The Good and the Bad

The Good: Yesterday we had another ultrasound at MFM. The dr said we are doing "awesome" and that on paper our boys look like they are di/di (the least risky twins with their own sacs and placentas). Still no signs of preterm labor.

The Bad: When I got home from my appointment, I started feeling bad. I slept for about 3 hours then started throwing up. I couldn't keep anything down. I know getting dehydrated is one of the quickest routes to contractions and preterm labor so around 8pm we decided to head to L&D. When we arrived, my OB and MFM dr were out in the hall and they both looked panicked when they saw me. They ran lots of tests to make sure it was just a stomach virus (it was- no infection, no preeclampsia, etc) and it turns out I was already severely dehydrated. I got some fluids and some meds and got to go home. I didn't have any contractions the whole 4 hours I was on the monitors so that was encouraging. Unfortunately, Kiran started throwing up while we were at the hospital. We're all resting and recovering and hoping Jonathan doesn't get it.

That's how we're ending 2009. Here's to 2010- guaranteed to be a full year!

27.5 Weeks

Every morning I wake up and thank God for that day in regards to my pregnancy. Like this morning, I woke up and thanked God for today- 27 weeks 3 days- because no matter what happens, my babies will not be born before 27 weeks 3 days. Every day feels like a victory!

I never updated after last week's appt because... there's really nothing to tell. Everything looked normal. I'm showing ZERO signs of preterm labor right now (woohoo!) and the boys look good. In fact, my drs have lessened my restrictions- I'm allowed to be up and about more now. I'm limited by my back pain and my exhaustion mostly. That's why I was off my couch in the last picture Em! Its been nice to be out some- I was able to go to the Christmas Eve service at our old church and participate in all the family Christmas activities. I even went to Target today.

I did pretty well when I was on bedrest/house arrest but I missed being out around town pregnant. I am at the point that I definitely look pregnant and its really fun to talk to random strangers that I come in contact with. They almost always ask first, "When are you due?" When I tell them March, their eyes get really big. I always wait a second or two before explaining that I'm having twins. Its always fun to hear the reactions. I always love being pregnant but this pregnancy is twice as special and its almost over.

Here's my 27-week-measuring-33-week belly pic


P.S. My belly is now starting to grow wider and not just out front! Lovely.

Kiran's Favorite Christmas Present

Christmas Traditions

This has been an interesting Christmas season for our family. And since our first 6 Christmases were spent in 5 different houses in 4 different cities in 2 different states and 2 different countries, we don't have many consistent traditions. We want this Christmas season to be fun and special while still meaningful to our girls even amidst the chaos that rules our lives right now.

So tonight we put on the girls pjs, wrapped them up in blankets, got hot chocolate for the over 4 crowd and drove around looking for Christmas lights! We live very close to the country so it wasn't hard to find lots of fun displays.




Observations from the girls
K: They are so, so beautiful.
S: Right there! Right there! (pointing to the stoplights and the CVS sign)




We sang Christmas songs and fawned over the lights. When we got home, we started reading the Polar Express which is one of my favorite Christmas stories.



I'd like to start some new traditions now that the girls are getting old enough to participate. Do you have any traditions that you have now or that you grew up doing? Liz has about 50 gazillion of them- she's chronicling them on her blog this year. I hope we can incorporate some new yet simple ones. I'm thinking I won't have much time for complex traditions next year with two ten month olds under foot. We are planning to head up to McAdenville this week- another Christmas treat I can participate in from the comfort of my passenger seat.

Getting There

First off, I passed my 3 hour glucose test. Whew. I was really worried once I failed the first hour of the three hour portion (You can fail one and still pass). Evidently my body doesn't like to process sugar quickly. Or maybe its just those yucky drinks. Anyhow, I'm so thankful I don't have gestational diabetes.



Today we had an ultrasound and a fetal echoccardiogram. During the whole process, the boys were like this:

Those are their two heads- forehead to forehead. I think they are already planning mischief.

Everything looked normal today and I'm not showing any signs of labor soon but for some reason, it hit me today that these boys could literally be born any day. They could be 2009 babies. Labor can come on so suddenly. I don't know if its because we were talking about survival rates (80% now although usually with lifelong problems at this gestational age) or because Michelle Duggar had her baby last week. She was due one week ahead of me. I think a lot of it is because I had a dull backache all day which was one of the preterm labor signs I have to get checked out. For whatever reason, I finally realized that these boys could be on their own timetable. I'm not ready for them to be born. I'm not ready to not be pregnant any more. I hope they will hang on until at least February.

One day at a time...

A parting wave from Rhys

More Reports- With Pictures!

I feel like all I ever blog about any more is updates on the twins. I also realized that there isn't much blogworthy material that comes from sitting on my couch every day. Although I have been working with Sienna on answering her name when asked "What's your name?" She used to say Elmo every time. Now she usually says "See-na" and only sometimes says "See-na Elmo". I figured we could move on to other people so I asked her what my name was. "Big Bird."

I had two consultations today. I had an ultrasound at Maternal Fetal which showed all normal readings for the boys.
Here's Owen at almost 25 weeks:

Here's Rhys at almost 25 weeks:

I had my regular OB appointment today also. My blood pressure is still good but I failed my 1 hour glucose test. I failed it with pregnancy #2 also and had to do the 3 hour. I am hoping I will pass the 3 hour one and I'm not actually developing gestational diabetes. The doctor did measure my belly and I'm almost 25 weeks pregnant but I'm already measuring 32 weeks!

