facelift

i am so stoked. 

this has been a long time coming.

do you notice anything...

M around here?! :)


it's taken HOURS to tinker with it here and there, but i finally got my customized fonts back!  better than ever!  not sure what happened with my last ones, but... had to do the process all over again per Kevin and Amanda's site again... i LOVE these fonts that she customizes based on REAL handwriting!  

one of the things on my bucket list that i'm not sure if i'll ever get around to doing is... make a font!  (based on my handwriting would be even better.)  so, this is as close to that!  
(note: if you do want to have a superific layout like this one, then visit Allie Brown's Layouts!)

hair accessories

lately, i've just found headbands and decorative bobby pins so easy to wear when i'm running out the door. i suppose this is a glimpse of what is to come.  :)  i've found some great headbands on Etsy Headbands, as well as some cute bobby pins that really dress up any outfit: Etsy Bobby Pins.  i don't know if it's because i get warm easily when i'm PG, but i know that it is just nice to keep my hair out of my face when i could care less!  :)  i've bought some similar bobby pins from DawnWillBreak, but mine are of the white/opal-colored tone.

now, i'm a crafty person, and i know that these are really easy to make with wire (supposedly, lol- but when i tried it, i felt foolish for even attempting!!!), but i don't have time for that right now.  my mom, however, crocheted some cute bobby pins like these with beads for me, and i love to wear them!!! :)

pregnancy tips

so, i've been meaning to post about tips that i can pass onto expectant moms.  here it finally is: 

1- stock up on smart sweets like fruit sorbet, yogurt-covered pretzels, trail mix, jam, and smoothies.
2- i use organic belly cream (i have since 9 weeks or so).  it's nice for your guy to rub it on your belly and connect with your pregnancy.  
3- i have a stand up shower.  sometimes it's really difficult to shave since there's no place to put my leg.  so, when i was probably 6 weeks pregnant, i brought a kitchen chair into the shower.  it's brilliant.  now, as i'm much further along, i can take a shower sitting down and not have to strain my legs when i shave.  :)  if you come to my house and we need the fourth chair, then i'll have to go pull it out of my shower for you.  :)  
4- wear dresses, loose clothing.  flowy tops also work.
5- sandals.  enough said.  no high heels- just flat sandals.
6- chiropractor.  i haven't had much lower back/rib/tailbone pain in awhile as i did previously.  it was horrible.  NOW, it's just shocking how well a new chiropractor has helped me out.  i felt no pain release from when i visited my other one for a long time.  each week, i would just be frustrated that my pain wouldn't leave.... YET, i'm not sure if it's also coincidental.  i just don't feel the same pain as i did before... and, i don't think that i've gotten "used" to the pain.
7- insulated lunch bag.  fill it with snacks, your lunch, and ice packs.  
8- camelbak water bottle.  to my gray and royal blue collection, i added pink and purple.  at times, i use them for smoothies or juices.  i leave one at work, one by my bedside, and another i put in my backpack for work.  
9- wear men's cotton shirts to sleep in.  i grab my husband's shirts all of the time as they seem like they are much softer fabric anyway.  that, and nice cotton undies work. :)  
10- with your pills, sip some seltzer/sparkling water or my honest kids juices.  
11- toothpaste pillow... LOL... that's what my cousin's husband calls it.  full body pillow.  LOVE it.  cannot sleep without it!!!
12- take your time to get out of bed... especially as you progress further along.  when you do get out of bed, get into a fetal position and roll out on your side.  otherwise, your body will feel MUCH more worse.  the fetal position puts less strain on your back and it doesn't feel too difficult to get out of bed. :)
13- keep the a/c at a couple of degrees BELOW what is comfortable.  i have ALWAYS gotten too COLD in the middle of the night, wearing full pj's and having the comforter on, but i just get too hot nowadays.... 
14- when you gotta go, you gotta go.  go.  take advantage of every opportunity to use the bathroom, especially in the middle of the night.  it's troublesome and annoying to get up in the middle of your sleep, but you're most likely awoken in the middle of your sleep anyway.  at least, i am.  also, ask your guy to get up and let the dogs out, adjust the temp instead of you.  it's too hard on your body to get up so often.  
15- forget not your pets.  :)  keep the routines.  every weekend, we bathe/blow dry/brush our pups.  it keeps them and us feeling refreshed and clean.  also, give your pets attention.  i've personally found that zuk can detect that something is different; i really think that he senses my pregnancy.  he sometimes acts different.  pets are smart animals, especially doggies. :)
16- same regard- keep your regular routines up.  we switched our electricity plan, and we focus on doing laundry only on the weekends so that we don't find ourselves overwhelmed.  
17- fold your laundry as soon as you pull it out of the dryer.  put it away asap.  i have found that if i don't do that, then it will sit in our papasan for many moons.  :)  this might seem like a simple concept for most people, but it's always been a struggle for us.  regardless, make simple tasks remain simple.
17- skype.  i LOVE it.  my sister was overseas in germany, and she introduced us to it.  because my parents live out-of-state and we cannot see them often, we show each other things on skype, which is awesome!  it's much easier than being on the phone.  
18- if people offer to help, then allow them.
19- ask your guy for help, especially bending over or reaching over for awhile, such as pulling clothes out of the dryer, reaching in the bottom of the pantry.  
20- if you happen to be sitting on the ground or in a lower position, then ask your guy for help to get up- ONLY bending at his legs, picking you up in a chair/hug position.  it's the position that you can really pick up anyone.  when i worked with the assisted living, i could pick up the largest person this way without straining my back.  it's a simple procedure they show you to do.  use your leg power.  
21- be open to donations, offers.  especially since i'm a mom-to-be-of-twins, i'm grateful for anything.  
22- clear out your pre-pregnancy clothes AND clothes you know will NOT fit within the next year (for me, i did this around may), box them up, label "pre-pregnancy clothes," and store them.  you'll feel less frustrated, overwhelmed when you go to your closet to find an outfit.  

