friday fun

We like to keep our Fridays interesting around here. I've been having off and on stabbing lower back pains over the last week, and yesterday when I woke up I could barely walk. I called my doctor to tell him that they were still happening, and when I arrived for a quick check-in they instructed me to go over to triage at the hospital to make sure these weren't actually contractions. Based on some other symptoms I've been experiencing, they were also concerned with my blood pressure, which unfortunately was slightly elevated when they checked it at the office.

After walking over to the hospital and getting several bands strapped around my belly, my blood pressure went down and we determined that there were no contractions (which I had been trying to tell them the whole time). We were able to come home rather quickly, thankfully with no babies in tow yet.

Following a couple of hours of rest, the babies went to their first major concert...Taylor Swift. It was fabulous! The babies can hear now, and they kicked and danced the whole time. I think they are going to be music lovers!

Note: The babies' actual first concert was Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors, who I strongly recommend you check out. They were only 13 weeks old then, though, so they couldn't hear yet. No worries--they will have plenty of DH&N in their future.

measuring up

We had an ultrasound to check the twins' growth today, and they are still looking wonderful! Baby boy is estimated to weigh 2 pounds 4 ounces, which puts him in the 72nd percentile--woohoo! Baby girl is lagging behind a bit at 1 pound 12 ounces--only the 15th percentile. We wish that baby girl would grow a bit more, but there is nothing we can do about it. Andrew and I were both very small babies, and anyone who has seen Andrew's sister Rebecca knows that small genes run in that family. My plan is to keep eating and hope they continue to grow, grow, grow!

sweet carolina

On Friday, Andrew's mom and sisters hosted a wonderful baby shower for us in Greenville, South Carolina (Andrew's hometown). It was a wonderful evening...so many people came by, and we were truly overwhelmed by the generosity we were shown. We are incredibly thankful for our fabulous Carolina friends and family.

The night was made even sweeter by the fact that Andrew's entire family was able to be there. A month after we were married, Andrew's middle sister Rebecca became a religious sister with the Nashville Dominicans (Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia). We get to visit her in Nashville several times a year, but last week she was able to come home for the first time in four years. Having her with us to celebrate Bit & Bitty's upcoming arrival was a real treat.

We were having so much fun that we forgot to take pictures for most of the night, but here are a few we managed to snap:

Elizabeth (Andrew's youngest sister) playing bartender

hand-knit stuffed animals from the sisters (with matching cookies)

Andrew and his high school friends

our first two children getting ready for the shower

the Shafer family

the ever-expanding belly...

Happy 26 weeks from Hilton Head Island! Andrew and I spent a few days at the beach this week before my travel restrictions kick in, and while we were resting my belly was growing. The babies love the sunshine...every day they have moved around like crazy while we were lounging in our chairs. We've been able to actually see them move more than ever before, which provided quite a show while I was sporting my ever-fashionable maternity swimsuits. So excited to know they are thriving in there!

official 26 week belly pic

the most beautiful faces...

Although we weren't planning to, today we decided to pop into a 3D ultrasound place and take a peek at the babies. Wow, are we glad we did. It was amazing! For the first time, the little jumpers in my belly really looked like little people!!! We came home with 65 photos on a cd as well as a 25 minute dvd of the ultrasound, and I just couldn't wait to share.

This is both babies together, though they were almost too big to get into one shot. Baby Girl is on the left, and you can see her face, arms, and legs. The circle on the right is Baby Boy, and they are looking towards each other.

Baby Boy's sweet face!

Baby Boy again

Baby Boy showing off his flexibility...that's his foot right next to his face!

Sweet Baby Girl! She has her face basically pressed against my uterus, which is why her nose is so smooshed.

More Baby Girl!

Baby Girl with her hand by her face.

And one final picture of our Baby Boy....love it!

pregnant bridesmaid and shower #2

This past weekend, Andrew and I traveled to my hometown, Huntingdon, Tennessee, for two wonderful celebrations. First, I was honored to stand beside one of my long-time best friends while she married her sweet husband. They are a beautiful, kind couple who love each other and the Lord, and their wedding was fabulous, despite the torrential downpours that threatened to ruin the reception site. The great thing about a small town is that people care about each other and are willing to band together on a Saturday to give a bride the wedding of her dreams. Saturday morning the tent was more of a swamp, but by 3:00 that afternoon there was an 8,000 square foot wooden floor down. The reception was saved, and the twins & I were able to boogie down to Super T all night long.

the bride and me at the rehearsal dinner

our beautiful bouquets

Me and the bride...isn't she beautiful?!?! And I must say that my alterations lady did a great job making a non-maternity dress fit around my twin-filled belly.

On Sunday, my sister (who traveled all the way from Virginia) and my aunts hosted a perfect shower for the twins. It was wonderful to see faces from my childhood, and the twins received many beautiful gifts. Lots of sweet blankets, outfits, diapers, and other items to store away as we await their arrival this fall!

I love cake!!!

adorable decorations

our hostesses- Aunt Kim, Aunt Carol, me, Christina (my sister), and Aunt Martha

my mom and me

my sweet niece Suzanna

Now we're prepping for our last bit of travel before my travel restrictions kick in. Andrew's sister Rebecca is home, so we will be visiting his family, and then we're off for our last kid-free beach trip. 25 weeks and counting!

the magical land of "viability"

Yesterday we hit 24 weeks, and this was a milestone I've been dying to reach. This is the first time the twins are actually considered viable, meaning if they were born now they have a good chance of survival with serious medical intervention. Of course, they would likely face life long challenges, and we don't want them to be born anytime remotely soon, but it's nice to know that they would stand a fighting chance. From this point forward, each week is a little victory.

At my appointment on Monday, everything checked out perfectly. It was such a relief to see our two little ones swimming around like crazy. Apparently I am very susceptible to braxton hicks contractions, and this will most likely be a recurring issue throughout the remainder of the pregnancy. The difficult thing is knowing when it's no big deal and when we should call and/or go in to get checked. At the risk of annoying my doctors, I plan to err on the side of caution.

Between the summer heat and the growing belly, I am starting to feel more tired, but overall am feeling great. Little things can be exhausting, so I'm trying to take lots of breaks throughout the day and space out my "to do's" a bit. Cooper and Stella are loving all of my couch time and are getting in plenty of cuddling before the babies come. The babies seem to love couch time as well. When I lay down, they move around like crazy, which I absolutely love! Last night, they actually woke me up with their acrobatics--it was the most I had felt them and was truly fascinating.

My belly is getting quite round...it's crazy to think that it may continue to grow for 14 more weeks! I am up about 22 pounds from my IVF weight (my IVF/infertility meds weight was more than my usual weight)--this is the first and probably the last time I will be sharing my weight gain stats.

Thanks for all of the kind words after my post this weekend. Please keep praying for these babies to stay safely inside for many more weeks!