Surprise Doctor's Appointment

Well today around noon I started having Braxton Hicks contractions and pain in my stomach. After almost two hours, I figured I should call my doctor. I figured they would say, "Everything is okay, just lay down, and drink water." Nope, they wanted me to come in right away. That got me a little concerned, but I know that God has His hands on me and the babies. I got my prayer warriors praying and headed to the office.

They checked my cervix and it was closed and very, very thick. They also did a non-stress test (NST) for about an hour in which they monitored the babies heartbeats, movements, and if I had contractions. They had the same strong heartbeats, moved the whole time, and I didn't have any contractions (or at least nothing they seemed concerned about). The hardest part was keeping Luke entertained for the duration.

She told me that any discomfort I have (ie groin pain, pelvic pain, leg pain) is completely normal with a subsequent pregnancy and with multiples. YAY! ;) She also said if I get Braxton Hicks contractions to lay down and drink a lot of water and see if they get better/worse. If worse, I am to call.

So everything looks really good. I am looking good for not having pre-term labor. YAY! I am really praying that no matter how uncomfortable I have to be that I can make it to 37-38 weeks and have healthy, hearty babies. I appreciate everyone's prayers. I know they are working. :)

21 Week Doctor's Appointment

So on Friday (6/25) I had my 21 week doctor's appointment. It went really well. I had gained 8 pounds in 4 weeks (a total of 12 for the whole pregnancy), my blood pressure was great (112/60 I believe), and we heard both heartbeats (130s/140s for both). She did tell me to keep an eye out for signs of preterm labor (Braxton Hicks contractions or cramps) as it is more common with multiples. Everything has been fine so far so I am not worried. I will keep an eye out just in case.

I go back for a check-up and in-office ultrasound in 4 weeks (25 weeks). I am also getting another "special" ultrasound at the hospital in 3 weeks (24 weeks). I can't wait to see the babies again. It's fun having twins in that you get tons of ultrasounds.

The coolest thing I heard was "24 weeks is the week of viability" which means that the babies have a good chance of survival then, not that they will be born then (God-willing), but it is nice to hear.

I am just so thankful that everything is going well. I can't wait to see the babies again in a few weeks. They are awesome miracles from God. :)

Alexis and Nathan's Nursery

We had so much fun today. We met my mom, Granny, Jenn, and her kids at Pottery Barn Kids at the mall today. I was a little nervous that it would be hard to find two bedding sets that were each gender specific (yes I like blue for boys and pink or purple for girls) yet coordinated. Well we managed to successfully find bedding sets and all of the accessories to outfit the nursery in one hour. Here's what we are doing.

Nathan is getting the Eli's Elephants bedding set and Alexis is getting the Lindsey Butterflies bedding set. We are going to use the crib sheets (plus some basic blue and pink sheets), crib skirts, bumpers, quilts (for decoration), and mobiles. We are going to paint the nursery a sage green (both bedding sets have a similar green in them). We are going to put up three valences (pink, blue, and sage) with coordinating rod hardware. We are going to use three colored (pink, blue, and sage) changing table pad covers. I think it is going to be precious.

Here is Nathan's Eli's Elephants bedding:

Here's Alexis' Lindsey Butterflies bedding:

Here are the valences. The blue is lighter in real life. We are putting the blue near Nathan's crib, the pink near Alexis' crib, and the sage above the glider with the coordinating rod hardware.

Here are the rod hardware pieces.

18 Week Ultrasound

We had our 18 week ultrasound today. It was great. Both of the babies measured perfectly (each weighed 8 oz), had no defects (including cleft lip which Ashley has), and had heartbeats of 148. Baby A is a boy and Baby B is a girl. We are naming them Nathan Reid and Alexis Faith. Here are the pictures from the ultrasound.Baby A - It's a boy!

Baby A - Profile

Baby B - Body

Baby B - Profile

Baby B - It's a girl!

Changed the Boys' Names

After "deciding" on Nathan Elijah and Ben Alexander a few weeks ago, I really started thinking more about Ben Alexander. I liked Benjamin more than Ben but Lee said, "He will be called 'Ben' so we might as well name him Ben." We don't like naming a kid one thing knowing he/she will be called something else. Obviously there can be a nickname or they can choose to go by a variation, but we don't want to name our kids knowing they will automatically be called something else. Yes, we are weird.

So after a few weeks of saying, "I don't think I want to do Ben. It doesn't do much for me," Lee and I started thinking of other options. I had liked Nathan and Elijah but really loved the way Nathan Elijah rolled off the tongue. Well we figured out a couple of new name combos that we absolutely love.

