The Double D's

Tony and I started picking baby names well before we were ever married. Unfortunately our taste in names couldn't be more different. Tony tends to like the more unusual, old testament biblical names and I like more current "cute" names. But there have always been two we both loved...

Tony was very close to his grandfather, Delmer, who passed away several years ago. He knew he would like to name his first born after him, so he came up with the name Dellan for a boy. Delmer was called Del, which will also be short for Dellan, while I think it is still cute for a little boy. On our honeymoon in Fiji in the pool at the hotel we were talking about Dellan (obviously not yet created) and middle names. We both wanted a strong, biblical middle name and thought who better than the greatest leader of all time, Moses. I instantly got the giggles and said, "He would be called Delmo!" Since then our future children were always referred to as Delmo somewhat as a joke. When we got pregnant and it came time to name babies, Delmo became D-mo and it just sort of stuck. When we thought both babies were girls Tony and I found ourselves hoping it was D-mo in there. It's funny how he sort of named himself. We were not sure that would ever be his name, but we just began talking to him by name and couldn't change it. So baby B is our little Dellan Moses Knopp.

If our first born was going to be a girl we had come up with the name Delaney (again, this was years before we planned to have kids). I loved the name Delaney and thought it went well with Knopp as it is a 3 syllable name. When we found out the twins were a boy and a girl I looked through hundreds of names for months trying to find names Tony and I would like. I kept coming back to Delaney. Tony and I neither one wanted to name the twins cheesy names that started with the same letter or sounded the same. I was determined to come up with something new for one of them. But they had different ideas. After a few weeks she became Laney (actually Laners) around the house. My mom always called me Laura Louise or Laura Lou growing up and I loved it. Louise is just one of those names close to my heart and I thought Laney Louise was adorable. It is weird to think of them without names now as they move like crazy and we call them by name. Baby A and Baby B sound so silly now, even when writing the blog it was hard not to disclose names, so here they are. Our little baby A is Delaney "Laney" Louise Knopp.

Tony has now taken to calling the twinkies the Double D's (or the grommets or the water bugs)... I 'm sure there are hundreds of nicknames to come. So far we have Delmo, D-mo, LL, Laners....

24 Week Evaluation

We had our 24 week cardiac evaluations with Dr. Bradley, our perinatologist and everything is perfect! It was crazy to see close up pictures of the chamers or their hearts and actually see the blood flow. Both babies seem strong!

They are both one pound 7 ounces according to her measurements. It is sgreat they are the same size. She said that everything is fully formed their only job now is just to mature and grow, so I should expect to grow twice as fast! I can't say I am looking forward to getting humongous, but am still comfortable at this stage.

The babies continue to stick to their personalities... she would not let us get a look at her at all, and he looked right at the camera. Even the doctor couldn't help but laugh when the 3D image of him came up with his hands on his head. She said, "His sister is driving him nuts in there already." From what we can see everyone thinks he looks like Tony with my nose.... we'll have to wait and see!

She is currently head down and facing backwards, and he is head down facing up. His head is oretty close to on top of hers, although the doctor said they will still move around and flip as they are small enough. They should pick a basic direction in the next couple weeks. If they are both head down we have to decide if we would prefer a C-section or try to deliver them. The doctors seem to think delivery is the way to at least try if they stay head down, but I am not so sure I agree yet. I hate that the decision mine to make. It is so much easier when the doctors just tell you what to do!

Here's our little guy in 3 and 2D

Thanksgiving Fun

It has been nearly 2 months since I have seen my family in Oakdale and I was missing them so much! I try to see them once a month, but with bedrest I was stuck down south. Tony was out of town on business, so I got to spend the 5 days with the family. I mis Paige and Levi like crazy and they are so different everytime I come home... you really notice it now that they are talking and playing new games. Amanada told Levi there were babies in my tummy, so he ket pulling up my shirt (or dress) and pointing to my stomach saying "ba-bies." It was the cutest thing ever! He calls Dellan "Momo " since he heard Amanada say Moses (his middle name) once on the phone with me.













Paige usually loves it when I come visit because I will hold her and give her the attention she demands. This time I was not allowed to lift them or pick them up at all. She sould follow me around with her hands up, openning and closing her hands, and a big pout. I felt so bad. She cried a few times and then decided she had had enough of me. Needless to say she was back with Grammie for the rest of the weekend. Levi, on the other hand, enjoyed my company. Here we are watching Frosty together.
















Saturday my sister, mom, and I went to Babies R Us to register. It was SO HELPFUL to have my sister there. I just followed her around scanning what she pointed at. I will gladly rely on all her hard work and research. After registering I finally got my hair done. Notice the difference... I had the worst roots ever! This is what I get for still using my hair lady in a town 6 hours away!

