateful for Devry. He is the most hardworking, devoted husband in the world. I feel so badly for the crazy hours he has to work. He never complains. Ever. He willingly works his butt off so that our family can be provided for. And so I don't have to work after I have these babies. I know the hours and his job is harder then he will ever let on. I know being away from us makes it so difficult for him. I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful husband who does it all without complaint or negativity.

I sure do love that guy!

20 weeks!

I am officially 20 weeks! 5 months! Halfway there! (more then halfway technically...38 weeks is the max i'll go!!)
Everything is going GREAT!
I had my 20 week ultrasound on Thursday, and it was so fun to see these little guys again. This u/s was the in depth thorough one that looks at all of their body parts, organs, etc and makes sure they are doing great. And they are! Everything looked great. I cannot say enough good things about the amazing ultrasound tech I get to see each appointment. She is so good at her job, and so kind! She looked at absolutely everything! She gave us tons of pictures! Unfortunately baby A is so low and turned to the side that it was impossible for her to see his face. She got a quick peek one time but never got a picture. Because Baby B is higher, we have tons and tons of picture of him, and only a few of Baby A. I guess he is just going to be a mystery until he gets here! Unless of course he moves before my next appointment.
They are measuring good. Baby A is in the 50th percentile and Baby B in the 40th. It is expected for them to be a bit on the smaller side since there are two. If they weren't Di/Di twins (two placentas and sacs), they would be concerned with twin to twin transfusion, but luckily it isn't a concern!
Here are the two pictures I have of baby A from the ultrasound. Of course they are only of his feet and legs..cause everything else was so low!

And here are some of the Pictures of Baby B. I have tons more, but these are my favorites!

Profile

The tech switched to 3D to get a good picture of Baby B. There are tons of things I would rather spend a few hundred dollars on for these kiddo's then a 3D u/s , so I wouldn't have gotten one but she is awesome and took some 3d pics anyways :)

So those are some of the fun pictures we got. My Dr. told me that we will be doing an ultrasound every appointment from here on out to monitor their growth, positions, heart rates, etc. so the tech told me she is hopefully to get more pics of Baby A next time. Maybe he will cooperate :)

My appointment with my Dr was quick, and great! No problems, no concerns!
I am feeling really good! Just some back pain and sciatic pain that is to be expected. :) I am feeling them move a lot, and can really tell they are growing.
I am wearing a few maternity clothes now, and my baby bump is obvious.
Here are a few pictures of me at 20 weeks.

Definitely different then 2 weeks ago!

And of course Payton wanted to pose with me while I was taking pictures.
I know now they will just take off growing, and so will I.
As far as names go...we are so undecided. We want them to "go" together by starting with the same letter or sound. I don't want them to rhyme though. The problem is that we like a name, but can't think of another one with that sound that we like as much. I REALLY want them to be Rylin and Ryker, but Devry doesn't like either name. He wants Eli and Cooper (Peyton Manning has two little brothers names Eli and Cooper....and I'm not ok with naming them after the Manning Family). We both Love the names Mckay and Makai. I initially eliminated using them together because of how close sounding they are...but the more I hear them, the more I love them. I figure I am going to mix their names up and use the wrong one even if they don't sound anything alike, so I am starting to be ok with using them both. We will see, we are still very undecided and considering tons of names! Naming boys is hard for us! Naming two is VERY hard for us! I am very open to suggestions......so let's hear some! A few other ideas we have (and by we, I mean me mostly) are: Benson and Briar, Dawson and Denver, Cohen and Cooper.. We will see :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday was Thanksgiving here in the US. My dad called me and left me a message to wish me a "Happy Fake Thanksgiving." That made me laugh. I do love getting to eat yummy turkey dinner two times a year, and celebrate with family. It is also really great to be able to have two times to reflect on the things I am thankful for. I am trying to be as Thankful, and positive as I can today as well, because it has been a hard one with Devry leaving to go back to WY.

