Baby Shower Cont.

Well, I'm finally feeling good enough to spend some time on the computer and finish adding pictures from the baby shower. An update on my health condition, I do have gestational diabetes and also preeclampsia. My blood pressure is up and I gained 10 lbs. in 3 wks. There is protein in my urine and that's not good. My doctor put me on bed rest and I have to watch everything that I eat and drink. Sounds like fun, Huh?? At least I have stockings to finish sewing and baby books to fill out. I need my babies to stay in me for at least 4 to 6 more weeks to have a good chance of surviving. I can only go to doctor's appts. and that's it. Barry does the shopping, cooking, cleaning, and everything else that I can't do now. He is my rock!!! OK, now for some more fun pictures.Beautiful April. Love that smile. She collected lots of pins on her shirt because she would catch people saying the word "baby". My good friend, Sidney Lowe. She was my supervisor when I worked at the Curriculum Materials Library. I was so happy that she could make it.Lisa and Steven posing for a picture. Lisa doesn't go far from her laptop. Patrick is in the background eating a banana.Connor showing us his big cheesy smile. What a ham!!Cake eating time!! The babies were all getting tired by this time.Sidney and me posing for another picture.Jenn and Brian have a strict "no shoes in their house" rule. Look at the collection of shoes in the garage.

Saying Good-Bye to the Arizona crew. It was so fun to have them all attend the shower.

Barry, April, Devon, and me.

Now, Devon is looking at the camera. Say, "Cheese".

Kay-Lynn, Barry, Me, and Connor. Party is over and everyone is saying Good-Bye.

Sisters Rock!!! Hey Stephanie, how did you get in the picture?

Barry put together the double stroller for me. This is at home in Reno. He is practicing putting in the carseats.

Ta Dah!! Now, all we need are the babies to go in for a ride.

Baby Shower in Las Vegas!!!!

Well, I had a blast visiting with family in Las Vegas. I was totally surprised and excited at all the presents and people who came. Barry and I left Reno on Wednesday and drove 7 1/2 hours to Vegas. We stayed at Kay-Lynn and Greg's house for two nights. We enjoyed home cooked meals and played with Connor. On Friday, Barry and I drove over to Jenn and Brian's house and stayed there for two nights. We enjoyed playing with Zoey and also some great meals. Saturday was the baby shower and it turned out fantastic. The decorations were the BOMB!! I got to help K-K pick out the theme and colors, and balloons. We also went to the dollar store to pick out the prizes for the winners of the games. Debbie made the cutest diaper cake layered with newborn diapers, mittens, booties, pacifiers, wash clothes, and hand sanitizer. I have never seen one before and if I get invited to another baby shower, I would want to make one. Debbie also was in charge of the games. We played a word scramble game, the sniff the candy bar melted in the diaper game (totally fun and gross in a way) and the measure around my belly with toilet paper game. Lisa got the grand prize for the person who brought diapers, and I happened to pick Stephanie's name. So, she gets to go shopping with a gift card. Lisa also picked up the Freed's Bakery cake and argued with the people there that they got the names of the babies wrong. Lisa decided to rename my babies to Meaghan and Chantel. Lisa called Debbie and figured out that the cake was right and the names are actually Brenna and Chantrell. Pretty funny. Jenn got tons of food for the party. We had fresh fruit trays, fresh veggies and dip, wonderful sandwiches with all the fixings, 7-layer dip and chips, fruit salad with marshmallows, and a delicious punch. Everybody pitched in and it was a success. Thank you all. Mom, thank you for the cake and groceries too. Barry and I are very happy and thankful for all of you who attended. We know that all of you who could not make it, were there in spirit. Debbie and her whole gang made a long drive, stayed in a hotel, and we thank you for your participation!!! OK, now for some pictures.Beautiful, happy, playful Zoey. She is two years and two months old. She wasn't shy with Barry or I. We loved playing games with her.Jenn said that Zoey fell on the corner of the coffee table and got a bruise under her right eye. Poor thing. It didn't seem to bother her one bit though. Zoey's grandma Nancy got her this spinning and vibrating Easter toy. Zoey carried it around with her.Jenn and Brian playing tickle monster with Zoey on the carpet. She was screaming with delight. I hope my two girls turn out as cute as little Zoey. I wanted to take her home with me. She is so sweet!! Here is the diaper cake that Debbie made for me as a centerpiece for the baby shower. I just loved it and it has lots of goodies stuffed inside the layers and around the diapers too.I don't know how to rotate this picture but it shows the whole cake with the decorations and booties on top.Ashley and baby Regen. They were one of the first guests to arrive. Regen is such a cute baby too. There is her face looking our way. Hard to believe that she is already 7 months old. Picture of the party favors. K-K got the mints and the baby bottles. I made little diapers out of napkins and then filled them with peanuts at Jenn and Brian's house.I made these Thank you cards and brought gum to go with it. You know, "Double the pleasure, double the fun, double mint gum." It always has commercials with twins in it.

