Love a parent

I've received a request (from Stodge) for more pictures on my blog, so although I don't have any to share today I promise I will after the weekend. So stay tuned...
The Onofreychuk's are coming this weekend... and my sister inlaw is having a little birthday swimming party for Sydnee's 6th birthday at the Holiday Inn on Saturday, so I'll take some fun pictures of the boys then. They are super excited and have been talking about it all week. And I have to admit I to am somewhat looking forward to a swim myself. Not so much in the whole putting on the swimsuit part, but to have that moment of relief by being so buoyant. At the end of January we spent a fun family weekend (just the 4 of us) in Minneapolis and so I swam a bunch that weekend, and boy was it nice to take off that pressure and strain by floating around. But don't for one second think that I'll be posting any pictures of this albino water buffalo...

Other than some hanging out at the pool, our weekend will be pretty low key. Brad and I might actually get to take advantage of free babysitters, and have a date night on Saturday :-) Grandparents really know how to save the day...not only do they help look after the kids while they visit, but they still take care of their own kids. Even if its in the smallest ways, like noticing the heaping laundry basket and throwing in a load for you, or preparing a meal for you in your own home the instinct to care for their own is still there. (I'm so hoping for Greek Salad this weekend :-) As great as it is to have the extra help around the house, I have learned my lesson on a few occasions... Like make sure your own laundry is washed, so your un-mentionables aren't being slung around by your mother inlaw, and try to have some food in your fridge, so your mother doesn't think you starve her grandchildren.

We are lucky and thankful that even though we live hours from both our parents, they still show us they care by making the trip to come see us (or the kids, however they prefer to look at it). And as much as we think we can do it on our own, we still need our parents every once in awhile. Sure you have to clean before they come and then clean up after them when they leave, but its the phone calls with questions, complaints, and cries that keep you still needing your parents. "Dad who sings that song... "something, something.. I fooled around and fell in love?" or "Mom, I just can't handle this any more!" Thankfully they are always just a phone call away.

Unfortunately it wasn't until becoming an adult that I've really been able to credit them with knowing a thing or two, (beyond making a meal or help fixing a leaky toilet). So I wonder are my kids going to appreciate me and all the things I do for them (big and small)? And why did it take so long to realize this... man I could have been so much more tolerable as a teenager if I had only known this back then! Hmmm... another reason to be blessed with 3 boys and no girls :-) Parents deserve more credit than they get... So Mom's and Dad's, here's a much deserved THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO~ Love your kids!

1's the magic number

My appointment went really well today. I first step onto the scale to find that I only gained 1 pound over the last 2 weeks :-) After the terrible junk I've been stuffing in my face these past 2 weeks I was for certain that I had gained 5+. Good thing my body is helping me out with those extra calories, God knows how hard it is to lose that baby weight afterward.
Brad came along to my appointment just for the fun of it, since there hasn't been anything exciting and we only 1 ultrasound way back at 20 weeks there's really been no reason to come along. But with this being the first time my doctor was going to "check" me time why not come along? So after I put on a little strip show for my hubby in the exam room, I hop up on the exam table and wait for the doctor to come in. The baby's heart rate was in the 140's today (perfect). She proceed to prep me as Brad squirms in his chair and tries to avoid looking down there, as she does her thing. What a nerd... like hello what is he embarrassed about? Did you forget what happened to get us here? Anyway- I'm dilated to 1 cm!! Okay so its only 1 cm... and I can sit here for many days or weeks. But she was able to feel his little head, which is also good news, as he's in the right position to do this. I found that even though I'm starting to feel that pelvic pressure, he's just barely moving down there (-3). So I haven't officially "dropped" but we're working toward that direction. After all that excitement she hands me the slip for my next appointment in 1 week. Yup- here we go... The weekly appointments. Its game time baby. I go in next Tuesday and we'll see what my cervix did in a weeks time.

Before leaving her office we also talked about what happens if he needs a little encouragement to come into the world (induction). And she had said around 39 weeks she'd probably talk induction. Since the best case scenario is to have your own OB/GYN deliver she'd schedule me for induction on the nearest of her on-call days to my due date which would be March 17th. Which means if little man doesn't join us before then, I could have a St. Patricks day baby :-)

Lots of exciting feelings today, and thankfully I'm not as uncomfortable as I was yesterday.

