Care Pages

The twins were born on Wednesday, about 14 weeks early. They are in ICU at Cook Children's hospital right now. We are posting updates to their condition here. The group name is cumminstwins

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The boys were in the NICU for almost 3 months.  Scary times.  I'm thankful for all the prayers on my family's behalf during that time.

Fast forward 4 years.  Walt and John are both fine now.

Joys of the library

Yesterday I went to the library in search of books about home decor and crochet. I thought it would be a quick trip because I had a lunch date with the teachers I worked with last year, but I got so engrossed in the books that I was almost late meeting them.

I got pulled into the baby section and found many books to enjoy. The one I'm most excited about from the baby section is entitled House of Testosterone. I was drawn to it immediately. I'll keep you posted if I learn anything interesting from it. I read in another book that baby boys cry more often than baby girls and due to this, are comforted more & receive more attention from their moms. Very interesting.

I didn't find any books about home decor, but that isn't too big of a deal. Our nursery plans are well under way. I did much better in the crafts section. I've decided to take up crochet. April tried to teach me knitting a few years ago and I did great with her sitting beside me, but when trying to figure it out on my own I got frustrated and gave up. Now I'm turning over a new leaf. I bought a wonderful book last weekend that had some wonderful designs that I really want to do.

My favorite is baby hats with sock monkey on them. I'm really wanting to crochet matching ones for all 3 of my boys: John, Walt and Aaron. I'm even thinking about crocheting an extra monkey, making it into a pin and putting it on our diaper backpack. How fun! Unfortunately, I need to do some baby step projects first before I jump into the monkey project. Luckily, the library had just the books to get me "hooking" away. Crocheting dishrags doesn't excite me like sock monkey hats do, but my plan is that by starting small and mastering the basics, those sock monkeys will be just around the corner.

The good thing is, I have some time before the boys arrive and crochet can be a neat way to make myself sit still. According to the book, it's a great way to relax. Knitting was actually the opposite of relaxing for me, but I like to think that crochet can be a soothing, new experience. I'll keep you posted.

Fun at our spa

Last weekend we opened our home to ladies from our Sunday School class for a spa night. Thankfully, Aaron helped me get the house ready because I'm trying to slow down my activity level a bit. Also, it's gotten tough to bend over and pick things up. I still can, but when I do, John's head pokes me hard in my ribs. I prefer not bending over, and John probably does, too. I was proud of how nice our home looked and appreciate Aaron's willingness to help me.

The evening was great! There were stations set up for pampering our lips, hands, faces with green masks (see the crazy picture above for those of us brave enough to be caught on film with our masks), feet, shoulders, back and even head massages!

We laughed and enjoyed our time together while Aaron and his dogs went upstairs and listened to his Aggies win their game. All in all, we all had a lovely evening.

Fall is here!

This weekend, I hosted a ladies spa night at my home and had the pleasure of bringing out my fall decorations. I love fall! The temperature is dropping and heat of summer is letting up. This summer was actually a very mild one for us with lots of rain, but I always welcome fall. I love the colors, the smells of pumpkin pie, the taste of caramel apples at the state fair and the changing colors of the leaves.

My freshman year of college I attended a school in Indiana before I attended Baylor. The leaves were such beautiful colors during the fall! Texas has some nice trees, but my beloved Lone Star state can't hold a candle to Indiana when it comes to the richness of colors during autumn.

Aaron had such a wonderful crop in his garden this spring. He went ahead and planted some pumpkins even though he knew they would harvest before fall. To the right you can see some of those wonderful pumpkins. He cooked and froze the part we can use to cook and we gave a few away. I have plans to bake pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, make pumpkin soup and who knows what other pumpkin recipes we'll find with all of our bounty. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them!

Wild Walt it is

Thanks for all the nickname suggestions for baby Walt. However, since posting last week that he was calmer than John, he has decided to be my wild one.

