10 Things to do Before 30 Weeks Pregnant with Twins

Twins are usually delivered around 36 weeks. With that knowledge in hand you already know you have (on average) 4 less weeks to prepare than a singleton mom does.  And chances are that you will not feel like, or be capable of doing much those last 6 weeks.  So I just wanted to throw out some quick tips on things to complete prior to 30 weeks of pregnancy.

1.  If someone is throwing you a baby shower, do it before 30 weeks! I personally think the 26-28 week mark is optimal.  Some random people could make comments about it being 'early' or say, "You still have a while to go."- ignore them.  Also, don't forget you will likely have to make returns and purchase the leftover items you are still in need of.  You might not have an issue using the handicapped scooters in Target to do your shopping- but I was glad I got all the shopping done while I was still able to walk :)

2.  Complete maternity pictures- if you desire to do them.  Google image search "twin pregnancy belly photos" if you need more convincing.  Trust me, the later you get into a twin pregnancy the more likely you are to look as though you have alien objects under your shirt.  As soon as you get a cute rounded belly- do your pics then!  You are also more likely to retain fluid as time progresses so imagine swollen hands, feet, ankles, lips, face, etc.... not to pretty of a picture to think of huh?

3.  GET THE ROOM READY!  Serious. Do this as early as you can. My advice would be to pick out all things that are not gender specific and have them ready.  Cribs, dresser, changing table, blah, blah, and so on.  That way once you find out gender, you can proceed with the gender specific bedding and accessories you want. (If you choose to not know genders- and go neutral nursery then you can really finish early!)

4. The moment you find out you are prego with twins (or more) go get the book "When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads" by Barbara Luke.  Seriously, buy it and read it as fast as you can.  I was going to try and save the $13 it cost to buy and try and just research it online. Nope, don't do that.  It is entirely worth your money and is a great reference to use throughout your pregnancy- you will want your own copy!

5.  If you are wanting to do the "babymoon" trip do it early and don't get too exotic.  We had a trip to Cancun, Mexico planned (& paid for) before I was even pregnant. The trip would have fallen around week 19 of pregnancy. When we found out twins were coming (at 6 week ultrasound), my husband's first question to the doc was about our trip.  Her advice?- Cancel.  Too high risk with twins to be out of the country was what she said.  Thank goodness we had trip insurance!  The vacation money went towards a mini van :(

6. Pick out a pediatrician- And make sure you have completed the necessary pre-birth paperwork for said pediatrician.  I barely made it- the day before I was 'sent to bed' I was signing up at the pedi's office.  I waited just a little too late.

7.  Attend birth classes- Obviously this is a bigger deal if you don't already have children.  I found the classes, especially breastfeeding and infant care info to be very helpful.  However, if you do nothing else at least take a tour of the hospital you plan to deliver at.  It will greatly ease some stress of an already stressful situation if you know where to park, register, etc.

8.  Gain 24 pounds by 24 weeks!!  Dr. Barbara Luke goes into depth on why this is important in her book (see #4).  But the short and sweet of the story is that early weight gain with multiples will reduce your chances of preterm labor.  

9.  Seek advice about life with twins/multiples!!-  Having two (or more) babies at once is a lot.  I believe the more prepared you are the better!  Some great sources that I have found personally are books like Dr. Barbara Luke's, other families with twins/multiples, blogs, and this facebook group.

10.  Get your hospital bag ready-  I'm not saying that you have to have it totally packed, but get your list of what to pack ready.  I 'pinterested' to find out what was helpful and important to have for the big event.  Turns out there was several things that I still had to purchase (nursing tank tops, slippers, etc).  I'm grateful that I got an early start because I had to go on bedrest by the end of 31 weeks.

The Boys' Nursery!!

