15 months and counting!

So much has happened since I posted last! God has been faithful and Phillip and I are expecting another baby! This baby is due December 24th and as of today, I am 11 weeks along. The baby has been very healthy and growing at a great rate. It is very different being pregnant with one baby, as opposed to two. It is going by so fast! We're excited to welcome this new baby and the doctor thinks it may be a girl!! :o)

The boys are growing like crazy. Everyday I am seeing changes in them. Both are walking, climbing, jumping, and getting into EVERYTHING. Today Keegan said "Tickle" for the first time and can say mama, dada, baby, and is starting to say book. He is my laid back son. He rarely fusses unless he is very tired and he is content to sit and play with the same toy for an hour! He wants to see how things work, and has taken things apart more than once. He is getting his molars in and has a mouthful of teeth. I think he will be built like his grandpa Ronnie - he's tall and lean! If you ask him where mommy's baby is, he will come pat my tummy and say baby. It's the greatest thing! 

David is my adventurous son! He doesn't sit still for more than 20 seconds and goes from toy to toy to toy. He constantly is climbing onto things and has NO fear. Davy likes to climb on and off the couch. He loves to climb under the couch and pull things out. David says mama and dada but other than that, he is content to laugh and make baby noises. He's a major goofball and LOVES to make people laugh. He reminds me of my sister Lindsay, always the family clown!

Sweet baby

Phillip and I now have 3 children...David, Keegan, and a little baby that I won't meet until I get to Heaven. We found out last week that we were pregnant, and Sunday we lost the baby. The pregnancy was a shock. We weren't trying, but we were excited. Very excited. 3 positive tests changed our world for a few days. I was excited for the boys to be big brothers, anxious for where we would put a 3rd car seat, and praying that there was just one baby instead of twins!

Because it has happened so fast, I'm at a loss as to how to process all of the emotions. I went from shocked, to elated, to scared, to heartbroken. I am thankful that whatever was happening with the baby, the Lord took him or her early. I am very thankful that I was not further along. I am excited that I will meet this sweet baby soon. When Phillip and I get to Heaven, we'll meet another little Jefferson and I wonder now who he will look like? My grandparents will probably meet my little boy or girl before I will. He is getting to see my Grandpa Bill and Grandma June. My Dad's Grammie is there too. And one day Phillip and I will be there and get to see his or her precious face.

I have never been through this, and no one in our immediate families has either. We both are struggling to understand but we know that God's ways are higher than ours. We trust that He has a plan that will come from this that is far greater than anything we can imagine right now. Neither one of us want it on facebook for all of the world to see, but I've found that blogging can be a wonderful way to express feelings I can't understand. Today I'm choosing to trust in God's perfect love and peace and to rest in His will.

So much to do! So little time!

I must get better at blogging...So much happening and I rarely put it down "on paper" to remember. My babies are one. They turned one on February 21st. In the last week they have started walking and their personalities get stronger and stronger every day. My hands are full but so is my heart!

Not only are the boys growing, but Phillip and I are in a great season of spiritual growth. God is truly doing something new in us and it's amazing because it is following a season of very hard things. In the last year we have questioned so much but some things has stayed true, the faithfulness and goodness of the Lord. He has never failed, nor will He EVER fail. Our confidence is grounded in Him and we have learned to trust in a whole new dimension. God is starting to really break our hearts for those who do not have a relationship with Him. We long to see our friends find Christ and even further, people we have not met yet. Our hearts are set on being full-time missionaries, to whichever field the Lord directs us too. Our goal is not to beat people over the head with a Bible...our goal is to serve and love people just as Christ would serve and love them. We are starting to reach out to some of the children's homes, orphan care homes, and other places to ask if we can volunteer and serve. Too long have we been satisfied to go to church every Sunday and live OUR lives right...we want to reach out. We want our lives to make a difference. We are not content to stay here, raise our family, build wealth, have a big home, and everything that defines "success" to most people. We are ready to sell it all, live on very little, and raise our boys to be givers if it means we can reach one person with the message of Jesus Christ.

The time is quickly approaching when God will move us. We both feel it in our hearts. There is an excitement and a burden all in one! We'll go anywhere. Phillip and I both feel that we will eventually be in India, helping to get kids off of the streets and into a safe place. Until then, we are ready for anything. There has to be more than the way we are living and the life we are building!

Crawlers!! They're EVERYWHERE!

It's January 1, 2011 and officially the start of a brand new year! What a great day! Even though I try to not make too many resolutions, I always feel so motivated to simplify and declutter my life. It's a little harder with two growing boys!

David and Keegan are 10 months old now and I can't believe how fast the time is going! They will be one on February 21st and it is RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER! This time last year I was as big as my house, visiting Women's Hospital frequently with pre-term labor, and praying the swelling in my feet would go down. What changes a year can bring! My days now consist of playing, feeding, changing, rocking, loving, and teaching my two babies as well as maintain the house and take care of my husband. I LOVE MY LIFE. Frustrating and stressful at times? Oh yeah. It'll be that way for the rest of my life, but I wouldn't trade one minute for a different life. Thank You Jesus.

Ok, update on the boys! I'll start with Keegan!  At their last appointments Keegan was 20 pounds, 8 ounces and over 25 inches tall. Since having the tubes in his ears, he has regained his middle hearing range and is now babbling at a normal volume and tone level. He still squeals and screams some, but we're happy to hear him try to form consonants and normal sounds! He just got his 5th tooth (2 on top and 3 on bottom) and likes to bite anything he can get in his mouth, including our fingers, shoulders, hair, etc. He is crawling on all fours and is into everything! Keegan will even stand up by himself but falls right back on his behind and then laughs hysterically! It is SO cute but an indicator to us that he may be walking here before too long. Aunt Lauren recently taught him how to roll off of the couch and he has NO FEAR. If you sit him on the couch, he will dive off. Fortunately, we have always been there to catch him, but oh boy! What a little daredevil. One of his favorite things to do is to open drawers and cabinets and pull everything out. It makes a mess for me, but I am so glad to see him exploring and entertaining himself. He is great about sitting in one place too and playing with the same toy for 30-45 minutes. We have recently discovered mold in the house so we believe this may be the reason for his respiratory problems. We're in the process of getting this cleaned out so we're excited and expecting a healthy Keegan soon!!

Ok, on to David. David is definitely my little explorer. Where Keegan is happy with a toy for awhile, David gets bored very easily. If I hand him a toy, he'll look at it then set it aside, knowing that it will still be there later when he's seen all there is to see. He keeps me busy and I ALWAYS have to have an eye on him. He loves stairs, gates, and anything else he can climb! David is still in his helmet at nighttime. We go back January 18th for a recheck and hopefully we will be done with it soon! His toes have healed completely and the scar from where they took the skin graft is healing up really well. At his last check up he was just over 18 pounds and 24 inches long. He is definitely smaller than Keegs but he can hold his own! David has recently started saying "mama" and he says it ALL THE TIME! I love it. It absolutely melts my heart. He can also give "kisses" and pulls up on everything. Davy has four teeth. 2 on top and 2 on bottom. His hair is really blonde and getting pretty long. It's doing what his daddy's did and is curling on the bottom which is SO adorable!

Right now they are both sound asleep in their room. I thank the Lord for 8PM when they go down, and I thank the Lord for 8 AM when they usually get up. We are SO excited for what God is going to do in this new year!

My friend Lou Anne took these pictures of the boys! Check out her website: www.ljoycephotography.com.

October = Crazy

This month has been so incredibly weird! Phillip and I decided to start a 40 days of purpose type thing between the two of us. We started it the end of September and we're about to finish it up Friday. We both committed to certain things, read through Purpose Driven Life, and became very consistent in our daily devotions and prayer time. We're really asking God for direction and praying that this 40 days will change us!

We have 3 days left and all I can say is this: God has something amazing just around the corner for us, because the adversary has thrown everything he can to stop us. In the last 36 days both boys have had surgery. Our finances have completely fallen through the floor. I've had a cold for 2 weeks. Phillip was in the emergency room with kidney stones. Keegan has had a fever 3 weeks out of that 36 days. He has contracted the coxsackie virus (blisters in his mouth and throat) for the second time in 3 months. Due to sickness, I have not been able to work or teach as much this month. Bills have been late. We've been to the emergency room 5 times and the boys have been to the pediatrician 3 times. Our stress levels have gone through the roof.

And then, there are the miraculous things that God is doing in the midst of it! We have learned to trust in a whole new way. It's a safe place to be when Jesus is the only One who truly sees exactly where we are and He is the only One who can bring change. Phillip and I are learning to rest in that. We have been to the peds 3 times, the plastic surgeon 3 times, had 2 surgeries, been in the ER 5 times. In copays alone, this should have been $660.00. Out of pocket, we have paid a total of $185.00. Keegan's surgeon and the pediatrician are the only two who have charged us and come to find out, we shouldn't have had to pay the $125.00 to the surgeon. God is good!

David's toes have healed up nicely despite all of the "trauma" of coming out of 5 hard casts. He has not cried one time due to pain or sensitivity. All of the bandaging is supposed to come off today and we can bathe his foot! Praise the Lord for His healing work in David! He has crawled all over the place putting quite a bit of pressure on his separated toes. The graft has held just fine and the worst part is that he has eaten the legs off of two dead crickets I didn't see...He enjoyed it, I just about lost my lunch and my stomach is churning right now thinking about it!

Keegan has not had any more trouble with his ears. Although he has struggled with other things, we thank God that the tubes have been working and his ears no longer bother him! He is not crawling yet but has learned to go from sitting to laying on his stomach and is just started to try to get up on all fours - It won't be long! He has his front two top teeth coming in and he looks absolutely adorable!

The Lord has blessed us financially through all of this. I have found money in strange places! We have been able to catch up on bills and even pay a debt off! People have unexpectedly made us dinner, bought clothes for the boys, and dropped off food for them. It's amazing how God uses tests and trials to build faith. My faith has been shallow and I feel like I've been thrown in the deep end lately, but I know God "holds my world in His hands!"

I have so much to be thankful for! One look at my precious boys and I can't complain - God has been SO GOOD. He has brought a song to my mind many times in the last 40 days and I'll sign off with it! "Even in the hard times, even when I feel pain, I've made up my mind - I'm going to praise Him anyway! Through the fire and through the rain, I will lift up His name, though I may feel discouraged, He is worthy to be praised! After all He has done and how far we have come, His word and His promise forever remain. And I know this is true, He will carry me through, He's WORTHY just the same!"

Teeth, Squealing, and the Army Crawl!

The boys turned 7 months on September 21st. What a crazy whirlwind it has been! David has been in a helmet since August 3rd. He doesn't seem to mind it too much. He has a neck condition called torticollis which even in the womb caused him to lay with his head to the right. Until physical therapy, he had a very hard time turning his head to the left, but most of that has been resolved! His last (hopefully) PT session is Tuesday and I'm super excited to see what his therapist says! Because of this condition, he developed quite the flat spot so the helmet is helping to round out his head. I think he looks adorable in the helmet though! He's built like a linebacker so I call the helmet his football helmet! :o)I think the helmet has given him confidence because he loves to move! He army crawls all over the place and is fascinated with cords, so Mommy and Daddy are trying to hide lamp cords, tv cords, etc. It's just beginning!


Keegan will be going into surgery for his ears on Friday. He has to get tubes. He has been on amoxicillen, augmentin, omnicef, and two shots of rosephin all since the middle of July. His ear infections have been in both ears and have been continuous. So thankful for Dr. Kraus who is taking action quickly to bring some relief to my pumpkin! The great thing is - Keegan always smiles, even when sick. Keegan has seemed to reach a higher level of volume in the last few weeks. I even asked the doctor if that was an effect of his ear infections. Although the doctor said no, she did say that when he squeals, it probably vibrates the fluid in his ears and tickles a bit. He has learned to entertain himself by squealing! He is very loud but we love hearing his voice!

Looking forward to getting together for a playdate with two friends who also have twins. Monday we're having what I termed "Twinfest!" It should be fun and I know the boys can't wait to see their friends! Until next time...

The Birth of Two Precious Boys

7 months ago our lives were changed forever. Phillip and I welcomed David Stone Jefferson and Phillip Keegan Jefferson into the world. They were born on February 21st, 2010 at 12:12PM and 12:14PM. David weighed 5 lbs 6 ounces and Keegan weighed 5 lbs 4 ounces. We knew that their arrival would change life as we knew it - boy, we had no idea the impact of their births! I would like to use this blog to keep updates (if for no one else but myself) of their growth and how they are learning new things!! I have wanted to sit down and also write an account of their births while it was still somewhat fresh in my memory...7 months later, I'll still attempt it!

Thursday, February 18th, I was admitted to Women's Hospital in Greensboro, NC. Dr. Neal had sent me over after my blood pressure read 142/100. I was just 35 weeks along and the high blood pressure was a new problem since I had had very low blood pressures up until then. I had already been in and out of the hospital at least 5 times for contractions - it seems these boys were just ready to get here! After being hooked up to the monitor, we realized that I was having some pretty strong contractions. Dr. Neal wanted to try and give me medicine to stop the contractions, then monitor my blood pressure. After quite an intense discussion  (as Phillip and I were told by other doctors that I was in the "safe zone" as far as delivering the boys early) between Dr. Neal and me, it was decided that I would be given Staydol and Finigren to help knock me out. We would then just monitor the contractions and decide what to do from then on. Thursday and Friday were a blur as the medicine completely knocked me out. Friday night, Dr. Lowe decided to do a 24 hour test to check my protein levels. We would know something Saturday evening!

Saturday evening Dr. Lowe came in and gave us the news we were waiting for! My protein was elevated indicating that I was in the beginning stages of toxemia and it would be best to induce labor and take the babies. Phillip and I were able to see our precious boys via ultrasound that evening and were ecstatic that they both weighed about 6 pounds. I was moved into another room and the induction began. Sunday morning, Dr. Lowe came in and said that after looking at the ultrasound, Baby B (Keegan) had moved and a C-section was now necessary! We were so excited! Aunt Lauren went to Starbucks and bought all of the food in the store to bring to the hospital! Mimi and Poppy (Ronnie and Kim) waited with Nan, Papa (David and Cheri), Aunt Lauren, Uncle Brandin, and Aunt Lindsay.

At about 11:30, they wheeled me into the operating room. I was given a spinal block and prepped for surgery. It was amazing - I didn't feel a thing with the spinal! Thank the Lord! The spinal did not fully take effect so they tilted me upside down to get the medicine flowing. Finally, Phillip came in and David was born, followed by Keegan!

I got to hear their sweet cries and see them for just a few minutes before being moved into the recovery room for 2 hours. Our families got to watch as the nurses cleaned the boys up, fed them their first meal, and performed all kinds of tests!

The first two nights, the boys stayed in the nursery. I was very sick after the delivery and very weak so I didn't have much of a chance to hold the babies until Tuesday. Being very sick, I couldn't really sit up much until late Monday afternoon and my wonderful nurse Donna really helped to get the healing process going! She also thought it was awful that I hadn't had much time with the babies. I will always remember her kindness. The third and last night in the hospital, the boys roomed in with Phillip and me. David cried all night long and we didn't get much sleep! Finally, after some complications with me were cleared up, we took the boys home. It was snowing the day we brought them home!

Dr. Lowe is the doctor who delivered the boys and although David is named after my father, Dr. David Lowe will always think we named David after him! :o) We are thankful for Dr. Lowe's wonderful care of me and the babies!

So, that's it in a nutshell. I wish I remembered more, but the medicine they put me on was very strong. I am so glad that the boys were perfectly healthy. Neither one spent a moment in the NICU. They came home with me on Wednesday, February 24th.

Now they are 7 months old and growing! I'll be updating about the special things they are doing and will definitely be posting pictures!!