I HEART YOGI

It's been a long time since I've posted about yoga....or as Savannah calls it, Yogi. 

Yoga has been such a great thing for the babies and I.  I truly believe that yoga has made this pregnancy so much easier!  The strengthening and stretching that we do during yoga has definitely helped to make all of the aches and pains of my rapidly growing belly much more bearable.  The mental benefits have been just as great! I absolutely adore my hour and 15 minutes of calm and peaceful yoga, and I have learned techniques that I can put into practice throughout the week!  I have also learned a few techniques that I plan to use during labor!  My instructor is absolutely amazing!  Not only is she a yoga expert, but she's also a former doula.  Her ability to put us in a state of calm is incredible!  My body is never more relaxed....  To have a good hour of placing my body into poses that help strengthen and stretch me, followed by 15 minutes of complete relaxation is priceless!

I just want to say thank you, again, to George and Farid, for making it possible to incorporate yoga into this pregnancy! 

21 Weeks!

As I sit here writing this, the house is perfectly quiet (Rick took the girls camping last night), I've got the Bellybuds going and I am sending positive energy to baby girl that she would be so much more comfortable head down! :)  Today is a chillax kind of day...I plan to do a whole lotta nothin' today! (Well, until yoga that is.)  I plan to enjoy the peace and quiet and take advantage of every last minute of "me time".  But enough about ME!

Babies are now measuring about 10.5 inches long-the length of a carrot.  They weigh about 3/4 of a pound each and  eyebrows, eyelashes and eyelids are now present!  Their taste buds are now working and overall, they are about the size of a cantaloupe!  I can just picture them in there!

I am so pleased with how great this pregnancy is going!  I am still quite comfortable.  I have lots of energy. What a blessing to feel so great!  I know that my "biggest" months are yet to come but I am thrilled that I sit here at 21 weeks feeling absolutely fantastic!  These babies have been so kind to me...thank you babies.

21 Weeks!

More Pics!

GREAT MEMORIES!



Not the most attractive belly shot, but I love pictures of the 3 of us!!



Me and the Doc (who has 19 year old twins!)

Pink and Blue!!!  :)

The Happy Couples!

One Happy Couple + One Creepy Indian

Jill and I at the hospital tour

Awwwww.......

My guys

Seriously....how adorable are their kids going to be?????

Look What I Got!!

Marybeth, a friend of George and Farid's sent me a package this week!  Inside were these great sunglasses!  All different kinds of funky sunglasses!  I practically had to wrestle the box away from Skyler and Savannah just to get a peek at the selection!  The girls were rapidly placing dibs on certain pairs!  I immediately turned on my inner 8 year old and reminded them, "These are MINE!!"  :)

Then the 36 year old in me came back and I relented..."We can share...."

So we had a fun little photo shoot this morning and I wanted to share our pictures with you!

I think we look SMASHING!!

We just couldn't resist the urge to get our diva on!  :)

I am almost certain that we have a picture of Jill
in shades just like these from the early 80's...Priceless!

I know this one's blurry but I just had to show you the yellow pair too!

Jealous?????  Get your own!  I ALREADY have to share!  :)

http://www.shadesoffun.com/

Thanks Marybeth!!!!!

Our Weekend With George and Farid

What an amazing weekend we had together!  Absolutely fantastic in every way! 

On Friday, we met at my house and it felt so great to see the guys again!  I was very excited for them to see "the belly" in person and I think they were excited  (and maybe a little overwhelmed) to see it in person!  Haha!  We headed straight over to the hospital where we had a short meeting with the financial department.  After that, we went to our ultrasound appointment!  The tech spent a BUNCH of time looking and re-looking, and RE-LOOKING at the positioning of the babies.  She finally came to the conclusion that indeed the baby on my RIGHT is actually closer to the cervix so SHE is actually Baby A!  Baby girl is breech and being Baby A, that presents a problem for delivery.  Positive energy for her to flip around and be head down would be greatly appreciated!  :)   Once that was completed, we were able to get to the "good stuff"!  It was wonderful to see that the babies are perfectly healthy!  Here are a few pictures from the ultrasound:

13 beautiful ounces of Baby Girl!

Yes...Baby Boy is showing us the peace sign!  Love it!

And how adorable is Baby Girl's foot????

The guys are ecstatic to be having a boy AND a girl!!  Perfect, right????

We hung out at my house that night and had lots of fun!  Dinner and lots of chatting, combined with a little x box 360 Kinect!

Volleyball, anyone?

Even Jill got in on the action!

Saturday we met up with my sister Joanie for some tennis!  Skyler and Savannah wanted to play a little after George and Joanie were done, and even got some helpful pointers from Farid and George! 

After tennis, George, Farid, Rick and I went up into the foothills to enjoy the scenery and a nice lunch together.  It was great to spend some time together just the 4 of us.  An afternoon I will NEVER forget....

