Sick Babies Are The Worst!

Boooo! 6 months has brought on the illnesses! Judith was diagnosed with croup just around the 6 month birthday. Her pitiful cough & sad face were too much! We missed her infectious smile!

That week was full of cuddles on the couch. Thankfully, Eliza got some drugs before her cough got too bad. 

Everyone was well just in time to be iced in for a few days. We took the girls outside for a quick 5 minute photoshoot. Eliza seemed to enjoy it, but Judith is like her momma....we don't like the cold!

Then, we had another round of illnesses. This time, Judith started with the bug. We were fighting dehydration, & she was refusing pedialyte. Talk about stress! Did I mention sick babies are the worst? We finally found a flavor she would take & got her on the mend. The next thing we knew, though, Eliza was throwing up. Ugh. We were pros at administering pedialyte by now. Adam was next in line to fall victim to the bug. He was out for 24 hours. I escaped with aches, nausea, & weakness. Thank The Lord I didn't catch the full force of it... And that my mom was able to help out! Whew! We're praying the next month goes a little smoother.

Oh, and Christmas happened! The sicknesses put a small damper on things, but we still enjoyed celebrating our Savior with family! Here are a few pics.

5 Months & Counting!

The girls are 5 months old now! Since I started back to work, we're getting into more of a routine. Here are some of the highlights:

• Everyone is rolling! Eliza is our roly poly. I can no longer leave her on the mat alone and run to the other room for something. She will roll right off. She just keeps rolling & rolling! Judith rolls, too, but still prefers to sleep on her back and doesn't like to spend a lot of time on her tummy.

Eliza rolled over onto Judith. No one was happy about that.

All that rolling, really takes it out of you. They fell asleep in this synchronized position.

• Giggles & smiles abound. We love seeing their eyes light up, noses crinkle, and squeals erupt when we make them laugh. They like to be "scared" with an unexpected "boo!" They giggle when I call the hogs. Sometimes funny faces do the trick.
• Sleep is happening. Judith is such a sweet little sleeper! During the day, she will fall asleep on her own when she gets tired. At night, I *usually* don't hear a peep out of her. She sleeps on her back in full abandon with her arms & legs splayed out. Eliza, on the other hand, is not much of a sleeper during the day. She can operate on few naps, but when she is tired, she fights the nap. Lately, it seems like she wants to be held to sleep as well. :-( This is a terrible trend we're trying to figure out how to break. At night, she sleeps on her tummy and is what I call a "vocal sleeper." She doesn't cry... just kind of whines enough to wake me up. Ha! Fortunately, she will *usually* fall back asleep after a few minutes of whining. All in all, I can't complain about lack of sleep. They are good girls!
• We're attempting baby food! We started with some rice cereal, but moved to pureed food quickly. Neither one of the girls was much interested in the rice cereal, but we've had more success with sweet potatoes, mixed carrots, and green beans. Eliza still stages a protest every now and then with crying & spitting, but I think it just depends on her mood. Judith seems to like the food and is eating like a champ.

After the first attempt at rice cereal!

• Their hair is growing.... well, Judith's hair mostly. It's getting longer and we can kind of do a comb over on her now. She was born with a bunch of dark hair, but most of that fell out and it is coming back in super light colored & fuzzy. Eliza's hair is growing just a tiny bit, but isn't anywhere close to Judith's length.
• Bath time is fun! Both girls have recently discovered splashing & kicking in the bathtub. It was really cute the first couple times they did it, but now, it just gets us really soaked.
• Halloween happened. The girls dressed up as Thing 1 & Thing 2 for their party at school and trick or treating at Adam's office. 

Their teacher happened to be dressed as the Cat in the Hat. How timely!

Family Fun

My brother's family came to visit a couple weeks ago. We had a great time meeting my nephew Max who was born just 29 days before the girls. 

He's an angel baby...so happy and easily entertained.

He made our girls look like high maintenance!  And his big sis Addison was a ball of energy! 

My parents' house turned into a daycare! My dad had his hands full.

We also took all the kids up to visit Granny Patten. She was excited to finally meet Max.

And we've officially passed the 2 month mark! We tried to get some pics of the girls... Judith spit up partway through. That upset her. And that upset Eliza. Kind of funny...

