God has truly blessed us. At 2:14 and 2:16 Eastern time this afternoon (November 24, 2008) Kaden Josiah Tucker and Keegan Matthew Tucker became a part of our family. In reality they had been a part of our family for months, but now we get to enjoy all of the blessings that newborns bring.

The Day

This morning started early. Knowing that there was a chance Shannon might have a Cesarean today (because of the increased contractions and other symptoms) we awoke early for breakfast (so Shannon could get some protein before heading to the hospital. After this, we all went back to bed for a little bit. Finally, at around 8am, Shannon called Dr. Robinson’s office to explain the discomfort she was having

When we arrived at Labor and Delivery, they placed us in a room. The nurses took time to hook up each of the babies to fetal heart monitors (with some big straps that were wrapped tightly around Shannon’s belly). After many nurses came in and asked Shannon some questions, Dr. Robinson came for an initial check. He thought that Shannon was in early labor because of the contractions, and he stated that we might be taking the babies out this afternoon.

On Dr. Robinson’s second visit, that assumption was confirmed. He went ahead with scheduling the operation, and we passed time by watching Thanksgiving recipes from Paula Dean on the television. Next, the nurse assisting with the anesthesia came and asked Shannon some questions, and she informed her that she would be going to the OR in 20 minutes! We quickly made final preparations, and then they came to retrieve Shannon. After 20 minutes, they came and retrieved me.

The operating room was a flurry of activity. There were probably 12 nurses, doctors, and residents mulling around. Initially, this was a bit overwhelming for both Shannon and I. After the initial chaos, the operation was underway, and within a few minutes Kaden was crying and the nurses were holding him for us to see (I cannot emphasize how amazing this was – God’s blessings have never been more real than at this point). Just two minutes later, Keegan joined him.

After each of the babies were weighed, measured, and examined I walked them down to the newborn nursery. I quickly called Lauren, Brook, my Mom, and my Dad (who were all waiting in the waiting room). They got there just in time and got to see the boys before they were wheeled into the nursery for more examinations.

Shannon was soon placed in recovery, and I brought the babies and joined her there. We had a good time just talking about this amazing blessing that God had given to us. Finally, after Shannon had completed her time in recovery we moved into our room, and the rest of the family joined us.

Today has truly been a bit of blur, but it has certainly had some defined moments that neither of us will ever forget. It is wonderful to see how much our lives have changes in just one day!

Here is Shannon in the nursery at 36 weeks. We are only a week or two away from the delivery – and we both are so excited!

We had another growth scan – and the boys are still within the normal percentages. Overall we have been blessed because the boys appear to be very healthy. We are getting so close to them being born (2.5-3.5 Weeks)!

The boys are getting bigger and bigger, so it’s harder to get good pictures of them. We did get a few pictures. Click the link below to see the pics.

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Shannon is doing amazing. Here she is at 34 Weeks (although she is measuring the same a 41 Week singleton pregnancy). We only have a handful of weeks to go!

Well it took a lot of work (particularly putting together that dresser), a lot of rearranging, some light construction, a bit of painting, a splash of sanding, and one very busy UPS guys – but, I believe we are done.

Click to see all of the recent nursery pictures.

We are getting so close, and the excitement is growing everyday! Shannon is still looking pretty hot at 32 weeks. I know that many of you have been asking – so, just to let you know, Shannon is converting to part-time next week. This will enable her to still work with her reading recovery kids at school, but also let her enjoy the afternoons at home.

It has been a while since we actually got ultrasound pictures worth posting, but today we got some that were pretty good. As the boys get bigger, it is actually harder to get a good ultrasound picture (because they are so crammed in there). The doctor’s visit today went well, and Shannon is still showing good vital signs and proper growth. Click the link below to view all of the pictures.

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Well, it is hard to believe that 29 weeks have gone by already – but, they have. It is also hard to imagine how Shannon still looks so cute 29 weeks into the pregnancy. We have already had several people ask, so we figured we needed to put a picture up ASAP (Nala makes a small cameo in this one):

It has taken some work, but the nursery is starting to take shape. This week we got the nursery bedding and valance put into place. As I said before, it is finally starting to look like a nursery!

Well, it’s finally coming together. We have been working in the nursery for a while now (and let me just say that I hate putting together furniture with crappy instructions….). For the first time, it is starting to actually look like a nursery. Shannon has been tirelessly laboring to get everything put away and in place. I have been working to put in the new closet organizer and get the furniture moved around. We still have a way to go, but you can check out the fruits of our labor:

Check out all of the images here.