Has it really already been a year?
 
  I cannot believe that this time a year ago Mason and I were a few hours away from getting married!  And now, a year later we are a few months away from becoming parents...so surreal!  Our wedding was truly one of the best days of my life.  Our friends and family were a huge part of the day and we went to great pains to make the day a reflection of us.  Nothing went the way we wanted it to at first...the wedding was supposed to be on the beautiful patio of the clubhouse with the beautiful French doors opening to the patio with the lanterns lit...out of a magazine I tell ya.  Wellllll we woke up the day before to subzero temperatures and rain...sideways, tornado producing rain, predicted for the next day.  We had to make a call and we decided to move the ceremony indoors. It was not as beautiful as the vision I had originally but looking back, I could have cared less.  I will forever remember walking down that aisle to Mason, hearing all my bridesmaids sniffling and dabbing at their eyes with tissues...that's what I remember.  The feelings and the emotions of the day which just kept on coming until we drove away for the night.  Our pastor told us in counseling that the day was simply that, a day. That the most important thing was at the end of the day you will be MARRIED and partners for life and he was so right.  But to me, it was a perfect day...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

     I love looking through all these pictures...takes me back there and it was wonderful!  Afterwards, we spent 5 days driving to Salado and Fredericksburg and just being together. I came back with the flu but it was all totally worth it.  I think the best gift parents can give their children is staying in love and I think Mason and I do a pretty great job of that.

   In baby news, we are taking a tour of the labor and delivery floor at Presby on Tuesday. I also want us to tour the NICU but that one isn't available until January. I am trying to get as much done while Mason is in his slow season because once February comes he will be at work during the day and working afternoons/nights getting ready for spring.  Still haven't felt any movement and we hit 20 weeks this Wednesday so I am READY! Here's a 19 weeks and a few days belly shot from our sweet Harper's birthday party on Saturday...

 

 

19 weeks and 3 days

 

   It was such a cute party and Brooke did such a great job.  Harper had a blast but it was hilarious that as we were leaving it seemed that every child there hit their breaking point or needed their nap because all of a sudden EVERY kid was crying it seemed.  One was being dragged out the front door, Dalton was crying because his picture got "RUINED", Harper was melting down...it was HILARIOUS!  I guess we looked horrified so everyone kept looking at us and saying "oh just wait...your time is coming"!!!  Here are a few pics from Little Miss's big second birthday....

 

 

The Birthday Girl...and her markers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

  We are so lucky to have the friends we have and that they share their babies with us!  Can't wait for Owen and McKenna to come along and make friends with them.

  

 So to sum up, Happy Anniversary to this guy...

 





      Thank you for always making me laugh (whether I want to or not) and making life interesting to say the least.  I know how much you love me and what an amazing dad you will be and I feel so blessed for both of those things.  I promise not to lose myself in my role as your wife once our babies are born and to always love and cherish you as my partner and the father of my children.  Thank you for being my second chance at life and the best gift God has ever given me.  Here's to 50 more years together!

  

19 weeks and a Nursery Update...

    We are officially HALFWAY DONE!!!  March 26th is 37 weeks and 1 day and 19 x 2 is 38 so you get the drift. We have been busy busy around our house.  On Friday of last week we got new carpet!  Brooklyn had eaten the carpet in the dog room so it was down to bare concrete but the carpet in the other bedrooms was shot too so we decided to replace it all at once.  So Mason took the day off work and supervised the carpet install at the house.  I loved getting to come home and see it and it was even more beautiful than I remember when we selected it!  Well, once the carpet was in I was ready to have the furniture and bedding in...the next day.  Sooooo, I may have gone ahead and ordered their bedding and had it overnighted BUT I justify this expense by finding it $25 cheaper PER SET on Amazon so I came out under budget. That same night Justin and Melissa came over to help us assemble furniture.  Justin and Mason decided to start with the dresser which was a 3 hour BEATING I tell you.  Melissa and I did the drawers and their were 3490834508 screws and tools and it still makes my head spin.  After the dresser they said the cribs were a breeze and sure enough...much quicker!  Here is a timeline of the process...

 

 

 

   By Sunday, Owen's bedding had arrived and we ran and got some Dreft so we could get it washed and put on.  It looks ADORABLE!

