My Twin Pregnancy

Yes!  You read that right!  We had twins!  We planned one and got two!  Regardless of the fact that twins run on both sides of the family, we never expected them.  However, Andre did joke the entire time in the beginning that it was twins.  He was completely shocked, though, when it was.  When we found out we were pregnant, I bought 3 baby items and wrapped them up.  I gave one to each of the kids as a present to unwrap to announce the pregnancy.  However, when the ultrasound tech looked at me and said, "and here's baby B."  We were in a whole other ball game.

 

I had just announced to them the pregnancy at around 7 weeks.  Then about a week or two later, I was making another announcement. 

My husband loves softball and occasionally plays so I thought this was the perfect announcement for him. 

I announced the twins to the kids by setting the table for dinner and giving everybody two of everything.  Of course, they thought I was crazy.  Then, they were excited when we told them.

 

I had mostly a fairly "easy" pregnancy.  I've been blessed to have not had morning sickness with any of my pregnancies and didn't get it this time around either.

9 weeks 2 days

I already had a mommy tummy, but these babies were on the up and out!  I was showing very early.  I was also trying to get back into shape prior to the pregnancy so I continued to do so throughout.  I was running/walking almost daily up until 3 months preggers.  However, I began to spot which scared us all because we were at the 3 month mark where miscarriage was a little less likely.

13w 4 days

At the thought of miscarriage, I cried a lot.  I begin to stress over it and was constantly worrying.  Then I came to the point where I had to say that I was just going to trust God and quit stressing so much.  I wasn't helping the situation anyway.  Thankfully, after about 2 -21/2 weeks it subsided.

17 weeks 5 days

 

We were all extra excited this pregnancy being that there were going to be two little people being added. 

19weeks 2 days

 

Even though I couldn't run anymore during the pregnancy, the doctor did say that I could walk.  After being in the clear, I walked as much as I could.  I wasn't sure how big I was going to get, but I knew it would be kind of huge (from searching google).  So I tried to walk as much as I could before I couldn't anymore.  I ate pretty healthy for the most part.  My cravings were like zucchini, grilled chicken, shrimp, pear fruit cups, apple juice, Reese's, Chick fil=a lemonade and fruit snacks.  It was kind of pointless to buy them for the kids because I would eat the whole box before they were out of school.

Gender Reveal - Since Cate was the only girl, of course, she wanted sisters.  She had been praying for sisters.  My husband also wanted girls.  He claims they are easier to deal with...that is until that tween attitude has been coming out of Cate lately. lol  Caleb wanted a boy and girl because everyone would be happy.  I did too. Aj wanted guessed it would be two brothers.  Since AJ had a football game the day we found out, we made these signs to hold up after his game so he would know he was right.  Two more boys would be making their appearance soon.  Cate was devastated, but came around.  She has been claiming that she is the princess and 100 percent acts just like it. 

 

22w 5 days

I was getting bigger by the day and most people assumed that I would be put on bedrest soon.  However, I managed to stick it out.  No bedrest.  I was sleeping half the day anyway or about to appear on "Nesting Gone Wild."  I needed everything!!! The whole house needed everything and everybody had better leave me alone! lol

 

24w 6days

I didn't really buy any maternity clothes this pregnancy.  I managed to have a few pieces left over from being pregnant with Caleb that I actually had set aside to give away.  I'm glad I didn't!  I made some of my clothes work like this stretchy dress, I bought $3 clearance tanks from Walmart and wore workout pants most of the time.  I did have a bellaband that I wore over jeans when I wanted to attempt to look put together.  It also came in handy when all my shirts became too short and I needed the band to cover my stomach.

 

25-33w

Eating crunchy peanut butter on a spoon was always a thing with me and it didn't stop during pregnancy.  Look how big belly is up there.  When I was home, my stomach was always hanging out. I just always walked around with my shirt up for some reason.  I guess I was just fascinated with my growing belly.  Every week I thought it couldn't get any bigger, it did.  During week 28, I had to take a round of steroid shots in case I went into labor early.  They stung.   I was also advised just to take it easy, but walk some.  We didn't want to do anything that would put us in labor early.  I also started swelling a lot during these weeks.  I was swollen in my feet all the way to my knees.  I was still swollen two months after delivery. 

