Merry Christmas

This year we decided to send a Christmas letter via email - however, I don't think everyone realized that there was a letter attached the email. So, I'm posting the letter on our blog, just in case you missed it. :)

Merry Christmas!

We find ourselves celebrating and feeling very thankful this holiday season. This has been a year of abundant blessings for us.

After a high risk pregnancy and 12 weeks of bed rest, we welcomed Sebastien and Eden into our family! They joined us on July 15, beautiful and totally healthy. Since then, life has been completely different! But it is a change we longed for and are thrilled with.

Eden Kay is our little wiggle worm. She already loves to stand on our laps (with our help of course) and is working really hard at rolling over. She is very sweet and wakes up smiling most mornings.

Sebastien Adam is pretty easy going. He weighs about two pounds more than Eden, and continues to grow like a weed. Sebastien loves to suck his thumb and he is becoming quite a talker. He is also very cuddly.

Adam is working full time at Words of Hope in Grand Rapids. He works on an International Radio program called Spotlight. He enjoys this work and hopes to be able to continue doing it for awhile.

Caryn started the year working full time at Bethany Christian Services, where she works in the Counseling Center doing individual and family therapy. However, for baby-related reasons, Caryn was off from work for over six months. Upon returning to Bethany this fall, Caryn is now working just a couple days a week. She is thankful for two jobs she loves – one at home with Sebastien and Eden, and one outside the home at Bethany.

We are praying that this letter finds you all happy, healthy and celebrating the birth of Christ this holiday season.

5 Months Old

Sebastien and Eden are five months old and doing great! Yesterday we gave them their first taste of "food" - rice cereal, soaked in formula, of course. Eden went back and forth between pulling up her nose and laughing. Sebastien did pretty well. For a video of the whole ordeal, go to Adam's blog - linked on the sidebar.


Got our spoons, all ready to go.


Eden is not too sure about this stuff.


Sebastien with cereal all around his face.


Eden is getting very close to rolling over. She actually has rolled from her stomach to her back a couple of times, but hasn't really mastered it. She loves to lie on her back and roll to her side. Sebastien has become quite chatty, he just babbles on and on. (Like his mom? Poor kid.) They both are no longer as content to lie on their back to play, they'd rather be sitting up. Unfortunately, they can't do this on their own yet, so when they're home with just mom or just dad, we have to get creative.

Fun times on our tummy.

Watch Us Grow

Sebastien and Eden are four months old! They were at the doctor last week for their Well Child visit, and they are doing great. Sebastien weighed 14 lbs 8 oz and Eden weighed 12 lbs 12 oz. They are both in about the 25th percentile, which is about what they've been all along. Eden possibly has some reflux issues, but other than that, they received a clean bill of health. They had their immunizations, which is always hard to watch. They were both real troopers.

I thought it would be fun to take a look at the monthly pictures I've been taking of Sebastien and Eden.



Here they are at one month old.


This is their two month shot - they were both really fussy that day. I probably should have tried again the next day, but alas, I did not. So all I have for two months are pictures with bad lighting and crying babies.


Here they are at 3 months. I neglected to take a picture with Mr. Monkey in between them that month, for some reason. So, we don't get the perspective shot.


And, finally, 4 months. Bad choice of clothing for Eden - the sweater is so big on her, it's a little deceiving, she looks huge!

Two Little Monkeys

Happy Halloween!

While we didn't go Trick or Treating (hard to convince anyone that the candy isn't just for mom and dad when you are T-o-T with two 3 1/2-month-olds), we did dress the kids up just for fun. We walked over to my grandma's house to show them off to the family gathered for Friday coffee, then kept them in their costumes at home for awhile so I could take 85 million pictures and some video. It was great fun.

We also enjoyed handing out candy...though no need for any crazy candy delivery devices this year (see last year's candy chute video.)

And Sebastien and Eden headed off to bed while Adam and I watched a semi-scary movie with my brother and sister-in-law. All in all, a great Halloween.

Night Time Update

I wrote the previous post on a Sunday night... During the week that followed, everything changed.

