Expecting the Unexpected: 29 week update

I am just hours away from being officially 30 weeks! The 30's sound great for delivering twins, HEAPS better than the 20's.  The boys have been more wiggly than ever this week & have started having simultaneous hiccups which feel so funny.  I am more excited every day as I think about holding them both in my arms. 

We spent nearly an entire day at Winnie on Wednesday. We left the house at 6:30 so I could make it to a work meeting at 7:30.  It was fun to feel like part of the team while I was there & made me look forward to returning to my once weekly shift after maternity leave. I grabbed some breakfast downstairs in the cafeteria to snack on during the meeting.  I had a bagel thin with peanut butter & then ordered 3 pieces of bacon. The guy serving me could not stop talking about how big my belly was. He apologized for most of the bacon pieces being broken & told me to tell the cashier that I ordered 3. When I told her what I ordered she said, "Ma'am, I think you have 7 pieces of bacon there." She was not pleased with the discordance in serving size (sorry, that word is SO a part of my vocabulary now). I wanted to laugh out loud but she stared at me & then looked angrily across to the guy who served me my food. I told her I didn't care what she charged me for, I just wanted to eat. I was out of there quickly then headed up to my meeting.

I had about a 3 minute potty break between the meeting & my sonogram at 8:30.  They were right on time which was a nice change.  The sonogram went as well as we could hope for this week!

Summary:

• Owen, my calm child remained in cephalic presentation while Anson, the wild buckaroo had moved from breech to cephalic. 
• They were more compliant than usual & the sonographer was able to get her measurements easily. My guess is that they are now experiencing a decrease in carbs at breakfast time with my new diet ; ) 
• The fluid pockets are 7cm in depth in each sac. They have never had the same amount of fluid & we never thought that Owen's fluid would go from 3 all the way up to 7! I can tell the difference with his ability to move around a lot more with a larger "swimmin' hole"
• Their Biophysical Profiles were both perfect. Remember this is what checks their well being. 
• The Doppler Studies were also perfect! 
• No growth measurement this week but will be assessed again next Wednesday.

We met a different MFM doctor this time & really enjoyed talking with him.  He said the boys looked great!  He did say that as we continue to assess the growth, if the boys stay in the 30-40% range of discordance that we are looking at somewhere between 34 & 36 weeks for delivery but probably on the earlier side. If Owen starts to show any signs that he is not tolerating life in utero then we will be meeting them even earlier. Same story we keep hearing! We spent a longer time talking about the Gestational Diabetes care plan which was so helpful. He said they would give me about 7-10 days of monitoring my blood glucose with diet change alone & see if that can keep it under control.

Onto some pictures of these adorable faces:

Owen:

Anson:

Anson looks like he has a black eye....probably does from all that flipping he does that must drive his brother crazy! I do think that he looks a tiny bit like Eloise in this picture as his tongue is poking out a bit ; ) 

Owen's head is so low with his face pressed against the wall of the uterus that it makes it impossible to get a 3D picture right now. It also makes for a LOT of pressure for mommy to have his head right there! We have joked saying that if they are identical, we really only need a picture of one baby ; )

After our ultrasound we loaded a shuttle with some other pregnant ladies & their chosen attendee to enjoy a 3 hour long gestational diabetes educational class.  I was genuinely pleased with the information presented & especially with the educator. Even as a nurse who is somewhat familiar with what was taught, I learned many new things & feel much more prepared to manage my diabetes through diet. One lady in our class is an acrobat in the Cirque du Soleil show in Orlando who of course is on leave. We had a good laugh afterward talking about the random people we have met in Orlando that are "only in Orlando" kind of people such as: our waitress at Abuelos being a dolphin trainer at Sea World, a brother of a patient I delivered who was Goofy at Disney World & various other characters or people who swim with dolphins on a daily basis.  Makes being a nurse & an IT consultant sound so boring ha!

We ate some lunch on the way home, ran a couple errands & then I collapsed on the couch upon our arrival home where I stayed until dinner time.  This body gets worn out SO much more quickly these days...wonder why? I am headed to the regular OB tomorrow then planning for some rest & relaxation while the girls spend some time with a friend until after nap time. That means my mom gets some rest too! It should be nice for all of us. We are looking forward to the arrival of Robby's mom Jeannine, aka Grammy to the little ones around here.  She will arrive Saturday morning & stay for a week. My mom is going to take 5 days to be away. She gets to stay in Celebration with Edie that used to watch the girls when I worked. She has an extra bedroom & offered to welcome my mom in for as much time as needed! We were thankful for that option, free & close by just in case something happens with the babies.

I think that's about all the updates at the moment! More to come next week....

Celebrating Buckaroos!

Last weekend we celebrated the upcoming arrival of our little cowboys & it was just plain wonderful! It was western themed in & out starting with the adorable invite.....

There were more details included like "at the Lent Corral" & "RSVP Ya'll"...just what this Texas girl needed! 

I was actually still a little in shock to look at a shower invitation that said "2 Lil Buckaroos!" Boy colors & two of everything? Is this really happening? 

