37 Weeks and Counting

Welp, another week has come and gone and I had another doctors appointment today. The doctor checked me out and I am still dilated to a one however, I have started to efface (she didn't tell me to what percent) and the baby has dropped further. Last week I was a -3 and this week I am in between a -2/-1. I like to think its -1 but, I know I am getting ahead of myself! I am happy that I am progressing however, I can only hope it speeds up over the next few days.....

On another note. Here are some pictures of my beautiful feet. I know, I know, I look like a relative of Shrek. The worst part is that these pictures were taken on a GOOD day! I am also having some edema....... more like a lot of edema! My legs are swollen all the way up past my knees. I do my best to stay off my feet but that doesn't work so well with substituting. Only a few more weeks and I will be free of swelling!

Before School


After School


The indents that I made with my finger stay for about 15 minutes before they rise back up. I would say they are at least a quarter of an inch deep, probably closer to a third of an inch on a bad day.

36 Weeks and Counting




I just passed the 36 week mark and and I am officially in the ninth month! I had a doctors appointment Thursday and they checked my progress. I am dilated to a one, the baby has dropped but, I have not started effacing yet. I am really, really starting to feel this pregnancy! My hips are sore, my back is starting to hurt, I am having a harder time sleeping and it feels like I have a bowling ball between my legs! I know I have had an easy pregnancy (which I am grateful for!) up to this point but, I am ready for it to come to a close. I am so excited for this baby! My next appointment is Thursday and I will be sure to post my progress.

Mandy's Surprise Shower

Last Saturday, Mandy's best friend threw her a surprise baby shower. Tons of women showed up and everyone had a great time socializing and eating great food! Ginni (the gal who threw the shower) also told Discovery Channel what she was planning and they flew down just for the day (they flew in early morning and left that night) to film the occasion. A lot of people have been asking how it works when Discovery Channel (they are doing a documentary on the twins) is here so, here is a brief explanation. You can see in the last picture the three people from the film crew. On the far left is Janice (purple shirt), she writes the story meaning she has to sit through all the hours of film and decides what will air in the one hour episode. Chuck is the guy holding the camera and Mark is the sound man. Janice is always standing behind them because she can't be in any of the shots, it's quite entertaining watching her dodge the camera! I will say that Discovery Channel gave us their three nicest people! They are so kind and they are far more interested in the Baileys as people than as a story that will make them money. I think the first day they filmed it was a little awkward but now, it seems totally normal to have them around. They are great people and they are more like family friends than a film crew.

Baby Shower

Last Thursday, Mandy and Mom Lybbert threw me a baby shower. It was so fun! They kept it simple which was fine with me because I am not huge on the baby shower games. The one game we did play was 2 cents. Everyone goes around and puts two cents into a piggy bank, and they give their best baby advice. Needless to say, there were a lot of laughs with that game! Everyone who came to the shower was extremely generous. I am loaded up with onesies and diapers. Thanks again to Mandy and Mom for doing the shower while Shelly (my sister) was in town, I really appreciate all the effort! Sorry some of these pictures are sideways..... I couldn't get them upright.

Ginni made this awesome diaper cake!


Loving the monkey pirate shirt from Shelly.


Shelly and I after the shower.

Introducing Blake Bailey

Here are a few pictures of Blake! He was born Monday, April 21st. He weighed six pounds and I am unsure of his length. He's the cutest baby I have ever seen! Mandy says he opens his eyes and stretches his arms when he is hungry, apparantly he rarely cries. Everyone is healthy and happy and Mandy is making a great recovery. We are all so grateful there were no major complications.

I think Blake looks a lot like Cole but others say he looks exactly like Tor in this picture.


So you can get an idea of his size, here he is in his car seat.


Big brother Cole holding his new brother!


The twins LOVE being big sisters. They want to touch him every chance they get.

Safe and Sound

I am happy to report that Mandy's surgery couldn't have gone better. The baby (Blake) was delivered right at 8:30 AM and he was an even six pounds. Although Blake is in the NICU, his health is excellent. Mandy's hysterectomy also went without complication. The fear was that she would start bleeding after the C-Section but, the doctor said she didn't bleed any more than normal. Mandy is heavily sedated in the hospital but she is healthy and happy (when she is awake!). We are all able to take a deep breath! Now, it is time to prepare for having conjoined twins, a preemie, and a c-section/hysterectomy patient all in the same house. Things are going to get interesting..........

P.S. I will be able to take some pictures of Blake tomorrow, I will do my best to post them tomorrow night.

