An Interview with Reagan - 3 yrs old

We just got a new video camera for when the babies come and I thought I would test it out by taping an interview with Reagan last night.  I know I am biased, but I swear he is the cutest little guy out there.  He cracks me up.  Enjoy watching my little man! 

Getting big brother ready

As the babies get closer and closer to arriving, we have been trying to get Reagan prepared and excited.

We have been reading "big brother" and "new baby" books together.

We have been talking about when he was a little baby, showed him home videos, and photo albums.

We want him to know that everyone was just as excited for him to arrive as we are for the twins.

I also put together a "Big Brother" gift for the babies to give him when he comes to visit them at the hospital for the first time. I think he is little enough to really think they brought him a gift. We'll see! 

I was first told about a "special nursing box" for Reagan by a friend.

She has a newborn and a 2 year old and wanted to create a special box of goodies for her 2 year old to play with and keep busy with while she nursed her newborn.  I thought this was a great idea.  Reagan is older and while I trust him to play in his playroom while I nurse, I think it would be neat to be able to pull out a "quiet time box". It will only come out when I am feeding the twins and need him to play quietly.

I have to be honest. I didn't buy most of it.

 I just looked at things in his playroom that would be quiet and easy for him to do by himself!

I included:

1) Aquadoodle - this is a great product! It comes with a pen that you fill with water and a coloring mat.   You use the pen to make pictures on the mat and then after awhile, the pictures disappear.  Since it's just water- NO MESS! 

2) New books- Reagan loves looking at books

3) Brain Quest Cards- Reagan loves these cards.  He has the 2-3 yr old, 3-4 yr old, and 4-5 yr old set and loves for us to quiz him with them.  This is the kinder set , but I think he will do good with them. We'll see if he can sit next to me while I nurse and I can read him the questions. Again- we'll see. This might end up being taken out of the box and saved for another time if it gets too hard to do with the babies.

4) Flashcards- Reagan loves flashcards and these ones are easy for him to do by himself.  All he has to do is match cards with the same colors. 

5) Color Wonder Books- These coloring books are awesome.  They come with special markers that don't leave color on anything other than the books.  So for young kids (who don't really color) they can play with the markers and not make a mess.  I have put one of each color in this zipper pouch that is easy for Reagan to open.

Do you have any other ideas for me to help make the transition with the babies easier for Reagan? I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks in advance! :)

BIC Soleil Savvy Giveaway

The nice people over at BIC have asked me to do another review and giveaway for my wonderful blog readers.

Today's giveaway is for a BIC Soleil Savvy Women's Razor

I have been using this razor for the last week and I have really liked it.  It is very flexible and has lubricating strips with Vitamin E.  I liked the rubber grips and pivoting head to make sure I didn't get cut.  Another great feature to this product was that it came with 4 refill cartridges in the same package. I'm going to be having my hands very full soon and I needed a razor that helped my shower time be quick and efficient.  This was the perfect product for me.

Your turn!

Five lucky readers will be chosen to win their very own BIC Soleil Savvy Razor.

Just enter the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck and thanks for following my blog! 

I received this product for free with a request to share my opinion. 

Sunday Social

It's Sunday and I'm linking up with the girls for their weekly Sunday Social.

Make sure to link up and share your answers as well!

1. What is the first website you log on to each day?

The first website I log onto daily is definitely Facebook.

I am obsessed. I love to see people's pictures and see what everyone is up to. My friends are all at such different stages of life and I really do like to see it all (wild nights out, photos of their travels, and photos of their kids).

2. Give us some funny websites you visit that we need to know about.

Lost Angeles - He writes about each Bachelor/Bachelorette after it airs and is hilarious. Bookmark it now and check it out when the next season of Bachelor comes on. (Or, look back at old recaps from this season).

3. Pinterest or Facebook? Why?

I love both but for totally different reasons. Facebook is where I stay connected with friends and family.  Pinterest is where I find and share good teaching activities, recipes, and those funny e-cards! 

4. Twitter or Instagram? Why?

I do Twitter, but mainly to read what other people write.  I don't hardly tweet anything! Everyone tells me I need to start Instagram but I honestly don't really understand it. Anyone want to help?

