Expecting the Unexpected: 26 week update

We are rejoicing today following another ultrasound where the Lord revealed how He continues to answer the prayers of many.  I will say before the details that it was SO good that they cancelled my appointment for next week & scheduled me for the following week instead!

Summary:

• Anson went from 1lb 14oz to 2lb 5oz
• and drum roll please.....Owen went from 1 lb 4 oz to 1lb 14oz! WOWSERS! That boy must be enjoying all those extra protein drinks : ) 
• The exciting number we heard is that the discordance in weight has decreased from 33% to 19 % which means we are in normal range for monochorionic twins! 
• The Doppler Studies & fluid levels for both boys are great
• They are both cephalic & were in a wrestling match while the sonographer tried to get her measurements. I wonder if Anson is thinking, "uh oh! He's getting tougher!"
• The doctor said that whatever I am doing is working so keep on keeping on! His only concern is that Anson decreased from about 78th percentile to 68th percentile instead of maintaining or steadily increasing.  He wants to verify that the reason Owen is picking up the pace is NOT because he is stealing from his brother. They will check the measurements of the boys in 2 weeks to see if Anson continues to decrease on the percentile scale or is just settling into a new growth pattern that is more like his brother.  We will pray for the latter!

On our way out of the hospital I said "Well, if I have learned anything it's that we are never out of the woods." Robby said "Yes, but sometimes we get really close to the edge." 

Other news is that I am safe to work an 8 hr shift a week sitting & watching monitoring strips instead of running all over Labor & Delivery! This is exciting since I love the hospital environment so much & miss seeing my friends there.  I am not officially on the schedule yet but need to make some calls & see where I can pick up hours.  This monitoring position happens to be on our Antepartum unit where they keep moms that are pregnant & high risk....sounds like a safe place to be for this mama if you ask me! 

So here is the day away from 27 WEEK belly. If you look closely you can see it sticking out of the bottom of my shirt. This is the tell tell sign that the pregnancy is coming to an end although this time, there are more than a few weeks to go! I am measuring 43 inches around my belly which is what I was at 38-39 weeks with the girls!  I have felt amazing this week with my mom here since it has allowed for lots of rest. She is an incredible woman who is serving & serving & serving.  Bless her! 

Keep praying friends & family, we love you!

Squirrels 3, Valentines 0

We wanted to end the year with a "bang" (the bang of a gun that is) & cook up some squirrel stew but once again, the squirrels got the memo & were in hiding when we arrived at Bull Creek Huntin' ground on New Years Eve morning.  One major difference for this trip is that we actually SAW one, one measly little squirrel running about.  In the past two years we have not even laid eyes upon them. We were beginning to think they were like Australian Drop Bears but were proven wrong when we saw one race up a tree.  I would like to thank Robby for naming this blog post on our way home from the hunt. He said, "Well, Squirrels 3, Valentines 0....but we know where you live!"

Charlotte was beyond excited for our trip as we really talked it up for the few days leading up to the big hunt.  We took a trip out to Bass Pro to get some camo shirts for the girls.  There were all sorts of girly looking half camo/half Bambi looking shirts with matching pink hats etc.  I was quite impressed that Char went straight for the classic camo Bass Pro hat & insisted that Elo have one too.  Daddy quickly obliged & we were soon at the checkout with camo shirts & hats for all three Valentine ladies.  We remembered last year that Charlotte jumped right into a puddle upon exiting the truck & soaked her shoes & pants so we decided to get some boots one pair size 8 & one pair size 10. I was in charge of getting the girls dressed before leaving while Rob loaded the car. Those stylish girls wanted to wear their skinny jeans & Charlotte could not leave the house without her necklaces on.  When it was time to put on the new boots I wrestled Eloise into a choke hold ; ) & got boots on her. She proceeded to walk all over the house falling every 5 steps. We started thinking, oh no, this is not going to go well on uneven muddy terrain! I heard Charlotte in the other room having a complete melt down as she tried to put on her boots. She could only get one on so I tried my hardest to get the other one on her foot but it wouldn't budge. I glanced at the bottom & saw an "8." Oops, wrong shoes on the wrong girl! So I took Elo's off, put the other pair on her & gave Char the ones that came off of Elo's feet. Eloise continued to fall & Charlotte continued to thrash on the floor. I was beginning to think I was not up for an outing with them.  I then sat down with Charlotte & grabbed both shoes & looked at the bottom. What do you know, one size 8 & one size 10! No wonder she was so frustrated & Eloise couldn't stay standing for more than 30 seconds! Chalk it up to one giant placenta brain. I got every foot in the right boot as I thought about doubling the amount of boots to put on in two more years. I was already tired just thinking about it! We made it through breakfast at Panera & to the hunting ground without any more crying.

