Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!

Eliza was an adorable little princess for Halloween this year. Although she loved twirling in her pretty dress, she made it known that not all princesses enjoy wearing a crown.

This is Eliza giving me her death stare for placing a crown upon her head.

After much coaxing (and the promise of candy), Nathan and I finally convinced Eliza to wear the crown for a few minutes so we could quickly take some pictures.

Eliza practicing her model faces.

Cinderella and her pumpkin.

This is her saying she is "all ready" to go get some treats!

This dress was totally worth the 50 cents I paid for it at a yard sale!

She gave us a few smiles and then promptly threw the crown on the ground. I was excited we managed to get a few cute pictures before the crown meltdown. She was so excited to dress up and go out, and I couldn't help but smile as I watched her dance around in her costume. She was so happy!

Nathan and I then took her to the church a block away for the trunk-or-treat party. I stayed in the car, while they walked around to the various trunks. Nathan taught her how to say "trick-or-treat," and she would excitedly yell either "trick" or "treat" to the various people giving away candy.

After twenty minutes, she was pretty exhausted. This is the face of a child who is crashing after an afternoon of excitement.

I was already overdoing it by being out of bed, so we were fine with coming home early. It was a great  evening with our little princess!


p.s. I always thought the Fairy Godmother was saying, "Bippity-boppity-boo." Nathan was nice enough to correct me. How did I miss that? I've seen Cinderella a million times!

31 Weeks

Another week has passed! I feel like celebrating every Sunday because it is just so exciting to be another week further along without any complications.  The final countdown has started, as we are down to five weeks remaining (if everything goes as planned). That's less than 40 days. Wow.

This week, I officially reached the "I am miserable and suffering" point of pregnancy. Joy! I never felt this way with Eliza; I was uncomfortable, but I would never find myself crying because I couldn't breathe or sit up without assistance. I'm to that point now, and I am trying my hardest to put mind over body. I find myself saying things like: "I'm okay," or "I can do this." It helps...most of the time.

Something that has helped me remain (somewhat) positive has been focusing on short-term, rather than long-term goals. By doing this, I find myself constantly thanking Heavenly Father for His blessings. Each night, I am grateful to have lasted one more day, instead of only giving thanks at the end of each week (I do that, too, but the daily gratitude is truly more fulfilling). 

At our appointment on Monday, I weighed 20 pounds more than I did the day I gave birth to Eliza. 20 pounds!! I can't believe I am still underweight, but I have certainly been working on bulking up.  Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions!

So, here I am at 31 weeks!

(And just so you know, my weekly pictures are about the only motivation I have to wear something other than pajamas, brush my hair, and put on a little make up. Kind of pathetic, but a girl needs something to look forward to. Perhaps it is a good thing I haven't lost all of my vanity?)

The WHAT on the WHAT does WHAT?!?!?

Proof that preschool is teaching Eliza tons of useful information.

She now knows all the parts on a bus and what they do.

I Get That All the Time

From time to time, I like to grow me out a beard. In the initial stages, it looks something like this:

As it grows in more I start getting comments of who I look like. I've gotten Mel Gibson, Tom Hanks, and Paul Giamatti (I know, right?). But now I can add another doppleganger to the list.

I was at preschool with Eliza and it was playground time. There's a little girl named Sunny who has always been particularly wary of me -- probably because I'm the only guy. Well this was the first week I was sporting the on-the-way-to-a-beard thing on my face, and I noticed Sunny trying to figure me out. She crawled out from a tunnel in the play thing and stopped when she saw me. She looked at me (which was a huge deal), so I thought "hey she's getting used to me" and I smiled really big at her. As I smiled, her eyes got wider and she slowly backed up into the tunnel she was coming out of.

I was pretty happy with our recent breakthrough until I saw her run to her mom and whisper something to her. Her mom came over and told me what she said . . . "Mom, I'm scared of Jesus."

Just wait, Sunny, just you wait:

October 27th, 2009, 2010, 2011

Here is a comparison:

2009

2010

2011

Proof babies grow incredibly fast. (Nathan adds they also become increasingly cuter).

I'll admit: Eliza at this moment is pretty much one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

Two Years Ago Today

I was uploading some new pictures this afternoon and thought it would be fun to see if I had any photos from a year ago today. I began looking and found only a couple of shots from 2010. I decided to go back to 2009 (when all I did was take pictures constantly of Eliza and anyone around) and found photographic evidence of a wonderful evening.

Eliza and I were with these people:

...and we were watching Fear Fest while enjoying delicious hot chocolate. My friends were nice enough to entertain baby Eliza and even managed to get her to sleep!

