Let the teething begin!

Its hard to believe but at 17 weeks we already have one teething!!!  After a week of drooling & constant fussing yesterday we were able to confirm that little Wyatt has swollen gums. : (

Its been such a rough week that we ended up selling our tickets to the Vandy v. LSU game last night on Facebook.  We knew with the way they were acting we couldn't leave them with a sitter... if we did, the poor soul who kept them may never do it again!

We did take the boys to their first visit with the Clemson Club. They were good little tigers and didn't even get upset with all the yelling.

This week is going to be a big one for the boys. They have their four month checkup before driving to Loudon.  Thursday they get to take their first PLANE RIDE as we fly to SC for the Byers Family Annual Beach Bash.  Humm.... two teething four month olds on a plane the day after they have their shots.  To those flying with us we apologize in advance!

The Boys are 4 Months this weekend!

Its hard to believe but the boys will be 16 WEEKS this weekend!  They are growing so fast and changing every day.  Words can't explain what it has been like to watch them change each day.

They have recently learned to talk... or at least a little jibber jabber. :)  Each night I sit down with them and I think they tell me about everything they did that day!  Not sure if there telling me what they did, telling on each other OR telling on dad...  I guess time will tell! :)

Little personalities are developing and to see them smile & laugh will melt your heart!  The best part is mommy & daddy are actually getting some sleep these days which makes watching all these changes and milestones that much more enjoyable.  They are on a very strict schedule with baths, bottles, and bed by 8pm.  For the last week they have been sleeping until 6AM!  A VERY good nights rest for us.

A couple weeks ago we had the boys 3 month pictures made with our dear friend Sara Rose.  If your looking for a photographer in the Middle Tennessee area I highly recommend her. View her blog and website from here or from the blogs I follow list.

Own Our Own

The boys are now 11 days old... hard to believe.  Mimi had to go back home on Tuesday afternoon so Tuesday night was Jonathan & Is first night own our own with the boys.  I wish I could say it was a piece of cake but JP went to work on only two hours of sleep.  We were beginning to think that either Mimi lied to us about how good they are through the night OR she's been slipping them some whiskey after she sent us to bed!

Yesterday was a little ruff for me as well.  They are eating every 3 hours and it was taking me a good two of those to get them both fed, changed, and put down so I could pump.  Didn't leave much time to rest or straighten up the house.  Laundry had to be done & bottles washed and I made it through.  By the end of the day I was getting things down to science and had them down within the hour!

Last night luckily went MUCH better!  They are sleeping a little longer in between feedings and we sometimes have to wake them up so they aren't going more then four hours between feedings!  Which meant we both slept a little more as well.

Jonathan is off for the weekend starting this afternoon so we are looking forward to a nice long weekend together.

Hello World! Meet My Boys!

Since our last posting a LOT has changed!  Jonathan's parents & sister came into town on Thursday night.  Our ultrasound & office visit that afternoon went well but Dr. Boles said my list of reasons to be induced over the weekend was better suited for an SNL Sketch then actual medical cause.

On Friday we got a phone call that they would like to get a few more pictures from the ultrasound and asked us to come back.  By Friday afternoon, Dr. Boles called and said that he thought the Tuesday the 18th sounded like a good birth date!  FINALLY - an end was in sight and a definite date when we would meet our boys was established.

Well, Saturday morning my parents showed up! All the grandparents were here & in place ready to see some babies.  So, Saturday night we went for a walk.  Sunday morning I woke up at 4:45.  By 5am my contractions were 4 min. apart.  Still not wanting to alarm anyone - after all I've been to the hospital twice already with no babies yet - I decided to go take a shower... just in case.  :)

After everyone was up and had ate breakfast I asked Jonathan to take me on to the hospital.  We arrived at 10:30am and we told within just a few minutes of being monitored that we would have these babies WITHIN THE HOUR!!!

OMG! I didn't know what to think.  I knew this could be it but never expected it to come so soon.  They started prepping me right away and by noon our lives were changed forever.

Wyatt Nathaniel entered the world at 11:59am weighing 5lbs. 7oz & 19in long. A minute later, at 12 Noon Hayden Nicholas was born weighing 4lbs. 6oz. and 16 1/2in. long. Twenty fingers, twenty toes, and the sweetest sounded cries I've ever heard.