Want Some Cheese with that Whine?

I hate to complain, but its my blog, so I can complain if I want to- right?!
Today was another very uncomfortable day...sore hips, pelvis pressure, cramps and pains. Things just don't feel right "down there"- I keep reminding myself, of course it doesn't.. There's a 6lb kid hanging out in your uterus, and he's probably trying to get comfortable too.
This morning I had to call Brad with a little cry... Everything is just building up all at once and I'm slowly coming un-done. My body is telling me to slow down and put the superwoman aside for these last few weeks, yet I fall to listen. I drag my butt to work every day to make a buck and build up my PTO for maternity leave. Then in the evenings chase around the house trying to keep the tidiness and chaos in order. Of course I still have a list of things I want to get done before the baby arrives... you know- more home projects, organizing and cleaning. Like the kid is going to care if the walls are washed or the white base boards are touched up? But for some reason lately I've been noticing all these little things around the house that just need to be looked after before the baby comes... and of course they aren't things that I am physically capable of doing on my own these days, so I have to try and enlist the help of Brad- who has no interest in my great ideas. All this stupidness does is create anxiety that eventually turns into tears. I'm turning into a hormonal mess...

I didn't think I was ever really affected by the raging pregnancy hormones, until this past week. Yeah, ok there's been a few along the way, but that's nothing compared to what most other women experience. These past 6 days I've noticed (and have willingly admitted to) the instability of my emotions. All the while making sure to point out to my hubby that it could have been worse. He's been a sport- and althought Brad's not one of many words when it comes to "feelings" he did come through today. He gave me the support and validation I needed...yes being pregnant is tough and yes what I'm going through really does really suck at times. From a very pessimistic man came great optimism and encouragement to hang in there, slow down and try to enjoy the last few weeks of my miraculous job of bearing this child. That's all I needed... a little help putting the pieces back together to stand me back up to face tomorrow.

So as I step back and think about how far I (we've) come with this pregnancy without a single complaint or concern, I am thankful. Extremely thankful that I haven't had more things to complain about. That I haven't been on bed rest or delivered a pre-term baby whose at risk for complications. Or worse yet, never been given the opportunity to do this a second time around.
So even though I complain, do know that I am more grateful and just hormonal right now, as I impatiently anticipate the arrival of my little man.

Going South

Last week I'd say I'm "going south" to get out of this crappy freezing weather, but with some recent temps in the 20's I'm not complaining so much. The boys keep asking "Is the baby coming" because they see the snow starting to melt. (We're all getting anxious) But with the weather behaving it seems a few other things are going south these days.
Like my pants... My big belly is pushing my pants so low that it doesn't have much to sit on before I get a big pile up of baggy fabric on my bum. How sexy, eh? That highrise panel is about mid belly most of the day.
And then there's the little man himself. All day today I waddled around, as it feels like he's got my hips spread 3 feet apart and ready to settle in for the next couple weeks. Which is a good sign, but... this has definitely caused me to engage in the pregnant women waddle, that I've so graciously avoided. I'm noticing more pressure and pinched nerves and stuff that would lead me to believe he's moving south and getting ready to bust out! I guess we'll find out more at the Doctor on Wednesday... Could I be dilated???? I'm 37 weeks + so its the green light from here on out!!
I'll keep you posted!!

