TWO

Jake is TWO. He had a happy birthday (despite a super sick mommy) and got many fun presents. The day before I took him to the mall in Concord for a little b-day shopping and then we rode the kiddie train around the mall. He loved it.

But he was such a stinker that day! I had the mindset of "whatever my Jake wants today, he gets" (nice of me huh? :) But he wanted nothing to do with all the things that I thought would just make him so happy. Usually he loves to play at the Mall playplace. But that day? Nope. He wouldn't even let me put him down which is super odd for Jake. He's never been attached to me.

So I got him his very own lemonade from Auntie Anne's. Jake loooovvveess drinks, shakes, sodas, lemonades you name it, and he looovvvveeess to hold the cup all by himself (he's actually a drink stealer so watch out.) But that day? Nope. Wouldn't take a single sip. Absolutely refused.

So I headed to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and bought him his favorites (my kid has had a major sweet tooth since Easter.) And?....Wouldn't take a single bite of a chocolate. Seriously! I felt like I was in some kind of alternate universe. Who is this child?!

In the end, he just wanted some new tchoo-tchoos and Rex from Toy Story. So he was happy and healthy, but my plans had all majorly backfired. Oh well.

His absolute favorites on his actual birthday, however, were the BOONS! (balloons.) And blowing out his birthday candle. He discovered that blowing out a flame is pretty much the coolest thing ever, in fact he was so in love with the whole ritual that we did it about 14 times. An hour later, Scott and I found him on the dining table with his cake and pushing his number 2 candle back into the cake and then pretending to blow it out over and over. He destroyed his cake. But it was hilarious.

Oh and he didn't even take a bite of that cake. Not one single bite.

Happy Birthday my Jake. You are definitely a two year old!

the babies g

so i'm pregnant. due january 24th, 2014. oh, and with twins. yep, twins. we're still a bit in denial over here at fort garrison. my friend kim said to me, "it's all those double yolks you ate!" and by golly, i think she's right! i ate a ton of double yolk eggs in tennessee. and i didn't realize how potent they were! haha. so i blame the Riches family are their chickens and their magical eggs. so if any of y'all want twins, i know the place to go :) 

all jokes aside, we are excited. scared as heck, but excited. 

for journaling sake here's the whole story:

I felt heavy. I felt like my stomach was already bulging and I had just found out I was pregnant. I attributed that to 1.) Everyone says you show earlier with your second pregnancy and 2.) I was just excited so I was fooling myself into thinking I was already "big". I felt crummy too. With Jake, I was hardly sick at all. Really, my only complaint during that pregnancy was a terrible sinus infection. But with this 2nd pregnancy I was nauseous and tired and blahhhh. No throwing up thank heavens but still nauseous all the time and pretty much comatose on the couch. Jake has watched a lot of TV. 

My first appointment was June 11th with Dr. Williams at Stanly Women's Services. Scott couldn't come with me because his back was super duper sunburned from our weekend trip to Wilmington, NC. Silly guy, put on some sunscreen! So while he was home in pain and watching Jake I went to the appt. 

First things first: the ultrasound. Which every mom knows is the most fun part of the pregnancy--when you actually get to see the baby. First, the ultrasound tech tried getting a picture of the baby from on top of my belly but it wasn't too clear so she switched to the vaginal ultrasound. And there was baby! I was so happy and you can't help but smile from ear to ear.

Then..."Oh wow. Good thing we did the ultrasound this way. You're having twins, girl!"

Huh?

"Yeah, twins. See?"

Huh?

Sure enough. Two sacs. Two babies. Holy crap.

I was in complete shock. I think I asked her "Really?" like 6 times and she just laughed each time. The first fully formed sentence to escape my lips was, "Scott is gonna freak!" Haha. I was freaking out, too. I pretty much just lay there dumbfounded with my hands over my mouth saying "Wow" the whole time. It's crazy how a single moment can suddenly rock your world. 

Gone was the thinking, "I've got this. Done it once before. This second pregnancy should be a breeze." Enter the the thought process, "I know nothing."

It's a whole different ball game with twins and I find myself pouring over Baby Center articles all over again, because this time it's with a completely different perspective. 

So, a few things the Dr. told me about me and my babies: (It was weird to hear him say "babies") I'm considered high risk for a number of things which is just lovely: gestational diabetes, c-section, early labor, hemorrhoids, severe morning sickness, on and on and on. 

The good news: I get a ton more ultrasounds throughout the pregnancy to make sure Baby A isn't outgrowing Baby B by too much and vice a versa. And...I may deliver a few weeks early, which hey, is fine by me. 

So after leaving the Dr office with pictures of my babiesssssss, and a permanent smile on my face, I rushed home to tell Scott. (Actually, first I bought some Gatorade and Saltines and Doublemint gum, then I went home.) I was jumping out of my skin with excitement to tell Scott the news. I walked in, he asked how the appt was (he was bummed he couldn't go) and I tried to stay calm as I handed him some doublemint gum and the ultrasound pictures. At first, he was like, "Uh thanks..?" (for the gum) then as he stared at the pictures and then the gum and then back at the pictures and then at me he asked all confused/scared/excited/freaked out "Twins?! We're having twins?"

And then I burst. I seriously yelled and threw my hands in the air, "We're having twins!!!!" I could not contain my excitement and nerves. I think I'd gone a little slap happy.

Scott had the same initial reaction that I had had in the Dr. office. He just sat there for a few minutes saying, "wow." It was hilarious. Once the news had settled on his brain a bit and he could stand, he shared in the excitement and we instantly started calling family. Jake cried when I said he was going to have twin siblings. haha. I think he was tired and freaked out by all the nervous energy and yelling. 

And so now I don't feel like such a psycho for thinking my belly felt so heavy and big. It wasn't wishful thinking. It was the fact that I had TWO babies in there. So it was heavier and bigger.

8.5 weeks

We are so thankful for these two blessings. And we can't help but think that the Lord really is hastening His work...He's sending them done by twos! Or magic chicken eggs really do exist.

splashin with savannah

these two are such good pals and such opposites in so many ways.
i guess it's true, opposites do attract :)

weekend in wilmington

the beach was calling our names, so we headed to wilmington, nc. something about little family vacations just make me feel so grown up. like, when checking in to our hotel i almost feel a sense of panic wondering where my parents are to get everything all settled. then i remember that scott and i are the parents now. we have a kid. we take family vacations. we're adults....when did that happen? 

our little fam of 3 went to the aquarium, lounged at the beach (where scott didn't put any sunscreen on his back...bad decision...and where jake got sunburned right under his lower eyelids so he looked like he had been punched in both eyes...sad but funny), walked around the adorable cobblestoned wilmington sidewalks where i bought a cream cheese funfetti cupcake that was life-changing, swam in the pool, and endured quite a few jakey-meltdowns at breakfast where the retaurant windows overlooked the pool and jake just wanted to get in that water dagnabbit! 

that smirk kills me <3 (one of the reasons i married this guy)

USS North Carolina

 i was feeling icky...i had a good reason...two actually.