keeping it real

Long Awaited

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 20:22:00 +0000

Its been almost a year since I updated this blog. I got overwhelmed. Four kids, twin boys who were eight months old, life. And something had to give. Poor blog. I gave you up for the sake of sanity and it was a good decision.

But now, here I am, realizing an entire year has gone by:

The boys are 18 months old. Walking, babbling, giggling and lots of fun.
Anne is much too old and just finished her first year of pre-school.
Elli is a hoot. No really, a hoot. Three and a half going on twenty. I swear she's going to own a comedy club someday.

We sold our house.
Bought my parents' house.
Now live with my parents' in our house which used to be theirs. (No fear, I haven't completely lost my mind. They are building a house. This is temporary.)
Accepted a promotion.
Celebrated holidays.

And you missed all of it. I'm so sorry.
So, here's a blog post that may or may not start a trend of more blogging. I guess you'll have to check back to see.

My Little Blessings

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 23:26:00 +0000

My boys. Sigh. There's just something about a mama and her boys. They are ever so sweet.

But then there's my girls. We have something special. We speak the same language. We're cut from the same cloth. I mean, I totally get why they wanted to wear their princess outfits to dinner. Nachos were on the menu and that calls for princess attire.

Today, I saw them embrace while giggling and Annelise whispered "We're best friends for life."

A little piece of my heart just fell out of my chest (again) thinking about it. Sigh. I love my girls.

These days might be busy. I may never have enough time in the day to get all the things done that I want. But, I wouldn't trade these small moments for anything.

Bad, bad blogger

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:20:00 +0000

Avoidance. Probably. Just another thing I have to do. Rebellion. Laziness. Avoidance. Most likely avoidance.

Those are all negative words. Sorry. I love my blog, my blogosphere, other bloggers. But man, sometimes a blog is hard work. And obviously I have slacked in taking care of this baby. Sorry.

So, here's a looooooong awaited update.

My babies are six months old. WHAT? That went fast. Sleeping through the night, rolling over, eating solids (well, just started and loving it). Unfortunately, I missed their six month appointment due to hand, food and mouth disease (that's another post all in itself). So Matt happily took them for me (with Gigi's help, of course). They are a whopping 11 pounds and some odd ounces and 26 inches. Long and skinny. Hm. Doc thinks they are still about a month behind developmentally, which seems normal...they were four weeks early. Man, are they getting cute too!

Annelise is four (going on fifteen) and constantly - CONSTANTLY - talks about when she'll be five. "When I'm five, I can jump into the pool without my floaties on." "Oh no, Mommy, I'll do that when I'm five." She's darn smart. Can add and subtract more than any four year old I know (maybe I'm biased) and is eeking excited to start school in the fall. Mommy might be a little excited about that too. She's ready. I'm ready.

Elliora. What a trip. That kid never ceases to put a smile on my face. She's every bit of two and a half and if I didn't know better myself, I'd say she was going to skip right past three to be five too. She absolutely adores her sister and continues to be the most compassionate kid I know. The word selfish is rarely attributed to her and sometimes I wish we had given her JOY for a middle name, because she's full of it. Most of the time.

Matt and I are busy working, taking care of home, taking care of kids and trying to enjoy what bit of summer we can in the midst of the chaos. We celebrated Father's Day and my 30th birthday all in one fell swoop on the 17th and I have to say...I'm glad that's over. 30 doesn't scare me. I mean, I have four kids, I might as well be 30 right?

So, that's us in a nutshell. These kiddos are running me ragged and I'm enjoying every moment of it.

What I've Been Doing

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:32:00 +0000

Rocking babies
Writing reports
Designing ads
Proofing copy
Potty training
Dishes...always
Laundry...always
Designing wedding invites
Emails and more emails
Teaching addition
Ordering business cards
Updating websites
Hoping to blog...never getting there
Absorbing the lives of Katniss and Peeta (a girl needs an escape, OK?)
Watching my boys grow before my eyes
Breast feeding...twins...while typing/eating/getting dressed...yes, for real
Budgeting
More budgeting
And hoping to blog.

