Random Dreams

Abby: She dreamt she was on the "Great Big Wall of China" with her friend Ethan and she almost fell off, but he caught her. Then they climbed down and found "Charlie and Lola" bottles. (Every time we get a new National Geographic, Abby and I go through the whole thing. She has done this from the time she was really little. This month is all about China and she was pretty impressed with that wall).

Paul: He dreamt that Chef Tony was threatening him with the new Miracle Blade III Precision Series knives so they had a huge fight (I imagine it was violent and, of course, ended with the demise of Chef Tony). I think there are way too many infomercials on the TV sports stations and this was Paul's way of acting out.

Me: I dreamt that I was brushing my teeth and my electric toothbrush lost all it's power. I got really upset (too upset to be realistic) because I KNEW I had just replaced the batteries the night before and then, HORROR, I realized it was Paul's toothbrush.

Note: I have about a hundred dreams a night that I remember now... most of them are as ridiculous as the toothbrush one... due to the fact that I wake up literally EVERY hour to pee. I guess I'm getting on newborn time earlier than I had planned... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Baby Boy Tanner

My dear friend Heather gave birth to a beautiful baby boy last night after a long and troublesome pregnancy. As soon as we could, our friend Jenny and I rushed to the hospital to visit her knowing she has had quick labor and deliveries in the past and wanting to meet this baby boy we have been terrorizing in Heather's belly for months (well, mostly Jenny does the terrorizing... ha ha). We were told we could go back right away and we heard little baby noises as we walked in the door... he had literally been born 5 minutes earlier! What an amazing experience... there really aren't words and that darling little boy is finally out and ready to conquer the world. Heather looked amazing and he really is such a cute baby (they all aren't you know... ask my parents who didn't even buy my baby pictures... they love to tell how my grandparents all thought I was retarded, but I digress). Way to go, Heather (and super-dad Doug too)!The next day I brought Abby to meet him. On the way to the hospital she asked if he had a tongue and how it was made. I was trying to dumb down an answer for her when she asked, "Was it the sperm and the egg?" Sometimes I think she just knows too much. It is funny how she gets so serious with things like this. Heather let her hold him and she was just in awe. She had felt him move last week and here she was holding him. She asked me afterwards if she will get to hold our babies and I told her "OF COURSE!!!" He is still without a name at the time of writing, so all I can say is, "Welcome to the world, Baby Boy Tanner!"

Too Much TV

To celebrate "Turn off the TV Week" I decided to START watching a new series as well as keep up with some old favorites. First of all, I feel I MUST comment on American Idol. What the Carly? She was so good this week and SHE was voted off? C'mon America! What's next? Hillary really DOES win the Presidency? Get some taste people. Also, David Cook, I am sorry to say, was TERRIBLE. Don't get me wrong, I usually like the guy, but this week really showcased his weaknesses as a singer. OUT OF TUNE (it was pitchy, dawgg!) as well as OUT OF TIME!!! (did anyone else catch that); he sang/screamed one particular note so loudly I thought Mexico was going to call us up and tell us to quiet down... it was a key point in the song that is supposed to be sung quite tenderly and softly... it exposed a very common weakness in his control. Finally, that ending, quite frankly, just sucked raw eggs. Other than that, it was an okay performance. Tell me WHY the judges did not say anything like this.

Then I watched the first 14 episodes of "Arrested Development"... There are not many shows that have made me laugh out loud: Seinfeld, The Office (the British version, of course) and now, Arrested Development. It really was THAT good. Just think, I'm sure there are millions like me who have yet to discover this short-lived gem and if we had, it might still be on the air. I HIGHLY recommend it! Pure comedic genius!

Finally, I'm embarrassed to say, I watched VH-1's (already doesn't bode well, does it?) "I Know My Kid's a Star" with host, (and messed-up former child star himself) Danny Bonaduce. It should be named, "How to Mess Your Kid up and Ruin any Chance of a Normal Life for Your Family". You cannot believe these stage moms and the way they bad-talk and back stab one another while their children cry because they just can't all be friends... it warms the soul, doesn't it? I don't think that will become a regular stop on the midnight TV train... I'd much rather watch re-runs of something classier like "The Girls Next Door".

Little Wooden Dolls

Wednesday, Abby and I got together with her playgroup and a great artist friend and painted little wooden doll forms. It was a lot of fun but took more time than we thought. Today, Abby and I finished ours up (mostly... we still have to add some finishing touches and we do have some more dolls... but we're done for now).

I did our family but I had to do 2 boys and 2 girls because we don't know exactly what our family is going to look like yet.

Abby did a little snowman family. I think she did a GREAT job at the carrot noses and buttons. She took this painting thing seriously and really spent a lot of time on each one. I think it was the longest she's EVER been able to concentrate on a single task at a time. Good to know for future projects.

First OB/GYN Appointment

I had my first official appointment at the OB/GYN today and overall, I'm pretty happy.

Here are the things that went well: 1. The doctor was friendly and although the office was overbooked, didn't make me feel rushed. 2. Told me to eat when I was hungry and not worry about calories yet. 3. If the babies are in position, a vaginal birth is preferred (which is what I'm hoping for). 4. I will probably have to give birth in the OR but if things look good for a regular birth, they will sneak in Abby and Grandma to watch. 4. After confirming a pregnancy with a heartbeat, the chances of miscarriage are really low... for either baby. 5. I had a good phlebotomist who found my tiny vein on the first try and didn't hack my arm to pieces. 6. I didn't have to redo a pelvic exam which I already had in January.

