Nugget (aka Chubbers) at 3 months.

I thought I'd do one final post dedicated to my CP baby - at 3 months, Nugget is tipping the scales at approximately 15 and a half pounds.  She is all rolls and chubby cheeks and I love it.  The downside is that my arm muscles have not had the gradual time to adjust to carrying that weight in the infant car seat, so I feel like a big weakling.


We are so blessed that something that can potentially be a concern was ultimately not a concern for us.  My OB stated that as ultrasound technology has improved, they are diagnosing more and more circumvallate placentas, and realizing that they don't always cause growth issues. 

Initial reflections on 3 under 3...

As I type this, Nugget is snoozing on the bed next to me.  At just over a week old, we're still figuring some stuff out, but in general, life is good.  We may still be in the honeymoon phase, but both the hubs and I have confessed that things are going easier than we expected.  Which, of course, has probably jinxed us.

To start, Nugget has been a champion at breastfeeding.  She latched and even swallowed within the first hour after birth.  She dropped down to 8 lbs (from 8 lbs 7 oz) at discharge, and five days later had gained 11 oz.  Since it took BW 3 weeks to get back to birth weight, this gain is awesome.  No supplementing.  No pumping (although I did pump a few times when my milk first came in to relieve some engorgement, I was able to just pop that in the freezer right away).  We put the bottle drying rack back in the pantry, because we haven't had to wash pump parts regularly. Although I've felt I'm in unfamiliar territory learning how to BF a singleton, overall things are going very well.

Nursing one baby instead of two is quicker.  I have time to eat, nap, pick up, throw a load of laundry in.  I don't have to pick and choose and sometimes not accomplish any of them. I went to the store today by myself.  Things will be a bit more hectic once SB and BW are only going to daycare part-time for the remainder of my maternity leave, but the difference in caring for one newborn instead of two is very noticeable.

SB and BW love her.  They look for her in the morning; they look forward to seeing her after daycare.  Although we had a few days of transition after grandma went home and we settled in with Nugget when SB and BW were moody, cranky, and uncooperative, they are adjusting well.  We have to be very vigilant about Nugget, as SB and BW get quite excited and bounce around and there are sometimes limbs flying everywhere.

She's here!

I'm a few days behind, but Nugget has made her appearance, with a few extra days of baking.  My indecisiveness ensured that I delivered med-free, even after I caved and requested the epidural - too late for that.  Nugget came fast and furious, but has been pretty calm and laid-back since.  Nursing like a champ from the beginning.   The hubs and I apparently have a skewed view of baby size as a result of having toddlers, as we discovered later that we both thought she was tiny when she was born.

Stats: 8 lbs, 7 oz.  22 inches long. 14-inch head.  No growth problems due to the circumvallate placenta here. The OB did show the hubs and I the membrane on the placenta, which was quite sizable, and did say that it did appear from examination that it was circumvallate, but he sent it to pathology to verify as well.  It was so nice to have such a mundane outcome from something that Dr. Google suggested could be very concerning.

Approaching D-day

I've come to the realization today that I am only a few days away from where I was when I was induced with SB and BW.  Days.  It's so strange.  I had a yucky day yesterday where I had some minor stomach ailment and it sent me into a panic for a bit that it might be early labor. 

I need to preface my next comment, because I don't want it to come across as flippant.  We were trying to conceive Nugget.  We wanted a third child.  But we weren't expecting to be successful SO quickly, if at all, so I feel like a part of this pregnancy for both the hubs and I has been a bit of...not denial, but...delay?  Like, we wish it wasn't going to happen quite so soon?  SB and BW have been going through some tough sleeping times as a result of DST and loss of the pacis, so the thought of adding a newborn on top of that is literally exhausting.  We're already exhausted.  I am, thanks to my chiro visit, sleeping blissfully well, considering I am quickly approaching single digits until my due date, aside from the multiple times a night when I woken by a crying toddler. The hubs has been a champ, he gets up often to tend to them so I can get more sleep since I'm huge and preggo and all, but there are also times when this mama can't resist getting up to comfort her babies.

So, we're sleep-deprived, and unprepared. The infant carseat is still in storage, so it needs to be retrieved, washed, and installed in the car.  I'm still trying to figure out the configuration for three car seats in our less-than-friendly for carseats vehicle. In the process, I've considered a minivan...gasp. I've got size one diapers stocked, but still need to snag some newborns. The nursery is closer to being done, but still needs pictures hung.

