We bought a fixer upper!

I don't think I've really spoken about how hard we'd been house shopping the last 2 years. Anything in our price range we went and looked at, even if it was in terrible condition. Once we found out we were pregnant that really put a rush on things because where we were living wasnt big enough for the 3 of us, let alone adding 2 more babies, and the landlord/maintenance man wasn't making any repairs to it, so it was in really bad condition.

Well we finally found a house, that happened to be literally a minute from my moms house. If it weren't for one neighbor, and all the trees, she could see us from her back deck.

We had actually looked at this house before we knew we were pregnant, and loved the location, but the condition of the house and yard made us move on. But when we found out we were pregnant with twins, we decided to revisit it because I really wanted my mom to be that close to help me, & she really wanted us that close.

So we found the house. But if any of you have bought a house, you know that's the easy part (& for us it wasn't that easy!) we still had to get all the mortgage paperwork turned in.

I evidently picked a terrible mortgage broker. He coached his sons basketball & baseball team, which made him a great dad, but a terrible mortgage guy. He was never at his office, and always out of town. He was maybe available for a day or half a day during the week. So during those two sports seasons, I basically only dealt with his receptionist, who's answer to any question I asked was "I'm not sure, that'd be a question for him"... well thanks, for basically nothing, every. single. time.

We also had to have our down payment "gifted" to us from a family or friend, because we only had a cash savings, and there has to be a paper trail. Our loan was an FHA loan, which adds a few hoops we had to jump through because it's a government loan, allowing us to do a smaller down payment. So the government had to make sure our down payment wasn't drug money or something like that. The 'gift' down payment money we actually got from two family members, so that was one difficult step, because that requires about 5 different documents for each one.

The house also needed work done in order to finance. The seller wasn't willing to do the work, but because of the great location of the house and the ticking clock of babies coming, my step dad payed to have the work done, so we would be close to them.
The first step with that was to get the sellers kid out. He had been renting this house from his mother for the past few years and completely trashed it, and took a few months to clear out. I think it goes without saying that he didn't clean the house when he moved out either.
Then the repairs had to be done, the busy schedule of the contractor and the terrible rainy weather really made the work drag along. We also had to contact four different contractors before finding one willing to do the work, because of how hard the jobs would be.
Finally the work got done, and all I had left to do was get all my paper work turned in. At this point I was absolutely over dealing with the mortgage broker. They'd tell me one thing one day, and the next call me and tell me they gave me the wrong paper work, or something, and it happened constantly.
I was very stressed we wouldn't be in the house before babies came, because it took 7 months for this whole deal.
We signed the papers for the house on November 8th, 2016, and with the help of basically a small army we got the house cleaned and all our stuff moved in. Because I was already over 30 weeks pregnant with twins, my doctor didn't want me unpacking anything, and to just relax, and now I have 3 kids under 2, most of the boxes are still packed and stacked in a corner, waiting to be put away, if I ever get a spare second.

The house needs a lot of TLC, that we don't have money for right now, but hopefully slowly over the years we'll get it to be the way we want... I am obsessed with those HGTV house shows, so maybe I'll learn some DIY tricks!

My tips to you is to make sure the house will work for you! Do your research when it comes to the mortgage company or bank. Have the down payment in your bank account before you ever even contact a mortgage broker about being interested in buying a house. And be ready to have a very long and stressful process... and then If it ends up being not that bad you'll be pleasantly surprised!
I for one, never want to move again, because I'm terrified of having to do that 7 months of difficult work every single day. We will see, hopefultly this house will work for us for quite a few years before I ever even have to think about that!

I'm backkkk

Hello everyone! (Anyone left that stuck around during my hiatus?). My pregnancy is now over, and we are settling into a little bit of a routine, so I'm hoping to get back at my blog a little more regularly!

This will just be a short hi & hello to update a little bit, and I will post an actual blog post in the next day or two! At this point in time it is still a work in progress.

