Today we had our 35 week appointment and got a date for my C-Section – wahoo! Like I have mentioned in the past the hospital I am delivering at won’t let my Dr. schedule a c-section until 39 weeks, which is ridiculous for twins (since 37 weeks is full term with twins). So we are going to do an amniocentesis the morning of the cesarean just to make sure the lungs are mature and with that the hospital will let us schedule the surgery which will be later that afternoon. That’s 13 days people…13 DAYS until they arrive! But of course, they could always take after their mom and decide to come earlier than planned. If they did come earlier, I would obviously accept them with open arms, but I would prefer for them to wait.

We had our weekly sonogram and the boys still look great. They were moving around, practicing their breathing and the their fluid levels were still good. She said Baby B (Ian) was getting some chubby cheeks…ok, maybe not chubby but he is getting some fat on those cheeks. I’m still not really swelling much, just my hands primarily. Still having contractions all day long but they are infrequent so they aren’t really a sign of labor. I’ll go back and see my OB next Friday so hopefully we’ll have another good check up.

Here is my week 35 belly picture:

35 weeks with twins

I just realized I never posted an update on our appointment this past Friday. Not a whole lot happened at this appointment, just a routine visit. We had a sonogram and both babies looked great. They are getting bigger and as my Dr. put it, “I’m all baby”. There’s not a whole lot of room in there for them anymore, half of Baby B is under my ribs…so that would explain the sudden, sharp pains in my rib cage. They may not have a lot of room but, apparently there is enough for them to flip. Baby B (Ian) is now head down and Baby A (Hayden) is still head down. Even though they are both head down we are still planning on doing a c-section due to the strain on my heart from vaginally delivering 2 babies. We did not check my cervix this visit, she left it up to me to decide if I wanted it checked and since I just had it checked a week before and will have it checked this Friday, I opted not to.

As far as the date for the c-section goes, it’s still up in the air…she wants 37 weeks and the hospital I’ll deliver at wants 39 weeks. I highly doubt I’ll make it to 39 weeks without going into labor on my own. I asked my Dr. if she thought I’d make it to 37 weeks and she kinda grinned and said “I hope so”, so only time will tell. I’ll go back and see her again this Friday and hopefully we’ll know something about when we can schedule the c-section. In the mean time, here’s a belly picture for you.

34 weeks with twins

Today I hit 34 weeks, another milestone complete. I had a chat with the boys a while back and we came to an understanding that they were to stay put until at least today. So good job boys, it looks like you have held up your end of the bargain, but I would really like ya’ll to stay put for another week or two! The are still moving just as much, more squirmy than anything else, sometimes I think they are trying to bust out of there….or rupture my spleen (as it feels like sometimes). I play a new game called, name the body part! Is it a foot, elbow, knee or butt making a big bump in my stomach?

We will go see my OB tomorrow so look for an update sometime this weekend.

To my precious boys, Hayden and Ian

I’m laying here on the couch writing this while waiting for your arrival in just a few short weeks. I have been ordered to stay on the couch for about 2-months now trying to keep you growing stronger and healthier before you make your appearance into the world. So far it has worked!

It has been a long tough road to bring you into this world, even before you were created it was a battle your dad and I went through. We have wanted you and dreamed about you from the day we got married 3 — years ago. However, getting you here hasn’t always been easy — there were many bumps in the road before we found out about you. Little did we know that when we did finally find out we were having a baby, we would get two! God blessed us beyond comprehension to get the opportunity to raise the two of you and teach you to become Godly men and serve Him in His kingdom! You have such wonderful role models to learn this from. If you’ll just watch your father and grandfathers live their lives, even for a day, you will learn how to do this.

As I have been on bed rest with the two of you, I have had A LOT of time to think about you and what my dreams are for you and your role as brothers and sons, but most importantly individuals. Yes, you two were born on the same day, share a birthday and you developed and grew together in the same womb. You are not just brothers; you are twins, you share something most people will never experience. You have known each other from day one and for that you will always have a special bond. Your dad and I will never try to take that away from you but will actually try to foster that bond and relationship between the two of you. At the same time we recognize that you two are different individuals and not just one unit. You may be referred to as “the twins” a lot but you will always be Hayden and Ian, the individuals. You may have been created at the same time, but you were created with different personalities, traits and characteristics that differentiate you from one another. I for one can not wait to get to know you and watch you grow. Fun times are headed our way for sure!

There are so many things that I want to teach you, so much I want to share. I keep thinking of the lessons I’ve learned and what will be the best way to teach them to you. I want you to feel like you have it all even if I can’t give you all the material goods you’ll want. The first thing I want you to learn in this life, is that it’s OK not to have it all.

The most valuable thing a person can have is his/her integrity, so don’t ever lose your integrity and stand firm in what you believe in; your values and morals. This is followed closely by friends you can count on. If you ever make friends that try to change who you are then it’s time to leave them and find ones that appreciate you for who you are.

