Welcome Madeline Belle and Savannah Noel

On December 18, 2008 the twin baby girls made their arrival! Madeline Belle Massengill was born at 3:35 PM, weighing 4 pounds, and 17 inches long. Savannah Noel Massengill was born at 4:19 PM, weighing 4 pounds 11 ounces, and 18 1/2 inches long.

Because they were born early, they were sent to the NICU to monitor and assist in their breathing, eating and any other problems that might arise. With God's help, they progressed so much quicker than expected and on Christmas Day, Chris and I were able to take our precious girls home! It was a Christmas we will never, ever forget. We are so thankful to God for these two gifts, and are cherishing every moment we have with them while they are so small and so fragile. They are truly a packaged gift from above!

Enjoy the pics!

Proud Daddy!!First time holding them together at the same time!!!

Madeline on left, Savannah on right

Catchin' some rays under the bilirubin lights


Finally taking them home from the hospital on Christmas Day!

Daddy holding Madeline after bathtime...he's so smitten by his girls!

Madeline on left, Savannah on right

Savannah on left, Madeline on right
Our first Christmas family photo! Chris and I with the two best Christmas presents ever.

Chris Finishes School!

I am so proud of Chris! Exactly 96 master level credit hours later (and another 11 prerequisite hours), he finished his requirements for the Master in Divinity program at Andrews TODAY! After arriving on campus in May 2007, he successfully pulled off all A's in his classes while taking on huge, full class loads. (And only 1 B and 1 B+ with the rest A's in total. He deserves to be bragged on for this incredible accomplishment!!) After finding out we were expecting twins, he took this final semester to another level....going over the maximum amount of hours allowed per semester so that there would be no class left to complete after December. Even then, he still finished with such high marks. Tomorrow he makes the final trip out of Berrien Springs to come meet me in Tennessee where we prepare for our next big (but much more fun!) challenge in life...becoming parents! I am so grateful to God for giving him the wisdom to accomplish all that he accomplished, and so proud for the blessing he is to my life and the lives of his soon-to-arrive twin daughters!! Congratulations, Chris on completing your Master's Degree!!

The Girls Head South

The babies and I a day before leaving on our long trip out of Michigan to Chattanooga!

Once again, we are so thankful for such a supportive family. Because of the impending due date and the also impending major move south, Chris and I decided it was in the best interest of me and the babies to get down early, get "settled in" to a doctor's practice in Chattanooga before the babies arrived. We also didn't want the babies to arrive on the side of the road on our trip down in mid-December! So, my mom and step-dad Bob graciously agreed to drive up and drive me back down to Chattanooga. At the same time, we had this ski boat that we needed to get out of Michigan before the real snow hit and Chris would be stuck trying to pull a boat on a trailer in 12 inches of snow. Again, Bob graciously agreed to take care of that for us as well.

Early Sunday morning arrived, and the weather was cold, but no snow. All looked good.

Chris and his dad checking the air on the trailer tires, making sure everything looked good. We even took the high cover off so that it would make the drive smoother for Bob - less wind resistance we were thinking....

Um...the girls aren't even born yet, and wow did the adventure begin. I think I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves. The girls were kicking like crazy as their mommy's anxiety levels hit the roof, following behind Bob and the boat.

Here comes the snow , and the icy roads. And nope, not a cover on the boat either. As the snow worsened, we passed at least 7 cars in the ditch. Good times.

As the snow let up a tad, Bob and I checking under the engine for the fuse that blew on the trailer lights thanks to an exposed wire hitting the cold trailer, which we also had to search out.

At least somebody's relaxed...in the front seat with Mom while I'm reclined in the back seat to try keeping the pregnant swelling down...

After a quick, but very relaxing lunch break at Cracker Barrel (at a table right next to the warm fireplace) helping put all our of nerves at ease, Bob found the fuse and the wire and rescued the nonexistent trailer lights back to life, just in time before darkness set in!

