18 weeks- Big Ultrasound!

Well, the verdict is in: We are having identical twin BOYS!! While I was a tiny little bit disappointed at first (for a millisecond), I then realized- I can do this! I have had one boy, and having two more just means I know more of what to expect! And I won't have to worry about having two teenage daughters that hate my guts someday! People tell me my boys will take care of me. The Hetrick Boys. Man, it's crazy to think about. But you know, it all makes sense now. And I'm excited.

They are doing very well so far. The doctor's only concern at this point is that they share a placenta, so I will go in every two weeks for a check-up to make sure they are both getting all the nutrients they need. So far so good, though. We got to see them for almost two full hours while they checked all the parts, and everything is right on schedule. They moved the due date back a little bit, but basically it's just easiest to say that they are due the last week of March. One of them was sucking his thumb! It was really neat to see them both. They have the 3D ultrasound (or is it 4D? I should know this) and we got some fun pictures of them, too. In fact, we got 15 pictures of them that day. We had so many, I started to forget what each picture really was after awhile- sometimes ultrasound pics are hard to decipher. :) All I know is, there are two little baby boys that are growing like weeds in my tummy right now. I can feel kicks and squirms quite a bit now, which I never thought would happen at 18 weeks! This whole thing is pretty crazy, but very exciting. Now that we know the sexes, we also know that we have a great head start on clothes and toys! Now we need to get car seats, a double stroller, another crib, a minivan (kind of a big deal), and tons of diapers and wipes. You can see pics of the little dudes here: Twins

Just a note: One of the 3D/4D pics of the boys looks a little... strange. He was blocked by the other twin, and the doctor had a tough time getting a good picture of his face, but you get the idea. And, they are identical... so if you see one, you basically see the other, right? But I promise his limbs are fully formed and intact. We'll get a better pic of him later!

-Ash

Life Update

I am long overdue for some good Keatonisms. He is cracking me up lately. And making my blood pressure rise, but that's just the stage we are in right now.

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-He told me my costume "Prob-a-ly won't fit anymore cuz the babies are getting too big."

-We were listening to Queen (Bohemian Rhapsody) and he said, "What's Bohemian Raspberry mean? Like in muffins?"

-We love to listen to the radio while in the car. Keaton likes to ask who sings the songs he hears, and can now pick out a lot of the songs within the first couple of notes. Last night, Little Black Submarines came on, and he asked who sang it. I temporarily forgot, but Keaton said, "I think maybe it's Black Keys." And he was right. That kind of blew my mind.

*****

An update from the last entry- We took Riese to PetsMart on Thursday night because he had gotten out of control, so we were looking into getting a bigger crate so he would fit. Eric, a guy that we've known since PetsMart opened, told us to look into getting an inflatable ring for his neck to replace the cone of shame. Not only has it worked better, but he can sleep in the old crate now, too. It's gone much better. I also found out Monday that when Riese got out the last time, he ate all of Keaton's Flintstone vitamins. I don't know how he got the darn kid-proof lid off, but I do know that he ate probably 40 vitamins and apparently hasn't had any huge issues afterwards. Yikes! I think I also mentioned last time that he got our tin of Garrett's popcorn open and ate the last of it, too. This dog's been through a lot in the last week. I really hope he is healing just fine and can get this donut off soon. He goes for his recheck next week.

In baby news, we go for our BIG ultrasound on the 25th, and if the babies comply, we will find out the sexes! They tell me it should take at least 45 minutes for the entire ultrasound because they have to check both babies head to toe to make sure everything is working the way it should. I am, as usual, pretty nervous/anxious about it all... I can only hope that everything goes well. I'm excited to see them again, though! I can definitely feel both of them individually now. This is so strange! I have known for a month (as of tomorrow) that there are two in there, and I still tend to have "Holy Crap!" moments. I think looking at minivans and getting the ball rolling on finishing the basement are two elements that are really making this all hit home. And, my growing belly. I feel like it has really popped out since we got home from Kansas! I had a suspicion that they are going through a growth spurt over the last week because I have been super emotional, hungry, tired, and grumpy. I feel sorry for my family members... I don't think I'm very fun to be around lately.

Well, I think that's about it. I got my flu shot this morning. Other than that, I'm going to do laundry, clean a bit, and rest while I can. Halloween is in two weeks from tomorrow!!! Will my dress still fit?? If Keaton's prediction is true, not so much. Haha...

-Ash

Wedding and a Problem Puppy

Last weekend, two of my best friends from 8th grade married each other. It was a wonderful weekend at home. It went entirely too fast, but I was able to spend quality time with my two best girlfriends on Friday night at the Woodward, a B&B in Topeka. Saturday we woke up, ate a wonderful breakfast, and then started the wedding festivities. It was a very emotional day, especially when I saw Jeremy see Sara for the first time as she walked down the aisle. Luckily, we had hidden kleenex in the bookcase right next to where we were standing at the alter, so we sniffled through the ceremony. It was tough keeping it together when Sara's sister Kris and my BFF Lindsey were standing on both sides of me, sobbing. I cried more at this wedding than I did at my own... maybe it was baby hormones, but really, I think it was just the pure joy I felt as I watched two people who have been in love for forever, finally tie the knot. (Not that Case and I didn't feel the same way on our big day, but I was so ready to marry him at that point that I just had a blast and didn't shed a tear!) Sara predicted in 8th grade that she would marry Jeremy, and even though they went through different journeys and were apart a large chunk of that time, the stars finally aligned and they found each other again. I gave a very soggy speech at the reception, too. Tears of joy, that's for certain. It was a blast. I wish I would have had more energy to dance and get crazy with the rest of them, but I had just as much fun watching everyone enjoy themselves. :)