So, nugget - stay put for a little while longer.  Mama is still comfortable, and we have a lot more to accomplish before you are an outside baby.

Another (last?) growth update

We had another follow-up u/s to check on baby's size recently.  Good news, baby is growing right on track in the 50th percentile, so the OB is fine with not continuing growth ultrasounds.  This ultrasound the tech was also not able to clearly visualize the circumvallate placenta on the scan.  I've been able to see it on the previous scans as well, and was having difficulty seeing the curved edges on the last ultrasound, so the OB is interested to see if the placenta is really circumvallate at all and has asked that if he is not there to deliver me, that I have them send the placenta to pathology to verify if it really is circumvallate.  Nugget has been very active, and I am almost certain she will have her nights and days mixed up when she arrives, as she loves to dance and kick away in the wee hours.

We're only about a month away from d-day now, which is still so hard for me to believe.  I've been trying to soak up time with SB and BW lately.  I remember not understanding when people who were having their second baby said they couldn't imagine how they could love another baby as much as they loved their first.  I get it now.  It's not so much that I can't imagine loving another baby as much as I love SB and BW, my concern is how will I possibly give them all the attention and love that they deserve?  Quality over quantity, right?

Another growth update

Well, I guess this is really more of the same growth update.  I had my ob appointment and my u/s results finally posted, so I could see where nugget is growth-wise.  Her weight is right at the 50%, and all the measurements are right on - the only one that is a bit strange since we have so many tall genes is her femurs are only measuring in the 37%.  But then I remind myself that these measurements are done in millimeters, so there is a reason they give a +/- for the measurements.  Otherwise, she is measuring right in between the measurements for SB and BW for the same timeframe.  If that keeps up, she will hopefully be right between them weight-wise at birth, which would put her at about 7 lbs.  OB also declared at my appt that nugget is still breech.  He said if she hasn't flipped by 36 weeks he will schedule a version to try and turn her.  She is also posterior much of the time.  I have another u/s coming up already - that should be the last or second-to-last one, I expect.  I am very relieved that I haven't had any complications from the circumvallate placenta so far.

SB and BW get very excited to say hi to the baby, touch the baby, kiss the baby etc. with my bump.  I'm fairly certain they don't actually get the concept, but it's fun to see them so excited.

I'm starting to get fairly anxious about 3 under 3. As I was doing bathtime for SB and BW the other night, and they were all giggly and goofy, I started thinking about how bath/bedtime will work once nugget is here.  I expect that the hubs and I will need to split bath and bedtime duties for a while, as I will be nursing and probably busy with nugget while SB and BW are getting ready for bed.  Hopefully once nugget is sitting up on her own bath and bedtime will become more of an assembly line and group activity and will be a bit more manageable.  I am so lucky that hubs is willing and able to help out, but I also love bedtime.  I have so little weekday time with SB and BW the way it is, I hate to also give up bedtime routine every night.

Circumvallate Placenta update

I have been impatiently waiting for the clinic to update my electronic health record so I can look at the actual measurements from our latest ultrasound, but so far, no dice, so I'll post a brief update on our latest ultrasound and I can perhaps fill in more info once the actual report is posted.  At 30 weeks, nugget is measuring a few days ahead, so no growth issues to be seen yet, which is such a relief! She is breech, but seems to be quite the gymnast, as she extended her feet down into my bladder and then pointed them up by her head several times during the ultrasound - all of the "pike" and "straddle" exercises that SB and BW love to do (carryover from toddler gymnastics) must be a favorite of hers too - this also explains why I have a hard time telling what direction she is.  I am a little concerned that she is so comfy being breech.  SB and BW were head down from 20 weeks on, so I'm hoping she gets the memo soon that the exit is the other way.

Doula indecision

I'm trying to decide if we should hire a doula.  We are very, very strictly budgeted right now because of some unexpected expenses, trying to eliminate our debt, as well as trying to make sure we have enough money set aside to cover expenses while I'm on maternity leave.

I had hoped for a natural childbirth with SB and BW, but my labor was an induction that I didn't handle very well.  I feel like I can honestly say I never felt a true contraction.  I went from not feeling anything, to feeling some dull period crampiness to feeling a constant, unrelenting pain.  There were no peaks and valleys, no breaks.  I made no progress the majority of the day (I was dilated to a 3 prior to the induction) and when I finally made it to 4, the doctor okayed the epidural and I asked for it immediately.  Once I received the epidural, I snuck in a little nap and went from 4-10 in about an hour. 

