I've Never Looked Better And You Can't Stand It

All is well.

Britney Marie

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

I don't know what was going on with me and Christmas a while ago. Ricky went out and bought us some lights for our tree and I've been filled with Christmas cheer ever since. I guess it's the tree lights that I need to be happy this time of year. Whatever the reason, the depression has passed. Thanks to everyone who was concerned for me and gave advice. It was really appreciated. Sorry it's taken me so long to say that.

While on the subject of Christmas. I have one complaint. I live in effing Florida. I hate it so much. I would gladly chew off my right arm if it would get me out of this place. I want to go somewhere it snow SOOOOOOOOOOO badly. Unfortunately Ricky wants nothing to do with that. So, I guess I'm stuck here in Florida forever. *grumbles* I WANT SNOW!!!

Britney Marie

Is Christmas Over Yet???

I'm not doing so good this year. I don't know what it is. I put up my Christmas decorations three days ago and took them all down again today. Our Christmas tree is in the trunk of my car. The only thing that's still up are the stockings and that's only because there's stuff in them and the twins say "Baby's First Christmas." If that was not the case, then the stockings would be put away too.

I've tried to get myself into the Christmas spirit today by listening to Christmas music for the past five hours and nothing.

I just want it to be over.

Britney Marie

I Was Hit By A Car And Lived To Tell About It

I got hit by a car the other day. Seriously. I was walking through the Sam's parking lot and this lady backed into me. I'm assuming that she didn't see me even after she hit me, becuase she kept backing up. So I hit the trunk of her car with my hand to get her to realize she had hit me. She gives me a dirty look, pulls out the rest of the way and leaves.

It wasn't even enough to knock me down, just kinda startled me. So, I'm ok, but now can say I've been hit by a car. Haha!

Britney Marie

The Things You Write And Don’t Remember

Since it's 3:15am and I don't see myself heading off to bed any time soon, I thought I would go back and re-read one of my old online diaries. I found an interesting post. On December 03, 2003 (exactly two years to the day before our wedding) Ricky showed up on my doorstep with a dozen roses. I didn't remember him doing that when we set our wedding date.

Britney Marie

I Know It’s Hard But...

...sometimes you just have to let some people be retarded by themselves.
Thanks Sid! *smiles*

Britney Marie

Hey You Guys!

The twins decided they wanted to sleep through the night tonight. We fed them at 7:30pm, bathed them and put them in bed at 8:30pm...here it is 4:00am and they are still sleeping. Our girls rock!

About an hour ago I started reading through my old LiveJournal. I never realized how funny I used to be. I also didn't realize that I cursed like a sailor. How times change.

I am really quite bored right now. I've already done the dishes and the laundry that I was saving for tomorrow. All the things that are on my to do list for today are things that I have to wait until businesses open to do. First off, I have to call my OB doctor and get him to send a letter to my good-for-nothin' insurance company. See, when I was in the hospital having the twins I had my OB and per hospital policy (and the fact that I was having twins) there was a second doctor assisting the c-section. Before the surgery I had spoken with this secondary physician and he had agreed to tie my tubes. (Two kids is enough!) Well, with all the complications that I had during the surgery, no one told me whether or not the tubal was actually performed, and to this day I still have not been billed for it. So, yeah, I freaked the hell out earlier when I realized this fact.

Anywho, the only explanation of benefits I have recieved from my insurance (from this doctor) has been for the assist. And my good-for-nothin' insurance company says they won't pay for an assistant...even though it is hospital policy that one be present. I still have not recieved one for my tubal. So, I called the doctor today (the secondary) and asked to make sure that the tubal was performed even though there were a lot of complications. For some reason, there was no record of me in their computer. So the lady had to call me back after she figured out what was going on. Basically, I'm not going to be charged for the tubal because they can get more money out of me by charging for the assist. There be the problem...our insurance would cover the tubal, no problem. Ugh. Stupid doctors. Stupid insurance. Argh! I just wanna bite someone's face off!

But I digress...so I have to call my regular OB to get him to write a letter to my insurance company to tell them that it was medically necessary to have two doctors in there, and they need to get their asses in gear and start paying for my medical bills.

I hate growing up. A few years ago I wouldn't have to worry with any of this crap. Now it seems like it is a constant battle.

In other news, Deidre and I are going to a Fall Out Boy concert on November 3rd. The first 100 tickets purchased (during the presale) get early entry into the arena. The first 30 tickets get a meet and greet. Now, I don't want to get my hopes up or anything, but the fact remains that the tickets went on sale at 3:00pm on the 18th, and I had purchased them by 3:01pm. I don't see how we could *not* be one of the first 30 tickets, but we'll see. Stranger things have happened...and stranger things have sucked. We'll find out a week before the concert if we won the meet and greet. *fingers crossed*

Apparently yesterday was talk like a pirate day or something. I had no idea. It was all over Flickr though.So, in honor of that day (even though I didn't find out about it until almost midnight) I watched "The Goonies". I forgot how much I heart that movie.

Since it is now 5:25am and I have yet to get into bed...I think I'll bid you all goodnight. Aw, who am I kidding...I'm just going to curl up on the couch and watch another movie...I'm thinking "The Princess Bride."



Britney Marie

A Day In The Life

Today we are having a game night at our house. Some friends from Ricky's work are coming over and we're going to play the heck out of some "Mario Kart: Double Dash", "Mortal Kombat", and "Smash Brothers: Melee". It is going to be awesome! In keeping with tradition I have baked a cake for the event.

Last night at the midnight feeding I was feeding Emma. She had only taken three of the six ounces of formula that she normally takes. So, after burping her, I set her up for some more. Apparently that was just not what she wanted and she spit up with the bottle still in her mouth. That made the baby vomit spray out everywhere. I immediately took out the bottle, and she projectile vomited twice, hitting the couch (which luckily was covered with a blanket for just such an occurrance) and hitting Ricky in the arm. Needless to say, we changed her clothes, and put her to bed. She was done.

Olivia, on the other hand, waited until she was put into bed before vomiting. She got it all over her sheets, clothes, and it was all in her hair. Since she was so gross, we gave her a bath, (the second one for the night) and put her to bed. After that, both girls slept really well.

Our cats have decided to go crazy. For some reason they think it is ok to get in the cribs. The girls are never in there, but they know better to get into them when they're empty too. Now, normally I would just pick the offending kitty up and get them out of the girls room. Unfortunately, the kitties have decided that merely getting into the girls cribs is no longer sufficient. Here's what they've decided to do.

Fortunately, we have waterproof mattress pads so the mattress isn't all gross. I don't know what has gotten into our kitties, but I think it's safe to say that they don't like our daughters.

I finally got around to finishing up Alicia and Patrick's wedding gift. I'm only two months late with it. I'm also in the process of making Christmas gifts for people. It sucks to be poor.

Time to make rice krispy treats and make some lunch.

BritneyMarie

Fat Baby & Ultra-Mega Fat Baby

Emma and Olivia had a weigh in yesterday. Olivia is 9lbs (50th percentile, right on target.) and Emma is 11lbs (99th percentile, fat fat baby.)

The nutritionist lady we spoke with kept calling Em, "a chunk".

Britney Marie

I Thought The Weekend Was The Relaxing Part Of The Week...

Apparently I was misinformed.

Olivia is sick. She's been projectile vomiting her entire bottle contents all day. We've tried to give her Pedialyte, but she seems to throw that up as well. She's also got a bit of a temperature. Tomorrow at 8am, we have a doctors appointment for her.

Emma won't sleep. She had no problem napping today while my mom was here, but as soon as Grammie left (that's what we call my mom) she decided she was going to protest by refusing to sleep. We fed her at 9pm, it's now a little after 11pm and she is still awake. Anytime I try to get her to go to sleep, she cries. Luckily, Olivia isn't having a problem going to sleep.

They've been like this all weekend, except last night when Emma was also puking up her entire bottle. She threw up so bad in her crib, it hit the wall...twice! We went through four separate crib sheets yesterday!

I swear, I don't think I'll ever sleep again.

You know I love you all, but anyone who complains about having one child can kiss my ass. If we had had triplets, I think I might be dead.

Oh, and I'm also having trouble with my kidneys. I have been in so much pain the past two days. It's not quite to the point it was last time when I had to go to the hospital, but I can tell its only a matter of days before it gets to that point. I've tried to take motrin to see if that helps like it did last time, but so far nothing. I hope it gets better, I can't afford to be taken out of commission right now with a one child who's sick and one child who's an insomniac.

Britney Marie

It’s Tearin’ Up My Heart

I've got a busy next couple of days ahead of me.

Tomorrow (well, I guess technically that would be today, but whatever...) I have a 9am WIC meeting, the first meeting that I have to take the girls to. It's also my very first outing with just me and the girls. We'll see how well that goes. Then at 3pm, we have a meeting with Tallahassee Pediatrics to get our medicaid paperwork in order for the girls. Gotta love free medical. I was not looking forward to having to pay the NICU bill for Olivia, 13 days stay would be an assload of money!