Even writing it now brings tears to my eyes!  After a few days in the hospital, I was released on Wednesday and moved to a "Rooming In" room at the hospital until the boys were released the following morning.

Everyone had been concerned over how Maggie would react to the boys but I am pleased so say she is an AWESOME big sister! After they were born, Kristin brought one of their baby blankets from the hospital and their two little hats and placed them in Maggie's bed.  Since they came home her tail has been wagging and she's already very protective of the boys! 

When we are laying on the couch with them and get up, she will jump up in our place and sit, guarding the boys until one of us returns to the seat!  How cool is that?!?!?!

Today the boys had their first photography session.  This was A LOT of fun for us... or at least for me!  As Jonathan was having his picture made with Wyatt, who was completely naked in his arms, Wyatt decided to umm... well... take a DUMP!!!  ALL OVER JONATHAN! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Not only that, but when he got cleaned up and went to do the same pose with Hayden he had to "relieve" himself as well!  Needless to say Jonathan had to go shower and I had to leave the room to try to keep from laughing so hard that I might bust a stitch!

I can't wait to share some of the photos that Sarah got today but in the mean time, here is a sneak peak of her in action with the boys!

35.2

35 Weeks & 2 Days in.  Nona, Pops, & Aunt Kristin are heading to the airport to come this way.  Everyone is fully expecting to see these kids this weekend - No pressure or anything. :)  They did change their return flight to next Thursday so that gives me a full week to have them but obviously the sooner the better so they can spend some time with them before heading back to the beach.

Jonathan & I are going in for an ultrasound and to see the doctor this afternoon.   After being extremely uncomfortable for the last few days and getting very little sleep I've been considering how I want to approach this appointment.  Option A: Beg & plead for him to schedule me ASAP.  Option B: Give him the option - he can either schedule me during regular business hours OR I can just stop taking the medications that are keeping me from going into labor and he'll have to come in over the weekend, possibly in the middle of the night to deliver them.  Haha!

Obviously, both options are pending on the ultrasound results showing that both boys lungs are in good shape and ready to come see the world.

There are parts of the pregnancy I'm going to miss. Waking up to those little flutter kicks in the morning.  Watching how my stomach jumps and moves when Jonathan talks to them.  The look on peoples faces when they ask what I'm having and I say "two boys"!  They don't know whether to congratulate you or stop right there and pray for you while thanking God its not them! :)

Overall its been a pretty good pregnancy. But, I think we're ready for the next stage.  Or at least I thought I was until I saw the following quote:

There are two things in life for which we are never truly prepared: twins. ~Josh Billings

We Made It!!!

We did it! We are officially 35 Weeks TODAY! WHEW!

I can't believe how fast its gone or the fact that our two little angels could arrive ANY DAY NOW! We've had ultrasounds done almost weekly throughout the entire pregnancy but I can't wait till I don't have to wait a week between seeing those little faces!

Wyatt has been camera shy for about 2 months now so we haven't ever had a good picture of his face. Hayden was very cooperative for the first time back in March when all the grandparents where with us and we were able to get a 3D image of him. He's been in hiding ever since but this past week I finally got to see him again.

I wonder what color hair & eyes they will have? How much alike will they look? Are they really going to weigh what the ultrasound suggests? How tall will they be? And will their personalities follow who they were named after or did we get that totally wrong???

Now I've added to the mix what day will they be born on and who's birthday will they share???

We were sitting in the doctors office last week and Jonathan was reading an article on the Dos & Don'ts of 1st Birthday Parties. I was looking at the cool little toys I want to get them down the road. My favorite was the grill set that was 'just like dads' complete with the little foods to put on it. :)

How long will it before before we get to the point where one wants a Pirate Party & the other a Super Hero Party???  They aren't even here yet and its already flying by!!!!

New Look!

I'm working on getting our blog moved from "couple mode" to "Family mode"! More changes to come!

Mothers Day

Yesterday was my very first Mothers Day. I wasn't really sure if I was officially considered a "mother" since the boys aren't here yet but had a great day none the less.