Here are the littlest squirrel hunters or "sweel" hunters as Charlotte says.

Charlotte, who will be 3 & a half next week was in charge of looking for "sweels" through the binoculars.  Once we were out on the land she got to ride unstrapped which she loved.  Robby was saying things like "Charlotte, I need you to keep your eyes open" & "Be on the look out" which we had to further explain.  She would reply "Why? Why do I need to keep my eyes open?" & then close them & say "Look my eyes are closed!" Funny girl.  As most three year olds do, Charlotte loved having an important job & she took it very seriously. Char made us giggle every time she said "be-knock-ee-yahs." She was also good at reminding her noisy sister that we needed to be quiet so we don't scare the "sweels." 

And precious little Eloise, she just loves the great outdoors.  We parked, Rob & Char took off down a trail while Eloise & I picked a spot in the leaves to sit & play since my goal was to walk as little as possible. She was a collector of rocks & sticks.  Every time I turned around she had a mouth full of dirt...that's my girl! When you tell her to be quiet she puts her finger up to her mouth & says "shhh" & then she screams a loud shrill scream just for kicks.  Another reason we didn't see too many fluffy tails! This poor child had to wear the same diaper for about 6 hours straight since I forgot the bag I packed for the girls.  You can imagine how wet she was by the end. Thankfully that was all that was in there ; ) 

The two real hunters watching the only squirrel we saw.

This might be my favorite picture of the day. Eloise was SO happy to ride up high on that handsome hubby of mine. 

Charlotte was forced to walk alongside when she was denied her request of riding on my shoulders. I honestly can't even remember the last time I picked her up so a shoulder ride was completely out of the question!

We went over to Billy Lake which is our favorite lunch spot.  We ate in the back of the truck & looked out in the water for alligators while Charlotte gave us the usual warning that goes like this..."We have to be sooo careful or the crocodiles will scratch us & bite us!" She says the same thing about bears : ) It also doesn't matter how many times you tell her that alligators live in Florida, not crocodiles.

Lunch at 10:30 is always good for preventing grumpiness in all parties.  This area happened to be SUPER muddy.  Char was jumping over a puddle & did a belly flop into the mud. It coated her hands, shirt & jeans. She stood up & looked at us, we looked at her expecting another major freak out, & she kind of laughed. Wow! Look who is growing up!  She definitely wanted to be cleaned up quickly but there were no tears! Rob dipped the girls boots in the lake & then gave them a ride back to the truck before me moved onto our next game trail. 

Here I am will all my kiddos stacked on one another ; ) I have not held Eloise like this at all due to the vast amount of pressure it puts on my belly but I couldn't resist because it is the perfect spot for her. I just love Charlotte's smile in this picture too....nothing fake about it! 

We found a nice area to walk through off the last game trail we stopped at. There was a huge tree that had fallen down so the girls crawled right onto it, straddled like a "ho-see" & stayed put for a good 10 minutes while I rested. Charlotte was still searching for animals through the binoculars while Eloise was pointing & identifying the trees, grass & anything else she could name. 

We managed to get a mommy & daddy picture before loading up.  I have been so thankful for this man in the past couple weeks as we suffered the loss of a dog & are still riding that emotional roller coaster of weekly doctor appointments. He is steady, trusting in the Lord & encouraging me to do the same. He is patient, caring for the girls (who have been increasingly more challenging) while I rest. He is open & honest, leading us through some deep conversations as we have felt sad & joyful some times in the same moment.  He is present, being near to us, laughing, guiding, loving & protecting just as he promised to do over 8 years ago.  Praise the Lord for capturing this man's heart & making him who is is today. I am excited to see him raise some Valentine boys!