First of all, all the work we had been doing on daytime naps started to pay off. For the first time since they were very new (when their nights and days were all mixed up), Sebastien and Eden started taking naps in their cribs at the same time. Not long ones, mind you, and not perfectly coordinated with each other, but a major development all the same. For the first time since they were born, I started to be able to take a shower while no one else was here to watch the babies! And twice I was even able to blow dry my hair!

Ok, so it's not perfect - most days they are both sleeping, really sleeping at the same time, for about 15 minutes. Then I do all kinds of song and dance every 5 minutes to get them to stay asleep because their sleep is very light. And often just as one is drifting off the other wakes up. But still it's progress! And it gives me hope of things to come.

"But that's day time," you might be thinking. Well, I'm not done.

On the Thursday night that week, Eden and Sebastien slept, and I mean pretty deeply slept, all night long! I'll break it down for you. Ate at 7pm, asleep by 9:30, slept until 7am! I woke up several times and checked on them. And I got up at 6am (had to majorly pump, but only did a little because I had no idea when they'd need to eat.) And I just waited for them to wake.

The next night, they went from 8pm to 8am! And so for the last week, that's our schedule. We feed them at 8pm, they're down usually by 10pm, they sleep very soundly until 3 or 4am, and then progressively lighter until 7:50 or so. Then during the day, we're on a 8-11-2-5-8 feeding schedule. It's quite nice.

Now you may notice the time of this post. Well, I get up once during the night to pump. And they are a natural alarm clock for me some time between 3:00 and 4:00.

So, conclusion: Any time I want something to get better, I'm going to write a blog post about it!

p.s.Here are a couple cute tummy time pics.

Night Time with Sebastien and Eden

"So... are your babies sleeping through the night yet?"

A common and understandable question. As a parent of two 10 week olds, a lot of time and energy goes into thought about my kids' sleeping.

For the last month or so we've done some experimenting with night time schedules. Eden and Sebastien can go fairly long stretches without eating now. (Anywhere between 6 and 10 hours!) Granted, they are not sleeping for those whole stretches of time, but we figure it's a great start so we'll take it. One step at a time.

Ok, so here are a couple of scenarios....

(And somehow they always end up eating around 7pm, when I would prefer 6pm and 9pm. But anyway...)

7pm eat
both totally asleep by 9:30
wake them up to eat at 10pm
sleep from 11pm (ish) until... well usually they grunt and fuss starting around 2:30 or 3:00...but they're not really hungry. they stay in their cribs with frequent help from mom and dad until 4 or maybe even 5am
eat
put both back down, they sleep for an hour or two, wake up fussy until mom lays down with both babies and we all sleep until 9 or even 10am.

7pm eat
both asleep by 9:30
sleep until 3:30am
eat
sleep until 6:30am
eat
mom tries to get them back to bed b/c they're clearly tired, but they grunt and fuss until mom lays down with both babies and we all sleep until 9 or even 10am.

So, yes, I take naps with them a lot of days. Call it survival, or whatever... I call it "family nap time." It might be a bad habit. But seriously, that's a post for another day because my kids are not good day-time sleepers. Unless they're being held. Again, perhaps a bad habit, but it's not for lack of trying and they need their sleep!

We've also tried a couple nights where we let each one determine for themselves when they are going to get up to eat. I don't recommend this. Basically it just means I'm awake feeding or soothing one baby or another all night long. We have also had a couple nights where Adam and I each are in charge of one baby. That wasn't great either. Oh, also... some times one of us will do the night feeding without the other so they can sleep. While that is ok when one of us really needs it, it is so much more difficult to do night feedings alone, most of the time we both get up to feed the babies in the middle of the night.

One more note...if our children could sleep on us all night long, they would easily sleep 12-hour stretches every night. When Sebastien or Eden are so discontent at night that pacies and swaddling and soothing isn't working...yet they aren't really hungry...mom or dad will lay down with them. They then need to be woken up to eat, they are so sound asleep!

So, are they sleeping through the night. They're "not eating" through the night. And there's hope for a future of actual sleeping through the night. So, they're getting there.

p.s. This entire post was written lovingly with one hand.

