What a difference two weeks can make!

So . . . two weeks ago we left the doctor's office feeling quite nervous and very helpless.  The boys weighed one ounce from a pound (Baby A, one under and Baby B, one over) and that 2 oz. discrepancy placed them at a 13-15% weight difference.  The "worry" benchmark for Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) would be at 20%, and even upon calm prompting, the doctor refused to tell us what our next steps would be should we hit that not-so-great number, citing the fact that all I would do was worry, and that wouldn't help any of the three of us in any positive way.  (He also forbade us to do any research on our own, since what is online doesn't give the whole picture and as he put it, "It's pretty scary stuff.")

And so we left, knowing full well there is nothing either one of us can do to change the blood flow within the placenta and/or the way the babies are sharing their source of food and nutrients.  All we could do was pray.

And so we did.  And just one day shy of two weeks later, we returned to the doctor's office . . .

Dr. Stark let us listen to their heartbeats first and foremost, so that we could have some audio confirmation as to how they're doing.  155 and 153 beats per minute . . . good.  We still held our breath.  First came Baby A . . . in the breech position (he turned again!), and measurements were taken--head circumference and femur length.  The ultrasound tech quickly typed notes into the computer system.  Dr. Stark sat near my feet, one hand on my leg, watching the screen in silence.  Then came Baby B . . . head down (he must have flipped too!), and again, measurements.  More typing.

Dr. Stark turns towards both Raleigh and I, and said, "Well, just eyeballing it here . . . I don't see any evidence of twin-to-twin."  I think we both let out a sigh of relief and I'm pretty sure, a tear of gratitude ran down my cheek just as I looked heavenward to thank the Lord and all of our family's angels.

By the time the appointment was over, we learned that Baby B had grown 5 more ounces (weighing a total of 1 lb, 6 oz.) and Baby A had closed the gap by growing 6 more ounces (weighing a total of 1 lb., 5 oz.)  Not only are they measuring where they should on the singleton weight chart for 24 weekers, but now that they're bigger, the 1 ounce difference between the two means less, and their weight discrepancy is a mere 4.5%--less than half the ideal maximum of 10%.  Hooray!  We are SO happy!

THANK YOU to all who prayed along with us for the past two weeks, and who continue to keep all 5 of us in thoughts and prayers during the coming weeks, months, and years ahead.  TTTS can develop at any time, however with each passing week of good growth on behalf of both boys, our chances of developing the condition decrease dramatically.  We still have to see the perinatologist every 2 weeks to monitor the condition of the babies (as well as occasional visits with my regular OB/GYN to ensure my well being), so although we aren't out of the woods yet, we are standing at a decent clearing and are going to continue to be watched carefully by experts for the remainder of the pregnancy.

I think just how far both boys have come since just two weeks ago . . . and I am excited to see where they'll be in another two!  Hooray for healthy babies!

Please, spare me the obvious.

• "Three boys?!  Wow--you're going to have your hands full!"
• (Looking at Blake): "He's how old?  And you're expecting twins by March?" (Big eye roll followed by a very sarcastic tone): "Good luck with that!"
• "Three kids under a year . . . wow, that's going to be tough!"

Yes, folks . . . we know.  Our situation isn't exactly typical and may not fit your vision of a perfect family.  But please, spare us the obvious.  We are well aware having three young children will likely challenge us in ways we would not have been should Blake have been an only child for some time longer.  We have already felt many emotional, physical, and financial effects of our status (Can you say, BLESSED?! We do!), and we are not shirking down from the responsibility of being the best parents we can be, to all of our children.  If you cannot say something encouraging, then please do not say anything at all.  Preparing for twins is stressful enough (if you have never done so, that just leaves less room for you to assume you know what it's like!); throw in the fact that we already have an amazing young one at home, and you might start to understand how constant reminders about how difficult life could be come spring is not helpful.  You may not realize how your comments come across, but verbalizing such things only contribute to stress and feelings of overwhelm, which are not supportive; please filter.

