A Much Overdue Post!

We're home and I think we're going to make it~

As you can imagine the last few days have taken some adjustments and lots of patience, but all is well! This is the very first time I have had time to post on this blog since we've had Logan and Lucas. This journey has been fun as well as tiring, but so worth it! The boys are changing every day.

Lucas was born first weighing 6lbs 3ozs and measuring 19 inches. Logan weighed 6lbs 9ozs and was 20 inches. Big boys!!! I didn't think they would be so big. My guess the night before we had them was they would weigh 5.2 and 5.4.

Here are some of the more recent pictures. I will do my best to post as often as I can. They may be short entries, but I want to keep you updated. Thank you all for your well wishes and all of the prayers for a safe delivery of healthy little boys. The Lord has blessed us!

Our first family photo! Taken at 7:52pm on the night they were born, May 11, 2009. This was about 20 minutes after both of the boys had been delivered to our room and the first time we had a chance to really look at our babies.


Logan is on the left and Lucas is on the right. Logan has blond hair and Lucas has brown hair. They are very different, but both so sweet!


Going home. They wore their Texas Rangers outfits home. Randy is sure he has two little baseball players here!


Lucas up close. Sweet baby!



Logan holding his head up for Daddy. He was only 6 days old in this picture.


Look how strong I am, Daddy!


Dad with Lucas on the left and Logan on the right.

First Pictures Together

Logan (left) and Lucas (right) James. Everyone is doing great and we are hoping that we get to go home tomorrow. Cory is still sore and the doctor said to expect that for the next two or three weeks. So far the boys are eating and sleeping really good, only a few major crying fits. Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support, it has been a long road getting here but we could not be happier!

They're Here!!!

Lucas and Logan arrived this morning about 9:30. They are doing good but have been on oxygen most of the day. Cory got to go down and see them a couple of minutes ago and the nurses told her that we can probably bring them to the room in about two hours. She is a little sore and is finally taking a much deserved nap. These are the pictures from this morning, I'm sure we will have some more very soon.

Lucas and Logan

So, I should be getting rest because tomorrow will be such a big day, but I'm not even a little tired. I'm so anxious to meet my babies and see what their little faces will look like. In just a few short hours Randy and I are going to be parents to not just one, but TWO, sweet little boys. It's amazing. No, it's more than amazing, it's a blessing from God. So many of my sweet mommy friends have given me such good advice and support. Even some have told me how much I would love these babies, but just saying the words doesn't compare in anyway to the love and devotion that I already feel for Logan and Lucas. I haven't even met them yet, but I know that I love them more than I will ever be able to explain.

We will be completely responsible for two new lives beginning tomorrow. We will teach them everything they will know, from how to ride a bike to how to drive when they turn 16. So much fun is on the way! I'm sure some headaches and heartaches will pop up as well, but we will take them all. Tomorrow will truly be a life changing day. Thank you, Lord, for giving us these wonderful and exciting gifts. Lucas and Logan, I can't wait to meet you tomorrow!!!

Bed Rest and Stretch Marks

Well, I guess they finally got me. The stretch marks, that is. I made it all the way to 32 weeks without any stretch marks, but that's where the streak ended. I found a few the first night, and a few more the next. Then, this last week, they just started multiplying like crazy. As it turns out, that's all related to the reason I had to go on bed rest as of today.

When I weighed myself this past Friday, I had gained 32lbs since my starting pregnancy weight. I weighed again on Monday and had gained 4 more pounds. I thought that was a lot, but then again I had been at 32lbs for a little while and I figured that it was just the weight gain catching up. But, I weighed this morning and had gained another 4lbs. That means I'm up to 40lbs of baby weight! Obviously that's why I had so many stretch marks all of a sudden.

On Tuesday my feet started swelling and have done so both Wednesday and today. I wasn't feeling all that great yesterday and this morning I was moving kind of slow. But, I thought that the swelling was just part of pregnancy and that not feeling good had something to do with how big my belly was getting. After our morning meeting the nurses I work with noticed that my feet were swollen and then my boss had me get my blood pressure taken. Turns out my BP was 153/100. They had me lay down with my feet elevated for 30 minutes and then they retook it. It was 143/94. So, I called my doctor. After going to his office and doing labs with a non-stress test, it turns out that I had some protein in my urine. Not enough protein to make them admit me, but enough to have to do a 24 hour urine test to determine whether it's increasing. They said I have pre-eclampsia and the weight gain, swelling, not feeling good, and blurry vision I've been having are all symptoms. I had no idea!

This afternoon the nurse called me and said most of my labs looked okay, except for the uric acid level. I don't really know what that means, but he told me that I need to come back to his office in the morning and bring a bag just in case they admit me to the hospital. Umph. I don't want to go into the hospital...