Baby Bailey

Tomorrow at 7:30 AM Mandy (Parker's sister) will go into surgery for both a C-Section, and a Hysterectomy. Mandy has a condition called placenta accreta. Instead of her placenta rising above the baby halfway through the pregnancy, hers stayed underneath the baby and attached itself to the lining of the uterus. The condition is quite serious and we are all praying for Mandy's safety during the surgery. The challenge will be after the C-Section. She will start bleeding and the doctors will obviously have to get the bleeding to stop. They are already planning on having to do at least one blood transfusion, hopefully that will be all she needs. A nurse did tell Mandy that they had four patients with accreta last year and one of the four did pass away. However, the doctor performing the surgery has handled 15 accreta cases and only lost one patient. We are hoping he will improve his record to 16-1. Please keep Mandy in your thoughts and prayers. I will be sure to update the blog as soon as we hear from the doctors tomorrow.

Life is Fragile

It has been a long time since the last time I posted anything. A lot has happened in the last few weeks which I will be sure to post about later but, I first want to reflect on an accident that occurred on Thursday. I was driving to work when I got held up by a passing train. I remember being a bit annoyed because I was already late but I had no other choice other than to sit and wait for it to go by. As I continued on to work, a few police officers (lights and sirens blazing) and news camera trucks where headed in the opposite direction as me. When I arrived at school, the main office was a mess because two students had been hit by the same train that held me up on my drive. The students were on a road parallel to the one I drove on and the accident happened moments after the train passed me. The driver suffered only a fractured vertebrate as well as a few cuts and bruises. The passenger was not as fortunate. The train hit the passenger side of the car and this young lady had two gashes in her head (bone deep) each several inches long, a broken nose, a broken jaw, and she has cuts covering her entire body. To give you an idea on how bad the cuts were to her head, she was in surgery for over four hours just getting stitches. I have had both of these students in class several times (which makes it hit closer to home) and I adore both of them. I can't help but reflect on how fragile life is. It has been six years since my cousin was killed in a car accident and this accident is another reminder to slow down and be cautious. Life is precious. We shouldn't be so willing to drive fast/wreckless and risk getting into an accident to reach our destination only a minute sooner.

You can see the news report of the accident at the following address.
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=53240C56CB4F7A456E04EA4BD271EF27?contentId=6332413&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1

30 Weeks

I went to see my specialist today and like always, they did another ultra sound. They take twice as many measurements as a normal OB appointment so, the size and weight they gave me would seem more accurate. They told me that my baby weighs 3.7 pounds!!!!! I have read in several places that the baby will weigh just over 3 pounds by the end of the seventh month......AHHHHH! This kid is going to HUGE. I'm nervous. I think I was 9 pounds 8 ounces and Parker weighed about 8 pounds 3 weeks EARLY. They say that if you were a big baby, you are going to have a big baby. I hope this kid comes early.

A Must See



Not too long ago, my sister came into town and briefly told Parker and I about the movie Enchanted. I was a little hesitant to rent the movie because I am not huge on musicals. However, Parker was wanting to see it (which also surprised me!) so we rented the movie. I LOVED this movie! Parker and I watched it several times before letting Mandy and her kids borrow it before it needs to be returned. You can't help watching this movie without a smile. It's an excellent family film, super funny and cute! Highly recommended.

I've been tagged. So, here we go.....

10 Years ago............I was just thirteen and an awkward eight grader. All I ever wanted to do was play basketball and I was getting really good. I was still in an odd tomboy stage and my sisters were desperately trying to fix that. Of course there are the usuals, going to school (which I did all right at) and going to church.

Five things on my To Do List:
1. Paint the Nursery
2. Get a Really Nice Tan
3. Clean the House
4. Paint my Toes
5. Eat

5 Snacks I enjoy
1. Pickles
2. Cheese Sandwich (does that count as a snack?)
3. Gatorade
4. Any type of Fruit Snacks
5. Tomatoes with a little Salt

5 Places I have Lived
1. Mukilteo, Washington
2. Provo, Utah
3, Rexburg, Idaho
4. Indianapolis, Indiana
5. Queen Creek, Arizona

What I would do if I was a billionaire........
-Buy a house
-Be completely debt free
-Take Parker to England
-After England, tour all of Europe!
-Get my teeth whitened
-Go to the Ellen Show
-Visit my siblings
-Help the twins with any medical expenses
-Start a show called Char's Big Give
-Charities, Charities, Charities

5 Jobs that I have had
1. Courtesy Clerk
2. Manager, Cold stone
3. Night Manager, LoveSac
4. Website Sales Consultant
5. Substitute Teacher

5 Things People Don't Know about Me
1. I hate wearing shoes, flip flops PLEASE!
2. I used to jump on my parents trampoline wearing my swim suit pretending I was an Olympic Gymnast.
3. I don't eat cooked vegetables, yuck.
4. I appeared twice in the BYU-I 3 point shoot out
5. Ellen DeGeneres is my favorite talk show host

I tag Candace, Jihan, and Bree

The Twins are Sitting Up!



