35 Weeks!

We had an appointment with our specialist this morning for an ultrasound, and the babies are still just growing and growing. They are SO big and mushed in there that it was nearly impossible to get their measurements, let alone any pictures of them--but from the measurements the doc was able to take, it looks like the babies each weigh 5 pounds, 6 ounces. From now on, we will be seeing both our doctor and our specialist every week, and starting next week we will have a weekly non-stress test for the babies (where they hook each up to a fetal heart monitor and watch them for 30 minutes, see if we're having contractions, etc). The doctor said to expect these babies to gain a half a pound per week or so from here on out (YIKES!).

Out of the blue, I got a call from my ob/gyn's office last Thursday--it was from one of the practice's administrative assistants, and she was just calling to schedule our C-section...what?! It was a totally random phone call to get on a Thursday morning--hey, what are you doing the week of September 21? Want to get lunch? Want to have babies? Which doctor would you like to deliver your babies? OK, we'll contact the hospital and see what we can get scheduled. YIKES! So, we have an appointment this Thursday with the ob/gyn, for a regular (now weekly) check up, and to finalize the details of our planned C-section--IF the babies decide to stay put that long!

On that note--I've thought for a while now that there really isn't any way the babies would stay put until 38 weeks...I've been very focused getting first to 34 weeks, then to 35 weeks, now to 36 weeks, and so on. But--I'd better start preparing myself, at least mentally, for the distinct possibility that these guys are going to stay right where they are. It's still totally up to the babies, who could come any time they'd like--but there really isn't any reason to think that they'd want to leave their cozy home before being evicted at 38 weeks. I'm going to be honest--another three weeks of being pregnant doesn't sound like that much fun--but, if it's best for the babies, (fine) I'll do it (geez). At least there's a light at the end of the tunnel!

Our Nursery

Our babies' nursery is finally coming together! It has taken months to transform this room from a guest room/library/junk closet/catch all/Spud's room to a nursery--but, with a new coat of paint, new furniture, and beautiful bedding made by my mom, aka Grandma Kaye, it is really looking fantastic and ready for the babies. We are so lucky that my mom is so talented, and that she used her love and her talents to make all of the bedding in this beautifully welcoming and comfortable room for her grandbabies.

A view from the doorway (and Spud has spent some time checking out the babies' new room):

Our little girl's crib and bedding (the pink material is minky dots, and is so amazingly soft--and there is so much detail in the bedding, from pleats to bows and ties):

Our little boy's crib and bedding (same with the blue material--so, so soft and sweet), and a Sleep Sheep (we also have a Gentle Giraffe for our little girl's crib):

The room, with their curtains up and pictures on the walls:

Their closet and their changing table, with all of the necessary changing supplies (the curtains are hiding boxes of diapers--we hear we're going to be needing a LOT of them!):

And I just love this cow, who sits on their dresser:

We have a few more small things to do in the room and a couple of things to finish up their bathroom (which is decorated in yellow duckies), but babies, we're more and more ready for you to come home!

Babies' shower in DC!

On Saturday, July 10, Olivia and Casey threw the babies a fabulous shower here in Washington, DC. It was fun to have Casey come down and spend the weekend with us--and it was so great to hang out with everyone for the afternoon!

We had the shower at my house--so while Olivia and Casey were cooking and prepping and decorating, Janet took me to get a pedicure. It was heavenly--pedicures are always nice, but there's something particularly nice about them when your feet a little bit swollen and tired from carrying the additional weight of babies, and even if you wanted to, you can't really take care of your feet yourself. When we got back to the house from pedicures, Olivia and Casey had worked a miracle--the house was transformed, decorated with flowers and balloons and polka dots and black and white cows. It looked absolutely wonderful.

Olivia made beautiful favors for all of the guests--each bag was filled with frosted animal cookies and an adorable tin of mints that had two little sheep on the front and declared "Stacey is having twins!" with the date of the shower printed on them--so special:

Delicious and adorable cupcakes from Hello, Cupcake!:

Casey made this amazing 3-tiered diaper cake:

The food was amazing--Olivia made sweet pork, and she and Casey worked on all of the delicious toppings to make tacos, or taco salads, or nachos--so delicious!

We played a fun game--everyone had to stuff balloons under their shirts, then try to put their shoes on--not only did everyone look hilarious with balloons stuffed under their shirts, but turns out it's not that easy to touch your toes, is it?! In the picture: Jill, Lisa, Becky, Misty, Merrilee, Janet, Julie, and Olivia.

Our kids are already sports fans--thanks to Aunt Rachel, they have all kinds of UT Jazz gear, and thanks to Aunt Casey, they have all kinds of Red Sox gear!

