Body Pillows, Bellies, and Babies

Based on a few recommendations I purchased a body pillow to aid with my sleeping comfort. It IS comfy, however, I did not realize we would also need a king size bed to accomodate this third person! I actually have to tuck this thing in at night - get it all under the covers and situated before I can get in. Mike asked why I can't snuggle with him to get comfortable - he's just not squishy enough! Sometimes during the day when I walk past our bedroom and out of the corner of my eye see the bed, it freaks me out that there's someone in it!

My belly is growing bit by bit, and I guess I'm noticeably pregnant, but I'm still a bit surprised that some brave souls are already asking if I'm pregnant, etc. I don't dare ask someone even if it's super obvious! You just never know. At this point I think I could still pass for just needing to go on a diet. If I thought I could pull it off, next time someone asks I would say that I'm not pregnant just to see how they handle that, but there's no way I could say it and keep a straight face!

Now for the more exciting part of this post. I'm actually wondering how many of you scanned through the first two paragraphs, not really reading them, to get down to this section. So, we had the 'big' ultrasound today. It took an hour and a half and they checked out and measured all sorts of stuff on each baby. Everything looks good - they both measure 20 wks and 1 day, which is 1 day ahead. They are both 12 oz. Baby B has big feet - given my family history I'm not surprised, but I'm hoping some other growing happens so they end up average sized... Both heart rates are good and fall in the normal range. Right now Baby A is breech and Baby B is head down - the position of who's A and B won't change, but there's still room and plenty of time for A to end up in a head down position. (Which is important for how they are born - A has to be head down otherwise I'll have a c-section.) Baby A was quite active today, and did not want to hold still for pictures. Oh, I almost forgot! Okay, not really, I'm just dragging this out... The baby who was so discreet last time did give us a between the legs view today. And.........it's a boy! So, we've got two little boys in there! My mind is already racing with all the trouble they are going to get into together. :) We got one picture today where just because of the angle it looks like Baby B is giving Baby A a hug OR has him in a headlock - guessing the second option would be more likely...

Well, now we can move ahead with more planning. We have LOTS of work to do in the next few months!

Farewell

Today we are saying good-bye to our dog, Brandy. She made it to just over 14 years, and it was a good ride! Mike got Brandy as a puppy for his 19th birthday in June 1995. They were best buds. I remember when we got married, and Brandy and I had to get to know each other - I know it sounds weird, but it can even be awkward with an animal! However, it didn't take long and she was 'my girl'.

It's been sad watching her age over the last few years, and we knew today was going to come sooner or later. This week it became clear that she was just suffering too much and we shouldn't try to hold on to her any longer. It was a quick and painless visit to the vet, and she is now buried by the woods (where there is plenty of room for our other dogs we are sure to have to bury in the future...).

We've talked about how at least Sadie will probably live long enough for our kids to become attached - I'm not quite sure how I'll help kids through it if I'm all emotional myself! We'll always have dogs, so this will be an every few years or so experience...

It is very strange to think we only have two dogs now - it seems so normal for us to have three, even though for most people that's a little overboard. We didn't plan on having three dogs, but it's been a blast!

Good-bye, Brandy - you were the best dog a person could ask for!

Haunted House

You'll all be happy to know that we do not have a haunted house! Not that I actually thought we had ghosts, but there have been some suspicious occurrences as of late, and today I was able to figure it out. So, we've got a stereo in the dining room that does not get used very often - actually, I want to sell it and just get a small under-cabinet cd player/radio for the kitchen. Last week, one of my nephews came to play and we listened to some music for a while. Ever since then, the stereo has periodically turned on by itself and started playing music. I was terribly mystified as to how this could be happening, and a bit miffed because I don't want to sell a less than perfect stereo. It wasn't until this afternoon when it magically turned on that it dawned on me there might be a pattern as to when it turns on, and this just might be a sophisticated enough piece of equipment to have a timer. Yup! That's all it was! This has really been bugging me, and I feel so much better now.

In other, slightly more interesting, news, we have found new renters for our cabin up north. Okay, we don't really have a cabin up north, but the house is north of us and it does have a cozy, cabiny feel. Our current renters, who have been great, are leaving when their lease is up at the end of this month. Thankfully, we again had no problem finding new tenants. We have a good feeling about them, so I hope they don't let us down... We feel very blessed that renting out that property has so far gone very well. The headaches we've had with the house are only due to the high water table there, not problems with the renters themselves.

We have enjoyed a very productive day here at our primary residence. If the babies and I can summon up a little more energy, we may go back outside to do a little more work. Mike did not have to work at Schreur's today, my parents are in South Africa so there's only a small amount of farm work to be done, and we actually have a weekend with no other activities planned! This is a very rare occasion for us, and I have enjoyed every minute of the day. We had a bunch of little projects to do, and it was great to get them done and to be able to work on them together. Right now Mike's doing some of the necessary farm work - raking hay so it can dry to be baled next week.

All for now!

Girls? Boys? One of each??

Well, as many of you know we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our two precious babies in December. Time is seemingly moving extra slow right now, but we are almost halfway through the pregnancy, and finally at a point where we can see more 'details' in the ultrasound. So, today we learned that one of our children is either challenging and not going to cooperate with us, or *she* is discreet and doesn't want to show off the between the legs view! I'd rather go with the latter reason...
So, here's the scoop: we for sure have at least one boy! He had no problem giving us a good view. The other baby was turned so we couldn't see that spot at all - hopefully next time we'll be able to get a good view!
It is amazing to see how much the babies have been growing. Up until this point it was easy to see both babies separately on the ultrasound, now things are getting a little more crowded and squished together, so it's a little harder to tell who's who! They are growing good, have good heartbeats, and were squirming around during the ultrasound.
Thank you all who have been praying for mine and the babies' health during this pregnancy - don't stop!