A Visit from "Aunt Nancy" and "Uncle Tom"

This was a special weekend for the Wonder Twins, as they had out-of-town company travel to see them! Nancy Randall, who has been one of my best friends since fifth grade and singlehandedly helped plan my wedding, and her boyfriend, Tom, drove in Saturday from Winston-Salem to visit.

Nancy had not seen me since my birthday in April, so I was anticipating a big reaction from her to my constantly growing baby bump. When I met them at my house, the first thing she said was, "You don't look pregnant!" I looked at her like she'd somehow morphed into Michael Jackson. "What?" I said and promptly turned to the side to showcase the Wonder Twins in their full glory. "Oh!" exclaimed Nancy. "I can tell from the side, but you really can't tell from the front!" Hilarious. She is right. The girls are almost like a little basketball in my belly. They don't stick out on the sides, just the front! Geof likes to pretend to "palm" them.

Nancy and Tom came bearing gifts, which is always fun! They brought me a beautiful blue and grey floral maternity t-shirt, which I promptly put on and flaunted for them to see. They also brought some "Belly Bars" for the twins. I had seen them in the stores, but I had never tried them. They're almost like a Clif Bar (for all you runners out there) and chock full of folic acid, protein and other good baby-building ingredients. I plan to snack on them at work this week! Yummy!

After being showered with gifts, we were showered with food at Taverna Agora, our favorite Greek restaurant in Raleigh. The food is fantastic, but my only dilemma is I can't eat feta. (Mommies-to-be are supposed to avoid soft cheeses.) Thankfully, there are many other tasty treats on the menu, and none of us had a problem picking an entree. Somehow, after stuffing ourselves with perfectly prepared seafood, veggies and pasta, we still found room to share a five-layer chocolate mousse cake. It was divine. Thanks to stretchy waistbands on pants for pregos, I was able to get out of my chair and pose for pictures without popping!

Following dinner, we went to Downtown Alive, a free concert series on Saturdays in Moore Square. We thought we were going to see Cracker perform, but by the time we waddled our way to the venue, a band called the Tubes was playing. The guitar player looked like Bill Clinton and the music was not good, so we promptly left, holding our full bellies as we walked!

Apparently, this was the weekend of gluttony, because we continued the eating extravaganza Sunday morning at the Farmer's Market Restaurant. We feasted on homemade biscuits, eggs, pancakes and pretty much everything else that was on the menu in some form or fashion! Delicious! You can see how fat and happy we look in the photos below!

We rounded out the afternoon with a movie ("Away We Go") and a pedicure session. Nancy offered to pamper my peds after reading a previous blog posting about how difficult bending over to paint my own tooties was getting. She did a fabulous job. My toes are an eye-popping coral shade, which is the perfect compliment to summertime and flip flops! Love it!

The Wonder Twins loved spending time with "Aunt Nancy" and "Uncle Tom," and look forward to their next visit to the Triangle! Hooray for road trips!

A "Home Run" of a Family Outing

Last night, Geof and I took the Wonder Twins to their first baseball game! The Carolina Mudcats (the mascot is some time of weird southern fish) played the Suns from Jacksonville, Florida at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, which is only about 15 minutes from our house.

We almost didn't make the game for two reasons. First, Geof was wrestling in our newly organized garage with a bike hanger that just wouldn't drill into the wall properly. After about an hour of waging war on the $5 piece of metal, Geof finally prevailed. But, by then, it was already 7 p.m. The game started at 7:15 p.m.

The second reason why we almost bailed on the game? Rain. Dark clouds. Wind. We just knew as soon as we got out to the ballpark and bought our tickets the sky would open up, and we would get soaked! However, the "isolated showers" also helped cool off the mid-90 degree temperatures of the afternoon, and we considered that enough of a plus to take the rain-related risk and go to the game.

We scored great seats in the nosebleed section under a small overhang (in case it rained) right behind home plate. We could see everything really well. After devouring hotdogs and french fries, we settled in to watch the AA teams play ball. The pitcher for the Mudcats, a Cincinnati Reds farm team, was quite talented, easily impressing Geof with his 97 mph fast ball.

