From A to Z.... The Shirley's

Thoughts on the NICU - 4 of 4

2011-10-06T13:00:00.003-05:00

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me when the boys were coming home during their NICU stay, I’d be a rich woman and I wouldn’t have to work anymore. There were several milestones that the boys had to accomplish before they were able to come home and that’s what I had to continue to tell people. So for all those that were wondering, here are the NICU milestones in order of our achievement.

They had to be able to breathe on their own. This was accomplished very early on for our little boys. They were only intubated for a day and then it was a CPap machine for about a week and then it was just a nasal cannula. The CPap and nasal cannula were not really helping them breathe, it was just allowing more pressure into their lungs to make them stronger. We were blessed that the boys didn’t have any major lung issues. It could have been because I was able to get the steroid shots, or it could have just been because they were strong and healthy. We were thankful!

Intubated

C-pap

Nasal Cannula

They had to be able to maintain their body temperature. For the first few days the boys were in an open warming bed. This was the easiest bed at the time because they were under the jaundice lights. Once their jaundice cleared, they were moved to the closed isolettes where you put your hands through the holes to touch and feel the babies. These isolettes were set at a certain temperature and were adjusted down each day, so that they could get used to being in room air temperature. By a week and a half in the NICU, the boys were boys were moved to a crib which they shared. This was the best situation while we were there because they were in the same spot in the NICU. At this point, they were able to maintain their temperature. Goal accomplished! They eventually moved us to a private room and separated the boys into their own beds once they were on their way to going home. A very good feeling.

Open Air Warming bed

Isolette

Shared Crib

The Private Suite

They had to be free of A’s and B’s. Apnea is a pause in breathing that lasts 15-20 seconds. Bradycardia is a heart rate less than 100 which can lead to the baby not breathing. For the first several weeks, bradys were a problem for our little boys. They would just stop breathing every once in a while and every time that happened the score chart would start over (you had to go 5 days without before going home). So one of the main questions to ask the nurse each time I went was if they had any bradys that day. The nurses actually gave them a daily dose of caffeine to help stimulate them to remember to breathe. Truett overcame this issue faster than Ellis. He was taken off caffeine on 6/12/11 after being brady free for at least two days. Ellis continued on caffeine for another day and eventually overcame his bradys. Another goal accomplished!

They had to be able to eat all 8 times a day by either breast or bottle. This was the hurdle that kept us in the NICU the longest. When babies are born so early, the sucking mechanism isn’t developed and so it’s a learning process for both baby and mom to learn how to feed these precious little people. For the first several days, the boys got their nourishment through TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition). The nurses were holding out for my milk to come in and until it did this is how they were fed. Once it came in, they started feeding with a very small amount (about 7ml) through a syringe that they would just hold up and let gravity take it to their tummies. Once they were taking 20mL or more, they began using the gavage system. They stayed on strict tube feedings for about a week and a half. They started a trial run on the bottle on 6/1/11, and both boys took very little but did well for a first time. They weren’t allowed to add a bottle feeding until they were able to complete one feeding. It took us several days to master this and finally after about a week they moved us up to 2 feedings by bottle. They stayed at this for about a week and then it was as if the lightbulb went off for the boys. They moved up their bottles everyday. We started breastfeeding a week before they came home and they really latched on well. By 6/21/11, they were taking all their feedings by bottle and the nurses were preparing for us to take the babies home. We came home 5 days later (6/26/11) after they had had several days of mastering bottle/breastfeeds.

Truett's first bottle

NG Tube Feeding

Tandem feeding

They couldn’t have any other complications. We were so fortunate that our babies weren’t sick. They didn’t ever have any complications that so many babies in the NICU do. Our babies actually were considered feeder/growers because they were not in critical condition. They were just small and needed to learn to eat. The nurses talked about how it was always two steps forward, one step back in the NICU, but I never really felt that while we were there. I felt like the boys made great strides everyday, but it was just a learning process for them. When we first had the babies, they said that it would be at least three weeks in the NICU, and we ended up with 5 weeks exactly. Not too bad considering they were 8 weeks early.

I believe that this about wraps up my thoughts on our NICU experience though I'm sure that I have left out several things. It's amazing how far we have come in 19 weeks and ultimately we are so thankful for our NICU stay. Praise God for those NICU doctors and nurses because they took excellent care of Truett and Ellis and they taught us so much in our journey of being new parents.

Family pic with Truett - 5/21/11

Family Pic with Ellis - 5/21/11

Thoughts on the NICU - 3 of 4

2011-10-04T13:00:00.003-05:00

I'm a milking machine!

My very first opportunity to pump came about 10pm, the night that the babies were born. I had been given my pain medicine and also medicine to keep the itching down and I was given the pump (by a nurse I wasn’t real fond of) and was told to pump without much instruction at all. As I sat up that night to begin the process, I nearly lost my lunch (of which I had had nothing to eat for approximately 24 hours at this point). 10 minutes of pumping and I had nothing to show for it. That night is somewhat of a blur expect for nurses coming in to give me medicine, the next morning I had my first consultation with the Lactation Consultant, “LC” and was told the basics of breastfeeding multiples. I was told to pump for 30 minutes every three hours and since my babies were in the NICU this would become my ritual for at least the first 5 weeks of their life. This routine proved to be exhausting as even though I didn’t have babies at home with me, I was still getting up in the middle of the night to pump so that I could maintain my milk supply. The nights when I accidentally slept through one of the alarms were nice in that I got more sleep, but bad in that I missed getting that milk. By the 3^rd or 4^th week, I was pumping consistently 6-8oz per session 8 times a day. It was a blessing that my milk was in and was abundant. Thankfully we were stockpiling as the babies were not taking in near what I was able to produce in the beginning (they have definitely caught up, but we still have a healthy supply.) It was not until the 4th week that they were in the NICU that they allowed me to try to breastfeed the babies. The LC came and we set up to breast feed Truett and Ellis separately as that’s what they generally do in the beginning. They took to the breast immediately with a little help from a nipple shield which the LC felt was amazing considering their prematurity. I breast feed them separately each time I went to visit for the next two days. Then on Saturday, a week before they came home, I brought out the Big Bertha of nursing pillows, the Twins/Plus My Brest Friend, which became my Best Friend. Modesty went out the window, and I became the milking machine for my boys. In the beginning, I would nurse them until they would fall asleep which would be maybe 10 or 15 minutes. Then we would work to wake them back up and when they just couldn’t take anymore from me, we would try to give them supplemental milk of 15-20mL. After nursing, I would then pump for an additional 30 minutes because I knew that the babies weren’t emptying me. EXHAUSTING! I tried my best to switch sides that the babies nursed on during each session because I knew that this would be better for my production. It became a game trying to remember who was on what side at what time. Sometimes we just gave up and fed without thinking about it too much. The whole process took an hour and half from start to finish and then it would start all over again in an hour and half. Crazy! The nurses and LC just let me do my thing in the last week that the babies were in the NICU and it was nice because we had a semi private room once I started this breastfeeding venture with the boys. I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but it’s not quite what you envision when you think of breastfeeding.

Daddy burps Truett

Daddy burps Ellis

Ellis' milk coma

This process has changed for the better now that the boys are getting older and we have fallen into a routine. When first brought the boys home I was breastfeeding as much as I could so that they could maintain their ability to latch on. They did great, but I was again exhausted because of the supplemental milk, and pumping afterward routine. By about the 4^th week of being at home with the boys, I started pumping almost exclusively since my in-laws were in town. It was about this time that they started just breastfeeding once a day and then taking bottles (of expressed milk) the rest of the time. It was a life-saver, since there were lots of hands at the house and the boys could be fed while I was pumping and we knocked out two birds with one stone. This actually helped prepare me for going back to work since I knew that I wouldn’t be able to breastfeed the boys at work, it got me into the routine of breastfeeding once per day (sometimes twice) and pumping the rest of the time. They do great when the breastfeed now and actually I think that they get even more than when they take a bottle because they are always spitting up afterward. I’ve set goals for myself in the breastfeeding season that I am in and I’m about to make it to the 4 month goal. The next goal is 6 months and I’ll just play it by ear from there. I must take it one day at a time as it can start to get overwhelming.

It was during this time that Netflix and Facebook became my companions. I needed something to do to occupy the time while I was pumping or breastfeeding and I found several shows to fill that time. I have now watched all of Accidentally on Purpose, Samantha Who?, Drop Dead Diva (season 1) and Friday Night Lights (Seasons 1-4). I’m currently working on season 5 of FNL. I know that there are better things that I could fill my time with, but it just became a habit. Now that I’m working, my pumping time is filled with reading my Kindle or taking a much needed nap.

The last post should be educational for all who have ever wondered what it takes to be discharged from the NICU.

Thoughts on the NICU - 2 of 4

2011-10-03T13:00:00.012-05:00

A day in the life of a NICU momma...

Truett

Ellis

For the first week of the babies’ life, I slept at the hospital. I was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, May 25^th, but was actually allowed to stay on “courtesy” stay an additional 48 hours. You wouldn’t think that anyone would actually want to stay at the hospital, but I was just fine there. I was just one floor up from my babies and I could come and go from my room just as I pleased and I didn’t have any nurses checking on me every 4-6 hours. It was like a sterile hotel and I loved it. So while I was in the hospital for the first week, we went to see the babies every chance we could. Usually the first morning feeding at 8am, then 11am, 2pm, 5pm and 8pm. Sometimes we would skip the afternoon or late morning feeding just because we needed to take a nap, but it was a great blessing to be so close to the babies and to see their progress in the first week.

I learned the morning after the boys were born, the rules of the NICU. We would get buzzed into the NICU just by telling our name, and we definitely became a fixture after being there for 5 weeks. Once you got in, you put your stuff up, hand the pumped milk off to a nurse to put in the refrigerator and get ready to scrub in, 3 minutes (there was a timer) from your fingertips to your elbows. There was no jewelry allowed in the NICU because that could carry bacterial which could in turn be passed to the babies (I broke this rule the first week.) After scrubbing in, I would always use the antibacterial hand sanitizer. Not only were we to use this when we first came in, but also when you handled a different baby and after every time that you left, you were told to use the hand sanitizer. This took the place of having to wash every time you switched babies. Speaking of washing hands, one critical piece of information I learned the first day was that you must go to the restroom before you come to the NICU, because there was no restrooms inside. If you did end up needing to go to the restroom while inside, you would have to go through 4 doors to get to the lobby to go and then start the whole process over again. Get buzzed in and then re-scrub in. So lesson learned, take care of business before entering the NICU.

Ellis

Truett

There was a limit of 2 people per baby and one had to be a parent at all times. We were labeled as parents at all times with the hospital bracelets that matched the boys. I was given these bracelets before I was even wheeled out of the OR after my surgery. We wore those bracelets religiously for 5 weeks straight and boy were they nasty when we finally took them off. We were fortunate in that, we had two little boys, so we could technically get 4 people (including ourselves) in at all times. In the beginning of their stay in the NICU, it was a little annoying because the boys were actually in separate beds across the room from each other. So if we had visitors with us, then a parent had to be with each of the boys. When the doctor would make his rounds, which often happened while we were there the first week, we would each hear the results for one baby. By the end of the second week, we were moved to one bed, so we could be with each other and both of the boys. So nice. We were still in the open area of the NICU, so we didn’t have much privacy, but we did have both boys in the same crib. Once we were stable and on our way to going home (a week and half before we left), they moved us into one of the 3 private rooms in the NICU. This was by far the best arrangement because it was somewhat secluded and we didn’t feel as exposed to the rest of the NICU.

Truett & Ellis

Starting on Saturday May 28, I began going to the hospital 3 times a day. I split my up and went to the hospital at 8am, 2pm and 8pm. The boys were on different feeding schedules, so that the nurses would be able to feed them one after another. Ellis was feed on the half hours at 830, 230, and 830 and Truett was fed on the hour at 9, 3 and 9. Obviously, they were also fed at 11 and 5 and during the night, but these were the best times for us to be there. The second week that they were in the hospital, Zach was still off from Home Depot, so he was able to go with me on Tuesday and Thursday. He had had gone back to his design job though so he couldn’t come during the day on MWF, so my mom took me. We would park in the Expecting/New Mother parking daily (a nice perk) and make our way to see the babies. Once inside, we would watch the nurses as they did their assessment: measuring the belly, drawing any residual from the NG tube, checking the measurement of the NG tube, and checking the soft spot. Then, they would allow us to take the temp, and change the diaper. Then, it was time to feed. I would usually get Ellis ready and hand him off to be held by my mom or whoever came with me during his NG tube feed, while I got Truett ready for his feeding. Since their tummies were so tiny, they were being fed over an hour through the Gavage system, which is a machine that compresses a syringe over a period of time. If we weren’t able to stay for the full hour, then we wouldn’t hold them because the nurses didn’t really like the babies to be jostled while feeding. Once they were done feeding, we would hold them for a little bit, and then put them back in bed to rest until the next time.

During the time that I wasn’t at the hospital, I was usually pumping or eating. I took my breaks from the hospital during the lunch and dinner time hours, so it gave me ample time to get some things done like take a nap, or accept the food that was being delivered to our house by the many different friends and family who had signed up on the care calendar. One night after being at the hospital, Zach and I decided to stop by Mickey D’s, for a snack and we tried the Frozen Strawberry Lemonade. We were hooked. I can’t remember how many I had, but during the time the boys were in the hospital we had quite a few. Even after they came home, we were still hooked because it was so hot this summer.

It is possible to breastfeed and have babies in the NICU... it's just not easy. Keep watch for the next post.

Thoughts on the NICU - 1 of 4

2011-10-02T16:00:00.002-05:00

Since we are 19 weeks into this adventure with twins, I need to get my thoughts on paper (blogger) about our 5 week stay in the NICU. We have been home with the boys for 14 weeks now and our world has changed, and it’s definitely for the better. Our little boys are the sweetest and cutest little boys that I have ever met, but I might be biased. Now on to my thoughts…

The other day, I was reading the blog of a friend of a friend of a friend. I got pretty deep into this girl’s blog because she shared almost the same story as me except that she had triplets. It was pretty amazing how much of the same sentiments that she had that she had put on paper that she somewhat inspired me (without even knowing it) to put my story down. It was a definite learning process.

I went into the hospital knowing that I would not come home until I had the babies and also knowing that once I had the babies that would have a stay in the NICU. I didn’t know how long that stay would be, but I knew that the babies would not be strong enough to make it home with me the day or even a week after they were born. It gave me a feeling of inadequacy since I wasn’t able to care for my babies on my own immediately. It’s hard to be a parent or even grasp the concept of being a parent when you aren’t actually caring for your own babies.

