Day 3

Mommy, Daddy, my bother and I are going home today! Thank you SO much for praying for us! The doctors are very pleased with our growth (and dashing good-looks) and we know that it is because of everyone's thoughts and prayers that we are able to go home so soon! Please keep checking the blog as Daddy is going to post more pictures here in the next couple of days. He is always shoving a camera in our faces (see picture below).

Please keep praying for us and especially for Mommy who is recovering from surgery. We can't wait to meet everyone!

Love,
Joseph
The older, wiser brother.

Day 2

Joseph and Jameson were born at 12:45 and 12:46pm, respectively. Katie is recovering nicely, and both boys are doing very well. Neither little guy needed extra oxygen, which is great, and they continue to get positive results from the nursery. Katie and I are going through a million emotions. We truly want to thank everyone for the prayers, kind words, and good thoughts as we headed into today. We promise to post more in the days to come.

Thank you again and please keep praying for our new family!

Babies Update (36 Weeks)

As crazy as it seems, the delivery date has been set! On Friday, June 27th, at noon o' clock, Katie will have a cesarean section at St. Joseph's hospital in Bloomington! We are very excited to finally see our boys! Katie suggested that one might look just like me and one might look exactly like her. If that is the case, then one of them will be very lucky (I will let you guess which one)!

PLEASE keep Katie and the boys in your thoughts and prayers on Friday, and we promise to update everyone as soon as possible following D-Day (Delivery Day).

Thank you again for all of your support during this amazing journey! We love you all!

God bless,
The McGraws

Babies Update (35 weeks)

The babies' space is getting pretty limited. This meant that we could not get good sonogram photos of the boys, but I have provided everyone with a drawing of what I confidently think they look like.

Both babies have been gaining weight (which is always good news), they now weigh-in at 4 pounds 3 ounces, for "A" and 5 pounds 1 ounce for "B." Katie also put on a little weight - I thought she looked heavier - gaining two whole pounds.

SOOOOOOO...where do we go from here? The biggest factor right now is the weight difference between the two babies. Since they are both still gaining weight - which is good - we are going to see the doctor next Tuesday to measure and weigh them again. As of right now, the plan is to go to the hospital next Friday (June 27th) for a c-section! Of course, this could change if "A" and "B" decide to see the world earlier.

We will post next Tuesday when everything is finalized, but until then, please keep Momma and the boys in your thoughts and prayers! Can you believe this journey's end might be in sight!?

God bless!

Belly Watch 5

I know there might be only a little change with these "Belly Watch" pictures, but here's a view of the nursery. This spring Chris and I painted the room green. He painted a giraffe and a turtle picture for above the crib, and he plans to make another painting using their names. There is a panda and a bunny in the boxes on the side wall. These are both from our childhood. The nursery is almost complete, but it is ready for its pint-sized occupants!

Today was another doctor visit. I went over our birth plan with the doc, and she said it looked good and they could accommodate what we had listed (except for Chris getting to walk around in a doctor's coat and talk to people like the doctor in "House"). She also said I was almost a centimeter dialated, which is slightly more that last week. The majority of the appointment was spent on the baby monitors. With two of them, it takes twice as long. Their little hearts were monitored and were going strong. They also monitor for contractions, and they said I had one in the hour I was monitored. I didn't feel it though- wouldn't that be nice if that were the case for all the ones to come!

Be Prepared (x2)!

Katie and I made out our "Birth Plan" last night. This was ironic because we had just watched a rerun of "The Cosby Show" earlier this weekend which dealt with a similar item. This episode is where John Ritter and his wife are patients with Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable. The over-confident couple have an elaborate, and somewhat ridiculous plan, which, in the comedic genius of John Ritter, falls apart at the time of birth. Although I am sure there will be some similarities between myself and bumbling husband John during the birthing process, Katie and I feel like we got a pretty good plan written out.

What is a "Birth Plan?" Basically, it is a list of all the preferences and choices Katie and I have made for her delivery that she will share with her doctor. It is somewhat like a map that the delivery team will use to follow her instructions, if applicable. Things like, "I don't want the lights dimmed in the delivery room," to whether or not to give pacifiers to the babies after birth, to who cuts the cords, etc. would be found on a birth plan.

