Zero Concerns

Kaia sees a Torgerson nose here


"I have zero concerns about the health of your baby boys." Those were the words of our doctor today near the end of our ultrasound appointment. We had been a little worried about Baby B after a non stress test yesterday, but all those worries were wiped away, by the two little words, zero concerns.

These are definitely giant noggins


Another special treat was seeing Baby A in 3D. He has been hiding for the last 6 weeks and it was so good to get to see him. Of course his brother decided to hide and that is why you only see one good profile in the picture above.

Kaia is a real trooper and now that she is into her 36th week she is really uncomfortable. There is no such thing as a restful position anymore. If the boys hold to July 21 our doc thinks twin 7lb boys are a strong likelihood! Whew!

The side by side comparison of waistlines shows B has really caught up

Every One Is Growing!

From May 30, 2010


It has been a wild week! Last Thursday Grandma Bev rolled in from Minnesota to help with Evie care and Gentlemen prep. Very quickly the phrase, "Grandma can you . . ." became constant.
Kaia hit 35 weeks yesterday and we are ecstatic. Even better we had a growth scan today and here are the latest numbers. Baby A is targeted at 5lbs 10oz and Baby B is estimated at 5lbs 9oz. Baby A is growing well and Baby B has closed the gap! Our ultrasound doc is feeling pretty strongly the boys are identical. We are just thrilled that the Gentlemen are growing strong.

From July 1, 2010


After church last week a member asked if we needed to build scaffolding to help keep Kaia upright. So far, she's doing great!

A Quick Update On The Gents

It has been a month since our last growth scan and today we had another. Our Doc told us that Baby A who had been in the 60th percentile has slowed a bit in his growth to the 40th percentile and is now at 4lbs 11oz. (He said this slowing was normal and nothing to worry about.) Baby B on the other hand has closed the gap and is now in the 30th percentile at 4lbs 8oz. Brain and heart development continue to look great. Baby A is breach (feet down) and Baby B is transverse (laying horizontally and on top of his brother).
All signs point to the Gentlemen staying put for a while longer which is very good.
Evie came with us and got to see a 3-D picture of Baby B. She was very excited.

A Little Something for Wednesday

A Graduate!

A distinguished group


Friday June 11th was a major day for our family. Kaia attended her hooding for her master's degree in teaching. Evie and I were very proud to be able to be with her and see the culmination of a lot of hard work. Way to go Kaia!

Evie is eyeing what degree she wants

A Little Rain Can't Stop Evie . . .

. . . especially when it comes to sandbox time.

There is room for you!


It has been more than two years since Evie started daycare and now it is done. This week marks the beginning of our not so little girl staying home with Kaia full time. (Kaia is counting the days until Evie's Grandma Bev gets into town.) What will a typical day look like? Well if Evangeline gets a vote it will have multiple sandbox sessions. Evie doesn't care if it is raining out, she really wants to play in the sand.

Just like lying on the beach. Right?

All My Friends Ride Lowriders

Drivers, start your engines!


Life is starting to change for Evangeline. She's got two brothers on the way and already attention has begun to shift away from her. (Most people at church ask her about the brothers instead of about what she's up to.) This week also marks her last at daycare. Evie Lu started over two years ago and it has been a great experience for her.
The big wheel was a $20 find on craigslist.com and it will be a part of "staying home with Kaia time." Evangeline has really loved the tricycles at daycare and now she has her own. I can't wait until she learns how to power slide through corners.

Looking Good!

A Quick Update On The Gentlemen

On Thursday May 20th we had another growth scan and ultrasound. Baby A and Baby B continue to grow at their own paces. Baby A is weighing in at 3 1/4 pounds and Baby B is at 2 pounds 12 ounces. This is good news! Kaia's new due date is July 21st, so as of today we are two months away from the arrival of our two bundles of joy. Keep us in your prayers.

Way to go, Grandma Rhonda!

Two weeks ago we traveled to Billings to see Grandma Rhonda graduate with her Masters in Accountancy. We are so proud of her and felt honored to be with her on the big day.

Jody and Will posing with the graduate

After the graduation ceremony, there was a big party to celebrate. Aunt Becky's awesome band provided music, with guest appearances from friends and family.

Sing it, Grandma Rhonda!

Will and Trevor join the band

Evie enjoyed catching up with her Montana friend, Olivia. They danced to the band in a frenzied 'ring around the rosy' dance. I wish I had a sound track to the following pictures. They were laughing and screaming so loud! So much fun!

Our time in Billings was way too short. But it did provide some quality time with family. It took a while for Evie to warm up to everyone, but she eventually did.

Playing with Uncle Jody

We realized on the way back home that this was the last road trip that our little family will take for some time. The idea that the next trip our family will take will involve 5 of us is overwhelming!

Our Church Baby-Baby Shower

We're not worthy! We're not worthy!


