"Rock Star Cervix!"

Yesterday, we had another ultrasound. While it is sooo exciting to see the babies, it is also very nerve racking to know for sure that they are developing as expected. Dr. Poggie (my perinatologist) was very pleased. The girls' are in the 40% percentile in weight (this is among all births -- girls, boys and singletons), so she was super pleased. Baby A weighs 1.3 pounds and Baby B weighs 1.2 pounds. I only have 5-1/2 more pounds to go to avoid the low birth weight classification! This growth is totally consistent with what was expected. She did a ton of other measurements and spent a good deal of time on the heart--she again was visually excited to see that everything looked great. 4 chambers with blood all pumping very well. Baby A is now head up and spine up, Baby B is head down and face up. They will continue to move around. Unfortunately, Baby A's position didn't allow for any cute profile shots, so you here you can take a look at her perfect spine and back of her head (that's not her face). :) Baby B seems to have a stuck up nose like me.

Then, the part I was waiting for...the evaluation of my cervix. This is where the rubber meets the road on preterm labor, complications for early delivery, etc. She exclaimed, "You have a rock star cervix." Of course I wonder, how long that's going to last. She explained that typically it doesn't change much after 22 weeks, so I should be in the clear. However, I know things can change at any time for any reason. My cervix, for those of you who are dying to know, is 4.5cm. That's MUCH longer than the 2.5cm that would cause alarm. Yeah!

I had a lengthy discussion with her about bed rest (remember, my other doctor is going to mandate it). She said there are no medical studies that indicate bed rest for the sake of bed rest (i.e. no real reason) does anything except potentially cause blood clots in the legs. This is excellent news. We'll see what my OBGYN says, but I'm likely going to see how I feel before following doctor's orders if nothing is wrong. However, I know soon I will likely feel uncomfortably huge and might enjoy working from home in jammies, instead of making the 50 minute commute on metro. We'll see. Regardless, I am very happy!!!

Thank You, Papa Romley

The nursery is coming together and we're thrilled. We've decided to not take on a totally baby theme (no bright pinks or anything too baby) and make it a little more of what I'm calling "sophisticated baby." It's a bit shabby chic, sort of. We've gone with a bird theme with the use of bedding from Pottery Barn Kids and have scored some really cool bird figurines and pictures along the way. I love it (and think David does too) and since the girls' will dictate every moment of our lives after they are born, I figured why not go with a theme we love!? Plus, I've never been a girly, girl...I can't handle too much pink.

We finally have all of the major pieces of furniture for the nursery. Papa Romley (David's Dad) and Carol (Step-Mom) gave us a cash for Christmas and we couldn't think of a better place to spend it -- on the girl's room. After much searching, we found a large rocker that should give me plenty of room to feed both girls at the same time (hey, I'm hoping to be efficient in the ways I can). The chair rocks and swivels and the ottoman rocks. It's upholstered in a light green gingham. It's been scotch guarded to protect from all the spit up. So...thank you Papa Romley and Carol. The girls will hopefully love to be fed and rocked to sleep in this chair!

The Belly Popped

On our vacation to Florida after two days, my belly POPPED! I finally fit into maternity shirts and people on the street rubbed my belly and passed along their congratulations. I suppose it is about time at 22 weeks, but it's a little strange and I'm just feeling chubby.

The girls are kicking up a storm and we realized over our babymoon that they are night partiers. They love loud music and to dance around after dinner, which is actually quite painful to Momma's right ribs (they feel very brusied inside). I can now feel their dancing on the outside of my belly--David also felt their first real kick on December 30th (btw, which is the date David proposed in 2005).

The girls are growing -- they are 11 inches long and almost 1 pound. They are starting to look like miniature newborns. The lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and they are even developing tiny tooth buds beneath their gums. Their eyes have formed, but their irises still lack pigment. Inside their bellies, the pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.