Cameron and Kyle: One Month Old!

Cameron and Kyle turned one month old on their due date. How fun!

I took them to their one month check-up on the 4th and they are doing so well! My little guys are thriving and doing great!

Let's start with Mr. Cameron:

• He's up to 7 lbs 3 oz and is 19.5" long. His head is 36 cm. He's only on the charts for his weight and is currently in the 3rd percentile! At least he's on the charts! :D He's been having issues with spitting up a huge amount, arching his back, being extremely fussy and inconsolable and acting like he's in pain for hours on end. He was diagnosed with reflux and prescribed some Zantac. It has already started to help him, and he's sleeping better, eating better and keeping his food down better! hooray! This makes me very happy, since he is my little guy, I'm always concerned about his weight gain!
• He eats every 3ish hours during the day and every 3-4 hours at night. 
• He's becoming a better sleeper, but he takes a while to calm down. He hates being wrapped up tightly, but needs to be so he will relax. 
• He has periods of happy awake time and we're glad he's happy! He loves to look around and explore his world. 
• He is wearing size nb clothes and diapers.
• He sleeps best when he's really warm, and loves to sleep in the bouncy seat or swing.
• He hates riding in the car seat, and usually screams for a good portion of the ride to wherever we're going.
• He sometimes likes bath time.
• He is extremely easy going with Ellie's poking/prodding and bugging. It's wonderful.
• He likes his binky most of the time and it's our favorite when he's being fussy.
• He has really strong neck muscles, and sometimes tolerates tummy time.
• He may be small, but he's loud and he'll let you know when he's unhappy!

Now for Mr. Kyle:

• He is 8 lbs 8 oz, 20.5" long and his head is 37 cm. He's in the 25th percentile for weight and 10th for height! He's pretty much the size of a normal one month old! He's my chubby guy.
• He's VERY mellow, and thank goodness. With Cameron's reflux and colic, I don't know that we could handle a fussy Kyle, so thank you, Kyle for being a SUPER easy baby!
• He eats every 3 hours as well, and 3-4 hours at night.
• He likes to snuggle a LOT. 
• He loves to be next to his brother, even when it seems Cameron doesn't care ha ha.
• He sleeps best when he's snuggled with one of us!
• He doesn't have as much awake time as Cameron, but he's starting to be awake a little bit more now that he's past the due date.
• He will sleep pretty much anywhere. He falls asleep relatively easily, but gets very upset if he has the tiniest of bubbles in his belly.
• He is wearing nb and some 0-3 month clothes, and nb diapers.
• He likes the car seat, and falls asleep very quickly when riding in the car.
• He hates bottles and binkies. 
• He is also easy going with Ellie.
• He hates tummy time, and doesn't do too well lifting up his little head yet, but he'll get there.

Life with twins is a roller coaster. Some days are easy and seem like we've got a good handle on things, then there are days like yesterday when they wanted to eat every hour-hour and a half!! At least they slept well last night!

They are such a joy to have in our lives! I can't imagine life with just one baby. It would be so easy ha ha! I wouldn't know what to do with all the extra time I would have!! I'm thankful that we've made it to my goal (almost) of nursing for at least the first 6 weeks! Things are going well though, so I don't think we're quitting any time soon. Sometimes they eat at the same time (daytime only) and at night I always feed one right after another.

Life is busy, but it's a joyous kind of busy because having two adorable little boys look up at you with their little baby faces makes all the tough times worth it! They are so much fun, even though I hit my breaking point and hit my exhaustion limit every single day!

We played around with the camera the other day and here are some pictures (none of them are edited...that will come when I have more than a few minutes...Also I was using my phone's camera...my real camera died. Next month I shall plan this out better!!)

Ellie: 23 months

Less than one month and my baby girl turns two!? How has time gone by that fast!!?

Ellie's a sweetheart, and we love her to death! She has really grown up these past few months since I was on bed rest and the babies got here. She is a good little helper and at times she throws the biggest fits, but hey...she's 2...

Here are some things about Ellie at 23 months:

• She wears 24 month clothes, size 5 shoes and size 4 diapers.
• She loves to eat bananas, apples, clementines, dried apricots, raisins, peas, green beans, yogurt and pretty much any other fruit! She's starting to eat meat more, and loves rotisserie chicken.
• She's very accommodating and has done surprisingly well with the twins' arrival.
• She no longer uses a binky! WOOHOO! Mostly due to the fact that my mom was strict with it while she was here. There were times I wanted to give in, but my mom wouldn't let me and now I'm glad because she's off of them!
• She sleeps in a twin size bed and LOVES her bed!
• She loves to talk all the time and most of the time we have no clue what she's saying.
• She loves to hold her brothers and help out any way she can.
• She also loves to scream when they scream and mimic them. It's super annoying.
• She loves to dance and play with anything.
• She has great rhythm and likes to tap her toes to the beat of a song.
• Netflix is her best friend and she totally knows how to play stuff if it's already turned on. This is a good and a bad thing.
• She frequently plays baby with her dolls and loves to put them in the swings, car seats and bouncy seat.
• She waits until we go get her to get out of her bed in the morning and for naps. It's amazing. 
• She sleeps from about 8-9 and usually takes a 2-3 hour nap.

My time is limited, but these are the most memorable things I can think of about her. She is a sweetheart even though she keeps us super busy. I love that she is getting better at listening, even if it's just for a short time! We love her so much and are so happy she's a part of our big little family.

Cameron and Kyle: Birth Story

Where do I even begin? I guess I'll start with my appointment on Monday, October 29th. I had my appointment, the NST went well, I didn't have contractions on the monitor as usual, and the doctor seemed like I could be having the babies any time. We talked about if I went into labor where I should go (there are two hospitals here, a small community hospital where I wanted to deliver, and a big hospital with the attached children's hospital and NICU). He said I would be fine to go to Franklin Woods (small community hospital) since I was 35+3 that day, and they can handle pretty much anything past 35 weeks.
We also talked about delivery plans and seeing if I would be able to have them vaginally. I was scheduled for an ultrasound on Nov. 1st to check weights and positions, but obviously didn't make it. The doctor thought I could have them at any time, since I was dilated to about a 3 and 70% or so effaced. I asked him how much I needed to be in labor for them to admit me since I was already to a 3, and he said if I was a 4 and having regular contractions, he would admit me. This gave me hope. I was feeling all sorts of finished. My poor body couldn't handle it much longer, and I had made it to 35 weeks, and that was good for me!

I left the appointment feeling OK but not thinking anything was going to happen any time soon. I had taken myself off of bed rest (I wasn't ever REALLY officially put on it, just told to take it easy, don't do too much, etc. and to be safe was staying down as much as possible) the Friday before, when I was exactly 35 weeks. The next day (Tuesday) I was feeling yucky. I had had bouts of feeling gross, crampy, like labor was coming a million times, so I just figured it was one of those days, and it would stop and I would just go about my normal day: sitting in bed, reading blogs, watching shows, etc. and doing a little bit of this and that throughout the day. Well, nothing happened all day so I figured we were in the clear for missing Halloween as a birthday. At about 11 pm on Tuesday the 30th, I started having contractions that felt like real labor. I was laying in bed and counting them, and just figured they'd stop. After an hour I still didn't believe I was in labor. The contractions were about 5-7 minutes apart, but they didn't hurt like I remember contractions hurting with Ellie. It was strange. I woke David up because they still weren't going away, and I figured we should probably do something about it. Once we got up and got a few things together, it seemed like they were dying down and I was having false labor. After another couple hours of debating whether or not to go in, I finally decided to go in to Franklin Woods and get checked out.

