Tiny Miracles

Isaac & Adrian on April 4, 2009

Isaac Adrian on December 1, 2009

Isaac & Adrian on December 12, 2009

I meant to post a blog on Saturday, December 12, Adrian and Isaac's one month birthday, but, as you can imagine, it has been hard to find the time to blog. Even though our boys have been with us for a month, it still seems like a dream at times. They are such miracles. I found myself thinking about the little embryos that we met on April 4. When I remember back to that day, the feelings of excitement, anticipation and fear come rushing back. I wondered if those little embryos would one day be our child/children. I wondered if they would be healthy. I wondered what they would look like. I wondered what it would feel like to finally be a mom. The dream came true.

They have changed so much during their first month of life. Isaac started out weighing 5 lbs. 12 oz. and now weighs 7 lbs. 7 oz. Adrian began at 4 lbs. 2 oz and now weighs 5 lbs. 9 oz. They are getting so big. Adrian's hair on the top of his head is thinning out and getting lighter. Isaac's hair is just as thick and long as ever. Although it is blond, it is starting to get a reddish tint. Isaac is lifting his head frequently and turning it from side to side. He makes little smirks from time to time. He will look directly into our eyes when we talk to him. Adrian just started lifting his head last week. He still has the most beautiful big, dark eyes. For the past week, they have only been waking us once in the night to eat. They are such great babies. We are so, so blessed.

Keeping Our Heads Above Water

I can't believe it has been so long since I have posted anything on the blog. I just wanted to quickly jump on here (in between feedings) to say that the boys are doing great. Dave went back to work on Monday and his mom, Adrianna, helped me with the boys Monday, Tuesday, and yesterday. But I decided to try to get through today all by myself. It is 11:25 and I haven't brushed my teeth, showered, or changed out of my pajamas, but Isaac and Adrian have been fed twice, changed into new outfits, and I even lotioned them up. So, I am okay with my hygiene taking a back seat to theirs.

I thought I would write a few tidbits about each of my beautiful boys. I am doing this more for myself - so I don't forget. Isaac is gaining weight rapidly. He eats well. He tends to be a little bit of a drama queen. If he is hungry or has a dirty diaper, we find out about it quickly. He even started screaming a little bit. I think it is cute. He has so much beautiful blond hair. It is already longer than his ears. I am wondering how soon he will need a haircut. His complexion is perfect, too. Isaac's eyes are a beautiful dark blue. He has already acquired three nicknames: Mr. Sunshine, Ike, Snoozie Bear.

Adrian is our little comedian. It isn't intentional, though. He makes the most hilarious facial expressions all day long. He tends to furrow his brow often, pucker up his lips and his skin gets so red when he gets angry. He is such a sweetie. He doesn't cry much at all, except during diaper changes and at 1:30 in the morning - of course. He really loves to have his hair washed during his baths, but hates to have anything else washed. He also has the biggest beautiful eyes. We still can't tell what color they are. They look like a dark hazel/grey. Adrian's hair is starting to thin a little and it was very dark at birth, but also appears to be lightening up. His nicknames are: Moon Beam, Ace, Snuggly Bear.

We took the boys to the pediatrician Monday, Nov. 30 and they both gained 4 ounces in one week. Adrian weighed 4 lbs. 9 oz. and Isaac weighed 6 lbs. 3 oz. They are doing great with the nursing and we are supplementing their feedings with special formula made for preemies.

I still feel so blessed (even with so little sleep) to have been given this gift. Sometimes I just look at them and I fill up with tears, because I am so happy. The only sad thing about being a parent is that I can tell that they are already changing and I don't want that to happen so quickly. I know I should prepare myself for rapid changes in the future.

Home! Home! Home!

We made it home today!!! We left Columbia at about 12:45 and ended up spending 57 minutes in the Burger King parking lot in Moberly feeding two hungry babies and changing two very poopy diapers. But, we did make it home and both boys have had a bath. Gary & Adrianna were waiting at the house for us with a wonderful homemade meal. All is well.

