The verdict is in!

Nothing like last minute, but I finally got the green light from the doc to be able to fly to LA for Xmas! I had my 28 week appointment and ultrasound and Monday and me and the babies got rave reviews. Everyone is looking good and healthy at this point. Baby B is still a bit smaller than Baby A, but the doctor isn't worried at all. She thinks that Baby B is just a smaller baby, but is progressing well.

One little surprise is that the babies flipped. Baby A is now head down and Baby B is head up. That would explain all the kicking I'm suddenly feeling on my right side where Baby A is.

Considering that one baby is head up at this point, the doctor began discussions with me about the possibility of a C-Section. It is still early and certainly positions could change, but unless both babies are head down, it looks as though a C-Section is in my future. I didn't schedule anything yet, but probably at the next ultrasound on January 20 I'll be putting something in the books.

I'm going to the doctor every 2 weeks now so they are keeping a close eye on me. After 32 weeks, I'll start going weekly.

For your viewing pleasure, here are the latest ultrasound photos of the kiddos. Enjoy!

Breast Feeding Multiples... oh my!

This week I managed to shove in one more class... Breastfeeding Multiples.

Unfortunately, there aren't any classes in Boulder that focus on multiple pregnancies, but I was able to track down this class in South Denver at Swedish Medical Center. I made the 1.5 hour trek in rush hour traffic down to this class on Wednesday.

The class was mostly a regular breast feeding class that covered topics that would apply for any pregnant mom: latching, pumping, storage, techniques, etc. However, there were some interesting pointers and resources directed specifically for parents of multiples.

The biggest highlight of the class was when the fire alarm went off 45 minutes in requiring everyone in the hospital to leave the building. So, we 8 pregnant ladies had to stand outside on the curb for about 45 minutes while the fire department took care of the situation. Fortunately, we were let back in and the class was able to continue, but what a distraction!

The other highlight was the practice session where we each had to learn double hold positions using 2 dolls. Man, that was strange. So bizarre to look around the room and see all these women holding 2 dolls up to their chests.

Bottom line... it was good to have this overview and sort of know what's coming. But ultimately I'm just going to have to figure out what works for me and the babies when the time comes.

We are officially trained to be parents!

Mark and I just finished our Foundations of Child Birth classes. These classes were organized by the hospital and were 5 weeks in a row, 2.5 hours Tuesday evenings. There were about 8 couples in the class. Most of them are due in January or early February. Matter of fact, we were the couple with the latest due date. I was pretty insistent that I wanted to knock this class out early just in case I faced bed rest and wasn't able to partipicate later in my pregnancy. Interestingly enough, there was another couple in the class that is also pregnant with twin boys.

The classes were really well organized and the instructor was extremely knowledgeable and approachable. We covered:

• Breathing techniques
• Pain management alternatives
• Tour of the birthing center
• Breast feeding

We learned a ton, but it was pretty scary too. Now we just have to hope we remember all this information when the time actually comes!

24 Weeks!

In case anyone is counting, I'm at 24 weeks now... that's 6 months or 2/3 depending on how you like to count.

I went in for my monthly ultrasound today. Everyone passed with flying colors. Baby B is still about a week behind Baby A in size, but the doctor wasn't at all concerned. Both babies are progressing nicely and they seemed pleased with my measurements, weight, blood pressure, etc. All good news.

At this point, my frequency of appointments will change. I now have to go in every 2 weeks instead of every month. I will still continue to have an ultrasound every month though which is nice.

Enjoy this months' photos! Baby B is the first photo; Baby A the second.

Twins Sale

Saturday morning I experienced the feeding frenzy that is referred to as the Twins Sale. This sale happens twice per year and is a time where parents of twins can sell their used baby/kid gear and clothes. It's been called the mother load of all sales so of course I was compelled to check it out.

Since I'm a member, I was able to get in an hour early at 8:00am. My all-things-kids consultant, Cyndi, had been to the sale before so she knew the drill and coached me along the way. She picked me up at 7:15 to make sure we were there early enough to be in the front of the line. We ended up being about 5th which put us in great striking position when the doors opened. Now the rules are that members can get in an hour early, but I was able to bring a 'family member' since I'm pregnant and would need help. So, Cyndi became sister-in-law Cyndi for a couple of hours :-)

The sale held at a local church and is extremely well organized with different types of merchandise grouped together in different rooms. There's the stroller/car seat room, the bedding/blankets room, clothing room, etc. Cyndi had suggested that I have a shopping list ready to go so we knew the priority targets for the sale. We each had a copy and divided and conquered as soon as the doors opened.

After about an hour of good hunting and gathering, we both managed to score some great items and deals. I spent about $50 and probably ended up with about $300 worth of stuff that I would have had to buy anyway:
- infant bathtub ($3)
- boppy ($8)
- baby monitor ($15)
- crib sheets ($4)
- 2 blankets ($1.50 each)
- pack-n-play sheets ($4)
- changing pad ($8)

Such a deal! I was able to come home and remove a bunch of stuff that I had on my registry. I'm sold and I am now a twins sale loyalist!

