Deals Around Town!

A couple weeks ago I ventured down to Draper to check out the VF Factory. I was hoping to find childrens sweat suits- which don't seem to exist- for Halloween costumes but instead I was blown away by the array of cute, cute baby clothes at great, great prices. I bought some winter outfits for the boys and an adorable Superman onsie set for the new baby. Seriously, it's adorable! They had numerous adorable outfits there for boys and girls. I wanted to by gifts for all my friends, but my husband made me stop at the Superman Onesies.

Our binkie supply is getting low, so we stopped at Burlington to pick up there two pack of binkies for only 99 cents. If your children don't mind what brand of binkie they have these work beautifully.

In the cloth diaper world. . .

I came across this ad a while ago. Not sure how much she has left, but thought I'd pass it on.

We also made a stop by Kohls and found that they had their "As Seen on TV" stuff for %50 off. This meant a big box of Sham Wow's for only $10.00- we're going to give them a try in the boys overnight diapers. I couldn't believe how much stuff came out of that box. We also had a couple of coupons to get $10.00 off when we spent $20.00, so we got 3 of the Sham Wow boxes and an under the bed shoe organizer for $20.00. The coupons expired today, but I'm told that it's more then worth it to open up a charge account at Kohls. They offer deals all they time.

So Much to Say. . .

. . .so little time- or patience.

My mind runs a mile a minute. Until this baby comes out I'm afraid I can't do very well at keeping my thoughts organized. It seems that the one thing that occupies my mind most is the one thing I have no control over: going into labor.

I always have endless blog posts, and facebook status updates, running through my brain. But actually typing them up and posting them doesn't seem to be happening. This could be good for the most part because sometimes my thoughts are rather dreary, negative and depressing.

Here are a few of the thoughts I wanted to make actual posts, but this will have to do.

*I have had such a rough time this last week or so. I've now been pregnant for a week longer then I was with the twins, and I seem to be entering a new form of depression. I was so frustrated with my body last week that I actually stayed up one night and just cried about it. It seems all my body is capable of doing is having irregular contractions that can be painful and annoying. I looked it up and it turns out there are quite a few women who deal with this, and I took comfort in their thoughts and comments. They do little to help me progress. There's no way to stop them. And, even though some suggest walking or other means, there's no way to turn them into regular productive contractions. When I get real contractions that I can tell are actually doing something they almost feel good. But they are usually short lived.



*The above experience led me to get even angrier about unsatisfying doctor's visits. They seriously spend about 5 minutes with me. And all I can do is sit there thinking, "If everything is always OK and always going well then why on Earth must I come here so often?" I know I should be thankful for my trouble free pregnancies, but truth be told they can be very frustrating in their own way. Anyway. . .I let my feminist side dominate me for a day or two and I went on and on about how male doctors understand little about how horrible pregnancy can be. The baby is healthy, so what do they care what pain you're feeling? Just buck it up and deal. You're pregnant what do you expect? Only call me if you see blood or your water breaks. And so on and so forth. I've thought that maybe I need to switch doctors if we decide to have another baby in the future.

*I spoke too soon because it was only a few days later that I met again with my doctor, and he was trying so hard to find ways he could get me in the hospital and get me induced. He was incredibly sympathetic, and all I could think was, "Finally!" We were about to set up an inducement for next Wednesday, but it turns out I don't qualify for induction until week 41. When you have a c-section with one you have the option to go c-section or VBAC. The choice is totally yours. I actually have to sign a consent form stating which I choose to do, and there are quite a few risks either way. But when you have a c-section with one the option to be induced goes out the window the next pregnancy. Now my options are get a c-section, wait for labor or be induced at week 41. But the sympathetic doctor did prescribe me some pain meds for my hips, which can hurt so bad from irregular contractions that I'm left limping through the house. I gladly took the prescription, and I'm now painstakingly- at least it's just in a mental sense- waiting for next weeks appointment to see if there is any progression.

