I'm back!!

Finally, I have decided to update my blog again. The twins will be 8 weeks old tomorrow. It is going by so fast and they are growing so much! They love eating, and we have had to watch how much we feed them! They have already started to outgrow some of their clothes, but fortunately, our family and friends have been so generous with their gifts, that we have had to buy very little for them ourselves! However, nappies and formula are pretty expensive, and we are getting through so much of those!!

Emma and Caitlyn are both so wonderful - I can even forgive them when they keep me awake all night! I just look into their beautiful little faces and my heart just melts. It doesn't matter what people tell you, nothing can prepare you for how you will feel when you become a parent. It is much harder but so much more rewarding than you expect it to be.

Emma Georgina (above right) was born at 10.41 am and weighed 6 lbs 13 oz. Georgina is for my late Grandpa, George. Caitlyn Toma (left) was born at 10.43 am and weighed 6 lbs 4 oz. Toma is for Tim's late Grandad, Tom. Both girls were healthy, although Caitlyn had to be put under a UV lamp for a day, as she was a little jaundiced.

We are now starting to establish some sort of a routine, and they are now averaging about 5 hours at night, which is great. Naturally, we have the occasional step backwards from time to time, but we are making progress, which is the main thing. They are both very strong, and have been able to hold their heads up from very early on. They are very aware of their surroundings, and love to watch what is going on around them. They love their activity centres! Bath time is also fun, as they love being in the water - I think they might be swimmers, just like their Daddy!

I have recovered from my C-Section much quicker than I thought I would. I feel great and have been given the all clear from my doctor to start exercising again. This is great news, as I have entered the Susan G Komen Race For The Cure again this year, and my training starts on Monday (eek!). I ran it in 37 minutes last year, and I really hope to beat that this year. If you would like to make a donation to this very worthwhile cause, please visit my web page at: http://komenchicago.kintera.org/raceforthecure/gemmadavies

Gemma became a mummy today

Updating Gemmas blog for her. Photos on my site.

shes doing great.

http://irontritim.blogspot.com/2008/06/today-i-became-daddy.html

Last night of freedom!

Today is 38 weeks, and so we have well and truly made it to full term for the twins. They really do not want to come out! However, tomorrow they will be coming out whether they are ready or not. I have my C-Section scheduled for 10.00 am, and I am now feeling a little overwhelmed by the fact that we will be parents in about 12 hours....eek!

As you can see, we have the nursery all ready (we have also added some curtains today to make the room a little darker for when they sleep during the day).

We opted for the classic Winnie-the-Pooh theme, as we thought it appropriate for two little girls. I also happen to love Tigger (as you can see!!).

My parents arrived yesterday, and they were both astonished to see how big I am! They both said that they had never seen anyone with a bump as big as mine! As you can see below, I am rather large and if I get much bigger, I fear that people might have to start taking panoramic pictures of me!!!

Oh well, by this time tomorrow, we will be the proud parents of our beautiful baby girls, and all of the aches and pains of pregnancy will be long forgotten. Thankfully, we have any army of people coming out one after the other to help us get through the first few weeks......phew!

36 weeks and 1 day

Well, the end is in sight! I have my C-Section scheduled for June 6 (eek!). This is the earliest they would let us schedule it for, as they really want you to go to 38 weeks if you can. However, there is still a good chance that I could 'pop' earlier. We have been told that full term for twins is considered around 37 weeks.

As of Monday, when we had our latest ultrasound, the babies looked great and were weighing in at just under 6 lbs each. That means that I am carrying the equivalent of a 12 lb baby! However, they look in really good shape and have great heartbeats, so we are just pleased to see that everything is going so well.

I have been having a lot more back pain, although the doctor has advised me that this is more to do with the way that the twins are lying. I keep hoping that it means something else, but these babies are going to come in their own time. Tim keeps telling me that they are going to take after their mother - stubborn!

I think Tim has some concerns over how much training he will be able to do once the babies are here. I have assured him that we will find a way around it to make it work. I know how passionate he is about his training, and I am so proud of how far he has come that I feel it is important for him to continue to make the time and effort that he puts into his training.

35 weeks and 2 days

Today is 35 weeks and 2 days for us. The girls are staying put and it is clear that nothing is going to hurry them out! As ready as I am for them to make their grand entrance, I know that the longer they stay in there, the better it is for them. Mind you, I am not sure that my tummy can stretch much more to accommodate them!

The nursery is all ready for them and my bag for the hospital is all packed. We have the buggy waiting for us at the store (we have heard that it is considered bad luck to bring the buggy into the house before the babies are born), and Tim will go and collect it once I am in the hospital. We also have the car seats waiting in the back of the car to be assembled. Our plan is to take them to the local police station or fire station, where they will show us how to fit them properly.

I have started to fill out the baby books for each one, so that when they are born the hospital staff can add their footprints into them for us. We want them to each have a little book of special memories for them to look back on when they are older.

My one frustration at the moment is that our main desktop computer is broken, and so I don't have access to all of our photos, which means that I can't add any right now. Tim is doing everything he can to fix it so that we are back up and running properly ASAP, and I will add some pictures of the nursery when I can.

First Update & Baby Shower

Today we are 33 weeks and 4 days! The doctors are very happy with our progress and keep telling us that we have 2 healthy little babies. However, I am more than ready for them to come out now!

I am not only huge, but I have started to suffer with lots of backache and cramping. I am also not sleeping too well, although I guess I had better get used to lack of sleep!

Yesterday, my friends from work threw me a surprise baby shower. It was wonderful. I arrived, and they opened the door and all shouted 'surprise!' Fortunately, I managed not to go into labour there and then!!

We received lots and lots of lovely gifts and I have had so much fun sorting through everything and finding homes for it all in the nursery!

This is the beautiful cake that they had made for the shower!