Foreshadowing?

Last night, we got to take a trip down to IKEA, because the bed some friends gave us didn't come with a fitted sheet. No big deal, so why the trip down to 17th St., right? Well, IKEA is a Swedish company and all of their baby bed stuff is European sized. What's more, the linens aren't available online or over the phone - in store only...

So, we made the trip, got the sheets, and on the way back got to stop at Northside to visit our best friends, Sarah and Jason with their 3 hour old baby, Samuel Jayden Allen!!! Woo-hoo! As I looked at their sleeping newborn, the coming of the twins hit me even more clearly - we've got two babies on the way, and SOON!

Samuel was a whopping 9 lbs at birth, 21 inches long (go, Sarah!!!) and slept the whole time we were there - nice break for mommy & daddy, since they'll be in for some sleepless nights once they're released from the hospital. Shae is now officially a big sister and loved the opportunity to hold her little brother while he's still "holdable". Knowing Samuel's mommy and daddy's work ethic, this little boy is going to be hard to hold on to once he's up and mobile.

It was great to see him and we're excited for Sarah to finally be "empty" and equally stoked for Jason, a step-dad of one and now first time dad.

We got to hold Samuel for a while, in fact, long enough for Cristine to ask - "so, how's that going to go when you have to carry two babies?" Being that the most baby sized and baby weighted thing in the room was a Diet Coke bottle, I put a 2 liter in one arm and Samuel in the other.

WOW, carrying twins around is going to be an experience! I started doing the math and if Samuel weighed only 9 lbs and the Diet Coke bottle only weighed 3 lbs (it wasn't a full bottle), that's 12 lbs. and if I've got any hope of holding Jovi and Jezreel together when they arrive, Papa's got to start lifting weights!

After the trip, I've decided to add our baby registry to the left hand column of the page as well as give a shoutout for IKEA - with all the organizing we've got to do in the future, I think it'd be super smart for us to ask for IKEA gift cards for Cristine's shower next weekend. So, if you're thinking of the twins and Mommy & Papa's sanity, visit our registry or pick up an IKEA gift card!

In the meantime, keep Sarah & Jason, Shae and Samuel in your prayers for a smooth transition home, a full night's sleep as soon as possible, and (shammmmmeless plug) plenty of new work for Mr. Jason's business "Fresh Start Remodeling".

It's a Date!!!

For all the guys out there, I'm about to let you in on a really cool secret guaranteed to heat up your marriage. If you're looking for a great place to take your wife for a weekend (or just overnight) getaway, you've got to try the place that's becoming a bit of a tradition for us. Two years ago, Cristine was pregnant with Presleigh - terribly hyperemetic (a fancy word for "full time nausea"), and wound up dehydrated. So I, being the high priest of romance in our marriage, did what any sensible guy would do - I booked us a room... at Northside Hospital. Valentine's weekend, of all times, right?

Yeah, I know what you're thinking "Dang, Cassanova, you spared no expense!" Well, if you're over your medical deductible for the year or you're on Medicaid, it could turn out to be a whole lot cheaper than tickets to Whistler for the Olympics and they'll wait on your wife hand and foot... and heart... and I.V. FYI, free parking at the Emergency Room helps make it a cheaper date.

Alright, so it's not all that romantic, but late last night, Cristine was complaining of a severe burning pain in her upper abdomen and we weren't getting a whole lot of action in her belly from the twins. Knowing the drill, I was able to get a bag packed and get us out the door pretty quickly. Within about 10 minutes, Brianna had been re-stationed on the living room couch and assigned to Presleigh-sitting duty and we were headed for the highway.

A few minutes into our check-in, we had a nice room and some snacks (graham crackers, saltines, and juice - we're talking serious romance here...) to whet the appetite. Our personal butler... uh, nurse, got to work popping in an IV and checking the fetal heartbeats. Good news on both accounts - the IV went in smoothly, I selected a fine bag of 2009 Lactated Ringer's for the lady, and the twins registered healthy, vibrant heartbeats of 140 and 132 beats per minute. I could tell Cristine was in the mood for love... or sleep... I'm not sure which it was, because it was 3AM and I already had my feet kicked up on the recliner - zzzzz. ZZZ...