Sleepless in Fargo

(In the coming months I have a feeling this heading will pay visit to this site often- but it was worthy of making a debut today.)
Great heading for this blog, considering how my night went last night. At supper last night I was whining to Brad that lately I've been waking up at 3:30-4:00am and not being able to fall back asleep. He commented that he was aware, as its hard not to notice the rumbling in bed. I thought maybe its because I've been falling asleep at 8:30-9:00, so I suggested he keep me entertained until at least 10:00 so that I'm not dosing off on the couch so early. Makes sense right?! To try out my theory I went out to a friends Signature Home party last night and didn't hit the sheets until 10:30, ready for a good nights sleep.
Things were going good until about 12:45 when we heard the first "Mommy" whimper coming from Dylan- which is extremely abnormal for them to call out during the night. Between Brad and I we had been in there 4 times addressing his complaints, getting drinks of water and rubbing his back. He wasn't sure what the problem was each time but kinda said his tummy hurt, and asked to use the potty, so we weren't really sure what was going on? This went on for about a half hour before the volcano erupted. Poor guy, was so upset about the mess in his bed, and that he had to change his Shrek jammies b/c "I barfed everywhere, Mommy". After clean up duty he was feeling much better and literally went running back to bed? This morning you would have never of guessed he had been sick during the night. And as a matter of fact it was 7 am when he and Riley were singing and giggling in there room?? And that was that- just a one time thing?
...But back to my sleepless night... after the big ordeal it was about 1:45 before I laid back down, tossed and turned for an hour before I finally turned on the TV for some entertainment and to stop the circling thoughts. Gee before you know it, its 4:00am and I'm still awake!! I think I might have fallen asleep shortly there after for a few minutes, but woke to Brad's alarm at 5:00am (fishing trip today) so here I am awake again... I tried sooooo hard to just squeeze in that last hour of sleep before my alarm would ring- but no go. I'm just so frustrated that I can't get a good nights sleep while I still can. I haven't a clue what to do? Its not like I sleep all day, and actually I haven't been napping on the weekends either. I can't even blame it on urination frequency, as most times I don't even get out of bed and no real crazy stunts from the baby during this time either. I just can't fall back asleep! I'm at a total loss... I might go crazy if this doesn't stop.

Lucky Me :-)

This past weekend I was organizing photos on the computer and came across some old ones from my pregnancy with Dylan and Riley. It was neat to look back and compare the difference in belly size. I would figure I'm about 4 weeks behind what I was looking like then. Which would make sense, because at 34 weeks gestation with twins, your uterus has already expanded to what a normal full term (40 wk) uterus would be like. And then to think I went another 5 weeks beyond that! I'm just thankful it all somewhat came back together.
Anyway, along with those pictures I found a few video clips from the hospital. There was a quick segment of me before the epidural, where I looked like crap and uncomfortable, then the next is after the epidural. I'm joking around with Brad, flashing the bright blue barf bag (that thankfully neither of needed to use) and giving him the "thumbs up". Man I tell ya, what a difference that epidural made... I'm certainly not afraid to ask for it again. While I was watching these clips Dylan and Riley were in the room and came running over, so I was explaining to them that, that was when they were in my tummy and I was at the hospital about to have them. They thought it was pretty cool, and pointed out that "Hey thats the bed with all the buttons we saw yesterday." So observant those two.
So then the next clip was of Dylan getting checked out and cleaned up by the nurse moments after birth. Dylan was amazed that was him so tiny... and why was he crying so loud? "I must have been cold mommy, I have no clothes" He also noticed something a little odd, "Hey whats that by my wiener?" He was talking about the umbilical cord and clip. From previous discussions he knew that, that's how a baby gets his food from mommy, but was puzzled why it looked like that, what happened to it later and why it was by his wiener? A few minutes later the video cuts to Riley, who had cried twice as loud as Dylan, which Riley quickly pointed out, "I cried louder than you Dylan." (In the midst of my tears I laughed).
What a sweet moment to share with those two... Totally unplanned and unscripted. Thankfully there wasn't anything really too difficult to explain as we watched those moments around their birth. It brought back such warm emotion, and excitement. To think that I get to do that again, and any time now. As I write, tears come to my eyes... Birth~ what a miracle, and today what precious miracles I have in my life. How was I so lucky to get 2 at once, and another sweet one 4 years later. I'm truly blessed!!