Eden Smiles

For all you non-facebookers out there, here is a short video clip of Eden smiling... Some of her first "real" smiles. :)

"EASY" - Eat, Activity, Sleep, 'You Time'

This is the basic premise of "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" - which, despite its silly title, is actually a pretty great book about caring for infants. So, this is the routine we're trying to establish.

Eden and Sebastien eat. (This is quite an event in and of itself.) We don't have any pictures of this, because that would be inappropriate.

Then, during the day, we have them awake, which is about all the "activity" they can do right now. Well, that's not true. We look in their eyes and talk with them, they go on their tummies for tummy time, they look at black and white images, sit in their bouncy seats, give them baths... etc. So, there are activities. That time lasts anywhere between 5 minutes and 1 1/2 hours.


Then, when they seem like they are ready to sleep, they either spontaneously fall asleep, or, most often, they need to be held, rocked, swaddled, etc. Then they sleep.



That's the point at which the parents are able to have some "you time" - time to get stuff done, or sleep, post pictures, blog...eat..whatever there isn't time for when there are awake or hungry babies around.

I love this idea. It works out pretty differently in real life, though. Well, real life with twins, I can't speak for real life with one baby. For example, I've been working on writing this post since last Sunday. (It's Saturday now.) Because for us, it more often goes something like this...

One baby, say Eden, falls asleep nicely after 20 minutes of activity time, but Sebastien wants to be awake for over an hour. And not just awake...awake AND held. But finally he shows signs of tiredness, and sure enough after some effort, he finally is down and stays down. But by this time, Eden has decided that she doesn't want to be sleeping anymore...that is, unless Mommy or Daddy is holding her. So, she gets the attention she needs, until she will eventually be relaxed enough to be laid back down. At this point, Mommy quick drinks a glass of milk or grabs some grapes or goes to the bathroom, only to come back to find two hungry infants, because sure enough, it's time to eat again!

Please note that I am not suggesting that it always goes exactly like this - rather, this is one example, but its fairly typical of my time at home with the twinfants. I'm sure singleton babies have "needy" times too, and you other Mommies out there have a tough time finding "you" time at times also.

And I'm also sure that you other Moms out there will agree when I add.. boy, is it all worth it! Eden and Sebastien are such a beautiful addition to our lives. They are working really hard on smiling these days, and are also trying hard to find their voices (non-crying voices, that is.) They have grown and changed so much... it is hard to believe that just 6 1/2 weeks ago they were 5 1/2lb preemies!

So, while I don't get a lot of "you" time, and our routine is not yet "EASY," I am just trying to enjoy this time that I have with them at home. I just love being their mom!

Two at a Time

Just thought I'd post some pictures of us pulling "double duty" to give you a picture of what life is like...






We can definitely tell that Sebastien and Eden are growing! We are going to the pediatrician this week for their one month check-up...and we can't believe that on Tuesday a month will have passed since these two were born!

Weight Gain

We went to the pediatrician yesterday, and both babies are gaining weight! Sebastien is up to 5 lbs 13 oz, and Eden up to 5 lbs 12 oz. Sebastien gained 7 oz in the last 8 days, and Eden gained 5 oz. We are always concerned with whether they are eating enough, since they are still not masters of nursing. We supplement their nursing with bottle feedings, but they don't always take those either. But getting confirmation of weight gain and a doctor's "thumbs up" was very encouraging. We'll go back in two weeks to see how they're doing.

I have to remind myself that there are lots of people not on Facebook, who don't get to see the videos and pictures that we post. So this video is the same as one posted on Facebook yesterday, but this way, it can have a wider audience.

We absolutely LOVE to watch Eden and Sebastien interact with each other. I like how their Aunt Corrie put it, it's like they don't even know that they're two different people yet.

Fun with Hiccups

We have discovered that there are several things that our children do very well. Eden is a very good eater. (Most of the time.) Sebastien is a good sleeper. (Um...most of the time.) Eden almost always gives the impression that she is deep in thought about something, while Sebastien's face almost always tells you that he is in awe of the world that he lives in.

One talent that Sebastien has, that started in the womb, is he can hiccup with the best of 'em. I mean, loud, big hiccups, several times a day. While I have yet to capture the best of his hiccups, I did grab some video of Sebastien and Eden dueling it out with hiccups. Eden's are quieter, but watch for her head to jerk a little.

