32 weeks/My wishes for the girls/Baby Cahill Arrives

First--let us say congrats to the Cahills (blog linked on the right) Baby Mallory is Addy & Lilly's first friend born during the "year of the babies". Here's a picture...welcome to the world!

"Modified bed rest" gets a girl thinking and here are just a few of the things I wish for you, Addy & Lilly.

• Your dad is one of the most caring people on the planet, truly someone that would give you the shirt of his back. He jokes that he's as loyal as a golden retriever and most of his friends would agree. I think of my life in 2 phases, pre-Jeremy and post-Jeremy because he changed me. Not in a creepy way, he still gave me room to be who I am. The truth is, I never saw myself as a wife and a bride until I saw myself with him and the same is true as a mother. I never imagined myself a parent until I found the guy I wanted to be a parent with. I hope you have his heart and his loyalty. (And just to be specific I hope you are spared his appetite and his body hair)
• Grandma Linda and Grandma Jody will become your best friends because they will spoil you--but I've told them it is only allowed until you are old enough to know you are being spoiled, then it has to stop. Linda has been through a lot, but the truth is I've never seen her lose faith, I hope you get this trait from her. Jody will teach you to stand up for yourself and to embrace your own individuality. (She's also a science teacher, so she's responsible for teaching you about bugs & frogs and stuff.
• Grandpa Ian has traveled many places and has a strong sense of adventure and respect for other cultures, I hope you learn this from him.
• Grandpa Dave is a music buff and never happier than when he is listening to live music with a cocktail in his hand. He loves to have a good time and loves life. He will teach you this at a very young age.
• Your aunt Cat is a character. She's an avid shopper and your shoe closet already reflects her good taste. She is also one of the smartest women I know. She knows that you can only pass the SAT's or GRE's (or any of life's big tests for that matter) if you are wearing the right outfit and feeling good about yourself. You'll learn a lot from her, but this will be an important lesson as she is the only aunt in a sea of uncles.
• Uncle Chris is the life of the party, much like Grandpa Dave, but when the party is over, he is the first to lend a helping hand when needed. I have no doubt that he and your dad will help you master the 3-point shot, pitch a softball, score a touchdown, etc. My challenge will be to keep them from trying to get this done all at once.
• Uncle Jon is very laid back and doesn't let much bother him. He knows who he is and doesn't apologize for it. He's definately Hoosier proud and wants to take you to IU's campus as soon as you are old enough to show you where you are going to go to school, but mom may make a detour. Your mom & dad are a little high strung, so hopefully Uncle Jon will teach you some balance :-)
• Uncle Joe is an avid outdoorsman. He and your dad will take you camping and won't let you be girly girls. They'll teach you how to fish and appreciate nature in it's simplest form. (I'm also convinced he'll have a set of golf clubs for you as soon as you are old enough to walk.)

There are so many people beyond just our immediate families who are amazing in their own right. Your mom, dad, friends and family will teach you that the world is yours for the taking. A common fear parents expecting twins has is the concern that each child won't develop their own sense of identity, however looking at where you come from and the 2 families that merged to bring you into the world, that isn't a concern of mine at all. Here's a pic at 32 weeks...

31 weeks

31 weeks and still cooking. After last week's blood pressure scare, my doctor is seeing me much more regularly with the hope of putting off labor atleast 3 weeks, but another 5 would be ideal. If we can make it to 36 weeks, the chances are great that the babies would come home with me from the hospital, anything before that, they would spend some additional time in the hospital. He has me on very limited activities, only part-time work from home and resting A LOT. I've heard from a lot of people, "Take advantage of this time" and "You won't get any rest after the babies are born, so enjoy it." I take this to heart and know that each day they stay in the healthier they are, but those who know me well, know this is not in my nature. Thanks for the well-wishes...and Cat & Matt a public shout-out for the beautiful flowers!

30 weeks

Jeremy and I had our pictures taken a week or so ago. Neither of us were too thrilled to do it, but we knew we would regret not having some good pictures (especially if this is the only pregnancy for us). I wanted them taken before I became too large and uncomfortable and the photographer did a great job! Her name is Kate and she is primarily out of North Carolina & New Orleans, but she has family here in Indy and began her business here. Here is one of my favorite shots. She'll also be taking pictures of the twins after their arrival! She even highlighted us on her blog, you can check it out at: http://littlelightphoto.wordpress.com/

We had a doctors visit today and got to see the babies again. It is getting VERY crowded in there and both were a bit camera shy, so no good sonogram photos. They are 3 lb. 7 oz and 3 lb 9 oz. and ranking in the high percentile for size--so this is very good. As for me, not so good, my blood pressure has been climbing over the last 3 appointments and the doc is concerned. He has told me I have to take a couple days off work and off my feet to try and get it in control. He's going to see me again Friday to plan where we go from here. We'll hope bedrest isn't the solution, but if that is what it is going to take to get these babies here healthy, we may not have any other options. He said he really wants to see me clear 34 weeks and 36 would be ideal. Keep us in your thoughts & prayers.

