A Nice Day

Today we went to the local gardens. They are absolutely gorgeous right now with hundreds of beds of colorful, blooming flowers of all types and sizes. Our multiples group had family portraits once again and this was the location.

When I woke up it was pouring rain and the sky was black. I figured the photo shoot would be cancelled, but just like that, the sky cleared and the sky was a beautiful blue. We had 13 families scheduled and everyone had a great time. We should get our photos in a few weeks and I will definitely post some.

Then in the afternoon we went swimming. The twins of course had a blast. I just sat on the side of the pool and watched. We swam at my sister's apartment pool. She recently moved about a mile or so down the road. J has had some issues with immaturity and unreliability, but I think this could be good for both of us. I think with her close, but not living with me, I can occasionally rely on her for some things and then of course she can be around more for the twins. Both the twins, but especially K, LOVE their ya-ya (S came up with that name) I hope it works out for all of us!

Saturday...The Day I Should Have Been Resting

What I haven't mentioned, is on Monday, during the drive to Canada, I broke one of my molars. What a pain!! I spent most of the week downing extra strength Tylenol, which didn't do much for the pain. It really affected my sleep as I was so uncomfortable and most of the day my jaw just ached.

When I woke up Saturday my goal was to find a dentist that was open. I found one that could fit me in. Now I told them on the phone that I was 11 weeks pregnant and they stated that wasn't a problem. Well I went to the office, which was friggin across town, and the dentist walked in and said he wouldn't touch me because I was pregnant - WHAT!? Why in hell didn't they say that over the phone! All I wanted to do today was stay in my PJ's all day but instead I got up, ready and drove across town for them to tell me that!

So now I have to get a letter from my OB basically giving them permission to work on my teeth. Luckily I already have an appointment for Monday. Things like this are so frustrating. I hate that I live in such a litigious culture and that no one will touch me unless I jump through a million hoops!

The Long Drive Home

OMG...That was the longest day of my life!

We left the hotel at 7:00a and headed to a rest stop just before the American border to meet a family member. We were supposed to meet at 8:30a. I waited until 10a and then just left. I was so pissed off that I had wasted 1.5 hours waiting for this person! (who had no good reason when I finally did get through to them). Then a few minutes at the border with immigration. We were on our way just before 11a.

The day just seemed to drag. It seemed like we would never get home. We stopped for lunch but opted to just snack in the car and skip dinner. We finally got home at 10:45p. The twins were wired and I was exhausted! My family was all here and waited up for us. I kinda ditched the twins on them and went to bed.

I never want to make that drive again. I really need to get my Green Card.

Canada - Day Three

Again, another low key day. I think I was starting to feel the fatigue of cross country travel with three year olds and I just needed to keep things simple. Our main event today was a trip to the Kanata Wave Pool. Let me tell you that this is the coolest pool. I went all the time as a kid and it's still just as exciting. I have decided that if I ever win the lottery (haha) I am going to open a similar pool here. I would be rich!

The twins loved swimming. It made me realize that I really need to get them into some swimming lessons. I had planned on it, but then all the craziness of the past few months pushed that aside. We spent nearly two hours playing and I still had to drag them out of the pool.

We then went to lunch, a nap at the hotel and then dinner. We went to the grocery store to get some last minute goodies to bring home and then to the hotel for the night. I packed up most things the night before for a quick escape Friday morning.

Too Tired to Update

And I'll be in the car all day tomorrow. Will update Saturday.

Canada Day Two...Low Key

Today we had a quiet day. It has rained all day so we were limited on what we could do. We headed to Bayshore Shopping Center for some more window shopping. The kids had a blast playing on some mechanical cars. After Bayshore we found a dollar store and did some serious shopping - LOL. I bought $28 of some pretty cool toys - most Dora and Diego! The kids have had a blast playing with their new toys!

After lunch and a nap, we met up with some old friends. I have known these girls since we were about 5 or 6. It was so much fun catching up. I will include a pic, although I look so gross and fat in it. I will definitely be dieting after this baby is born!!!

