Friday, October 2, 2009

Thank you!!!

Thank you so much for all your wonderful and loving comments to our last post!! I cried at every single one of them (especially yours Uncle David!). And I cry every single time I watch the video...which is probably about 1,248 times by now =).

Needless to say, we are OVERJOYED!!!

This is such a miracle, such a blessing, and words cannot properly express how very grateful we are.

I am in the process of writing an epic post about how we got here. The problem is, it's been an over 3 year long journey, and so there is a lot to write about. Also, I so want to glorify God in what I say, so it is a matter of a lot of prayer.

After all, it is His story, not mine.

Thank you to all of you who are continuing to lift us up in prayer, I am so grateful for that. Things have been going perfectly so far (thank you Jesus!), but because this pregnancy is with twins, it is automatically a high risk pregnancy. We will take all the prayer we can get!

I have been doing pretty good most of the time at remaining peaceful and hopeful...but every once in awhile fear sneaks in and just grips me. It is so hard not to be afraid. I know this is just satan, as God did not give us a spirit of fear. But sometimes it feels overwhelming. I am afraid we are going to lose one or both of them, afraid something is going to be wrong with them, and most often, afraid they are going to come too early. As most of you know, my niece was born at 26 weeks, and although God has been so gracious and she is doing wonderful today, I have seen what a hard road it has been for their family. I worry so much that I wouldn't be able to handle it with the strength and faith my sister has.

My doctor is very positive and hopeful about these little twinkies staying in until they are full term. To quote her, they will have me under "tight surveillance" to watch for any signs of pre-term labor. We trust our doctor, and we trust our Jesus, so we will just keep praying both babies grow healthy and strong and stay put until they are at least 36 weeks.

Will you please join us in praying for this? THANK YOU!!!!

I believe very much in the power of prayer!!


And speaking of the power of prayer, I want you to know I prayed so hard when making that little annoucement video. I wanted so much for God to get all the glory in this, and also I prayed for peace for those viewing it. I know there are so many women -many of you whom I consider dear friends- who are waiting still. Women who would be happy for us, but sad for them. I know that feeling so well, and it breaks my heart. I know what it is like to see someone make their pregnancy annoucement and although you have joy for them, your heart just aches with hopelessness and worry that you will never be making an annoucement like that yourself.

I want you to know I am praying for you, harder than ever. If you are on this blog, I am praying for you. And if you are not, but you would like me to be praying, please email me and let me know. Or if you have any specific prayer requests that you don't feel like sharing in a comment, please email me. I know I have emailed so many of you who are on the other side of infertility while I was going through so much and it provided AMAZING encouragement for me!! I would be honored to do the same for someone. Truly.



And lastly, I need some advice from all of you. Mom's, aunts, grandma's, or anyone who has ever changed a diaper =). What kind do you recommend? We want to start stocking up now by buying some diapers each paycheck, so that we aren't completely overwhelmed when the babies come. Do the Kirkland (Costco brand) work well? Do we HAVE to buy Huggies??? (they are just so expensive!!).

Thank you!!!

19 comments:

Alexis said...

Oh, Kendra, I've thought about you so much lately! I'm still so thrilled for you!

We use Pampers, and we get them at Sam's because they're quite a bit cheaper. My SIL says that diapers.com is cheaper than Sam's, and we're going to check into it next time we need some...which is now. That reminds me...

The Writer Chic said...

I used Pampers Swadler for the very beginning because Seth was so tiny, but as soon as we could get into the Kirland diapers, we did, and have never looked back. My MIL used to keep Huggies at her house for Seth, and we hated them -- always leaked. But I could count on one hand the number of blowouts we've encounted with our Costco diapers. I swear by them. (I do go with the Natural Huggies wipes, though, but I get them from Costco. I just wasn't sold on the Kirkland wipes.)

PS -- can't wait for our "date" on Monday. =)

Unknown said...

You have such a sweet spirit and loving heart Kendra! I'm just so excited for you!!

I haven't had good luck with Huggies, I buy Pampers Swaddlers and they are the best I've found. I've tried the cheaper off brands and Kaden leaked through every time. Great idea on getting stocked up now!

