{33 Weeks Baby Pictures}

We got to see the babies again yesterday! They sure are little chunks!

Baby "A" is 5 lbs 3 ounces-- 73rd percentile

Baby "B" is 4 lbs 13 ounces-- 64th percentile

That's TEN POUNDS of baby I am hauling around!!!

We are so happy that they are growing and doing so well and praying that they keep doing so for at least another week.

Here are a few pictures from the ultrasound:

Here is Baby "B" being his usual camera shy self, hiding behind one of his arms :)

And, "CHEEKS" as we now call him, our chunk-a-lunk Baby "A" :) To be fair, the cheeks were being squished by Baby "B's" head who was pressed up against him from below, but still, those are some impressive cheeks!

{31 & 32 Weeks}

Everywhere I go people say, "any day now, huh?!"

Well, maybe! My doctor wants to see them make it to 34 weeks, that is our goal right now!

I am 32 weeks 4 days today.

A few days ago, on Friday, I unexpectedly had to go into the hospital for evaluation. I had been experiencing a different kind of cramping for a few days outside of my "usual" contractions. I almost didn't call, but decided it was better just to check in and see if it was normal. Within minutes of calling I was instructed to go straight to triage. WHAT?! I was not expecting that. I thought maybe they would have me just wait and see for a few hours if anything changed, but the nurse said it was concerning and I needed to go right in. Thankfully some wonderful friends came through and were able to come quickly and stay with Judah while I went up to the hospital...THANK YOU Dima and Kim!

At the hospital the babies and I were monitored for 3 hours. Both babies had great heart rates and were very active. The machine was picking up regular contractions, every 8-10 minutes. I told the doctors that I have been experiencing contractions for 4-6 weeks, but the cramping was new. That was what concerned them. After an evaluation they found that I was 1cm dilated and 25% effaced, which was pretty normal for a 2nd pregnancy, especially with twins this time around. They let me go home because we live so close the the hospital, but I had to come back with any new changes.

Nothing exciting happened for a few days, we made it through Christmas without any hospital trips for me---almost had one for poor Judah though who woke up with a BAD case of the flu on Christmas morning. Luckily we were able to get him hydrated and feeling better from home.

Then, last night I woke up with a sharp pain in my lower back and lots of contractions. I was up 3 hours timing contractions and trying to relax. Eventually they calmed down and I fell back asleep. In the morning I just felt "off" and more tired and slow than even my normal preggo self.

At my OB appointment today I told my doctor about the night and she decided to do another evaluation and see if there were any changes since Friday. I was now 75% effaced, but still 1cm dilated. She was conceded that my contractions were no longer just braxton hicks, but actually causing me to have possible preterm labor. She said our goal would be to get to 34 weeks, which will be January 8th, Andrew's 26th birthday. If the babies can keep on cooking until then their chances of having any NICU time would be very low. So, for now I have to take it very easy. She didn't want to use the term "bed rest," because she knows we have a very active little Judah at home...but, essentially I am on light bed rest. I have to relax as much as possible and let Andrew do everything around the house. It is REALLY hard for me to sit still with so much on my mind---I am in NESTING mode and want to clean, organize and prepare. But, the best thing I can do for these babies is just sit still. So our prayer is that the babies will make it to 34 weeks. We trust God has a perfect plan and are leaving it all up to Him...there is not much we can do except wait and rest.

Sorry, but there are no pictures to post...I have not been feeling camera ready these days :) My maternity shirts just BARELY fit and my tummy is measuring at 41 weeks! WOWZA. So, just create a little picture in your mind of that, if you dare :)

{29 & 30 Weeks}

If you saw me, you would say "WHOA!"

My belly has TAKEN OVER.

I am seriously pregnant. Dangerously round. About to BURST.

And I am only 30 weeks.

I can not imagine the size my belly will be in 5-8 more weeks. I had a dream last night that I blew up like the girl in Charlie's Chocolate factory...swelling and swelling and POP!

The past two weeks have gone by pretty s-l-o-w-l-y. I find myself counting down the days, trying to "estimate" when these boys will arrive...hoping & praying I will make it out of this in one piece :)

My tummy is no longer "round"--- it's not your nice, watermelon-like pregnant belly. It has corners and bumps. Sometimes you can literally SEE a leg or a foot. You can tell exactly where each baby is. The shapes it takes sometimes make me panic. Andrew just laughs. Jerk :)

On December 4th my dear, sweet, wonderful friend Carolyn threw a baby shower for me at Redamte Coffee on State Street. It was beautiful. Perfect. I enjoyed every minute of it. It was so great to celebrate these sweet baby boys with so many sweet family and friends.

