Finding comfort

As the boys get older it is so fun for me to see them develop their personalities and preferences.

Lo was the first of the two to learn to grab, and he loves grabbing his Aiden and Anis swaddle blanket and nuzzling it near his face... Paired with his beloved binky, he is a happy boy. My kids never were attached to blankets so I find this terribly endearing. And so incredibly stinking cute!

Lan on the other hand, while he tolerates pacifiers and blankets, prefers a more specific sort of comfort only mama can provide.

And you know what? I don't mind one bit.

Throwback Thursday in the rock n play

One week old...

And today at just over 10 weeks old...

I think it's safe to say they're growing! ;)

When it rains it pours (the twins two month checkups)

I was in the shower this morning when I heard the screaming. It had been off and on all morning due to fighting so i didn't pay it much mind... Lan had woken up at 7, so I brought him to my bed to snuggle for an hour till he got hungry, fed him, got Lo and fed him, and by then it was almost 9 and the big kids were starting to wake up (a sleep in? Total miracle!!) so I told them I would get a quick shower and left the boys sleeping on my bed with the bedroom door locked so I didn't have to worry about the big kids doing anything to the babies.

After my five minute shower, I opened the door to see what was going on and little a was crying in a way I had only seen once before, and had a firm grip on her right elbow... Nursemaids elbow yet again! Gah!!! Little d explained she was trying to open the bedroom door which I had locked so she hung on the doorknob with her right arm and popped it out of her socket again. I soothed her as best I could as I called the doctors office to see if they could squeeze her in with the boys that morning who were due to have a two month checkup and shots at 10:15. I was planning on dropping off the big kids at a friends house at 9:45 but instead only dropped off little d just after 9 and I headed to the pediatrician with little a continuously creaming in the backseat. No, I didn't manage to buckle her completely. But after properly buckling and then having to unbuckle her the last time this happened it was a risk I was willing to take, it was not worth it to me to make her situation any worse than it already was.

We made it, Dr. B reset her elbow back into her socket and all was right in the world. She even got a Popsicle! (And was a lot happier than she looks!)

"Wow, When it rains it pours, huh?" Was the welcome I got from Dr. B when j walked into the office pushing the double stroller and holding a screaming toddler. And you know what? he was right.

I remembered to restock the diaper bag the night before.

I remembered and grabbed the two ziplock bags of Cheerios for breakfast that the kids hadn't eaten that past Sunday in church. And I grabbed a partially eaten clif bar for myself I nearly threw away the other day, from the pantry.

We already had a doctors appointment  that morning so I was already planning on a trip to the pediatrician.

Over the phone the nurse made it sound like we may have to wait a few hours for someone to see little a, but the receptionist recognized nursemaids elbow since both her boys had had it and got us in as soon as we got there... A full hour before my scheduled appointment.

I was able to keep my cool and recognize what was wrong with little a in the first place, saving us a trip to the urgent care.

I know I said back in December how grateful I was that the whole debacle happened while I was "only" pregnant and wouldn't have two extra kids to tow around. But to be honest this time around was wayyyyy easier because I knew what to do, I could easily carry her, we could talk to each other and she could tell me what was wrong, and little d ( the most sweet loving and also emotional kid of the family) could be in someone else's care and not crying alongside His sister.

Both boys managed their shots wonderfully. Cried for about two seconds each and fell right asleep.

Lan is 12 lbs 8 oz and 22 inches tall,

Lo is 11 lbs 2 oz and almost 24 inches tall. Both average around the 50%ile for heads, height and weight.

So yes indeed---When it rains it pours, and sometimes you do not have enough room in your heart to contain the outpouring of blessings.

Remembering to count all my blessings today.

2 months of my chunky monkey and string bean

Coming off of this weekend with such a high, the boys finally getting into a good napping schedule that happened to coincide with the big kids (and made it so I could nap!), getting our new car and just spending time together.... unfortunately there was no where to go but down.

And oh how hard we fell. The boys fought napping alllll dayyyy. And the big kids would NOT. STOP. SCREAMING. Is it completely against all morals to put shock collars on children? I kid. Sort of.