One picture we didn't get was running into Pastor Steve, the Pastor that Chris worked with in Greeneville who also married Chris and I - a very dear friend - at a random Wal-Mart along our route where we purchased the fuses! I know that God set that meeting up as seeing a friendly face who also happens to be your pastor in the middle of a highly stressful trip was a great comfort! With the snowstorm, the trailer lights, and a pregnant mommy who had to stop for frequent breaks, we finally made it to Chattanooga 16 hours later. My mom and Bob had to be at work bright and early the next morning and both Chris and I can not thank them enough for all they did to get me and the babies safely down to their home in Tennessee where we are now settled in and waiting for Chris to finish school and move our things down.

Somehow, with twins on the way and Chris not here yet, and us not even moved into our new home yet, I have a feeling the adventure is not yet over.

Packing Up

We are so blessed to have such a supportive family. We would have never made it through the last week without them. On Tuesday, Chris' parents flew in to spend Thanksgiving with us and help us pack our house. With me not able to lift heavy boxes and pack things up, this would have all ended up on Chris' shoulders had they not been there. Sunday evening, they were sweeping the last remnants of a packed up basement and cleaning out the empty cabinets of the kitchen! Thank you Nana and Papa for helping the girls not overdo it and helping Chris take on this huge task!!

A Wintry Doctor's Appointment

This morning was our last doctor's appointment with our practice in South Bend. Even though we will be moving where the winter weather is a touch warmer, mother nature was not going to let us get by without waking to an enormous snow storm for at least one of our OB appointments in Michigan. Here's a pic of the view out our living room window first thing this morning:

11-21-08

The drive down was less than fun. Because we experienced such a heavy lake effect snow for the first time this season, the snow plow trucks must not have been ready. The roads didn't clear up until we got down into South Bend. As you'll see in the next pic, this is definitely not the south...the school buses were still up and running, and the plow trucks were out down there in full force!

11-21-08

Once we got to the doctor's appointment, we had a full ultrasound and the girls are doing great! They are both a little over 3 pounds which gives us tremendous comfort...the heavier they get, the healthier they are becoming! Enjoy the rest of the pics from today!

Madeline's Profile - 11-21-08

Sisters Putting their Heads Together
A little blurry, but they are right next to each other - Savannah's head on the Left/Madeline's head on the Right

Me after arriving home from our winter wonderland doctor's appointment. And yes, this is the first time our boat has ever seen this much snow....we're anxious to get it down south again and out of this snow!

The Dog Factor

In the last few weeks, I've noticed our beagle, Bailey, has become much, much more clingy to his mommy than ever before. He's always been loyal to me, but this is getting ridiculous. Nighttime is a hoot. After repeated attempts to get him to go to his bed, he will literally jump over top of Chris to run up next to me and lay down...often plopping right on top of my belly. It is a never ending "argument" we have with him until the wee hours of the night! I think somehow he senses that either A) I'm uncomfortable and it scares him, or, B) he senses some big - huge - changes are coming. Either way, our dog's world is about to completely change. We may need a doggy shrink for this.

Bailey in full form - 11/13/08

And no, he's not supposed to be curled up on that blanket...my favorite blanket...anything with my scent, and he's all over it. We're in trouble.

Watching Them Grow

One of the great things about having twins is the high frequency of ultrasounds they do to make sure the babies are doing good, and to make sure I am not showing any signs of preterm labor. Not only does this give me tremendous peace of mind each time we go for an ultrasound (every 2 weeks), but we also get the pleasure of seeing the girls and taking pictures home with us to track their growth progress! These will be great for the girls to look back on years from now.

17 Weeks

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20 Week Ultrasound
Too big to get in one picture now!

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24 Week Ultrasound
Our awesome ultrasonographer Christa started writing their names (Madeline and Savannah) on their pics instead of referring to them as "A" and "B"! This is a woman who truly does love what she does for a living - and gets as excited as we do over the progress our girls are making!

