28 weeks-THIRD TRIMESTER!!

We made it to the third trimester!  I can't even believe that we still have two-ish months to go, I have no idea how much bigger this belly can get!  I'm doing as well as can be expected...I've had a few new pregnancy discomforts in addition to the braxton hicks contractions, weakness and shortness of breath...Apparently, plugged ears and numbness in your belly can also occur because of inflammation and pressure on nerves.  I am so very grateful that that is the extent of it.

I had a sitter for an appointment a couple of days ago and decided to take my time returning home with a stop off at my favorite consignment/thrift/antique store.  One of their very kind employees tracked me down as I meandered through the aisle to ask if I was ok because I was walking so slowly. HA!

I have spent most every quiet time and bed time behind my sewing machine to knock out the curtains, bed skirts and quilts for the babies' room.  I am so incredibly relieved to have these projects done because I could tell that I was already pushing it with crawling around on the floor to measure, cut and pin...

Emmy has had swimming lessons the last couple of weeks!  I told Nick that she might benefit from private lessons in the future, not because she is a remedial swimmer, but because she enjoyed chatting with/distracting her instructor with such topics as her toenail polish, James and Julia, the new blow up pool in our backyard, etc...Who knew she'd be such a shmoozer?!

Sissy has been keeping busy finding trouble and cutting her four canine teeth...It's been a big week for her!

Hannah chooses to eat the Chick-Fil-A sauce by the spoonful over her chicken nuggets and fries.

27 weeks!

When it comes to calculating gestation, I round up once I am mid-week, which makes me feel more accomplished, but it can be tricky when I lose track and start rounding up from my already rounded-up gestation.  Anyways, it already feels like I can't possibly get any bigger, it's hard to believe that I have another two and a half months to go!

I had a special moment a couple of days ago that is now tucked into my mommy roll-a-dex...Emmy and I were snuggled up in her chair reading bedtime stories when James was, uncharacteristically, moving around like crazy.  I told Emmy and she rested her hand on my belly for the duration of story time, and every time James moved, Emmy turned and grinned at me and squealed with excitement. :)  She tells anyone and everyone that she is going to have a baby brother and baby sister.  I have found myself in multiple conversations with random people that Emmy shares our news with, who think she's telling fibs.  Grandma Louise, who runs the crafts at the library, was the latest recipient of Emmy's information bomb.  The sweet lady, in her mid-80s, flagged me down from chasing Hannah (as Emmy worked on her craft) to check to make sure that she heard correctly.  She then told me that she didn't know how I was going to manage one more child let along two more, I told her that made two of us!

I have figured out how to take short-cuts to maximize my productivity with my energy level.  I have made a concerted effort to eat snacks and drink water with more regularity to avoid the light-headed/dizzy spells, which helps a bit.  If not, then I'm quick to lay down and do some breathing exercises.  Luckily, we don't stray far from home, I'm grateful that my girls love playing here so much.  The dogs have just finally quit barking every time the air conditioner turns on, thinking it's the garage door and anticipating Nick walking in.  This is helping quite a bit with my crummy sleep, if only I didn't have to use the bathroom every few hours and wake up each time I turn over, then I would be golden! :-P

I'm so grateful to have another week behind us, because we are one week closer to my Nick coming home and so we can enjoy our last bit of time together as a family of four.

Woodloch 2013

My husband wins the award for "Super Dad" for the feat that he accomplished in June: traveling with both girls to a Horn family wedding/reunion in Pennsylvania.  I had planned to go, until I made the agonizing decision to stay behind and rest at the last possible minute.  After packing them up and dropping them off at the airport, I kicked my feet up and tackled a few baby preparation projects for a long weekend, all the while keeping my phone close for updates.  Nick operates phenomenally well in high-stress situations, this trip only solidified that truth for me.  Luckily, Hannah assumed the alias of "Alison Horn" while traveling and Nick was able to keep her strapped into her carseat for the majority of their travel days.  Even still, he had the unenviable task of singularly hauling all of the luggage and our precious cargo, and keeping everyone reasonably happy in the process.  Once they arrived at Woodloch Pines, they had the most wonderful time catching up with family and making fun memories!  