Friday Deidre is coming over for the weekend. It's the first time she's going to get to see the girls. So, far all we've got planned to do while she's here is stay in our pajamas and watch crappy "horror" movies 'til its time to go to bed. Olivia has a doctors appointment at 1:30pm also. Nothing's wrong, it's just her weekly checkup. She won't have to do that anymore once she reaches 6lbs, which I'm pretty sure she's done. Last Friday Emma weighed in at 6lbs 6oz and Olivia weighed in at 5lbs 12oz. They've been gaining at least an ounce a day, so I'm pretty confidant that she's made her goal.

Saturday we're going to have some of Ricky's friend over for video games again like we did last Saturday. I am so ready to pwn them in Mario Kart again, and maybe one or two people in Mortal Kombat. I'm getting pretty good with one particular character.

I actually don't think we have anything going on Sunday, so it will be nice to have a full day of laziness this weekend with nowhere we have to go.


Britney Marie

Apparently The Crazies Come Out Earlier Now

Picture it: Tallahassee, yesterday.
I'm up all night with the girls. I lay down to go to sleep a little before 7am. At 7am I get a phone call from a "unknown caller." Since that is what it says when Ricky calls from work, I answer. On the other end is a girl who said her name was "Amber". And she is looking for Britney Marie. I tell her that's me. Then she asks me if I own a gold car. Naturally, I tell her that I do not. Then she proceeds to question me. Turns out, a gold car was parked in front of her boyfriends house over the weekend, and somehow paperwork (she never said what kind of paperwork) with my name was inside. Now, I am the only Britney Marie in the state of Florida...so why the hell is my name in this car. Then she keeps asking me questions. Finally, we manage to get on the subject of other [in-laws name]. I tell her the only other one I know of is my sister in law. She then proceeds to tell me my mother in laws name and ask if that's Gert's mom. And it is. After a few minutes of this I tell her I'm not the one she's looking for and I'm sorry I can't be of more help. She says thanks and hangs up on me.

Now what I want to know is 1) how did she get my unlisted number, b) how does she know my mother in law, and 3) why is my name on some paperwork in a car I've never been in!

After that ordeal I was quite awake again. So I stayed up and watched a movie. Then after I fed the girls Emma spit up so violently it came shooting out her nose, twice. So I had to run around the house to find the booger sucker so I could suck out all the formula from her nose, so my daughter could breathe, twice. (Yes, I lost the booger sucker after using it the first time.) Then Olivia decided to do that as well, twice. And, not only did it come shooting out Olivia's nose, she also decided to projectile vomit across the nursery. There are still spots on the floor. Ugh.

On a better note, one of Ricky's co-workers came over for about four hours and we all played video games. I kicked his ass at Mario Kart and Mortal Kombat. Yeah, that's right! LoL!

I'd love to stay and chat some more, but I've got a hungry baby that has decided not to let me type anymore. I can't wait for the days when they're sleeping through the night. Please, oh please, oh please, come quickly!

Britney Marie

Olivia Is Home

n case you haven't heard...Olivia is home!

Britney Marie

We're Home And We Have Babies!

Emma Leigh and Olivia Jayne were born on July 4th. Emma was at 6:13pm and weighed 4lbs 14oz and Olivia was at 6:14pm and was 3lbs 12oz. Each was by c-section. There were complications, but not with the girls. They seemed to be doing better than I was the whole time!

After the girls were born, I had my tubes tied which went just fine. Unfortunately, my uterus would not contract so they gave me medication to do that. None of the medications worked for some reason. My OB said out of 4000 babies he has delivered, he has never had someone have this problem and the drugs not work. So, they ended up calling Shans hospital and prepping an ICU room for me because of the amount of blood I was losing. They told Shans about the situation and that they were going to tie a suture around my uterus to contract it, and Shans said that that would be what they would do as well, so sending me there wouldn't have done any good.

Fortunately, they got the bleeding under control, but I had to have three units of blood pumped back into me. I had no idea any of this was happening. I remember my husband being in there, then following the girls to the NICU and then I passed out and woke up in the recovery room with an IV in each arm. (There was only one IV in my arm when I went into the OR.) After I was coherent enough, they told me what happened. My doctor ended up spending the night at the hospital just in case there was an emergency and he needed to get to me fast. I love my doctor! I couldn't have asked for a better one!

After that, my blood pressure and heart rate skyrocketed. They had to put me on an IV of Mag for a day. My legs and feet were so swollen the whole time also. I swear they had to have been at least five times their normal size!

After that, they found that I am anemic. So, instead of being able to go home when they said I could, I had to stick around for another two days to get another IV put in (they had taken the other two out) and had to get iron pumped into me. I had that in addition to an iron pill to take.

A day later they finally said I could go home.

We have Emma here with us, but Liv is still at the NICU. She has a feeding tube because she just gets too tired to eat out of a bottle. She is eating enough though when she does get the bottle. So that's good. We went to visit her today and she was out of the incubator, in "big girl" clothes and was maintaining her temperature well. She had lost a few ounces, but is slowly gaining them back. She had gotten down to 3lbs 9oz, but is now 3lbs 11oz. They said she can go home at 4lbs. 5 ounces left!! I can't wait to get her home. I didn't do so well when I was discharged. It was the first day I had seen her with the feeding tube (she had it removed by the time I was able to see her the first time, and then she got tired a few days later.) and then I had to leave her there while taking her sister home. I just have to keep telling myself that there's nothing WRONG with her, she just needs to put on some fat.

Em is doing well here at home. She's eating well and is sleeping a lot. We have our first pediatrician appointment tomorrow.

Now What?

Here it is, a week since I was first admitted to the hospital, and I am still here. I found out yesterday that I am anemic. So they had to stick me with another IV and give me two days worth of iron. I am also currently taking an iron pill, a blood pressure pill, 800mg of motrin, percocet, and a few others that I can't remember what exactly it is that they do.

Olivia has jaundice. Well, she had it, and could still have it, we're not sure yet. They're supposed to do the test for it later on today and we'll find out whether or not she has to go back under the lamp to try to fix it. I can't remember if I mentioned it or not in the last post, but Olivia has been in the NICU for the past week. She has gone down from 3lbs 12oz to 3lbs 9oz. They had originally had been giving her oxygen (in the nose tubes, not the ventillator) but she got to come off of those the other day. She was also being fed through an IV when she didn't eat as much as they wanted her to (one oz) but she got to have the IV removed yesterday. Now they're saying they might have to put it back in.

Emma is here with us, she was in the NICU for a couple of days, but with her weight and ability to eat and maintain body temperature, she was released. I don't know if that was such a good idea. She was doing so well. Now it seems like every time someone comes to help us (my mom or Ricky's mom for example) we have trouble with her once they leave. Like today. My mom was here for the past two days. We haven't had hardly any trouble with Emma eating or spitting up. She even started eating more than she had previously...now that Mom is gone, she seems to spit up so much. And it's not at every feeding...it's after one and we put her down to sleep, we look over and she's just spit up all over the place for no reason. She has gone from 4lbs 14oz to 4lbs 7oz. One more oz and that will be her 10% lost and I don't know if they'll want to put her back in the NICU or not.

I am so worried about both our girls. Things are not going well here. I know that Ricky is really worried about all three of us. It seems like everyday we get some piece of bad medical news and one of us has to have some sort of treatment. I honestly don't know when we're going to get to go home. And even if we do get to go home sometime soon, I don't know if one or both our girls are coming with us. I don't like that one bit.

And to make matters worse, I've already started to get the "baby blues". Just waiting the proper two weeks before I can actually call it post-partum depression like I know it's going to be. Ugh.

I can only imagine what tomorrow has in store.

Britney Marie

Fourth of July

Emma Leigh Gravatt was born at 6:13pm on July 4th. She weighed 4lbs 14oz. Olivia Jayne Gravatt was born at 6:14pm on July 4th. She weighed 3lbs 12oz.

There has been quite a lot of things going on. In fact, I literally almost died. And I don't mean that in the "OMG I almost DIED!" kind of way, I mean it in the funeral plans kind of way. Let me 'splain...no there is too much, let me sum up...

I had to have a c-section. While in there they also tied my tubes. After they were finished with all that and they started to close me up, my uterus wouldn't stop bleeding. They tried every medication they could to stop it, and nothing worked. They eventually put me to sleep through the IV medication, then called Shans hospital to find out what they should do. They also prepped an ICU room for me because they didn't know what the outcome would be. Shans hosptial told them they were doing everything that they would do and they might have to perform a hysterectomy on me. Luckily they found a way to stop it. They vacuumed out the blood and tied a stitch around my uterus to contract it like it was supposed to be doing on its own.

My doctor said that of the 4000 babies he has delivered, he has never encountered this problem before. He literally saved my life.