Here are a few pictures from the shower (taken by my wonderful friend Kimberly!)

BEAUTIFUL CAKE MADE CHRISTY GRACE:

THE LOVELY HOSTESS, MRS. GEORGE :)

OPENING LOTS OF BEAUTIFUL GIFTS--THANK YOU!!!

MY "BUMP BUDDY" DUE ONE DAY AFTER THE OTHER!

SOME OF THE WONDERFUL PARTY GUESTS, INCLUDING ANDREW'S 94 YEAR OLD GRANDMA!

{27 & 28 Weeks}

The past two weeks have been wonderful. Judah and I got to spend 10 days in Green Bay with family. It was SO nice to relax and rest while Grandmas and Grandpas entertained Judah :) I can hardly keep up to him these days, so it was a nice break for him too.

Thanksgiving was great, although I did not get to eat as much carb loaded goodness as I would have liked :) My diabetes is under control with diet and exercise so far and not causing any more problems. I am so thankful to have doctors who are so on top of their game!

I even made it out for black Friday with my mom and sister. Even though we were not out looking for much, it is our tradition and we just had to do it! We were crazy enough to go out at midnight-won't do that again though! We found some great deals, had a yummy breakfast and got to sleep most of the afternoon on Friday. I was pretty sore by the end of it with all the walking, er waddling, that I did :)

Other than relaxing and shopping I have been sewing up a storm the past two weeks: 6 receiving blankets, 4 crib sheets, 12 bibs, and 12 burp rags! I am a nesting maniac. I also got our entire place organized from head to toe wit the help of my organizing queen sister (and mom of course!) Heidi must have assembled 10 different new organizing contraptions. I feel 90% ready for the babies now! Just a few more things to clean, organize and order and I'll be ready to go!

Yesterday was my 28 week growth scan, my sister got to come a long and see her first ultrasound! It was awesome! The babies were so active and acting more and more like newborns. Within the first minute we got to see baby "A" give a HUGE yawn and then proceed to either kiss or bite his brother :) Both boys were head down, although baby "B" did two big flips during the ultrasound he ended the show head down again. Here are a few pictures from the ultrasound:

Baby "A" profile

Baby "B" had a head full of hair!!!

Baby "B" all squished up hiding from his brother :)

Baby "A"

Both boys are doing GREAT! Baby "A" is 3 pounds and Baby "B" is 2 lbs 15 ounces--only a 3.3% discordance....so happy!

{26 Weeks}

One week makes a difference when you are carrying TWO babies! My waddle has become somewhat of an old woman's hobble. I am a sad sad sight these days. I know my mom and sister are hoping I can make it out for our tradition of black Friday shopping next week, but I think if I go it will have to involve some kind of hover-round type transportation :)

My back aches. My legs ache. My belly has taken over.

I wonder every day "can I REALLY get any rounder than this?!"

These babies are serious movers and shakers, oh my! Baby "A" has been kicking my poor ribs to pieces day and night & Baby "B" is performing twists and turns that make my stomach look like a freak show. Andrew can see my tummy "bopping" from across a room!

What a time in my life is this!

Everything has been going pretty well the past week. I had one scary night last Saturday when we were in Green Bay though. I noticed I had been having contractions pretty consistently and started to time them. I found that I was having nearly 10 in an hour. It was 7 at night and I didn't want anyone to panic, so I called our hospital in Madison where I was told to relax and drink 3 glasses of water for another hour & time them. No change. Still had 10 contractions in an hour. When I called back they told me to come right in to triage...eeer, uh oh. When I told them I was in Green Bay they suggested either going to a hospital in Green Bay or wait another hour to see if there was any change. I was panicked at the thought of having any complications while away from my doctor and just prayer that the contractions would slow down...and they did after another hour. I have not had any more consistent contractions this week, but we will definitely not be traveling any more after Thanksgiving!

