Parker and Cooper: Birth Story

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is unlike anything else. Kind of a different world. I semi-compared it to Las Vegas in the sense that there are no windows, you don't know what day it is, or if it is even light outside, and it never sleeps. It is exhausting. But, it is a place of healing, and here at the U of Iowa, one of the best Children's Hospitals in the nation, we are blessed to have our boys being cared for by the top doctors and nurses. So here I am, sitting in a dim room, with gentle music playing in the background, and listening to the grunts of sweet "Mr. Cooper" as the doctors call him, and trying to find the words to write the birth story of our twins.

The goal was always 34 weeks. It was a minimum goal, but a goal nonetheless. This goal would get us to deliver at Mercy, with Dr. W (however my new name for her is Dr. Awesome), and hopefully would get the boys past the most critical stage, if born at that gestation. The weekend of their birth was hectic. I think I knew it was coming. Wrigley knew it was coming, and indicated this to me by following me around, staying by my side at all times, and just having a general look of concern... you know, for a dog. We spent that weekend doing last minute things - paying bills, getting the carseats installed at the Fire Department, buying last minute things we needed, and trying to mentally prepare ourselves for whatever may happen. Sunday, December 12th I stopped taking Terbutaline, the drug I was taking to stop contractions. It really didn't take long that day for my contractions to become regular. By about 7 minutes apart, I decided it was time to call Labor and Delivery. To my relief, Dr. Wenzel was the OB on call. To my disbelief, she broke the news that my labs came back revealing that I now had severe Preeclampsia. Crap. I had done everything that Google had suggested to ward off this nasty illness, but it wasn't enough. I was now convinced that my body simply doesn't like the second part of third trimester pregnancies. This news, combined with my regular contractions was enough to send us to the hospital. Our neighbor, Tom, came over to watch Logan until Brian's sister arrived, and we drove through the ice, snow, and rain (lovely) to the hospital. The timing of the first major snowstorm of the season was awful.

I was hooked up to the monitors, and really, for hours, was convinced I would either be sent home, or admitted for hospital bed-rest for as long as we could keep the babies in. Around 11 pm, the nurse came in, gave me a gown, and announced "Let's have some babies". It all hit me. A rush of adrenaline, and fear, and excitement... I was going to have some babies. We moved to a labor room, started a small dose of pitocin, and waited. The doctor came in and broke Cooper's water, which was the weirdest thing ever. It didn't take long before the contractions were painful enough to make me want to cut off my own arm, so the epidural was ordered. The glorious, fabulous, working epidural. My epidural was an epic failure when I labored with Logan, so a WORKING epidural was heavenly. The babies continued to look fabulous, but every time I would start to doze off, my heart rate would drop, and they would wake me up. So much for a nap...

Around 5:30 am things started to feel a little different, and from there on everything happened so quickly. The room went from dim and calm to a bustling, bright, and energetic frenzy of people in purple scrubs. There is nothing that feels more real than seeing your baby for the first time. I pushed Cooper out in two pushes. He came out crying and pink. I started sobbing, knowing that our lives were changed forever in that tiny moment, with that tiny body. Brian cut the cord, and it was then time to work on Parker. The stinker was still breech, so Dr. Awesome got to work. With one hand on the inside, and her entire upper body leaning on the top of my belly she turned Parker to a head-down position. While it felt like I was being hit in the stomach with a sledgehammer, it was also the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed. The confidence that Dr. Awesome had made me feel totally at ease with the situation, and really made the pain worth it. She held Parker's head in place with her right hand, did an ultrasound with her left hand to check positioning, broke his water, and two more pushes and my tiny third son was born into this world. I remember being a bit shocked but how tiny he was, and the first thing I was was "oh my God, he is so small". Brian cut Parker's cord and went to be by his boys' sides.

Cooper Lee McGowan, December 13, 2010, 5:54 am, 5 lbs 10 oz

Parker Michel McGowan, December 13, 2010, 6:06 am, 4 lbs 10 oz

In those 12 minutes, our family became complete.

