In All Honesty...

...I've probably come across as looking at things a little too much through rose-colored glasses on this here blog.

My husband, mom, and closest friends know otherwise!

The truth be known: the end of any pregnancy is no fun. The end of a twin pregnancy is even less fun, especially when someone moves your cheese!

First of all here's one last belly pic that I'll post. It's gotten harder and harder for me to turn sideways to take them! I'll try to remember to take one early Tuesday morning right before the girls are born...if in fact they wait that long! :)

I had originally created this very honest list of not-so-fun aspects of being this pregnant with twins. But after much thought about this post...I just can't make my woes and complaints the main part of it! I will still include some of the realities we've faced at the bottom because they are just that, realities; but I have to create another list first.

I have linked into several blogs of families with multiples. I have read a lot of stories. I have read a lot about the risks associated with carrying twins. I have marveled at the complication-free pregnancy I have experienced against so many odds, even with emergency surgery at 10 weeks.

• We are at 37 weeks and 4 days. At 37 weeks, less than 2% of twins remain in the NICU. Twins are considered full term at 37 weeks. We have officially avoided premature birth.
• I've never been in pre-term labor. My contractions have never been consistent or painful. I've avoided magnesium and other drugs necessary to stop contractions as well as steroid shots to speed up the development of the girl's lungs (which come with complications themselves).
• My blood pressure has remained constant and good throughout (except for when my tube ruptured, but that had nothing to do with the twins!). No preeclampsia. No PIH (pregnancy induced hypertension). 
• I tested negative for gestational diabetes.
• The girls are in 2 separate sacks, decreasing (and I think completely ruling out) their risks for things like TTTS (twin to twin transfusion syndrome) or becoming entangled in each other's cords. 
• I have never been put on bed rest...just stay off your feet and rest.
• There have been no problems with the girl's placentas...no previa no abruption.
• And we clearly have not had any intrauterine growth restrictions (these girls are huge!).

I don't post any of this to brag. I have not one single solitary thing to brag about because every bit of this has been out of my control and in God's hands! My doctor even said it (weeks ago in an opposite way)...reminding me that if they came early that it was nothing I could prevent. Therefore, there is nothing that I have done or could have done to keep them where they are this long either, but I am still so thankful!!!! I can't explain why some women experience these complications and others do not. The only thing I know is that we have been incredibly blessed: blessed to avoid these complications, blessed that the twins were not harmed during my surgery as far as we know, and blessed to be alive! 

I am blessed beyond words to have the opportunity to be uncomfortable, to ache, to deal with indigestion/heartburn for this long and to still be carrying these girls! But I'm committed to not sugar coat things on here. It's not been all easy and perfect. It has been really hard at times! Here are just a few of the cold, hard realities of the last few weeks of being pregnant with (not small) twin girls:

• I can just be sitting and get terribly dizzy.
• I often times can't lay down because of severe reflux but can't sleep sitting up. If I lean back too far, someone inevitably sits on my interior vena cava, causing my brain to think my blood pressure is low thus immediately trying to make it jump higher resulting in red hot ears and a crazy blood pressure! (this also happens sometimes when I have a contraction)
• The middle of my right back hurts almost all the time. I'm carrying 75% of the babies on the right side (Baby A's head/torso and Baby B's torso/legs). It's hit a new level this week.
• Baby B loves to dig herself into my right bottom rib. 
• Baby A's bottom continues to reside in my pelvis, causing me to take even more frequent trips to the potty. 
• Someone is also sitting on a nerve that runs down my entire leg. It gets old really quickly when your entire leg just aches!
• My hips feel like they are one step away from dislocating. I've quit walking around with anything but tennis shoes on!
• Water causes indigestion/reflux. How weird is that! So does peanut butter and peanut m&m's! Sad!
• I am down to maybe 3 shirts that actually fit me. I am borrowing 4 people's maternity clothes too! None of my tank tops fit me. They gradually ride up until they sit right above my belly, basically defeating the purpose of wearing them! I much prefer athletic pants over any other pants. I'm tired of those 3 shirts.
• My arms are almost not long enough to allow me to do things without rubbing my belly up against something: washing my hands, getting clothes out of the washer, reaching over the stove. Annoying because I hate it when my belly rubs up against things. It hurts where my scar is!
• Everyone wants to touch my belly now because it is so big; and while it used to not bother me when my closest friends would (in fact, I loved grabbing their hands to feel one of the girls kick), now I literally back away from people or put my hand up. My belly hurts because it's stretching so much daily...on top of stretching a still healing incision!  
• The other half of the people I run across who don't want to touch my belly, stare at it with a scowl on their faces. Maybe it's just an intense glare. Who knows, but my mom even noticed it the other day! It's funny to watch them stare and then have them realize I'm watching them! I just smile when their eyes finally pull away from my belly! ;)
• My right ring finger is so swollen that I had to pry my ring off using soap for fear that it would have to be cut off later! It makes no sense why only one finger is swollen...but at least it's not my whole hand or whole body!
• My scar has grown from 7 inches to well over 10 inches. Parts of it burns when its touched and other parts of it are numb. 
• And although most common in the 2nd trimester, I have severe ligament pains that sent us to L & D Sunday night to be monitored. When I told the on-call OB the sizes of the girls at the last ultrasound, he said he was shocked I hadn't been in earlier! 

...and those are a few of the realities of the last few weeks of being pregnant with twin girls!