I learned from my labor with SB and BW that DH is a very passive birth partner.  I think he wanted me to ask for help and tell him what to do, and if I didn't say anything, I didn't need anything.  I'm very indecisive myself, so that last thing I wanted to be doing when I was in pain was giving someone else suggestions on how to help me.  We didn't receive any suggestions from the nurses on positions or anything to help with the labor process at all, so I felt very alone in the process.

This second time around, I'd really like to go into labor naturally and give birth without pain medication.  I have a reasonable chance of having a fast labor - I progressed very quickly once I started making progress with my last labor, and my mom had 2 quick labors.  So I'm debating the doula.  I'd really like one, but the cost is deterring me a bit, and DH doesn't really seem too on board with it yet.  I probably need to discuss it seriously with him again, but like most things, I'm procrastinating.  If we aren't going the doula route, I need to prep more for doing things on my own and giving DH more direction.

Growing up

We are nearing the homestretch to twin two-year-olds, folks, and also nearing the homestretch to three under three.  Ack.  The hubs and I were discussing when to celebrate SB and BW's 2nd birthday, and decided that we will plan it for a few weeks after nugget is here.  That will accommodate a possible early delivery without wrecking birthday plans and also allow people to meet nugget if they so desire.  We're also tossing around adding in baptism for nugget since we will have family that would need to travel from out of state for baptism.  Of course, I would feel a bit bad about piling all those events on family members in the same weekend, but oh well.

I can't believe they are almost two already.  It seems like they just turned one.  Although they have typical toddler moments, the are just so.much.fun.  SB's hair hasn't grown in front yet, so she has built-in bangs.  BW's hair, on the other hand, grows in a lovely mullet-ish style that results in her hair hanging in her eyes but the rest of the hair on the top of her head not being long enough to pull up into a proper ponytail.  She won't leave clips in so she gets a sideswept ponytail that sticks out to hold her hair out of her eyes, at least.  I swear it seemed shorter this morning and I sometimes suspect that daycare may take a scissors to it. 

Although SB was more vocal when they were little, she is definitely our more reserved twin (ironic since I labeled her "social butterfly"), but the risk-taker - that child has no fear.  She will jump off of almost anything.  I see broken bones in our future.  She has an extensive vocabulary but will try not to use words if you let her get away with it.  If you ask her to use her words, she often says "please" while knocking on her head.  I have no idea where she picked up that gesture.  Her favorite phrase right now is "I do it!"  She is very coordinated for her age and height (99%) and is very frustrated that she can't quite figure potty training out because she really wants to wear underwear.  She is definitely a mama's girl and loves to give ferocious hugs and loves animals.  She is still a picky eater and will eat the minimum required to survive, although we recently discovered she loves marshmallow peeps.

BW is our "family ambassador" she loves saying hi to people and now that she is starting to learn the daycare employees' first names, she loves saying hi and bye to them as we enter and leave every day.  She likes things need and organized and loves to throw things in the garbage if they belong there.  She also loves to help and volunteers to "help" sweep, empty the dishwasher, and cook.  She also wants to "help" with vacuuming but it still a bit scared of the vacuum so ends up being a bit distraught over it.  She is definitely more empathetic than her sister and is quick to comfort SB, but is also the first to push, hit, bite, etc. to get her way if necessary.  She is taller than SB and much less coordinated, and also much more cautious.  She will "jump" off of things by stepping down, then triumphantly say "I jump!"  She particularly loves being goofy right now and making us laugh - it looks like we may have a class clown in our future.

I'm looking forward to seeing what personality nugget has.  Will she be more like SB or BW? Or will she be some combination of both? Or entirely herself?

Weaning twins

Because my blog is called Scattered Excerpts, I can post now about weaning SB and BW, even though that happened a few months ago, right?  I was still breastfeeding SB and BW when I got pregnant with the nugget, although we were down to 2-3 times a day, usually upon wakeup and before bed, and also sometimes before nap.  When I went in for my first appointment, the OB education nurse scolded me, telling me I needed to stop nursing immediately, without explaining why.  I knew from reading about nursing during pregnancy about the risks, and that they were likely small for me, so I basically ignored her.  However, I also have two very strong-willed toddlers, and I knew that I wanted to wean well in advance before the nugget arrived so I didn't inadvertently end up with them thinking they could still nurse too.  I also started to lose weight.  Although I had some food aversions and nausea, I was still eating plenty, so I decided it would be best for all of us to move on from nursing.

