Happy(?) 5 Month Birthday!

The girls with their ears pierced.

If they appear "off center" it's because I haven't tightened the earrings yet.

(Grace on left, Frances on right)

Okay, so I'm posting a day early... tomorrow will be the girls' 5 month birthday, woohoo!

Today Auntie Amy and I took the girls to the Piercing Pagoda at the mall. The lady said most babies cry for a few seconds and then forget all about it (like with shots). Well, Grace went first. Auntie Amy held her since I was nervous. We figured she could pass her off to me for consoling while they did Frances. They had both ears pierced at the same time (thank GOD!). Well Grace is screaming of course, so I take her and walk her around and she doesn't stop. I'm starting to get nervous. It "seems" like everyone is looking at me like - why did you torture your child!

In the meantime Frances is completely unphased. And gets her ears pierced as well. She cried for all of about 10 seconds and then was back to laughing and giggling. Grace on the otherhand - screamed the whole rest of the way out of the mall. And she continued to cry off and on in the car. And when we got to the house she commenced the screaming again. Even after giving her a bottle, she still cried. But fortunately all that crying tuckered her out and she fell asleep pretty quickly.

Man I felt sooo bad for Gracie. If I hadn't seen how Frances had a fairly easy reaction - I would have completely thought I was torturing her! I'm so glad we decided to take them at the same time. If I had taken Grace alone, and first, I never would have gone back with Frances. Frances was still all smiles afterwards - she must feel really pretty :-) She was looking at Grace like, "what's your problem chick?" hahaha. Anywho, I gave them some baby tylenol. By tomorrow, a lot of the warmness, soreness, and throbbing should be going away. Now, cross fingers they don't get infected!

A thank you to Auntie Whitney whose Christmas gift for the girls paid for the earrings! We got a sweet "buy one get one free" deal on the earrings and free piercing with the earring purchase. I went with 14k gold (yellow gold for Frances, and white gold for Grace). I read gold was less likely to result in an allergic reaction. So with the BOGO deal, we really lucked out on price! Woohoo!

A HUGE thank you to Aunt Amy for helping me out. Seriously I can not say THANK YOU big enough!!! Not only did she do the "dirty task" of holding them for the piercings,  she also helped keep me sane (and from passing out from nerves).

So I was thinking about how Carrie felt bad for scheduling Ben's shots for his birthday... I can completely empathize now! Although, honestly, shots are a necessity... earrings are purely cosmetic. They look completely adorable though!

And on a side note - the lady that pierced their ears has a 5 month old son (born 3 days before the girls). She had a c-section at Howard County Hospital too - so we gather we were probably in the maternity ward at the same time. Fun!

Soooo happy birthday girls, I hope you will not have PTSD and will forgive me when you're older :-) Love you lots!

Gracie Rolled Over!

Wearing the sweaters Auntie Amy knitted

(Grace on left, Frances on right)

Frances has been rolling from her stomach to her back for awhile now. We were worried because Grace hadn't even attempted to do it. The doc said that Frances was actually ahead of schedule and that we shouldn't worry about Grace - she was right on target for her milestones. Well sure enough, the other day she was really trying to launch herself from her back to her stomach, so we were assisting her, and she was having fun. Well one of the times, we just left her on her belly, and voila! She rolled onto her back. Yay! We all cheered and she was happy as a clam.

Auntie Amy has been coming to help with childcare this week. WE LOVE AUNTIE AMY! Our nanny is on vacation for 3 weeks. I have to work from home since I don't have any paid time off left (maternity leave ate it up) so it's nice having the help between and during feedings. :-) Anywho, after work on Monday, we were playing with the babies on the gym - giving them play time on their tummies. Frances demonstrated her rolling skills. AND she even did it on command! We thought it was hilarious.

They will both be moving in no time... yikes!

On a side note, my previous post about the babies "sleeping through the night..." yeah - not so much. I guess it was just a fluke. It's frustrating. I know eventually they will, but it seems like it will be just in time for teething. Blah. Actually Frances had progressed to sleeping from 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. But Gracie was waking up every hour to half hour starting at 1 a.m. It sucked. Then the past two nights, all of a sudden Gracie is sleeping but now Frances is waking up! You can't win for trying. I wish they would have identical patterns - since they are identical twins! Come on, give mommy and daddy a break. hahaha. Ah well.

Also, we had to call the pediatric GI to ask about upping their Pepcid dosage - since they had gained quite a bit of weight from the beginning of November to the end, at the 4 month checkup. So now they are ate .8 mL. Seems to help them at feedings. We'll see though....

Grandma and Grandpa are coming back at the end of next week, with Uncle Tommy - so the girls will have more entertainment. Should be fun :-)

New Jersey Family Visit AND 1st Turkey Day

Okay so I forgot to update on a couple things that have happened in the past month (aside from their 4-month checkup).

First, our relatives from New Jersey came to see the girls for the first time. Grace was chatting away with Great! and Auntie Judy. While Frances hung out with Uncle Howard and Auntie Ingrid. We had fun. And then we left Richard with the gals so that we could get some Indian food. Delicious!

 Uncle Howard and Auntie Ingrid entertain Frances

Then for Thanksgiving we headed to Great! and Uncle Freddy's house. Grandma and Grandpa Parry were there too. Aunties Barbara and Marina joined the festivities, as well as Uncle Raw-knee.

Uncle Raw-knee feeds Gracie and daddy feeds Francie Pants

Yum - formula and rice cereal!

Here are a bunch of pictures of activities and visitors from the past month - click here.

4-Month Check-up

Our chubettes - Grace and Frances

Wow it's been a looooonnnnnnngggggg day. We're whipped!

The girls had their 4-month check-up today. They are both doing great.

Frances:

• 15 lbs. 10 oz. - the 90th percentile!
• 24.5 inches long - the 50th percentile
• I can't remember her head circumference but it's in the 75th percentile

Grace:

• 15 lbs. 7.5 oz. - just a teensy weensy bit below the 90th percentile!
• 23 inches long - the 10th percentile
• And same as Frances, with head circumference in the 75th percentile.

So basically, they are short and fat with big ol' heads. hahaha. The doctor is not concerned about their length yet, so that's good. But wow, coming from not being even on the charts when they were born, to almost being off the charts on the other side. My big girls!

Developmentally they are doing great. We were nervous that Grace seemed "behind" Frances on a lot of milestones. But it turns out that Grace is right on target for her age - and Frances is ahead of schedule. Whew! Good to know. So "yay" for the girls!

The only unfortunate revelation from the appointment is that both girls have eczema. The doc said it's common with allergies. They'll most likely have asthma issues as well. All three tend to come as a package. Probably inherited that crap from me. Ah well. Anywho, there is no "cure" for eczema so all I can do is keep the vaseline on hand. Poor little gals.

They got their vaccines again, albeit with lots of consolling. They were fussing for awhile. I'm sure their legs are sore. Have to keep an eye out for possible fever. Hopefully they will be fine in a couple days. The next check-up is at 6 months.

Sleeping Through the Night... Could it Be?

