The babies go wine tasting

Guess what? This weekend we discovered a new baby-friendly activity: wine tasting! Who knew?! Auntie Julie was in town for the Memorial Day weekend, and made us promise to figure out something fun to do other than sitting at home playing with babies... and as much as we love doing that, we had to agree that it was high time to venture out on a bona-fide family excursion (discounting our excursions to Trader Joe's, Target, and Babies 'r' Us, of course :-). Little did we know that in as quickly as 40 minutes from our house, you can find yourself in the quaint Virginia countryside, surrounded by horse farms and wineries. And thanks to a recommendation from our good friend Anne, we paid a visit to the Swedenburg Estate Vineyard in Middleburg, Virginia. After all, since the babies are now 11 weeks old, we figured there was no better time to take them wine tasting for the first time. :-) We spent a lovely afternoon sampling the vineyard's five varieties of wine, before settling on a bottle of rosé to sip under an umbrella in the sun. The babies enjoyed themselves immensely, and created as much of a spectacle among the visiting wine connoiseurs as the actual wines themselves. We ended the day touring around historic Middleburg, a charming little gem of town that seems almost too picturesque to be touched by the real world. Naturally, we couldn't resist taking tons of adorable photos of the babies at the winery - including some of our favorites of "Super Buddy" - a.k.a. Liam - soaring above us with his bib as a cape, and our junior gymnast/yoga instructor Coralie showing off her legendary backbends. (And no, I am not just dangling her in the air like that... she actually gets herself into this position to stretch!) Click here to check them out!

Birth announcements have arrived!

As you probably know, we finally sent out our birth announcements last week. And yes, we know what you're probably thinking... even though the babies' birth is not news to anyone at this point, we figured it was only fair that they receive an "official" announcement in paper form. Unfortunately, it just took two months to make it happen!

To the left is the front and back of the announcement proof. You like?! We found this great design shop to do it for us - Paper and Ink Studio, at http://www.paperandinkstudio.com/. It was such a challenge to find a design that had enough space for info for two babies, so we were really happy when we came across this one. We have a few extras, so if yours somehow did not make it to your mailbox, or if we don't have your address and you would like us to send you one, just send me an email to scrites -at- gmail -dot- com.

We also wanted to share some of the funnier photos of the babies from the photo shoot which did not make the cut for the birth announcement. Keep in mind that these were taken when they were 5 weeks old, so they are definitely bigger now!

Liam: "Are you listening to me?!?!"
Coralie: "What? I can't hear you!!!"

Clearly, this must be a fascinating conversation that they are having.

It's official. Too much photo-taking has clearly pushed Coralie over the edge, and has turned Liam catatonic.

Simultaneous yawns. Nap time!

Now, isn't it amazing that we were able to capture a photo of two calm babies to even make this birth announcement?!

That's right. This is how we roll.

It's probably no surprise that most activities with twins are quite a production. Going for a simple stroll through the neighborhood is no exception. Since it is pretty funny to us, we just wanted you to see how we look on a family walk. Yep, we've got the double stroller, a dog, and one (sometimes two) adult chaperones. Needless to say, we occupy most of the sidewalk wherever we go! Surely the neighbors must love us. :-) Case in point: on the left are the kiddos in their stroller, and on the right is my mom with the stroller and the dog, just returning from a walk a few weeks back.

Rare sleeping moments.

One of the most amusing pieces of advice we've received as new parents is to "sleep when the babies sleep." Well, easier said than done, my friends. While this sounds like a reasonable suggestion, there are a few reasons why it's proving to be next to impossible. First of all, it is rare that they both are sleeping at the same time. In fact, we can probably count the number of times when they have napped at the same time during the day on five fingers. Instead, there are many times when one baby will nap and the other baby will fuss... and that is when it occurs to us, "Gee, if we had just one baby, we probably would be sleeping a lot more." However, if they ever do nap at the same time, it is hard to resist using the quiet time to get our million other things done, without feeling guilty about leaving a baby crying in the other room. (Like writing this post right now, for example. :-) I think this might be why God gives twins to obsessive multitaskers. :-)

Now, this is not to say that we have fussy babies. They are just babies, and babies fuss... that's just what they do! And since there are two of them, the odds of fussing are even greater. We are lucky, however, that they have not problem falling asleep at night... but those daytime naps we've heard most newborn babies are so fond of just don't seem to exist in this house. That's why when the two rare sleeping moments you see here occurred, we just had to capture them on camera to prove that they actually did exist!

Oh, thank God. They are smiling!

What a relief! At six weeks, we've begun to see the first glimmers of what seem to be smiles from the babies. And the timing could not be better... after all, it is nice to have the validation of a smile to balance out the screaming and crying, and to reward us for all our labors as parents. Some might say it's just gas, but we refuse to believe it. It seems like the real deal to us!

