My Lunch Date

Today I had a lunch date with my girlfriend Tabriah and her daughter Kiersten. Our baby is due right around Kiersten's birthday, so it is fun to think "oh, he/she will be this size or doing this at Spring next year." If our child is anything like Kiersten, we'll be lucky. She was happy the whole meal and entertained us and nearby guests during lunch.

I love seeing babies in the middle of my day, so all of you Moms, call me and we'll do lunch. You just have to come near the Arboretum so I can take a long lunch!

Tabriah- thank you for my birthday present and for lunch! I can't wait to do a little online maternity shopping. It was very thoughtful of you. And, the cross will be great in our entryway.

First OB Appointment

I met with my OB for the first time today (thank you Chandra!) and among the many great things they told me, she said caffeine is fine in 1-2 servings per day.

To celebrate, I got me a Sonic sweet tea. Yummy!

I also heard the baby's heartbeat which was loud and clear and shocked the nurse. I'm so proud of my little over achiever.

Thanks to Marcus' insurance, we learned that the whole pregnancy will likely be free, but cost no more than $640.

I clarified about the whole soft serve ice cream debate. I had read recently that it could contain listeria because of being served in less than sanitary metal vats inside places like Sonic, CFA, Jason's Deli, etc. She said not to worry. I want my skipped ice cream cone from lunch yesterday.

Finally, we learned that there are many different types of PN vitamins available and they gave me some free samples to try. I even got some gels like my friend Meg recommended. If I can find a PN that doesn't make me sick, I will practically be symptom free.

Week 10: Our Little Kumquat

When my girlfriend Meg was pregnant, she used to blog about what size the baby was and what part of them was developing each week. I loved reading about how Miss Allison was growing. So, I now log on every Tuesday morning to read about our little one and what he/she is doing each week.

This week I am 10 weeks and the baby is the size of a kumquat. I had to look it up as kumquat is not in my fruit salad mix. It is the smallest of the citrus fruit and grows in warmer regions- China and California.

Here is the developmental scoop:

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

Note: Baby Center provides the he or she each week. It is not any sort of mother's intuition. Although, wishful thinking in effect, I do often call the baby she. :)

Happy Birthday Marcus!

Today is Marcus' 34th birthday! I contend he has entered his mid-30s and he claims 34 is still early 30s. Feel free to comment on that one!






Anyway, we celebrated yesterday with presents including a massage for Marcus and a yummy dinner. Marcus called it the modern day surf and turf- sushi and steak.

We had dinner at Kona Grill in the Domain. It was good- I would recommend it. I had the Macadamia Nut Chicken and no dessert. It is amazing how little sweet stuff I want to eat while pregnant. I hope that feeling stays!

Marcus took the day off today to relax and enjoy his special day! Happy Birthday!

Shocking Discovery

I can touch the end of my belly button. I have always had an "innie" and it was deep enough that my finger couldn't reach the end. No more. At 10 weeks pregnant my belly button has become shallow. I guess I am likely to end the year with an "outie".

Memorial Day

I was driving to the Lowe's this weekend and went past the community pool, which was packed with people. I thought..."you know memorial day is the time when a lot of people do yard work, BBQ, and enjoy the pool"....and while the sales are great at the store, and the extra day off is nice, I can't forget the whole reason we get this day off.

I then decided that I wanted to bring up my Grandfather, Rufus Benjamin Noble on the blog.








Grandad was born Jan. 17th, 1917. Grandad served in the cavalry in the Army...once of the last few that actually had horses. He served in WWII, in Germany during the Battle of the Bulge.




Grandad was injured during battle there, and returned home with a Purple Heart. I still remember seeing the injury to his ankle.






Grandad passed on May 5th of 1997, quietly, at home, just after mowing the yard. He was laid to rest in Littlefield...a small, quiet West Texas town.

You know, if its a boy.....Noble...that'd be a great name. For you Grandad. Thanks.


Marcus

Happy BDay Emily!

Yesterday was Emily Utley's birthday party at Main Event. The special of the day...rock climbing!

6-7 year old girls are part kin to spider monkey...they raced up and down the wall faster than I can run across the floor.

Kyleigh got to join Emily for the festivities...and somehow....somehow....Uncle Marcus was suckered into buying Kyleigh a present from Libby Lu's. Hair extensions. Something every 6 year old needs.

I got to figure out how I get suckered all the time....this could be very...very bad for me in a few years.

once more to the pit

Have to have one last post about the muddy buddy. Steve took some great video of us in the mud pit......the best part (I can laugh about it) is me after getting out....that mud was slick!!!

MJ

Stop Choking Me!

This photo is classic!

