2 Weeks Old!

Sorry I haven't been posting on here; I rarely get on the computer anymore, and have generally been checking my email from my phone. It's not very practical to post a blog entry by typing it through my phone, so I've consequentially been neglecting my duties as resident blogger for the Wards. My apologies.

They boys are doing well. Their personalities are starting to emerge and it's neat to see the little people they're growing into. Jeff says Cole looks like a "little Bob," and Mom even said he resembles Nikki when she was little, so I suppose he has a bit more Shimshock/Alasko in him than the other kiddo. He's generally cool tempered (not from the Shimshock/Alasko side!) and is the harder one to wake up for feedings. His favorite sleeping position is with both hands up, as if he is surrendering to his drowsiness.

Avery, on the other hand, literally looks like a miniature Jeff. It's so funny how you can already tell how much he is going to resemble Jeff. He is a bit fussier than his brother (not from the Ward/Sauriol side!) and is harder to get back to sleep after eating. He also makes the funniest hungry faces and will try to put anything in his mouth when he is ready to eat. Today he tried to eat Cole's hand while we were trying to wake up Cole to feed.

We're still not sure on hair color yet. I think they both have reddish hues, but they're not as bright as Jeff's (I'm sure Jeff will come back and say he doesn't have red hair, even though EVERYONE thinks he does; even the people at Starbucks asked me if my husband was the one with the red hair who comes there to work all the time).

So far we have been on a number of excursions with the boys. They've been to Target, GNC, Whole Foods, Michael's and Starbucks. We surely cause a scene wherever we go, but I know it will only last as long as they are little, so I'm relishing in the moments as they occur.

Mom has been a great help, and Jeff and I are trying to figure out a way to pay her a salary to stay down here and help us full time. We're not sure how we're going to do this without her. Our only solution thus far is to train MacGyver to take care of them. He probably would be very willing, since he definitely has a paternal instinct--he kisses their feet when they're fussing and checks them out to make sure they're both alright--but I'm not sure that would work out in the long run.

I could write for longer, but this post is already long by blogger standards, so I'll save some for the next entry. I'll try to be more consistent with my updates from here on out.

36ish Week Update

We had a nice day down here. Mom and I got massages (thanks, Stef, for the gift certificate!), then we wasted some time by going to Michael's and grabbing lunch. Then, Mom and I went to my appointment for the week, which was ideal because Jeff was busy getting his pertussis vaccine and was unable to come. Much to both of our surprises, there are no changes to my status. I'm still the same amount effaced and dilated, so no progress on my end. The only thing the doctor said was that she could feel the bag of waters, which probably means my mucus plug entirely passed. Pleasant thought, right?

I have been more and more uncomfortable--and miserable--these past few days. Each morning, my belly seems to drop an inch or two; along with that comes the discomfort and pressure of two baby heads pressing on my pelvis. I'm also getting very little consistent sleep, but I suppose that's good preparation for what's to come. This is, hands down, the hardest thing I have done in my life.

I'll keep you all posted on any progress. I have another appointment next week unless we have an earlier one at the hospital.

Take care. Love you all.

Oh Boys!

Jeff and I went to see the doctor today; since we're now on the weekly visit schedule, I kind of feel like I live up there. I'm now 34.5 weeks, so things are definitely becoming more real. Regardless, we weren't prepared to hear that I am 80% effaced and starting to dilate (probably just about 1 cm). Even though we knew this was coming, it's hard to hear it in person, so we were both a bit shocked.

In retrospect, it makes sense that I'm progressing, especially since my body has been telling me to slow down in recent weeks, and particularly these past few days. I don't need to go on bed rest, but I was advised to take it easy, so I guess it will be more lounging around for me. I've gone through four books in the past month, and I only have one more on the plate, so any advice on this end would be appreciated.

Our hopes are to make it to 37 weeks, which would be the week of July 4th (ugh). We have a sonogram next week and will be able to see how the babes are positioned, though last appointment we got promising news in that Baby B is trying to rotate downward. It's funny how they know things are coming to a close, huh?

We'll keep you all updated, if not through this blog, through phone calls/emails. For laughs, here's a picture from our trailer trash themed photo shoot.