On to other thoughts that I wanted to blog about. . .

*I have been finding feeding time to be way more successful lately. The only thing ending up on my floor now, the majority of the time, are empty dishes and spoons. For breakfast I have found that the boys love cereal, like Kix or Rice Chex, with sugar on top. Though I know this isn't totally ideal, and healthy, I still think the benefits outweigh the little amount of sweetener I sprinkle on top.



*I discovered that they have a fondness for Nutrigrain bars. These make for great meals on the go.

*I have also found that having our meals together, in the same room, at the same table, makes a huge difference in how well they eat. They are asking for all sorts of different foods now. As long as mom and dad have it on their plate the boys think it looks rather tasty.

*We've been getting corn on the cob lately from family members gardens, and I was shocked to find my boys love it. In fact, they actually started eating it off the cob last night. I was blown away.



*We've made a discovery in the cloth diaper world. We bought shammies- used to dry cars- and cut them up to fit into a diaper. They are now part of our over night protection program. They allow us to take out some of the bulk, and they have worked great so far. One little boy need two shammies to get through a night, but I've still been happy with them. Their diapers are still on the bulky side, which allows me a little giggle each night.

I've also been brainstorming holding cloth diaper get togethers. Sort of like selling Tupperware. I could have some product on hand, and show women interested in cloth diapers how to use them, and little tricks I've discovered. It will probably never happen, but it gives me something to think about and brainstorm.



OK so totally random post I know, but I do feel a little better now. I just hope I can get this baby out without being too insanely negative on here. Though I might be pretty close to an emotional break down. In fact, I might have already had one if I felt I had the energy to cry.

Is There Anything Worse?

Before we went camping our boys started to come down with a mild cough. No fever or anything just a little cold. We were drugging them up all over the place. Before every nap and at bedtime we'd pull out the Tylenol, the Gripe Water, the teething tablets and the vapo rub. The boys started to bring me their medicine bag asking for more drugs. Are kids supposed to like taking medicine that much? They were on the mend, we stopped our med routine, and things were good.

Until last Friday.

My children were acting weird. They were so whiny and miserable. Every little thing would make them cry. We went swimming at Grandma and Grandpa's and they would have nothing to do with them. They just wanted mommy- this is very unusual. We got out of the pool and they just started bawling and shaking.

The next day was a pathetic attempt at a second yard sale, and all day long the boys were driving me crazy. We finally made it to nap time. When they awoke the felt so hot. I had wondered if they were feverish all day, but it was always hard to tell because we had been outside so I didn't know if they were just warm from the sun. We finally concluded that they were sick and had a fever. We left them with Grandma and Grandpa while we went to a wedding reception, and then came home and put them in bed.

Oh if we'd only known what Sunday would bring.

I have never, so badly, wanted to be as far away from my children as possible. They wouldn't eat. They wouldn't drink. They would barely take a bath. They wouldn't be held. The only thing they would do is cry. We were giving them medicine, but nothing was working. My parents came to a rather miserable dinner, and said they would take them for a walk. Thank you! My parents returned and told us we should just take them in to the hospital. We agreed, and off we drove.

They cried from the minute we walked in to the minute we left. Nothing would make them happy. Holding them was so hard because they had awful breath, and they were so hot from the fever. The hospital said it was just a virus, but they gave us something that was a lifesaver. The proper dosages for their weight and age. This made all the difference. We ran to Walgreens, and picked up some Tylenol and Ibuprofen, and then we finally stumbled on something the would drink. I don't know if you've heard of those Tum-E Yummies, but I love them. They can make a big mess, but they can also be great for car rides.

We got home and, after having the right medicine dosage, our boys were happy again. They shared some ice cream with me, drank some Tum-E Yummie and then went to bed.

Having sick children is just the worst. Give me an illness, but please spare my children.

Cloth diapering sick children is no fun either. In fact we've decided when they are sick we'll use disposable. Not only do they poop more, but it's harder to wash out and it stains worse then anything.

