Introducing...Eloise Constance and Pearl Antoinette

Once I hit 37 weeks, we were all wondering and anticipating the day the girls would arrive.  I was so happy to have hit the 37 week mark and knew the babies would be in good health if they were born.  The weekend came and went and I got excited thinking they might be 4th of July babies!  Monday night, after fireworks and a day of celebrating, we all went to bed exhausted.  I woke up at 2:30 after having several contractions in my sleep that had woken me up just enough to notice them and then go back to sleep.  I didn't go back to sleep after 2:30am, however, as labor came on and I began to get more uncomfortable.  I still wasn't sure if this was it because both of my previous labors began with my water breaking.  At 3:30am I decided to wake Jon up and get to the hospital after having a couple of bad contractions and not wanting to have the babies at home or in the car.  While he got dressed, I lay down on the bed to make sure they wouldn't go away by relaxing and had a massive contraction a few minutes later.  This was it!

37 Weeks 4 Days.  In Labor!

Post Epidural Smile

We got to the hospital at 4:30am and found that I was dilated to an 8 and 80% effaced.  I couldn't believe I was already that far and made sure they knew I wanted an epidural (FAST!) so that the doctor could try to turn Baby B (Eloise) after Pearl was born.  By 7am I was at 10cm and ready to deliver so they wheeled me into the OR and Jon got to put on his fancy, white scrubs.  We waited for about 40 minutes for the other doctor to arrive to make sure they had 2 doctors in the room to assist in the deliveries.

Scrubbed in and ready to go!

After 2 contractions and 5 pushes, Pearl was born at 7:43am.  It was a beautiful moment and I was overcome with joy seeing our little girl for the first time!  I held her for a couple of seconds and they took her away while the doctors prepared to turn Baby B.  This may be graphic but one doctor had his arm inside grabbing her legs and pushing them up while the other doctor had his hands on the outside pushing the head down.  They were able to get her into a pike position but only for a second and then her head moved back up.  They tried again and this time her bag of waters broke, her heart rate dropped and they knew they needed to get her out as fast as possible.  The doctor said, "We're going to have to get her out the other way" and I assumed he meant they'd pull her out breech.  I realized I was wrong when they started scrambling to prepare the operating table and picked up the pace to get me ready.  In tears, I was moved to the table and strapped down and the anesthesiologist upped my dosage on the epidural but I was still able to feel much of the first half of the c-section.  By the time they were stitching me up, I was heavily drugged and nearly asleep.  Relief set in when I finally heard Eloise crying.  They let me meet her for a second before whisking her away to the nursery for some help with her breathing.

Pearl's Weight (exactly the same as her sister, Eloise's)

Eloise's CPAP (she had this for only a couple of hours)

Pearl's first bath

When my surgery was done, they wheeled me to the hallway where an x-ray was taken of my abdomen to make sure they hadn't forgotten any tools inside me in all the rush.

The recovery was quite difficult for the first day but it's getting much easier.  We stayed in the hospital for 4 days before going home with both girls (yay!).  Both girls have jaundice but they're doing better and only Eloise has had to have bili lights for the last few days.  They have changed so much already in the few days they've been here and although we can still tell them apart, it's getting more difficult to pick out differences.

Eloise

Pearl

Eloise (left) and Pearl (right)

Eloise

Going Home! Pearl (left) and Eloise (right)

Eloise on bili lights (we call her our glow worm!)

Bathing Beauties, catching some rays to get rid of jaundice.

Pearl in the sun.  She still had jaundice but not enough for lights.

They're so beautiful and I can't imagine only having one baby.  They are nursing great and I'm so sad to think they'll be growing so fast and won't be our tiny babies for long.  I am tandem nursing and am so lucky that they're good at it!  It certainly makes life easier to keep them on the same schedule.

