Our first purchases!

So we've begun the task of buying some things for the nursery and of course some other things "of interest." Haha. We were going to wait until after our 20 week ultrasound when we would be given the assurance that everything looks okay with both of the Monkeys, but a lot of the things we really like have been going out of stock. I was afraid that by the time we decided on making some purchases, we would have to settle for our second choice for everything! Instead, we decided to get busy today and buy some things. Although we will NOT open or assemble any of them until after our big ultrasound...which by the way, is scheduled for June 13. Friday the 13th! I'm not superstitious, so I'm not overly worried. Nate isn't superstitious either, so we're good to go!

This will be our crib. Of course, we bought two!

The crib converts into a toddler bed (then a day bed and full size bed if we so choose).

I like the drawer underneath for some extra storage space!
The changing table. Again, I like the single drawer for the smaller items like nail clippers and bulb syringe. The diapers will be kept in the open spaces for easy (and quick!) access!!

The carseats. Yes, green and brown. Gender neutral, remember? We will not be finding out the sexes.

Finally, the matching double stroller.

It was an exciting day today. I now have a little less anxiety about not being "prepared" for their arrival. I know we are only 18 weeks along right now, but that panic has kind of set in about clearing out the nursery of all the miscellaneous things in there (bed, computer desk, 50" TV that Nate swears he is going to fix, boxes of almost anything you can imagine, etc.), doing finishing touches on the painting, and then finally putting in the nursery furniture. So the fact that we got a small start today makes me feel a bit better.

I have an OB appointment on Tuesday. I am really looking forward to it, of course! I will get to see the wee ones on another small ultrasound machine...and that is always cool. I wonder what both of them will be doing. One time, the baby on the right was squirming around while the baby on the left was sleeping. And the next time, it was vice versa! So it will be interesting to see who is doing what on Tuesday!! Will update then.

One year ago today...

We tied the knot! Neither of us can believe how fast the time has gone. Here is a little blast from the past...

The rehearsal dinner.

Saying our vows.

Lighting the Unity Candle.

Nate was aware that there would be NO cake in the face!
Finger-licking good!!!

And finally, a few pictures from our honeymoon.

What a year it has been! Something tells me that this next year is going to be just as much of a whirlwind as the first!

17 weeks and going strong

We have been back from vacation for a few days now. But you know how it is...you come back from vacation more tired than the day you left! I worked early in the morning the day after we got back, so it took me a few days to recuperate. I think I am finally feeling back to normal.

Florida was a blast. The weather was gorgeous. It only rained one day, but it didn't even last very long. We stayed pretty busy throughout the whole vacation. Though we did manage to come back to the hotel each afternoon for a couple of hours so that I could rest my feet and take a little snooze to refresh myself! Once again, Nate was wonderful at making sure I didn't overdo it. There was one day that we were at the Magic Kingdom and I think I had gone too long without eating or drinking anything -- not good for anyone in hot weather, let alone someone pregnant with twins. We were on Tom Sawyer's Island waiting for the raft to come pick us up to take us back to the "mainland" when I told Nate that we had to get back quickly before I passed out. Well wouldn't you know it, shortly after I said that, things started to become really blurry. Nate told me to breathe...and I told him that I was well beyond the breathing part! I used to pass out a lot, so I know that once my vision becomes blurry, it's just a matter of seconds before I get tunnel vision and take a digger! So we stepped out of line, just as our raft docked to get us...and I laid down. Nate searched the island for a pop machine. And I ended up downing a 20oz Sprite in about 5 minutes flat. I wanted to get myself rehydrated and get some sugar in my system. Once we got back to the mainland, we went to get some lunch and I felt immensely better after that. From then on, we carried water bottles with us and I made sure to eat before we left our hotel every morning! But Nate took such good care of me and wouldn't let me whine about ruining his vacation because of the breaks I needed to take, etc. We have sooo many pictures, but I haven't downloaded them onto the computer yet. Sorry!

In baby news. I seem to have grown exponentially larger while on vacation. I wore my regular jeans on the flight down to Florida. And then I wore maternity shorts while there, because let's face it, they are just plain comfortable! Well, when I went to put my jeans on for the flight back home, they were FAR too tight! So whenever I was sitting, I unbuttoned my top button like I just got done eating at a buffet. Haha. All the literature says that the babies are going through a growth spurt for the next couple of weeks, so hopefully that accounts for at least some of my own growth spurt! It is either that or all of the yummy food I ate down at Disney!

Right now, each baby is about 5 inches long and each weighs between 5-6 ounces. So they are definitely getting bigger.

Graduation and other things

I officially have my master's degree!! I graduated on Saturday. It's hard to believe that I am no longer a "student." There is some safety in being able to call yourself a student. Now I've entered the real world and I still won't be finding my "real world" job. I will be keeping my job at the hospital until the babies are born and then will hopefully land a job while I am on maternity leave. So I won't be making use of my hard-fought master's degree until sometime in 2009. Yikes!