Coralie

Liam

Silly babies

Though Liam and Coralie may be just six weeks old, we've decided that their distinct personalities are very much evident. Well, to us, at least... after all, as their parents, we do spend countless hours staring and them and pontificating the meaning behind every movement and expression! We've decided that Coralie is an alert, decisive young lady who knows what she wants, and isn't afraid to ask. Liam, on the other hand, appears to be a future comedian in the making, and constantly entertains us with his expressiveness. Coralie (right) has recently taken to sticking out her tongue (she seems quite proud of it), while Liam (left) likes to pretend he's whistling while being burped. The "whistling" seems to have replaced the "drunken sailor" pose that he was exhibiting up until last week, which you see to the left. So of course, we just had to share!

Our first Easter

The twins celebrated their first Easter this weekend... and naturally, we couldn't resist dressing them up in matching Easter outfits. They were on their best behavior (well, for part of the day at least), and slept through most of Easter brunch at the Hamels' house. Easter baskets, and perhaps even a first taste of chocolate to come for next Easter!

We took about a million photos of the babies in their Easter outfits, so please pardon the excess. They are so darn cute, we just couldn't resist! :-) (And if you scroll through them really fast, it looks like Liam is doing karate! Pretty funny!)

Click Here for More Easter Pictures

One month old!

It's hard to believe Liam and Coralie are one month old already. Between adjusting to life with newborns and visits from our families, the time has flown by like we can't believe! My sister happened to be here again, just in time for their birthday... and naturally, decided that a birthday cake was in order. And who are we to say no to cake?! But the twins will have to wait for their one year birthday for their first taste of frosting, of course. :-)

Click Here for More 1st Month B-day Photos

The twins' first cherry blossoms!

It's cherry blossom time here in the DC-area, and the twins have been happy (so we think) to see these fluffy pink wonders for the first time. My mom happened to be visiting during the Cherry Blossom Festival, so we wedged our way through the crowds of spectators to muster up a few photos with the babies by the Tidal Basin.

Click Here for More Pix of us Enjoying the Cherry Blossoms

Really, they were happy at one point, I swear - we just didn't happen to capture those happy moments on camera. :-) Ah well, we'll try again next year for their one-year-old photos!

First bath!

Good news! The twins' umbilical cords have fallen off, meaning that the time has come for their first bath. Given their small size, we opted for a kitchen sink bath. It went somewhat well - we started with Coralie, who was relatively agreeable and even seemed to enjoy the whole experience. Isn't she a little bathing beauty?!

We think Liam was a little jealous that his sister went first, so he was somewhat fussy by the time it was his turn to hop in the bath. We promised him the first bath next time, though, and that seemed to stop the fussing long enough for us to get a few decent photos. :-)


Click Here for Pictures of Bath Time

Life in three-hour shifts.

In our short time as parents, we have learned many life lessons... one of which being that we no longer see each day as a 24-hour period, but rather, as eight three-hour days in one. Did no one tell us this, or did we just have to live it to learn it? :-) But it is truly amazing seeing how quickly the days fly by when they are broken up into three-hour blocks. It goes something like this: one hour for feeding and burping the twins, half an hour changing and cleaning up messes, and half an hour getting them settled down and/or sleeping again. Now of course, assuming that they actually both do stay settled down after all that, that leaves one hour for us to sleep, go to the bathroom, shower, or eat. Yes folks, we are back to basics! If there is time for two of these extracurricular activities, it feels like a miracle, but if we're lucky, we find time for one. Needless to say, to find time to return calls and emails, and even update this blog, seems next to impossible! We are trying our best to keep up, but all this is to say that it may take us some time. We hope you all understand! Please be patient with us, and feel free to harass us... we definitely answer the phone when we have a free hand, so please keep trying!

Introducing the Snapp twins!

Oh joy of joys! We are so pleased to announce that our little twins have arrived at last! After beginning induction at midnight on March 6, Liam and Coralie joined us in the world nearly 24 hours later in the wee hours of morning on March 7. For the most part, labor was pretty slow-going... so to pass the time, Joe and my sister, Julie, and I spent many hours in the hospital discussing baby names, playing Uno, and waiting for the action to begin. I will admit - there were many points throughout the day in which I wondered why I had opted for an induction rather than a c-section, worried about whether the induction would even work, and wondered how much longer I'd be willing to wait before ending up with a c- section anyway. But fortunately, it all worked out! Active labor finally began at about 7:00 pm, and I began pushing at around 11:00 pm. Once things were getting close, we were wheeled into the operating room - which, by the way, was about 10'x10' big, very 1960s sanitorium-style (photo left), and crammed with about 15 masked medical people that we never quite identified - just in case an emergency c-section was needed. But, the one good thing about the less-than-desirable OR atmosphere was that it really motivated me to get the babies out! I pushed for about 20 minutes, and then Coralie Alexandra Snapp was born at 12:43 am. Liam Xavier Snapp came out only 6 quick minutes behind, and honestly, it didn't even feel that long. After Coralie came out, my doctor said to give just a couple more pushes - which I assumed was for her placenta - so I was completely floored to push only a couple more times and then hear Liam's first cries. Pretty amazing, pretty efficient childbirthing, if you ask me! We felt so fortunate to experience a relatively smooth labor, particularly given that we had twins - and to be able to avoid an emergency c-section. I'll spare some of the labor details here, but if you want know more about how it all went, just ask!

