Cows go 'MOOOOOOO'

Baby Update: We had an OB appointment on Monday, and everything looks good. The OB and midwife have consistently been happy with how the pregnancy has been progressing, so we hope to keep going with that trend! We were at 31 weeks and 1 day on Monday and saw an ultrasound of the twins. Wow, those babies are now sharing some cramped quarters! There is noticeably less free space for them to move around than in the prior ultrasounds. Meanwhile the belly continues to grow...

The OB took a look at earlier ultrasounds and concluded that the twins are likely identical and share a placenta. When babies share a placenta, there is the risk that one baby will get the lion's share of nutrients and blood flow to the detriment of the 'donor' baby. These babies were measuring at around the same weights (between 3 lb 6 oz and 3 lb 12 oz), which means that they obviously already know how to share and will never ever fight with one another as children ;p

Baby A is head down (yay! stay that way!) and Baby B is breech. I like to poke Baby B's head, because it is conveniently located above my belly button, and fear that as a result the baby may come out with a squished face. But then, that may be a great way to tell them apart! Anyway, Baby A will with any luck remain head down, which will allow for a vaginal delivery. I cannot imagine having twins to take care of while recovering from a C-section, so we're not going to consider the option presently!

It's sunny and lovely here again... we've been doing some gardening and have lettuces , arugula/rocket, chard, and herbs growing, and hopefully we can place some early tomatoes this weekend. YUM.

We have gathered most of our baby items so far from Craigslist, which has been amazing - we found some good deals and real angels out there, too! Here are some of our finds: barely used, safe infant car seats (matching!) that pop into a double stroller; a co-sleeper (it's like a side car crib that snugs up to our bed); a promise of a free crib; crib bedding; window valances in a jungle theme (matches the crib bedding); lots of diapering goodies; bouncy/vibrating chairs; tummy time mats; a take-along swing small enough for our house (again, jungle theme); assorted cloths; a cool mobile for the crib; and some infant toys. We did make a run to Babies R Us last weekend to pick up some other necessities at full price; though we were somewhat afraid of the big box baby superstore before we entered, we ended up having a good time shopping together. Our best find? Definitely the cow puppet that we just had to have. I mean, we have to prep them for future farm life. And yes, we're already practicing with it....moooooooooooOOOOOOO :) These kids have no chance at normalcy. They will be silly, goofy beans.

Austin's Update

This update is dedicated to Austin, aka my FIL, aka Pops, who commented to Julian that we don't update the blog nearly enough. I know, I know. I'm sorry! I'm just too busy marinating babies, sleeping, reading, and cooking. It's been raining here, so swimming has been a miss recently. (Did you notice I just typed, '... a miss'?! That is very much Australian speak.)
So, what has been going on here?

Sick Ickies
Well, Julian was sick last weekend, which led to a canceled BBQ. He bounced back after 4 or so days of feeling icky, and Kara & babies managed to avoid catching the ick. Hip hooray!

The Dog Did It
We had a dog stay with us overnight on Saturday. She had been found in the front yard, with a shock collar still attached, emitting shocks - poor thing! She was an older mix, with some Doberman in her. She was sweet to people, but poorly trained and did not know how to walk on a leash, among other things. She also lunged at the cat when it was eating the dog's food, which was the first indication that she was not trustworthy... I just didn't have a good feeling about her, and I love animals. The neighbors left a report with the local animal shelter and we placed a 'found dog' ad on Craigslist. No bites - apparently no one was looking for her. On Sunday the neighbor took the dog for a walk, during which she attacked another neighborhood dog. We're talking full on neck bite grab of a little white dog, thrashing it around before dropping it to the ground with two puncture wounds. Needless to say, the found dog found its way to the animal shelter that day - no use risking any more animals. One of the neighbors' chickens had been found dead the day before, and well, we think it was probably the dog. So although Julian and I would like a dog at some point, I'm relieved that she is gone. Bad fit, bad timing!!!

Mum's Tummy
A couple of days ago I decided to check out my belly below the crest of the baby bump. What was I looking for? Stretch marks! What did I find? The beginnings of stretch marks! They aren't too red and angry, but they are there. And so, I am joining the club of mummy tummies. I think I might have to buy a red sharpie and draw on Julian's belly to match...

