Nine Years Without Her

Friday, December 14th marked 9 years since my sister's accident and death. It's still unbelievable to me that I haven't seen her in that length of time. That day will now also be a day to remember the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. My grief seemed so small in light of the heavy burdens I knew so many families were experiencing that day. Reminiscing on the loss of my sister and then the shootings in Connecticut made one thing clear to me, nothing in this world is permanent except my relationship with Christ and the pain that we all experienced this past Friday, as we witnessed such depraved evil, makes me long for reconciliation, for Christ's return so that things can be as they should. That's the only sense I can make of any of it, God wants me and every person in this world to love Him and long for Him above all else.

I do want to note though that I'm so thankful to God that he has brought my family through these last 9 years. My mom and I were talking about how there was a time that we really didn't think we could live without Meredith and the sorrow seemed to overshadow our every moment. We're so thankful that God has given us the strength to keep living and loving and blessed us with so much joy through the twins.

It's sad to hear my little Meredith ask about he Aunt Meredith. Just today she asked me why Aunt Meredith died (yes, we talk about things like that). It's hard to speak so matter of factly to her about it, but I don't want my kids to be scared to talk about the reality of death and I want them to know that it's okay to be sad. It just blows my mind that my little Meredith thinks about things like that because she asked totally out of the blue at a time when we hadn't even mentioned Aunt Meredith. I'm so thankful she knows who Aunt Meredith is though, that she is part of her vocabulary and she knows that she was named after her because Aunt Meredith was so special to me and because SHE is so special to me. Wow, didn't mean to make this post so long, but that's what happens when I start talking about my sister.

27 weeks, Final Week of 2nd Trimester

Can't believe 27 weeks has arrived in this pregnancy. I had a great checkup today. My blood pressure and weight gain are looking good and I haven't heard anything from my glucose test screening for gestational diabetes, which in this case no news is good news. Elizabeth's heart rate was strong at 140 bpm and measuring right on target, so I am just rejoicing in this healthy pregnancy!

A lot of folks have been asking how the twins are doing with the pregnancy and they seem to be embracing it all. We talk about Elizabeth's arrival a lot and they have tried to feel her kicking, but no luck yet. I feel her kick a lot, but they're not patient enough to wait for the kicks. We're really going to start working on room preparedness for Elizabeth in January and we'll be taking the twins' cribs down so Elizabeth will have one and they can use their twin beds. We'll see how they adjust once visible change starts happening.

Here I am at 27 weeks. No hiding it now. I'm more achy than I was with the twins and just feel more uncomfortable, but most friends say that's normal with subsequent pregnancies.

Simple Fun at the Park

Ring Bearer Berkley

Berkley served as ring bearer in Stevan's 1st cousin's wedding this past Saturday, December 15th. I was so incredibly proud of him, he was amazing! He stood in his spot the entire time and didn't make a big scene. Now, he did have some moments of playing with the ring bearer pillow and he started nodding his head to the music a few times, but he was great for a 3 1/2 year old in their first big gig. I was so nervous beforehand that he'd never do it without Meredith, especially with people staring a him, but he proved me wrong and God answered my prayers. Look at my big, handsome boy!

Preschool Family Fun

On December 7th we took part in the preschool's evening Christmas party in which families have the opportunity to make a gingerbread house together. I have to admit, this was my first gingerbread house ever. The kids were a little distracted by all of the candy, they wanted to eat it rather than decorate with it. Daddy couldn't make it, so we were blessed to have Grandma join us. Fun was had by all:)

First Christmas Play

The twins were in their first Christmas play at church on December 9th. It was a fun twist to a traditional play in which superheroes were seeking out the king who they heard was going to save the world and thus take away all of their jobs. The shepherds were not just plain shepherds, but karate fighting shepherds who protected their sheep by night. Berkley was one of the karate shepherds and Meredith was an an angel. Berkley loved the spotlight and just came to life on stage. He did a "hi-yah" real loud and made everyone laugh and then broke out into free dance on stage. Meredith played Away in a Manger with a bell choir and made us so proud. She was nervous and kept rubbing her little nose. They both did a great job and I feel like taking part in the play really helped bring home the message that Christmas is truly all about the birth of the king who came to save the world.

