Head, Shoulders, Knees and TOES ?!?!?!?

Well, to be exact it should be "heads" (with an "s") since there are 2 of them---and then 4 shoulders, 4 bony knees that may i add are always knocking me around, and then 20 NOT SO LITTLE toes!

Yep, we went for our 24 week growth scan on Friday and again this growth scan was quite enjoyable and we found out alot.

We learned the following....
1. Our babies each weighed 1 lb 12 oz --which is on target to slightly above avg. for a single baby--so go Burns Twins, go!

2. What it feels like when they get hiccups. I often get a feeling that although very repetitive, i just assumed was kicking until i was feeling it while doing the ultrasound. The tech informed me it was actually hiccups and showed us Baby Girl's diaphragm where the hiccups originate. Apparently hiccups are like breathing exercises for fetuses, in order to get them ready for breathing outside the womb.

3. That fighting between siblings is definitely NATURE, not nurture, because ours are already having major fights by seeing who can kick who in the head the hardest. This is shown in the pic below.

top of Baby Boy's head and bottom of Baby Girl's Foot4. Our little boy has Mikes toes! You may ask how we could possibly know this, but there is nothing about mine and Mike's feet that are similar...i have thick feet with short stubby toes a high arch and my big toe is actually my biggest toe. On the other hand (or foot), Mike has long, bony, flat feet with toes as long as fingers and his biggest toe is the 2nd....and apparently so is our Little Boy's toes! We couldn't get a good angle on Little Girl's feet so there is still hope for her! Poor Little Boy sentenced to a life of finger toes....i think Mike is actually very proud of himself!

Baby Boy's Toes

Mike's Toes
As seems to be the rule, Baby Girl was buried in my pelvic bone once again, and there is just no moving bones around, so we didn't get any good pics of her, but here is a sweet profile of Baby Boy. He is looking so much more like a baby these days instead of an alien--cute already!


After our appointment we made a stop at babies R us. It was its first day opening and I have been stalking the building, watching its progress in order to take the store by storm. I had a list of things to get. I have no idea how people made it without this store! So we got there just in time for the grand opening...yay (i say this with much sarcasm). There was a huge crowd outside the store waiting for the doors to open--all pregnant ladies and moms with strollers. There were 2 security guards standing in front of the doors, shoulder to shoulder with their backs towards the crowd. Inside the store, the staff and press was taking their own sweet time "blessing" the store Hawaiian style, then the staff all came out, pushed their way through the crowd and then gave a speech, introduced some of the managers, handed out monetary donations to local children's facilities and made a big deal about cutting the ribbon....it was ridiculous. I guess that's what i get for going to a grand opening, but really, we weren't trying to be there for that, it just happened that we were out at that particular time. So Mike and I were definitely a part of the madness and hopefully we are not going to find our pics in the newspapers this week!



On a very excited note, once we finally made it into the store, we bought... 6 baskets for under the changing table, a matching changing pad cover, a cushion/shower organizer to hang over the bathtub and make bath time much easier on my knees, 2 infant swings, 2 car seats--one pink, one blue, and then my favorite and biggest reason for fighting the crowds....a high back, fully upholstered glider and ottoman to make feeding time as easy and comfortable as possible. and the kicker...the chair we bought was on clearance, a mistake shipment that they aren't selling anymore, but it was the perfect color and size i needed! So, if we hadn't been there for the grand opening, we would have missed this deal--so worth it!

What we didn't really consider until after the purchases was how we would fit everything in the car---but we worked it out, just barely!

Us with our purchases...the truck is maxed out!

view from the front--excuse our "rough" look, we had just spent the day in the sun and playing mini golf with church kids!

You'll have to wait to see everything we bought later, when the nursery is complete and we get it all set up!

Birthday part deux

When Mike got home, he opened his cards and present. His big gift this year was his bike and other riding gear that he has had for a few months already. But for a little something to open today, he got the Tiger Woods 09 wii game--cause that's about the only way he can gift his wife to play golf with him!

Mike and his cards...thanks to all the family and friends who sent them! LuLu doesn't want to pose...as usual

and Olie is checking out the wrapping paper, as usual

Tonight we ate at Chuck's Seafood and Steakhouse and it was super! Usually Mike and I like to go to the other restaurant located in the same lagoon, but tonight we tried something different and i'm so glad we did.