The next couple of hours were scary. Brian immediately went with the boys to the NICU at Mercy Hospital where I delivered. I was able to hold Parker for just a few seconds before he was hurried out, and Cooper was with us for a few minutes longer, but was also taken out for some help. I know this had to have been scary for Brian. He was in the NICU with them while they were assessing their medical needs, and it was decided they would be better off at UIHC. Brian told me the news with tears in his eyes. I know he was scared, but trying not to freak me out. It was a horrible feeling for me not being able to see for myself what my babies were going through. With Preeclampsia, I had to be given Magnesium Sulfate for 24 hours after birthing the boys. This meant complete bedrest. The last thing a mommy wants after giving birth is to not be able to see her babies for 24 hours! They brought both boys into see me before their transfer to the UIHC. Parker was intubated, hooked up to a plethera of monitors and tubes, and this made me cry. The vision of having two healthy newborn twins that we would take home with us was dwindling. They brought Cooper in next with a breathing tube in his nose, and covered in monitors and wires, and my heart just sank. I was in this in-between stage of euphoria from this amazing birth, and meeting my new sons for the first time and heartbreak because my babies needed help. Shortly after, I was also taken by ambulance to the UIHC where we have been for the past 14 days...

NICU Nurses are amazing. NICU Doctors are amazing. My husband? He's amazing. The past two weeks have been a blur. It has gone by faster and slower than I had anticipated. The boys have gone from tiny, helpless preemies to almost acting like term babies. The roller-coaster of the past two weeks has been unbearable at times, made tolerable by those around us. We spent the twins' First Christmas in the NICU, and while that in itself was hard, nothing can compare with the complete gratefulness that I feel for having strong, healthy babies that continue to grow and improve. Parker and Cooper have forever changed my life. They have given me strength I didn't know that I could have. They have made my Logan a big brother, and a proud big brother at that. They have bonded Brian and I in a new way, and strengthened our marriage more than I can quite grasp. They have completed our family more than I ever could have asked for. When I look at my three children together I feel a sense of calm unlike anything I have ever felt before.

Dear Cooper,

You have such a kind soul. I can tell already. You are quiet and calm. You are patient. You are an observer. Your tiny fingers fit perfectly around mine, and when I sit quietly with you laying on my chest I can't help but breathe you in to capture just a tiny bit of that calm. You are exactly what our family needs, and I cannot wait to watch you grow.

Dear Parker,

You were born a fighter. You have a mind of your own. You are the fiesty one. Just ask the nurses! You are sweet, with big eyes and a tiny smile. You love to eat. You don't like to wait. You get that from your mom. Your tiny body is strong, and when I snuggle you into my arms, you not only fit, but you just melt into place in a way that I know you were meant for me. You are exactly what our family needs, and I cannot wait to watch you grow.

Dear Logan,

You amaze me. Every day, you amaze me. You are sassy, and smart. You are kind and gentle, strong-willed and persistent. You are stubborn, and usually fair :) You are a big brother now, and you are amazing. You have handled this crazy transition with such ease and success that I admire you. You have taught me how to be a mother, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Dear Logan, Cooper, and Parker,

Thank you for choosing me to be your Mother. I am so filled with love in my heart. I cannot wait to watch the three of you become best friends, and experience life with each other. I love you all to the moon and back.

Love, Mommy

35 Weeks

From this...

To this...

Completely in love.

34 Weeks

I am trying to muster up the time and energy to sit down and write the blog post about the birth of our twins. I feel like I need to be in exactly the right state of mind because I don't want to leave out one detail of the extraordinary experience it was. What I can say now is that my babies? All three of them? Are amazing. I am so in love with having three sons. I have never been more in love with my husband. I cannot wait to snuggle all three of my boys in my arms at the same time.

33 Weeks

I am so uncomfortable. I have never imagined discomfort like this in my entire life! While it is completely, totally, and undeniably worth every second for the sweet baby boys we will be adding to our family, I am so ready to not be pregnant anymore! I am stretched, cramped, ached, swelled, and pinched in ways I didn't think possible. This belly? This belly is like a life-form of its' own. I am actually getting stretch marks in places where the babies like to hang out or stretch out limbs. I cannot begin to imagine what this belly is going to look like when it is vacated!

