WOW!

"WOW" is what we both said when we saw this 3-D picture of Baby B's face. Can you say BEN?!?! Amazing! We didn't get as good of pictures of Baby A's face because he's the one that's down really low.

Baby A weighs 5 pounds 0 ounces and Baby B weighs 5 pounds 1 ounce according to the measurements!!! I still can not believe there is 10 pounds of baby inside me...pretty crazy but great that they are growing so big. Everything looked great. I think we can take back the "preemie" sized clothes. Up until 36 weeks they gain between 1/4 and 1/2 of a pound a week. At 36 weeks it is 1/2 a pound a week. I have a feeling these babies are going to be BIG! I honestly didn't think they would get to 5 pounds so this is great.

Ben said I'm like an "easy-bake oven". "Easy" is not how I'd describe it!!

This was definitely the neatest ultrasound so far (and we have just a few to compare them to). Both babies were opening and closing their eyes, practice breathing, sucking, sticking their tongues out, and making facial expressions. We could even see some indication of hair (peach fuzz) on their heads. It was really neat.

This is the last growth measurement before they are born. I will still go back to my regular doctor weekly for biophysical testing. My next appointment is Tuesday.

The Number 5

34 weeks today!  It seems like there have been quite a few "key" milestones but I am told this is a very big one as well.

Yesterday I posted that there were 5 days left in January and the babies are approaching 5 pounds. I guess 5 is my "lucky" number because that's how many pounds I GAINED this week. Yes - in one week. The doctor said this is the point when most people start to swell...and my fingers are definitely swollen. Probably not 5 pounds worth, but they are swollen. Oh well - it's for a good cause!!

This is my picture outfit.  At 16 weeks I started taking pictures in the same spot in the house with the same outfit every two weeks.  But the t-shirt (which says "my pod has two peas" and has a picture of two peas in a pod) might not have many more weeks left....its starting to get a little short. It will work out well because I'm not sure I have many more weeks left!

Doctor appointment went well.  My blood pressure is still low so she's not concerned with preclampsia yet even though I gained that much weight.  Both boys scored 10/10 on the biophysical test again so that's good.  One is definitely more active than the other so we are anxious to find out if that will be how the are after they are born.  The cervix was about the same.  The only change was that Baby A is even lower than last week, according to what the doctor can feel.  I am not sure how much "lower" he can get without falling out...but we'll see.

Been having a lot more contractions - especially at night. The nights actually seem to take longer than the days. The doctor increased the dosage of the medication so hopefully I can sleep better.

Did you hear about the lady in California that had octuplets? Are you kidding me!? And I think I am uncomfortable. I can't believe how much some of them weighed for there being that many of them. But I can believe how the doctors could have easily thought there were only 7 from the ultrasounds. It gets confusing with just two.

Looking forward to Thursday to find out how big these boys are....and if we're lucky maybe a good 3-D picture of their faces!

5 days left in January...

So I have been feeling guilty about complaining in the last post since I have so many things to be thankful for....I'm not in the hospital, the boys are healthy, I still have a job, Ben still has a job, Minnesota winters (haha), as well as a million other things! But I did have to laugh because after reading the last post both my mom and my sister both said they couldn't believe I had lasted this long without growing impatient!

My friend Beth and her family came over on Saturday and it was really fun to see them. Their girls are so well behaved - hopefully these boys are well behaved like Avery and Madelyn!

On Sunday my mom came up and spent the afternoon with me and brought us lots of food - soup, egg bake, salad, cheesecake, and lasagna. We are so grateful! Luckily I did not get the "I hate leftovers" gene from my Dad. I guess I don't have much of an option, though since the alternative would be starvation. Mom also helped me go through the clothes in the babies room. I feel like we have an excessive amount of clothes and it is very overwhelming but everyone reassures me that it is probably the right amount since there are two. It's just hard to know how big they will be and how long they'll be in each size. Apparently Ben weighed 17 pounds by the time he was 3 months (and entered the world at only 6 pounds). If that's the case they will probably skip a few sizes!