We tried to explain to the Wonder Twins where they were and what was going on, but we think they mainly preferred dancing to the songs played between innings such as the "YMCA" and "Thriller." They also liked swaying to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." Thankfully, they are not yet interested in cute ball players.

Interestingly, I was not the only pregnant lady there. A woman sitting a few rows down from us was obviously much further along than I, because she was huge and her belly button (Geof calls it the "timer") had totally popped out! We got a good laugh out of her, when a foul ball came soaring over our section, and she ran like lightning up the stairs to an overhang and covered her head. I guess it was her method of baby safety!

Her husband was sporting a UNC-colored hat that said "#1 Dad." Upon seeing it, I immediately asked Geof (even though I already knew what he'd say) if the Wonder Twins got him a "#1 Dad" hat, would he wear it. He, as I expected, said "no." I guess the girls will have to get him the "#1 Dad" coffee mug next year for Father's Day. That would probably be a home run. :)

The Wonder Twins Get a Shout Out! Holla!

On Thursday, I attended the Wake Forest Chamber of Commerce's 61st annual luncheon and meeting in Wake Forest. I was there for work reasons - to listen as the department's new Transportation Secretary, Gene Conti, gave the keynote address. I had prepared his remarks, as well as a 23-page briefing memo chock full of information on any possible topic he could get asked about during the Q&A session following his speech.

Before I explain what the Secretary said, allow me to set the scene for you. The luncheon, of course, took place over the lunch hour. However, the event was not held in the comfort of an air-conditioned restaurant. It was held in a tent outside. There were only two fans. It was 90 degrees and sunny outside, and everyone was sweating.

I had scripted a joke for the Secretary to deliver at the beginning of his remarks about the heat that day. But, before he ever got to the joke, he went off the talking points I had provided him and started introducing the NCDOT staff members in attendance. Much to my surprise, he started with me!

He explained that I work in the Communications Office and went on to say I'm helping expand the NCDOT family by having twins in the next few months. I suppose I should've stood up and waved, but I was still in shock at the very unexpected introduction. In response to the baby news, a collection "awww" came from the crowd, and I was showered with "congratulations" from everyone around me.

I consider it the Wonder Twins' first official shout out! Perhaps, it reaped benefits for the Secretary, as well. No one asked him any "hard ball" questions during the Q&A period. I think in a small way the twins helped with that. I mean, really, who's going to get nasty with a man who's traveling with a pregnant lady. No one!

I appreciated the Secretary's kind acknowledgement. I only wish I would've gotten it on video, so I could post it to the blog for posterity! Think he'd be willing to do a second take? At least this time, we could stick to buildings with AC!

Bump-ing to the Beat

Most days on the 25-minute drive between home and work, I listen to NPR. It's the easiest way for me to get updated information on the latest happenings in the world around me. But, some days, I just don't feel like tuning in. When the sleepiness sets in or a good mood strikes, I need music, not talking, to keep me moving. That's when I plug in my iPod and begin teaching "music education."

You see, Geof and I both LOVE music and want the Wonder Twins to dig it, too. So, we are making an effort to teach them in utero about rhythm and sound.

Here are two examples:

On my drive from work today, I shuffled through the hundreds of songs on my iPod, looking for something new. Before pressing "play" on an old Indigo Girls' album, I announced, "Okay, girls, this is the Indigo Girls. They sing and play all kinds of guitars. One day, we will teach you to sing and play guitars, too, but for now, just play air guitar with Mommy." I proceeded to play "Tried to Be True" and sing out loud (much to the hilarity of the drivers around me, I'm sure), while patting and strumming my baby bump.

On my drive to work today, the Wonder Twins and I swayed along to Joshua Radin's newest record, "Simple Times." In between songs, I interjected, "You are listening to Joshua Radin. He's a really cute singer/songwriter who can play guitar. You'll meet plenty of guys like him in college. Don't accept their offers to 'give you guitar lessons.'" When the next track started up, so did the rhythmic belly patting.

I think the twins like "music education," because I often feel little sensations of pressure in different parts of my tummy while we bop along to the beat. Nothing painful at all. Just the hint of movement. And, that makes me think they've already got the rhythm stuff down. Now, they're just practicing their dance steps.

Don't be surprised if they come out of the womb doing the moonwalk. It's Geof signature move! Like father, like daughters... :)

Happy Father's Day to Geof!

Today is a special day at the Demi-Levine house! It's Geof's first Father's Day! Yay! The Wonder Twins wanted to let their Daddy know that they love him very much, so they asked me (we communicate telepathically) to help.

First, we went to Target to find the perfect card, but we ran into a little bit of trouble, because a.) There are no cards that read "To Dad from the Wonder Twins" and b.) The cards that were left were really lame. They decided to abandon the card aisle and seek a more creative solution. They opted to make their own card, so I bought them a 68-cent piece of poster board and home we went to begin brainstorming!

Now, as you know, the girls bones are currently a fraction of the size of a Crayola marker and not exactly sturdy yet. Doing their own coloring, cutting and pasting was out of the question, but that did not hinder them! Oh no. They simply told me what to write, and I did the drawing and designing for them.

Their idea was pretty cute. On the front of the card, they wanted to pose the question: "What's better than winning an Emmy?" (In case you didn't know, Geof's won two Emmys for his photojournalistic work in television news, as well as a slew of other prestigious awards.) On the inside, they answered it: "Coming home to FOUR ladies who love you bunches!" (Their grammar isn't totally perfect yet, but we're working on it. :) ) The "four" includes Stella, our black and white house cat. The twins, Stella and I all added our own special messages and then signed the card.

As you can imagine, Geof loved his homemade card and gave the babies multiple kisses on my tummy to let them know how thoughtful it was.

The card, of course, came with presents. The Wonder Twins plan to be very athletic, so they thought Daddy needed new collapsable chairs to take to their future sporting events. They picked out two nice ones to replace the rusting metal beach chairs we've had since we lived in North Carolina the first time. Yikes! Geof is looking forward to using them as he cheers the girls on from the sidelines. As you can see from the photo below, Stella likes them, too!

Target actually carries little kid versions of those same chairs in pink, and it was all I could do not to buy them. Considering the twins are still in the womb, they couldn't exactly use them for awhile, but they were so cute! I could just see us all lined up like stair steps - Geof, me and the twins. Awww... Kodak moment in my head! But, alas, I refrained and vowed to save the money for more important purchases like two cribs!

The point of today is not gifts or cards. The point is to tell Geof how much we appreciate all he does for us each and every day! He knows I tire easily, so he does the laundry and puts it away, vacuums the house, and cooks dinner on the nights he's not working and cleans up without me even asking!! This, after working a 12-hour day with no lunch break! The twins and I couldn't ask for a better husband/Daddy to care for us. He is absolutely amazing, and we don't know what we'd do without him! Love you, Daddy!

Wonder Twin Power, Activate! Form of... GIRLS!

Yes, that's right! Geof and I found out this afternoon that we're having twin GIRLS! We are SOOO excited! According to the doctor, their measurements are excellent, and they are progressing well. We could not ask for better news!

As you can imagine, the Wonder Twins' photographer father was fully equipped with his camera and Blackberry during the ultrasound appointment at Rex Hospital. Geof snapped the shot below right after the technician squirted the jelly stuff on my belly and started to slide the palm-held probe around.

This photo shows me smiling widely as I gaze upon our squirming little ladies! They are so amazing! I can't believe how much they've grown since our last ultrasound! (Shortly after Geof took the picture below, I realized he might continuing snapping away through the entire appointment and miss the phenomenal images on the screen. So, I quietly whispered, "You're missing it." With an "Oh!" he immediately put away the camera and left the photography to the almighty ultrasound machine. I guess you could call it an occupational hazard. :) )

This ultrasound picture shows both babies. Twin B is on top; Twin A is on the bottom. Their heads are at opposite ends. The technician said there was a good amount of "fluid" in their little sacks, so we assume they're not too cramped in there just yet.

Meet Twin A! She is our tiny introvert. At every ultrasound we've ever had, she's always shied away from the camera. Last time, we got a great picture of her back! This time, however, she allowed us to capture a nice profile shot! She does not move around quite as much as her sister. She prefers to stay tucked up in a ball and practice yoga in utero. Her heart rate registers 150 beats per minute. Very healthy!

