The Beeston Family

This week when Billy and I walked into the waiting room, there were at least 4 other couples. I figured it might be a while before my name was called, so I went to use the bathroom. In there were a mom and her little boy. When I came out to wash my hands, the boy, who was probably about 3 years old, was staring at my belly.
Boy (confused): "Mom, what's in the lady's tummy?"
The mom: "There's a baby, just like in mommy's tummy."
Boy (understanding): "Ohhh, just a bigger one!?"
Me: "Actually, there are 2 babies in my tummy."
Boy (confused): "2 babies!?"
The mom: "Congratulations!"
And that's when they left. The little boy's face was priceless. His mom probably had to explain that one to him later on that day. Kids are so funny!

We've been doing nonstress tests for a while now, but this week was a little different because there was another pregnant woman in the room with me. Of course we were separated by a curtain, but I could still hear everything that was going on on her side of the curtain. After a few minutes, the nurse came in and told the woman that her baby wasn't responding the way he should and that they were going to run a few more tests. So I guess the nurse placed this machine on the woman's belly and it made a loud vibrating sound, which I'm sure babies don't enjoy very much. Then a few minutes later the doctor came in.
Doctor: "Your baby still isn't responding the way we'd like him to. During contractions, his heart rate actually decreases instead of increasing. We're going to have to send you to the 3rd floor of the hospital to have you deliver the baby. They're expecting you in the next couple of minutes."
Billy and I looked at each other for a few seconds, with our mouths wide open. That poor woman probably thought that she was just going to her weekly or monthly appointment. Instead, she had to run to the hospital, with no time to go home to pack her bags, and will not be coming home until she has her baby. And surprisingly, she was very calm... unlike us.
Billy and I have known for a long time that our babies could come at any time, because most twins do come early, but the reality of it really set in when we witnessed what this woman had to go through. I feel so relieved that our babies have waited this long to be born and that we pretty much know exactly how it will all happen the day I deliver. Of course, I know I need to be prepared for surprises, but at least I know the basics.

So, here is what I found out about the babies at this week's ultrasound and appointment.
- Logan is now 4 lb. 12 oz. and Taylor is only 4 lb. 1 oz. But the doctors don't seem to worry too much about it, so I'm not going to stress over it, either.
- They both have hair on their heads. Blonde or black, we don't know, but we will soon enough. I just hope they get Billy's skin tone.
- Taylor really seems to get a kick out of having his feet right in Logan's face, who doesn't seem bothered by it. I guess that's just what happens when two babies get crammed in one belly.
- I will not be able to hold the babies to my chest after they are born, which makes me really sad. But Billy will be able to bring them to my face so that I can see them before the nurses take them away and the doctors stitch me back up.

Well, there's only 1 week left. I thought I would have freaked out by now, but I have actually been pretty calm. Hopefully that will continue because this next Friday is the big day!

At 4:20 a.m. this morning, I heard a knock on the door. It woke me up, but my eyes stayed closed. A few seconds later, I heard another knock on the door. This time, I knew I wasn't dreaming, and I opened my eyes. I turned to Billy and shook him a little. He had not heard anything because he was wearing ear plugs and ear muffs (that's a whole other story*). I told him that someone was knocking on our door. Just then, we heard a third knock on the door. Billy put his glasses on, put the chain on the door, and opened it slightly. The man told him that he had just gotten a call from his wife asking him to pick her up from the Machine Shed, but his car was out of gas and he needed $15. Billy thought this whole story sounded made-up, so he asked him a bunch of questions, and the story did change a little. The man said he moved into our apartment complex about 4 months ago, into Apt. 16. That's when we knew for sure that he was full of it. We knew that wasn't true because there is no apartment 16 and 4 months ago all the apartments were rented. But Billy decided to give him the benefit of the doubt about the rest of his story and gave him some money to help him out.
When we went back to bed, Billy said he wanted to call the police and report the man, just in case he was going from door to door, doing the same thing to everyone in these apartments and elsewhere. I told him he should not worry about it - I just wanted to sleep. But then Billy pointed out that the man had gotten through the main door of the apartments. Maybe he was investigating which apartments to rob sometime in the future. Maybe our apartments would get a reputation for giving money away. Maybe he was now knocking on all the doors of the townhomes that are right by us. That's when I started to get scared and let Billy call the police. The woman Billy talked to stopped him about mid-story and finished it for him. Apparently, the man had been doing this all night, telling the same story over and over again, and a few people had called the police to report him.
I find it so... sad that so many people cannot be trusted. He was dishonest and took advantage of many people last night. But in all honesty, I feel much better having given him money than not. Who knows what kind of person he could turn out to be. I would prefer giving him money, be on his good side, and be left alone, than not giving him money, be on his bad side, and risk our own safety. Plus, I guess it doesn't really matter what he needed the money for. We had an opportunity to help someone, and we did. If he used it on alcohol or drugs, that's too bad for him because the sin is on him. But if he used it to buy food for his family, then I'm glad we were able to help.
I just can't stand the fact that maybe one day someone will really be in need of help and will be turned down because there are so many dishonest people in the world. Honest people are paying the price for all the dishonest people who have gotten away with so much. And, in all reality, it is impossible to help everyone who asks for it. But it is much easier to say "Sorry I can't help you" in the Walmart parking lot than at your own apartment. It is scary to know that some guy with doubtful intentions knows where you live.
This got us thinking that the "I'm out of gas" story is a popular one, so maybe if this happens again, we could tell the person that we're sorry we don't have any cash on hand and offer to drive them to where they need to go. I wonder how they would react then. Would they back out? Would their story change? Would they run off?
This also made us realize a few things. 1) We need to make sure to lock our door at all times, 2) We should not answer the door in the middle of the night, 3) We need a peep hole, 4) The main door needs to be fixed so that only the people who live here can get in, and 5) We need to get a gun! If I were attacked right now, I would be totally helpless. But if I owned a gun, I would feel safe in knowing that I could defend myself.

