Cute, smallish, CHEAP diaper bag

I wanted a cute diaper bag to carry because the main one I'm going to use is a good size for twins, but very industrial looking -- its from Land's End. All the cute ones I could find cost over $100! But, I found an adorable one today that was only $16.99!! May not be the best quality, but at that price, I can replace in a little while with whatever suits my fancy at that time. Isn't it cute??

Special Hospital Visitors!

Meant to post this earlier. I was so thrilled with Abby, Jeff and baby John came to visit me at the hospital!! Here is a great pic of me with my cousin and second cousin!! John is absolutely darling and I pray my girls are half as well behaved as he is! He was in the hospital room from about noon til 7pm and he never cried or made any upset sounds, it was unbelievable!

Progress in the nursery

The hospital stay pushed us to act quickly when it came to the nursery. We took advantage of having friends in town (Pop Kruithof and cousin Jeff) -- so the boys started painting. David finished it up this morning. The pink turned out to be a little darker than we thought (we picked the lightest color on the true pink (not purpley-pink or orangey-pink) paint swatch page). But it looks great, and its going to look even better with the white cribs and the paisley splash bedding -- which SHOULD be shipping out next week --- keep your fingers crossed!.

David is putting the cribs together in the morning, so I should have a better pic to post then!

Baby Poll -- please participate, we'll send a prize!

Be sure to vote for both Baby A and Baby B. Remember, Baby B (Pressley) has been a few ounces bigger all along. And, if they don't come on their own before, a c-section is scheduled for February 29th.

Good Luck voting!

Thanks for the Pacies Aunt Abby and Uncle Jeff!!

In...and out of the hospital

What a scary weekend we had this last weekend. As you probably know from the last post from Joelle or from us talking to you, Joelle was admitted to the hospital on Thursday after her ultrasound. The description of why we were there is in the post below (Sneak Peak). We were moved to a room in the HRP (High Risk Perinatal) ward on Saturday night. This is where all the women who have trouble with there pregnancies come to be monitored while on bed rest. The room was a bit smaller and older but it has a fridge and other amenities that make it more accommodating for long term stays and (it's still larger and nicer than most the hospital rooms I have ever seen) The understanding we had was that they moved us there because a)mom and babies were doing just fine and b) we were in it for the long haul.

Joelle was placed on meds to stop her contractions which reduced them down to like 4 contractions a day (which is normal) versus 6 or more an hour like she was having and everything else was looking good. They did a test on Sunday to see if a certain chemical was breaking down in her cervix too, which would indicate that there was a chance she would go into labor in the next 2 weeks. However, the test came back negative meaning she had less than a 1% chance of that happening. Still they told us she would stay until her 32 week mark which would be Wednesday.

So, Grandma and Granddad left Sunday night to go back to Greenville so they could have sometime to get things ready if one of them needed to come back. I also went home that evening so I could get so better sleep before going back to work Monday morning.

Monday morning, I get to the office about seven and expect to hear from Joelle soon because I know she should be up soon. She calls about 8 or so to let me know she is awake and to say good morning. Then she calls an hour later with the best news... she can go home YEA!!! So when I got off work at 4 pm I went and picked her up from the hospital and took her home where she is now restin' and relaxin'.

She is still on bed rest but at least she is home now. Her mom is now back (she had a VERY short trip home) because some one has to be with Joelle 24/7 pretty much just in case something happens she can be rushed back to the hospital.

So now mom and babies are back home and doin' fine and daddy and grandma get to take over for the nurses and take care of the house. I can already tell that Joelle is going to have a hard time with this because she can't stand to not be able to take care of the house. It may have been better for her to stay at the hospital because there at least it was out of sight and somewhat out of mind. At least now she gets to be there while we finish the girls room and but get the last few things in order for there arrival! (BTW we did start getting the nursery painted, I'll and some pictures and maybe some video of that later.)

Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts in this time of need. We could have never made it out of the hospital with out them! God Bless and I'll be talking to you soon!

A sneak peek...

We had a suprise 4D ultrasound on Thursday... check our our GORGEOUS baby girls!


Pressley (baby B) is on top and she weighed a whoppin 4.9lbs!! Lyla (baby A) is on bottom and also weighed in above average at 4.6lbs. (remember, Lyla has always been hard to see, she is SO LOW in my belly we can barely find her face, considering that, she turned out pretty well in her photo!). Both babies are so healthy! 95th and 89th percentile!! All this may be VERY important as they may make their appearance much earlier than expected.

