I did it....

Well...I got the cribs and bedding done! There is still SO much to do! I don't know where Thomas and Madelynn are going to sleep as I have both cribs filled with things right now. The sad thing is there is STILL SO MUCH to get! I am enjoying this time...and love the peaceful feeling it gives to know that is THEIR room! Blessings!

This is not easy.....

I got one bed done today....boy it was not easy. First of all...my belly gets in the way when trying to lean over the crib and so that makes for interesting maneuvers. I pray that when the crib sheet has to be changed the whole thing doesn't have to come apart. The bumper really takes a long time to get settled. I even did my mama proud and ironed the bed skirt. Oh well...one down and one to go. The second one may be a project for tomorrow...we'll see!

Doctor's Appointment Update

Yesterday I had my first appointment with my new Rheumatologist. It went really well. We reviewed my past medical history and treatment for Lupus. I left there and went to run a few errands before picking Shannon up for our 1:30 appointment. I was running late, as Honda took more than the estimated 30-45 minutes to change my oil (more like 1 hour and a half), so Shannon and I had to woof down Chickfila on the way to the hospital. We had a fetal echo done on the babies hearts. There is a risk of heart problems when a mother has Lupus, but according to the sonographer....everything looked great. We saw lots of views of the babies hearts. Thomas and Madelynn were not cooperating very well. It seemed just as Ms. Dotty would get the perfect picture they would roll or jump or kick. Thomas did a complete flip-flop and then developed hick-ups. All in all, Ms. Dotty got what she needed for the doctor and it was a neat experience seeing all the different aspects of the heart and hearing their heartbeats.
Today we saw our newest OB, Dr. Holsten. She was really nice and close to our ages. It is such as a small world as she graduated from Springwood in Valley....she even knew several of our friends and family. We reviewed history and what to expect in the next month or so. We have another ultrasound on the 23rd along with my glucose test. Today my blood pressure was back down to its normal range 98/60 and my weight is doing fairly good...so they say. Yesterday my bp had gotten up to 115/68 but they said the fluctuation is normal and that overall it is still in good range. (normal is 120/80)
Hope this finds you all well! Luckily we are done with doctor visits for at least a couple of weeks.
Blessings!

Pleasant Surprise!

Wow...what a sweet surprise. I was just about to start on the babies room (trying to set up the beds) when the doorbell rang. I went to the door to find a sweet florist with a beautiful bouquet. I couldn't imagine who it would be from.....I opened the card and it read:

"Kelli- Welcome to Augusta! From, The Knology Call Center Family"! I called Shannon and he had no idea. This was such a sweet surprise! Thank you KNOLOGY!!!

Fourth Of July

I just wanted to share a few pics from the Fourth! We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends to come home to. Shannon and I drove into town on Friday in order to do a few things at the house and then to celebrate the holiday with friends. We stayed with Stephen and Trina Green. They are SOOO good to us. The kids had a blast playing and we even got a cool shot of the dog dressed in his red, white, and blue!

Well, here are a few of the pics from the cookout!

Shannon

Okay.....I talked him into it. Here he is working in our new yard.

Belly Pic

I promised mama I would take a picture of Thomas and Madelynn....along with myself. As you can see....my belly is getting bigger and bigger. I tried to get a picture of Shannon trimming the yard but he told me I couldn't put it on the blog. Sorry....I'll keep working on him. As for me...forgive the look, it is hot and I am not much for dressing up these days just to be around the house. Besides....I want to show these Georgia Bulldog fans around here my Auburn roots.

Our Augusta Home

Our New Home

Our Front Door

Neighborhood Shot

Well...after lots of requests I finally got pictures of the house to share. We are actually in a suburb of Augusta called, Grovetown. It is near Fort Gordon...a military base. We have a lovely neighborhood as you can see from one of the pictures. I took a picture to show the neighborhood. It is much bigger than what I could capture in the picture. Shannon, Tucker and I went for a great walk through the neighborhood last night. The homes and people look really nice and friendly. Our home is up on a hill so it doesn't offer the best in terms of driveway...but we are adjusting. I am learning how to park my car so that Shannon can get his in the drive as well. We had our first garbage pick-up this morning also. Everything is starting to come together. I need to put my focus on the nursery now! The garage is still a storage room at this point but hopefully we can make more and more room in there. I will continue to post pics so check back!

Blessings!

Tucker

I just had to share this shot with you. Granted....it was taken on my cell phone through the kitchen window, but I think you can see it clear enough. I arrived home (Augusta home) to find Tucker eager to go out back. We have a wonderfully fenced in backyard that he has claimed as his own. I let him out thinking he wanted to potty...only to find him walking over to the edge of the patio and collapsing. It seems he only wanted to sun himself. In Valley it was hard to let him just go out due to the yard being so big and him wondering. He isn't one to really go out of sight from us but I still worried. Here, he can go out and I can peak out the window and see him. He has the whole yard as his playground. I hope you got a kick out of this just as I did.