We Are Going Home Tomorrow

HALLELUJAH!!! We just found out this morning that we will most likely go home tomorrow morning. We have to complete hearing screenings, circumcisions, Hep B vaccines, shots to prevent RSV, parent education and then we room-in at the hospital with the boys tonight.

We are so excited to finally go home. It has felt for the last few days like we have been held hostage in this place - mainly because Adrian & Isaac have been doing so well. It just got to the point that it seemed unnecessary for them to be here. I feel like Dave and I can do a better job taking care of them at home.

Both boys were moved to open cribs yesterday and they both did a fantastic job maintaining their temperatures. They have been eating like little champs. Adrian is Dr. Sherman's little superstar. I think Dr. Sherman likes to cheer for the underdog.

By the way, I was reminded of some details that we have left out. We have been staying at the Ronald McDonald house this entire time. It has been nice. Also, we never mentioned the boys' full names: Adrian Elijah Briggs and Isaac Gabriel Briggs.

Going Home Soon

Another big day today. Adrian and Isaac both moved out of incubators and into open beds. This was the last big hurdle to getting them home. Now they just have to continue to maintain their temperatures and continue to gain weight and we can all go home. It will be nice to get home and sleep in our own bed. The Ronald McDonald House is a nice place to visit, but we are ready to let some other parents have our room.

If all goes as planned from here, Dr. Sherman says the boys will be discharged Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest. Now Mom & Dad have to watch some videos and do our part to meet with the discharge requirements.

It definitely looks like we will be home for Thanksgiving.

Today has been an eventful one. Adrian has surpassed the body temperature regulation minimums and is supposed to graduate from the incubator to an open bed this evening. The only issue is that there may not be an open bed available for him to move into - there are a lot of babies in the NICU right now. That is a little frustrating.

Also, his NG feeding tube was removed today and he was changed to all breast/bottle feedings. He has done fantastic. Now neither boy has a feeding tube. Isaac and Adrian both developed a little bit of irritation on their bottoms over night (while Mom and Dad were gone). I wonder if the night nurse left them sitting in poopy diapers for a little too long. Maybe I am just a little paranoid.

One concern that came up today is Isaac's tummy, he has been having some issues. Dr. Sherman ran some tests, including a belly x-ray and some blood work to see if anything comes back abnormal. Poor guy. He acts like a perfectly healthy baby, so we are expecting all tests to come back negative. Isaac continued to nurse very well today. He is a hungry boy.

Dr. Sherman again said today that if everything turns out fine with Isaac, we will be home by THANKSGIVING.

More Great News

We have lots of good news today. Isaac's NG tube was removed - by him. Dr. Sherman, the neonatologist, wanted to remove it at his 11:00 am feeding, so Isaac went ahead and pulled it out while Dave and I went to eat some breakfast around 9:30 this morning. It was the third time that he had pulled his tube out. Anyway, this means that all of his feedings are now breast or bottle. This is a huge victory.

Adrian is still doing great. He is still alternating two breast/bottle feedings with one NG (tube) feeding. Maybe he can get his tube out tomorrow. Dr. Sherman had a conversation with Dave and me this morning about the last few things that need to be done before we go home. He also told us that it looks like we will be home before Thanksgiving!!! Of course, it is all up to the boys.

I think they would send Isaac home tomorrow, but Adrian is lagging behind a day or two. I think it is funny that this is the case, because Dr. Sherman tends to favor Adrian and thinks he is a superstar for his tiny little size. He keeps bragging about how well he is doing with his feedings, temperature, etc.

Both boys are still in their incubators, but they are regulating their temperatures well. I foresee that they will be in open beds in the next day or two. Adrian tends to run a little warm because he has a high blood volume for his small size. Dr. Sherman said that he believes he wasn't getting everything he needed from his placenta during my pregnancy. This has led to his small size. Therefore, his body produced a lot of extra blood in order for him to get all of the oxygen he needed. This is also why his head is close to normal size, he is normal length, but he has no fat on his body. All of his energy in the womb went to brain development.

