Not an illusion, this is actual MAGIC!

Being pregnant is an awful lot like watching and performing the best magic show ever... for 8 months and counting.  The first "trick" I performed was finally, FINALLY making 2 lines appear on a pregnancy test. 



 

The picture is blurry and the 2nd line is very light, but seeing it appear before my eyes was one of the most exciting moments of my life.

Our first ultrasound was truly amazing.  I had some health issues so I had seen many ultrasounds of my empty uterus.  This time was different...  the tech got out the wand to take a peek and *POOF* there were not 1, but 2 little bubbles in there - TWINS!  Just like in the magic show when we're shown the empty cage from every angle and then a white tiger appears, where there once was nothing there now was something... 2 somethings.. no wait, 2 someONEs inside my belly.  Ben's reaction still cracks me up.  All he could say was "I don't want to drive a mini-van!" 

We went back the following week to check on the babies and were surprised to see how much things had changed in there.  Not only did the bubbles have "stuff" inside them, but part of that "stuff" was flickering.  That's right ladies and gentleman, there were 2 HEARTBEATS!

The next "trick" the babies performed for us was morphing from a blob into a cuter blob with a separate head and body.

After that they were really determined to impress us.  They soon developed "arm buds" and kind of looked like little babies.  At this point I started to become impatient waiting for the magic on my side to start happening.  When would I feel them move?  When would my belly start growing impossibly huge?  Boy would I regret wishing for that last thing.

At just over 13 weeks along I had to go for scary tests to see if the babies were at risk for any chromosonal issues (fortunately, chances are they are not).  I was so nervous to go in but it ended up being a wonderful doctor's visit where I got to see the kids for over half an hour.  I was in awe at how much they had changed.  They had arms, legs, and FACES!  They could move around and did quite a bit.  Baby "B" even got the hiccups! 

It was truly a miracle to see these little people evolve so quickly from nothing into actual babies who already seemed to have minds of their own, and I was only 3 months pregnant!

Our next visit with the babies was "THE" visit.  The one where they would reveal all their secrets...  would we have girls or boys?  My whole life I only pictured myself with daughters but from the second I saw that 2nd line on the pregnancy test I KNEW snakes and snails and puppy dog tails were in my future.  I guess I have ability to tell the future - does that count as magic?  :) 

Within a few seconds the tech confirmed that baby "B" was in fact male.  He was laying there, legs open, letting it all hang out.  Baby "A" was much more difficult.  He had his legs crossed with the cord between them, but for a

split second he flashed us and sure enough, I was right, 2 boys!!!  Ben was so revieved, I don't think he had a second to enjoy my pregnancy up until that point because he was so worried that (in his own words): "One day a little girl will grow up and a boy will try to take her on a date.  I just can't handle that!!"  Now he has 2 sons to scare some other poor father to death in 15 years.  As usual, the boys were not very coorperative with photos so here is a baby head and a baby foot.

Not long after this, Ben and I were walking Oscar when it FINALLY happened.  I doubled over, holding my stomach in disbelief.  Someone MOVED inside my belly... and I felt it, like fingers drumming lightly on the inside of my skin.  Around this time was also when I began my amazing transformation from a regular girl into a pregnant girl with a remarkably HUGE tummy.  I know you've all seen the pictures but I don't know if they really do it justice.  I've gotten so large that I've seriously considered cutting a hole in our bedsheet to pull my head through and wearing that for the next 2 weeks.  I guess that would "magically" turn me into a single mother though as I'm sure Ben would be horrified and disgusted.  :)

All of the pictures of the boys between the "big reveal" and now look pretty alien like because they were too big, cramped, and camera shy to give us any good poses, but at my very last ultrasound we got this cute picture of baby "B" sucking his thumb.  It is kind of difficult to make out but his face is to the right and he is looking straight at us.

Now the anticipation is building for the grand finale.  In 12 days we experience the greatest magic of all - when 2 Petersons enter a room and we exit as a family of 4.

 

Nursery

I spent the first 5 months of this pregnancy putting a nursery together in my head, the last 3 months bringing it to life... and it's finally complete!  Perhaps I spent a little too much time and effort trying to make a room perfect for tiny boys who don't care much what it looks like, but I'm really proud of how it came out and I think they will be very comfortable in their first room.

Here is the view when you first walk in the door.  I know what most of you are thinking...  you are having 2 boys, why is the room green and not blue?  Daddy Ben is a crazy Duke fan and what do Duke fans hate??  Everything about UNC... and what are UNC's school colors?  That's right - baby blue and white... so green was the next logical (and safe) choice. 

I really wanted modern looking cribs which are insanely expensive so I shopped around and ended up finding these at Wal-Mart, of all places.  They even came with the mattresses for a very reasonable price and they transform into toddler beds so hopefully they will last for a few years.  Surprisingly, our apartment didn't come with overhead lighting so I decided to go with a paper lantern I found on Amazon for practically nothing.  I'd like to give a special shout out to my Dad - THANK YOU for painting the room AND hanging the light and to my mom - THANK YOU for making customized crib skirts! 

I found a bookcase to set under their window to load up with all the really fun books we've received as gifts, as well as Ben's 5 home run balls and some stuffed animals.  I found that so many of our adorable baby gifts came in in equally adorable baby gift bags so instead of throwing them out, I saved them to hold little toys, pacifiers, and other various odds and ends.  It saved us from having to buy baskets or boxes and I think they are cuter anyway!  It's hard to see from this picture, but we also have a music box that Ben's mom saved from his childhood.  I can't wait to play it for the boys while Ben changes their diapers.  hehehe

Across from the cribs we have the changing table and rocking chair.  I didn't think a big piece of furniture would fit well in this room, or that I'd want to spend hours sitting quietly in a room without a TV (is that bad to say?) so I didn't go with the typical chair.  I'd seen this style rocker on various "mod nursery" websites but it was shockingly expensive... until I found a knockoff at overstock.com for about 1/4 the price - WHOO HOO!  It's actually much more comfortable than it looks and it fits in the room perfectly. 
The changing table also came from Wal-Mart and the top comes off so it will be a plain old dresser when the boys are out of diapers...  which seems like an eternity from now!  My favorite part of the room has got to be the custom animal pictures my Dad painted.  Rather than buying prints, I took advantage of my Dad's artistic talent and asked him to create something simple.  As usual, he did a perfect job and made a one of a kind happy hippo, giraffe, and elephant to smile over the boys as they sleep.

For some reason, I was kind of obsessed with moses baskets and luckily I found this one unused on craigslist for an excellent (ie LOW) price.  I can't wait to see the adorable pictures my mom takes of the boys in here but for now it's home to "Tim" and "Percy", the Gator bears Ben's mom and sister made especially for the little ones.  The blanket was handmade by Ben's Great-Grandma for him when he was just a baby!




Does anyone not think baby clothes are adorable?  I can't stop going in the nursery just to peek into the closet and drawers at their wardrobe.  I cannot believe that 2 people tiny enough to fit into these outfits will be joining our family...  especially since I feel so huge I fully expect 2 grown men to walk out of my belly!