And the Winners Are...

So in all of my "boring" free time, I've been shopping online and orchestrating the details for noodles' arrival (and all of this from a mostly horizontal position). Since we all seem to want to compare notes, product finds, etc, I thought I'd post my choices so far. No advertising intended here...just the results of my research and choices that suit our needs and lifestyle.

First of all, I ordered some clothes from a fellow blogger with triplet boys. The clothes are adorable and in excellent condition. If you're having a boy and want to pick up some items (what's left after I tore through her blog) then I highly recommend checking out Team Darnell's adorable stuff on her blogsite here.

Diapers: I'm put-off by the fact that disposables take 500 years to biodegrade so I've been looking for an eco-friendly but practical (realistic?) alternative. As it turns out, after all of my research, I discovered an excellent choice from a company based in my own hometown. Check out their website. They offer a flushable, compostable, biodegradable (in 56 days!) diaper liner that is inserted into their little pants that you throw in the washing machine. It's like a hybrid of disposable and cloth! Now, I haven't used them yet of course, but I sure like the concept and intend to give it my best efforts. And although they are available in my local stores too, you can get excellent prices and free shipping on them and other baby supplies from this website.

Stroller: I mentioned this item before and that there was a waiting list, but it just arrived and I must say, it IS the cat's meow. This is the real deal for people with twins and is also designed to be used as a single. It accommodates 2 car seats at the same time and is tandem instead of side by side. It's got the all-terrain wheels for active types and turns on a dime. And it has over 16 different configurations for seats, car seats, and even bassinets. Not to mention I think it folds more easily and weighs less than anything I looked at. Watch the video here and the video product review here.

Car Seats: I researched this one for quite some time. I read the reviews, checked out consumer reports and really narrowed it down to 3 brands that I felt were all about equal (and all 3 were compatible with said stroller above.) In the end, I think price won out and I picked the Chic.co Key.Fit.30 in Miro. I found it on sale at this place, which also has just about everything else cheaper and offers free shipping.

Organic & Natural: If you're into this (and I am even though I drive a gas-hogging SUV, with a carbon off-set of course) then you will like this store. They sell the diapers I mentioned, BPA-free bottles, organic and bamboo clothing and blankets, non-toxic and educational toys, etc.

Nursery: We decided on a Beatrix.Potter/Peter.Rabbit theme. We liked the tradition and the way it ties animals and the garden all together. (Remember the garden ???) We went with pale green and brown colors and we painted (ok Mr. W painted while I watched from a chair) their room in Devine Crunch. If you don't live on the West Coast, you probably can't find Devine paint. However, if you can find it, it's simply the best paint I've ever used. It's low/no VOC and the finish is designed to reflect natural light found in the Pacific NW. This is the fourth home I've used this paint in, and it's just awesome. Here is the website.

I hope you enjoy poking around these websites and find things that will work for you too. And by all means, share with the rest of us what you've discovered.

Officially Boring

Dr. J said so himself yesterday at my 28 weeks (+2 days) appointment. So boring in fact, that they didn't even want to look at my cervix. (Mr. W said as we left that we should buy a lottery ticket!)


So all I have for you is stats on the noodles:

Baby A: Still transverse right on top of my pelvis coming in at 2lbs 3 oz.
Baby B: Transverse the opposite direction well above baby A and at 2lbs 8 oz.
Fluid levels: Both normal
Heartbeats: 140 and 150
Organs, cords, and boy parts all accounted for. Bladders and tummies both full.
My weight gain: 30 lbs
My blood pressure: 122/76 (amazing)
Blood work & urine: also boring (the nurse's term)
Other stuff: still vomiting, crazy constipation, some hand swelling, pelvic pain, short of breath, and a week-long headache. Still popping zo.fran, phen.ergen, folic acid, and calcium. Can't get the pre-natals to stay down so I skip them.

Dr. J is going on vacation for spring break and Dr. M's wife is having a baby this week, so I was instructed to go home and stay boring for the next two weeks. I can handle that.

Magic Number

It's here. 28 weeks. We're here. Big sigh of relief...though not ideal by any means, but still.

