12 years

Today is our anniversary,
I want to thank my wife for twelve amazing years. I knew the first time we went out that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. Jen has supported me in everything I have ever done. Right now she is enduring discomfort of mass proportions carrying our babies around. She never complains about it and glows with anticipation of their arrival. While we are excited to have the twins come into our life we have been very fortunate to have had 12 years to enjoy each other's company alone. We have been able to see and do a lot of things together and it has been wonderful. I love Jen more than I will ever be able to put in words. Thank you Jen for making my life what it is. I can't wait for the twins to get here and join us for many more amazing years to come.

Portland Prime AKA Portland Mediocre

This year Jen and I have been married for 12 years. We got married in 2000 which was a subconscious effort by myself to make it easy to remember how many years we have been married. 2012=12 years! I also subconsciously planned our wedding date to be near Valentines day so I could get all the hearts and flowers done in the same week ;) So today is our anniversary and the last as just a couple (babies will be here soon!). So I decided to take Jen to a fancy restaurant for dinner. I found what appeared to be the best place in Portland, El Gaucho. When I called to make a reservation they were booked... The subconscious scheduling of our wedding near Valentines backfired because everyone was doing a special valentine dinner this weekend. I had to pick another place. After some phone calls the recommendation was "Portland Prime". I looked them up online and they definitely seamed to be the caliber I was looking for. When we arrived the lobby was not set up well and it didn't feel like a 5 star joint. Should have turned back but we had reservations and finding something last minute was out of the question. The hostess didn't offer to check Jen's coat, another sign that this is a place pretending to be fancy. We were seated and the place settings were not fancy. The flatware was old, dull and beat up. The plates looked like they had been purchased when a Chinese buffet went out of business. The wine glasses were dirty, I mean dirrrrty. A gentleman poured us some tap water, another sign this isn't a fancy restaurant as a true 5 star joint would offer still or sparkling. When the waitress came for our drink order she didn't tell us her name nor did she offer the special(this will annoy me greatly later). We ordered beverages and the waitress seamed annoyed we didn't order any cocktails but hello even if we were interested in doing so Jen is PREGNANT! When I got my Cola it was flat, like a soda from McDonald's after being in the car for two days flat! The waitress was collecting our dirty unnecessary wine glasses when she asked if we needed another minute to look over the menu. Well we didn't but when I said we were ready she again seamed annoyed because she had to set down the wine glasses to take our order. If you weren't ready to take our order don't ask if we need another minute when I probably don't. When we received our salads they weren't bad but mostly pretentious with slices of apples and not enough dressing. We received our meals and there was no attempt at presentation when they plated up our food. The prime rib was average, nothing you couldn't get at Outback, Black Angus or any roadhouse. The best prime rib is still found at Hamilton's in Logan Utah. I ordered lobster tail with my meal because we were at a "fancy" restaurant in a big city which should equal good seafood. Wow was I wrong! The lobster tail was solid rubber...I mean I stuck my fork in to pull out a piece and the entire tail came in one piece, I tried cutting it with the steak knife but it was such rubber it just squished and wouldn't cut. It was so chewy it was like the bits of clam you get in canned clam chowder. It took a good couple minutes to chew through each bite. At this point they seated another couple and the waitress told them about the special, it was a great deal compared to the items we had selected but they hadn't told us about the special. Now I was really ticked. This was supposed to be the nicest dinner ever and it wasn't even as good as Texas roadhouse. So if anyone is wondering, we won't be going back to Portland Prime.

21 Weeks!

Our little girl has Bryan's nose and Jen's mouth and eyes.

Side profile of our little girl

The one and only glimpse of our little boy.

He turns his head every time they try to get a picture. He is upside down with his face to Jen's back. He kicks HARD and covers his face with his hands. He takes after his dad, who doesn't like his picture taken either :c

Today we went for our second official ultrasound. They took all the measurements to make sure they are growing even. Our girl weighs 15oz and our boy weighs 14oz. They are a week ahead of normal for a single baby which for twins is awesome. Boy's heart beat was 150, girls 151. All is well and Jen has them on quick bake so these cookies will be big and healthy when they come out.

Finally a sunny day roadtrip

The Veterinary Deliberation

Nivia at the vet's office right after the shot of Phenobarbitral, sound asleep.

