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Month: March 2012

rohan hudson + kieran tozer.

Our twin boys are finally here!  Meet Rohan Hudson + Kieran Tozer.  (First names pronounced “row-haan” and “keer-in.”)  And 4 weeks early too!  Rohan and Kieran, fraternal twins, were born at 36 weeks gestation via cesarean section on Saturday, March 24th, 2012 because my water broke at 3 AM that morning.

Rohan, the elder of the two [by a minute], was born at 9:32 AM at 5 pounds/6 ounces and 19.25 inches long.  Kieran, was born at 9:33 AM at 5 pounds/13.4 ounces and 18.5 inches long.  Greg and I are truly in awe of these little people. It’s the sweetest thing to see our two boys laying together in their cot, forehead to forehead like best buds.

Like Dhara’s name, it was important to us that we choose meaningful names that represent our heritage.  The boys’ first names are Indian.  And if you are wondering about their middle names, Greg was keen on naming them after mighty men of God who lived their lives for the glory and honor of God.  Men who made an impact for the Kingdom.  Men who the boys can look to as a godly example and inspiration as they grow into men.  When Greg told me of his idea for middle names I immediately fell in love with it, hence the names Hudson and Tozer!

Rohan:  in Sanskrit, it means the one who takes the higher path; ascending; it also means healing, medicine / Hudson: after Hudson Taylor; radical missionary to China, man of faith, purpose, and resolve — a man who changed a nation.

Kieran:  in Sanskrit, it means ray of light / Tozer: after A. W. Tozer; Christian writer, a man of clarity and understanding, a man who knew God, encouraged others and helped others passionately pursue God.

our little smith dudes

Health-wise, we are so thankful that the boys have normal levels of jaundice, unlike what we went through with the Dhara-girl.  And my incision from the c-section is healing nicely.  Exciting news — we also may be going home today! [We joke that the babies aren’t really ours until we have permission from the hospital to take them home — until then, the babies belong to the hospital.] Overall, we are so grateful for all the prayers and love we received these past 9 months, and are so excited to now be a family of five!

pregnancy, post birth + baby must haves.

There is always a word on the street — always people giving their opinion on what product is good and what you need for every season of your life.  I really appreciate recommendations and reviews because it helps me make a decision.  Well, the word on my street is that the following is my personal running list of must haves for pregnancy and post-birth.  I relied or am currently relying heavily upon all of them:

Pregnancy Must-Haves:

  • red raspberry tea or Mama’s Red Raspberry Brew – I purchased my organic tea in bulk from Bulk Herb Store — it’s something both Greg and I enjoy drinking before bedtime — here are the benefits of red raspberry tea
  • calcium pills
  • DHA pills
  • wheat germ
  • evening primrose oil
  • belly salve – I use Mama Bee Belly Butter
  • rice sock – handmade in my Bradley Method Class
  • yogurt – Greek yogurt especially is high in protein

Post-Birth Must-Haves:

for breastfeeding:

  • Mama’s Milk Tea – if you plan on breastfeeding, this is a tea that helps in the production of milk — purchased in bulk from Bulk Herb Store
  • oatmeal – oatmeal also helps in the production of milk
  • cloth breast pads – as a nursing mom, I went through so many disposable pads, that I ended up investing in cloth pads or you can make your own
  • Medela nursing stool – this is one of those items that worked out so well for me! it was sooo very helpful with nursing a baby!
  • Boppy nursing pillow – this time around I made sure to have 2 — one for home, and one for the car
  • breast pump
  • Maternity nursing bra – unlined, cotton, soft, so easy

for a comfortable baby:

  • pacifier – I know some moms have a problem with pacifiers, but this was so helpful at calming baby and putting her to sleep — after 4-5 months she weaned herself off it
  • warm mist humidifier – great for fall + winter months when babies’ noses get too dry
  • Aden + Anais OR Luna Lullaby Blankets – these are GREAT swaddle blankets; now that I’ve been using these, the typical sized receiving blankets seem worthless to me — for some reason I’ve noticed the Target brand of Aden + Anais are made of a better quality than the regular Aden + Anais blankets
  • kimono onsies + tops – love my kimono onsies from Kate Quinn Organics and Nature Baby
  • changing table – as a recommendation from my cousin, I got my Pottery Barn changing table off Craigslist — I LOVE it!  It’s been my most used and loved baby must-have
  • changing pad covers – along with a changing table, I LOVE my quilted covers from Land of Nod — I would never go back to any other cover!
  • a soft, smooth diaper rash ointment – cooling – Burt’s Bees Diaper Ointment
  • pre-bath oil – Burt’s Bees Apricot Oil or jojoba oil
  • baby sling and/or baby carrier – we love the Ergo carrier

What is something that you recommend as a must-have for pregnant women, new mommies, or baby?  I would love to hear!