Cohen was asked to put his hands on Kyleigh's shoulders. He instead opted to ring her neck. His normally cute over-emphasized smile looks like he is exherting himself to choke her. Kyleigh, being the photo diva, is calmly sitting and smiling.

It cracks me up!

Iron is not my friend!

Tuesday when I was at the doctor I had mentioned to Dr. Vaughn that I found that I was feeling the worst at night when trying to go to bed and it happened to be the few hours after I take my pre-natal vitamin. He told me to stop taking it that the iron can make many people sick.

He instead suggested I take a folic acid supplement until after the first trimester and then start taking the PN vitamin again. It has made a world of difference. I was able to sleep well last night and Tuesday night. Thank you Dr. Vaughn!

We Heart David Cook!

Lasy night was the 4th annual AI watch party at the Mason's house. We love getting together on the night of the finale to make predictions, recap our favorites of the season, and make fun of the show. Last night provided us with some real treats.

Did anyone else catch David Hernandez singing the word naked? Or catch him dancing all up on Kristy Lee Cook?

How about Paula's dress? Every time they cut to her they cut away quickly? I think it has something to do with her "girls" being loose.

The funniest moment of the night for us is due to Time Warner Cable. The Mason's DVR'd the show so that we could eat dinner, FF through commercials, rewind the funny parts, etc.

Finally, the big moment arrives and Ryan Seafoam says, "and the winner of American Idol 2008" and that is when it happened my friends. The DVR message of death appeared.... END OF RECORDING, WOULD YOU LIKE TO DELETE!

Luckily, as AI finale pros we knew that the show would run long and had recorded Fox 7 news. So, we quickly switched over. The three words we missed were "is David Cook." Can you believe it!

Judging from the audience and the parents in the crowd, we quickly realized our man DC had surprised everyone and won the show! It looks like the cougars outvoted the teenagers this year!

Thanks Heather and Jay for hosting us for the yummy nachos and refreshing pie. Until next year... "you are my brother, my best friend forever" :)

quick shout out...

Just wanted to wish good luck to my peeps over at TL Marketing...they have a meeting tomorrow in Dallas...and I wish em success...

(My boy Steven over there bought us a pool for the house)

Graduation from TFC

Today we graduated from Texas Fertility Center to our regular OB/GYN's office just like any "normal" pregnant couple. It was sad to say goodbye to Dr. Vaughn, but wonderful to move into the next stage. We also got our due date- Christmas Eve. What a wonderful gift God has given us at my favorite time of year.

During our sonogram today we saw Twin A who is twice the size as the appointment two weeks ago. He/She even moved an arm to wave at us. Hello little one! It was wonderful to see the heartbeat so high and to see the colors to show bloodflow. Knowing their little limbs already move was super exciting. My little grape :) In the picture, the head is on the left and the little lines sticking out on the top of the body is an arm and a leg.

When Dr. Vaughn looked to measure Twin B we discovered that it no longer had a heartbeat. That confirms it was much weaker during our last appointment as opposed to being hard to find with the machine. The embryo will dissolve on it's own and no procedures will have to be done. This is commonly known as vanishing twin syndrome and does not affect me or the healthy baby.

It was a mix of emotions between us when we heard the news.

from Anna: I told God numerous times that I could not handle twins and although two was better than none, I really only wanted one baby. I was shocked when we first heard twins, but it wasn't unexpected, I know God has bigger plans for us that we could dream of alone. In the two weeks, I have tried to learn everything I could. I have read books, researched daycares for two, looked at bigger cars, picked out books on scheduling twins, found a local moms of multiples group, emailed with amazing Moms who successfully manage twins and more. God put so many resources before me that I once again learned He does not give us more than we can handle. If He puts you there, He'll help you there. I truly am relieved and okay with one baby. It sures does make $900 a month for daycare seem okay when you were looking at $1800. I am excited to move to my OB/GYN and really just focus on being an average pregnant woman with one baby. Thank you all for your love and prayers, we feel them, we cherish them and we appreciate them. Our little grape is strong and healthy!

from Marcus: We knew that two would be a challenge, but I couldn't help but feeling that this was such a defining moment in the rest of our lives. I saw a flash forward of the next several years...two kids learning to walk, two of them on the first day of school, two of them playing in the backyard, getting in trouble together...all of that. I realized that that was not to be...and just a soon realized that we were going to be able to focus all that energy, time, and money that we were going to give to two, on the one. You let me know what it felt like to have the chance to face something I never thought I could...and I was at peace with it. Now you show me oh Lord, that there is so much that I can face. Every step of this you have taken me from "Sure, let's have kids..." to "I want them..I will do anything for the chance." And I pride in my little grape....what emotions lie ahead?

eeewww....

