In Sickness and In Health

It has been a LONG week in our household. Monday morning brought on a small fever from Jaelyn, I assumed she was just teething...again. WRONG! The fever progressed thrughout the day, but I wasn't too concerned, kids get fevers and they pass...right? Tuesday, she was HOT, unable to find our thermometer I had no idea what kind of temp we were looking at, but she was HOT. She all but stopped eating, didn't want to drink as much juice as I would have liked and barely got off the couch or let go of me for the entire day. The whining and not knowing what she wanted when she was obviously miserable nearly broke my heart. Wednesday was more of the same and that night we got a thermometer, we were well over 101.00...with tylenol. More of the whining, more not knowing what she wanted, more misery on the couch. Thursday wasn't any better, we were looking at 102 temps and that was my straw, day 4 with no end in sight...I called the doctor.

Of COURSE, our pediatrician was on vacay until next week, so we had to see a different doctor, but, it had to be done. Poor kid, an hour into her last dose of tylenol, her temp was still 101.something, she has a virus that could last through the weekend. :( The worst part? There is absolutely no magic pill to make her better. Why has this pill not been invented yet? By this time, the whining is starting to get seriously annoying and frustrating, no matter how bad I feel for her, I have my limits and that point has been reached. I kept my cool and we made it through the day. Friday morning, we wake up with almost no fever! We're down below 100 degrees, we *want* breakfast and seem perkier. Oh my goodness, are we on the mend? I think so!

She ate some lunch, she ate some snack, she got off the couch, in fact, she's barely been on the couch at all today! Our fever hasn't surpassed 100.3 and is actually normal when on tylenol! We even went outside for maybe a half an hour! Perhaps health is in sight once more! The weekend is upon us and with no big plans for tomorrow, I'm hoping she will be well enough to participate in some family halloween bonding time on Sunday.

This is the first *real* sickness she's had...and she's nearly 20 months old! She did have croupe, but that was only a choking type cough at night, no symptoms during the day really. With this, she was miserable and I hope (unrealistically) that we never had to go through this again. Seeing my daughter so miserable, sick and feeling so horrible is not something I will ever look forward to, I highly doubt any mother does. Hopefully, by morning, this will all be nothing more than a bad memory and we will have our happy, alert baby girl back to her normal self!

20 weeks

I am 20 weeks pregnant...for anyone keeping track...that is officialy 5 months! Woot! Second trimester is treating me better and better, but we all know that will end soon enough! My cankles are less cankle-ish and almost resemble ankles! My pizza face...well, pregnancy has not been nice to my skin, and 2nd trimester hasn't made much of a dent in that aspect! My zombie like state is a thing of the past, I can survive a whole day with just one nap...usually! Naturally, there is still back pain and hip pain, but that is made up for with baby movement!

The girls kick daily, actually, between the two, almost nonstop! We had an interesting development about a week ago, Baby B "dropped" so to speak! Originally, the girls formed a kind of "L" shape in my belly. Baby A was "standing" upright on the left side of my uterus, while Baby B lay across my uterus near the top, so they were head to head so to speak. I had been feeling an aweful lot of movement and a few hours later, upon feeling my belly, I realized what had happened! Baby B gave up her position at the top of my uterus, for a vertex position side by side with her sister! The top of my belly went from soccer ball hard, to bread dough in a matter of hours! And talk about the kicking! I'm not sure if Baby A got mad to have to share the width, or if they were both so excited to be next to one another, but one reason or another, for 2 days straight, the kicking was constant...and HARD!

Tonight was measurement night, we took the appropriate pictures and dug out the tape. We closed the blinds to save my neighbors from potential blindness, exposed the blimp that used to be my stomach and wrapped it. I braced myself for another near 2 inches...maybe more...my pants were definately digging into my underbelly a lot more afterall! 44 inches! I lost 3 and one half inches! I blame Baby B dropping, she would have been pushing out my belly button more, since she laid just above it, and when she dropped, she filled in my underbelly with her size and deflated the top of my belly. Talk about unexpected though! Hopefully she stays where she is to aid in a, what I hope will be, a natural delivery. Although those chances are pretty slim!

On top of that excitement, we have officially named them! Although we havn't assigned names yet, the first baby out will be Aurora Jean, the Jean for my mother. Second baby to come to fruition will Delilah Beatrice, Beatrice for both Jeremy's mother and grandmother. I have been asked why the first baby gets the first name, simple: we chose Aurora long before we got pregnant, in fact, it's what I wanted to name Jaelyn! So, first baby gets the first name chosen, second baby out gets the second name we chose! Although, after discovering the name Delilah, I can't decide which name I like more! Ah well, such are the dilemas of my life!

