Getting closer ...

Well, another scan and all is still going well. The twins are now almost exactly the same size at around 1.7kg each. This means that I officially am carrying more baby than when Isabella was born - she was only 3.2kg. The doctor is pleased and is comfortable that they would be fine even if born now. Still, we are all aiming for them to stay inside a little longer and keep growing bigger and stronger before they arrive.

They are still incredibly active with lots of pushing and shoving happening at all hours of the day. The doctor says there is still plenty of room for them to move around. At this stage, one of them must be getting quite a few kicks in the head from the other. There are also an increasing number of bumpy bits poking out on a regular basis.

Isabella is still determined that they are sisters and vacillates from kissing them and blowing raspberries at them. It is becoming increasingly difficult for me to pick her up and I have to make a real effort not to pick her up too much and to increase the amount of rest I get.

Simon and I think that we have finally settled on names. Of course, we are not sharing what these might be so everyone can just keep guessing. And, Beck and Lawrence, if we steal your name before you get to use it, Sorry!

Heading to 30 weeks

Well, not much to report on the twin front. All is progressing smoothly and mum and bump are doing well. At the last scan the twins weighed in at approximately 1.2kg and 1.3kg each and one was getting a headspin from being upside down. The other was head up so we are hoping it will turn around over the next few weeks.

The bump is definitely growing as this photo taken at 29 weeks shows. I'm feeling a lot more uncomfortable and tired that the first time around too. One of Isabella's favourite phrases at the moment is "Mummy carry" which is becoming increasingly hard but I'm still managing to lug all 13kg of her around a fair bit. I do increasingly palm her off to Daddy or Linda though. Luckily, this generally doesn't seem to upset her.

Lastest photos

We were off to the obstetrician again today for a 24 week check up. All is still well with both twins growing well and the correct size. One is slightly smaller than the other but only just.

No boxing match today (although they seemed to be going through the heavyweight finals last night!) but still plenty of activity. One of them still seems to be a bit camera shy.

Anyway, here are the latest pictures - don't worry about the hole in one of their heads - there isn't really a hole it's just the limit of the ultrasound.

The twins are getting bigger ...

Well, it seems that there has been a sudden burst of growth from the little ones who also seem to have decided it is time to get active. They provided a glimpse of what is to come at the twenty week scan when, much to the obstetrician's surprise, they were caught on screen having a bit of a fight. Aside from the bad behaviour everything else at the scan was perfect - all the bits where they are supposed to be and everything looked as it should.

Since then, my belly seems to have been expanding at a rapid rate and I am quickly beginning to fear just how big I may end up. Here's a few progress shots.

17 Weeks


19 Weeks


24 Weeks

Evidence of twins

Well, I went for my 16 week scan today and there are definitely still two babies. This photo proves that the doctor is not just making it up.



One of the bubs is obviously pretty outgoing and was waving at the camera.



The other spent the whole scan with its back to the camera and is obviously a bit shy.



Anyway, the other news from the doctor is that the twins share one placenta and are therefore identical twins. We're waiting to see if Simon is going to be outnumbered 4:1 on the girl:boy stakes or whether suddenly Isabella and I will be in the minority. You'll have to wait until February for the answer to that one!

Growing already!

Well, it seems that twins really do take up more space. I have a dearth of photos from my pregnancy with Isabella but seem to remember being about this size at around 20 weeks last time. This photo was taken at 15 weeks. I believe that the babies have a real growth spurt at around 16 weeks so that should be fun!!!

Twins on the way

Well, as of Thursday 7 August 2008, we are officially expecting twins. I'm sure it will be a day that stays with us for a long time. It was certainly a shock as an earlier ultrasound (at 6 1/2 weeks) only showed one bub so twins were even more of a surprise than if we hadn't thought about it at all.

We're not sure if the photo is of D1 or D2 (please excuse the unimaginative temporary names - we're too busy thinking of the real ones!) but by 12 weeks it had certainly grown lots. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get a good photo to take home but there were definitely two little bubs with two little faces, twenty little fingers and lots of toes, although we couldn't count them. Both D1 and D2 seemed pretty happy where they were and were dancing around having lots of fun.

Isabella doesn't really know what's going on (and would probably choose to ignore it if she knew!) but perhaps subconsciously she's on to it as she's taken a fancy to blowing raspberries on my tummy. Just sending them a little message about who's the boss!

We're busy thinking of all the things we need to get ready for two little bubs. We have hired a maid who starts in late September (inshallah!) as long as her visa can be processed in time. Definitely looking forward to having her on board as I thought we might lose her when she heard the bit about two babies. We've just had Isabella's room and the "formerly designated to be the guest" room repainted and are trying to work out the logistics of still keeping a dedicated guest room in the house. Luckily the rooms are big and will easily fit a queen size bed and a couple of cots. We'll then just have to do a bit of shuffling when we actually have guests.

I have been feeling well although extremely tired. Feel quite guilty about how well I have been when I chat to my friends who are also pregnant have been suffering terribly from morning (and all through the day) sickness. Still, they'll get the last laugh when I'm sitting there in the middle of the night trying to feed and settle two babies.