A package on our doorstep...

This week was Fall Parent/Teacher conferences. This years conferences were held on Thursday night and Friday morning (the kiddos didn't have school on Friday). It was nice as I only had a half day on Friday and conferences are done! Of the kids I case manage and some regular ed. kids in my homeroom class, I only has two conferences that were "bad" and they were nothing the parents didn't already know ;). Adam had fun with the camera each morning. As I hate being in pictures all by myself, I will include the pictures he took of me because it is probably the most dressed up I have been all year, and the most dressed up I will be until Elle's baptism in November!

Thursday Morning...

Friday Morning...

On Thursday night, when I got home from a long day of school and a night of parent teacher conferences, there was a package waiting for us on the dining room table!!!!! The package was from Adam's Aunt Cathy and Uncle Bill, and they are also his god-parents. It was a box with some of the cutest little outfits and a very nice card! It still brings home the reality when we get two of everything, and when we picture the little bodies filling in the clothes!

As I type this weeks post, the babies are listening to their Baby Einstein CD. As I read before, now that they can hear and their brains are continuing to develop, the music helps stimulate the development and make connections. In the last three days, I have been feeling a lot of movement. More when I am laying down and on my side. I am feeling more movement on one side more than the other, but I am thinking it all matters how each are laying and if one is kicking me, maybe the other is just kicking their brother/sister... I can't wait until the ultra sound in three weeks to see how they are positioned and growing! With feeling all the movement, I also can't wait for Adam to begin to feel them.

The babies now weigh about 7 ounces and are about 7 inches long. Between now and the time they are born, they will increase in weight more than 15 times! Not much else to report on this week, as the already developed systems just continue to get stronger and a little more more fine tuned... We will however, leave you with knowing that we are officially HALF WAY there! Meeting the 40 weeks with twins is almost unheard of, due to their room to grow so between last week and this week, it is safe to say we are half way there.

Thanks for checking in and a BIG thanks to Bill and Cathy for the special package!

Weekend Away

This week we had the excitement of hearing the babies heartbeats again and sneak out of town for the weekend. We are getting used to the idea of twins and it is natural for me to refer to the "babies" and "they", but nothing can take you back to the feeling of hearing the two distinct heartbeats!!! This appointment was quite routine with the measuring of my uterus, hearing the heartbeats, and then the doctor threw in the idea of having my hemoglobin checked again. Needless to say, he called me after the appointment stating that the babies were taking all they needed and leaving me with very little iron. So I was put on iron as well. Maybe that will help with me still feeling quite tired all day!

Stats from the last appointment at 13 weeks:

Heartbeats (maybe two separate) : 150

Measuring 13 centimeters at 13 weeks (should match up in a singleton pregnancy)

Stats from this weeks 17 week appointment:

Two distinct Heartbeats!!!

Right Side Baby: 144

Left Side Baby: 160
(Dr. Walker didn't really say Baby A or B)

Measuring 21 centimeters at 17 weeks... 4 weeks larger than "normal". When I say this the question that follows is "Are they going to move your due date?" The answer is NO. "Normal" is a singleton pregnancy. There are TWO babies in there, so I will probably always measure 4 weeks large.

This has been a great week! With only two and a half days with kiddos, the week went by fast and it is always nice to have PD days to see friends from different buildings in the district! We ended out the week by sneaking away to Adam's parents house. Adam stated that it felt like a vacation, and I have to agree. We had the opportunity to have some GREAT meals and spend some time with the family. Adam said it felt like a vacation because he had the whole weekend off and not being at home feeling like something had to be done; he got to be lazy and relax!

The babies are already getting spoiled!!! We got two bins full of treats and needed "Stuff" for the babies.

Laura and Jerry just returned from Orlando earlier in the month. Needless to say they got the babies their first Disney Gear. They are already very SpOiLeD!

On Saturday afternoon, we went bumming. Adam feels left out that he never has a Saturday off to "bum", so we hit two baby boutiques in DePere. He walked in and looked at the prices and then he and Jerry"waited for us outside".

Look how thrilled he was to be at the second boutique!!!

Izzie made the trip with us like always... we cannot forget about her. She does so well in the car and feels right at home at Adam's parents house!


