Baby Shower!

Last weekend we went to Iraan for a baby shower they threw for us. I remember being completely overwhelmed by the generosity of the people out there when they had a wedding shower for us and this was no different. Everything was wonderful - the decorations, the food, the company, and I have just never seen so many gifts! I guess it is one of those things you just don't understand until you experience it...just how much it means for people to be so willing to help out when they see a need and to celebrate with you in the joy of a new baby...or babies in our case. I am completely humbled by their generosity and it is quite an understatement to say that we would not be able to do this on our own. So thank you to all the women in Sheffield and Iraan who gave so willingly of your time and means to help us out. We love you!

I didn't get any pictures at the shower, but a huge thank you to Keva, a sweet friend and very talented photographer for taking lots of pictures for us!

So Sunday night, we got home late and unloaded and this is what my living room has looked like since...


We got so many cute things and adorable outfits! Look at these precious burp cloths -



We also got all of our baby furniture in this week (Thank you Randy and Neva!) and so maybe we can start to put a nursery together. I can't believe how close we are getting. I go back to the doctor tomorrow and we get to see how big these boys are. We're hoping they are getting close to three pounds.
Here are a few more pictures, except I can't remember when they were taken. They were all within the last few weeks though. Why do I look so stupid in all of these pictures? It's kind of awkward taking pictures by yourself and turned to the side, so cut me a little slack.



And I wanted to show you the front of this shirt. My dear friend Elizabeth sent this to me right after we found out we were having twins. I always get lots of comments on this one! What's funny is that is exactly how they are positioned right now.

I'll update tomorrow after my appointment. Thanks for checking in on us!
Love,
The Grigsbys

Fall

The weather this week has been wonderful! It has only dropped about 15 degrees, but the absence of scorching heat makes me want to pull out all the fall decorations, unpack my winter clothes (that wouldn't fit anyway), and bake something pumpkin. I just love fall! Dustin and I started dating in the fall, we got married in the fall, and our first babies will be born in the fall. I love the holidays, the weather, the sports, the decorations, the food, and the overall feel of fall. So when I walked outside one afternoon earlier this week (let's not dwell on the fact that I hadn't been out of the house until 3:00 in the afternoon) and a cool breeze hit me, I felt all the excitement of fall moving in. Never mind the fact that it will be back up in the mid 90's this weekend - I'm enjoying it while it lasts. It's at least a ray of hope that the seemingly never-ending Texas summer will eventually fade.

We went to the doctor yesterday and I was a bit anxious about what they might say. I was a little discouraged after last week's appointment mostly because I felt so great and would have never guessed that anything might be wrong. So when we found out that I was having contractions that were causing my cervix to thin and there was a concern about preterm labor, it just took me by surprise. I have spent the last week cringing at every contraction, wondering what effect it might be having and waiting to go back to see if things were staying the same or getting worse. So I was very relieved yesterday to find out that while I'm still having contractions, my cervix has not thinned and everything is under control...for now. I'll be going every week from here on out to be monitored and have an ultrasound to measure fluid levels and blood flow. They will measure the babies for growth every other week, so we don't have any new measurements this week. The babies looked great, the fluid levels were great, and the dopplars were normal, which means we made it one more week. Every day and week we make it now is a huge blessing!

At my very first appointment in Lubbock, they immediately started talking about the possibility of me being in the hospital towards the end of the pregnancy and actually gave me the time frame of around 28 weeks (I'm 28 weeks and 5 days today). I was surprised (and appalled) at the idea of spending so much time in the hospital and didn't really understand the reasoning behind that. It was explained a little better yesterday. My doctor really isn't concerned about all of the preterm labor stuff. What he is concerned about is the still very serious risk and threat of TTTS. This disease can still effect us - it's just a matter of catching it as soon as it develops and weighing the dangers of delivering early vs. the dangers of the disease. He said that babies delivered early with no other problems have a much better chance than babies delivered later, but sick from the effects of TTTS. He said babies born at 28 weeks have an 85% chance of survival, 32 weeks have a 95% chance of survival, 34 weeks is 99.9% - the same as a full-term baby, and at 36 weeks, the babies would most likely get to come home at the same time as me. At some point in time, they will determine that I need to be monitored every day to watch for the signs of TTTS to ensure that we don't give this disease time to effect the babies. The fact that we live 90 miles from the hospital is also a factor in this. This disease is totally pregnancy related, it's not something that will effect them after birth (unless it is untreated and allowed to progress during the pregnancy). I don't know if this all makes sense, but it helped me to understand and accept the whole idea of the hospital.

