Diaper Bargain Shopper

I'm reading 3 different pregnancy/baby books right now and one is called Baby Bargains. I've found this book really helpful because it tells you what you really need for baby and what's just a waste of money. And for the stuff that you do need, it gives you places and websites for the best deals on these items.

While I was reading through my book last week, I got to the section on diapers. It showed a formula to figure out how many diapers you'll need for baby for the first 6 weeks, since they tend to go a lot more during that time and you should be stocked up before the baby arrives. Well, the formula came out to 600 for one baby for the first 6 weeks, so of course, in my situation, I need to double that number to get my diaper amount so that equals 1,200 diapers for two babies for the first 6 weeks! I immediately ran into David and told him that we needed to go to the store right then and start buying diapers! Thank goodness we didn't do that because I spent the next day online trying to find the best deal for diapers and I'm pretty proud of what I found.

I purchased a box of 240 Pampers Swaddlers for newborns from Amazon.com for $47.50 and free shipping. That comes out to about $.19 per diaper. I thought that was a pretty amazing deal!

The only problem with doing it this way is if I end up with a size that the babies outgrow and I can't take them back and exchange them for a different size. But I figured I could at least get a few of these boxes at first because the book said that multiples are usually smaller than singles when they are born and they tend to stay in the newborn size diapers for the full 6 weeks. So I figured I would get about 3 or 4 of these boxes and get the rest from my local Babies R Us or Sam's(that's the best deal I found locally).

The Neely Wedding

OK, so I've gotten away from the 30 day blog challenge. No one else seems to be keeping up with it either, so I don't feel so bad. I think it did get everyone to start posting more though.

This past Saturday, we got to watch 2 of our really good friends, Amy and Ryan, get married in a very pretty ceremony at the Tulsa Country Club. This was the only picture I managed to get of them though because they were so busy the whole night. But I understood completely because I felt like we did the same thing at our reception. We didn't get to talk to everyone and we didn't even get to sit down and eat because people kept coming up to us. But that's what receptions are for.

I've been slacking on my picture taking lately, because these are the only other 2 pics I got that night...

I tried to hang out for as long as possible, but my 9:00 bedtime came way too fast and after that I was just dragging through the night. I know David wanted to stay and hang out with his friends, but I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and I just wanted my bed! We left around 10:30, so I felt like that was pretty reasonable and I probably saved him from a massive hangover actually!

He is so proud of the twins that he told everyone there that night about it and I had everyone coming up to me telling me congratulations. It felt really good, especially to talk to the people that know everything that we've been through. It finally does feel real and not like we are making it up like it did in the beginning. But it made me so happy to see David beaming with pride about our babies.

8 week belly pics

So here are the first official "Belly Pics". There is a little pooch, but I'm not sure if that's pregnancy belly or chubby belly from my bad eating habits in the last few weeks.

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 8 Weeks
Size of baby: .6 inch long
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 3.5 lbs
Maternity Clothes: Not yet, but I did purchase a Belly Band because my work pants are getting a little snug.
Gender: Can't wait to find out!
Movement: I haven't felt any movement yet, but we did get to see one baby move today.
Sleep: I can't get enough of it!
What I miss: This week, I miss iced tea
Cravings: Yesterday I craved a vanilla milkshake all day and finally got one last night.
Symptoms: Nothing really in the last few days, just extremely tired.
Best Moment this week: We got confirmation that both babies are still in there today and got to see one move around and got to see and hear the heartbeats again. It's so exciting!

And here are the ultrasound pics from today.
These are a little harder to make out than the last ones. I think the top picture is of both babies and the one on the bottom is just of Baby A. But I'm not for sure about that.

8 weeks

I'm 8 weeks today and this morning we had our first appointment with my new OB. Everything went well and I liked it there alot. All of the nurses were really nice and the Dr. was laid back and listened to us and our questions and was eager to take a look at the babies.

So, we found out they are BOTH still in there...Yah!!! That was exciting news. And they both had good heartbeats with Baby A at 166 and Baby B at 148. Next, we wanted to determine if they are in their own little amniotic sacs or not. But it looks like it's still a little too early to tell. The Dr. thought he saw the membrane wall, but wasn't for sure so he wants me to come back in 2 weeks instead of 4.

He went over all the different scenarios and the different risks involved with each one. But all we can do right now is wait for my next appointment and keep hoping they are in their own sacs. But one major risk we're worried about right now is if there is only one placenta that they will both share. This gets scary because one twin could hog all of the nutrients and blood and that could be bad for both babies. But, again, that's something we have to wait to find out. Also, I've heard stories of babies having to share one placenta and everything turns out just fine.

