What a Week!!

First of all, we still haven't figured out why Dovid is throwing up overnight almost every other night. He hasn't in a few, and we think we know which foods give him reflux, but it's anyone's guess. (And we still don't know 100% if it is reflux...we're just guessing at that.) Thankfully he has an appointment on Monday with the gastroenterologist who will hopefully figure this out.

Secondly, I had a very eventful Wednesday night/Thursday. Not pregnancy related at all, either. Coming back from grocery shopping on Wednesday night, I was driving on the highway when all of a sudden my check engine light went on and my car wouldn't accelerate. Yikes!! I was going 65mph...no wait 55mph...hang on, only doing 45...CRUD! Luckily I was right at an exit, so I got on the exit ramp. The only problem was my car was quickly decelerating (and of course I was hitting the brake because the exit ramp was curvy), and the poor guy behind me was probably annoyed as all heck that I was creeping down this ramp. Anyway, I FINALLY got to a place on the ramp where there was a lot of space and I could pull over. I tried turning off the car and turning it back on, but that did nothing. I was nervous about leaving the motor on, since I had no clue what was wrong, so there I was in the freezing cold unable to go anywhere. I called AAA, who put me on their "most important" list, but I still had to wait almost 45 minutes for a tow truck. Luckily, my coat is very warm so I really wasn't all that cold (except for my nose, which was freezing). They towed me home and that was it for the night.

The next morning my first mistake was calling AAA instead of Kia. I wanted AAA to tow me to the nearest service station and wasn't really thinking about the fact that maybe Kia wouldn't cover repairs anywhere but their own dealers. I waited a while for the AAA guy to come, and then of course when I got to the service station they suggested I call my insurance company to see if they would pay for a rental car (which they wouldn't since I wasn't in an accident) and also to call Kia to see if they would even pay for repairs at this station. I called Kia and they said "nope...gotta go to the nearest Kia dealer" and had me call their own free towing service to get me there. They also said that if I had bought the extended warranty when I bought the car that a rental would be covered. I had no clue whether or not I had the warranty, so I decided to walk home while waiting for the tow truck to come. I walked home...found that we did not buy the extended warranty...and walked back (that's 0.7 mi one way). Meanwhile, the tow truck is a no show. They said it would take an hour from when I called, and it took me just about that long to walk home, look for the warranty, reserve a rental car near the Kia dealer and walk back. Kia actually called to check and see if my tow truck had arrived, and when I said it hadn't they checked with the tow company to see when it would come. I was informed it would be about 20-30 minutes longer. Awesome... 30 mins later, still no tow truck. Kia called again to check in on me and I said "no truck". They called the tow company again and was told it would be another 15-20 mins. 20 mins later, still no truck... Of course they called to check in again, but this time they said that the truck should be pulling in momentarily, which it was. This is now 2 hours after I first called to get the tow truck and an hour after it was first scheduled to arrive. GRUMBLE!!

The tow truck towed me to Medford, which was about a 45 min drive. The Kia dealer there said that he had an idea of what the problem could be and that it might even be an easy fix (meaning I could wait and take my car home that day). Woo! Finally some good news! It took them about 2 hours from when I arrived to get the car fully fixed, but that was fine with me. (I canceled the rental car I had reserved, so that was no big deal.) All together, I started this whole process at 7:30am and left the Kia place just before 3pm. Really, really pathetic and I could've saved myself over 2 hours by just having the AAA guy take me to a Kia dealer or calling Kia first. What a pain in the butt, but luckily we have a car. My biggest fear was not having one and me going into labor...

As for the pregnancy, everything is going well. My appointment with the midwife last Thursday went very well, and she's going to strip my membranes this coming Thursday (provided I'm still pregnant then). We had a little chat with the baby on which days she's going to be working labor & delivery (Mon and Wed), so hopefully the baby will oblige us and come then. I'll also be doing my part (taking Evening Primose Oil, seeing my acupuncturist and maybe doing some acupressure at home). The full moon happens to be on Tuesday as well, so that's working for us. We'll see!!

