dreaming of these sorts of days

I know that it will take a while, make that a long while, to get to this point... but I can't help but imagine how wonderful it will be...

via Anthropologie

Obviously there will be two little girls in our picture and likely less clunky shoes!

Andrew and I are just so excited to meet them.  I mean we want them to stay in there for as long as possible but we both find ourselves so eager to see their beautiful faces and to hold them in our arms.

twin bump .... at 28 weeks

This week I enter the 28 week mark.  It feels so good to be at the 28 week milestone.  Every day that goes by at this point seems like an accomplishment and I am determined to make it for as long as I can... or more specifically 36+ weeks would be excellent.

I am not sure how much I am up but I can pretty much guarantee that I have exceeded the forty pound mark.  In the last few ultrasounds the presenting baby (first one out if you are curious) has been head down and the other baby has been breech.  If they want to stay this way it is fine with me as the first one out needs to be head down to do this sans c-section which is very very very important to me.

I am feeling decent at this point.  Do I feel like I am lugging around 1000 pounds every time I move?  Yes, pretty much.  My tummy is just so big and the girls are constantly pushing out on it which looks completely bizarre and feels quite strange.

The nursery has been at a bit of a standstill since the focus has turned outside to our backyard reno (which is looking fabulous and nearing completion!!).  I am feeling a bit anxious about getting the nursery done so hopefully we can make some progress this week.  Okay I say we, but I pretty much mean everyone but me can make some process and I will supervise from the comfort of the nursery glider.

It is great to be twenty eight weeks pregnant!

This poor t-shirt... sans pregnancy actually covers my butt!  I don't think it will ever be the same!

The funny thing about this picture... it is a lie.... I had to bend over A LOT in order to be able to see those toes!!!

Happy Monday!

Just in case you missed it... here is the twin bump at 14 weeks, 16 weeks, 18 weeks, 22 weeks and 24 weeks!

it's almost patio time

The landscapers certainly impressed this pregnant lady yesterday.  They were here for a good thirteen hours and the results are fantastic!  Our backyard suddenly looks huge and a far cry from its shabby former self.  I will share some pictures soon as soon as the rain decides to subside.

Meanwhile I of course have been contemplating gardens... which require lots of plants, lounge chairs (the search continues for a lounge chair that is both stylish and comfortable) and accessories.

On the bump front things are looking up.  Another ultrasound today showed that my cervix has gained back some ground.  I am not sure how this happened but I am determined to keep it up by being generally very inactive.  I feel like I weigh 1000 pounds at this point, so being inactive isn't actually very difficult.  It is so nice to go into the weekend with some positive pregnancy news instead of the fear of last week.

Have a fabulous weekend (especially those of you on the other side of the border who have a long weekend)!

Refreshing Lemonade Urn via Anthropologie

get excited

How do you make a pregnant lady very happy?

You landscape her backyard.

Tomorrow is the big day!

I am excited!

I am visualizing myself right now.... laying on a lounger.... no longer surrounded by dandelions... in our very own backyard oasis.  I feel calmer just thinking about it.

So please excuse my lack of a longer post... but I feel like a child the night before a big trip... okay who am I kidding... I am usually that child... only in adult form.  

Lolita's Beach Blanket by jenaardell via etsy

tickled pink

Today I received a wonderful surprise in the form of a hand written note and a lovely print.  We ordered a few special prints a few weeks back for the nursery and one such print was made by Nathan from Black Cottage Handmade.  I loved the strong punch of colour and the too-cute owl and knew that it would look wonderful in the twins room.

Well apparently Nathan's Wife stumbled upon my blog and saw the post of the Owl print that I ordered.  She stuck around long enough to learn that we are expecting twins.  With this discovery Nathan thought it only fitting that we have two owl prints, one for each twin.  So this print greeted me in the mail this morning.

Magenta Spotted Owl by BlackCottageHandmade

It's lovely and will look great in their room!

This gesture put a big smile on my face and made me feel like there really are great people out there in this world.  I was also clearly thrilled that you serendipitously stumbled on my blog in the first place! So thank you Nathan & Mrs. Nathan for surprising me.

You truly made my day!

friday excitement... triage style

Today I went for a massage, got nice and relaxed ... then went to lunch with my parents and had an amazing grilled cheese sandwich... it was amazing, I'm not being sarcastic.... and then we were off to my ultrasound appointment (cue two very excited Grandparents-to-be).

