2012 Wrap Up

Obviously I am a failure at blogging. The first trimester was flipping rough, so I wasn't able to show you pictures of Ekemona for his birthday, Halloween, or Christmas. We weren't able to travel for Thanksgiving, so we stayed here in Orange County, and my friends, Amrah and Donavon, invited us to her family's dinner, which was so good and delicious, only I didn't take any photos. Again, I fail at life!!! So please enjoy these pictures from many moons ago!

We did our 3rd annual photo booth picture

{it feels like we did this so much more than that because we did this a few times while we dated}

Ekemona turned 2 years old in October. I was still really sick at this point, so it was just us three who celebrated ... and of course we had an ice cream cake!

Right before he exhaled to blow out his candle! Love that boy!!

He was a monster for Halloween. Again, still sick from morning sickness, hence why there are no pictures of me or Gian. 

Amrah and Donavon had us over for a Christmas dinner. Look how cute her table is, she even had cranberries in the ice cubes! Eke watched Brave the whole time and loved it!

The mall we took Ekemona to replaced all their animals on the carousel with reindeers. He loves doing this! 

...And the classic upset 2y/o on Santa's lap. I have to say I love this picture!! Sorry little nugget! It's only a once a year thing.

We went to Idaho for Christmas. My sister, Brittany, and I did some grocery shopping. Being high risk and traveling takes a toll on your body. This was hilarious yet embarrassing all at the same time... but a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do!!! 

Christmas Dinner! One of the best meals ever. It is our tradition to have a standing rib roast, mashed potatoes, homemade {my grandma's famous} rolls, strawberry salad, green bean casserole, Martinelli's, and poppers with our animal ornaments. Poppers are an English tradition that pop out a paper crown, joke, and prize. It's one of the best parts of the whole dinner. Then for dessert we had our famous red velvet cake. If you haven't had our recipe then you have never enjoyed red velvet cake. It's the way the cake was designed to taste, all the others are just counterfeited... and I am not just saying that!! It's legit!! 

Eke in his Christmas best. Loved this outfit!! 

Ps This was the best picture I could get. Sorry for him itching/picking his nose.

Our niece Ella and Gian!

Hunter seems to have picked up on his Uncle Gian's photogenic skills ahhahaha. Sorry Brittany!

The boys got their own table. What studs!!

Lily got to eat with us! Lucky lady!

Even Ella got to join us too. She loves her dad, Mike.

This is me trying to tell Gian to make a "normal" face. Here you go world... the most normal smile you will see from Gian!

Our little growing family! Ekemona doesn't look thrilled here, but I promise you he is. He is just a little man trapped in a toddler body. My dad, Tatu, makes this same exact pose. Eke also loooooooooved having his crown. Since the day he was born we have always wondered where he gets his royal stance from. He is always so proper and holds his head like a king.

McCall, Ryan, and their two boys. So cute! I love that they were all in plaid!

Our Christmas eve Pajamies. "Bear Cheeks!!!"

Christmas Eve... we had the kids leave out gingerbread cookies, egg nog for Santa, and celery for his reindeer. 

They also got to throw out magic oats that they made wishes with. The reindeer come and eat up the oats. Yes, that is a real reindeer hoof. Don't ask unless you like to hunt!!

My mom always has the best Christmas trees!! She is so good at decorating! 

Ekemona opening his gifts on Christmas morning.

Dad showing Eke how to work his new nerf gun!!

Brittany, Mike, and their kids opening gifts.

Me and my sweet little haolepino!! 

Santa brought Brittany's kids this HUGE teddy bear. The bear was a hit... and you can see how Eke is instantly attracted to the bear since he looks like Max's {his little white bear} dad/mom.

I just loved these pajamies on him!!! I couldn't get enough!

My mom, Koko, helping the boys with their gifts.

We had a wonderful snow storm that dropped the most flaky snow ever. You could blow it away if it just sat in your hand, and every centimeter sparkled in the sun. It was amazing.

There is something about little kids in snow gear that makes them so fluffy and cute!

This is a panoramic shot of my parents house in Idaho. It's the only house on the street, so we get to have tons of space to play with everything, everywhere. Mike and Gian took the kids sledding, pulling them with a four wheeler. My mom decorated the house for christmas... she has such a good eye. Everyone in town was talking about how perfect her lights were. They were pretty awesome! {PS See the yellow and blue? That was for our Jewish side!!! ;)}

Somehow this crazy HUGE yet creepy cob web was spun on the balcony. We have no idea when, but when the fog came in one night, it crystalized and made this creepy web look whimsical!! We told the kids that Spiderman came to check in on them. They LOVED it!! It seriously was out of a movie!

Ekemona discovered a dry erase marker and decided to draw all over Koko's walls, himself, and diaper. These pictures don't even do it justice. I couldn't even capture it all in one shot. Rubbing alcohol was the key to getting it off. PHEEEEEEWWW!! I will say how much I love his curiosity and imagination. ... but I can only say that because it came off so easy ahhaha.