Kristyn said...

Thanks so much for your comments! I'd love to help you with anything I can over the next couple months. Our girls are 16 months old so we've been around the twin block, if you know what I mean!

As far as diapers go, buying now is a great idea! Also, if you or anyone you know works at a hospital ask them if they can order for you. The hospital buys diapers very cheap and we were lucky enough to get in on that. The only down side is they only buy size P, NB, and 1s. Let's hope that you will need 1s because your babies are so big and healthy!

Please let me know if I can help you with anything else! My email is twinmommy613@cox.net.

Good luck and cherish every moment! Carrying twins is still the hardest thing I have ever done physically, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

Vanessa's Dad said...

Vanessa says only Huggies will do.

LOVE, GRAND DAD

Amanda said...

Thanks for the compliments and all your prayer. Your niece is truly a miracle and I'm excited that my little nieces/nephews-to-be are such blessings as well. You handled my surprise pregnancy with such absolute grace I was in awe of your tremendous support in a time of sorrow for you and Dave. Thank you for loving us unconditionally.

Sorry sister, I never responded to your text about the diaper question. When Cadence was born we used Huggies newborns (for a looong time because she was so tiny). Then we switched to Costco's Kirkland diapers once she was big enough. We tried Huggies and honestly didn't like them as much as the Kirkland ones, especially for the price. (While we're on the subject- we hated the Huggies wipes too because of the way they are designed to be pulled out and they always stuck together in one long mess. The Kirkland wipes are all in little packets so you can have them stashed all over the house, car, friends and relatives houses, etc.) With Jelly Bean we tried the Luv's, WalMart's White Cloud diapers and truly found the Pamper's Swaddlers were worth the extra price when she was little. Try Diapers.com for codes for $10 off your first order as well as free shipping. Then have them sent as new customers to mom, Donna, etc so you can continue to use the discount code :) Once Jelly Bean was big enough we switched her to the Kirkland as well, but if you try them too early, you'll be dissapointed as they'll just be too big. Also, even with twins who might be on the smaller side, try not to stock up too much on Newborn sized diapers because you'll be amazed how quickly you'll be out of them and into the next size!

Prayers for you and the little ones and your terrific hubby!

Lianna Knight said...

Such a sweet post Kendra :) I am so happy for you and so proud that you are putting God first and giving him all the praise for these sweet little miracles.

Please continue to pray for us and the miracle we are waiting for!

Congrats!

Sara said...

First off - congratulations! That is fantastic news!

I use Pampers Swaddlers. Love them. Word of caution - we stocked up on the newborn size but she never wore them! She immediately went into size 1 - and she only weighed 8lbs 9ounces. I am sure your twins will wear the newborn, but just wanted to share!

Again, congrats! I have read your blog for a while, but I'm not sure I have ever commented.

Stephanie said...

Okay, so I was using the old computer the last time you posted and it won't show videos. I didn't know until just now (on the new laptop, so I could see the video). Wow! Congratulations! And this week marks week 13, too ... whew.

I'm so happy for you.

And yes, I hate to say this, but Pampers are worth every penny. Costco brand SOUNDS like a good idea until you have poo on your hip. Trust me.

I will say, buy sizes 2 and 3. People will give you newborns and size 1's as gifts, but you'll go through them quicker than you think. Same with clothes - buy 3-6 and 6-9 mos, because people will give you 0-3.

Yay!

Kaycee said...

Congratulations! What a blessing for you! I didn't see the video in my reader but was linked over here from your sister's blog (also on my reader) and figured out I missed something huge! I don't think I have ever commented on your blog before, but I did want to say congratulations!!! :)

Also, we were not sure what brand(s) would work for our baby girl and which we would like the best, nor what size to get. So every time we went shopping at a store we planned to buy diapers from we bought a gift card for roughly the amount we would have spent 'stocking up' on diapers. That gave us SO much flexibility when she was born to be able to pick up some diapers with our shopping trip, use the gift card, but also then have the option to switch brands and/or sizes when needed. I really think it's one of the smartest things we did before she was born. Saved a lot of hassle on trying to exchange brands or sizes that did not work!

