1 Month Check Up and Pictures

I can't believe that the twins are almost a month old already! This month has really gone by fast. We took the twins to the doctor today for their one month check up - and they are doing really well!

Zoe is now 6 lbs. 9 oz. - basically a small newborn baby size now. Bailey is now 9 lbs. 8 oz. - so he's now 3 lbs. bigger than his sister! They don't have to go back for a check up for another month, when they are supposed to get their first set of shots. But the doctor wants to delay their first shots by a month, so that Zoe can get "some meat on her" for her needles.

In other good news, my blood pressure is now back to normal - without medication. Yay!

Also, today was the first full day that we were able to tandem nurse. It's taken us a month, but we've finally gotten the hang of it. And Bailey has now outgrown his newborn clothes and is into 3 month outfits - Zoe on the other hand has FINALLY outgrown her preemie clothing...and is now in newborn clothes!!

And now for what everyone has been waiting for, some cute pictures!



This picture shows all three kids born on the same day - Bailey, Zoe and their cousin Leah.

Bailey is really good at holding his head up - at 3 weeks! This day, he also rolled over...seems a bit early for a baby.

And my favourite picture...the twins snuggling during their nap.

Introducing Zoe and Bailey!

I am so excited to announce the safe arrival of my twins – Zoe Renee and Bailey Grayson. We actually got home from the hospital Saturday evening, but as you can guess, I’ve been a bit busy since then. I’m finally getting a chance to write everything down about their birth.

Short facts:
They arrived by induction on Tuesday, March 13 (36 weeks, 2 days gestation)
Baby A – Zoe Renee born at 4:48 p.m.
4 lbs. 13 oz., 15-1/2 inches

Baby B – Bailey Grayson born at 5:07 p.m.
7 lbs. 5 oz., 21 inches

Birth Story (warning, this is really LONG!) :o)

Monday, March 12, 2007
I had to call for an OB appointment as I didn’t have one yet for the week. I was lucky and got the last appointment time that day. When I went in, I found out that I was 2-3 cm dilated, my BP was high again and that the OB wanted to schedule an induction – for the next day! Eeek.

I called my sister-in-law, who was due on March 13, to let her know that “I had won the race” (LOL) and that I was being induced – I would probably have my babies first. She called back a couple of hours later to let us know that her water had broken and she was headed into the hospital that night. 2 hours later, she called and told us they were sending her home to labour until the morning, she was still only 2 cm. dilated.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007
7:00 a.m. – I called the hospital to see if my induction was still scheduled for the first induction of the morning. I got the ok to come in, so we packed up the van and headed in.

8:00 a.m. – We got to the hospital and got settled into a room right away. I was lucky enough to have a nice private room to labour in, and found out that was also where I would be staying after the birth. When it was time, I would be delivering in the OR just in case we needed a c-section.

8:30 a.m. – The IV was in (took 2 painful tries), blood work done and my OB came in to break my water. I’m still 2-3 cm dilated and they started the Pitocin slowly (and would be increasing it every 30 min.). I had a fantastic labour nurse, Brenda, who really helped calm me down when all the different needles started to arrive (I’m TERRIFIED of needles).

9:00 a.m. – My sister-in-law is admitted to the hospital and she starts labouring three doors down the hall from me.

10:00 a.m. – I started to have some contractions. They didn’t hurt – they were more like cramps.

10:30 a.m. – The power to the hospital went out. We find out there is a fire in the hospital and at an adjacent transformer station. Lovely! But we didn’t have to move out of the room – they didn’t evacuate L&D.

12:00 p.m. – My OB checks me and I’m now 3-4 cm. He decided to increase the Pitocin at a faster rate now.

1:00 p.m. – My contractions are starting to get uncomfortable now, but still not bad. It’s at this time that my nurse tells me that my OB is in the hospital until 5 p.m. and the anesthesiologist is only dedicated to L&D until 3 p.m. I had to have an epidural because I was having twins, so I had until 3 pm. to get it.

2:15 p.m. – My contractions are much stronger now, but still bearable. But I knew the anesthesiologist was going to be leaving soon, so I said now was the time for the epi.

