Check-up

The boys just turned 8 months last week. They are crawling, laughing at each other and crying all the time because apparently teething is pretty painful. I feel bad for them to be honest. Their naps aren't as long as they used to be. They cry at random kind of like they just watched a terrible scene in a movie.
Just the other day I was saying that I miss the days when we could just set them down and they wouldn't go anywhere because they didn't know how to. Or the days that we didn't have to rock them to sleep for 30 minutes because we could just set them down in their cribs and they would just lay there until they fell asleep. I said something to the affect of, "man those were the good ole days". But then Sam gently reminded me of how difficult those days were. How we had to constantly hold a baby. They needed to be carried everywhere. They needed to be held to be fed. As much as I miss those days, I'm definitely over them. I'm excited to watch the boys grow everyday. And it seems like everyday they are up to something new.
Now that we've got this parenting thing down (Not even close) we have decided to take a new direction in our lives. An open marriage. OK, just kidding, but we are both going to be doing grad-school at the same time. We're pretty foolish we know, but we like a challenge! So, keep us in your prayers as we journey through this next phase of life. Thanks for checking in.
Cheers,
Matt

The best part of waking up, is...

There is no better feeling than waking up at 6:00 AM and knowing that you didn't have to get out of bed one time because of a crying/hungry/cranky baby. We have finally and officially reached a stage of "sleeping through the night". It's pretty incredible. We have gone a week or so where they would take turns  sleeping through the night, but as of this week (so far) they are sleeping for 8-9 hours each night without interruption. BRILLIANT!

I've noticed that as they have grown their clothes are changing. Their outfits always say something funny and clever on them, usually telling all the world how "cute" their daddy is or how "mommy rocks!". But I've become a little disturbed by one thing that is related to baby fashion. Pockets. Why do baby clothes have pockets? My boys were wearing cargo pants with huge pockets on the side of them. What is the point of that?! I think to get the total use out of these pockets I am going to start putting my personal items in there such as chapstick or loose change or a hammer. 

Babies are always getting in the way of stuff. They always want to be held. I can't play my guitar and hold them at the same time. I mean I guess I could but that would be really uncomfortable for me. Well, probably for them too. But why won't they just lay on the floor and let the dog lick them for a few hours, or listen to my stereo or bake a cake. They just don't do those things and because of it, my time is their time. But I guess I shouldn't complain because the time that I do get with them is the best part of my day. 

 

Update

OK, so the boys were born and we didn't even blog about it. Sorry. As you can imagine we have barely had time to take a shower let alone update the blog. But today, I've found a crease in the middle of the day that gives me a few minutes to write out some thoughts and update you on what's going on.

Owen and Amos were born on October 30, 2011. Owen was born at 7:54 AM,  7lbs 3 oz 20 inches long. Amos was born at 8:25 AM,  6lbs 3oz and also 20 inches. They are both healthy and have a great set of lungs. Especially Amos. 

When people were scaring us into parenthood, I tried my best to take everything in with a grain of salt. Yes, I did say scare. The last two months of the pregnancy all people did was tell us horror stories of their experiences of the first 2 or 3 months with their child. If you ever get pregnant, I promise to never tell you a horror story right before your baby is born, it's just not nice. And by horror story I mean stuff like how they never slept again, or how they had some scares with abnormal behavior of sorts. These stories can set up a new parent to be with quite a bit of stress and anxiety. 

But I will say this. The no sleep thing is legit. But I don't think that people warn others accurately. It's not that you never sleep again. It's more like the day has no end. It used to be that when a day was over, you would go to bed and get 6-7 hours of sleep to set you up for the next day. Now it's more like one long continuous day ever since the boys were born. When you sleep for 2 hours at a time through the night, it no longer feels like a day has ended. It just feels like you're taking a nap until they finally sleep through the night. 

We would love for any of you to come and see us. Actually, our goal is to have company over as often as possible in the evenings because we know how much help we are going to need and we are open to any takers. The only catch is that we ask you to help us when you arrive. How can you help, you ask? Bring a meal, do the laundry, do the dishes, hold one when he cries, help feed, change a diaper, vacuum the carpet, dust the furniture, play music with Matt, give Sam a break so she can write for her Grad-School, bring a movie (or snacks), etc. I mean it's pretty endless on how you can help us. The reward is being in the presence of two awesome little dudes. All we ask is that you let us know beforehand that you want to come. Drop by visits must absolutely involve a full course meal. 

We have tons more to share but we thought that we would at least start here. So who's coming over?

-Matt

Here are some pic's of the boys!

I remember when...

So we haven't been here in a while. Life has been crazy (I know a big surprise with twins coming huh?!). The thing that is the hardest to believe is that this weekend October is officially here...super exciting...and not just because it's my birthday weeked...but because October is baby month. I keep having moments of sporadic panic...the house isn't clean enough for new babies, we don't have mattresses, I've never had babies before so how do you do it, when will I get all of my notes for my sub together, how in the world will I keep up with my master's classes....you know the drill. But I won't bog you down with my panic and stress (that strangely, or maybe not so strangely since it is way out of character for him, Matt doesn't seem to feel!). Instead I will enlighten you, hopefully even make you laugh a little, with a short list of not so long ago memories...

I Remember When:

·         I didn’t have to wear flip flops to school because my feet fit in actual shoes all day, not just in the morning.