World TTTS Awareness Day

Its World TTTS Awareness Day! Check out this website for more information. Awareness is one of the best tools we have against this disease. If you know someone having twins, ask them if their twins share a placenta or not. If their twins share a placenta, they need to be monitored by a Maternal Fetal Specialist for TTTS. I am convinced that our boys have responded so well and our chances are so good for this pregnancy because our MFM doctor caught it so early.

During my surgery, the drs took pictures using a real camera of the twins. So cool to see actual pictures. We also have a video they took from inside my uterus!!! If you want to see it, email me and I'll send you the Youtube link.

Ultrasound #something I forget

We had another ultrasound today and the boys looked great! Its amazing how quickly we have gone from scary to normal. Now our main concern is not the twin to twin transfusion but preterm labor. These TTTS babies tend to come early (by 32-34 weeks even the ones who have successfully had the surgery). Our big goal is 32 weeks- Janurary 29. We are praying for February babies!

The good news is that I'm 24 weeks tomorrow! That is considered the edge of viability so if I went into labor and delivered tomorrow the boys would have a *chance* at surviving. It seemed so far away when we first got our diagnosis 5 weeks ago but its here. I think that Jonathan & I are both starting to realize that with every day that goes by, our chances of bringing home two baby boys gets better and better.

Jonathan says I have to post more pictures. Pictures have been lacking b/c our camera is broken. Its just the shutter button but we were quoted $251 to fix it. So the opportunity to get the digital SLR I've wanted might be here...but we sort of have these unexpected medical bills. So for now we are just hanging tight and using my mom's old camera.

This is how I spent my Thanksgiving :

Traditions

If you hang around long enough, you'll find out that my favorite holiday tradition is the Fitzgerald Annual Christmas Tree Hunt. The day after Thanksgiving, we all bundle up and head up to the mountains in search of a great tree. The last couple of years we've been stopping in Brevard, shopping at O.P. Taylor's and eating at the Cardinal Drive-In, before Christmas tree hunting.

I wasn't allowed to go this year.

Bless their hearts- my parents agreed to take the girls anyway and they did have a fun day and they even found us a tree. Jonathan & I took the opportunity to go to a matinee- The Blind Side. It was excellent. I've doubled my yearly average of movies seen in the theater. Both movies (Slumdog Millionaire and The Blind Side) have been a worthy experience.

I did get to participate in our other family tradition. The one where we hook Will's computer up to Dad's big tv and share our favorite You Tube videos. Some of the highlights were Flight of the Conchords Issues and the distraught Clemson fan. But the best video of the night was passed along from Uncle Tim somehow. The last verse is what makes this song brilliant.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you are enjoying this holiday. Thanksgiving came at a very apt time for us- we are thankful for the hope we now have that we will get these boys here safely. This is not the path we would have chosen, given the choice. But now that this path has been chosen for us, we don't want off.We have a thanksgiving tradition of buying a new Christmas CD for the holiday season. Last year we got the Elf soundtrack. Any recommendations for favorite Christmas CDs?

Sent from my iPod

Finally...A Good One

We had our 1 week post-op ultrasound this morning and the boys looked wonderfully normal. We are so excited with how they have responded to the surgery. Their fluids are still unequal but at 2.2cm and 6.5cm, both fluid levels are within normal range. I think the best part was seeing the membrane floating around Owen and not stuck to him. He looked just like his brother- moving and wiggling around. They weighed 1lb and 1lb 3oz- again within normal range. Owen's heart was not stressed and he showed no signs of anemia. Rhys also looked extremely normal. And I was upgraded from laying down bedrest to modified bedrest. That means I can sit up and move around the house with an occasional outing that doesn't require much walking. It also means no housework, no cooking and no driving. So its going to be an interesting few months.

From here we'll monitor them with weekly ultrasounds until 30 weeks and then we'll go twice a week. I'm still at a huge risk for preterm labor plus all the other elevated risks that are simply due to the fact that I'm carrying multiples.

Plus I'm starting to feel both of them moving. I have an anterior placenta which I had heard causes you to feel less movement. Its totally true. Up until now I've felt much less movement with two than I did with each of my girls. But now I'm starting to feel them more distinctly and I am eating it up.

Thank you to everyone who has brought/sent food or gift cards, who has helped with the girls, who has helped clean our house. You have made this many times easier than it could have been.

Doctor

Jonathan and I were not the only ones getting a medical education this week.
Introducing Dr Kiran

and Dr Sienna!

By the Numbers

22 days
1 set of twins
2 boys!
9 ultrasounds
1 amnioreduction
979 miles flown
900mL + 2.5L of fluid drained from my belly
1 fetal echo cardiogram
13+ doctors from 4 countries
1 laser ablation surgery
30 hours in the hospital
countless prayers from friends and family and
1 God who hears

equals =

TWO HEARTBEATS!

We have successfully made it through phase 1 post op which gives the boys each about an 80% survival rate. We still have a long way to go and will need a lot of help so that I can not overexert myself. On Monday Rhys's heart was starting to show one abnormal pattern, but today his heart looked perfect. Owen's heart looked perfect on Monday but today it is stressed a bit. He is anemic and his heart is trying to deal with this new blood flow and placenta share. It's rare that this happens but not unheard of. It should correct itself over the next few weeks. There is really nothing we can do but pray that it will heal itself.

Thank you for all your support! We are getting ready to leave the hospital and are planning to fly home tomorrow.

Surgery Day

Kelley's surgery this morning went very well. The doctor said that they were able to do all that they had wanted to do. They severed eight connections between the babies, and now we are resting and waiting until the ultrasound tomorrow morning when we will see how the boys have responded.