I had an OB appointment on Monday. I was down 5lbs from last week. Wowza. That tells me how much I had been overdoing it, and how swollen I was because of that. Other than that, everything looked fine, and I wasn't any more dilated that I had been in the hospital, which is the best news we could have gotten. I had an NST Tuesday, and another one tomorrow, and so far those have been great. We have another ultrasound on Monday, so we will see how large these babes are! I am hoping for 6lbs!

What's that called?

Brian: "They need to come up with another name for 'Mucus Plug'".

Lindsay: "There is another name - 'Bloody Show'".

(Long Pause....)

Brian: "They need to come up with a third name".

Bathroom Privileges Only

These are the words the I heard over and over again during my two day "pregnancy jail" in the hospital this week. Man, I have heard before that twin pregnancies can be a ticking-time-bomb, and can literally go from normal to not in what seems like minutes. This, I have found, is true.

Monday afternoon I had an NST (Non-stress test). These are standard with high-risk pregnancies, starting around 32 weeks usually. Basically it requires being monitored for 20-30 minutes to make sure baby(ies) are having a certain number of heart rate spikes within a certain amount of time. Logan always passed these with flying colors, and true to form, so do Parker and Cooper. I passed my first NST of this pregnancy with no problem, no contractions, nada... Then, I left and went to the grocery store to pick up a few things we needed. By the time I got home, I was having painful contractions. By Tuesday morning, the contractions were still there, and considerably noticeable. I had a regular appointment with Dr. W Tuesday night, and while there, she told me I was dilated to 1cm and in need of some monitoring. Within a few hours, I was in Labor and Delivery, dilated to 2cm and 80% effaced, with full blown (PAINFUL) contractions every 2-4 minutes; and being admitted to the hospital. Ugh...

Tuesday night in the hospital just sucked. Sorry for lack of a better descriptive word, but that is simply what it was... sucky. I was hooked up to monitors, in an uncomfortable bed, with an IV, in a hospital gown, with a killer migraine from the different drugs I had been given. I was pumped with a cocktail of antibiotics, Terbutaline, Nifedipine, steroids to help speed along lung maturation, and saline. I had developed a low-grade fever in the middle of the night as well, which has yet to be explained. Needless to say, I barely slept and was miserable, and ready for a shower come Wednesday morning. Dr. W was the on-call doc on Wednesday and broke the news to me that I would be staying at least one more night, and was on "Bathroom Privileges Only". She let me spend the day wireless, however, so bless her for that! No IV, no monitors, and I was allowed to shower, eat, and nap in a nice, larger room in Mother-Baby. I really did find it humorous how many times throughout the day I was reminded I was on "Bathroom Privileges Only". I mean, really? Where was I going to go?

Luckily, the contractions had really slowed significantly on Wednesday, and it was evident that we were starting to gain control over my labor. I realized how much I had truly been overdoing it. I am the mom though. I am the wife, and the hub of the house. Brian is a wonderful partner in the normal, everyday happenings of our household, but really, I am the one who takes care of most things around here. Combine that with doing daycare... I was really overdoing it and was clearly in denial. I realized this mostly when laying in the hospital bed and realizing that my hips didn't feel like they were being ripped in half, and my back wasn't aching... hmmmmm... it began to tell me that potentially this wasn't normal, and perhaps they are all right. Time for mama to rest. A friend reminded me that it is now the time to think of gestating these boys as my full-time job. Now that I am home, I really need to remind myself that many times a day. My job is no longer to clean, mop, vacuum, do laundry, go to the store, dust, and on and on and on. My job is to bake these babies as long as I can. So that's what I am doing. I am resisting the urge to grab the Clorox wipes, and shielding my eyes when I see something on the floor that should be vacuumed.