We were given the best seats in the house, right on the edge of the porch with a unobstructed view of the lagoon and palms. We even got a complimentary Mud Pie (which was actually a super yummy chocolate coffee ice cream cake)!

Yay for birthdays and a great day with my wonderful husband!

at our table
such a pretty view

The Mud Pie

Happy 29th Mike!

Well, it's officially Mike's last year as a youngin'--at least that's what I like to tease him about, whether or not i really believe it. So far we have celebrated with yummy blueberry breakfast muffins, a picnic in the park with some yummy real sweet tea and a fun cookie monster cookie.

Now he's home early and we plan to take a nap and then try out a restaurant in the Ko'Olina resort area. Maybe I'll get back tonight with a few more pics. But for now I will leave you with some of Mike and Cookie Monster.

mmm....don't eat me!

23 Weeks and a wonderful "No Labor" Day Weekend

Aloha! Here's my 23 week shot. We are all doing good. Babies are growing and active. Mike has been busy with work and training for his Honolulu Century Ride (100 mile bike ride) in a couple of weeks. And I have been, well, i've been gestating I guess. Growing 2 babies is hard work apparently and an errand here or there pretty much wears me out.
This weekend in honor of Labor Day, good ol' Uncle Sam gave Mike both Friday and Monday off and we decided to use this 4 days off for some "fun in the sun" instead of the usual "laboring around the house".


Friday we went to the North Shore, ate at one our faves, Pizza Bobs, then went to Sunset Beach, browse the shops and get a yummy shave ice. Here are some pics from Sunset. Mike and I got into a conversation about what a pregnant girl sees, so i took a pic to show him. I realize it may look a little inappropriate, but of course i do have bottoms on!

My usual beach position these days

What I see...you may notice the beginnings of an "outie"
and this is what I want for Christmas, if anyone can find me one
On Saturday, Mike and I went to a children's church teacher training in the morning and then headed straight Waikiki to celebrate my friend Marybeth's birthday at a beach park by the military resort, Hale Koa. Beach parks are an awesome thing that Hawaii offers the public. They are parks in the sense that there are trees and grass, picnic tables, grills, playgrounds and bathroom facilities--but the best part is that they are right in front of the sand with easy access to the water and beautiful views. And to top it off the beach park we used had access to the military hotel, so we could also use their pools and take advantage of their yummy soft serve ice cream! I didn't get any pics this day, but we had a really good time just hanging out with lots of good friends.

Sunday we went to Church, but i woke up quite a bit tired and sore from the past few days adventures, so directly after church we came back home so i could rest. That night we were supposed to participate in a church-body scavenger hunt, but because i didn't feel good I stayed home and Mike went ahead since he was supposed to be a driver. From what he said they drove all over the island and the clues were super hard. The final destination was at Kailua Beach Park, one of my personal favorite places on the island, to have a potluck dinner. He seemed to really enjoy it and I hate I missed out--hopefully they will do another one!

Then for Monday, Bryan and Marybeth Williams called us and invited us to spend the day with them at Pililau Army Recreation Center, which is basically a bit of beach on the west coast of the island that is owned by military. They have cabins directly on the beach to rent and the lagoon is the same lagoon that tour boats bring people to swim with the dolphins. We take kayaks out to the middle of the lagoon and can watch the dolphins jump around and show off right beside our boat, or if your brave, jump in and swim with them. I've done this many times with the Williamses, but apparently every time has been without Mike--so this was his first time out to see the dolphins. We spent most of this day just sitting around enjoying the beautiful views and good company. I have posted a lot pics below. I tried to be better this day and not push it too much--learning my lesson from Sunday. I stayed under the tents for most of the time, except when i could convince my sweet hubby to hold on to my float so i could rest in the water and not float away. Everyone had a great day and it was the perfect end to a long fun weekend!