So where have I been?

Well, four weeks ago Dr. M told me literally to go hide in a cave for 4 weeks. He said the next four weeks were crucial (something I know many of us have been told). He didn't want me doing anything. And Mr. W was adamant about me staying "down". (In fact Mr. W has ordered me "down" for 2 more weeks, just to be sure.)

And what have I done?

Well, I've only left the house for doctors appointments (with Mr. W), and an outing each Sunday accompanied by Mr. W which has amounted to me riding in the car while he runs errands or picks up gelato. :) I've been reading. I'm learning how to use a sewing machine. And, I've taken the opportunity to stock the nursery with the convenience of the internet. Mr. W painted it one day while I watched from a chair. After several bouts of discontinued and back-ordered items, it's ready.

It seems my super stroller is going to ship two months early after all, the car seats are on their way, and after months of research on diapers, I finally picked a brand and ordered up a month's supply which has arrived also. (More on this stuff later.) I also had an in-home haircut and color. I decided the hair dryer and I just don't have time for each other anymore, so I took the plunge and had my 9" pony tail cut off. I am donating it to one of the charities that makes wigs for cancer patients. (Once Mr. W gives the ponytail back to me.)

Fettuccine and Linguine are kicking harder these days (which I am often entertained by) and extreme bouts of nausea have returned. Vomiting with 5lbs of babies inside is a lot more work than before. I am out of breath a lot but still find lots of relief in the swimming pool - on the days I can get my fat ass and belly in and out of it. One trip on the stairs in the house is about all I can do. (I've fudged and done 2 a couple of days.) And I haven't been down the other flight of stairs in months. Mr. W commented the other day there were 2 rooms in the house he hasn't been in for 6 months. I said I haven't seen the whole third floor since October.

Aside from all of this, things are good. I passed my glucose test. My blood pressure has stayed down, and my cervix actually grew to 5.2 cm at my 25 week appointment. The doctors say this is a bit of an anomaly and I have one of the longest cervixes they've ever seen. No wonder my embryo transfers sucked so bad. They even joked that they would be inducing me at 47 weeks. I said, "NOT."

During the 4 weeks of cavedom, I've celebrated a blogiversary (1 year). BWUB, Meinsideout, and Can You Imagine have all had their babies - amazing blogs I have followed since the very beginning! My dear childhood friend has a healthy little embryo growing. MeKate has one too! (BIG shout out to her!) EB has 2 healthy lemons and has passed 12 weeks! And my almost neighbor and FB friend IFO has passed the 25 week mark and is almost home free.

Did I ever think a year ago I'd be celebrating all of this? Truth be told - no. And I still have to pinch myself daily. But I have an ever-expanding belly and some kicking noodles to prove it.

Silly Nurse & The Weenie Whacker

Where have I been? I'll save that for another post. For today, I thought a Monday funny was in order. You know, just to kick your week off with a giggle.

At my last appointment, nurse of the day was running through a checklist of things to see if I had completed them. Sadly, I hadn't done most of them, but I am doing the most important job of all, which is incubating the noodles. Did you read the book we gave you? No. Fill out the pre-registration sheet and mail it in? No. Sign up for classes? No. Choose the babys' doctor? Ok, I did that one. Circumcisions? I paused.

Flashback to several months ago, shortly after we found out noodles were boys. One night out of the blue, SuperDoc reared his head. "Well".....he proclaimed...."I guess I'll be the one doing their circumcisions. I've seen most of the handy work in this town, and frankly, most of it sucks." I don't know much about these things, but apparently appearances are an issue and SuperDoc is often asked to re-do the circumcisions that others have done. They're either too long, too short, lop-sided, or have ridiculous scars. "Ok," I say. (Like I'm going to argue with that one??)

So nurse of the day is waiting for my answer on this one. Calmly, I say my husband will be doing them. And I wait for the rebuttal. Will she take up ethics issues? Office policies? Blah blah blah?
She pauses, then giggles. "I'm going to write 'Dad Doing' in the chart." She says. "That oughtta be good for a few laughs and questions around here!"

I like her.