And, here's mom, opening gifts for the babies--they got tons of adorable clothes (from Lisa, Jill, Holly, and Janet), some books (from Janet and Lisa), two car seat bases (from Cathy), a Breast Friend nursing pillow (from Julie), a gift certificate for a manicure and a pedicure (that's for mom, from Misty), bottles and bottles of baby lotions and baby baths (from Becky), and everything the babies will need for baths, including tubs and toys and clothes and sheets (from Merr and Olivia). And, even people who couldn't come to the shower sent gifts--Grandma Julie sent cute clothes for the babies, Baby Einstein and Baby Mozart CDs, and a Sleep Sheep, and Aunt Lauren send an adorable stuffed Pooh and Tigger. The Satterlee family sent an Ergo carrier, Bumbo seats, a baby monitor, a sling, and pacifiers. Tenna sent a Sleep Sheep and a Gentle Giraffe and an adorable pair of shoes for each baby. Nikki sent a farm-animal-themed Exersaucer, and Marlis sent a jumper--hopefully both will occupy and keep babies happy for hours! Everyone did so much for our babies--it was so nice, and so great of Olivia and Casey to host!

I'll give you something to complain about...

I shouldn't complain--everything in this pregnancy has gone so smoothly. And, considering that I'm toting two babies around, I feel pretty good--actually, I feel really good, with the exception of my back and my hips. But, turns out, I really shouldn't complain--because I did, and in turn, I got a cold last week, so I have REALLY had something to complain about. Having a cold when you're 8 and a half months pregnant with twins = not fun. Lesson = learned.

What's in a name, and other random observations

We are struggling with a name for our baby girl--that's not entirely true, the truth is that I am struggling with a name for our baby girl. Surprisingly, we were able to agree on our little boy's name--surprising, because we liked far fewer boys names than girls names. But it's the little girl that really has me stumped. I mean, we've narrowed it down to a handful of names--but I feel very strongly that her name has to be just right. It needs to be strong (but not too strong), and feminine (but not too feminine). Not too trendy, not too complicated, but not too plain or too common. Everyone says that you should make sure a little boy's name sounds presidential, to name him as though he could be a future President of the United States--but, for heaven's sake, I think hers should too! There's also the twin angle, where the names need to sound good both together and on their own. Tricky!! Their names are what these babies will be known by forever! So, I'm feeling lots of pressure to get it just right--and am hoping that when I take a look at their sweet faces, I will know for sure that the names we're thinking of are right.

In other news--

Daniel's quote of the week: Wow, your belly button really doesn't leave much to the imagination.

My boss' quote of the week: You look like you're about ready to calve. (one of the many joys of working in agriculture, being compared to livestock)

My co-worker's noteworthy quote: Stacey, you are huge. But you are blessed. Look at you, up and moving around like nothing's going on--but you're huge. (yes, thank you--I know both that I am really blessed, and that I am really huge)

My other co-worker's noteworthy comment:
Marlis: What fruit are the babies this week?
Me: They are the size of honeydews!
Marlis: Oh, I like honeydews...
(the rest of my officemates recommended that Marlis maybe not be the first to babysit our twins.)

All was well at our doctor's appointment yesterday. The twins' sizes again were lauded (in the 60th percentile, which evidently was noteworthy for twins), my blood pressure was good--even still, the doctor recommended more "bed rest" than "home rest" for the next two and a half weeks. We are getting so close to the end, and the babies are putting a lot of pressure on the escape hatch--so she said that laying down as much as possible for the next 2 - 3 weeks will help ensure these guys don't come pre-term. Then, after 36 weeks (which would put us to September 7), she said I don't have to worry about it so much (which I interpreted as START TAP DANCING AND TRAMPOLINE JUMPING!).

We're having two babies.

This is going to sound ridiculous (because seriously, this isn't something that one could easily forget at this point--it has manifest itself in truly every aspect of my life)--but every now and again, I have a moment of reality and surprise myself when I realize that we are going to have two babies.

(It's like when you have the ultimate vacation coming up--maybe you booked it 8 months ago, and haven't thought about it in a while--then you remember that it is coming up, and it kind of surprises you, even though you never actually forgot that you were going on vacation. Kind of like that.)

Singing along with Amos Lee, dancing around the living room (added benefit of working from home)--I was just shocked to re-realize that we are going to have two little babies to hold and sing to and dance around with. I'm overwhelmed with love for these little guys on a regular basis--feeling them move around so much, and realizing that they will be in our arms very soon. Wow.

This week's goings on...

We had one more doctor's appointment last week, this time with my OB/GYN, Dr. McKnight (who is so fabulous). We had lots of questions for her, but essentially everything looks great and you guys will stay put until a) you decide it's time to come out after 34 or 35 weeks or b) September 21, which puts us at 38 weeks and at which time we'd induce labor or have a Cesarean section (likely the latter). With all of the growing you're going to be doing in the coming weeks, it's hard to imagine what the next 4 - 6 weeks will be like...but babies, you guys are the deciding factor at this point!