The food & decor were all themed & of course, likely to be pinned on Pinterest : ) 

We had a nacho bar, a milk bar, the cutest cowboy cake I had ever seen & red bandannas with white flowers in mason jars all over.  

It was a little sad to have just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes & then be faced with so many delicious things to eat. Self control is difficult during pregnancy! A bit more on the cake... Amanda Sands, a friend from CCC is the most fabulous cake baker & decorator! She took on the challenge of a western themed cake.  She asked Jenny what kind of cake I liked & Jenny was right on when she said chocolate! Amanda was SO thoughtful & got on my "yummy in my tummy" board on Pinterest.  She said it was pretty darn obvious that my favorite combination was chocolate & peanut butter...that makes me laugh. It's my late night pinning sprees while I lay on the couch with my big belly ; ) Anyway, the red icing was a regular flavor but the brown icing on the boots was PEANUT BUTTER flavored! It was incredible! In fact, I have thought about it multiple times a day since the shower & am thinking I may pay whatever she asks to make another & deliver it to me at the hospital once I can eat a regular diet again. Not more boots, just a square COVERED in icing.  I was just blown away that she would search to find out what I love in order to surprise me. What a sweet woman....with a sweet talent!

My mom & dad's gift for the shower were an assortment of western books for Owen & Anson. They figured the boys could only tolerate "Pinkalicious" for so long & might need a more masculine book selection in their room. These books also served as decor spread out around the main areas. My mom & I looked through all of them when we got home that night & decided that "Cowboy Small" was by far our favorite. We are going to order a second copy to cut out & frame some of the pages for the boys room. 

We had one very special guest straight from West Texas! The glowing new Grandmother, Toni Lent who is pictured below with precious Audrey Elizabeth sporting her cowgirl shirt & pants with fringe. My parents knew the Lent's way back in the day when Chris & I were both under the age of 8. It was special to have her there to celebrate with.  Little Audrey got fussy early on, took a little snooze then snuggled with her Grandma in the bedroom throughout the gift opening. I have a feeling that Toni didn't mind missing out on the party at all ; ) 

Amanda (the hostess), Amanda (the cake connoisseur), Me, Owen & Anson, Jenny girl & Sadee
Notice the super cute onesies with Sheriff stars hanging in the background which had a matching
clothesline full of socks across the bathroom mirror..we got to take those home too!

Once everyone had a full tummy, we played a little game.  It was a good combo of challenge & humor...

It was a game where you match the pregnancy/birth related word with a candy bar such as
one of my personal favorites: Breastfeeding matched with "Milky Way" :  )

I was thankful that Audrey let me borrow the ottoman from her room.  I also had a lumbar pillow that                   supported me just right so I could relax through the evening. 

Everyone worked hard as they giggled through the assignment...

.

Once all the giggles were out, we heard the correct answers.  One that had everyone laughing is how the candy "Whoppers" could be matched with multiple words such as Contractions, Baby Poop & the funniest one, Breastfeeding!  Amanda said "Since I used to be a kindergarten teacher, everyone is a winner!" Twins matched with "Twix" & the prize was the mini twix bars guests got to take home. Yummy!

The next portion was by far my favorite of the entire evening.  Amanda (the crafty hostess) made this to hang in the boys room.

If you look closely just above the word "blessings" you will notice 5 scripture references.  These precious women took time to read these scriptures aloud & pray over me, Owen & Anson.  Isaiah 43:1-7 was the last one read which made my eyes fill up with tears as it took me back to early on in this pregnancy when those words were what I was holding tight to as I fought to trust the Lord.  I am thankful for the prayers of MANY over the past 5-6 months & look forward to having these blessings displayed on their wall so I am reminded often of God's faithfulness. 

It touched my heart deeply as people saw fit to pray not only for me & the boys but also for Rob as he supports me & leads our family & for Charlotte & Eloise as they experience some major changes in our home becoming big sisters to twin brothers. Jenny closed us with the prayer below....

We all enjoyed some cake & then the gift opening began & boy, was that fun!

My friend & neighbor Alex made these cards that had the meaning of each of the boys names  inside.
She just got a Silhouette Cameo & may have surpassed me with one of her first projects ; ) 

Owen & Anson received MANY clothes which were greatly appreciated since all we have around here is either all pink or have pink on them somewhere ; ) They did receive a nice balance of matching outfits & coordinating outfits. I can hardly wait to see how they will look in the ones pictured above! I have had my eye on those sets for quite sometime! 

I got a gift that completely caught me off guard. I opened a card & saw my friend Jocelyn's (from Texas) handwriting & thought "what?"  Jenny reminded me how they were friends on Facebook & that Jocelyn had mailed a package to her. So very thoughtful! Then I opened up to find these little white onesies with snaps at the neck & a whole slew of matching bowties sewn by My sweet friend! Also in the box were two Texas Tech hats & a Curious George goes to the hospital book for the girls. All items will be greatly enjoyed around here! 

