My AMAZINGLY, PERFECT, BEAUTIFUL Baby Shower! 

    Yesterday was an AWESOME day!  It was a day I have looked so forward to and honestly, seemed so far away at the time and I can't believe its come and gone.  Owen & McKenna's Aunt Lindsey, Aunt Sissa, Aunt Melissa, and Aunt Brooke offered to throw me a shower quite some time ago. 

Melissa * Sissa * Linds * Brooke

   I really had only two requests and they were, 1) that it be relatively early as I wanted to attend and not be in danger of some bed rest etc. and 2) I wanted one big shindig.  I didn't want to have multiple people trying to offer to host and do this family one weekend, friends this weekend, etc....too much. My guest list teetered on 60 people and I still could have added more but in the interest of space etc. I capped it at that.  The shower was held in the same room Mason and I were married in and to say it was surreal is an understatement.  I have had so many friends have babies.  I have been to so many showers with the pretty pink and blue bag in hand with the adorable clothes or bath stuff or nursery supplies that I had lovingly picked out for mom-to-be.  And at EVERY one of those showers I would ask myself if this would ever happen to me...even at times in my life when I wasn't ready for kids or even married.  Its just always been my fear that I wouldn't be a mom and it has happened, its happenING!  And for as much as it is not comfortable, enjoyable, and somedays downright awful...I am so glad to be pregnant, so glad God blessed me with two, and so glad I get the chance to do what I have watched some amazing women around me do...be a mom. 
   Anyway, back to the shower...each baby had their own table, beautiful fabric banner, and sweet girl got her own "table tutu".  There was fruit, pinwheels, and my fave...pigs in a blanket! Lemonade and tea for sipping and the cakes...oh the cakes.  

McKenna's Table















                                               Owen's Table







   I mean could they be ANY cuter!!!!  The cakes were done by a friend of Sissa's (and actually Mason and I as well) and Lordy is she talented.  She did the cake for our gender reveal and not only are they beautiful but they taste amazing.  AND she does it all without using fondant which is impressive...here is a close up of them...

  And I love that both their names were on them...love me anything with names or monograms!!!  So if you ever need cakes, look up Ashley Stephens on Facebook...you will NOT be disappointed!  And those banners and adorable wooden signs lovingly made by Sissa, well I am trying to decide where they will go in the kids rooms or in my house or something.  For sure I am using them in my maternity photos...too cute not to! 

   People began showing up around 3 with so many beautiful bags and boxes and I got to see people I haven't seen in YEARS including part of my team back when I first started teaching; Katie and Holly. 

Holly * Me * Owen/McKenna * Katie

   When I left STA, Katie was pregnant with sweet Dalton and Holly has since had beautiful Miss Georgia...so good to see them!  All my aunts, my friends, my Toler friends and family were there!  

The Toler Crew

Connie * Wendi * Melissa * Brooke * Me/O/McKenna * Nickki * Fink * Tanisha

(These ladies...I love my new school and new job but NO ONE made me laugh at work like them!)

******I took pictures with EVERYONE that attended at the shower...when I get them off my mom's camera I will be placing them ALL here*******

    I mingled and ate, mingled some more, ate some more and then Sissa made me go sit in a chair and it was time to start opening the babies goodies. They got SO MANY clothes, boppies, blankets, their Rock N' Play sleepers (which have come highly recommended from every new mom I know) and diapers and wipes galore. They also got TONS of gift cards! It was so fun to open everything and people oooooh and ahhhhh and I can't wait to see them in this stuff.  I thanked everyone for coming and through tears, thanked them all for loving me and loving these babies before they even arrive!

   Mason came back after it was over and helped load everything into our car.  When we got home we dumped it all in the floor of the nursery and it looked like this...

     
        













      I couldn't even lift the reclining part...so much stuff!

        I mean...that ^ is crazy!!!

The Dogs had their heads shoved all the way in bags...hilarious!

   So as you can see, we are BLESSED!  I spent Saturday night trying to wade through/hang up most of it all and most of today trying to finish up and take note of what we still need to get. We went ahead and used our gift cards to order the carseats and bouncers for each of them.  We also hit up Target where they had tons of stuff on sale to get their bottles, some miscellaneous things like receiving blankets, and burp cloths.

That is 12 bottles per baby...Oy. My cabinets look SURREAL when I open them and see this!!!

  Mason (and Jaxon, Macy and Brooklyn) helped put McKenna's Rock N' Play and Bouncer together this evening...