After that problem, the problem of me losing too much blood came up. So, I had to get a transfusion of three units of blood. By this point I now had an IV in my right arm and another one in my left hand.

Over the course of the next few days I have had my blood drawn too many times to count. The nurses have literally run out of veins to tap. I have bruises all up and down both arms.

I was finally told yesterday that I would be able to be moved from the second floor (labor and delivery) to the third floor (discharge). Before they could move me they decided to check my vitals one more time. This time my blood pressure had skyrocketed and so had my heart rate. I was no longer allowed to leave. I had to get another IV of medications and stay.

I was finally moved to the third floor this afternoon. There is a lot more to report in this event, but I don't have the time to write about it all now. You've been given the basics.

I am alive...but I almost wasn't. We have two beautiful baby girls who I'll post pictures about as soon as I can.

Britney Marie

Back At The Hospital

Ricky and I made another trip to the hospital about two hours ago. Even with the pills I was still having contractions. And I hadn't felt either baby move in about eight hours. So, we went into triage. I got another shot to stop the contractions. I'm getting good at taking shots. These shots give me a really bad case of the shakes so it's actually quite difficult to type this at the moment. Ricky doesn't like it when I get the shakes. He's been getting worried about me lately.

We have an appointment with my specialist today at two so we'll see what he says about everything.

Britney Marie

False Alarm

I had my labor stopped three times today. I've been at the hospital since 8am, it's not 2pm. No babies...yet. I got two shots and three pills and a prescription to keep labor from starting again for another week.

Britney Marie

Baby Time?

7:37am. En route to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.

We'll see if it's the real thing or not.

Britney Marie

Why The Hell Am I Awake???

5:40am. I went to bed at 1:30am. So, why am I awake now?

I don't think I can do this anymore. I am so tired. I've got a serious case of heartburn and acid in my throat that it is impossible to lay down in bed. I have to get up to go to the bathroom literally every hour, if not sooner. My lower back is killing me. When the babies kick it's like they have a vendetta against my organs. I've got the a/c on 70 degrees, a standing fan blowing directly on me and our overhead fan on high and I'm still only wanting to go stick my head inside the freezer to cool off.

Ricky is sleeping with no trouble at all. I'm tempted to wake him up, but I won't.

Britney Marie

It's My Blog And I'll Do What I Want

I'm a complainer, and I know it, but it's my blog and I'll complain if I want to! With that said, here we go...

I have a confession to make. I am doing everything I can to kick-start labor. I'm only at 33 weeks 2 days but I am so miserable it's not even funny. I have aches in places that I didn't know existed! The babies are using all of my internal organs as punching bags. Both the girls should be 4lbs by now and that adds up to 8lbs of babies in there! I can't sleep very well anymore. People keep telling me to put a pillow between my legs, but I've been doing that for months now and now it doesn't seem to be helping at all. I'm constantly tossing and turning, and now I can't even sleep on my back. There's too much pressure and it hurts.

I'm supposed to be on bedrest, but I haven't stuck to that at all. Every day I do the housework so Ricky doesn't have to when he gets home from work. It's not fair for him to have to go to work for 9 or more hours and then come home and clean up after me and the kitties. 'Course I do let him do the litterbox and take out the garbage, but those are boy chores anyways! LoL! I'm hoping that all the walking around I do throughout the day will kick-start something. And I'm also hoping that by doing so much around the house all day that I'll tire myself out and night and be able to get a decent night's sleep...so far nada.

I never thought it would get to this point, but right now I'm not scared of a c-section at all. I welcome it with open arms. Anything to get these babies out! I don't see how people go to 40 weeks with one baby, let alone twins! I found out that my stepsisters (twins) were born at 41 weeks and they were both almost 8lbs each. Their mother is amazing in my book! I've been told that anyone who saw her during those last few weeks has never since seen anyone so miserable. I don't know how she did it!

I know that the babies need to keep, as Ricky says "baking", but I am just so miserable. I swear that these babies are never going to come out on their own and I'll be forced to carry them for the rest of my life!

I never thought I'd be wishing for the pains of labor and delivery...but here I am saying, "Bring it on!"

Britney Marie

Hiss, You're Never Around When I Need You!

Ahhhh!!!!! My freaking OB is out of town in Italy this week and next week! What if I have the babies?? WTF am I supposed to do? I don't want some stranger delivering my babies! I don't want someone I've never met with before to be doing this procedure! What's the point in going to a doctor for eight or nine months when he's not even going to be there when the time comes??? I know I'm only at 32 weeks, but he said we'd be lucky to get to 34 weeks! So, he's going to be gone during my 32nd and 33rd weeks, wtf am I supposed to do??? Whatever's going on in Italy better be a freaking emergency, that's all I have to say!!!

In other less stressful news, Ricky came home from the grocery store yesterday with flowers. It was so sweet. And at our last appointment Emma was 3lbs 12oz and Olivia was 3lbs 4oz. They're getting bigger!! Yea!! Also, last night I had the worst stomach ache. I was told it was because I don't have any room for my organs anymore, the babies have moved them all around. The pain lasted constantly about 10 minutes, but I was able to fall asleep after that which was good. I'm still not feeling 100% and I'm a little scared to eat anything, but other than that things are going well lately. Haven't had a lot of sciatic problems, haven't had any back aches, and haven't really been as itchy as I was in weeks past. At least that makes me smile!

Britney Marie

Sanctuary Boys....

Ok, I've had about enough of these hot flashes! It seems every ten minutes I have to go into the kitchen and stick my head literally into the freezer to get some relief! The A/C, ceiling fans and the oscillating fan that I drag from room to room just aren't cutting it anymore! God Bless the Freezer!

Britney Marie

The Neverending Story

I think I just might stay pregnant forever. I swear this is never going to end. Ugh!

Britney Marie

Test Run 01

Ricky and I had to make a test run to the hospital earlier. I was having contractions every five minutes and that lasted about half an hour. So, we called the hospital, asked if we should come, they said yes, we packed up the car and headed over there. We were there a little under two hours and then I was released. Turns out that I was having cramps more than contractions (cramps are contractions lasting less than 40-50 seconds) but still contracting some. So, they observed me and called my doctor. My doctor decided to let us go home instead of giving me another shot to stop the labor. I have another appointment with him tomorrow and we'll see what he says.

I'm still feeling the contractions, but there's nothing that I can do about them. I just have to let them run their course unless they get more painful...which they don't seem to be doing (which is a good thing). So, now I'm just annoyed by them! *sigh* Time to watch some more Rescue Me to get my mind off it.

"I Didn't Recognize You Without The Handcufffs"

I swear this past weekend has been the laziest I've ever been! Deidre came up and all we did was sit around in our pj's and watch movies. We watched 5 or 6 of them on Saturday and 3 I think on Sunday. Ricky was the only one to leave the house, and that was only to go get us all some lunch.

All in all it was a lot of fun.

If you haven't seen the film version of "Rent" you should stop what you're doing, go out, rent it and watch it right now. It is really good. The end is sad, but it's great.

Britney Marie

Was That The "Loser Sneeze"?

Went in for my second dose of the steroid shot. This one didn't hurt at all until about 30 seconds after it was over. Then it started to burn like crazy. But it was nothing compared to the one yesterday. I didn't even flinch when she stuck me with the needle. Either she is just really freaking good at her job, or I'm getting used to being stabbed. I don't think I like that idea.

They also hooked me up to the monitor. I was having contractions every minute and a half for a little bit, then they slowed down to every three minutes or so. Then I was having them every 5 minutes. My doctor came in to check on me. (it was so late in the evening, I didn't think he was still going to be there) I was afraid that I would have to get the shot again to stop the contractions, but he said everything was ok since they were slowing down. He also said if I felt 6 contractions within an hour to call him. So I've been trying to pay attention to everything to make sure I don't miss a contraction, but most of them I don't even feel. He also said that since it's twins, everything thinks that there's just one baby and it's almost at term so that's why it's starting soon. All I have to do is take it easy still.

My doctor also mentioned that we'll most likely have the babies at 34 weeks. So, with me being already into my 30th week, there's only three weeks left to go.

Britney Marie

Good Old Fun-Time Hurley

I have been at the doctor's office since 2pm today. I have not eaten anything except the crackers a few nurses could scrounge up for Ricky and I. I also had to get a steroid shot in my hip, and will have to go back tomorrow for it's sibling. That shot hurt like a mother-******. While I was in triage and hooked up to the monitors, we came to realize that I was having contractions...every three minutes. So, I had to get another shot to stop the contractions. Luckily they did, or else I would still be sitting at the hospital hooked up to an IV.

