The Kid Is 4, Doctor Visits, 20 And 24 Weeks And Other Random Welly Stuff...

So, I must confess I've not been the best at updating everyone on our lives lately. We've been busy! We've been preparing for the arrival of 2 babies by tearing our entire house apart, celebrating a very important 4th birthday, waiting at various doctors' offices, babysitting a nephew for a few days and all sorts of other fun things.

Brendan turned 4 on May 3rd. We celebrated with a family party as usual and he chose a Lightning McQueen theme (of course). It was a really fun day and we had great weather so the kids were able to play outside. That was wonderful because early May in Ohio is always an unknown. We realized afterwards that we didn't get many good photos of the party because we were too busy hosting the party. The one above is one of my favorites. It shows my nephew Carter, Brendan (making goofy face) and my cousin Michael's little boy Trent in their cool shades. After the party we took Brendan out for Mexican at his request and he got to wear the cool sombrero that 300 other people have had on their heads. In typical 4 year old fashion, that was the highlight of his day! After the party my mom left to help my sister move and I invited her to leave my nephew for a few days. It was so fun to have him here. I took both boys to the zoo. That was an adventure (a zoo, if you will) but it was great practice for twins!

It seems like we've been spending lots of time in various doctors' offices lately too. My family doctor sent me for an cardio consult/echo because my heart rate was a little faster than he'd like. Everything was normal so now they think it's a side effect of a med I take. Up to 10% of patients on this med have that side effect. The doctor's main concern was that I was pregnant with twins and he wanted to make sure everything was ok. The next appointment was the pediatric dentist, which Brendan did wonderfully at. The dentist complimented the good job he's been doing on his teeth. Appointment #3 was the pediatrician. Brendan at 4 years old: 43.5 inches tall and 37.5 lbs. He's almost off the charts for height!

Pregnancy-wise things are awesome. This pregnancy has flown by and everything is as uncomplicated as it can possibly be. The weight gain has been a little slow and they've been a little on my case about it at the doctor, but the babies are right where they should be. At my 24 week checkup today they were 1 lb. 6 ozs. and 1 lb. 7 ozs., which she said is great for twins. We want to see them stay the same size to make sure one twin isn't getting more nutrition than the other. The 24 week photos are the top ultrasound pics. Unfortunately they were not very cooperative and the technician basically got one shot of each baby's face. Right now Nolan is head down and Seth is sideways (with his head and feet wedged oh-so-conveniently up under my ribs). So, there is still a possibility they could both do what they're supposed to before they're born and we may avoid a C-section. We're learning that Nolan (AKA Lefty) is constantly active and rarely sits still, while Seth (AKA Righty) is pretty comfy where he's at and doesn't really move if he doesn't have to. In other words, Nolan is like Eric and Seth is more like Sarah! It will be interesting to see how they actually are when they're born.

I did forget to update my blog after last month's visit (although pics are posted above on the very bottom). We got some interesting news last time. At my 20 week ultrasound they told us that they think the babies might be identical twins. They are seeing several indicators (including their almost identical sizes) that are telling them that is the case. Today at my 24 week ultrasound the technician said that she is pretty sure they are identical. Unfortunately, there is no way to know until they are born and a pathologist looks things over. I'm dying to know now, but I guess I'll have to wait.

Now I start going to the doctor every two weeks and at 32 weeks I will have to start going weekly. Should be an interesting ride. It's hard to believe that I'm already 6 months pregnant. I did post a pregnant pic of me because several people asked about one. It's almost a month old now, so I will need to get an updated one soon.

We're tearing our house apart in preparation for these babies. Moving rooms around, purging junk, starting a garage sale pile and just generally cursing the fact that we have way too much stuff. It's amazing that this house seemed immense when it was just the two of us, but growing into a family of 5 makes me imagine this house literally bursting at the seams.

We hope all of you have a safe and enjoyable summer. Oh, and GO WINGS! :)

Step Away From the Pink Dress With Kittens On It!

So, those of you who have known me for any length of time know that I'm not really keen on finding out the genders of babies before they're born. I love the surprise of it, and I love the suspense and guessing that comes with not knowing.

However...at 15 weeks I had an ultrasound today and the technician said she could tell us the genders of the babies. Something took over and I HAD to know. Truthfully, a lot of it was that we've been in panic mode since we found out we are having twins. Something about going from a family of 3 to a family of 5, I guess. Plus, I'd been feeling a little guilty because Eric wanted to know Brendan's sex before he was born but I convinced him not to find out.

So, anyway, the moment of truth arrived when she told us that we are having TWO BOYS! We are very excited, and it truthfully makes life a lot easier to know that we can use the same baby stuff we used for Brendan and that we already sorta know what we're doing with a baby boy.

The first words out of Brendan's mouth upon hearing the news: "Oh good. We won't have any Bawbies (Barbies) at our house and I won't have to play Bawbie. I hate Bawbie."

My mom's grandchild tally stands now at 6 boys and 0 girls, which is sort of funny in and of itself.

People were surprised that we found out the babies' genders, and frankly, I'm a little surprised too. I never thought we'd know beforehand. Oh, and before anyone asks, we will not be trying for baby #4 and/or a girl. The incubator will be closed permanently after this shift. :) Our family is complete at 5.

