New New New!

Hi All!

The REAL Skinny now is being hosted by Blogger instead of WordPress. I realized I liked the options and widgets Blogger offered over what was offered in WordPress. I’m hoping now that my blog is in Blogger, I’ll be able to share a lot more of the things I want with you and it will be easier on me to figure it all out! Be sure to become a follower of my blog  on the right nav bar  of the new page. That way you’ll get the latest and greatest updates from the posts to my blog! (Awesome, I know) And don’t worry, becoming a follower doesn’t mean you’ll get emails or anything unless you chose. Plus, it helps me look a little cooler and reach a wider audience if they see I have a few followers they may be inclined to read and follow as well!

See ya at the new place!

 

A little bit about us

Where were you born and raised? I was born in Nebraska, my husband in Texas and we were both raised in Iowa. He in the “big city” and I, on a farm 🙂

How many children do you have, and what are their ages? Twin boys! Julian and Isaiah born March 3, 2010.

Are pets a part of your family? Man, I have enough problems keeping my eyes open after just taking care of the boys.

Do you work outside the home? Doing what? How long? Nope. I work IN my home. I work at keeping my sanity…and I don’t consider raising my sons a job 🙂

How did you meet your spouse? When did you get married? We met in 2005  at a bar that he was a bouncer at in Iowa City while we were in college at the University of Iowa. I had a little liquid courage and though he was super hunky so I approached him. He had a concussion from playing rugby so I guess he didn’t have enough sense to say no! We were married September 25, 2009 over his lunch our in the courtroom! (We plan on having an official party sometime this year.

What are your hobbies/interests? Before kids, and after (since often hobbies go by the wayside after children arrive!)? Before babies I loved working out, playing and coaching volleyball, knitting, going on hikes and walks, going out with my friends…and after babies I still love all the same things just don’t have quite as much time for all of it!

TELL US ABOUT YOUR MULTIPLES!
How did you find out you were pregnant? Long story short: Over my lunch hour on a Friday afternoon in July 2009.  I was feeling really nauseous and never have that feeling. Had had cramps for a week before that and took a pregnancy test at home over lunch just to reassure myself I wasn’t pregnant…guess I was wrong!

How/When did you find out it was multiples? We went in for a “confirmation of pregnancy” appointment at the doctor’s office to make sure everything was ok before I moved across the country. (My then fiance lived in California) Doc said I was big for my gestational age (8 weeks) so they did an ultrasound to figure things out…I ended up seeing 2 babies!

What was your/your spouse’s/your other children’s reaction? Since he lived in CA at the time, I had to tell him over the phone. At first he wouldn’t even answer the phone because he was still sleeping! THE SUSPENSE! HA! When we were finally able to talk he was really quiet. (He gets that way when he has to process big news) He called me back later and was very happy and excited, he just needed a little bit to let it sink in!

How did your multiple pregnancy go? Perfectly. I had no morning sickness, didn’t puke once. I had some food and smell aversions throughout but that was it. Had the usual pregnancy aches and pains and of course, I was ENORMOUS. By the end I was SO ready to be done.

When were they born (how many weeks?) I went into L&D for my 3rd time on March 3, 2010 because I was having contractions every 5 minutes. I was 36 weeks exactly. After getting hooked up they determined my contractions were 2 min apart and it was pointless to stop labor at that point. A couple ours later, I was taken in for a C-Section.  Julian was born at 11:07 pm, Isaiah at 11:08. The single GREATEST moments of my life.

How did their first few weeks of life go? They were perfectly healthy! Both boys had a little issue keeping body temp up the 1st day so they brought a heated bed into our room. Other than a little jaundice, the boys were in our room the whole time and we went home 3 days later. Couldn’t have asked for it to be any better.
How old are they now? They are 10 weeks!

What have you found most wonderful about having multiples? It never gets boring, that’s for sure! Just when one baby makes you smile, the other does something completely adorable and you can’t believe your heart can have so much love!

What have you found most challenging? All of it is challenging! But so rewarding 🙂 I’d say the hardest is going places with them when they’re fussy and I’m alone.

Did you have nicknames for the kids while you were pregnant? Just twin A and twin b, or left twin, right twin. Boring! I know.

