Going Home? Errr...to the Lyons

Now that you all know that we are moving I can tell you more about the craziness of the twins' birth. We started working with the relocation company the week before the babies were born. On the Thursday before they were born we met with a realtor about selling our house and were told how we have way too much stuff and need to do a lot of clearing out to make our home look more like a model home. Ha....how does a house with three kids look like a model home? So Friday night we rented a storage unit and started packing up the house on Saturday. Also during these few days Paul was trying to figure out how to deal with a minor mold concern in the attic. And we found out from our association that our garage door needed to be replaced and a few other exterior items needed to be taken care of. Saturday the garage door guy came by and Sunday we had a second realtor to the house and a guy to give us an estimate on the mold remediation. Both of the people on Sunday came in the afternoon when my contractions were coming about 6-7 minutes apart and fairly painful. As you know we went to the hospital Sunday evening and Schaeffer and Logan were born Monday morning. Tuesday the mold guys came and took care of that issue. But they needed to set up an air filtration system and recommended that people not stay at the house that night or the next. So Mom stayed at the hospital with me and Paul and Jack stayed at the Roth's. Wednesday Paul spent the afternoon at the house while the garage door guy installed the new door and Mom, the twins and I waited for him at the hospital. We could have gone home pretty much any time after 1 but didn't end up leaving until after 5. And actually we couldn't even go home due to the mold removal stuff. So instead we went to the Lyons' home. They happened to be out of town and had some other friends house/dog sitting for them. So we crashed their place Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Mom and Jack went on an adventure and stayed in a hotel. Pretty sure by this point Jack was really ready to be back home in his own bed, but he was a trooper and did great for his grandma at the hotel. Finally, Thursday afternoon we headed back to our house to settle into life with the twins. It was all very hectic and a bit insane but we survived and will continue to do so thanks to the grace of God and the generosity and kindness of our friends and family.

The Friend's Big Move

Dear Friends,

As you may have there are some big changes coming for the Friend family. Obviously the twins have arrived and that would be a big enough change for most. We, however, prefer to cram as many life changes and stressful events into one time period as possible. Just get it all done at once, sorta like ripping off the band-aid, right? 

Around the beginning of the summer Paul applied for a position at Caterpillar in Mossville, IL (near Peoria). Several weeks later he went down for an interview and at the end of June he received an offer which he has accepted. So....along with welcoming two new babies into the world, we will also be moving to Morton toward the ed of August. I'm sure this isn't terribly surprising to many of you as we have always talked about moving back home to Morton one day. We just weren't sure if or when that might ever happen. But Paul found an interesting job and all the details that needed to come together for this to happen have come together, undoubtedly thanks to a God who is so in control.

While the transition has already had it's share of challenges and the good byes will be difficult and sad, Paul and I are very excited about this move and about our family's future in Morton. We couldn't be more thankful for the relationships we have formed in the past 5 years. Hopefully through things like Facebook, blogs and email we can keep in touch.

Picture Day

Yesterday was picture day for the Friend family. I didn't do newborn pictures with Jack because I was too stressed out to even think about it. But I thought it might be fun to do newborn pictures with the twins so I scheduled us with Elise who we had heard about through a few mutual friends. Elise was so great with the kids. We planned to do all the pictures with Jack first so that he and Paul could go back home for naps. Jack however was not interested in being in any picture for a while, despite our many bribes...I mean reward offers. We offered him jelly beans, starburst and even a new toy tractor. Can you tell I was desperate? I really wanted him to cooperate so that we could get some cute family pictures. Finally, he decided he could be in a picture if he was sitting on Paul's lap. From then on he did awesome and "earned" himself a lot of candy and in the end a new toy tractor. Hopefully we'll get something cute but I keep thinking odds are all the kids will look great in a picture but either Paul or I will look dumb somehow. Other highlights include me packing bottles for the boys but forgetting the nipples. So when they got hungry and cranky I had to take a lot more time than I planned to nurse them. Bottles would have been so much easier and faster! I guess another lesson learned. Elise was super patient with us though and finally Logan and Schaeffer both fell asleep and we got to get some really cute shots. Can't wait to see them!

Monday Pictures-Week 1

Many of you are aware that throughout Jack's first year we took his picture every week, on Friday since that was the day he was born. These became known as his Friday pictures and made for an adorable Shutterfly book capturing many important moments in his first year and documenting his slow but steady growth. We will be doing the same for the twins only these will be Monday pictures since they were born on a Monday. I'm not sure how I'll want to do their Shutterfly books in the end, so to cover all my bases I'll do individual pics of each and also a picture of Schaeffer and Logan together. If Jack cooperates I'll try and get one of all three as well. We'll see how it goes! Here is week one. (I can't believe they are a week old already!)

