Our October Surprise

We are expecting #3. And #4.  Twins!  Can you believe it?  And they're identical!  Crazy.

We have known I'm carrying twins for two weeks but today is the first day we've been able to be excited about the pregnancy.  At our first ultrasound two weeks ago (which I had because of some unexplained bleeding) we were told the twins were monochorionic/monoamniotic, which means sharing a placenta and an amniotic sac.  That kind of pregnancy is very high risk; there was serious potential for the babies to not even live to viability. So you can understand that we were trying to guard our emotions and prepare for any possibility.

But today we met with a specialist, had another ultrasound, and it clearly showed a membrane between the babies.  Praise God!  Our pregnancy is now monochorionic/diamniotic (one placenta but two amniotic sacs).  There are still some risks but they are much lower and our babies have an excellent chance of making a healthy entrance into the world.

So some details.  I am 9 weeks along.  My due date is June 3, although I will definitely have the babies before then.  Between 34 and 36 weeks is likely, depending on how they are growing and whether any complications such as twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) develop.  I will see both my doctor in Indiana and the specialist I saw today in Johnstown.  I will have ultrasounds about every two weeks to check on the babies growth and to look for signs of TTTS.

Rejoice with us friends, and thank God for His goodness. We have been walking through a bit of a valley the last two weeks but felt His presence the whole time. I read Psalm 145 the morning of that first ultrasound and verse 9 really stuck out: "The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made."  He made these babies, and his goodness and mercy is at work in them no matter what the end result of this pregnancy.  But I am so thankful that He has lifted from us the burden of an extremely high risk pregnancy.  Now I can start really thinking about what it will mean to be mommy to twins!  And it's a bit scary...

Aww, aren't they cute?  Baby B was quite active during the ultrasound
and showed us a little shimmy.

Mommy-Sanctioned Mess

Last spring I bought a plastic container and a 20 pound bag of rice for Austin to play with.  I thought it was a messy activity but worth it because he loved it so much.  I would kind of grin and bear it, you know?

Well, if I thought it was messy back then, that was nothing compared to what happened when Esther got in on the action today.  Once she threw the first cupful over her shoulder I realized there was nothing to do but relax and embrace the mess.  The kids played together happily for fifteen or twenty minutes and I just sat back and enjoyed watching them.

Pretty sure this cupful got flung backward a second later.

The floor looked much worse by the time we were done.

The fun had to come to an end when Austin informed me that Esther was eating the rice.  She put it in her mouth, then tried to get it out.  I helped, then she put another handful in.  Yuck.  So I put her in her highchair with some goldfish and cleaned up the kitchen.  Thankful for a good broom. :)

Weekend Research

For years our little town had no doughnut shop.  One of its few imperfections, in our opinion.  But all that has changed.  2011 witnessed the opening of not one but two doughnut shops.  First came Donut Connection in May, then Dunkin Donuts opened in September.

The obvious question, of course, is which doughnuts are better?  When we awaken on a Saturday with a craving for sugar, where do we go?  Some research was in order and we bravely carried it out.

The samples to be tested included a glazed doughnut, a sour cream doughnut, and a blueberry doughnut (Austin's request) from each store.  And the results:

Glazed: Zach preferred D.D. because its texture was "creamier" but Courtney preferred the flavor of the glaze from D.C.

Sour Cream: Zach liked the crunchier texture of D.C. and thought it had the better flavor.  Courtney preferred the texture of D.D. but agreed that the flavor of D.C. was better.

Blueberry: Zach liked D.D. because it was sweeter; Courtney thought it was a draw.

So bottom line...we don't really have a clear favorite, do we?  Donut Connection is within walking distance of our house so it is the choice for summer morning walks, but maybe Dunkin will be our winter choice?  I guess it's a win-win situation for our family.

Monkey Girl

Our little girl is a climber.  Thankfully she's a good climber and can climb down as well as up.  Still, it can make mommy a bit anxious.  Imagine what she'll be getting into when she's taller!

