Kindergarten Tool Kit

As a former Kinder/1st grade teacher I can't help but feel the need to do "school work" with Blair over the summer. At first she was not interested but now she actually asks to do her school work with me. I think she enjoys the one-on-one time with her Mama. Those days are limited!

Carrie sent us an awesome Kindergarten Tool Kit to use with Blair and she loved it right away! The kit is designed for kids ages 2-6 years old and helps build a foundation for Kindergarten.

The Kindergarten Tool Kit includes a spiral bound notebook with mini lessons and assessments, color/shape flashcards, upper/lower case flashcards, number flashcards, sight word flash cards, chalk, eraser, and a white board and pen (Blair's favorite part!).

The lessons are short and easy to understand which made our time together fun instead of frustrating. All of the items are simple and clean in design so Blair wasn't distracted and could just focus on her learning. The tool kit does a great job of directing parents (or whoever is helping) in breaking down the content for kids so it's not overwhelming.

When we were finished with our lesson for the day Blair wanted to write her name on her new white board over and over. At night I can hear her telling her Baby, "B-L-A-I-R. Blair." It's pretty cute and I'm thrilled that she's enjoying learning so much.

I highly recommend the Kindergarten Tool Kit and Carrie has graciously offered all of you a code so you can try it at a discounted rate! Use code THANKS10 for $10 off your order at checkout. Happy learning!

34 Weeks

It's been a while. I know. But if you follow me on Instagram or Snapchat you know things have been a little wild! 

You can catch up and see what landed me in the hospital last Thursday by reading the post before this. On Saturday my doctor saved me and gave me the green light to go home as long as I monitored my blood pressure and kept watch for other signs of preeclampsia (high blood pressure) such as a head ache, blurred vision, swelling, and tightness in my chest. 

Did I mention that TWO of my best friends work in the hospital where I plan to deliver?! So fun!

On the way home from the hospital M and I joked that it seemed like we were on a vacation the last couple days. We had our own room, no toddler, and hospital food delivered right to our lap! ;) Except for all the poking, prodding, and lack of sleep on my end I'd call it a mini vacation at the resort. It was so lovely in fact that we will be visiting again soon. :)

While in the hospital I went 40 hours of no sleep because of all the monitoring they had to do. I had three belts strapped to me; one for my contractions, and one for each baby. Every time I rolled over and tried to get comfortable Baby B (our boy) would wiggle away from his heart monitor. This ensured that a nurse would come in and adjust my belt. Oh, and add my blood pressure being taken every 15 to 30 minutes...ain't nobody sleeping through that! 

Needless to say I've been home catching up on some zzz's. I finally got smart and decided to blog from bed on a laptop because when my feet dangle in a chair I end up with double chins on my ankles. It's a good look. ;) So far I've had a couple high blood pressure readings but since it goes back down I haven't rushed back to the hospital. I have contractions every evening about 9 minutes apart but again nothing has come of it so I'm just hanging out at home. The only other issue I've been having is tightness in my chest. It seems to be worse when I lay down and I'm convinced it's just a lot of baby in there squishing my lungs. 

We're on constant baby patrol over here and every day they stay put is better for them, however it's stressful for me to be in charge of monitoring their health (and mine). I'm not a nurse/doctor and I tend to get insecure about all my symptoms and what they mean. At 34 weeks they would not try to stop my labor from progressing like they did last week. This whole pregnancy I've been so worried about having pre-term babies but I finally feel like I can breathe a sigh of relief. Since I was diagnosed with preeclampsia they will induce me at 37 weeks if I make it that far. That puts me at August 14th. Their chances of being healthy and not having a long NICU stay are really high from this point on...thank you Jesus! 

It's so wild to me that God already knows their birthday. I just wish I could be in on the secret too! I can't wait to meet these sweet, precious, miracles of mine. They are already SO loved. 

33 weeks 5 days

Teeny and Tiny are coming!

