Family Photos December 2018

At the end of December 2018, I arranged for family photos to be taken at our house.  Thank you so much to Crystal Paez Photography for the gorgeous photos documenting our final days as a family of three. 

Free Time and Projects

I've been taking it easy lately to make sure babies stay-in and also because it's hard to do much in the first place.  As a result, I've finished quite a few projects.

First, I made these prints for the baby room.  I was in a drawing and coloring phase for a few weeks. 

I made some felt garland and a mobile for the baby room as well. 

You can see the garland hanging on the windows above the crib and cradle, as well as the mobile above the crib.

I finally finished a tedious paper project I started months ago.  I love the monochromatic look.

I made a banner for Katy's new room and sewed a pillow cover for a pillow on her bed. 

Most recently, I made a growth chart using a piece of scrap wood lying around.  Then, I made a clever little sign (our name is pronounced see-us) to hang next to the growth chart.  I can't wait to fill the oversized ruler with the growth of our children, starting with Katy on her upcoming fourth birthday. 

This was my first attempt at a painting project. Not bad for my first try. 

The growth ruler and the sign hung together. 

Chris did a fantastic job mounting the oversized ruler off the wall. 

I also made a banner and cake decorations for Katy's birthday. 

Most significant to Katy, however, are all the little felt blankets (simple cutting!) and extra felt beds (cutting with a quick stitch or two) I made for her doll house.  This girls loves putting all the house members and their stuffies to bed. 

Katy's 4th Birthday Party

We celebrated Katy's birthday early this year due to the proximity of her actual birthday to the due date of the twins.

This was the first year Katy was truly excited about her birthday, asked for a birthday party, and anxiously awaited the party's arrival.

Katy wrote an untold number of letters to her friends inviting them to her party during the weeks leading up to it.

Katy asked for a princess birthday party.  She also asked for a hot wheels race track and a car hauler for her birthday.  She's a very balanced little girl.

The day of the party finally arrived and Katy was so excited.  When she saw the first guests arrive out the front window, she jumped up and down in exclamation.  For the next three hours, she was busy jumping in the bouncy house, playing with her little friends, and finally her opening gifts.  I was preoccupied much of the time preparing food, readying the cake, etc, but every time I saw Katy she was smiling and rushing to get back to the fun.  The birthday excitement definitely overtook her natural timidness.

Happy early birthday sweet girl!

I made the princes cake topper as well as the strawberry and chocolate cake with strawberry frosting.

Homemade banana apple muffins and play-doh for all the kiddos.

The birthday princess ready to party!

The kiddos in attendance, minus a couple of babies. 

Mom friends are pretty awesome. 

Katy's Clock

Katy asked for a clock one night around bedtime.  I gave her a small bedside clock I wasn't using.  Chris helped her place it in her room so she can see it from her bed.  Katy spent the next half hour exclaiming each time the minute changed.  "Look, it's a six now!  What time is it now?!?!?!"  "Look, it's a seven now! What time is it now?!?!?"  Katy also asked what time her clock would say when we returned home from church the next day.  Chris told her and she responded in amazement, "oh wow!"

As Chris tried to read Katy her bedtime story, she complained that he was blocking her view of the clock, she leaned over Chris to look at the clock every 30 seconds, and she interrupted Chris to very excitedly tell him a number had changed.  Chris finally tried to explain that the numbers would constantly change and that this was no reason for so much excitement.  Less than sixty seconds later, Katy exclaimed that one of the numbers had changed and asked what time it was.    Even after we left the room, Katy yelled through the door to tell us the number on her clock changed again.

In hindsight, I should have waited until the morning to give Katy a clock.  I just didn't realize it would be so exciting to watch time pass.

Pregnant with Twins: 35 Weeks

Today is the start of week 35.  Because average twin gestation is 35-36 weeks, I thought now a good time to write about the pregnancy thus far.

So far, I've gained 35 pounds, most of it in my belly.  I have some swelling from my waist down, but it's not enough to comprise much of the weight gain.  As of January 7, the specialist estimated baby A to weigh 5 pounds 14 ounces and baby B to weight 5 pounds, 7 ounces.  That is about a pound more than they were estimated to weigh two weeks prior.  

