2010 - My Favorite Year!!

So in the store the other day, another pregnant lady who is about 6 weeks away, asked me if I was due in mid February too....she looked freaked out (since I was as big as her) until I told her my due date is actually early May but the boys will be here in April....she was confused... until I said the word "twins"....

Last January, after several years of trying to have a baby, my father predicted that 2010 would be my year.  Shortly after New Year's he proclaimed that because it was year 2010, it was my year...and all that I wished for would come true.  I laughed initially, but tried my best to believe.  Dad felt this way because 20 and 10 were my jersey numbers..10 on my high school soccer team and various club teams and 20 throughout college.  These numbers have always been a little lucky (at least in my head) for me so I thought I would go with my father's idea.
Well, as you know, 2010 was in fact a good year for me.  At the start of the year my incredibly handsome nephew, Declan Brady Hogan, was born. He is the happiest baby I have ever known and the pictures and videos that are sent to me keep me laughing and smiling.
In June I finished my Specialist Degree, which meant a slight pay raise.  I decided to drop the PhD program as I was trying to reduce any and all outside stress so that I could enter into the IVF procedure relatively stress free, which is supposed to help.  So, as of July 1, 2010, I have my Specialist in Educational Leadership, which means I am eligible to become an administrator....one of my career goals.
July began the craziness with the medicines and the doctor visits and with August came the actual IVF procedure.

August 28, 2010....best day ever....positive on the pregnancy test.  Since then, I have had the most amazing pregnancy.  I don't want to jinx it, but I have never felt better.  I am physically exhausted every night, but I never got sick, no real food aversions (except the thought of salad makes me gag...but I never really loved salad anyway), and no major issues.
Ever the pessimist, I prepared Scott for the worst with every doctors appointment...ex: they are going to tell me that we are at high risk for a baby with genetic disorders due to my age, my blood sugar levels will likely be elevated, etc.  Scott, like me, likes to be prepared for the absolute worst, and then be thrilled when nothing is wrong.  Up to this point, everything has been great...I cross my fingers and pray that everything stays that way, but for now I can't be happier with the way this pregnancy has gone.
The holidays were amazing, except that Paul, Alli, and Declan couldn't be here, but we're hoping that next year all of the boys can be together...Then, snow on Christmas Day....not since 1882 has there been a White Christmas in Georgia.

All in all, I am so thankful for everything that has happened this year....we are truly blessed and hope that this good fortune continues for us and our families and friends in 2011.

Does "nesting" happen this early?

So I have used my entire vacation thus far to clean the house...how dirty could it be you might ask...well, not that bad, but I have a daily "to do" list for myself that includes items such as cleaning out the pantry, purging the linen closets, packing up old clothes for Goodwill, etc.  So, there is no real "cleaning" happening here; just getting rid of crap. For example, today I am cleaning out one of the guest rooms, organizing the garage (if its not too cold) and starting our taxes.  I also have plans to tackle the master bathroom....the linen closet and cabinets have already been purged (last week's chore).  Today it is scrubbing the shower, mopping the floor, etc.  While I don't particularly enjoy this, I have a weird sense of accomplishment when I am done. Wow, that is really sad.


Last night Scott and Richard picked up the remaining furniture for the nursery so now we just have to put the cribs together.  Hopefully we'll get that done in the next week or so. Scott's going to have to do that one!   I hate putting things together....

Tomorrow I am officially at 22 weeks and time if flying by.  I looked at the list of things (per the doctor) that I have to do in the coming weeks...yikes.  I have to schedule the tour of the hospital, as well as figure out how to get there.  My plan is to do the tour by the middle of February.  It seems pretty early, but I want to be as prepared as possible in the event the these two boys get the urge to come a little early.  I pray that they don't, but I like to plan for the worst...I guess that's the pessimist in me.  I also have to sign up for a birthing class, which is pretty ridiculous since I am having a C-section....not sure that I'm going to do this. I may just attend a breastfeeding class or something.  I also want to renew my CPR and baby first aid certification...again, always the pessimist.

White Christmas in Georgia........

Sure was....When we left church on Christmas morning we walked outside to what appeared to be a "wintry mix" (Scott must have said that a dozen times before we got back to my mother's house for breakfast).
On Christmas Eve we went to Scott's grandmother's house, Memaw, to spend time with the Henson side of the family. Although we were short on time, we had a lot of good laughs.  The family traditionally does gag gifts for each other, but I simply ran out of time and energy this season so I had none to give.  We sure did get some good ones though.  Memaw, Grandma, Nana & Poppa Henson, and Richard & Jake, sure did get TJ and Matthew some awesome clothes and toys.  If we got tons of stuff this year for the boys, I am afraid of what we will see next year. YIKES!  Everyone has been so thoughtful! 
After appetizers at Memaw's, we headed to my parents for the traditional Christmas Eve dinner of shrimp cocktail, lobster tails, and filet mignon......sooooo yummy!!!  Mom did a great job again.  Dad made me my new favorite drink too...sparkling grape juice with a splash of cranberry...looks like a cocktail, tastes like one too (if you were to have a very weak bartender) but there is none of the hangover...so all around yummy.

Christmas morning we woke up to get ready for church, gave Roger his stocking with loads of canned pumpkin, cranberry, sweet potatoes, and traditional dog treats...he loved his peanut butter lollipop!  We headed to church, then to breakfast at Mom's, exchanged gifts...more great stuff for the boys...and then quickly home to get started on dinner...

