YES, THEY ARE TWINS

YES, THEY ARE TWINS
1 - No, they're not identical.
2 - Yes, I can tell them apart.
3 - Yes, my hands are full, but my heart is overflowing.
4 - Yes, twins do run in my family. They run all over the place.
...5 - I'm glad they're mine and not yours, too.
6 - Yes, they are natural. What's an artificial twin anyway??

Answers to most common twins questions.

I am so having this printing on a tee shirt when Niko and Noah get here. We get asked these questions so many times by strangers it is not even funny. Going to the store already takes up a great deal of our time. I can see it when they get here. 

Well Niko was not cooperating with us yesterday so we only have pictures of Noah. We haven't been able to see Niko's face for a while now so it is hard to know what he is going to look like.

 But here us is Noah....

Niko is head down and facing my back....

The doctor is wanting me o wait til Sept. 15 to have these guys. Arg... Why not just wait til October 1 there due date.

My back is killing me and my feet are swollen I am dialated to a 3 right now as is. And the boys are out of room. And he is expecting me to make it further... is he nuts. 

The way I see it is I made it 35 weeks the babies are both over 5lbs. Why keep giving me more addiction medications when we all know that the babies would be fine. 

As you can see mood swings are at an all time high for me at the moment. You would be too if you felt like I did. I feel as if I was gunned down on a motorcycle. I can't see the pain being much different. I feel like Noah is going to come through my belly at any given moment. And Niko is going to fall out and hit the floor. 

We I am going to try and chill out for a bit. Maybe take a bath and drink some tea. I can't eat much at the moment since I have no room. 

I will write more when I am feeling better. Just hanging in there.

 

2010 Year of the White Tiger/Metal

Year of the Metal/White Tiger. I was looking into the boys Chinese zodiac out of curiosity and this is what I found.

Horoscope 2010, forecast for the 2010 year of the white Tiger

The coming 2010 year of the metal Tiger is around the corner. It looks like we've got mood swinging, vigorous and hard-working year ahead. As you might guess, coming 2010 year of the metal Tiger is passionate, honest and modest. Sun sign horoscope for the 2010 year of the Tiger like his animal sing is naturally forgiving, rarely holding grudges for long, it symbolizes eternal family values, rate highly friends support and care.
Yearly 2010 forecast and horoscope 2010 for your zodiac sign.

Tiger Personality

Tiger people are difficult to resist, for they are magnetic characters and their natural air of authority confers a certain prestige on them. They are tempestuous yet calm, warm-hearted yet fearsome, courageous in the face of danger yet yielding and soft in mysterious, unexpected places. They enjoy life full of challenges and unexpected events, like visiting unusual places and meet interesting outstanding people. Other people in their part are easily attracted by the tiger's enthusiasm and the course of life. Tiger person finds a pleasure in unpredictable, and while other people would rather make a backward step, he/she is not afraid to explore new and unusual. But it is not that simple to interest the tiger. What they really need is first-hand experience. Usually open and frank, these people are likely to withdraw and you can be aggressive when trapped. As soon as the tiger person has regained his/her sense of security his/her confidence also returns, enabling him/her to set out once more. These people usually tend to trust their instincts, though there is another side of their personality, which assesses situations thoughtfully before launch any actions. Their friends usually secretly admire their determination and optimism, though sometimes may find it complicated to share the tiger's enthusiasm and can be pushed away and left behind. In spite of the fact that tiger people can be courageous and generous friends, if they are not able to achieve what they want, they can be inflexible and self-centered. So if your friend was born in the year of the tiger, there will be highs and lows in your friendship, but the friendship itself will remain firm.

Tiger Love Affairs

People born in the year of the tiger are often sensitive and emotional. They are capable of great love, but they may also become too intense about it. Sometimes they are territorial and possessive. If your friend or beloved is a tiger type and he/she wants you to take his/her side against the bad guys, you most likely will do it. As lovers, tiger people are passionate and romantic, but the real challenge for them is to grasp the true meaning of moderation.

Tiger type of people are often attracted by people with an independent character, but it is important to remember that even if that people are stimulated by the tiger's company and admire tiger's energy, they can still manage without them. Tiger person is usually not afraid to express his/her emotions and feelings, but it is natural for him/her to change his/her preferences. Tiger person needs a partner who remains steady and constant, and quietly pursues their own plans.