We got to the hospital around 3 ish in the morning, and I was feeling fine. I had a few painful contractions here and there, but they were very easy to deal with and I just breathed through them. Once I got checked in and taken back to a triage room, I found out I was about 4 cm dilated and my contractions were real. Woohoo! I was relieved! The doctor on call was one that I really liked, and since he said I just needed to be a 4 and have contractions, I knew I was having babies that day!

 Look! Contractions!

After we were in the room for a while and the nurses talked to the doctor, they decided that I should wait it out for about an hour and see what happens. So we sat there, I continued to have contractions, and when they checked me I hadn't really changed much, but the doctor still hadn't decided what to do with me. Personally I think he was buying himself time, since the shift change happens at 7 a.m. and it was 4:30 at this point. I don't blame him. Tired doctor who had been on call since the day before probably didn't want to deal with another patient, especially a c-section twins patient. ha ha! So he decided that I should have a bolus of IV fluid (an entire 1000mL bag of IV fluid in one hour) and see if my body was just dehydrated and needed fluids. That hour passed, and I was dilated to a 5 when they checked me. I was definitely having the twins on Halloween. Great, I thought. Halloween...the ONE DAY I said I really didn't want to have them. Little stinkers!

So, they changed my IV to a slow drip and I waited longer, and when the shift change happened, the new happy fresh doctor came in and talked to me. He talked to us about the risks/benefits about delivering at Franklin Woods at 35 +5 and told us that one or both babies may or may not have to be transferred to JCMC for the NICU. This was a horrible thought, to be without one or both babies for 2 days while I recovered from a c-section. No way, I thought. I was heartbroken, as I had my mind totally set on the fact that if I made it to 35 weeks, I could have my boys at the lovely hospital I spent 5 days at when I was in pre-term labor just a month before. I knew all the nurses, loved them and wanted to have them be the ones caring for me and my boys! However, I knew that these thoughts were selfish and I needed to put my babies first. So, it was decided that I should be transferred to the medical center just in case one or both babies would need the NICU.

Because I was in "active labor" I had to be transferred by ambulance to the med center. Most exciting thing of my life, really...jk. One of the nurses who was on shift that morning was one that had stayed in my room for almost 3 straight hours when I was having pre-term labor, and we got to know each other super well. I was so bummed I wouldn't have her for delivery/recovery/friendship! However she got to come with me for the transfer, so that was lots of fun! The EMT team came, and apparently they were told they were going to transfer a woman in "active birth". So, when they got there and I was all calm, cool and collected, they didn't know what to think. They thought they'd be dealing with someone ready to push, and it was me...someone who barely felt the contractions. I was laughing, talking and joking the entire time. It was crazy that I was in labor, and having contractions every 2-4 minutes and feeling just dandy! They put all the monitors on me, got me on their little bed thing and strapped me in, and off we went to the ambulance. The EMT who was riding in the back with me and the nurse kept asking me my pain, and honestly it wasn't ever above a 2. It was nothing. Kind of makes me feel gypped that I didn't get to deliver them vaginally and without an epidural. I was past a 5 and feeling great! Totally opposite than my labor experience with Ellie!

Look, here's a picture :)

So, once we got to the hospital, they got me into a room and everyone was waiting for me. The doctor was ready for the c-section, and I was feeling somewhat antsy about what doctor it was, since I didn't know her well. However those feelings went away when a member of our Bishopric came and helped David give me a blessing. He talked about how this particular Dr. delivered one of their children, and I felt much better. The blessing helped me feel more at ease, too even though I was still so nervous for the anesthesia, surgery and recovery and all else that comes with having twins!

After waiting what seemed like an eternity for them to do my blood work, get all my paperwork transferred and get me prepped for the surgery, it was time to go back! It was 10 something, so I had been in labor for about 10-11 hours!! Crazy! I wonder what I had dilated to by that point!?

I was so nervous and excited! David was ready and walked by my side until he had to go to the waiting area. I got to the OR and I was SO NERVOUS! It was silly. I was basically crying because I was nervous about everything. Once David came in everything started going so quickly and before I knew it, I heard a tiny loud cry, and Cameron Alan Grigsby was born, at 11:08 a.m. I immediately started crying tears of joy because he was crying, and that meant he was alive and healthy and here!! I was feeling so overwhelmed and David was just as overwhelmed and excited as I was and minutes later, I felt a big tug and out came Kyle David Grigsby into the world! He wasn't much of a crier at first, but decided to give his lungs a try. More tears flowed and I was so excited they were here!!! Things were busy and everyone was doing their jobs to get the babies checked out! Cameron's apgars were 9 and 9 and Kyle's were 7 and 9. They were doing GREAT!

The nurses were done with Kyle first, and when I saw his tiny perfect face I was in love! He was so tiny and so much fun!! He was awake and aware and I couldn't believe he was all ours! They later brought Cameron over and we took a picture with both our boys and we were so excited!! Not much time had passed, and I was ready to go to recovery. This is where things are a bit blurry. I don't remember if David went with me, or the babies. I think he went with the babies...

 

Kyle left, Cameron right

 

 

Cameron Alan Grigsby

 

  

Kyle David Grigsby

Anyway, they got me to my room and after a while, David came back with a napkin with their weights on it. Cameron weighed a tiny 4 lbs 15 oz and was 18.5" long, and Kyle weighed 5 lb 11 oz and was 19" long! Whoa! 10.5 lbs of baby! No wonder my body was done...

Not a lot of time passed, and they brought my two beautiful babies to me. A lactation consultant came in and helped me get both of them nursing. Cameron knew what to do right off the bat, but Kyle was lazy and wanted to sleep.

The rest of the day is sort of a blur, as I was given benadryl for the itching caused by the pain medication given with my spinal. I was so excited, so exhausted and so glad I was finally done being pregnant.

 

Cameron left, Kyle right

 Cameron left, Kyle right

 Kyle

 Cameron

 Cameron left, Kyle right

Mommy & Kyle

While their arrival wasn't exactly how I wanted it to be, all that matters is that my boys got here safely! We love them so much and while we're having a lot of long late nights and frustrations with colic (Cameron's super colicky) we are so grateful to be blessed with our two perfect boys! Things are going well at home, and I will update about the first few weeks soon-ish (if I magically find the time, and if I'm not too sleepy!).

Ellie: 21 months

Now that half of October is over, I suppose I should update about my sweet baby girl who isn't much of a baby at all anymore!

She turned 21 months old (gasp!) on Oct. 1st and seeing as I was in the hospital at the time, I didn't update ANYTHING about her on the blog. And because of circumstances being as they are, I have virtually NO pictures of her for the month! I need to have David take some of her so this month isn't completely lame! ha ha

Here is one pic I managed to get before going on bed rest.

