27 Weeks: Baby Class and More Doctor Visits

I'm 27 weeks along and I seriously feel like the pregnancy is flying by! The pregnancy is going really well and for the most part, Jeremy and I are just counting the weeks until they arrive. Our personal lives have slowed down quite a bit due to my bed rest schedule (still on half days) but its kinda nice to enjoy some quiet days at home. It's like we're hibernating for the winter :-) I've had numerous people tell me I'm glowing lately which is exactly how I feel. It's music to a pregnant woman's ears!! I have also been told I'm carring the babies really well. Again, so nice to hear! I don't think anyone wants to hear how "big" they're getting but I get that one, too. Hopefully that one is mostly just a growing belly referance! I officially joined my doctor's frequent flyer program and I visit the doctor every week now. Starting the week after next, I will start seeing my doctor twice a week. The purpose of the frequent appointments is to keep a super close eye on the pregnancy and make sure the babies keep doing great! Space is starting to get a little cramped for them. At my appointment today, our baby boy did a somersault in the middle of the sonogram session and completely changed positions. His head ended up where his feet had been only moments before. It really surprised the sono tech as well as myself and my sister. Andrea joined me for the appointment today and was able to see the twins first hand. She was a great fill in for Jeremy since he coudn't make it. Baby boy weighed in at 2 lbs 7 oz today and baby girl was 2 lbs 4 oz. Baby boy was putting on quite a show during our appointment. Not only did he do his somersault but he was also sticking his tongue out! It was pretty darn cute! The tech tried to get some good 4D pictures for us again but had a hard time capturing anything clear. She gave us quite a few of the regular sonogram pictures though. I absolutely love seeing them so frequently! I think my new favorite pastime is feeling them kick and squirm. It truly never gets old! I feel the babies move all the time now and it's apparent they are getting stronger and bigger. They seem to react to noise, light, and anything that pushes against my stomach.

Jeremy and I attended our first baby class, called Mommy & Me. The class taught general information about the babies right after they're born as well as how to care for them while they are newborns. We even practiced giving a baby doll a sponge bath. It was pretty entertaining to watch Jeremy help bathe a baby doll ;-) The Mothers Of Multiples sale was last weekend. Mom, Andrea, and I headed to the sale early Saturday morning. It was packed! We found some clothing items for the babies to grow into but that was it. I think if we go again, we'll need to get the early bird shopping pass. Several racks and tables were pretty picked over by the time we got there even though we arrived about 20 minutes after the sale started. I guess people go crazy for good deals!!

27 weeks!! Charlie insists on posing with me.

Charlie after his first bath in the bath tub. He was not a fan of bath time!

Relaxing in the sun together. Charlie is now about 3 times Zoey's size and weighs over 30 lbs!

25 Weeks: Finished the nursery just in time for bed rest!

As of Monday, I'm 25 weeks along and it's a great feeling! At my appointment last week baby boy was up to 1 lb 8 oz and baby girl was 1 lb 6 oz. It's so hard to believe the babies will be here within a few short months. We're pretty darn close to being ready for them though. I had my fourth and final baby shower on Friday at work. Two of my coworkers, Sarah and Haley, got everyone together and hosted the shower. It turned out cute and it was a fun afternoon! Jeremy and I finished up the nursery this weekend and we're really happy with how it turned out. It's perfect for our little twins :-) I have to give my hubby lots of credit for all the time he spent painting the room (particularly the striped wall), repainting a hutch/shelf that used to belong to my uncle, and for helping me get everything in place. All the little (and I do mean little!) clothes and blankets are washed, the drawers and closet are organized, and we even have their bathroom all decorated. Yes, I'm aware newborns don't actually use the bathroom BUT we couldn't resist the Dr. Seuss decorations! And by that I mean I couldn't resist them and with a little convincing, Jeremy agreed to play along. ;-)

I'm officially on half days bed rest now. Bascially I work until noon each day and then head home to enjoy the couch and TV. The dogs are becoming quite spoiled with all the extra attention they are getting. I think they are enjoying it a little more than me. Granted it's nice to only work half days but boredom sets in pretty quick at home when you really aren't allowed to do much! Let me know if you have any suggestions for activities I can do while sitting on my hiney in the afternoons! I've already started working on the baby books. I can't wait to fill in their names and stats once they are born!

The cat in the hat!!

We have initials to put above each crib after the babies are born! Baby girl will be on the left and baby boy on the right.

