Welcome, Jackson and Parker!!

On September 20th, 2011, at 7:28pm, and 7:35pm, Tom, myself, and a handful of labor and delivery staff here at Good Sam in Corvallis, welcomed Parker Alan Habelt, 6lbs 7oz 19", and Jackson Alan Habelt, 5lbs 10oz, 18 1/2" into the world.


This was a very trying pregnancy all together. Many many trips to the hospital for pre-term labor, a 9 day stay down in Eugene for that very reason. And many many false alarms and plenty of discomfort. All of that was so worth it when I saw my sweet baby boys for the first time.


I came into the hospital on the 20th originally because I was having a lot of cramping that morning. They had told me to go ahead and come in. Ten minutes before Tom, the children and myself left the house, I starting having contractions. They were 5 minutes apart the whole way to Corvallis, and continued till we got to the hospital, increasing in pain the entire time. When I got here, they checked my cervix, and I was still only 4cm. (which I had been for the past 4 weeks) I was a little disappointed, but since I was contracting regularly, and they were very painful, they said they would come back in a few hours to check me again. When the midwife had returned, she proceeded to check my cervix. To my surprise, (and everybody else's) I had dilated to an incredible 6 1/2-7cm, and was 90% effaced!! I could not believe it! Our next step was to then get me an epidural, wait for it to kick in, then break my water.


I had been slowly dilating after they broke my water; about 2 hours between each time they checked me.  First I was 8, then about 9.  I stayed at 9cm for hours.  I had a little piece of my cervix that just would not budge.  The doc came in and had me do a few trial pushes to see if we could get that last little bit of cervix to move.  After about 3 pushes, I had done it.  They were ready to move me to the O.R. room. (with twins they have to deliver you in an O.R. room in case of the need for an emergency section.) 


There were so many people in the room, waiting for these babies!  They had me start pushing, and after about 3-4 big pushes, and few little ones, Parker was born!  They laid him on my chest, and all I can remember thinking, was how incredibly amazing he was!  So little, and so perfect.  Stretching his little hand out, waiting for me to hold onto it!  After Parker was born, I had to do a few trial pushes to get Jackson down to the birth canal.  After that it was the same deal as with Parker, 3-4 pushes, and then a few little ones to finish the job.  When Jackson came out and they laid him on my chest, I was in such shock that I just gave birth to a second baby, 7 minutes after the first one!  What an amazing journey it was.  I was so nervous about having twins, and now I can say that it was the coolest thing ever! After I got to hold both of my babies together, I just cried.  How could one person possibly grow TWO completely perfect human being at the same time in their body? I am still in shock about the whole thing, but I am so in love with my two precious, perfect, baby boys!  My family is now complete. I have a wonderful husband who loves me and all his children, and I have 4 amazing kids!  I would never want anything to change!!

Parker and Jackson Habelt

Well, this post is long overdue.  We have been pretty busy lately.  I finished taking the Oregon Contractors class, and I passed my Contractors exam, YAY!  We have also been busy with doctors appts. and an assortment of other things.  But most importantly, things are going better than I could of ever imagined.  Tom took on a new job, and a generous pay raise, a true blessing.  We are really going to need the extra money once these babies get here!  We also found out last week that our babies are identical BOYS....Jackson and Parker.  We are very excited!  The doctor also told me that identical twins are at a much higher risk for birth defects, and that, at this stage in the game, they can detect about 75% of them by ultrasound.  So after they did the ultrasound, the doctor told me that the boys got A+'s, the best news of all!  In 3 1/2 weeks I will go back in to the doc in Eugene and we will find out what our risk of TTTS is going to be, if any risk at all. (Remember the chances of this happening are only 15%)
Needless to say, things are going great for us.  I really could not ask for anything more. Below are some pictures of the boys, a few of them are 4D, and some are 2D.  Enjoy the pics, and I hope everybody is well! (oh yah, I have a total of 48 ultrasound pics! Crazy)

                                        Upper twin Is Jackson and lower twin is Parker

                                                                     Parker                                                         

                                                                         Jackson

                                                                            Parker

                                                                             Jackson

 Parker

                                                                          

Jackson

Second Trimester, Here I Come!