Here's the pics from the Muddy Buddy!!!

I couldnt really see the finish line...there was something in my eye...I...I can't figure out what I had done recently to get my eyes all gunky...hmm....let me think back 30 seconds earlier...

Now I remember.

Lots of fun!!

MJ

muddy weekend.......

So Sunday started EARLIER. I was enrolled with my long time buddy, Bill. We competed in what was my 4th, and his 3rd, muddybuddy race http://www.muddybuddy.com .

The day started at a brisk 4am. I got the bike, loaded THE NEW TRUCK, and loaded my food up for breakfast...you know, powerbars, bananas....peanuts. All the good stuff to put in a new truck. It seemed fitting since I was taking the shiny new thing out to a MUD PIT ON A DIRT ROAD. My truck buying timing....not so good.

I picked Bill up and we were there at 6am ...ish. His family showed up at 7am...and we were doing a lot of standing around, stretching, and wondering how cold the mud pit was. We were team Muddy Tahoka. Whats a Tahoka? http://www.tahokatx.com/. Longer story could follow.

So....BANG...race started....in case you don't know the muddybuddy set up...check out the link up there. We got done in the sub 50 time frame....49:38. We were in the top 3/4...for our division...you know....kinda old male team.

you know what happens when you leave Mud out in the sun for a while. yep. Head to toe. i was a crusty mudpie. Then I got to the showers, which consists of a bunch of hoses with sprayers. Looked like part prison yard, part sixth street.

Then, back to home....was glad to get the truck out of there with only a light coat of dust...

Pictures to follow! maybe some video of the mud pit....?

I Found Elvis!

Saturday night I dreamt all night long. I don't know if it was the vivid pregnancy dreams I have heard about, but I can tell you that I hung out with Elvis at a bar and he told me he lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Yea for Cotton Patch

For Mother's Day last weekend, Marcus surprised me with the news that Cotton Patch had opened a location in Georgetown. I didn't feel well, so we stayed home and celebrated Saturday night.

If you have never had Cotton Patch, I recommend you give it a try (and invite me to join you!). They have locations in Abilene and Lubbock, so I always had to eat them when in West Texas.

The menu is good homecookin- chicken fried chicken, okra, yummy mashed potatoes, broccoli rice casserole, pot roast, homemade rolls, sweet tea, banana pudding, etc. Plus, any entree can be ordered as a Dixie Belle plate, which is a little less food and $1 off! It is the perfect size for me.

The G'town location is in Wolf Ranch with a great view from the outdoor seating area. This is the Texas hill country at it's best! We overheard a member of the staff say that a Cedar Park location was coming soon. Hip Hip Hooray!

Welcome Black Betty Jenks

Marcus doesn't normally like change, but the Escape (Betty Ford) was in need of a new home. We had her for 6 years- I drove her for the first 2 years and then Marcus took her over. She was loosing her professionalism for his job and he was ready to drive a big truck again.


When Marcus mentioned this to his co-worker this week, he offered to buy Betty for his daughter who just turned 16. They showed Betty to Mary who exclaimed her to be "cute" and a deal was made. Marcus is still slightly concerned he drove a "cute" car all this time.

With cash in hand, we spent Saturday at the dealership.



Marcus had researched trucks online and knew what he wanted- a Ford F150 FX2. Maxwell Ford had a nice black one on the lot and Marcus was sold. We got a great deal, seems nobody wants to drive a truck these days? I wonder why? (Joking!) Lucky for us, Marcus' gas is paid for by his employer, so we don't have the gas concerns of most.

Warning- you'll hear Black Betty before you see her. The previous owner added a Flowmaster exhaust system which translates to two big loud mufflers on the back. Happy new truck Mr. Jenk!

Storm Pictures

Here is a picture of the rain and hail coming down on our front yard during the crazy storms last week.

Storms are so much louder in this house. I think it is due to the lack of a covered patio to block the windows on the north side and the window boxes that push the windows out more. It was crazy loud!

What Cha Reading?

As with most new and excited pregnant women, I immediately got "What To Expect When you are Expecting" and a baby stuff buying guide within days of discovering I was pregnant.

Once we found out it was twins, I searched Amazon for the #1 book on multiples. I wanted to make sure I was getting enough nutrients and knew what to expect with a multiple birth and how it differed from a "singleton".

I am about 1/4 of the way through this book by Dr. Luke and it has opened my eyes to how very different having twins (or more!) can be. Dr. Luke has run a clinic for moms of multiples for many years. Her strategies have proven to result in higher birth weights, longer pregnancies and overall healthier babies. On average, twins are born at 36 weeks. The goal is to keep them as long as possible so that they go home with us and not afterward!

