It's a... and a...

As you can see from the picture above, we'll be welcoming a BOY & a GIRL this summer. Both babies look great, are growing well, and seem to have a special affinity for Mexican food and applesauce. We couldn't be happier.

It's as if God has been jotting down all of our prayers over the past 3+ years, and is saying, "Yes, NOW is the time. Here you go, my loves, exactly what you've been dreaming of."

Now, don't get me wrong--this pregnancy has not been a walk in the park so far, but so many things have been going miraculously right.

1. I'm not in the hospital on bedrest. This has been one of my fears from day one, and I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to gain any weight. I was terrified that I would develop hyperemesis (basically super-vomiting) worse than my normal life, and that I'd be forced to spend my entire pregnancy on TPN. (feeding through my veins). Despite all my worries and fears, God has been blessing my socks off. I'm still vomiting plenty, but I'm keeping down enough food that even my doctors are impressed. The babies are growing, and I can even lift light weights and do yoga still. (And I'm almost half-way done!!)

2. We really wanted two kids, one of each ideally. And, BAM! God again has come through fulfilling our biggest dreams of having a boy and a girl!! Realizing how miserable pregnancy would be for me, He let me get it all over with in one fell swoop! :) My pregnant life has consisted of increased nausea, daily headaches, increased need for IV fluids, anemia, stuffy sinuses, miserable sleep, increased abdominal pain, bleeding gums, motion sickness, and a sense of smell that could rival an elephant. Do elephants smell well?! They just have the biggest noses I could think of--so I might have made that up. Regardless, I am so pumped to never have to be pregnant again.

3. We have the love and support of our whole families as we embark on this crazy adventure of parenthood. We've got wonderful role models to learn from--and it's so exciting to carry on the "tradition" of twins in my family. I'm thrilled to experience two babies at once as a parent, rather than an 8 year old. (for those of you who don't know, my brother and sister are twins and were born when I was 8).

We feel so blessed. We are trusting that God is "knitting these babies together in my womb" just as Psalm 139 promises. Pray along with us for healthy babies, for no time in the NICU, no bedrest for me, for continued weight gain, and for COMPLETE HEALING for me.

We love you all, and are thrilled that you're on this wild ride with us. We are so happy to have you loving and praying for us, supporting us emotionally and spiritually through the ups and downs. It's such a JOY to share all this wonderful news for a change.

Hugs and love,
b

16 weeks...

I've arrived at 16 weeks!! And, I'm feeling pretty good too! The latest health updates:
1. Anemia- They let me know that I've got, like, 0 red blood cells when they checked by CBC. They put me on a massive dose of iron pills, and that seems to be helping a bit.

2. Hypothyroid- My thyroid is also super low. They are supplementing that with pills too.

3. Placenta previa- part of the placenta is covering the cervix. In many women, this resolves itself as the uterus expands. They'll keep an eye on it to make sure that things are going fine.

4. Baby A & Baby B continue to be healthy and cute. They're both looking good, and are roughly the same size. (all good.) Baby A's umbillical cord is slightly off-center, but not so far that the doctors are worried about it. Again, it's something that they'll keep an eye on to make sure that he/she is growing properly.

5. Nausea & Vomiting- I'm still super nauseated, much more than normal, even. That being said, I'm keeping a lot more food down than normal. I think that I'm beginning to experience indigestion. Prior to this, I only experienced vomiting, so I'm glad that I get to try out a new yucky GI symptom. :)

Overall, things are terrific. We went on a "last hurrah" trip to San Diego this past weekend to get some sun and see our friends. It was really fun, although I felt slightly like a beached whale in my swimsuit. Marcus and I are convinced that I literally get bigger each day.

The highlights of our trip included: Fancy dinner night with friends, laying by the pool and getting a tan, and going to the San Diego Zoo to see the giant pandas. Mostly it was nice to be away from the rain and gloom of Seattle, and hanging out with our best "couple" friends was a super fantastic bonus. The lowlights of the trip included: riding on the airplane. It was awful. I'm super sensitive to smells, and even more sensitive to motion sickness. My normal GI issues don't include these bizarre problems, so travelling as a prego woman really caught me off guard. I'm planning to not go on a plane again until these kiddos are out.

This whole pregnancy has been such a miracle!! We're so thankful that God's hand is so clearly in and through each day. We couldn't be happier!!

Sending you all lots of love,

brelin

Marcus is doing a Firefighter Stair Climb for Cancer

Hi Friends and Family!