We flew back home on Sunday, just in time to pick Riese up from the PetsHotel at PetsMart. Monday morning, we took him back to get neutered. He spent  most of the day there in recovery, and when Casey got home that evening, we grabbed dinner and went back to get him. I should have left him there. He's been a mess ever since. He seems to be recovering fine, but because he has the Elizabethan collar (or "Cone of Shame"), he can't fit in his normal crate anymore. We tried to barricade him into the area where his crate used to be, using baby gates. Tuesday I took Keaton to school, then had an appointment at 10 for an oil change/tire rotation for my car. I finally got home around 12:45, only to find that Riese had busted out of his 'crate' and gotten into my chocolate stash. I called the vet, and they said to give him a few tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide and wait for him to throw up. So I did. Thank goodness it was a nice day out, because I already have such a problem with the way he smells right now that there was virtually no way I could handle dog vomit in the house. It seemed to have worked. Luckily he didn't get much chocolate to begin with, so things worked out okay. I hosed him off and let him back in the house, just in time to try to crate him again so I could go to another appointment at 2:30. When I got back from that one, he'd gotten out again. This time he only peed on the floor. I spent all of yesterday at home with he and Keaton because I didn't trust that he would be good if I left him.

So today, I had to take Keaton to school, then take my car in to get new tires. When I got home, he had busted out yet again. This time he got onto the kitchen table and knocked things off, spilled water, chewed up a notebook, apparently jumped up onto the couch and got down a cute frame of Keaton and chewed up the corners... so far that's all I've found. I tried so hard to make sure he couldn't get out of the crate set-up today. All of the kitchen chairs and the table are pushed up next to the baby gate that held him in (or... didn't...). I see where he got out, but I'm pretty surprised that he did, especially with that satellite dish on his head. This guy is driving me nuts. This has been an expensive week so far... and I know that's only going to get more intense. Hopefully the dog can slow down on his portion of draining the bank account now. We've got a basement to finish, car to trade in, and whatever other expenses that could come along with having two additional family members sometime in the next 5 months. Who'd like to send a winning lottery ticket? I may need to look into something on the side I can do to earn some extra cash or something once all is said and done. But the dog needs to realize that he's spent all of his allowance and he's not getting any more anytime soon! Yikes.

This week, the babies are apparently the size of avocados. I've thought about trying to make meals based on whatever food they are compared to each week... then I thought... that might be creepy. The little avocados seem to be doing well, and are definitely stretching and growing quite a bit. I've been pretty exhausted and hungry (and grumpy) the past few days, not to mention I'm feeling the stretch as my belly gets bigger. I'm thankful that I had energy last weekend and was able to enjoy the time at home before this crazy week started. Now the question is, do I have enough energy/time/strength/trust in the dog to get out again and run to the store like I need to??

More soon. Check out wedding pics on Flickr. (We took Casey's new camera and I'm a little disappointed in the quality of most of the pictures. It could totally have been user error, but still- I missed the Canon last weekend and should have brought it instead. Anyway, I'm just glad I had the chance to take some pics and enjoy quality time with my amazing friends.)

-Ash

Case of the Disappearing Lap

I have realized lately that my days of rocking Keaton at bedtime are probably coming to a rather abrupt end, especially if Yin & Yang keep growing as much as they've seemed to lately. My lap is starting to disappear. As much as Keaton wiggles and squirms, it's getting pretty uncomfortable to try to balance him on a lap that was not all that big to begin with. It makes me sad because that is one of the ways he and I wind down at the end of the day. I like that he chats with me and says things like, "I had a good day today, Mommy." He then tells me everything he did, even if I was right there doing it with him. I love our time together (especially when he's tired enough to sit still). I'm going to have to find other ways to comfort him, and while that isn't the end of the world, it is still the end of something I have enjoyed since he was born. Like all good things, I guess that must come to an end. Maybe he'll come back around when the lap shrinks and his siblings are asleep or busy. Or maybe, by that time, he'll be too much of a big boy to want to do it with me. Or MAYBE, he will miss it, too, and I won't have anything to miss... or we will find a new tradition. All I know is, he is growing up too fast... and so is my lap.

In other news, Casey's parents came this past weekend, and Casey and Keith got a ton done on the basement. We are almost at the point where we need an electrician to come in- we have decided not to do that part ourselves. De was a life-saver with Keaton. He didn't want any part of me, so I was able to nap, go shopping, and spend time with a friend. It was a nice break, but of course I missed my Keaton time, too. I figure I get to see him every day, and the grandparents only see him for brief periods of time, so I can share. :) He loved playing with her, and had to keep tabs on where she was all the time. If she was out of his sight, it wouldn't take long before I would hear, "Mommy, where's Nana?" I'm looking forward to our flight home on Friday so he can spend time with everyone again. He's at such a fun age right now, I feel like I get to see it all the time, but I'm excited for others to see it, too! I'm glad he loves his family so much. When he sits at his place at the table, he likes to look at his placemat of the U.S. and tell me, "Kansas is my favorite! My family lives there. Nana, Papa, Grandma, Grandpa. And Aunt Valerie, and Aunt Leslie, and Uncle Mitch!" :)

Speaking of our flight this weekend, it's time for me to go work on my speech for the wedding. It may be one of the easiest speeches I ever write, because I've been thinking about what to say ever since I found out Sara & Jeremy were engaged. (Even back when I didn't think I could even go to the wedding, I dreamed about what I would say. Piece of cake. Wedding cake, even. Mmmm that sounds good right about now...)

-Ash