Week 23

Just a brief update this week as there is not a lot new that is happening with the girls--other than that they are really moving a lot more which is so fun to feel! I also only have one belly shot for this week. I checked multiple sites for the fruit of the week and they were either illogical because they were smaller than the week's before or I could not find them at the store because some are so strange. Anyway, this week's pic will give you an idea of how much they are growing. Tomorrow (Friday) morning, I have the Centering class so hopefully I get to have a quick ultrasound and get a peek at them.

Heather, Elliot, and Mason arrived in Sioux Falls safely last week along with Dad Vanderwal. They stayed with us for the weekend and we were able to get them all moved in. We already love having them near by! Dad left on Tuesday morning, but it was so nice to be able to see him too! Kev and I then had a crazy realization that the next time we see him we will have two little girls. Crazy!

Here is the week 23 picture:

March Madness

So all I can say is Wisconsin sucks at basketball.  I know you came here to read about our girls but right now with the March Madness on I just have to say how horrible their clock managment is.  They were down by 1....ONE...and they had 15 seconds left.  You'd figure they could score 2 points in that time but NNNOOOOOO.  They go ahead and dribble and dribble some more and then decide to take a shot from 5ft behind the arch and miss, shocker!!!!  Bunch of idiots.  Thanks Wisconsin for screwing my bracket up!! This is Kevin by the way...

Anyways, I'll move on to bigger and better things... my girls!!   This week the girls seem to be very active, sometimes baby A is freaking out and then baby B goes to town for a while.  With their active bodies their timing can be funny.  In church the other week Amber all of a sudden jumped because one of the girls starts to kick around.  It's been nice to finally feel the girls because I was always just told when they were kicking but after some patience and giving them my best teacher talk , they usually come around and kick my hand once or twice. 

Here is what's going on with the girls this week:

Your baby weighs in at a whopping pound and measures nearly eight inches, about the size of a small doll (or a spaghetti squash). But your little doll (who now has eyebrows, eyelashes, and maybe even some hair on that little head) is a living one who can now perceive light and dark. She can also hear your voice, your heartbeat, your gurgling stomach, and the whoosh-whoosh of blood circulating through your body. And as her brain and nerve endings develop, she may reach for her face (or whatever she can reach) just to experiment with her newfound sense of touch.

It also said that our girls are growing hair this week which is fine if they take after Amber but if they take after me then....oh wait... that won't be an issue because I can't grow hair. And if I try my facial hair looks like a 14 yr old Amish boy so I think our girls will be ok!!

Its truly crazy to think we are at 22 weeks aready because I can remember back during the State Volleyball tournament we found out were were just pregnant!!  Funny story how that happened, but that's for another entry.  It's truly incredible how times flies and now to think these two princeses are going to be here in a few months.  You know, people asked alot what I thought of having two girls and I have to say I'm pumped.  Besides the fact that I truly thought about paying for two weddings when the ultrasound lady told us they were girls, I am excited.  I look forward to having two daddy's girls who hopefully will play some volleyball...or golf.

  Till next time!

                                                      Amber with 2 Spaghetti Squash

                                                          Amber looking cute as usual!!!

Week 21

Finding out the news that we are having two girls is starting to sink in and we are excited to be able to start thinking more seriously about names, clothes, nursery, etc. This weekend I am going with some friends to a store in Worthington that I hear has some pretty great baby and maternity items so I am hoping to make a purchase or two! I have also been starting to think about what I would like the nursery to look like. There are just so many cute options :)

I am still feeling really well. I do get tired by the end of the day but for now that is ok because then it also helps me sleep really well at night. The girls are definately growing, as I am sure you can tell by my belly shot below. I am also definately feeling their movements a lot more. Kevin is also now able to touch my stomach and feel them too, which he definately finds fascinating. They are the length of carrots this week, and while carrots are kind of boring to take a picture with, the other option was the length of a cantaloupe. Even though its just the length of a cantaloupe, the weight was really throwing me off and I couldn't quite do it.

This weekend Kevin has the first of several JO volleyball tournaments. While he is busy coaching Saturday, I will be going to a couples shower for Reid and Lauren (after shopping of course). They actually are also having a couples shower on Sunday too so that will be fun to see my little brother playing "husband" themed shower games and opening gifts that most likely will not contain a gift card to Scheels. :) Their wedding is just over a month away and the details are falling into place, although I still can't believe he's old enough to get married.

On another family note, Kevin and I are getting VERY excited for next week. His sister Heather and her husband Elliot and their son Mason are moving to Sioux Falls from Maryland! Kevin's dad will be going out there to help them with the drive out to SF so we get to see him too! We are SO pumped to have them here and are praying that the move goes smoothly and that they adjust to life in the Midwest. Hopefully since the temperatures have been more like June than March, the weather will not scare them off. :)

Have a great weekend and enjoy all the basketball! Good luck with your brackets! :)

Week 20!

This has been a pretty incredible week. I will start with the most fun part :)

We had our 20 week ultrasound on Tuesday where we found out that we are expecting TWO GIRLS! How exciting is that!?! I can't wait to start shopping for some pink. Good thing it's my favorite color. While its not Kevin's favorite color, he is beyond excited as well. I think he is dreaming setter and outside hitter already. The ultrasound showed that both of the girls are healthy and doing well and we are very thankful for that.

Baby A now weighs 12 ounces and Baby B weighs 11 ounces. Its good that their weights are so close because that means that neither one is getting more nutrients than the other. While we did get a lot of pictures, most of them are of Baby A. She was being very photogenic while Baby B was hiding her face with both of her hands. If you remember from our last ultrasound, it was the other way around. We did get some good shots of Baby B's feet and legs though.

Baby A...

Both of our GIRLS with hands by their faces while they sleep....Kevin would tell you that is something they take after me  :)

On Monday night we went to a "Multiple Blessings" class at our hospital. It was very informative and fun to sit with other couples expecting twins. One of the gals is also in my Centering group and is due within a couple days of us. Speaking of the Centering group, it has been going well. I am glad that I decided to do it. It's been nice getting to know our doctor more and she has been great.

I have also recently started to feel lots of movement. Its now to the point where I can see my stomach move or kind of twitch...and after seeing how each were positioned at the ultrasound, I think I have a better guess as to which one is doing the moving around. It's a pretty cool feeling!!

This week the girls are the length of a banana. Prior to 20 weeks, the length was estimated from head to rump. But from 20 weeks on, the measurements are estimated from head to feet since their legs and arms are now starting to stretch out. Thought I would share that with you because I was really curious how they could go from the length of a mango to the length of a banana in one week. Here are the 20 week pictures:

Thanks to everyone who has been following our journey! We really appreciate your support!









Any Guesses?

Hello again! This week the babies are 19 weeks along. Here is a little bit about what is happening with them this week:

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now. 

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a mango. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

This also means that next week is the very exciting 20 week mark! On Tuesday we have the full anatomy scan where we get to find out the genders! We do ask for your prayers on the main purpose of this ultrasound, which is to confirm that the babies are developing normally. We will be sure to let everyone know once we find out, but until then....does anyone want to take a guess? I keep going back and forth but I am gonna guess one boy and one girl....at least I will get one right. :)

Here are the "popped out" pictures for the week: