21 Weeks - Baby Moon in Savannah

Chad and I like to travel so we wanted at least one more trip before the boys arrived. We decided on Savannah and headed that way at 21 weeks pregnant with twins. By the way, Savannah is really hot in June! 

We got to Savannah at lunch that Friday and our first meal was at The Olde Pink House. The service was great and the food was amazing! Chad ordered fried chicken. Our server told us he had only seen one person finish the plate. When he came to pick up the plate, he had seen two. Chad was eating enough for our entire family. 

The hidden room in the restaurant. 

We stayed at the Hampton Inn in the Historic District which is right behind River Street. It was a great place to stay because we could walk almost everywhere. View of the river our room:

After walking around Savannah all afternoon, we got ready for dinner at Rocks on the River. 

We woke up Saturday morning and walked to Forsyth Park. Later that day we ate the biggest pieces of pizza ever from Vinnie Van GoGo's in City Market.

Saturday night we went to Hilton Head for dinner and then came back to Savannah for ice cream at Leopold's. 

People stand in line for hours to buy ice cream but luckily our wait was only 45 minutes. We went back to City Park and listened to music. 

We enjoyed our time in Savannah but would recommend going in the spring or fall. The summers there are very hot and humid. Don't leave Savannah without getting some pralines from River Street!

20 Week Ultrasound

At 19 weeks I was a pregnant Matron of Honor in my best friend's wedding!

 

The following week, we went in to the doctor for our 20 week ultrasound and both boys had what the nurse called "beautiful anatomy". We were able to get a DVD of our boys kicking and moving around inside my belly. We confirmed that the boys each had their own placenta and therefore were fraternal twins. We found out Baby B was a week smaller than Baby A and asked if we should be worried. The doctor told us Baby B was just a smaller baby. He was also already sucking his thumb!

We left the doctor's office happy and scheduled our next appointment for 24 weeks.

Twin Gender Reveal

We had cupcakes made at Edgar's for our Twin Gender Reveal on Mother's Day Weekend. My mom and dad came up and Chad's mom, brother, and sister-in-law all came over for our reveal. Chad grilled hamburgers and we had the cupcakes for dessert.

Only two people got the genders correct:

  

But Chad was extremely excited about 2 BOYS!

The next day we went out for lunch to celebrate Mother's Day and thought about how different things would be on our next Mother's Day.

Twin Announcement

We waited until we were 14 weeks pregnant to share our news!

What to Expect

It's been a busy 2015. After being sick all Valentine’s Weekend I went to the doctor and we found out we were pregnant! I wrote my first note to my future child two days later:

“The nurse called on Monday at lunch with the most amazing news. I wish our phone call was recorded. I am pretty sure that I screamed and told the nurse she was my new favorite person. The first thing I wanted to do when I found out was go buy a tiny pair of shoes. I called Chad but decided to wait and tell him when he got home so I could tell him in person. Holding in that secret made Monday the longest afternoon ever. Both my mom and Chad’s mom were thrilled with the news and my dad wanted us to start referring to you as Scout until we know if you are a little boy or a little girl. I keep calling you Poppy. I read somewhere you are only the size of a poppy seed. You have so many people praying for you already. Hold on for another 8 months little Poppy. You are truly our little miracle.”

I wrote a second note a week later:

“Today is exactly one week after our first positive test. Today is also the first time we got to see you. You are the tiniest little dot. I was so thrilled. This last week I have felt so great and energetic, I was terrified you were not there anymore. It turns out you are definitely there! I’ve noticed my appetite start to increase. We are still praying for you every day and can’t wait to meet you!”

Because some of our blood work numbers were high, the nurse asked us to come back in a week and we found out some really unexpected news. 

After getting the news I wrote my third note:

“We expected to see one little heart beat on our ultrasound yesterday and there were two. I’m going to be honest, it took us a second to adjust but now we are just thrilled! I read up on twins all last night. You will be here even earlier that we expected. Twins are carried for 36 or 37 weeks instead of 40 weeks like singles. I also learned twins like to share a crib at first because they are used to being right beside one another and hearing their twin’s heartbeat. I just think that is the sweetest thing. There are so few people in the world with a twin. How special that you two will grow up together and share something very few get to share. I just hope I can provide all the nourishment you two need and that you stay put for 30 more weeks! By the way, you really like pizza.”

