Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! We celebrated Halloween yesterday with Heather's family and my parent's by going to Trunk or Treat. My mom made Levi's and Isabelle's costumes: Little Bo Peep and her sheep. They were just too cute. Isabelle even surprised us by wearing her hat the whole time. We were amazed.

She did really well Trunk or Treating too. She wanted to have people give her the candy directly...not put it in the bag. She liked to put it in the bag. She sometimes would like to exchange whatever was in her hand for the new candy too and often times did. She was really good at saying, "Please" and "Thank you" and "More". She was super slow, but she seemed to enjoy it.

When she was done, she just wanted to cuddle with her daddy...

The smiles didn't last long though...she didn't have patience for a family picture. Ugh...

Overall, she did amazing though. Way better than we even hoped for. Levi and her were super cute and super well behaved...and they both kept their costumes on! Yay!!

28 Weeks Doctor Appointment

This morning I had another doctor appointment. I had to take a glucose test and have a sonogram so it was quite eventful as far as doctor appointments go. Since I went in fasting for the past 11 hours, I already wasn't doing well. I totally meant to grab a snack or two to take and eat after my blood was drawn, but I totally forgot in the whole hustle and bustle of getting all three out of the house this morning. That turned out to be a big mistake. When I had my last sonogram at 19 weeks, I didn't do well and got really faint and nauseous. This time was even worse. The sonographer actually had to open up her lunch bag and get me her granola bar and water. I was so embarrassed, but TOTALLY thankful. I had the cold sweats and everything. I did a lot better for the second half of the sono, but I was VERY grateful to have it over with! Everything looked well...really well actually. Baby A is measuring 3 pounds 1 ounce and Baby B is measuring 2 pounds 15 ounces. Yes people, I already have exactly six pounds of baby in me. Don't get me wrong...I'm super happy they are measuring big, but let's face it: some people have their full term baby and it is smaller than my two 28 week babies combined. I just read a blog where the baby was born at 5 pounds 11 ounces. By their weight alone, they are not measuring 28.5 weeks like I am, but actually 30.5 weeks. Once again...I'm totally happy and excited they are measuring big, but ugh...I feel it!
As for the actual doctor appointment, it went a little less exciting, but more depressing. I've gained 14 pounds (am I really admitting this to everyone who reads my blog?!?) since my last appointment just under five weeks ago. Of course my doctor is concerned about this much weight gain. I had to admit that I'd been eating a lot of nuts and Slurpees over the past five weeks...but even then he said there is no way I'd gain that much weight in that amount of time unless is was water weight...which is why he's concerned. So then I also had to admit that I've begun to see the swelling within the past week/week and a half. Then I got lectured about not laying down enough and pushing myself too hard. He even threatened to put me on bed rest. Yikes! Okay...okay. I'll lay down more... So here I am...not laying down, sitting at the computer blogging, doing just what I said I would avoid. However, if my doctor had as bad of heartburn, joint pain and itching as I've got right now, he wouldn't be laying down either!

Seventh Move (and counting...)

We just completed our 7th move in 2.5 years of marriage. Our stuff is starting to complain and break a part. Not good. Especially since one of the things is our crib...