This is about as good as it got. :-)

Oh the Woes

I recently read an article interviewing an author named Randy Susan Meyers that spoke a lot about motherhood. She said, "We always love our children; we don't always love being mothers." And I'm finding this to be true even though I've only been a mother for 8 weeks. Before the girls were here, motherhood sounded like the Promised Land (excuse the biblical reference- I know it's a poor comparison). I think it seemed this way maybe because it took us so long to get pregnant. Having a baby was a dream. Being a mom meant there was going to be sweet cuddles, smiles to light up the day, perfect little fingers & toes...

I have found all of those things are true and so rewarding. But I've also been plagued with guilty thoughts. One of the most common things that crosses my mind is, "This would be so much easier if there were only one baby." But I can't imagine whom exactly I think I would be getting rid of... Ha! (I'm not willing to part with either one of our girls, obviously!) I seem to be weakest when I have the least amount of sleep. Imagine that. Ms Meyers also said, "Done right, motherhood begs the question, do you mind stepping aside for a lifetime?”

I've never read a book that Ms Meyers has written, so I've no idea whether or not she is a believer, but that last question echoes the call on my life not just as a mother, but as a follower of Christ. Do you mind stepping aside? "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps." (1 Peter 2:21) We are expected to crucify ourselves as Christ was crucified- our sin nature, selfish desires, and what we perceive as our rights- nailed to our personal cross. By doing this, we serve others & glorify Christ, sharing in His suffering and becoming more like Him. This call on my life has become even more challenging as a mother. What kind of shepherd will I be to my little flock of two?

It's funny how God answered my thought that things would be easier with one baby. He introduced me to a TV show called Quints by Surprise. Watching a family handle quintuplets makes me feel silly for stressing out about twins! God definitely humbled me with that one! I'm thankful that He's with me every step of this journey as I figure out how to be a mom to these two beautiful blessings!

Dream Team

Adam and I have been having funny dreams since we became parents. There is often that half awake, half asleep time when you hear a baby on the monitor and feel like you're holding her in your arms....but you're really just lying in bed. And my favorite, random quote from Adam- when I wake him up to help me feed the girls I always say, "It's time" and he replies, "Which one?" because he thinks there is something wrong with one of them.

Last night I dreamed that Eliza started walking! No, she wasn't a year old... She was her present age/size and wearing her little footed pajamas. Everyone was amazed at our miraculous, walking 6 week old! Ha. Judith joined in after she saw what Eliza was up to. Uh-mazing. And they looked so cute in their little pj's!

The funniest dream was Adam's, though. He dreamed he was holding Eliza. He gave her a little squeeze only to find she was gone! He thought he dropped her! He was alarmed because she wasn't crying. No longer dreaming, he starts literally scanning the floor in the pitch black dark. He cautiously puts one tip toe down after the other making sure he doesn't step on her. He flips the bedside lamp on & searches the floor for her, but she's not there! He tears through the covers looking for her in the bed, but she's not there either! It is at this point, that he started to realize he was dreaming & Eliza was safe in her crib! Ha. Poor guy was freaked out!

Clearly, we are sleep deprived these days! :-) As we celebrate the girls 6 week birthday today, we dream of the day when we will get some more sleep & stop acting like crazy people!

4 Weeks Down!

Wow. I can't believe 4 weeks have already gone by! We did an unofficial weigh in with the girls and they were both 9.3 lbs. Time mostly flies by... Except when I'm up with a cranky baby in he middle of the night. Ha. God has been kind in that I usually only have one cranky baby at a time. It is rare that they are both freaking out at the same time. Each week we have a prayer theme. I put the theme on the dry erase board in the nursery & try to change out a related verse every other day. We pray the scriptures for the girls as we feed them in the middle of the night. This week, we've been praying for them to love God's Word. It helps me focus at 3am instead of feeling desperate! :-)

Their little personalities are slowly emerging, too. Eliza is very laid back and Judith seems to be our drama queen. Eliza eats & sleeps really well, but she is super difficult to burp & throws up like a fire hose sometimes. Judith takes her sweet time while eating, drools milk all over herself & burps like a champ. They are perfectly unique and complete joy! Here are some funny portraits.

Eliza:

Judith:

And a couple of our attempts at a one month photo:

Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day takes on a new meaning this year as I think about celebrating not just my Dad, but my husband as well. To say Adam is a great dad is a complete understatement. His love is fierce & is a reflection of God the Father. I am so blessed to share this parenting journey with him! 

Here he is on a night duty:

And with both his girls:

Welcome to Our World of Love!

