flashback friday, my grandmother the leapling

Billie Jean Grey Beach

Graduation Photo taken at 18 years old in 1946

My mother's mother was born on February 29, 1928. That's exactly 80 years ago today. She jokes that she's only 20 years old. I have many fond memories of spending time with my grandmother. I have played Rummycube and Phase 10 with her more times than I can recall. There was always something sweet to eat at grandma's house and something fun to do. She was always there for us and always happy to see the grandkids whenever we came around. She still is.

Happy 80th birthday grandma! I love you and wish I could be there with you to celebrate! For those of you who want to read some fun memories of my grandma, visit her blog here.

Here she is July 2007 with Ben & Jack,
two of her many great-grandchildren, almost 62 years later.

sunday pete...

I just found these photos that Wade took of Pete two Sundays ago, when he was dressed up to give his first Primary talk.

flashback friday, twins part III

Click here to read twins, part I
Click here to read twins, part II

We had been waiting to tell everyone that we were expecting, but in light of this new development, we decided that now was the time. Everyone was shocked and some people were sympathetic. Although people were excited, there was also the tone of, "Oh, wow! This is gonna be hard for you guys." We called our parents and told them on the phone that day. They all shared our joy/shock/concern (but mostly joy, I think).

The weeks and months that followed were a blur. I remember lying in bed at night thinking, "Is this really happening to me? Am I just imagining this?" When I was wide awake, I knew that it was real, but still couldn't believe it. We read everything we could about twins on the internet and learned a lot about twinning. We learned that fraternal is more common than identical and that the most common type is boy/girl fraternal. We figured that our odds were probably boy/girl fraternal twins. Then we had our ultrasound a week or so later and found out that they were identical, since there was only one placenta. So, then we figured they were girls, since girl/girl identical twins are more common than boy/boy (wrong again!). We also learned about how genetics play into twinning. Fraternal twinning can be genetic since it occurs when a woman's body produces two eggs. Although, sometimes fraternal twinning is affected by a woman's age or fertility drugs. Identical twinning occurs when a woman produces one egg that splits shortly after fertilization. It is not genetic, and, in fact, there are no factors that contribute to identical twinning. Identical twinning seems to happen across the board in equal cases to women of all ages, races, and circumstances. Totally random. We were struck by lightning.

I was prepared for a miscarriage the day I went into the doctor's office, and instead, I got twins. Two healthy babies. I was worried and anxious about everything that might go wrong during a multiple pregnancy, but as promised, they did keep an eye on me and the babies. There were lots of ultrasounds, and NST's (2-3 appointments a week by the end), and even some bed rest the last few weeks. I ate more than one human being should be allowed to eat. I read books about how to "grow" big, healthy twins (by eating a lot, they said! Check & check!). I gained about 60 pounds. I grew extremely uncomfortable and had contractions like crazy during the last few months of the pregnancy. When I got to about 34 weeks, I checked into labor and delivery twice when I was having a few too many/too frequent contractions, but was sent home with medication to relax the uterus, and put on moderate bed rest.

On February 10, I was exactly 36 weeks (considered full-term for twins). I woke up around 5 am and had that funny not-so-good feeling and I just knew it wouldn't be long. Sure enough, within an hour I was ready for the drugs, so we arranged for our neighbor to watch Pete and then went to the hospital. It all went so amazingly smooth. I progressed without incident and was ever so grateful to get that epidural! At 12:57 that afternoon, the babies were born without c-section only four minutes apart. As soon as they were delivered, I felt comfortable again (It was so instant and dramatic I remember- like I just had two large babies removed from my abdomen!). They were healthy at 5lbs. 8 oz. each. It was my normal, uneventful, delivery after all, and I couldn't believe how easy it was! I feel so blessed that everything worked out the way it did. The hard part was bringing them home two days later! Thank goodness for our amazing family, friends, and neighbors. They all took great care of me and our family.

I remember the first time they slept in their cribs and woke up in the morning making those happy baby noises. I thought, "Wow, how lucky am I! I get to wake up in the morning to not one adorable, cute, happy baby, but two!" How did I get so lucky?

pete's 1st primary talk...

Pete gave a talk in Primary on Sunday for the first time. I admit that I was more nervous than he was. I wrote the talk and helped him practice for a few days prior. He knew the stories from looking at the pictures, but I wasn't confident enough to let him do it on his own, so I planned to do the stand-by-and-whisper-in-the-ear talk. I didn't know what to expect from Pete who can be a little bit goofy at times.