Okay the girls have changed their eating, sleep and wake time routine just in the past few days. As a result, last night we put them to bed at 8:45 p.m. and they slept until 6 a.m. They didn't completely "sleep through" the night. Grace woke up around 11 and fussed for a bit. I gave her some saline drops and she eventually fell back asleep. Then they seemed to alternate waking up every hour after that. But it was only for about 5-10 minutes at a time, maybe 15 max. So I'm looking forward to the complete sleep.

4 months, 5 days old

Tummy Time

I'm trying to give the girls more "tummy time." Of course, they don't like it. Ah well. Anywho, yesterday after their morning feeding we were playing on the gym. And it was Frances' turn for some tummy time. I put her on her belly and not 5 seconds later she rolled over on her back. I was so surprised. She did it once before, when she was REALLY angry, but this time she was perfectly happy. So I put her back on her belly and she rolled over again! I couldn't believe it. And she was giggling. Definitely having fun :-) I think Frances is a bit stronger than Grace right now. Sometimes Frances even pushes all the way up on her hands. Grace is still only raising her head about 45 degrees. But I'm not worried. I think Frances is just a bit ahead and Grace is right on schedule. I just keep encouraging both of them. As long as we're having fun, we're good :-)

Last weekend we had some more visitors. Auntie Amy came over with Uncle Joe's mom. They helped by feeding the girls and joining in play time! Later on, Howard and Ingrid came over with Judy. Their first time meeting the girlies. Aunt Signe joined us as well. And Grace practiced her talking! We all had fun. And then left Richard with the girls so we could go and get some eats - yay for some delicious Indian food :-)

This will be the girls first Turkey Day coming up. Can't wait :-)

4 months, 3 days old

4 Months Old!

Wow! The girls are 4 months old today. I keep thinking, only 8 months until they are 1 year old. I'm happy and sad at the same time. They are just growing and changing so fast.

They have made so many developmental milestones (as mentioned in the previous post). And now we feel they are getting more on-track to sleeping through the night. Cross fingers! We put them down between 10 and 11 p.m. And they wake up between 4 and 6 a.m. Two mornings this week we actually had to wake them up. I'm just hoping it gets more consistent. It turns out that getting the humidifier back in working order was the trick. Isn't it funny how one little thing you'd been avoiding (i.e. cleaning the humidifier) could have avoided you all those sleepless nights for the past two weeks! Darn hindsight! Wouldn't it be just our luck that they'd figure out this whole sleeping thing just in time to start teething. hahaha. I laugh in irony.

Their 4 month check-up will be more like 4 1/2 months. It's so hard to get back-to-back appointments, a necessity with twins. They didn't have any until Turkey week - which wouldn't work with my co-workers taking off, so we had to push it to the Monday following Turkey Day. Yay for more shots! hahaha.

Happy Birthday Girlies!

Ladies Gaga... and Googoo

Frances and Grace have both been "talking" for awhile. Frances has been by far, more vocal. She'll talk non-stop. Grace was hit or miss. Some days she wouldn't say a peep. And then other days she'd have a couple really good vocal sessions.

Well, this past weekend came and Grace just sprung right out of her shell. She's been talking sooo much her sister barely has time to get a word in edge-wise. It's so crazy when they both are just talking non-stop at the same time. It will be fun when they start babbling to each other. Oh, when they squeal and giggle it makes all the work worth it.

Also, just since last week, they've been grabbing at things a lot. The nanny gave them a soft rattle and they grab and fling it around. They grab their little burp cloths (blankies) and fling them around too. And at times, conveniently wipe their own mouths. hahaha.

They are both getting very strong. I was craddling Grace in my arm yesterday and she pulled herself upright into a semi-seated position. It surprised me! We are waiting for their sitting and head holding to get a bit more steady and then we'll begin trying the other Stage 1 solid foods.

The nanny was just as amazed as I was at how much they've changed in just the past week. We were both so excited!

The girls turn 4 months on Thursday. Time is flying...

Girls and Self-Confidence

Living in today's society means lots of challenges for my girls growing up. Girls are notorious for having poor self-images. I want to be sure my girls remain level-headed. Not too down on themselves and not too full of themselves either. It's hard though, because many children are shaped by their peers. And even us girls/women with the most supportive of female counterparts - still have self-image issues. I read this article on MsNBC today: "Is Your Daughter A Self-Loathing 'Body Bully?" I definitely recommend it. The book it references sounds very interesting: Good Girls Don’t Get Fat: How Weight Obsession Is Screwing Up Our Girls and What We Can Do to Help Them Thrive Despite It. I think the body image thing applies to girls who think they are too fat and those who think they are too skinny - someone hates their curly or straight hair - someone hates the color of their eyes - and everything else in between.

I'm hoping the fact that they are identical twins will be an asset, at least body image-wise. They have someone else in the world that looks exactly like them, and that hopefully they will be besties with. Viewing their sister in that positive light should reflect positively on their view of themselves. We can only hope though, and try and provide an encouraging, happy and healthy environment.

And the Baby Bump Lingers On...

I'm a bit peeved. I ordered the BioGaia pro-biotic drops for the babies and when it arrived, the box read, "may contain traces of milk protein." Say what?! The girls pedi GI was not aware of that - she only mentioned that she had heard the drops worked for some parents in alleviating colic symptoms. And I looked all over the BioGaia site and no where did it mention the milk protein thing. I have to call and complain. And definitely demand a refund - $35 for a teeny tiny little bottle. In the meantime I inquired on my Multiple Moms (CAMOM) food allergy subgroup forum about other pro-biotics. One of the moms recommended Culturelle - I checked out the website and it says "dairy and gluten free." So I'll have to order some and try it out.

I'm frustrated. I'm 1 pound BELOW my pre-pregnancy weight. I should be happy right? Well it's this stupid belly. It's stuck there like a ball. I have diastasis recti (abdominal muscle separation) from the pregnancy. Basically, leaves your stomach bowed out like you are still pregnant. Since my belly is pronounced I've had people still asking when I'm due. It's helpful in some respects - people still offer to carry my groceries and such. But I'm sure the novelty will wear off the further I get post-delivery. Yesterday, I asked the other mothers of multiples in the CAMOM group what they recommend as a "fix it" or "cure." I had read varying accounts over the Internet. Some claiming you can "fix" it by doing abdominal workouts wearing a binder. Others saying DON'T do ab workouts, because they make the diastasis worse. And others saying do Yoga, or don't do Yoga. So many different things. Well I received a plethora of responses and everyone said there is no way to "fix" it without surgery. Unfortunately, it's considered plastic surgery, so insurance won't cover it. Many of the moms who had insurance cover it, had suffered hernias through the diastasis -- hernia repairs are covered by most insurances, and the docs just fixed their diastasis during the hernia operations. So looks like I'm going to be stuck looking preggers forever or until I get a hernia - and who the heck wants a hernia? On top of the diastasis, my belly button is herniated, which just adds to my appearing preggers.

I'm trying to keep it all in perspective though. I have two relatively healthy and occasionally happy babies (hahaha) - so a lingering baby bump is really not the end of the world.

This weekend we are hanging out with family. Should be fun. And hopefully Frances and Grace will be in a jovial mood.