Many of you may not know the neat story of Dylan and Riley... Brad and I had been trying to get pregnant for almost 2 years, with no luck. So we decided to get "checked out". Still even after a few basic fertility tests there was no good explanation as to why we weren't pregnant yet. With that we were referred to meet with the Fertility Specialist, but had to wait 2 months for our appointment. It was during that wait we figured we couldn't really do much about any more, so whatever, we'll wait. The morning of our appointment (Dec 17th, 2003) I took a pregnancy test, just to see if by chance I was pregnant- it was negative, so off to the clinic. After he looked over our records, poked and prodded a bit he sat us down and explained the chance of us conceiving on our own is extremely small. He passed me a script for Clomid followed with instructions on how to take the pills. Talked about side effects, the schedule we'd have to coordinate for injections to make me ovulate, and time strict frames we'd be confined to, to make this work. WOW that was a lot to take in. With Brad scheduled for surgery the next day we decided to wait a month before starting all this. The next week was Christmas and I remember being sad, because all I wanted for Christmas was to be pregnant. But then on Christmas day I realized that I was 3 days late... so the next day on the our way home from Winnipeg I stopped and bought a pregnancy test, took it at my parents and it was positive! I couldn't believe it!! Here I had actually been pregnant (with TWINS) when I sat there in the Fertility clinic, listening to him say, its probably not going to happen without his help. Thankfully I never started the meds! I still have the script~ that I have put it in their scrapbook along with this story. Of course it wasn't until months later (Feb 3, 2004) that we got the surprise of a lifetime, when we found out it was twins. Who would have thought... Lucky ME!

What to wear?

I'm so tired of my clothes!! I've got 2 pairs of pants that fit nice, and another pair that I make do with, just to get me through the week. Thankfully we have casual day (extremely rare) at work this Friday so I can throw my Blue jeans into the mix this week. But then I've got about 6-8 different tops that I rotate between... So hopefully I can keep switching it up enough that people don't catch on to my extremely limited wardrobe. I just don't want to buy anything with this little time left. Sure I've got some bigger stuff from the boys, but wearing those tops make me feel worse, and just HUGE! I even had a chuckle last night when I went to put on a T-shirt for bed and belly has hanging out the bottom. Plus my maternity wardrobe is from a summer pregnancy so I'm freezing on top of it all. ARGRRR... I'm just waiting for Stacy and Clinton to jump out and surprise me. (Hopefully there's an "off limits" policy for pregnant women?! Although I wouldn't mind a new $5000 wardrobe :-)
This morning it was -30 without the windchill factor... It is so damn cold here!! I was almost praying the van wouldn't start this morning so I'd have an excuse to stay home and avoid the cold. And when I think about it, thank goodness I haven't had this baby yet, because I'm counting on some nice weather so I can A) take the kid out of the house B) Send the boys out to play to give me quite time C) and then try to enjoy some of my time off in the warm sun. Those points are about the only thing keeping me patient at this point. Supposedly, we're moving above zero for tomorrow and into the melting 30's by the end of weekend? But I'll believe it when I see it. ND Sucks!

Last night the boys and I delivered a meal to Susan, a friend/co-worker/new mom of B/G twins. I was hesitant to bring the guys along, as Susan has 5 kids under the age of 5!! JUST CRAZY!! But she insisted I bring the boys, so her kids could see fresh faces and entertain each other. Her second child (Jacob) is just a week older than Dylan and Riley, so those 3 boys had a blast playing together... this gave us a glimpse of what 3 yr old triplets would be like. We are very thankful to be blessed with just twins. (Hats off to you HOM moms!) Before we left I did pull the boys aside to check out the babies (2 months old). They were very gentle, curious, and a bit shy of the little ones. But did comment on the tiny size of their fingers and feet. On the way home they talked about how "our baby brother will be that small, and we'll have to help him do things cuz he's little."

Tonight we are interviewing the first of 3 Nanny candidates, so I'm pretty excited. (2 of the girls are named Katie~ How funny) I hope my family is on their best behavior this evening and she doesn't leave the house screaming with her arms over head~ like I'd like to do some days. It would be so great to start using her before the baby, and even during my maternity leave. With the boys being able to speak up about things, I'm hoping to find a little more ease with trusting a new caretaker, but I know it will still be a tough process.

Is it my turn yet?

I am officially titling the Summer of 2007 as "The Summer of Love"... Its baby crazy around here, as a bunch of my friends and family are having babies all within weeks of each other!! My cousin Mandi just had her little boy (Keegan) yesterday, a friend and fellow mom of twins will have her little boy any day now, then ME in less than 4 weeks! Another cousin Sara is due in April, Stacy a good friend and also mom of twins is due in May around the same time as our Canadian friends Greg and Kelly... Not to mention a co-worker of Brad just had their little boy 2 weeks ago, and another buddy/co-worker is due in April. No wonder everyone comments on how "busy" they are from May to August.