My mother-in-law was supposed to be coming to visit starting tomorrow, but unfortunately has come down with a bad case of bronchitis. Her first doctor was completely unhelpful and gave her two courses of the same antibiotic (when the first one didn't work, he gave her another of the same drug). That of course also didn't work! She went to see a different doctor who has put her on a new drug, but she's not allowed to travel for another week. *sigh* So the plan now is for her to come next Sunday (the 26th). If I go into labor this week (which is the plan between me and the midwife), then that's a biiiiig problem. It means no overnight coverage for the twins...which means we have to get a babysitter. Luckily our usual day care person is very willing to do this, but she's also deathly allergic to all types of nuts...and my house is anything but nut-free. So I'm absolutely terrified of her in my kitchen. Honestly, that's really not something I want to be worrying about while I'm in labor, but I don't have any other choice. My mom isn't coming to visit until right before New Year's, so I'll actually have double coverage for part of the week after this one. I wonder if my sister wants to take a week off of work...it is the holiday season after all. ;-)

Goings On

Not too much happening here. My mom and her boyfriend have been in Israel for the past week or so, but they're on the flight home now. All four of us (Shmuel, the twins and I) were all sick with a GI upset this past weekend. My mother-in-law is coming on Sunday. And....I'm almost full term!! Yay!! Every time I see the midwife everything seems to be normal, so that is a relief. No idea yet when Baby #3 will make her appearance, but you can be sure that I'll blog/Facebook/Twitter during the whole birth. :-) I got to take a tour of the birthing center in the hospital tonight, and that was fantastic. It was my first time up there, so I'm glad I got to see it before the "big day". Shmuel couldn't come with me since he was taking care of the twins, but it's ok because I'll be able to direct him to the right elevators even when I'm in labor.

School is almost over, too. This is the last week and then I'm done for the semester. Yay!! I have to take my last Anatomy & Physiology exam on Wednesday (which I'm supposed to be studying for now), but I shouldn't have to take the final exam since I have an A average.

We think Dovid may have a reflux disorder, and he's going to see the gastroenterologist on Monday. After getting sick a few weeks ago with a GI bug, he's still throwing up almost every night (overnight, so you don't see the puke until morning). We think he only throws up overnight when he has acidic foods for dinner, so we've been avoiding them (oranges, tomato sauce, etc.) Poor baby!! I really hope the doctors can figure out what's going on and fix it.

By the way, if you haven't guessed in my baby pool you'd better do it now. I'm going to close the pool on the 16th, when I turn 37 weeks, so you don't have much time!!

New Belly Comparison

I thought you guys might like to see a comparison of pictures between 35 weeks with the twins and my latest belly pic that was taken at 35 weeks just a few days ago. I forgot that my friend had taken this picture of me, and it really shows the huge difference. I had to flip the image left to right, so if you're paying attention you'll notice my dimple is on the "wrong" side. Also, just because WiseGuy is curious, I do not only wear that gray sweater. I wear it for the comparison pics so it's easier to see how I've been growing. I did it with the twins, so I figured I would continue the tradition with this pregnancy. But my friend took a picture of me in a different top, so you get to see that here. :-) Enjoy!

Finally, a New Belly Pic

So sorry I haven't posted a new belly pic in over a month, but I've been really lazy. :-) But, without further ado, here is the newest pic (compared with the last one I took at 30 weeks). Today's pic is on the right.



I feel like the belly isn't growing outward as much as it's growing vertically. So I don't look that much bigger outwardly than I did at 30 weeks, but you can see how low my belly goes. The belly also seems to be changing shape and becoming more round. And, if nothing else, my butt is getting bigger (as is my face). Check out the sequential pictures on my tripod page and you'll see what I mean. *sigh* Now, let's compare this latest picture with the last pictures taken during the twins' pregnancy. The comparisons are the twin pregnancy weeks 28 and 30.





I look much bigger than at 26 weeks with the twins (both vertically and outwardly), I'm vertically larger than my 28 week picture with the twins, and I'm about the same vertically as with the twins at 30 weeks. But at 28 and 30 weeks with the twins I am much larger outwardly than I am with this pregnancy.

My fundal height yesterday (Thursday) was 35.5cm, which is perfect for where I am. The midwife also ordered a BPP ultrasound for next Tuesday, just to check up on the baby's placenta since something went funky with Dovid's placenta just at 35 weeks. She doesn't suspect anything is wrong since the baby's heart rate is perfect, and her movements are strong and frequent. But it's more for peace of mind...and who doesn't like more ultrasounds, right? :-D

And speaking of such...have you noticed? I MADE IT!!! I am now 35 weeks and 1 day pregnant. Yes, I do need to make it through the day without exploding, but based on last night's midwife appointment I'm not really worried about it. Whee!

