Thursday, July 9, 2009

36 weeks and 2 days

Pregnancy really is all fun and games... Until you're 36+ weeks pregnant with twins. Then there is very little fun nor many games. I am still pregnant and relatively upright. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have made it to 34 weeks or so with relatively little discomfort and no complications, so I can deal with these last couple of weeks of hardship, if I must.

In any case, both babies are looking good. After a short lived low-platelet scare that had us thinking delivery might occur last week or this week, my blood is now behaving and the ultimate goal is July 20th, which will be 38 weeks on the nose. According to the ultrasounds we have on a weekly basis, the babies are measuring in at just over 5lbs a pop, though the ultrasound people really don't inspire a ton of confidence in their measurements and 20% up or down is likely. Plus, given that Baby B has her head underneath Baby A's tummy, it's tough to get good measurements these days. In any case, they are big and looking healthy and kicking the crap out of me on the regular. 11 days and counting...

Here's me at 36 weeks and 2 days pregnant (and thrilled, obviously):


Wednesday, June 10, 2009

32 Weeks 2 Days

This is me at 32 weeks in all my splendor and glory and girth. I think I'm starting to look a lot like a Smart Car. Actually, I could probably crush a Smart Car at this point. Is it really possible to get bigger than this? Don't answer that...


Seriously, I was wondering why people run in the opposite direction when they see this coming, but now I understand. No one wants to be the closest person to me when I go into labor.

And you'll all be happy to know that Calza is settling into new her nursery quite well.

Enough with the pictures already...

Friday, June 5, 2009

31 weeks 4 days

Here we are at almost 8 months pregnant, and all is still going well. I don't post here a lot, because there just isn't a lot to report! I had an ultrasound on Wednesday and the babies looked great. They are both very active (I did not need an ultrasound to know that) and measuring perfectly for their gestation. They both weigh around 3lbs 5oz (+/- the 10-20% margin of error of u/s measurements). That is 40th percentile for their gestation, which is great for twins. Our main issue at this time is that Baby A (aka the boy, or Lime) is still breech, and if he stays that way, I'll be having a c-section. We're going to do all we can to encourage him to flip, but honestly, there's nothing we can do about it.

My OB was very impressed by my professional-style gestating and is letting me go one extra week before I begin my weekly visits. I rock at pregnancy, just don't ask me to do it again. We discussed the fact that if Lime remains breech, and I don't go into labor early, I'll go in for a scheduled c-section. We actually picked a date: July 20, 2009. A very good birthday indeed.

Craig and I are enjoying our last weeks of our existence as just Craig and Alexis. I'll definitely miss our time together just the two of us, but I am very excited to enter the next phase. Pretty crazy to think about what is to come.

Here are some more entirely indiscernible pictures from this week's ultrasound. I again asked the technician for a quick look with the 3D machine and, as expected, he looked at me like I have three heads (heh, I just realized that I sort of do have three heads at the moment). Every single other pregnant person I know gets these, yet I am afraid it is not meant to be for us. As Craig says, we'll have them in 3D constantly soon enough.

First shot is Lime (the boy). It's just his face. Interpret it as you will.

Second is Lemon (the girl). Also her face, and really only half of it. Squint and look at it like those Magic Eye posters from the 90s, that might help.


Sunday, May 17, 2009

Lap Space

Is Craig's lap big enough for 2 cats and 2 babies?  We will soon find out.  I'll post the photographic evidence when is becomes available.



28 Weeks and 6 Days

Honestly, there's just not much to report.  Everything is going according to plan and we're cruising quickly through the weeks.  At last check, the babies looked great and were estimated to be 2lbs 2oz (boy) and 2lbs 1oz (girl), which was totally on target for a singleton baby at 27 weeks.  I'm feeling a lot of kicking these days, which is very cool.  Baby boy especially kicks like crazy, whereas baby girl's kicks are more delicate and subtle.  Perhaps a preview of what is to come?   

We're getting really excited and have begun to count down weeks in single digits (9 weeks left at most!).   We're passing the time by watching a ton of Boston sports, getting our house into shape and enjoying the beautiful weather we've been having this spring.  Craig has also been cooking awesome dinners for us and I've been doing some knitting, reading up on some baby books and making lists of all the stuff we need.  So I guess you could call this the calm before the storm...

Here are some updated photos of me plus a bonus shot of how lovely our house has been this spring (our first living here).  I'll post some before and afters of our almost completed bathroom renovations when they are totally done (hopefully early this week).

27 weeks (don't worry, we'll keep the demon cat away from the babies):  

Today (I don't know why I can't have a normal look on my face when I take these photos.  Maybe because Craig gives me milliseconds to prepare for the picture?): 

And the house a couple weeks back.  We love our lil' cul-de-sac in the burbs (and the garden on the right looks even better now): 



Friday, April 3, 2009

5.5 Months

I’m 22 weeks pregnant now (23 weeks on Monday), and it’s all gone by very quickly. It’s April and we basically have to get through this month, May and June and then twin arrival date is imminent. I’m very conflicted because I look forward to not being pregnant anymore, but not being pregnant means that we have two babies to take care of. And, um, I must have missed the part of college where they teach you how to take care of babies, because I feel pretty clueless! Also, not being pregnant means that the twins had to have come out somehow. And, yikes. Not that we aren't totally thrilled to welcome the twins into our lives and homes, because we absolutely are.

