Sunday, June 28, 2009

Anniversary Get-Away

Everything has such funny timing. We had a little anniversary weekend get-away planned for the past weekend. I think we booked it back in March. Who knew then that we'd need some time away to process and just enjoy each other? R will probably tell you, though, that I wasn't the most enjoyable person to be around. My emotions and hormones are ALL over the place. Happy, sad, frustrated, angry... I'm also really tired. I'm really hoping this will all even out in the coming weeks. Yikes!



We went to our fave, The Melting Pot, and when they asked if we were celebrating anything, we told them both of our celebrations. When the waiter brought out dessert, he had created this. Very clever!
We stayed at the Gaylord Texan. They had a special deal where you could buy one night and get the second night free the month of your anniversary. They upgraded us to a deluxe suite on the top floor. I don't think I've ever stayed in a hotel room that had a dining room and living room IN ADDITION to the bedroom and bathroom. Sheesh.
Luckily, there was a 24-hour cafe that we had to hit up for two late-night runs!
It was a really enjoyable weekend. We did some swimming, relaxing and plenty of eating. We had a FUN conversation about names for babies, but nothing is set in stone yet. We're going with R.M. initials for boy names and C.L. initials for girl names. Fun, fun to think about!
My office is closed this week, so C and I are going to enjoy some time in Georgetown! We hope you all have a great week!!

Friday, June 26, 2009

Shock & Awe

Good morning, friends. I thought I'd write and process through a little more of the events that transpired yesterday!

I presented yesterday morning and finished before noon. I met my mom in Temple for lunch at Olive Garden. After we ate, we came back to my house and napped. I left the house at around 2:50 for my 3:30 appointment since I knew I'd have a stack of paperwork to fill out. Mom left the house the same time I did to go and pick up C at Nana's.

I got to Dr. Moore's office and filled out all of my paperwork. They made copies of my insurance card and then much to my surprise called me back before my appointment time of 3:30. I was worried because R wasn't there, but I knew he was on his way. I did weight and BP check and the customary tinkle in a cup thing. Dr. Moore came by to say hello. He looked at my chart and said, "Well, look what we have here! You guys know how this is happening, right?" We laughed and he told me he'd be back.

His nurse came in next and reviewed my chart, pertinent dates, family medical history, etc. R had arrived by this time. When the nurse asked if we had twins in our family, I said, "Yes, my maternal grandfather is a twin and my paternal grandfather had twin siblings." I said that only because it is the truth. I really and truly had not considered that we might be having twins. She wrote it down and left the room so I could get ready for my pap and U/S.

I walked into the undressing area, and Ryan followed. I laughed SO hard when he started un-buckling his belt. I thought he was just trying to be funny and undress because I was having to. Actually, he was just re-tucking in his shirt. [May not be funny to anyone else, but it was to me!]

I got up on the bed and we waited for Dr. Moore to come in.

He came in and reviewed everything with us that the nurse had taken down. When he asked us if we had any questions, we both confidently said, "No. It is so much easier this time because we know what to expect. The second time around is so much easier." He agreed and then got down to business.

He did my pap while the nurse prepped the U/S machine. Ryan was standing right next to my head and we were just chatting about this and that.

When the U/S started, the screen was facing Dr. Moore and his nurse. I was a little distracted because I was feeling like I had to tinkle again, and every time he moved the "wand" around the "need" became worse. Dr. Moore was silent and very intent on the screen. I heard him print a picture. The nurse said, "Sometimes it takes a few minutes to get a good picture..." I still had no idea.

I heard Dr. Moore click and print another picture. That's when the nurse said, "Yep, you were right on the money--8 weeks and 5 days--for the first baby."

Ha ha ha! So funny! R and I sheepishly laughed at our jokester nurse.

I said, "Yeah, right! It isn't funny to kid about stuff like that!"

"I'm actually not kidding!"

And then Dr. Moore, "No, she's not kidding. There are two babies in there!"

I got really hot then. All R and I could do was laugh. I felt like the room was spinning. I still half-way believed that they were in cahoots with one another to freak us out because we had acted so confident about being ready for pregnancy #2. Ha ha ha.

"Really? Are you being serious?"

"Yes, we're both very serious. Congratulations, you are having twins!"

Print another picture.

That's when he turned the screen around to face us. He showed us the two separate sacks and the two flickering heartbeats. We both had goofy grins on our faces because we were still processing.

You can only imagine the thoughts that started whirling around in my head immediately. I vaguely remember Dr. Moore turning off the machine and BRIEFLY telling me that he would see me more often and that I would be at greater risk for high blood pressure and bed rest...And then he and the nurse were gone. R and I were left sitting in the room together.

I think we both kept saying "Oh my gosh!" R was very focused on making sure I was okay before I got up off the table. I don't remember getting dressed, but I know I did.

After a quick call to my mom, I walked down the hall for my blood work. My head was still spinning. R was holding the two print-out pictures of our babies.

They had told me when I made this appointment that we'd have to pay $300 at our first appointment. I was prepared to do that. As we began to walk to the check-out desk, I asked Ryan if two babies meant we'd have to pay $600 instead. We really had no idea.

We ended up only having to pay $300. The check-out lady asked me what I was going to do to celebrate, and I told her I didn't know. She said she'd celebrate for me, so I asked her to have a margarita for me!