Since Liam and Coralie were born so early on their birthday, they were able to have a long, busy day filled with lots of visitors and well-wishes. Their Aunt Missy even hopped on a train from Philly to see them, which was a great surprise and an amazing help to all of us. We tried to take as many photos as we could between catnaps, which we've saved in the following album:
Pictures of the First Moments

We will undoubtedly have our hands full - literally! - for quite a while, but we will try our hardest to keep the photos and updates coming as our babies grow. Stay tuned!

No, really... let's do this thing.

So, yesterday turned out to be a false alarm, and we did not actually end up being induced into labor as planned. Apparently, it was a busy day at the hospital for babies - just not ours! Instead, our induction was pushed back to midnight last night, and we've just been here relaxing and slowly getting things moving since then. Depending on how quickly things go, the babies are now likely to come later on today or tomorrow. But the Snapp twins are definitely on the way at this point, and we will continue to keep you updated once we have more news!

Okay, let's do this thing.

Well, folks - today is the day. Joe and I are heading to the hospital this morning to be induced into labor. Our doctors felt that the time has come in which it is now better for the health of our babies and me that they be born. They have already well exceeded the average gestation for twins, and besides, we are eager to meet these little ones of ours after all these months! I have been off work since February 23rd, and have been just waiting and spending most of my time on bedrest. Plus, we've checked nearly everything off our to-do list... and I sure am ready to get my blood pressure and skin back to normal (I have been covered in a miserable itchy rash called PUPPPs for the last week - so... not... fun...).

So, the time has come. We are feeling a little nervous and excited this morning, as it is somewhat of a strange feeling to have the birth of your children planned out in this way. Wish us luck today - we are hoping for the smoothest labor and delivery that is possible with twins! And the next time you hear from us, we will officially be parents!

It's March... and still no babies yet!

We are growing continually impressed with our babies' abilities to continue gestating. Here we are now in March, and amazingly, I am still pregnant! All along, we were hoping just to make it to February, knowing how early so many twins are born... so our goal was to keep them hanging on until then. Plus, with Joe's strong family history of February birthdays, were certain that we would be adding two more to the family roster. Fortunately, we managed to avoid our babies being born on Joe's birthday, so we are happy that February 24th remains safely reserved just for Joe. After all, the twins will already have to share their birthday with each other - and I would have felt left out if I were the only member of our family not born on February 24th. :-)

But now, the end is in sight. Although they seem to be pretty happy just where they are, it is looking like induction will be the way out for them. But, if that happens, it is a good thing at this point, as twins should not stay much beyond 38 weeks, nor should I continue to push my blood pressure much longer. We will keep you all posted on their imminent arrival!

Just waiting now.

So, good news - now that we are at 37 weeks, the babies are considered full term! As always, we are so happy to have made it another week, and to have come this far. Surprisingly, the doctors report that I am not showing much of any signs of labor yet - though that, of course, can change quickly. Instead, the issue I have been dealing with is blood pressure, of all things, which has been going on for the last 4 weeks. It has been up and down - mostly not too far up, fortunately - but I have not been showing any other warning signs, either in lab tests or in symptoms. So far, they have continued to rule out preeclampsia - but regardless, having elevated blood pressure is still not a good thing. The irony of it all is that all along, I was so sure that pre-term labor would be the issue I'd have to worry about... and I never expected something like blood pressure would get me! So we'll see how it all goes, and how much longer they let me stay pregnant. It has meant more doctors' visits and more monitoring... and unfortunately, more serious bed rest now to keep my blood pressure down. Which is too bad in a way, because now that pre-term labor is no longer such a concern, I had big plans to start violating my house arrest doctors' orders, and doing crazy things - you know, like shopping, going out for dinner, and taking the dog for a walk every now and then. :-) Alas, it looks like those activities will still have to be kept to a minimum!

The kiddos still seem happy as clams in their cozy home, as you can see in their latest ultrasound image below, taken at 37 weeks, 2 days. Now that they are so much bigger, all we can see during ultrasounds at this stage is a jumble of body parts - so the circles you see here are their two little heads. They are now side-by-side, and head down - so no more breech babies for us, yay!

In other news, I had my last day of work-from-home on Friday... and am now officially on maternity leave! I'm hoping to be able to stay pregnant one more week, just so I can get ahead on sleep and enjoy a little break from work before we begin the real work of raising children!

36 weeks, and I'm still pregnant! Woo-hoo!

I know what you're thinking... most women who are as huge as me are not usually happy to still be pregnant at this point. But, for someone who has spent most of her pregnancy freaking out about the possibility of pre-term labor, I see every week closer to the safe zone as a tremendous victory. Truth be told, I freaked myself out so much, that I was convinced I would have delivered 1- or 2-pound babies long before this point! So, to know that we have made it this far, and that our babies weigh over 5 1/2 pounds EACH, is quite gratifying.