The girls are looking great.  One is measuring 2 pounds on the dot and her sister is measuring 1 pound 15 ounces, so they are right on track and very similar in size which is always good to hear.

Then came the all too regular cervix check.  I always find it nice how the ultrasound tech almost apologizes for having to check my cervix.  You see, once you do a round of IVF, the whole internal ultrasound exercise becomes so routine and so not scary.  So the excitement is that my cervix is down... down by a cm... which when you had a 2.4 cm cervix and lose a cm... means you are now in somewhat murky waters.

Surprisingly I did not panic at all.  I had a few minutes of thinking about how they would likely force me to full bedrest or even worse hospital bed rest and how the room isn't finished, it would suck to not be able to get out and about and how I would really miss Andrew and the cats if I had to move into the hospital.  After those thoughts made themselves known I was calm.  The high risk doctor on call had already called my OB when she came to talk to me and the consensus was that I was to head to triage.  At this point I called Andrew and he headed over.  They hooked me up to the fetal monitors to see if I was having contractions.  Everyone kept asking me if I'd been having them and my answer was always I don't think so, I would know wouldn't I?  They also did an exam to see if I was dilated which was no big deal at all.  The verdict... no contractions, happy babies, only very slightly dilated.  To be safe though they gave me the first shot of steroids to help mature their lungs in case they decide to come early (dear twins... please please don't come early... the backyard isn't ready for you yet!).  I have to go back tomorrow for the second shot and then can apparently carry on with my life on the couch with bouts of life off of the couch as well.  Yes... no bedrest!  My OB doesn't really believe in full bedrest and neither did the OB who assessed me in triage.

So I am not freaking out.  I am convinced that my cervix is just doing its thing and won't make our babies come early.  They are super active and growing nicely so I am just going to put my feet up, have a nice cold drink and relax.

Happy Long (if you live in Canada) Weekend!

Keep Calm and Carry On by UrbanArtPrints via etsy.... yes I know this print is wildly overused but it just seems fitting for today.

dance party

in my tummy.

I don't know what has gotten into these babies but they are bouncing around in there non stop.  Maybe a disco ball showed up in there, maybe they got a hold of an ipod.... I don't know what inspired all of this movement but I am loving it!  Well I am loving it 99% of the time, the time that their party wakes me up in the night and somehow ends up under my ribs isn't my favourite.

Keep it up ladies... one day we will all dance together when you no longer call my tummy your home.

Dancer by janeheller via etsy

windows... nursery style

Today I am officially 26 weeks pregnant.... which is great!!  It is also starting to put me into a minor panic about the state of the nursery.... specifically the fact that we got off to a great start but it has recently been at a stand still.  Well today the glider arrived and it is even more fabulous in person in the twin's room than it was in store!  So naturally I am now wanting everything else complete (did I mention that we have a backyard reno going on as well and that I am more or less useless when it comes to doing anything other than lying on the couch now... the joys of being on restricted activity!).  So I need to exercise a tad bit of patience as Andrew is only one man and our to-do list is growing by the day.

I have decided to focus on the aspects that I can do from this couch... such as order the final fabric for the crib skirts and decide on the window treatments for our twin girls' room.

Right now we have two simple ikea panels hanging from a silver rod and some wood horizontal blinds.  In my opinion, both need to go.  We have decided to go with a simple white roller blackout shade to replace the wood blinds as I hear blackout is the way to go to keep the light out and the babies sleeping as much as possible.  As for the panels.... I've found a couple of options but am open to suggestions.

Right now we have two white cribs, a white leather recliner and a dresser soon to be painted (still deciding on the colour though).  I was thinking white for the panels but am now thinking that might just be too much white...

here is what I am liking so far...

Ruffle Rings Drape from Pottery Barn Teen... Yes I know these are white but I am loving the texture and how they would pick up off of the polkadot fabric for the bed skirts.

Audrey Chenille Dot Panels by Pottery Barn Kids.  I know pink works with our wall colour but I'm not sure about the pale pink at this point.

Polka Dot Sheers by Pottery Barn Kids.... not sure about the sheers... I might like them... I might hate them.

To give you some context, here is the fabric for the crib skirts...

Crib Skirt Fabric by Amy Butler

And here is the wall colour...

Wall Colour is Teresa's Green, via Lonny

and if you are still curious... here is my original post with the glider and cribs!