The cabinet guy has started installing the built-ins in the basement and he brought the finished trim along with him. Ben has been working on installing the trim. It looks really nice.  I will have to post pictures once it's done...but the cabinet guy isn't exactly speedy.

I get to leave the house TWICE this week!  Two doctor appointments this week - normal appointment tomorrow with my doctor and then my last appointment at North Memorial with the perinatal specialist on Thursday. They will measure the babies at that appointment. We are hoping by then they are close to 5 pounds each. (We will just ignore the fact that 5 times 2 is 10).

Here are a few older ultrasound pictures. The farther along I get the harder it is to tell what is what - especially since there are two.  These days a picture of a face also includes at least one other hand or foot so the pictures aren't as fun.  Life probably isn't as much fun either since they are so cramped in there!

Baby A's cute little leg at 13 weeks 2 days (9/4/08).



Both little heads side by side at 15 weeks 6 days (9/22/08).



Baby B's "boy part" at 15 weeks 6 days (9/22/08).  It's a picture of his bottom and the boy part is pointing "north".

Patience

Nothing new with the babies. The contractions are relatively infrequent but the kicks get stronger every day. I am going to be honest....this is getting a little old. "Patient" is not a word I would use to describe myself and I will admit - I'm growing rather impatient. I think it's worse now that the end is near. Each day seems long and the nights seem longer than the days since I'm not sleeping very well.

I really haven't had any cravings - but tonight for some reason a Dairy Queen Oreo blizzard sounded good so I just sent Ben out to get ice cream. The news said it is negative 20 degrees outside with the windchill but he didn't even complain. I think he's smart enough to know this is getting old and is trying to do whatever it takes to keep me happy!

OK, so a sunny picture to cheer me up. This picture is of my FAVORITE sister Cara and I in Phoenix this August. I was traveling to Phoenix for work and I would have been around 10 weeks pregnant. I think it was this trip that I told my boss, Mark, that I was pregnant. We got fantastic massages and spent the day in the sun by the pool. Ahhhhh!!

Our Au Pair, Tanja

We have very exciting news to share today! We have selected an Au Pair to come live with us for a year and take care of our precious little babies. 

Her name is Tanja and she is from Belgrade, Serbia. She is 22 years old and has experience taking care of babies as young as 3 months old.  We have spoken with her and interviewed her several times via Skype (free online videoconferencing). She is very much looking forward to taking care of twins! Her experience, excitement and enthusiasm are what convinced us that Tanja was a great fit for us.  We also feel like her English skills are strong compared to other candidates we interviewed.

Tanja also loves dogs and has even gotten to meet Gus via Skype. He is very excited that there will be someone home with him during the day.  I've told him she's coming all the way here just to take care of him.

Tanja will arrive in the United States (NYC) on April 6th and will have 3 days of training specific for infants.  On the 9th she'll fly to Minneapolis.  Even if the boys do not arrive until the scheduled c-section date of 2/25 (God help me) this will give Tanja several weeks to get settled and acquainted with our family before I return to work (I plan to take 12 weeks off).

MMC installed the new furnace today, which is a huge relief!! It will be nice to get heat up to the boys' room!

I purchased a digital SLR camera tonight (on-line of course). Many of my friends have convinced me its a "must" for capturing all of those important baby moments.

And that is all that is new. No excitement with the babies, which is great. I am a few days away from being clear of having to be admitted in the hospital (Tuesday is the deadline). Cross your fingers!

33 Weeks!

Another big milestone today...33 weeks!

The doctor appointment went very well - no change to the cervix which is good news. The boys each scored 10/10 on the biophysical test so that's great as well. They are DEFINITELY growing.  The books I have say they're already like 19 inches long....at this point they are just packing on the "L-B's" as Ben says. 

