37 weeks!!

I seriously can't believe our baby boy buns have stayed in my oven for 37 weeks! I remember in the beginning when we first found out we were having twins and our doctor said she would be really happy if we made it to 36 weeks. I also thought because I am what some may call "vertically challenged," that would make my body not the most suitable place to grow 2 babes in. Well, God knows how to stretch a body to make room for more little bodies to grow in, and I'm so glad they've stayed in there as long as they have.  Our Doctor feels confident that they shouldn't have to spend any time in the NICU, as long as there aren't any complications that pop up post delivery. Woohoo!
The boys had a growth ultrasound at 36 weeks and were both weighing in at 6 lbs 2 oz each!! We haven't had a growth ultrasound since 32 weeks, so it was fun to hear and see how much they've grown in the last month. We have a regular ultrasound every week  at our Doctor's appointments and we had found out that Benny had flipped from his breech position and was head down like his brother.  We were so excited because that meant I could attempt a vaginal delivery.
So, when the ultrasound tech asked us how the boys were doing and what positions they were in, we informed her that they were both head down. She pulled out her equipment and began examining me and chuckled and said, "um, Benny flipped...so he's breech again..."
Kirk and I both just laughed because he's been such a monkey this whole time and we have NO clue how he was able to flip for a THIRD time with such limited space!
So, on that day our Doctor scheduled us for a C-section for THIS Friday, August 26th and I will be at 37 weeks 4 days! 

36 weeks

37 weeks

Can't believe there are only 2 days between now and when we get to meet our precious babies...I seriously don't even know how to wrap my brain around this!  Looking forward to posting pics and giving updates on how the babies are doing.  Again, thank you for your thoughts and prayers...these boys are already so loved, and as their mommy...I am so grateful for that.

35 Weeks!

Wow, I can't tell you how happy I am to be writing 35 weeks and 3 days pregnant!  Throughout this pregnancy, we were given different milestones to shoot for and many of them have come and gone.  We are now hoping and praying that we can make it to next Tuesday, which would be week 36.  Not only is it week 36, but it's also the day our Doctor comes back from vacation.  I thought I had told her that she wasn't allowed to take vacation in August, but I guess she didn't listen to me.

34 weeks, measuring at 42!

35 weeks, measuring at 40 (measuring smaller because my stomach "dropped" this past week)

We  now have weekly Doctor's appointments and twice a week non-stress tests at the hospital to monitor each baby's heart beat, brain waves and my contractions as well.  At this week's appointment, we found out that I am dilated 1-2 cm. and am 80% effaced (how thinned out my cervix is).  Our Doctor said she felt pretty confident we could make it another week or two.  I'm at this crossroads right now, where everyday feels like a victory, another notch on the belt that allows our babies to hopefully avoid any time in NICU.  But, I'm also pretty uncomfortable and feel like there's literally no more room for these little men to grow while living in my tummy.  The discomfort is nothing in comparison to them being as healthy and ready for the world as possible. How did Octomom do it?!  We'll see how much longer they can stay in there!  Babies are looking healthy and happy and we'll find out at this Monday's appointment how big they are now.  Thanks again for all of the prayers and encouragement...it means a lot!  We will continue to update the blog with the babies' latest news.

32 Weeks!



Kirk was having so much fun decorating the nursery.  We got this cute plaque from one of our friends, Lanae...and we LOVE it!

Cute banner our friends made the boys at their last shower.

