And I actually thought I could post regularly...

McGraw Family April 2012

We are still alive!  Life with twins has been a beautiful busy disastrous blessing.  Working from home while good intentioned was so much more than I could handle and keep up this blog,  Here's a quick run down of life.  (In no particular order)

Loralei is three!  However cliche, it feels like life started with her birth.  She is a beautiful bright little sprite of a girl, who seems to make our world go round.  We celebrated her birth with a bbq and a candy cake which was a big hit.

Family pictures!!  The pics for this post is brought to you by Camera Shy in Lehi.  The best deal I have found and the whole experience was fun.  They really captured the spirits of my little ones and it was a relatively painless process.

The twins were blessed in March.  Their father gave each girl a beautiful and unique blessing that I love to look back upon.  It was such a beautiful and sacred experience to see Heavenly Father and my husband work together to bless Haven and Baila.

Update on the twins, they are a little small for their age but are developing right on target.  Haven is my mover surprisingly because she's so mild-mannered but she rolls everywhere.  Baila can roll just doesn't unless the situation calls for it.  She is more of a throw herself in the general direction of where she wants to go baby.  That's fun!  They are both joys and terrors, taking turns holding us hostage to their capricious whims.

Loralei is three and we are feeling every bit of it.  Her favorite phrase, "why?"has caused much consternation in our household.  "Seriously child, just because," is heard daily.  We love her curiosity zest for life.  She plays with our neighbor girl daily and loves to be outside.

Ry has a new job working at the American Fork concrete terminal for the interstate project.  He loves the work but he's away from us a lot of the time.  He's hoping to turn this into something really good for our family so fingers crossed!

Spring/almost Summer has fallen on Utah.  We plan to spend it on long walks and bike rides as a family.  I love to feel the warm desert breeze against my face as the sun beams down.  This is the time of year I enjoy most, Utah is in bloom.  Now off to feed some babies, enjoy the photos.

Loralei April 2012

Loralei April 2012

Baila April 2012

Baila April 2012

Haven April 2012

Haven April 2012

Haven April 2012

Baila April 2012

Loralei April 2012

Loralei April 2012

We've been busy!!

Right after the girls' birth.  Haven on the left, Baila in the center.

I promise to catch the blog up as soon as I have a spare moment.  Suffice it to say, the girls are here, home, and healthy and we are all trying to get used to being a family of five.  Here are some photos to hold everyone over.

Haven and Baila 4 weeks. Haven on top, Baila snoozing below

Haven's "you don't say?" face

Baila's wondering if this is the time for photos

All three of my beautiful girls

NICU pic- girls nose to nose helping each other get well

NICU photo

Holding them together

6 weeks old getting ready for bed.  Baila on top, Haven underneath.

Haven looking oh so serious

I am hoping to be able to update with their birth story and subsequent NICU story soon.  Life is muy loco right now with feedings and little sleep but I do want to share!  Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers through out my pregnancy.  I can honestly say that it was all worth it. 

Thirty-Seven Weeks and last pregnancy post!

There it is in all it's pregnancy glory.  This may be my last posed pregnancy shot, at least before the hospital.  I am 37 weeks and 4 days today and I am going to be giving birth tomorrow morning.  Words cannot express how excited and nervous that I am.  Life is going to drastically change for the McGraws with those girl's first breaths.  I can't believe that we have all made it this far and well to be honest that this is actually going to happen.  I like to think of myself as a realist which means that I'm somewhat of a pessimist when it comes to these things like pregnancies and the like.  I fully expected to have more complications and for this to be a whole lot harder than it has been. Other than the discomfort, of which there is plenty, this pregnancy has been really easy and normal.  I still wouldn't recommend a twin pregnancy to anyone their right minds :)

Now a statistic that will blow your mind, no I'm divulging my weight but I will tell you that I am 55 inches around.  That is 4 feet and 7 inches!  I could use a fourth grader as a belt.  Wow, just wow.  I am so proud of my body.  It has truly risen above and beyond anything I thought was possible.  It's truly a miracle.

I want to ask for each of your prayers and kind thoughts as we go into this stage of life.  I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to record my pregnancy and to those who have shared in it with me.  I will be back sometime, who knows when, with a birth update and tons of pics.

Thirty Six Weeks!

Still baking here.

And to be perfectly honest, I'm done as mush as I can be. This post will probably be a litany of complaints just to warn you, I'm not a happy or comfortable camper. I have hit the thirty-six week wall hardcore. I am now contemplating begging the doctor to end my misery this Friday, though I don't have much hope that he will. Why is it so hard right now, I will tell you.

• Constant heartburn in the afternoons. It hurts so much that my ears burn. Yep stomach acid is burning my Eustachian tubes. No bueno.
• Very sore areas on my stomach. I have a spot that the babies love to kick that is just stretched to the max. It hurts when something brushes against it it hurts when Baby B's butt decides to burrow there, it just hurts constantly. Unfortunately this is the same spot that gets squished by all counters and tables.
• I can hardly walk. It feels like I have a bowling ball trying to exit my pelvis, so I waddle and I'm slow. It hurts, have I mentioned that?
  

I am gonna stop right there because I don't want to come off as a sour Susan or anything like that. I am truly grateful for these girls I am just not sure there is much more room in my tummy for these blessings. I cannot wait to have them on the outside to snuggle, cuddle, and love!

Eight more days at the most folks! I'll try to update once more, but if not there will be a birth post soon.

35 Weeks

I'm still pregnant I promise! I have just been too lazy for a pic this week. I have a cold and I'm exhausted all the time. Blame low oxygen getting to my brain or my total lack of sleep but I'm not sure there will be better pic than the following. I promise to post it next week.



This is my belly from my view. It is quite cumbersome and I'm pretty sure it extends to about 3 inches to my knees. I don't know how to explain a twin pregnancy other than it is probably the most humiliating physical condition of my life and that includes my teenage acne! I can't roll over without at least a three-point-turn. I have to shop in a motorized wheelchair provided by the store and if you know me personally you know I'm clumsy enough on my feet adding a unknown mechanical machine is just asking for store merchandise all over the floor. That and you do not get any respect in those things I can't tell you how many people block the aisles and the ignore your attempts to get past. Whew I could rant about this all day, but back to my constant humiliation. This has truly cemented my desire to never become one of those flatbed obese people. I cannot imagine being bigger than I am now and still holding on to a shred of dignity. For the record I know that there are conditions that make a person that size without a conscious choice by the participant but I a talking about the people going for the world record. I miss touching my toes and putting on shoes without contorting myself. Seriously I feel like this most days...



BWahahaha! K it's not that bad but don't you love Loralei's drunk girl in the bathtub face! Here's the story, I was working and with my new living room set up my back is facing the rest of the room. My sneaky monkey of a daughter manages to get into my makeup. This is face is later when she was upset about something. I couldn't punish her for the makeup because she looked so happy and of course came up to me with her cute Minnie Mouse voice and said "I sorry Mama, I sorry." How can you get upset with an upfront apology like that? Love it!!

I had my 35 week doctor's appointment and we set a date of December 20th for my csection. That will give us enough time to get out of the hospital before Christmas. So that is like ummm thirteen days away! I'm honestly freaking out right now. I consider myself a good mother, in fact being a mother has been the thing that has come easiest to me over being a wife, daughter, and even friend, but to increase my mothering load from one child to three is very daunting to me. I feel like Heavenly Father is promoting me to Parenting 1000 way too quickly. In fact,even with the humiliating condition of this pregnancy the worry and stress of how to provide and care for three daughters is my main complaint. I want to be a good mother and provide each little girl the care and love that she needs and I'm only one person. Maybe you moms of more than one child can help me out cause I can't even imagine the situation I will be in at most 13 days from now.

So this has been a wordy post, so I'm going to save my additional worries for the next post. Pray for us and take care until next week!

Thirty Four Weeks!

I have to say that I love the ebb and flow of this pregnancy.  Week 33 was tough I didn't think I could make it much longer and I was so scared that my negativity would bring these babies around earlier than they needed to be.  I did survive to week 34 and this week has been much easier.  My body has adjusted to the new weight and as long as I don't do too much (i.e. anything at all) I'm fairly comfortable and my contractions are at a minimum. 

