Yay for good results!

Well, I did go last week for my Glucose tolerance test and I hadn't heard back, (which I figured was a good thing) and it was! I called today just to make sure & they said my test came back completely normal, so I just wanted to post a little update and say thanks for all the prayers--I do not have gestational diabetes! Yay! haha :)

Since I posted last, we've gotten a handful of things for the babies, so I just wanted to keep everyone informed--I am updating my registry and the list on the original post as I get things. So, if you do need to see if we need something you can refer back to the original Things Needed post at any time. :) (I am only updating things as I actually receive them, so if you've told me you have something for me, I'm just waiting to change anything on my list until I have it here and can confirm it.)

I have been feeling these little babies so much now, they are constantly kicking and moving and it is wonderful. Even though things are a little overwhelming and I don't know how everything will work out, God has just laid this verse on my heart: 

1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

I think of our amazing little boy, Noah, I think of Paxton in Heaven, and daily I get to feel these precious babies, Callen & Haylee, moving & growing inside of me; knowing that they are so close to being in my arms. I could never have imagined this as it is, and I know God has even greater plans for our family. That verse overwhelms me with a joy for what we have and a peace about the future that can only come from Him, and I am so very thankful & excited. 

Once again, thank you for all the prayers, they mean so much to us! <3

Things Needed...

Well, I keep getting questions about what we need for the babies, so, I created a registry to answer that. I want to make it clear that we do not expect anything from anyone; and with that being said, we truly do appreciate any help we do get! I was not thinking of having a baby shower, but I guess there are two, so it's not as simple as normal when you've already had a baby. Either way, I'm not expecting one, and I'm certainly not throwing myself one, lol! So, this is just here for those who have been asking.

We do have all of Noah's things still, so we are not without everything by any means. In fact, worst case, we could get by with what we have (with the exception of needing clothes for Haylee) and just make things work, so these things are items that we do not have and would like to have, just to make this whole thing a lot easier.

Now, I'm posting this registry from Walmart, but if you are looking to buy us something, I honestly do not care if anything is second hand. Buy used & save the difference! :) I just figured that finding what we are looking for and listing it in one place with all the pictures and info would be a lot easier than just making up a list myself. 

I would love for any of you to help with finding the strollers or any of the big items at garage sales, thrift stores, Craigslist or whatever. I enjoy the "hunt" myself, but Ben and I have one car & I have a toddler, so I can't be everywhere at once. ;) I know that where we are currently financially, I do not have a couple hundred dollars to just spend even if I do find something for a great deal, but if I know the deal is there, my husband has been working side jobs and we may be able to swing something if it is worth it, so I do want to know. :)

So, here is the "official" list:

The link to our Walmart Registry 

Includes the mini cribs, strollers we want, nursing items I'd like, carriers, equipment that we need, & some storage items (ie: dresser, space bags, & the storage ottoman) that we are hoping for. **The colors of the wraps or nursing pillow, ect don't really matter if you find something cheaper somewhere else or have something to give us. The strollers and cribs are really the main things where we are specifically wanting those in particular. I just registered for two of their cheapest white bassinets--they have good reviews & should be the best space option for those first couple of months for us. Plus, I can add some pink and blue ribbon to make them more fun. ;)

Preemie Clothes for Haylee & Callen The hope is that we won't need these for long, but chances are the babies will be small when they're born. We shouldn't need a plethora of this size, but some definitely won't hurt! *We do have a handful of preemie clothes for both babies now, a little more won't hurt, but we shouldn't need too much more.

