Cutie Pie

I just had to show off this adorable apple pie I made for my young women last night. They only know that I bake good cookies so I was put in charge of a couple pies for our gratitude dinner, if only they knew I do more than desserts... oh well, it was a big hit once I convinced people we could cut into it.

in costume

So Halloween was a while ago, but I've been busy getting a couple baby quilts ready to take on a little trip with me...but I still wanted to share our awesome costumes on la blog.
Anyone who knows me knows I love an excuse to dress up- whether it be for something fancy or looking ridiculous- as long as its out of the ordinary I'm always entertained. I guess its one more outlet for my artistic side to enjoy.
Last year halloween snuck up on us, so I was the token witch (this dress is amazing btw- my mom made it forever ago, we wore it as a long witch dress when we were little and now my sisters and nieces have all had their fair share roaming in it!) Brad wasn't all into coming up w/ a costume (which doesn't make sense historically) so I just made him be Harry Potter:

 This year I wanted to make sure to incorporate being pregnant so this was our costume:

Get it? We're Quinn and Finn from Glee:

Except we're way more chaste, because we're married.

Brad loved this costume because I just gave him a puffy vest to wear and told him to try and make his hair look extra teenagery.

and I'm not the only one pregnant this year in my family- my sister Melinda and my sister-in-law Meg are both having babies around the same time as me! (and pseudo-sister Maja is having twins too) Many Lewis babes coming next year.

Melinda was a real cheerleader, can you tell? (I really need to start stretching again...)

 In the meantime, enjoy these images of adorable, pregnant cheerleader sisters:

We hung out at my moms eating chili and doughnuts, then went trick-or-treating w/ the nieces and nephews.

Hope you all had as much fun on Halloween as we did! (next year will be even better because I have two little me's to dress up as well- I can't wait!!!)

fall treats

So Brad mentioned the other day that he hasn't really noticed me have any intense pregnancy cravings. As we thought about it, we realized it's probably just less distinguishable from my normal cravings... I love food so much I think I always have that pregnancy symptom! I've been neglecting food from a blogging perspective lately, but in real life our love is still in full bloom. Fall and food were made for each other- the stews, pot pies, pumpkin, squash, cinnamon, ginger goodness- love, love, love.
I've been too overwhelmed lately with house projects and such, I noticed I've only been blogging about the babies. I think I need to find a better balance... So I'll clue you in on what happened today- I made yummy donuts with my nieces and nephews! And these ones have a healthy-ish twist: they have wheat germ and I baked them, so I didn't feel bad letting the kiddos down a few.

they're trapped

I was telling Brad about how I've been a little anti-social, consumed with projects and plans for home & baby. Then I mentioned how I haven't been blogging as much. Brad was like, "Katie, blogging isn't social..." Well, being virtually social is one step for me. I love hanging out w/ friends in real life too, so if you're local we should get together, I don't want to be a social wreck loose anymore. :)
The reality of pregnancy is hitting me harder these days. I'm suddenly feeling huge, wearing official maternity clothes, and experiencing some new pregnancy discomforts: lower back pain, inability to bend over, and starting to feel the impact of this growing bowling ball in my abdomen on all my organs. I"m only 1/2 way there, so thats a little scary...
Not all the new changes have been bad though! I've been feeling the babies move around for weeks now, its pretty cool. Brad has been anxious to join in on the fun, so last week I knew he'd be thrilled to feel them. Once when they were particularly active I put his hand where I'd felt little pokes, and he felt them! I think he was excited, but all he said was, "they're trapped! they hate it in there."
I tried to explain how a uterus is a happy place for a fetus to grow, but apparently to Brad my womb is a small prison. It's okay- the girls have already served over 1/2 of their time. I guess they are trapped, but i think they like it.

the bump update: (20 weeks)

gender is everything.