*NOW I feel like I need to explain this whole ear plugs and ear muffs story. About a week or two ago, I apparently started snoring. I never snored in my whole life, but according to Billy I started recently and it is LOUD. So until last night, Billy would shake me a little or lift my chin up to keep me from snoring. It helped for about 2-3 seconds, but then I would start snoring again. Finally, yesterday Billy went to the store and bought a bunch of ear plugs and ear muffs, and they work! If it hadn't been for that man waking us up at 4:20 a.m., Billy would have had his first good night sleep in 2 weeks. Unfortunately for us, too, the sun rose about 30-40 min. later. We've definitely gotten used to not getting very much sleep recently.

1. Take a photography class
2. Take a self-defense class
3. Take a cooking class
4. Go to Hawaii
5. Go bungee jumping
6. Go sky diving
7. Sew some cute baby clothes
8. Make some cute cards
9. Get better at scrapbooking
10. Take more memorable pictures
11. Spend more time with my friends
12. Learn stuff about cars
13. Learn stuff about computers
14. Practice playing the piano
15. Go to the temple more often
16. Convert someone to the Church
17. Make my own jewelry
18. Go water skiing on a lake
19. Teach Billy how to speak French
20. Go zip lining through the jungle
21. Serve others
22. Be more forgiving
23. Be more confident/outgoing
24. Be more patient/loving
25. Be the best wife/mom I can be

1. I was born a redhead, and if you look hard enough, you could probably still find some.
2. I love to stand in the rain.
3. I got 4 teeth pulled out to wear braces, then I got 6 wisdom teeth pulled out.
4. I could eat sugary food all day and be perfectly happy.
5. I would rather be too hot than too cold.
6. My clothes are organized by season, then by color.
7. I have a flip-flop fetish.
8. I can quote lines from "Friends."
9. I was #1 in PE all the way through 10th grade.
10. The first English word I learned was sh**.
11. If I could change one body part, it would be my nose.
12. I like wearing tight jeans and heels because they make me feel sexy.
13. I hate the taste of root beer.
14. I sometimes talk before I think, and say very embarrassing things.
15. I went into Elementary Education because Physical Therapy was getting too hard.
16. I had my first crush at age 5 and it lasted 5 years.
17. I have never kept a plant or flowers alive for more than 3 days.
18. I enjoy arts and crafts, but I'm only good at copying other people's ideas.
19. I'm a much better sprinter than long-distance runner. I get tired after only 10 min.
20. I love to read because it gets my imagination going.
21. I could beat just about anybody at swimming and rock climbing - not bragging.
22. I have always wondered how much damage I could do by punching someone in the face.
23. I went to the premiere of God's Army 2 and hit on Lamont Stephens, the guy who is in a gang in the movie. He asked me out but was only in town that night, so it didn't work out.
24. A friend of mine once took a literature class but didn't have time to read all the books, so I read them and wrote the summaries. He got an A and was the professor's favorite student.
25. I feel blessed to have married a man who thinks I am better than I really am.

The babies are coming in less than 3 weeks and I am starting to worry about whether or not we're ready for them. Do we have everything?

We have the Pack'N'Play, which the babies will share for a little while. I think it's important for them to sleep close to each other at first - they're so used to it.

I have had weekly appointments and ultrasounds since my 24th week of pregnancy, but this week we gained a lot more information.