Clothes for Haylee! Really, we have no girl clothes except the things we have been given since we found out, so any girl clothing in any size or girl items (bibs, burp cloths, baby towels, shoes, ect) are needed! And don't worry, I have PLENTY of clothes for Callen :)

We will also be cloth diapering--I still have Noah's Flips, but we could use:

•  More Flip covers & inserts in girl colors (I'm looking to get around 5 covers & 20 stay dry inserts) Which can be found on the Cotton Babies Website *I now have a Cotton Babies Registry, which can be found here. The items listed will take you to the correct link, but you have to select the colors and snap closures (please NO hook & loop!) yourself. The colors I'm wanting are listed on the registry page, but they won't automatically be selected for you.
• I also need Newborn sized covers and inserts for both babies (Probably 4 boy covers & 4 girl covers, & 30 nb inserts) which can be bought at my friend's site Sew Cute **They may not be listed in the nb size, but if you e-mail her she will definitely be able to get you all the info**
• Also, at Sew Cute are wet bags (I'm hoping to have 2-3 more) & regular sized covers that work with my Flip system that I wouldn't mind having at all! (Some really cute girl and boy patterns that Flip doesn't offer)
• I also am wanting a couple pail liners for my diaper pail and a diaper sprayer (which is on my Cotton Babies Registry)

Sidenote: we are looking into a storage loft bed for Noah: The siblings will all be sharing a room, so we are trying to figure out as many ways to make it as functional as possible. I found this bed at Walmart.com. The drawer space and shelving is ideal--we don't need a desk or anything. But, the hefty price tag makes it a probable no. So, if anyone comes across something similar second hand, PLEASE let me know!
**We found a loft bed off craigslist that my sister (who lives with us) is going to use and it will become Noah's bed once the twins grow out of their cribs. That way, they can all still share a room and the toddler beds can go underneath it. For now, we are taking a small piece of furniture out of the nursery, rearranging things, and the mini cribs and Noah's current bed should fit. We are now looking into either a short, long dresser for the twins' clothes that will fit in the closet, or two small dressers that will fit together into the closet. I did find a dresser that would work on walmart.com and it has been added to the registry :)

We should have another car seat, an extra swing, and an extra bumbo from people who have already offered. (Extra Thank You!! inserted here to those people!) ;)

Like I said before, we do not expect anything, this post is really my own checklist and for those who want to help. I know God will provide for these little ones, just as He always has for us--sometimes that is through others & we honestly do not take that for granted. To anyone who wants to help, anyone who already has, anyone who is praying, we thank you all from the bottom of our hearts! <3

This is real!

 Well, we had our first doctor's appointment since we had the ultrasound last Monday! Really, there were no surprises this time, (thankfully! haha) and everything is still looking good. They check the babies' hearts on an ultrasound each visit now and they were both still looking great. Haylee is apparently quite the little stinker, though! She would not stay still for the midwife and I asked how she was positioned exactly--apparently she is kicking her brother! And so it begins! ;)

I am 22 weeks along now, which makes the babies somewhere around 10-11 inches long & almost 1 lb each! I will be having my Glucose test to check for diabetes, probably this week, so prayers for that are appreciated. Other than that, my next ultrasound is July 3rd and my next doctor's appointment is July 10th!  I can't wait to see my babies again <3

 

*Updated Prayer Requests:

(Bold are new things/info!)

• My health-- I am currently healthy, but I am at high risk for preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and most concerning, preterm labor. *I will go sometime this week for my Glucose test for diabetes*

• Callen & Haylee's health & growth--they are both currently healthy, PTL, but keep praying that they grow at the same rate and stay healthy for a safe delivery
• My delivery--I really would 100% prefer to be able to deliver naturally & without an epidural. A C-section is my worst fear. Obviously, I will do whatever it takes for my babies, but I would greatly appreciate the prayers to be able to do it on my own with no complications. This is possible, and no, I'm not crazy. :) *As long as the first baby comes head down, a natural delivery is the plan*
•  Noah--to adjust well, as this will hit him as a surprise more than anyone else
• 38 weeks is considered Full term for twins and that is my goal. My official due date is October 13th, which puts 38 weeks at September 29th.**My doctors' goal is 35 weeks, but they won't rush anything if I go longer. Obviously, the longer they're cooking the more developed they will be!**
• Our finances--Ben works two jobs plus sides jobs now, I would love for him to find one, good, full time job that he enjoys.
• A big enough car--we currently have a 2 door cavalier >.<
• Wisdom in this whole journey!
• That I will be able to fully breastfeed these babies--I *should* be able to, just pray for my emotions, and that I can keep up with taking care of myself so I am healthy enough to nurse both without supplementing.
• That we can figure out an affordable storage solution--we're looking into a shed or something for all the baby things and clothes. Our house is pretty small :) 

We truly appreciate your prayers and support, it means so much to our whole little family!

