Twins are here, now it's time to get healthy!

Well, the twins are here and healthy as ever! On November 28th I had a scheduled c-section. Riann Olivia was born first, at 8:13 am, weighing 6.05 pounds and 19.69 inches long. Reese John Wyatt was born at 8:14 am, weighing 5.85 pounds and 18.9 inches long. They are small, well, big for twins, but healthy as can be and very good eaters. Sleeping is a toss up; sometimes they sleep really well, and sometimes they don't want to at all. I sure am happy they are here, finally and I'm not the size of a house anymore! Makenna is adjusting well to being a big sister, though she generally just ignores their existence  I just think, at this point, they are to boring for her because she is always on the go.


Since delivering twins, I've lost 24 pounds already. I feel pretty proud of myself for only gaining 36 pounds during this pregnancy and delivered, at 38 weeks gestation (making my weight 192 pounds), fairly good sized and healthy babies. Last December I weighed about 135-140 pounds (I'm 5'8'' tall), but when my husband returned from Afghanistan, I gained a little weight from eating out and not working out as much, making my pre-pregnancy weight 154 pounds. My goal is to get to as close to my December 2011 weight as possible. I was comfortable and happy with my body at that point, which has never happened, so that's where I want to be again. My current weight is 168 pounds (as of December 1, 2012).

As of right now, doing too much physical activity isn't going to happen because I am still healing from the c-section. But I can slowly begin to do more and more each day, and eat healthy to begin to lose what I want to lose. 

What I Am Thankful For.

Tomorrow, November 22nd, is Thanksgiving. I've noticed many people posting what they are thankful for, every day on their facebook pages. Well, I decided to not do that, but I do have a ton I am thankful for, so I'll tell you my top 22 things I am thankful for, though there is a million things I am thankful for.

1. I am thankful for my family. I have a wonderful husband of over 2 years, and 4 beautiful children!

2. I am thankful for my healthy pregnancy. It's been quite tough, painful, and a bit scary, but all in all, I am carrying 2 healthy babies.

3. I am thankful for the roof over my head. I complain that it's not my dream home, and it's not near my family, but it's a really nice home, and it's my home that I share with my beautiful family.

4. I am thankful for my dependable vehicle. I have a Jeep Commander, it's very nice and reliable, so I know I can count on it whenever I need it. Sounds silly, but not having a vehicle or a vehicle that constantly breaks down, adds stress and anxiety. My Jeep alleviates that.

5. I am thankful for my European experience. Though, it hasn't always been easy living in a very unfamiliar country, away from my friends and family, but there are so many things I've gotten to do and see, that I otherwise wouldn't have.

6. I am thankful for the troops. There are so many troops overseas that aren't home for Thanksgiving, and I appreciate their sacrifice.

7. I am thankful that my husband will be home this year. Last year he was deployed to Afghanistan, and we couldn't spend the day together as a family, and we couldn't even talk on the telephone, either.

8. I am thankful for my sisters. We don't always get along, well, heck to be honest, most of the time, we don't but I still do love them both very much and miss them, since it's been over a year since I've seen them.

9. I am thankful for my mother. We don't always see eye to eye, but we are working on our relationship and getting stronger and stronger everyday. I am also thankful that she was there for me, whether she supports my decision or not.

10. I am thankful for my educational opportunities. I have an associates degree, working towards my bachelor's and I am thankful that I live in a time where getting my education is not too much of a challenge (well except the coursework of course).

11. I am thankful for my opportunity to be a stay at home mom. Not many people can, and my family and I have sacrificed some to make it possible, but I know that my kiddos would rather have me over daycare any day.

12. I am thankful for my cat. He's annoying, but I love having an animal companionship. He's a very good listener also. Lol!

13. I am thankful for the material things I have. It may sound petty, but I like having nice things, comfortable things. My things are apart of our life, our memories, and without them it just wouldn't be the same. I love my large comfy couch where I can snuggle my babies, for example.

14. I am thankful for the clothes on my back. Though not much fits me now, my family and I have nice clothing on our backs.

15. I am thankful for my friends. Many of which, I haven't seen in over 3 years, I keep in contact with them via social networking.

16.  I am thankful for my pains. I have MS, and well, many days are tough, but they also remind me that I am alive, and I'm not letting anything tell me otherwise.

17. I am thankful for relationship. I know I said I was thankful for my husband, but I am thankful that I have a strong bond with another person, and we can count on each other, no matter what!

18. I am thankful for my childhood. It was extremely tough, and well, not ideal, but I learned to work hard, and count on myself to achieve my dreams.

19. I am thankful for my goals. My goals keep me going, and remind myself every day that I am not just a housewife and that I am not just a mom, I am a talented, hardworking woman that can do anything.

20. I am thankful for America. It's been really nice to live in a country that, in no ways is perfect, but is nice to raise children that can grow up in a society, where they too, can achieve anything they set their minds too.

21. I am thankful for my ability to learn, and well, learn the hard way. I never took someones advice about something, I learned it the hard way, and that way works well for me.

22. I am thankful for the bad times. It means that I am not fake, and I am not trying to live the perfect life. We all have our ups and downs, and that is how we grow. If we don't grow, then we just end up living a lie or being miserable.

Catching Up!!!!

It's been quite a while since I have written in my blog. To be honest, I haven't really felt up to it because of this pregnancy. This pregnancy has not been fun. It has been very painful, tiring, and slightly depressing because I am unable to do what I normally do. I really honestly believe that the most difficult thing about this pregnancy is the fact that I have to suck it up, and except that I cannot do it all, and have to get help. Asking for help, has never, and will never be something I enjoy or comes easily to me. Even though it's asking my husband for help, it's still difficult. I enjoy being or at least attempting to be SUPERMOM! May sound lame, but I take pride in being a stay at home mom, having a clean and organized home, and being able to accomplish whatever I set my mind too. 

So much, but also so little has happened since my last posts. I am currently 1 day shy of being 37 weeks pregnant with the twins. We scheduled the c-section for Wednesday, the 28th of November, the day they hit 38 weeks gestation. They seem to be growing quite well, and should be close to or even over 6 pounds at birth. They are running out of room to grow, so they have slowed down a bit. I am anxious to see exactly what they look like, how big they'll be, etc. I went into pre-term labor 2x, once at 28 weeks and then again at 32 weeks, and believe me, that was so scary. I was worried I would have to deliver them when they needed longer to ''bake''. But luckily, they were able to control it, and though I have been living with constant contractions for nearly 10 weeks now, my cervix has stayed shut. I am ever so grateful for modern technology/medicine because it was able to keep my babies in longer, and had I had to deliver them so early, I'm sure they would of eventually of been okay, after a few hiccups. 

Makenna is 2 years old now, and I just can't believe it. She turned 2 on October 5, and it just makes me appreciate the little things in life, and all the wonderful memories I have with just her. Now we have the memories to look forward to with the twins in them, but I am glad I've had the last 2 years of my Princess being pretty much and only child, since her brother doesn't live near us at the moment. I am really looking forward to June, when all my kids are living under the same roof permanently. Then we'll have even more amazing memories and more amazing times to share together. 