The guys and I met up with Jill at the hospital for our tour which was fun, and informative.  Pretty crazy to see where these babies will be born!  Crazy...yet exciting!  Jill and I went to dinner with them that night.

Sunday was another day for some tennis, followed by dinner with the family and Jill.  Rick brought the girls home while Jill and I went to a movie with the guys.  Fun times.  My favorite picture from that night?

Monday we were able to have a nice long lunch with the guys before they needed to leave for the airport.  It was sad for me to say goodbye to them, but I know that I will be able to see them again before too long...

The one thing that DIDN'T happen this weekend that I was hoping for??  I didn't get any movement from the babies that was big enough for the guys to feel from the outside.  :-(     Next time....

Farid is always really good about taking pictures, so I will be sure to post some additional pictures that he got with his camera.  :)

It's really amazing.  I have always had a great connection with George and Farid. Yet each visit that we have, that connection manages to become stronger and stronger.  I feel so blessed to have met them.  To be carrying their children.  I am forever changed.   





Little Bundles of Joy!

20 Week Ultrasound Report:

Farid and George have 2 perfect little babies growing in there! 

The one surprise that we had is that they have determined that the babies are actually opposite of what we thought....They decided that the baby who sits on my right side (formerly known as Baby B) is actually closer to the cervix and therefore is "Baby A"!!  That being said...here is what we now know (and probably what you care the most to hear!)



Baby B we now know is definitely a BOY!!!!!!!!!!

He had a heart rate of  141  and  weighed in at 12 ounces!

And how about Baby A????

Well, Baby A is their precious little  GIRL!!!!!!!!

SHE had a heart rate of  161 and weighed in at 13 ounces

Both babies are absolutely perfect....healthy in every way!  20 fingers, 20 toes and all organs are doin' their thing just as they should!

What a blessing these babies are!!! 

20 Weeks!

Wow!  A whole new decade!  We're in the 20's!  Very exciting!

The babies each weigh about 10.5 ounces and are 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom.  From head to heel, they are each about 10 inches!!!  Wow!  So all together, I've got about 20 inches of baby in there!  That's the length of a full term baby! 

Babies are practicing swallowing more and more, which is good practice for the digestive system.  And speaking of digestive systems, babies are also producing meconium (basically, babies 1st poop)!  By the way, one of Farid's favorite topics is poopy baby diapers!  So if you get the opportunity, you may want to engage in conversation with him about it.....seriously....he'll LOVE it!!   LOL!!!!!

I am so excited for George and Farid to get here tomorrow!!!  Our appointment isn't until late afternoon, so don't freak out if you don't hear from me until Saturday morning!  Can't wait to share the great news!

20 Weeks

Last Call For Gender Predictions...

Only 2 days left of not knowing the genders of these little (big) monkeys!  This is your final reminder to get your guesses in!!  :)

I have had so many people ask me what I think the babies are!  Well, of course you all know that I get some pretty strong vibes...and what do I think????  I'm not sure I want to say....what if I'm wrong???  I HATE BEING WRONG!! 

Fine.

I think Baby A is a BOY.

I think Baby B is a GIRL.

I haven't shared this with you all yet, but you should know that it is a well known fact in my family that I am usually right.  My family has come to terms with this annoying fact, and you  may as well come to terms with it too.  In fact, I am up to over 98% right now!  That's right...I am right over 98% of the time!  If I am right about these babies, I will gladly bump myself up to 99%!  :-)

Just Checking In To Say:

4 Days!

Eeeeeekkkkkkk!!!!

That is all.

Estes Park

Thought I'd share a few pics of our trip to Estes Park this last week:

We did a lil' fishin'!  The girls LOVED it!!!

Skyler's words: "I'm SO bored, but I'm not leaving until I catch a fish!"

Success!!!  She caught a big one!  15"!!

Savannah had success as well!!

She caught an 11" fish!

A lil' Paddle Boating:

And some good old fashioned kid fun!

The girls DID NOT get OFF of this bumper boat looking that dry!  :)

Savvy THOUGHT the Bungee Trampoline looked fun...
but quickly decided it wasn't her cup 'o tea!

LOTS OF FAMILY FUN!!!!



19 Weeks!

Babies are doing lots more than just growing this week!  :)

• Hair is sprouting on the babies heads!  Both George and Farid have great hair, so I'd bet these babies are going to be born with lots of dark hair!!  :)
• Their brains are designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision and touch.
• Some research suggests that the babies can now hear, so I hope to begin using our Bellybuds soon!  I am very excited for these babies to hear their Daddy's voices! 
• Babies weigh about 8.5 ounces each and measure 6 inches head to rump.  They are about the size of an heirloom tomato.  (What the hay is an heirloom tomato and why is it so dang big????)  I also read mango which I like better.  Yep. Mangoes.  That's what we'll go with!  Haha!

The books also say that I can expect to get much bigger in the next few weeks.  Really?!  Gosh...I know I have a long way to go, but I feel so big already!  I have only recently been experiencing some of the discomforts of carrying around a belly the size of a soccer ball all day!  :)  I know what you're thinking...."Better get used to it, Jeni!"  I'm aware.  My apologies.  I will stop griping now....

Really though.  I have been feeling pretty great overall!  Enjoying every moment of this journey!  One more week until I get to see the guys and we get to see these adorable babies!!!  Life is good!

19 Weeks

Kids Rock!

When do we lose this capability?

This reminds me of what Savannah said during George and Farid's last visit:

After dropping the guys off at their hotel....

Savannah: 

 "It's really cool!  George and Farid are the first family I know

where the Daddy loves the Daddy!"

WHY IS THIS SO DIFFICULT FOR ADULTS TO GRASP????

More Than A Village

Ok...so I found this really exciting!  Thanks to Kelly  for introducing me to this! 

How great would it be to have a well done documentary about surrogacy?! 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/edwardmcdonald/more-than-a-village-a-tale-of-procreation

The Denver/Brooklyn connection is pretty cool too, I'd say!!  :)

I pledged, and invite you to do the same if this is something that is

 as meaningful to you as it is to me!



It Was A Great Weekend!

Had an AMAZING weekend with my mom here in town with us!  It was great fun to hang around and catch up with the whole family!  I just have to show you this picture that I took of her at lunch on Friday:

Sorry, Mom.  I know you'll be mad at me for sharing this pic again...

Notice 2 things:

• Doesn't she look INCREDIBLE?!!!!!  I pray that she passes her aging genes on to me!  Please, Lord!
• She's sportin' her Bogota Latin Bistro t-shirt!  How cool is she????

Love my Mama! 

One cool thing that happened on Friday afternoon was when we were all sitting out on the deck relaxing when one of the babies decided to really give me a few big kicks!  Kicks that were big enough to see on the outside!!  Even my mom and Jill could see my belly jumping around from across the deck!  Cool, huh?????

My family is headed to Estes Park on Wednesday for a quick, overnight getaway!  It will be nice (especially for Rick) to get away for a short time!  Estes Park is really pretty, and the girls are looking forward to staying at the supposedly haunted Stanley Hotel...I am looking forward to staying at the very upscale, historic Stanley Hotel!  :)

I'm sure you are all keeping track of the fact that we will finally know the genders of these babies who are walloping me in just a week and a half!  :) Our appointment is Friday morning, so you only have 11 days to get your final guesses in on what you think George and Farid will be welcoming into this world! 

18 Weeks!

Babies are now measuring about 5.5 inches long and are about the size of a bell pepper!  They each weigh about 7 ounces!  Wow!  I've got about a pound of baby in there!  Only about 11 more pounds of baby to go!  LOL!!

I've been feeling a lot of stretching and pulling this last week, so I know that they are in there making more room for their ever-growing bodies!  I love it!  ...well, not the stretching and pulling part.  :)

Things around here are really good!  We have been super busy and it looks like we will continue to be for another couple weeks!  It makes the time go by so quickly, which I am not enjoying!   :)  It seems crazy to think that we are nearing the half way point of this journey!  I'm not ready!  LOL!  Don't get me wrong...I am super-duper ready to get these kiddos into their father's arms.  I'm just not ready for this journey to be over for me!  Selfish, I know...but I'm just keepin' it real, folks!  This journey has been truly amazing for me and my family! 

Anyway, I know that the remaining months will be filled with a rapidly growing belly, potentially accompanied by some discomfort from that rapidly growing belly!  And speaking of bellies:

18 Weeks

Thought I'd include a head-on shot this week,
 just in case you're tired of seeing me from the side!  :)

Happy 4th!

It's Sunday night.

11:00 P.M.

As I lay here in bed, I am declaring this house clean!  I declare the yard all cleaned up and ready!  It took exactly one week, but I am thrilled to report that we did it!  We are ready for our 4th of July party tomorrow!  Now we just need family, food and fun, and we'll have ourselves a rip-roarin' good time!

The babies were very nice to me during this extra busy week!  They would politely let me know when it was time to get off the feet for a bit, but other than that, no complaining at all!  :)  They are so sweet to me! 

As busy as it was, I gotta tell ya...it feels good to have everything so organized and clean!  I went through every room, every cupboard, every closet (you get the picture) and got rid of the unnecessary and organized the rest!  By far one of the greatest pregnancy side effects....the nesting instinct!  LOVE IT!!!  :-)

And you can bet your bippy that I will be the "Clean House Nazi" through Thursday when my Mom arrives, and I may even extend the torture for the next 2.5 weeks until George and Farid get here!!  I mean...it felt good to get things clean, but let's be real...I'm not lookin' to do it again anytime too soon!  LOL!!

Have a wonderful 4th of July everyone!