One Week Down

So here we are...one week from taking Isabelle's pacifiers away. I have to admit, it went better than I thought it would...but at the same time it's been worse than I thought too. Let me explain. After we cut the pacifier last Saturday, we discovered the worst part of it all was putting her to sleep and after she she woke up. Tantrums ensued...tears were shed on both Isabelle's and my account...and wanting to give up and give in to her was definitely considered. I think the longest tantrum she threw was about an hour and a half. However by Thursday, the tantrums were only five minutes and for the most part, we don't have all out tantrums anymore when it is bed time and time to get up. So, it that respect, here we are a week later totally weaned and it wasn't tooooo bad...considering. Now for the other side of things. While Isabelle could definitely throw a tantrum before, we'd never seen anything like we have in the past week. Ultimately I believe this is because when she threw tantrums before, we would give her the pacifier and she would calm down. Now, she doesn't have that, so she is having to learn how to sooth herself without the pacifier. I definitely did NOT see this coming...and this is definitely the hardest part. Now instead of a hitting problem, we have a hitting and a kicking and a tantrum throwing problem. Instead of five minute tantrums, we have all out 45 minute tantrums that the only way she can pull herself out of it is by either going to sleep or me somehow distracting her with a song or going outside. One reason this is also really hard is for the same reason getting rid of the pacifier was hard. I'm just as addicted to putting it in her mouth as she is...and I just want to give into her when she throws a tantrum to make it stop. We are definitely all a work in progress, because Curt has his issues too like wanting to yell, but that doesn't work either... Ugh, we are definitely all struggling trying to figure out the best way to handle this. Overall, I can honestly say my child no longer gets a pacifier and that she is completely weaned. We just have a whole host of other problems to deal with now...

Need advice? I put together my own FAQs. :)
Things I wish I'd known/done before taking the pacifier away:

• I wish I'd taken the pacifier away before the crib. Then she could've cried it out in her crib instead of in the bed next to me kicking my belly. Can I say ouch enough times? Trust me. It hurts and tests EVERY bit of patience I have!
• Originally without the pacifier she attached herself to her favorite blanket. A day or two in I thought this was a good thing. Then after a 45 minute temper tantrum about her "manket," of which she had the whole time, I changed my mind. I'm pretty sure she wanted to use the blanket to sooth herself, however the blanket obviously didn't sooth her in the way the pacifier did, so she got really really frustrated with it. Now we are to the point that the blanket does more harm than good. 
• For us, one of the automatic pacifier times was in the car. We had gotten to the point that during the day, the car rides were the most addicted to the pacifier times. To wean her off these times, we sing to her fun songs. I wish I had acquired a CD of some sort with fun kid songs on it before going cold turkey. 
• I'm not totally convinced going cold turkey is the way to go. Of course there are benefits of doing it...however, I would think emotionally for both Isabelle and me it would have been better to go with our first idea and take it away during the day...then the car seat...then naps...then bedtime and then be done. Of course this would take a lot longer and it would be much easier to cheat. However, I think this has been a really rough week for Isabelle when it comes to learning and being pushed pretty far really fast. 
• I think 18 months is a rough age to do this at. I know it would be rough at any age, but I wish I'd done it during the 9 to 12 month window. I think if I had done it then we would have had to wean ourselves more than her. Except that's when her sleeping was having the biggest issues and when I stopped breast feeding too, so I don't now how that would have worked either. Doing it older sucks too, but I think that mentally they can process why more. I got advice to do the "You don't need a pacifier, you're a big girl..." approach, however Isabelle has no comprehension of what that means. I was scared that she wouldn't understand the broken pacifiers, but she learned what that meant pretty fast. If I use the pacifier again for our other children, I would probably wean them at a year and definitely no later than 14 or 15 months. 

Would I use the pacifier again?

• I honestly don't know. Isabelle had a really really rough beginning. Of course during the rough beginning she didn't really take the pacifier either... I pretty much forced it on her and she didn't really like it until about four months. However, I would totally do it again for Isabelle. She had issues with her suck to...she thrusted her tongue out when she sucked...which KILLED me as a nursing mother. Once she finally figured out the pacifier and learned to suck different so she could keep it in, everything nursing-wise took care of itself. If it hadn't worked out this way, I don't know what I would have done. I was so determined to nurse and not give up, but the pain was intolerable at times. So, for that reason alone I'm grateful for the pacifier. 
• Another reason I'm pro-pacifier is it kept Isabelle's hands out of her mouth. Now that she doesn't have it, the hands are in her mouth. She doesn't suck on them, but she chews and actually bites them. Plus it is really gross to me. Curt and I were both thumb suckers and we want to avoid this with our kids as much as we possibly can. 
• I definitely see the value to not having the pacifier, however for us, the pacifier had more pros than cons and still does. However for the next babies in our lives, we'll take it on an individual by individual approach. So, we'll see. 