Ellie LOVES to play with her baby. She takes such good care of it and loves to put it "night night" and take it with her everywhere. She also loves to put it in the doll swing we have and push it around in the doll stroller. She's such a girl! :D I'm hoping since she loves her baby so much she'll love her little brothers!!

She is growing up so much and loves to chitter chatter ALL DAY LONG! Don't get me wrong, it's cute, but sometimes I want to just say, Ellie, can you just stop talking for five minutes!? Totally my child! She's rambunctious and very full of energy. She keeps us on our toes most of the time and she's always thinking one step ahead!!

 Pic at the hospital when Ellie and David came to visit me! Daddy even did her hair all by himself. I'm proud.

Here are some notable things about Ellie at 21 months:

• She is about 31.75-32 inches tall and weighs ~24.5 lbs
• She's fits into size 18 month clothes, but due to weather changing we've had to put her in some 24 month and 2T, and while it's big on her, it's not too bad.
• She wears size 4 diapers and size 5 shoes. (And size 6 and 7 and Mommy's size 8)
• She's obsessed with shoes. She loves to put them on and take them off but if she gets frustrated she will scream and bite the shoe or bang her head on the floor. I wish I knew how to stop the head-banging. We've been trying lots of different things, and I think it's getting better somewhat. She just doesn't know another way to show her frustration, darn it!
• She loves to watch shows but boy is she picky. She'll throw a giant fit if you didn't pick what she wanted. She also may or may not know how to run Netflix and the Wii remote...oops!
• She is incredibly smart and pays attention to detail. She likes to organize her blocks in a particular way then knock them down. 
• She's still a picky eater, but we're branching out to some new foods! I need to get her to eat more veggies, but with all the stress that's going on in our family right now I don't want to freak her out more by trying to change up her eating.
• She had her 1st dentist appointment at the end of September and her teeth are perfect! She hated going to the dentist and cried a ton when they were checking her teeth and cleaning them. Poor girl :( Hopefully she doesn't remember the next time we have to go! She at least got an awesome big red bouncy ball for going!
• She loves to make up little songs and hum them all the time. It is super adorable, and if you hum a tune to her, she can hum it back keeping on tune. I'm proud she has my ears and possibly my sense of pitch! Yay.
• She gets very intrigued watching complex things, like someone playing the piano, the Drs. and nurses at the hospital doing anything. She also loves to take pens apart and tries to put them back together. It makes me think she has her daddy's engineering brain.
• She's a champion sleeper most nights as long as she's not feeling sick or teething. Only 5 more teeth before she's done! Hallelujah! She goes to bed at ~7:45 and gets up anywhere between 7 and 8:30. She usually takes a 2.5 hour nap in the afternoon. 
• She loves to give hugs and kisses and will give them to anyone willing to accept! Yikes! 
• She especially loves to come give hugs and kisses to mommy's belly and talk about the babies!

She's a sweetheart, and we love her so much! Despite all the naughty things she's been doing lately, she is handling the stress of everything going on so well. I feel guilty for having to be on bed rest and let David's mom take care of her, but I know she won't remember me not doing things for her and she'll have plenty of mommy time someday again!!

33+5 the end is finally near!

So, I've been pretty terrible at updating the blog lately, and frankly it's because I don't feel like it. Why? I'm not sure entirely but I think part of it has to do with not wanting to focus on the fact that I'm on bed rest and can't do anything I want to do. Bed rest is going as well as it can be going, I suppose. I'm not a fan but I don't really get a choice and the alternative sucks. So, here I sit in bed 80% of my day doing a whole lot of non-productive things.

I have had more contractions in the past few days and I went in on Monday morning because I woke up with a lot of contractions and cramps. There were no changes though, and I'm still sitting at a 3 and 80% effaced. I feel like a ticking time-bomb really, because I went into labor with Ellie when I was barely a 2. The Dr. I saw on Monday said that at this point they probably wouldn't stop my labor since I am so close to 34 weeks. I had my normal appointment on Tuesday where I had a NST, Ultrasound and normal check-up. 

The NST went well and the babies are doing really great. I didn't really have contractions while I was on the monitors, but yet I had them later and all evening. Silly. The Ultrasound went well too and here are the baby's stats:

• Baby A is weighing in at 4 lb 9 oz and I think the Dr. said he is in the 40th ish percentile.

• Baby B is weighing in at 5 lb 7 oz and is around the 60th percentile.

• Baby A is still head down and is sitting on my left side.

• Baby B is transverse with his head on the left.

• They're both squished in there and I'm not confident that B will be able to turn since there is seriously NO room for them! 

• I'm carrying 10 lbs of baby. Wholy moly, no wonder my body is trying to be done!!

The ultrasound tech was having a hard time getting a good abdomen measurement on baby A since his brother is basically laying on top of him so there could be a small margin of error in his weight and he could be closer to his brother's weight. Guess we'll see! I'm kind of afraid of how big they'll be if I make it to 36 weeks!!

I'll answer my weekly questions then update more at the bottom with everything else.

 
How far along are you: 33 weeks 5 days

Maternity clothes: I have 6 shirts that still fit somewhat, but mostly I wear David's t shirts since mine are all waaay too small.

Sleep: Is very hard to get and I toss and turn ALL night long trying to get somewhat comfortable. I'm up at least 3 times a night for various reasons, and I'm not anticipating this getting any better soon!

Best moment this week: Hearing that they won't put me back on mag if I go into labor!

Miss anything: Feeling normal!

Movement: All the time, really.

Food cravings: Steak, comfort foods, sweets.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Getting dehydrated.

Have you started to show yet: This question is officially banished...

Gender: Two boys. Baby A = _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Alan Grigsby, Baby B = _ _ _ _ David Grigsby :)

Belly button in or out: bulging and sore.

Labor signs: Daily contractions, but never more than 4/hour, lots of pressure and random cramping here and there.

Wedding rings on or off: On! Still no swelling!

Looking forward to:  Hitting 35 weeks in a little over a week and not worrying if I'm going to go into labor.

My ideal day for when they arrive is November 1st. I will be 1 day before 36 weeks, the babies shouldn't need any NICU time at that point and then all my kids will be born on the 1st! How fun is that? ha ha. Really, I just want to avoid Halloween. Not a fan of that being their birthday, however, then all my kids would be born on a holiday. So there could be a lot of fun days for them to be born. Just as long as they're born the 26th or later, and no longer than the 2nd ha ha. I'm picky, huh!?

I'm anticipating that everything will continue how it's been going thus far and I will easily make it to 35.5 weeks.

The Dr. I saw yesterday said that if they're born before 36 weeks then I should go to medical center to have them, just to avoid having one or both of them be transferred to the NICU and having me stuck at Franklin Woods Community Hospital recovering alone. He's the ONLY Dr. who has said this. All the others say they can handle 35 weeks and beyond just fine at Franklin Woods. So, really I'm not too worried if they come before 36, as I trust they'll do great considering I've had steroid shots to mature their lungs. However, I do realize that having them as close to 36 weeks as possible is best, and beyond would be even better, if it wouldn't interfere with when my mom is coming!! She's coming on the 4th/5th (late night flight) and is leaving on the 18th. So if I make it to my c-section, I'm stuck in the hospital until the 12th, and I only have help from my mom at home for 6 days. Not OK. Which is why they need to come on like the 30th or 1st, so we maximize our time with my mom helping me out with the babies at home! Keep your fingers crossed for me & thanks to everyone for the prayers, well wishes and help you've given us at this stressful time in our lives!

