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!