Beautiful Babies Due in 2011 (Combined Group)

[baby_blu73]

Blair - The car seats are great, just huge. I chose them because of the 4-35 lbs weight accommodations. Since they recommend rear-facing until a year of age, I wanted to be sure the boys didn't outgrow them.

Ryann - LOL I'm amazed at how much your situation sounds like mine! Brady is on sensitive formula which has really helped his tummy. He was having a massive poop every few days that was (sorry TMI) really thick like pudding even though they were being breastfed then. Since switching to sensitive, he poops everyday and it's loosened up to the seedy poo I'm familiar with. He, too, loves hearing himself wail throughout the day. We're trying to get him to learn to self soothe... But, Jaxon is so much easier! Thank goodness! I don't know what I would do if they were both "high need" babies. He is like a fire alarm when it's time to eat or if he's got poo in his diaper. But he'll lay down while awake and just hang out or fall asleep on his own. Bless his heart!

Sorry to hear about the breastfeeding not working out. I know it can be really tough emotionally to have so many obstacles preventing you from being able to achieve your bfing goals. I cried every time I pumped until my milk came in, which was about 5 days after they were born. You gave it your best try, which is all we can do. We need to see some updated pics of your angels!

[rypell1985]

Stephanie....Funny, must be a twin thing! I've found that Dylan REALLY like to sleep on his boppy-which is why I am even able to post right now! I think because he isn't completely flat. Whatever works to get through the day!

Blair...I have the OnBoard Air 35 carseats as well. We absolutely LOVE them and even the nurses in the NICU thought they were perfect for the size of our babies when we brought them home. Stephanie is right though, they are huge! I drive a Mazda CX-9 and you have to scoot the seats WAY up! My hubby drives a Chevy Avalanche so they fit behind the passenger seat and in the middle, which is more convenient for the driver. I'm 5'8 and DH is 6'3, so having to have the seat close isn't the best! We are looking into buying me a Suburban because the captain seats seem like a better way to go with the twins. Plus we have 2 big dogs and a huge stroller and we like to take road trips. We shall see!

Here are 2 pics I snapped this morning on my phone.

[rypell1985]

Isabella

[cherry5.]

goodness i stalk but dont post alot but today i will. im a mess. got a call from my doc personally mon morning saying that the level ll ultrasound showed a couple of red flags and she wants to send me to UAB to get another ultrasound n possible amnio ( which is out of the question!) no amnio... anyway she said the red flags were a bright spot on the babys heart and the left femur and humerus may b measuring alittle shorter than the other side. she said it is an indication of down syndrome. we did not have the triple screen blood test and its too late so they cant compare that with the ultrasound sooo? i called back tues just crying and crying wanting to know more! i talked my docs nurse n she said n my file the doc did write in about the spot and as far as the leg n arm, she wrote " possible fetal anomaly" im just hoping the ultrasound tech couldnt measure good cause babys legs were crossed up but with the spot too i am worried to death that those things combined mean downs.....

[margi26]

Ryann: Glad that your boobs feel better, but sorry about lingering fever. Is doctor concerned? Isabella sounds like a little angel, and poor Dylan with tummy issues. OMG!! (I just flipped the page and saw their pictures) The photos are totally darling!! What beauties they are both!!!!

Mellow: Thanks for the update--so happy to hear that DH will be back. I am sure that he will be so thrilled to see you all--but Marlo especially. Hoping that she gets home soon. She is looking so BIG!! And beautiful.


WE: So very sorry that things turned out the way they did. Glad that you have a strong faith and I will be stalking you in the Fall for your success!!

Cherry: So sorry for your difficult news. So what will be your next step? Will they followup with another level II in a few weeks? ((HUGS)) so sorry that the worry never stops...

Blair: You are right on target with your planning!!! My family is all so far away, so I don’t think I will be doing a shower, but we are definitely getting things moving ourselves for exactly the reasons you mentioned. We have cribs and a stroller thus far!

Kim: I try to do some arm and leg lifts, but thanks for the stretching idea. So happy to hear that your shower was fun and relaxing. And, I know how hard it is to give work a rest, but it will always be there!!! You are doing an awesome job baking your 2 LO’s--30 weeks is great milestone!!

