before babies

I know me and Brad are way more boring than the babies, but a few days before the babies came we took a few pictures I never shared. It makes me feel weird to look at these because it really was like another life. Every once in a while I look at the babies and it feels crazy to think that they're mine. They wouldn't be here without me and Brad. I'm completely responsible for them and have to take care of all their needs. Its weird you don't have to be a certified parent before you leave the hospital- you really don't know how to do anything. Even after a month I'm still just a rookie w/ 2 little guinea pigs...
Anyways, before the girls came we saw a lot of movies, ate at a lot of yummy restaurants, basically did whatever we wanted and really had no comprehension of what was about to hit us.
Here we are all naive and carefree just a couple days before their arrival:

Back then it was harder to blog with the big belly, but I didn't have to decide between things like recording my thoughts, showering, or taking a nap in my 1 1/2 hr window of me time... For some reason blogging is easier than a journal for me, and I can add a few of the millions of pictures I've been taking of the babes!

Here we are eating the yummiest meal at La Caille the week before their arrival: (Brad gave me a groupon thing for Christmas)

We went to my parent's place in Midway with the Hagens and saw the ice sculptures a few days before they were born too!

Oh, yeah- and we dined-in for valentines. I made an awesome meal, who knows if I'll ever make such awesome things again...

So we had some fun and now we're parents. The definition of fun is changing!

a place for babies

I have been working on a lot of last minute projects before the babies come. Just to name a few- my mom came and helped me clean and organize the kitchen last week (it was a big job), then finish painting the kitchen earlier this week. Yesterday I painted stripes on our nursery wall. (my mother-in-law had no clue what she was getting herself into when she offered to help out at the house :)) Brad has been busy, but has managed to help me with some random jobs we never got around to finishing.
Our house is pretty much clean and ready now- it feels so good! I seriously can't believe it, 2 weeks ago I thought it was hopeless. You'd think doing all kinds of house projects (climbing up on ladders etc) 9 months pregnant might lead to labor, but I'm pretty sure these babies would stay inside me until they were full-sized adults if they weren't scheduled to arrive in a few days...
The nursery is pretty much done now, so I thought I'd show it off. I've been thinking about the nursery for months, but it remained our "closet" for a long time.

Before:

After:

A month or 2 ago we finally took out all our clothes and painted the walls. I painted some frames from the DI and filled them with images that I liked.  I found cribs on ksl and had them painted to my liking.

Before:

After:

(I still want to add their names to the wall, I'm not sure if we'll get around to that.)

 Brad's parents gave us an armoire that we had painted and we got a dresser on ksl that I painted:

(We'll hang something on that wall at some point...)

We got a killer deal on this comfy new rocker from downeast home just because it didn't have a cover that fit. That meant I had to make one of those (ugh), it was a little tricky without a pattern...it's not perfect, but I was proud of myself and it works.

 The crib bedding was actually fun to make (not so hard!)

Basically each one of these projects could be done in a day (painting the dresser, painting the tree, painting stripes, making crib bedding, making a rocker cover..) it just took several days/weeks between each to work up the mental energy to move on to the next project. Ever since it started coming together I've liked to go sit in the rocker and just be in that room. Brad has come by before and asked what I'm doing. I can't quite answer that question, but I can tell you this- I like the nursery. :)

We just need 2 little girls to put in here now!

one of the last belly shots...

I'm glad my belly can only grow for a week or so more- not only does it feel like it weighs a million pounds whenever I move, but it is just starting to look crazy!

It is seriously unreal for me to look at sometimes...it makes me laugh. It's easier for me to imagine it like a big basketball stuffed under there.

meeting babies soon

I'm really getting curious to see what our babies will look like.  It's one of those things- I guess it won't really matter because even if they look like wrinkly little grandpas we'll think they're adorable. I wonder if they will look similar to each other, more like me, or more like Brad. I hope they get some of that latin flare. :) I think they've got decent odds of being cute babies as I checked out me and Brad's baby pics today.

Will they look sweet sleeping like this?

Will they have big eyes like this?

Will they get Brad's sweet smile?

Or my killer glare?

Will they get any Guatemalan genes? (or Hagen redhead genes?)

Or Welsh or Scottish from my side?

Will they be all chill like Brad?

