Someone owes Christian $20!

We had our 35-week appointment today and received some surprising news... we'll be meeting our little sprouts tomorrow!! We've been instructed to be at the hospital at 5 a.m. for an induction. It's now 11 p.m. on Tuesday night, and both Christian and I are scrambling around trying to get a few last-minute things done. We'll keep you posted!

Scant 35

Sarah's a day or two from 35 weeks. I'm bettin' we have a couple boys in the next 7 to 12 days. $20. Who's in?

34 weeks and 5 days

Aunt Mary and Uncle Bud know style!

Super socks!
Are these not the cutest/coolest little socks ever?! I have always said that socks are the most under utilized accessory a man can wear. The little Cutler sprouts are gonna be style'n. Daddy's already jealous! Thank you Aunt Mary and Uncle Bud for the care package for mama and twins!

Almost time?

Monday was no fun. First of all, our landlord completely stressed us out and left us dreaming of the day when we'll own our own home. Secondly, I had a bad headache and felt jittery all day long. You would've thought I had taken a terbutaline, but I hadn't. And to top it all off, the contractions started to come more strongly and frequently. I blame the landlord.

On Tuesday morning, the contractions had exceeded the "six in an hour limit" set by the doctor, so I reluctantly took a terbutaline (more jitteriness!). Then it was off to the doctor for our 34-week appointment. My blood pressure was a little high (probably because of the terbutaline), but the babies seemed to be doing okay. The babies heart rates were monitored for about 45 minutes in the doctor's office, and we were told that they were doing fine. What a relief, especially given how bad I was feeling.

Now for the big news... we have a plan for welcoming our little sprouts into the world! At our next doctor's appointment, they'll do a final ultrasound to determine the size and position of the babies. This will determine whether or not a C-section will be necessary. I will also go off of the nifedipine, which I have been taking every six hours to prevent pre-term labor. Finally, nature will be allowed to take its course! My guess is we'll be meeting our baby boys very soon (they're getting pretty crowded in there)!

Friends and the UPS man

UPS

In East Texas there a lot of trucks on the streets. We live in jack-it-up, bigger-the-better, more-gas-consumption-the-merrier, and if-it-ain't-loud-why-drive-it country. If our alarm clock doesn't go off in the morning, one of four diesel pickups on the block will roll past the house and wake you up at 5, 5:30, 6:30 or 7am.

Yesterday I heard a truck on the street and from the sound of the engine I knew what type of truck it was. It was not a pickup from the block, a maintenance man or other large vehicle. It was the distinctive engine sound of the UPS man! I don't know about you, but when I hear the UPS man's truck on the block, I hope and wish he'd stop at my house! Yesterday he did! I hadn't ordered anything and neither had Sarah. The boys are already mischievous, bumping, rolling and kicking in Sarah's belly, but their internet surfing skills are still not well formed. So what was the UPS man bringing to us!?

Boehme-made receiving blankets
How about two of the most beautiful receiving blankets handmade by our friend Katie Boehme? They are kiwi/lime green with grey/brown and slate/light blue with grey/brown... a perfect match to the decor we've picked out for the twins! WOW! Thank you Katie and Chris Boehme!!

Star light...

March star
Star light,
Star bright.
First star I see tonight.
Wish I may,
Wish I might.
Grant this wish I wish tonight:

An uncomplicated labor for Sarah,
20 fingers, 20 toes,
2 healthy boys,
And clear sailing for another 3 weeks.

One month from today

Full term for twins is generally considered to be 37 weeks, which is just a month away. It's hard to imagine how much our lives are going to change in a very short time.

Although I know it's for the best, sometimes I get so frustrated by being on bed rest. There are so many things I want to do to prepare for the boys' arrival, but all I can do is watch Christian try to juggle everything on his own...preparing the nursery, cleaning and organizing the house, and caring for me. I know it will all be worth it in the end. I just wish I could be more of a partner to Christian right now.

32 weeks and counting...

Our most recent doctor's appointment was this past Tuesday... the little sprouts have made it to 32 weeks! Christian and I were excited to see them during the ultrasound exam, which estimated Baby A's weight to be 3 pounds 14 ounces and Baby B's weight at 4 pounds 2 ounces. Both were still in the vertex (head down) position, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Baby B flipped into the breech position a couple of days after the exam.

