Hello Again

Hi all! So sorry I've completely neglected you for the past few weeks, but with the Jewish holidays all falling on Thursday and Friday, it's been very hectic. Things here are doing well, though. We've all had colds this past week, which was not fun, but noses are slowly becoming unstuffed and tissue usage has gone down significantly. :-)

The twins are saying new words almost every day, and I'm making pages specifically to document what things they're saying and when they started (sort of). Here are the links to them for your viewing pleasure:

Chana's Word Page
Dovid's Word Page

Dovid is also now climbing all over everything: on the musical table, into a child's shopping cart, onto adult chairs, up stairs, etc. Chana is still terrified of stairs and won't climb up. *sigh*

Baby #3 is also doing well, growing and squirming around. At our last ultrasound (Wednesday) she was measuring still about a week behind schedule and around 1 1/2 lbs. My cervix is still hanging in at around 3.5 cm! But this is where I start to get nervous, because the twins were each just under a pound when my cervix started opening the last time. So if something bad is going to happen with my cervix, it's going to probably happen now. This next ultrasound (in a week and a half) will be the most important yet. After that, it should be smooooth sailing until delivery IY"H.

I totally missed the 25 week update on chances of complications, but here is the one for 26 weeks:

Survival: 75% (way up from 40% two weeks ago)
Respiratory Distress Syndrome: 93%
Intraventricular Hemorrhage: 30%
Sepsis: 30%
Necrotizing Enterocolitis: 11%
Intact, long-term survival: 60% (waaaay up from 5% two weeks ago)

Now don't forget, for both of the survival statistics that's the percentage that will survive. For the other complications it's the percentage that will NOT have that particular complication.

So everything is looking good!!

Missed Me?

Sorry for the lack of posting, but we were out of town this week for the holiday of Shavuos. We had so much fun visiting my mom in Rochester, and it was so nice seeing lots of family! The twins were adorable, as always, and were mostly well behaved. Chana, unfortunately, suffers from motion sickness, so we have to figure out a way to get her through a long car ride without too much puke. *sigh* Luckily, Dovid doesn't get sick or we'd really have a problem. lol We had quite a long drive today due to our many stops, but we're finally home. Yay! :-)

Now Then...

Pesach's over, and I think I gained like 5 lbs. Ewww. I need to start exercising when I have a few minutes to myself.

The twins are going to be seen by someone with Early Intervention in two weeks. The pediatrician wants them to be evaluated since they still don't seem to understand (or speak) any English (or any other language for that matter). *sigh* I'll let you know how that goes.

Most everyone still has a cold, but I think everyone is getting better. Chana's cough is much better. YAY! And this weekend we're supposed to be going to our friends (the Hoffman family) for a birthday party, but they're also sick so we have to hope that everyone gets better really soon. We're going to be celebrating not only the twins' birthday but also the Hoffmans' youngest and their downstairs neighbor's youngest. Yay for babies! :-)

Meanwhile, go check out the neat games being given away on my other blog for Family Game Month!

Pesach

Well, we're more than halfway done with Pesach, but most of the family is still sick. :-( The twins don't have fevers or vomiting, but they have runny noses. Shmuel has a horrific cold, but luckily no fever or vomiting from him either. His mom also has a cold, and I think Ziva probably still has a cold too (although she is out of town this weekend on a mini vacation).

I've been having fun getting ready for Family Game Month on The Twinners blog, and I already have the first giveaway up. Go check it out!

The twins aren't really doing anything new. They are practicing standing without holding on, but they still don't stand for very long without either sitting down or grabbing onto something. Neither have even attempted walking without holding on. They are both as giggly as ever, and are just the cutest babies in the world. :-)

Another Post to Make You Smile

So the holiday of Purim is all about the fact that the Jews survived almost certain death once again. This time the perpetrator was Haman (booo) who wanted to hang Mordechai because Mordechai had refused to bow down to him. He also wanted to kill all of the Jews everywhere. But in the end, it was Haman who was hanged (along with his sons) and the Jews survived (yay!)