 

McKenna's Stuff...Owen's is all being shipped to us!!

The crew...worn out after some baby building!!!

   To sum up...thank you to these 4 beautiful ladies!  Thank you for loving me and loving my babies and for making their baby shower so beautiful, special, and memorable!  Love you all so very much!

26 Weeks & Some Observations

   I passed my glucose screen!  YAY!!  A lot of people talked about hating it and it being awful etc. and I just didn't think it was that bad.  I mean, I'm not going out and buying that nasty drink to serve at parties or anything but for a quick little 5 minute chug...no biggie. Here is how I LOOK at the 26 week mark...

LORD.HAVE.MERCY...

   Things I have noticed recently:

1)  I can no longer tie my shoes, Mason must help me with this.  In addition, getting boots on is difficult as well.  I have to kind of swing them out and hope my foot lands in them and then try to zip them up.  So, if you see me in flip flops mid February its because no one was at home to help me with my shoes.

2) I.DROP.EVERYTHING.  And of course, it has become harder and harder and nearly impossible to bend over to pick things up.  Result, lots of random things are just on the floor hanging around my house. 

3)  My belly HITS everything.  I turn around and stuff flies off my desk. I have cut corners too close and this belly hits the wall.  

4)  I take a long, hot soak in the tub almost every other night because my back and ribs hurt so bad.  I can no longer get out of the tub on my own.  I have to text Mason or yell for him and he has to come get me.  

5)  I am CONSTANTLY OUT OF BREATH.  Rolling over in the bed = wheezing fit.  Walking down the hall = must lean on wall and catch breath.  Talking too much = head back, eyes closed trying to catch breath.

6)  I can no longer use my foot to flush the toilet.  I do NOT touch the handles in public bathrooms, I use my foot and push it down gently.  Because I am a plumbers daughter and he has warned me of the dangers of "kicking" the toilet handle, I am very careful.  I can no longer do this.  I discovered that one day at Costco when I went to "tap" the handle with my left foot and fell backwards into the stall door and my foot never even made it halfway off the ground. I actually started laughing and then couldn't decide what body part to use to touch the handle. I settled on my elbow...this has been serving me well ever since. 

7)  Owen kicks me all the time.  At night. During the day. In the morning. you name it, he' s moving around in there.  McKenna, not so much.  She will give me a flutter here and there but I am convinced maybe her brother has kicked her so hard she's decided staying still and hoping he doesn't remember she is there is a better practice. 

8)  Sleeping has become a sports activity.  I need 459845 pillows; one for under my belly, one for between my legs, one for under my head, one for behind my back.  I get them all arranged and situated amidst Mason's cries of "you're stealing all the covers" and flop down into my cocoon I have created (out of breath) and lay there for approximately 4-6 minutes until I am uncomfortable and its time to flip over.  This happens a minimum of 489 times a night. 

    What I am noticing more and more are my limitations.  I get it, I'm carrying a litter, clearly this should mean some adjustment to my life and my activities and I know its not forever. But still...somedays its really hard to take.  I am a mover and a doer, I am organized and I rarely let things slip by me, I am a planner and I do not like to ask for help....all of these things are out the window...for now I hope. I remember nothing, my response to "do you want to _____?" is most likely going to be "no, I would rather nap" and I have to have help sitting up in my own bed. I am fortunate to have a wonderfully supportive husband who doesn't mind helping me but continually reminds me he "can't read my mind" which forces me to use the words "I need help" which is hard. Again, I think this is all God's fun little joke to help me learn to slow down, ask for help, and rely on others as I can see that still happening when the twins are born. And thank GOD he has surrounded me with people who are ready, willing, and excited to step in!  

   Baby shower this weekend, Drs. appointment next week, and long weekend after that.  If you need me, I'll probably be napping....