Last night, Isaac was almost up to his birth weight. He weighed 5 lbs. 11 oz. His birth weight was 5 lbs. 12 oz. Adrian weighed 4 lbs. 2 oz at birth and he weighed 4 lbs. 1 oz last night. They are doing fantastic. Adrian gains 1 - 2 ounces every day. We will keep you posted.

I'd Do It All Over Again

I am feeling a little reflective on the one-week birthday of my beautiful baby boys. This morning, I got an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for the gift that I have been given. It was a long road to get Adrian and Isaac, but I would go through every bit of it again. They are perfect. I never knew I could love like this. I have so many hopes and dreams for them. I am so glad that Dave and I never gave up. We struggled through trying to get pregnant for 3 years, spent thousands and thousands of dollars and shed millions of tears on fertility treatments, and we both suffered through a very difficult pregnancy and an even worse birth. I am glad that we thought it would be worth it. I guess I never realized the reward would be so great. I feel like we are the two most blessed people on earth.

Big Break Tuesday

We had a very good day yesterday (Tuesday the 17th), both boys started real breastfeeding. The boys are still in Level 2 NICU. It is home to healthier babies which require less care than Level 3 where we started out.

Isaac has had some issues with stomach irritation from his NG tube, so we are really hoping to get him off of it soon. Adrian is doing very well with his breast feeding and is actually a little ahead of brother on digestion. His feedings will be increased again today.

Other than feeding and gaining some weight, the boys also need to be able to regulate their own body temperature before they can go home. Again, surprisingly since he has zero body fat, Adrian is a little bit ahead of Isaac. Both boys are still in their incubators to help with body temperature. They are still being monitored for their respiration and heart rate, but the other monitors are off and they no longer have IV's.

Both boys are gaining weight, Adrian is gaining about 2 ounces per day and is back up to 3 pounds 15 ounces. Isaac is almost back to his birth weight, he weighed 5 pounds 9 ounces last night (Tuesday).

Although visitation is very restricted Grandma Oleva and Grandpa & Grandma Briggs have each been to visit twice. Uncle Jeffie got to see the boys on Thursday, but has been sick and not allowed back in. We were happy to have lunch with our friend, Leigh Ann Williams, her kids Owen & Elsie, and her mom Susan yesterday. It has been great to have visitors.

Life is Good

I have so much to report that I couldn't possibly know where to begin, so my post may be all over the place. Today has been a fantastic day, but let me start with yesterday. I (Tisha) arrived in Columbia Saturday, November 14 with my mom after I was released from Northeast Regional Medical Center in Kirksville. As yo probably know, I had a surprise C-section Thursday morning. Dave has been in Columbia since early Thursday afternoon. He made it down just a few hours after Isaac and Adrian arrived in Columbia. In case it wasn't clear in the earlier posts, the boys are at Columbia Regional Hospital in the Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Unfortunately for everyone else, Dave and I are the only ones allowed to hold the boys. Visitation is very limited due to the hospital regulations for illness prevention in the NICU babies. Only 2 visitors per patient are allowed other than the parents. Grandma Oleva and Grandma and Grandpa Briggs have all seen the boys as has Uncle Jeffie.

Yesterday I was able to hold Adrian for the first time. His condition at birth did not allow me to hold him before he was transferred to Columbia. It was a very emotional moment for both of us. Hallelujah!! Of course, I was able to hold Isaac, too. They are both absolutely perfect and I am not biased at all. The most fantastic news is that they are brilliant preemies. They were both able to nurse yesterday and they have both done the same again once today. They are doing this while being fed through a naso-gastric (NG) tube. Unfortunately they have to have a little formula until they can get enough milk from me.

They are both so very healthy. We were just given the news that both boys will no longer need their IVs this evening and they will be moved from the Level III NICU to the Level II NICU. Being in the Level II NICU means that they require less care and are one step closer to getting home. There has been no indication of a time frame in which we can take them home at this point.