A moment in time

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:17:00 +0000

I drank two cups of coffee today, black. We're out of creamer and I really hate coffee without doctoring it up. But I was desperate. It is Monday...and any caffeine is a necessity. Are you with me?

I realized something yesterday. Our life must seem really crazy to the outside world. Every where we go, people gasp and comment. "All of these are yours?" "I can't believe you all go out together." (What, am I supposed to leave half of them at home?) I imagine people feel sorry for us.

Thursday was a huge accomplishment for me. I took all four kids to Target, by myself. Yup, I feel my chin rising just a little as I type. So what if I had to grab one of those kid carrier carts, put one car seat in the top, one in the bottom, strap my toddlers into the seats on the back? Yeah, we had to open a package of iced animal crackers half way through the store (if I'm honest, Elli opened them on her own, but who's counting?). But we had no tantrums, no crying, not even one fight. I got all the items I needed (except one) and then we went to McDonalds to celebrate. Don't judge. Sometimes eating cheeseburgers and getting our crazy out at a fast food restaurant with a playplace is the best decision of the week. And its becoming weekly really. I was so proud. A whole trip to Target, a whole meal at McDonalds...and we all made it home in one piece.

Do you think people feel sorry for me?

This is but a moment in time. And we all know how unforgiving time is. The words are barely out of my mouth and they have grown and inch and surprise me by saying something much more mature than their age.

I have just this small moment to capture their attention, turn them toward Christ, teach them. I'm not wishing it away. I do look forward to the day when life seems a little easier. I say seems because I think that's just a myth. We'll just be trading car seats and crying for driving lessons and dating. I'll take the former, please.

So, ok I have no creamer. Drink it black. And when you see me in the store with four kids, don't wish these years away for me. Because I'm not. Don't feel sorry for me. I only have them for this moment. I chose them. I want them to know that. They weren't a mistake, a happenstance. God gave all of them to us, at the right time. I guess he thought four under four was ideal. And for us it is.

No I'm not dead...

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 19:13:00 +0000

Just really busy. Wow, four kids, two jobs, a husband and a house can really keep a woman on her toes these days. Not to mention laundry, cooking, shopping for all things needed (who has time to shop for anything else?) and once in a while enjoying a moment to myself. Which usually doesn't include blogging. I'm sorry.

There was a day when I thought so highly of myself that my blog was of utmost importance. Don't get me wrong, its not like I think anyone else who blogs frequently is self-absorbed. Its just that if I didn't update my blog frequently, I was going to lose readership and interest and may end up on the bottom or *gasp* deleted from someone's blog roll.

And then there's today. Who cares? I say. Life is more important than this silly blog. Have no worries...it won't be going anywhere. I'll still update as I have time. But time is gold these days and the little I have left at the end of the day must be spent wisely.

So, I leave you with this most adorable photo of the two highest consumers of my gold. Until next time....

My memory fails

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:22:00 +0000

Every day I think to myself "Oh, I should blog about that..."

and alas, by the time I sit down at the computer, I've forgotten what it was that I was going to blog about.

Like now. What was I going to tell you?

Oh yeah, that Elli just asked me to put her snack wrapper in the "fridge" when I know she means "trash." And yesterday she asked me to hang her picture on the "trash" - I'm going to forget about this someday.

I think I was also going to tell you that Elli likes to sing the taxi song...a lot...but with the wrong words.

Taxi, taxi, riding in the taxi
Roll the wind a bus, roll the wind a bus
Put the money through the slot
See ya later thanks a lot
La la la la la la laaaaaaaaa!

Oh it drives Annelise crazy. My little type A, firstborn, everything must be done correctly or the world is coming to an end, girl. I don't know where in the world she got that from. Ahem.