• I am thankful for my sweet, adorable little boy.
• I am thankful for my wonderful husband, who works so hard and spends so much time traveling to provide for us.
• I am thankful for family, and the wonderful support and love they show us.
• I am thankful for my pregnancy, and the chance to have 2 more sweet boys!
• I am thankful for my job, which allows me not only to have a paycheck, but to have such a wider knowledge of pregnancy, delivery and caring for a newborn. Without it I would be much more unprepared for Twins!
• I am thankful for my house. Spending time in an apartment when we visit Devry makes me realize how much easier it is to raise kids in your own house, where you don't have to worry about them disturbing neighbors, crying to loud, jumping around too much, etc.
• I am thankful for my car! I have been driving our beat up '94 corolla until recently, since Devry had to take my Highlander to WY. He recently bought a car for him to drive so I could have mine back, and he could get better gas mileage. I am SO grateful to have my spacious, reliable, wonderful highlander back
• I am thankful for my faith, and the knowledge I have that God has a plan for us. I would be lost without it.
  

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

18 weeks

I had my 18 week appointment today (although I technically won't be 18 weeks till tomorrow). It went really well. We were excited when they told us they would be doing an ultrasound. With twins, its just too hard to find them both with the Doppler, and know you are getting both babies heartbeats, so checking quick on ultrasound is the easiest way. Well the ultrasound tech is awesome and "slipped" to check the genders! And lots of other things too.

So we got to find out that we are having 2 BOYS!

At first, baby B was uncooperative and had its legs closed. So she moved to Baby A who immediately made it known he was a HE, and very proud of it! She checked the heartbeat, and got some cute pictures of Baby A, then went back to Baby B, who had decided to cooperate. We saw right away that he was Also a HE.

Here are a couple of pictures she took of the babies.

After my ultrasound, we saw my Doctor really quick, who answered all my questions as always. Everything is going great!

We left and called some family members. They were excited to hear! We are excited to know, and to be able to start planning better. We are a little nervous to have 3 boys. Our house will definitely not be a quiet and peaceful place. We easily picked some girls names, but don't have a single boys name we agree on, let alone two!! So naming these two monkeys will be VERY difficult. We are very open to any suggestions! We are excited that we have a bit less stuff to buy since we have a lot of boy things already.

As far as my pregnancy goes, I can't complain too much! I kind of feel like I just skipped several weeks. With Payton, I remember feeling GREAT from when I stopped feeling nauseous (week 15 or so), until like week 30, when I started to get a bit uncomfortable from getting bigger. This time, I finally completely stopped feeling sick at week 16....then had a week or so where I felt fantastic! Then all of a sudden this last week I am getting a pretty sore back, lots more sciatic pain, and pelvic pain. They are just growing like crazy and I am feeling it! Oh well, its still very tolerable and I know its only gonna get worse.

I haven't shown a whole lot, which has kind of surprised me! I expected to just pop out a few weeks ago with there being two babies. I was so surprised when I didn't, that I got a bit nervous they weren't growing enough, something was wrong etc. I was happy to see that everything is just fine! I am finally starting to notice a difference in the way my clothes fit, and may have to bust out some maternity clothes in the next few weeks. I feel like I am carrying them really far in, which is part of the reason I think I have back pain. So here are 3 pictures, from weeks 16, 17, and 18. I notice a difference looking at these pictures, I think more then I've notice seeing the gradual change myself.

16 weeks

17 weeks

18 Weeks

I'm still doing great with work, and getting everything done that I need to. I am happy to have a bit more energy lately. Everything is going great! We moved Payton into his new room and new bed so we can start getting the nursery ready. I am so excited to find a fun theme, and redecorate it for these two boys. Payton has been talking about the "2 baby brothers" all evening. We know he will love having two little brothers to play with!

Pictures of Payton

My very talented friend Heidi took some pictures of Payton. She did an incredible job! I am so happy to have these pictures! I can't wait to get some printed to put up on my walls.


