Milestone

When I got pregnant with twins one the of subjects I brought up was bed rest. Frankly, the idea scared the crap out of me. And I was terrified of having to use all of my paid leave for bed rest and not for maternity leave. At the time, my OB told me that I should prepare to go on bed rest "sometime during the month of July."

Check your calendar's. Today is July 31. And I am at work.

EVERYONE told me to prepare for bed rest, and I did. I talked to work about it and I always knew that it was a very real possibility. And even though it scared me, if it was what was best for the babies I would have done it (although I clearly expressed my concerns to my doctor). But I also adopted that attitude that "it wasn't going to happen." Whenever my mom would bring it up as a possibility I would change the subject and say, "nope, it's going to to happen me." Maybe having this attitude worked, maybe it didn't. But who cares. . . I met the milestone!

Confession to make

I like watching Dr. Phil. And the more salacious the better.

The longer I am on my feet the more swollen they get. Once I get home, I try to start dinner and then I go rest in the bedroom. Since summer TV sucks, I find myself watching Dr. Phil (7pm on channel 3)

He's doing a three part series focusing on one couple. I guess the first episode focused on the husband confessing to his wife that he's a sex addict. And I think he may have raped someone. I missed most of that episode.

The couple goes back home and I guess the husband decides to confess to his wife that not only has he raped a few women, but he's also attacked/raped/killed someone along I-35. Conveniently, he has two different memories of this experience, one in which he kills the woman, another in which he lives. His terrified and sickened wife hears this and immediately calls. . .THE DR. PHIL SHOW!!!! Call me stupid, but I would have called the cops. Did I mention that they have four boys, and that she is still living in the house? The rest of the episode was about her getting a protective order (duh) and working with the police to address the situation.

For the third episode the couple is back on the show. The wife says she is not afraid for her life. She fears for others. And that if her husband didn't do these things he needs to get help. And if he did them, he needs help to.

Where the hell do they find these people? And what the hell is Dr. Phil doing "counseling" the situation.

For god's sake, if my husband EVER made a confession like that to me (which he wouldn't, but if he did) TRUST ME, the last place I would turn for help is the Dr. Phil show. Because he knows his ass from his elbow, right? Dr. Phil says his first priority is the health and well-being of the wife and kids. How noble. If that's his concern, why is the wife still sharing a stage with this guy? Shouldn't she be in a shelter or safe house somewhere?

Pastor Noah and the Obstetrician

I've been wanting to take Noah with me to the OB for a while now and today was the big day. I tried to get him excited about seeing/hearing his sister's heartbeats, and on the way to his preschool I even stopped and got him a special magazine and snack in the event that we had to wait.

Talk about anti-climactic.

Noah could have cared less. For one thing, the doppler was not used to listen for the heartbeats and I actually did have to talk to my doctor about some things (more about that later). So we moved into the ultrasound room to check on the status of the babies.

We send Noah to a Jewish preschool for a lot of reasons, many of which are more cultural than religious. That said, Noah picked this moment in time to start espousing his beliefs in God. I am literally laying on the table with my pants pulled down and Noah starts rambling about God. How God made him, and God makes everyone, and did the God make Dr. Carter and did God make Dr. Carter a doctor? It's was creepy weird. And did I mention that my OB is the son of Baptist minister with a Jewish wife? Holy inappropriateness was mommy mortified. We're very proud of our Jewish faith and work hard to impart it to our children, but religion is aslo something private to me. As in, not at the gyno's office.

Now for the results of the actual appointment. My blood pressure was (surprise!) high. 150/94. Dr. Carter looked at me feet (not too swollen today) and my hands (I can't wear my wedding ring) and said that they looked pretty good. I'm also not seeing stars, nauseous, or having headaches which is also a good sign. He also acknowledged that my blood pressure is lower when I have the non-stress tests. At that point he said that he would monitor my blood pressure for another 1-2 weeks and if it continues to be high we'll start talking about delivery. Frankly, I am so big and so hot right now that I don't care.

So I left the office, dropped Noah off with my dad, and then headed over the to hospital for the non-stress test. I laid on the bed, got all hooked up to the monitors with my buddy Nurse Heather took my blood pressure. Picture perfect at 123/64.