 

By Monday, McKenna's bedding arrived so I washed it and got it put on...ADORABLE!

 

   So we officially have a dresser, two cribs, and two sets of bedding!  I am getting antsy to do some decorating now and will probably do the majority of it over the Christmas break.  We have been on a quest for the perfect glider and its not going well.  Every time we find one we both like (high back for me, recliner for Mason) it doesn't ever come in the color we need! So we will keep searching!  Lots of fun stuff coming up these next few weeks and the holidays...so exciting!

March 26th is 135 Days Away...


   Why is this important information?  Because that is the day Owen and McKenna will be born if all goes to plan and they stay their little selves in there and don't do any of that preterm labor stuff.  My doctor wanted me to go ahead and schedule my C-Section just in case so I could get first pick of the day.  Now, there is still a possibility they could be born naturally, we are not ruling out anything. But, I don't want to make the decision 4 weeks out that we need a C-Section and get the 5pm time of day where I can't eat or drink for 36 hours prior....PASS.  So, on March 26th we are scheduled for a 7:30am C-Section...so exciting! And 135 days is not that far...right?
   This past weekend we worked on the nursery.  Step 1 was having the garage sale and clearing out all the junk which we did the first weekend in November.  Step 2 was painting which we did this weekend and Step 3 happens Friday...new carpet!  
  When we started thinking about nursery colors and themes I had a hard time wrapping my brain around how to do it for two different sexes.  If it was two girls I wanted a pink wonderland but I have known for some time that it wouldn't be two girls.  If it were two boys I had no clue and if it was one of each I REALLY had no clue;  But after searching some Pinterest and thinking about it I knew I liked grey as an accent color and I REALLY wanted a chevron wall.  So, Friday night Melissa and I headed to pick out paint while Mason and Justin stayed home and taped off the room.  When we returned we started on the walls and I have to admit, I was not sure about the color we picked.  Now, Melissa has picked nearly every paint color in my house and I have LOVED every single one of them...afterwards.  But every time we have painted I have thought the color was too dark originally and then it gets all done and I love it. The nursery was no different. We finished painting late Friday night and went to bed and sure enough, Saturday morning I headed in there and with the light coming in the window it was BEAUTIFUL! 

   Saturday was the hard work though, it was chevron day. 

  Justin tried to free hand the chevron taping but after a bit we decided I would make us a stencil using a chevron pattern in Microsoft Word.  Once we got that printed and taped together I went about tracing the chevron pattern on the wall while Justin and Melissa taped the lines down.  Mason was instrumental in painting the trim and stopping periodically to sing to us and tell us how much the trim paint job sucks!  Once the taping was done it was simple...so we thought.  We just painted in the lines with the same color as the wall only in a high gloss so the look would be subtle.  We stopped for a lunch break and when we returned to the room we started taking off the tape only to see it looked beautiful...except for the clearly visible pencil marks from the tracing.  So, it took the three of us going back over each stripe with a detail brush to paint over/blend the pencil lines.  THAT job took nearly as long as the taping and tracing.  Meanwhile, once the trim was painted the new bright white we realized it made the closet doors look like someone had been smoking in front of them directly for years...yellow and dingy!  Justin painted the doors and we finished up the pencil line issue.  Once all the tape was removed, the doors were painted, the trim and windowsill were done, and we all stepped back to look it was PERFECT!  The chevron look is very subtle and you see it especially well when it catches the light. Mason cleaned up the supplies and the room was finally empty and truly ready for carpet this Friday. 

   We have also selected and registered for their bedding.  I had a day or two where I was trying to convince myself we needed custom bedding.....welllll, that may work for one but for 2, totally unrealistic.  And I always swore those moms who paid for custom bedding had fallen and hit their head because they only use it for a year and they pee, barf, and poo in there but lo and behold, my time comes and I am captivated by ruffles and bows but not so much by $400 price tags EACH.  So we found some we like at Babies R' Us....

McKenna's Bedding

Owen's Bedding

    Today also marks 18 weeks with my sweet little ones and I am sooooo ready to start feeling them move.  After paint-a-palooza on Friday and Saturday I could barely walk on Sunday.  My hips and legs were so sore I thought I was going to die.  I took warm soaks and tried to nap since I didn't sleep great Saturday night.  I am wondering if one of them is sitting on a nerve or something because even a few days later my left hip and leg are still killing me as is my back.  I continue to read this is called "round ligament pain" as my body is "stretching" to make room for them.  Thats a visual...Here is an 18 week belly shot...

