Sneak Peak at 31 weeks

We had a good appointment today!  I had some contractions last night that were uncomfortable, which hasn't happened so far.  I have had plenty of Braxton Hicks contractions, but they were never uncomfortable for me.  Last night was for sure different, which had me a little nervous because we need a few more weeks to bake!  My doctor was ok with that because they weren't regular, I guess it is just my body's way of preparing.

We found out today that May is 3lb 12oz, and Tatum is 4lb 1oz.  Bigger than I thought!!! They said they should be around 6lbs if we make it to 37- that would be 12 lbs of babies, friends! They did another BPP test this week, which checks a variety of things and the girls each scored 8/8 on their tests.  Everything seems to be on track to go to term, which is all we can ask for!  I feel so lucky to have gotten to see them grow throughout the pregnancy week by week.  It has really been awesome, since I think I only got to see Tybee and Amelia 3 times throughout the whole pregnancy.  I feel like I have a much better eye looking at an ultrasound anyway!

After today I will see each of my doctors every week (at least).  So LOTS of appointments coming soon!  I am ever so grateful for Mom who has been able to pick up my slack on the days I have appointments when the girls are not in school.  She has really been a big help in that way and many others!  She certainly got her time in with Dreft and baby stained clothes this week anyway!  And I can't forget to thank Auntie Rachel for being a traveling hair stylist!!  I was about to loose it (and looked like I had) before she got here to recover my 2 inch roots!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

As always, we appreciate all of the prayers sent our way for our health and a term pregnancy, as well as the rest of the family in general.  Lots of changes are coming our way, and we hope to handle new challenges with grace and patience.  The next 6 weeks and thereafter will be interesting to navigate for sure!

Below are some good pictures from today's ultrasound- don't worry Tatum doesn't have something weird coming out of her forehead, it is just the way the picture came out.  I can't get over how much they look like real babies now!  We were very lucky to get a picture of May, as Tatum was kicking her in the head the majority of the time while we were trying to get a peek at her!  And yes, that means May is head down and Tatum is, well mostly sideways and on occasion turns one way or the other to kick May and I.  We need her to stop kicking her sister and turn head down!  I can already tell she is a stinker!

Enjoy!!

We've come a long way, babies...

I can't believe how soon we will be meeting our newest little girls!  You would think that a twin pregnancy would seem to drag on, especially for the Mommy, but it has seemed to fly by!  I am guessing it is mostly because we have had a lot of new things take place beginning the same time as this pregnancy did, and the fact that term for a twin pregnancy is 4 weeks sooner than that of a single baby.  Either way, we are getting CLOSE!  

We are in the process now of sanitizing bottles, washing clothes in Dreft (and removing those mystery baby stains- where DO they come from??), cleaning old baby toys, and washing loads and loads of blankets, burp cloths, seat liners, sheets, and anything else I can disconnect and clean.  I am thankful that we are close enough that it is easy for Mom to ride up and let me boss her around, it is really nice.  

We still have a few things to do before the nursery is complete, but nothing that is really stressing me out.  Once it was painted, the crib was put together, and the curtains were hung, I felt better.  

Another project in the works is making some sort of identity anklet for the tiny ones.  I am not sure that I want to rely solely on nail polish colors to keep them apart.  Hopefully we can fashion something that is soft, small, and safe, but helps us know who is who (for sure).  

Although we still have several things to do, I feel like hitting 30 weeks was the- "ok, for real y'all, they're coming" point for us.  We went to a multiples class last weekend (2 days, 4 1/2 hours each!).  We had been to one before we had Tybee, but thought a little refresher would be nice, as well as the new information about twins, mostly concerning how we get them here.  We both felt more prepared when we finished.  There are just a lot of the things you forget, and with there being a little more uncertainty about delivery this time around, it is nice to know what to expect in all of the different scenarios.  

We are all getting anxious to meet the girls, but still need them to stick it out until the end.  The last couple of weeks are proving to be more uncomfortable in getting around and sleeping, but if that is all I have to deal with I am a lucky girl!  Right now I am measuring a regular 36 week belly (at 30 weeks)...makes me wonder what the actual 36 week belly will look like.  It's kind of scary.

Please keep us in your prayers for a healthy, full term pregnancy.  We have definitely felt the ones that have been sent up so far- the Good Lord is the only reason that we have all done so well this far, and we are so grateful for these little lives.

