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Saturday, June 22, 2013

Style File: 23 Weeks and some reflections

 Happy Summer! It's been mostly warm here for a while, but when I think of summer here in VA beach I think of sandals and maxi dresses. At least that's what I think of now. I've decided skirts and maxi dresses are just more comfortable in the heat than jeans or even shorts.
 I've outgrown several of my maternity items (already!) so I've had to pick up a few more things. Thankfully this dress isn't one of them! It is a bit of a struggle because just about the time you settle into a groove with your body and how you look it all changes again. The weight gain has been the most difficult for me because I've spent the last several years being quite active and working at either losing or maintaining my weight. Now, however, my goal is to *gain* weight. I know it' all for the babies and this is how you help do what you can to prevent premature delivery (at least with twins), it's still hard to see that scale climbing. It is just a season, but some days I just feel a bit like a big marshmallow and that can be hard.
I've been feeling a lot better this week. I've had to increase my water intake as well as add some iron to my diet, but both things seem to be helping a lot. I still get tired out a lot faster than I did before I got pregnant, but growing babies is hard on your body!  The chiropractor adjustments have also been helping IMMENSELY. Seriously. I highly recommend chiropractic care for anyone, but especially expectant mothers. You don't know how bad you feel until you've been adjusted and feel so much better.

Yesterday and today I went to Babies R Us and Target and scanned some stuff for our registries. I have our diaper registry at Diaper Junction pretty much finished, but we hadn't done much in the way of registering for other baby items (like, you know, a crib). I'm ready to start putting together the nursery for the girls. I have things planned out, we just need to execute it. I'm also excited because I feel like I can start getting stuff for the girls too. I've been trying to hold out for various reasons but now I feel like time is ticking and all I have is a couple miracle blankets, a swing, and three little outfits I picked up yesterday. Oh and two diapers. Time to get rolling! I think I've got the big stuff covered on the registry but do have some questions for you experienced moms out there:
  • Infant bath- yay or nay? I don't like any of them and they seem kind of silly? Or are they actually useful and I just don't know it? 
  • Bed sets- they're not really that safe so I wasn't planning on getting one. I was just going to get some sheets and call it good. Is this what most people do?
  • Boppy pillow- I have one, should I register for another one? Or will I likely just use one at a time (this one is for Twin Moms out there).
  • Baby monitor- is the video one worth it or just stick with the good old fashioned audio only one?
  • Any tips for registering you want to give me? Things you forgot to put on there that you wish you had? Stuff you put on there you wish you hadn't?

This week I've also been working on talking to the babies. This just does NOT come naturally for me and I feel super weird doing it. I know it's supposed to help be bond and all of that...but seriously, am I the only one who feels super silly talking to the belly?

6 comments:

  1. Hi Liz,
    Glad things are going good for you. If you feel weird talking to the twins read aloud to them. I always read aloud whatever I was reading when I was pregnant and that way they heard my voice all the time. Works well.
    My opinion on the bath baths: I think they are wonderful, you can't imagine how slippery those little beggars are when they are wet. LOL Get a blow up one or the sling type, makes bathime a joy. Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.
    Love, Elaine (from the library)

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  2. I love gift regsitries. I also agree with Elaine and a bath is a very good thing to have. I think a monitor would be a very good thing to have. The other items are nice things but you may not find them as great as other people.

    Ok I will confess, I thought talking to a baby in utero felt weird. But I sang, read aloud, and listened to all kinds of music. Try singing, it feels more comfortable for lots of people.

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  3. I just wanted to stop by, been keeping up with most of your blogs. This one in particular I wanted to let you know that though you may feel HUGE, you look absolutely stunning, especially knowing you are carrying TWO little ones. Glad to hear the pregnancy is going well. Not an expectant mother but I have another friend who had twins and she did have two boppies. She found that she needed almost EVERTHING in pairs. She found that it was especially useful because the twins would want to eat at the same time, and once you move to bottles you can feed one and Brad the other. Anyway, your looking fabulous and I hope your pregnancy keeps going as smooth as possible!
    Bri

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  4. So , for what it's worth-the baby bath-they make one that comes with a sling that fits over and hooks to the endsloved it for when the kids were itty bitty, the boppy i never found that useful, you may since you will need to prop one while feeding and such with the other; bought the bed set or got one for the oldest-Emily, removed it before the other two came along-not a necesity really. A nice thing for when they are little are sleep sack, then you don't have to use blankets(which they don't recommend anyway); oh and the bear that has the heart beat whooshing sound-my girls loved it, found it very comforting.

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    Replies
    1. Hello Liz,
      I have a 13 week old and I found the bath tub is so useful!! He loves bath time and the one I have has a sling, which is super helpful. For me personally I use my boppy pillow all the time, and not just for nursing. He likes to sit up in it and I also use it for tummy time because he hates the hard surface. He also sits up to play. I got a audio monitor but also have a sensor pad for SIDS. This was about 80 dollars. If he were to stop breathing an alarm would go off. As far a registries, I got so many pacifiers, blankets,towels and cloths...too many! I noticed that most people will get you things if its on your registry or not. As I reading this I realized I replied under the wrong person..sorry

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  5. Infant bath - We had a mesh one that folded up and sat in the big bath. Pros to me were that it was softer than the harder tubs, it could fold up and travel, it dried quickly, easy to wash. Cons were water usage - we had to fill up the whole tub rather than just a small tub. By the time he was sitting up confidently on his own, we just started letting him sit and play restriction-free in the big tub.

    Bed sets - My aunt made bedding for Declan, but all that we really used was the plain sheet and the bumper pads for the longest time. There are those mesh pads (we didn't have them) that seem ultra-safe, but I also like the old-school ones because when the babies are older it gives them something to snuggle against and helps make a little dark corner. I'm with you, I think the huge multi-piece crib sets are pretty unnecessary.

    Monitor - we didn't get a video monitor, but we sure wish we had! I'd say GET IT!

    Tips - You may get a lot of stuff you didn't register for or things you don't think you need, and you'll probably get an absurd amount of bibs. Within reason, don't just write it off - hold onto things like various sipppy cups or different brands of pacis and the boat load of bibs - it's nice to have those things to try in case the things you thought you wanted aren't working. You can always re-gift later for things you didn't use ;)

    And my two "baby sleep" cents - steer away from musical night lights, "sleep aid" toys that go in the crib, anything that goes against promoting still, quiet, and dark sleep, because that is ultimately the healthiest sleep. Yes to white noise though :)

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