What the $%&!!!!!!!!

Sometimes you encounter things in life that just make you think, "what the #$%?".  Since I was cleared to start getting back in shape... well actually, I was cleared three weeks ago but who is counting really... I hired a trainer and started a new weight loss plan to fast track me.  I met with the consultant to get my products who is a pretty Asian girl that is a size 0.  As we are talking, she asked me about my twins and so I showed a picture and she said, "oh, they are girls?  they look like boys."  REALLY??????  I haven't quite figured out how they must dress their boys here since my girls are always in pink with a bow or something and we are always asked, "boys?".  Anyway, to top it off she is staring at me as we are talking and she interrupts me and says, "I bet you are really pretty when you lose weight."

WHAT THE $%#$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And yes, I still bought the damn products! 

Uncle Booby is here! Uncle Booby is here!

I think you would agree they look like identical twins here!

I can't believe that we moved across the globe and I will have had all of my siblings and parents here to visit before the year is up!  So incredible and it has definitely made this transition so much easier.  Lucky for us, Bobby has been doing business in China and he was able to swing his latest trip with a stopover in Singapore with his business partner, Rob.  I caught myself several times talking to people and telling them that my brother and his partner were coming to visit.  That statement takes on a whole other meaning and now I have no idea how many people think my brother is gay.  HAAAA! 

It was fun having them here and we took on trying to see Singapore in a weekend.  Although we didn't cover the whole island, we were able to get a lot covered and with two infants along for the ride.  I know I have mentioned the fascination with twins here in Singapore but it becomes more and more apparent as we are out and about.  We started counting the number of times we heard, "two?  twins, huh?  you so lucky!".  Needless to say, Joe and Bobby made that the phrase of the weekend and the babies were perfect to show off.  Uncle Booby said it was because he was here and he saved them from being in the condo.  Whatever the reason, it was great and we're looking forward to more outings with the girls.


No trip is complete without a visit to the fish spa!
Rob said it feels like crickets crawling up your legs.



Bobby bought dinner so we went to the high dollar place on the Singapore River.  You cook your food at the table and it was fun and tasted great.  Rob made sure that I had my fill of wine so Joe took care of the girls that night... he's a good man!  And thank you Booby for bringing the prescription Ibuprofen for the next morning!!  Good times!

Rob is scared of heights so we made sure that we hit all the highs of Singapore.  This is on the Singapore Flyer which is the largest ferris wheel in the world and we got him near the edge to look down!



Singapore Flyer



Rob taking over the Duck Boat tour. This is one of those amphibious cars that turns into a boat. 

This is the latest hot spot in Singapore, the Marina Bay Sands.  It is billed as the most expensive standalone casino at $5.7 billion.  It is a hotel with a huge skypark on top that overlooks the country along with an awesome
infinity pool.  We are hoping to stay there for our anniversary in March.
Check it out http://www.marinabaysands.com/

To take Rob to his limit, we took the cable cars over to Sentosa. 
Needless to say, Rob made sure he had plenty of liquid courage before
we jumped on.  I have to admit it is a little daunting having my babies
hanging over the ocean off of a cable!!

The smartasses spreading peace in front of the Merlion.



Helping Rob with his liquid courage before heading back home.

I think this picture says it all after a full day!

Bobby agrees that Reghan looks more Craig and Rylee is definitely Peltier.  However, they are looking more and more alike as they keep growing.  At times, I have had to do a doubletake to make sure who is who.  Rylee still has more hair and a rounder face and head which is how we can tell them apart.  Personalities have changed in that Reghan is totally chill and can sit back and just take things in.  Rylee is a bit more high maintenance and needs a lot more attention.  Definitely Peltier, wouldn't you agree??!!

Can you tell who is who below???

I Have the Answer!

The answer to what you may be asking???  The answer to enemy torture treatments.  Just fill a room with colic or reflux babies screaming and they will sing like a bird!

No one seems to talk about this part of motherhood when you are pregnant and dreaming of birds flying around your head and animals singing and following behind you.  And then you also get the blissful first couple of weeks of sleeping newborns when you think how lucky you are that you got such good babies that sleep so good.  Well, hello week 5!!!!!!!!!!  Their senses come alive and you now have this beautiful little being that is on sensory overload or in my case, little beingS.  And for a few lucky people, you get to experience colic or reflux although you may not know that is the problem.  My sister in law called me and asked if it was everything I dreamed about and to be completely honest, that day was not the day to be asking!  All I know is that this happy, little baby girl was experiencing full blown meltdowns that were inconsolable and as a mother that wants to make everything better, you are at a total loss.  Then to add to this blissful experience, the other happy, little baby girl decides she doesn't want to be left out so she throws in her full blown meltdown.  So two screaming babies for hours at a time, across the world without family to jump in to help give a break.  Yowza. 

