{iPhone Rewind} :: August

Date #24: Tom + Chee {complete with grilled cheese donut} #wcsavethedate16

We got together with our Community Group for some yummy Texas BBQ. We have been on a break of sorts over the summer, so we're looking forward to getting back to meeting regularly.

We decided after 5 years to get new bedding. I found a great deal on Overstock and  really like it! It's still a little wrinkled, but it should smooth out soon. I definitely like the lighter color with our dark furniture.

Date #25: Breakfast for dinner at home #wcsavethedate16

So our garage door broke and got completely off track and off-kilter...which made for an interesting situation for a preggo lady on a hot day. Thankfully it was an easy fix and we're all squared away now!

Feels like 115. That's really hot. The heat normally doesn't bother me, but I find myself with a higher internal body temperature these days...

August brought our first baby shower, and I wanted a fun gift for my sweet hostesses. Definitely Pinterest-inspired, and so easy to put together!

Round #1 of thank you notes that represent so much generosity and love of sweet friends and family.

I went to the women's kickoff dinner this year with one of the ladies in our community group, and another who is looking to get plugged in. So thankful for opportunities to connect with other women in the church! 

We went ahead and decided to reveal baby names this month! It was so fun to share and finally be able to call them by name outside of our house :)

Date #26: Coffee and Dessert at Fourteen Eighteen Coffeehouse #wcsavethedate16

My mom and I decided to have a fun girl's morning by getting a blowout at Dry Bar. I find it SO relaxing to have my hair washed and styled, and it was definitely fun treat to share with my mom.

We have driven by this chocolate shop in downtown Plano multiple times and finally decided to stop. It was not inexpensive, but it sure was yummy!

29 Weeks

How far along? 29 weeks

Days since transfer: 185 days

Total weight gain: +23.8 {my belly has certainly grown, but somehow I lost weight...perhaps the calm before the serious poundage starts to add up??}

Maternity clothes? I was thankful to find some cute {and cheap!} dresses for our maternity shoot and baby shower. The long maxi dresses are definitely my preferred maternity clothing these days, because they are so stinkin' comfortable.

Sleep: Sleep has been off and on this week. Some nights I sleep just fine {only getting up to pee once and going straight back to sleep} , others I have a little more difficulty if babies are moving and I can't seem to get comfortable {slept in the nursery chair one night so I could be sitting up to breathe better}. But overall, I seem to be sleeping pretty well.

Best moment of the week: Passing my glucose test! Also, our maternity photos {SO much fun; I can't wait to see how they turned out!} and our second baby shower...it was definitely a fun week full of baby events!

Cravings: Nope.

Symptoms: This week I saw some more swelling {I officially am wearing my wedding rings on a chain around my neck because they were getting a little too tight to wear...}. I felt a little more achy, especially around my joints. It's like my joints are groaning under the extra weight I am carrying around... my fingers {of all things} are the most achy. I find myself constantly trying to work them out because they hurt so much {carpal tunnel, maybe?}  And this was a crazy one: babies were definitely kicking my stomach and I guess squishing it so much that they made me vomit my lunch. No joke; I was in the middle of eating lunch and suddenly had to run to the bathroom and lost everything in my stomach. Apparently with all my organs losing space in there, this happens. So weird.

Looking forward to: Our third baby shower at my office this week and then a 3 day weekend with my love :)

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Size of baby? About the size of a Hawaiian pineapple or small cabbage, a Barbie convertible {remember those?}, or a New England cottontail rabbit :)

Development: Babies continue to gain weight, and their muscles and lungs continue to mature. Their eyes are adjusting to their environment, and although their vision still is not perfect, they are becoming much more aware of and sensitive to light {sensitivity to lights turning on in a dark room}. Their bones are also starting to harden a bit more this week.

Heartbeat: Got to hear them again at my OB appointment and both were beating nice and strong!

Movement: Lots of movement this week! And I definitely caught them both with the hiccups at the same time at one point...that was a little fun! I'm sure not for them, but I certainly enjoyed it :)  I'm supposed to start counting baby kicks from now until they arrive, once in the morning, and once in the evening. I know their movement should start slowing as they run out of room in there, but for right now, getting my allotted counts in is not going to be a problem at all.