5. Favorite youtube video...post it!

This is an oldie but a goodie!

6. Biggest online pet peeve?

Hmmm. I get really annoyed when people do the following things on Facebook. 

1. They gush, gush, gush about how wonderful their lives are. You know what? No ones lives are always that perfect.  

2. They show pictures of their husbands with no shirts on, in bed, etc. It would be fine if your hubby was hot or even semi-good looking.  But the repeat offenders usually are not very toned and pretty hairy. No one except you wants to see that. Put a damn shirt on before you take pictures.

3. They gush about how wonderful being a mommy is - all.the.time.  Yes, I agree. I love being a mommy,  but you know what? Sometimes it is so stinking hard and really sucks. Be honest.  I can't imagine your kid is an angel 24/7 and only poops rainbows and hearts. Seriously doubt it.

33 Weeks Pregnancy Update

How far along are you? 

33 Weeks
Whoo-hoo! We made it to 33 weeks! :)

Total weight gain? 

I have gained 8 pounds.

Any doctor news?

Tuesday: Was such a crappy day! Reagan woke up with a sore throat, cough, fever, and throwing up.  My mom took him to the doctor for me as I was supposed to go to Nick's work for a baby shower.  Turns out Rea was pretty sick.  I made a sick bed for him at home and we laid down and watched TV.  (I called Nick and told him I wouldn't be able to attend the baby shower at work.) Then I started getting some really bad stomach pains on my right side.  It was a constant pain for over 2 hours.  I couldn't deal with it and a throwing up little man, so my mom graciously took him back to her house.  After the pain still wasn't going away,  I called the doctor who told me to go to the hospital.  My dad came home from work and watched Reagan and my niece Charlotte so my mom could take me to the hospital. I was hooked up to the monitors for a couple of hours and then finally released.  They weren't really sure what the pain was.  My doctor was concerned it might be my appendix (I guess it is pretty common for a pregnant woman to need her appendix out... geesh.) The pain has gotten a lot better. So now I am thinking the babies were probably on a nerve or something. I think if it was the appendix, I would still be in bad pain there.   Anyway. Left the hospital on official bed-rest. Reagan slept at my parents' house on Tuesday and Wednesday night. (FYI- he is doing much better!) 

Wednesday: I went to the babies' doctor this day and everything looked good! Harper is pretty much right on top of Hudson.  He was pretty calm but reacted every time I was uncomfortable or in pain. We were laughing that he was already becoming a "Mama's Boy". Harper on the other hand (still breech) was a wild woman.  She was flipping the whole time and had her feet and hands up by her head. Crazy girl. 

Friday: Today was a good Dr. app. She was thrilled that I made it to 33 weeks and felt very confident that I would make it to 35! My stomach is measuring 43 weeks (holy big belly!) Harper is in the 50 % and Hudson is in the 30 %. She isn't too worried about Hudson's size, but wants to watch it.  We will have another growth check with the twins' Dr. in 2 weeks.  If he hasn't caught up and if Harper continues to increase in size, leaving Hudson behind, they will schedule a C-section for that week.  So wow. Looks like 35 weeks is going to be an exciting week.  I can't believe my babies will be here so soon! 

Best moment ?

Nick's work had a really sweet baby shower for the twins on Tuesday.  They were very generous and spoiled the babies for sure. I should have taken some pictures of the clothes- seriously adorable.  Plus they sent me home the leftover desserts. Holy smokes. I have been eating the cakes every chance I get.

Another crazy/fun moment this week was when Nick put in the car seats. 
Holy realness! 

Worst moment ?

Definitely the pain in my stomach on Tuesday.
It.was.bad.

Movement?

Yes, they are both still really active.
Especially at night.

Maternity Clothes?
Since I'm home on bed rest, I pretty much look like hell.
I have been wearing sports bras and Nick's athletic shorts.
Real hot. Let me tell you. 

Stretch Marks?
Yes. Still the same one.

 Genders?
1 boy- Hudson Brooks and 1 girl- Harper Grace

Sleep?
I have been EXHAUSTED.
 It feels just like the first trimester when all I wanted to do is sleep. 
The Dr. said this is normal and will honestly only get worse in these last few weeks.