Anyway. It was such a good time. Nate's parents were here, as were my parents and brother and sister-in-law. It was so nice having so many loved ones there to support me. We took some nice pictures...most of which are on my mom's camera. And we went out to eat to celebrate. We laughed a lot and had a good time.

Mom got tears in her eyes, which she said surprised her. But if you think of everything that has happened with her "baby girl" in the last year, it's not that surprising. I got married to a wonderful man who they LOVE to death (as do I!). I got pregnant with twins (with Nate's help of course!), and now I graduated with a master's degree...all within less than a full year. That is a lot to digest! She's a wonderful, wonderful mother, and I never could have gotten this far in my life without her constant support. So a very Happy (belated) Mother's Day to a fantastic woman. I love you so much!! (in case you're reading this, which I know you are!)

If you look really closely, you can see me on the stage getting hooded.

Two happy campers that this phase of our life is now over.

In other news, Nate and I will leaving for vacation TOMORROW!! Yay! We are headed to Florida and will visit the great parks of Disney. Nate has never been there. And considering that I worked for Disney for 5 months, it made planning pretty easy. We will be gone May 13-20. Not only do we need a get-away, but the vacation will celebrate both my graduation as well as our upcoming one year anniversary! I can't believe it has been a year already. But that is a different post for a different time.

I will post again when we get back!

Questions everyone asks...

Q: Are you going to find out what the sexes of the babies are?
A: We are actually hoping to wait until the birth to find out. Some people have called us crazy for doing this, but we already have the nursery painted, and there are plenty of cute gender neutral clothes, necessities, accessories, etc. out there, so it's not a big deal.

Q: But how can I buy baby gifts when I don't know the sex?
A: The same way people bought gifts for hundreds of years before the invention of ultrasound. Or just send diapers!! We will need a lot of those!! Haha.

Q: Because there is a membrane separating them, that means that they are fraternal, right?
A: Not necessarily. The membrane just means that each baby has its own amniotic sac. They could still be in the same chorion, which would make them identical. We may or may not be able to find out before the birth if they are identical or fraternal.

Q: How much weight are you supposed to gain?
A: The recommendation has been to gain about 35-45 pounds, with the the higher end of that range being optimum. I am also supposed to gain the weight earlier rather than later because toward the end, I will run out of room to eat a lot and will need some extra padding to nourish the babies! I might have to start drinking supplements because trying to eat as many calories as I am supposed to every day is like eating a Thanksgiving dinner every day! Not easy to do! So we'll see.

Q: So when will the twins be born?
A: Well, the due date is November 1st. But now we are realistically looking at mid-October at the latest.

Q: Do twins run in your family?
A: Yes. Nate is an identical twin. My mom is an identical twin. And my great-great grandma had triplets. However, the fact that Nate is a twin has no bearings on whether or not we would have twins. Apparently, only the maternal line really has any influence regarding multiples.

Q: How have you been feeling?
A: Much, much better in the past couple of weeks. I don't feel sick anymore, though I will have a wave of nauseousness every now and then. And my energy level is beginning to come back! I felt so bad for Nate in the beginning because I had become a permanent lumped fixture in our bed! It was sad...and pathetic. But overall, I am feeling more and more like myself again.

Q: Will you breastfeed?
A: I certainly plan on trying. I have surrendered to the fact that I will become a mommy milk truck for a while. If breastfeeding itself doesn't work out, I am going to try my hardest to pump as long as possible. So wish me luck!

Happy Birthday to me!

So it's my birthday. I am now 26. It kind of snuck up on me this year. I guess with much of my attention being focused on the babies, stuff like that happens. In fact, I probably could have forgotten my birthday altogether if it hadn't been for the cards I received yesterday from my parents, my in-laws, and a friend. Of course, I was also reminded of my birthday at 12:01 this morning by my cousin! He likes to do stuff like that. So when I talked to my mom on my way to my internship this morning at 7am, she was saddened to hear that she was not the first person to wish me a Happy Birthday on my actual birthday! Instead, my cousin Jordan beat her to that. I told her to make note for next year...she will have to set her alarm and call at exactly midnight! I'm sure I will be up with one of the babies, right?

I was not only reminded by several people that it's my birthday, I was also reminded by my good friend Heather that this is the last birthday I will celebrate as a non-mommy. Then my sister-in-law Chelsea sent me a text message telling me to "enjoy the peace and quiet because next year at this time it will be a different story!" Yes, she is very right.

Well, I am off to celebrate my big day...at a night class. I just got home from my internship, and now I am headed to my last class as a student! It stinks that it is on my birthday, so Nate and I can't do anything tonight. However, I am SOO excited to finally be done! I have 1 week of my internship left and then I graduate on May 10th. Oh how life is changing...