Happy Thanksgiving!

The girls on Thanksgiving night. Kimberly is in the yellow on the left and Rebekah is in the green on the right. They definitely put the "happy" in "Happy Thanksgiving"!!

...and longer

They're starting to get longer across the crib. Kimberly is the "Fragile" one and Rebekah is the "Lil' Firecracker".

They're getting bigger...

They've slept through a decent chunk of the night the past three nights (Sat, Sun, Mon). We'll see if this is a new trend they continue! But they've been getting to sleep around midnight or 1am and staying asleep with some minor grunting here and there until 7am. The 3am feeding is being phased out and we all really hope it lasts! Next up, getting them to sleep before midnight and still having them make it until 7am. I'm not holding my breath on that one for a little while longer.. they aren't even 3 months yet! As long as they continue the 6-7 hours at night, I'll be happy.

The photos are from Grandma Sue's visit in early November. There are more currently still on our digital camera, so patience is requested as always. I do the best I can, but Kimberly is sleeping on my lap at the moment. The photo with the three girls are Rebekah at the top, Kelsi at the bottom, and Kimberly on the left. Then there's Daddy holding Kimberly and one of the girls with Kimberly on the left and Rebekah on the right (in purple).

Two months and two weeks!

I think Kimberly is giving Rebekah a run for her money when it comes to gaining weight. I think she may have caught up or even passed up Bekah. Won't know for a little while, but she's definitely getting there. They love getting their diapers changed now.. or at least having them taken off and left off for a few minutes. And they are starting to show signs of a schedule, but it's not consistent quite yet. Kimberly is in my lap helping me type and reminding me that they are finding their hands more now.. be it staring at them or sucking on them.

More pictures soon!

More Photos!

Aunt Vikki sent Halloween booties.. Rebekah is in the black cats and Kimberly has on the pumpkins!






Their first ferry boat ride!

Week 9 Updates

They had their 2-month check-ups last week and did very well... Kimberly is 9 lbs 11 oz and 22 inches long and Rebekah is 10 lbs 2.5 oz and also 22 inches long. They also did very well last weekend at their Grandma Shirley's wedding. Lots of people and noise and they didn't miss a beat (or feeding).

Hopefully I'll be able to post more photos soon, I haven't had a chance to upload the new ones from the camera.

More updates..

Okay, so I wanted to make sure the photos got posted, and now I have a bit more time to get something typed up. Kimberly and Rebekah are both doing well. Kimberly started grinning first, but they both do now. Too cute! Sometime I'll get a picture of one of them to post. Until then, we're too busy smiling back at them to grab a camera. They're also doing really well with their belly time. They can both push themselves up and hold their heads 90 degrees for quite a while. Another thing on my list to take a picture of them doing. And standing is going well, too.

No costumes for the girls yet, just ideas. We'll see. And their 2-month check-up is this week!

(Almost) 8 weeks!

Rebekah on the left and Kimberly on the right...

Catchup on photos..

Okay, a few quick photos before their next feeding call...
Kimberly and Rebekah hanging out in their crib.. we did not pose them as mirror images of each other. I don't think we could of if we tried!

and again, Kimberly on the left and Rebekah on the right.

More from Week 5

Rebekah is definitely weighing more than Kimberly now. She doesn't fit clothes the same way, and after holding Kimberly, there is a noticeable difference when picking up Bekah. They're both getting chubbier, though! This photo is from when Grandma Sue was here two weeks ago.. Bekah is on the left and Kimberly on the right. I was saving posting it until people got their announcements. More new pictures soon.. until then, Bekah is waking up for her next feeding and so I am off!

Week 5!

The ladies are doing well.. eating lots and pooping, well, at least Bekah's pooping. Kimberly is saving it all up for us; I expect a large laundry load sometime soon. They're actually sleeping a bit longer at night, but it's pretty random what nights they decide to do that, so we'll see if they've really figured out night/day or if we're just lucky that some nights they go 4-5 hours between feedings. They both enjoy the swing, though Bekah's been more partial to belly time lately. And they are ALWAYS up for being snuggle buddies!

Time goes by fairly quickly around here... I've had the birth announcements addressed, stamped, and ready to go since last Monday and yet they are still sitting on the kitchen table waiting to be sent. Sorry everyone!

In big people news, Daddy got his provisional Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do last week. The girls were good enough to let me go to part of his test and again behaved themselves so I could see him get his new belt awarded in class last Thursday. Go Daddy!

