2013 Thanksgiving

I thought it was only appropriate to document not only our last Thanksgiving as just the 2 of us, but to also document the size of my ever growing belly, swelling face, and even bigger nose.

We did venture out of the house and attended both family gatherings. Don't worry Dr. Daniel made sure I was in a recliner with my feet up and that I had a full glass of water at all times. I was surprised that I actually ate less than I normally would on Thanksgiving... prob because theres less room in there, but boy did I still enjoy every bite. It was also so nice to get to hang out with family all day in another location besides my bedroom.

I also found it humorous to look at Thanksgiving pics from last year. The pic on the left was taken after me, allie, and sara completed the turkey trot last year and the pic on the right was taken last night.

I love the difference... last night's picture looks like I ate last years Candace. 

Can't believe these sweet boys will be here soon and will only make next year's thanksgiving even sweeter.

 

Twin Update: 34 weeks

34 weeks:

Cravings: french toast, chicken fingers, oreos, chips/cheese dip... this may or may not be why I have gained 5 lbs in 6 days and why my nose is now ginormous.

We went to the dr. today and got another great report. Boys are both head down and active as ever. As my dr. was talking about being pleased with our progress, I couldn't help but think after being stuck in bed the last 8 weeks, we better be doing well! All jokes aside though bed rest, though not always fun, has clearly been well worth the sacrifice.

She then spoke some much anticipated words.... next week I get to stop my twice a day monitoring, stop taking my meds, and start easing off of bed rest! This is exciting... and scary. The realization of how close we are to meeting our boys becomes more real every day. And getting off of my meds and bed rest will only increase my chances of seeing them sooner. We are feeling so many emotions right now with that realization. The unknown of being parents to 2 babies is overwhelming and exciting... but we can't wait.

You know you're on bed rest when...

-you can't wait to go and eat at a restaurant again... even if its just at a fast food place

-you are incredibly grateful for technology

-you dream about the day that you can comfortably roll over and sleep on your stomach

-you value your good mattress

-you walk down the stairs and realize you haven't done this in a week and while doing so realize you have to hold on tightly to the railing because you feel you could easily tumble forward

-exercise sounds like a foreign language

-showering wears you out afterwards

-you currently use 5 pillows and could easily use more

-you can't remember what its like to cross your legs or walk without waddling

-shopping with 2 crying infants sounds more exciting than laying in bed

-the idea of wearing normal clothes makes you want to cringe and you become even more thankful for yoga pants

-you look forward to cooking and cleaning... the laundry I don't miss.

-you are exhausted by the end of the day and you've done absolutely nothing

-text messages no matter the content make your day exciting

-putting new color sheets on the bed makes you feel like you're in a new place

-you understand the importance and appreciate meal sign ups for families and will now always sign up to help. What a blessing this has been for us!

-you realize it is possible to pee 50 times a day

-the most mesmerizingpart of your day is when you get up to go to the bathroom (which is quite often), and are shocked to see your reflection in the mirror... every time. This big belly is crazy... crazy cool, but still weird.

-you lay around so much you can now hear yourself snoring while you're asleep. I have never been much of a snorer... until I got pregnant. Now I wake myself up snoring and making weird noises.

I'm sure there are more, but for now these will give you some insight into how exciting bed rest is. :) Part 2 may come later.

Twin Update: 33 weeks

33 weeks:

Cravings: fruity pebble bars, pancake on a stick, mcrib, cake... trying to fatten these boys up or maybe just successfully fattening this momma up.

Went to the dr yesterday and saw 2 healthy baby boys. Again not super cooperative for pictures, but they did make sure we knew they were still boys!

At the dr. I noticed my at times puffy feet/ankles were crazy swollen. 

Dr. looked at them and checked for blood clots, but said they were normal especially since I'm carrying twins. By the time we were almost home I couldn't stop laughing when I looked at them because they were so Shrek like. 

Seriously weirds me out just looking at this picture! Once I got home and put them up they started looking better.

I am definitely getting tired of being cooped up in my bed. Last night we had girls and lady leaders from our youth group over for a pizza party so after we got home I stayed downstairs and that was such a nice change. It's always fun having visitors, but it was so good getting to see those sweet faces and catching up. 

Now I'm back in bed with a candle lit on the dresser in front of me so I can pretend its the fireplace on this cold, sleepy, rainy day. It's encouraging to think next week is Thanksgiving and then the next is the first of December... our goal. We are definitely in the home stretch. Soon enough we'll finally get to meet these sweet boys!

Twin Update: 31 and 32 weeks

31 weeks:

Cravings: turkey/cheese toast, soup, brownie brittle

We made it to 32 weeks!

When I saw this picture after D took it, I thought Wow, there are def twins in there! Walking around... and by that I mean to and from the bathroom... I really feel good. Not so much like I'm carrying around a litter. Laying down however, I feel very much like a whale. Staying in a comfortable position gets more difficult everyday. And you can imagine how fun it is to try and roll over/adjust. As my skin is really stretching the stretch marks have found their way to my belly. I knew it was too naive to think I could be pregant with twins and make it throughout without stretch marks. With the stretching skin comes very itchy skin! I'm using lotions and bio oil but not really getting much relief... so if any of you have any great ideas or tricks... I'm all ears! 