So the last month or so has been pretty tough.  First finding out that we are expecting twins, (that was a huge shock,) then finding out that our babies pretty much had no chance of  living.  Now we know that the babies are fine, and although there is a small chance of there being complications, the odds of that happening are still pretty slim.  Aside from all that, throw in all day sickness, headaches, and extreme fatigue.  Oh and two little ones to care for.  Some days I feel like I was crazy for thinking that I wanted another child, but more often than not, I remember that all these intense pregnancy symptoms are so worth the amazing prize that will come to me in about 6 months!  I will be 12 weeks tomorrow, which means that my second trimester is only a week away,  and hopefully relief from the nausea is coming soon as well!  I had another OB check yesterday, and the doc said that the babies looked great.  I think they were both doin karate in there!  They were kickin and punchin, and just as active as ever!  They are aprox. 2" long, and beautiful!  I have an appt. down in Eugene next week on Tuesday, and I will try to post the ultrasound pics then!  It was amazing how much they have changed in such a short period of time.  The last time I saw them was only two weeks ago, and they look like babies now!  The whole transformation of a child, from an embryo, to a fetus, to child birth, and on, just baffles me.  Our God is amazing, and I just can't wait to watch how these little miracles mature and grow! Blessings on you all!

Reasons to Blessed!

So I had my first doc appt. in Eugene today, and it was an amazing appt.  The sonagrapher did my ultrasound within 10 of my being there, and the first thing I noticed was a really thin white line coming down between the babies heads.  And she took the words right out of my mouth...There was a membrane between the two...PRAISE THE LORD!!!  She told me that about 85% of people with a diagnosis of mono-mono  twins that are seen at that clinic, come to find out that it was mis-diagnosed.  Early on in the pregnancy it is easy to not catch the membrane.  Sometimes it depends on the picture quality of the equipment  being used, sometimes it is just too thin to see.  The doc then came in and told me that they are definitely identical twins, and that they definitely have their own amniotic sacs.  But he did inform me that they are sharing the same placenta, which can still present its own problems.  There is something that is called Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS)
TTTS occurs when blood moves from one twin to the other. The twin that loses the blood is called the donor twin. The twin that receives the blood is called the recipient twin.
Both infants may have problems depending on the severity of the transfusion. The donor twin may have too little blood, and the other may have too much blood. The donor twin may need a blood transfusion, while the recipient twin may need to have the amount of blood in his or her body reduced.
Treatment may require repeated amniocentesis during pregnancy. Fetal laser surgery may be done to interrupt the flow of blood from one twin to the other.
After birth, treatment depends on the infant's specific symptoms. The donor twin may need a blood transfusion to treat anemia.
The recipient twin may need to have the volume of body fluid reduced. This may involve an exchange transfusion.
Medications may be given to treat heart failure in the recipient twin
If the twin-to-twin transfusion is mild, full recovery is expected for both babies.
(This information comes from Pubmedhealth.com)
So we still need lots of prayer for the health of these babies, but for right now the babies look great!

So here is pic of both of their heads, and the very thin line in the middle is the membrane!

Baby A, on the left side of my tummy.

And here is Baby B, on the right side of tummy.

So as you can see they are little peanuts..(actually gummy bears, that's how little they are.)  Today I am 9 weeks 5 days, and the due date is still Oct. 5th.  there is a lowered chance of me having a c-section now, which I am stoked about!  Anyways, please keep praying guys, we need it!

Pregnant!

So, I know it has been a long time since I have posted, but I have been a little busy, and a lot of things have gone on since my last post.  First off, Tom and I found out that we were expecting.  We were excited and overjoyed...Skyler was REALLY happy.  Then I had my first pre-natal appt.  The beginning went smoothly, until we got to the ultra sound.  Now let me back up a bit.  When we first found out that I was pregnant, I had explained it to Skyler.  He was happy, but it wasn't enough for him.  He had told me that he wanted me to have two babies in my tummy!  But I laughed and and said, "oh no honey, mommy is only going to have one baby in her tummy!"  So when I was laying on the table, waiting for the ultra sound to begin, I was joking with the doctor about what Sky had said, and how crazy that would be if it really was twins!  Well, She started the ultra sound, and said to me, "Well, I'm seeing something interesting here," as she turned the monitor my direction, "I am seeing two little images on the screen."  I was shocked! I honestly could not believe it.  I mean, I was totally kidding about having twins, but there they were.  The doctor then proceeded to tell me that there was a problem.  The two are sharing the same amniotic sack.  It is called monoamnionic/ monochorionic.  Or momo twins.  Which also means that they are identical.  With this type of pregnancy, there are several complications.  Since there is no barrier, later in pregnancy, the twins can become entangled in each others cords, which obviously is very dangerous, or the cords can become knotted or crimped, cutting off oxygen and blood flow, resulting in fetal death.  This is a very rare pregnancy.  About 1 in 35,000.  All of this is very scary.  I will be seeing a specialist tomorrow morning in Eugene.  I will be seeing this doc regularly.  If things continue at such a high risk, I will be hospitalized at 28 weeks, kept on strict bed rest, and have the babies delivered between 32 and 35 weeks, depending on the urgency and situation of the twins.  I know there are tons of people praying, and Tom and I appreciate that more than anything else.  This is going to be a very difficult time, but I know that God will watch over these babies.  If no barrier is created, then we will all be praying that they will stay untangled, and remain healthy.  My due date is Oct. 5, but they will be born probably the end of August.  Please keep praying for these babies.  It is the best thing we can do right now.
I will try to keep everybody updated with phone calls, and definitely with my blog.  It has been kind of hard to be motivated lately because I have been so sick and tired, but I think that I may be turning a corner, or that maybe today was just a little better than the others.  Either way, I will try my hardest to spend 15 minutes at least, after appts, to update everyone.  I will also post ultrasound pics as soon as I can.  Again thank you for your prayers and support! Have a blessed day!