About two minutes later someone comes to the door and all I hear is "Carter." When Heather came back I asked her, half jokingly, if Dr. Carter was checking up on me and my blood pressure. She said yes. I then asked her if he was shocked when he heard how low it was and she replied, "actually, he was." I would have given ANYTHING to see the look on his face. I like my OB a lot, but I also like proving people wrong too. The consensus seems to be that my blood pressure is higher when I come to the office because I am usually rushing there from somewhere else. Haven't I been saying that for months?

But I also have to say, I am flattered in a way that my doctor DID call and check up on me. This pregnancy is a big deal for us and our family. The day the babies are born will rank up there with our wedding day and Noah's birth. But the reality is that my OB sees this stuff every day. Another day, another pregnant chick, another delivery. I'm also not the only twin mom on his caseload right now, just the closest to delivery. This pregnancy is the center of our lives right now but it's not the center of his. And the fact that he called to check up on me, even though I joke about, made me feel like this pregnancy is just as important to him as it is to me.

Doesn't change the fact that my son was preaching today like Billy Graham at a tent revival in the ultrasound room.

Why Islands at Paradise Valley Mall Sucks

Islands is basically an "Island" themed restaurant in our area. Burgers, salads, taco's, etc. The burgers and ambiance are pretty good, it's reasonably priced, and very kid-friendly. Last night we had some errands to run so Dan and I figured we'd take Noah over there for dinner. He likes the hot dogs.

A little background. I wasn't exactly svelte before I got pregnant, but when I go to restaurants I like to sit in booths. And I have never, EVER, had a problem sitting in them. Now that I am 8.5 months pregnant with twins, it's getting harder to sit in booths when we go out. Usually the table or the booth itself moves and even a quarter of in inch in the other direction can make a huge difference.

So we get to the restaurant, a nice girl writes down that we're a party of three (for the moment), and some 16 year old kid/host (young man) with ZERO personality escorts us to a table. We get there, and I tell Dan and the kid that I am not sure if I will fit (bear in mind, I'm noticeably pregnant). I can't sit comfortably, the table/booth won't move, and I tell Dan that we need to move. The kid/host tells us that we can pull a chair up to the end of the table. However, having working in a restaurant before and having used strollers, I know that doing that is also a fire hazard. Not to mention embarrassing to be the pregnant lady sitting like that. Then the kid/host suggests that we sit at the bar. Not ideal, but whatever.

As we're walking to the bar, Dan (not the kid/host) suggests that we try another booth. Which, SURPRISE (!) doesn't work either. So then we make our way to the bar area. Which consists of two-top tables. Also a problem since we're a party of three. I'm now mortified that we can't find a place to sit and when I turned around to tell the kid/host that at the very least we would need an extra chair I realized that he was gone! The kid/host LEFT US standing there and was back at the host stand chit-chatting with the girl who took our name.

Are you kidding me?

We walked out. I was pissed. And embarrassed. I think a manger tried to talk to Dan as we were on the way out the door but I was having none of it. There was not a snowballs chance in hell that I was spending money in that restaurant after what just happened. And now Noah's pissed because all he wanted for dinner was a hot dog.

So we ended up at Chompie's. We spent a little more than we wanted BUT Noah got a hot dog and I was able to sit comfortably at a table and enjoy dinner with my family. And the staff was unusually pleasant, welcoming, and genuinely pleased that we were patronizing their establishment.

NO ONE messes with me, pregnant or otherwise. And to prove that, I called Islands this afternoon and told them exactly what happened and how I was made to feel. The manager (a woman) was extremely apologetic and wanted a description of the kid/host. She also told me that the staff knows better (??) and that they have tables in the restaurant that would have discreetly accommodated us. She's also sending us a gift card.

You better believe we WON'T be using it at the Paradise Valley location.

He'd rather go swimming

I've really wanted to take Noah to one one my OB appointments. I thought it would be fun for him to hear the heartbeats or see the babies on the ultrasound machine. We didn't take him at the beginning of the pregnancy because we felt it was too early and still to abstract of a concept for him. Plus there was a lot that could have gone wrong and we didn't want to have an uncomfortable conversation later on.

As the pregnancy progressed, between work and his camp schedule things just never worked out.

So I resolved myself that I would bring him with me to see the OB this coming Monday. I've been talking about how he can meet my doctor, ask questions, hear/see the babies, etc. So yesterday I said to Noah, "Are you excited to go to the doctor with mommy and see the babies."

