Looks like May 2nd is the date....unless it's not:)

We saw the OB today and we are set for a c-section next Friday at 9 a.m. Of course Hope and Becca may decide to come earlier...I have had some signs that we are getting close. But either way we will be holding our girls in the next week. I am both anxious to be done with pregnancy and excited to meet our little girls. Please pray that all goes well. We will make sure everyone gets updates when the day arrives. On another note, could you also say a prayer for a woman I have known on-line named Emilie? She has two small children and has been diagnosed with a rare and difficult to treat Sarcoma. Amazing how hearing that puts pregnancy pains into perspective. I feel incredibly blessed to have a healthy son and two healthy girls on the way. The OB said today how well I have done with this pregnancy and all I could think was, there was another hand in the process. I pray that hand, the loving hand of God will bless Emilie, her husband Steve, and their dear sons Daniel and Ben.

Latest Update on the Girls

I went to the perinatologist today and Hope and Becca continue to grow beautifully. Hope measured at 5 lbs. 6 oz. and Rebecca at 5 lbs. 3 oz. These are great weights for 35 weeks. I see the OB on Wednesday and we will make a decision on when to schedule the c-section. Bottom line is that we will meet our girls sometime in the next two weeks:)

Link to Daddy's Blog

Notice a new link to Daddy's blog... Check it out! There's a post with some of Alan's reflections as Hope and Becca arrive.

The latest on Hope and Rebecca

We are now 32 weeks into our pregnancy with Hope and Rebecca. As of this past Monday, they weigh in at 4 lbs. 3 oz. and 3 lbs. 13 oz. respectively. Their growth is slowing done some, but they have been described as "overachievers" so no one is concerned. Hope especially seems to be a big girl...her leg bone is in the 95th percentile (no idea where that comes from:) It is amazing how well they have both done throughout the pregnancy. Mommy on the other hand is wearing out fast. Maternity leave began this week, although there are a lot of loose ends still getting tied up with church. Maybe I will get to actually not work a day or two before the babies arrive:)

Brady is doing very well. He is still trying to figure out what is going on. He likes to say "hi girls" or "hi babies" to mommy's tummy but if you ask him if he is going to have sisters his emphatic response is "no!". He is rather intrigued, however, with the two new cribs that have gone up in the room next to his:)

Daddy is anxiously awaiting the birth of two daughters wondering what that will bring besides lots of new bills:) Alan has been approved to telecommute an extra day a week for the time being which is a great help. He works home now Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays. He continues to receive very positive feedback about his work as a Science Writer at NASA. He also has been getting artcicles on church and discipleship published with some frequency both online and in the Baltimore-Washington Connection, the newspaper for United Methodists in this region. Check here in coming weeks to see links to some of his articles. He is a wonderful writer and I am so pleased that others are appreciating his work.

Thank you all for your continued prayers as we await Hope Marie and Rebecca May. By the way, some of you have asked about their names...Rebecca May is named after two of her great-grandmothers (Ida May Gates and Addie Rebecca Brady) and Hope Marie takes her middle name from longtime friend of the Gates family, Marie Perry. Marie was like a second-mother to me and I wanted my children to have a connection to her. When I called her two days before her birthday to tell her Hope's name, she exclaimed "finally someone is using my name! I have tried to get my children to use it for years and no one would." It did my heart good to hear how happy she was.

Will give you all an update soon.

Laurie, Alan and Brady (and Hope and Rebecca).

Welcome to our blog. We look forward in the weeks ahead to sharing with you the exciting updates as we await the birth of our twin girls, Hope and Rebecca. We will post updates every few days as needed. Please pray that all goes well in the next few weeks and that we get the girls here safely.

Blessings,
Alan and Laurie