There is a bit of concern that they may have some jaundice. That will be checked again tomorrow. Once they get the hang of feeding and we figure out the jaundice situation, they may get to go home, assuming all else continues to go well. We will keep you posted.

Meet Isaac and Adrian

Well, Mom finally did it. Our twin boys, Adrian and Isaac were born yesterday, Nov. 12. Tisha's water broke around 6:30 in the morning. We called the doctor and were advised to go to the ER in Kirksville because of the amount of blood. We rushed to NRMC and checked in. Thankfully our good friend Sonya was working. It was a real comfort to have someone we knew and trusted there to help us through. It turns out one of the placentas had partially abrupted and a c-section was necessary. Dr. Boling performed the surgery and Isaac was born at 8:05 and Adrian was born at 8:06. Because they were premature and their chest x-rays were a little hazy, they were transferred to the NICU at Columbia Regional. The boys took a helicopter ride to Columbia and arrived in good shape. Isaac slept the entire flight and Adrian kicked his brother the whole way. By the time they got to Columbia, Adrian was off his oxygen by the time they got to Columbia. Mom is still in Kirksville at NRMC, and the boys are both stable and doing well in the NICU. Hopefully Mom will join us in Columbia on Saturday.

34 Week OB appointment

Tish isn't feeling too well lately, so you get an update from me for week 34. Tish has been having lots of contractions and is feeling very nauseous the last couple of days. We've called the on-call line a few times to make sure we did not need to go in. Since Tish and the boys had appointments with Dr. Grant and Dr. Morse today, we waited and went to the regularly scheduled appointment. The boys had their biophysical profiles determined and were measured. Both boys scored 10 of 10 although A gave us a bit of a scare. Baby A weighed in at 4 pounds, 6 ounces and B weighed 5 pounds 12 ounces. Both are doing fine, but we are going back Thursday for another check to make sure Baby A is doing ok. He is now in a breech position and has developed a slight problem with his umbilical artery which will require some increased monitoring. I have no idea how he managed to find the room to flip over, but he did. Since we have to keep a close watch on his cord, from here on out, the monitoring is upped to twice a week. The doctors want Tish to hold on a couple more weeks, but I think these babies are coming soon. We'll keep everyone updated.

32 Week Update

I was 32 weeks pregnant last Monday, October 26. I realized I haven't shared any ultrasound photos or belly bump photos for a while, so I am writing a quick post to attach some photos.

I officially quit seeing patients in my dental practice last Friday, October 23. I have been spending a lot of time at home . . . doing a lot of nothing. I am bored. So, if anyone wants to come and hang out with me, just give me a call.

I am continuing to see my Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist, Dr. Grant, and my OB, Dr. Morse, every Tuesday in Columbia. Dr. Grant completes a biophysical profile on the boys (a detailed ultrasound with fetal heart rate monitoring) weekly and then I see Dr. Morse. Everything is going well. Both boys have had a perfect score on every biophysical profile.

The only concern is that Baby B is a lot bigger than Baby A. It actually is not much of a concern because Baby A is in normal range for size. If Baby A were really small and Baby B were very large, it would definitely be more of a concern.

Baby A hasn't cooperated for good ultrasound pictures of his face during the last two sessions, so there are no great recent pictures of his face. We did get to see some hair on his head this week and last. The ultrasound tech says that probably means he is blond.

Baby A 30 Weeks 10/13/09

Baby A Hair 31 Weeks 10/21/09

Baby B 32 Weeks Sucking on his Cord 10/27/09

Baby B 32 Weeks 10/27/09

I thought I would post some comparison pictures of my pregnancy progress. I can't believe how much has changed!

14 Weeks 6/22/09

20 Weeks 8/3/09

26 Weeks 9/14/09

32 Weeks 10/26/09

OLEVA KICKED CANCER'S BUTT!!