His response? "I would rather go swimming instead."

There you have it. Swimming trumps babies. I'm so glad to that I've sacrificed my body to give the kid siblings. What's he going to say when they're born? I'd rather be at Peter Piper Pizza?

This week in baby

So far this week I have participated in:

• A 3.5 hour non-stress test (NST) at the hospital with my new friend, Nurse Heather
• A regular OB appointment with Dr. Carter, including requisite panic attack (mild)
• An ultrasound with the good people at Phoenix Perinatal Associates
• And another non-stress test at the hospital with Nurse Heather

So let's talk about my week in baby.

MONDAY

The average NST lasts about an hour and they key is getting both babies on the monitor at the same time, which in my case was a HUGE problem. I also have to do the test in labor & delivery at the hospital. . .because we're having twins. The test measures their heart rates when they are active and awake. The babies just would not cooperate, and when they did get them both on the monitor they were sleeping. Which is a problem since the babies need to be awake in order for the test to be accurate. It took two cups of cranberry juice, a trip to the bathroom, a walk around the room, multiple position changes, a shift change (!) and finally an an ultrasound to get what we needed. At one point, about three hours in, I asked if they could just call my OB and tell him that "I came, they tried, it didn't work, and we'd try again on Thursday." No dice. And I left my phone in the car, so Dan and my mom was freaking out that something was wrong. Even after I called and explained the situation.

TUESDAY

Went to see Dr. Carter. A little background. I sweat when I get nervous. And I've noticed over the last few weeks that I get horrible hot flashes when I go to the OB and my blood pressure is then a bit higher. A colleague pointed out that it's anxiety, and the more I thought about it the more I agreed. As I told the nurse, I don't worry about getting bad news at an NST or an ultrasound, but I worry that I will hear bad news at the OB's office. So I talked to the OB and he seemed to understand, but I suspect that he thinks I'm horribly neurotic. Which in all fairness I don't think I am. Given the fact that I am 32.5 weeks pregnant with twins I think I've held it together pretty well, physically and emotionally.

Anyway, my OB said that I looked fine, the babies seemed fine, and that if the babies were to come today "32 weekers do great." Bottom line? I am 33 weeks tomorrow. If I go into labor before 34 weeks they will try and stop things. After 34 weeks they will let nature take it's course.

Wednesday

An anatomy scan with the perinatologist. Baby A weighs 4 pounds 6 ounces and Baby B is 4 pounds, 10 ounces. To put that in perspective, these babies combined weigh more than Noah did when he was born. . . and Noah was 8 pounds, 11.5 ounces and a week past his due date. They are both head down, facing my spine, and VERY low. So low it HURT when they scanned me. But the important thing is that everyone is healthy and growing normally. They're getting big and space inside of me is at a premium so it was not possible to get pictures.

My colleagues at work also took me to lunch to celebrate our impending arrival and gave us a wonderful gift certificate to Babies R Us, which I know will come in very handy.

Thursday

Another NST at the hospital with my new friend Heather. My mom came with me this time and as luck would have it we were in and out in ONE hour! Yeah! Today the girls decided to cooperate.

Coming up this weekend. . .

Dan and I are going to going to purchase additional infant car seats and bases for our cars!

Not a member of MENSA

"You know what? I am actually not that much into voting. I think it’s kinda crazy that a woman is running, because I think that women deal with a lot of emotions and menopause and PMS and stuff. Like, I’m so moody all the time, I know I couldn’t be able to run a country, ‘cause I’d be crying one day and yelling at people the next day, ya know?"

- Brooke Hogan (Hulk Hogan's kid and reality star)

Who would like to explain to the class what's wrong with this statement?

According to my dad, Noah is a man

My dad picked Noah up from preschool yesterday so Dan and I could go see a movie. Since lord knows it will probably be the last (adult) movie we see for a long time.

Anyway, in the car Noah announced that he had to go to the bathroom. And being the prince that Noah is, what Noah wants, Noah gets. So instead of telling him to "hold it" or god forbid pulling over and finding an actual bathroom, my dad pulled the car over and had Noah go to the bathroom on an empty wall near the Olive Garden.

