After close to two weeks of scraping ice off my windshield every morning before work, this morning I was finally able to jump in the car and go this morning with nothing but a jean jacket on....FINALLY!!  I must admit that I actually really enjoy the cold weather - especially being pregnant - but 14 days in a row was getting a little ridiculous. 
Stephen and I are offically homeowners again! :)  We closed last Friday morning!  The army that showed up to help us move in was amazing!  We are so blessed.  We left the closing and drove to the house where the packed Uhaul along with family and friends were waiting on us to start carrying things inside.  The rest of the weekend our home was like a revolving door with people constantly showing up asking what they could do to help!!  God is so good!  I couldn't believe that by the end of the weekend we actually had some stuff hanging on the walls!!  That's pretty impressive and super exciting after your whole life being in storage for 8 months or more. 
This weekend we had another team come help - Ben came back and this time brought Jennie.  The boys did some more heavy lifting, put some baby furniture together and worked on organizing the man cave (I mean garage)  The girls worked on getting the nursery in working order.  We officially have two cribs with made beds, two dressers, washed newborn clothes, assembled bouncy seats and an overall a functional nursery!!  There is still a little bit of work to be done but the babies have a place to sleep whenever they decide to make their appearance which was the goal!  Thank you girls!! :)
This week the goal is to work on getting the master bedroom in more functional working order - there are still boxes and "treasures" everywhere...then it is on to the office - which is the pink elephant for sure!!  It was kind of the catch all room when we moved in so there are all kinds of boxes to go though in there.  Stephen is hoping to get his garage in total working order this week and maybe - weather permitting - work on putting up the fence next weekend!
I still cannot believe how far we have come in such a short amount of time!  I really enjoyed coming up with meals for this week and grocery shopping for the necessary supplies - it has been a long time since I have been able to do that - and I really enjoy cooking so I'm looking forward to getting back into that habit!

As for a baby update....
We had an appointment with the high risk doctors last Tuesday.  They were happy with the progress that both babies have made.  They actually told me that as of Wednesday of this week - if the boys decide to make their appearance....no one will stop labor - talk about heart palpitations for mom!!  That was a scary realization!!  Baby B continues to be our big eater - weighing in at 4 pounds 7 oz where as apparently Baby A is watching his weight weighing only 3 pounds 14 oz.  The high risk group wants to see us back in 3 weeks and then they will start my weekly scans until I deliver. 
I had an appointment with our regular OB on Friday.  He informed me that I officially have cankles (only a doctor could get away with a comment like that).  He warned me that the swelling would probably get worse before it gets better but said my blood pressure still looked great so said he wasn't concerned.  He also informed me that I'm now measuring 43 cm - which he made sure to add in that that is bigger than a mom of one baby at full term - thanks doc!! :)  Overall it was a good appointment - he said everything looked good and didn't have any concerns - I did graduate to weekly appointments though which means that I get to spend part of every Friday until I deliver at the doctor (yipee - every girls dream)
Alright - well there is the update - pictures to come...I know that was on Stephen's list of things to try to get done today but if it doesn't happen we will work on getting pictures of me, the babies and the house up this week....I PROMISE!! 
Love you all - thanks for checking in with us and lets hope for several more doctor appointment updates before the actual delivery - I want these boys to cook as long

Well, to say that we have had a lot going on is probably an understatement!!  First and formost....this mommy is starting to feel like she needs her own zip code!  My belly is continuing to grow - which means that the acrobats in there are growing as well.  We have made it to 31 weeks as of today and still no complications!!  All is going so well which is such a blessing and answer to prayer.  I'm still able to work full time as of right now too which is also a huge blessing because those that know me well know that I would not do well on bed rest!!
At last measurement baby A was weighing in at 2 pounds 14 oz and the big eater baby B was 3 pounds 2 oz.  The doctors were thrilled with their progress so far and essentially said they had no concerns at this point!! 
Mommy is hanging in there - trying not to be to nasty to daddy - though unfortunately he often takes the brunt of my hormones (I mean come on - he sort of deserves it - this is all his fault!!)  I'm having a pretty hard time sleeping - it's tough to get comfortable and these little ones are making me get up every hour or so to potty all through the night.  I also got to experience the beauty of insomnia this week - which is quite possibly the most frustrating this EVER!!  It was totally horrible to sit and stare at the ceiling for hours in the middle of the night next to my peacefully sleeping husband thinking about how exhausted I was going to be at work the next day!!  Heartburn has also been sort of a fight recently - who knew that a glass of water could give you heart burn!!  :)  Enough with the complaints - momma's everywhere keep telling me that this will all be worth it in the end!!  I can't believe that we only have 6 weeks left (give or take - mommy would really like to last at least 7 more which would put me at 38 weeks but we'll see)