I had an official ultrasound at my doctor's office this week.  The babies are still measuring ahead of their gestational age by a few days.  Baby A is 4 pounds and 13 ounces and Baby B is 5 pounds and 9 ounces.  This is of course plus or minus half a pound.  Loralei and my mother-in-law and sister-in-law came to the ultrasound and it was special to share that with them.  I love seeing my baby especially in better resolution than the portable ultrasound machine at the hospital.  We got some really cute shots of Baby A who is no longer engaged, yes she managed to claw and squirm her way out of my pelvis and is now sitting transverse right along my pelvis.  We got some cute pictures of her little face and she looks so much like Loralei.  I cannot wait to find out what these girls look like.

I started my non stress tests (NSTs) a couple of weeks ago but only lately has the girls decided to be difficult and really make it stressful.  I was at Labor and Delivery for two hours on Friday to try to get Baby B to be still long enough to get a reliable lead on her heart rate.  The nurse was holding the lead on my stomach and really digging it in and then the Baby got the hiccups.  The nurse literally threw up her hands and stormed out saying "We will never get anything now!"  I have to laugh because it seems like these girls are taking after their parents in the difficult department.  I have since returned for another NST and we have discovered that I must me on my right side and practically on my head to get a good lead but the girls look great!  It only took about and hour and 15 minutes for a 20 minute lead on the girls. 

I'm hoping to keep these girls in for at least a few more weeks.  I have a few goals in mind that are coming up close.  First December 1st, I mean hey that's Thursday and I will officially made it to 35 weeks and to the designated month of their birth.  After that it's to Dec 8th and then anything more is just gravy.

Please pray and send good thoughts my way, I may be catching a cold which would really bite right about now. Take Care.

33 Weeks

Do me a favor and don't look too hard at that photo.  It seems these girls are really sucking away my "beauty" at this last part of pregnancy.  Of course this was taken after 9 PM at night after wrestling Loralei to bed.  Good news on that front!  She actually went to sleep by herself last night!  I left her awake and she demonstrated self-control to stay in bed and fall asleep.  I'm very proud.

I am officially 33 weeks and a few days.  I always run late now so sorry that it's not pinpoint accurate.  I don't feel as huge as these pictures make me out to be.  In fact I get amazed at peoples reactions to me until I catch myself in a mirror. My world has shrunk these past few weeks and not just because I take up more room.  My body is really tired and I don't get to go or do much.  I started non stress tests twice a week last week and with my weekly doctor's appointment I basically just go back and forth from American Fork Hospital and my doctor's office.  I'm pretty boring.

I mostly pass the time reading books that I adore and know that I won't have time to enjoy again after the twins are born.  So far I have reread the Harry Potter series, the Hunger Game series, and I'm in the middle of two more. If these babies take their dear sweet time I may have to start all over.

Loralei is getting very excited for the girls and we are discussing things she can do with the babies.  She says she will sing to them and kiss them and hold them.  I'm so excited for the baby who made me a mama to meet her new sisters. 

I must get back to life, but I hope that all who reads has a joyful and blessed Thanksgiving holiday.  I am so grateful for this process and for my body that is really doing amazing things right now.  Take Care.

32 Weeks and Counting

Yes I am currently THAT big.  It's a hoot really it's like playing hot potato without being able to get rid of the potato.  People see me walking down a hallway or street and you can see the panic in their eyes of "Where do I go, help!"  I have to laugh because what is the alternative.

We had a Labor and Delivery adventure last Friday night.  I started having contractions, little ones, but still 5-6 per hour so I diligently went to L&D.  They were a bit shirty with me since the contractions didn't hurt but hey I've had Dr. Haskett frustrated at me before.  Turned out that I was dehydrated so I was sent home with the instructions to rest all weekend (so no marathons or triathlons) and to drink lots and lots of water.  I'm closed tight like a drum so these girls aren't going anywhere any time soon. (I hope, I hope, I hope!)

This week has been rough on us.  My back hurts all the time and I do have all these random pains that comes from being pregnant with two babes.  I'm in that last growth spurt stage of all pregnancy so it feels like everyday I wake up to more weight and a heavier stomach.  Luckily the end is in sight and the girls and doing so well.  I hope to make it to 37 weeks, praying to make it to 37 weeks but if things keep as they are I think its possible, I just may be useless for anything besides gestating.

Bright side: time is flying by!  I can't believe that next week is Thanksgiving and after that we are into the month my girls will be born.  Eeeek! 

Delinquently 31 weeks

Don't you love the pajamas and the barely pulled back hair.  I look HAWT in this pic right, right?   I'm sorry that I skipped two weeks.  I don't really have a good excuse except my continuous procrastination.  I realized I needed to do it and then the days sort of just slipped by.  My hubby went out of town last weekend so there's my excuse for Monday and the week before I was sick again :(  It's been lovely. 