On the other hand of this inadequacy is opportunity. We were able to learn so much from the nurses that were caring for our babies that we would not have known if we had been able to take our babies home with us. I am actually very thankful for the time that the babies spent in the hospital because I was able to make a full recovery from my c-section before they came home. I’m not sure how I would have been able to care for both babies and recover myself had I brought them home immediately after birth. Ultimately, I think that the LORD prepared us by allowing us to have excellent nurses caring for Truett and Ellis for the first 5 weeks of their life.
It was such an eye opening experience to be in the NICU. We were obviously not the only parents seeing their babies in the hospital on a daily basis. We actually got to know the two other twin parents while we would scrub in daily. We could cheer each other on as we each got closer to our goals of going home. We also got to see some very somber times in the NICU that no one would want to experience. I will never forget the day that the nurses called me at home to tell me that the NICU was on lockdown and would be until further notice. I knew that it was because of an incident with a baby that I had witnessed earlier in the day. When we came back that night and realized that the baby wasn't there, our hearts were heavy for the family. I give thanks to the Lord for blessing us with happy and healthy babies who just needed a little jump start in life by a stay in the NICU.

Stay tuned for the next installment of our NICU stay...

4 months old - September 21, 2011

2011-09-25T15:12:00.000-05:00

The boys turned 4 months old this past week! My how the time has flown by. They shared their 4 month birthday with their Daddy's 31st birthday. It was a special day for all of my men. The boys gave their dad a special gift of tickets to the Rangers game on Friday night. I bought tickets for Zach since we have missed out on our Rangers games this year due to some very special little boys. The last one that we went to was in April the week before I went on bedrest.

So in honor of their gift to their dad, they wore their Rangers gear for their photo shoot. I was glad that they were able to wear this gear since the morning of Ellis had a huge blowout and got his outfit dirty. Thanks to Daddy's washing skills it was clean for our photos.

Truett (L) and Ellis (R)

Ellis

This week Ellis really found his sense of humor. The day before his birthday, Zach really got him giggling good. He was giggling so hard at his daddy pulling his shirt over his head and waving his hands around like a silly man. He also made some growling sounds at them to get them going. Truett was slightly scared of the growling though and even got a very worried look on his face like he was about to cry. We're going to have to work on Truett's giggle.

Truett

Truett really is a happy baby, you just wouldn't know it with this picture. He was caught at the right time for a mug shot. He was the first to smile for us and now he's working on his little personality.

Truett (L) and Ellis (R)

So not only did Zach get Rangers tickets for his birthday, but I got him this really cool ring called The Gear Ring. Zach had shown this to me last year and I had considered getting it for him for his graduation, but decided on something else. I figured that now would be a good time. He really likes it even thought I completely got the wrong size. We're shipping it out the week to get that issue resolved. It has gears that actually work and I thought that it was perfect for my creative husband.

The boys went to their 4 month checkup on September 22, and did wonderful getting their third round of shots. Such big little guys. Here are their stats for 4 months old:

Truett Reid
12 lb 8 oz (10%)
23.5 in long (5%)
42.75 cm head circumference (63%)

Ellis Jay
12 lb 15 oz (15%)
23.25 in long (4%)
42 cm head circumference (45%)

Apparently, our little men are small with huge heads. The great thing is that they made it on the charts for their age group. Since they were 8 weeks premature that's a big accomplishment. Their weight is looking really good. Their looking pretty short for their height, but this could just be a hereditary gene that they have picked up from their momma. We'll see as the years go on. Overall, their doctor was really impressed with their growth and told us to keep up the good work. Our next big thing will be starting rice cereal at 5 months old. Looking forward to that day!

Ellis (L) and Truett (R)

Truett (L) and Ellis (R)

We're really proud of how far Truett and Ellis have come over the last 4 months and can't wait for the months to come!

3 months old - August 21, 2011

2011-09-20T21:58:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, our little men will be 4 months old. Can't believe that the time has flown by so fast. Must post the 3 month pictures before tomorrow, when these won't be relevant anymore.

These pictures were taken after church after having lunch at our friends house. They were ready for their afternoon snack and nap. We're still pretty much stuck to our schedule of 3 hours during the day and we are going about 6 consecutive hours at night. Some nights they surprise us and go longer, but those are few and far between. We will begin to train them to sleep all night starting this weekend. Hoping it goes well.

Most of these events actually happened in their 4th month of life, but they are worth noting. The boys began to be much better at holding their heads up and not being so bobble headish. They are really recognizing people now by greeting them with a smile. They are growing like crazy and Ellis still remains in the lead. We'll find out their 4 month weights on Thursday, but I know that Ellis weighs 12lbs from his first "sick" baby visit to the doctor last week.

Truett (L) and Ellis (R)

We have not mastered sitting up against something as you can tell, but they are tolerating their bumbo seats and enjoy playing on their playmats. The boys made their first trip to Sunday School on August 28th and they loved it. See the smile on Truett's face below. Their teachers tell us that they are the sweetest and best little boys. I'd have to agree.

They started smiling at about 3 months, or their adjusted age of 6 weeks. Must remember that these boys were 8 weeks early, so we can't judge ourselves on the normal scale for babies. My mom was able to capture this great picture of Truett's smile while she was keeping them during the first couple weeks I was back at work. We have a little different arrangement now that Daddy is looking for a job again. KK only has to keep the boys on Tuesdays and Thursdays while Daddy is at Home Depot. We're hoping that a job will come soon.

If only I could have held my camera in the right place, I would have had a great picture of Ellis' smile on our first road trip to Marion, AR. We made our first road trip on Labor Day weekend. It wasn't so bad except for having to pack what seemed like the entire house. It was trip that needed to be done though as there were lots of people for the boys to meet.

They met their great-grandparents on Zach's dad's side. Grandma and Grandpa were so excited to meet these little boys and we were so thankful that they could make the trip from Jonesboro to see them.

Their other great grandmother, Mimi (Zach's mom's mom) was excited to see her great grandsons again. Mimi came to visit them when they came home from the hospital, while I was still home from work.

Ellis (L) and Truett (R)

They also met their first cousin, Leona. Leona was born on the same day that we stayed in the hospital to prepare to bring the boys home. We came home with our babies on the same and they are exactly 5 weeks apart.

Ellis, Leona, and Truett

Can't believe how far we have come since their days in the hospital. Looking forward to the months to come and cherishing the moments that we have had so far!

2 Months Old - July 21, 2011

2011-08-22T21:21:00.000-05:00

Ellis is laying on Truett

Truett and Ellis

Now that the boys are three months old I should tell you about their two month appointment...

We went to the doctor on their two month birthday and they got their shots. It was a relief to finally get their shots and then to let people hold them at church. It's somewhat of a milestone to accomplish. I was unsure how the boys would take the shots, but then again they were used to being poked and prodded while they were in the NICU. Thankfully, our doctor gave the boys tylenol before even giving the shots. The boys were actually really good with the shots. They cried so hard in the beginning you couldn't even hear the cry and their little faces turned beat red, but other than that they were not fussy the rest of the day.

The doctor continues to be impressed with their strength as preemies. For being 8 weeks early, they have incredible head strength and he feels that they will close the gap between their developmental and chronological age fast. Not sure how fast that will be, but we'll just take each day at a time.

They were weighed at their two month appointment....

Truett was 7lb 12oz and Ellis was 8 lb 5 oz. They are growing so fast and now that they are almost 3 months old, I believe that they are pushing 10 lbs for sure. It's pretty crazy to think that they were only 4lb 1oz and 4lb 12oz when they were born.

Our next doctor appointment is at 4 months. Can't wait to see how much they have changed by then.

Ellis waiting for the inevitable shots

"yummy Tylenol," says Ellis.

My face is as red as a tomato - Ellis

Truett preparing for his shots

Truett taking it all in... ouch!

Ellis recovering...

Truett recovering from the trauma

As a side note, these little outfits that they are wearing no longer fit. They were newborn outfits. We are now wearing 0-3 and 3 month outfits. Thanks to our friends Andrew and Benjamin we haven't really had to buy any clothes. Our other twin friends, Mary and Amelia were born today, exactly 3 months younger than Truett and Ellis. So excited for all these little ones to grow up with lots of playmates.

Coming Home...

2011-08-03T20:49:00.000-05:00

So we have been home for 5 weeks now, I thought it was about time to post something about our coming home day. We were told just after they turned 1 month old that we would be coming home on Sunday, June 26th. So on Saturday, June 25th, we prepared to "room in" at the hospital. Saturday morning, Zach and I got up early to go to the hospital for their 8am feeding time. Then we had our last meal without children after that at IHOP. We would have gone out on Saturday night before rooming in, but Zach had to work 11am-8pm. It was a perfect meal. Saturday afternoon, I went back to the hospital at 2pm for their feeding and then my sister and I ran to Target sans kiddos for one last time. We ran in to our favorite nurse, Lisa at Target where she was actually buying us a coming home present. So sweet!

We got to the hospital to room in at 8pm and started the process of their nightly weigh in and feeding. Then they moved us into the hospital "hotel room" where we were then in charge of the babies. It was such a strange feeling to be in charge of the boys all on our own and to be able to pick them up and carry them across the room without any cords attached. It was a very freeing experience. We nursed them every three hours and when I say we, I mean it took Zach's help to nurse them because I couldn't get them positioned to feed at the same time without his hands. Lisa was our nurse for the night, and was very helpful in coming in to check on us and making sure that we were up to feed the boys at the right times. We missed getting to say goodbye because we were fortunately sleeping at 7am during shift change. It was a long night, only the first of many long nights, but it was successful and very rewarding to know that they were finally strong enough to come home.

Nurse Lisa and Shavondra

We loved the nurses that we had at the NICU. Couldn't have asked for better care for our boys. These two nurses were pretty special to us because we had them several times. Lisa was our nurse when the boys were first admitted to the NICU, so it was extra special to have her on our coming home day.

Truett Reid - 6lb 2oz

Ellis Jay - 6lb 11oz

On Saturday night, June 25th, the Truett and Ellis weighed in at 6lb 2 oz and 6lb 11oz, respectively. They were both exactly two pounds over their birth weight in 5 weeks time. Big boys!

We strapped them into their carseats for the first time that Sunday morning and headed home around 11am. This was the last time that we would have to be buzzed in to the NICU doors and wash up for 3 minutes. What a relief!!

When we got home, we were a little lost as to what we should do, so putting them in their beds seemed to be the best option. They hung out there for a little bit and then they moved to their bouncy seats.

Truett

Ellis

Truett and Ellis

We spent the first couple of days in a daze. Fortunately, Zach didn't go into work that Monday and we were able to begin to adjust to life with twin boys. Our first outing with the boys was on Wednesday after they came home. We made our first trip to the pediatrician to get our checkup. This was the first time that we met our pediatrician since the consultation I had scheduled hadn't to be cancelled since they came early. We were given a great report at that time and in a matter of 4 days the boys had gained 5 oz each. I was thrilled that the breastfeeding was working and that the boys were growing and healthy. The doctor was so impressed that he told us to just schedule an appointment for their two month checkup instead of the next week like he would normally with premature babies. So we scheduled our next appointment for 3 weeks after that on July 21st, their two month bday. What a great beginning to our life with these two precious little boys!!

The Nursery Unveiled!

2011-06-24T12:14:00.000-05:00

Now that the boys are about to come home from the NICU, it's time to unveil the nursery. It's complete. The finishing touches were put on it this week and I'm so excited to show this off to everyone.

When you first walk into the room, there is the repurposed bulletin board and book slings made from IKEA fabric. The idea for the book slings came from here. This will be used for the most often read books. Thank you to Sarah and Camryn Kirksey for making us a welcome sign. They are so ready to be home.

Ellis' crib is on the far wall. My thought was to put them in birth order as far as the cribs go. Our cribs are Baby Mod - Modena from Walmart.com. We used white sheets and bumpers because I wanted a very clean look. Zach painted the room with Behr Citron paint color. I love that it's so bright and cheery! He also installed the crown molding that you see with a little help from my dad and his dad. I think that it looks great! My mom had the baby quilts machine-quilted and then she sewed the binding on. They are beautiful! We used IKEA fabric for the quilts. Ellis has the Charlotta Block (Cityscape) side showing and Truett has the Charlotta Teckning (cartoon) side. She also made the bed skirts from Ikea fabric.

I saw this cool room on Ohdeedoh that had a set of lockers in it and Zach really liked the idea. So he went on the hunt for a set of lockers. We had found some at the antique store that we frequent, but they were way out of our price range. So he found a single locker on Craigslist in the Dallas area that were in pretty bad shape and then he restored them. This is perfect for us to store blankets, towels and sheets in, since we are pretty low on space in this little room. We have displayed on top of the locker: Zach's Rangers batting helmet and our picture from the last Rangers game that we went to (while I was still pregnant).

We framed all the pictures in their room in these white frames that we picked up at IKEA. These two hang above Ellis' bed. The one on the left is a piece of wrapping paper that we found when we were in Taos, NM a year and a half ago. If you look real close, it's different "spanish" phrases such as El Beatnick, El Ice Cream, and La Lawn Butt. We thought it was funny! The city monster picture came from a store called We are 1976 that Zach went to while he was in his design classes at school.

Moving to Truett's side of the room, we picked up the folding chair from our favorite little antique store here in Lewisville, Groovy Treasures. We recovered the seat of the chair since it had a big tear in it, but I think that it looks great in the boy's room. The "t" and "e" hooks came from two different places, I found the E in a little Boutique in Marion, AR (Zach's hometown) and then I had to order the T online. I had no idea what color the T would be when I ordered it and thankfully it turned out that it was green as well! It matched perfectly! They are made from old tin cans like a Barbasol can. Loved them. I hung the babies coming home outfits on the hooks. My great friend, Suzanne had these little outfits monogrammed for the boys and I can't wait to put them on them on Sunday when they come home!

This picture hanging above Truett's bed is what gave me the original inspiration for the room. I wanted something fun for the room, but nothing themey. We got this print from the Ft. Worth Main Street Arts Festival last year from artist, Larry Stephenson's booth. I love that it's vintage toys and Superman, both things that I believe our boys will grow to love.

Now to the window wall, again we are limited on space in this little room, so Zach's solution was to build a shelving unit around the windows. It's wonderful and allows us to stores lots of things! We have all the books displayed here as well as the sock monkey's given to the boys from Zach's mom (we're still unsure what we're going to call her.) The green bins on the top shelves are from Target. We have the football Popple that was mine as a child and Zach's Mr. PotatoHead. On the second shelf from the top on the left side is this really cool Dinosaur rock that my sister got for the boys from FAO Schwatz in NY. They will love it once they are able to play with it. On the shelves in line with the dresser are the covered milk crates that I made to hold our toys and diapers. We bought the dresser at the little antique store from the Retro Revival dealer. It was a great deal and we love how it fits perfectly under the window in the room!