My husband and I are doing quite well. I am proud to say November 14th was our 3 year ''dating anniversary'' and we've been married for 2 years and 4 months. Things have been tough because the intimate part of our relationship ended months ago because of the pregnancy. We've had to use other aspects of a relationship to compensate for the loss, so to speak. I think it's made us bond more, but I am looking forward to getting that part back.    

Though I haven't been the most optimistic person in the world lately, but I am thankful for all that I have, and all that is coming my way! 

Remembrance

Today is the 11th anniversary of 9/11. Now to many, this is the day where thousands of men, woman, and children lost their lives to terrorists, for no reason. Where passenger planes were forcibly crashed into a field, and into the World Trade Centers, in hopes that that would ''shut-down'' America. Sadly enough, this is also the day where Middle-Eastern people, American citizens or not, were no longer trusted or valued. 9/11 is something that wiill forever sit in my heart everyday, not for the reasons listed above, but because of 9/11, I've lost a dozen wonderful people in my life. I did not actually know anyone who was on the air crafts that day, and I felt remorse for their families, and only could imagine what they were going through the minutes before their lives ended, however it didn't truly hit me until much later. The war we have fought since then, by our brave soldiers, has taken away people that were great friends to me, some to be considered family. On top of the too many lost, I have many that have physical and emotional scars that haunt them everyday, and no matter what I do or say, I cannot make their wounds go away. My remorse for the people lost, and their families left behind, is what drove me to join the military myself. Though, I am not a war veteran myself, I am married to one, that has been to war twice, and has seen things, I couldn't ever even imagine. I've also been in the position where I've feared that I would have to explain to 2 children, why their father isn't coming home. Fortunate enough for me, every problem downrange has never taken my husband out of the fight, but we've had enough close calls, that even thinking back on them, makes me so sick but ever so grateful. 9/11 effects everyone, in one way or another. Some lost people on that day, some lost hope, and since that day, many more lives have been lost, but also many great things have happened. America has proven, once again, that we are not a country that you want to mess with, because no one, no group, or no other country, could ever do anything to us, that we couldn't handle. Remember 9/11, for what it means to you, but remember it every day.

Saving Money; Baby part 1

I feel like my blog has become a bit redundant and boring, so I want to change things up a bit. I still want to talk about my life, but other relatable aspects too. So today I will tell you how I am saving money while preparing for the birth of my twins. 

CLOTHING:

Some of the easiest ways to save money is to buy used things, and re-use things from previous children. I have a ton of girl clothes from Makenna (who's almost 2), so that is making it a little easier on our pocket. I still am buying a few new things for Kynsley Riann (our girl twin) because I want her to have new things too. Since my main focus is little boy clothing, because I have no previous little boys, I have been shopping around for used clothing. I have nothing against used clothing, as long as it's still in good condition. Things can be washed, and it's good as new. Babies grow out of clothes so quickly, that the constant replacement of clothing, can hurt the wallet. Today I got a snow suit for Reese Wyatt (had a hand me down for Kynsley from her sister still in perfect condition) for $10. I've looked online for nice, good quality ones and even on the economy, and they want $30+ for one. I was very pleased with my $10 purchase, it's a little big, so it'll fit him longer, but it looked brand new. The other day I went to a yard sale, and managed to get Reese some sleepers, outfits, socks, and bibs. I spent $25 and got about 60 different things which included enough socks to last him till he's one. When yard sales are a bust, which happens a lot, sales are going to be another great option. I have bought Reese and Kynsley new things from various websites, Kohls, Walmart, and Children's place, but didn't pay full price for anything! I am a big fan of waiting for sales, shopping ahead of time (buying some of the next size because it's on sale), and using coupons. One website, that is hit or miss, most of the time a hit though, is called www.retailmenot.com. It has coupon codes for anything, whether it be a percentage off an order, or even free shipping. I LOVE it. The reason I have not listed consignment stores is because I do not have the availability of them here in Germany, but they are definitely something I suggest going to. Many of them, like Once Upon a Child, will even give you money and store credit for what your little one has outgrown, helping make buying the next size bigger, easier. 

CRIBS:

After doing lots of searching and researching, finding a crib (2 in my case), that is affordable, good quality, and functional is a challenge. With my daughter, Makenna, we paid over $500 for her convertible crib, mattress, changing table, and a small 3 drawer dresser. That seems like a lot, but both my husband and I were working, so we could afford it. Going into this pregnancy, I am not working any longer, and we will be moving in February, leaving the comfort of our military paycheck, so we can't afford to pay that again. But that doesn't mean the twins will go without having nice furniture. Some people will buy a used crib, and I would if I knew the previous owner, but other than that, I won't. So, onto crib searching. IKEA is a wonderful store, here in Germany and in the USA. We managed to find cribs and mattresses for $49 a piece. What a steal!! They are European style, so they are smaller, lower to the ground, but I like that they are less bulky. The mattress can adjust to a 2 different levels. I put a picture above (crib sitting at it's highest level). We got them both the same crib, and bought different bedding sets. 

There are other ways to save money, and I'll elaborate more later on other baby items too. 

22 Today

Today is my 22nd birthday. Though I didn't do anything extravagant, I did have such a special day. First, my husband was letting me sleep in by getting up with Makenna at 7:10am, but I woke up on my own at 7:20am and couldn't get back to sleep. Then my amazing husband made homemade waffles for breakfast. I am very blessed that my husband can cook, so I don't have to do it all. lol. Then Brandon had to go to P.T. (workout) so Makenna and I hung out for an hour, then he came home, and had 2 hours to kill before he had to go to actual work, so I went to a couple yard sales by myself. I got Reese some clothes, and that was it. There wasn't too many yard sales since the weather was overcast and chilly (which I love, btw). Then I came home so that I could take Brandon to work. After dropping him off, Makenna and I went to the arts and crafts center on base so she could paint some pottery. They have pre-made pottery figurines and dishes, so she chose to paint a penguin (go figure, her 2nd favorite animal) and then I let her paint a decorative plate that hangs on the wall, so we could put it up in the nursery for the twins. She had a blast, but like any other toddler, she got bored with it, so we were done. Then I took her to the indoor play area, but it's still too big for her to go in by herself, and since I can crawl through it (looks like a McDonald's play place), she got bored so we came home. I went through baby clothes, and I attempted to get her to take a nap, but that didn't work since she got like a 15 minute cat-nap in the car on the way home. Then we went to Taco Bell for dinner. I made homemade potato soup, but since Daddy had to be to work at a weird time, we ate that for lunch, then Taco Bell (something small) for dinner. Now we are home again, and she's watching Happy Feet Two in her room. She's tired and cranky, so she'll probably be out no later than 8:00pm. That pretty much sums up my day, besides having to go at 11:00pm tonight to pick Brandon up from work.