29 Weeks and it is HOT in Indiana

I welcome week 29 with new faith that the babies are healthy & happy. We had a scare last week. I went in for my glucose test and was told I had high blood pressure, which is the first sign of preclampsia (something I really want to avoid as it would put me on bed rest) and I "failed" the diabetes test. This meant I went in for a 1/2 day test on Friday. I had to fast after dinner Thursday and go in Friday morning. They drew blood as a control before I drank this glucose liquid, then I drank the stuff (think orange fanta with double the sugar) and waited an hour, then they drew my blood again, then waited an hour, then they drew my blood again. I had to sit at the lab the entire time so they could watch me and make sure I didn't pass out. By the time the last blood was drawn it was almost noon, I hadn't eaten in over 15 hours, I was sweating, shaky and really cranky. Talk about cruel and unusual punishment for a pregnant chic! Anyway, the good news is, I passed and to quote the nurse practitioner "with flying colors". This means I won't be going on a no-carb, no-sugar diet, I don't have to monitor my blood sugar through pricks to my finger after every meal and I don't have to give myself insulin. GD, as the nurse called it also comes with some dangers to the babies and an increase for pre-term labor and a c-section. I'd had high anxiety about it most of the weekend, so today we breathe a little sigh of relief. The doctor will monitor my blood pressure closely to catch preclampsia if if roars its ugly head, but for now, we keep on truckin.

I read that this is an important week for Addy & Lilly's brain development. The brain has now matured to the point where it can help regulate body temperature. They aren't ready to do it all on their own yet, but still a pretty remarkable milestone. Jeremy heads out west this week for a wedding in Lake Tahoe of some good friends of ours. I'm jealous as I'd love a vacation right about now, but I'll keep working and incubating :-) Keep your fingers crossed that the babies stay put for a while as he knows I'd never forgive him if he was in the wilderness of the west when the babies decided it was time to arrive. After this trip, he is on the same "restricted travel" orders I am!

28 Weeks-4th of July

Michelle, a friend for almost 10 years now, is expecting a baby boy around the same time that the girls are due. She reminded me that last year's fourth of July celebration was spent together with our husbands, drinking too much and watching fireworks off the back deck of her old home. Within the year, Jeremy and I and her and Paul have each moved houses and found out we were expecting 3 babies between the 2 of us! It has been a blessing to share the journey with a good friend, but she is absolutely right when she said, "A lot has changed in a year." We'll celebrate again tomorrow, (but we'll probably over-eat instead of drink) and the topics of conversation will be geared towards baby equipment, her upcoming shower, anxieties about labor & delivery and other things in lieu of last year's gossip. Regardless, we will enjoy the day!

As Jeremy & I now enter into the 28th week of this journey, there are some funny anecdotes I'd like to write about as they are things no one warned me about...

Weight gain--Now don't get me wrong, I knew I'd gain weight, I guess I just didn't figure it would be so fast. I'm up 40 pounds since the day I took the positive pregnancy test and Saturday morning put it all in perspective. I woke up, struggling to breathe a little (more on that later) and I hoisted myself up to the sitting position. As I did, I heard--crack--Jeremy rolled over, "What was that?". He knew full well what it was, but was uncertain of my mood or emotional stability and is learning to feel out whether the situation calls for sympathetic support or laughter. In this case, it was laughter, I had broken one of the slats supporting our bed....nothing like that to make you feel good about yourself. **Picture to the left is not me, we won't be chronicling any of my weigh-ins on camera.

Nosebleeds--This is weird to me as I've never really had these pre-pregnancy, but something about these girls has caused my gums to bleed when I brush my teeth and my nose to spontaneously bleed every other day or so.

Panting--Let's just say the other day at work, I was sitting at my desk and kept getting disturbed by this noise...it took me a minute to realize that it was me breathing! I expected difficulty climbing stairs or walking long distances, but typing--you gotta be kidding me.

Hiccups--Yes, the babies get them on occasion, but my own have gotten out of control. I'll hiccup once at random or I'll have violent hiccups for several minutes. My doctor said this is caused by one of them finding my diaphragm a comfy place to hang out, but I've gotten some weird looks in meetings or walking around the grocery store as I have no control over them.

I'm sure there will be more things to add to the list later, but that's it for now.

Happy 4th of July!