On the subject of the house...things are moving right along and the count down has really begun...we are closing in 9 DAYS!!  Yes that is right ladies and gentlemen - we are down to sigle digits - after being homeless for almost 8 months!!  To say that Stephen and I are excited would be an understatement!!  The baby furniture has been ordered and is set to come in that weekend.  We purchached a new frig - which was a little scary - those things are pricey - but we got a great deal and it's scheduled to be delivered the day we close.  I have the internet, phone and cable guy coming out first thing Saturday morning and the moving crew (ie - my parents, stephen's parents, ben and various other friends that we are going to sweet talk into helping us) will be there on Friday - we WILL be sleeping in our new house on the night we close - NO QUESTIONS ASKED!!  We do our first walk through tomorrow - so please keep that in your prayers :)
We hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and we wish you a wonderful New Year - filled with as many blessings as we have been blessed with!!

The Diehl family had yet another doctors appointment yesterday and got another great report :)
We went up to the high risk group and had yet another ultrasound - which is definitely the best part about this whole being high risk thing...We get ultrasounds all of the time!!
They said that yet again everything looked perfect!  Monkey A weighed in at 1# 8 oz and Monkey B was a chunky 1# 12 oz!!  Monkey B is apparently thinking about turning....last ultrasound he was head up and now he is more transverse which is great but we will see if he stays that way :)
After the clean bill of health and a reminder to take it easy from the high risk doctor is was down to the regular OB....
Blood pressure - great
Glucose test - passed with flying colors :)
Hemoglobin - looked better than perfect
Scale - totally terrifying number!!  I still can't get used to that regularly increasing number

Unfortunately the pictures were not that good and the video didn't work :(  but Stephen will try to get the decent ones up in the next few days!! 

All in all - life is good :)  I'm feeling huge and getting a little uncomfortable but hanging in there :)  No real complaints - The house is coming along VERY quickly - check out the pictures - Stephen adds so new ones almost every day :

So my newest favorite Saturday morning activity is garage sale- treasure hunting...I usually end up dragging my mother in law or sister in law along to help me find treasures :)  Our favorites are community garage sales - more bang for the buck you know!!  Well this morning was no exception - Cathy, Jennie and I headed out about 7:45 this morning down south to 210 for a huge community garage sale!!  We all found some treasures - Cathy found a great Pottery Barn Rocker, Jennie got a great deal on a shredder and I bought a screened enclosure that will be awesome for camping and other tailgating-type events (along with several other treasures)!!  A few weeks ago I found a fabulous chair that I can't wait to put in the new house.....

I posted a few pictures of the new treasures :)  It's the simple things in life :)

Well - I must say this whole blogging thing is a bit harder than I thought!!  There have been so many times I have had such great intentions of sitting down and writing an update but it just hasn't happened!!

So - first of all we had another doctors appointment on the 21st with both our regular OB and our high risk group.  Everyone is thrilled with the progress so far.  We had another ultrasound up at the high risk group - it wasn't nearly as cool as the first one up there but they were able to check growth of everything again and said that everything looks perfect.  Then it was down to the regular OB where the scale was a little scary but they assured me that I was right on target.  They also agreed that my blood pressure was great and though I am measuring at 30 CENTIMETERS which I feel is huge they assured me again that all is perfect!  As for now - they haven't limited me activity wise yet - but I'm trying to get prepared for what I fear is coming....I'm just crossing my fingers that it isn't total bedrest (those that know me well know I do not sit well)  :)  Next appointment is November 17th....I'll keep you posted! :)

On to the house!  Day 20 of 89 or less :)  Things are coming along.  We got all of the permits in on Monday which was actually a few days early than what we were expecting.  As of now we have form boards and the preliminary plumbing in place.  Steve, our builder, said he plans to start on the slab early next week :)  YEAH!!!   Our preconstruction meeting is Friday morning - which is when I guess we go over any changes we made to the plans or any upgrades we added - just to make sure we have the same plans that the builders do. 
Just a sidenote - if it takes the full 89 days we should close around January 12th - so say some prayers with us that Collins is able to get into gear and get it done before the 89 days :)  (January 12th would be cutting it pretty close to my 36 week cut off - officially full term for twins)