Please join us as we continue to pray for a complication-free birth of our girls. Sure, I don't want to have surgery again. I vividly remember waking up from the other surgery in so much pain that all I could do was point at my stomach. But I had lost almost a liter of blood and been given 4 units of donated blood. My body had been in shock for hours. My blood pressure had been so low that my muscles ached from shivering. And this time it's planned. It's more controlled. It's a smaller incision. My body might be a little on the tired side, but nothing compared to the last time I had surgery. So I'm holding onto that. Sure. It's not going to be fun, but we will have two little blessings to hold soon!

...and I'm absolutely beyond words excited about that!!!

Psalm 29:11
The Lord gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.

Protection

I've tried hard not to be an over protective mother. I know I have at times, but I don't make any excuses for my intuition...and I go with it. Over the past year though, we've tried hard to foster independence in Addie.

I've always been careful who I let Addie go places with by herself. It's a big deal. Period. I don't apologize for it one second. But I can't be (and am not) with her 24/7 and shouldn't. I can't control her every move. I can't control the decisions she makes. But I've had to significantly cut down on where I take her by myself over the past few weeks because I literally cannot keep up with her. That's a scary feeling for a mother of any child but especially a 2 year old!

She's seriously testing boundaries, and I will be even more cautious over the next few months because of this:

My mom knows Addie very well. She's knows her limits, and she knows when she's testing them. She knows her routines and sticks to them. She knows the boundaries we set, and I am so thankful that she respects and enforces them. That's why I trust her with Addie.

She took Addie to the park last Friday. She stayed a foot behind her the entire time. She has energy that I dont have (so thankful!). Until Addie decided she wanted to go in the street and wasn't stopping. The park is on a road that's not too busy. But when a car drives down it, they fly...

She shot out into the street, only to be grabbed by my mom as soon as she could catch her.

I don't blame my mom for this. It could have just as easily been me (and right now, it would have taken me a lot longer to catch her!). I wasn't even there, but I have replayed what I think happened in my mind over and over again. And it grips me with fear that I cannot put into words.

Bottom line: I cannot (and won't and shouldn't) protect my child from every danger she will face. I am not able to. No matter the boundaries we set up. No matter the safety measures we take. No matter how cautious and careful we are. It's a cold reality that I'm sure every parent faces at some point in time. I can't protect her from everything. But I will protect her from the things I can! And I will continue to go with my intuition!

I remember when I was pregnant with Addie repeatedly committing her safety, growth, and well being to God. I mean, I sure didn't want to be responsible for figuring out which cell should grow where and keeping her untangled from her umbilical cord! Why would I not want Him to be in control of all that!

And so I've had to go back to that: daily (and sometimes more) committing her safety to Him.  Praying for the decisions that she will make. Praying for the people that we trust her with. Praying that the things we have taught her will sink in. Praying for His angels to surround her. Praying for her safety!

...and I can't imagine any other Hands I'd want her in!

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

Psalm 91:11-12

Who Moved My Cheese...

The administrator of the first school where I taught had us read a specified book each summer. One summer it was Who Moved My Cheese.  The adult version was great and all, but the kids picture book is what got my attention (that probably says something about my attention, but that's ok!).

I remember pulling out the children's version and reading it to a few of my students at my second school where I taught. Their teacher had to go on medical leave, and they were not happy about their new permanent sub! It actually made an impact on them, and I witnessed their attitudes gradually change as time went on.

I won't bore you with a long synopsis of the plot, but you can read more about it here with this cute little presentation that someone else created! Basically though, there are 4 mice: two are willing to go search for new cheese after their stash is gone and two are not. In the end, one of the two unwilling mice ventures out and realizes the value of dealing with the change that's been set before him (you know, because once that cheese is gone, it's not like you can change anything and make it reappear) and actually discovers that his new cheese is better than the old!  

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If you know me at all, you know I'm a planner. If you've read this blog long enough, you know I'm a planner, with this being a perfect example! I've mellowed a lot since college and even more since having a child!

...but I'm still a planner and my cheese just got moved!!!!

I had a great post ready for you full of the realities of being pregnant with twins at 37 weeks.  There was no sugar coating in this post. I'll still post it...but tomorrow! I was going to tack onto the end of it a great 37 week belly shot (later too) and an update from my 37 week OB appointment.

...but somebody moved my cheese!

Before you start calling me dramatic and unreasonable, remember I am 37 weeks+1 day pregnant with unusually large twin girls! We're estimating a combined weight of about 13lbs 7ozs as of today. Thirty-seven weeks is tough for any pregnancy, but this one is magnified!

That somebody who moved my cheese happens to be my OB. You see, he's been assigned to jury duty during my 38th week of pregnancy. He has to be there early Monday; but even if he gets chosen, he wont have to be there until much later on Tuesday.

So for my benefit, he moved my scheduled c-section to Tuesday, May 4th.

Um...I know, that's only 24 hours. Yes, I'll still be 38 weeks. No, it's not that big of a deal. But it is...

...because it IS 24 hours later. We had everything worked out for introducing the girls to Addie and whisking her away to a fun weekly activity. My dear friend was coming from Birmingham to spend some time with us and take pictures of the girls and Addie in the hospital (and her husband had taken Monday off to keep their kiddos)! Family was coming into town. Another friend who is leaving town Tuesday was going to be able to meet them Monday! And yet another friend had Monday off to take a test, so she'd be able to come visit too!

IT WAS ALL PLANNED OUT PERFECTLY, AND HE MOVED MY CHEESE!

But...Change Happens.
Whether we like it or not.

And...The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Find New Cheese. 
There is good in this. Paul can get an entire 8 hours of work in on Monday that we'll have with him later at home!