When we came back home to Orange County, I thought we had made it through Christmas without having any accidents from Ekemona. If you look to the far right, he somehow managed to behead one of the kings. Then after, he felt horrible and ran the head to me saying "sorry" and then I came in and, as a peace offering, he had given hats to the donkey and cow... ahhaha. That boy!!! 

I Belong With You, You Belong With Me, You're My Sweetheart

Ever since I was a child, I always thought that twins were a spectacular phenomenon. I always wondered and was fascinated about their relationship and closeness to each other and why they come into this world together? Who am I kidding... I still get choked up, for example, when I watch TLC's Brittany and Abby, the show about the conjoined twins, or when I see newborn baby twins together!

A little history for you, when I was 15 months old my mother went into labor with fraternal twin girls, but unfortunately the twins did not make it through the labor. My mom named them Holly and Noel because they were expected to arrive around Christmas time. I remember not understanding why they died and my mom never was really given an answer herself. She had these two beautiful porcelain dolls dressed in white blessing gowns that represented Holly and Noel, and she kept them in a very safe remote place where they would never experience damage. When I asked, my mom she would always let us see them and play with them gently. When I was in the first grade, I became best friends with a girl name Kylie, she has an identical twin named Morgan and as we became the best of friends, I showed Kylie these dolls and told her the story of the two little sisters I had. Kylie and Morgan moved away to Chicago when we were in the third grade, but even through time and distance we have been able to sustain a great relationship and I miss them so much since they are nearly 1,500 miles away!

As I became a mother, my sensitivity for twins only intensified. When I called Kylie and Morgan to share with them the news of having twins, I felt my bond with them strengthen even more. When I see twins {especially newborns} I just stare and gaze at their amazement at them as if they were celebrities. I begin to ponder the same thoughts that I have always had; they had to be here at the same time at the same place hitting every milestone together and in some cases they even share the exact same DNA. The meaning of twins and the impact they have made, in my life, haunt me with wonder and curiosity and I have recently been able to come up with an answer for myself of why I am sensitive to this rarity.

In our faith we believe that there was life before this earth called the pre-existence. There we lived as spiritual beings where we knew our heavenly parents {who created us} and we CHOSE to come to this earth. When I think of the family unit and the friends that we have, I can't help but think about how we are spiritually intertwined with one another and how we thrive to have those relationships, especially with our siblings. I once read a quote that said, "God knew I loved you too much so he made you my sister." That always stuck to me, and my beliefs about the preexistence made it seem that much more true - that we don't choose who our siblings are, and if we allow it then they can become some of our best friends. When I think of twins I like to believe that in the pre-existence they loved one another too much to be sent down separately - that they wanted to always have a buddy to be around, someone to hit every milestone with, someone who they could connect to on every single level - that their mission here on earth is much greater and more important with their sibling right by their side.

Now I am not saying every twin and sibling is this way, but why else are we astonished at the fact that two spirits came to this earth at the same time? For me, it rings true to the doctrine of our church, that there was life before this one, and that we had bonds and relationships that couldn't go completely unforgotten, and that we exist not in spite of ourselves, but as constant companions for those we love, to be there for them, as a support system that is unconditional. To me, twins are a constant reminder of that fact.

When we first found out we were pregnant I fell in love with music by Mumford and Sons and The Lumineers and many more. When we still thought and weren't aware of the fact we were having twins I thought, "This baby is going to love music!!! I don't know why music has raised such emotions in me." Every single time I would hear The Lumineers "Ho Hey" I can't make it through the song without crying. To this day the lyrics "I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart" makes me bawl like a baby. The thoughts that strike such piercing emotions are not only that these twins are my sweethearts and I feel like they belong in our family, but they belong with each other, to traverse this life with one another by their sides. To me it's the most beautiful thought! I hope they will be the best of friends and will have a bond greater than what I already felt they have. What a blessing to experience parenthood, and what a blessing to feel the love within the family unit! This is what life is all about!!

Twins 101/ Pregnancy Update

 Man, blogging to me has never felt like such a chore until these last few months. I am usually way passed exhausted to allow myself to type on my computer and let my brain spill out all my thoughts. One day... {maybe not for another year or so} I might have more energy to spend on the computer or to journal out my thoughts.

But... I wanted to give an update about the pregnancy and what we have been going through. 

In a lot of ways time has moved so fast. I am 24 weeks/6 months pregnant. I am thrilled, yet scared shiz-less about being close to the finish line. For the first time I would just like to stay this pregnant forever! I like having the babies in my tummy knowing they are sleeping and eating well without a whole lot of restless/sleepless nights, but then again, I am already uncomfortable! My doctor told me I am measuring about 29 weeks which makes me feel less crazy for all the discomfort I have. It's nice to hear a confirmation of, "It's not just you, its reality!" 