Kimberly is calling.....

One Month!!

Today marks one month since the arrival of Kimberly and Rebekah!! Woo hoo!

Kimberly and Daddy are off walking her big sister Kelsi to school and Bekah and I are hanging out and getting ready for a nap. It's amazing how far we've come! Their breastfeeding is going well and their cloth diapers are getting filled like crazy. Heck, I even got to go on a solo grocery shopping trip on Sunday (thanks to Daddy!) -- I almost feel like a normal person again. ALMOST.

Thank you to everyone for the comments and emails. I'm sure you understand why/how I haven't personally responded to them... If I have a spare computer minute, I'm updating the blog for everyone. = )

Day 26

The girls have made it to their original due date! Not like we ever thought they'd make it in my belly this long once we found out there were two of them, but it's still the big day. The grandmas have returned home and starting Wednesday morning we have been on our own for getting things done. So far we've managed, but are definitely looking into getting some help a few nights per week so Daddy can get some sleep and not be a zombie at work.

Kimberly is quite particular about feeding.. as long as she wakes herself up to eat, she's fine with latching, otherwise she just plays around and spits it out over and over and over..... Rebekah definitely goes with the flow a lot more, and literally gets more flow. We're starting to notice the difference in weight between the two of them. Rebekah's cheeks are getting chubbier!

Day 18

Things are moving right along! Sleep has been very important for me the last little bit as the girls upped their feeding times to get my supply up for their 3 week growth spurt. Grandma Shirley has been here helping out and Aunt Vikki even got in an extended weekend to take some night shifts and let Marty/Daddy get a few hours of sleep. Today we got them in for another weigh in: Kimberly is now 6lbs 7oz and Rebekah is at 6 lbs 14oz. Kimberly is doing her best to catch up to her sister on the food intake... we'll see how long it takes her to close the gap.


The girls enjoy their time in their car seats.. chillin' in the driveway waiting to go on another adventure.

And they really enjoy skin-to-skin time with their Daddy!! That's Rebekah on the left and Kimberly on the right (Daddy's in the middle).

Day 11

Today was bath day! Woo hoo! There's Kimberly getting dried off by Daddy and Rebekah getting her bath...


Then there's the two of them side-by-side in their crib hanging out.. Rebekah is on the left and Kimberly is on the right. They sat and chatted for a bit, and then decided it was time to sleep.

Day 8

We got to go in for our first well baby checkup today with our family physician and the girls are doing REALLY well. Kimberly is up to 6lbs 0oz, is 18 3/4 inches long, and has a 13 3/4 inch head circumference while Rebekah is 6 lbs 1 1/2 oz, 19 inches long, with a 13 5/8 inch noggin'. Those are both in the 5th percentile for weight, 10th for length, and 25th for head. Not too bad, but they sure seem bigger than that to us! Considering they gained over 5 ounces since their post partum visit on day 5, I'd say they are all-stars! The breastfeeding is going along well, so that's encouraging. I've already lost over half the weight I gained during the pregnancy -- that was nice to hear! = )

Nap time for me.. more later.

Let's wrestle!

Here are some photos from day 6! The top two photos have Rebekah on the left and Kimberly on the right. They were playing with each other after feeding time.

Then, there are the rest.. with Kimberly on the left and Rebekah on the right. Grandma Sue, me, and the girls... Daddy, Kimberly, Kelsi, Rebekah, and Me... and again - the newly expanded family!

Day 5

Oy! What a week! About two hours after my entry on Saturday night I went into active labor and by 7:33a that morning we had two new babies in the world! So they were 36 weeks 2 days gestation. Not bad for a first time pregnant lady with twins! They were very healthy and never had to leave my sight... well, accept when daddy would take them for a walk around the halls of the hospital. For those curious folks, I did end up gaining exactly 50 pounds during the pregnancy... not sure how much I've already lost since we haven't weighed me yet.

Things are progressing around here.. I'm going to keep this short since it's feeding time for the girls in about 5 minutes. We're getting a bit more efficient at things, but I still haven't gotten more than about an hour and a half of sleep at any one time since last Thursday (Aug. 31st). But we're doing it and breastfeeding is going really well, all things considered. (new mom, new babies, etc.)

They're Here!!

