I guess I'm having twins:

I mean, I've seen the ultrasounds...I feel their body parts pounding me in the gut as I type, but seeing these matching newborn outfits - well, that's proof they'll be here in the flesh at some point!
TWINS.
Two children that will share everything...including clothing.
I get asked pretty regularly if I'm going to dress them alike.
Well, nope.
I have 2 boys already, and they've never had 2 of the same exact items of clothing.
So unless the hand-me-down clothes suddenly duplicate themselves, these boys will rarely ever match.
So what's the story with these?
Well, they're newborn sleepers. Cale was barely in newborn clothes, and M came home at 6 months old, so I have a very short supply of this tiny brand of clothing.
I decided to look online for some cheap newborn stuff.
So many lovely friends offered to send me their newborn clothes, and I won these in an ebay auction for $5 total!
The twins first matching outfits. :)

In the pic, Cale is pointing out which outfit is "Zachery's" and which is "Marshall's."
(Tim and I discussed the latter name as a strong option early on...but decided against it.)
But Cale still won't let go of the name Marshall....every time we ask him what the babies names are, he'll say "Zachery and Marshall" - I'm beginning to think he may have some issues with Thaddeus later in life..... ;)

Oh, and I think we've nailed down their full names.
See what you think about these:
Thaddeus Drew Nester
Zachery Kade Nester
'Drew' after the baby we lost...and 'Kade' because we had always planned to give our first girl the middle name Kate...and well, it's looking like that may not happen - so, Kade is after me. :)

random acts of kindness

Have I gotten bigger in the past week or so?
I mean...noticeably so?
Because today I can record 3 random acts of kindness from total strangers.
Maybe it's not just the belly...maybe they see me at McDonalds with my purse slung over one shoulder, a baby on the opposite hip, trying to balance the food tray, yelling for Cale to "grab your drink, the tray is too heavy!" while he shouts back "which one is mine?!"
A man stopped me mid-fluster, looked in my eyes and said, "Mam, would you like some help?"
It kinda took me by surprise. How kind of him to offer.
Before that I was at Walmart with the boys. Megersa was strapped in the cart, but Cale was loose...climbing the counter to make sure the cashier scanned his 'sparkle' toothpaste.
When I handed her the gift card for payment, she dropped it on my side of the counter. I looked down... (Bending over hasn't been a favorite movement of mine even before I was pregnant with twins.)
But, the man in line behind me quickly reached down at the same time I was, and offered to pick it up. (I was already inches from it, so I did end up grabbing it myself...but again...)
How nice!
And while in line at the restroom, holding Megersa's squirming hand and keeping a hawk eye on Cale (making sure he doesn't look between the cracks or under the stalls), the lady in front of me asked "do either of the boys have an emergency that can't wait?" I told her "for the moment, we were in line because Mommy had to go." She glanced at my belly and asked "Is it an emergency?" While I smiled and said I'd be fine, she stepped back guestering for me to walk ahead of her...just as two stalls were opening. She willingly offered me the handicaped one, which is almost a must with all I bring in. :)
Another wonderful person!!
Ironic that these little 'Good Samaritan' moments are happening now -
I've been filling out the twins' "Belly Book" religiously. There is so much to write down this pregnancy and I don't want my memory to fail me later on...
Anyway, I've had to skip the section of the book where it wants me to write "the first time a random stranger gave up their seat or a spot in line for you - or another act of kindness with regards to your belly." Well, nothing like that had happened.
To the contrary actually - I was ready to write down the time that a women literally pushed her cart into my backside while I was loading groceries and trying to keep an eye on my kids (making me topple forward on to my cart) because she was trying to get in line ahead of me....
But today, I can fill out that page with a positive note.
Today was a nice day.
I appreciate you, random strangers.
And whether it's because you take pity on me; you find it amusing to watch me maneuver tasks with a big belly and 2 children in tow; or simply because it's Christmas time.....today you warmed my heart and your acts will forever be recorded in Thad & Zac's Belly Book.

15 month check.

Megersa had his 15 month check-up yesterday.

Tim took him while I did some last minute Christmas shopping with Cale.

It's getting harder and harder on my belly to be carrying Megersa around, and when it snows like it did yesterday, there is no option for him to be walking. Plus, all that gear adds another 5lbs to his weight, I swear! :)

Tim said he did well with most things.

For whatever reason he hates people touching his nose and he sensitive about his mouth. So when it came time for the doc to look down his throat, Tim mentioned that the doc had to resort to prying his mouth open with her hands while Tim held his arms down.

Sounds like fun... ;)

Daddy said he was more upset about laying down on the table then the actual shots, but after it was over and the lady left, Megersa said "Byeeeeeeee!"

