6 Months

I can't believe how fast time has flown by! I am already at 24 weeks! Andrew thinks it's going by slowly but I know after the holidays, the girls will be here before we know it. I had a doctor's appointment today and it went great. The babies are growing so well. Caroline weighed 1 lb. 6 oz. and Charlotte weighed 1 lb. 8 oz. They measured exactly the same except for Charlotte's legs...still longer. Caroline's legs measured almost 24 weeks old and Charlotte's were 25 weeks old! During the sonogram, we watched Caroline open and close her mouth, taking big drinks. Then she would move her mouth around as if she was chewing the fluid. After a few times of her doing this, she got the hiccups. It is so amazing seeing them! Charlotte was awake this time and kicking around. Our sonographer thinks Caroline is going to be more of the hyper one and Charlotte laid back. I can't wait to see how their little personalities are when they arrive! My doctor measured me and right now I measure what somebody at 30 weeks carrying one baby would. I still feel pretty good except some back pain. I've gained almost 25 pounds so far so that's understandable. Some days are worse than others but I'm just trying to stay positive because I know it's only going to get harder on my body. Yesterday I woke up very dizzy and wasn't able to walk for a while. My doctor said it was nothing to be alarmed about. The babies were good. It was just a little case of vertigo.

We've been quite busy since my last post. Some wonderful friends threw me a baby shower at my house last weekend. It was a blast! Everybody was so generous and we couldn't more thankful. The girls are already loved by so many people! Here's a few pics from the shower....including one of the nursery so far. We have no furniture in it yet but it's all been ordered and is on the way.

                  The wonderful ladies that threw the shower: Sarah, Katy, Shalaine, Crystelle, Kim (not pictured)

                                                                                The baby girls were so blessed!

                                                            Andrew walking in the nursery to see all the presents.

                                                                                           My mother and I

I did my whole nursery theme based around this beautiful wallpaper that we put on the ceiling. I just love it! I find it calm and peaceful in their room. I can't wait to see it all come together once we get the furniture in and pictures hung.

A little update on my sister...we just found out they are having a girl!! Yay! I'm excited because I know our babies and their girl will be so close growing up together!

I am just busy getting ready for Christmas. I love this time of year! My family is coming in town and Andrew's family is coming over for Christmas. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!

21 Weeks

I feel like it has been a while since our last blog post. We've just been busy registering, getting our house ready, and enjoying the holidays! At our 20 week appointment, the babies were doing great! Caroline and Charlotte measured the same everywhere except their legs....Charlotte's legs were a little longer. So Caroline weighed 10 oz. and Charlotte weighed 12 oz. Things could change of course but as of now, it looks like Charlotte may be a little taller than Caroline. You might be wondering how we already know which baby is which. Well, from the beginning, the doctor named one Twin A and one Twin B. They keep track of each and we have named Twin A Caroline and Twin B Charlotte. I can feel the girls even more this week. I love feeling them move around and kick. I know the kicks will intensify, but the flutter of them now is amazing. Sometimes they will have a strong kick and Andrew can feel them. He loves that! It's funny because he asks me how the babies are doing just about everyday and I always respond with how I'm feeling....they're hungry, they're tired, they would like a new TV. I might be milking it just a little bit because when I want him to get up and get me something to eat, I just tell him, "the babies would really like it if you would get them some icecream." Like a wonderful daddy-to-be,  he jumps right up to get it for the girls!

A few exciting things have happened since our last post. I joined a "Mother's of Multiples" group in San Antonio. I went to may first meeting a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I met other moms that are pregnant with twins and some with twins of all ages! They are a great resource to have! The other news we recently found is my sister is pregnant!!! She is just 7 weeks behind me and we are so excited to have our kids grow up with cousins so close in age.

Here is the most recent picture of me. My doctor told me my stomach will probably just grow straight out and it's really starting to look that way. At our last appointment, I actually measured what somebody carrying a singleton would measure at 28 weeks! I still feel pretty good. A few aches and pains here and there but nothing to complain about. I just feel so fortunate I am at 21 weeks and the babies are doing so well! We feel so very blessed!

Other than getting ready for the babies, we are also trying to get our house decorated for Christmas!! It only took me almost two weeks to get the decorations up but they are finally done...well most of them. It's unbelievable how little energy you have when you're pregnant. I can only do a couple of hours of work before I feel pretty done for the day.

Nothing is better than the smell of a real Christmas tree.

We have started on the nursery! I am so excited to see it finished but we still have a ways to go. I will have some updated pics of it next week!