Here's a little better view of the dresser. It has 9 drawers and fits all of the boys "current" clothes perfectly!

And finally here's a pictures of the shelves with the IKEA lamps turned on. I love how this back lights the big E that we found for Ellis. We are still looking for the perfect T for Truett.

Everything is ready and we can't wait to bring the boys home!!!

Happy 1 Month Birthday!!

2011-06-23T23:01:00.000-05:00

The Shirley boys turned 1 month old on Tuesday. It's been a whirlwind of a month running back and forth to the hospital and I'm proud to say that that journey is almost over. On their one month birthday, we made it to the next milestone in the NICU which is taking all nipple feedings whether by bottle or breast. I knew that it would only be a matter of time before they would start talking about discharge after that. So we came in to see the boys yesterday morning (June 23rd) and they immediately started talking about discharge. We were told to bring their little outfits for their hospital pictures, signed consent for their circumcisions & Hep B vaccines and also bring their car seats in for a car seat study. They also told us that we would be rooming in on Saturday night (June 25th) and going home on Sunday 5 weeks after they were born. We've been waiting for this day for what seems like forever, and it's finally here! Can't wait to bring you home and show you off to all our friends! Tired of just talking about these precious little boys!

Truett Reid

Ellis Jay

Happy First Father's Day!

2011-06-20T06:28:00.001-05:00

Our boys were 4 weeks old on Saturday, and they are continuing to grow and learn everyday. We learned how to breastfeed on Thursday and Saturday we tried out and were successful at tandem breastfeeding. They did a super job! The lactation consultants were so impressed with how well both of them did. Saturday night after having had a long day of trying new things: Ellis weighed 6lb 9oz and Truett was 5lb 15oz. Hopefully today they will bump up their feedings to 6-8 bottles or nursing a day. That will mean they are that much closer to coming home.

Yesterday was Zach's first father's day and I'd say the boys treated him to a pretty good day. When we got to the NICU yesterday morning, these cards were there waiting for daddy. Truett and Ellis are already so talented that they could make cards!

We went to church with my family and then to eat "fish" per Zach's request at Joe's crab shack. For his first fathers day, he bought his own gift of a new (to him) Eames style recliner for the bedroom. It came from our favorite little antique store up the street from our house. The boys and I also got his diploma framed and some baseball onesies for them so that daddy can show off his boys in style.

The boys are already smitten with their daddy and their daddy is doing wonderful job being a loving and supportive husband and father! After only 4 weeks of being a father, I'm so proud of Zach Shirley and I can't wait for the years to come with our boys!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Birth Story - May 21, 2011

2011-06-11T11:02:00.000-05:00

So as not to keep you waiting any longer (since it's already been 3 weeks), here is the birth story of Truett and Ellis.

On Friday, May 20th, I worked a full day in my recliner doing the usual bedrest thing that I had been doing for the previous three weeks. I called it quits on my laptop around 5 and waited for Zach to get home and then our friend Angela was bringing dinner to us. We started watching a movie shortly before she arrived and when she came we talked for a long while about the progress of the babies as well as the progress of her baby. She brought us a great dinner of pot roast, mashed potatoes and veggies. She also brought us a sweet treat of graham cracker mini pies filled with strawberries and blueberries with whipped topping. Once she left, I made my plate and decided to wait a couple of hours to eat my dessert because I didn't want to go overboard with my diabetes. So Zach and I finished watching our movie "When in Rome" and then we watched some of the Ranger game and about 915pm I got up to get my dessert. Before I ate my dessert, I went to the bathroom and I got a little concerned because I just felt like I didn't have control of my bladder. I called my mom and I called Shevawn and was unsuccessful in getting in touch with them. When I finished in the bathroom, I came out to eat my dessert and I felt like I was leaking. I went to the bathroom again and again and I just knew that something was up and since I couldn't get a hold of my mom, I called the on-call doctor. He obviously couldn't confirm anything over the phone and so he suggested that we go to Labor & Delivery. So Zach hurriedly packed my hospital bag (because we had no idea how long we would be there) and I finished eating my dessert all the while I felt like I was leaking.

We left for the hospital about 10:30pm and I was admitted by 11:30pm. My parents met us at the hospital since I was able to get ahold of my mom after talking to the on-call doctor. The L&D nurse wasn't able to get in touch with doctor for a long time, so all they did when I was initally admitted was check to see if I was truly leaking amniotic fluid. They also hooked me up to the monitors for me and both babies. It wasn't until almost 1:30am that they finally had orders from the doctor that came on at 7am to start me on fluids and a round of antibiotics in case there was an infection that had caused me my water to leak. So Zach and I settled in for the night and were under the impression that we would be at the hospital for the long-haul based on what the nurses and doctors had said.

The doctor saw me that morning around 7am to tell me that they were ordering no food or drink for me just in case something might happen in that day. He also told me that they intended to keep me pumped full of fluids and sustain me and the babies for at least two more weeks (I was exactly 32 weeks on Saturday, May 21st.). So Zach hung out with me that morning and my sister showed up that morning to hang out as well. My parents came up around 11am to see how I was doing before heading out of town to Tyler for a cousin's graduation party. We were all under the impression that I wasn't going anywhere for a good long while and so everyone went on about their business. I called several friends to let them know what was going on, but I didn't post anything on Facebook because I didn't want to cause a big stir.

I called my friend, Amanda, and she happened to be in Lewisville that day. She was excited to come up and see me because I had been one of the first people to see her when both of her children were born. Amanda showed up around 12:30 and hung out with me and my sister went to grab lunch. Zach had gone home to get showered and ready for work and then he came back about 2:30 to see me before going to work at 3pm. I told him to be on high alert in case something did happen though I was still under the impression that nothing would. I remember at about 3pm that my contractions didn't feel too great, but they were definitely bearable. I decided to get up to go to the bathroom at that time thinking that it would make them feel better. So I got back in bed after that and they didn't feel any better, they actually started getting worse. Amanda was then glued to the monitor watching when they would reach above a 10 and would cheer for me. I didn't really feel like cheering, but she was enthralled with watching the monitor. I was having contraction very regularly (1-2 minutes apart) and they were getting to be pretty uncomfortable. Yet still not what I would call intense pain. My sister was back by this time and the nurse, Clara, came to check on me again at 4pm. When I told her that my contractions were hurting, she called the doctor. The doctor told her to check me (which I might add, this was the first time that they checked me because they didn't want to disturb anything since they were trying to sustain me. I have no idea if I was effaced or dialated when I came in on Friday night.) and when she did check I was 3cm dialated. She called the on-call doctor back and within minutes she was back in the room telling me that the doctor would be here in 30 minutes and they would be performing a c-section. Amanda promptly asked what the timing would be for me and the nurse replied that they would prep me now, and the C-Section would happen within 30 minutes. Oh MY!

Me on operating table.

Lisa called Zach on my phone several times until he finally answered and told him that he needed to be there now. He had to excuse himself from some customers because he knew that it was obviously important. He high-tailed it out of Home Depot and made it to the hospital in no time (it helps that it's only 5 minutes from the store to the hospital.) He called his parents on the way to the hospital to let them know that it was happening now and that they needed to get in the car and head to Dallas. She also called my parents to tell them, and they promptly turned the car around and headed for home (since they were about to stop at my uncle's house). Zach arrived at the hospital about 4:45pm and the anesthesiologist was discussing with me what would go on in the OR. Next thing I knew, I was being wheeled into the OR, and they were preparing me for an epidural. This was actually the part that I was fearing the most because I knew that it was a really big needle. It really wasn't that big of a deal though. The part that hurt the most was the numbing medicine before the actual epidural. They brought Zach in as they were started the surgery and he stood at my head watching the whole thing happen. The anesthesiologist was my best friend in the OR because he talked through the whole procedure and would let me know when I would feel lots of pressure and tugging. It was all very surreal! Within minutes it seems of the start of the surgery I heard a crying baby, Truett and then not long after that another crying baby, Ellis. They were whisked away to the cribs in the room and were tended to by the NICU nurses and neonatologist. They were intubated immediately and they showed them to me in their little incubators before they were taken away to the NICU. They finished up with me and then I realized that my husband was gone, apparently he goes with the babies when they are taken to the NICU. I was done with surgery and wheeled into recovery by 6pm. Soon followed by Zach, and then, my parents showed up by 6:20pm. My sister had to hold down the fort in the L&D room all by herself while I was in surgery. Talk about a whirlwind!

Truett

Ellis

After surgery, I called lots of people to let them know the news and Jason & Jacquie came to see me while I was still in recovery. I remember thinking that the L&D bed wasn't so bad anymore now that I was numb from the chest down. I hung out in L&D recovery until 8pm, when they then wheeled me through the NICU to see my boys before taking me up to my post-partum room. I don't remember too much about that first night seeing them in the NICU, but I do remember thinking that this was all just unreal. I couldn't believe that it had happened and happened so fast, but I had two perfect little boys. After getting to the post-partum room, I was really itchy (from all the anesthesia) and they gave me some benadryl-like medicine. At that time, Mark and Shevawn had come to visit and it was all I could do to keep my eyes open while Shevawn and I talked. I was so glad to see all our friends though, but sad because I didn't have my babies to show them. Zach and I then slept (as well as possible) through the night and went to see the boys in the morning. And thus began, my ritual of going to the NICU daily on May 21st.

Truett Reid Shirley was born at 5:23pm and weighed 4lbs 1oz and was 17 inches long (they at first told us 15 inches long.)

Ellis Jay Shirley was born at 5:25pm and weighed 4lbs 12oz and was 18 inches long.

Waiting for babies...

2011-05-18T07:46:00.010-05:00

Now that my showers are over, I guess it's time that I post the maternity pictures that my dear friend, Amanda took of us. We did this back in March during her spring break and I'm so glad that we did because if we had waited until now then I wouldn't be able to take pictures. Here are our favorites...

Double the Pleasure, Double the Fun!

2011-05-18T07:20:00.017-05:00

On Sunday, May 15th, I made it to another milestone in this pregnancy. I made it to my church shower!! Ever since going on bedrest, I have felt unsure as to when the babies would come and I was afraid I wasn't going to make it to this special day. But I told these lovely ladies as long as a)I haven't had the babies, and b) I am not on hospital bedrest, then I will be at the shower. My doctor gave me her blessing to go when I went to see her last Thursday, and so I'm so glad that it all worked out!

Shevawn hosted the "Perfect Pair" shower at her home with the help of Monique, Renae, Casey, Cassie, Sarah and Erin. It was so good to be showered by these ladies and to see all the other guests that made it to the shower. It has been a long three weeks of not being able to go to church.

The decorations were absolutely perfect even though I didn't really get to see them. I am seeing them all by way of the pictures that my sister and Renae took. I didn't really take a tour of the decorations before I plopped myself down on the couch to resume my bedrest position.

I invited a couple of people who were unable to attend my last shower and of course, my mom and sister were there to see all the wonderful gifts that Truett and Ellis were given.

Shevawn and I, what a great hostess she was!
Amanda and I... a great picture of us since it has been a long time since we have taken a picture together. I was so blessed to have her there with Lane. Lane wondered how we were going to "wash" the babies since they would be so small. Amanda had to explain that the babies aren't even here yet and that a shower is where you give gifts to the babies.

We were so blessed by everyone at Riverside... we were given many of the essentials such as our diaper genie, our bumper pads, a Bumbo seat, our activity mats and some travel booster seats. I was also given some very special handmade presents. I'm so excited about all of the presents though and being able to use them for the boys.

Bethany Cassity's sister makes these awesome hooded towels for little ones. She gave me green ones with a strip of cute dinosaur fabric. So cute! You can find her sister's shop at yellowdaydesigns.etsy.com.

These beautiful little sweaters were hand crochetted by Joan Harris. So special and I am so excited for the boys to be able to wear them around Christmas time!

My friend, Courtney makes cute little diaper cakes and she made two peas in a pod for me.
My friend, Amy had her friend monogram these precious burp clothes for the boys. I love them and then are so our style!

And the boys were given their first pairs of shoes. So cute!! Can't wait to put their little newborn feet into these!

Overall the shower was double the pleasure, double the fun! Just as the parting gifts said! Thank you so much Riverside ladies for making this an extra special day for me and the Shirley boys. Can't wait to introduce these little boys to all of you who have made an impact on our lives in the past two years!

30 weeks 7 days

2011-05-13T11:40:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow marks 31 weeks for me and the boys. We are doing good this week. Enjoying the view outside today as it's beautiful with not a cloud in the sky, unlike earlier this week.

This week has been productive for me as far as working from home goes. Zach has also been productive in the babies room... the built in shelves are almost done. The final finishing touches will be done today and then the only piece of construction left will be to put up the crown molding around the room! Then it will be time to start organizing everything!! Definitely a good feeling considering I have no idea when these babies will come.

Yesterday was my visit to the specialist. It's been two weeks since my last appointment when she put me on bedrest. Thankfully, everything looked great. My cervix is at about the same place that it was two weeks ago which is great because that means that bedrest is doing its job! I actually lost 6 pounds since my last visit two weeks ago. Crazy. I don't really get it except that it's possible that I was extremely swollen at that visit and carrying a lot of water weight. Ever since being in the hospital two weeks ago, I haven't been swollen and my ankles are fully visible. It's a good feeling! Though I lost weight, the babies each gained a pound in two weeks.

Baby A is measuring 4lb 8oz (92% percentile) and Baby B (97% percentile) is measuring 4lb 12 oz. I grow big babies... they are about two and a half weeks ahead in their sizes for their gestational age.

The doctor was so pleased with their growth that at my next appointment she will just check my cervical length and not do the growth check on the babies. So here's to making it two more weeks until that appointment! I do have an appointment with my OB this coming Tuesday. So I go to the doctor every week now, it's just one or the other.

I have had several visitors this week and my dad has been taking care of me on the days that Zach had to work. My dad came over to make breakfast on Tuesday and Wednesday, since my mom was needed to work at Technology this week. My dad also graciously took Derby dog to the vet on Wednesday in the pouring rain because he needed his bi-annual checkup and he was itching like crazy. Derby didn't sleep a wink on Tuesday night because he was itching and scratching so bad. He had welts all over his under side. The vet gave us a steroid and an antibiotic for the pup because he had had an allergic reaction to something... most likely a bug bite or sting. We have no idea what, but he's much more like himself now.

This weekend, I'm looking forward to my church shower on Sunday afternoon! After that, I'm just taking it day by day!

First Mother's Day

2011-05-10T17:58:00.005-05:00

First of all, I want to say that Zach treated me to a great first Mother's Day considering I couldn't really do anything but sit in the recliner. I wanted to post a better picture of me here at 30 weeks. I at least put makeup on and fixed my hair on Mother's Day. Tried to make the best of the fact that I'm on bedrest.