Schaeffer

Logan

Logan and Schaeffer

Logan, Jack, and Schaeffer

Lesson Learned

Well this morning the twins and I had quite an adventure together. Logan needed to go back to the hospital for another bilirubin test. Hopefully his last one. Paul and I planned out the day with him taking Jack to Monkey Joe's and me taking the twins to the hospital. This would be my first trip out with the two boys by myself. I got all the way to the hospital and pulled up to the valet parking. I opened the back of my van and to my surprise there was no stroller. Hmmm....the valet man was just looking at me waiting while I stared at my empty van and wondered what to do. Both boys were hungry and on the verge or break downs. I technically cannot carry the two boys together since they weigh more than 10 pounds together and I for sure couldn't lug two car seats around the hospital without a stroller. So I just told the guy I had no stroller and had to go home. Hopped in my van and drove off. The hospital is about a 15-20 minute drive and all three of us needed something to eat so I went through the McDonald's drive through and parked in the lot. Fed both boys a bottle while I drank my yummy mocha frappe. Then we were on our way home to get that stroller, turn around and head back to the hospital. Thankfully the rest of what had become nearly a 2 hour trip was uneventful. But I definitely learned my lesson...always make sure I have the stroller with me!

Watch Natalie Shrink-Week 1

I had a few requests for some "Watch Natalie Shrink" pictures. We will not do many of these as I have no desire to visual document how long it takes me to lose all my baby weight. But I thought it might be fun initially. So here is the first one. Just before delivery on Sunday evening and then Wednesday evening after coming home form the hospital.

      Just Before Delivery       Coming Home from Hospital

       

Twin Pictures

New pictures added Sunday evening at 8:30.

A Baby Story

I'm really behind on posting and I apologize! It's so hard to get caught up too, especially with all that is going on. So for now let me tell you about the newest additions to our family. Schaeffer and Logan were officially welcomed into our family on Monday morning, July 19. We went to the hospital Sunday evening and the twins were born about 11 hours later. When we got to the hospital we had an ultrasound to check the positions of the boys and determine if we would have a c-section or try and deliver naturally. The doctor doing the ultrasound had a difficult time figuring out what she was looking for and even suggested that perhaps there were three babies in there instead of two! I told her there was no way, she must be confused. After a lot of search and pushing around on my belly she determined that both boys were vertex...head down. Praise the Lord! This meant there was a possibility for the natural delivery we had been praying for. I had determined ahead of time that I would get an epidural this time, even though I was hesitant. My thinking was that in case I needed a c-section for Baby B, I wouldn't have to be put completely under if I already had an epidural going. So around 11 o'clock I got my epidural. Paul left the room and my mom and the nurse sat with me through that tolerable but not terribly pleasant experience. I wasn't sure what to expect with an epidural, but I was pleased that I didn't lose all feeling from the waist down. I was still able to wiggle my toes and move my legs if I tried really hard. I couldn't feel contractions but sometimes I could tell I was having one. Shortly after the epidural they broke Baby A's water bag. After that my contractions were about every 2-3 minutes and pretty strong according to the machine. But then every once in a while they would slow down to like 6 minutes. This continued all night long but did not result in very speedy progression. We probably moved along at about a cm every 2 hours. On top of that I was developing a cold and had a bad sinus headache, a stuffed up nose, a soar throat, and my left eye got swollen. It was lovely. Around 6:15/6:30 in the morning Dr. Ankrah came in and checked me. I was at an 8. Dr. Ankrah decided it was time to go to the operating room and start pushing. Mom and Paul were both out of the room for the moment..of course. So we had to wait for Paul to get back and change into his scrubs. Finally, they wheeled me into the operating room (we had to deliver in there in case of a c-section). Everything got set up and before you knew it I was pushing Baby A out. It took a few tries to remember/learn how to push with an epidural but within a few contractions Baby A was born and we heard his first beautiful cries. Then they broke Baby B's water bag. We were going to do a quick ultrasound to check his position, but then Dr. Ankrah saw his head and grabbed it while the nurse tried to push on my belly and hold him in place. We didn't want him squirming away and turning himself around. When the next contraction came around we were ready and I pushed with all I had. A contraction or two later Baby B was born. I just laid their and stared at my babies while Dr. Ankrah finished things up and I was so happy to hear that they both looked healthy and both were bigger than Jack! And everyone was so excited that we didn't end up needing a c-section. Apparently that is somewhat rare in the world of twin delivery. But I have an awesome doctor who helped maneuver those boys out and was super supportive and encouraging during my whole pregnancy. She and the nurse were my cheerleaders convincing me I had what it took to push those babies out.

Baby A is now Schaeffer Lee

born at 7:16 am

6 pounds 4 ounces

20 inches long

Schaeffer is a name Paul and I liked, but also the name of a dear friend of mine from my adopted college family...Schaeffer Bell. Lee is my dad's middle name (and coincidentally Schaeffer Bell's middle name).

Baby B is now Logan William

born at 7:21 am

5 pounds 10 ounces

19 inches long

Logan is a name that Paul and I liked (we know no other Logan's). William is my maternal grandpa's middle name, Paul's paternal grandpa's middle name, Paul's brother's middle name and our nephew Kyle's middle name.

