Intelligent Life

Something very cool happened last night that warrants an extra blog entry. I was lying in bed at 4:00 am, our first breakfast time, with my hands on my tum thinking about how much energy I needed to exert for breakfast. Could I get away with a glass of milk and a piece of fruit or was this a French toast kind of morning? As I was deep in thought, BAM a strong kick out of left field. It was the strongest one I have felt and with my hand on my stomach I was at the right place for what seemed like a whole foot. I immediately poke back to see if I could feel more and then another kick. I wondered if it was just a fluke so a poke again and then another kick. It was a little game that we had going for about five kicks. I was so excited I forgot about breakfast. As I lay there in the dark with a glowing smile of how cool that was a kick came out of right field. I thought Baby-B had just joined in the game but he only gave me a once back and I think it was to get me back on task with breakfast.

Learning What We're In For

The babies are growing and so is Ardis. I think the babies are hitting an exponential growth spurt. It seems like every morning Ardis's tum is visibly a little larger. Preparations have begun. We've had two baby classes; Life With Baby (changing diapers, bathing, etc) and Breastfeeding. Both have opened our eyes to just how much we don't know. The classes are certainly helping us learn fast. Ardis has joined the local twins club, and we visited their baby garage sale this past weekend. Despite the 6am wakeup on a Saturday, it was well worth it. We came away with two like-new cribs complete with mattresses; based on our trip to Babies R Us the day previous, we figure we saved quite a bundle. Daddy's thrifty cravings were well fed. Assembling the cribs turned out to be less difficult than imagined, despite the choice picture Ardis snapped of me looking well over my head. The reality of what all must be done to prep for their arrival is sinking in. Daddy is up to code Orange on the clench-o-meter. The two little guys are getting more active and keeping Mom informed of their presence on a regular basis. We're still not able to feel them from the outside, but hope to soon. The latest doctor visit was a success. Dr. P made our day by offering us another ultrasound to see the babies despite the fact that this technically wasn't an ultrasound visit. Their growth is right on target and they're getting big enough that we can really see some good detail not only in their exterior appearance but their internal organs and workings: functional heart valves, spinal column, fingers, toes, boy parts, etc. I'm amazed every time at how the doctor is able to manipulate that little device running along Ardis's stomach to view so much. Everything is still looking good; the journey continues....

Oh boy, oh boy

We are now in week 18 and are the proud parents of two little boys. This month's ultrasound was well worth the wait to be able to see how our babies have grown. The ultrasound was a full anatomy scan which we were able to see the babies from all sides (with a little help from the doctor moving them around). This particular scan was very exciting. We were able to see in great detail their spinal columns, skeletal structure, organs and if you look close at baby on the right you can see his eyes. The scan was so detailed we could even see the arteries in the heart. In addition to the exciting news about the sex we were able to rule out a lot of common birth defects which is always a relief. One of the most fun things to watch was how they reacted to the doctor trying to move them for a better view. I think I saw a couple of angry swats and kicks when nudged against their will. It was worth it for the sake of science however because we were able to see them purposely extend their arms and legs more so than the reflex movement from last time. Even though they appear to be moving constantly I haven't felt much in the way of kicks. Sometimes I think I can feel little fish moving around or a sensation like a bubble popping but something tells me that this is just the quiet before the storm. Before I know it there will be wrestle mania when they figure out they are not alone and the room is getting smaller.
Needless to say that Alex is a proud papa. I thought he was walking proud when we found out about the twins but that was nothing to the at-a-boys and hi-5's that he has been receiving from the office. Everyone we have leaked the news to has enthusiastically provided us with their ideas on what we should name them, unfortunately none of them can be seriously considered unless Shake'n Bake becomes increasingly popular for baby names in the next four months.

Baby Discotheque

Holy Cow we are at week 14 and have something that actually looks like a baby. This week's ultrasound was very exciting. We saw a lot of movement from both babies. They were arching their backs and moving their arms. Alex says it looks like disco warfare with all the reflex movements. Both babies are moving their arms like they are speed bag punching which is exciting for me especially when they start practicing on my bladder. Although they are moving constantly we have only felt a flutter a few times. Supposedly next month I will be able to feel the kicks of my little soccer players. The other exciting news is that we might have seen some potential boy parts. Its still early to tell and the other was shy so they are still a mystery on that one. Both babies are right on schedule with growth for their age at approximately 1-2 oz each and 2-3 inches long. I have started to show and have started wearing maternity clothes. My appetite has picked up significantly but the babies are still finicky about what they want to eat. So far fruit, Cheerios and peanut butter sandwiches are daily staples and I may never eat clam chowder again.

My little loungers.

We are now in our tenth week and the baby buzz has circulated to extended family and work. Everyone is excited and not surprised that I would be the first in the family to do pregnancy with such grandeur. At this week's appointment we are thrilled to see our little embryos turning into fetuses. The babies are well and they appear to be happily lounging in their sacs. For those of you wondering what you are looking at Baby-A is on the left sitting sideways with its head on the left and Baby-B is showing us its feet. Both babies have strong heartbeats at 170/172 bpm which is right on par with their singleton peers. Mom is doing well too. I have dodged the morning sickness train but have lost my ability to eat large meals and sweets. On the list of dislikes is BBQ and garlic; I jokingly tell Alex that there might be question as to whether they are his kids since he loves both. Alex is convinced they will come around and has already started getting excited about having grill mates, so something tells me when all the other kids are playing with rattles ours will have tongs.

Can we get a recount?

A few weeks have gone by and our plan to keep the news secret didn't last long. For those of you who know me this comes as no surprise. We finally make it to our appointment and are in great anticipation of possibly hearing a little heartbeat. During the ultrasound Alex and I were watching every flutter of light trying to make out all that we were seeing. The doctor comes upon a black circle with a little pulse. Tears are running down my check as my hopes become a reality however that moment didn't last long as Alex points down at the bottom of the screen and says, "What is that second dark spot (which is also pulsing)?" My tears of joy immediately were eclipsed by my focus on trying not to hyperventilate. TWINS! As I glare over at Alex as to say, "this was not the plan," I see him gleaming with pride at his studmuffinness, so I figure if the King of Clench can handle this, so can I; and that's how our journey begins. We left that appointment in awe with two strong little heartbeats at 125/130 bpm and excitement on how to break the news to the grandparents.

We're Pregnant!

It was an agonizing week waiting for Alex to return from a trip as I contained my excitement of my suspicions. The morning after he arrived home I jumped out of bed with test in hand and left it waiting for him to discover the results. Unfortunately it was not a moment of definitive joy but rather "does that look like one line or two?" So we took another, and another, and by the fifth try decided to go high tech with the digital version. We were so excited by the result and made our first doctor appointment right way but had to wait six weeks for a formal confirmation. We decided to keep the news to ourselves until then but I couldn't help leaking the news to my hairdresser, the check out lady and any other stranger that noticed I had a glow about me.