Last Day of School

Wednesday, May 23 was E's last day of pre-school. He was so sad. I had a mix of emotions. On one hand I was so indescribably happy not to have to do the load, unload, load circus routine with all the kids but I loved seeing Elliot's excitement, seeing him grow, and getting a short break.

Here's a look at the "excitement" in the backseat of my van before heading in for his last day:

The grumpies didn't last long. Him and Hadley were bickering over something (nothing out of the ordinary there) but he was all smiles as soon as we headed in the door. I promise!

The girls and I had a playdate while Elliot was at school. We've gone to Miss Courtney's house several times this year to hang out with her and her kiddos during pre-school and we've LOVED it! Adelyn & Kailyn hang out with their 'boyfriend' and Hadley gets to play with her buddy. I have to admit this was another reason I was sad to see school end. It was such a good reason for us to hang out!

Pick-up was kind of emotional. The teacher cried. I cried. All of the moms cried. Elliot had an amazing teacher this year. I can't say enough good things about Mrs. Julie! One thing I know for sure is that those who are called to be pre-school teachers are very special people! After our very last pre-school pick up most of us headed over to a nearby park for lunch and the boys got a chance to run and play together again. 

Here is Elliot and his teacher on Thursday night after our song and story end of the year celebration:

He is going to miss her SO much! 

Pictorial Trip Down Memory Lane

On my laptop I have a folder named P&P which stands for Petey and Pepper. Those are the names we usually went by at camp. In fact Petey is still what I call my husband. I refer to him as Mike with some people but calling him that? No way, jose. That's just too weird. Anyway, this folder contains only pictures of us. I keep it as the first album in my pictures folder so that I can flip through them often and see just how old we've gotten ;) Seriously, we were BABIES in some of our first pictures!  And, anyone who knows me knows that this barely scratches the surface of all the pictures of the two of us.

Here, take a look for yourself:

Our first picture taken of the two of us June 27, 2006 {my birthday}

Fourth of July 2006 Photo marathon - I'll spare you & only post one. Trust me there are several baaaad ones!

September 4, 2006 - Jed & Jess's wedding; also the day before we officially started dating. That wedding was hands down one of the most awkward experiences of my life. Don't even get me started on the 14+ hour (one way) drive alone with Petey. Awkward. Awkward. Awkward.

November 4, 2006 - Mini golf for our 2 month anniversary (also my parent's wedding anniversary)

December 16, 2006 - Holidazzle Parade - Minneapolis, MN

ENGAGED!!!! January 7, 2007 

March 28, 2007 - hanging out and wedding planning (seriously, BABIES!)

June 23, 2007 - P-Cov Wedding Shower. Yes, those are potato heads

MARRIED!! August 11, 2007 - Twin Lakes, IA

(Also, the hottest day in the history)

April 17, 2008 - One day after being admitted to hospital at 25 weeks pregnant. 

July 2008 - Elliot's first bath at MumMum's house

February 18, 2009 - Surprise!! Little Cupcake is on the way!

October 20, 2009 - Hadley Elizabeth is born!

October 2011 - Our crazy, busy little family!

Flashback

Today, on a whim, I checked out our old CaringBridge site we used when I was pregnant with Elliot. His fourth birthday is approaching faster than I care to acknowledge. It blows my mind that he is going to be four. It just does not seem possible as many days it feels like we left that hospital just yesterday. So, for anyone out there that may be interested here is the entry from May 21, 2008:

We've been here for 5 weeks! WOW!! It's crazy to think that we hopefully only have 3 weeks or so left. Life is sure full of surprises ;) We have another BPP & growth ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow morning so we'll get another chance to get a good look at him - maybe even see his face ;) It will be good to see how he is growing and to see how much progress he has made that last 3 weeks!

Petey is off getting his eyes checked today so he can get new glasses!! Yay for no more supergluing them together! I'm working on studying for a couple of tests that need to be taken for school. My mind seems to be settling down enough to let me do this so hopefully I'll do well!

Five weeks. Right now it's hard for me to imagine being in any one stationary place for 5 weeks - we have one speed around here and it is go, go, go as fast as you can. Sometimes I wonder how I ever made it through eight whole weeks of staring at the same four walls day after day and sitting in the same bed day after day and looking at the same roof and flower shop day after day. I know I would do it again in a heartbeat but wow that is a long time. This morning I flipped through some of our other entries and, as it always has before, I was amazed at how far my little man has come. Four years ago we didn't know how our story would end. We didn't know if it would be a happy ending or a tragic one. We didn't know if we would be in for a lifetime of struggles with him or if it would be smooth sailing after the hospital. No other experience in my life has made me believe so much in the power in prayer. We have been beyond blessed with Mr. E.

