37 Weeks Pregnant

Today I am 37 weeks 2 days pregnant. I honestly never thought I would get this far. We are so blessed that our peanuts are doing well in utero and have decided to stay put for the time being. I'm in pain, lots of pain. Somedays are better than others depending on where the babies are sitting in my belly. I pretty much can't stand without having to use the bathroom. I no longer think my feet have any bones in them... at least I can't feel any through all the swelling. If I'm on my feet too long it feels as if they might just crack open. My blood pressure is slowing rising and I'm now considered to have gestational hypertension. This includes headaches and dizziness with it. Backaches and lower pelvic pain are excruciating. Just to name a few of my issues. This is without a doubt the hardest physical thing I've ever had to do. So glad it comes with the best reward in the world :)

Looking on the positive side of things, exactly one week from right now I will be able to hold my new son and daughter. I'm overwhlemed with joy just thinking about it! Having a baby is a phenomenal experience and there is nothing in the world that compares to it... I should know we've done it three times already :) But having two at once has put my emotions on overdrive. Two new people to love more than I ever thought possible. Amazing.


Front view of the twin belly.

Side view at 37 weeks 1 day pregnant with the twins

For comparison, here I am on my due date with Maya. She was born within 12 hours of this picture being taken and was a 9 lb 3 oz baby! Comparing these two side by side makes me realize just how much bigger I really am. Despite carrying an extremely large singleton baby during this particular pregnancy, the two bellies aren't even close. Wow.

Makenna's 8th Birthday

Opening up presents from Mom & Dad

Makenna with her birthday "cake". I think this child knows what to do and say to make my life easier. She has ALWAYS asked for some big elaborate birthday cake in the past and I have happily obliged. This year all she wanted was a variety cheesecake from Target. :)

Makenna and her sisters eating birthday cheesecake after going to the pool with daddy. I was put on bedrest on the day of Makenna's birthday so most of our fun plans fell through. She was such a good sport about it and I'm so glad she was still able to go to the pool with Josh and her sisters.

Instead of big birthday party with 10 kids to worry about, Makenna had a small sleepover at our house. Josh ran the show for the most part but it went really well! Once again, Makenna made it easy on mom :) She asked for Little Caesars pizza, ice cream sundaes, make bookmarks and to watch her new "McKenna" movie. The girls were all really good. Thumbs up for a good first sleepover experience! (And yes that is me laying on the couch in the background still trying to be a part of the party!)

The girls watching Makenna open gifts. Two of the friends we invited were out of town that weekend, but it so happened that just having two friends over was the perfect amount for the first time.

Group hug for the birthday girl!

Soccer 2012

Oops... I skipped a sports season. I jumped straight to softball and forgot all about soccer! Here are some old soccer pictures from way back in May. Makenna and Maryn both had excellent seasons. Makenna's knowledge of the game has grown tremendously... she really gets the strategy and what she's suppose to be doing. She has good skills, but I think a majority of her goals come from being where she is suppose to be at the right time. She LOVED having her dad be her coach this year! As much as Josh used to say he didn't like soccer, he loved coaching her team :) He's actually quite sad that he can't coach next year (due to twins)... AYSO has already contacted us numerous times trying to persuade him to coach because so many kids requested him as a coach :)

And Maryn... at her very first game of the season one of Josh's co-workers was watching his daughter play against Maryn. His exact quote to me was "Maryn's like the LeBron James of soccer!" For a five year old, she has incredible ball skills and is extremely aggressive. That first game she scored 9 goals. No joke. She had a little issue with bragging after scoring her goals (ie. holding up her fingers to show the other team how goals she had scored), much to her parents dismay, but we resolved that issue quickly. She had a distinct advantage over the other 5 and 6 year olds given that she practiced almost every week with her sister's 8 year old team.



Makenna!

I believe she was playing defense in this picture... swiper is her favorite position and she is VERY good at it :)

I love how her tongue is sticking out in this one... she's concentrating so hard!

See #7 charging in on this one... yep, she scored :)

Josh and Makenna's team!

Maryn!

How is that she can be that beautiful waiting on field for the kick off?

Ball skills at 5!

Go #16!

Right in the middle of the pack... as always

She learned to use her arms at a young age (maybe too much ;)

Taking her turn to sit out... she didn't like sitting out at all in soccer. Interesting that was her favorite part of softball. Guess which sport we'll be pursuing in the future?!