The good news is that even if we have the boys early, we aren't that early. And, we've already had a steroid shot so their lungs will be developed. The non-stress test today showed that they were moving very well, their heartbeats were strong, and their nervous system was developed. Don't ask me how they can tell all of that, but that's what the nurse said. So, all in all, we're still very fortunate that we've made it to 34 1/2 weeks before being faced with this. There are so many others we know that have had to be on bed rest for so many more weeks than this.

But, if you're wondering, yes...it's very boring!

33 Weeks

Pictures at 33 weeks don't look that much different than the ones from 28 weeks. I can tell a difference because my belly feels much rounder and harder, but I'm not sure you can see much of that in the pictures.





We went to the doctor at 30 weeks and the boys weighed 3lb 5oz and 3lb 9oz. When we went back on Thursday last week (32 1/2 weeks) they were 4lb 7oz each. They should grow about a half pound each week until they are born. Because they are getting pretty tight for room, they may not grow quite that much, but I'm still expecting pretty good sized babies. Even if they are only 6lbs each, that's 12 pounds of baby! We still don't know what day we're going to actually have them, but I think we will probably set a date at my next OB/GYN appointment on May 5th. I do have an appointment on Monday to do a non-stress test (NST), but they say that it's just routine. The NST keeps track of the babies heart beats, how often they move, and can record any contractions that may be happening.

Hail Storm

We had one HAIL of a storm yesterday. In West Texas we tend to get some severe weather this time of year, so a hail storm every now and then is really more of an expectation than a surprise. But, yesterday we had more hail than I can remember seeing before. It started about 4:00pm, and these pictures were taken after I got home about 6:30. It had already melted quite a bit, but you still get the idea of just how much hail there was. It looked like it snowed, but it was actually little round balls of ice covering the ground.

Cribs!

The nursery is almost ready! We had one crib together, but didn't get the second one ordered and delivered until last week. Randy's parents came down on Sunday and everyone helped put it together. It's so sweet to see two cribs in the room!









We're doing a pirate theme for the room because we found this cute little crib set with two pirates. It just looked like brothers to me! I want to paint a treasure map on the walls, but I'm not sure I'm going to be creative enough (or talented maybe) to pull it off. Hopefully I can find someone that is talented and they will see my vision. My mom is coming tomorrow so that she's here for the shower this weekend, and I plan to use her to help me organize the nursery. Right now everything we've gotten is just sitting in bags on the floor or the desk. I just don't know where to start! After this weekend though, I hope it's a functional nursery.

28 weeks and counting!

I can hardly believe we are so close to the babies being here! We went to the doctor last week and he says we will probably have them between 36 and 38 weeks. So only about 8 or 9 weeks to go! Randy is busy on the nursery and hopefully it will be painted and ready to decorate by this weekend. We have both cribs and we'll go ahead and put both in there even though they will sleep in just one crib for a while. My friend, Ellen, gave me the name of a girl that does really cute decorative painting and I think I'm going to ask her if she will paint a treasure map on the wall to go with the pirate theme. I'm getting excited!



This weekend we're having a garage sale to get rid of all of the extra stuff we seem to have accumulated in the last few years. I can't believe how much we have accumulated that we don't have room for. How does that happen? I'm ready for a get rid of the junk day!!!

We have also been busy redoing our kitchen over the last couple of weeks. As soon as it's finished (just the painting is left!) I will post some pictures. And, if I can get Randy to help me figure out the scanner, I will even post some before pics so you can compare.

And here is a 22 week baby belly picture

We were 22 weeks on Sunday, so we took another picture to compare the difference from the last one. I think my tummy is growing a little...don't you?



Randy felt the babies move on Sunday night. They were pretty active and didn't seem to want to sleep much at all. I think they were wrestling in there or something! You could feel a bump, bump on the left, then a few minutes later the same thing on the right. A very cool feeling! I think I just have to get used to it and I'll be able to sleep through it.

The belly is getting bigger!

So we are, as of today, 21wks 2days along in the pregnancy. And, I felt the boys move last night for the first time! Well, turns out what I thought could possibly be the babies really was, so I have felt them for a little while I just wasn't sure of what I was feeling. But last night, I felt sure that it was actually movement because I was laying on my left side and felt a little tap, tap on my belly pushing down toward the mattress. At the time, I thought, I think that was a baby! Then a few minutes later I turned over on my right side and felt nearly the same type of movement from the other side of my tummy. I'm so excited! Today I have noticed more of the movements and even though they have probably been going on for a while I guess I'm just now recognizing the feelings for what they are. It's such a neat feeling!

Here is a picture of my belly at 20 weeks. I haven't posted it before now because I think I look horrible in it, but since everyone has been asking how big I'm getting...here you go. I know with twins I will get huge, but so far it looks like what I think a normal pregnancy would. Right?