I thought it was only appropriate that Zach and I get a picture on my first mother's day. The boys sandwiched in between us... it's probably how it will be for years to come as well. (BTW, this was one of the few times that I was up during the day, probably again on one of my many trips to the potty.)

Reading my first Mother's Day card, Zach had to modify it to work for twins. I have a feeling that will be the case with all cards relating to this holiday. It makes it more special when you have to think about the card and how it will work for you.

I really had no clue what Zach was going to get me for Mother's Day, since I hadn't really asked for anything. He was thinking ahead of things that would keep me occupied during this bedrest time, so he got me a Kindle. No more reading real paper books.... now I can buy them wirelessly and save a lot of space. It's going to be really cool once I finish all the books that I have in paper. I did buy my first book on Mother's Day, Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers. It's a story of the women in Jesus' geneology. I had read a couple of the individual books several years ago, but they now how this compilation book so I'm excited to read it.

Here are some belly pics that I forgot/didn't have the chance to post early. Kind of gives a chronology of my belly growth... Here I am at 25 weeks. This is in the boys' room. The room has made a lot more progress since this time, but I won't post final pics until it's finished. At the rate we're going, it might not be finished until after the babies are born.

And here I am at 28 weeks... this was taken just a couple days before I found out that I had to go on bedrest.

First two days this week have been productive as far as working from home. It's definitely slower than I would be at my desk at work because the systems just don't move as fast when you are accessing them remotely. But it's good to be useful!

Last night, the care calendar brought us dinner from Steve & Renae Cates, as well as Alaina. We had plum glazed pork chops with stuffing and salad. It was very yummy! Looking forward to some events this week, Holly brings lunch tomorrow, Bethany Sanders will bring dinner tomorrow night, Shevawn brings lunch on Thursday and Thursday afternoon is my appointment with the specialist. I'm counting down until this time! I'm very anxious to see how big the babies are now and to see what bedrest has done for me in the past two weeks. (BTW, when I went to my OB last week, I measured 40 weeks if I were having one baby. At the time, I was only 28 weeks. Yikes!) Pray for good results!

One week down...

2011-05-06T19:12:00.002-05:00

An update from the recliner. Today marks 30 weeks with my babies and I'm so glad that they are staying put. Apparently the bedrest is doing what it is supposed, though it's not much fun.

Here I am on one of the many trips to the bathroom that I make. That's all that I am supposed to do on bedrest go to the bathroom and take a shower. Otherwise, I have to have other people to help me. Those other people have mostly been my mom and Zach. More so my mom since Zach has been working during the day. I could not have made it through the past week without my mom!!

So last Friday, the first day of bedrest I waited and waited for the doctor to call me so that I could get my steriod injections to help develop these babies little lungs. I ended up going to the hospital Friday evening to get my first injection and then they put me on a magnesium sulfate iv drip in order to stop contractions and also to prevent bleeding on the brain should there be premature birth. Once I sat down in the hospital bed on Friday night, I was not allowed to get up. It was a somewhat miserable first two days of bedrest. I stayed overnight in the hospital with 10 wires hooked up to me and getting lots of medication to take care of the babies. My mom again stayed with me so that Zach could get a good night's sleep before having to go to work on Saturday morning. It was a very restless night of sleep that we both got in the labor and delivery room. Nurses were in and out all night long trying to adjust the monitors on the babies and also taking my blood. I was released from the hospital on Saturday night after I had my second steriod injection. Came home, took a shower to wash the hospital off me and crashed. I was never more thankful for my own bed than after having slept the night in the hospital bed.

Sunday morning, day 3 of bedrest, our sweet friends The McSpadden's brought us breakfast, children's worship and communion. It was a bummer to not be able to go to church, but I have a feeling it's not the first sunday that I won't be there. It was nice to have company and good food!! Part of children's worship, consisted of Claire going in and out of Derby's crate a million times. She had a blast.

When I found out that I was going to be on bedrest, Shevawn immediately setup a care calendar for me. So our first meal come on Monday night again by way of the The McSpadden's. I spent the day sleeping and reading and watching tv. My mom did some laundry and started putting stuff in the babies room that had accumulated all over the house. Monday night, Zach and I were treated to a lovely meal of tri tip roast, green beans and sister schbert's (sp?) rolls. It was very yummy.... though on Monday night I didn't feel so hot. Lots of back pain and pelvic pressure. More than what I had been experiencing beforehand, so finally at 930pm, I called the on-call doctor to see what I should do. It happened to be my doctor on call and she told me to take a warm bath and to come in to see her first thing in the morning. They would work me into the schedule.

So I took my bath, which felt most excellent and made it through the night. I was at the doctor's office (my only trip out of the house this week) by 8:15am on Tuesday morning. They examined me, measured my cervix, and looked at the babies and I found out that I had a bladder infection. Yea me! I most likely got the bladder infection while in the hospital, but I was very relieved to hear that my cervix hadn't changed in length since my appointment with the specialist the previous Thursday. So I got home from the doctor and planted myself again in the recliner. I started on my antibiotic to get rid of this infection and then I waited hoping that I would get a call from my work saying that they had a laptop ready for me to work from home.

Tuesday night. the family came over to eat meatloaf that mom had made. It was a feast.

Wednesday, again it was a waiting day. Watched some tv, read my book, took a nap and waited for a call saying that my laptop was ready. I was able to help my coworkers at least by phone calls get through some of the things that I had left behind. That afternoon, my boss let me know that the laptop was finally ready. She made plans to bring it to me for lunch on Thursday!! YEA! No more burning my vacation days just because I didn't have a laptop to work on. Wednesday night's care calendar brought us dinner courtesey of Allen and Casey Watson and sweet little Michael. They brought a great meal of glazed pork chops, broccoli, salad and my personal favorite pumpkin angel food cake. YUM-O!

Thursday was a big day for me and bedrest. It was the 7 day, so the first official week of bedrest was done. My boss, Suzanne and my coworker Erum came to have lunch with me and bring me the ever-promised laptop. The house was cleaned and straightened thanks to my momma! And when we got the mail that day... this arrived!!!

Zach graduated in December... ya know 6 months ago! This is the second diploma that we have received because the first one was wrong. He was orignally classified with all the liberal arts candidates, but his degree was in fine arts with a major in art. So it is now correct and all it needs a frame! I'm so proud of this little piece of paper. It took a lot of hardwork from my hubby and he endured and is now so happy to be done with it!!

Friday, I was actually able to work the full day since I had my work laptop all set up. It's so nice to be useful to my coworkers and to be plugged in with them on a daily basis. Friday night, Jason and Jacquie were to bring us supper. Jason called early in the afternoon to say that their plans for actually making a meal changed since Jacquie was sick all day. So, Zach and I put in our order for Chili's. A very yummy meal for Friday night!

And that was the end of the first week of bedrest... pretty exciting stuff huh? All from the view of the recliner/couch.

This picture of Derby basically sums up how I feel at the end of everyday! It's hard to imagine that life in a recliner is exhausting. I think it's more so, life growing two babies is exhausting. Here's to at least 4 more weeks of bedrest.

And so it begins...

2011-04-28T20:09:00.001-05:00

This is the last picture you will see of me at my desk at work because today I was told I'm done. Bedrest it is. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to the doctor to get steroid shots to help these little boys develop faster. I'm also going to work out the details so that I can work from home as long as possible. Not what I wanted to hear, but I know it's best for me and these babies.

In other news about the babies, their measurements now at 28 weeks 6 days:
Baby A - 3lbs 9oz
Baby B - 3lbs 12oz
Big babies! They are about two weeks ahead of where I am. Not too bad!

Well I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to post in the next couple of weeks as long as these babies keep cooking.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we make it through these last weeks!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Family & Friends Shower

2011-04-20T17:19:00.018-05:00

Being that we have been in remodel mode for the past who knows how long, I just haven't had the chance to upload the photos from the shower. On April 9th, I had my first shower for the boys and I was 26 weeks at this time. It was at the Lewisville Antique Gallery Tea Room, a little place called Sapphire's. Such a cute little place! This was also where I had my bridal luncheon 5 years ago, so it only seemed appropriate.

One of my best friends, Kristin, offered to throw me a shower back right when she found I was pregnant. We've been through it all together and I'm so thankful that she remains such a great friend to me. So she got to work arranging everything for the shower along with the other hostesses.

Kristin and I, not sure what's up with my squinty eye.

The sign in table (yes, there are two baby books) and hostess gifts.

The beautiful diaper cake which Martha Thetford made

The cupcakes for the sailboat themed party... the invitations said "Ahoy, it's two boys!" How cute!

The hostesses and I - sorry that Mary's face is mostly covered up. Thank you ladies for throwing such an excellent shower for Truett and Ellis. They are so blessed!!

My girlfriends from our Branch small group, I miss seeing these faces every week! Thank you all for coming to the shower, it's so good when we are all able to be together, even if it is for short periods of time!

Amy, my best friend from kindergarten. She and her mom made the trip for the boys shower. Couldn't have imagined it without her!

Getting ready to open the presents, it took almost an hour and half to open all of them.

One of my favorite presents, "My Brest Friend" double nursing pillow. Should be interesting. Looking forward to using it!

The baby bedding that my mom "made." She had them machine quilted and then she sewed the green binding around the edging. I can't wait to see what it looks like in the room, once it's all put together.

The "Easter Bunny," my dad, made an appearance at the party. Only appropriate since at my bridal luncheon which was around Christmas, he came as Santa. He was just getting his practice as the Easter bunny, since he has now worn the costume 2 more times since the shower.

And here's all the family that was there to represent the boys, Marsha, Ganky, Mom and Amy (standing), Mimi (GMIL), Kim (MIL), Dad, me and my sister (sitting). What blessed little boys they will be to come into this family!

It was a great weekend spent with lots of family time. I got a lot of presents and they have yet to be unloaded into the bedroom because there are still a couple of projects that need to be finished in that room.

I am now 27 weeks and 5 days. I just had a doctor appointment this afternoon, and it went well. I'm thankful for the reassurance that the doctor gives me. I will now see a doctor every week, whether it's mine or the specialist. I've been told to take it easy and drink lots of water. I'm trying my best to do that, though tonight was not the best night for that, since I was busy trying to get the house back in order after having our new carpet installed. Every week is an accomplishment, every day for that matter. I just keep praying that these babies stay in for as long as possible. ;-)

Hopefully I'll have another update this week with more progression of the boys room!

A glimpse at 25 weeks

2011-04-06T21:07:00.003-05:00

This week is a hectic one! We are hard at work (and by we, I really mean Zach.) getting the house ready for company this weekend. I wanted to give just a little glimpse of the nursery. It's obviously nowhere near done, but at least the walls are painted. Tonight, Zach finished up painting the ceiling. Now all that's left is touchups as far as painting is concerned. Then we are waiting until our new carpet gets installed before assembling and putting the room together. That won't be until at least April 19th since the carpet was on backorder.

A little bit about the nursery... we chose the color Citron from Behr. I wanted something bright as the room is very small and we are going to have a lot going on in there. We have two white cribs and a mid century antique dresser that will be in there. Zach is also going to build a shelving unit that will go around the sides of the window and across the top. We have a single set of lockers that will be placed in the other corner for storage as well.

There isn't really a theme except that we want it to be crisp, clean and modern. We have several pictures that are framed in white frames from Ikea and my mom is making the bedding which we also found the fabric at Ikea... it's gray and white and the quilts have a green border. I'm excited to get it all put together, but it just seems like there is so much to do before we get to that point!

Today, I went to my 25 week appointment with the specialist. I was very nervous about this appointment because I had been pretty apprehensive all week. It's been hectic and trying. I don't know why I worry so much because God does have everything under control. The babies are strong and healthy and growing like weeds. LITERALLY! They each measure a little over 2 pounds at 25 weeks and 5 days. Baby A is in the 85% and Baby B is just slightly larger at 93%. I mean seriously, I'm growing big babies. I lost two pounds since my last appointment, it must be the gestational diabetes diet that I am on. Anything that I eat must just go straight to those babies. That's ok with me though. We are both doing very well according to the doctor.

I asked her all sorts of questions, how to get rid of charley horses that happen in the middle of the night, what to do about braxton hicks contractions, when are the babies viable... I got lots of answers too. I have now had 3 times in the middle of the night that I have had excruciating charley horses in my calf in the middle of the night. The past two nights I have had had them in the same calf. I feel like I have done a major workout on that leg now and I'm praying that it doesn't happen again tonight. I have been having braxton hicks for probably about a week now and they don't hurt, they are just uncomfortable. Not much to do there... just stay hydrated. As far as viability, they are actually viable now. It would just definitely not be ideal. The doctor would like me to make it past 32 weeks. At 34 weeks, they say that I can do whatever I want to and it will be fine if they come. My personal goal is 35 weeks because that's average gestation for twins.

Here's the boys photo shoot from this visit.... they are really limber as you can tell.

Next up... Friends and Family shower this weekend. So excited!!!

Naming Twins

2011-03-28T13:13:00.004-05:00

No pictures and no doctors visits this week. Sorry guys. I did have a doctor appointment last week with my OB. Just the normal checkup and listen to the little ones heart beats. Everything was great. At my appointment, I was 23 weeks and 5 days and I was measuring 33 weeks (if I were only carrying one baby.) I can only imagine what I will be like at my next appointment. Probably measuring 38 weeks and I will still have at least 8 weeks left to carry the babies (as long as all goes as planned.) Man, the time seems to be flying by. I also found out that my doctor will be having her baby (as long as all goes as planned) on June 12th by c-section. So that confirmed the fact that she won't be the one to deliver me. I'll probably start seeing the other doctors in the practice soon, so that I can be familiar with whoever will be there to deliver me. So now that I have left you in suspense for the last week and a half... here are the babies names....

Truett Reid Shirley

Ellis Jay Shirley

The story of how these names came about... when we went in to our very first appointment at 6 weeks, we had an idea of names for both a boy and a girl, but we had no idea that we would need to have two names until the ultrasound. So we found out at Thanksgiving that we would need to come up with two names.... 2 boys, 2 girls, or the best option for us would have been a boy name and a girl name. Well at the beginning of January, we found out it was most likely two boys and by the end of January we knew for sure that they were two boys. But before that time we had already started thinking about names. We had actually made some good ideas for boys names and we were no where with girl names.

Truett - was the name for a boy that we had picked all along. If we were just having one boy this was going to be his name because we liked it and it was unique. I only know of two people named Truett and I don't even know them personally, Truett S. Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A and Truett McKeehan, TobyMac's oldest son. Love it and also like that his name can be shortened to True or Tru.