At the current time I am 32 weeks pregnant and have been on bed rest for 1 week.  So finally, I have the time to post about the nursery!  It is as done as it is gonna get for the time being :)

In the beginning we had big ideas.  Big pinterest type ideas.  (Side thought- Don't you sometimes hate pinterest for making your home decor, clothes, or whatever feel so very lackluster? Or is it just me?)  Example: we thought we might cover and entire wall in barn wood, do bead board, or something of the like.  I planned on getting posh bedding and such.  Reality: baby stuff is expensive!!  (Second side thought- It reminds me of wedding stuff.  Call a caterer and get a price to feed 100 people for a "family reunion",  wait a week call the same caterer and get a price for a 100 person wedding... they will be different. Rip off.)

When it came down to it we just got realistic. We weren't gonna sink a ton of cash into a room for 2 small humans who don't give a rip.  And secondly we realize that with two children we will likely outgrow our house in a few years so why go nuts-o on a room that we are unable to move with us.

Simple twin boy nursery.  Matching cribs were a must since they would be sharing a room.  That was the most expensive part. (Read here about the crib deal I got.)  

So finding the bedding was the hardest part about the whole nursery process for me.  Like I said I originally had big dreams for their bedding.  But holy cow! Most everything I liked was $350 per set per ONE crib!! I just could not sink $700 into bedding that would likely be stained with vomit and poop!  So I did the 'bed in a bag' thing.  

Brand is "Trend Lab"& Style is "Max" 

I purchased this 3 piece set (sheet, skirt, quilt) for around $60 each from Amazon.  I also got the matching valances and diaper caddy from there too!

Next we painted the walls a blue color to compliment the bedding.  Then my favorite part was the mallard duck decals I found at this etsy shop.  We definitely wanted a duck theme nursery because my husband is super passionate about duck hunting.  We did NOT want it to be 'rubber ducky' style but the real mallard deal!

Hubby found this perfect sized for between the crib shelf at Lowes. Notice all the mallard ducks :)

No the dresser does not match, but oh well.  It's huge with lots of storage and we 'borrowed' it from our guest bedroom set for the time being.  My dad made the changing table topper. 

Comfy rocking recliner, rug, and an antique kid size rocking chair finish off their room!

Nixing Cable TV

As of this month we decided to get rid of our cable TV package with DVR.  Instead, we have chosen to try out Apple TV and bought subscriptions to Netflix and Hulu Plus.

The Apple TV device looks like this.  The corresponding remote is teeny tiny...

Seriously, we have only had this for 3 weeks and it's gotten lost half a dozen times in the couch cushions already.

This is what the "home screen" (I don't think that is the real name for it- I'm not a techie so just go with me here) looks like.

So, here is my honest opinion of our TV viewing situation now:  I don't really like it.  And my husband is not the biggest fan either.  Hopefully, it is just because we are not use to it yet- and maybe all this will grow on us.  

We didn't really save all that much money either.  We live too far from a large city to be able to pick up the 'basic' channels: ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX via antenna so we still have to pay a TV provider to supply those.  Netflix and Hulu Plus are both $7.99 per month.  And of course we have to have good internet connection to run the Apple TV.  So, all in all our savings is $17 a month.  Not really worth it to me.

PROS:

I do spend less time watching TV.  I use to just turn on E!, TLC, Bravo for background noise and I would inevitably get sucked into watching something mindless and waste a lot of my time.  I have enjoyed catching up on some past seasons of my new favorite show Bones via Netflix. (Although I have to watch it on my computer if I want to see it in HD, it's super grainy on the TV).  You can rent movies instantly via itunes over Apple TV.  Netflix has no commercials.  From what people with children have told me Netflix is awesome for cartoons.  You can still watch ESPN if you know someone with a cable subscription, they just have to be willing to give you their username and password to their cable account (this charges them no extra).

CONS:

My favorite USA shows like Suits, Covert Affairs, and White Collar, are not available to view until 30 days after they air on TV.  We really miss A&E, HGTV, Discovery, and History channels. ( I'm ashamed to admit it but I miss E! also).  My husband is not a "show" person.  I've never known him to follow a TV show other than a brief stint in college when he watched Grey's Anatomy.  So he is pretty bummed with the switch as well.  We really have not saved much money with this transition.  Of course, if we could pick up basic channels via antenna we would have saved $47 as compared to our $17.