Fun First Day of December

I just wrote a wonderful, lengthy blog post via my iPhone about today, only to somehow mistakenly delete it. So, I'm a bit frustrated. But, I can't resist sharing the pictures which inspired me to write the blog post in the first place.

Here are the twins enjoying horse drawn carriage rides with Papa and Mima at today's Martin County Farm Heritage Day. And then there are pictures of the twins anticipatory looks as the Jamesville Christmas parade began. They are the perfect age to really enjoy both events. They are inquisitive about all of the farm equipment and history and the holiday is magical. December is going to be a fun month!

Our Growing Babies

They'll always be my babies, that's for sure, but they are definitely not babies anymore. Just this week Meredith has begun sleeping with no pull-up at nap time and has had no problem staying dry. Berkley isn't there yet, but I'm hoping big sister will encourage him to get on that train soon. Also this week Meredith has begun completely undressing and redressing herself, even down to her socks and shoes. Meredith even likes to pick out her own clothes, which means she doesn't always match, but she's always cute and proud. I can't believe she's meeting these milestones and I know Berkley will soon follow. Wow! They're going to seem so grown when Elizabeth arrives. Also in the last two weeks they have started sleeping in together at night. It varies from night to night whose room they are in, but they want to be together. It all started with Sandy coming through, they were scared of the wind and rain, and they haven't wanted to be apart since. it can be inconvenient because Steven and I tend to have to go upstairs more often to settle them down, but I love that they want to be together.

And here is a picture of them in their Halloween costumes. Sadly, all my pics from that night were deleted when my phone crashed, but I had emailed this one to some family and was able to retrieve it. They were the CUTEST Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood ever!

My Larry Pup

Not all the news in our family this week is about my biological babies, I also want to share about my firstborn, my Larry pup. I LOVE my dog Larry! He will be 9 years old this spring and I've been in denial that for him, that means he's in his early senior years. He has always been young and spry in his behavior and appearance. But, sadly he is experiencing his first senior health condition. Larry has been diagnosed with Horner's syndrome, which is also a condition that humans can have. It's a nerve condition in his face and similar in a way to Bell's palsy. His lip is sagging and he can't close his right eye, it looks like he's had a stroke. The eye condition means he needs eye drops throughout the day and his eye gets gunky and the sagging lip makes him excessively drooly. Thankfully there is hope that he could be back to normal within 4 months, but i just wish I could know how/why this happened to prevent it from happening again. Having to wipe his eyes and face has just confirmed to me how much I love him and how much he means to our family because I haven't minded it a bit. We love you Larry! Here's a pic of his affected side, it's not super clear, but you can see the sagging.

Dance Moves

We decided to have a little lunch picnic today and after the twins ate we proceeded to listen to a little Huey Lewis and the News. I think they liked it based on their creative dance moves. If any Jamesville folks were paying attention as they drive by, they certainly got a show.

21 weeks

As of Wednesday, I am 21 weeks along in this pregnancy, which means we're a tad over the halfway mark. I am feeling very well and beginning to get a bit anxious in regards to our preparedness for Elizabeth's arrival. The twins continue to talk about the baby, Berkley in particular calls her "your baby in your tummy." I love to hear them say Elizabeth. My sister's best friend's name is Elizabeth, although she goes by Beth, and she made a comment about the baby's name, saying that my Meredith and baby Elizabeth are destined to be best friends. I hadn't thought about that before and it just affirmed to me that Elizabeth is the perfect name for this little girl. Elizabeth started kicking more strongly in the last week to where Steven could actually feel a couple of kicks, which is exciting to share with him. Can't wait until the twins can feel a kick! Here's a 21 week shot of the baby belly.

A Beautiful October Day

The kids had a fall party at school this morning and the best part was that parents and grandparents were invited to join the kids in making a craft and enjoying a snack. Grandma (my mom), Mima (Steven's mom), and I were able to join the kids and it was so much fun. The twins were so happy to see us there as they walked in the room. They made a cute little scarecrow craft and I was thrilled with how the twins drew their own faces on the scarecrow without assistance.

