23 Weeks Pregnant with Twins!

Babies are the size of large mangos this week.

How far along? 23 weeks

Cravings?  I've been feeling a little lightheaded this week, so I'm trying to remember to increase my calories.  I'm making a serious effort to contunue to eat healthy, but have definitely been adding an extra snack or two.  Cooking is not my favorite activity right now, so there's been lots of cereal, snack bars, and fruit consumed in my house!  My in-laws have a fabulous garden, so fresh blackberries have been my go-to snack this week!

Stretch Marks? Still none!

Sleep? Sleep has been better this week.  Really using my body pillow now, which doesn't leave very much room for the hubby!

Movement? Love to feel them move!  I know space is about to get really tight in my tummy in the next few weeks and I won't feel them as much, so I'm really enjoying it while I can!

What I miss: Energy.  I get winded just walking from the parking lot into work. 

Labor signs? None yet!  We have another check up next week!

Belly button in or out? Still in! Barely.

What I am looking forward to this week? My sweet family is coming into town for several days.  We have lots of projects planned: painting the nursery, assembling the cribs, organizing the closet, and more!  I will take lots of pictures to post!  So thankful for each of them.  They are always willing to help when we need it!

Thoughts from this Past Week:

1. Still no progress on a name for baby girl.  We do have a first name for baby boy, but haven't settled on a middle name!  Any suggestions for us?
2.  Thankful that our 22 week scans looked great.  Will start going to the doctor every two weeks after our next appointment.  I can't believe it!   

DIY Nursery Closet Dividers

This was such a fun project!  I used several tutorials online to make DIY closet dividers for the twins' nursery this weekend.  Here's a step-by-step tutorial you can use to make your own!  I'm thinking these will be my new favorite gift to give at baby showers. 

Materials Needed:

(I found all my supplies at Michaels)
Eight Wooden Square Shapes
Solid Color Card Stock
Ribbon
Pretty Scrapbook Paper
Mod Podge
White Paint
Drill
Paint Brushes or Sponges
Baby Outfit Template
Letter and Number Stickers

The first step is to paint the sides of your wooden squares. The scrapbook paper will not cover the sides, so I decided to paint mine for a more finished look.

After the white paint has dried, use one of your squares as a template to trace on the back of your decorative scrapbook paper.  I could fit four to a page.  Don't forget to also make enough to cover the back of your dividers too.  I was making eight dividers, so I cut out 16 paper squares.

  

To make the baby outfit template, you can draw it or use one of many online templates.  I made one and used it to trace the others on my card stock.  I only put these on the front of the dividers, so I made eight.  

Now for the fun part!  I assembled all of my pieces using a sponge brush and Mod Podge.  This was the first time I've used it, and it was definitely a learning experience!  First, use the Mod Podge to glue your paper squares to the front of your wood shapes.

Next, apply a layer to your baby outfits and glue those on top of the paper and add your stickers.  Once all of the pieces are attached, add a final layer of Mod Podge to the top of everything to seal it.  

When the fronts are dry, attach the rest of your paper squares to the back of the dividers and apply more Mod Podge. Let this side dry.

Once everything is completely dry, get out the drill!  Or, you can let the hubby do this part like I did! Drill holes in the center top of your dividers.  This is where the ribbon will go through, so make sure your holes are large enough!  Insert your ribbon and these sweet dividers are ready to hang!

I'm so happy with how these turned out and can't wait to make more for my friends who are expecting.  Now I just need some sweet baby clothes to add to the closet!

22 Weeks Pregnant with Twins!

Babies are the size of spaghetti squash this week. Baby boy weighs about 1 pound 4 ounces and baby girl weighs about 1 pound. 

How far along? 22 weeks

Cravings? I've been eating a pretty healthy diet during my pregnancy, but I did make the hubby stop at Steak and Shake on Saturday to get me a mocha milkshake.  Does it make it better that I said no to the whipped cream?

Stretch Marks? Still none! 

Sleep? Still struggling to get a good night's sleep.  Sweet hubby swapped the mattresses (again) in our bedroom and the guest bedroom (up the stairs) in hopes of trying to help.