 5 weeks

 12 weeks

 20 weeks

 21 weeks

 Tybee and babies 21 weeks

 Amelia and babies 21 weeks

 22 weeks

 24 weeks

 26 weeks

 27 weeks

 28 weeks

 29 weeks

30 weeks

Our first snow in Alabama

After a whole week of low temperatures and school delays and closings... we FINALLY got enough snow to go out and play in!  The girls have fussed all week about all of their KY buddies getting so much snow and the snow here only sticking to the roof.  Amelia sadly declared that she had not made one snow angel this year.  It's a little bit of an adjustment on the weather end of things here..

So- at about 1/4 inch we bundled up and headed out for some powdery snow fun.  They made the most of it for sure- that's one thing you can count on the good people of Alabama to do.  We don't take snow for granted.  If it is remotely sticking we are going out in it!  We saw garbage can sleds, kids piled on trampolines, and teeny tiny snowmen, while enjoying the smell of wood burning fires and listening to the rattle of four wheelers cruising through to check out the accumulation.  I think we were out for 30 minutes.  That's one thing I did miss in Kentucky-snowthusiasm, that is.  We may not have much snow here, but we sure are spunky when we do!  Stay warm, Bama buddies, and Lord help you if you don't have your bread and milk!

 A little magnolia snow for your viewing pleasure...

 Skippy didn't miss out on the fun either.

Daddy's Birthday

Another year older for Daddy Clay!  He is officially "in his 30s" now.  Tybee and Amelia were very enthusiastic about his big day.  The girls declared it "the best day of their lives" possible because of the snow flurries that morning- but never-the-less Daddy's day got credit for it.  Tybee protested that we not make him a cheesecake, but instead get a cake from the ice cream shop (she spied them when I took them for ice cream the week before).  We made Daddy a nice big card, took him for some Mexican food, and sang his birthday song as he blew out his candles for the 31st time!  It was fairly low key, but enjoyed by us all.  We are thankful for the best Daddy there is and for all he does for us!  Happy Day, Daddy Clay!

Big Sister Class

The girls got to take a sibling class to get ready for the babies.  They were well prepared with their baby dolls and onsies to decorate for their new sisters.  They got to hear all about the different things a baby needs and ways they can help as the big sister.  Then, we got to tour the hospital and let the kiddos see where they would meet their new siblings when it is time.  They enjoyed learning about their helpful new role- we still have a little diaper practice to do though...

Back to Blue

You may or may not have noticed that I never gave a good solid farewell post to Lexington.  Well, that's because I can't.  I just can't admit that "goodbye" is appropriate.  We made the kind of friends there that aren't just passers by, they are our extended family.  So, as you can imagine, sneaking in a trip to visit (although just for a day) made me ever so happy-but boy did it show me how much we miss them/there all at the same time!  

When we arrived we took a trip to one of our favorite spots, Josie's, for a little lunch, and had a MUCH TOO SHORT visit with buddies who may or may not have been exposed to the flu virus...so we were cautious and decided to wave and be happy with seeing each others' faces.  We headed over to the old neighborhood and were greeted by all of the happy faces of our friends in the hood!  I had tried to get Clay to honk the horn as we drove down the street, but to my surprise they were all already in the house we were headed to!  They had pulled off such a nice surprise shower for Ali and I!!!  It conveniently worked out that we were coming the same time they had planned to shower Ali and Matt for their new baby boy, so they pulled off a double shower for us without us even knowing it!  It was so great to see everyone and laugh and talk and catch up.  We definitely left with a full car of baby necessities and happy gifts, but wanting more time with everyone.

This was the picture I snapped before my camera battery died...Lovely cake made by Amanda for all three sweet little ones!  I should have more pictures from Ali to share soon!

Thanks to our Lexington peeps- we love you guys and miss you more than you can know!

Aunts and Uncles and First Cousins, oh my!

As most already know, we are REALLY excited to welcome another little one into the family!!!!  Clay and I will finally become Uncle Clay and Aunt Natalie to a sweet little bundle in July!  We are so excited about most excellent cousin time there is to be!  Tybee and Amelia can't wait for all of the baby shenanigans.  I am most excited about how close in age this little sweetie pie will be to our little ladies!  Barb and Dave will go from 2 grandchildren to 4 to 5 in just a few months!  I really sometimes daydream about how cute they will be at Christmas time!  Congratulations to Katie and Landon!  We are overjoyed to welcome your sweet new baby!!!