To say the least, it was a rough couple of weeks but it seems we are on the mend.  It definitely makes you enjoy the smiles and sweetness of your babies when all is good.  I'm already such a better mother and it has only been two days of quiet. My girlfriend here talks about merit badges you earn as you ride this rollercoaster of parenthood and I feel like we have definitely earned the patience badge.  Any parent out there that has had to deal with some form of reflux, food allergy or colic understands completely.  I feel blessed that I have such a hands on daddy because I'm not sure what I would have done otherwise.  So now if you ask me is it everything I thought it would be, my answer is no, it is MORE! I can say even with the hours of crying, I wouldn't trade it for anything.  They are incredible and when they look up to you with either that quivering lip or big, happy smile, your heart is so full you can't imagine it being able to hold anything more... until the next day when you wake up to that big smile and you melt and realize you do and it will continue to grow everyday!

Rylee finally relaxed after a VERY long day of tears.

Reghan chilled out... her signature pose.

Happy babies!

Love and peace to all!  Kiss your baby or babies!

A Sad Farewell

It was a very sad day on August 21st as we said our goodbyes to Meme and Big Daddy PawPaw (Joe has decided the girls need to have a PawPaw like he did so he has added to Big Daddy's name).

We were blessed to have them here for close to six weeks and the looming days of being alone were finally here. I kept joking with people that the girls have been so easy and were just waiting until Meme left.  They must have heard me and decided to NOT make it a joke!  I'm not kidding when I say not ten minutes after they left, we had full blown meltdown like they have never done and I was all alone to figure it out.  Usually, this would not be that big of a deal except there are TWO!  I panicked for a moment and called Joe to tell him to turn the car around and put my parents in a cab but I was out of luck and had to put my big girl panties on and deal.  As luck should have it, mommy mode kicked in and all got calm... the girls too. :-)  One thing that has definitely become clear to me is that Octomom needs to be committed.   

Joe and I would like to extend a big thank you to Caron and my mom and dad for making their way over here on that long flight.  I don't know how I would have been if they had not been here.  Everyone was worried how Joe would handle that many in laws for that long of a time but he said he was sad to see them go too.  Of course, that may have a little to do with losing our cook and maid!  HA!  We all concluded that had we been in Houston, they would not have had this much time with the girls one on one as they got here.  I think this pretty much insures that they will always be their favorites .  It was definitely a special time and I cannot express how much it meant to us. 

Big Daddy PawPaw with his grandbabies

This is at the top of the new casino and hotel, Marina Bay Sands that
gives you  the ultimate view of Singapore... very cool!

No trip is complete until you eat the chili crabs, just ask Big Daddy

Caron and Big Daddy PawPaw in Sentosa

Trip to the zoo to visit all the relatives

The relatives :-)

And we saved the best for last... HOOK EM HORNS!!!!!!!!

Officially American Citizens

As Lee Greenwood would sing... I'm proud to be an American! 

We finally took the girls down to the US Embassy and got them registered as US citizens.  They wore their outfits proudly that Aunt Jenn and Aunt Steph sent them and slept through the whole process.  As always when we are out and about, we are like a circus act as everyone here is in total awe of twins.  We have come to hear, "you so lucky" multiple times as we stroll along.  And of course, we reply, "YES, WE AGREE!  WE ARE SO LUCKY!"

No pain, no gain!

So, one of the things that I was not 100% prepared for was the fact that I still looked so pregnant after finally giving birth.  Although I knew that I would not be fit and trim, I did not expect to feel like they left another baby inside me.  And it is now officially one month and I still think I was pregnant with triplets and she is still somewhere lingering inside my belly. 

Therefore, I enlisted the services of Azizah, a Malay lady that works during the traditional confinement period after birth.  In several Eastern cultures, it is thought that the mothers and children need to live in the confinement of their homes for at least 30 days and even more in Muslim homes.  Obviously, that is not the American way but I did want to try one of their traditions of the postnatal Jamu wrap and massage.  The after-birth treatment is an intense session of massages and wraps that ease the transition mother's body back to normal from pregnancy. Massage techniques are used to reduce water retention and revitalise the body. The traditional abdominal wrap, known as bengkung is infused with Jamu traditional spices to tone abdominal muscles.

I got Azizah's name from my nurse at the doctor's office and she was set to come for 7 days to my house to give me a massage and wrap my belly.  Little did I know that a Malay massage was not your typical relaxation massage.  The idea is that the massage is used to purge out "the wind" in your body to promote blood circulation.  Azizah was a funny, little lady that could pack a punch.  She started my massage and as she was going she kept making these belching noises and I swear I thought she was about to regurgitate on me.  After a few minutes of this, she finally told me that it was the wind in my body coming through her.  I can't tell you how relieved I was although anyone that knows me well, knows how I feel about noises.  Anyway, as the days went on, she belched less which meant the wind was leaving my body.  Success!  She also ended each session by wrapping me up in what looked and felt like a corset.  I was to wear it at least 8 hours a day so, of course, I wore it more like 12 hours a day.  And I felt so thin after I was wrapped up!  That is until Caron and I went to get foot massages and they asked me how far along I was.  So, so wrong. 