The kids are exceptionally good at I Spy books. They will sit for quite awhile and find anything you ask them to. They concentrate and really stare at the page until they gladly point it out. So smart!

Cupcake Party!

We met a group of friends in Manhattan Beach this weekend for "Uncle Matt's" birthday. It was definitely a sign of where we are all in life... half of the couples were pregnant or with a baby in tow. So much fun!

One of Tony's friend's wives was opening a cupcake shop the same night, so we stopped there first for the open house. It is the cutest little shop in Manhattan called Cupcake Couture. They had miniature "couture" cupcakes in all flavors, fresh flavored strawberry and chocolate milk, and trays of fresh berries. Could it get any better? We stopped by at about 7 and I hadn't eaten since lunch... needless to say the babies were hungry. So we solved our problem with every flavor of cupcake offered, milk, and berries! Delicious! About an hour later while sitting at the dinner table I started to feel some little kicks and rolls going on inside. I had felt maybe one little kick here and there for the last 3 days, but nothing I was sure about. There was no question! There was a cupcake party going on in there for about 15 minutes. It was so fun to feel them move, and even funnier knowing it was because they were loaded up with sugar. Oh well, we know they're "Hensleys" and like their sweets :0)

Just One

Just 1 week down, many more to go. I made it a week at work with no problems! It was actually a very easy transition back and I enjoyed spending time with the kids. I am sitting as much as possible during the school day and have been feeling great! Let's hope it keeps up (at least for another month or two).

I was greeted by one student Monday morning with this conversation:

student: You're back! Did you have your babies?

me: Nope, not for awhile.

student: Oh, so you had just one?

me: ::pause:: Ummmm, nope.

Halloween

Her first designer jeans

Okay, okay, so I know this is completely ridiculous, but I just couldn't help myself. If you know me, you know that I have a little thing (okay a big thing) for designer jeans... actually, just clothes in general, but jeans are near the top of the list for sure.

Starting today I get to leave the house for one 20 minute outing a day as long as I continue to improve. I decided to go to our local baby boutique for my first outing since I had a coupon that expires this week. Thank you Grammie for the coupon... I would not have been able to get these without it. I just couldn't resist this little pair of baby Joe's Jeans. They are the perfect size for her all summer! They even have the little Joe's leather logo on the butt...seriously, could it get any cuter?!?!

The Princess and The Prophecy

It's a GIRL and a BOY!!! Today was our second trimester appointment with the perinatologist. She is amazing and provided answers to everything that has happened so far.

But the most exciting news was finding out the genders. Baby A is our little girl who has always been the more active of the two. She is on my left side down low closest to my cervix... the doctor already called her my "trouble maker" because she could be the cause of the bleeding as well. She was upside down and backwards today, not wanting to show her face. I am so excited to dress her up in ribbons and bows!!!

Baby B is a boy!!! I don't think we could have a happier daddy than Tony. He was not able to be there since he is in Maui, but this is the news he has been waiting weeks for. In fact, we have had the name for a son picked out since our honeymoon in Fiji and Tony started calling him the "Prophecy" because he knew it was fate to have a son. He has been obsessed with the "prophecy" for the past 4 weeks (especially since he got a scare they were both girls at our 14 week appointment). We are both thrilled that we have a healthy son and daughter... we really couldn't ask for more. Baby B is on my right and up a little higher than baby A. He has always been very mellow in ultrasounds and heartbeat checks... it's always his sister kicking and moving like crazy. Now I am just waiting to feel them myself!

I am so happy to know the sexes and that they are healthy and growing well. We are still working on names for her, although I am determined to choose in the next couple weeks so that they are no longer Baby A and B... that sounds so silly now. Although the dvd us clear, we didn't get great 2D pictures today. Here are the babies in 3D at 18 weeks 3 days.

Baby Boy (B)


Baby Girl (A)

Bell Peppers

Today begins our 5th month! The babies are now each the size of a bell pepper... about a half a pound and 6 inches long. It is crazy to think something(s) that big are moving inside me and I cannot feel them. I keep waiting!!! I also cannot believe how fast time has gone by. It's hard to believe we are half way there (hoping we make it to 36 weeks). My first fears when hearing we were having twins were all about carrying them and getting huge, not about raising them like I think most people would think. Thanks to my sister I am not fearful of raising the babies once home... she'll always be 2 years ahead of me to answer all my questions! We are 18 weeks this week, which starts the 5th month of pregnancy. So far I have gained between 0-3 pounds (depending on what I ate that day). The babies are definitely starting to show though! Here are some pictures of the last few weeks. I'm sure I will be growing much faster for the next post with pictures.

Third Time's a Charm?

