Content after their meal

Patriotic Baby Girls!

Check out all the hair on these girls. See, Lovey, this is why I have been obsessing over bows and hairbands for the last couple of months!

Going Home!

Here is the bus that we will be driving around for the first few months!

They seem like they liked the car seats and car ride. Hopefully it stays that way!

Their welcome home presents from the their Nana.

The way they sleep best!!

Big Brothers

Daddy, Caleb and Ella

See how we had to label her hat?

Caleb is talking to her in this picture.

My firstborn is growing into an awesome BIG brother!

Meeting the Family

Aunt Sarah came to help out last week and we would have been lost without her!! She took care of the kids and the house while we spent all that time at the hospital. We love you Sada Bear and thank God for all the help that you have been to us!!

Luke wasn't too interested in holding a baby. Doesn't Caleb look like a pro?!

Yea, not interested at all!

Our Kids!!!

PLEASE....come out and play!!

I made it to 37 weeks!
And I want these babies to come out and play. We all do!

My mom and sister came this weekend to help out and I am SO grateful! My mom was only here for the weekend and my sister will be here until next weekend, then my mom will come back and stay until my in-laws get here. My family came just in time...I am so tired all the time and really need help taking care of these very active boys of mine.

I am feeling... done! I am a stuffed bird that is ready to pop. I am getting bigger (how is this possible?), walking slower (how is this possible?) and these babies are moving a lot (HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?). If you think that you are sick of reading about how miserable I am on our blog, imagine how Joseph feels having to hear it in person! Poor man. Actually I don't feel too sorry for him, afterall he isn't the one carrying twins. Once again it all comes back to me. He is amazing and so ready to meet & hold his girls.

My doctor wants me to come in twice a week for monitoring and then once a week for my regular appoinments. I might as well just move in! Tomorrow I have a dr. appt. and I go in for monitoring. Wednesday we will go in bright and early where they are going to try (again) to turn Baby A and as soon as they get her turned they will break my water and start labor! If they can't get her turned then they will proceed with the c-section on the 21st. So close, yet so far away!

My boys are hanging in there and Caleb is excited to meet his sisters. Luke has no idea how his little life is going to change! I think it got more real for both of them over the weekend when we put the girls car seats in the car. I KNOW it made it more real for Joseph and I!!! Our vehicle is full!! Last friday Ms. Angela caught a lizard for Caleb and that was the highlight of his weekend! My mom fed into the madness by taking Caleb to Pet Co to get "Lizzy" a new home, rocks, plants, crickets, a water dish, ect. Daddy has been helping Caleb catch spiders for Lizzy. Caleb has been one happy boy! "Nana Bear" (as Luke calls my mom) got Lukie a new bike. They went to get a little tricycle, but apparently Luke thought that was "too little" and for "babies" so they ended up with a little 12 inch with training wheels. Luke isn't quite getting the hang of peddling yet, but it isn't for lack of teachers. Not only have we all taken a stab at teaching him, but the neighborhood kids all see Luke as their baby brother too and have tried to help him. I wish I had pictures to document this last weekend, but the camera is in the packed "hospital" bag that I hopefully will need soon!!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY Mother’s Day is an opportunity for all of us to reflect on how much our mothers love us and sacrifice for us. It is also an opportunity to show them how much we appreciate their love and support. Most mothers are similar to my wife in that they are constantly beating themselves up for not spending enough time with the children, not keeping the house clean enough, not being patient enough, etc. I frequently find this absurd since I know if I was a stay at home dad less than half of what my wife does would get done (but boy would I watch a lot of football and NASCAR). In the last 7 days I have worked 100 hours at the hospital doing my general surgery rotation. Now one might think that a wife who is 36 weeks pregnant with twins and is raising two very energetic boys while her husband spends most of his time at the hospital would cut herself a little slack and not worry so much about the laundry and the bills but you would be wrong. Instead my wife is frequently disappointed she did not prepare a 7 course meal or teach the children how to read the Bible cover to cover. So, in honor of Mother’s Day let me share with all of you my great gratitude for the love and sacrifice demonstrated by my mother and Sabrina. Without a mother's love this world would be a sad and lost place. In the words of Proverbs "She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”God's blessings to all of you who have taken the challenge of raising the next generation. Thank you mom for raising me up to become a man who loves the Lord. Sabrina thank you for your sweet kisses, contagious laughter, and amazing support that fill my life with little priceless moments.