Current Position: Eli is head down {and apparently positioned ALL the way down, as far as he can go}, and Maddie is now breach. They still have time to move, so I'm hoping Eli stays put, and Maddie flips again :)

Showering the Babies :: Dallas

This weekend we had our second baby shower, hosted by my sweet sister-in-law and best friend. When they told me what the theme would be, and I got the adorable invitation in the mail, I just knew this shower would be special. Every little detail was so thoughtful and just so adorable!

These fun boxes turned out to be sweet presents :)

Everything matched, and I LOVED it! They had a Bow Making station and a Diaper Message station, which are both so much fun. Even PK left her own special message! And she was just absolutely adorable; she had been so excited about my party. When I arrived, she came running around the corner, excited to see me, and excited to welcome me to my "birthday party!" Haha- she just had her birthday party and just assumed it was my turn. LOVE HER.

Writing out her message...

Just like with our last shower, it was so sweet and special to have family and friends from all areas of our lives in one room. I loved getting the opportunity to celebrate with so many people who have loved us, prayed for us, and for our babies. And I am so thankful for Lindsay and Laura for not overlooking a single detail to make the day so fun and special.

Woah. Babies.

So much love and generosity!

I had 3 sweet little helpers :)

I am sad that I didn't get many photos with my sweet guests or my hostesses {so sad!} but I am thankful for the couple that I did get...

Sweet community group ladies

Dallas family :)

Mike came toward the end to help load gifts, but really our family had him come so that he could be there to help me open the surprise gifts from them. They all pitched in to get us our double stroller, carseats, and all the accessories we could ever need. It was such a sweet blessing! When we got home, I showed Mike all that we had received, and we decided to put the stroller together...because, why not??

My mom fit inside the box haha

Laying out all the pieces...

Figuring out all the buttons and pieces

Sasha and I just sat back and watched :)

We need to exchange a few pieces, so it's not completely assembled, but the Twin Tank {as Mike affectionately calls it} is almost ready. We are so humbled {yet again} by everyone's generosity. It's crazy how much stuff 2 tiny people can amass :)

Glucose Test

Today I had my glucose test; to make it to this milestone is such a big deal! It's a normal thing for sure, but to make it this far is just another marker in our journey that is a gift from the Lord.

I downed the obligatory sugar drink and waited the hour for my blood draw. I have to say that it really wasn't as bad as people say it is. Would I want to drink more of it? No. But it really just tasted like sugary kid kool-aid. I have definitely had to drink much worse for tests {Golytely for a colonoscopy is WAY worse}.

While I waited, I got my Tdap vaccine and my second Rhogam injection. Today's Rhogam injection hurt much more than my first one, but then I got to hear our babies' heartbeats, so that made it all better :) And my doctor was really glad about my weight gain so far, saying that I was doing really well for a twin pregnancy. Made me feel a little better about the ever-increasing scale number haha.

I should have the results from my glucose test in about a week. I have to say that from a diet standpoint, I am not too worried about it. I eat fairly healthy and have really tried to limit my sugar {read: limit, not eliminate. Give me a break...I'm pregnant!} But since I tested borderline pre-diabetic before our transfer, there is some cause for concern. I will take whatever steps are necessary, I just want to make sure my body is doing what it's supposed to and no complications arise that could affect our babies. So we shall see!

And since I am officially in my third trimester, my OB appointments will increase from once a month to every 2 weeks. We're getting closer! :)

28 Weeks

I definitely understand why people think I'm further along than I am! Haha- woah babies! :)

How far along? 28 weeks

Days since transfer: 178 days

Total weight gain: +24.4

Maternity clothes? Yep...very few {if any?} regular clothes fit at this point. I'm all in with the maternity wear :)  {and the Magnolia Market shirt I am wearing this week had a double purpose: to have a dry shirt to wear since we were soaking wet in the rain, and to buy a larger t-shirt that actually fits, since most of mine don't anymore haha}

Sleep: I have slept A LOT this week. I have been so tired and apparently need more sleep. Poor Mike...I'm pretty sure he thinks that's ALL I did this week...

Best moment of the week: Seeing our babies again at our perinatology appointment, and hearing that they have healthy organs and are growing right on track!

Cravings: Not really. Just starting to feel more hungry in general again.

Symptoms: This week was the first time that I didn't feel great. I didn't feel bad, necessarily, but I feel like this was the first week where I really felt the weight of pregnancy. I have had to take my rings off at night because my fingers are swollen in the morning when I wake up. Usually that goes down by the afternoon, just in time for my feet to start swelling. It's not too bad yet, but I think it's definitely starting to become more of the norm. My body has felt more achy this week, with a little more joint pain. And the most fun symptom? Apparently I have started snoring. Poor Mike...when I noticed he had slept out in the living room, I asked him if he had had trouble sleeping. As sweetly and gently as he could, he said, "yeah...babies were snoring pretty loudly..."  Haha! My poor light-sleeper hubby...

