31 weeks

I had my 31 week appointment this past week and some good news! They did a growth ultrasound scan and the babies are getting bigger! I’m pretty sure they are starting to take up all the room I have in my belly, and eat ALL my food I’m consuming because I haven’t been feeling the greatest, and this is slightly reminiscent of my first trimester…which means lots of small meals, eating all the time, but not really feeling like it, boo. But, on the bright side when they did the growth scan, each baby is getting so big! Baby A, who is head down weighs about 3 lbs. 7 oz. and Baby B, who is head up, weighs about 3 lbs. 12 oz! We were very excited to hear how big they are getting! This means I really have over 7 lbs. of baby in me now, so for those of you who haven’t seen me in a while, I’m pretty sure this is what I would look like around 9 months pregnant. Anyways, it was pretty cute, we were getting the ultrasound done, and the technician was talking about how the babies were positioned and I realized that Baby A’s butt is right in Baby B’s face, and you could actually see one of Baby B’s feet when we were looking at Baby A’s head. So if you aren’t confused already, they are really getting tight quarters in there, and probably Baby A is pushing his butt up against Baby B’s face.

Baby A - I think this is the first good head shot we have of him!

Baby B - growing!

Also, just to give you a sneak peak, we have been working a ton on the nursery and it’s almost ready for the little guys! I’ll put a few pictures here as a tease and hopefully will have full pics for you all in a week or two!

29 Week Update

So we are in the middle of week 29, which means only 11 weeks left….or maybe less. On average people pregnant with twins deliver between weeks 35 and 36, so that would mean I would have around 6 or 7 weeks if we use the law of averages.

So, just to give a short update, last week I had my 28 week appointment where we had an ultrasound and 3D ultrasound done. The babies looked great during the ultrasound, their estimate weight was 1 lb. 15oz. and 2 lbs. 5 oz., so one baby is just a little bigger than the other. Baby A was head down and kind of tucked down underneath Baby B who is head up/transverse. I can definitely tell Baby B has a lot more room to move around too as he likes to kick a lot and push against the front of my belly a lot! Their measurements looked good in the ultrasound and when we tried to do a 3-D ultrasound we were not so successful. We did get one or two good pictures of Baby B (See below) where he looks like he is smiling, however, we decided Baby A is more like Tim because he was being camera-shy and facing my spine so we did not get any 3D pics of him and only a few regular ultrasound pictures. Oh, well, they both seem to be doing great, so that’s all that matters :).

Now onto the other development. During my ultrasound the technician decided there was an indicator for pre-term labor (I can give you more details if you want, just ask). They sent me over to Riverside Hospital (which is where I will deliver) to be monitored to ensure my body was not going into pre-term labor. Once at the hospital they discovered I was having some contractions and might be dilating a little, so I ended up having to stay for 24 hours to have several tests and take some precautionary measures to ensure I wasn’t going to have these babies early. While there, they monitored me and the babies. The babies were fine, they continued to be very active, and they didn’t enjoy being monitored (two belts with round discs on them were strapped around my belly to detect each one of their heartbeats), and spent a lot of time kicking the monitors and trying to move away from them, they were being stinkers :) . They gave me medicine to stop the contractions and some steroids to help the babies lungs develop. At the end of the day they were able to do a test on me that is called a fetal fibronectin test. It has a very strong negative indicator, so that if it comes back negative your body is most likely not going to go into labor for the next 1-2 weeks. So that test came back negative and we got to go home. On the other side I was released with orders to be on bed rest. Additionally, my doctor was out of town the whole week last week so I was dealing with on-call doctors. Overall, everything they did was fairly standard for a mom of multiples that has not reached 32 or 34 weeks yet, and is showing signs of pre-term labor. I had actually read about this before-hand so that did make it less scary when going through it.

Now, I’m 29 weeks (one week closer!) and I got to see my doctor. I am still on bedrest, which means I’m not supposed to be on feet much at all, except to go to the bathroom, shower and get up to eat. So that also means I’m not supposed to be driving or shopping or going to work. I am allowed to work from home which is helpful, since I’m confined to my recliner, couch and bed. Overall, I’m doing well, just wanted to give an update so you had the scoop and to let you know that we are doing well. I have included some of the ultrasound pics and others below!

Baby B - Heartbeat
Baby B - Head Shot
Baby B - 3D Face - Smiling
Baby A - Heartbeat
Baby A - Body & Spine

Labor Day Fun & Baby Shower

Well we are officially into September, and the weather has followed suit, feeling like fall. It was almost 100 degrees on Friday/Saturday and then there was a huge drop in temps to the 60s/70s on Monday. Over the weekend I celebrated a friends’ birthday, watched the Buckeyes play their first game of the season, hung out with family and had my baby shower. So, it was definitely a busy weekend, but lots of fun!

Week 27 - Go Bucks!!

It was so nice to see everyone at the baby shower, and everyone that wasn’t able to make it was missed. The food was great and the games were short and sweet! Sonya polled Tim several baby-related questions a week ago (unbeknownst to me) and then I had to try and guess what he answered. We were close, but most of our answers didn’t quite match up. I was pleasantly surprised that Tim is anticipating changing a lot of the diapers that are to come! Afterwards we opened gifts, and I had two very good little helpers, my niece Michaela and cousin’s daughter Kayleigh. Overall it was a great day, and we really do appreciate everyone coming and for all the great gifts that will definitely come in handy with two arrivals on the way. A big thanks to all my family that helped to put on the shower, it really was great and I know you put a lot of planning into the event! At the time were about 27 weeks, so approaching the third trimester. I have been feeling very good during the last 10 weeks or so, which has been a nice change from the first trimester. The babies are going to be growing quite a bit over the next month so I anticipate some growing pains along the way! I’ll keep you posted as we just got another another ultrasound!