Love, love, love my children!

Conviction, Discovery and War

Wow.  I just have to start off by saying wow.  What an amazing bible study this morning.  Last week was so great because it was bringing to light so many things in my life that I had done, that I hadn't really realized until now.  It was a little convicting.  Today I felt was even more convicting than last week.  There were questions that were being asked that were so deep..and when I answered them, I had to sit back and really say, 'oh my goodness, I was really doing that?'  It's amazing how much you discover about yourself when you are brutally honest, and don't try to keep things in the dark.  I mean, God knows all, there is no reason that we need to hold these things in and keep them from ourselves.  What is that going to accomplish?
One section was discussing the four principles for reconciling with God. They went like this:
1.acknowledge our sin
2.accept God's discipline
3.ask for forgiveness
4.act on God's direction
Then Priscilla asks "which of the four principles do you find most difficult?"
I know that I am very stubborn when it comes to wanting to admit that I am doing, or have done something wrong.  It is only long after the discipline has happened that I accept it.  Why are we wired this way? Or at least, why am I wired this way?
At the end of the study, Priscilla asks another question, "recall a time when your return to fellowship with God was spurred on by internal conviction through God's Word....How were you compelled to obedience?"  Honestly, when I started this bible study, that is when I felt compelled to obedience.  I wasn't running as far away from God as I usually do, but still, I was keeping a short distance between myself and the LORD.  I knew that when I came to this study, the first night, that God had planned to use this time to reveal to me all the things I had been doing, .  He wanted to show me where the path was going to lead me, and where I needed to be going.  After I answered that, I read the paragraph below it, the part that really stuck out to me was this: "Our Journey back to the LORD begins when we take time to consider and accept the conviction He uses to stir us and awaken us to the new direction He wants for us."  OMGosh...was that not God telling how to answer the previous question?  When I read the portion I just mentioned, I wrote down in my margin, 'that is exactly what I said...and I didn't even read that part yet...God is great!!!'
I have been so moved by this study.  But during the last week, I have felt a very intense game of tug-o-war going on with my spirit.  Every time I feel the LORD stirring in my heart, and my fire is being ignited in such a way that I feel that nothing can put it out, the enemy sneaks right up on me and starts bringing buckets of water to my fire.  He would never be able to extinguish it completely, but a it's really hard to keep it burning even with a gallon or two of water thrown on it.   At least, it's impossible to do it by yourself.  I have been praying and begging God to help me on the front lines.  I know that everyone is going through these battles constantly, and we all need constant prayer.  I will be praying for all of us, that God will remain triumphant, (and we all know He will) and that we keep our eyes turned upwards, and our hearts wide open.
I pray that your day, and this coming week would be blessed, and I can't wait to get together next week!
Prayer and blessing over all of you!

Busy Day

 Yesterday was a pretty fun day.  My wonderful husband decided to suprise our family with an afternoon at the coast.  We drove over there, just for a few hours.  We had lunch at Moe's, (I had the Slumgullion...MMMMMMM yumm-o!) Then took Sky to Aunt Belindas Candy shop.  He was sooooo overwhelmed by all the candy, but we made out of there without a temper-tantrum!  Praise God!  It was a very sweet afternoon with my family!

Later on in the evening, Skyler had done some serious damage to the top of the dining room table.  So Tom, decided to jet strait over to Home Depot, buy a sander, and some wood stain.( Now he had an exscuse to buy a new tool!) 

Well the project started....IN MY DINING ROOM!  Im talkin wood shavings EVERYWHERE!  It took about one hour to sand down the table.  Now, if you can imagine, sanding, for one hour, in a 630 sq. ft. apartment.  The dust was unbearable.  I was not the least bit pleased.  Now, after that was finished, he continued to stain the table.  Stain was flying everywhere, Skyler was running around like a wild animal, and I was furious.

We got through the project..only because of Gods Grace....and you know what?  The table almost looks better than before, and Tom was so sweet in appologizing to me this morning for making our evening last night so chaotic.  I love him.I am still learning that Tom is a unique person, and that he has unique way of doing things. We were deffinatly created spefically for each other!

