Pregnancy Update

Well, our baby boy and baby girl have spent 34 weeks in utero now. Had a check-up this week which Ben was able to join me for. Dr. Smith told us that we've reached a great milestone-- at 34 weeks most twins would be born quite healthy, able to breathe and feed on their own. He also said that they could arrive any time now, or be quite content to stay put for another month! Last week I was feeling overly-pregnant and would have guessed that their arrival was imminent, but this week I have much more energy and feel like it will still be a while. I'm feeling pretty good overall, though uncomfortable, of course. I have the same ever-present Braxton-Hicks contractions that I had when I was pregnant with Henrik. My doctor initially told me to call him regarding these if I had more that 4 in an hour, but he has increased the "alert number" to 9-10 now, after I called him at 11pm one night... :)
We've got crib #2, chest of drawers #2 and car seat #3 all ready to go, with lots of other around-the-house prep going on as well. We are pretty excited for the little ones to arrive!
This isn't pregnancy-related, but it is kid-related!
Henrik is really developing by leaps and bounds, especially his language. It is pretty fun to talk and play with him. He was healthy at his 2-year-old check-up, measuring tall for his age and a bit skinny. This I already knew, since 24-mo pants fall off of him, but the 18-mo pants are an inch too short.
I must admit that a part of me is a little sad as I anticipate dividing my time among him and the new babies. I know, though, that there is more than enough love to go around, so we'll have to make up in quality what lacks in quantity during these busy early years.
Fall has arrived in the cove, and we're planning to make the most of it! Trips to the Apple Barn and lots of playtime outdoors!

It seems that I update the blog best when I come to realized that I really need to update the blog. Perfect.

Summer has been hot and dry (ok, somehow it's always super humid, but we're also experiencing drought for like the everyeth summer in a row since we've lived here).

We've had lots of company! The Norquists of Rhode Island, Ashlee, my 'rents, all in June. We spent a chunk of time up north in July, and since then it has been a blur of Ben traveling off and on. This has all made for a summer that has felt extremely short.

Ben was able to spend a few days here, as well as a week in Italy debriefing with Bryan's missions interns. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.

I've been purposefully ignoring my garden. The cooler times of day = a gazillion bug bites = sleep trouble, which is so not worth fresh tomatoes. That's how I feel about it. You can't even really see the soil anymore for how overgrown it is with weeds (and herbs. Love the herbs). As I had sort of resigned myself to not having a garden next year anyway, I think its spring 0f 2012 before I return to cultivation.

Henrik is loving summer. Pool time, park time, coloring, movies while mom makes dinner... It really is the good life. Oh, and LOTS of blueberries. Henrik is talking more all of the time, to the delight of pretty much everyone who hears his sweet voice. Really.

Babies #2 & #3 seem to be doing well. Another check-up and u/s in about two weeks, then on to every week or every other week appointments (depending on this next u/s) with an u/s about every two weeks. I also just joined the Chattanooga Area Moms of Multiples Club and have my first meeting this coming week. I'm excited to meet these ladies-- browsing their website and seeing the support the group offers was really encouraging back when I was feeling a bit panicked those first days after we found out about the twins. By the way, for anyone who hasn't heard yet... we have a boy and a girl on the way! We're very excited to welcome these little ones in late October/early November.

Soon the Bryan students will begin arriving in town. We're excited for a new school year, and the rhythm that participating in the college year gives our family life.

Someday I'll post pics.

Yep. That means twins.

"Okay, I see two heartbeats and two amniotic sacs." (pause) "You did know that, right?"

Long story short, my first ultrasound was not done by my normal doc, so he assumed that I knew about the TWO BABIES. WHICH I DIDN'T. And I don't really remember a darn thing about the rest of that visit. Except that my heart was racing. Yes, I can say that it was quite a shock when we found this out!
I'm 12 weeks along now, and we've known since about week 6, so I'm past the shock to a pretty constant excitement. I love that our kids will be so close in age, and so, hopefully, in relationship with one another. I can't say that I would have chosen things to be this way (and I'm sure I'll really feel that way when I'm caring for two newborns and a two year old!), but I feel oh so grateful that God has chosen this for us. No matter how or when they arrive, children are a treasure, and we are so happy anticipating such wealth times three!
If you think of it, pray for us. While there are no indications now that there will be any problems or complications with this pregnancy, twin pregnancies do have a very high rate of miscarriage, premature birth, birth defect and even SIDS deaths. I must admit that I've had some pretty disturbing dreams to that effect. Time to stop browsing the internet for twin info, I think.
For those who are curious about the fact that Ben is a twin, that is not likely a factor in our having twins. You see, Ben is an identical twin. It's not known exactly what makes the egg split to create identical twins, but that phenomenon is not considered to be hereditary. And indications are that ours are likely fraternal (though not certain without a DNA test).
We'll keep y'all up to date as the pregnancy progresses. The top pic here is from about a month ago and shows both babies. The lower shows just one of them. Lovin' them already and counting down to the due date, November 9!