We've read almost every book to them already. Several of the stories we remember from when we were little.

23 Weeks: Little Papayas

I'm 23 weeks along today! Supposedly the babies are each about the size of a papaya right now with a crown to rump measurement of 8 inches, weighing in at just over a pound a piece. We'll confirm all stats at the doctor next week. We can't wait! So far the babies have been right on track with the average expected size measurements.

The babies attended their first country concert on January 29th. We went and saw Darius Rucker and Lady Antebellum. It was a great show! The babies obviously heard the concert loud and clear because they were both rockn and rolln inside my tummy throughout most of the show!! Pretty sure it was their first and last concert for years to come. ;-) It's fun to finally know they are hearing what is going on in the outside world. Jeremy and I have started taking turns reading stories to the babies each night. On his birthday on Friday, Jeremy finally felt one of the babies move by placing his hand on my stomach. Granted I had him hold it there for extended lengths of time at several points throughout the evening in hopes he would feel them on his birthday. Perseverance paid off though and he felt some movement!

I had 2 more baby showers in recent weeks. Jeremy's mom and sister threw us a baby shower in Marion, IL on January 21st. The shower guests included relatives from both sides of Jer's family. It was fun catching up with everyone and being able to spend the day with family! Shower games included trying to identify baby food flavors and melted candy bars in diapers. Both led to some interesting faces by shower guests!! My sister also threw us a shower on February 4th which was attended by a few family members and lots of good friends. She themed the shower with cute little owls and held a diaper raffle for us. The diaper raffle yielded many much needed diapers for the babies! Their little butts are going to go through hundreds of diapers each month so we sincerely appreciate each and every package! I included some pictures of the decorations from the shower at Andrea's house as well as an updated belly shot.

Whoo's having twins?! This girl! The belly has really popped in recent weeks!!

Shower game gifts for the guests and a few of the gifts for the twins!

Diaper raffle instructions.

20 Weeks: Growing Babies!

We had our 20 week appointment at the doctor on Tuesday complete with a very thorough check up and an in-depth measurement session. I'm extremely happy to announce we're all doing well! Both babies have all their fingers and toes, no cleft palettes, brains and organs all look good, and they're right on track with size! Baby boy weighs about 11 oz and baby girl weighs about 13 oz. When the sono tech read over all the stats to Jeremy and I, I couldn't help but turn on the waterworks. It was just so refreshing to hear that the babies are doing great. It's funny, I didn't even realize I was worried about all those things until she said each little baby part was okay. I included a couple images below from the sonogram session.

I had my first baby shower on Saturday. The shower was thrown by two of my mom's good friends and they did a great job putting the shower together. Many of our family friends and some family members joined the party. I had fun and we received so many great baby gifts! Jeremy was one proud papa when I got home and he carried everything in the house. He actually started painting the nursery last week and just finished it up tonight. Now we have lots of baby things to tuck away in the nursery! We'll post pictures after we get it decorated and organized. Sorry - no sneak peaks yet ;-)

4D image of baby boy's face and hand! I can't get over how much they have changed in just 2 short weeks. Unfortunately they couldn't get a good one of baby girl's face. Maybe next time!

Full body profile.

20 week belly shot!

Someone else is growing, too! Charlie is up to 15 pounds. He seems confused by me scolding him for chewing on the box...

19 Weeks: A boy and a girl!

Our second try at the doctor to find out the sex of each baby was a success! I had a really good appointment at my doctor's office last week complete with lots of new sonogram pictures, seeing the babies in 4D again, and a good overall report for all three of us. The only thing missing was Jeremy but with a little help from technology we were able to have him "join" the appointment. Jeremy spent last week in Ft. Wayne, IN for work training. After I arrived at my appointment on Tuesday and got settled in the sonogram room, I explained to the sonogram tech that Jeremy was out of town but we were hoping to learn the sex of the babies. She's a tech we've had several times over the past months and she easily agreed to let me call Jeremy and put him on speaker phone. She checked out the sex of each baby and then announced, loud enough for Jer to hear as well, that we were having a boy and a girl! After the initial excitement, Jeremy's immediate questions were "are the babies okay and are the heartbeats still strong?" The tech then checked out their heartbeats and turned up the volume so Jeremy could hear it over the phone. We were elated and I was of course in tears.