Happy 1st Birthday to Our House

Happy 1^st Birthday to Our House

We officially closed on our house on June 11, 2013. Our first year in our home has gone by quickly with no major damage. We did have one small bleach cleaner incident on our dark wood floors, but we fully recovered. What better way to celebrate your home’s first birthday than with a cookie cake? New life lesson learned: cast iron skillets rust and ruin in the dishwasher. 

The first couple of months after moving in we bought so many things for our home. Lately, I feel like I have neglected our house and haven’t bought anything new. So in the last week, we’ve redone Chad’s middle school desk and a dining room chair from my great-aunt’s, purchased a new door hanger, and a new sign for the kitchen.

Our new sign hanging in our kitchen

and now for a close up

 

 

I’ve never recovered a dining room chair, but my mom has done all of hers and said it is super easy. My great-aunt’s chair was at least 50 years old so we replaced the fabric and the actual seat cushion. We used Amy Howard’s chalk paint to paint the desk and chair an off white color. I am pleased with our results! My paint speed isn’t the best. I painted the chair in the same time Chad painted the entire desk.

 

the BEFORE

and the AFTER

While we were at my great-aunt’s picking up a dining room chair, we also grabbed an old rocking chair. We will only be polishing the chair. We have no way of knowing how old the chair is, but if my great-aunt was alive today she would be 101. The chair could have belonged to her mom and easily be over 100 years old. It is now in the guest bedroom where our desk used to be and our desk is now in our master bedroom. 

Moving furniture around and buying or redoing old pieces is exciting to me and I can’t wait to see what changes will be made in the next year.

Boston Strong

Anniversary Trip to Boston

We survived our first year of marriage!! PAPER is the suggestion for the 1st Anniversary Gift. What a wonderful excuse to buy plane tickets and take a trip. Tickets definitely count as paper, right? We got plane tickets to Boston, Red Sox / Yankees Baseball Tickets, Fenway Park Tour Tickets, Blue Man Group Tickets, and Hop on Hop off Trolley Tickets. I think we succeeded in the paper gift department. Just know that if you buy your tickets to any events ahead of time then you should double check to make sure your spouse packed the tickets. :)

WEDNESDAY, Day 1 – If you think Chicago is the only ‘Windy City’ then you are definitely wrong. Our first and second days in Boston, the wind was up to 29 MPH and that makes for a very cold April day when you are from Alabama (the great state of heat and humidity). We flew in and took the T (the Subway in Boston) from the airport to the Prudential Center stop and then walked two short blocks to our Hotel (The Hilton – Back Bay). Back Bay is such a neat area and we enjoyed being so close to Newbury Street, Fenway Park, and some really great restaurants. After checking in and changing, our first stop was the Boston Marathon Finish Line. Since we arrived two days after the 2014 Marathon, the finish line was still partially painted on the pavement. So many stores had windows displaying their support for the marathon.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Night one, we headed to the Theatre District and had dinner at the Intermission Tavern before going to see the Blue Man Group. We passed through Boston Commons and the Public Gardens on our way and we were able to see the swan boats. After the Blue Man Group Show, we stopped at Cheers before heading back to the hotel. No one knew our name, but Cheers is definitely a must see for Boston. We were having problems understanding some of the Boston accents on our first day, but I assume they
were having issues with our accents too considering a worker at Dunkin Donuts asked us if we spoke English. I knew our Southern accents were heavy, but wow.

THURSDAY, Day 2 – We woke up early on Thursday and bought two day passes for the Old Town Trolley Hop on Hop off Bus. This is a great way to get transportation and find out more about the city. NOTE: The trolley does stop running around 6 PM so you do have to make other travel plans at night. We stopped at the first trolley stop and purchased tickets for a guided tour of Fenway Park. The tour lasts approximately an hour and the tickets are only $16 per person (well worth it). 

After the Fenway Tour we jumped back on the trolley to head for lunch at Legal Harborside. The Legal Seafood Restaurants are everywhere in Boston and Legal Harborside is part of that chain. The Legal Harborside Restaurant is right on the water and the views are amazing. NOTE: The rooftop sushi bar opens after 4 PM and is not open at lunch. When in Boston, you have to try a lobster roll. Even though we aren’t lobster fans and definitely aren’t mayo people, we ordered one. 

