Home
About this Journal
The adventures of newlyweds Norm and Vicky and their super cat, Charlotte.
Current Month
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
May. 15th, 2008 @ 08:31 am The baby express keeps moving along
Current Location: Home
Current Mood: sleepy
Tags:

We found a pediatrician!  Someone recommended a great doctor to us and one of the moms in the twins club raved about him also.  I met with him yesterday and I knew it was a good sign when I spotted all the Mets memorabilia in his office.  He will be coming to the hospital when the girls are born to check them out.  He said if I can carry the girls to 32 weeks we'll be in pretty good shape and any time after that is a bonus.  I was very uncomfortable yesterday and my stomach just felt huge and weighed a ton.  The girls have started to move in such a way that their body parts will push out my stomach.  It is very weird to see bumps coming out of your stomach.  I guess room is getting tight in there though and there's not much they can do.

Norm's co-workers were kind enough to throw us a shower on Tuesday.  It was a lot of fun to see everyone.  They all said I looked great, but really what can people say at this point.  We got lots of cool things for the girls and a very generous gift card that we will be using this weekend.  There was a cool power point presentation with photos from different stages of our life along with our 3D pics of the girls.  A special thanks to Melissa for putting everything together and making it such an awesome day. 



Last night was our breastfeeding class.  Norm was disappointed as there was minimal boob exposure.  It was limited to the short film we watched and they were British boobs.  We think in the future they should have Playboy Playmates making these videos.  It might make things more interesting for the men attending.  The class was okay.  We certainly know more about breastfeeding than we did before.  The instructor even gave us some information about breastfeeding twins together.  I think I will become a fan of the double football hold. 


We have made the decision to use cloth diapers with the twins.  It is a personal choice that we came to after much research and deliberation.   We had planned to use a diaper service to start with, but there aren't many options in our area.  There is one place in the next county that does it, but they will not deliver here since they cannot bring their truck on the local parkway and it's difficult to get here.  They did ask if there was another place we could meet for diaper drop-off and delivery.  Oh sure, I feel like driving around with a load of dirty diapers and meeting a truck driver in some parking lot for the hand off.  So we are now looking into buying our own supply of diapers and covers (which will be MUCH cheaper in the long run over a service or disposables, even factoring in energy and washing costs) and washing them ourselves.  It's a good thing we invested in that fancy washer and dryer. 

About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm
May. 12th, 2008 @ 12:34 pm Busy week
Current Location: home
Current Mood: chipper
Tags:
I think this week will go by pretty fast.  That makes me happy because as large as I am, I just want these weeks to fly by.  This evening I am going out to dinner with some women from our block.  I have not formerly met all of them so it should be fun.  The block is planning to have a garage sale and we just need to nail down a date.  Tomorrow Norm's co-workers are throwing us a baby shower at Norm's job.  It will be great to see them again.  Our other shower is in 3 weeks but this will be good practice.  Tomorrow night I am attending a party for the mothers of twins club I joined. The first time I went to the twins club meeting there were two other pregnant women there.  They are both on bedrest now, so I am the sole remaining pregnant lady.  Wednesday morning I am interviewing a pediatrician who came  highly recommended to us.  His office is very close to our house so I hope I like him.  Wednesday evening Norm and I are attending a breastfeeding class at the hospital.  Norm's only going because he hopes some women will expose themselves.  My best friend is having a party for her daughter's baby naming on Saturday so we are excited to be going to that. 

Norm bought some supplies to put up a chair rail in the nursery.  We got some awesome closet organizer gifts from our registry so I have been busy rearranging the closet.  A few weeks ago Norm added a second shelf/rod to the closet which has given us so much more room.  I ordered some letters that spell out the Claire and Grace for over the crib and they should be arriving any day.  Then we just have to hang up the Disney prints we got and we should be good to go.  We're trying to get a castle of some sort for the corner of the room since our theme is Disney World's Fantasyland.  I'll post some pictures when we finish the room.
About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm
May. 12th, 2008 @ 08:21 am The doctor is in
Current Location: home
Current Mood: proud
Tags:

Well, it's official!  Norm has graduated!  We went to UConn on Saturday for the graduation festivities.  Norm's mom drove from Canada for the occasion.  We had an uneventful trip there and before we know it Norm was suiting up in his cap and gown.  The graduation was mercifully short, which suited this pregnant lady just fine.  I was filled with a tremendous feeling of pride as I thought about all of the work that had gone into this moment.  Norm has made many sacrifices and persevered when many would have just quit and forgot about the whole thing.  When they called Norm's name his mom and I made a little ruckus.  After the graduation we met with Norm's advisor for some photos.  Later, Norm, his mom and I went out to dinner to celebrate.  Yay Norm!!

