After measuring 3 weeks ahead at my last appointment, all suspicions and worries were put to rest yesterday when the ultrasound machine revealed that we are having another boy… just one big one! That’s right, I am officially outnumbered 4 to 1 by the men in this household We are all very excited about the new Wolf cub who will be joining us in early February. Big brothers Caleb and Joshua like to hug and kiss my belly and proclaim their love for the baby, whom they have been known to refer to as “Baby Moses”. We have also trained them to be very conscientious about being gentle with the baby in Mommy’s belly, and now whenever they take a whack at each other, they will scold each other, saying, “Be careful! There’s a baby in there! Don’t hurt the baby!”

As novel as it would have been to have two sets of twins, the news of a singleton has ushered in a sense of peace, lifting a huge weight off of our shoulders. Finally, I will get a taste of the blissful newborn babymoon experience that I often hear other mothers speak so fondly of. I am personally looking forward to the luxury of getting more than 45 minutes of sleep at a time and feeling more like a mommy than a milk machine. Compared to the newborn twins experience, I daresay that taking care of a newborn singleton is going to seem like a vacation!

Happy Birthday Caleb and Joshua! After 10 hours of induced labor, including nearly 3 hours of pushing to no avail, the boys arrived via cesarean section at 6:51 and 6:52 pm weighing 6 lbs. 7 oz. and 6 lbs. 3 oz and measuring 19.25 inches long. Katie was too drugged up and exhausted to remember much about their birth, but Joe was there to witness it and all 4 grandparents were present to welcome the boys into the world! Thank God for these beautiful and healthy baby boys!

This morning at the doctor we found out that the babies now have a birthday- it will be this Thursday, November 10, 2005! Joe and I will arrive at the hospital at 8 am. If the induction is successful, we will stay at the hospital through Saturday. If I end up needing a c-section, we will stay through Monday. I’m still not dilated at all, but the doctor says we shouldn’t wait any longer than this week. Please join us in believing God for a safe and easy double-delivery!

Another fun shower, this one at our church, honoring 3 moms-to-be and 4 babies! Thank you everyone for everything! We feel truly blessed by the overwhelming generosity of our loving church family!

Another visit to the perinatal unit at Alexandria hospital. After a lengthy session of monitoring the babies’ heart rates, we had a sonogram to chart the babies’ growth. Baby A now weighs 6 lbs. 6 oz. and Baby B weighs 6 lbs. 3 oz.! The doctor remarked “wow, these are BIG twins!” Each twin measures in the 40-50th percentile for a singleton baby (twins are typically much smaller than singletons by this point in gestation)! So it’s no wonder my belly is so HUGE- I’m carrying 12 and a half pounds of baby inside of me! Thank God for such big healthy babies! We didn’t get any pictures this time, but that’s ok, we’ll get to see them in person in just one week!

The doctor is going to schedule the delivery for either Wednesday or Thursday of next week- November 9th or 10th! She’ll confirm the exact date later this week. I’m still not dilated, so the boys are doing a good job staying put safe inside of me.

What a busy day! At our first appointment, the doctor said next Tuesday we’ll schedule a day the following week (Nov. 7-11) to induce me if I haven’t gone into labor yet. That is so soon! Also, I gained 4 lbs since last week, which is good! Our next stop was at work, where they were giving away flu shots this week to high-risk individuals (as a pregnant woman and and the father of infants under 6 months of age we both qualified for free shots!). Then we went and picked up mom at the Metro and dined on some yummy Korean food for lunch. It was delicious, but unfortunately I can’t fit as much into my stomach as I used to… but once I have the babies, look out, Hee Been, here I come! Then we went to the hospital to see the perinatologist. They hooked up 2 ultrasound contraptions to my belly, one to monitor each baby’s heart beats, as well as a device that monitored contractions. They monitored the heart beats to make sure that the babies’ heart rates rise when they move, and so they gave me a button to push whenever I felt movement. Thank God the tests indicated that their hearts are working perfectly! The contractions monitor indicated that I am having contractions even though I can’t feel them because my belly is always so hard from having 2 babies packed in there! Then we had a brief sonogram (didn’t get any pictures or measurements this time… too bad) where they measured the amount of amniotic fluid in each sac. Each baby has double the minimum amount, so that’s good. We also learned that they have moved a little bit. They are both still head-down, but their bodies are crossed over each other, so that Baby A’s head is on the left and his butt in on the right, and vice versa for Baby B! Silly boys! I just feel sorry for them- they must be so squished in there! I’m sure they are as eager to come out as we are for them to come out!

Today we went to the doctor for our weekly checkup. I lost 1 lb. since last week, despite eating everything in sight, so it seems like our babies are running out of room! The doctor said she’s not worried, though, b/c I’ve gained a total of 43 lbs. which is a good amount. She said I could go into labor any day now, and that the babies would be fine. If I haven’t gone into labor by November 11, they will induce me then. So it could happen any time during these next 3 weeks! Please be praying for me and the babies for a safe and easy delivery according to God’s perfect timing!

Another sonogram with the perinatologist! Both babies are right on target, weighing in at just under 5 lbs. each. The doctor called Baby A “the genius” on account of his huge head measuring 2 weeks bigger than average (much like his mom’s big head!) and Baby B “Hercules” on account of his big kicks (much like his dad’s wolf legs!).

What a fun shower! Thank you, Dianne, Susan, and Mom for planning such a fun and lovely shower, and thank you everyone for coming from near and far to spend the afternoon together, and for the wonderful gifts for the boys! I really appreciated it, and I know the boys did, too!