Esty

I absolutely adore Etsy. I like to think that I'm crafty, but I'm really not.  The men and women with Etsy shops are seriously crafty and talented.  I've purchased dog collars, jewelry, invitations, art work and much more from shops on Etsy. With two babies my Etsy addiction has gone into overdrive.  Every time I get on, I find something I want.  It fuels my creative side like Pinterest except there's a buy button.

Aside from everything being absolutely adorable it's also a great way to support small business. I would much rather purchase something from a small business and pay a few extra dollars than to pick up a similar item from Wal-Mart. Plus, every shop owner I've bought from has been willing to work with me on a custom order if I need it.  Here are a few of my favorite shops.

J & Paper

Her chalkboard prints are seriously adorable.

Jameson Monroe

Their new Disney line of headbands are too cute.  Brooke has at least 10 of their headbands and they are all very well made.

Three Little Miricales

I never thought I would get a shopping cart cover, but I decided that since we are moving into convertible car seats during flu season, we need one. Multiple trips to the store each week and no infant seat equals lots of time sitting in the cart. These ones are very well made and available in adorable designer fabrics.  I love the girly woodland print in the picture. We went with unisex grey giraffe print.

BabyEtte

I purchased two of her ring slings before the babies were born.  I absolutely love them, and so do H and B.  Beth, the owner of BabyEtte, is local here in Fort Wayne.  She makes very high quality wraps and slings.  I highly recommend her products.

ValentinKids

I wish I would have ordered these sooner.  I did a Google search for size dividers before the babies were born and couldn't find any I liked.  I sort of forgot about it until a couple weeks ago.There are so many styles available, you can get them to match any nursery theme.  She also makes really adorable month/year onesie stickers.

Bringing you up to speed

I obviously didn't keep up with my blog as I intended, but I am determined to do so this time.  I have a lot of downtime while lying in bed while the babies sleep.  I figure that equates to the perfect time to blog instead of just playing games on my phone.  I won't make this post too long, just long enough to get caught up on the last year.

At our 19 week ultrasound we found out we were having a boy and a girl.  Santiago was very obviously a boy and Dunbar gave us a nice shot of her lady bits.  My pregnancy was very uneventful until 32 weeks.  On Sunday afternoon at 32w4d I experienced a large gush of blood. I wound up staying in the hospital for two nights and they were never able to determine where the bleeding came from. I was placed on modified bed rest and made it until 36w5d. I had been experiencing major swelling and my blood pressure was slowly rising. At my doctors appointment I was told I had protein in my urine, had developed mild pre eclampsia and it was time to deliver.

Me at 35 weeks pregnant.

We arrived at the hospital the evening of May 15th. After a ton of blood work and monitoring of the babies, they told me I was already in the early stages of labor even though I wasn't feeling anything. They also determined that my hemoglobin levels were dangerously low and had to be monitored closely. The doctor ordered two units of blood just in case. I was started on prostin at 4am on the 16th to stimulate my cervix. My water broke shortly after 6am. There was a lot of blood mixed with the amniotic fluid. I labored on my own for an hour or so until they told me they needed to monitor the babies due to the bleeding. Once I was stuck in bed I wanted the epidural NOW! So much for my natural birth plan. The water for baby b broke while we were waiting for the anesthesiologist. More blood mixed with her fluid led the doctor to say a c-section was needed. Being that it looked like someone had been murdered in our room and towels had been used to clean up the mess, I didn't argue. I had the epidural placed, removed, then a spinal block placed and before I knew it the babies were here. I don't remember much from the delivery other than hearing the babies cry and throwing up. Baby Boy was born at 8:35 am 6lbs 8oz and 19.25" and Baby Girl at 8:36am 6lbs 11oz and 19". They stayed nameless for the first day and then we settled on Harrison Andrew and Brooke Alice. I wound up needing a blood transfusion due to the loss of blood during labor. Both babies were perfectly healthy and we were all discharged 3 days after delivery. With the exception on one nurse, we had a wonderful hospital stay. It was nothing like I planned, but it was a great experience none the less.

Harrison and Brooke on the day they came home from the hospital.

Harrison and Brooke are now crawling, climbing, have multiple teeth, are eating finger foods, still going strong with nursing and no where close to sleeping through the night. They are very happy eight and a half month olds and the only thing they love more than each other is mommy. They are at a very fun age and I am loving every minute of it.

Harrison and Brooke playing today.