A Little 2 Cozy!

I'm still pregnant!...

I had a Dr. appointment today and I was so hoping to hear that I was 8 cm dilated and today was the day that we were going to meet our twinkies! Instead I am still at 4, both girls are breech and we scheduled a C-section date for the 21st. UGH!!!! I was so disappointed! For many reasons. I am uncomfortable, huge and I can't breathe, sleep or move these days without pain. My body is ready to send a vacate notice to these twinkies. I also am so ready to meet these little ones. This has been such a long journey and now I just want to hold these little babies that have been such drama the past 8 months. I want to hold my babies!!!

Tomorrow we are going in and they will attempt to turn Baby A. I'm not looking forward to this process. I'm so uncomfortable and I don't think that this is going to make me any more comfortable. I'm hoping though that either A turns or the process puts me into labor. Either of those work for me.

Patience has never been my strong suit and I guess that God is trying to teach me something!

Symbolism

A couple of showers ago one of my friends brought me these flowers. The pink ones for the girls and the white one for me. Joseph was cleaning up the other day and says, "You know, these roses are kinda like you and the girls." I must have looked at him weirdly because he continued saying, "the girls look perky and happy and are doing great, but you on the other hand look ready to be put out of your misery." I couldn't agree more!!

Announcing the arrival of!....

Lance Armstrong!!! (tricked you didn't I?!?)

Caleb reached another milestone this past week. He learned to ride a bike!!! One day Daddy asked him if he wanted him to take the training wheels off Blue Thunder (his old bike) and Caleb hung his head and said, "I guess it's that time." Joseph reminded him that he didn't have to do it if he didn't want to but Caleb, pretty unenthusiastically, wanted to. They practiced for about an hour before it started to get dark and they had to quit. He was getting the hang of it...a little, but was quite excited at the prospect of going at it again with Daddy after work the next day. Well the next day was "Ms. Angela Day" (that's what Caleb calls the days that our nanny will be here) and Caleb wanted her to help him. But of course he wanted her to help him the exact way that Daddy did it. I'm not sure if his unmerited frustration with her was a catalyst to his success or not, but by the time she left he was riding on his own!! When Daddy came home he was shocked (which is an unusual emothion for Joseph!!) and even though it was late they went out and bought Caleb a new bike and matching helmet! It's a hotwheels bike and Caleb is SURE that he is the fastest kid on the block! Less than a week later Caleb is jumping curbs, riding thru grass, weaving on and off the sidewalk, standing while riding and does this crazy break with one foot trick. It really is amazing!! I got teary eyed...my baby is growing up!!!

Lukie is funny. Blue Thunder is now "my bike" and has also claimed Caleb's Harley motorcycle as his as well. He is proud of his brother and it warms my heart everytime he says, "good job big brudder"!!
I love them!!!

one word...cuteness!

he was playing with Buzz and watching big brother ride his bike. Can you see Caleb in the background?

Where my girls at?!?!?

Well, I have hit the magical number of 35 weeks today where the girls lungs are about fully developed! They can come now with (hopefully) no visits to the NICU. I am dilated to a 4, my contractions have seemed to slow down, and now that I am ready to meet these girls they are taking their time. Don't they know that I AM THE DIVA!! I wait on no one...people wait on me!! They are already trying to steal my spot! I have a Dr. appt on the 8th and if they are still breech, then we will go in bright and early on the 9th where they will attempt to move Baby A so that she is head down. From what I hear that is pretty painful and if it doen't get these girls moving, I don't know what will. Exciting... What isn't exciting is how huge I am! Every night when I go to bed I think, "well at least I can't get any bigger!" And then I wake the next morning to find that I CAN and DID!