I will be participating in the annual Firefighter Stairclimb on March 11th. Please support me with a donation. Our efforts this year will help make a big difference in the fight against all types of blood cancers.

This year I will be climbing in honor of our good friend, Kendyl Price. She has been battling leukemia for the past 2 years, and is just 4 years old now. She is such a fighter and her life continues to be an inspiration to me and so many others. We're hoping that by raising tons of money, kids like Kendyl won't have to fight such difficult battles.

I have included some information below about what the Firefighter Stair Climb entails as well as information about the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society--which is the organization that benefits from the funds raised.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!
Marcus Rismiller

What is the Firefighter Stair Climb? It is a timed race to the top of the Columbia Tower, Seattle's tallest skyscraper. Each firefighter must be dressed in full combat gear and SCBA (about 50 lbs of gear total) as they ascend the tower's 69 flights of stairs. The race includes 1311 steps, 19 steps per flight, and 788 feet of vertical elevation. While the race will be rigorous, it is nothing compared to what these kids and adults who are fighting for their lives have to go through each day.

Where will my money go? All proceeds from the race go to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to assist in the mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Here is a link to their website if you'd like to get more information about this tremendous organization. http://www.lls.org/#/aboutlls/mission/

Click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://www.llswa.org/site/TR?px=1514401&pg=personal&fr_id=1220&et=UjvZY2oyHm86ubE3Tyn74Q&s_tafId=16430

Click here to view the team page for Renton Fire and Emergency services
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://www.llswa.org/site/TR?team_id=41196&pg=team&fr_id=1220&et=QDoZN6hd12kU3M8ox6mSvw&s_tafId=16430

health update

My cold is much better, and I have gained back the weight that I lost last week. I have gained 9 lbs since this pregnancy began, and am feeling pretty good. I still have a bit of a cough, but nothing to write home about. The news from the OB this week is that I'm super anemic, and my thyroid function is low. I'm already on thyroid meds, so they are simply leaving those the same for the moment. As for my iron, I was taking 50 mg a day--and they've increased it to 648 mg a day. Yowsa. I'm hoping that with all those new red blood cells I'll have I will feel less tired. :)

Please read the next post too.

hope and a future

Well, overall things are going well. My weight was up 3 lbs (!!!) since two weeks ago when I went to the doctor on Monday. They were very impressed. They do a quick ultrasound each appointment to make sure that the babies are still moving and shaking in there. On the ultrasound, BOTH babies were dancing this time. They kept poking the other one through the little membrane that is separating them. They are each in their own sac, but are having a good time playing together anyway. :)

However, I came down with a horrific cold on Sunday night. I have been miserable--not able to breathe, ears hurting, eyes leaking tears from the pressure in my head, horrible headache, cough, inordinate amounts of mucus, and seriously increased nausea. The end result? I've lost all my new pounds. My IV therapy nurse told me not to be discouraged--that once I start feeling better that everything will be okay. And she reassured me that the babies are still growing and getting what they need...so not to worry about that.

So, I'm trying not to be frustrated. I'm laying on the couch a lot, and looking forward to being able to breathe sometime soon.

I've been able to see my Young Life girls more often than normal...since we've been doing our group meetings during the day instead of at night. It's been so fun to watch them grow in their faith lives. I'm looking forward to hearing one of them share their faith story on Friday night at the annual YL Banquet. My mom is going to join me, and that should be a fun adventure too.

I'm so thrilled to see God is still using me, even when I feel like I'm not doing anything good for anyone. Life with chronic illness sometimes seems selfish--I'm forced to spend so much time on myself, making sure that I stay healthy--that it's easy to lose sight of the fact that God is doing mighty things IN me, and that others can see Him at work through me in spite of me.

My friend shared this with me, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans for hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11

I love that verse. It's such a good reminder that God's in control--and that His perfect plan is being revealed to me one tiny piece at a time. He's blessing me with prosperity, hope, and an amazing future. I can't wait.

Short-lived trend

Can you call something a "trend" if it only happened for one day? I suppose it depends on just how optimistic a person is.

My puke-free trend lasted for just a day, but it was still really awesome. Sadly, Tuesday included a puke session that was so violent that I almost passed out. Oops.

Well, I can still celebrate Monday, right? I was livin' the dream that day.

In other news, I think I may have gained a pound this past week. Yes!! Just 10 more in 6 weeks to go... :)

Love you all,
Brelin