Thank you, thank you for all of the kind and supportive comments about our recent discovery! We sure are excited about having a boy and girl, even though all three options would have been equally exciting. I think all three have their fun and hard aspects, but of course we are excited for what the future holds.
It's been a busy spring and summer (when is it not, right?!) so I thought I should do a quick update via my Instagram feed. Smart phones sure make it easy to document small moments of every day life.
Left to right:
* Sunday walks in our neighborhood with the mister. Walking is about all I can do these days -- my doctor said no to running (and similar activities) since twins can be a "high-risk pregnancy." Sigh.
* Hiking with the Young Women of our ward (church organization). Utah sure is gorgeous.
* A glimpse of the Salt Lake City temple while I was on yet another outing with the Young Women.
* Our first baby gear purchase! It is the City Select double stroller with two car seat attachments and two toddler seats, thanks to the KSL classifieds. I love getting things half off! :)
* Our garden that Russ works so hard on is starting to bring yummy things into our house.
* I am still obsessed with this little boy.
* My sister-in-law, Marcella, had her fourth baby! Baby Milly joined the world on June 13th with a full head of dark hair. She is beautiful! I also love that her name is one of the main nicknames people use for me. We already have a special bond. :)
* My half-way (for twins) baby bump documentation! It sure is weird (and amazing) watching your body grow so fast...
* I've been on a baking kick these days (which I'm sure Russ is grateful for since I took a few months off of being in the kitchen when I wasn't feeling so great earlier on). Last night I made some Blueberry Shortcakes from Martha Stewart Living. I love summer berries. And Martha.
We just got back from our ultrasound this morning and I couldn't wait to document our results! A baby boy AND girl will be joining our family in about 4 months!! I was so incredibly nervous for the ultrasound, not just for the gender reveal, but also because I felt like there were twice as many things that could go wrong! When we got in the room I was dizzy and anxious! But luckily both babies look perfectly healthy and right on track for size and weight. I feel so blessed and grateful. It's been a long road, but here we are with two little people coming our way mid-October.
Baby boy was NOT shy at all and we found out his gender within the first few minutes. He was also taking up the entire front section of my belly leaving the second baby to be crowded in the corner. She is way more prim and proper. She was hiding out in the corner just minding her own business and would NOT uncross her little legs. After about 5 minutes of navigating around, she finally decided to reveal enough to deduce that she is in fact a girl. I'm predicting that baby boy will be the bolder personality of the two.
Anyway, we are so excited. And of course now comes the fun part of planning/buying/scheming, etc.... :)
As mentioned in the previous post, Russ had to go to New York City for work, so I tagged along! I figured the time to do this was quickly slipping from our fingers. :) I hadn't been to NYC since I was a lot younger, so I really didn't remember much at all. Holy moly that city is INTENSE, and slightly overwhelming. Everywhere you look there is something going on, and the energy is tangible. It's pretty much impossible to get bored there! I have to admit, I was ready to come home, but that is probably due largely to my current state of being. :)
Fancy restaurants and yummy bakeries (two words: Levain Bakery)
Central Park
Highline Park in Brooklyn (a park on top of a railroad and overlooking Brooklyn -- gorgeous!)
Chelsea Market
Brooklyn in general - I was charmed by the less "crazy" and artistic area of Brooklyn
"Once" on Broadway - a fun and intimate Broadway show that was basically a Mumford & Sons concert with a story :)
MET Museum
Less Awesome Moments:
THE SUBWAY! Out of all of the public transportation systems I have experienced both in the US and Europe, the NYC Subway is by far my least favorite. Completely confusing and frustrating. The end.
Getting rained out on Friday, and having to walk around in it all day while Russ was working. I'm talking flash flood rain. So not cool.
Getting "mooooo-ed" at by an incredibly rude and most-likely drunk man. I'm not even kidding. By Saturday night my feet were swollen and I was feeling especially pregnant. We were slowly walking down the sidewalk (that was plenty wide) when I heard the man behind us start "mooooo-ing." I turned around and said "did you just MOO at me?" He was obviously surprised that I actually called him out, and muttered something about being late to his show, so I said "pass me by!!" And then because my blood was boiling and I was NOT in the mood to be compared to a cow, I pointed at my belly and loudly stated "I'M PREGNANT WITH TWINS! And you're incredibly rude!!" He and his posse just looked at me, shocked, and again just muttered something like "oh, I'm sorry... ugh... gotta go." Haha. I was in shock that someone could be so rude, but felt better that I spoke my peace. :) I hope he learned a valuable lesson that you do NOT mess with a pregnant woman walking around in NYC.