This last one was really fun. We have him in his big brother shirt and asked him how many babies is mommy going to have. So he holds up 2 fingers. It was cute!
This little guy is getting so big! He is talking like CRAZY! It is so cute to hear him put sentences together now. The other day he came and stole something from my room while I was getting ready...I think it was my hairbrush. Then he ran as fast as he could to the family room where Devry was. All I hear is him yell. "Hurry, hurry, Mommy's gonna get me!!!" We were laughing so hard! He is such a little character.
I think some of our favorite moments are when he first wakes up, in the morning or from naps. He says the funniest things. When we hear him starting to stir, we just wait for him to start talking so we can laugh. Lots of mornings he asks for his cousins, or grandparents, or the dogs. Other mornings he yells things he wants (apple juice, socks, jacket, his monkey etc). Other mornings he just has little conversations with himself about who knows what. One afternoon we had to go wake him up from his nap to go help Devry's Brother Tim with something. We go in and ask him if he wants to go see uncle Tim. He Yells " NO WAY! Go away" I guess he wasn't ready to get up.
He makes us laugh all the time. He is so sweet and gives me hugs and kisses constantly throughout the day. He loves playing with his toys, especially his cars and farm set. He loves watching movies, especially Cars, toy Story and Curious George. Devry is always saying how much he changes when he is gone for 9 days to WY. It makes me so sad that Devry misses so much with him. Hopefully it won't last forever.

A Baby Story - or two

We are so THRILLED to announce that we are pregnant!!

So here is a little more of the story...



On August 12th, I FINALLY saw this...

And I cried. And cried. And took another test...because I didn't believe it. And cried some more when it was positive too. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning. I ran and danced around the house with Payton, and jumped up and down. Devry was in Rock Springs working, and we were going to see him the next day. So I used every ounce of will power I had, and I didn't tell him!

And on August 13, we got to rock springs. And Payton handed him a present. In it was the positive pregnancy test and this picture.....
And we danced around and cried some more!

Then on August 22...I started feeling sick. Very very sick. I threw up everything. I was nauseous all the time and could hardly stand to look at food. And even worse were the migraines. I started getting them 2-4 times a week. And I couldn't take a thing for them. I am sure it was partially from hormones, partially from stress, and partially from dehydration...but they were probably the worst thing. I was grateful for the sickness because it meant I was pregnant. But it was surprising because I was only slightly sick with Payton And never had a single migraine. Not like this. I went in for IV's, and took nausea medicine that didn't help much. But I was so grateful to be pregnant. And I was determined to keep it a secret and not complain (other then to Devry of course :) )On one visit for an IV The NP who I was seeing said, "Well if you weren't this sick with Payton, then maybe this time it's a girl!.....or twins." haha really funny!

Then....on September 23, I went in for my 10 week Ultrasound. The same NP was the one doing it. And we saw this...

and realized her joke about twins wasn't really a joke any more ....
I saw two babies right away. And I think I started hyperventilating. I said to the NP "ummm you need to tell me what I see, because I think I know what I see so you need to tell me right now!" And she says.. "well there are two babies." And went to get one of the Dr's to do a more thorough U/S. I looked at Devry, and he was as white as a Ghost. I asked him if he was ok, and he just says "was she joking?" Nope. no joke. 2 babies. Dr. Prince came in and showed us each baby, and how it each has its own sac and placenta. We saw two strong heartbeats and they measured only 1 day difference, which was right when I thought I was due.

We left the office in shock. Total and complete shock. I cried. I was overwhelmed. I was so unbelievably overwhelmed. How could I do this? I am a working mom with no husband most of the time, and its hard with 1 kid! Adding 2 more seemed impossible! How could I work with 2 babies and a toddler? How could we afford for me not to? When would I EVER get to sleep? Don't get me wrong. I was incredibly grateful to be pregnant, and to get 2 babies! Wow! But the excitement took a while to come. A few Weeks.

And then we both kept feeling like we are supposed to have these babies. That there is such a bigger picture then we have been able to see. There is a reason it took us so long to get pregnant. There is a reason for the age gap that I was so worried about. It all of a sudden became a huge blessing to know Payton will be almost 3 when I have them. Not 18 months to 2 years like we had hoped. I knew everything we have gone through to get these babies happened the way it did for a reason. And I could be so much more grateful for them because it took time and patience to get them. It became clearer and clearer that although it would be hard... we could do it. I could do it. And when I felt that incredible peace and comfort... I could begin to be excited! And then...around October 4, I felt them move! I thought I was crazy. But I kept feeling it. It was unmistakably fetal movement. Before 12 weeks! And then I read, and read, and read about twins. And I wasn't crazy. I could feel them sooner because there are two of them! And I remembered how incredible it is to feel a sweet baby growing inside of you. And I get to feel two of them! How exciting! What a blessing! Oh and about 12 weeks, I stopped throwing up everything I was eating. And each week the nausea got less and less. So Now I just have some "normal" nausea throughout the day, and I feel it getting better all the time. Hopefully soon It will be gone!