I woke up to the little kicks & jabs of both boys playing early in the morning. Got cards from the boys, Maggie, & Jonathan. And then the BIG surprise! And I do mean surprise! DIAMOND EARRINGS!!!!!

My husband, ever so sweet, said he thought I deserved something really special this year after all I'd been through. But it wasn't just me. He's been with me the entire way and I couldn't have done any of it without him. I've been thinking for weeks about how special Fathers Day is going to be for him this year. He is going to be such an amazing dad!

He made a wonderful brunch and then we laid around on the couch all day watching movies.

I almost thought I was going to become "official" on Mothers Day after I had about 3 hours of contractions. But, Jonathan had a talk with the boys that their grandparents would really like to be here to see them so about 2 hours later they finally stopped and let me go to bed.

We'll be 35 Weeks tomorrow which was the goal date so I feel really good about where they are now. But Chris & Darla better be on that plane Thursday afternoon 'cause I don't know that we are going to make to see 36! :)

They're Here! :(

No, not the boys. That I would be excited about it. No, this is something I had done everything in my power to avoid. Daily rituals were preformed for the last six months to keep us from getting to this point. With each week that passed without them, I felt a sigh of relief... to the point where I actually begin to think I was going to make it through without them.

Boy was I wrong. How crazy of me was it to think I could possibly??? Carrying Twins none the less! Did I really believe this day would never come???

I'm 33 weeks today. The goal is to get to 35 - only two weeks left! So, they appear. Those lovely little lines that make mothers look like their babies were taken out by Freddy Kruger!

STRETCHMARKS!!!

Ugh...

Time for a Makeover

After 2 years and soon to be 2 additions to the Parris Fam I'm thinking its time for a makeover of the blog. Problem is, I have no idea how to do it! :)

Everything else seems to have changed since we started this so why not? What was once the "music room" set up for JP to have a place to go - and hopefully encourage him to play, is now a nursery. We got some super cute towels this past weekend with the boys names embroidered on them which I decided yesterday meant the bathroom needed to be redone. The backyard had a makeover, the mailbox has had some color added around it, the living room has changed colors 3 times!

As for the two of us, well, JP has lost weight and I... well I'm caring two boys in there so yeah things are a little different for us too. :)

Now Maggie - Maggie hasn't changed so much. At least not in the looks department. She's still a pretty little princess - and won't let you forget it! Its hard to believe she'll be 9 this summer! But, she's eating better and has more energy then she did 2 years ago. She's still not real sure about this whole baby thing but she is to the point now where she likes and will play with Mary Kate. Her world is about to be rocked in the next month!

So yes, its time for a makeover. If anyone can just tell me HOW I would appreciate it.

Easter Story Cookies

So Mauri sent me this email a few minutes ago and I had to share. It is such a great story and I can't wait to try this with the boys when they get a little older.

Easter Story Cookies
Ingredients/Items needed:
Bible
1 c whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
1 c granulated sugar
1 qt. or gal. size zipper bag
wooden spoon
tape

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Place pecans in ziploc bag and let kids beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.
Read: John 19:1-3. Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head. They clothed Him in a purple robe and went up to Him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck Him in the face.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Add teaspoon of vinegar into the mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar to drink.
Read John 19:28-30...Later,knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When He had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished." With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.
Read John 10:10-11. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. "I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep."

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sins.
Read Luke 23:27 A large number of people followed Him, including women who mourned and wailed for Him.

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing.

Add 1 cup of sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.
Read Psalm 34:8--Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him - and John 3:16--"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.
Read Isaiah 1:18--"Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."
And John 3:1-3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

Fold in broken nuts. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. Drop mixture by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.
Read Matthew 27:57-60 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.

Place the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66 "Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting a guard.

GO TO BED. Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 "I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, buy your grief will turn to joy."
And John 16:22 "So with you~ Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy."

On Easter morning, open the oven and remove the cookies. Take a bite. Notice - the cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.
Read Matthew 28:1-9 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen,
just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples: "He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him. Now I have told you." So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell His disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them, "Greetings," He said. They came to Him, clasped His feet and worshipped Him.

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Maternity Photos

We were recently introduced to Sara Rose Photography and I can't tell you how much we love her! I'm posting a link to her blog, website and facebook accounts if you want to check her out but below is a link to the photos she did for our Maternity Session.

