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Modern Twins Baby Announcements

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6 Weeks ALREADY?!?

Time flies when you're raising twins... Our sweet little angels turned 6 weeks old this Friday, and although it feels like forever ago that we were in the hospital with them, I can't believe how big they've gotten! Life has been a whirlwind of events, emotions, and exhaustion these past 6 weeks, and I wouldn't change it for anything. Here are some thoughts that go through my mind right now (that I'm sure I'll know answers to soon enough):

• Do the babies know they're twins? We always have them together (except for doctor's appointments where one stays home usually), but they don't typically interact with each other just yet.



• Are they really as smart as I think they are, or am I just biased? I feel like they do so many "intelligent" things for their age (ie rolling over from their side, staring straight into your eyes like they know what you're thinking/saying to them).
  


• Is Kayelynn's foot going to be corrected as quickly as we pray it will? She's currently on her 3rd 1-week cast, and she will continue to get casts until her doctor says she's ready for braces (I wish I could fast forward to the pulling-up stage, just to bypass the braces altogether).



• WHEN will they start sleeping through the night? Let me even ask this one... When will they start sleeping more than 3-4 hours? I could really use the rest! :)
  


• Will the twins be best buds later on in life? I sure hope so. They're just too cute.



• Will Kayelynn still love all the pink & bows when she gets to dress herself, or will she be a tomboy like her daddy thinks? I hope she loves the pink, but I guess I won't have a choice either way!
  


• Most importantly, will we be good parents? I think Chris & I will always have our ups and downs, but I pray that we will always have a strong relationship and trust in each other to make the "right" decisions. It's difficult for one person to make life-altering decisions for themselves, much less two first-time parents making choices together for two tiny little precious babies!
  

I'm sure in time, we'll know answers to most of these questions. Until then, here are some of the "sneak peeks" from their ADORABLE newborn pictures! Yes, our babies are the cutest little angels I've ever seen! :)

Our sweet, sweet babies!

April 1st, 2011 was a big day for the McHenry household! After being delayed by several hours (and starving for several hours), I had a routine c-section & we finally met our babies at 4:44 & 4:45 on Friday evening. Everything went pretty well, and we have been quite the busy parents ever since! Here are some pictures to show proof that we make pretty babies! :) Kayelynn Faye: 6 lb 5 oz, born @ 4:44pm Brayden Michael: 7 lb 6 oz, born @ 4:45pmProud Daddy, Brayden (left) & Kayelynn (right)

Princess Kayelynn & Prince Brayden :)

The BIG day!!

It's been quite an eventful week, to say the least. On Monday, Chris & I found out why Dr. McNabb was so hesitant to actually schedule an induction date (especially since my specialists don't want me going past 38 weeks). I got a call first thing in the morning that he had taken "personal leave" and that he wouldn't be back for a while. This disappointed me, but I knew his partner, Dr. Vu would be capable of delivering our babies. Monday was quite a dramatic day, but we got through it all, and Friday (tomorrow) is the BIG day! :) When meeting Dr. Vu, she was very thorough (almost too thorough for my taste), which helped ease our minds a little more. She actually gave me the option of doing a C-Section. I didn't know this was my choice (Dr. McNabb never brought it up, so I assumed we had to give the "natural" way at least a little effort). I initially told her I would try pushing these babies out, but realized overnight & after talking to my specialist, a C-Section was the way to go. I mean, who wants to labor & push for 24+ hours to have to either do it all over again for the 2nd baby or still end up getting cut open in an emergency situation!?! Tomorrow, we'll go in at noon & the C-Section should begin around 2pm. I can't wait to meet our little angels, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. Chris and I are both pretty nervous, although we're trying not to think about it. He's nervous about seeing me all cut up & bloody. I guess I'm nervous about that whole messy surgery too, but I think I'm most nervous to have these babies come out healthy. All I want to do is hear their little cries to know they're ok! I have been told that a mother's love is something completely unexplainable. I already have a feeling of what it's like, since these babies are all I have thought and cared about for the past 9 months. I can't imagine how emotional we'll be when we first meet our sweet little babies. I know it'll all happen so fast, and I hope we can take in those special moments when they enter the world. We are so lucky. Let me add to that. Chris, myself, Kayelynn, and Brayden are so lucky. We have the best friends and family that we could ever ask for. My parents and siblings have been so supportive throughout the entire pregnancy, whether it's taking me to appointments, purchasing big necessities for the babies, dealing with my moodswings, or just plain being happy (that's an understatement) for these babies to come into the world. My in-laws are wonderful too. They are sooooo excited, but I know they're trying to hold it in everytime I speak to them. God is so good to us, and I am so proud to have these people in our lives. I have so much more to say, but I think I better get to bed!! Tomorrow will be my babies' birthday!!! :)