So on October 20th, I actually switched from the family practice office I was going to (which I was SOO hesitant to do, because I LOVE their office and my doctor....but I knew seeing an OB was probably the best thing with twins). So I chose one of the OB's I work with, and went in for my next appt. 14 weeks. And we saw this...

2 tiny little babies. Baby A is head down and lower, and baby B is sideways and on top. We saw them moving all over, and realized exactly why I felt them so much! And we saw where each baby was, and where the placenta's were, and where the 2 sacs meet. It was incredible. The u/s tech showed us so many things on these babies. She was so thorough, and SO kind. She made the comment that we would be seeing a lot of each other. They u/s twins a lot! First of all to check the heartbeats. Its really hard to doppler twins and identify whether you are getting two different heartbeats or the same one twice, especially when they are little so they just look and make sure! And second of all for their size. They want to make sure they are both growing well. This concern is less for me, since I have Dichorionic-Diamniotic twins ( or DiDi- two placentas, two sacs). So basically they each have their own nutrition system and won't steal from each other! So I will probably have an u/s almost every appointment. This is fun because I get to see them grow! I will have a photo album of U/S pictures before they even get here! Its also fun because we can double and triple check the genders once we know them!
So I saw my doctor and had TONS of questions! First of all...are they identical or fraternal?? I thought, ok DiDi, that means fraternal right? My Doctor said NO and explained they could still be monozygotic, or identical if it was one egg that split in the first 3 days. Interesting. He says the only real way to know is blood work, or if they Look identical. Or if they are a boy and a girl...then obviously they are fraternal. So we will see.
He was fantastic! He was so thorough, and answered all of my questions. And even better...he didn't treat me like a L&D nurse. I know that sounds weird...but Dr's sometimes have a tendancy to assume I know everything pregnancy related because of my job. It is frustrating, because sometimes they jump over information that I didn't know, or even more I have to explain 10 x more to Devry because he has no clue. So I LOVED that my Dr went through the same things he would with everyone else. And Devry could understand. We learned lots together. I was so happy with our decision to go to this Dr. I know we will be very well taken care of.

After my 14 week appointment, I felt comfortable enough to announce our exciting news. We had told our families (just parents and siblings) at 12 weeks. But I wanted to wait till my appointment before telling anyone else. So we found a really fun way to tell people! I saw this Halloween costume online last year, and remembered it. I thought it was perfect since I'd be 15 weeks by halloween. So I had it made! So fun to see people figure it out, then see if they were brave enough to ask if it was true.
At 15 weeks...I am feeling pretty good! Much less nausea, NO vomitting! Less exhausted, more energy! NO Migraines! I actually lost about 13 lbs when I was sick...and I gained back 3 of it in the past few weeks. I'm not showing at all yet, although I'm sure I will soon with 2 growing babies! I haven't had to bust out any maternity clothes yet, and I'm hopeful that MAYBE my height will be to my advantage and I won't get as massive as I fear. But I probably still will. Oh well. I have some of my appetite back...and actually enjoy eating again! I have been craving tomato soup and steak. Payton is kind of catching on to the concept. He says "2 babies in mommy's tummy." and kisses my tummy. He tells me he is going to be a "big brovver to TWOOOOO babies" (and holds up 2 fingers). Not sure if he really gets it, but it sure is cute! I have been spending hours and hours reading about twins. Everything from what I will need to get to how to nurse them, to how to parent them as teenagers. Yes I'm probably getting a little a head of myself. I am learning lots and enjoying knowing as much as I can before they get here!