Movement? I'm feeling stronger movements more often now.  It makes my day every time!

What I miss: I miss sleeping on my stomach!

Labor signs? None yet!

Belly button in or out? Still in!

What I am looking forward to this week? Doing a few DIY projects for the nursery this weekend.  I'll make sure to post about them!

Thoughts from this Past Week:

1. Our first try at deciding on baby girl's name didn't result in a decision.  Hoping we can make up our minds SOON! 
2.  Designing a nursery for both a boy and a girl is tough!  Finally made a decision on crib bedding and cribs this week, so I'll do a nursery post when it's all pulled together. 
3. So thankful for my sweet mother, who continues to help with anything I need her to do. 

21 Weeks Pregnant with Twins!

I saw this cute idea on another blog recently so I’ve decided to copy it so I can remember the little details of pregnancy!

Babies are the size of bananas this week. They weigh about 12.7 ounces and are 10 1/2 inches long.

How far along? 21 weeks

Symptoms? Still tired, but that could be from the lack of sleep I’ve been getting lately!

Cravings? I haven’t really had any cravings yet, but I’m definitely hungry every couple of hours.

Stretch Marks? None so far. But I am trying to prepare myself that it might happen; I am carrying two babies! Still using belly butter every time I get out of the shower!

Sleep? Before pregnancy, I  loved sleep and looked forward to getting at least 8 hours each night. Unfortunately, sleeping is now really difficult. I am really uncomfortable and wake up every couple of hours.

Movement? What felt like little flutters the past couple of weeks are now getting stronger on some days.  I used to feel baby boy more, but baby girl is starting to dance along with him.

What I miss: I miss being active and having energy! I also miss wearing my normal clothes and not worrying constantly about these two little babies inside of me.

Labor signs? None yet! Praying they stay put for at least 36 weeks!

Belly button in or out? Still in, but it’s definitely stretched. I’m sure it will be out soon!

What I am looking forward to this week? Starting to pull together the nursery!

Thoughts from this Past Week:

1. I’m ready to decide on names! It’s definitely harder than I thought it would be. We are going to really try and narrow down baby girl ideas this weekend, so hopefully I’ll have more to report next week!
2. I’m really trying to learn that it’s okay if the house needs mopping and dusting and dinner is just sandwiches. Thankfully, I have a sweet hubby who doesn’t mind! 
3. I had someone say to me last week that once these precious babies come, my life will be over. She was serious. I wanted to tell her how much these lives were desperately wanted and prayed for. I know that even though it will be tough, our lives are only going to be better and richer because of our twins!

Our Gender Reveal!

I thought long and hard about our twins' gender reveal!  Before I ever got pregnant, I used to think I would want to wait to find out the gender until the birth.  Then we found out we were expecting twins! The hubby was not on board with waiting and I knew the planner in me needed to know what we were having.  So we decided to find out and then have a fun time telling our families.

On the day of the big ultrasounds, I prayed and prayed they would be cooperative and let us see!  Luckily, they were!  We turned our heads as the nurses found the genders and wrote them in cards for us to open later that night at our special restaurant.  We opened Baby A before the entrees and Baby B before dessert!  The suspense was hilarious, but I'm so glad we shared that special time finding out together.  

I spent the next few days planning a gender reveal party for my family that weekend.  I am richly blessed to have the family that I do, and these babies are already so loved.  We had the best time celebrating!

The "gender poll."  Hubby and I made our guesses before we opened our cards earlier in the week.

The pink team - guessed two girls!

The blue team - guessed two boys!

The yellow team - guessed one of each!

IT'S A GIRL AND A BOY!!!!!

 We are beyond excited and feel so incredibly blessed!  

Later in the weekend, we visited hubby's parents and told them by wrapping two picture frames.  His sweet mother has been going through chemo and radiation, so it was extra special to share the news with her.

Here are the official cards and pictures telling us what they are.  We can't wait to meet our baby girl and baby boy!

Ava's 4th Birthday

Sweet Ava is FOUR!  My precious niece had two requests for her cake - a ballerina and a pink bow.  I love this sweet, loving girl and can't wait to see what the next year has in store for her!

Cell Phone Photo Dump