Also, I will have to start seeing a twin specialist around 20 weeks unless the Dr. finds something wrong in the next few appointments and then I will have to see the specialist sooner.

So, we'll just keep our fingers crossed for now that they have their own amniotic sacs! Say it with me now..."2 Sacs! 2 Sacs! 2 Sacs!"

Day 23 - A YouTube video

I get on YouTube every once in a while when I'm bored because there's an app on my iPhone for it. I love watching videos of bulldogs because, well besides the obvious, I think they're hilarious. I've been watching a couple of videos of twin babies laughing at each other too lately.

But I'm going to share these 2 videos with you because I think they are so freakin funny!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ1Rbw68JFg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBSYD0dQCAw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I don't know if the links will work or not because I can't get on YouTube here at work and I just sent them from my phone. The first one is called Chubby Cupcake Boy and the second one is called The Evil Eye. So if the links don't work, all you have to do is search those titles in YouTube.

Day 22 - A website

I've been obsessed with http://www.etsy.com lately. It's a little like eBay, but you don't have to bid on stuff, just purchase it for the price they are asking and it's mostly all handmade items. Crafty stuff like home decor items but my favorite stuff to look at right now is the baby stuff. There are cute little personalized onesies and hats and bows and headbands. Some of the stuff can get pretty expensive, but it's mostly reasonable. And I also use it to get ideas for myself. Check it out if you don't already know about it!

Day 21 - A recipe

Well, I don't really have a recipe because I'm not much of a cook. But I do have a quick delicious dinner idea that I use all the time.

Preheat the oven to 400, I think (or whatever it says on the package of chicken patties).
I wrap my baking sheet in foil because it's less mess, and then I place Tyson frozen breaded chicken patties on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
While this is baking, I start some kind of noodles. I usually use parmesan angel hair pasta.
Then after the 15 minutes are up, take the patties out of the oven and cover each patty with spaghetti sauce. I usually use 3 cheese spaghetti sauce or garlic parmesan spaghetti sauce.
Then add shredded cheese on the top of the sauce. I usually use the Italian shredded white cheese.
Place the baking sheet back in the over for 5 more minutes.
Add some garlic bread or cheese bread, and...you have Chicken Parmesan in 20 minutes!

Day 20 - A hobby of yours

This year I picked up my very first hobby, photography. I got a new camera I knew nothing about (obviously because I got a sucky lens with the purchase). But after reading everything I could find and understand about photography, following several blogs on the subject, taking a class for a few weeks, and discussing topics with a few fellow photography friends, I feel like I understand the basic concepts. I just don't have a lot of subject to take pictures of. Most people practice on their kids because you obviously take tons of pictures of your kids anyway. I didn't have that so I took tons of pictures of the dogs and of my patient husband.

I feel like I've learned a lot these past 7 months and I can't wait to get a better lens ( I know I keep talking about it, I just need to make the purchase!) and I can't wait til my little blueberries come along so I can take tons of pictures of them and fill my walls!

Day 19 - A talent of yours

I don't necessarily have a talent, but I guess the closest thing to it would be my organizational skills. I think some people would call that a talent. I'm extremely organized and I love it. I love having my bills in order and my bank account balanced to the penny at all times. I love filing things in a neat little order so it's easy to find.

I've been slacking on this a little bit lately because I feel like I'm getting very forgetful and absentminded. I don't know if that's the pregnancy or what, but it's driving me crazy. I told David more than once the other night to remind me to start the dishwasher before we go to bed. I didn't realize I had already told him several times. I'm losing it!

Day 18 - Whatever tickles your fancy

Today, I thought I would share some interesting twin facts.

1. Fraternal twins can be hereditary, but identical twins are just a fluke of nature.

2. Genetically speaking, the children of identical twins are half-siblings rather than cousins. If each member of one set of identical twins marries one member of another set of identical twins then the resulting children would be genetic full siblings.

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary to Mr. David Dunaway! He is my true love, my partner, and now...my baby daddy :)

Three years ago today, we made all of our friends and family pack up and head to Puerto Vallarta to see us get married. It really was the best vacation David and I have ever had. We will probably always compare every vacation to the 9 days we spent in Puerto Vallarta.

I want my blonde hair back!

We rode ATVs up a mountain and went zip lining...the best adventure ever!

This is David right before the wedding...

Just hangin out in the room, having a cold one, not a care in the world.