Yesterday, we went to my ob. She was thrilled that we have made it 32 weeks. And was thrilled to see that my cervix is up to a 3 now... it had shortened to a 1.6 so the fact that its so much better has proven how effectctive bed rest has been for us. She said if we can just keep things calm for at least 2 more weeks we should be golden. If we make it to 36 weeks, she said I can even start slowly doing normal things... off of bed rest. If the babies don't come on their own, she won't deliver them before 38 weeks though. 38 weeks for me is Christmas Day. So I'm hoping these boys come on their own a couple weeks before. So if you see me out running, you'll know things are great and we're trying to get these boys out! Don't worry... daniel jerkins gave me a look of complete disapproval when I suggested that.

So... its looking like these boys will make it until December afterall. Let's just pray for their sake they stay put another 3-4 weeks. And  for their momma's sake let's pray they come before Christmas because if I feel like a beached whale now... I can only imagine what 38 weeks would be like.

Jude and Luke's Nursery

I knew I was going to be using the white furniture I had in my room growing up whether we had a boy or girl. So it was easy to nail down that we would need white cribs and the wall color would need to be a darker color. Because I thought from the beginning I was having boys, I had in mind what I wanted and that was navy walls. So then, I just needed to find bedding that I liked. I knew I didnt want a character type theme, but more of a pattern theme... or different patterns rather. I found nothing. I even had come to the conclusion that I would just need to have my bedding made, but after looking at lots of different material I still hadn't found exactly what I wanted. Actually, thats not true. I found something that I liked but we would be looking at $1500 or more once everything was made for both beds and matching curtains.... to which I decided with that price tag I didn't like it that much.

Then one day I found this bedding on sale online. It was so reasonable that we went ahead and bought it and figured if we got it and didn't like it we could still get something else. Once we put it in the cribs to check it out, I was sold. It was simple, it was boyish, it had different patterns, and I could still have my navy walls.

Thankfully we started on the nursery pretty soon after we found out the gender so I was still able to shop and get what I wanted for the room. And thankfully the room is not huge so it didn't take much to  complete it.

Its the first bedroom you see when you walk up our stairs. I still smile every time I see it. 

Thankfulness

November is the month where everyone bombards facebook with something they are thankful for everyday. Don't get me wrong... I am very thankful for so many things, but don't find the need to put it on facebook.

As you know life for us has changed quite a bit the last couple of months. We are in uncharted territory and making the best out of a not so ideal situation. However the boys are doing great and staying put so its clearly all been worth it. Life for me has been made so much easier because of a few things. These in fact are worth sharing here on our blog. (warning: sappy words ahead)

Family: Our families have been wonderful. Offering to come clean, cook, keep me company, organize baby stuff.... we are so thankful that both families are here and so close and so willing to help.

Friends: Our friends have been precious. Meal after meal, phone calls, texts, visits... we have felt the love and support of the body of Christ for sure during this time.

Nurses/Doctors/Medicine: We are so thankful for the medical teams who have taken care of us during our pregnancy and especially during the craziness of preterm labor. Their patience, attention to detail and obviously their concern and care for us has made this experience so much less stressful. We know we are taken care of by ultimately the great Physician, but we are so thankful for the way He has used the nurses, doctors, and medicines these last couple of months.

Technology: D has always been interested in technology and the latest things that come out pertaining to it. I could care less. However.... I am so thankful for facetime, iphones, and ipads. These tools have kept me feeling in the loop with everthing going on outside of my home. I have been able to be apart of every sunday and wednesday night church service because of technology. This has been a huge blessing! I've been able to still be fed spiritually and also see sweet faces.

D: There are no words to adequately express how thankful I am for my husband. I knew I married the best, but through all of this I have seen even more how wonderful he is. He has been so selfless, patient, loving... all while cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, taking care of me and still working... and he does all of this without a single complaint. He has been my earthly rock. I didn't think it was possible to love him more... each day proves that statement wrong. I am so honored to be able to share this adventure of life with him.

Jesus: As I typed this it seemed like such a sunday school answer, but no thankful list would be complete without including The Giver of all good things. I am constantly amazed at his love and faithfulness. 

Hospitals

I've decided now after being in 2 different hospitals it doesn't matter what hospital you're in, but more importantly about the care you have while being there. The nurses make or break your experience. Thankfully for the most part we had fantastic nurses. Methodists nurses overall seemed to be younger, but just as qualfied.

We have now dealt with receptionists, case workers, triage nurses, L&D nurses, nurse educators, nurse practioners, neonatologists, OB doctors, and high risk doctors... we for the most part were pleased with all of them. It can be very overwhelming and sometimes scary especially when your babies are less than 30 weeks, but all of these people at both hospitals were gracious, truthful, and encouraging.