Canada Day One...The Parliment

Today we did the touristy thing and visited the Parliament. We started at the Rideau Center and window shoppe some. We then walked up to the Parliament Buildings. Q and the kids posed for some pictures and we went up to the top of the Peace Tower. It's funny, grew up in Ottawa but I had never toured the Parliament. It was so beautiful.

We then headed back to Rideau Center where we had a Canadian delicacy for lunch - Poutine!!! Yum, yum, yum. Q liked it but the twins couldn't be convinced to try something new. We then toured the local IKEA and got some great ideas for what we wanted...but of course...didn't have the money for.

We headed back to the hotel for an afternoon nap and then dinner at another must for Canada, Swiss Chalet. We had a great dinner. A quick trip to Walmart to buy some pants for the twins - much colder here than I thought - and back to the hotel for the night.

The twins, especially S, are really testing everything and not listening well at all. I'm hoping this is from the lack of sleep last night and that tomorrow will be a new day.

Q and the twin outside the Peace Tower.

The twins looking out the widow of the Peace Tower onto Downtown Ottawa.

The twins next to a statue.

Q and the twins next to the flame.

Day One...The Drive

We left the house almost right at 8am and got here just after 11p. It was a long day but not too painful. We really only stopped twice, once for lunch and dinner. S had a good three hour nap in the afternoon but K barely slept a total of 30 minutes. I am not exaggerating at all when I say that K talked for the majority of the drive. She was never quiet. I couldn't believe it!!!!

The hotel we are staying at is nice. The only thing is I reserved a ground floor and they gave us a second floor. There is no elevator here so lugging all our crap up a flight of stairs really sucked!

The Cat is Out of the Bag...

While driving to Canada, a friend of mine IM'd me on my computer at home. I guess she thought everyone knew of my pregnancy because even after my sister identified herself, said friend still went on to mention my pregnancy. So...about half way through Pennsylvania I get a phone call from my mom and sister. As soon as I picked up I knew I had been outed.

My mom was pissed that I didn't tell her but other wise fine. I wasn't really worried that she'd be upset, but I jut wanted to keep it my news for now. She will be there when I get home on Friday, so I'm sure I'll hear more about it.

Heading to Canada Tomorrow

I am so dreading the drive! 14 hours! Between my constant nausea and extreme fatigue I don't know how I'm going to do it. I hope Q will be able to drive some in the afternoon so I can at least have a little nap.

Usually when I go I have everyday jammed packed with activities to do. Well this time...I only have a few things scheduled, so that is nice. I think I need to make this trip as leisurely as possible so that I don't get too sick or overwhelmed. We definitely need to work in a daily nap :)

I will be bringing my laptop and I hope to make a daily update each night. I may be kidding myself though :) But right now I think we will plan to come in fairly early every night allowing for some nice calm down time before bed. So I'm hoping during that time I can download pics and make a blog entry.

Wish us luck. I'm sure we will all do fine, it's just sitting here today, tomorrow looks awful daunting.

Random Update

I was able to spend the majority of the weekend relaxing and not doing much. Saturday I did the grocery shopping. I also took the car in to have the oil changed. Of course when I was there they found that my front headlight had burnt out and needed to be replaced. So instead of a $30 oil change I now had a $50 bill :(

On Sunday we did another small grocery shop at the second store and dropped by Best Buy. There I was very bad and spent money i really shouldn't have, but I did purchase something I had been wanting, will get tons of use and will be very helpful with my upcoming trip.

Today the twins had their last gymnastic session until the fall. There was a summer session I could do, but with everything going on and me feeling like crap I figured we better take a little break. S then had speech therapy, in which his therapist said he did a great job. I took K to a restaurant to get a treat while we waited and she was s funny. She hates like hell that he isn't getting the same therapy as S. While we were eating she was excited that we weren't with S, but shortly after we got there, she wanted her brother.

I had another appointment today. It was just for the nurse eduction visit and lab draw. It wasn't too exciting. I have another appointment right when I get back from Canada, but I just think that will be a pap visit - BLECH! After a few good days I am back to feeling like crap again. I hate feeling so poorly all the time. I really hope around twelve weeks I will start to experience some relief.