Kelley is feeling pretty good - a lot better than if she had actually given birth to these boys today!

Thank you for all the prayers that have been lifted up on our behalf. And major props to Brantley Smith (our middle school youth minister 16 years ago!) for being at the hospital at 6 a.m. to pray with us!

Babymoon

Have y'all heard about this trendy thing called the babymoon?

According to Wikipedia, a babymoon is "More recently the term has come to be used to describe a vacation taken by a couple that is expecting a baby in order to allow the couple to enjoy a final trip together before the many sleepless nights that usually accompany a newborn baby. Babymoons usually take place at a resort that offers appropriate services like prenatal massage."

Jonathan & I have decided to dub this our babymoon.

Our babymoon has gotten off to a fantastic start- mostly due to the wonderfully engaging people Houston has provided. There's Amos who wheeled me around the airport- he has five sons and moved here from SoCal b/c of the cost of living just in time to ride out Hurricane Ike. And Aaron at Whataburger who gave us complimentary apple and pumpkin pies. Najma, our ultrasound tech, who while born in India, actually grew up in Iran because her father was a personal physician to one of the king's sons. She herself is an identical twin who's job now is do to ultrasounds on identical twins. We had doctors today from India and the Philippines and were able to reminisce about our time in each country. Fascinating people at every turn.

We had a blind date for dinner with a family that went through this same TTTS and laser surgery a little over a year ago. Their bubbly, energetic, precious 16 month old identical boys were a delight to observe as we consider our future. We connected with them quickly and decided we would have liked them anyways even if we didn't share this awful diagnosis.

We had evaluations all day long at the hospital and we are set for surgery at 7:30am Central/ 8:30am Eastern time. Which means I have to be at the hospital at 5:30 am. We are praying for no complications with the surgery and that the boys will respond well to being disconnected. We are praying to hear two heartbeats on the ultrasound the next morning. Thanks for your prayers! We hope to have a positive update for you tomorrow.

Houston Bound

Today's ultrasound was right where we had hoped- the fluid levels were at the right measurements to qualify us for the surgery but the TTTS didn't show any noticeable progression in the last 48 hours. We are hanging on in Stage 2 which is not as good as Stage 1 but better than Stage 3.

So our plan is to fly to Houston Sunday evening. I will have consultations all day Monday and I am scheduled for surgery at 7:30am Central Time on Tuesday. I'll spend Tuesday night in the hospital and be discharged Wednesday. We plan to fly back midday on Thursday.

God is providing at every turn. It makes me cry to see how much He and the Body of Christ around us are helping us. Jonathan was on the phone for hours this morning trying to find us flights that were cheaper than the $1000 ones we were looking at out of GSP. He finally, finally talked to the right person at United who allowed us to buy 1,000 airline miles (the amount we were short for two tickets) and didn't make us wait the 24-48 hour period for them to post. So we are able to fly direct from GSP to Houston for about $100. We have an empty house that's been offered to us thanks to some friend's in-laws and someone has already offered to pay for our rental car.

I have been so humbled. I know that I am inadequate to do this on my own. But you know what, we haven't had to.

Here We Go

Today's ultrasound did not show the improvement that we had hoped. Owen is strong and looking good but he has very very little fluid around him. Rhys's fluid had increased a little since Monday but he was looking very good as well. Since we did not see the improvement we wanted to see from the amnio, we have decided to pursue the laser ablation surgery. We still have to work out a few details but it is very likely we will be having the surgery early next week.

We had hoped that we wouldn't have to get to this point- that the boys fluid levels would even out on their own or with the help from the amnioreduction. But they didn't so we are trusting God to lead us as we make decisions for the best care for our boys.

We ask that you pray for all of us- Jonathan, Kelley, Kiran, Sienna, Owen and Rhys. My biggest struggle right now is that I can't physically be a mommy to all 4 of my kids at the same time. But a wise friend told me that other people can help take care of the girls, I am the only person who can take care of these boys right now.

Thank you for your continued support and encouragement, your prayers, the food you've brought us, the cfa gift cards you've sent us, the constant reminders that we do not have to walk through this alone. We are overwhelmed by you. Thank you.

TTTS

We have our ultrasound early tomorrow so I'm heading to bed. I wanted to give you a few links about TTTS.

The Twin to Twin Transfusion Foundation has been an amazing place of support and knowledge.

Fetal Hope has been another encouraging site. They have a good description of TTTS on their website here.

Ultrasound #4 Update and NAMES!

Can I just point out that two weeks ago we didn't even know we were having twins? This has been the emotional roller coaster of all emotional roller coasters.

This morning's ultrasound was not as we hoped. Baby A's fluid levels were much less- very hard to find any fluid at all around him. He was still moving well, his heart beat was strong and his cord flow looks good. Baby B's fluid had increased a little bit and as usual he was jumping around all over the place. We consulted with the doctor and he thought it was time to intervene. We decided that we would first try an amnioreduction. An amnioreduction is like an amniocentesis in that they poke a needle and catheter in my belly and pull out fluid. But instead of drawing out 20mL or so for an amniocentesis they pulled out 900ml (almost a liter) of fluid from around Baby B. The procedure went as well as we could have hoped. The doctor said I was a champ even though I almost threw up on him. I'm at home now resting completely until Wed am when we go back for another ultrasound to check their fluid levels. My mom came and got the girls and took them to Greenville to hang out with all their grandparents so I can rest completely.