Did you have any pregnancy cravings? At the beginning I wanted mashed potatoes. Then it was Froot Loops. Then it was macaroni and cheese. And pretty much throughout it was anything sweet.

What do you think your kids will be when they grow up? I have no idea! I can’t even think that far in the future. Chikezie and I have already talked though that we’ll support anything they do (well almost anything) as long as they do it the best they can!

How did you decorate your kids’ room? Well, their changing table and bed is in our room for now. In a few months when we try to get them to sleep on their own we’ll start decorating a room for them. Probably retro/vintage/foresty.

What do you wish someone had told you, before your multiples were born? I wish somebody would have reassured me that having a c-section and not breastfeeding would be ok, too. I had a lot of anxiety about not having a vaginal delivery and not being cut out for breastfeeding. It turns out, everything is ok! My babies still arrived here healthy and happy 🙂 And we’re all doing quite fine!

RANDOM QUESTIONS, TO LET US SEE THE REAL YOU
What is your favorite room in the house? The bathroom. It’s the one place where I am alone and when I turn on the shower I and the fan I can’t hear anything else! A good soak in the tub doesn’t hurt.

What is your guiltiest pleasure? Laughing at how cute my babies sad faces are LOL I know it’s bad but I can’t help how cute they are!

What is the best way to cure hiccups? There’s no cure! I don’t even try anymore.

What is your secret talent? I play piano and can play a few other instruments. It’s not really a secret though.

How many weddings have you been in? I was the flower girl when my parents got married when I was 3. And in 8th grade I lit candles at a 2nd cousins wedding haha. I don’t have a lot of close girl friends who’ve gotten married.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have one thing with you, what would it be? A manual on how to survive on a desert island.

What was your dream job as a child? I wanted to be a writer! I’ve always loved writing, even as a child.

What is your greatest DIY achievement? Growing my babies. It was the hardest, yet greatest thing I’ve ever done.

What is your favorite board game? Scategories! I can think of some really random stuff.

What store(s) do you shop at the most? Probably Ralph’s. (for all you Midwesterners, Ralph’s is a grocery store here) And Target.

What countries have you visited? Sadly, I’ve only been here in the United States. Someday I hope we can go back to Nigeria, though.

What is your favorite food? Gummy Bears!! And Milk.

What would you never eat, and why? Fish. I can’t stand the smell or taste.

What makes you happy? Spending time with those I love.

What makes you angry? Not a lot ticks me off. I’d say people being inconsiderate and gossipy can really get me.

 

Julian the Puppy

Aside from the puppy whimpers and squeals in his sleep…Mister Julian just can’t seem to keep his tongue in his mouth.

every time I look....

...it's always popping out

...and it's just so cute!

I can hardly hold him anymore because every time I look down, my shoulder is covered in sweet baby spit and I see him licking my shoulders! Looks like we don’t have to worry about getting a pet any time soon!

 

this is the part where you feel bad for me…

Holy spare tire, Batman! Mama is having some issues making the time to exercise this week. The boy’s schedule is really weird at night which is resulting in me getting zero sleep or maybe a few hours. One night they’ll sleep from 10pm-3am. The next night they sleep from 10pm – 12am-3am-6am…oh wait that was last night. I always just feel like blaming everything on a growth spurt, but in all actuality they won’t hit their next growth spurt until 3 months, which gives me another couple weeks, or a few weeks depending on their adjusted age. Well, their adjusted age always confuses me because I never know when it counts or not so we’ll just go with their actual age; they’ll have a growth spurt at 3 months (or in like 2 1/2 weeks-ish) Wow, I really just went way into left field didn’t I? Oh well. Anywho, I haven’t done anything to break a sweat since Saturday! I know, like, a whole week almost. I will tonight, though. One day at a time, right?

The weight loss competition I started went from 10 people to 5 people faster than I can say “cellulite”.  We had an injury, a couple no shows and a surgery that took down our numbers but I think we’re still going to stick this thing out. That means I better get my hiney in gear. I think one thing that may keep me on my toes a little more will be posting my progress on here. There’s something about a bunch of people knowing your real weight, and having to report back to them each week that may put a fire under my expanded tush. Having to tell you that I didn’t lose anything or suck at working out could get a little embarrassing. So, without further adu, my weight and measurements. And a couple of pictures to motivate me.