Here is April and her son, Devon. He will turn one year old on March 21st. He is such a cutie baby too.

Connor, age 4 1/2 and Devon, almost one, playing with the Tigger toy.

Devon can stand and walk all by himself.

The guys hanging up the last minute decorations. Of course Barry can reach the ceiling with no problem.

A candid shot of people in the kitchen. Barry cutting fruit, Aubrey, Alanna, Debbie, and Jenn helping out.

Table is all decorated before the cake arrived.

The giant ballon that says Baby Shower being held by a teddy bear. Too cute!!

Another candid shot of people at the party. Jenn and Kay-Lynn are in the background. David, Aubrey's husband is on the very right. Aubrey and Ashley are in the center.

Pictures of the food before everybody starting digging in. Yummy!!!

All the food stayed in the kitchen and then we did buffett style, where you serve yourself.

Barry made his fruit salad, cut all of the fruit for the fruit tray, and made most of the deli sandwiches. You go, Chef Barry!!

The amazing tasting Freed's Bakery cake. I love the decorations with the twin girl babies. It says, "Welcome Brenna and Chantrell."

Jenn, Zoey, and Kay-Lynn in the kitchen.

Patrick, Lisa's husband, who is tan, skinny and buff. Keep up the great work-out routine.

Barry is taking a picture of Kay-Lynn, who is taking a picture of Barry at the same time.

This is only half of the pictures from the baby shower, but it is getting late and I will finish this post tomorrow. Hope you all enjoyed the fun pictures.

Pics from this week.

I tried out my new camera and took some nature pictures. This is our nearby park and pond. I was looking for geese and ducks to take close ups of.

A few days later we had a freak snow storm that dumped 6 inches on us. It all melted by the next day because of the sun.

The next morning the snow covered everything.

Within several hours, most of the snow was gone and we had 60 degree weather.
Tony took a picture of us somewhat dressed up. I wanted to have a current picture to put in my babies books. No more blurry pictures. Yahoo!!

Barry's B-day, Doctor's Appt, Baby Shower Changes.

Happy Valentine's Day to you!!! Hope you get to eat some chocolate and be with the ones you love. Yesterday was Barry's b-day and it was nice. He got some cards from family members and I made him his favorite dinner. Stir-fry beef and broccoli over rice and chocolate cupcakes for dessert. He wouldn't let me take his picture to post on my blog. Today, I went to my ultrasound appt. and found out that the babies are growing and doing well. One baby weighs 1 lb 10 oz. and the other one weighs 1 lb 6 oz. I found out that the doctor doesn't want me to travel far from home after 28 weeks pregnant. That put a monkey wrench into my baby shower plans. He said that the twins will come early and to expect them after 36 weeks, which would be May 9th instead of June 9th. Now, I will be in Oregon visiting family from March 14 through March 28 and the baby shower will be Saturday, March 22nd. The Las Vegas baby shower may or may not happen depending on people's schedules. It could be as early as March 8th, Saturday. Post any comments or questions on my blog and lets talk about the changes. Other than that, I feel pretty good and try to stay busy. I am working on Brenna's Christmas stocking right now and boy is it complicated. No one ever said how hard and time consuming making those felt stockings would be. So far it is turning out great. If I mess it up I just add some extra beads and sequins to make it look pretty. Hope everyone is doing well. Love you and miss you.

Baby Shower Ideas.