Katie@The Baby Factory said...

I echo what Krystyn said--if you know someone who can order them through a hospital, DO IT!! My husband's aunt works for a clinic and has ordered for us and it is HANDS down the best way to do it.
Also, if there is an 'entity' (church, work, friends) who are looking to do a shower for you....suggesting a diaper shower isn't bad....maybe your husband's work??
We've tried them all (brands that is) and we dislike Huggies the most. Like Pampers the best, and from there store brand has been good as well. AND....if you buy diapers before hand, only open one box at a time or use any already unpackaged diapers first (most places will exchange diapers, no questions asked)

Becca said...

Kendra!! I haven't been able to check blogs very often recently, but I just saw your video and I am SO EXCITED for you!! Praise God from whom all blessings flow! We'll have to compare notes sometime as we prepare for parenting twins. (I'm 24 weeks along right now with boy/girl twins.)

Again, congrats! Isn't it cool how sometimes when we pray for a miracle, we get TWO? :)

Lauren said...

I sooo cannot get over this, what a double blessing!!!!! :)

Lori said...

Congratulations!! I have not been checking blogs for a few weeks, I was brought to tears when I read your post and watched the video. I am so happy for you. We truly serve a wonderful God!!

Keri said...

Kendra I am smiling ear to ear! What a blessing to receive two blessings. You are going to make such an excellent mom. Enjoy your pregnancy and take it easy.

diapers.com has great deals on diapers. We use pampers. Beware how much you buy in advance. I had stockpiles of size newborns and had to give away a bunch.

Loved your video!

Emily said...

So I think some of it depends on the baby (or babies in your case :)) and how they are shaped.

I strongly disliked the Kirkland Signature diapers because they weren't as absorbent, let wetness out more quickly, and almost always allowed poop to come out the sides. I haven't tried Huggies but had heard (source not remembered) that the Kirklands were just re-branded Huggies so I haven't wanted to try them.

For name brand, I love Pampers (Swaddlers are by far the best, but we're using Baby Dry or whatever they're called and like them just fine). Babies'R'Us has some great deals where when you buy two boxes of Pampers you get a $15 gift card; coupled with additional coupons, it's a great deal.

For store brand, I love Target (cheap, good quality and oh-so-cute with blue and green polka dots). Lately Target has had a lot of coupons for their brand because of a recent renaming or something so I've tried to keep an eye out for those.

Also, I had a friend who stocked up on a lot of diapers before their son was born. She actually ended up having to give away a ton of diapers because their son grew so fast. I agree with the person who suggested buying gift cards. But maybe rather than gift cards (since that limits what store you can go to), maybe you can set up an extra "baby budget" checking or savings account into which you can put the extra money??

Heather said...

We are a Pampers family. Swaddlers to start and then Cruisers. I have never had much luck with Huggies- they leak on us.

I've never conducted official research, but I think Huggis are better for thicker babies and Pampers are good for leaner babies. :P

We started to use Luvs to save a few bucks once Addie was close to potty training.

I have tried Target brand, Kroger brand, and Sams brand diapers, and I think the name brand are worth the extra money. Of course, I've never had TWO butts to cover at once! :)

Best of luck, Kendra!

Heather said...

Oh, and one more warning on buying diapers ahead (although I've done it with both girls)...

Addie was allergic to certain brands when she was a newborn. She would break out in a horrible rash in anything besides Pampers.

I think buying ahead is a great idea- just make sure you buy from a place who will honor reciepts that far out, or will switch out brands, no questions asked.

I ♥ Target- we all know this. BUT, their return policies are horrible. I don't think they would be as accomodating as Walmart or the grocery store.

Anonymous said...

There is nothing better than Pamper's Swaddlers on sweet newborn skin. You will love the way they feel. Well worth the money. My son is 3 months and just moving to the size two. He was 7lbs 14 oz at birth. So don't stock up on to many newborn size. We used two small packages and moved to size 1. The idea of putting money in an account or gift cards is the best idea. I havn't had to buy diapers yet because we stocked up, I didn't want to drag a 2 yr old and a newborn to the store for diapers.