We did make the decision that although we aren't sure HOW we will be able to do it financially.....I NEED to be home with these babies longer then a 12 week maternity leave (and 12 weeks would be the max...more then likely I will have to stop working earlier then that and only get 8-10 weeks after they are actually born). So I will return to work after my maternity leave is over...for a month (This month is required for insurance purposes). We are hoping this month will be in July when My mom is here to help. Then after the month, I will HOPEFULLY go PRN (which means I will work 3-4 shifts a month and can pick which ones they are). Then besides the few shifts a month, I will be home full time. I am excited for it. We know it is where I need to be. And we will figure it out financially.

So that is the story of our Twins. So far. We really are excited for them! We hopefully will get to get a sneak peak of their gender at my next appt (18 weeks...november 17th)..and if not I will have my "20 week u/s" 2 weeks later where they should be able to tell (if we have cooperative babies). So the 1st week in December. We can't wait to start planning for them. And deciding on a nursery theme, and names, and everything else!

Happy Halloween!!

I know it's not even Halloween, but here is my Halloween post! Unfortunately Devry has to be in Rock Springs working so we don't get to celebrate with him at all. We had our party and "trunk or treat" for our Ward tonight, and since that's really the only thing we are doing for Halloween I thought I'd post about it.

Payton wanted to be a puppy this year. He was so cute crawling around on the floor and barking!

When I told him we were going to get Candy, he was headed out the door! haha silly kid!

And here is my Halloween costume!

And Also my 15 week baby bump Picture!
Hope you all have a Great Halloween!!

October.

Now that it is October, I feel like I have a bit more time and can breathe. This week was my first week in a Regular Part Time position at work. That means I am now scheduled only 2 nights a week instead of 3. 1 less night may not seem like a big deal, but let me tell you..it is! I only have to work 8 nights a month. I have several breaks between shifts that are 4-8 days long. A small amount of stress was lifted at the start of this month. Knowing I now only have to leave Payton 2 nights a week and only have a couple days a week with little or no sleep is so much more manageable with Devry gone.

I found a wonderful babysitter to come stay at my house when I work. She is the best! Payton adores here, and gets so excited when she comes. She is so helpful and helps me keep my house clean, jumps in to help with everything, and entertains payton so well! Payton is doing really well adjusting to everything. It helps so much that she comes to my house and follows his routine exactly.

I am SO grateful to have such an amazing hard working husband. He is works his butt off 5 hours away, because it was the only way for me to cut back. We both knew cutting back was much needed for me, and especially for Payton. It is the hardest thing ever to have Devry gone, but we both know it is the right thing for us right now.

Devry is home right now for his 5 day break. It is SO nice to have him here. We are enjoying our time together so much! Hopefully this doesn't have to last too long though.

Migraines

Fair warning. If you don't want to be invited to my pity party, then don't read this post. I will start out by saying that I am completely aware that MILLIONS of people have it a MILLION times harder then I do. I am trying so hard to look at all the positive things in my life, and really focus on my blessings....but it is really hard to do right now.
Besides Devry being gone over 2/3 of every month, which sucks I might add, and besides having to play single working mom with very little sleep, I have been struggling with TONS of HORRIBLE migraines. Not just once or twice a month, like they were 6 months ago, but 2-3 times a week or more! It is absolutely miserable. When I get them, I can't see, I can't think clearly, I can't stop throwing up, I can't drive, My whole left side goes numb, I feel like there is a bomb going off over and over again inside of my head, and light makes me what to stab my eyeballs out. Yes. gross I know. I can't function. My poor child is placed in front of the TV, and I BEG him to leave me alone. I lay on the couch with a cool pack on my head and neck, with a pillow over my head to try to block out all light and sound. And I hope that when I am coherent again, Payton will still be sitting there like a zombie, glued to that hypnotizing box. Oh my poor child. I hope he survives me.
So I have been trying everything I can think of. Identifying triggers, taking preventative things, taking the meds I can when I get one, avoiding anything that I even think could be a trigger, trying homeopathic remedies. It is frustrating to read about them though. Most resources will say that the best way to prevent them is to get enough sleep and eliminate stress. HA. Right. So I have ANOTHER Dr's appointment for them, and a chiropractor appointment. I am trying everything I can think of. I have been getting them at work, after work, when I'm not working. I don't even see a rhyme or reason anymore. I luckily haven't had to call in sick very often for them...mostly because I take something and go try to make it through the night. I feel extremely guilty calling in sick to work, so I really have to be in bad shape before I will let one keep me home. Luckily (like tonight) I can request call, and hope that I get to stay home, and not get called in. So here is my whine fest. Like I said, I am really trying to be positive....but it is very hard when my head feels like it is going to explode a huge portion of the time. I am VERY open to ANY suggestions anyone has!

