Wake up!

We called the NICU this morning and spoke with the babies' doctor to get an update. We were thrilled with the news.

- Both Ethan and Sydney would have their picc lines (like an I.V. but going into the superior vena cava of the heart) removed today. They've been receiving TPN (like a glorified multi vitamin that is made for them every 24 hours based on blood labs) and lipids (fats) through their picc line and they don't need them anymore because they're getting enough nutrition from my milk.

- Both Ethan and Sydney would move to .5 liters of forced air per second of respiratory support.

- Both would stay at their same feeding levels because they'd spit up a bit.

- They would be sharing a bed by the evening! This made our day. I told Doug, "our babies are rock stars!"

We went to church (just Sacrament Meeting) and then down to the hospital to hold our babies. They are so sweet.

Sydney...

Ethan...

We came home for dinner and returned to see them put in the same bed. Although we called the nurse to tell her we were coming to watch, she put Sydney in with Ethan seconds before we were at their bed...we were disappointed, but only for a minute. We got to see them cuddled up together. It was adorable. Ethan is on the left, Sydney on the right.

Apparently Ethan is starting to pester his little sister already. He kept reaching out and touching her with his clubbed foot. We were laughing.

Here's one of our favorite videos of the night. Ethan's turned foot was a perfect fit for Sydney's diaper...

After being there for about an hour watching them sleep, I tried to wake them up. My efforts didn't work, but we had a good laugh. I think this is the hardest we've ever laughed in the NICU. It helped that our nurse wasn't there. She was off freezing my milk (I am days ahead of them which is nice because I don't have to rush milk to the hospital).

If you have any questions, you're welcome to leave comments and Doug or I will respond.

Boarding...

We stayed at the hospital last night. We found out that we could stay free of charge if approved by the hospital's social worker. After visiting Ethan and Sydney until about midnight, we headed to our room. Doug blew up our new air mattress that we've used once. When we realized that it wasn't holding air, we opted to share the hospital bed for the night. Yes, it is a twin-sized bed. After a long day, I was exhausted and not excited about the idea (sorry Doug), but didn't want to go home. Ironically, we both slept so hard and Doug's cell phone alarm was set incorrectly...so we didn't wake up until 6 am! I leapt out of bed and ran for the pump. I've joked with the nurses here that the pump is my best friend...we get along great!

It was great to see the babies when we woke up and then took a short nap and came to see them again. I tell them both that they are my favorites (it's a good think I can say "favorite boy" and "favorite girl"). The update:

- Sydney is up to 21 cc per feeding. That is pretty amazing--almost 1 oz (30 cc)!

- Ethan is up to 25 cc per feeding. Again, we're thrilled.

- They are both off the bilirubin lights and free from their glasses. We thought they were so cute when we first saw them but are so glad to see them go!

- They are both down to 1 liter on respiratory support (I believe it's 1 liter per second of forced room air)

- Their feeding tubes are moving from their mouth to their nose. This will make the nurses' lives easier. Both Ethan and Sydney love to yank on their feeding tubes and nasal cannula (Oxygen).

- They are moved to 40% humidity instead of 50%. They put them on humidity to help them maintain their body weight. We didn't really care at first, but now they require us to wear gloves when we touch them because humid air is a breeding ground for bacteria. Lame.

- They have both gained weight. Ethan is weighing in at 3 lbs 9 oz and Sydney was 3 lbs 8 oz this morning, but 3 lb 6 oz this evening. Evidently, when they start gaining weight (which will happen in the next few days) they will gain 15-30 grams (.5-1 oz) per night.

Grandma Marchant came to visit the babies today.

The nurse last night told us that she is off shifts for 5 days and when she comes back she fully expects they will be off their picc lines and respiratory support. We were encouraged to have an idea of how long this would last. At that point, they would put them in the same bed together.

Today is another good day. Doug and I have really enjoyed being close to them for the whole day. We waited until after shift changes for their bath time. They looked so cute all clean. I told Doug that these are our new date nights...being with our babies. We love it. Here is a cute video of Sydney's bath. (I posted videos from last night this afternoon...see post below).