In any case, life is good at the moment. I have had an incredibly uneventful pregnancy so far (everyone knock on wood, please). I feel the babies rolling around and kicking me at various times throughout the day and am beginning to be able to distinguish between Lemon’s and Lime’s movements. I have no clue how much weight I’ve gained, but am pretty sure it changes (upwards) daily. These days I’m doing a lot of reading and hanging out at home with Craig. We’re very excited for the weather to improve, which it has been doing slowly, and I can’t wait to spend some time on our porch enjoying our backyard and frightening neighborhood children with my girth.

Here are some updated photos from last weekend in Philadelphia where we celebrated Jerry and Terry Greiner’s 60th birthdays. I really don't think I look as large as I do in the first photo in real life, but that could be some sort of mental self-preservation mechanism talking. The second photo is taken at the beautiful Longwood Garden's outside Philly. I highly recommend a visit if you are in the neighborhood and don't have debilitating seasonal allergies. I can't wait to take the twins there in a year or two.



Monday, March 9, 2009

19 Week Update

Hi there!  Still gestating over here.  Not much to report and I guess that's a good thing.  Pregnancy is really not the constant stream of excitement I always thought it would be.  Obviously I am getting bigger.  I didn't realize how much bigger until looking at the photos below, which I didn't download until tonight.  We don't have a full-length mirror in our house these days because of renovations, so I'm sort of flying blind.  Until now.  Yikes.  This week was the last time that I will pose for these weekly photos in my pajamas.  I'm dressing up next time. And going to the salon for full hair/make-up.  I do think it's funny that the t-shirt I've been wearing for the pictures has slowly been creeping up my belly.  Soon it will be more of a sports bra.

All in all, everything is going really well and we're halfway there!  I am getting more excited and nervous on a daily basis and Craig is getting more excited and impatient for Lemon and Lime to arrive.  With the end of winter just around the corner, we only have a season and a half to go.  I really do need the winter to end though because I am testing the limits and structural integrity of my winter coat these days.  

We have an ultrasound next Tuesday at 20 weeks!  I'll post some photos of the kids then.

Expanding Alexis!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Some More Twins!


If this photo had thought bubbles, I would be thinking "OMG, how do you hold a baby and smile at the same time." and Craig would be thinking "Don't drop the baby. Don't drop the baby." These twins are Beatrix and Winona, the daughters of our friends Maggie and Justin in Chicago. They've done a great job of raising those little babies into seriously adorable toddlers and provide us with some inspiration (twinspiration, if you will) that perhaps we also can keep two babies alive at once.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

16.5 Week Pictures

Here are some pictures of what vaguely look like babies.  Lemon and Lime are definitely looking a lot more like babies these days, if a bit like babies with exoskeletons (not something you look for in your baby, but I hear it's normal for this stage).  First shot is Baby 1 (aka Lime/A/boy-baby).  Second shot is Baby 2 (aka Lemon/B/girl-baby).  Third shot is also 2, but skeletor face forward.  Have you ever seen a cuter skull?  We're quite fond of them.  



Thursday, February 19, 2009

16.5 Week Sonogram

This was a big one!  Lemon and Lime look perfect.  4 Chambered hearts: check.  Two-lobed brains: check.  Femurs: check.  Boy parts: check.  Girl parts: check.  That's right, we have a boy and a girl!!  We saw Lime's boy parts straight away.  He totally spread-eagled for the sonogram.  His sister was a little more demure (like her mom) and refused to show the goods for a while.  After much  slapping around of my stomach with the ultrasound transducer and two technicians, she finally complied and it was clear that she is indeed a girl.  

So Craig and I are totally psyched and couldn't be happier.  And it looks like my motherly instincts are already totally off and my friends and family know my uterus better than I do.  Sonogram pictures and a 16 week shot of my expanding girth to come...   

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Week 12 Sonogram & NT Scan

Lemon and Lime looked perfect today at the 12 week scan.  Both babies are measuring exactly on target and look like wee lil' big-headed people.  Lime (aka Baby A) is "presenting" and is a bouncy little sucker.  He wouldn't stay still for a second for the doctor to take any measurements.  He's obviously going to be the bad one.  Lemon (Baby B) was also squirmy, but seemed to have a bit less space to move around.  Oh, and no new clues on genders, I just refer to them as boys because that's my hunch.  But I'm really not known for my intuition.

Here are some pictures of the kiddos.  They aren't great shots, and I think it's because sonogram techs don't really like Craig and me.  I don't know why, but it could be that we talk too much while they're trying to do their jobs.  First is Lime, then Lemon, then the whole murky gang.     

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Memories...


Here I am thinking: "Two babies at once.  That's just crazy!".  Ha ha ha ha heh heh.  Yikes.  Those are our nieces back when they were teensy newborns in 2004.  Sasha is closest to me and Amanda is the one in front with the chicken legs (I'm pretty sure). 


Saturday, January 10, 2009

Week 9 Ultrasound

Introducing Lemon and Lime (Lemon is on top, Lime on bottom).  Note Lemon's arm and leg buds (his head is on the right).   He appears to be orbiting his yolk sac.   Lime is just chilling, with his big head to the left. 

Houston, we have a blog.

Since we seem to be having two babies sometime in the next six months, we thought we should fulfill our blog-writing requirement.  The blog will serve to update our family and friends on our twins-in-progress, but if someone decides we need to be professional bloggers, so be it.   Check back soon for pictures (sonogram and otherwise) and updates.

Now we just sit back and wait for the advertising revenue to come in...