If you've ever seen a 3 year-old give a talk you'll know that they are prone to several talk-giving faux pas, namely:

1. Yelling into the microphone and no one can understand you.
2. Whispering and no one can hear you (often a result of the fact that the adult is whispering in the ear and encouraging the child to repeat EXACTLY what they say).
3. Looking down and/or becoming shy of the spotlight and unable to finish the talk. Usually the adult finishes it for the child.
4. "Eating" the microphone while speaking and no one can understand you (this one in particular seems to be an urge that no 3-year-old can resist!).
5. A mix between yelling and "eating" that causes a lot of confusion among the adults and gets us trying really hard NOT to laugh hysterically (because it would be so very traumatizing for a 3-year-old to be laughed at while giving a talk!).

On Sunday morning he was so excited to give his talk. When he got to primary, he sat in his seat holding his church bag and looked so cute. When they called his name to give the talk, he looked at me and went right up! And, long story short, Pete did great! He did not yell (very much), he never looked down, only whispered once (how can you blame him, when I'm whispering in his ear!), and he resisted that oh-so-tasty-looking microphone! He spoke so clearly and seemed to be enjoying the spotlight. We only encountered two hiccups during the talk. When I whispered the line, "Nephi obeyed his father, Lehi, by leaving Jersualem.." Pete looked at me and said, "I don't know that word." The other was when he was distracted by the pictures of some children that were left on the podium. He turned to me and asked "Hey, where's my picture?" I quickly re-focused his attention and repeated what his next line was.

Way to go Pete! And here's the talk as I whispered it to him and he repeated into the microphone: (I held up the pictures as he said the words.)

Book of Mormon Stories teach me how to live the gospel.

Nephi obeyed his father, Lehi, by leaving Jerusalem and building a boat to cross the ocean. Nephi taught us to obey the prophets and to honor our parents.

Samuel the Lamanite told the Nephites to repent. The Nephites wanted to kill him, but God protected him. Samuel taught us to choose the right and repent, even when it is hard to do.

The 2000 Warriors of God were young men who fought against a great army and not one of the them was killed. The 2000 Warriors taught us to put our trust in God, and He will help us.

Jesus came to visit the people of Nephi. He healed their sick and blessed their children. Jesus taught us to help those in need and to serve others.

Heavenly Father saved the Book of Mormon for us so that we could learn about Him, and Jesus Christ, and how to return to Them. We can learn how to live the gospel by listening to the stories in the Book of Mormon.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

flashback friday, twins part II

Read the story from the beginning, here.

The pregnancy started out different from the start. I immediately felt some mild nausea, which I didn't have with Peter (maybe it's a girl, I thought!). You may be shocked to hear that it was very mild. I did not throw up, even once (and this is where I apologize to those of you who throw up for 3 months straight, for my strange ability to not get sick when I'm pregnant, even with twins. I'm sorry!). I also felt EXTREME hunger cravings (just for food in general), but had the same symptom with Pete and thought nothing of it.

A few weeks into the pregnancy, I had some cramping and spotting and was sure that I was miscarrying. I went to the doctor for some tests and they said there were no signs of miscarriage, but that I should let them know if my symptoms increased. I had read about miscarriage before. I ran through the whole thing in my head. I knew that if a baby miscarries, it is usually implanted in the uterine wall incorrectly or there is some other physical problem with the egg or placenta and that it never would have been a baby. This helped me distance my thoughts from the idea of losing a "baby." I would only be losing an egg that was physically incapable of becoming a baby. That made it a little bit better in my mind. When I made it to 9 weeks with no other signs of miscarriage, I was still a little anxious at our first doctor's appointment. I prepared myself for the worst.

We arrived at the doctor's office to find out that they would do an ultrasound right there in the exam room. I was pretty excited considering that most people don't have an ultrasound until about 18 weeks or so (as we did with Pete). The office had a portable ultrasound machine and I was looking forward to seeing the little blob that would be our baby. Wade and I were waiting in the exam room when our doctor came in. We met her for the first time and she asked us the usual first appointment questions about our family medical history, personal medical history, past pregnancies, etc. I remember one of those usual questions was, "Any family history of multiples?" 'No', of course was my answer, and we moved on quickly to the next questions. "Well, lets take a look at the baby," she said happily.

She started moving the ultrasound hand-held probe over my belly, pushing just a little too hard for comfort. It was silent as she searched for signs of the uterus and placenta. "There's the baby," she said, still moving the probe around. Silence. She kept moving around, looking for what I assumed was just more info about how things looked in there. I was annoyed that she wouldn't just hold still so I could see my baby. More silence. Maybe 30 seconds had passed and she finally spoke again, "Well, you know how I asked about your family history of multiples?" Uh, yeah, I remembered, it was like two minutes ago and why are you bringing that up? I thought.
"Yeah," I answered.
"Well, there are two babies in there," she stated with a giggle in her voice.

My immediate reaction was shock. I turned red, I smiled uncontrollably, then tried to fight back tears. I wasn't sad, but I wasn't happy, I was just shocked. This had taken me by complete surprise. I didn't even have the slightest inkling. Wade was standing at the foot of the bed the whole time. He later told me that he figured it out when she kept looking around for things and he saw two heads. I was completely clueless until she actually said the words.