Stats Update

I finally got around to taking Isabelle in to the doctor for her 18 month well-child exam. Considering I skipped the 15 month one because I was so sick, I figure I'm not too late since she is still 18 months old. I made Curt go with us because when I took her to the doctor a couple of weeks ago, she cried anytime anyone came near her...even to just see how tall she is. Plus they told me she would have to have six immunizations...and I did not want to deal with that tantrum by myself. So, away we went. True to form, as soon as we walked in the door to leave the waiting room, her lip curled and she started crying. It's so sad when she cries like that. We did manage to get her weighed and measured though. She is 32 inches tall (50th-75th percentile) and 24.6 pounds (50th percentile). Once we got to the room she was fine with just us in there. Curt played with her and we let her color on the paper that covers the table. She liked that. Her exam went okay. She cried a little, but Curt held her the whole time and while she didn't like being touched, she tolerated it by the end. Then came the shots. She actually only had to have four and Curt was able to hold her during them. It went over a lot better than I thought it would and she didn't cry for more than a minute afterwards. We are done with shots though until she's four. Yay for that. Overall, it went way better than I thought. Especially since we are still having no pacifier issues. However, she didn't even ask for it at all after the shots. Surprising...but at the same time, it isn't the day time we are having issues with anymore. She maybe asks for it once or twice during the day and when we tell her it's broken, she doesn't even dwell on it, she just moves on. It's nap time and bed time that we are having issues with. It's so bad that we've been keeping her up late so she's extra exhausted for bed time and she doesn't have the energy to fight us. So, we may get rid of the pacifier, but her sleeping patterns are all sorts of screwed up right now. I figure that's easier to fix in the end though, right? :)

27 Weeks

I guess I should do an update since it's been six weeks since my last pregnancy update. Here is the most beautiful picture ever taken of me:

Seriously...I feel huge. I'm really regretting not taking belly pictures during Isabelle's pregnancy to compare my pictures to this time. Seeing a picture though was actually a little surprising. I don't know why, but it just makes it so much more real that I am as big as I feel.

Here are some things going on in my pregnancy life right now:

• I'm having problems with my right hip. Sometimes when I put my weight on my right leg, sharp pains go through my leg and back. It gets so bad that I can't walk sometimes. 
• I currently feel like the inside of my pelvis bone and right rib is all bruised from the kicking. 
• My belly feels so stretched out that I'm in almost constant pain. I remember feeling this way at the end of my last pregnancy...and I hated it then too. 
• All you have to do is rub my belly to get the babies to move. There is one benefit to this...when they are hurting me, I rub my belly so they find another position. That's the better option...Isabelle's tantrums also make them go crazy. Double whammy...I have to listen to the tantrum and get kicked tons from the inside. Makes my day... 
• Baby B (the right one) is almost always up in my right rib. Baby A is all over the place...high and low.
• I experienced my first day of swelling on Saturday. It wasn't bad, but I could tell.
• Laying down is getting harder and harder. Often times while trying to go to sleep Curt will have to sit me up to catch my breath or take a break from the pressure I feel throughout my whole body while I'm laying down. It doesn't matter the position...it's rough. My head gets tons of pressure in it and I always describe it as it feels like my blood pressure is rising. It also feels like my heart is starting to race like it did the last eight weeks or so of Isabelle's pregnancy.
• Two nights ago while the babies were moving all over the place (which is often...) you could literally feel an arm and a fist. So crazy and cool and the same time...and a little freaky. 
• My cravings mostly have to do with texture. For example, I cannot get enough ice, Slurpees and nuts. It isn't the taste I crave at all. It's the way they feel on my teeth. I definitely prefer Slurpees to anything right now because I get the sensation of chewing ice without the horribleness that ice is for your teeth. 
• I think I forgot to mention this in my last update...I'm losing my hair. Bad. In college I lost about half of my hair over the course of the years that I was there from stress, but even that isn't bad compared to how much hair I lose right now. I can't comb it, run my hands through it, touch it without handfuls coming out. Heather cut about four to five inches off about five weeks ago in attempt to help it not fall out so much. (I hadn't had my hair cut in 15 months...it needed it BAD.) It worked for about two weeks, now it is just as bad again. I'm seriously contemplating cutting it off and getting a short short hair do after maternity pictures. I don't know if I can do it though...
• The itching isn't quite as bad as it was six weeks ago, but I still itch a lot. Maybe because I always have hair all over me.
• I get completely worn out extremely easily. I took my mom to Sam's yesterday for a quick trip and I was completely wiped out afterwards. Isabelle wasn't even a factor cause she was good and rode in the cart the whole time. It makes long days when Curt has night school especially hard. 
• The charley horses have started...
• Consistently, the hardest thing for me to do is get up and down. It always sends the babies into a frenzy to get comfortable again and they often push really hard on me to show that they don't approve. It's very painful. 
• Most of what I'm experiencing right now really just has to do with being in pain from how big I am. I try not to think about it...but I still have a long time to go. What am I going to do in another month, two months and three months? No matter what though, I'd rather have them in me than in the NICU, so I try to remind myself of that when I get scared and discouraged. 

