Crazy Days

So this past weekend was almost a blur for me. I figured if I want these babies to come out, then why not have a little more activity in my weekend.

Friday was a great day - Paige came over and we organized coupons since it was triple coupon time at Harris Teeter. Suddenly I get a call from one of the schools that I have been looking at and the assistant principal says "We would love for you to come in for an interview...is there any way that you can come today?" I told her I would be able to come that afternoon. She said "How about 1 or 1:30." Keep in mind that this was 11:00 am. After I explained that I wouldn't be dressed appropriately since nothing fits, I agreed to 1:30. Oh and she mentioned that I needed 3 copies of my resume....umm....yeah haven't looked at that in 3 or so years. Anyway, Paige and I took a trip to one Harris Teeter on the way and I saved a good amount of money there. Then we went to the interview. I couldnt tell you how many people walked up to me and said "WHOA it must be any time." Keep in mind that I had found out the day before that I was 3cm dialated. After the interview, we were super hungry so we went to South 21...you figure maybe some greasy diner type food would work the boys out....not likely. Then we went to another Harris Teeter and saved some more money! After the 2 grocery stores, I discovered that I paid $90 for groceries and SAVED $100. How wonderful is that?! I thought I was good....You should see how much Paige saved! All in all, great but very busy day!

Saturday - definitely a lazy day. I looked at Chip and said "sorry I am so boring today." His reply was "yeah." This is when you can tell he didn't exactly hear me. After I gave him a mean look he said he thought I said "sorry that this is a boring day." Its amazing that a couple of mixed up words could make a difference. Anyway, we spent an awesome day inside relaxing and doing a whole lot of nothing!

Sunday - Another great but uneventful day. I did go to lunch with a group of my friends. It was great catching up with them...one was Carla that was my "trailer neighbor" at school. We used to be able to stand out on the patio in the mornings and keep track of each other's business. Now we have the phone and the occasional visit. Another friend was Jenn...it was great hearing the new news about her wedding plans (getting married in May). It is so strange for me...I feel like my wedding was like a few months ago...too bad it was a year and a half ago. And last but not least, Bett Anthony came. She is my saving grace right now. She is the teacher that took over my class at school. I am so happy that I have someone that knows what they are doing in there. She is also super nice!

So now, today is Monday and guess what I have done all morning??? A whole lot of nothing! I have another Dr. appt today so we will give the update later. But I was super happy to hear that Chip was going to be able to get off of work to take me. I know that he wants to be there too so he can hear what is going on. Since we are getting closer I know he would rather be there in case they keep me there too. So we have the car packed, bags packed, and we are ready!

Cross Your Fingers

Well here is the update from yesterday's appt. First of all...no babies yet. BUT I wasnt completely upset about the appt. My doctor said he would rather them come on their own than induce - because they rarely induce with twins...usually they come on their own. Apparently mine are happy where they are for the moment.
BUT the good news is that I am 3 cm dialated. That means that we are getting closer. Granted I have had 2 or 3 people tell me that they were 3cm for like a month...we are hoping that won't be the case for me. So I go back to the doctor on Monday and they are going to check me again to see if we are getting closer. So everyone, cross your fingers and keep your phones close by because you may just get a phone call soon!

Pictures

Ok, I mentioned the other day that I would post some pictures of Chip's handy work in the yard and I have also been meaning to post pictures of the nursery.....so here they are!

On the left is Whit's side and in the middle is Parker's side (It says their names on the wall but the letters didn't show up well in the pic)....Also notice the crocheted blanket that my grandmother made for the boys. The pic on the right is in between the boys' beds in the corner of the room. You see the glider that I will spend many a night in I am sure. Also notice the curtains and valances....made by my awesome mom. She has spent sooo much time on these...and it surely paid off!

On the left is a picture of the front flower bed (that doesn't actually have flowers) and on the right is around our mailbox. Chip layed every paver down and put fresh mulch in all of the areas. Notice my lily that is coming back below the mailbox?! I am just so proud!

Anyway, enjoy the pictures...I have been meaning to post these for a while.

Maybe today is my day....

