Babies; They're Here!

Dad waiting to meet his kids.

Last full belly shot for Mom.

Hello Michael!

Hello Malia!

Photo Shoot

http://piecesofyouphotography.blogspot.com/2010/12/twin-goodness.html

1 day till due date

Here we are - 40 weeks! I can't believe it!

I'll be sure to post an after belly shot. I hear it's going to look like there is still a baby in there.

The weather monday is going to be the coldest day yet this winter. 27 degrees. it won't be hard to stay holed up in the house with the babies once we get home - brrrr! at least it won't be snowing too much. the forecast says some flurries, but nothing to create traffic troubles. plus we live four traffic lights away from the hospital. but i'm sure the drive home with the babies in the car will be the most carefully driven trip of our lives :)

I'm hoping the next post will be an introduction of these two to you all. Thanks for all your love and support. We can't wait to show them off! And of course, once we are home we welcome visitors. Just give us a heads up so everyone doesn't come at the same time.

2 days till due date

Since this is the last weekend without babies in our house we have been getting two pieces of advice over and over. Rest & Relax and Live It Up.

We are going to rest and relax. And shop online for xmas presents.

I don't really understand the live it up advice. I mean, haven't I had enough time to "live it up"? And how exactly am i suppose to live it up? Have you seen me lately? I probably could have a drink since the babies are full term, but I'll wait 3 days (or more) for that. It just makes me laugh. Thinking of myself showing up to a nightclub or bar and "living it up."

3 days till due date

The induction is scheduled for Monday, my due date! We are going to meet the babies soon! This is really exciting and we can't wait. I can't believe I'm carrying twins a full 40 weeks. My doctor said this is very rare and all the nurses in the office think i'm unbelievable. The babies looked very healthy today and I'm only 2cm dilated. The boy has dropped lower into the pelvis, so hopefully that means he will make some moves before monday. I think it was the long walk that Jason and I did yesterday. It was painful but it made some progress which is worth it. I like pain with results.

4 days till due date

so....things are going to start happening. either natural (because of my long walk and hot wings) or with some interventions. it kind of makes sense that these babies don't want to come out without medicine, because they didn't get where they are without medicine. hopefully the medicine to get them out will be as effective as the medicine that got them where they are in the first place.

i don't have an induction date scheduled yet, but I will have a date tomorrow. the doctor, whom i trust and know wouldn't recommend something unless it was truly needed, would like me to have an induction sometime soon. i'm meeting with him tomorrow to schedule a date and time. it's exciting to know that these babies will be here in our arms very soon. it's a little scary, because it's been so easy to take care of them this long so i hope the trend continues. my friend with twins said if you expect the worst you will be pleasantly surprised. so i'm going to expect the 6 weeks of complete hell that the multiples class told us about. hopefully my idea of what it will be like will be far worse than it actually will be. we have tons of friends and family to help us, so i think i will be pleasantly surprised.

so, tomorrow will be the big announcement of when the action will begin. i am not going to be able to keep everyone constantly updated, so i hope that you all can talk to each other and to our family members to get the info you desire if you do not hear it from us. we will try our best to keep everyone informed, but i have to break it to you (read this quick like ripping off a bandaid) our #1 priority will be these babies and ourselves. it's hard to hear, but you are not our #1 priority.

we do love you all and have really appreciated all the love and support we receive from you. we are truly blessed and we are thankful everyday for it.

talk to you tomorrow!

5 days till due date

A tip someone gave me was to go somewhere where i wouldn't want my water to break, like the movies. So Jason and I ventured out last night to the theater and saw the harry potter movie. We had some popcorn and enjoyed the show. The kids must like harry potter or popcorn because they were both moving like crazy. No water breaking though.

Tonight I'm going to a 31 gifts party, Jenna is now selling those products. Hopefully this will be another chance to have an embarrassing water breakage situation. If not, at least I can check out the neat stuff Jenna is selling.

Tomorrow is the big day, I've got the non stress test and will talk with the doctor again. We'll see how it goes. I won't post until the evening, so don't worry if you don't hear anything right away.

