Snow Day!!!

When you become a teacher, you never outgrow the excitement that those words can bring. For most of my days in school as a kid, my Mom taught in the same district where I went to school. She would get that early morning phone call, wake me up to tell me, and since we would both be too excited to sleep, we would go hang out in the living room or kitchen, watch the news to see the weather and hear the school closings, and then maybe nap later.

In that tradition, I am blogging today at 5:30 in the morning.

Things haven't been too exciting since my last post, thank goodness. The Procardia seems to be doing the trick, and the contractions have slowed to a normal handful a day, mainly when I'm standing up, bending for something, or sitting in a way that feels uncomfortable. On Monday, when I went to the MFM, I was expecting some kind of rules, I was sure I would be on bedrest, and I wanted to know how likely it was that these babies were going to come eary.

Instead, I was pretty much just there to get an FFN test done to see if I was likely to go into labor in the next two weeks. Apparently they should have done that in the hospital but didn't. My results came back negative as the doctor had predicted, and he's leaving it up to me whenever I am ready to be done with work, I can be done. I really don't want to have to make my own decision!

I'll see how it goes. It would be great financially and leave wise if I could just stick it out for another 4-8 weeks. I don't see me making it the full 8 weeks (I don't think the babies are going to cook until 38 weeks!) but I would like to try to make it through February before being stuck at home. Realistically, if I feel like I have been with the low levels of activity at home, I don't know how it will go. I don't exactly have a job where I can sit at my desk with my feet up, or lay down for small stretches.

As promised, new pictures of the nuggets. It has occured to me that I haven't done the big reveal of their names yet in here, even though I've told a lot of people!

So formally introducing to the blog world. . . .Benjamin Andrew:

And Margaret Jane:Now, I have to admit, Andy and I have ALWAYS made fun of the 3d pictures. We think they are creepy. I have seen more people post babies that look like screaming aliens, and we had always said that if given the choice, we didn't need the 3D ultrasound.

Until the girl switched to the 3D at my last ultrasound. I had no idea she was going to do that until it popped up on the screen. And then, well, I was kind of way excited about the adorable images I was seeing of my children. I was bummed that Andy wasn't at the ultrasound, but my 89 year old Grandma was, and I know she had never seen anything like it.

During the ultrasound, I think I got a scary glimpse of my future. As it may be obvious in my blog, and people in real life know this about me - I am a big photographer. I love taking pictures, and I take pictures all the time. I even have a dog that will look at the camera with mouth closed for God's sake. During the ultrasound photoshoot, I started hearing the tech say things like, Oh, boy is kicking girl in the head. Sister is sitting on brother. I can't get a clear shot of your little girl because her brother keeps sticking his foot in her face.

They will learn quickly around here, that you don't mess with Mommy's photos!

Real belly shots this week! This is my 26 week belly in our nursery. I still can't believe we have cribs set up, and clothes in the closet. These babies are seeming more and more real, and I'm excited and terrified at the same time. I'm so excited, I realized that you can see my newly forming stretchmarks in this one! They are starting to pop up on my hips, boobs, and under my belly button. I knew it was coming, but I was really hoping to be one of the lucky ones who avoided them! According to the doctor, I'm measuring 38 weeks. I still don't think I look like a woman with a singleton who would be about to pop, but he's the doctor. Oh, and Andy thought this was hysterical. I've been craving (not really like that crazy pregnant lady you imagine, but more just a Hmm, that sounds good kind of feeling) ice cream lately, and so I've been having a bowl at night. This night, we were down to the end of the carton, so Andy brought me the carton, Black Cherry with my chocolate syrup added. Of course, he grabbed the camera because doesn't every pregnant woman need that photo of herself eating straight out of the carton while balancing it on her very pregnant belly?