Yesterday was a good day for me because I got to spend the day with some awesome friends. My friend Rachel took me to lunch and then I went to dinner with Beth. I keep telling myself that I have to go out with my girls now because soon, I will be at the house and won't be able to go out. At this point, it is so hard to really get ready to go out anywhere because nothing fits, but I will take one for the team so that I can go and enjoy myself a few more times before the babies get here.
There was one discouraging moment for me yesterday. I have really been focused a lot lately on where I will be able to work next year. There were a couple of schools that I really had my eye on but as I found out yesterday, those schools have already been filled. Bummer..... But, at the same time, I did get an offer at a school that I wasn't super excited to work at. But at this point, I can't be too picky. I figure at least I have a job for next year. Why not try something new...even if it does mean that I won't be at my dream school. At least I know of one person there from church that will watch out for me and help me along. I hate though when things don't work out as you had planned...I guess all in all, I know that it wasn't really in my hands as to what was going to happen. I just have to make the best of my situation.
BUT, maybe today is my day. I am calling the school that offered me a job to find out more detail, so at least I will know I have a job in August. Also, today is doctor day. Hopefully we will find out some good news. I am hoping that the doctor will be ready to take them out...I mean heck, we are at 37 weeks almost. What is the difference between 37 & 38...not much! I know this probably sounds horrible because of course you want to make sure that your children are fully developed before they are born BUT if you had this much weight just on your stomach...you would understand! Anyway, say a little prayer today and I will let you know what happens!

Happy Easter

Hope that everyone had a great Easter! Yes, yes, I know I have been kinda lazy with the blogging.
Chip and I had a great weekend. We got some yard work accomplished. We started laying pavers around some of the planting areas in our yard and we never got it finished. Granted when we started, I was able to get on the ground and dig and help out. This time, not so much. I tried getting on the ground on Saturday....talk about a bad idea. I couldn't get off of the ground by myself and I didn't get a whole lot accomplished in my one spot. Thankfully, Chip was able to do it all. I was more there for moral support after that. I sat in my chair in the driveway and watched Chip lay pavers. I will have to take a picture of what we (he) did and post it on here. I was also happy to see that the lily that I planted last year under the mailbox CAME BACK!!! Most of you may know that I do not have a green thumb so I can't tell you how excited I was to see a plant growing back under the mailbox.
For Easter yesterday, as I have said before, we are usually at the beach. I knew that I wouldn't be able to do that this year so we stayed at home. I will have to admit that on Saturday I think I said a few times that I wish that I were able to go since it was sooooo nice outside. At least we had the next best option. Sally invited Chip and I to lunch at their house. Now granted I will have to admit that again we skipped out on church BUT this time I had a good excuse. It is hard to go to church when you don't have one pair of shoes that fit you. Also, I have really restricted myself to one outting a day and church and Sally's would have been 2. At least Sally didn't mind that I didn't wear shoes to her house. I now know what the term "barefoot and pregnant" means. Anyway, we had an awesome lunch....ham, asparagus, Sally's famous squash casserole, mashed taters, rolls, and low-fat brownies with a HUGE scoop of full fat ice cream on top and I can't forget the whipped cream on top too!
So overall a great weekend. This week, Dr. appt is on Thursday so I will definitely share the update from that.

UHHH

UHHHHHHH......Dr. update -

Not a darn thing! Yes, the babies are still moving, yes, I am still having mild contractions....
NO, they will not take them out yet! I mean seriously! They said that if they aren't out on their own in 2 weeks, we will plan how we want to get them out but until then.....we keep waiting. Can't you tell how excited I am???? Thanks for listening to me whine!

Hello SPRING!!

I am sooo happy that Spring is finally here! As I was talking to my sister-in-law Paige the other day (and reading her blog) I thought about how much I would love to be able to just rush off to the beach this weekend with the family to celebrate Easter. For the past 2 years, that is what I have done. My family is spread out and we don't end up spending a whole lot of holidays together but of course I always get my decorations from mom and we all call each other and such. This has been a new tradition though that I have come to love is going to the beach for Easter. We eat WAY too much food - usually prepared by Chip's mom, we watch TV, go out on the beach (even though it is still a little too windy and the water is too cold), play some rolla bat, and have the Easter egg hunt.