Some pics of the graduate
 




This also serves as a  27 week pregnancy photo

About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm
May. 9th, 2008 @ 10:25 am Doctor Doctor, gimme the news
Current Location: home
Current Mood: indescribable
Tags:

Well, it's official! I am officially a doctor! *phew!* 

Yes, yesterday marked a major milestone in my life, and I must admit, it's kinda hard to fathom what's happened. On Thursday, May 8th, at 3pm, I successfully defended my dissertation, thereby earning my Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology.

For those of you who don't know what a dissertation defense is like, let me explain. After years of data collection and analysis and months of dissertation writing and revisions, I needed to turn my 100-page dissertation into a 25-slide, 30 minute PowerPoint presentation. That alone was no small feat. But then I needed to script out what I was going to say. Even though I'm usually comfortable ad-libbing my presentations, there was no room for error here. The audience would consist of my three committee members (two from my I/O psychology program and one from the social psychology program), and two additional faculty examiners. In addition, there would be loads of current graduate students there to observe.

But the presentation wasn't all. After the 30 minute presentation (which I thought went pretty well), then came the questions. Specifically, there was 1 hour and 5 minutes worth of questions, mostly from the five faculty members in the audience. These were not right-or-wrong questions, but mostly questions of interpretation or theory. The toughest part is when a faculty member asks a question and you know they're looking for a certain answer, but you don't know what it is! Anyway, I would have to say that my question-answering performance would be rated a "7" on a 10-point scale. I kept my composure and didn't curl up into a ball and cry, but I also didn't knock the ball out of the park, either. Anyway, after over an hour of questions, my advisor instructed me and my fellow graduate students to step outside while the faculty conferred.

Talk about pins and needles! The committee made us wait over 20 minutes in the hallway, and I must admit, I knew there was a chance that my advisor would come out and ask me to step inside. (You DON'T want them to ask you to step inside.  What you want them to say is "Congratulations, Doctor {Insert your last name here}")

As an aside, one of the great mysteries of life (besides the pyramids and Stonehenge) is what a dissertation committee talks about while the doctoral candidate stands out in the hallway.  On the one hand, I'd like to think that this time is spent lauding the performance that they just observed.  But the cynic in me wonders if they're just talking about their upcoming summer vacations.  Do they purposefully drag their feet and make sure that at least 20 minutes go by, just to make the students sweat?  Is this a little game that is played?  I was so tempted to place an audio recorder in that room so I can find out the answer for myself, but maybe I don't really want to know the answer.

Anyway, after 20 minutes, I was ecstatic to hear that one word... "congratulations".  Roars of applause, and handshakes and hugs all around.  What a relief!

There are still some revisions that I need to do on the paper by May 20th, but those are merely formalities.  I have officially earned my Ph.D., and after 12 years of being enrolled in graduate school, it's about darn time!

Now, you want to see instant gratification?  I'm happy to report that I'll be participating in the university's graduate commencement ceremony this weekend!  Not only will my name be called by the head of the graduate school, but my advisor will be "hooding" me as well.  It's not as bad as it sounds.  Basically, think of it as the snootier version of the tassel being turned on the mortarboard.  Or a slightly less snooty version of being knighted with a sword.  However you look at it, I'll be there having it done!  Woohoo!