 

34w

 

I really had to thank God for each day and each week that we made it and didn't go into labor early.  Everyone would approach my huge self and say I know you're ready aren't you.  I heard "you poor thang" or "bless your heart" more times than I could count.  I'd say no.  My primary concern was not my comfort.  I wanted these babies to be born healthy, to be able to breathe on their own and not have to need NICU.  We prayed over these babies daily.  Nonetheless, we were all surprised at how far I was making it, even the doctors. 

11 days before delivery

 

That is the biggest belly I ever did see.  We managed to make it all the way to 36 weeks 2 days.  God was definitely watching over these babies.

Gosh this was a long post!  Stay tuned, the next one is all about babies, who have just woken up as I publish this.

A Wild RIde

 

Why, hello there!  It's been such a looonnng time since I've taken a break from blogging. To be honest, in between the wild ride of life, I've missed it.  There has been so much going on and it's been such a busy and exciting...and chaotic time in our lives.  I can't wait to share it all with you!

 

 

So much has happened.  The kids are like tiny adults now, and have been faithfully obsessed with soccer.  Yes, I've become a soccer mom now.  I'm kind of very slowly writing my first book and I do mean slowly!  I'm excited about it though.  I've somehow managed to wind up in the role of a speaker.  I am so not the 'stand in front of the crowd and talk' kind of person.  I've spoken at two womens' conferences at churches on the topic of  "A Woman and Finances."  I was terrified.  However, with God's grace, I managed. I'm still a stay at home mom.  However, there have been two new additions to our family!  Hence, the very slowly writing the book part. I'll have to gush all about it in a separate post.  So excited to be back with you guys and fill you in on all the Cuddles, Kisses and Chaos!

 

 

Peek A Boo

I've been hiding lately...a lot.  Mostly, I haven't figured out how to manage my time since school started and the fact that I was keeping two other little boys (not at same time) in house. (I'm still keeping one.) I felt like I was working again, a real 9 to 5. I was passed out sleep on the sofa every night! That exhaustion brought back all those old memories from teaching preschool. Lol. Caleb has been enjoying it though. He's had someone to play with on a regular basis besides me and the ducks.

We also geared up and did our annual back to school supply drive and free clothes giveaway. I'm a big believer that we should be helping one another and promoting growth and success. We all are. We even started a non profit to get this show on the road, Open Heart Outreach, Inc. This great project has been another factor of my non existence posts. We have so many ideas and projects that we can't wait to start working on! I would have linked the fb page, but I'm on my phone on the sofa under a blanket and...ummm...well...I'm just too lazy to go get on the computer. (Hey, atleast I'm honest right?)

So at night before I fall asleep on the sofa (the hubby and I are usually exhausted and fall out on the sofa), I'm on pinterest looking up everything from fundraising ideas to budget proposals to grant writing. Oh yeah and clothes, home organization, and every and anything. You know how it goes.  I'm sure you've been on pinterest.  If you haven't, don't go.  It's a trap.

The kids have been enjoying school so far. Well, Cate has. Miss Thang is pulling in straight A's, nothing less than a 95! Awesome!! She has also made up her mind to do gymnastics again.  She wakes up in the morning doing handstands and goes to sleep doing them.  I think she'll likely stick with it this time.  You can just see the light in her eyes when she watches gymnastics on tv.  I think there is a dream in the making.  She's also joined the school chorus and is very excited about performing.  I think she's making fourth grade her year to go "boom!"

 

Aj is adapting to middle school okay though he's trying to get slack on his work. He made all As and Bs and a 78.  We don't do C's at all in this house.  In fact he has never made one, neither of them. It's one thing to do your absolute best and make a C vs. not doing your best and making a C.  So we both know he wasn't performing his best and I have no desire to "handicap" my child by making him feel like that was good enough. He did good though, but I know he can do better.  I know, you may be thinking that's not that bad, but for him it is.  This is a child that excels in every area of standardized testing (which I hate by the way) and has always made mostly A's.  He is teetering into that "I need to be cool" stage. God give me strength to get through that so I don't jack him up.  He knows I'm not about that. Items have already been confiscated and priveledges revoked.