Growing up, when we had egg hunts on my dad's side of the family, it was always much more for the youngest kids. We were told to let the little ones get the eggs or help them out. Now in Chip's family, they have other traditions. We don't just have one hunt, its usually multiple hunts. Adults hide the eggs, kids go find them OR kids hide the eggs and adults go find them. The only catch is that there is no "just let her get the egg" or any pity play...it is every man for themselves. If you see an egg, you better run for it....and if 2 people are running for it, you better slide in and get it first....and then you better cover your basket so no one steals your eggs. Talk about a fun game...I have never had to work up a sweat hunting eggs until I joined the Wilson family.

Well switching subjects, I am happy to say that my friend Carla is now at home. She had to stay at the hospital the other night because she was so sick and dehydrated. I think her poor family has had every sickness under the sun in the past few weeks. A little prayer for the Hyde family would be appreciated. Once Carla gets through the weekend, she should be back to normal....if that is possible :)..haha Carla...had to throw that one in.

Today I get to go to the doctor again...this once a week thing is exhausting! Its sad when some of the nurses in the office say, "I thought you would be in today." Hopefully today I will hear some good news about when these babies can come out! Again, I am hoping that I walk in and they say "ok, its time...lets go ahead and walk you over to the labor and delivery rooms." I am sure with how well everything has been going, they will say "great job, we will see you next week!" Anyway, I will give you the update on that later today or tomorrow. If you don't read the update, hopefully someone will call you to tell you some great news!

And last for now, a little shout out to one of my adopted moms, Sally. Today is her birthday!!! I am sure its like her 35th or something like that ;) So HAPPY BIRTHDAY SALLY!!!!

March Madness

Now this of course is a time of year that I have a great time watching a few sports games - but at the same time not having a clue what is going on. Since college - and I will have to give a shout out to "The Fifth" boys for actaully getting me started with this - I have gotten into the whole March Madness craze. Every year I have created my bracket - without knowing a darn thing about any of the teams. Last year, I even had my kids at school get into with me and they would come in first thing in the morning to tell me who had won a game. It's always exciting to have students get into just as much as you do - even though they probably don't understand what is really going on with the games. Anyway, same as always, I am in the midst of creating my bracket. Who knows what will happen this year! I just can't wait until the games start and I can be excited when one of my picks continues on in the tournament.

Even though March Madness is really about the basketball games, I feel like I am going to have a whole lot more madness going on. Of course, more than likely, these babies may come in March so at our house we will have the madness of anticipating the arrival of the boys and maybe the madness of 2 newborns to take care of. Everyday I wake up and wonder, is this going to be it? Actually its more like....I mean lets hurry up boys - It gets tiring carrying around the extra weight and being tired ALL of the time!

Another part of my March madness is thinking about my job for next year. Granted I am a teacher and that means I will never probably be without a job, its just the uncertainty that comes with not knowing what school I will be teaching at next year. I have applied to transfer to 3 different schools. The only catch is that you have to take the job of whoever offers you a job first. Also, when you apply to transfer, you can either pick K-3 or 4-5. Of course I picked K-3 but there is a big difference between Kindergarteners and 3rd graders! So that is the other crazy part of it all - I have no clue what grade level the prinipal may put me in. So definitely say a little prayer that I will end up wherever God thinks I will do the best.

So now, we are experiencing the March Madness. At least there are only a couple more weeks left in March!

Being Thankful

I know it sounds incredibly cheesy but I love the Oprah show most days. Something that Oprah has pushed for years is creating a gratitude journal. Now, I have never gotten to the point of actually making a journal but this is one of those things I try to keep in mind and something I try to think of daily. I guess its another way of having a "Godly" moment each day.
I try to think of something pretty specific to be thankful for though...not just saying "my family and friends." That is a broad subject. For example, my thought for today was that I am so thankful that I am having twins. If I had a quarter for every time I have heard the words "God gives twins only to the moms that he thinks can handle it", I may have a lot of money by now. At first I just kind of laughed at the statement but now I am beginning to understand it. So many people have asked me are you nervous? scared? overwhelmed? And I can honestly say no, I feel like I have it under control at the moment. Have no fear, this could change pretty quickly. I am a pretty laid back person and have decided that I just have to take things one day at a time.
It also helps to have people around like Cathy Graham who is another mom of twins. She has given me a lot of strength (even though she may not know it). She has told me multiple times now that I am being such a great mommy already. Talk about a boost of confidence!
Anyway, back to being thankful, I am just so excited for these babies to be here so I can see how it really is going to be. Hopefully I will be able to instill some great values in my children and keep in mind everything that I have learned about parenting from being a teacher, babysitter, and even from what I have learned from other moms.
There have been so many people that have been getting excited for me lately and it feels so great to have such a strong cheering team behind me!
Enough of being cheesy....its either the kinda gloomy weather or the hormones that has made me this way today!

