Two Babies...Really?!

This weekend we had the pleasure of babysitting my 8 month old niece - not only is she adorable, but she really is a great baby. There were just a couple challenging moments with the rest of the time being a joy, but even while things were going well I just couldn't get the thought out of my head, "..two babies...add another one in here and how will we handle this situation??" Feeding, sleeping, changing diapers...it's certainly going to be a challenge! We are anxiously awaiting that time though. :)

More about my niece (I have several nieces and nephews who are all superstars, by the way!) - not only she is just too stinkin' cute and has a smile that will absolutely melt your heart, but she has a fun disposition as well. We found out recently that she loves the dogs, just like her brother! She just giggles and laughs like crazy when watching them, and she likes to touch them. My brother is not yet convinced that he'll have to get a dog someday for the kids, he thinks they'll get their fill just coming over here, but I'm not so sure...he might have to give in at some point! I am so grateful to have such gentle dogs - we are, of course, always very careful when kids are by the dogs, but I've seen hair pulled, tails stepped on, etc. with not a peep out of the dogs. They're great!

Mike's been quite busy at work. It's going well, and we're so thankful that he's in a job he loves. (And I mean that for real, I'm not just saying it because his boss might be reading this!) I've been able to help out some too, which has been great! I enjoy the work, I'm very grateful to still be able to climb in and out of a tractor at this point, and Mike and I like working together. :)

Thanks to the weather not being very good, we didn't have to work late on Thursday and were able to make the annual trip with my dad to the tractor pulls at the Hudsonville Community Fair. Of course, thanks to the weather not being very good that meant we had to sit in a drizzle most of the evening, but it wasn't too bad! The tractor pulls were loud and fun as always - and I think the boys liked them too. They were both very active at the beginning, then quieted down - so maybe they got used to the noise??

Diapers and Dusting

For those of you not on Facebook (and I know that's very few...), here's a photo of the babies and I at 22 weeks. Everybody's growing! For anybody interested in the details of my pregnancy, overall I am feeling great. I really expected to be feeling much worse! Even if I end up feeling miserable these last few months, at least I've made it this far! And yes, I know that every pregnancy is different, so I might not be so lucky (sorry Mom, 'blessed'...) next time - let's just get through this one and not worry about a next time. Sleeping is getting a little harder between the heartburn and having to wake up each time I need to roll over and change positions, but I'm still trying to store up as much sleep as I can right now! The babies are moving lots - the last couple weeks they've been especially active during church, that could be a good or bad sign...either they like it, or they're being naughty and not sitting still! Mike hasn't gotten to feel them anymore, other than church we never have a chance to sit down together, and when he's tried in church they hold still. He thinks they're being uncooperative, but I think it's more like "Oooo, Dad's here, we'd better behave!".

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of going to my first 'Mothers of Twins' club meeting. They were having a new mom's social. Interestingly, it was both encouraging and overwhelming all at the same time! I met some great moms who have so far survived having twins, and I think they will be a great encouragement in the coming months of craziness. Of course, having two babies is a bit overwhelming in and of itself - there are a whole host of things that parents having one baby at a time don't have to think about, and just like anything else, there are TONS of various opinions out there! Between feeding, sleeping, and what gear we really need, my head is spinning a bit. At the meeting they had lots of great door prizes, and I won the adorable diaper cake you see in the photo. (Did I ever think I'd be excited about diaper cakes???) For those of you who know me well, you know I'm rather shy in these types of situations, and I was just sitting there thinking, "I want to win something cool, just don't call my name first..." And what do you know, first name drawn, "Elizabeth K.!" So, I had to overcome my fear of going up to the table first, but that meant I had first choice of all the neat prizes. :)

Mike's work has had a crop duster come in a couple times now. I don't know why but I always thought it was airplanes that did it, but apparently helicopters do too. I was rather disappointed the first time it came that Mike didn't call and tell me it was there so I could come see it, so the other day he called to let me know it was back again. So, Macy and I drove over to watch a bit. This photo shows the helicopter just taking off from the truck where he lands to fill up - they set up right behind Mike's packing shed so I was able to get a good vantage point. It's pretty fascinating to watch the helicopter buzzing around over the fields, then coming right over me to go in for his landing on the truck. Macy wasn't quite sure what to think of it, I think maybe she thought it was a really big bird she should be trying to go after??

