They're Here!

Well, it's been a long time since I've updated my blog. As you probably know, Nathan and Caden are here! They've been here for 51/2 months, hence why I haven't had time to write. The boys were born a month early on Jan. 30, 2009, at 1:09 p.m. Yep, born in the same minute.

I had some complications. Long story short, I developed eclampsia and had to have an emergency c-section. Eclampsia is a disorder where your blood pressure gets dangerously high, so high that it causes seizures and can lead to brain hemorrage and death for mom and baby. Praise the LORD that he protected the boys and me and we are here today, without any side effects or complications, to testify to the greatnes of our Healer God.

The past five months have been a whirlwind. They've been filled with all of the things a new baby brings times TWO... immense joy, belly aching laughter, overwhelming uncertainty, complete exhaustion, a sense of accomplishment one minute and a feeling of defeat the next. We've laughed and cried, celebrated the small victories and resorted to putting them in the car for a midnight drive around Tulsa when nothing else would work.

Speaking of small (and some very big) victories...

• The boys are sleeping through the night in their cribs and they have been since about 4 1/2 months. A HUGE thank you to Dr. Marc Weissbluth, author of "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Twins." Of course, every night isn't perfect but it's better than the days of multiple overnight feedings.
• Nathan and Caden are rolling over (started at 5 months). Nathan can inch his way to a toy. I call him my little inch worm. He also likes for you to hold him up in a standing position.
• Caden loves to blow bubbles. He also loves sitting in his bouncy seat and watching Praise Baby videos. Whoever created that is a genious. It gives me at least 30 minutes to brush my teeth and put on some deoderant. Some days, that's as far as I get.
• Caden loves to talk. Every night about 4 a.m. he wakes up and jabbers. I lay in bed and listen to him on the monitor. It's the sweetest thing I've ever heard. Nathan loves to yell. He hasn't quite learned his inside voice.
• Nathan has the most precious smile. His eyes just twinkle. Caden smiles with his eyes. They are the biggest, cutest eyes you've ever seen.

Although born in the same minute, they are totally different in every way (different looks, different formulas, different sleeping patterns, different personalities, different pacifiers and the list goes on). Sean likes to say they are just two brothers born on the same day. Despite their differences, we are sure they will be best friends.

Every day brings more joy, laughter and new challenges. I'm told I should get used to that. What I hope to never get used to is how my heart leaps every morning when I see their sweet smiles.

I would like to thank all of our family and friends for all of the support, prayers, food, gifts and helping hands you've given us these past five months. We couldn't have done this without you, or should I say we can't do this without you.

I'm posting some photos so that you can see our two precious boys. Enjoy!

Hair It Is

Happy New Year! I hope everyone's 2009 is off to a great start. Obviously, Sean and I are anxiously awaiting what 2009 will bring us. We are T minus six weeks until D-Day (Feb. 12), unless the boys decide to grace us with their presence a little early.

Everything is progressing wonderfully. The babies are healthy. I'm healthy...and big. A few weeks ago my doctor ordered me to be a couch potato, so I'm pretty much on couch arrest. Whatever I can't do from the couch with my legs propped up, I don't do it (well, most of the time). Not a bad gig for me but not great for Sean. He is a trooper and is taking great care of me. I actually feel really bad for him because he works in Dallas all week and then comes home on the weekend and does laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning, back massages, etc. He doesn't get much of a break, and he never complains. So glad I found this guy!

We had an appointment with the specialist today where I get really in-depth ultrasounds. It appears that baby B has lots of hair. That's an Antle! He'll probably come out with it sticking straight up on his head. We could only see a small patch of hair on baby A, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have more. It's just all we could see today.

Let me rewind a bit and tell you about our holidays. We had a great Christmas. Mom, Dad, Paige, Britton, Laura and Gabe came for Christmas Day and stayed the weekend. Gabe kept us all entertained. He is a talker. When you are sitting on the couch and he runs behind it, all you can see are these little white curls bouncing up and down. It's so cute! He helped pass out all of the presents and when you were unwrapping it he'd say, "Oh, what is it?" Then, when you pulled it out of the box he'd say, "Oh, wow." It may not have been his gift but he was just as excited to see what it was.

Being the only grandchild (for now) he got lots of gifts. My parents had this bright idea to start a new tradition of buying a new game each year for the grandkids to play together. This year, they bought that fishing game where the fish go around in a circle, their mouths pop open and you have to try to catch them with this tiny fishing pole. Gabe loved that game so much that we had to hide it from him. He would say, "You wanna go fish?" It made this annoying clacking sound and all the adults wanted to throw it out the window by the end of Christmas night. We all agreed that game will stay at Nanny and Big Daddy's house.

