The Small Things...

  Today after a phone call with my Dad, I took sometime to reflect on my parents.  I sat on my patio with my face in the sun and I was just over taken with gratitude and thankfulness that I have been lucky enough to have been raised by two people who care so much about me, my sister and brother.  Its that love that is the foundation that has kept us so close.  
  Though the road sometimes has been paved with good intentions, we can all say that reflecting on our childhood can bring out some feelings that we never knew we had.  I can say that my parents aren't perfect, but this is something that I am very thankful for.  My parents are real people, with real life struggles and its their imperfections that make them so wonderful.  Sometimes my mom forgets things, and sometimes it can be frustrating, but mostly it makes me think about my grandma and how she always forgot things.  Then it makes me wonder if I am also going to grow to be forgetful?  Its endearing really.  Sometimes my Dad is stubborn, but his Dad was also stubborn, so that must mean that my brother will be stubborn (not me, right)?  
  I know that there have been times that I have disappointed my parents, but they would never say.  To them all their children deserve equal and unconditional love.  That is what being a parent is all about.  So here we are.  
  I remember when I was in junior high and in love with any sport that I could be involved in, during the winter months when Dad was home from working away, we would go into the gym and play 21 for and hour and half before school started.  It was these little things that mattered to me and now the little things are the big things that stick out in my memory.  Who ever said the small things don't matter?  I don't think that I ever had a normal parent/ child relationship with my either of my parents, they were always my Mom and Dad, but they have always been my friends.  Mom and Dad don't have a favorite when it comes to the three of us kids and we all know that.  When one child it hurting they are hurting with that child, when one is happy they are happy, and so on.  It is this quality that I hope to carry into my parenting.
  So here I am about two and a half months away from starting a family with the most amazing man I know, and you go through a lot of emotions.  Feelings that make you examine your life.  Feelings that you want to suppress, but you can't (maybe its the hormones) and yet they say it is all so normal.  I guess that the thing that I personally fear the most is understanding this thing called unconditional love, will I have enough patience and love for two babies at the same time?  Does something click inside of you?  I am so excited about this whole experience.  From the day we found out that indeed we were going to be parents, to the time we found out that we were going to have twins, up until the point that we found out that we are having two girls I have been in love with these babies.  So I guess this answers my question.  
  Just to bring you all up to speed on what is actually going on here... we are going to be 25 weeks on Thursday!  I can hardly believe that!  Our first appointment with our Obstetrician is on June 6th, and I am really not anticipating that much new information about our babes.  Maybe another ultra sound ( I hope).  We could potentially have these girls in 10 weeks!  10 weeks! Are you for real!  With that being said the baby room is about 60% finished!  Have to get some vital things like crib mattresses, car seats, more NB baby clothes, stuff to clean babies with, and just in general some more organization in this little house to prepare for their arrival that has snuck up very quickly.  
  I hope that this summer brings happiness to all of you who read this... whoever and where ever you are!  We are glad that this journey has had very few bumps in the road.  


With Love,
xoxo
Jesse & Babies

23 Weeks... What!

So we are approaching 23 weeks here on Thursday!  I honestly wonder where the time has went!  I am starting to feel the subtle effects of carrying two babies.  My back has been sore and I can't do much bending, and if I do I suffer because of it.  So just some minor limitations, other than that I have been feeling great!  Energy levels are different everyday, I find that if I wake up and just lay in bed for 15 or 20 minutes I just have more energy.  Its kind of my time where I talk to the babes and wait for them to wake up, then we stumble out to the kitchen and turn on the kettle, get the bagel in the toaster and get ready for our daily breakfast which consists of a bagel smothered in honey and peanut butter, a big glass of milk and a cup of black tea.  Its really the breakfast of champions!  It crossed my mind today that I might never drink coffee again, but then I realized that that is just a silly thought!
So at this point in the game we currently have one crib set up, the girls' room is painted, the wall decals have been ordered, and the stroller was put together by yours truly.  It doesn't really feel like a lot, but I am so glad that there is some progress!  Honestly, it is so hard to get motivation to really do anything in the house when it has been so gorgeous outside!  Would you all hate me if I hoped for a rainy day?
The babies seem to be growing by the looks of my ever changing body and they are currently fighting for limited space.  I honestly love just feeling the little nudges and pokes and twirls that they are doing inside.  I can usually tell which baby is moving now and its pretty incredible!  So the next couple of weeks will consist of a diabetes test and at the beginning of June I meet with the OB to see how he feels about how everything is going.  The last doctor felt I would likely make it no further than 36 weeks because of the size of me and the size of babies, but the body is a glorious machine (or should I say the uterus)?  I am just really enjoying this pregnancy.  It really brings out the best in me I think.
Ahhh an important note!  We met with our doula last night, and I am really excited that she will be a part of our birth!  Its just so important to me (us) to have the right support system in place at the hospital.  When we bring the girls home we will have grandma's to look forward to, sometimes I just feel like I have no idea how to mother, but I am sure those animal instincts will kick right in.
Well folks, I hope you are all having a fabulous Spring!  We will do better to update this little blog...

xoxo
Jesse and Babes

Little Ladies

  On the 29th we found out that we are having two little girls.  I am so excited about that, it wouldn't matter what they were kicking inside me, I would be excited regardless.  There is something special about girls though, being one I know this!  Seriously though, twins will always have a special bond, but sister twins they are exceptional.  The thoughts of fear come to me though about raising well rounded women in a world today.  Today's children are so bombarded with how they are supposed to act, who they are supposed to be, and what they are supposed to look like.  I mean we as adults are confronted with this every single day, so to think of bringing two precious innocent souls into this world is overwhelming at times.  As parents Dallas and I can instill confidence in our girls, teach them that its okay to be an individual, and most of all to respect themselves and other people.  I want our children to grow up with a respect for nature with an understanding of the earth and sustainability.  I wonder if they will be alike or very different sometimes (not just in looks).  I guess that the common misconception when it comes to twins, especially identical twins, is that they have the same personalities.  It will be fascinating to watch them develop individually though, to see each mark out their own little pathway in the world with some guidance and support.  I am so excited to make family memories of our own.  There is just so much to look forward to!
Last night at our prenatal class we learnt about wearing babies, it was fascinating.  We in the West, particularly in North America have seem to become detached from our babies.  After listening to the lady (Becky) speak I was totally convinced that what she was saying was true.  So her business is based around attachment parenting, and "wearing" your babies.  She had a variety of baby slings that are traditional in other countries, and they were woven out of 100% organic cotton and then they are woven by a local lady here, so the slings are custom made to fit each couple.  They were beautiful!  So the thought behind it is you put the sling on in the morning and you have your baby (or babies) in it all day, they can nap in it, and you can just go about your day doing what you need to do (around the house).  She said that in the early stages when the babies are just fresh that skin to skin contact is so important to the babies and when they feel like they are being nurtured they are often happier babies and they cry less.  I love this concept, the slings work for twins too!  I am not swearing off strollers, but it has opened my eyes a lot!  You can replace a lot of heavy lifting of car seats in and out of the car by simply wearing a sling instead.  
I posted a link to her website here:
http://uppymama.com/?page_id=2


Enjoy the nice spring weather and the sound of birdies singing and wind in the trees!


xoxo
Jesse & Babies