Reid - Zach's middle name. Easy enough you would think, but Truett went through several variations because Zach wasn't sold on using his middle name. I on the other hand liked it from the very beginning, but it took some convincing. We had some other options, but I didn't like the one he liked and he didn't like the one that I liked... so we went back to the basics and are now happy with Reid.

Ellis Jay - This was the name that I threw out there I believe once we kinda knew that we were having two boys back at the beginning of January. I was thinking about our family names and this just worked for me.... Ellis is my dad's middle name Edward Ellis Kilgore, which is actually my dad's great grandmother's maiden name, Mary Caledonia Ellis Kilgore. Jay is Zach's dad's middle name, Rickey Jay Shirley. I'm not sure if there is history behind this name, but I do know that Zach's youngest brother also has the middle name Jay, so we're just going to be carrying that on.

As far as who is whom, we believe that Baby A is Truett and Baby B is Ellis as that is the order that they should come out.

So that's the story.

22 weeks and counting

2011-03-19T10:43:00.003-05:00

Today I am 23 weeks. These pictures are from 22 weeks...

This past week, we took some maternity pictures. I called up my friend and old roommate Amanda to see if she would be willing to get some good shoots of us and of course she was thrilled. I was happy to have someone who is a good friend be able to take pictures of us. Here's a little sampling of the pictures that we took in Downtown Carrollton. I'm not going to show the rest because they will be on display at my shower which is coming up in 3 short weeks. ;)
This week was my visit to the specialist on Wednesday. I was a little nervous as to what they would say because this was my first visit after having been on the gestational diabetes diet. I was afraid that my weight gain and especially the babies weight gain wouldn't be enough. I'm not sure why I was even concerned because it was not a problem at all. I gained 6 pounds in 3 weeks (right where they want me to be for total weight gain). Then they did all the measurements of the babies and well... apparently I grow big babies. They are both weighing in at 1 lb 6 oz, a total baby weight of 2lb 12oz is what I am carrying. I think that this weight has a lot to do with the fact that I have gestational diabetes. The doctor said that she figures that their weight will start to taper off... this time they were in the 80-90 % for their gestational age, hopefully the next visit they will be more like 75 and then 68 and then average out. That's what we're hoping for anyway. I'm glad to know that they are strong and healthy though. It's a good feeling!

Another interesting thing that I found out this week is that they have sorta shifted in the womb. Now one head is in my diaphragm and the other is well down there. So it doesn't matter how I bend there is a head at both ends. Not the most comfortable, but I guess they are doing what they have to to give themselves some room.

Now here are their 22 weeks pictures. Maybe next week I'll reveal the names that we have picked out to the blog world. Most people know already, I've just been waiting to reveal to the internet. ;-)

21 Weeks

2011-03-08T20:53:00.003-06:00

Update from last week... here's a pic from 20 weeks. Also, I must correct the post, Baby B is actually the one who we went to the cardiologist for. Our appointment for the cardiologist went well last week except for the fact that I went on the wrong day. Thankfully because I was already there and it was 8am, they made room in their schedule and worked me in. I was a day early for the appointment. I guess that's what happens when you lose the appointment card in the parking lot of the doctor's office.

The cardiologist spent an hour taking lots of pictures of the heart. At the end, his report to us was that he did not see anything that was cause for concern in either of the babies. I don't have to go back to that doctor again. He gave a report to my specialist and we'll go over it next week when I have my next doctor's appointment. We were very grateful for a good report from the cardiologist.

Since my first shower is coming up in a month, last week I started my registry. I took Shevawn with me so she could show me what I absolutely needed. It was big help!! We knocked out the whole store in a matter of 2 hours. I'm sure that Zach was so glad that he didn't have to go with me. He's been able to register online for the things that he knows that we need. I didn't realize until the next day that I had screwed up my registry. At the very beginning of the night I had tried to scan something twice, but it wouldn't take the second scan, so I just typed the #2 in. I was totally unaware that the #2 never went away, so then everything that I scanned from that point on I got double of. I had scanned one thing 4 times and I ended up with 8 of them. Whoops! So on Friday and Saturday, I spent the day fixing and reconciling my registry and figuring out what I still have left to register for.

Now these babies are 21 weeks along and they are getting more active everyday. Baby A on the bottom is dancing on my bladder and Baby B is trying to nudge out of my right side. Pretty crazy feelings!

Derby wanted in on the action of the progression photos. By the way, I'm so thankful to my good friends for maternity clothes because so far I have only bought 3 things myself. Everything else has been borrowed, thanks to Shevawn and Suzanne!

20 weeks

2011-02-28T21:29:00.006-06:00

I'm actually 20 weeks now, but all of these pictures were taken last week at 19 weeks. The past week has been filled with lots of doctors appointments and changes to my routines. I found out on Valentine's day that I do have gestational diabetes. I was already preparing myself for that, but it's hard to face the reality when I now have to be on a diet for at least 15 weeks. I'm in a Catch 22 on the one hand I want my babies to big and healthy for birth, but on the other, I want to do what's best for them and maintain a good blood sugar levels. So last week started with a trip to the Diabetes Education Center where I was given my diet plan and told to go off and put it into practice for the first week. Here's my diet....

Before Breakfast - Test blood sugar (should be under 95)

Breakfast - 30g carbs or 2 carb servings

2 hours After Breakfast - Test blood sugar (should be under 120)

AM Snack - 30g carbs or 2 carb servings

Lunch - 45g carbs or 3 carb servings

2 hours After Lunch - Test blood sugar (should be under 120)

Afternoon Snack - 30g carbs or 2 carb servings

Dinner - 45g carbs or 3 carb servings

2 hours After Dinner - Test blood sugar (should be under 120)

Bedtime Snack - 30g or 2 carb servings.

For the first week, I had to write down everything that I put into my mouth and track my blood sugar on the schedules that they gave me. This morning I went back to the dietician to see how I was doing and I got a good grade... I'm on my own now. Keep checking my blood sugar and counting those carbs. You would not believe the amount of carbs that are in the things that we love... For instance, the large lemonade at Chick fil a, can't have it at all... 92g of carbs! Woozer!

Also, last Monday, I made my 3rd visit to the Maternal Fetal Specialist. The boys are both healthy and growing. They were actually about 5-6 days ahead of their gestational age measuring both exactly 12 oz. I have two coke cans in my belly right now! The Dr has referred me to a Pediatric Cardiologist for Baby A because he has a slight VSD (ventricular septal defect), otherwise known as a "hole in the heart" or sometimes referred to as a heart murmur. This hole is tiny and will hopefully not be a big deal at all, but we're going to get it checked out just in case. Prayers for that would be much appreciated.

Here's are their pictures from the specialist visit...

Last week, this is what I looked like. I feel like I am already bigger this week. It's much harder to bend over and I'm definitely not moving as fast as I once did. My final doctor appointment last week was to my OB. Those visits are nice and easy, sonogram to hear both babies hearts and then talk about any concerns that I may have. Then she measured my belly, with one baby the measurement should be equal to the weeks you are.... not for me, at the time I was 19 weeks and I was measuring 25 weeks. Makes me feel real good about what I have to look forward to in the coming weeks.

Only one more doctor appointment this week (the previously mentioned cardiologist), and then I have a break from doctors for two whole weeks. Can you believe it?!?

Zach is working hard on the remodel of the babies room. Nothing is ever easy in the Shirley household. While he works hard, I will be registering for all the necessities on Thursday evening. Everything in pairs!

And I'll leave you with this pic of our sweet puppy, Derby. He just can't resist a basket full of freshly washed laundry. He thinks it makes the best bed!

17 Weeks

2011-02-10T20:01:00.003-06:00

This is week 17 with the babies. We're about halfway there if I go to the average amount of weeks for a twin gestation. About two weeks ago, I took the one hour glucose test as my doctor advised. Since I am carrying two babies and I have a family history of Type II diabetes, my doctor wanted to be extra cautious. I found out this week that I failed the one hour test, so tomorrow I go in for the 3 hour test. I know the babies and I are going to be starving when the test is over. I'll go straight to lunch, and then on to work. Hopefully I'll know the outcome of the test by Monday, so that I can get on a gestational diabetes plan right away if I need to. Since I'm preparing to have diabetes, Zach and I made a feast tonight. Tortilla crusted chicken, mashed potatoes and broccoli cornbread. Yum! None of these dishes will be friendly to me if the test comes back that I failed.

Hopefully in the next week our master bathroom project will be completely finished. Be looking for the final pictures of the latest project in the Shirley house.

Two boys are better than one!

2011-01-31T20:17:00.003-06:00

Announcing Twin Shirley boys!!

At our 2nd appointment with the specialist today, we found out for sure that they are both boys. It was very evident from the ultrasound today, even Zach and I could tell for sure. Thankfully, they were both cooperating!

Here's another couple of sweet images that we got from the ultrasound today.

This is our 16th week... and so far it's starting out a lot better than last. Last Sunday night, Zach and I made a trip to the ER so that I could breathe. I had a mild asthma attack for the first time in at least 10 years. After a breathing treatment and some medicine, I felt like a new person. I could breathe without any problems, and I slept great that night. This week I have a lot more energy and I am excited to start fixing up the babies room.

In other news, today is our Derby dog's 2nd birthday. We think that he knows.... he's been a little more ornery today. Hard to imagine with a Jack Russell, right?

Oh Babies....

2011-01-24T21:12:00.006-06:00

As most of you know, we are pregnant with twins. Due officially on July 17th, but hoping to carry till 38 weeks or July 4th.

These ultrasound pics are from my 12 week appointment with the specialist. At this appointment, they tested for chromosomal disorders. Before the appointment, I was told that my risk was 1 in 700 for disorders which is pretty minimal. After the appointment and testing was performed, I improved to a 1 in 2000 chance. I'd say I'm in the clear.

One thing I learned at this appointment was the distinction between the twins, doctors typically label Twin A as the one closest to the cervix. At the time of this appointment, Twin A was vertical and doing a handstand. Twin B is closer to my belly. Twin B was laying horizontal across me.

It was a fascinating appointment to see all the movement and I was amazed at how much they could see already at only 12 weeks.

I have really been terrible at taking pictures, but I hope to be better from here on out. I had Zach take some good pics of me today at 15 weeks. I am still wearing my clothes, but I can't wear my jeans without a Bella band. I am more comfortable in outfits that don't hug my belly like this dress. It was perfect and thankfully still fit when I took it out of the closet to wear to church yesterday morning.

I go to my doctor on Wednesday for a checkup and back to the specialist on Monday for another checkup. We should hopefully know for sure on Monday, January 31st what the babies are. We have a guesstimate right now, but we'll wait to share that with the world until we know for sure. So... stay tuned for exciting information!

4 weeks from today

2010-11-19T15:13:00.005-06:00

In exactly 4 weeks from today, my husband will be a college graduate!! Can I just tell you that is one of the most exciting things ever?!? Also, we will celebrate our 5 year anniversary on that day. Pretty good anniversary present if you ask me!

101010

2010-10-10T23:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a special day. Not only was it binary day 101010, but it was my 29th birthday. So in honor, here are 10 pictures to document 101010.

My birthday gift from Zach was a pair of cranberry TOMS wedges and Beauty and the Beast.

So glad to finally have my very own pair of TOMS.

My actual birthday was at 10:10am on 10/10/10!

Ate lunch with the church bunch at Potbelly's.

Claire gave me a big smile for my bday.

Derby helped me do the laundry.

Watched the rangers lose game 4 in the division playoff game. (They must pull off a win tomorrow night.)

Made hotdogs for dinner.

And watched Beauty and the Beast in our backyard on the big screen that Zach rigged.

A great way to end my 29th birthday on 101010!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Moving Ganky

2010-08-01T16:01:00.001-05:00

In the last week a lot has happened in my grandmother's life. She has decided that she just shouldn't be by herself anymore and so she is moving from Groesbeck to Beaumont to live with her daughter. So in making this decision she had to sell her house that she has lived in for the last 40ish years. It's the only house that I can ever remember my grandparents in, so it has lots of memories. Fortunately all this happened while Ganky (my grandmother) is still with us. So this past weekend my whole family went down to help organize and pick out anything that we wanted. We came home with lots of treasures and lots of stories about the memories behind all of our treasures.

You can't tell from the pic but this is her sewing machine. I'm excited to learn how to use this one as it is older than my mom's sewing machine. I also took this big glass water bottle. Ganky gave me the last change that grandaddy had to start my coin collection in the glass jar.

I was really excited about this lamp because I was able to replace one that we got for a wedding present that really didn't fit our style. This goes perfectly with our style. I also brought home two tractor seat stools that they always had out by the shed. I can remember playing on these as a child. We are going to paint them and find a good spot on the deck for them.

I brought this old Hunter fan home especially for Zach because we gave seen them in antique stores but they were always so expensive. Now he has his very own and he didn't even have to pay for it.

I'm sad to say that I won't be going to Groesbeck amymore for family gatherings, but I'm so glad that Ganky shared some of her treasures with us.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Derby

2010-07-18T21:43:00.000-05:00

A tribute to my wild and crazy pup, Derby.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Stairs, the Continuation

2010-07-02T21:02:00.001-05:00

Obviously still in the works. We are still trying to decide on the paint color and the rails still have to be formed and put in place. We are in a great place for the project. Still a long while before school starts back so Zach has plenty of time to work on it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Projects in Progress...

2010-05-26T22:30:00.003-05:00

You may remember this post or this post...

Well we have finally made progress on these projects. ;-) Zach put the spindles up yesterday and I am very pleased with how they look. I'm excited to get the rest of the stair project complete and I have been told that it will get done this summer. ;-) Derby is not as excited about the spindles because he no longer has a short cut to get down the stairs. It's much safer now though. Zach realized on Sunday night when we had several little kiddos at the house that it would probably be best to have these spindles in place rather than sitting in the office collecting dust.

Here's the covering of the little sewing chair. I'm excited about it. I would like to cover the sides as well, but I am okay with just the top for now. The sides will definitely not be as easy.

Non project news, Zach and I went to our first Rangers' game of the season last Tuesday. It was a celebration of the end of the semester for Zach. 12 more hours done... and a passing grade in Art History. That's a definite plus. They won against the Angels. It's always fun to go to the game when they win. So back to the school story... Zach is on track still to graduate in December barring one minor detail. An internship for the summer. The internship with Tracy Locke didn't pan out... now we are waiting to hear from one that he had an interview with last week. We should know something by the end of this week or at the latest Tuesday. The earlier the better in my opinion. Praying hard that this one will work out because it would be a huge blessing!

So here's to the beginning of our summer....

Happenings...

2010-04-25T21:05:00.005-05:00

The past month has brought about many different happenings...