On Saturday, October 17, twenty-one people gathered at Keith's Cafe in Memphis to celebrate a very momentous occasion. My mom, Oleva, finished all of her breast cancer treatments on Wednesday, October 14!

This all started with a mammogram in December 2008. She had a biopsy completed on January 27, 2009. She had another surgery on March 1, 2009 and we learned on March 10, 2009 that she was diagnosed with Stage III Metastatic Ductal Cell Carcinoma of the left breast. Her first chemo treatment was March 31, 2009 and her last radiation treatment was October 14, 2009. What a long journey. It was not an easy one, but she made it!!!

She had a follow-up appointment this past Tuesday, October 20, with her oncologist, Dr. Perry, at Ellis Fischel in Columbia. They did some blood work, checked out the blood clots and swelling in her leg, and examined the burns on her skin from the radiation. She will be taking Coumadin forever (unfortunately) and another medication that will be determined based on her blood work. This other medication will also be taken forever. It will be a hormone to help prevent the return of cancer. Because of her clotting disorders, it is apparently difficult to find the correct medication that will not increase the possibility of her getting future blood clots.

So far, everything is going great. She spent Wednesday afternoon and evening doing yard work - something she enjoys. She is already starting to feel better, but still frustrated with the swelling in her leg. Dr. Perry explained to her that it could take up to a year for the swelling to subside. She is also still having some pain from the radiation treatments. Dr. Perry said that she should be back to new in a month or so.

Mom sent a nice note to her supporters. I want to share it with you.

I'm a Breast Cancer Survivor

I thought I would forward a quick note to those that thought of me during my trials and tribulations.

The above says it all! Although I thought at times I would never get through this, as of October 14, 2009, I have completed all the chemo and radiation required to state that I am a survivor.

I cannot express enough gratitude to family, co-workers, friends and Dave. Even if it was just a phone call or you stopped by, I appreciated your concern.

I completed 20 weeks of chemotherapy and 30 sessions of radiation. Now, it is just a matter of wait and see. As far as we are concerned, I am considered cancer free. There will be blood tests, scans and more pills than I care to think about, but I think the hard part is behind us.

I have a great future planned with Dave and with the expected arrival of three new grandbabies within the next five months, God has blessed me. I intend to live life to the fullest!

Again, thank you and I hope you are all as blessed as I feel that I am.

-Oleva

Size Discrepancy

I just wanted to write a very quick post. I have a million things to blog about, but they will have to wait until later. One very exciting bit of news to share is that MY MOM IS FINISHED WITH ALL OF HER CANCER TREATMENTS!! She is doing well. I will follow up on this soon. Also, I am done seeing patients at work as of this upcoming Friday morning. I saw a few on Monday and will see just one on Friday and that is it!

I have been seeing my OB, Dr. Morse, weekly since September 29 for ultrasounds, fetal heart rate monitoring, etc. They call these appointments a biophysical profile. They do not measure the size of the babies at each of these appointments. They do that every third week. My over-achieving boys have scored a perfect score on all of their biophysical profiles.

Yesterday, there was a bit of concern. Baby B measured 4 pounds 5 ounces and Baby A measured 3 pounds 5 ounces. That put Baby B in the 77%ile and Baby A in the 32%ile for overall size. That is a bigger size discrepancy than my doctor was comfortable with, so she sent me back to see Dr. Grant, the maternal fetal medicine specialist.

I saw Dr. Grant today and he completed another biophysical profile with an ultrasound and both of the boys scored perfectly again. The size discrepancy was very similar to yesterday. There is a 19% difference in there size. He says he gets concerned when there is a 20% or more difference in their size. Dr. Grant also checked the blood flow through the umbilical cord of both babies and that looked good. That was actually a relief, because there was a little concern on Dr. Morse's part that there could have been some clotting in Baby A's cord (or maybe it was placenta?) affecting his growth.

Dr. Grant thinks that we just have one really big baby and one slightly small baby. He wants to keep a close watch on them, so I will be seeing him weekly as well as Dr. Morse weekly. I will continue with weekly ultrasounds, biophysical profiles with Dr. Grant and then Dr. Morse will look over the results. My next appointment is Tuesday, October 27.