I guess you know you're crazy about your kids when you think their hiccups are just the best and funniest thing in the world.

Some Video and Pictures

Life is busy but so happy in our home these days. We are home from the hospital and so thrilled to be able to start our new kind of normal. There hasn't been a lot of time for....well, anything...except for doting on and getting to know Eden and Sebastien. We so appreciate the phone calls and emails that we have gotten this week, and we both feel bad that we have not been good at getting back to people. 

By the way, if you're interested in a short glimpse into the day we delivered, Adam posted a 15-minute long video of roughly how things progressed. It's not gross, don't worry. While long, there are some fun things to see, like a nice demonstration of Eden's lung capacity right after being born. The video is posted at adamnavis.blogspot.com. 

I thought I'd quick post a couple pictures and a video, especially for those of you without Facebook, since that's where we've been posting most of our stuff.

Eden and Sebastien, co-bedding in the hospital.

A rare moment when both of them had their eyes open! 

This is a short video clip - We were still in the hospital, and Sebastien was wide awake. 

Welcome Sebastien and Eden!

My last blog title was "Am I Next" and I guess now we have the answer.... Yup.

Sebastien Adam Navis was born at 7:48pm on Tuesday (July 15) and Eden Kay Navis was born at 8:14pm! Sebastien was born at 5 lbs 7 oz and Eden at 5 lbs 10 oz.

I was able to give birth vaginally, not c-section, for those of you with money on it. We've had a lot of comments from hospital personnel about how rare it is to NOT have a c-section with twins. It was a long day on the 15th, but actually went fairly smoothly. Any time a little hiccup was mentioned or warned against, it seemed to resolve itself just fine. And when it came time to push, I actually (after a day of labor) ended up only needing to push 18 minutes for Sebastien and 15 for Eden.

We ended up being induced into labor because I was showing significant signs of pre-eclampsia. I know that some people like lots of details about birth stories and some don't, so I won't go into great detail here, but feel free to ask me about it if you want more details.

I will say that it has been an amazing few days. Adam and I are convinced that we have the most fantastic two babies in the world. Eden and Sebastien have been so great, we are thoroughly enjoying getting to know them better. We are so thankful and feel so blessed, it is beyond words. And given my complete lack of sleep for the last few days, I am having a hard time expressing the complete and utter joy that we are feeling!

We are in Spectrum yet until tomorrow morning. We really appreciate all the phone calls and emails and Facebook postings. I have to apologize that I have not returned any of them, but I promise that it's only because taking care of two newborns and trying to recover from my delivery and the toxemia have been top priority for us. Give a call if you'd like to come and meet our special little ones!

Am I Next?

There is a serious baby boom going on this year. Lots o' pregnancies. You may remember that I had about 84 other pregnant people that I work with, not to mention all my other friends and family members...

Well, the boom is really booming strong now.

So far in 2008....Brooke had Teagan, Christina had Logan, Julie had Isaac. But just in the last month or so....Lindsey had Anabelle, Tena had Isla, Tracy had Ava, Meredith had Connor, Liz had Dexter, Cori had Colin. (Who am I missing?)

Maybe you don't know any of these people. The point is, I know all these people, and with the exception of Melissa (tomorrow, right? I'll add you to the list, Melis!!) I believe.... I'm next. It's a weird feeling to know all those due dates have come and gone, to see the babies arrive and watch the pictures pile up in Facebook and on blog sites. A weird feeling, and a very cool way to mark how close we are to meeting our little ones.

By the way, our c-section is only 11 days away! Anyone want to put money on whether we'll make it all the way to the 25th?

Heads Down and Growing

We had 3 doctors' appointments today: an ultrasound, an NST and an OB appointment. The ultrasound today is likely to be our last one, and it went well, except that they could not do any 3-D pictures. We were disappointed about that. But Baby Boy is weighing in at about 5 lbs 3 oz and Baby Girl at a whopping 5 lbs 11 oz! (Save for the 10% margin of error on either side.)