And, for your viewing pleasure here is a picture from May 16, 2008. This was my first time breathing fresh air outside the hospital in a month. I was finally granted permission to take a quick wheelchair ride outside with my husband. I remember it being absolutely, gloriously, beautiful and refreshing!

Please don't hold my ghostly appearance against me! It was snowy the day I was admitted to the hospital and it is pretty impossible to catch any sun while you're stuck in a bed!

Spring Soccer 2012

Elliot finished his second 'season' of soccer over Mother's Day weekend. We actually only made it to 3 out of his 6 games :/ When we signed up we didn't have anything planned and thought we'd be able to make it to a majority of the games. Sorry Green Team! Despite missing half of the games he still LOVED being out there, running around, occasionally kicking the ball and being with his buds. Like in the fall he preferred the practice portion since everyone had their own ball & he always got to kick it. He has improved in the respect of listening to instructions and actually doing what is asked. He also didn't run off the field at random times or need to hold the coach's hand during the whole game. So all in all a grand improvement. We're skipping the summer season but hoping to be back at it in the fall. Little sister will miss the cut-off for Fall soccer but hopefully next spring we'll have her out there kicking some butt I mean ball. ;)

My little Pele on his last day of soccer.

Four years......

This post is a few days old - should have been posted April 16th but I wasn't able to post here on that day. So, here it is.....

Four years ago....I was scared for my baby's life and for my own.
Four years ago....I was thankful to be pregnant.
Four years ago....I had no idea stuff like this actually happened to people.
Four years ago....I wised up faster than I thought possible.
Four years ago....I prayed. I cried. I prayed while I cried.
Four years ago....I tried my best to put my brave face on.
Four years ago....I realized my dreams for my baby boy had drastically changed.
Four years ago....I still dreamed about the little baby I loved but had never seen.
Four years ago....I had a huge life lesson in the preciousness of life.
Four years ago....I was grateful for everyday I had.
Four years ago....I wondered what God was doing. Didn't he care about me? My baby?
Four years ago....I clung onto Him with everything I had.
Four years ago....

I've been feeling a bit 'off' the last few days. It's not something I've vocalized to anyone but it's been there nonetheless. This time of year always makes me edgy and emotional. It's hard to think about the events that led up to me being in the hospital - those long hard weeks, the ups and downs and scary moments. It is still hard for me to accept the fact my body failed both me and Elliot. I hate that he had such a rough start to his life. I know his start wasn't as rough as it could have been had he come that crazy day in April. Mostly this time of year is emotional because I know it very well could have been the time we said good-bye to Elliot before even getting to know him. At 25 weeks it's kind of a toss up on whether or not you have a good outcome. I'm grateful the nurses, doctors and staff at United/Children's were up front and honest with us about the road ahead. As hard as it was to be in that hospital I'm grateful for every single day my body was able to help Elliot develop. Granted, my body was a bit of a hostile place for him but still better than a lonely little isolette. Four years ago I took pregnancy for granted. We hadn't planned on getting pregnant when we did so obviously the actually conceiving part wasn't hard for us. I was finishing up school and getting ready to graduate. I wasn't thinking that much about being a mom yet. That was something for me to think about after the middle of May. After graduation. After we moved. I went from student mode to full on Mommy mode immediately. It took awhile for the seriousness of April 16 to sink in but as it did the gravity of the situation we were in weighed down. As I've watched Elliot grow and blossom I've always reflected back on what could have been. I know. I know. I should just let it go and be thankful he is who he is today & that we didn't have a micro-preemie. But, thinking about 'what could have been' always brings me back to place of thankfulness. A place of contentment. My baby boy is here. He is alive. He is growing. He is thriving. He is hilarious. He drives me nuts. He is so sweet. He is my Elliot and I wouldn't change him for the world.

So, April 16 is always a hard day for me and I think it probably always will be. It doesn't seem like it could possible be four years already. It feels like yesterday & I can recall moments from that day so vividly it is frightening. I actually checked the calendar and counted on my fingers to make sure I had calculated right. But, yes, it has been four years. My first baby will be four in eight short weeks which also means my youngest babies will be one nine days prior. Whoa......that's a whole different brand of emotional!