Starting weight: 176.5

Goal weight: 158, my pre-pregnancy weight.

Measurements: Arm-12. Chest-37.5. Waist (at belly button)- 37. Hips-42. Thigh- 24. Calf-14.

HA! My chest and waist are the same size LOL! Pregnancy totally changes your body shape!

Ok well, I hope I don’t regret this. Ya’ll know the REAL me now. Here’s to staying motivated!

Me. A few years ago tailgating. Don't worry about the beer.

 

Wednesday Morning

Right now, Isaiah is snoozing soundly in the swing and Julian is at my feet in his bouncy chair as I bounce him up and down with my foot, careful not to stop as he’ll probably get mad if I do. I’m trying to watch this episode of Lost on tv AND drink my large cup of coffee at the same time. Last night/this morning went a little like this:

12:30 am-Isaiah wakes up hungry-Daddy feeds him so Mama can keep sleeping.

1:00 am- Julian wakes up hungry- I ask Daddy to feed him as Isaiah wakes back up and wants a little to top off the tank.

4:20 am- Both boys wake up crying and hungry. Daddy fell asleep on the couch earlier so I just let him stay there 🙂 Plus it gives me the whole bed to snuggle with my boys. I heat up two bottles, put one boppy next to me on the bed and one around my waist. I feed both boys at the same time. Pulling both up to my chest to burp at the same time. Julian passed right out after 4.5 oz but Isaiah kept squirming and fighting sleep after finishing his 5 oz, so I let him finish his brother’s .5 and he eventually fell asleep. Both boys usually fall asleep on my chest and I’m able to maneuver them off and next to me in bed without waking anybody up. (Yep they slept with me! Co-sleeping will be a topic for a future blog!)

7:05 am- After probably 20 minutes of grunting and squirming, Julian finally wakes up and decides he’s hungry. I hold him for awhile and can’t find a pacifier near so let him suck on my finger for a few minutes. I laugh at his cute little mouth as it searches for something to suck on. His eyes are closed and he reminds me of a little piglet.  I try to help him find his thumb, which he sucks on for a couple minutes then lets out a hardy yell telling me enough messing around! I sit in my chair in the kitchen, boppy around my waist to support my arm (they’re getting heavy!) and feed him until I hear Isaiah crying in the bedroom. By this time Julian has had enough to keep him content so I put him in a bouncy chair next to the table and get Isaiah up.

7:20 am- both boys are in their bouncy seats on the kitchen floor as I sit next to them holding bottles. I burp one at a time until everyone is happy.  I move back up to the chair, holding Isaiah as I bounce Julian’s seat with my foot. He eventually falls asleep and Isaiah is ready to play. I put him on the floor on his activity mat and turn on the music. He LOVES laying there and looking at all the colors. I wash the bottles we used last night and this morning and put on a pot of coffee. Julian starts to get mad.

8:00 am- Daddy leaves for work. Julian has to cry for a couple minutes while I get dressed, put in contacts, brush teeth, etc. as fast as I can. By this time Isaiah is getting annoyed with laying on the floor so both boys are now crying. They have to lay there for a couple minutes while I warm up a couple more ounces of milk for both.

8:10 am- We’re sitting on the couch, one boppy on each side of me, both boys drinking their bottles. Isaiah falls asleep, Julian is wide awake and smiling and ready to play.  I put him on the floor in the activity mat. Isaiah wakes up and starts to fuss.

8:30 am- Isaiah goes to his swing and falls asleep almost instantly. (He loves that thing and I think of it as Isaiah’s swing, as Julian loves the bouncy seat more). I have time to make myself some oatmeal and get my cup of coffee. I sit at my computer at the table and enjoy both boys content for a little while. These moments are sometimes few and far between. I notice that Julian may be left handed. When he plays on his mat, he always reaches with his left hand and turns to the left…Isaiah always to the right.