So, tomorrow between 5:30pm and 6:00pm, I will be at the hospital recieving the second dose of the most painful shot I have ever had to recieve. My hip still hurts and where the needle went in looks like an ant bite that was scratched off. Never in my life have I had to be poked, prodded, stuck, and drained this much. I hope these babies don't want a sibling, because it's not gonna happen. If I have a c-section, they can just tear everything out of there and be done with it. I don't need my internal parts anymore. They've caused me nothing but trouble.

On a better note, we got to see a really cute ultrasound of the twins yesterday at the specialists office. Emma was on the screen and she hiccuped. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life. And the printed out a picture of both girls profiles with them looking at each other. Unfortunately, our scanner is on the fritz and we are unable to scan anything in for everyone to see. I'll scan them in as soon as I can though. It's the most adorable ultrasound photo in the world...thus far.

Britney Marie

*UPDATE* Not two minutes after I posted this blog, we had a grease fire in the kitchen. Ricky was cooking chicken nuggets, and some of the grease sloshed out and started a fire on the stove. He tried to smother it, but that didn't work, so we had to pull out the fire extinguisher. Everyone is ok, the stove isn't damaged, the apartment isn't damaged. That was just a little bit scary though. But like I said, everyone is fine, no one was hurt.

Dude, You've Got Some Artz On You

The doctor's appointment with out specialist went well. Emma is 2lbs 11oz, and Olivia is 2lbs 10oz. I'm still on bedrest and the babies can still come at anytime, but he wasn't too worried about the dialation and effacement. So, he made another appointment for us in three weeks and said, "I'll see you in three weeks, if you're still pregnant!"

Britney Marie

Phone Call From The Doctor

My doctor called today. I've been put on even stricter bedrest. I can sit up to eat, and I can get up to go to the bathroom. Other than that, I'm confined to the reclining couch or the bed.

I was told today that if I was to say, venture out to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things, that we'd be having the babies today. So, I'm not going anywhere for the next who knows how long. I can't even go see my "Knocked Up" movie this friday like I've been planning since I first saw the preview months ago.

Monday I go see my specialist for a steroid shot and for him to check everything out. Then on Tuesday I go see my OB. My OB doesn't sound very happy at all lately with the way things are going. He says the babies are looking great, but it's me and my stupid parts that aren't cooperating. Apparently not only am I dialiating, I'm "ripening" as well. (Which is when everything gets soft enough to move around.) So, it's looking like the next step is my water breaking or contractions to start.

Britney Marie

Now Ulla Dance

I never realized before today that Man's greatest invention is the oscillating fan. God bless the oscillating fan.

Britney Marie

Today's Doctor Appointment

I'm now on strict bedrest. My doctor wanted to put me in the hospital today but since I'm not having contractions they would want to discharge me and we're not sure how our insurance would handle it.

Also, I've dialated 2 centimeters. I don't know what's going to happen with that. The look on my doctor's face when he noticed the dialation was that of giving bad news to someone who has cancer. We got the "cancer death" face. I've never seen that look before, and I never want to again.

He took the photo of the ultrasound to the specialist, but he was already gone for the day. My next appointment is next Tuesday, but if the specialist feels we need to come in sooner, then they'll give us a call tomorrow.

It's just a waiting game now.

Britney Marie

Untitled Blog Because My Brain Is On Vacation

29 weeks down, 11 weeks to go. I know I won't make it to 40 weeks, but that's still the countdown I'm going to use. Ricky called me a "ticking time-bomb" today. Which, when you think about it, is true! I very well could go into labor in the next two minutes or I could wait weeks.

Honestly, I can't wait for this pregnancy to be over with. And I don't ever want to do this again. I never though I could feel miserable for months at a time, but let me tell you...it's possible. I'm so glad I got pregnant so we could have our children, but I'm extremely thankful we're having twins this time so I don't have to go through this again. Although, if Ricky wanted more kids, I'd do it in a heartbeat for him. He would owe me a heck of a lot of kitties though! LoL!

Don't get me wrong, the pregnancy hasn't been ALL bad, but the miserable moments outweigh the feel-good moments. Maybe if we were just having one and the morning sickness wasn't so bad, and we weren't considered high-risk. Maybe I would have enjoyed it better.

I really can't wait to see these little girls. I wonder what they'll look like. I wonder what they're personalities will be like. I'm really getting excited. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is the act of actually having the babies. I know I'll do fine, and I know that the second I see their little faces it will all be worth it and I'll forget all the pain. But the anticipation of the unknown is killing me.

In other news, I really should invest in a fan to sit next to me. It is freaking hot up in here!

Britney Marie

*sniffle* *sniffle* *sneeze* *sneeze*

I have a really bad cold that I just can't seem to get rid of. Every morning I wake up to a really bad sore throat and I can't seem to stop sneezing. My nose is stuffed up, and yet is constantly running. I'm so glad it's the weekend and Ricky will be home.

I think I'm going to go to bed now. My eyes are watering and I can't breathe out of my nose. Yep, definately bed time.

Britney Marie

I Didn't Realize How Boring I Really Am

Ricky and I are heading to Panama City today. Tomorrow is our baby shower. I guess there's nothing else worth mentioning going on. I'll post some pictures of the shower when we get back on Sunday.

Britney Marie

Update On The Babies

I'm officially on bedrest. Not strict bedrest, but bedrest none the less. So, after going to Panama City this weekend for a baby shower, I'll be stuck in Tallahassee until after the babies are born.

It turns out that not only are things opening up from the inside, they're starting to open up from the outside. Can you say preterm labor? All I'm missing are the contractions. My OB told us today that he was going to speak with our specialist about the problem and I should call him tomorrow to schedule our next appointment and find out what the plan is. I asked him today if he thought we would go to term if we could get the preterm labor undercontrol. He said he doesn't see us going to term, but he also doesn't see us having the babies extremely early either. He said he was trying to get us to 34 weeks. And he's also going to put me in the hospital for a few weeks to make sure I get there. I guess depending on what our specialist says will depend on when I go into the hospital.

That's all the updates on me and the babies for now.

Britney Marie

"You Know What? I'm Sick Of Being In The Van..."

I had a really great Mother's Day. Got up at 9:30am and watched "True Lies" with Ricky while eating spaghetti alfredo. Then at 12:30pm Ricky and I took a really great nap until 4:30pm when Deidre called and woke us up. (I should have expected that! *smiles* People always call when we're trying to nap!)

Then we got up and went to Target where Ricky got me seasons 8, 9, & 10 of Friends to finish off my set. When we got home we watched some of season 8 and I got a foot massage then at 10:00pm we went to bed.

I know that sounds uneventful for some people, but I had a great day.

Britney Marie

Milk and Mother's Day

Our babies don't like milk. I discovered that today. Whenever I drink a glass of milk they kick the crap out of me and then I start to feel kinda sick. And I was just getting into drinking milk again. .

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. I know I'm not officially a mother yet, but I think being 6 months pregnant still counts. My very first Mother's Day. This is so cool! Ricky asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day. I want a teeny tiny baby kitty. He said no, but I want one anyway. We need a seventh kitty. Six just isn't enough.

Britney Marie

I Graduated!!!

Graduated from childbirth class that is. *smiles* Tonight was our last class. We talked about bringing babies home and then did some floor exercises. We found out that one lady in our class had her baby. Because of privacy issues, we weren't allowed to find out which one, but she went into labor early. Everyone seems to be doing well now our teacher said, so that's good.

Well, I'm going to head to bed. It's only 10:30pm, but I'm actually quite tired. My OB called from Italy (his father passed away so he's there for the funeral) to check on me to make sure I was doing well since he was gone. I thought that was very nice of him.

Goodnight all!

Britney Marie

I Was Just Assuming You Didn't Want To Die

It's been a couple of days, but I'm back.

Luckily I didn't have to have any surgery. It's a little late for the procedure to be done and they said it basically fixed itself. I don't know how it did it in a day, but everything is looking good. Emma and Olivia have even started to catch up in size a bit and the fluid surrounding each baby is starting to even out. That is the best news I have ever heard!

Ricky and I have a new obsession. Lost. If you haven't seen the show, you should definately go out and rent it, or nextflix it. We netflixed the first disk of the first season and that night went out and bought the entire first season. We'll be getting the second season tomorrow because we've got two episodes left of season one. I'm telling you, obsessed probably doesn't accurately describe it!

My mom came up to visit today. She took me out shopping for some more clothes. A lot of the shirts that I have don't fit anymore. A few do, but I'm having to do laundry like crazy. So, we went to Ross and the mall and I got some cute stuff. Mom also got Em and Liv some really cute outfits. They have duckies on them and one has cows. I heart duckies! Mom also got us a stroller. It was really hard to find a stroller for two, but we did. It's really nice, but it's hard to maneuver...it's so long. I'll have to work on my stroller driving abilities before the girls get here or I'm going to knock them into everything.