I will keep doing what I'm doing and hoping the boys stay put for a few more weeks.  If I make it until February 10th I will be FREE!  Only 3 more weeks.  No bed rest and no medication.  The thought of those two things was extremely exciting....but the doctor rained on my parade a little bit. She said bed rest or no bed rest I won't feel like doing anything at that point anyway....and if I'm not on medication and I'm having contractions but not real labor the contractions are very irritating. Well, I don't care how miserable I feel - at the very least I will be going to Target! And as far as the false labor goes I'll just hope it turns into real labor very soon.  I'm just a bit of a planner so I really wish I knew exactly when they were coming...

PS - the boys now have matching booties for their hats. Don't look too closely - each one is a little different in size. They have "character". 

Randomness

I'll warn you - there is no theme to this post....just complete randomness! 

I hope that the few of you that get MLK day as a holiday are enjoying it for the rest of those that don't! We always got today as a holiday when I worked in public accounting - but it was a complete joke because we could never actually take it off...we didn't even get Saturdays off in January.  I think offering it as a holiday was a way for the company to make some sort of list like "best places to work".

I am starting week 6 of bed rest - time flies when you're having fun, right???  I wonder how long before the Crystal Target calls wondering what happened to me.

I included this picture because I'm wearing eye make-up. What's the big deal about that you say!? Well - it's the first time in 6 weeks.  And even Ben noticed!  I asked him what about me was different and he noticed (that never happens!). It felt great too - it's amazing what a little eye make-up does for someone.

I feel lucky to have such wonderful family, friends and neighbors that have been spoiling me with lots of yummy food. And for a pregnant person on bed rest, meals are clearly the highlight of my days. Last night John and Sarah came over and made us dinner.  On Saturday Malinda came to visit and brought me my favorite dessert - creme brulee!!  And this was the second Saturday in a row she brought me creme brulee since I ate the ones she brought the week before in just two days.  Last weekend we had delicious lasagna that our neighbor Julie made us, and Barb stocked our freezer when she was here for Christmas with great soups.  Kristi brought us some pre-made "let's dish" meals for the freezer....and some yummy dip for pita chips.  On Saturday I was eating the dip with a bag of pita chips and as I was polishing off the last pita chip crumbs in the bag I thought to myself...."I bet the nutritional information on the back of this bag states there are 3-4 servings in one bag".  So I checked and nope - 6 servings. Oops. I think I felt guilty for about 3 seconds and then had some creme brulee for dessert.

There's an even more emphasis on the "bed" in "bedrest" these days. Last night I showered and moved out to the couch since we had visitors and was only up at the table to eat...but apparently it was enough activity to cause problems. I was up at least every hour last night with contractions. By 3:00 am I started taking twice the medication (5mg verses 2.5mg) and have been doing so since and that has been helping. Poor Ben and Gus didn't get much sleep either (don't you dare feel bad for them!) 

The audit started today at MMC. I must say it is a little bit weird being on the other side of the fence. The Mac computer has been helpful as I am able to instant message and Skype with the audit team to get all of their questions answered. I scheduled the audit about a month earlier than previous years because I wanted to make sure I was around for it (which clearly didn't happen) but now that I'm ready I'm glad I did it early. I had all the files they had requested on a jump drive and on Sunday Ben took it to the office for me. This week and next I have some projects to work on and after those are complete I will have a little bit of a break which might be good timing with these babies.  

I made great progress with the au pair process yesterday and today. Although I must say that I feel a little like my sister, Cara. I get nervous making the calls! I have spoken with a few and am getting a better perspective on what is important and what will be a good fit as well as the differing levels of English skills.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post. I have my weekly doctor appointment at 9:00 Tuesday morning. I think she had today off for the big holiday...

Happy 30th Kristi !!

Just a quick "Happy 30th Birthday" to my friend Kristi!  Thank you for all that you've done to help us throughout this process - you're a great friend!  From the daily emails and phone calls, the meals, the snacks, the yarn, making me laugh, the positive thoughts, play dates for Gussie, shopping for the babies, and the frequent visits I am so grateful! I promise that sometime soon we will celebrate "Orlando Style!".  Possibly at the Britney concert!!??!