Food cravings or aversions?
Pretty much the same. 
I am still loving plums the best right now.
I eat 2-3 plums a day!

What I miss?

I miss running errands! Although I'm not really sure it would feel very good to walk the isles of Target right now, I really miss being able to shop when I want!

What I'm looking forward to?

I am looking forward to this weekend. 
We have no plans, but I am excited to spend time with my boys!

Here is my to-do list most recently updated!

* Paint the nursery
*Hang the chair rail 
*Buy a bookshelf and set up

* Order / set up the 2nd crib

* Order the nursery bedding/decor

*Figure out the car situation/ buy a mini-van?

*Pull out Reagan's baby boy clothes for Hudson/wash

*Borrow Charlotte's baby girl clothes for Harper/wash

*Figure out what other clothes are still needed

*Organize baby closet and dresser

*Read the stack of Twin books on my nightstand
*Borrow twin books from my Mothers of Multiples group and read up

*Finish registering

*Find Reagan's bottles and see what else is needed

*Make baby shower guest list

*Finish and turn in short term disability paperwork
* Clean the house
*Pack my hospital bag
*Make Reagan his big brother bag for when it's baby time
*Make a nursing box full of special activities for Reagan
*Do the first couple of pages in the babies books
*Organize pantry and make room for baby bottles and such
*Start making freezer meals for when the babies arrive

*Pack the babies' hospital bag

BIC Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to

Wendy H. #79

for winning the BIC Giveaway Pack!

Wendy,  I will email you for your address! 

Thank everyone for entering!

I hope to do more giveaways soon! 

The Twins Nursery Reveal

Okay friends!

I have finally gotten around to taking and posting pictures of the nursery.

I hope you like it!

(Ps- at the end you can find the specifics)

We decided to put the babies in Reagan's old room because it was a bit bigger than the other bedroom. 

We also decided to keep the paint colors the same as it was when it was Reagan's nursery (because I thought we could still make it gender neutral).  We re-painted the walls and added a chair rail around the room.  

 Here is the crib wall.

Harper's Crib

Hudson's Crib

the closet wall

the window

This is the same glider I used with Reagan in his nursery.

I love, love, love the newer styles that look more like armchairs, but obviously we weren't going to buy a new one for these babies. It matches and gets the job done!  Next to the glider are the babies' new Pottery Barn Chairs.

(This is not a nursery pic- but cracks me up. Can you just picture these 3 with kids? 

Nick says we are going to need a bigger TV!)

Here is the wall over the changing dresser.

Each baby will get a shelf - (Harper top left, Hudson top right).

I plan on putting a portrait of each on their shelf as well as a birth announcement.

This is the bow holder my sister Meg made for Harper. So cute, right?

My sister also made this adorable bulletin board for the babies.

This is the middle shelf on the wall.

I have my 2 favorite twin books and their duckies from when I told Nick we were pregnant.

I figure the middle frame can be used for a picture of them together.

Here is the changing table.

It is the same one we used with Reagan.

The Details:

Harper's Crib - Buy Buy Baby

Hudson's Crib - (Amy Coe crib -no longer made- from Babies 'R Us)

Bedding- Pottery Barn Kids 

Flag Banners- Etsy

Name Vinyls - Etsy

Anywhere Chairs- Pottery Barn Kids

Bookshelf- IKEA

Lanterns- Cost Plus World Market

Shelves- Target

Changing Table - (Amy Coe- no longer made - from Babies 'R Us)

Sunday Social

It's another Sunday and I am linking up for another Sunday Social.

1. What were you like in High School?(pictures)

I absolutely loved high school.  My husband thinks I must have been quite nerdy because I loved being involved- my friends and I were into being officers in the clubs, student council, etc. I had a wonderful group of friends (many of whom I had been friends with since elementary school and some new friends thrown in).  We were all pretty sheltered, preppy, good kids.

Here we were hanging out in between classes.

Here we were at Project Graduation (graduation night).

We made matching tee shirts- we thought we were so cool.

Here I am with my bff Kristin at our Senior Breakfast that we were in charge of.

This was taken before prom. 