Payton's 2nd Birthday!

Well, although my posts are coming very late, I still want to make sure I post them!

On July 27th, Payton turned 2 years old. Unfortunately I had to work that day, so we didn't do a whole lot. We waited until the following Saturday to have his birthday Party. Family and friends came over and celebrated with us. We had a gorgeous day and enjoyed lots of fun and yummy food.

The kids all played in the pool and with the sprinklers. They loved it!

We blew bubbles!

Then had some fun in the hammock.

We had a yummy barbeque, then sang Payton happy birthday. He had a Cars cake this year. I had fun making and decorating it, and Payton loved it!

Then Payton opened his presents with the help of his cousins and friends! He was so spoiled and got so many wonderful gifts!

We had a ton of fun celebrating Payton's 2nd Birthday. I am still in shock that he is 2 already! He is getting so big and independent. He is talking a ton now, and has such a funny imagination. I am amazed at all he is learning, and how quickly he picks things up. We love this little guy so much and are so grateful to have him!

July 2011 Nova Scotia Trip - Part 2

We spent the second week of our trip With my mom and Trent. It was also so much fun! We are so lucky to have so many wonderful family members to visit!

We LOVE spending time at my mom’s gorgeous ocean front house. We also love how much she spoils us with her amazing cooking, and does everything she can to make our visits perfect!

I think my mom adores Payton more then anyone I know! She spends every second she has with him, reading, playing, and teaching him. I wish she was closer. Payton absolutely LOVES “nanny” and made sure she was always with him.

We went and picked Raspberries one of the first days we were there. Payton ate as many as we picked. He had fun running up and down the rows, eating as many as he could grab.

My mom put up a swing for Payton to play in. He loved it, and always wanted someone to push him.

We walked down to the shore, and played on the rocks. The water by their house is way to strong and dangerous to swim in, but Payton made sure to get wet in all the puddles.

Of course we spent TONS of time with Jasmine. I miss this girl tons! She is the best Aunt ever, and Payton loved playing with “Jazzy.”

One of the reason’s we decided to go when we did was so I could be at my friend Nadine’s wedding. We have been friends for as long as I can remember. I think since we lived next door to each other when we were 1. It was so great to be able to be at her absolutely beautiful wedding. She was breathtaking! We loved being able to attend!

The day before we flew home, My mom planned an early birthday Party for Payton. She made a some delicious sides and a cake, and we had a cookout on the shore by my Grandparents cottage.

It was fun to spend some time on the shore I have so many memories of. We had tons of cookouts there, so it was fun to have one with Payton

Payton loved blowing out the Candles on his cake. The cutest thing is that my mom taught him to say “I’m two” and hold up two fingers, one one each hand.
We loved visiting my grandparents! They are so wonderful, and I miss them so much. We were able to stop and see them a few times. My nanny spoiled Payton rotten with toys, books and puzzles.

Everyone was so kind and gave Payton some wonderful birthday presents. He had a blast opening them, and we brought them all back to Idaho. He loves playing with all the toys he got!

We got a few pictures of family. My aunt Gail and Uncle John were visiting, and they FINALLY got to meet Payton. We enjoyed spending time with them, and hope it isn’t another 3 years before seeing them again!

The last evening we were there, my uncle took us mackerel fishing. Devry finally has a Nova scotia fishing story. He caught 4 all at the same time. Talented guy! It was amazing to see how many fish people were catching at high tide.

We had such an incredible trip! It was so great to see family, enjoy Nova Scotia, and have a break. We wish we could go more! With Devry’s new job, our trips home may get even more difficult, but we hope to continue to go at least once a year.