A little bit about the little bits.

Here we are, approaching 26 weeks. I probably have just 10-12 weeks until these kids make an entrance. I'm hoping right at 37 weeks. I'm not sure my emotional and physical state will last much longer than that, but of course I want the babies to be full term. And 37 weeks happens to be Chris's Spring Break, which would be incredibly convenient.

I went to the doctor today. I'm now on a schedule of going to the doctor every two weeks, with an ultrasound every other visit. Its a nice little perk, getting to see the babies more. But it means a lot more time spent in a doctor's office. And since each ultrasound takes about 45 minutes, it also means it is impossible to take Carly with me. Thank goodness there have been no shortages of offers to watch her.

The babies are so big! They don't even fit on the screen anymore. Oh, they grow up so fast. They are so cute though. We saw Baby Boy cross his arms in front of his face a few times, like "No pictures, please" and Little Miss put her hand up to her mouth. A thumb-sucker like her big sister? I hope not. Baby Boy (on the left) is wrapped around my left side and his legs go across the top of my tummy, so he's the one who keeps putting his rump in my ribs. And Little Miss is down tucked away on my right, probably to blame for the serious pain I've got going on in my right hip and lower right side of my back.

[was harder to get good pictures this time, but how cute is baby boy's nose?]

But they look great. They are both just under 2 lbs, with Little Miss at 1 lb 15 oz, and Baby Boy at 1 lb 13 oz. Meaning they've both gained over a pound since we last saw them. Wowzah. One of my main worries lately has been that they would grow unevenly. But they are doing well, and the doctor said since they each have their own placenta, that isn't a big concern.

They are also both still head-down, something my doctor thought was great. He said at this point we'll continue to plan on a normal delivery, and that the babies usually come less than a half an hour apart. I have to admit, the thought of delivering two babies back-to-back makes my head spin, and I have split feelings. I kind of got used to the idea of a scheduled c-section, and all the "conveniences" that come along with it; you know, actually showering before you go to the hospital (which I hadn't done for 2 days when I had Carly . . . . oops) and knowing exactly when the babies will come. Of course, I also had a lot of concern over it, as a c-section is a major surgery requiring major recovery. I actually had a wonderful birth with Carly, with a labor that lasted 12 hours from start to finish, a lovely epidural, and not-too-extensive pushing. But my recovery was long and drawn-out and far from smooth, and that is something I was thinking I'd get to avoid. But honestly, the more I think about it, I just figure there is no easy way to get a baby out (or two babies!) so I'll just go with the flow and know that luckily Heavenly Father knows how every baby is supposed to enter this world.

Not much has changed for me. Normal all-day nausea and really tired. Getting bigger and bigger. Having a hard time sleeping these days, since my side goes numb or my hips hurt or the stabbing round ligament pains. Pretty much your standard third trimester delights, just a bit earlier. I've actually come to find the whole thing fascinating and quite amusing. With Carly I remember often thinking "it is amazing how the female body was designed to do this" and now I often tell Chris "the female body was just not designed to do this!" It is a fun, very unique experience. That's how I feel right now. Catch me on a bad day and there is a chance my attitude will be different. I've also begun to grow out of the maternity clothes I wore with Carly and borrowed from a friend, which cracks me up because we're still two weeks out from the third trimester. The whole thing is just beyond fabulous. For reals.

Today after I picked Carly up, I told her I went to the doctor to see the babies. She said, "No two babies, just one baby. A boy baby." I said, "What about the girl baby? Don't we need her too?" "Yeah," she replied, "we need girl baby too." She's right. We need them both.

For the record, we love them a lot.