Prenatal workout

I'm in full swing now with my prenatal exercise activities.

Last night was my first prenatal aqua aerobics class. These classes are taught in a 93 degree swimming pool which feels great! I could have just floated for an hour and been perfectly pleased. Last night there were 9 pregnant women in all different stages of pregnancy. The class runs for an hour and includes some cardio (running) and a lot of muscle work (legs, arms, abs). The best part of the class is the giggling and stories from the other women. My plan is to hit this class every Monday night.

On Thursday nights I'm now going to prenatal yoga. I've never been a big yoga fan, but I figured it was another opportunity to meet more pregnant women and get some good stretching in for my aching back. The class was much harder than I expected. It's amazing how much your stomach can get in the way of most activities. Most surprising was how soar I was after class... for 2 days! I guess I shouldn't be too surprised considering my lack of most exercise since June.

So, between walking with Clementine, aqua aerobics and yoga, I think my exercise schedule is booked!

Obama Mama!

The babies were there to witness history. Not only will there be a democrat in office when they are born, but they will be born into a blue state... quite the swing for Colorado! And, we'll be bringing 2 more democrats into the state to ensure it stays blue.

Enjoy some new belly photos!

Budding soccer stars?

It's official... I feel 'em kicking!

Now that I know what it feels like, I think I might have been feeling them kick for the last couple weeks. But now I know for sure... they are moving around in there. I read several books that tried to describe the feeling and I must say, they were spot on.

It feels like a flutter or small bubbles popping in my belly. And, I'm feeling it about equal on both sides so hopefully both Baby A and Baby B will be budding soccer stars some day!

Halloween 08 - Can you guess our costumes?

As you can see, we dressed up for Halloween this year. Can anyone guess who we were?

For those of you who vaguely remember the 80's, you might find some similarity between Mark and the flash-in-the-pan band, DEVO. Notice any similarities?

As for me, I figured it was the one time in my life that I can make a costume out of my pregnant belly. So, if you haven't guessed it, I was Bristol Palin... Sarah Palin's knocked up 18 year old daughter. Notice the Wasilla High t-shirt and I made use of my high school cheerleading jacket. I know... pretty obscure, but I got a lot of laughs.

So that's Halloween 08. After this year, who knows if we'll make it out in costume again!

Chessler Babies are 20 weeks

Check out the new baby photos.

I'm sure it's hard to make out, but you're looking at Baby A on the left and Baby B on the right. Baby A was a little hard to see this time. He is laying spine up and spent most of the ultrasound napping. Although I did spot his little feet kicking at a couple points.

Baby B on the other hand was ready for prime time. He was alert, moving all around, and even yawned at one point. Very cute!

Both babies are tracking well and appear very healthy. Baby A is at 50% for growth and Baby B is at 25% growth compared to other babies at this stage, but not necessarily compared to twins which tend to run smaller. One baby is vertex and the other is breach right now, but it's still early and positions can and will certainly change in the coming weeks.

All in all, mom and babies got a gold star for this visit. I will be having an ultrasound every month so stay tuned for more cute photos!

Half way!!!

Half way and still growing!

This week I hit the 20 week mark which means for a normal, full term pregnancy I'd be half way. But, since twins usually come a couple weeks early, I'm actually even more than half way.

So, as you can see, it's time to start documenting the belly growth. At this point I've put on about 20 lbs (egads!) which is about a pound a week. My plan is to add a belly photo every couple weeks so you can gawk and grin along with me and Mark.

I'm officially out of my normal clothes and sporting new outfits comprised of my newly purchased maternity clothes. Even strangers now recognize me as a pregnant person now. I knew that I was really showing when my dry cleaner asked when I was due. I was thinking... gee, that's a risky question. What if I was just fat? But Mark assures me that I definitely look like a pregnant person at this point so I guess it was a safe question.

Besides my continuous growth, I'm feeling great. The only other change is that I can't stay on my feet too long without my back hurting and I'm moving a bit slower on my Clementine walks. But all and all... I can't complain. I'll save the big complaining for 30 weeks!

Maternity clothes here I come!

I'm now in my 18th week and I can no longer put off the inevitable... maternity clothes! I've been trying to squeeze every last day of life out of my current wardrobe (mostly as a cost saving measure), but the time has finally come.

Fortunately, I have a huge tub of hand-me-down clothes from various girlfriends of mine. These donations have definitely helped my problem, but sadly none of my friends were pregnant in the winter months. So, this weekend I hit the mall with the intent of bolstering my new wardrobe with winter wear.

And, to make the shopping even more fun, I have a friend who is also pregnant so we were able to shop together!

First stop... Old Navy. I'm very lucky that the Old Navy at our mall has a maternity section. It's tiny, but good for some basic staples that are super affordable. Unfortunately, they still have a lot of their summer stuff so I wasn't able to knock off too much there. I'm sure I'll be making a trip back there in a month or so.

Next stop... Mimi Maternity. This store had exactly what I needed. Unfortunately, it's more expensive than Old Navy, but I was raised by one of the smartest shoppers around so I knew just what to do... I headed straight for the sale rack. I managed to score some descent deals and get a lot for my money.