The making of the birth plan is definitely making the arrival of those baby boys more and more real! The time is coming - can you believe it!?

We just ask that you please keep praying and thinking good thoughts for us! We appreciate every blessing received because of all of you! God bless!

Raining Babies (aka Baby Showers)!

There is nothing better than knowing that people truly care for you. Well, maybe getting presents is better...especially if they are branded with the Chicago Bears' orange and blue ("Bear down, Chicago Bears!")...none the less, you could feel the love over the past two weekends in the Quad Cities. Katie and I were blessed to have two wonderful baby showers held for the McGraw boys!

The Stimpson side of the family held an informal shower last weekend, which featured many thoughtful gifts (see aforementioned jackets) and some delicious pie! We can't thank everyone enough for their generosity, time, and heartfelt wishes that we received at the baby shower. The clothes have been put in drawers, the diapers have been stored, and the Bears jackets have been dry-cleaned and put in a place of honor. Thank you again to everyone who attended!


The McGraw side of the family held a baby shower for us two weekends ago. The theme was "twins" - so everyone had to dress similar to someone else (see picture below of Grandma and Grandpa Glaudel getting into the spirit). Thank you to everyone who attended and went through the effort in finding matching clothes! Also, thanks to my sister, Jenny, who demonstrated that, yes, twins can wear "similar-but-different" outfits! We had a very nice time and received wonderful gifts! Everyone's graciousness and generosity is very humbling, and we can't thank everybody enough for throwing us such a fantastic shower!


All in all, Katie and I realized throughout these past two weekends just how truly blessed we are, and what a wonderful group of people our children will have the pleasure of meeting.

Thank you, everyone, for the special memories!

God bless and see you soon!
Chris, Katie, and the boys

Babies Update (33 weeks)

"You are disgusting!" The doctor was smiling as she made that comment. Nobody can believe how great Katie looks. 33 weeks with twins, and only 20 pounds heavier, Katie is making this twin pregnancy thing look easy (knock on wood, of course).

The boys are doing fantastic, "A" is now weighing in at 3lbs 7oz while "B" is 4lbs 3oz. The disparity in weight is not a concern to the doctor, but is something that she will keep her eye on during the next couple of weeks. Basically, the placenta is giving the boys all it can, but one is just getting a little more than the other (a.k.a. being a "hog").

Maybe "B" is just trying to get back at "A" since "A" has been kicking him in the face for the past 8 months. While looking at the little guys on the screen, we watched as "A" continually put his feet in "B's" eyes, nose, and mouth. Nice. Don't worry, because at the end of the sonogram we watched "B" take his foot and place it suspiciously near "A's" face. "A" then proceeded to bring both hands up and complete a successful block. Editor's Note: Typing this previous incident made me realize how much effort goes into typing "A" and "B." I can't wait to call these guys by their first names. Would you like to know them? Keep waiting...

Another fun moment today came while recording the babies heartbeats. As Katie and I sat in the room listening to the tiny, muffled sounds of a heart beating, we suddenly started to hear this big "boom" every couple of seconds. We were soon told that what we were hearing were baby hiccups. Of course they were coming from "B", since he is after all our fat baby.

Katie (as stated earlier) is doing great! The doctor is hoping that we can at least make it to 34 1/2 weeks - which is not too long at all. Obviously it would be great if we could go the whole 37 weeks, but we are just taking each week at a time. The longer the buns stay in the oven, the better. Better to have well-done babies than medium-rare. Crispy bacon is better than...never mind, I am running out of good food analogies.

Please keep the boys and mama in your prayers! We can not thank everyone enough for all of the blessings you have bestowed on us already through your kind words and thoughts! As we hit the final road to this initial journey, we can use all the help we can get!

We hope this finds all of you doing well. We love and miss you all!

God bless!

Babies Update (29 weeks)

Babies growing...room shrinking. This update is very past due, but better late than never! Baby A and B are growing strong, 2lbs 5oz and 2lbs 10oz respectively. Katie is also doing well. She is resting more and more, but hardly looking like a mother of twins! Please keep everyone in your prayers! God bless!