Either way, it's apparent to me that they need a couple sailor outfits for pictures:

Dear babies,

Don't worry- we'll love you no matter what you look like. :)

We can only wait 3 more weeks to meet you. See you then!

becoming 33 (weeks that is)

I'm not gonna lie, I'm really sick of being pregnant. Each week is just a bit more uncomfortable than the last. I feel like my stomach has maxed out, and yet there are still several weeks to go. I think my babies are trying to figure out how to escape from the side and front region of my stomach. They haven't torn through yet, but I'm pretty sure they're working on it.
Today my doctor asked me about setting a date to get the babies out if they haven't come yet. After talking with him and Brad we are all penciled in at the hospital and I know that we can get this show on the road in just 1 month! I can do that. It's official and we're really excited about it.

keep rubbing my muscles, I'm eating for 3

Brad is a good husband. He gave me prenatal massages for Christmas and I just got my first one today. Best. Gift. Ever.
I had high expectations and it totally lived up to it. There were special shaped cushions all over the table like a puzzle with big dips for lumpy places on your body- I got to lay on my stomach for the first time in months. It was so amazing. Everything about it was awesome, if you were all prego like me I'd expect you to be pretty jealous.

I decided to take a pic today of how funny my tight t-shirts are now.

Before I had to hold back all the loose shirt for a pic, just to make sure you knew I had a girlish figure. :)

A ranting side note: when I first went in to the massage place I noticed she had pics all over the walls of her water birth. Yummy... She proceeded to give a little shpeel about natural home births. I've already learned my lesson not to be over zealous about sharing my strong opinions on the topic, so I just smiled politely and thought to myself "you have no idea how pointless it is to talk to me about this lady"...Now massage my sad muscles, please. :)
Its gotten easier to not go off on my opinions on such topics since I no longer have crazy/hippy/liberal ideas being dished to me daily from U of U professors. (Who would have thought nursing school had so much to do with global warming, dogs, and gay rights?) And if you have a nurse midwife for a professor you also get to learn about how women don't need epidurals or those fancy-shmancy "hospitals".
Since this is my personal blog and those who don't like it don't read it- I don't fear offending the kind souls who do read it (or worry about having my name submitted in the world of gossip and rumors). So I will tell you this- I believe that modern medicine and technology is a blessing that can and should be used to benefit and promote a healthy life. I know it's all trendy, but pretending like you're a pioneer without all of these benefits is so silly to me. The miracle of birth is still there whether you're in pain or not, at home or in a hospital, or even if you end up needing a c-section. The miracle is a new life coming into the world, that's the important, beautiful part. I never got sick of seeing that in L&D, it is seriously incredible. Do you have any idea how different survival rates are for newborns because of what can be done for you in a hospital when something goes wrong? You could never be monitored and ready quickly for an emergency c-section if needed at home like you would be in a hospital. I don't get why you'd take your chances when dealing w/ a baby's life... but that's just me.

the strangest dreams...

Ever since I have been pregnant I have intense, vivid dreams that are crazy and seem very realistic.  For the entire first trimester most of my dreams involved babies falling out of me in one way or another.  That was disturbing, I guess that fear eventually left.  I have since then had a few really disturbing dreams that made me cry just thinking of them afterwards.  Sometimes I just have super random dreams that really make me question where they could have originated without drugs...

Last night I dreamt that our babies were just home from the hospital in their crib.  I looked at them and they were the most gigantic babies I'd ever seen, probably 5x the size of a normal baby.  They both had pierced ears, bright red lipstick, and looked just like miss piggy.  I realized I had to pretend I thought they were pretty.  We were trying to figure out which baby came out first and which one was named which.   All I could do was stare at how weird they both looked and think, "I can't believe these are our babies."
I really shouldn't be surprised since I have already given birth to a wide variety of species and talking babies in my dreams. These pregnancy hormones are seriously like being on crack at night, I can't wait to get off them and go back to my normal dreams...

sisters, sisters

\

A lovely belly line up of me, my sister Melinda, and sister-in-law Meg.  All expecting within weeks of each other!  It's too fun.  So that's 4 new babies coming next month in the Lewis household.  The Hagens will add 3 to their # this year with me and my sister-in-law Emily.  Plus there are 2 more bonus babies coming in a few months on the Lewis side if you count pseudo-sister Maja's twins. And if you've been on facebook recently you may notice every other news feed is about someone having a baby.

So, if you've been considering having a baby, now is the time- everyone is doing it.

We just went to the doctor again today- our girls continue to grow healthy and strong- 50th percentile in size, no signs of preterm labor at all. This is great news, but its also looking like we may have to go hang out at "jump on it" for Valentines to get things moving along. :)

the last miles are the hardest...

Pregnancy is like running a marathon. Except the farther you run the fatter you get, so by the final stretch you can barely move. And you get something way better than a t-shirt at the end, I'm hoping.
29 weeks now- I think I'm past the "fun" part of pregnancy. My belly is no longer a cute little ball. People don't tell me I'm tiny anymore- instead they look at my stomach and say "whoa." And when I tell them I'm due end of February they say "oh my gosh, wow."  They don't ask to touch my belly much anymore either (which is fine), it probably reminds them of Santa. I'm afraid of getting bigger, which is silly since it's the only direction to go. Sleeping is a nightmare. Sitting after a couple minutes is no good either, standing is worse. There is no hope of comfy anymore, I wish I could fast forward two months, past this final stretch... but I'm trying to enjoy being pregnant during Christmas, who knows if that will happen again. I eat all the goodies I want and don't even think twice.

have a seat

Having been a youngest child and always a healthy, young girl I'm never even on the totem pole for special assistance or people giving up their seat for me. Its kind of been a fun change, I really appreciate when I'm at a store and someone says "let me help you with that", "are you sure you can get that all by yourself? why don't I get someone to carry it for you".  And occasionally when there are more seats than people, people stand up so that I can sit down. I know its because they pity me with my big belly looking as uncomfortable as it sometimes feels, but the special treatment still makes me feel like a queen. :)
That being said, it's funny to me when there are several people who could "deserve" the seat. I feel like I've met eyes with an older person and we're both thinking the same thing- "should I let you sit down... who needs it more?" That's when people are conscientious of each other.
I've noticed some older women already seem to feel entitled to their sitting position, they have had their babies and don't seem that impressed with my belly- they let me stand. A surprising amount of younger women too, probably just used to guys giving up their seats and they don't even think about it. I haven't had a guy yet not offer his seat, if he were young and didn't I'd think he was kind of a jerk, but I'd understand if he were frail and elderly. Some older gentlemen who don't seem so frail do seem used to people getting out of their way at their convenience, that bugs me a little when they don't realize that they are getting around better than me at this point.
I guess my point is, that once you are up on the totem pole for special treatment, some people get used to it and forget that there are other people who need it too. I think I was good at recognizing it before this, but to be honest I can't remember. I can tell you this, in the future I will try to take good care of anyone who appears to be limited in their ability to get around (I guess that still might be me lugging around 2 babies...) :)
So, in the spirit of Christmas, as other people are shoving their neighbors down in the grocery aisle, remember that you have an opportunity to serve someone with a giant belly (or hip replacement) by making their outing a little less challenging!

the last christmas

This is my favorite time of year and it’s especially fun this year being pregnant! It just adds one more magical aspect to the Christmas season.  It’s our last holidays without these little girls, I can't wait for them to be a part (and probably the center) of all our future holidays and traditions. This is my theme song this year, the lyrics capture so many of the feelings I’ve been having lately. I was reading in Luke the other day about when Elizabeth feels John leap inside of her when Mary comes to tell her that she is pregnant- all the while feeling my babies kicking. How fun is that?
It is really amazing to feel these little babies moving around inside of me, and to see them during ultrasounds. I mean, there are people inside of me. I’m growing people. It blows my mind whenever I think about it. There are 3 beating hearts in my body. (we're counting mine, I'm still in here too, you know) 3 working brains. 6 lungs. I can feel little heads and limbs poking up into my stomach. It really is a miracle, I’m so grateful that I get to be pregnant! (and am trying to remind myself of that) I really think I'd miss it if I didn't know I'll have 2 little baby girls afterwards, it sounds boring just having me in here. 

THE LAST CHRISTMAS
I feel your heart beating
Inside my own skin
And I think of Mary
In Bethlehem
That night in a stable
Our Saviour was born
Yes, we have so much
To be thankful for
On the last Christmas
The last Christmas
Without you
They're choosing the colors
Preparing your room
For one day; Midsummer
The advent of you
Together we wait for
A heavenly gift
Is winter a wonder?
Enchanted that this is
The last Christmas
Without you
See the stars shining from above
Hear the singing
Praise to the Giver of Life and Love
Maker of Beautiful things.
I feel you heart beating
Inside my own skin
And I think of Mary
In Bethlehem
When darkness was shattered
The dawn of God's grace
And the journey'd begun
To the first Easter day
On this Christmas
The very last Christmas
Without you!

man, how is it I already love you so much little babies? I can't wait to see your sweet little faces and kiss your little toes. I'm not looking forward to changing your diapers, but I'm sure you'll be worth it. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm 25 weeks now and I pretty much say this every week, but I've really exploded lately. humongo exploded.
this was 2 weeks ago:

and now this week:

So much to be thankful for this year!