Au Pair for the Pair

Status quo with the babies - no news is good news!  I definitely feel like they are getting bigger by the way it feels when they move around.  Feeling more contractions (mainly at night) - so I'm probably getting used to this dosage of medication.  Might need to increase the dosage but at least there's room to increase it.  I go back to the doctor on Tuesday of this week.

I thought I would write a bit about our process for finding daycare for these two little boys.  As I'm still waiting for this to feel "real" this part of the process is not complete.  We started last summer by inquiring of a few day care centers in the area.  It was a little difficult because I work in Eden Prairie and Ben works downtown....and then we live in another direction.  So there wasn't a logical area that would be conducive to us sharing the drop-off/pick-up process.  We also found that it was quite expensive...over $2k per month PER baby.  The next idea was a nanny and we found those prices to be slightly less expensive but not significantly.  Someone then told us about "au pairs".  We decided to investigate...

An au pair is essentially a nanny that comes from a different country and lives with you for one year. They range from ages 18-26 and have significant experience with caring for children and are certified with things like CPR.  They are looking for an experience in the United States to improve their English, learn the culture, and take care of children. Therefore the costs are mainly to pay the agency and subsidize their living costs.  Having done Camp Adventure in college and experiencing Okinawa Japan for a summer I was very interested in the program.  I feel that she will have more of a vested interest in caring for the babies.  I also think that having her live here she will see how Ben and I parent and love the babies and that will help too.  We also found that it was significantly less expensive than the other options we explored (about 1/3 of the annual cost).  And it will be less stressful not having to pack the boys up each day and night - they could be at our home with Gussie.

We applied for the program in October and had an in-home interview.  We were accepted and given access to the "family room" - a website that has very comprehensive profiles of all of the candidates.  The profiles include pictures, references, details of their childcare experience, their health history, a letter from them, etc.  From that website we are to look for possible matches. They recommended we interview 3-5 candidates and speak with them each on the phone 5 times before making a decision.  My sense is that their English skills can vary significantly.  Because you don't get to meet them in person before they jump on a plane to come move in with you and take care of your children the phone interviews are very important!

We were also paired with a matching expert that I have spoken to several times.  She has told me that South America might be a good area to find someone since they typically have larger families and the candidates are likely experienced in caring for siblings and relatives.  We also like the idea of the Spanish/Portuguese language influence. On the other hand, because the maternity leave policies in Europe are usually very long many of the European candidates likely have experience with babies 6 months and up.  Since there are going to be two little tiny ones we have been focusing on candidates that have experience with babies 0-6 months and also preferably situations where there are multiple infants such as a daycare environment.  

I remember when I was selecting countries for my Camp Adventure trip I was drawn to Okinawa for reasons like the warm weather and the ocean (it is often referred to as Asia's Hawaii).  A few of the profiles of au pairs that I have seen are interested in California or NYC - so they are clearly out of the running.  I'm still trying to think about how to credibly "sell" Minneapolis.  So far I'm have the Mall of America and lots of lakes (although we have neither a boat or cabin).  Since I despise outdoor winter activities when the temperature is below 45 I'm open for ideas!!

This morning I finally called two of the candidates that we want to interview.  One is in Switzerland and one in Brazil. Wasn't able to reach either of them but I feel a lot better now that the first call has been made.  I have promised myself to call again this weekend until I reach them.  I'm usually very quick about making decisions - if you told me I had to go buy a new car and only had 1 hour to get it done I would get it done....but something about this decision is making me procrastinate.  I really want someone hired before they are born because I have this feeling that after I see them for the first time there wouldn't be any candidates that would fit the bill.

Since we concluded on the au pair route we decided to finish the basement.  We received some quotes for people to do it all for us and it was insane (one quote was $80k).  So we decided Ben would be the "general contractor". Needless to say it's not done yet, but I am very proud of all the work he has done, even though there was a lot of air-nailing that took place after my 8:00 bedtime during the first and second trimesters!  He's more than just a cute CPA!  It's actually coming along very nicely. All that is left are the custom cabinets, the trim, the doors, and setting the bathroom fixtures. It will definitely be ready for the au pair to move in in February or March.