Just a side note: we got to see hair on Baby A's head. It was so sweet.

Oh My Goodness . . . So Much To Do

I am starting to enter the "freak out zone". I don't exactly know what the "freak out zone" is, but it is making me a little anxious - I mean a LOT anxious. I am officially 29 weeks pregnant today. Yeay! I am so torn between desperately wanting to meet my baby boys and being completely terrified that I am not ready for them to get here.

Here is a short list of my worries:

1. I have no idea how to nurse two babies. How are we going to work out that schedule?
2. I so desperately want them to be healthy with limited or no time in the NICU. I want them to stay in my belly as long as possible.
3. Where are they going to sleep when they come home? Our nursery furniture is not here yet.
4. How do I know what they want, need? Are they eating enough? Can we keep them alive?
5. Will I ever sleep again?
6. When should I stop working? Am I doing too much (physically) right now?
7. Perhaps this should be at the top of the list. Will I be a good mom?
8. I haven't decided on a name yet. Dave has his ready to go.

Here is a short list of the reasons I can't wait to get them here:

1. I can't wait to see their beautiful faces. What do they look like?
2. What will their personalities be like? Will one be like me (Type A, perfectionist) and one be like Dave (laid back, an intellectual book worm)?
3. I have been waiting so long to meet them. It is painful that I have to wait another day. Time moves the slowest during pregnancy.
4. I can't wait to shower them with love, kisses, cuddles. I have so much that I want to teach them.
5. Have you seen my belly? It is HUGE! How could it possibly get bigger? Is it possible that I could actually get more uncomfortable than I am right now? Wait a minute . . . how am I still working?

Saturday, Dave and I attended an all-day child birth class. It contributed to both of the above lists. On the way home Saturday and once we got home, I was having several Braxton Hicks contractions. Dave frantically threw together my hospital bag. We both realized that if we had to rush to Columbia in a hurry that we are not ready. So, now my bag is somewhat packed.

I debated whether or not to share this on the blog, but I had some testing completed by a maternal fetal medicine specialist, Dr. Grant, a couple of weeks ago and I got some bad news. In addition to testing positive for a Prothrombin Gene Mutation (Factor II), I also have two additional blood clotting disorders: Factor V Leiden mutation and elevated Plasminogen Activator Inhibitors (PAI).

I know - it is all Greek to me, too. To simplify, these disorders are referred to as thrombophilias. It means that I have a very elevated risk at developing a blood clot at any time. Blood clots, of course, may lead to severe pregnancy complications, stroke, pulmonary embolism . . . It is fairly rare to have one of these disorders. I think it is pretty much unheard of to have three. Who knows how I got so special.

Dr. Grant also informed me that my levels of C Reactive Protein were through the roof. To summarize this, it means that I have a lot of inflammation in my body. This can lead to heart disease, breast cancer, diabetes, periodontal disease and the list goes on. Dr. Grant has doubled my dosage of daily heparin. He also added Vitamin D to my daily regimen of prenatal vitamins, folic acid, fish oil, and baby aspirin. I am currently having weekly OB appointments with ultrasounds and non-stress tests.

Despite all of this, I have had no serious pregnancy complications. Everything seems to be going great. The boys got a perfect score on the non-stress test last week. I want things to stay that way.

OLEVA REPORT

This is long overdue. Mom was supposed to be finished with radiation today, but she was having some serious pain, peeling of her skin, and bleeding. So, last week, her radiologist decided that she should take a week off from the radiation. She stayed home from work and any place public all last week. She started radiation again today. She will do radiation today, tomorrow and Wednesday and then again Monday - Wednesday next week and then it will all be done!!!

The radiation is causing some severe pain, bleeding, burning of her skin. She is also extremely fatigued following her treatments. It is difficult for her to stay awake on her car ride home following radiation. So, today, she had lunch at my house and then rested for a while before going home. I know that she can't wait for this to be done and I am so excited that it is almost over. I can't even imagine what she is going through right now.

