Hello World!!!

Just wanted to let everyone know that the 3 of us are doing good. I have happily settled into my new home and am feeling great. Like Brad said, Monday we were certainly hit by a MackTruck with all of this. Tuesday was a little more of the same-just worry and shock. Brad stayed with me that night on the air mattress and poor guy froze to the bone. I have never seen him even cold in seven years and he was asking for extra blankets in the middle of the night and he had goosebumps all day on Wednesday. Wednesday we did the surgery and it went as well as it could. I was a WRECK to say the least. One, I am TERRIBLE with medical procedures so I was very nervous. Secondly, I was so worried for the babies. After you sign all of the consents telling you that the procedure could have complications like losing the pregnancy - you get a little freaked out. Add the pregnancy hormones to all that and I was one teary girl. I just kept apologizing to Brad telling him I was trying to be really brave! They basically hung me upside down and I remember hearing what I kept thinking was a huge can of shaving cream-still don't know what that was though and I keep forgetting to ask my dr. It was relatively quick and I must add that the spinal was the craziest thing I have ever experienced!
I really did well afterwards too. They insisted on pain meds to keep everything quiet and I was flat for 48 hours-no getting out of bed for any reason.
Thursday, I got a spa bath...a really nice term for bed bath. It was actually WONDERFUL. I felt much better but still just longed to wash my hair.
Friday was a sicky day b/c they put me back on prenatals-in the morning and on an empty stomach-my fault. I slept most of the day. The BEST thing happened though at about 4:30...I GOT SHOWER PRIVALEDGES!!! You cannot EVEN imagine the joy of washing your hair after 5 days. I thought I would start crying in the shower b/c it was so great. My dr came in after and I told him I would lay flat as long as he told me as long as I could shower every few days-I wasn't going to push daily :)
So, there is our week! Again, the babies are perfect and as long as their mommy can hold up we should be good. I am here for the duration and honestly just thankful the drs caught all of this. I can handle anything as long as they are ok. I actually thought today that I am good at being alone and in silence. I am pretty mellow and Brad was more annoyed that I was just laying here in silence and asked me if I wanted to take up knitting??? I just laughed histerically!
Most of all, thank you for all of the calls, visits, and prayers. The prayers are the most important thing we all need now.
I will keep posting as much as I have Brad's laptop. I have funny pics to take already :)

The Mack Truck

Brad here (yes, I'm blogging for the first time). I'm sitting in Plano Presbyterian Hospital with Meredith who has just been placed on permanent bed rest. We went to the perinatologist for our 20 week sonogram on Monday afternoon and got a really good report on the twins. Then the Mack Truck hit. At the end of the visit, he measured her cervix and it was 9mm. I'm no doctor, but I've heard that anything less than 25 is not good. The perinatologist sent us immediately to our OB who measured it again and it was 10 or 11mm. At that point, they admitted her into the hospital to be put on complete bed rest. This morning (Wed), they performed a cerclage, which is a fancy way of saying they stitched up her cervix to prevent early labor. She is 20 weeks and 0 days today, so there's a long way to go and the chances of her going home before the babies get here are slim and none.

We're making ourselves at home here. We have internet access, a dvd player, and tons of books and magazines to keep her occupied, not to mention a refrigerator where we can keep junk food that will help her gain that 50 lbs! I'll do my best to keep this blog updated and once she's feeling better in a few days, she may start doing a little bit of this herself. She's a trooper and has a really good attitude about all of it, so I'm really proud of her and the sacrifice she has made and continues to make for our twins. Thank you to all of you who have already sent e-mails and called - we really do appreciate your support and prayers.

Making Progress!

<<<12 weeks! I honestly thought I was so HUGE! I laugh at that now...

Here I am at 20 weeks and know that I still have a LONG way (hopefully) to go! (excuse the fact that I have no eyelashes)>>>

I have been feeling good. No real problems except for the probable kidney stone I had on Thursday. That was miserable-luckily-I was able to pull over into the McDonald's parking lot when I got sick and the pain passed in about 30 minutes or so. They couldn't find any other stones in the kidneys so that is encouraging-maybe just a one time deal! I am my mother's daughter and my sister's sister when it comes to the kidney stones.

We go to the perinatologist tomorrow for the BIG sono. Since I just had one on Friday I'm not too anxious. They both have been looking great and it has been so fun to feel them kick and bounce around. Brad finally felt them last night which was too fun-he just kept going ooh, whoa, oh, everytime they kicked and then would show me on my stomach where they kicked! It was funny. And they loved church today-kicked the ENTIRE time!


