a bit about our miracle twins!!!

quick note (below is twins' story):
Hey everyone! So, I am working on putting together my first tutorial! The stink is that I don't have a camera right now so hopefully that will be resolved soon! I know...how can a mom with three babies NOT have a camera. Just another way that iPhones are taking over the world. They give you that sense that you don't need anything else! Well, I have come to see the deception in that! I DO need a camera!!! Soon...very soon. Anyways, as soon as I do, I will be able to complete the tutorials. I have been reviewing all my steps. Never thought it would be this complicated to simply explain how to do some of these simple things I do, but I think I am just too much a creature of detail! This is why I feel a good camera is so desperately needed I guess! :) So please "follow" my blog so you can not just get updates on tutorials, but also keep updated on all the amazing things going on in our lives here at the Wetzel house lately! Don't worry, I am a once or twice a month only blogger so I won't be loading you down crazy! sometimes though, it's nice to get your input and ideas for things. Ok, well I will get back with more on that soon!


Okay, so only a few people know about this but it's actually a pretty crazy story about the twins. It is pretty long but I tried to break it up with a few pictures. In March of 2008, Donny and I decided we were ready to start a family. We had been married just over a year and a half and all our friends and family were having babies so we decided we were ready to join that club. We did not tell anyone because it was just a personal decision between us and we decided that when we found out, it would be a surprise to everyone! One Sunday morning in early May, a good friend caught us after church sevice and said she needed to talk to me. I said ok and she (sort of hesitantly) said, "I had a dream that I really feel was from the Lord and in my dream you had twins". Knowing that this friend has been known to have a strong prophetic gifting, Donny laughed and said, "well, you need to go back and dream one." We all smiled at that but then her face became a bit more intent and she said, "well, maybe it had something to do with...double anointing or..." then she looked at me much more intently and said confidently, "no, you had TWINS."  Then she said she would continue praying about it and what it meant. Other than sharing that with my mom I did not think much more of it. I felt as most women that twins would be so much fun! But at the same time I just wanted a baby and felt 2 would just be crazy! they don't run in my family, I have no medical reasons for why they might occur, I did not have any reason to think I would actually have them.


It was only 2 weeks later that Donny and I found out we were having a baby!!! I am sorry to say that my dear husband had to find out via text message! I know! What can I say? I had all kinds of special ideas for how I would tell him when I found out and the moment I did...everything was out the window, even my senses and I sent him a text. (he was at work and rarely did his phone work) He did call me back not too much later so we were able to share in the excitement in that way for that moment. Almost immediately, my mom brought up our friend's words about twins. I thought about it for all of a moment but then it wasn't really about 2, it was just about a new baby!


Some time in mid-June, a dear friend of mine had her baby shower. At the baby shower, 2 other friends announced they were pregnant. I ended up keeping my secret for the simple fact of not making it "just another pregnant announcement". It was, however, at this baby shower that I started having an overwhelming feeling hat I was going to have twins. Strangely enough, though, several other expectant friends also kept saying they wanted twins or they thought they were going to have them so I pushed aside this thought thinking, ok, so EVERY pregnant woman sees double! and I am still convinced this is pretty accurate. Over the next 4 weeks or so, I prayed for my pregnancy EVERY morning and I just felt really strongly led to pray for "these two babies inside me" and I would always write in my journal about "these babies". I never told anyone though because I didn't want to end up being wrong and everyone think I was just "seeing double" too. Then...the day came for our ultrasound.


I was 10 weeks along and we were leaving that evening for our last family vacation in Florida and Donny was wanting me to postpone the appointment until after vacation, but I had already postponed it before bc of my birthday in July so I didn't want to. So, that morning, 8/8/08, we went to meet our doctor and see our little surprises for the first time. The ultrasound screen was turned towards my Doctor and nurse while me and Donny waiting, almost not breathing. The doctor smiled and pointed to the screen whispering something to the nurse. I asked, "is everything ok?". He smiled and said, "yes....REALLY good actually." Donny (always having to open his mouth) :) said, "as long as there isn't 2 or 3 in there, we're good." Doctor and nurse both laughed and turned the screen aound so we could see. He pointed to the 2 dark spots with beautiful little white spots inside and said, "well...there's one. and.....there's the other"


Here is the very picture that he took that day:

Left: Nicholas (Baby B) Right: Aubree (Baby A)