Mind you, this is the same man who would have let my sister and I wet our pants before pulling the car over so we could go to the bathroom a mere three minutes from home. And Noah and my dad were literally three minutes from the house.

Let's recap. My beautiful and very precocious 3.5 and year old was taught by his beloved papa how to do "the one arm hang" in a semi-public place.

We're not country people. We don't live in the middle nowhere. Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the United States. It's not like there aren't bathrooms on every corner. Or McDonald's. Or Starbucks. Or other well-established businesses with high name recognition where one could SURELY find and subsequently use the restroom. Did I mention they were in the Paradise Valley Mall area? No shortage of bathrooms there.

THEN they get back into the car and Noah randomly announces that "he likes girls."

To my dad, Noah's manhood is not in doubt.

When we asked why they didn't just go into the Olive Garden and use the facilities there my dad replied, "Because Noah said he really had to go."

By the way, my mother and I were horrified by this story. Dan chose not to say anything.

Just a random observation

I keep seeing this commercial on TV for Kentucky Fried Chicken's "Sauceless Hot Wings."

They are boneless.

Cruchy on the outside.

Moist on the inside.

How is this any different from either a chicken nugget or a chicken strip????

I think the end may be near. . . .

On Monday I have a non-stress test at the hospital.

On Tuesday I see my OB.

On Wednesday I have an anatomy scan (3D ultrasound)

And on either Thursday or Friday I will have another non-stress test.

I REALLY think at at some point I am going to to go in for an appointment and instead of going home I will be sent straight to the hospital to deliver.

Another day, another doctors appointment

I think I was having a pretty good day until I went to see my buddy Dr. Carter.

The appointment started okay. I sat in the waiting room for about 15 minutes reading my Vanity Fair, they called me back and I kindly left a sample for them in the bathroom. I got weighed (what fun) and went back to the room for the exam. That's when things started going downhill.


My first mistake was asking my doctor's assistant how much weight I had gained. Five pounds is not a lot, especially at this point in a twin pregnancy, but I was enough to make me worry. I also suffer from something called "white coat syndrome" which means that I tend to experience a lot of anxiety at the doctor's office. So they take my blood pressure which is higher than it should be. So now my blood pressure is high and I'm not happy with my weight gain. And I am negotiating with the nurse to take my blood pressure again at the end of the appointment. And did I also mention that I am now in the middle of one hell of a hot flash?? When I arrived at the appointment I looked all fresh and cute. I even had lipstick on! But by the time the OB cruised in I was a hot, sweaty, disgusting, pregnant mess. It was NOT pretty. Trust me.

And of course he wants to touch me. George Clooney could have walked in naked, wearing NOTHING but a stethoscope and I would have told him to get the fuck away from me. That's how nasty I felt.

Now I am hot, sweaty, disgusting, pregnant, and embarrassed because I cannot for the life of me cool down.

At this point they had me lay down on my left side to see if my blood pressure would go down. I did as I was told and tried to relax, but ended up using my beloved Vanity Fair as a fan because I was still sweating. Guess what! My blood pressure was still high. Big shock there. . .

Now it's off to the ultrasound room. At these appointments my OB looks just long enough to make sure there are two babies and two heartbeats. Except I now have to go to the bathroom because someone decided to rest her head on my bladder. However, when I try to excuse myself to the bathroom I am asked to wait because with this particular machine you get a better picture with a full bladder. Great. I hoist my sweaty, disgusting, pregnant and embarrassed mess of a self onto the table, pray to the gods above that I don't wet myself, and we find out that the girls are there, active, and head down. Yeah for small miracles.

Then Dr. Carter tells me that I need to go for another anatomy scan at the perinatologist (not a big deal), and oh by the way, between now and the end of the pregnancy I need to go to the hospital twice a week for fetal non-stress tests. Which really isn't a big deal, but it threw me for a loop because I wasn't expecting to have to do this at the hospital (my old OB did them at the office) nor twice a week. So we called over to the hospital and I go for my first one at 5:15 next Monday. Guess I will now be spend some time over at the hospital. I know I will sound like a big princess but I am pregnant with twins, it's bloody hot, and I can't walk more than five steps without feeling like I have to go to the bathroom and parking at the hospital is a joke. THANK GOD they have free valet.

And of course, because the appointment is now over, my body temperature decided to regulate itself to something resembling normal. Better late than never.

