Venti

We have reached the twentieth week of Kristina's pregnancy. I have too many thoughts, as well as too many distractions, to properly express what is going through my brain about the boys' development. We have classes we are taking to help us prepart. There are doctors visits o'plenty. And let's not forget nursery plans to complete.
 

I hope to carve out a little more time to share not just the biological development of our twin boys but also the journey we are experiencing from the shock of knowing to our fears, struggles and excitement. Of course, I'll need to be careful what details to reveal. Some information is just too personal, but a high-level summary can be given. And some of the personal things are funny too - like the awkwardness I experienced when my wife and daughter were discussing breastfeeding and how to properly size a nipple-shield. But that's about the extent of what's safe to share.
 

There are a multitude of moments about this pregnancy. I may just now be realizing how special and unique of an experience Kristina and I (and our whole family) have with this. Only one in roughly thirty-five births are twins. That means we are among about 3% of the population who know what carrying twins is like. Combine that with our family dynamics and the boys' siblings, the result is a very unique and special experience that is probably unlike anyone else'. Looking at it like that, I acknowledge this as a story worth sharing.
 

So, I will begin gathering appropriate stories and share the softer sides of our experience. Until that time I leave you with this week's description on the twins' in-womb experience:
 

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — about the size of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)
 
He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).