Below is a compilation of the photo messages that I was sent while they were away, I loved each and every one of them!

Sissy finally cashed out in the car during the 2 hour drive from Newark International to Woodloch Pines.  Her crazy hair serves as an indicator of her behavior leading up to this point.

Emmy all gussied up for the Rehearsal Dinner!  Auntie Eliana did a BEAUTIFUL job on her hair!  Emmy even got to wear some blush!  A highlight of the trip, for sure!

Nick told me that Sissy had six grandparents for the weekend, since they shared a home with two couples who are Grammy and Poppy's close friends!

Ready for the wedding!

This was Nick and Sissy's vantage point of John and Katie's wedding ceremony.  Sissy was on a roll!

There is her up-to-no-good smirk!

Could Nick have a tree-hugger for a daughter? Impossible! ;)

A certain little person wore herself out dancing (and Daddy, too!)

Awake for cake and ice cream!

Randoms

I try my darndest to come up with menus that appeal to both my Nick's preference for minimal carbs and my kids infatuation with pasta, but someone is always making a compromise.  Whenever I ask Emmy for input, the only suggestion she ever gives me is "spaghetti."  

She thought she was so clever for putting pasta on her head. :-P

Bathtime awaits!

On a completely different note, both of our girls were born with very pronounced frenulum (which is the piece of skin inside the upper lip.)  We were warned that many times it will tear in a fall, and will bleed like mad.  Emmy grew out of hers without any such injury.  Yesterday, though, I got some first hand experience in upper-lip-frenulum-tearing.  Dear Hannah was on the run with Emmy's current toy of choice and did a face plant on the hardwood floor.  When I peeled my screaming baby off the ground, I thought that she might've knocked out her two front teeth, since they were so covered in dark red blood.  Luckily, after a good wipe-down and some juice I could see that her teeth were still intact, although she had two bite makes on her lower lip and a cut between her two front teeth.  She was brave as can be and recovered quickly.  She didn't even accept the popsicle I offered her before resuming play; although Emmy eagerly devoured the frozen treat as an only possible means for soothing her grief over her (temporarily) missing teddy bear.  If I weren't pregnant, I would have helped myself to an afternoon beer to relax over that debacle, but I consumed chocolate liberally instead.

My sweet baby saying "cheese" when she saw my camera. :(  I had to document her wound for Nick because we both had outwardly wished the other to be present for such an injury after learning about the possibility.

Someone was feeling a little sleepy during Daddy's after dinner run.

Nick and I were downstairs chatting when we heard snoring.  We checked to see if the dogs were asleep, but they were very much awake.  So we crept upstairs and we found Emmy asleep in a heap on the floor.

Totally unprompted.  They really do love eachother!

Ice cream then pool time!

Waving to our teenaged neighbor, Arnold, as Daddy gives him lawn care instructions.

Sassy little thing. :)

Monkey See, Monkey Do

It's been eye opening just how quickly a toddler can pick up on unsavory behaviors from an older sibling.  Hannah is as impressionable as a little person could possibly be, and mimics Emmy's every move.  My personal favorite is when she puts her fists in her armpits, flaps her arms (as if doing the chicken dance) and simultaneously huffs with a scowl on her face.  There's usually no rhyme or reason to her show of disdain.

Emmy's Big Girl Bed!

Much to Nick's chagrin, we have been in the throes of reshuffling and reorganizing the house in preparation for the new arrivals.  One of the many items on the to do list was getting Emmy her big girl bed and moving the crib into the bonus room-turned babies' room.  Emmy feels so grown-up sleeping in her own bed, and loves "getting cozy" in there for quiet time and bed time.  She's even fallen asleep during her afternoon quiet time on a couple of occasions- a sure sign that she's a fan. :)

The double safety rail kind of makes it look like a hospital bed. :-P

Emmy and her "bug face" in front of the new dresser we found at the local flea market/thrift store.

The babies' room, finally painted, is a blank slate!  The fabric and craft supplies are ready and waiting, I am just trying to conjure up the energy to get going on the curtains, crib skirts and wall decor! I'm placing the order for the second (well, third) crib when Nick gets home! :)

And they will be called....