So...I'm determine to Savor The Adventure And Enjoy The Taste Of New Cheese.
By just extending our Addie weekend right into Monday (more about that later)!
 
Because...Noticing Small Changes Early Helps You Adapt To The Bigger Changes That Are To Come.
You know...because our life is about to seriously change when these sweet baby girls are born!

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Yes, I know they still might show up early (and we sure can't plan for that...haha!); but according to my OB, there aren't any signs of that as of today. I'm dilated about 2 cm, which is where I was Sunday as well.  Paul and I think they aren't coming until we go in and get them!


So God continues to teach me a lot about patience and His timing! He is consistently showing me examples of my husband's unconditional love for me and our family. I have a constant reminder of His goodness anytime I look down (and can't see my toes;). Every minute of this pregnancy has been a testimony to his unfailing love!

So we continue to wait...even if it is only 24 extra hours!

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My Redeemer is Faithful and True 

Steven Curtis Chapman

As I look back on the road I've traveled,
I see so many times He carried me through;
And if there's one thing that I've learned in my life,
My Redeemer is faithful and true.
Everything He has said He will do,
And every morning His mercies are new.
My Redeemer is faithful and true.
And in every situation He has proved His love to me;
When I lack the understanding, He gives more grace to me.
My Redeemer is faithful and true.

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Romans 8:25

the Park

***Make sure to go here and give us your best guess for the girl's arrival date and combined birth weight if you haven't already. I'll be closing comments Tuesday morning after my OB appointment!***

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It has been gorgeous in Montgomery over the past few weeks. Gorgeous but miserably pollen filled!

I'm not venturing to the park by myself right now. But my mom came over one afternoon, and we headed to the shady park, and Paul met us there after his workout. It was beautiful!

She's usually willing to slide on her own, but this slide is much taller and much faster!

But swinging has to be her favorite thing to do at the park!

With some help from Munga (Paul's dad), we are working to get quotes to get our backyard fixed so we can get our very own playground, as Addie calls it! Rie Rie has started a playground fund that's rapidly growing! We won't have it ready for spring but by mid-summer/fall, we're hoping our backyard can be our new playground!

Walk of LIfe 2010

My mom and Addie walked in the Walk of Life sponsored by the Joy to Life Foundation last Saturday. I registered because I wanted the t-shirt to support the cause, but I was pretty incapable of walking. There are all sorts of prizes and goodies for walkers. When my mom tried to get mine (while holding my number), they started to give her a hard time. Once she informed them that I was at home, almost 36 weeks pregnant with twins, they changed their tune! :)

Two years ago, I took this picture at the Walk of Life. Two years ago that feel like two days ago. My mom has been a breast cancer survivor for 3 and half years now. Again...that sometimes feels more like 3 and half days ago. I am so thankful that she is here with us and can take Addie to walk in a benefit for such a wonderful cause! What a blessing!

Addie had a blast, and I got some sweet pictures of her when she got home!

And how can you not have fun when there's a ball involved!

As I started going through pictures of Addie from the last year, I realized I had NONE with my mom! Sad! So I'm making a conscious effort to get more of them together! ...and this has to be one of my favorites!

Don't forget to go here if you haven't already and leave a comment with your guess as to when our girls will arrive!

Flashback Friday: Walk of Life 2008

Pictures All Around

First of all, make sure to go here and guess when you think the girls will arrive! All of you, grandparents, long-time friends, and non-commenting "blog stalkers" (as you call yourselves ;) too! There's a prize involved!

I both love and dislike when Addie does this...but she actually asked me to take her picture here, so how could I object!?! Maybe her relationship w/ the camera is improving! Not sure how she's going to react to my new big camera...but more about that later!

My appointment went well yesterday, and both girls heart rates were fabulous on the non-stress test.  I'm having stronger contractions, but nothing to be overly concerned about. My OB did move my scheduled c-section date up to May 3rd. Whoohoo is all I can say! I gathered that he's concerned about my scar from the surgery combined with the size of the girls. I am still wishfully hoping that I will just go into labor sometimes during week 37 and not even make it to that point! BUT, the longer these little girls stay put, the stronger their little lungs will be. And that's worth every minute of uncomfortable aches, racing to the potty, shortness of breath, dizziness, and crazy blood pressure jumps.

We got a surprise ultrasound yesterday too. I won't share details since everyone is guessing weights; I'll just say that it once again confirmed why I'm exhausted and uncomfortable carrying this much baby around!

But the tech got some great shots of the girls. I could just sit and watch them all day! They were (as usual) very active, still very breech/transverse, and growing bigger by the minute (ok, that's an exaggeration, but it's how I feel!).

Here's Baby A: perfect little profile!

Here's Baby B: perfect little profile + a hand sticking up there on the left!

And here are their heads. This is the best the tech could get of them both on the same screen because of their position and size.

And you can go here to see a 36 week 1 day belly picture! I promised myself that if I made it this far, I'd have to take another one! Kinda interesting compared to 33 weeks + 2 days and 28 weeks + 1 day! And I felt big then! Ha! They are just growing farther and farther out front, but growing babies means maturing lungs!!!

Happy Wednesday!

Let's Play A Game...and There's a Prize!

Our friend Colleen suggested that we take a poll!

So...here are the big questions:

When do you think our girls will be born?!?!?

and

How much do you think they'll weigh?!?!?

Leave a comment on this post with the:
a.) day/date
b.) combined weight OR the weight of each girl (you must guess pounds and ounces!)

