Ultrasound Tech Say What?!

I had my quad test bloodwork done last Wednesday to check for birth defects. If you get something in the mail, all is well, but if you get a phone call, that means there were abnormal results. I received the dreaded phonecall on Tuesday around 4:30 p.m. I wasn't by my phone, so I got a voicemail telling me to give them a call. Unfortunately, it was too late to call, so I was freaking out all night wondering what it was about. Wednesday morning I returned the call. The nurse said my AFP levels were all normal except for spina bifida. Those levels were elevated. An ultrasound was scheduled for the next morning to make sure my due date was correct, because that could throw off the results. I kept thinking about it all day long, and I'd cry everytime. I knew this didn't mean my baby had spina bifida, but I couldn't help but worry.

The next morning after Adam got home from work, we headed to the doctor's office. I was hoping for the best but planning for the worst. The ultrasound tech said that if the baby measured correctly with my due date, then I'd have to go to Duke and have more ultrasounds and tests. After putting the doppler on my belly for a brief second, she took it off and said those tests wouldn't be necessary. I saw what she saw and said, "Oh my, you're kidding!" She said, "Nope, there are two in there!" Then she asked if we wanted to know the sex, and after saying yes, she said they're both boys! So, that's why my AFP for spina bifida was elevated. I'm so grateful that nothing's wrong. Both boys are measuring the same size, which is awesome. Not sure if they're fraternal or identical, but we might find that out next week during my 1.5 hour ultrasound.

Yes, we're still in shock. I don't think it'll hit us until they're actually born. I can't imagine having 3 kids under 2 years old...oh the diapers! Our families think it's pretty awesome. I'll let you know if it's awesome once I'm as large as a barge...ha!

This is what we initially saw...two heads!

Baby Boy A with Baby Boy B's foot in his face...haha!

Baby Boy B...looks like he got the short straw in terms of accomodations!

My mom's reaction

Adam's parents and Jonathan's reaction....love it!

My Walking Baby Gi!

Arden started standing on her own a little over a week ago. We were at my mom's house, and Chris was holding Arden's hands. He let her go, and she just stood there for like 10-15 seconds! No one grabbed a camera, because we figured she wouldn't stand that long. I finally did get a pic of her, and she's been standing ever since! I thought it would take her a few weeks before she decided to walk. All this past week, she would take one step and then go down to the floor. Well, today she was standing with her back to her crib, and I was sitting in the rocker. I just said "walk," and she smiled at me and took four steps...just like that! I kept trying to get her to walk some more, but she would just stand and then go down to the floor to crawl. I tried again after her nap...this time with a camera handy...and she walked some more! She's done it many times today, and she's even figured out how to stand without pulling up on something. Funny how I'm surprised, especially since it's one day shy of her 15-month birthday. She's such a little munchkin!

Standing at my mom's house last Sunday.

Walking today!

Four Christmases: The Lewis Version

I've never actually seen the movie "Four Christmases." It's on our Netflix list. However, I'm pretty sure we can totally relate. Christmas Day is always jam-packed with family and travelling in between them. Still a great day, though!

Part I: Early Christmas Morning at our apartment.

Arden was so excited to have access to the tree and the presents!

We stuffed all of Arden's gifts into her stocking. She had fun pulling stuff out of it. She'll also be getting a new carseat, but it's on backorder. :oP

Yay, Weeble-Wobbles!

I got these PJs on clearance at Old Navy about 6 months back. They're size 12 months. As Christmas approached, I thought there was no way they'd fit her. I put them on her Christmas morning, and they fit great!

Please excuse the blur of the Christmas tree lights...Arden got her fingerprints on the camera lens!

Part II: My Dad's House

After we all got dressed and ready, we headed over to my dad's house for breakfast and more Christmas fun.

Um, yes, I will take all of these presents, thank you very much.

We drew names this year, and Marielou picked Arden's name. She got her this musical seahorse, and Arden absolutely loves it!

Please ignore the big red blob Arden is sitting on.

Part III: My Mom's House

We headed over to mom's house to celebrate with her. We watched the third Ice Age movie and munched on goodies!

Arden is stunned by the flash of my new camera...thanks mom!

Part IV: The Lewis Clan

We finally headed over to Adam's parents' house. Amy, Mark, and the boys were there, too. We had fun hanging out with them!

Arden absolutely loved playing with her cousins!

We had a lovely Christmas and hope you did, too! We are so thankful for Jesus Christ, and that Heavenly Father allowed him to come to this earth to atone for our sins.

Merry Christmas!

p.s. Jon Heder (aka Napoleon Dynamite) was at our Ward's Christmas party and at church for the two Sundays after that. Random!!! Or maybe not so random since he's a son-in-law of one of our ward members. :)

Christmas Eve with the Beckster

Every year on Christmas Eve, we head over to my mom's house and celebrate Christmas with her sister Becky. It's an evening filled with food and family. Of course, we always watch Claymation Christmas...much to Adam's dismay. Hey, it's tradition!

Arden discovered the game of dumping the candy out of the bowl and putting it back in.

I got Becky this cozy sweater.

Arden was all about Becky's jingle bells!

Hanes-Lineberry Visit

Arden and I stopped by Hanes-Lineberry Funeral Home last week to see my peeps. I worked there a couple years back. Arden and I enjoyed seeing everyone. I'm so glad we moved back so I can see them more often! Anywho, they put up this gorgeous tree every Christmas, and I just had to get some pics of Arden in front of it. She really loved the stuffed moose/reindeer underneath the tree...can you tell?!

Arden's Christmas Best

It seemed impossible to find Arden a Christmas dress this year. Last year, Walmart had a very good selection for infants. This year, however, all they had were Santa-type dresses for infants. They had lots of dresses for 12 months and bigger...but Arden wasn't about to fit in a 12-month dress! I looked on eBay and found some cute ones, but I let the bidding pass me by. Then, we went to the mall and checked out JCPenney on the way out. Adam found the sweetest red dress. There was only one left in her size (9-months), and it was on clearance. Score! I think it's just precious.

I finally got around to taking pics of her by the tree. She LOVED the fact that I moved the baby gate so she could actually get to the tree. Talk about baby-heaven!

My silly little monkey!

Christmas Lights!

We were so happy we got to see Christmas lights this year! New Bern just didn't have much...if any. We went to the cul-de-sac off of Bennington, which is usually a huge display...but it was a bit disappointing this year. We also drove through the neighborhood nearly Friendly Center that hangs all the balls of lights. It was amazing, as always! Finally, we headed downtown and checked out the tree in the park. Really pretty, but really cold! Arden didn't seem bothered by the cold at all. I feel bad I didn't have her all bundled up, though... She's a trooper!

Gingerbread House 2009

If you remember from last year, our gingerbread house making activity didn't quite go as planned. If you want to make a gingerbrea house, do not buy the rolled dough...make it yourself! All was well this year. Jonathan made the gingerbread using his mom's recipe, and it worked out great!



Adam and I worked on this house. I put nerds on the roof, and Adam used jolly ranchers for the chimney...pretty cool if I do say so myself.

Jonathan went all out on his. Just check out all of those jolly ranchers on the roof!

We had a fun! Here's to next year!

Sweet Snow Bunny

A few days after it snowed, the snow finally melted from the sidewalks outside of our apartment. I knew I could get some cute pics of Arden out of her stroller...and I was right! Oh, and she LOVED being out of her stroller!

December Randomness

Here are some cute pics of Arden I just couldn't leave out...

Waiting to hear the baby's heartbeat at the OB's office. We were there for a whole 2 hours!!! Luckily, dadoo was able to entertain Arden...and Arden entertained everyone else in the waiting room.

Waiting at the pediatrician's office to get her H1N1 booster shot. Such a good sport!

Christmas Videos of Yesteryear

Click HERE to see videos from 2006 and 2007!

