There ARE Good People in this World...Who Knew?

I spent a lot of time this afternoon trying to get in touch with Massachusetts' Unemployment Office. Let me tell you...there is nothing more difficult than getting them on the phone. It takes a few minutes to get through the automated system and then right after you put in your social security number, 99 times out of 100 it will tell you there's no one available to talk and will then hang up on you...you cannot hold nor can you go back to the automated system. You need to dial again and go through the whole process. When you FINALLY are allowed to wait for a rep, it's a 15-20 minute wait. Why I couldn't just wait on hold for 30 mins, I don't know. But either way, a few hours after I started my first dial, I finally talked to someone.

This person was MUCH nicer than the person I spoke with last week and actually wanted to help me, not get me off the phone as soon as humanly possible (thereby necessitating another call to the hell that is the unemployment office). Anyway, this person told me that my previous employer reported that I quit. OMG... No.Flipping.Way. He gave me the name and number of an unemployment advocate and said I could give her a call tomorrow. (I'm thinking "heck no...I'm calling her now")

So I called. And I think I actually made a phone call to heaven because the unemployment advocate was a genuine angel. Like a real one with wings and all. She was empathetic, supportive and helpful. She took a full statement from me and couldn't understand why my previous employer did what they did. I also gave her a copy of the MMLA (Massachusetts Maternity Leave Act) section about returning to work, which helped my case immensely. My previous employer has 48 hours to get back to her, and if they don't then she decides the case and that's that.

Thank G-d for genuine, nice, amazing, etc. people in this world...especially this angel at the unemployment office. She seriously deserves the Nobel Prize or something.

P.S. My son is giggling in the other room, and I have no clue why. He's just in there with his sister, and I can't imagine what is making him laugh. Right...now he's crying. I'd better go check on them...

*Sigh*

I'm going to be grumpy, so bear with me for a few.

My hubby's car died, and we were thinking about getting a new one, but we just don't think it's a wise financial decision. I *was* collecting unemployment for about 2 weeks until the unemployment office decided to stop paying me. I called them up and asked what gives...they said they didn't know if my claim was valid and I'd have to wait 6 to 8 weeks for them to call me to take a statement. Why I couldn't just give one to the lady I was on the phone with, I don't know. And she was exceptionally rude. "There are thousands of people who are unemployed right now, so you'll just have to wait." I mean really, how does she know that without my unemployment check that I can still feed my family and pay my mortgage? For all she knew it might mean that the babies don't get formula or diapers! Nope, no heart. (Thank G-d everyone will still eat, but it will not be a happy place until I get money coming in.)

With no second car, it means my husband has to take public transportation to and from work. Sometimes he's working until 10pm, so I will actually have to go and pick him up on those days. I just can't have him walking to the subway that late in the city. And it takes him longer to get to work in the morning, so he has to leave earlier...sometimes that means he has to get up hours earlier so he can feed the twins, pray and get to work on time. And a lot of the time he's already late for something because the babies don't have the best eating schedule. I'm going to check with him in the morning and see if maybe using a ZipCar might work better than the subway sometimes.

My weight loss is driving me crazy. I do great during the week and then on Thursday, Friday and Saturday I gain back all I've lost in the past week. So then I have to pray like mad that I lose it all again on Sunday and Monday. Seriously I want to scream! I just wish I didn't get so ravenously hungry on the weekends. :-(

Craft-O-Rama

I got this from The Captain's Wife

Here's how it works....The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me, especially for you.

I promise I'll make it worth your while!

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1) I make no guarantees that you will like what I make but I hope you will.
2) What I create will be just for you.
3)They say I have a year to get it to you. But I hope it will NOT take that long! I'm shooting for 30 days.
4) You have no clue what it's going to be. It’s a surprise to both of us at this point.

The catch? You must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog!

Rolling Over

She can do it!! Last night I had to change Chana's diaper very late (like 2am or so) and put her back in her crib. A few minutes later I heard her crying again, so I went to give her her pacifier....and she was on her tummy!!! I thought maybe it was a fluke, but she's done it at least 2 or 3 times today. Finally!

Now, this is for my sister-in-law because she doesn't realize I've already posted these on facebook. :-P These were all taken by my au pair, Shifra.

Awww they're holding hands!


Who are you looking at? I dunno, who are you looking at?