Now then, we delivered mishloach manot (bags of goodies that are traditionally given on Purim to your friends and family) all around our neighborhood on Purim, and while walking down one of the streets that has a very large concentration of Orthodox Jews, I happened upon this:


As you can see, someone put a gallows with a dummy up on his porch. Nice, eh? It was a prop from the girls' high school play. I nearly fainted when I saw it. I love it when people get in the Purim spirit!

Click HERE for more Hebrew & Yiddish word definitions

Good Intentions

For those of you who love my posts about interesting Jewish things, you are going to love this one...

First of all, this weekend we had two holidays--Shmini Atzeres and Simchas Torah. I'm not going into detail on either because that's not what the post is about. Sorry! Anyhoo, on Shabbos, holidays and every Monday and Thursday, the ba'al koreh reads a portion of the Torah and a man from the congregation is called up to the Torah to have an aliyah. There are between 3 and 7 aliyos depending on the day, it's an honor to have an aliyah, and in our shul men who get one then donate a small amount of money to the shul for this honor. That person says the blessings before and after the ba'al koreh reads a portion of the Torah. On Simchas Torah there are several special aliyos and many other honors that the men bid for. One of these special aliyos is called kol ha'neorim. In this aliyah all of the children in the shul (even the girls) get to participate. It is a segulah for children for the man who reads the blessings for this aliyah. I made sure that Shmuel bid for this aliyah in 2007, and we got pregnant within the year. :-) This year I wanted to make ABSOLUTELY SURE that friends of ours would have this honor. My friend has been married for 6 or 7 years, and I would honestly do anything to see her have the blessing of healthy children. So before the holiday, I called the Rabbi and said that I wanted to make sure her husband would get this aliyah. I told him that I would personally donate the money for it. He said he'd take care of it...

The men bid on the various honors long before I would ever arrive at shul, so I was looking forward to seeing my friend's reaction. As soon as I walk in, she runs over to me and goes "[Hubby] got kol ha'neorim!!!" I was like "I know, I helped plan that." She's like "Uhhh you did? I told him to bid for it." LOL Whooooooops! So much for that plan, they got it themselves. And boy did I feel stupid. :-) Well, bottom line is he got the aliyah, and I hope to hear very good news from her VERY VERY soon!!

Click HERE for more Hebrew & Yiddish word definitions

Whoops!

I haven't posted in a while. It's almost time for the next episode of Biggest Loser (tomorrow). lol I gained a bit of weight over the weekend because of Rosh Hashana, but I didn't do *too* badly considering how much I ate plus desserts. mmmmm dessert... Anyway, I figured it's a Jewish holiday and I'm supposed to be happy and eat well. So I did. :-) Now I just have to get on the Wii Fit and lose it again. And make sure I don't do too badly during Sukkos... But if Dovid keeps trying to eat me, I may not have to lose any weight at all...he'll just eat it all off of me. lol He's being very clingy...always wanting me to hold him and not wanting to sit in a seat and just play. He's trying to grab my shirt and eat that too. Maybe he's just hungry? Well I'll go feed him then.

Stream of Consciousness

The twins had another weigh-in today...Chana is up to 6lbs 15oz and Dovid is 6lbs 10oz. Wow! Chana gained 10oz in 5 days and Dovid gained 8oz in 5 days. They had both just eaten, but really that "just eaten" label applies to them nearly 24 hours a day. lol

I'm sitting here with Dovid nestled in my lap. Thank goodness I wear skirts...I have his head on one thigh and his legs on the other, and the skirt keeps him from falling. :-) I'm soooo creative. Otherwise I would have to type this with one hand and it would take all day. He seems to be comfortable...he actually looks to be asleep. heh

My mom and I are going grocery shopping imminently...with the twins. It should be interesting! One of us will push the cart and the other will push the stroller. We don't have slings yet, and who *really* wants to be wearing a baby while walking all over the supermarket? Not me!

One of my husband's coworkers made us this gorgeous cross-stitch with twin bears and the twins names & birth date on it. I'll have to take a photo and post it here...it's absolutely gorgeous.

The last two days of Pesach are tomorrow and Thursday, so I won't be posting until at least Friday...if not Sunday. I am soooo glad it's almost over!