Sonogram and Glucose Screen

    January 2nd arrived and it was time to go back and look at our Baby Boy and Girl.  Our appointment was at 10:45 so we headed toward the doctor.  We walked into the office and it was PACKED so we waited outside in the outer lobby.  We waited AN HOUR and finally got called back.  I was not happy because I feel like EVERY time we come for another sono we wait longer and longer.  Fortunately, we were both off work so it wasn't a huge deal but still...what makes it even harder is we love the doctors and the staff there so its hard to be mad at them!!  We were finally taken back and we got the most unfriendly technician we have had so far.  I kept having to ask her questions about what things were and her answers were short and pointed. Luckily, this was really more of a "checkup" so there was no real new information to be given.  She left and said the doctor would be in shortly and we FINALLY got to meet Dr. Rhinehart.  He is who we were always supposed to see but all the other times we have been in we have seen someone else in his practice.  He was fabulous!!!  He said my cervix looked long and closed...Good.  Owen weighed in at 2 pounds 3 ounces and McKenna weighed in at 2 pounds 2 ounces...still above average for weight at this time...Good.  He said that they looked "ridiculously normal" and for me to "keep doing what I am doing". I see him again in 4 weeks and then every 2 weeks after that.  Here's what I look like on the table...proceed to view at your own risk!

 

That is INSANE...

 

   We finished at the sonogram and had a few hours to kill before my OB appointment and glucose screen.  We walked around Northpark mall for a while and remembered why we never go there. Just not the place for us...we aren't really Roberto Cavalli people, we are more Target and Cavender's people!  Although, Mason got to sit in a Tesla so he considered the trip to be a success!!  It served its purpose and we killed enough time to head to the doctor. I went to sign in and we realized YET AGAIN that we were in the wrong office so we headed over to OB. We signed in and then they sent me to the lab to drink my glucose drink. That stuff was pretty nasty but bearable and she sent me back to the doctor and said I had to be back within an hour.  We headed back upstairs and waited for Dr. Richards. My blood pressure and urine were all normal and Dr. Richards said for sure I do not have preeclampsia, so that was a huge relief.  I told him that we feel Owen move constantly but we very rarely feel McKenna.  He said "there has to be one good kid and one wild child so your daughter must be the good kid"...Lord help me.  He wants to start seeing me every two weeks from here on out but otherwise, a perfect bill of health!!!!  When we finished with Dr. Richards we went back to the lab and they drew my blood.  The phlebotomist was such a nice lady and she told me she actually had twin boys as well so we had a lot in common.  My results should be back in a few days!

   We were finally done with the doctors and headed back home.  I was exhausted and it was time for a nap.  We see Dr. Richards again on January 15th and then again on January 30th along with Rhinehart. I have to go back to work on Monday and I am praying/crossing my fingers/willing myself to make it through January and February still being able to work.  It would really help us out from a financial position but if the babies are in jeopardy at any time I will, of course, do what is best for them.  83 days until I get to hold them in my arms...C.A.N.N.O.T. W.A.I.T!!!

Nursery Progress

   I really wanted to finish the nursery over the holiday break and my intentions were outlined with copious notes in my phone.  It didn't get completely finished but its certainly very close.  I did several little craft projects and we finally got a lamp and side table to go by the recliner. 
   I searched Pinterest far and wide trying to decide how I wanted to do their names above their cribs. I finally found a picture of some adorable canvas blocks covered with fabric. I made my first of a zillion trips to Hobby Lobby over this break for fabric, canvases, wooden letters, paint, glue guns, and batting.  2 days later, I had finished and here was the finished product!
 

 
 
 
 
   I think they came out great and I can't WAIT to see them over their cribs.  Throughout this project I realized...McKenna's name is long!!!  Owen's letters took no time at all and I felt like McKenna's took days.  Of course that could probably be because I had to go to multiple Hobby Lobby's to find all the letters etc. but anyway, they are done!!
  My next project was a copycat of a mobile I saw on Pinterest.  We already had mobiles for the cribs but I wanted this cool thing to hang in the corner of the room.  Well, it was $90 and I thought, pssssssshhhhhh I am NOT paying that.  So I decided to make it myself...here was the "model" I was looking at.
 

 

    So again, I headed to Hobby Lobby for fabric, Styrofoam balls, sewing pins, and ribbon.  What I realized is, after I spent the money on all the supplies I was nearly at the $90 mark and that was before I had even put anything together.  I headed home and started cutting out fabric circles and sticking them into the styro balls with sewing pins.  Oh...my...Lord...6 hours later and over 400 sewing pins and 3 yards of fabric and circles, circles, circles....I had barely finished ONE ball.  I had to go back to Hobby Lobby for more fabric and pins and I WISH I would have just bought the dang thing off Etsy.  2 days later I finished another one and I still have one more to go.  They turned out beautiful but they were WORK...

 



 

The beginnings of the grey pom....this one is STILL not finished...

