The Light at the End of The Tunnel.

Hi all. It's confession time tonight! I need to tell you that I had an absolutely miserable July. And it wasn't just one thing, it was everything, all at once. Imagine if you will, heartburn, hemorrhoids, insomnia, huge swollen feet, restless legs, extreme fatigue and rash, all intensifying at precisely the same moment. I can promise you it wasn't fun. I went from being relatively mobile and independent to hardly being able to do anything alone outside the house. Then, one morning in early August I woke following a particularly restful nights' sleep and realized that I felt, well, better. Not great, not ready to go run a marathon, probably not even good enough to run up the stairs, but better. Sure the relief was only temporary, or simply the delusion of a mind still heavy with sleep I swung my feet off the couch and prepared to start my day. And guess what I saw? Real feet, with veins and bones visible, appropriately proportioned ankles and toes that resembled sausages not at all. I was delighted! What a difference 24 hours can make! The surprise was completely unexpected and most welcome.

Side note on the feet, since, well, who does't love to talk more about feet? The swelling really came on full force at week 23. It became tough to walk without pain and hurt sometimes just to take a step. What I didn't photograph, but mentioned before, is that the swelling extended all the way up to my thigh. It was huge! At my week 24 weigh in, I was shocked to find that I had gained a whopping ten pounds in a week! Then, the following week, equally surprised to learn that I had lost seven. Jen's Theory of the Fluctuating Weight? I think I had at least five pounds of excess water hanging out in my legs. I don't know where it went or if it will be back, but I'm thrilled that's it's left me for the moment!

But enough about feet. With my newfound freedom and ability to leave the couch for more than four consecutive minutes, we got social!

Friday afternoon, a wonderful friend from church brought dinner for us. Do any of you have that friend who asks what you need, but then doesn't wait around for you find a way to tactfully tell her that yes, you really do need help? If you do, you've been very blessed. That's Jill. She asked what I needed, then told me she was bringing dinner. We've been so starved for anything that isn't mac n cheese, a bagel, or fast food, that I didn't even argue with her. So Friday night, and several wonderful leftover lunches after, we feasted on homemade tacos, taco salad, rice, beans and fresh fruit. It was such a treat to have something tasty to pop in the oven!

Saturday we had an invite for dinner with my friend, mentor, and two time small group leader, Joni, and her family. You may remember that it was Joni who had the perfect wisdom and honesty for me back in the Spring when we had just learned of the quads and were really struggling. "God is the author of life and death Jen (not you)". Joni has a wonderful husband, a super sweet rescue pup called Bentley, and four teenage kids. I will be asking her for tips in the future, because she has raised four of the kindest, most intelligent, engaging and Godly teens you would ever want to meet. Joni also happens to be a terrific cook, so we not only enjoyed great conversation, but chicken, watermelon, salad, and gluten free banana bread that was amazingly moist. We had such fun at dinner and the time went so fast that I forgot to take the picture I wanted to take. Just close your eyes and imagine something very Norman Rockwell-esque and you've probably come close.

Last, on Sunday we headed over for dinner with my dad and step-mom. They are quite the gourmets and also happen to have a dog named Bentley. We absolutely stuffed ourselves on lasagna made with hand rolled pasta, home made focaccia, and caesar salad. For dessert, we had a decadent ice cream cake with an Oreo crust that was out of this world. When they had asked me days before what I wanted for dinner, I responded simply "calories", and they did not disappoint.

Many of you know this handsome fella already (see where I get my good looks?), but for those who don't, here we are last Sunday after our feast. Doesn't soon-to-be-quad-grandpa look excited already? He's going to be fantastic with the wee ones!

And then there's Bentley. You may remember earlier that I told you dogs have been having a strange reaction to me as my hormones get stronger. We often have to keep Howard across the room or he will just pace restlessly in front of me. Once he's out of sniffing distance, however, he's back to his old self. Here are Howard and Lillian on patrol just the other day sitting right at my feet.

So far the strange reactions have been reserved for me, but last Sunday was Andy's turn. Bentley is a Great Pyrenees "puppy" who, at around 85 pounds, is still expected to pack on another 60 pounds. It's hard to imagine, because he's already a pretty big boy. As soon as Andy sat down, Bentley trotted over for lap dog duty. He has never done this before, but for some reason he just couldn't get enough of Andy. It was just hilarious watching this giant dog trying to position himself perfectly on Andy's lap. Andy, of course, being the dog lover that he is, took it in stride, and by the end of the day we had to pry the two buddies apart.

Last, an update from my doctor's appointment Tuesday. My report is that there is not much to report. No bed rest, and if nothing goes wrong in the meantime, no more appointments until my 28 week growth scan. My blood pressure was great, weight good, babies heartbeats were excellent and they are surrounded by plenty of fluid, so we all got a clean bill of health. Doc J. says that he expects the babies to be right around 2 pounds each at this point. That means I have 8 pounds of babies and 8 pounds of placenta inside of me right now, which makes me wonder, where are the other 33 pounds I've gained? Oh well, I guess we may never know!

Such good times, and we feel so blessed to be surrounded by such love. What a journey this has been. It barely seems real that we could have made it already to 26 weeks, but here we are!

We thank you to the moon and back for all your prayers and support. We really do feel it.

Love and blessings,

Jen