Christmas 2007

We spent Christmas in East TN visiting Grandpa Chuck & Grandma Bonnie. We had a great time. Me & Ed played Rook against Chuck & Bonnie. They beat us 3 out of 5. We have created a trophy out of a Diet Pepsi liter. Oh just wait until next year. All I can say is if you beat them in one game, you are doing good!

Baby Doll Party

We spent Thanksgiving in KY & had a blast. It was the first time my grandmother was able to see the newborn twins. It was also the first time my aunts, uncles, and cousins were able to see the babies. Of course, the babies got passed around all day long & the aunts were just eating it up. They said they were having a baby doll party. I believe the babies loved it as well. The older kids ran around as usual playing hide & seek.

Trick or Treat

Well, Halloween was a bust for the babies. Their first Halloween consisted of sleeping at home. Ed took Shelby and Samantha around the neighborhood. Shelby was Hannah Montana; Samantha was a pint cheetah; Sarah and Sidney were sunflowers. They were all adorable.

Babies Visit West TN

The babies got to visit West TN for the first time on Friday, Oct. 19, 2007. They traveled well & we had a good time. We have made Oct an annual trip to Grandmama Ruth's. We do a bonfire & face painting. Uncle Mike also got a cake for the occasion. Randal was painted as a cool dude, Lane was painted to appear beat up, and Uncle Mike looked like a magician. Sammie, Shelby, and Samantha just looked like blobs of paint on their face.

Shelby's First Soccer Game

Shelby decided to play soccer this year. Her first game was Saturday, August 25th. There are three positions to play: goalie, defender, attacker (or at least that is what I call the positions). Of course, I am sure everyone knows the goalie position (person protects the goal & tries to stop the ball from going in). The defender is the position before the goalie. These players try to prevent the ball from even getting to the point of where the goalie would have to protect the goal. And then the attackers are in front of the defenders & they try to stop the ball from going on their side & instead they try to steal the ball & move it down the field to score a goal. All girls get to play each position & they rotate out. Shelby seemed to be best as an attacker. She was good at passing the ball to the other attacker. She had two assists. She was able to pass the ball to the girl and on two of those occasions, the girl was able to score. Shelby also scored her own goal. She got the last goal of the game & there was only two seconds remaining! She was so proud of herself. It is the first time she has played a sport and scored a point. Her team won 8 - 3.

Week of Aug 20. Start Daycare & School

The babies started daycare this week and Shelby and Samantha started school. Even though the babies started daycare, I have not started back to work yet. I go back the day after Labor Day, Tues. Sept 04 (thank goodness!). This will give the babies times to adjust & give me some time to just catch my breath. Shelby also lost her fifth tooth and she had her birthday this week. Shelby started the third grade and Samantha the first. Both are enjoying their teachers and friends. Shelby lost her fifth tooth the night of the first day of class, Aug 22. She is still nervous about having her teeth pulled even though none have ever hurt her. She is not big on pain or the thought of pain. Shelby celebrated her eighth birthday on Friday night, Aug 24. I made her birthday cake and she got three High School Musical reading books, a Junie B. Jones reading book, and the High School Musical 2 Soundtrack. We also give both girls a small gift from each of us on each others birthdays. This year was a disposable camera and a photo album. They like taking pictures. Samantha also wanted to give Shelby a special gift. They like playing school so we got both of them school supplies to play teacher in their room. We all had a great time.

Sarah and Sidney are One Month Old

Hard to believe, but the babies are one month old. They will be starting daycare soon. Oh no. And mommy will have to go back to work. The girls sleep about every three hours and drink four ounces of milk. We are hoping within the next three weeks they will begin to sleep a little longer at a time. Ed and I both get up with them at night & are both in the bed within 30 minutes. So far, so good. We both are able to get up in the AM and not need a nap during the day, but we go to bed at 8 at night. The babies are strong and are trying to hold their heads up & are beginning to grip things. Sarah always grips the side of the changing table when I change her diaper & Sidney tends to grab my hair. In the pictures, Sarah is the one with all the hair & Sidney is the one without the hair. They are so sweet.

OH Visits TN

The babies were not quite one month old and had already been in three states, OH, KY, and TN. They are well traveled. LOL. In TN, we got to visit several family members and friends and also got to visit our church in Tellico, Cane Creek. We enjoyed the visit. Picture one is the babies with Eddie's sister Lori. Picture two is babies with Eddie's sister Carla. Picture four is Lori's youngest son, Logan. Picture four is Shelby in Samantha with Carla's two year old Zack and Lori's three year old, Gabe. The only one not pictured is Carla's three year old, Ethan. He did not want to get his picture taken. Maybe we will get him next go round.

TN visits OH

We had several visitors when the babies where born. We had a good time. Picture one is girls with Eddie's parents. Picture two is girls with my brother Josh's boys, Lane and Randal. Picture three is babies with my brother Josh. Picture four is girls with my brother Michael. Picture five is girls with my first cousin Tina. Picture six is girls with my mom. The only family member that did not get to come up was my brother Mike's boy, Sammie. He was on vacation in Florida.

