I can’t begin to thank each and every one of you for all your thoughts, prayers and advice.  Pregnancy really is an amazing thing!  The closer I get to delivering my two little girls, the more attached I become to them.  I cannot wait to hold them and see what and who they look like.  In fact, I get so excited (or maybe it’s that I am hormonal) I almost cry every time I think of the actual delivery and holding my girls for the first time.

July 13, 2008.  Here is a photo of Tyler Lopez, me and Richard Ortner on my final day anchoring BK (before kids).

The girls are still not due for a couple of weeks, but I have some work to do and with my medical conditions I didn’t want to take any chances.  During our Sunday morning newscast we had some fun with my departure.

These are the names Meteorologist Richard Ortner recommended for my twin girls!  Which ones do you like?

 It may be hard to believe, but we still do not have names for the twins.  I thought my husband and I were getting close, but now we are disagreeing.  He thinks I should pick one and he should pick the other.   But what if I don’t like the name he chooses?  Plus, I keep thinking of  new names that I like.  Ugh….this is not easy.

I guess now that I will not be working for a while I will finally have time to finish the nursery and decide on names!  I think one will be easier than the other.

Women can be stubborn.  I am no exception.  That means asking for help is not always easy.But with the birth of the twins right around the corner, now is the time to ask for help. 

 Has anyone heard of a “baby planner”? This is the neatest service I think I have ever seen or heard of. I met a woman named April Beach, owner of Sweet Pea Baby Planners (www.sweetpeababyplanners.com).  She can help a pregnant mom do everything–from shopping, to looking for nannies, to designing and assembling the nursery.  For first time moms, this is a great service, especially if you do not know exactly what you need.   April has helped me choose between items for my registry and point me in the right direction when it comes to interviewing nannies.  Plus, you get a discount at certain stores for using her service.  

For busy women, those who work like me, this is the way to go to ease some stress. And at this point in my pregnancy, stress is not a good thing.  Bottom line, moms and grandparents…..ask for help! 

It is amazing how one day you wake up and look down at your feet (that is if you can see them) and notice your ankles are no longer there.  I am there.  My ankles and feet are swollen.  So swollen that sometimes flip flops are the only shoes I can wear.  How professional for work, right?

The good news is that my hips and sciatic nerve are so much better than they were months ago.  I finally went to a chiropractor (Dr. Michelle Clark) who saved my life. Okay, not literally, but she did fix me up so I could walk. 

And I need to be able to walk, because the countdown to twins is here.  This is week 30.  In August I will be the proud of mother of two beautiful little girls.  That is the good news.  The bad news is that I have no cribs and no changing table.  The nursery is currently my husband’s office, so there is a lot of moving and painting that needs to be done. 

We will do it though!  Plus, the girls won’t care if they are sleeping in a red room (which it is currently) or a taupe colored room (color of the nursery), right? 

Here is my week 30 photo…..notice I do not show the cankles!

The countdown to delivery is here.  Unfortunately it’s earlier than planned because of a medical condition recently discovered during an ultrasound.  I have a “Vasa Previa.”  

Let me start off by saying the twins will be fine since they caught this condition now. 

Early on in my pregnancy I had “placenta previa”.  It is when the placenta covers the cervix.  It is not uncommon and typically corrects itself on its own.  Mine did not. 

 Instead the placenta connected to Baby A split in half.  The two halves remain connected by a blood vessel.  That blood vessel now runs across the cervix.  That’s where we have the issue.  If I were to go into labor the blood vessel would rupture and Baby A would bleed to death before a C-section could be done.
 
So, the doctors don’t want me going into labor.  That means the girls are coming early (around 34-35 weeks) to prevent anything from happening.  Between now and then I will be monitored closely to make sure everything is okay and we can wait until at least 34-35 weeks.   The good news is that the doctors and nurses caught this early so we can avoid a tragedy.   

Before ultrasounds, this condition was almost always fatal, but now having a C-section and having it early allows us and other women with this condition to give birth to a healthy baby. 

In the end, as long as I have two healthy girls, that is all that is important!

These are the latest ultrasound photos of Baby A and Baby B.

I cannot believe I have been pregnant for 28 weeks.  In some ways it seems like it has flown by and in other ways, these past few months have seemed like an eternity. 

Everyone told me one day I would wake up and realize the babies are almost here and feel the overwhelming need to get everything in the house ready for their arrival.  That day has come!

With that being said, I still have done nothing to the nursery (it is still our office–and that means a whole lot of work is still needed). We have not decided upon any names (although we have three names that we like). 

I have registered though!!!  That is a first step, right? 

Week 27

Growing larger day by day. 39 1/2 inches around my waist and 39 centimeters if you are measuring the singleton way (vertically).

Bruce Binns (Channel 7 Satellite Engineer) and Me—–who’s bigger?

Prior to becoming pregnant I had never heard of a “Baby Moon,”  but every magazine I read advertises for the idea.  Well, my husband and I just got back from Southern California (our last vacation pre-kids), so I guess you could say we took our “Baby Moon.”

Okay, if you are pregnant and have not taken a “Baby Moon”……DO SO!  First off, it was so nice to just get away from work and everything that comes with planning for a baby.  Secondly, it was amazing to get to spend some time with my husband, because that husband is going to be a father shortly and YES, life is going to change.

 I am not scared of the change (well, I guess I kind of am).   I am also thrilled and so ready to be a mother!  But the reality is…..LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME! 

This quiet time was memorable and something I will always treasure.  Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in life we forget to slow down and enjoy the little things (smelling the ocean, listening to the waves crash, really enjoying time with your spouse). 

 I would post a photo of our trip…..but the thought of me in a bathing suit on the web does not sound appealing.

Every month I get an ultrasound because of the twins. It’s kind of the benefit of having two as I hear most women with just one only get two to three ultrasounds during their entire pregnancy.

It is the most amazing experience as you watch them move inside of you. I am fascinated by their little hearts. You can actually see all four chambers pulsating. And then there are the girls’ tiny ribs and fingers.

Ultrasounds are the reality of what lies ahead. It’s the first sneak peak into the lives of our little ones!

Now, with that said….sometimes they look a little alien-like instead of human-like. I find this especially true the farther along I get as the two are squished together. Although we did get a great profiled shot of Baby “A”.

One morning you just wake up and voila……you are ten times larger than you were before. Now, it’s a double-edge sword. The larger you are (as long as you are in a healthy weight zone) the healthier the babies are. On the flip side, the larger you get, the more uncomfortable you become.

My issue right now is my hips and sciatic nerve on my lower left back. Ouch!!! There are some mornings I wake up, jump out of bed and then almost drop to the floor. I have to stretch, take two steps, stop, stretch and repeat. After I have been walking a little bit, it seems to get better. But the pain and aching never really goes away.

I have done the prenatal massages and they are great, but the relief only lasts a short period. Some people say I should try a chiropractor that specializes in prenatal work. Not quite sure how I feel about it though.

Here is my latest photo (Week 25). The girls are now 1 pound 12 ounces each!!!!!