The facts:
Today, Tuesday, April 20th, I am 36 weeks and 1 day
We have a scheduled c-section for May 3rd* (so no guesses after that!)
Twins are considered full term at 37 weeks (but that clearly doesn't matter to these girls!)

*May 3rd is the new c-section date as of today, April 20th. so if you've guessed later than that (mark and erin b), you can re-guess the delivery date!

If you're not a google user, you can leave an anonymous comment, but make sure to sign your name and leave your email address so we can contact you. If you have a google account (or blog), you can just leave a comment that way :) If for some reason you can't leave a comment (and want to), you can email me at arwamsted(at)gmail(dot)com. (but make sure to fill in the @ and the .)!

because...

...there's a prize!!!

How about a $25 gift card of your choice (courtesy of our tax refund...whoohoo!) for the person who guesses the correct date. IF there is a tie, the person who guesses closest to the correct combined weight wins the prize!

Now get to guessing!!!!

(any and all friends and family can guess, but Anne Perry and Audrey Kate's parents and sister are ineligible to win!)

Lists

I love lists. I keep lists for everything from things to do, to dinner ideas, to items we need for a trip. Everything. The easiest place for me to keep these lists is stored in my Bl@ckberry. I may lose track of them, but I ultimately don't lose them!

I was scrolling through looking for something and ran across a list entitled: Mountains.  And a flood of emotions came over me. The anticipation of going. The nervousness of leaving Addie for those few days. Packing every type of anti-nausea/antacid drug I could take. All the things I wanted to get done for Addie before I left. Being giddy with excitement to be getting away and getting to take pictures!

And how completely and utterly different things were when we arrived back home almost an entire week later instead of a mere 4 days...minus a baby we hadn't even know about, plus an incision covering my entire abdomen/stomach, but alive and still carrying healthy twins!

Then I remembered how blessed we were by other's generosity: the unbelievable amounts of food, time spent with Addie, doing our laundry, washing our dishes...all the selfless acts of so many. That list could go on and on and on.

Those first 6 weeks home were probably the most trying, most exhausting, most blessed weeks of our lives. I watched as an already sweet bond between Paul and Addie grew into the most beautiful closeness. He cleaned up more throw-up than any husband should ever be required to do. I've never seen him so exhausted and yet so determine to care for his wife and child. For me, it was a different perspective of our marriage, of his role as a father, and of the utter grace of our God.

There have been many lists created and deleted since that list I made for the Mountains. A list for the little girl's rooms. A list for Addie's room. A list for Addie's 2nd birthday. A list for supplies we needed to stock up on before the twins arrival. Again...the lists go on!

I'm a planner. When everything around you is wildly out of control, a list seems to rein it all in and make it a bit more manageable. I've done all the planning I can do for these little girls. The room. The clothes. The diapers. The gear. I've done all the planning I can to help prepare Addie. Her room. Talking about the girls. Nurturing and loving her the way I want her to love her sisters. Making arrangements and contingency plans for her care while I'm in the hospital. I even have a list of what needs to be added to my hospital bag before we leave!

But the planning time has ended, and now we wait. I can't make a list for the delivery. There are too many options. I can't make a list for how things will be when we bring the girls home. I've brought one baby home but never two let alone two with a two year old!

I don't remember being so impatient with Addie's arrival. Don't get me wrong; I was so excited. But I feel like the days are oh so slowly ticking by. Again, don't get me wrong; I want these babies to grow and stay where they are for as long as they need it! I am so thankful they have stayed put for so long... yet another miracle of this pregnancy. I am so thankful for the time I've had with Addie, something I treasured more after my surgery and even more in the past few weeks. I am continuing to try to treasure this time with just her, even with the limitations I now have. I'm trying not to focus on the very long list of aches and pains and indigestion and interrupted sleep and breathlessness and restrictions. I'm continuing to try to savor the last few weeks of what will most likely be the last time I will ever be pregnant...

...the sweet gentle movements of the girls, the intense kicking too, how my entire pregnant belly can shift positions from up high to down low to both babies being on one side to having a baby practically on each hip and nothing in the middle! 

And so to help me be patient, I leave you with a list of the countless blessings and miracles of this pregnancy:

• conception in and of itself!
• one baby being 2 weeks behind the other at week 5, but catching up (growing the equivalent of 3 weeks in a mere 1 week) by week 6 (power of prayer!)
• being in the perfect location, even away from home, with the perfect doctors, EMTs, and nurses for major, life threatening surgery
• friends who stay up late and got up early praying for us that Friday night/early Saturday morning 
• surviving the blood-loss and surgery
• both babies surviving the trauma to my body before and during the surgery
• healthy babies measuring right on track
• countless people selflessly serving our family for weeks on end
• my husband and my mom, both of who stepped up to care for me and Addie for days and weeks
• Addie's resilience: attachments, flexibility, adjustments, sleeping 
• the gift of someone to come in and help me clean
• healthy babies measuring right on track!
• every aspect of Addie's and the girl's room coming together: beds, bedding, furniture, paint, everything
• amazing family that has helped us with baby needs, pulling the rooms together, caring for Addie and being so patient with us!
• diapers: stockpiled by so many friends and family (I added up over 1,650 diapers size newborn to size 2 the other day...that will last us about 2 and a half months!)!
• healthy babies measuring right on track!

• and...the fact that I am 36 weeks today...period! Praise God!

Now that was a list worth making!

Give thanks to Him and praise His name! For the Lord is good and His love endures forever!

Psalm 100:4b-5a

Addie's 2 Year Old Checkup and Her 2nd Year of Life!