Lan desperately needs to go to the doctor so we can up his meds that don't seem to be as effective for his heartburn but as of this morning our insurance (who for some odd reason only put the boys on our insurance for one month?!) still didn't have the boys on it so I had to reschedule our doctor appointments for next month. After tonight I may need to call and beg our doctor to up the dosage over the phone... the boy is downright miserable, although you would not know it by this picture. For the first few hours right after I give him his medicine he is the happiest sweetest baby (and makes for perfect photographing)... and then it just goes downhill from there until the next dose. He sleeps best right after a dose as well, but not today for some reason.

My entire family came over tonight for dinner and my siblings and I got to take the big kids to see Inside Out which was adorable while my mom watched the boys and even all that did not do anything to kill my sour mood. Lack of sleep on myself as well as the boys will do that to me, and on days like today I can't seem to apologize enough. But seriously when the boys are awake at 5:30 and as I am walking the hallway to go to bed before 7 and little d comes running into our room... it''s all I can do to not just call it quits for the day. I wouldn't mind the kids coming in to snuggle with us at 7 am (or even before) but the fighting and the SCREAMING. Goodness. Gracious. Any ideas for an anti-screaming boot camp?? Oh and not getting around to my dinner till 9pm didn't help the mood...

The only way I have survived today with some sanity intact was remembering to count my blessings. Over and over and over and OVER again. Especially with having so much help tonight, when it could have just been me by myself wrangling four screaming kids into bed. It came to pass it did not come to stay... tomorrow will be better.

And until then I will just revel in my memories of this past lovely weekend and our two month photo shoot.
Both boys are getting more head control, cooing and "talking" to us. Lo is the most social but Lan is getting up there. Both boys are growing a significant amount of hair and before today were actually starting to sleep properly... every 3 hours eating and then being awake and then sleeping cycle was going quite well. Both taking pacifiers, but Lo much more often. Tandem nursing is a thing of the past because the boys are just so big! Unofficially I weighed them on our scale at home to Lo at 9.5 lbs and Lan at 12.5 lbs.

My sweet handsome Lan at church Sunday when I finally got him to nap for a bit

He is the first baby I've had where I can see his eyebrows and lashes so well! Maybe I'll have one little who is a little more brunette like his mama :)

Lashes for daysssss.

(A few hours later).... I am such a lucky girl. After my parents left and the kids were (finally!) in bed, my techie loving 16 year old brother suggests we get off our technogy/phones/laptops and play a ge of scrabble which turned into a few rounds of take two, which did wonders to boost my mood even if I couldn't stay up too long to play. I am incredibly blessed to have these 3 sweet souls as my siblings, who care for me and love me despite all the craziness that comes from me being a frantic spazzed out mom of so many young littles. I can only hope, when my babies are quite a bit bigger and I get my turn at being an auntie, that I can return the favor to each of them. In granting them some sanity amidst the throws of young parenthood.

Love love love my Anna, Sarah and DK.

The boys get blessed

Drew gave each boy beautiful blessings this morning. I have a notoriously terrible memory so I recorded it and will have to add details later when I listen to it again. But I loved how each blessing showcased the different personality of our two boys.

Family friends and neighbors showed up this morning and while I did dress the whole family in baby blue, instead of worrying about coordinating pictures with everybody (namely littles who hate picture taking) I tried to relax as much as I could and enjoy my last "blessing day", including the lunch that followed. I am so grateful for all the people who love and support these sweet boys! And I still took a few pictures :)

I do have to say so I don't forget, Lan was blessed in the same outfit as big brother little d, Lo was blessed in the same outfit his uncle Daniel and cousin Axel were blessed in, both excellent investments on my mom's part! In attendance at the blessing were Our neighbors the Matthews, the Fuentes family, the Glenn's, the Parkus', mine and drew's parents, and all my siblings. At the luncheon were most of the above plus kana and our neighbors Myla and Myken. It was wild and crazy busy and the day flew by but I was so happy to spend the day with all the people we invited.

Serious little Lan 

Happy goofy string bean Lo

We will probably try and get more family pics in three weeks when Anna is here longer than 20 hours, but I'm sure I can snag some photos later from my sisters who I am sure got a few that I didn't.