Car and Pesach

The hubby and I decided to buy a Kia Sedona, and we found a great deal at Quirk Kia in Braintree, MA. They had some leftover 2008's in red that they were practically giving away. The only difference between the 08's and the 09's is that the 09's have Sirius satellite radio, which I really don't need. The safety ratings and the car itself is exactly the same. Why would I want to spend over $5K more for a 2009? I wouldn't. :-) So, now we have a red minivan. I am officially a soccer mom. lol


I'm going to be away from my computer for a few days. Pesach starts tonight, and the first two days (this year Thurs & Fri) are like Shabbos, so no computer. And then Saturday is Shabbos, so no computer then either. :-) Anyways, for all of my Jewish readers, have a chag kasher v'sameach (a happy & kosher holiday).

Adam Sandler's Chanukkah Song

In honor of this wonderful holiday, everyone needs to listen to this song. So, press play and enjoy. I'll even give you the lyrics to help. :-)

HAPPY CHANUKKAH!



Okay...
This is a song that uhh..
There's a lot of Christmas songs out there and uhh..
Not too many Chanukkah songs.
So uhh..
I wrote a song for all those nice little Jewish kids who don't get to hear any Chanukkah songs.
Here we go...

Put on your yarmulke
Here comes Chanukkah
So much funukah
To celebrate Chanukkah
Chanukkah is the festival of lights
Instead of one day of presents, we have eight crazy nights

When you feel like the only kid in town without a Christmas tree
Here's a list of people who are Jewish just like you and me
David Lee Roth lights the menorah
So do James Caan, Kirk Douglas, and the late Dinah Shore-ah

Guess who eats together at the Carnegie Deli
Bowser from Sha Na Na and Arthur Fonzerelli
Paul Newman's half Jewish, Goldie Hawn's half too
Put them together, what a fine lookin' Jew

You don't need deck the halls or jingle bell rock
'Cause you can spin a dreidel with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock - both Jewish

Put on your yarmulke
It's time for Chanukkah
The owner of the Seattle Supersonicahs
Celebrates Chanukkah

O.J. Simpson, not a Jew
But guess who is? hall of famer Rod Carew -- he converted
We got Ann Landers and her sister Dear Abby
Harrison Ford's a quarter Jewish- not too shabby

Some people think that Ebenezer Scrooge is
Well he's not, but guess who is
All Three Stooges
So many Jews are in showbiz
Tom Cruise isn't, but I heard his agent is

Tell your friend Veronica
It's time to celebrate Chanukkah
I hope I get a harmonicah
Oh this lovely, lovely Chanukkah
So drink your gin and tonicah
And smoke your marijuanikah
If you really, really wannakah
Have a happy, happy, happy, happy Chanukkah
Happy Chanukkah

Mazal Tov and Chanukkah

My friend had a baby boy!! I don't know if he was born on Wed night or Thurs morning, but I'm sure I'll find out eventually. They are having a shalom zachor tonight, but I'm not 100% sure if I'm going to let my hubby go. We're expecting this gigantic snow storm, and even though it's not a particularly far walk (and he will have already walked to and from shul earlier on), I really don't want him to slip and fall--he already did that once today and the snow hasn't even started yet. :-)

One of our friends brought over food for Shabbos, but my hubby is making a cholent for Shabbos lunch just in case there isn't enough for two meals. Yum!

In other news, I'm having SO much trouble sleeping. Insomnia, back pain, can't get comfortable, mind racing, can hear heartbeat while lying down, etc. It takes forever to fall asleep and then I keep waking up. I have no idea how much sleep I got last night...I laid down around 11pm and woke up officially around 9:45am, but that doesn't mean I got more than 5 or 6 hours. lol

Chanukkah starts Sunday night! A pyromaniac's favorite holiday...get to light one more candle every night. Just so everyone knows, Chanukkah has nothing to do with Christmas and is not one of Judaisms most important holidays. Basically, Antiocus IV (king of the Seleucids) outlawed Judaism and desicrated the Beis Hamikdosh. We defeated them and re-dedicated the Beis Hamikdosh around 165 BCE. There are two miracles that are celebrated at Chanukkah. Firstly, we defeated the Seleucids with a MUCH, MUCH smaller army, and secondly, when we went to re-dedicate the Beis HaMikdosh we only found enough oil to light the Menorah in the Beis HaMikdosh for one day. The oil used for this purpose is very special oil, so we were lucky to even find that amount, but it was going to take much longer to produce more. The oil, however, lasted for 8 days, which gave us time to make more. So, we light candles on a Chanukiyah every night of the holiday--starting with one for the first night, two on the second night, etc. There is also one candle that lights the others, so it is always lit first. There are other traditions of eating a rediculous amount of fried foods--latkes and in Israel they make special jelly donuts called sufganiyot--to celebrate the oil. mmmmm Fried happiness... Happy Chanukkah!