14 Inches Less

Or there-abouts. I got my hair cut yesterday. I have been wanting to get it cut for months but couldn't muster up the courage. I actually think the feeling like crap lately, helped to motivate me. After all it requires a lot of up keep and I was getting to the point where I hated washing it because of all the time it took.

I cut off a little over 13 inches and then it took about another inch to even it out. It already feels so much lighter and I'm sure when I wash it tonight I will be pleasantly surprised at how easy it will be to wash and dry.

Now I just don't know what to do with it. I have donated to Locks of Love twice, but this time I think I may try to sell it. Maybe I'll get enough for a crib set. If I don't get any good offers then I will just donate it.

The Calm Before the Storm

This weekend I have nothing planned. Can you believe it? I usually have a million things to do and a million places to be. Now, of course I need to go grocery shopping, but that is IT! I am so excited and hope to take full advantage of it. I don't think I will even get dressed if I don't have to.

Of course this lull in activity will be followed by about three weeks on non-stop madness which to be honest I am not looking forward to. Doctors appointments, playdates, barbecues, travel and work, OH MY!

Next week I have a doctors appointment on Monday, a playdate on Tuesday and then work Wednesday through Friday. Then on Saturday we have a baroque. On Sunday I need to spend the whole day organizing and packing for our trip to Canada.

First thing Monday morning we leave for Canada...a 14 hour drive...with two 3 year olds...shoot me now! Luckily Q, the twins nanny, and my friend is coming so hopefully she will be able to help with the twins and driving. We will stay in Canada until Friday morning when it's back in the car, driving home. We should arrive home late Friday night.

We are supposed to be going to the zoo Saturday morning...um...I'm thinking in the end we will not be making that trip. I doubt I will have the energy to even get dressed that morning. Then Sunday we have family portraits.

Follow that week with another doctors appointment, a full work week and then a trip to my family's cabin in the mountains, another 4 to 5 hours drive. This will also be the weekend I tell my family of my pregnancy.

So lets just say if I live to see the second week in June it will be a miracle. I'm sure you can now understand why this weekend will be the calm before the storm. Please let it remain that way and have nothing un-expected arise.

I Had A Good Day Today

As far as nausea goes anyway :)

I took my Zofran when I woke up this morning, like always, but the difference is I didn't suffer with bouts of nausea all day. I actually felt pretty normal and was able to eat and drink without feeling like I had to force it down. Yipee!

I am also almost 9 weeks and at 9 weeks with the twins I had already been hospitalized twice and had a medication pump attached to my thigh. Ooh, maybe this pregnancy won't be so bad after all!!!!

ETA - Who the heck keeps voting boy on my poll :P Remember I want girl vibes LOL

Daddy's....

Have I mentioned how obsessed K is with Daddies? She talks about them all the time. She is big into imagination so when she makes her cracker or cheese families there are always a baby, a mommy and a daddy. When she plays with her babies, she's the mommy and she always makes S be the daddy. Out of the blue she'll start calling me daddy and think it's funny.

It's weird that she is so fixated when she doesn't have one in her family and is really not that exposed to other daddies. If the mood seems right I will ask her if she has a dad and she always states matter of fact that she doesn't. It doesn't seem to bother her and she doesn't ask questions about a dad.

K definitely seems to be ahead of the norm with this fascination. Other SMBC's usually say this comes on around four or so...sometimes later. I even have single moms where the dad is not involved and their kids don't seem as interested as K. I think that's just K's style, keep me on my toes and never let me have my guard down. At least when S gets to this level of interest I should have all my answers down pat :)

The End of an Era...

So, since I have started this blog I have made an effort to post daily. Well, I think that has come to an end. I find that at the end of a day I am so tired that I just turn off the computer and go to bed. In addition I sometimes feel like any post I have to make will just be the same old crap...after all, how many posts of how crappy I feel do you guys really want to read about.