We repeated what is turning into our weekly emergency visit with our doctor on Friday. Unfortunately the spotting came back Thursday night, so the doc had to check it out and make sure everything was okay. This was actually the most surprising time of all three because I was on day 9 of bed rest which had always worked in the past. Dr. De La Pena does not work on Fridays, but he wanted to see me so he had me meet him in Labor and Delivery for an exam since he had a C-section to perform that morning. In Tony's words it was all "too real." He asked if we would see any babies and I assured him we most likely would not. Haha. Little did I know the first thing you walk by before the L & D nurses station is the nursery... sure enough there were two adorable babies in there... girls all wrapped in pink :0) I did have to agree that it was a little odd to be in a room in the bed I would be delivering the babies in. I was thankful so Dr. De la Pena made time to do an exam and take time to discuss what was going on with me. It is the same situation as has been the last 3 weeks. My cervix has healed a lot and looked closed and long which is great! The doc was sure this was not related to an incompetent cervix at least at this time. He cauterized the spots that seem to be bleeding, so we will wait and see if the third time around is any different. The doctor was definitely not in a hurry to get me moving. He didn't give me any idea when I would be off modified bed rest (I can move from bed to couch to chair to bathroom), but said he would see me every 1-2 weeks and tell me if he thought I was ready for more privileges. I could be back up next week or at 35 weeks. Only a difference of 17 weeks!

The babies are doing great (and growing!). We didn't have an ultrasound machine in the hospital room, but heart beats were 161 (baby A) and 153 (baby b). The guessing game of heartbeats and gender is driving us (especially Tony) crazy. We know it is a total myth, but still a fun way to guess. The myth is that heart rates above 150 are girls :0) Less than a week until we know for sure! Tony was sent down to admitting and missed the entire hour long exam... poor guy has not been handed the fun jobs lately. Although, he is in Maui as I write, so I don't feel too bad!

Back in Bed

This week we have a few more answers, but unfortunately the solution is more bed rest for me! After taking 5 days off for bed rest last week I headed back to work on Monday. I was nervous all day that I would start spotting again, but did my best to teach sitting down. By Tuesday after school I was feeling great and really thinking whatever "episode" we had last week was in the past. Unfortunately, Wednesday morning was ready to be a repeat of the Wednesday before. Tony and I headed back to the doctor to see what the story was. The bleeding is still coming from the external cervix... so the babies are fine! The cervix is still swollen and rubbing causing the bleeding any time I walk! The cure for this, of course, is laying down. The good news is that my cervix is long and closed and doesn't seem to be changing. The test results also came back negative from last week, ruling out any infection. More good news! My directions are to be on bed rest for 7 days with no spotting. I was hoping today would count as day 1. I was wrong again! I had to drive to the perinatologist for bloodwork this morning, and that little amount of activity proved to be too much. Maybe tomorrow will be day 1?

In the meantime Hula, my pajamas, my pillow, Tivo, and I are having a party in my bed.

Avocados

Today's weekly email informed me that the kiddos are now each the size of an avocado. The updates used to talk about all of the new organs and/or parts they would be growing that week. This week they just talked about growing! Apparently each of them should double in weight and gain 2 inches in length in the next couple weeks... does that mean my stomach doubles too?!?! Yikes! At least I will have a pregnant belly for a bathing suit in Maui in 2 weeks and not just look fat! That is if I get to go to Maui...

So far, so good! I was on bedrest from Wednesday to Saturday and everything cleared up completely by Friday morning. My mom took great care of me (and my house!)while we got to visit and chat. Sunday we had my first "outing" to the nail salon (still a recliner right??) and lunch. Today I went back to work and tried my best to take it easy. So far, everything seems back to normal. The doctor will have more information on what caused the bleeding and if I am allowed to travel at my appointment next week... and hopefully a gender check!

Thank you for all the prayers and support!

The Twinkies Give Us a Scare

I received a text from Tony the other day where he referred to the babies as the twinkies and I thought it was so cute! They are continuing to grow well as I have officially gained my first pound (or two!). My monthly check up with Dr. De La Pena was Monday and everything and everyone looked healthy and perfect! Unfortunately Tuesday was not quite so perfect...

As I am writing this I have officially been laying or reclining for over 24 hours. Ugh! Yesterday morning I woke up to some very light spotting. We called the doctor and he told me to come right home from work and put my feet up, but not too worry. He assumed it was from lifting (probably playing with my adorable niece and nephew this weekend), was normal, and would go away. I followed the doctor's orders, but woke up this morning with much more severe bleeding. Luckily it is a workday, so we could meet the doctor right away this morning. He assured us that the babies are fine and healthy, as are the placentas and everything near the babies. He is concerned about my cervix and having me stay in bed for a few days (no work until Monday) to make sure the bleeding and irritation stops. We are praying this is not a sign of a non-cooperative cervix in the future! As for now, this is either due to activity (which is now limited to walking and 10 pounds of lifting for the duration of the pregnancy) or an infection from bacteria. He started me on antibiotics today just to be safe. I am hoping the next 4 days in bed just make this problem disappear! And of course Mom is on her way down to stay with me for the weekend while Tony flies North for a wedding. At least Hula will have her best pal Abby to keep her company since I can't play with her or take her on walks.