Now, this is not to say that I've spent my entire pregnancy as a big ol' ball of stress and paranoia. However, I like to think that it was a little healthy dose of paranoia that has kept me pregnant for this long, because without it, I probably would not have taken all the precautions I have. So, without further ado... I would like to reveal the secrets to a successful pregnancy with multiples:

1. Slowing it down. When my doctors told me at 20 weeks to start slowing it down, I did. It was hard at first, because everything was going smoothly, and I felt really good - but I tried to start recognizing the things I shouldn't continue doing. Unfortunately, this was a great disappointment to our dog, who saw her regular walks become not-so-regular... but she'll get them back again, though accompanied by a double stroller. :-)

2. House arrest. Now, when my doctors had me go on modified bed rest, or "house arrest," at 28 weeks, I'll admit that I didn't take it all that seriously at first. I still was feeling pretty good, so it was hard to see the need to REALLY slow things down. But looking back, this was the best thing for me. Despite my desire to get-up-and-go, I forced myself to schedule "horizontal time" - morning, afternoon, and evening. I set up a great system working from home (which I've been really lucky to be able to do), and alternated between the desktop and the laptop, using the laptop during my scheduled horizontal times. I am convinced that if I had continued slogging to work on the metro all this time, I probably would have delivered 2-pound babies weeks ago.

3. The best book ever: When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy, by Dr. Barbara Luke and Tamara Eberlein. When we first found out we were having twins, I read every drop of information I could find in my What to Expect... and Pregnancy Week-by-Week books... which came to all of about 5 pages. Desperate to learn more, I bought this off Amazon, sold on the title. Later, I discovered that this is the multiples pregnancy bible, so I guess I made a lucky choice! Now, I will admit - this book made me paranoid as hell, and I cannot tell you how many times I read and re-read about the warnings of pre-term labor. But, I'm glad it did - because it also taught me that while some things are beyond your control, there is also a LOT you can do to minimize the risks of pre-term labor. Some of the advice was even more extreme than what my doctors were telling me, but I chose to take almost all of it very seriously.

4. Joining a multiples group. It sounds lame, but I am so happy we joined the Northern Virginia Parents of Multiples group. During pregnancy, hearing real-life stories from mothers of multiples who delivered at 28 or 30 weeks motivated me to not let that happen to me... and hearing about mothers who went all the way to 38+ weeks has given me a goal to strive for. And after pregnancy, we have no doubt that these other parents of multiples will continue to be a great support for us.

5. Prenatal yoga. I cannot recommend this enough. As a fan of real yoga, I will admit that I found this just a little disappointing at first, as it is definitely way less challenging. But eventually, I got myself into the mindset that it is just different - and its purpose and benefits are different. It is the perfect, non-strenuous pregnancy exercise, even if you're on modified bed rest. I truly believe prenatal yoga is what kept my backaches at bay for a long time, and is the best way to create more space for your baby - or in my case, babies, who needed all the space they could get! Shiva Rea's Prenatal Yoga video has never left our DVD player, and I kept up with it about 5 times a week for most of my pregnancy.

6. Temporary handicapped parking pass. Laugh all you want, but this is the best thing EVER! Granted, I don't really leave the house except for doctor's appointments - but since my doctors are at the hospital, parking was becoming exceedingly difficult. So now, I thank my doctor for helping me get my temporary pass every time I go in. :-) I think every pregnant woman, and definitely high-risk pregnant women, should ask their doctor about it, too.

7. Make those calories count. Sure, I've indulged in my share of sweets, but I have really worked hard to maintain good nutrition all throughout pregnancy. The key is really to eat tons of protein and small but frequent meals - which is good for everyone, not just pregnant women. I have kept myself to a regular plan of breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, dinner, and then bedtime snack. Keeping myself on this schedule has been especially helpful later in pregnancy, when it is common to not get as hungry (due to all the abdominal crowding) - and has helped ensure that those babies are still getting the nutrition they need.

8. Drink a lot, pee a lot. All I can say is, thank god I've always drunk water like a camel, or pregnancy would have been really tough. I had heard that pregnant women should drink 16 8-oz. glasses of water per day - and that mothers of multiples should drink twice that. Needless to say, a watering schedule like this makes a peeing-prone pregnant woman really run to the bathroom often! But again, going back to my pre-term labor paranoia - once I learned that not peeing frequently enough can bring on contractions and labor, that was all I needed to hear to make myself want to pee every 15 minutes. Annoying, yes, but I've just let myself go with the flow on this one (really, no pun intended).

9. A wonderfully helpful and supportive husband. I've saved the best for last here, because it is really the most important. Without Joe, I seriously do not know how I could have maintained my pregnant lifestyle - particularly with having extremely limited activity for about half of it. With all of our baby preparations, Joe has had to take on countless trips to Target, Costco, Babies 'R Us, and the grocery when I couldn't - and has been in charge of many household tasks that we used to share. Again, I am convinced I would have delivered teeny-tiny babies weeks ago if I did not have a husband who was willing and able to do as much as Joe has done, just so that I could rest and gestate.