8:45 am- Julian is done playing on the mat so I put him in his bouncy seat again…where I sit currently, bouncing him with my foot. He falls alseep like this every time.

9:30- I’m still here typing this post and as Julian sleeps soundly in his bouncy chair-I see Isaiah starting to squirm and wiggle in his swing. Maybe he’ll fall back to sleep. I’ve gotten almost a full hour of time to myself 🙂

Who knows what the next few hours will bring.  Being a stay-at-home Mama is ANYTHING but boring when you have twin boys. I still have so much around my house that needs to get done right now…but sitting here while they’re quiet, sipping my coffee and enjoying the calmness is ok for now.

Best job EVER.

 

Questions and Misconceptions About Twins

Throughout my pregnancy and since the boys have been born I’ve gotten so many false comments regarding where twins come from and how our twins came to be. I know it’s not really a big deal if people have the correct information or not but I always get slightly annoyed when people just assume certain things about multiples. I’m going to set the record straight.

1. Do twins run in your family? Yes, after I found out I was having twins my mom told me that twins run on her mother’s side here and there. Twins, if fraternal, are determined by the mother’s hyper-ovulation, or release of two eggs at once. The fact that my husband is a twin is mere coincidence! I get so often the comment, “oh that’s why!” when people find out my husband is a twin. I have to fight the urge to tell them they’re wrong.
2. Are they identical or fraternal? The boys are fraternal. They had two separate sacks and came from two separate eggs. Although they do look a lot alike, many siblings look similar in their baby pictures…we just happened to have two at the same time!
3. “I sure hope I don’t have twins, my mom is a twin!” Unless you have some freak chance of identical twins (which is a genetic anomaly), every woman has equal chance of having identical twins. They are still doing studies on this but for now, identical twins appear to be random. And I’ll say one more time, twins are not determined by the male’s genetics. The father plays a different role; he determines the baby’s gender. So if you’re looking to see if you may have boys or girls, looking to the father’s side may give you some clues but nothing is for certain.
4. “I don’t know what I’d do if I had twins.” Well, you just DO. Having twins was not our choice, it was something we were blessed with and there is no way to prepare for it for anyone! People always talk about how they’re not ready to have kids. Are we ever really prepared to have children? Probably not. Until you have your own children you won’t ever really be prepared.
5. Do they wake each other up when they cry? As of yet, not really. I know they probably have some sort of unconscious understanding of somebody else being there, but they don’t have a “twin connection”. They don’t really wake each other up at this point. One boy could be crying his little heart out and the other will be off peacefully in dream land.

Now that I’ve said my peace, here’s some uber cuteness.

Julian laughing at a funny joke

chubby cheeks!

Boys wrestling on the couch together

Sitting on the couch like big guys!

Isaiah ninja creepin’ with Daddy

 

Mama Loves Monday: Eyebrow Threading

Every Monday I’ll be posting something or someone that I love…because Mondays suck and I’d like to spread to love!

Mama Loves: Eyebrow Threading

So, yesterday was Mother’s Day (happy belated Mother’s Day to all you wonderful mamas out there!) and I had an afternoon of relaxation. My amazingly awesome hubby brought me flowers, some chocolate, which I really don’t need but was delicious, and a one hour relaxation body massage. I have been DYING for a massage since I was pregnant. And now that I’ve been working out, my back muscles definitely could use a good rubbin’. It was absolutely heavenly! I was so lubed up with lotions when I walked out of the day spa that I practically slid out of my flip flops! Afterward, I was in such a “pamper myself” mood, I decided I had time to get my eyebrows waxed. I trekked to the mall, and while walking around I found a place that does eyebrow threading. If you haven’t heard of eyebrow threading, this girl has a good video on youtube showing how she threads her own eyebrows. Basically they take a long string and tie it in a loop. They twist the loop so there is a series of twists in the center, making the string look like a bow-tie. Then, with a series of twists of the string over the desired hairs, are able to pluck them out. Some of the benefits of eyebrow threading over other types of hair removal:

• It lasts longer. People have said it’s 3-4 weeks before they notice hairs returning.
• It’s easy on sensitive skin, whereas waxing can irritate skin.
• It gives a more accurate eyebrow shape versus waxing, as you are able to pluck single hairs if necessary or a straight line with a long twist of the string.

