4:30 am, Monday, November 19.

I've gotta say, the pain that comes from forty pounds of pressure on your hips and groin is really unlike anything I've ever experienced. I wouldn't really call this a complaint, more like an observation. I know that this 4:30am "please God, let me go back to sleep" pain is truly nothing compared to what some people deal with every single day. I know that this pain will be completely gone within a few weeks. Anyone can deal with anything for a few weeks, can't they? It's just the kind of pain that annoys me because I'm so incredibly tired right now and would really rather be sleeping. And if I get up, the dog will be totally confused and will think it's 6:30am, and I really don't want to mess up his currently solid routine. So I'm stranded next to a happily snoozing husband while the dog holds my kindle hostage in the family room.
I don't really have a lot to say seeing as I just blogged last night...Andrew installed a set of motion/floodlights on the side of the house for Stone, who is terrified of the dark. He went out last night and was so obviously thrilled with the new lights. Silly dog.
Lucy is off for a week due to Thanksgiving, and I'm trying to think of ways to make the week fun...from the couch. It seems like each week steals a little more of my energy and ability to join in, so it's getting hard to be creative! There are only so many ways I can frame a nap to make it "exciting" to my children!
Max and Miles both have godparents at this point - hallelujah! Our friends C&D and C&C are going to take the job, and we're very excited for the boys. Their baptism will be January 27th, while mom and the boys are down. I still need to sew another piece of one of the baptismal gowns, as we had the gowns made under the assumption that we'd be baptizing one baby at a time. We have one long shift and two organza overlays, so I need to make another shift for the second gown. One gown is slightly more feminine than the otherl according to the seamstress who constructed them out of Grandma Susie's wedding dress, but for the life of me I can't figure out which one it is. All I know is that I ordered one gown and when the seamstress delightedly gave me two a few weeks before my wedding, the number of children I'd be having really didn't compute. It was just another task I wanted out of the way, and something I wanted to show Grandma when she was in Maryland for the wedding. So I took my two (?) baptismal gowns and thought, "cool, one for Nina, one for me!"
And here I am, unexpectedly needing two gowns at once. Twins have never been something I could see in my future, but again the provision was made early on for these boys. So many tiny details that pointed to a very special set of twins. We've been receiving things in pairs since before our wedding, and I've been completely oblivious. It's so neat when a happy accident turns out to be much more than that. P

Stockings.

We put up our Christmas decorations today, and will work on the tree this week sometime. I love Christmas so much, and at a time when I'm really missing Grandma, it's so nice to be able to play her music and surround myself with cozy Christmas love. Our plan was "just make it to Thanksgiving and then it's baby time," so decorating for the holidays is a HUGE mental step for me. Now, it's baby time. I know I still have two weeks before I can start wishing them out, but just being into the holiday season makes me feel better. 

I had been thinking about making or buying stockings for the boys for the past few weeks, not really sure what I wanted to do. Maybe order them online, maybe not...maybe sew them, maybe not...who knows...Tonight I was unpacking Christmas decorations and I started pulling out the stockings, and I thought, "Oh man, I still haven't made a decision about stockings for the boys." I know I want 7 stockings hanging up on Christmas Eve. This Christmas is just so exciting for us, and I want everything to feel right. 7 stockings is important to me. 

So out came Daddy's...a beautiful stocking made of red plaid lining and quilting cotton with fishing rods and the like. Somehow it's very holiday-ish in a "we always spend Christmas at the cabin" way. My mom made it the year Andrew and I were engaged.

Then came Mommy's. Made with love by my mom a few years ago (so she could keep my childhood stocking, I think) with gorgeous angels all over it.

Lucy's was next, with tiny Christmas roses and green flannel lining. Also made by Mom. 

Then came Molly's - a red knitted stocking with red sequins on it. Just perfect for Mo. 

Claire's was last, a soft green stocking with a big "C" beaded on the front.

I piled them all on the couch and looked into the box to see what was left. 

And what was left was 2 red stockings. Nothing special, just those cheap, red felt stockings. I have no idea why they were in there, as I don't think we've even used them for anything, but there they were. One for Max, one for Miles. There might as well have been a sticky note from God on them - "Laura, I'm sure by now you must know that if I'm going to send two perfect gifts, I can handle a couple of stockings. Love, God." 

I wonder what I would have thought if I'd noticed them in the box as I was putting decorations away last year. Probably nothing, just piled things on top of them. But as I look at how our life journeys on, it's so clear that the life I live was so perfectly meant to be. Everything has been placed in perfect order by Someone whose planner doesn't have things scratched out, and whose lists are always complete. How can I possibly question the way our road bends and turns when every step is so clearly a confirmation that we're not alone?

"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." - Mother Teresa

Meet "Baby B:" Hello, Miles Andrew!

Miles looked a whole lot more comfortable than his big brother, seeing as he was sitting nicely on Max's head! 

Yawning Boy.

Miles and his knee. :-)

Here he is opening his eyes and looking around. Cute!

We thought Miles looked a lot like Claire! His nose was rounder than Max's and his eyes really looked a lot like hers. 

Grow Miles, grow! We can't wait to get you out here to snuggle and kiss!

Meet "Baby A:" Hello, Max Aquinas!

It took awhile, but we were finally able to get Max to turn around and show us his sweet face! 

Our amazing tech got him to turn from a face-down tummy nap to a snooze on his back so we could get a better look. Here's the first picture of him, trying to hide under his brother!

If you ask us, he looks a whole lot like his big sister Molly! The only real difference we could see in the boys were their noses, seeing as the viewing was a tad limited! 

At this point, Max is the big brother, as he's slated to be born first. That's not really stopping his little brother from sitting on his head most of the time. Here's a foot kicking him in the face.

And a "thumbs-up" from Little Brother!

Sweet boy! You'd have a grumpy face too, if you had a bony brother in your eye!