Here's Ben working on the framing...

Ben primed the walls and ceiling  all day on Friday after Thanksgiving and then Saturday my Dad came up and helped him paint the walls.  Thanks for helping, Dad!! They went through 12 gallons of paint on the walls (after it was primed) and were VERY tired by the time they finished at 9:30 that night.  He'll appreciate me posting this picture...

From 'Busy Season' to 'Year-End'

Having spent many years in public accounting dreading the time from January through April (which in more recent years had expanded at least a few months before and after), I was very much looking forward to my first 'year-end close' as opposed to another 'busy season'.  So - here I am in bed buried under binders, paper, pens, pillows, and computers working through my first year-end. Definitely not how I had envisioned it (or how my employer had envisioned it) but it's working...and its keeping me very busy.  It's actually keeping me from doing things that I had expected bed rest to include (Today Show, Oprah, Rachael Ray, Days of our Lives, multiple naps per day, reading magazines, Google-ing ideas for things to Google, Netflix, excessive online shopping, mentally preparing for the impending changes that are about to take place in my life, etc.).  In fact - its even cutting into my nightly shows (such as the Bachelor and Idol)...but fortunately I have DVR to help me with those. Speaking of nightly shows I am very excited that Friday Night Lights starts again on Friday.

I have quite the home office set up here.  My friends that have seen this set-up have told me I have to write about it.  You can't see everything that's on and around the tables/bed so here's a list of some of the items (and yes, that's a card table as the night stand alone wasn't cutting it): tv tray, laptop (two of them), two laptop chargers, cordless phone, cell phone, cell phone charger, iPod, iPod charger, medication, jug of water, three sizes of post-it notes, 2 pens, a calendar, binder clips, numerous "lists", vitamin C drops, lamp, left-over snacks, gum, alarm clock, 10-key, camera, tv remote, kleenex, oversized waste basket, pregnancy books, knitting books, knitting supplies, scissors, chap stick, hand lotion, flowers from Kristi's 30th birthday party, printer/copier/fax machine, work related papers and binders, about 17 pillows that I have to rearrange each time I get up to go to the bathroom, and a dog that's trying to "help".

Had my first dream that the babies were born.  One was a girl and it was named "Dusty Rose Bread".  Yikes.  The fact that one was a girl and it was named a name that I hadn't chosen was when I realized they were someone else's twins. The dream got even stranger...After I had them we couldn't find them - they were either at the Decorah hospital or the Decorah Wal-Mart.  So I was calling around trying to find them.  Did you know Wal-Mart had a hospital/delivery room?  Me either. Believe me - after 42 ultrasounds (I'm not exaggerating) there is very little doubt that they are boys!!  And we do have a reputable hospital in mind as well - sorry Wal-Mart.  

32 Weeks !

Today is a BIG milestone for these boys (speaking of BIG...).  I am 32 weeks today and the boys are around 4 pounds each.

Yesterday I had my weekly appointment and all looks good with the babies. They did switch (B is now lower than A).  We think they are fighting for their names....the first baby out gets the one name we have picked out for sure (the other is still TBD).  Don't bother asking - they are a secret! There weren't any changes to the cervix since we were at the hospital on Saturday which is great news. My tolerance for movement is pretty low - it doesn't take much 'activity' for me to get crampy and for the contractions to start so the weekly doctor appointment is tiring!  Each weekly appointment takes between 2 and 3 hours by the time they do the ultrasound, the biophysical testing, and we meet with the doctor. Today got a bit long and I was not feeling well at all (there were even a few tears).  Ben looked at me and asked in a serious tone "so - how many kids do you want"?!?  That definitely made me laugh - this has been quite the process...

We are praying that this oral medication continues to work so I can stay at home (rather than the hospital)  I am on a low dosage (2.5mg) and if they start to get worse the doctor will first try upping the dosage.  I need to make it another two weeks until I'm 34 weeks (January 27) or they will admit me to the hospital for an IV drip of Magnesium to stop the contractions if the oral medication doesn't work.  From what I hear the side effects of that are worse than these pills. After 34 weeks the doctor will not resort to the Magnesium and at 36 weeks I will go off all medication.

