Still Here...Updates

I've been a terrible blogger for the last two months but hopefully this update will let you know how I'm doing. I've been reading everyone's blogs daily and although I haven't been commenting, I've been praying for those of you who are nearing the end of your pregancies (T), or have recently been surprised by those wonderful BFP's (Bridget, Ordinary Girl)! I'm praying especially hard for those of you who are still trying to get pregnant, and you are constantly in my thoughts. It will happen, don't give up.

Now, as for us, here are some updates:

Me: - going back to work in September to a brand new school to teach Grade 3. Am so, so, so excited! I have so many ideas. Can't wait to get into my classroom to set up mid-July.
My diet has been pretty much the same - I haven't lost much but I also haven't gained, so that's good. But, I do have 30lbs to lose so I think I'm going to bite the bullet and see a dietician soon. We are off to a cottage in Northern Ontario for a week so I'll be looking into it when we get back. I've noticed a pretty scary thing going on in my life: I spend all of my time taking care of everyone else. My husband, kids and parents are my top priorities. I need to carve out time for me to plan my menu for the week/days and also schedule in time for myself to exersice. So, those are my goals for myself.

Tom: - On June 8th, Tom got hired as a permanent teacher! After 5 years of working towards this goal, we were so relieved and grateful. Our school board was able to hire about 30 teachers and he was one of them! He's teaching Grade 8 at the school he's been at for the last 2 years as a long term occasional teacher. So, no more worrying about having only one income! Yay!

Stathis: - graduated from SK at the end of June. He did very well on his report card, although he needs to work on his reading. I've been practicing with him every day. His printing is a bit of a gong show, too so we're working on that. He's in swimming lessons at the pre-school level and loving it. He can actually swim! How awesome is that? His back glide is a nightmare as he kicks his legs like he's doing karate chops, but I'm sure he's going to get it. We have a cool pool at the community center near our house with a lazy river and water-slide and he wants to have his birthday party there in October. I can't believe he's going into grade 1.

Christopher: - has started eating solids and loves them. Can roll all the way over from his back to his belly. Weight 18.5 lbs. Laughs at everything. Also has a moderate case of plageocephaly so we had to take him to Toronto to the Hospital for Sick Children where he was fitted for a helmet that he's going to have to wear for 2-6 months. He goes for the fitting on July 17th.

Eleni: - is our calm baby. She loves to sleep and cuddle. She can roll over onto her side. She loves to sleep, rarely cries. She weighs 17lbs. She also loves eating solids but it depends on her mood. She's lazy and prefers her bottle. About a month ago, I took her and got her ears pierced. It was more traumatic for me and Stathis than anyone else. Her earrings are super cute. She has a better wardrobe than what I'll ever hope to have.

We also had my brother's one year memorial over the weekend. There were about 50 people who came and paid their respects. Afterwards, my parents and Diane hosted a luncheon in the church basement. We laughed alot remembering him. Diane called me yesterday to tell me that the head-stone was erected at the cemetery yesterday. She went to go see it and it upset her. We are going up to see it on July 16, which would have been Chris's 40th birthday. I'm not going to lie - some days are easier than others to get through.

So, that's the summary of how we are all doing. I hope you are all well and remember even though I haven't been commenting, I've been following!

Healthy Living

I have to be honest here. When I was trying to get pregnant the second time, I really let my diet slide. First, I had about 30 lbs to lose from my first pregnancy which I half-heartedly attempted to lose because I knew I was going to get pregnant again since I got pregnant so easily the first time. (Seriously - our second month trying and we were pregnant with Stathis). Then, secondary infertility hit and the three year battle to try to get pregnant ensued. And it seemed for the longest time that nothing else mattered. I researched, blogged, went to the fertility clinic, went for accupunture, hired a trainer, and ultimately tried IVF which worked for us.

Now, the babies are four months old and I am left with those 30lbs that I still have to lose. I've lost weight in the past...to fit into a dress for a wedding, or because I had 6 months to summer vacation...but this time around, I want to get healthy for my health - not how I will look in a certain pair of jeans. Since the death of my brother Chris, I have been saying that I want to make a committment to my health but I haven't really been watching my diet or exercising.

