Twin Update

I had another ultrasound today. Both babies appeared to be the same size - the ultrasound tech estimated them both at 8 ounces. They both look developmentally really well. Their heartrates were both 160 bpm. She spent about an hour doing the ultrasound. They are really looking at everything at this stage!

A couple matters for prayer: one baby has what is called "velamentous insertion of the umbilical cord", which from what I can figure out, means that the umbilical cord is not attached as best as we would wish for - it is off to the side of the placenta instead of the middle. The doctor told me this could affect the growth of the baby. That is all she said really about that. The other baby has a very small amount of fluid surrounding him. I could tell right away what she was talking about - I could see on the ultrasound one baby with this big area all around him - he had plenty of room to "swim" around, and the other one looked crammed into his space. Again, the doctor didn't say much about this, except that it wasn't what would be best. I think nobody wants to say too much, because at this point, both babies appear to be fine physically.

So, we just wanted to let you all know so you could be praying more specifically. We covet your prayers for our babies. We feel scared, and we wish we could do something, but there isn't anything to do or change. We are safe in the will of God for us and for them, and I am so glad for that. I am glad that Jesus came to die for us, and that now he is with us always.

Sledding

We finally got our big snow storm of the winter! Hooray! We've all been wondering if we were ever going to get one this winter. Brian had to work, but Jacob was off school. If I weren't preggers, I would have tried to take the kids to a big hill to do some sledding, but they were actually really happy with our three foot "hill" in the back yard. For a while I stayed out with them, getting them situated on the sled and then pushing them down, so they'd glide pretty far out into the yard. Then, I went to get the camera, and they had taken to the method you see below. Jacob would lay down, the sled would begin to take off and Stan had better hurry and jump on. The boys have been getting along really well lately (for the most part) for which I am really thankful. Come to think of it, that is not something I pray about, but that I will start praying about, for sure!

OUTNUMBERED

That's right, I'm going to be completely outnumbered five to one. Apparantly there are to be no little frilly dresses in the Brian Rages household. 4 boys! We are shocked! The twins looked good today at our ultrasound and they both let it be known that we are to begin coming up with boys names. Any suggestions?? We are clear out! (Just kidding) We are so thankful and it will sure be a hilarity to have four boys growing up here rough housing and being generally boyish. I'm sure there will never be a dull or quiet moment for years to come. Bring on the years of fun - we're ready for it! :-) God is good!

Twin Update

We had another ultrasound today. We were hoping to find out whether we can expect two boys or two girls, but our obstetrician was unable to get a good shot. He said with twins there isn't as much room for them to move around and so it's a bit harder to see sometimes. So the big news, is no news yet. But WAY more importantly, they are both the same size! We are so thankful. No sign of TTTS. We have an appointment at the specialist's on Tuesday. Our doc said that with their big ultrasound machine, they should be able to see if they're boys or girls . We'll keep you posted...... Thanks for praying!