Here are the things I was bummed about: 1. I won't get an ultrasound until about 20 weeks unless there is bleeding/severe cramping or something that could be bad... which, of course, I don't want. The doctor believed the ultrasound report from the hospital (it's pretty cut and dry) and said we will wait to confirm both heartbeats at my next appt. in May. I'm only 8 1/2 weeks along so it was too early to hear them this time. Here is a picture of 8 week old twins:All and all the prognosis looks good for us so far... I still can't believe were having twins!

Justification for Buying Full Price at the Gap

I am usually 100% against buying anything full price and I pride myself at finding the best bargains on the planet, HOWEVER when nothing I wear fits and I want at least 1 cute thing in my wardrobe for the next year or so, the exception has to be made for the sake of sanity and self-esteem. There, I confessed. And, well, actually, I did have a $10 off gift certificate (from spending too much on my Banana Republic card...) so it was like it was on sale. Plus I bought a $45 shirt at the same time for only $10 so still... bargain eh? The thing is... it is a roll panel waist which I LOVE because I can wear it now and when I'm gigantic and when I'm losing the baby pounds! It's that stretchy! But, it is white which limits the winter-time wear... but whatever, it has pockets. I LOVE it so there!

It's That Time of Year

It's time for my yearly haircut! Every year I always plan on getting it cut more often, but I put it off and put it off until it gets so stringy and straggly that I can hardly look at myself anymore and the upcoming "haircut" is all I can think about. Now, I am not one to REALLY care about how much is chopped off, etc. I usually have 2 rules: it has to be EASY to do (as in, sometimes I don't have to "do" it at all) and it has to be just long enough to put up when I get hot. I don't think that' s too fussy! Well, here are this year's celebrity contenders for my new haircut:













I know, I'm going crazy this year... and both Reese and Sarah's styles are so different from one another. How will I ever choose? I have a really good friend who does my hair and she always makes it look fabulous! I'll post the result this evening.

Here it is:

It's a Brand New Week!

Last week, my feet finally started feeling better after the medicine from the dermatologist (he is my new best friend)! What a blessing it is to walk and sleep at night! Abby and Paul did not fair so well as a few nights ago Abby started a new family trend by waking up in the middle of the night in a pool of vomit. I got her cleaned up and sent her into the bedroom to clean up the bed and guess what? She throws up all over Paul so then we had TWO sets of bedding to change and wash in the middle of the night! Now it's been a few days and Paul is still trying to shake the bug (Abby was better after a day). Knock on wood, I am the one who is supposed to be throwing up all over the place and I don't feel nauseous at all (exept a tiny bit in the morning when I'm famished from not eating every 2 hours or so... but NOTHING bad at all). All I do is eat, Eat, EAT and I LOVE IT! I am supposed to consume 600-1000 extra calories per day to grow the babies and create a fat store for when I don't have enough to give them at the end. My wonderful friend Jenny invited us over for dinner last night and cooked the best pork tenderloin and I could not get enough (should I admit I had 2 helpings of dessert as well?). Maybe the fact that I cannot fit into my regular pants any more has less to do with pregnancy and more to do with my new "diet". Let's not mention why the button up shirts had to go as well. Officially, we did the wardrobe turnover yesterday... and I'm only SEVEN WEEKS! They say you measure 4-6 weeks ahead with twins... I'm getting a bit worried. And yes, that is a Christmas shower curtain in the background only I like to think of it as a "winter" shower curtain after December. In April, well... it IS snowing today quite hard so I guess it's decor to match the day's weather. Doesn't everyone do that?

I Guess We're Going to Need a New Car

After my feet blew up even more last night, I went to the Emergency Room today to make sure everything was all right. They did a ton of blood tests and urine tests and just to make sure the embryo was still okay, they did an ultrasound as well. There is not much to see but a beating heart at that stage, but I really wanted to see that beating heart after all the funky things that have been happening to my body. Well, they did not, in fact, find one viable embryo... but they did find TWO of them! That's right. We're having twins... and they both had heartbeats! The sonographer said they are looking good because they are in distinct, separate sacs and they are high in the uterus which apparently is good. So now we need a car with more than 4 seat belts, eh? My feet are as sore as ever but we are so happy. The doctor's are thinking the foot rash is a reaction to all of the crazy hormones. Wow. Hope we can get it under control. I have a new cream and an appointment with a dermatologist so we'll see.

The Bethany Foot Disease: Part II

April Fool's on me! So, my feet were just about 100% healed when what to my wondering eyes should appear last night, but a recurrence! How delightful. This time, instead of being on each toe tip, however, there are hundreds of itchy red bumps all over both feet up to my ankles. And just to make sure I don't have it too easy, there are a couple of new welts under my big toes. And just so I don't take walking for granted, there are multiple bumpy sores right where the flip-flop straps go. My wonderful mom bought me a nice pair of black flip-flops last week but the only ones I can wear now, are the pink polka dot ones I bought at the dollar store last year because of the thin plastic toe straps. Looks like I'm back to putting my feet up all day sulking... maybe I can shop online for some different flip flops since it looks like that's what I'll be wearing for the next 7-8 months. Here is a pair of Roxy ones I like.