{"id":1724,"date":"2010-06-14T13:05:52","date_gmt":"2010-06-14T21:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/?p=1724"},"modified":"2010-06-14T14:15:00","modified_gmt":"2010-06-14T22:15:00","slug":"settling-in-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/2010\/06\/settling-in-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Settling In"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>From the Twin-Daddy:<\/h2>\n<h4>The Move and the Coveted Super-Dan<\/h4>\n<div id=\"attachment_1733\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/tesla_roadster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1733\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1733\" style=\"border: 2px solid black;\" title=\"tesla_roadster\" src=\"http:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/tesla_roadster-300x189.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"189\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/tesla_roadster-300x189.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/tesla_roadster.jpg 693w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1733\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Have a Tesla Roadster?  Need a friend?<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Life is calming down at our house with Mary having sent off her grades, our stuff migrating out of boxes, and generally settling into the new home. \u00a0This transition was made possible by Mary&#8217;s dad as well as an army of friends showing up with trucks and shovels and rakes and implements of destruction.<\/p>\n<p>After seeing the move go off without a hitch one of my friends\u00a0accused\u00a0me of befriending people based on how convenient their vehicles are to my needs. \u00a0This is clearly untrue, however I am still looking for that special <a title=\"Wired magazine reviews the Tesla\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wired.com\/autopia\/2008\/11\/the-jersey-turn\/\">Tesla Roadster<\/a> friend.<\/p>\n<p>Mary&#8217;s dad, Dan, was exceptional and I can&#8217;t imagine how the move would have happened without him. \u00a0He was a non-stop dynamo, and it was everything we could do to slow him down.<\/p>\n<p>In about two weeks, he:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Helped us pack and move<\/li>\n<li>Cleaned the old house<\/li>\n<li>Stripped the paint off a table and set of chairs<\/li>\n<li>Repaired them<\/li>\n<li>Repainted them<\/li>\n<li>Installed a washer and dryer<\/li>\n<li>Remounted the doors on the laundry<\/li>\n<li>Built wall-to-wall shelves in the new garage<\/li>\n<li>Fixed the drawers in the kitchen<\/li>\n<li>Fixed the closet doors<\/li>\n<li>Replaced the doorbell<\/li>\n<li>Rehung three gates so they wouldn&#8217;t scrape when they closed<\/li>\n<li>Bought and assembled new patio furniture<\/li>\n<li>Built Mary a new wonder-desk<\/li>\n<li>Purchased a new bench and shop-vac<\/li>\n<li>Organized and stored all the various baby gear<\/li>\n<li>Picked a full tub of cherries<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><center><div id=\"attachment_1735\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/table01_dad_chairs.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1735\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1735\" title=\"table01_dad_chairs\" src=\"http:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/table01_dad_chairs-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"The highly admired Super-Dan\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/table01_dad_chairs-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/table01_dad_chairs.jpg 864w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1735\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The much admired Super-Dan<\/p><\/div><\/center><\/p>\n<p>The neighbors began to notice he was building things and at least one woman got a dreamy look on her face and asked if he was &#8216;<em>available<\/em>&#8216;. \u00a0I did my best to communicate that he was taken but that he might be up for rent. \u00a0My advice to Mary&#8217;s mom, Myrtle, is that she escort him next time he visits so that she can protect her own interests from an interested population of California women.<\/p>\n<p><center><div id=\"attachment_1736\" style=\"width: 210px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/cherries02_dad_picking.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1736\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1736\" title=\"cherries02_dad_picking\" src=\"http:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/cherries02_dad_picking-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"Women love him, cherries fear him.\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/cherries02_dad_picking-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/cherries02_dad_picking.jpg 576w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1736\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Women love him, cherries fear him.<\/p><\/div><\/center><\/p>\n<h4>How are the Boyos?<\/h4>\n<div id=\"attachment_1742\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/mary_lump1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1742\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1742\" title=\"mary_lump1\" src=\"http:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/mary_lump1-300x204.jpg\" alt=\"If you look closely, you can see two distinct lumps - one on the upper right and another underneath Mary's hand.\" width=\"300\" height=\"204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/mary_lump1-300x204.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/mary_lump1.jpg 753w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1742\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">If you look closely, you can see two distinct lumps - one on the upper right and another underneath Mary&#39;s hand.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The boys have started pushing Mary&#8217;s tummy out at odd angles and while still lovely and beautiful she is rarely symmetrical in the tummy region. \u00a0On any given night you can expect to feel kicks, pushes, and wiggles from Alex, Dom, or both.<\/p>\n<p>Thursday we hit another big milestone with 28 weeks. \u00a0That is<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"> <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Homefree Day<\/span> <\/span><\/strong>and our trip into the third trimester. \u00a0<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Homefree<\/span><\/span><\/strong> means that children born after 28 weeks have a roughly 90% survival rate and it only gets better from there. \u00a0It also means we are about 8 weeks away from our goal of 36 weeks gestation. \u00a0They OB-GYN has told us she doesn&#8217;t want Mary carrying beyond 39 weeks so we should be parents in 79 days or less.