So please help a pregnant & indecisive woman out (that would be me) and let me know what you think about these window options or if you have a better idea!

thirty seven pounds

Well according to my latest weigh in, I am up a lovely thirty seven pounds.  I almost laughed when my OB asked me how exactly I have gained 37 pounds as my legs, arms, face, butt remain unchanged.  He even thought for a quick second that I was wearing regular skinny jeans!

I have managed to get out of the oh my god whose body is this phase and into the big healthy babies here we come phase.  I have realized that gaining weight like this is good in this situation.  I am determined that I will shed all of this weight post-partum and if for some reason my body decides to leave me with extra skin I will have a tummy tuck in a year.  You might think I am joking... but I am dead serious.  So all in all I am happy with this tummy and excited at what is going on inside of it.

by LisaRussoPhotography via etsy

So apparently an extra 37 pounds looks good on me.  Tell that to my back!  Carrying around this tummy is no easy feat.

Happy Tuesday!

can you keep a secret?

Because we can't.

We really had the best intentions to keep our twin girls names to ourselves until they were born.  Unfortunately it was just too tempting to reveal the names on Mother's Day to our Moms so the secret is out.

I have to admit, picking these names was surprisingly easy....  

I remember dreaming up names when I was younger for my future daughter.  My sources of inspiration were quite funny and the one that sticks out in my mind was inspired by none other than Beetlejuice!!  I don't think men generally dream about their future daughter's names when they are young... but I could be wrong.   When it came to naming our daughters there was no real back and forth between Andrew and I, we both loved them quite easily... so I believe that they are meant to be.

So in hopefully another 10 weeks we will get to officially name these two baby girls as they enter this world!

Alice & Isla... we can't wait to meet you!

growth spurt and some backyard progress

Dear twins in my belly, you must be in some sort of race to see who can get bigger faster.  That is the only explanation that I can come up with for why I am hungry, hungry, hungry all day and all night long.  The last time that I had a peak at you two, you had plenty of amniotic fluid to go around.  Mommy's tummy is quite large right now so feel free to stretch out in the space that you have in there but keep in mind that the tighter my tummy gets, the harder it is to keep up with all of this hunger.  I definitely appreciate the fact that you now allow me to gravitate towards healthier options than I was able to earlier on in this pregnancy (bye bye chicken mcnugget cravings, hello lots and lots of fruit and yogurt).  I will do my best to keep up with your growth demands but if you could do me one big favour..... please stop waking me up at 4:00 am starving.  Let's save the all night feedings for when you two are newborns please!

xoxo mommy

Create Love Grow by feedyoursoul via etsy

Besides eating I have been busy watching the men in my life work away at this backyard...   here is a peak at the progress...

Happy Weekend!

feeling a little like pretty woman

My favourite part of Pretty Woman is when she goes shopping... and actually gets served of course.  Her earlier venture out to shop whilst looking like a whore was very unsuccessful and quite sad.  Her later success is redeeming and just fun to watch... who can resist a brown polkadot dress!

Well over the course of the past week I have tried to shop twice and both times I left feeling a little bit too much like Julia Roberts in shopping... take one.  At the first store she looked at me, told me that I must be due very soon, wondered why I was still looking for maternity clothes and then told me that they have nothing that will fit my small frame + giant belly.  I thought that she must be crazy, I mean I was in a maternity store... but alas... she was right, everything was way too short for this belly.  At the second store I got somewhat of a pitiful look after I explained the twins situation and then was told once again that their clothes likely would not fit me.

via

To make matters worse on two separate occasions this past weekend I was told again that I must be just about ready to pop.  No no I say.... I am due in August.  So part of me is wanting to find a top that says something along the lines of screw off, I am due in August and having twins.  The civilized part of me realizes that people are not mind readers and I cannot take their assumptions personally.

So I am down to a few pieces that fit and will fit for the rest of this pregnancy and I am on the hunt for more.

Am I a tad discouraged... yes.  Will I find some other options and recreate Julia Roberts shopping take 2... I am determined!

via

backyard... as it is today... oasis... here we come

Spring is alive and thriving outside.... finally.  It is a little late this year but the sun is now shining and the blooms are finally starting to show themselves.... which for us.... means that the dandelions are in full growth mode.  This weather is making me even more eager to get this backyard reno started and finished.  I want to sit outside, on our future deck, sipping a non-alcoholic pina coloda in a weed free zone... is that too much to ask for!  

