The Beginning of the End

If you haven't yet heard, we have been very busy lately. For starters, Emily & I have each started new jobs. I've started at a new company and Emily has switched positions within the same company. We are building a new house. This involves a lot of planning, saving, and stress. And, to top it off, we're also having twins. Twin GIRLS! Yes, karma has come around to bite me on the a**. For I know the way that guys interact & think about the opposite sex. That morsel of knowledge provided me comfort and confidence throughout adolescence and much of the new millenium. However, it is now being prepared to be used against me. I will now battle against those that use the same knowledge that I once used. Only I will now be on the underdog's team. It will be me against the entire male population. . . daunting, to say the least. This marks the beginning of the end to everything that I've come to know and trust about the way gender dynamics worked throughout my thirty years of existence.

With twin girls comes a very pregnant wife. We are in our 26th week of pregnancy, and to my wife's credit, she is doing great! I can't give her enough credit and respect for what she's going through and the way that she's toughin' it out. I get tired and lethargic after eating a big meal, yet she's gaining lbs. by the week and managing to keep working everyday and maintaining a semi-active schedule. Impressive! But with her belly bulging and all of the baby "stuff" rolling through the door, it's now becoming apparent that I will soon have two dependents. And apparently dependents are very time-consuming. I've heard war stories from every parent that I come in contact with. The first thing they tell me after learning about my impending dependents is, "Have fun now, because you'll soon have no time to do anything anymore." But I thought I had no free time already! I don't think I can get less sleep than I already do, I don't play as much golf as I'd like, and I just spent an entire week with my parents AND in-laws. And things are going to get worse?! As every parent is eager to tell me, this is the beginning of the end of my slumber, nightlife, and any resemblence of a social life that I had left.

Have I mentioned that I'm having TWIN GIRLS? I thought my wife was expensive, but these girls haven't even seen the light of day and I'm dropping major dime on them already. Clothes, baby furniture, diapers, household safety items, and diaper genies are just some of the things that now syphon the benjamins out of my distressed bank account. BTW, for those single people out there, I recently discovered that diaper genie's are not nearly as intriguing or magical as their name makes them out to be. Anyway, I recently read an article that stated that it now costs a parent $250,000 to raise a child to the age of 18. That's ONE child and doesn't even include the cost of college! I've got TWO chil'n and their both girls. Does that mean I have to save for weddings as well? I'm no mathmetician, but I'm pretty sure that all adds up to bunches o' dough! Thus, my wallet tells me that this is the beginning of the end of fiscal freedom and financial stability.

This blog was the brilliant brain child of my caring, yet diabolical, sister. She's caring in that she wants to stay updated on the progress of our pregnancy, but don't let that fool you. She's diabolical because she knows that by forcing me to create this blog means that I have to keep contributing to it and updating it on a regular basis. As you can see, I'm not very concise, so this takes up some of the little free time that I have left. She enjoys adding to the growing number of gray hairs that seem to be gaining territory in the war against the brown hairs that reside on my cranium. However, I have the last laugh because she has to read this entire thing just to get to what she really wants to see. . . the ultrasound pictures and details of our latest doctors appointment. So to Jen's delight, this is the beginning to the end of this week's entry.

We had our fourth appointment with our "high-risk" specialist on Monday. We go to a high-risk specialist as a precaution. All multiple births are considered high-risk and are therefore referred to a specialist for several visits. The specialist has better high-tech ultrasound equipment and take very accurate measurements of the fetus's vital organs such as the heart, kidneys, and brain. They also measure the stomach, humerus (upper arm bone) and fibula (thigh bone). They check for movement, heart rate, and breathing. All of these measurements are taken and compared to averages and determinants for ailments, handicaps, or complications. So far, the twins' measurements have been in the normal ranges and have showed no signs of problems or complications. They are up to 1 lb. 14 oz. for Baby A and 1 lb. 11 oz. for Baby B.

There was a small issue with one of the twins kidney's that was discovered last month. The specialist discovered a possible case of Renal pelvic dilatation (RPD). This is the build up of fluid as it travels to the kidney due to an obstruction in the ureter. In rare instances, this can be a sign of Down's Syndrome. So, this had us slightly concerned, and we had our ultrasounds checked by a pediatric kidney specialist a few weeks ago. He simply said to wait it out and see if it gets better as it usually does in most cases. And to our delight, our appointment yesterday showed that her kidney is back to normal and neither one of them are showing any signs of RPD, or any complications for that matter.

So, there was nothing too exciting to report from our latest meeting with our specialist. But, stay tuned for next weeks entry as we visit our OBGYN and Emily has blood taken (which, if you know Emily, is always an adventure).


"It's double the giggles and double the grins...And double the trouble if you're blessed with twins."

If you'd like to join in on the fun, then go to:

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Emily and I have started a pool to guess our delivery date and other fun facts.