29 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello Family and Friends-

We hope everyone is enjoying the holidays! Things here are okay. Christmas was uneventful, which is what we had hoped for. Jeff made me a delicious turkey dinner that I was able to eat (and keep down)! The only thing I wanted for Christmas was to still be pregnant and I got my wish!

We had our weekly doctor's appointment yesterday and got good and bad news. The bad news, which I somewhat expected, was that my cervix shortened a bit more. The cerclage continues to do its job, but it's a bit scary to see on the screen. Nico used to be head down, which freaked me out even more, but the sweetie decided to turn a bit so now his butt rests on my cervix. They didn't measure them again, but I was up almost 2 pounds in a week, so hopefully that means they have gained weight too. I see my regular OB today and we are planning on getting steroid shots for the boys. When women are at risk of pre-term labor, before 34 weeks, it is standard protocol to give the babies' steroid shots to help their lungs mature. I will get one shot today and one tomorrow.

Many people have asked when the dr's predict the babies might be born. There is really no easy way to answer this question. A baby is considered full term if born between 37 and 40 weeks. Any time a baby is born before 37 weeks it is considered premature. Obviously the closer to 37 weeks, the better for the babies. Babies can survive outside of the womb as early as 24 weeks. The earlier a baby is born, the more likely it is that he/she may encounter a variety of complications, many of which are life-threatening and can have some long term consequences. The dr's have told us that at this point a day in the womb is equivalent to a week in the NICU. While I feel good knowing that the babies would probably be okay if born now, I know that having 2 babies in the NICU for an extended period of time is not how I want my boys starting out their lives. Therefore, we are hoping that I stay pregnant for as much of January as possible. With my cervix so short, hospital bed rest seems to be in my near future. We'll see what the dr says today.

Oh yeah, the good news! While Nico was being very shy during our ultrasound yesterday, Blake was putting on a show for us. We were the last patients of the day, so the tech spent an extra long time with us on the 4D machine. During that time we saw Blake hiccup (Jeff didn't believe me when I told him that the babies were hiccuping inside me, now he does!), smile (he was dreaming of the yummy chocolate shakes that Jeff makes me!) and open and close his mouth. They look so much like real babies now and its amazing how we are already so in love with our sons!

Here are some pics from the ultrasound. Like I said before, Nico was being shy and wasn't facing the right way to get good shots, so they are all of Blake.

Have a fun and safe New Years! I hope 2009 brings us all joy and happiness! (and for us, several sleepless nights!)

Love,

Rebeca and Jeff

27 weeks!

Holiday Greetings everyone! Things are going pretty much the same over here. We had our weekly appointment yesterday and the boys are growing! Nico was measuring at 2 lbs 7 oz and Blake was 2 lbs 2 oz. I really wanted him to be over the 2 lb mark so I was really happy! Nico had his eyes halfway open and Blake was playing with his hands. Too precious!

My cervix is short, but hadn't changed since the previous week. Our hope is to ring in the new year at home on the couch and not on hospital bed rest. The next few weeks are pretty crucial for the boys to keep growing.

I am hanging in there, but have my moments. I've had some more visitors, so that has helped. It's a really strange time of year to not be active in the outside world. Jeff is super busy trying to get prints, Cds, etc, to clients before Christmas. Needless to say, we aren't doing the usual Christmas routine. Our wonderful neighbors, who continue to amaze us with their kindness, brought over a cute mini- Christmas tree with lights on it that we have up in the living room. (otherwise known as my bedroom/ family room/ dining room, etc)

I must admit, though, that as the year dwindles to a close I am realizing more and more that we are going to have 2 babies in our house before we know it. Part of me is so excited to meet them and move out of the pregnancy chapter and into the parenthood chapter. Another part of me is scared out of my mind! We know that we are going to need the help of family and friends to get us through, especially at the beginning. So, if you LOVE to hold babies and you are nearby, load up on that Vitamin C because we will be welcoming all the help we can get!

Again, we send you our love during this holiday time and thank you for your continued support! We wouldn't have come this far without it!

Hugs and kisses and may Santa fulfill all your Christmas wishes,
Rebeca and Jeff

Happy News

We had our weekly appt today and we have good news to report! First and foremost, my cervix is holding tight and has not changed since last week. The Dr was happy about that. Second, the boys are growing nicely. Baby A, who we will formally announce as Nicolas Riley, is a whopping 2 pounds! (He is actually ahead of schedule!) Baby B, also known as Blake Taylor, is a healthy 1 lb, 8 ozs. He is right on track! I've been so worried about their growth because I've had such a hard time eating. Somehow they are getting bigger even though I am not gaining weight. We did meet with a dietitian who works at the Dr's office and she gave us some suggestions on how to "fatten me up".

As far as our names go, each one has special meaning. Nicolas is a name I have always loved, partly because it sounds so nice in English and Spanish. We decided to spell it the Latin way as a tribute to my Hispanic heritage. His nickname will be Nico (pronounced Nee-co). Riley is a family name on Jeff's side of the family. His paternal grandfather and great grandfather were Riley's.

Blake is Jeff's middle name. We like it because it's very masculine sounding and can't really be shortened. Taylor is my maiden name and we thought it sounded nice with Blake.

Many people have told us that we are brave to announce the names so soon. We would love comments, but we have no intention of changing them at this point!

Hope you are all well!

Love- Rebeca
48 days and counting................................................