Catching up...

It's obviously been a busy time, as I haven't posted in over a month! With band contest season in full swing, and as we anxiously prepare for the twins to arrive, I haven't had much time to blog (nor have I had the energy)!

The nursery is finally "finished". I put it in quotes, because I still need to hang a shelf & find a cute little table to set next to the glider. BUT... if the twins came today, I think it's ready enough to make it work! I'll have to post pictures tomorrow, since I'm too lazy right now to get out of my comfy recliner.

I went for my checkup over a week ago, when Dr. McNabb told me I was 1cm dilated & 50% effaced. Of course, Mom was MORE than thrilled to hear about the progress, so she quickly went to the store and got me some slippers & some other "necessities" that she knows I'll need in the hospital. She swore that "it was time". This past week was spring break, so I got some much needed rest, and I soon realized that my body was no longer willing to allow me to do the things I wanted to do. I had a few weak spells where I got really clammy & had no energy, so I went in to see Dr. McNabb again on Friday. I'm now at 1 1/2 cm & 75% dilated, and of course, the babies are thriving! I had another weak spell today over lunch with my parents, where we all quickly decided that I didn't need to go into work anymore (I was originally going to do half days).

So here I sit... WAITING. I pray that these babies come at just the right moment, so Chris doesn't have to rush to make it in time or I don't have to sit in rush hour traffic trying to make it to the hospital.

On a very sad note... Chris found in January that his high school band director (yes, the person who we ALWAYS make a point to see every time we visit St. Louis, and also the person who flew down to Texas just for our wedding) had been diagnosed with Lymphoma. Of course, when Chris talked to him back then, Bob downplayed everything (this is the type of guy he was), so we were hopeful of a recovery. Chris found out this week that Bob had taken a turn for the worse and was on life support. Sadly, we found out that Bob passed just a few hours ago. He's in a better place, but it's hard to take it all in at once. Please pray for Bob's family, friends, former students, and that the twins come in a timely manner so Chris can go to the funeral AND see the birth of our sweet little angels.

I'm sooooo grateful...

I know I've said it before, and I'll say it again... I have the best friends in the world. I just do, and that's all there is to it. We originally scheduled the baby shower for LAST Sunday, but God decided we needed a "spring" day instead of a snowy day to celebrate (yes, I do live in TEXAS!)

Yesterday, my friends threw me a wonderful baby shower, and I'm still overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. We received so many gifts family & friends that I can't even begin organizing! These babies are definitely loved, and I can't wait to meet them & introduce them to the world!

Here are a few pictures from my shower...

My wonderful cake!! Thank you, girls for such a special & yummy surprise!

Ashlee, Kelsey, Christina, preggo me, Leah, Delyn, and Julie
(the best friends a girl could ever ask for!)

Maternity Pics

We finally got around to taking some maternity pictures before Brayden & Kayelynn are born! Thanks to our wonderful photographer, Debbie Romeyn, for being so giving of her time. These are just 3 of the many pictures she took a few weeks ago (thank God she removed the wonderful stretch marks that go along with pregnancy).