We kicked off the weekend with a fun Skype session with your Grandma Julie and all of her friends who were having a party for you guys in California. All of those wonderful women got you guys some pretty adorable things, and gave Daniel and me lots of good advice for when you arrive. It's nice to be able to see people's faces as we talk, even though we're 3,000 miles away! Everyone was impressed with the size to which you guys have stretched your mother's stomach...

On Saturday, we made some serious strides in getting your room put together. Your Grandma Kaye made all of your bedding and we received it last week (your mom about climbed into one of your cribs to take a nap, just wait until you feel your minky dot sheets...)--we just need to touch up the paint on the walls, hang the curtains, buy a shelving unit, and hang pictures. We're getting much closer--it's really fun to walk into the room and have it look more and more like it's ready to have babies in it (pictures to come soon!).

This week is another big milestone for the babies' development--by now, they should have received a big shot of hormones that help their lungs develop, so should they decide to make an early appearance, their lungs will be mature. The babies are gaining about half a pound a week at this point (oh boy, I foresee lots of additional stretching). In fact, the babies will gain a third or more of their birth weight during the next 5 weeks as they plump up for survival outside the womb (OMG!?!). The babies now have fingernails and toenails, and some real hair. This week, the babies probably weigh about 4.75 pounds--similar to toting around two cantalopes!--and are taking up a lot of space in the ol' uterus.

the Dairy Queen

One concept that might take a while to get used to (and no, it hasn't just happened naturally like I thought/hoped it might)--boobs as functional. Let's be honest, it's weird. For the past 16 years or so, the girls have been one of my best features--and I'd say that we've made a pretty strong team. And now they're going to be put to work, responsible for feeding and sustaining our children?! Tricky.

Last week, I had a breastfeeding consultation, along with two other women expecting twins, with a woman by the name of Pat Shelley. Pat runs a non-profit here in DC called The Breastfeeding Center, and she is like the Dahli Llama of breastfeeding. She is highly revered in the mom circles, and considered by many to be a breastfeeding guru of sorts--I'd venture to say that a large percentage of moms in Washington DC have heard of and/or utilized Pat. As a result of the consult, I am equal parts more confident in this whole process, and more freaked out by this whole process. And, maybe I'm a prude (am I?!)--but there were a lot of exposed boobs, and I'm just not that comfortable with the boobs of everyone else being all out there. I'm kind of like a 5 year old--I want to point, stare, and giggle (turns out, that's not an appropriate reaction). This is probably something I'm going to have to get over. But it might take some time.

I was also fitted for a nursing bra while I was there (so, so far from sexy, but so, so comfortable--I'd recommend that all of you go out and get one--you can thank me later)--and WHOA MOMMA. When the sweet little girl with the measuring tape told me what size she initially said I was measuring, I about fell over and died. Let's just say there were TWO LETTERS involved in the size. Turns out--she was wrong, and aside from the initial boost early on in pregnancy, my bra size hasn't changed. But still--I had a few minutes of complete shock and denial. Whew, close call--but YIKES!!

The Check-up

At our doctor's appointment this morning, we found out that our babies are doing a really great job of growing--keep it up babies! The doctor was really impressed with their growth (he is Italian--has a great accent, but unfortunately is not such a looker--anyway--after seeing the babies' sizes said in small clips of English: woah, impressive, they only keep growing from here, the uterus is amazing, growth in third trimester is like quadratic formula--yoinks!). Baby boy weighs 4 lb 4 oz, and baby girl weighs 4 lb 1 oz. All of their weights and measurements are approximate, and were not helped any by the position of the babies. They are both breech, and neither of them was facing the right way for the ultrasound--but we were able to see each of their hearts, stomachs, bladders, legs, and heads well enough to get a general idea of their size (which is big!).

So, at 31 weeks (I've been waiting for this fruit comparison for a long time), the babies are each the same size as a pineapple!

(Ouch, doesn't that look uncomfortable?) While space is ever tighter for these two, the doctor said it is still possible that they could change positions (up until about the 34th week)--although I continue to think this is unlikely, since they've both been in their current positions almost the entire pregnancy! But, the doctors won't start making plans one way or the other until much later on.

Which brings us to our current frustration. Daniel and I are inclined to be planners--we want to be able to plan for these babies' arrival, both for their births and the birth experience, and for our families, and for our friends, and for Spud, and for ourselves. We want to know what to expect--but, unfortunately for us, we are essentially part of a waiting game from here on out. I understand that even if one of our doctors was to say, "THIS is how it will go," there are a million different variables that they cannot foresee--so they prefer not to make predictions (even though I might prefer it if they did). We have another appointment on Friday with my OB/GYN, so we'll see if she has any additional insight that will put our want-to-be-planning minds at ease.

I started working from home this week, which has been wonderful so far. In fact, I'm not wearing pants right now, and it is fantastic. Allow me to highly recommend it...