Spring Break

This past week we traveled with a group of Bryan students to Nashville to help out an organization there-- Community Servants operating in the Wherry Housing Community of Smyrna, TN.
The basic idea is this: Community Servants works with the Wherry Housing Community's Tenant Cooperative to renovate old rental units. Community Servants has some input into whom the unit is rented to and the cooperative has the additional income from a unit that would otherwise be uninhabitable. It is a win-win-win arrangement. Community Servants is able to minister to particular families practically and spiritually (many are refugees or the homeless) while coordinating newly-remodeled, affordable housing for them, and the cooperative is supported on the financial side. The neighborhood is a safe and clean one because of the personal investment of the tenants in the cooperative and the Community Servants ministry (many of those who have been helped in the past do the helping now). Volunteers within the Wherry community, from the Nashville area and from around the country provide the labor. Our team worked on two units, painting, sealing, cleaning, doing some tiling and flooring work. We met both of the families who will live in the units. Oh, so rewarding!
Henrik wasn't able to participate in the renovating, but he was a great cheerleader/court jester. He did an A+ job sleeping in an unfamiliar, noisy place, too! Good work, kid.
Now all three of us are pretty darn exhausted, plodding into another week. Whew. And that is that.

Henrik Smiles?!

Our niece has arrived!

Jazlyn Lucia

Visit her blog for more photos and the vital stats...

http://papooska.blogspot.com/

We love her.

Wanting to Wait Well

Well, we are definitely ready for the baby to arrive. Ben asks him to come at least a few times a day. And he asks me to go into labor. So far neither the baby nor the mama are very obedient. Through the day my own desires and patience fluctuate and change. I feel peaceful and patient in prayer for peace and patience. Then I feel a little nudge inside and hope for my water to break. Hmm. Our impatience must be obvious, as people often say things like, "Well, its better for him to have a few more days inside." Probably true. This morning Ben and I prayed for joy in this time of anticipation (a precious life stage that we will only experience this one time!), and rest in the assurance that God's plan for this baby's life (even the day of his arrival) is truly best.
Hmm. This Saturday I cleaned the house for 12 hours, washing curtains, rugs, vacuuming window screens and the dryer exhaust, etc. It didn't feel like nesting (in that it didn't feel special or unusual), and Ben and I reasoned that we can't really take much from that, since that is sort of how cleaning happens for me. Things get bad, then I clean everything all at once as though it is a battle for life itself. I also wonder if my emotional desire to have the baby soon didn't spur me on to the cleaning. Along the reasoning of if everything is ready around us, maybe my body will get ready, too? I'm pretty sure that isn't true nesting.
We've had a hard time narrowing down name choices, but I think we have a few good ones, now. That feels nice. We'll have to see which combo seems best when the baby arrives. Until then, all is secret.
These days I mostly think (talk and blog) about the baby. As far as the rest of life, all is well with us.
Ben has been finishing up a "shop" that provides us with wonderful work and storage space for things like paint, tools, etc. We are thinking of painting our house yellow. We have to paint the shop, so we might as well paint the house at the same time?? Right now it is a pretty depressing brown. I like the idea of a yellow house with white trim and lots of red geraniums all around. Happy and European cottage-y.
Yesterday I went 3-store grocery shopping. We hadn't restocked from our summer away, and had been in great need. It feels good to have that done, too.
We are having some good times with friends, enjoying dinner together, etc.
Really, though, the big news is that the baby is coming SOON! A few weeks at the most!
Hoping to post about his arrival next time. Or at least the time after the next...

September? Already?

This is indeed the busiest part of the year for us-- both schools back in session.
I returned to work in early August (the day after we returned from Slovakia, actually!). This year I am working at the elementary school less than a mile from our house. It has been absolutely wonderful! I work closely with 4 great ladies (this is the first time I've felt like I had co-workers in teaching... teachers tend to work pretty independently most of the day...), do a lot of paperwork, test students' English proficiency levels, and tutor a newcomer for a few hours each day. I am really enjoying it, and am a bit disappointed to be leaving soon!
Ben is back at Bryan, teaching 5 credits this semester. His two biggest undertakings are a Christian Life Formation Course called "Wilderness Disciplines" and a freshman Worldview section. He has spent a lot of time pulling together materials for these classes, doing a lot of reading, etc. I met a few of his students at the park the other day-- their main feedback was that his laugh is contagious. I guess that tells you he is enjoying himself! Also, this is his first semester taking on the responsibility of facilitating the student-led ministries in "PCI" (Practical Christian Involvement). We had those ministry leaders over for dessert and conversation with a chapel speaker the other night, and helped flip pancakes at an informational breakfast meant to recruit more participants into the ministries on Saturday morning. Probably 150 students showed up-- a great success. Tomorrow's chapel is aimed at calling the student body to begin (or maintain) a lifestyle of Christian service and ministry. Pretty exciting things happening at Bryan!
On the baby front, we had another appointment yesterday, complete with a quick ultrasound meant to size him. Baby Boy is very healthy. We saw him yawn, suck, and exercise his little lungs! His heartbeat is very normal at 146bpm. The ultrasound put his weight at 5 lbs. 11 oz., but that can be somewhat inaccurate, I understand. I am so excited for him to come-- to see him, hold him, name him, but also a little sad to lose the joy of the anticipation itself!
In the baby-prep arena, our busy schedule means that the to-do list only grows, with lots of hard work on lots of things every day, but little progress on the little tasks that I'd love to finish before the baby arrives. Things like organizing the fridge and freezer, dusting cupboard shelves and moving furniture to vacuum, etc. I told the doctor that I need at least two more weeks to get ready, and he tapped me on the forehead and told me to get ready now. Car seat in, bag ready. I REALLY DON'T think I'll be in labor tomorrow or anything (I repeat-- the baby isn't coming quite yet), but I guess I should start altering my mindset from thinking the baby is coming sometime in the far future to sometime in the near future. To that end, I am hoping to sort through my mess of papers at work this afternoon, with resolve to keep organized from here on out, for my coworkers' sake.

Baby Talk

Well, it's been a while now since I posted about our baby and the pregnancy in general. I am still doing well and feeling well. I'm at 28 weeks gestation, just starting the 7th month and the third trimester. Our baby is a very active little guy, and his squirming and poking is very visible. One of the Bryan students yesterday noticed my belly contorting and exclaimed in surprise--whoa! It is pretty notable, and somewhat shocking the first time you see it.
It is a little strange to not have visited my doctor this month-- normally I have appointments on the first Monday of the month. Being out of the country for this appointment, he simply asked me to be keeping track of my blood sugar levels on a little portable meter and email him the results periodically. Everything looks good with that, which is great. If I were to develop gestational diabetes here in Slovakia, it would not be convenient. Let me tell you. LOTS of carbs, and I can't read the labels on any of the food packages. Even though SK is part of the EU now, there package labeling is still mono-lingual-- usually just Slovak, though sometimes in Polish or German. Not that I can really tell the difference.
Healthy food here is a bit more difficult to come by (yes, I'm taking my vitamins and doing my best to eat my fruits, veggies, protein and calcium). The food sure tastes great, though (sausage, pastry, potatoes, lots of cream and butter, etc)... so I think I am gaining weight more quickly than I would choose to, though still in a normal range, so Ben tells me to be happy about it. This may require a change in wardrobe size even after Baby's arrival, though.
I am getting a bit more fatigued a bit more quickly, and if I sit for very long my ribs get pretty sore. That and some ankle swelling made the flight over pretty uncomfortable. Can't wait to do it all over again a month from now. Why can't I just stand up in the aisle the whole time, as in riding on the subway? There is so much more jostling on a subway than turbulence on most flights, by the way... Anyway.
One great thing about this point in the pregnancy is that although I am starting to get tired and uncomfortable, it isn't affecting my sleep yet. I fall asleep easily and sleep hard through the night-- even through my alarm. That is soooo unusual for me, and a blessing, being away from home and having less control over my sleep environment.
Ben and I are having fun watching and feeling our baby move (neat trick-- if he is stretching out and I press back a little on whatever extremity it is that is poking out, he'll kick back on my finger! It's amazing.), thinking through name possibilities and planning for family-life with a son.
I've just finished and Ben is just starting to read Babywise, a book that has been highly recommended to us by a few couples from church and through the grapevine of friends. It is NOT well-written, even confusing, in my opinion (and there are multiple editions already-- someone get these guys a ghostwriter!), but I am pretty convinced by the practical suggestions and overall point-of-view of the authors. If what they say to do really works, we should have our baby sleeping through the night after just 8 weeks or so, and consistently thereafter. I am hopeful for that, but the realist/pessimist in me just expects to be in the 8% or so of families for whom the method, though followed faithfully, does not work. Anyone out there with "Babywise" tips to help us start well?

It's a Boy!

Well, another point for women's intuition. Every woman who ventured a guess (at least, those who told me about it) thought it would be a boy, and sure enough...

Tech: "Now, you want to know what it is?"

Us: "Yeah!"

Tech: "See that? There's no doubt about it. Those are boy parts."

The Loooong Weekend

Have you ever had a weekend that seemed TOO long?

It seemed like forever in longness. We had a short and yucky camping experience. We couldn't find our destination. I was hungry (when pregnant= cranky, then weepy). It stormed. I didn't sleep. It was dark most of the time we were there. We didn't hike, go to the Sequoyah museum or take the drive on the Cherohala skyway to NC as planned. We did eat breakfast at a cute diner, though. Ben will tell you it was a great birthday present, though, and that he had a great time (I love my husband. He is sooooooooooooo good for and to me!)
Then, on Sunday morning, Ben woke up with the stomach flu. He was miserable.
He is still home sick today-- keeping food and fluids down, now, but still pretty dehydrated and weak feeling.

We have been thanking God for the safe, quiet, sheltered bedroom in which we sleep well and healthfully most nights. Really, I am taking that much less for-granted now.

Onto the week at hand...this afternoon our life enters a new realm of knowledge-- we find out if freckle is a frecklo or a freckla! I've been thinking it is a boy for quite a while (an ultrasound we had a while back showed the little one bouncing all over the place with little-boy-like levels of energy. Maybe this is a sexist conclusion, but I needed something to go on...), but the Internet predicts a girl... Ben has not guessed. What do you think-- boy or girl?

Our birthing class last week was uneventful and not that interesting-- except for the"fetal bonding" time, in which we were supposed to imagine ourselves floating in the uterus with our baby, sharing the bond of love, while listening to the rhythm of ocean waves in the background. We couldn't stop laughing. Of course we were sitting right up front, where everyone could see our lack of composure. I felt immature, very self-aware and quite embarrassed, which made me more giggly, unfortunately. I hope that we don't have to do this every week.

Garage Saleing

I really love garage sales-- always have. I love the deals, of course, but also enjoy the stories a family's discarded possesions tell. I love exploring the neighborhoods and back roads. I love that it is a chore in one sense, but a pretty fun one!

I had a great morning of saleing this past Saturday.

Details:
In our parts, sales happen not just in garages, but in parking lots, yards, and along the roadside. Few take the time to price their wares, or even sit them out on tables. Often there are just piles or boxes of junk, through which the bargain-hunter sorts. The first few ventures I made at Southern garage saleing were totally unsuccessful. If things weren't priced, I would just wander a bit, say thanks, then leave quietly. How Minnesotan of me.

Major breakthrough in strategy this Saturday, though!

Here's how you sail the sales, Tennessee style:
1. Excavate the piles.
2. Load up your arms with the desired goods.
3. Approach the seller, "How much for this?" Point to ONE of the objects.
4. Seller responds, "Oh, 75 cents. Well, how about $2 for all of it?"
5. Deal! Pay up and head out.

A list of what I got for a total of $7 on Saturday:

• 6 pairs of Baby Gap socks, various sizes and colors
• Baby Gap sweater and hat set, off-white cable knit
• Answering machine
• 2 hardcover kids books
• Vick's brand humidifier
• 2 really nice Carter's onesies
• baby carrier (the soft cloth kind that fits on the parent's front or back)
• baby bottle drying rack
• "I love Daddy" bib

Pretty good, huh? 3 cheers for assimilation!

Atlanta? Gag me!

Today Ben is traveling to Atlanta with the missions class. Here is our conversation from last night regarding this trip . I was washing my face while Ben was already curled up in bed, so I was sort of calling across the rooms to him.

Me: I'm excited for your trip. I mean, I'm not excited that you will be gone, but the trip is going to be--(gag. GAG. blech sound.)

Ben: (laughing uncontrollably, now running into the bathroom in his underwear, laughing more) I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I'm not laughing at you. (laughing, laughing, laughing, now rolling on the floor and clawing at my knees, laughing)

The morning/noon/night sickness attacks quite unexpectedly. Ha ha.

I didn't actually get sick, just gaggy. So it was funny.


So, about Ben in ATL. Here's their COOL plan, beginning Wednesday afternoon:

• Visit Hindu temple (several of the students will be in India this summer)
  
• Visit Operation Mobilization headquarters, eat supper with staff
  
• Talk strategy with OM staff
  
• Stay at horse ranch!
  
• Spend weekly global-prayer time with OM staff
  
• Eat somewhere fabulous, I hope; debrief
  
• Something else I can't remember
  
• Be home by Thurs. evening!

Hurrah for Edy's!

Surprisingly, ice cream seems to fit my pregnancy diet. Ok, not a super-food, but at least it has some of the good stuff.

In a 1/2 cup serving of Edy's Loaded Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream:

6 g fat
140 calories
3 g protien
2 g fiber
4% RDA Calcium (Why isn't there more? They should fortify this...)

Mmmm... The Baby and Mama really like ice cream.

Bigger and bigger news

Hi all. Ben here. Ariel really is showing now! Just ask Elden, Ronelle and Ashlee because they saw the rounding belly over Easter. Ariel's usable wardrobe is diminishing; she's experiencing various kinds of discomfort; she's moving around a little differently--and it's all wonderful! I love that Ariel's body and life is changing--I get to be a partner with Ariel and a witness to the mysterious things happening in and to her! Oh, man...Oh, man.

Most other personal news pales in compare to Ariel and my parenthood, but I'll go ahead with one piece anyway. In April I'm taking a group of interested students on a trip to Washington D.C., where we'll be gathering with folks from around the world whose jobs it is to advocate (throug the legal system) for women and children trafficked in the sex trade, widows who have had their property seized and families in bonded servitude. The meeting is called the Global Prayer Gathering, and it's hosted by the International Justice Mission, an evangelical organization dedicated to rescuing and caring for slaves and prosecuting slave masters and traffickers under the laws of the host country. This meeting is an opportunity for my students to see the incredible dedication of these men and women and to come along side them in prayer for the work God is doing around the world. We leave April 11th!

Bella Band Wanna-be Update

It worked! I took a black spandexy tank top (it is otherwise too short and constricting under the arms, so only gets worn very occasionally) and cut off the top half so that I have about a 10-inch stretchy band. This I pull on over my pants and... Voila! Transition-wear! It works, so far. I'll let you know if my pants shimmy down later today.

Spring Break Visits and a Button-Popping Solution (Is there a solution to button-popping, or is the solution button-popping?)

So, we have had lots and lots of family fun these past few weeks. Jim, Becky and Anna were here last week and my parents and Ashlee came down this weekend. Both visits were wonderful-- we feel pretty blessed that our families come to visit us "just because!"

Also, my belly is getting round. So far, no non-family members have noticed, but family can tell! I am down to one and a half pairs of pants. The half pair can zip and button, but the metal hooks can't close. They are still wearable, thanks to the button (this is perfect, because having two pairs allows me to alternate washing and wearing). Enfamil suggests that I wear my other pants unzipped and an elastic band around my hips to hide that fact. This seems to be a rather strange suggestion to me. Maybe they sell the bands, and that's why they think this is a good idea.

I will check this theory.

Okay, they don't sell the bands after all, but other companies do. And maybe it isn't such a bad idea.

Here is a Bella-Band photo. Of course the models look cute in their bands. But doesn't it also look like they are wearing maternity pants as well? Those jeans look pretty zipped-up to me. And they are going for the layered tee shirt look. How would the stretchy band-thing look under work dress shirts? Hmmm. Maybe I will try to experiment by altering an old tank top or something.

We're Back!

It's seems to me that my friend Amy or my friend Mel would give good advice about not blogging about not blogging. In the same way that they give advice about not talking about the camera when someone is video-taping you. It is an archiving no-no. But, well, I haven't blogged in a while, and feel compelled to acknowledge that.

Oh, glad change of topics. A man behind me just walked into the library and said, "Where's she at?" But it didn't sound the way it probably sounds in your mind. Use your best Southern and try it again. Do you hear it? When he said it, my Northern language processor heard, "Horse ****!" Of course that doesn't make sense, and I figured it out when the woman behind the desk said, "She's in the back."

Much, much more importantly, if you haven't heard already...

We're having a baby! The newest Norquist has an estimated delivery date of September 28th, 2008. We are, of course, quite excited. Aren't you??? We had an ultrasound at 7 weeks (now at 9 weeks, 2 days) and saw the little arm and leg nubs and heard the heart beat. It really sounded steady and strong. By now the baby has all of its parts, they are just really, really, minuscule. There is a lot of growing left to do, but it is pretty neat to think of all of the crafting God has already done!

I can't say much to follow that up. Oh, here's a beautiful book with beautiful images of fetal development (the text isn't my thing, but the illustrations/photos are like no others):

From Conception to Birth: A Life Unfolds

by Alexander Tsiaris