We haven't made a ton of headway on house projects, except we've discussed what we'd like the layout of the bathroom to be, and I've maybe made some headway on decision-making for decorating the nursery (I really need to just get over it and commit to something). One thing at a time...

Life

I really have nothing interesting to report - I just feel like I should post something, and I need something to do while scanning photos. Yes, I am actually scanning photos! This is one of those projects that has been hanging over my head for a very long time, and now I'm trying to get done what I can before the babies come. I'm hoping I can be super productive over the next few months.

We have our replacement windows installed - that's one thing we can check off our list! That went much easier than we originally expected, and Mike was able to do it all himself. There is still some painting and staining that needs to happen, but the windows are in. Next, the nursery needs wallpaper and carpet, the bathroom upstairs is getting a complete remodel, a room upstairs needs to be converted to the office, and the current office will be converted to a temporary nursery/longterm playroom. Yikes...that's alot!

Of course, we are just entering Mike's busiest time at work. His packing shed began running on Friday, and they started harvesting onions last week. Oh, and to add to that, last week his boss unfortunately hurt his knee, requiring surgery, and sprained the ankle on his other leg! Life will be interesting for the next little while!

I have been quite busy all summer with photography work, but right now things are slower, which in light of everything else going on I don't feel so bad - I've got plenty of other things to do to fill my time!

We will soon be done for a while with our caretaking duties. We have been keeping an eye on the farm while my parents were in South Africa for three weeks. They returned Wednesday, only to leave Thursday night for my cousin's wedding in Iowa! And for a week in there I had the pleasure of watching my niece's hamster while they were gone. During that time only one animal didn't make it, and it was our own, so overall we have a pretty good track record. :) Right now we've got four dogs under our watch - two are our own, one of the extras will be going home today, and the other stays for the week, but then I think the other one comes back for a night next weekend... You didn't know we ran a kennel service?? That might have to stop for a while after the babies come!

Mike got to feel one of the babies (Baby B) kick for the first time today! He has been very anxiously awaiting this. I have been feeling them for a while, but every time we tried for Mike to feel them they wouldn't cooperate.

All for now - I'll report in at a later date to let you know how productive we're being with all our projects...

Body Pillows, Bellies, and Babies

Based on a few recommendations I purchased a body pillow to aid with my sleeping comfort. It IS comfy, however, I did not realize we would also need a king size bed to accomodate this third person! I actually have to tuck this thing in at night - get it all under the covers and situated before I can get in. Mike asked why I can't snuggle with him to get comfortable - he's just not squishy enough! Sometimes during the day when I walk past our bedroom and out of the corner of my eye see the bed, it freaks me out that there's someone in it!

My belly is growing bit by bit, and I guess I'm noticeably pregnant, but I'm still a bit surprised that some brave souls are already asking if I'm pregnant, etc. I don't dare ask someone even if it's super obvious! You just never know. At this point I think I could still pass for just needing to go on a diet. If I thought I could pull it off, next time someone asks I would say that I'm not pregnant just to see how they handle that, but there's no way I could say it and keep a straight face!

Now for the more exciting part of this post. I'm actually wondering how many of you scanned through the first two paragraphs, not really reading them, to get down to this section. So, we had the 'big' ultrasound today. It took an hour and a half and they checked out and measured all sorts of stuff on each baby. Everything looks good - they both measure 20 wks and 1 day, which is 1 day ahead. They are both 12 oz. Baby B has big feet - given my family history I'm not surprised, but I'm hoping some other growing happens so they end up average sized... Both heart rates are good and fall in the normal range. Right now Baby A is breech and Baby B is head down - the position of who's A and B won't change, but there's still room and plenty of time for A to end up in a head down position. (Which is important for how they are born - A has to be head down otherwise I'll have a c-section.) Baby A was quite active today, and did not want to hold still for pictures. Oh, I almost forgot! Okay, not really, I'm just dragging this out... The baby who was so discreet last time did give us a between the legs view today. And.........it's a boy! So, we've got two little boys in there! My mind is already racing with all the trouble they are going to get into together. :) We got one picture today where just because of the angle it looks like Baby B is giving Baby A a hug OR has him in a headlock - guessing the second option would be more likely...