Alisa: Sorry to hear you have an intense 2 weeks ahead. Try your best not to let it get to you...concentrate positive energy on that LO inside of you and things won’t seem as serious I bet.

Amanda: Sorry about the “cry-a-thons” but glad that otherwise Marbel is amazing and adorable. Hopefully you will find the right trick soon.

Kat: Wow...one going off to college...I am sure that the time really flies. Is he still excited about being a “big” brother?

Rio: GO LIZZY GO!!! That is awesome!! Keep up what you are doing--it sounds really hard, but it is paying off. Hopefully things will improve and you can ease up soon.

AFM: Work? Well, other than my boss being somewhat condescending and practically telling me its “easier if things aren’t uncertain” (as in it is uncertain with me back at work how long I will be here) it was nice to see my co-workers. I am really tired, but otherwise handling it ok. A bit more BH in the evenings, but I am doing my best to drink a lot of water and keep my feet up--oh yeah, really swollen feet from “work” shoes. I have been barefoot or in flip flops all summer, so to put real shoes on was owee. I think I may go get some cheap (wide) flats.

AND YES!! LOL... I will get a belly shot on soon...promise.

[blairwh58]

Cherry- I am so sorry to hear about your scare. Hopefully you are right and the US tech was just measuring things a little off that day. I really hope that the next US shows that baby is doing well and it was all just a false alarm. Try and stay calm and hope for the best. Keeping you and baby in our thoughts.

Stephanie and Ryann- Glad to hear that the carseats are great. I saw them in the store and knew that was the kind we should get. Even though DH complains that they are expensive I think a good carseat is worth it.

Ryann- Those babies are getting soooo big!!! I love Bellas little pic with her dimple showing. They are both beautiful/handomse little babies. Love seeing their pics. Sorry to hear Dylan gets fussy a lot but glad Bella is the calmer of the two there to keep you sane.

Margi- Glad to hear Im not the only one. We actually got our cribs really early on when we were still expecting triplets- just because we found them on clearance for $75 each instead of regular priced $220. Luckily I was able to sell the third one on Craigslist and actually made money on it. We havent bought the stroller yet but I know which one I want...its just getting the courage to drop the large amount of money. Which stroller did you go with?

[cherry5.]

blairwh...... yeah im hoping they were just off too but im preparing for the worst by studing up on it.

marg..... yep we have a ultrasound at a place that spec. in those kind of findings on ultrasounds mon at 2:40 so soon as we find out something i sure will post it soon as i get home.

[rypell1985]

Blair-what stroller are you going with? It was hard to spend the money on ours too (easy walker duo with 2 carrycots) but now that they're here and we are using it-SOOOO worth it!!!

Margi-take it easy being back at work!!!!!

[riogirl71]

cherry - could it be calcium build up? check out babycenter.com porr prenatal diagnosis and you will find a lot of false positives where everything turned out well! good luck!

Ryann/Stephanie - we have the Yukon XL which is basically a suburban. We love it. We also have two large dogs, DS, baby and occasioanlly Skid. We had a custom kennel built for the back where you can have the two dogs safely and plenty of room to spare for strollers. We also use the Radian sunshine kids which is awesome because it is not super wide and two fit side by side great when they outgrow the carrier style carseat, I highly recomend the new version and the car, it rocks! we found a 5 month old rental with 10,000 miles on it and it was $15,000 cheaper than new ones.

Margi - continue taking it easy!

SD - 28 weeks woohooo!

[blairwh58]

Ryann- I checked out your stroller and it does look nice....as Im guessing it should be for the arm and a leg you had to pay. DH is complaining because the one I want is also expensive but Ive heard from tons and tons of people that a nice stroller is worth the money. We are planning on going with the Baby Jogger City Select with second seat attachment. Weve seen it used with twins and it was awesome. I wanted a tandem but most of the double tandems were huge, heavy and really long. This one however is only I think around 30 lbs and is the length of a single. And another huge plus is that is goes back to a single for future babies we may have. I dont think I am going to get the bassinets that you can get with it though...the lady who convinced me to get it used the regular seats with her twins, and when they were newborns all she did was lay the seats all the way back and lift the hood- which makes it look/act like a bassinet. Then she put snuzzlers around them for added support. All together I think ours will run us about $650 but I am willing to do that if its really a nice stroller.

