The Boys' Room

There are a few things that 'needed' to happen before I could officially feel "ready" for these boys to arrive... and they're all being checked off the list!

• The nursery needed to be furnished: check
• Clothes needed to be laundered and organized in bins according to size: check
• We needed to complete our birthing class at the hospital: check
• The boys would be at least 32 weeks along in their development: check

Here are some photos of the boys' room (which is only missing the wall hangings):

Andy and I keep walking to the door of the nursery, stare at the furnished room and say, "Oh, my word. Can you believe we have two cribs? We're having two babies!" I'm not sure it's completely hit us yet, even after all of this time.

We're almost 33 weeks along and I'm hoping to make it to 39, though my doctors said anything beyond 34 was a bonus. Looks like the boys want some extra credit!

Overachievers. :)

Matthew, 10 days old

On 3/24, Mom drove me to Rochester to see my new nephew, Matthew David. He's getting so big! Here are some pictures from our (unofficial) photo shoot together.

Nine Pounds O' Baby

I am now 32 weeks pregnant and things are lookin' good!

I went to my specialist today and learned that Baby A is weighing 4 lbs., 11 oz. and Baby B is 4 lbs., 9 oz, both head-down. Not bad at all! They're right on track as if there were only one in my belly at 32 weeks and resting comfortably in the 72% percentile! They also gave me my first fetal NST (non-stress test.) The NST monitors the babies' heartrates for 20 minutes and also measures the strength of my contractions. I had no idea I was even having contractions, but I guess that's what that heavy pushing/hardness was! The nurse said it was normal - after all, my highest was about 32/100 - but it was kinda neat to learn what that was!

I'm still surprised when people see me and say, "Oh, you're so tiny!" I feel huge. My stomach is measuring at 40 weeks and I'm growing new stretch marks every day. Sleeping has become a huge challenge and bending down is no longer an option. The boys are obviously running out of space or else they wouldn't be making things so uncomfortable for me! But I realize what those people mean when I see another pregnant lady who looks REALLY pregnant. She's usually a lot shorter than I am with a small torso. Maybe that's why God allowed me to be so tall! My torso allows me to hide more than nine pounds of baby pretty well!

I've been going to my OB/GYN every week for the past few months, but now I'll be seeing my specialist every week, too. I also dropped off my maternity pre-admission form at the hospital so we'll be ready to go when it's time... even though I'm hoping that won't be for another 7 weeks. Thank you for your continued prayers!

A Fun Hobby

It's always fun to get paid for what you love to do!

For the past three summers, I have worked for one of my friends at the middle school who runs a private summer camp in Buffalo. I create the PowerPoint presentations for their Open House and Staff Orientation, but I also draw caricatures of the kids for one day each summer... that's my favorite.

I was working on this year's presentations and I came across some photos from last year's caricature events. Here are some highlights:

It makes for an exhausting day (where my back and neck are always sore when I'm done) but I love watching the kids' reactions to their little drawings. They're by no means professional, but they're a big hit with seven-year-olds!

Welcome, Baby Mandich!

On Friday, 3/13/09, my sister and her husband welcomed their first son, Matthew David Mandich, into the world! Matthew arrived at 11:21pm and was 8 lbs., 6 oz. and 22 inches long! We were able to visit them at Rochester General Hospital the next evening and get some photos!

Grandma and Grandpa Albrecht: First-Time Grandparents!

Feeling the Heat

14 weeks pregnant on November 16th vs. 30 weeks pregnant on March 8th

Well, I guess time does make a difference!

Everything continues to go extremely well over here, though I am realizing why many women go on bed-rest during the last stretch of the pregnancy. Even walking can present an issue lately! The boys kick a lot - a LOT - and I'm beginning to wonder if they are going to be the all-star athletes the doctors have been teasing us about. I don't ever get the sense that they're focusing their frustration on eachother, though, but their surroundings. It's just getting so crowded in there!

Their kicks are strong and I'm feeling more of their pushes as they stretch their little legs as far as they can go. Oftentimes, those stretches land them under my ribs and I have to grasp for air, attemping to push their limbs down. It's still amazing for me to realize that two lives are steadily growing inside of my body. And I try to remind myself: every little thing that makes me uncomfortable is another sign of a healthy baby... or two!

The boys are definitely feeling the heat in their little oven. But like all good Sauer Doughs, they need a little heat to let them rise... although I'm beginning to wish I had a bigger oven.

7 Pounds of Babies

I went to my specialist this morning for an updated sonogram of the boys. They're doing well and the doctor says I have two future NBA stars on my hands! Baby A is weighing in at 3 lbs, 4 oz and Baby B is 3 lbs, 11 oz. That's about 7 pounds of babies total! Wow.

They kept me up all night twisting and turning in their little playground, so they were both exhausted and sleeping during the exam. But here are two of the photos she caught:

Here is the back of Baby A's head, looking down. You can see his little ears!

This is Baby B's face. Doesn't he look so relaxed? I love that you can see his little "heart!"

I will be 29 weeks tomorrow and so we're hoping to make it another 9 weeks before they're 38 weeks, or full-time for twins. That date would be May 6th. We shall see! We're still waiting on news of Ellie and my little nephew... she's due any day now!