After the initial shock, I started to feel a little betrayed. I was hoping for a uneventful pregnancy, and this was anything but uneventful. My emotions jumped around quickly from anxious, nervous, unsure, amazed, excited, overjoyed, and sad. I had so many questions and no idea what a pregnancy with two babies would mean for us. I thought first about the complications. The first thing our doctor said when we found two babies was that the risk of complications is always higher for everything when there are two (well, that's comforting, since I didn't have any complications the first time around!). She assured us that we would be monitored more closely and that they would keep a close eye on the babies. That would mean frequent ultrasounds, NST's, and possibly bed rest. I left that day with more questions than answers. I'll admit that I couldn't wait to get on the internet and read everything I could find about twins.

We left the exam room in a daze. I remember standing at the front desk to make an appointment for our next visit. The receptionist was the first person I spoke to about it (other than Wade and the doctor). "We just found out we're having twins," I said to her as I tried to remember what the doctor told me about when to make the next appointment. I was trying to stay calm, but I was unable to think clearly. Did she say to come back in two weeks? When am I supposed to make an appointment for an ultrasound again? Wade and I left the office in the same daze and drove straight to my step-sister Nancy's place, where we had left Pete. She met us at the entrance to her apartment building.

Knowing I was worried about miscarriage, she asked, "How did it go? Did you hear the heartbeat?"
"Yeah, everything was fine. We heard both heartbeats." I said.
"What? Both? Twins?! NO WAY!" I don't think she believed it. Heck, I didn't believe it. I did see two babies on the ultrasound. I knew it was true, but it still hadn't sunk in. It would be months before it actually sunk in.

To be concluded...
(Sorry, I can't get it all written in one sitting! I will finish next week, I promise!)

flashback friday, twins part III

make some noise

Jack and Ben were born one year ago today, on February 10, 2007,...

...but Saturday (yesterday) was the perfect day to celebrate two birthdays.

We started by taking a family walk/run/bike ride at Edwin Warner Park.

Then, after a detour to pick up lunch at a sandwich shop, nap time(s) , followed by a yummy dinner of mac n' cheese and/or hot dogs, it was PARTY TIME!!!

We sang!

We ate cake!

We opened presents!

I can't believe that my little twin boys are already ONE YEAR OLD!
I am so lucky to have them.

They are both such wonderful, easy-tempered, happy little boys and add so much joy to our family. We love you both, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

At one year old, Jack...

eats almost anything I put in front of him.

LOVES cheerios, bread, yogurt, fruit, veggies, pasta, cheese, and especially juice!

enjoys throwing food on the floor.

feeds himself, and drinks from a cup.

is still a thumb sucker (He has a "suck the right thumb, grab the left ear" position for going to sleep).

is very social and loves to smile and laugh.

can walk! He usually takes 3-6 steps and then falls.

still crawls, cruises, or pushes the walking toys around.

LOVES to "walk" with the baby walker or one of Pete's big trucks. He often goes around and around the kitchen area lifting and turning as he goes.

likes to explore the cupboards & entertainment center, push buttons, pull over tables, chairs, and lamps, unplug and chew on cords, etc, etc.

loves to play peek-a-boo (or anything else) with his brothers or mom and dad.

loves to “talk,” his favorite words are “da,da,” “ma,ma,” “ba,ba,” "bye-bye."

enjoys clapping and pointing, waving and smiling.

can do a mean "bouncy" dance!

laughs hysterically when tickled under his chin, on his tummy, thighs, or toes.

sleeps 10-11 hours at night and takes 2 naps a day.

has 5 teeth.

likes to take things from his twin brother (and gets mad when he takes it back).

is one special little boy!

At one year old, Ben...

can still out eat his slightly larger twin brother!

LOVES cheerios, bread, yogurt, fruit, veggies, pasta, and cheese!

would much rather eat the food than throw it on the floor.

often steals food from Jack's tray.

feeds himself, and drinks from a cup.

is very social and loves to smile and laugh.

can walk! He usually takes 6-8 steps and then falls.

still crawls, cruises, or pushes the walking toys around.

loves books, and will sometimes sit and "read."

likes to explore the cupboards & entertainment center, push buttons, pull over tables, chairs, and lamps, unplug and chew on cords, etc, etc.

loves to play peek-a-boo (or anything else) with his brothers or mom and dad.

loves to “talk,” his favorite words are “da,da,” “ma,ma,” “ba,ba,” "bye-bye."

enjoys clapping, waving, and smiling, and dancing.

still has his own "serious" face and loves to cuddle.

laughs hysterically when tickled under his chin, on his tummy, thighs, or toes.

sleeps 10-11 hours at night and takes 2 naps a day.

has 5 teeth.

likes to take things from his twin brother (and then get mad when he takes them back).

is one special little boy!