So, over all, lots of clothes, diapers, wipes, a set of these ridiculously cute Cowboy Trumpette socks , a new monitor since ours was knocked onto the tile floor & broke, a cover for a twin nursing pillow, newborn camo pjs & a set of camo swaddle blankets. Can you really be a cowboy without a set of Wranglers? I think not! They each got their own with a zip up jacket that has a horsey in it. We will have to praotect that one from Eloise ; ) Another unexpected gift combo from Jenny & Amanda (the hostess) was a few things from the Fresh Squeezed line of products by Infantino.  I came across it within the last month online & got SO excited. I immediately emailed those two ladies with a link. These products are for those who make their own pureed baby food & want to fill squeeze pouches to freeze versus buying them at the grocery store for $1.50 each. I can hardly wait to do some cookin' squeezin' & freezin'!  Lots of thank yous to write & I anticipate many months of caring for the boys while being reminded of all the love lavished on our little nest via this baby shower : )

The picture below has 6 people in it if you count those in utero.  My friend Freddi called me back in the fall & said "you are never going to believe this...I am pregnant again & it is TWINS!" We are less than 4 weeks apart, both have identical & the only difference is that hers are girls & mine are boys! Freddi & Rob have 3 other children & were very surprised to find out they were expecting & then totally shocked to see two little heartbeats! I couldn't think of a neater family to walk through this with as they are a bit ahead of us in marriage & parenting while both walking closely with the Lord. Oh, and of course, we have already talked about how to save money with a double arranged marriage in about 25 years ; ) 

There was another undeniably pregnant belly at the party too & it belonged to my friend Beth.  Rob & I had her daughter Hannah in our class last summer & fall. We LOVED her & enjoyed getting to know her mom & dad. They are welcoming a baby boy in February & couldn't be more thrilled!

I had to include a couple other pictures of guests...

This mother-daughter pair win the award for having the least amount of self control while shopping for baby clothes haha!  They alone outfitted the boys for the first 3 months of life ; )  Their gifts included "little brother" shirts & then a special bag for the girls that contains "big sister" shirts & a new necklace & bracelet for each one.  The girls will be waiting until it is time to wear the shirts & bling to open the bag because I can assure you that they will be stained & broken (or lost) by the time the boys are here! 

Alex wins the award for dressing "western" with her  gingham pearl snap top & navy bandanna! Alex lives in my neighborhood & has two kids that are each a couple months older than mine.  The kiddos enjoy playtime with each other & we always enjoy visiting! 

Another gift was one that won't be received until after the boys are here but may be more important than clothing & possibly even diapers ; ) Anyone who desired could fill out a "service with a smile" card that they filled in the blanks with their name, phone number & a way they would like to serve our family once the boys are here.  There was a wide array of offers such as bringing a meal, helping with cleaning the house, taking the girls to the park, coming over so a tired mama can nap & one friend even volunteered she & her husband to babysit all four little Valentines while we go out on a date! Disclaimer for those who offered to come over while I snooze.....at about 7:30 the other morning, my mom insisted that I go lay down in my bed instead of napping on the couch.  She woke me up out of a dead sleep at 11:30! Just a quick little 4 hour nap ; ) For those of you who want to help in that way, I vow to set my alarm or give you permission to send the girls in to wake me up in a reasonable amount of time ; ) 

And we will end with a picture of those in boots. My mom & I ordered matching ones that were a different color from the ones Amanda ordered. We were happy with our purchase & felt very cowgirlish. 

I am so thankful for these women who have loved us well & have prayed for our family over the course of this pregnancy & some since we moved to Florida. What a blessing it was to spend an evening with them It was extra special to have my mom there to celebrate with as well.  Thanks to Amanda & Jenny for planning such a boot scootin' good time. What a special night....just wondering when these buckaroos will be making their debut!

Expecting the Unexpected: Eating for 3

Expecting the Unexpected rings true again. Never in my life did I think I would have the excuse to say "I am eating for three" & never in my life did I think I would have some of my cravings squashed by the diagnosis of gestational diabetes partway through my hungriest pregnancy yet! 

So let's start at the beginning of pregnancy number three. I felt hungry before I even knew I was pregnant. I stayed in starvation mode even throughout the awful nausea & vomiting.  I could & can still eat a feast at every meal with more than a few snacks in between. Sound familiar? I thought I was hungry when I was pregnant with Eloise, see Eating for two, but this pregnancy has made that one look like I was on a diet
; ) 

I was really interested to know what was recommended for growing multiples as opposed to a singleton.  A friend of mine that has twins recommended a book called When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads.  She followed the recommendations as well as she could & delivered around 30-31 weeks with great sized babies for that gestational age.  I also have another friend that followed the recommendations & carried triplets to 35 weeks with two weighing over 5 pounds & one just under.That is awesome! I was really excited to read it since I fall more on the "knowledge is power" side of the fence & of course hope for the best outcome with my little ones. 