One more thing I should also mention... while this is isn't something you can control - I do think genetics have played a big part of keeping these two babies in for this long. For the first time in my life, my wide hips that were always the bain of my existence have finally proven themselves useful for something! Without them, I probably would have run out of space a long time ago. :-)

Stay tuned to see how much longer I stay pregnant - it could be a matter of days at this point!

A breath of fresh air.

I swear, no one warned me that one of the greatest nuisances of pregnancy would be the inability to breathe. Instead, all I heard about was the other afflictions that seemed to pass me by: morning sickness/nausea (I had none), food aversions (none), strange cravings (again, none!), swollen ankles and wrists (still none!)... and the list goes on and on. But since the first trimester, I have been plagued with a stuffy nose like it's allergy season 24/7. And since about week 20, I have also been struck by breathlessness when I'm talking, walking, or eating. Granted, I knew this was something to expect later in pregnancy, as the uterus compresses the lungs - but with two babies, it just meant that this happened to me much earlier. But now, I'm missing the days of my 20-week breathlessness, because as the babies get bigger, it now feels like pregnancy-induced asthma - if there is such a thing. Now, I wake up in the night not just because I have to pee constantly, but also because I feel like I'm suffocating. And poor Joe - I'm sure this isn't doing much for his sleep either.

So now, I'm dreaming of days when I won't blow my nose all the time, and I can take long, deep breaths again. Of course, allergy season will really be upon us soon after the babies are born - but I'm sure it will be better than this. :-)

The last supper

Last night, Joe and I went out on what is likely our last true date before we become parents. Not to mention, an excuse to belatedly celebrate my birthday, as well as my last venture out of the house aside from doctors' appointments. (Yep, I'm officially grounded.) Given all these reasons, we thought it was worth the splurge to go somewhere nice, one last time - the kind of place we probably wouldn't bring kids anytime soon. We decided on BLT Steak, which is, in our opinion, the best steakhouse in DC - http://www.bltsteak.com/.

So, I found something to fit into other than sweats and p.j.'s, and off we went into the maternity-free zone... where an 8-1/2-month pregnant woman is something of an exotic urban species. And after thoroughly enjoying our meatfest, the best part of all came at the end of our meal. We waited and waited for our bill, made several attempts to flag down our waiter, and began feeling generally confused as to why he didn't seem to want our money. Then finally, he came over to our table and informed us that our entire bill had been covered by the couple sitting at the table next to us. We were completely taken aback - after all, when do you ever find charity in an expensive restaurant, after you've just had a $200 meal? It was funny because we had barely talked to them - and they left long before we did, so we never even had the chance to thank them. Lesson learned: going out in public while ridiculously pregnant can have its benefits sometimes!

And speaking of ridiculously pregnant... we are posting what may be the last side view anyone will see of me for a long time (online, that is). So, here it is, folks - this is what a twin pregnancy does to you at 34 weeks:

Now, admit it - don't I look like I should have already had a baby weeks ago?! Sigh. At any rate, despite having limited clothing options and a growing backache from carrying around about 10 pounds of baby, we're grateful to have reached some important milestones. After all, I've now made it to age 33 (Jan. 26th), the month of February (today), and 34 weeks of pregnancy (yesterday) - and have still managed to keep those babies cooking! So if our babies were to be born now, they would be small, and might spend some extra time in the hospital - but we feel reassured knowing that they would be just fine. Hopefully we can hang on a little bit longer!

Cool diaper bags = cool parents.

We know, we know... being a parent doesn't exactly scream "cool." So, for the record, we have no illusions that any shred of coolness we are still holding onto will still be there when we finally become parents in just a few short weeks. In fact, one of the good things about pregnancy is that it has been sort of a gradual breaking-in to prepare me for the next and largely uncool phase of my life. (Joe, on the other hand, has not yet fully realized that he is already somewhat uncool by association.)

Lately we've been sorting through baby items, putting together nursery furniture, and starting to make room for babies in our house. Which has made us feel slightly uncool as we begin to say goodbye to our style of yesteryear. But, there is one thing about being parents that can still be cool - and that is having cool diaper bags. The way we see it, we're going to spend lots of time changing diapers over the next couple of years, and therefore, lots of time toting around diaper bags. So why not enjoy a stylin' diaper bag? So we did it up, and acquired some diaper bags that actually are pretty cool... and, that don't even look like diaper bags! And here they are - Joe's on the left, and mine on the right:

Pretty cool, huh? I think we will actually enjoy toting these around. And who knows - maybe we'll even figure out more ways to be cool parents besides having cool diaper bags. :-)

32-week update

Yesterday, we went to the doctor, and got to see the twins again via ultrasound. Of course, these days we are seeing their movements through my belly just about all the time! We were pleased to learn that their estimated weights are now approximately 4.2 and 4.4 pounds - which is excellent! Each one is on target for a single baby's weight at this stage - which, of course, means I am carrying about 8.5 pounds of baby right now, and growing wider and wider with each passing day (since they are side-by-side). We also found out that they had completely reversed positions... three weeks ago, the boy was head-down and the girl was breech; but now, the girl is head-down and the boy is breech. It's unusual for twins to still be able to move this much this far along, but we were warned that if it did happen, that we would definitely know it! We're pretty sure the big flip happened on Sunday night, when what appeared to be a minor eruption occurred beneath my skin. Good thing we were warned!