Jonah and Sophie were quite excited to see their new sisters and are very sweet to them.  Sophie loves to help and gives them lots of kisses and Jonah loves to look at them and make sure they're OK.  He learned to pet their heads today while they cried during diaper changes.  He takes his big brother duties very seriously.  Neither of them can tell the girls apart yet but I think they will in time.

My mom was able to stay and help with the kids while we were in the hospital and for a couple of days at home and she was AMAZING.  Our kids are full of energy and I'm sure she got her workout in each day and was exhausted when she finally left this morning.  Thank you, Mom!  You are so wonderful and we miss you!

It's hard to pick which pictures to share with you since we've taken a million.  The one thing that helps is the fact I don't want to edit them all, otherwise, I'd be posting a lot more!

34 Weeks: Baby Shower!

Something that was unexpected for me during this pregnancy was the possibility that I'd have another baby shower.  I've already had 2 showers in the past since I had a boy then a girl and needed gender specific items but I never thought someone would volunteer to throw (nor did I feel I deserved) another shower!  And I had 2!!!

Last week, some ladies in my ward put together a lovely shower and there were so many people that showed up and brought beautiful gifts!  I was completely overwhelmed by the support and love these people show.  Then my dear sister and mom threw another shower for me a week later!  A huge thank you to all those who came!  We had so much fun talking and laughing!  It was more like girls' night out (as my sister-in-law said and I agree). 

A on the left, B on the right

If I look like I'm in pain, I am.  I could hardly lift anything with my left arm because of my ribs. :(

Laura's cute decorations!

Today I had a little burst of energy and was able to put all the gifts in order and was relieved to see the number of diapers we already have!  It seems like a lot and I'm sure we'll be going through them faster than I imagine.  There are a few more things I need to do before I'm "ready" (not sure I'll ever be) for these girls to make their way to this world.  I'm in the process of covering a glider than my awesome neighbor gave me (yay!!), I need to finish putting all the clothes away, pack my hospital bag, and it feels like there's more but it's probably just my panic mode setting in.

I've been going twice a week to the hospital for NSTs and after 2 weeks of a miserable cold, I'm actually starting to feel better.  My torn rib muscles from coughing are starting to ease up and I'm able to take deep breaths and move a little more than I was before.  Just when I thought things couldn't have gotten more uncomfortable (not complaining, just stating facts ;) ) I go the worst cold of my life.  Then I pulled my abs from coughing, then my ribs, landed in the ER because I couldn't move or breath, and now I'm finally pulling through.  Now I'm back to just the feeling that I'm carrying a fully-loaded backpacking pack on my front side and the sensation that everything might just bust through the bottom if I bend over one more time.

I'm OVER the looks that people are giving me when I go out in public.  Some are looks of sympathy for my discomfort but the large majority are looks of complete and utter amazement that someone could be so large!  We went to the Orem Summerfest last week (after I assured Jon I wouldn't go into labor walking around) and I had at least 3 people ask me if I was having more than 1 baby.  I'm not sure I'd ever DARE ask someone that question.  Lucky for them, I am.

My last appointment was Friday and I expected my doctor to check me for dilation again but he didn't.  I'm not sure how I got away without being checked but I didn't mind one bit.  I'm measuring 41 weeks and things still look normal.  He refused to estimate how much further I'd go which I took to mean that I could go any minute.  I'm hoping for another 2 weeks but we'll see what happens!!

They just laughed at me...

I had my 32 week appointment a couple of days early this week so that I could see if our "planned" trip to Colorado could be realized. 

Today was the first appointment during this pregnancy where they checked me for dilation.  The doctor from last week (there are 5 in the group) said he'd feel OK with me going to Colorado as long as I wasn't dilated at all.

I told the doctor today what the last one said and he just shook his head and told me they really don't want anyone with twins traveling past 30 weeks.  It's just too risky.  And I ended up being dilated 1cm anyway.  I guess that's 2 no's. 

Needless to say, I was quite disappointed that we won't be making our trip this weekend.  It was our last getaway before being house-ridden and finding myself topless for most hours in the day.  Yes, I'm going to attempt breastfeeding these twins--at the same time.  Not a lot of room for privacy or modesty there.