31 Week Sonogram Pics

Jeff and I had an appointment this week and got to see the babes for the penultimate time before seeing them in person. Baby A was very cooperative and willing to get his picture taken, while Baby B decided, as soon as the sonographer turned her attention to him, to roll onto his stomach and face my spine. I guess they're both establishing their personalities in the womb already. Baby B is still breech, so we tentatively scheduled a C-Section for July 5th. We still need to think a lot about this, as this isn't what we want, but the fact that one baby is breech complicates our decision. Until then, I will be trying out some of these maneuvers (and laughing at others on the list):

Getting a breech baby to turn

Here are the most updated pictures for you all. I will post a belly shot soon, I promise. We just have to buy a wide angle lens first.

Baby A (on my right side):


Baby B (on my left side):

Debbie Downer

We're so lucky to have great friends in our lives. This weekend, Matt came down from Conroe to visit with us. He came down on Friday, had some work meetings with Jeff, and then he and Jeff came by my office for the informal baby shower some of my coworkers threw for me. It was a nice, laid back event, which is exactly what I prefer. Friday night, we went over to Rob and Marie's house (the ones with twin boys), and watched the hockey game; Rob is from Vancouver, so it was neat to see the game with a true fan, even though the Canucks lost. We stayed there until about midnight, having a good time watching our pups play together and cause as much trouble as possible. Mac even got to interact with their cat, who promptly swiped him on his nose (no front claws, no worries). He spent the rest of the night whining, wondering why he couldn't play with Franklin.

That was pretty much the end of my weekend.

I spent the rest of this weekend being lame, doing nothing, and feeling crappy about it. Luckily, Matt and Jeff are very understanding and kept themselves busy and Tara was available to chat for a while, but I felt like such a downer for not having the energy to do things like I used to. I'm just looking forward to the end of this process, though I can't really yet acknowledge that this stage is coming to a close. Maybe when school lets out I will be more able to see the light at the end of this tunnel. Let's hope...

It's hard to be so needy and helpless feeling. It's definitely not in our blood to be this way, and it's certainly a lesson in humility. I hope I don't forget this feeling, though, since I would like for it to motivate me to not take things for granted when I am able-bodied.

So, appropriately, my goal this week is to be more positive. I have an appointment and sonogram this Thursday and we'll get an update on the babies' birth presentations. Maybe that will bring us promising news.

I'll leave you with an interesting fact I read in one of my pregnancy books. It said that women who have fraternal twins are four times more likely to have multiples in their following pregnancies. Should we take a poll on whether I should get my tubes tied? Or, should we pray these babies are identical?

Have a great week.

Love,

Debbie Downer

No Creative Title

As I approach 30 weeks, I'm now realizing how hard this whole pregnancy thing is. All last weekend, if I stayed on my feet for more than two hours at a time, I would bloat up into this marshmallow looking creature. Definitely not cute. I can feel myself losing grip of my identity separate from the babes, but I'm not sure anything can be done about that. Little monsters have taken over my body, and it's not going to feel like it's mine again for quite a while.

My next appointment isn't until May 26th, since the sonographers were both on vacation the week prior to that and I have to be difficult with my two-baby time slot. After that, there's only one more sonogram until I get to meet the kiddos. I have about 4 1/2 weeks left of work, and I'm just trying to chug through it at this point. I do have a meeting this afternoon about maternity leave, so we'll see what comes of that. I'm hoping they allow me to take it at the start of the school year, since I don't plan on giving birth until July.

Speaking of July, my doctor told me that July 7th is our tentative induction date, since I'll be 38 weeks then, and she doesn't think I'll be able to go much longer than that. That doesn't mean I won't go earlier, but let's hope I make it that far for everyone's benefit.

Things I'm nervous about: The birth (duh!), the physical and mental health of our children, keeping up with all the changes, finding clothes to fit me through the pregnancy (this is already becoming a problem).

Things I'm looking forward to: trying out these cloth diapers (not on me), running, Mom coming to stay with us, seeing Jeff hold his children.

(Almost) 27 Weeks Pictures

I went for an ultrasound today and got to see the babes, though they are getting harder and harder to capture on camera because of their sizes. They weigh around 2 lbs, 5 ounces each, so they're definitely a good size for their gestational age. They are in a vertex/breech position right now, with Baby A (vertex) on my right side and Baby B (breech) on my left. There is still time for B to turn, but this definitely puts thoughts of a C-Section in my mind. So much for birth plans, right?

Here are the newest shots of the munchkins:

Baby A


Baby B

Love you all! And, a big thanks to Dad for the dried apples. They're almost all gone (I just downed a bag of Granny Smith/Pink Lady mix).