One thing I know for sure, is that we have the most wonderful family and friends. Not only has my amazing husband been my rock, my source of comfort, and sense of calm, he has also been Daddy Daycare, put work second and family first, and picked up the slack around the house while I am not able. Brian's Dad and sister have come out to help with Logan, and we have had friends bring us meals to help take off some of the stress. How amazing? Oh, and I need to mention the support of kind words from friends all over the country that have sent me messages, texts, emails, and the most gorgeous boquet of flowers I have ever seen.

So, our next goal is 34 weeks - 1 week and 2 days from now. When we get there, we will set the goal of 35 weeks, then 36. We are hoping to require little-to-no NICU stay for our newest McGowan's, so the longer they bake the better. In the meantime, I will try to remain on "Bathroom Privileges Only" while here at home, take my meds every 4 hours, and focus on my full-time job of gestating!

Da Belly

Since I have been lazy about posting pics the past couple of weeks, this will be a combined 31/32 week picture post. I have debated posting a picture of my hamhocks... errr.. I mean feet. I am not feeling brave enough to put those bad boys on the internet, so you may just have to settle for some big 'ol baby belly instead.

31 weeks 3 days

32 weeks 1 day

If you don't have anything nice to say...

You know the rest. What I would be referring to are the strangers I run into (at the mall, grocery store, etc.) who think that my belly automatically creates a green light for stupid comments.

These are a few of the front-runners, however, literally EVERY time I go out in public I get a comment. Every. Single. Time. For this reason, I thought Brian was smoking crack when he suggested I use a motorized scooter while Black Friday shopping. 'Nuff said.

While at the grocery store, a woman looks at my belly, then my face, then my belly, then my face, and says "wow, you must be due any day now". I told her I was 31 weeks with twins. Once she picked up her jaw from the floor, she said "Well you look like you are ready to pop!".

I was sitting in the front lobby at IHOP waiting for our table when a woman reaches behind her friend and says "Excuse me, Ma'am, when are you due?". I told her I was almost 32 weeks with twins. Her reply? "Yea, I was wondering because you look MISERABLE!". Gee... thanks...

Yesterday after we took Logan to his first movie, we were walking back from Target and passed by Panera. There was a guy sitting inside the table area at Panera that actually yelled out to me "Hey are you having twins?". I yelled back "yes", and kept walking. I hope that his day then felt complete. I mean, I can understand how NOT knowing what a COMPLETE STRANGER has in her uterus can really leave the day feeling unfinished. Weirdo.

But on a much more awesome note, Logan has been cracking me up lately. Often, when he is asked to clean up his toys, I tell him "thanks buddy, you're the best". Today before lunch, when I asked him if he could clean up his toys he replied "I sure can, because I am the best!".

32 weeks 1 day here. I have a picture, but I can't motivate myself to get off the couch to get the camera. That should give you a general idea of what the picture looks like.

8 pounds

That is how much baby I have inside of me already! That is more than Logan was at birth. Add in all the "extras" that come with a full uterus, and one can only imagine.

Ultrasound today showed Baby A still Breech, measuring 32 weeks 3 days, and 4 lbs 5 oz. Baby B is vertex (head down, stuck in my pelvis) measuring over 36 weeks, at 4 lbs 14 oz! Baby B still has a head of hair, and they both have chubby cheeks like their brother.

All I have to say is...

I just love my son. I love my son so, so much. More than I can even express, or quantify. Today, I just love my son. His life makes mine worth living. The thought that I will be soon birthing two more sons to add to this love makes me giddy. I am so unbelievably lucky.

Logan-isms

A couple of weeks ago, while I was making dinner, Logan says the following:

"Guess what, I don't like beer 'cause I like milk and lunch like carrots and vitamins and canteloupe and watermelon and even broccoli 'cause I don't drink beer".

Then this morning, while playing with a cardboard box (Hello Christmas gift ideas!!), Logan tells me:

"I just made a movie. I called it 'Monkey driving a car and guy driving a train'. Now I'm going to make 'Combine driving in the city'."

Future film-maker, perhaps?

Holding strong...

