Belly Meets Blog!

The photo below has not been digitally enhanced...OBVIOUSLY! :) I suggest you do not click on the picture to make it larger. It is large enough as is!!

It's been a long December...

Man alive, it truly has been a LONG December! With no less than 4 Christmas celebrations (so far!), shopping, R taking finals and graduating, weekly doctor's appointments, decorating, traveling (shh, don't tell!), my 30th birthday, getting ready for C's 2nd birthday party, 3 baby showers (and trying to write high-quality thank you notes!), getting organized for the boys, and trying to keep those 2 boys growing strong inside my body, I'm EXHAUSTED! It doesn't help that I've also had some insomnia as of late.

I changed the baby ticker on the side to indicate how many days until my scheduled c-section. Less than 3 weeks. Unreal! I'll be 35 weeks tomorrow and I plan to post an updated belly shot so you can all see the stretch marks that have taken over my tummy. I've been a devoted "Palmer's Cocoa Butter Lotion" user since the beginning, but I guess there's only so much it can do! I guess my string bikini is going away and never coming back out again. Oh well! (HA!) A small price to pay! This evening the boys were especially active, and R put both of his hands on my belly. I got tears in my eyes when they started kicking his hands simultaneously. It was like they knew it was their daddy and they wanted to say hello! People ask me all the time if it is lots different being pregnant with twins as opposed to one. The movement is the biggest difference to me. I can literally feel both boys moving around on different parts of my belly and sometimes simultaneously. I also know which side they each reside on so I can tell who is resting and who is kicking!

Here are just a few pictures from the month's festivities. I still have lots to upload and edit from C's Christmas and the boys' room is really and truly almost ready for unveiling!

Here's the handsome graduate and his very pregnant wife! He managed to complete his Master's while being a devoted husband, daddy and worker. I am so proud of him!

R with his very proud mom and dad.Our little family at my 30th birthday dinner at Macaroni Grill! YUM! I think my mom took this picture and she gets kudos for capturing a smile from C!

Me and the sweet husband. That weekend in particular consisted of one family Christmas celebration (Friday evening), his graduation (Saturday), traveling south, a baby shower, AND my birthday dinner. Needless to say, we do look a little tired!

I love hearing from you guys. Your encouragement means the world to me as I try to remain upbeat these last tough weeks of pregnancy! I'm not complaining, and I hope it never appears that way. Just being real. I am blessed!

Update!!

Whoa, I know an update is seriously overdue. My two readers are worried! :)

I went to the doctor on Friday at 33 weeks and 6 days. Still have a ton of cervix (They think it is really funny to tell me that I could be a "cervix donor"...I don't think it it that funny!) All of that to say, the boys are still in there as happy as can be. Reid is head down and facing the back and Chase is head up facing the front. The Friday before I had a growth scan and their measurements gave us these weights: Reid, 4 pounds 11 oz. and Chase, 5 pounds 2 oz. This week I got the doctor to officially set a date for my c-section (if I haven't gone in to labor before then!) The date will be January 14th! The boys will have the same birthday as their Aunt Audrey! SO as of today (Monday, December 21, 2009) I've got 23 days to go!! Yahoo! I haven't had any real signs of labor and I never went into labor when C was born, so I'm pretty much guessing the boys will be born on January 14th (at 37 weeks and 6 days!) Holy smokes! I'm going to put a countdown ticker on the blog somewhere.

The reason I haven't had a chance to post since I went to the doctor on Friday is because I got the most AMAZING surprise on Friday evening. R told me that he and my parents had gone in together to buy my birthday present. He also told me that it woulnd't be here for my birthday because of a problem with the shipping. When we left home on Friday to head to Georgetown, he went back in the house and got a large gift bag and put it in the van. He told me I couldn't open it until both my mom and dad were there since they were in on it too. We got to Georgetown and my mom went in to a long story about how MAD she was at my dad. We were supposed to all go and eat dinner together but she told me that my dad had gone to Austin to buy a sander that he'd purchased on Craig's List and that he would be late to dinner. I totally bought the story because it sounded kind of like something my dad would do. I suspected NOTHING. While we were eating our salad, my dad walked into the restaurant. My mom was still acting mad at him (she even told the waitress that he was paying for his own meal!) Still, I suspected nothing. About 3 minutes after my dad came in, I looked up and saw my very best friend, Audrey, walking toward our table!

