I'm SOOOO Ready!

I am very excited that we have made it to the 35 week mark this week! Only a couple more weeks to go maybe… I am really beginning to feel uncomfortable now though. My feet, ankles and legs all now swell up without me even doing anything all day. I can’t sleep because I can’t get comfortable for more than 45 minutes to an hour at a time. So, I am exhausted all day. On top of that, all of the extra weight has my knees killing me! Every time I get up and down, I have to support myself with my arms because my knees are really taking a beating…


I know these are all normal pregnancy symptoms. I guess I am just using the blog to vent today. These boys are such a blessing and I can’t wait to meet them. However, I am also just as anxious to get control over my body again and start feeling like “normal.” I feel guilty for complaining about this, but I still have anywhere from one week to four weeks left and I just can’t imagine how much worse it is going to get.

On to more positive thoughts… My precious friends came over yesterday to help me get in the holiday spirit! It was such a blessing to have Kim, Carol and Kristen come bake cookies at our house and visit with me! Thanks so much ladies for getting me in the Christmas spirit! It meant the world to me!

Baby update: The babies should be close to 5 pounds or so now. They are getting longer and gaining fat to help them maintain their body temperature once they are born. We did get to see their little lungs moving consistently in our last ultrasound. So, that was great news! They are getting ready to take their first breath! We also got to see a 4D picture of Cooper’s face! The technician surprised us with this and it just made my day! I started crying immediately. We haven’t been able to see Cooper’s face the entire pregnancy because he has always been turned the other direction. So, this was definitely a blessing. She also confirmed that the fluid levels are looking OK for Emory. We are going back in tomorrow though just to check and make sure.

Take a look at our precious Cooper! Doesn’t this just make you smile?

Update!

I know I normally update on Mondays, but since we just had our doctor appointment, I thought I would fill everyone in on the details...

We went in for our ultrasound first thing this morning and we found out that Emory is so far down that we couldn't measure his head. Cooper is now transverse/breech. So, the plan now is we will have to do a c-section. There is a possibility that he could still flip, but the probability is really low. Everything else measured pretty good for the boys. They are currently 12th and 15th percentile in their growth and for twins at this stage they say that is good. Each of the boys are estimated at about 4.5 pounds at this point.

The doctor did notice that Emory's fluid is a little low. So, he is a little concerned. We go in again on Friday for another ultrasound and then again on Tuesday. They are going to monitor him every couple of days to make sure it doesn't get too low. That is the only concern at this point.

My blood pressure is staying pretty even. So, he thinks the bed rest is continuing to help, but luckily it will only be for another week or so. We are still trying to make it past Christmas. The boys lungs were going pretty active today in the ultrasound, but they still have some maturing to do. So, we want to allow them to cook as long as they can.

So, this week's prayer request would be for Emory and that his fluid levels won't get too low. Thank you for your prayers and for all of those people that have helped us with meals and visits! It means the world to us!!

Nursery is DONE!

Yep! I said it! Our nursery is officially complete! We have washed all of the clothes for the first couple months and all of our decorations are up! Take a look!

Here you can see our glider and the curtains. Chris really did a good job! 

Here is one side of the nursery. You can see Cooper's crib, the bookcase and their dresser/changing table.

This is Emory's side of the room!

A close up of Cooper's crib...

A close up of Emory's crib...

And, finally a close up of the bedding...

Chris really did a great job cleaning up everything finishing the room. What a great husband! I can't wait for my little boys to see their room.

Baby update: We are 34 weeks pregnant now! So, we are getting close! WebMD says that the boys should each be about 19 inches long from head to toe and each weigh about 4-5 pounds. All of their organs are almost fully mature except for the lungs.

Mommy update: I am still on modified bed rest and doing mostly OK. My blood pressure is staying on the cusp of being high and I am starting to swell up even though I am doing nothing but lay around. So, I am continuing to try to take it easy. I go in to the doctor tomorrow morning for probably our last ultrasound. If Cooper hasn't turned around, they are probably going to schedule a c-section for us. We also get to see if the boys are growing the way they are supposed to too. So, cross your fingers we have some big boys in there! I'm hoping that we will have some good pictures from this ultrasound that we can post for you!

