A Wintry Doctor's Appointment

This morning was our last doctor's appointment with our practice in South Bend. Even though we will be moving where the winter weather is a touch warmer, mother nature was not going to let us get by without waking to an enormous snow storm for at least one of our OB appointments in Michigan. Here's a pic of the view out our living room window first thing this morning:

11-21-08

The drive down was less than fun. Because we experienced such a heavy lake effect snow for the first time this season, the snow plow trucks must not have been ready. The roads didn't clear up until we got down into South Bend. As you'll see in the next pic, this is definitely not the south...the school buses were still up and running, and the plow trucks were out down there in full force!

11-21-08

Once we got to the doctor's appointment, we had a full ultrasound and the girls are doing great! They are both a little over 3 pounds which gives us tremendous comfort...the heavier they get, the healthier they are becoming! Enjoy the rest of the pics from today!

Madeline's Profile - 11-21-08

Sisters Putting their Heads Together
A little blurry, but they are right next to each other - Savannah's head on the Left/Madeline's head on the Right

Me after arriving home from our winter wonderland doctor's appointment. And yes, this is the first time our boat has ever seen this much snow....we're anxious to get it down south again and out of this snow!

The Dog Factor

In the last few weeks, I've noticed our beagle, Bailey, has become much, much more clingy to his mommy than ever before. He's always been loyal to me, but this is getting ridiculous. Nighttime is a hoot. After repeated attempts to get him to go to his bed, he will literally jump over top of Chris to run up next to me and lay down...often plopping right on top of my belly. It is a never ending "argument" we have with him until the wee hours of the night! I think somehow he senses that either A) I'm uncomfortable and it scares him, or, B) he senses some big - huge - changes are coming. Either way, our dog's world is about to completely change. We may need a doggy shrink for this.

Bailey in full form - 11/13/08

And no, he's not supposed to be curled up on that blanket...my favorite blanket...anything with my scent, and he's all over it. We're in trouble.

Watching Them Grow

One of the great things about having twins is the high frequency of ultrasounds they do to make sure the babies are doing good, and to make sure I am not showing any signs of preterm labor. Not only does this give me tremendous peace of mind each time we go for an ultrasound (every 2 weeks), but we also get the pleasure of seeing the girls and taking pictures home with us to track their growth progress! These will be great for the girls to look back on years from now.

17 Weeks

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20 Week Ultrasound
Too big to get in one picture now!

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24 Week Ultrasound
Our awesome ultrasonographer Christa started writing their names (Madeline and Savannah) on their pics instead of referring to them as "A" and "B"! This is a woman who truly does love what she does for a living - and gets as excited as we do over the progress our girls are making!

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26 week Ultrasound
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30 week Ultrasound

They didn't give me one of Madeline this time - this wasn't a "full" check of the babies, so I was lucky to even get this one pic!
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32 Weeks!

I never knew my belly would stir up such controversy amongst family and friends! I will put a stop to the madness and post a pic taken today in honor of reaching the beginning of my 32nd week of this twin pregnancy. :-)

Beginning of 32 Weeks - 11/13/08

After all the fear talks I received from my doctor regarding twin pregnancies being high risk for preterm labor, I feel so blessed that these babies have made it this far! At 32 weeks, I know the babies have an excellent chance of survival should labor hit. This makes breathing easier. Well...not literally, as the bigger the babies get, the more crowded they are getting on my lungs and the less I can literally breathe!

Two days ago I experienced contractions for the first time. Freaked me out a little, but neither the doc, nor my friends who have carried twins, seemed too concerned. They were 40-50 mins apart, and were gone by the morning. Still, it made me wake up and realize that show time really could happen any day.

Daddy getting ready for pushing the double stroller - 8/18/08


Chris taking on the massive leaves by himself after finding a break between school, work and studies - I hate I can't help him! He won't let me if I try. He's doing amazing picking up so much of the slack for us right now.

How the Adventure Began

Chris and I had no idea - and no reason to suspect - that we were having twins. We have no twins in our immediate families, no medical reasons to suspect twins, nothing. However, from about 12 weeks and on, I began suspecting I was carrying twins. I felt like my baby bump was higher than what I was reading and I was so sick and so tired - we're talking around the clock sick...and tired. I also began having frightful dreams that I was carrying two! When at 17 weeks I visited my mother, who happens to be a certified nurse midwife, for the first time since I got pregnant, she gave my belly a funny look. It was not a fun thing as I, the emotional pregnant woman, thought she was thinking I was "just so huge!" Little did I know she thought, medically speaking, that I was carrying bigger than my due date but after my reaction, she wouldn't dare tell me she was suspecting twins.

The Ultrasound
We decided to have our very first ultrasound done at my mother's practice in Chattanooga while we were in town over the summer. I would be at 17 weeks, which would be just far enough to determine the gender! So, my mom, my sister, my brother, my sister-in-law, and my two nieces all came to the office with us to find out what we were having! My, did we have a surprise in store for us!

Chris and I went into the room first to find out before anyone else came in. I first sat down and said "I want to know the baby is healthy...and that there is just one!" Those were the famous last words. She put the wand on my belly, and dropped her head in laughter. Chris and I immediately knew what was next. Yes, there were two! Two beautiful babies! Chris and I both just started laughing hysterically! From that moment on, all fear I had completely disappeared and we were overwhelmed with joy and pure elation at the surprise of twins! It was happiness beyond words. Then, we found out they were both girls! I can't express how excited Chris and I both were, and how in shock we were at the fact that our world as we knew it was never going to be the same!! After everyone waiting came in and we broke ALL of the news, we immediately called our other parents who all fell out of their seats when we told them the news! And that is how the Twin Adventure all began!!

Welcome to Our Blog!

Chris and I have so many loved ones all over the country that are asking for updates on the progress of this twin pregnancy that we thought we'd start this blog to share our story, with only a few weeks (7 weeks) left until showtime! We are going through so many changes in the next two months - first, a major move back to the south; second, the arrival of our twin girls; and third, the start of a new job for Chris and a new life for our soon to be expanded family of 4!

Here is a picture from September, shortly after finding out we were having twins! After putting together the two bassinets from their Grammy, the excitement really began building in anticipation of their arrival!

Since we are so far away from most of you and will continue to be after the move, we know once we have these baby girls many will want to see pictures and hear the stories, so we are happy to share this time with you all through our blog!

And...by all means, post comments/questions/anything! We want to hear from you too!