It doesn't surprise me that the people in our church love us, but I am regularly overwhelmed by how much they love us. Kaia's sister Kaitlin (also our Youth Director) along with our great friend Cam and Karen (our Children's Ed Director) organized an amazing shower for us.

Oh yes, there was a twin cake.


They thought of everything from great food to a fun game. One of the most touching thoughts they had was to ask some folks to bring little gifts for Evie so that she could have some gifts to open as well. Evangeline made out like a bandit and we'll be doling out gifts bit by bit after The Gentlemen arrive.

Oh, right, we need two blankets.


Thanks to the generosity of our community we are well on our way to being ready for The Gents to arrive. A gift that tickled Kaia were matching Minnesota Twins onesies. The card for that gift appropriately said, "To Will and Kaia (but mostly Kaia!)" All we need now is to know when you'll be coming to visit!

Blankets for swaddling!

Evangeline Is Taking Requests

Since Kaia has been on home rest I've been the go to bath giver. Evie has a lot of fun since sometimes I'll bring a guitar in to sing with her. What songs do I sing with Evie? She knows Werewolves of London and some other classics. At the end of bath time I pull the plug and let Evangeline play until all the water is gone. Last week she sang and played until all the water was gone and this is part of what we heard. I really wish I had caught this from the beginning.

Checking In With The Gentlemen

We don't have any new pictures to share, but we did have a growth scan today. Kaia and I had been hoping that Baby B would catch up to Baby A in the weight and size departments, but that was not the case. Our doctors are keeping an eye on the discrepancy, but told us that the difference was well within the normal range. The good news is that the difference between them has not increased and they are both gaining weight. Our doc said that this would be our story for the rest of the pregnancy. Odds are that Baby B will catch up to Baby A after they are born. Way to go Gents!

Sheriff Evie

Evie's daycare class had a short program for parents yesterday. They dressed up as cowboys and sang songs they had learned. One of them was called "I'm a little cowboy..." to the tune of "I'm a little teapot". It was pretty cute and I'm glad I didn't miss it. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so I couldn't capture the cuteness of the whole class. Evie wanted to bring her costume home, giving me an opportunity to take pictures of her. She is pretty proud of herself!

Remember, horizontal lines are not slimming

I don't know why, but I've never been big on the pregnant belly pictures. But something tells me that this is going to be one for the record books, so I need some sort of starting point. Here is a picture of what a twin belly looks like at just 2 days shy of 24 weeks.

Happy Easter!

I wish I could say that the highlight of Evie's Easter was the awesome music at church, or playing with her friend Reece in the pew, or eating Easter brunch with Aunt Kaitlin. But the truth is, I think her favorite part was her dress. She got an Easter dress from Grandma Bev and Grandpa Wayne a week or so ago in the mail, and I actually had to hide it after trying it on her. Otherwise, she would have worn it all day every day. As it was, she spent most of Easter Sunday in it (long after all the adults had wisely changed into more comfortable clothes).



Lately, Evie has been classifying dresses as good or bad spinners. Does the dress spin? If yes, it is a good dress. This Easter dress is off the charts on spinnability. Take a look...





Evie enjoyed the little bit of morning sunshine we had here by trying out her new jar of bubbles as well.


Spinning dresses. Bubbles. Sunshine. All simple joys of childhood!

He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Mattress from Costco: $$$



Bed frame and duvet cover from Ikea: $$$



Sheets from Target: $$



Big girl bed with big girl sheets with room enough for all her "friends": priceless

Haven't We Always Been "High Risk?"

Mommy, you are eating for three, so you need two breakfasts.


When we found out we were having twins we also found out that we shifted into a new category of pregnancy. We are now "high risk" and this has meant a host of changes. Kaia now needs to eat for three as opposed to two, I need to make sure Kaia can rest as much as possible when she gets home, and we needed a new doctor. Our old doctor does not handle high risk pregnancies and so this week we learned what it meant to be high risk.

The bigger of the twins.


Kaia wasn't feeling exactly right on Tuesday night and the symptoms continued into Wednesday. We scheduled a doctor visit for the morning and this led to a two day long trek from one clinic to another, to a hospital childbirth wing and finally ending up in the ultrasound room of the coolest doctor I have ever met. The good news is that although Kaia has been having some very small contractions those are under control and it looks like The Gentlemen will stay in place for a good long time. The coolest doctor ever also asked me if I thought The Gentlemen looked identical. He thinks you can sometimes tell from the ultrasound. What do you think?

Smaller, but working on it.

The Naming Contest

You know why I get to use the bigger space? My mom is having twins.

My buddy Chris suggested a naming contest and he offered Danny and Arnold as options for The Gentlemen. Kaia and I won't be revealing the names until after they arrive, so points for most creative and bonus points if you end up being right. Go for it!

Alright Boys, Time For A Double Play.

Could it be we have a shortstop & second baseman on the way?