Meet Twin B! She is our tiny extrovert. She LOVES getting her picture taken (sound like anyone you know?) and is always happy to mug for the camera! Today, she was dancing and twisting and wiggling around. In fact, she was so squirmy that the technician had a hard time getting her heart beat to register. When she finally did, it measured 160 bpm. She is certainly going to be the party animal. Even the technician said, "She'll be the one that says to her sister, 'It's okay do that. Mom and Dad won't care. We'll clean it up, and they'll never know.'" Great.

As if in response to that comment, Twin A wanted to let us know everything would be okay, so she flashed us the "peace sign," which you can see in the photo below. Apparently, she's already channeling her family tree. I'll never forget the first time I met Geof's mom, Linda. As we drove up to the restaurant, she was standing by the door and flashed me a peace sign. Not knowing how to appropriately respond, I waved. Geof said, "She was a hippie," as if to explain the display. I like to think that even though Linda is in heaven, she's sending us a small "sign" to let us know she's watching over the Wonder Twins.

Geof and I decided to celebrate today's big news by going to Babies R' Us on a nursery planning adventure. We're thinking about using chocolate and varied shades of pink on the nursery walls and in the bedding. Geof found a great bed set with butterflies on it. So cute! Never thought he'd be excited about butterflies and pink, did you?

I'm not a huge fan of yellow and green. So, I didn't go baby clothes shopping before we found out the sexes. (I've REALLY been looking forward to baby clothes shopping!) So, tonight, we went. We found the perfect outfits, which I'm holding in the picture below. The purple and white onesy says "My twin did it!" The hot pink one says "Save the drama for your mama!" Hilarious. We bought two of the purple ones. Although we don't plan to dress the girls alike, we couldn't resist getting a "twin set" for them!

I found another outfit I think is perfect for Father's Day! Awwww....

In summary, today was a wonderful day! We were definitely surprised by the news that the Wonder Twins are girls, but that seems to be the theme of this pregnancy. First, we were surprised to learn we were having twins, and after assuming for months that one of the babies would surely be a boy, mother nature proved us wrong! The great part is all these surprises are incredible surprises!

Granted, Geof is understandably nervous about being totally outnumbered in the house. Even Stella the Cat is female! But, he's definitely up for the estrogen challenge! I promised to teach him how to do pigtails and ponytails like a champion stylist and tie hair bows with the best of them. I have a feeling the babies are going to be "Daddy's girls" no matter how lopsided their hairdos may be. :)

"Y" not work out?

I'll be honest. Before this week, it had been a while since I had exercised with any type of regularity. For the first few months, I was just too tired before or after work to hit the YMCA in downtown Raleigh where Geof and I are members. Then came vacation. Then catch up after vacation. Then... Well, you get the picture.

No more excuses. Fitness is too importance to make one of those "if I have time" type of things. I'm now back on track... er... the treadmill, ready to give my muscles a work out! Don't worry. I know my limitations and would never do anything to risk the health of the Wonder Twins. The doctor says I can do low-impact cardio, and that's what I stick to. I regularly check my heart rate to make sure it's not inching above 140 beats per minute, and if I feel like I might get winded, I slow waaaay down immediately.

I kick started my exercise regiment yesterday with a 30-minute stint on the elliptical machine, an old gym friend. However, instead of putting the setting at Cross Country 3 and burning through 400 calories in half an hour like I used to, I pushed the button for the basic level and slowly shaved off 200 calories.

Today, I walked 1.1 miles at a slight incline on the treadmill in 25 minutes. It's a far cry from the 5K I used to complete in that same time period, but hey, I'm carrying a lot of extra weight with two babies! :) I followed up my walk with a series of arm exercises using five-pound free weights.

Don't expect me to turn into a toned, svelte body builder over the term of the pregnancy. I like having a neck. I'm doing this for the babies and for myself. I want to stay in relatively good shape while I continue to build up the baby weight, and I want to give the Wonder Twins a healthy start to their young lives.

Oh, and watching people's reactions at the gym to my baby bump in spandex is pretty awesome, too.