I was really sick earlier. I don't know what was going on. After mom left Ricky and I had some chips and cheese dip and watched more Lost. In the middle of an episode, I got what felt like a really bad cramping stomach ache. My back hurt too. So Ricky and I layed down and took a two hour nap. I think they might have been braxton hicks contractions, but I really don't know. If I was having contractions I wouldn't know it because I've never felt them before. Such is life. After the nap I took a bath and was fine. I've been fine ever since then.

Britney Marie

Cheese Face Kitty

The funniest thing happened earlier. Ricky and I were getting ready for bed and he picked up Kitty to take him with us. When they got into bed we looked at Kitty's face and noticed something wasn't quite right. The whole left side of his face was covered in something orange and kinda sticky. At first we were like, "Wtf? Are you ok Kitty?" Then after inspecting it, we thought he might have fell into some kitty puke. Upon further inspection we realized it was nacho cheese.

Ricky and I had chips and cheese dip earlier while we were watching Lost and when we went to bed I put the cheese dip bowl in the sink. I also forgot to rinse it out. Kitty got up on the kitchen counter and licked out half the nacho cheese, complete with jalapenos.

Even after cleaning his face with a washcloth the smell of nacho cheese invades your nostrils when you're near Kitty's face. I wish I had gotten a picture of it.

Britney Marie

One Out Of Three Equals B+

Sometimes I wonder how certain things get calculated. I got my grades back from this past semester. Of my six classes I got an F in four of them. Eh, I expected that. I never went to class because the morning sickness was so bad and I just didn't have it in me. I was expecting to have to take one more semester. I don't really care, the welfare of Em and Liv are all that matter right now.

With that said, I did pass two of my classes. I got an A- in my online computer literacy class. Score one for me! I was expecting a B in the class because I turned in my last homework assignment almost two weeks late, but my teacher was gracious in the grade giving so I managed a 91. *does a little happy dance*

Now, on to the other class that I passed. I think my teacher might be on the sauce because by all accounts there is no freaking way I should have passed this class, let alone gotten the B+ that he gave me. Ok, check this out. There were three tests and a written final paper. I showed up for one test. I did not recieve any notes for said test. I did not even crack the book open for said test. I think it might still be in the shrinkwrap. I literally went to one class, for the test, and there is no way that I actually passed the test. I guessed on every single question because, as I said, I didn't study. I did not know anything about the Psychology of Personality...NOTHING. I also did not write the final paper. Now, how in the hell does that add up at a B+ in the class?

I don't get it, but I'm not going to complain. So, technically I only have to take 4 classes and I'm done, instead of the 5 classes I was counting on taking. Don't you love senile teachers??

Britney Marie

Snitches And Talkers Get Stitches And Walkers

I had another OB appointment today. My OB's father died yesterday so he's going to Italy for the funeral for the next week. I hope things go well for him.

I found out today that my cervix is funnelling. Basically it's opening from the inside out and it's already opened over half way. Tomorrow I have to go get stitches to close it up. I have never had stitches before which I know I have mentioned numerous times here in this blog. I am terrified. I know, I know, "stiches are no big deal." But to someone who has never had them, they're scary.

It seems every medical procedure that people get growing up and playing rough I'm having to get now. Except for the broken bones...which with my luck I'm sure is coming somewhere down the road.

Luckily, Ricky is able to get half a day off and will be able to go with me to the appointment like he wasn't able to go with me today. It's at 11:45am. Apparently that was the latest they could get me in on such short notice.

Last night we had our fourth childbirth class. It was on medication and c-sections. Methinks we should have skipped that class. I have figured out my problem. I should never know things ahead of time. Even if I think that it will help ease my worrying, that is not true. If I know what to expect I think about it too much and get myself all worked up. If I don't know what's going on then I just go with the flow and worry about it later, or I don't have time to worry about it at all. Makes sense.

I found out that during the c-section, at least at the hospital I'm going to, not only can you not feel anything from your boobs down, your arms get strapped down like you're getting lethal injection. Then you get this big sheet in front of your face so you can't see anything. Then, when they cut you open, they pull your muscles apart to get to the uterus. I didn't know muscles separated like that. Also, right after they cut you open, they cauterize the incision so you don't bleed too much. Yes, you read that correctly, cauterize...also known as BURN the skin. And you can smell the odor of burning flesh. So, you're numb, restrained, blind and on fire!!! I wish I didn't know all that. I am so not looking forward to this.

Britney Marie

To The Doctor's We Will Go

We had an OB appointment today. Our doctor wants to see us once a week now. Olivia is still smaller than Emma. And apparently I cannot keep my big mouth shut. I just *had* to ask how my bloodwork was. Turns out, when I went to go get it, I took the paperwork, but only one of the two sheets. So, I've gotta go tomorrow and get more blood taken. I am not looking forward to that. If I hadn't said anything no one would know. Grrrr!

I also found out today that I'm going to be given a shot of steroids. This is supposed to help the babies lungs to develop quicker in case we have to have them early. I am not looking forward to that either.

If the girls don't start developing correctly and they develop the twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome I'm going to have to go in every few weeks, maybe even once a week, to get fluid drained. They stick a big needle in my belly button and for two hours I sit there and have the amniotic fluid drained. Again, not looking forward to that. If it comes to that, then the procedure could give us an extra week that the babies won't have to be delivered which is very good.

I feel like such a bad mother already. I don't want to do any of these things. I know they will help our babies, but I am such a wimp I can't do it!! I've never had so much as a broken bone, surgery, stitches, or anything like that. The closest thing I've ever had was some teeth pulled, and the last time was back in middle school. I still have my wisdom teeth too! I know that I will do all these things for them, but I am absolutely terrified. I am also terrified that I might have to have a c-section if they need to come early. I am such a wimp! Ugh, I'm going to get a shower to wash off the bad-motherness...*sigh*

Britney Marie

*Update* Oh, and I forgot to mention. My OB is going to Italy for a week, and wants to put me in the hospital for the duration of that week so I can be monitored. This should be fun...Ugh.

And How Was Your Day???

Tentative agenda for 23 Apr 07:
*Get up----8am
*Leave for Panama City----9am
*Dentist appointment----1pm
*Visit parents----3pm
*Return to Tallahassee----4pm

Actual agend for 23 Apr 07:
*Get up----9am
*Leave for Panama City----9:15am
*Get extremely bad back pain----9:30am
*Cancel dentist appointment----12:45am
*Return to Tallahassee----3pm
*Go to hospital----3pm
*Return home from hospital----6:30pm
*Go to bed----7:10pm

As you can see, what I had scheduled for yesterday did not actually happen. From what I gather that I pestered out of the ultrasound nurse (who aparently is not *actually* allowed to make a diagnosis, but she's the only one who was there looking at the ultrasounds) is that my kidney and the pipes attaching them to my bladder are dialated. This means the urine is getting backed up. Which is painful. Thus, the back/kidney pain. Also, the position that the twins are in, makes every one of their kicks a kidney shot. Ricky and I were at the hospital for almost four hours and no one told us what to do for the pain. So, I called my step-mom (the nurse) and told her what I pestered out of the ultrasound nurse. She told me just to pop Tylenol. This could go away in a few hours or it could last a few days. Fortunately, the Tylenol seems to be working, but as soon as that stuff wears off, I'm writhing around in pain again.

So that was my day yesterday. Gunna go get some water, put on a movie, and park it on the couch now. Ugh, I feel like poo.

Britney Marie

What's Better Than One Baby? Two Babies!

Today we had a doctor's appointment with the Maternal-Fetal Specialist. He wants to see us back in three weeks. If everything was ok, he would want to see us in four. Seems we're drifting closer to TTTS. Emma has more amniotic fluid than Olivia, which is one of the first signs of TTTS. There's nothing we can do at this point except to wait. We did find out that Emma is 1lb 4oz and Olivia is 1lb. And we did get some really cool information. We got to see the girls in 3D.

Childbirth

Nope...not gonna do it.

Britney Marie

"Let's Hope He Keeps Rolling Sevens"

Tonight Ricky and I start lamaze classes. Should be interesting.We had our "ABC's of Babies" class last night. We got there almost an hour late. We were told it was in the waiting room at the hospital at 6:30pm, so we got there at 6:15pm. The doors were locked. We went around asking random nurses if there was another way in the building. No one knew what we were talking about. So, we waited until 6:30 to see if someone would come open the door...no one.

Then we went inside the hospital and asked a lady at the information desk. She said to try the door again and if it was still locked, come back and she'd call around for us. We get back to the door, and it's open. We go in and the lady is just getting set up. She says the class doesn't start until 7pm. Ricky and I start to help her set up because we're the only people there.She starts passing out a packet with a Lamaze magazine in it. I asked her, "Is this ABC's of Babies"? She says no, it's lamaze. We were in the wrong class!

We left that building and drove around to the Women's Pavillion to see if the class was there. We get up to the labor and delivery area to speak to one of the nurses and find out that the classes are actually in a completely different building down the road from the hospital! We didn't even know this building existed! So, we drive around trying to find this phantom building and we finally did. We walk in and caught the end of the baby video. We're going to watch what we didn't see of the video tonight before lamaze.