Being 22 feels no different than 21, 20, 19, or 18. I am 25 weeks and 4 days pregnant with the twins. I am huge! LOL! I have a toddler that'll be 2 next month, so I stay busy. I've been married over 2 years now, so my life is quite simple, being a stay-at-home military wife. I don't really go out and I don't party. I don't do what the typical 22 year old does, because that's not who I am anymore. Becoming a parent and wife has truly mellowed me out and I enjoy my Saturday nights (like tonight) sitting at home, watching cartoon movies with my daughter or watching shows with my husband (who is at work unfortunately). I have my associates degree, but won't be pursuing my bachelor's degree until January. I use to be in the military, 3 years between Reserves and Active Duty, but left that so my children wouldn't have to grow up and spend 12 hours in daycare, 5 days a week, or have to deal with having both parents deployed at the same time. I miss it, and think about going National Guard, but I know I made the better decision for my family, even if some don't agree. So, even though today I am 22 years old, I enjoy the simple things in life, family time, reading books, going to school, and working out (when I'm not in a high-risk pregnancy situation). This may make me "wise beyond my years" or to some I live an ''old lady'' life, but I enjoy every second of it, the good and the bad, and have learned to take things one step at a time, and one day at a time. I truly wouldn't trade what I have for all the freedom, non-responsibility, or quiet time, in the world.

Tubal Ligation

My husband and I have come to a decision, together, that while I am getting my c-section to get my tubes tied at the same time. It was but was not an easy decision to reach. I always wanted a large family, and I think after this pregnancy, and how my body is acting, that it can't take much more of a beating that goes with child rearing. After the twins are born, then we will have 4 beautiful children, and that is more than what most people are blessed with. I am totally comfortable with the decision, as is my husband, so I just hope more people would be on board with it. Some totally understand why we are, but others think that I am too young to make such a life altering decision. I will be getting my cervix scraped after the twins are born, so carrying a child after that is going to be ultra difficult and very risky anyways, and I honestly cannot handle having another miscarriage. I am tired of fussing with birth control, and wondering all the time, so I think that getting my tubes tied is best. The husband does not want to get a vasectomy, because he doesn't want something be cut down there, and since I'll be cut for the delivery of the twins, I am just going to have them do that while their down there anyways. It is way easier than going back and getting it done at a later date. I would  pressure my husband to get a vasectomy more because it is such a quick out-patient  procedure, but since I'll already be on the surgical table with the c-section, might as well kill 2 birds with one stone. Anyways. Some women think I'm crazy, and couldn't imagine taking away their ability to rear children, but I feel that I have so many wonderful kiddos, and if I ever wanted to have more, we could adopt a child that definitely needs a good and loving home.

Looking Up

My last couple posts have been quite depressing and that's my fault. I don't want to sound like my life is so horrible, because it's really not. I have a wonderful life, it's just stressful being in the mist of moving from one county to another, pregnant with twins, and an almost 2 year old. Not to mention, the entire move, I will be doing solo because Brandon still hast time left here in Germany. It's just su per frustrating trying to not only get everything taken care of here to leave, having something established in the states to go too, and not having an exact fly-out date because the Army is being super slow with the paperwork. It's not that I can't handle doing everything, it's that I can't handle the unknowns involved in the situation. I am a careful  planner, and like to have all my ducks in a row before jum ping into a new adventure. I am so excited to get back home to my family and friends after being a part for 3 years. It'll be nice for Makenna to have family to grow u p with now too, and of course Chance and the twins. Either way, my life is actually going quite well, just some days I find it hard to see all the wonderful things in my life, from all the stress of this move.

TWINS:

Kynsley

Reese

The twins are doing so well. As of today, I am 23 weeks and 6 days along. We have officially found out that one is a girl, and one is a boy. Kynsley Riann, our little girl, and Reese Wyatt, our little boy, are growing so well, at the rate of a single baby pregnancy. This is great, so that when they are born, around 36 weeks, they won't be too small. I am hoping to hold them in there longer, but it's not realistic since they already are so cramped. I've gained about 20 pounds, give or take, but I lost 14 pounds first, so I have really only gained 6 pounds from where we started on day one. I have to wear a belly support band, because these babies really do a number to my already hurting back. It's pretty comfortable, and easy to wear, and it hides under clothes well, so I can wear it all the time. Today we went to see a specialist first, to measure all the organs, bones, skin, etc. development and he found that both babies are literally neck in neck in growing. They are both just over 12 inches tall, and weight about a pound a piece. They are a couple ounces underweight, but a few centimeters, taller than the average, but it's nothing to worry about. The Dr. took one look and Makenna (because she is so tall and slender) and said ''that explains it''. Then we had a regular OBGYN appointment this afternoon, and he pretty much told me the same thing. Everything seems to be looking good for them, and he said that I am very lucky to have normal babies in a twin pregnancy. 

MAKENNA:

Makenna is doing well. She is 22 months old and has really started taking off with her talking. She only really talks for me though, not anyone else. If I don't put her on the spot to talk, she'll talk away. I haven't weighed or measured her lately, but I'm going to say huge! LOL! She's real tall and slender, as she has always been since birth. She has long dirty blonde hair with a hint of strawberry blonde in it too, and gorgeous big blue eyes. She is really attached to this stuffed horse her Daddy got her, and never lets it go. It even went to the Dr.'s with us this morning. She just loves that thing. She feeds it, and rides it, it's so cute. I really love having a toddler, because she just loves to learn, but getting her to sit still for classroom time, has become quite a chore. I just bought this new monthly program that's suppose to help teach children the classroom stuff, but also keep their interest long enough to want to sit still. I am starting it on the 1st, after I get all the supplies needed, and I really hope she likes it. She's just go-go-go and so very independent, that it's hard for her to let me do things for her. She is such a thinker though, and it doesn't take her more than a second or two to figure out how something new works. She can label things quite well, and understands everything I say to her. I've been trying to get her to adjust to helping me with chores. She has always kind of helped, but never had a set schedule, so we are working on that. There is so much she can do, even just cleaning up her toys from whatever room of the house they are in, is so much help. Some days she's amazing at it, but other days she just wants nothing to do with it. We started potty training a little bit, but with a big move around the corner, I'm not pushing it. I am really in no hurry to have her potty trained. It would be nice, but it's not really necessary at this point. I don't mind her still in diapers. Once we get into our new home, then I am going to crack down on it, but until then, I think I'll enjoy the last thing that's really keeping her a baby. :)

HUSBAND AND I:

Brandon's B-day Cake

We are doing really well. Our marriage isn't perfect, but we find ways to work things out, and make the best out of the situation we are in. Brandon is, but is not looking forward to Makenna and I leaving. He is going to miss Makenna so much, well me too, but more so his little princess. That's totally understandable. He is just looking forward to the day where Chance and Makenna will be with him and he'll never have to say good-bye again. (the twins too) He gets tired of being away from the kids, and I couldn't imagine what that is like. Thankful for him liking that I stay at home with the kiddos, so that I never have to say good-bye, and that the kids have at least one parent that isn't gone away to work all the time. Brandon also just celebrated his 28th birthday. We had a party for him, and I had a bomb-ass cake made for my zombie loving husband. It was delicious too! We had a few friends over, and then on his actual birthday, he had to work (it was a Friday), but afterwards he went out with some of the guys to the bar and had a boys night. He really deserves to have some good ole' fun with the boys, since most of them are leaving here any day now. I am doing okay also. Besides being stressed from the move, everything else seems to be going well. We have a lot going on the next month or so, with moving and packing, but we'll make it through okay. I am finally gaining weight with the pregnancy, though heartburn is no fun. Other than being pregnant, I have nothing new with me. I ended classes the first week of August, so now I am just waiting til January to start up again. I am looking forward to our future in Michigan, and staying as positive as possible!!!! :)

Trying to stay positive

It's been quite frustrating these last few weeks, and I am doing everything humanly possible to stay positive, but it's defiantly getting harder and harder as the days go on. I am still waiting on my paperwork to get done so that I can leave here, and until that mess gets taken care of, I can't do anything. I'm a sitting duck and I can't stand it. I am trying to be proactive, and figure things out, but it's hard. I found an apartment, paid to have it held and everything, so now I am just waiting on giving them a move-in date. It's only a 3 bedroom, when we need at least 4, but we can make due for the time being. When Chance moves in with us, I think we'll just put the cribs in our bedroom, and give Chance their room. It's only for a year, and Chance really won't be living with us until February, so it's only going to be like 7 months of being a little cramped. We all have to make sacrifices. We want to buy a house, by time our lease is up. Brandon is going to go to be a cop, and I am going to continue to stay at home with the kiddos, because daycare is too expensive. It would cost me my entire paycheck to pay for daycare, so it's not worth it. It's not ideal, because I was looking forward to going back to work, but unless I can find a job that is going to pay me over $20 an hour, right now, it's just not an option. I will continue to get my degrees, and once I am done with those, the kids should be in school, so then I would only being paying for after school care, maybe, because Chance will be plenty old enough to watch the kids after school for an hour or two. 

Getting off track here. I am just frustrated with this place because it has been in the 90's, which is unheard of in Germany. There is no air conditioning, and the fans are not cutting it. The sun bleeds through the windows turning my house into a sauna, no matter how hard I try to block out the sun. Then it's dark and gloomy in the house, because I can't let too much sun in or else it gets too hot. I like a bright place to live in, and this is just depressing. My house work has declined because I get so hot, and light headed. I hate seeing a mess in the house, even though it's mainly toys and small things, that in itself is depressing too. I am stuck in the house, day in and day out, because even if I take the car from my husband, there is no place to go, and really no one to hang out with. I am just tired of being depressed and alone. My husband doesn't understand how difficult this has been for me, and so that is just causing small conflict between us, and I am tired of that too! I am just at my wit ends with this place and I can't handle this for much longer. I really am at my breaking point. If it would just cool the heck down, that would help out so much, and then if they would get my paperwork done, that would be even more helpful.

I really and trying to enjoy having our family together because when we go back to the states, Brandon is here in Germany until January. I don't want to be separated, but it's what needs to happen to make sure we are all set to go for when Brandon is home for good. plus, I don't want to have these babies here in Germany, pay the hundreds of dollars to do their birth registration, and then fly them across the ocean as newborns with a 2 year old and a cat. 

I'm just ready to move on with my life. I am appreciative of everything I have, and everyone in my life, but man, it's so hard to be optimistic and not get in a depressive funk, when it seems like your just stuck in limbo. 

oh, decisions, you are never easy!

Well, there comes a time in everyone's life, where you feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. You want one thing, and you picture it being so great and you see some of the bumps, then you picture another solution, and see how great that could be too, with the minor bumps, and your left with the decision whether or not to choose choice A or B, both could be good, and both could be bad. Both are totally different options, but totally wonderful options at the same time.

But then you have to think about, not whats best for you, but what is best for your family. I mean, I can't be selfish and want one thing, and my family wants or needs to other thing. So then you try to find a compromise. So I am onto my pro's and cons list, to weigh my options, and go from there. I'll get back to you when I have reached a decision!

2 Years Already

Our Wedding Day 07-15-10

Yesterday, my husband and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary, and by celebrate I mean, he went to work at 330am, was home at 230pm, and in bed, asleep at 530pm from an exhaustibly long day! So today, his day off, we got Makenna in daycare and had the day to each other. It was really nice. First we went and got coffee and a danish from the German bakery downtown, then we headed off to get maternity pictures done. That didn't take very long, since Brandon and I are pretty easy participants. Then we headed downtown to do a little shopping. I got a couple more maternity tops and a new pare of maternity shorts, Brandon got a new shirt, and Makenna got 2 new shirts and a pare of leggings. Due to her extreme height, tiny waist, and bubble butt, leggings fit way better than jean pants or capris, so until she puts on some more weight and stops growing so tall, so quickly, then she will be wearing more leggings vs. jeans. Afterwards, we went to our favorite Tex-Mex restaurant in Germany, pepe's. So yummy for being what German's think Tex-Mex is. LOL! Then we came home, and just relaxed and enjoyed one another's company. He played video games, we chatted, and I even got a cap nap in. Then we picked up Makenna and enjoyed our family time/Mommy cleaning time. LOL. Now Makenna and Brandon are asleep and I can't sleep, so blogging it is!

Us 2 years later!

Being married to Brandon has been this whole new experience and I love it. We've been through a deployment and separation from training, a pregnancy and child birth, the active Army lifestyle, a miscarriage,  and now we are going through another pregnancy with twins, and much much more. Brandon is so amazing, though he has his faults too. But I cherish everything he has to offer and we work on the things that cause conflict. We don't ignore each other or problems, and we conquer any obstacle head on, as a team. We've managed to be able to co-parent even when he has been gone for months at a time, which is hard for some couples to do even when they are together all the time. Brandon makes me laugh, cheers me up, and his honestly, whether it's wanted or not, keeps me grounded. He always believes in me, and knows that I can conquer the world if I set my mind through it. He supports me and my decisions, and like myself, together we put our children first. Brandon also gave me this amazing step-son, daughter, and now twins. He loves that I go to college, and loves that I stay home with Makenna, so I too, don't have to miss out on the many things he has missed out on. He's always proud of me, and most of the time, he is always willing to help me do anything (when I don't ask him to do it after working 16 hours. lol) He has given me stability and love, and that is something that I have always longed for, but never got, until I met him. I am still just head over heels in love with him!    

A Whole New Experience!