(otherwise known as a ridiculously long post!)

Since I don't see myself running (because I can't run anywhere!) outside to take 2 year old portraits of my big girl...I'll just go ahead and update you on her 2 year old appointment (late, but that's ok!).

She is still on the huge side but quite proportional!

Weight: 33lbs (95th%ile)
Height: 36 inches (95th%ile)
Head: 95th%ile

Basically, it explains why her 4T shirts and 3T bottoms fit perfectly and why I can't ever get anything over her head!

We're going to keep a close eye on her feet though. There are some overpronated feet that run in the family, and it seems she may have gotten them. So we're going to get some good (i.e. expensive) shoes with better arch supports and see what happens. If need be, we'll find a good pediatric orthopedist and get her in some arch inserts now instead of waiting until later.

She was really good at this appointment, which surprised me! Not a tear was shed. She needs a Hep A booster, but not until May. So we'll do that when we take the little girls in for their first appointments!

Here are a few of Addie's favorite things (i.e. me bragging and I won't deny it, so feel free to skip to the bottom. its more to help me remember where she is now than anything. :)

Reading books and Singing: loves to read them to you! we often hear key words (names, items, actions) as she reads. i will have to admit that it makes me just slightly proud as her mama! her other favorite thing to do is let us read to her and stop at certain words. then she finishes the sentence/thought, almost always with the right word. we had no idea she had so many books partially memorized until just recently! what a blessing! she also loves to sing. her favorites: wheels on the bus, itzy bitzy spider, jesus loves me, the b-i-b-l-e, i'm a little teapot, 5 little Monkeys (rhyme), peas porridge hot and patty cake (rhymes), ABCD's, and if you're happy and you know it!

Letters, Numbers, Shapes, and Colors: She's had her letters and numbers down for about 6 months now (except 15!), but the shapes and especially colors came a little slower (ok, slower in a relative sense. i never dreamed she'd know all of this before 2!). I think we've got them now though, even octagon, pentagon, and orange!


Jumping, Running, Throwing and Spinning: Addie loves to move! She started jumping (both feet off the ground) and throwing right after she started walking. Now she just runs everywhere, in a sweet prissy little girl way. Unfortunately, she seems to skin her knees and elbows more like what I think of a boy doing! She's rough and tumble, immediately gets back up, bleeding and all and keeps going. It's never a problem until bath time when those owies seem to hurt worse than when they happened! I think Paul would love for me to dress her in pants and long sleeves all the time to avoid these owies (and bath time drama), but I think we'll all tough it out! It's pretty amazing what a little neosporen and a Dora band-aid can do!

Blocks, Balls, and Baking: Addie loves her blocks, the wooden ones as well as the plastic linking ones. She loves to build towers (and airplanes for some reason) and knock them down! As I said above, she loves throwing balls. We've had to work very hard on teaching her to say ready or catch in an attempt to avoid being hit in the face by an unexpected flying ball! And then there's her kitchen: she begs us to come to Addie's room to cook. It's adorable to watch her pretend to eat or drink the food she makes.

Words, Phrases, and Sentences...Oh My!: we were driving along in the car one day and passed a small pond. this is exactly what i hear from the backseat: Mommy look. There's a dog in the water getting wet. I think the most I could utter at that point was, Oh there is...? Totally new thought. Completely without prompting. She narrates everything she does (or we do) and sees, but I have 2 favorite things she says: 1.) I'm coming right back, when she goes to another room to get something and 2.) when two tiny arms wrap around my leg and I hear I love you too!!! She even looked up at me the other day and said, Thank you for fixing my lunch Mommy! Oh what joy to see those manners coming through! After months of prompting thank you, please and now yes/no ma'am/sir, it is truly awesome to see her get it!


Tantrums, Limits, and Time Out: Addie is a lot of fun and always a blessing to be around, but there are certainly times when she tests our patience and boundaries! As I said above, she loves to throw things; but it's not always a ball! One of our most common questions to her, Is that a ball? when something gets chunked across the room (like my phone!). Her newest thing is to just flat out tell us NO!...um, not gonna cut it! So choices are given, and she decides whether she's going to comply or deal with a negative consequence. Works 95% of the time to get her to comply, but that other 5%, oh, well...you can guess where she ends up (time out on her big girl bed)!

Animals, Animals, and more Animals: Addie loves animals. She loves dogs and cats (and has since she was itty bitty), but things have really expanded! Her favorite topic of conversation seems to be about jungle/zoo animals or ocean animals. She can tell you all about them and what they can do! She can't wait to go to the beach (I'm excited to go to the beach!) so she can see dolphins and find sharks! We've finally grasped the fact that the pop-out shark in her books cannot and will not bite her because it's pretend but that real sharks do bite! This allowed us to actually read the book without having to skip the alligator and shark pages!

I simply cannot imagine life without our sweet girl. She's such a joy and a blessing. For every challenging moment we have with her, she replaces it with countless precious memories! She's energetic, loving, silly, joyful, mischievous, and fun-loving all rolled into one! Thank you for blessing us Addie-boo!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures over the last year:

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

And there's a very small glimpse of our 2 year old!

Other People's Pictures and Other People's Babies

My friend Allison sent me an email yesterday to check on us...with a picture attached that made her think of our girls.

It made me smile.

And it made me not quite so frustrated with Baby B for digging her little bottom into my ribcage so that I can only sleep on one side. And it made not want to have a heart to heart with Baby A about sitting so far down in my pelvis that I could spend all day in the bathroom.  And it made me freak out a little less that they are getting so big so fast! And it might have made me a little more patient over these last few days/weeks/too much time!