So, this week I am going to start with my diet. I am going to become more aware of what goes into my mouth and not indulge in every piece of food that looks tempting. I wil be tracking what I eat to be more disciplined. Also look for my weekly weigh in and my weekly committment to getting healthy...

Last week I took the twins for their four month check up and immunizations. Christopher now out-weighs Eleni at 14.5 lbs! Eleni is 13.5 lbs. They are doing great! I better run, I have some tidying up to do and we are off to visit my mother in law today!

Changing...

So, I had to write a paragraph about myself to my new principal. She asked all the teachers to send a blurb about themselves to her. It was hard to come up with something witty, yet focused as to how I think others may see me. It made me think so much about some recent posts I read about keeping your voice real on your blog.

This has been something I have struggled with since my battle was with secondary infertitlty. What right did I have to complain about what I was going through when so many others were struggling with primary infertility. For the longest time, I would just stalk blogs when I couldn't get pregnant and had just been referred to our fertitlity specialist. Soon, I realized that my struggle was not that uncommon and found similar friends online who were going through the same thing. Now, we have three children and we are done with making our family. My journey has changed, and I think that my blog will, too.

I hope I don't lose any followers, but I have been pondering creating a more robust blog. One that reflects all the dimensions that make up my life, such as: infertility stuff, house stuff, fashion stuff, teaching stuff, healthy living, my brothers, being a working wife and mama, books and movies that I recommend, and a review of local restaurants.

I also want to say that all the NIAW posts that I've been reading are amazing. Everyone is so right about what they have written about...keep up the great work. The Canadian week is May 20-26 so look for my post, then.

Did you hear that Giuliana and Bill Rancic are expecting their first baby via surrogate? I'm a fan of their show and I'm so happy for them.

Here is a pic of the bubbas who will be 16 weeks tomorrow...

Have a great Thursday everyone...

Um, April, where did you go?

Holy crap time is flying by!!!


Here we are and the twins are almost four months old. Things have been crazy busy with us these last four months. The first six weeks with the babies were pretty insane. And then I had the brainiac idea to throw them their baptism in March. And then, Easter came right around the corner. Every weekend has been a blur with this function and that event.

Last night, Tom and I went on a date without the kiddos. It was great to talk, eat uninterrupted and laugh.

I have come to the realization that I try to do too much stuff in a day and in a week and end up feeling frustrated because I can't get it all done the way that I used to. So, my plan from now on is to focus on one small thing at a time and to not get frustrated about stuff. I'm using the reminders app on my iphone to just write things down that have to be done as they come to my mind and then every day I look at the list and decide what can get done that day and go for it. It seems to be working out ok.

I received a call from my doctor the other day about an ultrasound he had ordered on my thyroid. Apparently, I have cysts on my thryoid. I am now being referred to an endocrinologist. I'm trying not to freak out about it.

My five year old little man is doing well, he is so ready to go to grade one. He only has kindergarten every other day so on the days he's home all I hear about is how bored he is. I am going to sign him up for a gym class on Wednesdays and check out the activities they have at the library to keep him busy. Also, I think he's at a good age to start playing an instrument so I want to look into a kinder-music class for him. As for the summer, I am going to sign him up for some weekly day camps to keep him occupied. I mentioned this to a neighbour mom friend I have and she's going to enroll her two boys as well. The three boys all play well together so it should be fun for them and a bit of a break for us. I feel so bad for him, it seems like every time I play with him the twins begin fussing. Luckily, he's an old sould and doesn't seem to mind, but still, he deserves time and attention, too.

As for the twins, they are also doing well. They smile at us and grab at their toys. The even have started talking to us, making cooing sounds and razzing sounds. I find it hard to take them out. It's alot of prep time to get them out of the house. I will often dash out to run my errands and leave them with my mom. Hopefully, the weather will get nicer here in Toronto in the next few weeks and I'll be able to take them out more.