My sister, Julie, got us these little shoes a while back... very cute!
Mommy & Daddy to be :)

Thank you, God, for allowing us to be parents of these two sweet little growing babies!

Nursery Painting!

I have the best friends ever... I'm soooooo looking forward to my baby shower they are throwing in a few weeks. By then, we'll have the nursery nearly complete with clean carpets, freshly painted walls, and furniture for my sweet babies! Thank you, Kelsey, for spending your time on such a cute project for your "niece" & "nephew" to-be! :) Just above where Kayelynn's crib will go

Just above where Brayden's bed will go

The "nook" where the glider & changing table will go

The spelling game...

Ok, I know I just posted about names, but now I'm having second thoughts on the spelling of our little boy! I've always just used "Bradyn", but my husband thinks it looks like Brad-in... Here are some considerations:
Bradyn
Braedyn
Brayden
Braydn
Tell me what YOU think!! :)

Update

We went to the specialist day for another check-up & were thankful enough to receive some POSITIVE news on our little girl! I guess overall, we never know anything for sure, but from what the doctor saw, her ventricles look "normal" right now. I think they'll be checking her every week, just to be sure everything is ok.

I promised myself I wouldn't research anything on what could happen if her ventricle continue to be larger than "normal", and I kept that promise all week. I ended up being a nervous wreck though, the closer we got to the appointment. Chris decided to ask the "what if" question, and the Dr. Payne said it could mean learning disabilities. He also mentioned that MOST children with this condition don't have learning disabilities. My thoughts?? If someone tells me there COULD be something wrong with my babies, I'm going to attempt to take it with a grain of salt.

NAMES!!! Sorry, Christina, I keep forgetting to answer your question! We've decided on... Kayelynn Faye & Bradyn Michael :) Kaye is my mother & sister in law's middle names & Lynn is my sister's middle name. Faye is myself, my mom's, and my grandma's middle name. I guess our little girl will have lots of women taking ownership of her name! Michael is my husband's middle, his dad's middle, and his grandfather's first name. Bradyn... well... We just LIKE it! Actually, a co-worker's spouse mentioned that name at a Christmas party, and frankly, it's the only name that's come up that NEITHER of us have objections in using!

I'm quite happy to now have names for our sweet little ones.... Even though I keep calling them our "little boy & little girl", I know it'll be just a few more months before I'm holding them tight in my arms! Yes, I'm anxious... I find myself wrapped up in work or just being tired all the time, and then I think about how life is going to completely change so soon. I can't even fathom what it will be like, and I can't imagine how much I'm going to love them at first sight.

What happened to December?!?

Well, I would apologize for not posting AT ALL in the month of December, but it's quite a busy month with all the band concerts, rehearsals, and other festivities going on!

For a while, pregnancy seemed pretty easy going... I'm not sure if I posted this in my last blog, but we did find out that our daughter definitely has a clubbed foot (not sure if it's both or just one). Chris & I are taking it pretty well, as many people have told us it's a doable thing. Luckily, I have a wonderful coworker whose husband can get us in at Shriner's hospital.

This week has unfortunately been a little more hectic than I would like... Our first week back at school, and I get yet ANOTHER sinus infection! I felt it coming on last Sunday, but nothing I took was going to get in the way. Before I started feeling the worst symptoms from that, I had a somewhat embarrassing night & ended up in Labor & Delivery. I would give more details, but I'll just say that I was in a lot of pain, had a little bleeding, we checked the babies, and they were doing very well. It's not blog-worthy, trust me... So, essentially, I was at the hospital on Wednesday, saw my specialist & OB on Thursday (for regularly scheduled appointments), and went to my family doctor on Friday.

My specialist appointment was a little bitter-sweet. I like going there, because those doctors are very thorough. He said everything is going well, but he was a little suspicious of a ventricle in the brain that may be "larger than normal". I didn't really like to hear that, but he said not to be concerned just yet--he wants to watch the size for the next several weeks and see if there are any changes. He said, "I'm not telling you this to alarm you. I'm telling you this because I'm supposed to tell you what I'm thinking." I pray that he doesn't find anything bad when he looks next week... It'll break my heart if something else is wrong with our baby girl.