In other news, we were able to get some important baby-prep projects done this weekend. First and foremost, Joe set up the crib and one of the two dressers - yeah! Which means that now we have a place for the babies and their stuff. (In case you were wondering, twins usually share a crib for about 6 months - so that is the plan for us.) Meanwhile, I got to work organizing our impossibly tiny (though very necessary) hall closet. If you saw it before, you would know this is a vast improvement! Joe also got us a label-maker, so I even went to town labeling each shelf - which may be too teeny to see from the picture, but they're there. Yes, a tad anal, I know, but I love my labels! We also reorganized our room, washed and organized all the baby clothes we're received, and cooked some meals to go into our storage freezer. Next projects: finishing up the rest of the nursery, relocating my closet from the babies' room to our new armoire, and tackling the basement. Hopefully, we'll be able to squeeze in some time for at one of these projects next weekend, in between our childbirth prep class!

Inauguration Weekend

We're excited. This weekend, Mr. Obama comes to Washington as our new president. Hooray! From what we hear, it sounds like a weekend of fun and festivities is leading up to the big day... though unfortunately, we are not able to partake in the fun first-hand. Somehow, a crowd of millions doesn't seem like the wisest place for a 32-week woman pregnant with twins to be. Any other year, though, and we would bundle up, brave the cold, and head out for the inaugural action!

At least we are there in spirit, and at least the inaugural route is very familiar territory for us - even if Obama wasn't there before. We're just trying to convince ourselves that watching all the inaugural events in HD from our cozy home a couple of miles away is almost better than watching the real thing from a jumbotron in the cold on the National Mall. Still, we're sorry that we can't be there during this incredible time, and that the babies have to miss their first live inauguration. And, hopefully, it will be a different story when the time comes for Obama's second inauguration!

A Shower Weekend!

This weekend, Joe and I were treated to back-to-back showers... the first, hosted by my lovely co-workers, and the second, by our wonderful friends. On Friday, my co-workers greeted Joe and me with a great "Buns in the Oven" themed potluck lunch shower, during which we played some hysterical (though embarrassing!) games, and received some wonderfully thoughtful gifts. We also learned that candy can be cleverly disguised as dirty diapers, and got lots of hilarious baby name suggestions from the wacky group... the general themes ranging from famous pairs, to our bosses' names, to various adaptations of some of our fondest AmeriCorps processes! Thanks all for the recommendations... we will definitely have to take Frick and Frack into serious consideration, among others. :-)

Then on Saturday, my friends hosted an incredible "Two Peas in a Pod" baby shower. This was truly the shower to end all showers! The theme was planned down to every last detail, from the gorgeous cake and cupcake favors, to the decor, and even down to the cups, plates, and baby shower bingo cards. The food spread was amazing, and no one could get enough of the cake - once we could bring ourselves to cut it, of course, since it was so adorable. And in addition to an edible cake, we even had a "two peas in a pod" diaper cake! The lovely hostesses Olivia, Shetal, and Missy truly outdid themselves in the planning department, and Sylvie was kind enough to furnish the shower location - in addition to planning my work shower the day before! We received so many fun, functional, and thoughtful gifts from everyone - we feel so much better prepared to become parents thanks to all of your generosity. We are overwhelmed with gratitude to you all!

You can see more photos from Saturday's shower through the link below... there are too many to post here! All photos are courtesy of Olivia Hamel, party planner and photographer extraordinaire!

http://picasaweb.google.com/scrites/BabyShowerPhotos

Throughout this pregnancy, we have felt truly fortunate to have the love and support of such wonderful and generous friends and family. Our babies are very lucky to have a such a loving family throughout the country, as well as a tremendous network of adoptive famly right here in the D.C. area! We cannot thank you all enough for being so good to us throughout the years, and particularly through these last few months. Without you, we couldn't have made it through pregnancy... or all that is still to come once our little ones arrive!