This was also his first year playing football, which I assume is part of the problem (time management wise). We didn't let him play last year to see how he adjusted to middle school and he was soooo excited about it this year.  It was like the best thing ever for him.  However, as always with our family, disaster strikes.

Apparently in his weight lifting class, he couldn't lift the bar anymore while doing bench.  Instead of easing the bar down, he just gave out fracturing his sternum.  There is nothing scarier than getting a call from the school nurse saying your child is having trouble breathing.  It's been about 8 weeks and as of now, and he's healing well.  Most of his restrictions have been lifted. However, he can't play any kind of contact sports which really sucks for him.  He couldn't even jog for the first three weeks. Not to mention that I couldn't stop yelling at the child for the first whole month: "Be Still!"  "Put that down!"  "You know you're not supposed to be doing that!" You know, I was half afraid the child was just going to break. So glad he's doing so much better!

So that's a few of the happenings that have been going on, mostly chaos.  Mostly not organized chaos.  I feel there are some huge things about to happen and I'm excited.  You know when you're not quite sure what it is, but you know God is about to do something.  Yeah.  And it was only confirmation, when a guest Pastor came to church and his wife told me that my worse days are behind me.  Hello! Can I get a AMEN!  Then she proceeded to say that I was about to come into a position of power and authority like I have never seen before.  What?  I was like wow.  I wonder what's about to happen.
Then the next day, I was like wait a minute.  That mean busy, don't it? 


Haha! Lord give me strength... and rest!

The Bucket List for 29

Well it happened.  God blessed me with another year of life (last month) and I plan on making it amazing. Another year that I'll have to think when someone asks me how old I am, because surely it's just too much to keep up with with everything else. 

I'll soon be at the big 3-0. 
You know how some people have this list of things that you should achieve or have by 30...well, I don't.  I did however come up with a list of things I would like to do this year at 29.

It took me a long time to even come up with this partial list. Of course, if you ask me about things, goals, etc for the kids, I'd come up with a billion things. This also kind of made me question if I had lost a "sense of self" since becoming mom. I guess that's something to think about.
These are a few goals, projects, activities or things I am going to do, hopefully, this year.  In no particular order.


1.  Get fit!   This is already a work in progress so it should be attainable as long as I don't quit.

2.  Read my Bible cover to cover.  I read my Bible, study, refer to scriptures but I've never read it cover to cover.  Every time I start, I end up starting over and over until I'm reading the parts I've already read again and again.  I heard there is a plan to do it in a year but I'm currently not following one. Just reading. I'd also not like to draw blank when someone is talking about a part I haven't read, yet.

3.  Volunteer more. I used to volunteer a lot. The schools, Boys and Girls Club, and churches but I've been more restricted since having Caleb who is usually clinging to me with a death grip. Hopefully, I can do more. " We are helpers one to another!"

4.  Complete a diy or sewing project at least once a month. Try to, anyway.   I really love to be creative and "invent" things but it's taken a back seat to life.  I am not by any means a seamstress but I do love to "play" on my sewing machine and am trying to learn to do more.  I usually don't have time to do so often but I really like to create projects.  Alone.  Without having to teach the kids how to "sore." I think it also serves as a stress reliever.

5.  Publish a poem.  I've been writing since forever and starting keeping my work around age 14.   One day I hope to publish one even if it's just in a local newspaper. "I am a writer perhaps because I am not a talker." - Gwendolyn Brooks

6.  Complete a 5k.  I've always been too chicken.  I'd hate to be the only one dying not long after leaving the starting line.

7.  Throw a GROWN UP party. I love to decorate and come up with ideas when I can manage the time and I've always wanted to host a dinner, brunch, party, etc that wasn't kid centered. This is also a step for me to break out of my shyness that's very borderline anti-social. Lol

Well, this is just a few for the year but I'm sure as the year comes to an end, the list will get longer. I'll think of things that I should have added, need to add and probably will add. I have a ton of goals I want to eventually do in the long run but trying to decide on the now was hard.

My list of financial goals are a book thick. Literally. I even tear out money makeover stories from Money magazine and store them in our finance notebook along with any savings, tips or advice. I've honestly wanted to chronicle our money makeover story about 2 months after starting this blog, but the hubs was like too much information. Maybe one day he'll come around and it'll be our testimony.

Have you made any goals for the year?