Birthdays

Every day Grace counts down to some event--namely birthdays.  She wants to know when everyone's birthday is and we write it on her calendar so she can see it for herself.  She discusses who is coming to her birthday and how she is having a Rock Star birthday.  If you tell her her cake is blue, she will get upset and insist it is pink.  She lives for pink anything it seems.  It's pretty cute, really.  She is such a special joy to us and we love her so much.

Here she is blowing out her 3rd birthday candles:  

Do the Math

Twins!  We are having TWO BABIES AT ONE TIME! OMG!  I thought one little girl (Grace) plus one new baby = bliss.  Apparently the Lord has something entirely different in mind.  His math is a little different than mine simply because the sum of His total is simply not mine.  I don't know how to say it other than:


       1 little girl 
    +
       2 babies 
    =    More of Jesus, Less of Me


Hence:  One Plus Two Equals More of You


Better start praying now!

Mind Blowing To Say the Least

Right after we returned from Christmas in Houston I took a pregnancy test.  It was positive.  We told our families over the next couple of days leading up to New Years.  We did not tell anyone else though.  I have always been afraid of miscarriage and the thought of telling people we were having a baby and then having to retract that statement seems like it would be extremely hard on me.  I would rather just wait and be sure everything is a-ok if possible.   But, I was extremely nauseated all the time.  I was still working full time but my head was just swimming and the constant dry-heaving was so gut-wrenching, plus it caused additional nerve pain.  I slept and stayed in bed every second I wasn't at work.  Ben became a short-order cook as he tried to figure out things I could and would eat, every hour on the hour.  He took over all cleaning, cooking and Gracie duties much to my dismay.  The entire month of January went by and I was still so sick.  It wasn't near this bad with Grace.  I still hadn't gotten my insurance stuff squared away and still hadn't seen a doctor yet.  


Finally, at 10 weeks, we scheduled an ultrasound at a Pregnancy Resource center just so I could get a little peace of mind.  I don't think we told even our family about it, except for as we drove there Ben was on the phone with his Dad and told him then.  On February 4th, as the lady did the ultrasound, Ben saw something...a second baby.  We are having twins.  I was shocked to say the least, as was he.  He literally went to his knees as he looked at the screen.  I was in total disbelief until she was able to get both heartbeats on the screen at the same time.  Ben looked like the happiest man in the world while looking like he was going to pass out all at the same time.  It was mind blowing to say the least. 


We went to Applebee's immediately after that for lunch to try to process it all.  We called Ben's parents and told them on speaker phone!  Later that evening my parents came over and we told them!  Of course, everyone was ecstatic!  I just couldn't process it.  Ben was scheduled to preach the next day but spent most of the day looking off into space in wonderment.  I spent most of my day looking online at what to expect.  Now I knew why I was so sick all the time.  Double the nausea was due to double the babies.  Who would have thought?  Not us.


We announced the pregnancy and the multiplicity to the church the next morning.