It was a great squirrel hunt for many reasons one of which is that we didn't get a squirrel.  I'm not sure it would have been the best time to experience the death of another animal : ) Charlotte is processing a lot right now! I can guarantee that if the lack of squirrels is due to our noise level, we can be sure that we won't see one for at least another 5 years.

I will end with a funny story.  I'm a little jealous of how easy it is for guys to "go potty" out in the woods.  Thanks to my current state, it was impossible to hold it until we could get back to an actual restroom so I just went for it.  Charlotte heard me say something to Robby about how hard it was to assume correct positioning with a giant pregnant belly & started asking "What did you do mommy?" I told her that I went potty & left it at that.  That wasn't enough for her ; ) I had to explain further, she was grinning & then asked if she could go potty in the woods too.  I said "sure, let's give it a try." She squatted & stood up & squatted & stood up about 5 times & then said she didn't have to go.  We hopped back in the truck & headed home. On the way she said, "Hey Mommy, when we get home I think I will just go tee-tee in the grass okay? Me & Bella can go tee-tee together." Hahaha....this girl was made for the outdoors!

Squirrel Hunt- January 2012
Squirrel Hunt- 2011

Expecting the Unexpected: 25 week update

What a lovely visit we had today with our ultrasound : ) After previous visits I have walked out of the office asking Robby to summarize what we heard. It seems that my cup is received "half empty" as I tend to lean toward dwelling on the negative things we heard. Rob has joked before that I should have titled this series of posts "Expecting the Worst" instead of "Expecting the Unexpected." Haha....that made me laugh. 

This visit, we received ALL reassuring news for the first time in many visits PRAISE THE LORD!

Summary:

• Fluid has remained the same in both sacs- within normal range
• Doppler Studies on Anson remained the same- within normal range
• Doppler Study results on Owen provided the best of the news this week.  Remember this study shows the blood flow between baby & placenta & over the previous two weeks his had worsened.  This week it was completely back to NORMAL!! 
• Owen emptied & filled his bladder multiple times during the ultrasound...all parts are working! 
• Owen is cephalic & Anson is breech with his feet in Owen's face : ) 
• The doctor we saw came in with a grin to confirm all great findings! He said that Owen's Doppler study showed a vast improvement so I needed to keep up whatever I have been doing for the previous two weeks. I asked what can make the blood flow improve that well & he immediately asked if I had decreased the amount of physical activity I do in a day.  The answer to that is "YES!" He also asked how old my other children are and his eyes got big & he chuckled when I said 3 & 1.  So rest may be hard to come by around here but with help of all family & friends (and strangers at grocery stores that carry out bags & load my car) it is happening & it is making a difference.
• God is good, that is the summary in the grand scheme of things.  He continues to show mercy to us, sustaining the life & growth of Owen & Anson. 

One other really fun part of our ultrasound was that we got a little 3D glimpse for the first time.  They were adorable & I couldn't help but cry when I saw their little faces for the first time! 

Here they are....

Anson

Anson is snuggled closely against the wall of the uterus....guess it's a pretty comfy spot : ) 

Owen 

Look closely & you can see Anson's foot against Owen's left cheek blocking his eye.

In this one you can see Anson's heel right below Owen's left eye. Crazy boys wrestling from the beginning!

They look fairly similar to us, same nose & lips at least! Pray for some chub to grow on those little cheeks!

Today the girls got to spend time with my Mom's cousin Sheryl & her daughter Colleen who is almost 13.  Char & Elo had a blast and then crashed for a long nap.  Sheryl & Colleen were SO kind to mop & vacuum while were were away! I got to lay on the couch & visit for a little bit once we got home. They live in Brandon which is about an hour & a half drive from our house. We were so thankful they were willing to help!

We ended up with a giant screw in our tire that we noticed on our way there & made a detour to get it repaired on the way home.  Thankfully we made it to our appointment with just seconds to spare & the tire kept enough air in it to make it to Discount Tire.  I celebrated the great report with a McFlurry & large fries while we waited....the boys & I liked that! 