Over the past couple days we've been going over names again. I think we've got it narrowed down to 2 possibilities, but then there's the middle name... Of course I've got a list of 20+ girl names that I love, but that's just not gonna do the trick. Dylan and Riley can't decide either... Originally Dylan liked Horton (Dr. Seuss book "Horton hears a Who") and Riley liked Franklin (Franklin the Turtle~ cartoon series) but they keep coming up with other suggestions, like Shrek, Scooby, Freddie or Curious George. Gee can you tell they are into the silly 3 yr old stage.
We'll just have to wait and see if he looks like a ______ or a ______. Ha, like I'd spill the beans!! Since our family and friends know we're having a boy we're keeping the name as our surprise to you...

Back to work we go... Monday is here, and the temps is -8 but with the wind chill its more like -30. After a teasing look into spring on Saturday, when we hit the melting 30's, the mercury continued to plumit through the weekend right back to the subzero temps. Wonderful~ just wonderful!!
At least the boys got out for a good hour yesterday morning before it turned nasty. The way those 2 were running around and carrying on I thought they were about to tear down the house. Thankfully Brad was feeling well enough to take them out to burn off some of that energy. But then Grandma paid a visit, and the excitement and craziness started all over again...thankfully it was soon nap time I was able to get out and run some errands with my mom.

On Friday I got to see my grandpa Bob for just a few minutes, after he and my uncle Bill flew in from Las Vegas. It was late and they were on their way back home to Crookston, but I got a good hug in, and he got to see my beach ball belly. (His emergency heart surgery was Feb 6th). Although he's still got a long road ahead with post op visits, lifestyle adjustments and his pesky ;-) family checking in daily, its great to have him back home.

Other good news this weekend, is that I got a response from the Nanny ad that I posted on MSUM and NDSU's campus job shops last week. She's currently in nursing school and has experience caring for 3 yr old triplets!! Could this be the one? (We meet with her on Wednesday) My fingers are crossed, as 3 kids in a daycare center is quite spendy, plus I'd rather keep the little man away from the "germs" as long as possible. Those 7 months we had Dani "the Nanny" coming in to our home to look after the boys was wonderful!! The convenience, absence of illness and extra help with housework is something I dearly miss and hope to get back soon!

We've gotta be on the end of this artic freeze...until then stay warm!!

35 Weeks


The count down continues... The picture above was taken just this evening~ Hence the jammies. Little man was moving like crazy today... He woke me up at 4:30am and do you think I could get back to sleep?! Thankfully the big boys were good nappers today, and we are all able to nap for a good 2 1/2 hrs this afternoon. This morning Brad and I took the boys to a neat littl class at the hospital, "Our Family is Having a Baby". The kids got to practice changing diapers and wrapping a baby (doll) up like a burrito and then we toured the Family Birth Center so they could see where all the action happens. It was cute to see them be so gentle and caring... well except for when Riley lifted his baby into a headstand position trying to get the diaper under the bum, and then Dylan sort of thunked his baby on the floor when wrapping him up. On the way home I was asking what their favorite part was, and Riley said he liked pushing the buttons on the bed to make it go up and down, and Dylan liked the elevator. Overall the class was good, but a little lame... and I feel really bad for dragging Brad along, because he's not feeling well (cold). So I rewarded him with some quiet time home alone today, and I took the boys with me on errands.


33 Weeks


Thought I would post this other belly shot we took at 33 weeks. This time around we haven't really been on top of the whole belly shot thing... This was the first time we had taken a profile picture of this pregnancy. Better late than never right!