The abbreviated version is, after ultrasounds and observation, it turns out Cristine had severely strained an abdominal muscle. By the time check-out time arrived we'd spent 12 hours in the hospital, confirmed the fine health of our babies in waiting, enjoyed the fine cafeteria cuisine we've not sampled in over a year, and reaffirmed my conviction that Mommy needs to be either in bed or on the couch and nothing more for the next two months. Here we are, enjoying our Valentine's Day toast, courtesy of Chez Ronald and Le Vending Machine.

It was good news all around and we got some more photos of Jovi and Jez. But, the star of the day had to be our oldest, Brianna, who babysat Presleigh through 2 late night wake ups, 3 poopie diapers, an afternoon nap, and 12 long, unexpected hours on the job. She really rose to the occasion and deserved every bite of that pizza we brought her back... that is, what Presleigh didn't devour!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Is No News Good News?

We hope so.

Today, we got another good look at Jovi and Jezreel (though we couldn't get any really high quality new glamor shots). Everything looks normal in terms of height and growth (both measuring in the 2 to 3 lb range for now... Mercy!!!) As for the aqueduct in Jezreel's brain, we've got roughly the same measurement we had four weeks ago - between 1.06 and 1.14 cm. This means there's still some swelling there, but it hasn't gotten any worse.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but if he's grown an inch or two in size and the measurement stayed the same, doesn't that paint a picture of the body's overall growth outpacing the swollen part? Perhaps. I'm comforted by the "no worse" prognosis. My prayer is that Cristine is comforted equally.

Of course, this begs the question: will I find my comfort in statistics and measurements or the Lord, who cannot be measured? Fair question. I'd prefer to lean on Him than on the wisdom of men any day. And so, I will.

Thank you, for the many who have kept us and the twins in your prayers and thank God, who is perfect and yet condescends to listen to the desires of our hearts.

in Christ,

AP

News on the Way

Today, we're heading to our regularly scheduled ultrasound for another look at Jovi and Jezreel. The Dr. from our last visit explained that we're still in a holding pattern regarding the aqueduct in Jezreel's brain. Today, our prayer is that his body's growth has outpaced the swollen spots and that we're back in the clear with no other issues.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, check the previous post. If you'd care to take a knee on our (his) behalf - please direct all prayers to Yahweh, the Lord and Maker of all, Father of Jesus, who is the Christ. Or, simply preface them with the word "Lord..." He gets that mail pretty regularly.

in it with you,

Papa Pina

You Need an Update!

Today we've had a lot of blog traffic, which is cool. But, we haven't posted since way back in December - which is not cool!


To that end, here's the promised scan of Jovi and Jezreel. As you can see, we've caught her lounging around in her womb, minding her own business. With all the kicking she's been doing, that's certainly a rare moment.

Jezreel is seriously chillaxin, too - check out the thumb in the mouth action already! Don't let him fool you, though - he's quite a kicker, too. Could we have early walkers in their sister, Presleigh's footsteps?

Ugh! Take your time and crawl, kiddos!

These scans, from January look mostly normal. Mostly... The doctor was very frank with us about Jezreel, though. Within his head is a place where the CSF (cerebro-spinal fluid) typically enters the brain cavity to bath and protect the brain. In Jez's case, this aqueduct is inflamed. Typically at this stage of growth, we expect to see the measurement of this part of the brain at about 1cm or less. Jezreel's measures 1.17 cm.

This is not a huge discrepancy, but it is something to watch. Next week, we return for another regularly scheduled ultrasound where we'll get an update. The tough news is, regardless of whether he outgrows this anomaly or not, we can only wait. There is no in-utero solution for this. Once he's born, if it's still an issue, it will have to be monitored and can be shunted, but little more.

Are we concerned? Yes. Are we freaked out? No. It's purely a trusting game in which we wait on the Lord and see what His ultimate plans are. We are encouraged and hopeful. Your prayers are certainly welcomed for Jezreel's brain and for Mommy's back.

Did I mention Mommy is whooped?

So, keep us all in your prayers that we will trust in God so ruthlessly that we'll stay focused yet peaceful with all He is up to. Ultimately, we have no control over much more than our attitudes and that's right where God wants us anyway, right?

More news next week!

in Christ,

AP