Tummy Check-up

The girls had their check-up with the pediatric GI today. She said they are doing really well. Gaining weight like champs! They both weighed in at 13 pounds 8 ounces -- and that's before eating! Gracie was about 22 inches and Frances was 23 inches long.

She upped their Pepcid dosage since they weigh more now. And she also recommended BioGaia probiotic drops - so I just ordered some online. We'll see if it helps with their painful gas issues. Cross fingers.

We're also increasing the rice cereal in their formula. She said at 4 months we can start other stage 1 solids, one at a time. Yay!

Otherwise, all is well. We follow up with her again in 2 months. Their next allergy test is at 11 months old.

Happy Halloween!

Gracie and Francie Pants

Okay, so I took that picture last weekend (thanks Auntie Amy for the "I Love My Mummy" Halloween t-shirts!). We did not take the girls out trick-or-treating. We didn't even dress them up on the "official" day. Chalk it up to being lazy, we don't mind. It was an adventure in multi-tasking last night. Our evenings are usually pretty busy juggling baby feedings and baby chores (making formula, prepping bottles, doing laundry), and trying to get a second to feed ourselves as well -- all while the babies take turns screaming their heads off -- then throw trick-or-treaters knocking on the door every couple minutes, and you have a pretty crazy evening.

We survived though. And it was worth all the hassle to see the cute little kids all dressed up. I can't wait for the girls to be old enough for trick-or-treating. How cute!

Back to Work

Francie Pants sporting "the lip" and an equally unhappy Gracie (too cute!)

I followed up with the GI doc over the phone this past week (we have an in-person follow-up the beginning of November). The Similac Alimentum is working great! So we save a bunch of money going with that versus the Neocate - WHEW! I just started the girls on 5 ounces a feeding - still including rice cereal. We also just started to try and cut out the 2 a.m. feeding. The doc said most babies sleep through the night by 4 months. The girls will be three months on the 18th... very soon! So we're crossing fingers that in a month from now they will give us at least 6 hours straight sleep.

I started back to work last Wednesday. It was hard - Not because I was worried about the girls - But because I was sad to leave them :-( Our nanny, Ms. Esther, is awesome. Thanks to Carolyn for referring her to us! We would have gone B.R.O.K.E. going the daycare route here in Columbia, especially with TWO infants. And it's a plus having the nanny come to our house, so we don't have to pack the kids up and take them anywhere :-)

Due to my schedule, Richard has to do the 6 a.m. feeding by himself. But he's an expert at it now. He's here in the morning when the nanny gets here. It's funny because she only speaks spanish, and Richard doesn't know any spanish - but they manage to communicate. Lots of sign language haha. I've had to brush up on my dusty spanish skills... let's just say, they remain pretty dusty.

My folks were going to visit this weekend (my mom had a 3-day weekend) - but my mom came down with a cold. Ahh the consequences of working with germy little kids. We were sad they couldn't make it down, but there are lots more weekends to visit in the future :-)

In the meantime I've posted some more pictures of the gals. Here are links to the albums:

Trip to my work place (taken by my co-worker, Maureen) HERE.

A visit from Aunt Amy and cousin Aissa, and some miscellaneous HERE.

And a bit early, but 3 month photos HERE.

Including the picture at the top of this blog post, here are a few more of my favs...

Frances showing off her big brown eyes and Gracie avoiding eye contact:

Gracie sporting her "I Love Grandma and Grandpa(s) shirt" and a HUGE smile!My cousin, Joe, feeding Frances at work:

Me feeding Gracie:

Delivery Story

I posted two versions of my delivery story. One is a long (too much information) version - mainly for ladies who like reading that stuff. The other is a MUCH shorter and less detailed version for everyone else. See them listed to the Right under "Pages."

Frances Laughed Today!

So I was making my typical funny faces and various animal sounds - and Frances got one of her big grins on her face and then all of a sudden she laughed! I was so surprised, I cried! hahaha. I haven't been able to get her to do it again though, but I know eventually they both will be giggling and laughing like crazy.

In the mean time here are some more pictures (click on the picture below!!!):

What's Worse Than A Colicky Baby - How About TWO!

Sorrrryyyyyy soooo long in updating. Time has really been flying by! And a lot has happened since my last update.

On a family note - Richard became a US Citizen at the end of August! Auntie Amy babysat so I could go to the oath ceremony. Very cool :-)

It's been a LONG two months since the gals were born. We've been back and forth to doctors wayyy too much. But hopefully we've finally got the girls all figured out. We were dealing with some MAJOR colic issues. If you've had a colicky baby I'm sure you can sympathize with our dealing with TWO colicky babies. No sleep sucks! I felt like running away or just dying. It was so overwhelming with the constant screaming of two babies.

After experimenting with mylicon gas drops to no avail. Then switching formulas from EnfaCare to Gentlease. And then....... the bloody diarrhea. Oh that one was hard for Richard and I to deal with. I'm glad my mom was still here when that symptom developed - to keep us sane. That was when the doc suspected milk protein allergy. So we tried Enfamil hypoallergenic formula Nutramigen. Which did not set well with their intestinal track. They got yeast infections on top of diaper rash!! More to make them scream! Blah. So then we switched to Neocate - the "most" hypoallergenic formula out there. It worked! No more bloody poopies! But the Neocate can only be bought online and is SUPER expensive. $33 for a 14 oz. powder can - that only lasts a day with twins. Yikes! Richard's insurance won't cover it because his company is based in NY which doesn't require insurance companies to cover it. CRAP!

Anywho we had an appointment with the pediatric gastroenterologist on Tuesday to confirm the milk allergy - which she did. She was nervous about us affording Neocate, so she told us to try Similac's hypoallergenic version for a week, just to see if that might work for us. That's still $26 dollars for a 16 oz. can, but every dollar we can save is better than none. We have to test their poopies again in a week to make sure the blood hasn't returned. She said we'll do an allergy test at 11 months to see if they still have a reaction. And if they do, then we'll have another allergy test at a certain time intervals after that. She said most kids out grow the milk allergy by 3-5 years of age. Let's hope sooner! I asked about soy formula. She said 60% of kids allergic to milk protein are allergic to soy protein. And on top of that, she said they don't recommend soy formula, especially for female infants, because the natural estrogen in soy causes puberty-like symptoms. Yikes. So that's a definite no go on the soy.

The pedi GI also diagnosed them with acid reflux. They already are taking rice cereal in their formula to help it set better in their tummies. But she also prescribed Pepcid and the first night we gave it to them (last night) was the first night the girls S.L.E.P.T!!!! It was amazing!! So I'm crossing fingers on that as well.

So we follow up with the GI by phone in 2 weeks, and in person in 6 weeks.

In addition to all that... we all survived our first family cold. I feel so bad for the babies since they can't take the meds we do to feel better. But they survived. Oh so many more colds to "look forward to" in the years ahead. hahaha.

Today they had their TWO MONTH checkup (wow). Richard wasn't able to take off from work. So I took them by myself. And I survived - even though they got 4 shots a piece. I was impressed with myself I must say hehe. As for their current stats:

Frances weighs 10 pounds 9 ounces and is 21 1/2 inches long. This means that by tomorrow she will have doubled her birth weight! Woohoo!