 

  

 

Pink Pom on grey ribbon

 

  

 

Aqua Pom on grey ribbon

 

   My goal is to hang them from white cup hooks in one corner of the nursery at varying lengths just for some color variation.  We shall see how they come out!!! 

   Another little craft I wanted to get done was a hairbow holder for McKenna.  This baby girl is going to be bowed up at all times so she will need some place to store them all. Again, I combed Pinterest and found a few pictures and made my own version.

 

    

 

I left loops at the bottom for headbands eventually...this can grow with her and her hair accessory needs as well!!

   The other project I wanted us to get done over the break was the closet organizer.  Mason and I went to Home Depot and Lowe's and after he cautiously guided me away from one that cost over $300, we found one at Home Depot that was only $150 and we jumped on that.  We came home to see that we needed to take down the existing shelf, pull all the wood support out, patch the holes, and paint the wall before we could mount it.  We went to work doing that and as we waited for the paint to dry we opened the organizer and started to read the directions.  HOLY COW it was hard!  So we called in reinforcements the next day to help us, my dad, AKA the babies Pappoo!!  He came over and helped Mason and they got it up quick as could be.  Here is the progression of that project (for which I stayed far, far away in the other room). 

 

  

                                        Before....                          Ripping Out the old stuff...

 

                  

 

Paint...Brooklyn was a huge help obviously!           Instructions...time to call dad!

 

   

                               Mason                                        Dad AKA Pappoo

 

   

 

The FINISHED PRODUCT!!

 

     The best thing about it; its all adjustable and can be moved around and changed as they grow.  I am one happy mama, let me tell you!!!

     Finally, we made an IKEA run and found some shelves we liked.  They aren't up yet but that's our next step.  We were able to get a lamp to add to the side table I found at Home Goods (the other place I have made 37484 trips to over the break).  Here's what our little "corner" looks like now...

 

 

    The curtains were also a Home Goods purchase over the break...coming right along!!!  We have our 25 week sonogram on Friday and my glucose test at my OB. This is what the bump looks like at 25 weeks now...

 

 

       It really is frightening to compare the pictures of 11 weeks to now.  AND to know I still have 12 weeks to go...HOLY MOSES!!  But I want nice, big, healthy, babies so I will take it!!!! 

      Finally, Happy New Year!  2014 brought us our dream of getting pregnant and finding out it was twins.  2015 will see the birth of our beautiful babies, their first Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and more!  We cannot wait to meet you sweet babies!  See you in 85 days!

Christmas Eve, A Run to the Doctor, a new CHAIR and 24 weeks!

    What a day!!! After my gallbladder scan last week my Doctor's nurse called me and said he didn't see anything on the scan but he wanted me to go get blood drawn to check my liver and pancreas functions just to be safe.  On our way home from purchasing the car on Friday I stopped at Quest and gave my blood and they told me the doctor should have my results by Monday morning.  Monday and Tuesday came and went and with the business of Christmas and getting everything last minute done, I didn't stop to think about him not getting in touch with me on my results.  This morning I woke up and my first thought was "hmmm, I guess I won't hear anything until next week because they are surely not open on Christmas Eve."  No sooner did I have that thought and my phone rang...it was the Doc.  DeLana told me that my liver functions were elevated and the doctor wanted to see me TODAY to rule out preeclampsia. Well, I know that word and what all it can POSSIBLY entail and I was sufficiently panicked.  I jumped up and showered and we headed that way.  When we arrived about 10 they told us he was in surgery and would be back in the office by 10:30.  I went ahead and gave a urine sample and they took my blood pressure and Mason and I ran to get something to eat.  Urine was clear and blood pressure was fine, both good signs. We went for donuts and headed back by 10:30.
    When we got back to his office they decided to weigh me...awesome, AFTER the 4 donuts and two chocolate milks I drank. They put us in a room and we waited.  When he came in he told me I do NOT have preeclampsia but something is making my liver functions heightened and with the pain I am still having in my back and the burning in my ribcage, he thinks it might be GI related.  He is sending me to a GI specialist, back for more blood, and wants me to complete a 24 hour protein urine test.  I get to pee in a special container for 24 hours and store it in the fridge.  Mason looked HORRIFIED at this suggestion and asked if a cooler would do!!!!  His bottom line is, he wants to rule out everything he can think of so we have a baseline.  Meaning, if all these things are still present at 28 weeks he can know this is just typical of me and not something he needs to be concerned about because I was showing the same symptoms at 24 weeks etc.  So, I will be heading back to Quest Diagnostics on Monday to have more blood drawn and to get my "collection container"...  I am still going back to see him on January 2nd before I head to my 25 week sonogram so he will have the results of my bloodwork/urine test by then.   He also measured the size of my belly and its measuring at THIRTY TWO WEEKS!!!  I told him I had a friend who was measuring at 46+ weeks when she delivered her twins at 37 weeks and he said "oh, that's small"....Holy Moses.  Anyway, we left relieved that it wasn't preeclampsia and thankful for Dr. Richards and his thoroughness and ready to get our Christmas underway!!!!
   With it being Christmas Eve we had so many things to do before Church at 5 so we ran around taking care of miscellaneous things.  One of which was...OUR RECLINER WAS IN!!!  So we headed over to Buy Buy Baby after the doctor and miraculously fit it into the new car.

