Random Morning Post

I got up early this morning to use the bathroom and couldn't go back to sleep since. Siigh Pregnancy. Ended up getting hungry, so I went downstairs to eat a bagel. It ended up being a nice relaxing decision. It got me to think about life in general lately. I probably won't have these kinds of mornings for awhile when the babies arrive, where I can just relax and drink hot tea... so I'll just try to relish as much of it as I can. I'm not really a morning person, so waking up early for no reason is different for me.

I had an ultrasound yesterday (I've had so many!) and got to see Baby A's face again. (The 3D image was so clear!!) And again, we couldn't see Baby B. =P She's facing my back or to the side every time we try. I got to see both of them move around a lot though and I saw Baby A stick her tongue out a couple of times. =) Would have been nice if I could have gotten a nice picture of Baby B to add in to my collage. hehe But I'm sure I'll take plenty of pictures of both of them when they are out & about in the world. I can't believe I'm going to be a mama of 3 kids!

My 30th Birthday!

Yesterday was my birthday, the big 3-0. If someone would have told me that I'd be celebrating my 30th birthday with a husband, a 2 year old, and twin girls in my belly - I would be like "yeahh right" But life is awesome like that and will surprise you. I spent my actual birthday relaxing at home with Miles, reading sweet comments and birthday greetings on Facebook, and getting phone calls or text messages from friends and family. And I also got flowers and gifts in the mail! It was perfect and touching. 

When Tim got home, we went out for dinner. He didn't tell me where we were going and just drove. We ate at Apricot's Restaurant for the first time. We've driven by this restaurant before, especially when we first move to Connecticut but it always felt like a place that we should dress up in. It's a nice restaurant - quaint and cute. The food was delicious. We ate upstairs which was pretty nice. There was a family in the next table that thought Miles was so well-behaved that they told their waitress that they will cover our desserts! It was so sweet and random. We ended up talking to them for a little bit and they were such a sweet family.

After dinner, we went home and tucked Miles into bed. Tim actually had more surprises for me. He gave me so many thoughtful presents that included a pair of awesome colored Nikes, Lean In book that I've been wanting to read, comfy sandals, and last but definitely not least, original and custom artwork that depicted our family. I was very touched and surprised by the last gift. It was perfect. The artist, Sheila Asbell Allen, is from Bloomington, Illinois and my first piece I got from her was Tim's 1st anniversary present to me years ago. Tim really outdid himself this year and it made me smile very much. =) I thought the weekend was my birthday surprise and which I was totally happy with. My actual birthday was very memorable and such a wonderful way to start my 30s. I'm very grateful.

Early Birthday Surprise!

I'm sitting at the kitchen table while Tim and our friend Eric watch the Michigan/Notre Dame game on DVR. Today, well, I guess it's yesterday now since it's past midnight, has been awesome. I woke up thinking the day was just going to be another day - with a little work party event at Tim's work and getting some errands/chores done in the house. Nothing major but that was fine.

Instead, the doorbell rang in the morning after Tim & I just woke up (we woke up late). I was thinking "Who is that?" Tim went down and answered it and came back up to tell me it was a girl I sold something to and she wanted to ask me something. I was like "What? I didn't get any messages.. who is here? What?" As I was walking the down the stairs, I look to the living room and there stood my friends Marilen, Melissa, and Eric!!! I was so so surprised! They drove from NYC to surprise me and even brought some Crumbs cupcakes! =) It was so nice to see them, I was genuinely touched. =)

Tim, Miles, and Eric ended up going to Tim's work party thing while the girls stayed behind to just chitchat and hang out. I loved it. I love my friends so much and they made me feel so special today.

Then Tim and the guys came back home with a surprise for me! Tim got me a BURGER BIRTHDAY CAKE WITH FRIES & A COKE! I was sooo surprised =) I have always wanted a burger cake since middle school. haha And honestly, it's the only gift I wanted for my 30th birthday. haha Random, I know.. but true! I was so giddy. They sang Happy Birthday to me and we took lots of pictures. The cakes were done soo nicely. Secret sauce and everything! The details were perfect. Tim also ordered some empanadas from a favorite place of ours at West hartford. Such a great surprise! We ended up enjoying the cake at night after dinner. It was delicious! We were all genuinely surprised that a cake that looked good actually tasted good too. What a wonderful surprise! High five Tim =)  I love you so much.

Labor Day Weekend

During the long weekend, we went to Boston one day for a little day trip. Tim and I wanted to just hang out and eat at our favorite restaurant there. The place is called Giacomo's and it's so good. When we went there last time, we got very lucky and didn't have to wait for a table. We realized after that this restaurant is so legit and that people line up for hours to get a table here. And Labor Day weekend, we weren't as lucky as the first time with the wait. We waited an hour outside for a table (the restaurant itself is pretty small). It's ok, it was pretty fun to wait outside. There were a lot of people walking around and the people by us in line were pretty cool. The dinner didn't disappoint too, so it was all good.