One more update - We found an amazing nanny that I can't wait to start! The only problem is that she doesn't start until May when she graduates. If you know of anyone that wants a temporary nanny job between January/February and May, please let me know!

Bathroom is decorated!

I'm so excited about how the boy's bathroom turned out! I just love all of the monkeys. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

Here is the outside picture of the bathroom. You can see their adorable rugs!

Here is a picture of the hand towel area.... 

Here is a picture of the towel bar...

And, last but not least, here is a picture of the long wall across from the mirror in the bathroom.

I just can't wait until our little monkeys get to use their bathroom. I hope they like it!

Baby update this week: We are 33 weeks pregnant now! So, the chance of survival if we deliver is much better! Each baby should be about 19 inches long by now and weigh a little over 4 pounds. They are supposed to gain about half of their birth weight in the next 7 weeks. Unfortunately, I don't think we are going to make it that long... Emory has officially "dropped" now and that could mean that we could deliver in the next couple of weeks. Keep your fingers crossed that we make it to Christmas! I want their little lungs to develop some more...

Mom update...I feel HUGE! And, laying around the house doesn't help either. My muscles are still finding the strength to stretch some more. The problem is that it is putting extra strain on everywhere else. My back is killing me and my stomach muscles feel like they are a rubber band about ready to bust. The awesome thing is that Chris and I have been getting some help with meals from friends, family and our church. This makes it so much easier on Chris. He has to do so much around the house now (to finish up everything and get ready for the babies) that it has really helped him to not have to worry about one more thing. So, thank you so much to everyone that has brought us a meal! It means the world to us!!

We go to the doctor tomorrow afternoon to do another blood pressure check and check and see how the boys are doing. So, hopefully my blood pressure will still be down. I will keep you posted!

Thanks again for your support through this! It has been an interesting ride so far and I know it is only going to get better. There are just a couple more weeks and then we get to meet Emory and Cooper!

Bed rest? You have got to be talking to the wrong person!

Well, it is official…I had to go on a modified bed rest all throughout Thanksgiving weekend. Do these doctors not know who they are talking to? Bed rest for me??? You might as well shoot me. Sitting still is not in my vocabulary. Plus, I had planned on getting everything done this weekend to be able to slow down in December! Ok…So, there’s one more example of God showing me that my plans are not always His plans. Now, if we could just communicate and get on the same page, that would make me a very happy person. But, we all know that God doesn’t work that way. There is obviously a life lesson here and I’m pretty sure you can all guess what that is…It’s not about me anymore. My plans and my life are no longer my own. I have two precious gifts that are more important. OK God. Message received.


So, the reason for my bed rest? Well, the doctors are concerned that I am developing preeclampsia. I went in on Wednesday to my regular appointment and my blood pressure was about 140/90. Plus, I had trace amounts of protein in my urine. Combine that with the fact that I had seen spots a couple of times and I was swelling so bad that week and there was definitely concern on the doctor’s face. The good news is that she had me lay on my left side for a couple of minutes and my blood pressure went down to 110/70! So, she said that there was no denying that I just needed to lay down and rest. She told me to wrap up everything I could at work and start really taking it slow. I can’t cook, clean or do any shopping. I can sit up at least, but not for long periods of time. So, poor Chris has had to do everything around the house. And, we are trying to get everything wrapped up for the babies so that we are ready if they have to come early. The doctors are having me go in every couple of days now to monitor things and if my pressure gets too high or the protein levels are too high, they will have to go in for a c-section right away. We are hoping that the bed rest will help so that our little boys will have a couple more weeks to get ready for the world. Their lungs are still a little weak at this point. So, we don’t want to have to take them too early.