Parker and I were both present at the twins last physical therapy session and the most amazing thing happened. The girls were able to sit on their own! As you can see from the picture, there were pillows surrounding them so they could brace themselves with their arms when they got a little off balance. You will also see Mandy's hand and the therapist hand helping to hold their heads up, they are still working on strengthening the girls necks. We were all overcome with emotion. At first I thought it was just me getting emotional because of the pregnancy but as I looked at Mandy and the therapist, we were all a little teary eyed. I don't think words could express the joy we all felt as the girls sat on their own.

The therapist now wants to work on laying them down and having them use their own strength to get into sitting position (they have to be put into a sitting position in order to sit up). This is a huge step forward for the twins. They will become more independent and potentially more mobile. We are so excited for the twins and their parents. A lot of effort has gone into them being able to make it this far.

Latest Family Picture





I noticed that I haven't posted a picture of Parker and I in quite some time. My sister Whitni took these pictures while we were in California for Christmas. I was about four and a half months pregnant at the time so, needless to say I look a little different now! Our next family picture will have three of us!

28 Weeks



This is the ultra sound picture from our 28 week appointment. The baby is almost 3 pounds and he is measuring in the 49th percentile. You can see his hand on his forehead, I am pretty sure he had just woken up when they started the ultra sound. All the testing came back negative so there are no immediate problems. All in all, things are going great. It's hard to believe we have just 11 weeks to go!!!

Our photo program on the computer will not open. Needless to say, the stuff I want to post has a picture to go along with it! Hopefully we can get this fixed in the next few days. Until then, enjoy the new background!

Mandy and I were standing in line at Babies R Us when a little boy, probably about 3, came up to us with a big smile on his face. We both looked down at the kid, smiled and waved. He then looked at Mandy and stretched his arms toward her belly like he wanted to be picked up. We were both confused until he said "Ball! Basketball!" Mandy is seven months pregnant and he thought she had a basketball under her shirt! Definitely one of those times that I was glad it was her and not me.

I thought I should take a more "up to date" picture of what I look like. I am now deciding that was a bad idea. I think every pound I have gained has gone straight to my face! Ugh, I have put on 25 pounds and I still have another trimester to go. Parker is going to have an elephant for a wife when we finally have this baby!

I have started subbing in the Florence school district and I have had a few funny experiences. One that really stands out happened when I started talking to a student who is mentally handicapped. You first need to know that I was subbing in a weight lifting class and because I am not certified on weights the kids had to hang out in the gym. Also in the gym was another sub who was covering for a P.E. teacher. Needless to say the the other sub and I hung out all day. Well, this lady was maybe five feet tall and she probably weighed eighty five pounds, she was tiny! After class had ended, all the kids were lining up and the boy with the handicap approached me and asked "Where is the substitute?". I, feeling a need to joke around, said "I am a substitute." The boy then replied "Where is the short substitute?". Again, feeling the need to be smart, I said "I am kind of short." The boy was stumped and I could tell he was thinking hard on what to ask next so he could distinguish the other substitute from myself (by this time all the other students are listening to our conversation). After a few seconds of contemplation, the boy asked "Where is the short, SKINNY sub?" The crowd erupted in laughter, including myself, and I could hardly believe what I just heard! I am realizing that I totally set myself up for that one. I happened to sub in that same class for 4 more days and everyday the same boy came up and said "Hi tubby!". Needless to say it was a great week teaching.

I have to say that this picture is about a month old. I am a little bit bigger than the picture shows but, you get the idea. I am just over 26 weeks and I have doctor appointments on the 14th of March. If everything goes well, it will be my last appointment with the specialist. My OB is also having the testing done for diabetes which I hear is not that fun. Not to mention the fact that I have to get the shot for being RH negative. This next appointment should be a blast.....

I think it is time to start on the blogging train again. I have been really lazy about posting for the past several months and I think it is time to redeem myself! Here is a quick update on our lives. We moved into a house in November, a lovely three bedroom rambler. It has been amazing so far! I (Char)am six months pregnant and feeling our black belt, ninja kid every day. I also started substitute teaching......too many stories to tell! Parker has started school at Ottawa University and has taken over caring for the twins. We are healthy and happy here in Arizona. In fact, we just went swimming yesterday, it was 75 degrees! I will post some pictures of mt belly and our house shortly.