Oh, it makes more sense to view the 2006 video first...;o)

Christmas Video 2009

Here's a link to our Christmas video for the year! Merry Christmas! :)

Just click on the tree to enjoy.

Arden's Big Announcement

We heard the heartbeat on Thursday, so I figured it was time to spread the news! I made this shirt for Arden, and she wore it on Thanksgiving. It was a good 45 minutes before anyone read it...pretty hilarious!

Winter Wonderland!!!

So I can still hardly believe the snow we had yesterday! Adam, Arden, and I ventured out for lunch before it got too bad...although we did a little slipping and sliding on the way home. Once we got home, we openned all the blinds and enjoyed the beautiful scene out our living room windows. Simply gorgeous!

This wasn't Arden's first snow. It actually snowed while we were in New Bern! I didn't dare take her out in it then, though...she was a bit young.

Here's what it looked like this afternoon. I took Arden outside and snapped some cute pics.

I got this cute hat at Old Navy. It's one of her Christmas presents, but I figured she could make use of it now.

Yes, our apartment's playground has those old school bouncy toys.

Although the snow is beautiful, it's a pain to drive in. Adam had to work last night and again tonight. I'm so glad he's a safe driver.

Mmm...Christmas Cookies...

Last Saturday, my dad and the fam came over to draw names for Christmas. Better late than never! Chris came over earlier to help me set up my mom's fake tree. She wasn't going to use it again this year. Before we set it up, Chris was reading the instructions and noticed a warning. It said the tree contained hazardous chemicals, including lead, that could lead to birth defects. What?! So, we didn't put that tree up and got a real tree...that's what I wanted, anyways! Anywho, Chris also helped me bake sugar cookies so we could decorate them when the rest of the fam came over. I burned the first batch...doh! The others turned out perfect, though, and we had so much fun decorating them.

I guess Arden got to sit on Santa's lap afterall....errr...yeah....

Arden and Jasmine played very nicely together.

Jasmine had fun decorating and eating her cookies.

Meredith decided to eat a few undecorated cookies and then left us the two she decorated...haha!

Cute little moose!

Arden had fun, too...once she got to sit on Grandpa's lap and be a part of the action.


A few of the uneaten products....:)

Arden Loves Animals!

Arden is a HUGE fan of animals. Her favorites are cats and dogs.

Last week we were able to go to the mall. I'm talking about a real mall...one with escalators and tons of stores. The one in New Bern doesn't count! Anywho, this one had a petstore. Arden just loved looking at the bunnies. (Please excuse her puffy eyes...she was getting over a cold).

After running a few errands last Thursday, we stopped by another petstore. Arden got to pet a kitty...and pull on his ears. She loved it! She also enjoyed watching these puppies play. Too cute!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ok, so I realize this is a bit late. Since my last post, we've officially moved back to Greensboro and are mostly settled in our new apartment. Arden and I've been living in Greensboro since Thanksgiving day. We stayed with Adam's parents while Adam went back to New Bern to work his last week and clean the duplex. Glad I didn't have to deal with that! We're definitely glad to be back, although we definitely miss our New Bern friends.

Anywho, here's what we did for Thanksgiving...

We had a combined meal at Adam's parents' house, which always makes things easier for us. Otherwise, we'd have to eat two Thanksgiving dinners! Jason and Sabrina were there, too. Arden just loved their huge dogs!

Arden learned to climb their stairs in no time. Just a couple days later, she learned to climb down them, too. Such a smart cookie!

That Friday we went to the Natural Science Center with Sabrina and Bryce. It was a bit chilly, but Arden still had a fun time.

Saturday was the annual Daniels' Thanksgiving at my dad's house. We had a great turnout this year! We also celebrated Uncle Larry and Aunt Karen's 40th wedding anniversary, and their grandkids ("Triple Play") played some great songs in their honor. They're so talented!

Arden loved playing the piano with Nana! She also enjoyed spending time with Gavin, Catie, and Chris.

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend and hope you did, too! Now it's on to Christmas...just a few days away!!!