By Daddy/Marty: Kimberly and Rebekah were born around 7:30 am on Sunday, September 3rd. Mom and babies are healthy and doing well. Kimberly weighed 6lb 4oz and was 19.5 inches long. Rebekah weighed 6lb 3oz and was 18.5 inches long. We still don't know if they are identical or not as they do look very similar with no major differences noticed yet. In the picture of just the two babies, Kimberly is on the left. Libby is the one in the middle in the other picture, but we're not sure after that.

Week 36!

Well, we made it to week 36! We had our midwife appointment yesterday afternoon where she declared that everyone is still doing well and anytime they are more than welcome to make an appearance. So then we all got inspired and had a dress rehearsal last night. My contractions got going fairly strong and regular, so the on-call midwife had us come in, but things stalled out and we came back home with a belly still full of babies. Today we went for three walks throughout the day and my mom came back to town this afternoon for the big event. She and Marty are sleeping and I'm ready to get these girls movin'! We'll see if Sunday will be the big day for their arrival... or at least for some more contractions to get us closer to their arrival. Now we know when things start up again to wait a bit longer before calling the on-call midwife and/or going into the hospital.

If I don't post for a little while, then know I'll have some great updates to make when I get back in front of a computer. = )

Belly Picture

Here's a belly picture to keep everyone happy! My mom took this one when she was in town last week. It almost looks fake...

Week 35

Another week that we've survived with my belly intact! The babies are hanging in there, so I'm thankful that at least in this point of their lives they're cooperating with me. I don't expect it to last, don't worry. I might be delusional about what's ahead, but I do know that the moment they make their appearance, they'll be fully in charge. They just let me think that I have a say for now.

Twin A has been working really hard on making space for herself on my right side.. my upper belly is tight over there and the stretch marks have been appearing like crazy in the last few days. Neither one of them mess with my ribs too much, but it's probably because they're too busy trying to be the furthest down in my pelvis. Definitely getting more pressure on my pubic bone the last few days. Makes it SO much fun to try and walk to the bathroom!

We'll hit week 36 tomorrow, so they'll be full-term at that point. I have an appointment with the midwives tomorrow to go over the latest draft of our birth plan, so hopefully we'll be good to go on that. They'll also check my cervix to see if all the rest I've been getting has helped in keeping them in longer.

I'm getting better at typing sideways... = )

Kelsi has "pregnancy brain" worse than I do! Every conversation she has with people includes the phrase "I forgot" at least once.. That includes parents, friends, cousins, etc. Maybe once school starts on Tuesday her mental wiring will go back to normal. She's very ready to be the big sister, though, and is taking the title very seriously at this point.

More soon!!

Week 34

Another week and the girls are still hanging out inside my belly! There's only one week to go before I give them permission to want to leave. No way am I going to evict them (i.e. induce), but we are nearing the end. Strange to think about for me... you mean that they really will come out at some point? hee hee hee. Someday it will become real. Someday SOON for sure!

Grandma Sue's visit is almost over for this trip... she'll be back to help some more once the girls are here. Always a big help to have her here, so we'll miss her, but I know that I need her MUCH MORE once the girls are born. Plus, my bed rest is only for another week, so I'll be able to do more around the house soon. We'll see how long they stay once I'm active again.

Week 33

Still hanging out and laying on my side(s) for the most part. Makes it really interesting to try and type on the laptop, but I'll manage long enough for a quick update. We're working on the last few things to be ready for their arrival -- like packing our bag for the hospital! But I think for the most part we're as ready as we're ever going to be. Now it's just hoping that we get to wait until at least September 1st for their arrival, since that day they will officially hit 36 weeks.

At this point every day and week they stay in my belly is really important, since the last of the developments are going on, like being able to maintain their body temperature and have their sucking reflex, etc. Grandma Sue is coming for another visit this weekend, so that will help me to have someone around the house during the day. Someone to take Kelsi to the park! = )

Here's to at least two more weeks!!

Week 32

Sorry for the delay in updates... it's been a busy week of appointments! So as of Tuesday at my OB/GYN appointment, everything looked really good and we were on track. Then Wednesday I went in for my ultrasound and the babies are doing well - Twin A is 4 pounds 7 ounces with a big noggin like her daddy and Twin B is 5 pounds 2 ounces with a big belly and a TON of hair like her momma (and still 80th percentile)! No new pictures, though. They're getting bigger and more difficult when it comes to pictures. But then they checked and my cervix is getting a lot shorter so they did a non-stress test just to check for contractions (not the babies' heartrates). And I wasn't having any, so they didn't keep me there longer, but they did decide to put me on a drug for keeping them away to make sure it doesn't become pre-term labor. Today, I went back to my OB to check in with her now that we know more of what's going on and she put me officially on bed rest. Which means not too much is going to change since I was already spending the majority of my days laying down. Hopefully the girls can wait two or three more weeks to arrive!! I know I can!