As a result, I will be posting less often. I will try to keep up with the good things and leave the complaining out. Don't be surprised if I go MIA for awhile. Hopefully nothing is wrong, it's just my current life taking priority.

My Absolutely Horrible Weekend

My whole weekend was ruined by one mistake, one simple mistake of which I have made many, many times before. But this time, the choice to not take my medications, would have an entirely different effect.

Saturday morning I woke up with a horrible migraine. I brought the twins downstairs and immediately ran to the sink just in time to vomit. At first I thought..."well, I had to start vomiting at some point" at this time still attributing my symptoms to pregnancy. I laid on the couch only to stay in that half asleep - half awake zone necessary when you have two 3 year old running around the house. The only thing that woke me was the need to vomit every 45-60 minutes. If I drank a small amount of fluid it was expelled almost immediately. Every time I moved I was reminded how much my head hurt. My biggest concern was the danger of dehydration and the need to be hospitalized as I had no one to watch the twins.

I fought the vomiting all day. Continuously taking in fluid as I figured I would absorb some of it during the short period of time it was in my body. I didn't eat anything and by the end of the day I doubt I had kept in 1/2 cup of fluid.

It wasn't until that evening when I started putting two and two together and realized this was not a pregnancy issue - although I'm sure it didn't help - and was rather withdrawal from not taking my anti-depressants. I switched to a new med a few months ago and just recently increased my dosage. I have never had problems before when forgetting my meds, but with this drug...it is different. Even being a nurse, I cannot understand the amazing effect this drug had on me.

I wasn't able to take and keep down my meds until late Saturday night. I vomited into the wee hours of Sunday morning and was forced into calling out of work. This totally sucks as we have very strict call-in policies for weekends and now I will be 'punished' by being assigned 2 weekends next schedule...nice. It doesn't even matter that on average I call out one or less times a year.

Anyway, I kept my Sunday sitter who was nice enough to take the twins out of my house. I spent most the day in bed. By about noon I was able to start drinking and eating again. I have still felt like crap for most of the day...but at least no vomiting. I hope to NEVER EVER forget my meds again!

Strawberry Picking - Friday

On Friday we joined our twin group at a local strawberry field and picked strawberries. S had a blast. Strawberries are his favorite food so the thought of actually going somewhere where there was an unlimited supply of them coming out of the ground got him quite excited. K also enjoyed picking them, but since her diet is completely void of fruits, as soon as her basket was full, she quickly turned them over to her brother.

That evening we got home at about 8p. I fell asleep on the couch and then put the kids to bed at 9:30p. I pretty much went to bed right away and forgot to take my meds...very BIG mistake. Continue reading to find out why...

Ugh...

So sick...trying not to think about it...but it's not working very well. I take Zofran as soon as I wake up, but because that's so damn early when I work, by dinner it is wearing off. I don't think it helps that I sit here terrified that this will continue until December. That this will be a repeat of the twins and that I will be more miserable then not in the coming months. But again...I'm trying not to think about it.

I told my Director and Assistant Director today at work. My Assistant Director is also a good friend of mine. She was very happy for me, but also a little concerned. She was a great support during the twins pregnancy and she also worries about what this pregnancy will bring. My Director had a huge reaction, which was hilarious. She was beyond happy and excited for me. They were both surprised I kept it quiet for so long and also shocked that I haven't told my good friends on the unit. I told them my friends would probably know next week and that I would make a general announcement around 12 weeks.

I ordered my new mother's pendant for Mother's Day. It is a pendant of a Mother holding her three children. There are also birthstones for each child. I am really looking forward to getting it.

Here is a link if you are interested
http://www.lifetimemothers.com/prodinfo.asp?number=317500

There is a party at work tomorrow for Nurses Day. I baked cookies with the twins. Hopefully things will go smoothly tomorrow.

A Good Appointment

I had my ultrasound this morning. As suspected there is only one little bean. The heart rate was 142 and it measured 6w6d. The doctor was happy with the way everything looked. They did find a fibroid which no one has mentioned before. There was only one so thats good, but of course it might be something that becomes a problem later. Hopefully the pregnancy won't make it worse as I've heard it sometimes can.