35 weeks pregnant with twins.

Only a few more weeks before we see 2 of everything — for the rest of our lives.

Today marks my 35th week of pregnancy, and I can truly say I’m so ready to meet these little guys.  While I’m SUPER excited to be a mom of twin boys, I’m also intimidated at the thought of how my life will change taking care of two babies in addition to a toddler, and how I’ll ever love them as much as I love Dhara.  How can that much of me go around, and go around thoroughly?  I hear this is a question most moms wonder when pregnant with their second child.  But it’s truly a valid question, and one I am anxious to find the answer to.

As of now, I’m having to go into the city for monitoring and ultrasounds twice a week!  This weeks’ monitoring proved that one twin sleeps while the other takes the night watch — they aren’t usually awake together.  Position-wise, Baby A is breech, and Baby B is transverse — if they decide to stay in these positions I am quite certainly a candidate for a c-section between 37-38 weeks.  I’m coming to terms with this if it’s what needs to happen, but I’m still praying for a miracle!

In other baby news…  We get the question quite often, “So have you picked out names???”  Sadly we have to tell those folks that the boys’ names are a secret until their birth — it’s more fun that way.  Though one thing you can be sure of is — our names don’t rhyme — no matter how much my grandma would like them to.  : )

My sweetie-pie grandma also tends to think twins should always dress identically.  I was initially super against this notion of dressing twins identically because I’m a real proponent of having one’s own identity and being your own person.  BUT, as I’ve shopped around for boys clothes these past few months I’ve found that I can’t just buy one really cute outfit because the other twin would need to look equally as cute.  : )  SOOO, on occasion you will find my twins wearing identical outfits or outfits that are identical but in different colors.  Speaking of boys clothes, I’ve finally discovered I love little boys in cardigans and I love stripes!  The options for cute boys clothes are so limited because most come adorned with little funny characters or cars, trucks, and dinosaurs.  Good thing there are still stripes!  And leather suspenders are definitely a plus.  ; )

Also, we are officially owners of a mini van!  Never wanted to be the mom driving a mini van — we wanted something more like a Suburban — but after driving the van for a few weeks now, I can vouch that it’s a very, very comfortable ride.  Plus, I can’t imagine toting 2 carseats back and forth from a Suburban — can you?

As these last couple weeks come to a close, I still have to wash baby clothes and cloth diapers, hang the swinging bassinet cradle, possibly find a king bed on craigslist, steam clean our bedroom carpet, and pack my bags.  Crazy that two will be joining us in no time at all…but oh so exciting!

modern baby bonnet.

Finally, a completed knitted project!  These days it seems like I start a project only to start a new one because my yarn gauge is completely off, or I realize I don’t like my yarn choice.  It really pays to get the correct yarn when knitting!  I tend to get yarn happy — which doesn’t always work.  Sad to say, but this is my first knit project of the year!  It hails from a book Gregory got me for Christmas a couple years back.  [He’s getting so much better at getting me things that I love!]  The book, Vintage Knits for Modern Babies by Hadley Fierlinger, is a lovely take on olden day patterns, but modified for modern babies.

I’ve never knit a hat before, so for this project I chose Hadley’s pattern for the Modern Baby Bonnet in size 0-3 months, also found via Ravelry, here.  It’s so cute! I knit the hat using straight needles and Artful Yarns Cliche in the color, natural linen.  I really like this yarn because it’s made up of a combination of cotton and linen.  It’s especially nice for a spring baby because of the cooling nature of cotton and linen.  Unfortunately, I think my hat falls under the 3-6 month category — it turned out a little bigger than 0-3 months.  But it’s ok, it will end up being a cute fall hat.

Overall it was a fun knit.  I’m happy to finally have made a hat — it’s not as complicated as I thought.  And how my fingers have missed the rhythm of knitting — it’s so therapeutic!  Now I’m off to figure out what to knit next!

Update!  Below is a photo of Rohan wearing the bonnet!  Added October 13, 2012.  It’s so wonderful to know that he’s one of the babies in my belly in the first picture of this post!