John Deere

At the beginning of the year Mike made the decision to begin pursuing a job at John Deere. It was a hard decision for us to make as we loved the company he was working for but our family grew much faster than we had anticipated and our bank account was running dry. The decision was made solely because of money. It was one aspect but not the cause. As much as we loved & believed in the company he was working with we were feeling led to at least check out what John Deere had to offer. It has since become a little clearer as to why God was leading us this way but I'll save that for another post and another time.

The interview and hiring process was super fast and efficient and they were very, very interested in him which, I think, was a great confidence boost for him. He started February 27. Adjusting to a new place and a new schedule has been interesting but we're getting into the groove. The biggest adjustment for me has been having to take Elliot to pre-school and pick him up. Everytime. This is probably old hat to most other moms but I was super spoiled with Husband's old job since he was able to set his own schedule & come and go when he needed to. This was great for me since he would take him to school on his way to work, then pick him up & meet me somewhere so I didn't have to unbuckle, unload, load, unbuckle all the girls each time. We've gotten into a pretty good groove now but we're still kind of a circus. Elliot is usually bouncing off the walls excited, Hadley is usually being a drama queen & 75% of the time she's throwing a fit on our way in in the morning. I wear one of the girls in the Baby K'tan & push the other one in an umbrella stroller. I've recently started bribing Hadley with treats just so she'll get out of the van and come with us. After having her almost get run over by a van in the parking lot I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep her from going into full fledged drama queen mode in the middle of the parking lot. Yesterday Mrs. J told us we only have 8 classes left. WHAT?!?!?!? Last night I signed Elliot up for a couple summer programs to help keep him busy :)

Anyway, back to John Deere. It's been a good move and one that we believe was in the best interest of our family. Hopefully soon we can elaborate on why we believe it was divine leading. I know. I know you're all probably sitting on the edge of your seat ;) But until then you can enjoy a picture of the kidlets in their John Deere get-up.

31 weeks (almost)

Tomorrow will officially mark 31 weeks but today was my 31 week appointment. Everything checked out really well which was a relief! My weight was up a little up which is to be expected. My blood pressure was the lowest it's been in quite awhile. I thought it was a fluke last week when they checked it at the diabetes center but I guess not. I fully expected it to go UP the further along I got but instead it seems to be going down. Cervix is still closed which is a relief and makes me feel more confident that I'll be able to cook these girls a few more weeks. I'm measuring at 44cm this week which is equivalent to being 44 weeks pregnant with a single baby - not comfortable at all if you can imagine! I told Petey that I knew I was incredibly large when my toddlers disappeared under my belly and I walked over them. So, that might give you a bit of a visual.......

It seems like absolute craziness to me that I'm down to saying 'weeks' until they get here instead of 'months'. It makes this all seem so much more real although I'll admit I'm not sure I'll 100% believe this is all true until I'm holding TWO babies at once. Two of my own babies. Want to know what else is craziness? Taking two toddler to the "baby doctor" with us. Baby doctor is what Elliot calls any of my doctors. As soon as he heard I was going to see the baby doctor today he insisted on coming along and helped pick out quiet toys to take with. My purse was ready to burst!! They both did really well in the waiting room and in the exam room. As soon as the doctor came in Hadley was not so sure about all of this anymore and she was NOT ok with someone touching her mommy. Elliot was so into watching his baby sisters on the small ultrasound screen that he didn't care at all. Daddy had to lift him up so he could see it even better.

Speaking of Elliot...it has been so much fun to see how much he understands lately. I know he doesn't completely comprehend the fact that he's going to have two new baby sisters but he seems to have a pretty good understanding for a little guy his age. He will tell anyone who asks that his Mommy is having two babies and that they are "down there" meaning in the tummy. Lately he seems to think he has two babies in his tummy  - not sure where he got that but it's a fairly new thing. He talks about his baby sisters and prays for his baby sisters which just melts a person's heart. I am actually kind of excited to see him with them. He can be such a sweetheart and seems to have a soft spot for babies. As for Hadley....let's just say she has never been ok with sharing her mommy or daddy with any other baby even for a few minutes. And, if the way she reacted to the doctor checking me today is any indication we could be in for an interesting adjustment period!

Egg Hunt

Sunday, April 10, 2011

It's that time of year again!! I love Easter. I love that it means Spring is here (usually at least) and I love the reminder of what my Savior did for me. I'll also admit I do enjoy some of the cheesier aspects of the holiday as well - like coloring eggs, filling and hunting for eggs, the bunnies, ducks and getting together with family. We're planning to have an egg hunt for the kids at home but we also wanted somewhere for them to go in the community. We knew we were going to miss the egg hunt in Peosta since we were planning to visit family the weekend it was happening so we happened to hear about one at Heritage Manor in Dubuque.