And of course it got me searching.

I guess I'm probably a little over opinionated when it comes to pictures. I may not be able to take the picture I want, but the photography class I took last summer taught me how to know why I don't like something I've taken. Besides all of that, I'm pregnant and hormonal and I suppose that makes me even more opinionated! Nah...

I love baby pictures. I love naked newborn pictures, but only if they don't show too much little bottom. And I don't want my babies hanging. Period.

But oh how I love snuggled babies. And wrinkles. And those squishy faces. And legs wrapped underneath their sweet little bodies! And hands. And feet. And heads.

I love how this photographer took separate pictures of the babies but made them coordinate!

And I love how Lori set these babies up. You can see faces and hands and fingers and those chubby little cheeks! Oh my!

And I always love Susan Keller's photography. I couldn't copy her picture over here, but click on her name to find a twin picture of hers! 

But this one has to be a favorite...if only we could get Addie to pose like that with the girls?

No expectations. None at all!

But I am getting more and more excited everyday to meet our sweet little girls! I have to pinch myself to believe that there are TWO of them (until I can't breathe because they are both in my ribcage or they start kicking at the same time or they both get the hiccups together!). TWO! And as Addieboo would say, TWO BABIES! All I can think is TWO blessings!

Have a great weekend!

(all pictures can be clicked to link to the original site where the picture was found or to the blog of the photographer)

Flashback Friday: Swinging

September 2009

April 2010

Tyler's Soccer Game

Addie and I finally made it to one of Tyler's soccer games. It was indoor soccer, so Addie was a tad more contained (less chasing for me) than if we were outside on a field.

Ellie was so sweet to Addie!

She played ball or chase with her almost the whole time!

Tyler's game was actually a playoff game. They did awesome! He is quite the little soccer player! It was fun to watch him!

And of course she was way excited to see Di and Tim too!

35 Weeks!!!!

Yesterday, we hit 35 weeks! It's been the first whew date that we've set since the girls got old enough to survive outside the womb at a mere 24 weeks. Then 28 weeks. Then 32 weeks.
And here we are: if they are well and don't have any health problems, they are allowed in the well-baby nursery at our hospital now! But if they can make it to 36 weeks, they only have a 10% chance of having underdeveloped lungs (and being in the NICU for that reason)...so that's our new goal!

What a tremendous blessing and a huge relief!

I dreamed yesterday that I was in the hospital in labor ready to have the twins; but they didn't have me on monitors, hadn't done ultrasounds, and hadn't even checked me to see if I was dilated! Somehow the nurses thought I was concerned about how to swaddle the babies, and I couldn't convince them that I was really more concerned about delivering them! Ummmm...so you think I'm anxious and READY for these little girls arrival!

I go back and forth. I definitely would like to see them wait until 36 weeks. I definitely want to meet them right now! But then again I know I probably won't ever feel these sweet kicks and movements and punches in my belly again. And that makes me sad.

So I'm trying hard to savor every moment!

I went to see my OB today and had an ultrasound. Both girls looks good! Baby A weighs 5 lbs 7 ozs and Baby B weighs 5 lbs 6 ozs! Now, if you are a math person (or can convert ounces to pounds), that's only 3 ozs shy of 11 pounds of baby! I am so thankful I am tall...but that's still a LOT of baby! In fact, it's a little over 2 of these honey dew melons!

Baby A is still as breech as she can be! In fact, her little bottom is basically sitting in my pelvis (and her favorite pastime is to kick my bladder)! Baby B is quite transverse (head on my top left and bottom/feet on my top right) and sort of wraps her little body around the top of my belly. She is a mover and a shaker, and I'm fairly certain will give her big sister Addie a run for her money when it comes to dancing!

They put me on the monitors again; and finally everyone behaved and stayed on the majority of the time so they could get a good reading! Whoohoo! Heart beats looked great. I am still having contractions, but I still can't feel them. So until I can, we're going to keep on keeping on! My doctor is very pleased with where we are (and we know it's only by the Grace of God that we are here!)! I can see myself becoming a little more challenged each day, and I am so thankful that both Paul and my mom are so willing to go out of their way to help (and do!) for both Addie and me! Bathing Addie. Cooking dinner. Running the vacuum cleaner. Oh how very blessed I know we are!

Here are two pictures of the girls. It's getting harder and harder to get pictures of them because they are so big and have such a small space to manuver in!

Here is the top of Baby A's little head...otherwise known as her brain!

Here is the back of Baby B's little head with her little ear sticking up! Precious!

The new recommendation by the whatever pregnancy association is to wait to induce/do a c-section with twins until 39 weeks. Friends, that's May 10th! Oh My Word! But today he said we'd play it by ear; and if I make it that long, it maybe more like 38 weeks depending on things!

So please pray for:
1.) the health of these babies (specifically lung development)!
2.) a safe delivery, no matter when it might be (specifically for them to remain not in distress)!
3.) the transition that our sweet Addie will inevitably go through!
4.) our patience and sanity...really!

There is no explination as to why we've made it this far along with these twins, especially given the trauma both my body and they endured. But I can assure you that we are daily (hourly) thanking our God for it!

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.

For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100

the Nursery

Taken in mid January, this is how the little girl's nursery started, after we moved out the guest bedroom furniture, and I got sick. I remember thinking we'd never get it all done!

 

As you can see, it's basically impossible to get a shot of the whole room; so here are the pieces that make up our baby girl's room!

