Our Little Fishies: Two More Girls!

Isla and I made the thirteen-plus hour journey back to Chicago the other day with the only hiccup being one puke fest after a particularly wild (island) cab ride.  I didn't want to write about the fact that we were coming home until after my doctor's appointment because, God forbid, if something didn't look right - it would have been less explaining to do.  Anyway, we came home for the important 20 week ultrasound of our twins.  My doctor here was pretty clear that twins are "higher risk" and that he would much rather have me home to monitor me every two weeks instead of being on the move (on a boat no less!) with no regular pre-natal care, but flying home for a check-up every two weeks is just not an option for us.  So we compromised and he said - at the very least - I should come home for this particular screening, so we did.

For those who don't know, the 20 week ultrasound is a pretty big deal - at least to the OBGYN's here in the United States it is.  They check all the organs, make sure the babies are growing well, measure all the bones and skull, check the placenta and monitor heart rates and a whole bunch of other stuff during this exam.  It is also during this exam that they can tell you with great accuracy the sex of the baby (or babies, in our case).

It looks like we'll be swimming in a sea of estrogen in the years to come!

Scott and I are beyond thrilled to announce that we are adding two more HEALTHY, beautiful girls to our crew (I was secretly wishing for two more girls).  The maternal fetal medicine specialist said they look absolutely perfect; they are exactly the same size (though fraternal), all their little organs are functioning "beautifully" and, from their adorable little profiles, they are cute as buttons.  While I do not believe in "playing God" I can tell you that it sure is reassuring to see that our little babies are right on par developmentally with no signs of any genetic or health issues to come.  The doctor was impressed, and told me to continue doing what I was doing because everything looked fantastic - so back to the boat we go...

We are told we should expect these babies to arrive some time in February (though they are due March 13, twins are, on average, three weeks early) making these girls Pisces, which is perfect because they are known as our "little fish" and are ironically positioned in the womb just like the fish in the astrological sign.  Pretty neat.  Now for the name game to begin...not easy for Scott and I!

Isla and I make the long haul back to the islands on Monday and we'll be back underway Tuesday or Wednesday bound for beautiful Martinique.