Lastly, I would like to pay my respects to my idol, my role model, and a woman and mother I strive to be like, both on TV and in her personal life: Rest peacefully June Cleaver, you were amazing and an inspiration!

What's my Worth?

I have heard many numbers thrown around about the financial worth of a Stay At Home Mom, everything from $30,000 to $160,000 and even $500,000, but these are often times generalizations based off of things most families wouldn't buy regardless of whether one parent stayed at home or not. Such things these are often based off of include the cost of a maid, a nurse, a chauffeur and cook and with the higher numbers, paying these positions for a 24 hour, 7 day a week career. With or without my staying home, I can guarantee you, we would not be employing these workers in our household! So I got to wondering, what is MY personal worth as a Stay At Home Parent?

I researched extensively and found an average, annual daycare cost for an infant in Wisconsin, full time, to be roughly $10,500! Multiply that by two and we're looking at $21,000 a year for just my twins. My daughter is nearing 2, so no longer an infant, not yet preschool, but the closest average I could find for her was preschool age, factoring in at roughly $9,000 a year. For my three children (once the twins are born), in one year of full time daycare, necessary for having a full time job, it would cost us, roughly, $30,000, more than some minimum wage jobs would bring home. I will not factor in any overtime I possibly may have had to work or any late fees for picking up children late.

Next, I factored in gas to and from a job. For a job worth covering the astronomical daycare prices, I picked a city nearby, but much larger with much better opportunities at a better than minimum wage job, approximately 45 miles away, or 90 miles round day daily, 5 days a week. Current average price for gas is $2.86 a gallon, and rising nearly daily it seems. My car gets approximately 27 miles to the gallon (it's a gas guzzler!) So, I would be looking at 450 miles of driving for a 5 day work week, with my gas mileage I would be using about 16 and half gallons of gas each week costing me nearly $50.00 each week just in gas. There are 52 weeks in a year, so we're looking at an annual gas price of $2,600 a year, assuming the price of gas didn't raise and that I didn't have to drive out of my way to drop my kids off at daycare.

Let's talk food now, while I'm an advocate for bringing a lunch to work to save money, with three kids, a full time job and myself to tend to, I figure I would be purchasing a ready made lunch twice a week (and that is potentially the understatement of the year!). Let's take a super cheap meal at a fast food joint costing $5.00, twice a week for 52 weeks is $520 a year. That's assuming I didn't go to a restaurant with a pricier menu, didn't purchase soda or a candy bar or chips from a vending machine.

Just in these three areas, we are looking at an annual cost of $33,120 dollars. My job as a Stay At Home Parent saves us more than some minimum wage jobs! This does not factor in pays lost due to taking time off for child sickness or daycare inability to watch children, it also doesn't factor in the extra electricity and utilities I currently use as a Stay At Home Parent. It does not factor in the money saved by cooking homemade meals vs buying insta-meals (aka, frozen meals or meals from a can), coupon clipping or budget shopping, which I may not have time for with a full time job.

My economic, financial worth may not be $160,000 a year, but knowing my job saves us the cost associated with my getting at least one job sure makes me feel pretty good. Regardless of what the number crunching comes to, a price sticker cannot be put on my worth as a Stay At Home Parent. I get to raise my daughter (s) with my values and morals, teach them the things they need to know, give them more individualized attention than they would in a daycare setting, make memories with them, see all of the "firsts", create a bond nobody can touch and reap a satisfaction I never knew possible. I don't receive a paycheck, sick time, vacation time or bonuses, heck, I don't ever even get to be off-call, I get paid in kisses, hugs, smiles and the satisfaction of seeing my hard work turn into a thriving person, no paycheck could compare to my "salary".