Double Blessings

Well, this idea of a blog has tossed in my head for the entire week. So, here we go!

As many of you may already know, I am expecting twins! Monday, June 4th, 2012 may as well go down in Anson family history as the day our minds were blown. In all seriousness, I figure I'll tell the whole story here. From beginning to end--for a couple of reasons. First of all, why not have a written record of this journey for ourselves? This is something I think these babies would love to be able to look back at--how they made their entrance into this world. And secondly, this can help field and answer questions, concerns, and keep everyone who care informed while keeping a bulk of stuff off of Facebook--for those who don't want to drown in baby information and updates. :)

So, here is the Anson twin story from beginning until now... 

(Bear with me, I'm sure this will be the longest post I make!)

In February of this year I found out that I was pregnant. After having a miscarriage at 8.5 weeks with our angel baby, Paxton, in December, this was amazing news. Obviously, not without some concerns, though. At my first doctor's appointment on February 22, my doctor did an ultrasound to see how this baby was doing. At 6.5 weeks along we saw what looked like a healthy little blob. The heart was beating and everything looked great. Mind you, we saw ONE healthy blob. One tiny sac and one tiny baby embryo. In fact, my doctor was certain there was just one, certain enough to specifically point out there was just one, and not two. (Oh, the irony.)

 

Well, we were ecstatic that all was well, we were even more happy once we got past 8.5 weeks, and we were especially thrilled to get through the first trimester. 

Our Pregnancy Announcement on FB 

 First Ultrasound of "one" Baby

But let me tell you--this pregnancy was brutal. With my first (Noah) I was sick some, but I never threw up and it was hardly intolerable. I had hormone headaches here and there, but never frequent. And, I was small, I didn't clearly start showing until I was at least 16-18 weeks along. Well, not this time. I still have yet to throw up, but I was ALWAYS sick. Like, so sick I could hardly do a thing. Headaches became more normal than not, and I spent most of my first trimester and a lot of the beginning of my second trimester plastered to the couch--only rising when completely necessary to change Noah or feed him. (Or to force feed myself.) This all got chalked up to the baby being a girl. You know, the whole, "girls make you more sick" theory. I kept telling myself that, and saying it would be worth it if it was a girl since we wanted one so bad. Aside from that, I started showing right away. As in, able to post a visible tiny bump pic at seven weeks. Craziness. This was, of course, given to the fact that it was my second (well, actually third) pregnancy, and you just stretch out and blow up much faster than the first. ;) Jokes and comments were made about twins, goodness, I thought about it a lot too; but, I was always reassured, because we only saw one baby and at every appointment there was just one heartbeat. And surely, no one goes this long and has "surprise" twins anymore. Ha!

7 week Baby Bump--Note the comments. Priceless.

The Surprise:

And here we are friends, at Monday, June 4th, 2012 at 9:00am. We are finally in the waiting room for our ultrasound so we can finally see if we get our girl this time. I swear, I felt so uneasy--like I knew it wasn't going to be simple. In fact, Ben and I had both been having dreams that we had to rush around and prepare double of everything for twins, or that we were sorting all these things we were given and keep two of everything. We talked about it that morning and then shrugged it off as being silly. I know it was still nagging at the back of my mind, though. I was being a silent spaz about it all, so when the tech came in and started entering our info in and starting the small talk, I kept telling myself that my crazy nerves were just me hoping it was a girl. 