Click HERE for my list of Hebrew & Yiddish word definitions

14 weeks!

Sorry that I've been so out of touch, but there were more Jewish holidays! From Monday night to Tuesday night was Shmini Atzeres and Tuesday night to Wednesday night was Simchas Torah. I won't go into details, but it basically meant I couldn't post updates. :-) In any case, I did just update my belly pic and tomorrow I have another ultrasound, so hopefully I'll get pictures from that to post as well.

One thing I forgot to tell you about my ultrasound from last Friday is that they found that Baby A's placenta is previa. Only the very edge of it is covering the cervix, which means that as the babies and my uterus grows, Baby A's placenta should move up higher in the uterus and not be covering the cervix at all by the time they are ready to be born.

I have definitely been feeling the twins the last few days (which shows me that I am right in saying I've been feeling them since 12 weeks, because it's the same feeling except more often and with other feelings as well). One of them was dancing around last night while I was at synagogue watching the men dance and sing, so I guess that baby felt a bit left out and wanted to dance. This morning they were both active during the Torah reading, which was very cute. :-)

Yom Kippur

Today was Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Repentance. It's a day when people generally spend the entirety of it at the synagogue praying for forgiveness and promising full repentance for all of their sins. Besides this, you are required to fast for the entire day...25 hours total. This isn't something that I can do even when I'm not pregnant, and especially not now that I am pregnant. So I asked the Rabbi what to do--seeing as my doctor basically told me that I'm not allowed to fast, but the punishment from G-d for not fasting the whole day is basically death. Now, there are allowances for people who are sick--because G-d really doesn't want you to die from fasting. If you seriously think you will die, you are allowed to eat without punishment from G-d. But most of the time, people do not become deathly ill from fasting for 25 hours. Women who have recently given birth (from beginning of labor until a week after the baby is born) are completely excused from the fast. Pregnant women, however, generally aren't. In any case, there are ways to get around the Jewish definition of "eating" (provided you have permission from your Rabbi to do this...). If you eat less than 1 oz. of food at least 9 minutes apart, you technically didn't eat. If you drink less than half a mouthful of liquid at least 9 minutes apart, you technically didn't drink anything. You can do this all day (as I did), never get hungry or thirsty and make sure that the babies are well nourished. I still got a headache, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, and I don't have to worry that I was starving the twins. :-) So, I stayed home all day instead of going to the synagogue, and my husband did the praying. According to the Rabbis, fasting on Yom Kippur is way more important than going to synagogue and praying, so the fact that I could make it through the whole day without technically eating or drinking, meant that I did the right thing. Had I tried to fast, gone to synagogue, and then had to break it in the middle, that would have been much, much less preferable. I made it!!

Happy New Year!

The past two days I've been celebrating the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana. For those of you who do not know what this is, I'll give you a overview. The Jewish New Year begins on the 1st of the month of Tishrei, which is generally sometime in September or October. Because Jewish months follow a lunar calendar, a leap month is added every few years to make sure that the holidays stay in their proper season and the dates only line up to the same "secular" date about every 19 years. (e.g. My birthday is the 29th of Av in the Hebrew calendar and August 8th in the secular calendar but they only line up about every 19 years) In any case, Rosh Hashana is a BIG DEAL in terms of holidays. Even though Yom Kippur (which is next week) is thought of as the "Day of Judgement," Rosh Hashana is also a day of judgement as well--perhaps even moreso. So, we spend two days praying (services went from 7:30am to 2:00pm both yesterday and today, and that was only the morning services...) and hope that we end up with a good verdict.