"Expecting" the unexpected

The day before Thanksgiving, I got the most unexpected news. It came in the form of two lines beaming from the pregnancy test I had just taken. Since pregnancy was not something Andy and I were "working" towards - this was easily the biggest surprise of my life.

Many of you know Andy and my struggle with infertility and our long journey to conceive our baby girls through in vitro fertilization. Getting pregnant on our own was not something I thought was possible, especially not as a surprise. But, I guess this means we serve a BIG God. One who knows what he's doing, even when we don't.

I went to the doctor last week and learned that I was already 9 weeks along. We're expecting just ONE baby (thank you, God!), who is due July 18, 2008.

Andy and I have always dreamed of a big family. We had no idea how we were going to achieve this dream, other than trust in God to guide and direct us in the process.

Right now, I'm most thankful that he has spared us from the anxiety and uncertainty of infertility treatments and given us this amazing miracle.

I've had days since we received our news, that I've felt very overwhelmed at the idea of three kids, ages two and under. But, I know this is God's best plan for our life. And just as in the past, he'll give us everything we need to do it.

Enjoy the ultrasound pic of our little peanut. It was so cool to see the heartbeat, and already see the face, arms and legs - even though he/she is just the size of a grape right now. We WILL find out the sex of the baby - I can't handle the wait. That will probably happen sometime in March.

I'll keep you updated on all things Keller Baby No. 3!

Night-night

Lauren and Jillian love to play with their baby dolls. They have "twin" babies and a couple days ago, Lauren started putting them on a pillow, covering them with a kitchen towel and saying "nigh-nigh."

It is just about the cutest thing I've seen her do so far. Her nurturing instinct amazes me. She and Jillian both will carry around the dolls, pat them on the back and feed them their bottles.

Daddy's Home!

For about a month now, when Andy gets home from work, the girls will squeal and run for the door saying "Dada!" It's certainly the highlight of Andy's day and so adorable to watch.

He'll come in a toss, tickle and tackle them. Enjoy this picture of daddy "wrestling" with his girls.

The proof is in...

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

According to the MyHeritage Look-alike Meter, Jillian looks more like Andy by 6% and Lauren looks more like me by 3%. They're both the sweetest babies I've ever seen. Although I see it backwards - I see more of myself in Jillian and more of Andy in Lauren. But, I guess MyHeritage wouldn't lie.

We've been "Elfed"

I decided to join the holiday hoopla and "elf" the Kellers for Christmas.

Check out our music video. And then join the fun.

The Paci Game

I'm not sure what the girls would call this game they were playing this morning, but they were sure having fun. I heard them giggling and walked over to see Jillian putting a paci in Lauren's mouth and then taking it out (that was the part they thought was hilarious).

Here's how the game is played...

Paci goes in the mouth.

A little bit of tackling.

More tackling.

Now the paci goes in Jillian's mouth.

I'd like to think this is a hug.

I love my Sissie!

Hanging out after school

Nothing like a snack and a show after MMO.

Thanksgiving in Texas

We spent a whirlwind weekend in Texas for Thanksgiving and had a great time visiting with my mom's side of the family. In fact, it was so crazy, I never even got my camera out to take pictures. Fortunately my Aunt Jean sent us some, so I'll share them with you.

It was stressful getting there and home with the girls, but we're so glad we made the investment and were there for the holiday.

We stayed with my cousin, Erin, and her husband, Doug. It was really fun to get to know them as a couple and share the girls with them.

Since the girls are the only "babies" that were there, they got a ton of attention. All of my aunts and uncles were there and most of the cousins. It's fun to catch up with everyone. Two of my cousins are now engaged, so the family continues to expand. My Aunt Jean is in remission from her cancer and is looking great (go Aunt Jean!!).

What a blessing to have such an amazing family! We love you, Texas family! We enjoyed our time with you!
My cousin, Kara, had a fun time with the girls. Lauren especially liked her.

The original twins! My mom's identical twin sisters, Jan (left) and Jean!




