New Dads on the Block

As of this weekend, our twins are fourteen weeks along.

From what we’ve read, that means the babies are likely about 3.5-4” each, crown-to-rump-length, and each probably weigh about two ounces.

The twins are now about the size of oranges. I’m sure this makes Matt particularly happy this week, as he’s a Syracuse alum. (Their mascot is an orange.) In addition:

• “Your babies can now squint, frown, grimace, and possibly suck their thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, facial muscles are getting a workout as their tiny features form one expression after another. Kidneys are producing urine, which releases into the amniotic fluid — a process that continues up until birth. They can grasp, too.” (source)
• “The liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it’s doing its job right — and the spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though [our gestational surrogate] can’t feel their tiny punches and kicks yet, their little hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.” (source)
• “Now the size of your clenched fist, your babies are more fluid in their movements, so they’re no longer doing the jerk every time they reposition arms and legs. Other developments this week include a roof of their own (inside the mouth, that is) as well as intestinal activity: their intestines are producing meconium (which is the waste that will make up first bowel movements after birth).” (source)

Since our clinic tells us to expect about 35 weeks for twin gestation, we’re now about 40% of the way through the pregnancy.

It’s going so fast!

–Josh

Getting the sonograms of the twins has been wonderful. Reading the online resources that tell you how big your babies are in the terms of fresh produce–the size of raspberries in early November, and the size of lemons as of last weekend–has been fun, too. Crossing the line into the second trimester was a big moment as well, relieving some of our worries.

But another big moment happened last week, and it wasn’t one I’d expected.

I was on the phone with my best friend, Josh K, when I saw the Amazon box sitting on our table. As I opened the box, I felt my pulse pick up. On the recommendation of just about everyone we know with kids, we ordered What To Expect The First Year by Heidi Murkoff, and now I held it in my hands–something tangible, something right before my eyes.

I knew it’d be our go-to resource as we raised our twins for the first twelve months of their lives. Our babies, I thought to myself, the ones coming in just five months. Adrenaline pumped through my chest and, just as unexpectedly, I got a little teary.

“Are you alright?” Josh K asked me, still on the line.

“I am,” I said.

And I was. Better than alright, in fact. But I also felt a little twinge, a little change.

More and more, I was starting to feel like a daddy. Daddy-to-be, perhaps, but daddy nonetheless.

–Josh

We are currently at 13 weeks and out of the first trimester! According to our baby tracker, the twins are roughly the size of lemons. It was just a coincidence that my friend Tracy in Florida has been growing her own citrus and finally harvested two perfect lemons on the same day that we crossed the 13-week mark. Rather than scouring the internet for some stock lemon footage, I am honored to present her work as a symbol of the babies’ growth. Love you, Tracy!

–Matt