And this is me...
Barking out orders to my maid of honor, Traci, and about to have an anxiety attack!

I love this picture because my dad had just had his first stroke a month before and I wasn't sure if he was going to be able to walk me down the isle or not.

I love you babe!

Day 17 - An art piece

This was an easy post for me because my brother is an artist!

This is Tanner at one of his art shows last year next to his piece he titled "Curious Brutus", after my Brutus. I loved it so much that he ended up giving it to me.

Baby or Babies?

Well... we had our first ultrasound this afternoon. And we were so excited to take a sneak peak at our little sweat pea (or sweat peas).

So, the Dr. starts looking around in there and right off only sees one sac so she tells us there's only one in there. I had mixed feelings of being a little disappointed and a little bit relieved. We got to see the little heart beating and then we got to hear it! It was amazing! The little pea's heart was strong at 127 beats per minute.
She starting looking around a little more and started smiling. Then informed us that there was another one hiding back there...in the same sac! That means they're identical!!!! And that had nothing to do with how many follicles I had or the fertility meds or anything. We did that one all on our own!!! We both got really excited when we saw BOTH little heartbeats going at the same time! So then we got to hear baby B's heart at 117 beats per minute. It was shocking and exciting at the same time. David's eyes were huge and he had a smile that lit up his whole face. I started crying a little bit because I just couldn't believe it!

But it's not all good news...The doctor did tell us not to get our hearts set on it just yet because she's seen plenty of people come back for their second ultrasound and there's only one baby in there. So even though we are extremely excited, we're trying to bring ourselves down to reality in case something happens.

Also, we should find out in the next few weeks if the babies are in their own separate little cocoons in the sac or if they are sharing the space. We're hoping their in their own cocoons because if they aren't it gets dangerous later on and their cords could get wrapped around each other and I would have to deliver early.

So, we're just keeping our fingers crossed that they both stick!
I go to my OB appointment on September 27th and my fertility doctor is supposed to send him all of my records and catch him up on what's going on with us. That's only a week away, thank goodness because I'm dying to check on them again!

Also...thank you to ALL of the people that sent me a message or email today telling me how excited they were to find out. I realized how much support we had when we were going through all of this, but I can't believe how many people are following this pregnancy so closely and it really makes me feel loved. So thank you all so much!

Day 16 - A song that makes you cry (or nearly)

I don't know why but "My Little Girl" by Jack Johnson makes me really emotional. I've never actually shed a tear when I listen to it, but it does choke me up a little bit. I just picture a daddy being so proud of the birth of his baby girl. It has no significance or relation to me at all in any way (unless we have a little girl), so I really don't understand the effect it has on me!

Day 15 - A fanfic

Fan fiction (alternately referred to as fanfiction, fanfic, FF, or fic) is a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator. Works of fan fiction are rarely commissioned or authorized by the original work's owner, creator, or publisher; also, they are almost never professionally published.

So I've decided to claim all of my blogs I follow as my fanfic (I know, I cheated again). I love finding new and interesting blogs from other people's blogs all the time. You read about their every day life and you start to feel like you know them personally. It's like a whole little world of imaginary friends :)

Day 14 - A non-fictional book

This is the non-fiction book I'm reading right now...of course...

I'm not sure if it was written to inform mothers-to-be or if it was intended to just scare the shit out of them. I guess a little bit of both.

Too funny not to share...

This past weekend, while David was away for a bachelor party, the dogs and I headed down to Eufaula to spend some time with my mom and dad. We took the dogs down to the beach on Saturday and they had so much fun in the water.

Check out this video of Brutus trying to catch the waves with his mouth (ignore my annoying voice and laugh!)
http://www.flickr.com/x/t/0099009/gp/taradavid/0o23sQ

Day 13 - A fictional book

Right now I'm reading The Carrie Diaries.

It's about Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City when she was a teenager. I think they're working on a movie for the book too which of course I'm excited about.

Day 12 - Whatever tickles your fancy

I'm 6 weeks today! Woohoo! This is what the baby looks like right now...

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 6 Weeks
Size of baby: 1/4 inch long
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 3 lbs
Maternity Clothes: Not yet
Gender: Can't wait to find out!
Movement: Not yet
Sleep: I can't get enough of it!
What I miss: Coke
Cravings: Watermelon and ranch (not together!)
Symptoms: Starting to get a little nausea in the last few days
Best Moment this week: I can't wait for our ultrasound on Thursday to see the heartbeat "flicker" and to find out how many are in there!