But since things are going so well right now...we get to go to Iraan this weekend! They are having a baby shower for us and I am so excited! I really thought we would be down there a lot more now that we live so much closer, but it hasn't happened that way unfortunately. It's still nice to be so close and when things settle down (is that even a possibility) on down the road, I'm sure we'll be abe to be there a whole lot more often than in the past.

Sorry to be so long-winded...

Thank you for checking in on us!

Love,
The Grigsbys

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

The Good:

The boys are great! Eli weighs 2 pounds, 3 ounces and Landon weighs 2 pounds 7 ounces. They are closer in size than they have ever been and they both are doing really well. She spent quite a bit of time looking very closely at their hearts and they look perfect, so no problems there.

They went ahead and gave me shots to help the babies lungs mature more quickly, so that if we run into a situation where they come a little early, they aren't as bad off.

They also ran a test to determine whether or not I was had a high risk of going into preterm labor in the next two weeks and it came back negative, so we are thankful for that.


However...


The Bad:

It doesn't seem like my body is handling everything as well as it has been. They monitored me for about 30-45 minutes and determined that I was having quite a few contractions, some that were bigger than others. They gave me a shot to stop the contractions I was having right then and gave me a perscription to help control them from here on out. As long as the medication keeps everything under control, I'll be able to stay home and just take it easy. I went back 24 hours later to be monitored again and things were much better, so I'm thankful for that! I guess I better just get really comfortable on the couch and try to keep these babies in as long as possible.


The Ugly:

I don't generally do very well with medicine. I think I'm just really sensitive to it and a little bit goes a long way. I can take one benedryl and be in a coma for 48 hours. So...it's no surprise that this medicine they have me on makes crazy. It makes my heart race and my blood pressure and body temperature go up and it's almost impossible to sleep. It's a small price to pay, but it's going to be a long two months.



Speaking of two months... 36 weeks is our long-term goal which was exactly two months from yesterday. It is so hard to believe! I sure can't wait to meet these boys! Here are a couple of pictures from Monday - they weren't being overly cooperative, but I still think they are mighty handsome.

Eli actually let us get a picture of his face for once!

And Landon was being camera shy. He got his big muscular arms from me, just so everyone knows.

Thanks for checking in on us! And a big congratulations to Lane and Page on the birth of their 3rd little girl... Emma Claire. She's precious!

Love,

The Grigsbys

Family Vacation

Last weekend we traveled to Hunt, Tx to a quaint little "ranch" on the Guadalupe river for family time, food, shopping, and relaxation. Here are a few pictures:

Brothers

What I really wish you could have seen is Kevin and Lance in the boat by themselves. Kevin was paddling with all his might and the boat was just going in circles. I also wish I could show you how many different positions those three were in before they finally put Lance up front by himself and how everytime they tried to switch places with each other they boat almost tipped over. Maybe the flat bottom boat wasn't the best choice for these three. I think Dustin and Kevin got their workout and Lance sure did enjoy the ride.

My Mother-In-Law
She's crazy and a lot of fun and I love her. I hope she doesn't kill me for putting this picture on the internet.

And here is some canoe fun:

And for everyone's viewing pleasure, here are a couple of videos from King of the Mountain. I love Ryder's perserverence and how Seth gets painfully raked off the corner every time and how Lance just sits there without moving ensuring no one could possible get him off and how Dustin tries to grab onto Lance as an anchor. What a brutal game.

And the whole trip was made even better because I got to travel with this sweet little girl who just celebrated her first birthday this week. Happy Birthday D'Laney!

No baby news other than the constant wrestling match going on inside of me. I don't think these babies ever sleep and they are conspiring against me to keep me up as much as possible as well. It's a great feeling though - a constant reminder of how blessed we are that they are both healthy. I go back to the doctor Monday and I'm anxious to see how big these boys are!

Happy Weekend!

The Grigsbys

Happenings

I can't believe the end of summer is almost here - not that it has a large effect on my actions and schedule (or lack thereof), but it feels like it just flew by. I love the fall, so I'm ready for the change. The start of school always excited me, the cooler weather, football season, Thanksgiving... what other season has that much to offer? We've been spending our time slowly making progress on the house and visiting with friends and family. Dustin almost has the kitchen all painted and he even put up new trim and base which looks great! It's so nice to live with such a talented man!