For those of you who've already called and emailed, thanks for your words of congratulations.  They mean a lot to me, and I appreciate having you guys around for support.  And no, you don't have to start calling me Dr. Norm!  :)

my my
About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm
May. 6th, 2008 @ 08:40 am Long time no update
Current Location: home
Current Mood: busy
Tags:
Things have been very busy here in Norm and Vicky land.  Norm is in the homestretch of his dissertation.  Graduation is Saturday and it's been a long time coming.  We are also up to our eyeballs in doctor's appointments, baby classes and other baby things.  Our shower is May 31 and we look forward to seeing lots of family and friends.  We are loving our new car which makes Vicky feel like the queen of the road.  Everyone is complaining about high gas prices, but one thing Vicky didn't expect to be complaining about is how long it takes to fill up the Pilot.  That car holds a ton of gas and takes an eternity to fill up.  It is possible Vicky will give birth at a gas station while waiting for the car to be filled.

Vicky has developed sciatica as a result of carrying twins which has thrown her back totally out of whack.  It is excruciatingly painful at times, causing Vicky to limit many of her activities because she is unable to walk.  She started seeing a chiropractor which has been helpful but has not alleviated the problem.  We have heard most sciatica casued by pregnancy disappears after delivery, yet another reason we are excited about the girls' arrival. Norm has been a lifesaver during these times, carrying Vicky around (you think it's easy to carry around a big pregnant lady?) and assuming all household responsibilities in addition to all the other stuff he normally has to do.

We got some good news about the girls.  As of 25 weeks they weighed 2.1 pounds each and were measuring at 27 weeks which is awesome!  It is now 26 weeks and 2 days and here's the obligatory picture:
About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm
Apr. 27th, 2008 @ 06:26 pm Twinmobile
Current Location: Home
Current Mood: excited
Tags:
Yesterday Norm and I picked up our new car!  We are leasing a Honda Pilot for the next 3 years.  After that we figure we'll be ready to admit that we need to buy a minivan.  Anyway the car has some way cooler features than my Sentra, like a DVD player and 4 wheel drive.  I don't imagine the twins will be watching many DVDs since they'll be in rear facing car seats, but I'll just sit back there and watch movies while Norm chauffeurs us around.  Sounds like a good deal.  We are very happy with our new car and we figured that with rising gas prices, an SUV was the way to go!  ;-)

Norm at the dealership


Babies on board


Twinmobile
About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm
Apr. 21st, 2008 @ 03:11 pm 24 week photo
Current Location: Home
Current Mood: big
Tags:
When I was at the Honda dealership today having my car appraised a man asked me if I was having the baby today.  It's not that bad is it?

About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm
Apr. 18th, 2008 @ 11:37 pm What a difference a "dimension" makes!
Current Location: home
Current Mood: amazed
Tags: ,
Well folks, it's been quite some time since we've posted about our lives, but that's just because not much has been going on in our worlds. Last week, I spent some time in San Francisco (and a quick trip to L.A.) for a professional conference. It was rough to be away from my wife and unborn children, but we were fortunate enough to talk every day.

Anyway, we do have some exciting news on the baby front. This evening, we trekked down to New Jersey to have a 3D/4D ultrasound for our little babies. If you're not familiar with the 3D/4D ultrasound, it's an optional (and completely medically unnecessary) procedure where you get to take a closer look at your little unborn babies. As you'll see, the images don't even compare with your typical 2D ultrasounds. Instead, a computer analyzes the ultrasound to generate a "3D" image of the babies. And we were able to get a DVD of the experience, too, where you can see the babies moving (yawning, stretching their arms, etc)... or "4D".

All I can say about the experience is that it was amazing. We were actually looking at our babies months before they are born. And what we saw really impressed us... we could make out the little differences of the two girls, and we now have a pretty good idea what the girls are going to look like. How cool is that?


All in all, we were very impressed with the images. We feel like this has brought us closer to our little girls, and it's certainly made it more "real" for us.  We also started to notice the differences between the two girls... Grace seems to have a chubbier, rounder face than Claire, and Claire seems to have a more well-defined chin and longer face.  If we had to guess, we'd say that Grace looks a bit more like me, and Claire looks closer to Vicky.  That's the same conclusion that others had with the 2D images.

These ultrasounds also helped us realize that a Cesarean-section is almost a medical certainty for Vicky. You see, while Claire is head down and ready for a speedy exit, Grace is sitting pretty much upright (breech). So unless Grace does some serious acrobatics in the next month or so, Vicky is in for a little procedure this summer.

As soon as I figure out how to deal with the technology, I'll try to post some short video clips of Grace and Claire. It's pretty cool to look at an in-utero yawn or arm movement. We'll just have to save that one for later.