I like sucking my fingers...you should try it some time.


Dovid being cute in black & white


And now in technicolor

Web Hosting

I’m taking over a business from my mom, which I’m really excited about. The first thing I had to do, however, was get a website…something my mom never had. I went completely crazy trying to find website hosting that wouldn’t break the bank. Unfortunately the domain name I really wanted wasn’t available and I couldn’t find any way to get in contact with the person who owned it, so I had to settle on something else. Maybe in a few years I’ll be able to get my preferred domain name when it’s current term expires.

Anyway, during my numerous online searches I found an excellent place to research web hosting! They have info if you’re looking for multiple domain names, free domain names, and even ways to get free Google AdWords and Yahoo Marketing credits for your internet marketing. My personal favorite, however, is their info on “green” web hosting. I’m very big on doing things the eco-friendly way, and how neat is it to know that even your website is “green”? They also have “Web Hosting Awards” which shows you the best hosting for whatever you’re looking to do: low budget, blogging, forums, ecommerce, etc. The Geeks also have blogs where you can find hosting tips, news and other info, reviews for web hosting, articles about web hosting, and tons of resources for webmasters. Once you’ve found your perfect web hosting match, you can even submit your own review to help those who come after you. Man, I love geeks. They take the work out of everything!

MckLinky Blog Hop

This week's blog hop theme is "Time to Laugh," so I'm posting one of my favorite cartoons. I posted this last summer when Michael Phelps won all of those medals during the Olympics, but it still makes me giggle when I see it. :-) Enjoy!

Getting Bigger...

The twins had a weight and length check today, so here is where we are. (Remember that they're technically 5 months old, but only 4 months corrected age.)

Chana
height: 25 in (50th percentile for 5 mo, 78%ile for 4 mo)
weight: 15 lbs 1.3 oz (57%ile for 5 mo, 80%ile for 4 mo)

Dovid
height: 24.75 in (19%ile for 5 mo, 49%ile for 4 mo)
weight: 13 lbs 15.6 oz (11%ile for 5 mo, 35%ile for 4 mo)

Chana is just so big, the doctor even said jokingly "Are you sure she was a preemie?" Dovid's just my little man, emphasis on little. hehe But, they both gained approximately a pound and a half in the last month and 3/4 of an inch. Dovid's still not gaining as much as his sister is and he is quite small, so he'll be staying on the preemie formula with extra scoops of powder. Chana is adding Zantac to her diet, because she's spitting up quite a bit. (Funny how a kid that spits up half of what she eats is gaining weight like a college student drinking beer and eating pizza.) She's also going to be on Erythromycin eye ointment to see if we can clear up her "eye goop." I noticed that it went away for almost 2 weeks after she was on IV antibiotics at the hospital, so we're giving this a try and hope that it will go away for good!

Bumbo seats

I decided to buy two Bumbo seats from eBay. I was looking around and they were the cheapest I found that were actually decent quality. There are some cheaper but either they didn't have a tray included or the color was fading or something like that. So that's settled. When they grow out of them, I'll get booster seats that attach to chairs.

The babies are starting to become interested in sitting up. Whenever I try to get Chana to lie down, she tries to lift her back as if she wants to sit up. She's just not strong enough yet, though. I have tried to sit them up in "tripod" fashion, and Chana actually stayed in "tripod" position for a few seconds before getting upset. They'll get there soon enough!

They're also WAAAAAY hungry...all the flipping time. I'm going to ask the Pediatrician tomorrow if we can start introducing solids, because I don't think the formula is cutting it any more. We'll see!

Need Advice

Ok guys, I need help here. I want the twins to start learning how to sit up, but we don't have Bumbo seats, booster seats or high chairs. We're going to need to get booster seats for feedings, because we don't have room for high chairs, but should we get Bumbo seats too? They're expensive ($40 each), but they look so neat. :-) What do you guys think I should do? Buy the booster seats and no Bumbos or get both or just Bumbos??? Heeeeelp!