Any day now, huh?

No, Mr. I've never met you before and why are you talking to me and asking about my ginormica belly (which mind you is ONLY 38 cm...plenty of people prego with singletons get bigger than I am now...) while I sit and wait for my food at Five Guy's!!!

Seriously, biggest reason I'm GLAD I'm on bed rest. I surely could do without all the "any day now" comments and, "oh, looks like you're gonna have another baby real soon". 

I get it. I'm large, you're curious, so you make a comment. So I explain, "No. Not any day now, because I'm having twins, and I need to make it for a while longer." Yes, twins usually come early, and full term is considered different with twins. Oh, you want to know my life story now, well guess what?! I don't want to share it with you but I will so you stop talking to me. 

My answers to the most annoying questions I get WHEREVER I go:

• Yes, twins run in my family. If you want to know how many twins are in my family, then you're gonna have to sit down with me for an hour because there's a ridiculously large amount.

• No, I didn't think I would ever have twins even though they "run in my family"Who thinks they're REALLY going to have spontaneous twins? Anyone?? P.S. if they're identical, then guess what, it was by chance, not genetics. That status will be determined after they're born.

• YES this pregnancy was planned. Thank you for asking, wanna know the details!? Obviously you can't "plan" for twins unless you're doing IVF or some other fertility treatments, which we did not. Also if it was a singleton like we of course imagined it would be then my first and would be second child would have been 23 months apart. i.e. ALMOST 2 years. We wanted it that way. But because it's twins it's not going to be that way and I'm thankful no matter what. 

• Yes, I have a 21 month old daughter at home. Thanks for the mortified look on your face after that response.

• Yes I am going to "have my hands full". Thank you for telling me.

• Yes, I'll probably have more children, but I haven't even decided that one yet and why does it matter to you, Wal-Mart check-out lady?! Geesh, I'm pregnant with twins, do we need to be discussing this right now, especially since I don't even know you!?!

• I'm having twin boys, and yes they can tell what gender the babies are "these days".

• I'm due in November. This is my easy answer and if I tell you my "real" due date, you'll look at me like I'm huge and I'll have to explain myself and tell you my life story and you'll probably ask all of the above questions, so I'll just leave it at I'm due in November.

This week alone I have answered almost all those questions to people who I've never met and who frankly in my opinion shouldn't be asking me such personal stuff. The maintenance guy who came to look at our fridge said as he was leaving the house, "Looks like you'll be havin' another baby real soon, huh?" I just left it at that. I felt like I didn't need to tell him anything else since he was on his way out.  

I'm not writing these things to be rude or anything, but seriously I don't want to be asked any of these things by people I've never met before! Thank goodness nobody has tried to touch my belly, because I guarantee if they tried they'd be sorry and I'd be explaining to some manager or security personnel why I punched them, smacked their hand away or any other method of keeping someone from invading my personal space. Also, NO pregnant woman no matter how big she is or how miserable she looks wants to hear ANY FORM of, "You gonna have that baby yet?". Trust me.

So as I said before this is one reason I'm glad I'm on bed rest and don't have to deal with this much anymore. All I get to deal with are people in my OB's office that look at me like I'm ready to pop. At least they don't say anything. Looks are much better than obnoxious conversations with strangers.

Sorry, I had to vent since yesterday after my appointment when David and I grabbed lunch at Five Guy's some guy in his 40s had to make the "any day now" comment and I had to give him my life story including answering his question about how far along I am and him saying, "Oh, there's not that much longer until you're full term then, right?" Well actually full term is still 37 weeks, and that's another month away from 33 weeks... Ugh. People. I'm not a people person when I'm pregnant. Well, I take that back...I'm not a stranger people person when I'm pregnant, or actually ever.

30.5 weeks and only 6.5 left!!!

Today I had my 30 week appointment. Things are going well, I've gained about 33ish pounds and my blood pressure is normal and healthy.

I got to have an ultrasound today and here is what I learned because of it:

• Baby A currently weighs 3 lbs 9 oz and is head down. He's in the 43rd percentile for growth.

• Baby B currently weighs 3 lbs 15 oz and is breech. He's in the 67th percentile for growth.

• Both babies heart rates were in the 140s and healthy, and they're both doing well.

• Baby A was stubborn and didn't want to show his face to the ultrasound tech, and baby B is more active and crazy than baby A!

In talking with the Dr. today, we decided it would be wise to just schedule a c-section for 37 weeks, which is November 9th! Crazy, and I totally don't want a c-section, but it seems I'm going to end up with one unless baby B really cooperates!! If he decides to cooperate and I haven't had them by 37 weeks, my c-section can then be turned into an induction and hopefully that will lead to a good vaginal delivery of both babies. Any prayers that I get to have them without a c-section would be greatly appreciated!! The Dr. also said that they will aggressively try to stop labor before I hit the 34 week mark, so I can pretty much count on making it that far at LEAST. If I make it to about 35 1/2 weeks then I will be able to have the babies at the smaller community hospital here,which is what I want more than anything. I loved having Ellie at Orem Community Hospital because it was small and very personable, so I'd like to have the babies at Franklin Woods, not Johnson City Medical Center. However, if there are complications, I'll be having them at JCMC, which won't be the end of the world. When it comes down to it, I just want to get my babies here and have them healthy!

Things have been going OK so far. I am definitely feeling super pregnant, and now that I know the combined weight of both babies is MORE than Ellie was when she was born, I know why I feel this way! I have lots of pain and discomfort all day long no matter what I'm doing or how I'm doing it! I wouldn't say I'm used to it, but I have just accepted the fact that it's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better. I'm not able to do a whole lot before my body tells me that it's finished and is giving up for the rest of the day, and if you walked into my house, you'd be able to tell...Ugh. Hate that I can't keep up with everything anymore!

I am getting more excited to meet these babies, but mostly to get them out of my ribs! I'm excited to see how Ellie does with having TWO little babies in the house but I'm nervous as well. She loves other babies, so hopefully she'll love her little brothers! I start going to the Dr. twice a week starting in 2 weeks, so that's fun...I will have NST's and normal check-ups every Tuesday and Friday, and ultrasounds about every 4 weeks or so. I'm pretty much going to feel like I live at the Dr.'s office! Not much else to say, so here are my normal questions:

How far along are you: 30 weeks 4 days

Maternity clothes: Are becoming too small...

Sleep: I need to try to get MORE of this, because I fight my brain to fall asleep at night!

Best moment this week: Knowing that I will be 100% done by November 9th!

Miss anything: My lungs being able to expand and my ribs being un-occupied!

Movement: Lots, but only crazy movement when I'm trying to sleep.

Food cravings: Ice cream, cookies, milk.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Only when I forget to eat.