Then this afternoon the twins presented the chickens they've been taking care of (with lots of assistance from their Papa) at the 4-H Poultry Show. We were thrilled to learn that the twins' chickens placed second and they won a huge trophy and blue ribbon. They were so ecstatic about that trophy! The twins were decked out in their farming best; overalls, cowboy hats, and boots. I figured if they are in a farming show, they ought to look the part:)

Finally, I just wanted to note that the the twins have created imaginary friends. Berkley's friend is "Chantdirt" and Meredith's is "Medina". I've been surprised that they have created imaginary friends since they always have each other. They play along with each other when they are talking about their friends. I wonder how long this phase will last?

It's a...

Today was the big day, our ultrasound to see the health and gender of our baby. I've been counting down the days since the appointment was made. Steven thought it was a boy and I had a dream that it was a girl, so I thought girl. Well, we have a beautiful, healthy baby girl on the way! She was super active during the ultrasound and the first thing she showed us was that she was a she, she wasn't modest at all. She's measuring right on target and al of her organs and bones look to be formed correctly. Praising God for this unexpected gift of a new baby girl! We're excited to announce that her name is Elizabeth Irene, Elizabeth after Steven's mom (Mary Elizabeth) and Irene for my Nana. I am now 19 weeks along, my blood pressure is great and I haven't gained any weight from my start weight (but I know that will come). The twins seem happy to know they will have a sister and we've been practicing saying Elizabeth all evening. We all enjoyed a pink cupcake to celebrate a new sister. Here are some pictures of our new baby girl as well as one of the twins enjoying their cupcake.

A Perfect Fall Day

Today was a glorious fall day in eastern NC. The weather was in the upper 70's with nothing but blue skies and sunshine. My mom and I took the twins to a petting zoo and park in Windsor for the morning and the kids loved it. It amazes me to watch them on the park equipment, to observe how much they've grown developmentally and socially. It was a perfect morning. Then in the afternoon we went to visit Steven's Grandma Dot for her birthday. We are so blessed to have G-Dot in our lives and it was a treat to spend some quality time with her this afternoon. We followed that visit up with a quick trip to Mima and Papa's house, they had been out of town since late last week, so you can imagine how excited the twins were to see them. Mima and Papa were outside riding the gator around their property when we arrived so we patiently waited until they drove around and saw us. Oh, you should have seen the bliss on everyone's faces when they saw each other; it was a happy reunion indeed. And then to top off the evening, my mom and brother came over to put the kids to bed while Steven and I both had meetings. So, to say the twins had an awesome day is an understatement. We got to share the day with so many people that we love, what a blessing!

My sweeties

Sweet things that my kids have said lately...

They came to hug me goodnight, but I was getting a quick shower. Meredith said, "that's okay, I'll give you a shower hug" and she proceeded to press her little hands and head to the shower. Then Berkley proceeded to give me a shower kiss and pressed his little lips to the shower door. My babies love me and I love them right back.

Then today Berkley asks me to open my mouth and say "ah" so that he can see the new baby. He was pretty disappointed when he couldn't see the baby, but it was pretty sweet.

The State Fair

Today, my mom and I ventured to the State Fair with the twins. We were on a mission to watch Papa (Steven's dad) compete in a draft horse competition. Oh what fun we had! The twins ended up riding with Papa in his first competition of the day. I was so nervous that they would act out and cause Papa distraction, but they were absolutely wonderful! I'm so proud of my babies, not to mention Steven's dad and his beautiful horses, who by the way won the blue ribbon today (one of at least 6 from the past two days). We also had a blast riding rides with Grandma, Papa, and Mima in tow. I tell you, my kids are blessed to have such amazing grandparents who make everything so much fun! The twins rode their first true roller coaster and I was shocked that Meredith was so fearless (she's very much like her Aunt Meredith in that way). Berkley loved the roller coaster too, but as you can see from the picture, he held on a bit tighter than his sister. I know my mom and I are going to be sore tomorrow, but we both decided that it was totally worth it. And as you can see from the picture below, Grandma was happy to be with her grand babies, soreness or not!

17 weeks

Several friends have been asking to see some baby belly pictures. Pregnancy is the only time in my life I don't mind flaunting my belly:) Here we are at 17 weeks. Little Manning is said to weigh around 5 ounces now. We will be going for our big ultrasound on October 24th and I am counting down the days! I'm more anxious to see the health status and sex of this baby than I was the twins.