I remember feeling so normal that evening. I was with friends who loved (and still love) me, enjoying Halloween festivities and having a wonderful time. I began thinking and realized this night occurred during the time when Eliza was in the midst of colic (crying 17 hours a day), Nathan and I were unemployed and desperately looking for jobs (and even more desperately poor), and life seemed overwhelming most days. I think all of my blog posts from this stage of life were tragically depressing due to the stresses of life (sorry).

It's crazy to think only a few months later, our lives would take a dramatic upswing. Nathan and I were able to secure great jobs, and Eliza finally conquered colic. Everything became more manageable and life became immensely more enjoyable.

I remember hearing stories about people who said they would never change the hardest times of their lives because these were the moments that shaped them as individuals, couples, and families. I often found that hard to believe because hey- who wants to suffer? But looking back (and to be cliche), I am so grateful for the challenges Nathan and I experienced together.

We learned we could handle sleepless nights, financial stress, juggling multiple jobs, and sharing parental and household responsibilities. We learned to fully trust Heavenly Father and depend on Him when we felt we didn't have the energy to last another minute. We learned to maintain hope that things would change. And you know what? It's two years later, and all is well.

I love this quote by James E. Faust:

"In the many trials of life, when we feel abandoned and when sorrow, sin, disappointment, failure, and weakness make us less than we should ever be, there can come the healing salve of the unreserved love in the grace of God. It is a love that lifts and blesses. It is a love that sustains a new beginning on a higher level and thereby continues from grace to grace." 

I couldn't agree more.

I also know that surrounding myself with positivity and loving friends/people made a huge impact. I felt God's love through the kind actions of dear friends, through uplifting conversations with amazing coworkers, and even from inspiring blog posts. I firmly believe trials happen for a reason, and I am grateful for the opportunity they give us to grow and develop as individuals.

That being said, I definitely enjoy the upswings of life. I think I am good with downswings for now :) 

** Looking back at old pictures strongly reinforces my satisfaction with our new camera. I can't believe how much a difference it makes!

Counting Calories

That's right. You heard me. Today begins day one of strictly monitoring my caloric intake, but it's probably not what you think.

I need to be eating more. Lots more, actually. I should be consuming approximately 3,500 calories a day in order to maintain a healthy weight for these babies. And because I am slightly underweight (due to first trimester weight loss), I should actually aim for 4,000 calories.

3,500 calories!? 4,000 calories!?!? It blows my mind. I definitely haven't been holding back or dieting this entire pregnancy, but I feel a little stressed trying to find a way to eat that many calories.  One of my pregnancy books suggested 3,000 calories, which seemed overwhelming at the time. An additional thousand calories now seems impossible! If you know me well or have ever had the pleasure of being my roommate, you probably know I could live off of cereal and chocolate milk. Unfortunately, that doesn't cut it when one is pregnant (and especially pregnant with twins).

Because I depend on Nathan and Cheryl for all of my meals, I have been hesitant to ask for three courses a day, please! We all talked last night, though, and my wonderful family let me know it is quite ridiculous that I haven't asked for more. If I want spaghetti for lunch, they'll make it. If I need a meal after dinner, Nathan is all about cooking. Copious amounts of milk, yogurt, smoothies, cereal, and nuts will be supplemented with even more food.

Knowing my personality, I have to plan for my calories each day...or I may fall behind. I remain in bed throughout the day, which means I sleep more than I probably should and miss the opportunity to eat. So, Nathan and I are going to be vigilant about it.  After reading a number of articles that focused on the correlation between a well-balanced diet and healthy-sized twins, I felt extremely motivated to do more on my part. I know it isn't breaking news that one should eat more, but I think you know what I mean.

My doctor has suggested I eat throughout the day, and I intend on doing just that! I feel great about myself every time I see I have gained weight. It's funny how that works :)

Oh, and did I mention my water intake has been bumped up to 100 ounces a day? Instead of 80? Yes, important stuff going on here, people. But, if you only knew how much I hated water, you would realize just how serious this is.

I just have to end this post by saying I am truly grateful these are the challenges of my today. I have the burden of eating more and drinking more. And while it may seem overwhelming to me (at the time), it's a pretty charmed life.

I'd love some calorie booster suggestions. Any milkshake recipes or ideas?

p.s. Last night, I adjusted my desired caloric intake on mydailyplate.com to 4,000 calories. The last time I used this site was in May, and my caloric intake then was 1,400 daily. Oh, how things change!