TGIF

Yipee- Its Friday :-) The week just flew by!
When I picked the boys up from school yesterday Dylan was super excited to share with me that he was the one who broke the pinata at their Valentine's party, so he then had to demonstrate the manly whack that did the trick. For the next hour they couldn't stop talking about how they can't wait to have a pinata at their birthday party (August).
Other excitement in their world was the success of passing their skating lessons last night. So in double celebration of their success and the Holiday we stopped for ice cream as planned, on our way home. I had a chuckle as we sat there enjoying our cool treat still bundled in our jackets, next to a frost covered window, as the snow whipped by and the bank sign read -20. Only in North Dakota! I was disappointed to find there was no Tangy Taffy ice cream,though. So instead I settled for a cup of Cotton Candy and Cake Batter. No, this isn't a weird pregnancy craving- these are the flavors I would normally order. Yes I know, my kids have the coolest mom in the world!! You can forget the chocolate and all that other fancy stuff with the nuts, and fruit swirls. Gimme Cotton Candy, Bubble Gum or Cake Batter! Ymmmm...

After a busy evening of chasing around, Brad and I settled in and had a nice pillow talk before bed. I complained, as he listened to me carry on about how we are so busy with our own schedules and raising a family, that I feel we forget about each other. To my surprise he recognized that yes this is true and, yes we do need to start making more time for each other. But sometimes I just lack the energy and motivation to plan yet another thing into our busy weeks. With both parties on the same page we're bringing back date night... So for those of you out there who plan to visit us in the next couple months, come prepared... as you may find yourself left to watch the boys while we paint the town red :-)
Hope you enjoy your weekend.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day~ I appreciate the fact that it calls attention to the need to express your LOVE for others, but don't care for the commercialized pressure. I again asked that Brad skip the flowers buying today and just pick a random day during the year to surprise me. So with that I hinted for him to doing something a little more thoughtful... curious what he'll do with that? So far my Valentine has started the day by not only warming up the car, but brushing the newly fallen 4 inches of snow off it, and shoveling a path to the car for me so I wouldn't get snow in my shoes. Then shortly after getting to work I received a surprise phone call from my little Valentines (before they went to school) wishing me a "Happy Valentine's Day, Mommy" Ahhhh...

So what do I do for my Valentine? For the last 3 years now, I've bought him a whole Pecan Pie (his fav) and let him eat it all himself, without giving him crap about all the calories he's consuming. (He still hasn't caught on to the pie "tradition") Before kids we used to go and wait for hours to dine out at a favorite restaurant, and enjoy adult conversation over a bottle of wine. These days I don't want to take the chance of ruining the evening for anyone else when my kids start to act like animals in the restaurant, so we skip the restaurants on Valentine's day. I'd just hate to discourage any newlyweds from their decision to have children. So instead we'll pick up a Heart Shaped pizza and scarf it down before we dash out the door for Dylan and Riley's skating lessons (last one for the yr) then maybe stop for some ice cream on the way home.

The boys were super excited for their party today and to hand out their Valentines with suckers to their friends at school. (Good thing we've got skating tonight to wear off that sugar high) Last year those 2 got a pile of candy - So much that Mom and Dad had to help out a bit. Wonder what kind of treats we can look forward to this year ;-) I hope Tangy Taffy! (Not Laffy Taffy, TANGY TAFFY) ... Ahhh, I've been craving Tangy Taffy for the past month, and I can only find it at a gas station across town. ~Fortunately we'll be driving by that gas station on our way to skating tonight :-) I wonder if they make a Tangy Taffy ice cream?

Hope your Valentine's is a sweet one :-)

Nap time, Please...