And that my friends was my afternoon in a nutshell.

It's 1pm on Sunday. . .what is your preschooler doing?

Mine is loafing on our bed. . .watching NOGGIN.






















Noah spent the morning hanging out with me, and then I left to meet a friend for a pedicure. In the meantime, my dad and Dan started some projects around the house, including installing a ceiling fan in the nursery. Noah, not wanting to (god forbid) HELP kindly opted to sit and watch cartoons with the dog.

Labor and Delivery

A lot of people have been asked us:
1. When are the babies due?
2. Are you going to have a c-section

The short answers to these questions are: sometime in August and not necessarily.

Here are the long answers.

Due Date.
Technically, my due date is September 12 (fun fact, this was my same due date with Noah). My OB has told me that a twin pregnancy is considered "full-term" at 36 weeks, although this number seems to vary depending on the OB. 36 weeks puts us in mid-August. I feel good, and the babies are doing well so we have every reason to think the babies will be here sometime in August. In addition, my OB flat-out said that they will not be September babies. My personal goal is Tuesday, August 19. I also like this date because there is no school/camp the week before and Dan and both feel strongly that school is the best place for Noah when the babies come. It's a comfortable place for him and with the chaos of babies it's a safe place for him to be. Another advantage of delivering in August, as many of my friends have pointed out, is that if they are born in August we will MAKE the September 1 cut-off for kindergarten and thus avoid some of the school issues we faced with Noah. It's a win-win for all.

Delivery
I'll be honest, the idea of having a c-section (which is considered major surgery) and then coming home to a preschooler and twins scares the crap out of me.

But my "birth plan" is fairly simple. I want healthy babies. Do whatever you have to do to get them out safely without jeopardizing my health or theirs.

If BOTH babies are head down, we're going to opt for a vaginal delivery. I successfully did it with Noah and my OB is comfortable we me doing it with twins assuming both babies are in the proper position. But he's also a conservative guy. I will have to deliver in the operating room in case there is a complication and they have to get the babies out quickly. My OB was very candid. He said that while he prefers c-sections for twins because it's more controlled and predictable he was okay with my decision.

If ONE or BOTH babies is breech then I will opt for a c-section. Many doctors will let you have a vaginal delivery if one baby is head down and then try to turn the other baby. But statistically most women in these situations end up needing a c-section anyway. Something my OB refers to as "the full birth experience."

We haven't scheduled anything and no firm plans have been made. It's really a day-by-day, week-by-week situation. But those are our plans.

Strollers. . . .

I love strollers. They're like cars for moms. Ever see a man go apeshit fawning over a car in a parking lot? Well, I've seen women do the same thing over strollers. And I am one of them. I consider myself a connoisseur of strollers, and before we decided to have more kids I already had a mental list of possible strollers for the new baby. With Noah, I went through four. And I still had issues with the one we ended up keeping (Peg Perego Aria = $200 of plastic).

Noah hasn't used a stroller in about a year. In fact the only time in the last 12 months that he's used one at all was at Disneyland back in December. We have a hard time getting him to ride in the cart at the grocery store. He MUCH prefers Trader Joe's because they have carts for kids.

Little known fact about double strollers. Most were designed for an infant and a toddler. But in our case, we need something for two infants.

Being a second-time mom, and one that lives in AZ, we first opted for the Baby Trend Double Snap N' Go (thank you Sandee, Rachel and Corinne). It's basically a stroller frame with a basket and cupholder and then you just snap the infant carries in. . . and go! There is nothing more painful than schelping a stroller in the AZ heat. Trust me.

But the infant carriers and Snap N' Go stroller will only work until the girls are 22 pounds. Then we need to bring out the big guns.

Double strollers come in two varieties. . .front to back and side to side. Dan and I HATED every front to back stroller we tested. They are incredibly heavy, bulky, and a pain in the ass to push. Have you ever seen a semi-truck try to back up? And there is that beeping sound to alert other drivers about what they are doing? That's what we these strollers were missing.

In the end, we opted for the Maclaren Techno Side-by-Side (thank you Grandma Linda!). I/we love it. It's functional, sleek, and a lot easier to maneuver. Plus it's pretty . . .

Here is the new stroller plus pictures of big brother to be pushing it.