JAMES WILLIAM DURDEN HORN

&

JULIA KRISTIN HORN

We are so excited to be able to refer to the babies by their names and not just "brother" and "sister!"  Emmy totally approves of the names, although her original vote was for "Gnomeo and Juliet" after a movie she saw about garden gnomes who found love despite coming from neighboring yards engaged in a long-standing feud.  

James' name was our biggest hang-up, mostly because Nick, very understandably, wanted his only son's name to be just right.  We both agreed that we wanted a name that, to us, represented honor, strength, leadership, and masculinity.  We spent some time looking into historical figures, and realized that the name James kept popping up (and we decided that "Ulysses" was just too big of a name for a little boy.)  During church a couple of weeks ago, the disciple James was discussed and his firey passion for standing up for his beliefs.  This resonated with the both of us.  To make the name even more significant, it also belonged to my paternal grandfather, who I consider to be one of the most driven, intelligent men, whose long multi-specialty career in medicine enabled him to touch countless lives.  My brother's name is also James, who I am certain is also destined for greatness! :) "William" is Nick's dad's official first name, and it was important to us, from the time we found out we were having a son, that his name be included.  Nick's father has been such a role model to him.  Lastly, the name "Durden" was one that Nick felt particularly drawn to.  Tyler Durden, a character in the book/movie "Fight Club," is, to Nick, the epitome of masculine and serves as a leader to the leaderless. 

It was important that our babies' names "go together," because I know as well as anyone that when you're a twin, your names are said in the same breath most of the time.  I learned this the hard way after naming Molly and Darla, the dear ladies at the groomers and vet routinely call them Marly and Dolly...

Julia's name was one that I have been pulled towards since we found out we were having another daughter.  Much like with Emily and Hannah, I wanted our third daughter to have a classically beautiful and feminine name.  To me, "Julia" fits the mold perfectly.  Her middle name was always going to be Kristin, after my very first blessing.

Pre-deployment parking lot selfie

Nick took off last Friday afternoon for his latest 5 week deployment to the desert.  For months, I had hoped that June 28th would fall off the calendar, but it came and went without incident.  He has arrived at his final destination and is already hard at work.  We've had a couple of conversations via the one shaky phone line and he tells me that he's settling into his groundhogs day routine just fine, which should help the time go by more quickly.  Emmy knows that Daddy is on a long trip for work and that he'll be home for his birthday, but really has no concept of the time (and Sissy is just completely oblivious.)  Emmy's excited for her upcoming swimming lessons and dance camp, which should help the time go by a little more quickly on our end.  My mom will be joining us in a few weeks, and we are really looking forward to some quality time with Mimi.  After this deployment, Nick's travel will be domestic until the beginning of 2014 because of necessary training for their helicopter upgrade.  So, for now, with the emergency plan in place, we have our heads down and are focused on just getting this done and praying that the babies don't pull any funny business.

24, 25 & 26 weeks

24 weeks!

25 weeks!

26 weeks!

I am so grateful that we have surpassed the threshold of viability for our babies and pray that the babies remain in utero and grow without complication.  Today, I had my third high risk ultrasound to monitor the babies' growth and it appears that Baby Girl is 1 pound 14 ounces and Baby Boy is 2 pounds 2 ounces!!  The perinatologist said that they're measurements are consistent with those of singleton babies at the same gestation, haha!!  Fantastic news if you ask me!  I am going to be heavy handed with the belly cream, because I can only imagine how big these munchkins will be where they're born if we make it to 38 weeks!

Since Nick deployed last Friday, I feel as though God has very much had his hand on me.  I have felt more energetic than I have in months, despite the fact that I've been functioning on dismal sleep.  I have been so worried for so long how I would manage caring for the girls without having Nick as a safety net, but my braxton hicks contractions and the general discomfort that I get carrying Sissy, climbing the stairs and picking up toys has been noticeably less in the last week.  God just keeps reminding me that I just need to keep placing my faith in Him, and He will always provide what I truly need.