Becoming pregnant took some hard work again (both physically and emotionally) but our diligence paid off. We worked with Dr. Gratkins and Deb Gromley here in town and then Dr. Jarrett in Indianapolis, IN. We officially found out I was pregnant on NYE, December 31st. :-) Such wonderful news that absolutely made our day (and week and month and year)! We shared the news with family on Wednesday, January 14th and had a Big Brother Big Sister celebration for Cameron and Lucy. They each received a book about the special role they will play when the baby arrives and got a few extra presents as well.
March 25th was my 16 week checkup at Dr. Gratkins office. Jeremy and I were hoping we could find out the sex of the baby on this day and we were not disappointed. While the sonogram tech was checking the baby over Jeremy declared, "It's a boy!" the tech eventually agreed. There was no doubt about it, we were having another boy! I was in shock and over the moon excited. The combination of 2 boys and a girl seems perfect for our family. Cameron will have a little buddy to wrestle and tackle with (2 of his favorite things) and Lucy will do a great job bossing them both around and relishing all her girliness (2 of her favorite things)! The staff at Dr. Gratkins' office was very excited for us and as the news spread throughout the office several made a point to share their excitement with us. We had family over for dinner that evening and did a gender reveal. I purchased blue balloons and stuffed them in a giant gift bag. Cameron and Lucy opened up the balloons and found out they were having a brother! They were really excited as was the rest of the family!
On March 31st, I felt our baby boy kick and move for the first time. I had felt light flutters before but this was definitely baby movement! As I laid in bed for the night he seemed to be having a mini dance party in my tummy. Such an amazing and wondrous feeling that of course had this mommy in tears!
April 22nd was my 20 week checkup. The sonogram tech was not able to get all the measurements she wanted including lower legs and the cord insertion point. So we'll try again next week at the 24 week appointment. What she was able to measure looked great though and baby boy is measuring right on schedule. He was sitting breach so I think that aided to the measurement difficulty. Of course I'm in a slight state of worry that will not go away until they can complete their measurements but as a mom I've learned that there's always something to worry about! In the mean time though we've been busy creating the nursery. Jeremy and Uncle Ben got the room all painted and did a great job! Jeremy put the crib together and painted a whicker dresser navy blue. I found a gray and white shelf at Ikea and have been busy ordering accessories for the room. We love love love the way the nursery is turning out! I think getting the nursery going has gotten Cameron and Lucy even more excited about their baby brother. They love to play in there or sit in the rocker with me and read. They like to play baby brother with Lucy's baby dolls which is super cute. One night at bedtime as I was tucking Cameron in he said, "I want to kiss the baby" and then leaned over and kissed my tummy. Too sweet! They frequently ask about baby brother being in my tummy. Cameron has asked on several occasions if baby brother is stuck in my tummy or if he's crying. I know adjusting to a baby being around may be difficult for them at first but at the same time, I know they are going to be such a good big brother and big sister.
On May 4th the twins turned 3! We celebrated that weekend by heading to the Peoria Zoo on Saturday with Uncle Ben and Auntie Annie. It was a fun morning seeing the animals and then eating lunch at the zoo. The monkey and reptile room was not a hit this year. Lucy particularly wanted no part of it. I can't say I blame her due to the awful smell! Aside from that though they had fun seeing the wallabies, giraffes, rhinos, tigers, etc. Sunday evening we had dinner at Grammy and Papa's and opened presents. Then Monday I stayed home with the twins so we could spend their birthday together. We opened their presents first thing that morning with Daddy. Cameron got a large firehouse play set, a personalized Thomas the Train engine and book and Lucy got a large dollhouse, personalized book "Lucy's Tea Party" and a personalized purse. We ate breakfast (completed by both smashing blackberries on their foreheads), played with their new scooters (from Grammy and Papa), and then headed to Mayol Plumbing and Heating to visit Papa, Grammy, and Auntie Annie at the office. They had great fun pretending to answer the phone and write out invoices! We left there and headed to Sweet Temptations to pick out yummy cupcakes. We spend the evening playing as a family once Daddy got home. On Saturday, May 9th we had a big birthday celebration that included family and friends. There was about 50 people here including 18 kids I think. The theme was picked by the twins and it was a Super Frozen party! I decorated the house and themed the food with all things super heroes or the characters from the Disney movie Frozen. We played 2 games at the party called Hulk Smash (consisted of smashing ice cream cones with a blow up hammer) and the Eternal Winter Snowball Toss (consisted of tossing cotton snowballs into a bucket). Cameron really enjoyed the Hulk Smash game as did the other kids! After the big party activities were over including opening presents and singing Happy Birthday, the twins had tons of fun running around the house with their little friends. It really made my heart happy to watch them take friends upstairs to show off their bedrooms and have fun interacting with their little buddies. It was truly a great day! They ended the evening by dancing with Uncle Benny and tackling Uncle James.