Joseph finished his first week of general surgery last week and we all survived! He begins a long stretch of work today (13 days in a row) but we ae all feeling confident that we will get through it. God continues to be faithful to us, in so many ways, during this difficult season. Joseph is interested in surgery, but not the long hours away from his family!

The "pink eye brothers" have finally gotten over their pink eye and their colds are getting much better. There were many nights last week that they were up in the night with sore throats and coughs. The bad news is now Daddy has it. It was a hard week last week with all of the illness that kept us indoors. For our family to be cooped up indoors is hard! It looks like this week we will be able to get back to normal. Whatever that is for us these days!



Well, Caleb needs to get on the laptop to google snapping turtles so this is all for now...

Mysteries of Motherhood

Mysteries of Motherhood

by

Reb Bradley

Mother's hearing
She does not hear the car alarm, the neighbor's music, or the noise of playing children,
But from the other end of the house, in the middle of the night, she will hear a child's slightest whimper

Mother's mind
She may not comprehend how to use the VCR or the computer,
But she understands a child's heart whenever it hurts.

Mother's strength
She may be too weak and exhausted to carry groceries in from the car,
But she is strong enough to intimidate any who threaten her children.

Mother's memory
She may not remember where she put her keys or the reason she walked into a room,
But she never forgets the wonderful things her children do and say.

Mother's clothes
Her clothes aren't so perfect – they're stained by baby's burps and last month's lasagna,
But each stain is a badge of love and service equal to any won by a soldier.

Mother's hands
All she sees are the lines and wrinkles in her hands, and longs for their youthful appearance,
But she forgets their wear speaks of love, devotion, and sacrifice.

Mother's shape
She sighs and moans when she cannot fit into the clothes of her youth,
But her shape and stretch marks are like battle scars which say, "Kids, you were worth it!"

Mother's eyes
The mirror tells her that her eyes lack sparkle,
But the bags and fatigue betray love that burns bright all night long.

Mother's career
She is haunted sometimes by what she could have been,
But she equips generations and shapes the world's future.

Mother's trust
She doesn't trust enough to let you near the strange dog or to climb to the tip top branch,
But she believes in you when you are discouraged and full of self doubt.

Mother's significance
She regrets her failures, mourns her anger, and dreads she is warping her children's psyches,
But she so tightly bonds her children to her heart that they will grow up, but not away.

www.familyministries.com

Hot Date!

Last Friday night Joseph and I went on a date!! We figured it may be the last one for a while. I had contractions every 3 minutes the entire drive to restaurant and was hoping that we would be able to finish our date before I went into labor. Luckily they stopped shortly after we got to there. We ended up going to Salt Grass Steakhouse and had a really good time with some really good food! After our date we were having a hard time figuring out what to do next…a movie would have been difficult because I’m uncomfortable sitting for long periods of time and a romantic walk on the Riverwalk is out of the question since it is exhausting for me to walk or stand for longer than 3 min. (NO exaggeration!) SO, I convinced Joseph to go with me to…drum roll please…BABIES R US!!!
I walk pretty slow these days, for obvious reasons, and was holding my chivalrous hubby’s arm when he romantically says, “I think I just saw a sloth pass us.” I knew that this was going to be a long walk around the store and was thrilled when we walked into the store and saw they had WHEELCHAIRS!!! I was so excited and asked Joseph if he would be willing to push me around. Once again my chivalrous husband says, “I would have to be half dead and then would crawl before I would ride around in a wheelchair.” (I will tuck that info. away for when he’s an old man) I think though after the long walk into Babies R Us he decided that this may be the only way to get out of the store before he graduates med school. It really wasn’t as great as I thought that it would be. We definitely moved much faster, but that was the problem. Being at the mercy of someone who rates shopping right up there with riding in wheelchairs he went so fast I couldn’t browse. Then he would leave me in the middle of the aisle and “accidentally” run me into things. Motorized wheelchairs WILL be in my future when I’m old and can’t walk!
So that sums up our big last date. We really are boring!