I went to the doctor Friday and the current stats on the boys are: Eli weighed in at 1 pound, 7 ounces and Landon a whopping 1 pound, 11 ounces putting him in the 78th percentile. He's a big boy. After such a large difference in weight between the two of them at the last checkup, I was afraid of it being even bigger this time, but it seems like Eli is holding his own.

I am exactly 25 weeks along today, which means that I could deliver now and the babies would actually have a chance of survival (with major complications and a long hospital stay). It is amazing to me to think that is even a possibility. I go back two weeks from tomorrow and at that point, we will talk about more frequent monitoring, getting shots to help the babies' lungs develop more quickly, and the possibility of a hospital stay on down the road :(
Right now though...things are going great!

We are taking a trip to Hunt, Tx this next weekend for Dustin's family's annual summer trip that always involves water, cabins, lots of food, antique shopping, and dominoes. I'm so excited!

One prayer request before I go: our dear friends Doug and Tisha Young are traveling along with their family to Palo Alto, CA in preparation for Tisha to donate a kidney to a very young boy who could not survive without it. The surgery is scheduled for August 12th and I ask that you keep her and this little boy in your prayers, most specifically that his body will not reject the new organ. Thank you so much! I know what a blessing it is to have the prayers of friends, family, and even strangers during difficult times!

I'll leave you with a few pregnancy pictures (against my better judgement). I have been terrible about taking pictures, so these are the only ones I have:

18 Weeks at Camp

19 Weeks at Britt and Autumn's Wedding

Today, 25 Weeks

You can tell a little more in this one

New Pictures

This is Eli. His brother has all the room in there and instead of moving over a little, he insists on being on top of Eli all the time. I guess it's kind of sweet, but this poor little guy is always so crowded.

Landon all spread out

How sweet is this picture?

Big foot.

One's legs and One's face

Everything still looks good. There is a bigger size difference than there has been yet, but the blood flow in the brain, blood flow in the cords, fluid levels, heart beats, and bladders all look great so the size difference by itself isn't a concern they said. Landon weighs 1 pound 8 ounces and Eli weighs 1 pound 1 ounce. The doctor also said that it doesn't look like I am in any danger of having to deliver extremely early and if that was the case, he would already be able to tell. I didn't realize they could give that reassurance so early, but it's great to know!

Hello from Snyder!

I've been home for about three weeks now and we are doing great! I had my first appointment with my doctors in Lubbock last week and everything is looking great. One baby weighed one pound and the other 13 ounces. It's hard to believe they are so big already. The doctor is expecting me to deliver between 34 and 36 weeks which will be somewhere between October 12 and October 26.

We have so much to do to get ready for these boys and October is just not that far away. On the other hand, it couldn't seem further away. I am so excited to meet these boys. I can't wait to hold them and kiss them and smell them and teach them everything I know. I can't wait to hear them cry and know they are okay. I never ever imagined how much I would constantly worry about them. It's a cycle of the reassurance and confidence I feel right after each doctor's appointment and good report that lasts about a week and then slowly fades into worry and concern for the few days preceeding my next appointment. So...I'm sort of in the worry mode right now as my next appointment is Monday and I just can't wait to see them again.

In other news...I really like Snyder! It's small, but it has a little bit of everything. It has a small Wal-Mart, a really nice grocery store, cute stores on the square, a little coffee shop, a two-screen movie theater, and it even has a bowling alley that we haven't tried out yet. They still have baggers at the grocery store who take your groceries out to your car for you! This has taken some getting used to as I can't ever remember having someone take my groceries out and load them in my car...ever. They insist on it and are incredibly friendly while they do it. The church here has been great and extremely welcoming. We have been over to several families' houses for dinner which has given us an opportunity to really get to know the people here. It's just a different lifestyle than what we have been living. Life here is slower. Dustin works only a few miles from our house and comes home to eat lunch with me, which I love. We are a lot closer to his family and several good friends which I also love. Every minute of our life is no longer scheduled and I get to spend a lot more time just enjoying my best friend...for a couple more months at least.

One more exciting piece of news - I got a box in the mail on Tuesday from my Dad and among the diapers, onesies, and matching outfits, there was a brand new laptop! I am so excited to have a place to put my pictures and keep in touch with everyone. I no longer have to drive to the library to check my email and hopefully I'll be better about taking pictures now that I have a place to save them. I am also excited to have some form of entertainment if I eventually end up on bedrest. Thank you, Dad!

That's about it around here. I'm going to start working on pictures now.

Have a great weekend!

Love,

The Grigsbys