So, another week has passed, we are praising the Lord for his care of these precious boys.  We are praising Him for giving my mom the desire & ability to make arrangements to basically move in with us for the long haul starting this Sunday. We are praising Him for you, for your commitment to pray for us & for being a part of the story we will share of God's faithfulness with our children for years to come.  Thank you!

Uncle Scott saves the day (or week!)

There he is, my brother, Uncle Scott to the girls, the life saver (other than Jesus of course) during this Christmas.  Our original plan was to drive to Houston for Christmas to celebrate with my whole family.  Great plan until we realized I would be 24 weeks pregnant with twins : ) A car ride for a mere 18+ hours did not sound appealing in any way nor did I feel comfortable leaving my home turf (Winnie Palmer) in a high risk pregnancy.  So the decision was made a few months ago that we would stay put in Orlando.  Scott decided that he would come spend the holiday with us if we couldn't be there....YEA!

As the pregnancy progressed & became more & more high risk, we approached the week of my parents departure & Scott's arrival knowing that we could be told we needed to travel to Houston for an intervention with the boys. That is when we made the call to send Eloise home with Gaga & Paw Paw knowing we would either meet her there or that she could fly back with her beloved Uncle Scott.  Thankfully we had a decent report at the ultrasound that week & let Uncle Scott know to get his bag of tricks ready for an airplane ride with an 18 month old. He of course did it with ease even though it was late at night when they arrived & Eloise stayed awake the whole time. Apparently she just had a case of the wiggles which is better than a case of the poopie diaper explosion on an airplane ; ) 

Scott had called a few weeks ago to let me know that he wanted to take over the kitchen while he was in town. I thought about it for about a millionth of a second & said "SURE!" Both of my brothers are fantastic cooks & are both single, wink wink. A week later he sent me a list of recipes which I quickly approved & then salivated until his arrival.  We did some shopping the first day & he got to work! 

Here are pictures of the Beef Empanadas, beans & onions & then the Roasted Chicken with an amazing Lemon sauce. That was the girls favorite! He also made a delicious Chicken Noodle Soup, lots of lunches & snacks for the girls, washed about every dish in the house 8 times & rarely stopped smiling : ) 

There was a lot of playtime as it takes HOURS these days to wear the girlies out. I know Char was excited for Uncle Scott to play in the tunnel since I don't fit in there anymore. There was a lot of squealing & chasing going on! He forced me to lay on the couch & observe so I could receive an adequate amount of rest...so nice!

Remember how I said in the post about saying goodbye to Bennett that even in the midst of a difficult time we could clearly see God's mercy extended to us? God's mercy to us for 6 days was having Scott with us. He was amazing with the kitchen & with the girls but more amazing to just be present with us in our situation.

We three adults had more than a few very serious conversations over the course of his visit discussing the status of the twins & possibilities, caring for a sick dog & parenting a  3 year old & 1 year old when life seems to be too hard to handle. The girls were just out of sorts & there was a LOT of screaming coupled with a snotty attitude from the eldest child on occasion.

Here we are enjoying our lovely dinner Scott cooked....

and just in case you couldn't tell how sad she looked in the first picture.....

He also got to experience the split personalities of young children as this picture was taken about 10 seconds later....

We laughed a whole lot more over the week with Scott there than we would have alone.  All three of our brothers are capable of getting us to laugh hard very easily, we are thankful for that! Scott mentioned at one point that he felt like he had experienced some intense moments as he witnessed Rob & I in heated discussions about Bennett as we were both processing feeling uncertain & sad.  He also said while watching the girls freak out "is this the norm?" Haha! We decided that of any gift we could give Scott for Christmas, the best gift would be a clear picture of what married life with young children looks like in difficult times & that we did! I think I can be safe to say it was well received.  He loves us & said he wants to come back to visit : ) 

Praise God for providing for us in such a tangible way this past week.  We love you Scott!

Christmas at Home

Christmas Eve & Day were low key, partially because we wanted them to be & partially because we had a sick puppy dog that needed to be cared for. Looking back at the week, it was perfect.  Christmas Eve we had planned to go to the service at CCC but Bennett had really started declining & had some labored breathing going on so we stayed put on the couch. 