Can we go ahead and take them out yet???

Well this was my big question of the day! I had my dr. appt today. I had an ultrasound and got to see my cute cute babies. I am at almost 35 weeks pregnant and guess how big my babies are???? They are 5lb. 12oz and 5lb. 13 oz. That means that holy cow I have almost 12 pounds of just baby in my stomach. No wonder I feel gigantic!!! It was soo great to see them on the screen today and they were perfectly healthy. Unfortunately, they are not ready to come out yet. I even asked the doctor that since they are almost 6lbs each, can't we just go ahead and get them out? You can guess what his response was! Here is a hint....they are still in me.

I called mom at work and she was telling everyone around her how healthy they were. She must have called my grandmother Mimi. Mimi called and wanted to know what I was feeding her Alowishus and Sylvester (that is what she likes to call Whit and Parker). Heck, at the rate we are going, they may come out walking and talking!

So it was a great day at the doctor. And I am sooo happy that Chip, his mom Robin, and his sister Paige were all able to come. More than anything, I am happy the boys cooperated and let us get some good pictures of them.

Well back to my usual tomorrow...resting on the couch and watching tv most of the day. I mean I can only handle one outing a day and today was a big one. I am going to have to steal the pic from Paige's blog to add to mine so that everyone can see at least one of the babies....this is a picture of Baby B...and no we havent decided if that is Whit or Parker yet. I know its hard to see but you can see his chubby little cheeks on there and his nose. It's hard to get good pictures these days because there is so much baby in there to work around.

Lazy Days

The last few days have been nice and lazy. I have started to notice that the boys have begun to drop a little so I know that means I need to take it easy. I still have had to get out of the house here and there to keep my sanity but they have been minimal - for example my outting for the day yesterday was going to dinner at the mexican restaurant down the street. Today, I had a whopping day of going to AutoBell to get my car washed and going to dinner at Sally & Robert's house.
It is all becoming so real lately. Last night, Chip and I put the car seats in my car so that they were ready anytime. Talk about a strange feeling to drive around Charlotte with 2 car seats in the back seat. We have also packed our hospital bags and they are in the car.
Not a very eventful couple of days but like the title says...Lazy Days...I promise the next few days will be a little more interesting so I will keep you updated!

The Weekend In Review

Well this weekend has been kinda crazy so I haven't been able to keep up.
Friday was the day of the CMOMs Sale. I did have a great start to my day though - my best friend Beth and I got to go to lunch together - and I will have to say we ate the biggest piece of chocolate cake I have ever seen! Then I picked up Robin and we went to the CMOMs sale. Talk about a crazy place! We shopped from 4:30-8:00 - granted there was an hour break in between though. I am happy to say that we bought everything that we wanted to buy....from a nursing pillow, to high chairs, bouncers, and TONS of clothes and shoes. And we only spent $200 - which I know sounds like a lot but we would have spent just that much on high chairs if we had gone to a store. I think we had a very productive day. Granted when I got home, I crashed....I thought my body was going to fall apart! Thanks to Paige though, I came home to fresh baked banana chocolate chip bread - talk about yummy!
Saturday, Chip and I were able to spend the day together. We had to take some things back to Target and we had to buy a new vacuum cleaner - our 10 year old vacuum was starting to smell like burning rubber and wouldnt pick up anything. It is so nice when Chip and I are able to spend time together during the day.
Today, we skipped out on church :( but at this point going to church is just about miserable with all of the standing up and sitting down - not to mention the boys think that church time is time to move all over the place in my stomach. I was taught at a young age though that you don't have to go to church every Sunday to be able to worship - you can worship anywhere. Today that means that I can spend quality time with my husband - getting our house ready for the new babies. We have to take a quick trip out to pick up a few things but besides that, we will have some nice relaxation time.
I will have to say HOORAY! We are now at 34 weeks - so according to the Dr. any time past now is a blessing. If the boys were to come out today, they would be ok - but our next goal is 36 weeks (which was brought to my attention that that would make the boys Easter babies!). We will just keep waiting.....