He is in my right side, so much so that when I lay on my right side I feel him. He doesn't prefer that, so he kicks and I move onto my left. His head is down and his toes are up near my ribs. Sometimes when he moves his toes it feels like little bubbles in my side. That's sweet. It's not so sweet when he does other things. I think he is practicing for football by doing squats. From time to time, he will stick something large (I think his bottom) out my right side. It's not painful, but it's not what I would call comfortable. I think he has also started kicking my ribs which smarts a bit.

John is still moving around a lot, too, but I'm not noticing him quite as much. When I do, I feel his head coming out between my ribs. I guess he's getting ready for soccer so he can use his head to move the ball forward.

There are times when they'll both start moving a lot. That's very exciting, but it can be quite a bit to take at once.

I have found that if I put my hand on where I feel them and talk to them, they calm down a bit. It makes me feel happy. I like to think that they're minding me already. :)

1st MOPS meeting

Mothers of Preschoolers, or MOPS, is an international faith-based organization that has local chapters in which moms get together. Today I went to my first MOPS meeting. I was a bit nervous because as far as I knew I didn't have any friends going and it seemed kind of weird to me to go before the twins made their grand appearance, but I have made it a priority to build a network of other moms so that I won't get too isolated or lonely as I wait for Walt and John to keep me company.

As is typically the case, the worry was a waste of energy. The ladies at the meeting were all very welcoming and friendly. We were assigned to small groups at tables. This year's theme is "The Home" so all the names had to do with homes. Mine is the Ladies of the manor. How fun!

Just in my small group of 6 other moms, 2 of them have twins, at least 2 others have Aggie husbands and one is a Baylor bear. How wonderful! Needless to say, we all had quite a bit to chat about.

It was a fun group of ladies and I'm looking forward to our next time to all get together.

Nickname for Walt poll

Aaron came up with a great nickname for the very active John: "Jumpin' John." Now we need help to come up with one for Walt. He is calm, relaxed and seems to be just happy with life. We've kicked around Wacky Walt, Wild Walt and Aaron's "Welaxed" Walt, but none seem to fit him quite the way John's nickname does.

Any suggestions?

Best twin pregnancy ever!

Aaron and I just got back from our doctor visit. This was the first time we met with the Physician's Assistant. She told us that my pregnancy is the best twin pregnancy she has ever seen. Wow! What music to my ears--even though I know I'm doing all I can to make sure to take care of myself and our babies by eating well, resting, etc. it was such a relief to hear that we are all doing so well.

Sorry--no sonogram pictures to share this time, but we got to hear the heartbeats and both are very strong. In 2 weeks we will have the 4D sonogram, which means a 3D picture but in motion. Our sonogram nurse told us that oftentimes multiples don't show very clearly in those because the babies tend to be a bit squished together to see much detail, but we're looking forward to seeing our little guys again soon.

We now know that both are in position for birth. Walt is on my right side with his head down. His heartbeat, 145, was consistent with what I've felt from him--he moves gently and slowly. Aaron is convinced that he will take after him--relaxed, easy-going and calm. Walt also tends to move more when I'm listening to music.

And then there's John. John is head up and his head is right up under my ribs on my left side. My ribs are actually flaring out thanks to John putting pressure on them. He is really active and when he pushes up with his feet, he sticks his head high into me. This produces a moderate discomfort and he's only about 2 pounds and 12 inches now. I'm getting myself mentally ready for when he does this as he gets bigger! His heartbeat 161 which follows Aaron's theory that he is like me--fiesty, ready to attack life and never still.

Our trip to Aggieland

The time in which I'm allowed to travel is coming to a close in the next few weeks. Happily, we were able to hop down to College Station this past weekend to visit DC & Judy.

While Aaron and DC went to the Aggie game, Judy and I shopped and had a fun day. I needed to buy a baby shower gift for a friend and we had a wonderful time just looking at all the fun things out there for babies! The photo above is a precious combination that we found that we fell in love with! I'm excited about putting John and Walt in those cute hawaiian tops with sunglasses. And, what Texas boy can live without overalls? I can already envision Aaron putting on his overalls to work outside, visit his chickens, weed the garden, mow the lawn, etc and his boys wanting to be just like their daddy.