Have you started to show yet: this shouldn't even be a question anymore

Gender: Two little boys, and we've figure out who gets what name and what middle name and I'm so excited to announce their names and see them once they get here!

Belly button in or out: Big time out and stretched to the max, almost looks like it's bruised for 3 inches all the way around it!!!

Labor signs: Daily contractions, but never more than 4/hour.

Wedding rings on or off: On! So happy I'm not swelling at all!!

Looking forward to: November, when they'll be here and I'll be done!!

Too lazy to go take a pic, so I guess we'll have to wait until next time, if I'm feeling like taking pictures of myself at that point...

Videos of Ellie

28 weeks: trying to see the brighter side of things

Being pregnant with twins is so much harder than I ever imagined it would be. Maybe it's easier for some people, but man alive, it is kicking my butt!! Lately I have had such a hard time sleeping. I have to change positions, and it makes my pelvic bone hurt so badly it nearly brings me to tears every time I have to move. I had pain like this in the last 3 weeks before I had Ellie, but it was never this bad. Lately I have to take things one day at a time and not think about the fact that I have 8 weeks of this still left or I get depressed wondering how much worse it's going to get in the next 8 weeks!! I try to see the positives of the pregnancy, but when I'm not sleeping through the night because of super bad pain, it is REALLY hard. At least two cute babies will come out of it, right?! I am SO ready for the end to be near, but 8 weeks is a long time away :)

Yesterday I had my 28 week appointment at 28 weeks, 4 days. Everything went well. I told the Dr. how I have multiple contractions a day, so of course he wanted to check to make sure everything is OK. Well it is. No worries of preterm labor and he said I have no restrictions on what I can and can't do, so that's good. I didn't have an ultrasound this week, so I'm not entirely sure what position the babies are in. I know baby A is close to the same, but baby B tends to shift and move a LOT so I'm not sure if he's transverse or breech at this point. Baby's heart beats were in the 140s with baby B's slightly faster than baby A's. All is well and I return in 2 weeks for an ultrasound and another check-up and in 4 weeks, I get to start going twice a week for NST's. It is ridiculous! But for the good of the babies, I'm sure!

How far along are you: 28 weeks 5 days

Maternity clothes: Always.

Sleep: It's getting harder and harder to fall asleep and especially stay asleep as I explained earlier!

Best moment this week: Getting the babies' bedding and seeing how cute their room is going to be once I finish decorating!

Miss anything: Personal space! I don't like when people invade my bubble, and there was a super bubble invader at the post office last week that nearly gave me an anxiety attack because she was so close to me! Also, I miss not explaining my life story to people/being asked my life story. People can be pretty nosy here, and I just want to do my thing, pay for my groceries and NOT tell you if I have other children, if I'm having more and so on. Hello, I don't even know you Wal-Mart Check-out lady! Why are you asking such personal questions!?!?

Movement: All the time. Usually when I'm trying to sleep.

Food cravings: Tasty things like cookies, steak and anything spicy & cheesy.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Lack of sleep.

Have you started to show yet: Yep, that's why everyone keeps asking me when I'm due. It's so fun to explain everything...

Gender: Boy A boy B. I know who's getting what name and middle name, and that's fun for us. I wonder if they'll be identical!? Kinda hope they're not identical though, because I bought a lot of matchy matchy stuff, and I don't think I'll be able to tell them apart ha ha!

Belly button in or out: Out. I'm wondering if it can get even more out? We'll see. (No need to change answers from last week...)

Labor signs: Daily contractions, but never more than 4/hour.

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Looking forward to: The next appointment, because then I'm 2 weeks closer to the end!

Ellie: 20 Months old

Ellie just keeps growing up and I can't believe how fast it's happening! Yesterday, she turned 20 months old! I can't believe she'll be 2 in 4 months! That also means Christmas is in less than 4 months! CRAZY! This year has FLOWN by!!

 

Ellie has started a few new phases that I'm not particularly fond of. One of them is when we ask her to be nice, she will do the exact opposite and start throwing things, hitting things, you name it! No idea why the sudden change from real nice to mean "nice" started. Another phase she has really been into lately is throwing things when she's upset. Not just like picking it up and dropping it, either. I mean like FULL-ON throwing something across the room. It's annoying. I don't see her growing out of them any time soon, so I guess we will just try to figure out how to deal with her bad phases and get her to be good!

Here are a few things about Ellie at 20 months old:

• She loves to watch TV. However, if you try to turn something on that she DOESN'T want to watch, you better watch out...because she will throw a huge fit. For example: if I start Super Why! and she really wanted to watch the Cat in the Hat, she will scream NO and "HATTIE!!!" until I change it to what she wants. Ugh.
• She is almost done getting her 4th molar, and she has gotten so many teeth in the last month it's crazy! Yet, she still has no I teeth. They'll come, I'm sure.
• She can fit into size 3 diapers still, but we've moved her up to size 4 for the times she's in 'sposies and not cloth (which to be honest is more now that I have less energy and desire to deal with washing diapers)
• She wears size 18 month clothes, but can fit into some 24 month clothes depending on the brand and size 5 shoes.
• She is getting really good at communicating with us and is learning lots of new words every day.
• She can recognize 5 different letters, B, E, I, O and Q. Who knows how Q got into the mix...I think it was either Super Why! or Leap Frog Alphabet something or other on Netflix. Hey, at least I can feel less guilty for letting her watch shows when she's learning from them.
• She loves to scowl if she's the least bit upset with something going on, and it's hilarious. It's always hard not to laugh when she gets mad because she makes the cutest mad face.
• She's obsessed with the Talking Tom app and asks for it EVERY day!
• Eating has become better in the last couple of weeks. She's been willing to try new things (especially if I make sure she hasn't had too many snacks before lunch or dinner) but she is still obsessed with her regular foods: bananas, blueberries & strawberries.
• She is still super clingy most days and wants "monie" not daddy. I wish I could get her to let David do more things for her, because I have no energy by the time he gets home from work! 
• Her favorite place to be is outside exploring.
• Her favorite animal is a cat and she will meow at a picture of a cat for what seems like an eternity.
• She loves to look at a flashcards app I have and repeats every word and animal it says. It's really quite impressive!
• She loves to sing nursery songs and dance to just about any music. Although LMFAO Party Rock is still her favorite!
• She loves babies and every time she sees a baby she says, "Baby. Cry."
• She is a sweet little girl and she is nice to everyone as long as she gets what she wants! HA HA!

There are so many more things I could write about Ellie. She's such a joy to have around and I'm so happy to be her mommy! I am slightly worried about how she'll react to the twins coming, but I know she will love her little brothers and help mommy when she can!

Getting antsy

I don't know if having twins is making me more antsy about getting things prepared and ready for the babies, or if "nesting" sets in earlier with twins than when you're expecting a singleton but I have been bit by the nesting bug BADLY!

I have gotten pretty much everything I NEED for the babies but there are still a few things I need would like to get (binkies, new changing pad & covers, twin nursing pillow, double stroller frame...) OK maybe more than a few. I want to have everything done so I can just relax and not stress about anything until they get here, because heaven knows I will be stressing out trying to balance my life with 3 kiddos under 2!