The overall experience lasted probably the same amount of time as waxing and it cost me $10. As far as pain goes, I won’t lie, it did hurt. Just the same as plucking or waxing though. I mean, you are ripping hairs out of your face! I don’t think it would ever not hurt. But I’m definitely happy with the results, I didn’t have a lot of redness and swelling like I have after waxing and my eyebrow shape looks good. I’m just glad I got anything done! I was starting to look like Burt. It’s amazing what motherhood can do to your time.

Overall, very relaxing Mother’s Day and a new way to avoid a uni-brow! GREAT SUCCESS!

 

i miss iowa

You can take the girl out of Iowa…but you can’t take the Iowa out of the girl 🙂

Downtown Des Moines

Des Moines Skyline Interactive Mural- Des Moines Art Festival 2009

DQ- Clive

Downtown Des Moines Farmer’s Market

Iowa Cubs baseball game

my mom’s puppy, Mapleton

Donkey at the Blank Park Zoo, Des Moines

Greenbelt Park, Clive

Cornfield, rural Iowa

Flag behind Miss Kitty’s bar, West Des Moines

Sunset, Urbandale

Fall colors, West Des Moines

tools, rural Iowa

Hottest Day of the year, Danbury

Downtown Des Moines

May Sunset, Clive

 

nothing feels so good

Nothing feels so good as a new pair of running shoes:

I bought them on Sunday and so far…so good. I haven’t felt the usual “breaking in” aches and pains yet and did a 5k on the treadmill today. I’ve been working my butt off this week so let’s hope the scale reflects that. I woke up walked 4 miles with the stroller earlier this week, lifted weights yesterday, did yoga in the morning and walked to and around the mall for a couple hours and woke up this morning today and ran. My lower back aches, my back and shoulders are sore from lifting-and let’s not even talk about my abs! And let’s just call it fate that in my Special K box was a 10 Minute Solutions Ab work out DVD.

Good bye weight…feels good!

 

getting easier…

So I’m thinking of joining a mothers of multiples group here in Orange County. While I was with the boys at the Spectrum today, (the awesome outdoor mall 2 blocks from my house) I saw so many women with double strollers and kids looking the same age. I thought it was kind of weird to see so many twins on one occasion! Well, while I was in Target looking for Mother’s Day cards and the boys were both having a meltdown at the SAME TIME, a woman started talking to me and it turns out there was a Saddleback Mothers of Multiples meeting today at the Spectrum. Of course she would start talking to me about her twins right when mine were struggling to maintain their composure. I’ve gotten much more comfortable taking the kids places and it’s been really convenient the mall is so close. This gives me a place to take them that is out in the open and has lots of areas of shade for me to sit down and feed them or soothe whoever is hating life at the moment. So while in Target, I didn’t feel too stressed out when both babies were crying…I handled the situation quickly. Snapped on the Bjorn, secured Julian in and got Isaiah to suck on his pacifier long enough to soothe himself back to sleep. Babies cried for maybe 30 seconds tops. Problem solved!

I’ve learned going places requires a lot more planning ahead and time to prepare but we’re not completely debilitated because we have twins. I’ve decided I don’t want to be confined to my home because I’m scared to take twins somewhere.  I made sure I pack one bottle for each boy, burp cloths, couple diapers and wipes, sunscreen, bibs, change of clothes in case somebody has a blow out and our pacifiers. We usually eat right before I go so they’re nice and sleepy as we leave. Usually both boys are screaming the second I put them in the stroller but they instantly quiet the moment we step out in the hallway and they feel the breeze and hear all the outside noises.  At this point I’m not afraid of screaming or puking or diaper explosions…we’ll get it taken care of and babies quieted and who cares if people stare! (Attention from people on the other hand is a WHOLE different topic for another blog I’ll post soon)

So as the mother in Target pushed away her perfectly calm kids she told me “Don’t worry, it gets easier.” And as  I look back on the past few weeks I must say, it’s definitely looking that way.

First trip to the ocean!

Lunch time in the shade of the trunk 🙂

Picnic at the park