The other big news today was that Baby Girl has followed her brother's lead and now is in the head-down position, also. That means that if they stay in this position, we may have a choice between a c-section and vaginal delivery. We're taking a "wait and see" posture, but will likely be doing a lot of discussing between now and the 25th, which is our scheduled c-section date. I will be a full 35 weeks tomorrow, and that is such a blessing. 50% of all twins are born between 34 and 37 weeks, according to the twin book I'm reading, so we feel so thankful that we've made it this far!

I took another belly picture on Saturday, so I'll post that here. I don't have the ultrasound pictures scanned in yet, so I might end up adding those later. To be honest, they did not turn out as well this time. But still worth a look, so I will get on the ball and try to post those soon.

When Your Wife is on Bedrest

On Monday I will have been on bedrest for 11 full weeks. There have been a ton of people who have helped out during this time - family and friends have been amazing with meals, helping us move, helping us paint, visiting, driving me places, bringing gifts... I could go on for so long. It has been amazing and we could not have done these last 11 weeks (and the 3 more to come) without all of this help.

However, the one who takes the brunt of the bed rest impact is Adam. My dear husband has had to do everything without his partner for the past three months. Think of all the things that go on in your household every day - the cooking, the cleaning, the errands, the driving, the odd jobs and yard work. Adam has done all of that PLUS he has packed and unpacked our household, put together baby furniture, painted rooms, planned his own ordination service, test drove vehicles, installed carseats, assembled misc baby gear. PLUS he has gone to as many appointments as he could, attended to my many needs, helped me in and out cars, assured me that I'm not that biggest pregnant person ever, pushed me around Target in a wheelchair one day (yeah, that was a big outing for me!), read up on baby care and pregnancy, slept on the couch when my snoring suddenly took over our bedroom....

I seriously could sit here listing these things all morning.

Adam does not complain about these things. I mean, he is understandably eager to have his partner back in a few weeks. But what I am saying is, he is unbelievable. I don't think I'll ever be able to re-pay him or thank him enough for all he has done and especially not for how he has done it - unflinching, with a loving heart, a smile and a sense of humor. I have been blessed beyond words, and one little way I can say thank you to him is to post something for you all to read. This way, everyone knows how amazing I know Adam is, and you can all know he's amazing too.

Tag, I was "It" (Over a Month Ago)

My friend Deb tagged me over a month ago with this, hey, tell us about yourself thing, and I never got around to doing it. I know, you'd think being on bedrest I'd be all about it. But, I just couldn't concentrate long enough to actually do this. Well, my concentration is only getting worse. But today, I'm bored enough to try to focus on it. Please forgive me if I actually don't pass the tag along - I think most people that I would tag have already done this. We'll see.

The Rules:
Once you’ve been tagged, you have to write a blog with 10 weird, random, facts, habits or goals about yourself. At the end, choose 6 people to be tagged, list their names & why you tagged them. Don’t forget to leave them a comment saying “You’re it!” & to go read your blog. You cannot tag the person that tagged you, so since you’re not allowed to tag me back; let me know when you are done so I can go read YOUR weird/random/odd facts, habits and goals.

1. I have had the same pillow and pillowcase for as long as I can remember. I have nicer, prettier (and definitely fluffier) onces, but this particular pillow goes with me wherever I go and never gets phased out. I think it's become like a security blanket. Adam named it "Pinkie" when we got married and he discovered its bizarre place in my life.

2. My hidden talent has always been gleeking on command. What is gleeking? I'll show you some time. Or you can ask my brother or my husband, who have both always hated it when I pull it out as a defense to some sort of physical attack.

3. I grew up having dogs and really liking dogs, and I grew up thinking I hated cats. I now have a cat and am kinda afraid of dogs. I'm not afraid of all dogs, of course, because there are many dogs I still love. But I think after some years of doing in-home social work, large dogs feel unpredictable and strong. Cats are just, at worst, annoying.

4. I have not changed skin care products since early high school when I started using skin care products. I use the same face wash and moisturizer that I did when I was 15. I've tried other things, and nothing else feels right.

5. On that topic, I never wear makeup. I mean, I did wear a little for prom and my wedding. And I think when I was in other people's weddings I did, too. But day-to-day, nope. I keep thinking that as a nearly-30 year old person (whaaat? ugh!) I should probably discover some sort of concealer or foundation or something to cover up wrinkles. But at this point in my life, I really wouldn't know where to start.

