Happy Birthday

Henley getting her hair done
Henley before she got her hair done
Henley
Davis (very concerned)
Davis (still concerned!)
Yesterday was AMAZING! Everything went as planned and I have two precious, perfect children. Thank you Lord, we feel more than blessed right now. Henley Louise Gant was born at 8:56am and Davis Hawkins Gant was born shortly after at 8:58am, weighing 5.9 lbs and 4.15 lbs, respectively. It was a very special and emotional moment(s)! There is just no describing it until you've done it yourself I guess. All I can say is WOW!

Happy Birthday to you....

And here we go....

I'm sitting here in the hospital and can't sleep, despite taking 10 mg of Ambien! I guess you could say I'm a little excited! At my doctor's appt today, Dr. Kimberlin tried to do an amino to check lung development, but she realized the fluid on Baby A (Henley) was reaching a critically low place and there was not enough to do the amnio. Sooooo, things changed and I was admitted to the hospital today. Tonight I'm being monitored and then first thing in the morning, I will have my c-section and my babies in my arms.

Wow -- I can't really even begin to explain how I feel right now -- excited, nervous, so thankful and blessed. I definitely feel strong in body and proud of how far we've come. It's all come rushing back to me, tonight, on the eve of my twins' birthdays. All of the despair I faced, all of the painful shots in my stomach, all of the expense of fertility, all of that turned into the past 9 months, with the elation of finding out I was finally pregnant, finally getting to feel the babies move inside me, getting to enjoy (and complain about ;-) this miracle of pregnancy and now finally this is the culmination of it all! ...what a feeling...I know even now, It was ALL worth it!

I'll post pics as soon as I get them on this computer. Much love to all -- C

Update

It looks like I'm going to carry these twins full term! Who knew? Most of you are aware, but I have scheduled a c-section for next Wednesday, April 22nd. Please keep us in your prayers for a safe delivery and healthy babies.

Billy and I are thrilled beyond belief and are so excited about the arrival of these twins. It's going to be very emotional for so many reasons, but mainly to think of how much we have gone through to get them here. We feel so blessed and we're thankful to all of you for all your prayers throughout the past few years. I will be sure and post pics as soon as we get some on the computer.

I would have pics of the nursery up already, BUT we have a slight disaster with the bedding at the moment. Hopefully it will all be done by this weekend -- talk about last minute! whew. It seems that I way overcompensated for Davis being a boy. I just didn't want the nursery to look to "girly." Well, it definitely is not girly and now I'm going to have to frill Henley up some. Oh well, I guess this is only the start to being pulled in two different directions!

Hope

Hope and faith were two things that were talked about a lot through my journey with infertility. So, it is only fitting the theme would carry over into my nursery. These babies are the result of LOTS of hope.

As most of you know, my Mom is/was an English teacher and she loves poetry. One of her favorite poets is Emily Dickinson. So, when Mom gave me this piece of artwork by one of her favorite poets, containing the very theme of "hope" within the poem -- it was too perfect. As you can imagine, it is one of my favorite gifts and something I will always treasure. I just wanted to share it with all of you too. I think you'll agree, it is pretty special! Thanks Mom.

I also have a prayer request for anyone willing to pray -- one of my infertility friends is currently doing her 1st IVF with Dr. Levy (her 3rd IVF in gerneral) in Maryland. Her retrieval is tomorrow. The next few days will be filled with anxiety as we find out if the eggs are mature, if they fertilized normally and if they are continuing to grow and split. Please keep her in your prayers. Thank you!

how big will it get?

Well, I haven't posted a picture of me in a long time, and there is good reason! I am now 35 weeks and I've gained a respectable 38 lbs. I'm very happy the babies' weights are good, but 38 lbs on a 5'3 frame is a little scary! But, since this will most likely be my only time to be pregnant, I wanted to document the moment and post these pictures.

Also, the Dr. said I probably have 2 more weeks before I deliever. We are on the countdown! Please keep us in your prayers for healthy babies and an uneventful delivery. Thanks!

Jay"bird" & Wil

Jay

laughing at Nonni!

Someone looks like their Mama

Oh those eyes!

Wil

So sweet!

Sorry Mom, not flattering, but y'all look just alike!

Wil & Nonni

The past couple of weekends, I've been lucky enough to spend with my nephews, Jay and Wil. I want to dedicate this post to them.

First born, Jay, aka "Jaybird" is everyone's heart. He was born into some very busy years for Ashley and therefore he organically became everyone's child. We desperately love that little boy.

Wil is a year and 5 months. He has quickly come in and won everyone over. Personally, I just didn't know how we would all love anyone as much as Jay, but Wil has made a room all for himself in our hearts. In one word, he is PRECIOUS!

As you can see in the pictures, they could not be any different looking (very reminisent of me and Ash). They have completely different personalities as well...Jay is a typical first child I think. He is such a sweet boy, but he needs lots of attention. He is currently obsessed with Thomas the Train. Wil is just happy to be alive. He loves life and especially food or anything associated with eating! He also has the funniest little "shark tooth" (as billy says) -- a tooth that hangs down a little more than the others. SO FUNNY! Look close and you might see it!

Gus did not get to be with us, but we all love him and can't wait to find out "who" he is!

Celebrations II & III

Dianne and Gus

Meme, Ashley & Gus

Mom and Charlotte

Meme and Gus

Such cute gifts!

More cute things!

Mom, Ann and Crosby

The table in Gadsden

Surprise guests! Danielle, Lucy and Crosby

My 3rd Grade Team

Wow, I have been busy being showered! I've had 2 more showers since the one my friends threw in Birmingham. The first was my shower at school. My 3rd grade team threw a great baby shower and I feel so lucky to work with such a wonderful group of people. A week later, my Mom's friends in Gadsden also threw me a great shower. My Mom has a great group of friends and I enjoyed celebrating with them. We also had some "surprise" guests at the shower! Danielle, Lucy and Crosby showed up all the way from Tennessee. It made the day just that much more special to share it with them.

Thank you to everyone who worked SO very hard to make these showers happen. I appreciate everything and feel oh so blessed.