Party Time

this week (monday and tuesday) we had our first baby shower and then our doctors appointment to see how the LOtwins are doing.

the shower was so nice!!! the ladies from my church staff all got together along with some of my amazing volunteers from the student ministry to throw a party to completely spoil me and the girls. there was (of course) amazing food and literally five different flavors of cake. they really know the way to my heart...chicken salad from Newks and delicious cake!!! we of course had to play a few games, but nothing too unbearable (not the biggest fan of shower games, maybe because i hate always winning...lol). then it was present time. to say i was spoiled is an understatement!! all 32 guests brought the most amazing gifts. from personalized ruffled bloomers, to custom burp cloths, to the most awesome stack of diapers and wipes!! from the fun and whimsical to the practical and useful. not going to lie...i was completely overwhelmed! i am so blessed to have a family here that has loved and supported us through the last year and a half and is now going above and beyond to help us prepare for these twin baby girls!! if it had stopped there i would have been elated, but my friends ended the party by praying for me and for peter and for claire and annabel. it was awesome! to know that there are so many that are encouraging and supporting us, but also praying for us is amazing. i know that in 7 weeks our whole lives will totally change...we can use all the prayer we can get. it was a really sweet time of praising God for His faithfulness and blessings and asking for guidance and health! thank you so much to all that were there, y'all are the best!!!

yesterday, peter and i went in for a check up with dr. todd and an ultrasound to see the girls. they are getting so big! big enough that getting good ultrasound pics to bring home is pretty hard. but, as always, it is so reassuring to see claire and annabel moving around and to hear their heartbeats. we again heard that the babies were big, so i asked what that really meant. i asked if they are big compared to other twins or compared to single babies. answer: single babies. claire, who is transverse breech (her head is on my right side with her body going across to my left) and on the bottom is just over a week ahead in length and is weighing in just over 3 pounds. annabel, who is also transverse breech (her head is on my left side and her body crosses over to my right side) is just over two weeks ahead in length and weighs over 3.5 pounds. all of the other measurements and stats for the girls were great! i have had some seriously intense pain in the front of my belly and turns out annabel's long legs are pushing on my abs so hard my muscles are seperating. we are hoping that it does not lead to a hernia, but even so, it will be worth it! i am now up 24 pounds total. not too bad. my belly may not look huge, but there is no space left on my torso! literally...my boobs sit on my belly and my belly rests on my legs! this week i have noticed that i have grown out around a little (not just straight out). probably because they are both transverse!! dr. todd said the chances of having both girls turn to be head down is pretty low...that we will most likely have a c-section. the plan is to still go towards 37 weeks. dr. todd is hopefully that we can do that, but with their size, he is thinking they will come a little earlier. we are just praying for healthy babies and healthy delivery all in God's timing!! at 29 weeks, things are going great! we are really excited!! we are even going away for a weekend in february when peter gets back from his missions trip to honduras! woohoo...babymoon!

thanks for continuing to pray for all of us! we are definitely in the home stretch now...only about 7.5 weeks left!! here are a few pics from the shower!

blessings, ALo

some of the cute decor, including a really cute "blessings" board! 

top & bottom left:robin, she knows i hate being touched :) top right: abby and lindsey, two of my students. bottom right: jacqueline!!! a really sweet and thoughtful friend!! 

top left: casey, my cubicle partner...we are always giggling about something! bottom left: justine and awesome mom to paisley! love her! top and bottom right: rachel, my partner in crime and fellow mommy to be! student ministry is gaining three babies in just a few months! :)

right after the shower...one day short of 29 weeks!!