Last Friday, while eating lunch, I heard a loud thump by our back door. When I peered over the couch to see what it was, I saw Nivia having a full grand mal seizure. I immediately leaped off the couch and ran outside in just socks. There was nothing I could do to stop it, and so I squished our babies as I crouched over her writhing body to stroke her head and tell her mommy was there and everything would be okay.
Back in September, we had Nivia and Jax kenneled at our vet's office while we were on vacation. We'd done it before, and the peace of mind of having your dog being taken care of 24/7 while gone is quite nice. Unfortunately, we got a call that Nivia had a seizure, but the vet's office was so rude to me and wanted so much money, that I had a really hard time believing them. She'd shown no evidence beforehand. She spent all day laying next to me while I worked, and all night sleeping next to my bedside. I would've noticed symptoms. Her kennel costs came to $400 while Jax only came to $80. In December, when we went to visit family, I had both dogs kenneled again, but at a different location. There was no call this time, and so I truly started to believe it had all been a hoax. However, when we picked her up, she had a fit of anxiety and went into a seizure. It was the first time I witnessed it happen to her and I cried like a baby. I felt terrible for not believing the vet's office back in September.
Since we'd had the original experience, I did have some medication I could give her. Right after the seizure finished, and Nivia seemed to snap back to reality, I gave her some water and food with the meds. We then put her in the garage, in her kennel, to keep her calm and help her to rest and relax. Bryan left the door open to the garage, so we could hear her in case anything went wrong. And was I glad we did. A couple hours later, she had another seizure in her kennel. It was very mild compared to the one at lunch, so although I was crying hysterically, I figured the med was just taking time to work into her system. Then at dinner time, she had another grand mal seizure. At that point I knew it wasn't good. We took her to the vet's office and waited over three hours to be seen. Although one receptionist was really nice, I was disappointed that my baby who was having medical meltdown wasn't given a higher priority. When she finally was seen, she was behaving quite normal. The vet's only recommendation was to hospitalize her so they could monitor her. Bryan was beyond irritated, and opted to make sure we had enough medication to take home, and told the vet we'd be better at monitoring her than them. We waited another 45 minutes for the office to compile the medication and finalize the bill, and during that time, Nivia had another seizure in the back of the truck. Bryan was still fed up with the vet's office, and from the information we had, we thought nothing else could be done. The vet had said the medication would take time to build up, and said Nivia would probably have a few more seizures. We took her home, as we still felt it was the best option. Once home, I hauled Nivia into the bathtub and soaped her up good to get all the grunge off her. Bryan had to hose out the back of the truck, and got her bed all set up nicely in the garage. We then had to listen to her bark like an untrained puppy for almost an hour until she finally calmed down and went to sleep. I hoped a good night's rest, with a second pill in her would break her seizure streak. How wrong I was.
The next morning, Nivia seemed a little dazed, and I chalked it up to her ordeal from the day before. We sent her outside with Jax, and within a few moments, she was having another seizure. At that point, Bryan started researching on the internet. We brought her into the garage again so we could keep her closely monitored, and left Jax outside. Poor Jax had no idea what was happening, and we didn't want him to get in the way by accident. After much whining, Nivia finally fell asleep again, only to be awoken by yet another seizure that had me bawling. My puppy was sick, extremely sick, and I felt so helpless as I squatted over her, trying to soothe her as best I could. Bryan found some information on the net that a dog with constant seizures can be given a shot of medication that will most times help break the cycle. We searched the yellow pages for another vet clinic, and found an emergency vet. We called and explained the situation. They were very helpful and asked us to bring her in immediately. When we arrived, the receptionist paged "Triage to the front". Bryan and I looked at each other in surprise, as it seemed kind of odd to hear those particular words, but at the same time, I felt relieved that finally someone was taking this seriously. The 'nurse' took Nivia back to a kennel, where she proceeded to once again bark like an untrained puppy. We sat in the waiting room, with tears in our eyes. After a few minutes, the nurse came and got us, and asked if we'd feel comfortable sitting in an exam room with Nivia. Absolutely we would! It was exactly what Nivia needed to calm down. The vet that saw her decided to give her the shot we'd read about online. He said it would make her act exceedingly drunk, but would hopefully break the cycle of seizures. They took her back again to give her an IV and administer the medication. After a few moments, we could hear her barking again. Not too long after that, they asked us to sit in a different room that had a couch and chair, and brought in a thick blanket for Nivia to lie down on. They asked if we would help her calm down and see if we couldn't get her to fall asleep. I think the vet was somewhat skeptical, but he doesn't know my baby girl like I do. She came into the room drunker than a skunk. She couldn't keep balance well, her back legs kept slipping out from under her, and she bumped into everything. We got her to lie down within a couple minutes, and she was gone with her tongue hanging halfway out of her mouth. When the vet came in five minutes later, he couldn't believe his eyes. He said usually they keep dogs in the clinic over night when administering that kind of medication, but since Nivia was having such a hard time, he suggested we take her home with us. I was more than happy too. Once home, we got her all setup in the garage again with a bunch of blankets and towels to help make the floor more comfortable. Within minutes she was snoring. Since that shot, she's only had one mini seizure. We have her on the medication steadily now, and our baby girl has slowly regained her former personality. She's normally high strung, with a slobbery kiss for anyone who gets near her, but the shot toned down that hyperness for a few days.
It's been a week now since the seizures started. I'm so grateful I haven't had to witness another since that last mini seizure. It was heartbreaking to say the least. I truly thought when we called the second vet clinic, I'd be leaving my baby girl there forever. The idea she may not be with us anymore mixed with pregnancy hormones made me inconsolable. Today she gave me a huge scare. When I went outside to check on her, she was nowhere to be found. She had somehow escaped the backyard. I went huffing and puffing down the street as fast as I could waddle screaming out her name and whistling. I was distraught at the thought of her missing. What if she had another seizure? What if we never found her? What if she got hurt, or I happened to find her dead on the side of the road victim of being hit by a car? I was in tears on the phone with Bryan, as it had been at least a couple hours since I knew I'd last seen her. When I didn't find her at the elementary school around the corner, I huffed and puffed back to the house, finally came to my senses and hopped in the truck to go looking for her. I didn't even get one house down the street when she came bolting around the corner. I burst into wracking sobs, slammed the truck in park, and jumped out to give her a ginormous hug. I cried and cried into her coat, and she patiently let me, then gave me slobbery wet kisses. My usual self would have given her a good yelling, but pregnant Jenny couldn't. I was so glad my baby girl had finally found her way home.