I posted the fabrics we'd be using here, but never got around to showing you the finished product! Can you tell I'm tying up a few lose ends here? We got our bedding from a wonderful seamstress on etsy.com. She did a beautiful job custom making each piece and was fabulous to work with as well! She was also willing to ship us additional fabric for the shades/valences.

We were fortunate enough to find a crib that matched Addie's, only to find out a month later that both had been recalled. We have the pieces to bring them up to code; and you may remember from here, we ended up getting the 2nd one at no charge to us! Just another one of those blessings!

You can really see the walls in the above pictures. Yes, they are pink! Nursery PINK according to the paint color! I'll be honest with you; I was not a fan of pink until I had Addie. But when Paul's mom and I were choosing colors, pink was the perfect color for this room!  

My mom and I started to make the curtains and decided very quickly that was not our gift. We enjoy making outfits and smocking for the girls far more than making drapes! So she took a percent of each of her tutoring sessions, totaling over 12 hours, and purchased the curtains and valences for us! Now that's a sacrifice! The shades are backed in blackout fabric and lined as well, creating a wonderful sleeping room even during the day!

You can also see the corner of the rug in the above picture. I searched online for weeks (ok, maybe a few months) for the perfect rug. They were all either too busy or too pricey with all the other items we had to purchase! So Addie and I went to Lowe's one day and found this one! It cost literally 20% of the rugs I was looking at online, and we think it ties the room together perfectly! Another praise God moment!

The owl theme sort of just evolved over time. I will admit that I love the mobiles above the girl's beds and that these pillows from Target were literally half of what the pottery barn owls cost! I found the owl print at Target as well and couldn't resist!

 

Do note the stool in the bottom left hand corner of the picture above. It was a wonderful suggestion from a friend so Addie can feel more a part of things (helping change diapers and seeing in the girl's cribs).

I got the rocking chair at a yard sale from someone I actually went to school with. We had cushions made by the same lady who made our curtains, and I recovered the footstool, both in the soft snuggly fabric that backs the girls bumper pads.

And of course, how can I forget to show you their names! Audrey Kate's color is green. Green pacis. Green wash clothes. Green towel. Green burp clothes. Green blankets. Green smocking on some of her outfits! Green lovies! Let's hope she likes green!

And Anne Perry's color is purple. Yup, you guessed it: purple pacis. Purple wash clothes. Purple towel. Purple burp clothes. Purple blankets. Purple smocking on some of her outfits! Purple lovies!

I can't post these pictures without giving credit to all the help we got! My mom had the curtains made for us. Paul's mom not only painted the walls (and baseboards) but got the paint for us as well. Paul's dad came and literally pulled the room together: hanging the curtains/valences (no easy task with a very OCD pregnant woman standing by to make sure everything was straight!) and putting up the mobiles and pictures (among other things around our house)! My Dad brought bags of diapers for the little girls too, something that I'm not sure we can even begin to fathom how many we will consume in such short periods of time! And although hidden away, my aunt has transported countless bags of clothes and baby gear from a cousin in Atlanta over the past few months. Thank you all for helping us pull this room together and meet double the needs for our girls!

For a while, I used to just sit in the rocking chair in the little girl's room attempting to take it all in. Two of so much. Two beds. Two mobiles. Two of so many clothes. Two swings tucked under the beds. Matching and coordinating clothes folded in twos in the drawers. I am just in complete awe of the fact that not only am I carrying two babies but that we will, Lord willing, bring home two babies!

These are the dresses the girls will wear to come home. One was Addie's and my mom and I made another one to match.

Before I was showing, even before I got so sick and had surgery, my mom brought me these babies. Two babies as Addie would say. They sat by my bed for months, reminding me that even though I couldn't feel our little blessings, couldn't see them, and sometimes couldn't believe they were actually there...that they were. They were little tiny miracles growing and developing and fighting!

Please continue to join us in prayer for the safe arrival of our little girls! It brings us such peace to know that God has been and continues to be in control of their little lives!

A New Blog...Sort of

So you may remember this post, where I pleaded asked for your help in renaming the blog!

That was a mere two posts and two days before this one.

I'll admit, a few things took precedent over renaming the blog. Well, a few things took precedent over the blog in general. In fact, a few things took precedent over everything in my life except surviving!

So here we are, almost six months later and only weeks away from the twins arrival and still no new blog name!

You all had some fabulous ideas: Josh and Allison suggested The Wamsted Homestead (which definitely got the most votes!), Lori suggested The Wa-Wa-Wamsteds! and And babies make three...kids that is!, Paul suggested thewam5teds (which also got a lot of votes), Rachel suggested all creatures great and small! and every good and perfect gift, Sara suggested WHAM!sted...twins, and Mandy suggested A Full Hand.

All amazing! Ya'll are so creative!

But it was our next door neighbor that got our wheels turning. She kept calling the babies A squared.  So being the math minded mother that she is, my mom suggested A cubed...or a³...and it's stuck!

So a blog for our Addie Marie, Anne Perry, and Audrey Kate...

3 girls,

under 3,

3 times the love!

oh...and 3 a's!

so  a³it is!

Enjoy!

ERGO Baby Carrier Giveaway

I'm not one to blog about giveaways, but I am for this one!

With all the recalls on baby slings recently due to the dangers of suffocation, baby carriers are quickly becoming (what seems) to be the safest option for hands free baby wearing! (More info on other options here.) I didn't do this much with Addie because she was just so big, but we've already got one ERGO Baby Carrier for the twins and hope to get another one if both babies like it! There aren't many options for transporting 3 girls under 3 without one!