For my 30th birthday present, my sweet husband and my wonderful parents had flown my best friend across the country for a weekend of fun with me! It was a fantastic surprise! (And, my dad did not buy a sander off Craig's List...he was picking Audrey up at the airport!) We did lots of talking and laughing and some shopping too. My "condition" limits my stamina, but I think I did okay. Audrey requested a trip to Rudy's so we took care of that.

I didn't take any other pictures, but Audrey got one at our dinner on Sunday evening. We got to enjoy pedicures and plenty of bonding time for Aunt Audrey and C. It is so cool how it seems almost like C can sense how much I love Audrey and therefore she loves her too.

Audrey flew out this morning and I basically slept ALL DAY LONG after she left! I got up at 6:30 to help her pack and get on the road. She and my dad left around 7:15 for the airport. I fell back asleep by around 9:00 and didn't wake up again until 11:30. I got up and had lunch with mom and C and went back to sleep from 1:00-3:15. I guess I didn't realize how exhausted I was. I think I'll also sleep good tonight too! I think the boys are sapping me DRY on the energy! Not really a good time of year to be low on energy! Thank goodness for the help my mom is with C! I couldn't do it without her!

I have other exciting things to post about...Ryan's graduation from graduate school, C's Christmas here (and her new kitchen from her Gammy & Pops), and the much anticipated pics of the boys' room...BUT those will have to wait for now!

Disappointment!

C got a bag of "play food" at a Christmas celebration this past weekend. She LOVES it and loves to prepare food for mommie and daddy. We were playing on the couch this afternoon and left the food scattered there when we went to take a bath this evening. This is what I found when I came out of the bathroom...

I'm sure poor Gretchen was very disappointed when she discovered the food wasn't real! You can't blame a dog for trying, though!

3-0

A few weeks ago on "CBS Sunday Morning," Tom Petty (of all people) said something that sums up exactly how I feel about turning 30. He said,

"If you're not getting older, you're dead."

You'll never hear me complain about turning 30 (or 40 or 50...) because if I'm blessed enough to reach those ages it means I'm still alive and kicking! :)

Today has been a fantastic birthday! I woke up about 6:45 to hear little footsteps coming into our bedroom. C-Bear climbed up in to bed to snuggle with me and watch a video and drink her milk. I got great birthday kisses from C and R before they went off to start the day. I didn't work today so I got to leisurely pick up the house and do laundry. I told several folks that I was resting and nesting today! I did some work in the boys' room and washed their first load of "Dreft" laundry. That stuff smells so good! I had lunch with R and a big glass of sweet tea! I napped this afternoon with the schnauzers and then had a fantastic dinner with C, R, Kenny & Julia at Texas Roadhouse. The day ended when we put C to bed just a few minutes ago and when she was saying her prayers she thanked God for "mommy's happy birthday cake." What a sweetheart!!

I felt so loved by all of the calls, cards, text messages and FB posts I got today. Y'all sure know how to make a girl feel special!

We're still here!

Howdy friends! I hope that you are all well and getting in the Christmas Spirit! We are rocking and rolling around here. I thought I'd do a brief update and incorporate some recent pictures for fun! I'm having trouble moving the pictures around the way I want, so they will be kind of random!

