Trick or Treat

 

Today was a great day for the boys. We did some Halloween activities throughout the day and then Daddy took them trick-or-treating. Mommy and the twins stayed home and passed out candy. Here are a few pics of the boys as they head out. Eric said Sean opened 6 or 7 new suckers on his adventure through the neighborhood...he would lick it a little then disguard it and find a new one. I thought of that old Tootsie Roll Pop commercial with the owl...how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop????? One.....two......crunch.

 

And check out the wing span on Jacob's costume...he has been saving up for 2 months to get those and they are wild! They fold up like a back pack...he pulls a string and they pop out with some force. It cracks me up everytime he does it.

 

Here are the boys with our neighbors. They went trick-or-treating together.

Sean's Surgery

Last week we received word that Sean's bloodwork tested positive for a gluten allergy. We saw a Pediatric GI specialist and he is not confident that test was completely accurate so he has suggested that Sean have a biopsy of his intestine to verify the bloodwork. We just found out that the test will be on Monday at 11:30. Even though it is a very minor procedure...they will have to put him under for about 20 minutes...go through his mouth and down to his intestines to collect the sample. We will be at the hospital all day for pre-op then monitoring him afterwards.
Please keep Sean in your prayers that he will be brave and have no complications. Also for this test to give us some definite answers so we know which steps to take next. And finally for mommy to not be stressed so that I will not start having contractions....of course I guess being at a hospital is the best place to be if that is going to happen :) But we would like a few more weeks before the twins make their grand appearance.
I will keep you posted as I know more.

Good News

The past week or so I have been feeling heavier and slower. For someone who is constantly on the go those are two things I have had a hard time with. But after my doctor appointment today, I am feeling a little better.
I actually haven't gained any weight over the last few weeks and the babies heartbeats were strong and steady. Next week I have another ultrasound to check on the babies growth and weight. Hopefully they will have gained some and be doing well.
If their constant movement is any indication that they are doing well.....then I bet they are great. Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers. It won't be as long as it has been.

GOOOOOOAAAALLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!

 

This weekend was Jacob's first soccer game. He had a great time and did a great job. Sean sat with me on the sidelines and cheered big brother on. Daddy sat closer to the action and kept Jacob company during rotations. We even got to decorate the suburban and be in a parade for opening day. I guess I really am a soccer mom now :)Here are a few pics of Jacob in action.
Enjoy!
 

 

10 Years!

This morning when I woke, I was remembering how excited I was this morning 10 years ago. October 24, 1998 is when Eric and I were married. Wow! In some ways it does not seem like it has been that long, and in others I can't remember a life without him. I guess you could actually say 14 years since we dated for 4 years before we were married, but there is something about an official anniversary that makes you think back and remember all the wonderful times. I thought I would share one of my favorite wedding memeories today--I am feeling a little sappy. Hey, I am carrying twins so I am entitled to a little bit of hormone overload :) Anyway, this one is not really sappy...in fact, it is pretty funny.

I was not a bridezilla, at least I don't think so and Eric says I wasn't either...but of course I am not sure he would say so anyway. But I did know what I wanted at my wedding...I did all the planning, shopping, and decorating because I knew exactly what I wanted. Well, two days before the wedding I got a little reminder that the details were not as important as the wedding. My sorority sister who was to sing all the songs at my wedding called and said she was not going to be able to make it...her father had had a heart attack. Then 2 hours later I found out that one of my bridesmaids was not going to be there either. I have to admit I was starting to stress and had a little breakdown. Those 2 issues were dealt with and handled with little effort thanks to some good friends and creative thinking.

Wedding day arrived and I was on cloud nine. I was not nervous at all. I was sooooo excited! The day went pretty smooth and I was standing with my grandfather on one side and my dad on the other, both about to walk me down the aisle. (A little background info for those of you who did not know us 10 years ago....we were married in the Eric's parents church and his sweet cousin played the music for us on the organ and she was in her 70's) Anyway, the Wedding March began to play those first few chords before I was to start walking. On the last chord a horrible noise filled the church. If you have seen that old 80's movie The Goonies, there is a scene where they had to play a skeleton organ and if they played the wrong note a nasty sound came out and part of the floor falls away. Well that noise in the movie was glorious music next to what came out of that organ in the church. But sweet Bethleen (eric's cousin), did not miss a beat...she jumped up from that organ ran (shuffled really) across the front of the church, sat down at the piano and started again. I couldn't see Eric's face at this point, but I did see Bethleen run and could not help but laugh. That really set my mood for the rest of the night because it hit me right then that I would not remember the angle that I had positioned all the flowers sitting around the church to be perfect, or the hours spent fixing my hair and veil, or really even the dress...I would forever remember seeing Bethleen running across the church and then seeing the relief on Eric's face that I was not upset. I remember the exciting butterflies in my stomach when Eric kissed me for the first time as his wife and how wonderful it was.

So this morning, it is those type of memories I am thinking about. The one's that at the time did not seem monumental, but years later still make me smile. We have had lots of memories like that over the years and I am so glad. And I cannot wait to see what the next ten years has in store for us. :)

Too Much Information

Have you ever sat in a class or lecture and really try to absorb all the information that is being sent your way? You frantically take notes and are determined to walk out of class an expert on the subject....or at least a little enlightened only to realize that as you look over your notes you truly know nothing new. That is how the past week has been for me.

I have so many doctor appointments and baby related appointments that I am trying to stay on top of. My glucose levels continue to stay in the normal range and I truly have done minimal work on that except to monitor it 4 times a day. So my doctor says that if they remain level for another week I can go to once a day...YEAH.

