A little about the twins, a little about the rest of us :-)

I've had 2 ultrasounds, both babies had a heart echo, and I've seen my OB since my last post :-)
Things are going well. The heart echo showed that Pete's heart is going back to normal (before the laser surgery it was thickening because it was pumping too much blood) and Repete's looks normal :-) Yay (his always looked normal, but sometimes after the surgery there are complications). I go back for another heart echo for the boys next week to see how things are going.
The two ultrasounds I've had since the last post, show the boys seem to be coping well after the surgery. Pete is still 2 weeks ahead of Repete in measurements, and I believe that will likely stay that way, as Repete's portion of the placenta is smaller. Fluid levels are good - Pete still has quite a bit more than Repete, but Repete, has enough for him, and his bladder is filling and emptying regularly :-)
At this point the the dr's still recommend weekly ultrasounds (I see a dr. every ultrasound), and I see my OB every three weeks instead of monthly. My OB appt went well this past week, nothing out of the ordinary :-)
We are so thankful the boys seem to be coping well :-)
Delivery can still happen anytime btwn 25 wks and 36wks - as things can turn around for the worse very quickly, so we are trying to be ready for that. If the twins have to be taken out before a planned C-Section, then it would likely be immediately after one of my weekly ultrasound appointments, with little to no time to plan for anything at home (babysitting etc).  So far, I've been able to book my ultrasound appointments at 7:30am on days that either my sister or sister-in-law don't have to work. This way I don't have to wake everyone up too early, and if I do end up needing an emergency C-Section, then I have at least a day to find someone to take my kids/arrange babysitting :-)  Come July another one of my sisters is going to fly down and stay with us so we don't have to arrange for babysitting every appointment. Having her here will help tons after the C-Section and if/when the boys are in the NICU and we have to drive back and forth. :-) Can't wait to have her down here! - I've been trying to talk her into coming for the last 2 summers and so far it's never worked :-P

A few questions people have been asking me lately:
- How are you feeling?
I'm feeling great :-) after the heart echo's for the babies my back hurts really bad, and I've had a cold, but other than that, I feel pretty much normal. Actually at this point I don't really feel like I have two babies inside me :-P Just feels like a single pregnancy to me now :-P
- When are you due?
Umm... well technically on Oct 4th, but these babies could come out somewhere between 25 - 36wks (I'm 23 1/2 wks now)
- Did the surgery work?
As far as we can tell :-) Although, that doesn't mean the babies can stay in full term now. With this kind of complication (TTTS) I/the babies have to be monitored closely, because things can go wrong very quickly. Examples of some of the complications that often happen with TTTS - placenta starts detaching, pieces of the placenta start 'dying off', contractions start, one or both babies die (for unknown reasons this does happen sometimes), membranes rupture/leak (and more but I can't remember them all)



A little update on things that have been going on around here :-)
Matthew has been super busy since we've been back. On top of his full time job, he has been trying to keep up with the church website, and sound committee stuff (weddings, funerals, coaching some of the techs that haven't used some of the sound equipment, trying to make some user friendly manuals for equipment not often used. etc.) He's been staying on top of  the never ending emails :-P - sound committee, church website, and school computer stuff. On top of all that he's been trying to finish the drainage stuff around the house he started before we flew to Toronto :-P So far he's finished digging everything, laying the drainage stuff, re-sloped and fixed up the front flower gardens, almost completely filled and properly sloped the stuff he dug up in the back, and fixed up the drainage pipe for our patio because we had a few problems with it this spring. Oh yea, and he's been a super great help around the house, making suppers, bringing laundry baskets downstairs for me, carrying heavy things I shouldn't be, putting kids to bed, taking them outside/occupying them on weekends so I can take a nap  etc. :-) (most of the lifting stuff I can do again, but after the surgery I had to be careful). Matthew even made it to Miriam's year end Kindergarten picnic :-)
I haven't been able to help him outside because I've been busy as it is with housework, sick kids, appointments, school activities, Miriam's soccer, trying to get a few things ready for these babies, and getting a few things organized in this house so things run smoothly when these boys arrive. :-)  I truly have been blessed with a hardworking husband who takes care of me and my kids so well!
Miriam has been busy helping Dad with the yard work, keeping her little sister out of trouble, soccer 2x a week, a few little household chores, Graduating from Kindergarten! (what?!?). She also went on a field trip to the nature center, and really loved it! On sports day she won 2 Firsts (running, crab walk race) and a second (bean bag on the head race) She is very excited about that!  I was so proud of her when she didn't cry when failed miserably at skipping (snicker...) She did warn me before sports day that she really can't 'do the skipping' haha! She was right :-P
Dylan has been helping Dad outside, picking things up off the floor for Mom ;-) (that's almost a full time job - haha) cleaning up the shoes Lydia constantly is pulling out of the front closet... playing mario kart wii... (he's really good at it :-P) reading, coloring, playing outside, and of course pestering his sisters :-P He has also been sick :-( He's starting to feel better now though.
Lydia has been sick :-( and keeping us all busy needing extra hugs, cuddling, and needing her nose wiped every 5 mins ;-P Other than that, she has learned so many new words and has become quite the daddy's girl :-) (yay, now she hangs on his legs instead of mine :-P )

That's all I can think of right now... I'll try post some pictures soon - we are putting away our desktop and bought a laptop, so we can use the office as a baby room for the twins, so I'm still learning how to use this laptop :-P
 I better sign off, because in the time I've been writing this my hubby has come home from work, and now has made supper :-S