The technician moved that thing across my stomach and I saw one baby, and then I thought I saw a baby again as she went across--about a million things shot through my mind in the matter of seconds it took for her to say, "I'm assuming you didn't know you were having twins?" I just stared for a second and then asked her if she was joking. She assured me that they don't joke about that type of thing. I'm pretty sure the next thing I did was lean over to Ben and he basically asked the same question again. Then, we both just said, "Wow." It was pretty quiet for the next minute or so and we kept going back and forth saying things like: Twins? This is great! Oh, man, we need a bigger car--like now. Where are we going to put two cribs? This explains a lot. I thought when I felt the kicking it was really spread out...

That poor lady had to take over 120 pictures of each baby unexpectedly, all while giving info, fielding questions and trying to show us what we were looking at. She was sure right away about both genders and said that both babies are very close to the cervix. "Baby A" is usually the baby deemed the most likely to come out first and "Baby B" would obviously be the second. She thought our girl, (Haylee) who is on my right was Baby A & our boy, (Callen) who is on my left was Baby B. After all was said & done, the doctor that came in to check everything said he thought Callen was more likely Baby A, but it doesn't matter too much since we won't mix them up. The twins are fraternal--which we learned is not genetic, but just by chance. Apparently, identical twins are the only hereditary kind. And no, twins do not run in either of our families.

 TWINS Annoucement on FB :)

We left the doctor basically walking on cloud nine. I don't think you could beat the smile off either of our faces. We had planned on revealing the gender of the baby with a photo that afternoon to everyone, including our parents, but we couldn't make them wait for this news. We called Ben's mom, we called my mom, and then Ben's mom called back. She had to ask if we were joking. ;) I called Emily to inform her that we needed two balloons instead of one, and that we were running a little late for the pictures. I swear it all went by in a blur. We finally got home, told Maria (my little sister) and then had to wait for Ben's parents with the balloons, because there's apparently a helium shortage and anywhere we stopped was out. Figures. haha. So, I had to take all the heat from everyone anxiously awaiting our gender reveal. Man, was I getting some texts, messages, and comments. You all were crazy! I say that with love. We took pictures faster than I thought possible, (thankfully too, because Noah popped the balloons right away, lol!) and then the next thing I knew, I was in the car on the road to Ohio with my mom and sister. Getting those pictures from Emily and getting to finally see all the reactions was priceless. Oh, how I love technology! :)

Honestly, I always said growing up that I wanted to have a set of boy/girl twins, but it was always one of those things that you say and never actually expect to happen to you. I mean, after I got pregnant with Noah, reality set in and I wasn't so adamant about that desire anymore, lol! But, twins was always something Ben and I talked about, whether we truly thought it would ever happen or not. 

Prayer Requests:

• My health-- I am currently healthy, but I am at high risk for preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and most concerning, preterm labor. 

• Callen & Haylee's health & growth--they are both currently healthy, PTL, but keep praying that they grow at the same rate and stay healthy for a safe delivery
• My delivery--I really would 100% prefer to be able to deliver naturally & without an epidural. A C-section is my worst fear. Obviously, I will do whatever it takes for my babies, but I would greatly appreciate the prayers to be able to do it on my own with no complications. This is possible, and no, I'm not crazy. :)
•  Noah--to adjust well, as this will hit him as a surprise more than anyone else
• 38 weeks is considered Full term for twins and that is my goal. My official due date is October 13th, which puts 38 weeks at September 29th.
• Our finances--Ben works two jobs plus sides jobs now, I would love for him to find one, good, full time job that he enjoys.
• A big enough car--we currently have a 2 door cavalier >.<
• Wisdom in this whole journey! 

We are so excited. Yes, it is a little scary. Yes, it is quite overwhelming. But, it is a good overwhelming. I know God does not do anything on accident. I know Paxton's life and death was not an accident, and I know God had His perfect timing and perfect hand in creating these beautiful little lives that are growing inside of me now. God isn't throwing us a curve ball, He created us to be the parents of all four of our children and we're just now getting to experience it. I was made to be Noah's mom, I was made to be a mom with a baby in Heaven, and I was made to be a mom of multiples. That sounds crazy to me when I think of how two changes things, but God planned this and made me for it. I find that amazing. How blessed am I, that God would entrust these precious lives to me? We are doubly blessed, for sure.