Andrew bought most of the lumber for the deck yesterday... now all he needs to do is start digging!  Yes this is easy for me to say... I will be supervising from the comfort of the couch.

The landscapers are coming Thursday night to finalize the plans and then hopefully they will be back here next week to do the actual work.  

So here is a taste of our backyard in its current state..... and yes.... we are in the throws on suburbia....

That cedar is no longer with us.... and a rain barrel will be making its way to behind that fence

Our lovely (and by lovely I mean hideous) patio stones... 

The grass needs to go!  I will be honest... it is more like weeds with a hint of grass

Oh the joys of living in the suburbs.... at least no one can peer through their window into our yard.

The future deck will take up some of this space.... I cannot wait!

We had big garden and re-sodding plans as well but some of those plans (the new sod) will have to wait until next year as we are under an official water ban in our region from now until August..... When I first heard this I thought that it would never be pushed through.... well I stand corrected... and somewhat stunned.  Can they seriously forbid us from using water that we pay for outside until August.... apparently they can!

Water or not... we will have an oasis, we might just need to be a little more creative than we had planned!

time to take the plunge

Okay my perfectionist ways have definitely hindered my knitting attempts thus far.  Now that I have finally wrapped my pregnant mind around a couple basic stitches it is time to take the plunge and tackle an actual pattern.... I am thinking a blanket.  Yesterday my knitting friend came by and brought with her a great book, which has helped make this whole knitting adventure worth continuing.  Right now I have what could be a scarf or a dish towel depending on whether I abandon it or continue on.  I think I can do better.   It's pattern time!

Today I had yet another ultrasound, one of the perks or pains of having identical twins... depending on your view of ultrasounds.  The twins were both head down today (if only they could stay that way!!!) and they were so low and so close that the ultrasound tech took multiple attempts to get accurate head measurements of each of them. They have been busy... busy growing that is.  One twin is 1 pound, 5 ounces and the second is 1 pound, 9 ounces.  Apparently the 1 pound 9 ouncer is a bit big but nothing to be concerned about.  I am a bit stumped as to how I.... who normally has to drink milkshakes laced with corn syrup to put on a pound.... am able to grow babies that are bigger than the singleton benchmark for this week!  Don't get me wrong... I am happy about this.... just a little surprised that's all!  I go back in another two weeks and the good news is that my cervix has stayed put and I just have to continue on being extremely lazy (living on the couch mostly) as I have been doing.

I am really hoping to be able to relocate from the couch to our future lounge chairs on our future deck in a few weeks.  We have the landscaping plans all confirmed and our backyard transformation should begin very shortly!  I am excited!!

I plan on continuing my knitting outdoors at that point.... and I will be well into a pattern by then!

Happy weekend!

by OopsIKnitItAgain via etsy

the power of suggestion... to a pregnant lady

We were just eating pizza, yes pizza, not exactly healthy I know when a Dairy Queen ad.... for milkshakes (my pregnancy weakness) appeared on the tv... naturally I immediately needed a milkshake.  Andrew of course just started laughing saying... let me guess... you need a milkshake now?  My response was something along the lines of of course.... So he is gone now, to DQ, to get his pregnant wife a pineapple milkshake.

I. love. this. man.

via

Yum!

chandelier.... baby style

I have always loved the look of chandelier in a nursery.  I have been searching for a couple of months now for chandelier ideas for our twin nursery.  Part of me was really hoping to stumble on a gem on kijiji or usedottawa that could be spray painted and given a new look.  Well I looked for a while online and the options were less than ideal... picture lots and lots of heavy looking brass fixtures.  While looking for new chandeliers online I found some nice options but I didn't love any of them and most of them were nearing the $150 mark, which is just too much for a nursery in my opinion.

Blogs of course had many gorgeous ideas... it was just a challenge to find a real life equivalent... on budget.

This one is my hands-down favourite.  This was featured on Ohdeedoh and was created by Nathalie (you can check out her blog here).   She purchased the chandelier at Pottery Barn (it is no longer available) and added her own beads to brighten it up.  I LOVE it! 

This chandelier that they put in their daughter's nursery over at Young House Love has also been a favourite
of mine.   It is fun and pretty!

I am pretty sure that this light fixture is from Ikea and is still available.  We went and looked at it but it hangs from a chain so it would hang too low for our room.  It looks great in Wren's room though!