I will keep you posted on how things progress from here. Please say a prayer for my sanity and mine and the boys’ health. I have read that preeclampsia can cause seizures and problems with the placenta sometimes. So, I’m a little concerned. But, I know we are in God’s hands and if bed rest is all that I have to do to keep my boys safe, I guess that is not so bad. Thank you for your prayers and your support!

Thankful

This week I’m reflecting on all of the things that I am thankful for… I’m sure you all can guess my #1! I have been especially blessed this year. I have an amazing husband, an extremely supportive family and 2 precious gifts on the way! With all of the bad stuff that happens in the world, I am so thankful that I have been so blessed this year! It has been a long road to get here, but I am thankful that I will soon have my little boys home and my body back!


Baby update: Each boy should measure about 18 inches by now and should weigh in at a little over 3 pounds. And, the exciting thing this week is that their ears have matured enough so that they are no longer just hearing vibrations. They are actually able to hear distinct sounds, like familiar voices and music. It’s making me think twice about what kind of music I play in the car now…

Mom update: I feel officially ginormous and my body is definitely starting to feel the effects of pregnancy. I am tired and I am swelling now without even doing anything. If I don’t keep my feet up, they start swelling within an hour. I don’t even have to be standing up! So, I am trying to take things easy now. I have to plan out my days more and more so that I am limiting how much time I spend on my feet, but my eyes are still on the prize! Only another couple of weeks and I can meet my boys! If we make it full term, we will be another 8 weeks. Most twins come a little early though. So, we are thinking more that they will be here in about 5-6 weeks. It is so hard to believe that it is right around the corner! We go in for another doctor’s appointment this week and then our next ultrasound will be on December 14th. We will need to check and see if the boys have turned by then. So, pray that Cooper flips around. Otherwise, we are guaranteed a C-Section!

I’ve started a poll on how big you think the boys will be and when you think they will come. Let’s see how many of you get it right!

Baby Shower #3

This past week was our third and final baby shower. It was so great to see so many work friends and family members! Thank you so much to my Aunt Ruth and my sister-in-law Rachel for a beautiful shower! Here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

Check out this beautiful cake! Our little monkeys will be here before we know it!

My special helper for the day, Ellie. She did a great job helping me unwrap the presents and clean up afterwards. Isn't she adorable?

My Aunt Linda, Aunt Ruth and Cousin Jenny! Thanks Ladies for a great day!

This is a diaper bag that my Aunt Linda made! She makes custom bags and this is perfect!! It has double the pockets for my boys!

I just love this picture! Ellie had so much fun helping me unwrap the presents. Her personality really started to show as the day went on. She made a comment on Saturday too that she couldn't wait until the babies were out of my tummy so that she could play with them! I can't wait to see how she plays with the boys!

Baby update: We are 30 weeks!! We went to the doctor last week and I am measuring about the size of someone who is 36 weeks pregnant. The good news is that the boys are measuring much closer to where they should be. About 4 weeks ago, they were measuring barely 30 percentile and I was a little worried. This past week we had one at 38 percentile and another at 42! So, they are catching up with their growth! Each baby was weighing in at about 2 lbs 13 oz. So, they are a little small, but not by much!

Mommy update: The bigger I get, the more uncomfortable I get. We have been told that we can't travel anymore until after the babies come. So, Thanksgiving and Christmas will be local this year. Everything else seems to be progressing well. We just are keeping an eye on how long I stand up and how much rest I get. My ankles are swelling pretty bad, but if I limit my activity I can keep them under control at least.

I did experience another first this week too! Emory woke me up on Saturday morning with the hiccups! It was adorable! I started laughing and Chris woke up to feel for himself and then he was laughing too. It was really cute. I can't wait for many more firsts!

Baby Shower #2!

This past week we had another baby shower from my friends Kim, Carol, Kristen, Lauren and Jennifer. These sweet girls did such a good job! It was so much fun to see everyone and my little boys are getting closer to having everything they need. Thanks ladies!! Here are some highlights from the event...

