The Funny Things That Happen When You're Pregnant

1. A neighbor looked at me and said, "Woah, you're bigger!"

2. It just took me 40 minutes to waddle around the block to get some exercise.

3. When I informed the people at Walgreens that I was pregnant, they said, "No Kidding!"

We're at 20.5 weeks. If it's like this now, it's only going to get bigger! better!

Clean Sheets & Warm Hugs

I landed 2 and a half hours ago, but I'm still high above the world! I had a great and wonderful visit with Mom & Dad Ramsden at the Clean Sheets & Warm Hugs Bed & Breakfast (ie., their home in Celebration, Fl). I timed my trip just exactly perfectly so that the second day I was there, we celebrated Mom's birthday! Happy Birthday Mom!

Here's a picture of her birthday cake while it was displayed for all to see before dinner. It was a perfect size for three of us.

Here's a picture of the birthday cake after we sang Happy Birthday and enjoyed a piece each.

We went to Cocoa Beach. We walked on the beach and got a little bit of sunshine on our cheeks and sand in our toesies. Then we went to a restaurant on the harbor so we could watch the boats come in and out and look at the cruise ships. I got a hamburger. I really liked that hamburger. I could have cried about that hamburger. But I didn't. Instead I ate it all up.

Mom & Dad Ramsden have been fantastic and wonderful members of Team Beaker - so supportive, so loving and so enthusiastic! We like people like that on Team Beaker! And we certainly love Mom & Dad Ramsden!

Go Team Beaker!

p.s. just a random thought that I just had: the next time I see Mom & Dad R., I'll (hopefully) have two little babies!!!

Dele is Huge-ish

I guess when you're growing a couple of them, you get large.

Here I am at 19.5 weeks... My first official posting of the Baby Belly.

Go Team Beaker!

Down the Rabbit Hole

Brett and I are reading Alice in Wonderland together at night. Each night, we take a chapter and read it out loud. We alternate who's reading. We're not sure if the Babes can hear us, though originally that was our hope. We're just enjoying having some time together reading and enjoying the story. We love having something interesting and new to discuss - especially when one of the footnotes (we have one of the most highly regarded annotated versions) strikes our thoughtful bone.

Sometimes we feel like Alice while we wander through pregnancy. It all seems so curious! With the Babes, I think I feel them, then I'm not so sure, then I question what I thought I felt before. It's as if we are down the rabbit hole - so surreal, so exciting, so curious!

We went to see Dr. Smith today, who, speaking of characters, never ceases to crack me up with his demeanor. He is very laid back (a quality that is definitely prized on Team Beaker). He is constantly reminding me that what happens to pregnant people happens to me in spades because we've got Two.

Here are (some of) the things we asked him and his answers:

* Why can't I breathe anymore? Because you have two Space Occupants that must grow somewhere.

* Why are my hands and feel swelling? Because you have two creatures in there and therefore instead of having 50% more blood running through the veins, you have 80 - 100% more blood in your veins.

* Am I doing alright size, growth and otherwise? Yes. Fabulous. You have two in there.

See? Very good at reminding me that I'm having twins.

I'm very excited that on Friday, I'm heading to Orlando to take one last solo trip to see Mom & Dad Ramsden. It's a bit of a See You Later, Alligator to my days of easy travel and relaxation before I find myself chillin' in bed for a few months. Dr. Smith gave me his okay today and reminded me that I'm going to swell more because of travel in an airplane and admonished me to chill out more while I'm down there. I can handle that! I can't wait to see Mom & Dad!

That's all I have for today. Sleep has been elusive for the past week or so. I feel like I'm steering the QE2 into a marina slip when I try to climb into that enormous bed of ours. And it's only going to get worse... I've been sitting too long now, and I have been told to get up and walk around more than I have been and also to keep my feet up more. Mixed messages much?

That's okay. He's a good person to have on Team Beaker!

So, Go Team Beaker!

Halfway Home

** After being "reprimanded" for not writing in a whole week, I thought I'd tell you why, Dearest, I've been out of touch and catch up a little bit while I'm at it. I'm sorry. Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa! **

Neighbor-friends will stop me on the street and ask "How far along are you, Dele?" My answer almost always includes not only the weeks pregnant I have become, but how many days on top. I can't forget - "can't" because I neither want to nor am I able to forget - all that we've been through to get this far. Every single day that I am pregnant is a MIRACLE! So, today I am Eighteen Weeks and Four Days into this amazing Journey. Today I am halfway there! What an amazing thing to count among my blessings! (An aside: I worry that I use to many "excited stops" in my writing... Then I remember that this is a very exciting time for B & Me and I'm allowed to use whatever excited stops I want to use and even more!)

People also stop and ask me how I'm feeling. My answer is always "I'm Growing!" Okay, so it's not really a feeling, but that answer encompasses the root of all my feelings. I'm growing! Praise Him! It's my turn to grow! I'm growing! Oh, my goodness, my feet hurt whenever I put them on the ground! I'm growing! My skin stretches 'round my rounding belly - it itches! I'm growing! We have two little miracles coming to live with us - two people for whom we're changing our existence, reworking parts of our house, shifting our paradigms - and we haven't even met them yet 'cause they're still brewing! "I'm Growing!" encompasses my fears, my excitement, my joy, my trepidation, my hopes, and the thrill of becoming parents.