Why being pregnant in Phoenix in July sucks

I was pregnant with Noah during the summer. The biggest difference between then and now is that we moved to Phoenix when I was about 29 weeks pregnant and I wasn't working. I mean, let's face it, who is going to hire someone that's pregnant. So we got settled in the new house and I spent a large chunk of time in the pool because it was so damn hot. So hot, that my favorite place to hang out was the produce room at Costco. Honest to God. It was so hot that I absolutely swore that when I got pregnant again it would not be a summer pregnancy.

Apparently memory faded.

Tonight we went to an outdoor mall to run a simple errand: we took Noah to buy a present for the babies (taggie blankets). Afterwards we decided to walk over to the Carter's store since they are always having sales. By the time we walked over to Carter's I was sweating like a pig in heat on her wedding night. It was disgusting. And the damn misters we're not helping. So I sweat my way through Carter's and we decided to leave. Walked back to the car and in the parking lot ran into a friend and her daughter. Started talking to them and started sweating even more. Seriously, I could not get to my car FAST enough and turn on the air conditioning.

We're not talking about a lot walking. This was a simple in and out trip to the outdoor mall. Not a big deal. But I could not stop sweating. The same thing happened to me AT THE SAME MALL exactly four years ago when I was pregnant with Noah.

So I told Dan that after tonight I had no plans to go out there again while pregnant.

I feel like I need another shower.

Charlie and Blue

We have names for the babies, although we're trying hard not to share them. Mainly because with this pregnancy we've been a bit more superstitious. We've shared the names with our families, and my mom has told her friends, but we haven't told our friends.

We also shared the names with Noah.

Noah, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with the names we've selected. He has already picked out names HE likes.

Drum roll please . . .

Baby A has been named Charlie

Baby B has been named Blue.

Though not 100% certain, we think these were inspired by the children's shows "Charlie & Lola" and "Blue's Clues."

What's going to happen the babies are actually BORN and these are not the legal names we give them?

Chaotic whirlwind

That's the best way to describe the last 10 days.

The reality that we're having twins and that they are coming sometime next month has begun to sink in.

Here is what we've done in the last 14 days. Rather, what Dan has done and I have supervised.

1. Emptied the spare bedroom.

2. Painted the spare bedroom so that we can use it as a nursery.

3. Purchased a new bedroom furniture for Noah

4. Emptied EVERYTHING out of Noah's room and put it in our living room.

5. Painted Noah's room.

6. Converted Noah's bed back into a crib.

7. Had the second crib assembled and put into the nursery (thank you mom and dad).

8. Assembled all of Noah's new furniture and put it in his room (thank you dad).

9. Sorted through FIVE 30 gallon tubs of Noah's old clothes and organized them to sell.

Seriously, chaos and clutter makes me crazy and the last few weeks have been nuts. Here are the pictures to prove it.

The nursery. Which is now "Princess Gown Pink" thanks to the good folks at Behr and Home Depot.
















The changer and dresser. . .which we will more than likely move.

Noah's stuff in our living room


























Noah's room. Dan worked SO HARD and was SO pissed when I came home with two colors for him to do. This was only the second room he had ever painted (the first being the nursery).

Another view of Noah's room . . . .the beloved Rush poster on his closet stayed in tact.
























Noah's new room with his new furniture! Personally, I love the colors and sports theme. And we took pictures to record just how clean and organized his room is at this exact moment. We haven't hung any pictures up yet. Why? Dan is so proud of his hard work that he doesn't want to "shit it up by hanging stuff up just anywhere."

His new dresser. . . .


























Bookcase. . . .

And now a word from big brother Noah

People keep asking how Noah is doing with the news that he is going to have twin sisters.

We waited to tell Noah about the pregnancy until I was about 16 weeks along. And we waited for a lot of reasons, one of which being because it's a high - risk pregnancy. We try to talk to him a lot about there being a baby is mommy's tummy and what its going to be like when the babies come. We've also explained to him that when the babies are born all they are really going to do is eat, sleep, cry and poop.

He understands the situation as well as a a kid his age can. That is, he gets it, but he doesn't. And let's face it, the reality of having a baby, twins or otherwise, doesn't sink in for most people until the baby is actually born. We were SO PREPARED for Noah's arrival. But the reality and gravity of the situation didn't really start to sink in until about 20 minutes before he was actually born.