Well, I decided, and the husband agreed, that when the twins are born, we are going to cloth diaper them. The biggest reason is the financial aspect of it. Diapering Makenna has been quite costly, and though we are working on potty training, I don't know if she will be completely potty trained by time the twins are born. I am hoping so though. Then paying for twins to be in diapers is going to be outrageous, especially at a time where Brandon and I will be adapting to new jobs and leaving the financial comfort of the military. Makenna was allergic to many different diapers, but Pampers seemed to work well for her, and Pampers are actually one of the more expensive brands out there, so if we had to do that for the twins, it would just be a lot. I thought about cloth diapering Makenna because of the environmental factors, but I didn't want to pin and fold diapers and have her wear plastic pants over them, but now they have these modern cloth diapers, that I had never heard of. They don't require folding or pinning, they have this all in one system, so it's just as easy to use them as disposables. There's a couple pictures below. The snaps are to adjust so that the baby can wear them from 8 pounds to 36 pounds and the inserts just tuck into a pocket and your ready to rock and roll.

Inside of Diaper

The cloth diapers I use.

So after ordering a dozen of Kawaii brand cloth diapers, I only paid 87 dollars, and I'll need about 4 dozen total, so for about $350, I can diaper the twins for their entire diapering stage. I've spent probably 7x that on disposable diapers for Makenna, and she still needs them. Well anyway, the diapers came in the mail, and I wanted to try them out to make sure I like them, so I have been using them on Makenna for 3 days now, and they have held up against lots of pee, poop, and even diarrhea without a problem! It's pretty awesome. So I am using this dozen I have on Makenna until she is potty trained, and then I'll continue to buy more, a dozen at at a time, for the twins. I wish I had knew about these when I was pregnant with Makenna, because I would of defiantly used them a lot sooner.

Some down-sides of using the cloth diapers, is that I do a load of laundry at the end of the day of cloth diapers. After Makenna poo's or pee's in them, I dump the chunks into the toilet, rinse them out, and drop them in a bucket in the bathroom, then around 4 or 5 in the evening, I put them in the wash. She's been using about 7 or 8 a day, though yesterdays diarrhea mess, we used about 10. I don't think that cloth diapering is for everyone because it's not just a 5 second change of the diaper, fold it up, and throw it out, because of the rinsing and washing that's required every day, but if you don't mind an extra 2-3 minutes added to the end of every diaper changing, and throwing a load in the wash every day, then these are for you!!

First Half of 2012

2012 has been quite the eventful year so far. Today is the first day of the last half of the year, and if it's anything like what the first half has been, this year is defiantly a wonderful year! Though we haven't done to much, it still has been quite enjoyable, and I am lucky to have such a wonderful family! Here's our year thus far:

1. Makenna turned 14-20 months old! 
2. Brandon got promoted
3. Brandon came home from Afghanistan 
4. Edelweiss Mini Vacation
5. Bought our new Jeep Commander!
6. First 2012 trip to the zoo
7. Rest of the 527th MP Co. came home from Afghanistan
8. Half-way to Makenna's 2nd Birthday!
9. Makenna's 2nd Easter
10. Daddy was on vacation
11. Munich trip to the zoo, Olympic stadium, and aquarium
12. Beach picnic
13. Decided that Brandon should leave the military 
14. Decided to move to Florida
15. Submitted paperwork so I can move to Florida early
16. Found out we are expecting TWINS in December!!

I know a ton more has happened, but drawing a blank! I am super blessed to have such an amazing family and wouldn't change anything for the world!!! 

UGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!

I am going insane! I am so sick of being cooped up all the time. It's just miserable! I spend day in and day out in the house, doing the exact same thing, just Makenna and I. I can't stand it anymore! I just need to get back to the states where I can go back to work, have my friends and family around, and have a life beyond my front door. My husband tells me all the time how lucky I am that I get to be a stay at home mom, and he would trade me in a heart-beat, he just isn't understanding how much it really does wear on you. I've been doing this for nearly 2 years now, and I am going insane!!!! I love that I get to stay at home with Makenna all the time, but shoot, she gets tired of being home all the time too. The worst part is having to share a vehicle. They'll only ship one vehicle to the states, so while we are in Germany, we have to suffer with just having one car, which sucks! He has to leave for work at 330am, and so he takes the car, so if I need it, I have to walk 2 miles uphill to go get it. It's usually not that bad, but it's getting harder and harder on my back with my belly getting bigger to do it. Then there are days like today, where it is pouring, so I can't even go walk and get it. What bothers me the most, is that my husband doesn't understand and doesn't even attempt too, because he thinks it's all sunshine and fricking rainbows being home ALL THE DAMN TIME!! I'm going insane, and have cabin fever like a mother fuck!!

I should be going to the states soon, but who knows how long that will take to get done. I am ready to go now, and it's not happening, and it's making this whole situation 10X worse! The paperwork may be submitted, but who fucking knows that this point. It takes 2 damn seconds to fucking sign it, and it's still not done, been over 2 weeks now! UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just want to scream! Let me go home now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Never Get Behind...when it comes to cleaning anyways

I am fortunate enough to not be a working mother, but some challenges come with being a stay at home mom, and well that is, staying at home. When your a working mother, your kids are at daycare all day, and well the house stays cleaned and as is when your gone. Staying at home means constantly having an upkeep of sorts because your always using your house. There are some challenges involved with maintaining a clean, not perfect, house. The biggest thing that I cannot stress enough, is not letting yourself get behind! Playing catch up is 3x as much work, as just doing it the first time, on time. Make yourself a schedule, so you do not become overwhelmed. Daily chores are picking up toys, dishes, laundry, and sweeping and/or vacuuming. All these things don't take very long to do.
TOYS---I don't spend all day picking up toys because that's just exhausting. The method I found was, just before I lay Kenna down for a nap, she and I pick up toys, and then we will pick up the toys together again, before she goes to bed for the night. I tried cleaning up toys every hour, but it was wasteful and exhausting.

DISHES---Doing dishes after every meal, or at least rinsing them off and loading them in the dishwasher after every meal prevents an end of the day build up.

LAUNDRY---Laundry, is sometimes daily, but not always, so I just make sure once I get a full load, it goes in the washer. Laundry build up is annoying, and I just hate taking care of 5 or 6 loads of laundry in a day, when I can do one a day or one every other day.

FLOORS---Sweeping and vacuuming is really important, and most of the time I save that for the end of the day, unless a mess is made, then I get it cleaned up right away, so it isn't spread throughout the entirety of the house. I mop when necessary, usually every other day, but sometimes, especially in the kitchen, where the dining table is, I have to mop that room daily.

NONE DAILY CHORES:

BATHROOMS---I usually scrub the bathroom once a week, but the sink usually gets a daily wipe down because my wonderful husband empties his electric razor in the sink and doesn't rinse it down. Our washer and dryer are in our bathroom so I have to wipe up the floor just in front of the dryer because the lint mixed with moisture leaves a little linty residue, on the floor a couple inches in front of the dryer. But that's just an easy 2 second job. I just grab some toilet paper, and wipe it up.

KITTIES BATHROOM---We have a half bathroom, but it doesn't get used, so we put the cats food, water, and kitty litter in there. The cat likes to make a mess of the liter, so that needs to be swept up all the time, but his liter gets scooped or changed every 2-3 days. He has a food and water dispenser, so they just get refilled when I do the liter.