After a very long weekend of being left at home with the dudes(Daddy had a hockey tournament)... the boys headed off to school yesterday and I to work. I have to admit that yesterday was one of few Mondays, that I was looking forward to work. I hadn't stepped foot out into the Artic Chill all weekend, and needed that fresh breath of air, along with a break from toddlers. Dylan and Riley were such monsters on Sunday I was absolutely beside myself. I won't bore you with all the little things, so I'll just highlight a few of the "good ones" that happened during nap time. A little history for you that dont know... Since 5 months old the boys have been super good sleepers/nappers. You lay them in bed, they stay in bed, fall asleep, stay asleep and stay in bed until you go in and get them. Even since they moved into toddler beds, they'll hang out in bed until we get them in the morning. of course there are the very rare instances where you they get a little bucky or need 3 drinks of water, but those are so very rare. Thankfully with the little one on the way, I've still got nappers...Yes, even at 3 1/2 they nap (at home anyway) for about 2 hrs in the afternoon. But Sunday was not a normal nap...
By Sunday afternoon, I was running low on energy and needed a good rest myself, so nap time was calling my name. I even turned down a visit from my good friend Jenn, because I needed this nap so bad. So I hit tuck in the boys and take my position on the family room couch downstairs, where its dark and quite...Ahhh, YES!! Nap time. 20 minutes of resting and I hear commotion up in their room, so I head off to lay down the law. Just normal fartn' around at this point. A few toys in bed with them and covers all over- Get things settled and back downstairs I go. Now its been another 30 minutes and just as I'm starting to dose off I hear an extremely loud thud/bang and crying, so as fast as my beluga body (the boys refer to my belly as "Baby Beluga") will move I race up the stairs into their room to find both boys balling. "Dylan bit me!" "Riley pushed me off the bed!" Not sure how the fight started but Riley had bit marks on his arm and claims Dylan bit him so that's why he pushed Dylan off the bed. After everyone calmed down, apologized, forgave and hugged, it was back to bed. At this point I was certain that they were exhausted from the crying, and it was now almost 3:00, over a good hour since they first laid down. Back downstairs I go, positive that this was it and we'd all be sleeping in 10 minutes or less... Well I do think I dozed off for a few minutes, but was awakened by yet more commotion from those two yahoo's upstairs. As I stomped down the hallway I hear Brad come home from Hockey, and called him in as reinforcement. I was still the first to arrive on the scene... There were pieces of FLUFF, fuzz, batting, stuffing, whatever you call it all over the floor. "Riley pulled the fluff out of my blanket Mommy!" "Dylan helped me too." SERIOUSLY!! At that point I collected the fluff, shoved it back in the blanket and turned them over to their father. I was done!!
So much for a nap for anyone that day...

Random Pictures

I'm still playing around with the site, trying to figure out the pictures and things. So below you'll find some random pictures of the boys from this winter. Some may recognize the top one as the picture we used for our Christmas cards this year. Riley is on the left wearing the white sweater and Dylan is on the right in the blue top, with a chapped chin. Both kids have a terrible habit this winter of licking their lips and chins so they have been getting chapped faces.
The other pictures are of the boys playing around downstairs as superheros. Riley is sporting the saftey goggles and Dylan is super cool with the shades. I tell ya, these 2 are quite the characters some days.
And then the last picture is from Christmas morning at the Onofreychuk's- They got a "hockey table with all the triggers" from Santa. Although it was a much smaller version than the $279 one they pointed out in the store, they didn't seem to mind after we explained Santa couldn't fit a big one like that in his sleigh.

I've got a Dr's appointment this Tuesday, so if I'm on top of things I'll take a belly shot and post an update about the other little man in my life.

Recent Random Pictures

 
 
 
 

What no Hug or Kiss?

This morning I had the chore of getting my guys out the door and off to school (daycare). Usually I'm off to work before they get up, so Daddy is left with the morning wrangling routine and I pick them up at the days end. But today the roles were reversed... As I quietly open their bedroom door all I hear and see across the room are sheets and covers flying over their heads. Oh no, I'm thinking... We are going to have one of those mornings. But with a sweet "Good Morning" from their mommy I got an surprised response as the covers were flung to the side with smiles and kisses being offered. The rest of the morning (30 minutes) went wonderful. Ok, we had one melt down, when Riley insisted that I put Dylan's shoe on him...they wear the same size, and have the exact same shoes! How could it be the wrong shoe?!! Thankfully I didn't have Dylan's shoes on yet, so the swap wasn't a big deal. (We had this problem once before, except Dylan had his on and wouldn't trade with Riley, so he cried all the way to school and told me he was going to tell his teacher that I made him mad). So any way... we get to school, hang up their gear, and they run off to play... "WAIT!" I shout, "What about my hug and kiss?" With a quick glance over their shoulder I get (Dylan: "I don't need one today, mom." (Riley: "Yeah me either." as they run off to the music room to join their friends. What?! How is this possible? Usually I'm tackled with hugs and kisses any time I leave, no matter where I'm going. I'm convinced this was just a fluke and not the early signs of "manhood" where its too cool to kiss your mom in public. Little STINKERS!!

