Week twenty-eight.

Shrimps:

• Are now able to open and close their eyes, whatever color they may be...
• Continue to work on things like body fat and brain development
• Are around 10" long and 2 lbs each at this point
  

Laura and Andrew

• Are pretty close to picking an au pair... will be nice to have that decided!
• Have narrowed down the name field substantially
• Are probably getting a dishwasher this weekend as we imagine it might come in handy to have one in a few months
• Are so very very thankful for the two showers this past weekend; it's really wonderful to see the support provided by our PA friends and family.

Week twenty-seven.

Shrimps:

• Can definitely hear voices this week... although in the midst of amniotic fluid it's probably more like whale calls. Or Charlie Brown's teacher. They definitely react to Andrew's "what does the fox say" station on Pandora is all I know.
• Are working on opening their eyeballs.
• Only sleep for about 30 minutes at a time these days, thus what seems to be 24 hours of Russian dancing.
• Have already begun accumulating material goods... and will get more I think with two showers this weekend, hooray!

Laura:

• Is mostly happy with her harness mechanism (for back support and whatnot), but feels sometimes like Andrew could attach a leash and take me for a walk. Probably would have done so if we owned a leash. Also need a cup of coffee before I can figure out how it goes on every morning.
• Has made some more progress on the work front with maternity leave... does anyone else feel a strong urge to scour your house and to do list before a vacation/trip? Hoping that feeling hits me really soon because gosh and golly there's a lot to do.

Andrew:

• Is working hard on his certifications, due in April. One of his fun distractions is looking at au pair applications... some are quite ridiculous. In au pair news, we are interviewing our first candidate tomorrow, a 20 year old german that works at a zoo and enjoys southern gospel music.
• Along with dad, switched all the furniture so that we're upstairs and the au pair has her own room downstairs... what a champ. 

Here's your latest "pregnancy" pic from Andrew's company New Year's party... I promise I'm bigger than I look.

We are officially moved in.

After five moves in the past eleven years, I have determined that no new domicile is complete without the miraculous touch of mom and dad... they've converted dorm rooms, apartments and attics from a shell of a space to an organized masterpiece. So this weekend was their first visit to our old new house, hooray! In addition to a holiday, we got them a little extra time because of snow, hooray!

This week brings a house visit with the au pair community counselor, so we made a change in living arrangements to allow room for an au pair (and if you visit prior to July, you!). We're now upstairs and will be sharing the huge space with the shrimps. It's nice though to have a little time to try it out first... I've lived in an attic with sloped ceilings before and it's not always great when you're 6'.

Additionally, we received a big gift off of our registry today from UPS, what a swell idea. Andrew and I have been debating whether we need to bring two cars for the first showers this weekend or try it with one... no idea how much stuff we can cram in one vehicle. Mostly we're just excited to see everybody!

Week twenty-six.

Shrimps:

• Good grief please stop moving [so much]. Or let's maybe just not do it all night.
• Had an appointment today; looking just dandy but all up in each other's space. Boy A is smushing his face into Boy B's belly SO WEIRD. These kids are going to be interesting.
• Once they're three months old, we've pretty much decided to go with an au pair for their care. Putting two babies in daycare is EXPENSIVE and the au pair program we're using is legit, economical and also awesome.

Laura:

• Is anxiously awaiting her belly support posture correction device, which was supposed to arrive in the mail today... we've definitely discovered that no delivery service knows what to do with this house. No driveway, and a scary bridge to cross that says private property- only the best fedex-ers can figure this one out.
• Has mostly worked out the FMLA process, and is hoping to a) not get sick much and b) not be put on bed rest. 
• Gets to do a glucose test in a couple weeks, hooray! Maybe I'll try eating less ice cream and sugar before that? Or not. Only gained 18 pounds at this point, I feel like I should be eating sticks of butter dipped in sugar...
• Has mentally moved nearly every piece of furniture in the house in preparation for a) the parents' visit this weekend and b) the au pair coordinator's house visit next week. As much as I've enjoyed schlepping furniture around by myself in the past, I have humbled my expectations of my own body for the moment. 

Andrew:

• Is chugging away at his certification for work, which is due by April. He's also started brewing his own hard cider... definitely not a coincidence. 
• Accidentally announced the pregnancy via facebook by saying I had no belly button. How that screams pregnancy we do not know. 

Sounds about right.

Week twenty-five.

I have been three people for nearly half a year, folks. How nuts is that?

Shrimps:

• Are using Laura's torso as their personal training grounds for important life skills such as kicking, punching, running in place and generally rolling around. If one or both become the next Bruce Lee I'd hardly be surprised.
• Are definitely growing, and are together probably approaching or at the weight of a bag of flour. They may also be made mostly of flour as Laura continues to relish all things gluten. Laura has actually surpassed Andrew in weight at this point, GASP. He tells me it's allowable under the circumstances, what a sweetheart.

Laura:

• Is starting to research noodle-y pillows and strait jackets I mean torso support as the ol' back increases its plea for mercy from the unending weight in front.  I like the idea of helium balloons attached at my shoulders to negate gravity's effect.
• Has made her way, through blood sweat and tears, [mostly] to the summit of Mount Baby Registry. WHY ARE THERE SO MANY CHOICES. I think my favorite ridiculous category by far would be baby tubs. They make pink ones with spa jets, whirlpool features and a detachable shower hose I kid you not.

Andrew:

• Very helpfully contributed his vast Amazon research powers to a number of bigger obstacles in Mount Baby Registry.
• Is also helping with research about childcare, our next gargantuan peak to climb. 
• Is putting together baby cribs today with his parents, hooray!

Week twenty-four.

Well. Gosh. This is six months, folks! Two thirds [or less] depending on whether I'm more the traditional, convection or microwave oven type.

Shrimps:

• Are having dance parties every night. Especially Boy A. Andrew likes to think they're practicing for trail running and is looking for tiny huraches. 
• Should double their weight in the next month... bringing them to 2-3 pounds each. That's the size of chicken I usually get at the grocery. I will have a roaster chicken in my belly. You should go find poultry next time you're shopping and appreciate me.
• Fun details continue to develop, like hair and subcutaneous fat (I spelled that one without looking). Realization of the week: fraternal twins can have different heights and body types. All along I've just been thinking of faces and hair color. 

Laura:

• Around this time the twin pregnancy week-by-week info gets really cheerful: "With the uterus persistently growing and stretching, each symptom becomes amplified. Ligament pain and pressure of the uterus are increasing. Frequent urination is making a comeback. Edema (extra accumulation of fluid in your tissue) can be causing swollen extremities. Fatigue is getting worse and if you don't already have them, hemorrhoids will likely make an appearance" Thanks for the encouragement guys. 
• All I can really say is I want a back brace during the day and to float in a waterbed at night. Also tums are a gift, albeit an un-tasty gift, from the gods.
• Finally got around to some organizing in the soon-to-be nursery.
• Turning 30 tomorrow! 

Andrew:

• Was checking the popularity of Jean Luc as a name tonight
• Is getting over the flu(?) which Laura escaped because she got the shot like she was supposed to...
• Built some shelves in the kitchen when Laura was away, alright!