Now we are adding a few more appointments to our schedule. Sean went in to have some bloodwork done for allergy issues we have been dealing with for really his entire life, but recently they have gotten worse. Anyway, the bloodwork came back positive for Celiac Spru (not positive of spelling). For those of you who do not know...that is an allergy to gluten. Eric and I began searching the internet for information, food options and really anything we could find out. Our brains were floating with all the info you can find. Luckily, we were already able to get into a specialist (another appointment :) ) and he is not sure that Celiac is the cause of Sean's issues so he has decided to do a biopy of his intestine to get a more accurate reading. It is only a 15-20 minute long procedure and will be done outpatient, but they will have to put him to sleep which always makes me nervous. We do not have an exact date yet, but we were told it would be in the next 2 weeks. He told us to not change his diet yet so the tests will be a true reflection of his tummy issues and to stay off the interent until we know more because there is a great deal of false info on the net....imagine that. So please just remember to pray for Sean and the doctor and Mommy and Daddy.

Rebecca and Luke are doing great! They are growing and moving and growing and growing. I will go in again in 2 weeks for another ultra sound to get their weights. We are just praying that they stay close in size. Last time they were only an ounce apart.

So even though things are a little hectic, we are surviving and everyone is doing ok. I just hope that next week provides a little more clarity and rest for us all. Thanks so much for keeping updated on our craziness and praying for us. We appreciate it so much.

I Am Blessed

I am so blessed! Not only am I blessed because God loves me, I have a wonderful husband and great kids and I am having two more beautiful babies in the near future....but I have the best friends in the world.

 

Yesterday I was honored by so many wonderful women with an amazing baby shower full of pink and blue. Every detail was perfect. The decorations were super cute with pink and blue blankets, clothes, monogrammed hats and hand-made art work for Luke and Rebecca's room. The food was delicious and displayed beautifully. The company was full of friendly faces, hugs, laughter and blessings. The gifts...WOW, the gifts were just so perfect. There was so much thought and love put into them, and I love them all so very much.

 

My babies and family were prayed over, and I feel so at peace knowing how many wonderful people are praying for me and my babies. God is good and I know he will take care of everything.

I think I partied a little too hard for this prego woman though because when I got home I wanted to put everything away in the babies room....and I did, but paid for it dearly. I started having contractions around 8 last night and around 11 I thought we might be welcoming 2 new Taylor's sooner than anticipated, but with lots of water, rest and a nice long bath I was able to get it under control by around 1 a.m.

It is funny how quickly your body goes from feeling great to lousy when carrying 2. I will be taking it easy today for sure. I am trying to figure out how to post a few pics from the shower, but that is the most strenuous thing I have planned for the day. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, I know I will!

 

How Sweet It Is

Being pregnant always comes with its many ups and downs physically, mentally and emotionally....but the end result is always worth it. That is what I keep telling myself when I have a tough day. That the result is going to be doubly worth it, and I know that it will. But getting there has been a little challenging for me. I cannot ever remember being this tired....ever. I am anemic, and even though my doctor has given me extra iron, my levels are still low. The iron makes my stomach pretty yucky. On top of that, I have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Yesterday I went to meet with a dietician and nurse to help me keep it under control. Our class had 6 people in it. When they checked our blood I was the only one who was in the normal range. Yeah...I passed. And for the 2 times I have tested since then I have been normal so hopefully that will continue.

As for our little angels....Rebecca and Luke are doing wonderfully. They both weighed in last week at just below 3 pounds each. I will go back for another ultrasound the first week of November to see how they are doing. I also visit my OB weekly now so everyone is being closely monitored.

It still seems a little strange when I think about having two little babies. I don't think I will fully get it until they arrive. I am getting excited, but still a little nervous...Fear of the unknown I think.

On another note, if you ever want to leave me, Eric, the boys or the new arrivals-to-be a note just click on comments at the bottom of the post and type your message. You do not have to register, you can just click on the anonymous buttom and type your name at the end of your message so I know who it is from.

Take care and I am soon you will be hearing from me again soon.

Blogging

I want to start off by saying that I wish I could take credit for this super cute layout, but my friend Bridget felt horribly sorry for me and my pitiful attempts at creating a layout and gracefully took over. Thanks Bridget.

In the past I have followed a few blogs of friends, but this is a first for me. So please be patient as I learn and try to keep on top of all this high tech stuff. You would think with my hubby being a computer guy that some of it would have rubbed off by now, but sadly I usually just ask him to take care of my computer needs.

I am actually on my way to doctor appointments, so I will update on the babies when I return.

Flashback

I can't believe that I am already 29 weeks pregnant. It seems like yesterday that I realized I was pregnant...that's right, I said realized. I had been pretty sick, on numerous medications, and was 2 months pregnant before I figured out something else was wrong besides having a serious case of the flu. The next 3 months are a blur. I pretty much only remember sitting on the floor next to the toilet praying for forgiveness...I knew I must have done something horribly wrong to be punished this way.

The morning (all day) sickness subsided and I thought...ok the rest of this pregnancy is going to be a piece of cake after this....oh how wrong I was!
At 22 weeks, Eric and I went in for our first real ultrasound and imagine our shock when the technician started talking about Baby A and Baby B. I remember looking up at Eric because I did not understand any of the words coming out of this lady's mouth. It was much like listening to Charlie Brown's teacher....wwwoooohhhh....wwhhhaaa...wwwoooohhhh.
Eric was staring at the monitor which was on the other side of me and just said a long, sort of quiet nnnnnnnooooooo. no way.

And that is what started the inspiration for this blog. I will try to update often and fill you in on the where we are. Thanks for reading and praying for us.