Feed the Freezer
The freezer is hungry. Yesterday it ate three chicken dump recipes, which are essentially raw chicken pieces mixed with spices and other ingredients in freezer bags. The day before you get hungry (that's the trickiest part!), you thaw the chix, and then bake the mixture in a casserole. Voila! Gourmet! We have: sweet salsa chicken, lime pepper chicken, and citrus ginger chicken. The freezer also ate a meatloaf yesterday. Yum. Tomorrow it will get some lentil soup. Which leads me to this conclusion: I saved a crap ton of money (which I didn't have anyway, so good thing) when I ate vegetarian. I mean, dead animal parts sold in the supermarket are expensive! Especially if, as someone who consciously thinks about other living beings and eating them and putting processed stuff in ones body in general, you aim to purchase the meat that hasn't been treated with antibiotics and growth hormones and has preferably been able to enjoy at least part of its artificially shortened life feeding 'on the range'. Now, I don't know how much merit the 'range chicken' label has in the grocery store - could mean as little as the 'cage free' labels on eggs, where the requirement could acquiesce to something as lax as providing a 1'x2' window to get outside into a 4'x4' pen, even if 2,000 chickens occupy the hen house and there's no way in creation that all of those chickens are enjoying fresh air and sun whilst laying their eggs. Hmph. Thank goodness the neighbors are rearing five more chicks :) I mean, those chickens have it good (aside from running the risk of being killed by lost dogs). They run around the yard at free will, they scrape and make a complete mess of our planting beds with no fear of repercussions, they even hang out and occasionally poop all over our front and back stoops. Which is another reason why if you ever visit us, kindly leave your shoes at the front door.

Babies Shower :)

Today Kara's colleagues threw a baby shower for us! It was so sweet of them. So, after finishing work one week ago, back to the office we went for a nice lunch & yummy cake, good company, and a thoughtful celebration for the babies. Kara will certainly miss the people that she worked with - kind and always ready to celebrate life outside of work. Julian commented on what a nice feeling it is for a work environment.
Thank you all very much for the wonderful baby shower and warm send-off! And now, some photos of the occasion...

The signs, which came all the way from the water pollution control plant!!!




Onesies with bears on their bottoms!


Potties for the babies! Julian really wanted potties!


Soft squeezies (machine washable!) and a cute book!


Sophie the Giraffe x 2! Yay for teething babies!


You mean we have to give them a bath?!


And even hand-decorated onesies and shirts. They meant to write 'double joy', right?

...morning...

It seems that the end of January also brought with it the end of a month of rain and cloudy dreariness. Mr. J is still in bed this morning, while I've been enjoying open doors, sunshine, and fresh air. I love the mornings, especially when I get to enjoy their quiet newness by myself :) There's just something sacred about a new day.

We've been slacking on the posting recently... Julian is an anti-blogger by declaration, so I suppose I have been slacking on the posting.

Earlier this week was my birthday, which happened to coincide with the annual Google getaway. This year's destination was Disneyland. I'm grateful that Julian chose his pregnant wife's birthday over Mickey Mouse. We savored a 4 day weekend of laziness and enjoyed indulgences such as going to a Monday movie matinée, to the beach on Tuesday, and naps. And my present? I asked for bird feeders and a set of assorted size screwdrivers (no, I'm not joking), but Julian surprised me with a really nice guitar! I have 10 weeks to learn how to play it!!! Julian always finds good gifts; I'm much too practical and apologize now for all of the future years when he will be receiving socks, underwear, and soap from me. Maybe for his next birthday he'll get screwdrivers ;p

Things are going well with the babies. They continue to beat up my uterus, which is a good sign, and they haven't yet made their way to my ribs, which means there is room for them to grow - another good thing! (sidenote: chickens at the front door. one of the americanas loves to say hello whenever the door is open.) Our midwife and OB are very handy to have around and are happy with how things are going.
The MW keeps asking us what sort of help we have lined up for after the babies' arrival... I think Mr. J now realizes that I will be nothing but a sleep-deprived milk machine for the first few months and that cooking and household chores need to be left to other folks.

Which leads to this schedule:
Kara's Mom for 2 weeks (end of April/early May?)
potential S-P-A-C-E to fill
One of Kara's aunts at the end of May?
S-P-A-C-E to fill - all of June
Julian's parents here for July
K&J & babies in PGH in August?

We have 2 bedrooms. If anyone is able to come and help with cooking and cleaning and a bit of baby soothing sometime in June, please let us know. We need the help, and I'm asking.

We're also in the process of joining a local UU congregation... we like the community AND they have a program to help new parents. Yay! Beyond that, our freezer is slowly becoming stocked with thaw-make-rice-or-noodles-and-serve meals. So far we have: chili, black bean soup, chickpea and artichoke stew, beef barley veggie soup, and beef & gravy. We'll make some pesto to add this weekend. We've also been experimenting with easy dinner dishes like baked BBQ chicken - things that we can make in a pinch and still feel like we're actually eating!

I'm off to enjoy the morning. Happy February to all!