So we're all doing well, but the doctors are making sure we stay that way by having me cut out any activity that I hadn't already. It's hard to sit and type at this point, so I will sign off..... back to the bed!

We're WEAK!

So, after much deliberation, we finally decided to find out what the babies' genders were going to be. And...... they're girls! Which means the wondering of if they are identical or fraternal lives on.

Kelsi is very excited at having two little sisters, while Marty and I are just happy that we all continue to be healthy. More to come!

Week 31

Yeah, I'm still not creative with my entry titles...

So here we are at week 31 and I survived the heat last week! Phew! Much better today and hopefully it'll stay that way for a little while. We had our last multiples class at the hospital this week and got to tour the birthing suites. It looks like we'll have wireless internet in our room, so we'll see about taking our laptop so we can email when the twins arrive. Though I'm not sure the laptop will be high on our list of things to pack when I'm in labor, so I make no guarantees. = )

More belly growth and strong foot movements by the babies. Man, they sure make a ruckus when I'm sitting in the car. We're not sure if that's because they like it or not, but it certainly makes them go nuts in my belly.

We have appointments with the lactation consultant at the hospital and one of the midwives in my OB/GYN's group to make sure we're all set for breastfeeding and to see about having a midwife on the delivery team since we are still hoping for an unmedicated birth for both babies. The appt's aren't until week 32, so it'll be a little while before I can report in on how they went. Apparently, since the midwife is directly affiliated with the hospital (rather than a birth center like our previous one) there is a chance she will be able to attend the birth. I'm excited at the thought, but we have to meet with her first to see what the options are. And we still have 4 more weeks of our Bradley classes, so we're ironing out the birth plan at this point.

Week 30

We're cooking now! It's currently 105 degrees outside. Um, I didn't request that!! Makes it tough to do much, but I got some errands done in the morning, visited my work (to show off my belly progress) and now we're just holed up in the house trying to keep cool. We'll see how much it cools down this evening before our next multiples birthing class at the hospital.. hopefully they have better a cooling system than we do!

Other than the heat, there's not much to report.. Braxton Hicks contractions every once in a while, but for the most part I don't notice them, I'll just happen to touch my belly and notice it got HARD. Lots of foot movement, too. Not so much kicking anymore, but repositioning their feet and making my belly do all sorts of fun motions.

Week 29

I got the results back from the blood work they did this past week at my appointments and I'm doing good -- not anemic, no gestational diabetes, and since I'm Rh negative, they checked to make sure I hadn't developed antibodies to the possibly Rh positive babies and I haven't. Woo hoo! We had our first multiples birthing class at the hospital this evening, and it's nice to be around other parents with twins coming. We don't get that opportunity very often yet! I am going to attend a Mothers of Multiples meeting soon, so that will expand our support group for the fun we have coming our way. But we're all healthy and doing well, so there's not really much else to report!

Ultrasound - Week 28

Marty, the babies, and I went in for our monthly ultrasound yesterday and everyone is doing well. Twin B is measuring 3 lbs 5 ounces which is 80th percentile for a single baby! Woo hoo! Twin A was being stubborn as usual and they couldn't get all the measurements they needed, but still got an approximate weight of 3 pounds. Both are now head down, and will most likely stay that way for the duration of the pregnancy.

The first picture is a profile of Twin A - it's much easier to point things out directly, but the forehead is on the right, nose pointing up, and body on the left.

The next picture is also of Twin A. This one's a face shot, but is tilted almost upside down. The top of the head is in the lower right, and then you can see eyes, nose, mouth and chin as you look to the upper left.

The third picture Twin B makes an appearance (faintly). The ultrasound technician had to really try to get this shot of B's face and she labeled it, so it's easier to figure out what things are.

Week 28

Week 28 brought the arrival of baby shower #1 with some college, PTA, and engineering friends. It was a nice Saturday afternoon of playing a few games and chatting with everyone.

Here's a few photos of me opening gifts.. April handmade those green and yellow bibs - very cool!

Thanks to everyone who could make it!

Grandma Sue's Visit

Grandma Sue has come and gone... we gots lots done while she was here, like painting the changing table and re-painting the old chest of drawers from red to lavender. The dresser hadn't been painted since my dad finished them for my sister back in the day. So I got to sand them down and repaint.

