Lots of pics

First week of school- 22 weeks

Week 24- Top of Saddle Mt with Chip, Josh, and Kessler - windy and only a sporadic view, but I think they liked it.

Week 25- Kessler loves them already ;)

26 weeks- In front of the little castle we rent and live in

Here is the last month of growth in pictures. I go half time at work in one and a half weeks. That will be nice since my energy is not as limitless as I once thought it to be. Sometimes I feel like I mostly work, eat, and sleep (and ponder baby names). The little burritos continue to get to know their surroundings and each other by feeling their way around in there, which is a wild sensation.

We took a crash birthing course last weekend in case we are in the midst of some move sooner than later and aren't able to get any other class in. I am more scared, prepared, and excited for the whole thing. Now I just hope that we get a chance to try. We are looking forward to our next ultra sound to get a look at position and see what we are working with.

I gained 8 pounds in the last three weeks, which is insane, but good. This puts me in the normal range for twins at this stage. I still have absolutely NO appetite. In fact, most of the time the thought of food repulses me. But, I have done my best to cram lots of calories in anyway. So, feels good that it is paying off.

Oh, so what else are we doing besides getting ready to turn our world upside down? Chip is just working on a few minor things like trying to find a job, which will determine where we live and whether we need to make a move or not before our new friends arrive. He is getting quite a few interviews literally all over the country (Portland, Cleveland, Salt Lake, and Bozeman). And, we really have no inkling as to how this is all going to work out. I can honestly say we can can not see past two weeks from now...and even that starts to get foggy. What great practice in "living in the moment".

3,100 miles

...of love and fun. We had an incredible jaunt around the Northwest. Unfortunately, our camera broke on day three of our fifteen days on the road. Thanks to some surrogate cameras and sharing, we have a little bit of proof that we DID make this journey. Otherwise, the moments will have to be preserved by words in this entry, stories we will tell of adventures had along the way, and of course the images burned into our memories.

Highlight Canyon- Bozeman, MT

First, we started in Montana. We had one night in Missoula where we had the chance to enjoy dinner with some great friends (Mason, Anna, Ian, Adam, Kathy, and Hazel), meet their amazing new family additions, and let enough of that Missoula charm sink in to get us thinking about how great it would be live there again.

Then, we visited Bozeman, where we also got to visit with special people (Sarah, Tanda, Justin, Kelsey, Michelle, and Dan), eat a grilled masterpiece as we did so many times with this crowd when they lived in Portland, got a hike in, and explored this town which is quickly taking a top spot on our short list of places to live.


Next stop, a mini reunion with the Eddy St girls centered around the beautiful wedding of Amy and her now husband, Andy. What an adorable couple- seriously. Pictures to come of this one. My favorite story of this weekend- Amy getting a call on Friday from her cake person explaining that the night before a bear broke into the garage where Amy's cupcakes were stored...and ate them all- She was trying her best to get them all made again. HA! Only in MT, eh? I really do miss this state. Otherwise, awesome times were had all weekend catching up with the girls and other college friends in stunning Red Lodge. Congrats to Amy and Andy!


Next, on to Chico Hot Springs with mom and dad DuRoss for a night (a special treat and gem of a location they discovered years ago...I swear, they have a nose for cool places) and then on down to Driggs for two more nights. We didn't necessarily intend to go this far, but we hiked 10.5 miles and almost 3,ooo vertical ft. of elevation one day. Green lakes was our destination and well, once DuRoss boys get on a mission, it is hard to turn them around even if it is really hot, you are 5 months pregnant with twins, and others barely have cartilage left in their knee joints. Just kidding...it was a beautiful day and the desire to complete the mission was shared by all. :)



Salt Lake City was the next destination, also filled with lots of hugs, laughter, memories, and smiles. In a lot of ways it felt like we never left our home town of 8 years and amazing playmates and friends made there. And in other ways, there were so many new (or a lot more grown up) members of families, new homes, and other things to catch up on! Our dear friend, Katy, hosted a baby shower for us at her house. It was really special and meant so much to us that so many people came out to show their support and celebrate our pregnancy with us. We were/are very touched. And, to top it off, the rain (yes, rain in Aug in UT- unheard of in itself) cleared in time for the party to be held outside AND created the perfect conditions for us to get a huge DOUBLE RAINBOW across the sky. I told Katy she really went above and beyond it getting that all ordered. I mean, the cupcakes were really enough. Several hikes and BBQs later, we were forced to leave this comfy spot on our trip, hoping for job opportunities here too, and the chance to return sooner than later.

Finally, we rolled into Lake Tahoe after spending a night with Katy's parents in Reno on the way. In Tahoe we stayed with with one of Chip's classmates (or ex-classmates I should say...maybe colleague is the best word) who lives on Donner Pass and happens to have a spare house slopeside. The accommodations were luxurious and it was the perfect mellow end to our whirlwind visiting tour.

We were glad to roll back into Portland, sleep in our own bed, and not have to get in the car for more than a commute. So, here we are, trying to figure out what the next step is. Or, maybe the next step is trying to find us. Either way, we'll let you know what happens next as far as jobs and whether we are making a move or not.

P.S. One boy, one girl.

Have I mentioned that we are having one boy and one girl? Before being pregnant, I thought that "pregnancy brain" was the silliest symptom. I mean, really? Of course you are a little distracted...you have a life growing inside of you and a major life transition on the horizon...one is bound to be a little distracted. I mostly thought it was an excuse for everyday mistakes.

Well, like most things I thought about pregnancy (and parenting for that matter....and trust me, I have had my fair share of thoughts on this subject)...I intend on "eating", renegotiating, and forgetting about most of it. This is a humbling affair, and we have barely begun. gulp.

So, let me clarify for any friends out there who might still share in my prepregnancy judgment of the ridiculousness of "pregnancy brain". It exists. I feel sometimes like my brain skips a beat, things are transmitted, but not picked up. And, it is not just my brain multitasking the idea of what we are about to dive into. In fact, as I have mentioned before, it is almost like my brain FORGETS that the rest of my body is manufacturing a few extra people down there in the middle section....AND it forgets what you just asked me, people's names I have known for years, or that I already mentioned in the blog posted only two days before that we are having one boy and one girl.

Belly

With everything going on, I have not had time to post any pictures of my expanding belly. So, here it goes. I am not going to post every week that we have missed, I will do something with that at the end, but here are a few to see the progression. Baby A and B are moving around a lot these days. I think they are holding dance parties...maybe jumping up and down in their bunk beds...or, just getting to know each other through the silky 2mm thick amniotic sac that separates them. They are moving strongly enough that Chip has been able to feel them on the outside, which is pretty cool. And, I don't think I have mentioned on the blog yet that we found out at our last ultra sound that we are having a girl and a boy! Most excellent.

8 weeks- at home

14 weeks- Mt Hood

18 weeks- Ladd's Addition Rose Garden

21 weeks- Driggs, ID

We are currently at 22.5 weeks. I have had some restless legs, but the nausea is mostly gone. I can't wear normal pants for quite a while now, these two seem to be low riders. I definitely feel like more of a scatter brain at times, and will cry often, even at a sweet commercial on the radio advertising Cheerios. I haven't felt hunger since about week 8, and can't imagine what it will be like to really crave food again, but I do my best to get in as many calories as possible in a day and eat things that are good for all three of us. I guess I can say that overall, I just feel different. This pregnancy thing is totally consuming, in a good way of course. I guess how else to prepare us for the ultimately consuming job of parenting these little ones once they arrive. Can't wait! It will be our honor.


"Love is all fun and games until someone loses an eye or gets pregnant."
-Jim Cole

Many moments

Some catch up is in order. August was one of the most eventful months we have had...ever! At the beginning of the month Chip was still in Ecuador. He returned to Portland and settled in for only a few days before family starting arriving for the graduation festivities. Graduation was incredible- gorgeous weather, amazing company, and a laughter and tear filled speech delivered by one our closer friends in his class (awesome, Fred). But that isn't all. There were a few certificates that the students voted on and awarded their own classmates. Chip received the one given to the classmate they "would most like to work with in the future". Wow. And I get to live with the guy. It is that good too. Award appropriately granted.

The whole weekend was filled with excitement and sadness- so often those two walk hand in hand. Everyone was excited to be done with school, but sad to leave the nest of school that this class really got comfy and close in.

As part of the many moments we were graced with during this long weekend we also got to include our parents in the ultra sound where we examined what seemed like every organ of our growing babies bodies AND found out gender. We are going to be joined on this adventure with one boy and one girl! Yahoo! I was mostly excited to see their little hearts still beating and legs and arms moving around...and they are the cutest legs and arms I have ever seen...just sayin. We were grateful to share this experience as new parents with OUR parents.

Thanks to our parents as well as Chris, Erika, and Finn who joined us for all the formalities as well as walks in the park, dinners, blueberry picking in the neighborhood, hangin in our hot duplex (95 degrees- no AC- awesome), and lots of laughter. Now, one day to pack and then we hit the road for 15 days to make a clockwise loop around the Northwest hitting our home towns of past as well as a few other favorite spots. Hoping that all the time in the car and on the road will help us ferret out where we might live for the next few years. We'll see!

This quote isn't exactly true, but seemed to fit Chip's life the last 15 months and so I guess we decided not to stop the streak just because he graduated. I will say that some semblance of routine has been nice since we have returned. ;)

"I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine." ~Caskie Stinnett