jumping, bikes, view...

Maya has been trying for weeks to jump with two feet. This week she finally did it and she was thrilled.

The kids are perfecting their bike riding skills. Max wasn't very interested in the bikes until we got the new one, now he is almost as fast as Maya.

Maya has started dragging her foot behind her to slow herself down and keep stable.

Thankfully because they are so small falls don't seem to hurt too much. I'm glad they like to wear their helmets.

The weather lately has been odd. There has been a lot of rain, but then small sunny breaks. We are glad it is finally starting to get warm again. Max and Maya were excited to eat lunch outside a couple times this week.

Did I mention that just three houses down the street from our place is a stairway down to a pretty little bay? Can we convince anyone to come and visit? Air New Zealand has some great flights.....http://www.airnewzealand.com/72-hour-sale-economy-to-new-zealand

angels

Max and Maya like to pretend like they are butterflies. They run around the room flapping their arm. I love it. We were given one pair of angel wings and I found another pair at a charity shop, which is a good thing because they have been thrilled to use them.

Of course my kids aren't always angels. Somedays are really hard. Sometimes they drive me nuts with making messes and whinning. But there are moments when I sit back and stop worrying about the mess, of things that need to be done...and I realize that I am in the presence of angels, straight from heaven.

flying with twins

We just got back from a great trip to visit family and friends in Utah over the Thanksgiving holiday.

This was the babies first trip outside of Texas...or even really outside of the Houston area. We were more than just a little bit nervous about the flight. The babies did fairly well. They didn't cry or even fuss on the take-off and landing, it actually put them right to sleep. On the way out to Utah we were even fortunate enough to get an extra seat so we were able to take one car seat on board which allowed Maya to sleep in her chair and then Lonnie and I were able to take turns holding Max.

We don't have any photos of us on the plane or awkwardly trying to get through the security line or waiting at the airport. Our hands were full enough as it was. I will also spare you the details of me trying to use the airplane bathroom while holding a baby in my arms.

Some advice on flying with twins:
1. Give both babies to one parent to walk through security (make sure to take off your shoes first) then have the other parent put all the gear and bags through the x-ray machine.
2. Pack two diaper bags, there is a good chance you will get separated.
3. Fly at a time of day that your babies are most likely to be in a good mood.
4. Bring a couple of bottles, even if you nurse. You might have a hard time nursing while in your seat or you may not be able to get to one of the babies if the fasten seat belt sign is on for a long period of time.
5. You and your husband can not sit on the same row. There is only one extra oxygen mask in each row (in our case this was also only on the C/D side of the plane) so only one lap infant can be in each row of seats.
6. There is a good chance that even if you reserve seats that you will be reassigned when you get to the gate so arrive early.
7. Hope that you sit next to someone who has had children, preferably a grandmother. (The poor single businessman who say next to me on our flight home didn't know what hit him.)
8. Consider sitting a couple rows apart, that way your neighbors won't have to deal with two crying children.
9. Go to the bathroom, eat and drink BEFORE you get on the plane. Trying to do any of these things while holding a wiggly baby in your arms is almost impossible.
10. Changing a diaper on an airplane is next to impossible. I had to change Max's diaper while he was laying on top of the toilet lid. Poor kid thankfully didn't fuss too much about it.
11. Different airlines have different policies on the documentation required for flying with an infant within the US- Delta doesn't require anything , Southwest requires a birth certificate or vaccination record.
12. On most airlines, currently, car seats and strollers do not count as baggage. You can take them up to the gate and check them right before you get on the plane.
13. Try to fly in the middle of the day or on Saturday during non-peak travel time. Flying with babies is much easier if the plane is not full.
14. When you check in ask if the flight is very full. If there is a possibility that there will be extra seats bring the car seats with you to the gate. We have had very good luck with being able to bring the babies' car seats on the plane. Car seats are not only safer, they also give the babies a great place for the babies to sit, nap and give the parents an extra set of hands.
15. Make friends with the flight attendants.


One more I had to add on.....
Don't forget to clip the babies finger nails before your trip. The only thing harder than holding on to a wiggly baby is holding on to a wiggly baby with razor sharp claws.

Once upon a time....