Tomorrow, Vicky and I are going to an Infant CPR class. It's about 3 hours, and we know it'll be kinda boring, but it's a skill we'll really be glad to have. So we'll grin and bear it, and hopefully we'll get out unscathed. Wish us luck!!
About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm
Apr. 2nd, 2008 @ 09:17 am Spring Cleaning
Current Location: home
Current Mood: busy
Tags: ,
I have a lot of work to do over these next few days.  Our house really needs a good cleaning.  It might not bother me so much but we are having guests this weekend and I'd like the place to look somewhat presentable.  I am not as productive as I used to be.  After about 3pm my belly gets really heavy and I can't do that much.  Norm has been a saint, cleaning when he can and cooking dinner every night, but he is SO busy working on his dissertation that he can't be much help during this time. 

I cut back on my work schedule a bit, well by one hour a week.  I normally tutor 2 hours on Saturday, but I can no longer do that without getting cramps and being majorly uncomfortable.  I am hoping to continue the tutoring for as long as I can because it's good money and the girls need lots of pretty clothes!  :-)  My first priority is getting these babies as far along as possible.  We read a scary statistic that over half of all twins are born before 37 weeks and 20% are born before 28 weeks.  So I am really trying not to overdo things or exert myself too much. 

I am now a public curiosity.  It's something every pregnant woman experiences, but probably not at 5 months.  I was at payless the other day buying shoes for my new huge size 9 1/2 feet.  As I was paying the clerk says "Are you pregnant with twins?"  I was quite shocked. I get stranger comments everyday, but most are of the "when are you due" variety with a shocked look when I say July.  I asked how he knew I was having twins and he said "that's a really big belly!"  I felt kind of proud but would have been mortified if I was only having one baby.
About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm
Mar. 29th, 2008 @ 09:41 am 24/3
Current Location: home
Current Mood: confused
Tags:
I called up the hospital yesterday to register for birthing and parenting classes.  There is a special hotline you call for these classes.  It rings through to a voicemail system that informs me that that no human will answer, this is only voice mail.  The message proceeds to tell me a bit about the classes and asks me to leave my contact information.  I am expecting the voicemail to say "we'll get back to you as soon as we can," as these kinds of things usually do.  Instead it says, "we return calls 3 days a week and will get back to you at that time."  What?  3 days a week? What 3 days?  Do they change each week?  Can they not afford to pay someone to check the machine each day?  It was very odd and I can only hope that the maternity ward is open more than 3 days a week.  "You're going to need to have these babies on Monday, Wednesday or Friday."
About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm
Mar. 28th, 2008 @ 08:50 am The girls at 5 months
Current Location: home
Current Mood: happy
Tags:
Monday night we went to get an ultrasound for Grace.  The last time we went they were not able to get a good shot of Grace's heart because she was in a bad position.  So we go in for our 10 minute ultrasound.  They only needed to get two pictures of Grace's heart that showed the four chambers.  But Grace had other ideas.  She was once again in a bad position (spine up, head down) so our 10 minute ultrasound ended up taking over an hour.  I drank some juice and had some chocolate hoping Grace would turn.  I think the chocolate made her wacko because then she was moving too much.  The tech was able to see the four chambers of Grace's heart many times but everytime she tried to get a picture, Grace would move.  They were able to get some pictures but if the doctor isn't happen with the quality of the photos then I will have to go back yet again.  On the plus side we got some more cool sonogram pics of the girls.

Our little acrobat, Grace.  She can nearly touch her head with her foot.  This might be a marketable skill in about 20 years. 



A more normal shot of Grace


Claire


Another shot of Claire


We have an appointment on April 19 for our 3d/4d ultrasound.  We are very excited about this but what are the chances the girls will be cooperative?  I always think babies in 3d ultrasounds look like weird aliens, much moreso than in regular ultrasounds.  Can't wait to see my two aliens!
About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm
Mar. 25th, 2008 @ 05:40 pm Name Game
Current Location: home
Current Mood: excited
Tags:

We thought we should stop calling the girls Baby A and Baby B.  We don't want to give them a complex.  We picked out some names we really like so if you don't, keep it under your hat because we are using them.  Norm and I aren't into trendy, celebrity baby names so we just went with some classic names.  I'll include the middle names since people have been asking about those. Baby A will be Claire Anne and Baby B will be Grace Sarah.  Norm has an aunt named Claire but the baby won't be named after her particularly.  We just thought the name was very pretty.  My grandmother's name was Grace (Grazia in Italian) and we were very close.  If baby Grace has some of her qualities then we will be very lucky indeed. 