And now for our twin nursery......

This is the light fixture that came with the house.... isn't it lovely!!!  (Please ignore the mess of fabric hanging from the cribs!)

and here is our new light fixture!!!

We found it at Rona for $34!!!  Never thought we would find a light fixture that we liked for that price!  I really think that once the room is complete, this fixture will be perfect!  It is short enough that we won't hit it and just adds a bit of whimsy to the space!

We are both very happy with this find.  Next to-do in the nursery.... paint the dresser.... which currently looks like this!

Happy Wednesday!

ottomans, a chandelier and a mirror... oh my.... or how Andrew spent the weekend

Until recently (recently being this weekend) our main living area housed a large coffee table.  This table was so large that it dominated the room, monopolized the area rug and left little room for anything else.  Aside from this it also looked lethal when thinking about having babies anywhere near it.  We knew we wanted a big ottoman.  I knew I wanted a big print with some great colour.  We also aren't naive enough to think that that this ottoman would survive baby hands so we wanted something very affordable... or just plain cheap.

Ideally, we were looking for a big square ottoman.  I found a workable option at Loblaws a couple of months ago.  Workable in the sense that it was far from perfect.... it was faux leather so that would have to go obviously.  We were thinking we could get it reupholstered.  It probably could have worked but it was less than ideal and who know how much fabric + labour would have cost us.

I found a potential option online at westelm but it was nearing the $400 mark and that is a bit hefty for something that might not survive twin babies and the print was less than vibrant.

Last week I ventured out to Home Sense in one of my I need to get out of the house and off of this couch for an hour moments of desperation.  There I spotted an ottoman option.  I found some square ottomans but they were smaller than I was hoping for.  The print was fabulous and the price was a steal at $70.  I left frustrated thinking that if it was bigger, it would be coming home.

Well after more online searching and no success I brought Andrew back to Home Sense on Saturday to see if by some miracle a larger version had turned up.  We left with two of the printed ottomans that I'd seen on Thursday.  I was still not 100% convinced but I thought there would be no harm in trying them out.  By the time we got home I was in love with the print and convinced that these would just have to work.  Well we failed to factor in one key point about our living area couch.... it is short.  So short in fact that when we went to try these babies out me knees were hyperextending to a dangerous new level... the ottomans were too tall... way too tall.

We were going to have to return them... and start the search all over again.

That was until Andrew decided that he could take them apart, saw them down and make them look like new, only shorter.

Andrew... tackling the first ottoman.  Step 1 remove 1 million staples, Step 2 pull back fabric and batting, Step 3 drink beer.

A closer look...

This is how high the ottomans were when we brought them home.... way too high for this couch!

and after..... I love them!

Next up... find some perfect trays!

farewell huge coffee table, hello comfort and colour!

So we can now check that off of our list of things to buy... or well modify.  I love how they turned out and how much more space we now have to work with.

We made a few more home purchases on Saturday... a chandelier and a mirror, both for the nursery.  Andrew had the chandelier up on Saturday night but I will be saving the details of both for another post.

Happy Tuesday!

twin bump .... at 24 weeks

This week marks the twenty fourth week that these babies have been growing inside of me.  Part of me feels like I am wishing away this time... like every week I am wishing for the next to be here... but I think this is just because I want the weeks to keep coming, I want these babies to stay in here and to keep growing and to keep on kicking me.

This past week the babies gave us a glimpse into their personalities.... they like to show off.... specifically for Daddy.  You see, they kick me often, but when the kicks are just for me they come in slow patterns.  As soon as Daddy shows up and lets them know he is there (by talking to them, putting his hands or face on my belly or hugging me) they start a sort of kicking dance.  They kick and kick and kick and kick and we love it!

As for the belly, well it's still growing.  I don't weigh myself and my next OB appointment isn't for a couple more weeks so I will have a weight update then.  I don't feel as stretched as I have been feeling but I know better than to think this will last.  I will likely feel huge again quite soon.

Overall I am feeling pretty good.  The knitting and reading has been keeping me busy.  Would I feel better if I was able to do more, be more active and get off of this couch?  Yes... but if this is what will keep them happy inside of me I will take it.

And now for the bump.... brace yourself... it resembles more of a mountain at this point!

Happy Monday!

Just in case you missed it... here is the twin bump at 14 weeks, 16 weeks, 18 weeks and 22 weeks!