One of Each!!

Here is a profile of our little boy's head. He would not turn in a way that we could get a full profile or a 3D. Hopefully when we go in again he is in a better spot.

Here is a 3D pic of our little girl. The 3D makes them really look like aliens!

Here is a full profile of our little girl.

Our little boy kept punching our little girl in the face, brotherly love already... The tech didn't seam interested in trying very hard to get good pics of our little boy but he was not cooperating either. We are lucky because of having twins they will do another ultrasound in February.

When we got into the room where they were going to do the ultrasound I pulled out my phone and turned it to video. The tech said I couldn't video it. I asked if they were going to burn a copy on video for us and she said no and that they can't because of a federal mandate. Please, do I look that stupid... If that was the case then nobody would get videos of their ultrasounds. No the clinic is just covering their butts. You see there have been cases where babies were born with defects that parents would have aborted had they known and when reviewing the videos of the ultrasounds it was found that it could have been caught. So some of those parents sued and now nobody wants to let you have a video. So because of the liberal pro choice crowd and sue happy freeloaders I don't get to enjoy something this amazing. I'm more annoyed that the clinic can't just own up to it, instead they have to make up excuses.

Twenty Percent Plus

When I first hit triple digits on a scale in my mid-twenties, I was so excited. Then my mom and sisters came to visit and mentioned they could see the weight I'd put on was all in my bum. Lately I'm obsessed with the scale. My first goal was to gain 20 pounds by 20 weeks. Yesterday I hit that goal, and I'm only at week 17! My next goal is to be at 35 pounds gained by 28 weeks, which is very doable. Considering most single pregnant mommies gain 1-2 lbs a week during trimester two, I have extremely good odds of hitting 35 by week 24-25. So far, the biggest drawback to this is the fact I've gained twenty percent of my body weight. My meager frame is crying out in agony. My back muscles didn't have time to keep up with the weight gain, and my feet don't understand where all the new pressure has come from. Last night I started working on some long awaited blanket projects. At first I did my cutting and measuring at the table, but my back couldn't handle the angle any longer after the first blanket. I then tried the hands-and-knees approach, but my knees screamed out in bony snaps, crackles and pops. It's strange having a belly in the way, that absolutely does not squish. The reward for all this awkward uncomfortableness? The kicks, thumps and rolling about that happens every so often. I can tell the difference between our twins; twin A rolls often, and kicks very lightly while twin B rolls rarely, but when s/he kicks, it's a powerful 1-2 punch.
I also got the bug to clean, clean, clean this weekend. Seems a little early to be nesting, yet I've always been an overachiever with a bee in my bonnet to get things done efficiently and with plenty of time to spare. I took the time to snap a few pictures after the thorough cleaning, as who knows if I'll be able to squat (bending is out of the question), stretch, climb a footstool, or push a vacuum easily much longer.
I loved my kitchen in Logan, and this one is slowly growing on me. We haven't done much in this room yet, but there's a stack of tile on the floor next to the cabinets which are due to become the backsplash this next weekend. We also will add under and above cabinet lighting. Oh, and if you ever get a chance to splurge on a Fisher-Paykel (pronunced fish-er pie-cull) dishwasher, DO IT. I love the dish drawers. For a small family it's been absolutely perfect. I can fill up the top drawer on a many dish dinner night, or just the itty bitty one on bottom. Saves energy, water, and gets those bowls we're constantly running out of clean again quickly. Once we're a large family, I'll have to revisit this subject again, to see if the dishwasher is keeping up with us.
The entry in our first home was tight and we filled it with a brick arch, a Venetian plastered wall with a few bricks peeking through, and a faux copper colored tin ceiling. This entry is so spacious, we were able to purchase a credenza. We also took the time to do Venetian plaster on this wall, which happens to be the pantry on the other side in the kitchen. The homebuilder did a slight texture on all of our walls, which caused the plaster to look like worn leather rather than smooth glass. I love how it turned out. Now to just get the credenza filled and adorned with decorations...