Harry Potter

In honor of my Hebrew birthday (which was today), Shmuel took me to see the latest Harry Potter movie last night. It was ok, at best. The direction was terrible, and the only actor that did an exemplary job was Helena Bonham Carter playing Bellatrix LeStrange. She is just phenomenal and really, really creepy. The rest did the best they could with the awful directing. It really just served as a link between the other movies and the final installment, which will come out in Nov 2010. I really, really, reeeeeeally hope that the 7th movies (yes, plural because it's coming out in part 1 and part 2) are a zillion times better than this one was. It's a must-see for any Harry Potter fan, but only because we Harry Potter fans would see it even if we knew it sucked (which I knew ahead of time and wanted to see it anyway). :-) The book is SOOOOOOO much better. (I happened to love the 6th book, but the 7th is my ultimate favorite.)

MckLinky Blog Hop

This week's blog hop is "favorite recipe" again. It was so popular the last time around that they decided to do it again! This time I'm giving my husband's recipe for cholent. This recipe is easy, spicy and very yummy!

1/2 cup pinto beans
1/2 cup black beans (or red beans)
2/3 cup barley
2/3 cup brown rice
1 1/2 pounds flanken beef, cubed
1 large or 2 medium onions; chopped, sliced or whole
4 large or 5 medium red potatoes, cut into halves or quarters
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp chili powder and/or cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped

Boil beans for two minutes, cover and let sit for one hour. (Or you can let the beans soak overnight.) Drain water. Add the rest of the ingredients to the crockpot (or 5-6 quart stock pot). Add water to just cover all of the ingredients. Cook on low heat for approx 24 hours. Enjoy!

Click HERE for more Hebrew & Yiddish word definitions

If You Look To Your Right...

You will see that my weight ticker has gone to 29.9 BMI. For those who are unfamiliar with BMI, it's a measure of body fat based on your height and weight. Here are the different BMI categories:

Underweight = <18.5
Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
Overweight = 25-29.9
Obesity = >30

Now you probably understand why 29.9 is such a big deal. Doctors everywhere will tell you that being obese means you are at a much greater risk for nearly every disease known to mankind. It's scary! So, now that I'm back in the overweight category, it's not *so* bad. (Doctors still don't like people to be overweight, but it's much better than being obese.) Of course, my goal is to be in the normal weight category, but that will come in time. My next milestone will be to cross my pre-pregnancy weight (141). Should only be a few more weeks!!!

Shabbos

The pierogies were a hit! Shifra even said it was like eating in a 5-star Polish restaurant, but I think she was just being nice. :-) They were even good cold today...mmmmm. So worth it, even though my arms need at least two weeks rest from any activity. Kneading and rolling the dough worked muscles I didn't even know I had, and now they're sore. lol

I highly recommend getting an au pair for anyone who is looking for childcare. It's so much less expensive than any other, and it has SO many benefits:

1) It doesn't matter if you have one kid or seven, you pay the au pair the same amount regardless.

2) The au pair is in your home and will do everything for your kids--laundry, toys, making meals, etc.

3) Your au pair is flexibile. If you work one day from 9 to 5 and the next from 10 to 6 and the next from 3 to 11 it doesn't matter. If you want to go out with your husband for a night on the town, she's there. As long as she doesn't work more than 45 hours a week and more than 10 hours in one day, it's all good.

4) You get a new cultural experience! With an au pair coming from a different country, your kids (and you) will find out all about that country, language, traditions, foods and culture. Mmmmm pierogies...

5) If you're lucky like me, you will have an amazing addition to your family who is practically like a long-lost sister. :-)

I can't think of any more right now, but I'm sure there's more.

She's here!

Yup, you heard me right. Shifra is here! Her bus was an hour early (2:00pm), which was awesome and gave her more time to unpack and get ready for Shabbos. She is just as sweet as can be, and I feel very lucky that we found her.

In order to make her feel more at home, I made home-made pierogies for dinner. Because we eat fleishig on Shabbos, I needed to find a non-dairy recipe. Which I did, as you can see by the link to the recipe. It was a patchkerai, as my mother would say, and my forearms will never be the same again (from kneading the dough). But, I'm hoping they'll be worth it. I can't wait to see the look on her face when I serve home-made semi-authentic Polish pierogies. :-) Yummmm...

Click HERE for more Hebrew & Yiddish word definitions

Funny Babies...or Funny Mommy?

My son laughed during "book time" tonight. By laughed, I mean he laughed after EVERY WORD. And this was a book entitled Big Bird's First Book of Letters, so each letter had a few words to go along with it. No plot, just words. By the letter C, he was laughing after every single word. I was like, "Am I reading this funny?" I dunno...maybe he was just in a silly mood.