As I started to leave my appointment, I realized I hadn't scheduled my non-stress test for this week yet so I turned around to ask the doctor about them.  He said I'll be doing 2 NSTs a week until I deliver.  Basically, they hook me up to a couple of machines to monitor both babies' heart rates and monitoring me for contractions at the same time. 

One of the other doctors came out of his office at that point and asked, "How far along are you now?" and I told him almost 32 weeks.  Then my other doctor who examined me said, "Yeah, and she thinks she's going to Colorado this weekend!"  Then they both just laughed!  I laughed too and I wasn't offended by the apparent comedic nature of my desired vacation but the fact that they were actually laughing made me realize I shouldn't attempt it. 

I left my appointment feeling quite nervous about the fact that the babies may arrive at any time.  I've never made it past 2cm at a normal doctor's visit before going into labor.  Let's just hope I'll dilate slower this time around and that I'll be able to make it at least another 2 weeks (4 is much better...and 6 would be a dream!).

I talked to my wonderful mom this evening and informed her that we wouldn't be coming and might have vented my frustrations that I can't make my body keep these babies in and she gave a most wise response, "Honey, it's better to worry about things that we can control."  Enough said.

31 Weeks

I love it when people ask me if I'm due any day now.  No.  I'm not.  But it did become even more a reality today when I had my 31 week appointment with my doctor.  I didn't have an ultrasound this time.  He measured my belly and told me I was doing wonderfully!  That's always nice to hear and reassuring that things are going as they should.

I measured at 40 weeks today which is full term for a single baby.  No wonder I feel "cooked".  When I asked the doctor what I measured, he said, "Big...you're big."  I'm not sure if he was hesitant to make me really feel my actual girth but he hesitated to say the number of weeks.  I just laughed.  It was no surprise to me!  I know I'm larger now than ever because my stretch marks are having babies of their own!  One of these days I'll brave a bare belly photo just so you can admire the forest of veins and stretch marks that have overgrown my once smooth belly.  My belly button has literally been turned inside out.  There is no more room for it "give".

I went to my visit today with a number of questions.  Sometimes I ask the same question to multiple doctors just to see if they're on the same page or if I'll get a variation of the last person's answer.

1. I've been having strange cravings:  fabric softener, bleach, dishwasher detergent...really any cleaning product makes me drool.  I switch the laundry loads and have the urge to take a bite of the clothing.  I can see myself gnawing on a shirt or pair of shorts like a donkey.
1. Answer: You need more iron!  I asked if it was normal and he paused and smiled and said, "Well, not really, but it usually means your deficient in iron."  I assured him that I wouldn't give in to the craving.
2. How does my body know to keep these babies in any longer??
1. Answer:  It doesn't!  (Oh good, that really doesn't help my paranoia of pre-term labor.)
3. Can I go on a short road trip to Colorado next weekend?
1. Answer:  We'll start checking your cervix next week (WHAT?? Whoa!!!) and if you're closed, you can go, if you're dilating, we'd rather you stay here. (I knew they'd be checking me starting at 32 weeks but it really put things into perspective that these babies could arrive any day now.)
4. Are there doctors that aren't comfortable with breech deliveries?  
1. Answer: Everyone is comfortable with breech deliveries.  We are cautious about them but we're all capable of doing them.
5. When should the babies be in position (Vertex = head down)
1. Answer: Um, now! (Yay! Both babies are vertex!!)

So, I left my appointment feeling pretty happy but seriously nervous that I'm not going to make it as long as I hoped I would.  I asked the doctor at what point the babies would be able to go home with me and he said by 35 weeks and sometimes 34, babies are usually good to go home with mom.  This was very reassuring news for me.  I've been telling myself all along that I wanted to make it to 38 weeks.  This last month or so, I've been telling myself that I'd like to get to at least 36 weeks.  I guess what it really boils down to is that I want my babies to come home with me.  I'm still hoping for big babies (relatively) and shooting for at least 6 pounders, hopefully 7, but with how huge I am right now, I'm just not sure that's going to be a possibility.

