The Gamble Twins..... in 4D!

Sorry for the long post... I send out an e-mail update to family and a few friends, so I just cut/pasted the e-mail update... lazy, I know... sorry :)

Last Thursday, we had a doctor appointment and got the 4D ultrasound done! Having seen baby pictures of Josh and my sisters (who were THE cutest babies/toddlers!), I knew that surely we must have some good "cute baby" genes going for us :) I do know that while some babies come out and look nothing like their 4D images, other babies DO look like them. It will certainly be interesting to see if ours do. In the meantime, the babies I saw in our 4Ds are as cute as they can be.

Jack Henry (Baby A) has chubby little cheeks, full pouty lips, and a cute little button nose... that actually reminds me of my cousin Rachel's nose, which is great! Harrison (Baby B) on the other hand, had smaller, more defined features reminiscent of Josh's in his hospital picture. I also looked at my hospital picture, and I was born with chubby cheeks, a button nose, and fuller lips. We'll see how these boys turn out! :)

Anyways... the appointment was great... boys still measuring about 2 weeks ahead and gained almost a pound each in the 2 weeks since the previous appointment, putting them at A: 2 lbs 13 oz and B: 3 lbs 1 oz.

I had my glucose screening test and, like many women (especially multiples), I failed my first test..... by ZERO points. Failing was 135....and I scored a 135! Needless to say, we are very hopeful that I will pass the next test, which I have on Thursday, but your prayers would be more than appreciated, as I'd really like to avoid having it! They will take a blood sample, I'll drink 2x as much nasty sweet stuff, and they'll take my blood at 1 hr, 2 hr, and 3 hr marks.

The nurse also said my nutrients are low b/c the boys are draining me, so she's probably going to give me some iron to start taking. The things us mothers go through to get our babies here safe and healthy ;o) haha.... Man, is it worth it though!

With all of that said, here are our boys! Jack Henry was VERY cooperative--quite uncommon for Baby A in twin 4Ds apparently! Harrison was fairly stubborn and uncooperative... but we managed to get a few pics. Yes, that is his foot that you see up by his forehead in some of the pictures... I forget how flexible babies are this young! We'll probably try again at another appointment, so we can get better pictures (no additional cost thank goodness).

We have officially started going to the doctor every week, with ultrasounds every other week. It is hard to believe that there are approximately 8-10 more weeks until the boys will be here. We've got a bit left to do and had better get on it! :)
These top 5 were sweet Jack Henry... and here's our other sweet baby, Harrison...

Can you see the difference? I CAN! :)

27 week appointment

The appointment this AM went GREAT! Long... but great :) The diabetes drink was not gross...b/c I literally chugged it and didn't have a chance to taste it haha

It was cold and I was so thirsty from not having food/drink before appt!

The babies looked wonderful. Jack Henry weighed in at 2 lbs 13 oz (up 10 oz in 2 weeks) and loved the attention of the 4D and was very cooperative. Harrison weighed in at 3 lbs 1 oz (I think he's also up about 10 oz in 2 weeks) and was, on the other hand, stubbornly uncooperative...

We are officially going to the doctor every week now... and hopefully have approximately 9-11 more weeks until they are here in our arms :o) My momma went with us to see the ultrasound and I loved having her there, as I always do when she gets to come! I'll add the 4D ultrasound pics to this post later, but since daddy/momma treated us for Valentine's Day, daddy needs to see the pics/video before the rest of the world :o)

My 27 week belly measured *42* weeks! Whew!

25 weeks and 3 days ultrasound pics..and a "picnik"

Well... I was wrong. I did not scan these on Friday or Saturday...* Snow * happened on Friday and then Josh and I had movie morning on Saturday. So, I scanned them today! Here are our sweet baby boys. 2 are shots of their sweet faces (not very pretty pics, but ultrasound rarely is they actually look kind of chinese! haha)... and 1 is of their heads by each other. I've also included a shot from our wedding that my BFF Eden edited on picnik. I think it is a wonderful picture...my sisters look beautiful, I adore how Josh and I are looking at each other :o) and Eden a great job editing!

A VERY special Valentine's Day surprise....

Well, tonight there was a very special Valentine's Day surprise! Nope, not for me! :o) Granted, Josh and I have had a nice, low-key, inexpensive Valentine's Day (Neither of us care about going all out for V-Day) with a card this AM.... Sunday School.... I went to the library this afternoon while Josh worked all day, and then we had steaks at home this evening. But, that is not the purpose of this post! I am super excited to tell y'all that tonight, my parents

small group (they are the leaders) threw them a surprise

Grandparents Baby Shower

I LOVE IT!

First, I love that they were able to get one by my parents!