Then, my hubby gets home and it's time for him to say the Shema and V'Ahavta with the twins before they go to sleep. Dovid kept eye contact with Shmuel during the whole thing and didn't make one peep. It's as if he knew how important it is to say the Shema before bed, and he wanted to make sure he did it right. SO cute!

I got my Belly Bandit in the mail today, and I'm wearing it now. Hopefully this will help my stomach to regain a nicer shape...seeing as right now it flops all over the place. *sigh*

My au pair, Shifra, is coming in less than 18 hours. OMG!!!!!!!!!!

Click HERE for more Hebrew & Yiddish word definitions

Van Insurance

One of my best friends lives in the UK and wanted me to post something relevant for all of you British folk out there, so here goes. (Feel free to ignore me if you don't live in the UK.) He recently bought a new van for his company and was looking everywhere for cheap van insurance. (For those who don’t know, van insurance allows a person to drive a van on UK highways. Van insurance is also known as commercial vehicle insurance or commercial van insurance, and it’s a legal requirement to have valid van insurance coverage in order to drive any van on public highways in the UK.) Anyway, he was having a really tough time collecting quotes and finding the best insurance for his money until he found autonetinsurance.co.uk. It’s a website where you can get quotes on all different types of insurance, not just for vans: car insurance, home insurance, travel insurance, pet insurance, and business insurance, just to name a few. In order to get customers the best deal, they price check 40 of the UK’s leading insurers daily, have dedicated experts to get you a great deal, and they have a 24 hour claims line to make life hassle free. So, for those of you who live in the UK and are looking for inexpensive insurance, he found it for you and wanted me to tell you...especially for those of us who need vans and bigger cars for multiple car seats! Have fun looking!

Trip Photos

Here are the photos from our trip! I apologize for the random blurriness, but this was all taken with my old camera, which doesn't rock the way my new camera does.

These are not photos of my husband and son... This is my most recent ex-bf (meaning the last person I dated before I met my hubby) and Dovid. Funny enough, my ex's name is David. :-) Also funny is that my ex looks remarkably like my hubby. My taste in men doesn't change at all...

And before you see the pics, I must tell you a funny story. David was holding Chana while preparing some food in the kitchen (my hubby was in the basement changing Dovid). David's father walks in...looks at me and then at David holding Chana. David says, "She's not mine!" It was absolutely hilarious. I was like "Guilty conscience? Besides the fact that any child of yours and mine would be like 3 or 4 years old and not 4 months old..." I laughed so hard. Anyway, here are the pics.





Next, we went to visit Molly. There were so many babies in her living room! That's "Tiny Guy" on the left, Chana on the right and Dovid in the back.


If you couldn't tell, Molly is on the left here. She's a full head taller than I am. lol


Then we got to the wedding!!

This is the gorgeous bride


And here she is again!


Here she is reciting Tehillim


This is just as the men are coming in for the bedeken, so it's the first time Naami has seen her groom in a whole week. No wonder she looks so happy. On her immediate left is her mother and right behind is her sister.


Here is the groom, looking ecstatic, as he arrives for the bedeken


Here are the bride & her parents starting the walk down the aisle


I was way in the back, so the next two didn't come out so well. Anyway, this is the bride circling the groom.


And this is the couple under the chupah


Ok, wedding's over. lol The next day we visited with my friend Dan, who I've known for over 15 years. We met at camp during the summer of 1993, when I was just turning 10 (and he was 9). I'll post a now and then, just so you can see how much he's changed. lol Here's now:


And here's then (the summer we met):


Well, that's our trip! It was a blast, and hopefully we'll go back down to the NYC area again really soon to visit the people we missed.


Click HERE for more Hebrew & Yiddish word definitions

One Lovely Blog Award

WiseGuy from Woman Anyone? gave me an award!!!



The rules of the award are:

Accept the award; post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. (Although I'm going to give it to old and new blogs...)

I'm giving this award to:

Birdee @ Baby Birdee
A Few Good Sperm
Sarah R @ Andrew Tales
Aunt_Becca
Celia @ Breeder Beware
FET Accompli
Miriam @ Hannah Wept, Sarah Laughed
Teresa & Gareth @ Life in Lakeridge
Christina @ My Life
The Dorns @ One ADornable Family
Chelle @ Our Life in a Nutchell
Liv @ The Life of Liv
Shaz @ The Not So Secret Life Of Us
Chicklet @ Bloorb
Murgdan @ Conceive This!

