Sunday, March 24, 2013

one down

As of today, Baby #3 has officially made it to the second trimester!  We are thrilled that things appear to be progressing normally, and the fact that this baby is on its way to our family is still quite surreal.  Thank you all so much for the well wishes you have sent our way!

Many people have asked if this pregnancy feels different since it's just one baby, by which I believe they mean easier.  Interestingly, this one has been a bit more difficult.  I was sicker during the early weeks and the fatigue has been a little greater.  It's hard, however, to separate what is pregnancy fatigue and what is twin-chasing fatigue.  Luckily, as we move into the next trimester, the nausea appears to be fading and I'm hopeful that my appetite (which is literally larger than a 17-year-old boy's) will subside.  Whatever side effects arise, though, I rest in the fact that any temporary discomfort is so worth welcoming this baby in 26 weeks.

People also keep asking how my baby bump compares with the twins.  I'm hoping to not get quite so big so fast, but I do have the whole second pregnancy thing working against me.  For anyone who is curious, I'll leave you with a current comparison:



Monday, March 18, 2013

spring chicks


We had a quick, fun mini-session with a local photographer this weekend, and the babies braved the not-so-springy weather to get a few shots outside.  B's hair was crazy, F refused to wear her bow, and I wasn't prepared to go outside and therefore didn't have appropriate shoes for either, but the babies rose above their circumstances and created a beautiful image.  I love my little Easter babies!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

expanding our set


With immense joy and humility, I am excited to share that we are expecting our third little Shafer!  We are due in September, and we couldn't be happier to be expanding our family.  Andrew and I feel overwhelmed with gratitude to be in this position.  There was a time when we thought we might have no biological children...now we are preparing to welcome our third.  I am not sure why our lives have been written in this magnificent way, but I am grateful beyond measure.

Thank you all for following along and supporting us as we started our family two years ago.  I know and am thankful that you will extend that same love and support to this next child.

And now, for your clarification, here are the answers to the questions that we continuously hear right now:

Yes, it is one baby.  We are absolutely sure.

Yes, we are excited and very much wanted this child.  

No, we did not do IVF again.  Our frozen cycle in December was not successful, but the process and meds we used helped us get pregnant the following month.

Yes, we realize that we will be extremely busy with two barely two-year-olds and a newborn.  Life will be chaotic, and we are totally okay with that.

Monday, March 11, 2013

tantrums

I was at book club tonight, and a new-ish mom had brought along her adorable 4 month old son.  Towards the end of the evening, he began to fuss in that sweet, soft way, and his mom warned us that he might have a bit of a tantrum.  Hmmmm....was there a time when I considered the soft protests of a tiny one a tantrum?  I am sure there was.  Now, however, I have learned what tantrum really means.

Take tonight, for example.  With the time change, the twins decided to refuse to take an afternoon nap.  That meant no sleeping from around 10:15 to 6:00, a superhuman task for 18 month olds.  Things were going okay--they were distracted by the presence of a fun babysitter--until I took back over at 4:00.  They wanted a snack.  I gave them blueberries.  When I told them that half a container was probably enough blueberries, chaos ensued.  They crawled around the floor pushing their bowls and yelling.  Finally, at 4:30 I gave in and said they could just have an early dinner.  Homemade lasagna and veggies.  Barnes sat happily in his high chair, but would only eat cheerios that had been placed in the cupholder portion of his tray.  Frances wanted to eat her lasagna, but if you got her anywhere near her high chair seat wailing ensued.  Somewhere in the midst of the dinner crisis, Andrew came home.

We gave up on Barnes eating and sent him on his way with a bowl of cheerios (most of which he fed to the dogs).  At some point, Andrew asked me what Barnes was doing, to which I replied "going through the trash."  Barnes had chosen tonight to figure out how to un-childproof the trash.  Sidenote--Barnes has suddenly become an eighty year old man.  He loves to blow his nose (he makes a blowing sound with his mouth) and cries multiple times a day for me to clip his nails.  So, while wading through the garbage, he pulled out a used paper towel and blew his nose.  In an effort to remove the soiled paper towel yet keep the peace, I traded him a clean napkin for his dirty garbage.  He took the bait.  Crisis averted, I thought.  Not so fast.  Seconds later, he proceeded to shred the napkin and eat the pieces.  I saw him begin to gag on the napkin pieces, called out to Andrew that he was about to lose his cheerios, and Andrew got there just in time.  And what master plan did dad have?  He tipped him over like a teapot so that the puke would only get on the floor, not on B's clothes, and therefore be easier to clean.

The night ended with drinking dirty water out of our bathtime boats, crying because we had to get out of the tub, crying because we had to wear pajamas, and generally crying because we existed.  Yes, tantrums look much different than they did at 4 months.  And I can tell they are only going to get more interesting from here.

Friday, March 8, 2013

bedtime shenanigans

Here's a little peek into the time between dinner and baths tonight:



And some brother/sister bath time love:



Sunday, March 3, 2013

first kiss

It happened at the Children's Museum yesterday.  B&F were playing at the train table, along with several other little ones.  As one boy in a striped jacket got ready to leave, he leaned over to Frances and gave her a kiss on the forehead.  No flowers, no flattery...just a kiss.  Andrew saw it.  The boy's dad saw it.  They exchanged an awkward glance.  Luckily, Andrew was feeling generous, so he didn't jump the kid or ask him about his intentions with our daughter.

On the way home, Frances refused to nap, and instead spent the ride home babbling and smiling.  We joked that she was daydreaming about her new suitor.  Young love.