Another Set of Christmas Gifts for Her

Another Friday has come and I couldn't be more excited.  That means I can relax, kick my feet up (which I desperately need to do) and be lazy all weekend.  Ok not so much lazy, but not sitting in a desk with shoes on that are swelling my feet by the second.

Since I am so scattered brained today, we are going to kill two birds with one stone on this lovely Oh Hey Friday link up.  My in-laws and extended family want to know what this pregnant gal wants for Christmas this year.  This is hard as I have said before because clothes are really out of the question because I can't wear all the cute stuff I want to buy until after I have these babies and who knows what my body will look like then.  So I sit here, surf the net and try to figure out some options that don't cost what I gave my husband as ideas.

One.  Gift Cards.  Once I am able to fit in normal-ish clothes, I will want to go shopping again.  I want to be able wear jeans that don't have that lovely stretchy fabric that covers your belly.  I am talking my low rise, Big Star jeans that I covet so much.  Plus shoes that don't make my feet swell.  And cute tops that flatter my new figure.  Oh how I miss my pre-pregnancy wardrobe.  So gift cards are awesome.  J Crew, Zara, Buckle, Nordstrom, Anthropologie, Sephora, etc.

Two.  Leather clutch handbag.  Similar to the GiGi New York All in One Bag. 

Three.  Infinity or Blanket Scarf.  Similar to these.

 Reuben Infinity Scarf from Jacobs Scarves

Aberdeen Scarf from Jacobs Scarves

Four. Weekend Bag.  I really need a weekend bag (especially for our delivery coming up) as mine were stolen a few years ago when our house was broken into.  I never replaced mine and now seems like the perfect time.  Here are a few I really like.

Girl Meets Voyage Weekend Bag

Herschel Supply Co. Ravine Weekend Bag

Five.   I am stumped, so we are just going with 4 items.  Any suggestions that you all have?  I need to send some of this info onto my in-laws and family.

I hope you all have a good weekend.  I am going to be laid up for the rest of the day (once I am off of work) and nursing these swollen feet.  And then we are off to see Daniel Tosh tomorrow night and I.CAN.NOT.WAIT.  What do you have in store for this weekend?

Our 2014 Christmas Card

It's that time of year again...Christmas card season.  Now that we are married and big kids, we get to send out yearly Christmas cards.  I look forward to getting everyone's Christmas cards and I can't wait to send out our own.  This year we chose a photo from my sister-in-laws wedding when I was pregnant (just found out), but wasn't even showing yet.  Plus it was a professional photo and included the best little dude around, Walter (my pup).

Without further ado, here is our 2014 Christmas card.

Isn't Walter and my husband the most handsome fellas you ever did see?  And I just die over Walter's bow tie for his aunties wedding.

Check out 2013's Christmas photo here.

30 Weeks

Another week checked off the pregnancy countdown.  Folks, we have made it to the 30s, week 30 to be exact.  I can't believe how time flies.  If this were a singleton pregnancy, we would have 10 or so more weeks, but since this is a twin pregnancy, we have about 6 to 8 weeks left.  Wow.  I can't believe our girls will be here that soon.  They will be here next month!  Crazy to think about.

Update on our perinatal appointment:  The girls are weighing in at 3 lbs 8 oz and 3lbs 1 oz for a total of 6 lbs 9 oz.  That is the size of one full term baby.  Wow this momma is really carrying lots of weight.  The doctor said the girls are on target to gain at least half a pound per week with an estimated weight of 6 lbs 8 oz and 6 lbs 1 oz at birth (around 36 to 37 weeks).  They are doing very well and he says momma looks great, but to be prepared for more back aches and more weight added to the front of my belly (only can go out from here).  And I must keep my eye out for consistent Braxton Hicks because he doesn't want me to go into labor too early, and if I do, we can stop it if diagnosed early.  So our goal is babies due around January 21st - 28th.

Wow the flash did nothing for my complexion this morning.  Sorry about the ghostly white look.

How far along: 30 weeks

Babies are the size of a: Cucumber/Head of Cabbage

Babies are: Baby A (who still has more amniotic fluid) is weighing in at 3 pounds 8 ounces and Baby B is weighing in at 3 pounds 1 ounce for a 11% difference.  As long as we stay under the 20% difference rate, we will be fine.