I should also try my best to note milestones the boys have achieved. Like they're 9 weeks old (what?!) and are starting to smile and coo. At their doctor's appointment they had both gained two pounds (that made this breast feeding mama proud) and are officially up to speed with normal babies. Woot! No more premie excuses here.

I sadly packed away many of the premie/newborn outfits this week. Tear. Just another sign that these babies aren't going to stay that way forever. Then what? I'll be a mom of toddler boys...awkward middle school boys...teenage boys...GAH!

I'll just focus on them being 10 weeks for now.

Why having four kids has saved me money.

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 22:19:00 +0000

Yes, you read that right. Saved me money.

Who has time to spend money? Not me. Even trips to the grocery store are annoying.

When everything must be timed around nursing newborns...there are no leisurely trips anywhere to spend money on anything. Shopping has finally gone from enjoyable pastime to a necessary nuisance. We're out of milk again? Even if I were brave enough to nurse in public, how convenient would it really be? One hungry baby screaming in public is one thing...but two? No thank you.

And laundry. Over the last few weeks, the definition of dirty has changed from "I wore this once" to "You can hardly see the spit up...I can wear it again." Besides, when your wardrobe consists of sweatpants, sweatshirts and the occasional cardigan - does clean really matter? And when I do get dressed up...(read: decent) its usually only for a few hours. Shoot, those clothes go right back on the hanger in the closet.

Speaking of decent...there was a day when I wouldn't leave the house without eye liner on. You know you've reached some sort of phase when your daughter sees you with make up on and exclaims, "YES! I like you like that, mommy." What does that mean? "With your hair curly and that stuff on your eyes." Oh, thanks a lot. So you mean you don't approve of the pony tail and white washed face? Ok.

Cooking gourmet meals has never been something I've done. Simple meals are more my thing. Right now, if it can't cook in the crock pot or be ordered by telephone...we're not eating. Cereal and milk are really cheap and my kids like it. Nevermind Matt.

So you see, lots of money saved. And its ok for right now. We're living the simple life.

Daddies of Daughters

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:15:00 +0000

For me, Valentine's Day was always less about wondering who was going to show me some sort of special affection and more about the anticipation of what my dad was going to get me.

No, I wasn't some sheltered little girl that didn't notice boys. In fact, my daddy knew I was just the opposite and he seized the opportunity to win my heart.

And he did just that. Instead of worrying about that day, day dreaming about what boy would give me chocolates or a rose. Instead of trying to win the affections of another, I awaited the affections of my father.

I remember eagerly wondering when the call would come that "something had arrived for me in the school office." And when it did, every other girl in my class would be jealous...a balloon, a single red rose, chocolates...it was always a surprise. One thing was sure...there would be a card with a hand written note from my dad, telling me how much he loved me.

Lest you think all that affection from my father saved me entirely from giving my heart away too soon. It didn't. But, it did play a huge role in how I chose to give my heart away when the time came. And I will always attribute the love and admiration I received from my dad as the influential force that caused me (in the end) to choose right the relationship.

So, daddies of daughters...be not tempted by the excuse that Valentine's Day, Sweetest Day and the like are purely commercial holidays. Yes, love your daughters every day...but use excuses like these to celebrate the love you have for her. Teach her the kind of love she should be seeking. And most of all, admonish her to love the Lord and seek His affection first.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Stationery card

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:36:00 +0000

Crisp White Noir Birth Announcement

To see Shutterfly's birth announcement designs, click here.

View the entire collection of cards.

The Rest of the Yumminess

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:33:00 +0000

many kudos go to more than words photography by tammi. she did such an excellent job photographing our newborn babies. let the printing of all things photo begin!

A Secure Mom Raising Secure Girls

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:21:00 +0000

I really love my husband for multiple reasons, but lately my love for him has deepened. I'll tell you why.

I wouldn't call myself a reader, but these days I have a little more time (like during three am feedings) to read articles and blogs that I would otherwise skim over. Mom sites, baby sites, parenting sites...you get the idea. And honestly, those articles along with all the inappropriate super bowl ads we'll be seeing this weekend, has got me thinking.