Not-so-recent Trip

The kids and I spent a week or so in Missouri at the end of September.  I took about two pictures on my camera; fortunately Mom and I took a bunch more with hers but I forgot to transfer them to my computer when I had the chance.  Mom sent me a CD this week, though, and I was kind of overwhelmed with how many adorable pictures there were.  (Oh nice camera, how I long for you to be mine.  Someday.)  The weather was beautiful the whole time we were there so we had lots of fun outings, and we spent lots of time with extended family and friends as well.

This is what happens when you try to get a three year old and two one
year olds to sit next to each other for a picture.

Three kids again and not one looking.  I think we look pretty good, though,  Megan.

A Walker at Last

Esther started taking a few steps weeks ago but she was in no hurry to become a real walker. Maybe she heard the pediatrician tell me on Thursday to call her if she didn't start walking in the next 4-6 weeks.  At any rate, something motivated her this weekend and she really took off. Now Austin tells me a dozen times a day "Look, Mommy, Esther's walking."  Yeah, Austin, she is, and about time!

How We Eat Bread

There is so much I could catch up on (we've been to Missouri and back since my last post) but I just wanted to take a minute tonight to record some cuteness from dinner.  Zach brought home a lovely baguette from our local bakery and of course Austin was more eager to eat that than his carrots or stuffed pepper.  But no plain bread for our boy; no, first he has to request that we pour "oyive oy," "vindegar" and "pardesan cheese" onto his plate for dipping.  I love it.  I am not eager for adult speech to overtake my little one.

F is for Fish

I don't do themed snacks for every letter of the week, although I'd like to do more if I can come up with the ideas.  (They're always a big hit with Austin.)  But I had an idea this week so Austin and I tested it out this morning.  We made little jello aquariums.

I know, they kind of look dead.

We followed the directions on the jello package for adding fruit and vegetables, meaning we waited an hour and a half after pouring it into the cups to add the little gummy fish, then let it set up the rest of the way.  I was pretty sure this would work, just slightly anxious that gummy fish might contain whatever it is that keeps jello from setting up if you add pineapple, figs, guava, etc. (like the package warns you).  But it set up just fine.

A little note: the gummy fish get kind of hard since they're in the refrigerator and are much chewier than usual, so be careful if you give this to younger kids.

I told Austin we would eat it after dinner...he started asking for dinner as soon as he woke up from his nap! He loved the final product.  "This is my favorite treat!"  Wait, I thought rainbow cake was your favorite. :)  It's lovely to see how such a simple thing can bring him such joy.

Coming up next: anyone have a great snack idea for H is for hippo?

First Day of School

Austin started Christian Play Day today, his one-day-a-week preschool.  It is very low-key; we are sending him entirely for social time with other kids.  The program is staffed by volunteers so I've heard mixed reviews as naturally a lot depends on who volunteers to teach your child's particular class.  Austin's class is taught by an acquaintance from my MOPS group.  When I learned that last night it was like a little comforting pat from the Lord: "See Courtney, I'm taking care of Austin and this is the right choice."

So far Austin seems to like it but in typical fashion he would not tell me much.  I was out in the hallway waiting during the last few minutes of class which are devoted to show and tell.  I think I heard Austin's voice chiming in to comment on several of the other children's items.  Loudly.  Without regard to others speaking.  Hmm.  Well, he's there to learn that sort of thing.

First day of school = picture time, of course.

I discovered a trick to make Austin give a real smile.
Tell him to say some silly words.  Like "radishes
and rutabagas."  For once I had several cute
pictures to choose from.

To Me

My sister got these shirts for the three grandkids when my mom celebrated a milestone birthday this summer.  Thought we could get a bit more mileage out of them today.  (Milo's says "Grandma."  Don't imagine your average toddler finds many occasions to wear that kind of shirt.)  But anyway, happy birthday to me.

Desired picture outcomes: 1) Austin smiling 2) Esther smiling
3) "Happy birthday" visible on shirts.
Actual outcome:  "Happy birthday" visible on shirts.
I knew I was asking a lot.