All I remember is being unable to stop smiling, staring at the screen then seeing Donny, a tear in his eye (yes I told everyone babe!) squeezing my hand and both of us unable to say ANYTHING! What was there to say? He checked their heartrates and said everything looked good and then Donny left the room. Later I found out he called and told his mom, who of course didn't believe him...in fact...probably didn't believe him until we arrived at her house with the ultrasound pictures. I conference called my entire family who were all waiting for us in Florida. The next person who found out was our realtor (haha! funny bc she just happened to call as soon as we left the hospital to let us know that we were going into escrow on our first home!-should'a went with a bigger house) :) After that, I just HAD to call my friend who knew it before it ever even happened!


Here's another U.S. pic taken on 9/5/08:

(For those who like to know: Baby B(Nicholas)- Head all the way to the left, body stretching out towards the right, Baby A(Aubree)- Head at B's feet and body slanting at a downward angle to the right.)

So...the pregnancy was great! Sickness during the first couple months (but, in fact, it was completely gone before I even knew it was twins) and of course I got HUGE!!! Close your eyes if you don't want to see this nasty shot from about 3 weeks before they were born. 

WARNING: it is a bare belly shot! I usually hate the bare belly stuff but as very few shirts even fit over my massive growth there at the end, bare belly shots were really all I could get that really showed what we were dealing with!

And...I just want to put this next one up so maybe I can be a bit redeemed after that one. This next one was actually taken about 9 weeks before they were born, but they are just much prettier than the previous one.

The end of January started all my pre-term troubles. Their actual due-date was March 5th. I had 4 labor-scares beginning January 25th but 2 turned out to be labor-inducing infections which antibiotics quickly stopped and 1 was me being on my feet too much and the last one was that at one of my regular NSTs (non-stress tests that I had to do twice a week in addition to my perinatologist visit AND my regular visit- for those counting that's 4...yes FOUR doctors visit PER WEEK---not to mention I lived just over an hour away) but anyways, at one of my regular NSTs, my sisters and neice and nephew had come with me and we were going to go shopping afterwards but the appiontment went REALLY late bc they had to monitor Aubree for an additional 2 hours (they usually do for 30 minutes) bc she was not moving. They ended up sending me to labor and delivery telling me that they were going to deliver within 3 hours. PANIC! My parents were in Switzerland and my husband was at work nearly 3 hours away! After being monitored in labor and delivery for an hour, they said Aubree was doing fine but Nicholas was not moving. UGH! Cooperate kiddos! Finally, after 7 hours of me moving and pushing my stomach and everything else I could do to get them to move, they discharged me! YAY! The twins would have been almost 7 weeks early had they been born at that point. WHEW! 

It wasn't until the morning of February 10th. My C-section was scheduled for February 19th and I thought they would come on the 11th. But on the 10th Donny and I had left the house to run errands. I just had the strangest feeling that they would be coming that day. I texted my mom to tell her to keep her phone close. She slightly panicked and told me to track them. Once I did, I realized contractions were 5 minutes apart though I could barely even feel them. The nurse I called told me to head on down since being twins put me at higher risk. Quickly they closed to 2 minutes apart but were still not very hard. A couple hours of monitoring and the on-call doctor admitted me. Here is an amazing miracle that anyone with Kaiser will understand: BOTH my doctor AND my perinatologist just so happened to be the 2 doctors on that day! CRAZY! So we were blessed that the babies were delivered by BOTH of our doctors!!! At 5:51pm, Aubree Faith was born and at 5:52pm, Nicholas William was born. Something about pugs and chic-fil-a....yeah, I don't remember but Donny swears that's what I was talking about while our babies were being born. The meds had me all loopy shaking so bad all I know is that I was freezing cold but I do remember the first cry. Then I remember waiting for the second and hearing it and I think that was the first time I let out a breath during that whole time! I remember the nurses calling out their weights: 6 pounds, 5 ounces for baby A (Aubree) and 6 pounds, 15 ounces for baby B (Nicholas). I remember the nurse at my side (there were 14 doctors and nurses in there total) telling me how she couldn't believe how big they were but the best part I remember was once they finish working on us all, they put the babies on me and wheeled me into recovery! Just the four of us, Donny and I swapping babies back and forth even though I cold hardly move. 