All the way down the field for a goal!!!

Makenna IronKids Triathlon

We are so proud of Makenna! On July 28th she completed her first triathlon! I know for a fact that Josh and I were more nervous for her than she was! When it was time to line up for the swim, she jetted for the line without even looking back. She did a great job on the entire thing! When she crossed the finish line one of the first things she said was "that was easy!" She's now planning to race the longer triathlon next year and Maryn wants to do it as well.... like father, like daughters :)


At home before she left for the race

Before the swim... I'm lacking pictures in pretty much every aspect of the race outside of the bike. I couldn't move fast enough from one part of the park the next ;)

My big girl Gracie ready to cheer for her big sister!

Josh and Maryn cheering her on through her first transition

Here she comes on her bike!

Maryn was so excited for her big sister!

Can you say personality?! :)

Finishing up on the bike! Look at that smile :)

IronKids 2012 Finisher! So proud of you Nenny Jo!

Makenna - 8 Years Old

Nicknames: Kenna, Nenny, Nenna, Nenner, Nenner Benner, Nen, Buddy
Weight & Height: I can't remember anything specific from her physical other than she's still really tall :) Once I find the papers in one of our many moving boxes I'll update this.
Hair: Medium length blond hair. Has to be long enough for a ponytail :)
Favorite foods: Sushi, Hamburgers, Meatloaf
Favorite Drink: Root Beer (although she's only been allowed to have it on a few occasions)
Favorite toys: iPod, anything with her imagination, Littlest Pet Shops, Perler beads
Favorite stuffed animal: Duckie
Favorite Books: She is currently digging through all of my old Baby-Sitter's Club books from when I was a kid. She also loves the American Girl series, Vet Volunteers, and Life According To Humphrey series. She also read Swiss Family Robinson this summer and loved it.

Makenna on her 8th birthday

Bedtime: This is a big question mark for me currently. It seems as she's getting older she doesn't need as much sleep, but I have a hard time giving up early bedtimes. This summer she's been in bed by 8:30/9:00 most nights (which is late to me) but doesn't fall asleep until closer to 10:00.
Wake-up time: Depending on the day she could easily sleep until 10:00 if I let her, but most often is up around 9:00 in the summer.
Best Friends: This has changed quite a bit over the last year. The friends that she used to say were her "best friends" were not so nice over the last year. Her current best buddies include Sophie, Chloe, Caroline and Celia. And even though I don't think she'd admit it, I think Maryn is honestly one of her best friends. They play together all the time.
Latest Accomplishment: She completed her 1st triathlon on July 28th!!!

Right after completing her 1st triathlon!

Likes: playing outside, listening to music, reading, writing in one of her many journals (she's always writing a book or story of some sort)
Dislikes: when her sisters get into her stuff
Activities: Swimming lessons, soccer in the fall and spring, soccer camp this summer, softball, training for the triathlon
Fears: She has become a worry wart since I got pregnant. She does not like having mommy sick and not feeling well. She is constantly asking if I am okay and when I will be back to my old self :)
Favorite shows: Jessie, Shake It Up. Her favorite movie is currently the American Girl movie "McKenna".
Health: I'm so thankful for healthy kids! Makenna has somehow avoided most viruses/illnesses over the past year. She was tested for allergies in January and that came back with a bunch of stuff that she is allergic to... molds, grasses, weeds (ragweed) to name a few. Also a sensitivity to pineapple. But ironically once we moved to our new house she didn't seem to need her allergy medicine everyday anymore. We'll see how that plays out in peak allergy seasons (fall/spring). She has also been struggling with back pain over the last year. Nothing major but we took her to 3 different doctors/specialists to get to the bottom of it. Long story short, she has VERY tight hamstrings (especially after doing all of her sports) and that in turn then bugs her back. We just have to remind her to stretch really well on a daily basis and that usually helps.


Playing outside with her sisters on 4th of July

I thank God for Makenna. I honestly don't think I could've made it through this pregnancy without her help. She is always there for me and has responsibilities that most 8 year olds don't have to deal with. She takes care of her sisters, makes lunch/breakfast somedays, helps Maya in the bathroom, gets her sisters dressed, chores around the house, pretty much anything I ask of her. Especially these last few weeks when I can't do stairs very well. And she does it all without complaining. She has a huge heart and is always willing to serve others. I love her so much and wish I was more like her. I love you Makenna. I don't know if you will every truly understand how much I appreciate you.