Looking forward to: Passing my glucose screening test {I'm trying to think positively!} Also looking forward to our maternity photos, having my mama in town, and celebrating our second baby shower! Lots of fun baby things this week :)

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Size of baby? About the size of a coconut or head of cauliflower, a rollerblade {??}, or an echidna {a strange animal that looks like the cross between a porcupine and a platypus} :)

Development: Babies are getting better at controlling their own body temperature, and their adrenal glands are now secreting androgen or estrogen. Their wrinkles are starting to disappear as they pack on the pounds, and they are dreaming, coughing, and practicing their breathing.

Heartbeat: At 27 weeks + 2 days, Eli's heartbeat was 169 bpm, and Maddie's heartbeat was 152 bpm. Nice and strong!

Movement: All the time now! :)  Eli still moves a lot more than his sister, and he seems to be a bit stronger too. His kicks are harder, and he must be doing some sort of acrobatics in there, though I'm not sure how he has the room. He definitely seems to like stretching out, as I often feel pressure on my bladder, while also feeling little feet up under my rib cage. Maddie isn't quite as active, though she is definitely moving more now than before. Her sweet little taps are a little bit easier for me to handle, and I'm hoping she flips back into the head down position to stay.

Gender: Our baby boy {Elijah Winn} and our baby girl {Madeline Grace} are growing like crazy!

Shy Babies + Name Reveal!

We had our monthly check up with the perinatologist, and babies are growing right on track! They both have healthy hearts, brains, kidneys, spines and blood flow. To hear the doctor say that both babies are healthy and doing great is music to our ears! 

With 2 in there, the photos are getting a little more difficult to obtain. After he kept hiding his face with his arm, we finally got a few blurry photos of baby boy, but we never could get any of baby girl. They are starting to cover each other, and she was just completely turned away. So we only have a photo of him today, which is a little bit of a bummer, but as long as they're both ok, I guess we can live without a photo...I guess baby girl was just being shy today :)

He had his face right up against the membrane that separates him from his sister...guess it's better than kicking her :)

Baby boy is still head down, but baby girl was flipped today. They still have plenty of time to move positions, so we're praying they both still end up head down. But we'll see!

Baby Boy:

- Heart rate is 169 bpm

- Weighs 2 lbs, 5 oz.

Baby Girl:

- Heart rate is 152 bpm

- Weighs 2 lbs, 10 oz.

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We were keeping tight-lipped about names until they were born, because we wanted to introduce our little boy to his namesake when he got here. But we decided to go ahead and share the name with them, so now we are sharing their names publicly. Which I am super excited about, because I have already slipped once {oops} and am ready to start using their names in conversations outside of family.

So...baby boy is named Elijah Winn {Winn is the namesake of sweet friends and mentors} and baby girl is named Madeline Grace. We chose the names because we liked them, and I was surprised at how easy it was to agree on them. I had kept a list of names that I liked, and Mike went through and picked the ones he liked. He then came back with these names, along with middle names, and I loved them! So our babies will be Eli and Maddie :)

Elijah means "my God is Lord" and Madeline Grace means "God's great grace." Again, we didn't choose names based on meaning, but we thought these still fit pretty well. We're just so excited to meet them, and it's crazy to think that it will be in about 10 {short} weeks!

Magnolia Market at the Silos

So today I hopped back in the car and headed to Waco with Susan, Lindsay, PK, and Henley to go to Magnolia Market! I have wanted to go for awhile now, mostly just to check out what all the fuss was about. So when Lindsay invited me to join, I was definitely ready to go!

We weren't sure about the weather, but decided to brave it anyway. It was definitely an adventure of a day! It poured the whole time, so we got soaked, but we had such a fun girl's day! The big girls got to shop and talk and enjoy each other's company. And the littles did SO well being dragged through the rain. There may or may not have been some fun puddle jumping...

The store is SUPER cute, and it was also SUPER busy! But thankfully we didn't have to wait in any lines to get in. We talked with some of the employees and they were all surprised by the crowds given the weather. They were actually under-staffed. And by understaffed, they mean 80 employees working instead of the usual 100. Can you imagine?? But seriously, it's a well-oiled machine. From the expected employees {like cashiers} to the inviting touches {parking lot and store greeters}, it is definitely a fun place to be. 