I don't know if everyone caught the Aggie game last weekend against Fresno State, but it was a doozie! The Ags won in the third overtime. Judy and I listened to the last part on the radio, and when the Ags would score, the boys would move around! I think they enjoyed the game a lot--probably more than those of us listening on the radio, watching on TV or out in the heat at the game itself. I have a feeling this is just the first Aggie game my boys will enjoy. Also, my Baylor bears beat Rice! A good football weekend is one in which my team and Aaron's team both win. What a great way to start the season!

Bigger kicks

Wow--I love the response from the tractor poll! We're excited about decorating the boys' room with all sorts of fun tractors and farm things.

Last night during church choir, an exciting thing happened: I started to really feel kicks! From over in the orchestra, Aaron could even see my shirt moving where I was being kicked.

Up to this point, we have felt them kick, but it's been very subtle and unless we really felt for it, I wouldn't feel it. I thought it would be this really sweet, comforting feeling when my boys started saying hello this way. The word for it would not be sweet--it would probably be "ouch!" I'm pretty sure he was getting the bottom of my rib and it hurt a bit. Maybe they were both kicking together to say a joint hello. I've even felt a few kicks in that same spot this morning. I guess I'm grateful for the kicks because at least I know that now I'm receiving at least a few of the kicks, instead of them only kicking each other. I'm just glad they're growing and getting stronger.

Tractor Poll

We will put a tractor mural in the boys' room before they are born. I know that some of you have strong connections to a particular brand, so tell me what kind of tractor should be in the mural, and why.

Time for a new phase

Marriage is teamwork. We've been at this for just over 4 years now and of all the projects we've tackled together, my favorite has been our Sunday school class that we've taught together this past year.

When I helped in VBS a year ago, I really felt God's call to teach Sunday school. Aaron and I talked and prayed about it and decided to volunteer. We were thinking youth or perhaps older kids, but were told that those positions were filled. When the nominating committee called and told us that they had an opening in the "Creepers" class, toddlers old enough to walk but younger than 2, I almost said no. I had never worked with kids that small and had no idea how to teach them. Aaron and I talked about it and he thought it sounded like a lot of fun. I hesitantly said that we would teach this class.

What a blessing it has been! We have had the joy of watching these toddlers go from babies to little kids. We've also really enjoyed getting to know their parents. The picture below shows one of the favorite activities--playing with cars.
Aaron and I divided up the class responsibilities--his job, as my helper, was to wrangle toys, play and hold the ones who were crying when dropped off. (He is really good at soothing crying kids!) He also was in charge of juice count, juice and snack distribution and leading the prayer before snack. My job, as director, was to welcome the kids, reassure parents that we would have fun, put notes in the diaper bags for parents, sing our songs while playing guitar before snack time and teaching the lesson. Needless to say, both of us were necessary to make this whole process work. Aaron was also in charge of helping the kids clap and be involved during music time. The girls below loved singing and clapping along with the music. I loved teaching these children about Jesus and his love for them. Anyone who says toddlers are too young to learn about Jesus is mistaken. They really listened when I taught them. They especially liked it when I would use puppets. My 1st graders would always respond well with puppets, so it was no surprise that younger kids would, too.

My favorite teaching time was Christmas when I would use the Little People nativity to act out the Christmas story for them. I just loved telling the Christmas story in its beautiful simplicity: God sent his son to save us, as a baby, just like them. How beautiful! I also really loved teaching about Noah's ark and God's promise to not flood the earth again, but to always take care of us. That was also my favorite toy to use to play with the kids.
Even though Aaron didn't formally teach lessons like I did, he taught with his example. Shannon, Trace's mom, told me that when they pray at home she encourages her kids to hold hands, but Trace insists on putting his hands together in front of him, just like Mr. Aaron does in Sunday school when he prays.

