Alive and Kicking

Earlier today we had the opportunity to visit our doctor and check on the babies and their development.  We were fortunate enough to catch them in action paddling and kicking in their liquid-filled, temporary homes.  They both look extremely healthy and active according to the doctor and they measured nearly 1 inch in length.  It is still too early to determine the sex at this time (even though the doctor said he may have seen a penis).  Wouldn't it be terrific to get one of each?  They were moving about and we could clearly see their hands, legs, and feet.  Becky couldn't help but burst into laughter at the video of the little ones' activity.  I have to admit, I was even overly excited too!  We couldn't believe how active they have gotten in such a short period of time.  They are actually starting to resemble babies versus pulsating blotches. 

Check out the video of the Sonogram.  We had some trouble downloading editing software without watermarks, so we made the best out of the dated program we have.  We apologize about the poor editing and looping of the audio track, but the audio track will definitely make you smile (especially if you were an 80s nerd or loved John Hughes movies).  Anyway, the little ones are alive and well.  If you can't see the embedded video, I provided the link below to copy into your browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw85dtJB6pE

Cheers!

The Crib and Nursery Furniture

Today grandma came up to visit; And, since Tammy's Baby Shoppe in Manteca were offering great bargains on baby furniture we elected to shop for the nursery.  We found an adorable crib that converts into a day bed initially, and later into a twin-sized bed. We purchased the cribs and a matching 6-drawer chest, but it won't actually be delivered or shipped until later in the pregnancy.   I am not sure if we are sold on the conversion into a twin idea; on one hand, that would save us a lot of money, but if we had two boys an elaborate bunk bed set-up would be almost too tough to pass up.  And quite honestly, that makes sense space wise, not to mention some of the bunk beds we have seen would be perfect for fort building, storming the beaches of Normandy, or capturing a broken vessel from aboard the Jolly Roger, or else One-eyed Willie's long lost pirate ship.  Not that we would be partaking in such shenanigans... I am just saying.  Nonetheless, here is a photo of the crib taken from the website.  Try and block out the pinkish Disney decor from the picture.

Showered with Gifts

Christmas was great, and thanks to Mom and Frank, and Pam and Bob, we received cute new outfits and other assorted goodies; we took a picture of a few of the gifts we received for everyone to "Awww!" over.  We are greatly appreciative of all the thoughtful gifts we received this Christmas.  The little shoes and hats are most adorable. 

Spencer and Molly are having a difficult time adjusting to all the new goodies; they are so used to stuffed toys being treats for them, so they are a bit confused at the moment.  They think I am being a cruel Dad and holding out on them since all they got for Christmas were a couple of Snuggies and assorted dog treats. 

Anyway, thanks again to everyone that gave us gifts and wished us happy thoughts on Christmas.  Merry Christmas to all of you, and we wish you all a very happy New Year as well. 

Cheers from the six of us!

Website Assistance Required

Alright, we need a little help with website research from everyone.  Are there any websites that you know about, have used, or found particularly useful with respect to little ones?  Any help would be absolutely brilliant.  Could you drop the web address in the comments area beneath this posting so we can do a little leisurely reading?  I wanted to thank everyone that posted name comments; you are terrific!  We revised the list and removed a few names so check it out.  Thanks again for your support!

Cheers!

Our First Outfits

Thanks to some dear friends we have our first baby outfits; they assured us that "they don't have to be all matchy, matchy".  It is funny, my thoughts weren't about their likedness, I was initially thinking, "they are so small!".   Aren't they cute?

I know many of you are probably thinking, it is a bit premature for baby clothing.  Initially, I was of a similar mindset, but then I thought, "we created this site for our dearest friends and family to share with us".  I figured, it is important to take some risks from time to time, especially right now.  It is important to enjoy every minute of this process considering all we have endured.  We love all of you, and thank you for your comments and happy thoughts.  Cheers!

A Billion Names

Alright, so one could search for names for years and still never uncover all the possibilities. Not to mention made-up names and creative spellings (phonetic license misused). Therefore, we chose more than a fair share of names to dwindle away at while we get ready for two newborn children.  Please comment freely; we will keep a running total of your favorite names.  
Here is the most recent name list:

Girls First or Middle	Boys First	Boys Middle Only
Paige - Youthful Ellie - Noble, Shining Light Grace - Love, Irish Warrior Princess Meghan - Pearl; Strong, Able Sydney - Wide Meadow Riley - Valiant, Courageous Erin - Poetic Name for Ireland; peace Reagan - Regal	1.  Liam - Unwavering Protection 2.  Declan - Strong, Irish Saint 2.  Colin/Collin - Young Creature, Victor 3.  Connor - Lover of Hounds 4.  Brennan -  Little Raven	Patrick - Patrician, Noble Ryan - Little King Reilly - Valiant, Courageous Everett - Brave, Strong Finnegan - Fair Skinned, Light Haired Finlay - Fair Skinned

We have removed many of our names due to commonality or recent memories.

Twins!

"Two Hearts Beat As One."  Today we discovered that we were pregnant with dizygotic or fraternal twins.  We were able to see the beating hearts of the two children as well as listen to their heartbeats.  Initially, it was overwhelming, but now we are excited about the prospect of two little children.  Although, two little girls might just be too much girl power for one household.

Day Five: The Beginning of the Pregnancies

Initially, we had 10 fertilized eggs on day one.  Of these ten, these two blastocysts were selected to be transferred after 5 days of incubation; they were the most healthy and developed.  We had the opportunity to view them under a microscope prior to their transfer.  It is said that blastocysts have a 50% success rate once they have been transferred.  Little did we know that both would become viable pregnancies.