The babies brains are getting bigger and their skin is smoothing out.  An important fact: the babies bone marrow has taken over production of red blood cells meaning they will be able to thrive more once they are born.  They are strong enough to grasp a finger now!

Maternity Clothes: All day, everyday.  As I have said before, I still manage a non-maternity shirt here and there plus my non-maternity Old Navy leggings, but otherwise this bump is too large to contain.

Stretch Marks: Good news, my lovely waxer lady said I have no stretch marks yet and my stomach is growing beautifully.  I call that a win and thanks to the obsessive amounts of coco butter I use in the morning/day and the coconut/lavender oil I use every night.

Sleep: Still crappy.  Though I get a bit more here and there.  I just wish I could sleep for a total of at least 7 hours a night regardless of how many times I wake up each night (around 3 to 5).

Symptoms: Carpal tunnel, backaches, swollen feet.

Best Moment of the Week: Hanging out with friends (at my friends birthday celebration) and seeing the girls on their growth scan Tuesday.

Movement: Dancing little machines.  In the ribs to the bladder, these girls are moving like crazy and I LOVE IT!

Cravings: Pasta, pizza, sushi and sweets.  Same as usual.

Gender: Two precious baby girls.

Belly Button In or Out: Out.

Wedding Ring on or Off: On, but I am not sure how much longer they will be.  The hands are swollen from the carpal tunnel.

Anything Making You Queasy or Sick: The nausea has come back, but I haven't thrown up.  Just all around feeling queasy at times.

What I Miss: Sleep, being able to sleep on my stomach and being able to get out of cars/off the couch/out of bed/etc. easier.

What I am Looking Forward to: Going to see Daniel Tosh this weekend.  Loved his comedy show last year in Tahoe and I am sure I will love it this time.  Especially since we are front row and I am hoping he makes fun of me and my hugely pregnant body, haha.

Labor:  Thankfully nothing yet and hopefully nothing until around 36 weeks (my personal goal) or later.

Nursery: We are getting closer and closer to the finished product.  My husband has their names and mobiles to hang and I have a few more things to set up.  Good news is, we have almost all their clothes, blankets, swaddlers, bath towels, changing pad covers, etc. washed and ready for them.  Just need to take count and put away a few more things before the nursery reveal.

I love going into their room daily.  I love seeing how it has turned out, knowing they will be in there in less than 2 months and seeing the transformation.  It is everything I wanted and more for their room.

Emotions: Feeling pretty good emotionally.  Physically is another story.

Weekend Update and Randomness

Sorry for the lack of blogging yesterday.  I was too busy getting my Green Monday shopping on (?).  I didn't even know about Green Monday shopping day (or whatever it was called) until perusing around on amazon looking for stocking stuffers.  Then I went into panic mode and tried to figure out what to get everyone so I could get the second best deals of the month (next to Cyber Monday).  I managed to get my mom and sister something and even a little cardigan wrap for myself (oops).  I (we, as in my husband and I) still have a bunch of online shopping to do and he gets nagged about it daily because this hugely pregnant girl wants to avoid actual stores if possible (which it isn't sadly).  But we are well on our way to getting most of our shopping done.  Phew.  That was long winded.

We did a lot this weekend and of course I only have two photos to show for it.  Boo.  But these two are quite funny and mostly the same.

These were my feet Friday evening.  I got the biggest laugh out of this sight and showed everyone and anyone I could the next day at my friend's birthday party.  Can we say cankles big time?!  Don't worry, they don't always swell like this and my OB saw them a few hours before and didn't seemed concerned.

My OB appointment went well even though I waited for an hour and a half to be seen.  Ouch.  Not sure I am liking their new office.  I never waited more than 20 minutes before the move.  The bad news: I gained about 7 to 8 pounds in a month (yikes to all that amazing holiday food).  The good news: my doctor said it was fine since the babies are gaining weight like crazy right now.  I am measuring around 35 or so weeks now, but I am just about 30 weeks now.  Plus we got a better idea on when we will deliver.  And it all depends on my appointment this afternoon with my perinatal for our growth scan.  Hopefully my little girls are chunking up and packing on the holiday weight too.