The girls got their bath, put on some PJs & went to bed while the three of us began our cheese and wine night (or Diet Coke WITH caffeine for those of us who cannot enjoy wine ; )  The two bottles Robby bought were called "Bennett's Family" & "Irony." Not sure what else to say about that. I did have a sip of the Bennett's one & it was amazing. I ate my fair share of the cheese, crackers & nuts as we watched Home Alone before going to bed. It was quite relaxing. 

Christmas morning, everyone slept until 7:30. We got moving, made some sausage balls, sliced some fruit & sat down to read the Christmas Story from The Jesus Storybook Bible. The girls were crazy & so disinterested in listening or sitting still.  They weren't even aware that they were about to open gifts, they were just in one of those busy moods : ) 

They opened their twin babies & diaper bags first & we could have called it quits after that! They were SO excited & spent a good 30 minutes caring for their new little babies.  Charlotte's baby went poopie about 5 times in the first 10 minutes so we did a lot of diaper changing.  Eloise's baby was quite hungry so she took care of getting him a full tummy. I LOVE seeing them with babies & even pretend ones.  They are naturally so careful & gentle talking in the sweetest voices.  It will be amazing to see them with the real Owen & Anson! 

After playing with the babies, we convinced them to open another gift. Eloise gave Charlotte a new Hello Kitty necklace.  Eloise did not actually know that is what she got for her sister & even if she did, she would have probably had the same response ; ) Charlotte was delighted that her sister had chosen & wrapped a gift just for her. She opened the box to find a purple & pink beaded necklace with Hello Kitty right in the front.  She squealed & Eloise did too as she ripped it from Charlotte's hands saying "me! me! neckees!" It was great! Both girls love to accessorize so one more "neckees" to add to the jewelry box will surely bring some smiles. 

Charlotte buying a gift for Eloise this Christmas will be a story I never forget.  She has had a piggy bank for about 4 months now.  She earns coins for feeding the dogs, helping take them outside & various other things We have not really talked much about spending the money in the piggy bank until the weeks leading up to Christmas.  Once we mentioned it, she brought it up on her own one day saying that she would like to buy Eloise a Christmas gift with her coins.  I asked what she thought Eloise would like to have. She gave it a good 5 minutes of thinking time while we were in the car & said that Eloise would like to have a duckie for the bathtub.  I thought that was a perfect idea for two reasons, Eloise loves baths & financially that was a perfect first purchase with coins : ) 

So, while Eloise was in Houston with my parents, I called Bath & Body Works to see how much their duckies cost. They were $3.50 so I emptied about $4.50 out of the piggy bank & put it in a baggie in her purse.  We went on our little shopping trip, picked up a couple things for Daddy from the girls & then made our stop at Bath & Body Works. Charlotte is more & more girly every day so she just went crazy in there with all the smells & little things to touch.  We made our way to the duckies & Charlotte quickly zeroed in on the hot pink one with sparkles. She also selected a green one exclaiming that Daddy needed one to play with in the shower.  That was too cute to refuse so I figured I would cover the extra cost. 

She marched up to the check out & a line formed quickly behind us.  She handed the pink duck to the lady behind the counter who made a really big deal out of the situation. She said loudly, "Are you buying this duck?" Charlotte said "Yes! I am buying it for my sister!" She asked, "Is your sister in your mommy's belly?" to which Charlotte replied "No, no, no, my sister is at the airport." HAHAHA! I quietly reassured the lady that my child was not at the airport any longer, we had dropped her off with two loving & responsible grandparents who took her home to spoil her for a few days.  She told us that the total was $4.23 so I asked Charlotte to get her money out of her purse & set it up on the counter. I began stacking it in $1 increments & sliding them across the counter.  Char was watching very closely & became immediately tense. She started saying "Oh no! What are you doing with my coins? I need those!" I tried to explain with all the people grinning around us that in order to take the duckie home for Elo, we had to give the lady our money. I'm pretty sure it didn't click with her ; ) I paid the remaining balance & she had a break down in the store, I had to haul her out with her saying "I need my coins back! The lady needs to give me my coins now!" I had a hard time not rolling on the floor in laughter & wished Rob could have been there to see it.  