19 Weeks

Wow, another month come and gone without a post! I really need to keep on top of this! Well, yesterday (was it really only yesterday, it seems like a lifetime ago!) we had our second ultrasound. I went in hoping and praying that there wouldn't be any more surprises, no more babies and good health!
I drank the required water and sweated through the very bumpy 45 minute ride to the hospital. It wasn't a long wait before my name was called and I waddled into the tiny room. Climbing unto the god-aweful, uncomfortable "bed" covered with paper sheets, my heart pounded with excitement, fear and anxiety. The cold goo splattered my orbous belly and in mere seconds the probe found the first images of Baby A. After a thurough scan, checking the heart, stomach, skull and limbs we discovered that Baby A is a perfectly healthy little GIRL!!! One down, one to go...
Another splash of cold goo and a moment of searching finds Baby B high up in my bloated uterus. Again, a thurough scan checking heart, skull, stomach and limbs proves happy with a healthy baby. Discovering the gender is a big harder as Baby B just will not cooperate! After a battle of wills between Baby B and the determined technician, a quick peek between the legs finds another vagina! Two baby girls!
Daddy is a bit nervous for the teenage years (and admittedly so I am!), two 13 year olds and a 15 year old? Boys? Valentine's Day? Hormones? Fashions, friends, phone bills? How will we survive? I'm still not sure how, but good Lord willing I know we will!

I'm really starting to feel more kicks, punches and rolls, and it never fails to put a smile on my face, even on my most hormonal of days! My carpal tunnel is barely a problem, although my hands, especially my fingers, do hurt some during the day; no one told me carpal tunnel was "normal" in pregnancy! I still have not had any gall stone attacks, and I'm hoping I won't have anymore, surgery during pregnancy just isn't ideal. Jaelyn is finding it harder and harder to get comfy on mommy's lap and when asked, will hold up two fingers and tell you there are two babies in mommy's tummy, sometimes she says three...she better be wrong! I feel like a blimp, but I realize this is only just the beginning and I'm quickly finding ways to make sure I stay comfortable...one of which is to sleep on the couch which has good support for my back while I lay on my side.

Jaelyn is doing great with sleep training, she crawls into bed when we ask her to after her usual routine and goes right to sleep without us even in the room anymore! She wakes up once or twice each night, but even that is getting better as long as we don't mess with the routine! As for nap time sleep training, well, it could be going better, but it's not so bad, I'm sure we'll get there soon! As for weaning, I'm not sure who's having a harder time with it...Mommy or Jaelyn? But for the health of the twins, it really does need to be done, so that's what I have to do, like it or not.

Being a mom is great and I'm excited to start a whole new chapter in "Mommyhood", as nerve wracking as it is! 'Til next week world!

It's been awhile

Wow, 2 months since my last post and it feels like a lifetime...so much has happened since that happy family outing to the cities. My gall stones have been fine thank goodness, but my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She endured a mastectomy and healed and has now started her chemo treatment. So far she isn't ill, but she's only had one treatment and they say it gets worse over time. Thankfully, she'll be done by Christmas as long as there are no hold-ups.
Jeremy and I are going through the process to buy our house, my car died and I got a new one and pregnancy kicked my butt in a big way. Then, the biggest shock of all at our first ultrasound. As the lab tech squirted the cold goo on my unusually large belly she asked how far along I was. I replied with something along the lines of, according to my last cycle I'm 15 weeks, but my midwife says I'm 19 weeks. This gives her a confused look, but she couldn't possibly be as confused as I had been! The probe in her hand easily glides over my gelled tummy and soon I am looking at one of the scariest images on an ultrasound screen that I can imagine. There, in the middle of my enormous belly are TWO heads. I knew I had double ovulated and had told my husband and my mother and anyone else who would listen I was positive there were two babies in my belly. I couldn't possibly be this tired, this nauseous and this big with just one baby in there. But, with our first Doppler, after much searching, there was only one heartbeat to be heard and I was assured there was in fact only one child to be had. I was relieved really, it's not that I was hoping for twins, but I knew I had released two eggs. HA!!! I was right all along! There ARE two babies growing inside of me!
The ultrasound tech continued to roll the probe over my engorged stomach, scanning each child, labeled baby A and baby B. We watched as they faced each other and poked at and punched at one another. Fighting already...oh Lord. We could not find out the sexes of either baby, my modest children prudely kept their little legs together, keeping their much anticipated genders a surprise for now.
I still cannot comprehend that there are in fact, two, living, growing, developing babies inside of me. But there are prices to pay for two blessings, in the form of the fateful gallstones, carpal tunnel in both wrists, a good chance of bed rest and a good possibility of pre-term labor. All of this, has put me into early nesting instincts. I have been cleaning and rearranging like a mad woman, but I am limited. Too much cleaning and my back threatens to give out, my ankles swell to the size of basketballs, my hips feel like popping apart like a barbie dolls and my pelvic area feels like ripping apart. But, at the end of the day, when I'm relaxing with a book or movie, the feel of little Baby A moving around makes all the efforts to get ready for these precious bundles so worth it. Now Baby B just needs to get a move on and make his or her presence known to momma!
It is terrifying, it is exciting, it is stressful and exhilarating and it is my destiny. I didn't ask for twins, I didn't even want twins, but I am having twins and I couldn't be happier or feel any more blessed!

