And then there were four

Two weeks ago, Britney was getting ready for her Utah baby shower. All of a sudden, she noticed some unusual bleeding and we rushed to the hospital. Fortunately, we learned that the babies and Britney were alright, but we stayed in the hospital for 4 days as a precaution. We learned that one of the twins was growing more slowly than the other and were instructed to return every few days for a check-up (Britney wrote a full account of the experience in the preceding blog post). On the 22nd of December, we had an ultrasound and it was decided that we should induce labor on the 30th of December. We were so excited to spend Christmas at home and prepare for the arrival of our two little girls. But the twins had other ideas.

Just before midnight that same day, Britney sprung a leak. She called her Mom and confirmed that her water had broken. For the second time in just over a week, we were on our way to the hospital. Luckily, because of our previous visit, we knew exactly where to go and who to talk to. Britney's Mom had hoped to be by Britney's side during the delivery, but because of the short notice, there was no way for her to make it in time. We were lucky enough to have Britney's sister, Madison, in Provo and she showed up in the early morning to help distract Britney from the nervousness she was experiencing. 

After we arrived at the hospital, things moved quickly. By 5:30 am, Britney was ready to deliver. She was wheeled into the operating room (in case she needed a c-section) and her doctor arrived. She was coached on pushing with the contractions, and three contractions later, the first girl was here. I accompanied our daughter into an adjoining room to see her and maybe snap a few pictures. I had barely pulled my camera out when the nurses started calling for me from the other room. By the time I stepped through the operating room door, the doctor was holding our other little girl. I was surprised how quickly it all happened. Baby A was born at 6:01 am and Baby B was born at 6:02 am. They were so little, but so lovely.

Our first daughter was 18 inches long and weighed 4lbs 1oz. We named her Arabell Jane Lindsey. 'Arabell' is a family name and 'Jane' comes from Britney's maternal grandmother. She's got quite the girly personality and is always posing with her hands by her face and looking around with her big, beautiful eyes.

 

Girl #2 was 16 inches long and weighed 3lbs 3oz. We named her Everlette Pearl Lindsey. If you haven't heard the name 'Everlette' before, you're not alone. Britney kind of made it up / heard a similar name in a movie (10,000 B.C.) If you type it into Google translate, the translation is returned as 'Ever Light'. I know that, like her Mom, Everlette will always be a light to our family. Her middle name, 'Pearl' comes from my maternal grandmother. 

We aren't sure whether or not the girls are identical. Arabell is a pound bigger than Everlette, so it's hard to say for certain, but we think they look alike. If they're not identical, they're definitely sisters.

We consider ourselves very lucky to have these two beautiful girls join our family. They are small, but they are healthy and strong. We've had great doctors and nurses helping us out along the way as well as lots of support and love from family and friends.

As the year-end nears, I can't help but think about how quickly my life has changed and how many blessings have been reigned down on me in such a short time. Exactly one year before the twins were born, Britney and I were visiting the Oakland temple. It was that night that we first started talking about getting married. This picture was taken that night:

A couple months later we were engaged. A few months after that, we were married. We found out we were pregnant shortly thereafter. And now, our family has already grown to four people! It's been an amazing ride, and now I have three beautiful girls riding along with me.

Baby Shower Surprise!

Looking back now it's all seeming a bit like a blur, but last Saturday was definitely one of the most eventful days of my life. Out of it there came good, bad, happy, sad, and just a whole lot of CRAZY!

I'll start with the morning. Ash, Maddie, Ben, Trav and I were all prepping for the shower - getting the chicken salad ready when we looked at the clock and noticed we had about 30 minutes before guests would start showing up. So upstairs I went, and noticed I had been bleeding...what?!!! I instantly called for Ben and Ash and the show began. I was balling, freaking out, Ben was calling my the hospital, I was trying to get ahold of the doctor but she wasn't available, and I had no idea what was happening to my body, but even more frightening, TO MY BABIES!!! Ben finally grabbed my hand and said we're leaving for the hospital, so off we went. Bye bye shower and all my friends/family that were going to be there in ten minutes. I even saw some friends like Tanya and my sisters for a brief second- I just looked at them crying and said I'm sorry. That's all I could do.

To this day, we really have no idea what caused the bleeding, but after some Googling I have concluded that it was probably my mucus plug (sorry if that's TMI). We never really did receive an answer from the doc about what caused that, and that should have been a sign that we were in for a LONG stay with little answers. The first day they thought I was going into pre-term labor because after my first cervical check by one of the nurses that HURT, and I mean bad, I started having contractions for the first time. They injected me with shots to calm them down and put me on a 24 hour urine watch to see what was happening. I just thanked the Lord that I had Ben there right in front of me to hold me and comfort me when I had no idea what was happening to my body- especially when my heart rate raced to 130 after the Tributine injections! Nast! However, there was one really good thing happening that allowed me to keep my chin up. Baby A and Baby B were having steady heartbeats, seemed healthy, and as far as I knew they were active - especially after those contractions!

The next day they drew labs and told me I had pre-eclampsia, although I was missing two of the most normal signs (high blood pressure and an excessive amount of protein in my urine). I kept hearing the same thing over and over again - 'you're a mystery'. Day 3 we went in for an ultrasound and to talk to the Paranatologist - an OBGYN who specializes in high risk pregnancies. She was A BREATH OF FRESH AIR! I loved her. I loved everything she had to say to Ben and I. She told Ben and I that our babies were healthy. She told us that whether they were born that day at 33 weeks or next week at 34, or went all the way to after full term that our babies would develop just fine. What an angel she was to give us the answers we had been waiting on for 3 days! We were told that Baby A is in the 16.5 percentile for development - these scales are based on percentiles as if we were having one baby, so we knew that our twins would measure a little beneath. However, Baby B is in the lower 10 percentile, which is not ideal. Her organs have been developing but her weight is not up to what the doc wishes it would be, or what any of us wish it would  be. She went on to explain that there is probably something malfunctioning with the placenta where either the chord isn't feeding directly into the center like it should/ it is brushing the side, OR the chord giving her the nutrience she needs could be the size of a tiny spaghetti noodle. The babies were to large to see the placentas in the ultrasound so there is no sure answer. At this point, we are expecting our little ladies to come in anywhere from 5 days to a week and a half! Crazy!

There are something little details I'd like to noted though about my stay there that I want to record because I don't ever want to forget about them. This is more for looking back one day then for filling you all in on them, since perhaps some of you might not care too much about the other details so feel free to stop reading if I have gabbed on long enough for you already. :)

But first, I hope I never forget the blessing Ben and Travis gave me the first night I stayed in the hospital. Trav (my brother in law) was a stud for coming in on short notice to bless me and make me feel at peace with the situation, and plus I heard he did a good job greeting people at the door during the shower- way to hold down the fort brotha! But then there's Ben, the man who stayed with me every night and took off work for days to be with me and calm my fears. He placed his hands upon my head and gave me and our babies a blessing so tender I'll never be able to forget the feeling. He told me that I would have the discernment to understand what I need and communicate that with the doctors as they were treating us. I feel that his blessing and the words from the Lord really did play a huge part in finding out what was happening and making sure we made it safely. So thank you baby. I love you so much,  for always.

Second, I hope I never forget how Ben would scoot his bed into mine at night so we could still be sleeping together...sort of. Or how we shared our meals and cleaned out their snack closet together. Or how Ben would bring me presents every night from the shower so that I could still enjoy the party! Literally, I felt so showered with love from Ben and all the people who came to the shower (yes, they FaceTimed me in and I spoke with no audio to all my guests in attendance- that was actually pretty funny). Also, a big shout out to everyone in my family who kept up on me and called me on the daily to make sure I was ok, and to all the people from our church who made an effort to bring me books and food and my favorite- HUGS! Yes, you all are awesome amazing people and I really don't know how I got so lucky, but I'm not complaining. :)

I could go on forever, but really, I'm just glad to be home with my babies still in the belly, toasting away in this oven and to cuddle at night with my husband in our bed together again. I'm grateful for Hulu Plus on the couch, for M&M's and the stash of oreos I missed. I'm grateful for our health, or happiness, and for days that seem kind of sucky but in the end make you realize your life is about as blessed as you could have ever dreamed it would be.

I love you all - thank you for lovin' me right back. MWA! And thank you Ben. Happy 8 months to us today! So glad we picked each other babe.

Xoxo,

Britnana

Week 28 Update!

Hey there!

So technically, we hit Week 29 yesterday, but I haven't had a chance to put up this vid so I figure there's no better time then the present! Stay tuned for Week 29's update probably on Friday. :)

Week 28 was quite the week. Big steppin' into the 3rd trimester! My belly feels so tight and rooouuunnnndddd. But it's still so amazing- Last week Ben and I were watching 24 an BAM- I got a round house kick that felt like it might open my stomach from Baby B. Crazy & neato! 

Also, the girls are doing so well! Baby A is 2 pounds 8 ounces and Baby B is a whopping 2 pounds and 5 ounces. Baby B has been the life of the party in my stomach lately. Whenever she gives a kick she just decides to start the whole Kung Fu Fighting routine - which is totally cool with mama. Baby A is much more subtle and chills for the most part with kicks here and there. It will be fun to meet them in just a couple of months now and see how their personalities translate from inside the womb to being outside it. Pretty excited here!

For the full update, watch this video :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8EFytG4yWA&list=UUaxjcMs7547xxFJ5CjD_opg

Xoxo,

Britney

27 Week Update!

Being pregnant with twins is all I have known since these are my first, and frankly, I have loved it! Really, I haven't had much to complain about and when I feel the need to complain, it's usually about stupid things that pale in comparison to what I assumed this twin pregnancy would be like. You'll hear horror stories, but you'll also hear the good. So far, it's been an easy time full of awesome firsts! I'm feeling good ladies. I'm feeling really blessed. I know my days ahead include a whopping run of sleepless nights and endless feedings, but hey - who says I can't relish in this moment? Who says I can't even look forward to those moments. Heck - I do. Bring on the bad - bring on the good! I'm so excited for this thrill ride minus the safety bar. Take me there twins! Let's go!

And I won't make this gushy but Ben - what a champ- WHAT A CHAMP! He is always there to listen to me and to rub my back or feet if ever I'm in need. Also, he totally understands my random cravings of ice cream and Oreos and encourages me to indulge, which is pretty awesome. This man is not afraid to have a chubby wifey all hyped up on sugar and accepts me for who I am. Am I lucky? Yeah, I feel lucky.  Plus, it's so fun to see him steal my Snoogle at night sometimes. Apparently pregnancy pillows are beloved by men and women. Who would've ever thought? 

To watch the full update on week 27 - click here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkdC3_JFvDU&list=UUaxjcMs7547xxFJ5CjD_opg

6 Month Anniversary!

Happy day to us! Is it just me, or have the days flown by for you too, Ben? It feels like just yesterday I was staring at you across the room telling my friend Brooke that I call dibs. :) Now my dibs have brought me some pretty amazing memories, and some even bigger blessings. Never could I have asked for a more handsome man, patient partner, GIFTED teacher, loving husband, and funny friend to ride through life with. You are so many things to me, and I can't wait for our little girls to meet you and see how lucky they are (we are). And I'm just going to give thanks to myself for calling dibs that one fine day as well. ;)

Happy half a year to our flourishing love and life together!

*side note - I love how you wait to get dressed on Sundays to match me. It makes me all giddy inside - you make us unstoppable! Booya!

Ok - sappy vent over. But truly, I love you.

Xoxo,


Britney

Ps, If you'd like to watch the video of our first ultrasound where Ben and I found out we're having twins...and one of us sort of attacks the sonographer... then have at it. :) Editing this puppy together just brought back all the surprise of that moment and I couldn't help but laugh and laugh and LAUGH just a bit more about how crazy this whole life is. Just crazy. Twins! *Listen closely for Ben's chuckles. They make it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--gB2VPw_Zk

Two sweet peas

We were so excited to have our ultrasound today. We've known for a few months that we were having a baby. We've had the checkups and heard the heartbeats. We knew today would be the day when things got even more real than ever before. We just didn't know the surprise that was in store for us.

We arrived hoping to see our baby for the first time and to find out if we were having a boy or a girl. Britney and I were anxious as the sonographer put the gel onto Britney's belly and started moving the wand around. Instead of watching the screen, I was watching Britney's face--I knew her reaction would be priceless. Soon two circles appeared on the screen. Britney instinctively knew what that meant and started freaking out as the sonographer said "oh my gosh, you're having twins!" 

She sat up and grabbed the sonographer's arm in excitement. She laid back down in disbelief and shock as the rest of the ultrasound continued. We saw little faces, little hands and feet, and saw the hearts beating. We were told to expect two baby girls and we couldn't be happier.

The reality of going straight from a family of two to a family of four is still sinking in. But we can't wait to welcome them into our home and our hearts.

Coming February 2015

Ben and I are very excited to announce that we are expecting a little baby Benana! February is the lucky month we get to see this lil' cutie's face, and fingers, and toes, and cute little tooshie. We haven't found out the gender yet, but I'm pretty sure it's a girl. Ben disagrees. 

We are 16 weeks along and can't wait to add our little bambino to our family. And I can't wait to see the bump grow. Oh, I just can't wait! 

Love you all!

-Britney

Benana Wedding Video is HERE!

Last week we got the final copy of our wedding video! It's so amazing to look back at our day and see everyone we love. It's so SO amazing that we get to be together forever, and that I get to have this video and memory forever. :) I just keep reliving the magical feelings we had that special morning at the temple! I especially love seeing Ben in the video, how many smiles he had ALL OVER his face, and putting that moment we walked out of the temple on replay. We're so lucky, is all I keep thinking. Mostly, I'm the lucky one. 

Love you all! 

Love you Ben. :)

<3 Britney

Click this link to watch: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6Hex6HBqGE

Everyone is Dancing...Happy...Party!

It's hard to believe how truly blessed Britney and I are. As if it weren't enough that we have each other, just look at all the wonderful family and friends who came to support and party with us at our reception in Sutter Creek. Many more sent their love and best wishes on our special day.

The Shiflet abode was hoppin' (as Britney would say) and it couldn't have been more perfect. We didn't want the party to stop. John and Michelle really went all in (and I'm not just talking about the pool). Did I mention everything was perfect?

We love you!

-Ben & Britney Lindsey