"Welcome to our world of love!" is what our nephew, Austin, wrote in the card he made for the twins while they were in the hospital. It was the cutest thing!

The girls arrived via c-section May 30th at 8:13 & 8:14 AM. Both were 20" long. Judith arrived first weighing in at 6.6 lbs, and Eliza weighed a whopping 7.1 lbs! They were healthy sized girls!

It's funny because in my mind, I am ashamed to admit,  I always thought c-sections were the "easy" way out for labor. But I am here to tell you that is not the case! There doesn't seem to be an "easy" way to give birth. I think that's part of the Genesis curse, right? You get pain meds for a c-section, but you still feel things.... No lie, it felt like a grown man was jumping up & down on my upper abdomen when they were trying to get Eliza out. Maybe it only felt that way because there were two to get out? Not sure.... But I definitely do not think giving birth is easy in any way, fashion, or form. 

I do, however, think it is definitely worth it! I am in love times two! Babies are miracles from God! And He designed these two specifically for us to love & care for. What a privilege! This process has also brought Adam and I so much closer. He has been super dad... Changing diapers left and right and being so supportive. Figuring out nursing was an emotional roller coaster & he was with me every step of the way. He is a wonderful father, and I don't think I could do this without him! 

And a special thanks to our moms! Susie & Steph have been rotating staying with us to help. And what a help they have been! So glad that God moved us back here where we are surrounded by the support of friends & family!

And now for the fun part... Some pics:

Ready to leave the hospital!!

This is a pic of super dad while we were at the pediatrician's office for their first check up. The double hold is no easy feat! 

Crib time!!

We had a photographer come take some pics on their one week birthday. These are the only two we've seen so far, but they are precious! Can't wait to see the others!!

Save the Date!

We have a c-section date!!!!! At the ultrasound yesterday, one baby was head down, but the other was bottom down. So our doctor recommended scheduling a c-section. We're on the calendar for 8am next Thursday, May 30th! So surreal! Now we are just praying that I don't go into labor before then.... especially since my doctor is going to be out of town two days this week! Please join us in prayer. We're super excited! :-)

The Final Countdown

After my doctor's appointment yesterday, it feels like the girls will arrive any day now! My blood pressure was slightly elevated, and I was dilated to a 2. We went up to the labor & delivery area to do a non-stress test. There was a heart monitor hooked up to each baby, a contraction monitor for me, and my blood pressure was taken every 15 minutes. I was supposed to lay really still to see if the babies were under any stress in a completely relaxed environment. It was harder than I expected to lay completely still for two hours straight!

The girls did awesome, though! Apparently, I was having mild contractions and one "real" contraction during the test and didn't even realize it! The doctor wrote me a note to go on modified bed rest so that I could work from home. Sounds like the girls will make their debut in two weeks or so! We go back again next week to see how they are positioned. If they are not both head down, we will set a date for a c-section! We would appreciate any and all prayers as we anxiously await their arrival!

Project Nursery

You've been wondering about the nursery, haven't you? Well... here it tis...

We decided we wanted to hang the girls' names on the wall, and considered multiple options... wooden letters, decals, etc. I found a picture on Pinterest of letters that had been wrapped in yarn. Adam thought it was a fun idea, so we bought some paper maché letters and yarn at JoAnn's and went to work. Let me just tell you that it was not as easy as it looks! After several tutorials found on google, we finally prevailed. Adam was kind of a pro. I'm so fortunate that he is a helper! He wrapped more letters than I did! So... Here is what they look like:

 

(sorry, this ridiculous program won't let me rotate the pic & i don't have the time or patience to wrestle it into obedience. Please turn your head to the right to view properly. Ha.)

As you were turning your head to the right to view Eliza's pic, did you notice that frilly bedding?! Adam's mom has turned herself into a sewing machine. No lie... she has been busy. One of the super cool things about the bedding she made is the sheet. It has one fabric on the top and a different fabrice around the sides. It makes it look a little more like there is a bumper when there isn't. (Because those apparently aren't safe anymore... in case you were wondering. The times are a changin.) And another special feature on those sheets is the sweet ruffle that separates the two fabrics! Now the crib kind of looks like a ruffle explosion happened because the skirt is a 3-tiered ruffle as well, but it's girly... and I love it. Here is a close-up of the sheet ruffle. My photography skills don't do her work justice.

She made each of the girls their bedding, a quilt, a smaller blanket that will be perfect for covering them in the carseats, these little lovies with ribbons along the edge for texture/play time:

She also made a banner of flags, these amazing fabric balls, and the wall art made out of buttons with their initials.