Ethan was a little wild during his bath as well. I didn't have an appropriate video where he wasn't exposed...so here is a photo.

Ethan all cleaned up.

Sydney was relaxed after her stressful bath experience. She is so precious. I can tell the difference between their two faces now. They are looking older.

Friday's Quick Update

Doug and I are 'boarding' at the hospital tonight so we can visit the babies whenever we want. We've spent most of the evening with them and loved every minute. It's getting late, but I wanted to share a quick update.

Ethan is up in feedings! He is now getting 18 cc of my milk every 3 hours. That's over 1/2 ounce. His bilirubin levels were down this morning, but they are keeping him under lights for one more day. He has one more day with the shades. He has gained weight (we're on the up-swing) and now weighs 3 lbs 8 oz after his initial weight loss. He went down in respiratory support to 1.5 liters of forced room air through his nasal cannula. (I can't believe all the terms we're learning.)

Sydney is also up in feedings! This is good news for them being able to be free of their picc lines (once they don't need additional nutrition) and be able to share a bed together. Her bilirubin levels were also lower, but she is under lights one more day. She lost a little weight and is weighing in at a whopping 3 lbs 6 oz. She went down in respiratory support to 1.5 liters also...she has caught up with Ethan in this department.

They are getting cuter by the day and I think they look bigger--even though they are weighing in less. I'll just share a quick video tonight and hit the airbed--which is mysteriously losing air...could be an interesting night.

Here's 2 videos--Ethan going cross-eyed and Ethan getting fed. Both of them keep going cross-eyed tonight (we haven't seen their eyes much since they've been on the bilirubin lights though). The nurse told us that this is normal and it's just due to the muscles not being completely developed. Hope that stops soon--it's freaky!

One of the 5 criteria for them to come home is "suck, swallow, breathe". Babies don't normally have this reflex until 34 weeks and they mature slower outside my belly than inside. That's why we get so excited when he wants something in his mouth when getting fed.

Today's NICU update

We arrived at the NICU today to a new doctor and an update. Both Ethan and Sydney tolerated their feedings well and both went up on their amount of milk. They measure this by pulling back on the syringe that is connected to their feeding tube to see how much partially digested milk is in their bellies. If they digest a good portion, they consider that good. Ethan went from 10 cc to 12 cc (almost 1/2 oz) and Sydney went from 4 cc to 8 cc. We are hoping this will help them gain weight!

Both their bilirubin levels went down. This means they lost one of two lights that were on them (and now there is more room by their beds--yeah!) Also, tomorrow they may pull the lights all together if their bilirubin levels are better. That was great news. We are excited to see their eyes more often. The sunglasses are cute, but not as cute as their eyes.

They have been on 3 liters of forced air per second on the high flow nasal cannula going into their noses. It's been amazing watching how Sydney caught up with Ethan. In the beginning, Ethan was 12 hours "ahead" of Sydney as they turned down their respiratory support. Now, they are even. They have been at a 3 for a day or so, and the doctor said they are going to 2.5 today and then down .5 every day. They tend to go down and end back up at 3 a few times, so we're excited that we're on a gradual decrease now.

One of my favorite shots of Sydney tonight--with her hand over her face. I think this is exactly what Ethan did last night.

I've had a few questions as to whether they look identical in person. They do look a lot alike--I think part of it is that their features are so small. I am starting to be able to tell a difference, but I have not seen them side by side ever. They may look different when I see them right next to each other.

We were both able to hold the babies tonight. Doug held Ethan and I held Sydney. They are so fun to cuddle--can't wait until there are less tubes. We are hoping one of them can go off of their IV soon so they will put them in the same bed together. There may be a few more days until we know.

Wednesday: Holding our Babies

The best part of my day was when I first arrived at the NICU. Sydney had her bili lights off for a minute and her "glasses" were off. She was wide awake and alert. She sat and looked at me for about 45 minutes. The nurse brought her feeding and I asked if I could feed her some drops of my milk in her mouth. She responded so well--she sucked her binki and sat looking up at me. I felt like a mom for the first time. It's been odd to have two babies and not take them home. I haven't been able to call myself "mom" to them and really feel it until she was gazing up at me.

