Our Two Gifts

Countdown: 9 more weeks until I make the goal of at least 36 weeks

That means only 63 more days!!!

I am 27 weeks today.

As most people hate going to the doctor, we look forward to the bi-weekly visits now so we can hear the heartbeats and be reassured that everything is going great! We have also began our regular ultrasounds scheduled for every 4 weeks to measure growth and keep a close eye on the babies.

Twin A

Twin A has grown from 1 lb. 4 oz. to 2 lbs. 3 oz. in the past 4 weeks. The heartbeat remains a strong 150 as it has the last couple appointments. Twin A is still head down and it feels as though he/she is the more active of the two. The ultrasound tech. commented how he/she is hogging more of the space but he/she also has Baby B's butt is it's face. ;)

Twin B

Twin B has grown from 1 lb. 3 oz. to 2 lbs. 8 oz. in the past four weeks. The heartbeat has changed a bit since last time. It is now closer to that of Baby A at 147 (it was 141 at the last appointment). The position that Baby B is in, makes it hard for a good profile picture, but I thought this one is cute with him/her looking right at you. This baby has it's head near my right rib and causes me much pain and discomfort the majority of the day if I am sitting. Sitting in a reclining position most all the time and the heating pad have become my new best friends. Standing also helps relieve some of the discomfort, but as I told Adam... as of this week, I no longer have ankle bones so I try to keep off my feet as much as I can!!!

The babies are a thinner, smaller, redder version of what they will look like at birth. They continue to put on fat and their lungs, liver and immune systems continue to fully develop. They can probably recognize our voices and their eyes are beginning to open, if they are not open yet. In the past the measurement for length was the crown-to rump, but this weeks marks where they begin measuring total length and they should be about 15 1/4 inches. They are about the size of an eggplant.

This week marks the end of our second trimester and we are sailing into the third. As people ask me how I am feeling I will respond with "I am good, but slowing down quite a bit!" I find myself teaching from my chair more often throughout the day, asking the students to carry my bins to and from where they need to be in the classroom, and having the students pick stuff up off the floor for me where in the past I would not have thought twice about picking up a dropped pencil. The end of the weeks are harder than the beginning, and trying to do something after work that requires me walking (as in Christmas Shopping) is really hard. I also need to give Adam tons of credit for the helper he has been at home. He now has the responsibilities of helping me up, helping with my socks, and making sure my very tight shoes get tied!

So the next question from most is if I will be back to work after this holiday break? I am hoping so!!! My doctor will work with me and listen to how I am feeling, but as long as my body holds up and the babies remain healthy, I really hope to make it to the end of January or early February.

Adam and I look forward to spending this holiday season with many great friends and our amazing families. We already have our favorite gift of all, the two bundles of joy that we will have soon! Next weeks post may be a little delayed due to some traveling, so check in on Monday! We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Warm Winter Wishes!

Baby Shower & Blizzard

Well, The title of the blog this week says it all. If you go back to a November post the theme was also all things that start with a "B" (Bad Roads, Baptism, and Babies). Sticking with that them this week is all things that start with a "B" as well. This past weekend was a special day for me, Adam, and the Babies. We had our first shower, but the weather did not cooperate! Thinking back, two years ago we planned a winter wedding and the weather was perfect. I should have known not to try and be lucky with Wisconsin winters... This is a day that stories will be shared for awhile! I sincerely thank all that made it and those who did not - we missed you, but I completely understand. I debated on whether to cancel, but in the end the food was prepared and I rescheduling would have been difficult to find a weekend before I am unable to move comfortably. So again, THANKS to all there and those there in spirit!

This is how the Baby Shower started out... an empty lot full of snow, and needing to be plowed out. Thanks to Adam, some guests were able to make it by him going to pick them up!!!

The babies were VERY spoiled with necessities... and some fun stuff too!

Thanks for the cupcakes Missy! They were two-peas-in-a-pod and very yummy...

After helping get things all ready to go, helping people get to the shower, and driving from Eau Claire in the weather... the boys got to enjoy the shower as well. They also helped the numbers...

After my brother drove from Downsville and went to dig out my sister's car, we thought he should stay and join in on the fun.

From the time we knew we were having twins (at 9 weeks) they have already been labeled "Baby A & B". These two adorable outfits are from Nana (my mom).

At that same time, Jerry named the twins "Sears & Roebuck" so here are their very own shirts that were made by Adam's Grandma Zielke. Why do we even have to think about names anymore?

Instead of bring a card, guests were asked to bring a book. We look forward to reading these special books with the babies (these are just a few... we need a bookshelf for the nursery)!

Some other special books given to the babies came from when Adam was little. These were a few of his favorites! These will be "looked" at on the shelf or in a shadow box and probably not played with.

Some other pieces that Adam was given came directly from his nursery. His bear was made by his Grandma Zielke, the wood toys he played with, and some of his nursery decorations are very special to have.

