11 Weeks Update and Ultrasound

A certain twist of my body or bending a certain way will actually send a smile to my face these days. Just the past few days I’ve started to actually feel like I have something in my tummy! It feels like something the size of a grapefruit/softball is in there… and there is! Our sweet baby is well over an inch and a half (the size of a lime) already and has done so much in development in these past 11 weeks. I have so enjoyed reading about his/her development each morning. I’ve enjoyed looking at this pregnancy as a completely new one and not expecting the same things as I experienced with the boys. I’ve enjoyed taking each day and enjoying it to it’s fullest (yes, even when I'm pretty tired). I’ve enjoyed talking to our baby and telling it how much we love it. I love talking to Gavin and Wyatt about their little brother and sister, even though I know they don’t understand at all. A smile comes to my face as I imagine the three of them playing and growing up with each other!

Today was our OB appointment. The doctor wasn't sure if she would detect the heartbeat via doppler, so she did another ultrasound which we never mind! It was amazing! Our little baby has grown so much. He/she is now about 3.8cm (1 1/2 inches) and was jumping all over. We saw his/her arms and legs and even hands! He kept putting his hands on his face and 'waving' so it seemed. It was just precious watching. Heart beat was perfect too. It's so amazing laying there watching this little precious blessing jump around in my belly, which I can't even feel yet, all while thinking we weren't even planning to get pregnant several months ago. God has great plans for this baby and I am so thankful we get to be his/her mom and dad!! Here is a great photo of Baby French!!

The past few weeks have been going very well. I haven’t been nauseous in the past two weeks except for a time or two. Instead I’ve been very hungry throughout the day. It seems as though my body needs food every 2-3 hours, even if it’s just a small snack. If I don’t eat ‘on time’, my body gives me a 5 minute warning, then I get the shakes and start feeling very faint. As soon as I get food in me, I’m good to go. So, I’ve been eating at each meal with the boys still, plus a small snack after they go down for their first nap and then again sometime in the afternoon.

For a couple of weeks earlier in January, I was craving hot wings (Tabasco flavor) and hamburgers. Now it just seems that I want a hamburger every now and then! And oh, I really wanted ice cream one night, but I didn’t want us to have to get it, so I waited until the next day. So all in all, still no cravings. I’m starting to enjoy milk a whole lot more like I did with the boys. Still eating healthy and balanced despite my occasional craving for a hamburger ;)

I’m defiantly showing these days. I’m at that in-between phase concerning clothes again. My ‘pre-Gavin and Wyatt’ jeans don’t button anymore, and I really don’t like using the b-band b/c it doesn’t work that well. My maternity clothes are too big as are my ‘just after birth jeans’ I bought last year. So… yeah… that’s where I’m at… pants with a baggy toosh or yoga pants! But I wouldn’t trade it for anything!!

I go to get the ‘Jack or Jill’ blood test done on February 13^th to determine the sex of the baby! A few days later we should know if we having a Jenna Lynn or a baby boy (name TBD)!! Then I can start working on the nursery; which I’m so excited about doing. There isn’t much to buy since we have everything baby related, so fixing up his/her room will give me an excuse to start spoiling our baby and getting ready for him/her!

What a blessing it is watching the newest addition to our family grow! I am so thankful and enjoying pregnancy again! God is so good; yesterday, today and always.

Happy New Years 2012

It was 11:59pm on 12/31/11 and we were... ASLEEP!! Yes, I was a lame party popper this year I have to admit and my family were all great troopers! I was (and still am) pretty tired sometimes, especially in the evenings, now that I am pregnant. There is no way on earth I could have made it to bring in the new year. So, we went to bed early. The next day though, 01/01/12, we spent 'celebrating' all day long! That night we 'brought in the new year' too! Here are some pictures of us after dinner (and the boys' bed time) toasting.

We had the typical bubbly to toast with, but I got my very own special (and very tasty) sparkling strawberry juice for me and our new baby on the way! It was fun being pregnant again this New Years, although I am a lot more comfortable now than I was this time last year!

