Week in St. Simons and Charleston for the 4th!

We just got back from a great family vacation with the Kimsey's in St. Simons! It is something the Kimsey's have done every year since Clay was a babe and now I have been a part of the trip for the last 6 years. It is so fun to get to go just relax and enjoy each other and I have really come to look forward to it. I am sad it is gone, but it is so neat to think we will have our two little buddies with us next time we go!

I am going to post some pictures from the St. Simons trip, as well as some from our quick visit to Charleston for the 4th! We had the best time getting to spend time with my family at my Aunt and Uncles beach house and what made it even more special was that Amy, Chris, and NOAH were there. They just moved back from Tampa for good and Clay and I were so excited to be able to spend a little time with our precious nephew!

St. Simons...

and Charleston!

Since we were out of town and got home late last night, I have yet to take my 26 week photo so I will do that today and get that posted!

24 Weeks!

So here is the 24 week picture! Oh my goodness, it might get hard for me to post these any longer. I know you are suppose to grow when you have a baby, especially with two, but WHOA, I am afraid to know what the coming weeks/months are going to look like on here. For now I will continue to post, but if I get to be highly emotional and discouraged about how big this belly is going to get, then you might not see anymore at that point. DO NOT get me wrong. I am SO happy to be growing big and being so BLESSED to get to have two babies growing in me, however, I just might want to grow a little more in private :)

I am in desperate need of a shower and make up in this picture

but I wanted to go ahead and get one in since I am a few days behind.

I am going to try to keep this short and sweet because if I don't then I won't write it at all. When many things have gone by that I want to write about but I don't, then I make writing the blog seem like a paper I have to write. Like those big papers you avoided in college by doing anything you could think of not to write them. So here are the highlights and a few pics.

This was outside of our bed and breakfast in Asheville, NC

where we went for our 3rd anniversary!

Clay about to try a delicious appetizer of

fried green tomatoes... Yum.

At my first baby shower that my Aunt Cindy, Aunt Sheri,

and Mimi so graciously threw for me! Thanks so much. It

was so beautiful!

Another picture from the shower. My mom has been so

fun during this process. She has been so helpful and encouraging

and I am so glad I have been able to spend so much time with her.

Matt and Jen Shirley's wedding in the mountains.

Handsome men at the wedding.

Aunt Brenda and me at my other shower she and Christin

threw for me. Thanks! It was so wonderful!

Opening up presents!

There is a quick overview of what we have been up to for the past few weeks. It has been so fun getting to prepare for these babies! I had to have my showers early because soon I am not allowed to travel anymore. They want me close to home just in case these little guys try to make an entrance into this world early.

On that note, Monday around 1:00 p.m. I started to have mild cramping. Nothing major, just what felt like small menstrual cramps. I didn't like this feeling but decided I would just go home and take it easy. I had been at home for about an hour and a half and still had them (they were slightly more aggravating but still not painful) so I decided to text my midwife and see what she thought. She decided to be on the safe side and have me come into the office just to get it checked out. Well, I am glad I did. I was having CONTRACTIONS (and I am only 24 weeks pregnant). They sent me right over to the hospital to be monitored/observed, and in fact I was having contractions. They called my perinatologist and they had someone right over to examine me. Everything looked great but they needed these contractions to stop so they gave me a shot and decided I would need to get a steroid for the babies lungs just in case they decided to come early! At that point they told me I would be staying the night in the hospital! We were shocked. We couldn't believe that our day had turned into me being in labor and delivery at the hospital. They got my contractions to finally stop and that night the nurse came in with great news (well compared to the news they had been giving us). I had a UTI that was causing these contractions! We were so thankful because we were being told I was probably going to be put on bed rest but since the UTI was the cause of it, they told me I should be okay for now. I had to stay in the hospital 24 hours past the time I got my steroid shot because they always give you two (24 hours apart), so Clay and I got to check out a little over 24 hours after getting there. WE ARE SO THANKFUL AND SO BLESSED AND PRAISE THE LORD FOR KEEPING OUR BUDDIES RIGHT WHERE THEY NEED TO BE. Everything looks fantastic (according to my doc) and we were given thumbs up to head out on Saturday for a fun filled vacation in St. Simons, Ga with Clay's family. Of course we would have done whatever it takes to keep these little boys safe and sound, but we are SO glad we get to spend this time with Clay's family.

