3D Pictures

I finally was able to go into the "3D ultrasound" room at my last appointment with the specialist, and we got some cute 3D pictures of the babies.  Be warned:  they're using sound waves to make these images, so the images are not perfect and may seem a little creepy/weird.  Here's Wren:

 My mom says that she looks like my sister and me when we were babies.
And here's Judson:

As usual, it was more difficult to get a picture of him.  It took some jiggling of my belly to get these.  Hence, the somewhat annoyed look on his face and the subsequent hand in front of the face.
They're both developing well and the size that they should be for their gestational age. 
We'll see how accurate these pictures are soon enough!

Summer Fun

 Summer's drawing to an end, but boy, did we have a good time!  There was much time spent playing in Caleb's little pool and water table in the backyard.

 

We even had some friends over to play in the pool...and we even ran through the sprinklers!  Caleb wasn't sure what to do with all the girls around!

As always, we had lots of fun playing with cousin Logan and swimming with Aunt Beth!

 Of course, the summer wasn't all fun and games.  Caleb learned some new tricks, too, the biggest one being that he's now potty trained!  There were (and still are) some rough patches, but overall, he's been a pottying superstar!  Here he is with some of the race cars that he earned by using the potty.  We've learned that bribery goes a long way with potty training.

 He's also learned how to open all the baby proofed cabinets and drawers, much to our disbelief, and that he absolutely loves sitting in the cabinets and drinking...lime juice (we have no idea how he came up with this!).  Whenever he gets a hankering for some lime juice, he grabs the little green plastic lime with all the juice and has a seat in the pots and pans cabinet, taking a little sip every now and then.

 He's learned how to help Daddy wash his truck.  He's also learned that he does not like standing in the rain.  This picture was taken from our office, where I was sitting and watching.  In the picture, it had just started to rain a bit while Caleb was holding the water hose, but the funny part is that right after I took the picture, it started to rain much harder.  I could see Caleb look around for a second, and then he threw the hose on the ground and ran for the garage. Our baby has enough sense to come in from out of the rain!

 What a great summer it's been!

Hey, Cootie!

We've set up a crib in our closet for the first few weeks after the twins arrive, and Caleb just had to try it out...along with all of Daddy's toboggans...

During all the fun, he looked at me and said, "Hey, Cootie!"  I presume he meant "Hey, Cutie!" (he may have heard that a time or two from me).  Either that or he already thinks his mom has cooties...

What's in a name?

"What's in a name?  That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
         - William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

While I agree with Shakespeare that your name does not necessarily define who you are, I do feel that a person's name should hold some meaning.  Whether it's a name that sets aspirations to live up to or a person to emulate, I've always wanted my children to have a name that holds significance - to me and their father and, eventually, to them.
Caleb was named after Caleb from the book of Joshua in the Bible, who exhibited great bravery, faith and faithfulness.  His middle name (Augustine) is from St. Augustine, an early Christian philosopher who taught and defended Biblical truth.  Likewise, we hope that our son would grow to be a brave and loyal man of faith who isn't afraid to stand up for truth.

It's been somewhat more challenging to come up with names for the twins.  Maybe it's because we have to come up with two names at once or maybe it's because we know we have more time to brainstorm (we only had a week or two for Caleb!), but whatever the reason, it hasn't been easy.  With that being said, I think we've finally picked some winners.  So here they are (and the reasons we chose them).

For our sweet baby girl...

Wren Naomi

Back before I knew I was pregnant but when I was hoping that I was, my sweet friend Becky sent me a text message with a Bible verse (Psalm 143:8) in it.  It was a cold February morning, over an hour from sunrise, and as I sat in the chair next to the glass doors to our back porch, I read the verse:  "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you."  Just as I read the last word of the verse, I heard the beautiful song of a single bird right outside the doors.  It was as clear as day to me:  the morning had brought me word of God's unfailing love for me - and for our children - using a little bird as a messenger.  Even before that morning, and certainly since then, I have seen a small, brown bird hopping all around our back porch right next to our glass doors.  The type of bird is called a Carolina Wren, and it is responsible for many of the melodious bird songs heard in our area.  Hence, the name Wren.

Naomi is the mother-in-law of Ruth in the Biblical book of Ruth.  Her husband and both her sons died, leaving her with no spouse, children, or grandchildren - a terrible position to be in, especially in those days.  Despite these circumstances, she trusted the Lord, and by the end of the book, she had a kinsman redeemer.  Even more importantly, she knew that the Lord was her ultimate redeemer.
Our prayer for Wren is that she would be a woman who trusts the Lord and knows that he loves her and is her redeemer.

For our precious baby boy...

Judson Grant

Adoniram Judson was a missionary to Burma (modern day Myanmar) in the 19th century.  He was the first missionary - even the first Christian - to Burma, where he spent over 30 years, where he became fluent in Burmese, and where he translated the Bible into Burmese.  He devoted his life to the Burmese people, was imprisoned, and lost many loved ones while there, including wives and children.  But that's not why we want to name our son after him.  Here's what makes Judson remarkable:  It was six long years before he saw the first convert to Christianity, but by the time he died, it was estimated that there were over 200,000 Christians in the country!  Today, there are 3,700 congregations that can be traced back to Judson's efforts in Burma.  He believed wholeheartedly in God's sovereignty and goodness, as any person must who goes through what he endured while still continuing to pour out his life for the sake of others.  He set his eyes on things that are above and not on things that are on earth.  

Tony went to college with someone with the last name Grant.  He was an individual who stood up for his faith in the face of hostility and persecution.  

We hope Judson would grow to be a man of perseverance who knows without a doubt that God is sovereign and good and who is eternally minded even in the face of persecution and suffering. 

Are these lofty aspirations for our children?  Of course!  We know they will be imperfect and will struggle, as we all do (even as their namesakes did), but, by the grace of God, we pray that we can direct them to follow in the footsteps of the admirable individuals and characteristics for which they are named.

One Last Hurrah

With the impending birth of the twins, we knew it was now or never if we wanted to take one last vacation as a family of three, so we packed our bags and made way for Gulf Shores for a week of sand, sun, and family fun.  We were accompanied by some of our favorite extended family members:  Ra Ra, PePaw, Ashley, Madalyn, Briena, Mamaw Ollie, Papaw Charlie, Aunt Cindy, and Logan.
Caleb did great on the ride down - only complaining when the music stopped playing from his headphones.

When we were finally settled in at the house we were renting, we set up the pack-n-play where Caleb was to sleep and placed him inside with his blankie, monkey and Mickey Mouse...unfortunately, Caleb discovered at that exact moment that he could break out of his sleeping prison.  One leg over the side.  Then the other.  Freedom!  We were finally able to coax him to sleep that night, but our first objective the very next morning was to acquire a full size crib...no price was too high to make sure that he (and Mommy and Daddy) was getting the sleep he requires.  I always knew that day was coming...I was just hoping it would not be on vacation in a strange house!
While we were at the store buying a new crib, Caleb was at the beach splashing in the ocean.

From all accounts, he had a wonderful first day at the beach!
The rest of the week was basically more of the same:  play in the sand, jump waves, swim in the pool, and repeat.

Did I mention that Caleb learned to swim by himself too?  Well, he had on his floaties, but he no longer needs us to hold onto him!

 We also worked in a trip to the local zoo.  It was a quick visit because some of us (Caleb...ok, and Mommy too) were too hot, hungry and tired to stay much longer. 

It was also a great time of hanging out with family.

 And, as you can see, the babies continue to grow larger and larger...

It was a great trip, which is a good thing, because we're not likely to do it again any time soon.  See you in about five years, beach!