I guess he survived. :)

So, the stats:

weight: 21 lbs, 12 oz - apparently this is in the 10th percentile. In his last check he was in the 25th, so the doc expected more weight gain... I dont know...he eats more than Cale will sometimes. I think his growth is in his legs. In the 9 months he's been home with us, he's moved from a size 3-6 month clothing to 18 months. The waist of 12 months (and even some 9 months) still fit perfectly, but his skinny little legs are LONG!

height: 31, 3/4inches - 75th percentile.

Less-words Wednesday

In the car watching the Animated Christmas Light Show at Adventure Park.

We LOVE light shows!! As a girl, every year we would snuggle up and drive the LONG 30-45 minutes ;) to see the "Berwick Lights" - OH, how I loved them! Each year around the holidays when we're visiting, I mention going to see them, but apparently my parents don't have the fond memories I do of them, and we always end up not going. BOO!

Well, for the past 2 years, I've been searching for places with Light Shows. Not only does Mommy love them, but Cale does too! He TOTALLY appreciates them as much as I do. There are a few clips on YouTube of different lighted houses and he has watched them countless times. The real thing is much better!

The show at Adventure Park was $25...but for us - FREE! A friend of ours gave us a coupon for a free visit. Thank you, Jill! If we didn't have that, we may not have gone, because while it was really cool...it wasn't worth $25. The other animated light show we went to was just at someone's house. The house is decorated to the max and play thier "show" every 20 minutes starting at 6pm, running till 11pm. It was really awesome and of course, the boys loved it!
I'm hoping to be able to find a few others before the Christmas season ends...

lost in thought.

Did I tell you that each twin has his own side?

They've "stayed" to their own side for what seems like a month (according to all of my doctor's visits), so the u/s tech said they will most likely remain on their own side now that they're bigger. She said they can still somersault and change their head-up/head-down position, but not for much longer.

Thad is on my LEFT.

Zac is on my RIGHT.

According to my "pregnancy ticker" babies in the womb at 21 weeks are establishing sleep patterns.

Well...I can tell.

And my twins have different ones many of the times.

Their kicks are pronounced on their "side" so I know who it is and if their up.

Sometimes they both are awake and I feel movement and kicking up high and down low, but for the most part, they take 'turns.'

Tonight, they were both awake.

Here's the scene:

I'm at home with my big boys...it's 7:30p and they've been bathed and have had their snack. We are all in Megersa's room for story time. Both boys are sitting on my lap leaning up against their brothers and though I feel squished, I'm enjoying the closeness (and the warmth! - our heater broke and our house temperature dropped to 58 degrees today! It's currently climbing it's way back up - 5 hours after fixing the thermostat, we're at 67 degrees)....

ANYWAY, for those 15 minutes, not only was I reading for my two big boys, but the babies were awake too....kicking away.

Though I kept reading, my thoughts strayed to where I'd be at in a few months...a year.

How will I be able to hold all 4 on my lap? :) They'll have to take turns.

I feel so blessed tonight. (Maybe it's the chilly temperature that's got my heart pounding in overdrive to keep me warm ;)...But I thank God that he took that moment out of my long day to show me how lucky I am.

an important question.

Tim spent half an hour putting Cale to bed tonight.

Each night we try our best to share Jesus with him and we think Cale is getting it.

He is ever-so-smart and asks good questions, so we hope and pray salvation is close by!

We seriously can't wait to celebrate this occasion.

Thinking that tonight might be that night...Tim asked Cale, "Buddy, are you ready to ask Jesus into your heart?"

Long pause. Cale was clearly thinking... (My husband held his breath in anticipation.)

Then he spoke:

"Daddy, is Jesus peach...or is he brown?"

:) hahahaha!!!

No conversion tonight, but definitely some tears of laughter.

LOVE that kid!

lost.

I lose things.
It's beginning to be more of a problem.
Generally, it doesn't really irk me...I know that within time I'll find the item, and to be honest, if I don't NEED the thing right away, I usually don't really hunt for it.
Sure, I'll look in the spots I thought I had it last, but no major spring cleaning just to recover it....
On occasion, the thing that I lose, never is found...but more often than not, it shows up. And let me tell you; when I FIND the item, it's so exciting! (Especially when I'm not looking for it!!)
I've "misplaced" my wedding ring more times than I can count. This lost item offends Tim most...and rightly so, but I dont do it on purpose...it's directly related to my putting on lotion. I take off my rings, put them down and then apparently, sometimes forget to put them back on. My rings have shown up in the sheets, under the bed, in our old church's nursery (that time I actually didn't know they were gone, but when our bulliten announced that wedding rings had been found, I knew they had to be mine. I looked down, and my finger was naked).
The longest time they've been missing was a few weeks, showing up later in my bathrobe pocket.
I lost a $100 bill once. That was pretty upsetting. I think I did hunt for it for quite awhile, but eventually gave up and forgot about it. About a year later I found it and THAT was a happy day!
What else?
electrical equiptment: like remotes, chargers, cameras, my cell phone...
Yeah, it enough to drive the person I married bonkers.

At this present date and time I am responsible for the loss of one mini DVD player remote, and my mini laptop cord.
The latter is starting to annoy me. I want to upload pictures from my camera, and I can't without the cord to the computer. That computer once served many purposes as my home computer (in IL), but now it sits here...basically as a photo album.
I need the cord to keep the battery life going.
What makes it more annoying is that my blackberry camera phone isn't working.
So, I'm unable to share pictures right now! Highly. Annoying.

Today I looked for it. I usually keep the cord in the little red satin bag that the computer came. Usually when I'm done with that laptop I fold it up, put it back in the bag with it's tiny mouse and power cord...fully ready to be stored away until the next time I want to upload pictures.
That time has come, and the cord is no where to be seen. I've searched through all the bookshelves (I have a tendency to stick cords in the cubby holes)...but nothing.
It's not on the kitchen table where Tim keeps his laptop and cords...
It's not where I used it last and it's not in my bedroom where sometimes I like to take things.
It's lost.
And I'm annoyed. (Did I mention that?) :)

whoa!

http://itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-dont-want-my-children-to-be-happy.html

The above is an AWESOMELY POWERFUL blog post.
Please read. I feel the same way she does. :)

need a good laugh?

This video clip was sent to me last night.
I watched it about 5 times already and each time I laugh harder.
Honestly, watch it and tell me if you don't tear up laughing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT-lgB_HGEE&feature=player_embedded


Now, add in the fact that I'll have two more and one was born in Africa...and I can only imagine what kind of video clip my family could inspire! :)

attempt: fail.

Good golly, it's kinda embarresing to say that Tim and I have not yet re-adopted Megersa here in Maryland. Time flies, and though the intention was there...it has not happened.
Until today. The attempt...not the actual thing.
See, we have talked about "going to the courthouse on _____..." so many times, but it just didn't happen.
Things would get hectic and the phrase "Lets just go another day..." would be said.
((We procrastinate. I know.))
ANYWAY...Today I was determined.
Because Tim's day off is Monday, that is normally our day to schedule doctors appointments or visits that require everyone to be there (professional pictures...tours of preschools, whatever it is). But, because of these two little fellas growing in my belly...Mondays are often taken up by my doctors appointments.
Sure, at this point it's only 2 Mondays a month (one visit for the regular OB and another for the high-risk OB), but come a few more weeks, both will want to see me every 2 weeks, then every 1 week. That's 2 doctors visits a week for just me! Plus, MOPS is on Monday.
So the "open" days to get things accomplish are dwindling signficantly.
Thursdays morning though, can work....provided we are ambitious.
Tim has worship practice at 7pm on Thursday night. So instead of going to work from 9-5 then leaving again at 6:30, he stays home until just after lunch, then comes home around 10pm.
Kind of a weird schedule, but my mind has adjusted to Thursday evenings alone with the boys. Leftovers, sometimes grocery shopping, and always...bath night.

Back to today...I got up, dressed myself and the boys...gave them breakfast...coerced Tim into the shower, and we packed into the car.
I had the address (for our GPS) and M's ET birth certificate, passport, and offical documents.
Per other friend's experiences, I fully intended to ask the court for readoption papers, fill them out, wait for a judge to break free and sign our papers, and then skidaddle on out.
I even entertained the thought of celebrating this feat by going out to lunch afterwards...
NOPE.
Aftering figuring out which line we were suppose to stand in, I waited my turn, then asked for the papers. The teller handed me a folder and said "This is only a guideline. In Maryland, you must complete your paperwork at home, retyping these documents yourself as a petition to readopt. Send in your original documents as well as copies with a request that you want the originals back. Make the $135 check payable to us, and mail it in with the rest. You will get your originals back at the court hearing." My brain was trying to comprehend what she was saying, but I was still a little baffled that we weren't gonna be able to do anything there. (On a day we were ambitious!!)
I had dressed the boys cutely, prepared for a picture! Gosh!!
I asked her to repeat herself as I wrote down what I could understand.
This is the first page of the packet: Tim was in the foyer playing with Cale, so I tried to relay her instructions as best I could, and then we left.
SO....nothing truly was accomplished today....it's just a story I thought I'd share.
Because we tried, and because it is annoying that it still hasn't happened. ;)
But, hopefully in another Thursdays time we'll have sent this paperwork back. :)