This is one of Kim's favorite pictures...Why? Because everyone else seems to be socializing and having a great time and what am I doing?? EATING! Of course!

My creative friend, Kim, had the bright idea of having everyone write on a fabric square while they were at the shower. She is then going to quilt together all of the squares so that each of my boys has a quilt to remember this special day! What a great idea!

Me and the ladies! From the left: Lauren, Me, Kim, Jennifer and Carol! Thanks so much for a great day!!

My Clemson Tigers were well represented at this shower! My friends know me well. I can't wait for our little guys to sport these at their first football game!

The bouncy seat was kind of the joke of the day. I ended up getting 3 of them! My boys will be well bounced when they get here! :)

This was my favorite picture. It shows me relaxing as my friends are cleaning up. My feet were pretty swollen. So, I had a good excuse to sit back and relax.

Mommy update: This past week has been pretty uncomfortable for me, but all in all not too bad. My doctor's appointment went well. We go in for another ultrasound this week to make sure the boys are growing a little better. So, please say a prayer for us on Wednesday.

Baby update: The boys are now 29 weeks! Thier eyes can now detect light. That is just amazing to me. The books say that you can test this by shining a flash light on your belly, but I just can't bring myself to do it. It seems a little cruel. They also should be about 2.5-3lbs and about 15 inches long total. I'm crossing our fingers that our boys are growing that big!

Crazy moment this week? Well, I was driving down the road and Cooper decided to try and sit on top of my ribs! It was uncomfortable, but also really creapy. I could see and feel his back stretching out my stomach. It was a little weird to see and experience that. I know my boys are growing inside, but seeing it is a different story....

Have a great week everyone! Thanks again for sharing in our journey!

Baby Shower #1

What a great weekend! I had such a great time visiting with family and opening all of the wonderful gifts that my little boys recieved.

My sister-in-law Paula made these adorable diaper cakes from scratch! I was absolutely amazed at how much stuff she fit on here. Each one contained a bear "lovie," shampoo, baby wash, spoons, pacifier wipes, a pacifier clip, diaper rash cream and bibs! I am so impressed by her creativeness!

Emory and Cooper got so many cute outfits! This one cracked me up!

 It was so adorable with the baseball on the bum!

Some hooded towels for my little monkies!

Thank you so much to my mother in law, Kim, for our first bedding set!

Kim also crocheted this beautiful blanket for each of our boys!

My sister in law Paula and her beautiful daughter Adysen! Thanks Paula for the baby shower!

Our family after the shower. Thanks everyone for a great weekend!

Baby update: We are 28 weeks this week! That means that our babies should each be about 10 inches from crown to rump or 15 inches from head to toe. They each should weigh in at about 2.5 pounds. They are going to be doubling their weight over the next 4 weeks. So, hold on to your hats! I'm sure that means that I will continue to eat everything in sight! Also, I got my results in late last week...We passed our glucose test! So, no gestational diabetes here! We go in on Wednesday for another doctor appointment where we think they will do another ultrasound to see how the boys are growing. Wish us luck!!

Let the Showers Begin!

I’m so excited! This coming weekend will be my first baby shower! We are traveling to Walterboro, SC and we get to visit with so much family while we are there! I can’t wait for my boys to meet all of the Langdales. I know they will love them as much as I do.


The weekend after that, my friends are giving me another shower for all of my church friends. And, the weekend after that, my family in NC is having another baby shower for all of my family and work friends. So, that is three weekends in a row of baby showers and so much visiting with friends and family! I’m so excited to share in this journey with everyone!

Personal update: I’ve been inspired this past week to focus on the miracle that is happening here instead of focusing on the negative effects of pregnancy. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m going to try my hardest to not complain. These boys are such a gift to us and my temporary bits of being uncomfortable shouldn’t take away from the happiness that these little guys are bringing.

Baby update: We are 27 weeks today!! So, the boy’s lungs, liver and immune system still have some maturing to do. Their hearing is getting a little better. They can probably recognize our voice now. This is so funny to me because just this morning Chris was talking and Emory starting kicking around like he was trying to say good morning. It was adorable!