I go to the doctor again on the 29th and I get to have another sonogram, so stay tuned for that...

Going Bald

I think I might...and Curt too. This no paci thing has been going for 28 hours (we got a late start...it's been a busy weekend) and we are ready to toss in the towel. Really the only reason we don't is because we'd have to start over again. Plus next time when we say, "The paci is broken," she'll know not to believe us. Grr...she's too smart. Anyway, so if you see us and we have no hair, it's because she's driven us to pull our hair out. It's better than driving us to drink right? Although she's done that to us too...we started with the Dr. Pepper at 8:15 this morning!

Paci....PLEASE!

So I mentioned in some post some where that we had cut the paci out of Isabelle's life except at bedtimes. However, then we moved and we all got sick or had bad allergies, so while we made it 6 or 7 days, it came to an end. BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER!!! That was three or four weeks ago. Since that time, she has become even more obsessed with the thing. All I hear when she doesn't have it in her mouth is, "PLEASE, paci! Paci! Paci! Please... please.... please..." Ugh! I want to cut my ears off. Plus she has taken to wanting to hold a second pacifier in her hand and yesterday even walked around with two in her mouth. Half the time she has the pacifier she isn't even sucking on it, but rather has her lower lip flipped out under the bottom part of the outside plastic anyways. It's ugly and it drives me crazy. Plus I really didn't want to pass the 18 month threshold with the pacifier anyways. So, that brings us to tonight when Curt gets home from work, the pacifier is getting cut. It is going to be one horrible weekend. Hopefully not week too. Ugh...I'm not looking forward to this. I'm really kind of scared because I really like that when she's whining and annoying me I can put the plug in. I admit it, I'm addicted too. However, it's time. So...wish us luck!

The Science Museum

Last week we had the opportunity to go to the Science Museum with some of my in-laws and all the grandchildren. Of course since it is just like a big play room with all sorts of new toys, Isabelle loved it. She behaved so well too...which was a big relief. I'm getting to the point where I'm afraid to take her places (and almost don't go anywhere with her alone anymore) because it is getting so hard to move and almost impossible to carry her around. However she did wonderfully and loved it so much. Here are some pictures from the day: 

...Playing peek-a-boo in the alligator entrance...

...Checking out the bubbles...

...Loving on the babies that were in the "hospital"...

...Stocking up at the grocery store (of course she would dig for the fish!)...

...Pushing her shopping cart. Doesn't she look so big?!? So sad...

...She loved going down this ramp outside...

