22 weeks: all is well!

Well, I guess I go on record as worst mommy blogger ever. :) Our lives are just so busy right now, though!

What's going on lately:
-Jonathan's name list was at 295 names the other day and has been cut down to 211 thus far. We're making some good progess, folks.
-I have been doing a great job of gaining weight (except this week; I was 114 on Monday and dropped to 113 by today... I guess those 2 cups of ice cream every night really were helping!)
-My new doctor is AMAZING. So lovely. She asked me if anyone had spoken to me about vaginal birth and told me as long as Baby A is head down and not too much smaller than Baby B, we're good to go. She is not repeating ultrasounds on days that I have just had one at the peri's office, which is nice and saves my babes from some radiation exposure, and sits down at a table with me to have conversations, where I am treated like an adult. She actually cares about the things I say - like when I told her I am having some back and hip pain, she gave me a referral to a physical therapist (who healed my hip pain the first day and is going to work with me on my back).
-I just barely failed the one hour glucose test and have to go back for the three hour one on Friday. I am pretty sure I will pass it.
-And on a funny and totally unrelated note, we ran over something on the way home from Thanksgiving break and broke off a plastic bracket that was tying a plate on the bottom of the car to the frame. It is making an awful racket, but seemed to be driving without a problem. When I brought it to the Toyota dealership to have them check it out, they wanted to charge us $400 (four! hundred! dollars!) to fix it... but get this: it is just an annoying noise, nothing is actually going to fall off or break further. So yeah, we're living with a very loud car. If you hear that deafening rattling sound, it's probably just the Burnhams driving to church. :-P

From our 20 week ultrasound:

Sweet baby tootsies!

Cutest lips and nose!

18w, 0d: Boys! (and food questions)

Who thought that I would be carrying twin boys in my womb? I certainly did not think so. I am almost halfway done! (And really, about halfway to full term with twins!)

My constant companion through this pregnancy is worry over my wee ones being too little when they are born. I am so little to be carrying twins and I did not have extra body fat anywhere on me before I was pregnant for them to eat off of later when I can't fit enough into my stomach. My doctors (who are useless and talk down to me and are being fired this week!) are on the opposite end of the scale from my worry and don't even comment on my weight gain ever. I asked for a recommendation of a dietician and they scoffed at me. "Just eat a lot. Around 3000 calories a day." But I don't know how one does that when one is trying not to make all her calories empty ones!

Any recommendations for meals that can be made in bulk and reheated throughout the week, are high in calories, protein, and preferably vitamins/minerals? Currently I have Jonathan make a large batch of chili once a week and that becomes at least one meal every day. I already drink about four glasses of whole milk every day. Ensure is too heavy for my stomach and makes me either 1) throw up or 2) not hungry for the next few hours, so it is not worth the 350 calories. I don't eat nuts, so that is out, and I'm not huge on cheese, but I will eat it if there are other tastes mixed in (such as in quesadillas or tacos). Any ideas?

16w, 3d: Can you guess the genders?

Baby A

Baby B

For full disclosure, we had a guess of two boys at 12 weeks (but they can often be wrong on those earlier ultrasounds). Now we are at 16 weeks and we are sure this time!

13w, 5d: Never had a baby this big before!

I'm alive and so are the babes-in-womb. Being pregnant with twins is a lot of work - not complaining, just making an excuse for not updating. :)

My little darlings at 12w, 2d:

Prayers Needed

Please pray for my dear friend, Kiley, who found out yesterday that her baby, Levi, passed away in her womb. She lost a daughter, Avery, in February, so this is a compounded loss, so soon after the first.

Thanks,

9w, 3d and the munchkins are great!

I had my first appointment at my actual Ob/Gyn's office today! I am seeing a midwife, but she is extremely knowledgeable and kind. They surprised me with an ultrasound today, which was a wonderful surprise. Sadly, Jonathan wasn't there because I was sure that they weren't going to do one! Apparently, since twins' heartbeats are hard to tell apart on Doppler, I will get an ultrasound at every appointment I have.

Our babies are both growing perfectly and are both measuring a couple days ahead of schedule now. One of the babies was perfectly facing the ultrasound probe and the other was a bit reluctant to have his/her photo taken, but we got great shots of both.





It was so sweet to see them wiggling around and to hear some very strong heartbeats. Thank you for your prayers! How good is God for giving us these sweet babies?

New look!

It's about time, huh?