My belly really began visible and rapid growth around week 28.  The other day, I put on a maternity shirt after washing it and first thought it shrunk in the wash.  But it's happening with other maternity shirts, as well as with the suddenly too-tight elastic bands on maternity pants.

My belly feels very tight and stretched most of the time.  The skin on the top half of my belly is very tender to the touch.  Sometimes I don't even want a shirt rubbing on it.  It's not itchy from stretching, but actually sore.  Poor Katy has received a few too warnings about touching mommy's belly, which makes me sad because she just wants to love and be loved.   

Speaking of stretch marks, my first one appeared this week in what used to be the small space between the two holes where I formally had a belly button piercing.  I wonder if it will grow, if it has friends in waiting, and what it will look like when I have a belly button again. 

Baby A has consistently presented vertex.  Baby B is usually breech but sometimes transverse, sitting above baby A.  Baby B constantly pushes into my ribs, while baby A is so low that I can feel some movements externally in my...ahem....nether parts.  It's a very strange feeling and it makes me think a hand may just pop right out if I'm not careful.  I suspect Baby A is actually just hitting some nerve endings due to his or her very low position.  

Staying hydrated has been a huge focus this pregnancy, especially after I started having contractions at an one of Chris' work related functions and had to leave early to go to the hospital.  It was a quite dramatic exit because we carpooled with some of Chris' coworkers, so it was impossible to slip out unnoticed.  It turns out I was dehydrated, and probably that I had also been a bit too active that day.  So, now I'm drinking about 150 ounces of water a day and somehow I still wake-up thirsty.  As you can imagine, I go to the bathroom a lot.  

Heartburn has been a problem, as it was with Katy's pregnancy.  It has been a bit more manageable thanks to a prescription medicine my doctor prescribed after I was unable to lay on my back for 20 minutes for one of my weekly fetal non-stress tests.  But, I still wake up at night sometimes with semi-digested food shooting up my throat, only to spend the next ten minutes coughing and trying to get rid of the taste of vomit in my mouth.  

Back pain and round ligament pain, however, is by far the biggest discomfort right now.  Driving is very uncomfortable and exacerbates my back pain.  There's something about how I have to sit to reach both the pedals and the steering wheel at the same time that just hurts, plus I can't really turn my body when I need to look over my shoulder when crossing oncoming traffic.  Worse than driving, however, is sleeping.  I dread nighttime because every position I sleep-in causes either back pain, rib pain, or shooting round ligament pain.  Sometimes I have to wake Chris to help me move because the pain is so immobilizing.  I wake-up several times a night in pain, struggle to adjust my position and move all my support pillows, and long for morning as I fall back to sleep.  Some nights, I get so tired of the discomfort and constant waking that I just get up and read for a couple hours.    

I'm also winded easily and get tired if I'm on feet too much.  Luckily these have been manageable symptoms because I have someone coming to the house daily to help me with cooking, cleaning, and watching Katy when I need to take a (uncomfortable) nap.  Also helpful are the electric carts at HEB and Target.  

Having help at home as well as general pain and discomfort from over-exertion means I have a lot of free time to catch up on half-finished craft projects, reading, settling into the new house, and the always growing too-do list before babies arrive.  

Week 34 turned out to be a very big week.  First, our new church threw us a surprise baby shower.  We were leaving Soceidad Jovenes when we were invited into the fellowship hall.  Chris and our friends visiting from McAllen all agreed to go without hesitation, even though I said, "We don't even know what we are agreeing to attend."  When we entered, everyone yelled surprise and I looked around trying to figure out who the surprise was for.  I was very, very confused and my face showed it.  And then I realized everyone was looking at me, I turned bright red, and I almost started crying.  It was a very kind thing from a church in which we are very new.