While I feel like I've been pregnant for AT LEAST a year - there is definitely a light at the end of this tunnel.

Better get back to work - my "lunch break" is over!

It's a Dog's Life

Don't get me wrong - I've always known it is a "dog's life" but these weeks confined to the house and the bed have helped me truly understand the meaning of that.  Here is a brief list of the great benefits (from Gus' perspective of course) of his Mom being on bed rest (in no particular order):

1. While I used to just get two meals a day I am now usually able to talk someone in to feeding me lunch as well.  In addition, there seem to be more cooked meals around here and cooked meals usually result in more "spills".
2. Sleeping is a big part of my day - and now I have someone to cuddlebug with.
3. One of my important roles as "man" of the house is protecting it. This is no easy feat. I have both the front of the house as well as the entire back yard to monitor. Not only that, but I have both humans to watch for and even worse - squirrels and rabbits.  Being on bed rest with my Mom allows me to keep better tabs on what's going on throughout the day rather than just in the mornings and evenings.
4. More visitors.  Rather than Ben and Kristin leaving me here to go places, people end up coming over here.  I love visitors...especially when they are the four legged furry kind.
5. Less time spent in that upstairs bedroom.  I am pretty sure I don't like what is going on up there.  A lot of "things" seem to be accumulating up there that don't relate to or involve me.

All-in-all I definitely would choose bed rest; however, there is probably one down side. Because sleeping is so important to me, Kristin's work-related phone calls can be be extremely interruptive.  I let her and the important caller on the other end know that by whining and barking...only during the actual phone of course.

Training for Feedings Every 3 Hours

Yesterday afternoon around 4:30 I started having more contractions - strong/painful ones.  The typical guideline for pre-term labor is more than 4 an hour but for twins it's more than 6.  I counted over 10 for each of the next two hours so we called the on-call doctor and he sent us right to North Memorial. They hooked me up to the monitors and did many tests....the monitors were showing regular contractions every 2 minutes.  The fetal fibronectin (FFN) test came back negative so that was good news, but the cervix was now 90% effaced and dilated to 1.5 cm.  While not a huge change in the last week it was a change and the doctor really wanted to calm the contractions down since it was evident they were causing changes. They gave me a series of two shots of Terbutaline an hour apart and that helped significantly.  I felt a lot better even with the yucky side effects of the medicine (heart-race, jittery).  They then gave me the first of two shots of steroids to help the baby's lungs develop.  I guess boys (since they're not as tough as girls!) typically have a harder time with breathing when they're born premature.  It is very normal to give these shots as precaution with twins.  They then gave me a pill version of the Terbutaline and sent me home (thank goodness!). When I got there they put an ID band on me and I didn't think that was a good sign! I have to go back tonight around 8:00 for the second steroid shot and then I see my doctor again on Monday.  We really hope this Terbutaline continues to work - the next step is Magnesium which would require me to be in the hospital.  

Gussie was excited when we got home - he's not used to me leaving!

Oh - so the tie-in to the subject of this posting....this new oral medication must be taken every 3 hours exactly.  That means setting an alarm every 3 hours around the clock.  Luckily Ben's new iphone that he got for his birthday has a "timer" on it so we set that for every 3 hours.  It makes me feel jittery (not as bad as the shots) but enough to keep me awake.  The "practice" Ben is getting is just the waking up part - but not the getting up part yet!

It was nice - the hospital is close to our house and they were not busy at all so we were seen right away in the labor/delivery section of the hospital.  Ben explained to me on the way home that every good farmer knows why the hospital wasn't busy last night....we are in the middle of a high pressure weather system and calves are typically born in low pressure systems because (in Ben's words "they just fall out "). TYPICAL male comment!!  Regardless of the barometric pressure last night these babies are still safe and sound and continuing to GROW!