Since I'm going back to work in September to a different position, I am losing my laptop for work. But, the school board announced they have a supply of new data projectors and laptops for teachers in the classroom. All you have to do is take eight two hour workshops about using technology in the classroom and they are yours. Holla!!! I signed up right away. They run the classes after school and I went to my first class last week. It was so much fun seeing teachers I know and sitting in a course. I even treated myself to a Starbucks to sip while I listened to the lecture. No bottles or diapers or Lego. It felt weird but good at the same time!

I also managed to sneak in some reading time these last two weeks and read The Hunger Games trilogy. Not normally the kind of thing I would enjoy reading, but I did enjoy them. Not my favourite series for a bunch of reasons, but definitely a good read.

Friday night I managed to sneak out and do some shopping and bought some artwork for the bare walls of my house, and then went to the book store and bought the Shades of Grey series of books. So that's what I'm on to next. Anyone heard of these or read them? A few of my colleagues recommended them...what I really want to read is a funny book. Recommendations needed! Enough with the violence and depressing books!!!

This week I have two more courses, a photo appointment for the twins, and their four month check up booked for Friday when they will get their needles. Oh, and I promised Tom I would take them to his school Wednesday...Boy...it's going to be another hectic week...Time is flying...

Warning! Busy weekend ahead!!!

Today I am visiting my sis in law Diane to help her unpack at her new house. My parents are babysitting the twins and Stathis is at school. Greek Easter is next weekend do things are going to get crazy. Tomorrow, Stathis' godparents are coming over. Saturday we have our goddaughter Sophia and her family coming for dinner and also Tom's cousin is coming over for dinner. 6 adults and 8 kids! Should be fun! Sunday is our Psalm Sunday so we'll be at Church and then we are going to Diane's for Anglican Easter. Monday our other god-daughter Angelina is coming over and so are the twin's god-parents.

Tonight I am shopping to make sure I have enough good in the cupboard and to decorate the house for Easter.

Last night, both babies slept through the night! Best. Night. Ever.

Happy Easter everyone!

Marching On

Holy Crap! March came and went and I don't think I posted a thing on my blog. Things were definitely crazy so here is the update:


The Twins:
The twins are doing amazing. They are now 3 months old and about twelve pounds each. They are sleeping through the night, sometimes they wake up for one bottle. They are smiling at us and love kisses and snuggles.

Baptism Party
On March 17th we had them baptized and the party was a big, fat, Greek celebration. My brother Tony and his wife and their little guy came from BC, and my Auntie Anna also came from the US for the party. Baptism is a big deal for us Greeks as you are baptized, take your first communion and are confirmed all in one session. It's common for a big dance to follow, but due to the fact that my brother Chris passed away less than a year ago, dancing would be considered poor taste. So, we looked at our guest list, realized we had 100 people coming and 40 of them were children and decided to rent a jumpy castle. Yep, you read that right. We chose our best friends Nick and Cristina to be the godparents and it was a joyous occasion.

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God parents Nick & Cristina, my parents, in-laws, Tom and I and the babes and Stathis and our niece. Notice my green shoes in honour of St. Patrick's Day



A view of the party as my Mom proudly shrouds the bubbas...



Check out the jumpy castle!!!

Health Update

I recently started noticing I was having heart palpitations daily. Also, my appetite has been decreased and I've been feeling anxious. I thought it was the stress/excitement of the baptism/out of town guests, etc, but one of my aunts talked me into going to my doctor. So, while I've been losing weight because of the decreased appetite, he decided to run a bunch of tests and today he called me because it looks like my thyroid is hyperactive. I did more bloodwork and am going for an ultrasound next week. He also prescribed some medicine for my heart to steady my heart rate and to stop the palpitations. Hopefully I will be feeling more like myself once my thyroid is regulated...


Work
I also decided to take an opportunity at work. I'll be off until the end of the summer and then I'm going back to work to teach grade 3 at a brand new school 10 minutes from my house!! The principal also selected me to be the primary division chair person so I'll be in charge of buying all the resources and leading the primary teachers. I'm super stoked because the staff are a bunch of amazing teachers and I'm just so excited to be part of a team again compared to coaching teachers, which is what I've done for the last 4 years.

Blogging
I know I have been a crappy commenter but I've been reading all the blogs on my blogroll. I will be joining PAIL and ICLW this month. As for all that drama, I really didn't get it...but I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion...

