24 weeks!!!

woohoo!!! we have made it to 24 weeks with our sweet twins!!

things are going great, at least according to my doctor (who i saw today) and my friends who are moms of twins, and my friends who are moms, and my family...etc. the last few weeks i have needed a little extra encouragement. last week brought up some thoughts, fears and emotions. we surpassed our gestational time that we spent with Charlotte. we delivered Charlotte at 22wks 6days. so, this week i have appreciated all the support and encouragement from loved ones and most of all, all the little kicks and pokes from these little girls.

plus, sometimes its the little things! this week we have been gearing up for our trip to see my family. we will spend 4 days in michigan with my dad and his side of the family and then spend 4 days in florida with my mom and her side of the family. we cant wait to see everyone!! this will be our last tip before the girls come! (well, peter is going on a missions trip in early february and i am hoping we can do a weekend away before they girls get here). anyway, part of going to florida means wearing a bathing suit. i kinda forgot about that until last week. funny thing is, my mom thought it the same day and ordered me a few bathing suits that were super on sale. tuesday night i came home and tried a few on. oh my! i was feeling very pregnant!! i looked it too, but peter said it was all a great thing...that i looked great. it made me feel so good, that he didnt think i was a huge whale in basically no clothing. then today, my friend, rachel, said "hey, you dont even look pregnant from the back!" guess she knew i needed to hear a little encouragement about my weight/looks/size/huge belly!! its the little things. today it was a kind word!!

i did have an appointment today with an ultrasound. i just love seeing those little babies moving and grooving inside there! everything seemed to be great again this visit. THANK YOU, GOD!!! for the second time in a row, the first thing dr. todd said was "you have some big babies in there!" at least this time the word "huge" was not used :) the coolest thing was seeing the membrane that separates the two girls. during their video appearance today they were pushing, shoving, punching that membrane, seemingly trying to get to each other. so cute!! Annabel is still laying across the top of my belly with her head on my right side. Claire is now breech with her head right next to Annabel's. Claire is kinda going diagonal. pretty cool!!

i go back in two weeks (yes, every two weeks right now) for a doctor check up and my glucose test. i am already praying that i will pass the first test! then back again two weeks later for an ultrasound.

here are a few pics from today...not as clear/as good, but the tech was really rushed. they forgot to schedule the ultrasound for twins. thats ok, she did confirm that they are both still girls and growing right on track!

Claire and Annabel putting their heads together. plotting to beat me up from the inside!

Claire. alien face :)

Annabel, head down. look how cool it is to see her spine and ribcage!!

Annabel, alien face :)

me, last week, at 23 weeks. i havent taken one yet this week. oh well. 

woohoo for 24 weeks and viable babies!! still praying to make it to 37 weeks, but feeling a little more secure. thank you, Lord, for these amazing blessings!!

nursery update soon...its definitely coming along!! :)

blessings, ALo

Belated Pictures

i can not believe another week is almost over...or just starting...either way. this month is just flying by, which means this pregnancy seems to be flying by. a few months back, when i felt so sick, i would not have said that at all! well, i am feeling great (except for a few minor things) and have been so busy traveling, working, planning, etc. that i rarely make the time to sit down and blog about much of anything. guess this is the start of my busy life being a mommy to twins!! :)

we are so excited about having two more little girls!! claire and annabel are already so spoiled by so many people...lots of love has been poured out from people near and far. thank you to all who have been praying for all four of us!! things are still going great!!! when we went (almost 2 weeks ago) for our big ultrasound, they were both VERY healthy...in fact the first thing my doctor said was "well, these babies are HUGE!" lol!! i guess that is not a huge surprise knowing that peter is 6'9". i actually had to go in this week for a minor little thing (blasted UTI...not cool, but apparently very common, esp with twins). but, going in meant hearing their heartbeats again...most wonderful sound in the world!!!

this week has been a little bit more, i dont know, stressful, i guess. i am a little more paranoid about the smallest things. when was the last time i felt movement, what is different this week than last, am i doing all that i am supposed to, am i doing those things the way i am supposed to (ps. the whole sleep on your  left side ONLY is kinda hard for me...not normal). all of this extra thought and care because we said good-bye to our Charlotte at 22wks 6days. today i am 22wks 3days. part of my anxiety is knowing that something bad could still happen, the other part is because i am coming into uncharted waters. not that there is anything about this pregnancy that is the same as our time with Charlotte, but still. so, just pray that God continues to give me peace as He grows these babies for the next (hopefully) 14 weeks!!!

ok, so here are a few pictures of our sweet baby girls!! these are all from last week's big ultrasound.

Baby A: Claire Mackenzie

Claire's feet

Claire is definitely a girl!!

Baby B: Annabel Marie

Again, no question, Annabel is a girl! 

i will go back the 20th for another appointment, including an ultrasound. this begins my every two week appointment schedule with an ultrasound every other time.

thanks again for all the love, support, encouragement, prayers, gifts, messages, and calls!!! we are so blessed to have so many people love us and our girls!!

blessings, ALo

ps. the nursery is just starting to come along. i promise to post a few pics as we get things done. right now it is just the cribs. :)