Tiger

Career

Because of the fact that people born in this year are urgent creatures and always in a hurry to get things done right, they usually choose to operate alone. Tigers like to work; they are hard-working and dynamic by nature. If you assign a task to a Tiger, the job will be undertaken and accomplished with enthusiasm and efficiency. Optimism, determination and initiative are their strong points. While some projects may succeed because tiger has the drive to see them through to the end, the other will be left in a half - way because of the tiger's inability to deal well with failure. Tiger person becomes flustered when colleagues discover that he/she have misjudged situation

In spite of his/her enormous energy and commitment, tiger person must be able to sustain his/her optimism and drive or he/she could dissipate his/her efforts. Other people should hold the pursue strings, budged for the unforeseen and direct him/her to do what he/she is the best at. One of the most important ingredient in a partnership with this type is always to be focused on an objective.

Ideal Job for the Tiger Include
Entrepreneur, Military officer, Politician, Musician, Writer, Poet, Designer, Theatre director, Stockbroker, Athlete, Film star, Trade union leader, Company director, Stunt person, Explorer, Teacher.
Horoscope background Lucky Numbers: 4, 5, 7, 9, 13, 34, 44, 45, 54
Equivalent Western Sign: Aquarius
Element WOOD
Color GREEN
Yin/Yang YANG
Direction EAST-NORTH-EAST

Celebrity
Some Famous Tigers: Sir David Attenborough, Natalie Wood, Tom Berenger, Agatha Christie, H.G. Wells, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Dickinson, Isadora Duncan, Roberta Flack, Frederick Forsyth, Jodie Foster, Stevie Wonder Sir Alec Guiness, Hugh Hefner, William Hurt, Dylan Thomas, Marilyn Monroe, Demi Moore, Beatrix Potter, Diana Rigg, Lionel Ritchie, Kenny Rogers.

Tiger Compatibility
Compatible with : Horse, Dragon, Dog
Less Compatible with : Rat, Ox, Rabbit, Tiger, Ram, Pig
Least Compatible with : Rooster, Snake, Monkey
Positive and Negative Capability

Positive: The Tiger can be lovable, alluring, warm-hearted, altruistic, honorable, hard-working, pleasant, independent, engaging, dynamic and idealist sweetie pies.

Negative: The Tiger can also be rash, hot-headed, reckless, infatuated, quarrelsome, caustic, moody, predatory, rebellious, disobedient and irreverent rascals. 

 

These will be what Niko and Noah are. Mike and I are both Rabbits. 

They will also be Virgos.

Virgo is the sixth sign of the astrological year and is known by its astrological symbol, the Virgin. Virgos are intelligent, patient, and humble. With Mercury as the ruling planet, people born under this sign are quick-thinking, observant, and analytical.

Below you’ll find general characteristics for the Virgo man, woman, child, lover, and friend. At the bottom of this page, you’ll find links to articles with detailed personality profiles for every day that falls under the Virgo sign. Read on to see if the characteristics ring true for you or the Virgin in your life.

The Virgo Man

The typical Virgo man has a quiet dignity. He has discriminating tastes and an appetite for learning. Many Virgo men are stylishly unassuming. They are concerned with their health and fitness and are careful about their diets. Cooking for the Virgo man can be trying; he has a tendency to be fussy. He is a gentle soul with much charm.

Virgo InformationElement: Earth Quality: Mutable Planetary ruler: MercuryBirthstone: Peridot Flower: Pansy Color: Navy blue Key characteristic: Detail-oriented Strengths: Precise, orderly, efficient Challenges: Nervous, sarcastic, overcriticial

The Virgo Woman

The Virgo woman has discreet charm. She is intelligent, thoughtful, and careful about her grooming. Virgo women are efficient and hard-working. They are ethical and never put career achievements ahead of their moral code. They want to earn what they get and refuse to be manipulative or controlling. They are well-organized and do a good job of balancing personal and professional responsibilities. Most Virgo women are especially adept at handling the family budget. They need to learn to ease the stress that is brought on by their high standards.

The Virgo Child

These Virgo youngsters need a great deal of affection and emotional support, because they are likely to be shy and may have difficulty developing friendships. They are not naturally competitive, and so may find it easier to give in to more demanding playmates. Virgo children are often studious. Parents should help their Virgo child develop an interest in at least one "cool" activity to help them fit in.