Sleep Warrior

So, ever since we brought the twins home, all Tom and I talk about is sleep. We discuss it as soon as he comes home from work. When we are grocery shopping, we talk about it. When it was his birthday last week he told me that all he wanted was for someone to come and let him sleep for two nights in a row as long as he wanted to. Not for me to wear something that he would enjoy and for us to have time together, wink wink. And he only does the night shift ONCE per week. I am on duty FIVE nights a week. My marriage at the moment is all about sleep. It's all we talk about, think about and want!!!

Last week, I decided I had had enough of my family room couch and bottle feeding on demand and started moving the twins up to their nursery. My reading also intensified. I am now reading the following books and find them very helpful.







Over the weekend, Tom did the night shift on Saturday and he gave up and brought the twins down at 3am to sleep in their swings. On Sunday, my mother in law came and did the night shift and she slept on the nursery floor. They screwed up my sleep training regime so now I think I may need to be in charge and stop letting them take over the night shift. This means I will lose out on solid, uninterrupted sleep but means the twins know who's boss. Hopefully, they will sleep through the night in another 8 weeks which is when they will be 12 weeks old adjusted. I can do nights like last night for the next 8 weeks:

Last night, I put my purple pj's on and my war paint and put the twins down at 9pm

Eleni took bottles at 11, 1 and 4:30
Christopher took bottles at 11, 1:30 and 5

And I slept in between. Not bad considering the twins are 7 1/2 weeks old, 4 weeks old adjusted age.

I am so excited! This Gladiator can actually see sleeping through the night happening! Also as of today I will be logging their feedings, diapers and naps, looking for patterns.

Who know I could be so anal? See what sleep deprivation does to an otherwise sane woman? I now know why sleep torture is used by the military. There is nothing worse than not having your sleep. And yet, my brain actually cannot remember being sleep deprived with Stathis. You see, mother nature is a sneaky bitch that lets you forget.

In the battle of the twins sleeping vs. me sleeping, I will prevail!

Moving Up to the Nursery!

So last night I put the twins in their cribs to sleep. Before this, our sleeping arrangements were the twins in the pack n play or in their baby swings and me on the couch. Last night, I decided enough was enough and packed 7 bottles, a can of formula and toted the twinks up to their room. It took me until 1am to get them settled and sleeping but they did spend the night in their cribs. Christopher woke up twice and Eleni woke up 3 times to be fed. I slept in the guest room since it was the first night and I think I may stay there until they only need one feed per night as Tom is a light sleeper and I don't want to disturb him too much since he has to teach 30 10 year olds every day.

As for today, my house seriously looks like a bomb hit it and I have laundry coming out of the wazoo so I better get cracking. Did I mention it's 2:30 pm here and I'm still in my pajamas? Time for Mama to take a shower and get cracking. My goal is to get these guys up to their room by 9pm tonight. We'll see how I do!

The weekend is going to busy with a final parade of visitors tomorrow. Sunday I need to go out to pick out a sofa bed because my brother Tony and his family are coming to visit from BC in March and I need to be able to put them up. Monday is a holiday here in Ontario - Family Day - and I think we may have some friends coming over for coffee.

Take Care, everyone!

Valentine's Day - in a hectic world

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope everyone had a good one. It's so funny - Tom and I have been together since 1998, and the evolution of our Valentine's has definitely changed. Our first one was probably the most extravagant - we went out for dinner in Toronto and then to Phantom of The Opera. Over the years, we've gone to hockey games, out for dinner, stayed in and cooked gourmet meals...this year...meh.

I sort of forgot about Valentines day until I looked at Stathis' school calendar late Monday afternoon and realized he was having a Valentines' party with his class. I quickly asked my Mom, the permanent fixture at this house, to watch the twins while I bundled up my 5 year old and off we went to the local drug store. We picked out cards and chocolates for his class and then bought Tom some cards.

Tom's cousin came to visit with his wife and baby around 3 so we ordered pizza and then Tom came home and we had a really fun visit. The card Tom bought me is hilarious - it talks about how love notes change over time...