With my Tia Cindy

And Tio Daniel

Chubby two year olds eating cupcakes at the after party

I've known kana since high school... We survived 4 years of marching band together (she playing flute and me in the color guard), stayed in touch through college, She played music for my wedding reception 9 years ago, ran off to Paris for a few years then came back to ohio and met her hubby so I could be a bridesmaid at her wedding last year (a year ago this month!!!! Good timing!) and today she finally met my boys.

Naturally the boys were perfect Angels and mostly awake from about 6am-7pm... Needless to say, calming them down for bedtime was a nightmare and took foreeeeeverrrrrrr. Overstimulation at its finest. Post feeding and diaper changes, we had a lot of tight swaddling, attempts at nursing/binky-ing to sleep and rocking and singing and everything I could think of for too long... 

But they are finally asleep and content and we had a wonderful day full of family and friends... We just maybe won't do anything near that crazy (no napping is SO crazy!!) for a long long time.

meet the boys

It only took a few days of being with these boys to be pretty confident in their differences and how unique each boy is. Racking up the tandem nursing hours will really do that to you, staring down at their two little heads and noticing their tiny little differences has made me love them as individuals much more than I was expecting at this point in their young lives.

If I had been pregnant with two girls, I would not have worried so much as I did this pregnancy about being able to tell the twins apart since there are so many accessories you can add to little girls to distinguish them from each other...little boys, especially in the summer, not really. Even color-wise, most of our baby boy clothes are different shades of blue since I was never a big fan of green for boys. Heavenly Father must have known my concern because these boys are opposites on so many levels, which at least for me made me feel confident in snipping their nametags (which I never had to look at once at the hospital to tell them apart) before we left the hospital. I realize not everyone is as lucky as I am to be able to distinguish them (and granted, when I am too tired or mommy brained, my mind still takes a moment to remember who is who, and will occasionally get them mixed up), so here are a couple things to get to know the boys a little better as individuals.

I haven't truly settled on good nicknames for them (that's what I get for giving them both "L" names!) but "Lan" and "Lo" are what little A calls them, so for now we will go with that.

Both boys have the long dowling fingers and perfect little ears. Perfectly pouty lips, scronny little chicken legs and big feet, perfectly proportioned tummies.

Lan (the eldest):

Scratches himself (or his brother) in the face just about all the time, so he usually has mittens on. He understands day and night and is awake most of the day, so he sleeps well at night. He is about as demanding as you would expect a newborn to be, and goes from dead asleep to pitching a screaming wailing fit in a matter of seconds. He probably gets the hangry from me. When he is eating (which occasionally feels nonstop all day long), he eats fast and furious, like he has to drink as much as possible before his brother gets all of it. He was the stronger of the two nursing -wise and still has the quicker latch... lately he has even been able to latch on by himself while I am trying to get his brother started eating. He is pretty desperate when it comes to eating, so he is usually the one to take charge of how frequently I nurse the boys during the day, since I usually have to wake his brother up to feed him during the day. From the first day we saw him, I thought he looked so much like little d, with his old man scrunchy face and his big eyes. His hair is darker and a tiny bit longer than his brother's and he is usually pretty wide eyed when he is awake. You can tell his hairline will mimic Drew's. He seems larger than his little brother, and I am not sure if that is because of his features or his bulk (he is shorter than his brother but weighs more).

Lo (the younger):
is Mr. Sleepybird all day long. Seriously some times it feels like I have to bring him back to the land of the living because when this boy sleeps, he is OUT, especially during the day. From about 9 am to 9pm like clockwork, he is consistently sleeping through feedings, diaper changes, everything. Then in the evening they switch and Lo is awake most of the night. I feel so blessed that this is the case because it does mean that I get to spend one on one time with the boys  since they are not demanding of my attention at the same time. I know that I get to see and play with Lan during the day, and Lo at nighttime (mostly late at night and early in the morning since I am a zombie inbetween). So yes, I have four very demanding children, BUT they all need me in different ways and at different times and by some miracle I am still able to do the non-mommy things I love most like cleaning or blogging. Back to Lo, he looks similar to little A because he has daintier features. I didn't want to tell Drew but more than one nurse mistook him for a baby girl. What can I say? I have a beautiful boy. His hair is lighter and blonder and shorter than his brother's, he is taller (but is usually curled up in a ball so it is not so apparent) and skinnier and smaller overall (they didn't measure it but I could swear his head is smaller). His eyes when he does open them are quite large, but most of the time he has some pretty sleepy eyes. Lo takes the lead when it comes to eating at night, and while he is super mellow during the day he certainly gets a little more fiesty at night... probably gets his night owl tendencies from his dad. He is so incredibly sweet and is my little snuggler. He is more likely to take a pacifier even though both boys aren't too keen on them quite yet, and aside from the first time they nursed (Lan did for almost a full 90 minutes then puked up most of it like an hour later, poor kid!), Lo has been our little spit up boy, although none of my kids have really been super spitter uppers, so even just a handful of times is more than I've dealt with with both my bigger littles combined.