The only complaint we had came from our experience of when we got diverted from Baptist to Methodist Germantown. Obviously it is not Baptist's NICU fault that they were full, but having to switch to a hospital you are unfamiliar with was a little weird. We were use to walking in to Baptist's triage and in less than 5 minutes I was on a bed and hooked up to monitors plus they brought all the paperwork to me while I was on the bed getting my babies checked out. They have always been quick to take care of us. Not quite the same story at Methodist. We had to go to the hospital per our doctor's orders because I was having too many contractions that were picked up on our home monitoring system. Too many contractions plus an already shortened cervix could lead to more problems especially at 28 weeks.

Once in Methodist, we had to sit in the waiting area to be seen by the receptionist. After 15 minutes of waiting, she finally finished with the person in front of us and called us up. I sat in a chair there in front of her and filled out the paperwork. Then we had to go sit and wait even longer in the waiting area. 45 mintes to an hour from arriving we were finally in a room and getting hooked up to monitors that confirmed I was having contractions 3-4 minutes apart. Daniel Jerkins was not a happy camper. I'm sure there were other women who needed to take priority over me, but 45 min to an hour?! Thankfully the sweet nurses made up for the lack of immediate care.

Here are some random pictures we took in both hospitals...

These "boots" that aren't really boots massaged my legs to keep me from getting blood clots.

In the ante pardom wing, we got bigger rooms with a refrigerator.

And we got D hooked up with an extra long bed.

At Methodist, after the mag drip, I got to slowly eat again. Chicken broth, orange jello, and sprite never tasted so good!

When we got transferred from Methodist back to Baptist, the high risk dr. made me go by ambulance... which was ridiculous, but apparently funny.

D clearly followed right behind us. I think you can see my head in there leaning to look at him.

In Baptist triage, hooked up checking on those boys.

Poor D froze in the hospital. He kept a jacket on or a blanket on him at all times. I think we were waiting to go for an ultrasound here and he shared his blanket.

It pays to know the ultrasound tech.

When hooked up to monitors, I looked like an alien. I had 3 different monitor heads on. 1 for each baby and then 1 to monitor contractions.

Hands down, D's favorite part about Baptist Women's... their blue bell ice cream. 

We've clearly had our share of hospital time. We are so thankful for technology and medicine that have enabled us to continue to keep our boys cooking. We are also very appreciative of all the precious people who have taken care of us at both hospitals. 

Hopefully we won't have to walk back in one until it's time for the babies!

Maternity Pictures

Maternity Pictures. 2 words my husband was not thrilled to hear come out of my mouth... but oh they did. I've always known that I wanted to have maternity pictures made, but when we found out we were having twins I knew that I'd have one belly worth documenting.

I contemplated with when would be the perfect time to take them. I wanted it to be cooler so we could have great weather and pretty fall backdrops. I also wanted to still be a cute size where I'd like looking at the pics. I also wanted to wait so we could capture the great size of my twin carrying belly. Due to hot temps, preterm labor and hospitalizations... October had quickly snuck up on us and I decided we'd better take these pics or there was a chance we wouldn't get them made before the babies made their arrival. One of my precious friends from church said she wanted to do them for us for free. I couldn't pass up free... and I knew my already hesitant to do this husband would like that price tag.

Being on bed rest I realized my idea of outside fall pics were out the window but Michelle was willing to come to our hospital room or our home... wherever we were. I am so pleased that we were able to be back home, but also that our backdrops weren't random trees or places we weren't familiar with, but it was our stuff. It was personal.

I was not disappointed.

Thank you Michelle for capturing this precious time in our lives. You can check her out on facebook at Precious Memories Photography- Michelle Walker.

2 Pregnancy Must Haves... well for me

These are 2 of my very favorite things. Well, 2 things that I'm so thankful that I have had during this pregnancy.

Angel Sounds:

My sister let me borrow hers and what a sweet treat this was. While our boys were too small for me to feel movement, this little device allowed me to be able to hear them moving around as well as their precious heartbeats. I seriously used this thing everyday or just about everyday until I felt them start moving.

Pregnancy Pillow:

This pillow has been a life saver. It was one of the best investments we made. Though its not cheap, it was worth every penny. I have slept with this thing every night since my belly became a significant size... it has even traveled with us... thats how important it has been. I am a real weenie, but seriously people even you non-weenies can appreciate this fabulous invention. This pillow has helped make my resting experience so much better since I'm sleeping on my side now.... I was a belly sleeper. And since I'm in bed basically all day everyday... it has made such a difference in my comfort level.

Released

Today we went to see our high risk specialist, Dr. BK. It was a great appointment! Boys looked perfect and are weighing 3.6 lbs and 3.8 lbs. Also my shortened cervix has lengthened back up to a 2.1. So bed rest is proving to be a very good thing!

After reviewing all of my info, they concluded that I was doing so well that I could just continue my ultrasounds at my OB's office so.... we officially got released from his care. 

I will continue taking my meds to help with contractions, monitor everyday, drink lots of water and stay in bed. Crazy to think we'll meet our boys in a matter of a few weeks. We are still hoping we can make it to December.

When D put these in the car, it got very real. 

Soon 2 precious boys will be riding in those! Crazy.

30 weeks:

My favorite maternity shirt:

31 weeks: