Greetings from the MOTHERSHIP!

Another Week Bites the DUST!

We have made it to 32 weeks, and Monday will mark 33! Yipee!!! As you can see...we are all growing, growing, growing. A week ago at our ultrasound our baby girl weighed in at 3.5 lbs & baby boy was close to 4 lbs! They are expected to gain about .5 lb/week from now on, so I am really excited about that. On average, at this stage of development, babies measure 16 inches long. Okay people, that's over 7.5 lbs and 32 inches of baby wrapped up in this belly! Amazing. I have surpassed the waist & weight measurements I recorded at the time of Zoe's birth...you could say I pretty much look overdue! :) Wesley's nickname for me is the "mothership" and he calls Zbug my little "droid."

This week I started my non-stress tests on Mondays & Thursdays. Both days the babies perfomed well & their heart rates were considered to be healthy. I also met with my OB & was able to ask her a million ?s about the possibilities during birth/delivery of these little ones. I will continue to have non-stress tests twice a week, doppler ultrasounds every other week, growth ultrasounds once a month, and OB/midwife appts. every two weeks. I can't wait for Gretchen to come in 2 weeks to help out with Zoe during all of those office visits!

What a crazy journey this has been, and as it winds down I try to remind myself each day of the miracle I am living. I never want to take for granted this awesome experience!

Am I Forgetting Something?

In an effort to be ready for the unexpected, and out of shear excitement & anticipation, I have packed the hospital bags (several times), set up the nursery, bought diapers, wipes, clothes, towels, bottles & binkies, acquired 2 bouncy chairs & 2 exersaucers, bought another car seat, and prepared the crib!! Technically, I could still be carrying these kids 7 weeks from now, but better safe than sorry, right? Besides, I am just seriously

SO EXCITED!!!!

So now, I need your help.....what am I forgetting? I know that there has to be something I've overlooked. Please let me know your thoughts, suggestions, and questions!!!!

the bags are all packed
the dresser/changing table is well stocked

we have 2 teddy bears from grandma kath

2 homemade quilts from great grandpa & grandma merritt
2 bouncy chairs
2 exersaucers
2 going home outfits & hats
and 2 welcome home signs from the sugar babies!

Today we went on a little family field trip to Kensington Park. We went to the petting zoo & then spent the afternoon playing by the lake. Zoe LOVES animals, so she was completely thrilled to have such a great hands on experience with her barnyard friends. I think the horses were her favorite. She just stared at them for the longest time. We had a great day. We will really miss the fantastic metro parks Michigan has to offer when we get back to Utah!
Zoe was completely mezmerized by the horses.

She could not take her eyes off of them.

Checkin' out the chickens.
Lovin' on the lambs.
Finally, making sandwiches with Daddy for lunch! Yum.

We had a delicious picnic by the lake!

A playdate at the park ~ 16 months old
Zbug & her good friend Arianna taking a snack break at the park.

Katie + Wesley =
ZOE!!!!

Lately a lot of friends & family members have been telling me that Zoe is starting to resemble me more. That's a relief considering that for the first 15 months of her life we looked NOTHING alike....People thought I was her babysitter more often than her mother! Ha ha. The other day, I was looking at these pics of Wes & I at ages 4 & 5 (they hang on the front of my refrigerator door & I spend a lot of time standing there these days). I started to notice a few similarities between Zoe & me and if I looked at our toddler pics long enough & then looked at some recent pics of Zbug, I could see a good mix of us both in her sweet smile. :)

It was 2 years ago today that I took the pregnancy test that read positive and first alerted me of her existence. What an incredible day! I remember waiting the 3 minutes for the test to process & breaking out in a cold sweat. It seemed like an eternity. When the word PREGNANT finally flashed across the little screen I started to jump, scream, cry, and laugh all at once. I was so thrilled!!!!! I was so grateful. Crazy enough, just at that moment of extreme emotion, Wesley felt like he should call me from work. He never called at that time of day, so when my cell phone rang ~ my heart skipped a beat. I tried to act normal when I answered because I wanted to tell him we were pregnant in person...not over the phone. But, he knows me all too well. He knew something was up. Infact, he knew I was pregnant (We have always had this really crazy sixth sense with one another. With this current pregnancy, he knew we were having twins long before any doctor did).

Anyway, looking back, the last 2 years have been the best in my life! I can't believe how lucky I am to be Zoe's mom. She is an awesome person...she has been such a joy and inspiration to me. I will never forget 9/18/06. It was one of the most magical days of my life.

Top Ten Things About Carrying Twins
10. Breaking the news!

Making the phone calls to tell everyone we are having another girl...

...and a boy!

That was super fun! No one would believe us!
9. Receiving a ton of prenatal care & pampering from great doctors &

our incredible midwife, Mary.
8. Bi-weekly ultrasounds. We will totally fill a photo album with pics of these kids before they even leave the womb!
7. Lots of love & support from family & friends.
6. Getting to choose a boy name & a girl name! I like Eva Helena for our daughter & Elijah Sherdon for our son. Eva & Eli!!!! Yeah!
5. Feeling twice the kicks, turns, twists, & love jabs. My favorite part of the day is when the twins are dancing the tango,

even if it is usually at 11:30 PM.
4. The 3500 calorie diet I am on! Wow! For the first time in my life, I am actually trying to gain weight and smiling as the scale numbers climb to the sky! Who can complain about being told to eat ice cream everyday??? Not me! Thank goodness I had all of those years of shake making experience at the Little Chick while growing up.
3. Being chastened for doing too much on a daily basis…

...constantly being told to lie down, relax,

put my feet up, & slow down.
2. The look on people’s faces when I answer, “November” to their constant curious question of, “When are you due?”

I know I look like I am ready to pop right there in the produce section, but technically we still have 5-9 weeks left in this journey!
1. TWO NEW AMAZING PEOPLE WILL JOIN OUR FAMILY AT ONCE.

We are SO blessed!

I can’t wait for the upcoming day when I can meet them face-to-face!

I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

Love, Mom

I CAN PREDICT THE FUTURE!

This photo was taken during a trip home to Utah in October 2006. I was pregnant with Zoe at the time, but I kept teasing and saying that I was sure I was going to have twins...one boy & one girl. Here I am practicing for twins with two baby dolls. Isn't life funny? Now, lo & behold, 2 years later, almost to the exact month & date, I will be holding REAL twins...

...one boy & one girl!

I have been wanting to find a way to work from home ~ maybe I should set up a hotline where people can call me & I will predict what they will be doing in 2 years! What do you think? Give me a call at 1-888-futureU!

Back to Bi-Weekly

Great news! I went for another ultrasound this week to check the blood volumes in the twins' brains. Both were still within the normal range. Because we have now had several consistent reads within average ranges, our maternal fetal specialist said we don't have to continue to come back every Monday. He asked that we come back in 2 weeks, instead! We will also do another growth measurement at that appointment. Halleluiah! We are so glad these little ones aren't showing any signs of distress or anemia...thanks for all of your prayers, thoughts, & support. The pictures on the left are of baby boy's face ~ front facing & the pictures on the right are of baby girls' profile. Pictures only a mother could love! I am so excited to meet them face to face in a few more short months!

Kermit & Kousins

We recently discovered that we had a whole family of toads living in one of our window wells. This week Austin & Wes headed up a successful rescue effort for the frog fam. All amphibians are now safe and sound in the wild Michigan woods behind our home. Good job, boys!

Labor Day Picnic At Lower Huron Metro Park

Uncle Austin, Wesley, Zoe, Dejvis, Uncle Denis, & Aunt Anisa

Labor Day Fun with friends from Albania
Zbug picnics with Ola & Dejvis
Zoe & Aunt Anisa
Playing soccer with Dejvis
Zoe & Uncle Denis

GO UTES!!!!

Last Saturday Wesley & Austin went to the Big House in Ann Arbor for the season opener between the Michigan Wolverines & the Runnin' Utah Utes! Zoe & I camped out in the basement for 4 hours & watched the game on TV. What a rush!!!!! The boys from the U put on a great show & I couldn't be happier that my alma mater kicked some midwest big ten Michigan booty! My blood is still red ~ UTAH UTAH UTAH UTES!