Awesome Cake made my sister-in-law Amanda! Yummy desserts! My sister-in-law Lori is due just 10 days before the twins!

Look at all the books we got for the babies, thanks so much everyone!

Update – what have we been up to?

Well we are at the beginning of September, and well into the 2nd trimester and things are good. We are working on stuff around the house and putting stuff together in the babies’ room. We just got both cribs in and put together, but I’m going to wait until the nursery is set up to post any pictures on here. So, since things are great, I have been trying to do some different things around Columbus, the house etc. Last weekend, Brittany, Sonya, Mom and I all went to an ice-cream making demonstration class put on by Jeni – the famous ice cream shop here in Columbus. It was really fun to watch her make the ice cream and learn from somebody that is that good at it! Also, Brittany has been experimenting with making different kinds of Jeni’s ice cream, so she walked up and got to volunteer to help make the ice cream right next to Jeni. See pictures below! And for those of you that want a baby update, I am at about 26 weeks along and the boys are now approaching 2 pounds each and have developed a pretty good ability to hear. This means that they actually do recognize your voice when they are born! They are also moving around quite a bit!

Brittany making some ice cream with Jeni!

We all got to have our books signed and meet her, it was great!

Boys!

Well, for those of you who have not heard, Tim and I found out on Wednesday that we are expecting boys! Well, actually the way the babies are laying, the 2nd baby played hard to get, so we know for sure that we are having one boy. However, the doctor assured me he was very certain we are having identical twings, so as long as we could tell with one, (which he could), we know we are having two boys. :) Very exciting! I have included a few ultrasound pictures and one a baby bump pic or two. It looks like on the pics, the estimated weight of each baby is about 8 and 9 oz., and based on measurements they are very close in size, with one being slightly smaller than the other. We should get another ultrasound in a few weeks, so I'll probably keep posting pics as they come!

Birds' Eye View of the tops of their heads

One baby looking right at us!
Side view of one baby - you can see the spine very good in this one
19 Weeks - right after we found out what we were having! 18 Weeks

Urban Garden

So, this is year #3 at attempting to garden here in Minerva Park. It seems to be going pretty well so far, so my fingers are crossed. I was a little worried because we were gone on vacation for a whole week and didn't have anyone water our plants, but I guess I didn't have to worry, as things looked great when we got back. Not to mention I spent quite a while weeding the garden, it was full of them! I have pictures below. Check out what we are growing!

The Whole Garden!

Zucchini plants

Itty Bitty yellow squash

Peppers

Tomatos (with cages)

Onions, Red Beet, Lettuce

Herbs (chives, basil, dill, cilantro & mint)

Suprise!

So, I’m pretty sure you have all heard by now, but Tim and I are expecting not one, but two babies this fall! We were both quite surprised by the news, but are getting pretty excited for them! Since we are having twins I thought I would share some information about twins with you all. Also, I have included a few pictures of our first two sonograms. Here are the details so far:

Due: December 7, 2011 (40 week due date)

Actual Due Date: Sometime in November, most likely. The doctor will deliver at 38 weeks, as he considers this full term for twins. However, on average, mothers of twins deliver sometime between 35 and 36 weeks, which would be sometime around the beginning to middle of November.

First Sonogram- Taken at about 8 weeks on 4/26/2011. We could see two little beans and two little heartbeats which told us that yes, it looked like we were going to have 2!

Second Sonogram: Taken on 5/11/2011. Taken when the babies were about 10 weeks old. You can see both their arms and the heads and bodies. One of the babies was super active and squirming all over and the doctor let us listen to their heartbeats as well! It was pretty cool.

Baby A

Heartbeat!

Baby B

Info about twins!
The doctor said based on how the babies looked that he is 99% sure we are having identical twins, which means two boys or two girls. We will be able to find out the sex (if we so choose) in late July. Here is some info that I researched about identical twins in case anybody wants to know more:

What are identical/monozygotic multiples?
Identical/Monozygotic multiples come from a single fertilized egg and are genetically identical. Monozygotic multiples are often referred to as identical twins/multiples. These multiples would all be the same gender and look alike.

How do identical/monozygotic multiples occur?
The occurrence of identical multiples is considered a random event and is not influenced by age, race, or heredity. Identical multiples occur in 3 to 4 of every 1,000 live births.

The correct term for identical twinning is monozygotic. Monozygotic twins form from a single (mono) fertilized egg (zygote). The zygote splits into two parts after conception, resulting in the development of two individual embryos. Because the two embryos are the result of a single egg/sperm combination, they have the same genetic origins. They have the same DNA.

Some interesting facts about identical twins:
-The causes of monozygotic twinning are generally unknown and unidentified. No one really knows why an egg splits; technically it's a malfunction of the normal development process.

-There's no hereditary trait that influences a predisposition to having identical twins. Identical twins do not run in families. Although there are families with a high incidence of identical twins, it is due to chance, coincidence or plain good luck.

-Identical twins represent about a third of all twins. Dizygotic twins are twice as common as monozygotic.

-Birth rate statistics for identical twinning have remained stable over the years, despite the overall increase in twins and multiples since the late 1980's. The odds of having identical twins is about 3 in 1,000, whereas the birthrate for all twins is about 32.2 in 1,000.

-Identical twinning is not generally influenced by fertility-enhancing treatments like drugs or in vitro, although monozygotic twins have been produced in pregnancies that were the result of such treatments.

-Birth rates for identical twins are consistent across populations; it is the same regardless of race, geography or maternal age.