We talked to the kids about hunting for eggs before they took a nap on Sunday and when Elliot woke up he was ready to go! He helped me find their baskets and then anxiously waited for his sister to get up. When Daddy got home from church we loaded up the munchkins and headed to town.

It was such a beautiful day but unfortunately it was pretty toasty inside the building and it was a bit difficult to keep our little people occupied while we waited for things to get underway. The children were all split up according to ages & fortunately both Elliot & Hadley were in the same group. They can be pretty lost without each other sometimes. They had a great time walking the halls with the other kids and when they were given the word to begin collecting they got right down to business. Elliot was a little machine and had his basket full in no time at all. Hadley was a bit more methodical but it didn't take her long to get her basket mostly filled up as well. It was so much fun watching them snatch the eggs and fill their baskets!!

Tommy Train

Most people probably know this character better by the name of Thomas but to Elliot he is Tommy Train. For someone who has never watched the Thomas the Train show he sure is obsessed. His Tommy Train puzzle is one of his most favorite things to do. He asks (ahem....begs) daily for me to help him put it together. I usually oblige a few times only to have him tear it apart and ask for it to be put back together again. He is getting pretty good at figuring out which pieces go where & his favorites to put together are Thomas' number and his face. He's a regular ol' pro with those pieces! Sometimes it amazes me how the simplest things can bring him such joy and it never ceases to put a smile on my face! Elliot is so proud of himself after we have it put together!

I do it!

"I do it! I do it! I do it myself!" Yep, folks we definitely have a 2 year old resident in our house and he likes to let us know how independent he is - or how independent he thinks he is ;) I do like to help him foster this independence while still reminding him who is in charge (MOM!). This morning he wanted to get dressed so I sent him to his room to pick out a shirt to wear and told him to bring me a diaper as well. He returned a couple minutes later with an entire sleeve of diapers, a pair of jeans and a shirt. He picked out a whole outfit and it all matched! I was so proud. The best part: he didn't even make a mess out of his drawer. What a big boy!

So....the jeans are a little short but in his defense they were the only jeans in his drawer at the time. The rest of them are in a laundry basket waiting to be put away!

Identical

That's right folks - identical twins. I had my first ultrasound at the doctor's office today and fortunately I think their tech is great since we'll be seeing quite a bit of each other. She said that typically she will do a growth scan on the babies every four weeks and possibly more than that depending on how things go. She also said that every time I'm at the office one of the doctor's will do a quick ultrasound to check the heartbeat since using a doppler isn't as accurate when you're trying to track more than one little one. I'll also start having more frequent visits earlier than a woman would if she were only having one baby. I'll learn more details on that next month when I meet with the doctors for the first time.

The ultrasound tech was able to tell pretty quickly that they're identical little babies. They share one single placenta and are in the same chorion together. She tried for a long time to find a membrane separating the two and while she thinks she saw one she's not 100% sure which at this moment isn't cause for concern. If we find out definitively at some point that there isn't a membrane separating them into their own amniotic sacs then we start to worry. Even so carrying identical twins who share a placenta has some additional risks. I won't go into detail about that here - no need to worry about it unless it becomes an issue at some point.

Both of them are measuring the same size which is fantastic. Baby A is measuring 12 weeks 5 days (6.31 cm) and Baby B is measuring the same (6.32 cm) According to LMP (last menstrual period) I am 12 weeks 6 days so they are measuring just perfect. Baby A had a heartrate of 165 and Baby B's was 159. It's still too early to tell whether they are boys or girls (although I do have a hunch ;) but we all agreed that we thought we saw 2 arms and 2 legs on each of them! Both babies were pretty quiet at first but by the time we were finished both of them were bopping around in there - it's the sweetest thing to see your little babies moving and grooving on the screen!

In other baby related news Elliot is starting to grasp the concept that there are babies in Mommy's tummy. I've had to teach him not to squish the babies since he's used to using me as a springboard to get where ever it is that he wants to get! He now tells them sorry, rubs my belly and gives them kisses. It melts my heart every.single.time. He can be a wild and crazy little guy but deep down I think he's a softy with a big heart. When we ask him how many babies Mommy is going to have he answers: "Two little babies!!" while holding up two fingers of course! Hadley still doesn't quite get the baby thing - I think she will have the hardest time adjusting to new little people in the house!