After 7 days, I can tell you I was ready for it to be over.  I was bruised from head to toe from the massage and the Jamu herbs had seeped into every pore of my house.  She told me I was a strong mama to take on the Malay massage and I just told her I was a vain mama that wanted my stomach back!  I kept telling myself "no pain, no gain" and just to suck it up.  The big question is, did it work?  Well, I don't know 100% but who knows what I would have looked like if I didn't do it!!  So now I'm off looking for the next Asian tradition for weight loss.  They must know or do something since they all look like they could shop in the children's department! 

The Big Day

This is a little late but I wanted to try and capture the day our lives were blessed.  I'm hoping to use this blog as our story to share with the girls when they get older so I thought I'd go back a few weeks.

We had planned on having the babies on July 20th but after several ultrasounds, we decided to move up the date to July 16th as Rylee was running out of room. Reghan was basically sitting on her and overtaking the space... I wonder if that will be any indication of their personalities.  It is hard to describe how I was feeling being in another country and not knowing what to expect.  Would I understand what they were saying to me?  Would they do things the same as they do in the US?  Are things "up to code"?  Nerveracking to say the least.

We were scheduled for 7:45am to begin so we headed to the hospital around 2:00am so we could get settled and catch some zzzzzzzzz's before the big event.  It was really a sweet time for us as Joe snuggled up in the bed with me for what could potentially be our last peaceful night for awhile.  I'm not sure how much sleep we actually got as our anticipation and excitement were overflowing.  Around 4:30, the nurses started coming in to prep us and around 6:30am, Meme and Aunt Caron showed up ready with the cameras.  As the time got closer, they wheeled me in to the OR and sent Joe to get scrubbed up.  I was super nervous but ready to go.  I will tell you, I'm not a fan of having my legs numb AT ALL.  If I was to do it again (and I'm not), I would want a normal delivery and forgo the C section.  Joe got situated next to me and he could watch as they pulled Rylee out.  I just watched him as I could not see anything and saw the big alligator tears well up in his eyes and knew we had begun.  One minute later, Reghan appeared and she was screaming at the top of her lungs!  Again, any indication of her future?  My tears were flowing!  Joe was off running back and forth checking them out and trying to give me updates as they worked them over.  FINALLY, Joe brought them to me and I just couldn't believe these two little angels were ours.  I kept thinking about all we had been through to get to this moment and the tears continued to flow with overwhelming emotions.  Our awesome Anestheologist grabbed the camera from Joe and started shooting.  And for all of you that made comments about how I looked, that is the "pro" of having a scheduled c-section!! 

From there is when I really  hated the c-section!  Joe got to go with the babies as they left me to get stitched up and sent me to recovery.  Hated it!  All I wanted was to be with my babies and it felt like hours before they got me to my room.  In reality, it was probably less than an hour but still too long.  And then I learned that the girls needed to be in NICU for a while.  Again, I would not get to see them for a long time.  Luckily, Joe had the video camera so with Aunt Caron and Meme in tow, they headed to NICU and took lots of video so I could see that they were okay.  I sent Joe several times that day down there to get more video for me.  Finally, Reghan was released and able to come see me but it wouldn't be until the next afternoon before I got to see Rylee.  It was awful!!  All I kept thinking about was my niece, Meggan, and all the time she had to wait until she could hold her little miracle just months before.  Anyway, our reunion was indescribable and life was good!

 

We stayed in the hospital for 5 days with Joe sleeping on a very uncomfortable cot but he never left my side.  The girls both had jaundice so they were required to be under the light so we only got them a few hours a day.  It was hard but we wanted them to get better so we could head home.  My hormones were all over the place and poor Joe just reassured me and handled it like a champ.  At one point, I had the breastpump working and tears flowing down my face for no apparent reason. Joe was wiping my eyes and my snot nose and telling me everything was going to be great and how blessed we were with these perfect little girls.  No one told me about the hormone rush you feel and I could not quit crying.  The nurses were coming in and I was just boo hooing like crazy.  And then when I finally walked down to the nursery and saw my babies under the lamp with those masks on their eyes, I was a goner!!  Plus, Rylee had dropped to 4 lbs. and I was convinced she was going to starve to death.  Of course, my smartass sister asked me to find out the statistics on newborn deaths due to starvation at the hospital.   BUT as all things come to an end, my hormonal meltdown did too but only after I got a good kick to the ass to my sister. 

Finally, we got the green light to head home!  We were beyond excited as the TV at the hospital was a little to be desired with only 3 channels that we could actually watch.  I had their going home outfits monogrammed but due to their extra small size, there was no way they could wear them. In fact, they still can't fit into them.  Luckily, I had also packed some preemie clothes that my niece, Holly, had given us so we squeezed them into that.  Their legs are long so it was a tight fit but it was better than taking them home naked.  The nurses all bid us a good bye and I was secretly wishing I could take a couple of them home.  After all the worries of delivering in Singapore, I can tell you that I would do it again and again as it was an incredible experience.  You could not have wished for better care.  But let me be clear, I will NOT be doing it again and again!  I'm not sure we could get this lucky a second time around!

We feel very blessed and are excited to get home to show them off!  They are near perfect in our eyes and are enjoying every minute!  We are still missing Kelsey to complete our union but we'll all be together soon. Family pictures are in our future!!