The Virgo Lover

Virgo individuals may not be the most romantic, but they offer their whole heart. There is no pretense involved in how they act or what they say. Because they are loyal, Virgos are big on fidelity. They value more than the superficial aspects of a love relationship, and they generally attract people with a similar belief system. Marriage is a major commitment; they value their union as both a love relationship and a working partnership.

The Virgo Friend

As a rule, shy, self-effacing Virgos have difficulty making friends; they often lack the skills to bring people together. Virgos may also lack self-confidence. Yet when they do make the effort, these people are capable of achieving extraordinary things. Virgos are likely to keep the same friends for years. Often, Virgos befriend someone with the showy personality they themselves are uncomfortable assuming.

Well I only have 13 days to go. I have a doctors appointment tomorrow afternoon to see how they boys are doing I can't wait. 

14 days and still counting!

I don't think that there is anytime that I can really say that I am comfortable right now. I am stuck between Braxton Hicks and the really thing at the moment. Both are very painful. My belly feels like a moving medicine ball. My goal is to hold them in for the next 14 days at least. Friends are making bets on when these guys will come. I am sitting here wondering if my water is going to break at any moment. There is a lot of things that go through your mind. Even though we have everything for the boys you still find your self wondering what else do we need. Now Mike and I are just at the time where we want them to come so that we can hold them play with them. We both are tired of the pregnancy stuff. It wears on you when you call your doctor for a simple solution to a problem and it ends up being a day or 2 in the hospital. This is definatly the biggest that I have ever been with any pregnancy. I am up to 160lbs and still have a few days to go. I will lose 30lbs when they are born instantly. So that will put me at 5lbs over what I was to begin with before I got pregnant. With a C-section you can't eat much right after birth so I am thinking that the extra 5 lbs won't last. And I am wondering how much of it is my legs as well. I am attempting breast feeding so that will be fun. I never did it before because of the people I hung around with. They made me feel like it was a dirty thing. Like I was getting some sexual pleasure off of it. So now that I have changed my environment and surrounded myself with educated people and a support group. I am going to give it a try. Plus it lowers a lot of risk that they can have that is hereditary. It was recommended by my doctor to breast feed plus the hospital would have made me do it while they were in there to help with the immune system. I hear that it is a great bonding experience as well. We are going to do both though bottle feed and breast feed. I will breast feed during the night and bottle feed during the day. I never knew that this was an option, but I am going to try and do it til the boys get to be at least 3 to 6 months old. I am looking forward to seeing my boys so badly. I get to see them once a week on the tv when we do the sonograms. Even though I am caring them inside I want to see them outside.

You become impatient and tired when you don't feel well. I have taken 7 warm baths in the last 3 days. This provides 10 minutes of relief. Headaches hit you fast. One thing I am thankful for is no real PICA this pregnancy. I crave ice but that could be the 107 temps outside. PICA is a sign of problems with the baby. This I didn't know. My eating has cut back but I think that it is because there is no more room. We went out for buffet and for the first time I was the last one to finish. Mike made a comment about eating my 6000 calories in one meal. But now I can eat only small things all through out the day. Makes it hard when you have to time medications around when you eat. And I have to eat every 2 hours or I can have some serious problems. Well Mike is on his way home from work so I am going to call it a day jump into a warm bath and eat something for dinner. And just hope that I can make it another day.

15 days and counting!!!

Well we are at the home stretch. 15 more days at the most. Then we will be singing 99 bottles of milk in the fridge. My milk has come in and my belly keeps on growing. The babies keep pulling me in different directions. Sometimes I wonder if there is still more than just 2 in there. I see the babies legs and arms in there all the time. I am still struggling to eat 6000 calorie diet. I think that it is because the boys are running out of room. 

My feet oh wow. I knew that feet swelled up but not like this. It's due to sluggish blood flow. And will be taken care of once the boys are born. You would think that I was 400lbs with feet like this.Even Mike says ouch. But I am only at 160lbs. I was hoping to gain another 30lbs.

Well I did get to go out for a night it was Mike's Birthday last week so we went to Duke's Road House here in Addison. No beer for me. But I couldn't resist their nacho's. 

Well this has been my week that I can remember. I have been put on a new medication that keeps me sleeping hard. It keeps me from dreaming as well. The doctors don't want to stress the babies out with the nightmares I normally have. So they put an end to it all. 

I have been in and out of the hospital a few times since the last time I blogged. Mainly dealing with the pre term labor which is common and my legs. 