I was also really bummed to find out that I have gestational diabetes last week. I couldn't believe it when I got the phone call. I exercise daily and eat really healthy! I immediately felt like it MUST have been something I did wrong, but my doctor assured me that is was almost certainly because I am having twins--double the hormones makes it even harder for the body to process glucose. But, luckily we caught it right away and I was able to talk to a dietitian right away this week & get set up with a meal plan and glucometer. It is going to be difficult making it through the holidays with diabetes, but I will do anything to make sure these babies are as healthy and safe as possible!

I am thankful to have made it through another week and have these two munchkins growing big and strong, and trying to keep positive even as things get more and more difficult. 11 more weeks at the most to go!

{25 Weeks}

The past 5 weeks have flown by for me, it is hard to believe I am only (at the most) 12 weeks away from having these babies! Well...not so hard to believe physically, because I seriously feel like I am FULL TERM right now. I did not feel like this until the very end with Judah!

I AM:

Packed full of babies. My tummy is like a rock & every time one of them moves you can see it!

Having contractions day and night.

Waddling.

So sore all the time. Everywhere.

Eating smaller amounts of food at a time than Judah--there is just no room in there!

Feeling movement constantly--there is literally never a moment where one of these guys is not up to something :)

Waking up every night at 2AM for a bowl of cereal.

Excited to meet these guys, but at the same time NOT ready for their arrival. SO much to do!

Still discussing name options with Andrew, but pretty sure we have made our final decision :)

Thankful both boys are growing big & strong.

Praying they stay "in" as long as possible.

Judah is starting to understand what is in his future a little more every day---the other day he looked at me and said "two baby?" with a huge smile on his face. He has also been caring for his little boy baby doll--changing diapers, finding his binky, feeding him juice, and putting him night-night. He is going to be an all star big-bro!

This past weekend myself and a photographer friend of mine, Jessica, of More Than Just Pictures swapped photo sessions. As photographers her and I know how rare it is for us to actually BE IN a picture. It was such a special day and the pictures are priceless. I absolutely LOVE them and I am so happy we have a way to remember this special time in our life. Thank you, Jessica!

I am 25 weeks and 1 day in these pictures...yes I am counting the DAYS :)

Mommy Brain

I have had a bad case of the "mommy brain" this entire pregnancy & have been horrible at updating this blog regularly!

I will be 24 weeks in just a few days! That leaves 13 weeks left (at the most) before the boys arrive. My doctor decided that she will not let me go past 37 weeks. The best time to deliver twins is between 35-38 weeks. SO, that does not leave much time to prepare...I can not believe how quickly this pregnancy has been going!

I have been feeling great the past few weeks. Some days are better than others, but for the most part I have had lots of energy. Judah and I usually try to get in a few good, long walks every week, we have to get in as much time outdoors as possible before the winter hits! This week we walked to the zoo to meet some friends...I could tell it would be one of my last long walks because the entire way there and back I was having contractions. So thankful I have made it this far and have been so active though!

Starting next week I will be having growth ultrasounds every few weeks at the hospital to monitor baby "B" and make sure he is doing well. It will be fun to see the babies so often, but a little nerve wracking at the same time--- I sure have mastered the fine art of motherly worrying during this pregnancy!

Judah man has been such a joy, he keeps us laughing constantly! He just turned 21 months and is getting to be more and more of a big boy every day--he LOVES anything with wheels, books, cooking in his "kitchen" and taking care of his baby doll and of course Elmo/"Nana".

We feel so blessed and thankful every day for the sweet family God has given to us. Although it can be overwhelming and stressful at times at the end of the day there is not a thing I would change.

Stay tuned for a belly pic update! :) For now here are a few fun pictures of Judah from photo booth on our Mac.

Oh Boy. Oh BOY!

That's right. I am officially outnumbered 4:1, we are having TWIN BOYS!!!

When we found out it was two boys all I could picture was:

Andrew & his 3 boys,

FISHING

HUNTING

PLAYING FOOTBALL

CLIMBING TREES

FINDING FROGS

WRESTLING

LAUGHING

It makes my heart smile.

My Boys. My three sweet baby boys.

What a sweet, sweet life God has given us!

Here are some photos!

Baby "B"

Baby "A"

Baby "B" profile

Baby "A" profile

Everything went really well, the boys are both healthy and handsome :)

Both are exactly 14 ounces.