 

Here is a picture of some things we have ready for the babies. 2 Chicco KeyFit 30 car seats (LOVE THIS SEAT! And yes, that is Ellie in the bottom car seat. She won't stay out of them!!!), the bassinet that we need to put together after my mom sends us the part that got left in UT *hint hint, mom!* 2 nursing pillows, a few outfits (more are in their drawers) and their 2 "going home" sleepers in preemie size (Hoping they're not really that small, but they probably will be!)

My original plan was to be 100% ready by the end of August, but I didn't meet that goal, obviously! The biggest reason I want to be done with getting things ready is that I am starting to feel done with going places, moving around and doing much of ANYTHING. I have some projects I REALLY need to finish before the babies come, or else they will most likely NOT get done after the babies get here (Ellie's quilt, bed skirt, throw pillow & pillow sham) and maybe a couple of boy-ish baby blankets.

Originally, I decided that I wouldn't buy bedding sets for the twins, because 1)they're ridiculously expensive and 2)they're ridiculously expensive when buying 2! I mean really, do I NEED to spend over $300 so the cribs can be "cute"? No. But of course this was killing me to just have boring crib sheets and not make the twins' room all cutesy especially when I made Ellie's room pretty darn cute! I was also going back and forth about the crib bumpers because the 2nd crib we have wouldn't work well with bumpers because of a panel of solid wood on the back. So I was delighted when one of my favorite websites www.babysteals.com had this bedding set (I got it in blue serengeti) for sale in their archives. So, this find was perfect and now they're on their way! Woot Woot!

I am so happy that things have been falling into place for us when buying things for the twins! I have been lucky to find exactly what I need for great prices, and I'm so glad, because having 2 babies is WAY more expensive than having one baby at a time! Though there are still things I'm sure I will have to send someone to get after the twins get here, I am glad I'm mostly prepared for them!

I have had some people ask me if I have a registry for the twins and the answer is no. I'm not expecting ANYONE to buy me baby stuff, since I have already had a baby before. However, if you really feel like you want to get us something, I do have a wishlist on Amazon that you can check out.

P.S. I can't believe that I could technically have these babies in 5-ish weeks. CRAZY! And this is why I want to be prepared! Let's hope they don't come until I'm at LEAST 35 weeks along!!!

Closing in on third trimester!

I will be done with my 2nd trimester at the end of the week. WEIRD! As much as it seems like this pregnancy is taking SO MUCH DANG TIME TO GO BY (sorry for the caps, it's how I feel on a daily basis!) it is going by surprisingly fast. I can't believe it was just after we moved to Tennessee that we found out we're having twins. Also I can't believe it's basically September. Where did summer go??

Today, I had my 26 week appointment. I had an ultrasound to check on the growth of the babies since baby A was so far behind baby B. I was excited for this ultrasound because I was very curious as to how the babies were positioned, and I am pleased to say I was right in thinking that baby B had turned transverse. A couple of days ago I had some very uncomfortable movements coming from my right side, which belongs to baby B. I started having more pain in my ribs on my right side and I thought that baby B had turned sideways. Glad to know I can tell these things. Let's just hope he doesn't get stuck this way, because that's c-section material for sure! Baby A is still head down, so that's nice. He should stay that way. This is both a hope and an order.

As far as growth goes, Baby A has caught up for the most part with his brother. Their stats are:

Baby A:

• Weight: 2 lbs 1 oz
• Measuring "age" 26 weeks 6 days
• Heart Rate 132 BPM
• 33rd percentile
• Position: Head down, left side

Baby B:

• Weight: 2 lbs 5 oz
• Measuring "age" 27 weeks 4 days
• Heart Rate 138 BPM
• 66th percentile
• Position: Transverse with head on left, feet on right side

The doctor is the same one I had seen 2 weeks ago and I still really really like him. My fingers are crossed that he is the one that I get when I deliver!! He went through things with me and all is well. My weight gain is good, blood pressure is normal and everything else is normal. These are things I like to hear :) He gave me the same low-down this week about taking things easy, not doing too much and taking frequent breaks throughout the day to avoid preterm labor. He also gave me a list of when to call with contractions, bleeding and what not. I am scheduled to go back in 2 weeks for a normal appointment and then in 4 weeks for an ultrasound to check up on growth again. Then starting at 32 weeks, I get to have NST's twice a week. Woohoo! I'm glad everything is going well and I am not having many problems other than pain and being tired, which is to be expected with pregnancy in general. Oh, I passed my GTT so no more nasty sugar drinks for me! However, my iron was super low, so the Dr. called in a prescription for an iron supplement that I have to take every day in addition to my prenatal vitamin. Guess I should've been eating more steaks, eh?

Now for the "normal" questions:

How far along are you: 26 weeks 4 days

Maternity clothes: You know it. I even think I might need some maternity sweats. goodness.

Sleep: Getting to sleep can be a challenge for me. Also, if I wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, getting back to sleep is difficult.

Best moment this week: Watching a twin wrestling match take place from outside my belly. Those crazy babies are NOT happy with how the other one is kicking/squishing them! It's kinda funny. Rarely is one only moving...one moves, and the other quickly kicks/hits back in protest.

Miss anything: Being able to walk like a normal person. Geesh, I hate that I waddle!

Movement: Lots and lots! Baby B was more active today at the ultrasound though, which is rare, because it's usually been baby A who is moving the most!

Food cravings: Ice cream.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not getting enough sleep.

Have you started to show yet: I look like I should pop.
 
Gender: Boy and Boy. I'm still trying to decide what name to give what twin. Do we put the names in alphabetical order? Shorter name for first twin, longer name for second? I don't know!! I had it in my mind what name baby A would have and what name baby B would have, but I can't decide anymore...They sound good together either way.

Belly button in or out: Out. I'm wondering if it can get even more out? We'll see. (No need to change answers from last week...)

Labor signs: Daily contractions, but never more than 4/hour.

Wedding rings on or off: On. No swelling here :)

Looking forward to: The next time I get to have an ultrasound. I love seeing my babies :)

 

24 1/2 weeks

I had my 24 week appointment today. I had the great privilege of having to take the Glucose Tolerance Test. Yuck. At least this time I had a choice between orange or fruit punch. I chose fruit punch because orange rates higher on the nasty scale than fruit punch. I made it through drinking it, but felt ill for the next hour as I sat waiting to be seen. At the end of my appointment they took my blood, and I'll hear back from them in about a week about the results. Let's hope I passed, because I don't want to do the 3 hour test, in which you drink 2 of those nasty drinks and get your blood taken twice!!

In other news, I had an ultrasound to check growth and to look at Baby A's face, since he was being stubborn and wouldn't give the ultrasound tech a clear shot of his nose and lips at our 20 week ultrasound. This time, he cooperated, and they were able to get the pictures of what they needed. Hooray. Both babies look good and everything is normal (another hooray!). I hadn't really told anyone but a select few that at the 20 week ultrasound, baby B had cysts on his brain and a heart problem. The Dr. assured me all was well at the time, and to NOT look up anything online because it would scare the crap out of me and do me no good!! Well, of course, I didn't listen, and I looked up things online and I flipped out, cried, freaked out, cried some more and read some horror stories of babies born (if they're lucky) with Trisomy 18. Unlike others genetic problems, this one cannot be lived with and the chance that the baby actually is born living is very low. Sad disease and I hope nobody ever has to deal with it! Anyway, long story short, the cysts on Baby B's brain have resolved and all is normal with him! So, big sigh of relief!!