<\/p>\n<h4>Mood<\/h4>\n<div id=\"attachment_1747\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/shakti_mary2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1747\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1747\" title=\"shakti_mary2\" src=\"http:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/shakti_mary2-300x244.jpg\" alt=\"Mary enjoys the new patio furniture on a cool morning. The chairs both rock...the better to enjoy the outdoors with our boys.\" width=\"300\" height=\"244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/shakti_mary2-300x244.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/shakti_mary2.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1747\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mary enjoys the new patio furniture on a cool morning. The chairs both rock...the better to enjoy the outdoors with our boys.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>With her movement largely restricted, the pregnant lady is still working, and she has been pouring over the old Spanish books as she works on the next chapter of her dissertation. \u00a0It is a nice fit for her new low-impact life for the next few weeks, and people are already whispering about how good the work is. \u00a0A publisher has already grabbed a revised copy of her dissertation&#8217;s introduction for publication because of the extensive biography of the father of Spanish fencing. \u00a0(The same publisher has expressed an interest in publishing the entire dissertation if possible.)<\/p>\n<p>On the relaxation side, we watched <strong><a title=\"The Lovely Bones\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Lovely_Bones_(film)\">The Lovely Bones<\/a><\/strong> last week, and Mary got more than her fair share of weepy-face watching it. \u00a0It&#8217;s a terribly tragic movie, and the pregnant lady is still at the whim of her hormones. \u00a0 It isn&#8217;t so much that she is weepy as she feels things more intensely, and the Twin-Daddy should have his head examined for thinking to rent a sad movie.<\/p>\n<p>Watching a movie at home is also taking on new dimensions for us. \u00a0Normally, we lay on the sofa together to watch a show, and this has been made more difficult with two little boys jostling for space in the Mary-middle. \u00a0We have solved this by excommunicating the sofa cushions to the floor which expands the width of our sofa enough to\u00a0accommodate\u00a0a mommy, two babies, and a daddy if he doesn&#8217;t mind hanging one leg on the floor. \u00a0(It&#8217;s only a matter of time until Twin-Daddy is sharing a cushion on the floor with the dog.)<\/p>\n<h4>Food<\/h4>\n<p>Heading into the third trimester, Mary&#8217;s appetite is getting smaller as we expected with shrinking stomach space, but she tends to graze more often. \u00a0 Staying home, she is on her own for lunch so we have stocked the fridge with easy lunches.<\/p>\n<p>We got a higher than expected blood sugar reading at her last blood test, and she is headed into the doctor tomorrow for a more extensive gestational diabetes exam. \u00a0She can expect a long fast followed by nasty-flavored syrup drink and blood sugar tests for about 3 hours. \u00a0I will try to ensure that she gets a reward-type lunch afterwards.<\/p>\n<h4>Sleep<\/h4>\n<p>With Mary living <em>la vida rotunda<\/em>, it is more difficult for the pregnant lady to get up, and I have coerced her into switching sides of the bed with me so that I can let the dog out at night. \u00a0The strategy has been to make myself a large obstacle to her exiting the bed so that she eventually gives up and kicks and punches me until I wake up. \u00a0Having been kicked, I wander off with the Great Dane and relieved dog urination ensues. \u00a0It is entirely possible in this sleep-addled state that I will wake up on the patio in my pajamas one morning. \u00a0If this is the weirdest thing we get out of our pregnancy\/parenting experience, I&#8217;ll be very surprised.<\/p>\n<h2>Babies Countdown &#8211; The Double Header<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\">79 days until September 2<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Tuesday, June 15<\/strong> is Mary&#8217;s blood sugar test.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wednesday, June 16<\/strong>, Mary visits the OB-GYN for a routine check up.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Thursday, June 17<\/strong> is\u00a0<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Homefree Day<\/span><\/span><\/strong>. 90% of children born at 28 weeks survive, and the odds only improve.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wednesday, June 23<\/strong> is our next appointment with the Perinators.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sometime in mid-July<\/strong> Mary gets fitted for her nursing bra and takes the super-sucker in for cleaning.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Thursday, August 12<\/strong> and we hit our goal of 36 weeks minimum. From here on the twins could come at any time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Thursday, September 2<\/strong> and we reach 39 weeks. \u00a0The OB-GYN has said she doesn\u2019t want Mary to carry beyond this date.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Thursday, September 9<\/strong> and we hit 40 weeks. This is our due date even if we know the twins will be here sooner.<\/li>\n<li><strong>2 weeks Post Delivery<\/strong> &#8211; Schedule a follow-up appointment with the Lactation Lady.<\/li>\n<li><strong>4 Weeks Post Delivery<\/strong> &#8211; Look for\u00a0<strong><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">baby smiles<\/span><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>After the Delivery<\/strong> &#8211; 4.5 months of the\u00a0<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Twinsanity Interval<\/span><\/span><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From the Twin-Daddy: The Move and the Coveted Super-Dan Life is calming down at our house with Mary having sent off her grades, our stuff migrating out of boxes, and generally settling into the new home. \u00a0This transition was made possible by Mary&#8217;s dad as well as an army of friends showing up with trucks [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventures"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1724"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1724\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1756,"href":"https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1724\/revisions\/1756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.puckandmary.com\/blog_mary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}