I also mentioned earlier how we got the double stroller put together and fit the infant seats in it. See? We can do it! Now we just have to see how it goes when there are actual babies in the seats.

Week 27

New pictures! These were taken last week when I went out to lunch with my friend April. Thanks April!

Everything is going well, the babies kicked a bit during the 4th of July fireworks show we went to, and the nursery is coming along. More pictures once we're done.

We did get the double stroller put together last week and practiced getting the infant seats in and out of it. We'll have to do it a lot more before we're ready for them to arrive.

Week 26

So I'm home from work, but I'm definitely not stir-crazy yet! I'm sleeping a ton and eating lots. There's been quite a bit more movement as the weeks go on, so that's been fun. This week my momma's coming to visit so we can get the nursery started. Yippee! I kept putting that off until I was done working, and now I don't have to anymore. It's over 90 degrees right now, so I'm staying in the house for at least today and tomorrow. It's supposed to cool down again this week, but until then, I'm staying out of the heat!

At my last checkup, the babies' heartrates were in the 140's and my blood pressure is doing well, so all three of us are good to go!

I wanted to get the ultrasound pictures up for everyone last night and then I was in too great a need for sleep to finish up telling you all about what's going on. My last day of work is tomorrow so that I can concentrate on being a good incubator to my parasites full-time. Last night was also the first session for the Bradley classes that Marty and I are taking this summer. Even though with the twins my chance of c-section is higher, we want to be fully educated in husband-coached natural birth so when Twin A decides it's time to come out, we will be ready! Hopefully Twin B will be as adequately ready for arrival when A is. = ) For those of you who aren't sure why Twin A would be in charge - it's because Twin A is lower in my belly and will be the first to exit when it comes time.

I'm working really hard on getting lots of protein. Our Bradley instructor put it a good way: body builders eat a lot of protein to build their bodies, so pregnant women need to for the same reason - you are literally building a body. (Or two in my case!) I haven't been counting grams, but according to the doctor at the ultrasound yesterday since the babies and myself are all doing fine, I just need to keep doing what I'm doing. Which means I'm going to keep doing my modified kickboxing to get some activity in and eating lots. :) And I'll be getting more sleep once I can get naps in on weekdays in addition to weekends. If anyone else reading this is expecting twins, definitely get Dr. Barbara Luke's book: "When you're expecting twins, triplets, or quads." Lots of good info for what it takes to carry more than one baby!

I feel a lot more of the twins' activity now.. they were especially active during the ultrasound yesterday - they must have thought it was playtime! "Avoid the wand" was more like it! They couldn't be 100% sure of the genders because of their positioning (Twin A had closed legs), so the mystery remains. And it's been fun having Marty be able to feel their movement as well.

Week 24 - Another Ultrasound!

So we had our monthly ultrasound done today.. Still not the most cooperative little ones when it comes to photos, but we got a few.. Twin A is now 1 pound 10 ounces and Twin B is 1 pound 12 ounces. Those are each just above average for a singleton pregnancy, so that means we're all doing really well! Apparently Twin B likes to sit on A's head... which made the ultrasound technician's job really fun when she was trying to measure things in A's brain.

The photos! Can't forget those.. Twin A's face: the top of the head is on the right of the picture and those are most likely hands on the left side of the photo. You can see the eye sockets fairly well in the picture.



Then, we get to Twin B's face shot.. and B is facing the opposite direction, so the top of the head is on the left, and the rest of the body is on the right.


And we managed to just barely get a profile of Twin B again this time (we have yet to see A in profile!).That's the noggin on the left, facing up with the belly and a hand on the right.

More movin' (by the babies!)

So the twins are confirming their recent growth spurt as my belly is popping and I'm feeling a lot more movement now. Even Marty got to feel some of the action this afternoon with his hand on my belly. Twin A seems to be in a better position for me to feel on a consistent basis, but Twin B got up under my ribs yesterday and made for the first of many uncomfortable afternoons. LOL

I'm still doing kickboxing, but just the strength half of the hour (modified), not the cardio portion. It keeps me social, it's only 30 minutes, and I have better control over my heartrate. Everyone's keeping an eye on me to make sure I don't overdo it, so no worries. I'll have to keep visiting them after my doctors tell me I can't go anymore so they can see the progress my belly makes. = )

Our next ultrasound is next Tuesday, so not too much longer to wait for more pictures!