20 toes

20 fingers

2 sweet mouths

4 little eyes

two round bellies

4 kicking legs

4 wiggly arms

perfect.

Baby A looks a lot like Judah did in his ultrasound, Baby B looks completely different. I think he might look a lot like Andrew.

Baby B needs some prayers for continued healthy growth. His umbilical cord was found to be "marginally placed"--meaning it is at the very far edge of the placenta. This has statistically been shown to correlate with a poor growth rate. We will have to have frequent ultrasounds to monitor his progress, but right now he is doing beautifully!

We are so thankful for the blessing these two sweet babies are and praise God that they are both healthy and growing strong.

And now it's time to brainstorm some names for these two little guys...two boys was the one name combo we have been having trouble with!

They showed us a little of their personalities today.

BABY A:

The wiggly, active one.

Likes to tease his brother (lots of kicking and bopping)

Stubborn.

Head down and not going anywhere!

BABY B:

Laid back.

Tries to avoid "conflict" :)

Likes his picture taken.

Can't decided: head down or head up?

{20 Weeks}

20 weeks--over half way there! :) On average, twins come at 35 weeks gestation, compared to the typical 40-41 weeks that pregnancy "normally" lasts.

Panic mode has set in at our house--SO much to do in the next 15 or so weeks! The fear of being put on bed rest has been pushed to the back of my mind. I told my doctor, "I don't have time for that!" She promised me she would not put me on bed rest "just because" I am pregnant with twins-- only if she thought that the pregnancy was at risk. So far, so good. I have not had many troubles since my morning (ALL day) sickness went away 7 weeks ago. I feel pretty "normal"--just a slower version of my normal.

We find out the gender of the babies this Thursday...it couldn't feel farther away! We are so anxious to know that we can not even talk about it with out a hint of anxiety in our voices. Knowing the sex will somehow make it more "real." We will finally be able to think of them and talk about them by name and start to prepare a little more for their arrival. But, this time, the ultrasound means so much more to me than just finding out the sex--so many more things can go awry with a twin pregnancy, so it will give me a peace of mind to know how they are growing in their little mystery world.

Here are a few pictures of our little trip to the apple orchard, including one of my round 20 week belly :)

Couldn't eat enough apples :)

"Hey, Mama, look at that plane!"

Blessed

Being a Mom has been the greatest blessing of my life.

It has also been the greatest challenge.

In the day to day, I sometimes forget how blessed I am.

I get caught up in the mundane, the routine.

The tantrums sometimes outshine the sweet little moments.

The fear of the unknown takes over the present joys.

How will I care for THREE children TWO AND UNDER?

How will I ever have time alone?

When will I shower?

How will we manage?

I forget about:

Judah's sweet smile & big blue eyes.

The feel of his small hand in mine.

Our dreams of a big family coming true.

The gentle bops and bump from two babies in my belly.

I AM BLESSED.

Even when life is difficult, the blessings remain.

I pray that I can hold on to this knowledge in the months ahead.

I pray that as things get more complicated and difficult the blessings will be more apparent.

I pray that I would be satisfied with the life, the blessings, the challenges of this life.

I pray these same things for you.

I want to end with a song that I have been listening to over and over again lately by Stephen Kellogg- "Satisfied Man."

Click here for video

"IF HEAVEN AND FAMILY AND CHILDREN ARE WHAT'S LEFT OF THE RACE THAT I RAN, THEN I'LL QUITELY SLIP TO THE SLUMBERING PEACE OF THE SLEEP OF A SATISFIED MAN..."

Fraternal Vs. Identical

When we share with someone that we are having twins the first question is often:

" are they identical or fraternal?"

Our babies are fraternal.

When they were diagnosed as fraternal I quickly found out that a lot of what I knew about twins was not correct.

Now that we have twins on the way I have been doing LOTS of reading and feel like a semi-twin expert :) So, I thought I would start blogging a little bit about what I have learned, starting with the most basic of all "twin questions."

Since our babies are fraternal, I will talk about

Fraternal Twins first.

Fraternal twins are also known as dizygotic twins, which

means "from two eggs."

They are no more genetically similar than any two siblings would normally be. It is basically, as my doctor put it, "two for one"-two pregnancies in one! Nice.

And this is where I find a lot of people are mixed up (including myself): Fraternal twins are

what runs in families.

It is something your carry in your genetics.

