It's Moving Day!

Same address, but practically everything is getting shuffled around our home today to make room for the nursery. I made these floorplans well in advance so we'd know exactly where everything is going to go, but considering four rooms in total are getting moved about in order to make this happen I think it's safe to still expect some chaos.

And yes, the floorplans are meticulously and precisely to scale. If you're more than just casually acquainted with me then you probably didn't even need to ask. ; )

- L.

Whose Feet Are These?

*sigh*

Well, I can still manage my own pedicure at least.

- L.

Thinking In Twos

Lately when I see a new mom with her baby, for a split second I find myself wondering where her *other* baby is.

- L.

Gaviscon: My New BFF

The really bad reflux during the night started a few weeks ago – two babies pressing on your innards will do that. There's precious little medication you can take when you're pregnant, and that applies to pretty much any affliction, but fortunately there are some remedies on the safe list for reflux.

Unfortunately I met with zero success when I tried Zantac and Tums and grew weary of forking over cash for remedies that didn't work (although Tums is good for calcium if nothing else I guess). In fact, I had fully resigned myself to not be able to recline any less than 45° for the duration of my pregnancy—and if you've ever had to do it, then you know that sleeping while you're practically sitting upright is no fun. The truth is you can sleep that way all you want, but it will never be the same as a proper lie-down sleep.

Last week I spied these Gaviscon chewables in the obstetrician's office and made M. scoop a pack. It was only a single serving, but what sweet relief! I slept laying down for a good 4–5 hours that night. I realize that might not sound so good by comparison to your sleep, but for me it was like a miracle. I got M. to pick up a bottle of these the very next day and have continued to enjoy at least a portion of the nighttime laying down like regular people. It's amazing how much you can miss something you don't even give a second thought to until it's gone, and how even a little relief can be such bliss.

- L.

Squeerybeeks!

Thanks to Auntie Lo in comments, I learned a fantastic new word today. M's great grandma coined the term "Squeerybeeks" as a term of endearment to be used for all children not yet born. This is so awesome I don't know how it hasn't made it into the dictionary by now, but I'll be doing my part to use it until it does. : )

- L.

In Love With Cloth

Cloth has come a long way baby!

I first encountered a circle of cloth diaper enthusiasts online around the time we found out I was pregnant and have to admit that although I hadn't given cloth vs. disposables much thought, I was intrigued right away. I wondered at the extra work involved, but figured there had to be some really good benefits given the increasing popularity of using cloth – it's a booming business these days and all those eager women weren't coming off like martyrs for a cause. They were all completely into it!

Here's what I found: the ecological and financial aspects almost seem secondary to those who are feeling the cloth love (although those are two undeniably good reasons right there). Even with the initial expenditure of cloth, it's a huge money saver in the long run (esp. when you're diapering for two!). I think the real, practical benefits though seem to come directly from use: minimal diaper rash and blowouts, the ability to customize absorbency towards individual needs, less odor from both soiled diapers as well as factory perfumes, easier (and earlier) potty learning and most importantly, comfort for baby. Makes sense – cloth vs. paper wins against my bottom too!

The pic above is more or less our completed starter stash, minus 2 additional pairs of wool covers. I kept everything pretty basic for now, with mostly Indian cotton prefolds (30 per baby) and adjustable covers (12 total) – but we splurged on a dozen fleece and hemp fitted diapers too. We've also added 4 pairs of wool covers for overnight since you can't beat wool for being naturally odor/moisture repellant as well as breathable. I have yet to hear anyone mention an overnight blowout or leakage when using these – maintenance for wool is pretty easy too.

Personal enthusiasm aside (and in case anyone is curious), I have no issue with disposables or the people who love them. There's a time and a place for sposies even if you're loving the cloth. We happily plan on using disposables during our stay in the hospital and if the boys are under 6 lbs. at birth we'll continue using them until they get big enough to fit the cloth diapers.

If anyone is still following along on this post and would like to know more about ordering cloth diapers in Canada, the bulk of our order came from Caterpillar Baby in Toronto (listed under Favorite Places in the left sidebar). I thought I'd gush about them a little since they personally delivered our order the next day and even threw in a nice freebie item. I'd highly recommend them to any and all. : )

- L.

The Baby Report: 28 Weeks

We had our 28 week ultrasound this morning and everything is looking good. Last time both babies were head-down which is optimal, but currently Baby B has moved into a transverse (sideways) position. I kind of had a feeling something was up after all the major acrobatics over the last week or so. Our OB also thought Baby B had been on the move at our visit last Thursday when he was manually sizing up the babies positions.

So far Baby A hasn't budged which is of greater significance since as long as he stays head down we're still in business for a vaginal delivery. Baby B might turn again on his own (there's still plenty of time even if space is lacking), or he may be able to be turned after Baby A is delivered, or if necessary he can even be delivered breech if the doctor is willing once Baby A is free and clear (fingers crossed that he turns over on his own though).

As for the stats, Baby A is weighing in at 2.7 lbs. and Baby B is not far behind at 2.55 lbs., which puts them in the 65th and 60th percentiles respectively. They are both measuring approximately 15.7" in length. The technician commented on our "tall babies", so of course I had to look it up when I got home. Average baby weight for 28 weeks is 2.2 lbs. and average length is 14.8", so it looks like we're growing some big babies (at least for now). Glad there's still room to grow in there, even if it doesn't feel like it. They're making their mama (and daddy) proud!

- L.

The Mommy Report: 28 Weeks

Well, here I am at 28 weeks. I'm not sure there's much difference between now and 4 weeks ago when I look at the pictures, but I certainly *feel* a lot bigger in real life. I also seem to have a plant growing out of my head.

- L.