Friday I also got my hair done and it feels even more amazing getting your hair done while being pregnant.  Awe back to blonde.  Plus she can hold the hair dryer and do wonders to my hair as my hands can barely hold the blow dryer on a daily basis.

Saturday we went to our child birthing class.  It was an all day class, but it went super fast.  We learned a lot about labor, delivery, where we would do everything, our options and figured out our plan (birthing preferences).  I can't wait to meet our girls, but boy am I scared about the whole laboring process.

Saturday night we went to my friends birthday dinner and then out for drinks.  Well dessert for me, drinks for everyone else.  It was so good seeing my friends and showing off the huge bump for those that haven't seen it in awhile.

Sunday I was pretty lazy around the house.  But I did manage to vacuum, do some of the girls laundry, grocery shop, decorate the Christmas tree (it has been up with lights, but no decorations), clean house a bit and watch the awful Niners lose to the Raiders.  Ugh, Niners season is over.  So sucky/crappy/awful/bad/anyothertermassociatedwithsucking.

Oh and I managed to prep our holiday food for our day at the office on Monday.  Every December, we sign up for a day and bring in breakfast food.  My husband and I made, 2 pounds bacon, french toast bake (that wasn't all gooey and gross, but amazing), juice and cookies.  I called it a win with how much I can actually move around lately.

Today brings a pernatal appointment where we get to see the girls and a day to pick up our new Digital SLR camera.  I can't wait.  Can you believe Christmas is in 15/16 days? 

How was your weekend?

Oh and one last photo from the last home Nevada Wolf Pack game.

Best tailgate crew.  My husband and I are on the far left front row.

Christmas Wish List Part Two

I finally got around to giving my husband my Christmas Wish List which was basically this plus a few other items.  I was in a hurry and didn't really include anything not to expensive.  But since I had some downtime (if you call it that) since Cyber Monday, here are a few other things on my Christmas Wish List that are more reasonably priced.

 

Cracked Out iPhone case from Zero Gravity.  This one is for the iPhone 5 (too poor to get the iPhone 6 just yet), but it is available for the 6.  Retails for $23.95.

Sugarfina Faves Tasting Box  I had never heard of this until I saw it on another blog, but there are many different treat boxes that you can customize to whoever you are gifting.  Do they like chocolates, sweets, gummys, alcohol, almonds, etc?  This tasting box comes with their 8 most popular candies.  From Champagne Bears (yes made with real champagne) to Dark Chocolate Coffee Toffee, this is right up my alley.  This box contains 1 oz tastings of each candy for $25.  I am definitely getting some of these as gifts and maybe an extra for myself.

Dwellstudio Faceted White Vases  These vases come in three sizes (4" x 4.5", 6" x 7", 8" x 10") and in two different colors (black or white).  I love these and they would be perfect little touches to my kitchen or living room.  The vases range from $15 to $75.  I have my eye on one of each color.

Anthropologie Jeweled Orb Hoops  Now I don't wear hoop earrings very often, but these babies are gorgeous.  And only $48.

Sam Edelman Penny Boots  What can I even say about these boots other than they are stunning.  I have a pair of brown boots that are lighter and more of a suede.  This would take care of my darker boot needs and they look so comfy.  These are slightly over my "cheaper" list running at $190.

Skull Candy Bombshell Earbuds  I broke my earbuds about a month or so before I was told not to go to the gym anymore, but I still needed them for work trips (even though those are out too), and I still need them now.  I had my previous Skull Candy earbuds for years, so I am pretty faithful to them.  I am really liking these floral ones and even the robin's egg blue ones.  Priced at $39.99 right now is a killer steal.

What is on your holiday wish list?

29 Weeks

I can't believe we will meet these cute little babies possibly next month.  Care to take any guesses on when they will arrive?  I am now 29 weeks and this holiday season is flying.  Before I know it, it will be January and we could meet them any day.  But please stay in mommy's belly all cozied up until at least January 21st (36 weeks).

 Sorry for the dark lighting. This was taken at 6 am.

How far along: 29 weeks, 1 day

Babies are the size of a: Head of Cauliflower/Butternut Squash

Babies are: Weighing around three pounds each and measuring around 17 inches each (we will know a more definitive answer next week at our monthly growth scan).  Babies are getting fatter and fatter as the days go on.  They are packing on the pounds like their momma during this holiday season.