Mostly we talk about babies and what it means to be a big brother. Noah has already picked out a gift for his sisters and we just keep it simple. He also had a wide array of books on the subject of being a big brother.

Which brings me to my next point. Do you know that it is IMPOSSIBLE to find a book for a preschooler about mommy having twins?! There are tons of books about mommy having a baby brother or sister, but NOTHING about twins. You can buy a book entitled "My Beautiful Mommy" which helps prepare kids for mommy's impending tummy tuck and nose job, but NOTHING on twins.

At the end of the day, I think (re: hope) Noah will be okay. There is such a novelty to twins but Noah will still be the oldest and the only boy. He's also a terrific helper at home and his teachers at preschool are aware of the situation and I know that they will do their best to keep things stable for him there. And they'll make a big fuss over him being a big brother.

(Belated) Baby Update

I took the 1-hour glucose tolerance test in June and I BARELY passed. And because I barely passed my OB wanted me to take the 3-hour test. Which, thankfully, I passed with room to spare. So no gestational diabetes for me.

I also had an anatomy scan with the perinatologist back at the end of June. I had a WONDERFUL sonographer who has been doing this for 29 years. She also did the ultrasound for my nuchal screen when I was 13 weeks. Anyway, we discovered that both babies were head down (yeah!) and that Baby A was measuring 2 pounds 11 ounces and Baby B was measuring 2 pounds 8 ounces. They're right on target and more importantly measuring more or less the same. All of this is good news.

I also saw my OB for a check-up on July 2. It wasn't the greatest of appointments only because I was late getting to the appointment (thanks to Courtesy Chevrolet and their UNcourteous customer service), it was brutally hot, and I was rushed. Not to mention that fact that my OB had to leave in the middle of the appointment to go "catch a baby" at the hospital next door. But his staff was so nice and accommodating. I chilled out for 20 minutes in the exam room and the OB came back when he was done and we finished. All in a days work I guess.

Famous Twins!

Famous Twins and Celebrity Twins
Alanis Morissette, singer - fraternal twin brotherWade
Ashton Kutcher, actor - fraternal twin brother, Michael
Billy Dee Williams, actor - fraternal twin sister, Loretta
Jose and Ozzie Canseco, MLB players - identical twins
Joseph Fiennes, actor - fraternal twin brother, Jacob
Justin Timberlake, singer - fraternal twin sister, Laura Katherine
Kiefer Sutherland, actor - fraternal twin sister, Rachel
Mario Andretti, race car driver - fraternal twin brother, Aldo
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, actresses/singers - fraternal twins
Ronde and Tiki Barber, NFL players, identical twins
Scarlett Johansson, actress - fraternal twin brother, Hunter
Vin Diesel (Mark Vincent), actor - fraternal twin brother, Paul Vincent

Famous Parents of Twins
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, singers - boy/girl, Max and Emme
Geena Davis, actress - boys, Kian and Kaiis
George W. Bush, US president - fraternal girls, Jenna and Barbara
Julia Roberts, actress - boy/girl, Hazel(girl) and Phinnaeus(boy)
Marcia Gay Harden, actress - boy/girl, Hudson(boy) and Julitta(girl)
Mel Gibson, actor/director - boys, Edward and Christian

Fraternal or Identical

It seems as though we've spent the better part of the pregnacy trying to answer this question.

Fraternal twins occur when the body releases two eggs, both are fertilized, and subsequently implant themselves in your uterus.

Identical twins occur when there is one egg, it's fertilized, and then it splits into two. Because both babies originated from the same egg, they have identical DNA.

So what are our babies?

According to Dr. Harris Finberg of Phoenix Perinatal Associates, we're having dichorionic diamniotic (di/di) twins, which means that the babies are in two sacs and each has their own placenta. This determination was made when I was about 13 weeks pregnant. In terms of risk, this is a good thing as serious complications can arise when babies are in the same sac or if they share a placenta.

Because I saw two different perinatologists at two different points in the pregnancy, there was some confusion as to whether or not our babies shared a placenta. Basically the second perinatologist couldn't find the marker that one looks for to make this kind of determination. This happened at 18 weeks, and again at 22. FINALLY, I went back to Phoenix Perinatal and Dr. Finberg confirmed that the babies were di/di twins and at they were more than likely fraternal. He also kindly pointed out that the marker obstetricians look for to make this determination is a something called a "twin peak." And did I know that he was the one who coined this term? That made me feel like a big ass.