Last night I was reading about diet and nutrition and I am in trouble! Since finding out I was pregnant, I have lost 6 pounds. I thought it was a good thing since I was overweight to begin with and because it was a result of eating healthier not from a crazy diet. Dr. Luke advocates gaining the most weight in the first 20 weeks when your stomach has more room. That will give the body a reservoir to pull from later and will give the babies sustenance to get them started. She recommends I gain 25 pounds by week 20- that is just 12 weeks away.

Here is the kicker- she recommends 3500 calories per day! Wow! She recommends a high protein, high carb and high fat diet. I am reading more each night and will be headed to the grocery store this weekend. It is outside of my natural thinking of a pregnant diet for sure.

I'll let you know what comes up on my daily menu and how I can balance low sodium into this whole mix..... I'm thinking Hungryman dinners are out!

8 week Baby Update

I am officially 8 weeks pregnant and I feel it!

I still have my lingering "cold" and am going to my family physician later today. Dr. Vaughn thinks I have bronchitis and wants me to see my doctor. It has been 8 days now and I have a nasty cough deep in my chest. My whole torso is sore from coughing. I just want to sleep through the night without a coughing fit.

Add nausea to a regular cough and I am a mess. I still feel my stomach at all times. I either feel really hungry or like I just ate a big greasy meal. I don't have a big appetite, but am finding that I am not interested in sweets. I want more meat than normal. My love of sweet tea is still in full effect although I am drinking more water than normal. I do still splurge on sweet tea on occasion.

I haven't pulled out the maternity clothes just yet, but I am sure I will this month. I have found many items in my current closet don't feel good so I am grateful for the looser fashions I own. I am loving the big shirts right now. I also think my hair is getting coaser and thicker, although that could be my imagination or new styling gel!

Our next doctor appointment is in one week. We hope to see Twin B clearer and Dr. Vaughn to feel confident that both are progressing properly.

Happy Birthday Jay!

Last night Marcus went to Phil's Ice House to celebrate our friend Jay's Thirty-Something birthday. I could not attend as it conflicted with my regularly scheduled 5:30 nap. :)

Marcus brought me 2 small burgers and homemade sweet potato fries and they were good!



Happy Birthday to you-
Happy Birthday to you-
Happy Birthday to Jay,
Happy Birthday to you!





Check out this cute picture of Connor, Alexis, Kayla and Jacob at Phil's playground. What fun!

Meet my New Friend...

Instead of pigs this round, I helped put together a skeleton! It is a medical skeleton model that we own. We got to know each other and held hands :)








You'll notice my little friend's skull is in pieces. The top part cracked in transit, so Lindsay and Laurel put him back together again.





Knowing his head was coming back together, Laurel and the skeleton did a little dance :)

One Fruit Hammock Coming Up

I am in San Antonio for a work event and our breakfast this morning had the most clever arrangement- a canteloupe hammock. How Cool! If you enlarge the picture, you can see how simple this really is. Come on girls, let do it!

Look for it at a baby shower near you!

"Free" Money

As Marcus and I worry about finances we are reminded that God can provide for us in many unexpected ways. We have been diligently reducing our debt to prepare for children for the past few years. We are happy to be down to one credit card that will be gone just in time for the arrival of the babies. We used credit cards way too much in college and have spent our 30s (at least the first part) ridding outselves of the sins of our 20s.

Today, Marcus called to divide that last card into 2 balances with 0% APR. Balance transfer deals come in the mail daily! He called Citibank who we have a card with that has not been used in years and we have a $2269 credit. Yes, that is right, somehow we overpaid them by $2200.

I have no earthly idea how, but we happily transferred $2200 from our last big card over to this one. Amazing!

new music CD

So I have burned a new CD.....based on a recent theme...

1. Big Poppa - Notorious BIG
Have to represent!
2. American Dream -Casting Crowns
A little something to help center what is important being a Dad.
3. Cat's in the Cradle - Ugly Kid Joe (thats right, NOT Cats Stevens)
Same theme as above! Have priorities.
4. There goes my life -Kenny Chesney
Why is all country music so sad? only Dad themed song I find is kind of dismal.
5. That baby don't look like me - Ying Yang Twins
I couldn't resist.

Its a start.


MJ

And the Sonogram Says...

we are having twins!

All I keep saying is holy cow, holy freaking cow! God has a lot of trust in our abilities! Wow!

Above, you can see above a strong black oval and then 2 parts of a second oval. The clear oval is one baby that was very easy for him to see. The second one was harder for him to reach. It is possible that it is the weaker embryo or that it is just positioned a little differently.