Loving Heart

Did you know February Heart month? Sure I was aware, but this year it has really hit home, as my grandfather underwent Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery yesterday. Thankfully my uncle was visiting the snowbird in Arizona/Las Vegas when he had his near death episode this past Sunday. Had my uncle not been their on vacation, my unconcisous grandfather would not have been able to call for the help that saved his life. After 6 hrs of surgery yesterday (they re-routed 6 arteries!) there is a silent sigh of relief today but a road tough road to recovery. My grandfather had first been clued into possibly having heart condition 12 years ago, but the symptoms and concerns where minimal at the time. So time went on... However, after those many years the silent killer caught up with him, and almost took his life.

On Monday morning my mom called and said she was coming to Fargo to catch a flight out to Las Vegas later that evening to be with my grandfather as he faced the uncertainties of his condition. Of course Dylan and Riley were elated to see grandma on the spur of the moment, but couldn't understand why she was only visiting for a couple hours, and not staying over night. So I explained to them that she was flying out to Las Vegas to take care of her daddy who is in the hospital because he needs his heart fixed. The wheels were turning, and questions flying, and I thought they got the gist of it, but all they could talk about after she left was that grandma would be coming back soon because she left her car here. So when my mom called Tuesday night with an update, Riley got on the phone with her and was asking if her daddy's heart was fixed? "When your daddy's heart is fixed and all better Grandma, you come back to our house on the airplane. His heart is broke so they help fix it at the hospital, right. Then you can come see me to get your van and read us silly stories too." WOW! That's coming from my 3 yr old... What a sweetie.

So here's my Public Service Announcement... Treat your Heart well and then listen to your heart when it speaks.

What Better Time...

It has been 4 years to the day that I found out I was having twins! And ever since that pregnancy I've had the intention of setting up a family webpage, which would document our adventerous lives with pictures and blogs. Well better late then never right! So here it goes... I hope you enjoy the journey as I take on My 3 Sons (and husband).

Dylan and Riley are almost 3 1/2 now and with baby (boy) #3 on the way I'm gearing up for life as a mother of 3 sons. At Christmas I asked my auntie Kim for some advice on having 3 sons, and from what I remember, she just let out a chuckle. Not sure if that was a laugh of sympathy or lucky you? Considering what I was like as a teenager, I think that YES I am lucky.

With only 6 weeks to go until his big debut, we've been busy getting the house and life in order to take on the addition of the little man. Brad finished up the nursery last night, and got the crib put together. Man was that werid looking at a crib again... Granted its only been 7 months since the boys broke free. I think its the little mobile that did it...and then theres the change table, monitor, diaper pail and pint size clothes hanging in the closet. OK so its the whole room, that makes me smirk. Having sold everything (but the crib-yeah, I was that convinced that we weren't having more) from the boys, we've been out getting the necessities. Thanks to good deals and good friends I hope to have it all covered by his arrival.

The common question these days is "How have you been feeling?" And at first I was quick to volunteer the candy coated version "Oh, great!" But as time DRAGS on and I continue to pack on the pounds my response has changed. It depends on the day, but more days than not, I'm gripping about my ever so large belly and how difficult it is to go from lying to sitting position or to roll over in bed. This sleep thing is ridiculous!! I'll wake up every 3 hrs, some time for no reason, but then because I'm awake I head to the bathroom, in hopes that if I go now maybe I won't have to get up in the next 2 hrs with the urgency to go. After a nice cool drink I return to bed to flop around like a fish out of water, trying to get comfy and fall back to sleep ASAP before my mind takes off in 50 different directions. All the while I listen to Brad calmly rest as he is completely oblivious to my night time disturbances. If its been a really bad night I may "accidentally" nudge him and let out a sigh just to let him know I'm uncomfortable. Hey if I can't sleep why should he?!
Really though its not all that bad... Seriously! My Dr. visits are short and sweet, no complications, the baby's head down (at this stage in the game), and I just keep trucking along. Thankfully my body bares children well, and I have been given the blessing to experience it a second time around.