And now? There are probably three paths we could take.
1. We go in Wed, both babies' fluid levels are good and we continue the pregnancy with close monitoring. Some moms only need one amnioreduction to help even the fluids out.
2. We go in Wed, both babies' fluid levels have improved but over time Baby B's increases again. We can do another amnioreduction or even a few more as needed.
3. We go in Wed, the babies' fluid levels have not improved or have gotten worse, we will start applying to do a laser surgery that is offered at a few places around the country.

We have felt God's peaceful, calming presence in the middle of very emotional ultrasounds and conversations with doctors. We know its because we have so many people praying with us and for us and for our baby boys! We are asking that their fluid levels would even out, that both babies would continue to thrive in the womb even in the midst of such stress, and that we would have wisdom as we continually make decisions that would give these boys the best chance at life.

And so we decided on names for the boys! We wanted to be able to pray for them by name and not just Baby A or B. So I present to you

Owen William Caskey and Rhys Fitzgerald Caskey

Baby A, our donor baby, our little one, is Owen William. Owen is a Welsh name meaning well born or young warrior. Jonathan heard someone talking about this name weeks before we knew we were having a boy, before we knew we were having twins, before we knew we would be fighting TTTS and we loved it. When we saw the meaning, we knew it was perfect for our baby A. William is in honor of Owen's dad (Jonathan William) and Jonathan's grandfather plus many other close family members who share that name.

Baby B, our recipient baby, our bigger one, is Rhys (pronounced Reese) Fitzgerald. Rhys is another Welsh name (we didn't even try- it just happened!) that means enthusiasm or fervor. He has been most enthusiastic in my belly as he's had a large swimming pool to do flips and tricks in. Fitzgerald is my maiden name.

Names

First off I wanted to share Kiran's prayer from the other afternoon.

"Thank you for my brothers I want one more sister Amen."

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We've been trying to pick out names. We don't usually finalize names until after the baby is here but we thought it would be nice to pray for them by name and that it would be easier than Baby A, Baby B, Twin A, Twin B, etc. So...do you have any name suggestions? Andrea actually found Kiran's name for us so I know this is not a futile exercise. Let me tell you our rules
1. No matchy-matchy names
2. No rhyming
3. Not start with the same letter- I'd prefer they not start with a K or an S either but I will bend this part of the rule if we fall in love with a name

That's all. Thanks!

Good News Today

At our ultrasound this morning, we found out that the twins' TTTS had not progressed. By today's ultrasound they don't even qualify for TTTS! To qualify for TTTS, their fluid levels must be greater than 8cm and less than 2cm. Today Baby B's fluid was about the same- greater than 9cm- which is still big but it hadn't gotten bigger. Baby A's fluid was at 2.04cm but today it was 2.87cm. Still small but it had not gotten worse and in fact had increased which is awesome. We are by no means out of the woods with this- TTTS moves quickly and things can change suddenly. Right now I will be monitered with twice weekly ultrasounds to check for fluid changes and to also monitor my cervix. I'm not on bedrest but I am to take it as easy as possible while taking care of two little ones. I am off housework per my doctor (Sorry Jonathan). I'm also eating a high protein diet so bring on the steaks and CFA chicken sandwiches.

The boys looked great and Twin A was moving a bit more which was so good for a mommy to see. We are hopeful that we can get through this pregnancy with no invasive treatments. At the same time, we are still holding those cards knowing that they could become a reality at the next appt.

So many of you have offered help and really right now the biggest help we need is with the girls. I have three appointments next week alone. People who can watch them during my appts, people who can take them to the park or to a playdate or somewhere would be awesome.

And we still need prayer. We are praying that

• the boys' fluid levels would even out on their own!
• the boys would each develop properly
• that I would not go into preterm labor (I'm at a huge risk for preterm labor- twins plus extra fluid)

Thank You

We are overwhelmed by you. You have supported us and encouraged us and loved us. In the midst of a really hard, really trying situation, God has been all over it and has showered us with many little blessings along the way. We are so thankful to be here- close to our family- with a huge support network instead of halfway around the world.

We go for another ultrasound in the morning. This should give us a better idea of where we are headed with this disease. We are asking God for healing, for clarity in decision making, for wisdom for our doctors. We are asking God that we would be found faithful even in the midst of the hardest trial we have faced. We are asking God to purify our love for Him- not based on circumstances but based on who He is- and that doesn't change.

We'll update at some point- we may have a lot to process and pray over tomorrow. Its been an incredibly emotional 9 days and we can't seem to see the end of this roller coaster. We know we are being sustained by the prayers of God's people and being held together by the body of Christ that surrounds us in so many of you. Thank you.

Update on the Twins

By the grace of God, the perinatologist we know got us in for a Level 2 ultrasound today- a month early. We found out that the boys are indeed identical and sharing one placenta. But we also found out today that they are beginning to have TTTS (Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome). Its a pretty serious condition but we caught it very early and we have some options for treatment. We will go on Thursday for another ultrasound and confirmation of diagnosis. At that point, if we are indeed diagnosed with this, we will have some big, risky decisions to make.

We just need prayers. We believe in prayer. Pray for our boys- that they would both be healthy and strong. Pray for us as we seek wisdom from our Creator and the wonderful doctors He has surrounded us with. Pray for our girls as they don't understand what is going on but they can sense that things have changed with Mommy and Daddy.

Reactions

We've gotten a lot of questions about how we and others have reacted to the news. My immediate reaction was shaking, crying, denial. Jonathan never missed a beat. As soon as he saw two, he was by my side beaming. He was stoked even before we found out they were boys but he was over the moon once the tech told him he was going to have two sons. He's been my rock so far- trusting that God wasn't shocked like we were and that this is going to be the ride of our lives.