On a positive note, I have some belly pictures!! Enjoy...

Oops!! It's been busy...

So, I guess I've been bad lately at updating my blog! I have been so busy, I haven't even started the journal I talked about earlier! I promise to start this week, whatever it takes...

So, Thanksgiving is coming up, so that is putting me in the holiday/mommy-to-be mode of wanting to clean out the spare bedrooms, decorate for Christmas, and get ready for these sweet little angels! I have so many things on my to-do list, I don't know where to begin!

On another note... We received some unpleasant news from the specialist on Thursday. It looks like (right now at least) that my little girl has clubbed feet. This is thankfully a very treatable condition, and hopefully, we can have it corrected through braces, casts, or surgery before it's even time for her to start walking.

On an even sadder note... It looks like my sister's pregnancy is not going as well as we all prayed for. After several weeks of stress, it will most likely turn out to be a non-viable pregnancy that she will have to terminate within the next week. I unfortunately don't have the words to say to her to make her feel any better. It's so difficult to be pregnant & happy while she's going through all of this sadness. I pray that I find a way to reach out to her, as it's been really hard to do that over the past week. Please pray that God will bless her and her husband with a healthy baby someday (hopefully sooner than later).

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and kind words as we go through this exciting (and stressful, even though I try not to think about it) time of our lives. Chris and I are so excited to be parents soon, and we pray that we find a way to prepare these babies for a life full of love and happiness!

Back to the "real" world

Sorry for not posting any pictures from my obgyn appointment last week... They just didn't turn out very clear, so I figured I would wait until my specialist appointment this Thursday. :)

So, after a week of moving around comfortably, I've decided it's time to head back to work! I feel fine, and I'm really hoping and praying for no more major issues. I'll be taking it as easy as possible, and hopefully, I'll keep these babies safe for another 6 or so months!

I've decided to start a journal for the babies as I continue my pregnancy. After using my iphone "What to Expect" app, I found some cute forum topics where moms will write funny letters to their babies throughout their pregnancies. I'm going to actually write this out in a REAL journal (I know it's 2010, but I figure the good old-fashioned paper kind would be more memorable). I'll try to share some of the good ones as we go along!

Thanks to those of you who have supported me throughout the past several weeks. Your thoughts and prayers have meant a lot! Please pray that tomorrow and the rest of the week will go as smoothly as I hope!

PICTURES!! FINALLY! :)

September 1....................................September 14

October 1.........................................October 5

So, by the look of these pictures, you can tell I'm not as high-tech as I would like to be. I'll figure out a way to enlarge them, so you can have a better view. Notice how BIG my sweet babies are getting!! I will go to obgyn tomorrow, so more pictures to come soon! :)

Well-Rested

Soooo... I'm not sure if I mentioned that I'm pretty good at bedrest in my last post. What I MEANT to say was that I'm pretty good at bedrest when my husband is at home. I found myself yesterday talking other people's heads off whenever I had the chance. Apparently, all the talking I do at school must now be done while I'm at home!

Anyway, I went to the doctor again on Wednesday, and everything was good then. I haven't had any more bleeding lately (at least not the "bad" kind--not to get too descriptive). It's really difficult to sit here & feel like I should do nothing all day, because for the most part, I feel normal. Sometimes, I'll stand up too quickly and realize that I'm wrong. I think I'll see if I can get into the doctor next week (instead of waiting an additional week, when my current appointment is), and hopefully, they'll say I'm good to go back to work.

On another note... did I mention that my sister just completed her first round of Invetro? She's actually been trying to have a baby for several years now, and has gone through some pretty painful circumstances to get to the point that she is today. She'll find out next Friday whether it worked or not. My fingers and toes are crossed for her, and please everyone, say a prayer that God blesses her with at least one chance to fulfill her dream of motherhood! :)

I'll continue to keep you posted (on myself, the twins, and Julie).

