The Final Stretch Begins!

Today we had our 33 week appointment (2 days early) and again, we are blessed to have nothing but good news! The babies hearts were beating just perfectly and they like to keep their heads together! Now they are both sitting breech. They are always head-to-head, even when one is lying transverse. I think they are going to be the best of friends! We didn't get weights or measurements of the girls today because we didn't meet with the sonographer, nor will we next week. But just an update, on June 4th the girls weighed in at 3lbs. 9 oz. and 3lbs. 10 oz. Now we expect them to be somewhere over 4lbs. each. They are consistently gaining weight and we hope when they debut they will have a little meat on their bones and chubby little cheeks to kiss and squeeze :D

My blood pressure was a good reading again and my iron levels were right where they need to be! I have to thank my dear Matt for always making me cream of wheat in the morning and making me eat spinach and more leafy greens to get a good reading today! It worked and I think we make a pretty good team afterall.

We say the final stretch is beginning because Dr. Gibson says our goal is to stay pregnant for ONE MORE MONTH! That puts the babies at a happy, healthy 37 weeks. My goal is to keeping them in until 38 weeks, but we all know babies come at their timing! Each day I feel a little more prepared... but not quite there. We really need to start packing our hospital bags. Tonight we wrap up our 7 weeks of lamaze class! It will be nice to free up our Monday nights again, I have only caught one episode of "The Bachelorette!" We are busily finalizing the nursery as well and I hope to post pictures soon. This week we are expecting the dresser/changing table to be delivered on Thursday. We got our diaper bag in the mail this week and sweet Doug & Bree sent us our bumbo chairs!

I need to say a special thanks to a couple of friends and family members who have been keeping me sane while I spend more and more time at home on the couch... Mom, Grams, Pooky & kids, Bethany, and Caitlin you girls are wonderful and I appreciate the phone calls, books, messages, Farm Town fun, and I am looking forward to board game day! You are all so dear to me and I appreciate your concern and efforts at making me one fat happy momma :D

Summer is almost here! I hope we survive the heat!

We have to share some recent gifts..

Our dear friends, "The Sorenson's," as the Jackson's have always called them, sent us a sweet little package a few weeks back. They probably know by now we are not quick with formal thank-you's but keep looking in your mail as you should receive one soon! They sent us two cute matching sleeper sets. Melissa has them hanging in the closet anxiously awaiting to wrap around two cute little girls. Jim & Mindy, we hope you can come down and visit once they arrive! We would make an effort to get up to Chicago, but as you may guess it might be a little hectic for a couple of months :)

As we have mentioned earlier, Melissa has some of the most thoughtful co-workers in the world! On top of the diaper/book shower, now the Special Ed and Embroidery teacher, Teresa Hill, had her class make the above burp rags! Aren't they cute! We love how personalized they are! They will be put to very good use in several more months. Thank you so much Teresa ;)

Then there is Amy Owens, who doesn't even work at MCHS anymore! But she swung by the school one day to drop off four cute little summer dresses for Anna Mae & Abigail. We look forward to snapping pictures of the girls in them once they arrive!

Oh and I can't forget Tricia... she gave us multiple outfits for the girls. They are so cute! I will have to snap pictures of them to post as well.

Finally, we have received some darling clothes from Leslie, Bree, Bethany, and Pooky! Thank you for passing them along! Im sure we will go through so many clothes and all your efforts have made us feel a little less stress about being prepared. Pooky--thanks for the swing and other misc. toys and equipment. I look forward to your visits over with Kylie & Chet!

We already have so many helpful and thoughtful people in our lives... this parenting thing should be a breeze with all your help... right!? :D

Intro to the Nursery!

Matt has done a great job of getting our tiny little nursery into shape! First his dad ripped out all of the carpet, because kitty liked to use the entire room as his personal restroom. Maddox no longer has access to the upstairs and seems to behaving much better in the basement. Anyway, once we got new carpet Matt has been busily painting and searching for the perfect trim for the walls. He also assembled the cribs we received from his parents. We love the sleigh cribs! Once Melissa washed the bedding we put it all together and she would say we have darling bedding! The pictures below don't include the bumper pads, but those have since been added. We will remove the bumper pads once the twins are a couple of months old, because we have heard infants could suffocate by nestling their face into the padding. :(

We are currently in the search of a matching changing table to go in our only empty corner of the room. We really don't have much room in the nursery... just enough for the two cribs and a dresser with a changer table top! Anyway, you'll have to use your imagination as it is not nearly finished. Melissa just couldn't wait to get the cribs together! We have a lot more to add to the walls, a nice area rug, etc. Maybe we can squeeze in a rocker for those late night feedings too!

28 Weeks

We had our 28 week appointment today and have more good news to share! Melissa passed the blood sugar test "with flying colors," as the nurse said. While running the blood test, they did note that her hemoglobin was about 2 points lower than what they would like to see. So they told her she is anemic and instead of adding medication to her daily routine, she is going to increase her levels of iron. Breakfast looks like it will now be a bowl of cream of wheat and lunch will consist of green salad, maybe ending the day with more fish than beef. Anyway, her blood pressure was also great AND most importantly, the twins are continuing to hit all their milestones! Twin A (who we know as Anna Mae) is weighing in at 2 lbs. 9 oz. while her sister Abigial (Twin B) comes in at 2 lbs. 5 oz. Their heart rates were good and we find it soothing to hear those tiny little hearts beat every chance we get!