Baby A is measuring at 24 weeks 2 days, weighs 1 lb 6 oz and is in the 14th percentile. His heart rate was 140 BPM. Baby B is measuring at 24 weeks 5 days, weighs 1 lb 9 oz and is in the 41st percentile. His heart rate was 135 BPM. Baby A is head down (woot woot!) and Baby B is breech (sad face) and they are side by side with A on the left B on the right. This explains why I feel way more movement from A. Because his feet are up by my ribs!!! I really liked the Dr. I saw today because he took the initiative of telling me everything up front instead of me having to ask a billion questions (which I did ANYWAY). He was very thorough and I liked that a lot. He said the likelihood that B will flip is not in my favor. This is bad news. Especially since B is the bigger twin, too!! We went over the signs of preterm labor, preeclampsia and when to call for anything. This assured me that I know when things are OK and when to get to the Dr.'s office. I'm thankful for that since this whole pregnancy feels like a first-time pregnancy since it is SO DIFFERENT than having a singleton!

Now for my normal list of questions and answers.

Here is a picture from Sunday when I was 24 weeks 2 days:

How far along are you: 24 weeks 4 days

Maternity clothes: Yep.

Sleep: I'm sleeping great, actually! The only problems are having pelvic bone pain when I try to roll over/get up out of bed.

Best moment this week: Being done drinking that nasty glucose drink!

Miss anything: Cookie dough. I made some eggless cookie dough, and it was sickly sweet. Not a fan...

Movement: Tons and tons, though sometimes they calm down and sleep. Miraculously I think they even sleep at the same time!

Food cravings: Comfort fooooooods.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Glucose Tolerance Test drinks!

Have you started to show yet: Yep, and my belly is measuring 30.5 cm So it's like I'm already 30 weeks along! I wish!!!
 
Gender: Boy A and Boy B. Names: Ben & Jerry, Copy & Paste, Gregory & Gabriel (can you image that with the last name Grigsby!?) We've got real names, but they're a secret until the babies come. Why? Because I'd like to hear everyone's opinions AFTER I have named my boys. Not before, because I REALLY REALLY love the names we picked :D

Belly button in or out: Out. I'm wondering if it can get even more out? We'll see.

Labor signs: No labor signs. I have had contractions from dehydration/doing too much, but that's nothing that can't be resolved by drinking two glasses of water and lying down on my left side for an hour or so :D

Wedding rings on or off: On. No swelling here :)

Looking forward to: Hearing that I don't need to take another GTT! Cross your fingers that my blood sugars like me! Also looking forward to being comfortable again!

Everything is looking a-OK and I am glad. The Dr. doesn't want me to be doing much exercise other than living my daily life since preterm labor is such a huge risk. This means I need to cut back on the ice cream so I don't swell up like a balloon from eating my feelings and cravings since I am not really doing much to combat weight gain. I will return BACK to the Dr. in 2 weeks because they want to closely measure growth of the babies, especially since one is measuring bigger than the other. Fun. I can't wait until I get to go to the Dr. TWICE A WEEK starting at 28 weeks ;)

K, time for a nap. Ellie is sleeping, and I should be, too!

All about car seat safety

Hey guys, I am very passionate about car seat safety, and I am ALWAYS willing to help others learn about how to make sure their little ones are riding safely and securely in the car. When I did pageants, my platform was Car and Booster Seat Safety, and I went through very thorough training to become a Certified Passenger Safety Technician. That's where my knowledge comes from, and I am ALWAYS frequently looking to expand my knowledge when new safety regulations/recommendations come out. However I would like to add a disclaimer that I have let my certification lapse and I am not certified currently, so I do not tell you ANY information as a CPS, because well, technically I'm not one anymore. I'm just a mom that knows A LOT about car seats and wants others to be educated as well!

Because I have so many friends who are first time mommies (and even friends who already have kiddos) I wanted to make a post about some basics about car seat safety. I hope you take these things into consideration when buying a car seat and when using one as well!


What to look for when buying a car seat

When you're making that big exciting purchase for your new little bundle, please take note: NOT all car seats are created equal! While it is true that every car seat currently on the market in the United States is required to go through rigorous safety testing and meet certain standards, some perform better than others. For example, your cheap low-end car seats you can buy for under $100 usually just meet the minimum standards and they don't bother going above and beyond. Basically, you get what you pay for. The high-end car seats that cost a lot of money cost a lot of money for a reason. They are made better, they have additional safety features, and they generally go far beyond the minimum safety standards. Since I am writing this as just a mom, I can tell you that I honestly believe certain car seats to be safer than others.

With all that in mind, these are things you should know when buying that first car seat for your baby. This is a list of things that comes from my favorite web site, Car-safety.org :

• Use rear-facing up to 22-35 pounds, depending on the model.
• A 5-point harness is preferred. Keep chest clip at armpit level and not on the neck or tummy.
• Harness strap slots should be at or below the shoulders.
• A front adjuster to tighten the harness makes it easy to use.
• Newborns and infants should have a 45 degree maximum recline.
• Built-in angle indicators and adjusters may help get the correct recline.
• Manufacturers have differing instructions on where handle should be while traveling. Read the instruction manual to learn if it should be up or down in the vehicle.
• A rear-facing tether or impact foam found on some models may improve safety.
• Infant seats may fit newborns better than convertible models.

My personal recommendations for an infant car seat are 1) Chicco (Key-co) KeyFit 30 or 2) Britax B-Safe. These two car seats are top of the line and offer superb safety for your little one. I have the Chicco (well, actually 2 now) and I love everything about it. It has a super easy to install base, and it fits well in smaller vehicles, as well as narrow seats. After you decide to purchase a car seat, please register it with the manufacturer so they can contact you directly about any recalls that may come out. This is very important!

Installing a car seat

First things first. Read the ENTIRE manual for your car seat. Then, read it again. and again...I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to read it! It has ALL the answers. Really, it does! You'll miss some things the first time around, so that's why I recommend to re-read it.

Second, read the manual to your vehicle!! Not all cars allow you to install a car seat in the middle position using the LATCH method. Why? Well, I don't know! They just don't! Your vehicle's manual will tell you WHERE you can install the car seat using both LATCH and seat belt. It should also tell you if there can be a passenger next to the car seat if it is installed using LATCH or seat belt. Every car is different, and sometimes it is tricky. For instance, in our car, if we install the car seat on either outboard seat using the LATCH method, nobody can sit in the middle seat using a seat belt. Why? I don't know, it just says they can't, so you follow the rules! Cars have been crash-tested and they have done all the work for you and they've written it out, so PLEASE read the manual! Do all this BEFORE you even take the car seat to the car to install. That way you know what you're doing beforehand and you're not standing outside the car reading and getting frustrated when you're confused.