I am putting this out there to see what my sisters think about having a baby shower during our family reunion. I wanted to have an earlier baby shower while I am still pregnant in Oregon on April 19th. I found out that only about three people would be able to attend besides Mom and Tiffany. Most of my sisters are in Las Vegas, Utah , and Arizona, so it would be logical to have a baby shower there where many of my friends and family could attend, but not Mom or Tiffy, since they live in OR and it is too far to travel. My other idea is to wait until the babies are born and have a late baby shower over the 4th of July weekend when hopefully everyone will be attending our family reunion in OR. What are your suggestions and or comments?? I kind of wanted to have a baby shower with my big tummy and play the silly games, eat cake and open presents just like my sisters did at their baby showers. I feel stuck here in Reno with no friends, co-workers, or family to throw me a baby shower. Do you guys know when your Spring Break is from school? Maybe it is the same time as when I will be in OR around the 19th of April. Airfare is really cheap right now at Southwest Airlines if you buy your tickets ahead of time. I got my tickets for $148 round trip to Portland from Reno. Think about the different options and then let me know. I am so bored waiting for the babies to get here and need to plan some fun event before I go crazy. Update your blogs too!!! I check them everyday!! Good job Mom, Debbie, Erica, Aubrey and Ashley. Come on little kids, update your blogs too. Alanna, Rhiannon, and Jazmine. OK, I'll post more after my next ultrasound on Feb. 14th.

Doctor's appt. went well.

My appt. went well today. The doctor measured my belly and listened to the babies heartbeats. That was about all she did. Everything seems to be going well and on track. My next appt. with her is in another month. Then I have to be tested for gestational diabetes when I am 25 weeks along. My next ultrasound is on Valentine's Day. I love the ultrasound because you get to see so much of the babies and they tell you how much the babies weigh. My diet has changed to an all time healthy eating. I'm really proud of myself about how many fruits and veggies I eat each day. Barry is an excellent cook and makes wonderful dinners for me. I still take afternoon naps when I start to hurt from sitting too long. I guess the pain from two babies sitting so low will not go away for the rest of my pregnancy. Sometimes it hurts to walk very far. It feels like a bowling ball on my bladder and my bottom. No other news for now. Hope everyone has a fun Super Bowl party on Sunday. Go Patriots!! I am forced to watch too many sports because with two guys around, that's all they do.

My b-day night.

Thank you to family for sending cards and making phone calls wishing me a happy birthday. I'm 37 now. Barry made me my favorite dinner, spaghetti and meatballs with french bread and a salad. I made a homemade cake and frosting and it turned out pretty good. I didn't feel like taking any pictures because my camera takes blurry pictures. Holidays just aren't the same without family nearby to celebrate with. I look forward to the next birthday, which is Barry's on Feb. 13th. I also look forward to my doctor's appt.s because I get to see the progress of the babies inside me.

I have a lot of free time on my hands now. I should tell everyone the truth about teaching. I'm not teaching anymore. My principal let me go one week before Christmas. She said that she needed a licensed teacher and I only had my substitute license when I moved here. I have been waiting 4 months for Las Vegas to send me another copy of my teaching license. My principal didn't like the way I was teaching the kindergarten class. She said that I had no classroom management skills and she never saw me teaching the curriculum. Of course, she only popped her head in randomly and never made an official observation of one of my lessons. She also said that if I was a licensed teacher, that she would have gave me unsatisfactory progress in all areas of teaching. Well, of course I was devastated for a long time. It's a month after this happened and I am just now telling you about it. So, I am not working, I am collecting unemployment, and getting WIC (milk, cheese, cereal, etc...) and I'm applying for medicaid to help with the doctor bills and the babies delivery. If my license comes maybe I will teach again but I think that it is a blessing in disguise. I was really stressed out with the class and being pregnant. Now that I know I am having twins, I take it easy and rest alot. I might want to be a stay-at-home mom for a couple of years and then go back into teaching. I don't know what the future holds for me. Barry and Tony are very supportive here cooking and cleaning and making sure the bills are paid on time. Mom and Dad have been very supportive as well. I don't think that I like it here in Reno that much. I don't have any friends, co-workers, or family nearby. I guess I never lived away from family before now. It is hard getting used to. When the babies get here I will be super busy and won't have that much free time to dwell on past mistakes. Anyway, I should probably end this on a good note. I can't think of anything great to write. I'll post more after my appt on Friday.