Christmas

We had a great Christmas here at home, and were fortunate to be visited my parents and sister. All in all, it was a wonderful week of firsts and lasts... our first Christmas tree together since we've been married, our first time hosting Christmas, and our last (somewhat) baby-free Christmas. All week, my parents and sister knocked themselves out helping us with baby preparations... my parents bought us a storage freezer, which we promptly filled with frozen foods from Costco and goodies that my mom prepared, baked, and froze for us. We will surely be well-stocked through at least the first week of post-partum craziness! Meanwhile, my dad and my sister helped us clean out our guest room to convert it into a nursery, and painted it a lovely green tea color to match the crib bedding. It looks great so far, and we will post photos of the nursery once the full conversion is complete. All in all, it was a great week with the family, and Mika loved having three more people to give her attention while they were here. :-)

After the holidays, we also learned that the babies must have been very well-fed... because they have grown! As of December 29, our baby boy was estimated to weigh 3 lbs. 2 oz., and our baby girl weighing in at an even 3 lbs. Both were at very healthy weights for just over 29 weeks along! Even though it means I will become inhumanly large, we hope the growing trend will continue... it's worth it to have healthy babies in the end!

Any day now... or so you would think.

Today marks the first day of my third trimester. Hooray! We're two-thirds of the way there, babies. (Though actually, more, since twins never go completely to full term.) This also means that this past week was my last week in the office until I return from maternity leave. Which is kind of a weird feeling. Because my doctor has said all throughout this pregnancy that I would need to plan to (in his words) "not leave the house" after the start of the third trimester, my work has allowed me to telecommute for until the babies come and I go on maternity leave. At first, I thought my doctor's advice seemed a tad extreme... but now I'm beginning to see the rationale behind it. If I had only one baby, I would be the size of someone 8 weeks farther along - which, at this point, means that I am now approaching the limit to which a pregnant body can continue to grow. Of course, you see very pregnant women about my size going about their daily business all the time... but the big difference is that at 36 weeks, one baby could be born with no problems. But since our babies are only 28 weeks, and weigh about 2 1/2 pounds each, we still have a ways to go! So while my "house arrest" orders initially seemed extreme, I am now seeing the importance of taking it easy, and minimizing stress and physical activity, just so we can keep our babies gestating as long as possible.

And actually, I feel like my doctor's advice has been validated by the fact that I seem to look very pregnant to most people nowadays. Granted, I've been getting used to being randomly stared at, smiled at, and asked "When are you due?" for a while now... but lately, it's been different. Now, what random strangers say to me are things like "You're sure ready to go!" or "Looks like any day now!" Two of my favorites occurred just this morning... at Trader Joe's, a woman pointed to my belly and said, "Wow! You're going to have a good Christmas!" and then later, a homeless guy on 14th Street commented, "That baby's going to kick its way out!" Right. To all of this, I just smile and nod - it's not worth getting into the whole explanation of "I'm due in March, but I have twins, that's why I'm really big, blah, blah, blah..." Nowadays, if people ask, I just say I'm due in January - and no, I don't know what I'm having - because no one seemed to believe it when I said I was due in March. I feel somewhat guilty lying, but it's just easier that way.

I guess all of this is to say that it's probably a good thing I will be in semi-hibernation status for the rest of my pregnancy. Good for the babies, and probably good for my sanity!

Carseat dilemma resolved!

As many of you may know, we have been contending with a brainteaser of how to fit two infant carseats into our Mazda3 hatchback. After much searching for the smallest carseat on the market, we found the Chicco KeyFit 30. But despite the small size, we found that while one would work fine, two would still be too much for our car. We even practiced driving around with empty carseats in the back, but realized that the passenger's knees would always be in the glovebox, and the driver's knees would be so locked in place that you could never make a quick stop if needed. So not only would space be an issue in our car, but so would safety. The whole situation has really been a bummer, because we love our car, and bought it less than two years ago thinking that it would make a great family car for us someday. But, that was back when we envisioned having kids one at a time, not two at a time!

So last weekend, we began scoping out bigger models. We didn't want to go too big, but big enough to fit our babies and all the stuff that goes with them - yet still reasonably fuel-efficient. For the price, the size, and the fuel efficiency, we decided that the Ford Escape Hybrid would be our next car. After several near-misses in the hot local hybrid market, today, we finally found a car to call our own! It's a 2006 model in excellent condition, with all of the features of our current car, plus a navigation system (yay!). And, best of all, the carseats fit!

This also means that our dear Mazda3 hatchback is on the market. We are sad to say goodbye to it, but since we drive so little, we don't really have the need for two cars... nor for the expense, with two babies coming. So, if you know anyone who is interested, please let us know!

My pregnant sense of entitlement.

There are few times in life in which you can be demanding without being considered rude. Pregnancy is one of those times. When I need a seat on the bus or the metro, usually the sight of me makes at least one seated passenger feel guilty enough to forfeit their seat. If not, no big deal... I have become very comfortable with (politely) asking able-bodied young men to kindly let me sit in their place. Not only does it mean I get a seat, but I also like to think that I am helping in their training to become more thoughtful members of our public transportation system... and hopefully, better boyfriends and husbands someday. Besides, seats are really for the people who need them - and I really need them. I decided a while ago that it is not worth standing on the metro and risking my chances of pre-term labor because it's too uncomfortable to say something.