Here is a MUCH better picture of the Nursery. We have made room for the new stuff that will go in there...bought the cribs yesterday so as long as we can fit them in there we are good! We got just plain straight dropside cribs in espresso and we are going to hopefully get Matt to make us a dresser to match. You can kind of see the fabrics we are using too. It is going to be pretty cute I think...I hope :)

Last but not least, we went on our final Va-Kay last weekend. We went to Lake Tahoe with my family. It was a LOT of fun, chaotic of course, and absolutely BEAUTIFUL. I just wished we could have hiked, biked, and canoed like we did in Canada last summer but with my "restricted activity of all kinds" we rode the trolley with all the elderly to see the beautiful views. Here are a few photos...It truly is a beautiful lake and the weather was SOOO nice-only in the 70's for highs which was quite enjoyable to this prego. I took several naps while we were there and although Brad wanted to probably be outside, he never complained a bit...although I'm sure it was because it allowed him to watch the US Open all weekend! Guess that's all for now and will give you a little update to tied you over. I HAVE to post more sono pics too-we have a GILLION that are soo precious...several 3D ones already too. Another post...gotta go eat...OH OF WHICH I HAVE GAINED 7 POUNDS...thank you very much...I got a Gold Star from my doctor on Friday...He was proud...I basically eat butter by the pound, whole milk by the gallon, and lots of CHEESE...food sure is going to taste different after this pregnancy when I have to eat healthy again...

Terrible Blogger

Quick updates for everyone! We are doing great! All four of us. We have had 4 or5 sono's since my last post I think and all have been great. Well, I take that back. We did the nuchal fold screening and Baby B's measurement came back abnormal but the bloodwork was fine and the perinatologist that did it only spent 10 minutes on the sono. (all of my others are around 45 min)
We were worried at first but not so much now b/c they are keeping SUCH a CLOSE eye on them. Structurally they are perfect as far as they can see now. We did our follow up with my sister's perinatologist and he was FANTASTIC. He spent more time talking to us BEFORE the sono than the other guy did the ENTIRE appointment. So again, he was FANTASTIC.
Both babies are growing good. They each weigh 6 oz as of Monday and I officially started feeling them (or at least B) this week. I think I felt A today-it was more on my left side and that's where A is sitting.


We have been so busy of course! My parents are building a lake house which is going to be incredible and I can't wait for it to be finished. (We are thinking Thanksgiving) and their lot is awesome. It has lots of trees and the PERFECT fishing hole. The girls each caught 3 or more fish one Saturday. Reid was hilarious b/c she didn't even know what she was doing and she would just reel hers in and squeal with joy saying, "I catched a worm AGAIN!" and would just be soooo excited! Abby and Mallory were very patient fishergirls and caught lots and loved it. BUT DID NOT want to touch any of the fish. The boys however wanted to touch all of them. They loved the fish, the boats, and throwing the sticks in the water. They are going to love having a place to run around. Good thing Dad is putting a fence along the property so they don't go flying off into the lake! My dad is so thrilled that he is getting more grandkids that he has already changed the plans for the upstairs bunkroom for the kids and knocked out the attic to make the bunkroom bigger. He is hilarious.

THE BIGGEST SURPRISE OF ALL THESE DAYS THOUGH IS....Brad painted the nursery! Now, I understand this is what most fathers do. However, read on...
I went to Las Vegas over Memorial Day weekend for work-boring Dental convention-honestly. Anyways, before I left I was feeling a little overwhelmed by the list of things we have to do before these children arrive or before I go on the looming fear of bedrest. I LOVE decorating, doing everyone else's nursery's etc...but I have not been my usual decision making self lately. I basically just told Brad, Ah, let's just paint it the color of Will's room. He kept asking me if I was sure and I just kept saying, "It's fine, It's khaki, It's neutral. Whatever!" I just couldn't think of anything else to do and the thought of cute stripes or murals or anything overwhelmed me.
LITTLE DID I KNOW...Daddy was plotting! Keep in mind, Brad is NOT creative. I don't say that negatively, he is the thinker, the analytical one, the number cruncher. I am the creative one. Well, he picked colors, designed the border, EVERYTHING and did it ALL while I was gone! I sat in the floor and boo-hoo'd b/c I LOVE is SOOO much. His parents and brother all helped get it done in time but he came up with he whole idea and everything. Keep in mind, we still have all the junk in the room b/c we have to move stuff around and don't have a place yet-this weekend we are doing that...so here it is...it is khaki on the top, one shade darker on the bottom, and then has the diamond border with alternating khaki, green, and brown diamonds. It matches the fabrics perfectly and again- I LOVE IT! I will do better pictures when the room is cleaned out.
I will post some current sono pics and my belly pics later. It is getting big! I am 17+ weeks and look much further along-but there's two so that's ok! I actually got in trouble with the dr on Monday b/c I had LOST weight. Not trying, just the summer is here and I'm in my 2nd trimester - I don't know. I have been stuffing myself since Monday. Lots of mini meals and Ensure drinks to supplement. They are quick and easy at work.
Sorry for the LONG post...but hey, it's an update!