Friday, October 15, 2010

25 week bump update and a lot of other updates!

I know it's been a while but I've been super busy. :)
I went to Chicago to see family and friends and my mom threw me an awesome baby shower. It was Dr. Seuss themed with a lot of emphasis on Thing 1 and Thing 2 from The Cat in the Hat. I was thrilled. I promise I will have more pictures soon but here are a couple pictures that I have so far:
A friend of ours made the diaper cake:
And here are some of the cupcakes that my mom bought for the shower: (These are from a local bakery in Skokie that I LOVE! Sweety Pies Bakery
The cupcakes were red velvet (I LOVE!) and they were just to die for! There were only a couple mini ones left over, so needless to say...everyone loved them! I feel so blessed. We were given so much and so much great stuff for the girls! I had to put it all into storage for the time being until Mishu comes back. Honestly, right now, we don't have the room. We still have to get the house in order. There are boxes everywhere and we need to clean this place up before we can bring the baby stuff in here.
That brings me to the next thing. Mishu is *sigh* playing soldier in the middle of nowhere until sometime around the end of the month. I was able to have my friend Jessica (It's a beautiful ride...) and her husband unload my truck full of baby stuff into our storage room, but there is just soooo much that needs to be done around here that I need to wait for Mishu for one reason or another. I know this is minor in relation to the time he "could" be gone for a deployment...it's just that any time away sucks. There really is so much we need to get done before the babies get here.
And I will use that to lead me into the next subject: the twins! I'm getting bigger and bigger and I will show a picture again but I was getting more and more worried there for a little bit. Before Mishu left, I would have him feel for the babies all the time. I knew they were moving and what not but I just couldn't feel it all that much. Well, he would always feel Thing 1 but it was harder to feel Thing 2. A short time after he left, I started to really feel Thing 1 move, but again...I barely felt Thing 2 move at all. When I got to Chicago, my mom and everyone else (I honestly love the attention!) were feeling my belly and I think we got 2-3 kicks out of her the whole time. I was there Thursday evening through Sunday night. I get back to NC and again...I still barely feel her. I was getting anxious. I finally had the referral approved for a new OB and was just waiting for them to approve me and schedule me. It was taking some time so I mentioned to them my concern about Thing 2. They had me go in last night (I told them about Thing 2 earlier that morning) and they did an ultrasound and cervix check. Both of the babies looked good and Thing 2 was moving well, just for whatever reason it's not coming through to me. It did put my mind at ease though, and they were able to definitively tell me that there were two amniotic sacs (which the other OB office couldn't tell me one way or the other. ) My job isn't going to like it, but they have me coming in again this next Tuesday for a full ultrasound (1 hour or so) which they said I will be getting one of those for every "regular" appointment so that they can measure and track the babies. This made me happy because the other OB office said they would do this but never did it. I am also going in on the 25th for a "high risk" appointment. I asked about being/going on bed rest and I was told that bed rest would be talked about during this appointment. I am not liking the idea of bed rest but as I get further along, I see the need for it. My hips and hip/leg joints are really starting to hurt, especially late at night. The last 2 days I have been limping on one side or the other almost all day due to the pain. My lower abdomen is also feeling sore, more so towards the end of the day. I also talked to the doctor about how the babies are positioned and if it's possible to give birth naturally (without surgery). He said that the babies are in a "yingyang" position and that makes it pretty impossible to do a "natural" birth. He said it is too risky and explained the risks. So while I do NOT like the idea of a C-Section...I understand that it is almost positive that I will have one and I understand the reasoning behind it. Not just the "no, we don't do that and you are going to have a c-section" that I was told at the other OB. So it was basically the same answer, I'm aware of that, just handled with more tact and professionalism. Which makes it a much easier pill to swallow! I'm still crossing my fingers that Thing 2 will flip over and be head first but it doesn't look realistic. But hey, one can dream right?

And after much promising...here is the latest baby bump picture!

MilSpouse Friday Fill In

  1. What are some things on your bucket list? (from New Girl on Post
I want to go travel Europe, go to Puerto Rico, see the Mississippi river and beyond, um….I know there is more but this is what I can immediately think of!
  1. How long have you been a MilSpouse and where have you been stationed so far? (from Raising Roscoe)
Mishu and I were married in June of ’09. When we got married he was stationed at Ft. Gordon, GA and I joined him there this last January. In May, he was reassigned to Ft. Bragg, NC and that is where we are at right now!
  1. What is a list of songs that sums up your life so far? (from Confessions of a Sailor’s Wife)
Etta James: At Last
….
That’s all I can think of right now! LOL!
  1. What is your favorite kind of pizza?
Pineapple, pepperoni and onion! NOM!
  1. What are three good things in your life right now?
I am married to the man of my dreams. We are expecting twins, who will be here in the next 2-3 months! I have family who loves me dearly.

    Sunday, October 3, 2010

    Apple Pie

    'Tis the season, right? I've never baked a pie before, I'm the Cookie Girl. During the holidays, other family members would bring the pies, I would just take care of the cookies. But...I figured that a) I should get my first pie baked before the girls come and b) Mishu loves pies, especially apple pies so yup.
    So here is the recipe. It's the Pillsbury one off of allrecipes.com, but I will share it with my pictures. :)
    Here is the prep stage: Peeling and coring the apples:


    Then I had the pie crust. Yes, I did get the pre-made stuff.



    Here is the pie, pre-baking.



    AAANNND here is the pie all done being baked. :)



    Here is your recipe:

    Prep time: 30 minutes, Cook time 40-45 minutes, Cooling time: 2 hours. 

    Ingredients

    Crust:

    • 1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
    Filling:
    • 6 cups thinly sliced, peeled apples
    • 3/4 cup sugar
    • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

    Directions

    1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Place 1 pie crust in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate. Press firmly against side and bottom.
    2. In large bowl, gently mix filling ingredients; spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust. Wrap excess top crust under bottom crust edge, pressing edges together to seal; flute. Cut slits or shapes in several places in top crust.
    3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Cover edge of crust with 2- to 3-inch wide strips of foil after first 15 to 20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours before serving. 
     
    Here's the link if you want it: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Perfect-Apple-Pie-3/Detail.aspx
    The pie tastes great! I used Macintosh apples and the pie is good. A little tart but good. :D I took a picture of the finished product but I guess it didn't completely take and well...it was eaten quickly after! Maybe if we have a slice tomorrow I'll snap a picture.  
    PS it completely annoys me that when I adjust the size of the pictures on photobucket, it doesn't really show up that way. :p 

    Friday, October 1, 2010

    MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

    1. What is the silliest get-up you have ever worn outside of a Halloween party? (from To The Nth)
    Well, I've never dressed up other than for Halloween and Renaissance faires.  So I guess that.
    1. What is something that you gave up in order to live the military lifestyle? (from Pennies from Heaven)
    I really haven't given up anything...other than a solid job in my home town. But that job would have been eliminated, so that's why I figure that I didn't give up anything. 
    1. If money wasn’t a factor and you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? And why? (from Life and Times of a Displaced Jersey Girl)
    I would go to Europe and travel all the countries and cities where my family is from. Why? Because I think it would be cool to see where my roots are from!
    1. If you were going to join the military, what branch would you join? Or which MOS/rating would you choose? (from And You Never Did Think)
    I would probably have chosen the Marines back when I was physically able to and when the physical (height) requirements for pilots was different (shorter). I'd probably join the Army otherwise. 
    1. What is your favorite thing to make for dinner? (from Armendinger Party of 4)
    Meatloaf probably. OMNOMNOM!