We are happy to announce the arrival of Alexandria Diane Tedder & Marisa Denyea Tedder.  The twins arrived on Thursday 9/6/2007.  Alexandria was 5lb 13 oz & Marisa was 5 lb 0.8oz. Both beautiful girls are healthy & at home.  Thank you to our well wishers & those who kept us in your prayers.

"You have not because you ask not" - quote from the bible.  Prayer is essential in our lives.  God knows our hearts, however, he expects us to communicate with him - don't forget to take the time to talk to him each day.

My 15 week prenatal checkup went well.  It was very exciting to hear two strong heartbeats.  If you are a post-op considering pregnancy let me tell you it is well worth it - at least for me so far.  It is a challenge - if you thought your body went through some amazing changes throughout the weight loss journey - well pregnancy holds even more.  Your whole perspective changes and you will look at things very different than before.  
I found a really neat site that allows you to purchase or rent of doppler where you can listen to your baby's heartbeat at home.  I rented a digital one so that I can have the heart rates displayed since I am having twins.  It is very easy to use & so amazing to listen to not only the heartbeats, but other maternal sounds such as nutrients passing through the placenta.  The site is www.dynamicdoppler.com.

Here are some other sites that I wanted to share:

www.nummies.com                    www.Lalecheleague.org
www.pregnancy.com                   www.perinatology.com
www.wellstar.org
www.mypyramid.gov

I heard this from Joel Osteen (minister of Lakewood Church):
There will always be people who are against you & no matter how hard you try there will be someone who is either negative or constantly picking at you (to your face or behind your back).  They do not want to see you happy and soaring.  Instead of taking the low road & doing the same back or constantly allowing your heart and mind to worry about it - be like the eagle.  If you ever observe an eagle flying sometimes the pesky birds such as crows will try to pick and swarm at the majestic creature. The eagle is strong & could easily take these pests out in an instant.  However, instead what you will observe is the eagle rising above these other birds and will glide to a higher altitude that they are unable to go to.  An eagle can be seen as high as 30,000 feet.  No other bird is capable of this.  So think of this the next time someone is downing you or trying to get at you because they think they are better.  Do not stoop - trust in God & glide above it.  Leave the pests where they lie.

3/1/07:  I had my prenatal visit today & all went well.  I am sooo happy to report that upon checking for the fetal heartbeat with a preliminary ultrasound it was found we are having TWINS!!!  I am still somewhat in shock, but couldn't be happier. 
**I would like to share with potential moms to be to be very informed on all of the testing that you will be offered.  Expecting is meant to be exciting, however, comes with it's own set of stressors.  You worry about your health, the baby's health, life changes, finances, etc.  Read into all of your testing info before you make a decision. The reason I bring this up is there is a test called AFP (alpha fetal protein) this helps screen for "potential" genetic problems such as down's syndrome and spina bifida.  While everyone wants to know they are having a healthy baby this test gives a lot of false positives - resulting in stress on you.  Not good for you or your baby.  If you are at increased risk that is a different story, however, there are other tests that are more definitive and alleviate that "worry" period between a false positive and further testing.  This is all my opinion of course and I just like passing it along so that maybe it will help someone out.  The best rule of thumb is to research, ask other experienced moms then ask your doctor & know ALL your options.  Hope that benefits someone.  Until my next update God bless and many prayers.