Cousins Kara and Kyle and future cousin-in-law, Crystal (she's the one in the middle) (She and Kyle are getting married in San Diego in April 08)


Uncle Don (mom's brother) and Aunt Shelly

Uncle Bill (my mom's brother) and Doug.

Pantry fun!

I've probably mentioned this before, but it's just so darn cute. The girls love to play in the pantry and it has literally provided hours of entertainment for them over the past few months.

You can see all the cans by the laundry room door... those are from Lauren. She was taking all the cans out of the pantry and stacking them in the laundry room. Then, they were both taking the popcorn out of the box and putting it back inside.

Side note - can you believe how long Lauren's hair is getting? I just really noticed it in these pics.

Fall birthday celebration

Last Friday, we got together to celebrate the fall birthdays in the Fertig family up at the McCord's barn - Steve and Connie Quinn, Cecil and Becky McCord and my mom (not a Fertig, but still celebrated).

We had a fun time. The girls had fun playing with cousins Sophie, Jake and Emily. It was so cute when after Chicken Little was over, the credit music was playing and my mom and Jake started dancing, then Sophie and my girls all joined it. It was very entertaining to see them all shaking their booties - even my mom.

Also, sorry for the blog silence. The girls continued to be sick after my last post and then today, I'm not feeling so hot. Will it ever end?



The girls had a lot of fun playing with the trash cans. They'd push them around the floor and beat on them.


My dad and Emily (Ryan and Shannon's new baby girl). She looks exactly like Jake did when he was a baby. It's crazy.




All the kids "got down" with my mom. So cute!



This dress was the dress that Shannon wore in Becky and Cecil's wedding when she was Sophie's age. It was so sweet to see Sophie in it... she looked just like Shannon must have as a little flower girl.

Delicious and nutritious

I just have to share this new product I tried recently. I'm a fan of couscous and often make it as a side with dinner, but I found this Parmesan flavored brand from Hodgson Mill (at Target) and was anxious to give it a whirl.

It's mighty tasty and the best part is it's whole wheat, has milled flax seed and soy protein. In fact, one serving has 10g of protein!

I was hoping my girls would like it and they LOVED it. In fact, Jillian was crying when I didn't have any more bites to give her.

It's an on-going struggle to find healthy, nutritious food to feed our kids, so I thought I'd pass on this great new discovery to all my family and friends.

I'd love to know what creative, nutritious stuff you've found for your kids!

Sickies, go away!

This picture was taken last night, after a really hard day with the babies. They don't look so bad, but I think I wear the markings of a week with sick kids.

We're going on two weeks, plus, of sickness in our house. It started with colds, so bad that the girls had a hard time breathing at night. We recovered from that and Jillian got really bad diarrhea and, of course, shared that with Lauren, too. Not to mention that Lauren has had sensitivity to food and for the past three weeks was having tummy troubles, before getting the big D.

Having twins with diarrhea has left me up to my ears in poo-poo and two-plus weeks of sickness has nearly sent me over the edge.

I'm so thankful that my mom lives in town and came to my rescue today, giving me five whole hours to myself!

A perfect example

I've noted several times that Lauren is very into stacking/sorting these days. Here's a perfect example...

She was playing with this green cap before I put her in her high chair for a snack. I let her hold on to it, while she ate her quesadilla. When I turned around, she had discovered that her snack fit into the cap and had stacked almost all of her quesadilla pieces in it.

I think she was proud of herself, too. Judging by her expression in the photo. Funny girl.

Halloween Pics

I've tried all I know to try to get my videos to work and they're still not working. So, here are some pictures that I took.






Here's Jillian trying to climb back in the wagon. When I took her off after taking this picture, she was MAD at mommy.



Lauren enjoyed riding Sophie's rocking butterfly after trick-or-treating.

Basketweavin'

Here is a picture of my final cake from Wilton Course 2. I have to be honest, I didn't enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed the others. Making all the flowers, baking the cakes, mixing and coloring the icing, etc. took me at least five hours of prep time. And I did it all the week my girls were sick (with colds). I'm proud of how it turned out, and SO glad it's done.

