Due Date

Well, it has finally arrived! My official, full-term, 40-week due date is today...Easter. Of course, I gave birth on February 12th -- which now feels like a lifetime ago and reminds me yet again just how early the twins really came.

We had a big family gathering at our house yesterday. My grandfather (aka Papa) got to meet the twins for the first time. It was nice getting several of my aunts, uncles and cousins over for a big meal. I've always loved family time, but I especially love it now since they just whisk the twins away the moment they walk in the door. I am convinced my family thinks we are the two biggest liars on the planet because the twins are perfect, sweet, non-fussy angels when we have guests over. The moment everyone leaves, of course, they cry, scream and keep us up all night. Anyway, we had a good time.

Damn, it is COLD here in Austin. We had freezing rain, sleet, and all that good stuff yesterday which had never happened in central Texas in April. Last week I had on the A/C and was walking around the house in shorts.

My mom was here for the weekend which was awesome. When my mom is here that means I get to sleep a a full night's rest.

Now I don't want to jinx myself here, BUT...the twins seem to be doing a little better. They have increased their food in the last few days and are sleeping for longer periods of time between feedings. Carson is taking 3 to 3.5 ounces now (up from 2 oz), and Kate is taking 2.5 ounces regularly (up from 1 to 2 oz). During the day they are often sleeping 3-4 hours at a stretch. Carson is also sleeping that long at night, but Kate is getting up every 2-ish hours between 12 AM and 8 AM. I've also noticed that their awake/alert/active periods are getting longer during the day. Instead of eating and then wanting to go straight back to sleep, they are now wanting to be a part of the action. They look around, they play in their bouncy seats, etc...the last thing they want is to go back to bed.

Oh, and I did not get to meet the possible nanny on Friday. There was a miscommunication thanks to the King of Miscommunication (Mark). Apparently, he did not tell her that I was coming up to his office that afternoon with the twins for the Egg Hunt and wanted to meet her. She thought I was coming to see her next week. So now I have to figure out a way to go up there next week.

30-something....eek!

I was going to write a long, deep retrospective on my 20s, but who the hell has time for that?! So here are two photos taken today.

I had a good 30th birthday. I had some family and friends stop by...which was extra nice because they did most of the baby "maintenance" for the day. Then Mark and I went out for a very nice seafood dinner. We had planned to go see some stand-up comedy (one of our favorite things), but we were both just so exhausted after dinner that we blew it off and went home instead (further evidence that I'm getting old).

Perhaps I will write more about the ending on one era and the beginning of another one day when I have some free time...HA HA...as if that exists anymore.

Oh, and for the 6th year in a row (i.e., for as long as I've been with Mark), my mother-in-law has forgotten my birthday. No call, no card, no gift, nada. Reason #172 she is called the monster-in-law.

First Visitors

My cousins Julie (who has 6 month old twin boys) and Jil stopped by for a quick visit with the twins. We had a good first full day home...get a routine down, feel less overwhelmed, and grateful that my mom is here! She did "night duty" last night with the twins, and let Mark and I get a full night's rest. It was one of the best gifts she has ever given me!

The Final Baby Shower

Saturday's baby shower was a lot of fun! The weather was absolutely horrible (cold/icy and wet) and we thought that may drop the attendance, but we still had a nice turn-out. My Aunt Cindy, Aunt Kathy and cousin Jil hosted the shower at Cindy's house. They truly went all out on food, decorations and gifts.

At my first shower in Tyler (my hometown), I received a ton of beautiful clothes. My twins will be the best dressed in Austin for sure, but I was a little nervous that I had not gotten much off of my registry (i.e., needed baby gear). This shower was all about the essentials. We got a lot of feeding stuff (bottles, sterilizers, etc.), our double stroller, Boppy pillows, diapers, diaper bags, etc. We also got several monogrammed/personalized items...my Aunt Cindy made two gorgeous quilts for the twins with their names on it, pillows, etc.

The whole concept of registries makes me uncomfortable. It made me uncomfortable when we got married and had our bridal registry and the same holds true for baby registries. I am not totally sure I see the point because people (in my experience) rarely buy off of it. They like to buy cute baby clothes and other things they feel I will need. It's just so foreign to me to essentially say, 'I want this, this and this!'

I am pretty well stocked now on twin gear. The only things I lack are: another high-chair (I have one of the two I registered for), bouncy seats, and a Pack-n-Play. I will go buy those once the weather gets a bit better. I have one swing, but I am not sure if I need a second one. What do you think?

The only thing about the shower that was a disappointment was my no-show Realtor friends. Even though I stopped working in September, they have all kept up with my pregnancy and they know I will be returning to the world of real estate once the twins are old enough. Frankly, it kinda pissed me off. I have been to countless baby and bridal showers for these women that I have worked with for years. Not a single one attended or even RSVP'ed one way or the other. Oh well.