Parenting....

Today I was watching Oprah (even though it was a rerun). This episode I also have TiVoed and have watched it at least 2 other times. Talk about a powerful show. I think that this is an episode that every parent that has a child in school (especially in lower income schools) should have to watch - whether the family be white, black, hispanic, etc. Something that Bill Cosby said was that some parents are scared to talk to their kids or be involved in their child's lives. They talked about becoming purposeful and effective parents. Being a teacher at a lower income school, I can tell you I completely agree with just about all Cosby had to say about these situations and people. I think that it is amazing that during parent conference time it wasn't unsual to have at least 5 parents that didnt even show up or much less send back anything telling when they would like to meet with you. Also, I think it is very interesting that when you send a note home to parents asking for tissues, maybe one or two parents send any in, but when you ask for snacks for a party, every parent sends in food. I think that it is sad that in my 3 1/2 years that I have been teaching, I have had to call DSS at least 3 times. I was told of a situation today where if I were still teaching, I would have had to call DSS again. Some people just shouldn't become parents! Anyway, that is my soap box for today. If you are interested in reading about Bill Cosby's points, he does have a book out called "Come On People" which is a really good read. Since I am becoming a parent soon, I will have to say that I will definitely keep these points in mind.

On a lighter note, I mentioned the other day that I have begun reading "I'm With Stupid." Talk about a funny book. Granted this book is one that takes a little more brain power to read than some of the other books I have read lately, but still a good one. In chapter 2, there was a list of things that would not exist in a female's world. One example that I laughed at was that there wouldnt be grades of gas (regular, plus, premium, etc.). The reason for this is "Get gas, put in car, go." Simple as that. There was also a list for the male world. It said that the only art form even faintly resembling ballet would be the wave. Also in this book, in Chapter 3 there is a quiz to see where you are on the continuum of male and female. It asks 20 questions and you count up points per question to see where on the line you fall. An example of a question:

How would you remove a coffee stain from a nice silk shirt?

a. Sodium bicarbonate and club soda

b. The dry cleaners

c. a soapy sponge

d. windex

Luckily that when I finished the quiz, I recieved 45 points which is definitely in the female range. As written in the book, if you score under 65, you are either a woman or a wuss.

Anyway, just a funny part of the story that I read today....Already on chapter 5. I will keep you updated if there is anything else that I find necessary to share.

Sleepy Sleepy Boys

Well I had my Dr. appt this morning. Nothing too exciting. Of course the boys decided that they would rather sleep than do what the nurse wanted them to do. The nurse even had to beat on the monitors with scissors and then use the buzzer...still they moved for about 2 minutes and went back to sleep. Like the nurse said, if she were to do the test between midnight and 2am, she would probably get much better results. I also found out that I have developped a case of carpal tunnel in my wrists and hands. This pregnancy stuff brings out all kinds of aches and pains you never thought you would have! Next week, its ultrasound time again. Maybe the boys will show off a little bit more for the camera....or at least more than their private parts...thats all they seem to want to show off for the ultrasound pictures!
I stopped by Edible Art today - found out that they have a pool going on to see who can guess the date I have these babies. Wouldn't it be funny if I scheduled a c-section and didn't tell them and then I went in on the pool too?! Nah I wouldn't do that but I think it is really funny that they are all putting money on it. Some people have guessed next week....and some have guessed all the way up until April 12th. I will have to say that these things better get out before April 12th or I may scream.
Tonight, we are going to Paige and Greg's house for Wil's birthday. It's always nice to get together with the family for birthdays. In Chip's family, that means at least once a month almost. With there being 10 of us, it always seems like we are celebrating a birthday. How funny is it though that we don't have a birthday in March (Wilson's bday was really in February) or April so either month will be the twin's birthday month. It works out perfectly.
Time for a little R & R time before the big birthday dinner!