As you've probably heard... At our ultrasound we were told my cervix was already 80% thinned. They sent me to the hospital to see if I was having contractions, and sure enough, my contractions were 6 minutes apart! I was quickly given a steroid shot to help the girls lungs develop and after a few hours of monitoring my contractions -- just to find they were getting more frequent -- I was given a shot to stop my contractions. It worked! They stopped almost immediately. I take 2 pills every 6 hours to keep them away. I have had a second steroid shot, so the girls should be in great shape! My contractions have been very few and far between (1 every 10 hours or so!). Since the girls have had their second steroid shot, we are just waiting another 24 hours until we can have a cervical swab. This swab test will show what my chances are of delivering within the next 2 weeks. If a certain chemical is present, I have a 99% chance of delivering within the next two weeks -- if that's the case, I'll be kept in the hospital on bedrest. If its negative, they may allow me to go home, but only to stay there on strict bedrest.

We will keep you all posted, and ask that you please pray for these precious little girls! Although they are big and healthy, they are a long way from being developed to the point that we want them joining us now.

Here is one final picture for you, I'm only sharing it because we are all friends and family... I'm not too fond of showing off my bare preggy belly, but.... my belly button finally popped! I was sitting in bed today and bloop! There it was!

Daddy went shopping!

Mommy had a little freak out and started worrying about not having any onesies or socks for the babies, so she sent Daddy to the mall. He came home with some DARLING outfits, but didn't satisfy her fear of not having onesies!
Daddy bought two of each.

David pushing his Daddy Train!

Whoa! This is what having twins looks like! It hit me hard tonight. He sure looks handsome as a daddy of 2, doesn't he?!?
Oh, and you get a little peek at our new apartment.

What we have so far...

Ok, time to share more of the wonderful, EXCITING baby stuff we are acquiring....

You've seen the crib and bedding, the newest addition to the nursery decor is our changing table. I bought it off of Craig's List for only $65! Its very, very sturdy. The ad said it was from Pottery Barn... I'll go with that. The changing table below is very similar to the one we have but ours has a drawer right under where the pad goes, and it has little silver towel rods on the sides for burp clothes. Anyway, here is a picture to give you an idea:

And, I had a shower in Atlanta this weekend. It was thrown by my good friend, Erin. We know Erin and her hubby Paul from our small group. It was a beautiful shower and so much fun! Mom took lots of pictures and I meant to get a copy of them from her but forgot. We got lots of good gifts. The girls in our small group chipped in to get us our pack and play (I'll post a picture of the style we chose). and we got a bottle sterilizer, some handmade burp clothes and matching passie clips, they are darling! A Christian version of Baby Einstein videos which I am thrilled about, I can't wait for our girls to see those! Some story books, some clothes, our video monitor -- David is thrilled about that and is already planning a way to position it int he room so that we're able to see both girls. It was so fun.

And, I felt the best I've felt in weeks. I thought it was because of maternity tights I was wearing -- they gave lots of good support, but my dad suggested it was the faact that I was showered with gifts... he's probably right!

Here is our pack and play:

And here is a picture of our car seats. We had a tough time figuring out which ones to buy! We were given a double snap and go which allows you to snap a carrier into it. That way we didn't have to get a stroller we didn't want just because it would hold the carriers when the girls were little. We were also given the stroller we wanted -- a Maclaren side by side. We're thrilled about that! Back to the car seats... all the ones we bought wouldn't fit, even though snap and go claims they would. So, now we have snug rides on their way. I'm quite positive they will fit, keep your fingers crossed for us!

And finally, our "coming home from the hospital outfit!". I've searched high and low for this outfit. Nothing I've seen seemed good enough for our girls. I finally found something I like and I can't wait to see them wearing this outfit. David is at the mall purchasing it as I type. I'm so excited!! It comes in an up to 7lbs size and I think that will be best for us, even if they only get to wear it a couple times. I think the next size will be too big for them as newborns. I hope you all like it.