But then, put me in a crowded line - and it doesn't take so much as an exasperated sigh from me for people around to take a step back and give me some breathing room. I used to think it was kind of funny, actually... until I realized that I may be freaking people out that I'm going into labor. At the movies, if Joe and I can't find two seats together in the section we want, I have no problem with asking others to shift seats so that I can sit next to my husband. Then, if the person next to me is excessively hogging the shared armrest, I (again, politely) ask them to make some room for me. I mean, is someone really going to say no to a pregnant woman? I am big and uncomfortable, after all, and being squeezed between seat hoggers certainly doesn't help matters.

I've come to realize that I'm performing another version of what pregnant women did in Honduras when I was in Peace Corps. There, it was absolutely dog-eat-dog anytime there was a line - at the bus, at the bank, or even buying oranges on the street - and pregnant women would unabashedly stick their bellies out to push their way right up to the front. I used to feel somewhat guilty for using pregnancy to get what I want, but I'm getting over it. After all, how many times do we all have to worry about being thoughtful and accommodating to strangers... and isn't it nice to be the one who's being accommodated for a change? It won't be forever after all... but for now, I sure am enjoying these few brief months of entitlement, before I go back to standing on the metro and feeling crowded and uncomfortable in public places. Besides, I will be working from home after December 19th until I go into labor... which means I only have a few more precious days of a seated commute, before my seat becomes vacant for someone else!

In defense of parking for new or expectant moms.

The farther you go out into the 'burbs, the more you see prime parking spaces for new or expectant moms at supermarkets and strip malls. And for years, I wondered: does anyone use them? They always seemed empty... to the point when I couldn't find a regular space, that I would start to feel pretty darn tempted to park in one. Especially when I would see perfectly un-pregnant-looking women (and sometimes men) doing exactly what I was only thinking about doing. Okay, maybe you can be pregnant without actually looking pregnant, I would tell myself. (Well, maybe not the men.) But if you really wanted to, you could fake being pregnant for sake of parking - because is the parking police really going to demand to see a positive pregnancy test? I don't think so.

But, alas, for years I have resisted stealing parking from the new or expectant among us. Because I knew that one day, a time would come when I would take full advantage of those parking spaces... and now, I'm taking full advantage, baby. Oh yeah. In fact, if I pull into a parking lot, and those precious "mom" spaces are already taken, I can't help but react with complete indignation. How dare someone else park there? Those are my spaces! And are they really new or expectant moms? But then, when I have to park a mile away from some super-store and waddle my pregnant self to my destination, I just get more cranky and suspicious of the allegedly pregnant women and mothers who are already parked in my spaces. Meh. The irony of it all is that having special parking for being pregnant would have never even occurred to me... but now that I know it exists, I feel that it has become my right as a pregnant woman. But that's my own problem. :-)

Joe always tells me I'm being suspicious for nothing... but last night at the Harris Teeter in Arlington, I had all the proof of my suspicion I need. Lucky for us, we scored one of the two "new or expectant mom" spaces right by the entrance. We braved the crowds and lines inside, all in the name of Thanksgiving shopping, and returned to our car. But what did we find? A young, twenty-something male Redskins fan parking in the only other "mom" space right next to us. By himself. No expectant mom or children in sight. Clearly, Redskins mania must have gotten the better of him, as that would explain how he confused "new or expectant mom" parking for "quick halftime beer run" parking. Maybe they need their own special parking, too?

Next time, avoid supermarkets during Redskins game, I guess. I'll try to chalk this up to a random asshole occurrence, and assume that those parking spaces are otherwise occupied by legitimate new and expectant moms. Just let me find parking without having to walk a mile, please!

23-week appointment

Yesterday we got to see the babies again, for the first time since the big gender reveal. For us, since we have twins, this qualifies us as a "high-risk" pregnancy - which really just means we have more ultrasounds, and more opportunities to see our little ones. We don't mind, though... it's always fun to check in and see all the activity going on inside!

Our baby girl posed very agreeably for the technician, giving us a good profile and showing us her thumb-sucking skills. Unfortunately, our baby boy was not so agreeable - he showed us his back and his front, but no profile this time. We figured out why they always try to take ultrasound photos as profiles - the fetal front view is positively skeletal, hence, the slightly creepy image you see below on the left. But, the important thing is that they are doing well, growing bigger, and all the essential organs are developing normally. They are still growing a little ahead of schedule, too - our baby boy is estimated to weigh 1 lb. 7 oz., and our baby girl is estimated to weight about 1 lb., 4 oz. We'll see them again on December 11!

Baby boy is on the left, and baby girl is on the right:

Goodbye, toes.

I must confess: for the last few weeks, I've been spending way too much time checking in on my toes while standing, just to see if I can still see them. And now, the total eclipse I have been awaiting has happened! Here is my view, looking down:

But wait - if I lean forward just a little bit... hey, there they are again!
I guess I now know how it feels to have a beer gut. Fortunately, though, this gut is not from beer... and all I have to do to get rid of it is give birth to two little babies! So, goodbye toes for now - see ya in a few months!

Stay tuned for belly button popping and other fascinating pregnant bodily phenomena.