Final "To-Do"s

Twin transportation.... check!
A few weekends ago, Jason installed the car seats into our new van. He had them checked out at a community safety inspection, and thankfully, we passed!

Twin sleeping centers.... check!
Although we had one crib loaned to us, we knew we'd need a second crib eventually. The crib was a snap to transport in our new van and relatively easy to set up as well. Deciding how to fit all this new furniture into our baby room would be the real challenge.

Clothes washed and organized... check!
After my Head-to-Toe themed shower, my friend Jenn told me that part of her gift was helping me to organize all the new clothes we had been given. What a blessing to have her time and her wisdom! It certainly made the task of tag-cutting, sorting, and folding much more enjoyable. We now have tubs of cute, clean clothes ready for the twins' various stages.

Nursery decorations complete... check!
On one of my recent Bible study nights, I recruited my girls to help place our Noah's Ark themed animal decals on the wall. It was so great having their help. The task was done quickly, and Jason and I both were so pleased with the final product.

So... here is the picture-tour of our nursery in its final stages, ready for the arrival of 2 new Schleicher boys!

A School Surprise

Last week, I walked into my classroom after a recess break to a loud chorus of "Surprise!" The room was decorated with balloons and gifts, and various school parents had arrived to help lead a 4th grade baby shower.

 

The first activity was a matching game: pairing animals to the correct name of their offspring.

Then we went outside for what I called the "empathy run." The shower host instructed the students to run the length of our outdoor basketball court, wearing a backpack on their stomachs. The backpack contained nearly 9 pounds of weight. As most students finished their run, I heard comments like, "How do you do it, Mrs. Schleicher?" and "That's why you need to sit down so much!" and "Boy, that's heavy!" What a creative idea for the students!

Once back inside, we played a game of Baby Bingo.

 
My very favorite part of the shower was receiving a book that the students had assembled called "Fourth Grade Baby Advice." Each student drew a picture and then wrote a letter containing what they appreciated about me as their teacher and advice that I should know as a mother-to-be. Here are some of the most creative kid entries:

* Make sure you always have an air freshener in your hand.
* Keep markers and other things like scissors on a high shelf.
* Remember that their diapers will stink every time you change them.
* Don't be stressed.
* Make sure you always feed them, never yell at them, and sing them a lullaby.
* Never run out of diapers.
* Always spend time with them. Kids get lonely fast.
* Try to remember who is who and don't forget their names.
* Make sure the baby twins will be Detroit Lions fans.

A big, big thank you goes to my dear friend Laura (who also has a son in my class) for organizing this shower. She had so many creative ideas! The kids obviously had a great time, and I was left with many wonderful memories.

The XL Stages of Pregnancy

The Top 8 Ways You Know You're in the Extra Large Stage of Pregnancy...

#8 -- You need at least two breather breaks while climbing any set of stairs.

#7 -- The first thing the nurse says to you upon seeing your ankles is, "Whoa! Talk about some edema (swelling)!"

#6 -- When folding baby clothes, you discover that your tummy makes an ideal shelf & folding surface.

#5 -- A school parent tells you, "You look like you could just topple over forward!"

#4 -- The only way you can wash dishes at the sink is by standing to the side.

#3 -- The T-shirts that most comfortably fit you are your husband's shirts... the ones that are in the back of his drawer because they're too large even for him.

#2 -- One of your students tells you during gym class, "Mrs. Schleicher, when I glanced over at you, at first I thought you were holding a big basketball!"

#1 -- Your ultrasound tech measures your babies at 4 lbs 9 oz and 4 lbs 11 oz.... for a grand total baby weight of 9 lbs 4 oz.

While this stage is certainly not the most comfortable, both Jason and I realize that we have SO much to thank God for. We were very pleased last Monday to hear our babies' approximate weight. The boys still need more time in the womb to grow and mature, but they are certainly at a viable stage if they were to be born early. We are also thankful that Amy is still feeling well enough to teach, mostly full-time, with only an occasional half day. Through all of the inconveniences of being a bit larger, we are reminded that extra growth for me means health and growth for the babies as well. Thank you so much for your continued prayers as we draw nearer and nearer to the boys' arrival.

1, 2, 3... Shower!

Jason and I have been blessed to have 3 different showers thrown for us during the past few months. Shower #1 was a "Shower by Mail" organized by my sister, mother, and mother-in-law, primarily designed for relatives that live too spread out to gather for a shower. Kim designed some super cute invitations and encouraged the gift givers to purchase books for our boys in lieu of cards.

It has been so fun to receive multiple packages in the mail over the past few weeks. We've been excited to receive quite a variety of gifts. Some gift samples are pictured below.

Shower #2 was a suprise shower thrown for Jason by his youth board at church. Little did he know that while he was planning an agenda for the meeting, the ladies on his board were buying balloons & gifts and making cherry cobbler for a sweet shower treat. What a fun surprise! These ladies sure knew how to spoil the daddy-to-be!

Shower #3 was a "Head-to-Toe" themed shower thrown for Amy by a group of good friends. The guests were primarily staff and close friends from church and school. Because the shower was held in the morning, we ate yummy homemade muffins, egg bakes, and fresh fruit. The decorations were fun and elegant-looking as well.

Here are two of the shower hostesses: Lynne, a fellow teacher and the owner of the beautiful home, and Jenn, a wonderful friend and experienced mother of 2 boys.

We played several fun games - a word scramble for items that come in pairs, a baby "lotto," and a creative name game in which the guests had to come up with twin names using only the letters found in Jason and Amy Schleicher.

 Here is Amy, listening intently as the ladies read their favorite twin name pair. Amy had to vote on her favorite. The result was a tie: Henry and Heimlich and (for our musical boys) DoRe and Me.

Because of the head-to-toe theme, we received TONS of adorable clothing items all the way up to 18 months! We commented on the popular mini-Jason outfits of polo shirts & plaid shorts. The Montana boys even got their first pair of cowboy boots! :)

Here is the whole gang - what a group! It was SUCH a fun morning hanging out with these ladies. We felt amazingly blessed by their generosity. Thank you, thank you, to ALL of you involved in organizing and/or participating in these 3 events. You have certainly showered us with lots of love, and we thank God for you!