Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Okay, so we haven't exactly kept the blog updated like we had hoped, but we have been very busy preparing for the boys!

It's Christmas Eve, and we have been in the hospital since Monday evening. As a precaution and to more closely monitor Allison's vitals and the boys growth and development, we opted to be here instead of at home. It's possible that they could be delivered on Friday, 12/26/08!!!

To make up for not keeping you all updated, here is a quick summary of what has been going on the past 3 months:

Transportation Adjustments:

Sadly, we traded in our pickup for a 2008 Honda Odyssey and got a rockin' deal! The van has been an adjustment for us as we settle in to Soccer Mom and Soccer Dad mode. Auto sliding doors and heated seats have helped to cushion the blow. We completed a car seat check on November 22nd, not that we are excited or anything...

Living Arrangements:

With great anticipation, we finished the boys' room and even solved the "coldest room in the house" fiasco. We are so happy with the finished product and are very proud of our cost efficiency efforts in simply refinishing free or garage sale pieces.

Before:

After:

We also finished an additional space in the basement on our own that houses a spare bedroom and additional play area. This process took longer than we thought, but the finished product was worth the wait and stress. If the principal gig doesn't work out, maybe Mike can finish basements for a living!

Appointments:

We have done our share of travelling to have sonograms but the feedback is always nice. We have completed biophysicals weekly at LMH since 28 weeks. We have really had the best experience we could have imagined with Dr. Durland; we recommend her in a heartbeat to anyone!

We have visited Overland Park Regional Medical Center every 3 weeks to have measurement sonograms completed at Midwest Perinatal. Dr. Ridgeway was awesome!

Showers:

We are very thankful for the generosity our friends and family have shown during this time. We celebrated the anticipated arrival of our boys with several different baby(ies) showers.

Allison's work had a shower for her at KDHE

Mike's work had a shower for him at the District Office (with a little trickery from the Superintendent!)

Michelle and Wendy hosted one in Lawrence at Stone Creek

Classes:

To prepare for what is coming, and we're sure we don't fully understand the scope yet, we enrolled in some classes offered to expecting parents.

Baby Care was a 4 hour class held on two consecutive Sundays. We learned about swaddling, bathing, diapering, and general care.

Child Birth was a 5 week class held every Thursday and covered delivery options and risks, exercises, and more.

Breastfeeding Class was held in one evening and detailed options for nutrition.

Infant and Child CPR was held on a Saturday morning, and the instructor was a hottie! (Allison was the teacher).