Dating: I am sohot for you!
Newlyweds: Meet me tonight for a big surprise! xoxo
Married 5 years: Have a great day, sweetie!
Married 10 years plus: Pick up some toilet paper on your way home from work.

Keep in mind we will have been 11 years in June - I couldn't agree more! I seriously cracked up...

Anyway, I know I haven't posted in a while or commented on anyone's blogs but I thought I would give you all a low down of the first 6 weeks of life with the twins...this is how my days are spent. And let me tell you, it's a good thing mothers forget the first 12 weeks of infancy because if we remembered, we would never have children again!!

6am - wake up to feed/change babies
7am - wake up Stathis, send him off to school
8am - sleep
9am - my parents come over, eat a quick breakfast, chat, I leave them to take care of the babies and I head up to bed
9:30-12:30 sleep
12:30 -1:30 take shower, eat lunch
1:30 -2:30 - feed/change babies
2:30 Stathis comes home from school
3:00-8:00 make dinner, spend time with babies and Stathis, do laundry, try to tidy up, pay bills, run errands, may have a visitor come over, at 8pm my parents usually leave
8:00 - Stathis bed time, bathe him, reading with him
9:00 -11:30 sleep (Tom takes over care of the twins at this time)
11:30 - 4:00 am - up with the twins, feeding, changing (this is when they are their fussiest, especially Christopher) I may get some time in to sleep, but usually just an hour or 45 minutes...thank God for my PVR!
4am-6am - sleep.

So needless to say, it's been a hectic 7 weeks. The good news? They are growing, sleeping longer stretches and I have figured out never to miss an opportunity to sleep. I now tell guests to come and schedule appointments around MY sleep schedule!! I tell ya, you never know how much you need your sleep until you can't have it!!! Also, I would be a complete and utter blubbering mess if it wasn't for my parents. I have no idea how people do this without support. And people who have triplets and quads? Holy crap my hat goes off to them!! On Friday nights, my mother in law comes and spends the night so that we can both sleep through the night. And we sleep. Nothing else - how sad is that?!

But I know this too shall pass and before I know it, I will be dropping them off at Nursery School crying and asking the universe where the time went, so I am really trying to enjoy every moment that I can with them.

I noticed over the last few days that they were a bit gassy and Christopher seemed to be a bit colicky so as of tonight I've switched formulas to En.famil Gent.lease and also to the Dr. Brown's bottles. They seem to be working much better! Eleni has been asleep since 11:30 and it's now 3 am! Christopher has been fussy since 11:30 and just fell into a deep sleep but instead of sleeping I've decided to blog so that you all wouldn't think I've left planet Earth.

Well I better go because I'm sure someone will want a bottle or a diaper change soon!

Hello 2012

Since the twins were born on December 30th and all the craziness that followed, I never really had a chance to say good bye to 2011. My goals for 2011 were to basically keep calm and carry on with the pursuit of pregnancy and to be open to a year full of possibilities. Things were going very smoothly for me in 2011. We flipped a house we bought and made a huge profit, did our first IVF cycle that resulted in a tiwn pregnancy and then on July 2, everything changed with the sudden and shocking death of my older brother Chris.

Never, ever, did I think I would bury one of my siblings before my parents. The second half of 2011 proved so very difficult. We all had to come together to mourn Chris and to help his pregnant widow Diane and to care for his two year old, Evan. We had to help her pack up their dream house in Niagara on the Lake, help her move in with her parents, help her find a new home, and now my Dad is helping her renovate the house to be her new home for Evan and baby Bryce.

We will always help Diane with the raising of Bryce and Evan and with every chapter of her new life without Chris. I never knew it was possible for your heart to actually physically feel broken. Life really can kick you in the ass.

So, for 2012, I want to just take the time to enjoy my marriage, my parents and my children and all my family and friends. I want to lose the baby weight and to just focus on me. I am so lucky that I don't have to go to work until January 2013 so I have time to do just that.

My motto for 2012 is this: Enjoy. Breathe. Laugh. Relax. Every day I would like to find a moment of joy. Right now, looking at my children gives me many moments of joy. As the weeks go by and we get into a routine, I would like to continue to find and documents the moments of joy, breathe and laugh through the stress and yes, take some time out for me so that I can relax.

