A letter from my husband on having twins.

Thought no one better to revive this blog than the ever funny and handsome Caleb. My wise and loving husband wrote this to a friend about to have twins. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Hey Joel,

Sorry, I was at family camp all last week.

Man...the main thing I can tell you is get a mini van and don't look back (unless you already have one).  You WILL not be sorry. :)

Other than that...just be there as much as possible for your wife...it is double duty but it's not twice as hard if that makes sense.  It doesn't take twice the work to change a baby's diaper if you already have taken the time to get out all of the junk to change one of them.  So it's probably 1 1/2 times as hard.

Keep the babies on the exact same schedule...never, never, never deviate from that.  You will be sorry.

Don't rock your babies to sleep....ever.

EVER.

Our babies go to sleep instantly because of that.  We rocked our 4 year old and paid the price for that the first few months until we wised up.

Nursing twins is hard.  So make sure your wife doesn't feel maternal pressure to do it.  You both will be "existing" the first few weeks and months...and it's just mother's pride that makes them think they "have to nurse their babies or they'll get cancer when they are 23".  Plus, there isn't enough time in the day to do it.  Invest in a good powered breast pump and they'll be just fine.  In fact, it makes it better from a dad's perspective because you can take part in the feeding which are some of the sweetest times I can remember having with all of my children.

Pass them off to anyone who will hold them.  The last thing you want is two babies that will only want to be held by your wife.  Nightmare.

My 2 cents.  My kids are still little, so who knows how damaged they will be when they are older.

-Caleb

The Journey to Now.

God willing, I am 5 weeks away from delivering twin boys. That date is May 27th. I will be 37 weeks along at that point, which is considered full term for twins. I am praying that they each weigh at least 5 lbs. Reflecting on God's goodness to us, I couldn't help but recall His faithfulness through this journey.

Timeline:

May 2009- October 2010- Waiting & asking the Lord to add to our family. At times a daily battle to trust God's will and timing.

Here's something I wrote in the time of waiting.

October 1st- Took a pregnancy test- it was positive. I wept with thankfulness and disbelief.

October 8th - Spotting. I thought I was having a miscarriage. Went to the doctor's by myself (Caleb stayed home with Charlotte). He wanted to do a sonogram & discovered 2 babies. My doctor cautioned me that it was still very early. Spotting continued. My stomach was in knots.

We told our families and our inner circle to pray.

Reminded by some dear friends, that God has answered our prayer- I was pregnant. Rejoice in that. But it was up to God to decide what to do with what He had given. Trust Him.

November 3rd - Elder-Led Prayer. Our pastors & friends prayed over me for the babies. I felt our burden getting lighter.

December 12th - Went to a specialist. Everything was developing normally, and found out that God was giving us 2 fraternal boys. By this time, spotting had stopped.

February 25th- Bed rest recommended by my doctor. So hard to do because I truly felt so good!

March 5th- The talented Miranda George took maternity pics in California. You can see them on her blog.

March 26th - Twin Baby Shower! An amazing outpouring of love and a true time of worship for all that the Lord had given. I've never cried so many happy tears in my life.

April 21st- Grateful to be 32 weeks pregnant. Bed rest almost unavoidable.

What God showed me:

- I am wretched.

I am so prone to focus on myself: my needs, my plan, my comfort. It's exhausting and suffocating. Also, I am easily swayed by my circumstances which will be constantly changing. God gently showed me that Life is not found there. Life is found in pursuing Christ and in His sufficiency.

Colossians 3:1

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God."

- He is enough.

Whether God answered my prayer or not. He is good and able to meet all of my needs.

Genesis 18:14

"Is anything too hard for the Lord?"

Psalm 119:67-68

"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. You are good and do good. Teach me Your statutes."

- I can't do life alone and was never meant to...

Ashamed, sometimes I tried. It's hard to let people know that you are hurting. Friends labored in prayer for us and took on our burdens. You spoke Truth over me, cried with me, checked in on me. How can I ever repay this?

Proverbs 17:17

"A friend loves at all times..."

- His ways and timing are perfect.

