Hormones...

What a wonderful thing pregnancy is. The beauty, the miracle of bringing a child into the world. It's not all fun and games, though. Any woman who has given birth and any man who has lived with a pregnant woman, knows what I'm talking about. Something that directly affects the mood of the pregnancy, is a woman's raging hormones. She can't help it. A pregnant woman's body is a wonderland. It does things that no other body type does. Hormone levels are all out of whack with my expecting wife. One child can do some damage to a lady. Two babies change everything. Double trouble!

I'm no expert and don't claim to be. I'm just writing about my own personal experience and my observations. Living with a pregnant woman is hard work and I know I'm just as much to blame as anyone. I got her into this situation. I know that. I wouldn't change a thing about it. I'm so excited about my beautiful princesses arriving soon. Every day is a new challenge though. You're never fully prepared for most things. Yes, I am a father of two children already but every pregnancy is different and there's no way to compare one with another.

The other night, my lovely wife started crying over something that normally wouldn't have phased her. It wasn't anything that I saw as a big deal but I comforted her, nonetheless. It's difficult as a man to see something bothering your wife and not having any way to fix the situation. I wanted to kiss it and make it better. I know that's not possible. In the end, all she really needed was to vent and for me to listen. I'm not a perfect father or a perfect husband but I try to be the best I can be and learn from my mistakes. Sometimes, that's all you CAN do.

I understand that the hormones are only going to get crazier as we go along. This amazing woman, I'm blessed to call my wife, has been so awesome carrying our babies. She has the hormones (and emotions) of THREE females and has dealt with it so well. I think if you asked her, she would tell you that I've been supportive. I have work to do. I can, and will, continue to improve. I'm learning more and more every step of the way.

Someday, I will be able to give some advice to my sons on what to expect living with a preggo lady. I will tell them that patience is a must. You WILL be challenged. Never forget that no matter what you think you're going through and how bad you think you have it, your wife has it worse. She's the one with the changing body. She's ALWAYS uncomfortable. She can't stand up comfortably. She can't sit down comfortably. She can't lay down comfortably. Sleeping is almost impossible for her. She pees nonstop. We may have to replace our toilet if she gets much bigger. Kidding. Sort of. She has taken it all in stride. She's doing a fantastic job. She is one of the strongest women I know. That's why it's so hard seeing her so emotional. Normally, Karyn isn't a very emotional person. She's very even keeled. This part of the journey, like everything else, will pass. She'll always be my rock.

To new fathers or expecting fathers, a little advice. Take care of your wife. Love her unconditionally. Even when things aren't going the way you expect them to. She's just as, or even more, lost and confused as you are. Everything you feel, she feels x10. Understand that what she's going through for your family is the greatest blessing on earth. An experience that's beyond our understanding. Even the fact that her blood increases by 50% while pregnant is baffling to me. Be nice. Even when she's not. She can't control a lot of her actions but you can control your reaction. Hold her, kiss her, and let her know every second of every day that you love her and you are there for her. And you better actually be there for her. With these raging hormones, there are a lot of judges that wouldn't convict her of murder. Think about it.

Continue to pray for me. That God gives me the wisdom that I need. Most of all, pray for Karyn. Two girls growing inside of her is stressful enough. Dealing with the thyroid issue just compounds things. Being away from family and friends who are out of state is very hard for her. She needs all the prayers that she can get. I pray that she has very little stress in her life right now. For the safety of her and the babies. We have a strong family. Friends and family that pray. With God, ALL things are possible. Even me surviving this pregnancy with all limbs intact. I really want that to happen.

Registering for the twins...

Ah the joys of registering for a new baby or two. It can be so much fun picking out stuff you would love to have but will probably never get. You end up finding stuff cheaper or given to you by someone slightly used. And I think that's fine for the most part. A couple of exceptions, of course. I have a thing about open containers of diapers and wipes. Call me nuts but there's something about knowing someone else wiped a butt and handled the pack after. No thanks. There are some items we're buying used. It's expensive having a baby. TWO babies are on a whole other level.


If you've never done this, this will hopefully give you a little glimpse into the process. You take the fun little scanner that they give you and ring up items that are needed. You then enter the quanity of the items that you need. Then you are given a link to distribute to friends, family, neighbors, ex-girlfriends, and non-profit organizations. Ok, I made up the last few. They buy the items needed baby shower style (l'll explain baby showers in a future post. I actually attended one. Awkward but enlightening). This process help new parents financially and gives women the opportunity to bond over shopping. Everybody knows that men hate shopping so not many men take part unless their wives make them. The expecting father knows he should step up and help out with the registering part. If he's a good man he does it. I did it. Not bragging. Just saying.