I went to the doctor this past Friday. He didn't have much to say other than I'm doing "great"! I told him that I was feeling really exhausted and getting out of breath easily and he said, 'Welcome to the third trimester carrying twins!" He wasn't being insensitive, just stating the facts. I was able to get my H1N1 vaccination for which I am very thankful. They checked my cervix via ultrasound and it looked good. Fluid on the boys also looked great. The fluid doesn't surprise me since I'm drinking water like CRAZY! I know I drink close to a gallon a day! I'm carrying the boys' own portable swimming pool at all times! I hadn't been to the doctor in 3 weeks and in those weeks I gained 8 pounds. I don't know what my grand total is so far, but I know it is LESS than I gained when pregnant with C!

This picture was taken on Sunday at 32 weeks + 1 day! Look at that belly!! I go again this coming Friday and will get a growth scan! My bets are on each boy weighing over 4 1/2 pounds! We will see!

Princess C has decided that wearing a shirt is completely over-rated. We've been trying to compromise about what is acceptable in public and at home. She's such a funny girl! She is loving looking at the Christmas ornaments we strategically placed at her eye level! She asks for the Christmas tree lights to be turned on as soon as we get home.
She also had a nagging cough and snot that had been hanging on for about two weeks, so last week I took her to the doctor to find she had an upper-respiratory infection. We've been treating with antibiotics for 5 days now and she's cleared up GREAT!

She got a bath-time barbie for Christmas from an aunt recently and has enjoyed playing with 0her in the bathtub. R taught her that the barbie's name is "Tanya" and he also made "Tanya" into a high-diver in the bathtub. After "Tanya" dives from the upper platform (aka the washcloth bar) we all have to clap our hands and say "Yaaaayyy Tanya!" With R and C around I'm never at a loss for laughs!

With everything we've had going on lately, C's nap and sleep schedule has been a little "off"! I'm pretty strict with that sort of thing, but some flexibility has been necessary, and she is old enough for a little bend in the schedule. Well, she was in the playroom on Sunday morning while I was cleaning up and getting ready. She was watching "Little Einsteins" and when I poked my head in to check on her, this is what I found! I wanted to badly to go cuddle up next to her and nap, but I didn't want to squish her or break the chair! Isn't she angelic? Such a sweet and precious girl! She has my heart!

Some sweet friends gave me and the boys a fun baby shower this past Sunday. We were blessed by all in attendance! Below is me with one of my FAVORITE gifts. The picture is of my grandaddy (Freddie Layne) and his twin brother (Eddie Wayne) dressed in their Sunday best! The picture was taken sometime in the early to mid-1930's. My grandaddy made the frame which makes it even more special. It will be prominently and proudly displayed on the wall in the boys' room! (BTW, we're waiting on one last thing before I take pics of the entire room and post them! I can't wait for you all to see!!)

And our very, VERY exciting news is that R will be graduating with his Master's on Saturday! YES, this Saturday! I'm so proud and excited and just look forward to the opportunities this new degree will afford him! I'll try and take pictures of the conquering graduate in his regalia on Saturday. He asked if he had to wear anything under his gown. I told him that it isn't necessary for undergrad, but I think that they expect more from graduate students! HA!

Update of sorts...

I've been feeling guilty for not posting an update recently, but it really has been taking every ounce of energy I have to make it through each day. I told R yesterday that my body is currently sustaining life for 3 people right now and I'm REALLY feeling it. I've been blessed to feel so great for most of my pregnancy, and I'm still doing better than I could be. I just have zero stamina, get very uncomfortable very easily and have trouble physically (and emotionally!) managing my busy two year old PLUS meeting all of the demands of the holiday season. (And on that last note, don't be surprised if we don't send out Christmas cards this year! A double birth announcement in early 2010 will have to suffice!)

The boys are still as active as ever! There movements are VERY intentional--like they are stretching or trying to bop one another. They get very active in the evenings! I'm 31 1/2 weeks pregnant and am as large as I was at 39 weeks when C was born. My goal is still to make it to 37 weeks and the doctor has given me no reason to believe that isn't possible. SO that means I've got about 5 1/2 weeks to go. I go to the doctor on Friday. It will have been 3 weeks since I've seen him, so I should have some updated stats on the boys to share afterward. I'm pretty sure I'll start seeing him every week from now on!