2:20 p.m. – We get the word that my sister-in-law had her baby girl! My niece Leah was born weighing 7 lbs. 11 oz. Yay!!!

2:45 p.m. – The epi was in – and it HURT! They checked me as soon as the epi was in and I’m now 6 cm. I also feel pressure now, but no pain – the epi was working well.

3:30 p.m. – I’m 10 cm now and everyone starts getting me ready for the OR. I end up having to wait a while because an emergency c-section came in and I had to wait for some of the people to finish with that delivery first.

4:15 p.m. – Finally everyone was in the OR and ready to go. In the OR was: my OB, a resident, my 2 L&D nurses, 2 nurses for each baby, a pediatrician, the anesthesiologist, my husband and me – a total of 12 people!

4:30 p.m. – I finally got the go-ahead to start pushing. I pushed through 3 contractions and at 4:48 p.m. Zoe is born. She was born breathing on her own and didn’t need any medical intervention. The OB and my L&D nurses start manipulating the next baby into place so that he’s head down. I pushed through 4 more contractions and Bailey was born at 5:07 p.m. – almost 20 minutes later and weighing more than 2-1/2 lbs heavier than his sister. The OB joked “so that’s what happens in 20 minutes!”

When Bailey was born, he was making grunting noises and was labouring with his breathing, so after the OB stitched me up (I had 2nd degree tears) I got to hold Zoe on the bed while they wheeled me back to my room. Bailey had to stay in the OR until the nurses could stabilize his breathing.

The rest of the night was kind of a blur because we all ended up having some issues after birth. Both babies ended up having low blood sugar levels and couldn’t regulate their temperature, so they ended up going to the NICU 2 hours after they were born – I didn’t even get to hold Bailey before he was wheeled out. As for me, the doctors were having serious trouble getting my bleeding under control and my blood pressure skyrocketed. At one point I had over 6 nurses and 2 doctors in the room working on me, and giving me at least 5 different medications to try to stop the problems. If the bleeding hadn’t gotten under control by 11:00 p.m., then I was scheduled to have a D&C. Luckily, the bleeding slowed down enough that they put me on watch for the night instead – and I avoided having the surgery.

The babies ended up staying in the NICU for 3 days – during which we had major feeding problems with Zoe and Bailey’s heart stopped – but they were able to revive him quickly. Everything got better after 3 days and on the 4th day, the babies were released from the NICU and were able to stay in the room with me.

Now that they are a week old, they are doing very well. Zoe is now the breast feeding champion and Bailey is slowing regaining his weight (he ended up losing 9.9% of his birth weight). My other boys are over the moon with the babies and they are being so helpful. It’s been so much fun to watch them interact with the babies – they are going to be very protective big brothers.

And that’s our update – we’ve had a lot going on! I can’t wait to see what’s next…having twins is certainly an interesting adventure.

Tomorrow's the Day!!

I went in for my 36 week OB appointment today and I found out that my blood pressure has gotten high again (146/102) even though I'm on medication. As well, I now have traces of protein showing up - and I'm 3 cm. dialated!

So with everything going on, the OB decided that the babies have had enough and it's time for them to be born. He called the hospital and they have room for my induction tomorrow!!!

Ahhhh - I'm so excited, and sooooooo nervous. I hope my labour goes well and I get to see these two tomorrow.

I'll post their birth story and pictures as soon as we get home!

35 Week OB Appointment

Well, postitive thinking worked for me because everything at my appointment went well today. I had to see a different OB because mine is on holidays...so I was a bit worried what would happen.

My cervix is still closed (yup, cervix of steel I tell you), my BP is elevated but under control, and both babies ended up passing the BPP u/s yesterday! So I guess the tech finally got all the info she needed on my little girl because both babies scored 8/8 (I was worried because the tech was spending WAY too much time on my little girl!!).

So I was sent home again for another week of bedrest and I'll see my own OB either Monday or Tuesday - and I'll be 36 weeks then! I just have to make it to March 19th and then I'll be induced that week. Yay - 12 days to go.

Oh, and I've only gained 30 lbs. so far (now that I've lost the fluid retention) and my 35 week belly is now measuring 49 weeks! It's almost the size of a full year. LOL!

Gotta love the boring appointments.

Made it to March!