Guess thats all for now - I promise I really am going to try to do better at this :)  My camera has been acting up a bit but I am going to try to post some pictures of both the house and the babies :)
Love you all xoxo

Close your eyes and hold on tight - that has kind of been the theme of our life the last few weeks!!  Between finding out we are having two BOYS and then all that has gone on with the house - to say that I have been a little overwhelmed is an understatement! 
So - here is the update - for those of you that are a bit behind....
Stephen and I sold our house back in June...shortly before closing, we put an offer on a house that we loved and that was huge and got comfortable for the long ride - the house was a short sale which essentially means that there is nothing short about the process.  The best way I've had it explained to me is that it's called a short sale because the home owners are "short" on their mortgage - in other words - they are behind in payments and are trying to help the bank recover some of their loss - so in other words - you make an offer and then the bank takes it's jolly old time deciding whether or not your offer is worth taking!!
Well - we have some amazing friends who would not allow us to live on the street or in our car and graciously offered their guest room (we love you Kim and Adan)
Long story short....4 months later and we were still waiting on the bank to decided....needless to say - I was getting more and more pregnant by the day and more and more anxious about the fact that I had no home to actually bring these babies home too so in an attempt to make us feel better our realtor took us to look at some additional options.
Fast forward a little - we have now officially lost our minds!!  We have walked away from the short sale and decided to build a new house - yes new construction and yes I know I'm totally crazy!!  One day I am going to be able to look back on this whole situation and laugh - I'm just sure of it!!
Actually - I think that again this is a total God thing - because though I hate to admit it - I really like this new place :)  It is built by Collins Builders who is actually a Christian company which is kind of neat and I have in general heard really good things about them.  The floorplan that we chose qualifies for their 90 day build out which means we should officially be in the new place right around the new year (expecting the babies sometime in February) 
So here are the stats - It's 2644 square feet, 2 story, 4 bedrooms (sort of 5 if you count the living room that we may eventually use as a bedroom), 3 bath
The floorplan is super open - which is one of our requirement so it will be perfect for entertaining which we both enjoy so much.  The lot is perfect on a cul-de-sac - with plenty of room for the boys to ride bikes when they are a little older.  We are pretty excited about the prospect of this new place and promise to keep you updated with lots of pictures of the process along the way. 
For now, here is the link to the floorplan :)  It's the first one on the page - the 2644 :)
I promise that we didn't get the ugly yellow color :) 
(You will have to cut and paste it)

www.collinsbuilders.net/community.php?id=18

Click on the pictures page, click the Ultra Sound pic to see new pictures of the TWINS...!!!!!!!!

     We’ve all seen the AMP Energy Drink Commercial, The Moment Before the Moment, right...
Well today we got to experience that moment.  If your reading this blog you obviously know by now that Kristin and I are expecting twins and you know that today was our BIG appointment,(finding out the sex).  Before I tell you, I want to try and describe to you that MOMENT before the moment.

     First off, I already have my answer for “what was the worst part of the pregnancy?”.  by far the worst part, for me, was the FREEZING COLD waiting room at the Dr.’s office.  No joke, by far the coldest weather I have ever been in.  This “cold weather” plays a huge role in my “Moment” as I am sitting there freezing my buns off, trying not to freeze to death, on top of not getting nervous about the ultra sound.  

     We finally get called back to the spacious room and the tech. helped Kristin get settled, I get my self settled and away she went.  The tech. told us she wanted to check out the ‘environment’ first to make sure mommy and babies were good and everything was doing what it was supposed to do.
 
      Here’s the MOMENT.   

     The tech. asks us if we wanted to know what we were having.  We said yes, and at that instant, as the tech. was looking for parts or no parts, these two babies lives flashed before my eyes.  all the things I had ever done right or wrong, my successes / failures, hobbies, sports, schooling, all this stuff in my life, I saw these two babies go through.  I was dreaming their successes / failures, hobbies, sports...  I had no idea yet, what we were having, but i knew that as long as they were healthy, it didn’t matter.  that moment of not knowing, of nervousness, of silence, of total cluelessness, fear, amazement and joy is a moment I will never forget.