Grace weighs in at 10 pounds 6 ounces and is also 21 1/2 inches long. She still has 6 ounces to double her birth weight, but she'll probably be there by the weekend!

So the girls are on the curve now. And for their "corrected"age - since they were preemies - they are a bit above the 50th percentile - just a bit. So that's great! Even better is that developmentally they are right on target for 2 month olds - so there is no need to "correct" their age for those. Woohoo! I'm so happy :-)

So I'm happy all is looking brighter. Just keeping those fingers crossed!!

More Pictures!

Here are some more pictures of the babies since they've been home. Click here to view all the new pics. Below are a few of my favorites...

The babies together again:

A sleeping baby Frances:
A cute baby doll Grace:

Baby Checkup!

The babies had another check-up at the pediatrician office today. They are both doing well. Both got their second dose of the Hep-B vaccine. Daddy doesn't like shots so mommy did the dirty work of holding them still.

Frances is 7 lbs. 14 oz. and 21 inches long.

Grace is 7 lbs. 15.5 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long.

So the gals are right on average for length (50th percentile). They are sooo close to 8 lbs. - they'll probably be there by tomorrow! They are in the 10th percentile for weight. But considering they would have been full-term 40 weeks on tuesday the nurse practitioner said they are doing excellent and gaining weight like champs! I think they are just going to be tall and skinny like daddy.

Well the girls have been getting fussier every day. We described the symptoms to the nurse and she said it sounds like colic - that it "usually" reaches its peak by 6 weeks and then tapers down from there. But because we have preemies the time will be extended - so it could be 16-17 weeks before they get over it. In the meantime we've done the karo syrup to help with constipation. Today she said to try some mylicon to help with gas. And we're also going to try a different formula for sensitive stomachs. Hopefully something helps. But who knows.

The girls can go out for walks now. We asked about visitors again. She said visitors are always fine - they should have common sense not to come visit if they are sick - no matter what age our kids are. I guess that's a big "duh" - I wouldn't want people visiting while they were sick whether we had kids or not - I don't wanna get sick! hahaha.

Anywho the fussing is commencing as I type so I must go back to mommy mode.

Sticker Shock!

So we've been steadily receiving the itemized bills from the hospital. It's not actually "our" bills, but the bills they will be sending to the insurance company.

My hospital charge: $10,600

My doctor's charge for surgery: $6,500

9 day NICU charge for Frances: $14,600

9 day NICU charge for Grace: $14,700

TV/phone: $40 <-- just added this because it's amusing compared to the others

I'm sure there will be more charges from the anesthesiologist, maybe the neonatologists... who knows who/what else.

So while we don't have to pay that all out of pocket - I still thought the figures were pretty amazing - in the wholly crap, glad we have some insurance-sense!

My charges are covered under my insurance. The girls are under Richard's insurance. The unfortunate part is that because Richard has a family deductible for his insurance - we'll have to pay a pretty penny for the NICU. I think his deductible is $7,000? We're pretty sure we'll be charged the full deductible. Even with the insurance company's contracted rate for services, we doubt the cost of the NICU charges will come down below the deductible. Oh well. Whew! Good thing we've been saving every cent in anticipation that something like this might happen. It definitely helped to find out we were having twins early on in the pregnancy. It helps to plan ahead!

Note to Visitors

Many people have asked about visiting the girls. People are welcome to visit. They are preemies so if you are feeling at all under the weather... or suspicious that you may be coming down with something - we ask that you postpone any visit until you are feeling better. They are too vulnerable at this time to be exposed to anything. Also, just as in the NICU we ask that people with children under 4 postpone visiting with their kids until we get the all clear on the preemie front. As long as the child understands handwashing and the importance of not spreading germs - we're cool.

The fact that they are preemies also means they are on a strict feeding and sleeping schedule. This is to conserve energy so they gain weight. We feed at 10 a.m., 2 p.m., 6 p.m. during the day. If you want to see them "awake" - I suggest arranging a visit with us around those times. Otherwise, they are sleeping - we just wanted to give people the heads up on that. We don't get play time with the babies like parents of regular newborns.

We're crossing fingers that by their next appointment (the end of August) they'll be off the preemie formula and we'll be able to have some more play time. Which will be more fun for potential visitors as well.

Luck o' the Draw

The babies turned 3 weeks on Sunday - feels like they are older than that. Maybe that's the sleep deprivation kicking in? hahaha. Actually they are doing fairly well on their schedule. My mom has been a huge help with cooking dinner, doing laundry, house cleaning, etc. Richard went back to work the week after they came home. But he was still getting up to help with the night changing/feedings. We realize we'll be sharing the task anyway when I head back to work.

This past weekend was a bit more difficult. My mom went back home for a long weekend (and much needed break). And on top of that Richard got sick. Seriously, he's rarely sick, so ain't that the luck o' the draw? With the babies being preemies and so vulnerable we wanted to play it safe, so Richard went to the doctor. He mentioned that we have preemies, so the doc put him on antibiotics right away and ordered him to "stay away from the babies" until today. He's still on the antibiotics and still recovering, but doing better. Anywho, with mom being gone and Richard off baby duty - I was doing all the baby stuff since Friday. It's hard work anyway with two people feeding, cleaning, changing, etc. But when you are alone, you can only take care of one baby at a time - everything takes twice as long. And one baby is screaming while you feed the other one, which makes you feel horrible. So I was getting even less sleep. And my body is still recovering from surgery so I tire easily. I can't wait till they are big enough to "prop" with their bottles - that will make things much easier! ....... of course, by then we'll have new issues to deal with hahaha.

My mom came back this afternoon. And Richard is back on baby duty. So things are feeling less hectic :-) But I did survive on my own and there is some satisfaction and comfort in knowing that it can be done!

On another note... I stepped on the scale with the babies and I'm guessing they are about 6 pounds now. It's by no means accurate. They definitely look a lot fatter and feel heavier. They have that double chin coming and dimples on their hands. They still have a lot of growing to go though.

Also, I'm down 34 pounds! I had reached 190 pounds the Thursday right before I delivered. I still have 13 pounds to go before I reach my pre-pregnancy weight. I can't believe it! Although it's all in the stomach and seems like it will take a long while to disappear. The swelling in my legs and face has gone down soooooo much! I feel like a new person!

Pictures Update

Finally got the pictures online. Here's from the day of delivery through now... enjoy.

Click on the link below:

See Pictures

Welcome Home!

The girls officially came home Tuesday afternoon. So we've survived two nights as new parents with twins! The neonatologist said they are doing well. We almost weren't able to bring both babies home since they weren't gaining weight fast enough. So the last couple days in the NICU we were advised to just let them sleep. So we did a lot of staring at them versus holding them.

Now that they are home, we've been ordered to keep them on that strict eating and sleeping schedule so they gain a lot of weight. The doctor said 22 hours of sleep a day - so we feed them every four hours. As in the NICU, they told us no over stimulating or playing with the babies - feed them and put them to bed - so we don't get cuddle time outside of feedings. :-( But we're willing to sacrifice it so they gain weight. So far they are gaining about an ounce day. They have been very good babies ... so far. But we've only had them for a couple days - not even a week of adjustment under our belts. Cross fingers they keep cooperating!