On another note, Joseph started his general surgery rotation today and this is going to be the beast of all rotations. Of course things are always crazy on call nights and the first day of rotations. Today is no exception. Both boys have pink eye, Luke has diarrhea, Caleb has a bad cold, it’s been rainy out and Titan Dog MUDdry tracked mud through the house and Luke got blue paint on the bottom of his socks and danced all over the living room! When I was a kid I never understood the commercial slogan, “Calgon, take me away!” Well, now I do.

I was painting some things for the girls room and the boys decided that they wanted to "help". I decided that I would much rather them paint some pictures for the girls room, instead of my wooden shelves. Here they are painting their masterpieces! Luke didn't intentionally paint himself! When he was reaching for a different color he would accidentally lay on top of his painting. Painting with a 2 year old is definitely messy!

Playtime at the Maddry's

I love this picture of teamwork between my boys. Lukie (with no shirt and helmet) was helping big brother carry the basketball hoop (hoop removed) to the top of the swing set where they would launch it off and watch it fall. They would howl with laughter at their destruction!
As they get older it is so much fun to watch them play together. They seem to have their own little language and way to communicate. My boys really do enjoy playing together and it is such a blessing that they are so close in age and have such love for each other!

Caleb has been working around the house for money and loves to spend it at the dollar store. It works out great for me because he is always looking for extra chores to do and there are plenty around my house!! The bow and arrows were one of his dollar store finds. He wanted me to get a picture of his "mean face"!

And of course little brother has to get in the action as well. He didn't need a bow since he could just launch the arrows at you! And as with all weapons this one had a noise too. You can see his little lips making the noise.

32 weeks and 3 days, but who's counting?!?!

Well, I'm 32 weeks this week, I measure at 40 weeks and I feel like I've been pregnant my entire life! I could go through a list of woe's that I am having currently, but why depress myself. Instead let's focus on the good stuff. I had an ultrasound on Monday and the girls look great! They are measuring at 4.5 pds and 4.7 pds, both breech and facing each other. Actually, they did a 3D ultrasound and they were face to face looking like they were sharing some secrets. I think they were plotting different ways to keep me up at night and make me more uncomfortable. I guess it takes very stratigic planning to time kicking me in my bladder so that I'm up every hour. Anyway, my girls looked super cute in their 3D portrait. (I would share that picture with you, but we can't get the scanner to work at this moment.) I'm concerned about the breech situation and don't want a c-section, but was given some hope by my doc's that they have a fairly high success rate at turning twins. I've watched a single baby's attempt at being turned on a Baby Story and can say in all honesty that it doesn't look pretty and looks quite painful. Okay, so let's not think about that anymore!

On to my favorite subject the girls room! It is coming along at a much slower pace than I would prefer. That is actually my fault since I need to get a few things at the store, paint and a few other things that I have NO energy for! I told Joseph recently that the 3 things I want most these days are a wheelchair (preferably motorized), a shower chair and a bed pan. I didn't get the feeling that he would be running out to the store to purchase any of the above mentioned! Back to the room, as soon as it is complete I will be posting pictures!!

Above are some pictures of my current state. I crave veggies, green salad and rainbow sherbert. Joseph and I have a tendency to use my stomach as a table. That had been working out quite well until recently. Baby B has decided to stick her head out, so I have this awkward & painful bump portruding out of my otherwise round stomach.

The Hunt is ON!

At first Luke would find an egg and then want to immediately open it. Probably why he didn't have as many eggs as everyone else!

Here are Caleb and some of his friends looking for eggs.



We had a wonderful Easter weekend! We had lots of time together as a family, got the boys room redecorated (had to after Luke ripped all the border from his walls!) and worked a little on the girls room. We decorated eggs as a family and had friends over for an easter dinner/egg hunt!

He is risen!

Luke showing us his other easter basket.

Caleb finding an egg!

Luke truning over a cup on the ground to make sure that there wasn't an egg he missed!

Lukie with all his loot!!! The gummy worms were his favorite!

Easter Morning Pictures

Caleb wanted to take a picture and this picture was done on his first try! Pretty good!

And then he wanted his baby to get in the picture. He definitely had focus on one of us...