No More Secrets

I decided it was time to announce the babies to my staff and students today. I had a feeling I would start getting questions soon, but didn't really think that many people were suspicious. Boy was I wrong! I was blown away by how many people told me they suspected I was pregnant before I said anything. I hope I'm not looking too big yet!

To tell the staff I found a cute poem about twins online and bought bagels with "pink" and "blue" cream cheese to set out in the teacher's lounge:

Healthy Babies!

Today was my first visit with the Perinatologist, Dr. Bradley. I loved her! They did all the genetic testing for Down Syndrome and Trisomy.... everything looked great! It was so much different than the ultrasounds with my regular OB. The bed you lay on is facing away from the ultrasound machine, which scared me that I would not get to see my little ones. I was wrong! She handed me a pair of high tech looking glasses to wear that had the image of the screen inside them... very cool! Both babies were moving and wiggling like crazy today which made me feel so much better since baby B was so still last week. It was my first external ultrasound and we could see the babies so much better! Today was the first day we could get really clear images of baby b and them together. The doctor did doppler to watch/listen to the bloodflow in me and the babies. The screen turned red and blue around their tummies where the cord is connected! I didn't think the appointment could get any better, but the doctor got this picture of the twins and turned it into 3d 4d! They looked exactly like little gummie bears. The pictures definitely lost some detail in the scanner, but you can still see both gummybear babies.


Baby A (I love the little hand!)


Baby b close up

Twins!

Tony and I had our first appointment with Dr. De La Pena this morning. I have been counting down for weeks, waiting for today. I have been so nervous to see if the baby has a heartbeat. I have heard so many stories of positive pregnancy tests where a baby never formed, or a heart never started. So the ONLY thing on my mind when we went in this morning was "is there a heartbeat?" Never did it cross my mind to think of more than one heartbeat. When the doctor first started the ultrasound he asked if multiples ran in our family to which I instantly replied, "Nope. Well... my sister has triplets but no one else in our entire family ever has had multiples." I figured this was a question he asked everyone before a first ultrasound. He was very calm and spent a few minutes explaining what everything we were seeing on the screen was before pointing out the "first" embryo. I didn't catch this clue (although this is when Tony had a heart attack). When he went on to the "second" embryo I quickly understood what was going on. Poor Tony was just waiting for a third! The doctor stayed very calm and continued talking, not allowing us to freak out. I think I was in a state of disbelief. I was definitely not freaking out about the idea of raising two (thanks to Amanda), but so genuinely shocked that there were two, I don't remember much of what was said after that. The babies both measured at 5 1/2 weeks, which is 2 weeks less than where I thought we would be. I am a bit confused as this would put my positive pregnancy test before they were even conceived! The doctor assured me everything was fine and they would be able to measure much more accurately at my next appointment. Now we have to wait 4 more weeks to see them again!

Both babies!



Baby A



Baby B

A pale line is still a line!

Thank goodness for my sister is all I have to say! I woke up Tuesday morning and decided to take my first pregnancy test. After all, I had them in the cupboard and was dying to use on. I NEVER expected anything to come of it. In fact, I was sort of taking it "for fun." I didn't look at the clock to time the 3 minutes wait, but left the bathroom, made the bed, and wondered back in to put my make up on. I glanced at the test, not nervous at all, and picked it up to toss in the trash as there was only one line. As I was about to drop it, I saw the faintest line EVER next to the dark pink line. It was so light I could not even tell you it was pink. I still did not think much of it, but I remembered a story my sister had t old me about a friend not being able to read a pregnancy test because the line was so light. "A line is a line," I remember my sister saying. How could someone not read a pregnancy test? I remembered thinking. I was totally that person right now! I was more confused than anything, but really thinking it was negative. So I ran across the street to CVS and bought the expensive digital test that reads "yes" or "no" like a computer. I figured I couldn't screw that one up. So I took it home and sure enough it popped up "YES" instantly! I was shocked! Tony is out of town on business, so of course I planned on waiting to tell him in a "cute" way when he returned. That lasted about 10 hours. That night as soon as I got him on the phone I blurted it out! I had to talk to someone about it! We are both in a little bit of shock that it happened so quickly, but of course we are thrilled!

The original digital test and another test about a week after the first one