I laid on that table and my mind was racing. My thoughts were something like this

holy cow twins i'm going to have twins i have two babies in my belly i'm going to have four kids i'm going to have four kids under four i'm going to have three kids under two how am i going to go to target we have to get another car seat thank goodness we have that van i'll have to get up at 5am to go jogging before they all wake up we're going to have four in high school at the same time oh we're going to have four in college at the same time what if i go into labor early what if they are preemies what if i have to go on bedrest who is going to clean my house well i don't clean it now anyways it may be cleaner if i have to go on bedrest kiran is going to love this sienna is prob going to need therapy when she is older....

you get the picture.

After my ultrasound, we got to go tell everyone our news! For the record, about a month prior, I was talking to Brenna on the phone one evening and I was just exhausted. She told me that she thought I was pregnant with twins and that they were boys. And that if she was right, I had to call her first. I walked out of the office and called her while I was waiting for J to get the car. All I could get out was "I'm calling you first!" and then she started screaming and I burst into tears.

We called our family first. Every conversation was basically something like this
Family Member: "So what is it???"
Jonathan: "Its a boy!..."
FM: "Woohoo! Yea! Congrats! That's awesome!"
J: "And another boy!"
FM in a really low voice: "What?"

My dad wasn't speechless per se but he just said a bunch of words and it didn't make any sort of sense. My brother told me that this made our family even weirder. Jordan suggested Bo and Luke for names.

My mom was keeping the girls for us during the ultrasound. When we got home the girls both came running and Kiran was asking, "Am I going to have a brother or a sister?" I got down on my knees and said, "Well Kiran you are going to have a brother! In fact you are going to have two brothers!" My mom was standing behind the girls and she just looked at me like what are these words that are coming out of your mouth??? Kiran was by far the most nonchalant. Since Brenna had her twins, Kiran has had twins in her belly so it was just normal for me to have twins in my belly. She has totally taken it in stride even suggesting that her brothers could sleep in Sienna's crib when they came. The next day Kiran would walk around, put her hand on one side of her belly and say "This is Baby A" and then put her hand on the other side of her belly and say "This is Baby B." She will pick up the ultrasound pictures and say," But Mommy I don't know which one of my brothers this is!"

Its been a very exciting couple of days. We appreciate all the congrats and prayers and comments. I'm starting to come out of the fog. The fog was so thick that on Tues evening my youngest daughter ate three cupcakes for dinner. I got a twin book and I got some advice and I'm starting to make lists. I just keep reminding myself to breathe.

Did Yesterday Really Happen?

As soon as the ultrasound tech put the wand on my belly, she asked, "Have you had any other ultrasounds?"

I said, "No, this is the first one this pregnancy."


She put this up on the screen

and asked us if we saw anything interesting.

Jonathan immediately said, "There's two!" And she said, "Yep there's two."

Those are their two little chests- the little black holes inside the grey blobs are their hearts.


This was the part when I covered my face shaking, crying and feeling like I was going to pass out. We were in there an hour measuring everything and I don't remember anything. I know that they were 9oz (Baby A) and 8oz (Baby B) and they looked perfect. The tech saw two sacs which is good but she thinks its only one placenta. We'll have a better idea when we have a Level 2 ultrasound at Maternal Fetal Medicine on Dec 2.


We had NO IDEA that there were twins. Not expecting that at all. Looking back we can see how this pregnancy was slightly different but not in any major way. We joked about it all the time. Just before we went in for the ultrasound, J looked at my belly and said, "I don't think its big enough for there to be two." I agreed. Totally kidding and never really expecting to actually see two heartbeats, lots of arms and legs and boy parts. The ultrasound tech said it had been two years since she had someone come in for an anatomy scan and find out that they were having twins. She said that I was the furthest along that she had ever diagnosed twins (18.5 weeks). Edited: We now know of a few twins in the family but twins do not run in the family.

Oh Boy! Oh Boy!

Ramblings

Every time I go to Walmart, I select a cart, start shopping, and then think, "Man I got a bum cart again." Today I realized that all the carts at Walmart are bum carts.

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Kiran is convinced that the song "If I Had a Million Dollars" by Barenaked Ladies is really "If I Had a Million Toddlers."

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I have a cold. Its kicking my tail. And I have no voice now so I have resorted to snapping at Kiran when I need her attention from across the house.

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Baby Poll closes tonight because my ultrasound is tomorrow! Hopfully we'll have some news to share tomorrow!

Exhausted

Sorry for the lack of blogging.

I have been exhausted this past week. Utterly exhausted. Throw in a growth spurt for the baby and a stomach virus that keeps coming and going and I've been pretty incoherent for the past 8 days.

Anyhow, I enjoyed hearing your guesses on Baby Caskey. I put up a poll on the side so you can vote anonymously and I can have them tallied for me. For the record, Emily guessed girl so you can use that information as you will. You have one week. Then I'll tell you my family's guesses and then we'll hopefully find out the truth.

Boy or Girl?

Emily is notorious for always guessing wrong for the gender of the unborn baby. She needed more information before guessing so I thought I'd answer her questions here and see what everyone else thought too. We get to find out in 2.5 weeks! I do have a mother's intution about this one but I'm not telling yet.

1. What are you craving?

Well, not sweets. Hamburgers, mexican food, popcorn, peanut butter, cheese and crackers. Basically any food except sweets. And hummus makes me want to throw up even though I used to eat it every day.