Our Irish and Identical Twins

Shelby and Samantha (our Irish Twins) are enjoying Sarah and Sidney (our Identical Twins). Irish Twins are two siblings born one year apart. Sarah and Sidney are Identical Twins, but it is easy to tell them apart (so far) because Sarah is one pound bigger as well as one inch longer. Sarah has a fuller face and her hair is thicker. All our babies are so beautiful.

Pictures of Sarah Bess

Sarah Bess Wilke
Friday, July 06, 2007
4:57 PM
5 lbs 5 oz and 17.5"

Pictures of Sidney Jess

Sidney Jess Wilke
Friday, July 06, 2007
4:58 PM
4 lbs 3 oz and 16.5"

The Final Day

I was set for a routine check-up appointment on Friday, July 6. I told Eddie to go ahead & take a picture of me & this would be the last picture we would take of me. Little did I know the babies would actually be born just 4.5 hours later! Total weight gain, 39 lbs. Not too shabby for a five foot gal carrying twins!!!!!

Over Night Stay

Well, looks like the twins are running out of room in there. I began contractions on Tuesday and have not stopped since. I had to go to the hospital on Tuesday anyway for my non stress test that I now have to do twice a week & within an hour, the contractions started getting recorded on the monitor. They started out five minutes apart, four minutes apart, and then three minutes a part. Since I am only 34 weeks tomorrow, the doctor wanted to stop the contractions and at least give me some steroids for their lungs. So I had to get a shot for the contractions (that one burned) and then another shot for the steroids (that was thick & it hurt). Well, the contractions did not stop, but they at least got a little weaker. So I again got another ouchie steroid shot. Again, not stopping the contractions enough so we went with a pill to help relax the uterine muscle. Again, no stopping, but at least they are milder and the contractions have yet to open my cervix. I had to stay overnight Tuesday night, was released sometime on Wednesday, and then I had to go to the hospital today and still contractions, but the cervix is still closed up. I have to go to the doctor tomorrow for my next visit. He is at least happy I have gotten the steroids so if the cervix does begin to open, the girls should be ok. So far, he would like for me to stay on the medication for the contractions until next Friday. Not sure if his mind will change tomorrow or what, but needless to say, these girls are going to be here quick. Eddie has taken off of work starting on Wed so he can take care of me. I have been on bed rest, but am on strict bed rest now. Basically, the only difference is I am not prepping my meals during the day, and I am not driving myself to my visits. My mom is going to be here Sunday with Shelby and Samantha, thank goodness, and now we will just wait on the babies to get here. I just wanted to say again thank you all for thinking of us and all your prayers, emails, and phone calls. We maybe all the way in OH, but you all have made us feel like we were still back home in TN.

Another Five Weeks Has Passed

Picture One: 22 weeks; 14 lbs weight gain
Picture Two: 27 weeks; 28 lbs weight gain
Picture Three: 32 weeks; 31 lbs weight gain

Went for a follow-up doctor and ultra sound visit this Friday. Good news! My cervix is still holding up so no need for steroids and I should be able to hold off another 3 - 5 weeks. Sarah now weighs 4 lbs and 1 oz and Sidney weighs 3 lbs and 9 oz so they are still 1/2 lbs difference on their weight, which is still great! Hard to believe I am carrying around 7 lbs 10 oz worth of baby in there. That would be the most for me b/c Shelby weighed 6 lbs and Samantha weighed 5. Probably the only still disappointing news is Sidney is still breech & most likely will stay that way, but once Sarah is born, Sidney will most likely turn on her on or the doctor maybe able to get her to turn or she could just be born breech. As long as Sarah weighs more & their weights stay about the same, the doctor said he can do it & he has done it before. Beginning next week, I go to the hospital twice a week for a Non Stress Test. Standard procedure for twins just to make sure they are not in any distress and my next follow-up is in two weeks & the next ultra sound is not until four weeks. THEY ARE ALMOST HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I must say thanks everyone for all your prayers and for thinking of us throughout this entire process. Hopefully the next pictures I will be posting is of when they are born :)

Girls Finish School

Shelby and Samantha have finished their first year of school in OH. Both did a great job this year. Shelby earned all As and Bs and has been promoted to the third grade. Samantha earned all Ss and has been promoted to the 1st grade. OH does not do K graduations like TN does, but a Tea Party is put on by the kids to celebrate all their accomplishments. We had a good time at the Tea Party. Now that summer has arrived, the girls are in TN with Eddie's parents until the twins arrive. The girls have been gone for almost 2 weeks & it is getting hard on them already. They have been having a good time, but miss Mom and Dad when we talk to them at night. They have been swimming, riding bikes, playing with cousins, going to Bible School, and even get to go to a wedding this weekend. Can't wait until they get back home.

Five Weeks Later

Wow! Look how that belly has grown. The first picture is of me at 22 weeks and is the day we found out we were having twins. The second picture is at 27 weeks. I have gained a total of 28 lbs and we still have roughly 10 weeks to go. Oh well, all the weight is worth it if we get two healthy baby girls out of it. So far, the girls have been hitting the average size of a single birth baby. My aggravating jokester husband said to tell Jenny Craig here I come!!!