Pitt County Fair 2012

Tonight was our first experience as a family at a fair. We visited the Pitt County Fair and had a magical time! Berkley and Meredith are just so enthusiastic, imaginative, and just plain fun at this age, which made the fair a truly memorable experience. The first ride we did together was the giant slide that you ride down on burlap sacks. Steven reprimanded me later for having ridden with Berkley (I was supposed to be waiting with Berkley at the bottom) and I have to admit, about halfway down I was wondering what I was doing, but boy was it fun! When we got to the bottom I have never seen such a giant grin on Berkley's face, he laughed hysterically and began asking to go again. The twins rode many rides by themselves, which I can't believe my babies are big enough to do that! They loved the pony ride and both exclaimed, "Yee haw" the moment they got on the saddle. Overall, it was great to see the twins take pride in the realization that they are more independent, which was evident on their faces as they ran to get onto and off of rides. We capped the evening off with a Ferris wheel ride, which they adored...made mommy kind of nervous, but they were oblivious to any fear. Fun times tonight for the Mannings!

Preschool 2012-2013

The twins began their 2nd year at Memorial Baptist Preschool about 4 weeks ago. I was so preoccupied with the pregnancy (i.e. nausea) that I didn't even post a picture of their 1st day. So, here they are, Meredith and Berkley on their first day. They have a new teacher and their class size is doubled from last year. They are the most excited that they get to play on the BIG playground! Their teacher has already shared that Meredith is a respectful child who really wants to help and she says that Berkley is content playing independently or letting others join in. I'm so proud of both of them and how they are learning and growing!

15 weeks

Hard to believe that I'm already in my 15th week of this pregnancy. As you see, this is only my 2nd post about this pregnancy...way different from my pregnancy with the twins when I was writing about their developments very routinely. I know I have excuses though, the twins being the major excuse of keeping me busy and then the excuse of just not feeling well. This pregnancy has been so different from the twins. I had a dream pregnancy with Berkley and Meredith; I was only sick twice! This go round I was sick all day for the 1st 12-13 weeks. I'm so thankful to be coming out of the cloud of morning sickness. I'm thankful for my mom, brother, husband, and in-laws for all the help they gave me w/ the twins! And I'm thankful for my precious twins who didn't complain about me being in bed all the time; instead they would join me or tell me I needed to rest. So, 15 weeks has been rough, but reassuring that this baby is growing as it should. I'm pretty sure that this week I started feeling the baby move; not real kicks, but quickening, which is really awesome! I've also started to show a bit in the last two weeks, but to most folks I still just look like my plus-size self. I'm excited to see my baby belly grow though (don't know if I'll be saying that in a few more months). Now we're looking forward to our ultrasound on October 24th to find out the health and sex of our newest little Manning!

Day Out With Thomas

We had a fun family adventure today, we took the kids to ride Thomas the Train in Spencer, NC. The kids had anticipated the trip all week and I think they had a blast! Berkley was mesmerized the entire ride, staring out the window in a daze. Meredith was purely giddy during the ride. Not only was it an adventure thanks to Thomas, but we also stayed in a hotel for the first time with the twins. It was pretty hilarious being in one room with two three year olds and your doctor husband who gets paged at all hours. To say the least, we laughed a lot last night and had fun together. We also were blessed to visit my Aunt Gwen and Uncle Norman in Charlotte, along with my Uncle Phil and his family. It was so refreshing to see my precious family, even for a brief visit. So, thank you Thomas the Train for visiting NC and giving our little family the opportunity to make some great memories!

Manning Beach Trip 2012

What a blast we've had with Steven's family this week at Emerald Isle, NC. This week has certainly confirmed how blessed we are to have the family that we do. I have loved watching my niece and nephew play enthusiastically with the twins and to see them be so sweet all together. We went to the aquarium this morning, it's the twins second year going but this year they REALLY loved it!!! Berkley was the most excited about the jelly fish and Meredith loved splashing in the water while sting rays swam by. Berkley didn't get into the ocean the entire week, he did however love the pool. His favorite was holding onto daddy and jumping into the pool. By our final night he jumped in all by himself and kept asking Steven to get further away. Meredith is my ocean beauty. She loved going into the ocean, as long as it was calm. She'd ask to go further and further out. What a great week!