I ended any nursing before nap easily - I just explained to SB and BW that we only had snack upon wakeup and bedtime.  Then, DH was able to take morning duty a few mornings - usually I nursed SB and BW first, then got them changed, dressed, etc.  Simply by having him go in a few mornings and get them all dressed and ready for the day before they saw me was enough deviation from their normal routine that we were able to drop the morning session.  BW asked for "snack" a few times, but I explained we only had snack before bed now, and she didn't have any issues with that.  I approached the before-bed session a bit more gradually.  I had been introducing bedtime books while nursing for some time prior to this, allowing both SB and BW to each choose a bedtime book we would read "while" nursing.  This created a less than ideal nursing environment, as they would both frequently latch and unlatch, or turn their head to see the book, but I think it really helped with the transition once we got to that stage. The week I weaned, when I was around 14 weeks pregnant, I had DH alternate nights of bedtime routine with me, and skipped the nursing session - which wasn't an issue.  The last time I nursed them, I knew it would be the last time.  They had done just fine without nursing sessions when DH put them to bed.  I had DH take pictures of our last session.  Although I had always protested when he took pictures of me breastfeeding before, I now cherished those pictures and wanted one last moment captured.  The girls were goofy, there were a lot of nip-slips, but I'm so glad we have those pictures.  I get a little emotional when I think of our nursing relationship (damn pregnancy hormones), but I'm glad our transition went so smoothly.  The next night I did bedtime routine, I gave them pacis instead of nursing while we read books.  BW still asked about snack, but didn't protest when I told her no more snack.  In the time that has passed, we have eliminated pacis during reading time, and they don't get them until they are in their cribs.  I am not looking forward to paci elimination.  They are very dependent on them for falling asleep and getting rid of them is not going to be pretty.  I keep going back and forth about getting rid of pacis or getting rid of diapers, and right now potty-training is winning out.  I am really, really hoping I can get SB and BW potty trained before the nugget's arrival.  Three in diapers is very daunting.

No growth problems here!

Although there was a miscommunication following our last growth scan, my OB scheduled me for a follow-up the following week to get the actual measurements.  So far, baby nugget is right on track - her head even caught up a bit and is now right in line with gestational age.  The continue to confirm via ultrasound that I do have circumvallate placenta, and I can recognize the edges of the placenta curling up as well now on the u/s.  My mom went with me to this u/s and lucked out, because the tech was really enjoying doing the u/s and spent probably 10 or 15 minutes just trying to get some good 3D pictures for us, so we got to see baby yawn, and move her hands around and stick her tongue out.

I'm on the cusp of the 3rd tri now (how did that happen?) so I'm glad baby is growing okay.  I am operating under the assumption right now that everything is going to be just fine.  My mom, surprisingly, has stayed off google so far and hasn't researched the placenta issue - she said if she did she would probably just worry, which is probably true.  I haven't really told anyone else, because I don't want to blow it out of proportion or get people worked up when everything may be just fine. 

Baby is very active - although there was a lot of movement during my twin pregnancy with the two babies, they were also getting pretty crowded by this point in my pregnancy, so kicks and jabs had limited momentum.  I swear this baby thinks she is a pinball sometimes, and she gets some good whacks in.  I love it. 

I also continue to have almost zero back and hip pain, just a few twinges here and there.  Considering I am hefting 28-30 lbs  of toddler several times a day, I am very thankful for this.  I am sleeping well, and haven't even had to add pillow props (in fact, I've been trying to avoid, and I think sleeping with a pillow between my knees puts my SI joint out of alignment).  I'm seriously considering sending my chiropractor flowers or a big basket of candy for their office as a thank you.

Placenta update

I'm trying to follow along with the riveting saga that is my circumvallate placenta just so there is another resource out there besides the various chats you may be able to unearth or the scary statistics you may come across.  I had a follow-up ultrasound recently that was intended to (1) check baby's spine, as the tech was not able to adequately visualize the upper spine at the anatomy scan, and (2) check on placenta and growth of the baby.  Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication between my OB's office and the imaging lab, and despite my insistence to the tech that a major reason for the follow-up ultrasound was to check on baby's growth, the tech did not do any measurements or try to verify if she should be doing measurements.  So, we received confirmation that baby's spine is fine, I do have the circumvallate placenta, but no word on whether baby is growing appropriately. Argh.  So, I have another ultrasound next week to check baby's measurements.  I really hope she is growing okay.