Doug visiting Ethan.

Sydney loved her binki after I fed her a little of my milk in her mouth. After I gave her the binki, she held her hand up to it so it stayed in place. So sweet.

Ethan seemed to be tired of the lights on his face...we laughed when we saw this.

Later that night we were able to hold both babies again and the nurse gave them their feeding of my milk while I was holding them. Amazing how good it felt to have something that came from me go to them. I turned to Doug last night and said, "today was a good day." I loved it.

A day at the NICU

We spent a lot of time in the NICU today. Doug and I both commented how it felt like they were our babies a little more because we were able to spend most of the day with them. My mom visited as well. She was there when they gave Ethan a new set of shades. He is also under lights for jaundice this morning. They have both lost some weight and are down to 3 lbs 5 oz and 3 lbs 7 oz (not sure which one was which). They have put them both on humidified air to help keep their weight up.

We met with Annie, an occupational therapist, who gave us some tips on how to help us bond with our babies when they were in the NICU. We are going to talk to them for 30 seconds when we get there (preferably at feeding times--1, 4, 7, & 10) and then touch the same place on their body every time. She told me that they know my smell and studies have shown that they can sense me 50 feet away. She also said that Ethan's foot looks like it can be corrected with a splint that they re-do every week. We will meet with an orthopedic specialist sometime this week. She also talked with the doctor and got approval for us to hold Ethan once per day! That was amazing considering we were hearing 2-3 times per week at this point. We like Annie a lot! She then showed us how we can give them a tiny taste of my milk in their mouth when the nurse feeds them in their feeding tubes. It was really fun to try.

The Pediatric Cardiologist tech came for the echos today and both Ethan and Sydney were able to have one. I held Sydney to keep her calm, but she pulled out her feeding tube during the echo. I helped calm her while the nurse pulled off the tape off her face and put a new one back in after. She cried a little, which was hard for me. I feel like a wuss when they cry because they are so little and look so fragile. The doctor told us that the preliminary report was optimistic. Both Ethan and Sydney's hearts are growing and developing and they are pretty confident that the murmurs will go away on their own as they mature.

Sydney had her picc line put in today. That was good news because we were one step closer to holding her. The criteria for us to hold them are:

1. The lines coming from their umbilical cord need to removed (Sydney's are still in below)

2. They need to be off CPAP (both babies are off)

3. Their picc line is put in when they have no umbilical lines, and we need to wait 4 hours after both the lines are removed and/or the picc line is put in. They monitor them for bleeding.

Sydney was all stretched out while the nurse prepped her for her picc line. I asked if they sedated her at all and they said they gave her 'sweeties' which is basically sugar water. The nurse told me this acts like morphine in premies. Thought that was interesting...my baby was sedated with sugar water today.

We went home for dinner and went back to the hospital because Sydney had her picc line in and umbilical lines removed at 5 pm. That meant we could hold her around 9 pm! I thought I'd share this video so you could see how they give her to me to hold. I get nervous watching them take them from the beds.

It was just as amazing to hold her. She was so sweet. I was so excited that nurse suggested we feed them while I was holding them. This will help them transition to me feeding them later. She gave her a tiny bit of milk in her mouth as the milk flowed with gravity into her belly. She started licking her a lips a little--great news. Then we gave her the pacifier to see if she would suck and boy did she! She has passed her brother in the amount of milk they are giving her. Ethan is getting 6 cc (1 oz is 30 cc) and Sydney is getting 3 cc. They measure their digestion and give them more milk as their digestion improves.

I then asked the nurse if Doug could hold Ethan for our daily hold instead of me. They've been wanting me to hold him so I produce antibodies for both of them. I knew how much Doug wanted to hold even one of them. The nurse quickly said that was fine and said that Doug could hold Sydney while I moved and held Ethan. Doug was thrilled and I got so much joy out of watching him hold her for the first time. It was wonderful.