MckLinky Blog Hop

This week's blog hop theme is "your favorite photo(s)". I've already posted some of my ultimate faves, but I'll find a good one for you...

Here's a picture of Shmuel singing "Aishes Chayil" to me at our wedding. "Aishes Chayil" is a song that most men sing to their wives on Friday nights, and many sing it at the wedding reception too. The bandleader at the wedding said that it was the sweetest rendition of the song he had ever heard.

What a Trip

First off, I want everyone to know that my hubby wanted to get me something, and even went to a store, but he just couldn't think of what to get me and gave up. So I told him next time to call his sister for advice. :-) Our anniversary is in about two weeks, so he can make up for the birthday fiasco.

Now for my trip. Meeting Molly, her hubby and boys was amazing. They are the sweetest family and didn't mind being our "food and diapers" stopover. We're even thinking of trying out cloth diapers because they showed us how easy (and cost effective) they are. "The Boy" (that is Molly's older son) is just so cute and showed us that he knows how to spell his first name. "Tiny Guy" (That's Molly's younger son) wasn't in such a good mood, but he is way cute nonetheless. There will be pictures coming. The one of the two of us is very funny because Molly is very tall and I am very short. hehehe

The wedding was fantastic, and I'll be posting some pictures of that. I *almost* cried. I have never cried at a wedding, not even my own, but I definitely had tears in my eyes at some points. The twins were also a hit. People wanted to hold them and feed them, which gave me some time to actually eat.

After eating pretty much whatever I wanted for the last few days, I was terrified about getting on the scale when I got back. I wasn't feeling well yesterday, so I probably lost a bunch of weight just from having gastric issues. (ick) I figured as long as I hadn't gained more than a pound I'd be satisfied. Guess what...I LOST half a pound. Yep, you heard me. I had weighed in around 151 on Sunday morning, and now I'm 150.4...and this is at night time, so I'll be even less in the morning when I do my cleanse. (I had to put off my cleanse by two days because of the wedding, so I'll be in the 140's very soon!!!) I'm so psyched, you have no idea.

In answer to my sister-in-law's comment question, a belly bandit is a thing that goes around your belly and is supposed to help it get tighter as you lose weight. I have a ton of extra skin that I really hope will go away on its own as I lose the weight, but if it doesn't then really the only hope for it is surgery (which I don't want to do). So I'm hoping that this may help a bit...who knows.

Last thing, I promise. My au pair is coming on Friday!!! By now her plane has already landed in the USA, and I bet she is so excited. But I don't know who's more excited, me or her. :-) I'm almost free!!!

Dude....

My hubby didn't get me *anything* for my birthday. Well, he got me a cute card... *sigh* Yes, it was Shabbos so we didn't get to do anything all day, but it didn't mean he couldn't buy me a gift, you know. Geeeesh! Maybe I'll guilt him into taking me to see Harry Potter once the au pair gets here next week. Honestly...you'd think someone who's been married for nearly 3 years would have more sense. He's just lucky I'm not my sister (who would make her hubby sleep on the porch for a year without a hammock or a blanket if he ever did something like this). :-D Maybe he thinks that he just can't beat my BFP from last year. Well, he couldn't, but it doesn't mean he couldn't have tried! He could have suggested we see Harry Potter as a birthday present. We did that for the last Harry Potter movie to come out (Order of the Phoenix) two years ago. Oh well, this is what I get for marrying someone I knew wasn't a romantic. lol He is, however, letting me get myself a new digital camera with our credit card rewards points. hehe Woooo!

We're off to NJ today for a wedding. A very good friend of ours is getting married, and we are sooooo excited. We also have a fun-filled two days set up. First we're going to have lunch with my most recent ex-boyfriend (prior to my hubby). He's a sweetie, and I can't wait for him to meet the twins. Then we're going to drop our things at Shmuel's brother's house (where we're staying). When everyone is all ready for the wedding, we're going to drive southeast...to visit our blogger friend Molly!!! After a short visit there, then we'll head to the wedding. Monday morning we're going to see a friend of ours who recently had her first baby, and then we're going to have a nice brunch with a friend of mine that I've known for about 16 years. It's going to be a blast, and I can't wait to blog all about it when we get back!!! I'll take lots of pictures to show everyone, of course.