When Aaron and I realized twins would be joining our family before too long, I told him that I just didn't think we could keep up the responsibility of teaching the class when it came time to begin a new class in September. It really disappointed him. He has really enjoyed it. I have, too, but changing dirty diapers bothers me more than it does him (ironic since I'm the one who will be staying home to do that full time with Walt and John) and the further along I get in my pregnancy, the tougher it is physically for me to lift the kids and do all the things they need for me to do. Also, Traci, a friend who had twins last spring, told me there will be Sunday mornings where I'll just need to sleep in and not feel bad about it. I know she's right.

Last Sunday was our last time to teach these precious children. It has been so much fun to work beside Aaron. He will be such a wonderful father. It's been fun to watch him be a Godly example for these little children. Some men serve as deacons, some as pastors and some as toy wranglers and snack blessers. I know that God uses every one of them for his glory.

Now it's time for us to join our Sunday school department, which I'm looking forward to because I always enjoy the ladies nights I've attended with them. Aaron and I are sure that in another phase of our lives we'll teach again.

Kicking in the womb

Yesterday, it was time again for my biweekly check-up with our baby doctor. Aaron's mom, Judy, came to visit us so that she could go with me and see the babies in action. As usual, we saw the doctor and everything was fine--weight gain, blood pressure, etc. Aaron and I were a little confused on exactly which week I'm in. I asked, and the doctor told me that I was in day 1 of week 23. Good to know. After we spoke to him for a bit, we got to see the stars of the show...Walt and John. Neither of them were super active, but we got to hear both heartbeats, which always helps me relax and know that my boys are both OK. If you look closely to the picture below, you'll see toes just under where the nurse wrote "foot." How fun! They have toes!

Also related to feet, we saw that one twin (we don't know which) was kicking his brother in the face! The twin pictured below is curled into a ball, facing my spine. If I'm not mistaken, he was the one receiving the kicks.
Aaron pointed out later that this baby probably isn't being hurt--think of being kicked under water. You hardly feel it. But, he said if he can figure out once they come out which was doing the kicking, he would like to punish the offending twin. My thought is that if no damage is done (Lord willing) how would we ever know? I do, however, like the thought of Aaron being ready to discipline when one twin is kicking the other one. I have a feeling this won't be the last time they kick each other.

Judy and I had a lovely lunch after the appointment. We ran into some friends from church and these ladies shared how exciting it is that "the choir is having twins." I really do feel like a surrogate mom...the alto section of the church choir has claimed these babies as their own! I'm just thrilled that we have such a loving church family that shares our joy with us.

I just love that we are so encouraged by friends and family. It makes this whole adventure that much more fun and special for us.

29th Homecoming

Yesterday afternoon I had a lovely delivery of flowers. They were to celebrate that 29 years ago my parents brought me to their home for the first time. They adopted me when I was a baby and I have been blessed by their love and God's provision for me to be raised in such a wonderful family. Now that I'm on this side of parenting, I think I should really send them flowers each year to thank them for the fabulous parents they are.

Fabulous Women of Faith 2007

Just as I had anticipated, the Women of Faith conference was a lot of fun. Ashley and I ran errands around town before we met up with the group, one of them being registering more fun baby things for Walt and John. The clothes are so cute! We went ahead and registered 2 of all clothes, but I don't plan to dress them the same all the time. I want each to have his own identity, but I don't think they'll start to notice for awhile.

We met up with the group and our friend Jenny drove her fun new minivan. We picked up Audra and Shannon on our way. We admired Jenny's new minivan all the way there and enjoyed chatting. We arrived to the conference of 16,000 women a bit late--thanks to my my need to stop for frequent restroom stops along the highway. The evening session was nice.

We went to the hotel and enjoyed time together chatting. Ashley and I turned in around 1:30am. I can't remember the last time I stayed up that late.

Saturday was spent at the conference. The speakers and singers were great. The theme was Amazing Freedom. My favorite speaker talked about how we are all like little birds who have lost our way or been damaged somehow, and we're all looking for a santuary where we can go to be healed. Together, we find God's peace and healing. What a beautiful message!