Pretty Umbrellas

Mike and Bryan and Jordan coming back from seeing the dolphins

Helping Jordan off the boat

*notice in the corner, Elizabeth body boarding WHILE eating a tootsie pop*

Mike playing with Jolene--she LOVES the sand

Marybeth, Bryan, Cher and Mike playing with the volleyball

Bry going for the dive

Jordan playing in the sand, a little close to the volley action *notice mike running to the ball in the background*
Jolene was worn out!

One of Hawaii's favorite sports, rowing --it was a beautiful afternoon!

21 weeks and Nursery Construction

Here's my 21 week pic...

This weekend was a long one for Mike and I--Friday was Statehood Day for Hawaii (50 years as a part of the big USA)--so he had the day off which was great for us because it gave us 2 full days to work on the nursery.

It's still very much a work in progress. We still need chair railings, base boards, hanging shelves, a glider, a changing table, another mattress, curtains and whatever else i decided i want to decorate with, but here's a little sneak peak.

Before Pic

Mike the Painting Master

My Contributions...taping
Baby Boy's side

Baby Girl's Side

We're Halfway There!

This week marks our halfway point--20 weeks. Technically though, we have probably already passed the halfway point being that most all twins are born early. Still, it's a milestone to celebrate. I can't say it has exactly flown by--there was definitely times when i felt so bad that i thought this would never end. But i can, for the first time, honestly say that the good is outweighing all the yuck and the excitement is really catching up with me.

As of Monday this week I could clearly identify all the feelings inside of me as the babies moving and not just a bunch of stomach noises and gurgles. Since Monday there has been pretty much non-stop movement at all times of the day--most of it i am thoroughly enjoying, but occasionally its painful at night.

Yesterday, we had our big ultrasound appointment where they measure and get pics of every part of the babies body. An hour per baby--and i can't imagine doing it for 3 and 4 babies. By the time the two hours were up i was so sore from all the pushing and poking i could hardly get back to my car. Still this morning it feels as though someone used my stomach as a punching bag.

Baby Boy was very cooperative. We learned that he is considered "baby b". His placenta is in the top part of my abdomen--which means more room for him and he will be the "younger brother" coming out second. Baby Girl, or "baby a" placenta is positioned more around my pelvic area, where there isn't as much room so it is much harder to get to her and get good pictures. Actually the techs and doc gave up on getting all of her pics yesterday after spending well over 45 mins pushing the same spot trying to get a few more measurements. Also, fun fact for those of you inquisitive minds, although the babies will move many times within the placentas, the actual placentas will never change places, so Baby Boy will always be on top and Baby Girl will always be on the bottom.

Their measurements were almost identical--both at 9 1/2 inches, which is standard for a 20 week old. After 20 weeks is when genetics kick in and babies grow at different rates, determining whether they will be short or long. Baby boy weighed 15oz and Baby girl at 14oz. Average is 12oz at 20 weeks, so for twins we are doing great. They say i need to continue getting as much weight on them as i can now since they will most likely be born early and as delivery time gets closer there will come a point where there is just no more room to grow anyway.

We were given many pics--to see them all check our pic website, but i put the best down below-- some of our favorites and the harder to read ones i illustrated for you.

Baby Boy Profile--whole body with legs bent

Baby Boy's funny face with a BIG smile

Baby Boy showing off, using his hand as a microphone

same--but my version
Baby Boy's insides and fingers/ Baby Girl's foot

illustrated--if you look closely at the Baby Boy blob, that little black dot is his bladder--just in case you were wondering ;)

Baby Girl laying on her stomach
Her 1 and only profile shot, she likes to cover her face with her hands


this is a bit scary--Baby girl with what looks like her head unattached to her body...don't worry, it's just an illusion, she is bent so the neck is further back and you can't see it..check illustration below

all curled up, rebelling against the technicians, Baby Girl and her mommy were both DONE with all the poking, she is literally hiding her body in response to all the pushing

same--illustrated

My favorite...Baby Girl showing off a little bit--again check illustration

HEADSTAND!!

It's all about the changes

These past few weeks have been about making room in our house and making changes in our lives and of course more changes in my body.

1st--Here is my latest belly pic--this is right at the beginning of 19 weeks. I keep track of my measurements weekly--weeks 16 through 18 were fairly steady, which was a bit of a relief, but then all of sudden this week has brought on a 3in. increase in my mid-section.