Stay tuned for next week’s blog update for shower pictures and details!

Furniture!!

So, this was an exciting weekend because our furniture finally arrived for the nursery! And, I was finally able to get everything mostly organized! Check out our nursery and let me know what you think! We still have to fill up the nursery with decorations, clothes, etc. But, it does feel good to know that at least the big stuff is done! Now I have a place for everything that we get at our baby showers...

Here you can see the dresser (and the dry erase board on top of the dresser to track all of their eating, etc), bookcase, and Cooper's crib! We don't have much filling up the bookcase and the crib needs all of the bedding, but I think this is a pretty good start!

Here is the glider that Chris put together so well! It is sitting right in front of the window so that I can watch the birds go by as I rock my little boys.

And, last but not least, here is Emory's crib! This was a great hand me down from my brother and sister in law! Both of their children used this crib and we are very excited to get to use this for our little boys too! We even have one swing already (another great hand me down from Scott and Rachel)!

So, all of the pieces are coming together! We are so excited to welcome our little boys into this house!

Baby update: We are going into the doctor on Wednesday this week to do my glucose test and give the boys a check up. I'm not sure they will do an ultrasound, but we are hoping that they are growing like crazy! I'm feeling a little more reassured because I have been crazy hungry over the past week. So, I hope that means that they are going through a growth spurt! Please say a prayer that I pass the glucose test! If not, I have to come back for a several hour test that would involve me not eating for several hours. And, I'm not sure how well I would do with that.

Thank you so much for continuing to follow us through this journey to parenthood! And, thank you so much for your prayers and support! It means the world to Chris and I!

Dr. Appointment and Clemson Football!

Well, this past week was eventful. We had our 24 week checkup and I was not too thrilled about the results. The ultrasound showed that both of our boys were pretty small for their gestational age. They were both about a week behind where they should be. So, naturally I had the appropriate response and panicked! With Chris and I both being so tall and the babies measuring to the day so far in their growth, it was very disturbing to me that they weren’t growing like they should be. We went in to see the doctor though and she wasn’t too concerned yet. We do have to come in every two weeks now so that they can monitor us a little more closely, but she said it was very common for twins to grow a little slow. Apparently there is only so many nutrients that I can eat during a day and it has to be split between the two of them. So, they could just be getting less of what they need. So, I’m going to be the overly cautious parent over the next couple of weeks and really watch what I eat. Hopefully my little boys can catch up quickly.


I also got to experience my first Clemson football game in person this season! My brother and sister in law were awesome to invite us to this! We got to tail gate and had the perfect spot with just enough sun and shade! They even brought a fold up chair with a footrest for me to put my feet up on! So, I got to rest a little until we had to walk to the stadium. But, my brother being protective caught the first “disability” golf cart and they delivered us to the gate without me having to walk far. It was really sweet, but it did make me feel a little strange. However, honestly it was so worth it. We didn’t realize our gate was so far away and up a pretty big hill. So, I would have been dying by the time we made it to our seats. So, that was a great decision by Scott! If it wasn’t for our Tigers playing horribly and us losing, it would have been a great day!! It was still great to be with family and enjoy a little sunshine! Check out a picture of the boys while we were tailgating. They had a blast!

The Langdale Limo

This past week and the week to come are BIG weeks for us! It’s kind of like Christmas at our house!

We spent all day this past Saturday going to “Baby Bootcamp” to prepare for our little boys and their arrival into our home. The class was very informative, but also very scary (especially with twins). I am very confident in our doctors though and I know that they will have our best interests at heart. But, we have a lot to discuss with them at our next appointment. We have to try and figure out our likelihood of a C-section or not.

Speaking of our next appointment… We are going in on Wednesday afternoon to see our little boys again! I can’t wait! I have been feeling them move around like crazy! One of them keeps kicking me in the ribs and the other one keeps kicking me in the bladder. So, you can imagine how I’m feeling these days!