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26 week Ultrasound
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30 week Ultrasound

They didn't give me one of Madeline this time - this wasn't a "full" check of the babies, so I was lucky to even get this one pic!
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32 Weeks!

I never knew my belly would stir up such controversy amongst family and friends! I will put a stop to the madness and post a pic taken today in honor of reaching the beginning of my 32nd week of this twin pregnancy. :-)

Beginning of 32 Weeks - 11/13/08

After all the fear talks I received from my doctor regarding twin pregnancies being high risk for preterm labor, I feel so blessed that these babies have made it this far! At 32 weeks, I know the babies have an excellent chance of survival should labor hit. This makes breathing easier. Well...not literally, as the bigger the babies get, the more crowded they are getting on my lungs and the less I can literally breathe!

Two days ago I experienced contractions for the first time. Freaked me out a little, but neither the doc, nor my friends who have carried twins, seemed too concerned. They were 40-50 mins apart, and were gone by the morning. Still, it made me wake up and realize that show time really could happen any day.

Daddy getting ready for pushing the double stroller - 8/18/08


Chris taking on the massive leaves by himself after finding a break between school, work and studies - I hate I can't help him! He won't let me if I try. He's doing amazing picking up so much of the slack for us right now.

How the Adventure Began

Chris and I had no idea - and no reason to suspect - that we were having twins. We have no twins in our immediate families, no medical reasons to suspect twins, nothing. However, from about 12 weeks and on, I began suspecting I was carrying twins. I felt like my baby bump was higher than what I was reading and I was so sick and so tired - we're talking around the clock sick...and tired. I also began having frightful dreams that I was carrying two! When at 17 weeks I visited my mother, who happens to be a certified nurse midwife, for the first time since I got pregnant, she gave my belly a funny look. It was not a fun thing as I, the emotional pregnant woman, thought she was thinking I was "just so huge!" Little did I know she thought, medically speaking, that I was carrying bigger than my due date but after my reaction, she wouldn't dare tell me she was suspecting twins.

The Ultrasound
We decided to have our very first ultrasound done at my mother's practice in Chattanooga while we were in town over the summer. I would be at 17 weeks, which would be just far enough to determine the gender! So, my mom, my sister, my brother, my sister-in-law, and my two nieces all came to the office with us to find out what we were having! My, did we have a surprise in store for us!

Chris and I went into the room first to find out before anyone else came in. I first sat down and said "I want to know the baby is healthy...and that there is just one!" Those were the famous last words. She put the wand on my belly, and dropped her head in laughter. Chris and I immediately knew what was next. Yes, there were two! Two beautiful babies! Chris and I both just started laughing hysterically! From that moment on, all fear I had completely disappeared and we were overwhelmed with joy and pure elation at the surprise of twins! It was happiness beyond words. Then, we found out they were both girls! I can't express how excited Chris and I both were, and how in shock we were at the fact that our world as we knew it was never going to be the same!! After everyone waiting came in and we broke ALL of the news, we immediately called our other parents who all fell out of their seats when we told them the news! And that is how the Twin Adventure all began!!

Welcome to Our Blog!

Chris and I have so many loved ones all over the country that are asking for updates on the progress of this twin pregnancy that we thought we'd start this blog to share our story, with only a few weeks (7 weeks) left until showtime! We are going through so many changes in the next two months - first, a major move back to the south; second, the arrival of our twin girls; and third, the start of a new job for Chris and a new life for our soon to be expanded family of 4!

Here is a picture from September, shortly after finding out we were having twins! After putting together the two bassinets from their Grammy, the excitement really began building in anticipation of their arrival!

Since we are so far away from most of you and will continue to be after the move, we know once we have these baby girls many will want to see pictures and hear the stories, so we are happy to share this time with you all through our blog!

And...by all means, post comments/questions/anything! We want to hear from you too!