I had an OB appointment today. It was early this morning, and I had to take Logan and Caden with me. This alone made me sweat a little because, really, you never know what can happen with two toddlers, and especially, you never know how long it will take before the doctor actually makes it to the exam room! Add on top of that the exam room was 800 degrees. Okay, well probably not, but when you are 54 weeks pregnant, anything about 60 degrees feels like 800 degrees. The boys were great, despite the fact that, for the second consecutive OB visit, Logan has had to go to the bathroom the minute I am dressed in nothing other than a sheet from the waist down. Seriously, that boy has impeccable timing.

As for the good stuff, BP was great (even with the added stress of a toddler-poop situation), my weight was only up 3lbs, which is perfect since the babies are gaining about 1 lb each a week. Cervix is thinned, but closed, which means bedrest is warded off a bit longer. The belly is measuring 40 weeks (God help me), and the babies sound fantastic. Next Wednesday we get to see our sweet babies in ultrasound again, and my next appointment with the doc is two weeks from today. After that I start NST's twice a week, weekly OB visits, and frequent ultrasounds. We will basically be living at the doctor's office from now until the boys are here. Crunch time. We are here!

On a related note, I have officially given up on sleep. Probably for the next few years. I slept a total of 5 hours last night, and even that was broken and not restful. My sides go completely numb, my hips ache, my belly aches, I contract, I moan, I pee... a lot. The good news is that I am becoming familiar with the TV lineup at 4am, which I am sure will come in handy soon.

We have a room!

Today I am 30 weeks pregnant. Wow. While I often feel like I have been pregnant for all of eternity, this pregnancy has also flown by. When I am not beached on the couch, I am in crazy woman nesting mode. This weekend has been what I would call relaxing-productive. I feel so good about the progress we have made. All the baby clothes, blankets, sheets, and gear are washed and put away. The carseats are washed, cleaned, put together, and ready to go! I even ordered a convertible seat, and some other gear we were still needing. My diaper bag is packed and ready to go, and all of the beautiful knits from my friends Sara and Leslie have been washed and are currently drying to be packed as well. I am chin deep in cloth diapers again... something that I have been free from for some time now, and that I am also so excited about having two little cushie bums to pat. I'm ready, bring it on (well not really, bake a little longer boys, okay?).

BUT! Mama's been nesting. We do have a room for you whenever you are ready. Love.

Just a wee bit 'o Preterm Labor...

Wednesday night I felt... meh. Just off. Tuesday night I was in crazy, psycho nesting mode and organized every last article of baby clothing in the twins room. Wednesday during the day I was ravenously hungry. Like seriously hungry. Wednesday night? Like I said, just off. I was crampy, having back pain, contractions... the works. I woke up yesterday morning and felt okay. I really think I had forgotten what it's like to NOT have contractions, so I have really begun to hardly notice them anymore. Around 1pm, the contractions started to come more frequently, and I had the return of the back cramps. By 3pm, I thought it would be a good idea to give the OB office a call. The nurse decided I needed a visit to Labor and Delivery, just to be sure. Well, I took my sweet time... waited for Brian to get home... changed my clothes... dropped some soup off at The Litton's house since they had been a bit under the weather... left Brian and Logan at home, and went by myself to L&D. I honestly in my heart of hearts thought they would tell me that I was having Braxton Hicks contractions, and to go home, drink some water, take a bath, and lay on my side. At first the two nurses I had (who were AMAZING by the way. Side note: I think nurses are the nicest, most comforting, and kindest individuals on this planet) didn't seem too concerned. However, when I started explaining the back pain... the cramping... the pain radiating down the front of my legs... they started to get a little quiet. They hooked me up to the monitors, and took my blood pressure... a tad bit high. Not too much alarm for concern, I was in a stressful situation. It was when the nurse came in with a giant needle and said "Okay Lindsay, Jessica is going to give you a shot to stop your preterm labor". SAY WHAT?! Who's in preterm labor? Turns out, I was having regular contractions about every 4-5 minutes, and was only feeling every other contraction, or so. Yikes. The nurse warned me that the shot would "hurt like hell", her words, not mine, and that if the shot didn't stop the labor they would try one more shot. If that didn't work, I would be headed to "the Big House Across the River", otherwise known as UIHC. This is when I leveled with these kind ladies and told them that a) I could not be in the hospital, b) I could not be on bedrest, and c) these babies are not ready to come out yet. So bottom line, lets stop these bad boys so I could go home and watch The Office. At this point my blood pressure was 147/97, which is high for me, but again, I was a tad bit worked up. Turns out the nurse was right, the shot hurt like hell, and she was also right about the fact that the makes your heart race, and failed to tell me I would be shaking uncontrollably. Nice. But again, the task at hand was to STOP LABOR, and I was willing to try whatever possible to be back home with a Chocolate Milkshake watching Thursday night TV with my Hubs.