This photo clearly shows the blueberry sized baby within the black circle. We were able to see and hear the heartbeats of both babies and will go back in two weeks to see if the second one is in a better position for him to reach.

We would like to acknowledge the secret prayers for twins of Mitch, Andrea and Brandy. I hope your plans are open in December- we are planning to sign you up for babysitting!

Thanks to everyone for your prayers! We ask that you continue to pray for good health, a miracle anti-stretch mark cream to come my way and for our finances to make way for these babies!

what ta do!?

Ok, so a couple of things to note with the latest on the pregancy...from my point of view...

Mainly, being pregnant just makes the woman act like a guy does most of the time....you burp a lot, go potty a lot, and you have tummy problems often.

That is pretty much me most of the time. I also encouraged Anna that if she felt the need to adjust anything in public, to feel free and do so.

Seriously....today Anna is sick with a headcold!! Pregnant sick means no use of some dayquil and vicks vapor to get all betters.





So....all you mommys out there....got any suggestions or recommendations for stuff she can take? My only recommendation is a hot shower....

FedEx Kinkos Classic

Marcus and I met my Dad and Jacque in Lakeway today to watch a professional golf tournament. The course was played by the "seniors", players over 50. It was fun for us because we used to play a PGA game in the 1990s when all of these players were in their primes. We knew their names as video game characters.




The course was beautiful. Dad had played it before and knew the perfect spots for us to take it all in. We sat on a hillside where we could see the players come in and putt hole 2, but could also see them tee off over water (and sometimes not) on a par 3 at hole 3. We sat there for well over an hour watching them come in and go on.



We spent a little time at hole 1 watching them tee off for the day. In the white shirt on the tee box is Fuzzy Zoeller. I remember his unique name from watching golf before. He was SMOKING between shots. I find that so odd. Another player threw his cigar in the grass when he putted and then picked it back up and put it in his mouth.

We also saw Austinites Tom Kite (his name was a typo in the program, Tim Kite), Ben Crenshaw, and the very funny Craig Sadler. He went into the woods on hole 2 and recovered with an impressive put to take par on the hole. Afterward when the crowd cheered, he put his club in the air and twirled it to say whoop-t-do. It was quite funny!

dinner and a movie

Tonight was a dinner and a movie date night...Anna got to pick the dinner...I got the pick the movie....

Dinner was from her favorite take it and bake it pizza place, Buddy and Al's. You have to have Bosco sticks with the pizza of course....

The movie was my pick.....the opening night for Iron Man.

Not a bad flick, by either or our assessment. Anna's two cents were that Gweneth Paltrow looked good as a redhead, and Robert Downey looked better than she remembered. From the credits, he didn't even have is own personnal make up artist either.

There is becoming a trend i nmovies to make the movie more about the character development, and the detailed progression to their superhero-ness. I.e, Batman "Dark Knight" Spiderman. Not quite the glossed over whizz bang of the older flicks. But you still get the cool fights at the end of the flick.

At least, that is my two cents.

MJ

Stupid German Carmakers

My car has a bunch of safety features that I wish I did not have. One of them bit me in the butt today at lunch. I ran into Garden Ridge on my lunch hour for a picture frame and when I got back to my car I dropped my purse and keys in the front seat and then unloaded the large frame into the back seat. I shut the door and went to return my cart when I heard it, the nice sound of my car honking to confirm it was locekd. You see, if my car is unlocked and you don't start the car within so many seconds and all doors are shut, it locks itself. I assume it is to assist me if I ever forget to lock my car. Today, it failed me as I locked my keys, cell phone, purse, sunglasses and my drink in my car. I had to go back inside, call Marcus and have him call a locksmith and my office. My spare key is MIA- I lost my keys back in January at Walmart.

I waited for him outside in the sun for 25 minutes. Then, he tells me that VW and Lexus have the tightest door seals and has the resort to the 3rd method of getting the lock open which scratched my window tint. Nice!

$39.95 and a sunburn later I am back in my car and back at work.

One good thing to know, if you lock your keys in your car and there is a child inside, they will pop the lock for free.

No More Shots!

Both my progesterone and my HCG levels were good, so no more shots! We did progesterone shots for 26 straight days and I am happy to have those behind me. Pun intended :)

Progesterone is 48.3. It was 48.2 last week when I was on a reduced dosage, so it is a good sign that my medicine went down and the amount in my body stayed up. It shows my body kicked in!

My HCG level was 57,697 which is just slightly higher than normal for 6 weeks according to the American Pregnancy Association. I can't wait for Tuesday to hear the heartbeat(s) and know more about our child.