All said & done, she was really excited that she had spent her own money & helped me wrap gifts for her sister & daddy. She could hardly wait for them to open the gifts. They were well received by both. The green duck has been kidnapped by the girls which was okay since Robby does not really need a duckie for the shower ; ) 

We took our time playing, talking and laughing as we opened gifts. Eloise was excited about her new xylophone from Grammy & Papa.  She is incapable of playing it quietly, kind of like with Charlotte & her new accordion. Once the boys are here they can be deemed toys to play with when everyone is already awake ; ) 

Notice her beaded necklace.  G.Gran sent about 5 necklaces with my mom & they are worn constantly!

Charlotte got a neat dinosaur puzzle from Grammy & Papa that is impossible for her to do on her own right now but is a great way to spend time with her while she figures is out!

We got Scott a book he wanted & then surprised him with this shirt.....

We could not remember exactly when it was purchased but we think maybe when Scott was in early high school. It is an Abercrombie shirt & I apparently liked it enough to either steal it from him or borrowed & never returned it.  Which may be the same thing ; ) I think I have had it for at least the entire time I have been married. He asks about it time to time & I am guessing he thought I would never give it back.  He was surprised & happy to see it was in such great condition after all these years!

I love gift giving & receiving is pretty fun too.  My brothers surprised me with a beautiful James Avery necklace that I have worn every day.  I am not much of a jewelry person & have gone years without wearing earrings or a necklace so it is really special to have received a necklace that is from two very special men in my life, my sweet brothers.  The girls love touching is when cuddled in what's left of my lap ; )

Robby & Charlotte shopped together for a few gifts for me & it sounded like Rob gave a little direction & Charlotte made the final choice.  I got a SUPER HOT PINK snuggly blanket with 2 pairs of coordinating socks....SO Charlotte which is why I love them : ) They also picked out some new candle holders, candles & a biography about Sarah Edwards, the wife of Jonathan Edwards.  It was a "relax" themed stocking which is fitting for right now.

One really special gift we received is a book written by my Grandmother, Shirley Ann Loftin. She titled it Live, Laugh, Love & it is basically a beautiful combination of our family history & stories written in a journal like format.  What a treasure to have for years to come! I have done some skimming & can hardly wait to read from cover to cover.

On the front flap is Psalm 100 which was the scripture read at my Paw Paws funeral in 1993. 

"Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness. Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!  For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations." 

The final chapter of the book is titled "Reunion" where she shares the account of reuniting with her brother Mike after being separated at a young age.  Her mother passed away shortly after the birth of her 7th child leaving her father to care for the family alone.  The children were adopted by various aunts & uncles & were raised apart from one another.  After experiencing much heartache while missing her brother, once these two were back together after 46 years apart, she was delighted to be called his sister & share in such a special relationship. Uncle Mike died in November this year & will be missed by many but especially by his baby sister Shirley.  She concludes this chapter with "Seek His guidance in your life just as your ancestors did. Pray and be patient realizing prayers are not always answered as we desire but as He directs. His time, His way."  Her words are precious to me this week as I am praying for very specific things regarding the life of Owen & Anson while trusting in God's perfect provision for our family.  How great to be encouraged by Psalm 100 knowing that his faithfulness endures to all generations.  She has written countless letters to my girls that she mails them on special occasions or just because.  They are full of her feelings for them & her experience in life as a Grandmother & Great Grandmother.  What a gift. 

Back to Christmas Day : ) We rested during the afternoon then got to cooking our dinner, which I forgot to photograph. The Lent's were planning on joining us for dinner but poor baby Audrey was not feeling well & they ended up at the after hours clinic. We were sad to miss them but still greatly enjoyed a delicious Prime Rib with side dishes.  We snapped a couple pics of the girls, played with new toys a bit longer then went to bed.

Uncle Scott was a BLAST to have around & could get these girls gigglin' so quick!

Somewhat of a sad day with lots of bright moments as we snuggled with a sick dog while still enjoying time as a family.  We had many a conversation about how thankful we are for the great gift we were given in Jesus on that Christmas Day long ago.

