purple

i have been wanting a purple room for a few years now so i finally started this project back in september. i got the guest room painted and bought a few accessories. then i got pregnant and didn't finish the room. when my parents came out, they helped me finish up the stenciling so that we could get the room put back together. i love how it turned out and now wish it were our master!!! now we need lots of visitors to occupy our new room! Thanks so much mom and dad for helping us finish our purple room!!! We are all so grateful for all of the things you did to help us out while you were here! we got shelves up in the garage, lots of freezer meals done, organized the laundry and kids rooms, put up all the christmas decor and most of all helped out with the everyday chores and taking care of kids! we wish we could have you visit every month!! we love you gran and papa!!!

5 boys 2 girls

today was the big ultrasound day. they started out with baby A (closest to the exit). this was the one they thought was a boy at my last ultrasound and it was quite obvious they were right. he looks healthy and is growing right on track. they then moved onto baby B. this one was moving all over the place and the cord was blocking our view. after the ultrasound tech did all the checks and measurements to show us this baby was healthy too, she worked at trying to figure out the sex. after some time, she finally got a good view of her girl parts, took some pics, then double and triple checked to make sure that was right. she along with most people were really hoping for us to have a girl. we all know that ultrasounds are not 100% foolproof, but luckily i will have many more sonograms to confirm this. we are so excited to welcome these babies into our home and i'm especially excited to buy pink. after my appointment i stopped at target for a few necessities and couldn't help but buy some cute baby girl clothes! i have always wanted boy/girl twins. i guess all of my dreams are coming true even though the timing isn't exactly what i wanted.

Who knew?

You would think I would know most everything about pregnancy since I'm a nurse and a seasoned veteran. I must have overlooked this or learned it once and forgotten it but hyperthyroidism is common during the first trimester. And yes I have an extreme case. The pregnancy hormone HCG that runs rampant the first trimester can cause the thyroid to over produce hormones. That means when they do a routine blood test they will sometimes see a TSH level that is on the low side. Mine was very low so they tested my T3 and T4 which were high. Higher than they usually see in pregnancy. My HCG levels are usually on the high side but are off the charts high with these twins. I went to see an Endocrinologist who told me I look healthy other than my thyroid levels and enlarged thyroid. Luckily I don't have to start any medication but they will watch my levels every two weeks and make sure the babies are growing. We are all hoping this is related only to the HCG and not an auto immune disease. If that is the case my thyroid levels should start going down as the pregnancy progresses. Anyway I thought this symptom was funny but oh so true. Problems thinking! Oh yes have I had this and have it bad. My brain is a foggy mess right now. Since many of the symptoms coincide with pregnancy it's hard to differentiate between the two. A few I have noticed are rapid heart rate, shakiness, fatigue and insomnia. Being pregnant with twins these thing are pretty easy to write off but make sense now that I know my thyroid is overactive. We are all hoping my body corrects this on it's own without needing drug therapy. The babies will be closely monitored as well to make sure my thyroid is not affecting them.

big news

we found out some shocking but exciting news on thursday. i went in for a nuchal translucency sonogram on thursday and they found not one, but 2 babies. i'm 12 weeks along and both babies are looking healthy so far. we are very nervous about all that comes with twins but are excited for 2 new little babies to join our family. we must have agreed to have 5 kids in the pre existence, but HF knew the only way to make that happen was to throw in an extra with our last pregnancy!

the most common reaction: what!!??!!?!?

most commom questions

do twins run in the family: no
do you live by family: no
what kind of twins: fraternal
do you know the sex: one looks to be a boy (not 100%) the other was very shy but we still have lots of time
have you been sick: yes, very. but even more so i've been exhausted. 2 naps a day. just taking a shower tires me out
when are you due: june 13th, but will most likely be may
what about preeclampsia: since i've had it with my other pregnancies, i will almost for sure get it. hopefully it wont show up until close to then end.

nate's 4th birthday

i can't believe my baby nate is 4 yrs old!!! he is such a loving, smart, passionate, fun kid. we are so lucky to have him in our home. i don't know what i would do without my nate cuddles and loves!!! if you can't tell by the pictures, nate is all about spiderman so we had a spidy themed day. we had a birthday party with his best buds at chick fila and he got to bring spiderman cupcakes to pre-school. we had an awesome day all about nate!! happy birthday nate, we love you!

more cox farms

cox farms ** warning, lots of pictures**

this is one of our favorite things to do here in the fall!! the boys look forward to it every year and have a blast every time! here are some pics and more to come!