Little Maegann's senior pictures

*Photographs courtesy of Maegann's Grandpa Joe, Joe Ramirez Photography

I met Maegann at the end of her seventh grade year, now she is a senior. Wait, when did that happen? We call her Little Maegann for a reason. Feel free to join me as I refuse to let her go quite yet.

Pregnant: 14 Weeks

Things are good. At our last doctor's appointment we got to hear the babies' heartbeats and we were told everything looks great. I am feeling better, I just have yucky headaches. There is no denying that my belly has arrived! Below are some of the comments I've received so far. I've decided not to get offended, for now I'm just laughing :

1. In the office in front of staff and students, "Oh my gosh you are getting fat!" This was said by a teacher who knows that I am pregnant. I just laughed nervously and replied, "Pregnant. You can say I'm looking pregnant."

2. As I'm walking across the quad area at lunch, students all around, "Wow Mrs. Beck! Why'd you get so fat?" This was said by a student. I turned around and walked up to her and her friends, "K, that really hurt my feelings to hear you say that in front of everyone. I'm pregnant, I'm going to have two babies." To this she replied, "GROSS!!!"

3. We were out to dinner and ran into some friends. The wife was super sweet and excited for us when we told her about the twins. I told her I was a little nervous because I'm already looking huge at 14 weeks. "Oh, no you don't! It just looks like you have gas." Ummm...great.

4. I treated myself to a pedicure after work this afternoon and as I sat down the lady's eyes zoomed into my belly. "Oh, you have baby!" I proudly beamed, "Yes, I'm having twins!" "Oh, she have twins!" She began to yell across the salon, "She have twins! I a twin! She six month with twins!" Er, six months? What? Where'd she get that? I made the mistake of correcting her, "I'm actually only 14 weeks." "Oh, hee hee," she began to laugh. "You get so big!" I could have been a tad bit offended, but she spent the rest of the time telling me how lucky I am to be pregnant with twins and how special it is to be a twin. She has an identical twin sister. She certainly was excited for me- she even told me to close my eyes and relax when she massaged my feet, "You and big twins deserve."

We certainly do.

Sweet Pea and Lil' Peanut

Dear Babies,
12 weeks down! You are growing bigger and bigger every day. It seems early, but my belly is already swelling! At our last ultrasound we saw you moving around like crazy. You made me laugh so hard the screen got blurry because my belly kept moving. Everything I do and think about now is about you- you are already a part of our family. Your big brother Michael and big sister Maegann ask about you all the time. They want to know if I can feel you and they love talking about what your names will be. It seems like so long until we will get to hold you!

These days you have me craving cole slaw from KFC- cole slaw of all things! Tonight I'm wanting pancakes and hash browns...hmmm, yummy. Grandma Judie brought us the cutest present that reminded her and Aunt Tanya of the way you look right now in ultrasounds. She brought us two little stuffed babies in sacks, their names are Sweet Pea and Lil' Peanut. They made me laugh and I cuddled them up, thinking that soon I will get to be snuggling with you. I'm thinking about you all the time.

Sweet Pea and Lil' Peanut

Hanging with the fam

Saturday was enjoyed by shopping and eating in San Luis. Yummy food and good company. I love you family!

Grandma Judie and Lil' Meg

Meg and her boyfriend Chad (yes, he got suckered into coming with us...and he had fun!)

Tanya and Charli
Camryn
Michael, Me, and Meg (Judie smiling in the background)

Awww...

I was looking through old pictures and I found our engagement photos ('see more photos here' in the right column).

The memories of our engagement came back to me...Mike took me to 'our spot,' Windmills, out on a bluff in Cayucos. We spent lot of time there when we first met. Mike would fish off his kayak and I would read books in the sand. When Mike proposed, he was recovering from a dirtbike accident and we were supposed to be going out to dinner to celebrate his birthday. We were going to our favorite restaurant, Schooners, so we stopped by Windmills before. Overlooking the water, I felt Mike fidgeting with his crutches and I turned around. He proposed down one one knee, broken femur and all. I had known for a while that I wanted to be Mike's wife. That night he told me that he had asked my parents and that his kids were thrilled. Little Maegann even helped pick the ring out. We celebrated afterwards with friends at Schooners and I fell even more in love with Mike.

Cameron Ingalls, the best photographer alive, helped us capture our love for each other and the beach by taking our engagement pictures where Mike proposed. Looking back at these pictures makes me smile...I love my husband.

Home

I spent last weekend with my family in Santa Maria. I had such an amazing time just hanging out with my parents and my brothers. I can't even remember the last time we were together for that long. To say I was showered with love is an understatement. Homemade meals, a massage, and a detailed car top the list of ways in which I was spoiled. And I laughed. No one makes me laugh like my brothers do. Thank you family, it was so good to be home.

Dad at the BBQ

S'mores in the city

Mom and Dad

Yes, this is actually how we roasted marsh mellows

Me and my boys

It's Getting Bettter All the Time

- 10 weeks-

I am feeling better! I really am. I still feel nauseous, but I am not actually throwing up and it is SO MUCH BETTER. I have been taking Zofron, an anti nausea medication for patients going through chemotherapy. I feel defensive about taking it because I don't want to do anything that will harm the babies, but I feel OK about it. I have read a lot about it and it seems to be a godsend for many women.

There's a lot you hear about before you get pregnant that you think has prepared you. Clearly I did not get what "morning sickness" was all about until it struck. My latest surprises have been weird dreams and....constipation, um, OUCH. Seriously, OUCH!

The dreams always involve the babies. Highlights include: one of the babies fell out and Mike was mad at me because I didn't call him to be a part of the birth. Uh, excuse me, but there was no birth. The baby FELL OUT. Another dream/nightmare featured a scary bald man chasing me with a knife trying to cut the babies out! Yucky! But this morning I woke up smiling because in my dream the babies were cuddled up with Mike and I. I reached for them when my eyes opened but realized it was a dream. I put my hands on my tummy instead and prayed a prayer of thanks...

Pregnant: 9 Weeks

Worst of (so far):
*Disclaimer- Ramblings of a grumpy pregnant woman

1. I feel sick most of the time. I am actually throwing up less, but I still feel like I'm about to blow from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep. Some days are better, some worse. I feel like a complainer and it's embarrassing but I don't want to leave my house.

2. Food. If I don't eat before I get hungry, my stomach starts churning and I feel sick. I quickly go from 'Hmmm, I should eat something', to 'I am past starving and now miserable.' The look/smell/thought of food is gross. Until I need it, in which case, I need it NOW. 15 minutes from now will be too late. Don't ask me to shop for or prepare it, because that is too overwhelming and again, makes me feel sick.

3. I feel fat. This one I'm actually doing OK with. I have wanted to be pregnant my whole life. I can't wait to sport a baby bump and glow. My only gripe is that you'd think with me feeling so shitty and all I would appear a tad bit slimmer. No. My front is soft and round. But the babies are the size of grapes this week so clearly they are not the ones making an appearance.

4. What's happening to me? As a result of the above, in collaboration with raging hormones, I am different. I rarely feel joyful and I am having a hard time enjoying pregnancy :( When I catch myself thinking that, I instantly feel guilty and and then I'm sad. I am quick with my husband and I'm not very fun to be around. I'm sorry Mike...I miss the old me too!

Best of (so far):
*There's hope! It's not all bad...like right now for instance. I have enough energy that I want to keep on writing.

1. Mom's home cooked meals. Seeing as I want to throw up at the look/smell/thought of most food, my Mom is graciously cooking one meal a week for me...how spoiled are we?

2. Michael and Maegann. Every couple of days, Michael and Maegann each call to say, "I'm so excited!!!!!! I can't belive we're having babies!!!!!!!!!!!" They also both offer to bring me food. They are going to be such a great brother and sister.

3. Telling people we are having a baby, or rather, babies! Many people in our lives know what a struggle it's been to get pregnant so it is amazing to see how genuinely excited they are by our news! Then when I say 'It's twins!', it's like I just told them the news all over again.

4. I started work last week and even though I feel crummy, it feels good to be productive. Being at work gives me something to focus on (besides myself...rare these days). I don't always feel good, but I have to get the job done, so I do. I worked on schedules all last week and the students come back to school this week. I love the first week of school. There's a buzz in the air. The kids sport new outfits, run around hugging each other, and just like that- a new year has begun. I am so fortunate that most of the time I work from 8-3:30. This is the perfect time to come home and plop down for a nap. (Just don't ask me to do anything once I get home. Again...sorry Mike).

5. Netflix. More specifically...HBO's Big Love. Seeing as I'm anti-social these days, there's nothing better than to escape into a story. I a huge reader, but even that seems to take effort these days. I discovered Big Love through my friend Crystal at the beginning of the summer. I am completely hooked to this modern-day polygamist family. Sound weird? It is so interesting! The best characters ever. Luckily, we only have the Netflix package that sends one DVD at a time, otherwise I would have been through the series months ago. I patiently wait for my next disc to arrive and I get three uninterrupted hours of Bill Paxton and his three families! Unfortunately, I think I'm almost at the end of the released episodes.

6. Back rubs. There is nothing that spoils me more. Even when I give grumpy attitude, Mike has been giving me back rubs. My favorite.

6. Doctor visits. Last week I had my first visit with my regular OBGYN. Throughout my visit I felt an overwhelming sense of...gratefulness. It was the first time I had been back in the office that originally referred me out to see a fertility specialist. I am back because we have arrived. This is it...everything is good. I sat in the waiting room with the other pregnant women and for the first time, I was one of them. I'm no longer on the outside looking in. I am going to be a Mom. So looking back at my 'worst of' list, I know none of that really matters. God has answered our prayers and given us two babies.

Happy Anniversary

Happy anniversary Mike. Two years later and I still get butterflies. I am so overwhelmed at the thought of you being a father to our babies. We are blessed and I love you so much!

Twins it is!

YAY! Yesterday we had our last appointment with the reproductive endocrinologist. He performed an ultrasound and this is what we saw...

Mike and I are SO EXCITED. I have been really sick so this was a great reminder that everything is going well and we have healthy babies in there. I start back to work on Monday, which I'm hoping will be a good distraction from all the morning (all day) sickness. I figure it won't be fun feeling yucky at work, but at least I will have distractions throughout my day. I am eight weeks along and I have officially graduated from the fertility doctor. Next week I have an appointment with my regular OBGYN. I get to be a normal pregnant woman :)

Happy Birthday Momma Judie

A very Happy Birthday to Momma Judie. I am blessed to have you as my mother-in-law and I am so excited for our babies to have you as their Grandma. Thank you for your unconditional love...we love you back!

Christmas in August

I have not been feeling great. (Translation: I feel like I'm going to throw up all the time). But all of this is OK because this is what I've been waiting for...pregnant women feel pukey, this is a good sign! I was talking to my Mom on the phone yesterday and she was giving me some snack suggestions to help with nausea. You'd think that was good enough, but no. Today my Dad showed up on my front door, an hour from home, bearing packages and goodies. I'm telling you, today was Christmas in August.

Thank you Mom for knowing what I need when I'm feeling too yucky to know myself. Thank you for spoiling me and just letting me be the daughter. Dad, thank you for taking the time to deliver and for the surprise visit. I love you both so very much.

Ultrasound

This morning I had my first ultrasound since finding out I was pregnant. "You certainly are pregnant," the Dr. told us. Then...we saw two sacs!!! Two!!! Mike and I looked at each other completely overwhelmed with emotion. WE ARE SO EXCITED.

We go back for the next ultrasound in two weeks. The doctor reiterated to us that this is a process and today's news is exciting, but we need to wait until the next appointment to be sure. He warned us against telling everyone quite yet. Ummm...oops.

I'm going to be a mommy!!! Two!!! We might have two!!!

My stepkds are simply GLAMOROUS

Ring! Ring!

Meghan: "Hello?"

Little Meg: "OHMYGOSHMEGHANYOUARENEVERGOINGTOBELIEVEITWE'REGOING BACKSTAGETOMEETFERGIERIGHTNOWTHISISSOCOOLOHMYGOSHI
HAVETOGOWE'REGOINGTOMEETFERGIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Click.

Meghan: "Of course you are."

Michael, Fergie Ferge, Lil' Meg, Lindsay

Brother and sister

I love that they hang out together

Summer afternoon at the beach

Over the weekend we had a summer afternoon at the beach with some of our best friends, the Harts, who happen to be our next door neighbors. We played on the beach while Mike and Troy caught yummy fish out of their kayaks.

Nikayla Rose

Kendall and Mackenzie

Justin and Shelby

Best buds

Mike and Troy: Ultimate Paddlers

My hubby