6. I put sugar on my scrambled eggs. Always have. Don't knock it til you try it.

7. Adam and I were supposed to go to Israel on our honeymoon, 7 years ago, but things became too violent there and our trip was canceled. Instead we went to a great condo up north for about 5 or 6 days, and never really got a honeymoon trip.

8. I tend to volunteer for things when there's silence. My co-workers can attest to this. You know, we're all sitting around a table, and there is a need to speak somewhere, or join a committee, or organize a get-together, or take on some project or group or client, etc. When there's silence, if it lasts long enough, sure enough, up goes my hand. I'm working on this, though, so don't use it against me.

9. I really really like to bake. And I only discovered this a few years ago. I'm not claiming to be a fantastic baker, I just really like to do it.

10. I cry easily. Not in an overly-sensitive way, "you looked at me funny" way. But in a "oh, that commercial for long distance phone plans was just SO touching!" kind of way. My brother's favorite example was the time that I got all choked up over a preview for a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air episode. Yeah, if I cried over the preview, think of how I sobbed through the episode.



Whew. 10 is a lot. That was really hard. Probably doesn't make it better that I tend to ramble on when doing things like this.

I'm not officially going to tag anyone, but if you're reading this and come up with you own list, let me know cuz I'd like to read it. (Gwen? Sarah Zuidema? Anyone?)

The Reverend and His Wife

This video might possibly be the least flattering of me - ever - but it's one that Adam created for his blog and I thought I'd put it on here too, for those of you who don't visit Adam's blog. (It's ok, it's not a competition.)  

Adam was ordained as a specialized minister yesterday! Pretty big event in the life of the Navis Family. Because of my bed rest I wasn't able to go, which we both are sad about. But we have a VHS video of it, so I was able to see it afterwards. Plus there was plenty of leftover cake, so I got to eat that too. (Not all of it. Seriously.) We also have a couple of video clips that our friend took with our digital camera that you'll see here.

I'll let Adam speak for himself on the whole ordination thing.

As for a pregnancy update - I saw my OB on Friday, and she was concerned at how puffy and swollen I am. You might be too, after seeing my face in that video. Anyway, she had my blood tested for toxemia, and had informed me that if they were positive, I would have to be hospitalized and either be observed for a day or two or there was the chance that if it was bad enough, we'd have to deliver the babies. Well, clearly, since it's Monday and I'm not in the hospital, the results on Friday were within the "normal range." The nurse put it as "high, but within the normal range." So they will re-test me today when I go in for my NST. I was also reminded that I am on bed-rest, and need to stay that way.

All that to say, it was a bit of a wake-up call for us. Since things have been going smoothly, I think we've lost touch with the reality that our precious little ones could come at any time.  Tomorrow I hit the 34 week mark, which is fantastic, we are so happy about that.  We'd really like to make it about 2 more weeks. My wonderful OB is working on scheduling us a c-section for around July 24 or 25, so we know it won't be later than that! 

OK, and final piece of news.... You might know that we've really struggled to commit to a boy's name for Baby Boy. We've had Baby Girl's name since, well before we knew she was a girl. But we had a hard time with Baby Boy. Well, we're happy to report that both babies have names! We're still not telling you what they are, though.

New Ultrasound Pictures

We had an ultrasound again on Friday, and in my 32nd week, these are the fantastic pictures that we got of Baby Girl and Baby Boy Navis! It was very special to see them, as we had not had 3-D ultrasound in awhile, and this is definitely the first time we were able to get a better look at our babies' features.

Aren't they beautiful??

Here's Baby Girl


And here's Baby Boy


You might wonder what little Boy's cheek is pressed up against. The answer is - his sister's head! Look at them being all snuggly already in the womb! They both are growing well and both weigh in at about 4 lbs.

The other good news that we got at the ultrasound is that my placenta previa has resolved! None of my restrictions have changed yet, though, unfortunately, but at least we can relax a little bit, and not be as fearful of having a major bleed. I see my OB again on Wednesday, so if any restrictions will change, we would find out then. The specialist that we saw said he would not recommend any changes, but he wanted to leave it up to my OB.