Click here for all the fun pictures from the day!

flashback friday, twins

Since my twin baby boys are turning ONE (I can't believe it!) on Sunday, I thought it would be appropriate to do a flashback about them. The birth of my two precious boys was pretty uneventful, especially considering how Peter arrived a few years earlier. To get the whole picture, you should first read my flashback friday, pumpkin eater post.

After Peter was born, I think Wade was pretty sure he didn't want to go through that again. I think the whole experience was a lot harder on him than it was on me. Sure, I went through the surgery and recovery, but he had to watch his wife and unborn child going through a process that he didn't know the outcome of (and surely feared the worst). There were even a few close calls. The doctor (bless her "things you just don't say to a husband" heart) told Wade that I would have died within an hour of coming in to the hospital had we not had medical intervention and Pete's time was even shorter. Then he watched me and Pete in the hospital and NICU, not really able to do anything for us. Having just learned that he almost lost us both, he brought his new family home a few weeks later, only to almost lose Peter AGAIN. This time, Wade was there on the floor of our little apartment, administering CPR to our 3 week old baby. He revived Pete and saved his life that day. A few days later, while at Primary Children's Medical Center, Pete's heart rate dropped and he gave us another scare while getting a blood transfusion. Needless to say, Wade was not looking forward to the experiences brought by another baby!

Later, Wade did some of the stats on placental abruption and figured out the odds of me dying during another childbirth. Although they were slim, it was still too high for him, so he was pretty hesitant to having anymore children. When Peter approached 2 years old, I started to feel ready to add another child to our family. My paranoia was becoming a distant memory and the sounds of the siren faded. I was confident that our experience with Pete was uncommon and unlikely to happen again. Add to that, Pete was a normal 2 year-old boy and was an absolute joy to our family. I was ready to add more joy!

It took a while to convince Wade. I argued that what happened with Pete was NOT likely to happen again and that most of the time, childbirth is uneventful (or as uneventful as having a baby can be). Eventually, he agreed that it was time and that he really didn't want Pete to be an only child. So, in July of 2006, just a few months after Peter turned two, I saw the blue line on a home pregnancy test and was relieved that we would finally be getting our "normal, uneventful" pregnancy. This time I felt assured that we'd have no complications, there would be no emotional roller coaster, no near-death experiences, just a normal, healthy journey to a new baby.

Too be continued...

flashback friday, twins part II
flashback friday, twins part III

tornadoes on tuesday

We survived the tornadoes. The very storm that killed so many people in the south and destroyed so many homes passed DIRECTLY over our home without materializing into a tornado. It did produce tornadoes before and after coming to Nashville, but we were lucky that all those crazy winds stayed way up high where they couldn't do any damage. The storm did send us some nasty 1 inch hail and LOTS of water and lightning, but nothing more in our area. At about 9pm on Tuesday night we were instructed to get to our "safe place" (which happens to be the bathroom of our 3rd story apartment) and waited there for about 20 minutes until the storm had passed and it was deemed safe to come out. Anyway, I had no idea how serious it was until later, when we heard about the destruction it did in other areas. I know the odds are pretty slim that a tornado would materialize and touch down on our little apartment, but I still feel very grateful that it didn't considering all the people it did affect.

pililup (or "Pete Can Read!")

Pete and Wade went for a hike on Saturday and then sat down to rest and eat their pb&j's on a bench. The bench had a plaque that was dedicated to someone named Phillip. Peter proceeded to sound out the name, making each sound:

"p," "h," "i," "l," "l," "i," "p," "Pililup."
(Looking at Wade)
"Pililup!? That's the funniest name I've ever heard!"
(followed by a characteristic Pete cackle)

I agree that Pililup is a funny name, but I am happy that Pete can sound out words! We've been working together since then with some flash cards and he continues to amaze me. I forgot to get the cards out tonight and Pete called me back into his room after we put him to bed,

"What is it Pete?" I asked (a little annoyed).
"We forgot to read the words!" He said.
(He had the flashcards on his bed waiting for me)

Gordon Bitner Hinckley, 1910-2008

I listened to the funeral services of President Gordon B. Hinckley, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints today on the KBYU website. It was very touching and I felt the need to share my love for him and for the church that he has led for almost 13 years. I was only 15 years old when he became the President of the LDS Church and during his tenure I have grown from an awkward young teenager who didn't really know what to believe, into someone (although still a little awkward) whose belief is strong in the truth that there is a God, He did send His son Jesus Christ to the Earth to teach, love, die, and overcome death for us, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is indeed the church of God and is led by Him through His prophets. I am glad to have known him, even from a distance, and to have felt of his goodness.