DUSTING and WINDOWS---Dusting gets done once a week, and windows every 2 weeks. One window that I can't seem to keep clean is the glass door leading out to the balcony. Makenna just loves to put her little fingers all over it, so there's always fingerprints.

MOPPING---Mopping gets done about every other day, more so if necessary, but usually every other day. I like to mop with arm and hammer floor cleaner, and a few TBSP of vinegar(an amazing organic disinfectant) but about once a month I go around mopping with a bleach and water mixture, to ensure nasty cold germs or whatever gets tracked in on our shoes is clean. I have to be careful since Makenna and I have bad reactions to straight bleach on our skin.

Prioritize what you need to do, and keep up with your schedule. Don't allow yourself to get lazy because catch up takes so much energy and usually a lot longer than just doing it from the start. Doing a little each and every day also prevents you from having to do a TON at one time. Just keep at it, even if you feel too busy, too tired, or too sick and you'll never get behind or overwhelmed.

After the Appointment

So yesterday I wrote about going to see the special OBGYN to do some tests. Well the tests came back clear and both the babies aren't showing any sign of having any chromosomal defects. They have like 1 in 12,000 chances to have down syndrome or something like that. So, nothing to worry about! YEAH!!! We had a little trouble with one baby because he or she didn't want to move and was under the other baby, but he or she was just being lazy, nothing to worry about. The top baby is a very proud little boy! His name is Reese! I even was so excited to find out we were expecting a boy that I did a little shopping! I got him a few things!

Now I need to buy a storage tub for the new babies things because Makenna wants to put Reese's baby clothes in her closet. I guess she knows that little clothes go in her closet. I have another appointment in 2 weeks and maybe baby #2 will be in a better position so they can see what he or she is. 

Before....

Well, today I am off to Nurnberg to go to see a special OBGYN! I am a bit nervous. I think it is the same one I had to see when I was pregnant with Makenna (had an enlarged placenta), but I am not sure. I guess I'll find out later. I am really nervous because they send you to see a specialist to check for fetal malformation. My regular OBGYN says as far as he can see on a regular 2-D/3-D ultrasound, the babies are normal, and growing right on schedule, but I guess it's just a precaution. Apparently it's standard testing carrying multiples, he just doesn't have the equipment at his office to do it, so off to Nurnberg we go. We were suppose to go yesterday, but they had to reschedule for today. I have to take Makenna, which I wish I didn't, but we have no choice. I do not have a sitter, and there is no daycare available! I just hope she can behave so we can get there, get things done, and go home without any issues. I'm sure she will be fine, she usually is.

Something exciting about this appointment is, that we may be able to find out the genders of the babies. It is kind of early, but possible. We found out at 17 weeks with Makenna, so hopefully we are far enough along, and the twins are in good enough positions so he can tell me! I want to go shopping, I want to give them names, and do things that you just can't do when you don't know the genders. Right now I just look at stuff for both, and call them Itsey and Bitsey. It's 10:35 and I am anxious. We have to leave here in about an hour and 10 minutes, so time needs to fly! I want to get there already! LOL!

Moody

So I am not even sure why, and I would hate to blame it on the pregnancy, but I am so moody and grumpy for no reason!! I was in such a good mood yesterday and had plenty of energy and I got so much accomplished, but I woke up this morning, the total opposite!

IT all started last night. I was SOOOO tired that I attempted to lay down and could not fall asleep to save my life. Then I got to the stage where I was almost was completely asleep but kept waking every 2 seconds! Then I finally got to sleep and was awake every 30 minutes throughout the entire night! It was like someone turned my alarm clock on, in my head! It was so, not a good night! I was so tired that I thought I would sleep well, and it didn't happen!!

Then when I had to get up in the morning, Makenna, who has been sleeping in til at least 8, decided that 7 was a much better time to get up. So we got up. Then I was a zombie all morning until nap time, then when it was nap time, I layed down and what felt like 2 seconds, it was time to get up! Makenna took a short nap today too! She usually sleeps 2-2.5 hours and she slept just over an hour! It was not the day to get up early and take a short nap, but it of course happened!

Then all afternoon was a blur and a quick dinner of frozen pizza, because I could hardly muster up enough energy to stand! (yeah, it's that bad today!) So now it's quarter til 9, Makenna's been in bed for 45 minutes, and in a minute I will be joining her (in my own bed).

Potty Training

^^^The potty we have for Makenna!^^^

So, we have been trying to potty train our now 20 month old baby girl, and she really hasn't shown much interest. We get her to sit on her potty, but it is only for a couple of minutes and then she's done. She hadn't actually gone potty in it until this morning. Our morning was normal, Brandon went back to work, so Makenna woke up, I pulled her hair out of her face, and got her a drink of milk. Then we came into the living room and I made her sit on her potty, and about a minute later, she went pee in her potty! I am so proud! Then I decided she could run around in her panties. Now I know that peeing in it once doesn't make her potty trained, but it's a start. She did this at about 5 minutes to 9am, so at 930 and 1000 I made her sit on her potty again, and nothing. Then she went into her room around 1015-1020ish and I followed behind her, only a minute or less behind her, and she had an accident. I ran and grabbed the potty, but we were too late. So I put a pull-up on her, and I'll try again in an hour, and keep trying every couple of minutes after that hour until it happens again. I have to stay consistent with her about it. I am nervous about days we are on the go, or when she goes to daycare, but the only thing I can do for her is to do my best to stay consistent and teach her what she needs to do. I plan on giving her small rewards when she goes potty. Some people are against bribing, but heck, I'm not! LOL! Whatever works!

So our potty training journey has begun, and I am so happy to see Makenna hit yet another milestone in her life. She is growing up way to fast, but there is nothing I can do about it, but enjoy every moment of her journey with her because sometime in the future, she isn't going to want to have me around all the time.


I am learning myself, how to teach her to use the big girl potty, so I do not have any tips, but just to wait until they are ready and stay consistent. I will give advice and share my story once our potty training journey is no longer in the "starter" faze, but for now, I am learning on my own, and I hope I can do for her, exactly what she needs.

Hum...Bug...

My last post was about having two girls, but it doesn't mean that's what I want. Here's what I want. I want two happy and healthy little angels. I don't care what their genders are. I have just been perusing boys and girls stuff and found a set that I like a lot for girls, for boys, I found so many I like, I can't choose one! I'm just very excited to be pregnant, and getting excited about actually feeling like I'm expecting again, and not just puking my brains out all the time. Two girls, two boys, or one of each, I really don't care, they'll be perfect no matter what.

