pumpkin patch and Halloween

Last Friday we took Gabriella and Benjamin to a small, local pumpkin patch.  They really got a kick out of the straw maze!

And then yesterday, for Halloween, Gabriella dressed up as a pink birdie and Benjamin was a friendly dragon!

2011- what a year you've been

What a year it's been!  Like everyone else, we've had our share of ups and downs.  One of the best days ever, followed shortly by one of the saddest.  Obviously, having to say good bye to Greta was one of the hardest things I've had to do pretty much ever.  She was not just a dog.  She was not simply our pet.  Greta was all we had for 5 years before we were blessed with the twins.  Greta was a constant companion, the best listener, the most non-judgemental best friend I could ever have had.  She sat with me and witnessed more of my tears and pain than anyone else had, including Jamie.  I miss my first baby - my furry baby - still.  That would be in my top 5 all time worst days. 

This year, super obviously, also held the number 1 spot in my top 5 best days ever - Gabriella and Benjamin's birth day!  These babies mean the whole world to me.  I would be nothing without them, now that I have them.  I have a hard time even remembering what life was like without them.  My sweet little Benjamin and his big open-mouth, gummy smile just melts my heart.  And the way he grips onto my shirt with his tiny fist, like a baby monkey!, is beyond precious.  Oh, and Daddy's girl Gabriella who has a new found love of hearing her own voice shreik and her healthy, squeezy, chubby cheeks that beg to be covered in kisses.  I see so much of myself in her.  She's like a little mini-me personality wise.

So, I'll be ringing in the new year with my little family, making homemade pizza and wearing pajamas.  Hopefully come midnight we'll all be fast asleep!  Now that's living the life.  =)  I couldn't ask for anything more.

Christmas recap

We had a beautiful 1st Christmas as a family of 4!  Christmas Eve we ventured out to mass with my parents, Nick, Brooke, Dominick, Owen, and Nancy (Brooke's mom).  Afterward everyone came back to our house for dinner.  [ham, turkey breast with gravy, cheesey potato casserole, homemade pierogi (by yours truly)cheese and kraut - 2 kinds, not mixed together, corn casserole]  Dessert included fudge, potato chip cookies, Christmas tree spritz, oreo balls, and Brooke made melting moments.  Jamie's family normally is here, too, but his niece had just come down with strep the same day, so we actually still haven't celebrated with them yet. 

me and Gabriella

 

Jamie and Gabriella



 

me and Benjamin





Nick and Dominick





Benjamin and Owen

Brooke and Owen



Dominick and the dessert

my mom and Gabriella

Nick, Owen, and my dad

Gabriella



Benjamin

We put out cookies and milk for Santa and some carrots for the reindeer.  Blitzen does not like carrots and when Santa is not looking he spits them out!

Christmas morning was just so nice.  We opened presents with Benjamin and Gabriella who were totally spoiled.  Santa brought Gabriella a holiday Barbie - her first Barbie doll! 

 Jamie and I had been working hard to make fleece blankies for each baby.  We did them full size so that way they'll have them forever.  =)

 Then we headed over by my parents in our jammies.  Holy smokes... these babies seriously must have every single toy made by Fisher Price, Playskool, and VTech.  Present opening over there with the same group from Christmas Eve plus my grandpa took almost 3 hours.  We came home for a bit and normally would have gone by Jamie's side, but since they had germs we went back to my parents and had leftovers. 

I couldn't have asked for a happier day with my little family.







 

'amazing' Christmas lights

Best Christmas Lights Display (HD)


Sometimes it just seems like nothing can go my way.  In the last 24 hours, three different Christmas things I ordered were messed up.  Two items were presents and the last one is one of the new stockings I ordered.  It's not the end of the world about my stocking, but it's not how I ordered it.  They are all beautiful and handmade by an etsy seller.  On my stocking, though, she used solid green fabric and gave me a solid green cuff - not what was ordered!  I know she'll fix it, but I just have this picture in my mind how I wanted things to look and it's very disappointing when it doesn't work out.  I'm bummed. 