Even the dogs participated, much to their dismay...

I can't even begin to describe how thankful I am looking back over our beautiful 2011 and all if it's blessings!! I am filled with excitement and joy as I look ahead at our 2012. Thank You Lord for always being with us every step of the way. Thank You for the beautiful journeys you take us on and walk through with us.

Our Beautiful December Surprise

It was between 2 and 3 am on Tuesday December 13^th. I was lying in bed in what I can only describe as a state of half awake and half asleep. It was dark in my dream, but then I heard and felt it; a voice and someone’s presence. ‘I’m here Mama.’ Was all I heard. I knew it was my child in my womb and for many moments I lay there and embraced my child; not a physical embrace, but more of a hearts embrace if you will. Moments later I awoke. ‘Hmmm… That’s odd,’ is what I thought as I awoke. Sure it was a dream, a beautiful dream at that, but it was more than that. After ignoring all the signs from God last month that I was pregnant before I miscarried, I told myself I would no longer dismiss things as my ‘crazy mind’, but instead listen to God, even if I hear Him wrong. So in the middle of the night I told myself I’d take a pregnancy test in the morning, even though I knew it would likely be negative…

Morning came and I proceeded with our normal routine of snuggles, diaper changes, milk time, playtime and then breakfast. Once the boys were settled in their highchairs eating pancakes, I decided I’d take a test. The plan was to take it, let it ‘set’ as the boys ate and then go back to check it after breakfast, because I knew I’d see just one line. I took the test and before I could even have time to set the test down, two lines started appearing!! Yes, two lines! I was half in shock, but more in awe. My dream was real! Just weeks after miscarrying last month (November), God has blessed us with another child!

I took another test on Wednesday the 14^th, my 28^th birthday, and it came back positive again; just as fast as the first one! Jason and I are so excited. After all that we’ve been through trying to conceive, God has blessed us with another child. Gavin and Wyatt are going to be big brothers!! The next week I called my doctor to schedule an appointment for what I thought would be late January. They wanted to test my hcg levels with a blood test. Seeing that it was 4100 already, they called me and asked if I wanted to come in for an ultrasound that day (Wednesday Dec 21^st)! Jason and both got to see the gestational sac that afternoon (it was too early along to see our baby).

I called my mom on Friday to let her know the great news! I asked her what she was doing mid-late August next year and if she wanted to meet her 3^rd grandchild?! Saturday we told Jason’s mom when she came over to visit. I had a little stocking hanging on the chimney next to all of our other ones, with the pregnancy tests sticking out. I told my dad on Christmas day as a surprise!

I’ve been feeling well these past several weeks. I have a lot more nausea than I did with the boys, but nothing sever. It was an all day affair in the beginning and this past week it's been more of a 'from 3 pm on' thing. I’ll be doing great with energy, but then boom, it hits me and I just feel wiped out. I have a lot more energy with this pregnancy than I did the first trimester with the boys though. The only possible 'craving' so far is buffalo wings with the spicy tabasco sauce. Yum, yum, yum! I've eaten them twice this week already. I’m thankful that I started taking prenatal vitamins in November with my previous pregnancy. I’m also taking the Juice Plus regularly. I’ve also made sure that I eat when the boys eat! This ensures that I get all the nutrition I need without ‘forgetting’ to eat or just grabbing something fast.

I’ve noticed that I’ve started to ‘show’ a lot sooner than with the boys, even though we are just having one. I know it’s just bloating, but it’s for sure pregnancy related. I haven’t gained anything yet, but I have a little belly now. I have been assuming, and the doctor confirmed, it’s because I just had Gavin and Wyatt earlier this year and my skin and uterus is still ‘stretched’ which allows room for the extra bloating. I’m for sure not worried about it though, because I have seen what my body did during and after pregnancy with my twin boys.