My aunt Sharon passed away on March 31st after an 8 year battle with cancer. Her funeral was April 2nd in Groesbeck and it was truly a wonderful memorial to her life. She was such a warrior and had such a great impact on the little community that she lived in. I'm still constantly thinking about my cousin Amy and uncle Jim as they continue to grieve from this loss.
Zach has two and half weeks of school left and we are so excited about the fact that there will only be one semester after this... December 2010 is looking very exciting!
We are still waiting to hear back from Tracy Locke and the possibility of a graphic design internship. Zach interviewed during spring break and they said call in 4 weeks if you haven't heard from us. He called and they said they needed at least two more weeks.... so April 27th will have been 6 weeks since the interview. We're still crossing our fingers.
Zach's parents came Easter weekend and we were able to play around town with them. We took them to Taco Diner and Sprinkles... both of which I had never either. Great food and will definitely be going back for a $3.75 cupcake because it was pure greatness!
The next weekend, April 9-11, we spent at Lake Texoma for a retreat with the Homebuilder's class at Riverside. It was an amazing time to get away and much needed weekend of rest. We spent the weekend discussing Community and what that should look like in a church family. And of course playing.... here's are the pics from the weekend....

The next weekend was spent mostly indoors due to the stinking rain. Not much to tell about that. But last Sunday was a day of many highs/lows. There was all sorts of exciting news in bible class with one couple having their baby boy at 6am that morning, one couple announcing that they were having a little girl and two couples announcing they were pregnant. Whew, that's a lot of baby talk. Then that afternoon was the shower for another girl, my prayer partner for the last two months Renae. It was a beautiful shower that I was honored to be a part of... but we got news shortly before the shower that one of our Elders and his family had been in a terrible car accident. The news of this hit pretty hard and we immediately prayed for the family. We had a prayer meeting at the church that evening for the family and in the middle of the prayer we learned that the Elder and his daughter had passed away from the injuries that had sustained in the accident.
That leads us to today, we had a lament service at church this morning for Phil and Raychel and we wrote on notecards for Debby and baby Zach . It was very emotional, but the part that hit me the most was when we sang Blessed Be the Name... "you give and take away, you give and take away, my heart will choose to say Lord blessed be your name." Couldn't make it through that part of the song. There will be a memorial service for Phil and Raychel on Friday, April 30th.
This week, my sister and dad will both celebrate birthdays... we celebrated as a family last night at Maggiano's with a gigantic dinner. It was greatness!

Well that about sums up the month of April... there's much more in store for the month of May... this year is flying by....

Two weeks ago...

2010-03-24T20:53:00.003-05:00

So two weeks ago, I packed up my stuff and headed down to College Station for the first time in my life. I have lived in Texas all my life with the exception of college and I have never been to college station until two weeks ago. Unfortunately, the trip did not include a visit to the A&M campus, hopefully that will come in the fall, friends and football, maybe? Anyway... my mom and I made the trip for a wedding of one of my best friends in the youth group.... Alan and his new bride, Lisa. It was such a sweet wedding and I just couldn't have been more happy for two people. It's amazing to think that they didn't even know who each other were until a year ago. God definitely works his ways! The wedding was also a great reunion of the boys (and some girls) in the youth group. So fun to see everyone in one place again. I was able to hang out with the Nichols' family and see Brodee... love that little man. Neena and I actually got a good pic as well.

The trip was two-fold.... after going to College Station, we drove back home by way of Groesbeck... this sign was actually in Bryan, TX. Anyway... we drove to Groesbeck, so that we could visit my aunt Sharon in the hospital. My heart and mind have been on my Aunt Sharon, Uncle Jim and Cousin Amy for the last two weeks. So keep them all in your prayers.

That brings us to today... Zach is working to write his last paper in Art History. I will be so glad when that class is over with. About 6 weeks left of school... crazy how the time is flying. We are also anxious to find out about Zach's summer plans. Continuously praying for an internship to fall into place for the summer, so that a December graduation can be a definite reality!

Laceration Repair

2010-03-06T19:21:00.004-06:00

On this beautiful March day, I woke up and thought I needed to get out in the yard and start doing some work to get it ready for Spring. So Zach and I got up and put on our grubby clothes and got outside. Zach worked on his truck and I decided to pick up some stuff in the backyard and re-pot our little Japanese Maple tree. The pot that it was in had really taken a beating during the harsh winter that we had and it was all cracked and I knew that just by touching it it would fall apart. So I was careful, had my gloves on and I re-potted the tree.

When Zach was done with his truck, he moved the new pot into place and as we were cleaning up the old broken pot, Derby flinched and scraped his leg. Didn't think too much of it, but we did notice that he didn't want to put his full weight on that foot. So we continued to clean up the pot and then I noticed that there was blood. No wonder he didn't want to put his full weight on that leg... it was hurt pretty bad. So we brought him inside and doctored up his leg, but we didn't want to take this lightly. We called the vet and they referred us the the North Texas Emergency Vet Clinic and so off I went, by myself. Not something that I wanted to do by myself as the last time that I ventured to this particular place, my dog was not breathing and ending up not making it. But I fought through it and left Derby in good hands for stitches.

And now with a broken bank (not really, but definitely more than I would want to spend.), our pup's "laceration" is all bandaged up with pretty green shamrock. Too bad they can't just put stitched in a dog like they would a human. The nurses at the clinic joked that Derby's name should be Rowdy, but let me tell ya... he sure isn't rowdy tonight. It's actually kinda nice to have a calm pup laying in my lap for once.

Another type of laceration repair will take place in our house as well... last week, on a whim... Zach and I went by ReSale, the CCA shop here in Lewisville. Zach spotted this chair and I liked it, which if you know me, I'm not a fan of goodwill and/or garage sales, so he was pretty amazed that I liked it. What's neat about this chair is it's very vintage, but yet modern and even better it has storage. You can't tell in this picture, but the only thing wrong with the chair was a deep cut "laceration" in the middle of the seat. We have bought fabric and intend to recover it very soon. Until then here are pics of my little "sewing" chair.

Snow Day 2010

2010-02-14T15:14:00.002-06:00

It's not very often that I have two snowy posts in a row. Record snowfall in February 2010 is definitely something to talk about. On Thursday (Feb 11), I was at work watching the snowfall from a conference room where I sat in a meeting all day long. We dismissed at 345 and I was out the door shortly thereafter to make the snowy drive home. There was never a lull in the snow on Thursday from at least 5 AM Thursday to 12 Midnight it was snowing. CRAZY!! So Zach took some good pics to document the 12 inches of snow that we got in one day in the great state of Texas. Pretty amazing... in the 28 years that I have been here in Texas there has never been this much.

And on a completely separate note... here's Derby's good friend, Myko. They got to have a little play date a couple of weeks ago and he's wondering when his friend can come play again.

Christmas Vacation at the House in Taos

2010-01-14T19:00:00.009-06:00

Better late than never, but be forewarned...this is a very long post... so this Christmas was a little different for the Kilgore family. We decided to take a trip instead of giving gifts. So Christmas day was spent with a great breakfast and the traditional afternoon movie, this year Sherlock Holmes.

On Sunday, December 27th, we left for a week vacation in Taos, New Mexico. It was a very long drive, but was only made longer by the fact that we were delayed for an hour just outside of Wichita Falls so that they could run the snowplows over the bridge there. It was still that icy from Christmas eve. So you can only imagine what a welcoming feeling it was to finally drive in to Taos.

We arrived at the house late on Sunday night, but these pictures show a little bit of what we arrived to. For more info on the house in Taos, see Casa Corazon. The house had a great layout and was so warm and welcoming to us after a long day of driving.

The view from the front door to the mountains.

The kitchen/dining area/living room were most of our time was spent when we were at the house. My mom had delicious meal for us every night especially homemade soup and beef tenderloin. Wonderful treats after long days of skiing.

The outdoor fireplace and backyard which Derby and Miley enjoyed thoroughly.

Proof that we really did take the dogs with us. Derby had a blast and really did travel well for the 13 hour ride.

Miley did very well too... and amazingly enough they didn't attach each other all week. They were actually very civil.

So we got up on Monday morning and got out very early to get the mountain at Angelfire. We decided to ski Angelfire because it didn't seem as difficult as Taos Ski Valley and Zach was brand new at this skiing thing. (One day I'll make it to Taos Ski Valley.) We got to the Cottam's ski rental and got our skis/snowboard right away and made our way up to the mountain for the beginning of skiing 2009. We hadn't had the chance to reserve a spot for Zach to take lessons, so we were just hoping that they had a spot in the snowboarding class. He went into the school building and came back saying they were full. I thought, oh great, this is going to be interesting. I decided, that I would go back into the school building one more time and see what we could find out for him... and thank goodness I asked the right question... he got into a group lesson right away. So my sister, dad and I were off to make a warm up on the bunny slopes and Zach made his way to snowboarding class at 10am.

The one family pic that we took during the trip. The skiers and mom the one day that she came up to the mountain.

Lisa and I at the top of the bunny slope lift. Great view of the Angelfire valley below.

Zach learning his moves in class... he really did well in class.

In the afternoon when he was done with class, we made our way up a the bunny slope together so that he could get practice on a bigger part of the mountain. Let's just say he looked like this a lot... being on your bum is not fun.

Preparing to get off the lift... especially nerve-wrecking for me as I am not accustomed to being on the lift with a snowboarder. It was actually one of the biggest reasons why I wanted Zach to have snowboarding lessons because I had no idea how to tell him how to get off the lift. We managed just fine though and had a system down pat by the end of day 3.

The best picture that we took together the whole trip, thanks Josh for letting us borrow your jacket... it worked out great for Zach.

So here were are on the first time down the big bunny slope in the afternoon on the first day. You see Zach has taken his boot out of the binding and he's walking his way up the mountain. I believe this is when Zach decided that it might be fun to venture off to the side of the path where you could see grass coming up out of the snow and a path to an ungroomed black was in his sight. Fortunately, he got back on the green path and we made it down the hill after several stops on the way. I always tried to stay behind him so that if he did fall, I could be there to help him up, but it was real hard because I just wanted to ski all the way down. A definite lesson in patience, but so much fun!

On the third day of skiing my sister turned in her skis, so it was down to me, Zach and my dad. The was the day that Zach finally made it to the top of the mountain. Here's a picture to prove it... We were real bundled up because it was snowing at the top of the mountain. It was so cold and unfortunately Zach dropped his goggles while we were on the lift to the top of the mountain. I was so proud of Zach for making it down the big hill, he had improved his boarding skills so much since the first day. I can only imagine how he would have been if he had had a few more days, but after that 3rd day we were all very sore and pooped from the activity.

So we headed home from the mountain the last day and came upon a few things on the journey back...

A rainbow in the sky after the snow...

A smart alec sign.

And lots of snow on the trees.

The last day in Taos, we decided to take advantage of the town. Taos is full of lots of artistic shops and boutiques. We ended up with two prints from local artists, a handmade ornament for the Christmas tree, and a fun winter hat for me. We ate lunch in the plaza at Ogelvie's so that we could get a little New Mexican flare while we were there and then again we were pooped from shopping and spent the rest of the night at the house in Taos. (I just really like saying that.) Our New Year's eve was spent being pretty lazy and I can say that we didn't make it to New Year's in New Mexico, I think that we made it to New Year's in Texas though (considering the time difference.)

So bright and early Friday morning, New Year's day, we started the long journey back home. I think that Zach was surprised by the fact that I really didn't sleep on him during the trip. The trip home seemed longer, but it was actually the same. We even stopped on the way home at the Cadillac Ranch to leave our mark.

We made it home at 11pm New Year's Day and so ended the much needed and much enjoyed Christmas of 2009.

Happy 4 Year Anniversary!

2009-12-19T08:41:00.003-06:00

On December 17th, Zach and I celebrated 4 years of marriage. We decided to celebrate low-key this year with dinner at Zach's favorite Italian place, The Spaghetti Warehouse. I decided to make it a little more special by taking him to the original Spaghetti Warehouse in the West End in Dallas. It really isn't that special, but the building is unique because it's so old. So we had a nice dinner and came home to watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs which Zach bought me for our anniversary.

So tell me... what does it mean when you buy each other the same anniversary card? I am thinking one of two things: there were slim pickins' or we were meant for each other. I'm hoping it's that latter.

And here's Derby's gear for our upcoming trip to New Mexico. He's our little jailbird dog. Now he'll stay warm when we have to take him out in the snow in Taos.

Dear Santa,

2009-12-05T19:44:00.007-06:00

Here are some things that I would like for Christmas. But I will be happy with time with my family and friends. And I thank you for the ski trip to New Mexico that you are giving my family.

Something to add to my Christmas penguin collection...

Which you can find at this Etsy website - Gemini Studio

Some more to add to my reading collection...

Green by Ted Dekker

Kidnapped by Dee Henderson

Going Rogue: An American Life by Sarah Palin

Some new fun shoes from TOMS... either the Vegan Habitante or the Novia, Size 6 please.

Some fortune cookie earrings from my cousin's Etsy shop... Firefly Forge

A new bag from Sunny Mays... the Betty Lou

A giftcard to my favorite clothing store...

Thanks Santa!

Alyson

Chi Omega Christmas Market

2009-11-21T17:02:00.006-06:00

I just got back from a great shopping trip with my friends and sister to the Chi Omega Christmas Market at the Dallas Convention Center. Some of things that we saw there, and bought there....

Underwrapped - features boxes, ribbon, toile, and wrapping papers for all occasions. I stocked up on some toile for this Christmas wrapping season.

Happy First - had sweet little onesies and also adult clothing and is the inspiration of a cancer survivor. Cute and simple designs... it's what I like.

Annie's Metal Outlet - where I found this cute ornament, which I have added Derby's name to so that he can be part of the tree this year.

Cherchies Specialty Foods - Where I got this and hope that it's a good addition to my Thanksgiving meal which will be prepared next week...

Loca Lola's Revenge - Which had all sorts of felt purses, but I couldn't see myself carrying, but I did buy these two items. A thin little scarf and a felt flower pin.

Sunny Mays Reversible Bags - Where my sister got this super cute bag... but I couldn't justify getting because I just got my new Vera Bradley (mentioned in a previous post.) One bag with two designs... love it.

When I saw just a few... I mean just a few. It's a very large market of all sorts of boutique gifts and handmade items. What fun. Hope that this is a tradition to continue.

Halloween Happenings (& More)

2009-11-04T19:40:00.004-06:00

The last week has been pretty busy around here starting with last Friday, Oct 23rd. I took the day off and Zach had the day off from work, so we took advantage of our time together. We went to a museum for his photography class, then we went to Doug & Linda's ski shop to get our ski pants for the big ski trip at Christmas and then we ventured to Dave & Buster's Frisco for dinner with friends. It was a great day spent with Zach and I was thrilled to get so much done. We had dinner with Justin & Amanda and the girls and had so much fun playing games with the little ones. For old times sake, Amanda and I got a picture together. As always, Amanda had to stoop (sp?) down to my level. Always good times with the Beller's, just wish that we would see each other more often.