My mom went home yesterday morning. She helped me a lot get the nursery better organized. It's more of a challenge than you may think when you are dealing with two different genders and baby clothes that range from preemie to 2T sizes! I had a good visit with her. My mother-in-law wasn't able to come to the shower because she was iced in up in Dallas. Once again, oh well.

I am fresh out of clever titles today

My stupid glucose numbers are out-of-whack again. They have been so good and stable for months now -- thanks to 4 shots of insulin per day -- but now that my third trimester is a week away, they are nuts again. So I was on the phone to one of my many nurses this evening, discussing all of this and making adjustments to my insulin levels. Basically, the third trimester is the hardest for diabetics and we will need to increase my insulin a lot every week.

Ugh, I will be glad when that part of this journey is over. I don't mind the injections. They honestly do not hurt at all, but I HATE the blood testing.

I also put in a call to my OB's nurse. I have been feeling this strange "popping" feeling down low on my belly. I really can't describe it. At first it felt like gas bubbles/pain, but not really. It didn't feel like baby movement either. She told me it sounded exactly like "Twin A" (i.e., the girl) had the hiccups! I guess that's good news...sounds like her little lungs are starting to get ready for some practice.

I got out and went to two stores today, and then went on a little drive around town. It was nice to have the windows down and the radio turned up. It felt like freedom.

I guess the only thing else I have to report is getting a random email from a long-lost distant cousin on my dad's side of the family. I have heard of this cousin before, and it was nice hearing about his life and how he had heard about the twins. More about this as it develops.

Ho-Ho-Hum

I woke up this morning to the aromas of my hubby's famous breakfast -- omelet with mushrooms and smoked cheese, bacon, biscuits, sausage, etc. He made a fest for me and mom before she headed off to San Antonio. It has been incredibly chilly and rainy. Perfect for napping in front of the fireplace....which I did a good deal of yesterday.

I was a bit sad to see my mom leave so early this morning. I did not get to spend much time with her (she was here a day and a half), and we really did not do much of anything. She likes to "pet" my belly and talk about the twins as if they are already here. We talked about my fears about birth and wondered what they twins would look like. She reminded me about how much fun next Christmas will be with 9 month old babies and all the fun times that are literally just a few months away. She also told me how proud she is of me -- that I've handled this high-risk pregnancy amazingly well, surprising even my doctors, and she's never heard me really complain about it. I guess that comes from wanting something so badly for years and finally getting it.

The night before I gave Hubby the new golf clubs he wanted so badly. So, he went out and braved all the crazy last-minute shoppers looking for a new golf bag and driver. He was as giddy as a kid! I think I might be half crazy to be giving him new golf clubs a few months before we have infant twins to take care of, but he really wanted them.

We had plans to go out to eat last night, but due to the nasty "perfect-for-getting-sick-in" weather, we opted to cook steaks, baked potatoes and green beans here at the house.

Photos: The only Christmas decoration we did this year...a pathetic little table tree. Mom added the twins' Christmas bears. The second photo is of Hubby's new golf clubs.

Low-Key Visit with Mom

Mom came into town yesterday at noon. We have had a nice, peaceful visit. Usually she runs me all over town (have I mentioned she's a shopoholic?), but I think it's finally setting in that I am just too big and pregnant for that kind of activity right now.

Yesterday evening, me, mom, and Hubby went up to Leander (a northern 'burb of Austin) to visit with my aunt, uncle, cousin and cousin's twin babies. We had dinner and I got to spend a lot of time holding, feeding and talking to the babies. Despite all accounts I've heard to the contrary, the babies were sweet and quiet. Absolute doll babies! I could literally feel my maternal instincts coming out. I think I will look forward to when my twins are about 3-months old -- not so fragile.

This morning Hubby decided to give me my Christmas gift early...a stunning 3-stone diamond necklace. One stone for him and each of the twins. I could tell he was a bit nervous giving it to me or that he thought I had figured out I was getting it. Anyway, it's beautiful! I will have it forever and one day give it to our daughter.

Anyway, I think we are going out for dinner tonight, and then mom is headed to San Antonio in the morning to pick up my Papa. Then they are off to Houston for Christmas with the extended family. My mother-in-law called and told me she won't be coming next week to visit. I will post about that later.

There's all kinds of talk of a possible "white-ish" Christmas here in Austin! I'll believe it when I see it.

Fell Again!