Well, now we can move ahead with more planning. We have LOTS of work to do in the next few months!

Farewell

Today we are saying good-bye to our dog, Brandy. She made it to just over 14 years, and it was a good ride! Mike got Brandy as a puppy for his 19th birthday in June 1995. They were best buds. I remember when we got married, and Brandy and I had to get to know each other - I know it sounds weird, but it can even be awkward with an animal! However, it didn't take long and she was 'my girl'.

It's been sad watching her age over the last few years, and we knew today was going to come sooner or later. This week it became clear that she was just suffering too much and we shouldn't try to hold on to her any longer. It was a quick and painless visit to the vet, and she is now buried by the woods (where there is plenty of room for our other dogs we are sure to have to bury in the future...).

We've talked about how at least Sadie will probably live long enough for our kids to become attached - I'm not quite sure how I'll help kids through it if I'm all emotional myself! We'll always have dogs, so this will be an every few years or so experience...

It is very strange to think we only have two dogs now - it seems so normal for us to have three, even though for most people that's a little overboard. We didn't plan on having three dogs, but it's been a blast!

Good-bye, Brandy - you were the best dog a person could ask for!

Haunted House

You'll all be happy to know that we do not have a haunted house! Not that I actually thought we had ghosts, but there have been some suspicious occurrences as of late, and today I was able to figure it out. So, we've got a stereo in the dining room that does not get used very often - actually, I want to sell it and just get a small under-cabinet cd player/radio for the kitchen. Last week, one of my nephews came to play and we listened to some music for a while. Ever since then, the stereo has periodically turned on by itself and started playing music. I was terribly mystified as to how this could be happening, and a bit miffed because I don't want to sell a less than perfect stereo. It wasn't until this afternoon when it magically turned on that it dawned on me there might be a pattern as to when it turns on, and this just might be a sophisticated enough piece of equipment to have a timer. Yup! That's all it was! This has really been bugging me, and I feel so much better now.

In other, slightly more interesting, news, we have found new renters for our cabin up north. Okay, we don't really have a cabin up north, but the house is north of us and it does have a cozy, cabiny feel. Our current renters, who have been great, are leaving when their lease is up at the end of this month. Thankfully, we again had no problem finding new tenants. We have a good feeling about them, so I hope they don't let us down... We feel very blessed that renting out that property has so far gone very well. The headaches we've had with the house are only due to the high water table there, not problems with the renters themselves.

We have enjoyed a very productive day here at our primary residence. If the babies and I can summon up a little more energy, we may go back outside to do a little more work. Mike did not have to work at Schreur's today, my parents are in South Africa so there's only a small amount of farm work to be done, and we actually have a weekend with no other activities planned! This is a very rare occasion for us, and I have enjoyed every minute of the day. We had a bunch of little projects to do, and it was great to get them done and to be able to work on them together. Right now Mike's doing some of the necessary farm work - raking hay so it can dry to be baled next week.

All for now!

Girls? Boys? One of each??

Well, as many of you know we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our two precious babies in December. Time is seemingly moving extra slow right now, but we are almost halfway through the pregnancy, and finally at a point where we can see more 'details' in the ultrasound. So, today we learned that one of our children is either challenging and not going to cooperate with us, or *she* is discreet and doesn't want to show off the between the legs view! I'd rather go with the latter reason...
So, here's the scoop: we for sure have at least one boy! He had no problem giving us a good view. The other baby was turned so we couldn't see that spot at all - hopefully next time we'll be able to get a good view!
It is amazing to see how much the babies have been growing. Up until this point it was easy to see both babies separately on the ultrasound, now things are getting a little more crowded and squished together, so it's a little harder to tell who's who! They are growing good, have good heartbeats, and were squirming around during the ultrasound.
Thank you all who have been praying for mine and the babies' health during this pregnancy - don't stop!