3D/4D Ultrasound at 27 Weeks

Today, Dave and I traveled to Columbia with my mother-in-law, Adrianna, and my father-in-law, Gary. We had a 3D/4D ultrasound. It was amazing. We got an amazing look at both boys. I was overwhelmed with emotion to see how perfect they both were. I feel as though Dave and I are so blessed to have these little miracle babies on the way. We couldn't ask for anything more. We are so lucky.

We all agreed that it appears as though the boys look quite a bit different. They seem to have different facial structures. Baby A has a very broad nose and a heart-shaped face. Baby B has an oval shaped-face. It was difficult to get good pictures of Baby B because he kept his hands in front of his face and Baby A's spine and butt were also in Baby B's face half of the time. We came home with a disc that has 75 pictures and video clips. I am sharing some of the best with you.

Baby B 3D Ultrasound 9/22/09 27 Weeks

Baby B with his hand in front of his face. 3D Ultrasound 9/22/09 27 Weeks

Baby B 3D Ultrasound 9/22/09 27 Weeks

Baby B with his hands in front of his face 3D Ultrasound 9/22/09 27 Weeks

Baby B

Baby B

Baby B

Baby B

Baby B Profile

Baby A Smiling 3D Ultrasound 9/22/09 27 Weeks

Baby A

Baby A

Baby A

Baby A

Baby A

The label says Baby B, but this is actually Baby A

These are short videos that you can play. The first and third are Baby A. The second and fourth are Baby B.

Baby Shower Weekend

On Saturday, we celebrated the approaching arrival of Baby Boys Briggs at my baby shower. It was held at the Kirksville Country Club. There were so many friends and family there to celebrate. I have such thoughtful friends that went out of their way to make it so very special. How do I express my gratitude to so many people for making my baby shower such a special event? That is not a rhetorical question. I don't know how to make each of you know how special it was for me. I am fairly certain that you will never know. We received so many wonderful gifts. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I will never forget it.

This is me with my mom, Oleva, and my mother-in-law, Adrianna. They are both so excited to meet their grandsons.

This is me with the Great-Grandmas-to-Be, my grandmothers, June & Roberta.

These are the wonderful girls that made it all happen! They made homemade invitations and thank-you cards, elaborate centerpieces, homemade mints, put together an awesome theme - just to mention a few things. I have no idea how much went into the preparation for the shower. From L to R: Missy Monroe, Davye Heine, Ranina & Mayson Robinson, myself, Melissa Hamm & Angie Wentworth

I love you guys! You brought tears to my eyes.

These are my awesome friends that spent the weekend with me. This picture was taken at my house before the shower. From L to R: Ellen Berry, Leigh Ann Williams, Nisha Fisher and my large self. Ellen & Leigh Ann came all of the way from Kansas City and Nisha flew in from Boston. Leigh Ann & Nisha make up my Momtourage. I have learned so much from you. You all made my weekend so special. Thanks for giving me a little more "girl time" before the babies arrive. I love you tons!

Grandma June, my sister Tonya, my mom's friend Cindy, Mom, my aunt Carla.

Dave's sister, Debbie, Adrianna, and Adrianna's friend, Edna

The delicious cake

The centerpieces

This is the most embarrassing belly bump buddy picture that I have taken to date. In case you were wondering - yes, Ranina is pregnant. I know it is hard to tell. Let me explain. Ranina is due THE EXACT SAME DAY that I am - December 21. We are a couple days short of being 27 weeks in this picture. She is expecting her second boy. I am so excited for her, but I do curse at her in private . . . under my breath.

This is me sitting in the nursery with all of the amazing gifts that we received after the shower. It was a bit overwhelming. We received some great stuff.

Dave washed all of the baby clothes and blankets on Sunday. Today at lunch, he sorted out all of the socks and counted 56 pair.