What we got to enjoy of the class was pretty good. We were the only couple in there that was having twins, so we got to work with two babies. I think Ricky needs a bit more practice on diapering babies, but he did good for his first try! It's very hard to diaper a hard plastic baby doll! The fabric body babies are much easier.

We'll see how class goes tonight.

Britney Marie

"Pain Can Be Controlled--You Just Disconnect It"

Do you ever have those times when it feels like no matter what it is you do or say just isn't right? You can bend over backwards for people, do everything you can to help them, and they look at you like you owed it to them to do it? How do people like that live with themselves? What's the point in doing nice things for people when they never appreciate them anyway? Why do you continue to do these things when you know it will only hurt you later when they don't seem to care? Why do you try to please them? You say, "No more." but know deep down that you're only lying to yourself. How do these people get away with it? They should all be terminated.

Britney Marie

Events Of The Day Before

Ricky and I had to make an emergency trip to PC yesterday. My step-dad got hit by a car while riding his bicycle. He was coming down Cove Blvd. crossing one of the smaller side roads heading from the Yacht Club to his house, and this lady in a white SUV ran him over. The front tire of his bicycle was sucked underneath the car and he was knocked off. He did a few rolls down the road and ended up laying in the middle of Cove Blvd along with his mangled bike. EMT was called and they took him to the hospital. Fortunately, he was wearing his helmet so he lived. He has bruises, cuts, and scrapes on him and is extremely sore, but he's fine.

Yet Another Baby Update

The doctor's appointment went well. They said we do not have TTTS, but getting it is still a possibility down the road. So, I'll just go see the specialist once a month unless something goes wrong.

We did find out some information though. I'm not allowed to travel after 28 weeks. So, no leaving Tallahassee after the last week in May. And most likely we won't have to have them extremely earliy, and I might not need a c-section.

Britney Marie

Our Newest Addition to the Family

Dr. Connors. That is the name of the lizard who has decided he likes to live in our house. He was here once before, I think back around Christmas, or maybe even before. He likes to scurry about so it took Ricky like 3 days to catch him and give him the boot outside. Last night I noticed him back on his wall over the window in the living room. I think I'll let Ricky keep him. Besides, if he gets on the floor, the cats will eat him.

Doctor's appointment in t-minus two hours and counting. I'll update when we get back.

Stephanie

Specialist Appointment & TTTS Information

I can't sleep. Today at 2pm we have an appointment with the maternal-fetal specialist. I hear he's very nice. I keep telling myself that I should go lay down and get some sleep, but I can't stop thinking about Emma and Olivia.

Last night when I also couldn't sleep, I looked up some information on monochorionic diamniotic twins. Monochorionic means that the babies share a placenta. This means they are identical. Diamniotic means they each have their own amniotic sac, which is what keeps them from having the possibility of the umbilical chord wrapping around them (which is a problem with monochorionic monamniotic) and it also means that the twins will not be conjoined, also a good thing to know. Of the different types of identical twins, the mono/di is the most common. Unfortunately, this is the type that has the highest incidence of Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS). It only happens in about 15% of the mono/di pregnancies. There is a 1 in 930 chance of getting TTTS in a given pregnancy.

The problem with TTTS, is that it has nothing to do with the babies. The babies are healthy, it's the placenta. Getting diagnosed before 25 weeks is more serious (and I'm at 19 weeks) because the babies cannot be delivered this early. There are different ways that they try to treat TTTS, but I haven't really been able to understand what exactly it is that they do. I do know that one treatment is laser surgery, but I don't know what that entails.

Our appointment today is a screening to determine if this is what the problem is. It could be that the babies are just two different sizes. I try to remind myself to think on the positive side, but I don't want to be all sunshiney and then have the worst-case scenerio happen and not be prepared for it. I figure if I research everything, good and bad, then I won't be surprised. If I know all about the bad and am ready for it, and we get good news, I'll be that much happier.

If anyone is interested in this subject, you should check out the TTTS Foundation. It has a lot of good information. Ok, off to try to take a nap. *yawn* Keep our family in your thoughts throughout the day please.

Stephanie, Ricky, Emma & Olivia

I Assure You We're Open

I feel like poo.

Britney Marie

Emma & Olivia Update *Very Important*

Ricky and I got some unsettling news today on the phone. Edie, the nurse at my OB, called us today. She just recieved the ultrasound photos from radiology that we had taken at our last appointment. Edie told us that our babies are monochorionic diamniotic, which she says means that they are sharing a placenta and amniotic sac. (Though I was under the impression that di- meant two, so there is a bit of confusion there) Anyways, this means that our babies are most likely identical. We were also told that Baby A is taking the nutrients away from Baby B, which is why Baby B is smaller than Baby A. Right now there isn't much of a difference in their size (Baby A is 7ounces and Baby B is 6ounces) but this could get worse over time. I have been referred to a maternal specialist and have our first apointment this Thursday. I've also been termed "high risk of the high risk" so I can't do much at the moment. Edie also said that it is most likely that we'll have to deliver early and it will most likely be a c-section. I could deliver as early as 24 weeks, which is a month and a half away (I'm at 18 weeks now). I am terrified. I have this overwhelming feeling that I'm killing my babies!!! But I'm doing all that I can.

Unfortunately I've had to cancel my FOB concert with Deidre. I feel terrible. I was looking forward to that SO much!!

I hate this.

Stephanie

Little Did He Know...

Yesterday we got two cribs put together and the changing table / dresser put together. We were working on the armoir (sp?) and they forgot to give us the second box that goes with it. We only had half the pieces! So, we gave up and watched "Stranger Than Fiction". This morning Mom and I are going to go attempt to pick up the second box so we can get the armoir together and then we're going to do some other running around.

Britney Marie

And Now What We've All Been Waiting For...

Two girls. Emma Leigh & Olivia Jayne. Pictures to come later.

Stephanie & Ricky

You Know I Have Stress Induced Dyslexia Dr. Oslek...

Have you ever been told you have to drink a quart of water and not go to the bathroom until after at least 2:30pm? Well, I can tell you...all you want to do is go to the bathroom. This sucks.

In case you're wondering, in order to find out what we're having I have to have a full bladder. Why, I don't know. But them's the rules. So, I have to finish off two and a half more water bottles before 1:30pm, go to the doctor for my 2:30pm appointment and then have a radiologist press down on my abdomen with the ultrasound wand. I really hope my bladder holds.

T-minus 1 hour and 55 minutes and counting until we find out what we're having.

Britney Marie

How Many Cups Of Sugar Does It Take To Get To The Moon?

It's 5:16am and I am awake. The weekend flew by way too fast. I can't believe how fast everything seems to be going by lately. 17 weeks pregnant already. There's just 5 months left. And that does not seem like very long at all! Hopefully we'll be getting the baby furniture in the next few weeks and can start on the nursery. Right now we have all of our junk piled in there. We're planning on having a yard sale at Ricky's parent's house the first weekend in April. After that and giving Mom stuff to keep in her attic we'll have the room cleaned out.

I can hardly wait until Wednesday. Even though I have to have my blood taken I can't wait. So far, the consensus on what we're having seems to be mostly boy/girl with girl/girl not far behind. Boy/boy has only been mentioned three times. My dad was one of them. He said we're going to have "left-handed identical boys"! My stepdad says identical girls. Almost everyone else says fraternal.

Guess what the bestest best friend in the whole world got me?? A 6foot by 4foot poster of Fall Out Boy. Ricky said we can put it in the living room. It's not going to be fun to frame, but it's going to be awesome!!! Deidre has one too, I don't think her husband is going to let her put it in the living room though.

Britney Marie

You Must Smell Like Feet Wrapped In Leathery Burnt Bacon!

Well, it's offical. The babies like to kick me. I've been feeling it like crazy since yesterday. Ricky can't feel it yet, but hopefully he'll be able to soon. Also, we have an appointment set for Wednesday to find out what we're having. Apparently we have to go to Radiology to get them to tell us because our doctor can't tell us by his sonogram. I was really looking forward to finding out last Thursday.

They did do a really quick sonogram and we got to see the babies. Our doctor says that they look great. We couldn't ask for better babies! We got to see spines, rib cages and their faces. Well, at least Ricky did...from the angle I was sitting I couldn't really see. Ricky seemed really excited!

Oh, it was so funny last night. Ricky and I were sitting on the couch watching Law and Order: SVU and he leans over my belly and whispers, "Kick her." And not 5 seconds later I felt it! He did it twice. I don't think I like them listening to him.

Britney Marie

What The Hell Is An Aluminium Falcon???

I agree with what my friend Jessica said in her LiveJournal. You should be able to get a restraining order against stupid people. That is all.

Britney Marie

"Dammit, He Put My Stapler In Jello Again!"