Incidentally, I'm wearing a pre-pregnancy dress to the wedding. It fits just like it did before I got pregnant; it's not even the slightest bit tight!!! I was so excited when I tried it on and zipped it up just like old times. I guess I can finally put away my maternity wear. I'm also going to buy a Belly Bandit to get my stomach into shape. YEAHHHHH!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

That's right, folks. It's that time of the year again!!!! I am now 26 years old (eep). Last week I posted about my embryo retrieval & transfer that happened last year, so I'm going to review only my "two week wait" from last year, because it is quite amusing to look back (knowing that I was pregnant with twins).

The day of my transfer I talked, jokingly, with my best friend about registering my embryos to vote, and we came up with names for them. (I actually used the name Brocha for my daughter's middle name.)

Two days later, my mother sent over a ton of furniture with some movers. Something the mover said to me was completely bizarre, and you can read more about it here. Turns out he IS psychic. Weird!

The day before I got my BFP, I had all sorts of symptoms and speculated that they might be something...or nothing at all.

Then, my birthday. There was a rainbow in the sky, and a most wonderful birthday present for me when I got home.

I don't think anything can compare to last year's birthday present of a true and sticky BFP, but just *having* my twins is really the perfect gift. Although I must say that the thought of my au pair coming in just less than a week is a pretty amazing gift...WOOOO!!! Nah, doesn't compare. :-)

Birthday Tomorrow!

So, my 26th birthday is tomorrow, and I saw on facebook a really neat way for someone to give a gift when they're really not sure what to give or they weren't necessarily going to give something in the first place. :-) It's called a "Birthday Wish" and my wish is for people to donate to an organization called Bonei Olam, you can find out more by clicking here, but basically they are an organization that helps infertile couples to pay for their treatments. Give an infertile couple the chance to have a baby of their own!

Back Home

Little Chana is back home! The test so far hadn't come back with anything, and with no temperature and her acting like a normal baby, the doctors figured there was no reason for her to be in the hospital. If it was something serious, the tests would've showed *something*. If you read all about petechia, then you'd know that it can sometimes be indicative of something very bad, like Leukemia and Meningitis. If it were Leukemia, CV"S, her platelets would've been low, her white counts would've been much higher and her blood would've looked funny. Her platelets were fine and her white counts were nearly normal today (14K). If it were Meningitis, CV"S, she would've had a fever, been acting sick and her tests would not have all been clearly negative after 36 hours. It's possible that it was a reaction to her 4month immunizations (which she had last week), but it seems like a bit of a delayed reaction to them. It is also possible that she has/had a minor virus and that the only real symptom of it was this rash and her white blood cell counts. Other than that, she's totally healthy. YAY!!! And, the doctor says it's ok for us to take her to NJ for the wedding this weekend!!!!!! I'm really excited to see some people I haven't seen in a very long time and I'll be sure to tell you all about it when I get back. Oh, and my birthday is on Saturday. WOOOOO!

What a Day...

Yesterday around 5:30pm I noticed that Chana had a bizarre rash (which is called Petechia, and if you read the wikipedia on it you'll probably have a heart attack like I just nearly did...) Anyway, I had never seen this kind of rash before and didn't know what it was called, so I called the Pediatrician. The doctor told me to come on in and have it looked at. So I ran my butt over to the doctor's office, and it was now nearly 7pm. They took a look at it and said "go over to Children's Hospital because it could be something serious and we want it looked at". Greeeeat. So I rushed her to Children's ER, where they took a blood test (it took them several sticks, because she's so chunky, and finally they got an IV line in her arm). They also did a lumbar puncture to take a look at her spinal fluid. So far her blood looks fine, except for an elevated white blood cell count, and her spinal fluid looks good too. But, they cannot definitively say that it's all good until 48 hours have passed. They need to rule out a bacterial infection, and the tests for that take 2 days. But let me tell you, you NEVER want to hear the word
"meningitis" come out of a doctor's mouth...NEVER. I mean just thinking of it makes you want to pass out. *shiver* Yeah, that sucked.