     End MOMENT

     She proceeds to point out that both babies 1) had the same parts, and 2) have taken after their DADDY!!!!.  That's right... TWO BOYS!!! Can you believe it?!!!!  Kristin and I were both stunned, surprised, shocked, happy.  We didn’t cry in the room, we saved that for the phone calls that soon followed.  During what was actually a 20 min. ultra sound, (seemed like 5 seconds), we were able to see that both boys had 4 chambers in each heart, kidneys, lungs, fingers and toes are all good, bellies and heads look good.  Two perfectly heathy boys.  

     I will make Kristin put up another Blog soon and have already threatened to take over if she doesn’t get her act together about this blog thing.  (technical difficulties with the scanner, pics soon...we promise)

Talk to you soon...

Well - I'm already failing the blogging world - sorry it's been so long since my last post but here is the story of our newest addition to the family :)
We decided that since we are now going to be parents and need some space for TWO carseats a truck was not going to do the trick so Stephen had to unfortunately part with his truck for a vehicle with 3rd row seating!!  He did admit that he wanted to shed a tear or two as they took it away...
After much thought and research we purchaced a new to us Honda Pilot from CarMax a few weeks back.  It is a 2006 with all kinds of fancy extras :)  Now keep in mind, as I write this, I have never driven a car from the same decade that I am currently living in so "fancy extra's" include super fun things like keyless entry, leather seats, a cd player that Honda put in instead of some cheap one I bought and put in myself, a sunroof and even a digital odometer that can also tell you the oil life and outside temperature!!  It was pretty exciting to say the least!! 
I have gotten to drive it quite a bit over the last few weeks - all the way down to Miami for a continuing education course last weekend and then back and forth to Winter Haven over this past week - I already feel like my butt is dragging on the pavement when I try to drive our car - I much prefer to be up high :)  I am very much enjoying it and am thrilled that we were finally able to join this decade with at least one of our cars :)
The good news of course is that there is plenty of room for two carseats and even additional room for friends as the kiddos get older :)  I posted a few pictures of the beautiful thing on the picture page...I guess I'm now officially an SUV mom :)
PS - We were super impressed with our experience at CarMax so if you are in the market for a new car check them out! :) - sorry for the little commercial

Call me crazy if you want but it's amazing as our second doctors appointment got closer I got more and more nervous that somehow, the first ultrasound had been wrong and that actually there was only one little monkey in there...not two....and yes - I would have been disappointed...BUT fear not - they are both in there and doing great!
We had our second doctors appointment on Friday and all is well.  We had a super fast ultrasound - main purpose was to hear the heartbeats again which were 166 for Monkey #! and 180 for Monkey #2.  The doctor said all is well and that they are right where they are supposed to be size wise - which is apparently around the size of a plum (each). 
The doctor said the plan is to come back to them (our regular OB) in about a month for another check up and head up to the high risk doctors in about 5 weeks for a full anatomy scan ultrasound of both babies and hopefully to find out the sex of both of these little plums!!  :)  We don't have the dates yet for sure but don't worry we will keep you posted!!  We are pretty excited to find out a little more information about these little things - mommy is ready to get on with the planning!!
In other news...Stephen has started back to school and exhausted doesn't begin to describe him last week.  He is teaching high school, middle school and elementary school this year - that exhausts me just thinking about it!!  I'm still working full time at the children's hospital here and am hoping to continue that well into this pregnancy (which my doctor says is fine as long as things continue to go well).
The house situation is our other big situation to update...as per our realtor last week...things are looking good and she is hoping that we should hear something about this house that we are so desperately trying to buy by the middle of September but maybe as early as the end of this month!!  We are crossing our fingers and I'm still holding out hope that we will be moving in before the end of September!!  I guess we'll see....
More to come soon!

xoxo,
Stephen, Kristin and Monkey's 1 and 2 :)

Here are both of our little plums - it isn't a great picture and don't ask me what you are looking at - I don't have a clue :)

Monkey #1 was not cooperating with the ultrasound - This little one is facing you with their head to the right - laying on his/her left side
Legs are coming out toward you so you can't really see them...

Monkey #2 is more photogenic than his/her sibling and is laying on his/her back with head to the left.  You can see the little legs sticking straight up on the right hand side :)