I'm a chiro convert

So, when I was pregnant with SB and BW, I had really bad pelvic pain, which I self-diagnosed as sacro-iliac (SI) joint pain and SPD (symphsis pubis dysfunction).  SPD can be quite debilitating and seems to be fairly common in twin pregnancies.  It sounds a bit comical, but it basically hurts to spread your legs at all.  So, getting into a car, turning over in bed, trying to push something aside with your leg - all cause pretty ridiculous pain.  Any activity would pretty much increase my pain drastically the next day.  Turning over in bed was something I would have to talk myself into and required tensing and contracting certain muscles to hold my pelvis in place as much as possible.  I talked to my doctor about my pain, and he prescribed a maternity support belt, which did nothing.  It took a few months after SB and BW were born before I wasn't feeling constant shifting and rubbing in my pelvis.

Fast forward to this pregnancy.  I had some concerns about pelvic pain, but I thought I would probably be in the clear since I was only carrying one baby this time.  I hosted a baby shower for my niece, at around 22 weeks, and by the end of the day I had soreness in my upper pelvic area in back.  I chalked it up to being on my feet for the whole day and didn't think much of it.  Then, a few days later, I tried to lean over to look into a storage bin.  I immediately had shooting pain in my pelvis that made me crumple up on the bed.  I finally got upright and hobbled upstairs.  I tried all sorts of yoga poses and stretches but nothing helped.  Turning over in bed was suddenly impossible without serious pain.  I was having to grab the waistband of my pants and physically pull my pelvis around to avoid aggravating the pain. I googled pelvic/tailbone pain in pregnancy and read that the cure is delivery.  I wanted to cry, as I didn't know if I could face 18 more weeks of the pain.  It hurt to pick up SB and BW. It hurt to get up from a seated position. It hurt to stand.  I started developing severe sciatic pain on top of my pelvic and tailbone pain.

I've been a bit distrustful of chiropractors, and I've read some pretty yucky medical malpractice legal cases resulting from chiropractic care, so I've never been to a chiropractor before.  But I could tell something was not right, so I bit the bullet and went to see a chiropractor who is also an acquaintance of the hubs and I, and who I know had experience with chiro care during pregnancy.  She evaluated me, stated my left SI joint was out of place, and the inflammation was pressing on my sciatic nerve, and then proceeded to pop it back in.  It made a massive popping noise when it went back into place, and I had an immediate feeling of relief, almost an endorphin rush.  My pain got progressively better throughout the day, and was gone, literally gone, by that night.  She advised me to ice and not pick up SB and BW for the next few days and return for a follow up.  I did not ice or avoid picking up the girls, but remained pain free.  She did a small adjustment a few days later and realigned things again, and said I don't need to return unless it goes out of alignment.  It's been a few weeks now, and I am still pain-free.  I am amazed at how completely it alleviated my pain.  I'll probably go back one more time in the third tri (which is fast approaching) and make sure everything is in alignment before delivery.

Takeaway?  Don't rely only on your doctor to point you in the right direction regarding pain in pregnancy, and don't rely on google.  Explore other options. 

Placenta Pizza

Ew, I know, that's the grossest blog title ever.  However, according to my OB, this is the easiest way to describe circumvallate placenta.  A normal placenta is smooth and uniform.  With a circumvallate placenta, the membranes curves up on its edges, like a pizza crust.  Because the hubs loves my OB and loves to joke with him, there were additional comments about lunch and eating pizza and red sauce that I will not include here.

Bottom line - my OB is not concerned about the placenta diagnosis at this time.  I will have ultrasounds every four weeks to check on baby's growth, (the next at about 24 weeks) and we need a follow-up ultrasound anyway because they were not able to properly image baby's spine. On my own, I'm trying not to overdo things and trying to really focus on eating healthy, even more than before, to make sure baby is getting all the nutrients it needs.  Baby is a bit of a night owl, and usually is pretty chill during the day, but has a definite active period around 9-10 pm, then usually throws some kicks in for good measure whenever I wake up during the night (which, with two toddlers teething and sick, is far more often than I would like).