twin onesies

look at how adorable these onesies are for twins:

twin copy/paste onesie

she also has boyish font for twin boys!

twincess onesie

twin copy paste repeat onesie (don't know where my link went)

twin or triplet onesies

peanut butter and jelly twin onesie

i especially like the first two!!!  how cute is this idea for IDENTICAL twins?!?! :)

twins' blog

Emotionally Healthy Twins' Blog was just introduced to me by a mother of nine year old identical twins!  just sharing for whoever needs it... :)

are they leg cramps or DVT?

since i have the history of DVT (blood clotting in my left leg) and PE (pulmonary embolism- side of my lung), i started to get super nervous when i started to develop leg cramps in my SAME problematic leg!  it started around when i was 8 weeks, and i went to ER since i had the SAME exact symptoms as my DVT- i mean, the pain hadn't gone away for several days, and for that, i grew even more nervous.

well, i went in, and hours later only to find out that they were severe leg cramps.  oh great, i felt silly and frustrated.  how do you know when they are for real or just the pregnancy taking its toll on you?

all i know is that i mentioned to my dr. and chiro my situation.  the recommendation was to eat a banana for potassium each day.  okay, got it.

then, i started drinking smoothies quite frequently, such as every morning, and regularly, i would throw in a  banana....

didn't develop anymore "cramps" until about 17 weeks... we were staying in CA, and suddenly it's 5a.m., and what do you know!  i feel like i'd rather chop off my leg than scream in pain!!!  the pain was so similar, if not identical, to my DVT, and the thing is- i developed my DVT a year ago at 5a.m.!!!  so, you see why i was extremely nervous....

well, i put my husband right to work to massage my left leg while i was screaming for bloody murder!  who knows how long it took for me to be able to get comfortable again, but the weird thing is- the pain shot to my right leg, and i thought, oh great, how's he going to massage both?  that leg!  no, that leg!  back to that leg!  it was so frustrating for both of us!

then, this past week, again, 5a.m., and bloody murder!  this.pain.was.the.worst.  blood curdling screams.  my right toes felt like they were on fire and going numb, and this pain was just bad.  the following night (or should i say 5a.m. morning?  lol), similar episode, and just felt like my toes were bending weird... know what i mean?  that awkward feeling... well, throw in there some fire-burning feet and annoyingly painful cramps!