Family and Fun! Part 3 of 3

Sunday did not end with the Children's Museum, it was really just a beginning! After leaving the museum, we piled back into the car, like so many clowns, and headed for Jamie's house. Everyone was exhausted, and it seemed the perfect time for a household nap to re-energize before dinner.

Several hours later, after yawns and stretches, everyone was awake once again and talk of plans took place. We had yet to eat dinner and Jaelyn had energy to burn before we stuck her in the car for the 2 hour car ride home, the solution? Chuck E. Cheese! Jamie, detective that she is, scoped out some coupons online and after making sure everything was packed and in the car we were off!

We arrived and Jaelyn's eyes were as big as owls! The lights and sounds and masses of hoarding people made her eyes light up like a Christmas tree. We found a booth, ordered our food and tokens and were off to let Jaelyn play games and ride rides. She could barely contain herself! Her two favorite things were riding a horse for a racing game and dropping tokens in the slots of about any game or ride you can imagine! At some point, it was discussed that the adults seemed to be having more fun than Jaelyn, not that she wasn't having fun, but perhaps Dave and Busters may have been a better choice!

After devouring the delicious vittles and drowning it in carbonated goodness we were off to play yet more games and ride yet more rides. In the end, the adults (with Jaelyn's help of course!) scored her 700 tickets to redeem in prizes. By this time, my poor daughter was obviously over stimulated and looked like a happy zombie, ready for bed. Daddy picked out her prizes, a Chuck E. Cheese hat, which she now insists on wearing around the house ALL day and a balloon. Not bad.

We left Chuck E. Cheese and headed for home, Jaelyn did not fall asleep on the way home, but she didn't scream her head off either, so it was more or less a win. We had a wonderful weekend with my sister and I can't wait until next summer when we do it all over again!

Jaelyn riding the horse race game, it doesn't show in this picture, but she really loved it!

Jaelyn concentrating very hard on steering her safari jeep!

Family Fun at Chuck E. Cheese!

Family and Fun! Part 2 of 3

The sounds of trucks driving by and a hawk squawking in the sky greeted my morning sensitive ears Sunday morning. Having been a rough night with Jaelyn falling out of bed and Jeremy up with a migraine, I was in no mood for said hawk, but determined to have a good last day, I put a smile on my face, finished with my morning sickness, and greeted Jamie good morning. Sitting on the porch with the floor to ceiling windows, viewing on her spacious yard was just the start to the morning I needed. Another gourmet breakfast was heartily devoured by all, stomach full, activities lulled for just a bit, conversation slowed and we all enjoyed the peace and quiet.

It wasn't long before more lunches were packed, directions map-quested, and everyone piled into the car. We were off to explore the wonders of the Minnesota Children's Museum! Crammed into close quarters, we chatted gaily, anticipation high, at least for myself that is! In what seemed like no time at all we were entering the parking ramp and off to the sky walk. Admissions paid, we re-grouped and found our way to the first level of fun.

Jaelyn had so much fun in the balance room! The adults did too! Jaelyn enjoyed walking on the "beams" and stepping on the stepping "stones", The adults enjoyed competing to see who could balance the longest on an impossible disk. Excited to see what else awaited, we moved on and found ourselves in a toddler sized village complete with bus, market, restaurant, Post Office and much more. Jaelyn would have driven the bus all day, but it was other children's turn! Jamie and Alexis tried on community workers costumes, go figure, Jamie was the cop! We soon found ourselves wandering to yet another room, this one a toddler size water world! Could Jaelyn have been any happier? Dropping ping pong balls down pipes with flowing water, filling containers with water from another source and even a bubble solution table kept Jaelyn busy for what seemed like hours. After a short visit to a Wizard of Oz themed room we found the 4 and under room and decided to let Jaelyn run. There were ramps, stairs, slides, bridges and things to touch, see, hear and even costumes! It was a great room to end our day in. We had so much fun watching Jaelyn run, climb, explore, learn and play, but we were ready to be home!

Jaelyn LOVED testing her skills on balancing beams and stepping "stones"

She spent the most time at this table, dropping ping pong balls into the pipes and watching them float out.

Jaelyn climbing the rope ladder, dressed as a raccoon!