Yesterday I went in for a check up with my OB. My blood pressure came back high which I attributed to traffic and my toddler being with me. ;)

That time when your toddler asks why the doctor's office has so many pictures of "flowers." And then requests a picture with the beautiful flowers. Crying laughing over here. 

Regardless my OB sent me over to labor and delivery triage to be monitored. Turns out I have amazing blood pressure when I'm not in traffic and my four year old is home napping. However the doctor was not a fan of the contractions I was having every ten minutes. Or the fact that they discovered I was 2.5 cm dilated and 70% effaced. 

Off to labor and delivery I went for the next 24 hours. They gave me meds to stop my contractions and so far they have become less frequent but they haven't stopped. The doctor has to keep giving me meds to keep them farther apart. I'm a super picky and light sleeper so with all the monitoring and discomfort I haven't slept in 24 hours. Boo. Hoping that I can nap today. 

My last check showed I have dilated to a 3 and am about 70-80% effaced. I'll be keeping you updated as I know more. The good thing is that I have a total peace and know that the twins and I are in good hands. They are doing absolutely great and so far my contractions have been totally bearable. Please be praying for continued safety for them and strength (and sleep!) for me. Babies are head down and I'm hoping for a natural vaginal birth. Crazy ambitious with twins, I know. Ready or not here come teeny and tiny! 

Pebby Forevee Tees

Over the weekend I got to spend some time with some other pregnant mamas in nearby downtown Redlands. I participated in a mini photo shoot to show case the most darling tee shirts by Pebby Forevee. I scored and got to take this one home with me which will be perfect for the gym post babies and just so happens to accurately describe my current state. ;)

LEGIT pregnant tee (size large and tied in the back)

Feed me and tell me I'm pretty. 

Shirts: Pebby Forevee
Photos: Jen Wertman
Site: Seed

Latchy Catchy Review

Perhaps one of the most frustrating things is when someone or something wakes up your newborn. I would lose it when our dog would bark at the UPS guy and wake Blair up when she was a babe. Now that I'm about to have twins I want to avoid this calamity the best I can! Enter the Latchy Catchy!

The Latchy Catchy allows you to open and close any interior door silently. No more slamming the door for Blair which is especially important since her room is right next to the twins'. The Latchy Catchy fits all door shapes and sizes. It easily slips into place when needed and comes in a ton of cute prints.

As a mom I can really appreciate this product. It will be great for Blair's bathroom door during the middle of the night potty breaks (she shares a Jack and Jill bathroom with the twins). But this product is also great for classroom doors, loud roommates, light sleepers, toddler safety, carrying loads in and out of the garage, day spas, libraries, etc.

Would you like to have a Latchy Catchy of your own? Head over to my Instagram account to enter to win a free one! @natyouraveragegirl Good luck!

Thank you to Lyndsey for our awesome Latchy Catchies!

Favorite Feeding Items for Baby

Basically life over here consists of me loafing on the couch (with lots of pillows) and/or laying back in my recliner with my swollen ankles elevated. Thus, the lack of posts lately. But good things are coming soon so don't bail on me now! ;)

I always like looking at other mama's favorite baby items so I thought I would compile some of my must haves. There are so many baby products so I thought I would start with the "feeding" aspect of caring for baby(ies).

My brestfriend nursing pillow

Aden and Anais burpy bib

Munchkin bottle brush cleaner

Lifefactory glass bottles

Inglesina hook on chair

Baby Bullet food prep station

Since I don't have any experience with formula I wasn't sure what to include for those items so leave your suggestions below. I'm definitely curious because you never know what kind of curve ball the twins are going to throw me. I heard this breast pump is amazing and I plan on trying to obtain one through my insurance if possible. I currently have a Medela which worked great but newer is better, right? ;)

32 Weeks

Last Friday I had my last anatomy scan for the twins (since everything has been normal thus far). These are my favorite appointments...it's just so awesome to see how big they are and what they are up to in there.