2. What were your favorite past times?

Talking on the phone (I mean- how did we spend all day together at school and then go home and talk for hours on the phone? What was there to still talk about?) , laying out by the pool (I'm sure high school did a number on all of our skin), going to high school sporting events and dance, movies, concerts, and cotillion (our debutante group).

Here I am with some of the guests at my table at the ball. 

Yes. I am wearing a wedding dress. 

3. What songs were you obsessed with?

I was obsessed with anything pop. NSync, Backstreet Boys, Britney and Cristina- loved them all. Do you remember that show TRL? I definitely watched it.

4. What fashion statement do you look back on and cringe?

Hmmm. In high school I dressed really preppy. Like button down shirts everyday. I don't cringe too bad about high school. Maybe for our weekly cotillion meetings though- we had to wear dresses or skirts that were knee length and we had to wear panty hose under.  I hate panty hose.  Cringe worthy was definitely  middle school though. Scrunchies in the hair and baggy tee shirts with biker shorts on the bottom. Gross.

5. Who was your celeb crush?

My celebrity crush was definitely Justin Timberlake. I was obsessed.

At one point my friends and I went to their concert ( 2 days in a row ) and followed them to their hotel after.  We were those girls.

Yes. I totally liked him with the curly fro.

6. What were your favorite tv shows/movies?

I watched the standard Dawson's Creek, 90210, Felicity, etc.

As far as movies we were all into those teen scary movies. I still like them. Why don't they make movies like that anymore?

BIC Back To School Giveaway!

The sweet people at BIC contacted me to review some of their pencils, pens, and erasers.

Look at the loot I got!

As a teacher and a mom I jumped at the opportunity to play with these new stationary tools!

Erasers

(Top Right)

 BIC Erasers, 4-pack, $1.99

I loved the bright colors and especially the fingers grips!

When I was in the classroom I was always looking for good quality erasers for my first graders.

I would definitely put a couple of these at each table for the students share. They would be perfect for their little hands and actually last during all of their editing and revising! 

Pencils

(Bottom Right)

BIC Atlantis^® Fashion Mechanical Pencil, 4-pack, SRP $6.49  

 BIC Clic Matic^® Mechanical Pencil in Fashion Colors, 4-pack, SRP $3.70

I love, love, love mechanical pencils. They were my go-to when I was writing in my lesson plans each week. And I loved these new pencils.  They are thin enough to write in my teacher plans and the grips help me to not break/waste the lead.  Another cool feature about these pencils- they come with extra lead! 

Pens

(left)

BIC Velocity^® Bold Fashion Ball Pen, 8-Pack, Suggested Retail Price (SRP) $6.99  

 BIC Cristal^® Bold Fashion Ball Pen, 10-pack, SRP $2.19  

BU3 Grip Fashion Ball Pen, 8-pack, SRP $3.69  

I am super excited about these pens! I know it's back to school time and we are all busting out our new planners and calendars.  And let me tell you- these pens will keep you super organized.  I plan on assigning each member of my family a color to help keep our activities and appointments straight.  If you are a teacher, you could assign colors to various reading groups, subject areas, etc. There are 3 different kinds of pens in this package and they all write smooth and are comfortable when writing.

Okay lucky ducks. Now it is your turn!

Let's get your back-to-school started off right by winning this whole prize pack! 

All you have to do is enter the rafflecopter below.

The giveaway will start today and end on Tuesday! 

Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**I received these products for free with the request that I share my opinion.**

Week in Review

Another week has come and gone!

I swear- this pregnancy is flying by!

Here is a little bit of what we were up to.

Monday

Reagan went to my mom's house and I went through some serious "nesting".  I did laundry, put the baby shower gifts away, re-organized the kids' bathroom, etc. 

fyi- not me

Tuesday

Reagan and I went to a new friend's house for a play date.  Reagan and Rylan went to swimming lessons together this summer and his mom is such a sweet girl , we knew we wanted to hang out again. The boys played hard and we were able to talk "mom talk". She has a newborn as well- so it was great to pick her brain. I swear, I can't remember the newborn stage for the life of me! 

After the play date I dropped Reagan off at my mom's so I could go home and rest.

