Swing Set All Finished

 Having a blast on the new swing!!

 See, I'm Superman!!

 That is DOUBLE TROUBLE if you ask me!!!!!

The project completed - for now.  I'm sure there will be more added to it over time, like sand and a cover for the top.  Darren does such fine work.

May's Joys

May's Joys - also late

5-1-2013  - 3 gifts tasted
1. any food now that I'm not as sick
2. hot chocolate in the morning
3. Jimmy John's

5-2-2013 - 3 gifts flat
1. the kids singing to the Blessed Virgin Mary
2. a new book
3. North Dakota - you can see forever!

5-3-2013 3 gifts found in difficult people
1. honest reflections of myself
2. lessons to be learned
3. chance to walk in someone's shoes and see how they see you, the world around them, and themselves

5-4-2013 - 3 gifts before 9 AM
1. sleep
2. Darren closing the door so he won't wake me when he's getting ready
3. goofy wake up pranks from the kids

5-5-2013
a gift in a sign - family seeing "Mark Park"
a gift in a smile - there are so many gifts in smiles its hard to choose today
a gift in a snack - hearing "tank too" from Gianna after she gets a cracker

5-6-2013 - 3 gifts found in Christ
1. examples to live by
2. the belief that all things are possible
3. strength

5-7-2013 - 3 gifts about your house
1. fingerprints on the windows and walls meaning someone made a memory
2. shelves and shelves of books
3. pictures of family

5-8-2013 - 3 gifts inside a closet
1. bins for shoes - huge blessing!
2. keepsakes from my childhood
3. clothes actually hung up

5-9-2013 - 3 gifts found in the dark
1. shooting stars
2. fireflies (kind of miss Michigan now)
3. silence

5-10-2013
a gift outside - song of birds
a gift inside - babies growing everyday
a gift upside down - my life to remind me I have it really good most times

5-11-2013 - 3 gifts about your parents
1. simply - wisdom
2. completely - love
3. always - charitable

5-12-2013 - 3 gifts held in hand today
1. vitamins to make me healthier
2. sweet Gianna cheeks as I kiss her forehead
3. Brech's  hand during nap time

5-13-2013 - 3 gifts found in your mother
1. honesty
2. energy to keep going
3. always sacrificing for others

5-14-2013
a gift picked up - a pear
a gift put away - the piles of books
a gift put back - my big boys "put back" with me after a quick trip to South Dakota

5-15-2013 - 3 gifts about you
1. about me - ha, I'm leaving it blank
2. about YOU - you keep reading my blog
3. about YOU again - always there for me or at least some of you

5-16-2013 - 3 gifts found in His word
1. parables to teach
2. consistent theme, no surprises
3. everlasting from generation to generation

5-17-2013
a gift in a bag - Kit Kats
a gift in a box - school books
a gift in a book -  Mom's time

5-18-2013 - 3 gifts unexpected
1. Twin B
2. Twin A as well
3. the miscarriage in December that allowed for conceiving Twin A and Twin B

5-19-2013 - 3 gifts from your childhood
1. chores and animals
2. homeschooled
3. going to work with Dad

5-20-2013
a gift sweet - new babies
a gift sour - Rex normally
a gift salty - jerky

5-21-2013 - 3 gifts found in little people
1. complete trust
2. endless energy
3. imagination

5-22-2013 - 3 gifts that made you laugh
1. Brech Earl wearing his cap to bed because Blase does
2. the fact that if you say "gas", "poop", or "underwear" everyone under 12 in this house will giggle making me giggle
3. listening to either Rex or Brech laugh

5-23-2013 3 gifts found in community
1. help
2. support
3. McTherapy

5-24-2013
a gift on a plate - egg salad, yummy
a gift in a pot - chili Darren made
a gift in a package - sock monkey socks

5-25-2013 - 3 gifts hard giving thanks for
1. Level 200 audios when I just want to be done with the herbal course
2. Darren gone to South Dakota because he is taking a very happy Blase to stay for a month - sad for Mom, gift for Blase
3. Mother Nature after those tornadoes

5-26-2013 
a gift worn - Black Hills Gold necklace from a dear friend on my wedding day
a gift white - lace
a gift whispered - "I love you" for anyone

5-27-2013 - 3 gifts found in church
1. beauty
2. peace when my kids are quiet
3. Our Lord

5-28-2013 - 3 gifts in today's work
1. laundry that is clean, folded, put away
2. Darren and Stephen helping with dishes
3. Brech wanting a job too

5-29-2013
a gift at 8 AM - sleep
a gift at 12 PM - food, again
a gift at 8 PM - happy, healthy, noisy kids

5-30-2013  - 3 gifts blue
1. clear sky
2. a collection of Pooh stories between blue covers
3. new maternity clothes

5-31-2013 - 3 gifts you gave today
1. friendship
2. comfort to a friend
3. rosary intention

April's Joys

April's Joys very, very late!