Great Way to Plan your Dinner Menu, and Grocery Shop

In the past, I will admit that I have MAJOR issues when it comes to grocery shopping.  I had no idea how to plan a dinner menu, or how to select groceries.  I came accross a web site that is a HUGE help.   They have regular menus, and a healthy menu you can choose from.  They email you the menu and shopping list by 10am every Friday.  I have found that it has been very helpful, and I stay within my budget for shopping, and that is with extras that aren't on their provided shopping list.  Oh, and not to mention., in the past I struck out about 4 out of 5 dinners a week with Tom, and with these menus, it has been a home run every single night!!!  It makes me feel great as a wife, to be able to please my husband with good food. (Cause we all know the way to mans heart is through his stomach right??)
So here are links to the recipes.  You normally have to pay for this subscription, but since I already paid, I will share my weekly recipes and shopping list with you.  Pick a week, or mix and match recipes.  There are normal recipes, and healthier alternatives.  Check 'em out!
http://www.dinnerplanner.com/menu_1304.htm

http://www.dinnerplanner.com/healthy_2.htm

http://www.dinnerplanner.com/menu01404.htm

http://www.dinnerplanner.com/healthy_210.htm

http://www.dinnerplanner.com/menu_1405.htm

http://www.dinnerplanner.com/healthy-220.htm

Good Times Now, and to Come

Lately things have been going so well.  Tom is working like crazy, praise the LORD, and we are goin to be moving in a week and a half, to Lebabnon.  We found a 3 bedroom house out there, and it is about 700-800 sq. ft. bigger than our current residence.  Usually when Tom and I move, we want to do it right away, and we do.  This time it is a little different.  We thought we were getting the keys last weekend, turns out the place wasn't ready yet, so the landlord said that we can get the keys on the 28th.  I know that God is trying to teach us patience through this, which is something we really need to learn.
Speaking of learning, I have started an amazing bible study by Priscilla Shirer.  It's on the book of Jonah, which most of all know the part of the story about the whale, but in this study, Priscilla is teaching us that there is soooo much more to the story than the whale.  It is about God interviening in our lives.  We look at it as an 'interuption', but really, when it's God, it is really a Divine Intervention.  I can specifically think of one time in my life where I thought my life was being interupted in a way I never thought possible.  Almost three years ago, when I left Tom, and he was arrested for selling drugs, and I was arrested (first time in my life,) and our oldest son Skyler was taken from me and put in a foster home.  My life fell apart.  How could this happen to me?  Why was my life being destroyed?  Little did I know, and come to think of it, I just figured it out....It was a Divine Intervention.  God had interviened in my life because of the path that I was going down.  There was no way on this earth that I would have ever acredited these events to God's inner-workings.  At first I didnt even want to think of God, (I had not been saved yet) and then, after some time,I realized that I had been wasting my life.  A life without God is a waste.  At the time though, I didnt care, and the thought of even going to church was just revolting.  After much resistence, Tom had convinced me to go to church, and the first two weeks were torture.  I said I am never going back ever again, (although I had already been twice) and wouldn't you know it, I went back for a third week.  Pastor Rob Verdine was talking about falling away from the LORD, and how it isn't too late to ask Him to take you back.  I thought to myself, 'I needed to hear this, this was meant for me.'  So when he asked for anyone who wanted to accept Christ into their hearts, to just lift up their hand, and would pray for you...I raised my hand.  I asked the LORD to forgive me for turning my back on Him, for being this shell of a person that I had become, to take me back and love me.  I aknoledged Jesus Christ as my LORD and Savior.  Right then I knew that it was alright for once.
Tom and I had regained legal custody of our son, and have hit LOTS  of speed-bumps along the way, but through it all, I know that God is there, and He has a purpose for these things.  Maybe someday Tom and I will be a part of ministry, maybe God will present us with many opportunities to share our testimonies to people who are where we were only three short years ago.  My whole point of sharing this is that God had Divinely Interviened for a greater purpose.  Something that will allow us to make a mark on this world, and in our lives and hopefully the lives of others.
I pray that if you do not know the LORD Jesus Christ as your Savior, or are struggling with your faith, or are just hurting, maybe God is 'interupting' your life, know that He does it because He loves you, and He has a greater purpose for you.
Heavnly Father, I want to ask you to comfort those who need your presence.  Meet them LORD, let them know that you are near to them and that you love them.  You are a merciful God, who knows what we need when we need it.  Lift us up Father, teach us to be strong and to lean on you.  Help us to see you LORD.  Show us how to be submissive to you and to what you are doing in our lives.  We love you Father.  Guide us and give us hope.  We pray these things in your Holy and precious name, Amen.