So around 16 weeks I was sent to a high risk specialist to determine what kind of twins we were expecting. Depending on the kind of twins, you can be considered high risk. If they are identical twins you are at risk of them having Twin-to-Twin Transfusion, which means, since there is only one placenta, one twin can hog the nutrients and fluid leaving the other twin fighting for their life. Apparently this is more common in female identical twins. This can be a very serious condition causing one twin to die before full term which means the other twin would be born too early to live. With all the modern and western medicine, they are able to catch these things and can even perform a laser treatment during pregnancy, if needed, to help distribute the nutrients more evenly. 

Depending on when the egg split, you can have three different types of identical twin pregnancies - (1) the egg splits but appears to have two placentas {but even after birth they can't determine if it is two placentas or one since they begin to fuse} (2) one placenta and two sacks, or (3) one placenta and one sack {a sack is really more like a thin membrane that separates the two babies but they can still touch one another, unlike fraternal twins who have a thicker wall because of the two placentas}. I am carrying twins who have one placenta, two sacks, and this is how we know they are identical. This is a good and bad thing. It is good because it means their cords will not get tangled and cause other complications, but it is bad because it means they share the same fluid which means one can have more or less, in which case if it becomes too severe they have a laser process that can help resolve the problem. The most ideal scenario is to have twins in two placentas, like fraternal twins or identical twins that appear to be fraternal through ultra sounds {in these cases they would have to do a DNA test to determine the kind of twin}. See picture below to help give you a better understanding of what I am saying.

Our twins are the ones in the middle. The doctor suspects that our egg split around day 3-5 after fertilization and then attached to the uterine wall. The image on the far left means the egg splits around day 1-2 after fertilization and the image on the far right means the egg split 5-7 days after fertilization. Our doctor also mentioned that any time the egg splits after day 7 is when you would have conjoined twins.   

Once a week, I get an ultra sound where they measure the fluids of each twin. So far these ladies are doing so great. They have a great amount of fluid and they are the same weight. The doctor said every week we go without seeing any changes in their fluid or growth the better the chances of not having Twin-to-Twin Transfusion!!! This was music to my ears! While I am getting ultra sounds, they also check the length of my cervix to make sure I don't have to go on bed rest and every three weeks they check the measurements of the growth of the twins. It is fun to see them on the big ultrasound screen so often! They have the most beautiful noses I have ever seen... their noses look just like their big brother's nose. Sometimes we even get the pleasure of having the 3D ultrasound because their little bodies make it hard to see what it is the doctor is looking for.

The other night, when I was about 21 weeks, I woke up with contractions. My doctor believes they were most likely Braxton Hicks which is totally fine with me!! As long as it isn't actual labor signs!! He expects the twins will come around 35-36 weeks. Twins are considered full term at 36 weeks, but I just want them to be healthy and if they want to extend their stay, I am ok with that!! No need to make them come too early if there aren't any complications. 

Another crazy thing that I learned is, when having twins, they have you deliver {at least here in California} in the OR even if you are planing to have a vaginal birth because complications can arise really fast and they don't want to waste anytime. This makes me sad in a small way. The people I have always planned on having in the delivery room are my husband and my mom!!! These two people are the reason I am even having a child and I want so badly to have their support and excitement in the room, but when you deliver in the OR you only get one person and Gian obviously will be the one there... but my OB is pretty freaking awesome and he has had two sets of twins so he understands and I think he might make an exception for my mom!! I THINK!

The hardest thing for me about this pregnancy is not knowing what the outcome will be. There are so many scenarios. Will I have to have a C-section? Will they come early and how early? Will they be born healthy? So many concerns run through my mind and for the first time I feel completely out of control and useless. I know that is something I have to learn and be okay with because this is just how life is. With Ekemona I knew everything would be okay and he would be healthy, I knew he would come vaginally and not through a C-section... it was just that comfort I always felt in my heart and gut. This time, even though I feel it in my heart that the twins will be okay and healthy I still have my gut exploring every possible scenario and every possible outcome and that's where I try to keep "fixing" the problem. I am learning that life is just life, you can't fix or control 100% of your outcomes, which is how I have always based my decision making and planning. I believe so much in personal responsibility that I feel like if I don't do something right it will be my fault.  

All in all things are going really well and really smooth. I don't have the same physical abilities as I did when I was pregnant with Eke. I have to take things about 2x slower and simple tasks become exhausting chores. Some days I can't even stand longer then ten minutes, but if that is what it takes to stay healthy then I will listen to my body every single time! 

Now for some "belly time" hahahahah.

11 weeks

15 weeks

17 weeks

23.5 weeks

PS All my clothes are fitting weird and this is me trying to hold my maternity shirt from the strange fit. I don't know why my clothes are fitting weird. I think my belly just has a different shape to it or something.