*an amazing husband who is always looking out for me
*two little girls that are growing inside of me
*supportive family
*the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives
*our cute house that is WARM and starting to come together, almost ready for little babes
(*I guess I'll highlight our new mirror and fireplace, I'm thrilled to have a mantle to decorate!)
*getting to make yummy holiday food

So count your blessings and cook, cook, cook!
Happy Thanksgiving!

minor aches and pains

I try not to be an overly paranoid pregnant lady, but sometimes it's hard not to be. This is my first time doing this, new things are happening to my body that have never happened before (times two) and it doesn't help that I recently finished nursing school. (giving me just enough info to get me worried, without enough experience to reassure my fears with facts on my individual case...)
So maybe I have run into my Dr's office to have them check on my babies after my rambunctious niece head butted me in the uterus when running to hug me. It freaked me out, and I didn't care that everyone in the office was certainly laughing at me after I left. I felt a little idiotic by the third time explaining the scenario (first to the secretary, then the nurse, then the doctor "now describe to trauma to me? what was that, a 3 year old girl head butting you? Hmm...she seriously thought a 3 year old running into her damaged her babies? ha. And yes, I did.)
The pregnancy discomforts are amplifying daily. Here's a couple of examples of recent concerns I've gone to my Dr. with:
*"Um, my left ribs have been numb for the past 3 weeks. " That doesn't seem good right?
SELF DIAGNOSIS: inflamed gallbladder? ....some kind of nerve damage??
DR. DIAGNOSIS: sounds like stretching ligaments, get used to it during pregnancy.

*I occasionally feel sharp, tingly pulling in the middle of my stomach at random times.
SELF DIAGNOSIS: maybe one of the placentas is pulling away from the uterus.
DR. DIAGNOSIS: sounds like stretching ligaments, get used to it during pregnancy.

*Okay, but what about a really sharp, intense pain on my lower right side that happens at night sometimes...this ones got to be serious, right? I better check, just in case...
SELF DIAGNOSIS: appendicitis.
DR. DIAGNOSIS: sounds like stretching ligaments, get used to it during pregnancy.

Apparently if you're pregnant and not bleeding, you can blame pain on your poor, overstretched ligaments, doing their best to support your enormous uterus. Hang in there guys, we've still got a long way to go. I know you used to just have to hold onto a little lemon-sized muscle, that little lemon grew into a watermelon, in fact it will be more like 2 watermelons...good luck w/ the stretching, dear ligaments. I can handle your stretching pain as long as you do your job.
It's amazing our bodies can do this whole thing! I've tried to explain to Brad that I can have a stomach ache in my ribs, here's why:

they're trapped

I was telling Brad about how I've been a little anti-social, consumed with projects and plans for home & baby. Then I mentioned how I haven't been blogging as much. Brad was like, "Katie, blogging isn't social..." Well, being virtually social is one step for me. I love hanging out w/ friends in real life too, so if you're local we should get together, I don't want to be a social wreck loose anymore. :)
The reality of pregnancy is hitting me harder these days. I'm suddenly feeling huge, wearing official maternity clothes, and experiencing some new pregnancy discomforts: lower back pain, inability to bend over, and starting to feel the impact of this growing bowling ball in my abdomen on all my organs. I"m only 1/2 way there, so thats a little scary...
Not all the new changes have been bad though! I've been feeling the babies move around for weeks now, its pretty cool. Brad has been anxious to join in on the fun, so last week I knew he'd be thrilled to feel them. Once when they were particularly active I put his hand where I'd felt little pokes, and he felt them! I think he was excited, but all he said was, "they're trapped! they hate it in there."
I tried to explain how a uterus is a happy place for a fetus to grow, but apparently to Brad my womb is a small prison. It's okay- the girls have already served over 1/2 of their time. I guess they are trapped, but i think they like it.

the bump update: (20 weeks)