This and That

Did I really not do a post for the month of May?  It was not for lack of things going on within our household.  Just a quick update but we are all doing well. The boys are talking all the time and provide loads of entertainment.  Eric has been keeping busy with work and church.  I am holding down the fort and looking more pregnant with each passing week. 

The boys got nice, short haircuts.  They do not like having it done so hopefully this will last a while.

Look at those Guddat men sized feet! (Abraham on left and Winston on right)

Some news to share:

• Abraham is potty trained!  Boo-ya!  One less child in diapers means some cost savings. I had mentioned that the boys were almost entirely potty trained by early January but my early pregnancy complications put a huge damper on that.  Abraham was naturally more open to potty training so I decided to go ahead and try with him again towards the end of April.  I put him in underwear and within 2-3 days he completely had it. He is really good about telling us when he needs to go and using a public bathroom.  He wears a diaper for naps and night time but as soon as he is awake his underwear goes back on.  I am definitely proud of the little guy.
• The boys have graduated to sitting in the sanctuary on Sundays for the entirety of the worship service.  We had them sitting in the training chapel for at least a year and a half working on holding still and being quiet.  We were never fans of the nursery because on the couple of occasions we did use it, both boys always seemed to come down with something later on in the week.  Eventually we found that the other kids that cried or made noise made them think it was okay to make noise. We tried sitting in the sanctuary with them about two months ago and it worked out really well.  They will fall asleep quite often during the sermon but even if they do not, they have been well-behaved.  They try to sing during worship and like holding the hymnal.  It has been a sweet time as we are beginning to worship as a family.  I know it has been an encouragement to me to be back in normal church.  It is definitely a lot easier to focus on the worship and the message being preached.
• Funny Abraham story: This kid is precocious and so funny.  He has been learning more and more about quantities and is keyed in on all the body parts and what they are called.  He learned what nipples were a couple months ago.  He likes to points them out on his brother and on his papa while they are shirtless.  I was getting him dressed and he looked down at his chest.  Then he proudly proclaimed to me, "Mama, I have two nipples."  I just about died at how serious and emphatic he was.  I know Eric was laughing like crazy when I told him the story.  
• Funny Winston story:  So the boys do really well sitting in church with us like I previously mentioned but the reality is that they are only two years old and do not always understand what an inside voice is.  Winston was being good sitting on my lap but he was bored and all of the sudden started beat boxing in the middle of the sermon.  This is something he learned from Biz on Yo Gabba Gabba.  I had to quickly whisper, "No beats in church, Winston."  He looked at me with those big blue eyes and I could tell he was bummed he could not keep going.  Eric and I were trying so hard to not laugh out loud because it was so cute.

The boys are still in the stage where they are either loving on each other or fighting like cats and dogs.  They wrestle and laugh and giggle but it can go bad really quickly.  It can be hard to patiently referee all day but I am grateful that they have each other.  Having twins is a special privilege and we definitely feel blessed. 

23 weeks on Mother's Day

My precious boys.

Baby Seymour seems to be right on track in terms of growth and I have been feeling well.  I am nearly in the third trimester now.  My first trimester moved at a snail's pace due to morning sickness and stints of bed rest but second trimester has flown by.  Having A&W has kept me very busy obviously and I think it has made the pregnancy go by that much faster.  We are enjoying the warm spring weather, family bike rides and frequent visits to the park.  This coming summer is going to go by quickly and then 'G' baby will be making his big arrival. 

Pregnancy Update

Baby Seymour and I are doing great.  We had a rough start with the subchorionic hemorrhage and placenta issues but since my sixteen week appointment I have had a routine, entirely normal pregnancy.  My doctor has stated several times that he is really pleased with how everything is progressing.  Praise God!

15.5 weeks-Definitely showing but that is not a surprise considering what carrying A&W did to my abdominal wall.

On April 8th I went for my anatomy scan at the maternal fetal health specialist's office. I was 18 weeks based on my due date and the baby was measuring at 18 weeks 3 days which is more in line with how far along I believe I am in the pregnancy.  The baby was really active and it was hard for the technician to get some of the measurements because Seymour just wanted to roll all around in there.  Everything checked out wonderfully and it looks like we have a healthy baby BOY on the way.  Yep, we are having boy #3. We are right on our way to our own basketball team!

17 weeks-Easter Sunday

Many, many people thought I was having a girl because of the bad morning sickness I had but this baby is definitely all boy.  The technician and MFM doc both said it was quite clear that this baby is another man child.  The old wives' tales are not always right and as the pregnancy progressed it felt a lot like being pregnant with the boys.  I was completely prepared to hear "boy" and sure enough that is what happened.  A couple weeks before the appointment Abraham had told me that the baby's name was Joseph so that also made me wonder if the kid knew something I did not.  I have been asked if I feel disappointed or let down about not having a girl.  The answer is no.  There is a part of me that wonders if a little girl is in our future at all or if I am just meant to raise a brood of boys.  Never say never but I feel that this is our last pregnancy. If we do add to our family I would like it to be through the gift of adoption.  I think it is okay to wonder about the future but I am not grieving because I am not having a girl.  God knows what our family is supposed to look like and I am trusting Him with that.  On the practical side of things we have nearly everything we need so this should be pretty easy. 

21 weeks-More than half way through!

One thing I am trying to think about is that Abraham and Winston are always referred to as "the boys."  Come September it will probably be the "the boys" and "the baby" and eventually the "the big boys" and our "little boy."  Winston is really into the idea of having a baby brother.  He lifts my shirt, rubs my belly, talks to baby brother and then tells him "see you later!" and pulls my shirt back down.  In God's wisdom, I think giving us another boy really helps them understand more what is happening.  They know babies and they know what having a brother means so baby brother seems to make sense to them.

As for me, I feel really good lately.  I am definitely in the happy part of pregnancy.  I am slowly building up my activity after so much time being on modified bed rest and needing to take it easy. I have been taking walks with the boys and was just gifted a bike so I am enjoying getting more physical activity in.  I am sure that the summer is going to fly by with two toddlers to chase after so our baby will be in our arms in no time at all.