2nd--This past Wed. we finally got to go to our first appointment in the multiples clinic of the hospital instead of the over-crowded and frustrating OB clinic. What a change! There was only one other waiting mommy in there besides us. The chairs were like movie theatre, rocking captain seats instead of the standard uncomfy metal chairs. There was a flat screen tv hanging on the wall. The nurses were friendly, and the doctor came right out to get us from the waiting room and to introduce himself. He filled us full of information and was patient through our questions. This first appointment was a quick one and I was led to believe it was just an initial intro to the clinic--but a nice surprise, we got to see our little ones too. They are getting so big--the first thing Mike and I noticed was the clear definition in their spines. It was just a quick look this week, but next week we have a 2 hr. ultrasound appointment to take all their measurements, see how they are growing and check for any abnormalities. I know we will be receiving LOTS of pics and I will post them as soon as i can.

3rd--Making room in our house! We have been cleaning out our closets, cabinets, under the bed, and the garage trying to make room for these little ones. Houses here are much different than at home. Ours is pretty little and there is basically NO storage. We have been trying to come up with creative ways to store what we need to keep and then we are purging everything else. Last Saturday we had a garage sale--honestly i would have been fine with the dumping it all, but mike wanted to try and see what we could sale. So, we advertised on craigslist and all the early birds showed up at 6 am and we sold almost EVERYTHING. We even sold things that weren't originally for sale. Apparently the locals really want anything military--including old uniforms so everyone came in asking for those. One man even bought a pair of goggles and scissors that were in a junk pile on our washing machine. We made quite a bit of money considering what we were selling. We are using the money for a date night to a restaurant in town that I have been CRAVING and then to see a movie. It's been a while, and i am so ready! The rest will be put back in the baby fund to get everything they will need.

4th--we sold the jeep--we think. I mean we have a buyer and she has taken the title to the bank to get the check cut. We are very relieved to have this sale almost behind us and to get what we are asking for it.

5th--Our friends are almost all gone. This is the one very reluctant change. I will post more later with some pics, but for now 3 families are gone, and we have one more to go next week. Right now it doesn't seem real, but i am sure as the weeks go by we are going to really feel the loneliness where we once had so much going on.

6th-- We have started a new bible study with some people at church. This is a kid-friendly bible study so that families with small children can still be a part of a small group. We meet every Friday for dinner and then bible study time. It is good for Mike and I to extend our activities and build new relationships, especially right now with so much going on. And soon we will be a part of these other families with little ones of our own and I know they will be a big support.

So i guess that's all for now. Happy weekend everyone!

ahh...Saturday Mornings

Oh how we love our Saturday mornings!

1st to McDonalds to feed the baby monsters--no problems this time, although Sherman and i didn't try and complicate things.

2nd to the Garage Sales! -- i had checked on craigslist the night before so we would no where to go first. The first 4 or so were duds and it seemed it just wasn't our day--but then... we found a moving sale with a military family, two baby girls and everything in the house was for sale!

We got this Bumbo chair and tray along with the tummy time mat below for $20, both don't look like they've even been used. Just the bumbo chair alone is $50 then an extra $15 for the tray at Walmart--so i'd say that's a deal!

This cute surfboard tummy time mat is actually on our registry, they make a boy and girl version although i have only seen the blue one on island--and it's $20 at Target, so we basically got it for free.Then we got all these clothes for $5....all newborn sizes and nothing in the first pic has even been worn before--probably cause most people don't need too many newborn clothes, but since there's a good chance our babies could be a bit small, and they were such a good deal, i didn't want to pass them up!

more of the $5 clothes....little Sunday dresses with bloomers!
and a super cute 0-3 month bathing suit--which are virtually impossible to find i have realized

It was definitely a good garage sale day for baby girl...poor baby boy is going to have to wait...it's so much harder to find cute boy stuff!

Also for some good news, we received our first package from Amazon today with baby boy's bedding in it! I am in love and can't wait for baby girl's to come in so we can start painting the room. I will give a sneak preview soon!

The rest of the day will be spent organizing the bathrooms, cleaning out underneath our bed and then hopefully we'll have dinner with our friends and their new little girl.

Happy Weekend!