cookies!

we made pumpkin cookies tonight.  

this was cole's first cookie decorating experience.  

the hardest part was keeping him from eating the cookies before we even started.  

we may not have a future in cookie decorating but we had a lot of fun!  

some good news

brenner and i got home from houston today.  we were all ready to proceed with the surgery but after our very in depth evaluation yesterday, the doctor feels that we do not need the surgery right now.   

while there continue to be some concerns, both of the girls are doing well and all of their organs are stable and healthy as well as both are maintaining a healthy weight.  the fluid imbalance around the babies are not at the extreme levels that would indicate either baby is in distress.  this doctor feels at this point, we are in the very early stages of the twin to twin transfusion syndrome and that it is too early to proceed to surgery (and this doctor is a specialist in twin complications). this really is an answer to prayer.  while we were, and still are, braced for having to do this surgery, we are thankful that we do not have to do it now.  the longer that we can wait, the better.  

 it was  great to hear some good news about the girls.  they both have good blood flow through all of their organs.  they both have three blood vessels in their placenta cords which is the best.  they look like they are sharing the placenta equally, which is really important.  they both have the same size bladders, which i know sounds weird, but it means that even the smaller baby is getting enough fluid and swallowing enough.  there weights were within 12% of each other, which is totally normal.  

praise god. praise god. praise god.  

we are also becoming ultrasound experts.  i have had 6 prenatal appointments in this pregnancy.  i have also have 6 ultrasounds.  the one yesterday was crazy.  it lasted 2 hours and 20 minutes.  not the appointment, just the ultrasound!  they looked at every hand and foot, they measured every arm and leg, they looked at each side of each brain and studied all four heart chambers in each girl.  they studied their cranial features and the blood flow in and out of each girl.  it really was amazing. 

 i will start going to ultrasounds and checkups twice a week now , some in waco, some still with the specialist in dallas or maybe back down to houston, but this way we will monitor things very closely.  the doctor feels that there is a very good chance we will need to do the surgery later on, so we are definitely not out of the woods yet.  

we know that god is working.  he is hearing the prayers that are being lifted up by so many people and we are beyond thankful for everyone doing so.  the peace that we feel and the stable report of the girls are truly answers to prayer.  

is anything too hard?

for those of you who do not what what has been going on with us over the last couple of weeks, read here. 

we had another appointment on monday and unfortunately, the fluid around each baby did not equal out like we had hoped.  one baby still has too much fluid around her and the other has too little.  therefore, we are heading to houston on wednesday.  our appointment for wednesday is to get a comprehensive evaluation and make sure and the girls and i are ready for surgery.  the surgery, or laser procedure, will take place thursday morning and will last about 1 1/2 hours.  they will go into the placenta and laser some of the blood vessels that are causing this problem.  i will stay the night in the hospital and we will be home either friday night or saturday morning. 

this is obviously a little overwhelming.  

when we found out that we were having twins, i was overwhelmed with the idea of feeding two babies at once, at needing a new car, at not sleeping through the night for a year, at our budget, at the stress and tiredness that i would feel.  

and now all of that has shifted.  

i want sleepless nights.

i want the stress of feeding two babies at once.  

i want tantrums and fits and whining.

i am desperate for the crying and wailing. 

i long for the struggles of potty training and picky eaters.

i couldn't ever imagine having twins and now i can't imagine my life without them.

a sweet friend sent me an email this morning claiming this verse for our family this week:

 JEREMIAH 32:27 "I AM THE LORD, GOD OF ALL MANKIND--IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR ME?"

god is so in control of this situation.  there is nothing too hard for him, which is so encouraging because this is way too hard for me.

thank you for your prayers for these sweet, precious girls.  

pumpkin patch.

yeah!  It is time for pumpkins again!  i am obsessed with fall and all things pumpkin.  

we went to the pumpkin patch late this year but there were still plenty to choose from.  it just didn't feel like fall yet and i kept forgetting that it was time to bring out the fall decorations.  

my dad came in town for the day on friday and we went over the pick our pumpkins.  

brenner used to be a youth minister at the church where we go so it is fun to see some old friends and help support the church.  

cole is definitely not a huge fan of pictures.   maybe it has something to do with the fact that i have shoved a camera in his face since the day that he was born? no, that couldn't be it. 

but the little guy hates to look at me and actually give me a real smile.  i mostly get candids.

so, i didn't get any great photos with the pumpkins, but some are fairly cute. 

 favorite activity?  pushing the pumpkins over.  not my favorite activity.

 poppy hiding from cole in the pumpkins

 brenner contemplating the meaning of life

 my one picture with him smiling.  i asked his to say cheese and he wouldn't, but when i asked him to show me his teeth, this is what i got!

we ended up with 2 big pumpkins and one little one.  

hopefully one of these days i will have the time to make pumpkin cranberry bread!