Wow, I can't believe the boys could be here in just a few weeks!  Since we're having weekly Doctor's appointments from this point on, I'll try and send out a weekly update.  As of this past Monday, the boys were both measuring about 4 1/2 lbs each...2 weeks ahead of schedule!  I, on the other hand, was measuring at 40 weeks...whoah Nelly! 
I still feel them moving quite a lot these days, which is surprising as I know their space is so limited at this point.  One day last week, one of the boys wasn't moving as much as the other one and I started to get a little worried.  It's also hard to determine who's who as there are two sets of every body part in my tummy :-)  Like in the past when I swore one was a crazy baby and the other was extremely tranquil...just to find out that they were in the "bunk bed" position and both of their feet were on the same side.  So, it wasn't one really active baby...it was 2 active babies kicking their Mom with their cute little feet.  So, I called my Doctor when I felt like the one wasn't moving as much and they suggested I go into triage and have them monitor each baby.  I went in and was seen immediately and was on my way out within the hour.  Both babies heart rates were within normal range and the nurse said they looked great!  It was so nice just to have peace of mind...thank you Lord!
As of this most recent appointment, Josiah is still head down and Benny is still feet down, so we are still planning on a C-section at this point.  I am feeling more and more comfortable with a C-section, even though I was a little disappointed to find out that that means I won't get to have very much skin on skin/bonding time with them right after delivery.  With me needing to be put sewn up and them needing to be whisked off to get poked, prodded, and measured...it sounds like I'll just get a little time with them and then Daddy will probably go with them while they finish up with me in the OR.  The stats for twin births (according to one of the books I'm reading), is about 70% of Moms deliver their twins by C-section and 30% are delivered vaginally.  Who know though...anything could happen in the next few weeks.
Speaking of anything happening...I started getting my first "real" contractions last night.  I've had Braxton Hicks contractions now for a while, and was told you would be able to distinguish the "real ones" from the "practice ones."  They weren't unbearable by any means, but they WERE frequent, which sorta freaked me out.  So, I called my ObGyn's office and spoke to the Doctor on call.  She told me to lay down, drink lots of water and monitor my contractions over the next hour and if I was having contractions more often than every 15 minutes, I needed to go into triage.  The contractions did seem to lessen in intensity and grew farther apart, but were still happening about every 5-7 minutes.  So, we went in around 9:00 pm, and left around 11:30pm.  They put monitors on each of the babies and also began monitoring my contractions.  They were pretty frequent, but not that intense, so after talking to the Doctor on call, they decided to do a Fetal Fibronectin Test as well as an exam to see if I was dilated at all. They determined that I was barely dilated at all.  This is Baby Center's description of the Fetal Fibron test:

"The fetal fibronectin (fFN) test can't tell you for sure that you are in labor, but it can tell you that you're not. This is useful because in the early stages of preterm labor, it's very difficult to tell if a woman really is in labor based on her symptoms and a pelvic exam.

A negative result on the fFN test means it's highly unlikely that you'll give birth in the next week or two, which can set your mind at ease and allow your practitioner to hold off on treatments that may prove to be unnecessary. A positive result, on the other hand, is not as useful. It means you're at a higher risk of giving birth early, but it doesn't guarantee that you're about to give birth or that you'll deliver early at all, so it won't help your practitioner decide how to manage your situation."

So, I called this morning and they told me the test was NEGATIVE...woohoo!!  Looks like these boys are going to be "womb mates" for a few more weeks, and hopefully even more than that!  Once again, good to have peace of mind.  I felt a little silly going in, but both Kirk and I wanted to err on the side of caution just in case I was going into preterm labor.  So, that's all for this week. Thank you for your prayers and love to you all!

30 weeks!

Had a Doctor's appointment yesterday.  We'll be having them every 2 weeks from here on out.  They did an ultrasound and babies are doing great!  At our last visit, both of them had their feet down and head's up.  This week...Jojo's head is down, feet up and Benny is still feet down head up.  So, we're still a go for a C-section at this point.  My Doctor said she really only feels comfortable doing a vaginal delivery if both babies are head down.  She doesn't think they have much room to do too much more moving around, but she thought that 2 weeks ago...and Jojo did a 180...so, we'll see!
I lost 4 lbs in the last 2 weeks which is sort of strange, as it feels like my belly has grown 10 lbs since my last appointment.  I was worried to hear that as the Nurse said, "Hmm, that's strange" as she looked at my chart.  The Doctor asked what was going on and I basically told her that I feel like a fire breathing dragon with the raging acid reflux I'm experiencing.  She told me that with twins, acid reflux is usually pretty bad as there's more pressure pushing everything back up the wrong way.  I've definitely cut back on my portion sizes as I know that that can contribute to worsening the problem, but have tried to eat small portions more often throughout the day.  Anyways, she prescribed me Protonix and said that should hopefully help.  I thought in order to make up for the few pounds I lost, it was probably a good idea to go to Sonic and get a Butterfinger and Reese's Ice Cream Sonic Blast...strictly for the babies of course. 
Just praying that they continue to grow as well as they have been so far and stay inside my tummy hotel for as long as possible!