4-1-2013 - 3 gifts round
1. snowballs
2. my ever-expanding baby belly
3. Malted Milk Balls

4-2-2013 - 3 gifts white
1. cream cheese in crab rangoons
2. niece's newly baptized soul
3. snowflakes

4-3-2013 - 3 gifts surprisingly found
1. I am eating more and more
2. School is actually on time
3. Darren has been wonderful this pregnancy - I'm spoiled

4-4-2013 - 3 gifts in His word
1. Epistle and Gospel from the 15th Sunday after Pentecost - the readings from the Sunday after Mark died Galatians 5:25, 26; 6:1-10 and Luke 7:11-16
2. The Our Father prayer
3. Luke 9:23-27

4-5-2013
a gift at 11 AM - blessings from school
a gift at 2 PM - Gianna's naptime
a gift at 6 PM - Gianna's 2nd birthday party

4-6-2013 3 gifts nailed together
1. walls of this house
2. the bookcases Darren made me
3. the shelves Darren makes for the nieces & nephews

4-7-2013 - 3 gifts waited for
1. warm sunshine
2. my children
3. books ordered online

4-8-2013 - 3 gifts rising up
1. Our Lord on Ascension Thursday
2. homemade cinnamon rolls
3. the sun every morning

4-9-2013
a gift hiding - the gender of the twins
a gift held - my children right after birth
a gift heard - prayer intentions of my kids

4-10-2013 - 3 gifts opened up
1. bag of chocolate
2. new bubble bath
3. heart to hearts over the years

4-11-2013 - 3 gifts budding/blooming
1. my sister, Juliana
2. friendships here in Fargo
3. the promise of spring soon

4-12-2013 - 3 gifts worn
1. St. Benedict medal
2. pregnancy clothes that fit
3. a smile even when it hurts

4-13-2013 - 3 gifts bright
1. the blue eyes of my children
2. my new orange Kindle case
3. the orange pillow case for my body pillow

4-14-2013 - 3 gifts found looking up
1. cloud shapes
2. eagles flying by
3. stars

4-15-2013
a gift in a bag - IV fluids two months ago
a gift in a box - treasures of my children
a gift in a book - saints names for babies

4-16-2013 - 3 hard euchariteos
1. twins after 6 kids
2. Darren's cows
3. raising kids

4-17-2013 - 3 gifts woven together
1. palms creations from Papa Bestgen
2. blankets from Grandma Bestgen
3. family

4-18-2013 - 3 gifts inherited
1. love
2. mandolin
3. Grandma Ingalls' class ring

4-19-2013 - 3 gifts square
1. book before nap time with Gianna
2. a square, dirty plate meaning a full tummy
3. Dove chocolate

4-20-2013
a gift stacked - dishes put away by Stephen
a gift stashed - birthday presents
a gift stilled - the boys after a fight

4-21-2013 - 3 gifts found in Christ
1. truth
2. peace
3. instructions for life

4-22-2013 - 3 gifts close
1. Darren's work
2. hospital we will deliver at
3. my children every day

4-23-2013 - 3 gifts reflecting
1. the goodness seen in our family
2. the look of amazement shared when we learn something new
3. kids getting along as seen through rearview mirror

4-24-2013 - 3 gifts fragile
1. this pregnant lady's emotions
2. the already broken heart
3. the fine balance that teaches me a lesson about emotions and broken hearts that never would have been a blessing without the hurt

4-25-2013
a gift cloth - warm blankets
a gift steel - Daddy's hands
a gift wood - the Cross

4-26-2013 - 3 gifts moving
1. my children
2. the beating hearts of the twins
3. birds to watch all day long

4-27-2013 - 3 gifts "ugly beautiful"
1. a messy room where kids have had a wonderful time playing
2. Brech's latest painting
3. my growing belly

4-28-2013 - 3 gifts orange
1. vitamin C chewables
2. the color orange itself because it is Brech Earl and my favorite
3. oriole in the neighborhood

4-29-2013 - 3 gifts in dirt
1. hours of my childhood play time
2. a garden - hopefully soon
3. 5 boys and 1 girl covered in dirt means a good time was had by all

4-30-2013
a gift given - a helping hand
a gift made - supper
a gift sacrificed - visit from family

As the Belly Grows...Part 3

23 Weeks - and counting

My last appointment went well.  My blood pressure was great, weight also great.  The babies' hearts sounded wonderful!  I have another ultrasound the first part of July and we will find out how the babies are measuring at that time.

Completed!

Looks Like a Hunter Lives Here

 pink camo - check

camo boots - check

ready to go with dad - check

going outside with dad - nope

broken heart - check, check

 Darren picked up his pheasant and grouse (shot in Michigan) from the taxidermy.

 I like the action pose, though I had hoped it would turn out better.

Another reminder of our Michigan days.

