The Name Game

Help!!! Finding our baby girl's name is proving to be difficult. Devon and I cannot agree on anything...well, in my mind, he is the difficult one. He doesn't really come up with any names, he just sits there and negs every single one I think of. So we have a list and now I'm deciding that a name poll is going to help us decide...maybe. I'm at a loss, I just need Devon to agree on one of these. I know I sound like a pushy pants but I'm scared this babe is going to be born nameless.

Kick Me Please!!

Is this the first time in you life you ever said that on a daily and nightly basis? I love it. It's kickn' time and these little tots are kicking like crazy. I notice it almost all day now. For a time there, it was just Baby A or Presenting Baby Girl. Then Griffin, Baby B or Non-Presenting Baby Boy began chiming in. I feel them alot after meals and at night when I'm laying in bed. It's truly amazing and the most exciting and fulfilling part of pregnancy. Then you become obsessed with every movement...."was that feet or was that a punch?". I just cannot believe how big they are getting now. As of now, at 21 weeks, they are as long as carrots and almost weigh a lb. It's crazy! I just cannot imagine how big I am going to get as they grow to (hopefully) 6 or 7 lbs. each. I'm just praying all the food I'm eating isn't all going to my ass (even though that's the looks of it right now, sadly). I look in the mirror and the music starts to play in my head "Baby Got Back". It's partially dreadful. I'm trying really hard not to pay too much attention. I know once the babes are here, my life will change and so will my body (eventually).
Keep kicking babies! I love you!

Basketball and Ballet

These are two of the passions my husband and I have each had, separately, throughout our lives. And now, we will be able to share these passions with two more glorious additions to our family. We will have a new baby boy and a new baby girl to round out our crew. My ultrasound on Wednesday left me floating on Cloud 9...and Devon too. When the u/s tech announced a girl, I was sure I was going to be a mother of 3 girls....and then she announced that the second one had "Boy parts!!"...I almost fell off the table. I was so happy that I wanted to jump up and down (in fact I think I did later). I just wished deep down in my heart that one of these babies would be a boy for my husband. I know he really wants a son...what dad wouldn't? All along, he just kept saying..."happy and healthy..that's all I care about..". And of course, I know that this is true, but I also know my husband pretty well and his love for sports and the desire I see on his face when he sees my BIL or one of his friends play ball with their sons. He doesn't say anything, but I know.

I am so excited beyond belief that Lilly will have a sister. My two sisters are my best friends in the whole wide world. We call eachother almost everyday and have shared so many memories together; happy and sad. I always wanted Lilly to have that sort of soul mate that I have in my sisters. Now she will have her very own soul mate; her very own sister. The birth of these two babies will be the greatest gifts I will ever give to my daughter. That is why dh and I tried so hard to have more children. We were not going to allow infertility to stop us from obtaining this dream.

I want to thank God for the words that came out of the u/s tech's and the doctor's mouths..."Everything looks great to me!". That's all I needed to hear in order for my lungs to open and allow myself to breathe again. My babies are growing perfectly on target for 19 weeks. Their organs and measurments all checked out normal. Thank you thank you thank you, God. I know this is just a screening and they cannot guarantee anything 100%, but it's enough for me to know in my heart that these babies will be born healthy and happy. And I promise with my whole being that I am going to avoid worrying about it for the remainder of my pregnancy. I am adament now that since I'm halfway through the very last pregnancy of my life, that I will enjoy every kick, every ache and pain, every huff and puff and every tight pinch of clothing elastic that my next four months has in store. That is a promise I can keep!

I also felt my very first real kick the other night while lying in bed. It was amazing and poetic. It had to have been our little boy b/c he is the non-presenting baby and I felt it right up by the bottom of my ribcage. I'm sure he will be the active one of the two..ha..ha.

I just cannot believe I am halfway to meeting my next two children. I feel so incredibly blessed and I find it hard to believe I am where I am in life right now. It is a faraway place from where I was this time last year. And it's amazing to think what life will be like next year.
BUSY but happy! I'm sure. : )))

Wednesday, Wednesday???!

