On The Verge of Becoming a Family of Five...

Photo compliments of Bright Eye Photography

Just a little update to let you know what's going on over here... which is basically a whole lot of waiting for our baby girls to make their debut.  They could announce their arrival into this world any moment or day now.  Pretty nuts. And again, totally surreal.  Part of me feels like I'm going to stay pregnant forever and I have all the time in the world, but we all know that's not how it works.

Our twins are now considered "full term" at over thirty-seven weeks gestation which I am really, really happy about.  Not only does this milestone mean that the chances of NICU time are hugely reduced, but also that their lungs and other systems will be fully developed, the likelihood of successfully breastfeeding is greatly increased, we won't have to constantly adjust their ages to make up for their prematurity, and - the best part - they will, most likely, be able to come home from the hospital with us.  All wonderful things.  Of course there are no guarantees and when it comes to childbirth; you never really know how it will go and rarely does it go exactly according to plan.  But so far, everything is progressing as we wished and hoped and we are very grateful for it.  Our sweet babies are head down and ready to make their exit the 'old fashioned way' (knock on wood!), but it seems they are on "island time" like their big sister was (she came 10 days past her due date) and quite cozy in my belly.  I'm feeling good, still able to get out and about, and somehow have managed to escape many of the discomforts that are associated with twin pregnancy (varicose veins, swelling, high blood pressure, etc.) but simple things like putting on socks and shoes, getting into a car, and finding a comfy spot to sleep have become tasks that require an Olympic effort.  Not pretty.  

As excited as we are for the arrival of these little fish, there is a small part of me that is clinging to and will mourn the loss of our special little family of three.  These past few months, I have really been cognizant to savor my special time with Isla: cuddling her extra hard, observing her just a little more, mentally chronicling every new expression, phrase and milestone and, in general, relishing each and every moment with her.  She is, truly, joy personified and the light of our lives.  I think the person who is going to take our curtailed time together the hardest is me.  No doubt.

The past couple days she had a fever of over 102° and has been extra cuddly.  Because of the fever, she'd wake up crying around 4am, a maneuver that would typically warrant groans of exasperation from me, but this time, I chose to cherish the time with her.  When I'd go in to check on her she'd ask in the sweetest voice you ever did hear, "snuggle in mommy's bed?" and it was an absolute pleasure to cradle her little body, bring her back to my room and snuggle her back to sleep until the morning.  (Scott left our not-big-enough-for-the-four-of-us full bed a few weeks ago after my incessant tossing, turning and flopping became unbearable).  I'm taking stock of each and every precious moment right now before things get nutso up in here and even though I have an amazing husband and an awesome grandma who are more than happy to get up with her to let me sleep in, I still want to be the first person to see her in the morning.  I still get excited to see her face at the start of each and every day.

You might also notice that the blog looks different.  I have been scrambling to unroll these changes before the babies arrive and I am so happy with how it turned out.  There are still many more changes to come, but the gist is here.  I think the new design will be easier to navigate and help to encompass this next stage of our lives.  For the record, this WILL be a baby blog in part from here on out.  Of course we still plan to get back to cruising and as long as it is relevant, I will absolutely write about sailing and boating and all that good stuff but our "adventures" in parenting will no doubt be written about as well.  We are embracing this next chapter and we hope you will too, but if not - you have been warned.

We'll keep you posted on the baby front, it will almost certainly be announced on our Facebook Page first (much easier to update) so be sure to keep an eye on us over there if you are interested.  In the meantime, we wait... any time now!!!!