My First Mother's Day

Both of our families joined us at our house for a little Mother's Day celebration! It was especially exciting because it was my FIRST one!

Cousin Leah with the boys

Great Uncle Dan and Great Aunt Patti - the boys share Uncle Dan's birthday!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom Sauer!

David and Ellie with their 8-week old son, Matthew. Isn't he precious?

Uncle Dan with Jack

Grandma Albrecht with our nephew, Matthew

The Albrecht Family 2009

The Grandchildren: Jonathan, Matthew, and Benjamin

Grandma and Grandpa Albrecht with the grandchildren

The Albrecht "Kids"

My mom looks too young to be a grandma! Here she is with Ben and Jack.

The Andrew Sauer Family

Andy, Mindy, Benjamin and Jonathan

Introducing: Our Boys!

We've waited a long time to meet them, but wait no more... they're here!

Jonathan Andrew and Benjamin David were born on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. Does that date sound familiar? Well, that's because it was our two-year wedding anniversary! That just proves that the Lord has a sense of humor! Here is our story.

Andy and I had gone to the hospital on Monday morning and they sent me home because I was only 1.5cm dialated. Throughout the rest of that day, my contractions started getting more frequent and more difficult to manage. Finally, at 3:15am that next morning, on the eve of our 38th week, I could take it no longer: we called the doctor and headed to the hospital. Little did we know how fast everything would progress!

They immediately hooked me up to the machines in order to monitor the boys' heart rates and my contractions. At this point, I was 4cm dialated and everything looked good for a natural birth like we had been hoping. But they noticed that every time I got an intense contraction, Baby A's (Jonathan's) heart rate would decrease dramatically. The mood in the room changed in a matter of moments from excitement to intrepidation. That's when they notified us that we would be wise to deliver by cesarean section. We knew it would be a possibility (especially with two) and so we didn't even hesitate to change courses.

They drugged me up at 6am and the boys were born just a few minutes later at 6:19am and 6:20am! We were grateful for our decision to go cesarean because the cord had been wrapped around Jonathan's head and body, cutting off his air supply. His head was a little swollen from already having begun his journey through the birth canal, but other than that, he was perfectly healthy! Here are their stats (with each boy receiving a 9/9 on their Apgar test!)

Jonathan (Jack) Andrew

6 lbs., 5 oz. - 19.25 inches long

pictured on right

Benjamin David

7 lbs., 7 oz. - 21 inches long

pictured on left

Recovery was uncomfortable for Mommy the first two days, but the euphoria of having such beautiful, healthy baby boys, as well as a husband that was out-of-his-skin-excited kept me very well distracted! I received great medication and lots of tutoring in how to breastfeed the boys (and even at the same time - wow!) We finally took the boys home on Friday evening and we have all been doing extremely well. Andy has been a HUGE help and I've really enjoyed watching him transition into being a "daddy." I never thought you could love someone even more than the day you married them.

We are SO grateful that God would bless us in such an amazing way and look forward to what He has in store for us in the future. Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

Getting Anxious

We've had the suitcase packed, the carseats buckled, and the nursery stocked. And still, the Sauer Twins are enjoying themselves too much in-utero to make their appearance!

Mommy's gettin' real uncomfortable, especialy my joints. Everything is so sore, all of the time. I told Andy that my bones feel like rubber and my ligaments are barely holding on. And then to put it in terms he might understand, I said, "You know how when meat is cooked so well it just falls right off the bone? Well, that's exactly how my body feels." He seemed to get that. :)

May Sauers

I got my wish: we made it to the month of May!

We are currently more than 37 weeks along, though my belly is measuring 53 weeks. That's a lotta baby! My doctor also said that I am not dialated at all, which means this could take a while. I'm hoping to deliver naturally, which means he might induce me in about two weeks... when I'm 39.5 weeks along! Wow. I do wish it could be sooner, but we can also pray the boys come on their own before then!!

It Won't Be Long Now...

Even at 37 weeks, our boys don't seem to be in a hurry!

My specialist today said they look very comfortable in their little oven and probably won't be ready for a little bit yet. Fine with me... I like big babies! (Though selfishly, they could come ANY day! :)

36 Weeks and Counting

Still here and still pregnant!

We feel very blessed to be at 36 weeks and have such big and healthy boys still growing comfortably in the womb. Baby A is now measuring about 6 lbs. and Baby B is about 6 lbs. 5 oz. Hooray! It's still safe for them to arrive anytime, but if they're still not here by week 39, my doctor will induce me. It's lookin' good!

Some new developments with my body:

• My stretch marks are growing darker and deeper everyday and the technician today said they're even swollen. No wonder they're sore! Cocoa butter everyday...
• Sleeping through the night is a thing of the past. I take cat-naps at night for about 45-60 minutes at a time, waking up each time to flip, go to the bathroom, or get a drink of water. Good thing I can take naps during the day, or I'd be exhausted!
• Walking has become an emergency-only activity. My leg muscles are very sore (from the hormone, relaxin, that is pumping through my body) and my hips keep popping out of place. It's all nature's way of preparing my body for the miracle of birth!
• I still surprise myself at my hyper-sense of smell. We were at a restaurant on Sunday and I turned to my sister and said, "Woh, that waitress has bad body odor. Can you smell it?" She just looked at me and smiled. 'Nuff said.
• I'm getting used to the fact that the majority of my maternity tops no longer cover my entire belly. And I don't care if people can see my belly from underneath. They'd stare at it anyway.
• Eating at the table while pregnant has refined all of my previous ideas about good table etiquette. Now, it's alright if I need to bring my plate to my mouth so I decrease the chance of a spill. I can't reach the table because of this huge watermelon where my stomach used to be.
• More and more, I feel so honored that the Lord chose us to grow and nurture TWO of His precious little ones. I still get overwhelmed at times wondering how we're going to make it all work, but I am SUPER excited about what He has in store!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support! I'll be sure to keep updates coming as the boys' arrival draws nearer!

Easter 2009

For Easter, Andy and I went to church, Mom Sauer's for lunch and then Mom Albrecht's for dinner. It was a wonderful time to celebrate family and Jesus' resurrection!

The Albrecht Clan, as of 4/12/09... more to come!

Grandma Albrecht with her first grandson, Matthew

Matthew with his mom and dad, Ellie and David

Our nieces and nephew:

Sarah (6), Tommy (3), Anna (8), and Lauren (4)

35 Weeks and Counting!

We are VERY proud that we have made it to 35 weeks so far!

The boys are doing extremely well and our doctors have told us that they could come anytime now! And even though it's getting pretty uncomfortable for Mommy, I'm hoping they're comfortable for a little bit longer, knowing that every day they stay in the womb is an added bonus. Our official due date is May 19th, but if they don't come on their own, they will induce me around Week 38 or 39... that's only 3-4 weeks away! People are surprised when I tell them that I'm actually carrying TWO babies, but it is amazing to think that these boys are weighing in at 5 lbs, 4 oz, and 5 lbs, 9 oz; that's not small! My doctor said I have a good chance of delivering two 7-8 pound babies!

I went to my specialist for a sonogram today and she informed me that my babies have HAIR! I had assumed the old wives tale was true: if your babies have a lot of hair, you have heartburn. Not true! At least in my case. I haven't had ANY heartburn during my pregnancy, so I just assumed my boys were bald! :) So now, anticipation is building even more as I dream about what they're going to look like...

The nursery is ready and my bags are packed for the hospital. Just in case. I'm hoping it's like the Umbrella Rule: if you have it with you, you won't need it. :)