5 Years

Five years ago today I met my husband. It's not the exact date (that was yesterday), but we met on the Friday just after Thanksgiving, so that's when we celebrate. Our yearly tradition is to have a Shabbos meal at the friend's house where we met. For several years they were out of town for Thanksgiving weekend, so we had to push it off until the next week, but this year they are here! We met at the Friday night meal, and that's when we'll be going (ie tonight). Our first date was the Sunday after we met (November 27), but with Shmuel working every Sunday there isn't any way we can go out to celebrate then.

I can hardly believe that it's been five years. The years have literally flown by, and they've been some of the best years I've ever had (if not the best). We have so much to be thankful for, and it's very appropriate that the anniversary of our meeting (and first date) happens just after Thanksgiving. It's also just one week until the magical 35 weeks and 1 day. Wheeeee!

The twins are doing well, too. They are adding words to their vocabulary all the time, and I'm just too lazy to update their word pages here. :-) Dovid calls everything "that" and loves to say "no". Both of them use the word "mine" a lot, even though I thought that was a two-year-old thing. haha Dovid has also figured out how to clip himself into his booster seat and will do this even when it's not meal time. The problem is that he doesn't know how to undo the buckles, so he gets upset once he's clipped in and wants to keep playing with the buckles.

And now, for your enjoyment, here is a video clip from play time a few days ago. They are playing with Daddy's kippa, which they really enjoy (especially since Daddy has to then cover his head with another object).



Click HERE for more Hebrew & Yiddish word definitions

Two Weeks...

Can anyone guess what happens exactly two weeks from today? My husband guessed it (and it only took him about 60 seconds with no hints). Look at your calendar...it will be Friday, December 3rd. Take a look at my little baby ticker and it might give you a hint as well. In just two short weeks I will be 35 weeks and 1 day pregnant. It will be the exact gestation that I gave birth to the twins. It is a milestone I am *so* excited to be reaching (and passing right by). I am fully confident that I will still be pregnant when I finish that day, and that I'll continue to be pregnant for a few weeks after that. :-) Yay!

In other news, the baby is doing well. I had an appointment with the midwife yesterday and it went great. I'm having random Braxton-Hicks contractions, which are normal, and the most obnoxious leg cramps in the universe. I wake up and move my leg and then holy heck, my calf muscle seizes up and feels like someone plunged a knife right in. Luckily, I know that you're supposed to pull your toes upward (toward the knee) and it does help, although it takes a few seconds to work. Unfortunately all day it's been kind of achy, as if the muscle really needs to stretch out.

In other, other news....I'M GOING TO SEE HARRY POTTER ON SUNDAY!!!!! I seriously could not be more excited. WHEEEE!!

Whooops!

Wow...it's been over two weeks since my last update. I'm really falling down on the job here!! In any case, no news is good news (for the most part). My pregnancy is progressing as normally as in a text book, which is fantastic. I love my midwives almost as much as I love my husband. lol And the twins are as adorable as ever.

My mom, her boyfriend, my sister, brother-in-law and their foster son all came to visit this past weekend. We had a great time hanging out and playing with all of the kids. Then this morning Chana woke up not feeling so great, but since she had a normal temperature I sent her to day care anyways. Well, she then developed a temperature so I had to pick her up early. Luckily I was able to get some Tylenol into her, and she's now happily eating matzo, talking and smiling like my normal, happy girl.

Both Chana and Dovid have been saying more words lately, and I really need to update their word list. Chana is doing so well with imitating new words...it's just incredible. They both had their 6 month Early Intervention evaluation last week, and both passed in all areas except for eating/self care/toileting. In some areas they gained more than just 6 months worth of development, which is fantastic. I'll go more in depth on the results when I get a copy of them from Early Intervention later this week.

I'll do my best to update you after my midwife appointment on Thursday and maybe get a new belly pic up too. :-) In the meantime, enjoy these pictures of the twins taken by my sister and brother-in-law this past weekend.