Muscles and lungs are continuing to mature and are getting stronger by the day.  Another exciting development for the babies is their teeth are forming in their gums.  

Maternity Clothes: All day, everyday.  Though I prefer my Old Navy active leggings over maternity dress pants.  Just add a sweater, boots and I am all set for the day.  It is all about comfort now.

Stretch Marks:Maybe one.  I can't tell if it is just an indention from my pants/shirt/sweatshirt.  But I am keeping the belly lubed up with coco butter throughout the day and coconut oil/lavender mixture at night.

Sleep: Oh how I miss thee.  Sleep isn't going very well with this carpal tunnel crap.  The wrist guard helps, but I still get numb and now my right thumb is starting to act up.  It helps if I sleep on my right side, but I am not supposed to do that very often or for very long.  If I could get the carpal tunnel to go away, then I could sleep so much better.

Symptoms: Carpal tunnel, backaches, swollen feet, exhausted and all around feeling like a whale.

Best Moment of the Week: Seeing family from both sides and enjoying the holidays with them all.

Movement: Oh these babies are moving ALL.THE.TIME.  I feel kicks on my bladder and into my ribs so many times per hour.  They are really dancing in there.

Cravings: Pasta, pizza, sushi and sweets.  Same as usual.

Gender: Two precious baby girls.

Belly Button In or Out: Out.

Wedding Ring on or Off: On, but they have been moved to my right hand as my left hand is experiencing carpal tunnel so it is often too swollen to take the rings off my left hand.

Anything Making You Queasy or Sick: The nausea has come back, but I haven't thrown up.  Just all around feeling queasy at times.

What I Miss: Sleep and being able to move easier.

What I am Looking Forward to: Our childbirth class on Saturday, surprisingly. 

Labor:  Thankfully nothing yet and hopefully nothing until around 36 weeks (my personal goal) or later.

Nursery: It is coming together little by little.  I am almost done washing clothes and putting things up.  Now onto the walls (few of the gifts we got have to be put up) and unpacking all the things mommy and daddy bought on cyber Monday once they come.

Emotions: Feeling pretty good emotionally.  Physically is another story.

A Weekend to be Thankful For

Wow it is really hard to get back on track after Thanksgiving weekend.  From the food to the tree cutting to the horrible Niners, I am exhausted.  But it was all worth it and our last Thanksgiving as a family (immediate) of two.  Come next year, these turkeys will be crawling/running around instead of roasting in my belly.

We had a great Thanksgiving this year.  We spent it at my aunt's house feasting on yummy traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  The bad part...the mud stomping the Seahawks gave the Niners.  Did I mention my dad is a Seahawks fan?  Ya, it was brutal, but nothing two big slices of pie (pumpkin and berry) couldn't fix for the night.

Friday we headed off to cut down our Christmas tree.  Being that I am 100 months pregnant I was only able to trek around a bit.  But I did manage to get some exercise in, find a tree and again feast on yummy treats.

Saturday we had a second family dinner (this time with my in-laws) in Truckee, CA.  The weather was a bit sketchy getting out there, but we had a big spaghetti feast (using turkey meat of course) followed by pumpkin cheese cake (from Apple Hill).  I was in a food coma and happy to see my in-laws.

Sunday was spent catching up with my sister and brother in law, putting up Christmas decorations (including our tree with lights, no ornaments yet), grocery shopping (we needed food in the house badly), doing a bit of cleaning and more nursery stuff.  It ended by watching the awful Broncos and Chiefs game, but at least in good company.

Another Thanksgiving in the books.  Now to focus on Christmas.

Instead of buying lots of gifts for family, friends and my dear husband, we bought a bunch of things for the girls on Cyber Monday.  We kinda needed the carseats and bases in order to get them home in a few short months.  But I did manage to get two gifts for my husband and not buy myself a single item.  I call that a win.  Now to up my online shopping in the next week or so and get the rest of my gifts.  And maybe have someone wrap them for me.  This pregnancy carpal tunnel is getting really old really quick.  Worst part about pregnancy so far.

How was your Thanksgiving?