[lou71]

Annashope -- Welcome baby Paul! Congratulations mama! Now let's see some pics.

Ryann -- Love the pics you posted of Dylan and Bella. Precious! Hope your fever is gone soon.

cherry -- So sorry for your scare. I really hope further testing reveals good news for you.

Margi -- How's it feel to be back at work? How long do you think you'll be able to do it? At my appt yesterday my BP was up and such so my doc is writing me off work as of Labor Day I think. Ugh. So boring.

AFM -- First of all. My shower last Sunday was a BLAST. We got a lot of our necessities but still need to do some shopping. I didn't get a baby monitor and was thinking of a video monitor. What did you all go with? Got the stroller, car seat, high chair, clothes, clothes, clothes...lol. We had 50 people there. I also had a "diaper raffle". Each guest who brings a pack of diapers can enter the raffle for a gift basket valued at $100. I ended up with 40+ packs of diapers ranging from NB to size 2. I'll post a couple of pics.

I also had an OB appt yesterday. My BP was up and has been at many of my appts. It's 140's/90's. I also gained a bit of fluid, 5 lbs in two weeks and had a trace of protein in my urine. So for that, I need to do a 24 hr urine collection for protein. Anyone else have to do this? My doc wants me to stop working and "take it easy" after 34 weeks which brings me to the end of this month. I'll do what I have to do. I''m going to have weekly NST's also. Yesterday on u/s, my baby was measuring 2 weeks ahead and was estimated to be over 4 lbs.

[lou71]

Couple more pics from my shower....

[rypell1985]

Blair...I did a lot of calling around and found a store that had their floor models on sale. I drove over an hour because this lady said she would hold the black one for me and when I got there it had been sold. I spoke with the manager and I got a brand new one, in box, for the floor model sale price of $400. Total steal for the stroller. Then we had a bunch of gift cards plus our completion coupon to buy buy baby to buy the carry cots. The carry cots were $150 each, but after the coupon they were $130 each. So we got the entire stroller for under $700. We originally got this stroller with the intent of getting the maxi cosi car seats that attach, but I decided against those carsears. This stroller doesn't have seats that recline all the way back and it was a final sale because of the sale price so we had no other choice but to get the cary cots. The OnBoard carseats don't even fit with a double snap-n-go from what I've researched.

Lou...You and your shower looked beautiful! I'm glad it was nice. Did any of your friends that had "conflicts" end up making it? If not, I hope they sent a really good gift! I know leaving work early isn't ideal, but I already miss the days of laying around on the couch all day doing nothing! There isn't any time for that anymore!!!!!

[blairwh58]

Ryann- I didnt even think to call around and see if stores had floor models on sale. I would even be willing to take 2010 model since they are basically the same. Even though it sucks you had to drive to get yours, sounds like you ended up getting an even better deal since they sold the one you were supposed to get. I debated on getting carseats that are compatible with the stroller but really like the Safety 1st OnBoard so I think I would rather just not be able to put the carseats in the stroller. I know people say its a hassle if your going somewhere and have to wake the babies up to move them from the carseat to the stroller, but I think itll be fine. Im glad you mentioned that those carseats dont fit with the doubel snap and go. I was going to go to babiesRus to try one out on the single snap and go they have...but I guess you may have saved me a trip. Honestly I think that all strollers should be compatible with all carseats. It would save a lot of time and money (not to mention stress) in trying to figure out which can fit with which.

[Reenie100]

Lou71- I did the 24 urine collection test. It was a nuisance, but apparently it's a more accurate way to assess the amount of protein in your urine. Be careful with the blood pressure. Do you have a BP monitor at home? Might be worth getting one, if you don't. My BP and protein levels started to creep up right around 30 weeks, which is where you are now in your pregnancy. I also accumulated a lot of fluid in the final weeks also. Take it easy and rest a lot on your left side.

As for baby monitors, we got a digital one (just the audio, no video). So far, it's worked out well and I haven't felt like we need the video.