FINALLY, i thought- i ran out of bananas!!!  nooooooooo!  need them now!  haven't had them in a few days, which is why i got the stupid, but avoidable cramps!  when we woke up that morning, i immediately sent my husband to go buy some bananas, and threw a few of them into that morning's smoothie!!!  lol

coincidentally, just read that leg cramping is super bad right around now... halfway through the pregnancy!  FYI!

had a minor cramp since then, but seriously... EAT A BANANA each day!!!  if you don't like them, then throw them in a smoothie- tastes yummy!  prevent this awfully painful episode!!!  your sleep, your legs, and your loved one will thank you.  :)

(oh, disclaimer: for a DVT, your leg swells up, hardens like a rock (especially when you touch it- rock hard), red like a tomato, feels boiling hot, and the pain is beyond unbearable.  go to the ER if you have leg cramping that is like that and it doesn't go away!!!)

more, more sites...

thanks to some friends or just hard 'ol research, i keep finding all these useful sites and my browser has thousands of tabs open.... SO, to alleviate that, i'm going to post them here, so it'd be a quick trip instead of this disaster that i now have.

before i do, i will admit that i am overwhelmed.  there are so many sites to read, look at, and i feel like i barely have enough energy/time to do all of that considering i still have a home to maintain its organization.  why does the internet have to be THAT resourceful?!  

SIGH.  

but, i know that God only gives us what we can handle, and with that... i move on:

CLOTH DIAPERS -

Arizona Diaper Service - found a local diaper service!  thank GOD!

Nell's Natural Baby - all about cloth diapers (courtesy of helayne)

Nicki's Diapers - cloth diapers (courtesy of jessica)

Kelly's Closet - cloth diapers (courtesy of jessica)
envibum - cloth diapers (adorable!!!)
http://stores.homestead.com/hstrial-KRyan546/StoreFront.bok - more cloth diapers

NECESSITIES FOR TWINS -

http://multiples.about.com/od/toppicks/tp/twinbabygift.htm - top 10 baby gifts for twins

http://multiples.about.com/od/breastfeeding/tp/nursingtwinitem.htm - tips on necessities for moms who breastfeed twins

http://www.amazon.com/MUST-HAVES-FOR-TWINS/lm/R1T82XE9NP685 - finally!!!  someone who can relate as to what we will NEED and not WANT.

MilkSmile - looks like various items i'd need on my registry for cheaper!

INFORMATIVE/GOOD DEALS - 

Twiniversity - an informative site created by a mom 

BabyBootCamp - OMG!  i've seen everything... baby boot camps?  but, a free prenantal class?!  i think that sounds good!

BabySteals - each day, a new "deal" (courtesy of jessica)

http://video.about.com/multiples/Double-Stroller-Tips.htm - which double stroller?  until i watched this video, i totally thought that we knew what we needed.

NATURAL/ORGANIC (local companies)-

Zoolikins - natural, safe products for a baby

Natural Territory - organic/natural safe products for home, including baby

Red Rock Studio USA - natural products for baby and mom created by a local mom/daughter

Susan Brown's Baby - natural products featured on The Doctors, but... looks like they might be pricey.

Oh, Baby Organic Skincare - organic products for a baby

Organic Style for Kids - everything organic for a baby!

babysuperwarehouse - organic items...

helpful PG sites...

SO, i've done (or others have) a lot of research since i got pregnant (i have known since i was a couple of weeks), and here are the sites that i found to really benefit me:

week by week...
text4baby - get free updates/texts (3 or so per week) on your cell regarding your pregnancy week #
BabyCenter -  weekly emailed updates
How Big Is Your Baby? - compares your baby's size to a piece of fruit/veggie and i love this one!!!
thebump - theknot is its sister, and it gives you a great checklist

Babble - all around great site!

Baby Gaga - a site you can link to Facebook... :)
Planning Family
Twin Pregnancy and Beyond - excellent site for twin pregnancies!  (courtesy of danielle)
Baby Weekly - love the easy, quick updates...
What to Expect Week by Week - a cute site based on the famous book. :)

note: once you deliver, update the sites above, and they'll start to send you weekly updates on your baby's progress. :)

saving $$$...
freepeats - pass on/get free clothes, toys, maternity clothes, etc... just swap!
thredUP - swap/pay $13 for box of baby/kids' items that another parent is selling (courtesy of alicia)
freecycle - join a local group and you just pass on things instead of donating them in stores/selling them! 
IN STYLE Maternity - maternity clothes for cheaper than in the store
rebornmaternity- maternity clothes under $15
Magic Kids USA - buy kids' clothes for cheap

natural...
babybugcreationsLLC - a local mom who hand makes cute things
Banana Peels Diapers - cloth vs. disposable diapers (courtesy of jessica)
http://www.etsy.com/shop/babycakesanddecor?ref=seller_info - the most adorable, creative gifts! (courtesy of babycakesanddecor)... seriously, oh so cute!!!
Swift Mamas or Swift Mamas on Facebook - a fellow VU grad who hand makes useful items for nursing (courtesy of swift mamas)

what other sites do YOU love?