Daddy's point of view of the doctor appointment

Today we had another visit with our preventative pre-term labor lady. While in the waiting room, Melissa met another mom-to-be of twins, only she was having girls. The woman had her hands full with her own two boys, aged two and three, running around the room, climbing on chairs, doing what boys do best. It was another little glimpse into our future. A few moments later we were taken back to meet with our nurse.

Today's appointment was focused on nutrition. From what I gathered, it looks like Melissa needs more calcium and protein in her diet. I know my wife doesn't like milk, so the calcium part may be a little tough. There are plenty of other alternative ways to get calcium, so we will just have to change up our eating habits a bit. The protein problem can easily be fixed by breakfast tacos, in my opinion. Eggs, bacon, beans. Check, check, check. Throw on some cheese and there's some of that calcium.

Our nurse was very happy to see how much I help Melissa. I take care of my wife and the mother of my children, and I pay close attention during our appointments. The nurse doesn't see that enough, and it was very reassuring to her. Melissa will read this and ask what I am sucking up for? The answer is nothing, except maybe a trip to Cabela's.

Immediately after our nutrition lesson, we had an ultrasound scheduled. I'm not sure what all the fuss is about our diet. These boys are definitely growing big and healthy. Don't worry. We won't ignore our eating advice, but seeing the boys today reinforces that we are on the right track.

On a side note, Melissa's cervix is looking great. Whatever that means.

Daddy's boys make him smile

I would have been excited no matter what the doctor said. When we were told we would be bringing two little boys into this world, my mind went blank, and I smiled. It's how my brain says, "I'm speechless". This is the way I show extreme happiness. I don't jump around, yell, or laugh hysterically.

When my father surprised me with a car on my birthday, I smiled. It was a big smile, but just a smile. When I had won a school-wide spelling bee a few years earlier, I reacted the same. When I got married, when Melissa told me of our first pregnancy, when we learned we were having twins. Smile, smile, smile. Though not everyone will see it, my eyes begin to tear up, too. I don't know why I feel I need to keep my composure at these times, it's just how I am.

Most people I know, say my emotions are hard to read. That might be true in many cases, but chances are, if I'm smiling, I'm genuinely very happy.

Healthy Dad

The new year is almost here, and that means resolution time. I'm not very big on making resolutions, much less sticking to them, but there are a few things I would like to accomplish before the twins arrive. One of them is to lose a little weight. Very original, I know.

I'm not terribly overweight, but there are definitely some clothes I would like to fit back in to. I don't want to spend money on a new wardrobe because I "grew out of" my current clothes. I read a good blog on this subject yesterday, and it is what got me more motivated about doing this.

I want to be as healthy and active as possible when our children arrive. I'd like to be able to keep up with them without running out of breath. I have a feeling they will keep me very busy, so a decent physique couldn't hurt.

I'm not planning on going all P-90X on my body. I just want to get closer to where I used to be, ten years ago, when I skateboarded 3 hours a day and ran the 100 meter dash. I want to be a healthy role model to my kids in an otherwise obese culture.

My goal is to lose ten pounds. I'm currently clocking in at 156 lbs. I know it's nothing life-threatening, but when my belly is comparable to Melissa's 15 week twin tummy, a little change is necessary.

I started getting serious with our budget, recently, and I actually enjoy working with all the numbers and accounting for all our expenses. I'm thinking of a way to create an eating/exercise budget that will make my progress easier to manage and keep track of. I really am turning into my Mom and Dad, a bookkeeper and an accountant.

Current Weight: 156 lbs
Current Mission: Lose ten pounds
Current Strategy: Eat less, move (a lot) more.

Father to be

Hey everyone. I figured it was about time I introduced myself. My name is Andy Graham, I am Melissa's husband of a little over 4 years, and the future stay-at-home-dad to our buns in the oven. Many of you may have heard about me through Melissa's first blog, Hoping for Baby Graham. We are very excited to be writing about the events leading to the birth of our twins and the memories that will be made once they arrive.

This blog is not only meant to record the things we experience during this life-changing event, but hopefully others who read this will be able to take something with them that can help if they are going through a similar time in their lives. We look forward to making frequent entries here at "One Plus One is More" to keep readers updated on our status as we prepare to bring two lives in to this world, come May or June.

If you have anything you would like to say or ask, don't hesitate to comment. We would love to connect to our readers and anyone else sharing a situation similar to ours. We are new to all of this, but we are ready to face whatever God has in store for us.