Why am I such a secure woman?

Don't get me wrong. I struggle with all the normal things women with mirrors in their homes struggle with...weight (especially six weeks postpartum), hair color, hair length, hair style, my complexion, crooked teeth...you name it, I probably don't really like it or could think of a way to improve it.

When we were dating, Matt was like any other doting boyfriend. He'd take me out to fun restaurants, plan surprise dates and compliment my looks. But he never remarked positively or negatively on things I had control over. Let me explain.

Matt loved (loves) my eyes. Honestly, to me, they're nothing special. I've never really liked my droopy, squinty, (boringly colored) hazel eyes. I used to never leave the house without eye liner and mascara on top and bottom. But to him they were beautiful without all that make up...and he told me often.

He didn't compliment me on the dyed color of my hair...but told me he liked my hair dark, which (disappointingly at the time) is my natural color. But blonde highlights are so in!

When I would complain about my weight (ha! I can't believe I thought I was fat then. I'd kill to be that size again.) he'd also say he liked a girl with some meat on her bones, something to hold. Guys like that are rare.

He didn't care what kind of clothes I wore. In fact, the day he fell in love with me (because it was love at first site, you know!) I was wearing a ball cap, no make up and my very best sweats. Attractive.

Needless to say, I sunk my hook in him and held on for dear life. We were married in 2004 and in the seven years that we've been married, he's never changed his tune.

Do you know how secure that makes a woman feel? Not just secure...but beautiful even? And do you know the power of a secure mama to her girls?

I can't give my husband all the credit. My security in who I am physically extends beyond my adult years and began when I was a young girl. My relationship with my dad was strong - and is to this day. He always affirmed me (not just physically) as a little girl growing into a young woman. He also loved my mom unconditionally and that made her a secure woman.

You see the cycle here? Affirming men beget secure wives who in turn beget secure daughters who seek out affirming men.

And the foundation to it all: Christ. Big turn here, but if you know Him, you'll transition easily.

My dad loves the Lord. His love for the Lord fuels his love for my mom. My parents love for the Lord fueled their love and affirmation for me. Finding the true source of love as a young teenage girl caused me to seek out a man who also knew Christ. And this affirming, loving cycle continues as we raise our girls.

Is the cycle perfect? No. There are many Christ-loving women who did not come from Christ-loving, affirming homes (and vice versa). Praise God!

I guess the point of this post is to...

1) Praise the Creator for His unending affirmation and love for me.

2) Thank my parents for living out true love and affirmation in their marriage...and encouraging it in me, even as a young girl.

3) Speak highly of my husband and the way that he continues his godly affirmation of me and my girls, so they can (God-willing) continue the cycle of feeling loved and secure.

4) Encourage you and your families to consider these principles in your own homes.

Raising boys? Teach them to love the things about women that God loves. Show them that the world's standard of beauty is so much less fulfilling and temporary than God's standard.

7 weeks...Oh the terror

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:45:00 +0000

My boys are seven weeks old. Today, as I was nursing Abram, I decided to turn on the boob tube (no pun intended). There's really not much on at 3:00 worth watching. But an episode of Dr. Phil caught my eye and I decided to watch a few moments, which turned into the whole hour, which left me full of terror.

Identical twin boys, age 16, so out of control that their parents were throwing in the towel. Wow. How do you get to that point? I guess pot smoking, alcoholic, full of hatred and anger twin boys might push me to that edge too. Honestly, my biblical viewpoint on parenting forces me to hold the parents responsible first for their sons' behavior (and I was glad to hear Dr. Phil affirm that)...but I'm also forced to recognize that they are responsible for their own sinful actions. I'm sure those parents felt like they had failed. And in many ways, they had. How sad. Very, very sad.