The nurse then offered to let Doug hold Ethan as well. We felt like we had won the lottery. We decided that she is our new favorite nurse!

So many updates in one day

We were woken up by the NICU doctor, Molly, this morning saying she was ending her shift and wanted to give us an update. Doug had crawled into my bed and we were a little emotional when she opened the door. We knew today was the day we'd be leaving the hospital without babies in the back seat.

- Molly told us that Sydney was off of CPAP and onto the Nasal Canula like Ethan.

- Both babies were given some of my milk at 7 am for the first time.

- One of Ethan's lines into his umbilical cord was also removed.

- Ethan was now down to a 2 on respiratory support and Sydney was now at a 3.

This is when he had our first bad news. They had been doing so well, it was hard to hear anything that wasn't positive:

- They heard a heart murmur on Sydney. They said that this is so common with premies but that due to my family history, they had ordered a echocardiogram ( basically an ultrasound of the heart). We haven't seen that doctor yet, but are pretty confident it will correct itself as her heart matures. She said they normally wouldn't be concerned at all except for my family history.

- Ethan had some heart issues where his heart rate would drop significantly. They had given him caffeine (very small amount) via IV to help correct this and he was responding really well.

- Sydney's bilirubin levels were high enough that she was going to go under lights today to treat jaundice.

We spent some time with them before leaving the hospital for home. We took a long nap and went back to hold Ethan tonight! We found out that when the doctor ordered a hold (yes, the babies a prescribed that we hold them), it is usually for 30-60 minutes with only one person. We cannot hand him back and forth--it is too stressful for them. We also found out that at this point it might be 2 times per week. It was hard to decide who would hold until the lactation consultant told us that when I hold the babies, my body makes the antibodies that they are needing. She said that my milk is "premie milk" that is designed for their needs as pre-term babies. It is higher in protein. So, they encouraged us that I hold Ethan tonight but we had to wait 4 hours after his picc line was in. We came home for a nap and returned to the hospital.

When we arrived, we noticed that both babies were in the same "bed". This means that they were in the spot where normally one bed can go. There are only 5 of these "beds" in the NICU at this hospital. There is a set of triplets in "bed" 5. Until today, they had been "beds" 2 and 3. They said that soon they will be in placed together in the very same bed (literally). That was so great! Now you can see all the wires and things they are hooked up to.

The nurse asked if we were ready to hold Ethan. That is why we were there at the hospital at 10:30 at night. We knew he wouldn't be ready until at least 9 pm (4 hours after his picc line was put in).

It was an amazing experience.

Can't think of anything else that would put into words how great it was to hold him for the first time and have his head against my chest. Because he cannot regulate his body temperature, they had me hold him right against my skin.

I held him until 11:30 pm and then the nurses left for a c-section to bring twins into the NICU. They were 34 weeks and 5 lbs. It was hard to see twins that were just 2 weeks longer in the womb and were so much bigger than our babies. Doug and I both realized the difference a few days can make, but the nurse took some time to reassure us that Ethan and Sydney are progressing so well and are healthy...just growing into their bodies still.

After I held him, the nurse positioned him the cutest way. She told us that they are still too premature to position themselves, so she places his legs and arms for him. He is so cute.

Ethan's Debut

No More CPAP

Today at 3:00 pm we had a celebration in the NICU. Ethan was taken off of CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure--on Sydney below) and put on a Nasal Canula (below). This is a big step for his progression and a big step toward our being able to hold him. We could hold him as early as tomorrow morning. We are waiting now to see if they will remove the tubes from his umbilical cord. If they do, we will cuddle him so much tomorrow. This was my first look at his face. I only saw his back when they put him on my belly for only a few seconds, so we were excited to find out that he is cute!!

This is the first good shot of his cute little right foot that is turned in. This is most likely the position he took inside my body that made his foot turn. Poor guy was pretty squished in there.