I woke up this morning and was thrilled - the twins and I have made it to March! After everything that has happened in February, I thought for sure I'd never make it this far, but we have!!

So now the countdown is to make it to 37 weeks, I'd then be induced. 37 weeks is considered full term for the twins. That's only 18 more days to go - 18 more days left of this pregnancy.

Here's some of my latest belly pics - they were taken at 34 weeks (the day of Hunter's birthday party). I'm not sure how much larger I can really get!

Earned a Stay at the "Grand River"

Wow, this has been a crazy two weeks! It all started Friday, February 16 when I realized that my feet were starting to swell like crazy. I had high blood pressure already, but now the swelling was starting to become bad. I figured I had better keep an eye on that. I also had a headache, but it went away after I took Tylenol, so I didn't think anything of it.

Saturday, February 17
The swelling was bad again, and I had another headache. But Tylenol worked again and I just spent most of the day on the couch so the swelling didn't get painful.

Sunday, February 18
The swelling in my feet was now out of control - I could barely walk my feet were so painful. I also had pain in my hands and my face was starting to swell. And I had yet another headache. Not a good combination. Randy convinced me to head into triage at the hospital "just to get things checked out". I assumed I'd have my blood pressure checked and be sent home on rest or even medication. So we hopped in the car and headed to Grand River Hospital.

When we got to triage, it was nice and quiet - so I got a bed right away. My BP was around 158/97, not good. The resident ordered blood work and a protein urine test and told me I'd probably be going home but that I'd have to go to my OB tomorrow to get checked out again. Well, they decided to take my BP again an hour later and now it was 168/102 - and this was with me laying in bed not moving!! The OB on call told me that they were admitting me and putting me on medication right away. Also my iron came back low - it was 99, so they were also going to check on that. The did a non stress test (NST) and the babies were moving well - they passed with flying colours.

So at 33 weeks exactly, I was hospitalized with official PIH (pregnancy induced hypertension) and low iron. I was hoping I wouldn't have to be in for long.

Monday, February 19
My day started off with a slew of bloodwork at 5 am. While I was hospitalized, I'd also have to have daily NST (sometimes twice daily) and my vitals checked 5-6 times a day along with daily bloodwork and protein tests. I felt like a lab rat. I also found out that I was scheduled for an ultrasound for the next day - I was going to be staying in the hospital until my OB could read the results.

I also found out that my iron levels were crashing - only 12 hours later, my iron levels had fallen to 82...which prompted even more bloodwork. I was also put on blood pressure medication twice daily along with additional iron.

Tuesday, February 20
Had my ultrasound...was very painful (as it hurts to lay on my back with this huge belly) and took over 90 minutes to do. I did find out that baby A was still head down and measuring 32 weeks. Baby B was transverse and measuring 34 weeks. Also, his head was growing at a faster rate than his body. Hmmmm. Didn't sound good. Both babies had possible IUGR - and the only 'cure' for it is to deliver.

Friday, February 23
My OB finally got all the reports from my ultrasound and told me that I would be having another ultrasound on the next Tuesday because they needed to check on the growth of the babies. My iron was stabilized (still only around 84) and so was my blood pressure. But that I could have a pass to go home for the afternoon on Sunday for Hunter's birthday as long as I sat with my feet up the whole time. On a positive note, my BP medication was working well - I've lost 10 lbs this week, just due to getting rid of the excess fluid from my swelling!

Sunday, February 25
Had to do a ton of tests on the babies and myself before I was finally given a pass for 6 hours. Hunter was thrilled to have me home for the afternoon - he had a great birthday party! And I was really good - I sat on the couch the whole time. Yay, I had made it to my next big goal...I was now 34 weeks!

Monday, February 26
My OB talked to me today and told me that now I was 34 weeks, the babies were pretty safe to be delivered now. He just wanted to see the results of the ultrasound tomorrow to be sure, but that it looked like I'd be induced by the end of the week. I figured as much, so I was not surprised.

Tuesday, February 27
I almost passed out today after my shower - my blood pressure is now dropping too much with some activities. Great - first high bp, now low bp. :o)
In the morning, I had my daily NST and Bailey didn't do very well. He had enough movements, but his heartrate wasn't getting high enough. Usually Zoe's heartrate was in the low 130s and Bailey's was in the high 120s, but today his was low 120s and even dipping into the 110s. Also my nurse told me that I was on the list to be induced tomorrow!!! Yikes - I would be having these babies in 24 hours.