Wish us luck! I'm having Jason join me for this appointment since it could be a pretty big one. I said could be - it also could show everyone being happy and the doctor saying we can wait longer if we want. I'm not sure of what I will decide just yet.

6 days till due date

39 weeks! can you believe it? Jason says from behind I don't look pregnant. So I'm posting a back view and a side view this time.

Weeks Down: 39.15 weeks

Days Left: 6 days

Percentage completed: 97.85%

Weight Gained: 40 pounds

Waist Size: 49"

It's probably easier for someone else to see it. I feel pregnant no matter the angle. Today was my last acupuncture session. Since there was so much rain here today, I didn't get out for a walk, but I will tomorrow. I did have hot wings last night (sadly not very spicy) and hot sauce on my burrito at lunch. Maybe that will do something?

7 days till due date

that's right, one week until the official due date. the doctor asked for another non stress test on thursday to make sure everyone is still happy and healthy. we'll see if i make it to thursday.

i'm having jason take an updated picture tonight when he gets home, so i'll post that tomorrow.

8 days till due date

today was my guess date for the babies' birthday, although the day is not over, it is very unlikely that i will be correct. natalie guessed tomorrow and i hope she's right. there is a whole slew of people that guessed wed. nobody guessed tuesday, which makes me think that is the most likely date.

tomorrow i have a doctor's appointment and i'm interested to see what he says about the upcoming week. i don't know if he will want to discuss induction or if he will let me keep going on my own. as much as i want to let nature run its course, i'm getting very uncomfortable moving around. i might just spend the next week laying in bed all the time.

a woman i know with twins boys gave birth at 39 weeks, so i keep using her as motivation. i'm a big believer in "if so-and-so can do it then so can i!" as a motivational phrase.

9 days till due date

Still waiting...

10 days till due date

We are now 10 days away from the official due date. Crazy! Jason's side of the family had thanksgiving today and his aunt and uncle from NC came in for it. Jenna hosted and it was a really great time. The turkey was not cooperating, but in the end it came out wonderfully.

I rescheduled my last acupuncture session for Monday because I wanted to enjoy today and not have to run out on dinner early to make an appointment. Hopefully I'll have to cancel due to having babies.

Go Buckeyes!

11 days till due date

We are now at 11 days until the due date. We had thanksgiving with my side of the family today and it went wonderfully. I spent a little too long upright and my feet showed it. But I'm taking a rest for the remainder of the evening, so that will help. Tomorrow is another thanksgiving with Jason's side of the family. I'm going to keep an eye on my feet so i don't overdo it.

We have so much to be thankful for this year. Of course we are thankful for family, friends, health, and financial stability. But this year we are thankful for the upcoming additions to our family and the strength we have for getting to this point. Infertility can strain a relationship, but it can also make it stronger. I feel that Jason and I have become closer in our marriage and in our friendship due to this path we had to go down. We have an exciting journey ahead of us and I can't wait for it to begin.

12 days till the official due date

There are 12 days till my due date and it makes me think of the 12 days of christmas. Not really sure what kind of spin I can do on that theme, so if I think of something I'll start doing that. Until then, I'll just post pics from the song.

I've tried some acupuncture treatments to get things moving, but it turns out nothing has really happened so far. It is a very weird experience, but it's fun to try new things. I don't think I'll go for other things, but I have one more session left in my attempt. I know it has worked on some people, but they are usually past their due date when they have it done.

There is no food comparison change in baby size, so they are still watermelons. The latest measurements from the ultra sound are 7 pounds each. Two weeks before that they were 6 pounds and 7 pounds, so that makes me think this week's measurement is truly accurate. Jason and I have been taking walks recently to try and work with gravity, but of course these babies are stubborn and will not be swayed. I think they get this characteristic from me.

Disclaimer: if I don't post every day for this 12 days till the due date, it doesn't necessarily mean I'm in the hospital. Sometimes I get lazy and don't want to do anything but lay in bed and watch tv and movies.

