Two "Peas" in a Pod

The Twins at almost 12 weeks:



Well, this is the first post about the twins, so I will give a little background for posterity's sake! ;-) A couple of months ago was our 12-year anniversary, and even though I had been charting my cycles to avoid "risky" times, we were not careful enough and I found out a few weeks later that I was unexpectedly expecting! According to my O.B. I was measuring fairly large for the dates I gave her, so she sent me in for an ultrasound, and we discovered that there were two babies! The ultrasound doctor said that he could tell that they were "monochorionic"...identical twins! This was a big shock, but obviously God was at work in the situation! Even though I am still on my epilepsy medication, my doctors have reassured me that the newer medications are much safer during pregnancy than the older ones. My O.B. has delivered 3 babies whose mothers were all on the same medication that I am on, and all the babies have been perfectly healthy! Also, I've had two ultrasounds, and everything looks great! We were a little concerned because the first ultrasound didn't show a membrane separating the babies, but the second ultrasound showed that it was there. So, the babies will be "protected" from getting tangled up in each other's umbilical cords by the membrane. This took me from a "high risk" to a "medium risk" category for my pregnancy. We have decided that, after this delivery, we are permanently done...I am making sure of that before I leave the hospital! Eric originally wanted six kids, and that's what we'll have!:-) Well, there is the summary of our newest news! We appreciate all prayers and thoughts sent our way!

Daniel's Birthday!

Sam let Dan use his big Tonka truck to load up his birthday presents and move them to the "gift opening area"! ;-) Our party was shorter than we had planned, since today was the only day I could schedule Sam and Dan's well-child check-ups at the clinic, so Dan got shots for his birthday...yay! Then, we had to go to the grocery store, so we got home later than expected. Eric is working 12 hour nights this week, so I had planned on having Dan's party after we got home, but before Eric left for work. However, we got back too late, and then Dan fell asleep while I was making preparations. I don't know if he was just tired from our outing or the shots or what, but he slept through until this evening! When he woke up, we helped him open his gifts, and he had fun playing for a little bit, and now it is time to get ready for bed! Things didn't really go as planned, but I guess it could have been worse! ;-)

Sam's Birthday!

We had a great time celebrating Sam's birthday! We went to Chuck E. Cheese, and also had a small party at home with the family. We had hoped to have Ryan, Julie, and Sam's cousins share in the festivities, but they caught a bug and couldn't make it. He really loves all his gifts, and he is still playing with everything today. I send my thanks to all our family who sent him something. I still can't believe that Sam is 3 already! Where does the time go?!

Becca' Birthday Outfit

I just had to post this picture...isn't Becca cute in her new sweater dress? She is my girly girl, my princess, and prefers dresses and anything pink. Christy isn't so "girly" or "princessy", but I still love her for who she is! God made each of us unique, and we all have something that only we can give to the world.

Becca's Birthday!

We all had a great time celebrating Becca's birthday yesterday! Eric had to work a standard workday, but I let Becca take a day off of school, and we baked cupcakes, decorated the cupcakes (and the house! ;-), and had fun playing games. When Eric got home, Becca opened her gifts and loved everything that she got! Thanks to all the family for sending her gifts! Then, we decided to use the money that Becca's TX Grandparents had sent to buy a membership to "Underwater Adventures" at the Mall of America! She has been wanting to go for a long time, and now we can go as often as we please for a whole year! It was a fun evening of exploring and playing!












Becca is my special treasure that reminds me of how precious life is!

Christmas Dresses

My TX Parents send money every year for Christmas gifts and dresses, so here is a picture of the girls in their new dresses! Aren't they cute? The dresses have many similarities, but also some subtle differences that make them unique and special...just like my girls! ;-)