2nd, I love it that they were SO INCREDIBLY thoughtful!!!

and 3rd, I love it that they honored my precious parents like this!

What WONDERFUL friends they are for taking the time to celebrate their becoming Grandparents for the first time :o)

I know I keep saying it, but I just love it.... My parents do so much for us, for their small group, and for others....and I cannot get over how sweet and thoughtful it was of the group (who are some of their very best friends) to want to do this for them. What a special blessing! Not only did they get them a precious cake, but my parents received what sounds like many wonderful gifts to prepare them for Grandparenthood (can't wait to go check them out!) including, but certainly not limited to onesies, bibs, spoons, and their very own pack n play!

Here is the sweet cake!

"Congratulations Mimi and Big Daddy!"

(Harrison and Jack Henry are in the stork's bundle!)

Belly pic 26 weeks!

Here's the belly pics! I am pleased to report that, miraculously, there are still no stretch marks on my belly, although I fear that they will make an appearance eventually. I will certainly be ok if they do, but what girl doesn't hope to avoid them? I cannot believe we're already to 26 weeks... It seems like only yesterday that I was 8 weeks pregnant and just found out that we're having twins :) I still love being pregnant, which is extra-wonderful to me since at 25 weeks I was measuring 37 weeks. Soon, not only will I reach full-term 40 week belly size (when most are very miserable with one baby!), but I will exceed it by a good bit! At 38 weeks with twins, my mom measured about 52 weeks! Absolutely crazy. I'm thinking that my good spirits, despite my belly size, are very mental... It's as if I know that I've got probably 10-12 weeks left of being pregnant, so being miserable now just isn't an option. I also attribute it to the sheer grace of God.....as well as the fact that He chose me for this....and this for me, for that matter. He has blessed me with a very healthy and happy pregnancy so far. I thank Him daily for the boys', mine, and Josh's health throughout this pregnancy and ask for continued blessings!... in a nutshell, I'm healthy, happy, and very grateful!

We have officially started going to doctor appointments every 2 weeks and have yet to have an appointment without an ultrasound, which I find amazing. I love seeing our babies, and Dr. Banks seems to like to stay on top of their stats, which he said were "perfect!" last week.... Music to a mama's ears! I cannot remember if I posted it, but last week, they were each weighing in at about 2.5 lbs (almost a pound more than average baby at 25 weeks), had put on 1 lb each in the 3 weeks since the last appointment and were measuring approx 1.5-2 weeks ahead in size. (love it!)

Our next appointment will be a long one. I have my diabetes test, a regular ultrasound, a regular appointment, and for Valentine's Day, my parents offered to treat us to a 4-D ultrasound! (Please understand that they do NOT usually spend that kind of money on us for V-Day... this was just a good excuse and special occasion!) So we have all of that next week, and I'm really looking forward to it. Speaking of ultrasounds, I do have pictures from last week, but haven't scanned them in yet. I will definitely do that tomorrow or Friday. Sorry y'all!

(I might have told y'all this, but preggo brain cannot remember...I'm sorry!)
As of last Thursday, Baby A, who we're thinking is Jack Henry, had flipped around and was head up with his feet down by my cervix..upon which he has started tap-dancing. Baby B, Harrison, on the other hand, was still transverse in the fetal position with his head next to Jack Henry's. Sweet brothers :)

On a side note... I am SOOOOO ready for Spring and some warm, beautiful weather! (especially since I am bound to Birmingham due to my travel restrictions!) haha

Nursery...... so far

Well, it's a crappy quality pic b/c it's from my cell phone, but I wanted to share the nursery so far.... I am LOVING how it is turning out! We've still got a good bit left to go, but wanted to share a preview :o) Let me tell you.... the picture does NOT do it justice at all. Love. It!

Great post...

I had a dr. appointment yesterday, and I'll post about that later... I just read a great post that I wanted to share.

http://mandyandnathan.blogspot.com/2010/02/nathan-said-i-left-everyone-hanging-by.html#comments

24 and 25 week belly pics

Here they are.... belly pics for weeks 24 and 25. I'm feeling great... only complaints would be rib and ligament pain from expanding to make room for the boys. I also have a few ribs that are out of alignment--ouch! I went to the Chiropractor and got them put back in place...instant relief...but, as with regular back adjustments, you have to go a few times before things stay aligned better, so they are back out and I should probably go again. I think that's it though... We have our next Dr. appointment tomorrow morning. I am so excited. I love going to see our baby boys and these days my favorite part is learning their positioning in my belly. I'll also get my fundal height measured again, which is hilarious to find out.... at 22 weeks, I measured 31 weeks....so I can only imagine what I'll measure at 25 weeks!

Any guesses? Maybe seeing the pictures below will help you make your guess....

24 weeks....

and 25 weeks....