·         I could use any stall in the restroom, not just the handicap stall because my belly is too big to close the others’ doors.

·         People didn’t just come up to me and rub my belly like they were making a wish on a magic lamp.

·         I didn’t have to wear a fake, bronzing, wedding ring so people didn’t think I was just some knocked up girl.

·         It wasn’t a requirement to eat between every bell at school to keep from starving.

·         I could go longer than an hour at a time without having to pee.

·         Heartburn was just something my mom complained about.

·         I could read more than a paragraph out loud at a time without getting winded.

·         I didn’t waddle when I walked.

·         Our bed was a place that I spooned with Matt, not had thoughts about punching him in the face because he is sleeping peacefully.

And that's just the beginning :) But really, I haven't hated pregnancy though I must admit it gets more exhausting by the day. I do love the people who tell me that I look great for carrying twins, and I take that as a compliment...even though that could just be a backwards way of saying "man she is huge...but I guess since it's twins it's not that bad!" We have a doctor's appointment on Friday at which I am fully expecting to hear that I have two 5 pound babies...they are growing so fast!! It won't be long until we are updating from the other side...so stay tuned! :)

Time flies...

On Friday I will hit 30 weeks in my pregnancy; it's unbelievable really. Actually, today at our doctor's visit Dr. Bartlett walked in and said something along the lines of not being able to believe we were already 30 weeks..."wasn't it just yesterday we found out you were having twins?" she asked with a chuckle. It really does feel that way though.

You know the saying, "time flies when you're having fun?" Well it should be "time flies when you are pregnant." Not that pregnancy hasn't been fun...because it has been super fun.

A week or two ago Matt and I were talking about how August was ending and then it would be September which means the next month would be October and that means babies!! When it hit us we started laughing and a little bit freaking out...Matt yelled "Oh no, now I have the nervous poops!" and ran out of the room for the bathroom. I guess realizing that you're going to be a dad in less than 10 weeks causes a man to feel a little sicky!
Back to our appointment...today Dr. Bartlett confirmed that yes we will in fact induce labor at 38 weeks if the babies haven't come before then...but to be ready because with twins we could expect them as early as 35 weeks! WHAT?!?! That is only 5 weeks away...every time we go there they take more weeks away from us...

ready or not here they come!! :)

What's Your Limit?

I am trying an experiment. I know that it's never OK to call a woman fat. But I want to see how close I can get to being punched in the face with my choice of words describing Sam's belly. So far I've tried: 

1. Tubby. The setup went something like this, " Hey Sam, I have a really cute nickname for you". Her reaction was pretty shocking actually. She laughed and thought it was funny. Now, she sometimes refers to herself as tubby.

2. Elephant. This one came out because she was complaining about how big her stomach looked and how heavy it felt. I just told her that she's in the same category as an elephant. She strongly disagreed.

3. School Bus. We were laying down in bed the other day and like always, she was on 'my side' of the bed. So I told her that it felt like I was sleeping in the bed with a school bus. She almost cried. 

4. Angry Bird Hog. Out of no where I thought it would be funny to tell her how cute she looked to me. Maybe it's because I just got done playing about 2 hours of angry birds or maybe because I am a jerk. But either way, I told her that she looked like one of the Angry Bird hogs. More specifically I told her that she reminded me of the one with the cement helmet. She rolled her eyes and told me to shut up. 

These are actual confrontations that took place. I just want to see where the limit is and to be honest, I don't think I've found it yet. So of course I will continue to look for it. 

Lose Your Life

There is something really sacred about sharing your story with people. I think it's great how God speaks to me through the stories from people's lives. I especially love it when those moments come unexpectedly.

This morning I was talking with a friend that I only get to see two or three times a year. I was telling her about the excitement that has consumed me and Sam about our babies on the way. I often tell stories about my life to people. Most of them are about other people in my life. This week I've been talking an awful lot about my wife and most of which are actually true and accurate stuff. I did say most.

I was telling my friend about how Sam loves organization. She really enjoys it for some reason. Give her a pink labeling machine, some markers and a messy room and prepare to be amazed. She is absolutely gifted at it. 

Since I am out of town, she chooses to make the best of her time to organize anything she can. I called three different times yesterday and each time she was up to something new: organizing. She cleaned out our cupboards and refrigerator, she went to school to clean up her room and get it organized and she cleaned our closet and rearranged our clothes and accessories. She is so crazy! But of course I love it. I love everything about her

So as I'm telling my friend this story and we're laughing she looks at me and says "Wow, I mean I know that I don't know your wife, but from what you say about her she seems to know herself really well". I thought about it for a second and told her that she was right. Sam is a very confident person and does know herself well. 

My friend went on to talk about how she is confident too. But only in the areas she is gifted. She talked about how in her own strength she can do things pretty well. She's an actor who is learning that the more that she gives her life to Christ the more she is realizing that she is becoming someone new. But it's really easy to hold onto who instead of embracing who she is becoming. Jesus told his disciples that if you want to find your life that you must first lose it.

When my friend said those words, I was instantly convicted. Not because I think I'm a terrible person or a bad Christian or whatever. But I just don't ever want to feel that I've arrived. I am learning again and again that following Jesus is a constant adventure of losing your life. Being crucified with Christ. Our weakness becoming strength. It's a constant battle of dying and truly living.