We also get our furniture in this week! We confirmed last week that it should be arriving some time this week. So, they should install it some time later this week or maybe early next week. So, stay tuned for some nursery pictures!

And, thanks to a very nice gift certificate, we already were able to get our stroller and car seats! So, we are ready for our little boys! Check out this great picture of our new “Langdale Limo!”

And, here are some great pictures of our new glider we got in last week! It’s all coming together so quickly! I can’t believe that we only have another 13 weeks before we get to meet our boys! Thanks for sharing in this journey with us!

Chris putting together the Glider. It wasn't too difficult, but I'm sure there will be plenty more difficult things to put together in the future! Wish us luck!

The finished product! He did a great job!!

I've already started enjoying this great chair!

Adventures in Pregnancy!

This past week was pretty awesome! Chris and I decided since it was a “by” week for our Clemson Tigers that we would take a short trip to the mountains. We thought it would be a good time for us to get away before baby showers start and we get too involved in baby stuff. So, this was our last vacation for a little while. We had such a great time though! We decided to go to Hendersonville/Flat Rock. We stayed at a great bed and breakfast! We were the only guests too. So, we had the whole house to ourselves! Here is a picture of me in the gardens at the B&B. Check out the belly!

Friday night we decided to go to Hendersonville and check out some of the downtown shops and eat dinner. We had the best time just walking through some of the boutiques and even “Mast General Store.” We had dinner at a small tapas restaurant called “Never Blue.” Then, we decided to stop and get ice cream before we went back to the B&B. This is a great picture of Chris showing off his ice cream cone from Marble Slab!

The next morning, we decided to go to Carl Sandburg’s home. This is a national historical park. You can tour his house, pet his wife’s prize winning goats and even hike to the top of Glassy Mountain. We originally were thinking we would just go pet the goats and tour the house. But, I was feeling so good when we got there, that I decided it would really be fun to hike up Glassy Mountain. Here are some pictures of us with the goats and Chris checking out the chickens.

I started out the hike feeling great! But, as time went on and the climb got steeper, I started to have some doubts whether we were going to make it or not. My hands started swelling and we stopped every chance we could to rest for a couple of minutes. Chris was SO patient! But, I was determined that I could make it up there. So, we trekked along very slowly and eventually made it all the way to the top! And, it was so worth it! Check out this view!

I had to go back to the B&B for a nice nap after this, but it was definitely worth it! After my nap, we got dressed up and went out to dinner in Flat Rock and then to the Flat Rock Playhouse to see “The Drowsy Chaperone.” The dinner was good and the show was GREAT! I highly recommend the Flat Rock Playhouse to those of you that haven’t been there before. If you stay in a hotel in the area, you can get discounted tickets. And, they will give you priority seating. We were sitting 2nd row!!

So, we had a great weekend all in all. This was the perfect last vacation before the babies arrive. It was great to get to spend some time with just Chris. It is a little exciting to think that very soon we will be able to bring our boys to Carl Sandburg’s home and go hiking with them. Of course they will probably be doing circles around us, but I can’t wait to share this with them!

22 weeks and Counting!!

I know it has been a little while since you have had a baby update… So, these past couple of weeks have been pretty good. The babies have started moving around constantly! I was lying in bed the other day when one of the boys decided it was not bed time and he wanted to wake me up. He started kicking me down towards my hip and literally made me jump each time. Chris got a kick out of that!


I have also started swelling up already. My feet have started becoming the size of softballs if I stand up for more than an hour at a time. So, I am trying to limit my time that I stand up in a day. And, if I know I am going to be standing up a lot in a day, then I normally switch to tightly laced tennis shoes. That has seemed to help so far. Plus, it helps that Chris rubs my ankles and feet when they get really swollen. What a great husband!

The babies seem to be growing well. We went in for a check-up last week and everything went great. They should each be about 11 inches now and about 1 pound each! So, this past week has been a big growth week. (Which explains why I have been so sleepy and eating an average of 3500 calories per day!) At this point, they should each be forming tiny tooth buds beneath their gums too! It am so amazed at how God creates life!