It's Daddy's turn

Okay, so I got called out on my lack of post and I apologies to everyone as I'm sure that my comments and observations have been missed (see my last post Weird Dream I had Last Night)

Well, as Joie mentioned we scheduled our c-section and MAN is that so REAL or what. I am gonna be a DAD!!!! Now I'm sure there thousands of you out there shaking in your boots thinking "who let this guy become a dad!"...well it was God...that's who so take it up with him... okay so maybe I can try to convience you mu self as well. I hold in my hand, tonight's top 5 reasons why David should be a dad! (queue intro music and title package... no title package!?!... okay)

#5 my undying love for all things cute - anything cute must be loved!! that's one of the many reasons I love my wife and my dog currently, and whats cuter than 2 twin little baby girls?

#4 my unquenchable desire to teach everything I know to everyone I know! - okay so I'm this one frustrates 9 out of 10 of you but for my children it's GREAT. I mean I know a lot if I do say so myself and who will benefit from that more the those see me as the all knowing great one... my children!

#3 my vivid and unique imagination - for a reference I refer you again to my previous post Weird Dream I had Last Night.

#2 I AM responsible - okay this one has to be obvious to everyone... right?!?!

and the number 1 reason why David should be a dad......

The FauxHawk!!!! - okay first of all if you haven't seen it yet, I have attached a picture below. If this doesn't scream well rounded individual I don't know what does! It's a fun hairdo that you can still sport to the office on occasion (okay, my office is a little more lenient then most but even some of my friends in corporate gigs have one.) and few things are more important for a child that being well rounded (like how I tied that in don't cha!).

All kidding aside, I praise God everyday that he has the faith in me to "raise a child in the way it should go.." and I have every intention of doing just that for these 2 little girls! I can't believe it myself, but he did make me a dad and I am proud to join the ranks of some of the most wonderful people I have ever known...Dads!

I guess I have really never thought of all this until now when it's real and right there in my face... 50 days from now I will be walking out an operating room in scrubs with my 2 girls!!! It don't get much better than that!!

11:15am

Thats when my surgery will be!! That means our little angels will arrive on Friday, February 29th at 11:15am, unless they have something planned for before then!!! I'm so excited I could pop!! But, I'm trying to hold myself together for another 51 days!!!

The girls will be here in NO time!!!

I can't believe how soon they will be here and how "real" things are getting....

Before I get started, let me just say SORRY for not updating earlier. I know we're really bad about this. Although it would help if David did some updating too (hint, hint...) :o)

So, last night we toured the hospital, talk about getting you ready!! They talked about David getting in his surgical gear for the c-section and it brought tears to my eyes! I've been thinking about all the preparations I'll do to give birth but hadn't thought about David getting ready, picturing him in a little green outfit with a hair net just made it all come to life for me. While we were there we saw a set of twin boys. They were born at 36 weeks and only weighed about 4 pounds. I can't imagine!! They were so tiny and looked so fragile and they were going home the next day. The women giving us the tour was telling us about another set of twins born this week and both babies weighed 8 pounds!

I did schedule my c-section. The babies will be here by the 29th of February. The hospital is going to call me back to tell me what time my surgery is scheduled for on the 29th. And, they may come before then, but I hope not. I want them to get as big and strong as possible!! We chose the 29th so that everyone who wants to can come visit us. Its a Friday and should be easy for people to come down for the weekend and meet these precious little girls!

Hopefully I will be updating more often now. I think there will be a lot of exciting things going on, so I'm sure I'll want ot share it with you all! I have my first shower this weekend thrown by Erin from our small group. I'll have pictures and news to report this weekend. Next weekend I am going to Greenville for another shower thrown by Aunt Susan, Regina and Mother (David's aunt, sister and mom). After that I'll have more news and pictures to post after that!! And.... the nursery should start coming together over the next few weeks too. We're a little behind on all that, but thats because we were busy moving. We are finally just about completely settled in our new apartment and now we can focus on the nursery.

We ordered an awesome glider/recliner and ottoman and it should be in by the end of Jan, beginning of Feb. We chose a light beige suede so we can use it in our living room after the nursery. I would love to have a pink chair in the nursery but that will only be practical for a little while. And now David will have a "TV watching chair". He helped pick it out and can't wait till he can use it to watch tv with the girley on his lap. The chair is extra wide so it should allow me to breastfeed both babies at the same time comfortably. We bought our cribs and mattresses, they are here just waiting for the walls of the nursery to be painted so they an be assembled. We're not in a huge hurry for that since the bedding won't be here until the end of the month.

Our crib:


Our bedding:



And to wrap things up, here is a picture of Lorren and I at Christmas!


One last thing: Names, I think we have decided to go with Lyla Miller and Pressley Parker. Whatta ya think?!?