 After lunch we headed back to the Fenway Park area for the pre-game atmosphere. The Bleacher Bar is located just on the other side of Fenway Park’s Outfield. Before the game the outfield mats are removed and you can see the players on the field warming up. Cameras are prohibited inside the bar and the mats go up once the game starts. We had tickets in right field for the Red Sox vs. Yankees game, but unfortunately the Red Sox lost. We are Braves fans, but wanted the Red Sox to win while we were in Boston. We were so layered up for the weather that I could barely move! I had on three jackets and Chad’s vest, seriously.

FRIDAY, Day 3 – The sun was out and it was not nearly as windy on Friday! We spent the entire day doing everything we possibly could outside. We took the trolley to Cambridge and made our first stop at MIT. From there we began our walk to Harvard. We were originally told this was just a mile walk, just so you know it is not a mile walk and I highly recommend taking the T. Luckily, I only had on two layers that day. After taking a coffee and breakfast break, we finally made it to Harvard! The campus is breathtaking and full of history. We headed back to Boston on the T and stopped at Faneuil Hall / Quincy Market. I couldn’t believe the cheap prices of the fresh produce. There are tons of places to eat in that area so go with an appetite. 

 
We had lunch at the Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in the United States. I had salmon and Chad had an oyster po’boy. Both were delicious, but I would highly recommend their oyster po’boy. After lunch we walked the Freedom Trail and saw Paul Revere’s House. Side note: his house sneaks up on you; we completely passed it...TWICE. Late Friday afternoon we took the T to the Sam Adams Brewery for the last brewery tour that day. Several of the restaurants in Boston have their own unique Sam Adams Brew on tap. The brewery tour lasted around an hour and we were able to taste the Sam Adams Black and Gold. This beer is only sold at the Bruins games. Chad loved the brewery! 

Friday night was our last night. We were able to see all of Boston when we went up to the 52nd floor of the Prudential Center to the Top of the Hub Restaurant for a drink before heading to dinner on Newbury Street. Newbury Street is known for its high end shops and restaurants. Stephanie’s Restaurant on Newbury was the perfect spot for dinner on our last night in Boston.

SATURDAY, Day 4 – We woke up to rain on Saturday so that meant we got to go SHOPPING! We spent a few hours shopping before having lunch at Haru Sushi and heading back to the airport. We have scratched another city off of our list. San Diego is still my favorite U.S. city, but nothing beats New York at Christmas.

Merry Christmas 2013

I have not posted in a really long time but I really wanted to post pictures from our first Christmas as The Graves Family. We had a great time decorating our house for our first Married, Merry Christmas!

I was able to talk Chad into a fake Christmas tree. I know that seems terrible, but when it came time to take “Gloria” (our tree) down we were very happy with our decision on a fake tree. Yes, I named our tree. I tend to name almost everything. Gloria wore burlap ribbon and silver, white, and gold ornaments.

Two of my favorite new ornaments for our tree were two newlywed ornaments we received. One was from Chad’s Aunt Sharon with penguins. The other was a clear glass ball with shreds from our Wedding Program. 

Since we live in a planned community/neighborhood, everyone has one tree and they all look identical. We all put white lights on our trees. This was extremely neat for me because I grew up in a neighborhood that had a white light tree in each front yard. Chad put the lights in our tree on one of the coldest days in December. I learned not to walk outside and say, “You missed a spot”.

 

 
We used some of our leftover wedding credit to buy two pre-lit trees for either side of our front door and used some of my mom and dad’s old wreaths on our windows. SIDE NOTE: suction cup wreath hangs work and the sticky tape ones DO NOT (especially in the humid state of Alabama).

I still LOVE our stone fireplace. We asked for two old Coca-Cola boxes from Chad’s mom when she moved and filled those with firewood and Christmas lights. We put two silver angels on the mantel and added an old window with a wreath (thank you Pinterest).  

Another idea I pinned on Pinterest and used was the idea to hang our Christmas Cards on our kitchen cabinets. I used the same burlap ribbon from the tree and the old window. We are keeping or cards up through the end of January. I wanted to appreciate them a little bit longer.  

We used one of our wedding pictures for our Christmas Card.
 

We enjoyed decorating our house and can’t wait to put our decorations back up in 10 ½ months!