Then last Sunday, we went to church and spent the afternoon with the McSpadden's so that Zach could take some pictures of Shevawn while McBaby was/is still in her tummy. Fortunately, this was a good thing for both of us... Shevawn needed pictures, and then Zach found out that his next project in photography was portraits. How perfect! You can see the pics that Zach took at their blog... but here's one of Shevawn and I.

Zach spent most of last week staying up real late as many of you know by his facebook posts... here's what staying up late does to my house (and if you know me well, I'm not a big fan of this chaos. I like order.)

That brings us right up to Halloween... I don't have any pictures on Halloween night, but here's my attempt to dress Derby up as the Dragon. He was not a big fan of his costume as you can tell. I didn't dress up for Halloween, but we did have a costume contest at work on Friday and I dressed up as a gondolier (my parents brought the shirt back for Zach from their trip to Venice). The winners are below... 1st) The Joker, 2nd) The Clown, and 3rd)Scary Larry.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

2009-10-15T16:52:00.011-05:00

A week ago today, I was getting ready to go see this...

It was absolutely awesome... I don't think that I have seen a better musical at the music hall in Fair Park and I've been to several. Here's a little taste of the musical... my favorite scene Step In Time. Made me want to be able to tap dance.

Overall... a great birthday... we spent a little bit of time at the fair after the musical. Enough to get our corny dog (or as Oprah called it, Corn Dogy) and try another something sweet which was a fried smore for me. Then we were on our way.

Then on Thursday this past week, the accounting dept at D&B had a day at the fair. So my best bud, Shanna and I roamed the fair and saw all the good shows and ate another corny dog that day. Here are a couple of things that we saw....

A Ford F-150 in shambles from a wreck that two teens walked away from...

The African Acrobats doing their thing, and doing the limbo at 2 feet off the ground...

The Pirates of the Caribbean diving show, where a man jumps from an 80 ft pole into 10 ft of water. Amazing... made me hold my breath.

And my family bricks... Here were are starting with my dad and mom.

My sister and I.

Uncle Jim and Aunt Sharon

Cousin Amy

Uncle John and Aunt Linda

Cousins Heidi and Sean

And the ones who started it all Papaw and Mamaw.

So the story goes that sometime after Papaw passed away and my dad and his sisters were settling the estate, they used some of the money to donate to the fair. This was when I was little bitty as I was not even 2 when Papaw passed away. So if you are ever at the fair, you can always find the Kilgore family on row 256 of the red brick path.

Busy Weekend

2009-10-05T20:38:00.006-05:00

Let me start by saying... I just celebrated 3 years with Dave & Buster's on September 13th. A very happy 3 years of employment with a great company I might add. In recognition of my 3 years of service, I was awarded points to spend on a website that had anything and everything. So I choose two items which should hopefully be here by my birthday. So Dave & Buster's furnished my little birthday present to myself... a Vera Bradley Tote and Wristlet. So exciting...

Happy 29th Birthday Zach!

2009-09-23T20:49:00.004-05:00

On Monday, Zach turned 29. Because Zach was in school all day on Monday, we celebrated his birthday on Sunday. We made a day of... first church starting with a breakfast with the Bible class, then worship (which we had to slip out of early) because then it was on to the Rangers game. I wanted to do something fun that he would enjoy that wouldn't be too expensive. So for $16 a seat we celebrated at the Rangers game. This was a pretty pivotal game and unfortunately the Rangers lost to the Angels 10-5. We enjoyed watching from the bleacher seats and we also did some shopping in the giftshop. Zach is now the proud owner of a Josh Hamilton tshirt and I now have myself a Jared Saltalamacchia tshirt. I had to have his jersey because I think it's cool that the name goes all the way from one shoulder to the other. ;-) Here we are enjoying the game....

When we got home from the game, we hung out for a little bit and eventually made Bison burgers which Zach claims to like better than beef. I personally like beef better. My sister got to enjoy the bison burgers with us as she was coming over to pick up her pup, Miley. My sister was out of town all week and we were pupsitting. What an adventure with Miley and Derby dog. Back to Zach's birthday though... he opened his presents from me later that night in the midst of me making his strawberry cupcakes that he took to school with him.

What could it be...

Some TOMS... Make Art, Not War. I felt that these were very appropriate for my artist of a husband. Plus, when asked "if you were to have a pair of TOMS, what style would you like?" His response was the ones with writing on them. There are only a couple like that... so this is the pair that I chose.

This is the other little gift that I had for my honey. I have been meaning to do this for a long while, but I figured that his birthday would be the best time. On Saturday, I got myself a piece of scrap wood from the side of our house and I went to town being somewhat crafty. It doesn't happen all that often with me anymore. So I got the spray paint out and I dug into Zach's painting supplies and this is what I came up with. I had everything cleaned up Saturday night, so that he wouldn't know what I had done, except I forget to put away the spray paint. Still he had no idea. I know that this little plaque is very meaningful. We're going to put a stake on the back and stick it in the flower bed. That way we can take it with us to the next house should we move.

I'll leave you with some pics of the pups during Miley's visit last week.

Finished Product

2009-08-24T21:08:00.003-05:00

The bathroom is finally finished. These are just a couple of pictures of the finished shower. It is now completely finished with touch up paint done, stuff put back on the walls, and the rugs put down on the floor. It's so wonderful to have two working bathrooms and I'm sooo pleased with the finished product. Thank you so much honey for your hard work!!

We already have supplies for the next project which I intend to start on soon. We will be replacing the stairs with wood treads instead of carpet. It's a pretty big project, but it is desperately needed as the carpet is really old and gross. Always something to do.

For all those teachers out there, I hope that you're first week of school goes well. To my honey, I'm excited about this semester of school for you because it means that we are going to be that much closer to the finish line. Zach's schedule will be rough this semester, but with all art classes I have no doubt that he will enjoy it.

Six Flags & Such

2009-08-02T14:27:00.008-05:00

Last weekend, Zach had the rare occasion of three days off in a row and he didn't even ask for it. So we took advantage of it... I took off last Friday and we enjoyed ourselves. Friday during the day was spent on the bathroom. Painting baseboards, and putting the shower walls up as well as installing the washer, dryer and toilet.

Saturday, Zach and I spent the day at Six Flags... It had been at least 5 years since I had been there and for Zach probably 10 or 15 years. It was soo HOT, but it was so much fun to just be together and hang out at a fun place. We decided it was a great weekend to go because we got to see Toby Mac/Kutless in concert. That was definitely the highlight of the day. Some things that we noticed while there... 1) a $16 hamburger & coke to split between two people really isn't that good and 2) they make you put your backpacks/purses in a locker at each of the big roller coasters for $1 each locker. So lessons learned are... don't bring a backpack/purse with you, and eat outside the park. But other than that Zach and I had a wonderful time!

Here we are waiting in line for the bobsled. This was at the beginning of our day and as a result we don't look quite so tired.

And here's the exhausted end of the day look. Sunburnt, and sweating... but ready to enjoy the Toby Mac concert!

A couple of peaks at the progress in the bathroom. The tile on the floor is completely done and therefore the appliances and toilets were able to put back in place. Very thankful to have that extra toilet in the house as well as be able to wash clothes at my own house.

This is the tiled shower walls with no grout. Zach was busy doing the grout on this today. No more peaks until it's finished!!

An update on our Derby Dog... he's doing very well adjusting to his new home. He is really getting the hang of potty training and he has already learned to sit and lay down. He loves his toys and has strewn them across the entire house.

You'll notice that his ear is down now... we think that this is a result of being a little more relaxed. I think that being in a new place stressed him out a little and the muscle in his ear just wouldn't relax. I think that he's decided that he likes us and let his ear down just for that reason. ;-) He's so sweet and soft and cuddly. Sometimes it just makes me want to hug and squeeze him so tight.

Derby Dog

2009-07-19T13:52:00.006-05:00

Now time for an update... almost two weeks ago, Zach and I adopted a new puppy names Derby. We were already looking for a new dog not 4 days after Bailey's passing and we contacted at least 6 different people about dogs. The people we were contacting were all Craigslist posts and I don't think that they were very responsible about removing posts once that had rehomed the dogs. Anyway... by Tuesday, July 7th, I decided to try other avenues. I had looked on this website for Jack Russell Rescue in Dallas and I came across the pic below.

I emailed the contact on the post to ask whether this little pup was a male or female and she replied that Derby was a male. At the time, I immediately said no and moved on, but she said if I would fill out an application she would see what little girls were in the area for me. I filled out the application online and not 30 minutes later, the rep for Russell Rescue was contacting me. Almost as if she was a sales person, she was trying to find out what we wanted in a dog and also went to work right away. She gave me several options of little girl dogs in the area, but none of them were exactly what we wanted. We were really wanting a puppy so that we could train them up how we wanted and because they wouldn't have known anyone else besides us. So probably about 12pm that day, I called her back and said that we would like to meet Derby and see if he would be a good fit. From there, she proceeded to tell me that he would need some stitches removed from a recent surgery and that she would get that done that day if we were really interested. So she did and that night, she actually came to us to check out our house and make sure that we had a fit home for the dog. So she brought Derby over along with his mom Gracie and we got to make a decision about who we wanted. We stuck with Derby dog and we have now had him for almost two weeks.

Another puppy pic from the adoption agency

Our family pics from the adoption agency... as you can tell he's a little rambunctious. Just like we like him.

Not a real good pic, but this shows you my favorite quirks about Derby dog... he has one ear that stands up and the other stays down. They're supposed to both be down and if we massage the one that stands up while folded, it will stay down for 5 seconds. Once he shakes, it goes right back to standing up. He's cute that way!

A little about Derby dog that just must him irresistible... Derby's mom was brought to a shelter because she was a stray. They thought that she was just sick and so they were treating her, but it became apparent that there were also puppies involved in the mix. No one ever claimed her from the shelter, so Russell Rescue took her and they also cared for the puppies when they were born. Gracie had a litter of 8 puppies on January 30, 2009. The adoption agency named the litter after cities in England. So that's where the name come from... Zach and I thought it was cute and so it has stuck. Derby had already had all of his shots and had also been neutered when we got him and I just couldn't pass that up. That's a lot of money saved. He was not potty-trained, but he's learning real fast. He loves his toys... he has at least 5-6 toys out at a time. At one time I came home and there were actually 13 toys out of the basket we keep them in. He loves to cuddle at the end of day when he has played real hard. He seems to do well with other dogs, especially since he came from Russell Rescue where the lady was taking care of about 10 dogs at the time that we got him. He was the last pup left in his litter and we are lucky to have him.

All that to say... welcome to the Shirley family, Derby! (haha... Derby Shirley rhymes.)

TTFN

2009-07-07T16:02:00.002-05:00

Bailey Shirley

Born Thanksgiving 2005 - Gone to Puppy Heaven June 28, 2009

Our sweet sweet Bailey girl passed away a week ago Sunday. I have waited a whole week to post anything because I just couldn't bring myself to say goodbye. So instead, I say Ta Ta for Now my little friend. I'm crying just writing this little tribute.

Our Bailey girl died in a tragic accident that we didn't even know could happen... we gathered up our stuff to go swimming last Sunday at my parents. Bailey came with us because that was her all time favorite thing to do. She jumped in the pool immediately. We swam for about and hour and 45 minutes and then we got her out and made her stay out of the water. She threw up several times which was nothing out of the ordinary because she drinks so much water while she's in the pool. Then she started getting very lethargic and by the time we left my parents house she couldn't hardly hold her head up. We left their house and got in the car and I was hysterical. Her heart was racing and she wasn't breathing well... we called the emergency clinic and rushed to get there, but she died in my arms on the way there. By the time we got there and she was checked out... she was already gone. They said that she suffered from hydrotoxicity, which is basically too much water intake in too little time. She couldn't get rid of all the water fast enough. I was still hysterical, crying at this point and then we had to go into the vet room to say goodbye. Very sad day... but I kept reminding myself that she died doing what she loved to do. The clinic packaged her up for us and we brought her home for burial in our backyard. My parents, who had met us up at the clinic for consoling, came back to the house for more consoling. My dad helped Zach dig the hole in the backyard along the path that she used to run. She was put in the hole in the dog coffin the vet gave us and she was buried with her first toy, a little puppy dog that had lost all its' stuffing. We cryed a lot that day and the next. I avoided being at the house by myself because I didn't have the company of Bailey. With every passing day though, it has gotten much better.

We'll miss you Bailey and we'll never forget the love that you gave us for the first three years of our marriage.

Side note: We can't handle the quietness in the house at all. We are already looking for another puppy and we may have one tonight if all goes well. Will keep you posted.

Randomness...

2009-06-10T21:24:00.006-05:00

This is a post about nothing and everything... we have survived the tornado of 2009. The sirens definitely went off, but the tornado did not touch down near our house. Just tons of rain and flickering lights. Kinda scary and especially when you see the room below that we were sitting in during the massive storm. Let's just say, I'm glad that I left work when I did. Would not have wanted to be outside or on the road during that storm. Everyone is safe though, so now on to the post...

So about a month ago, all three babies actually showed up to our small group. Little do they know that they will be best of friends... here they all are... Camryn, Lana and Maddy. BFFs.

So this past weekend, Zach's parents were in town for a visit. We had a good time and while they were here the men went to work, while I was at work. Zach and his dad tore out our back door and replaced the entire door frame. The door now shuts with ease and there is no more rotting wood. Very good thing. The sad part is that the door frame that they ripped out was only from 2001. Good thing that we don't plan to be in this house for 10 years.

So the parents were on their way on Monday morning and by the end of today this is what Zach had done... We are now well on the way to starting the next project in the Shirley Renovation. We are going to redo the shower in the guest bathroom as well as lay new tile on the floor. Right now, it's laminate flooring in the bathroom/laundry room and we want it to be more water resistant. Hence the reason for the tile. We have had the tile for about a year now, and we are just getting around to doing the job. So here's the start...

Looks like a pretty big mess right?!? It's real hard for me to because I feel like my life is in disarray with all these projects going on. Could we just finish one before starting another... it's all I ask??

One project that I feel good about is the outside of our house. Sure there are many things that could be done... paint, weeding, new number sign, ya know the works... but I feel really good about how our house looks right now.

And here's our Bailey girl.... sadly she is not with us tonight because she spent the night at the vet. She got fixed this morning after us having her for over 3 years. It's about time. I'm hoping that it will calm her down and prolong her life. ;-)

Her last meal before the procedure this morning. Hopefully the vet is taking good care of her.

Well must get to bed... and because of the storm tonight, we have visitors. The Kirksey's and baby Camryn are staying with us due to the lack of electricity at their house. Guess we should have waited just one more day for the bathroom tearout. Oh well.