Father's Day

For Father's Day we had a quiet day.  We slept in, ate breakfast, played for a bit, and went to church.

 The kids all lined up to give their Daddy his gifts.

No picture of Darren (my Father's Day gift to him), but I did get a picture of his gifts, minus his new Crocs.

Sugar and Spice, BUT Not so Nice

Everything was against her from the start.

First - Mom just cut her bangs on Sunday.

Second - big brother was cutting paper (without Mom's permission) and it looked fun.

Third - She is very independent.

 TA DA, Mom!!  Look what I can do! 

Aren't I pretty now?? 

Lucky for her she cut the under layer of hair so it still looks somewhat decent.

I think I owe her guardian angel a thank you for helping this situation not be a lot worse.  Looking on the bright side (which I need to right now) - I was wondering how I was going save some hair for her baby book.  Problem solved....

In the Backyard

What was all the wood for?  A new swing set of course!  (and replacing the deck)

 The boys and Darren got to work on it Saturday morning.

 Who knew this tree grew just for Cormac to sit on?

 Here is the fenced in garden.  I weeded the sunflowers on Saturday.

In the hour and change it took me to weed the sunflowers this is how much more they accomplished on the swing set.  At the end of the day they had the railing up on the upper part, the slide fastened down, and the climbing walls attached.  A very good day for all.  It rained Sunday, but that didn't stop a bunch of dirty kids from sliding down the slide and playing on the swing set.

Special Delivery

 We had a special delivery last week.  The kids were in heaven watching the show.

This was just perfect for our kids.  They loved every minute (all 8 minutes) of it.  They even clapped afterwards and the driver gave a bow.  Goofy kids!

Baby, oh Baby!

Before I begin - disregard anything I've previously posted about the babies....sigh.

I posted on Facebook earlier today that I had an appointment with a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist.  At the 18 week ultrasound they found a choroid plexus cyst on Baby A.  The cyst is of no concern and will take care of itself or cause no troubles.  The cyst along with other obvious markers can be a sign of a lot more problems.  I am happy to report that after a 1 1/2 hour ultrasound (yes, 1 hour 30 minutes) Baby A is perfect and Baby B is still perfect.  Baby A's heart rate was 157 and Baby B's was 168.  They were active and caused quite a few frustrating moments trying to get measurements.  Stinkers!!  Especially that Baby A.  I don't think I've ever had a kid be so uncooperative - in or out of the womb!!

 You can see Baby A's face in this one.  It isn't as clear as I would have liked, but you can see the right eye and nose bridge somewhat.  Stinker!!

 This would be Baby B's face with a good shot of the chin, mouth, and nose.  This one cooperated a bit more, but I think it was because of its position more than its willingness to be helpful.

 Baby B's most adorable nose and mouth!!!  Oh I can't wait to kiss that sweet little nose!

Probably the BEST picture of Baby A the whole ultrasound.  The baby moved toward the end so it was easier to get a good shot at that point.

So what I learned today:

I am official labeled with a Monochorionic-Diamniotic pregnancy.

This, to the best of my knowledge, means there is ONE placenta, and the babies are in their own sacs inside of another sac.  OK....need a picture???  The membrane between the babies is much smaller than what is pictured below.

The babies that share a placenta, but in their own sacs, can have the problem of TTTS or Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome.  This one I'm not as well informed as I could be.  According to a website called www.tttsfoundation.org here is some information if you care to read it.

Depending on the number, type and direction of the connecting vessels, blood can be transfused disproportionately from one twin (the donor) to the other twin (the recipient).

The transfusion causes the donor twin to have decreased blood volume. This in turn leads to slower than normal growth than its co-twin, and poor urinary output causing little to no amniotic fluid or oligohydramnios (the source of most of the amniotic fluid is urine from the baby).
The recipient twin becomes overloaded with blood. This excess blood puts a strain on this baby’s heart to the point that it may develop heart failure, and also causes this baby to have too much amniotic fluid (polyhydramnios) from a greater than normal production of urine.

This basically means we need to be monitored closely for fluid levels and baby measures.  As a result I am now scheduled for a fluid level ultrasound check every two weeks and a baby measure ultrasound every 4 weeks.  This is on top of my already scheduled OB visits.  Sigh.

What is the good news in all of this??  I have two very healthy, very active 98% sure IDENTICAL TWINS (thus the warning at the beginning to disregard anything I've said before!).  Is it possible to be sick of receiving information??  I am very tired of thinking I know something and then it turns out to be something else.  I guess it doesn't really matter - I'm having two babies and will only have to deliver one placenta.  That's all I need to know.

BEFORE YOU ASK - NO, I didn't find out what the babies are.  That will be my guaranteed surprise at the end of this journey.  So that means no one can plan ahead and buy twin gifts early - sorry!

Thank you for your prayers and good wishes.  I appreciate them and only hope someday I can return the favor.  God bless all of you!!