Soooo.... Big and Pregnant

I am 31 weeks pregnant and measuring well over 40 weeks. This is fine and dandy, I take that as meaning that I have two healthy little ones in me that are growing and that are making me grow.

But as this is my first pregnancy, I feel that I have a right (or a responsibility maybe) to admit... This is not how I thought I'd look pregnant. Now, I would not trade my pregnancy for anything, because as you know, I wanted to be pregnant more than anything, and I am SOO thankful for this. But the truth is, before you're pregnant, we all think we're going to be Angelina Jolie. (For the record, I'm not a fan, but we will get into that another day. I choose her because she is currently pregnant with twins, and going to deliver this summer, I think.)

But back to my point, before our first pregnancies, I think that we all think that we're going to be Angelina - walking around, about to give birth to twins, but besides a bulging belly, looking like ourselves. You know, you look at Angelina, and she still has her jaw line, her eyes aren't puffy, she can still wear her jewelry. Not to mention (and admittedly, this might just be me because of my bedrest situation) she's still walking around!


Now, the problem is, we all know real-life people like this, too. If it were just celebrities, we could chalk it up to another unattainable celebrity body. But the fact is, there are these women that we all know and love who look fantastic all the way through their pregnancy. Not that I hold it against them. It's not their fault that nothing seems to swell except their cute basketball stomaches.

So, I'm just saying.... we all think that we're going to be that woman. I admit that I thought I could be. But now I know.... it's not in the cards for me. Maybe it's the twins... Maybe it's that I'm measuring at the point where most people get to deliver and start getting their bodies back. Or maybe it's just the way I was designed.

And I'm ok with that now. Sort of. Today I'm ok with it. We can talk again tomorrow, and we'll see how I feel.

Until then, just remember, I'm VERY thankful that I'm pregnant, and I'm MORE than willing to go through body changes for the end reward. Take this post as in no way saying I would change my situation. Because I wouldn't. Not for anything in the world.

But here, here are a couple pictures. One was taken last week. The other was taken last summer at this time. The face in the first one is the face that I somehow expect to see when I look in the mirror, it's my face. The face in the second one is the face that exists in the mirror, and it's more unfamiliar to me, and sometimes catches me off guard.

Yet, the second face does have a new look of mommy happiness.

Don't Worry, Potok, You Get to Come With

Of course, preparing for babies isn't enough, we also are going to move. SOON. In fact, if we have our druthers, we would move next weekend. Anyway, I could ramble about that for awhile, but really, what I want to post is our cat trying to ensure that we don't leave without him. I've never been one to carry around pictures of my pet or anything, but these are cute.

Doctors & NST's

At this point in my pregnancy, I am going to the doctor a LOT. Or so it feels to me. I see my OB once a week. And I go to her office for Non-Stress Tests (NST's) twice a week. And then I get ultrasounds every 2-3 weeks. Mind you, none of these appointments take place in Grand Haven, they are all in Grand Rapids. And, mind you also, that I am not allowed to drive. So, I'm feeling a bit like a 15-year-old with no driver's license but an awesome social life. 

I went to see Dr. Bitner today and sure enough, at just over 29 weeks, I am measuring at 40 weeks. Translation, I am very big. I am as big as most people are when they are ready to deliver. That's big! And I think it's pretty safe to assume that I'm about as uncomfortable as most people are when they're ready to deliver. 

Yet, I hope and pray to make it at least 6-7 more weeks. 

I can do it, too. I'll get up to go to the bathroom 7 times a night! I'll sleep with 84 pillows in my bed to try to be comfortable! I'll take the heartburn and reflux, the contractions and swollen limbs! I'll wear the same thing every other day! I'll sit here on the couch every day and look out the window! I'll beg for rides and ice cream and strawberries - and once in awhile, yes a Diet Coke or, get this, a Dr Pepper! (Who knew.) 

Bring it on, just keep these babies in me!

p.s. Everything else was fine today at the doctor. No worries, no signs of imminent labor.  (But nothing allowing for any bed rest changes, either.) I am under doctor's orders to try to get a massage though. :) Seriously.