Tough Weekend...

So, I'm quickly learning that I will do anything to keep these babies healthy and happy. Just a few months ago, I was mostly worried about all the needles, exams, and all the not-so-exciting parts of doctor visits. After a stressful and eye-opening weekend, I can say that all of those things seem like a walk in the park now.

If you're the squemish type, I am giving you the warning now to NOT read on... Now that you have been warned, I'll continue! :) Last Tuesday, I got home from work and noticed some odd "spotting" after looking in the toilet. I didn't know what to think, so I called the on-call doctor. After describing everything to her, she suggested that it may be a bladder infection and to see my doctor the next day. I did this, and after checking, the babies were great, and I heard no reason to be worried at all.

This comfortable feeling changed on Friday, between classes, when I went for a "quick" bathroom break. I saw what looked like a somewhat small amount of blood in my urine, so I quickly told my boss, and headed to my doctor. The secretary asked me if I "flew" there, because I must've gotten there quite fast. The doctor checked again, said there was no sign of blood, and said to take it easy after seeing that the babies were once again perfectly fine.

I decided against my family's opinions to go to 8th grade band night that night with our kids and the RHS band. I showed up to the school, and after about an hour or so, my head director decided I needed to go home after such a stressful day. As I was heading to my car, I noticed something wasn't right (girls, you probably know what I mean). I checked down there (yes, this is gross, but I didn't know what else to do!!) and sure enough, it was blood. I went to the gas station bathroom, and it was SUCH a difference than earlier that morning. I learned after the morning experience, I needed to stay calm for the babies, so I just called the doctor again, and they said to go straight to the ER and an obgyn on-call would be there "waiting" for me.

After waiting at the hospital for over an hour, I started questioning whether or not I really should plan on delivering there. They finally took me in, checked the babies, who were thankfully ok, did some awful procedure to get a urine sample (I would prefer not to do THAT one again), and later realized I had a bladder infection. Since my husband had contest all day the next day, my parents fortunately took me to their house in Saginaw, so they could "doctor" me. :)

I unfortunately woke up the next morning with the same bleeding I had Friday night. My mom quickly took me to Baylor Grapevine, and I can say nothing but WONDERFUL things about them and how they run a hospital. After an hour plus ultrasound, they noticed that I have a hemorrhage outside the placenta. The good thing is that the babies feel nothing about what is going on outside their little haven.

I decided to change my specialist appointment to yesterday, in Grapevine, where they elaborated on my condition. They said that it's called Placenta Previa, which I've heard of on my forums lately. Many moms have this, but mine just happens to bleed unlike most women. He put me on bedrest for 2 weeks, so here I sit, on the couch, finding more time to keep you all posted!!

Am I glad I'm on bedrest? Yes and no. I'm so happy that God has allowed my sweet babies to continue to grow and be happy as they prepare for their big entrance into the world (btw, baby A MIGHT be a boy, but we're not sure yet... baby B has decided to not tell any secrets just yet). Would I like to take this time "off" to do some shopping??? Yes, but I guess I'll stick to the doc's orders...

Sorry, Christina, no pictures for you just yet... BUT, I have plenty to scan in & post, so I'll get to it later when Chris brings them home from work! :)

These babies are eating all my food!

So, I'm not sure how it feels to be almost 12 weeks pregnant with just one baby... But, with TWO of them, I feel like my own body is completely starved all the time! These babies sure are hungry! I guess that's a great sign, but I don't really think there's enough oranges, apples, bananas, peaches, and grapes to fill my body up between classes each day. I unfortunately am not all that interested in either of the boxes of Big Cheeze-Its (my former love, as some of you may know) that are at school and at home. I stocked up yesterday on some good "go-to" lunches for school, so hopefully that'll keep me from eating out every day. Did I mention that I ate an entire FOOTLONG sub from Subway on Friday?!?! I've never, ever done that, but apparently, babies DO change a woman's eating habits!

