Updates from yesterday's ultrasound

We had our high-risk ultrasound yesterday, and wanted to share some info and some fun facts from it! :)

1. Reagan is approximately 4 lbs, 12ozs
2. Parker is approximately 4 lbs, 14ozs
    Now, these are just estimates, given that the bigger they get, the harder it is to be accurate since they are squished in there.  So, they said these were the best guesses at their weights, but they could be +/- 12 ozs...which essentially means that I have about 9-10lbs of baby in my belly! (no wonder I am tired and feel like a truck has run me over!)

3. Reagan has a head full of hair! :) (can we take a minute to be amazed at the fact that you can see these details in utero?!)  Chris and I were floored!  We actually pictured that both of them would be bald, so this was a fun little surprise for us.  We didn't get a chance to ask about whether or not Parker had any hair, because I was starting to feel light-headed again during the scan (this happened at my last appointment, as well), so it slipped my mind.  But, we go back in 2 weeks, so we will ask then. 

4. We got to see Parker have the hiccups while they were doing his scan - so funny!!  And even weirder to see his little body shake at the same time that I could feel the hiccups happening.  I have been feeling both of them have the hiccups for weeks now, but it is so fun to see them!

5. After about 3 months of inconclusive images of Parker's kidneys, they are pretty sure as of yesterday that they are able to say that he has a "horseshoe kidney" - meaning that both kidneys have formed, but they are connected (in the shape of a horseshoe).  You see, we found out in January that Parker has a 2 vessel umbilical cord (as opposed to a usual 3 vessel cord) and when this occurs (which can happen often during the "twinning process") they have to look for variations in the kidneys.  Well, for the past few months, the Perinatologist has said that she can definitely see a right, functioning kidney, but has not been able to locate a left one.  But, that changed yesterday when she said she could see both, but they were connected.  Chris and I have not been too worried since our take-home message from her has been that whatever the anatomy of the kidney(s), they are functioning, which is all that matters!  So, we have been praying and just trying to trust that God has sent us to the right people to take care of our little babies - and we have been nothing but impressed with our care at Atlanta Perinatal Specialists.  All that to say we will have some follow-up appointments for him after his birth, and the neonatalogist will check both of them out carefully while still in the hospital, but we have a really good feeling that he will be just fine and causing trouble in no time!  :)

That's all to report for now...these babies are keeping me tired, but Chris and I are getting more and more excited to meet them soon!

end of week 31/beginning of week 32

Dang you, Etsy!!

I just have to share and see how many people out there can commiserate with me ... why was Etsy invented?  It is the most fabulously addicting website that I have ever been on, and it NEVER FAILS that I leave the site having purchased something.  Newest obsession for the twins' nursery as of 9:50pm?  http://www.etsy.com/listing/68463917/white-bird-nest-hanging-clock

I have shown some restraint and haven't ordered it ... yet.  But, I will think about it all week. 

Where are all of the clean spoons?

Chris: "Hey, do we not have any clean spoons?"
Me: "Um ... I think they are all in the dishwasher waiting to be washed."
Chris: "How many spoons do you use in a day?"
Me: "Well, between the cereal and the ice cream .... I guess all of them."

Seriously, that's all I want these days.  Cereal and ice cream.  There is an epidemic of dirty spoons in the Even household, and Chris just wants a clean spoon to use to eat his yogurt.  And he doesn't complain, because at least I am eating, which is something that I was struggling with for awhile.  The problem is that I seem to be eating things that require spoons, and we only have so many spoons, which means that when he gets home from work, we have to wash a spoon so he can eat a snack.  Why cereal and ice cream?  Who knows, but it is ALL that I want. 

And with this little vignette, we welcome you to our lives 32 weeks into this pregnancy!  :) 

It sure has been a a busy couple of weeks around here!  I went to the Perinatal ultrasound appointment last Monday (by myself for the first time, because Chris was out of town for work) and while I was on the table, I started to feel very light-headed, started sweating profusely, and the room started spinning.  The sonographer told me to roll over to my left side, so I did ... and it didn't help.  So then she told me to sit up, so I did ... and it didn't help.  So then she had me sit in the chair next to the table and got me some Sprite.  That seemed to help me get back to baseline, but it took a couple of minutes.  She said, "I know this sounds weird, but it isn't all that bad of a sign ... it just means the babies are growing like they should be!  But, when you lay flat on your back, they are cutting off your blood flow ... so don't lay on your back anymore."  Check!

We went to our childbirth class at Piedmont Hospital this past Saturday, and while we found a lot of the information to be helpful, we also found a lot of the information to be overwhelming.  One of my favorite statements from Chris during the class came after the instructors talked about emergency C-sections. 

Instructor: "You should know that if you have to have an emergency C-section, your spouse will probably not be able to be there because they won't have time to get him prepped and scrubbed-in for the surgery."
Chris: "Oh, that won't happen.  I will just be wearing my paper scrubs that are issued from the nuclear power plant and run right in after you.  Don't worry."
Me: "Oh. Good."

I started to feel panicked on Saturday night thinking of all of the things that could potentially go wrong during labor and delivery...and then Chris reminded me that they have to tell you all of those things to cover their bases and keep their patients well-informed.  I told him, "It's just that there are so many things that will be out of our control during that time, and that's what makes me nervous..."  and he said, "Right. That's what makes labor and delivery challenging for people like us!  But, we have to trust God, and also put some faith in the medical staff and trust that they know what they are doing."  And for those of you that know Chris, being out of control is not a situation in which he feels 100% comfortable, either, so this was a very comforting statement coming from him.  We talked about the actual process that the body goes through to give birth, and decided that only God could design such a complicated and efficient process to give birth to these little human lives!  What an amazing journey!

We almost have the nursery finished, I'm just missing some pieces to hang over the cribs.  I have a few ideas, I just need to make a decision and stick with it.  Chris told me the other night that he is ready to have the babies here in our lives..."You just wait for so long ... "  I cannot wait to see how wonderful he is going to be with Parker and Reagan! 

We celebrated Chris' 28th birthday at the end of February - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!  This will be the last one that we celebrate with just the 2 of us in our little family.  I took him to Rays on the River for brunch that weekend, and we ate until our hearts and bellies were content.  If you live in the Atlanta area, we highly recommend their Sunday brunch - so yummy!

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks:

29 weeks

29 weeks - and Chris' Birthday!

the Packers gifts I got him for his birthday :)

me and the babies at 30 weeks! 

Parker weighed 3 lbs this week and Reagan was 3 lbs 1 oz.