First things first Little B and Big B are doing great! One is working really hard, and one is playing really hard! I am enjoying be home full time with little B, and big B got almost 3 weeks off when the twins came, so I really enjoyed him being home with us as well! He is now back to work, but I am rarely alone at home with all 3 kiddos. My friends and family are REALLY helpinf out, someone is usually at the house with us. Did I tell y'all we finally closed on a house?

Any who. On to the twins! They chose to bless mamma with their presence on 12/12, my birthday. It was a wonderful way to start my 24th year! Little T (baby A) came at 1:09AM, weighing 6lbs. 3oz. & 19in. long. Littler T came (baby B) came shortly after at 1:15AM weighing 5lbs. 10 oz., & 18.5 inches long.

I'll have to do a post about introducing little B into the new babies! Stay tuned!

We are all doing great and I will hopefully find myself so me time to write and keep this blog up to date... but you mammas out there know how limited 'me time' can me.


Hope all you readers out there are doing great!
Thanks for reading!

First and Second Pregnancies is as Different as Night and Day.

Hello World! It's been a hot minute, I know! As you all know I've been more than busy with my now one year old, and halfway through my pregnancy with our surprise twins!

Well anyway, Happy Fall Y'all!

I just woke up today thinking, I wonder if first time moms really believe the rest of us when we try to explain the differences between the first pregnancy and the second (or third).
First off, I think more often than not, I don't know what week of pregnancy I'm in, let alone even the trimester I'm in... seems impossible, but its true. With Little B I researched everyday what he weighed, what was maturing, what would happen if he was born on that exact day of gestation...This wasn't a weekly thing either, it was literally every day of my 40 weeks. I would Google '26 weeks 2 days gestation' or whatever I was wondering about. I got nothing accomplished at work, I spent all day everyday on my phone or the computer looking up things about my growing baby. This time around, I am so busy with my first baby & completely forget I'm pregnant, until its Little B is down for a nap and I get to sit down, and all the sudden feel kicks all over the place, & it all comes back to me. "oh ya! there's 2 babies in there! oops!"
You don't get to be exhausted until baby's down for the night. I don't get to pay attention to how heavy my belly is, or how much the pain in my leg hurts because one of the babies is laying on a nerve... I get to work through it and act like it's not there. Because at the moment, I'm Little B's mom first, and a pregnant miserable lady second, and I think all mommys of more than one will agree to that.I do take it easy with if I'm having stomach cramping, or braxton hicks, I only work a half a day (on the few days I am able to work), and I go to bed at the same time as Little B, to make sure I get plenty of rest, and am ready for the next long day I am sure to have tomorrow.
The amount of things I have for these new babies, compared to how much stuff I had at this point in my pregnancy for Little B, is so drastically different, I'm almost a little embarrassed to share it with you. Literally the day I found out I was pregnant with Little B, I went out and bought a pair of baby shoes (that's how I was going to tell Big B), but the next day, and following weeks, for the length of my pregnancy I was constantly shopping for items, big items, clothes for him, decorations for his nursery, maternity clothes for me. So far, at 25 weeks 5 days (yes I just had to look at my pregnancy app to see how far along I am), I have about 2 girl new born outfits... and that is the end of my list folks! Thankfully my family is just as excited this time around as they were with Little B (I'm excited too! Just too busy to be constantly thinking of online shopping 24/7) My mother has gotten two more high chairs for the twins, although they will be staying at her house, since she has them 3 days a week so I am able to work...so that doesn't help me at my household, but at least someones got that base covered! Other Aunties have shopped sales at all the local stores and have not just gotten girl clothes, since this will be our first girl, but they also have gotten a few boy outfits as well, since the sizes and seasons will be different from Little B, we don't have very many new born/ smaller outfits in winter sizes.I do know that we have not stocked up as much on clothing for them because with Little B I spent all Yard sale season looking for baby boy clothes...well this year I didn't know what I was having until the End of August, which around here also marks the end of yard sale season, so I wasn't able to stock up on second hand clothes for months, like the first time around. So we are keeping an eye on the Facebook Yard sale sites in our area for big baby items and baby girl clothes.
I am cherishing every second of this pregnancy. With Little B, when I was miserable, I would make jokes all the time about how he can hurry up and get out of me. I am not even joking about it with these little hooligans. This is the last time I will be pregnant, and I stop and enjoy the kicks or braxton hicks every chance I get, they can stay in there as long as they need, and I will not complain, they will be our last babies, and I am so mixed up about not ever being pregnant again. Stay in and cook for 13-15 more weeks sweet little babies!!
You have a whole new aspect to look at and deal with emotionally. I am no longer Little B's Mom... I am a mom of three. Which to me means I have to be a real functioning adult, hah! You're first baby you're figuring it out, and it's mostly trial and error, which I think is the life story of most first children. Well when you have three kids, I think I should probably know what the hell I'm doing for at least a good chunk of the time.The emotional part I'm talking about is I've taken away my undivided attention to my Little B, the second these new ones get here. He only had a year of being the star of every ones life, the guilt of thinking about it will bring you to tears more than once. In reality, He's so young he'll never know anything different than being a trio of my three favorite people. I feel like that will be easier on him, than if he were 5 or 6 and then had to start sharing the spotlight. I'm coming to terms with it more and more everyday, knowing that by this time next year they will all be playing so well with each other, maybe momma wont be a jungle gym, and they'll play with their millions of toys instead....maybe.