I found it to be interesting seeing all of the new products they have now that they didn't have even 5 years ago. They mass produce baby video monitors. So you can watch your baby sleep from another room. That would even work for teenagers until the room was no longer visable through the pile of dirty clothes on the floor. I have sisters. I know. Guess that would be an invasion of privacy, I suppose, but it would've kept me out of some trouble. Our room (me and my brother) wasn't a room, it was our fortress and lab.


We registered at Target for several reasons. The products there seem to be a little better quality. I'm confident there's no lead in the baby bathtubs. They're reasonably priced. Last but certainly not least, they bribed us with a $20 gift card. We're frugal. We have to be now. Sugar water and mayonnaise sandwiches aren't that bad. Joking. I hate sugar water. I saw a lot of cool things while shopping. A lot of "I love my Daddy" and "Daddy's little girl" items which I will promptly be buying two of very shortly. Still looking for "Daddy's little tax deduction" and "Why is Daddy crying?" shirts.


They had blankets made out of the softest materials on earth. This one I saw may have actually been made from the soft fur on the back of a baby tiger's paw. Probably wasn't. We found lots of pink and purple stuff for my little princesses. Not a big fan of the purple but the pink stuff, I dig. All and all, it was a good experience. We got tired and we had Isaiah with us. Shopping with a 5 year old is challenging. Can only imagine what it'll be like shopping with twins. We don't want to. At all. So hoping people buy us stuff simply so we don't have to go the store with 4 kids. It is awesome having the family and friend support system that we have. We thank God for them. Even if you don't take part in the shower festivities, please keep praying for our growing family. The economy stinks, but prayer is priceless. But here's the link just in case... ;)

http://www.target.com/baby/registry/PyI9k_yZJ2en99PMGKDJuw

23 Weeks and 2 Days

Sitting in any waiting area at a hospital can be interesting and at worst, dangerous. I'm sitting here waiting on my lovely wife to arrive. She's late. That's normal. Just saw a guy with his son on a leash. He was just pulling him to the left and pulling him to the right. I fully expected him to start barking orders like "sit, stay, and roll over". He didn't at least as long as he was in front of me. I am fully opposed to the kid leash thing. They're not puppies. Let the kid walk, dad. He needs you to lead him by example. Not a leash.

This is our 1st baby doctor appointment since we found out we're having two little princesses. We (I) arrive on time for our 9:30 appointment and they call us back shortly after. They weighed Karyn but she wouldn't tell me what it said. I went on back to exam room #7 while she gave a urine sample. It smelled like a restroom in Mexico. Had to hold my breath at first. I got used to it after a few minutes. The nurse came in and checked her vitals. She said my wife has a good strong heart... I know.

I really do play a part while I'm here. I remember all the questions we come up with in between appointments. Often times, I'm asking questions for my wife which can be awkward. She has a LOT on her mind so I want to help if I can. A lot of the questions are about girlie parts and such. I'm learning though. With twin girls on the way, I'm going to need to learn a lot in a short time. I'm trying. I asked the nurse if we can be certain Twin A and Twin B can be identified at birth so they can be appropriately named. You know... The whole Audrey/Bailey thing. She didn't know but said she would find out. I'll keep asking.

She's gained 13 pounds since our first visit in June. Seems like forever ago and she seems like she's grown more than 13 pounds. I've gained more than 13 pounds. Seriously. We sat for a good 20 minutes in our exam room listening to a couple doctors chat about a c-section of another lady. Come on fellas. Save that for the break room. I'm trying to keep a pregnant lady, sane. It must seem like I'm not paying attention to the untrained eye since I'm always on my phone while we're here. If I don't take notes while we're here, I will forget details. I don't want anything getting left behind by my brain. It's working overtime.

There's been a baby screaming in the next room since we arrived and my head hurts. I want to go over and pick that kid up. I think they may frown on that if I did. I suppose I should be getting used to hearing it since we're not too far away from having TWO screaming kiddos at home. Still, pick up that kid and give it what it wants. Please.

The doctor finally came in and listened to heartbeats. Checked Karyn's thyroid. All is as expected. No ultrasound today. He told my wife to eat lots of fiber but I won't tell you why. She's also supposed to be drinking lots of water. That's up to her to do. You know what they say about leading a pregnant lady to water.. or horse. Whatever. He told us what to look for with contractions so we know if it's labor. He went into detail about what delivery could be like but it's all speculation at this point. With multiples, there is so much that we won't know. We do know that it's unlikely that the delivery will be scheduled. So any of 7 doctors could possibly deliver the twins. Karyn wants her doctor to deliver but it doesn't matter to me. The nurses do all the work anyway.

Not a whole lot to share from this visit. Though Karyn may say I've shared plenty more than I should. We go back to the doctor November 4th. We'll have another ultrasound then and we'll do the glucose test. We'll try to keep you posted along the way. We are so busy right now. It's tough staying sane. One thing is for sure, mommy's belly sure is getting lots of kisses. Can't wait to hold my little girls.