Early on in Kaia's pregnancy we both had a feeling that twins were a distinct possibility. I had a dream that we had twins and Kaia thought her baby bump had arrived a little too quickly for just one baby. Back in December our doctor listened for a heartbeat at our second visit and told us, "There is only one heartbeat. It is not twins. You would be much sicker if it were two."
Fast forward to March 16th and our first ultrasound appointment. The technician places the wand on Kaia's belly and I see two round objects. I say, "Wow a head and a butt!" The technician says, "No two heads." Kaia said, "No there is just one baby." The technician points and says, "Baby 1 and baby 2." (Kaia's version of this is probably a little different than mine.)
The technician asked us if we had any inkling that we were having twins and we told her about our doctor's certainty. So much for that.
As we called close family to share the news we heard the perfect nickname for our two boys as we wait for them to arrive. Kaitlin christened them, "The Gentlemen." I love it. We'll keep you posted on The Gentlemen.

Breaking News!

That's right, Baby A and Baby B. And both of them are boys.

CSI:Evie

The next lead detective?



Evangeline has managed to hold on to her cough for two weeks now and for those two weeks we've not had a lot of sleep. The good news is that our little girl is in pretty good spirits during the day. In fact in such good spirits that she puts up with my nonsense. I thought this was really funny. (I know, I know, children are not monkeys for our enjoyment.) (Well, I mostly know this.)

The Doctor Is In

Hmm. It could be a baby . . . or a kitty.


It is a lot of fun to share the baby preparation time with Evangeline. She wants to know all about what Kaia is feeling and what the baby is doing. Evie Lu also wants to make sure the baby is getting what he/she needs. She told Kaia a week ago that the baby needed cake. (This could be because Kaia will tell Evie that snacks she's eating are "for the baby.")
In exactly one week we'll find out whether Evangeline will be a big sister to a little girl or little boy!

Okay, come back tomorrow and we'll listen again.

On The Mend

In the "sick chair" with Tiger by my side I'll be okay.


For the longest time I said I never wanted kids, but then I met the love of my life and my heart changed. Before we had Evangeline I imagined that I would be a no nonsense kind of dad who would not be swayed by cuteness. Wrong again. I am a giant softie, I have a tough time keeping a straight face when she's being mischievous, and I hate to see Evie Lu in any kind of pain.
I happened to be at IKEA when Kaia called to say the husky voice had turned into croup and I could not resist buying a $10 stuffed tiger. (Apparently all Swedish kids have their own tiger. Who knew?) Tiger (that is his official name) has become Evangeline's new constant companion. When she doesn't want to take medicine, Tiger comes to the rescue.
Evie is on the mend now, but it has been a week of rising and falling temperatures and a cough that makes it sound like she's been smoking for two decades. Thank goodness for Tiger.

In the bedroom the Tiger sleeps tonight.

A Sick Girl

Here I Am!


I thought we were going to make it through the winter without a bout of croup, but unfortunately it caught up with Evangeline today. We'd been a bit concerned that Evie Lu was coming down with something, but it really hit hard once bedtime rolled around. We've spent the time out in the crisp air and hopefully our little girl will sleep. It won't be long until she'll be up on my shoulders again!

And now a drum solo.

Walk On The Ocean

Can we go there Grandma?


The time you get to spend with family is always too short. When I see sweet pictures like this one of Evie and her Grandma Bev the distance between us and most of our family becomes hard to justify. Thankfully so many family members have come out to see us and Evie's Aunt Kaitlin lives in town. I'm so glad we have pictures to help remind us of great moments.

Wiill You Play With Mii?

I'm totally going to beat Mom and Grandma!


Over President's Day weekend Evie's Grandma Bev and Grandpa Wayne came into town. It had been nearly eight months since Evie had seen her Minnesota Grandparents in person. (Thankfully Skype has been used quite a bit for video calls.) One of the funniest things we did was play Wii games together. We usually played after Evie went to bed, but one night Evie decided she wanted to play too. Her steering wheel wasn't connected to anything, but she was very serious about the whole process. Evangeline is still convinced that she won.

The key is to not look too smug when you win.

Driving With Miss Evie

Are you ready to go?


Evangeline has been fascinated with driving recently. She was thrilled one day when her car seat was brought inside and she could pretend to take her baby on a trip. Evie Lu brought out her two red chairs and put the car seat behind them. I'm afraid Evangeline wants to be British because she was insistent on driving from the wrong seat.

Hold on! This is a tight turn!

Evie Thinks She Knows Something

Evie is not a doctor, although she has a diagnosis.

Evangeline is really excited about being a big sister and she has a definite opinion about the gender of her sibling to be. (We won't know for another six weeks.) Evangeline has told me about how she'll let her baby brother or sister play with some of her toys, but not the little ones because it isn't safe for babies. I get a kick out of seeing our little girl growing up.