And then a friend of mine posted this incredibly eye-opening post on her blog that made me even more fearful for my young men. Its not that this is news to me...the world we live in is a very scary and wicked place. That's why scripture affirms us over and over to cling to Christ, turn our faces towards him and to flee sin. But I'm a woman. I've only ever mothered women. Ask me about all the struggles my girls will face with sexuality, body image, the desire to be loved and accepted by men - and I could write a book. But I'm new to this "mothering a male" thing...and yes, even now at seven weeks old, its much different. I feel a greater sense of protection over my boys. I guess I understand that special bond a daddy has with his daughters now. I feel that same sense of protection for my boys.

My sweet, sweet boys. Full of sin even now, but so ignorant of what lies ahead. My heart is weighty at all that you'll have to flee from in your life. And my prayer is that you do just that, flee. Cling to Christ and be fully aware that the temptress will try her hardest to lure you in. Fight, my sons.

Tidbits

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:19:00 +0000

- I don't have time to be blogging right now...but I am.

- My house is in total disarray. I wish I could say this was an exception, but for those of you that are rolling your eyes, saying her house is never messy - I dare you to stop by. I cannot guarantee you will find your way out. ~~Messy~~ trashed has become the rule around here and I'm not sure I can stop this snowball from rolling. One day I'll get ahead.

- We're coming off a total week of celebrating Annelise' birthday and admittedly it hasn't been good for her four year old head. Its grown, quite large. As much as I love to gush over my children and make birthdays special...I'm ready to move on. Anne, its been a great four years. We love you. Time to stop eating cake now. Buh-bye.

- The boys are growing rapidly and giving us so much joy. We're slowly leaving the honeymoon stage of preemie wonderfulness and entering newborn, scream for no reason-ness. Which naturally gives mommy less time to get things accomplished. Not being a preemie anymore = less sleeping, more eating (breastfeeding twins in time consuming!), not much napping, but lots of open eyes. So we'll take the bad with the good.

- I'll say it...I used to be one of those judgmental moms who couldn't understand why it was so hard for other moms to do the small things...you know, like take a shower and straighten up their homes? Ha! I'd like to kick myself in the pants for that. Forgive me. I am now one of those moms. Sweatpants aren't just comfy...they've slowly morphed into stylish, STYLISH in my mind. I know I'm dazed and confused...but really, aren't yoga pants (with the knees stretched out and the butt hanging to the floor) the new black for stay at home moms? I think yes!

- My sister is visiting from West Virginia with her daughter Avery. She is beautiful and we are enjoying them both very much. They'll be here in an hour and I'm still in pj's with my hair in a ponytail (if you can call it that) trying to decide which task I need to accomplish before they arrive (get dressed, brush my teeth, straighten up the house). Oh the decisions...they're just too great...

I think I'll just finish eating my ramen noodles (the one meal I'll get today) and apologize for the rest when they get here.

Happy Monday!

2012? Weird.

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:39:00 +0000

I remember thinking that my graduation year of 2000 was so weird. We were the class of '00 - how lame is that? And now that I'm much more ~~mature~~ older, I realize that was just the beginning. Had someone told me I would be a mother of four (two being twins!) in 2012...I would have laughed. 2012? Weird.

But, you probably stopped by my blog to hear less about the year we're in and more to see our new additions, right? I'm pretty faithful at updating Facebook, but I remember some of you don't have Facebook (silly you!) so here is the update you deserve.

Abram and Titus

Elli loves to hold them...and kiss them. Their heads are often sticky on top!

These fellows turned one month on Wednesday...their original due date. I can't imagine being pregnant for four weeks longer than I was. Ick!

Linking arms...and forces maybe? They look up to something.

The boys had their one month check up and received a clean bill of health...such a surprise for being premature. Abram gained 17 ounces (he's 6#6) and Titus gained a pound (he's 6#12). I'm exclusively breastfeeding, which means I'm never really sure how much milk they're getting when they eat. I was very relieved to hear that they are gaining a good amount of weight. The doctor was so pleased, he won't have to see them for another month. Yahoo!

I love to watch them sleep...just wish they would do more of it at night!