They had their first pediatrician appointment yesterday. Both had gained an ounce from the day before. She reiterated the feeding and sleeping schedule to encourage weight gain. I can't wait for them to get fat - then we can have more play time. :-)

A lot of the clothes we have for them are so big - even the newborn ones haha. They are such little dolls. And I can't believe they will be 2 weeks old on Sunday!

Sweet Sleepers

These are a couple pics from my mom's cell phone - a bit blurry - but cute (I'm biased of course hehehe). The nurse said they are scheduled to come home tomorrow! Cross fingers!! :-)

Grace (above) and Frances (below)

The Wacha Gals Have Arrived!

We wish to announce the birth of our identical twin girls!

Born on Sunday, July 18 at 9:06 p.m. and 9:07 p.m. at 34 weeks and 5 days old.

Frances Akor Wacha

(left side of picture)

5 lbs. 5 oz. and 18 7/8 inches long

Grace Apio Wacha

(right side of picture)

5 lbs. 6 oz. and 19 1/4 inches long

The babies are a week old today! Sorry for the delay in posting but I was in the hospital recovering until discharge Thursday evening, and have been visiting the babies in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) every free second. They are doing GREAT though and should be home soon!!!! :-) I will update with more pictures at some point. I have a few my mom took. We have some on our camera too, but Richard does not know how to download from my camera to the computer in the basement (no railing, so I'm not walking down there!). Haha, one of the things I was going to show him before the babies arrived. Whoops!

I'll update with the birth story later -- it's definitely amusing.

34 Week Check-up

Well I'm 34 weeks and 2 days preggers. I had my OB checkup today. My mom went with me. BTW - Why do they have the most uncomfortable chairs in an OB office??? Sorry, digressing.

Anywho, all is well. I've gained 47 pounds so far... up 4 pounds from two weeks ago. Blood pressure is great. The doctor measured my belly and I'm measuring the equivalent of 47 weeks pregnant!! Whew! So I'm measuring the equivalent of a regular pregnancy overdue by 7 weeks. It's crazy. I remember in June when I had my 30 week checkup I was measuring 10 weeks ahead, and they said the growth would slow down and I wouldn't measure so far ahead anymore. Well, jokes on them! Last time, at 32 weeks, I was 11 weeks ahead and this time, at 34 weeks, I'm 13 weeks ahead. Sumo babies indeed.

Mobility has reached a wall. I pulled a muscle last night trying to adjust my belly during sleep... doh. It's just too darned heavy. I had a hard time sitting up from the doctor's table too. I know I only have two weeks from tomorrow left -- but it's taking forever. It feels more like two months. I just keep on chugging along -- looking forward to breathing, eating, not itching, and sleeping however I want! (.......And of course, seeing the babies hehe).

We managed to take my mom out for her birthday last week. We went to Clyde's in Columbia. They tried to sit us at a booth. So I slid in butt first and tried to turn and "boink" -- nope -- no room for the belly. We laughed. Sometimes I really don't have any concept of how big my belly is! Fortunately there was a table with chairs open! I can't reach to eat over the table though, so I wear half my food. hahaha. We had a great dinner though!

California closets came last week too, to install the nursery closet. So we're almost ready to start getting everything together!!

My dad came down this past weekend to accompany my mom to her follow up scan at Johns Hopkins -- everything is A-Okay! So that's good news! She'll have another scan in 6 months.

So all in all, we're chugging along.

I have two more OB appointments before delivery. Next Thursday, July 22 and then Thursday, July 29 (the day before delivery). And then of course the perinatology appointment on Tuesday, July 27. Final countdown! Two weeks from tomorrow!

Sumo Babies

I'm 33 weeks today. Only 3 and 1/2 weeks to go (seems like forever though)! I had my perinatology appointment today. My mom was able to go with me. I told her she wouldn't be able to see much since the babies are so big and jumbled up now. And that was pretty much the case - just a tangled web of babies. They were moving around like crazy, as usual. The technician was able to see the profile of one of the babies and pointed out that the baby had hair on her head already. Too cute! And both babies are head down now - I can't believe that Baby B still had room enough to flip, but she did it.

Soooo... the babies are doing excellent! Baby A weighs 5 lbs. 7 oz. and Baby B weighs 5 lbs. 4 oz. The doctor came in and asked if I'm trying for some record holders. hehe. My mom's reaction was pretty much: wholly crap that's a lot of babies. The average for twins at 33 weeks is 4 lbs. 12 oz. -- so my babies are definitely above average! Even more amazing considering identicals tend to measure a bit smaller than fraternals. And they are sharing even better now, as you can tell by their similar weights.

So I'm carrying a combined baby weight of 10 lbs. 11 oz. Sumo babies! The doctor guesstimated that at 36 weeks they'll be about 6-7 pounds a piece. We'll see! Only one more perinatology appointment before I deliver, woohoo :-)

So my next OB appointment is Thursday, July 15. And my next (and LAST) perinatology appointment is Tuesday, July 27 at 9 a.m.

Fourth of July Weekend

Kenneth, Heidi, me, Arianna,

Grant and Emma at the playground

Since I'm pretty much house/Columbia bound at this point - we had the Larchars and the Dorsheimers over for some BBQ on Saturday. You can view all the pics from the get together here. I'm sad because both families are moving soon!! But it's nice to be able to get together before the big moves. My folks are down here too. My mom will be staying through my delivery - which is a HUGE help. My dad just headed back up north today.

We had a fun time. Richard BBQ'd and made his famous beans. We all gobbled down the food. And then the Larchars, Amy, my mom and I, took the kids to the playground by Jackson Pond. (Well, my mom took the Larchars - Amy rode with me. I had to drive because I can't walk that far - and yes it's less than a mile from our house and I still can't make it!) The kids had fun at the playground. Too cute! We love those Larchar kiddies!!! :-)

Joe, Amy, me and Richard

After we got back from the playground we had some delicious mini cherry and blueberry pies that Heidi made - with a 4th of July flare! They were sooooo good. And we had some equally delicious and very juicy watermelon that Amy brought. All in all it was a great get together!

Yesterday, the Dorsheimers came back over. Amy is teaching me how to knit - something to keep me occupied during my free time stuck in the house. Joe went for a 50 mile bike ride - because he's CRAZY! hahaha. And afterwards came back to the house and hung out with Richard and my dad in the man cave.

Today, we're just chilling out INSIDE enjoying the AC! Time is still going by soooo slowly. Can't wait for my perinatology appointment tomorrow - my mom is going with me - we'll see how big the babies are getting.

Richard's Surprise Baby Shower

On Wednesday, Richard's co-workers threw him a surprise baby shower! His boss called him into a meeting as a distraction so the others could decorate the kitchen for the shower. Then another co-worker came into the meeting and hoodwinked Richard into the kitchen, under the ruse of donuts. Apparently there were pink streamers in the door way and Richard just burst through without a second thought. Then he's like "hey where's the donuts?!" Then he notices a pink cake with little baby booties on it and the 'it's a girl' balloons -- and still being oblivious -- asks who's birthday party it is and how come he wasn't invited. hahaha. Then everyone says "surprise!" And Richard finally realizes it's a surprise baby shower for him! Oh classic Richard.

