HybridizationingsMix-ins, Notions, and Plugins of our Lives

Our babies are doing so well. They are still in the NICU but it is the tier II which means they are healthy just they need to develop more because they were born too early. Pretty much they both just need to eat enough without falling asleep which is why they have the feeding tube. So please keep them in your prayers so that we can bring them home.

It is funny how different they look. The doctor yesterday said he had to check their charts to verify who they were because he knew they were twins but they don’t look anything alike. Here are some pictures and videos.

Oh, any by the way, WE LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!! BEING PARENTS ROCKS!!!!

Here are a few brief videos of our sweet babies

Thomas Ethan

Natalie Rachel

Our babies have come and they are sooo beautiful. They were born at 35 weeks gestation on Wednesday, May 12th. Here are some of the details.

Thomas Ethan
10:43 pm
5 lbs, 7 oz
17 3/4″

Natalie Rachel
10:45 pm
5 lbs, 14 oz
17 1/4″

Because they came a little early they have some developing to do. They both had breathing issues when they were born, and then eating will be hard too. But we are so blessed that there doesn’t seem to be any other issues.

So we are still just waiting. On one hand I am so happy that my babies have stayed in my belly this long and have a very good chance of being healthy and strong. But on the other hand I wish they were here already. I am so uncomfortable and can’t to much now that I’m the size of a barn.

The babies are doing great. At the last ultrasound, May 4th, my baby boy weighed in at 4 lbs, 8 oz. And my baby girl weighed 5 lbs, 6 oz. So she is taking the lead. The ultrasound tech got a great shot of her chubby checks. She also found a dimple on my boy’s chin. These were both wonderful hints to keep me going.

My sister-in-law sent me this today and it perfectly describes what I feel.

“Waiting”

Dear Baby, here beneath my heart, I thought that you might come today; the timing just seemed right.  But the stars are out and the moon is high and sheepishly I wonder why I try to arrange the plans of God.  For now I know you will not come until the One who holds eternity rustles your soft cocoon and whispers in tones that I will not hear, “It’s time, precious gift, Now it’s time”

I will wait on the Lord… And I will hope in Him, Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me.  Isaiah 8:17-18

30 weeks
7.5 months
3/4 done

Today I am 30 weeks pregnant and things are starting to get very real for us. I’m officially on bed rest since I can’t really get up without having contractions. The baby shower is done and it was so great! I still haven’t put the gifts away; hopefully my mother-in-law is coming over tonight to help with that. Michael did however get the stroller and high chairs out of the boxes and they are now sitting in my front room. He said he likes them there for now because it is a physical manifestation that we are having babies (I guess for me the only physical manifestation I need is the constant kicking and my bulging, ever growing, belly.)

Up until now we have been very confident about the pregnancy. But yesterday was a little disheartening. The doctor said there are some indications that the babies might be early, but it is so hard to tell. I’ve been given some steroids to help develop the babies lungs just in case they do come preterm (we are aiming for at least 36 weeks). So keep us all in your prayers and thoughts. Right now the babies are over 3 pounds which is great.

Other than that I broke out in a full body rash a week ago. With the help of Benedryl, pure orange oil, and Caladryl cream it has begun to look better and not be so itchy. I’m not sleeping at night so cat naps during the day are my source of rest. I’m hungry ALL the time now but my Doctor keeps telling me to put on more weight. But there is one thing that I am soooo grateful for, I have not had any heartburn. I see Michael deal with his heartburn and I am so glad that I don’t have that to add to my woes of pregnancy.

Highlight: I’m looking forward to seeing my friend Lauren from High School today. She is visiting Las Vegas and graciously agreed to come to me because of my bed ridden predicament. I think the last time I saw her was her Bridal Shower before she ran off to marry a romantic French man.

Quick apology for all my fans (yeah right). I’m sorry that I have been so bad about blogging. For a while I have been torn about mine and my family’s privacy. It is a very serious problem and I hope people take note about what they are putting out there for the world to see.

I designed and finished the wolf pack cross stitch. I think I mentioned before that I was working on it. And my parents got me a cross stitch of a salmon while they were in Alaska on a cruise. It was really sweet of them, and I really like the pattern. Here are the pictures.

