30 WEEKS!!!

We made it to 30 weeks. I’m so excited that things are going so well. We’re not in the clear yet but from what the doctor says, 30 weeks is a milestone. Even if the babies were born today, they would have an excellent chance of being just fine. Not that we want them to come now, it’s just such a great feeling to know things are going so well.

We went to the doctor last Thursday and she confirmed that everything is going well. Both Mackenzie and Nathaniel are moving around all the time and look great. We also had another measurement ultrasound on Friday morning and found out that Mackenzie is now 3 lbs 9 oz and Nathaniel is 4 lbs 1 oz. This is great. Maybe our kids will be Sumo wrestlers or hotdog eating champions. I can almost smell the retirement income. When you add up their weights, Kristi is carrying around 7 lbs 10 oz of baby on Week 30. Wow, that’s a lot of baby.

We got some good pictures of Mackenzie. Here is one from the side.

Here is a picture of her straight on.

We didn’t get a good picture of Nathaniel but that’s okay. Since he’s on top, we’ve been getting a number of good pictures of him so it’s about time we get a good one of his sister. We did get to see however that Nathaniel has a lot of hair. You can actually see it showing up in the ultrasound. So, it appears he’ll be a Sumo wrestler with big, sexy hair. I definitely see a Pert shampoo commercial in his future.

Kristi is doing great. She hasn’t had any complications—her blood pressure is good, her weight is good and her blood sugar is good. In addition to that, she hasn’t even had any Braxton-Hicks contractions, those mini contractions to help women get ready for the real thing. If we go until the end, Kristi may get some kind of local record for the largest twins. I wonder if you measure each kid individually for a record or if it’s like a bass tournament where you weigh all the fish together. I guess we’ll find out. 

We went up to Ft. Worth this weekend for a shower thrown by Kristi’s family (Aunt Mary, Katy, and Nicole). Like the others, it was wonderful. Much of my family and Kristi’s family were able to come to this one which made it very special. I don’t normally want to go to showers, I guess it’s just a guy thing, but I was really bummed that I had to leave this one. Here are a few pictures from the shower.

This is Kristi with her cousin Katy.

This is Kristi with Nicole, Aunt Mary and Katy.

Kristi got her toes done before the shower. What do you think?

Aunt Mary made cookies for the shower. I started to eat one but had to stop. I felt like I was eating Mackenzie's arm off.

That's about it for this week. Thanks for keeping up with us. I’m amazed when I talk to someone and they tell me that they keep up with the blog. It means a lot to us to have so many people caring about us right now. I hope you have a good week. Talk to you next week.

Dr. Daddy.

Week 29

Hello All. Welcome to Week 29! In just another short 8 weeks or so we will all get to meet Mackenzie and Nathaniel in person. Right now you just know them through this blog or through conversations with me and Kristi. I know them through watching and feeling them move and Kristi knows them because the little farts make her have to pee ALL the time. We can’t wait to meet them in person and see what they really look like. I think they may look like this.

Or this.

Or maybe this.

Whatever they look like, I have no doubt they will be loved by many people. People have thrown three different showers for Kristi up to this point—choir, friends and school. Mackenzie and Nathaniel have received diapers, bathtubs, rubber ducks, clothes, blankets, toys, bouncers, strollers, music, books, etc. all before they are even born. We’re amazed by the love people have shown us and our kids. I sometimes get a little teary eyed looking at all the wonderful things and thinking about our kids wearing them or playing with them and then thinking of the wonderful people who gave it to them. We can’t tell you enough how much we appreciate everyone and how much we love you all.

I know everyone always wants to know how Kristi is doing. Well, she’s doing great. Of course she can’t sleep, her feet swell and her back hurts, but other than that, things are good. Here is the latest picture of K. This is her "Victoria Secret" pose.

The babies are moving and kicking a lot these days. With some of the grandparents in town this weekend, everyone wants to cop a feel. Don't try this without the boss-lady's okay.

With grandparents in town and graduation in Houston, we took the opportunity to go by Carter’s to look at/purchase some baby gear. Wow, I never thought I would say this about a baby clothing store but they have some really great stuff. Check a few of the things some of the grandparents bought for them.

I don’t know what it is about baby clothes, but when I walked into Carters and looked at the little girl stuff, I started to tear up again. Man, am I becoming a wuss or what? I’m going to be a mess when the kids actually arrive.

We go back to the doctor on Thursday of this week and then have another measurement ultrasound on Friday morning. We’re looking forward to both because things have been so good each time we go in. Both kids should be over three pounds by Friday and, if they are growing like they have been, Nathaniel may be over four pounds. I will be sure to let you know. Until then, thank you for all the love you have and continue to show us. We feel very blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful people. Talk at you soon.

Dr. Daddy

Week 28

Well, we’ve reached week 28. It sure doesn’t feel like it’s been that long since we found out. Likely we only have 7 weeks or so left. Full term is generally 40 weeks but twins often come early with the average being 36 weeks. Our doctor feels the kids will be great if we make it to 35 weeks but also thinks things would be fine if they came earlier. I’m hoping they stay in as long as possible. Kristi on the other hand would like for them to come today. Well, not really but those babies are starting to get big so Kristi wouldn’t mind them to at least stop standing on her bladder.

Here’s a picture of Kristi this week.

 Note the slight look of pissed-offness. Don't worry. That's for me, not for you. Here’s a picture of The Belly from her perspective.

Okay, so that wasn’t really her belly. Her is the real picture from Kristi’s perspective. Notice the toes sticking out from behind.

Speaking of big, we had another measurement ultrasound done a couple of weeks ago and things are great. Both babies are growing nicely. Mackenzie was 2 lbs 3 oz which puts her in the 50^th percentile of babies at 26 weeks. Nathaniel was 2 lbs 13 oz which puts him in the 80^th percentile of babies at 26 weeks. I’m really excited about Nathaniel being so big. I’m going to need some help moving these diapers. When he reaches 6 lbs, he’s going to be moving his own diaper boxes.

It’s no wonder Kristi is feeling heavy these days; she has 5 lbs of baby in her right now and she still has two months or so left. With Kristi carrying 5 lbs of baby, I guess she looks like she could pop any day. At church last Sunday, Kristi was sitting down after playing hand bells, looking generally beat. Some really nice lady came up to encourage Kristi and said, “Oh don’t worry dear. Just a couple more weeks. You can do it!” To which Kristi turned, glared and said, “Try another two months.” The nice lady said, “Two months! My gosh you’re big!” I’m surprised that lady was able to walk to her car. I think the only thing that saved her was that we were at church.

We go back to the doctor in two weeks for both a regular visit and another measurement ultrasound. I have read that babies put on about ½ pound a week for the rest of the pregnancy. If this holds true then Mackenzie should be 3 lbs 11 oz and Nathaniel should be 4 lbs 5 oz. That means both babies should be over 5 lbs in a month. I guess it was all that ice cream we fed Kristi early on…and the pizza…and the mac and cheese…and the hamburgers…and the fried chicken…

That’s about it for this week. I will be commencing next weekend but I’ll try to get a post in on Sunday or Monday. Until then, I hope everyone has a great week. Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers. It’s special for us to know that so many people care and are taking a positive interest in Mackenzie and Nathaniel. I hope everyone has a great week.

Dr. Daddy