I will upload pics later tonight when I can get them on the scanner.

Had My First Appointment Today

Very boring. A little blood drawn and a chat with the doc. Found out that after I went through all the trouble to switch to him, he is moving in July - bummer. Now I need to find another doc...which is extremely hard for me to do.

We decided that I will continue to take my anti-depressants and my MS meds. He feels like both are minimal risk and the benefit out ways any potential problems. He gave me my coveted Zofran prescription, however, just like last time my insurance only pays for 21 tabs, so I guess I can only feel better for part of the day on 21 days out of the month.

He also said ok to and US but there were no spots open today. I was able to snag a 10:30a tomorrow though, so not too much more of a wait. I of course will be sure to update this blog when I know the results.

I'm looking for one healthy bean measuring where it should. Here's to that!

Everyone is Sick

Ugh...over the course of two or three days, everyone in this house has become sick...

Of course my sickness has nothing to do with any virus but man am I wiped out. The nausea is getting bad. Pretty much 24/7 now. I just feel like throwing up all the time. I think I am doing better at managing it this time. Last time I would just stay in bed all day and do nothing...leading of course to dehydration and hospital stays. Now I am doing better at forcing fluids and food. As of now, thats been working.

N and S have the flu. S has had a nasty cough and high fever since Saturday. I guess if it lasts much longer we will be making a trip to the doctor. The only thing that keeps me from worrying about it now is he is eating and drinking normally and his fever responds right away to meds. N is the same way...so for now we wait it out.

K woke up this morning and threw up all over herself. She then threw up a few more times, but then seemed fine. She hasn't vomited since about 10a and she has eaten and drank since then so hopefully she had a quick passing thing.

I am too worn out to be dealing with all these sick people...everyone needs to get better!

A Busy Weekend

On Friday my parents came to spend the night. We decided that since my schedule was pretty booked, we were going to go ahead with Mother's Day and my mom's birthday celebration. We went out to dinner, came home and opened presents. It was a lot of fun.

Saturday my dad took down the rest of my dead trees and stumps. The twins were so cute trying to help grandpa haul away the cut logs. They did figure out awful fast that they could roll the logs to the side and had a blast doing that. My mom and I power washed the front porch and back deck. Now I just need to find the time and energy to re-stain them.

Saturday night I went to that fun concert with a friend. I did recognize some of the songs, but sadly most songs were new to me. It was just funny to see how well everyone knew all his lyrics and I hadn't heard any of them...I am soooo out of touch.

Sunday was mostly spent lounging around. We went grocery shopping with a quick trip to Walmart. Otherwise we hung out inside and didn't do much.

Just Checking In

It's been a very busy few days and I promise I will catch up with my posts tomorrow. I didn't want anyone to think I had fallen off the face of the earth.

My pregnancy is going fine as far as I know. I am experiencing a little more nausea and still very tired. My mom was over this weekend and actually asked me if I was pregnant. I hid the nausea from her quite well but she said I was a little too tired this weekend and something must be up. Geez it's like I can't hide a damn thing from her. I told her I wasn't pregnant and she seemed happy with that response, but I now have an email in my inbox from her asking me again. I wonder how I will explain myself out of this one.

S is sick. He woke up on Friday with a congested cold and then started running fevers that evening. He was pitiful today and I was really getting nervous about him. Luckily after a few medication doses he seems to be feeling a little better. I guess tomorrow will tell, although I'm sure by then, K will be sick.

I escaped being a mommy tonight for a little while and went to a concert. I haven't been to a concert since 1999 and that was Brittney Spears. This one was very entertaining and although I didn't know the artist (who is very famous) I did enjoy his show.

There are certain things that are bugging me right now that shouldn't be. People who obviously have issues of their own and placing them on me or another inappropriate person. People who can't seem to understand that people have differing points of view and if I disagree with what's being said then it must be a personal attack on them. I guess I just need to ignore those people as I have much better things to focus on other then their lack of self esteem and maturity.

I'll post tomorrow with updates on our activities.