These boys are amazing. I am so happy I am able to spend so much time with them together as well as apart. My mom and friends and family have been instrumental in taking care of the house, the bigger kids, meals, etc so that I have been able to just enjoy the newborn-ness and take this much needed time to recover. I initially thought I could ONLY feed them together if I wanted to tandem feed but usually what happens is I get them both to eat, change diapers, then the sleepier of the two will fall asleep happily and the more awake one stays up a little longer to nurse, which I do not mind at all.

I am so blessed and I can't think of a more perfect way to start my final chapter of young motherhood. I am incredibly happy with my family of six and am grateful that while I initially thought (before we found out we were having twins) we would be good with 3 kids, that a loving Heavenly Father helped me to realize we needed one more to make our family complete. I am enjoying the baby stage with these two so much more than I ever did with the other two, probably because it's my last but also because I know how quickly and fleeting the time goes. I'm grateful for a husband who helped me realize we did not need to go out a purchase a car before the boys came because not having the option to leave the house with all the kids has been one of the biggest blessings in my life... instead of worrying about running here there and everywhere with all the kids in tow, I have learned to take it easy and just enjoy being at home (Thankfully I don't have cabin fever quite yet!) not doing too much of anything.

First day home

It took all of about 20 minutes for our first blowout and our poor little bug puked (out the nose as well as out the mouth... Is that normal?!) twice.

I can handle the two big kids on my own. I can handle the twins on my own.

Combining the two is proving to be tricky. Certainly not impossible but definitely a challenge. The boys almost weigh the same now (5-12ish?) meaning they both lost a decent amount of weight so I am on demand feeding till tomorrow at least. I am just grateful that while I try to stay on top of my recovery and we figure out this balancing four kid circus thing, the babies will be sleeping a lot of the time.

And tomorrow we will be watching an embarrassing amount of Netflix.

I figured that while they are small it feels safer to keep them in the same bouncer (since protecting one bouncer from a crazed big sister who means well but is way too crazy is hard enough!) and to be honest I think they like it better.

Tandem nursing is difficult but doable (at least at home) and i love it.

My belly is still sore and swollen, my incision still burns but we are home! And there's no better feeling.

emergency c-section, VBAC, planned c-section: we come full circle in redemption.

Remember when I had a VBAC two years ago to act as redemption for the emergency c-section I had almost 5 years ago? Well, redemption FINALLY felt complete this morning when I had my two boys the same way I had my boys...the same way but such a different experience and one I will not soon forget.

Last night I made the executive decision to treat today like race day. Painted my nails (twice because heaven forbid I have a chip!) , and laid out my outfit... shorts, favorite workout tank, sports bra and marathon jacket for good luck. In planning the big day I assumed I would straighten my hair, do a bunch of makeup and just look totally rock star-ed out. Then I thought about how it would be the first time I would be meeting my boys and I wanted to go with the natural look, so curly hair in a ponytail, no makeup (I had been crying so much last night it would have been pointless) and glasses. I was comfortable and everything just felt right. The weather was perfect....damp and cool but mostly just lovely. We got to the hospital just before our report time at 5:15. Checked in, and got a room and they started collecting information for nearly two hours. 7:15 rolled around and they led me into the OR... the last time I was there was via emergency c-section with little d and I was rolled in there, terrified for my own life and the life of little d. This time was so so different.