It is written by Dr. Barbara Luke, a professor of obstetrics & gynecology who has taught at two different medical schools, researcher & nutritionist along with another woman who is a professional writer & has twins herself. Dr. Luke founded and ran a multiples clinic in Michigan that counseled women throughout pregnancy with the goal of improving pregnancy outcomes.  The outcomes she mentions are quite impressive such as lower incidence of preterm labor, high blood pressure, preeclampsia & premature rupture of membranes, all things mamas of multiples are at a higher risk for. For the infants born to these moms, the outcomes are fantastic. Results have been triplets weigh 35% more on average while twins weigh 20% more than others born nationwide at the same gestational age.  She also mentions that 60% of twins deliver at 36 weeks or later compared to only 40%  nationwide. 

This blog post is not all about this book but I have to share a bit about how it has shaped my eating plan.  Another important chapter is titled Weight-Gain Goals & Nutrition Know-How.  It starts with talking about the importance of the weight gain pattern. It states:

• "Your weight gain up to 28 weeks has the greatest influence on the babies' rate of growth. recent research on twin pregnancies has shown that the amount you gain before 28 weeks gestation significantly influences your babies' growth rates before & after 28 weeks - and all the way up to their delivery date."
• For triplets & quadruplets, the weight gained prior to 24 weeks makes the most difference. "For instance, triplets whose moms gain at least 36 pounds by week 24 generally are born nearly a half a pound heavier than triplets whose moms did not hit this early weight gain goal." A half a pound doesn't sound like much on our bodies but on a preemie it makes a big difference!
• Anyone remember what it feels like to try & consume a large amount of food when 38-40 weeks pregnant? If you forgot, it feels like your stomach is only about 6 inches from your chin & is the size of a ping pong ball. That is at least how I feel : ) "The bigger your babies grow, the less room there is for your stomach to expand. With multiples, that 40 week size arrives much sooner- at around 32 weeks for twins, 28 weeks for triplets, and 24 weeks for quads." With my appointment at 29 weeks yesterday, I am already measuring 41 weeks due to my short stature so I am definitely feeling the the squeeze between the top of my belly bump & my chin. 
• For twins with a mom starting at a normal weight which I was just under, she recommends 20 pounds by 20 weeks, 38 pounds by 28 weeks with a total of 45-60 pounds. I hit the 28 week goal of 38 pounds last week. Wahoo! 

As far as nutrient requirements, recommended caloric intake is 3,500 which is broken down into 20% Protein, 40% Carbohydrates & 40% Fat.  Although the high intake of fat & large amounts of red meat are not recommended for the general population, for a short time has major benefits for growing multiples. 

All that to say, when I read that I should eat that many calories a day, I was stoked! It was everything I had ever dreamed of in a pregnancy ; ) I did run this by my doctor & he thought the total weight gain was about right but thought sticking closer to 2800-3000 calories was a better idea. Honestly, I haven't really kept track of exact calories throughout but have eaten often & a lot. 

Onto the cravings of this hungry mama:

1. RED MEAT
- This is hands down the one thing I cannot get enough of!!! I have eaten more steak, steak fajitas & roast beef sandwiches than any person should ever consume. My favorite place to get a roast beef sandwich from is Publix, our neighborhood grocery store (for those of you who don't live around here).  I get it with Boar's Head meat & cheese & can consume in record breaking time. I have been known to get a 12 inch & eat it in one sitting.  We have gotten hooked on Cantina Laredo Mexican Restaurant which happens to be close by my doctors office.  It think we have eaten there weekly & one week twice for the past month.  Two times ago we got the lunch portion of steak fajitas & we called the waiter over to ask how much more it was to get the dinner portion, he took one look at me & said "oh, eating for two" to which Robby replied "actually she is eating for three." He swiftly delivered a dinner sized portion to our table on top of what we already had. We ate it all up & he was so kind to not even charge us for it : ) Thanks Owen & Anson for making me look so hungry!
- As I mentioned in a previous post , we added a smoker to our collection of items on the back porch so I have enjoyed my fair share of brisket that tastes better than any BBQ I ever had in Texas
-I went through a week span of eating a sausage, egg & cheese breakfast sandwich from Panera more days than not. 

2. NUTS

- I am like a little squirrel having a constant supply of a bag of assorted nuts in my purse at all times. My current favs are almonds & walnuts. 
-Sunday mornings as soon as the sermon starts I sneak my bag out & start snackin'!

3. ICECREAM

- We went through more than a couple tubs of Blue Bell (is there any other ice cream out there?) Cookies & Cream.  It was the nightly treat right before bed for awhile. I have slowed down on my ice cream consumption lately but was just informed by a diabetic friend that eating a small portion of premium ice cream was still a possibility for gestational diabetes due to its high protein & high fat that slows the absorption of sugar. Yee-haw! These growing cowboys love when I eat ice cream ; ) 

Living on the thin side of life, I have never worried too much about portion control, calories or carbohydrates.  Along with my OB doctor I was shocked to be diagnosed with gestational diabetes, I actually laughed out loud.  Thinking back to what I have eaten over the course of this pregnancy, I don't think I have been completely out of control but I did stick to three protein drinks a day for awhile that were high in sugar. Of course as a mom or just as a woman, I am frequently analyzing myself or the situation to see if I did things right or wrong. I will say that I ate probably 100 donuts during my last pregnancy by the time Eloise made her debut but I passed my glucose tolerance test.  I know I went on a Rainbow Chip icing binge for a few days somewhere around 20 weeks this time around & I enjoyed some Halloween candy but overall, I felt like I was eating a wide variety of healthy foods along with some sweet treats.  So, can you really know if you caused it to happen? I don't know. My doctor said I was the skinniest twin mama to be diagnosed with gestational diabetes he has ever seen in his 20+ years of practice. He said as I was leaving the office yesterday "Thanks for throwing me a curve ball!" I replied "Just trying to keep you on your toes!"