He had some issues opening gifts and keeping things in order. But we got soooo much stuff. Seriously, money, high chair, gift cards, swaddlers, towels, onesies, clothes, you name it! It meant so much to both of us that people went all out for the girls! Richard's boss made the favors and the cake. The favors were so cute and funny. And the cake was amazing.

It was so cool for Richard to get a shower since baby showers aren't as common for dads-to-be.

Kathy took pictures, you can see them by clicking here.

Thank you to everyone that contributed! :-) We can't wait for you all to babysit hehehe ;-)

Lucky Number 32

(Click on picture to view it bigger)

So I'm 8 months preggers now. Remember how I used to say "time is flying by"? Well... not so much anymore. It seems as soon as 28 weeks hit, time just slowed to a crawl. I knew it would happen eventually, but man, it's still hard.

I had my 32 week check-up at my OB's office today. My belly is measuring at 43 weeks!! W.O.W. Keep in mind that a full term single pregnancy is 40 weeks. Crazy I tell you! So my belly has grown 5 centimeters from a month ago, and I'm measuring 11 weeks ahead.

I'm up 44 pounds so far, whew! My blood pressure is excellent. Baby A's heart rate was 147 and Baby B's heart rate was 155 -- both excellent. :-)

So all in all, everything is looking good.

My dad is driving my mom down here this week, to stay for the rest of my pregnancy and post-delivery. It will be a HUGE help. Thank goodness for public school summer vacation! Right now I'm driving into work every other day. Starting July 6th I'll be strictly telecommuting (hopefully up until delivery day). So it will be nice to have someone here during the day -- just incase something happens. Plus, it's helpful since the larger I get, the more immobile and uncoordinated I am. Oh, and I have California Closets coming to install the nursery closet next week. I'm soooo excited!!

Here are a couple random candids from this past month...

Attack of the Cankles!!!

My new recliner helps keep the swelling down. YAY!

(And the belly is a good lap tray hehehe.)

My next OB appointment is Thursday, July 15 at 2:20 p.m. -- I'll be 34 weeks! My next perinatology appointment is next Tuesday, July 6 at 2:30 p.m. Can't wait to see the babies again :-)

Houston, We Have a Delivery Day!

Yay! The doctors finally rescheduled my c-section for Friday, July 30 at 8:30 a.m. I'll be 36 weeks and 3 days preggers. It's my OB's last work day before her vacation. If you remember from previous posts, the perinatologist said the latest delivery for identicals would be 37 weeks, which fell right in the middle of my OB's vacation - hence the reason the original 38 week date was canceled and this earlier date was preferred.

So yay! Only 6 weeks to go!! Let's hope I hold on till then!

Large and (working on the) In Charge

How Twins Are Made:(Whitney sent that pic to me,

I thought it was hilarious!)

Well I had my 30-week OB check up this morning. I've only gained a couple ounces in weight since my appointment 2 weeks ago. The nurse said I'm doing excellent weight-wise for twins. My glucose screening test came back negative for gestational diabetes. Woohoo! Bring on more sugar! I also tested negative for anemia. Woohoo again! My belly is officially measuring the equivalent of a 40-week (full term) single pregnancy. Yes, you read that right... Whew! But the babies will start slowing down in growth soon so I don't think I will keep measuring 10 weeks ahead for much longer... but I definitely still have some growing left to do.

The OB and my perinatologist haven't had a chance to talk about my new c-section date yet, so I'm still waiting on that.

I'm going to try to make it in to work a couple days next week and work from home the other days. I'm supposed to see how I feel at the end of the week and decide if I can do a similar schedule the week following. BUT for the rest of July I'm not supposed to commute to work anymore. I'm hoping I'll be able to continue working from home up until delivery day. But really, it's all wait and see depending on how my future appointments go.

My next OB appointment is June 29 (32 weeks) at 8 a.m.

Still on target...

Well, everything still "looks fine." Baby A weighs 3 lbs. 13 oz. and Baby B weighs 3 lbs. 6 oz. Baby B is right around the average weight for twins at this stage, while Baby A is just a chunk-a-lunk. The doctor said it's about an 11% difference between the babies' weight - they start to worry if the difference is around 20%. So fortunately, even though they are differing in weight, it's nothing to worry about at this moment. Let's hope they keep under that 20%!! So I have 7lbs. 3 oz. of combined baby weight... crazy!

Yet another female issue for me -- seriously, does it end? I had been complaining about a lot of pain on my sides - even a light touch hurts (so you can imagine how "fun" ultrasounds are). Well, apparently I have a "bunch" of ovarian cysts, on both ovaries. So that explains the pain. The doctor said it just means that they'll have to check to see what kind of cysts they are when I have my c-section -- and determine whether they require treatment. I told him I had a laparoscopy and open fibroid surgery last year and there was no mention of cysts. So at this point no real explanation. So yea, I'm just special -- between fibroids, pelvic congestion syndrome, twins and cysts -- I'm a gynecologist's dream (and paycheck).

Added Note: I did call my mom and she says she has cysts too, so that might explain why I have them - hopefully they are like hers and are no big deal.

AND as if my pregnancy schedule hasn't already been switched around enough...

I told the perinatologist that my OB scheduled my c-section for August 9 (38 weeks). He said that date won't work. It's too risky to deliver identicals any later than 37 weeks because of the nutrient issue. I told him my OB's on vacation at 37 weeks. Soooo... he's going to talk to her figure out a new, earlier date. Don't know if that means I'll be delivering at 36 weeks or if my perinatologist will do the delivery at 37 weeks. Either way, I'll definitely be delivering earlier. So yep, a whole new schedule. I'll keep ya'll posted once they let me know the new date.

My next OB appointment is this Thursday morning. I doubt my perinatologist will contact my OB before then. So I'll have to make sure I mention it at my appointment -- so everyone keeps me in the loop!

My next perinatology appointment is Tuesday, July 6 (33 weeks) at 2:30 p.m.

Bed Rest ... Not

Sorry so long on the bed rest update.

Richard and I managed to compromise with the doctor (it helped that the perinatologist wrote a note in my favor) to let me keep driving into work for the next two weeks – until my next appointment – then we’ll reassess the bed rest issue. We just had to promise her I would take things VERY easy and keep as scheduled as possible. She said if I feel anything abnormal I’m supposed rest immediately. And of course, if I don’t feel good in the morning – to not go into work. And once I get home from work, I’m supposed to rest. Easy to do since I'm completely whipped by the end of the day. So at my next appointment (the 17th) she’ll reassess the bed rest outlook. So at least I have a bit more face time in the office – considering I still have 9 weeks until scheduled delivery.

Driving is getting harder by the minute. I have several braxton hicks contractions just driving to and from work. And then at the end of the day, my swollen feet make it hard for me to do the whole gas/brake pedal switch in stop and go traffic. And even checking my blind spot is getting hard. Forget about the whole getting in and out of the car thing hahaha. And I realize I’m only going to get much much bigger.