I don't have any particularly special birthday thoughts, except that these days when I read about a celebrity/athlete, etc. in his or her thirties, I first think "older than me," then go "Oh wait..."  But really, I feel so blessed with each birthday I reach.  As God has grown my heart for those in other parts of the world, Haiti in particular, I see keenly how being a healthy thirty-one year old is something to be thankful for, not regretted.  Thank you, Father, for giving me more gifts than I deserve every day of the year.

Bonus time: since the picture above didn't have quite the level of cuteness I was going for, here are some extras from today and yesterday.

I turned the camera screen around so Esther could see herself.
She loved it, needless to say.

This awesome look is made better by the word on
his shirt, don't you think?

Little Talker

Esther has said her first official word.  I was sure she would talk early since she hears Austin and me constantly but here we are at fourteen months, just getting around to it.  Just like her brother, I guess.  But anyway, here she is:

Two Sides of Austin

You certainly couldn't accuse Austin of having a one-sided personality.  While I was changing Esther's diaper in preparation for naptime this afternoon, Austin was sitting on his bed and suddenly started spouting out a few of our memory verses: "Even a child is known by his doings."  "No one can serve two masters."  Then he hummed a few bars of "Jesus Paid it All."  Warm fuzzy thoughts about God's Word being hidden in his heart and "out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks" filled my mind.  But then I was brought back to earth by remembering the conversation Austin and I had on the way home from the county fair not an hour before. "Austin, what was your favorite part of the fair?"  "The animals." "Well, we saw cows, chickens, goats, sheep, and horses; which did you like best?"  "Oh, I like watchin' the cow that was poopin'.  It was goin' on the hay!"

What I Did During My Summer Vacation (or, Pictures of the Basement at Last)

The basement project that took so many evenings of our summer is finished at last, I vacuumed down there this morning, and took the camera down this afternoon.  Finally!  It is a pretty neat space, if we do say so ourselves.

First, Zach's music room.  His man cave, to use the vernacular.  When we were finished painting and rearranging furniture and taking out various things that really should be stored somewhere else, we looked at each other and said "can you believe how big this room is?"  What a difference.  If you're reading this and are not acquainted with my husband, you'll soon know him a bit better.

The TCU Horned Frogs and the Texas Rangers are Zach's sports teams.
He did an awesome job with these logos.

Did you know my husband loves coffee?  I mean, really really loves coffee.
That's a coffee bag on the wall.  He thought they would make cool
wall decor.  And they do, in fact, look pretty good.
Oh, and notice the curtains.  They were nasty, water-stained things
that had been on the windows for decades, probably.  I washed them and
dyed them dark brown and they're as good as new.

More coffee bags.  The one on the right is my favorite because of the
colorful picture.

Now my school room.  My friend Emily wrote the other day about the importance of surrounding her children with beauty, light, simplicity, and order in their learning environment.  Pondering our space, hmm...I think we get about 2.5 out of 4.  I would love to have a room filled with natural light but I will choose to be thankful that our home is spacious enough to dedicate this room, albeit it in the basement, for such a specialized purpose.

The kitchen table that my mom bought after college (her college),
repurposed yet again, plus our memory verses, days of the week,
number chart, and calendar.

The other corner.  Shelves are pretty empty now but I know
that will change.  Ten letters on our tree--we're almost
halfway through the alphabet.

And one last picture...that little door you see in the last picture is a closet under the basement stairs.  A newly organized closet, of which I am a little bit proud.  You would have to have seen a before picture (which doesn't exist) to understand how nice this is.  Ah, organization makes me happy.

Nothing Like a Good Book

Esther has discovered her first favorite book.  The choice: Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What do you Hear? by Eric Carle.  Good choice, little one, Mommy likes it, too.

Sometimes she looks at it by herself.

Sometimes she crawls up in my lap and bounces excitedly because she's going to hear it out loud.

And sometimes it's a good bedtime story.

Just Feeling Blessed Today...

...to be mommy to these two.