Merry Christmas!

It is hard to believe that this was our first Christmas home in 3 years, it was our babies first "unofficial" Christmas, and we have our family here, in upstate NY, to its entirety.  It is hard to believe we have been home for a week and a half already, and I will be sending Brayton back to St. Kitts, alone, in 9 days and most likely won't see him again until we are parents.  It is also hard to believe that we come home and its been right around 0 degrees and we have an inch of ice covering everything!

The past two years for Christmas we were in the Caribbean, spending our days in the sun, and napping in preparation for J'Ouvert.  This year, we spent the day wearing fleece pajama pants, burrowed under blankets in front of the pellet stove keeping warm, while opening gifts with our family.  While it is a tough trade out, I am so thankful to be home!

The ice storm we were so blessed to receive last week is still lingering on all the trees and wires as the temperatures have not risen above 30 since we got home.  Later this week it is expected to warm up, so maybe the ice will melt!  It is beautiful out though!  The dogs are adjusting well to the cold, lots of visitors and tons of attention and I am very happy with their behavior and adjustments as I was a bit nervous!  They love their new winter coats and cuddling up on their new beds by the fire!

Life is good in Upstate NY and we are looking forward to our baby shower, visiting with more friends and another week of being together before the final semester of vet school, the last 3 months of pregnancy and anxiously awaiting the arrival of our baby girls!

Pictures tell the best stories.. Here it is!

Dec 21st Belly Bump!  End of week 23

Ice Storm - Dec 2013! 

Nevi was a happy dog when she finally got a nice fleece lined dog bed! 

Since our dogs aren't allowed on the furniture, Mom has been lying on the floor with them!  Spoiled <3

Christmas Eve - Representing the Matching Jammies (I am missing from this picture), sleeping/snoring Dad and Dogs and endless hours of games! 

Brinley found Christmas Eve cuddling to be difficult... Mouth open, snoring away! 

The hated selfie... Babies "first" Christmas Eve!
24 Weeks  

Merry Christmas from the Puppies! 

My favorite gift from Lyndi - Mama backing with girls charms and a turtle! <3

She didn't like my scarf

Prince Charming 

Lyndi and Travis

Bitty and Dad

Christmas morning is exhausting! 

The soon be to married couple! (also my sister and Brayton's brother.. keeping it in the family!)

Precious Puppies

Babies "first" Christmas Morning! <3 24 weeks, 3 days.

How far along? 24 weeks and 4 days
Maternity clothes? I might be in love with maternity clothes! 
Stretch marks? So far, so good!
Sleep? I am sick of waking up so much, but I splurged and bought myself a Bump Nest Pillow and I cannot wait for it to arrive! 
Miss Anything? Being allowed to lift/carry things on my own without getting reprimanded! 
Anything making you queasy or sick? Not a thing!
Mood? Happy, but dreading sending Brayton back to St. Kitts
Weekly Wisdom? Rest and relax while you can.. or at least that's what I am doing! 
Looking forward to? My body pillow arriving and my baby shower Sunday.
Total weight gain/loss? Still around 17-18 pounds
What’s new this week? We cleaned my parents basement where all of our stuff is stored and starting sorting out and organizing baby stuff.  Hard to believe we will have two babies small enough to fit all the cute clothes!
Measurements? 45 1/2" at the belly button
Best moment this week? Celebrating Christmas at home for the first time in 3 years and being with family and friends
Movement? Lots of movement!  
Food cravings? No
Gender? Still two girls
Labor Signs? No
Belly Button in or out? In for now! 
What is the baby up to? According to Parents.com and WebMD Pregnancy and Baby Center, babies are almost a foot long but their bodies are filling out proportionally and they'll soon start to plump up.  Their  brains are also growing quickly now, and their taste buds are continuing to develop. Their lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help their air sacs inflate once they hit the outside world.  Their skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.  Babies are about 10.5-to-11.8-inches, weighing about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces and every week they get closer and closer to being ready to survive (and thrive!) in the outside world.  This week, babies have basic control over all of their senses: hearing, touch, taste, smell, and vision!  If all goes as planned, approximately 3 months from today, we will be having babies!!!!