My kids have never had fevers until recently, and this was my first experience going to the ER. I always feel like the "mom who cried sick" when we take them to the doc or insta care. At least this time they showed the staff that they were really miserable. Usually they are happy as can be and the doctor is saying, "These boys don't look sick."

Parenting Magazines

I pick them up at the doctor's office while I'm waiting to be seen and, for some reason, I get issues here and there sent to my house- I hope I'm not paying for those. I skim through to see if there's anything I find intriguing, and I have found some useful things within their pages, but I don't normally go out of my way or anxiously await the next issue.

But I was glad I decided to pick up the one called "Baby Talk" that was sent to our house the other day. I skimmed through the articles, and I found one that I knew I had to read: Mom Confessions "I wish I had a Girl".

The article was exactly what I needed. I related perfectly to feelings of the mom it was about. And it offered words of comfort, and convinced me that my break down at the ultra sound was not a sign of being an unstable or bad mom.

The mom, in the article, was expecting twins and was told that one was a boy and one was a girl. On delivery day they both came out boys however, and she couldn't help but feel disappointed. She said, "What happened to the baby girl that was so real in my head and heart?"

I read that I knew exactly what she meant. You feel like you've lost something even though you still have a healthy baby.

The article said that keeping these feelings inside can lead to postpartum and it is better to let them out. So I must say thank you, again, mom for convincing me to talk to you about it. And thank you to my husband who listened to my partially psychotic rantings for two days in a row.

It also said that 8 out of 10 women who say they don't care if it's a boy or a girl are disappointed with the gender of their baby.

The article continued to say that, within hours, maternal instincts kicked in and the mother was in love with her baby boys. I know I'll love this baby no matter what, but I was so relieved to find out I'm not a horrible person for having moments of disappointment over having a 3rd boy.

It also mentioned a book called Lullabies and Alibis that I may have to get my hands on.

Advice: Take it, or Leave it?

I'm not the best at taking advice. I'm very picky about the advice I'm willing to take. It has to come from people I trust, and who have the same mommy-ing style as me. It has to make sense in my mind, and it has to fit into how I want to raise my kids. But there has been some advice that I've passed up that I wish I had followed.

The one I thought about the other day, as I was rummaging through all my boys old baby clothes. It came from my mom. She told me, "Just dress them in the outfits you like as often as you can. That's how you'll enjoy them the most, and they grow so fast you'll just want to enjoy them."

I stupidly thought, "I have to use every piece of clothing I have, so that every piece gets good use out of it. I won't do wash until I absolutely need clean clothes."

Now looking through all their clothes just makes me sad because we have all these cute outfits that I feel like I barely got to see them wear. And now that we are just having one I'm realizing that I may not get to enjoy these clothes again. There's just so many one baby is not going to be able to wear them all.

I came cross some other advice that I know I need to follow. It came from a baby magazine- usually not a place I turn to for advice. It was a "What's Your Mommy Style" quiz and, even though I somehow tied between all 3 mommy styles, there was part of one of the mommy styles that stuck out to me.

It said something along the lines of you are good at keeping a schedule, which is good for your baby, but remember to not let your schedule control you. You need to be willing to let things slide.

So true! Not only for schedules, but for other things in my life. I'm OCD, and being so can lead to me to have momentary outbursts of insanity. Sometimes I get so frustrated when I can't get a good routine down with the cloth diapers, or I can't get all the clothes on the clothes line, or I didn't empty the dishwasher in time, so now I'm going to have to do two loads of dishes a day instead of one, or we go out one day and play and come back to a very messy house. When I get like this I just need to remember to take a step back, and let the pieces fall. I don't have to have the house picked up everyday. I can pick it up tomorrow. The dirty dishes will still be there tomorrow for me to wash, so don't worry about it. If all the clothes don't fit on the clothes line then just dry them in the dryer, and go ahead and use disposable diapers for a couples days until you get the wash all caught up. You'll still be saving money.