So all in all, we are gonna give this a few more months to decide if we are gonna keep the ol' Apple TV or not.

UPDATE: OCTOBER 2013-  We went back to Cable TV and are much happier.  Apple TV and Netflix might work for some but it just was not for us.  We are paying $24 more than we were without a cable package but we are really enjoying having Cable back!

Not feelin' so swagger in a Swagger Wagon

We drank the Mini Van kool-aid!!!!  I suppose you really should say "never."  I can specifically remember having a conversation with Lincoln where I said, "I know they say 'never say never' but I will NEVER drive a Mini Van!!"   Boy oh boy am I eating my words now.

I can say I honestly use to think that driving a mini van was the embodiment of saying "I give up on trying to be cool world!"  I'm fearful that the next step I will be taking is going to Kroger in pajama pants while wearing crocs. Sigh.

Let me tell you though, the mini van is quite nice to drive.  It's a smooth ride.  There are more cup holders than I can count, or actually I stopped counting at 12 cause I can't remember where the rest are.  I can open the side doors or hatch with the press of a button.  There are plenty of little compartments to hide things.  Storage space is in abundance.  Seriously, I can go to Sam's, Lowe's, Petco, and Kroger in one trip and have space to spare (it probably helps that there are no kiddos in there yet). And my #1 favorite thing about a mini van is I feel less judgment when I order a kids meal at a drive thru window! :)

Our Toyota Sienna

This is the precious cargo we are hauling until the twins come!

Deal Hunting for the Twins

Lincoln loves to duck hunt and I love to deal & bargain hunt!  It is an addiction that I think I got from my mother (fortunately my case is not quite as severe as hers- sorry Mom).  And just like a fisherman or  hunter likes to display his trophy catches, I want to brag on my great finds!  So here is some of what we have acquired so far.

Infant Swings

We wanted the, smaller portable options for swings.  Our space is somewhat limited, especially when you think about having to have double the stuff.  These can go where we go from living room, to their bedroom, or ours.  These retail for $60 each.  Well I got bought one for $30 and one for $25. So total of $55 for both!! Total savings of more than 50% off retail!  After you wash them and clorox wipe them down they really are just as good as new.

And, yes poor Cash is just trying to figure out what in the world is happening!!

Bumbos with tray

Bumbos retail for $40 each and the tray is sold separately for $11.  Bumbos are easily cleaned and are grown out of quite fast.  So finding them used and in excellent condition is a cinch.  I bought two Bumbos with the trays for $20 each.  That is a savings of $62 plus tax!!

Our Cribs

We went with the DaVinci brand.  I think the style is "Emily."  They do convert to a toddler bed and came with the toddler rail (for some brands the conversion parts are sold separately).  This was not a huge savings, we saved $20 off retail price on each crib for a total of $40 saved. After several months of searching Craigslist and online yard sales I determined it was nearly impossible to find TWO matching used cribs, in similar condition, that did not have safety recall issues! So I finally gave in and we bought them new.  We were able to save what we did because we found them at the most awesome store Once Upon a Child in Franklin.  It is not really consignment, it's a resale store I think.

Boppy Infant Lounger

These retail for $30 each.  I found one at Essex a long time ago for $17 and picked it up.  Well I wished I had known to wait!  I found one at Kid to Kid in Brentwood for $8 (and it was still in the original package)!!  But still for two loungers I saved over 60% from retail!

Crib Mattresses

After doing all my research I decided to go with Safety First Heavenly Dreams crib mattress.  It ranked #2 for the best crib mattresses of 2013 according to this site.  I also read many product reviews from actual users on sites like Amazon, Babies R Us, Wal Mart, and Target.  (The #1 mattress was $170, take that multiplied by 2 and I think our kids will be just fine on the #2 mattress).  At Target this mattress sells for $53.  I snagged them while Babies R Us was having a mattress sale for $37 a piece.  They were only available online, but would ship free with a $100 purchase.  So I could have paid the $30 shipping charge but instead bought a box of diapers and got my total just over $100 and they shipped free!  So two mattress and a jumbo box of diapers all for less than what just the mattresses would have cost at Target!