Anyway, the morning sickness is having it's good & bad days... I did have a moment IN THE CAR last week, but it's too disgusting to mention on here. Today was a pretty good day overall. I've learned to eat something (ANYTHING) as soon as I get up in the morning... only, I forgot half of my banana on the bathroom counter today. The first half was good, but I figured it needed to go in the trash after that. I stocked up on some good cereal, including Raisin Nut Bran (oddly, my favorite), Fruity Pebbles (I've been craving some lately), and Chris's choice, Strawberry Shredded Mini Wheats. Let's hope that gets me through the week...

Oh, and this whole sinus infection for 5+ weeks is really not what I had in store for my first trimester. The sneezing & runny nose have improved, however, coughing so much that my ribs have been hurting for 2+ weeks is NOT all that exciting. I did enjoy a weekend on the couch, and after coughing and relaxing the entire time, I decided that the couch must have "pulled a muscle in my ribs". Seriously, can I PLEASE stop falling apart?!?

Anyway, sorry for all the unnecessary rambling... I've decided to start putting more information regarding my pregnancy on here, just so I can keep up with things! As I cruise into the next trimester, let's all pray that life will be a little (or A LOT) more energetic & less nauseating!! :)

There's One... and ANOTHER!?!?

Soooo... it's been quite a busy couple of months, so I guess it's time to catch everyone up! As I mentioned before, Chris and I have been trying to have a baby for a little over a year now. On the first day of band camp (why does everything BIG always have to happen during BAND camp!?!?), I decided to take a test, just in case... I like the digital tests, so I don't second-guess myself on how to read the thing. As always, I expected for it to read "NOT pregnant", as it did for months & months. Well, it was quite a shock when there was a big blank where it would have normally said "NOT"! I ran (yes, I ran, even though I know I'm not really supposed to run) down the hall to tell my husband, and all I could say was, "I don't know if you can handle this right now, but HERE," and I showed him the proof. He gave me the biggest hug ever, then our life began to change.

2 weeks ago, I went for my first sonogram. Dr. McNabb (thank you, Christina, for introducing me to a great doctor!) had a peculiar look on his face, and so did the nurse. This made me VERY nervous, so I said, "What!?! Just tell me!" So, he said, "Well... there's one sack... and there's ANOTHER!" He couldn't actually see 2 babies at that point, so at the time, we just assumed it was one healthy baby, and PERHAPS a baby (or something else).

I just went back on Tuesday, and sure enough, it's TWINS!! I think Chris & I are still in shock, and honestly, I think we'll be in shock until the babies turn 21... This is such a miracle, and I just can't believe what God has in store for us! Chris is going to be a wonderful father, just as he is already a fabulous husband. I just can't wait to see what life will hand us--HOPEFULLY, it will be two healthy and happy babies.

MUCH more to come on this!! I promise to keep you posted! :)

August...No more summer :(

So, I've reached that point in the year where my summer comes to an end, and it's time to get ready for the fast-paced life & career I chose. I feel almost depressed this time around... I feel like I got a lot of things accomplished, except I DIDN'T get around to catching up with too many friends like I would've liked to have done. So, now I've just decided that I'm no longer going to use the excuses of "I'm tired" or "I've got a contest tomorrow" or anything like that when parties or events come up. I'm just going to suck it up and have FUN for once with my FRIENDS!! lol

On a more positive note, it's "State year". To you non-band nerds out there, that means that both my husband's band and my high school feeder bands have the opportunity to compete at the state level this fall (it only happens every other year in the band world). I'm quite excited for both of these bands, as they both have had promising starts to the season already.

Oh, and I forgot to blog a while back on my BEAUTIFUL new blog design!! Thanks to Leah (my college roomate and life-long friend) for making it so special! She has now decided to transition this hobby into a business, so go visit her website: http://www.cutesieblogdesigns.blogspot.com/ & check it out!

More to come on my life (hopefully SOONER than later!)