2. How is your nausea?

Nausea? What is nausea? My body knows 2 states 1. Happy Zofran-induced state 2. Vomiting continuously until I can get more Zofran state

3. How is your belly shape compared to the last two?

Pretty much the same- but bigger quicker the third time around! See:

Festival Season

Its festival season here in the South too (not just in India!).

Last weekend, LP & I took the girls to the Harvest Festival in Inman. I don't know if you've been to Inman but I have. And based on my past visits there, I did not have high expectations for this festival. I was totally wrong. It was much bigger and better than I thought it was going to be.

Kiran got her face painted

Sienna ate lots of funnel cake

Today Jonathan and I took the kids to the International Festival downtown. This festival rocked. I loved it. We:

• were begged by a Cambodian to go to his country and tell people about Jesus
• traded stories with an Indian who was from Rajastan but worked in Delhi
• met a Filapino lady who lives near us and promised to teach me how to make Filapino egg rolls (and promised to have my fave meat on a stick dish at next year's festival).
• ate empanados from the Dominican Republic, brats from Germany and egg rolls from the Philippines

I loved hearing all the different music playing and seeing all the different traditional dress. I think every culture has something unique and special to hold on to. I don't like seeing countries become all Westernized to the point of losing their cultural identity.

We don't have any more festivals planned right now- are there any good ones coming up?

Kiran and the baby and the pregnancy

Kiran is at a really fun age with all this baby and pregnancy stuff. Beyond the fact that she totally takes care of Sienna when I'm sick, she's kept us laughing about the whole thing.

We didn't tell her until I was 11 weeks (right before the birthday party) because we didn't want to try the whole keeping it a secret thing. Which was a good idea because she immediately told our neighbors.

When I was maybe 7 weeks, Kiran looked at me one day when I was scratching my belly and asked, "Mommy, do you have a baby in your belly?"
I said, "Why Kiran?'
She said, "Because you look like you do!"
Thanks child. I only had 7 more months to go.

When we told her that Mommy had a baby in her belly, she immediately responded with "I have a baby in my belly too!" She has been very insistent on this. When I ask her when her baby is coming, she'll say "Um in about 36 minutes".

Kiran is convinced this baby is a girl and won't even discuss boy names. We'll say "What if the baby is a boy?" and she'll just smile and say, "What if its a girl?"

When I was maybe 11 or 12 weeks, Kiran said to me while I was changing shirts "I see a baby...and a whole lot of food!"

And I must be in the video mood- here's an interview with Kiran about all things baby

The Best Part Of My Night

This little ritual has evolved from Jonathan tossing Kiran her animals to Sienna helping throw the animals. This is by far the longest video I've ever posted (almost 1.5 minutes!) but it shows the little ritual plus Sienna talking (baby), Kiran calling S by her whole name, and some other just funny stuff. I'm sure the grandparents will love watching it in its entirety. So enjoy the best part of my night!

Cloth Diaper Update

Since weaning Sienna to soy milk full-time, her poopy diapers have been disgusting! I gave it a few months thinking it would get better but it hasn't. When I was talking with her ped (whom I love but that is another post), he thinks she may be slightly intolerant to soy also. At this point, its not hurting her (just me who has to change those things!) so he doesn't think it is necessary to cut soy out of her diet. But I have had enough of those digusting diapers and I have officially stopped cloth diapering until something changes. I miss it and it pains me to have to pay for diapers when we have those nice BumGeniuses sitting all pretty in her drawer. But I just can't do it. I have limits y'all. And I've reached one here. I can't wait till things get back to normal but until then Pampers, Huggies, whatever diapers happen to be on sale- we'll be getting to know you again.

And for free:

I Knew It

I am getting healthier.

I used to make this recipe from 4 Ingredient Cookbook.
Beef Enchiladas Ole
1 pound ground beef or 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped
1 cup Taco Bell Home Originals Think 'N Chunky Salsa, divided
1 pound (16 oz) Velveeta Mexican Pasteurized Process Cheese Spread with Jalapeno Peppers, cut up, divided
10 flour tortillas

1. Brown meat; drain. Stir in 1/2 cup of the salsa and 1/2 of the Velveeta; cook and stir on medium-low heat until Velveeta is melted.
2. Spoon 1/4 cup meat mixture in center of each tortilla; roll up. Place tortillas seam-side down, in microwavable baking dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup salsa and Velveeta. Cover loosely with microwavable plastic wrap.
3. Microwave on HIGH 4 to 6 minutes or until Velveeta is melted.

They were yummy. And pretty cheap and easy.

But this week I made Hearty Bean Burritos from Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking Oct/Nov 09
1/2 cup instant brown rice
1 small, green pepper, chopped
2 tsp canola oil
1 can (15oz) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup no-salt-added diced tomatoes
4oz fat-free cream cheese, cubed
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp dried oregano
6 whole wheat tortillas (8in), warmed
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

1. Cook rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, saute pepper in oil until tender. In a large bowl, coarsely mash beans. Add the beans, tomatoes, cream cheese and seasonings to the skillet. Cook and stir until heated through; stir in rice.
2/ Spoon scant 1/2 cup filling off center on each tortilla. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp cheese. Fold sides and ends over filling and roll up. Serve immediately.

These was delicious and oh so much better for us. The hearty bean burritos have officially replaced the beef enchiladas ole in our menu rotation.