Physically for me, the conference was pretty taxing. There were lots of stairs to climb and long lines for the restrooms. I did OK, but I was very glad I had Ashley with me to make sure I was safe. By the time we left, I was worn out and glad to be home but my spirit was lifted from such a rich time of fun and fellowship learning about the Lord and spending time with dear friends.

Fun with friends this weekend

Last year, I attended the Women of Faith conference with a group of ladies from my church. I was a bit nervous because I was still relatively new to the church and didn't know where I "fit" with the ladies who would all be going. Also, the buses were to leave at 4:30 Friday afternoon, at the end of the first week of school and I wasn't sure if I could truly have everything wrapped up in time not to miss the bus.

Suffice it to say, my worries were unneccessary, as they usually are. I had a wonderful time listening to inspiring speakers, singing songs of praise to the Lord and building relationships with ladies from my church.

One particular speaker that was fun to listen to was Robin McGraw, Dr Phil's wife. She spoke about the importance of taking time for ourselves as women and not always giving to others. She even told this funny story about Dr Phil--something about when their car was making funny noises he coaxed her to get into the trunk to listen. He closed the trunk and drove around the block. She laughed as she told the story, but I doubt she laughed at the moment of the event. She thought she could tell this story without her husband knowing it, but it turns out he popped in for a special cameo appearance. She just about died!

I also heard a fabulous Christian singer--Natalie Grant. She sang such rich, beautiful songs that really touched me. I've since sung 2 of them in church and I love listening to her Awaken CD and playing and singing the songs at home. Sometimes I get so carried away singing her songs that Aaron asks me if I can sing and play a little quieter. The other night I told him if I can listen to his loud tuba playing regularly, he can stand a bit of noise from the piano now and then.

But the best thing that came from Women of Faith was the friendships that I now enjoy. There's something about being herded into the American Airlines Center like cattle, riding a church van for the first time in a long time and standing in very long lines for the bathroom that bonds you with other women.

After the conference, my friend Ashley and I started a standing date to eat before Wednesday night church each week after we realized how much we have in common: we are at the same place in our marriages, we are both fans of Dave Ramsey--the financial genius, we both love to read, etc. I know the Lord has blessed this friendship and I know he will continue to do so.

Wow, I can see by how much I've written today that I'm really excited about the fun that will await me tomorrow! Not to worry--I'm still feeling very good. I will walk slowly, drink plenty of water, eat healthy snacks and there are many sweet friends to make sure the pregnant twin mom will be OK. The dr said this is my last overnight trip like this until after the babies come, so I'm wanting to make the most of it!

Being remembered

The teachers at the school I used to work at went back to get ready for the students last week. It was a tough day for me. Even though I know that Aaron and I made the right choice for me to stay home and take the very best care possible of me, John and Walt while I'm pregnant, a part of me still is a bit sad that I won't be doing a job that I love anymore.

There were parts of teaching 1st grade bilingual kids that I didn't care much for--teaching them all the new rules of 1st grade, reteaching all those rules and the time it took for a new group of kids and their families to trust the redheaded Spanish-speaking teacher.

However, it was always worth it. I enjoyed building relationships with families, especially helping parents see the vital role they play in the education of their children. I also liked the kids. They (overall) were so well-behaved and excited about learning. Last year I had a couple little stinkers in my class, but even they came a long way during the year. Now all that fun will happen without me.

A teacher friend called last night and told me that the school nurse mentioned me during her explanation time. She was making the point that kids shouldn't just come to see her for any little thing. She used me as an example: anytime a child in my class would say he felt sick (if I couldn't feel a very hot forehead and if he hadn't thrown up) I would write on the referral form--in front of the kid and say aloud as I wrote it--if this child doesn't have fever, please send him back. I need him in class so he can learn. The nurse said this is how it should be done.

I guess ideally, the other teachers would sit around and remember how funny I am, or nice to the kids, or what an incredible impact I made on the kids in my classes that I taught there. I'll settle for this happy mention by our nurse. It's just nice to be remembered.