I hope everyone else is enjoying 2012...

Labour and Delivery and Recovery

Originally, my c-section was scheduled for January 3rd, but at about 1:30 am December 30th, my water decided to break. Luckily, Stathis was having a sleep-over at my parents, so I woke Tom up and we got ready and headed to the hospital. I was still fighting that awful cold/cough/flu bug and that evening had developed a rather attractive case of pink eye with mucus constantly streaming out of my eyes. I looked rather like the she-devil and when we arrived at the hospital, they promptly ushered us into a birthing suite and informed us we were in isolation. Every time a nurse or doctor would come in, they would robe up so they wouldn't catch my horrific pink eye. Luckily, they got me some eye drops so by about 10am I was looking and feeling better, thanks to the iv and all the anti-biotics they were giving me. At about 12:30 pm I went to the OR and the babies were delivered via c-section at about 1:05 and 1:06 pm respectively.

The moment we saw the babies was so incredible. Christopher looked exactly like a mini-version of Stathis. He was only 5lbs 2oz which is so tiny compared to Stahis who was 8 lbs. Eleni was so calm and chubby, just like how I had envisioned her all these months. Tom did great, he coached me through what was going on, held my hands and told me what was going on with each baby. Miraculously, they each didn't need any NICU time.

My recovery went pretty well, we were in our private room by about 5:00pm and I could feel all my body parts. At about 5:30 my parents, inlaws and Tom's sister Vicky came. I had asked all other friends and family not to come as I was sick and still in isolation and they would have to wear masks and robes.

On Saturday afternoon, they took my blood and I was very low in hemoglobin so I had to have two blood transfusions. Saturday night was New Year's. My mom stayed with me until about 10 and then Tom came and spent the night with me. It was really sweet to be together with the babies and to ring in the new year with them.

Sunday, New Year's Day we were released at about 1 and then we came home. The week was a blur. I was still sick, so went to see my doctor. He gave me anti-biotics and a puffer for my cough. I explained I was concerned the twins were lethargic and looking a bit jaundiced so he made me take them to the ER. We did that on Tuesday night but their levels were ok. Then, the hospital called back and we had to go back on Wednesday for follow up. Friday we took the babies to be weighed. This whole time, I am exhausted and feeling pretty weak. Saturday morning, I bent down and stood up and suddenly had a bizarre dizzy spell and my heart started racing and I couldn't get it to go down. Then, I started feeling chest pain and shortness of breath. Needless to say, withing about 10 minutes the paramedics were at my house and I was being rushed to the hospital on a stretcher.

I was having an episode called an SVT. Basically, my heart had an electrical mis-firing and couldn't slow down. They actually had to stop my heart and re-start it to get it to slow down. I was in the hospital all day for observation after that and finally released to come home in the evening. It was pretty scary, but quite common, especially after twin pregnancies. I go to see the cardiologist a few more times this month for follow up. As per his advice, I have been taking it VERY easy since. My best friend Cristina comes and sleeps over on Monday and Thursday nights and my Dad comes on Wednesday nights. This way, I can sleep at night, which is when the twins are most fussy and can recover.

We haven't had a tonne of visitors because of my recovery, but it's been so much fun having the babies, even though they are a lot of work. Stathis is an awesome big brother, he is always kissing and cuddling the babies, and willing to help me get whatever I need for them. My mom comes over every day to help. My friends have all been dropping off food for us, so we haven't had to cook a tonne and we haven't had to buy a lot of take-out.

We are doing well, just taking it slow, the parade of visitors will have to wait a couple of more weeks. The babies now weigh 6lbs (Chris) and 6lbs 6oz (Eleni). Take care everyone!

They're Here!

Hi Friends,

I am thrilled to announce that Christopher and Eleni made their grand entrance into the world on Friday, December 30th, 2011 at 1:05 and 1:06 pm respectively. I will post about the dramatic labour and delivery in the days to come. Christopher weighed in at 5lbs 2oz and Eleni weighed in at 5lbs 11oz. We are all at home and doing fine. (well - you know - trying to figure this new baby thing out!)

Happy New Year!