First Haircuts

The twins did fairly well during their first official haircuts. A few tears were shed (by both babies and mommy), but we made it through. They look so grown up now!

Twins' Birthday Party

We decided to have the twins' birthday party today, since we have church tomorrow, and Eric will have to sleep most of the day in preparation for working all Sunday night! It was a fun party, with some of the local neighborhood kids attending. The twins loved listening to the kids sing "Happy Birthday" to them, and then they received help in opening their presents. I think their favorite part, however, was tasting their first cupcakes! Here are some pictures of them before, during, and after the cupcakes. The video at the end is them playing with some of their birthday toys, and showing off their new skill...walking!

Standing on Their Own

The twins have been gaining confidence in their mobility lately, and they like to give mommy a scare almost every day! They both stand on their own now, without holding onto anything. Tom has taken one or two steps, but then he loses balance and falls down. Troy, my little monkey, is always climbing everything! He can use any item to get a "leg up", and then he will get onto the couch, or as you can see from the picture below, he will climb up to view something that he can't otherwise see. I'm glad that they are doing well at reaching their developmental milestones, but sometimes I think it was easier on me when they were stationary! ;-)

Twins' Check-up

The twins had their 9-month check-up yesterday, and they are doing great! They are both almost 20 pounds now, although Troy is 11 oz. behind Tom in weight. The pediatrician seemed impressed that they are both already pulling up to standing, cruising, and even Tom will stand for a few seconds without holding on to anything! I am so thankful that they are healthy, happy, and doing so well! Here is a cute picture of Becca holding Tom (left) and Troy (right):

Update on the Twins

I haven't written about the twins for a while, so I thought I'd give an update. They had their check-ups a couple of weeks ago, and they are doing great! The pediatrician said that they are both "average" weight and height for their adjusted age, even though Troy still weighs exactly one pound less than Tom. It seems that "Big Tom" is always going to stay one step ahead of his little brother in the height and weight category, but they are both developing right on track! They have been sitting up without any support, and they both get around in different ways. Tom has been doing an army crawl and sometimes a bear crawl to get where he wants, and Troy rolls to get where he wants...just like his mommy did! ;-) They both can make it clear across the living room if you give them about 20 minutes! We love them so much, and we are so thankful to have them!

Craftons in Crochet

The twins are growing so fast! I decided it was time for them to get their pictures taken in their beautifully crocheted outfits that Grandma Becky made...before they outgrow them! They were quite wiggly during their photo sessions, but we got some good snapshots! ;-)

Sweet Brotherly Love

Here is a cute picture of Sam giving his little brother a kiss! We just bought this new swing to make life a little easier, and we are happy to report that the twins love it! They take turns, and we rotate where they are throughout the house to keep things interesting. It is so nice to always have someone around to love on one of the twins...no matter where they are! ;-)

Healthy Babies

The twins had their 2-month check-up last week, and they are doing great! Even with the fact that they were born almost 4 weeks early, they are right on track for their age! "Big Tom" is in the 80th percentile for height and weight, and "Little Boy Troy" is in the 50th percentile for height and weight. They have been smiling, cooing, and keeping this mama on her toes! ;-)

Twin Fun

The kids (and Dad! ;-) have been having so much fun with the twins! It is sweet to see them enjoying each other!

Snuggle Buggles

The twins are making excellent progress! They are breathing freely on their own (the tubes in their noses are actually for feedings), and they are learning to nurse and getting better at every attempt! If they can continue to transition from tube to oral feedings, gain weight, and maintain their body temperatures, then they can go home! I haven't received a definite time line of when all this will happen...it is up to the twins and how fast they want to go.