I now have a mini wardrobe which should get me through work as well as some good casual clothes for weekends. Now, if I can just find a good winter coat, I'll be all set.

Babies R' Us ... Oh My!

Well, I did it. I spent 2.5 hours at Babies R Us working on figuring out the hundreds of items I apparently need for these 2 tiny babies. All I could think of was where the heck is all this stuff going to go in our house?

Fortunately, I brought my 'baby consultant' with me... Cyndi! Man, she really streamlined the process. She was able to narrow in on exactly why I'd want a certain brand or item over the next. Matter of fact, there were other moms and couples clearly eavesdropping on Cyndi's words of wisdom so she probably helped some other families out that day as well. I really don't know how people understand the immense amount of products without a helper like Cyndi. It is sooo overwhelming!

The result... I now have a registry at Babies R Us, but it still needs some work. Now the big project is to determine how much of each item I really need given that we're having twins. How many bottles? Onesies? And the list goes on.

After the Babies R Us indoctrination, I was inspired and got the hang of it. Cyndi and I then scampered off to a new baby store in Boulder called Real Baby and opened a registry there. And, we even made a stop at Target where I'll open yet another registry.

The day ended with Cyndi and I going to a movie. I'd love to give you a review of the movie, but unfortunately we both slept through it :-)

Anyone want to know the genders?

The moment you've all been waiting for! Mark and I found out the genders of our babies on Friday. If you want to cheat, you can take a close look at the photo, but if you want to hear the whole story, read on...

As you know from my last post, we had a full ultrasound on Friday and along with that, the technicians were able to determine the genders. Instead of finding out right then with the docs in the room, we decided to have them seal the news in envelopes for us to open in private later that night.

We planned to open the envelopes at a special dinner at a restaurant in Boulder. Although the anticipation was killing us, we managed to at least get our order in before ripping into the envelopes.

On the outside of both envelopes they said 'Congratulations Mark & Michelle' and one was marked Baby #1 and the other Baby #2. I let Mark go first and he opened Baby #2's envelope. Inside, was a little note card that said Baby #2 on the outside and when you opened it up, it had a cute little blue picture of a baby in a crib and it said 'A cute & cuddly baby boy has come to fill your lives with job and bliss... Congratulations'

Mark turned around the card to me and said, "Baby B is a boy!"

So, now the pressure was on me. I ripped into my envelope and what do you know... there was the same little note that said that Baby A will be a boy too! I turned mine around to Mark and said, "We're having 2 boys!!!"

So there you have it. Mark and I will grow our family with two little boys. Now starts the fun part of coming up with names. Good thing we still have 5 more months!!!

Introducing Baby A & Baby B

Here they are in all their glory... Baby A and Baby B at 16 weeks!
We were able to get these photos and many, many more at our amnio appointment today.

I'm sure you all are very curious about the appointment.

The day began at 6:00am so we could get ready to head to Denver for our 7:45 appointment. First thing we got to do was watch an overview video that explained the importance of genetic testing, what they test for, and how the procedure works.

After the video, we were brought into an examination room for a very long and detailed ultrasound which went into excruciating detail on the size of every organ, spine, heart chambers, etc with both babies. They also want to get a very precise location of both babies so they knew where to insert the needles for the actual procedure. And, most exciting... this is the point they can determine the gender! We asked that they seal the results in 2 separate envelopes so Mark & I could do the unveiling over a special dinner tonight. So... there are a few people in Denver who know the genders of our babies before we even do!

Next the fun began. The doctor enters the scene. And you wouldn't believe this doctor!
Now keep in mind that I was warned that this guy talked a lot, but no matter how many warnings I received, it didn't prepare me for what walked in the room. Words can't explain how much this guy talked. Mark and I now know about what car the doc drove when he was 16, about his first marriage, about all 5 of his kids, how he likes to keep his house tidy and the history of the examination table I was laying on (just to name a few highlights). We could barely get out of the office at the end of the procedure.

But, the good news is that he is a very detailed, respected expert so I guess all the talking was worth it in the end.

He first started by numbing the area where he was going to insert the needles. He claimed that this part would likely be the most painful (and even that wasn't that painful). Then, he swabbed my HUGE tummy with iodine to sterilize it. Next, he inserted the needle into the sack of Baby A while Mark and I watched on the screen. This part was HIGHLY uncomfortable, but only lasted for about 3 minutes thankfully. However, then we got to do it again for Baby B. Ouch!

We ended the procedure with a supposedly simple blood test. However, he had a hard time finding my vein. Seems hard to believe since my skin is basically transparent, but after a try on each arm he got what he needed.

It was a long, 3 hour appointment, but very rewarding to see both babies again. I fear these will be a long couple of weeks while we wait for the results, but fortunately we get the fun of finding out the genders tonight.

Check back for the big news!

Twins?! Are you kidding me?!

Yes... it's true. Mark and I will be growing the family by two in 2009.

Since so many people have been asking me how we're doing and the latest news, I thought I'd start this blog so you be involved with this journey along with us every step of the way.

Check back regularly for updates, photos and other fun stuff.