By the way, I took them to the doctor all by myself...yup! The older two went to a friend's house, so I can't say I juggled all four little ones at the doctor's office. Two in infant seats were enough. It was a little crazy, but I felt very accomplished when we arrived home, in one piece...nevermind the screaming, starving babies.

Which brings me to this...why is it that no matter when you've last fed the baby (or babies in our case), they always need to eat AT the destination you arrive at? It never fails, my kids are always screaming, starving hungry when we get to the doctor, church, you name it. They must know its the most inconvenient time to feed them...and people always look at you like "Well, why didn't you feed them before you came." Um, I did. But it took us two hours to get out of the house in one piece with all of our necessities...so its time to eat again.

Speaking of...the one pictured above is screaming to eat. Gotta run!

3 Weeks Old

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 22:02:00 +0000

Can you guess who is who?

My Goals for 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:40:00 +0000

I've never been one to make resolutions. I know, its one of those things I should do but why set myself up for failure, right?

In the wake of a twin pregnancy, delivery and recovery, I'm even less motivated to set goals for this year. Come on people...I've got 4 kids under the age of 4 (for the next 14 days). So, I've resolved to set this goal...

In 2012 we will strive to be a family of six that loves God, pursues Him and not just survives, but thrives in the midst of it all.

Our life may look chaotic from the outside (and even the inside), but its our life...and we love it.

Eat Your Heart Out

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:09:00 +0000

Kudos to more than words photography {by tammi} for the picture above. And more to come.

Tammi does an incredible job photographing newborns...especially twins! And I didn't have to lift a finger. She plopped me down on a comfy arm chair, handed me a bottled water and two magazines and told me to relax. Which I did, while I watched her transform my squirmy little newborns into balls of deliciousness in each other's arms. I mean seriously, who gets babies to post like that for more than two seconds?

After two and a half hours (that seemed to fly by), I left her home feeling like my heart would explode. I can't wait to see (and show off) the other poses she captured. She is uber talented and we are so blessed to have these pictures for years to come.

Thanks Tammi!

Our Boys

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:49:00 +0000

We are loving them!

Our Baby Brothers

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 02:45:00 +0000

The baby brothers are here!

I'll try to make a very long story short...

I went in for my 36 weeks growth scan and appointment on Wednesday.

They found that the boys were quite a bit different in size...enough to justify taking them out. I went straight from the doctor's office to the hospital.

Within two hours, I was in surgery. The boys were not so much different in size...Abram James was born at 2:31 pm and weighed 5 pounds 5 ounces and was 18.5 inches long. Titus Matthew was born at 2:32 pm and weighed in at 5 pounds 11 ounces and 19.5 inches long.

So, did we make a mistake in taking them out early? Nope - and God knew! As my doctor was performing the c-section, she noticed that the wall of my uterus was so thin, had I continued to contract over the next few days I probably would have suffered an abruption (which is life threatening to both mom and babies). Praise God the doctor felt we needed to take the babies out, whatever the reason!

We are so enjoying our sweet boys. They are doing very well...learning to eat and breathing perfectly on their own. We hope to go home on Saturday. And now you can enjoy some pictures...what you were really hoping for!

*You can find many more pictures on our Facebook pages until we're able to upload more to our computer.

Baby Update

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:25:00 +0000

(Reposting this from Facebook)

Well, after a looooong 36 hours on strict bed rest I saw my doctor today. Here's the update:

1. She is putting me on a drug (Procardia) to stop contractions.

2. This drug will also allow me to come off strict bed rest (PTL!), but I still have to be on home rest...which is basically the same thing, except I'm allowed to be out of bed and take care of the minor needs of my kids. I'll still need a lot of help doing the things we moms take for granted: bending down to pick toys up, doing dishes, cleaning bathrooms...I never knew it took so much energy to do all these things.

3. I'm 36 weeks on Wednesday, so she wants to see me back then. I'll have an ultrasound and growth scan for the boys and then a follow-up appointment with her. At that point we'll decide what the next steps are. If everything looks good, then I will keep cooking the babies until the 28th.

