Two baby girls!!! (Week 26)

We went in for our first appointment with a perinatologist (a high risk pregnancy doctor) to get a detailed ultrasound scan. We were also hoping to find out the gender of the two babies and we did! He said he was pretty certain that we are having two baby girls. I was initially a little disappointed (and Paul was too) because we were both hoping for a brother for Elijah, but that disappointment quickly got replaced with excitement. I have a sister and I love having a sister! I love my brothers too, but there is a sisterly bond that is very different. When I think about the two girls developing inside my womb and the bond that they are developing now and how it will continue as they develop and grow outside the womb, I feel really excited. I can tell Paul was excited too because as soon as we got home, he was on the computer looking up girl names. I think Elijah will love being a big brother too. I think the fact that he got to see the ultrasound with us made the reality that there are two babies in mommy's growing tummy even more real. He periodically through out the day would come by and touch my tummy and kiss it. He kept saying, "Elijah see the babies. Babies come out." Tonight, he wanted to pray for his sisters and the doctor. :)

We also felt really grateful to hear that everything looked great. This time around, there was no single umbilical chord artery, no placenta previa anymore (they had moved), and the babies were measuring similar in size, which means they are both growing at a similar rate. The membrane which divides them looked really good and the doctor said he was pretty certain that they are fraternal twins, not identical. This is good news in that there is less risk involved with fraternal twins than identical. He remembered us from when we were pregnant with Elijah because we had to see him so often. But, this time, he said, "I will see you again in five weeks!" I was so used to being monitored for fetal distress and an ultrasound every two weeks with Elijah that I was a little taken back when he said five weeks. ;) I will be seeing my OB this week and I think I probably will be seeing her every two/three weeks. I'm assuming that I have not received a phone call telling me to go in for a three hour gestational diabetes screening means that I passed the one hour one....

I am just really thankful to God that all is looking good.