At 32 weeks...
Baby boy is 4 pounds 11 ounces. Just in case you aren't sure that is HUGE. He's 5 ounces from being 5 pounds! Good for him...bad for me lol. He is head down still (yay!) and has hair on his head. He is on my left side and is the B baby which means he will come out second.

At 32 weeks...
Baby girl is 3 pounds 13 ounces...just 3 ounces away from being 4 pounds! She is also quite large but not as beastly as her brother. Since she is also big the doctor's aren't worried about the (almost) 1 pound difference in their weight. She is also head down and has a TON of hair according to the ultrasound tech. Blair also had a lot of hair when she was born so maybe little sister will look like big sister?

If you do the math that's 8.5 pounds of baby inside me. At 32 weeks. No wonder my back hurts and I've gained 43 pounds!!! I'm measuring about 40 weeks. No stretch marks yet but I'm sure they are coming for me...

At this point I am dying of discomfort. I can't do car rides for longer than 30 minutes because it just kills my back. I spend most of my days laying on my side on the couch to relieve my back pain or relaxing in my recliner with pillows under my feet to relieve my swollen left ankle. With both babies heads on my left side it's no wonder that leg has varicose veins and swells quickly. Oy! Just a friendly reminder that I didn't have ANY of these symptoms while prego with Blair. One baby versus two really makes a difference!

My hands have swollen so much that my ring no longer fits. I've been getting acid reflux occasionally at night when lying down to go to sleep. Oh, and sleep? That's a joke. But it sure ain't gonna get better any time soon!

The babies move like crazy and that I just love. Even when sweet baby girl gets her foot under my ribs and flicks them out. It reminds me that they are in there, happy and healthy.

I know it sounds like a lot of complaining but really I just want to document what my body is going  through and is capable of.

I'm pregnant. With twins! And that trumps all my pregnancy woes hands down.

Blair's First Train Ride

It's been ages since M and I have taken the train to the beach. Since Blair had never been we decided to take her last weekend. She has three things on her bucket list for this summer:
1. ride a train
2. go to a dinosaur museum
3. see a volcano

One of those probably won't be possible. ;)

We went with a group of friends and had a great time! I would totally do it again...just not on the 4th of July weekend. To say the train was crowded was an understatement. We actually were able to get our tickets for free with a coupon we got in the mail which is even better! That gave me a little extra money for an iced mocha and a soft serve cone. :)

And why am I the only lady with all my clothes off?! Insert hands covering face emoji.

This is definitely something I would like to do a few times a year. Such a great trip and B was totally entertained looking out the window on the way there. Not having to find and pay for parking was a dream. Plus getting to nap/play on my phone/read on the way home was pretty sweet too. Happy Friday everyone...have a great weekend!

4th of July

We had a great Fourth of July with friends and family. We hung out in our pool and one of us drank a lot of Shirley Temples. ;)

31 Weeks

Our day wouldn't have been complete without temporary tattoos for the kids (and maybe a few adults). There's something about going to work with a fake tat from your holiday shenanigans that brings a smile to your face. And while my belly tat wouldn't be seen by most bosses; my boss happens to be a four year old who's always up in my belly business. ;)

San Diego Nighttime Zoo: Centennial Summer

The San Diego Zoo is celebrating its 100 year anniversary this year with a nighttime zoo experience. They are starting off the celebration this summer with a roar by opening the zoo for nighttime hours! The San Diego Zoo is focused on helping to end extinction and by visiting the zoo you help them in that fight.

Blair has been to the San Diego Safari Park a couple of times and always has a great time. It's so special to be able to share new animals with  her that she has never seen before. The amazement in her eyes after seeing the elephants, feeding the lorikeet birds, and brushing the goats was priceless! Check out our photos below from her first visit in 2013.

Seeing how much she loved the Safari Park inspires us to try out the new San Diego nighttime zoo. It would be a great summer outing that we could even do during the week since the hours work with M's work schedule. Check out their website for hours and ticket prices HERE.

The San Diego nighttime zoo offers live music, shows, activities, and even drinks for mom and dad! Definitely make sure you add this to your summer bucket list!