Score

Kelley: 1 Gap: 0

I went to the mall because Merritt (my personal fashion assistant- you should all get one) found me some awesome maternity jeans from GAP. I figured since I was going to be pregnant during all of fall and winter that I would spend my birthday money on a great pair of jeans that fit me! I heard that Baby Gaps have maternity in their stores and I wasn't sure what size to order.

I walked into Gap Kids and thought this doesn't feel right. So I walked across the walkway to the regular Gap and asked if they carried maternity. They said they didn't. Its only online. So I asked how to figure out what size to wear. They said just order your regular size. I said I didn't know my regular size anymore since it had been 3 years and 3 pregnancies since I bought anything from there. I know I'm not a size 4 anymore. So then the manager says that they aren't supposed to take returns but someone accidentally did so I could try on those three things to see if it helps.

To spare you many more boring details, I walked out of there with very similar jeans to what I was planning to order and I paid $7. Total. 10% of what they would have cost online. And then I bought a lottery ticket. Not really. Maybe I should have. And I now have $63 extra birthday dollars to spend...

I Tried

I had this really cute picture of Kiran taken on her first birthday.

I thought it would be really fun to get the same picture of Sienna. So she was 14 months old by the time I got around to it. Close enough. Well. Let's just say I Tried.

Am I Really That Transparent?

That's for you Merritt (And my brother-in-law- don't worry Jordan I won't tell anyone how much you like that movie...)

I didn't mean to squeal and run but my extended family gathered on Edisto Island and our beach house didn't have internet. And I couldn't be bothered to drive around Edisto with my laptop open parking in empty driveways to pick up wireless signals (unlike some family members who will remain nameless). So I had 4 days free of emails, facebook, blogs, etc. It was luxurious. I loved it. I'm seriously thinking about quitting Facebook altogether. How free would that be?

Anyway...baby thoughts/answers based on y'all's (is that how you write that?) comments on the last post...
hawaii baby? I'll never tell :)
I'm sad to lose my preg buddies in Sara and Michelle! And my preg buddy here in real life isn't with child right now either.... I'm feeling kinda lonely people....you know you want to...
We'll take all the boy thoughts you want to send our way...but won't be disappointed with another princess.
I'm due at the very end of March so Kiran will be 3.5 years and Sienna will be 21ish months. We announced the pregnancy at my birthday party which was very fun. My church friends that were there didn't have any idea and squealed. During the prayer.

And my final baby thoughts for today... so many people have said something to the affect of how brave we are or how i must be capable of extraordinary things.... but you people have it all backwards. Obviously you haven't been to my house lately. Our philosophy was something like we can't keep up with the two we have now and do the housework and the yardwork and everything else so what's the difference in adding another child? I can't get anywhere on time with my two. My house is being overrun by clutter. I still haven't put up pictures on one wall and we've lived here more than two years. But the joy- the excitement of meeting another family member- I can't wait. I love my two more than life itself and I am thrilled for them to have a little sibling. (Kiran is way excited and if Sienna understood what was happening, I'm sure she'd be picketing outside the spare bedroom.) So don't go thinking I'm super-mom or something. I will agree that we are blessed. And thankful. So incredibly thankful.

On a totally different note, if you have pictures from my birthday party, my high school reunion, Mert's surprise baby shower tailgate or the beach- will you send them to me? I haven't been very good at taking pictures lately.

Three

Three seems to be our number lately.

Kiran, my precious, precocious firstborn, is three today.

We had three major events this weekend- my 28th birthday party on the rooftop overlooking the Greenville Drive, our 10 year high school reunion and a surprise baby shower tailgate for Merritt.

We are starting year three in our house which makes it the longest place we've lived in by far.

And of course, baby number three who will be joining our family in March 2010.

We Speak to Nations

One of These Days...

...I'm going to remember that I have a blog and update it.

But today I'm just looking for the book Don't Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman. Does anyone have this that I can borrow?

Fountain Fun

We have this awesome park downtown that has fountains for the kids to play in. For free. The girls had just as much fun here as the water park that we shelled out $20 to go to last week.

Both of the girls had a ball in them this year. I like that the water keeps them cool on hot days but I don't have to worry about drownings.

Kiran & Sienna with their friend Mattie Joy who came to play with us

Sienna had no fear

I remembered to bring buckets this time and they were a huge hit.

Plus I found a list: 175 things to do in Spartanburg. And I like lists!
#82. Take the children to play in the interactive fountain at Barnet Park.
Check.

An Impromptu Day Trip

Jonathan indulged my restlessness yesterday....for an impromptu day trip.

We headed out yesterday morning heading to the Farmer's Market and the Indian grocer. Only. As we headed out the door, Jonathan asked if I wanted to take the camera and I said no, of course not. We're just going to the Farmer's Market and the Indian grocer. I love our Farmer's Market but it only takes about 10 minutes to get through it all. We did get the blue cheese butter than we love.

After stocking up on Indian food, we decided to try out the bbq hole in the wall just up the road from our house. When we got there, it was closed. We figured if we drove some of these country roads that we would stumble upon one.

And we did! We ate at Big Daddy Hawg's BBQ and it was delicious. Afterwards, we had an open afternoon so we hoped the girls sleep in the car for their naps. We picked a road and starting driving north. We eventually ended up in Lake Lure, NC where Dirty Dancing was filmed and just past it in Chimney Rock, NC. We stopped at a playground to let Kiran play (Sienna has finally just fallen asleep!) and enjoy the mountain air.

We took a different way home stopping for ice cream on Main Street in Rutherfordton before heading home. Ah my restlessness has been indulged...thank you husby.

Restless

Do you ever get restless?