I've gained nothing yet, but I haven't lost weight in two weeks, so I think that's great. I got medicine from my Doctor that will help with the nausea and throwing up! It doesn't take it completely away, but a good 75% is amazing! My belly is getting bigger as well as my breast, even though their is no weight gain. I am over 12 weeks now, so the babies are each 2 inches long, and weight about a half an ounce each. They are each in a sack about the size of a grapefruit, so since I have 2, I'm getting bigger faster. It's pretty normal, but I should have put on at least 4 pounds in my first trimester, but instead, I lost 15. But the Dr said they were healthy and good, at our last appointment last Tuesday. I am going to go see a specialist in about 10 days. They'll use fancier equipment just to make sure the twins are growing as well as they show on the regular 2-D and 4-D ultrasounds. It's really just a precaution because twins can have added complications. (But doesn't mean they will) I'll be 14 weeks, so hopefully I will be able to find out the gender. You can find out as little as 12 weeks. I'm pretty excited about it, so I can make a registry and start shopping!! YEAH!!!

But the babies are good, Makenna is great, and the husband is still on vacation for another week, then it's back to the daily grind for him! Still no exact date on when we are moving, but in a few weeks, I should have some answers.

Maybe 2 girls....

So I was looking online at Target, and found a cribs that I want, and baby bedding for girls that I want!!! Maybe this is a sign that I am having two girls! LOL. Well see in a 5-6 weeks! Anyways. Here's the cribs I want. I decided to go with the twins having the same exact cribs, but different bedding. These cribs are nice, and affordable, since I am shopping for 2! I also want the changing table, but I only need one of those. The crib converts into a toddler bed too, so when they first transition, I don't have to buy another bed. I like the color wood too. I had black (stain, not painted) crib, dresser, and changing table set for Makenna and I liked it a lot, but I want something different, and I have light colored wood tones unless it's white. I am not doing white because Makenna's furniture is white, and I want her to have something separate from the twins. I don't want her to feel like they are taking over and have to have the same things as her.  

I also found adorable bedding sets that will go great in the room. I do not want them to have the same ones, but I want them to be similar, at least in color, so I think these two work great! One will have owls and the other poke-a-dots. Then I can do their room in the owls and dots. This way each baby will have their own individuality, but their room won't clash. Plus, I just love the bright colors!!! 

 

 I already found what I want for a boy a while ago, and I'll do a post about that later. Getting pretty tired.

House Work

House work is something that I sometimes dread, but sometimes, it helps me get through the day. Cleaning, to me, sometimes, is an anxiety reliever. Sine feeling crappy from the pregnancy, but housework has become less. The house is still clean, but I find myself not picking up Makenna's toys 500 times a day, or not washing laundry every day. I have no energy!! I hate this! But, with some energy coming back, I am getting back to my normal anal self. LOL!!

The one thing I hate is laundry. I never use to until I moved into this house. We have a German washer and dryer, which takes 1 hour and 46 minutes to wash in cold, and 2 hours and 12 minutes to wash in warm or hot and the dryer takes nearly 2 hours! Needless to say, getting behind is a BITCH!! LOL!

Dishes aren't bad. We have a dishwasher, but I hate using it all the time. It does a horrible job sometimes. If it gets used a lot it starts doing a crappy job, so using once in a while is best. When Brandon was deployed, we hardly ever used it. We have a sink, well, half of one sink, and doing dishes in it is a challenge in itself, but we have adapted. I don't know what I'll do when I have a good dishwasher or two sinks.

Mopping and sweeping is a pain, mainly a pain in my back. We have hard wood floors throughout and tile in the bathrooms and kitchen. I usually take the vacuum on the wood floors but use a broom on the tile. I mop with a normal mop. I think it's important to have clean floors because my daughter is always on them, so that is something that gets done all the time. The bending is something that hurts my back, but if I don't do it, it won't get done. LOL

Dusting gets done weekly and window washing gets done bi-weekly. The windows get pretty dirty, well on the outside because of the horse farm around the corner, and whatever windows Makenna can reach, get finger printed daily.

There's the constant battle with toys, but that'll never change. I just try to pick them up at the end of the day. I use to like every 5 seconds, but that kills my already very sore back, and there really was no point, if she was just going to drag them back out as soon as I was done.

I like a clean house, not a perfect house. I have a husband and a daughter that make mess, and don't clean up after themselves all the time, and that's okay. I do my best. and some days I am so tired that doing anything is a battle, but I have to get over it, even if I don't want to. Having my husband on vacation means he helps me a lot more, and that is making the first trimester a bit easier. My kids deserve a clean house, organized house, and a orderly house, and that's what they'll have, even though it will never be perfect!

Beach Day

^Rischka^

Today we decided to go to the beach for a couple of hours. The beach wears out Makenna, so we didn't want to stay all day, she'd get cranky. Anyways, we went to the Gunzenhousin Beach, about 25 minutes away. When we got there, we rented this thing called a Rischka. It's a pretty cool bike thing. We rode around the beach in it for a while, but Makenna wanted to steer and not sit in the seat, so we didn't get all the use out of it that we wanted. We still had fun. The weather kept nicely too. Then we parked the Rischka and had a picnic lunch. We bought a picnic blanket the other day, and I packed sandwich stuff for lunch. We enjoyed sitting on the grass(well on the blanket on the grass), looking out at the lake, and eating a nice healthy lunch. It was just nice to do something different. We enjoyed it, and will defiantly do it again! All in all, a fun day. Makenna was pretty good, and enjoyed playing in the water the most.

Baby needs, Baby themes, and Baby names!

I'm heading into the 11th of my pregnancy. It's still early, but I don't believe that shopping in the first trimester is bad luck. Expecting twins means having to buy double of everything! Since we are not rich, we have to save to buy things all at once, or buy things little by little. I hate saving to buy all at once, because I enjoy getting something new for the babies. So we have a plan to save to buy the baby furniture (2 cribs and 2 dressers) to get all at once, but we are buying everything else little by little. We do not know the gender yet, and should hopefully find out in mid-July, so I'm not shopping for clothes yet. I have a ton of girl clothes because I have saved all of Makenna's, but I am not sure what we'll actually use because the weather in Germany, where Makenna grew up is a lot different than the weather in Florida, where the babies will be growing up.

Here's What I Have From Makenna:
1 High chair
1 bumbo chair
1 activity mat
1 car seat (pink and brown)
1 Jumperoo
TONS of girl clothes sizes newborn to 24 months/2T (Makenna wears 24 months/2T now.)
Girly Baby Blankets
1 Car Seat toy
Bath Towels and Wash Clothes
1 Baby Harness
Tons of baby toys

What I Have Bought So Far:
1 Swing
1 more Car Seat (unisex)
1 Sock monkey blanket
1 camo outfit

What I Need To Buy:
1 High Chair
1 Bumbo Chair
1 Activity Mat
1 Jumperoo/Saucy Seat
2 Cribs
2 Dressers
Baby Hangers (tons!)
Bottles and Brush
Breast Pump
2 Bobby Pillows
Cloth Diapers
2 Bath Tubs
2 Bouncer chairs
Double Stroller
Diaper Bag
Burp Clothes (if expecting a boy)
Blankets (if expecting a boy)
2 Crib bedding set
1 Car Seat Toy
Accessories and Baby Hygiene and Care Items
Baby Clothes (if expecting a boy)

Some things I'll only need to buy if one of the babies' a boy. There are still small things to buy like wipes, soaps, etc. but that's the list of what I'll need the most. I have tons of baby toys, for a boy or girl too, so that doesn't matter either.