While in the recovery room, the nurse kept monitoring Nicholas and ended up sending him to the NICU with a lot of fluid in his lungs. We were there for about 2 hours waiting for a room to open up and finally we were sent to our room, Aubree laying at my side. We got to our room and I was able to see my mom for the first time. They did all of Aubree's checks and one of the nurses was just not happy about her oxygen levels. After a few more checks, Aubree was sent to the NICU. 

(Aubree Faith- this was actually taken when she was already about a week old bc she doesn't have the feeding tube in here)

(Nicholas William)

I thought surely they will check them and they will be back tonight. A new mom never thinks about the scary possibilities, even when you have been warned your babies are at risk for it. I was not able to see them until the next day when I was able to move enough to walk over to the NICU but Donny went over to get updates amost every hour throughout the night. The next 5 days were a struggle for our little angels. Back and forth kinda battle where they would be doing great and possibly coming home to where they were declining so rapidly that even the doctors expressed their uncertainties. I was discharged on the 4th day then finally on the 5th day, they had made enough progression that the doctors were certain they would be fine with just a bit of care. Nurses kept saying they would probably be 3-4 weeks and I was not too thrilled about that...of course! :) Every morning, me and Donny woke up at 6am and made the hour long drive to the hospital and we sat in there with the babies until 9pm (only leaving to grab lunch and occasional snacks in the vending machines) and then made the hour long drive back home to sleep and do it all again in the morning. Donny took that time off work so that he could be with us! (We were so blessed to only have to do that for ten days. There were two families in the NICU whose children were 6months and 9 months and had been in there since birth! :~(   Well, Aubree began making rapid improvements and on February 20th around 7am, we got the blessed call! We were on our way down and were told that Aubree would be coming home that day and Nicholas would probably be ready in another day or two. We were ecstatic! We got there and were soon told that after Nicholas' last check, it was possible that he too might come home with his sister! 

That evening after ridiculously extensive discharge processes and brief training on how to care for pre-term babies, they finally were able to come home with us!!! The next day my mom and sister came over to see them and took this picture:

Anyways, so that is the story of the twins and now we are getting reasy to celebrate their THIRD birthday! It's just crazy to me! I am so happy the Lord blessed us with them and so proud of everything they have become in these short three years and will continue to become all their days! I am amazed at how the Lord has worked in mine and Donny's lives through them and they have no idea the ministry that they have alrady conducted! They are so completely His and always will be and for that I am so grateful! Here's one for the road!!!

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!

So...potty training right? The last few days I have been working with Aubree.

She has really been wanting to for several months now but we have just been way too busy to make that kind of committment so I kept putting it off. Finally, 3 days ago, I decided I would just buckle down and get to business so we have been working on it. She has been really good at asking to go for several weeks now so I knew I already had a head start there. Since she is going to be 3 in only 1 month from tomorrow, she will be moving to the "big kid class" at church and I am sure they are not going to want to be changing her diapers (they will already have Nicholas to change bc in NO WAY will he even consider sitting on the potty.)

So anyways, she has not had a wet diaper since we started save waking up in the mornings. She still had not done the Big Business until about a half hour ago...well, so I am hoping. I finally let her put on some "big girl panties" since she was doing so good. She put them on and we went about our business around the house. I was in my bedroom and she comes running bare-booty in the room with a diaper. I asked if she wanted to wear a diaper and she said es. When I asked why she didn't want to wear the "big gil panties" she said, "I just need my diaper". I figured she must have to "do the Big Business" so I went to put the diaper on when I saw she had some poopy smudges on her bottom. ---oh dear...

I asked her if she went poopy and she said yes. I asked her where her panties were, assuming she had pooped in them somewhere. She pointed to Nicholas in the corner of the room. I realized he was trying to put those same panties on. (!!!!!!!!!!!panic!!!!!!) I told him to stop! I went and took them from him but realized they were completely clean. -uh-oh- that means she must have pooped on the floor somewhere. I began the hunt using her as a type of hunting dog. "Aubree, where is your poopy?" she kept saying she pooped in the potty. I knew she couldn't have all on her own so I figured she must think she is going to get n trouble so didn't want to tell me. I just kept trying to get her to tell me. She led me all over the house saying, "I can't fiiiiiind you, where are you...." (what we say when we look for things).