I think I'll use some of these....(no babies still)

38 weeks

We did it! We made it to 38 weeks. That was my personal goal. I am very surprised I made it. We are getting more measurements at tomorrow's ultrasound, so we'll see what the guess is for the latest weights. I'm thinking of doing acupuncture to encourage natural labor if the doctor is concerned about me carrying them longer. We'll find out at tomorrow's appointment. He's been saying if everyone is healthy, then we can wait. But the weight difference is a problem if it's 15% or more between the two babies. Two weeks ago it was a 14% difference and that's why we are doing all the non stress tests (every 3 days). We are very excited to meet Michael and Malia, but we also think it would be nice to have Thanksgiving and the Michigan football game with the babies still in the belly. Although, it sure would be nice to be able to bend over and walk again. :)

Chewy has been following me around a lot more than usual lately. I think he's finally realizing something's up. He's a little slow.

37 week - full term babies

36 weeks - forgot to post this one in that last entry

And now:

(prob shouldn't have worn black)

We made it to 37 weeks! That means full term babies. As much as I wanted to get to full term; this was totally out of my control. I am very thankful that we have made it to this point. A lot of risks are now very unlikely since the babies have stayed on the inside so long. My personal thoughts have always been wanting to make it to 38 weeks. I can't believe that is only 7 days away. So each baby is about the size of a small watermelon. They are the length of swiss chard, but seriously - who wants to use that as their measurement food?

I spend most of my time laying in bed or laying on the couch. If I go out of the house, I limit it to once a day. I tire out very easily, so I put these restrictions on myself. The only restriction the doctor has given me is making sure to lay down often to keep the swelling in my feet and legs to a minimum.

Relax! Non Stress Test

Today I had my first non stress test of many more to come. There was a fetal heart monitor for each baby and a monitor for contractions. So I looked like the following picture, only with one more monitor strapped to me and a much bigger belly.

Everything looked wonderful. The heartbeats were great, there was lots of baby movement, and there were no significant contractions detected. Sometimes the top monitor slipped and when I would readjust it, it would look like a contraction, but it was just me messing with the monitor. I let the nurse know, so it wasn't a problem. After two hours of monitoring, I really wished for a non stress test like this picture:

But I could only imagine this in my head. I had some blood drawn as well, but they wouldn't release me until the blood results came back. The lab was backed up so it took another 2 hours to get the results. I was there for 4 hours, chilling in a shared hospital room with a knocked up teen and her dysfunctional family members. It was fun to listen to them for the first 10 minutes. After 2 hours of listening to them I wanted to throw something. I tried my best to escape back to my imaginary oasis in my head. Difficult, but I managed to block them out.

So I get to do this test again on Friday, but no blood will be drawn. Hopefully it will go much quicker on Friday. I will bring a snack though, just in case. I am really wanting to make it to my next goal, which is 37 weeks. If I make it to Sunday I will have success reaching goal #3.

Another week bites the dust! (36 wks)

Another week bites the dust!

I'm at 36 weeks! Very exciting. Goal #2 is completed and my next goal is 37 weeks (full-term). I've been seeing a chiropractor who is trained in the Webster Technique for turning babies. Since Baby B, aka Malia, is transverse and lying horizontally under my ribs, I decided I'll give it a try and hopefully she will turn head down. As long as Baby A, aka Michael, stays head down and everyone looks healthy we will go ahead with a vaginal delivery. The risks come once he is out. Will Malia turn head down? Will she be delivered breech? Will she need to come out via c-section? These are all the unknowns that will occur in the moments after Michael is born. The path with the least risk is if she is head down. She may turn on her own once there is more room, but I'd love for her to turn before labor even begins. Hence the chiropractor appointments. Even if I don't get the outcome I want, these appointments have made me feel better and sleep better.

Malia is measuring at 7 pounds and Michael is measuring at 6 pounds! I'm also starting a countdown until my maternity leave begins. My last day of work before maternity leave is Nov 19th. Since I have one more vacation day, that means only 9 more work days until my leave begins! I really should call the short term disability company to make sure my countdown is correct. How disappointing would that be if I had to add 5 more days?

In other good news, my doctor agreed to be on call for me and I have his direct phone number. He only asks that I not go into labor while he is enjoying his mother's thanksgiving dinner. I told him I'd try my best.