We finally settled on how we would like the nursery to look too. If we are expecting 2 boys, or one of each, we are going to do a frog theme. I found very cute nursery crib sets that are frogs. I found a boy one, and a girl one. If both the babies are girls, we are going to do an owl theme. Not the traditional brown owls, but the turquoise, teal, purple, pink, etc. owls. It's super cute. Picture to the right---------------------------->>>>>



We also settled on baby names!!! We settled on boy names a while back but now we finally agreed on girl names!

If we are expecting 2 boys:
Reese Jacob Hetherton
Wyatt John Hetherton

If we are expecting 2 girls:
Raelan Sawyer Hetherton
Quinn Taylor Hetherton

If we are expecting 1 of each:
Reese Wyatt Hetherton
Raelan Quinn Hetherton

I love the names! They are unique, but not crazy weird like "Apple". LOL! I am just so excited! I can't wait to see them in late November, early December! I'm going to try to cook them as long as possible! LOL!

Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body

One of my Drill Sergeants once told me (by once I mean, once a day) that "pain is weakness leaving the body". I have to agree with his statement. I am 21 years old, a mother, wife, sister, student, and well, many other things. I also have been diagnosed with something that is not life threatening, for now, but something that will remind me everyday, I am 21 going on 70. I was diagnosed with this fancy neurological disorder. To dumb it down (I don't think your dumb, I needed this version of it too) I have pain in my spine because the nerves in my spine are always freaking out because they want to ignore my brain, when my brain says everything is ok. Now, this could be easily managed, had well, I found out 15 years ago, but since I didn't, there's wonderful medicine you can take, that has a low addictive power (but still could be addictive). (I chose no though) Well, that would be all great and dandy, if I also did not have muscle deterioration in my lower back. The muscles that stretch from the lower back, left and right, deteriorated a bit, and so what is left is compensating for what is lost. I do also have scoliosis, but I did find that out when I was 14, it's just slowly getting worse. Nothing to worry about for at least the next 10 years. I also have lupus. It's a minor case of lupus, luckily. But they think that is how I got the muscle deterioration in my spine. Lupus is an auto-immune disorder where your own body's immune system attacks healthy cells, like the muscle tissue in my back. Though their is no test to prove that it is the cause of the muscle deterioration in the back, we are pretty much waiting for it to attack something else. Until then, medication is optional, so I chose no. (I hate medication) Physical therapy didn't help, and it wouldn't, but hey, I tried.

I have a lot of pain because of my health problems, and now I am pregnant with twins. I am learning to live with pain, and not let the pain live my life. One day I will live pain free, but until I can figure out away to make that happen without medication, life goes on. I refuse to be another pill poppy stereotype. I know there is something out there, whether it be another answer or diagnosis, and one day, I will find out, but until then, I'll deal with the pain, ignoring it as much as possible, and enjoy the fact, that one day it will probably be worse, a lot worse, but for now, I still am ME!

Munich Mother's Day

Saturday, my husband and I decided that we wanted to go to Munich while he is on leave, and what better day than Sunday! Yes, we decided to go to Munich, which is about a 2 hour drive away, with no real plan. We booked a hotel at the Holiday Inn Express, and were just going to go site seeing. To save you some long details, we drove their Sunday, checked into the hotel and my wonderful man found brochures in the lobby. We went site seeing down town Munich, Sunday. It was so beautiful. Then Monday we followed brochures, and went to the Olympic Stadium. The Olympics were held there in 1972. After realizing that we did not need to walk across the entire Olympic Stadium (after we already did) we got to the small aquarium. It was small, like I said, small, but fun. After that, we decided to go to the Munich Zoo, and well, it's bigger than I thought. Needless to say, I was so sick from all that work, my hips felt like they were going to break open, my calf muscles were so tight, that nothing, and I mean nothing, would loosen them up! It was so painful. We got to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe Munich Sunday night, and Salcelito's (sp) on Monday. The bed was so painfully uncomfortable, I couldn't wait to go home. I enjoyed the vacation so much, I just wish I hadn't been in so much pain!!!

I got to see people dress up as invisible men, shrubs, and statues for money. It was really cool, but so freaky all at the same time! This post sounds depressing, because of all the pain I had, but it was honestly one of the best vacations I have been one!

Makenna's Clothes

I get so many compliments about how I dress Makenna. People tell me all the time, "she always dresses so cute, you must spend a lot of money on her clothes!" And my reply to that is, "no, I don't spend a lot" and then I go into details about how I feel that how a child dresses is important. I don't think that the clothes matter, or name brands, but I think that it's important for a child to look nice. Nice doesn't mean wearing your Sunday best, but wearing something that is cute, but comfortable, trendy, but age appropriate.

Now, I don't get the luxury of be able to by second hand, and I don't get any hand-me-down's either, so I have to buy Makenna's clothes brand new.

Challenges:
Cute and trendy
Fun and colorful
Unique but not weird
WALLET FRIEDLY!


Now everyone just thinks that Walmart is well, Walmart, so they must be the cheapest, and sorry to knock on a store that is great, but their not! They have cute stuff, sure, but they have stuff that every kid on the block is going to be wearing.

To fulfill my cute, trendy, fun and colorful challenge I shop around. Makenna owns a few things from Walmart, so do not think I boycotted them. I love Kohls, Children's Place, and Old Navy the most. I mix and match outfits from various places so that I can great that "Unique" aspect of my challenges. Now, they say that those are name brands, and maybe they are to some, and maybe not to others, but either way, they can be cheap! SHOP AHEAD AND SHOP THERE FREQUENTLY!  I get super saving coupons emailed to me for shopping there often, and I shop ahead to get sales. I also shop at peak times. Makenna will need a new size of clothing this fall, so in March, when all the winter and fall items were on sale because of the new spring arrivals, I did some shopping. I am slowly obtaining clothes for the fall, for Makenna, whenever I see a sale item. I don't always shop for on sale items, but about 80% of the time, it's on sale.

Here's some example of Makenna's clothes!

Shirt from Children's place, Skirt from Old Navy, Shoes from the PX, and leggings from H&M

Skirt from amazon, tutu, tights, leg warmers from H&M, flower hair piece from walmart

boots from walmart, tights, skirt, and sweater from  the children's place, headband from the German dollar store.

Shirt from the px, necklace from who knows, and sun glasses from walmart.

outfit from kohls

one hand me down from her cousin, Paisley (first hand me down ever, wish she got more) Headband and bow from grandparents

PX outfit

Outfit from PX, shoes from Deichman (german shoe store)

tights from children's place, skirt and shirt from walmart, top hat bow from the German Claires

Outfit from kohls, shoes from Diechman, hair bows bought variously since she was born

too big for her now, but got these cuties from kohls.

outfit from kohls, hair bow from amazon