Jason and I went in for another ultrasound appointment Thursday, January 5^th and we were able to see, and slightly hear, our sweet baby's heart beat!! Our pregnancy has been very real to us from the beginning, but seeing his/her little heart beat in my belly sure did do something to us. We were captivated and in awe. I feel so thankful and blessed to be entrusted with another one of God's children. The doctor hasn't given us a specific due date yet, but based on the internet it will be around August 23rd. Because my previous cycle was not a typical cycle, it is a little more difficult to calculate. But still, at the doctor appoint, I was 7 weeks and our baby measured that of a 7 week old baby! This means Gavin and Wyatt will be 17.5 months older than their little brother or sister.

The first day I found out, my heart was full of joy. I noticed however that I had some fear due to my miscarriage only the month before. It almost felt as if my mind was trying to protect my heart. I decided very quickly that day that I was going to hand every thing over to God (as in all things) and rest in Him. I would not let fear take away my joy and time with my little one. I feel very strongly and know that God has a great purpose for this precious child. Without our awareness that 'it was time' to have another child, God breathed life into this sweet blessing and allowed for us to be his/her mother and father.

Lord, thank You for entrusting us with another child of yours! I pray that together we can teach him/her all about You; that all of our children grow close to You, love You, serve You and glorify You. I so look forward to seeing who You are making this precious child to be. What are his/her likes, dislikes, gifts, passions and paths You wish him to take? Whose lives will he touch and who will touch his? Please provide me the wisdom and discernment to shepherd these three precious children towards You. May all our children experience the joy and peace that only You can provide us. May they always feel loved and safe in this world, and most importantly, know Your love and protection. I pray for them to grow daily in their relationship with you. I pray for us as a family to grow in our relationship with You and each other. Thank You Lord for all you have entrusted to us. Thank You for your unyielding love and presence.

Our First Ultrasounds
Dec 21st

Jan 5th

10 Months - Dancing, Singing, Games, Cause-and-Effect, and Walking

If I had to sum up this month in only a few words (or several), I would say it’s been a month full of Dancing, Singing, Peek-a-boo, Walking and Cause-and-Effect. Each month is wonderful and special in it’s own way as you watch your children grow and develop and explore the world around them, but this past month has been a lot of extra fun as Gavin and Wyatt begin to interact with us, each other and the world around them in amazing new ways!

Singing and Dancing
These two little boys LOVE to dance! They have some great moves too! Gavin tends to sway more back and forth and move his shoulders and head, whereas Wyatt loves to bounce and move at his knees and hips. They love any song whether it be the radio/ipad, a toy or TV. Their absolute favorite song right now though is Jingle Bell Rock! Gavin will often press the ‘radio buttons’ on his ‘house’ to play the different tunes. He’ll dance and giggle and then once it stops, he’ll press another and begin dancing again. Gavin also loves to sing! He has such a sweet higher pitched singing voice. He’ll break into song when I’m singing, when a toy sings or during meal times. He’s actually starting to mimic the correct sound patterns, pitches and tones in different songs or toys. Wyatt's favorite singing song these days is 'If You're Happy and You Know It'. He just can't wait to clap. 'Clap Your Crazies Out' is also on his top list.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j7-dWDAjP8

Peek-a-boo
This is by far Wyatt’s favorite game ever!! He plays is all day long! He’ll put burp towels, blankets, toy, pillows, etc up to his face to cover his eyes (even if it's just one or part of one eye!), wait until you say, ‘Where’s Wyatt… oh no… where did Wyatt go?’ all while giggling, then pull the blanket down with wide eyes and mouth open in giggles! He’ll then proceed to do this over and over again. He’ll even lay his face down own the ground in pillows or blankets as if hiding his face and play the same game. Gavin have been playing peek-a-boo too, but just this past week he's been finding it as amusing as Wyatt does. Both boys will also play peek-a-boo around corners or using doors.

