Our 26 week appointment

Today was a very exciting day because we had another very long sonogram done of the girls which included our 4D. I know my husband will be putting up the pictures soon since he is good at all that, but all I can say is seeing those images just made me that much more excited for them to be here. Granted, I don't want them born tomorrow - I of course want them to come when they are really ready, but time seems to be slowing down. The images are just so much more than the skeletal pictures you get with the normal ultrasound and it made me want to hold them!

The appointment started with my dreaded sugar test. I am completely retarded when it comes to drinking things that in my opinion should never be consumed. Ex: Liquid medicine, any type of barium or anything to do with an upper GI, and that also includes orange flavored sugar water. I took every bit of those 5 minutes I had to swallow the nasty stuff, making a little bit of an ordeal out of it. But once it was finished, we were sent to the ultrasound room.

I must say that the girl that runs the machine is amazing. She can just go directly to any part of their little bodies and do her measurements, heart rates, or (because we made her) check if we still have girls! Leah was very cooperative in her photoshoot today, though her cord kept getting in the way. Hannah was stretched way down behind my pelvic bone and hid most of the time. So Leah basically stole the show. We got some good pictures of both in the end though. The lady was very patient. She tried for about an hour to get Hannah to come out of her hole, and then suggested I get up to get my sugar read and come back. Maybe that would help.

(My blood sugar was 132 - it has to be under 140) So I barely passed but at least I dont have to do the 3 hour test! When we returned to the ultrasound room Hannah was still comfy behind the pelvic bone but eventually came out a little bit so we could see her face.

Hannah weighs 2lbs and Leah weighs 2lbs 1oz. They are growing evenly which is very good. Also, Hannah is head down now so maybe I won't have to have a C section. Leah is still breach so they both kick each other in the head (which we witnessed).

After the pictures were taken we then had to wait for the regular appointment which basically consisted of "Hey! How are yall? Any bleeding? Good. Let me measure your belly. You are measuring 32 weeks! Well everything looks great, see you in about 2 and a half weeks!" Nice. Easy enough, this whole pregnancy thing! Just old hat. :)

So all in all a very good appointment. The next one will be shorter and then we will have another sonogram done in a month. Now that the 4D is over, I have the baby showers to look forward to!

Joined the Van Crew

As a whole Allyson and I were both not big on the idea of a van, and thought the Pilot would be plenty good for having kids...that was before we found out we were having twins and before I saw my brothers van packed to the top when they came to the beach with us. Plus in the future it will be easier for the kids to get in and out and the are really safe vehicles.

So Allyson and I started looking, just to see what was out there in the form of used vans, we wanted to stay in our comfort zone of Toyota or Honda.

We ended up getting a pretty good deal, but had to drive out to Ensley to get it. But we ended up getting a Toyota Sienna XLE Limited 05. The nice part is it was a little high on the milage for a 05, so we got to get one with some extra features like nav, DVD, power doors and back hatch, so we are pretty happy.

The funny part of the story is we told the guy the price we wanted based on what we were talking to honda about, and he gave us the "I think we can work with that." So we sat and he came in saying great news we got it down because we want to get rid of the car because it has been on the lot 45 days. HA...it was no where even near to what we asked. At that point I let him deal with the pregnant woman :). After a little back and forth and you meet me half way talk we got our van for 25 dollars a month more than what we wanted to spend and that included a bumper to bumper warranty..so hey sometimes it helps to have a pregnant lady with you :).

My Beautiful Wife (Hannah and Leah's Beautiful Mother)

I know she most likely does not feel it, and a lot of people will say I have to say it...but there is something totally beautiful about Allyson carrying our children. It is really hard to explain, but I am sure it is a mixture of my wife is beautiful, the awe of her ability to carry and care for our children, and there is just something cute about that belly sticking out...especially since her belly button pokes through her shirts. I know I am biased, but she really is beautiful, and I am sure I will find her even more attractive when I see her caring for our children once they are born. I thank God for her, we have our ups and downs, but I feel blessed for her to be my wife and the mother of my children.

Ok so where did that come from, me and Allyson decided instead of spending a lot of money on maternity photos we would take some ourselves...here are just a couple.



It was raining that day, so we are going to try to take some outdoor ones soon, so if you like check back and I will post those.

The funny looks...

Once again, another story that is not directly associated with the twins, but sort of. This weekend our niece, Avry, was visiting us so we went to the pool where she got to hang out with our friends daughter Abby who is just a year younger.