Interesting facts:

1. We officially have a date set up... July 31st (3 weeks from TODAY)!
2. Baby A is still breech and Baby B is still vertex. At this point, there's pretty much no way Baby A will move head down, and since he's closest to my cervix, the babies will definitely be delivered by C-section.
3. Baby A weighs 3lb12oz and Baby B weighs 3lb8oz. They are both very small, even for twins. But let's give them a break, I can't expect them to be 7-8lb babies when I was born weighing 5lb8oz on my due date.
4. There are still issues with Baby B's blood flow, which is the reason why my OB/GYN decided to deliver them at 36 weeks. He believes that they will actually grow and develop better outside my uterus than inside.
5. The chances that the babies will have to go into the NICU are slim. If they spend any time in there, it should only be for a few days. They both have been practicing their breathing and their lungs should be close to fully developed by the time they are delivered.

Fun facts:

1. The babies have had hiccups. It's pretty fun to watch on the ultrasound.
2. Baby A likes to kick hard and Baby B likes to move around a lot.
3. Baby A likes to punch and kick Baby B while Baby B likes to snuggle with Baby A.
4. Baby A likes to cover up his face during ultrasounds and Baby B likes to goof around.
5. They both like to show that they're definitely BOYS.

I saw this on a friend's blog and thought it was a really cool idea, so I decided to create my own.

1. The best day of my life... My wedding day!
2. My favorite temple... Mount Timpanogos Temple, where Billy and I got married.
3. My favorite dessert... Chocolate mousse!
4. My favorite flower... Lily of the Valley!
5. My favorite city... Plaja d'Aro, in Spain, where I used to go on vacation.
6. My favorite animal... Dogs, definitely!
7. How I feel right now... Huge but excited to be a mom to two wonderful baby boys.
8. My favorite weather/season... Fall, because I love the colors and temperature.
9. My favorite vacation... The Atlantis, in Nassau, where Billy and I spent a whole day.
10. My favorite thing to do... Kissing and simply being with my hubby.
11. My favorite sport... Rock climbing!
12. My dream vacation... Hawaii!

Good news! I am officially a US citizen... and right in time to celebrate the 4th of July! It actually all happened really fast. I turned in my application during Spring Break, got my fingerprints taken sometime in May, and took the test, got an interview, and made an oath at the end of June.
I really wanted to get this out of the way before the babies arrived, and it is a blessing that it has. I know that many people are not as fortunate as me. As expected, during the oath ceremony, I discovered that I was the only Belgian applicant. Others were from India, Bosnia, the Philippines, and Canada.
I have now been living in the United States for almost 9 years (on July 10) and consider this country my home. As much as I love Belgium, I cannot imagine what my life would be like if I were still living there. This is my home now, and there's nowhere else I'd rather be with my husband and twin boys.

Bad news! I heard many times that when a woman gets pregnant, it's not just her belly that gets bigger, it's her hips, her butt, and her thighs, too. I always thought that because it happened to many women, it didn't mean it would happen to me. I mean, I never had to work really hard to stay slim (until now!)
Well, today, I really wanted to wear a pair of capris that I used to wear before I got pregnant. I thought "Alright, so I'll just leave them unbuttoned and wear a long shirt to cover it up." So I got the capris up to my knees... and then... they got stuck. There was no way they would ever make it past my thighs, and definitely not my butt or hips.
Now, more than ever, I am motivated to hit the gym as soon as I can to get my body back. But don't worry, my expectations are realistic. I know my body will never be the same again. I just have to try and do my best.

Up to this point, this pregnancy has had its numerous ups and downs. Fortunately, I know the babies will be well worth it and I am really excited to hold them both in my arms.

=) 1. Feeling the babies kick.
=) 2. Watching Billy baby-talk to my belly.
=) 3. Being spoiled by my wonderful husband and amazing friends.
=) 4. Watching my belly change shape.
=) 5. Looking at the babies in 3D/4D ultrasounds.
=) 6. Getting coupons for baby stuff in the mail.
=) 7. Not having to cook dinner every night.
=) 8. Cleavage - oh yeah!

=( 1. Bedrest - not being able to go anywhere or stand for more than 10 min.
=( 2. Feeling uncomfortable, during the day and at night.
=( 3. Not being in the mood for any type of food (no cravings).
=( 4. Having to get up every hour or two to use the bathroom.
=( 5. Losing bladder control every time I laugh hard or sneeze.
=( 6. Getting backaches, nosebleeds, and occasional migraines.
=( 7. Feeling nauseous and throwing up for the first 14 weeks.
=( 8. Getting bigger ALL OVER (that's right, not just the belly)!