The Celebration of a Great Life!

Most of you know by now that we lost a great member of our family this week, Dr Emory Lawrence Langdale also known as “Papa.” He had a great life of almost 91 years! He did so many amazing things in his life. You can check out his obituary by clicking here. I want to talk about some of the things in his life that aren’t on the obituary though. These are the things that make him the man that we loved. These aren’t all of the stories of his life, but a few that I was privileged enough to know about…

1) He was very proud of his service in the Navy. He realized during his service time that he had a passion for medicine and that he specifically wanted to work with rehabilitation of Veterans. He spent most of his career helping others. In fact, he kept his medical license renewed each year (last renewed in November of 2009) and a he even had enough supplies for a small clinic to be run out of his house if needed. He was always prepared in case someone needed some medical assistance. His children tell stories of when he was younger that he never left home without his medical bag.

2) He loved to build…He had projects going all the time. He officially built the world’s smallest bathroom at his beach house on Isle of Palms. You could use the shower, use the restroom and wash your hands all with just turning in a circle. I also learned this week about how he had his children hand dig a pool in their back yard! He has built garages and tried to build basements too! His latest project was his home in Walterboro, SC. He built this home in his 80’s! And, he helped his son, Tom, build his log home in Walterboro as well. I can specifically remember Chris coming home from a weekend of working on that home saying “Papa is stronger than I am! He was tossing cinderblocks like they were plastic!” Chris was so proud of Papa.

3) He loved his family! Just this past March we learned that he was going through kidney failure and he had suffered a small stroke. Chris, Tommy (Chris’s brother), Paula (Tommy’s wife), and I all went to go visit him and he lit up talking to Chris and Tommy. With everything else going on, he was so excited to spend some time with his grandkids. A few years ago when he finished his home in Walterboro, he took myself, and several other grandkids out on his new “all terrain vehicle.” He had me drive and told me to test out the brakes. Well, he didn’t tell me that there was really no need for brakes on the ATV because as soon as you take your foot off of the gas, it stops! Well, he braced himself as all of the grandkids went toward the windshield and laughed at all of us. He thought this was a great trick to play on us. Later, we found out that he also did the same thing to my husband and his brother. It is so much fun to remember him laughing at all of us…

4) He had a knack for picking out Christmas trees. He often would pick a tree out of the back yard or one off of his land in Walterboro. And, the trees he would pick were often what we would call “Charlie Brown trees.” They were very typical pine trees. They weren’t full of branches or the most beautiful trees, but I don’t think he wanted to emphasize the tree on Christmas. Maybe he had his priorities straight and saw Christmas as a day for the Lord and not for material things.

These are by no means all of the stories that could be told, but these are the stories that I know from the past 10 years. Papa was an amazing man who lightened the life of all those around him. For those of you that don’t know yet, we are naming one of our sons after Emory. We have already had several talks with baby Emory about how he has some big shoes to fill.

Thank you all for sharing in these memories with me. This past week was not easy, but it is comforting to know that he is no longer suffering and that he had a great life!

Multi-Tasking at Its Best!

I was talking with some friends this past week and came up with this blog post. Here is the story…

I was complaining to some of my friends about how I wasn’t sure that God made me to really be pregnant. I had a great two weeks between weeks 16-18 and then my heartburn and reflux kicked in. I literally was at a restaurant last weekend and my body didn’t give me any warning before it decided to kick my meal back up. I almost didn’t make it to the bathroom… The one time worried me, but it happened again last Monday morning and then again on Thursday. So, when I was talking to my friends, I made the comment that my first trimester was hard enough and now as soon as I am feeling good, it starts going south again. So, my frustrations were coming out.