Instead, we relish and very much appreciate the comments that are supportive, and encourage us in our upcoming adventure . . .

• "Two more boys?  You certainly are blessed!"
• "You guys are such wonderful parents to Blake . . . these next two are lucky to have you!"
• "I can only imagine how you must be feeling . . . I'd love to help out in any way that I can, if needed.  Call me!"
• "You'll do great!  I just know it!"
• "I'm sure you are both still a bit overwhelmed, but I am so confident that you will continue to be amazing parents."

And, just for those who have wondered (whether or not you were bold enough to ask), here are a few other things we'd like folks to know (so you don't have to ask):

1. (After an obvious head-to-toe inspection of my body, catching my growing belly and an eight month old on my hip): Yes, we know what causes this.  And no, we don't want to hear your thoughts on family planning.

2. Yes, we are Catholic; and proud of it!

3. Yes, we're glad it's us and not you, too!

4. We are not prepared (nor willing) to discuss the future family planning of our family with anyone at this time; thank you for voicing your opinion, though.  (Although I will admit, I'm tempted to answer the "You're done after this, right?" question with "No we plan to keep going until we get an ugly one!")

5. Only God knows why He's given us three children so close together, yet we will always be grateful to Him for so many blessings.

And the comments about us having Irish twins (or triplets)?  Well, they're getting pretty old too.  Before you use that phrase to describe our family, please look up the origin of the phrase and be sure that's exactly the message you mean to convey.  Thank you.

One tooth, Two teeth, One poo, Two potty?!

Could it be true?  Really?!

Our little boy is growing up so fast!

Without any sign of serious teething (he's been drooling for months, as most babies do), I was surprised to find a sharp, white ridge of a tooth along Blake's bottom gum line, on October 24.  His first tooth!

Just a little more than two weeks later, on November 9th, I was surprised to feel another sharp ridge, right next to the first.  Tooth number two!  And much like the first time, we had very few signs anything was happening in that cute mouth of his.  (Now if only he'd show them off so I can upload a photo!  They're SO cute!)

And that same day . . . (this is where it gets really crazy) . . . Blake pooped in the potty!  He'd started going in his diaper in the early evening (he doesn't hide it well) and Raleigh and I thought he'd finished by about an hour later when we were getting ready for a bath.  Two seconds after hitting the water it was obvious he was still working on something, so I quickly pulled him out and sat him over the potty.  Raleigh and I encouraged him to keep going, and after a few minutes of giving us a rather perplexed look ("You want me to do what, where?!"), he began concentrating and a couple grunts later, he pushed out 3 fairly massive little man poops!  And he peed too!  Raleigh and I praised Blake in celebration, and I urged Raleigh to get the camera.  (Who could let a milestone like this go undocumented?)

Blake smiled SO big . . . you could tell he was very proud of himself, as were we!  I'll keep the "evidence" shot in our private family albums, but here's one of our proud and big little man!

Both Raleigh and I reveled in the success of the day, and have talked about it numerous times afterwards.  (Who would have thought our 8 month old would have pooped on the potty, without any "real" training?!) However, the story doesn't end there . . . last night after I returned home from a baby class at the hospital (turns out there is a lot to breastfeeding twins!), I kissed a sleeping Blake and Raleigh pointed me to the bathroom, where a diaper was folded up on the back of the toilet.

"Is it clean?" I asked, noticing that it appeared to be empty and unused.

"No, I think it was wet," Raleigh responded.  "But it's there because that's where I took it off . . . and where Blake went poop again."

"What?!  Really?!"  I was floored.  He went poop in the potty again!  Hooray!

Now before we get lots of folks telling us this is nothing special . . . it is!  And for those who say that this doesn't "mean" anything . . . it does!  We understand that Blake isn't likely to trade in diapers for little briefs any time soon, however, we think this is a good start!  And at least he's getting the idea of where to go and more so, isn't afraid to.  So . . . we'll keep at it and see if something more consistent develops!  Heck, if we can have only two kids in diapers sooner rather than later (versus three), I'll take it!