Then I went to my ultrasound. I had the same tech as last week, which was good because she let me have breaks whenever I needed them. Of course it didn't help that I was also having contractions most of the day - and trust me it hurts when you're having a contraction while they are pressing down on your belly for the ultrasound! Baby A was still head down and was now measuring 34 weeks - she had caught up in her growth! Baby B had flipped yet again and had his head right by baby A's belly. He slowed down in growth and was now measuring 35 weeks - they were only a week apart now instead of over 2 weeks apart. That sounded pretty good. They were also moving around a lot and both had passed their practice breathing tests. And I got to see that both babies now have hair! Both of them have really cute spiky hair - I can't wait to see what colour it is!

My OB came by just before dinner time to talk to me. I assumed he was going to discuss my induction for the next day, but instead he told me that I could go home!! Both babies had done really well on the ultrasound, they were now very close in measurements again, my BP had stabilized (except after having a shower) and my iron levels were also stabilized. There was now no reason to induce me!

So I got to go home on BP meds, iron meds, and put on strict bedrest! I have to go back to the hospital next Tuesday for another ultrasound and I have an OB appointment on Wednesday.

The boys were so excited that I was home and today they have been bouncing off the walls...I guess having their mom away in the hospital was really starting to get to them (even if grandma was here and spoiling them rotten!). I'm thrilled to be home and can't believe that I'm going to make it to March!! Now I'll have a January baby, a February baby and 2 March babies.

Want to bet that I make it to March 19th now (37 weeks - induction time)? LOLOL!

Hmm...What Did I Swallow?

My dad sent these pictures to me tonight - they were taken on Sunday at my sister-in-law's baby shower. I am 32 weeks exactly in the pictures...but I look like I'm WAY overdue. :o) And yes, it's the same top I'm wearing from my last belly picture at 27 weeks. What can you expect when only 3 tops fit right now?!


A great side view (including the new stretch marks I've been getting - thanks dad for making sure those are included).

But this picture is my favourite. I can't believe how huge I really look. This is the first time I've seen what I look like when I'm sitting.



Man, that just looks uncomfortable. Oh, wait, it is uncomfortable!

Wow - I can't wait to see what I'll look like in a couple weeks!

32 Week OB Appointment

Well, time just keeps on rolling by...and I'm still pregnant! :o)

I had my 32 week OB appointment today and I'm happy to say that my BP is still lower (it was 145/94 today), I gained 2 lbs. in a week and yes, this belly is still growing. I'm now measuring about 45 weeks.

The OB had a hard time finding the girl's heartbeat - so that had me a bit worried, especially after he asked me if I could feel her moving. And of course she's being kind of quiet today so I'm trying to drink lots of cold water to get her kicking harder. But we had no problem finding the boy's heartbeat - and he's been kicking up a storm today (as usual). Oh, and he's flipped yet again - he's sideways now with his legs right under my ribs. When he stretches those legs, it feels like my ribs are splitting. Lovely.

With everything looking stable for now, I don't have to go back to the OB for another 2 weeks (I'll be 34 weeks), and then I'm officially on weekly appointments and weekly non-stress tests until I deliver. And of course, I still have another ultrasound for next week. Wow, with all these appointments, it's a good thing we live in Canada - I couldn't afford the medical care if I lived in the US!!

I'm hoping to post another picture of my belly sometime this week - my dad and sister took some great pics this past weekend at my SIL's baby shower. As soon as I get copies of the pictures, I'll put them up.

And here are the lastest countdowns for me:
12 days until Hunter's birthday (and I'll be 34 weeks - a huge milestone for twins...and also the point that my mom delivered her twins)
16 days until March (I'm really hoping I can make it to March)
33 days until I'm 37 weeks (which is considered full term for twins)
54 days until my due date - which I'll never reach.

33 days....doesn't sound too bad. I think I can make it!!

BP Went Down!!