...The Dino Dig...

We finished the day at the Dino Dig. It was Isabelle's first experience with sand. I personally hate sand and think it is such a mess so I've never let her play in it before. Not that we go around sand boxes or beaches often and I've never actually had to keep her out of them... Anyways, she loved it. The sand was more gravel like so it was easy to brush it off of her, which I liked. She especially loved when we took her shoes off and she could put her toes in the sand. The whole experience fascinated her and she loved digging with the tools they gave her. 

What Do You Say?

Curt and I have been working a lot with Isabelle to get her to either ask for what she wants or say, "Please." She's been doing really good at this and generally does say please even when we don't ask...especially when it concerns something she really wants and that we haven't gotten her after her first request. Anyway, randomly though, when you say, "What do you say, Isabelle?" she always replies with the same word: "Monkeys!" Huh?!?

Piggy Tails

I finally got some pictures of Isabelle sporting her piggy tails. We think they are just too cute. Surprisingly she really doesn't mind having her hair done. The other day I even told her, "Let's go do your hair" and she went to the bathroom and waited for me to lift her up on the counter. Now hopefully I didn't jinx myself...

Anyway, I took these pictures...and more...of Isabelle outside today playing. We were waiting for Curt to get  home. Our neighbor's dog was out which made her extremely happy. This dog is amazing. He lets her pet him and put her stuffed animals on him to go "yee-haw" and even lets her make her stuffed animals give him kisses.

Daddy's home! Yes, this is the look on her face when she saw Curt...

And of course she had to run to him...

Two by Two

So quite often Isabelle's personality and where she got different traits from is discussed among our families... When it comes to her looks, there is no argument: she's all Curt. However when it comes to her personality, there is a little more deliberation. Well, kind of. See Curt and I are so much a like that it really is kind of ironic sometimes that we even have these discussions. For example, we often talk about how Isabelle knows what she wants and she wants things perfect, precise, organized, etc. I can say she got that from me, but so can Curt...cause we are both OCD about things like that. One evening...probably over a month ago now...I looked down at Isabelle playing with her Noah's Ark Little People and found her pairing up all the animals. Of course this included the two Noahs we randomly have. By the time I found the camera she was working on putting them in the boat (or butt as she still calls it...) so I think a couple are missing from these pictures, but you get the idea. 

First Day of Nursery

Well, I'm a little behind...like always. On September 5, Isabelle went to nursery for the first time. In our ward, we can start nursery at 17 months if a parent goes with them. We weren't planning on starting nursery early because we weren't and aren't really sure if it's the best way to get Isabelle used to it...you know with us being there. She did pretty well. I was actually surprised how she handled the kids taking her toys away. She didn't scream at them. Once she said, "No!" but at least it was only one no and not a whole barrage of nos... Overall the biggest thing I can say is she was overwhelmed. There are a lot of kids in her nursery. She really doesn't handle being around lots of people well. Both the first (the 5th) and second (the 12th) Sunday there she was really subdued and quiet. Curt stayed with her on the 12th and he said she barely ate her snacks and she was the slowest at doing so...which is very un-Isabelle-like. On the 19th, the nursery leaders kicked us out and said she'd be fine. I was a little worried that she wouldn't handle it well, but she made it through. Her teachers said she would cry a little bit and ask for Daddy, but then she would be okay, then it would repeat itself. Apparently she got gently knocked over and she did her sad, pouty lip, "I'm offended" cry that breaks everyone's heart. Poor little baby. Overall though she was good and while she still isn't sure of the whole thing, hopefully it will just get better from here on out. She didn't go on the 26th because of allergies and not wanting to get anyone sick incase they weren't allergies. So, next week will be her first time in two weeks. Wish us luck!

Here is a picture of Isabelle playing outside as we walked to the car to go to Grammie and Papa's after church. She's getting so big...and so hard to take good pictures of!