Wednesday

I had an ultrasound appointment. It took forever and was such a pain (literally) because they could not get the babies to hold still for the stress tests at all.  They needed like 20 minutes of heartbeats monitored for the babies, but they seriously couldn't get them for more than like 2 minutes before they move.  All the while I am supposed to be lying on my back- which is nothing short of painful for me. Awesome. But enough of my complaining. My fluids looked good and the babies looked good.  Oh yes. And Harper had flipped again- back to breech. Crazy girl is definitely going to be a pistol.

fyi- again, not me. Picture this with one more strap and thingy attached. 

Thursday and Friday

Reagan went to preschool and I literally stayed in bed all day. I wasn't feeling too hot. I've been having really bad stomach pains and I am exhausted. I haven't felt this tired since the beginning of the pregnancy. Thank goodness I am able to sleep and don't have to be working or chasing around Rea Rea. I wonder if things are    "starting".  I read 2 twin books and have been taking notes like a good little student.

Yep- these are the books on my nightstand.

Friday night I went to my friend Sarah's house.  We had a little girls night and it was great just to be surrounded by girlfriends and laugh. We all definitely need those nights.

This weekend I plan on just vegging some more.  Nick has a test this afternoon so he's been at the library studying all morning.  Reagan and I went to the pool (so he could play and I could feel weightless) and I can not wait for nap time! I am going to try and get ahead with a few blog posts for next week as well as my first giveaway. 

XXOO

How do you organize your child's memories?

I have a couple of different ways to document my children's memories and records.

Do you use any of the same?

Or what else do you use?

Maternity Books

I used maternity books for both pregnancies to document how I was feeling, what I was eating, how I was sleeping, and how I was growing. They are all laid out a bit different but have the same idea.

  

Here is the maternity album I used with Reagan. 

(I got it at Babies 'R Us in 2009).

I loved the set-up of the book and throughout this pregnancy I looked back to see how I was feeling and showing each week with Reagan.

Here is a glimpse at one of the pages in Reagan's book.

Here is the maternity book I'm using for the twins.

(I got it at Buy Buy Baby in 2012).

(I'm not as crazy about it but I had a hard time finding one this year!)

Here is a glimpse at one of the pages from the twins' maternity book.

Baby Books

I got Reagan's baby book from Barnes and Noble in 2009 and loved it.

I have gotten it for a few friends as baby gifts and got one for Harper and Hudson as well.

There are areas for photos, your family tree, firsts, etc.

It's a great book! I promise!

Here is a glimpse of a page from Reagan's book.

Here is a glimpse of a page from Hudson's book.

(That empty box is for a picture of him!)

Baby's First Year Calendars

My Aunt gave me a calendar for Reagan's first year and it was great to document what he did that was exciting or fun each day. It's really fun to look back and see who visited him on which day, when he first smiled, when he first stayed alone with daddy, etc.

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of Reagan's because my sister currently has it.

I know you shouldn't "compare" kids, but she likes to see what Reagan was doing each week compared to her little girl Charlotte.

Here are the calendars my Aunt got Hudson and Harper at my shower.

Here is a glimpse of the inside of the calendar.

Each month has a spot for a photo and lots of room to write notes.

The calendars also come with great "first" stickers.

Photo Books

I make Reagan photo books for each year of his life as well as each birthday party.  I also made a couple random ones like the "Welcome Reagan" album which is about his first week of life. (He is currently obsessed with this one.... I think because the babies are coming, he likes to see who came to visit him in the hospital and what he looked like as a newborn.) I have all of these photos in my albums, but created these books for him to take with him when he , tear, grows up and leaves us. 

PS- the birthday book was an idea that I stole from a movie. A scary but awesome movie to be exact. Have you seen "Taken" with Liam Nielson? He has a birthday book for his daughter when he puts one photo from each of her birthdays in in. He often looks back at her growing up in the movie. So we started this tradition as well.  

The book starts with the 3 of us in the delivery room - his "birth" day.

Then goes to the 3 of us at his 1st Birthday.

Next goes to the 3 of us at his 2nd Birthday.

Then goes to the 3 of us at his 3rd Birthday.

Clearly I LOVE photos and documenting our little one's lives.

I would love to hear what you do!