I had some great news on Friday when I went to the OB's office - my blood pressure went down! It's not normal, but low enough that I apparently "bought my ticket to go home". From the sounds of it, if my BP was still as high as it was on Monday, then I was headed to the hospital!

Most of my blood work was good, except that I'm now anemic and I have to take extra iron. If my hemoglobin doesn't go back up, then I might not be allowed to have an epidural - not a position I want to be in!!!

The babies are still growing well according to the ultrasound I had on Tuesday. Baby A is still the girl, is head down, and is 1901 grams (4.2 lbs.). Baby B is still the boy, is still kind of sideways with his head angled down, and is 2127 grams (4.7 lbs). Both are over the all-important 1800 gram weight (the weight babies have to be before they are allowed to leave the hospital). The only issue from the ultrasound is that there is extra fluid around Baby B now - so I have to have yet another ultrasound in two weeks. Hmmm. That will be ultrasound #8! Wow.

I'm supposed to keep my feet up this weekend and take it easy - not a problem, that's pretty much what I do on the weekend anyways. I also have to keep my OB appointment for Tuesday...just to keep an eye on my blood pressure. I'm hoping it's still down enough that I get to stay home!

And we have an update to the twins' names....we've finally picked a middle name for Bailey. So our twins will be:
Zoe Renee and Bailey Grayson
Or as Hunter calls them: Zoe and Blech. :o) He still doesn't like Bailey's name. But he finally admitted that he would "probably love Bailey when he's born...but only if he's cute". I can't wait to see Hunter's reaction when he finally sees Bailey for the first time. I'm sure he'll fall in love with his little brother!

Had to "Pop" Into The OB's Office to Check My Blood Pressure

My BP was up at last week's appt. so the OB wanted me to just 'pop' in to get it checked again today. Well, now it's even higher than last week. It's almost as high as it was with my first pregnancy...the day the OB decided I needed to be induced (I had PIH with my first pg.).

So I've got a ton of blood work to do tomorrow after my u/s - and then I've got another OB appt. for Friday morning. He wanted me back this week...but in enough time for him to receive the u/s report so we could 'talk about everything'. Hmmmm. That doesn't sound good.

Also, the nurse kept checking my BP, and asking me a ton of questions - how are you feeling; have you had any headaches; any swelling. And I think she checked my sample about 10 times and had me hop on the scale more than twice (I only gained a pound this week). But I don't have any other things going on besides my high BP.

I'm wondering what's in store for me on Friday.

30 Week OB Appointment

Hmmm. I guess my blood pressure issues aren't finished after all. My blood pressure at my appt. on Tuesday was elevated again. High enough that the nurse took my bp 4 times - and tried each arm. And then I got all the questions from the OB - "have you had any headaches?" "are you swelling?" "do you see spots at all?" And if I have any of these at any time, I'm to head right into the hospital. Also, I now have to pop into his office to get my blood pressure checked regularly...without an appointment. Doesn't sound good to me.

Everything else went well - my belly is now 43 weeks in size. The girl seems to still be head down. They are both moving around a lot (they kept kicking the OB's doppler - he had a hard time chasing them around my belly to get their heartbeats). My weight gain seems to be going steady. All my blood work came back normal (no GD!). And my cervix is still closed. So I don't have a full OB appt. for another two weeks - and I get to go back for another ultrasound next Tuesday.

Later that day I had my hospital pre-registration too. It's a good thing I went, because I couldn't find the registration desk or triage!! Two very important places to find when in labour. The L&D ward was under construction when I delivered Hunter, so it was nice to see everything finished now. It's beautiful - but it won't matter, I don't get one of the nice labour and delivery rooms...I'll be in the OR in case baby B needs an emergency c-section. Ah well, I'm hoping to have a private room afterwards - that's more important!

So the paper work is in, now I'd better start packing the hospital bag. Then there's not much more to do and we'll be ready for these two. 46 days to go (until possible induction)!!

29 Week OB Appointment

I had my standard OB appointment today (29 weeks) and things are looking good. My blood pressure is normal now, I've put on a total of 20 lbs (according to the doctor's scale, which is 'light'), and I got the results of last week's u/s.