So there you have it!  Claire and Grace will be making their debuts in July! 

About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm
Mar. 24th, 2008 @ 05:43 pm Happy anniversary!
Current Location: home
Current Mood: loved
Tags:
1 year ago today I married my best friend and the best person I know.  Yup, they're both Norm.  :-)  This year has flown by and we are so excited about what the future holds for us!  What are our plans?  Tonight we have an appointment for an ultrasound for Baby B who was uncooperative during the last ultrasound.  It's kind of fitting that we are spending our anniversary getting an ultrasound.  It's like the babies are letting us know how much things will be changing for us.  We are also going to eat the top layer of our wedding cake.  Any other plans are not for the blog.
About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm
Mar. 19th, 2008 @ 06:42 pm What a difference a year makes!
Current Location: home
Current Mood: amused
Tags:
Norm's sister made a comment that last year around this time I was getting married and now...well you know the and now.  Anyway, it reminded me of this castle picture Norm and I had done last March on our wedding trip.


And the castle picture we had taken this March
About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm
Mar. 17th, 2008 @ 06:09 pm I love Disney in the springtime
Current Location: home
Current Mood: exhausted
Tags:

On Wednesday Norm and I left for Disney World.  We were going to spend a few days there with Jamie http://jamietr.livejournal.com/ and Kelly and enjoy some warm weather.  We came back last night very exhausted, but glad for this last chance to get away before the babies are born.  We couldn't have had more fun with Jamie and Kelly, who I must say are perfect for each other.  Not only were their outfits coordinated, but they feel asleep on the same attractions! 

I am not going to write a day by day account as a) I am too lazy and b) Jamie is already doing that.  But I will share some of our favorite photos from the trip.

Jamie in our first hotel room enjoying an expired sandwich


Vicky and Norm at the castle


Norm and Jamie and funnel cake


Norm and his rice krispy treat, fudge and peanut brittle in a Mickey head


Norm and Vicky waiting for a boat at the Dolphin hotel


On Sunday, Jamie and Kelly had an early flight so Norm and I went to Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios.  The new Simpsons ride is set to open this Spring.  We are bummed that we missed it, but since I probably wouldn't have been able to ride it, I wasn't too bummed. 

Norm having some fun with Barney


and Moe, all the while unaware of the big ax behind him


The outside of the Simpsons ride


It was great trip, made all the better because we got to share it with friends.  Thanks Jamie and Kelly!

About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm
Mar. 10th, 2008 @ 03:15 pm Baby genders revealed
Current Location: home
Current Mood: ecstatic
Tags:
We had our 18 week ultrasound today.  Everything seems to be going well.  Both babies are measuring on target and their heartbeats were strong.  It took about 3 hours since they had to do a detailed exam of the organs of each baby and of course Baby A was not being cooperative.  Oh, you probably want to know what we are having, right? 

We are having a GIRL!





AND.......




A GIRL!



We are beyond excited and thrilled and blessed!  Both girls had their "goods" on display, though we are hoping they will develop some modesty in the future.  Bring on the pink!  YAY!!

*A special congratulations to Eric strausmouse who was the only one to guess correctly.  Well, I had feeling, but that doesn't count.  Eric we'll buy you a drink when we see you!
About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm
Mar. 6th, 2008 @ 10:42 am So this isn't normal?
Current Location: Home
Current Mood: optimistic
Tags:

One of the great things about the internet is that it seems that no matter what you are thinking someone has already thought it before.  I discovered some great blogs yesterday by twin moms and they not only express everything I have been feeling, but offer wonderful advice on things such as breastfeeding both babies at once and going to the store with two infants. 