As friends often do, one of them said something that made me smile and look at things differently. She looked at me and said “Melissa, God knows how efficient you like to be at everything in your life. So, maybe He was doing you a favor by packing these two little guys in one pregnancy since He knew you would have a hard time either way.” So, that is it… God is playing to my talents…It is multi-tasking at its best!! How funny!

So, this week’s post is really about friendships. Thanks so much for all of my friends who lift me up every day and encourage me through this! The good news is that the doctors put me on Zantac for the reflux and it seems to be working so far! So far, it has kept all of my meals down and I have been able to gain back the little weight that I lost.

Baby update: My boys seem to be a little on the big side. My updates show that this week they should each be about 7 ounces and they were already at 8 ounces last Monday. So, their growth is looking good. The other new news is that I have started to feel them more this week. It still isn’t all the time, but it is definitely more prominent. I still haven’t been able to let Chris feel them. Every time they start moving around he is too far away and doesn’t make it in time to feel them. Hopefully he will be able to experience that soon though. We also learned that our little boy’s hearing is fully developed…So, my big goal in the next couple of weeks is to start controlling some of the things that come out of my mouth.

One more update…We actually were able to register this weekend. Please feel free to check out our registries at Babies R Us and Target. Please note that Chris and I are buying the stroller and car seats. We put that on the registry simply to get a discount. So, please ignore those items.

Thanks again to everyone for supporting us as we go through this crazy journey of pregnancy! My eyes are on the prize! We have officially hit the half way point for twins. So, our little boys will be here before we know it!

Suspense is a killer!!

So, today was the big day!! We went to the imaging center this morning to find out how everything is measuring for our little ones and hopefully to find out whether we have little boys or little girls.

The appointment started out pretty good. We starting measuring the head and all of the limbs of baby A (the one that is closest to the cervix – that is what they always call them). The entire time we were measuring baby A, baby B was trying to get into the picture… Baby B constantly was kicking or nudging Baby A. And, the best part was when we were measuring the heart rate of Baby A. Baby B decided that would be a good time to stick its little hand in the picture and give us the thumb’s up sign! Hilarious! It turns out that baby B was right. Baby A had a very strong heart worthy of a big thumb’s up! I’m glad to see this one is already taking on my sense of humor. (Sorry Chris!) The rest of the measurements went great too. When it was time to see whether we had a little boy or little girl though, Baby A’s legs went right in the way! We tried to jiggle the baby a bit to see if the legs would move out of the way, but no luck! So, we decided to move on to Baby B.

Baby B was hilarious! This one was more interested in Baby A then anything we were doing. The babies were face to face the entire time. So, we only really got to look at Baby B’s back, but it was an adorable back side! Measurements all came out great on Baby B too! So, we have two very healthy growing babies! When the time came on this one to see whether it was a boy or girl, it decided to sit Indian style! So, Baby B completely blocked the area we needed to get to! So frustrating, but I couldn’t get upset when it was so adorable watching the baby sit Indian style!

So, we decided to jump over to Baby A again and see if it would cooperate this time. And, it was still doing everything to block our path! The ultrasound nurse had me lift my hips and wiggle a little to see if we could get them to move around and get in a better position. And……Wait for it…..It worked! Baby A moved his leg long enough to show us that he was a BOY!!!! And, we moved back over to Baby B and saw the same thing! So, we have two adorable little baby boys!!! And, the Langdale name will officially live on!

Sorry for the suspense everyone! I just had to drag it out a little bit to give you the entire story. Thank you all so much for sharing in this great journey with us! We are so excited to have so many supportive friends and family as we welcome our “little fellas” into this world (that one’s for you Kristen)! Check out our pictures from today…

You can see the huge foot of Baby A on this one and see how close the two babies are. They are just separated by a thin membrane.

Baby A's a BOY!

Baby B's a Boy Too!!

Profile of Baby A - So adorable!

You can see in this one their two little heads facing each other! I am sure this is not the only time they will be bumping heads, but it was too cute!

This is kind of hard to see. This is Baby B's back side. You can see his adorable little bum at the left of the ultrasound and his head is at the bottom/right.