15 Weeks

Thing 1 and Thing 2 are now the size of apples. When Sam was in my tummy, Adam and I used to give her a new nickname each week based on what sized fruit she was. She was Grape, Kumquat, Tomato, Pineapple, etc. We don't seem to have that intense focus on the development of our twins. I like to read about their development each week, but I don't spend half my day picturing what they look like and how they are growing. Where did I get all that time five years ago?

What I'm looking forward to now is feeling them move. I've had a few fluttering feelings over the past couple of weeks, but nothing that becomes regular. It could just be gas. But it should happen soon. I didn't feel Sammy until I was about 19 or 20 weeks along, but I expect to feel two babies sooner than that. I wonder if, later on, I'll be able to tell one from the other by their movements. I can't wait!

I just bought the super-stroller. Man, is it gorgeous! And we're definitely buying a new Honda Odyssey. (You MUST watch the video tour - it's hilarious.) The 2011 model allows you to put three car seats in the second row, which is just about the greatest thing I've ever heard of. When I found out the price of these minivans I almost threw up, but after seeing a real live Odyssey at the dealership, the price seems like a bargain. This is the automotive version of the stroller. It's so clever and innovative! There is a "cool box" which is a storage compartment cooled by the a/c (separately controlled) for drinks or snacks; the seats move around in to just about any position you could imagine; you can use the key fob to open the windows and moon roof remotely to cool the car off before you get in it on a hot day. And I can't tell you how excited Sam is to be getting the car with the automatic sliding doors. She points out every minivan on the road and asks, "Does that one have automatic doors? Are we getting one like that?" I'm really happy that I'll have the option to keep her in the second row instead of sticking her in the back-back. That would just add insult to the injury of losing her only-child status.

Speaking of that, I haven't really started preparing Sam much yet (unless you count watching A Baby Story together preparation). We talk about the babies a lot, though. We talk about how she can hug them and pick them up, and how she can help me by getting bottles and diapers. We also talk about how they will cry a lot, and how they won't be much fun until they get bigger, and how I'm going to have to spend a lot of my time taking care of them. Eventually, we'll probably get her a book or two about getting a new sibling. I'm not overly concerned about how she'll handle it. She is definitely "spoiled" in the sense of getting tons of attention from us, but she is also quite independent, and she's old enough where she isn't at that sensitive stage where it's really hard to give up even a piece of mommy. On the other hand, we had some house guests a couple of weeks ago with two boys - almost-four and one year old. Sam did not do well with them at all, and it wasn't like these boys were bullies or anything. It was the first time that I've ever seen her not get along with other children. It might have been a clash of personalities, but it also might have been a bit of insecurity on her part - the baby was sick and crying a lot and I wonder if that affected her. And this was the first time we've actually lived with another family with children so close in age. It's hard to know. So, I'll prepare her for the twins in every way I can think of, and I already have a plan as to how I will carve out special time with her once they arrive.

Last weekend, Adam created storage space in our attic by buying a ladder that actually reaches up there, and putting down some plywood over the joists. That is step 1 of about 30 on my "must do before twins" list.

We leave for Italy in one week. I've made all of the official travel plans and now I'm starting to think about packing. I bought a bunch of airplane toys using the great recommendations from this web site (blue painters tape - brilliant!). We have two international-capable phones waiting to be activated. We have our passports. I have a good credit card that won't charge me international fees. What I'm worried about is my clothing. I'm growing so quickly that it's hard to know what I should bring. I'm probably going to have to plan it all out this weekend to determine whether I need to buy anything.

And on that note, here is the latest photo!