Making Room

  So the last few days we have made some progress with the Nursery area for the babies.  We went down to Medicine Hat and mom and I found the best deal on bedding for the babies!  Pretty much got Baby Gluckstein bedding for 60% off!  It is just white, so its gender neutral.  I also picked up the cutest bookends for a hanging book shelf for the babies, because they will love books I am sure!  
Here is the link for that:  
http://www.skiphop.com/product/zoobookends.html  ( I got the owl ones, of course)


We are also going to just paint the room an off white color and try and find some cute decals to put on the walls.  Just have to make up my mind about what ones!  It will be easier after Friday to make some decisions once we know (keep fingers crossed) what the babies are!  I can't believe that day is here so quickly already!  


A couple weeks ago my parents so graciously bought the babies their beds!  They are the 3 in one type, so I am hoping that they will have the beds for a long time and that the investment was good.  I fell in love with the crib as soon as I seen it!  
Here is the link for that:
http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index.jsp?productId=4439518


Its so much fun to get things together for the babies and just to prepare a little spot for them to sleep in ( I hope ).  Its nice to do something special for them before they get here, put some love into it and some thought so they can grow into the "stuff" we got.  I can feel it all slowly coming together.  Soon enough the little gaffers will be here, so I am glad that we have this time to spend on making a little place for them.  


I am sad to think about ever out growing our home.  It has come to our attention that it will happen, and probably sooner than later.  This is life though, and I am sure that where ever we end up next will be just as special, because thats where the babies will probably remember the beginning parts of their life.  I hope whoever is reading this is enjoying the journey!  I need to post a recent tummy shot!  Its getting larger each day I think!


Hope you are all enjoying this sunny weather!


xoxo
Jesse & Babies

Half Way!

  Happy 19 weeks babies!!  I actually cannot believe how fast this pregnancy has been up until this point!  So much happening too with Spring finally here ( I am not complaining about the weather ) and with the first round of the playoffs I am sure the next two months will fly on by!  So to bring everyone one up to speed, we are to our half way point with multiples!  YAY!  It feels good to feel so good!  Maybe a new symptom that has crept up is some swollen gums, but hey I will take it.  I am still feeling quite tired and I know my limits when it comes to exercise now!  One cool thing that has been happening is my cat has been more noticeable of my changing body and I think she knows that there is something growing on inside of me... sorry for the pun I had to!  She will slide under the covers in the morning and come purring next to my tummy and just lays there its like she is calming the babies or herself, but its really quite sweet.  For those who don't know, I adore my cat!  She is basically like our little child, so its nice that she is bonding with the babies in her own little way.
  I have to recognize two new little lives that have come into the world this month!  Two of my dear friends have recently given birth and they both had girls!  The first was Niko Synnove Silea Stewart she was born on April 2, 2011.  She is so content and sweet I got the chance to have some snuggles at Kyrstens baby shower and it just made my heart so soft!  I look so forward to this journey with her mommy and daddy, they are dear friends of Dallas and I.  The other little baby is Charlie Elizabeth Knudslien ( wow I should be able to spell that last name after all these years), she was born on April 16th, 2011.  I haven't met her yet, but this weekend I hope to have a peek at her and see her parents Alissa and Clint.  I just smile when I think about this time in our lives... so much to look forward to.
  I know that again I have been slack with my blog, but I will keep updating I promise!  Next week on the 29th we will find out the sexes of these little babies that are growing inside of me, it is so exciting!  So I hope that you all have a great long weekend!  Much Love!