These are the major differences I've noticed so far in my second pregnancy, let me know what all you have to add to my list! I know theres probably half a dozen I've left out!

 

Boys? Girls? One of Each?

Just a quick post to update you guys before I publish my next entry! I've been out of touch for a while, and wanted to let you know what we found out a few weeks ago!

Some quick information about our twins, besides obviously, it's Girl/Boy Twins. They will not be identical, for those of you that think Boy/Girl twins can be identical haha, they can not!

They are Due January 1st, 2017, but because twins come sometime between 35-38 weeks (usually), they will be here closer to Christmas. I'm not sure if they don't come on there own by then, if they will induce me, or let me go to 40 weeks and see if they come.

I'll keep you guys updated more regularly now that I'm having regular ultrasounds every 4 weeks, not just check ups. . So far everything has been normal! Baby A, the boy is at 1lb 9 oz. Baby B, the girl, is 1lb 11oz., as of my 24 week appointment. I am now entering my 26th week of pregnancy in 2 days. So we could have as little as 9 weeks left! Although I'm hoping they stay put until closer to 38 weeks at least.

Surprise, SURPRISE!

I've been away from this blog for a minute due to the unexpected (but excited for!) second pregnancy we found out about a while ago. I've been busy with all of the initial appointments they do when you first find out, talk to a nurse, then meet with the doctor, blood work, and then the first semester ultrasound (all separate appointments of course). Well I'd like to say things should be slowing down for a while now while I'm coasting into my second trimester...but our ultrasound we had yesterday revealed quite the surprise! 

I've been searching blogs, and the internet for tips for Two under Two... Well jokes on me!

I should have been searching for tips for Three under Two, because we're having TWINS!

This isn't a blog post full of tips & tricks, because, well, I haven't got any just yet, but I wanted to update with this exciting & terrifying news. Feel free to clue me in on any advice you guys have if you're in a similar situation!

Thanks for reading guys! wish me luck!

7 Tips to Help Mentally Handle an unexpected (2nd) pregnancy

You guessed it folks...We found out two weeks ago that we are expecting baby number two! If your trying to do the math, our babies will be 16 months apart from each other. I am going to be joining the 2 under 2 club! Any of my readers out there a member of that club? Or a far scarier club (in my opinion), the 3 under 3 club?