My Brest Friend Twin Plus Nursing Pillow

According to most of the twin info I have read if you are going to breast feed twins a twin sized nursing pillow is a must.  This retails for $75 at Babies R Us.  I found it is Essex for $37!! Savings of 50%!  I've also seen the non-twin version of this pillow at Essex.  It's the number #1 rated nursing pillow by Lactation Consultants.  Plus I saw Michelle Duggar using it and recommending  it on their TV show.  If there is anyone who knows about breast feeding it's gotta be her!

Excer-Saucer 

I'm not sure what the proper term for this is.  I bought this exact one off an online yard sale site for $20. It retails at Babies R Us for $70 and Target for $60.  So I save over 65%!!  I just washed the seat part in the washer and hosed all the plastic off and gave it all a good scrubbing with Lysol.  It looks completely brand new.

I love to save money!  We work very hard for what we have.  With a twin pregnancy we know I will probably have to be out of work for longer than a singleton pregnancy.  And once our sweet babies come the amount of time I will be able to work is unknown.  So every little bit helps!  If your thinking I should just register for all this come baby shower time just remember we need TWO of almost everything.  We will need plenty of diapers, wipes, bedding, clothes, bottles, etc., etc., etc.!!!!!!!!  

Twice Blessed!

On March 16, 2013 (the day after Lincoln's Birthday) we found out that we were expecting! We were so excited.  The first thing we did was praise the Lord and give him thanks!  The following day we told our parents.  We texted Lincoln's mom & dad a picture of the positive test and called my parents to tell them the news.  Sort of lame, yes, but both sets of parents knew that we were trying to start a family and had been praying with us.

Over the next couple of days I kept re-testing just to make sure.  My doctor had me get blood drawn on March 20 for a blood test to "confirm."  I just went to the employee clinic at work to get the test since it is cheaper there- plus I knew I could get same day results.  Well my beta HcG (pregnancy hormone) level came back really, really high.  This was our first clue that something might be up :)  Of course I was googling what high beta levels meant like crazy.

Our first ultrasound was April 5.  The ultrasound tech said, "Well you are definitely pregnant, and you got TWO!!!"  I squealed and threw my hands up in the air like I had just won a race.  I can't remember what Lincoln said just that he had the biggest smile I'd ever seen.  The ultrasound showed that baby A was 6 weeks and 2 days and baby B was 6 weeks and 3 days.

We were given the official due date of November 26, but told that with twins I wouldn't be allowed to go to 40 weeks, and that November 1st was 'realistic' due date.

That is the first picture of the two of them!

Quick background- My mother had been talking the "I hope you have twins" talk for about the last year.  Anyone who has known me since childhood knows that I always wished I had a twin, and that even from a young age I said I wanted twins!  I even found a facebook post from 2009 where Lincoln and I said we both hoped for twins.

May He give you what your heart desires and fulfill your whole purpose.

Psalm 20:4

We feel blessed beyond description that God has graciously given us two babies to love, teach, cherish, and raise.  Through this blessing my mind is continually floored at how awesome our God is.  When I try to sit and wrap my mind around this Luke 6:38 is all I can think of.  That is the scripture where Jesus says, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  I know that Lincoln and I have not 'given' enough to earn this blessing.  But that is what is so amazing about our Heavenly Father- we don't get what we deserve when we are in Christ, PTL!  

My cup is running over beyond anything I could ever imagine!

Here is another pic, since I know that is what you really want! And yes that is already a 'pooch' there.  I lost 14 pounds before getting pregnant, so to me it was another red flag that my belly was already poking out, and I could no longer sleep comfortably on my stomach.