The kiddos were spoiled with many toys. Once we got home, I combined them all into a bin that Nana made for the twins. Adam's family has been going to Door County for 30+ years and we pack our "stuff" in bins in case it rains... so now the twins have their Door County Bin all ready to be packed next year!

We made the decision that if we have no major developments on our house this week, we will paint the nursery and just start to get settled here. When we got home from the shower, I went through all the goodies again and attempted to sort through all the treats!

After 18.5 inches of snow, someone needed to snow blow the driveway... Adam is just really a big kid who can't wait to play in the snow!

At one point I peeked out at him and he was sitting in a drift (looked like he was in a recliner) and eating snow... wondering where all the kids were at to play with?!?!?!

St. Nick came to the house on Monday and left some presents next to our shoes. The babies got some Nuks, Adam got a tie clip, and I got a coupon organizer... I am thinking it will be more than half full with diaper coupons!

And lastly, Last Friday Adam helped take down the last of the trees at the lot. The HUGE Oak needed to come down and it was a beast. We would have loved having a beautiful tree in our front yard, but this is where the driveway needs to go...

TIMBER!

This week is my last week before two weeks off for Christmas break and Adam and I have a doctor appointment on Wednesday. We will have another ultrasound and cannot wait to see the babies again... so next week will be ALL ABOUT BABIES!

Memory Tree

I'll start out this week with a picture of our Christmas Tree. The past years I called it the "Hodge-Podge" Tree because it is all sorts of random ornaments. Growing up I always had trees with themes. One year it is all white ornaments, the next it is all blue and white, and then my mom had a snowman tree. So naturally as I started having my own tree, my tree always had a theme. Our first year together, I laughed at Adam's ornaments because they were "Hodge-Podge." But as he decorated the tree, there was a story behind every ornament. There is a truck with a tree on the top = the family tradition of cutting their own tree. He has all the Craftsman series ornaments = Sears, and he has a life jacket and duck from when he lived on Long Lake. Those are just to name a few... So naturally as we meshed our lives together, we continue to get ornaments that have special meaning and I choose to call the tree this year the "Memory Tree" as it sounds better than "Hodge-Podge." I really do like the tree and the Charlie Brown look emphasizes all the memories hanging on the tree! Yes, I still have a tree with a theme, but it isn't going to be put up this year... too much work right now.

Izzie got a much needed haircut this week. I should have taken a "before" picture... you couldn't even see her eyes! As she was getting her haircut, we had some hours to burn in Eau Claire. Adam's favorite store in Eau Claire is TJ Max as he is always looking for the deals. One thing he found and could not pass up were these "Air Jordan" booties. He (and I) had a couple pair of Jordan's while growing up so how fitting that will be the first pair of "shoes" for the babies. However, they are Pink so if we don't have girls or a girl, they will be a gift to someone who has a girl!

On Saturday, Adam and I went to a shower held for Amanda and Matt. Amanda and Matt are the son and daughter-in-law of Adam's business partners (Char and Gerry). Amanda is due with a baby boy this Christmas (December 26th)! We couldn't help but get a belly shot of the two of us. The first thing I see is how much taller she is than me, but then I can't get past the thought that she has 3 weeks to go and I have 11 weeks (until week 36) to go and were THE SAME SIZE...

Front Shot... not so bad.

Side Shot... Bam!

We have had quite a bit of interest in our house as of lately as well. We have had showings most every weekend (at least we have a clean house every week) and a very interested couple hopefully making an offer early this week. It's really hard not to get our hopes up... but to be completely honest, I am getting nervous about the thought of possibly moving twice in the up coming months and maybe with newborn babies! Not to mention, nothing being done with the nursery. I continue to remind Adam, I will not be able to help much with a move... With the activity on the house, we have been busy putting the finishing touches on the plans and getting the lot ready for the hole to be dug and concrete poured. This means trees needed to come down.

The stakes are for the concrete people. It's hard to envision the layout just by where the stakes are...

The boys hard at work. We hired it out, but Adam and Gerry helped to cut the cost in half!!! A BIG thanks to Gerry :)

There is a bit more to finish next week, and we'll keep you posted as this should be an interesting week if everything comes together right!

Baby Update: Week 25

Each week as I do my reading on the babies, I giggle to myself. I do not have a book that refers to a twin pregnancy so I laugh when it tells me how big I should be. This week it says my uterus should be about halfway between my belly button and the lower part of my sternum... Well Baby B has been in my right rib for the last 3-4 weeks causing A LOT of pain and periods of being quite uncomfortable! I am much bigger than a soccer ball as well... as the book says that is the size I should be. Other than that, I have been feeling a lot of movement and the their main job now is to put on fat! I am not sure if it is their placement or little personalities coming through already, but Baby A is quite a bit more active then Baby B most days. We can't wait to see them on our next ultra sound in a week and a half!

As I mentioned earlier, this coming weeks could be very busy with some developments in selling our house, starting our new house, we start birthing classes, and I have my first baby shower this coming weekend! Thanks for checking in and we'll keep you posted!

~Amy, Adam, and the Nizzer.