Halloween Memories

We're having trouble with the videos - we'll get them posted ASAP.






I wasn't planning much for Halloween, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. Shannon invited us to trick-or-treat with Sophie and a crew of others we're related to and kinda-related to. I'd explain all the connections, but it makes me tired just thinking about it.

Enjoy these videos... first is an attempt to get all the kids in one picture (Sophie Pongratz, Tyler Pongratz, Jacklynn McCord and my girls, of course) and second is poor Jacklynn trapped between the girls on the wagon ride.

Laundry day (more like, laundry WEEK)

So, I'm embarrassed to show the enormous pile of laundry I attempted to tackle this week (7 loads in and still going!) and embarrassed that I let my children play in dirty laundry, but they were having so much fun, I had to capture the moment with some pictures.

Jillian is a monkey-child and immediately tried to climb it and Lauren joined in after her. They were squealing and having a great time. Lauren enjoyed "sorting" the clothes (she is very into going through piles of things - toys, books, clothes in her drawer and, apparantly, piles of dirty laundry).

Snacks!

The girls attend Mother's Morning Out at church on Wednesday mornings, while mommy goes to work (upstairs at church) from 9a - 1p. When we get home, they are usually exhausted and hungry.

They love these "Snack Traps." I always have them filled with snacks for the car ride home. In this picture, they're enjoying their snack (Os and Goldfish) on the kitchen floor, with a refreshing cup of water. Yum!

Too big!

Isn't she beautiful?

Jillian on her Elmo phone - looks like an important call.

My girls are looking so much older to me! When I see them in pictures (like these) I can't believe how big they're getting. It seems like since their birthday, they've been doing so many new "big girl" things. Here are a few examples...

1) Lauren is now walking

2) Jillian will now point to want she wants and then sign "more" - communicating that she wants something specific.

3) Lauren's hair is long enough for "big girl" pig tails - and she is too cute for words in them.

4) Lauren said "Hi! Sissie!" to Jillian the other day.

5) Jillian now has six teeth (four on top, two on bottom). She is working on more (cranky), but I can't figure out which ones are coming.

6) I bought them their first toothbrushes this week (they have Snoopy on them). They used them for the first time tonight. Mostly just chewed on the bristles, but the Dr. says that's enough for now.

7) They will both "talk" on their phones and Lauren says "Hello!" when she puts it to her ear.

8) Jillian is losing her "rubberband" chubby baby wrists.

It's happening too fast. They get cuter all the time, but it's hard to let go of them as my babies.

I heard a mommy say once that when your child is in your stomach, is the only time that you can control them. And once they leave your womb, it's a continual process of letting go.

So true. I know it only gets harder and harder too, as your babies become "people" with personalities and dreams.

Andy and I are just trying to enjoy every moment.

Our new friends, Ethan and Sam

Oh my goodness... Lauren and Jillian have the cutest new friends - fellow twins, Ethan (on the right) and Sam (on the left). I met their mom, Anitra, at Northview and we instantly bonded over our journeys through infertility and our adventures as moms of multiples.

We've gotten together a couple times so far, and it's been so fun. The boys are both adorable, but I told Anitra, I have a little crush on Sam. He has the cutest dimples and a smile that just melts your heart.

Thanks for having us over, Anitra! We hope to do it again real soon!

Pickin out pumpkins

Family shot (notice Lauren studying the hay) (by the way, I colored by hair)
Jillian on the hayride!
Lauren in her own world on the hayride



Jillian says "This is the one!"
Lauren says, "Daddy, it's too heavy!"

Last Sunday, we took the girls to the pumpkin patch, to experience their first hayride and pumpkin picking.

They were cute on the hayride, because Jillian (my wild/fearless child) wanted to stand the whole time and Lauren (my introspective one) was in her own world studying the hay we were sitting in.

It was a good time with my mom, dad and Jake. The weather was perfect, warm, but still fall-ish.