After dinner, we walked around a little bit. Miles even made a friend when were at a little park/fountain area. He even hugged the girl and snuck in a kiss! We were all pretty surprised and it was a very cute "aww" moment.

Tim took more photos of me for "belly bump" pictures so that was pretty nice. This belly of mine keeps on growing, so it'll be nice to look back one day to see these pictures. I got many comments walking around Boston regarding my belly. =) It's so big in real life. haha

Miles Plays Baseball & a 32 Week Belly Bump Photo Session

Last night, we hung out with our neighbors and had dinner at their place. They had some friends over as well, and we all hung out outside. Miles played T-Ball with the guys. He did great! We haven't used his T-Ball set in so long so Tim & I were surprised at how well he actually hits the ball. And he's never attempted to hit the ball from a regular pitch and he did great! I was genuinely shocked, impressed, and proud. =) I guess Baseball Mama is in my future. ; )

The other night, I had a little belly bump photo session done by Timmyk Photography, hehe. Tim did great taking some photos of me and I had fun editing them online. I figured it was about time to get some "for real" (not using a phone) pictures taken while pregnant. We had fun and we'll probably do another round of photo taking outside this coming weekend.

Here's a sweet shot of the big brother, Kuya Miles, using his sisters as a pillow =)

Friendly Visit

Our friends Carla and David visited us this week - they arrived Sunday and left out Tuesday. We had a great time with them. Miles loved playing with them and definitely asked where they were today. It was fun to just hang out, eat some good food, and just chill with great friends. Very refreshing. I'm really glad they included Connecticut in their East Coast Tour Vacation =)

The first night, we made them a very filling dinner, hehe. And the next dinner, we took them to our favorite pizza place in town - Frank Pepe's. They liked it too. We also took them to an orchard. Originally, I wanted to go there for their sunflower maze but the flowers have already bloomed and are starting to get dark and wilt. Soo... we decided to just pass on the maze and pick a few fruits instead. Miles is a big fan of picking fruits right now, so we definitely did it for him. We left the orchard with only a handful of fruits - which still made Miles very happy =)

My tummy is definitely getting bigger and tighter these days. It's nice to have visitors instead of driving anywhere now =P Getting more and more tired. These babies of mine are movers and it's such an odd feeling! They squirm around so much. =) I'm going to the OB every 2 weeks now!

Baby A Photo Op!

On Thursday, Miles & I headed over to the hospital for another ultrasound. I'm getting them every month now. Miles is so used to the process, haha. He was repeating what the ultrasound tech was saying.. "That's Baby A's head". He even called himself Dr. Khoury. hehe

Everything looked good for both of the babies. They are measuring nicely. They are big babies so far! =) Weighing in at 3 lbs 4 oz (Baby A) and 3 lbs 9 oz (Baby B) - the average for a singleton at 30 weeks is 3 lbs. Their heart rates are similar to one another and at a good rate, so that's always a good sign. I can't believe I'm 30 weeks pregnant now. Time to get the hospital bag ready ... and clean up the house.. and etc etc etc etc! =)

The ultrasound tech got a good picture of Baby A's face. We couldn't see Baby B too well, and at one point, she ended up turning towards my back/spine so we couldn't see at all =P Maybe next time. I'm getting so excited to see my little babies. I wonder what they both look like. Even with her hands in front of her face, this picture is still pretty clear. She looks like she has blonde/light hair right? heh

Farmers Markets, Blueberry Picking, and the Movies!

We packed in so many activities this weekend! Friday, after Tim got home from work - we did some errands by starting to get some baby stuff for home. We also tried out a new Indian restaurant that a friend recommended. At the restaurant, there was a family that came in with twin baby boys. They sat at the table next to us, and Miles kept watching the 2 babies. He cared about them and hushed himself since the babies were sleeping. =) It was cute.

Saturday, we started the day early and picked up something I bought from Craigslist. After that, we went to a Farmers Market at a nearby city. It was so hot and sunny but we had a good time nonetheless. The market was at a park, so we also walked to the playground and Miles got to play a little. There was also a baseball game going on, so we walked over and watched some of it. Miles was so into it. I love seeing him sit up straight and paying attention to everything in the game. Later on, we went home and started to do some cleaning and de-cluttering around the house. We want to get rid of stuff we don't need anymore so we can make space for all of the baby stuff we do need. 

Sunday, we went to another farmers market. This farmers market is one of the most popular farmers market in Connecticut. I mainly wanted to go there to attend a Babywearers Group meeting. I want to learn and be more comfortable using a baby wrap. I used a Moby Wrap with Miles a handful of times but I don't think I ever truly got comfortable with it. Hopefully by seeing more women use it properly, I can get more confident with it. There was a Fife & Drum event going on at the market and that was fun to watch. We also enjoyed some food at the market for lunch.
After the market, we drove to a blueberry farm and picked our own blueberries. Miles had soo much fun picking blueberries. It was so cute to see him walk around with his bucket - picking and eating blueberries! I heard him giggle and say "yumm!" many times. It was so funny. He didn't want to leave.