Phew... what a relief to go into the doctor today and find out that both babies are growing healthy and strong! They are so big now with long limbs and looking just like regular babies, watching them move around so much made me feel like I must be numb inside to not have felt them yet...
The ultrasound tech said we are having 2 girls! Brad is excited to continue as the man of the house, although this does put the pressure on to produce some basketball-playing, tackling, nose-picking boys eventually. I was a little shocked. I was thinking it would be a boy and a girl, but was trying to prepare myself for the possibility of boys. For some reason I hadn't considered if they were both girls... Before we were just having babies, but now we're having 2 little girls! wow.
Now the nursery plans begin, the name game, the cutsey outfit shopping, the quilt making. So much to do now, I better go sew!

Both of the babies are little acrobats with their toes up by their foreheads. They're too big for one picture, but maintain their bunk bed positions, mixing things up by laying head-to-toe.
(note baby A's fist trying to punch baby B in the second pic. They're already getting along!)

Apparently this is the proof we're having girls:

(we'll really have to work on modesty with these two...)

NCLEX

Tomorrow I'm taking the dreaded NCLEX (nursing board exam). Please don't ask me how I did, I'm so worried I won't pass. If I do, I'll make sure to let you know. If I don't, assume I'm taking it again in a couple of months. It almost makes me nauseated just thinking about it. I've really tried to study hard this week. really. I'm already using the babies as an excuse though, how can I really focus on studying when its so much more fun to do the following:
write this post
do research on project nursery
plan quilt patterns
make lists of baby names
google "is _____ normal at 16 weeks pregnant?"
plan how I will make my own adorable baby books
periodically ensure I'm not missing out on any killer ksl deals
peek at the 6 different books I bought about raising twins
filter out pants I'm no longer wearing and put them in storage
read about how celebrities w/ twins still have all the "normal challenges" even w/ their live-in baby nurse
make a list of all the disney movies we should own

These are important things too, right?
I've been trying to do my best to prepare, even if my best doesn't seem that awesome right now. So all I can do is pray that this will be enough because I'm so sick of studying. I don't even know what on earth I'm doing. Who will hire me? How long will I be able to work anyways? Why nursing? I should have stuck w/ being a high school home economics teacher, I'd be organizing a cake decorating contest for teens right now...

what's going on down there?

16 weeks and I'm starting to get creeped out. For one, those creepy looking babies on the baby countdown to the side of my blog appear to be getting bigger, but they continue to look like frail elderly people or barbies. I can't decide. Whoever designed them should have made them a little more chubby, stubby, and lovable. I'm mostly creeped out because its been a month now since I've seen a doctor or had any update on these babies growing inside me. I haven't felt them yet so there is nothing to confirm their healthy development. Its driving me crazy.
How on earth do people wait 1 month between doctor appointments??? We went in for our first appointment at 8 weeks, and then I was all "special" and got to make sure my babies were okay with an ultrasound every week. Then at my 12 week appointment the doctor says "see you at 16 weeks." Wait a minute here. How do people maintain sanity for this long with no idea how babies are doing??? I've been on somewhat restricted activity, how do I know if I need to keep it up? If its working? I can't wait till 24 weeks when I'll be deemed "special" again and get more frequent ultrasounds. I realize there is an element of faith involved in all this, but since technology is so cool I'd like to be able to use it all the time for the facts on whats going on down there.
This is my only positive evidence that something good is happening. Brad thinks I stick out my waist for these pictures (I may have played with angles a little for the 14 week picture), but I made sure not to for this one:
week 16

I can't tell you why I think to take a picture of my belly right out of the shower in a room under construction, but just ignore those details.
I've mostly been wearing flowy tops and people keep saying "you don't look pregnant at all." Well, under that flowy material is a bump that I believe is starting to go beyond what could be mistaken as a thick-waisted, non-pregnant girl.
Exhibit A, just in case you missed it in the above picture:

I guess I could just always wear stretchy downeast tops that make my changing figure more apparent. Its not offensive to me when people say I don't look pregnant, I just think, "yeah right. I used to have a flat waist, and now I have this pooch...so I'm pretty sure I look pregnant." Oh well, I'll enjoy it while it lasts because at some point my belly will no longer play hide-and-seek no matter what style of top I'm wearing!