No Babies Yet...

I'm 36 weeks pregnant with the babies and we had our weekly doctor's appointments yesterday. Apparently they are pretty cozy in their little home in my tummy and are not quite ready to come out yet. I'm not showing very many signs of going into labor, although that can change any day. If I do not go into labor on my own, we will go into the hospital to get the process started on or around August 12th.

The BIG news is how BIG they are! We feel very lucky that the babies are so healthy and we have made it past the important stage in pregnancy so that they will not be pre-term. But, we were a bit surprised to hear their approximate weights. For those of you who don't already know, we'll spill the beans on the names too.

Max Alan Cranley is approximately 6 lbs 7 ozs and Tessa Louise Cranley is approximately 7 lbs 2 ozs. The ultrasound technician said there is a margin of error in either direction of 20%. Either way...we will be having some healthy babies!

Duke's first comment when he heard Tessa's approximate weight was "72, that's the Refrigerator Perry's number!" Funny and cute as long as we don't start calling Tessa The Fridge!

So, look for some baby news from us sometime in the next two weeks!

Congrats Adam!

Congratulations to my brother for completing the Pittsburgh Triathlon Adventure Race. The race was this past weekend and we wish we could have been there to cheer him on. The money he raised will go to Plan International USA.

35 Weeks and Belly Laughs

I hit the 35 week mark in my pregnancy yesterday. Most twins are born between 35 - 37 weeks. Mine however, seem to be pretty cozy right where they are. I supposed things can change at any moment, but for now we are thrilled that they are healthy and growing in my belly for a bit longer.

I haven not posted much about the pregnancy, but I thought I would share a few funny stories. Things people have said to me while I have been pregnant have been the most entertaining part of this whole experience. Now, let me be completely clear, I find all of these encounters and statements funny. I have not been offended by any of them. Plus I have had many more people say wonderfully flattering things to me all the way through the pregnancy.

Duke after reading about breastfeeding: You are going to start pumping the month before you have the babies to store up the milk, right?
Me: after lots of laughter - "That's not really how it works honey"
(he's got it straight now!)

Einstein Bagel Employee: "Awww...are you having a boy or a girl and how far along are you?"
Me: "I'm having twins, and I'm 6 months"
Einstein Bagel Employee: "Girl, I can't believe your face isn't even messed up yet!"
(apparently some pregnant women's facial features change, specifically their noses...who knew?)

Random stranger: "do you know what you are having?"
Me: "not yet, but it's twins."
Random stranger: "Oh my, we thought we might have twins and we were so relieved to find out it was just one."

Cashier to me at 34 weeks: "You're about ready to pop any time"
Duke: She's having twins"
Cashier: "Oh, that's why you are SO big"

Co-worker: "Are you sure you aren't having triplets"

Now this one takes the cake!!!!! -
Co-worker to me in a meeting of 10 people: "Oh my goodness, look at you. You know they have a TV show named after you"
Me: What show is that?
Co-worker: "House! hahahaha"

I'm sure it's just the beginning of funny and interesting things people will say to us and things Duke and I will say to each other. I need to remember to write all of them down in journal so we can look at back and have a good laugh now and then.

My next appointment is a week from today and we should be able to update you on the babies sizes. Can't wait to find out how much they've grown!

Baby Shower

This past weekend, my wonderful girlfriends Jorie, Alison and Shannon hosted a fabulous baby shower for me and the twins. The shower was at PJ Clarks on Armitage and the room was perfect. I highly recommend this location for any type of party.

The flowers were from Shannon's garden and were beautiful. The cake and cookies were delicious and the menus and cake decoration matched the invites (menus, invites and thank you cards were all made by Shannon, along with some bath towels for the babies...she's one talented girl!). It was so wonderful to have my family and friends there to celebrate the babies. My family came into town from Ohio and Pittsburgh, Jorie and Shannon came in from Indianapolis and Cosette came in from Champaign. It was such a great day and we received so many wonderful gifts for the babies. My mother recovered a bassinet that was first used to carry my grandmother and all the babies in the family since then have spent a little time in it. It is just beautiful. My mom also gave me a door stop that my grandmother made years ago that has a little girl and a little boy on it...perfect for the nursery.

The weather was beautiful and all the guys got to play golf while we were at the shower and Duke and I got lots of family time with everyone over the weekend. My brother, sister-in-law and their two kids, Grayson and Lily, stayed with us and we had a blast. Duke and I always wish we could spend more time with them. Grayson is tons of fun and Lily is just the cutest little girl. I just loved seeing Grayson play with Jorie's girls when they stopped by on Sunday. I've posted an album below, but still need to add a few pics. I definitely didn't want the weekend to end.

Thank you to everyone who came to the shower, hosted, traveled and most of all, thanks for already having so much love for the babies!!

Happy 30th Jenny!

One of my best girlfriends and my old roommie, Jenny, turned 30 last week. The girls got together last night to welcome her to the club! I feel so lucky that Jenny was the very first new friend I made after moving to Chicago. I have had too many laughs and too many fun times with her over the years to count and I know there are many more to come. This pic is from a fun night out last summer. Happy Bday Jenny! Love you!

Welcome Baby Hood

Our good friends Brian and Sarah Hood welcomed their baby boy, Jack Brian Hood, into the world last week. He's adorable. We are hoping to meet him sometime soon. Both Jack and Sarah are home and doing very well. Congrats Hood Family!

32 Weeks!

We had our 32 week appointments last Thursday and all is well with the Cranley babies! They are growing at a great pace. Baby A (Boy) weighs approximately 4lbs, 8 ozs and Baby B (Girl) as the ultrasound technician said is "hefty" at 5 lbs, 3ozs!!! These are great weights for 32 weeks and I'm not showing any signs of early labor, so we just sit tight and wait now for them to arrive. Hopefully they will decide to join us in the world sometime between 35 - 38 weeks. I can't believe they will be here so soon.

I'm feeling pretty good considering I'm carrying around almost 10 lbs of baby! Just feeling tired and I can't walk around or stand for too long...but no complaints. I've been very lucky to have a great second and third trimester.

We have everything pretty much ready to go. Duke is doing his own form of "nesting" as he has been obsessed with fixing things around the condo. There has been a lot of painting, drilling, power washing, etc.

We're very excited for this weekend. We have a bunch of family and friends coming in for a baby shower to celebrate the twins! Family starts arriving on Thursday and it couldn't get here soon enough!