Watch Natalie Grow-Week 38

This is my last growing picture. Unfortunately we forgot to do the picture at home before we left for the hospital, so it doesn't match up exactly, but it's good enough. As you know I'd been having contractions off and on for around 3 weeks. They started out very mild and over the weeks their intensity slowly increased but their consistency never did. Then this past Sunday, the 18th, the contractions finally kicked it into high gear. I began to notice that my contractions were getting worse and coming more frequently so I began to time them just before 3 in the afternoon. They were around 6/7 minutes apart. I continued timing through the afternoon and finally called my doctor around 5:45/6 o'clock. We decided that I should drink a lot of water and see if that made a difference and call her back in a half hour-ish. Paul and I decided to get things together as I was pretty sure we'd being making a trip to the hospital. We ran out to KFC for some dinner, called the Roth's to have Jack spend the night at their place and quickly packed up our things for the hospital. The water made no difference and when I called Dr. Ankrah back around 7:15 my contractions were around 3-5 minutes apart. We dropped Jack off and said good bye to him, called our parents and headed to the hospital. Of course we nearly got lost because our normal route had a road closed. We have to cross rail road tracks to get to the hospital and for some reason several places we could have crossed were blocked off. By the time we found a turn that wasn't blocked we ended up in an unfamiliar neighborhood and really had no idea where we were. Thankfully we weren't in an extreme hurry! We made it to the hospital just after 8 and got all set up in our room. That's were we took this last picture, before I had to get into my very fashionable hospital gown. So this picture was taken approximately 11 hours before the twins were born.

           Week 37                  Week 38 and 4 days

  

Ladies Night at The Melting Pot

It's always so much fun when we get a chance to have a ladies night. And last night was no exception. Our playgroup moms got together for late night fondue at The Melting Pot. The food, as usual, was delicious and I'm sure I ate more than my share. Just like last time we closed the place down and were the last customers to leave. They close at 10 and we probably walked out around 11:30. Thankfully they never seem to mind too much. These ladies are dear friends who have been such a blessing in my life, especially as we've all learned about motherhood together. Love you ladies! Hope this wasn't our last night out.

Katie, Lisa, Shauna, Meghan, Jessie, Tanya and Me

Happy Birthday Cora!

I'm pretty late in getting this post up, but still within a week, so not too bad. Last Sunday we had such a fun time at the Lewis house celebrating Coralyn's 2nd birthday. It was so fun to hang out with friends and see all the kids enjoying the water toys. Minnie Mouse was the theme so all the kids got cute mouse ears. We tried to get a picture of all the kids and almost succeeded. In fact the only reason we didn't was because yours truly, Jack would not sit down and just kept running away. I guess with that many kids, having one act up isn't too shabby. 

Watch Natalie Grow-Week 37

We're still here, still pregnant. We had an ultrasound yesterday and an appointment with our doctor this evening. Everything is still looking good. In fact, Baby B finally got his head down, so we MIGHT not need a c-section after all. That is great news...however, it means that instead of getting to schedule a day for delivery in the near future...we just keep waiting. I'm trying to adjust mentally and just convince myself these boys aren't coming until 40 weeks. That way if they come earlier it'll be a nice surprise. Tip for anyone who is ever pregnant...never get it into your head that you'll deliver early! Anyway, I've been having contractions off and on for almost 2 weeks now. They range from really mild to let me take a moment and get through this one. They are slowly but surely progressing things. We are dilated to 1cm and 50% effaced. Perhaps there will be yet another growing picture next week. It wouldn't surprise me. But we will try and take one before heading to the hospital, if we have time.

Week 35                             Week 37

4th of July

Happy 4th of July weekend! I'm sitting here wondering if today will be the twin's birthday and I thought perhaps I should be caught up on my blog if that's going to happen. Here are some snapshots of our weekend activities. 

Jack enjoying a train ride at the Palatine Hometown Fest.

Jack and Daddy "washing" the van. More of an activity for Jack than an actual cleaning.

At the festival waiting for fireworks. Jack enjoyed a few ears of corn.

Some more snacking. Corn in one hand, nachos in the other.

Fireworks!

Watching the fireworks. Jack loved the fireworks so much he hardly watched them at time because he was so busy telling everyone else about them and making sure everyone else was seeing them.

Twin Update

I had another doctor's appointment this afternoon. I thought I had been having contractions since last Friday. Not all the time or very bad. Mostly in the evening when I was laying around and very mild. But I wasn't positive I was having contractions. So I was curious today with my NST if any showed up. Turns out I was right, I have been having mild contractions. They haven't really done much in the way of progressing, I'm not even dialated to a 1. But it's something! So we'll see if they stay like this for tthe next week or increase in intensity. I'm still hoping to make it to 37 weeks, which will be next Wednesday. That is our next ultrasounnd too and we'd like to know if Baby B has gone head down yet so we know if we need a c-section or not. I guess all this to say, we might be pretty close to meeting the twins.