Jeremy didn't return home until Friday afternoon. As soon as he got back we went and updated our baby registries with items specific to a baby girl and a baby boy (think lots of pink and blue!!) and then set off to tell our families. We presented them each with a little box of chocolates containing 2 chocolate cups. One was decorated with a baby boy on top and the other with a baby girl. Each baby was made of frosting. It was fun sharing the news!!

We finalized our nursery color decision as soon as we found out what the babies are. Jeremy picked up all the painting supplies and finished the first coat of paint on Sunday afternoon. He's motivated! I can also report I have now felt several flutters in my stomach that have to be the babies. They are growing like crazy and seem to be moving around a great deal as well! I think they are making up for the exercise I'm not getting since I'm restricted from pretty much all exercise. Honestly though, I'm not complaining and will probably miss the forced laziness when this is all said and done!! ;-)  With Charlie and Zoey running around, I get plenty of exercise just from laughing at them or chasing after Charlie trying to keep a constant eye on him. He's also growing like crazy!

Gifts for the family to reveal the sexes.

It's a boy and a girl!

Had to share! Charlie is Zoey's biggest fan and as you can see, sometimes she just has to be thinking, "can't I just get some peace and quiet once in a while?!"

17 Weeks: A Double Stroller, Pack N' Plays, and a Puppy OH MY

I hoped to be able to post the sexes of the babies by now but at my appointment last week the sonogram tech wasn't able to confirm either sex. The benefit of going to the doctor every 2 weeks though, means we get to try again next week! Fingers crossed! We celebrated Christmas over the weekend with family and had a lot of fun. For the first time in my life I think, I took a nap Christmas afternoon and boy was it needed! I've grown to really appreciate a good nap. We have been very blessed with kind and generous family members who got us the 2 cribs, a stroller, 2 infant carriers, and 2 pack n' plays for either Christmas gifts or just for the heck of it. It's pretty exciting to watch our home become filled with baby things!! Luckily Jeremy is as excited as I am and puts together everything as soon as we get it. Never mind the fact that we still have several months before the babies arrive.

Santa decided to get us a puppy for Christmas this year. He's a boxer puppy and his name is Charlie. He is super cute, loves to give kisses, and is ALL puppy! Some might think we're crazy or perhaps we temporarily forgot we're having twins but rest assured, that's not the case! We lost our 5 year old boxer, Hugo, to cancer in early November and the house just seemed to be missing something since then. Could be the mess, slight chaos, or additional vet and food bills. But for us, we love and missed all aspects of having a 2nd dog around. Zoey (our Boston Terrier) missed it, too. So now we have Charlie who will grow and change quickly over the next few months so look forward to seeing him appear in the blog!

17 weeks

Big sister Zoey and Charlie. She has no idea that he is quickly going to dominate her in size...

Charlie :-)

14 Weeks: Telling Family and Carrying Oranges

We told our families we are expecting several weeks ago but I thought it would be fun to share how we told them. For the family that lives in town, we (yes Jeremy assisted with baking) baked frosted sugar cookies in the shape of a baby rattle and I made little tags with the due date on them. We put the cookies in plain brown bags for each family member and included an appropriate baby brag book or picture frame (grandma's brag book, etc) to go in the bag as well. We invited family over to have dinner with us and although both families speculated an announcement might take place, they really had no idea! At one point during the evening we handed out the gift bags and let everyone open them...extreme excitement followed with some tears, laughter, jumping up and down, etc. Okay, so that was mostly our moms! Then after the initial excitement set in a bit, we handed out sonogram pictures containing both babies in separate shots as well as both babies in one shot which revealed the fact that we're expecting twins! We also had fun calling other family members we weren't able to tell in person and sharing the news with them as well! Both of our families are thrilled about the babies and the new roles they will have as grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. Ours will be the first babies in both of our immediate families.

I went back to the doctor yesterday and received the report that everything looks great! I'm including a few of our recent sonogram photos (and not sharing the 4d sonogram picture because this early on in the pregnancy makes for quite a unique/unusual 4d photo). I finally decided to take a pregnacny photo as well to start tracking the growth or shall I say expansion of my tummy. I've come across several people recently who have said I'm not showing yet...God bless them. In all honesty though, I've been showing at some level or another for weeks! According to one of my pregnancy books, the babies are each the size of an orange this week.

Cookies for the fam!

Baby A

Baby B

Hard to see, but this view shows one baby one top of the other. Really, I'm pretty sure they're side by side in me.

Starting to show!