Although I can't give a personal testimony for this carrier, my friend Allison sure can! She used one with both her second and third kiddos. I think if she was a swearing person, she'd swear by hers! I remember her telling about grocery store runs when Izzy was born: 3 kids 3 and under, 2 in the cart, and 1 in the ERGO baby carrier with 2 free hands!

The Bragging Mommy is giving away one ERGO Baby Carrier. Head on over and get your entries in for a chance to win!

34 Week Appointment

Not much has changed.

Both girl's heart rates continue to be strong.

My levels look good. 

Both girl's hate being monitored with the non-stress test about as much as I do. One of them always jumps off the monitor or kicks the other one off.  While I love getting to hear their heartbeats each week, I officially dread laying there, on a hard exam table, on my side, with gel all over my belly (by the end), praying my hips don't crack and stomach doesn't split open, all the while watching the girls literally jump on and off the monitor! Even my OB came in today and said, I think we've tortured you enough! Seriously!

I did get a few answers today:

• If I go into labor right now, they will try to stop it up to 36 weeks.
• If my water breaks, they will deliver the babies (this starts at 34 weeks) because the risk of infection is greater than the risk of prematurity. (I knew this about singleton pregnancies, but I've read many cases where they have held off on delivering multiples up to 2 weeks even after water has broken if there is still enough fluid for the baby...wow!)
• At 34 weeks, the number of healthy babies born is now equivalent to the number of unwell babies that are born. 
• The new recommendation is to not schedule a c-section/induction until 39 weeks with twins. I near about fell off the table when he told me this...but if Addie's delivery is any indication of this one, then I'll probably go into labor earlier than that. (not that anything about this pregnancy has been even close to the one with Addie...but still.) That puts our target dates from April 12th (35 weeks) to May 10th (scheduled section at 39 weeks).

I have another appointment next Tuesday with an ultrasound to measure the girl's weights. If (and I don't know for sure) they gain about 4-6 oz a week, they would be about (Baby A) 4lbs 4oz to 4lbs 8oz and (Baby B) 4lbs 8oz to 4lbs 12 oz right now. The average singleton gains around a half pound each week from weeks 32-34, but twins are different (and from what I've been able to find, gain about half that each, or 4 oz).

So now we play the waiting game! Monday is a huge milestone at 35 weeks and the following Monday (36 weeks) is even bigger. We continue to pray that these girls would grow and develop, that the perfect doctor will be on call if they decide to arrive before my scheduled section, that they would turn to be head down if that's the best means of delivery for them, and to prepare all of our hearts and minds for their arrival!

Love to you all!

Easter

Like everything else we've done for the past few months (except Addie's birthday!), Easter was pretty low key for our family! We didn't make a huge deal about the Easter Bunny, but Addie sure was excited to see her Easter basket when she woke up Sunday morning!

My mom and I had been working on her dress for only about 2 weeks. Between the two of us, we seem to be able to crank these bishop dresses and day gowns (for the baby girls) out faster and faster! She cuts them out and pleats them, I smock them, and then she puts them together. I'm pretty sure I'm getting the good end of the deal, but I think she might disagree! :) No matter what, we have both really enjoyed getting to work together making things for Addie and the little girls!

We all headed to church for a beautiful service, reminding us of the only reason that we celebrate Easter! It is awesome to be able to praise our God for the priceless sacrifice He made for us and celebrate the empty tomb! Addie understands about baby Jesus (and sings Jesus Loves Me sweeter than anything I've ever heard!), but I cannot wait for the day that she can begin to grasp the grace of our awesome God!

It was then home to get some pictures and eat a yummy lunch! I really failed to get any good pictures of Addie by the time we got home from church though. She was really cranky and tired and hungry. Her bow was already out, and she just kept pulling it out! She was barefoot and hated the way the mulch in our neighbors flowerbed felt on her feet. But at least you can see her dress!

This right here was total proof of how the rest of our morning went!

So I tried to get a few with her Easter basket on our front porch.

She has a mouth full of candy (which she rarely ever gets to eat, so she was way excited!). It's literally dripping out of her mouth! :)

Her favorite things in her Easter basket were the pinwheel and slinky (oh, and the Easter eggs with candy in them!).

We came in and tried to get her to change clothes only for her to have one of the worst (and longest) meltdowns she's had in a while. Sugar induced or 2 year old induced? Who knows! It took both Paul and me to get her dressed! But snuggling with her Daddy and eating some deviled eggs (the kid loves my mom's deviled eggs as much as I do!!!) made things better.

We had a delicious lunch with my mom and Nana complete with ham, potato salad, deviled eggs (I will never admit how many I ate!), cold bean salad, and some of the best lemon pie I've had in a long time (thank you Nana!). Addie just loves her Nana! (I tried to get a good picture with them, but it was after the meltdown and before lunch!).  Thank you both for making our Easter lunch so special!

...and then it was off to a much needed nap for Addie!

Below is one of my favorite songs that we sing in church. It's paints such a beautiful picture in words! We hope and pray that your Easter was blessed and Christ filled!

In Christ I Stand

In Christ alone my hope is found,

He is my light, my strength, my song;

this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,

firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

My Comforter, my All in All,

here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless babe!

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones he came to save:

Till on that cross as Jesus died,

The wrath of God was satisfied -

For every sin on Him was laid;

Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain:

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave he rose again!

And as He stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,

For I am His and He is mine -

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,

This is the power of Christ in me;

From life's first cry to final breath.

Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of hell, no scheme of man,

Can ever pluck me from His hand;

Till He returns or calls me home,

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.