I turned 37 years young on Saturday, August 30, and my birthday wish has come true: Gabriel and Zeke are alive, healthy and continuing to grow big and strong inside of me! There were times I thought my pregnancy would never make it this far, and as of tomorrow, I will be 28 weeks and counting. Our sweet boys are truly a miracle of God and modern medicine!

These 4D images were done at my last ultrasound on August 25. There are a few more choice in-uterine photos available for your viewing pleasure; click the photo of Gabriel above and the photo of Zeke below to check ’em out.

At that ultrasound, Gabriel’s heart rate was 164 and he weighed 1 pound, 11 ounces, and Zeke’s heart rate was 158 and he weighed 1 pound, 13 ounces. The doc says everything is still looking “stable,” including Zeke’s CCAM, which remains unchanged. Dr. Smith, a new specialist to the practice, also pointed out that she has had two previous TTTS patients, both of whom had fetoscopic surgery like me and made it to 37 weeks (note: 35 weeks gestation is regarded as full-term for a “normal” twin pregnancy). In her medical opinion, it is not a sure thing that Gabriel and Zeke will preemies after all. So, if by the grace of God we can make it another seven weeks, the boys will be coming home from the hospital with me. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!

I had a prenatal appointment with my OB on August 27 (heart rates were 160 for Gabriel and 152 for Zeke). Dr. Stringer says he wants to start doing a once-weekly biophysical profile beginning at 30 weeks, instead of a twice-weekly non-stress EKG test beginning at 32 weeks, which is another option for twin pregnancies. The biophysical test is just a fancy ultrasound, testing for the same thing as would the EKG: making sure that my placenta is providing Gabriel and Zeke everything they need for good health and that the boys are adjusting well to their in-uterine environment. This includes doing detailed analysis of heart tone, amniotic fluid, flexion of extremities, and diaphragm and fetal breathing.

Houston had his first real haircut on August 28. I knew he wouldn’t love the experience, but I was surprised how much he actually hated it. Thank goodness it was a quickie cut because he wailed the entire time. To make up for any trauma we unintentionally induced, Gramsey and I decided to get him an ice cream treat and then have some outdoor fun at a nearby park. Needless to say, he got over the haircut pretty quickly.

Click on the photo of Houston and Gramsey on the slide to view the haircut and park pictures. And click on the watering-can photo to see how Houston likes to cool off in the summer heat, as well as a few pics of his latest play date with his buddy, Mason.