Here they are:

Nathan Reid - "he God has given" "red" - We picked Reid because that is my mom's maiden name and I was very close to my grandfather since my dad wasn't around. The fact that it means "red" is funny because our family color is red. We love red. We love NCSU and are Republicans so there you go. Plus if the baby has red hair like Lee (very low probability) it will fit even more perfectly.

Elijah Matthew - "my God is the Lord" "gift of God" - I love the way this name flows and the meanings of both names. I think this is a great name.

We are super excited that we will know what our babies are this Friday and can assign their names to them. We are still set on the girls names, Alexis Faith and Anna Grace. If they are one of each, we will do Alexis Faith and Nathan Reid.

A Letter to My Unborn Babies

To My Babies,

As I sit here, it's 1:15am and for some reason I am not at all tired. I took a nap today (which is unusual at this point - not unusual the 1st trimester) and I was tired all day until about 10:00pm when I got a second wind. Daddy is sleeping on the couch and I am contemplating going to bed soon and laying there until I fall asleep. I thought before I did, I would take the time to write a letter to you guys (or girls, we don't know your genders yet).

I have to tell you that this is one of a few of the most amazing experiences of my life carrying the two of you.

The most amazing experience of my life was when I met the greatest man in my life, Jesus Christ. My prayer for you is that you will meet Jesus early in life, surrender your life to Him, and that you will try your best to walk daily in His will. No matter where you go, what you do, or who you are with, Jesus Christ can always be there with you, you just have to ask Him to dwell with you and in you everyday. He is the most important relationship you should have in your life. There is no one, not even your parents or future spouse, that can fill that space in your heart. Mommy knows because when I met Jesus I knew your awesome, unconditionally loving daddy 2 years and even he couldn't be what I needed.

The second greatest experience of my life was when I married your daddy. He is the kindest, sweetest, most loving man I have ever known. I knew I wanted to marry him only a few months after we started dating. No one ever treated me or loved me the way that your daddy did and does. When he asked me to marry him, my heart was full and I don't think I stopped smiling for days. The day that we committed our lives to one another, I knew that we both meant it and would be together forever. I couldn't wait to spend everyday of my life with him making memories and enjoying our children (and future grandchildren) together. He is the best husband anyone could even dream to have. I pray that you find a spouse that is surrendered to Jesus and loves Him with all his/her heart, who will love you unconditionally and that you will love unconditionally, that you respect and who respects you, who you can share all of life's ups and downs with, and who will be there old and grey when you are older.

The third greatest experience of my life was when I met your older brother. From the minute I found out I was pregnant with him until the day I met him for the first time, I had an instant connection to him. I always longed to be a mommy and was so thrilled that God in His infinite wisdom made me a mommy early in life. Even though daddy and I had only been married 19 months when Luke was born and we were young and just starting our lives, we enjoyed all of it. Seeing your daddy be a daddy made me love him even more (I didn't know that was possible). Your brother is a sweet, loving, kind, and fun boy and has been waiting for you guys for a couple of years. He asked me for a baby when he was less than 3 years old. He prayed for you guys before we even knew we were pregnant. He even wanted twins. Everyday that I have been pregnant, he has prayed for you, talked about you, rubbed my tummy, hugged my tummy, and kissed my tummy. He can't wait to meet you. You are going to be blessed to have him as an older brother and he will be blessed to have you as his younger siblings.

Being pregnant with you has been just a whirlwind of emotions. Finding out I was pregnant with you made me so happy and overwhelmed with thanksgiving that God had answered my prayers. I wanted you sooooooo bad and I remember crying out to God for months to give me babies. He is faithful to answer our prayers in His time and in His will. When I found out that I was carrying two babies, I was even more excited and thankful to God. God has a definite plan and purpose for our lives no matter what the situation may look like. We can never lose faith, because without faith we really have nothing. Everyday I have thought of you, prayed for you, and loved you. Everytime I get to see you on the ultrasounds or hear your heartbeats, I am filled with complete amazement and thankfulness. I am so thrilled to have two healthy babies growing in my body. I will do everything I can to ensure that you have a great start in life.

I can't wait to meet you guys and see your personalities and watch you grow. I am looking forward to our life together, teaching you and molding and shaping you (with God's guidance and leading) into amazing, Godly people. You are already in my heart, I can't wait to have you in my arms.

Love,
Your Momma

Babies' Down's and Trisomy Results Great

Last Friday we went for a special ultrasound and we had extra analysis done of my blood, their individual neck thicknesses, and my age to determine each baby's chances of having Down's Syndrome or Trisomy.

We got the results back today and they were great.

Baby A has a 1/1,000+ chance of Down's and a 1/10,000+ chance of Trisomy.

Baby B has a 1/10,000+ chance of Down's and a 1/10,000+ chance of Trisomy.

All of these results mean that our chances are rare. I have the same chances as a 20 year old. Sounds good to me. :)