Of course, my mom waited on me all weekend. She and my sis-in-law cleaned my house before they left, which was so nice. Paige just had surgery on her leg and can't walk right now so she and I just sat and watched as they cleaned. They were a huge help! We owe them one!

That's all the update I have for now. We're in waiting mode now. It won't be long!

The Mystery Continues

I had an appointment with my specialist yesterday. All went well. One baby weighs 2 lbs. 7 oz. and the other weighs 2 lbs. 14 oz. As Sean put it "all systems are go."

We've been telling everyone they are fraternal because my OB said that with two placentas, which I have, it's about 20 to 1 odds they are. Yesterday, our specialist said that even with two placentas they could still be identical. If they are identical, it would mean the egg split very early in the process. At birth, they'll check their blood types. If they are different, they are fraternal. If not, they still won't be able to say for sure. There is an enzyme test they can do at birth that may tell us. But, if that comes out the same on both, then the only way to know for sure is to do a chromosome test. That test is very expensive and not really necessary unless one of the babies were to need something like a transplant. So, it's unlikely that we would ever take it that far unless we need it for a medical reason.

So, the mystery continues. I can't wait to see if they look the same or completely different. I wonder if anyone does baby tatoos? If they look the same I'll have to do something to tell them apart!

I've posted some new pictures that my friend Abbey took of Sean, me and my big belly.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas season.

Ashley

10 Weeks and Counting

There isn't much to report this week. All is well with the babies and my health. I'm 27 weeks but measure 34. I feel all of 34. We have just 10 weeks to go, so the count down has begun!

We spent Thanksgiving with the Antles at the home of Sean's aunt. We had a good time and ate some fantastic fried turkey. I couldn't help but think about how different next Thanksgiving will be with two babies crawling around. Gone are the days of fixing my plate and sitting down for an uninterupted turkey dinner.

I'm working on decorating the house for Christmas now. I love Christmas! Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season.

Ashley

What's in a Name?

We've finally chosen names! They will be Nathan Phillip and Caden Michael. Sean and I wanted their names to reflect the legacy we hope to build in them and pray their lives reflect.

Nathan means He gave, or God has given. The Bible verse we've chosen for Nathan is John 3:16, which says: "For God so love the world that HE GAVE his only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." We hope Nathan's life is a testimony to God's gift of salvation and the life that is found in Jesus Christ.

Caden means Fighter. His verse is Judges 6:12 and comes from the story of Gideon who God used to deliver the Isrealites from the Midianites. The verse says: "When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, 'The LORD is with you, MIGHTY WARRIOR.'" Our hope is that Caden would have a defiant faith and, like a warrior pursing the call and commands of his commander, obediently follow Christ throughout his life.

Both of our boys are such a gift to us, and our prayer for them is that they come to know Jesus at an early age and grow up following their Creator.

We'll decide which one is Nathan and which one is Caden when we see their little faces!

Baby Showers!

What a fun weekend. I had two wonderful showers in Fort Worth.

My sweet friends Laura Van Hoosier and Whitney Jodry hosted a lunch shower for me at The Vault in downtown Fort Worth. All of my friends from Harris were there. One of my college professors, Dr. Maggie Thomas, also joined us, which was a special treat. It was so much fun to catch up with these ladies. I miss them!

My family gave me a brunch shower on Saturday at my cousin Caitlyn's house. The decorations were beautiful and the food was so yummy. A special thanks to Paige, Laura, Caitlyn, Cindy, Jaclyn, Linda and Sandra for all of their hard work and the special touches they put into the shower. It was so special.

The boys and I received some wonderful gifts. In fact, both showers and all of the gifts that came with them were more than I could ever hope for, and I am so grateful. I am so blessed with loving and giving family and friends. Thank you, everyone!

To top off the weekend, we went to Pittsburg for the 150th anniversary of the church I grew up in. It was great to see old friends and to give Sean a glimpse into my childhood. Fun memories!

Check out all of the pictures from the weekend on the right.

Baby Beds!

The baby cribs are up! I came home one night this week to find Sean working on them and you would have thought it was Christmas morning for me. They were actually easy to assemble, and I love how they turned out.

All of the big stuff is done. Now, it's just about decorating and putting the final touches on the room. I've posted a picture of the proud daddy with his masterpieces.

Happy Birthday to my dad, or as he is now known, Big Daddy!