New Pet Peeve

Use of the word twin in a punny way, as in: bulletwin, twintensity, twindividual, twinterchangeable, twincentive, twincessant, twinsanity, etc.

You get the idea.

- L.

Third Trimester Today

We made it – we're officially in the third trimester today! Our baby boys are roughly 2 lbs. each and approximately 14 inches long. All of their major systems are formed, fingers and toes are accounted for and this week they are practicing opening and closing their eyes.

I can't believe it's been 25 weeks since I opened my eyes to see this:



This photo was taken in early June, but today seems like a good day to (finally) post a pic of my positive pee-stick in celebration of our pregnancy milestone. At this point, we still had another 3 weeks to wait before we would find out we were expecting twins.

- L.

Online Shopping Is Fun!

It's amazing the damage you can do with a credit card when you're cooped up with sore, swollen feet. : )

1.) Cloth Diapers

Crazy or not, we'll be cloth diapering (and laundering) for two. I've been dying to order our cloth stash since about 5 minutes after I found out I was pregnant so I finally had at it and bought a generous supply of prefolds and covers. The Thirsties Duo Wrap Covers (shown top left) are adjustable from 6–18 lbs and the prefolds are for newborn plus the next size up. We should be pretty well stocked for awhile. I also added some newborn fitted diapers (for convenience), some wool soakers (for overnight), an assortment of flannel and terry cloth wipes and a top-quality diaper sprayer (no dunking or soaking those dirty diapers — yay!).

2.) Organic Cotton Rabbit Rattle

It's a soft toy with a rattle inside. Handmade in Canada. No fussy details. Perfect.

3.) Ringley Organic Teething Toy

OK, they won't need teething toys right away, but I'm saving on shipping by ordering them now. Plus they look pretty fun to wave around and drool on even if you don't have teeth.

4.) Sophie the Giraffe

Because I just had to.

Oh, and much more... but these were some of my favourite finds from our order at Parenting By Nature.

I just love that more and more products like these are being offered as an alternative to heavily branded, cartoon-saturated toys and apparel.

- L.

Something Red

I've been asked a few times if we're planning a theme for the nursery and the short answer is "no". We are however going heavy on a colour scheme and I thought I'd post a couple items we've bought/received for the nursery that aren't blue and white in case anyone was starting to worry that we're overdoing it with the blue. Much like our blog colours, we'll be adding a hit of red here and there to give the nursery a bit of punch.

Deciding to add red as an accent colour was most certainly inspired by this:



Produced as a 16" x 20" limited edition print, this fine work of art by Robert Chaplin is based on the World's Shortest Fairy Tale (also by Robert Chaplin). It's fun and whimsical with a simple graphic style. We actually received this as a gift before we were expecting, but we knew right away it would be perfect for our nursery someday.

The coordinating Elephant Shoe, I Love You print will be a sweet accompaniment on the nursery walls as well.



We also found this during our search for nursery furniture:



IKEA sells these cute drawer inserts in red that fit the shelving unit we've bought, so we've added 2 in red and 2 in white to store items we don't necessarily want on display — sort of like extra dresser space (which I'm sure will always be in demand around here).

- L.

Sweet Dreams

Last weekend, M and I ventured out briefly so I could hobble my way through Pottery Barn Kids for some cute bedding for the babies. We'll probably top this up with some less expensive solid coloured sheets in blue and white, but couldn't resist the Shooting Stars fitted sheets and crib skirts (the Z for Zebra sheets matched nicely too!) to get things started. We also added in a couple of reversible fleece blankets and Boppy pillows (with matching dots and stripes fleece covers). The material on both is very washer-friendly and unbelievably soft — perfect for breastfeeding, cuddles and tummy time.

- L.

Some Assembly Required

Boxes, boxes everywhere filling up our living room after IKEA delivered the bulk of our nursery furniture this afternoon. M will have his work cut out for him assembling everything — fortunately he's become an expert at all things IKEA since we got married. I'm not going to mention the new office chair with the upside down seat he put together last night because he was probably pretty fatigued after spending most of the morning and afternoon shopping for everything yesterday.

I couldn't even accompany him on that arduous trek since my feet are currently too sore and puffed out to allow for too much mobility (getting that checked out tomorrow in case you're wondering). I'm so glad M's mom was available to keep him company and help out with the shopping — also made sure he got fed. Thanks Leslie!

Zed is in the background surveying the scene and she's not too impressed. The chair she's sitting on is M's old office chair and it's going out with the garbage tonight. It's had a good life but will be sorely missed by our cat who has spent many hours safeguarding it in M's absences. Poor Zed. She has no idea how much everything is going to change very, very soon.

- L.

Double Digits

99 days to go — based on an average 40 week non-twin pregnancy anyway. In reality, most twins arrive around 37 weeks so we can subtract 21 days or so from that. Wow. Sitting here wondering how it's all gone by so fast.

- L.

Cuteness.

Title says it all. As well as a stash of onesies we picked up 2 each of these cute outfits, and while I won't be one to dress the boys alike when they're past their newborn stage, at this point — overwhelmed with a sea of choices — it's just easier. Since we're not sure how big they'll be upon arrival and knowing that twins are likely to be on the smaller side, we bought the striped outfits in preemie and the patterned outfits in newborn. We still have a long way to go with getting enough of everything, but it's a good start.

Oh, and how about those tiny hats?



I could look at these all day. So cute. *sigh*

- L.

Our Sweet New Ride

Well after much talk, searching, comparing prices and safety ratings we finally decided on (and leased) a brand new Toyota RAV4. It's wonderful and just feels so much safer — not to mention spacious — when you're sitting in it. Lots of storage space in the back too — no more cramming the groceries in, plenty of room for a stroller and such (maybe the cat too). Next destination: car seats.

- L.