   Still have little to no interest in meat although I have noticed I am eating more which is good, I need to put on some weight!  Owen and McKenna continue to suck out all my brain cells.  This morning marked morning number two where I attempted to put my purse in the refrigerator instead of my lunch...I wonder if they will leave me with any functioning brain cells after they are born?  

   We have a busy few weekends coming up! We have our nephew, Wyatt's, 2nd birthday this weekend and then our niece, Harper's, 2nd the next weekend!  Throw in Thanksgiving, Sissa turns THIRTY and Lindsey's bridal shower in Conroe and we are going to be BUSY!!! Wouldn't have it any other way, maybe it will make the time move quicker....can't wait to hold and snuggle two sweet babies in my arms AFTER they have cooked adequately!

Drumrollllllllll....and they are???

    The day finally came.  The day where we would find out what our beautiful, healthy babies were.  What we will call them, monogram on their clothes, put on their birth certificate, and the names they will put on their job applications. Pink or blue? Boys or girls? I wasn't antsy the day of the scan or even yesterday but today, I was about to jump out of my skin!  I kept texting Mason "7 more hours" or "5 more hours" and the day moved at a snail's pace.  But finally, we were showered, dressed, and headed to Justin and Melissa's. I even had on makeup and a new maternity shirt that had just come in from Old Navy this very afternoon.  I was wearing blue because I have felt for weeks that it was boys after a rather, ummmmmm, interesting dream where the word testicles just kept appearing over and over.  I know, nice right.  We got to Justin and Melissa's and it was AH-MAZINGLY beautiful.

 

 

Cake, Cake Pops, Cupcakes and Punch!!!

 

 

     We had a photographer there so we will have more/better pictures soon but most everyone came wearing the color they thought the twins were. Pink was two girls, blue was two boys and yellow was one of each.  Lets just say the one of each crowd was the biggest.  I was the ONLY person who thought two boys and very few people thought it was 2 girls either.  We had decided to do a group balloon pop since it was daylight savings time and too dark to do any kind of balloon release in the backyard.  Melissa got black and gold balloons to go with her gold theme and we discussed putting the genders in two balloons with colored confetti.  However, she ran into a problem.  The confetti balloons were too heavy...they didn't float!!!  I wanted our moms to be the ones to pop the balloons with the confetti but we had to warn them prior to hold them carefully so people wouldn't be the wiser.  It was finally time, everyone had a balloon and a pin and we were all circled around ready to pop on 3. 1 - 2 - 3 POP!!!  My eyes were glued to mom and Pam and there it was PINK confetti and BLUE confetti!! I felt the tears well up and I just hugged and hugged Mason.  The next few minutes are a blur and I can't wait to see the pictures so I can fill in the gaps.  We announced their names...Owen Michael after his daddy and grandpa and McKenna Grace (because mommy likes it).  We cut the cake, passed out cupcakes and drank pink and blue punch.  And we knew! We knew who they were and what we were having and it finally made this all seem so real.  I didn't sleep thinking and dreaming and wondering what it will be like.  Ballet lessons, girl scouts, baseball, soccer, and campouts...we truly get to experience the best of both worlds and I cannot believe I am going to be a mom to a girl AND a boy! And more importantly, I get to watch Mason with his son and his daughter.  His son who he can teach things to and show how to be a man and is daughter who he can dance with and show her how men should treat women.  We are so very blessed...

  Next on the agenda, we have carpet being installed in the kids room next weekend and we are painting this weekend.  The dogs are very confused because they no longer have a "dog room" to themselves, they are now sharing my office with me. 

 

 

Before - Their own room

 

 

After -- sharing an office with me!

 

  After paint and carpet go in we have another OB and scan appointment on December 5th and I will be about 21 weeks along.  Before then we get to have Thanksgiving and a much needed week off from work. It will be the first year Mason will be off the same time as me so I am looking forward to some relaxing and just being together.  We continue to pray for an uneventful pregnancy and healthy, chunky babies!!  Pray for us!!

 

 



Hearts, Brains, Kidneys, Oh My!!!

