the BIG news

Many of you know already, but I thought I'd share the news with the rest of you...

I'M HAVING TWINS!!

We heard heartbeats for the first time on Friday, and although it's still early in the pregnancy, I'd love to have you all praying for me (and the babies). I'm doing well for the most part...still vomiting, but not nearly as often as I usually do...which is good, because I'm supposed to be eating 3000 calories a day. I'm certain I'm not close to that yet, but am pretty pleased with my progress overall. I'm really, really tired--and am doing my best not to just "push through" like I'm used to doing. Whenever I start to get frustrated at how exhausted I am, I say out loud, "Give yourself a break. You're growing brain cells today." Or, "You're growing hands today...and you have to make 4!!" That helps me remember what the end game is, and then I take a nap.

 

I'm very early on in my pregnancy. Just 7 1/2 weeks along. I realize that most normal people wait to tell others until they are at the their second trimester. I, however, am not normal--and am eager to have all of you praying for this process. :) So, pray!! (tee hee)

 

Just to warn you, I'm not the girl that's going to post their ultrasound pictures on Facebook (or on the blog). While we think that seeing both ventricles of the heart beating in two babies at the same time is a miracle (and super cool) we realize that all you non-pregnant types don't find it nearly as interesting. :)

 

So, the miraculous news of twins combined with the super sunny December weather has certainly lifted my spirits. Besides my exhaustion, my mood couldn't be better. Since we heard the news, Marcus and I go back and forth between being elated, and so freaked out we might pee our pants. It's been nice to have my mom (who also had twins) be able to share her good ideas with me.

 

I've started seeing a high-risk OB already, and really like her. It's part of the Perinatal Clinic in downtown Seattle, and all of the doctors in the practice are high-risk. Many of my appointments will be with different doctors--it's a real "team" approach--and I'm hoping I like it. I've heard nothing but amazing things about these doctors, and although it's a trek to get my appointments, I'm glad to have their expertise on my side. I am also consulting a nutritionist on Friday 12/23 to see if there are easy ways for me to sneak more calories into my diet. The OBs have said that I need to be checked out weekly (at least for a while) to make sure that my electrolytes are balanced, and that my albumin and pre-albumin (which indicate malnutrition) are at the correct levels too. For now, I'm continuing with my fluids twice a week, and still LOVE having my port.

 

We are so excited!! And we're thrilled to watch God's hand at work through this whole process. The best part of this pregnancy is that I'm so at peace about everything. It might be a tough road, but I just know that God is in and through me, working on knitting those babies together as we speak. The Christmas story has taken on a whole new meaning to me this year, as I hear the story about Mary and the Angel. So cool.

 

Have a blessed holiday, and safe travel to all who are headed somewhere else!

Love ya!!

Brelin

 

Thanksgiving Aftermath and Christmas Fun

Thanksgiving went really smoothly. We had a ton of fun with both families, and more than enough food. The highlights included the turkey turning out amazingly moist and delicious and my 11-year-old nephew prancing around our house to "Must Be Santa" while wearing his mother's high-heeled boots.  His dance was complete with spirit-fingers, and was very comical, especially when he managed to get his boot stuck in his t-shirt making him fall face-first into the floor while we all laughed.  It was awesome.  The lowlights included my sub-par tasting gravy (I tried to be gourmet) and my other nephew catching a football with his face and getting a bloody nose.  All in all, we made it, and had a great night.

We did lots of tourist-y things with Matthew and Sarah (& my parents), including:
--the Boeing museum (which was very educational and pretty amazing)
--Snowboarding at Crystal Mountain (which was a riot thanks to my sister who found the one puddle to land in on her first trip down the bunny hill)
--A quick trip to Snoqualmie Falls (because it was pouring rain)
--The Space Needle and Pike Place to watch fish-throwing
--Eating at Ivar's on the Pier with the seagulls
--and finishing off the week by staying in downtown Seattle after meeting up with a lot of the Weakley cousins at the Martini Bar. It was so much fun.

I managed to contract the worst cold I've ever had (to date) on Tuesday night, about the time that Sarah and Matthew arrived. I struggled through the weekend, sniffling, coughing, running a fever, and doing my best not to yell at anyone. At one point I was so congested that I threw up and then immediately got a bloody nose just from the pressure in my head. It was miserable. Despite our best attempts to avoid each other, Marcus came down with my same, horrible cold (a less lengthy version)--and had to miss work. His words, "I can't believe you made it through cooking and eating Thanksgiving dinner feeling like this..." I was glad that he recognized my struggle. My cough/cold lasted about 2 1/2 weeks total. It basically sucked.

Since then, we've been busting a move on all things Christmas. We got a tree from a cut-your-own-tree-down lot, and as usual, it took far too long to select one. Marcus and I tromped around the several miles of tree farm to select the "perfect" Christmas tree at Marcus' request. This is one Rismiller family tradition that I could do without. I see nothing wrong with a perfectly trimmed fake tree, and an evergreen scented candle. I'm fairly certain I will be overruled for the remainder of our marriage, however.

After we selected the tree, we were both too exhausted to do anything about it. It sat in our garage for 2 or 3 days, waiting for us to muster up the strength to get all the Christmas bins down, trim the tree, and decorate the rest of the house. Again this year, Marcus donned his college track spikes to put the lights on the cedar shake roof--while I watched nervously, hoping that I wouldn't have him land on me or that I wouldn't need to call 911. He successfully completed the light mission, and our house looks great.

I have been working hard to get our Christmas cards out this year. I think I ramped up our list a little bit, trying to reach out to people that I haven't heard from in a while. I'm hoping our letter will be well-received. The one thing that will be different next year is that I'm switching to computer-generated labels. I realize that lots of people have been using them for years, but I've always thought it's a little better to have hand-addressed letters. After this year, with absolutely no help from Marcus on the Christmas cards or letters, I've decided that I'm simply over it--sticky labels it is.

Health-wise I've been doing okay. I've actually been feeling a little bit better the last couple of weeks, especially since my cold has vanished. It seems like I've been keeping a noticeable amount of food down each day. My water is also staying in better. I'm continuing to get fluids twice a week, and that seems to keep things running smoothly.

Last weekend we enjoyed a Big Horn Brass Concert with my friend down in Portland. I puked all the way down in the car, but the concert itself was amazing. We unknowingly booked a crappy hotel on hotels.com which had received really good reviews. We walked into the room, and it reeked of decades of cigarette smoke...so much so that it was a little hard to breathe. Ugh. Anyway, we got free breakfast (which was really good) the next morning, so I guess it was worth the tiny amount we paid?

We are going to be very well celebrated by the end of the Christmas season again this year. It's wonderful to see all of our families, and we're so thankful that they live close enough that we can make it all happen each year. We celebrate Rismiller Family Christmas on 12/21, then roll to Tri-Cities for Weakley Family Christmas 12/24-12/29, quickly followed by Johnson Family Christmas on 12/30. I'm fairly certain that we will finish just in time for me to take a nap to ring in the new year.

After all of the craziness, we are so thrilled to remember that Jesus is the real reason we are celebrating. It's not about gifts or generosity of spirit, instead it's about God sending His Son to earth to show us how to live. I'm so excited that His grace and mercy flow so freely to all who need it. (including me!!) Thank you, Jesus, for your love and peace. Please be with all of us this year, giving safety to all those who travel and comfort to all those who mourn. We love you, Amen.

Have a wonderfully Merry Christmas, and a blessed 2012.

Love brelin