Little Sucker

Poor Sarah is almost folded in half. You can not tell it on this picture, but while we watched her on the ultra sound monitor she found a way to entertain herself by sucking her own knee.

Big Yawn

We are so proud of Sidney because she was breech, but now she is head down. Hopefully she will stay that way. Eddie says all that work has made his little girl tired. See the BIG yawn?

Twin A Face

Name: Sarah Bess Wilke
Weight: At 27 weeks, 2 lbs 1.5 oz
Position: Vertex (head down)

Twin B Face

Name: Sidney Jess Wilke
Weight: At 27 weeks, 2 lbs
Position: Vertex (head down)

Head Shot

Grandma Bonnie, Eddie's mom, has been wanting us to get an ultra sound picture of the girls together. They are too big for us to get both of them in the picture, but she was able to at least get the heads. Grandma Bonnie is a twin herself and she says these babies are pretty enough to be models and this is their first "head shot".

Tooties in Bathing Suits & Flip Flops

The girls really liked their bathing suits & flip flops. Aren't they so cute?

Sidney Jess' Easter Basket

Not only did I get the twinkies some outfits, I also got them some stuffed animals. A cat & dog. Some lady in the mall sells the Beanie Babies at a good price & I think they make great gifts for our little girls. Got Shelby a dolphin & Samantha a flamingo for Christmas from there. They sleep with them at night. Cute. Grandma Bonnie & Grandpa Chuck (Eddie's parents) also sent all the girls Easter gifts. The twinkies got identical Easter baskets & bunnies. The tooties (Shelby & Samantha) got Easter hats, new hair brushes, and jewlery.

Sarah Bess' Easter Basket

Samantha was also hoping the Easter Bunny would get the twins some outfits so naturally he did. We plan on trying to dress Sarah Bess in green and then Sidney Jess in any other color. I realize that will not always work, but we are going to try and use that as one indicator to tell them apart. We have only bought a couple of outfits & we may get outfits that are the same or similar, but we buy them in different colors. Sarah got two new dresses and some onesies. One of the onsies is for the 4th of July. Wonder if they will be here in time for the 4th. It will be close. I actually got those outfits before we knew there was a membrane. If there had not been a membrane, they would have for sure been here for the 4th.

Easter 2007

I believe the girls enjoyed Easter this year even though we did not get to spend it with family and friends. Shelby and Samantha actually got up earlier for Easter than they did for Christmas. They love Easter. They were up before the sun could come out & Eddie told them to go back to bed. We woke up about one hour later. The girls got new bathing suits, flip flops, and two summer outfits.

Introducing: Sarah Wilke

Sarah is in the correct position. She is "Baby A" and will be the first of the twins to be born. This is another good shot from the OSU Perinatal unit in downtown Columbus OH. Welcome to the family Sarah and Sidney!

Introducing: Sidney Wilke

Sidney is "Baby B" because she will be born last. Right now she is breech but when Sarah is born she should turn and within a few minutes will be out to meet her new family. The Ultrasounds at OSU Perinatal are high resolution to help determine things like the dividing wall (membrane) they found between the babies so these are some really good shots of the new twins.

Great news this week

When we first went for our ultrasound it was determined that we were pregnant with Mono /Mono twins. That means they shared she same sac inside and their two cords could become entangled and several other problems could arise. We went to a high risk specialist in Columbus Ohio and found that they were not mono/mono. Instead they are mono/di which means they share the same placenta (food supply) but are in separate sacs so there is no danger of cord entanglement. This is a huge relief for us because had they been mono/mono Jessica would have been hospitalized for the rest of the pregnancy. It looks like everything is going to be good now and we thank everyone for the prayers and support the past few weeks.

Twinkies

We had a nickname picked out for the new baby until we found out that the new baby was first of all a girl and not a boy and then second of all the baby was two babies and not one. So we were thinking that maybe the Twinkie nickname might stick.

Goofy Grandparents

Grandpa Chuck and Grandma Bonnie came up in December to help us move into our new house in Ohio. After a long day of hard work the grandparents and Shelby and Samantha hang out on the couch.

The dreaded winter is finally over.... (we hope)

This was our first Winter in Ohio and boy was it a rough one. We had snow on the ground from the first week of January until about the first week of March. It has warmed up quite a bit now though. We were here for a State of Ohio record low in the month of February. The entire month of February it might have gotten above -20 degrees once or twice! The girls enjoyed the snow but i didn't enjoy shoveling it! But its all over now.... we hope!

Identical Twins in the forecast

We are about 22 weeks along so far and just now found out we are having identical twins. We were shocked and excited but later found out that we are having mono/mono twins. This means that the twins not only share the same house, but they share the same room inside that house. This can be particularly dangerous because there is nothing separating the babies and it would be easy for the twins to get the umbilical cords twisted around each other. We are going to see a specialist next Friday to see what our options are. Most likely Jessica will have to be hospitalized from about 24 weeks until the end of the pregnancy to ensure the babies safety.