How the story began....

We feel that we should tell a little more background on how this pregnancy came about. That may seem kind of funny at first because people are normally more discrete about discussing conception, but this conception didn’t happen the “traditional” way, as it resulted from a process of undergoing several infertility treatments. Infertility is an difficult trial because it delays or (in some cases) impedes the fulfillment of the desire to bring children into this world. Infertility tested our patience and faith because, beforehand, we didn't really expect to have difficulty in having children, and then during the process we didn't know if we were going to be able to get pregnant. As we met disappointment followed by disappointment, we were comforted by others who had experienced infertility. We were strengthened as they shared their stories and provided advice to us. Maybe our story can provide comfort and strength to others as well.

The pregnancy occurred when we did a round of intrauterine insemination (IUI). IUI is a procedure where they take a semen sample (in this case, mine), wash the sample to concentrate the good sperm, and (using a long, narrow syringe) inject the sperm directly into the uterus (in this case, Alisa's) within 24-48 hours after ovulation. We had attempted IUI once in Utah just before we moved to Houston, but it was obviously unsuccessful. We have been told that IUI only has a 25% success rate. So this was the first time we did IUI in Houston, and we weren’t extremely hopeful that it would be successful. For one, a 25% success rate doesn’t put the odds in your favor, and for another, Alisa hadn’t ever been pregnant even with two years of attempts during our marriage. Although two years is not as long as many people struggle with infertility, we were a bit worried considering we didn't get started until we were 30. Alisa also feels that she gets to count the years between 23 and 30 (at the very least) that she was not married but really wanted to be a mother.

So we (especially Alisa) were losing hope that we would be able to get pregnant, but we still wanted to try IUI to see if it could work out. And it did! The week after our IUI, we travelled to southern California to spend some time with Alisa's family. Alisa felt few a few pregnancy symptoms, but nothing that a strong desire to be pregnant (often to the level of obsession) wouldn't bring on. We decided not to do a pregnancy test. Possibly being too superstitious, we felt that pregnancy tests (those evil little test strips) were bad luck, considering Alisa had peed on many of them and we had never seen one with a positive result. Two weeks after the IUI, Alisa went into the doctor's office for a blood test. Our fertility doctor regularly schedules these tests after fertility procedures in order to gather more information. The kind nurse who took Alisa's blood offered a short, sincere prayer with her that the tests would come back positive. Later that afternoon, Alisa got a call with the results. Alisa had elevated levels of HCG, indicating a pregnancy! We were very surprised! Alisa went back to the doctor's office again two days later for another blood test, and the results were also positive! We felt very blessed that the time had come, and we kept praying that pregnancy would progress normally.

Two weeks after finding out that she was pregnant, Alisa went in for her first ultrasound, when they heard not only one heartbeat, but two! Twins! To be honest, we didn’t really pray for two to come at once, but we’ll definitely take it. Because some infertility treatments increase the odds of having twins (or more), I had joked with Alisa several times that we might as well start with twins just to catch up. I didn't really believe that the jokes would become reality. In fact, IUI doesn’t increase the odds of having twins, according to what we have read and been told by our doctor. The medication Alisa was taking to help her ovulate (Clomid) did increase our odds of twins, but our doctor told us that it only gives an 8% chance of twins. So the twins were even a surprise to our doctor.

We obviously don't see this pregnancy as an answer to all of our struggles (it has already introduced new ones, as we'll share in future posts), but we feel blessed to have this experience in our lives. We are striving to rely on the Lord, attempting to align our will with His, and our faith in Jesus Christ has strengthened as we have felt His influence in our life.

-Lonnie

Mama don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys (or cowgirls)....

We have a big announcement. We are going to be parents! Alisa is pregnant with TWINS! The babies are due in late May. Alisa has been pregnant since late September, but we decided to wait until after Christmas to announce it to the world (or at least anyone who happens to read our blog).

We are very excited about the pregnancy. As you know, we have been anxious to bring children into our family. We feel very blessed, and we are so grateful for your prayers and support.

Although the children will be born in Texas, I hope they will be more interested in basketball than cow tipping.

(Alisa, please don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys. I really can't stand country music.)

-Lonnie