Well over the last two weeks since we've known, I've been trying to slow myself down, and take note of what all is going on with myself, & what all my thoughts are, so as I figure them out, I can tell you guys how it all worked out! Because I know it'll all work out, not immediately, but eventually. That's what being a mom is all about, making it all work.
I don't know about you guys, but with my first pregnancy (which I will explain how it was completely different than this one so far!) EVERYTHING that could go wrong, did, and it did so all at once. Nothing with the pregnancy went wrong, just everything else in my life, I was so uncomfortable I couldn't work, our living situation, Big B's Job situation, everything. I had mental breakdowns a few times throughout those 10 months about nothing going my way (hormones I'm sure). But you know what? It feels that way again. I don't know if its the instant stress of all of it, or if it's just poor timing. So for this second time around, I am still dealing with the feeling of nothing going my way, and the world being against me.

My first tip for you guys, would be deep breaths. It's a simple one, but when you feel the tears welling up, and panic setting it, block the world out, and take 10 minutes to just breath, and not think about anything. I've been doing it daily, because my anxiety is actually affecting my ability to take deep breaths, so I am really having a hard time doing such a simple task.

I would also like to remind you guys to not feel guilty about having a second baby so close with your first. I have been feeling really guilty about not giving Little B more alone time before there was another little munchkin. I'm sure lots of mothers have that initial feeling. But kids close in age will always have a playmate! He won't realize he didn't get years alone with us, because all he'll know is being with his sibling & us. I know once the baby comes, one of my main focus' will be to continue to spend alone time with him, & give him the attention he deserves. Of course I am using Pinterest to learn about great tips from other mothers with 2 under 2.

My third tip is to not feel guilty about getting pregnant when it comes to your husband. Big B and I did not plan this baby, we were open to another one in a few years, but due to our VERY hectic schedule the last 2 1/2 months, I did not make an appointment to refill my birth control. I figured we're so busy we don't have time for "adult" shenanigans... well evidently we did find time, at least once, & that's all it took. I was so scared to tell him, not one part of me was excited to break the news to him. I was shaking and fighting back the tears, which led him to guess the big news! He has always said "one and done", & I've always wanted 3 kids, & we are still working out a compromise, so I was really afraid he would think I planned this without consulting with him first. But he understood that it just happened.We tried for 9 months to get pregnant with Little B, I charted, and had a dozen different ovulation tracker apps on my phone. Researching, and reading articles was all I did all day everyday, I was obsessed & had terrible baby fever....and this time, I didn't do one thing, I can't believe it. I still can't believe it.

Look on the bright side, you've been through it all before. You know all the steps you have to do. You know to update your insurance, what appointments to make, whether you want to change your doctor or hospital, & it all happened not too long ago, so you should remember most of it! You also know what to expect, you'll know if you're having a contraction or not, you'll know if something doesn't feel quite right, you'll know how uncomfortable you'll be when your 39 weeks pregnant.My personal silver lining is that Little B was born in August, I was 9 months pregnant when it was 102 degrees outside, I basically hated everything and everyone because I was so uncomfortable & hot. This time I am do in January, so I will still be little during summer, and getting bigger throughout fall and winter! I'm pretty darn stoked about that!!

This ones a no brainer, SPEND TIME WITH YOUR 1ST BABY. As much as possible, cherish every moment with them until baby number 2 comes. Focus on having more patience, & try to go out and do more things, not just sit at home on the weekends. I know the park has Little B's name all over it for this weekend! I'm holding him a little more, and kissing him a little longer ever since I found out our alone time wont be all the time shortly.

My next tip is an extremely important one; have a plan for your birth control in place for after you give birth (unless you want baby number 3 not far behind!). I however am not planning on having 3 under 3, because I think Big B would lose his marbles. So I plan to get an IUD placed once I'm healed. That's the method I used before Little B, but after I had him I didn't want to go that rout because I wasn't sure if we wanted to wait 5-10 years before having another one. I know I can get it taken out anytime, but it is SO uncomfortable being placed and removed, so I wanted to use it for a longgggg time before getting rid of it. So I went with the patch after having Little B... Well my 6 month supply ran out, and then I was busy with our wedding, then we went to Montana to visit family, then once we got back we had to turn around and go back for the death of Big B's Mother...and then bam, we we're pregnant. So this time I know the importance of not putting something like that off unless we plan to have another baby! So this will be one of my top priorities after I am healed, no postponing, and no excuses.