Yes, my OCD can have dangerous effects on me. I'm grateful for it most the time because it leads to things running smoothly. But when the train starts to crash, the buzzers go off in my head and I have to calm myself down and say, "Things are just going to happen no matter how hard you try to prepare."

One last story. We bought a triplet stroller from a lady who, consequently had triplets. All girls, and one had Autism. She also had an older daughter with autism. We also found out that she is a single mother. She must be a truly amazing person, and I wish her the best. But we were talking, and I was telling her that we were so glad to have found this stroller because we heard that it would just be a lifesaver with the new baby. She told us that was for sure. She said this stroller, and lollipops, were the best things in the world when her babies were little.

Isn't it so true? I can't tell you how many times suckers have gotten us out of a hard place. I love those things. Even if they do end up making a big mess.

Camping: Baptism by Fire!

My husband and I would really love to learn the secret to camping with children. But I'm starting to learn that secret is: There is no secret. It's just hard.



I thought that it would work well for us this time. We had the boys security items packed. We had a tent that offered them their own room. We stayed close to home, so we could just run and grab things. But camping still found us all on the slight side of miserable. And, though I kept hoping the experience would turn positive, we ended up driving home at 3:00 in the morning when the boys wouldn't stop crying.

There are a few things I beg to ask of the camping gods.

Why is it that whenever you go camping it has to rain? I can't figure this one out.

And what are you supposed to do with a crying child in a tent? People cannot only hear the crying child, but also the yelling/crying mom.



Next time I think we'll stay a little bit closer to the bathrooms. Sometimes I can make it through the night, but sometimes I'm up 2 or 3 times. A trek to the bathrooms in the middle of the night is not fun when pregnant.



I can deal with the whole dirt thing. I understand that when camping there is a different standard of clean. But what I can't deal with is the same thing as always: the unpredictability. I thought having your kids on a good schedule was supposed to make things like camping easier. Even though my boys were both starting to get sick it just doesn't seem like it should have been that hard.

Well, even though we have no idea how to make things work better while camping, we would still like to give it another go.

Next time we'll add these to our list of what we need to do:

-Bring a stroller, so we can walk the boys around the campground when they won't sleep.

-Try to go camping with grandparents so there is more then one adult per child.

-Stay more then one night, so we can all better adjust to our surroundings.

-Bring along the boys CD player.

-And (though I wish it weren't true) bring both playpens. I really wish that traveling wouldn't require bringing two playpens along. Let's hope that we can switch them to a toddler bed fairly easily, and not have to worry about playpens for them anymore.

If anyone has any helpful tips please share. We'd really like to take more camping trips in the future. I would just also like to keep my sanity.

You Learn Something New Everyday!

What I've learned:

*Wearing cloth diapers over night can be rather humorous.



We stuff 3 pre-folds in those things for them to wear all night long, and one is folded in half and stuffed in the front. I think the trick is to get the right amount of padding up towards the front.



Quick splurge on cloth diapers:

I've tried the pre-fold system which is a pre-fold- we use Gerber- folded and placed in a diaper cover. I've really liked the thirsties. But the thirsties do have two separate sizes which kind of stinks. But they have fun colors and patterns and we haven't had troubles with leaks and blowouts.

I've also tried pocket diapers. These diapers have a pocket that you stuff a microfiber pad in and then put the diaper on. You have to change the whole diaper, pad and all, each time they fill them up. The first pockets we bought cost around $20.00 dollars a diaper. They are well made, and lined with fleece to keep your baby drier, but they're expensive so we tried to use them as part of the pre-fold system. This did not work because we had to change the whole diaper everytime no matter how we folded the pre-folds. We started just using them as they were made to be used, and we have also found way cheap ones that work great on KSL and ebay.