After the typical hour of shyness, they warmed up to each other and were good friends. With this new friendship they wanted to go to the dinner and a movie together that we had planned on taking Avry to that night. Well that is cool, give Wendy and Scott a night off, and we get to be parents for a night. So we go out with a nine year old and an eight year old, and Allyson is pregnant.

We finally all sit down for dinner at Cheesecake Factory, the girls had stepped away to the ladies room, when the guy at the table next to me gets up to leave, and says..."If you dont mind me asking how old are your daughters, because I was trying to figure it out because mine look the same age and I know how old I am." I acted quickly to explain who they were and he laughed and congratulated me on being a father soon. Thinking back though, it took some guts to ask me that if they really were my daughters, i really am not sure what I would have thought if they were.

The funny part was that was not the last comment made. We were walking out of the restaurant, Allyson leading, the girls, and then myself pulling up the rear. As we walked out a younger couple was sitting there, where the girl looked at us and audibly said "WOW" as we walked by. You know it is funny I would just give a person the benefit of the doubt that they are baby sitting or whatever first, and not just assume they were a bunch of crazy teenagers that got pregnant. PLUS it is like I told Allyson, if we did for some reason have two kids at 16 and 17 and are pregnant again and eating at Cheesecake Factory, I would say we did pretty good :).

So while it was a fun night, the funny looks made me laugh the most.

PS..To all guys, do not get duped into seeing Hairspray.

Getting more and more real...

It is a funny time, sometimes it feels like time just stands still because you cannot wait to see them, and other times it feels like we are living in fast forward. The more days past thought the more real it all becomes.

We got the invitation to one of Allyson's baby showers, we are even starting to get some things bought off our registry. The nursery is to a point where it is waiting for bedding, the garage is clean, the shelves are installed, we are really getting ready for them to be here.

It all seems like it is just coming together, with 12 weeks max left. Now if I can just figure out that diaper changing thing :).

Nesting

You know you read a lot of stuff in books or on websites, a lot of it is really good, some isn't and some you just don't know what to think about it. One of the things I am referring to is reading about pregnant woman going through the "Nesting Phase."

I am here to tell you that this is very very real. Over the past couple weeks I have seen a woman on a mission. Clean the carpets, clean the house, get the nursery ready, touch up the paint in the house, add shelves to all closets for storage, clean the garage (are the babies going to hang out in the garage?), clean the bathroom drawers, clean out the kitchen cabinets, add cabinets to the laundry room...shall I continue. I am convinced God put this phase in to get you prepared for the cost of children.

Tonight it was hilarious, Allyson was talking and in mid sentence she just breaks into "I have to clean out the freezer" and then just continued talking. I could not help but laugh.

All I can say is the carpets are cleaned, closets are done (thanks to my Dad for helping me out), I will be cleaning the garage this weekend, and cabinets are going into the laundry room next month...help me...13 weeks and counting.

Putting together nursery furniture...

Well, it has been a while, been kinda crazy the past few weeks. Hannah and Leah got to go to the beach for a week and they even were able to get some sun, but waiting for us when we got back was the baby furniture. Actually we are still waiting on the special order glider, but everything else came in.



Thanks to my awesome neighbor Chad, we got it delivered and he helped me get it out of the truck and into the house, each piece averages 100 pounds except for the cribs. Allyson had to work late the night it came in, so I got into SUPER HUSBAND/DAD mode, I will just put the cribs together before she gets home, winning me some points. Well it is a good thing no one was around because putting together a crib without help I am sure was a funny thing to watch.

Step 1: Hold cross piece with hands, balance side pieces between legs and with chin (That part was not explained in the instructions).

After struggling with one crib for over an hour, my SUPER HUSBAND/DAD powers had run out (along with my patience), but hey I got one together and that was plenty to make Allyson happy. The next day the process was pretty much repeated, with some help from Allyson. I must say it makes it a little more real when you see those two cribs side by side.





There is a changing table, but I have not taken a photo since we got the drawer fixed on it.

The pink and white are really a lot for a guy to take in, but as every day passes I get more and more excited about seeing our two little girls, but as you can see they are not even born and I am doing things I would never do voluntarily.

Kody's Gift

Even though this blog is supposed to be about the girls, I have to write about my four legged son for a moment, since perhaps this is preparing me to be a mom.