We Are Home

We have finally moved in to our new home in Augusta. We spent the weekend packing and moving. It actually all started on Wednesday with my mom's help. She and I did a lot of the babies things and kitchen. On Thursday, Jackie (Shannon's mom) came over and we continued the packing. Shannon arrived that afternoon and got the rental Uhaul. Stephen (GREAT friend) and Cindy (Shannon's aunt) came over and we loaded. Friday morning we got up and got on the road with our first load. It was a caravan of 3 vehicles. We arrived around 2pm or so and began the process. I had turned on all utilities...however disaster struck with the water. One of the pipes in a guest room was busted and water was everywhere. We were without water for about 2 hours until help arrived. The pipe was repaired and the water removed as best as could be but we were delayed by the process and could not use the room. The room is still drying at this time. We decided to just unload and stack as much as we could in the other guest room (which we do plan to use as storage anyway). We slept on mattresses in Augusta and started all over on Saturday morning. Shannon and Stephen loaded the truck and headed back to Valley for another load. Jackie, Cindy, and I stayed to unpack and set up the kitchen. We got a lot done! Shannon and Stephen encountered an awful wreck on the way back which delayed Shannon an hour and Stephen almost 3 hours. Finally Shannon, Tucker, and Stephen arrived....but it was too late to really do too much. They unloaded the freezer and then called it a night. Sunday morning we awoke early to finish the unloading and to get Stephen on the road.
Every one's help has been wonderful! I don't know what we would have done without each of them. It was a long and hard process.....but we are so happy to be here. The house is really nice and we are making due with the room. It is amazing when you assess your possessions and determine what is actually needed or used. So much is just dragged around and never needed. I feel so blessed to have so much and to have so many people that love us.....what more can you ask for?
My feet swelled quite a bit over the weekend but seem to be going down some. I know I pushed it but not too much.....it is just hard to take a break and rest when you see so much needing to be done! Everyone was really good to me and encouraged me to slow down. I just can't thank them enough!
I will try to get a picture of our new home soon! I hope this finds you all well!
Blessings!
P.S. Our home in Valley is still on the market so please share the blog if you think of someone that might be interested!
http://smithhomeforsale.blogspot.com/

Today's Appointment

Shannon and I had a doctors appointment today. Two weeks ago we saw our new OB at The Medical College (Dr. Jacobs). We were referred to a high risk doctor for an ultrasound to review the babies as well as my medical records due to the lupus and the fact that we are having twins. We saw Dr. Healthcott. We could immediately tell that he knew what he was doing. As it turns out, he advised us to see a high risk OB as well. We will no longer see Dr. Jacobs but will now see Dr. Holsten. What is really funny is that Dr. Holsten is from the Valley area. She even attended Smallwood. I really think we will like her and I feel 100% better knowing such informed doctors will be overseeing our pregnancy. I loved Dr. Jacobs personality but she was an intern and I feared that she had not dealt with too many high risk pregnancies....the Lord took care of all my worries and changed our path to other sets of hands and eyes. We are now scheduled for Dr. Holsten in 2 weeks, a fetal echo cardiogram on July 8th, and another ultrasound on the 23rd of July. We will also be getting weekly bio-physicals weekly that are similar to stress tests. It was a whirlwind but overall I feel secure knowing they are watching after our Thomas and Madelynn. I feel bad for Shannon as he already has so much on him with work and with us getting a home but he shows complete determination to attend all appointments. He is my strength!

I did get a few pictures so enjoy the profiles of Thomas (first two) and then Madelynn.

Our Travel System

Wow....do Thomas and Madelynn have a sweet ride or what! When we arrived home on Friday there were 5 boxes on the back step. Shannon got busy on Saturday and put together our Travel System. If you remember or read from a previous post, we were so blessed by the Knology Shower, that our friends at Knology gave, that we were able to purchase the entire Travel System! We got the double stroller, two car seats, and two extra bases. We chose the greatest pattern I think....it is Rittenhouse by Graco (black and white). Shannon and I played with it and strolled around the house picturing ourselves with the twins going for a ride. I have to say....I can't imagine myself at this point venturing out on my own with this. It is a lot for one person to manage. We'll definitely have to get in some practice. I picked up both car seats as carriers without babies inside and had trouble walking...we'll see! Maybe I'll develop some muscle when the babies arrive. It has lots of great compartments though...cup holders, storage basket, etc. It does fold down easily but lifting it into the car may be challenging. I didn't try to lift it at this point....but it looks heavy! Tucker just watched in amazement....he really doesn't understand all of the new items we are bringing into our home! Hope you like the set!









Oh- Notice Shannon's t-shirt...that was one of his Father's Day presents. I am so proud he likes it and he wears it often!

The Party and Game

Last night we got to attend a great party.....Avery Whorton turned 3 years old! She had a Hawaiian Luau themed party. There were lots of kids enjoying the new water slide Avery got for her big day. I also got a great picture of Shannon and his sister Stacey!

