23 1/2 Weeks

If you've ever wondered what you would look like if you had 2 mangos inside you, here it is! At 23 weeks, the babies are the size of Mangos...a little over 1 lb each, and I'm starting to feel it! My back is starting to throb, in addition to my already sore tail bone. Not that they aren't going to be more than worth the pain, 3 months is sounding farther and farther away! At this point, they are moving all day and all night long...I'm starting to wonder if they ever sleep!?



Just so I don't forget once they are here...everyone says that being pregnant during the Winter is the "way to go!" However, I'm starting to think a moo-moo, pool, and a pregnant belly would be better then getting through flu season pregnant with a weak immune system! So far, I have had 3 pretty bad colds/coughs, which is more than I remember having within the past 15 years! I've gone through an entire bottle of children's nyquil...which I feel very guilty about, but it was the only thing that got me to sleep! I've now been sick for over a week now with a slight ear/sinus/respiratory infection. I don't know if I've ever been sick with a "cough" but I now know I never want to be again! Its been a rough week for me and the little munchkins but I stayed home from work the first part of the week and got to spend some QT with Jackson...he even got to lay on our bed with me during the day!:)

Jackson's life just got a little bit better!!!

Thanks to Mom and Dad Dodds, Jackson is now a very spoiled dog...and I'm a spoiled dog owner! We got his doggy door installed this past weekend and Jackson is slowly getting used to it. This may not seem like a big deal to most people, but if you know just how much Jackson likes going outside, coming back in, going back outside, then you know how much this is going to impact our lives! I think he's still a little hesitant to use it if we are not in the room with him, but I'm sure it will just be a matter of days before he's going in and out all day long!:) I never thought a doggy door would make me sooooo HAPPY!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

For our "actual" Vday... I really wasn't feeling up to cooking so we both compromised on Qdoba, which made me really happy!:) However, I did decorate the table with Vday stuff and Braden came home with a lovely boquet of flowers, which added to the decorations! I also put out all of our scrapbooks from college and our wedding and we looked through them together...realizing that we really have aged over the past 6 years! But it was a fun date down Memory Lane:)

I was told last week that I had a surprise coming on Saturday morning! We woke up, got ready and started heading toward Castle Rock. After a few twisty, snowy roads, we arrived at Cherokee Ranch and Castle. They hold Holiday brunches and tea there only a few times a year and we were lucky enough to be apart of this years Valentine's Day brunch! There was coffee/tea, a great buffet, and best of all, a chocolate fountain:) After we ate, they gave a tour of the castle, which was great to see all the history that still remains in this house. The castle is only a few miles away from our house, but we have never been able to see it from anywhere! It was a nice surprise and a great way to spend our last Valentine's Day as just the two of us:)




This was our only picture we got of the two of us and it looks like I have to go to the bathroom, but I was just holding my big belly! I think I need to start practicing posing for pictures as it gets bigger!



Braden was fascinated with the 12 garages they had!

21 Weeks

21 Week picture...yes, I am well aware that horizontal stripes do nothing to make you look more slim, so I guess this is me "embracing" getting bigger!

Nat'l Sales Mtg

This past week I got to escape from the negative temperatures in Denver and go to St. Petersburg, FL to soak up some humidity! Considering it was a work trip, we still managed to have a lot of fun. Here are some pictures of our fun week in the warmth!


Me (in my "tent" maternity dress,) Blake and Megan

20 1/2 Weeks--Our "offsite" event was very "chique!" There was a sushi bar, a MAC n CHEESE bar...which I made several visits to, a "cool" salad bar, and some other good food which didn't appeal to me!

Me wanting to go in the jacuzzi! I resisted the temptation by just giving my legs a little taste of the hot tub!

My boss got me a surgical mask to wear on the plane to protect the babies from any "airplane germs" that I could have caught...Megan and I wore them a portion of the flight, but we sure got some strange looks from people!

The Denver Team...by far the coolest and smartest people there!

2 GIRLS!!!

Here are a few pictures of today's u/s...resulting with 2 girls! The pictures aren't great, but they're the best we got!

The high in Denver today was a steamy -3 degrees, so of course, after the u/s appt, I really wanted Yogurtland!! As we went up to pay, the girl asked "When are you due?" I looked at her surprised because up to this point, I haven't had 1 stranger ask me that! She noticed the confused look on my face and probably worried for a second when I said "what?" And she stuck with what she thought and said "You're pregnant, right?" RISKYYYY!!! It's not that risky considering my belly sticks out pretty far at this point and its now probably REALLY obvious! Anyway, it made me happy to hear that I'm now noticeably pregnant, and its not just the holidays that gave me my big belly!




So...if you're reading this, you're going to get some "inside" announcements! Please keep this information to yourself, as you are possibly the only one that will know this information at this point. We haven't asked for opinions, and still are not open for critiques as this is what has been decided. We don't know which baby belongs to which name yet, as that will be up to Dad when they come:) So drumroll please....

**Eleanor "Ellie" Shadlee Dodds**
**Molly Rose Dodds**

Ellie--after Aunt Ellie Sutherin
Shadlee--after Grandma and Great Grandma Schad
Molly--we just like it:-)
Rose--after Great Grandma Rose (Great Grandpa Ned's mom) who was a twin, who possibly increased our chances of having twins!

**Note: please keep (negative) opinions to yourself due to my increased hormone levels and high emotional and sensitive state. I was opposed to saying the names before they were born, but their dad won on this one!!!

Whoaaa...we're half way there....Whoaaa...livin' on a prayer!!!

20 WEEKS!!!

This will be the last blog before knowing officially what they are! We find out this afternoon about Baby B and confirm Baby A being a girl! We're pretty convinced they are both girls, so if there is a boy, it will come as a surprise!:)

I'm headed to FL tomorrow so the "belly" picture is coming a couple days earlier than usual. At 20 weeks: Shoes/socks are getting harder to put on, shaving my legs is getting a little trickier each day, bathroom visits are becoming more frequent (sorry if that's TMI!) Exercising is getting more difficult and I can only walk for so long before the intense lower pressure begins. Still no cravings, still no chicken or pizza, sleeping is getting a little tougher with finding the right position each night, and kicking is becoming out of control! These little munchkins are having quite a party in my tummy...glad to know they will be "partiers!"

On top of all that, I feel like I can see my stomach growing by the minute! This is becoming a bit inconvenient when it comes to clothing. I will wear pants one week, and the next week they are too small already. I may be living in leggings the remainder of the time, since they are the most comfortable and flexible! I'm not exactly enjoying or "embracing" feeling fat, but I know they are worth anything and everything I have to go through.


The "20 week" email says they are about the size of a Red Bull? Or 10-11 ounces and 6-7 inches long. Which means there is total of 1 1/2 lbs of baby inside me and putting them together they total a foot long!!