Hopefully things stay calm til the boys get here. I have to make it 36 weeks. We got to see the NICU unit were our kids will be til they can come home.

Looking Back!

Today has been a sweet day. Just a day of relaxation. Tomorrow is Mike's Birthday. Which only means in 6 weeks I will be older as well. I was thinking about when Mike and I meet. It was 17 years ago. I was working at subway and he came into my store with a friend of mine since forever. Well Mike got a drink and went outside to wait on our friend. I told my friend Jason who is that with you he is really cute. He told me that that was his friend Mike. Jason went outside and told Mike that I thought that he was cute. Just then Mike came back into the store and got my number. We dated for a while but not long when the stress of neither one of us having a car came crashing down and we just went our different ways. Years later I found Mike on facebook and we started talking, a lot about the past. We became friends. That kind of friend that you can tell anything too. And that is what I was doing. I felt so relieved to have someone to talk to. This was before any interest was re sparked.  It was pointed out to me that Mike had feelings and I felt really flattered. Well things in my old life was not working out, and I knew that I wanted something better. I came here as an escape of the old life. When I first saw Mike again I felt like I was 17. I was promised a life much different from my past. And that is what I truly have. Well we went on our first formal date to a wedding. Which was rather odd. It was fun though. I got to meet even more people. I went from being totally isolated to having so many wonderful people in my life. Now we are just waiting on Niko and Noah to start our new adventures.

                                                                  Our First Formal Date

Getting Ready!!

Well today was final prep and getting packed time. I packed Niko and Noah's bag and mine as well. We made a run to Target to pick up the final things we needed. I don't know how long we will all be in the hospital so I packed 6 outfits for the Twinkies. I opened the first package of diapers. I sure have missed that smell. Clean diapers. I couldn't believe how tiny they are. I put pacifiers in their as well. I know that they will get them at the hospital but I am not a big fan of those. Now I just have to get Mike to put everything in the car including the car seats. That will be a fun day right there. I have the camera ready for that event. I am packed as well my bag has been in the car since I am always at the hospital for a day or 2 anyways. I made it simple for Mike. All he has to do is grab the stuff in the bathroom. Our dogs have been following me around like crazy since I ended up pregnant. And our boxer even started barking at company. He never barks. I think that he has become a little protective of me lately. Wednesday we have another dr. appointment. I am hoping that he tells me that if I want to I can go ahead and have the Twins. I am so ready for it to be over with. I know that he will not say that til at least September. We will get to see how big they are and what is going on with my body. It has been an interesting pregnancy to say the least. It's cool when you are having one baby, but when you are having twins, you find yourself engaged with conversations that go a totally different way. I can't wait to meet these guys and neither can Mike. We are always talking to them, well it is mainly me since we are never apart. I am usually telling them to calm down it's bedtime. It is not easy to be pregnant in August.

They never seem to stop moving!!!

During most pregnancies the babies give it a rest you really try to feel them move 10 times a day. With these boys that is all they do. One good thing is I know that they are alive and doing well. I feel like they are running out of room. My feet keep swelling up like crazy, but that is just a part of it all. I am in the home stretch just got to hang in there a bit longer. 

I am worried how our doggies are going to handle all of this. They have always been tops in this house.

Tonight we finally decided to do a babies bump picture. It came at the request of many. So here it is.

Two Murrs  on the way.

I really don't think that I will be able to forget the moment when I was told that I was having TWINS. Nor do I think that Mike will ever forget. 

I went into the hospital knowing that I was pregnant, but I felt so sick. Mike who had a final stayed with me til he had to run, but it was no problem since I had a friend that could come up to the hospital and stay with me. Well the hospital didn't seem to make a big fuss over me being sick, but became more focused on the fact that I was pregnant. So they did an sonogram. The lady doing the sono had a look on her face of shock. And jokingly I said what is there more than one in there. She said yea. I told her that I was joking and she wasn't at that moment she turned the screen towards me. I just went numb. Shortly after that I was wheeled back into my room. And I had my friend text Mike who was in the middle of his final with this. "The babies are doing fine." It only took a moment for Mike to come back with "Babies?"... Yes babies. He turned in his final and rushed back up to the hospital to check on us and to get me. I started to actually feel better after I found out that there was more than one baby that I was carrying.  Things started to make more since. I am now at the end of my pregnancy a we are having 2 little boys on the way. Niko and Noah. I can't wait to meet these little guys.