Also during week 34, I pushed my specialist to do a transvaginal ultrasound to check my marginal placenta previa, something not usually done because the placenta usually does not move that late in pregnancy.  I must be the exception, though, because the placenta had finally moved enough to no longer be placenta previa.  The specialist congratulated me on having graduated from his care, and my OB subsequently cancelled my c-section scheduled for January 22.  Now I can go as long as 38 weeks (the first week of February).  I know this is a good thing for the babies but for my personal comfort level...oh gosh.

People still find great interest in the fact that I'm carrying two babies.  It really is something special to carry twins, but it is also a great burden on a woman's body.  Luckily, we are nearing the end and soon we will know if we have two girls, two boys, or one of each.

30 weeks

32 weeks

35 weeks

The Kids Visit Santa

Katy visited Santa at Bass Pro Shop again this year.  As expected, she was very timid at first.  Thank goodness Santa was patient with her, despite the long line of children waiting to sit on his lap on the day before Christmas.  Of course, he had been equally patient with the lady who visited Santa before us...with her cat.  After much coaxing, Katy told Santa what she wanted: the doll on which you put make-up.  Santa looked up at me sarcastically and asked in a low voice, "Really?  Do they sell that?"  I appreciated Santa verifying with me that he was about to promise something that actually exists.

As we were leaving, Santa grabbed my arm and said, "one more picture."  He then directed me to sit on his knee and put my legs across his other knee.  I was a bit embarrassed at first, me being a grown woman sitting on this old man's lap.  But I understood Santa's motive as he placed his hand on my belly.  He seemed quite proud to give me my baby's first picture with Santa.

 

Katy's New Room

Katy had a lovely room in our old house but not so much in the new house.  Her room was brown, brown, brown.   So, when I received a little of my teaching money, I spent some of it on transforming Katy's room into a little girl's room.  Katy could barely wait to make her room pink as packages began to arrive in the mail, and she is now quite happy with the end result.

Christmas 2018

Christmas was quiet this year.  We stayed in the Valley, and no one came to visit us.  We were just three, the babies still growing away inside my belly.  Next year, when the children out-number the parents, I suspect quiet is a word that will be missing from our description of Christmas.

Christmas was exciting this year.  For the first time. Katy understood all things Christmas.  She asked for the same gift for six weeks straight (la muñeca en que puedes poner make-up), she wrote a letter to santa, and she persistently asked to decorate Christmas cookies.  She loved counting down to Christmas day using the Advent calendar Gigi made for us.  On Christmas eve, she had so many technical questions about Santa that it took her an hour to fall asleep (How will he know which stocking is mine?  Where will he go after our house?  How far away is he?).

Christmas was slow this year.  We started opening gifts before 9 a.m. and didn't finish until 2 p.m.  We didn't have five hours worth of gifts.  We stopped for breakfast.  We stopped for phone calls from loved ones.  We stopped when Katy was absorbed in a new toy.  We took our time, we lazed about, and we enjoyed the day.

Christmas was spent at home this year.  The day after Christmas, we ate lunch with our former McAllen neighbors.  Upon seeing our former home across the street, we weren't struck with feelings of longing or loss.  Instead, we felt grateful for what we now have instead.  This confirmed our feeling that we are finally feeling settled into the new house and feeling at home.

Katy was excited to decorate the Christmas tree.

One of several Christmas crafts. 

Cookie-decorating event at Chick-Fil-A

Finally decorating Christmas cookies at home. 

Mom enjoyed cookie decorating too!

Merry Christmas!

Decorating cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve. 

Cookies and Egg Nog for Santa.  Katy in her new Christmas pajamas.

Santa came through.  The make-up doll. 

Stopping to play with the new toys while others wait under the tree. 

So cute!

Letter to my Three-Year-Old

Dear Katy,

You are three-years-old for only a few more weeks.  I'm know I won't remember all the little quirks that make this age fun, so here's my effort to capture who you are at three-years-old.