Later on, we went home for a little bit and cleaned some more and ate dinner - using stuff we got from both of the farmers markets. We surprised Miles with a little treat and took him to the movie theater. He was so happy throughout the whole experience. He was laughing so hard - I'm pretty sure everyone could hear his laugh! He loved eating the popcorn. He had a smile on his face 99% of the time. It was so cute. We watched Monsters University. Miles was really into it whenever we would see any pictures or toys from it, so he was pretty familiar with the characters already. I was a little iffy about him actually getting scared of the movie, but he cracked up so much throughout. He also brought his "baby" with him to the movie. His baby (the blue penguin) is fairly new. He's had that penguin for awhile but recently, he has noted her as his baby and called her "Maya" =) He puts his baby to sleep and covers her with a blanket. He has 2 babies.. the other baby is the giraffe. He plays with the penguin more though. =) He's so cute and sweet about the 2 babies - we're very excited to see how he'll interact with his sisters in the future.

We had a very busy and fun-packed weekend. It was great spending time with Miles and Tim this weekend. I'm 28 weeks pregnant .. so we're trying to soak in some family of 3 time as much as we can before things get really busy with babies =)

Western Connecticut

This past weekend, we had no plans other than a hospital/maternity ward tour on Sunday - which was great. It was nice to just have a lazy morning on Saturday and get up whenever. We decided we would go to Hartford and check out the Jazz Festival going on, but during the drive, Miles fell asleep. Since Miles hardly naps, we like to keep him sleeping whenever he does doze off. So, we kept driving. Eventually, Tim asked if I wanted to head west. Surewhynot. So, we drove heading towards Kent Falls. We first saw and randomly stopped at Mohawk State Park and then we headed to Kent Falls State Park. We hung out there for a bit. Miles played soccer and we saw the falls. There were a lot of families at Kent Falls State Park bbq-ing and just hanging out. After that, we started to head back east. We saw and stopped at Arethusa Farm Dairy to get some ice cream/milkshake. It was such a preppy area. The ice cream and milk shake there were all tasty. We also bought some chocolate milk to bring home. Tim shared his ice cream cone with Miles because their scoops were pretty significant! Miles made a friend instantly inside, this little girl ended up telling me that "he's so cute" =) They ended up playing together inside the ice cream shop and also outside while we were all eating our treats. We got home fairly late and Miles was zonked out after our spur of the moment road trip.

On Sunday, we had a tour of the hospital/maternity ward that I will give birth at - St. Francis Hospital in Hartford. We dropped Miles off at a friend's house before going to the tour - she has 2 young boys, so Miles barely missed us and had a great time playing with his friends. The tour was really good - I was impressed by the hospital and their sense of family-centric values and also how they talked about breastfeeding & skin-to-skin time. It's nice to see that kind of information shared and encouraged. Also, I'm 27 weeks pregnant now.. into my 3rd trimester! I can't believe it's already my last trimester. I'm getting more excited and scared about it all. I'm definitely giddy to see the girls but I've been getting nervous about everything every now and then. Keep on praying and thinking positive...

Pregnancy Update - Babies at 25 Weeks

I'm 25.5 weeks pregnant now. I had an ultrasound yesterday to check up on the babies 'growth. With multiples, they monitor more frequently - I feel like I have some sort of appointment every week!

This pregnancy so far has been so different from the first time around in many ways. My pregnancy with Miles didn't really give me any nausea or much pain. This pregnancy definitely has! I had so much nausea in the beginning and definitely a lot of pain and discomfort with my hips and pelvis after the nausea wore off. I've been going to prenatal yoga, a chiropractor, and now a physical therapist to help with the hip & pelvic pain.. hence, I always have some kind of appointment on top of my OB and ultrasound appointments. Miles has been great and patient through them all - Mama is always prepared with distractions though!

Babies update - they are doing great. They are very active and I feel them all the time. Tim has felt them kick and squirm many times and so has Miles. Miles' reaction to feeling the babies move was so priceless - wide-eyed with his mouth open! hehe Tim and I have been so happy with Miles' reactions to the babies so far. He includes them in everything - like having a place setting for the babies while sitting around in his room eating the dinner "he made", drawing the babies, and including them in his scribbles of "Mama Papa Miles Babies!" (a long squiggly line) He loves to kiss my belly (2 times!) and say hi to the babies. Hopefully, Miles will stay loving towards his sisters when they arrive. I'm definitely excited to see how he'll be with them.

At my ultrasound yesterday, I found out that the babies are weighing in at around 1 lb 15 oz each! Their heart rates are great and similar to each other. They are growing so nicely. I may have little chunkers on my hands by October! ; ) I read on one of my pregnancy apps that a (single) baby at 25 weeks should be around 1.5 lbs right now. hah I pretty much have about 4 lbs of babies in my tummy right now at 25 weeks... and with Miles, he was born weighing in at 6 lbs 12 oz. I have lots of time left too... so we'll see how much bigger the girls (and I!!) get!