So we think the babies are fraternal. Although because they are both GIRLS the only way to know with absolute 100% certainty is with a DNA test. Which we'll probably do just for kicks.

How did this happen - An introduction

Let's get three question out of the way before anything else.
Yes. This pregnancy was planned.
No. We we were not on fertility.
No. We do not have a family history of twins.

Here's what happened. The LONG version.

Back in August we decided that it was time to add to our family. So we did what everyone else does when they want to have a baby. You can use your imagination.

At the end of December / beginning of January I started to suspect that I was pregnant. For was a variety of reasons. Because pregnancy tests are so expensive and because I didn't want to get my hopes up too much, on the advice of a friend I invested in a few pregnancy tests from the Dollar Store (insert laugh/snide comment here). Each test came back negative. But I still had a hunch that I was pregnant and by this time I was late. So I sucked it up and invested in two digital, brand-name pregnancy tests. Lo and behold, on a Tuesday morning, both came back positive. Yeah for being pregnant.

So I called the OB and set up an appointment for what would be week six. The worst part of early pregnancy, in my opinion, is the fear that something will go wrong. Every twinge, pain, stretch, and trip to the bathroom comes with a sense of dread. In the meantime, the day before my first OB appointment, Dan rather unexpectedly lost his job. So there we were. Sitting in the OB's office, pregnant, and terrified because Dan is out of a job. In addition, my OB has a policy of doing early ultrasound. He does this for a couple of reasons. To confirm dates of conception and the length of pregnancy, and to make sure that the baby is healthy and viable. In his opinion, if there is a problem we'd rather know about it sooner rather than later. So of course I was panicking that they were going to find something wrong. No reason really, I just have a tendency to stress.

So they called us back, we chatted with the OB for a bit and went for the ultrasound. Because the pregnancy was so early, they couldn't find what they were looking for with the normal ultrasound. So they had to do it vaginally, which made me really panic because I thought they were doing it because they couldn't find the baby. Even though the tech assured me it was because I was only six weeks pregnant. And for those of you who don't know what a vaginal ultrasound is like, imagine a vibrator with a camera attached. And imagine being half naked and a stranger gently shoving it inside of you.

So there we were. I had braced myself for bad news (no reason, just be being neurotic). My uterus was flashing on a screen mounted to the wall. Just as I was about to say "what's that shadow?" The tech said, "Congratulations, you're having twins."

Needless to say, we were stunned. Seriously. I say with 100% certainty that was THE LAST THING we ever expected to hear. Dan was white as a ghost.

Just to recap. I'm pregnant. Dan's unemployed. And we're having twins. Don't tell me God doesn't have a sense of humor.

The rest of the appointment was a blur. The only thing I remember clearly was the OB coming into the room and announcing that he wasn't going to examine me. In his words, "you've had enough shock for one day," (perceptive!).

I also remember asking ANYONE within earshot, "How did this happen???" When my friend Debbie heard this she said "What did you expect, that he was going to hand you the book 'Where Did I Come From?' "

The tears (mine) started in the parking lot. We told our parents, but no one else. A handful of people knew I was pregnant but we didn't want ANYONE know it was twins.

Random fact: With ultrasound technology improving and more and more OB's using it in early pregnancy, doctors have found that many singleton pregnancy's start out as twin pregnancy's (my OB had four last year). Many times, the second twin never develops and simply vanishes (vanishing twin syndrome). The fetus is quietly reabsorbed by the body. This is what we were afraid of.

So we kept the news to ourselves. Every two weeks after that first appointment we went back to the OB. And at each visit ultrasound confirmed that there were two sacs and two healthy babies.
At 12 weeks I saw my OB and said "apparently we're having twins." To which my OB laughed and replied, "Toby, it's not apparently anymore. You ARE having twins."

More stunned silence.

P.S. I WILL never use a pregnancy test from the Dollar Store EVER again. Seriously. How could I get a negative test when my period is LATE and I am having TWINS. Let this be a lesson to all.

P.P.S. For those not in the loop, Dan found a job two weeks later. Thank GOD!