• You learned English this year and despite how well you speak it now, you still have an accent.  You sound almost Russian when you say Daddy (Dah-Dee).  You still occasionally use Spanish grammar when speaking English.  Sometimes I can tell you are stopping mid-sentence because you don't know the English word for what you want to say.  
• You are learning about jokes.  Your one joke, "What's brown and sticky?" is usually delivered without any pause for the punchline.  One time, however, while visiting all of my family for Thanksgiving in Denver, you walked up to everyone at the table, said "You want to hear a joke?", and delivered it perfectly.  You made everyone laugh, and you loved it.
• This year you started saying, "Shake it like a booty snake" a lot.  We have no idea where you learned this or what it means, but you usually shake your torso as you say it. 
• You like to sing songs that you make up, usually when we are in the car, and you get mad if anyone tries to sing with you.  You accuse us of "robando mi canción."  If you and I make up a song together, however, you love for us to sing it together and ask me to make-up new verses forever. 
• You hate to brush your hair, wash your hair, or do anything to make your hair look presentable. 
• You have a small bell in the bathroom that you ring after you wash your hands or brush your teeth.  The last time we traveled, you packed the bell because you needed it to brush your teeth.
• You say "hurra" (hooray in Spanish) when you are excited about something. You learned this from watching Peppa Pig in Spanish.  Peppa Pig has been a favorite lately, displacing Daniel Tiger.
• You get scared in movies very easily.  I tried showing you Frozen but you asked me to turn it off.  I thought G-rated Lady and the Tramp would be ok, but I was wrong.  
• You love packing random objects in boxes, bags, or any other container you can find.  When we leave the house, you usually pack one or two or three bags of stuff you need to bring. You love packing a suitcase for a trip, and then unpacking it when we arrive at our location.  I've actually used unpacking your suitcase as a way to keep you occupied when I was tired from a day of traveling. 
• You like for someone to lay with you at night as you fall asleep to "placticar" with you.  You like talking about so many different things - the pipes in the house, guardian angels, what we'll do the next day.
• Anytime we are going to do something "mañana", you ask, "hoy?"  When I repeat mañana, you ask, "cuando es mañana?"  Every. Single. Time. 
• You continue to be a very messy eater.  Food on the floor, on your clothes, in your hair.  
• Your favorite store is Target.  I think that's my doing.  Your favorite restaurant was Chick-Fil-A until we bought you your first Happy Meal at McDonalds.  Happy Meals are king now. Your favorite number is 8.  Your favorite color continues to be black.  Your favorite song is Barquito Chiquitito.  
• You learned to write your name this year, as well as Mom and Papi.  
• You like to color with colored pencils and cut different texture papers and plastics with scissors. 
• You learned to pedal your tricycle. You did really well on your balance bike until it broke about a month ago. You said you broke it because you were going "so fast."
• You like giving different kinds of hugs - little hugs, big hugs, wiggle hugs, squishy hugs, strong hugs.  If Papi or I give you more goodnight kisses than you wanted, you tell us you are "quitándolos" as you wipe them away.  I told you that you cannot wipe away my kisses because they travel straight to your heart and stay there forever.  
• More often than not, you put your shoes on the wrong feet.  We're starting to think it's not accidental. 
• You love looking at yourself in the mirror, especially after putting on your ballet uniform.  You stand, stare, smile, and comment on how pretty you are. 
• You can count to 25.
• You color well and insensitively state that friends and cousins your age "solo hacen scribbles."
• You still love to read.
• You started playing with your stuffed animals a lot over the last few months and although you don't have a favorite, you rotate through them regularly. 
• Sometimes I speak very firmly to you when you keep getting out of bed to avoid going to sleep or when you are trying to avoid something I've asked you to do.  When this happens, you try to distract me by saying, "Es que solo quiere un beso, mami."
• You have very specific ideas about how things are to be done and any deviation may trigger lots of sad sobs.
• Sometimes you tell me you are a big girl and other times, when you want me to do something for you, you remind me you are only "un poco grande."

Soon you will be four and around the same time you will become a big sister.  Your life is going to change in so many ways that you do not understand, although you very sweetly talk about how much you are going to help me with the babies.  Know that I have very much enjoyed our time together, just the two of us.  Three plus years of one-on-one time is something the twins and I will never have, so know that you had something very special, even if you can't remember it. 

Love,

Mom