Luckily, that's just where I ended up. Within the span of about 40 minutes I only had one contraction, the babies looked perfect, my blood pressure was down to 108/51, and it looked like my labor had stopped. THANK GOD! I am feeling much better now. I have had very few, minor contractions, actually slept pretty sound, and overall feeling okay today. I am not on any strict instructions for bedrest, but I need to do some serious chillaxing from now on. This mostly means more housework for Brian, and more instructions from his large, and loving Wifey.

This is the monitor I stared at for a couple of hours last night, just watching my babies heart rates, and praying for the contractions to stop. Parker is on the right, and Cooper is on the left. Their heart rates got as high as 200 after the Trebutaline shot, but the nurses said that was normal. Did I mention how much I love L&D nurses? Love.

Dear Parker and Cooper,

Dear Parker and Cooper,

The day I found out I was pregnant with you both was one of the happiest, and scariest, days of my life. We had been waiting for you for so long, and I wanted so badly for this pregnancy to have a happy ending. Never in our wildest dreams could we have imagined, or prepared for the news that we were having TWO babies, and even more shocking, that we were having two more boys. I will never forget that moment in the ultrasound when I looked at the screen and saw both of your hearts beating strong and fast. Along with seeing your big brother's heart beating for the first time, these moments go down in my heart as the most amazing moments of my life.

While the idea of having twins can sometimes seem overwhelming, the excitement of the adventure far outweighs my fears. Plus, your big brother is so amazingly excited for your arrival, and that just makes me melt. Logan includes you in almost everything he does and talks about, and you aren't even here yet. He is going to be an amazing big brother, and I cannot wait to see the bond between the three of you.

Parker and Cooper, you will be completing our family. Dad, Logan and I cannot wait to meet you, and each day as I feel you moving, kicking, squirming, and hiccuping inside of me helps me get to know you both a little better.

Love, Mommy

29 Weeks Pregnant

Photos by Janan Rustan

Age

Today Brian decided that we needed a family trip for brunch at Red's Alehouse because he was craving biscuits and gravy. While we were eating our breakfast, we started discussing the price of the brunch. I pointed to Logan with my thumb and said "Well, I hope that he is free". Logan looked up from his plate, gave me the biggest stink-eye I have ever seen and said "Hey! I'm not free, I'm TWO!".

Thanksgiving Turkeys, perhaps?

After yesterday's OB appointment, I am pretty certain I will be birthing babies the size of 2 year olds... ok, well maybe not that large, but surely the size of Thanksgiving Turkeys. Baby A is measuring 77% and Baby B 74%, and this is based on singleton pregnancies! This was such great news, my doctor was just thrilled, and kept saying how excited she is. I am measuring full-term, 37 weeks to be exact, and the doctor couldn't keep herself from giggling when she walked in the room. My blood pressure was rock-star good; 117/76, and I am assuming I passed my Glucose Tolerance Test since I didn't get a phone call today. I am not dilated yet, but I am "soft" as she explained it. I haven't had as many contractions the past few days, which I am graciously enjoying. Don't get me wrong, by "not as many" I am still having probably 15-20 a day, but that is better than the 7-8 an hour that I was having, accompanied by the pelvic pain. Luckily, I think that got better once Baby A got into his super comfy, yet breech, position. Doctor is shooting for 35-36 weeks. I am down with that as long as we have healthy, breathing, non-NICU turkeys. Actually, by then, they would be Christmas Turkeys!

Perhaps.... a future career in the theatre?