Why hello, pregnancy curve ball.

While I was very happy to find out that our latest child, still cooking, is a singleton, I did lament to the hubs that I would miss getting all the ultrasounds that we did with the twins.  Because of my awesome OB that I switched to after kicking first mediocre OB to the curb, we had a number of monitoring ultrasounds (for a total of nine, I believe) to make sure the girls were growing well and weren't at risk for complications.  So, since we're just having one this time, I expected that we would have just our initial dating ultrasound, and the anatomy scan.

I should just stop complaining.  Seriously.

We recently had our anatomy scan, and a few days later, I received a notification that I had new information posted to my electronic health record.  I went and looked and was surprised that they posted the ultrasound findings, as usually these results aren't posted until after my OB appointment to discuss the findings.  In reviewing the results, the findings included a finding of circumvallate placenta.  I had to google it, as I hadn't heard this one before.

Circumvallate placenta is apparently very rare, occurring in 1-2% of pregnancies. Because it is rare, it's hard to find a lot of information on it online.  Basically, in my totally uneducated understanding, the placenta implants too deeply, takes up too much room, and then curls in on itself to compensate, which results in less surface area for the baby.  There can be a number of complications arising from this.  Bleeding. Placental abruption.  Premature rupture of membranes. Premature birth. Growth restriction for the baby.

However, all this must be taken with a grain of salt, as it apparently can be quite difficult to definitively diagnose circumvallate placenta via ultrasound, and the only way to definitively diagnose is after birth.  Bleeding is quite common, and I haven't had any so far this pregnancy (knock on wood) so I'm hoping it is either a misdiagnosis or I have a less serious case. I'll update again after speaking with my OB - but I wanted to blog about this since it is SO difficult to find info about this condition.

Baby on board

The hubs and I have lost our minds.

Immediately after SB and BW were born, I started thinking about having another baby.  At my six-week checkup, I asked the doctor how soon we could start trying again.  He recommended 6-8 months.  I laughed, as I had no intention of getting pregnant again so soon, but I figured I could probably stop taking birth control when SB and BW were 9 months old to get a start on things.

See, SB and BW took longer than we planned to conceive.  And involved several months of medical help, so I did not want to delay the clock ticking a second time.

When the 9-month mark rolled around, I was not really interested in getting pregnant again.  I was still nursing, SB and BW were not sleeping through the night consistently, and I felt very complete with SB and BW.  Fast forward to 11 months, and the hubs and I had a serious conversation about our family planning.  Hubs and I aren't spring chickens, and we both felt there might be one more kid in our future, and if there was, we should start trying to make that kid sooner rather than later.  So, I stopped taking the pill, and thought that we would probably get pregnant when SB and BW were around two, if it happened at all.  I was at peace with not having another child.

Because I was still nursing, my cycle didn't return for two more months.  But two months after that - BAM.  Positive pregnancy test.  I didn't tell the hubs for two days.  I was petrified.  Especially when I calculated the due date, which was, for all intents and purposes, SB and BW's birthday. Three under three wasn't really in our expectations.

So yeah, I am well into my pregnancy with SB and BW's little sibling.  And spend a lot of my time stressing about little things, like getting three kids into carseats in our vehicle that has less-than-ideal front-facing tether anchor positioning (who knew you had to worry about this crap?). And getting all three kids in and out of daycare, especially when we make giant kids that outgrow their infant seat at like 6 months. And the COST of daycare, I am so damn grateful we live somewhere where daycare is not outlandishly expensive, and sometimes a bit saddened that I still make enough money that it remains feasible for me to work with three kids in daycare :). I know, from experience, that in the grand scheme of things these difficult times will be relatively short, and soon I will be sending three kids who alternate between being best friends and worst enemies off to school by themselves, but I also know, from experience, how each individual day can be SO hard.

I also have this desire to explain myself to people.  We have remained fairly private about our infertility, but being pregnant so soon after having twins makes me want to explain to people WHY I am pregnant again so soon - I feel I should explain that we aren't stupid or ignorant about using contraception, but we expected it would take a long time or it wouldn't even happen at all...and we were completely blindsided. That we didn't plan to have another baby exactly two years after we had the twins.  That there isn't some special event in August that we have celebrated that has resulted in me knocked up twice.  I probably overthink things too much, probably because I have a bad habit of judging others too much.  And look where it got me :)