We've already signed up with her to do a first year package with the boys once they get here so Newborn pics and then a "watch me grow" kind of deal for every 3 months for the first year! We can't wait to see what she does with them when they get here!!!

http://saraerosephotography.com/viewing/

Look for Niki & Jonathan and the password to view is Niki. :)

Way behind

Its been six months since our last post. To give you a quick recap of what's happened since then... WE'RE PREGNANT!!!

Haha! 7 months pregnant in fact. Oh, and did I mention its TWINS!!!

Needless to say the in-vitro worked and both embryos took so we are having fraternal twin boys due June 15th. The goal is to get to May 20th when we'll be 36 weeks and the boys will be considered full term and should be fully developed enough for delivery.

In the mean time, Jonathan & I both started new jobs. I left Mountaintop for another hotel group as their Regional Director of Sales. I now have five hotels across TN & KY and now that I'm finally settled in I'm loving it!

Jonathan got a promotion to his own store! He's working a lot more hours but started to get settled in himself so hopefully that will calm down soon too.

Hopefully this quick update will give the "hungry" readers that have called me out on the fact I haven't updated this in a long time will be have had a healthy appetizer for now and I'll try update this more often in the future. :)

Philly Days 1 & 2

So far our trip to Philly has had its ups & downs. We arrived in town late Monday night. By the time we got to our hotel after picking up our rental car it was well after mid-night.

Tuesday morning we had our first visit to Cooper Center. Not at all what we had expected but the people were great and we felt at ease. After a round of blood work we made our way into the city to check out the sites.

We first went to South Street which is lined with shops... not really our scene. We then got back in the car and went over to find a place one of the ladies from the center recommended for lunch. Sabrinas. Again, not at all what we were expecting but the food was good!

Realizing the section of town we were in wasn't exactly where we "should" be, we headed to down town where we went to see the Liberty Bell and walked through the parks. Like Boston, Philly has a good amount of green space. However, unlike Boston the city wasn't nearly as clean and we weren't really impressed.

Heading back to the hotel for some much needed sleep we got a call from Cooper Center that we were not going to be able to have the retrieval on Wednesday as planned. The HCG injection I took the night before had only been saline - I had mixed up the bottles when preparing it. :(

Jonathan had to get up at mid-night to mix up another round and give it to me so that we could go back for another round of bloods the next day. We also found that my estrodile levels where very high: 4500+. Anything over 5000 would cause us to have to freeze. The hope was that with the day off from meds the level would drop before the actual HCG took effect which can cause the levels to spike.

Today we went in for another round of blood then decided to take it easy while we waited for the results and headed to Amish Country. The country side was beautiful! Corn fields as far as you could see. The surprises: They have a Wal-Mart! As we got further in it began to look like Pigeon Forge or Myrtle Beach - Tourist Traps EVERYWHERE! Hotels shaped like ships "Ship Shape Rooms"; an amusement park "Dutch Wonderland; and a dozen shops selling T-Shirts & Quilts.

Then the call came in. The levels had not gone down - actually went up over 5900 so transferring was not an option. We will still have the retrieval done tomorrow however afterward they will be frozen until we can come back during another cycle. The good thing is we do not have to do all the meds like we did preparing for this trip. I guess you could say the hard part will be over.

We managed to get our flights moved with some help so now we are heading back on Saturday. Having to come back up again later means we need to save as much as possible. A new date is up in the air. We'll keep everyone posted when more info is available.

On Our Way

Three months ago we thought this day would never come. Then Friday night we got the call and tonight we are sitting in the airport waiting to make our way to New Jersey.
Its been a busy weekend of planning and packing. Both of us beaming withe excitment.
Tomorrow we both have some test to go through then the removal will take place on Wednesday.
We got a little discouraged today when we found that my estrodile level was already 4500. Tonight I have another injection which spikes it even more but if it gets over 5000 they can not do the transfer. Instead, we would have to freeze everything to have it done at later time. No word on how late that would be.
So, please keep us in your prayers. Pray that the levels stay down and the proceedure goes well. That we return safely and stay calm through this week. We are trying our best to focus on having a vacation instead of the clinic.

round 2

For the last two days I've been up by 5am to volunteer at the Governors Confrence on Tourism. Yesterday I sat and waiting only to find out my schedule was wrong.
Today I was here at 6 again and no one else showed up till after 6:30... And they were volunteers too so no one was here to tell us what to do!
Sometimes you wonder if it wasn't for bad luck would we have any at all?
Hummm...