Cameron: Cameron is such a sweetheart with a kind and sensitive soul. He frequently tells us he loves us and always wants one more "hug and a kiss". Any time one of us leaves he asks for several hugs and kisses then runs to the window to wave until he can't see us any more. He's quite attached to his pacifier (okay 4 pacifiers) and his dog stuffed animals. He named 2 of them Brownie and Charlie (our boxer Charlie passed away a few months back and Cameron is helping to cope with this by having his stuffed animal Charlie). He has an ornery streak, is very silly, and absolutely loves to laugh. He loves to be tickled and to make anything a game. Some of his favorite things to do include play chase (this includes wanting chased when it's bath time, bed time, potty time, dinner time, you name it), tackle, run around, visit the park, and anything having to do with super heroes, Ninja Turtles, and Thomas the Train. He is a big fan of the Avengers, Batman, Super Man, and Spiderman. He has many Super Hero toys, books, and clothes. Sometimes at meals he will not eat unless his super heroes are lined up across the table by him! He's really getting into sports as well including watching them on TV with Daddy, pretending he's a Chicago Bear playing football, playing golf with his plastic golf clubs, or hitting the baseball in the backyard. He is a big fan of his Daddy and says Daddy is his buddy. He likes to ride around on his tricycle but usually uses the Fred Flintstone method instead of pedaling. Sometimes we can get him to pedal but it takes some coaxing. He has a strong vocabulary and frequently surprises us with the things he says or thinks to ask. He is shy at times when he first gets around people but little by little this seems to be going away. Personally I still enjoy the moments when he looks to me for guidance or wants to latch on to my leg. He will also turn to Lucy if he feels unsure about something and waits for her to take the lead. He loves his sister very much and makes sure she's looked after if she gets upset or cries. He is doing a good job with potty training and is currently wearing pull-ups. He uses the potty several times each day but it usually takes some convincing by one of us to get him to go. He's a slightly picky eater but not too bad, and his favorite color is blue. He still loves books including his new interest in the Paw Patrol books. He knows the alphabet song and can identify numerous letters and words that start with a particular letter. He can recognize his name if written down. He is good at counting (to 10 or 20) and enjoys being sung to or singing. He loves having You are My Sunshine sung to him and often requests this.
Lucy: Lucy is very loving and is quick to give us hugs or kisses or a pat on the back. She is a great helper and loves to help clean or water flowers. She also has an ornery streak as well as a stubborn streak that her Daddy swears came from me. I have no idea what he's talking about ;-) She gets her mind set on something and persuading her otherwise is no small feat. Her favorite things are anything having to do with the movie Frozen, her baby dolls, washing dishes/playing in the sink, visiting the park, and being outside. She loves to snuggle with her blankie and her pacifier and frequently requests an extra snuggle. She really enjoys riding her tricycle (although usually takes Cameron's instead of her own) and swinging out back. I think she could swing for hours at a time. She is great at climbing and basic sports activities. Lucy is shy particularly around grownup guys still but she seems to have outgrown crying from this fear. Lucy loves to pretend play with her baby dolls or grabs a purse and tells us she is doing things with her girlfriends or taking someone to the hospital or doctor. I think this stems from hearing that their Papa was in the hospital (blood clots) and Auntie Annie was in the hospital (surgery for an ovarian neoplasm). We did not have the twins visit them in the hospital but they heard the term enough that it's become a frequent topic in their pretend play. Fortunately both Papa and Annie are doing very well and hopefully all will be avoiding the hospital again any time soon. She has really gotten into my jewelry and even convinced me to paint her nails. She is a big fan of her Mommy and Grammy as well. She is doing good with potty training and currently wearing Pull-Ups. Sometimes she refuses to use the potty or take a bath but usually we can convince her to do both. She is a very picky eater and her favorite color is purple. She loves books including her Sesame Street story book and Madeline. She knows the alphabet song, can count to 10 or 20 usually, and loves to sing. She likes You are My Sunshine and Skip to My Lou along with any nursery rhyme song.
I am going to do my best to make more blog posts soon. For now though all I can say is that we are extremely blessed to have Cameron and Lucy and another sweet bundle of joy on the way. Each day with these love bugs is a great day and watching them grow and enjoy life is an experience like no other. I am so proud of them and love each and every thing that makes them who they are. Often times at night, after they go to sleep, their Daddy and I spend some time laughing over the silly things Cameron or Lucy did that day or going over the little moments that made us smile. What amazing blessings they are to us!
Super Frozen party pictures! About 50 friends and family members came over to help Cameron and Lucy celebrate! Such fun! They had a blast playing with friends!
Birthday morning! Getting ready to open presents from Mommy and Daddy!
Watching the fish at the Peoria Zoo
Sweet boy with 2 of his favorite stuffed animals, Charlie dog and Brownie dog.
It's a boy! Baby Boy Bradley #3 due Sept. 6th 2015!