Anyway, I leave you with my latest belly bump:

31 Weeks (measuring 40 weeks)

29 Weeks

I had another ultrasound today to monitor the growth of the little chicklets.  I have one more regular appointment in 2 weeks and then I'll be going weekly!  I can't believe I'm already to that point!

They doctor measures the circumference of their heads and bellies and then measures the length of their femur.  They were measuring just 2 days apart which is perfectly normal and could even be closer than that based on the tiniest error in measuring so, we're happy!  They each weigh about 3 lbs right now.  That means I have 6 lbs of baby in me already.  I feel it!

Baby A is head down (vertex) and Baby B was head up (but think she has since turned).  This could change still so I'm not really worried to much about positions at this point.  As long as they're head down by 32-34 weeks, we're go for natural labor!

I'm grateful things are going so well and can't wait to hold these little girls (but I can wait because I want them to double in size first)! 

25 Weeks

I've been going to the doctor every 2 weeks since I hit 20 weeks but still only have an ultrasound every 4 weeks.  I will never get over how wonderful it is to see these babies growing.  My summation of a twin pregnancy thus far is that it IS very different from a singleton.  The main differences are the size of my belly and the constant movement of the babies in separate parts of my belly.  I'm much more worn out at this point when usually I'm feeling fantastic at 25 weeks.  I'm getting very uncomfortable at night and have to get up at least 2 times to pee!  Jon's mom volunteered to buy me a maternity belt because she "doesn't want to see my belly dragging on the floor!"  That tells you just how pregnant I look. 

It is strange feeling "done" when I know I have three months to go.  I'm anxious to be more comfortable again but LOVE being pregnant simply for the miracle of it.  Plus, I'm not anxious for these girls to come out early.  I want to avoid the NICU at all costs and if that means being immobile for the last few weeks and so uncomfortable that I can't sleep at all, I'll do it!

This was our first ultrasound where we didn't get to take home any pictures but the girls looked beautiful and are growing wonderfully.  The doctor estimated Baby A to be 1lb 11oz and Baby B to be 1lb 10oz.  Can't ask for better growth in twins!

I forgot to ask Jon to take a belly shot so we'll have to settle with a self-portrait.  It doesn't exactly show the girth but it's what a see when I look down. ;)

25 Weeks

Pregnancy Must-Haves

I've found that a few things are absolutely vital to my survival and happiness during pregnancy.  In no particular order:

1. My Kindle - I've spent more and more time on my bed with my feet up during this pregnancy than my others and my Kindle is always in my hands!! How nice to be rid of the stack of books on my dresser.  I even read my scriptures from my Kindle every night. LOVE it!
2. Ice Water - It's always been difficult for me to drink enough water but now it always sounds good to me.  There's nothing like a giant cup of ice water to keep me feeling refreshed throughout the day.
3. MAC Studio Fix Powder and Concealer - Some lucky ladies get that "pregnancy glow" but I get the "pregnancy blotches" instead.  I hate heavy makeup and never wear foundation.  These products give me just enough cover to look normal and cover the dark circles without being a greasy mess.
4. Fruit - Luckily, I'm always craving a good piece of fruit.  Don't get me wrong, I still need my chocolate and the occasional candy but often if I eat a piece of fruit first, I feel satisfied!
5. Jonathan - With only 13 weeks left to go (can you believe it??) I'm starting to slow down and have needed my honey's help much more lately.  He has been a wonderful support and partner through it all.  He'll often make me lie down while he bathes the kids and puts them to bed.  He lets me nap if I'm super tired and he's not drowning in homework.  I love this guy!

What are some things you can't live without?

For your viewing pleasure...

I made a little video of the girls' ultrasound.  It's nice and short (as opposed to the 22 minutes of looking at every part of their bodies).  Make sure you turn off my automatic playlist before you hit play on the video.  Enjoy!