Day 11 - A photo of you taken recently

Summer 2010

Day 10 - A photo of you taken over ten years ago

It's hard to believe this picture was taken 20 years ago! Ha, ok...more like 26 years ago. I think I was about 2 1/2 when this picture was taken and boy was I a chunk!

Looking for old pictures really made me start thinking about what our baby is going to look like. I think me and David have a lot of the same features, so is it going to be hard to tell who they look like more? I think the baby will for sure have dimples and thick brown hair. We both have about the same skin tone and we both have round faces. But he has brown, almost black eyes (Indian eyes), and I have hazel. His nose is more pointed and mine is more rounded.

This picture of us was taken a few years ago, but I like it because our faces look like they have almost the exact same shape.

Baby's first gift

Yesterday, when I got home from work, there was this package on the front porch. I opened it up and this is what was inside:

I emailed my HR department here at work last week when we found out we were pregnant (yes, I'm getting way too organized too early...I've even emailed someone about childcare already!) just to ask about my maternity leave. And the HR department sent me this gift! I was so excited to actually have some baby stuff! I told David I had to go put it in the baby's room :)

I don't think I've mentioned this on here yet, but I had more blood work done on Tuesday. This was just to check to make sure my HCG level is doing what it's supposed to do. It was 103 the day we found out we were pregnant and it's supposed to double every 48 hours. So on Tuesday, it should have been around 1600 or so...well, it was 2900! All the nurse said about it is that it's really good. My first ultra sound is next Thursday and we're supposed to find out how many are in there. I'm so freakin excited about this ultrasound because we will hopefully get to see the little heart flicker and then it will finally feel real to me and David. I really don't think it's hit him yet.

On another pregnancy note...I'm gaining weight...FAST! My book that I'm reading says not to actually count calories but just try to snack on healthy foods and if you start gaining too fast cut back or if not enough, eat more. Well, I think gaining almost 4 pounds in about 2 weeks is too fast! So I started the App back up on my iphone to track what I'm eating every day. I'm not counting the calories to lose weight, I'm just trying to maintain before it gets too out of control. I added 300 extra calories daily for baby and that's it. No more potato chips when I get home from work before dinner, no more ice cream from Sonic even when I'm not hungry. And no more snacking just because I think the baby needs it (that was a good excuse that only lasted me a week!) I've been walking almost every day too, but the weight is still coming on way too fast. I'm only 5 weeks! This shouldn't be happening!

Day 9: A Photo You Took

I love this picture. I think it was one of the first pictures I took of the summer and to me it represents the start of lake season. We were on our way to Eufaula for Memorial Weekend...the official start of lake season.

We just finished up our 3rd season on this boat. And as we were driving away from the lake this past weekend, I reminded David that it was the last boat ride without baby. Next summer will be a very interesting lake season and I'm sure 'ol red will feel a little neglected. I'm hoping we find our routine and the baby will just love being outside like we do.

Day 8: A photo that makes you sad/angry

I'm going to have to cheat on this one again. I don't have a photo that makes me sad or angry! I went back and looked at all the pictures I have and they are all happy pictures. I lost all my pictures from this whole year when my flash drive died a few weeks ago, so I guess you could say that I'm angry at all of those pictures because I don't have them anymore! :)

Day 7: A Photo That Makes You Happy

September 17, 2007

This is one of my all time favorite pictures of us. Next week we'll be celebrating our 3 year anniversary.

Day 6: Whatever Tickles Your Fancy

A year ago this past weekend, we moved into our house. I spent 11 weeks going to check on the progress a couple times a week. We were also just getting started at the Fertility Clinic, so I had a bunch of stuff on my mind at that time. Picking out colors and light fixtures and then also trying to figure out what was going on with my body. Here are some step by step pics of the weekly progress of the house.

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8 & 9 (Most of the work was being done on the inside)

Week 10 & 11

I don't have one of what it looks like today, but nothing much has changed from this picture from when we added the flowerbed.



I've spent the last year trying my hardest to make this our home and get it decorated and filled with all of the necessities. And now I'm so excited to fill the last empty room with a nursery. I'm read to get started!

Day 5: Favorite Quote

Chelse, I'm going to have to steal this one from you because I love it too much.

"Everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, its not the end."

You put it in one of your posts or in a comment to me a while back and it really has helped me and I will never forget it. And it made me smile again when I read your "Day 5" post today when I got to work. So I'm sorry for cheating, but I had to!

Day 4: Favorite Book

I don't have one! I try to read a lot but it might take me a while to get through one book if I'm not really interested in it. I go through phases though, where I'm reading all the time or I'm just reading if we are going on a road trip or something. Right now, obviously, I'm just reading pregnancy and baby books!

