Gifts from Grandma and Grandpa, and an update

I had another doctor's appointment today (with my regular obstetrician) and everything looks great! My blood pressure, weight, size, and the heartbeats are all good. I LOVE my doctor and can't say enough good things about him. Today, he seemed to love me! He kept saying, "28 weeks- we are almost there! I am so happy with your progress- I am so proud of how you are doing!" I think he was nervous about these boys because of the shared placenta and because of Mairead's stroke, etc. Identical twins are risky business, and both he and I are relieved that we have made it this far! From now on, I will see him every two weeks, the specialist every 4 weeks, and have non-stress tests every week. It's a good thing I am not working because I spend most of my time at a doctor's office!

He said that if he had to guess, he would expect me to deliver somewhere around 36 weeks. Well, since I am 28 now, that leaves us about 8 weeks-- yikes! And that's if they make it all that way- it could even be sooner! We need to get our act together since most of the clothes, sheets, and blankets we have are pink. Also, both boys together would probably still be too small for Mairead's diapers, so we had better start stocking up!

I asked how far along the boys had to be in order to most likely avoid a NICU stay, and he said that 34 weeks would be a good point for that (barring any unforseen problems). We loved the NICU staff with Mairead and we trust them completely, but, of course, we would like to bring our babies home with us as soon as we can.

My next ultrasound is on January 26, and we are expecting a big difference in their weight since last time. As you can see, I am much bigger than I was at 26 weeks, so I think they have had a growth spurt in the last 14 days. We can't wait to see them again! It's gratifying to be getting close to a 'safe' delivery date... we'll just keep hoping and praying that they stay put for a while longer!


Our New York family has been trying to come visit to celebrate Christmas with us, but the weather has been very uncooperative. Every time they want to come, it snows... a lot! Finally, Grandma and Grandpa sent us and Mairead some gifts. They especially wanted to send the clothes because we all know how Mairead tends to grow out of things too quickly! The gifts arrived last night and one of Mairead's favorites (besides the boxes and wrapping paper they came in) was this puzzle with all sorts of colors and shapes. She loves it! She is pretty pale and looks very tired since she is getting over the bug that she has had. She is feeling a lot better though and she is no longer running a temp.

I had to include some video of her trying it out for the first time. Seeing her do the puzzle makes her Mom and Dad very happy because she has no trouble at all with sorting the shapes or with spatial relationships. When she had the stroke, the clot lodged in the area of her brain that has to do with spatial relationships, so we have been watching her closely in this area. It seems that she has no delay at all, which is a great relief! She really enjoys puzzles and shape sorters, and we think she does a great job!

Thanks for the great presents, Grandma and Grandpa- we hope to see you soon!

Sick Days

On Sunday morning, Mairead woke up with a very sudden sickness. She was vomiting, had a temp, runny nose, cough, the whole deal. It really came out of nowhere, so we were not prepared for it- especially since this kid is never sick! We were in Lowell that day so everyone did what they could to make her feel better. She even got extra baths, which she loves. She spent the day in pjs (although she needed 3 different sets of them). Coincidentally, my uncle, Jim, brought my mom some new sheets, and they matched Mairead's pajamas very nicely! You can see from the pictures that she was just wiped out. Anyone who knows Mairead knows that lying on pillow watching tv is NOT her typical personality! Also, she was pretty much refusing to eat anything we offered. Again- VERY out of character!

She is feeling much better today, but yesterday was rough. No more vomiting, but she was running a temp all day and just felt miserable. She slept pretty well last night, but both last night and Sunday night, she had to be rocked to sleep. I say this with emphasis because she hasn't done that since she was about 3 months old. You all know that she is not a 'snuggly' kid- she's too independent! I have to admit that I didn't mind that part of her being sick- I miss her cuddly days!

I'm hoping that the worst of it is behind us- and she is being really great about it. She is obviously not happy, but she isn't being difficult or too cranky- she is such a great kid!