A word from the daddy:

I would like to rush time and have our babies here, so that I could insure their safety. But, I have learned more and more that you cannot wish away time. One day I imagine I will want to reverse time only to live it again, but I won't be able to.

The gravity of my present blessings are enormous. Our babies are growing on 22 weeks, the Christmas lights are up, the front yard is clean and I am as ready as ever to engulf this life with every bite. I once heard someone say, "there are no bad Christmas lights." MERRY CHRISTMAS

Half-way....

It's hard to believe we are half-way through the pregnancy! The time has flown by. Now we need to get busy getting everything ready for the girls....like their nursery! I do have everything in mind I want to do with it, I just need to start. I am 19 weeks today and everything is still going good. I can feel the babies a little more each week. We have our 20 week appointment next week and I'm SO excited to get to see how much they've grown. At my last appointment, my doctor told me I needed to try to exercise during this trimester since I will actually be able to move! So we have started walking in the evenings...ok, maybe like once or twice a week but it's better than nothing.  

Not the best picture because my shirt blends in with the background.

Here's a good shot of my belly button popping out!

This past weekend, we went car shopping for a new "mom car." And let me just tell you, we were not joking, we did get a total mom car! We went looking for Tahoe's and ended up getting a SUBURBAN! I just wanted to make sure we had plenty of room for the double stroller, double pack n plays, double bouncers, double.....so we went with the suburban. Not crazy about the goldish color we ended up with. Would have preferred black but it's growing on me. Bye bye BMW, hello soccer mom suburban.

Since my last post, my bestest friend, Crystelle, delivered her beautiful baby boy Paxton Miller! He will be like a big brother to the girls....or maybe a boyfriend to one of them someday :)

Isn't he super cute! So precious and a really good baby. At the hospital just hours after his arrival, we tried to get Andrew to hold him. But he did not want to. He said Pax was too new. Just before we were leaving, he finally did

Come to find out, that was the first time Andrew had ever held a baby! It was pretty sweet. Maybe we should practice with dolls or something before the girls arrive....just in case. Oh I know he will make such a great dad. That's one of the things I love most about him. He worries about it but he shouldn't. Little does he know, he's already started taking care of them, by taking care of their mama!

Hopefully I can have some nursery updates next post!

Baby Girls

We are sooo excited to be having baby girls!! At my 16 week appointment, I knew we were going to be able to find out the sex and we couldn't wait. During our sonogram, we began with Twin A. She was very lively, moving around, waving her arms. The sonographer had no trouble finding the gender. When she said, "It's a girl" my heart skipped a beat. Of course we would be happy with any gender but the thought of a baby girl made my heart smile. Then she moved on to Twin B, who was soundly sleeping on her stomach with her legs curled up over the "area." The sonographer was not able to get a good shot of her gender and was about to give up. But I could not let her. There was no way I was leaving without finding out what both were. So she wiggled and moved my stomach trying to wake Twin B. A good five minutes of this and finally she stirred and rolled over. And there it was...another girl!! We couldn't be happier! So you are probably wondering what names we have picked out.....

(Sorry, I just love these cookie cutters and any chance I get, I use them!)

We had Caroline picked out long before I was ever pregnant. But thinking of another girl name that sounded as substantial as Caroline was difficult. Especially when Andrew is so picky. But then came Charlotte, which we thought was perfect. I looked up the meaning of the names the other day...Charlotte means "little and womanly" and Caroline means "little and strong." It's funny because that is exactly how I imagine them to be.

Now for the most important part, the baby girls are doing great! They both measured and weighed the exact same. Momma is doing good too. Still a little tired in the early evenings but more energy than the first trimester. I am now at 17 weeks and can feel little flutters. I can't wait until I can really feel them kick. I'll have an updated photo in a few days. I've definitely started showing more.

A word from the daddy:

I had a cookie early when it came out of the oven. We have been so busy lately working, settling into our new house and awaiting, planning for these babies. Time is flying faster than I can focus. One thing I want to focus on is being a great father. Everyday, looking out the window I thank God for the day, for our babies and to keep them healthy. As I turn up the road after miles of driving each day I am not only happy for the day and what life has brought me, but I am enthralled with what is to come. I take one deep breath in and let one deep breath out.

Hello 2nd Trimester...

and San Antonio! We sold our house in San Marcos and after many, many hours of looking at homes in San Antonio, we finally found one we really like!! We couldn't be more happy with the area we are in for raising babies. We visited our first baby store near our house yesterday. It was fun looking at all the wonderful things but also overwhelming. There is soooo many different cribs and strollers and car seats and gliders...oh my! We have a lot to research and decide on in a few months. Since my doctor warned me I could be on bedrest as early as January, I would like to have the big stuff done. That means we need to get on the nursery soon!