xoxo
Jesse & Babies

*** Oh yes this Sunday is our 3rd Anniversary, feel so lucky to have such a wonderful husband!

Fashion Please

  Wow have I neglected this blog of ours.  Honestly not much has been happening around the Campbell residence.  The one major thing that has started is the transformation of the computer room into the nursery, is it way too early?!?!  I would much rather be prepared then have these little babies enter into this world and not have anything ready.  So we have move our computer into our living area (it was a tough decision), but I really think that it works.  So the next few weeks we will slowly clean out the room and find a place for Dallas' clothes.  As hard as I try my clothes will always take up 3/4 of the closet... I am determined to let Dallas have half of the closet though... he can share half with me in "my" closet and the other half of the babies closet.  
  Fashion during pregnancy, its easy now to still feel like I am fashionable, but I soon know that the clothes are going to be an issue.  One thing that I am really happy for though is the fact that I can wear some great summer dresses!  I have a few that I am sure will work at least until mid July, after that I make no promises.  I do promise that I will try to maintain my own style during this time and afterwards of course.  I have went through my closet and basically took out so many clothes that I am not even going to try and wear the next year or more.  Out of sight out of mind.  So it seems I must do that again.  Its not as sad as I thought it would be, it will be like a whole new wardrobe when I go through them again!  In the meantime I have been pleasantly surprised that a few of the dresses I have look way better with some babies beneath them.  I need to really hit up a good maternity store that is affordable!  I have one pair of jeans, which is fine because basically as soon as I get home from anywhere I put on leggings and a long shirt or tunic.  Comfort all the way.  The other thing is I thought that carrying twins I would be so hot all the time, instead the opposite is quite true, I can't seem to layer enough these days!  I am hoping that will change in a couple months though.  
  I have been feeling pretty good, feeling some movement which is incredible.  Some days they move a lot other days not so much, I can't wait till Dallas can feel that!  My hunger has intensified, today I ate like 7 pancakes for dinner ( are you kidding me), just feeding the babies right?!  I also have increased my water intake a lot.  Just need to stay hydrated and its so good for the babies, even though the trips to the bathroom at night increase its so worth it.  There aren't too many complaints coming from this lady here, a huge plus is I found a book that says that I shouldn't vaccume or mop!  How great is that!  Love it!  
I have been meaning to share this quote that I found in a book so here it is:
  If, I myself upon a looser creed
Have loosely strung the jewel
of good deed.
  Let this one thing for my 
atonement plead:
  That one for two I never 
did misread.
- Omar Khayan, 12th Century


xoxo
Jesse and Babies

Today was a good day!  The babies and I had our second doctors appointment.  It went really good, I have finally put on weight (those nightly milkshakes have paid off).  Just a good 15 pounds already, which is good for being 4 months along (should be more really).  So I will hit the shakes more!  The Doc said the babies were really moving a lot today so it was hard for him to get an accurate reading on Lefty, he figured that the heart rate was about 138 bpm and Righty was 145 bpm.  It was amazing to hear it though, I wanted to cry, but I was the doctors last prenatal appointment of the day, and I am sure he had been around a lot of surging hormones, so instead I just smiled and held back.  Our due date has been changed, as I suspected it would.  We are due Sept 15th which would be a full 40 weeks, however the babies will more than likely be here at 36 weeks!  So sometime close to the middle of August!  Maybe the most exciting part is that we get to find out what the little gaffers are on April 29th!  Wow... it just goes so fast!
Last night Dallas and I watched a documentary circa 1988 it was about pregnancy, it was super comical!  Mostly the style of the people and the prenatal aerobics, totally worth a look ( at least for a laugh ).  I have been super tardy with this blog, and I really need to just get to it and keep writing!
Hey I have an idea... if any of you have topics that you think would be sweet to write about suggest them, and perhaps I can do some thinking on them!
I hope you are all having a wonderful day!
xoxo
Jesse & Babies

Mind Boggles

  The last two days have been a couple of "those days," the ones where all you want to really do is just stay in bed and not have to face the world.  However, it seems that it has helped to get outside and really just enjoy the nicer weather and take the doggy that we are dog sitting for a walk.
I have been sifting through books the last while too and have found some really great reads on twin pregnancy and just really practical advice about how to feed, bathe, change, and get the babies into a good sleeping routine together.  It feels "not so daunting" when the advice is practical... ya know?
  For those of you who might care to know what the little ones look like inside, this obviously is a drawing/ illustration of how big they are at 16 weeks, we are not quite there yet, but somewhere close!  They are getting bigger everyday and I can feel them getting bigger.  There hasn't been any kicks and elbow drops yet, instead just the flutters and "quickening" as they call it in the books.
 

Next image 
  One symptom that has crept up is total forgetfulness, or just having not too many great motor skills, like trying to type for instance ( I can't figure out home row).  Something that I was thinking about today is: While hormones are surging driving might better be left to the husband or carpools!  One thing that I also read this week, is because a woman carrying multiples is to put on about 45-55 lbs, I don't have to feel guilty when I have a milkshake every night before bed!  I only have vanilla or a fruit one, now I don't know if that means that Dallas is allowed too, but he does anyways.
  I hope that you are all enjoying these days as Spring is approaching!  Thanks for taking the time to check this out!
xoxo
Jesse & Babies