*yawn* It is 5:29am. I should be sleeping for another hour or so. But...clearly, I am not. I woke up this morning at 3:45 when the alarm went off for Ricky. I got up to go to the bathroom, and when I got back, I thought I was going to get sick. I had Ricky get my medicine for me (I couldn't even lean over to my night stand to get it). The second I took that, it hit me. The worst pain I have ever been in, second only to a kidney infection that landed me in the hospital a few years ago. Oh my God! I felt like a had a chest-buster about to pop out!!! I can only assume that what I was experiencing was heartburn. Well, I'm here to tell you, I do not like heartburn. This is the second night in a row I have gotten it, and I got it twice tonight. Aparently I am no longer allowed to sleep on my back, because that's when I start to feel it. I have to sleep on my stomach...it's the only thing I have found to relieve it. Unfortunately I was unable to take any Tums for it because I felt I would lose everything if I was to put anything into my mouth.

About an hour ago I got out of bed and decided to surf the internet for a while. Normally I would try to go back to sleep, but I looked at the syllabus for all my classes yesterday and it turns out that I have a test a 8am today. I thought it was next week. I was wrong. So, now, in addition to being tired, achy, and my heart apparently on fire, I've gotta cram for a test in Brain & Behavior.

Luckily, the heartburn isn't as debilitating as it was when I was laying in bed. I shouldn't have a problem getting to class and taking the test today. Problem is, I just don't wanna go. I am so sick and tired of college it's not even funny. And you know, it doesn't seem like that big of a deal anymore. You know, once you find out you're going to be a parent, everything else seems like it's not really that big of a deal.

Then again, I was thinking the other day. I'm taking the six classes I need to graduate in April. If for whatever reason I do not pass all of these classes I will not have enough credits to graduate. Therefore I will need to take a class or two (or however many I do not pass) during the summer. The problem lies in the fact that my prepaid college ran out this semester. I also have not applied for any summer scholarships because I should be graduating. So, basically, if I pass all my classes everything will be great because I'll have my B.S. and can go out and get my State job or whatever. If I do not pass all my classes this semester, I'll have to figure out some way to pay for classes this summer, going to class while 6, 7, 8 months pregnant. That is going to suck something fierce. If I don't pass my classes and do not come up with the money to finish up in the summer, I will not have my B.S. and will not be able to get my State job and will have to work at some retail store or wherever doesn't require a B.S...translation :crappy pay. So, everything is riding on me passing this semester. I'm already starting off badly because I've been so sick lately. I went to all my classes the first week. Then the morning sickness hit me. And it turns out I have what's called "hyperemesis gravidarum" Click it to check out a website I found on it. Basically it it the worst kind of morning sickness. Sometimes it lasts the whole 9 months.

I know getting stressed out is not going to solve anything. But some things (most things) I just can't help getting bent out of shape about. Don't get me wrong, things are going great with Ricky and I. The doctor says the babies look great. All except the sickness and the dehydration, the pregnancy seems to be going well. I keep hearing that the sicker you are, just means that the babies are healthy. I think that's what keeps me from going completely crazy.

Everyone has been really great in dealing with me lately. I shouldn't have to worry about much maternity clothes thanks to Gen (Thanks again, by the way!!). So, that's one less thing for me to worry about. I also talked to my mom the other day and she said that she would go in and help us get two cribs, a dresser, and a changing table for the babies. The ones we like are at Toys R Us. My dad also said that he would go in on it as well. And my dad doesn't normally help out with things like that. It's kinda nice. Unfortunately, Ricky's family will be unable to help us out. I don't think they'll be able to do anything at all. I can't really blame them, Ricky's sister is getting married in June (babies are due in August) and all of their funds seem to go to her. Not that I'm complaining, I mean, they don't have to do anything for us...but it would really help out. But I understand...a wedding is a big deal. I mean, Ricky and I had ours, and now is is Gert's turn. I just hope the wedding goes well for all the money they're pouring into it.

On to a change of subject. Ricky and I have realized fairly recently that we own the worlds dumbest cat. Abby, aka Abimale, the girl kitty that turned out to be a boy kitty. He is so adorable, and the most lovable kitty I have ever met. But he is dumb as a box of rocks. He "locked" himself in the bathroom the other day. The door was not shut, just closed. He could not figure out how to paw it open. He will go up to open doors and paw at them, trying to get them to "open" because he thinks that they are shut. He is constantly pawing at every door in the house because he thinks he's being locked out of somewhere cool. He also has tried to paw his way into the television screen, Ricky's computer monitor, and a poster of Shaun of the Dead. He also drools when he sleeps. Not to mention the fact that he has taken quite a...shall I say "interest" in a blanket from our bed. I have to knock him off the bed at least once a night because he is "getting busy" with it. Unfortunately for me, the blanket is usually on my leg. We have ultimately determined that if this cat could talk, he would sound like Timmy from South Park. Only he would say "Abby!" I love the cat to death, but boy is he dumb.

The other day I was updating our list of movies that we have. Our movie list is up to 999. One more and we will have 1000 movies. I don't know whether to be proud of that number or ashamed that we have no life and all we do is watch movies.

Wow, I was really not expecting to write nearly this much. Since it's not 6am, I should probably go get my shower and start getting ready for this test I am going to most likely bomb. Check out my pictures for the first belly shot if you're interested. It might not look like much of a "bump" but it's enough for my regular pants to be uncomfortable to wear now.

Britney Marie

Nothing Says "I Love You" Like A Horror Movie

I have the greatest husband in the world. Today I got a dozen roses, a card, Twix candy bars, Care Bear chocolates, and Saw III. *smiles*

People Are Bastard Coated Bastards With Bastard Filling

As I'm waiting at the light at Wal-Mart on Appalachee Pkwy to turn left to go home, there is a car in front of me. As we turn he starts to get into the outside lane and I stay in the inside lane. The guy realizes the lane closes in like 100ft, so he cuts back into my lane. He had plenty of room to do this. He turns around and gives me the finger!! I didn't do anything, but let him back in front of me. Bastard.

Then I'm driving down the Pkwy and this lady in front of me refuses to drive faster than 35mph. I kid you not. It's like her car topped out at 35! She would gun it when the light turned green, but once her car reached 35, she would coast! Ugh! Bastard.

Then, as I'm pulling into the parking lot in front of our apartment, I'm right by the pool. (If you've ever been to our apartment, you know there is a blind curve by the pool and if you're coming from my direction, you need to inch up to make sure you don't run into someone.) So, I'm inching up, and there is a car. So I stop to let him by. And I guess there was something shiny in the parking lot that was just keeping his interest, and he almost runs into my front end! He finally looks at me at the last second and swerves. We weren't going fast at all, and like I said, I was stopped. But still. Bastard.

Britney Marie

Threw Caution To The Wind But I've Got A Lousy Arm

Today I spent the better part of my afternoon in triage at the hospital. Turns out I was quite dehydrated and needed to get IV fluids. I have never had an IV in my life. Today was no fun. Lemme recap the day:

I had an OB/GYN appointment today at 2:30. I go in and they do the usual. Check my weight, make sure I'm doing ok and do an ultrasound. I didn't get to keep a picture today, but the babies are doing great. They were both moving around like crazy. Before I was ready to leave, one of the nurses came in and told my doctor that I was still dehydrated, and it hadn't gotten any better. ( I had gone to the doctor on Tuesday, to get them to call in a prescription that they apparently could not remember to do unless I came in. And that day they checked me for dehydration, which I was slightly.)So, then my doctor calls triage and tells them to expect Ricky and I so I can get an hours worth of IV fluid.

Ricky and I get to triage and have to wait for what seems like forever filling out paperwork before the call us back. They finally call us back and make me put on one of those stupid gowns. So, I'm sitting back there with a nurse and a student nurse giving them my information. They then tell me that the nurse will be in soon to give me my IV. Up until the part where the IV nurse actually walks in, I'm doing ok. As soon as she opens up that curtain, I swear my heartrate tripled!!!

The IV nurse comes in and talks to us for a minute, and to calm me down a little, she lets us hear the babies heartbeats. We hadn't gotten to do that yet, and it was so amazing! After that, it was time for the IV. She puts the tourniquet on my arm and I thought I was going to pass out. I don't think she and Ricky could tell though.Then she swabs it with that alcohol swab thing, and goes, "One, Two, Three..." Oh my God, it hurt so bad!!! And she says, "It will hurt for a few minutes and be sore for a few minutes, but it will get better." Well, after it started to hurt worse, she checked out the tube, and turns out it came out of my vein. She was going to have to do it again!!

Instead of doing it again (my arm was killing me at this point) she said I could just have a glass of water. Now, why she didn't mention the fact that I could just have a glass of water to begin with escapes me. So, she gets me my water, then tells me I won't be able to leave until I can pee in a cup. So, I drink my water, and try to go as best as I can. I knew they weren't going to like it...and I knew they were going to say I was still dehydrated, but I hoped since I did what they asked, I could leave. Nope. IV nurse brings in a second IV nurse and says that I definately need an IV because I am very dehydrated.