I might not always be the best mother. Someday I won’t even come close. I may get mad at you when I’m having a bad day. I may let you watch too much TV or eat too much junk food. There are hundreds of things I could do wrong. I just want you to know that even when I’m drowning in all the things I’m not doing right I’ll still be trying. I will spend the rest of my life trying to ensure that each of your lives are the best they can be.

Your father and I aren’t perfect but we will do our best to teach you the difference between right and wrong — even if sometimes you might think our approach is wrong. We will always give you the reason for the lesson not just the point. If you ever have to wonder why your in trouble it’s a sure sign we’re doing wrong.

I hope and pray you learn these lessons in life:

Knowledge is Power
Never stop learning. Take pleasure in reading, writing, listening and sharing a little every day. Having an active mind is something you never want to lose!

Work Hard
Having the drive and determination to complete a task makes you a winner from the start. Rolling up your sleeves, putting in your dues and trying your very best will take you where you want to go. Find fulfillment and satisfaction in the smallest task as well as in your greatest achievements.

Have fun
Find enjoyment in all you do. Be positive, attitude is everything. Having a carefree, laid-back personality helps you to relax and enjoy all that life has to offer. Don’t sweat the small stuff!

Love
Learn the power of unconditional love. Love yourself and other people. Have compassion for all those around you. Love life, and even in your dark hours face your doubts and demons courageously, learn from them and move on with hope in your heart. Life is nothing without love.

Independence
Be self-sufficient. Learn to take care of yourself and make your own decisions. Learn to trust your instincts and grow independent and confident. I want you to be self-reliant so that no-one can control your happiness. Look inward and to God for reinforcement and replenishment.

Creativity
Learn to “think outside the box”. Don’t be a follower, be a leader. Use your imagination. Be your own person. Great things come to those who choose the road less traveled.

Learn to Compromise
Compromise is the key to any lasting relationship. Whether you are dealing with family friends or business partners, you must learn the art of “meeting in the middle”. In life you don’t always get your way.

Follow Your Dreams
Never give up on your dreams. Anything is possible. Follow your heart and be the “Little Engine That Could.” I will not discourage your childish aspirations. Instead, I will support, encourage and where possible, help to actively work towards your attainment of them.

Forgive
Show grace to everyone. Don’t hold a grudge, resentment or anger towards anyone and learn how to forgive and show mercy to others. People make mistakes and no one is perfect — not even the two of you.

When you get old enough to leave us it’ll break my heart to watch you go, but I’ll smile through my tears with the confidence that by then I’ll have taught you all you’ll need to know to make it out in the real world. I might have to let you learn a few lessons the hard way but for the most part I think you’ll do fine. No matter what happens in life, I’m here for you, I love you, and I promise I’ll do my best to be the kind of mother that makes you proud to have a place you can call home.

I hope you both realize just how important you are to me — already — and you haven’t even taken your first breath yet! Your happiness is my life’s work. Everything you do, each moment of your life, from the first instant I see your face, will bring me more fulfillment than anything else I’ve experienced thus far. I will always, always love you.

Love you always,
Mom

P.S. Don’t grow up too fast

It’s been a couple of weeks since I did a questionaire so here is one for you.

How Far Along: 33 weeks

Total Weight Gained/Loss: about 25 pounds

Sleep: Luckily the last week hasn’t been as bad, I still get up several times a night but I usually go back to sleep relatively quickly. The only problem now is I am waking up at like 6:00am and not being able to go back to sleep.

Best Moment of the Week: Seeing the boys again last Friday and hearing they are both about 4 pounds each!

Movement: The last couple of days they have been pretty active, they are just squirming now, every once in a while they will jump or try to turn over.

Food Craving: Still ocean waters from Sonic

Labor Signs: I still have contractions that are getting stronger and sometimes it will cause pain in my lower abdomen and lower back, but not often enough to be considered labor signs.

Belly Button: What belly button? It is actually a button now….it sticks out and you can actually push it like a button.

Stretch Marks: So far so good, no stretch marks, hopefully it will stay that way!

Wedding rings: I have retired my actual wedding ring and am wearing my band only now…it still fit but it was getting kinda snug and I didn’t want it to get to the point where I couldn’t take it off.

What I miss: sleeping on my back and stomach and my old clothes

What I’m looking forward to: Believe it or not, my doctors appointment on Friday…we may find out a little more about when we can schedule the c-section.

Other NEW news this week: The boys looked great on Friday at the perinatologist and were doing everything they should be.

Here is a belly shot from this week. I guess It’s not really a belly shot because you can’t really see how much it has grown, but the shirt is the real reason for the picture. It was a gift from Jonathan’s parents and I actually fit into it now.