Not too bad

Well like I said yesterday, if I like a book, it sucks me in and I can finish it in no time. I finished "Knitting Under the Influence" today. It wasn't bad - it was definitely a good chick book. It was a story about a group of 3 girls that have a planned knitting group every week and are best friends. It tells the ins and outs of their relationships throughout the book. It was a book that you could kind of tell what the outcome would be from about the middle of the book on. Still, it was a good read. I am more into the women's fiction books lately (if thats what you call them). In other words, they are books that you don't really have to think about but can really suck you in. My next book to begin is "I'm With Stupid."

Well besides finishing my book and watching the usual 10 episodes of Saved By the Bell, Food Network, and Oprah, that was pretty much the bulk of my day. I did get to go out to dinner with Chip tonight even though it was monsooning outside.

Today when I woke up, I felt like I was about 80 years old. I rolled myself out of bed and realized that my hips hurt more than I can even describe. I wobbled my way downstairs to the couch and that was pretty much where I stayed. At some point during the day though, my wrists began to throb...I guess this is something to discuss with the Dr. tomorrow. And of course my feet, ankles, and hands feel like a balloon that someone has blown up to the max. In other words, that means that I am back to the couch. At least tonight is American Idol and The Biggest Loser night so I will have some entertaining TV time! I have to get some rest now because the end of the week is going to be full of fun activities!

That was it?

That weekend went by way too fast! Mom left today but Chip got back home last night. It was a great weekend though. Mom and I spent a lot of time hanging out at the house - even though mom sat at the table sewing all weekend. I had lots of fun visitors to the house this weekend - I never thought I would be so happy to have visitors. I guess you can tell how life is when you are pretty much stuck at home! I am happy to say that Arwen visited on Friday and brought her little baby Scott to visit too. Then Saturday a family friend, Betsy, came by and we ate dinner with Sally and Robert that night. Cathy came by bringing toys, bouncers, and a diaper genie. Yesterday, my wonderful friends Carla & Jenn came to visit and Robin and Bill visited bringing gifts for the babies. The nursery now has bed skirts (thanks to mom), mattresses (thanks to Robin & Bill), and it is really starting to come together. Soon, we will have curtains & valances & quilts that match the bed skirts! I will make sure to post pictures of the nursery soon so that everyone can see how it is coming along.

Well, I think it is about time to go back to relaxing on the couch. I have lots of new fun books to read and catch up on. I am currently reading a book that I borrowed from Cathy at Edible Art, called Knitting Under the Influence. We love to pass books around the Edible Art crew! Sally also let me borrow a book called "I'm With Stupid." I think this one will be a good laugh! I will let you know how it goes. I also bought myself 2 new books last week - I know that this sounds like a lot of books but if its a good book, it won't take me more than a few days to read it. So far Knitting Under the Influence has been pretty good. At first I thought that if it was a book about knitting I may fall asleep reading it but so far, it doesn't have a whole lot to do with knitting. I will try to give a short book review when I am done.

The Final Stretch

I guess that it has just hit me lately that holy cow, I am going to be having these babies before too long! I was talking to my friend Carla the other day and I said that the days were going by so fast lately. We were talking about how soon I would be having these babies. I have come to the realization that it will probably be sometime in March....which Carla reminded me started this weekend! This is all so surreal to me. I feel like I was just thinking not long ago that 9 months is going to be forever from now...and now we are counting down the weeks! I am so excited about it all. I have to say though that I owe a lot of people for helping me through these months. I couldnt have done all of this without my family and friends. I will also have to give some praise to a few of the CMOMs that have helped me a lot - Shout out to Cathy and Kim and Katie and anyone else that I left out!

Today was a fun day! I did a whole lot of nothing! A family friend of ours came over and hung out at the house while mom sewed and sewed and sewed (working on nursery stuff). Cathy stopped by to bring me lots of fun goodies that her kids and Kim's kids have grown out of....like I said....I couldn't have gotten through without these wonderful ladies!

I will be super excited for tomorrow because my husband comes back into town, Carla is coming to visit, Chip's parents are coming over, and of course more time with my mom!