4. She thinks the boys are between 5.5-6 pounds each right now...WHAT?! That's a whopping 11-12 pounds of baby, not to mention all the other stuff. No wonder I feel so uncomfortable!

Thank you to everyone who has been praying! We've really made it so far in this pregnancy without any complications and I can't complain. Being uncomfortable is a small price to pay for the health of my babies. Regardless of what happens, we're looking forward to the new year as a family of 6!

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:11:00 +0000

December 11 already? Sorry for the delay in blogging. As you can imagine, things have been quite busy around here with the scurry to get ready for two little boys. But, everything came to an abrupt halt last night.

I've been having contractions for days (well weeks really, but consistently for days). Nothing painful, just uncomfortable and annoying. Yesterday they got more intense and after a few hours of painful contractions and pressure, we decided to go to the hospital. I knew full well they would send me home, but I didn't want to risk anything with this pregnancy. Twins are just too touchy.

After a few hours of monitoring and getting fluids through an IV, they determined that my hemoglobin was dangerously low, my blood pressure was high and the contractions I was experiencing were real. Thankfully, they were able to stop the contractions, get my blood pressure to a normal level and sent me home...on strict bed rest. Ouch!

Bed rest and Type A - OCD don't mix. However, I promised my husband I've obey doctor's orders and lay low. I see the doc tomorrow to determine next steps. I'm a hair shy of 36 weeks and so thankful I've made it this far. More to come...

December...I've Been Waiting For You

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:27:00 +0000

I don't know if I've longed for a month's arrival this badly...ever.

December, you are welcomed with great anticipation. I wish it had more to do with you, but really its only because you happen to house the due date of my sweet baby boys. And I want them out.

So, if they won't come early, could you please make the 28th come faster? I know, we're talking about flying right past the biggest holiday of the year. I have every intention of celebrating it. My tree is trimmed, presents have been purchased and wrapped and we've even located the whereabouts of the stockings. So we're ready.

Did I also mention we're ready for our boys? The nursery has been set-up for months, diaper pail is stocked and we even had new carpet put in. Its ready. And we're ready.

So, let's get this show on the road. Mommy is tired...the family is anxious...and quite frankly, if they don't come out soon I'm afraid I might split a gut. Literally.

Sincerely,

34 weeks pregnant with twin boys...nuf said.

Standing My Ground

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:39:00 +0000

I think the fact that stores insist on selling Christmas merchandise earlier and earlier each year is just a commentary on our thankless culture. Apparently in America when consumerism and gratitude go head-to-head, consumerism wins. Just another reminder that we are selfish, bloated people with way too many ~~needs~~ wants and not enough thanks. So, I'm standing my ground. No Christmas celebrating until we given proper THANKS for all the many blessings we have.

In other news, I'm 31 weeks with the boys and the doctor says everything is great. My blood pressure is spot on normal, I only gained one pound in the last week (bringing me to a total of 14) and the boys are growing away. It appears carrying twin boys suits my body well. It does not, however, suit my wardrobe well. I've surpassed most of the maternity clothes that I was able to wear to the end of my other pregnancies and am not down to a few pairs of pants and an even fewer shirts. Right now, dresses and leggings are my best friend. Did you know Motherhood sells full panel maternity leggings? Oh my, they are heavenly. Never in my life have I enjoyed pulling my pants up to my boobs so much. Sorry for the visual.

My sweet girls are so ready for the arrival of their brothers. The room is finished and they love to go in there and read books on the rug or play blocks. I like to think they are daydreaming about their brothers being in the crib. But that's probably just a mommy thing.

Well, I haven't uploaded pictures here in a while. Pregnant brain causes to me forget if I've posted them on the blog or just facebook. So if any of these are duplicates...well double the pleasure I guess. Enjoy!

30 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Rachael Neal) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:04:00 +0000

30 weeks, measuring 38...feeling like 45.

December 28 feels so far away.