Facing Fears

So we've all been told the best way to get over our fears is to face them head on. Not really something I would say any of us are fans of. However, with this whole IVF process I've realized there isn't much I won't do if I want something bad enough.

Case in point: Part of the program includes a number of injections and I'm TERRIFIED of needles!

For the last two weeks however I'VE been giving MYSELF these injections. The first set were small insulin type suringes. The two additional ones I started this week... Let's just say they aren't so small.

When I starting preparing the first ones on Sunday I ended up having Jonathan give them to me because I was shaking so bad! Yesterday I did the morning set by myself which took some encouragement but last night and this morning I ran next door and had Heather do it.

...Ok so I'm backing off. But - the moral of the story is I DID face my fear and I did pretty good. I still don't want to do it everyday... But at least I know I can if I have to.

Its a big confidence booster. I wouldn't say I'm ready to face a snake yet. ...I'm happy with one small victory at a time! : )

Its been almost 7 months since our last post. If any of you are still following us... thanks for hanging around and sorry we are so far behind.

So, what have we been up to the last 7 months??? Here's what you've missed:

Its been wedding central this summer. Over the last 5 months we've had 7 weddings. Thats right. SEVEN. Between the showers, parties, and ceremonies we've been on the road quite a bit which explains why we are so far behind on this blogging thing.

On top of the Months-O-Weddings, Project Baby Parris has had some major developments. I don't think its much of a secret that we've been hoping for a child or the troubles we've had along the way but the process is one we've been asked a lot of questions about. Its not your "conventual" way by far so even the local doctors & nurses are intrigued.

Here are the basics: the only chance Jonathan & I have to conceive through Invitro Fertilization (IVF) however the cost aspect is about $20K and is not guaranteed to work. We have elected to move forward with IVF with a clinic in New Jersey who offers a unique "financial assistance program". Through the program, we will donate 1/2 of our eggs to another hopeful mother who can not produce her own. In return, she pays for a majority of our costs.

IVF is a process where they remove the eggs and fertilize them in a lab where they can be cultivated. The then embryos are then implanted. Only 1-2 embryos are implanted at one time. Any remaining embryos that we have will be frozen for future use incase the first pregnancy doesn't take or we could use them to have a second child later on.

Now this is where the questions always start. The child we carry will be completely genetically ours. I will provide the eggs and Jonathan will fertilize them it will just happen outside the body. We will not know anything about the other mother - we are waiving all rights to the eggs and will never know what happens with them.

Success rates are a couple years behind but also depend on the carrier, age, etc. The chances of multiples do increase slightly but not dramatically.

I started on meds last week to prepare my body and have regular blood work and ultrasounds to make sure my body is reacting correctly. I started additional injections today but haven't noticed any major side effects thus far. Although the clinic is in NJ, I'm able to go to my regular doctor for monitoring throughout the cycle and will only go up there for the week of retrieval. As of right now, we are expected to go up there the last week of this month - but that can change based on how I react to the meds.

Even if everything goes as planned and we complete the IVF the risks of any normal pregnancy still apply. We will NOT be able to select the sex before the implantation - or would we want to.

I think that's most of the answers to the questions we usually get but if you have others feel free to ask.

Jonathan and I ask that you keep us in your prayers throughout this process. Although we are very hopeful for its success, we do not consider this our only option to have a child. Adoption is something we have strongly considered and still may elect to do later on.



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On the last day of our cabin weekend, after the coldest weekend of the year and NO SNOW - it finally started just as we were loading up the truck. This is the only picture of us together the entire weekend.

Loving YouTube right now! This morning as I was getting ready for work and they played this on the radio. I had to look it up and show Jonathan tonight when we got home.
This is David a 7 year old boy who just had an extra tooth pulled. He's still a little out of it from the anesthesia.