 

 

It had to come out of the box but it fit...thank GOD!!!

 

   

 

LOVE!!!!!

 

 

It's coming together!!!!

 

   After we got home with the chair we had a few more things to get done and then it was back home by 3:15 to get ready for church.  I chose the 5pm Children's Service at our church because my favorite thing to see is all the little ones dressed in their Christmas outfits so excited for Santa. The Children's service is quick and they do the living nativity with the kids...adorable!  We got ready and headed that way.  We hadn't been to church in a while....like, since we were married, and we were both nervous the place would catch fire when we walked in.  I don't know why I was worried...we were hugged and embraced like we had been there all along.  Pastor Joe came down the aisle specifically to our seats to shake Mason's hand and ask how things were.  When I told him about the twins he was so excited it made my heart nearly burst.  I love First United Methodist Rockwall and I am so glad it is the church home we will raise our family in.  The service was beautiful, noisy, and ended with a candlelight singing of Silent Night.  I fought back tears most of the time because I was just in awe of it all.  One short year ago we sat in that same service having been married for about a month and I watched all the little ones and babies and I remember thinking, praying, begging God to let that be us one day.  And to know one year later, here I sit with two little, perfect, babies in my belly just makes me so thankful.  How can you not believe in God in this world?  How can you not believe in God if you are a mom and you have carried life in your belly?  And to know that everyone in that church was excited about the birth of our Savior, as excited as I am about the birth of my children...well, I was a giant pile of tears and mush. Throw in candlelight and Silent Night...holy Moses...blubbering (blubbering again typing all this too...these hormones).  After church, we headed to Lindsey and Ted's where they made an amazing dinner for us! Sour cream chicken enchiladas from scratch, queso, chips, rice, beans, dessert...man, I was STUFFED!  We attempted to watch The Christmas Story but we were just ehhhh about it but Bandit was quite comfortable with his Pappoo and Willy was the most sociable he's EVER been...

 

 

 

 

 

    After we left Lindsey and Ted's, Mason and I headed home to do our Christmas with each other.  He went WAY OVERBOARD and took such good care of me.  I got my first pair of tennis shoes since college and they are FAB!  I also got money to ULTA, Hobby Lobby (since I have lots of baby projects to work on), new brown boots, and a hand blender.  He got a new Under Armour Hoody, a new bathrobe with a hood, and house shoes.

 

                                          New Hoody                   New Tennis Shoes

  

 

New Bathrobe WITH a Hood!!!

( I told him he looked like a boxer coming into the ring!)

 

   We remarked several times that this was probably the last "Christmas as we know it" for the rest of our lives.  Sitting quietly on the couch, watching each other open gifts, trying on our stuff, etc.  That next year a) we will have no money for gifts for each other and b) we will have babies to get to bed and Santa will have to come and we will be exhausted!  Sometimes when I think about it, it freaks me out a little but then it makes me excited.  Christmas is more fun with kids for sure!  We headed to bed knowing we had mom and dads early the next morning but not before I said my prayers and thanked God for this day.  It was Christmas Eve but it was also 24 weeks for our beautiful babies...a date I have anxiously waited for since the doctor told us it was the "viability marker".  At 24 weeks babies that are born have a fighting chance for survival with LOTS of medical intervention.  We certainly don't want them born at 24 weeks but knowing that if something happened and they were born from here on out they would most likely survive is a calming feeling.  28 weeks is really the 90% marker so I will now anxiously await that date!  Merry Christmas to all those we love and thank you God for sending Jesus to us!

 

 

24 weeks

 

 

Our last Christmas "just us"!!!!