Week 4 Day 4

Today I am 4 weeks and 4 days along. I know it's still sooooo early, but I already have a few symptoms (or maybe they are just symptoms my head is making up!). I'm tired, all the time. I sit at my desk all day dreaming of going home and taking naps on my couch. Last night I was in bed asleep at 8:00 and I already feel like I could take another nap right now! I'm also starting to get hungry. Yesterday morning I woke up with my stomach growling so I decided I should have some toast and milk, and I never eat breakfast. I usually just stuff a granola bar in my mouth when I get to work. Then by 10:00 yesterday morning I felt like I was going to die if I didn't get something to snack on so I got some pretzels. Then I seemed fine all afternoon after lunch, but as soon as I got home, it was like I couldn't function without shoving something in my face first. I was starving!!!!

Then I woke up this morning with my stomach growling again, so I made myself some toast and had some grapes. And I packed some food and snacks for the rest of my day here at work. I will not be unprepared again!

Also, it seems way too early for this, but today is Friday so we get to wear jeans to work. Well, the jeans I had picked out to wear are ones that aren't very long so I can wear flats with them and they have always been just a little bit more snug than some of my other jeans, but this morning I could still button them but I felt like all my insides were being crushed and I couldn't breathe! I don't think I have a baby bump yet, obviously, but I do think I'm extra bloated. So I used the old hair tie trick for my buttons on my jeans and it's so much more comfortable. I have a feeling the bump is going to come on pretty quickly though.

Favorite Tv Show(s)

Oh geez...this is going to be a hard one to narrow down. I love watching tv and I love me some good reality shows. My favorites include all of "The Real Housewives" of whatever. But my all time favorite has to be The Real Housewives of New Jersey, hands down. I also have an obsession with Jerseylicious, and Jersey Shore. I'm fascinated by people from Jersey for some reason. I also love Big Brother, Amazing Race, Flipping Out, 90120 (old and new), Friday Night Lights (and I'm so sad the series ended!), Modern Family, and New Adventures of Old Christine. That's all I can think of right off my head, but I know I watch a LOT of tv!

Favorite Movie

David and I have had a subscription to Blockbuster in the mail for a little over 5 years now. We get 3 movies at a time, so we always have something to watch and we just watch it when we have time to and mail it back and the next one comes about 2 days after that. Sometimes we can go through 3 movies a week, or all 3 movies might last for a month, just depending on our available time. We haven't been to movie in an actual theater since we first started dating 6 years ago. I don't know what it is, but it just doesn't sound fun to me. It's so expensive and then you get in there and it's FREEZING, and someone is always either too loud or the person behind you is constantly kicking your seat. And if you have to go to the bathroom from the $10 coke you bought, you can't pause the movie. I hate that part the most.
All that said, I really don't know if I have a favorite movie. I have a few that stick out in my head that I can watch over and over. One of those is Sex and the City the Movie.

I've watched the entire Sex and the City series when it was on and I still love seeing reruns that they play now. I was so excited when the movie came out, not excited enough to go sit in the theater, of course, but I did see it on DVD the week it came out in the stores. And now I'm looking forward to Sex and the City 2 being released on DVD October 26th.

Favorite Song

A few people I know decided we should do a 30 day blog challenge. And the first day is about my favorite song (each day is a different assigned topic).

My favorite song changes all the time. It depends on what mood I'm in or what new songs have just come out. I consider it my favorite song if I want to listen to it over and over again. And when I get sick of it, it's not my favorite anymore :) Right now I think I have 2 favorite songs. The first one is "Stuck Like Glue" by Sugarland. It's silly and it puts a smile on my face and I like to sing along to it. My second favorite song is "I Like It" by Enrique Iglesias. I just think this song is fun. I HATED this song when it first came out, but the more I heard it, I decided I had to have it and I had to listen to it every time I was in the car. And when it comes on the radio (which is a lot around here), I have to turn it up. I have never liked an Enrigue Iglesias song in my life, but I'm addicted to this song for some reason.

I know I was only supposed to pick one favorite song, but I can't. I had one song that I listened to all the time, especially going through all the infertility stuff. Every time I got sad news, or left a doctors appointment that made me upset or got a negative pregnancy test, I always listened to "No Woman, No Cry" by Bob Marley. I felt like if I listened to the song I wouldn't cry and it always put me in a better mood when I heard the part that says "Every thing's gonna be alright".