The next thing on my list is to frame the two Twilight cross stitches and get some good pictures taken. But I’m having a hard time figuring out how to frame them. They are so different so I don’t want to frame them like a group.  Any ideas??? And I’m also looking for some ideas on what to put in the background.

Contemporary. A fun blog that I follow Good Day Sunshine had a post about Sproost.com. I took their quiz and found out I am 44% Rustic Revival, 44% Nantucket Style, and 12% French Eclectic. Here’s what I like:

And Michael is 100% Contemporary. There is no wavering with him. Here is what he likes:

So I like old, and he likes new…How are we going to stay together? Our kids will be so messed up.

but no baby! But rest easy knowing that we are working on that. We have some really exciting things planned for the next couple of months to help us get pregnanat. But this is what we have been working on for the past week. I saw the cutest baby room on BHG.com and drew my inspiration from that. Not knowing if we will end up with a boy or girl we had to keep it nuetral. But I’m really happy with the way it turned out.

I would love to now decorate it and put up a bunch of things on the walls and on top of the little ledge all around the room, BUT… I’m going to wait. Wait until I’m pregnant and enjoy the nesting experience. But here is that inspiration room I was telling you about.

I saw this video a couple days ago and I have been cracking up inside whenever I think about it. I know…I have baby on the brains but this is still funny.

I’ve been cross stitching a lot since I went to visit my Grandma Hanson in Arizona last January. She taught me to cross stitch when I was a girl, and I was reminded that I enjoy it. I think it is something about keeping my hands busy. I’ve made a couple of my own designs and I’ll admit that I’m wondering what it would be like to launch my own business of fun, new cross stitch patterns. Here’s what I’ve got so far.

Motherhood. I found this really great, colorful painting my Julie Ryan and asked her permission to make it into a cross stitch. I think it turned out really cute. She has a ton of other ideas that would make fun patterns, but for now I’m working on some time sensative projects….

With the next Twilight movie coming out in November and the fact that it is hugely popular, I thought that if anyone was going to buy a Twilight inspired cross stitch kit it would be now. I have another design for the wolf pack that I am anxious to start. Just waiting for the materials to be delivered.

I didn’t make this pattern, but I did pick it up a year ago at the Mount Vernon gift shop in Washington DC. We went there for our 5 Year Anniversary, and I thought that it would make a great souvenir of our trip. AND…it got me thinking about other locations that people visit and how they might want to do a cross stitch to remember their trip…Las Vegas comes to mind.

So there you have it. I’ve been a boring, home body, doing nothing but cross stitching. No, I haven’t gone to the gym, yes, I’ve neglected my church callings, yes I am socially retarded and haven’t been a good friend. But you know what, I’m happy and that should count for something.

I love HGTV for reminding me how fun day dreaming is. Each year when they come out with their Dream Home, I think about what it would be like to live there, the surrounding area, etc. To date, my favorite was the North Carolina house, but the 2010 home could be even greater. For starters each year Michael and I look at the house and determine what room we could change into the theater room, because it isn’t a dream home for Michael unless it has a theater room. Number 2: it has a Casita with its own bathroom. Number 3: there will be a recycling room which in itself isn’t all that glamorous but just that they are thinking about recycling in their grand design, I wouldn’t be surprised if they incorporate more renewable and recylced additions to the house. I’ll stop there because I want to keep some of the mystery. Here is the floor plan.

1. Three-car garage
2. Motor court
3. Casita with bathroom
4. Recycling room
5. Back patio
6. Kitchen and great room
7. Walk-through pantry
8. Dining room
9. Home office with bathroom
10. Entry hall and foyer
11. His-and-hers walk-in master closet 12. Master bathroom
13. Master suite
14. Sunrise room
15. Home theater
16. Laundry room
17. Second bedroom with walk-in closet and adjoining bathroom
18. Third bedroom with walk-in closet and adjoining bathroom

(So you are welcome to dream and drool, but when the time comes, THIS WILL BE MY HOUSE.)