Hanging in there

Just wanted to give everyone a status update. I’m still at Riverside Hospital on bed rest and only allowed to get up to go to the bathroom and take a sit-down shower. I haven’t had any contractions and both babies are doing great. Heartbeats are strong and they are moving around a ton. I’m starting to get a little sick of the hospital food, but otherwise no complaints. Shawn is doing well, super busy with his new job and coming to visit me often.

We had a bit of good news this past weekend, it looks like we’ve sold the house in Madison! We are currently in contract and hopefully things will go smoothly for the rest of the process. Now we are going to start looking for homes here in Columbus. This should be interesting, since I’m not going to be able to walk through any of them! We are going to work it out by looking at houses online and then Shawn will go look at them with the realtor and video tape the walk through. A bit nervous about this, but Shawn and I have similar taste and we’re going to need to have a place for the babies and myself to come home to. Wish us luck!

Happy Birthday, Lukey!

On a lighter note, I have to wish my nephew a happy 9th birthday. He is growing into a sweet, silly, scarily smart boy. He often reminds me of his mom, Roz, when we were growing up together: always ready to be a ham and constantly singing, dancing, or making other sound effects. Happy Birthday, Luke. I love you so very much.

Weathering a Poop Tsunami

Well, Team Colley has had an unimaginably rocky road the past few weeks. Can you believe that the easy part was weathering a blizzard, getting the house ready for sale, packing up our lives and driving out to Columbus? That was a pleasure cruise compared to what happened when once we got here.

We arrived in Columbus on Friday (2/4) and got moved into the corporate housing condo. My dad was wonderful enough to drive out to help with the unpacking, etc. He left on Sunday afternoon.

Monday afternoon I went to my first doctor’s appointment with my new OB/GYN. This started out as a normal visit, pee in a cup, check my weight and blood pressure, etc. Next was an ultrasound to check on the development of the twins. Both look great and are moving and grooving around in there. Good news. Next my doctor checks my cervix and things go silent. He looks at me and says that I have an incompetent/funneled cervix and that I have to be admitted to the hospital that night. I called Shawn at work (his first day) and told him to go home immediately, drove back to the condo, and told him what was happening. We packed a bag and then went to the hospital where I was admitted. (Thank God that some great friends of ours were able to pick up Walter and care for him.) I had surgery where the doctor attempted to put in a cerclage on Tuesday afternoon, but my cervix was too effaced to put one in. The next few days were a blur of IVs, monitors, and drugs but things have settled down a bit. I haven’t had any contractions and the babies are doing great, but I will have to remain at the hospital on bed rest until I deliver. I am 19 weeks and 6 days today, so I have a long road ahead of me. Luckily, we have family and friends to support us, so I know that we’ll get through this some how.

I know that this is a pretty big shock and you might have questions or concerns, feel free to email me or leave a comment and I’ll let you know what is going on. Any good thoughts or prayers sent in this general direction will be greatly appreciated.

Looking forward to . . . .

We’ll be heading out to Columbus a week from today and things are starting to get a bit stressful: deciding on a realtor, working with the relocation company, getting temporary housing, scheduling painters, etc. I’m trying to calm down a bit and remind myself of the things I’m looking forward to when we get to when get there:

Seeing all of our dear friends that we miss.

Having Jeni’s Ice Creams whenever I desire.

Going to the North Market.

No more Badgers or Packers media hype.

Once again being involved in the Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff Arts Council.

Having a better daily newspaper to read.

The Wexner Center for the Arts.

Being back in the Buckeye Nation.

Nordstroms

Being around my two dear friends that are pregnant. I’m not alone!

Pregger Winter Wardrobe

I must admit that I spend the majority of my time in comfy pajama pants and oversized t-shirts during the day, much to my husband’s dismay. But, when it is in single digits and I am not leaving the house, can you blame me? Especially since now I am stuck wearing maternity clothes? Blarg. I have been able to find a few items online that have become staples, mostly some jeans and soft knit tops from GAP Maternity, here’s what I’ve been able to come up with to make an outfit that is acceptable in public, and more importantly, husband approved.

I guess God knows what I can handle.

Because doubling our family size is not enough change for Team Colley, we have decided to throw a little more wood on the fire and move back to Columbus. I joke, but this was not an easy decision to make. Here’s what went down:

Shawn was offered a position with Tween Brands (the owners of Justice) to help create and launch their new line for boys, called Brothers. After much discussion, pro and con lists, and endless what-if scenarios, we decided that it would be best for our family to take this opportunity and run with it. It is definitely a bittersweet feeling. We have come to enjoy our lives here in the land o’cheese and will miss our home, friends, and community. Not to mention being close to my family. However, we feel that this is what is for us at this time and for our future.

Things are going to be happening at warp speed around here. Shawn has already put in his notice at Lands’ End and his start date at Brothers is February 7th. This means that the next few weeks will be spent dealing with relocation people, putting our house on the market (sniff), and getting things packed up to make the drive to Columbus. Here we go.

Sea Change

I apologize for the long hiatus, but much has been happening around here and I frankly wasn’t up to the task of documentation. I’ve been trying to come up with a clever way to reveal the news, but I feel that there is no way to do it other than just say it.

I am thrilled to announce that I’m pregnant. . . . with twins!!

Shawn and I are both excited and overwhelmed by the news and are looking forward to exponentially expanding Team Colley. I’m currently 15 weeks along and we have an estimated due date of July 5, 2011. Shawn is already planning future birthday pyrotechnic displays.

I’ve been battling some major morning (all day & night) sickness for the first trimester, but its seeming to slowly taper off this past week or so. I won’t get into the details, but brutal is the only word I can use to describe it. I am eternally grateful to Shawn for taking care of me, Walter, and everything else for the past few months while I was out of commission. He has definitely been my rock.

I am gradually feeling more like a human again, so I hope to be able to get back to some form of my old routine, including more regular postings here. I promise not to become a “mommy blogger” but I will be keeping you informed about this new facet in our lives.

Hiatus

I’ve decided to take a little break in the blogging until after the holidays. There are grand things going on around here that are taking up more time and energy that I thought possible. I promise to divulge more information in the new year, until then I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday Season!

Happy Thanksgiving

We’ll be heading down to Club Ponderosa later today to spend Thanksgiving. Just want to say how thankful I am for all my wonderful friends and family. I love you all and hope that you have a great Turkey Day!

The ’61 Awning Tote by J.W. Hulme

Check out this amazing tote created by J.W. Hulme. This gorgeous, limited edition tote was created when a customer called and asked if the company wanted to have an old awning that they made back in 1961. (Prior to becoming the master leather goods company it is today, J.W. Hulme started out manufacturing tents and awnings. Check out their amazing history here.) The designers decided that they could reuse the material by pairing it with their American Heritage Leather to make a functional tote. Due to the amount of awning canvas we could salvage we could only make a small run of ten. How I envy one of those lucky ten who will carry one of these beauties. Anyone in the NYC area should go check out the totes at The Pop Up Flea in NYC this weekend, I doubt they’ll be available after.

Photos by JW Hulme Co.