Of course this last Friday I had a really huge and painful contraction (exactly the same as the Friday before when I was at work - what's up with Fridays?)! But the one this past Friday came after I got home from work. And I was alone. I couldn’t walk or move, even breathing hurt, and my phone was on the table – I couldn’t get to it. It was pretty scary. But after about 30 minutes I was able to move again – albeit very gingerly with residual soreness - just like the Friday before. Yesterday I had a pretty strong contraction at work again, not as bad as the past two fridays, but enough to knock the wind out of me for a bit. I don't like those contractions. But the babies are still moving and kicking like crazy afterwards, so that's reassuring. The Braxton Hicks contractions are soooo much more manageable - just a lot of tightness. Any time the babies do big somersaults or movements together (which seems like A LOT) I have a braxton hicks contraction.

Sooooo I'll keep ya'll updated on the bed rest/house arrest outlook...

Lucky Number 28 - Continued...

I had my OB check up today. I've gained 40 pounds so far! Whew! Closing in on Richard. hehehe. My belly is measuring at the equivalent of a 38 week single pregnancy. Even more whew!

I'm going for my glucose screening test tomorrow. It's just a routine test they do about this time in pregnancy to check for gestational diabetes. It's supposed to take an hour. Wish me luck!

Other than that, my OB is going to schedule my c-section for Monday, August 9. It's closer to 38 weeks (actually, one day short of 38 weeks). She's on vacation when I'm at 37 weeks. And she said she preferred to schedule it for after her vacation than before it (since twins tend to be born smaller since they run out of room to grow -- if you remember from earlier posts, anything 36 weeks or earlier is most likely to result in a NICU stay). Of course, mother nature is ultimately holding the reigns. So I could deliver at any time. But let's hope I hold on until the scheduled date!!!

So at this point I start seeing my OB every two weeks. And then at 34 weeks, I start seeing her weekly. I'm still seeing the perinatologist every 3 weeks. So many appointments! So my next OB appointment is June 17 (my perinatology appointment is June 15).

I'll update this post tomorrow with details about my bed rest/house arrest - I have to talk to my boss about it first.

Lucky Number 28

So I'm officially in the 3rd trimester now -- the homestretch.

This weekend was a whirlwind! I knew there was going to be a baby shower sometime but was kept in the dark about the details. So Saturday morning Richard and I were cleaning the house (one last big clean before I find out how strict the bedrest/house arrest will be). We finished around 12:30 p.m. and then I quick jumped in the shower because my friend Amy (from the 'Cuse) had said earlier in the week that she'd stop by to hang out on Saturday. So Amy got to the house and we chatted for a bit and she said she had to run an errand. I was tired, but I wanted to get out of the house so I said I'd tag along. Well ... long story short, it was all a ruse to get me to the baby shower!

Even though I knew I'd be having a shower at some point -- I was still COMPLETELY surprised. I was so surprised to see Jenn had flew all the wait out from AZ. And Becky traveled all the way from RI. And my folks came down from NY as well as my aunt and my cousin's grandma. And of course all my other friends and family. I was crying like a baby (or babies). It was such a nice surprise :-)

The food spread was gorgeous - Amy (from B-lo) went ABOVE AND BEYOND. There was soooo much food. And these delicious cupcakes with strawberry jam AND cake. A huge cold cut platter. And she had made cute chocolates with baby-related molds for favors. My dad made a fruit salad. My mom made some delicious cookies. Aunt Signe brought some yummy chicken skewers. I could go on and on about food -- I love it! I was soooo overwhelmed and impresssed and basically in shock. It meant so much to see ALL the work that had gone into this shower for our babies. It's good to know they will have so many people caring for them :-)

Jenn had some fun shower games. The ribbon game - where everyone tries to guess how big my stomach is. Judy won - she was only about an inch off. Suzanne came in a close second. The other game was a trivia game with a bunch of pregnancy/labor related words and you had to guess the candy equivalent. Example: Contractions - Whoppers. We all had fun with that game. It was hard. And there were some pretty interesting answers!

We received SOOOO many gifts. I can't even begin to name them all here. I realize I have a lot of creative people in my life. I must admit I was still in residual shock the whole time -- so everything seems like a blur.

Huge shout out to Amy (from B-lo) since she had to handle all the local organizing. Apparently there was a snafu with the original location (they canceled the monday prior!). So she had to frantically search around for a new place. I think it ended up perfect! Especially since it was a pretty warm and humid day -- it was nice that we ended up in a nice and cool location.

It was a great day! Thanks to Amy (from B-lo) and Jenn for organizing it!

Sunday was more of hanging out with everyone that was visiting. I hung out with Becky and Tim in the morning before they left. And then went to my Aunt Signe's for dinner with family. It was nice to hang out with everyone again and then some :-) I didn't leave until 1:30 a.m. to head home! Of course there were hardly any cars on the road. I got to his big downhill on 29 and just coasted away. Well, as soon as I reached the bottom of the hill I saw the cop car sitting in the dark. And sure enough, as soon as I passed him, the lights came on and I got pulled over. I was too tired at that point to be scared or cry or anything like that. I was just annoyed with myself. Of course he comes to my window and his flashlight is right on my belly and the first thing he says is "Ma'am, you aren't on your way to the hospital are you?" hahahahaha. I said "no sir, I still have two months to get there." Of course I told him twins. He laughed. And he made the typical joke about how my hands will definitely be full. He asked for my license and registration. Of course I couldn't reach the glove compartment because of my belly -- I had to shift over to the center console to reach. Yea, I was thinking, this must be hilarious to the cop. haha. Fortunately, I was let off with a warning. Phew -- I'm thinking I have pregnancy sympathy to thank for that :-) So a big shout out to the babies for getting me out of a ticket! hehehe.

Monday, my parents brought Jenn and Mike up to our place on their way home. So we hung out all day. We went to check out Lake Kittamaqundi, in downtown Columbia. But didn't last too long outside - it was warm and kind of humid. We stopped at Clyde's (I love their crab cakes!) - and Jenn and Mike treated us. Then we came back to the house and ate some more of the delicious cake that Amy made. We all just chilled out in the air conditioning until bed time.

Then, this morning we took Jenn and Mikey to the airport. I was sad to see them go. :-( I'm so depressed that I won't be able to make the bridal shower in a couple weeks. But I'm glad I at least got to see Jenn before the babies arrive :-)

Soooooo like I said -- a busy busy weekend. It went by so fast and was full of so many surprises that I wanted to write down what I remembered before I forgot it all. I'm sure I've left out bits and pieces -- blame it on pregnancy brain.

Thanks to everyone who "showered" us with love this weekend. We love you all too! I don't have any shower pics - so if/when people forward them to me - I'll try to post them on here or at least a link to the pics.

Only 9 more weeks to go if the babies cooperate with the 37 week due date! Cross fingers!

Two Pot Bellied Babies

I'm 27 weeks today. How many times can I say that "time is flying by?" -- apparently as many times as needed. hehehe.