Last night while I was taking a shower, Matt let the dogs out and came in the bathroom to take out his contacts. Busily washing my hair, I was oblivious to the scene that was playing out in the bathroom until I hear a bunch of yelling from Matt. All I could see through the fogged glass was my wonderful husband shoe-ing the dogs out of the room. And then I saw it. Out of the corner of my eye, laying in the bathroom tile was a brown blob... that moved. A RABBIT! Kody brought us a present! It made its way into the closet and hid under some clothes. The whole time I am yelling at Matt, "IS IT ALIVE???? IS IT SUFFERING??? I DONT WANT TO SEE IT!!! ... Do you need help??? " (Like I was going to be much good seeing an innocent creature who my beloved dog decided to bring in to us.) So for some reason, Matt did say he would need my help (HAHA) so I hurried and got out of the shower. I refused to look at the little bunny. "Is it dead yet?" I kept asking. "ALMOST!" Matt would say. I got a laundry basket and put a towel in the bottom and gave Matthew another towel to pick up the rabbit when it did in fact die (probably out of shock from all the screaming - bet Kody had little to do with this murderous act). So Matt watched Little Rabbit take its last breath and scooped him into the basket. I am an emotional pregnant woman. Probably a good thing Matt took care of all this. Little Rabbit was then taken out into the woods and that was that. Kody was the proudest thing you would ever see. I yelled at him, but he did not understand why. He thought he did something good! Like "I normally catch birds, Mama, didn't I do a good job this time???". It was time for bed after that, but Abby, our beagle was on the hunt all through the bathroom and bedroom for the next 2 hours, determined it may still be in the house.
I am thankful Matt had been there, because if I had been alone I don't know what I would have done. I would have knocked on every neighbors door but I would not have looked at that rabbit. Unfortunately I would have needed the exact play by play Matt had given me on his status and well being. That could have gotten annoying. Also, it makes me glad I am having girls since hopefully they will not bring lizards or snakes or any other creatures into this house. Kody does a good enough job at that. All in all, fun night!!!

Gotta love the "Words of Encouragement"

I am about 22.5 weeks right now, and yes I am showing quite a lot. But thats ok, because there are two growing girls in there! What I am starting to hear more and more of however are the lovely words from stangers as they offer their comments regarding my growing belly.

It started at 18 weeks when a man at the elevator at work asked me how many months i was. Shocked that he could even tell in my baggy scrubs, let alone be daring enough to comment,I told him - and I got that look of disbelief. He did not stop there though, he went on to say "Wow! You look big for 18 weeks!" I find myself wanting to defend my little belly and so I then must tell the inquisitive stranger that there are in fact two babies in there.

Then there were the ladies at walmart and at a recent party we went to. The question starts: How far along are you? and I tell them ___ weeks. I get the look of shock and I again must tell that I am having twins. Most of the time I hear "Oh my gosh! Poor you! I wasnt that big until I was ready to deliver!" Thank you... I get it! :)

I think the funniest comment lately came from the lady at Food World. She looked at me and said "It wont be long now!" I laughed and had to tell her, actually , I am 5 and a half months... Shock and disbelief follows where I feel like I must defend myself and state that I am having twins. "Girl, you look ready to deliver!" Actually I dont... but thank you for the words of encouragement.

Really I find all of this very amusing. What I dont like is the image that follows in my head ... Ok, if I am like this now (which i am not HUGE at the moment, but growing rapidly) what will I be like in a couple months!? Luckily I have a wonderful neighbor who showed me her pregnancy picture and I have to say she was quite huge with just one. But she is small and she looks great now, so if she can do it, so can I.

On a different note, we had our 22 week appointment on Monday and everything seems good so far. I met another doctor in the practice who is quite a cutie but does not seem old enough to have 4 kids of his own! He has 8 year old twins, and he told me to hope for a 36 week delivery, but prepare for 32. Thats the second week in September!!! Had a little freak out moment but I am good now. The heartbeats were 156 and 159. And I officially hit the 15 pound mark per the doctors scale... I know that is normal, but it is a strange milestone to reach! :)

We also got our baby furniture in this week, all but the glider. The room is definitely small for 2 cribs but it works and it feels good to be one step closer in getting prepared when there is so much to do! Matt is cute because he will just walk in there and admire his work. The room is the most feminine room out there. I love it.

Its all coming together! I cannot believe in a few months we will be a family of 6! (of course I am including my dogs in this count). Time is definitely flying!