The above has led me to this conclusion

*Cloth diapering can be surprising enjoyable and a little overwhelming. I've learned for it to be more enjoyable, and less overwhelming, you should just go through and find patterns and colors you like- the cute diapers are what make it the most fun for me. Then just use the diapers the way they are supposed to be used. I just try to find the one size fits all diapers in colors I like.



More things I've learned as of recent.

*Not putting pants on my one year olds when I put them down for a nap, or to bed, usually results in a pint sized crib streaker. It has happened with both cloth and disposable diapers.

*If you need window shades for the car get these Munchkin one's from Wal-Mart. You get two for $5.00 and they cling to the window so little children won't be tempted to pull them off. We bought two boxes and cut them to fit our entire window. No more "Mr. Sun" interfering with our car rides- unless he comes through the wind sheild or back window.



*Always take sippy cups.

*Whoever invented the Take-n-Toss brand was a genius.

*They make trays that you can strap to forward facing car seats, and I want some.

*Bibsters are great for diaper bags.

*If I sit down and eat with my children, feeding time goes much smoother, and they eat a lot better. It also helps if I put the food on my plate first and then give them some.



*There are 5 things I must have in my bathroom: Cleaner with bleach, disinfectant spray, Clean up wipes, dish soap and Spray-n-Wash. The bleach because my boys are notorious for pooping in the tub. The disinfectant spray is mostly useful for diaper rinsing. The clean up wipes speak for themselves. The dish soap and Spray-n-Wash are for stain treatment. If the boys get their clothes dirty I take them into the bathroom scrub them with dish soap or spray them with Spray-n-Wash (or I use a 1 cup Ammonia, 1 cup water and 1/2 cup "All" laundry detergent solution) or both and then soak them in the sink.

*Sometimes the best thing to do is let the boys play in the car. They are contained and usually it's safer then whatever else they could get in to. I turn it to accessory, roll down the windows half way- if I roll them down all the way they can open the doors- and lock the doors. I only do this if we are going somewhere in a few minutes anyway.

*If there's a puddle my boys will find it, and if there is water they are drawn to it.



*A ball is the best toy for twins. As far as they know they are playing a game of catch with their brother. Even if the brother is actually just trying to get the ball himself he usually throws it again and they both are off laughing.

*Now that they are walking shoes are a must whenever we leave the house. Chances are they are going to end up walking at some point while we're out.

*The boys are way observant, and catch on very quickly. This makes it hard to out smart them- Seriously! They most recently learned that if the bottle didn't come from the micro-wave they don't want it.

*There's nothing better then a great big empty space to run around in.

*No matter what I learn, or how prepared I think I am, they are always going to surprise me.

Help! My House is Under the Attack of Monster Mom!

Blah! I am not being a very good mom lately- in fact as I'm writing this I'm also listening to my crying child. When not pregnant "Monster Mom" would only visit our house once a month or so. Nowadays she's here to stay and I can't get her to leave. Maybe my boys have been off. Maybe they are teething. Perhaps they are just sick, or perhaps I have been spoiling them too much and I'm now suffering the consequences. Either way I'm afraid the neighbors are going to call and report me after all the yelling I've done. And at the same time they are probably also wondering why it is that I am having another, and if that's really a good idea.

Our house still has not recovered from the redoing of our hardwood floor. My children have spent most of the mornings crying- and when they wake up from their nap they are not much better. They have made bigger messes then normal with their food lately- like I need help making messes on the floor. Thank you children for giving mommy yet another reason to bend over! And to top off all the irritants, there is the irritant of just being sick of being irritated.

The worst part is when I get like this I can't send my children to a sitter and sit down and relax- or get things done. Instead I feel so awful for being so awful, and I want to be around my children so I feel like I can make up for how horrible I was to them. In reality the smart thing to do would be to call Grandma and Grandpa, and make my husband take me to Dairy Queen.

If you come around me please forgive me if I seem unsocial. Some days I'm just too exhausted to try and strike up a conversation.