I walked in and looked around. The nurses and anesthesiologists and doctors and surgeons introduced themselves to me as they approached me, and everyone was just so nice. The first thing I noticed was their "checklist", which after reading the checklist manifesto, I was so so relieved to see. Tender mercies of the Lord at their best to be sure. I felt a wave of relief and a surge of confidence. I got the spinal block while managing to keep myself from shaking (the room was soo cold and also I was nervous) but thankfully I prayed that I would not over think things too much and before I knew it Drew was by my side and I was laying on my back, numb from the chest down. I kept looking at the cool looking lights above me until I could hear them start working on me, and I tried to gather my thoughts into what the boys would look like. Marathon like, laser like focus indeed.

The next thing I knew, the boys, who were already creeping up into my ribcage from laying on my back, were jammed into my ribs and I could swear my lugs were in my shoulder blades! I couldn't breathe, and was so grateful for the oxygen in my nose as I struggled to take a breath. Thankfully Drew was by my side, rubbing my head and comforting me, my rock. They took out baby A, Leo, twin 1, who I now think of as Button, because of the little old Benjamin Button-man look he rocked in that sweet little face of his. I saw him from afar in the form of a picture Drew was allowed to take and he started crying and the doctor was laughing because in addition to dealing with all the amniotic fluid I had, he had peed all over her! They quickly got him cleaned (I never even saw him dirty!) and weighed, wrapped up and given to Drew. I couldn't stop crying. He was so lovely and so perfect and it was just like meeting someone you have never met and yet you feel as though you have known them your whole life. He couldn't stop trying to jam his hands in his mouth and was pretty upset unless he had something in his mouth.

I focused on him as I knew they were taking care of twin 2, baby B, Raph, or the Bug (for his total snuggling ability). I focused on how cute my little Button was, how gorgeous and small and yet how large and strong he was. The next thing I knew I felt more, overwhelming pressure and all I could think of was, this is it! They are totally going to break my ribcage in half! It was awful and terrifying and as much weight as I felt like the boys were on my chest when I would roll over while I was pregnant, this was like an elephant was stomping on me. I couldn't say anything, I just looked to Drew and Button and then before I knew it I heard another cry-- The boys had cries that were so different from their older siblings and yet they were so similar to each other it was uncanny. the Bug was not quite so mad as his brother had been coming out, but he ALSO peed all over the doctor (and probably me) as soon as he came out! What are the odds!?

They got him cleaned up as well and immediately I could tell they were not identical. Button was slightly bigger than his little brother and had more, darker hair than his little brother. They had different faces than I was expecting, which later on I would realize resembled their two big siblings.

Then as they stitched me up, I felt this huge surge of relief wash over me. Thank goodness for modern technology, since littlest brother was breech anyways, so a VBAC would have surely meant also a csection. And just like that. We were done. I had fought the fight and stuck it out and I had these two HUGE twin boys as my crowning achievement. I could not stop praying thank you's for all the people who had brought me to that point, especially my Father in Heaven, I could feel his love in that room as sure as the Sun at noon and I was just amazed. Watching Drew hold those two little boys, our little  miracles surprises, It just felt perfect. I had asked to see my placenta, mostly out of curiosity and just as I was amazed at the size of the twins, I was blown away at how my placentae looked. They were beautiful and I just stared at them in awe for a moment thinking about how my body grew those organs and then they fed and assisted in growing my littlest ones for over 38 weeks... incredible. The human body is truly incredible and anyone who doubts there is a God only needs to witness something like that to realize there is absolutely no questioning a God because how else can you explain my body making things like that through essentially no work I was doing?! I stand all amazed came to mind. Just.... incredible.

We came into recovery and I was on cloud nine. They requested I start skin to skin (one of my favorite things of all time) and I did, with both boys and then they latched on, big brother quite easily and his little brother a bit behind, and they nursed in tandem. Amazing. Drew ran off to bring the littles to see their new babies (it was only about 9:30 am at this point) and the next few hours were a blur of family and babies and man oh man was I tired. They tried getting me to start on some ice but as soon as they wheeled the bed into mother and baby, I knew I was going to hurl... not the best feeling on a brand new csection scar. It was a terrible minute, which I thankfully did not have the babies on me, and then I slowly started to feel better, The littles were soooo excited. Like crazy excited to hold the new babies and see them and it was just the cutest thing ever to see them interact with these new babies. I was suuuuper tired but stayed awake long enough to witness some serious loving on those boys. My nurses were amazing and I felt so lucky to have each one of them.