So we continue our hunt until we have searched every room finding nothing. I am, at this point, becoming amazingly impressed that her first Big Business, she did all on her own. I get down at eye level with her and say, "Ok, Aubree. You are not in trouble. Mommy just wants to clean it, so I need you to show me where your poopy is." She smiles at me and takes my hand and takes me into the bathroom. She opens the lid to the potty and says, "it's in here". I just hug her and tell her what a good job she did. So then, we go into the living room and I turn on Finding Nemo. I start typing on here as they are watching it. Nicholas starts jumping around the room when suddenly he yells and starts crying. I look over at him and he is walking funny, holding his right foot toes up and walking only on his heel. I asked what was wrong and he yells crying, "I got Aubree's poop on my toes. Mommy get it off!!!!! Mommy get it off!!!!!" I just start busting up laughing. Aubree is looking at me waiting to get in trouble and Nicholas is in hysterics. I clean his foot then take him back and ask him where he stepped on it. He showed me and there were only 3 thick smudges. I clean it up (luckily we have tile so it's pretty easy) and then we start the hunt all over again. We never found any other spots so hopefully I won't discover them later the same way Nic did. :) Needless to say, I explained to Aubree that I am proud of her for doing so good on her own, but she still needs to tell mommy when she goes potty so I can help.

Ok, so that story just made me think of how we are with God sometimes. He teaches us to do something and then suddenly we feel we are good enough to just take over and go at it. We feel we are ready and usually with good intentions. He holds our hand telling us, "you're not quite ready yet" but still we let go and start doing things on our own. We feel we already know the process and the way to do things so that should be good enough. We take the Holy Spirit out of the equation forgetting that he trumps all processes and no matter how much training or even experience we have, NOTHING will succeed in bringing glory to the Father without the Spirit's guidance. We will end up just making a mess of things. And usually it will affect others too! (our mess will get all over those who are closest to us) haha! How crazy the things I can pull out of this funny story. But it is so true! I love the things th eLord taches me through my chidren. Not only things about parenting and love, but also these funny little experiences that make me think of how the Father must look at us. I imagine Him sometimes looking down at me with a smile and just shaking His head thinking, "oh my goodness child." Just the same way I did with Aubree. I wasn't upset at her, but still had to teach her that she can't go without my help. She understands that now.

Ok, so I have been going back and forth on my first post of the new year! I have actually written out a few different ones so I am going to just combine them all and post them below. Happy New Year everyone!
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So, I want to have a new year's resolution but I have never been a big resolution-maker. A diet resolution is unavoidably disastrous for me! In fact, I think my brain was programmed to translate "diet" into "chocolate", so I really don't even understand the difference between the two. Other people like to set their resolutions around things like being kinder to people, speaking to people more, travelling...things like that. Well, my whole family would BEG me not to do anything that has to do with speaking more, I already have a tendency to stare complete strangers down until they make eye contact just so I can open up about my whole life story. A grocery cart just doubles the threat because then I can trap them in the aisle. So, I am not going to get any more ambitious in that area. I am pretty sure most everyone that knows me considers me a kind person. (at least I like to think that) :) so maybe I could go for the travelling. I do have a new reason to visit Hawaii. (if anyone ever even needs a "new reason" to go somewhere like that) haha! well, last year was my first year to make a resolution and I must say, it was the best I ever could have made and it was 100% successful! Maybe I will just retire from resolution-making while I am winning.

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-Doesn't that sound orca-ish?- ok, so listening to Dory speak whale is a bit distracting for me.
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So, January always seems to be such a significant month for me. Obviously it's significant as the firstfruit of our year, but for some strange reason HUGE things always seem to happen in January.  ( it was in January -year 2001- that my family prayed about something huge and then quickly received a new mandate on our lives...to move from Atlanta, Ga to the southern California desert) and each January from then on seems to have had something big happen. The last couple of January's particularly have been the MOST significant of my life by FAR! 2 years ago on January 5th, a beautiful and dear friend last graced this earth with her presence and first graced Heaven with her smile! It was only a few days later that I first laid eyes on my precious little Annabelle...of course, at that time, she was in black and white blur on a small monitor and I didn't even know if she was a she at all. Then January 4th last year marked what is most likely in the top 3 significant days of my entire life! God revealed a new calling on our family's life and changed the course we were on! Proving once again how PERFECT His timing is, Donny shortly after ran out of jobs at work and remained unemployed almost consistently until the end of the year allowing time for us to focus on this new calling and truly take the time to seek after the fullness of God's purpose in it. Now...here we are...January again. Makes me wonder what is going to happen this month! And...if nothing happens, how that will signify significance and what God would have me see in that! Don't you know God is ALWAYS speaking? Even in His silence, He has MUCH to say! I just pray that I will ALWAYS understand what He has to say to me! I just want to know Him so deeply that I am right there on every thought of His, soaking in every smile, clinging to every move of His hand! Well, here's to January!
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Ok, so those are the things I had written out over the last week and a half. There was one more as well but I am thinking it will do for a later time as I never was able to finish it. I am going to leave you all with some pictures of me and my family! We are so glad to have another year pass by leaving us all healthy and happy!

