Big Reveal

After much hard labor on Chad's part w/ me supervising of course LOL...we are finally done w/ the nursery...so for those who have been waiting here are some pictures of our hard work...hope the kids like it :-)

Well we have to start w/ some before pictures...not much to show but you get the picture :-)

This is our monkey Walter that we got during IVF #1 he was our IVF mascot and we gave him the occupation of RE (reproductive endocrinologist or fertility dr.) He has since retired his responsibilities in the RE world is now overseeing the nursery :-)

Taryn's side of the room

Changing Table

Evan's side of the room

Glider which sits between the 2 cribs
the words above the window read "We took one look at you and our hearts stood still"
Our tiny closet...we had to get an organization system for it to maximize our storage space

Entrance to the bathroom...the view is from sitting on the glider

Vanity

Hooded Towels

Shower
More monkey photos :-)

When we started the nursery we did not have a theme and I still don't really consider us having a theme but somehow a bunch of monkeys made their way into the room :-).

Valentine's Babymoon

We spent Valentine's Day weekend in Atlanta on our Babymoon...one last little just-the-two-of-us trip before the Twangels arrive. It was a great time to relax together and take a breather and break from all of the work on the nursery. And we capped off our time up there with an awesome four course meal at the Melting Pot. The first day of our 3-day trip was spent shopping for some of the remaining essentials on our list for Evan, Taryn and their nursery. Thank goodness we had the RX350"U-Haul Edition" with us because we needed every square inch of cargo space for all the goods. Mix clothes, bottle sterilizer, car seat savers, a boppy, and many other items with over 800 Pampers and you've got quite the load!! I think the picture says it all! Babie's-R-Us sure did appreciate our visit that day, as did Gymboree and Children's Place. We mixed in some Cheesecake Factory and Einstein Brothers Bagels to cap off a really fun and productive trip over the Valentine's Day Weekend. With 6 weeks or less to go until the big arrival, things continue to take shape in our preparations for bringing our Evan and Taryn home.

32 Week Babies Bump

Ok...we have something very special to share for our 32 week baby bump photos....but I had to rename the title to babies as I am getting huge :-)...anyway, Chad and I had maternity photos done yesterday at exactly 32 weeks follow this link http://www.swsphoto.com/tuttle/ and you will be able to see me in all my pregnancy glory :-). Of course unfortunately I cant pick and choose which photos you get to see and I will admit some of them are not very good but hopefully you will just look at the ones that came out well LOL :-).

Hugs to all

2-Week No-Wait

Chad (Dad) here....I've been back home for two weeks, and what a whirl it has been!  The homecoming and reunion with Gena was awesome and amazing...and the comfort and joy of being back home was such a peaceful feeling.  It didn't take long for my eyes to put reality on all that I had been eagerly wanting to do as far as getting the nursery going...the sea of boxes that filled the entryway and nursery confirmed all of the purchases that Gena had sent to me via email while I was away.  It was an awesome site...a belated Christmas of sorts that promised to fill up much of my off time...but I was ready and so happy to get started on preparing the nursery with Gena.  With the formidable task ahead, I gave myself 24 hours off to catch up on some sleep before getting to work.  

After donning my Tennessee Titans hardhat and gathering a multitude of tools...paint, nails, and sawdust started flying.  First up was repainting the bedroom and attached full bath in a mix of Restoration Hardware's Silver Sage color and Fresh Aire's Rooftop Garden color.  Then came construction...and in two days we had two cribs, a changing table, and a bookcase ready to go.  Add in a closet system installation and some new chair railing and I was well into day 4 of my off-time.  In the days that followed, a ledging shelf, double curtain rod, light dimmer switch, and towel rack were added.  With the main parts of the room taking shape, focus shifted the other items such as putting together the bouncies and carseats.  The "list" sure does add up when it's for two!  It was so fun to add some of the details to the room such as hanging the awesome letters that Gena made for their names (pictures in a previous post) as well as adding the items to the ledging shelf above Taryn's crib.  It was an absolutely fun time working to get things ready...punctuated by spending the better part of today doing many loads of laundry to get their clothes ready to go....saw the impact of "double" there too!!  Now there are little clothes folded and ready, and little outfits hanging in the closet.  I get goosebumps when I open their closet and see the little clothes...and daydream about our Evan and Taryn who are nearing their arrival in our family.  Every moment makes it more and more real...and with every little thing we complete we seem to get one step closer to welcoming them home.  

So as today concludes, we're just a few bedding items away from putting the finishing touches on the nursery.   I think I've put enough boxes out for the garbage men to build a mini-skyscraper with!  

Today is officially 32 weeks...which means there is 6 or less to go.  And it was a special time today spending part of the morning taking photos up in making.  We got some great "pregnancy shots" that will surely capture some awesome memories as we close in on the big day.  The anticipation grows with every day...and with my first day back at work tomorrow, I know the time will go by even faster than it seems.  

We'll post some pictures of the finished nursery soon.  It's so great to be home and a true blessing to share these times with Gena as we get ready for Evan and Taryn to arrive.  Thank you for your prayers and thoughts and we send our love to you.  

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!!!

Yes, we have been so busy since Chad's return from the 'sandbox'. His time home so far has consisted of going through the many boxes of items I had purchased for the babies while he was gone and then it was off to the nursery to start clearing it out so we could move the new stuff in. Chad has painted both the nursery and the nursery's bathroom, hung trim, switched fan blades, hung artwork and towel racks, put 2 cribs together, a changing table, a bookcase as well as a closet organization system. He then moved on to the car seats and learning how to install, strollers, bouncies, and a pack-n-play. We have officially be invaded by numerous baby items and our house feels and looks transformed. It has been so surreal seeing the transformation as the nursery has been empty since we bought the house left undecorated, I had not even hung a shower curtain in the bathroom always think it would be a waste of time and money...not realizing it would be over 4 years before we put that room to use. Beyond all the home projects Chad had I have managed to squeeze in dr appointments, a sonogram, breastfeeding classes, car seat safety class and a tour of the hospital...all of this is making this feel and seem so real. I cant believe we are just over 6 weeks away from becoming parents. Oh, and I cant forget the all important taxes. Poor Chad hasnt had much rest or relaxation on his comp R&R time but I think it has been fun for him :-).

All my check ups have been great so far...my dr said she was proud of how well I was doing...personally I am proud of how well the babies are doing. I measure 35 weeks yesterday at my appointment and am currently 31w2days so I am happy w/ that 4 weeks ahead is appropriate and it is to feel like I am on target w/ my growth. The babies are doing extremely well and just keep growing and growing. Taryn weighed in at 3lb9oz and remains in the 41st percentile which really is great and Evan weighed 3lb15oz so just about 4lbs and moved up to the 61st percentile. The best news so far for me anyway was that Taryn is now head down, Evan remains laying across the top of my uterus...really he is on top of my ribs and lets me know every time they are in his way LOL. But because Taryn is now head down and if she stays that way my dr. is willing to let us try from a vaginal delivery. I was so excited after talking w/ her yesterday because up until this point Taryn has been breech and I was really thinking we were headed straight for a c-section. Still may end up that way but to know that there is a chance to avoid a c-section this late in the game make me very excited :-). Now this means we need to add one more class to the list...birthing classes...I have not really looked into them as I thought it was not necessary but now it looks like we may need to be a little bit more prepared.

Chad and I are headed to Atlanta this weekend for one last get away before the babies come. We are going to the melting pot for Valentines Day dinner YUMMY and then plan on finishing up our shopping for the babies. After that we should be fully prepared (well as prepared as we can be for our lives to be turned upside down :-), we will at least have all the essentials we need for them) for the babies to come :-).

Nursery Time

Well, Chad made it home safe and sound on Monday just before 1100 and it was a wonderful reunion. I have to admit I got a bit more emotional then I have for past homecomings but I am blaming the hormones :-). Chad being home means we have finally started on the nursery. We don't have much work done yet but he did manage to get it painted and is now working hard on the cribs. I cant wait to have all the finished pieces together. I think it will be the end of February though before everything is completely done as half the bedding I ordered has been on back order....so that means a slight delay in finishing everything up. Until then I thought I would share the letters I made to hang above their respective cribs. I am also making the word "Blessings" that will go on a shelf that we are putting high on one wall...more pictures to come as the nursery takes shape.