Meet pretend "Owen & Anson"

Meet our new babies, pretend "Owen & Anson." Charlotte & Eloise are their mommies and they sure are good ones! As soon as we knew we were expecting twins, I had been thinking it would be fun to get the girls their own "twins" for Christmas. Then, we found out we were having boys & I started looking around & quickly realized that nearly EVERY baby doll & accessory is so girly! So, I searched on Amazon and came across some precious boy babies.  I made the call on getting the tan with dark hair boys instead of the blondies. Robby has joked about how he is going to have to adopt a baby from further south to look like him  if these boys come out with lighter hair & eyes like their sisters ; ) Who knows, maybe they will have a little tuft of hair on top of their head like these dolls.

With all the girliness in the doll world, this mama got to work.  I ordered some knit fabrics which arrived while my mom was in town...PERFECT! She helped me make a little pattern for their shirts & swaddle blankets & we stitched a couple things together. Since the real Owen & Anson have been referred to as the little buckaroos or cowboys, I decided that the twin dolls needed some "ho-see" fabric as Eloise says.

The swaddle blankets are by far my favorite! Now that we are looking at a preterm delivery for the boys, I think they could just borrow from the baby dolls ; ) Char & Elo are getting the hang of swaddling & diapering their own babies...well maybe more so Charlotte. It just makes Eloise mad when she can't do it & then even madder sometimes when you try to help her. That's just life for an 1 1/2 year old though right?

The twins were given to the girls in addition to their very own stocked diaper bag that is just their size.  I cut & stitched these together in the smallest segments of time so as not to cause any contractions.  I would lay on the couch & cut out or turn fabrics, press them while in a sitting position & then lay down for a 30 minute break.  I was pretty surprised that I got them done in time!

One great thing about the girls is they could care less that I stocked the bag mostly with things I pulled out of their kitchen or toy bin! I did make a wipes case out of felt & had high hopes of making some cloth diapers but due to my current state of carrying twins, I could not sew cloth diapers for twins too : ) Maybe eventually I will but for now, we have a bag of the cheapest store brand newborn diapers that seem to do the trick.  

Uncle Scott was so helpful as he dressed and undressed the babies for their photo shoot. He also gave me a hard time about the photo shoot itself ; ) I enjoy his humor.  

Aunt Jenny & Uncle Steve bought the gray Ergo baby doll carrier for the girls a couple weeks before Christmas.  Charlotte had really preferred to wear it as an accessory rather than carry a baby doll in it (go figure).  Once the twins arrived on the scene, she wants to carry them often which in turn means that Eloise wants to join in on the fun.  Thankfully, the girls received one more carrier for a Christmas gift from Gigi in Michigan so they were set to carry babies together!

Sooooooooo precious! 

Char has mastered talking on her phone (my old cell minus a battery) while caring for her baby. Eloise has conquered biting her babies nails while they ride in the Ergo....very important ; )

Charlotte's baby which I think was Anson got to go get ice cream with us the other night.  It's so nice to keep your baby snuggled up close while out & about.  I told Rob we need to buy one more Ergo to carry a real baby in that way all 4 of us can be out & about with our two sets of twins ; )

Celebration Snow!

We decided to get out one evening while Uncle Scott was here to see the "snow" in Celebration.  After seeing real snow in Colorado a couple years ago, it is hard to truly enjoy the "snow" (which seems to be just bubbles) in Florida but the girls had a blast which means we did too.

My wiggly Elo who would rather run free instead of being captured & forced to pose for a picture ; ) 

These two were pretty much inseparable the entire visit but especially in Celebration that evening due to the chilly factor when Char was not held close to her Uncle. 

That is one big smile on her face!

Scott & Char weren't the only ones who were snuggling up close. I caught these two giving each other some kisses while they were waiting for the snow...melts my heart!

The snow started & the girls decided to chase around & try to catch it.  I didn't really get any great pictures of the actual snow...oh well, it wasn't real anyway ; )

I love having brothers & I am SO excited that the girls are going to have brothers too.  I love telling people he is my little brother...no one really believes me.  He does happen to be a good foot taller than me.

Fun times in Celebration, a place that I will always hold close to my heart as we have walked around the lake time & time again, me pregnant three different times, seeing our friends Brett & Christine get engaged, having belly & newborn pictures taken & taking them of others,  having long talks sitting out in the rocking chairs along the water while on a date, SO many memories & SO glad to continue to add more!