His best guess is that I ended up with this diagnosis this time around because of the twins.  Basically what happens in any pregnancy is once the placenta takes over providing nourishment for the baby, hormones are secreted that can interfere with how the body usually responds to insulin. These hormones can cause insulin resistance to occur making the blood glucose level rise.  So imagine a placenta large enough to support the growth of two babies & the excessive amount of hormones secreted.  My pancreas apparently could not keep up! Generally one of the greatest risks is a baby who grows to large & then experiences birth trauma in a vaginal delivery.  This is not really a concern at all with twins who will be delivered via cesarean. One risk we are up against is the boys becoming hypoglycemic after birth.  They will be monitored closely following delivery & treated as necessary. For me, this will go away at delivery! I am at a greater risk for developing Type II Diabetes later in life though. May sound nerdy but I am looking forward to meeting with the diabetic educator this coming week & learning all about what is happening inside my growing body & getting some tips on what to read to be even more educated. For now I have started on a diabetic diet & will get my glucose monitor this week when I see the educator. I will do a weeks worth of monitoring (4 times/day) while just changing my diet & if it is under control I will continue with that plan.  If I am getting abnormally high results, I may be started on insulin.  Hopefully diet change is all this girl needs! 

This pregnancy has taught me a ridiculous amount of information that I will have in my mind for the rest of my life.  It is SO different to experience it all first hand rather than care for patient after patient dealing with high risk pregnancies.  For that I am thankful as I know I will understand more deeply what these families have struggled through to make it to Labor & Delivery.  I am thankful also for living where we do, just a mere 25 minutes from such a high acuity hospital that is able to provide excellent care for me & the little guys. I am thankful for the resources we have been graciously given to cover the necessary expenses. 

I am thankful that I am still pregnant at 29 weeks with 2 wiggly boys inside as I write these words. God has shown us mercy week after week.  Join us in praying that my body would respond well to my change in diet & provide these babies with exactly what they need to keep growing. 

Expecting the Unexpected: 28 week update

The 28th week of this pregnancy is almost gone! We are rejoicing to be closer & closer to a safer time to deliver these sweet boys but are still quite aware of pending complications.  One fun thing for week 28 is that my new neighbor & friend Erica took some pictures of our family to document all the growth we are experiencing. I am just including a couple but there are more to come. Such a gift to have something to look back on and see our family (and me) on the verge of bursting!

We had an ultrasound this afternoon following our two week break.  It was not fantastic news but was not "cry-worthy" either.

Here is the summary:

• Owen only gained 4oz taking him from 1lb 14oz to 2lb 2oz & back down to the 18th percentile
• Anson packed it on & gained 13oz taking him from 2lb 5oz to 3lb 2oz maintaining his spot in around the 68th percentile. 
• This made the discordance greater changing from 19% back to 33%. This was a bit disappointing to hear. 
• Thankfully the Dopplers & Fluid Levels are perfect for both buckaroos. 
• They were quite active as usual & Dancin' Anson moved back to breech position. That little mover switches back & forth every visit!

We visited with the MFM doctor who was chipper & said "I think you will be able to stay pregnant for awhile longer." That was reassuring to hear! He said that at this point we need to move back to weekly appointments from now until delivery.  These appointments will include weekly Biophysical Profiles (BPP) which is basically an assessment of fetal well being in the womb. It assesses fetal heart rate, muscle tone, breathing, movement & amniotic fluid. Both boys passed with flying colors today & we will pray that they continue to due so. Every other week they will check the growth of the boys & as far as this goes, we are back to what we were told previously which is if Owen drops below the 10th percentile & stops growing then they will be born.  

Another thing that has come up in the past two weeks is that I failed my 1hr glucose screen & had to do the 3hr test yesterday.  I just got a call from my doctor about 5 minutes ago that confirmed I am indeed a gestational diabetic! I dare say how much more complicated can this get? My doctor was actually shocked & we both laughed since he told me when he ordered my first test that he would quit his job if I had gestational diabetes! Thankfully he wasn't serious & he can still deliver the boys : ) He thinks it was the twins that pushed me over the edge. I did read that with twins I am twice as likely to have it so I guess it measures up.  Next thing on the agenda for this new diagnosis is attending an educational class on managing gestational diabetes & getting my own little finger pricker to monitor at home. Sadly this means I will be saying farewell to ice cream & cupcakes. I know I am a nurse & an OB nurse at that but I have some brushing up to do on what I should be eating. 