21 Weeks

I joined a forum for moms expecting twins in July on Babycenter.com and in the last few weeks there have been several moms who have been diagnosed and had to have surgery for TTTS (Twin to Twin Transfusion).  I couldn't help but be worried that I'd be part of that 20% of monochorionic (sharing a placenta) pregnancies that also have the complication of TTTS.  It's a scary syndrome and within weeks your babies could be near death if things go untreated.

On a happy note, I don't have TTTS!!!  We went in today for my comprehensive ultrasound where all the body parts and organs are measured to make sure growth is even and there isn't too much fluid in certain areas.  Everything looked perfect!  My babies are measuring at 13 oz each and are measuring just under 21 weeks which is perfectly normal!  I, on the other hand, am measuring at 25 weeks as opposed to the 21 that I am.  This is also great!

Baby A (I think I'll name them soon so I can call them something more personal than A and B) is still breech and Baby B is transverse and lying across the top of my belly with her feet right in Baby A's face.  How nice!  At least they don't stink.  So Baby A's face is absorbing all the kicks from Baby B instead of letting me feel them.

Here are some glimpses of the progress:

Baby A - Profile

Baby A - (From top to bottom) Feet, Leg, Arm

Baby B - (Much less cooperative) Legs

Baby B - (From Top to Bottom) Profile, Head

I asked Jon to take my 21 week belly bump picture and instead of waiting until I was ready, he just started shooting.  I think he likes the feel of my camera taking continuous shots.  Thus, the silliness:

21 Weeks

And for comparison's sake, here is my 25 week baby bump with Sophie:

25 Weeks with Sophie

For those of you that are interested, I'll also be posting a video of the 21 week ultrasound.

Nothing but gratitude

This morning on my way to take Jonah and Jon to school, I noticed a package on the front porch and reminded myself to bring it inside when I got home.  I figured it was for my in-laws since I hadn't ordered anything.  When I got home, I went out to check and it said my name on it.  What??  I took it inside and opened it up and just couldn't help but break into tears.  This is what I found:

My amazing friend, Jamie, sent this to me.  When I found out we were having twins, I went on Babies R Us and started a registry just so I'd be able to keep track of all the things we needed to buy.  I never intended for it to go public. 

Be it pregnancy hormones or just overwhelming gratitude, I was totally beside myself and so grateful for her generosity.  I can't wait to snuggle with my tiny baby girls on this pillow.

Since I'm going to try to breastfeed the doublets exclusively, I knew I wouldn't make it without one of these.  Jamie, you're amazing and I love you!

19 Weeks

Well, it's been 4 weeks since our last checkup on the doublets and yesterday we got to go see them again.  My mom is in town so my sister and I scheduled our appointments back to back and were all able to be there for the respective ultrasounds. 

Once again, I was relieved to see those little hearts beating and to see them moving around.  I've been feeling quite a few kicks in my lower abdomen and was wondering how the babies were positioned since I was really only feeling it in one area.  I'm not going to lie, I was worried that I was only feeling one of them.  I got the reassuring news that they are both breech (not a worry at this point) which explains all the movement down low.

When the doctor first put the device to my belly, we caught a glimpse of the girls' heads right next to each other.  It looked like one baby was kissing the other on the cheek.  It made me realize how much they're going to love being next to each other when they come out.

The doc says I'm measuring right where I need to be.  I measured 21 weeks even though I'm only 19 which is typical for twins.  The gap starts to get larger during the second half of the pregnancy.

Another fun thing is that I'm already starting my visits every 2 weeks instead of once a month.  This is due to the fact that they'll be monitoring for TTTS (Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome) very carefully until delivery to make sure the babies are growing at the same rate.  I'm hoping and praying that everything will go smoothly and my doublets will learn to share early on!

Sophie and Jonah love seeing their sisters.  They talk about them and Jonah often snuggles my belly and Sophie gives them kisses.  Let's hope the kindness continues when they're actually here.