When R and I got out in to the lobby we hugged and double-checked to be sure the other was okay. When we both had our assurances, he got in his truck to go share the news at his work, and I got in my car to start making phone calls as I headed home.

Whirlwind day. SO many thoughts, emotions, feelings. So much joy! We both believe this to be a great blessing. God decided this...we had no hand in it. We are humbled, scared, excited, nervous, and every emotion in between.

The due date is January 30th, but it is doubtful that I will go full term. The goal will be to carry them as long as possible, so if you need something to pray that would be a good place to start. We're also praying for a safe and healthy pregnancy and happy, healthy babies.

We sincerely appreciate all the love and support of our friends and family. This is going to be a new adventure for us as our family grows larger than we ever thought it would.

Stay tuned for more...

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Do you see what I see?







Our new family equation...

2 (me & R)+ 3 (Gx3) + C + TWINS = Our new family!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Vacation in Pictures

We just returned from a fun-filled family vacation to Port Aransas. We were all focused on having FUN, so we didn't get a ton of great pictures. I guess that's the price you pay! Here are a few of my favorites...










And here are a couple just for the sake of comparison. The first is me and C LAST summer in Port A. The second one is us THIS summer in Port A. Whoa!


Sunday, June 14, 2009

Family Update!

I know, I know. I'm way overdue for an update. It's just tough being newly pregnant (and nauseated!) during the busiest season at work. I've been running myself ragged and going to bed before 8:30 most nights. I've gotten to rest some this weekend, and this coming week looks MUCH less daunting than the past two. Thank goodness! Here's an update with pictures!

-The best word to describe C these days is BUSY! This girl is either asleep or she's busy having fun. She loves to sing her ABC's like this...
ABCD...FG...IJK...OP....WYBeeeeeee (Z) She does this over and over and over.

-Elmo is still the coolest little red guy at our house. R and I feel like we've successfully entertained C if we can make it through an evening (or a Saturday morning) without her asking for, "Elmo TV?" Yeah, it is pretty rare. She was quite a fan of playing the Rock Band drums over at her cousin's house the other night! Like I said, ALWAYS busy!



-We took a trip to New Braunfels last Saturday to celebrate R's grandma's 86th birthday! Her birthday is also her wedding anniversary, so we celebrated 68 years of marriage for her and Ryan's grandpa too. 68 years is a LONG time! We managed to snag one decent family picture. (C is upset because we are so mean and forced her to leave the game room! Anyone want to call CPS?)



-Speaking of anniversaries, we celebrated 5 years on Friday the 12th. Woo-hoo! R bought steaks and baked potatoes, then later we enjoyed some delicious brownies. We even busted out the China! We had a fun and relaxing family evening.



-We've been spending quite a lot of time outside lately. C is very interested in helping to water the flowers, playing in the dog's water bowl, throwing, kicking and chasing the ball, swinging, sliding, and sidewalk-chalking. How can we resist the always cute "Ou-side?" or "'Mon mommie."?






-R started back to school this week. Ugh for him, and ugh for me. He is only taking one course this summer, but it is a 12-week course. I sincerely look forward to December when he GRADUATES!
-We're at a loss on one of C's behaviors lately. She'll seem fine and then she'll just start screaming and crying (real tears) like something hurts her. She's inconsolable for anywhere to 5-15 minutes. We've been thinking teeth or gas, because we can think of no other explanation. We put her to bed with a dose of Motrin tonight, so in case it is the teeth she'll at least be able to sleep comfortably. Any thoughts on this puzzling behavior? Maybe this is the teacher in me, but I'm thinking I may start keeping a log of the circumstances surrounding these episodes. Time of day, length, contributing factors, etc. At least I'll feel like I'm doing something constructive to figure out what the deal is! Here's the little cutie this weekend on the front porch and earlier this week sporting her very first pony-tail!

-And my mom (C's Gammy) is the sewing-woman-extraordinaire! Check out this fabulous new diaper bag she made for me! It is cute to look at PLUS roomy and not bulky. I love it!! Thanks, Gammy! Not sure how I missed the crafty and creative genes!!
-And then there's me. I go from being really hungry to being nauseated within minutes. I know I've been irritable, and I'm blaming it on a combination of hormones, stress, and knocking my Zoloft dose in half. I know it will all regulate out, though. Babycenter.com says I'm 7 weeks (9 weeks since LMP), so that is what I'll go with until I get something more precise from Dr. Moore next week. We go on Thursday, June 25th.
Be blessed this week, friends!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The Epitome of AWESOMENESS!



I hooped and hollered (and probably freaked my child out) when this came on Sesame Street yesterday! I LOVE this song, and I love Feist!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Sorry to “spring” the news on some of you who would have preferred to be told in person or via personal email. It has all happened really quickly, and R and I decided that there was no reason for us to wait any longer to share our news. I have not been to the doctor yet, but I’ve taken a HPT each of the past three weeks and gotten a positive each time. I go to the doctor on June 25th. If something is going to “happen” it will “happen” whether we’ve told people or not. We figure we’ll be better off the more people we have praying for us and Baby R. (Yes, his/her name will be an R name.) I haven’t made a grand announcement at work—I just don’t want to make a big deal about it. Estimated due date is the end of January, so I’m about 5-6 weeks along right now. C and Baby R will be around 25 months apart! We’re very excited and look forward to this new adventure. I’ve felt okay—just tired and hungry—and a little cranky according to R! It is probably true, but I’m secure with that.