Well, my shopping adventures were cut short today because I took yet another tumble! This is the second time in my pregnancy that I have fallen down, and it's getting damn ridiculous. Like the last time, I have no good excuse for how it happened. It has been raining on and off here for the past two days, and I must have just slipped on the wet concrete. Thankfully, this time I fell on my ass. (Last time I landed forwarded on all fours.) Anyway, I managed to pick up my mom's gift and half of my mother-in-law's gift.

My cousin Julie sent me some cute photos of her 3-month old twin boys. In case you are wondering, twins do not run in our family. She had Clomid twins, and I have no idea what happened in my situation. I did three cycles of Clomid in the summer of 2005 and then went off of it. A full year later we got pregnant with our own twins. My OB swears they are "natural" twins, but I will never buy that. I am convinced Clomid did something to my ovaries or something. They simply don't run in the family.

Anyway, I thought I would post a few of Julie's twins photos. They are so cute! On days when I feel physically miserable, I focus on photos like this to get me through. Cuteness is just around the corner for us!

Holiday Letter 2006

Since I am utterly bored senseless again, I am going to post the holiday letter we mailed out to 150 of our friends and family. I have omitted some things that would be considered "too much identity" for the purposes of this public blog.
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Dear Friends & Family,

This is the first year that we have done a holiday letter because, well, this is the first year we have ever had anything truly exciting to report.

At the beginning of this year, [Hubby] joined the law firm of [omitted] in Austin. We were both ready for a change, and his wonderful new law family have embraced us both. [Hubby] is still doing a lot of construction litigation, but now it is focused on representing independent school districts around Texas. After a month of making the Georgetown-to-Austin commute, we decided to relocate down to Austin. We have enjoyed living in the heart of Austin, and spent many lazy weekends relaxing by our pool.

The spring time was difficult on us and our family. Shannon lost her beloved Granny on April 30th. As many of you know, Shannon also lost her dad the previous October, so it was an especially tough time.

The week of Memorial Day, Shannon and her good friend Amanda spent a week exploring Washington, D.C. As much as Shannon loves history and politics, it’s amazing she held out 29 years before finally seeing it firsthand! It was a fantastic trip.

The big surprise of the year came this summer when we found out we were expecting our first baby. The big surprise of our lifetime came a month after that when the doctor found two heartbeats during the first ultrasound! Twins! We were twice blessed and overjoyed beyond words!

Shannon’s pregnancy has been smooth so far – knock on wood – and the babies appear to be healthy and strong. A few days before Thanksgiving, we were told that we were having boy/girl twins! We have been busy preparing the nursery, stocking up on baby gear and attending our birthing classes. The babies are due around March 1st, but we were told to have our hospital bag packed by Valentine’s Day.

We celebrated our third wedding anniversary in October with a trip down to South Padre Island, have enjoyed good health and good friends, started a great new job, moved to Austin, and are now awaiting the arrival of our son and daughter. We have had a tremendous year, and look forward to all that 2007 will bring.

We hope you and yours have a joyful holiday season, and enjoy much health and happiness in the new year.

Two New Members of Our Family!

I just wanted to announce that my cousin Julie had her twin boys today! I spoke to her last night, and she was feeling sick with a stomach bug. She was in her 33rd week and she was still a month away from where the doc wanted her to be. So, when I got a call this morning from my aunt saying that Julie's water had broken and she was being prepped for an emergency C-section, we were all nervous and worried.

The babies were both well over 4 lbs each -- which is wonderful news -- and were breathing without assistance. We are all thrilled and looking forward to meeting the newest members of our family.

Welcome to the world Wesley & Walker!

Relax...I'm still here

Man, I have been horrible about blogging in the last few weeks. I'm sorry to anyone who actually reads this garbage. :) I have been extremely busy with work, but mostly I haven't blogged because I haven't had much to say as of late. I feel like I am in a rut...or just a never ending cycle of work, sleep, eat, work, sleep, eat, etc. I will be in San Antonio on Monday to help my mother start sorting through Granny's clothing. It's going to be an emotional nightmare. I wish I had a more exciting life to share. I might just have stir something up soon! :) As a side note, I am ready for college football season to begin! Austin, which is always fun, is just rockin' when the Horns play. I am hell-bent on actually attending a game this season.

Now in His Field of Dreams...

I have been missing my dad terribly again. He died suddenly in October – the day after my two-year wedding anniversary. I vividly remember everything about that day leading up to the 8 PM call that he was gone. When I heard the news, I felt nothing. I blanked out. It’s still a mystery to me as to why I just went into a zombie-like mode. I didn’t truly cry until his “baseball funeral” a week later.