I remember crying month after month of not being pregnant. In God's perfect timing Charlotte will be over 3 years old when her brothers are born. She will be my little helper something much more difficult to attain at the ripe age of 2. She is my big girl and my time with just her has been a sweet gift.

Lindey, one of my dearest friends, is 3 weeks ahead of me in her pregnancy. Such a gift to go through this together! We could be possibly delivering on the same date.

My sister & her family will be making a trip back to the states about 2 weeks after the boys are born and get to spend the summer with us.

Romans 8:28

"And we know that for those who love God ALL things work for the good for those who are called according to His purpose."

Joyeux Anniversaire Caleb!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALEB!

C. Cool as they come.

A. Adventure...never a dull moment with you.
L. Leads, loves, & makes me laugh.

E. Elusive. Naturally an introvert in an extrovert world.

B. Birthday Boy. The big 34...still doesn't look a day past 18.

Catching up...

What better time to revive a blog than a new year? So here's to blogging a bit more consistently, and catching you up with our life these past 4 months.

Charlotte & Espen at the State Fair. One of my favorite memories!

Charlotte & Daddy at one of our favorite breakfast spots.

Foofah.

MyGym. Charlotte's loves her class & her teachers.

Paris getaway sans enfants (without kids).

One of the highlights- spending it with Scott & Diana.

Cheering on Uncle Shane at the White Rock Marathon.

Family Date.

Charlotte & Santa.

Christmas at Papi & Lulu's.

New Years.

New Years Day at Grandma's!

Answered prayer. Twins coming June 17, 2011. Praise God for His goodness to us & these gifts of life. We are full of hope & anticipation for this year!

Lesson in love.

Here's what I've learned: I am loved. This time last year...Caleb surprised me with the trip of a lifetime to celebrate my 30th. We went to London to go see Coldplay (+ Jay-Z). It was the perfect trip (recall all of the photos & glorious details here). Not only did we go to see one of my favorite bands in one of my favorite cities, my sister & brother in law surprised us with my little niece Iris. The whole trip was amazing...Caleb knows me and loves me well. It was more than I could have asked or imagined...in his human love Caleb loves me well, thinks of me, plans dream-like experiences for me...I am grateful beyond words for my husband.

Caleb's love got me to thinking on God's love...in his human-ness Caleb planned something amazing for me. God says in 1 Corinthians 2:9 that:

"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him."

If Caleb in his human-ness can love me so creatively and thoughtfully...how much more does God? Caleb's love is only to be a shadow of what God's love is like... In my mind and with my personality: planning = love. You might call it my love language. My finite mind cannot grasp the wonder that God has planned for those He calls His children. I long to live for this Truth, for the eternal, and for the things of God. Lord, help me to remember that you are orchestrating beautiful things for Your children. You are good.

Caleb, thank you for being a sweet picture of how God loves me. You bless me.

Blessings & Writings

The Lord is good. I am more & more keenly aware of his blessing in my life. He has given me some beautiful & godly women to walk with...One of those is my friend Donna Stuart. Well, if you don't know Donna she's a disciple of Jesus, loving wife to Ben, writer, singer, artist, visionary...she's also an encourager.

So grateful to my friend Donna for encouraging me to write more and giving me a chance to put to paper what God has been doing in my life. You can read it on Donna's site: Butterfly Blog

Family Camp-ing.

We just got back from Family Camp with the Village Church (our favorite people in the world). We spent a refreshing week at Shepherd of the Ozarks camping, swimming in the creek, riding horses, canoeing, hiking, & paintballing (Caleb & Scott)...and simply enjoying God's creation. The children loved every second! We loved getting to meet new families and having fun adult hang out time after the kiddos went to bed. Sign us up for next year!

Charlotte & Beckett meet Bambi.

What the...

Where did we sleep? Bunk beds of course. Fort style.

Day trip to Mountain View. Of course we had to visit here...

Best Milkshake ever.

Charlotte & Ella.

Post dinner madness.

Family pic.

Chilling creek-side.

My girl.

Adult hike to Indian Bluff.

Douglass fam.

Carruth fam.

My beautiful girls.

Charlotte & her BFF- Milkshake.

Jesus Came to Save Sinners.

Lovely.

Until Next Year!