Anyway, as of now Chana does not have a fever or any other signs of being ill other than elevated white blood cells and this funny rash. The doctors believe it's probably a virus, but they have her on antibiotics, and she'll be under observation until all the tests come back. *sigh* So not fun at all. For all of you Jewish types out there, her name is Chana Brocha bas Elana Miriam if you would like to daven for her to have a refuah sheleyma.

Click HERE for more Hebrew & Yiddish word definitions

MckLinky Blog Hop

This week's blog hop theme is "encouragement". People are posting their favorite quotes, spiritual passages, life lessons, sayings, photos and encouraging thoughts. I am going to post a photo along with my encouragement.



This is a picture of my twins almost exactly a year ago. My encouragement is to all of the infertile couples who are reading my blog. Miracles do happen, and my twins are proof of that in so many ways. It can happen for you too! Even if they tell you that "one of your embryos doesn't have much hope, but we'll transfer it anyway", stay positive. My 5 cell grade C embryo is sitting next to me, sucking on her pacifier. There are still many souls up in heaven just waiting for their chance to come spend some time down here on earth. And if you're someone who has had a miscarriage (or several) or a stillbirth, know that these souls only had a very short time to spend, but they were sent down just for you. Miscarriages do serve a purpose, even if it doesn't seem like it. My sister, my husband, my twins (and possibly I) wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for miscarriages. Think about how many people walking this earth might not be alive today if their mother hadn't had a miscarriage (or several)...could even be you!

This post is for the following women to have the zechus for zara chaya v'kayama: Rivka Tsivia bas Kayla Leah, Malka Avira bas Chaya T'sherniya, and Rizel bas Elka. May I hear very good news from all three women before the end of 2009, and may all the infertile couples in the world be able to share similar news as well.

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Not Too Far Behind

Chana can laugh too!!! Well, she really giggled, but it counts! I was looking at her and smiling and giggling, and she giggled back. Woooo! My babies are on the same page (and right on track). Gooooo twinners!

Printer Ink

I swear, I go through about as much printer ink as I do diapers these days. It seems like I just replaced my black ink and already my computer is telling me it's low! Luckily, I found a new place to get my ink from so I don't spend all of my extra money making sure my printer isn't just a large paperweight. These guys have printer cartridges and refill kits, if you prefer to reuse your cartridge, and they have supplies for pretty much every brand. Thank goodness I can save money without compromising on my print quality. They also offer free same-day shipping for orders more than $45 and you get a one-year guarantee on everything they sell. Seriously, I can't think of a better place to get my ink.

Laughing

Yesterday afternoon I put Dovid on the floor for a little tummy time. After a few minutes he was tired of being on his back, so I flipped him to his front. He then spent a few minutes smiling at me in various ways and "talking". He really LOVES to "talk". He'll basically say the same syllable (ah) in different intonations and for different lengths. It's quite cute, actually. :-) All of a sudden, I'm looking at him and he starts laughing! Neither my husband nor I had ever heard him laugh before, so this was totally new...and completely adorable. He was just lying there giggling at me. SOOOOO cute. I'm so proud of him! It took both him and his sister a while to start smiling in the first place, but for his corrected age laughing now is right on track (actually, it's pretty good even for his regular age...) His sister, on the other hand, still hasn't figure out how to roll from back to front (although she's definitely getting there) and hasn't laughed yet. Oh well, every baby is different and that's just fine. I really have to get used to them doing things in their corrected age... B"H I don't have to worry about significant developmental delays (which I was terrified about after their traumatic birth...)

Last year...

Was my embryo transfer. I was so nervous because of the eight eggs they retrieved, only four had fertilized and then only two of them continued to grow and develop. I was heartbroken. I felt for sure that there was no way my two surviving embryos were going to turn into anything. I cried like a baby when the nurse called and said I only had two remaining (and I was at work at the time). B"H I was totally wrong. :-) Then, last year today, my two embryos were lovingly transferred back into me where they would have a chance at life (which they so gratefully took). I decided not to take the valium, but the pain of having a ridiculously full bladder was totally worth it. And the embryos didn't even fall out when I went to the bathroom! (As the nurse said they wouldn't.) And, to quote myself, "we transferred 1 real winner embryo and 1 not so good embryo that still has a chance (and we love them both the same)." Looks like my "not so good embryo" really did have a chance, and I believe that's the little girl sitting next to me...who is actually bigger than her little brother (who started out as an embryo just about twice her size).