We (me, Rob & my mom) took a tour of the NICU at the end of last week. We got to visit with a social worker & a Neonatologist.  It was WONDERFUL!  We got to peek at some babies that are the same weight as the boys are currently.  I was actually picturing them so much smaller than they really are & as I watched them wiggle around in the incubators I thought "no wonder I can't sleep at night!"  We were there for a good hour & a half & left feeling so much more comfortable with the possibility of having preemies.  The social worker who took us on the tour will be the one assigned to the boys should they need to stay there so it is nice to have a contact person/familiar face. The doctor there reassured us that being over 28 weeks & weighing over 2.2lbs makes a big difference & said it was great that I already received a dose of the steroid to help with their lung maturity.  He was very pro breastfeeding which made me excited. 

All that to say, we walked out of the office today & Rob said "Well it was fun to have two weeks of feeling great! Back into the woods we go!" Praise the Lord for remaining near to us every step of the way & for continuing to form these little ones just as He desires. 

Here are me & my four at week 28....

Swimmin' & Smokin'...meat that is

"Swimmin' & Smokin'," I know sounds a little country but, we are from Texas & my brain is currently on overdrive as I mentally decorate the western room for the twins so, that's the title that came to mind!

Rob & I change year to year on how we celebrate our anniversary including gift giving. Many years we just celebrate with going out. This year we decided on dinner out (twice) & our gift to each other was the purchase of a Smoker. We have tossed the idea around for awhile but as my appetite for red meat became more & more expensive throughout this pregnancy Rob decided that he wanted to bite the bullet & start smokin' his own meat.  Since then he has thanked me saying that it was really a gift for him because he loves the entire process.  I just smile thinking "Whatever you say honey" while I salivate even thinking about the BBQ I have enjoyed from the 3 days of smoking he has done. It was definitely a gift for me too! 

A couple Saturdays ago he awoke at 3am to fire up the smoker. The rest of us woke up & enjoyed a leisurely morning before welcoming Jenny, Karis & Isaac over for a swim. Lovely Florida in January, it was a perfect 80 degrees with a breeze so sitting outside was quite enjoyable. 

Here's part of the crew with the smoker in the background....

All three girls fought over who got to hold the hose to fill the pools.  Thankfully Karis & Eloise were okay with just letting Charlotte take over for filling the big one.  You can see how intent Bella Blue was on watching the water.  That dog LOVES getting wet & biting the water from the hose.  Sadly enough she nibbled Elo's finger on accident.  No pictures but there is definitely video footage.  I just left the camera rolling since she wasn't hurt too bad & it reminded me of a video we have of my brother Kyle at nearly the same age getting nipped by our dog. 

Can't beat having cousins to swim with!

Bella couldn't help herself & within about 15 minutes ended up in the pool.  The girls were amused for a very short time....

Then they became angry & tried with all their might to pull Bella out of the pool.  All three girls together still don't weigh as much as Belle : )

Once they got rid of the puppy dog Charlotte enjoyed some jumping.  Karis & Eloise preferred to ride the side of the pool like a horsey no matter how many times we asked them not to. 

While the girlies were swimmin' Isaac ate his lunch & watched all the splashing. This adorable little guy is just a month away from his first birthday! He makes me SO excited to meet our boys & will definitely enjoy having some buddies to spend days like today with. 

After lunch Isaac joined in the fun. Well it was fun in the mini pool all alone until the rest of the crew jumped in.  He was NOT happy ha!

We got dried off & then Elo & Karis pretended to take a nap...

My sweet baby Eloise, who is still my baby until the twins make their debut was happy to cuddle up on mommy for a bit.  In some ways she is seeming so big as she puts words together & gets more coordinated but then I look at her cute little babyish body in the picture on the right & am reminded that she is still more like a baby than a big girl at the moment.  Her chubby cheeks & thighs just make me melt. Her difficulty obeying & sheer delight in running through the house in the nude after a bath are things to savor as the baby days come to a close. Although I think kids might experience those same two things for longer than babyhood ; ) 

The big girls reclined in their chairs. We could not stop laughing about how Charlotte looked like a little old lady. I am guessing there aren't too many old ladies that suck their thumbs though.

When I flipped back through the pictures on the camera immediately after taking them it happened. It was the moment I realized why people keep saying "You must be due any day now!" I was in shock when I saw my side view....wow! No wonder Rob continually says "I think your belly might just split open!" Haha! 27 weeks & more to go, how much bigger can I get? Only time will tell!

Jenny got to help Rob do some rearranging with the meat. I was so hungry at this point I might have grabbed it off the grill & made a run for it. 

Rob had taken orders from three different families & smoked meat for all of us.  Luke & Taylor stopped by to pick up their order & found me & Rob sitting out back with our country music on reclining in our lawn chairs.  Their comment was "You sure bring a lot of Texas to this neighborhood!" That made me laugh hard even thinking about it later.  We did notice that many people that drove by slowed down & stared...that wouldn't happen in Texas ; ) Robby did say that I kicked it up a notch when I brought my craft project outside & was stitching up some cowboy hats & cactus's for the boys room. Bottom line, I'm proud to be a Texan. We ended up eating a delicious meal around 4 so it was a long day for Rob since he woke up at 3am to get things started!