7 Years!

Every year on our anniversary, I look at all our wedding pictures and take some time to remember that day. It always reminds me of that song, "What a Difference a Day Makes." One day you're "single," the next, you're committed to this one person for the rest of your life. For me, that day, May 25, 2001 was by far the best day of my life. (Which I can safely say because my children have not been born.) I look back at my pictures and remember how incredibly happy and thankful I felt. I have been blessed with the greatest husband, and that feeling of happiness and thankfulness has stayed with me.   I was 22 when we got married, and that day I thought my heart couldn't possibly hold any more love and joy inside of it, it was just so full. But I am more in love with my wonderful husband today than I was the day we got married! Happy Anniversary, Adam!

  

Ultrasound Day

I am now in my 29th week of pregnancy, and it was time today for another ultrasound! I will say that I had pretty high hopes today that the doctor would declare me ready to go back to some version of regular life. However, after the ultrasound we were able to consult with the doctor, and it turns out that there will be no changes to my current restrictions. 

For those of you who like to know the medical parts, my placenta has moved somewhat, but not enough. It is still covering a portion of my cervix, and therefore is still considered placenta previa. The doctor told us that for most people, previa's resolve themselves by 28 weeks, and so while it is still possible that my previa will resolve, he sounded like we should be prepared for bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. 

The good news is, it's bed rest at home. If I were to have another bleed, the doctor told us I would likely be admitted to the hospital for the remainder of the pregnancy. That is one reason that they are cautious and having me stay on such restricted activity - we want to avoid contractions, but also really want to avoid another bleed. I am still at risk of pre-term labor because of the previa, but also because of twins. 

So bed rest at home means I am still able to "escape" from time to time, as long as wherever I escape to, I don't drive myself there, and I can sit down with my feet up while I am there. And of course, leaving the house is for "exceptions" not for every day. But the nice thing about that is that I've been able to go to my own baby showers! 

It's been hard on Adam, though, as he is carrying a lot on his shoulders. But he is gracious and kind as always, and he doesn't complain. 

Now for the fun part - the babies are doing really well!! Baby boy is weighing in at about 3 lbs 4 oz and Baby Girl at about 2 lbs 15 oz. Their growth rates are good at this point, although we've been advised that their growth will probably slow down a bit - or that tends to be the case at least w/ twins.

Baby Girl has now come out from behind my right ribs, where she has had her head planted for quite a while - now her head is over by my left ribs, and her feet are over playing footsie w/ her brother's feet...right under my right side ribs! (She's lateral.) So, I feel lots of "alien" movements over there. I put this profile picture of her on here because - frankly, Adam has the rest of the ultrasound pictures at work with him to show off to his co-workers. He let me take these two home with me.

Boy Boy showed off one of his new tricks - opening his eyes!! It was so great to see him "looking" right back at us. He is now in the head down position, and active as ever. He actually looks kind of like he's smiling in this picture, and his cheeks even look kind of chubby, although we know that that's not really the case.

Thanks again for everyone who's praying for us and these beautiful babies. We are so crazy about them already and are just so thankful that they're healthy and doing well.

New Wheels

When we did our baby registry, Adam and I decided that Adam would take ownership and be in charge of picking out the stroller for the twins. And my husband, being the absolute wonder that he is, did a lot of looking around, researching, reading, to find the right stroller.

And he did a great job. He found the Kolcraft Contours Options Tandem. It is a fantastic stroller, you can see a demonstration online at kolcraft.com. Well, on Saturday, along with a ton of other great gifts from great friends, we got our stroller! The great thing about this stroller is that it will hold two infant carseats, but also has two seats for older kiddos, so this stroller will not soon by outgrown by the twins.

Of course the first thing Adam did after the shower was to put the stroller together. So, now we have a fully put-together stroller in our living room. It's a joy to look at, and it brings to mind all kinds of dreams and images of strolling around with Baby Boy and Baby Girl.


And... speaking of new wheels.... Adam also bought a small motorcycle. Small, and only 70cc's, Adam is very excited about his new hobby. You can read about it in his own words at adamnavis.blogspot.com.