Bailey's Pool

2009-05-19T12:29:00.005-05:00

Hope everyone enjoys my random post since I don't do it that often.

Zach

PowerFM Shareathon

2009-05-15T09:36:00.002-05:00

Some of you may know that Zach and I are supporters of PowerFM and the ministry that they are involved in. If you don't... let me tell you a little about it. 89.7 Power FM is a lister-supported Christian Rock station. The are one of maybe 5 stations in the US with this format and they are truly a blessing to our life. Their ministry is to be a positive influence on the youth of this generation and give them something encouraging to listen to in the midst of being a teenager. But it's not just for the kids... Zach and I get great encouragement from their music as well. It's nice to know that there's great rock music out there without the bad lyrics. We have grown to love many of the bands that they play and have been to many concerts as a result of listening to PowerFM's music. In fact, it was at a concert for Hawk Nelson back in 2005 that Zach and I decided we were more than friends. Our wedding songs all came from PowerFM artists and if we hadn't had this station we wouldn't have even known that those artists were out. We have also gotten to know many of the dj's and staff there at the station and their heart is completely sold out for their love of Jesus and this station. So all this to say... if you want to support an amazing ministry, please help them during their Shareathon which is going on right now. You can pledge to give online at kvrk.com or you can call 1-866-787-1897.

Long time no post...

2009-04-19T13:38:00.004-05:00

Right now, we are transitioning from Zach's old PC to a Mac and I just haven't been able to post because I couldn't get to all my pictures... needless to say, there are still pics that I can't get to. So since the last post... my parents and sister went to London for a week and Zach and I dogsat Miley, my sister's yorkie. See pics below. Bailey and Miley play really well together and they are good cousins to each other.

As you can tell... they would wear themselves out from playing so hard... this is what they looked like generally by the end of the day.

So upon returning from London... my mom and Zach and I rushed down to Waco, Tx where my Granddaddy was in the hospital. He had been in the hospital the entire time that they were in London and I was checking in on him by calling daily so that I could give my parents updates. When my parents got home on March 19th we went down to Waco and got to spend time with my Granddaddy. The word from the doctors was looking to good as his kidneys were failing and his heart was not fully functioning due to congestive heart failure. We basically were there to say our goodbyes because he was not doing well and his wishes were to not be on machines. So on Saturday March 21st, we said our goodbyes and Granddaddy said he was proud of all of us. It was an emotional time. On Sunday, March 22nd they made the decision to remove him from machines and move him to a room where he could rest and be with family. He got to see all his church friends that afternoon and by the evening he had slipped into a coma. In the middle of the night on Sunday, he passed away. It was a somber time, but yet very incredible. My Granddaddy was a great man of Faith and a pillar of strength in the family and he knew where he was going. He had commented that he just wanted to Go home and that wasn't home to Groesbeck. He was ready and at 90 years old, he had definitely had a full and complete life. So we said our goodbyes to a great man that we will meet up with one day in Heaven. His funeral was on Wednesday, March 25th and it was a wonderful memorial to his life. And with that... insert pic of Granddaddy and me at our Wedding ( I can't get to this pic right now.)

About a week after the funeral, my parents were out looking at new Ford trucks and low and behold they came home with a shiny new Ford F-150. It's a beauty and because of that new purchase we are now the proud owners of a 2001 Red Ford F-150. Zach's old Honda Prelude was put up for sale on Craigslist and he then started driving this truck (which is much more reliable) back and forth to work and school. It's sooooo much better! We are so blessed to have gotten this new to us truck!

Fast forward about a week... we headed out to Searcy on April 10th for Spring Sing weekend. We were excited to stay with Beth and Logan Light and see their "new" house there in Searcy. We also got to see Mark & Kristen Sullivan and their baby girls. We had a relaxing weekend being away from it all and being in the Harding Bubble. Zach's parents met us on Saturday for the show. We had a great time hanging out in Searcy and catching up with them. Unfortunately, his brothers were unable to meet us there. It was still a great weekend though. Zach and I got a great pic in front of the Azalia's and I got some blurry pics of the show.

Here's the hosts & hostesses... introduction to Juvenescense. (sp?)

And the Mary Poppins sketch by the hosts and hostesses.

And of course, the best part... the Finale.

We had a great Easter weekend and were glad to have spent some time there in Searcy. The show was great and Zach's club, TNT swept the show.

We have made it through another week. Zach sold his car this past Wednesday, so we are now back to a three car family. Zach's busy with school as there are only 3 weeks left for his projects. I have had a very busy week with work because we just filed our 10K Annual Report. So glad to have that behind us! Now I can breathe and maybe now I'll update more. Until that time... TTFN!

Dallas Auto Show

2009-03-11T19:25:00.006-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Zach and I made a Friday night date of the Dallas Auto Show. Since we have been together, we have been to the auto show 3 times. Since cars are such a passion of Zach's going to the car show is a no-brainer and I have fun to. I love looking at all the new cars and getting to test out what I might like to buy next. It's a great opportunity to look at any car you could imagine and they are all under one roof. This year's show wasn't near as big as prior years... yet another indication of the weakened economy.

So here are some of our pictures...

Me trying to see over the steering wheel, one of my favorite cars, but I don't think that I will ever own one for that very fact. The front end is to long and high and I can't see. (I won't sit on a phonebook.)
Sitting pretty in the royal blue Mustang.

Zach though that this little go-cart made from a motorcycle was pretty cool.

Zach's favorite of the night... the Nissan GT-R. They are in limited production and I believe that they are the street version (US version) of the Skyline.

Here's the new Camaro... also a very pretty car. I would drive that as well, but I think that I would have the same problem as the Mustang. Can't see over the dash.

Jeep's concept car... pretty cool looking. Very futuristic.

Zach's sitting in the new Challenger... this would be his ideal classic car if would could afford it.

This was Zach's favorite part of the whole show... The Ford Raptor experience. He did it at the very beginning and again at the end of our night. I wanted to do it, but the sign said you had to be 5'2" and unfortunately, I didn't meet that qualification. I know... pretty sad.
The grill of the new Ford Raptor... a mean looking truck, but I'm sure it would be pretty awesome to drive.

And here's the whole truck... good looking.

Now that I've bored you with photos from the car show, I'll sign off. Hope everyone is having a great week.

BTW... Congrats to Drew and Jamie & Baby Lana Libby. Lana was born on Sunday, March 1st. All that's left is Holly and Aaron... can't wait to meet Maddy!

Silly puppy

2009-02-19T19:18:00.003-06:00

On Tuesday night, Zach and I were just sitting there watching some tv when we noticed that Bailey was being very antsy and nosey. She likes to get behind the entertainment center a lot, but we had never seen her attempt this one. As we are sitting there, she just crawls into the space that the PlayStation 2 sits in and stays there for about 5 minutes. Zach pulled her out because we didn't feel like this was the best habit that she should get it. She's a crazy dog!

(Don't mind the dust on my coffee table that you can see. It's the bad thing about having black furniture. Though I love it dearly.)

In other news.... Camryn Joy Kirksey was born on Sunday morning, February 15th. What a great Valentine's Day present for the Kirksey's. Happy Birthday, Camryn!

We're done!

2009-01-29T19:59:00.005-06:00

This is the look of excited exhaustion! Yesterday, I was giving the pleasant opportunity of having a weekend in the middle of my week. Our offices closed all day for the ice that was melted by noon. I was ok with that though because there were lots of things to accomplish and with the hubby being home we were able to do just that. We slept in ate breakfast and got to work.
After about 4 hours of work... this is what we got. I'll take you now on a 360 degrees tour of our new office space.... First let's remind ourselves what this room looked like when we bought the house. These were literally the only two thing in the room... there was marker/crayon drawings on the back of the door, a single 24 inch closet door with no light on the inside and really hideous carpet.

This is what we have now...A double door closet...My really cool and much need IKEA bookshelf.

My desk area with our DVD and CD storage...

The cool new cabinets for Zach's art work and art supplies plus just some plain office supplies.

Zach's desk with his art displayed from the painting class he took last semester.

And the remaining CD storage under the window in the room.

Also, notice the fan matches the color of the flooring that we picked. And look at the pretty flat ceilings now that they have been scraped of the dusty popcorn. So much better.

Overall... this is what we did... painted all walls, rebuilt the closet wall, framed closet door, hung doors, painted and put down new baseboards, scraped and painted the ceiling, put down new flooring, moved electrical work for the light installed in the closet, and loaded everything back into the room... it is now functional and I think that I will actually enjoy using it! VERY EXCITED to have this project finished.

I'll end this post with another pic of the small group girls... we all attended Jamie's baby shower this past weekend. What a blessing to have these girls in my life. Love all of you!

Books & Bottoms

2009-01-19T20:43:00.006-06:00

Before the point of the post... here's a pic of our finished guest bedroom. A couple of months ago, Zach and I got some bed risers so that we could store more things under there, but then you could see under the bed so easily when you walked in the room. My mom made this very cute dust ruffle and we used the easy method of Velcro to attach it. I'm glad to have my storage area hidden.

And now for books and bottoms....

Last night, the non-prego girls in our small group hosted a "showering" for the prego girls. It was a great way to honor these girls and their special little bundles that will arrive all within a month of each other. Below: Holly and baby Maddy due on April 4th, Sarah and baby Camryn due on February 28th and Jamie with Baby Girl ?? due on March 7th. Craziness... in just a few short months all of their lives will change and our small group will expand with three new little girls!

Here we are all the girls... Angela, Jessica, Holly, Sarah, Jamie, me and Shevawn. It was such a pleasure to host the shower with Jessica and Shevawn and so easy to plan.

Here is all the loot that the girls ending up taking home with them. We decided to get them books to start their little girl's libraries as well as diapers and wipes to get them started when the little ones come.

We also had a little laundry line of onesies as well as surgical masks care of sister Kim. Hopefully these surgical masks will come in handy for changing those stinky diapers.

The cupcakes that Jessica made... C, M & ? (wish the Libby's would have told us their baby's name). They were yummy nummy and I sure had my share of them.

One of the games played... We called it... "What is it?" Three jars of baby food with no labels. The three couples were given the option of smelling or tasting. Drew tasted all of them with no hesitation, though I think that he was sorry after the fact. The flavors... Turkey & gravy, Green beans with Rice, and Organic Bananas. By far the bananas looked the best, but I sure wouldn't bother to taste them.

Opening presents...

The boys paired up to play "The Price is Right." They had to guess the price of three baby items without going over the actual price. Aaron ending up with the Boudreax Butt Paste.

Tyson won the Sippy cup...

Drew won the Nasal Aspirator or as Jessica and I call it the Booger Sucker. Hopefully it will be useful to the Libby's.

It was a great night and we were so happy to honor these special girls. Not too much longer until we get to meet the new additions.

Update: The office is coming along very nicely. We won't be able to finish by the time Zach's starts school (that's tomorrow, Jan 20th), but we should be able to finish by this weekend. More pics to come once the room is done!

The Office

2009-01-11T11:58:00.006-06:00

So my pictures just uploaded backwards and you'll see the point of the title of this post after about 4 pictures. How frustrating is that. Oh well... as you can see below, this is Bailey's new chair. She is very thankful that we moved the papasan chair down into the living room for her pleasure. We all have our spots to sit now in the living room.... Zach takes the couch, I have the recliner and Bailey has the papasan. Works for me. What a cute little pup.

I'm about to show you one of my most favorite Christmas presents from this year. You may ask... how could a trash can be that great. Well here are my top ten list of reasons....

10. It's pretty.

9. It matches our kitchen well.

8. It's bigger than the last one.

7. It holds in trash smells better than the last one.

6. It has a cool foot pedal to open it.

5. You don't have to worry about the trash bag falling inside of the trash can, if you know what I mean.

4. It's not an eyesore.

3. Can I say it's pretty again.

2. The lid stays on.

And the #1 reason... not once since using this trash can has Bailey been able to tip it over and get all the trash strewn across the floor. This was the main reason for being on my Christmas list this year and I'm sooooo thankful to have gotten this pretty Stainless Steel SimpleHuman trash can. Thanks mom and dad!

The most sentimental gift of the season... (besides the really pretty necklace that Zach gave me) was this Rooster than now sits on top of my fridge. My dad got both my sister and I roosters for our kitchens and we had to pick. I let me sister pick first and so this is the one that I got. My dad watched at Tom Thumb for this litle guy to go on sale and he got a steal. So you may ask, what's the significance of a Rooster. I sure didn't know until I got one for Christmas.... Well in Portugal it's the symbol of good luck. So I guess that if you have one in your kitchen, your cooking is supposed to be better than before. Well see if that holds true in 2009

And now to the point of the title of the post....

And no, I'm not speaking of the ever popular TV show on NBC... I'm talking about our office in the spare bedroom on the second floor of our house. It is getting a complete and much needed makeover. Part of our Christmas present was the flooring for this room. Getting the flooring, just made all sorts of ideas run through Zach's head and so now we have a very large project on our hands that needs to be done in about a week. Zach starts back to school on January 20th and I'd like for the room to be ready to put back together by then. ;-) We'll see if that happens.

This the point that we are at right now... the carpet has been ripped out and the walls are being painted a new coat of white. When we moved into this house we did a lot of stuff, but we didn't touch this room, so the paint is much needed.

The wall that you see in the pic has a fresh coat of white paint. It's looking lovely.

The ceiling has been scraped... we figured since we were ripping the carpet out we might as well get the popcorn off the ceiling. It's gonna look so much better as a flat ceiling.

This is the opening to the closet that Zach modified... you'll see the old opening in later pics. It's now going to have double doors and be much more accessible.

Here's the whole opening for the closet door... another handy thing that Zach added was a light in the closet. Not sure why they didn't put those in to begin with, but now it won't be a problem. It's gonna be a cool light too... when you open the door, it comes on and when you close it it goes off. I'll never forget to flip the switch that way. ;-)

This is the closet with the new frame... before any drywall was put up.

Oh yes... this is the part that we don't like to discuss... I would like to forget that it's there, but it's somewhat hard when you wake up and go to bed with this mess. We moved everything that was in the office into the cubby in our bedroom. Good thing is that this is on Zach's side of the bed... I don't think that I could stand it if it was on mine.

And this is the beginning of the demolition. It was a mess... what am I saying, it's still a mess.

The original closet door opening. A 24 inch wide door for a closet that was at least 6 feet long. It's too small of an opening. It will be much more functional now.

Let me just say... I'm working on a mac right now, and it's not cooperating with me... it could be the user. I'm just saying, I don't get it like a PC.

I will be glad when this project is finished, so that the entire house can be deep cleaned... right now there are layers of dust on every object and it's definitely doing a number on my allergies. Well I'll let you know how we progress... and for now, I must go get to painting.