Lovely weather, pretty cute kiddos & some amazing BBQ = a wonderful day!

Charlotte at 3 1/2 years

Three & a half with a whole lot of change going on in her life! Charlotte Grace has been full of surprises lately which include sweet snuggly moments, the craziest melt-downs I never thought possible & everything in between. She is a fast learner, loves to be read to, has a fabulous memory (very jealous of this in my third trimester of pregnancy), loves her sister & my growing belly.  Her laugh is contagious & we just love her. 

Char & Bella Blue have bonded well in the recent weeks.
Charlotte has even let me know when Bella would like to watch a TV show with her : )  

What this 3 & a half year old is up to:

• has letter & number identification down 95% of the time
• likes to ask "but why?"
• loves to trace letters in her preschool learning book or when I put dots on the page for her
• works really hard on her artwork with her favorite things to draw being our family & the dogs

One evening about a month ago I was sewing while Char was drawing on her easel.  She said "hey mommy, look I drew a picture of our family!" I turned around and my jaw dropped! This was the first ever picture she had drawn of actual people.  Rob is the biggest person, he said he thinks he looks a little like a penguin.  Charlotte is the next biggest then I am pretty small at her feet. I hope that is not a representation of how she sees me ; ) I do have two very small babies in my belly.  Eloise is the little person off to the left, Bennett & Bella are near the bottom.  There are a sun & moon in the top corner.  We were impressed! 

• prefers messy markers or colored pencils over crayons
• is quick to pull up a chair to help at the kitchen counter no matter what I am doing
• can sit & listen to books for longer than I can sit & read aloud ; ) Current favorites: Mrs. Spider's Tea Party & Pinkalicious 
• takes excellent care of her new baby (doll) brother- cutest thing she does with him is read books while he sits in her lap

• still likes that thumb
• loves to make her bed & can do it perfectly
• loves to fold towels, blankets & pants, also perfectly
• she is always very proud of how she cleaned her room & wants everyone to come check it out
• can hardly wait to be a big sister to her baby brothers. She lays next to me with her head on my belly until they kick her. Then she says "They sayin' 'who's squishing me?'" She then answers the question by saying "It's just Charlotte, your big sista!" 
• wants three of anything exclaiming "Three, because I'm three"
• thinks it is hilarious to say "I'm a boy! See, I talk like this" making her voice as low as it can go
• loves to be outside whether at the park or just on the sidewalk riding her scooter like a maniac

in a super speedy crouched position ....hahaha!

• sings a song she calls "Candy Song" where the only words are candy song. The tune is always the same & she almost died of excitement when Rob sang it to her at bedtime one night. Ha!
• is quite the fashion queen & accessorizes with bracelets, necklaces & socks, she also likes to include others....

• works on her dance moves at least once every day
• makes us laugh when she does random things like holding grapes up in front of her eyes & says "Look, I'm a snowman!"
• loves her sissy & loves to "help" her obey mommy

Two cutie pies getting some sun on a warm "winter" day

Little Stinker:

• When we put her to bed at night she comes out within 30 seconds claiming that Eloise is keeping her awake. We send her back in & then watch her on the monitor as she hangs on the side of the crib talking Elo's ear off. Sometimes it can take over an hour for them to fall asleep.
• She is up for napping without a fight about once every three days right now.  On the 2 days in between the naps it is quite noisy as she tells me how she feels about being told to take a nap. This can include screaming, kicking the door & taking a swing at mommy. More on being her mommy later. 
• She got some little tubes of Lip Smackers for Christmas. During one nap Rob heard her yelling "help, help!" He went in her room to find her laying on her back, hanging off the bed with her head on the floor & her arms out stretched with a tube (no cap) in each hand trying not to let them touch the carpet. 
• I am about to lose my mind with this one: She wants to wear layers upon layers of clothing every day. She can hardly wait to get dressed & refuses help 99% of the time. If left to herself, she will come out of her room with at least 5 shirts on, her winter coat, leggings & a skirt.  Her most likely future career would be based out of Antarctica. I had to confiscate all socks because she would wear every single pair making her feet look like they were broken with casts on. Her room looks like she invited all her friends over for a fashion show with clothing strewn about. I am about to lock the closet & dresser drawers.....more prison like might be helpful ; ) So, on December 31st, Rob & I were eating our dinner when I noticed I hadn't seen Char for awhile. Rob went into her room to see what kind of trouble she was getting into. He saw her donning layers upon layers of clothing & when he caught her eye she said "Oh hi Dad" in a play it cool kinda way.  He left her alone & when she walked into the kitchen all dressed for sleeping in an igloo Rob asked her to come to him so he could count how many shirts she was wearing. She immediately said "NOOOOOO!" because that usually means we are going to take them away. This time we said that she could wear as many things as she wanted to for bedtime but starting in the new year she could only wear 2 shirts at a time + a jacket on a cold day. This has gone okay but most of the time I think she would rather wear more layers than get her reward. If she can obey the new ruling, she gets three coins to put in her piggy bank. Why three you ask? Because she's three!