We had an interesting day today, since the weather gave us a scare and a tornado warning was issued for our area. All babies were moved to a safer location in the hospital, and the twins were able to be in the same bassinet for the first time! I took a picture, since they were just too cute! I thank God every day for my
TnT Dynamite Duo! ;-)

36 Weeks!

Due to popular demand, I have decided to share a picture of myself 36 weeks pregnant with the twin boys! Eric said that the skirt and shirt really didn't show my size as well as some of my other outfits, so you can only imagine what that means! Notice the fashionable hospital bracelet on my wrist that I received this evening after having my blood work done...I think it goes well with the outfit! Also notice the empty decoration cabinet next to me...a testimony to my inability to get much unpacking done over the last few weeks. Oh well, at least the babies didn't come too early due to me over-achieving! ;-) Now I have to figure out how to get a good night's sleep even though I am a little anxious about tomorrow. This is my first c-section, so I'm apprehensive. I am hoping and praying that everything works out, and that both babies are born healthy and able to come home with me when I'm discharged from the hospital! Please pray with us!

Healthy Twins

I had my big check-up today to see how the twins are growing, and the doctor said that they are doing SO WELL that they will let me continue to carry them until I go into labor on my own. Or, if the next check-up shows any signs of distress in either twin, then I will be scheduled for either an induction or c-section, depending on the position of the babies at the time. If all continues to go well, there is a possibility that they will let me continue to carry the twins until week 37...which is about 3 weeks from now. I want the babies to be healthy and as close to full-term as possible, but I really can't imagine getting bigger (or more uncomfortable) than I am now!

4-D Ultrasound

Here are some scans of the twins from my 4-D Ultrasound on Friday. They were 19 weeks at the time of this scan. 4-D Ultrasounds give a better full-body representation of the babies, but they aren't an "exact copy" of what the babies really look like. It is more of an impression, so they will look a little strange and lumpy, but I think they are still cute! The ultrasound showed that they are perfectly formed, with no physical problems, other than a minor size discrepancy and the abnormal fluid levels. I have another ultrasound today to check fluid levels since the procedure, and hopefully they are still within the normal range. The procedure I had to go through was not pleasant, and I do not wish to repeat it. I hope they learned their lesson and will start sharing equally! ;-)

More BOYS!!

I had my ultrasound yesterday, and found out that we are having more boys! The twins were nice enough to cooperate with the technician so that we could easily tell. They were quite active during the procedure, and it was difficult to get a good picture of them. The technician was frustrated because she kept trying to get them in the right position to take head and abdomen measurements, but they wouldn't be still! It was pretty funny, but she did end up getting all the information she needed. The boys are growing at the right rate, and everything looks great! Sorry, I didn't get any good pictures of the ultrasound to post this time due to the boys' wiggliness. ;-)

Two "Peas" in a Pod

The Twins at almost 12 weeks:



Well, this is the first post about the twins, so I will give a little background for posterity's sake! ;-) A couple of months ago was our 12-year anniversary, and even though I had been charting my cycles to avoid "risky" times, we were not careful enough and I found out a few weeks later that I was unexpectedly expecting! According to my O.B. I was measuring fairly large for the dates I gave her, so she sent me in for an ultrasound, and we discovered that there were two babies! The ultrasound doctor said that he could tell that they were "monochorionic"...identical twins! This was a big shock, but obviously God was at work in the situation! Even though I am still on my epilepsy medication, my doctors have reassured me that the newer medications are much safer during pregnancy than the older ones. My O.B. has delivered 3 babies whose mothers were all on the same medication that I am on, and all the babies have been perfectly healthy! Also, I've had two ultrasounds, and everything looks great! We were a little concerned because the first ultrasound didn't show a membrane separating the babies, but the second ultrasound showed that it was there. So, the babies will be "protected" from getting tangled up in each other's umbilical cords by the membrane. This took me from a "high risk" to a "medium risk" category for my pregnancy. We have decided that, after this delivery, we are permanently done...I am making sure of that before I leave the hospital! Eric originally wanted six kids, and that's what we'll have!:-) Well, there is the summary of our newest news! We appreciate all prayers and thoughts sent our way!