VERY BRIEF baby update:

(The belly picture is only because my sister demanded...)

18 Weeks
The belly is definitely making more of an appearance by the day. I don't feel like it is there as much as the picture shows, although this week has been the week were people who don't really know me or didn't know we were expecting, have asked when I am due without me having to tell them I am pregnant. I am 97% certain I have felt the babies move. In talking to others who are expecting and have felt recent movement, I haven't had the fluttering feeling move across my stomach, but I got to thinking I might not feel that since they are tight in there and going to stick to a side. I have felt some twitches/thumps and sometimes feels like my stomach drops like going over a steep hill in a car. The babies are the size of a sweet potato and are passing the hours practicing swallowing, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, and sucking.

Longest week ever...

I will warn you right away that this isn't going to be a vary interesting post. This week has been a week I have been dreading for awhile. My volleyball team had late practice this week. That means I supervise study-hall for the girls from 3:00 - 4:30, then we practice after that. It puts for some long days. We had two games this past week that were both away which puts in for some long nights, but needless to say when the girls play well it helps!!!! And I ended this week with class on Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday. Ish. Ish. Ish.

This week is going to be a much better week! I have a half day on Wednesday, and NO students on Thursday and Friday!!!

This past weekend, we did find the time to visit a pumpkin patch. We went to the Pleasant Valley Tree Farm for a bit. I have a feeling we would have spent more time there had we already had the kiddos. There is so much to do there! This is also where we went last year for our Christmas trees so Adam was hunting a bit early for our tree... notice Izzie's look on her face. By this time she was hot, thirsty, and had been pet by about 100 kids!!!! Poor thing.

Baby Update:

The big development areas this week are the babies cartilage turning to more solid bone. The joints are now working and the tiny bones in their ears are developed so they can hear things. Adam continues to talk to them which makes me laugh. Playing music for them with headphones may start this week, and also they can feel me rubbing my tummy (supposed to help calm them and help the bonding process). I am patiently waiting for the definite moment where I know I have felt a kick this week as well! The babies are about the size of a turnip.

We have our doctor's appointment this Wednesday. Maybe this time we will be able to hear the two distinct heartbeats!!! We will have our next ultra sound in four weeks at the 21 week mark where they will be able to determine the gender, but we are still thinking that we don't want to know!!!

Gearing up for Babies!

I'll start out this week with a Belly Shot... I think I was more proud of the regular jeans buttoned and zipped. They lasted the entire day, until I wanted to put some sweatpants on due to the jeans pushing on my bladder. My belly continues to expand by the day. Sometimes I swear it is growing by the hour. I have "good" days and "bigger" days and it always seems that on a day I feel it is a "good" day I always get the most comments on my belly! I have yet to be sure I felt movement. Most feel movement within the 16-20 weeks span, but with two in there I would think that I would feel it sooner. Every now and then I will feel something and I am almost positive it was the babies, but then I talk myself out of it (gas).

16 Weeks

On Saturday I geared up for a full day of "Gearing up for the Babies." Missy, Elle, my mom, and I went to Woodbury to register for all the goods we will be needing. When Missy offered to help out, I could not turn down the chance to go with a "Pro". I was a little overwhelmed starting out at Babies R Us with all the stuff. All the pacifiers alone confused me! It helped to have someone who could guide me and give an honest opinion. After Babies R Us, Target was a breeze. I think it was because they had a lot less stuff, and I already pretty much knew what I was looking for! It continues to all sink in when I had to think about what I needed one of and what I would need two of. Hopefully our house sells soon, because we will need more room! :) It was a successful day and I thank Missy, Elle, and mom for all the help!

This was my first outing out in public with Baby Elle. It was amazing how many people commented on her hair. Missy has even had people (strangers) ask her if it is a wig!!!

She is such a CuTiE!

I got to spend all day with Elle, but Adam wanted to be able to spend some time with her as well so we grilled out later on Saturday evening. Adam can't get over how much she grows and changes each time we see her. He says she "looks like a real little person."

Proud Uncle Adam holding Elle. She loves to stand right now!

Ending with an adorable picture of Elle with her Uncle Adam.

~ Thanks for checking in! Amy and Adam.