Can you hurry up and get here, please? Okay, I've waited long enough to find out what these babies are! Will I even use any of Lilly's clothes? Will my nephew's old hand-me-downs be appropriate? Will Lilly have brother's or sister's or both? I'm so anxious to know...I can't wait but I'm also a bit nervous. If there was only one baby, I wouldn't be finding out at all...but with two babies, I need some preparation. Having twins is a happy surprise that just won't wear off.
I'm also nervous b/c looming in the back of my mind is the hope that the babies are measuring exactly normal for their gestational age. I'm hoping they measure healthy and all their stats look good. My ob/gyn gave me a 1:660 odds of Down's Syndrome. Mostly, this is due to my age and nothing that came up strange in my bloodwork or NT scan. But it still has me on edge. When I was pregnant with Lilly, I think the odds were 1:1000. It's unreal how it just drops with a few more years. It's causing me to fight with the dreaded insomnia again. For the past few nights I've been waking up at 4am and not able to go back to sleep. I'll be SO ready for these babies when they get here. My body is on high alert as it is. : )))

The Closer

We closed! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! I really cannot express the relief I have that the house is officially sold and we are DONE moving! For now, anyway. I have to say, it's alot of work! I already told Devon that we better find our dream house b/c we are never moving again..ha..ha. Too much. I am really enjoying this one-level living too. It's so easy to get everything done quickly. Not much to clean either, which is the BEST! I'm off to the lawyer's office today to pick up our check from the close. I told Devon I'd be good and bring it right home (even though a shopping spree sounds perfect right now! I could do some serious damage..ha!). And on another wonderful note, the sun is shining. After 3 full days of nothing but drenching downpours, this is such a refreshing sight to see.

I Love My In-Laws!!!

I really wish more people could say this, truly. I hear so many stories. I have to tell you that my in-laws really are the most wonderful people. I think I landed under a lucky star when I married my husband, b/c not only is he absolutely fabulous (of course ; ), but he comes from the closest, happiest, most caring and fun family. Sorry to sound so sappy and overboard, but I can't help it, it's been on my mind alot lately. Sometimes it just amazes me that I got so lucky.

Do you ever look back at your life, look at the difficult times (which we've all had, here and there) and think how you ever got to where you are today? I do, all the time, as a matter of fact. My immediate family is great too, don't get me wrong. I love them with all of my heart and they are a blast! But who gets lucky enough to have two incredible families? Of course, there are the typical ups and downs like any family has, but they are invisible compared to all the laughs and great memories we have created with eachother.

I guess the reason I bring this up is b/c we had such a beautiful reunion with Devon's Aunt B. and Uncle J. a couple of weekends ago (see pics). They live in Florida and so we don't get to see them often enough. The last time we were able to visit with them was when they were gracious enough to travel up and attend our wedding in 2005. I correspond with Devon's aunt all the time, but it was so refreshing to sit down, have a glass of lemonade and catch up with her in person. Part of the reason why it was so special is b/c Devon's mom, Linda, died of ovarian cancer when Devon was 21. He was 2 weeks away from graduating college when she died. She battled cancer on and off for a few years. I know Devon has never been the same since she passed away, it was very hard on him and his dad and sister. Devon's Aunt B. was his mom's only sibling. That is why visiting with her was such a special event. It gave us all a chance (especially Devon and his sister) to talk about Linda and all the wonderful, loving memories they all have of her life. It is so hard to accept that such terrible things happen to such wonderful people.

Devon's dad eventually got remarried to an AMAZING woman, Mary. I love her with all of my heart, she is like another mother/best friend to me. Mary and Devon's dad are already planning to come up for a week to stay with us after the twins are born. I am beyond thrilled! They are the best, we never have to ask them for anything. They are always offering to help with everything, when they don't have to. They are fantastic people and I cannot express how appreciative I am to have them as my family.

I just rec'd these wonderful pictures in the mail from Aunt B. in Florida. These pics were from their visit to us in Massachusetts a couple of weeks ago. It was a priceless day with alot of laughs, memories and tons of delicous food! I wish I could have had one of those delicious cocktails they were making but I have to say, the ginger ale spritzers that my BIL, Pete, made were just perfect for me. : )))

I Miss Him!!

Alright, it's the third week of the football season and I just gotta say, I really really miss my second husband. Why oh why did you have to go and get hurt, Tommy!! Sad, sad, sad.....

: (((((