FAMILY NURSERY!

Since we are all going to be one big happy family we will start our babies lives with them in our room!

Sarah Belly Photos

I took some photos of Sarah yesterday (9-6-08) at some scenic sites in Palm Springs. There's more to come, as I need to do some editing/cropping/etc., but here's a preview of the best looking pregnant lady ever!

SEPTEMBER 5th DR. VISIT

We are looking good! The babies are strong and had healthy heartbeats today at the hospital.

We are 34 weeks tomorrow. We will induce at 38 weeks as long as my Cholestasis symptoms do not get worse. I will go in Mon. for more liver and bile blood tests. The Dr. says he thinks I will go into labor before 38 weeks on my own, but we'll see.

I am on partial bed rest because of my high blood pressure (not Pregnancy Preeclampsia yet)...I can do everyday normal stuff, but nothing too crazy! I am having contractions daily, but nothing close to labor yet. Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts! The girls are almost here!

LOVE YA!

Cholestasis of Pregnancy Update

Hello Family and Friends,

For those of you who may not know, I was diagnosed with Cholestasis last week. I was experiencing very painful itching on my feet (GOOGLED IT) and went in for a liver test. Now that we know I have it, I go to the hospital every 3 days to have the babies monitored for an hour to make sure they are still developing well. Shawn has put me on a no fat/VERY low fat diet and my itchy feet have improved which is letting me sleep. Thanks Dr. Norton!

We want to keep the babies in as long as possible because we want to be sure their lungs are fully developed.I am 33-34 weeks right now and we want to get to 37weeks. At 37 weeks we can do an amnio to check the lungs prior to delivery. I am doing well and the babies are doing well so far. I had an apt this week and the nurses said the babies were developing very well and Baby B had wonderful lung development and was breathing already. Baby A is a little behind, but she's coming along. We have a growth scan next Tues. (Sept. 9) and we are expecting the babies to be 5 or more pounds each! We will keep you updated! Please keep us in your prayers!

BELOW ARE DETAILS ABOUT CHOLESTASIS...

What causes Cholestasis of pregnancy?

Pregnancy hormones affect gallbladder function, resulting in slowing or stopping the flow of bile. The gallbladder holds bile that is produced in the liver, which is necessary in the breakdown of fats in digestion. When the bile flow is stopped or slowed down, this causes a build up of bile acids in the liver which can spill into the bloodstream.

How will the baby be affected if the mother is diagnosed with Cholestasis?

Cholestasis may increase the risks for fetal distress, preterm birth, or stillbirth. A developing baby relies on the mother’s liver to remove bile acids from the blood; therefore, the elevated levels of maternal bile cause stress on the baby’s liver. Women with cholestasis should be monitored closely and serious consideration should be given to inducing labor once the baby’s lungs have reached maturity.

Twin Measurements

We went to see the doctor today, and actually only needed to see the nurse because our twins are doing so well! Here's the stats at just over 30 weeks:

Twin A/Paris/Lily is now 3 pounds, 11 ounces with a heartbeat of 130 bpm

Twin B/Maple/Jaclyn/Rose is now 3 pounds, 12 ounces with a heartbeat of 143 bpm

Twin A continues to be the more active of the 2, as far as Sarah can tell. They are both head down for now, so a natural birth would be possible.

We don't have to go back to the multiples specialist for a month now, which would be right around when they are expected to be born (36 weeks = full term for twins)!

Godecke Clark Baby Shower

Flowers from Shawn's co-workers - one of many gifts - thanks to all!!!!!

Sarah was the last to order, then the waiter recommended somthing spicy - not good for heartburn!

My co-workers, minus a few, from left: Lani, Dennis, Mirela, Me, Sarah, Diane, Vivian, Maria, Vera, Christina. They will all make marvelous babysitters!

Debby got us a swing that seems to be made for my face! I was not man enought to put it together without the instructions....

PREGO SUMMER 2008

Baby Shower Fun!

Here's a couple pics from Sarah's family baby shower in Minnesota....

And below are a couple photos from a baby shower put on by Sarah's co-workers....

We're very impressed with all the generous gifts we've received - many thanks to everyone!

New pics of the twins...using crazy technology!

Twin B was moving around too much to get a 3D picture, but we were able to get a nice side profile.

Twin A, the more photogenic one, allowed us to get 2 of the 3D pictures. Some shapes are a little strange but that's just because the computer couldn't get all the angles.

No, there's not a hole in Twin A's head - it's just from the camera angle.

The nurse also assured us that they are definitely both girls. She said they "flashed us pretty good!"

New do & good checkup!

Sarah returns victorious from her hair appt.

Sarah has now gained 17 lbs!

Here's the latest ultrasound....good luck making out what you can......

Our 1st Padres Game! Plus a little SD on the side...

Sam's 1st Angel's Game

We got free tickets to go to an Angels game from our friend Micky. Here's Sam & Sarah at the entrance.

Our former MN Twins player Torii Hunter hit a home run in the first inning.

Since Hunter proved he can still play, Sam & Sarah went out and bought t-shirts. He went 0-3 the rest of the game.

Road trip to Mexico!

We (Shawn) decided it was time we added a Mexico sticker to our car since we live only 2 hours away. So we drove straight south down to Mexicali. It only took a couple minutes to cross the border from the USA to Mexico.

After getting into Mexicali, it didn't look too promising for fun times. So we got in the line going from Mexico into the USA - this was a much longer line and took us an hour.

The border patrol guard made fun of us for being too scared to do anything in Mexicali.

On the way back we stopped at a beach on the Salton Sea. The beach is white because of all the fish bones that wash up on shore. The bones are very poky, making it hard for Sam and Sarah to walk in their flip-flops!

Salton Sea.

Sam was trying to help Sarah show off her pregnant belly!

SHAWN AND TAXES

Poor Shawn is working 6 days a week 10-12 hours a day to fund all my trips! JOKE'n! Sam and I feel a little guilty when we get to venture off on long weekends without him, but he knows how much we miss him when we are away!!!


Please pray for Shawn's long tax season to be over before he knows it!!!

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK...February 2008

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK...January 2008

Nothing New in Palm Springs

Things have slowed down after the holidays. We're enjoying the relatively cool temps here....nothing else going on...

Horsism rampant in Palm Springs!

As you can see from the picture below, horses face severe persecution in Palm Springs. Not only do they have to deal with the constant riducule regarding the smell of their road apples, they are also barred from entering certain parts of town. Perhaps someday we will live in a more tolerant society that is willing to accept creatures who may have a different idea of where the "bathroom" is.

Thanksgiving 2007

We stuck to Palm Springs for Thanksgiving this year. Mac and Shawn took a pre-turkey hike in the hills west of Palm Springs. Also pictured are some shots from Mom Norton's feast in Waconia.

Already November!

We didn't do a whole lot in October, but it sure went fast! Now the holidays will be here soon...

We're headed to San Diego this weekend - Sarah has the "get out of town" itch.

A Europe slideshow to show off more pics...

Mission Beach