My dad was a baseball man. Since returning from his two tours of duty in Vietnam (1971), he worked in the front office of minor league baseball. He spent the vast majority of his career working as a General Manager, and it took him all over the country – Midland, TX; Danville, IL; Montgomery, AL; Newburg, NY; Tupelo, MS; Beaumont, TX; somewhere up in Massachusetts and finally to Edinburg, TX. I am sure I am leaving out a few places. It was difficult for me to keep up with his location most of the time. Sometimes every new season brought a new team and a new city.

I was born in Montgomery, Alabama (but moved to Texas when I was 6-weeks old) when he was the General Manager for the Montgomery Rebels; a Triple A team in the Tigers organization. At the time, my parents were younger than I am right now. I am an only child, and I always felt a burden being the daughter and only child of a sports man. He never told me such, but I always believed he was disappointed that I wasn’t a boy. So even as a little girl I tried to compensate and appease him in that department.

Since my parents divorced when I was still a baby, my dad got me every summer. I remember asking my mom to take me to the public library so I could check out baseball history and stats books. I would memorize as much trivia as my 7-year old brain could hold, just so I could impress the baseball fat cats that hung around my dad during the season. Dad would beam with pride as I recited off Cobb and DiMaggio stats. He would have me list off every baseball team in each league and have me also cite what city, state, name of the stadium, etc. Looking back on it now, I must have seemed like nothing more than a dancing monkey with a bow in my hair to these men. I just lived to see my dad brag about me though.

Naturally, given his profession, I grew-up in ballparks. Baseball is in my blood and in my family tree. My only paternal cousin also plays minor league ball in Florida. I have attended more games than anyone else I know. I love the smell of the leather gloves, the crack of the bat, sitting off to myself before the crowd is let in and watching batting practice and warm-ups. I look back fondly on the summers in high school and college when I worked as my dad’s assistant. The experiences I had and the characters I met I will never forget.

I’m sorry. I know I am just rambling, but I can’t seem to get him out of my mind lately.

I am grateful that he died a quick and painless death (pulmonary embolism). I am grateful that he died at the ballpark – the place he loved more than anywhere else. I am grateful that we had repaired some rocky spots in our relationship. I am grateful that he lived to see me get married. I am grateful that he lived to see me grow into a smart, strong woman. And I am most especially grateful that he taught me the love of baseball. I am sure that may sound silly since it just a game, but it’s all we had between us.

There are so many things I am grateful for, but a few things I am also haunted by. I hate that he died on the night the Astros got swept in the World Series. The Astros were our team. Ever since I was a kid we would joke that the Astros would never go to the Series. And then it actually happened and we were so excited. He called me almost every day in the two weeks leading up to his death – which was highly unusual. The last phone call we had was during Game 4. We watched last few innings of the game together on the phone.

I haven’t been able to watch or attend a baseball game since his death.

I hate that he won’t get to see his future grandchildren. He was one of those men that lacked in the fatherhood department, but would have been an awesome grandfather. I am sure I will cry the first time I take my own child to their first ball game. That would have been something I would have wanted my dad to do with them.

Two days after he died, hubby and I went down to the Valley to meet up with my uncle and start the horrible process of settling my dad’s affairs. On Halloween night, his team threw a memorial service at the stadium, and I finally allowed myself to get emotional. Even though he had been with that team for several years, it was the first time I was getting to meet all the people he had told me so much about. To my surprise, they knew everything about me as well.

Anyway, I have no idea if there is an afterlife or not, but I’ve always thought that “heaven” would be customized to every individual. I hope I am right. I hope my dad is sitting in a big leather club chair and talking shop with all the greats he loved so much…Ruth, Mantle, DiMaggio, Cobb, Gehrig.

Ugghh, I need sleep. This was rambling and dreadfully written, but I just needed to get all of this off of me and send it out into the void of cyberspace.

Yes, I Kept My Name...Get Over It!

Am I the only female that kept her name after getting married?! I have been married for almost three years now, and I am sick of having the same exact conversation with strangers. It goes a little something along these lines:

Them: “Are you guys married?” [Baffled]
Me: “Yes. And before you ask, I kept my name.”
Them: “Oh. Okay. [Long pause while they digest this.] Is he okay with that?”
Me: “Yeah.” [That’s the question that starts getting me annoyed…is HE okay with that? Sheesh!.]
Them: “Umm, why don’t you use your married name?”
Me: “[My Maiden Name] is my married name. I never changed it. That’s my name legally, socially, professionally and every other way.”
Them: “Why?”
Me: [Sigh] “Because it’s MY name. Just because I got married I didn’t feel like I needed to abandon my identity. Look, I really don’t want to get into. It’s my name and it was my choice to keep it.”
Them: “Well, what about your kids? What name will they have?”
Me: “My husband’s.” [Then I change the topic.]

I live in the most open-minded, liberal city in Texas and I never imagined I would be hassled over my decision to keep my name.