• She has gone without eating dinner multiple times saying that she doesn't like whatever we are serving. One night we told her that if she didn't eat any of it that it would be waiting for her for breakfast the next morning.  I was gone but apparently she decided to eat some before she went to bed.  Usually if she gives it a try she says "I yike it now!" She manages to put down a decent breakfast following skipping dinner!

Little Thinker:

• She has recently become obsessed with watching the videos set to music that include pictures & video clips of when she, Eloise & Isaac my nephew were born.  The one of Isaac is her favorite & happens to have Jenny looking not so comfortable during her natural labor, go figure. She is always so concerned with why Jenny looks sad.                                                                                                  This is how our conversation usually goes:  Char: Why is Jenny so sad Mommy? Me: Well honey, it is hard work & it hurts to have a baby. Char: (when we get to the 10 seconds of Jenny's face while she is pushing) Can we watch that part again? Me: Sure (I rewind & play again at least 5 times at her request. Char: WHAT IS SHE DOING???? Me: She is pushing really hard so baby Isaac will come out of her belly. Char: (sitting quietly for a bit): Did you have to push really hard for me to come out of your belly? Me: (trying to refrain from saying "oh my, you have no idea how hard I had to push for THREE HOURS for you to come out & it hurt SO bad!") Yes honey, I did have to push really hard.  Since then when we see new babies she asks me later "Did that baby's mommy have to push really hard?" She has not asked where the baby comes out & I have not filled her in on the details that her twin brothers will be cut out of my belly....might be a little much ; ) 
• One afternoon we were sitting outside & she was crying. I asked her to come sit next to me so we could chat.  I reminded her about how since she is a big girl, she can use her words to tell me why she is sad or upset. She looked up at me with tears streaming down her face & said "I don't know why I am crying, I just feel sad!" Oh my, 3 years old & it is already started ; ) Honestly I can remember saying that a few times during this pregnancy.
• She was pretending to be a doctor & was "listening" to the babies heartbeats. First she was Dr. Edison which I am not sure where that came from & then she introduced herself as Dr. Seuss.  I was laughing & she said very seriously "Hey Daddy, do you know how to put babies in Mommy's belly?" He quickly replied, "yes, yes I do Charlotte." I was holding my breath & she happily continued playing without asking anymore questions. Phew! Safe for at least one more day ; ) 
• We were really unsure of how she would respond to the news about Bennett.  She was crushed. It might have been the saddest moment of the entire week of his getting sicker & dying.  She talks about him frequently saying how she misses him. For the first week or so she would say "We need to go get Bennett right now!" It is a little difficult to start with her only exposure to dying being talking about Jesus dying since he came back to life unlike any one or any pet : ) Kind of tricky for her little mind to grasp.  She & Eloise get on a roll with saying the word "die" over & over.  We remind them that we don't need to say that over & over.  One afternoon we had a guest & Charlotte said immediately "Do you know what happened to Bennett? He got old & his belly hurt & he had to die. But my Daddy tells me & Elo that we can't say "DIE DIE DIE DIE!" Haha!

Here she is thinking about the garbage man as he did an 8 point turn in the cul-de-sac

At three & a half we are seeing more & more of her personality each day. We are seeing a bit of stubbornness & a lot of independence which I know can be great characteristics to have when channeled appropriately. We are seeing her being delightful & then having a melt down in the same minute. I have struggled greatly in the past two months with parenting in a kind, loving & patient way as I so strongly desire to do. This is partially due to my "status" meaning the excessive weight gain & lack of energy that really slows me down on acting quickly & partially due to my own sin of not overflowing with kindness & patience as we tackle each day's difficult moments.

I didn't know it could feel this hard although I know that each age has it's new level of difficulty : ) I feel like I am constantly questioning if we are doing things the right way especially when things seem to be going great one minute & we all crash the next.  So there is no happy ending here like "I have it all figured out" or "There is nothing to fear, Supermom is here!" or "God is guiding me each step of the way as I pursue Him throughout each interaction." Most days I am left feeling like I am doing a crummy job  & seem to neglect praying for the Lord to change my heart & hers.  Sin is just showing it's ugliness on a regular basis right now & we desperately need God to intervene.

Happy ending or not on the parenting front, I love my little Charlotte Grace.  We are grateful for the opportunity to grow with her in every way possible.  We look forward to seeing her become the big sister of 3 younger siblings all before turning four! We are thankful for her silliness, her giggle, her being so particular about certain things, her love for her sister & her growing independence.

Charlotte Grace is God's grace extended to us.  One way that looks right now is that it is His grace to us to refine us as we struggle through what it means to be a godly mother & father to her.  His provision is perfect....looking back it is easy to see.  She is a precious gift that little Charlotte!