Baby A is head down (girl) and was measuring around 2 lbs 12 oz. Baby B is angled head down (boy) and was measuring around 3 lbs. 2 oz. Apparently they are growing right on track for singleton babies, so that's great! But wow, I'm carrying over 6lbs of baby now!!

And I had to laugh...this belly just keeps on growing. I'm now measuring 42 weeks in size - straight out.

I had contractions off and on this past weekend, so apparently I 'bought myself an internal' today - and my cervix is still nice and closed. I guess these two are still comfy inside.

Because I've started having contractions, I'm now on weekly appointments until the end of this pregnancy.

But all in all, a good appointment! Yay!!

28 week ultrasound

I had an ultrasound this week - and I think it went well. The ultrasound techs really don't give you much information, so I'm sure I'll learn more at my OB appointment on Tuesday.

But I did find out that both babies have flipped 180 degrees!! The girl is now head down and sitting her head right in my pelvis. She's also on the left side of my belly now - and in position to deliver. The boy's head is facing downwards and he's stretched out on the right side of my belly. As long as they stay that way for the next couple of weeks, then I might not need a c-section. Yay!!

And I have a couple more belly shots to share. These are when I was 27 weeks (but belly measuring 37-38 weeks).





I don't really look pregnant from the front, do I? Not until I turn sideways though...then WOAH! :o)

26 Weeks With the Twins - Last Week of the 2nd Trimester

We've made it to 26 weeks (actually 26 weeks, 5 days today) and on Sunday we'll be at the beginning of the 3rd trimester! It's amazing how fast time has gone with this pregnancy...well, for most of the time.

I had an OB appointment this week and I was able to get the information from my ultrasound done before Christmas (at 24 weeks). The babies were looking good then and Baby A (girl) was 767 grams, which is 1.69 lbs. Baby B (boy) was 850 grams, which is 1.87 lbs. So I figure that both babies are around 2 lbs. now. They are growing nicely. And their weights are pretty close to each other - that's one thing they check for. I'll have regular ultrasounds to keep an eye on that.

My belly is also growing nicely. At 26 weeks, it is measuring 36-37 weeks! Yes, my belly is full term, and I have 3 more months to go until my due date. Yikes.

But one good thing is that my blood pressure is now down. Finally. I guess I just had to go off of work in order to relax enough. :o)

I have another ultrasound on January 16th and my next OB appointment on the 23rd. And on the 30th I get to do my hospital pre-registration. Ahhh...things are rolling along nicely now.

A Poem to Share

Someone on my expecting board lost a set of twins today at 25 weeks - about the same time I'm due with Zoe and Bailey. After reading that sobering news, I found this little poem that really touched me.

It Will All Go So Quickly

There's two to wash
There's two to dry
There's two who argue
There's two who cry.

Some days seems endless
My patience grows thin,
Why was I chosen
To be a Mother of Twins?

The answer comes clear
At the end of each day,
As I tuck them in bed
And to myself I say.

There's two to kiss
There's two to hug
And best of all
There's two to love.

I just hope these two keep growing strong and healthy! Getting no sleep and pain off and on right now is a small price to pay...as long as they are snuggled inside.

Drum Roll Please.......

And the names have been picked! We're expecting....Zoe Renee and Bailey something-or-other. :o) We finally decided that we love Bailey for his name and that all the other names we were thinking about we were sticking them in as middle names for Bailey. We haven't picked a middle name for him yet, but it feels much better knowing he's got a first name.

Tristan is fine with the names we've picked - he's even kissing my belly now and says he's kissing Zoe or Bailey. As for Hunter....well, let's just say he's not happy with his brother's name. Hunter's had at least 2 full-blown temper tantrums over the name already and has told us that he's going to hate Bailey. Lovely. Well, he has a couple more months to get used to the name. (Not that he has much of a choice though!!) Hunter wanted us to name his brother Drake. We're thinking about using that for a middle name instead.

Otherwise, things seem to be going well. I finished packing up my classroom and shipped it home (thank goodness we had a van!). And I had my last day of school on Friday - I even met the new teacher taking over for me. That was a bit weird, but she seems really nice. It's her first full-time job as a teacher (it's her first year), but it's not her first career. And she's 6 feet tall - the kids will keep in line just from her sheer height!! :o)

And I had an ultra sound on Thursday to see how these two are doing. I actually got a scolding from the u/s tech because I didn't drink enough water. My belly is measuring almost full term, I didn't think they would have a problem seeing the babies, so I didn't bother drinking anything. Ooops. I guess they still need my bladder full. I'll be good next time.