Last but not least! Get excited! Try to not focus on all the stress of everything, and focus on the fact that in a short period of time you will have another sweet perfect baby!! I think the fact that you know you only have so much time before they're here is what stresses us out, we know we only have so many days to get so much done, and try to make our home, and their whole world perfect for when they arrive. But the reality is is that they're babies, and for the first few months they are pretty easy to please (for the most part!). We're stressing over things that the baby wont even know about, notice, or remember. We just need to stay calm while we're pregnant, for both ourselves, our little peanut, and the others in our family. I can't be having mental breakdowns and crying fits every night before bed, for multiple reasons, the stress it puts on me, the stress it puts on Big B, it could wake up Little B, and it's just not worth it. Everything will be FINE. 

I know a lot of it is my hormones, but it is still hard. But on the plus side, this pregnancy so far has been much easier! I feel great (absolutely exhausted) but great! No morning sickness of any sort (so far! knock on wood!) no food aversions, with the first one I couldn't eat eggs! I also couldn't even brush my teeth without throwing up, or swallow pills. So far nothing like that with this one! The only thing I've noticed that I did with the first one and this one, is that I am so tired, I spend my lunch hour napping in my car.
Maybe since this ones so different it'll be a girl this time?
Here's to hoping!

Are any of you expecting your second little one to make you a member of the 2 under 2 club? Was it planned? was it the surprise of a life time? Do you have any tips for me while I'm still figuring my Sh*t out?

Thanks for reading!

7 Tips to Help Mentally Handle an unexpected (2nd) pregnancy

You guessed it folks...We found out two weeks ago that we are expecting baby number two! If your trying to do the math, our babies will be 16 months apart from each other. I am going to be joining the 2 under 2 club! Any of my readers out there a member of that club? Or a far scarier club (in my opinion), the 3 under 3 club?

Well over the last two weeks since we've known, I've been trying to slow myself down, and take note of what all is going on with myself, & what all my thoughts are, so as I figure them out, I can tell you guys how it all worked out! Because I know it'll all work out, not immediately, but eventually. That's what being a mom is all about, making it all work.
I don't know about you guys, but with my first pregnancy (which I will explain how it was completely different than this one so far!) EVERYTHING that could go wrong, did, and it did so all at once. Nothing with the pregnancy went wrong, just everything else in my life, I was so uncomfortable I couldn't work, our living situation, Big B's Job situation, everything. I had mental breakdowns a few times throughout those 10 months about nothing going my way (hormones I'm sure). But you know what? It feels that way again. I don't know if its the instant stress of all of it, or if it's just poor timing. So for this second time around, I am still dealing with the feeling of nothing going my way, and the world being against me.

My first tip for you guys, would be deep breaths. It's a simple one, but when you feel the tears welling up, and panic setting it, block the world out, and take 10 minutes to just breath, and not think about anything. I've been doing it daily, because my anxiety is actually affecting my ability to take deep breaths, so I am really having a hard time doing such a simple task.

I would also like to remind you guys to not feel guilty about having a second baby so close with your first. I have been feeling really guilty about not giving Little B more alone time before there was another little munchkin. I'm sure lots of mothers have that initial feeling. But kids close in age will always have a playmate! He won't realize he didn't get years alone with us, because all he'll know is being with his sibling & us. I know once the baby comes, one of my main focus' will be to continue to spend alone time with him, & give him the attention he deserves. Of course I am using Pinterest to learn about great tips from other mothers with 2 under 2.

