Happy Halloween

Princess Cali did GREAT this year at Trick-or-treating!  It is so fun now that she is starting to understand how these holidays work.  She was excited for days about saying "trick-or-treat" and people giving her candy.  She did lots of practicing!

In preparation for Halloween Daddy and Cali made a jack-o-lantern together.  Cali did good scooping the insides out with a spoon but was not a fan of using her hands.  She said it was "gooey".

This year for Halloween Cali was a Princess!

We went to a few homes in our neighborhood to show off the Princess.  I find it strange that this is the one night out of the year where you actually stop and talk to your neighbors.  Normally there is only waving.

After hitting a couple local homes we loaded the Princess in the car and went to a few homes of church friends.  It was fun to see everyone dressed up!

Trying to get Minnie Mouse, a Princess and a Ninja to stand in one stop for a photo was ridiculously difficult!  This is the best we could get.  

Halloween was a success!  Lots of goodies for Cali, Daddy and Mommy to enjoy!

33 Weeks

We are in the home stretch now!   With our c-section scheduled for Nov. 23rd we are only 5 weeks or less from meeting our "super babies" (that is what Cali calls them - thanks Dora!).

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 33 Weeks

Size of baby: Boy is 4 lbs 8 ozs 33%, girl is 3 lbs 13 ozs 7%

Maternity Clothes: Maternity clothes and Nick's clothes

Gender: One boy, one girl!

Movement: The babies move a lot.  The little girl has managed to totally change positions again.  Not sure how she finds the room!

Sleep: Sleeping is getting uncomfortable since I can only lay on my left side.  

What I miss: Energy, being comfortable, and the ability not to waddle.

Cravings: Sweets and fried food

Symptoms: I'm big!

Best Moment this week: Our wonderful church family gave us a Double the Fun baby shower last weekend!  It was so thoughtful of them to get us so many wonderful things for the twins.  

You may notice that our little girl is pretty small, 7% (for none baby people - Doctors use a 100% scale to rate the size of babies with the average baby being 50% in size).   She is gaining weight but is just not as big as the Doctors would like her to be.  What they want us to do is come in twice a week to do a None Stress Test or NST.  Basically they put monitors on the babies to watch their heartbeats.  As long as the lines go up and down a lot we are fine.  They are also monitoring the babies fluid and umbilical cord flow.  At this point their isn't anything to worry about and if anything does come up we are going to the Dr. so much they will find it.  

  

Big Girl

It seems like over night Cali is becoming such a BIG GIRL!  She is doing great with peeing in the potty.  Her imagination is broadening for play time.  She eats lots of different kinds of food.  She talks in paragraphs.  She can get in or on almost anything - she is our little monkey!  She goes to playschool 4 mornings a week and loves it!  She picks up on everything!

Here are some big girl pictures for you.

Ready for school with her big backpack! 

She is fearless!

Playing dress up

The BIG piece of news is that tonight Cali is sleeping in a Big Girl bed for the first time!  We are going to use her crib for the twins so Nick moved her crib out of her room and put together a toddler bed that our wonderful family gave us!

Getting in her big girl bed for the first time.  I love the pure joy on her face!  She is super excited!

Pretending to sleep.

One Year

Today is one year since Dad left this earth to be with our Heavenly Father.  One Year - wow.  It doesn't seem that long.  To say I miss him would be an understatement.  There is just such a special bond between a girl and her daddy.

I long for our talks.  He was always such a good listener and would not tell you what to do but help you work through to the solution.  He always gave such wise counsel.  He was also such an encourager.  No one ever left a conversation with Dad where they didn't feel better about themselves.

I ache for the fact that Cali won't remember him and that the twins will never know a Grandpa.  He was so good with Cali!  From the beginning he took such joy in her and would get on the floor to play.  

But I also rejoice that he is with Christ and feels no pain and is free from cancer.  I take comfort in the fact that I will see him again.  I find peace that he is with family and friends enjoying God's glory for eternity.

It has been a hard year for all of us - mom especially.  But today we will have a gathering to celebrate Dad's life, share stories and find comfort in the fact that he is with the Lord.

Thank you all for your encouragement and love during this time.  I hope that if you knew Dad you can have a smile on your face today as you remember him.

Life and Science Museum

Nick had a youth event today so Cali and I headed to Durham for some fun!

We started at the Durham Farmer's Market.  We picked up some fresh veggies, a Gluten free brownie for me and a cupcake for Cali.

Then we went to the Durham Life and Science Museum.  Super fun!  We were able to see a ton of animals, walk around, climb things, get in things and even play with butterflies.  Cali had a blast and when we got home she said, "I'm sad.  I miss my butterflies."  I told her we would go back to see them!

Cali reviewed the map and decided we needed to go to the butterfly garden

The butterflies were her favorite!  Cali was a little concerned when one decided to land on her shirt though.  After taking a few pics I gently encouraged it to play with another child.

Next came the bear exhibit.  There were 2 black bears for us to watch.  Cali got a kick out of watching them swim in their pond.

Cali "The Bear" Jordan - The sound effect for this face is priceless!

Cali even played on the "bumpy" dinosaur.

The museum was a hit!  I highly recommend it and plan to take Cali back.  We spend almost 3 hours there and didn't get to see everything.  

28 Weeks

We have hit the third trimester!  The scary part is we are 10 weeks or less away from going from a family of 3 to a family of 5!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 28 Weeks

Size of baby: The twins are 14.5 inches long and just over two pounds each

Maternity Clothes: Maternity clothes and Nick's clothes

Gender: One boy, one girl!

Movement: The babies move all the time!  It is crazy that you can see them moving from the outside!

Sleep: Sleeping is getting uncomfortable.  Some nights are better than others.   I also try to take a nap everyday but sometimes I just lay down for a while. 

What I miss: Seeing my feet, flexibility, energy and sleep.

Cravings: Chocolate, carbs and sweet potato fries

Symptoms: My belly is getting big!

Best Moment this week: Celebrating Nick's birthday.  I couldn't imagine this adventure with anyone else!

Indiana Trip

Cali, Mom and I took a long weekend trip to Indiana to see family.  My great-aunt passed away at 96 years old.  The funeral gave us a good opportunity to make the trip and see lots of family.  We decided to fly up instead of take a 11 hour drive each way.  Cali did amazing!

Eating her sucker during takeoff

Great Aunt Janice, Cali and Great Uncle Clyde

Cali and Great Grandpa Pete

The dog she is holding Grandpa "bought" her with his bingo winning tickets.  He was very excited that he could get her something.

Dave, Beth, Wade, Aunt Louanne, Me, Cali and Nana

Louanne is mom's sister and these are three of her five kids. 

Victor, Beth, Cali and Me

It was good to be in Indiana, see lots of family, introduce Cali to everyone and spend time with mom.
Since I won't be traveling for a while this was my last big trip for a while.