Sweetest big brother ever!! Had to be bribed into leaving because he wanted to keep a hold on his little brother!!!

Everyone left for lunch and I caught a few moments of sleep before more feeding began. I couldn't have been more grateful for a csection to ensure maximum amount of time with these two alone and I am soaking it up. Feedings gave me time to admire and compare my boys, so here's what I got:

Button:
typical firstborn (of the twins), has to be first to eat or snuggle and gets wicked mad quite easily, a total spitfire personality, he was always the one moving and hiccuping inside the womb and being outside has not stopped him from being that way, He is the larger of the two boys, and like I mentioned looks like a little old man... that is truly the way I would describe him, and that is what I thought of little d too. His nose is a little bit bigger than his brother's, his hair a little bit longer and darker and thicker, he loves to eat and eat vigorously (and has in his short life puked up more than his older siblings ever did, combined!), he is always trying to keep his hands in his mouth, so he will probably take a binky or be a finger sucker to be sure. He does not like wearing a hat and he will let you KNOW it. He was the more alert of the twins today, and definitely seems high energy.

Bug:
All he wants to do is snuggle. Sure he will eat, but minimal (could be why he is smaller) and just enough to satisfy (although he has puked up a bit as well, just not as much as his big brother). He has a smaller head, his hairline is reminiscent of both older siblings, but it is blonde similar ro little a, and shorter like peach fuzz like hers was. He has the more feminine and baby face of the two (similar in profile to little a) and comes across as more dainty (although I am sure Drew wouldn't want to hear about that). Even though he weighs less, he is slightly taller than his big brother but also likes to scratch himself. He is incredibly mellow and will definitely be a good sleeper and one that we will have to wake for feedings (since we already do). He has hardly been alert at all today but when he is he reminds me so much of his little sister it is uncanny.

So here we have a mini little a to go along with a mini-me of little d.

(Bliss!)
At not quite 20 hours old they are unbelievably perfect. And I have had an incredible experience even with a csection, of which I am so grateful for. My family feels complete and I cannot wait to heal up and be able to spend time rolling on the playroom floor with all four of them.

Four! I am a mother of four! I was so worried about finding the love for two more and I swear my heart has grown so large it no longer sits in my chest anymore. I am sore, but oh so happy. My incision is all that is left of the surgery this morning, I can walk around again and my collarbones are killing me but when I hold my two boys in my arms against my chest none of that matters. They are here and they are ours for not just time but all eternity and they are so unbelievably perfect. i am a truly lucky mama. All day I kept thinking to myself (in between mini naps, when I would wake up), is this real life?! How on earth did I get this lucky?

I have never been so proud of my body. 

And yes I am blogging from the hospital when I should be resting but I had to get this in while the memories are still fresh and the adrenaline so high and I have some time to myself, albeit with a naked baby resting on my bare chest. I will probably not be able to blog quite this many words and feelings for awhile, but I hope to still manage to document what I can in the weeks and months ahead because it is all stuff I never want to forget. Life is so so good.

5th twinner ultrasound (26.5 weeks preggo)

First off let me say that to have the ultrasound tech inform me that as of a week from Saturday I can officially say I am SEVEN months pregnant probably should have had a hallelujah chorus to go along with it. I am so grateful to be able to carry my babies but after being able to do just about everything when I was full term with little A (and then some), its a hard, humbling experience to be so limited as of late in the things I want to do, specifically my stamina with the bigger littles (and it doesn't help that in bending down to pick up toys I have to consciously remember to do it in a way that makes me not throw up). In a word, these boys are inconvenient, to say the least. :) but certainly said in the best way possible.

Even with it being the fifth ultrasound, and the 20th week we have known we have twins, I still struggle with connecting with my boys. I wish I didn't, but it was much easier to connect with the other two because we had selected and loved their names so early on. We still cannot agree on names, and I'm afraid we are going to be one of those people, you know, the ones who cant decide on their kids' names until they are born...but at least everyone will know its not because we "need to see their faces" (since let's be honest, we have seen plenty of them at this point!), but because we are incapable of agreeing on a name. It makes me feel horrible as a mother to not be able to connect and say, "oh well he looks like a..." but to be perfectly honest I am in the camp of thinking that all babies look about the same, with a cute button nose and gorgeous pouty lips. I love them, I really do, but I cannot wait to decide on names and start connecting with them a little bit better as individuals as opposed to as a unit.

