Nurse Practitioner, " Let's take another look at your baby...(gasp)...oh my goodness...there are TWO! You have two babies!!!

Those are the words we heard when we found out we were having two baby Brane's!  It was the biggest and BEST surprise of our lives!!!  Before the sonogram our nurse practitioner commented on what she would be looking for including heart flutter, movement, and how many babies there are?!?!  She said she loves to see the husband's face when she makes that comment.  Matt and I both looked at each other and said we've never thought about more than one!  Well, God had other plans in mind :).  It's better than we could have imagined!  I like how He surprised us!  The N.P. found the first baby (not knowing there was a second) and took lots of pictures and we were both smiling big and in awe!  After about 5 minutes she wanted to get a different view of our baby, and that's when she GASPED and said, "I think there are TWO...there ARE TWO!!!  You have two babies!!! Matt thought she was joking because of her earlier comment, but she wasn't joking and said she would never make that comment again. My legs started shaking and I bursted in tears and couldn't stop crying.  Matt looked at me once and asked why I was crying so much.  I had so many unexpected emotions. I asked the N.P. if my body could do this and what does having twins mean...honestly, I was in shock.  After the shock I couldn't stop crying because I was so grateful God gave us two babies!!!!  We get the privilege of loving twins forever!  I remember getting in my car after our appointment and listening to None But Jesus by Hillsong.  There is none but Jesus that could give us this very special blessing and He is the One we can depend on during this time of new emotions, new beginnings, and overflowing JOY!!  I just know Carol had a little something to do with this up there :)!!!! 

Matt and I hope this blog will be used to give our friends and family updates on the twins and to join us in prayer for our babies.  Thanks for being a very special blessing to our lives.  We are grateful for your love, support, and encouragement in our first two years of marriage and now the exciting journey with our twins!   Matt and I are always saying how grateful we are for the many wonderful relationships we have in our lives. We all need each other.  Thanks for being a part of our lives.  We love you. 

Today, I am 13 weeks.  We went to the doctor yesterday.  Matt got to meet our OB for the first time.  We got to hear both heartbeats and see both babies!!!  One great perk with having multiples is you get to have sonograms every couple of weeks. Doc said no aerobic exercise and get ready to get big!!!  He said to embrace it or not look in the mirror :). I'm trying my best to embrace!!!  I will say the recommended 50 lbs on my small frame is a little scary, but bring on the ice cream :)!  Our doc also said hormones with twins are doubled and never really go away during the pregnancy...Matt just smiled real big :).

This coming week we are looking forward to celebrating Grandma Brane's 80th birthday, Austin and Jennie's wedding, and traveling to Belize to celebrate mom's 60th birthday.  The babies will be going on their first of MANY fly fishing trips. We hope grandpa and daddy catch some BIG tarpon!  By the way, the twins are already being named after fly rods if they are boys and you might have heard Jimmy and John mentioned :).

We would be honored and grateful if you would pray with us.  We were blessed with a book written by our friend Jenica McMaster titled, Prayer With Purpose:  90 Days of Prayer for Your Unborn Child (Children).  I highly recommend this prayer journal for your personal use, friends, and family!  You will see what I mean :).  From Jenica's book:

Prayer for this week -
Pray for Salvation/Healthy Eyes
Pray for Love of God (Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your strength, and with all of your mind." Luke 10:27 This is one of my favorite verses)/Healthy Heart's
Honesty and Integrity/Hospital
Self-Control/Healthy Muscles
Love for God's Word/Fingers and Toes
Love of Justice/Healthy Legs (I secretly pray for a love for Africa :) like mom)
Mercy/Healthy Arms

I don't know about you, but I love having a prayer outline and scriptures to help me pray. 
To purchase this Prayer Journal visit http://www.prayerwithpurpose.com/ or
http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=1001181