After living with 6'5" to 7' ceilings for nine years, I caught myself staring at the spacious vaulted ceiling in our great room rather than watch TV the first little while we lived here. I couldn't believe you could actually have that much space above your head. The homebuilder also installed one ceiling fan with a light...yes A light...in this space. Trying to see anything by the one lightbulb 12 feet above your head was horrible. I sat with a lamp on the back of the couch for the first 10 months until we finally figured out the lighting we wanted. Bryan took out the fan and installed the track lights. The lights are suspended by wire and give a planetary solar system look to the space. We also just purchased a 10x20 piece of sculpted carpet that will be bound and given a mat to create a rug that will tie the living room side with the future office side. We've had a difficult time with the furniture placement of this room. The homebuilder also put the cable access above the fireplace, which is handy to keep your TV off the floor, but not so much when you don't want the heat to ruin your wonderful electronic device. Besides, we already had our TV 'console' set up. The layout of the patio door, fireplace and large window make it such only one wall truly works for the TV, hence only one layout works for the couches too. I'm hoping with my office joining the large empty space in front of the fireplace, and the addition of the rug, they will finally give the whole space a cohesiveness it longs for.
And at long last, my office. Right after moving into our home, we set about finding a desk. This was not an easy task. Bryan and I have always longed for a library with floor to ceiling bookshelves, a commanding desk, gargantuan fireplace, and deep leather chairs. We're not quite to the stage of a home that can accommodate this dream, but felt we should be selective about the office furniture we purchased. After visiting several furniture showrooms, we were at Mor Furniture in Portland where the salesman told us we had fantastic taste. He couldn't believe at our age we were going straight for the rich woods and classic traditional styles. He said most couples at 20 purchase only what can be afforded, by their 30s (our age group) purchase the light colored oaks and maples, and by late 40s to 50s, finally move into the age old classics. We've always been detailed about our purchases. Why buy the cheap or unwanted, when with the right quality product, you can make a buy that will last a lifetime? When I mentioned I was going for a 1930s look with the desk, the salesman told us about Classic Home & Antique. He said they'd have what we were looking for. And boy, did they ever! We've spent countless hours visiting this showroom, and purchased my desk, filing cabinet (which is cleverly hidden as a small desk), and credenza from here. The commanding desk definitely fills the space, but I've loved every moment I've done my work at it, which is 8 hours a day Monday through Friday. I'm also glad we went with it, as now that this room will become a nursery, the large great room wouldn't have been done justice by a small table and chair.
Right before I learned I was pregnant, but after we had purchased the credenza, I set to work on a couple of cross-stitches. The first is "Something Wicked". It's the tiniest aida cloth size I've ever worked with (35 count!). The final product turned out beautiful, and I purchased a special mat which I plan on using the papers featured in a collage. Once framed, the plan for this piece is to be out at Halloween, adorning the credenza. I then went straight to work on a Christmas themed cross-stitch titled "Tis the Season". I finished the stitching of both projects in time for their respective holidays, but unfortunately, babies A&B made it difficult to continue and get both framed up. Now that I'm past the icks and have more energy, I can finally complete the framing in time for this year's holiday season.
Finally, the stroller. I never in a million years thought we'd need to buy this type of furniture. Classic Home & Antique actually has a pram in their showroom, but it's more for display than use (the rubber on the wheels is just about worn away). Bryan spent several hours researching our best options for car seats/infant carriers/stroller. I needed infant carriers that were light since I'd be hoisting two babies around, and I needed a stroller that wasn't a double wide trailer coming down the grocery store aisle. His hard work paid off with this gem. The stroller comes with two removable seats that also double as infant carriers, and then triple as car seats. Once your babies grow big enough, you upgrade to the toddler size seats (which unfortunately do not do triple duty, they only work for the stroller). The toddler seats are featured right now, as the infant carriers haven't shown up in the mail yet. The whole ensemble can be yours for the low price of $3000, but with a few tweaks, searches, and exhausting email debates, can be bid upon at eBay for a mere $700. A much needed bonus, as the purchase of duplicate on everything adds up quickly.