Ready to roll

We spent the last part of the week and the beginning of the weekend trying to finish up all of the last minute details we need to attend to before the babies arrive. Nana (Matt's mom) came on Thursday and helped us take all of the tags off of our preemie to 3 mos clothes and wash them all. We also took inventory of what we have and what we need more of. Everyone has been so very generous that there were a lot of tags to remove and a lot of clothes to wash, so we were grateful for Nana's help. Today we went over to Justin and Jessica's house and they helped us get the car seats installed in the car. And this evening Grami (my mom) came by and helped me get my hospital bag packed just in case we have to go sooner than planned.

We are so appreciative of all the help we've received from our loving family and friends. You all are wonderful and we are lucky to have you in our lives. I am so excited for Kate and Ryan to meet you all.

33 weeks dr visit

We saw Dr K on Monday of this week as well as had our second non-stress test. Dr K said everything looks good and I was happy to report to him that I was able to get the H1N1 vaccine at our local health dept last Friday (thanks Dad for standing in line in the cold so that I could be the first one to get the shot when they opened the doors!) Dr K said that one of his patients waited in line for 5 hrs on Sat in OKC...I am so thankful that was not me.
The NST went well also. I did have to sit up about half way through b/c I was feeling light headed. Once I got settled in it was business as usual for the babies, as Ryan was easily cooperative and had his heart beat recorded quickly. Kate did her usual hide from the nurse bit, and it took about twice as long to get hers recorded. We are so grateful for a great report from our visit. Next week we will go back to see the dr, have an ultra sound, and do our next NST. At least its all in one day.

32 weeks and growing

This Tuesday was 32 weeks for the babies and they are getting bigger by the day. We haven't had an ultra sound in a few weeks, but the Internet says they are around 3 lbs each at this point. They are moving a lot and definitely getting stronger if their kicks and wiggles are any indicators. We saw Dr K on Tuesday and also had our first non-stress test (where we get hooked up to 2 monitors and listen to the babies' heart beats for about 15-20 minutes). It takes a while to find both their heart beats and get them to hold still long enough to record. Ryan's was pretty easy to get, but Kate was being a little wiggler so it took us about an hr before it was all said and done. The nurse said the babies both sounded good and healthy (Praise God!) but I was showing some mild contractions. This was news to me, as I felt totally fine, but she said it could be any number of factors, even the test itself that got them stirred up. So she talked to Dr K and he said to give me a little shot of muscle relaxer, watch to make sure the contractions stopped, and then send me on. So off we went.

The test was conducted on the Labor and Delivery floor (as they will be each week) so mom got to see where the babies will be born. They also had a new baby in the nursery when we were there which made all of this seem even more real. It made me so excited to think that in just 4 weeks we will be meeting our own precious boy and girl. Now we just need them to stay in there as long as possible so they can get big and strong before they make their debut. Please keep us in your prayers that we will all remain healthy while waiting for the big day.

can't wait to meet the baby Pioneers

the mommies-to-be

This week was our baby shower at school, which was a joint shower for Ashley and I. Ashley's little girl is due in December, right around our original 40 weeks due date, if we were going that far. It has been fun to see how she has been progressing and to see what size I might of been with a singleton.

The shower was really fun and it was nice to have some social non-rushed time at work to visit with everyone and have lunch. I think everyone is eagerly anticipating the arrivals of the newest members of the Pioneer family. I was especially impressed with Debbie's cakes which were both creative and tasty. Days like this one really make you appreciate working in a place with so many loving and supportive people. I know that I am blessed with a job that most days I truly enjoy, and on the tough days at least you can never say is boring. It was a fun day to celebrate.

31 weeks Dr visit

We saw Dr K today and happy to report that everything looks good. Praise the Lord! The babies are growing just fine, 2 strong heart beats, and my blood pressure has been holding nice and low. We will go back next week to see Dr K and then will start our weekly non-stress tests at 33 weeks. It seems hard to believe that we only have a mere 5 weeks to go until we will meet our precious Ryan and Kate. Time has really gone by quickly. We want to thank everyone who has been lifting all 4 of us up in prayer, for we know that the words of James 1:17 are true; "every good and perfect gift is from above, shining down from the father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

Progress as promised

We have had a very productive weekend at our house thus far, and I am one happy momma-to-be. Last night (Friday) we made a trip to Lowe's (the place that everyone starts to dread during any type of renovation/project because of how much money you spend as soon as you walk in the doors) and picked up some shelving for the babies' closet and a few other items. 100 bucks later, we were on our way home. Matt got the shelves put up and they look great. Today we have hung up all of the "wall art," curtains, and the bi-fold doors on the closets. We also put the knobs on the dresser/changing table and put a ton of stuff away. So now all we are waiting on is our bedding to be finished (any day now) and dad to finish the tray for the changing table top, and we should be in business.