After you've read all the instructions, go ahead and install the seat following the car seat's manual. Once you've got your seat installed and it is at the correct angle and doesn't more more than 1 inch side to side at the point of installation (i.e. where the LATCH is or seat belt path is) then you should be good. After you've done this, take yourself, your spouse and your car with the car seat installed to the nearest Car Seat Checkpoint to get it inspected. Why? Because sometimes you missed something and the awesome CPS technicians check your seat for FREE! They also won't consider the seat "checked" until you know how to correctly install it first, and you'll do that for them and they'll re-check it :)

Getting a car seat checked by a CPS technician

You can do this by clicking on this link and finding the nearest location to you! Trust me on this. It's important. When I was doing CPS checkups, there were SO many people who thought they had done it right, but then they were doing one little thing wrong (or in some cases one BIG thing!), all the while having NO idea that they didn't have their seat in right. 75% of car seats are used and installed INCORRECTLY! Don't be that 75%!!


How long to keep rear-facing

My first answer to this question is simply, "As long as possible" but the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends you keep your little one rear-facing until at least age 2! It may seem like an inconvenience to some people, but really your first priority should be safety, not convenience. Our little one is 24 lbs and 19 months old, but I will be keeping her rear-facing until she outgrows her current car seat's weight limit, which is 40 lbs. In order to keep your child rear-facing longer, you'll need to buy a convertible car seat that has a high weight limit. We use the Britax Boulevard 70 and we love it. It is super safe, super comfy and super easy to use! Best of all, once we have turned our daughter around, she will be able to use this seat until she is 70 lbs, or gets too tall, which is going to be a long time! If keeping your child rear-facing past 2 isn't something you're planning on doing, at least PLEASE keep them rear-facing until 2. Visit this link for more specific information about keeping your child rear-facing. I personally believe it is better to have the risk of my child's legs being broken in an accident, rather than her neck being broken because you can fix little legs, but you cannot fix little necks.

Using aftermarket products

Again, here is great information from Car-safety.org about using aftermarket products such as infant support pillows, JJ Cole BundleMe and like products:

Can I use an infant head support? Is it OK to put a padded cushion under the child for comfort?
 
Generally, NO.  Unless such items come with the car seat or are recommended by the manufacturer of the car seat as an accessory, do not use them.  Aftermarket pads and cushions are not tested with the seat and any compressible material inside the harness may allow for more slack in the restraint.  With a small infant, it is usually OK to put a rolled towel or receiving blanket along the sides of the head (outside the harness straps) to keep it upright.  You may also put a rolled towel between a small infant and the crotch strap if there is a large gap, though you should never put towels or pads under a child in a car seat.

Please friends, just don't use these. If you're worried about your baby being too cold, then use blankets AFTER you've put your baby in the car seat. It's best to dress baby a little warmly or just add a blanket on top of baby after they're securely in the seat! Another thing to keep in mind, especially with older children is to not put them in the car seat with their coats on! If you don't think it matters, do this, put your child in the car seat with their coat on and tighten the straps then take them out, take the coat off and put them back in. If you need to tighten the straps with their coat off, don't let them wear their coat in the car seat.

Buying/using used car seats

Also from Car-safety.org:

Are used carseats safe to use?
If you are unable to verify that the carseat has never been involved in a crash, do not use it.  Above that, you should inspect it carefully to make sure all the parts and labels are intact, and that there are no visible stress marks.  You should also verify that the stickers with the manufacturer, model number and date of manufacture are legible.  You must also have the owner's manual, or get a copy from the manufacturer.  Finally, you need to make sure the used carseat has not been recalled (or if it has, that the appropriate corrections were made).  Older seats may not meet current safety standards.  Older seats may also be less convenient and more difficult to use, and may lack the latest safety features.  If there is any doubt on the condition or history of a used carseat, please destroy it completely and permanently (using a saw or otherwise) and purchase a new one.


Other important info about car seat safety:

Here are the ten basic rules from Car-safety.org

• Kids 12 and under should ALWAYS ride in the back seat. This cuts their risk of death by 36%.
• Kids should be in a carseat or booster until they can be seated properly in a seatbelt.  For most kids, this is around 8-12 years old or 4' 9" tall, but proper seatbelt fit is the most important factor.
• Never place a rear-facing carseat in the front seat when there is an active frontal airbag.
• Keep your baby rear-facing as long as possible.  That can mean up to 35 or 40 pounds in most current convertible seats, unless they outgrow it by height first.
• All current car seats pass government safety standards.   Select the one that best fits your child, your vehicle and your budget.  Some models do have different features; select one that has the features that will allow you to use it correctly EVERY trip.
• Always read the owners manuals for your vehicle and carseat thoroughly.  They often contain specific information about carseat installation that may not be obvious.  Some models may vary from what you would expect.
• Make sure that the harness fits snugly on your child, the carseat fits snugly in your vehicle, and that your vehicle seatbelts are locked properly.
• When you buy a carseat, make sure you have a good return policy in case it doesn't fit or in case you find you don't like it.  Have your seat inspected by a certified technician for free at a checkup event or fitting station.
• Please be wary of used carseats, especially those over six years old, those with an unknown history that may have been in a crash, those that show any form of cracks or damage, and those with missing labels, model number, manufacturing date, instructions or parts.
• Please give driving your complete, unimpaired attention and wear your own seatbelt all the time.  These two simple steps are among these easiest ways you can protect yourself and your passengers from injury or death.

 
Do some research if you have a question about if you can/should do something pertaining to using your car seat. The forum provided on Car-seat.org is a wonderful place to find every answer imaginable for any question. An example of the things I have looked for on the forum are what car seats will fit 3 across in a Honda Odyssey and in what seat positions. I found the answer and now I feel better knowing it is safe and can be done. Please use this resource!



Check your vehicle's manual for information about weight limits on the LATCH system. If it isn't specific, assume that you can only use it until your child is 40 lbs, then you need to be using the car's seat belt.

Here is a great resource for picking a car seat based on ease of use rated by the NHTSA.

Refer to your car seat's manual any time you have a question about weight/height limits or anything else. Please take note that the inserts that come in your car seat can usually only be used up until a certain poundage is reached, so make sure you know what that limit is and follow it! Another thing that will be listed in your manual is whether or not you can leave the handle of an infant car seat up while using it in the car. These are the types of things you can find in your manual.

Most car seats expire 6 years after the date they are manufactured, NOT the date you purchased it. So, pay attention to the manufacture date when buying a car seat. If your car seat expires, you can take it to a car seat recycling center or destroy it. Yes, it seems harsh to destroy something you spent so much money on, but you don't want someone using your expired seat so cut the straps, and frame so it's unusable. 

 
Please visit the Car-safety.org FAQ page for any other questions, and for A LOT more information than what I have provided here.

One last thing I like to tell friends and family when they cringe at the cost of a good high-end car seat is that you can't put a price on safety. Many people are so willing and eager to buy a new iPod, iPhone, other electronic device or something for $200+ but not willing to spend that on a good car seat for their child. To me it is a matter of priority. I would rather have less "fun things" and have a better car seat, which is why I have bought expensive, high-end car seats. That's just my two cents. 

I hope this has benefited someone, and please, feel free to ask any questions! I will for sure point you in the right direction if I can't answer the question myself!