Family notes:
Aubree and Nicholas will be 3 on February 10th.

(I will most likely write up around then about the highlights of the twin pregnancy and delivery remembering that blessed time!)
Aubree is getting so beautiful and sweet. She's turned into quite the little mommy. Sometimes even to a fault. She tries to defend her brother and sister even to me sometimes. I have to emind her that she may be the "pretend mommy" but I am the REAL mommy. But she is the best kid with correction and instruction. A lot like my older sister inthe way that she does not like to get in trouble so she will try to avoid being naughty most of the time. She also has an impeccable memory. Don't ever tell her something you don't intend to be held accountable for bc she will not forget it. (I hear that is very much a girl thing.)
Nicholas on the other hand

has become quite my little trouble maker. He is too smart for his own good. He has started figuring out how to REASON and even debate. Maybe if he were quite a bit older, but in this house, 3 year olds are not allowed to reason or debate, only to obey. So even though we are working on him with that, he does continue to impress us with his intelligence. He has not yet met a toy or gadget he can't figure out how to operate and he rarely encounters a problem he can't work out a resolution for. It's just weird that at so young, you can just watch his face turn intent as he mentally processes the problem, then he will concentrate on it until he firgures it out...well, unless he is too tired, then he does turn whiny until you figure it out for him.
They are both communicating so well. They even have full and understandable dialogues with each other. I will just sit and listen as Aubree explains soemthing to him and he corrects her (bc he is a perfectionist and everything must be conveyed perfectly accurately) and then they will talk about things they want to do. They make up their own games and play them. A lot of people talk about "twin talk" and they have never really done that very much as far as having "their own language" but they do converse with each other constantly. They are lost without each othe most of the time, even when they are mad at each other.
Annabelle is getting to be such a big girl. She is 17 months and almost 25 pounds and in the 90%ile for her height. By the end of this year, I predict she will be as tall as Aubree. She is already wearing 2T clothes that are a little tight on her. (not all of them, but certain brands are). She is my strongest personality out of the 3. She can say a few words like, mommy, daddy, ball, cookie, no, yes, chicken and "oh toooooodles!!!!"- from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse- but other than that, she doesn't say many other words, but you ALWAYS get her meaning. She does not tolerate the twins picking on her in any way. She is the sweetest little cuddle bug though. Pretty much the instant you pick her up, she lays her head on your shoulder (even if she is not tired) and just lays there. A total tease to her personality.

Don't you love these little leggies!!!

As for Donny and me, well, we are still waiting for the house to sell, Donny is back to work consistently and I am getting used to being a domestic part-time working mom again. (ok, so not so much for the domestic-although I did make a chicken recipe I just threw together in an attempt to become a cook and apparently it worked bc, at Donny's request, we have now had it 3 times in the last week. I am a little sick of it to be honest but if anyone is interested, it is super easy. I wrote the recipe below if interested.) Anywaysm we are all doing great and so ready for 2012!!!

Ok, so that is all for this super long post today! Enjoy these pics of the last year!

OrangeJuice/SalsaMix Chicken Recipe:
>>You just boil about 3c of orange juice (I like pulp, donny doesn't) with about a half tsp of H&H Brand Salsa Seasoning, HOT and let it reduce. Brown 3Chicken breasts on both sides in olive oil. Then put the chicken breasts in the boiling juice while you sautee 2 onions in the oils from the chicken. Get them good and brown/black and super limp and they are PERFECT! Then put the chicken on the sauteed oinions and spread the onions all over the breasts. Then pour the orange juice over the breasts and let simmerfor about 30 minutes until it becomes a glaze. Super fantastic! And my husband, being a gourmet cook himself and a VERY tough food critic even said it is the second best chicken he's had! woohoo!