This pic is a little bit old because the flags go all the way across the wall now, but you get the idea. How about those fabric balls, eh? The pink one has over 3 yards of fabric on it! Woah.

And these letters are made out of buttons that she sewed onto a fabric wrapped canvas:





We plan to use that dry erase board to keep track of diapers in the early days. Later on, I think I'll put a verse on it or something. So, like I said... Adam's mom has been busy. She also embroidered some burp cloths & bibs with their names. Cute stuff.

The nursery also features two (yes, two!!) rockers! Adam insisted that we each have a rocker. So, one is the swivel, rocker, recliner combo and the other is this classic wooden rocker that my parents let us have from their house. Both are quite comfy!

Our dresser/changing table is just a regular desser that we picked up at ikea before we moved from Florida. We changed out the knobs to brighten it up a bit...

I *think* we're almost ready to bring these babies home. Although, nothing can truly prepare us. I've been reading books on sleeping... books on feeding... books specifically on twins... it's kind of stressing me out. People have been having babies for thousands of years without all the gear, books, and advice we have now. Surely we can figure this out, right? Ha. That's what I keep telling myself. I've made it 34 and 1/2 weeks so far! Praise the Lord for continuing to sustain me.

The Blessing and the Responsibility

In February, I had the privilege to attend the Bible Study Fellowship leader's retreat in Memphis. Retreat is only offered for our area every three years, so it was super exciting that I was able to squeeze this in before the babies arrive. It was a great time of fellowship and teaching. This was my third retreat and it was slightly different from the past because this year, they offered breakout sessions. We could choose two to attend from seven different options. The first one I attended was titled Biblical Illiteracy in Children: Today's Crisis. Some of you may think this is the most boring post ever & immediately unsubscribe, but the information was so impactful, I thought it was important to share. Below are some of my notes from the session. We have been abundantly blessed by the Lord with our two girls and this seminar reminded me of the serious responsibility we have as parents to admonish & nurture them in the Word of God.

First off... some statistics:

* 45-50% of high school seniors fall away from their faith when they leave home. This is common because many believe Christianity is more about what you do than the person of Christ...more about behavior than faith in God.

* In a survey of 8-12 year olds:

    - Fewer than 1/2 say religious faith is important

    - Only 1/3 believe Bible is accurate

    - More than 1/2 believe Jesus may have sinned

    - 4 out of 5 think good people go to heaven

Why do we have this crisis?

* Parents are biblically illiterate

* Parents don't understand the call to teach their children. We have a responsibility to pass on what we know about Christ. 

* Christian traditions are the substitute.

What do we do? The key to biblical literacy is teaching the Bible to reach the mind. Reading His inspired, living & active Word.

1. Teach the Whole Word. Don't just "snack" on the Word- it is our manna/food for everyday sustenance. Don't spare them just because we think it might be difficult for them to understand. Only teaching topical subjects is less relevant than natural lessons gleaned from consistent study. Study entire books of the Bible at a time. Keep taking them back to the big picture- plan of redemption through the entire Bible- God calling a people to Himself through Jesus.
2. The Bible is God's Autobiography. He is the main character in every chapter- not man. Start with "What does this passage say about God?" vs "What does this passage mean to me?" Aim to know God first. Pray that God will show you what to teach about Himself. Teach all of God's attributes. Not only is He loving, gracious & kind, but also holy, righteous, & just.
3. Teach the Gospel as God's Treasure.

Taking biblical literacy from something we know to something we believe

1. Teach through interaction. Engage their full attention (role play, etc.)
2. Ask good questions. Start with general content of the passage. Next general application or principle of the passage. Then how that truth affects them.
3. Turn a child's thoughts toward God. Tie real life situations to what they know about God.
4. Let your child ask questions. Wrestling is part of the acceptance.

Reality comes in a faith-filled, changed life. You see fruit- not a date of a prayer or baptism.

As a parent, you will see more resistance than acceptance, but we must keep teaching.

That's it. Those are all my notes. I'm excited about a recent gift we received, at our shower that I think will be most helpful in this endeavor- The Jesus Storybook Bible. Here is the description from amazon:

"The Moonbeam Award Gold Medal Winner in the religion category, The Jesus Storybook Bible tells the Story beneath all the stories in the Bible. At the center of the Story is a baby, the child upon whom everything will depend. Every story whispers his name. From Noah to Moses to the great King David---every story points to him. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle---the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together. From the Old Testament through the New Testament, as the Story unfolds, children will pick up the clues and piece together the puzzle. A Bible like no other, The Jesus Storybook Bible invites children to join in the greatest of all adventures, to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the center of God's great story of salvation---and at the center of their Story too."