We're pretty sure but you never know...

I'm 15 weeks along today.  It's a big milestone for me.  I feel like this last month has been an eternity in waiting.  I guess I've been spoiled with having my previous appointments be only 2 weeks apart!  The wonderful thing about waiting a bit longer this time was seeing how much they've grown!  They're just so much bigger.  We saw legs, arms, fingers, spines...it's really just all such a miracle to me.

I asked the doctor to try really hard to see if he could see the gender.  He got a pretty clear shot right from the beginning and paused it there to label it and then said, "If we see something different in a minute, we'll just delete that one!"  I thought that was funny.

This is Baby B (I think? I'm really not sure, to be honest).  This baby is breech right now but that's not a worry yet as they'll keep moving around for some time.  We like this picture of the baby with it's hand near it's mouth, possibly sucking a thumb.

This is Baby A (Again, not sure).  This one has it's head down and you can see the profile and legs up on top.

And here's the picture you're all curious to see...

What do you see?  Or maybe a better question is what don't you see?

 Girls!

We really only got a good shot of Baby A because she was head down.  Apparently it's more difficult to see the gender on breech babies.  Plus, Baby B had her legs completely closed.  But to reiterate, for those who are unfamiliar with twin factoids, since they are identical, they're the same sex no matter what.  Fraternal twins are the only ones that can be boy/girl or girl/girl or boy/boy, you get the point!

So poor Jonah will be outnumbered, which I have to say was a little sad to realize.  He wanted them to be boys and kept asking why they were girls.  Even though I've thought they were girls this whole time, I kept thinking Jon would probably be right and I'd end up being wrong again.  For some reason it was easier to think of Sophie being the only girl as opposed to Jonah being the only boy.  I'm really not sure why.

BUT!  We are so excited and hope we aren't surprised in another month with the news that they were wrong and they're boys because we already went out shopping today and bought a couple of cute little outfits for the girlies.  I guess things can be returned, right? ;)

Please forgive the attempt at a self-portrait:

15 Weeks

Almost 14 weeks

It feels like it's been much longer but I've finally almost hit the second trimester of this pregnancy.  Since we made our news public a few weeks ago, the reality of twins has started to set in a little more.  Here's what I've been up to lately to get in the spirit of this change:

1. Downloaded the book Raising Twins to my Kindle and started soaking up every bit advice there.
2. Started looking for another double stroller to fit 2 car seats-- we already have 2; a jogger and a Sit n Stand but neither holds 2 car seats unless we buy adapters for the jogger. I don't want to push my jogger in stores, it's way too wide.
3. Started researching car seats and weighing whether or not to be cheap and buy one car seat that doesn't match (not likely ;) ) or buy two brand new matching seats.
4. Researching twin nursing pillows (you betcha! It's possible to nurse two babies at once and I'm going to give it all I have!)
5. Waiting for the moment we get to find out what these two little peaches are (hopefully in about a week!!!)

And even more exciting is that I found the double snap n go stroller I've been wanting on Craigslist for half the price it runs in stores!  I also bought a brand new bouncy seat at Target on clearance.  I even put it together because I couldn't wait (but took it apart again because a move is probably in our future and it travels better in the box).

I've also been feeling a thousand times better and have even started crafting again! 

Jonah tells me often that he wants them to be boys or girls, no boys...like him.  I'm sure he'll be happy with whichever.  He also asked me the other day if I now had THREE babies in my belly.  I'm grateful I was able to assure it there were only 2.

Baby Shower Fun

My dear sister, Laura, threw the most splendid baby shower for me last weekend. She held it at the boutique she works at called Dear Lizzie. It is the cutest place ever and the atmosphere was perfect for a baby shower. Dear Lizzie has a little bistro in the back where we sat and talked and ate!