Fun in Waco

Aaron and I had a nice weekend. We had Friday night supper with 2 other couples from our small group at church. We have taught a toddler Sunday school class this year and these couples have toddlers in our class. It's so fun to chat with these moms because I have spent a year watching their children grow and teaching them the basic concepts about Jesus' love. Also, both of them stay home with young kids so it was nice getting their perspective about the life that will soon be mine.

Saturday morning Aaron worked in his garden. With all the rain we have had this summer, he has had an amazing amount of tomatoes, okra, pumpkins and cantalope. Saturday afternoon, we headed down the road to Waco to meet DC and Judy for supper. I always love visiting Waco because it is home to my beloved Baylor bears. Our original plan was to meet on Baylor's campus by my bears. I just knew that John and Walt would enjoy their first visit to the Baylor bears. DC and Judy arrived in town before we did and warned us to not try to visit the campus because it was swarming with college kids getting ready to start the new term. Instead, we met up for supper. We enjoyed a nice meal and afterwards my birthday celebration continued with some more lovely gifts. Birthdays are fun!

DC and Judy also brought Walt and John some very fun new toys. We've decided that our nursery will have a tractor theme. Aaron and I are already enjoying these new toys. So fun!

A Correction

The baby didn't "kick me in the ear" yesterday because (as Laura implied) he didn't like hearing the War Hymn. My boy leapt for joy to hear that beautiful music, and my ear just happened to be in the way.

The boys are starting to move a little bit. It usually just feels like a finger being rubbed gently.

Music preferences

Yesterday Aaron put his ear on my tummy to listen to the boys. He likes to sing them Aggie songs, talk to them and listen to hear if they respond. One responded--he kicked Aaron in the ear! I would kick him in the ear, too, if he sang me Aggie songs instead of the superior music that comes from Baylor.

I laughed at the time, but I know I'll be getting kicked by these 2 growing boys before too long, regardless of the songs I'm singing.

I'm now in week 22 and according to my dr, my weight gain is good--almost 25 pounds.

All I know is that I feel as big as a barn already and we still have a long way to go. I'm at the point now that it's easy to feel where a baby's head is. When I lay on my side, I feel pressure if I lay on it. A little scary. If I'm this big now and both boys are just under a pound, how much bigger will I have to be to house them when they're both 6+ pounds? Lord, help me!

Bashful boys for grandma and grandpa

I was very fortunate that my parents were able to attend my appointment with me on Wednesday. I was so excited that they would be able to see their first grandchildren on the sonogram monitor.

Both John and Walt were rather reserved. Here is a picture of one of them. The nurse was measuring to make sure that the limbs were the same size on both boys. Good news--both are still growing at the same rate. Here is Baby 1 smiling for us:I'm actually not sure he was smiling, but I like to think he was. We checked out Baby 2 as well and he also didn't put on a huge show for his grandma and grandpa. I was hoping for lots of movement with big kicks and flips, but he was pretty relaxed, just like his brother. Mom decided that he was praying and this was why he was so calm.
The dr also took a look at the boys and confirmed that both definitely have "outdoor plumbing" for boys. I can now safely register for blue clothes, which will be fun. Both babies weigh .7 pounds and the dr said everything is going along very well. At some point he'll want to see me weekly, but he said that the boys and I are doing so well that I can keep coming biweekly for now.

Besides the appointment, my parents visited me to celebrate my birthday. We had a lovely day together and I'm glad they were able to visit. They gave me a snazzy new camera that I excited to learn to use. Be ready for more pictures in the future.

4 years and still going strong

Last weekend, Aaron and I celebrated our 4th anniversary of marriage.

We had a lovely date--we went downtown and enjoyed spending time together. We hung out in a bookstore and found some fun books (mine was an owner's guide for little boys), went to see a wonderful movie and ate supper.

We (me more than Aaron) had hoped to see Becoming Jane, the new Jane Austen movie, but it wasn't showing at our theatre. I was disappointed about that because I love all things Jane, but Aaron suggested we see Stardust instead. He had read it and felt confident that we would both enjoy it. It was great! Sweet, romantic, funny and perfect for a night to celebrate the promise we made to each other.