My perinatology appointment went great today. Both babies are doing excellent. They each weighed in at 2 lbs. 10 oz. That's a bit above average for twins at this stage (the average is 2 lbs. 5 oz.). So I have a couple little porkers in there :-) The doc said there is lots of amnoitic fluid around the babies - also another good sign. And of course they were moving around like crazy again. The technician had to shake my belly to get baby A to cooperate for a head measurement. It was funny. Last time both babies were head down. Baby A is still head down but now baby B is head up. So you can see what I mean by them moving all over the place. Well, they might as well get all the moving done now because soon they will run out of space -- and maybe I'll be able to sleep again -- something tells me not to count on that hahaha.

Yes, I get ultrasound pictures every time I go to the perinatologist. I don't upload them because honestly you wouldn't be able to tell the difference from one now or one several weeks back. They are always zoomed in so they look the same size every time. If I get any unique ones I will be sure to share. :-)

My next perinatology appointment in June 15. And Richard is going with me to the next OB appointment, next Thursday. Appointments galore.

The Big 3-0!

Well it's been a busy week for sure! Yesterday was Richard's graduation (see the blog post below this one) AND today was my 30th birthday. I feel like I turned 20 just a couple years ago but when I think about how much has happened in the last decade, it reminds me of how long ago 20 really was. I'm enjoying turning 30. Maybe because I'm so preoccupied with being pregnant and everything else, I haven't had time to worry about it. It may take a few months to sink in hahaha.

So we had a gathering at my favorite Ethiopian restaurant in Silver Spring, "Langano." In case you aren't aware, I LOVE Ethiopian food. The dinner was delicious, as was to be expected (for me at least)! Of course, good food and good company - always a winning combination.

Since I don't get to see my belly from the side that much, sometimes I'm surprised by how big I really am. Wow! I can't believe I still have two and a half months to grow!! Anywho, here's the the group breakdown: (front to back on the right side) Me, Richard, Whitney, and Rhonnie; (and front to back on the left side): Kathy, Suzanne, Barry, Moussa, and Amy. My other Amy friend had to work this weekend :-( but was with us in spirit!

Here's a picture of the gang from the opposite side of the table.

Here's Ogwang and I looking nice and full after a hearty meal.

Wow! So 3 decades down. Can't wait for Richard to join the 30 ranks in just a few months!

Graduation Time... FINALLY!

Richard's graduation from University of Maryland was friday morning. It was the departmental graduation for economics majors. Some of you may remember that he was originally going to participate in the Winter commencement - but that was canceled due to the huge snow storm in December. So he was invited to participate in the Spring commencement instead. The ceremony was at 8 a.m. -- on a work day of course. We knew it would be difficult for people to make it and we completely understood. It was a nice ceremony. And I admit I got all teary eyed when Richard walked across the stage. You know, he wasn't even going to do the Spring ceremony -- but I knew he would be happy he did it -- and he was very happy! I think participating in the ceremony makes it seem more real that you have actually finished! I was so proud of him. This was a long time coming!!!!!!

Here are some pics I took. People were vicious in their attempt to take pictures - no qualms about elbowing a pregnant lady out of the way. Sheesh! So I only got a few. The ceremony ones came out really dark, no matter what I tried... I've lightened them up a bit. It's so exciting to see Richard all dolled up in the regalia.

Richard walking to the podium.

You can see that grin from a mile away hehehe

Yay! Diploma time :-)

The two (plus two) of us after the ceremony. Richard was afraid no one would see my belly at this angle in the picture - hahahahaha - riiiiiiiight.

New Pic: Here's Richard and my folks (this was taken the weekend of my baby shower - not grad day). We still have to get one of Richard and his dad!

Woohoo! School is "officially" over. Finally free! .... until the babies arrive hahaha.

Family and Friends

I'll be 25 weeks along tomorrow! Anyway, I wanted to give a shout out to family and friends who have been supporting us through all this craziness. Even if your name or picture isn't presented below, just know that we appreciate you all :-)

My friends were a huge help in prepping the nursery. They spent a whole day removing a wall paper border and wall decals and then they sanded the gloss paint off the walls. Look in my February blog posts for the "The Twilight Zone?" post to see what the walls in the nursery used to look like (yes, we never got around to changing them until now!). Here's Joe, Amy and Richard all dusty with purpose! (The other Amy was home sick, self-quarantined for sake of her pregnant friend's health.) We have awesome friends!!


Then Richard and I spent a couple weekends painting the nursery, you'll see the neutral color (pale yellow) in the background of the pics below of my parents' visit. My parents came down in April. My mom helped finish up painting the trim in the nursery since I'm getting too big to bend down. My dad installed a new ceiling fan, outlets, and assembled the cribs for the nursery. (He also installed a custom closet organizer in our house entry way and some Ikea pullout shelves in our pantry cupboard -- also a huge help!)

Mom and dad (grandpa and grandma) being jokesters.

Dad working on the cribs

Richard's dad came for a visit over Mother's Day weekend -- he was very impressed by my belly growth :-) Whitney brought the chocolate chip cookies that the babies are addicted to (certainly not me hehehe). Jenn has had to listen to me talk about the excitement, shock, fears, etc. of pregnancy. We've already received baby gifts from our wonderful friends and family - each time we get something it seems "a bit" more real -- but seriously I don't think I (we) will completely believe it until the babies get here.

Dad (grandpa) and Annie - 24 weeks and 4 days preggers!

Richard seems to have lost weight, while my belly gets bigger... case in point:

Here he's trying to be as awesome as me:

Well, tomorrow I'll have only 2 months and 3 weeks left! Woohoo! Let's hope I hold on the max :-)

Lucky Number 24

Hmm... 24 weeks and definitely looking large and in charge. Well, I'm not too sure about that "in charge" part. ;-) I caved in and stocked up on XL maternity t-shirts. I tried the large shirts but they were just fitting me - so I figured I would be growing out of them in no time considering I still have at least 3 months of growing left. So I'm swimming a bit in the XL shirts now, but at this rate I will fill them out in no time!

I had my 24-week OB check-up yesterday. So far all is good. I'm up 30 pounds! About 4 pounds above the high end of my projected weight range for this point. The nurse said it's completely fine though. Whew... 3 more months (if I can hold on - cross fingers) of growing to go! Damn the heat and humidity!

My blood pressure is fine. The babies' heartbeats are fine. My belly is measuring at the equivalent of a 34-week singleton pregnancy! That's like measuring 10 weeks ahead - no wonder people think I'm going to deliver "any day now." So I'm up 8 cm in one month. My next OB appointment is Thursday, June 3 -- I'll be 28 weeks and 2 days at that time. Crazy how time is flying by.

I had my perinatology appointment today (I know, appointments galore!). Baby A weighs in at a healthy 1 lb. 6 oz. and Baby B weighs in at an equally healthy 1 lb. 8 oz. The 50th percentile for twins at 24 weeks is 1 lb. 8 oz. so they are on track and doing great! They were moving around like crazy. It's amazing that that teeny tiny little membrane between them withstands all those kicks and punches. No sign of the Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) yet. So all looks good :-) My next perinatology appointment is Tuesday, May 25 -- I'll be 27 weeks along. Did I mention that time is flying by? haha.