When we planned the date, I didn't think anyone from my side of the family would be able to attend because its so close to Thanksgiving when everyone will be coming out here anyway. But I was very, very pleasantly surprised when I walked out of the bathroom and found my mom and Annie sitting there at the table. I doubled over and just bawled my eyes out---I'm sure the pregnancy hormones had everything to do with it!

Here are a few pictures of the festivities! You can see my belly...it is just so huge. I think it looks like I've stuffed a basketball in there. My next doctors appointment is tomorrow and we'll find out how close I am to being ready to deliver. I'm hoping she'll be early (safely early) and really think she won't be able to wait until the 5th of December.

Thank you to all my dear friends and family!!!

I'm taking guesses on when she'll arrive. Leave your guess in the comments!!!

Another Weekend in Colorado

A week ago we drove to Colorado for one of Jon's best friend's weddings. We took the opportunity to see the beautiful fall foliage and drove along the I-70 route. Veil was absolutely breathtaking. Fall is by far my most favorite season!

Here are a few pictures of the wedding. It was neat to see Jon with his buddies from high school. They haven't been in too close of contact with each other so it was a sweet reunion for them! The wedding was up Boulder Canyon outside of a nice restaurant. It was beautiful!

On another note, the belly is huge! I'm feeling pretty good but can tell that the time is drawing near. I'm almost 33 weeks along and my sister-in-law, Natalie, commented last night that I look like I'm 9 months plus one week! I have a feeling this little girl is not going to be so little! Jonah was 8lb 12oz so we'll see what happens with this one!

I'll post some pictures later today.

25 Weeks and Counting

I thought it time to post another picture of my blossoming belly. So here you go. We're getting closer and closer to the time when our baby girl will join our little family. I've been trying to get Jonah to recognize what's coming and the most progress we've made is him pointing to and rubbing my belly when I say, "Where's Baby?" I'm sure we're in for an adventurous transition. If any of you have any tips on how you handled it all, I'm always open to advice!

On another note, here are some sweet new shoes I got for Jonah last week. He's outgrown all his sandals and I decided I might as well get something that will last through the fall/winter. If you can't tell, they're New Balance with Oscar the Grouch and flies all over them.

The Polls Are Closed!!

If this is any clue, I'll be buying these very soon!!!

The majority of you are correct! You picked girl!

P.S. It's a girl!

A Call For Advice!!!

OK, everyone. Here's the scoop. I've been reading up on natural birth (OK, men, if you don't want to hear about this stuff, this is your queue to skip past this post) and the differences between OBs and midwives and now I'm asking for your advice/experiences. I've heard some horror stories from both sides and now I'm honestly contemplating switching doctors half way through my pregnancy. The doctor I see is great so far, but the downside is that he's in a practice with 4 other doctors. The rule in the practice is that you have to see each doctor at least once before you deliver because any one of them could be delivering your baby.

With Jonah, I saw one doctor through the whole pregnancy and he was wonderful, but of course he didn't deliver me because they called some "on-call" doctor instead. I decided to try a different doctor on the count that I wouldn't be here through the whole pregnancy because we were thinking about moving...and now we're not. So I wasn't very thorough in my investigation of providers and really wasn't thinking long-term on this one.

So now I ask you for your advice! I haven't made any decisions yet and I'd like some feedback.
Please leave me your comments if you know of a great midwife or doctor and who NOT to go to. Thanks everyone! I want this to be a good experience and not a scary one.

The 18 Week Baby Bump

Here we are at 18 weeks. I decided that I no longer just looked fat and one could actually tell I might be pregnant instead. So here you go. I'm starting to feel baby moving quite a bit, which is really fun! For those of you that haven't yet voted, look at the poll on our sidebar and tell us what you think we're having!! Up until a few weeks ago I was totally convinced it was a boy and was even calling it a "he". I'll find out for sure in about 2 weeks or so and then I'll let you all know!

P.S. I redecorated our blog too (yes those are actually our shoes in the header photo, one pair each, juxtaposed over a photo I took in Stewart Falls some years ago...its kind of weird but I like it!).