Aside from their daily rolls, bumps, kicks, and jabs, hiccups are also a regular occurrence. These little boys are quite active! They also tend to perk up when Christian gets home from work. I think they hear us talking, and it gets them moving!

With children @ 31.75 weeks

I took Sarah outside this evening for a quick documentation of her and the twins. If the doctor asks, she was just taking a round-about route to the bathroom... since Sarah only has "bathroom privileges!"

"With children, Feb. 27, 2009"

Terbutaline

Tuesday evening Sarah started timing contractions again. At 6 p.m. she had counted 7 in an hour, and they were getting closer together... from 8 minutes to 6 minutes apart. This is not desirable nor comfortable. I decided that we needed to call Dr. Schaus for advice. I got her answering service since it was after 5 p.m. In a few minutes she called me back, and I told her about Sarah's situation. She recommended that Sarah begin taking Terbutaline. (Terbutaline relaxes bronchial tubes and eases asthma symptoms. It also is thought to relax the muscles of the uterus.) Sarah and I hate all of these drugs. This is not the kind of pregnancy we wanted to have. So far, the Terbutaline is working, but the side effects are obviously no fun! There's jitteriness like Sarah's hopped up on 10 cups of coffee, and her heart rate increases. I have to take her pulse from time to time making sure she's under 120 bpm.

Now she's on both Terbutaline and Procardia. We HAVE TO make it to 34 weeks, at the very least, in order for the twins to be developed well enough for birth here in Nac. Our primary care doctor, Dr. Schaus, and all of our research tells us that an arrival before 34 weeks will necessitate a trip to Shreveport or Houston for the more advanced prenatal care available at hospitals in those cities.

I cannot wait to meet these little guys. I just want them to bake a little longer!

Fun Facts

I now weigh more than my husband, and my hair is shorter than his!

A good Saturday

After a rough week for the both of us, Sarah and I had a really great Saturday. I did break my rule of no-work-on-weekends, but it was just for an hour because management was needed downtown.

Saturday afternoon Sarah received a visit from her favorite stylist, Brian Boone, at Oasis Spalon. I stopped by the salon earlier in the week to see if Brian would be willing to make a house call. He agreed, and Sarah was thrilled to get a new 'do' in the kitchen.

House call from Brian
We also received a visit from our friend Karon Gillespie. Karen "wowed" us with a care package of food and flowers! Ham, veggies, soup, salad, quiche, and cookies... oh my! This was unexpected and WONDERFUL!

Week 30

Yesterday's doctor's appointment went well and marked the end of week 30. Finally, we're in the 30s! My belly is now the size of a full-term singleton pregnancy, and the babies likely weigh between 2.5 and 3 pounds each. Dr. Schaus doesn't seem to think I will make it to 37 weeks, which is considered full term for twins. I'm still going to try, though! If labor begins before 34 or 35 weeks, there's a good chance we'll be sent to Shreveport or Houston to deliver. We definitely don't want that!

Registry

Some have asked so...
Sarah and I have been working on our registry for the boys. It's a work in progress, so we still haven't added a lot of the "essentials." We'll hopefully get around to that within the next week or so. Also, if anyone has suggestions for things to add, we'd love to hear them. We're using MyRegistry.com, Babies"R"Us, and Target.com. MyRegistry.com is kinda cool because you can shop anywhere and still mark an item as purchased from the registry. We've tried to find the best prices on items listed on our registry, but it still might be worth it to shop around. And remember, handmade gifts or gently used items are welcome, too!

Pain in my $#%^@#

Well, Sarah's got a pain in her... rib (her left lower rib area, to be exact). The boys are getting bigger (a good thing), but her body can only expand outward, which includes pressure on the ribs. This is common during pregnancy, especially with twins. In some cases the rib(s) can be moved out of place and chiropractic adjustment is often recommended. Sarah's been in pain for days. We have our weekly doctor's appointment on Tuesday afternoon and will get Dr. Schaus' advice then. For now, Sarah's trying to resist movement and is reluctantly taking a Tylenol once or twice a day.

Thank you to Michelle and Neal Cox for the wonderful dinner last night! Spinach linguini, a hearty salad, rolls and apple pie. Thanks to the meals from friends, I was able to get a bit more organized around the house this weekend, do some yard work, clean a bathroom, clean 2 1/2 loads of laundry and work a few hours for the gallery on Saturday and Sunday. I gotta cut that last duty out of my weekends!!

No working on weekends!