Shopping inside the store

Our photo with the #MilestoMagnolia sign because it was definitely pouring :)  And yes- I'm wearing a poncho, not just a plastic bag over my head.

We also made a stop at the bakery. The smell when we walked in? Warm sugar heaven :)  I want a candle with the scent of that bakery!

I love that Waco is actually a fun place to be now...such a contrast from when I was at Baylor. I fell in love with Waco before Fixer Upper made it popular...just saying ;)

27 Weeks

Is it me, or did babies grow A LOT since last week??

How far along? 27 weeks {hello third trimester!}

Days since transfer: 171 days

Total weight gain: +22.8

Maternity clothes? Yep! I was actually excited to find a sale at Destination Maternity so that I could have some cute {but mostly comfortable} dresses for my baby showers :)

Sleep: Sleep has been pretty good. I have nights where I sleep with no problem, but other nights where I wake up and just cannot go back to sleep {mostly because I can't get comfortable, can't breathe, etc}. 

Best moment of the week: Celebrating our first baby shower with family and friends in San Antonio. So many people have prayed for our precious little ones, and it was just so special to be in a room together celebrating all that the Lord has done.

Cravings: Sugar {in any form: ice cream, cookies, sweet tea...} But mostly because I am watching my sugar intake a little more closely in preparation for my glucose test in a couple of weeks. 

Symptoms: Still feeling pretty good, but definitely slowing down. My feet tend to hurt by the end of the day, and I find myself taking breaks often when I am out and about or doing things. 

Looking forward to: Seeing our babies again at our appointment with the perinatologist. I'm interested to see how much weight they have gained in the past month :)

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Size of baby? About the size of a bunch of bananas or cucumber, a camping lantern, or fennec fox :)

Development: Babies' organ systems are pretty much fully developed and now most of their growth is now in their brains. Their brains are growing at a rapid pace and are now beginning to show electrical activity. They can open and close their eyes with ease, and they are packing on the fat!

Heartbeat: Looking forward to hearing those sweet sounds on Wednesday!

Movement: Lots of movement, ALL the time! Baby Boy is active during the day, and Baby Girl is active at night. Which means {in a good way} she is not going to be bothered by her brother's movement or noise. But also means {in a way that we're not excited about} that they currently have opposite schedules. So translation: we're awake 24 hours. We're hoping this changes before and/or when they get here!

Gender: We're having a BOY and a GIRL :)

Showering the Babies :: San Antonio

This weekend, we headed to San Antonio for our first baby shower! We know it's early, but with the unknowns of twins {pre-term labor, bed rest, travel restrictions}, we didn't want to miss out celebrating with our sweet friends and family in San Antonio. So they were gracious to accommodate this first-time, Type-A mama's request for an early date :)

This shower was a combined celebration with family, friends, and our BSF family. It was so special to be in one room with so many prayer warriors who have known our journey and faithfully prayed for our little ones. We felt so blessed and so loved, and I tried to soak up every moment. There was something so special about this day even happening, and I didn't want to take a moment for granted.

The shower was hosted at a beautiful home in the Dominion, and there was no detail overlooked. Guests got to choose from either a bow or bow tie name tag {it was hosted by BSF ladies, after all!}, and were asked to record prayers and verses for our babies in a sweet book. The food was super yummy, and there was plenty of blue and pink! :)

I had 6 sweet hostesses, and I am so thankful for these ladies! Three work with my dad, and are ladies that I have known for many years. One is the wife of a guy who works with my dad {and the owner of the lovely home}, and two are my mom's oldest and dearest friends. So much love and generosity pours out from these ladies!

I loved having so many people I love {and who love us} in one room. So many prayers, so much encouragement and support, and such a sweet blessing to celebrate with them all!

My mom's 2 bestest friends...and the other 2 M&M's from my wedding day! ;)

My aunt and cousin's girlfriend

One of my oldest and dearest friends, and her sweet mom {who used to drive carpool!}

With my beautiful mama :)

People were SO generous to shower our babies with love and gifts. Each guest was asked to bring a book instead of a card, and now our babies have a HUGE library started! And I love that each book is filled with sweet words and prayers over them. So special!

Only about half the gifts we received

And my sweet hubby showed up at the end to help us load the gifts. I loved being able to introduce him to some of the people who made this day so fun and special. Our babies are already so loved!