What A Difference A Month Makes!

One of the cool things about having twins is that I've been given an ultrasound every time. It's amazing to see how quickly the babies grow and change. I had my 2nd ultrasound on January 26th, and then another one on February 23rd. In the span of 4 weeks, they went from little blips on a screen to something that actually resembles human babies! We're quickly learning that Righty (as the ultrasound tech refers to him or her) is much more cooperative than Lefty is. It seems Lefty can't be bothered to turn or pose during an ultrasound. :) The ultrasound technician thinks the babies are a boy and a girl just from having done her job for so long. I'm still not sure. I think it's most likely. Based on the odds we've been given, 50% of fraternal twins are boy/girl, 25% are boy/boy and 25% girl/girl. So, I think it's most likely we've got a boy and a girl, but you know what? Whatever! We'll get what we're supposed to get. Since I found out we're having fraternal twins, I am amazed at the number of people who seem to think that your family is not complete without one child of each gender. I disagree that one MUST have a child of each gender to have a complete family. I think whatever we get is great, and I will not be disappointed no matter what the genders of the babies. Each family is wonderful and unique, whether it consists of all girls, two boys and a girl, or whatever.

Exactly at left are the 7 week ultrasound photos, and the rest are the 11 week ones.

It's hard to imagine that I will be 13 weeks pregnant in a few days. Time is flying by!

An Interesting Development...

Do not attempt to adjust your monitor. Your eyes do not deceive you. That is an ultrasound photo off to the left of your screen. Yes, it's mine. Look more carefully...Yes, there are two babies in there!

We were thrilled to find out we were expecting again after suffering a miscarriage in September. I was anticipating seeing a healthy baby on my ultrasound after all of that. The minute she turned the screen on, I immediately saw TWO!! Initially, she thought the one sac was empty, but quickly realized there was a little person in there moving around. Twin left looks a little squished in these photos but he or she is the same size as the other one. Unfortunately, it was hard to get good photos. I will have another ultrasound in two weeks, so I will hopefully have better shots then.

This is what we know:

1. There are two babies.

2. I am due in September, but a more accurate date would be the middle of August since I am having twins.

3. They are fraternal, so we could have two boys, two girls, or one of each.

4. We have outgrown our home, our lives, and our sanity, all in the span of an hour in an OB/GYN's office.

Brendan knows because he had to go with us. He is now running around screaming: "We're having twoooooo babies!"

So...wish us luck. 2009 will be a VERY interesting year for family Welly!

We're Doomed

What do you do when a three year old is already figuring out your parenting tricks? This is an actual conversation Brendan and I had in the store the other day.

Brendan: Mommy, look at that.

Mommy: Mmmhmm.

Brendan: Mommy, I have to tell you something important that I hate.

Mommy: Mmmhmm.

Brendan: I hate it when you say "mmmhmm" when I am talking at you. That means you are not listening to me.

Eric and I are doomed. Doomed...

First Trip To The Dentist

I'm sure some of you are laughing just reading this. You KNOW my thoughts on the dentist. I think anyone who wants to do that for a living definitely has something wrong upstairs. Of course, if you're my dentist, I'm paying for you to have a nice vacation home and all the $4/gallon gasoline you could want, so it's all good.

Anyway, so the kid was creeping closer to three and I knew it was time. I started checking with friends to get recommendations for a pediatric dentist. I thought that might be best since Brendan was already saying he didn't want to go. In the meantime, I chipped a crown and the tooth it is set in (don't ask). I was already in there, so I asked my dentist which pediatric dentist he recommends. He told me the best in town is his ex-wife. The look on my face must've said it all. He told me that she is the best and he was really serious. So, I called her. I figured if he obviously couldn't get along with her personally but recommends her professionally, she must be good.

May 7th was the day. I got Brendan all psyched up with stories of how the dentist was going to make his teeth so clean and nice, blah blah. All the while the entire inside of my body felt like Jello with the thought of watching my kid in the torture chair. I was expecting tears and panic and generally disastrous results. However, he did great. He sat right in the chair and wanted me to take a picture so daddy could see what a big boy he was. He kept asking if he was done and she kept reassuring him that he was almost done. The dental floss totally freaked him out and he began to cry a little. Overall, he did really well for a 3 year old. The dentist even commented on how well he did for his first time. He got a plastic toy spider and a bracelet for his trouble.

I had promised Brendan that we would do something fun if he was a good boy at the dentist. After the dentist we went to Build A Bear and made a black Lab named (what else?) Stanley. We even got a Red Wings jersey and shorts for Stanley to wear. We go back to the dentist again in November for cleaning #2!

The Kid is 3!!

It seems hard to believe that Brendan is officially 3 years old. It's so fun watching him grow and seeing his personality develop. This was the most fun birthday yet because he finally "got" it. We just did the normal party at our house with friends and family. The highlight for him was when my aunt and uncle had balloons delivered to our house for him. The Spongebob cake was a big hit too. Afterwards we went out for Mexican food with Eric's family. Brendan got to wear a sombrero that probably weighed more than he did. Usually he won't have anything to do with a hat, but he loved that one.

He had his checkup yesterday at the pediatrician. He is 41 inches tall and 34 lbs. The doctor said he looks great and is doing very well.