I shared this with Norm yesterday and we both laughed at how true it was.  We have become so used to the idea of two babies that we now think it's totally normal.  Recently someone shared an ultrasound picture with me and all I could think was "where's the other baby?"  It's weird how our perception has become skewed and they're not even out yet!

http://howdoyoudoit.wordpress.com/2008/03/03/my-version-of-normal/

About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm
Mar. 2nd, 2008 @ 03:22 pm Getting ready for babies
Current Location: home
Current Mood: accomplished

Yesterday we picked up the furniture for our nursery. This may sound like a pretty simple task, but this is us we're talking about, so it was more complicated than it needed to be.  I looked at a number of cribs and really loved one in particular.  As luck would have it, the crib was also priced $50 cheaper than any other one I'd looked at.  Norm didn't have much of an opinion here.  To him a crib is a crib.  The crib I wanted was only sold at Target.  The shipping charge was astronomical.  $259 for 2 cribs.  We just figured we'd avoid that by picking the cribs up at Target.  There were a couple of issues with that.  1-There is no way they would fit in our car.  2-our local Targets did not have the crib.  But did we let that stop us?  Of course not!

We found out there were 2 Targets that carried the cribs and they were each 30 miles away - in opposite directions.  We went to one of those Targets Thursday night just to get a look at the crib.  They said they had 2 in stock as well as 1 changing table and 1 glider which is everything we needed.  They would not hold the items for us for more than one day nor does Target ship the items to a local store for free like Wal-mart.  We rented a van for Saturday and figured what are the odds someone would buy our cribs in a day.  Surprisingly, pretty good.  We called Target in the morning before leaving to find out if they still had everything in stock.  Now they only had one crib.  They told us the other Target in the opposite direction had one left in stock.  I had to go tutor so super husband and dad-to-be Norm was left with the task of hitting up these Target stores and gathering our furniture.  He said the most annoying part was that the van we rented was considered a commercial vehicle so he could not drive on the parkway which was the quickest route between the two stores.  Instead he had to take local roads and it took quite a bit of time.

Finally he arrived with our nursery goods. 

The "commercial" van


Norm straining to carry the glider as his unhelpful pregnant wife takes photos



Maybe we should just set up on the nursery on the porch



After deciding on which room to use for the nursery, we cleared out all the furniture that was in there and brought in our baby furniture to assemble.  The assembled cribs would not fit through the door of the room so we needed to assemble them inside.

Norm did a great job with the heavy lifting segments while I handed him things.



Almost done!


Final placement of the cribs


Changing table


The glider will be closer to the wall.  We will move the tv out eventually, but for now it's nice to have it while we are working in there.


So this is the first step in the transformation of this room into our nursery.  We still have lots more to do.  I was so happy to get started early as the prospect of bedrest always looms in later months with a twin pregnancy.  At this point I am large but mobile and can help Norm with things.  We don't want to wait to do things until I can no longer help, so we figure we'll do as much as we can now and then just sit back, relax and wait for the babies. 

On another baby note, the twins received their first presents on Friday.  Thanks to our favorite Southern couple (not Mickey and Minnie!) for thinking of us!  It makes this whole things seem even more real.  As Norm said, "we got presents now, I guess it's too late to turn back."  We are going to put the gifts away until our baby shower.

About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm
Mar. 2nd, 2008 @ 01:31 pm Sad News
Current Location: home
Current Mood: sad
Tags: ,

The Jamie Rubin Memorial Room is no more.  This was the only room that would accommodate the layout of two cribs, a glider and a changing table, so it will be the nursery. We spent much time in the other bedrooms seeing if we could somehow make the arrangement work, but it was either a tight squeeze or window placement got in our way. We will not be calling the nursery the Jamie Rubin Memorial Nursery since I think that sounds a bit morbid.  We are however bestowing the JRMR title to the exercise room/guest bedroom.  So the name will live on as will the memories. 

About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm
Feb. 29th, 2008 @ 11:15 am 4 month photo
Current Location: home
Current Mood: big
Tags:
A few days late, but here I am in all my large glory.

About this Entry
Homer tongue, Beavis, Mortarboard, Graduation, Vicky (Simpsonized), Norm (Simpsonized), Lisa Simpson Wedding, Charlotte, Vicky and Norm, V&N Simpsonized, us, Vicky, Mickey, Norm