But the babies look good (as far as I can tell). They were moving around, hearts beating nicely. Baby A is still the girl and will probably stay that way now that they are 25 weeks. Her head is on my left side and she's laying sideways with her head slanted down a bit. I'm hoping that means she'll move head down when I go into labour. Baby B is still the boy and is also laying sideways, but with his head on the right side.

I got a ton of pictures - one of the advantages of having twins I guess. And I also know who to blame for the lovely kicks to my cervix. Thanks a lot Zoe!! Causing trouble already. :o)

Finally - 24 Weeks!

I'm so excited, I'm finally 24 weeks with the twins. As of today, they are considered to be viabable...which means they have a chance of surviving if they are born now. Whew.

So to mark this day, I've taken another belly picture. In this picture I'm 24 weeks, but measuring almost 35 weeks. Yikes!



Wow - I wonder what I'll look like when I'm actually 35 weeks!

23 Week OB Appointment

My OB appt. went well. My blood pressure hasn't changed (still high, but not going up), I've gained a total of 12lbs now. And my belly is measuring 33 weeks!!! That's 10 weeks ahead. No wonder I'm in pain! Last visit I was only measuring 7 weeks ahead - so each visit, I've been doubling the growth in my belly.

He's sending me for my GD test, extra bloodwork and an u/s to check on the babies and my cervix.

And....he agrees that I should be off work. So, a week from Friday will be my last day of work! Wow....I have to pack my classroom and ship it home in less than 2 weeks. Yikes!

I can't wait until I can put my feet up a bit...well, as much as I can with two boys at home. :o)

Oh, and thanks mom for the Baby Name book - I guess she didn't like any of our suggestions below. LOL! Well, we've got to add one more name to both our lists tonight: Bailey. So far we actually agree on that one! How does that one sound to you?

The Name Debate

As of today, I'm just shy of 23 weeks - one more week until I can finally relax a bit. One more week until the twins are 24 weeks - they will be considered to be viable. Whew. For some reason, with this pregnancy, I've been much more focused on the 24 week mark. I'll just be glad to be past that point. Every day past 24 weeks is an extra day of growth for these two! We'll see how they are doing shortly - I've got an OB appt. on Tuesday, and I'll be scheduling another ultrasound right after it.

And now we've finally started talking about names for the twins. We've already got the girl's name: Zoe Renee. But as for a boy's name, well....this is going to get interesting! We had a tough time figuring out a name for Hunter, I can only imagine that it's going to be much harder this time. I just want a name picked out now - I hate calling the twins "Zoe and TBA"!

We've started creating our own "short lists" for names.
The names that I like so far include: Miles, Grayson, Reese, Deandre, Sawyer, Phoenix, Alexander and my favourite one...Malcolm.
On Randy's short list: Oscar, Julian, Liam, Quintin, Ben and August.

Hmmmm. We seem to have very different ideas for names. :o)

And of course when we ask the boys for their imput, they would like their brother to have one of these names: Zander, Ethan, Nick or Chip. They all happen to be the names of the Power Rangers. Not going to happen boys!

And the debate continues.....

19 Week OB Appointment

I had my 19 week OB appointment this week. I was anxious to find out how my blood pressure was doing - I was hoping it had come down a bit. My blood pressure was the same, so that wasn't too bad. At least it has stabilized.

I also found out that the twins are measuring a 'good size' according to the OB. And nothing came back abnormal from my 18 week u/s. My weight has returned to pre-pregnancy weight according to the scale in the OB's office (which is apparently on the "light" side). My scale at home registers me as gaining only 3lbs in total. Woo Hooo!

And for the biggest shock of all....my belly is measuring 26 WEEKS! Wow, that's 7 weeks bigger than a singleton pregnancy. I guess I 'grow' them big.

Here's a proud shot of my 19 week belly:


So everything is looking good so far for the twins. My next appointment isn't until December 12. Ahhhh, a whole month to wait!