This is their first efforts to get his foot to straighten. They are trying to prevent him from doing what he did above (Ethan's indian style) in order to give his foot room. He didn't like this--he is happy in his squished position. We will meet with an occupational therapist to see about a splint while he is here. The doctor in the NICU said that a splint may be all he needs. She was able to move his foot toward straight pretty easily today. We were excited for the news. We knew about it on my 24 week ultrasound, but it looked a bit worse when we saw it.

As for Sydney, she could be on the same Nasal Canula tomorrow. She is still on CPAP at the moment, but doing really well. There is a chance we'll hold her tomorrow too, but I'd expect later in the afternoon. She has been about 12 hours behind him in progression. Funny, since she led the way out...

In the delivery room

So I wasn't suppose to video in the delivery room, but I got this great video of Sydney before getting told to put it away. You can hear Ethan's heartbeat in the background, Heather was preparing to deliver him at the time.

A Video of Ethan during his first day.

A Video of Sydney

Their first photos

Sydney right at birth. These are the NICU nurses and doctors checking her out and evaluating her lungs.

The only shot I have of Ethan on our video camera. We'll take more tonight and then post our photos on our camera later.

Sydney in the NICU. They'd just done a breathing treatment and were putting her back in her cozy blankets. This was about 90 minutes after she was born.

Doug caught a shot of us holding hands.

She is so tiny--and so cute. Those diapers look massive on her.

Apparently Sydney was the target of most of our photos today. I took these photos from the video we'd taken. I'll try to get some more up soon.

Two Miracles

This morning at 4:45 am I woke up and realized that I might be in labor. By 7:00 the nurse said I was ready to deliver and basically ran out of the room. I shocked everyone--including myself. By 8:00 am I was on the operating table awaiting an ultrasound report to know the babies position. The doctors scrambled to the hospital in time and I think I had about 10-12 people "hopping" around the OR getting ready. There were 2 doctors (one per baby), 2 nurses, and the staff (doctors and nurses) from the NICU ready to take the babies. I think there were 3-4 per baby. The anesthesiologist was there too behind me waiting to hear if I would be put under.

We welcomed the happy news that the boy was turned head down and ready along side his sister! They told the anesthesiologist that he could leave (I was glad to see him leave) when I refused the epidural and both babies arrived by 9:06 am. I'll admit after our baby girl arrived at 8:52 am, I felt spent and a little tired that I would need to do that again. After only a few minutes, our baby boy arrived at 9:06 am. They both are nearly the same weight at 3 lbs 10 oz, 17 3/4 inches long (girl--Sydney) and 3 lbs 10.5 oz, 16 1/2 inches long (boy--Ethan). Their heads look pretty good size, but their bodies are pretty tiny. Their breathing looks pretty labored and they tend to skip a few breaths. I didn't see them really until an hour or so after delivery when they wheeled me into the NICU. They both have dark hair and we've seen Sydney's dark eyes. Ethan hasn't shown his eyes to us yet.

It is pretty hard to see such tiny babies hooked up to so many tubes, but they are ours and we feel so blessed. We've shed our fair share of tears today, but we are still excited and hopeful that we'll be able to hold them soon and take them home with us within the next weeks or months.

We can visit them in the NICU often, but there are no windows and very few visitors are allowed. So, we can only show them off via photos and video. We didn't bring our camera cord with us, but have some video I'll upload a little later. Thanks for your love and prayers--we have felt the presence of many angels sustaining us this week as we've prepared for their early arrival. We'll have time to get our babies' room ready at home for a few weeks while the great staff of doctors and nurses take care of our very little ones.

Hello from my bed

I am off the high doses of magnesium as of Wednesday afternoon, so this morning I feel pretty great. Surprisingly, I feel rested--I don't sleep much in this hospital bed. It's Friday and there is still no sign of babies. We are relieved.

My doctors say we're playing a waiting game. We are watching for infection (fever), active labor, or me going crazy. They have me hooked up to monitors during the day listening to the babies, but I get two 4 hour breaks at night! I love listening to them, but it is harder to sleep. Doug also is grateful because he can sleep. I told him that it's probably the only time the babies' kicking will keep him awake at night. It feels a little nice to give him a dose of it. They are so active and the nurses have to move the monitors usually every 1-2 hours to keep them "on".