On Friday we had our 33 week appointment with the perinatologist and our monthly growth scan of the boys. Everything looked great with the boys and they are growing just like they should, each of the boys gained a pound from 3 weeks ago! Baby A (Hayden) is now up to 4 lbs 3 oz and Baby B (Ian) is 3 lbs 14 oz….that’s 8 pounds of baby. The boys were both doing their practice “breathing” and moving around so we didn’t have to “taser” either of the boys this time. Baby A was being lazy again and took a little poking to get him to move around but he eventually did. Baby A is still head down (just like he has been for the last 8 months) and his body just kinda goes all along my right side while baby B is all curled up in a little ball. They couldn’t really tell us what position he was in, he wasn’t exactly breech or transverse, he was just kinda curled up. I’m going to guess he will be the one that likes to be swaddled up tightly. We will go back in another 4 weeks for our last growth scan but I’m kinda hoping we don’t make it to that appointment because they will already be here by then…one can hope, right?

We talked with the perinatologist and he was happy with their weights and amount of amniotic fluid. My cervix was the same as it was last Friday when I was at my OB’s office and he said as of right now the contractions aren’t doing a whole lot to it but that could change over night. He agrees with my OB that I should have a c-section at 37-38 weeks and not wait for 39 weeks like the hospital wants me to do. He said if I go into labor before next Thursday/Friday he (or my OB) would try to stop the labor and give me steroid injections to help give the boys’ lungs a boost. But one I reach 34 weeks (next week) the boys would do well enough if they were born that he wouldn’t stop labor. He said they would more than likely have to spend about a week in the hospital…but you never know until they are here. I will see my OB on Friday and then every week until they are here….which hopefully won’t be too much longer. I am so ready for them to get here….lack of sleep and all! But, as much as I want them here I hope they wait at least another week or 2, they need to grow a little bit more.

Here are some pictures of the boys’ profile from Friday…

Baby A - 33 weeks

Baby B - 33 weeks

We had our biophysical profile (BPP) at the perinatologist’s office and 32 week OB appointment this past Friday. The BPP was quick and easy, well for me…poor Baby A had to be “tasered”, as I call it. He didn’t want to move much and was being a bit lazy so the sonographer had to buzz him with her buzzer. It’s just a little handheld vibrator with a buzzer on it and it wakes them up. The poor baby got scared and jumped like crazy…It was pretty amusing actually. Everything looked good though, both babies amniotic fluid level, the cord blood flow, their heart rates, movement and such were all good. Baby A (Hayden) is still head down and ready to go, while Baby B (Ian) is breech again and curled up in a little ball up by my ribcage with his legs up by his head…he’s going to be my gymnast. Baby A had one or more of his fingers in his mouth when they were doing the sonogram so he may be our thumb/finger sucker. I will go back to the perinatologist this coming Friday for another BPP and our monthly growth scan.

As far as my OB visit went, all was good as well. My cervix has shortened a little bit but still nothing to cause me to go into labor yet. Baby A was actually cooperating for my OB when she did the sonogram and you could actually see him “breathing” and Baby B had the hiccups.

We did talk about when we may do a c-section (assuming I make it to a scheduled date). Twins are considered full term at 37 weeks and because of that, in the past she said we would schedule a c-section at 37 weeks. Well apparently Baylor, not my OB (she just delivers at Baylor), has a rule that you can’t schedule a c-section until 39 weeks…ya, 39 weeks, that’s just crazy. She has argued and gone back and forth with them about it but she said she was going to talk to the head of L&D again this weekend. She said the way to get around their rule is to have an amnio done to get lung maturity of the babies and if they are mature (which they should be by then) we can schedule the c-section. So if I make it to 37 weeks then she will probably have the perinatologist do the amnio. We’ll just have to wait and see and we may not even have to worry about it because 60% of twins come at 37 weeks or before. Since I am seeing the perinatologist this week, I’ll wait and see her again the following week, at 34 weeks, and then I”ll start seeing her weekly and she will be doing the BPP each week, then the growth scan every 3 weeks with the peri until they arrive.

Since we found out we were having fraternal twins my fear (and I use the term fear lightly) has always been that they will be soo different they won’t even look like siblings, much less twins. Once we found out they were both boys, that fear doubled. If you have ever seen me and my husband, you know there is a Vast height difference between us – 15 inches to be exact, he’s 6’5 and I’m 5’2 on a good day. So in reality it’s not that I’m worried about the boys not looking like siblings, that would just help create their individuality. Its the fact that I’m worried they will end up like this…

I think I would feel horrible if we had one boy that took after Jonathan and one that took after me, like the above image. Can you imagine how that would effect their lives. Introducing them as twins and people laugh or chuckle and say “they can’t possibly be twins.” Now a couple of inches in their height difference would be ok, that’s typical between siblings.

All kidding aside, if my boys end up looking like the two in the picture above, I would be just fine…because no matter how tall or short they are, they are my boys and they are how God created them!