I was telling my mom the other day that while I'm really excited about creating and brewing and steeping these babes, I don't care for the physical price we pay - backaches, headaches, aching feet, swollen hands and toes, tremendous weight gain (particularly with twins). But when you appear pregnant, people are generally so stinkin' nice. I went to Publix and I had a basket full of milk, apples, mango, and a few other things I needed. I went to get in line - the shortest, which had only four people ahead of me. My dogs were barkin', but I wasn't going to complain - I'm used to aching feet! But the cashier grabbed my attention and told me to go over to Customer Service to check out. I went over to Customer Service and the nice guy there checked me out tout suite and sent me on my merry way. I thought that was super sweet. People care. People try.

So why have I been out of touch? Well, we're having some floors redone at our house in gleeful anticipation of the Babes. I had to go to my parents' house while they were working because, well, polyurethane just can't be good for developing lungs! B & I can go home tomorrow, hopefully, and we'll have lovely floors and be one step closer to being ready! It's definitely fun to get ready for these little people!

Go Team Beaker!

Confirmation!

I always get nervous before going to the doctor. I get nervous when I don't go to the doctor. I'm probably better off just getting these little people here. Then I can have a whole different set of worries!

Having just come back from seeing Dr. Korotkin (who, I'm convinced, is the most patient doctor in the whole entire history of ever), we have new pictures to share! Before we go to the pictures, I'd like you to know that we were watching the ultrasounds and just being obsessed with the Wonder of our Babies and then Baby B opened up her mouth and swallowed! It was the most amazing thing to see! Since I know you're here after the pictures, I'll post them on up here! Explanations will be after each one.

Oh, PS: What confirmation??? We are definitely having a Boy and a Girl! They are just exactly perfect!

Go Team Beaker!!!

This is Baby A's little legs and belly. You can see his little feet at the bottom and his legs are pretty clear. His head is farther back, so you can't see that very well.

This is a really cool picture of Baby A. You can see his head really clearly. You're looking at the top of his head. Then, you can see a little circle under his head: that's his belly. On either side of his head, those are his forearms, elbows and little hands. His hands are in fists up by his face!

Here's a great picture of Baby B. In this one, you can see her nose, a few of her ribs (those are the white things glowing in her belly section), and her umbilical cord attaching her to me. So amazing!

Here's Baby B from the back - It looks like she's looking over her shoulder at you, sorta. The white stripe is her spine (all those beautiful vertebrae!) and then you see her head from the back-ish. From the way that her legs are going in front of her (you can see her thigh to her knee), it looks like she's sitting Criss-Cross Applesauce. It's like she's turned her head a little to the side to listen to a conversation at the table behind her. She's so smart!

We have 12 pictures here at home, I'm not going to post them all. They aren't all as clear as these that I've posted. Brett can really tell what he's looking at, but I'm not always certain! He'll have to explain them to me again and again! It's hard to see them from my vantage point at the doctor.

Everything is looking good with them. Today was the Anatomy Visit in which we checked how many of what and said "Hoorah!" at the wonder of it all. I am growing perfectly, quoth Dr. Korotkin. I'm not growing too fast or too slow, which is great news to me! The babes are growing wonderfully too! They weigh about 7 oz. each, which is amazing! I feel wonderful, though I'm still unclear as to whether or not I actually feel them. He said I'll be totally sure I feel them in a couple of weeks! Craziness, man, craziness!

I do want to be clear about something: Baby A is the one that we can never get pictures of. He wouldn't show us his "goodies" to check his gender. He does handstands. He's got a mind of his own and a headlamp. He's obviously going to be a Furin. Now, he's also the BOY. I am pretty sure that I didn't sign up for a BOY FURIN. I never did anything to deserve that! I'm going to have to spend the rest of my life worrying that he's going to fall off a roof, fall in a river, fall in a cave, fall down a mountain, run too fast, play too hard and learn how to do all kinds of things that I KNOW my brothers know how to do and will teach a new little Furin. I'm such a sweet person - never gave Momma any grief - what did I do to earn a Boy Furin???

... I love him already! I can't wait to meet the little Golden Boy!

Today's been a good day. I really like today! I hope you do, too.

Seventeen Weeks & Counting

Last night Brett and I went out for Bangladeshi for dinner. Bangladeshi, for those who aren't in the know, is like Indian food, but a million bajillion times better and there's no curry! I don't like curry. Apparently, though, these sweet little Beans (who are growing rapidly and are so much larger than Beans) really like Bangladeshi. They've been in there just happy as happy could be! I think I feel them kicking or something. It's nice that they're already showing the adventuresome side of their eating habits.

Brett's painting the office today. It's turning into a great shade of blue - peaceful, restful and clean looking! He's so happy when he's preparing for the Beans. ...the cutie.

Happy Days!

Go Team Beaker!

Beyond Grateful

I believe that Life Happens.I believe that Moments in Life happen and are as easily ignored as cherished. A friend of mine posted this link on YouTube. It's about life's Moments. This video is one of the most beautiful Reminders of Life's Moments that I've ever had the pleasure of watching. One of the instants the video brings to mind is birth. At that, I was stopped in my tracks. I don't think that in all of my obsession with the Science and the miracle of Science I have stopped to really praise God for the pure, unadulterated JOY that He has chosen to bless us with until today. I truly believe that God has a Plan that is Infinitely Greater than and plan we could ever come up with. I am beside myself, right now, in Awe and Joy and Gratitude for the Lives that Brett & I are getting ready to welcome. Praise Him!