As of this morning, they will be removing my IV thing in my arm. They were going to put another one in, but I asked my doctor and he said I don't need to. The little things that bring me joy right now. I think I told Doug 3 times how excited I am not to have that IV thing in my arm.

Overall, life is good. The babies are growing and I'm still pregnant. Tomorrow is 32 weeks and 34 weeks doesn't feel so far away anymore. Thanks for your support, love, and prayers.

Bed Rest Transfer...

I think that Heather has been wanting to post an update, so I guess I can help out with that:). We have been admitted into Timpanogos Hospital now for Heather to continue bed rest here. I say "we" but I guess it is more Heather. We both have hospital wrist bands, though I really belong to Heather as my band has her name AND barcode on it. I laughed that she had become a box of cereal and the nurse quickly reminded me that I also had a barcode, but it wasn't even a unique one. It is Heather's barcode! So I guess that make's me the generic brand cereal or something. In short, she was admitted because she is probably leaking amniotic fluid. Though as of yesterday an ultrasound still showed plenty of fluid around both babies. She was having regular contractions yesterday, and they gave her some magnesium sulfate to relax these. Gratefully, she has not had any more contractions since last night. At this point the goal is to keep these babies in as long as possible, but the staff here will take great care of them if the kids decide to arrive sooner versus later. The hospital staff said to expect the babies to be in the hospital until about Heather's due date (March 20) unless they stay in for a few more weeks. At this point the girl is measuring 3 lbs 11 ozs and the boy is measuring 4 lbs 1 oz.

I am just so grateful to Heather for sacrificing in this way for the wellbeing of these babies. It isn't fun to be in a hospital bed all day and night, hooked up to IVs and baby monitors and yet she is laughing and joking through it all.

Bed Rest

Happy Monday morning. Yup, bed rest for me. My body is just too ready (or the babies are thinking--"we don't like it in here, let's break loose!"). As of 5:15 pm last night, I am on strict bed rest with "bathroom privileges only". It's funny, the bathroom wasn't a privilege before, but now I look forward to the occasional trip! I have been laughing a lot--feels a little crazy that this is happening. No tears yet...although I am sure they are inevitable. The nurse said I can do some work from home as long as I don't get stressed. Doug assured her that it would be better for my stress level if I could do some work!

31 weeks 1 day

I went to the hospital yesterday for a non-stress test. It looks something like this:

I had 3 monitors (one for each baby and one for contractions) and I didn't hold anything--not sure what that lady is holding. I guess this is pretty normal for twin pregnancies. Baby A (girl) had an arrhythmia which I've never heard before and I've heard her heart beat many times. A friend let me borrow her little machine so I could listen to their heartbeats daily for the first 4-5 months. It look about an hour or so because with twins, they need to get both babies heart beats monitored continuously for about 20 minutes--just to make sure they are different babies. I had no contractions during the monitoring.

I don't think the babies liked the monitors. I should've taken a photo--my belly started bulging on the opposite side where the monitors were. It was really crazy looking. They stayed that way most of the night. "Get away from those freaky monitors". The nurse thinks both babies are now transverse...bad news. We'll see if they don't move and get comfortable with both heads down.

They consulted with my doctor and then came back and gave me a steroid shot to develop their lungs. I am to go back to the hospital today for another non-stress test, exam to see if I've progressed further, and get my second steroid shot (I guess it needs to be 24 hours after the first--I am learning a lot!)

We took a tour of the hospital afterward and asked questions. I found out that I will deliver the babies in the Operating Room (OR) instead of a labor and delivery room as I am "high risk" and may require an emergency c-section to help get the second baby out fast. Let me just tell you how exciting that sounds--deliver naturally and then get a c-section! :) I'd do it, but it would be my least favorite option.

In short, at around 5 pm tonight I'll know if I need to be on bed rest or not for at least 3 weeks. I think everyone that saw me today at church was lecturing me for being there--the word gets out fast! I am now diligently putting my feet up and "relaxing" while I blog. That counts as "laying low" right? I'll update this tonight or tomorrow with the latest (while "laying low" of course)...