Pop-Up Timer

Depending on where the babies are positioned, my belly button pops out a little. It's only about a 20% popout. Nothing obvious; it doesn't pop out from underneath a shirt. Anyway, it's just another indicator of how far along we are. I'm not grossed out by outtie belly buttons; my little sister has always had an outtie belly button. I think it's interesting to see the changes in my body and the belly button is a really good one to watch.

34.5 Weeks

We had the baby shower two weeks ago and it went really well. I was overwhelmed with all the love for us and these babies. It made everything feel very real. We installed the car seats in the car, so we are ready for the trip home whenever that time comes.

Mom, Grandma D., and me. We can do a "four generations" picture when the babies are out.

Natalie, Shelly, and I

The baby site says that the babies are each about the size of a cantaloupe right now. The latest measurement from the doctors are 4.5 and 4.75 pounds. My total weight gain so far is 34 pounds. So 10 pounds of babies and 22 pounds of other stuff; I'd say I'm doing pretty good. Only 2 pounds for me. I'm not trying to watch this, but it's interesting to see. They warned I could gain 55 pounds with twins. If these two weren't such picky eaters or avid rejecters of food, I'm sure I would be gaining more.


Weeks Down: 34.5 weeks
Days Left: 40 days (to 40 wk mark)
A truer "Days Left" would be 26 which gets me to 38 wks.
Percentage completed: 86%
Weight Gained: 34 pounds
Waist Size: 46"

32 weeks

We have reached 32 weeks. Crazy how time flies! We had another 3D ultrasound and it was quite funny how crowded it is in the womb. Limbs everywhere! The stats we received from the ultrasound were different from what the baby website says. The ultrasound and measurements said she is 4 pounds and he is 4.5 pounds. The baby website thinks they are about 3.75 pounds each. Our multiple class said twins grow faster since they usually have less time in the womb, so I'll believe the ultrasound estimate. 8.5 pounds of babies is what it feels like to me, so it must be true!

The babies are suppose to have toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). We didn't see any hair in the ultrasound, but I'm not sure if that would be visible.

The size reference this week is a jicama, but I don't like that. So I'm going with a different site's refernce for this week. The babies from head to toe are about the length across the front tire of a big wheel (16" - 18").

Here are two of the pictures from the 3D ultrasound. It was quite a challenge to get face pictures, since his butt is pressed up against her face. He has his arms and legs in front of his face. She peeked at us with an eye during the ultrasound and he cracked a smile. These kids are cracking us up already. I think they have Jason's eyes. Jason said they both have little button noses. Their lips look pretty big compared to ours, but we'll wait and see how they look when they are born. This was such an amazing experience and I recommend it to everyone (Ultrasona Columbus). I love technology.

Hello Goodbye, Hello Goodbye...

I don't mean to brag, but I had very nice feet before pregnancy.

Now my feet look crazy big. I am drinking lots of fluids to keep the swelling down. I really think it's because I can't elevate my feet very much at work. I have a box to put them up, but I don't think that's enough. I'm going to bring this up at the next doctor's visit.

The before picture was after we did Henna tattoos at Jenna's bridal shower. The after picture made me realize I need to get another pedicure very soon.

31 Weeks

It's getting harder and harder to feel like a normal human being. My belly is very large and heavy and I get dizzy if I stand too long. This is not cause for concern, it is common for pregnant women and my doctor isn't worried. He says to not stand for long periods of time. My last belly measurement was the size of a 36 week pregnant woman, and I was only at 30 weeks!



After sitting and standing at work for 11 hours (including driving time) all I want to do when I get home is lie down on my side to relieve my body from the weight of my belly. I read that 22 pounds is gained on the average pregnant woman and that is not even baby. So 22 pounds of other stuff and 3-4 pounds for each baby. I'm toting around an extra 30 pounds nowadays. No wonder I move so slow. When the weekend gets here, I try to take it easy. I only plan one or two outings each weekend, in order to get enough rest for the upcoming work week.



I'm not complaining, Jason and I are very lucky. We are experiencing a very healthy pregnancy and we are lucky to even be pregnant at all. It's easy to let the memories of the emotions, drugs, and tests we went through to get to where we are today fade into the background.