So Many Options

Today I decided to walk to the library and overload myself on even more information about babies, birth, nutrition, parenting, etc.  I came across a documentary called The Business of Being Born produced by Ricki Lake.  Now at first I must say that I was hesitant, because I couldn't stand Ricki Lake when she was the host of her own talk show, but I must say that the documentary was very intriguing (the worst part was actually seeing Ricki Lake naked, giving birth).  The whole show is inspired by unique birth experiences.  It is obviously based in the United States (New York to be specific), so a lot of the health care statistics are different from ours in Canada.  However, it does paint a very interesting picture about natural birth vs. taking the drugs.  There is no wrong or right, but I am sure there is good and bad in all of the options, to each their own.  It tells us of the outrageous amount of c-sections that are given something like 46% of all births in the U.S.  I am sure that Canada is not too far below that number.  Doctors in the U.S. have taken over the decision making for the mothers and basically you give birth within a certain amount of time or we do it for you ( kind of sad ).  This disempowers the mother in so many ways, you start one med to induce your pregnancy and basically that drug distresses the baby, so you need another drug for that and so on.
  Here is the link for the trailer, take a look for yourselves:
http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/trailer.php
  After watching this my "want" for a natural birth has been even more justified.  Now I know that some of you will say that I am crazy "TAKE THE DRUGS", but I think that as long as the babies are healthy and both are not breeched that I can do it.  I just don't think about the "other" options, maybe that is ignorant, but I just want to feel that high of it all (not of the medication).  The documentary really praises mid-wives, and before I watched this I never really understood what their role was.  I have considered having a doula and I just have to find out if the hospitals here in Red Deer allow you to have the doula, husband and mother in the room at the same time.
  Today I have felt really good, the weather has been walking appropriate ( Springtime is nigh)!  I feel that I have been overloading on books about babies and pregnancy, but I feel so informed!  Of course there is a lot of information to sift through, but I want to feel like I at least partially know what's going inside of me, and what is happening with the babies too!  I will try to find better statistics from this film, because I really feel like it is important to spread the message that this show is trying to send.  I hope that you are all enjoying this milder weather!
xo
Jesse and Babies


Here is another link that really explains a lot of the shows synopsis:
http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/statement.php

Expanding Family

  As some of you may or may not know my sister is also expecting twins, I believe she is about 3 weeks ahead of us!  Isn't that something short of a miracle?  It's times like this that the distance between us is really hard because you want to be able to share in the moments with someone so close and you want for your babies to grow up knowing each other, but this is our reality.  Thankfully Skype is around though, we can compare our growing bellies and the emotional ups and downs (although I think hers are a bit more than mine).  So our parents have went from having one grandchild to expanding to six in a year and a half.  I should tell you that Jill gave birth to the most precious baby girl in July her name is Ella Rose and she also has a gorgeous little pre-teen Amy Marie, just love those girls so much!  
  Now this isn't all for multiples in our immediate family!  Dallas' sister has triplet girls they are going to be 11 in September!  Wow, time flies by!  So how is that for multiples in one family circle.  I love it!  I hope one day we can all get together and get a big picture!  Its hard since my sis is in Australia and Dallas' is in Denmark!  Scattered everywhere, but great excuse to travel around to two very different parts of the world.  
  Like I said before the distance is tough, you wish that you could be there for your growing nieces and just be their friend if they need someone to talk to.  Take them shopping or for an ice cream.  I would love to be able to just have a big sleep over one day with all of those girls; put some curlers in our hair, maybe take some funny pictures, maybe watch a funny movie.  Just all of the things you wish you could do, but just can't:(  This is our reality though and I have to remember the times when we do see each other that we just have to make the most of it!  
  So yesterday Dallas put together the first piece of the babies room!  Its great, a nice red dresser that will serve as double duty (forgive the pun), as it will be a change table and storage for all things baby.  However, right now it is in the dining room under a mirror with a new plant on it and I love it in that spot!  Might need to get another!  
Here it is: 
 http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/90159571
I want the room to look like a babies room, but I also want to have things that babies will be able to grow into for a long time, so I am looking for practical storage solutions.  The other item we got was a tall bookshelf that you can put baskets in that will also be great for extra storage and again, we can use it in the future for their books!
  Here it is:
http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/90116275
Since we are not sure of the genders of the babies yet, these two items seemed appropriate.  I kind of want to have an outdoorsy, nature, woodland animal theme in the room, with a bit of a vintage feel.  Wonder if that makes sense?  Here is the cutest find so far!  I just love it so much... a simple little hanger.  
http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/10168701
Thanks for reading!  I hope you all have a great day! 
xoxo
JC & Babies