Afterwards, we went to appease my craving...sushi! I love sushi! Ironically enough, I had never even had sushi until I met Aaron, but now I love it. Yes, I know that pregnant women shouldn't eat raw anything. Henceforth, I asked our waitress specifically which sushi rolls were completely cooked so that I (as well as Walt and John) would be safe from any kind of danger. I chose from about 7 choices and chose very wisely...a shrimp tempura roll. It hit the spot!

Today I'm reflective of these first 4 years. When we met, I had just graduated from Baylor and begun my graduate degree in Spanish. I was just about to begin my life on my own as a single girl in the big city. Enter Aaron at church. We dated for that first year while I became convinced that this was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

I lived in Spain after we had been dating about a year. That season of our relationship was a very special one. In our time apart, we wrote the most beautiful love letters. I have a scrapbook of some of those letters and I love going back and rereading those sweet promises we made to each other during that time apart. By the time I finished my degree and returned to the US, we knew that we wanted to be together forever. He proposed and I happily agreed to become his wife.

The last 4 years feel like a blur. We started out in a little duplex and now live in a lovely log cabin. We prayed for children and now God has blessed us with them. I'm excited about seeing the wonders that await us in the future.

Childbirth class--scary moments!

It's been awhile since I've written because I've been scared! Last Tuesday, we went to childbirth class and it was the class all about labor and delivery. Yikes! The videos were terrifying! Also, the baby that was born in the first video was green! It turns out, she was just covered in a protective coating to keep her skin soft in the womb, but the image of 2 green babies growing in me was just kind of creepy, not to mention the pain that goes with this whole process!

I've had almost a week to filter through all this and have decided that women have successfully given birth for centuries. If they can do it, I can do it. God wouldn't have blessed me and Aaron with twin boys if we wouldn't be able to handle the joy (and pain) that comes along with them.

Tomorrow's class is about pain management. We'll see how that goes.

First kicks

Aaron and I are beginning to feel the babies move! It's such a miracle!

Aaron loves it--he is ready for them to be kicking harder and more often. Now the kicks are still really soft so we have to be really quiet and still to feel it. I'm still not feeling them kick me yet, but we have felt them a few times on the outside of my tummy. Aaron actually felt kicking really softly back at week 15 and I thought I would be feeling them kicking me in full force by now at week 19, but I have a feeling that once they start kicking my days of resting and relaxing will be over!

Boy #2 wasn't shy yesterday!

Wonderful news: we now know that we have 2 boys!


Yesterday we went to the dr and the sonograms confirmed that Baby 2 is definitely boy! I'm posting a few pictures from yesterday, but I'm not going to attempt to label the twins by name because we're not sure which baby is which since they're moving around. The upper picture is of twin 1 and his fetal heart rate was 158--I accidentally cropped it out of the picture. His brother's heart rate is on his picture--154.

The dr said all is going very well with my pregnancy. My weight gain is on track with where it should be (which I was concerned I hadn't gained enough) so that was a relief to hear.

This picture is of one of our little boys and it's his face. It's amazing to me that his face already has so much detail!

Aaron and I began our childbirth classes this week. We're taking them a little earlier than normal, but with twins, we decided to go ahead and take them while I'm feeling good. The irony is that of the 9 couples present, I was the one who had "issues." We sat is class and learned about the dangers of preterm labor which was very stressful for me because I know that twins rarely are delivered at 40 weeks, as singleton babies are. I started feeling very uncomfortable and had to move next to the fan. (Yesterday at our appointment, I asked our dr specific questions about concerns I had and he assured me that our twins will be fine--not to worry).

At the end of the class, we toured the hospital. I really like what we saw. I'll have a private room for labor and delivery and another private room for recovery. When the nurse explained what all was in the room, I got suddenly very hot and sick. I ran for the door, with Aaron and the nurse at my heels. I thought it was brought on by stress, but the dr told me yesterday that this isn't uncommon in pregnancy, but I've got to eat regularly, including snacks to keep my blood sugar from dropping quickly. He said other women faint from this same issue. I guess I'm lucky...all I know is that I'm going to watch what I'm eating and how I'm feeling better because sitting in the floor in the hospital is no fun! Also, I'm glad that the babies aren't effected by my "fragile condition." I just don't like to worry people when this happens.