And - since postings are more fun with pictures - here's an old picture from Halloween of the boys' pumpkins (baby A and baby B)! I am pretty sure they knew it was Halloween, too, because I definitely ate enough candy for the three of us!

New Hats

Here are the first two finished products from my newly acquired knitting hobby. It doesn't take much these days but I am pretty excited about them! I'll have to pack them in the "hospital" bag. Speaking of that - I started doing some research on what we need to pack and the list sure is long. Luckily I'm an experienced packer, although this list is a bit different than what I'm used to packing for (vacations and other trips to warmer climates). It might be a while before I utilize those skills again. Ben says the next hats need to be a bit more "manly".

Another random thought. (Anyone who watches any TV at all will appreciate this). Maybe it would be special if the boys were born on February 17th? You know - the big transition to DTV? I think there might be more hype related to this transition than there was with the whole "Y2K" fiasco. For someone who has watched quite a bit of TV over the last 12 months it is quite annoying.

Kristi and Jeremy came over this morning and made me breakfast - french toast, sausage, and OJ. Even during busy season! It was delicious and was definitely the highlight of my day - so thanks again! I would say that as a pregnant person on bed rest that meals are the highlight of my day but I'm pretty sure that has always been the case for me.

The increased medicine is helping with the contractions. Only having a few an hour which is to be expected I guess with twins. So - good news!

The Babies' Room

Here are a few pictures of the nursery.  We got lucky - one of the two bedrooms upstairs is BIG so there is room for all the furniture x2.  I designed the stripes and Ben painted - it was a long process but it was REALLY fun.  Luckily we did it early, too, before the holidays and bed rest.  The crib skirts, pillows, and curtain tie-backs are were handmade by Grandma Barb! Ben also put the chair rail up and installed the built-in closet.  As you can see the closet is already full of lots of clothes for the boys!  Everything is ready to go - just need to have Ben wash all the clothes and linens.  Oh - and one more minor thing...we also need to get a new furnace.  Since our bedroom is on the main level we're never upstairs and we've since realized that the furnace isn't strong enough to handle heating/cooling the upstairs very well.  A special thanks to the builder. Thank goodness I know a good mechanical contractor :)  Ben and I joke that we are single-handedly trying to turn this economy around with our spending!  Children get cheaper as they get older, right?!?!

My First Post!

Well, this is officially my first post.  I am 30 weeks 6 days today.  As of Friday the boys weighed 3 pounds 3 ounces and 3 pounds 9 ounces which is right about where they should be!  Even though they are identical it is very normal for there to be a variation in their weights.

We had our weekly doctor appointment today.  The weekly appointments at this point include an ultrasound, biophysical test , and a cervix check.  Baby A was a star today - scored 10 out of 10 on the biophysical test and Baby B got 8 out of 10.  It was the heart-rate acceleration that kept him from getting 10 out of 10 but the doctor says that's very normal given their age (31 weeks tomorrow).  The doctor did check the cervix and I am now dilated to 1 cm.  For the last 3 weeks of bedrest I had been 50% effaced but not yet dilated.  She wants to keep me on bedrest and increased the medication (Nifedipine) because I'm still having quite a few contractions.  Hopefully the medication will reduce the contractions and keep my cervix from dilating any more for at least a few more weeks (we need these babies to stay put for another few weeks!).  My official 40 week due date would be March 10th but the doctor has said from the beginning that she won't let me go past 38 weeks.  I have a C-Section scheduled for February 25th and the closest I get to that the better.

I am actually staying very busy with bedrest.  I am able to work from home with my laptop and that takes up most of the day.  The rest of the time is spent going to the bathroom (haha), researching all baby-related things on the internet, knitting (thanks to Kristi and Amy for teaching me!) and searching for au pairs.  Bedrest also allows me lots and lots of cuddle time with Gussie which he loves.

Ben is taking excellent care of me - he's quite the cook (thank-you Barb!)  He's cooked more meals for me in the last 3 weeks than I've cooked for him in the last 3 years!

This last weekend all of Ben's family made the trip up North to celebrate Christmas.  It was very nice!  Here's a family picture we took.