I, however, I am still not sure who passed this oh-so-special gift along to my ovaries :)

They could be any combination of:

Girl-Girl

Boy-Girl

Boy-Boy

And as my math savvy husband has told me, we have a

25% chance of having Girl-Girl twins

25% change of having Boy-Boy twins

50% chance of having Girl-Boy twins

And, now a little about Identical Twins.

Identical twins are the result of one fertilized egg that has split into two identical copies of itself. They are also known as monozygotic twins, meaning "from one egg."

Identical twins share the exact same set of genetic material, and are (almost always) the same sex. Yes, there have been, in very rare cases, sets of identical boy-girl twins! Go google that one for yourself :)

Identical twins are just kind of a "fluke." It can happen to anyone!

Well, there you have it. A little bit about the differences between identical and fraternal twins.

Twins (of both kinds) occur in about 3.1% of births in the United States every year. That percentage is growing, largely in part to the use of Invitro-Fertilization. Andrew found some statistics that showed that "naturally occurring" twin pregnancies are very rare, making up less than 1% of all births in the US. Looks like we hit the jackpot :)

{15 weeks}

I AM:

Feeling SO much better

Eating everything in sight

3 pounds UP!!! (yay!)

Getting rOuNdEr by the day

Feeling little "bops" here and there

Working on baby names with the hubs

Nesting like crazy

Dying to know if they are boys or girls or one of each!

Dreaming of a little farm house for our growing family :)

{10 weeks}

10 weeks with twins is much different than 10 weeks with Judah :)

I am:

Nauseous all the time.

Tired all the time.

Already wearing maternity pants!

5 pounds LESS than before I got pregnant.

Still in shock that we will have TWO babies.

Excited for Judah to have two full time buddies :)

Two Hearts

two hearts.

Andrew, Judah & I went to my first OB appointment together, excited to see our new baby on the first ultrasound. We somewhat knew what to expect from having Judah, so we were prepared and ready for all the "usual" first appointment tests and information. Little did we know :)

When the nurse came out to get us she brought us right back for the ultrasound. She was so sweet and helped Judah carry his legos and a little chair he HAD to have from the waiting room. When we got into the tiny dark room Judah lost it and from there on Andrew was preoccupied with keeping Judah calm. When the ultrasound started Andrew was all but paying attention to what was going on.

The nurse asked how I had been feeling & I told her SO sick, SO tired, SO different from when I was pregnant with Judah. "Hmmm" she said. As she started the ultrasound I was looking back and forth between the screen and Judah tossing legos around the room. Suddenly my eyes fixed on the screen. Something looked...strange. I saw two black circles with two little wiggly things & thought "what am I seeing?" The nurse said "Oh!" and I immediately knew and started to say "oh my God, no, no, no!" I was laughing and crying at the same time! Poor Andrew didn't know what was going on until the nurse said "do twins run in your family?" He said "no way! Judah, there are TWO babies...two babies!"

Twins do not run in my family (comes from the mother's side) so I never expected to ever have twins! It was a HUGE shock. I felt dizzy, confused, excited, terrified...it didn't feel real! As we walked to the exam room I couldn't hear anything anyone was saying. All I could hear was "TWINS...TWINS...TWINS!"

As we waited for the doctor to come in I stared at the wall, trying to digest this news. I thought I was prepared and knew what to expect...but, oh my, this was a whole new thing, something I never ever considered. When my doctor appeared in the door way (the same one that I saw with Judah) she had a huge smile on her face. She started talking right away about my "high risk pregnancy" c-sections, preterm babies, bed rest. My head was pounding. My hands were sweating. I LOVE my doctor, but all this information was too much for one day! At one point I asked her, "could you stop using the word "twins"?" As we left the office she said, "your going to love it!"

It took a few days to comprehend. Telling people made it feel real. I told Andrew I am 50% terrified and 50% excited. I am a worrier and my doctor gave me a whole list of things to stress about. Everyone at the doctor's made twins seem like a high risk, wild & crazy event. But, I am trying to remind myself that everything is in God's hands. He intended it. He created two little hearts, beating & growing. It is a miracle & a blessing and He had planned these two little babies for us from the beginning. I want to remember every moment of the next (6-7) months because never again will I have TWO hearts beating & growing in my belly.

These two sweet babies are adding to the beauty...this is the beginning of their story.