18 Months

I haven't done an update on Isabelle in a few months and since she recently turned 18 months, I thought I would take the opportunity. She really is growing up quite a bit and Curt and I often comment about how big she is and how sad we are that she really isn't a baby anymore. We've been having to get her some new clothes with both the weather changes and the lack of clothes she has anymore that fit. Each time I buy her a 2T top it surprises me that I'm already at this point. Imagine how much more surprised I was when we put the top on her and it barely fit too. Last week we had a doctor appointment and she weighed 24 pounds even and her height was 23 inches even. No wonder I have such a hard hard time carrying her anymore. Here are some other things about her right now:

• "No" means both yes and no. It's frustrating to say the least for Curt and I. 
• She adores animals. Can't get enough of them. If there are any books, movies, toys, pictures etc of an animal, you can bet she is going to find it and want it.  
• She has discovered movies. We moved a little over two weeks ago and still have no internet, plus we had no car for a while so we were both bored out of our minds. Therefore we resorted to movies. I introduced her to The Lion King and Jungle Book. She adores The Lion King and likes Jungle Book. She also kind of likes Monster's Inc and will watch some of it but she doesn't really care for The Incredibles. She often wakes up in the morning and the first thing she asks for is "raaa" or The Lion King. Curt usually puts it on for her before he leaves so I can sleep in a little longer as she sits beside me watching "raaa."  
• Since we moved and in preparation for the babies coming, we decided to do away with the crib. We however don't have a bed for her either, so she's been sleeping on her crib mattress on the ground. The first couple of nights were hard because she would roll off completely or end up with her head off and her body half on. She's doing a lot better now and Curt hasn't had to move her back on to the mattress much.  
• Officially Isabelle has allergies. While we've suspected this for a year now, we've finally got it diagnosed and on allergy medicine. She's still suffering, much like her father, and especially at our new place, but she's tons better than she was a week ago. I honestly think that every time she's had a cold or an upper respiratory infection has been the results of allergies gone haywire and her sinuses getting infected from the allergy symptoms. Hopefully we will have a smoother fall and early winter than we did last year when she was sick every few weeks.  
• Isabelle has a hitting problem. Any suggestions on how to break this would be much appreciated. We are starting to think Isabelle is unpunishable. She's hit Levi on the head twice now. Grrr...  
• She started nursery. More on this later... (I've had a blog post started for weeks now...) 
• She loves bugs. She gets so excited at the site of an ant! It is so silly. She loves grasshoppers too. A butterfly landed on her a few days ago and she didn't love it but she didn't really mind either. I think she was more distraught about the thoughts of having to share her peanut butter sandwich with it than she was anything else.  
• Which brings me to...she doesn't like to share much. Really at all. Unless it's that she randomly she wants to share some food with you or something.
• We've really been working on making her ask for something she wants...either by the name or by saying please. She's gotten really good at it and now knows she can get things by saying please. Now it is hard for us because sometimes she starts begging and saying please over and over even though she can't have it. It's really hard on us not to give in...
• Her language is constantly expanding. Her words are getting bigger and bigger too...for example dinosaur. It is a little weird though because at the same time as her vocabulary is expanding overall, she goes through days were she is talking less. Usually though she's fine and talks a lot when we are out of the house. Another strange thing is that some of her words are backwards. Such as she says BaGa for Gobble (It took us FOREVER to figure out what that word was!). There aren't too many that she does this to, but in some cases it takes an ordinary word like kid and turns it into a questionable word when she switches the consonants.  
• She still loves to be outside. Often times she throws a tantrum if we bring her in before she is ready.  
• Her hair is long enough to put in two pig tails. It is so super cute. I've been making her lots of smaller matching bows. It is just sooo cute! 
• She LOVES to be read to. Especially if there is an animal in the book.  
• Her daddy is still her favorite person.  
• She is still obsessed with stuffed animals and dolls. She loves to put her doll in its stroller and push her around.  
• She's back to not really liking the car seat and often times tells us she's "stuck."