Chasing and Playmates
Gavin and Wyatt have started to ‘play’ with each other a lot more these past few weeks. They’ll chase each other all while squealing and giggling. They’ll play in the ball pit with each other. The ‘house’ is their favorite ‘toy’ of all! They’ll open the doors for each other, chase each other through the doors, etc, etc. (Speaking of house, they love this thing. They love to press the door bell, open the mail box, turn the light switch on and off, press the radio buttons to listen to the music, open and close the window and door, etc. They spend so much time playing with this house. I’m so glad I picked it up at a garage sale!!) The past couple of weeks, the boys absolutely love me chasing them on all fours. They crack up and squeal in delight every time.

Roly-Poly
Wyatt is my lil’ roly-ploy! He loves to roll around the floor and giggle. He loves for me to roll on the floor with him too! Just recently I’ve been making a pile of pillows and blankets in the game room each day for them to play with. He’ll stand up and throw himself into the pile, then roll and roll and roll. And giggle and giggle and giggle! He'll walk up to the ball pit and throw himself into that as well. He's also been finding it super amusing to roll backwards (or throw himself backwards) when in the sitting position, and of course follows this with rolling. Speaking of throwing himself backwards... Wyatt has found it funny to band his head slightly on the wall or door and make noise. He'll bang a toy on his head slightly too if it makes noise. I tell him he needs to take care of that precious head of his and he just giggles. This mama is thankful for his hard head!

Straws
The boys have started to drink from straws this past month. I tried giving them a straw two months ago and they just giggled at me, but this past month it took them all of a couple of seconds to get it down. Gavin loves the straw and will chug the water in a hurry. I have not introduced them to the 'straw sippy cup' though, because I frankly don't like them. You have to bite the straw to get the water and I just don't see how that's useful as they will never bite anything again to get a drink. So we've been sticking with the 'non bitting' sippy cups and regular cups with straws.

Standing
Gavin and Wyatt are doing great going from the sitting to the standing position by themselves. They no longer need a toy or shelf or something else to pull up on. They also have incredible balance and strength in the squatted position. They will be standing, then squat down to play with a toy, but never brace themselves or put their hinny on the ground. They’ll then stand back up when ready or sit if they prefer. They stand for minutes at a time and can hold and play with toys, books, etc (including their new lacrosse sticks) all while standing on their own.

Cause-and-Effect
Wyatt and Gavin LOVE everything cause and effect these days. Buttons that turn lights or music on and off. Their new ‘Gum-ball’ (balls) machine with levers, other toys where you put or bang balls in the top and watch them go down to the bottom and do it again. Toys where you push, pull, and twist and something pops out. Putting balls in things and watching where they come out of and doing it again. Did I mention buttons?! Doors (and door handles but they can’t quite reach well enough to use them yet!). They also like their new latch board and board full of little doors.

Daddy
The boys LOVE their daddy! Here is the play by play as Jason arrives home from work each day: We hear the door unlock and the door alarm beep as Daddy walks through. Boys stop playing and look at me with wide eyes. I smile and confirm Daddy is home. A HUGE smile breaks on each boy as they race to the gate at the top of the stairs. By this time Daddy is normally walking up the stairs which causes these two little boys to squeal and giggle in pure delight. Lots of hugs and kisses are shared. It warms my heart each day!!

Playing Ball
The boys LOVE playing ball. They love to bounce the ball and roll it back and forth with us. They also love to chase the balls down the hall way. Just this past week they are starting to work on throwing the balls 'overhand', although they tend to release it when their hand is by their ear.

Favorite Toys and Such
As I’ve mentioned, the boys LOVE their ‘house’!! They also love to play with balls, anything ‘cause and effect’ as mentioned above. Wyatt’s loves to play with burp cloths and dish towels. I actually have a box downstairs full of dish towels that he can play with! There are two ‘mini-toy boxes’ upstairs full of 1) mega lego blocks and 2) cups, balls, blocks, etc. The boys can spend an hour just playing with these basic toys. I love watching as they learn to play using only their imagination. Of course they love mirrors too. But recently Gavin has been cracking us up… Every time he plays with a handheld mirror or a toy with a mirror on it, he presses one of his eyes right up on the mirror ‘to get a closer look’! It looks so funny! They love books and the electronic books that read to you. (For some reason though, we are having a rough time keeping the books out of Wyatt's mouth. He wants to chew on the edges all the time. But we are working on it and he'll soon understand that books are not 'toys'. For now, they just love looking at the pictures and turning the pages.)