We're still not finished shopping.  We haven't wrapped a single gift.  Our house isn't clean for Christmas Eve.  I have to bake.  Jamie and I haven't watched a single Christmas movie together yet.  And I frickin love Christmas movies!!!  I've caught bits and pieces of  "Home Alone", "The Polar Express", "National Lampoon's Xmas Vacation", and some Christmas Disney cartoons, but no movies start to finish, and nothing with anyone else, usually just 10 minutes at a time of whatever is on when I'm pumping.  I'm just tired and overwhelmed.

The video above made me smile, though.  It's so neat and definitely worth clicking on!  Thought I'd share.

Halloween: better late than never

trick or treating by Auntie Brooke and Uncle Nick's house

cutest little ducky and ladybug ever

Dominick is holding baby Owen (Winnie the Pooh)
Gabriella and Owen were having a shouting contest, but she came up for air!

my parents
yup, that's Benjamin in the duck suit still

fast asleep in pink, black cat jammies from my friend, Sue

still tired the next morning in orange bat/dracula jammies from Sue

first pregnancy ultrasound

We had our first pregnancy ultrasound done today, courtesy of my red spotting episode on Tuesday.  I spotted dark pink this morning, but I didn't freak out this time.  I drank water, laid down on my side, and practiced my "soup breathing".  Soup breathing is what elementary schoolers do to calm down.  "Imagine you have a big bowl of hot soup in front of you.  Breathe in through your nose.  Can you smell the soup?  Ooh, it's hot!  Breathe out through your mouth to cool the soup off."  =)

Ok, so fast forward to my appointment.  Everything looked good!  My cervix is perfect; no irritation, inflamation, or bleeding there.  Inside my ute, it was a beautiful day in the neighborhood.  No blood clots or anything else that may be the cause of the bleeding.  Since I'm on heparin twice a day, my nurse said that could be the cause.  If there's a drop of blood loosened up from somewhere, most women would just absorb a drop or two back into their bodies and never know.  Between the baby aspirin and heparin, my blood is running very thin.  So thin, that instead of being reabsorbed (like during implantation maybe), it may leak out.  Mix that withcervical mucus and urine when I pee, that one drop of already thin blood may look like more that it really is.  Makes sense to me. 

That being said, I'm ordered to strict bedrest for the next week, until my next ultrasound.  I'm going to have to go FMLA for my time off of school, but I already have the note from my physician and now my RE.  I'm out for the first trimester, and the strictness will be determined on a weekly basis.  I'm ok with all of this.  I will be missing a big family party on Jamie's side this Saturday.  I'll miss his sister's birthday get together on Sunday.  I'm effecting everyone's Christmas plans because even if I'm released from strict bedrest on the 23rd, Christmas Eve at our house won't be the same as it's always been with food and desserts.  I LOVE to bake.  I live for this time of year and all the baking it holds for me.  But it is what it is.  I will do whatever I'm told to do to maximize my chances of keeping my baby.  Plain and simple.

As I had "a moment" on the phone with Brooke (bff/sil) this evening, she reminded me that we'll all be together and that's all that matters.  She went so far as to say even if we make Tombstone pizzas in the oven, it'll still be Christmas and we'll still be together and I'll still be pregnant which is more important than anything else.  Gotta love that Brooke.  She's a clutch hitter, always coming through when I need her. 

Jamie, God bless his heart, has been running like a madman to get some of our Christmas shopping done.  Well, he has stepped up to the plate and plans on baking!  He's a good sport and would do just about anything to make me happy.  We still aren't decorated all the way, but we may not be this year.  Not a single present is wrapped.  I filled out our cards yesterday, but need stamps in order to send them.  We'll do the best we can, and as long as we have each other, our little one, and our family, nothing else matters.