J & I laugh about our one-year itch. After one year of marriage we moved from SC to the mountains of NC. After one year there, we moved to India. We managed to stay there almost two years although we did move houses during that time. We've been in this house for almost exactly two years. Hum....

Thankfully we live not five minutes from windy country roads that feed my restless soul. The girls and I play games like we turn the opposite way out of the Walmart parking lot, take the third real road on the right and see where it takes us. (We have lots of not "real" roads out here and I'm terrified of ending up being chased by someone with a shotgun at the end of one of those so I avoid them. Real roads to me equals lines painted on the asphalt.)

Kiran always complains at first. But we always end up in a fascinating game of "I Spy" and her saying, "I'm so excited to see all this!" Its days like today that I just want to drive up 221 until I hit Blowing Rock and find us a place to live with a view of Grandfather Mountain. Why am I restless? I love my little life here- my cute house and fenced in backyard and the nearest Target not being 45 minutes away. But I still get restless.

What do you do when you get restless? Or am I the only one?

Front Porch Swing

Sometimes when Sienna takes a long afternoon nap, I join Kiran outside on the front porch swing for her daily popsicle. I take my current novel out even though I know I'll be interrupted every other sentence. I refrain from asking her not to drip her popsicle on her dress because she's two. And if she can't drip a little popsicle on her dress when she's two then I'm not the kind of mother I want to be.

She's wearing the bright blue dress today. She tells me everyday that the flowered dress is her favorite but personally I think this is the best one. There is something in the bright blue that makes her look incredibly tan. And the tan skin sets off the 34 different shades of blond in her hair. Hair that is a little bit wet and matted from the nap she actually took today.

She asks me what I see and we talk about the mosquito, Mommy's book and the trees. I don't tell her that I see the stubbornness of her mother and the inquisitiveness of her father and the protectiveness of being a big sister peeking out from her bright blue dress. Then she's ready to go inside, to get her milk and her string cheese. To grow up and be three and learn to pour her own milk and read her own novels. We play tug-of-war; Kiran sprinting ahead to the future she eagerly embraces and me digging my heels in making this time last as long as it possibly can. Maybe Sienna will take a long nap again tomorrow...

Hawaii Day Seven: Aloha Hawaii

Our last day in Hawaii (also last Hawaii post!)! We got up and headed to Queen's Bath- another bigger lava pool. We passed this beautiful little waterfall on our hike there.

Queen's Bath may have been my favorite place. It was so clear and full of life. I just loved sitting on the edge watching the fish in the bath and the sea turtles in the ocean.

Queen's Bath

On the hike back

Old Hanalei Bridge- can't handle heavy machinery so it naturally limits development in Hanalei

Wai'oli Hui'ia Church in Hanalei

We had time for massages on the beach before catching a plane and flying back to our sweet, sweet girls.

We stayed at the Jungle Hideaway which was a guest house about 10 minutes past Hanalei. It was wonderful and we highly recommend it for anyone heading to Kauai. The owners were wonderful- taking care of all our needs and making our trip very special. Plus it had an outside shower which might have been my favorite part of Hawaii.

And that is the end of Hawaii '09. I have no idea what I'll blog about now.

Hawaii Day Six: Surfing, Lighthouse and Sunset

We woke up Monday morning and thought, "Why not learn to surf while in Hawaii?" So we went to Titus Kinimaka's Hawaiian School of Surfing and they had a class starting in 45 minutes. Perfect. We used these big huge boards and the instructors were fabulous and we were both up and surfing on our first try.

Does anyone else see the board getting ready to attack me?

One of Jonathan's runs...you can click on it to make it bigger

Our view as we were surfing into the beach...it was much more beautiful in person. There's the tallest waterfall in Kauai right in the center. I promise.

Surfer Dude

After the surfing lessons, we finally actually went to the lighthouse. The gray blob right in the middle under the rocks is a monk seal. Yeah I thought it was a rock too.

View south from Kilauea Lighthouse

Double rainbow in Hanalei

We went to see the sunset at Ke'e Beach but it was behind the clouds.

I know its blurry but I still like it.

Hawaii Day Five: Hanalei Bay and Secret Beach

Out first three days in Hawaii had been a whirlwind. We came home from Oahu and slept almost 12 hours. I absolutely cannot remember the last time I did that. I'm sure it was pre-pregnancies and pre-babies. We got up, picked up burritos from Red Hot Mama's, and headed to Hanalei Bay to picnic. Hanalei Bay was ranked #1 beach in America in 2009 by Dr. Beach. And its easy to see why- beautiful sand, crescent bay, mountains and waterfalls behind you. It was simply beautiful.

Supposedly Puff the Magic Dragon

We were determined to read and relax on the most beautiful beach in America. And we did. For about an hour. Then we went exploring.

We went to Secret Beach which has secret lava pools and a great view of the Kilauea lighthouse.

Roughest waves we saw

We decided to hike over the lava rock to the secret lava pools. It was maybe 600 yards and it wouldn't have been bad at all- if we were wearing the right shoes. Unfortunately in our determination to rest and relax, we both wore our flimsy flip-flops. We made it but the way there and back would have been much simpler with proper shoes.

There was a waterfall by some of the lava pools. We climbed down near the waterfall to get in the lava pools at the bottom.

We are standing next to one of the lava pools. They were about 6 feet deep and so calming to just sit and relax in. Definitely worth the trek.

We drove down to Kilauea for pizza and ice cream (that's where we heard Julia Roberts was in town) and then found a spot to watch the sun set.