So how am I feeling? Pretty great! My first trimester was a little rough. I was sick in the evenings and unbelievably tired. I would get home from work, eat and go straight to bed. I never knew it was possible to sleep that long and still be tired when I woke up. The best way to describe it....a very bad hangover. I was nauseated, tired, hungry but nothing sounded or tasted good. And then came the second trimester. Oh how I was glad to see you. I'm not sick anymore (well, maybe a day or two every now and then), way more energy, and my appetite is back! So I'm feeling pretty great.

A word from the daddy:
I have wanted children for as long as I can remember. I still feel everything is unreal, but at the same time so very real. Time is flying and the babies are growing. I have been good at telling Molly to eat and take her vitamins. Even though the babies might seem subconsciously unreal at moments, I constantly give thanks everyday for their being and pray for a healthy delivery.
If there is ever a time imaginable in my mind for me to be my best, it is now. I am prepared for all that is in store. I just need to be rested and strong. As for love, that has always been easy.

Here's a couple of pictures of my belly

Here is a couple of our house....just the outside. The inside isn't quite ready for pictures yet.

And my pumpkins...

Andrew thinks I'm pumpkin crazy and I just might have to agree with him. I can't imagine fall without pumpkins....everywhere!

Our Journey

Andrew and I wanted to start a blog to document this wonderful and exciting time in our lives. Since we have fbnmily and friends spread out all over, this is the easiest way they can follow this journey with us.

A few months after we were married in 2008, we began planning to start a family. A year and a half of trying with no success we went to see a fertility doctor. Many tests were run on both us that all came up normal. Part of me almost wanted something to come up in the tests so we would know why we couldn't get pregnant. But, of course, we are happy that there was not anything majorly wrong. The next step was to start Clomid, a drug used to induce ovulation. We decided to also do an IUI with the first cycle of Clomid. To our surprise and excitement, we ended up pregnant that first cycle! It's funny after you wish for something to happen for so long, once it finally does, it almost doesn't seem real. We had an appointment with our fertility doctor at 7 weeks. Of course we were nervous, hoping everything would turn out good. Once she started the exam, I looked at the screen but couldn't really tell what I was actually looking at. So I was studying her face for any kind of sign that everything was okay. Her first words were, "Oh, this is what I expected" then in a different, more surprised tone "Oh, this is not what I expected at all." My heart just fell and I looked at Andrew for any reaction out of him but all he was doing was staring at the computer screen. I thought we weren't actually pregnant after all. Then she looked at me and said, "You are pregnant with triplets." From that moment, it was all a blur. I remember asking her if I could actually carry three babies because of my size. Andrew was rambling about that being a lot of babies. Our doctor told us about how rare it was to have triplets from using Clomid. In fact, in her 17 years of fertility treatment, she had only seen this happen one other time. Once I got myself together, I thought, okay we can do this. We wanted a baby, now we just get three!

We had not told any of our family that we were pregnant. I had this idea of how we were going to tell them, even before I knew we were pregnant. I bought these cute message cookie cutters that you can put different letters on, so the cookie will come out with any message you want. I was going to make the different cookies with "Grandma" "Grandpa" "Aunt" "Uncle" and send to our family announcing our big news. Of course I was very excited about this great idea I had. But after we found out there were three, we threw that idea out the window and called them immediately. Everybody's reaction was pretty much the same..."We are pregnant"  "Oh that is so wonderful, congratulations"  "Oh and by the way, it's triplets"  "What?!?! Are you serious?!?!"

For the next two weeks, Andrew and I were overwhelmed with the news we had found out. We were under contract for a new home and backed out at the last minute because it would not have worked with three babies. I also worried a lot. I know that I shouldn't have but all I could think about were all the risks the doctor told us about losing a baby or multiple babies along the way. It was hard for me to be truly excited because I was just so worried about something happening to one of them. I was 9 weeks along at our next doctor's appointment. At this appointment, we found out we had lost one of the babies. It was still there, which was hard, but it no longer had a heartbeat. We were upset by the news. We had accepted the fact that we were having three babies and now we had lost one. But a little bit of weight was also lifted from us because the risks go down with carrying two babies. We know this is God's will for us and feel blessed by it.

Now at 12 weeks, we are fortunate that the two babies are doing great. At our last appointmet earlier this week, they were both moving around like crazy! We are excited about the next 5-6 months planning for their arrival. I, of course, think I am showing a lot but most people say they can't tell. Here's a picture so you can see for yourself. (No face in this picture. I was having a tired, sick day....maybe next time).

This is what I see when I look down