Visiting Santa...

Obviously, Aidan hasn't outgrown his dislike for sitting on Santa's lap yet... Poor baby! (We're such mean parents, aren't we?)

Update on the Girls...

We had another routine biophysical profile this morning to check on the girls.

Both babies look great and Mommy is doing well, too... My blood pressure was 138 over 58, which is a little higher than it's been, but nothing to be concerned about. Both girls passed the biophysical profile with an 8 out of 8, so they're in perfect health, which is fantastic news.

Baby A is still in a vertex position and still very much engaged in my pelvis. Her heart rate was a strong 163 beats per minute.

Baby B is also doing very well... she is also in a vertex position and her heart rate was a strong 142 beats per minute.

Today was officially our last ultrasound and OB appointment. It's so strange to think that we will meet our precious girls in less than a week! The c-section is still scheduled for Tuesday, November 27th, provided they haven't decided to come out and play any earlier.

Aidan is Twenty-Three Months Old Today!

Wow. Twenty-three months old already?!?! My little baby is turning into such a big boy...

I thought I'd take a minute and list some of Aidan's favorite things:

Foods -- I'd have to say that carrot cake is definitely number one on Aidan's list of favorite foods. Every time we go to the grocery store and we walk through the bakery section, he points out the carrot cake (and Daddy usually gives in and buys it for him). He also loves Goldfish crackers, they would probably be number two on the list. And, rounding out the top three would definitely be hot dogs. I swear, he'd eat hot dogs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if we let him!

Toys -- Coloring and painting is Aidan's passion in life. And he's very, very good about only coloring on the paper. Just in case, though, we always use washable crayons, markers, and paint. He also loves shape sorters - he'll name the shape (and usually the color, too) and then put it in the correct spot. He amazes me with how smart he is!

What Makes Him Laugh -- Blowing raspberries. He thinks it's hysterical when he can blow raspberries on my belly (on his "shistas"). He also loves to jump and dance, especially on his bed or ours.

Nevermind the exhaustion, the stress, the mayhem, raising a toddler is actually more fun than I could have ever imagined. Aidan is funny is so many ways, on purpose or not, and he makes me laugh at times when I really shouldn't. This is such a good thing - so good for the soul.

He breathes life into the most lifeless of situations. Without trying, he reminds us how to have fun; reminds us it's not all death and taxes. And for that, I am forever grateful. I look forward to see what he has in store for us as we work our way towards his big two year birthday!

Fun at "The Sandbox"

Aidan, Daddy, and I checked out a new indoor play gym with some friends from playgroup today. The Sandbox opened last week and it looks like it's going to be one of Aidan's favorite playtime destinations!

Like Father, Like Son...

Playing with Daddy...

The next Picasso?

Ready for Bed!

Aidan would like to say "Thank You" to Grandma for his Monkey jammies and his SpongeBob slippers. He loves them!

Update on the Girls...

We had another routine ultrasound and biophysical profile this morning to check on the girls.

Both babies look great and Mommy is doing well, too... My blood pressure was 128 over 58, which is a little higher than it's been, but nothing to be concerned about. Both girls passed the biophysical profile with an 8 out of 8, so they're in perfect health, which is fantastic news.

Baby A is still in a vertex position and still very much engaged in my pelvis. Her heart rate was a strong 155 beats per minute and she weighed in at a hefty 6 pounds, 9 ounces!

Baby B is also doing very well... she is also in a vertex position and her heart rate was a strong 163 beats per minute. She weighed in at a hefty 6 pounds, 10 ounces!

The midwife checked me for dilation, and still nothing! It's so frustrating that I've been having contractions on and off for almost two weeks and they're apparently not effective. I guess we just wait until they get stronger. I still can't believe my body is able to carry almost 14 pounds of baby and not go into labor!

We do have an end in sight, though. We learned today that they have officially put our c-section date on the books (both for the OB's schedule and at the hospital). We are scheduled to evict these girls, should they not come on their own before the scheduled date, on November 27th. That would put me at 38 1/2 weeks and they estimate the girls would weigh between 7 1/2 and 8 pounds a piece... Guess we'll wait and see what happens!

We are scheduled for another prenatal appointment and biophysical profile next Wednesday, November 21st.

Magnet-Making Fun at Sandy & Tommy's House

Aidan and I spent the afternoon with some friends from playgroup. Sandy and Tommy welcomed us (and a few other toddlers and moms) into their home for some fun magnet painting. After the painting portion of our fun was over, Aidan (and some of his buddies) made a beeline for the tub!

Huge. And Uncomfortable. And, did I mention, HUGE?!?!?

(Can I get ANY bigger?!?!)

No babies yet...

The good news is that 36 weeks is considered full term for twins (and I will hit that milestone at midnight tonight) -- so no more worrying about pre-term labor or NICU time (hopefully).

The bad news? Well, since last Thursday when my OB said I should be prepared to have these babies "any day now," I've been getting increasingly uncomfortable. I get occasional contractions, but they're not strong enough or in a regular enough pattern to do much as far as progressing towards the end goal. At the same time, they're uncomfortable enough to keep me from sleeping much. So, I'm exhausted and impatient, but still hanging in there. I just wish that the contractions would stop or get stronger, instead of these wishy-washy, indecisive contractions that don't quite know where they're going.

I'm crossing my fingers that I've either gone into labor, my water breaks, or I have at least dilated a bit before our OB appointment on Monday. If I'm dilated at all by that appointment (and I haven't gone into "full blown labor" by that time), it's likely they'll send me to the hospital for the c-section.

I have to also take a minute and send a HUGE Thank You to my mom, who has been watching Aidan twice a week, both this week and last week, to give me some much needed rest. Mom, you're the best! (And, it doesn't hurt that Aidan has an absolute ball at her house with the rest of the kids...)

Fun at Gymboree!

Artist at work...

Aidan's latest canvas? Mommy and his sisters!

Just being cute...

Craziness....

I came across this video and I thought it was hysterical. I'm sure our girls are having similar conversations these days...

Update on the girls...

We had our first biophysical profile today. It's basically an ultrasound test to check on the well being of the girls. They checked the level of amniotic fluid, the movements, the practice breathing, and their heart rates. Both girls passed with an 8 out of 8 possible points.

We also had a prenatal visit with the obstetrician. Things continue to look good - I've gained another four pounds, bringing me up to a total weight gain of thirty. The doctor said that was great. She also checked me for dilation - I'm not dilated, but Baby A is very, very low in my pelvis - the doctor touched her head while she was checking me! Dr. Howitt said that she wouldn't be surprised if I went into labor on my own within the next week or so. Guess it's time to pack my hospital bags so we'll be ready!

We talked about scheduling a date for a c-section should I not go into labor on my own... And she said at this point the earliest she could schedule it would be for 39 weeks - November 30th. She also said that they will continue to check me for dilation at every appointment (we're on a weekly schedule now) and if I start to dilate (at all!), the hospital will consider it early labor and we'll head to the hospital for a c-section. So it really COULD be any day now that these girls will be born!