Moving right along: Week 23 with Twinners

Here's the latest scoop on the babies and the bump. Oliver and Isabel are growing well. Izzy is still sitting on Ollie's head haha. They are both VERY active now! They are constantly moving, turning, kicking, especially at night. I feel like there's a disco going on in my belly when I lie down to sleep, haha. It's fun to feel them and usually be able to judge who's who now, based on where the kicks are. The majority of kicks are usually either right behind my belly button area (Izzy), or low down on my far left side (Ollie). And whenever Lucy's on my lap and leaning against my belly, one or both of the twins will start pushing back against her. Lucy hasn't noticed yet, but I'm excited to see what she thinks when she does.

The comments of how big my tummy's getting are coming in for sure! The "How are you feeling?" and "Wait. When were you due, again?" are two most common at church. The YSA members are amazed, curious, and kind about the pregnancy. It's funny to see the bizarre looks on some of their faces as I answer questions, or reaffirm that there are in fact TWO in there, haha.

I'm currently 5 months plus some. I'll be closer to 6 months along at Thanksgiving. Do I feel like I'm 8 months along, rather? Yes, yes I do. :)

Pregnancy symptoms at the forefront of each day:

• ACHING ribs. Oi. I feel like my ribs are trying to expand, and occasionally I wonder if they could even break or crack.
• A few of my maternity clothes are even starting to get tight haha! Oh boy.
• Balance is worse, and leaning/bending over is a challenging feat.
• Getting winded easily
• Tossing and turning a lot in the night
• Stretching ligament pain in the belly
• Frequent Braxton Hicks contractions
• Backaches
• Acid reflux (bleh!)
• Vivid dreams (last night it was trying to save a cat called "Baby" while being chased by a black bear)
• My belly button is pretty much gone. Completely flat. Weird thing to imagine unless you've seen one stretched completely flat before. 

Some favorite things these days:

• When Sam talks to the twins
• Lucy snuggles/hugs
• good food
• easy to grab snacks and veggie trays
• lots of pillows
• easy-to-put-on shoes
• my Yellowstone nightgown
• listening to conference talks
• working on stuff at home
• practicing prayers with Lucy
• Christmas music
• seeing Sam's family and anticipating seeing mine again next week!

November Excitement

It's official, folks! We MOVED!!!

It all happened rather fast, and we were totally led to many tender mercies. Everything worked out quickly and efficiently. We found a wonderful apartment that we love (and that's bigger!), and a couple accepted our old place to rent.

Moving happened over the course of 2 weeks. We gradually packed up things and took small loads over to the new place. We bought a few food/snack items and brought over some toys and books so Lucy would feel more at home when we went over there. And we even ate dinner there a couple times before actually moving in. Lucy adjusted SO well, better than we could have even hoped, and we're relieved and so grateful.

Lucy enjoyed packing and unpacking. We all got to make messes all day leading up to the move, and she was a big helper, putting things in boxes and taking them out again. I think we packed the house 1 1/2 times. :)

Trying out the new area rug for the living room! Lucy would run around and flop on it. Then she'd pat the ground, motioning us over, and ask us all to "go seep" haha. It's a soft one. :)

The BIG moving happened on two different Saturdays. For part one, Sam's family all came and packed, cleaned, and moved a lot over. We got the kitchen mostly set up with dishes, utensils, appliances, etc. Katie and Deanna were amazing, vacuuming off the tops of all the cabinets, scrubbing grease off the stove's hood/overhang thing, and so much more. Everyone did so much. And after that day, the moving stress significantly went down. :)

For part two: the final moving day, Sam's parents, Spencer and Katherine, our dear friends Paul and Amber, and 10 guys from the YSA ward we're serving in all came. It was an army!!! I made a donut run early in the morning, and the crew all arrived by 8:45. In just a matter of a few hours, everything was completely out and the apartment was cleaned. I tried to balance working with resting, as I've been having a lot more Braxton Hicks contractions these days, and found it  quite difficult to balance! I was so touched by the love and hard work everyone selflessly put in for us. Everyone was moving, lifting, cleaning and scrubbing, vacuuming, playing with Lucy, and more. Lucy cried a little bit when the guys started taking our couches out, but a big snuggle and the realization she now had ample room to run around inside stopped the concerned tears. And moving day became fun for her after that. Our hearts are full and we realize how truly blessed we are to have such supportive family and friends.

Lucy's Room

Lucy approves :D

Yesterday while Sam was in school, I worked in the second room (aka the twins' room) for a while and it went from looking like this: 

To that:

Progress! ... Still things to do and to figure out what to do with so much STUFF. We've been feeling purge mode coming on.... and an added bonus is living really close to the DI now. ;) We'll be visiting that place soon and bearing gifts.

Our messy bedroom! Unpacking and organizing still in progress.

 The living room and entry . . .

The eating area/computer area . . . (LOVE that chalkboard wall!)

And the kitchen.

When we woke up from our second sleep in our new home, we found a white surprise outside! SNOW! It snowed most of the day, and stuck around on the ground and cars for a few hours after. The mountains looked frosted and beautiful. Lucy was totally captivated, watching the snow fall from the windows in each room, exclaiming "RAIN! RAIN!" 

As I was making breakfast, I kept peeking around the corner to find Lucy like this, entranced by the snowfall. :) It was the cutest thing ever.