After the party, we headed to the ballpark to watch one of our favorite players, Maegan Green. Maegan made All-Stars! It was an exciting game...it amazes me the spunk those little girls have! Perhaps Thomas and Madelynn will be little athletes one day and we can pay our dues at the park. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Beach Trip

We were so fortunate to go to the beach the last weekend in May. I had just finished up school and we decided to head for the sun and seafood. We rented chairs for one day and got all the sun we needed. We dined on wonderful seafood at Captain Anderson's, The Boatyard, Angelo's Steakhouse, and also got to visit the new Pier Park Shopping District. We were amazed at how Panama City has changed and continues to grow. Mama and daddy joined us as well and it all made for a great weekend away. Back to reality......

Here is a picture of me in my preggy bathing suit. I am so proud of my belly bump. Shannon took good care of me and babies....making sure we didn't get too much sun or get too hot.

Hope you enjoy the pics!

Knology Shower

What a wonderful day! We had a shower at the home of Tanya Belk. She is a colleague of Shannon's but more importantly she is like family. She opened her home to us and the majority of Knology for a lunch baby shower in honor of Thomas and Madelynn. We enjoyed chicken tenders, chicken salad sandwiches, dips, chips, fruit and more. We also enjoyed the most wonderful petit fors from a place near Atlanta called Baby Cakes. They were DELICIOUS! I wish I had one right now!

It was a fun time visiting and eating. There was a lot of laughing, hugs, handshakes, and a few goodbyes as we prepare to move. We received precious outfits for Thomas and Madelynn as well as blankets, and the most adorable bag. The bag has blue and brown on one side with Thomas' name and pink and brown on the other with Madelynn's name. Natalie, the creator, revealed her creative and crafty side to us all.

We also received a most generous monetary gift collected from many in the Knology family. It was the perfect amount to purchase our double stroller, 2 car seats, and 2 extra bases (in picture below). I love our Rittenhouse selection by Graco and am thrilled to have these pieces now.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!!! I guess our picture takers were laughing too much.....so many are really blurry. Sorry!

Columbus Baby Shower

I had a wonderful lunch today at Mellow Mushroom in Columbus. My friend, Rachel Wright, organized a lunch with several of my friends and fellow teachers from Downtown Elementary. We met, ate pizza, talked baby, laughed, and hugged. It was a great time. What made it even more special was that a fellow friend and teacher at Downtown, Jenna Martin, attended. She is also pregnant with a set of twins (boy and girl). Jenna is due in July...though you wouldn't know it looking at her. We rubbed bellies and bonded over pregnancy talk......much of which I probably shouldn't post! :-) All in all it was a great day. We got a pink and blue piggy bank for Thomas and Madelynn as well as gift cards to work on our registry items. We got 1 gift card to Target and 3 to Babies R Us. I am thrilled as there is still SO much to get!

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Registry

I wanted to share pictures of the bedding sets I ordered today as well as our travel system. The bedding set is by Kidsline, My First ABC and the travel system is by Graco, The Rittenhouse Quattro Duo Stroller and SafeSeat. We have been so fortunate. My mamaw bought us the large Pack n Play that you see in the photo. It is the one with the storage underneath. It is HUGE! It will be perfect for the twins, especially while they are so young and we are traveling. The bedding set will hopefully (fingers crossed) be here in 3 weeks. We already have family wanting to buy one of the bedding sets. The Rittenhouse travel system will be purchased in a week thanks to a shower Shannon's work is giving us. The travel system consists of the stroller (Quattro Duo), 2 infant SafeSeats, and 2 extra bases for easy transport. You can see them all in the pictures. We still have to get mattresses, changing pad, etc. There is so much to do but it is hard not knowing where the actual nursery will be.

Please say extra prayers on the house! We are hopeful that God will lead just the right person along and it will sell shortly so we can find us a home for these babies. Whatever comes though...we know God is in control and He has a plan that is best for us all.

My cousin sent me a great phrase that I have heard many times....but am lately finding more and more true. "The WILL of God will never lead us where the GRACE of God can't keep us"! He is in control....we must let go and let God!

Hugs and love everyone!

More Pictures

Here are more pictures from Baby Waves. I just can't get over seeing them so close!

Baby Waves

Today we went to Baby Waves in Columbus. We are officially 21 weeks so we thought it was time to get our first 4D Ultrasound done of Thomas and Madelynn. We also wanted to confirm what we had been told in Atlanta...that we have a boy and a girl. We felt sure, but when it came time for ultrasounds at our OB we could only find Thomas' little boy parts and Madelynn just would not cooperate. So....I needed confirmation! Off to Baby Waves we went! It was a GREAT experience! They really know what they are doing and left no doubt in our minds about the genders! It was a great time. We had a difficult time seeing Madelynn as Thomas' rear is right in her face and gave the technician fits when it came to getting her pictures. She had me turning and moving around to try and get them to move. She even pushed on my belly trying to turn Madelynn...that was not a comfortable experience.....but did the trick. Thomas is just slightly bigger weighing in at 15 oz and Madelynn is 14 oz. The technician let us know that in her history of doing this...the girl always is slightly smaller. They both have their own placenta as well. All in all...it was a great experience...hope you enjoy the pictures!

Baby Bedding

I think I have narrowed down my baby bedding choice to "My First ABC" by Kidsline. I ordered the pillow and hamper to be sure I am happy with the colors. Here is a sample picture....I hope you like it...Shannon and I do. I guess next is ordering the sets!