Since I was in the hospital, I have not yet taken my 24 week belly shot, but I will get that up soon! And you won't be disappointed because I am still growing rapidly! At the end of this week they will each weigh around 2 pounds and they are already a foot long each. That means I have four pounds of baby in me. That is how much a baby weighs when a mom is 33 weeks pregnant, which would be about right because that is how far along I look!

22 Weeks!

I am so late at posting my 22 week pic! I was out of town for 8 days and have a lot to blog about, so as a huge procrastinator would do, I have put it up... So I will at least get up this picture and catch up on all the other stuff we have been doing later!

Oh and by the way, these last 3 weeks, my belly literally gets bigger everyday (so it is already bigger than this). I have a long road ahead of me! Have a great Saturday!

My Best Friend

It has been 3 wonderful years today that I married my best friend! I won't go on and on about why he is the most wonderful thing in the world to me but I do want everyone to know that he is so amazing, extremely patient, and the best husband a girl could have. We have so much fun being together. We love being together. We laugh a lot. We are never bored. And I tell him way too many times during the day how much I love him. He could not be any more sweet and caring and I feel extremely blessed to be married to him. I love you Clay and Happy Anniversary!

Now for the 20 week photo. I know I am a few days late but here it is in all its glory...

Definitely not the best picture but I was wanting to get it up before we were heading into a new week.

As for other news. Clay and I have gotten both cribs and changing table for the babies room and also the bedding I think we are going to use. I probably will not show any of that until we are further along in the setting up process, but I am hoping it coming out cute!

Well I have to get going because I am already running late to my Anniversary/Babymoon getaway. Clay has planned for us to go to a great bed and breakfast in Asheville, NC for tonight and we are leaving in just a bit! I will let yall know how it goes!

Video of our boys! 18 week ultrasound...

Yesterday Mandy visited Dr. Allaire and our midwife Shelley.  Unfortunately I couldn't be there because I was on jury duty this week... not fun.  I'm sad I missed it because it went very very well.  Dr. Allaire put Mandy through an extensive ultrasound where they measured all parts of the heart on both boys.  Despite being uncomfortable and having to sit there for over an hour, everything was great!  This was an important milestone for us.

Every time we've visited Dr. Allaire's office they have given us a DVD of the ultrasound.  This one is the best one yet, so we wanted to share it.  The first couple minutes only shows boy A.  You'll see "AAAA" on the screen while they show him.  Boy B is shown in the last minute and a half, and you'll see "BBBB" with him.  We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Half Way There! (18 Weeks)

We are half way there! For twin pregnancies, the most likely time you will give birth is at 36 weeks, so another 18 and we will be there. Can you believe that?!? Clay and I cant believe it is going by so fast. Here is the pic for week 18...

Getting big, huh? I told my mom that I was already getting uncomfortable and she starting laughing. I know that it is very early to be getting uncomfortable because I am not even a fourth of the size I am going to be, but it is true, after I eat especially, I feel pretty uncomfortable.

Speaking of my mom, I got to spend a wonderful few days in Charleston with her this past week. I knew I was going to be unable to be with her on Mother's Day (which made me very sad because NONE of her children were home for Mother's Day) so I wanted to be able to spend a little time with her during the week. It was wonderful! We had a great time being together and I miss her very much. Of course being pregnant makes me think about being a mother and makes me think about what a wonderful amazing mother she was. I know that ANYONE who knows my mom knows that I have the BIGGEST shoes to fill. She of course disagreed, but I told her that I could ask anyone that knows her and they would definitely agree. She did so much for us. She does so much for us. She gave so much to us. She gives so much to us. I cant think of one thing I lacked... spiritually, emotionally, physically, ect. She made sure we had it all! I literally could go on and on with how much she has done for us and I just want to say THANKS TO HER!