(Me trying to show the position of the babies while little d pushes his sister out of the shot. This was the best shot I got, too)

So. The ultrasound. My cervix "is a mile long" (the tech's word's, not my own haha) so the doctors are suuuuuper happy about that. They even put pressure on my abdomen, which apparently usually shortens the length (ie the difference between sitting and standing, jumping, etc), and my cervix did nothing which is brilliant. She's outlasted over a combined 126 weeks of pregnancy and more than 40 hours of labor, so I have my full and complete trust in this cervix (and uterus of mine) to carry these boys as long as they need to be carried.

(First pic I ever got in any pregnancy of the heart and heartbeats... I don't know why i love this so much!)

Up until this point the boys have been measuring nearly exactly the same, which I didn't know until today is pretty unique for twins, even of the same gender. Baby on my right is officially the culprit for bruising my right hip (where his head is laying), and my right ribcage (which he uses as a daily soccer ball just like his big brother). He is the lowest one, so the one they dub "Baby A", as he would be the first one out. He is head down, moving a lot, and making it difficult for the tech to take measurements. He measured 2 pounds 4 ounces (hooray!) which is just over the 50th percentile that they hope for babies (and kind of awesomely big for a multiple pregnancy). They said he will probably always measure a little smaller from now on because of how low he lies inside me, makes it difficult to take the best measurements. He was super photogenic the last visit but today he was a little shy, turning his little face away every time we tried to get a proper shot. We still have yet to get a spinal shot for him, but the tech took a few pics of the back of his skull, which she said if it looks normal (which it did), it usually indicates there are no concerns with the spine, even if they don't have a perfect picture of it.

"Baby B" as he is being called, is laying diagonally across me, with his head down towards my left hip (though nowhere near as close down as his brother) and he is stretched across with his feet next to his brother's feet. Must be nice to be taking up all that space :). He is starting to be the big one, at 2 pounds 7 ounces, meaning I have 4 pounds 10 ounces of baby inside me! Crazy to think about. Baby B was much more photogenic today, even if he kept putting his hands/arms in his face, we did get a few adorable shots of his sweet face (albeit with his brother's feet somehow making their way into a lot of the shots, haha, although none of which were printed off of course).

Both boys are moving around plenty, heartbeats are wonderfully strong and it was so lovely to see them again, Sarah came along with little d which was such a treat to have her there. I'm up 37-ish pounds and I definitely feel each one of them but I can't hate those extra lbs when they are doing so much good for my body and my babies.

My next hospital ultrasound is in a month, I see my regular doctor every two weeks from here on out (yay.) and generally speaking, I feel great. I truly can't complain, even though I can't run, I can still lift and (modified low-impact) kicbox and walk and not be a complete couch potato entering my last trimester (woot woot!) and I predict some serious swimming entering my near future as I bore of the other cardio options. If my first trimester (and then some) can be characterized as being where I had to force myself to eat since nothing sounded good (and to keep myself from being crazy nauseated), the second trimester was a "hey I can eat whatever I want!" time and I have loved it. Unfortunately it won't last long since I am running out of room and every calorie and bit of nutrient really does count, so I am trying to get back on board with "normal" eating habits (you know, occasionally eating fruits and veggies haha) since I fill up so fast.

(Someday this mess will be a dresser. In about 40 more steps...)

As most of you know, 30 weeks is my "deadline"... I want to have just about everything set by that point, which will certainly be a challenge since I also want to get in adding some meal planning and freezer meals in the mix of nursery, picking names, getting the kids and myself and the house ready for the upcoming arrivals, etc.

I'm excited for these boys. I am by no means even remotely close to being ready, but hopefully by the next ultrasound I will be. These boys can just keep on growing and I will do my best to pray they are able to find enough room in that small torso of mine.

Also, just because I love him and his personality: (shortly after this pic we watched how to train your dragon and he stripped off the turtle costume to fly around the house then make a toothless mask and wings with construction paper. The cutest!!!)

And this diva.

Chubby feet and all!