Ok, I just had to record those memories for history's sake. How often can you say you have been "mooed" at? New York City is a city all it's own! I'm not sure I could ever live there, but it sure is fun to visit!
One of Russ's biggest clients is in New York City and he needs to go onsite every other month or so. I haven't been to NYC since I was a lot younger, so I've been itching to tag along. We finally made it happen last weekend! (more on our trip to come). Russ was able to plan the visit around a specific date we had in mind -- the night our favorite band, The National, would be playing at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn. I'm still a little amazed it all worked out. Sure can't complain about a very highly subsidized trip to the east coast to see my favorite band.
I was first introduced to the band in college and I instantly fell in love with the lyrics, melodies and brooding vocals of Matt Berninger (the lead singer). I can easily say The National helped me get through my years of infertility and all of the ups and downs (mostly downs) that we experienced. I have a 6 disc CD player in my car and their albums have been constants -- never to be removed! I really am grateful for their music. It helped me cope and heal. Music is powerful!
This concert turned out to be more than just any old concert. Soon before our trip I read this article and learned that this show would also be the band's first time to play in an arena, and in their hometown, nonetheless. They have been a band for about 14 years, and their hard-work and persistence has paid off. They have sure had their fair share of struggles and playing for empty rooms, which I'm sure every band can relate to. It is encouraging to see that sometimes (a lot of) patience, time, and hard work can actually lead to something. I couldn't stop thinking about my own brother-in-law (and my patient sister) and their endeavors with Fictionist. The members of that band work so incredibly hard and deserve nothing more than to make it, just like The National. The members of The National are not young kids -- they are all nearing 40 and have wives and kids. Success comes in many different forms, but I think the kind that is organic and well-earned is even more deserving.
Just as this show meant a lot for me as one of the 12,000 in the crowd, it also meant a lot to them. I loved being at that show and seeing just how grateful, humbled and reflective the members of the band were. They pulled out all of the stops -- St. Vincent even came and sang a song with them! As always with highly anticipated concerts, I was sad to see it end, but also comforted because I get to see them again August 1st when they come to Salt Lake City! Yes! My very own home. They will be playing at the Twilight Concert Series, so any of you local folk should pay the $5 (crazy good price) and come check out The National.
Crappy iPhone picture before the show! So excited!
The Barclay's Center is huge and awesome.
... and since I can't pick just one, here are a few of my favorite songs (there are so many more)...
This song, a more subdued one, was on repeat for weeks. Words can't explain how much this song means to me.
This song was the first song I heard, introduced to me in college by my friend Kim Paul. Whenever I hear it I instantly become nostalgic for such a momentous time of my life.
And this one makes me want to run. Or jump around. Or something. Such a good song.
You know those type of people that everyone loves? They have a special light about them and make everyone happy, just by being there. They are also the type of people where in the back of your head you think "who could ever be good enough for this person??" Well Natalie is one of those people. Natalie and I were friends way back in college and lived in the same apartment complex. After a year or two of knowing her, she set me up with her older brother (which in itself is a huge compliment). As you can guess, I ended up marrying this brother of hers! I feel so lucky to have met Natalie for obvious reasons, but also because my sister-in-law was my friend before she was my family!
Anyway, we've wanted nothing but her happiness, so seeing her on cloud nine last week at her wedding was a dream come true. Natalie looked gorgeous and so, so happy. She found the most perfect person to spend eternity with. We love Greg and feel so lucky to have him in our family. They are perfect for each other.
Isn't her dress gorgeous??
The whole Lewis clan!
The bridal party! I love all of these girls.
We love you and are so happy for you Nat! And welcome to the family Greg!!
(by the way, if you are wanting to tap into a market to make mega bucks, make maternity bridesmaid dresses. Seriously, those things are practically non-existent. I guess no one ever thinks they will have 3 pregnant bridesmaids) :)