28 weeks!

We went in for a Doctor's appointment this past Monday to get the boy's measurements.  They are both measuring at 30 weeks (woohoo...2 weeks ahead of schedule) and 3 lbs and 3 lbs 1 oz.  I, on the other hand, am measuring at 34 weeks...whoah!  Feeling like a brick house these days.  We were both just so relieved to hear that they're measuring at 3 lbs each because while pregnant with multiples, I hear either, "You look small for having twins" which makes me nervous the boys aren't growing on pace, OR, I hear "You look like you're gonna pop!"...which makes me nervous that I have 2 months or more left before these little men make their debut and thoughts like "Will my body grow to accommodate them?!" come about.
Also, they are both in breech position, so it looks like I'm lining up for a C-section.  I ran into a Mom of twin boys at Target a few weeks ago and she told me a few horror stories about vaginal deliveries of twins, so I was already leaning towards a C-section after she scared the bajeebers out of me, but we'll see what the boys decide to do at the end.  I'm thinking they're running out of space to do too many more acrobatics...but who knows?
So, I get it now...worries begin for your little ones as soon as the pee stick shows positive.  I don't want to worry, but I realize that it comes with the territory of mommyhood.  I realize that none of my worries will ever keep our boys safer than if I wasn't worried, so I'm working on gettting on my knees and giving it up to the Heavenly Father.  I think He's got a better hold on the whole parenthood thing than I'll ever have in my entire lifetime.  Breathe.
At our last appointment, our Doctor suggested that I get a steroid shot that would help to mature the boy's lungs if they do make their entrance earlier.  I went in for my first shot today and will return 24 hours later for the 2nd shot. She said that anything after 32 weeks is icing on the cake, but we're hoping that they'll ideally come no sooner than 35 weeks. Send the prayers coming that all continues as well as it has been! My blood sugar came back normal (praise the Lord I don't have to worry too much about food!), blood pressure is good and the boys are right on target for growth.  Our ultrasound tech did say that one is still looking more on the "chubby" side and the other one is a little longer and leaner.  We just chuckle when she says that...we could have our own Arnold and Danny DeVito on our hands!  We can't wait to meet them!

Our Boys in 3D!!

We went in for a 3D ultrasound of the boys this past Friday (the babies were 24 weeks and 4 days).  Usually, you might go in a little later, but with multiples you have to go in a littler early because they tend to get more"squished" looking the longer you wait.  They already are pretty snug in there, and the ultrasound tech had a hard time getting good pics, but there were several super cute ones (We might be a little biased). 
We have decided on names officially as well...Baby A is now Josiah Parker McKelvey and Baby B is Benjamin Gregg McKelvey.  Some of the background of their names...Josiah was a great King in the Bible and Benjamin is a son of Jacob as well as the Benjamites being a tribe of Israel.  As for their middle names, Gregg is Kirk's Grandparents last name and Parker is a name I've always liked, as well as a form of my Grandma's maiden name, Parks.  Here's a few pictures of each of the boys!

Baby Josiah's left side profile

Jojo with his face resting on his hand (I think he's posing for the picture)

Baby Benny looking down (his cute upper lip is sticking out)

Benny's right side profile

Seeing these pictures made having these babies seem all the more real...it's  seroiusly unbelievable at times and we just find ourselves laughing a lot when we think about having 2 little boys on the way!  Love these little munchkins so much!

Kirk turns the big 3-0!!

Kirk has been waiting for this birthday for 3 decades...okay, maybe not...but, we had to CELEBRATE!  I decided to throw him a "Surprise" Birthday party.  Everything was going great and without a hitch until the day of the party.  Kirk had to work late, so I quickly texted everyone to come later and everything was good.  Unfortuntaley, the suprise didn't end up being a surprise as Kirk sort of walked in on his own party...but we still had lots of fun!  We had a cotton candy machine, crazy wigs and mustaches/glasses on a stick, pizza and cake to provide us with hours of fun...it doesn't take much with this fun bunch...

Ashley, the Cotton Candy Master (and her beautiful assistants)

Baby Jojo and Benny love Baby Cece!

The whole group

I already feel bad for our boys...they WILL be embarassed having us as their parents.

These are the memories we'll remember for a lifetime...great friends and good times!  Happy Birthday Sweetie!