I have to give a shout out to my dear friend Abby, she helped talk me down from a proverbial ledge last Saturday.  This being pregnant is hard anyway but being pregnant with twins is like UBER META HARD.  My freedoms are pretty much curtailed at this point from back pain and stomach girth and it's sad for me that I can't just go out shopping or clean my house without serious recovery time.  Throw in a fall that wrenched my back yesterday and you can imagine my outlook on life.  So its back to my old standby of faking it until I make it, and I'm gonna fake being overjoyed about the process until I can fool myself.

The girls are doing wonderful.  I had a doctor's appointment last week and they are measuring about a week ahead of single babies.  I'm a rock star at growing big babies, ask Loralei who was 9 lbs 6 ounces.  At the appointment they weighed right about 4 lbs a piece with 3 ounces difference. That's 8 pounds of infant already!  Whew no wonder my back gets tired.  Everything looks great and I have another appointment next week, then every week after that until I deliver. 

It was neat to see them on the ultrasound screen.  They are so big that now they typically look like I'm pregnant with a many-legged octopus mutant.  One baby is already head down and engaged, she's ready for the show or has just realized that it's  much more fun to kick mom right in the bladder and cause a slight pee panic.  Baby B is now transverse, which means right across the belly and able to kick both side of my ribs at once.  I adore my girls already they are already exhibiting the Vaughn-McGraw pestering attitudes.

Halloween was a lot of fun.  Little Miss Loralei went as Minnie Mouse. She has developed such an opinion about everything that I was lucky to get her to agree to this costume. 

I think she looks adorable but the ears were not a big hit and she refused to wear them to both Trick-or Treating activities we went to.  She was a pro at trick or treating though.  She would knock on the door loudly say "Trick-or-Treat!" and then would politely say "Thank you."  It was really cute.  I can't wait for next year when we may do a Dr. Seuss theme. 

Hopefully I will be a better blogger and try to keep up with this pregnancy.  I have a new laptop so maybe!!  Take Care

9 Years and 28 weeks

It just hit me how I always seem to measure milestones for myself in units of time;  "oh I'm twenty-SEVEN now, or I haven't had caffeine in 12 hours."  I hit two pretty big milestones this past week.  On October 12th, I hit the nine year milestone of my baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I cherish my membership in the church and I revel in all the good it has brought in my life.  I know now more than I knew then that this is the true church.  I know that this is church of Jesus Christ and I have marveled at how my love for the Savior and his principles has blossomed.  I am forever grateful for those who introduced the church to me and truly demonstrated the love that is contained in the gospel.  I know that the decision to join the church has made all the difference in my life. If you too would like to experience this change I implore you to read the Book of Mormon and pray about the teachings that it contains.  I know you will receive a witness just as I have that it is the truth.  I truly love this gospel and all that it has brought to me.

On to my next milestone, I am officially in my third trimester.  Twenty-eight weeks Woot Woot!  This is how I look.

I am pretty huge no? I feel pretty good.  I get tired easily and sleeping is sometimes a joke, all in all I don't feel this big.  It's pretty amazing to me how you adapt, I only really feel big when I'm out in public.  Some memorable quotes are "Please Honey, tell me your almost through," and "So you deliver next week right?"  Also there was some excited signing by a sweet deaf couple at Costco who were really surprised that I was in Costco and all I caught was "Two! you are beautiful."  Why thank you, kind people I do feel like sideshow but also I'm pretty jazzed at how awesome this pregnancy is going.  There has been no swelling, no contractions, and the babies have both moved to a position where I can feel their late night parties and day time kick-fests.  Life is good.

Babycenter has graced us with another look into a twin mom's womb so this is what is going on right now.

K pretty much standard.  When I look at this pic I think wow, it's amazing I don't pee more than I do cause that bladder is just sad right there.  I do have some differences tho...so here is my 28 week womb picture

I couldn't add how my abs are seriously always rock hard.  At first I thought that it was Braxton Hicks but the top of my stomach never relaxes.  It's got to be strain of holding all the weight of the girls and well my guts in so I can function.  This pregnancy is really a trip.  Ok, the creative juices have run dry.  Take care until next week.