Dr. Gibson did confirm Melissa can NOT mow the lawn---yes even on a ride mower! She was a little devastated since thats all she seems to be able to help out with around the house these days. He keep reminding us rest is the best medicine for this pregnancy... he doesnt even like her stretching in the Lamaze class. How has she only managed to pack on 24 pounds so far being such a slug? :D

These little girls sure do move around alot. We did get somewhat "bad news" about their positions, but we need to keep in mind that they still have weeks to get into the perfect fit! If you can imagine it, Anna sits on Melissa's left and is breech. She would be the first one out in a vaginal delivery and with her cute little butt down, Dr. Gibson would not risk a vaginal birth. Abigal is actually laying completely sideways, also known as a transverse lie. So if you can picture it, Melissa is carrying a letter "L" with both heads meeting at the left base of the L. We asked the odds of having a C-section and he told us there was an 80% chance of that happening, but again, once we are closer to 37 weeks he will have a more definite answer. Melissa was not happy to hear "80%" as she is scared to death of being sliced open! But, of course we would do what is best for the little babies to come out safe and sound!

We started Lamaze classes last week and find those somewhat enjoyable. We have met several nice couples and really enjoy our instructor. She is so pleasant and helpful! We did a tour of the hospital this past Monday and will soon be watching birthing videos. Tomorrow is our first of two breastfeeding classes. We hope breastfeeding twins works! We have heard many success stories, but a couple of downers too. We'll keep our fingers crossed! Keep praying for the healthy arrival of our little girls. We really appreciate it :D

Happy 25 Weeks, Babies!

We are learning that we are not good bloggers. We have failed to keep regular updates like we were hoping to do in the beginning!

Our last appointment was April 15th and all looked well! Both twins weighed in at 1 lb 5 oz! (Grow, grow, grow)! We have been told they have picked their side they will remain on until birth, but they may still flip around in their individual sac. So Anna is on Melissa's left and Abigail on her right. Right now Anna is head down and Abigail breech. That is good news we think, since Anna will be the first out if we are able to have a vaginal birth. If she was breech, we would not be able to do so. So Anna, try and stay put and don't flip around too much :D

All stats were good, but Melissa's blood pressure was a higher than usual. She does not have high blood pressure, but Dr. Gibson told her to only eat what she can grow and kill. So, basically he knocked out about 90% of her diet. Matt has been helpful in keeping her on track, but we confess to eating a couple of items this week that don't grow on trees...

The girls are letting us know of their existence quite regularly. Lots of movement that Melissa always feels, but Matt has not been so lucky at catching them. He tried to sneak up on them the other day, but they must know when his hand is pressed against their nest. One of these days we hope they will give him a swift couple of kicks so he can partake in the fun!

Let's all welcome Melissa to the world of swollen feet and stretch marks! Yes, sad to say, this week Melissa has discovered 3 small stretch marks on her left side. Thanks Anna Mae! They look like three little cat scratches, about the length of a fingernail. She knew they were coming, it was just a matter of time :(

Our next appointment is not until May 13th! Dr. Gibson said things were going so well he didn't see it necessary to see me until then. Melissa was surprised since she was going every 2 weeks, but now it will be a 4 weeks difference. It will be at this appointment Melissa will be tested for gestational diabetes and the girls will be at 28 weeks development already! Wow.

Lots of nursery work to be done in the next couple of weeks. We finally got the new carpet laid and paint samples picked out. Our bedding has arrived from Land of Nod and we finally registered at Target. Now if Melissa can only get Matt to paint the nursery walls and assemble the cribs instead of playing with the dogs.

God continues to bless us...

A Surprise Baby Shower

When I walked into my classroom this morning, I was surprised to see several baby items stacked on one of my kitchen counters. Shortly thereafter, the gifts just kept coming and coming. My dear co-workers had planned a surprise Diaper & Storybook Shower!

I must rave about my fellow staff members. They have been so supportive and helpful over these three years. I have learned so many lessons from them and their continuous advice is always useful. My co-workers are kind, thoughtful, and so generous in all of their actions. With your endless gift-giving, today we received 1,048 diapers and dozens of children books. Matt says if we only change diapers 1.5 times a day/twin, that will almost last a full year! We do not want DCFS on our case, however, so we will make sure to change their diapers on a regular basis! We also received two adorable embroidered baskets and a travel cooler for milk/formula. You all are so thoughtful and creative!

Needless to say, it will be a bittersweet day when I leave Midwest Central. I can't say I will ever return to the profession of teaching, but the people I work with everyday make the 50 minute commute worth it. Again, thank you for your generosity and the surprises! I was touched and will miss you all when I leave this spring. I hope you all find the time in your short summer schedules to come visit Abigail, Anna Mae, & I once they arrive! I know I may need some "grown-up" time and I would love for you to meet them too!

Here are some snap-shots of the darling little cake and all the gifts :) THANK-YOU, it is all greatly appreciated!

22 Weeks!

We hit 22 weeks this past Wednesday! Yesterday we had another "big" sonogram with the sonographer. She did some measurements of Melissa's uterus & cervix to make sure everything was holding up with the double load. So far, things are looking great. She then moved on to our two little girls. We were happy to hear there was a head down, instead of a butt! That is a good sign, but from our understanding, there is still some time for them to change positions again. The sonographer continuously commented on how active the girls were. The girls were constantly moving. We saw lots of kicking, swallowing, and waving.

We heard nothing but good news today. One twin weighs a pound already and the other is just shy, at 14 oz. Their hearts had a strong beat and they seem to all still have 10 fingers and toes!

Here are some pictures of our little Abigail and Anna Mae! We were fortunate to receive a couple of 3D sonogram images also!