Steps and Walking
Both boys are officially walking!! Each day this past month they have built up confidence; it’s just a matter of when they decided to take off. For Gavin, he begin to take 4, 5 or 6 steps at a time earlier this month, but typically walked with taking 2-4 at a time. Wyatt was taking 2-3 steps very regularly over Christmas week and then he just took off on the morning of January 1st. January 5th Gavin took 12 steps at a time towards me. Since then, he's been walking around like a pro! Both boys still love to crawl as their main motion, but each day they are walking more and more.

We haven't been able to get Wyatt walking well yet... every time we get the camera out he giggles and turns into spaghetti and won't even stand up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyF49a_8U3A

Stairs
The boys love to crawl up the stairs these days. We don’t let them do this often b/c let’s face it, I have two 9 month olds… But when they do get to go up, it’s nothing but giggles and squeals and they are both up them in a split second. I’ve never seen two little boys go up the stairs so fast… Jason and I plan on teaching them to go down the stairs towards the end of the month when we feel they will be truly ready for this. Knowing our boys activity level and how it is with twin brothers, they'll be anxious to go head first if we don't wait just a little longer. Just this past week I've seen signs that they are getting ready for us to teach them soon. I'm thankful that Jason and I are strong in what we feel is right for our children as individuals instead of being pressured by others who do not know our children. Each child is different and unless people have twins, they really can't comprehend what it's truly like.

No Sicknesses
The boys have not been sick during their 9th month!! We’ve been praying extra, spraying Lysol every night when they go down for bed and they’ve been taking Juice-Plus gummies (veggie and fruit supplements) every day. I’ve been washing their hands a lot too when out and about and using wipes on everything afterwards. I know it sounds like a lot, but these poor little boys needed a break after 2 months of 6 different sicknesses each. I knew I wasn’t going to stop going out and about, so I had to introducing other things to give their immune systems a little help.

Are You Watching?
Both boys are really into the phase where they want and need others approval. They are so proud of themselves when they know they are doing something new or special and want other people to watch them. They love to giggle and make others laugh too. They love to smile at others, talk to others, wave and blow kisses.

Mimic
The boys are mimicking so much of what we do these days. They mimic sounds, kisses, movements, singing, dancing, and so much more. The boys love to kiss. I’ll blow them a kiss and they’ll start to kiss the air over and over. Wyatt kisses ‘normal’, but Gavin adds a little extra by sticking his tongue out when making the kissing noise! It’s so cute! Something else Gavin does that I notice he's picked up from me: During meals I'll often say something like, 'Yum, yum' or 'Mmmm...this is good', etc, all while wiggling my shoulders and head and winking. Gavin is doing this now throughout the meal as he enjoys the goodies before him!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKgLzCOy0Qw

Talking
The boys are making all sorts of sounds and saying so many different syllables. They use them in so many different patterns, pitches, etc in each sentence. So far they’ve said regularly;
Mama
Dada
Daddy
Dog
Door
Bye
Hi
(Ball… although the ‘L’ is still hard for them to say. Gavin gets it sometimes. Usually they say Baa…)
(It sounds like they are trying to say Down at times also.)

Gavin is also saying:

Hi there (sounds like Hi Dare) while holding the phone on the top of his head!

Dat or Gat (for Cat)... Just earlier this week we were petting the cat. I told Gavin, 'Cat. This is the cat.' He looked at me, then the cat, then me again and said, 'Dog.' I said, 'Cat. Cat' He said, 'Dog. Dog.g.g.g' This went on a few more times! Two days later, we were reading a book about cats and I said, 'Look, a cat.' Gavin looked at the book and then me and said, 'Dat! Dat!' Today he started to say 'Gat' too.