I forget that I can't do the things I used to. The garden/flower beds show neglect and the household cleaning chores pile up quicker than I like. Jason has been wonderful helping out where I slack. He's definitely doing more than his share of maintaining the household. Plus, Jason is starting up classes again. So far his workload is manageable, but who knows how the rest of the quarter will be.

What time is it?

We finally installed the clock we have been meaning to put on the wall for a long time. It looks great. Don't worry - Jason did all the work. We have a couple more numbers to put up, but we'll do that later.

30 Weeks

We are now at 30 weeks. Our babies are approximately 15.7 inches long and weigh about 3 pounds each (like heads of cabbage). They have their mom's eyesight (20/400) but luckily it continues to develop after they are born. Hopefully they will end up with their dad's perfect vision when fully developed.

We finally hired a doula for the birth. We have met with her and are very happy to have her on our team. You may be wondering, "What is a doula?" A doula is a professional labor assistant who attends your birth. She will also be our advocate at the hospital. She will help Jason and me during the entire process. And with two babies, the extra set of hands will be very helpful.

People are funny - 29 weeks

At 29 weeks, the food that used for comparing baby size is butternut squash. Very appropriate for fall. The belly is getting very heavy and I can only lay on my side. At the last ultrasound and I had to reposition because I get dizzy if I'm on my back too long. (That's what she said!)

People are very funny when they notice I'm pregnant. I've had multiple conversations like this:
When are you due? Around Thanksgiving.
Sometimes followed by a look that I interpret as "But, you are so big!"
That's exciting. Do you know if it's a boy or a girl? It's both.
What? You are having twins? Yes, it's twins.
That's perfect; a boy and a girl. You won't need to have anymore children.
That's the comment that I love the most. As if you must have a boy and a girl to have a "complete" family. I seriously laugh at this every time. It's funny that this conversation happens so much. I'm sure I've said something just as crazy to people in the past.

The babies measure about 10.4 inches (26.4cm) from crown to rump, or a total length of about 16.7 inches (42.4cm) from head to toe, and each weigh about 2.7 pounds (1.2kg). At this stage, their eyes are almost always blue and can distinguish bright sunlight or artificial light through the uterine wall. The babies are performing fewer acrobatics as conditions in the womb become more cramped, but still doing a lot of kicking and stretching. These two stretch all the time.

Week 28 - Glucose Test

I passed, scored a 135 and you have to have lower than 140 to pass for them. Although I do have low iron. I'll have to adjust my diet for that, but it's much easier than adjusting for diabetes.

Anyway, the test was much easier to go through than I thought. It was 10oz of fruit punch flavored drink. I finished it in less than a minute. It tasted like the little hugs drinks that my parents brought to the pool in the summer. Then I waited for the doc t

o show up, saw the babies, heard their heartbeats, and then headed over to the hospital to have some blood drawn.

The boy is head down and the girl has her head in my ribs - which explains all the rib pain I've been having on that side. Everyone was moving and dancing during the ultrasound. At first, you may think that it's because of the sugar drink, but I read that it takes 2 hours for what you digest to get to the babies. So that's just how they are - super active. I only gained 3 pounds over these last three weeks. My next appointment is in two weeks. I'm not sure when they bump it up to every week appointments. But, I'm getting closer and closer to the full term hump. I'll be considered full term in 8 weeks. Yikes!

The baby shower is scheduled for Oct 16th - let me know if you haven't received an invitation by the end of the month. I may have forgotten to put you on the list. Pregnancy brain!

We have eggplants - 27 weeks

For week 27, the comparison food is eggplant. I love eggplant, but to imagine two eggplants in my belly is crazy. It makes sense considering how fast I'm growing, but it's still crazy. I'm starting to see the movement just by looking at my bare stomach. The babies are preparing me for sleepless nights already, so if I'm a little cranky that's why. Please forgive me if you get the brunt of my sleepless nights.

Nursery Painted

The nursery is painted. I didn't help that much, mostly supervised.

Thanks to Jami and Mom and Dad Duffy for helping us finish the job. We would not have completed this in one weekend if it weren't for them.

So many colors!

Finished room.

It looks so good!