With the bad weather already on its way I had to get the standing rib roast started as it was going to take about 3 1/2 hours to cook...as well as all the other things to go with it.  We planned for Tommy, Myra, and Richard to spend the night...oh, with their dogs too, in the event they were snowed in.
Mom and Dad had to get to the airport too for a flight to Denver.
Dinner was great - lobster bisque to start, prime rib, carrots and onion in a Cabernet glaze, asparagus, corn, and rolls.....dessert...a little raspberry cheesecake and cappuccino cheesecake too...although we had to rush through this so everyone could get out safely.
Good thing they left when they did (too early for my taste but had to be safe).  My parents got to the airport, and after a little trip to the ditch, Tommy, Myra, and Richard got home safe too....
All in all, one of the best Christmas weekends in a long time...snow on the ground and family that is healthy, happy, and safe...what more could you ask for...oh...I know...Paul, Alli, and Declan....maybe next year! 

Roger and his Christmas loot!

Big girl and Scotty

I swear I'm not choking Roger...he was a good boy all day!

21 Weeks

Here is Dad putting the finishing touches on the nursery that he did for the boys....he painted, installed chair rail, and will put up a cieling fan soon.  This is one of his many gifts to TJ and Matthew.



20 Weeks

This week I had my 20 week apppointment, which means I am half way there!  I took my mother-in-law in the hopes that she would be able to see the ultrasound or at least hear the heartbeats.  There was no need for an ultrasound, which is good, but Myra was at least able to hear both TJ and Matthew.  She really seemed to enjoy it.
Both boys hearts sounded strong and at this appointment TJ was pretty calm, not a lot of movement, which is opposite from every other ultrasound.  Matthew on the other hand was moving all over the place, which we had not heard/seen yet.  He is usually pretty calm. 
After my regular appointment, Scott and I went to the perinatal specialist, which is common practice with multiples.  This was our 3rd visit.  The last time we were there (16 1/2 weeks) both boys weighed about 7oz (I later read that 3-5 oz is the average for that stage..yikes).  At this visit they did an Anatomy Scan.  We were able to see all of their organs, the heart chambers, brain activity, kidneys, fingers and toes and everything else.  We were also able to confirm that they are both indeed boys! 
The appointment went well...and both boys are now about 13 oz each.  Again, everything that I have read says they should be around 10 oz. each.  So, perhaps this means they will be big...or...they are just growing fast right now.

I also found out that we will schedule the C-section for April 20th.  That means we are just 4 months away.  They will arrive during the 37th week, which is a little early, but typical for multiples.  The doctor and I agreed that a C-section was the best way to go...don't want to have to do an emergency c-section after pushing one...in the event that the other is a little stubborn.

We are so exctied....can hardly wait for the boys to get here. 

The names.....and the meaning behind it

For some people (Paul and Alli) it takes a long time to figure out what name you want to give your child...for us...about 10 seconds. Long ago we decided that if we were ever fortunate to have a son his name would be Thomas John, or TJ.  We had a girl name picked out too...but I guess that one didn't work out.  Thinking of the second name didn't take too long either.  We thought of family names immediately and found some pretty impressive people to name our son after.

The meaning and origins of:

Thomas John (TJ) Henson   and    Matthew Paul Henson

Thomas - means "twin"; named for Scott  (Thomas Scott Henson), Scott's father - Tommy Henson, my Fathers' middle name - Paul Thomas Hogan, and Scott's grandfather - Thomas Leon Henson.

John - means "God's grace"; named for my uncle; John Heckelman

Matthew - means "Gift from God"; not initially named for anyone in particular, I have always loved the name, Scott loved it and then when talking to my mother, discovered that it was her grandfather's middle name.

Paul - means "little one"; named after my father Paul Thomas Hogan, my brother Paul Philip Hogan, and my grandfather Dennis Paul Hogan

It was really important to Scott and I to name our children after the people we most love, respect, and admire.  All of these men have impacted our lives, both directly and indirectly, in countless ways.  It is our hope that our boys have the character and love of family of each of these men.

17 Weeks...wow..big news

So I went for my 16 week check up and took my mother with me. She was so excited to get to see/hear the babies.  We had NOOOO idea what was about to happen.
First, we had a little scrare....we could clearly hear one heartbeat...loud and clear.  The other heartbeat was more difficult to detect.  The doctor said something about one baby can sometimes block the sound waves of the other baby so it appears that there is no heartbeat.  So, we quickly moved down the hall to the ultrasound room. My doctor was immediately able to find both heartbeats and we could see the babies moving around.  My mother was really excited to see this for the first time.
Then the doctor said she could tell what sex one of the babies was, but not the other...did I want to know????  I initially thought "no way..not without Scott", plus, we wanted it to be a surprise and tell everyone on Thanksgiving if we found something out. But, I couldn't stand it and told her to tell me....a BOY!!!  It was such an emotional moment. I was really excited to be able to share it with my mother, especially since she has been there every step of the way.  After we left, we drove straight to Scott's office and he was a little surprised to see me...but was on Cloud 9 when I told him we had a little TJ on the way!!  Couldn't believe it!
A few days later we headed to the perinatal specialist for our regular appointment.  TJ, the lower sitting baby, was moving quite a bit but they were able to get a ton of pictures of him and his organs, etc.  It was pretty cool to see the chambers of the heart and his kidneys and everything else.  They too confirmed that he was in fact all boy.  The technician then moved on to the baby that sits higher in my belly.  Every time we have been for an ultrasound this one has not been cooperative...won't uncross the legs, blurry pictures..you name it.  Well, after a few minutes, the technician determined that this baby was also a BOY....so, now we know we have 2 little boys coming our way.  It sure will be a house full of testosterone!  Things will certainly get interesting...probably smelly and dirty too!