My third tip is to not feel guilty about getting pregnant when it comes to your husband. Big B and I did not plan this baby, we were open to another one in a few years, but due to our VERY hectic schedule the last 2 1/2 months, I did not make an appointment to refill my birth control. I figured we're so busy we don't have time for "adult" shenanigans... well evidently we did find time, at least once, & that's all it took. I was so scared to tell him, not one part of me was excited to break the news to him. I was shaking and fighting back the tears, which led him to guess the big news! He has always said "one and done", & I've always wanted 3 kids, & we are still working out a compromise, so I was really afraid he would think I planned this without consulting with him first. But he understood that it just happened.We tried for 9 months to get pregnant with Little B, I charted, and had a dozen different ovulation tracker apps on my phone. Researching, and reading articles was all I did all day everyday, I was obsessed & had terrible baby fever....and this time, I didn't do one thing, I can't believe it. I still can't believe it.

Look on the bright side, you've been through it all before. You know all the steps you have to do. You know to update your insurance, what appointments to make, whether you want to change your doctor or hospital, & it all happened not too long ago, so you should remember most of it! You also know what to expect, you'll know if you're having a contraction or not, you'll know if something doesn't feel quite right, you'll know how uncomfortable you'll be when your 39 weeks pregnant.My personal silver lining is that Little B was born in August, I was 9 months pregnant when it was 102 degrees outside, I basically hated everything and everyone because I was so uncomfortable & hot. This time I am do in January, so I will still be little during summer, and getting bigger throughout fall and winter! I'm pretty darn stoked about that!!

This ones a no brainer, SPEND TIME WITH YOUR 1ST BABY. As much as possible, cherish every moment with them until baby number 2 comes. Focus on having more patience, & try to go out and do more things, not just sit at home on the weekends. I know the park has Little B's name all over it for this weekend! I'm holding him a little more, and kissing him a little longer ever since I found out our alone time wont be all the time shortly.

My next tip is an extremely important one; have a plan for your birth control in place for after you give birth (unless you want baby number 3 not far behind!). I however am not planning on having 3 under 3, because I think Big B would lose his marbles. So I plan to get an IUD placed once I'm healed. That's the method I used before Little B, but after I had him I didn't want to go that rout because I wasn't sure if we wanted to wait 5-10 years before having another one. I know I can get it taken out anytime, but it is SO uncomfortable being placed and removed, so I wanted to use it for a longgggg time before getting rid of it. So I went with the patch after having Little B... Well my 6 month supply ran out, and then I was busy with our wedding, then we went to Montana to visit family, then once we got back we had to turn around and go back for the death of Big B's Mother...and then bam, we we're pregnant. So this time I know the importance of not putting something like that off unless we plan to have another baby! So this will be one of my top priorities after I am healed, no postponing, and no excuses.

Last but not least! Get excited! Try to not focus on all the stress of everything, and focus on the fact that in a short period of time you will have another sweet perfect baby!! I think the fact that you know you only have so much time before they're here is what stresses us out, we know we only have so many days to get so much done, and try to make our home, and their whole world perfect for when they arrive. But the reality is is that they're babies, and for the first few months they are pretty easy to please (for the most part!). We're stressing over things that the baby wont even know about, notice, or remember. We just need to stay calm while we're pregnant, for both ourselves, our little peanut, and the others in our family. I can't be having mental breakdowns and crying fits every night before bed, for multiple reasons, the stress it puts on me, the stress it puts on Big B, it could wake up Little B, and it's just not worth it. Everything will be FINE. 

I know a lot of it is my hormones, but it is still hard. But on the plus side, this pregnancy so far has been much easier! I feel great (absolutely exhausted) but great! No morning sickness of any sort (so far! knock on wood!) no food aversions, with the first one I couldn't eat eggs! I also couldn't even brush my teeth without throwing up, or swallow pills. So far nothing like that with this one! The only thing I've noticed that I did with the first one and this one, is that I am so tired, I spend my lunch hour napping in my car.
Maybe since this ones so different it'll be a girl this time?
Here's to hoping!

Are any of you expecting your second little one to make you a member of the 2 under 2 club? Was it planned? was it the surprise of a life time? Do you have any tips for me while I'm still figuring my Sh*t out?

Thanks for reading!