Here's one last fun picture from yesterday. What a cute foot!

I'll leave you with one other funny thing that happened yesterday. I had to have blood drawn and I tend to become "fragile" again when needles are involved. When the nurse stuck me, I warned her that I was feeling a little sick and not too good. She yelled for another nurse, but the nurse didn't hear her. She told Aaron to go get another nurse to help with me. Aaron fetches 2 nurses who came running to help. Of course, but that time, I had regained my "mind over matter" toughness and I didn't need anyone to catch me. I told them I just like being the center of attention and I was feeling a little lonely. They laughed and I think everyone was just relieved that the twin momma was OK. I hope I get tougher before Thanksgiving!

Saying good-bye

I have taught elementary school for 5 years. When we found out I was pregnant with twins, Aaron and I decided it was time to resign my position. When I turned in my letter of resignation, I cried. Last night, the faculty of my school got back together for our summer retreat. I joined them so I could say a formal good-bye to everyone. I wanted to have a sense of closure. I actually resigned at the end of summer school and I hadn't made my pregnancy public at the end of school, so as far as many of the other teachers were concerned, I was just gone without a good-bye.

It was emotional to see so many friends, knowing that the joy of teaching and sharing those special moments with them had come to a close. I know I'm opening a very exciting and rewarding new chapter of my life by being a mom, but I still cried when it came my turn to say good-bye. I got so choked up that my principal had to explain (especially to the new teachers) who I was and why I was leaving. All in all, I have a real sense of peace that I gave 5 wonderful years to teaching children and now it's time to get ready to teach my own. I'm just so thankful that the Lord blessed me with such good friends and sweet memories of the classroom.

Security

We've decided to make this a private blog. If you want us to add you to the in crowd, drop an email me. My address is my aaroncummins at uwmail dot com. Except the at and dot are punctuation marks, rather than being spelled out, and there are no spaces.

Great learning experience

I haven't posted in awhile because I've been busy--VBS, resting and a visit back home where I grew up. I always enjoy seeing family and friends. A good friend had twins last spring and I was able to spend some time with her watching her take fabulous care of her babies. What an encouragement! Also, she loaned me a ton of books about mothering. My summer reading list is quite lengthy and I think it will be very helpful. What a blessing good friends are!

Baby 1 is a boy!

Today I'm at week 16 of my pregnancy and at the doctor's office today, we had wonderful news: at least one of our twins is a boy!

The nurse checks at each visit to make sure both babies are growing at the same rate, which would be cause for concern if they weren't. All is well with our twins. They both weight .4 pounds and have strong heartbeats. We have been calling Baby 1 "Gilbert" and Baby 2 "Sullivan" named after Aaron's favorite opera composers, Gilbert & Sullivan. Now, we are going to start calling Gilbert the name he will be called--Walton Lane, Walt for short--because today he was very active today and showed me and the nurse that he is definitely a boy. I don't have a picture that gives evidence to this to post for you, but the one above shows a picture of both twins together and that both are doing well. A friend had to help me figure out that this is both babies in the same picture--I'm no expert on sonograms.

Baby 2, or Sullivan for now until we know a definite gender, is also doing well. However, due to the position that Sullivan was laying in, we were unable to see if we have another boy or a girl. While we were watching we thought we saw evidence of boyhood, but the nurse said it wasn't enough to be certain. We'll hope that at my next appointment Sullivan will be a bit more cooperative for us.

I'm always so relieved after I go to the Dr and get to see that the babies are growing and healthy.

Our exciting news!

Hello, world! I've decided to jump into the vast world of blogging. I am currently 16 weeks pregnant with our first children--twins! We still don't know if we're going to be welcoming boys, girls or one of each into our family this Thanksgiving, but we are excited about the additions to our family.