Anyways... I'm thankful to God that we have friends & family to come alongside us as we undertake this wonderful blessing & responsibility.

Oops, I did it again...

Yase, it has been too long since I blogged. BUT i have a good excuse. We moved to Arkansas! When we found out we were expecting not just one baby but two babies, Adam approached his boss & started to explore options that would allow us to move back to Arkansas and be closer to family. God made a way becuase Adam's boss just happened to be creating a new position that was going to be perfect for him with the experience he gained while in Florida. AND our house in Arkansas never sold! So we just moved right back into it! Nuts! And I know people usually trash talk Walmart and how they treat their employees, but they have been nothing but generous to us with the two moves in one year. We have been so blessed. It's strange because I feel like our time in Florida was just a really long vacation. So we've been here in Arkansas since late January.... unpacking boxes and getting settled.

In our last doctor's appointment before we left Florida, we found out that the twins are both GIRLS! It is a bit frightening to me, but Adam is thrilled. Ha. So far, both girls are growing healthy & strong. This is week 27 of the pregnancy and my Arkansas doctor says her goal is for me to make it to at least 35 weeks. Whew. That seems like a long ways away. What are their names you ask? Eliza Ruth & Judith Ellen. Yay!! They're kicking and moving around like crazy women already. Here are a couple pics...

We've been working on the nursery. It has TWO cribs, a dresser, and a rocker at the moment. We're waiting on our swivel rocker/recliner to come in soon. That's the short story for now.... Can't wait for these girls to arrive!

FAIL.

Yes, FAIL. That's what I think of when the blog crosses my mind these days. Ugh! I was doing so well, and then lots of things happened. And I failed to update the blog. So... there is LOTS to catch you up on. Shortly after my last post, we learned we were pregnant! Woohoo! We were thrilled. And then a few weeks after that, we learned we were pregnant with not just one baby, but TWO! Double woohoo! :) The idea of having twins was both exciting and terrifying all at once! When we went to the first ultrasound, I was just praying that there would be a heartbeat. I was so happy when that first heartbeat was located! Adam was standing behind the sonographer (is that what they are called b/c spell check doesn't like it?) and he said, "What's that over there?" She replied, "That's another baby."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What?!? I started crying pretty pronto... with even more joy. BUT she couldn't find the heartbeat on the second baby! Alarm! The doctor started talking through the different ways that my body would naturally rid itself of this baby. It was terrifying to go from complete elation to the pain of hearing this news! But then.... the sonographer interrupted the doctor that she had located the heartbeat! Whew! What an emotional roller coaster! We've claimed Ephesians 3:20-21 that says, "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

Ever since we heard this joyous news, it seems like our life has been a roller coaster, too! I was going to be in Arkansas almost the whole month of December, so we planned a last minute get away to Disney to see the Christmas lights. It was a whirlwind, jam packed trip! We hit three parks in one day! It started with the Animal Kingdom.

After lunch, we went over to Hollywood Studios. Our favorite ride was a Toy Story themed attraction where you ride and shoot moving targets in an old-fashioned mid-way/carnival style, 4D game. It keeps score and Adam did beat me, but my accuracy was higher than his. :) He could just shoot really fast. We also went to a live performance of Beauty & the Beast. It was lovely!

Finally, it was dark and the lights lit up the night! It was synchronized to music and there was some fake snow falling! Ha!

Before we left Hollywood Studios, we went to Fantasmic, a "30-minute fireworks and water extravaganza." I can't say that it was awesome. I think if I were a little kid, it might have scared me.... There were Disney villains and Mickey was having some nightmares that were kind of creepy. After that show was over, we bee-lined it over to the Magic Kingdom to watch the electrical parade, a light show that is projected onto the castle, and then a big fireworks show. Fun!!!

By the time all of that was over, we were completely spent! Longest day ever, but so fun! The next day, we did some mini-golfing, hit the Boardwalk and Downtown Disney before driving back home. The next weekend, I flew to AR by myself. Adam would join me two weeks later. So... my next post (promise it won't be 3 months from now) will hit some Christmas highlights and of course, more on the babies!!!