Dear Logan,

Lately, you "sing" everything you want to say. I am currently listening to you upstairs with Daddy. You are in the bath discussing trains, your day, coloring, and "not being the stinky kid anymore" - all in sing-song. These are the amazing moments of a 2 1/2 year old, for sure.

Furthermore, your newest fascination with poking my breasts while singing "boobie, boobie, boobie" over and over is humorous, by highly inappropriate in the grocery store checkout line... on a Monday night... when the lines are stretched down the frozen foods aisle. Just sayin'...

Love, Mom

28 Weeks and Halloween

28 weeks 1 day. Today I started washing baby clothes. Oh... swoon... There is nothing quite like going through your baby boys's baby clothes for your new baby boys. I remembered the little outfits and shoes, and what Logan looked like in each one. What he felt like snuggled up to my chest in those sweet fleece outfits and animal shaped hats. What he smelled like, a mixture of baby shampoo and baby laundry detergent. Speaking of which, I used today while washing the newborn baby clothes and I couldn't help but bury my nose in the pile of sweet little blue duds. It is now November, which means that next month, most likely, we will be parents of three boys. Wow. Our lives are about to change.
Yesterday was Halloween! Logan was rocking his giraffe costume like nobody's business.
Showing off his loot. The suckers were his favorite.

Um, how cute are these two?

Giraffe meets Batman!
Trick or Treat!

I can't believe it is the start of the holiday season! Woo hoo, bring on Thanksgiving! Mama wants some turkey and stuffing!

27 week belly

Whoa Nelly, look at that belly! 27 weeks 2 days.

A little hair and a lot of chub!

Raise your hands if you love chubby babies! I was hoping for at least 2 pounds per baby, so I was pleasantly surprised when I was told that the babies are estimated to weigh 2 lbs 15 oz each! Baby B was measuring at 29 weeks 6 days, while Baby A was measuring at 28 weeks 5 days. Both babies heads were measuring over 30 weeks... BIG OL' NOGGINS, just like their sweet brother. Baby A has peach fuzz hair, barely visible, and Baby B has lots of hair! The main difference with positioning is that Baby A is now breech. He is folded up like a little baby-taco. His bottom is way down low with his feet up by his head. I am not sure what the plan is with breech/vertex twin positioning in terms of delivery, but hopefully we will be able to try for a natural birth.

Take a look at these chubby little cheeks!

This picture is the best! Tushy on the left and head on the right!

Um yea... a week behind

26 week 1 day belly from last week.



The month of October has been crazy busy. Visitors or traveling every weekend, swim lessons, doctor and dentist appointments.... just not enough time in the day. I am 27 weeks and officially in my 3rd Trimester! I will post my 27 week picture this week as well as the almost completed nursery! I have to say, my kids rooms are my favorite rooms in my house.

Logan's Bad Hair Day

I am not exactly sure what Logan had to do during his 3 hour nap to achieve hair of this caliber, but it had to be something awesome. I mean, seriously, this is some crazy hair.

25 weeks

I think in the last 2 weeks I have gone from normal looking pregnant lady to torpedo belly. My belly button is officially non-existent. Sometimes it is a neutral, and sometimes an outie. Either way... it's not cute.

Along with some unseasonably warm weather for October in Iowa (can anyone say 90 degrees?!), my mom came to visit this weekend! Friday night we went and got pedicures where I got some extra good treatment that included the nice man working on my sausage feet stretching out my cramping calf muscles for me. Brave guy he was. Then my mom and I enjoyed a yummy dinner on the outside patio of The Atlas.

Yesterday was my Baby Shower! Erin and Carrie were so thoughtful to throw a shower in honor of our twins. I had some wonderful friends, some who traveled from other states, come to help us celebrate. It was a relaxing and nice shower, and we got some amazingly cute and practical gifts for our babes. We are so blessed to have so many people who love our little guys already.


24 weeks 5 days








Last night we were picking up some dinner and the man behind the counter asked "So, when are you due? Like... tomorrow?". I told him I am due in January, then had to pick his jaw up off the floor. Nice.