Paper
I think their favorite part of Christmas time this year was all the tissue paper! They loved to shake it, wrinkle it, rip it, etc. Gavin would love to rip the paper all while ‘grunting’ and ‘being tough’. They also have fun with all the junk mail that comes in throughout the week ;)

Meals
Meals have been so great these days. We eat almost all of our meals together now, which makes dinner time so much more enjoyable! The boys are eating great still; typically everything we eat. I won’t give them Chinese foods with high salt though and I make a milder version of our Mexican food so they don’t get the full effect that we like but they still get all of the same flavors. They love everything… There has not been anything that they won’t eat. They LOVE meat and bread, but they also thoroughly enjoy all their fruits and veggies! Pancakes in the morning is their favorite and they love eggs. I’d say their favorite dinner food is hamburgers from the grill and our sausage stir-fry. They scarf it all down in a hurry! I still feed them with a spoon things like cereal, yogurt, etc. I’ll actually fix at least one thing for me to spoon feed them each meal just to make sure they are getting enough (although they eat great w/o it). As I mentioned before, I’m also giving them the Juice Plus gummies that Jason and I are also taking. Even though they eat great, it’s nearly ‘impossible’ to eat ALL the veggies and fruits we should each day and in the variety we should. So these ‘supplements’ are perfect; nothing but veggies and fruits.

Boys get a bottle of milk first thing in the morning typically about 6/6:30 where they drink anywhere between 4-8 oz. Breakfast is then about 7/7:30. Boys are eating 3 meals a day with a good snack sometime between 3 and 4pm for extra nutrition and to hold them over before dinner which is typically about 6 or 6:30.

Sleep
Boys are still sleeping all through the night; down about 7:30 on average and up sometime between 5 and 5:30. This past week or so they will go back to bed sometimes until 6 or 6:30, but this isn't a secure pattern yet. Their naps were extremely routine for the longest time, but the past month naps have been 'all over the place' as far as I am concerned (but still okay I know). Their first morning nap starts about 9 or 9:30 and is typically the longest ranging from about 1-2 hours in length (but this is not always the case). Then depending how they nap in the morning, their next nap is typically starts sometime between 2 and 3:30 (but an early 1pm nap could be in order if they didn’t nap well in the morning, although this early of a nap is very rare). No matter what we try, we can’t get in a 'good nap routine' this past month. Their bodies are going through so much changes and they are discovering so much each day, that I know it’s typical and will get better eventually. Plus, Christmas travel and family visits add to the changes in schedule too. For now, I’m just going by their cues knowing that their bodies will let me know what they need. I just am trying to make sure they stay and end up with the same schedule (which is not always the case these days…).... Update since I wrote this section of the blog a few days ago... The boys have been napping well starting about 9am for about 1.5 to 2.5 hours. Their next nap will be about 2:30 or 3pm and often lasts about 30 min to 1 hour.

Baths

The boys LOVE bath time. As soon as I'm done washing hair and bodies the fun begins. Splash, splash, splash is what these boys are all about. They love to splash each other and mama. They use their hands to splash as well as toys. Wyatt's greatest discovery is taking the wet washcloths and swinging them over his head like ropes... Ha, I need to get on video!

I’m sure I have missed some things I want to remember about my precious sons at this stage, but this will do for now. (I will post pictures soon when I clear some off the site and make more room...) I’m so thankful for our blessings; thankful to snuggle and kiss them, teach them about their Father and the world He created, nurture them, tend to their needs, love their father for and with them. Thank You Lord for our beautiful sons!

Wyatt is Officially in the Two Legged Walking Club!!

It's January 1st; the beginning of a new year and the beginning of a new chapter for Wyatt! After a month of excellent standing (minutes at a time) and taking 2-5 steps at a time, Wyatt began to 'officially' walk this morning. Over and over again he'd take 6+ steps from one thing to another or across the room. He was so proud of himself and giggled all the time. He loved the cheers! After weeks of trying to take off and run, he's finally doing it well! Looking forward to seeing him explore his abilities this week.

Welcome Wyatt to the two legged walking club!!

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