  We made it to anatomy scan day!!!  The day dragged on forever but that's to be expected. We had my OB appointment at 2:15 and then scan appointment at 3pm and I was already somewhat panicked of what we would do if OB ran late or something and we had to be late to scan time but it all worked out perfectly. 
   At Dr. Richards I did my normal weight, urine, and blood pressure.  I have gained a whopping 6 pounds and my blood pressure and urine looked fab.  We got into a room and Dr. Richards popped in rather quickly.  He even told us he skipped another lady to get to us...I knew I liked him!  Let's see, we discussed how much I pee (a LOT) and what I haven't been eating (meat) and how when I sneeze I feel like the babies are going to fly out my belly button it hurts so bad.  He checked me for a bladder infection (negative) and told me as long as I am striving to eat healthily (which I am...I crave salads and fruit...well except for the spaghettios) then I will be fine, and the sneezing thing he just laughed and said I probably pulled something.  That was it.  End of appointment.  I liked it because it was routine and everything looked good but I am pretty sure I will not care for it when I get the bill for yet another monthly "chat".  We were out of there by 2:45 and headed straight over to Dr. Rhinehart's for our scan.
   When we arrived at Rhinehart's office there were 4858495 people waiting in the room but we got taken back surprisingly quick.  Now, the last time we were there the doctor told me it makes the scan go better if you have a full bladder so on the 3 minute drive to his office I downed a bottle of water.  Maybe not my smartest move. Anyway, we were taken into a room and we got to wait and my anxiety grew and grew.  Its important to mention that not only was this the anatomy scan to make sure the babies were full of all the right organs, it was also to find out their genders for sure. However, we decided to have a gender reveal party and find out with all of our family and friends so I did not want to know one bit.  Mason was a different story.  He was swollen up like a toad because he was ready to know what they were. I ran the idea of the gender reveal by him before we ever decided to do it but I must have missed the part where he wanted US to know and reveal it to everyone else.  Whoops. Moving on.  We are in the room waiting, I already have to pee again and the technician finally comes in.  She started with baby A and went body part by body part.  Two kidneys, a healthy brain, a heart with valves and chambers and she checked the blood flow into the umbilical cord as well.  Everytime she would tell me something was ok I felt a little relief wash over but then I realized, there is a whole other kid in there to look at.  She moved over to Baby B who was ALL OVER THE PLACE, flipping, turning, etc. She had a hard time getting it still enough to check everything but all was well for little B too!  She told us they each weighed 7 ounces which is "above average" for weight at this time but that's perfectly fine.  I mean really, above average for weight, who is shocked at that??   She also said they were measuring about 4-5 days ahead...my babies, the overachievers!!!!  Then she showed us the coolest thing!  This teeny, tiny, little line that separated the two of them, this thin little membrane. BUT they were each pushing on it, sticking their heads into it, and Baby B looked liked it was trying to push through it! Several times it looked like their little hands were reaching for each other, so sweet!!!  Both times she told us when she was going down to look for the gender and I looked away. She thought everything looked great and I finally felt like I wasn't going to explode with anxiety. We waited a few more minutes and the doctor came in.  She took the wand and placed it back on my belly and of course, everyone thought it was nap time.  So what does she do, she pokes me with the wand in several places all over my belly.  I looked at Mason and all I could think was "I wonder how many women have peed on this very table because I am about to join them" but alas, I held it in. She told us she agreed with all the technicians measurements and she also agreed with the genders she noted.  And then it was done.  The technician came in and handed me two envelopes...one said A and one said B.

 

I did not peek!!!! Promise!!!

 

   I paid at the desk, scheduled my next appointment and headed out.  I promptly took the envelopes home and placed them in my mailbox and my sister-in-law, Melissa, came and got them.  When Mason got home from mowing he seemed grumpy and I asked him what was wrong.  He was NOT happy someone else knew what his babies were and he didn't.  It is really very strange, I was not bothered at all which is very unlike me. I guess with knowing these will be our only children I want to involve as many people we love as I can.  I was thrilled with the idea of finding out at the same time as our parents and family...Mason, not so much.  But at the end of the day we both remarked that they are both healthy and on track for where we are in this pregnancy and that means more than what they are any day.  Wednesday night is the big night...we cannot wait!!!