IV nurse number two then starts to put a tourniquet on my right arm (my left arm was the one they stuck and made bleed the first time...and I'm still bleeding at this point too!) And I was like, "What are you doing???" She says nothing, but then starts prepping the IV tube again! Before she went any farther she asked what I'd been eating and drinking lately. I told her that I'd been drinking like 6 water bottles or more a night, and it was odd that I was dehydrated still. Then when I told her that I would only eat maybe one meal a day, she said that could account for the look of dehydration. So, instead of getting a second IV, she says to go home and eat more. Then she said if it didn't get better, to come back, and get an IV.

I have another doctor appointment on March 1st. By then I will be 16 weeks and it will be time for blood tests. I am not looking forward to that, but I can handle that a whole heck of a lot better than getting an IV. This was not a good experience for my first IV. I NEVER want another one, even though I know I'm going to need one eventually. My arm is still sore.

"I'll Have A Coke Then..."

I went to take my first test in Computer Literacy. There were four parts to it: 1: Book reading and vocabulary, 2: Windows XP, 3: Microsoft Word, and 4: Microsoft Excel. I got a 30/50 on the Book reading because I didn't read the book. I was surprised I got as many as I did. I got a 20/20 on XP, 24/25 on Microsoft Word and 19/20 in the Excel. Much better than I thought I was going to do. Let's just hope I do as well in the rest of my classes.

Not much else going on. Ricky and I are sitting down watching Battlestar Galactica. We've been meaning to watch it, but haven't gotten around to it until now. James said it was good and let us borrow it, but I think it's going to suck. I'll probably be proved wrong and love it, that happens a lot, but for now I'm sticking to it sucking.

Britney Marie

"People In Glass Houses Sink Ships"

God bless whoever invented Zofran. Turns out I just wasn't taking it enough. So far I haven't been sick in over 24 hours. Yea!! It doesn't keep me completely nausea free, but as long as I'm not stuck in bed or throwing up all day...it's fine with me. Oh, and by the way...I love you all, but if one more person tells me "just eat some crackers" I'm going to punch them in the face. *smiles*

Britney Marie

Build God, Then We'll Talk

This weekend Ricky and I are going to have a Star Wars weekend. We're watching all six of them. Last weekend we watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

I am so tired of being sick all the time. The medicine I was given isn't helping. I threw it up yesterday. Today I've been "incapacitated" three times. It seems to be getting worse. I can't even keep Gatorade down. This sucks.

Time to go lay down. Ugh.
Britney Marie

"Usually I Like To Get Kissed Before I Feel Fucked"

Ten weeks down...thirty weeks to go.

I have been puking my guts up for the past two days. It hurts to talk. I can't eat solid foods. I've been reduced to water, gatorade, and popsicles.

My mom called me a wuss yesterday. Said it was all in my head.

Britney Marie

Pinfeathers and Gullyfluff

I really don't know how much more of this I can take. Will someone, anyone, please give me relief for 24 hours???

As you can see, it isafter 2am, and I still have yet to go to sleep. At 11:30pm, I tried to lay down for bed, and fifteen minutes later decided to get a shower. My mom said that lavender bath stuff would relax me and help me fall asleep. So, after sitting in the tub for a while, I tried to go back to bed at 12:10. I have been laying in bed from then, until now when I got up. No position is comfortable. If I lay on my stomach I feel sick. If I lay on my side, my leg hurts. If I lay on my other side, I feel sick. If I lay on my back, I'm not comfortable.

Every few minutes I munch on crackers to help settle my stomach, and it works for about ten minutes, before I need more.

I have to get up at 6:45 today for class, and I haven't gotten any sleep. I have a full day ahead of me, and at the rate I'm going, I'm not going to make it. 8am-12:15pm I have class, 12:30pm I have a meeting with my adviser, after that I come home to pack, 1:30 I leave for my 2:30 doctor's appointment, after that, it's time to travel to Panama City.

I also can't stop sneezing. Which, in turn, makes my nose run and my head hurt.

I have never heard anyone complain this much while pregnant. I must be some sort of mega-wimp. Ugh! But I can't help it. I feel like crap!!!

Where is a bullet through the head when you need one?

Britney Marie

I Wrote The Gospel On Giving Up

Things have not been going well for me. At least not lately.

I can't find anything to eat. Everything makes me sick. I am so tired of eating bland saltine crackers, but they're the only thing that settles my stomach. I doubt I'll ever eat them again after this. Along with bottles of water. I am so sick of drinking nothing but water too!

I'm having to drop one of my classes now. Stretching and Relaxation. I can't even do that. I got so dizzy during the warm-up last class that I had to go sit outside in the cold to feel better. I have an appointment with my adviser tomorrow to see what else I can take.

The nerve running down the back of my right leg is killing me. It's the sciatic nerve I think. Ugh! It is so painful! The only remedy I can find online is to lay on the opposite side to keep the pressure off, but all that does is make it throb less.

Ricky and I ordered fried rice and I can't eat it. I am tired of eating Fettuccini Alfredo for every meal of every day. I don't want to eat anymore of it until I get to Atlanta this weekend.

Last night, Ricky and I went to bed at 10:30pm, and I didn't fall asleep until almost 2am! I was wide awake the whole time. I couldn't get confortable at all.

I'm freaking out also, because I get so sick in the mornings it's really hard for me to get out of bed to go to class. I'm terrified that I'm going to fail my classes, and not graduate. If I don't graduate this semester, I'll NEVER go back. When will I have the time?

My pants don't fit already. And it's weird, because I've actually only gained (by my scale as of yesterday) 2.5lbs. Now, an extra 2.5 pounds should not be making my pants tight! What the heck is going on???

Deidre and I are supposed to be going to the Fall Out Boy concert this Friday. I'm definately still going, but I'm scared that I'll be sick the whole time. I've been lucky enough not to have thrown up yet. (yeah like you needed to know that!) But that doesn't mean I don't feel like I'm going to constantly!

Also, I'm going to be this huge blimp in Ricky's sisters wedding! As much as I'm looking forward to Gert's big day, I'm dreading taking any pictures!! Selfish, I know, but I can't help it. I'm going to look awful!!! Ugh!

"Do Snakes Have Hair?" "They Do When Their Ferrets!"

Ugh...I am not doing so well. I skipped out on my three classes this morning. I just couldn't drag myself out of bed. It's not for lack of sleep, Ricky and I were in bed by 10:30 last night, and I didn't have to get up until 7am. I just feel like crap that was hit by a bus. I have hardly even gotten out of my pajamas. Last night I got up from to couch to take a dvd out of the player, and I thought I was going to hurl my guts up so I had to sit back down.

This really sucks. Hopefully there is only 3 more weeks of the awful morning sickness. Oh, and by the way, whoever coined the term "morning sickness" is a dirty rotten liar, because I feel like crap all day!! I'm so glad we're having twins so I only have to do this once...then again, because it's twins, everything has been heightened. Ugh!

In other news, Deidre and I are going to a Fall Out Boy concert this Friday. I don't care if I have to ride with my head out the window puking along the way...I am going to this concert if it's the last thing I do!!!

My cousin Parker is also coming in this weekend. Hopefully Deidre and I will get back in time on Sunday for me to go by and see him for a while. Maybe I'll skip my Tai Chi class on Monday and stay in Panama City and extra day. Then again, it all depends on how I'm feeling. I may just want to head home.

Ok, well, I've sat in an upright position for aparently too long...I need to go lay down. Ricky should be home in less than two hours...Ok, nap time.

Britney Marie

PS. My next doctors appointment is this Thursday, so I should have some more sonogram photos to post then.

Foods That Make You Go *blech*

If I never see another saltine cracker again, it will be too soon...*blech*

Britney Marie

Sonogram & A Surprise

We're having TWINS!!! Here's the sonogram from 12.28.06 (on top, when there's one baby...) and from 01.04.07 (on bottom, where there's two babies!)

Oh...My...God...

Stephanie

I Have Had It With Theses Motherfucking Snakes On This Motherfucking Plane

I heart this movie.

I have been so sick lately. This baby is really kicking my butt. I've done nothing but park my behind on the couch and get up to go to the bathroom, take a shower, and go to bed. I felt alright today, so Ricky and I did some running around to get my books for next semester. I have felt like crap for the past few weeks though. Poor Ricky has been making me food that I can never finish. He's been really great to me though. He's so sweet. He wrote a blog about the baby the other day. It's pretty funny.

Alright, well, I'm off to see if Shoney's has responded to my email to send our local Shoney's more pie (Shoney's strawberry pie is the only thing that sounds remotely appetizing lately...and they've been sold out for a week now!!! How much does that suck???). Ok, byes!

Britney Marie