31 weeks

Had a doctor appt today and told Doug not to worry about coming because it was my first appointment with no ultra sound. I ended up having an exam and finding out that my body is preparing for labor! I left the dr. office stunned and found myself talking to the babies out loud. "Stay in there babies. At least 3 more weeks." I am hoping they listen.

I go in to the hospital tomorrow morning to Labor and Delivery for a non-stress test and then go back to my doctor in one week. After calling Doug to give him the news, we were both a little freaked out today. I just walked into the "babies' room" and looked at the mess of things on the floor and thought--wow, we really aren't ready for them to come.

After Doug's sister Jenn encouraged me, I called the nurse at my dr. office and asked some questions. The nurse said that this is pretty common with twins and that I don't need to worry about bed rest. She also said I don't need to talk to my boss about the possibility. She just said that I need to not do anything "strenuous". I think that's my least favorite thing that they keep telling me. Sometimes I think the schedule I keep is too strenuous. This is one way of getting me to scale back...

Find Your Best Self

A month or two ago my sister, Tiffany, approached me about starting a new blog. Between the two of us, we have a whole lot of passion and drive about nutrition and wellness...it's a little scary. Even though she is not hundreds of miles away, when we talk on the phone, nutrition or fitness seems to work it's way into every conversation. It's a big part of my life. Occasionally, it's difficult for me to eat differently then most people, but every other time--I love it!

I just finished my first post and I'll be doing a giveaway next week. Check it out.

Warm weather for Christmas

Doug dreamed of watching the University of Utah in the Pointsettia bowl of 2009. I dreamed of a relaxing Christmas with him out of school. We decided to go to San Diego and enjoy the warm weather and drive home on Christmas Eve. Here are a few of the highlights (besides the bowl game--which Doug insisted I blog about first):

Doug wanted to take me to the Hotel Del Coronado on Coronado island and couldn't figure out what the big deal was about a hotel...until we got there. It was breathtaking and swarming with people. Right behind me in this photo was an ice skating rink they had up for the holidays. If I wasn't worried about toppling over, we would've gotten onto the ice rink that was basically on the beach. It is over 120 years old and many famous people have stayed there. It felt like a cool museum. We walked around for about an hour and could've stayed longer. It was a little chilly and my jacket isn't fitting the same for some reason...

We also went to Torrey Pines State Park for some hiking to some pretty great overlooks. San Diego is behind me in this photo. It was a humid day, but warm enough not to wear a coat! We'd left home when it was in the 'single digit' temperatures...so I wasn't complaining.

One of the overlooks, I tried to take a photo of us holding the camera myself...

We met a cute family who offered to take our photo when they saw me attempting it myself. Little did we know that we'd be up for a photo shoot. She had a pretty thick accent so I had a hard time understanding her as she told me to turn to the side and then to put my hands under my belly and for Doug to stand behind me. We were laughing pretty hard. We found out they lived in Utah at one time and chatted for a few minutes. They gave us some tourist ideas of what was a "must see" while we were in town. We're lucky we weren't in for a 30-minute photo shoot with her. So kind though.

Certain shirts make my belly look larger than others, and I am often told how small I look for carrying twins. I went in for my 28 week appt this last Wednesday and asked the doctor to measure me so I would know how I compared to a singleton pregnant belly. Yes, that is what it is called--singleton. I measured 33 weeks. In the photo above I was 27 weeks. It's nice to feel validated when I feel like I am waddling around.

The babies look healthy and are measuring exactly on time! The girl is measuring bigger than the boy and they are 2 days apart in development and size. Happy to report that the girl is baby A still (which means she will be delivered first at this point--she is lower) and is head down. We're hoping she stays that way. That will determine if I am in for a c-section or not. I keep telling her to stay happy where she is and get big and strong. The boy has been the mover--he's back transverse again and enjoys the occasional rub against my ribs. Overall, I feel great and we can't wait to meet them.