The Penultimate Visit

Well, we are getting right down to the final countdown. Monday, 9/25 will be 37 weeks and Jenna will deliver by 10/3 one way or another. With Jenna's permission, here's a time lapse of the bump pictures so far.

This really has been an amazing journey. As much as is possible, Jenna has made us feel close to every significant moment. We've had hundreds of texts whenever the babies move, have hiccups, videos of them moving, etc. We've either Facetimed or called in to every appointment along the way. The closer we get, the longer each day seems to be. The first 7 months absolutely flew by. Ever since the summer was winding down in mid-August, each week has seemed to last FOREVER! 

Rachel and I recently returned from a short trip out to Wisconsin for a court appearance. The purpose of this was to award us legal parental rights. We were expecting it to be pretty straightforward but appearing in court is daunting nevertheless. Believe it or not, neither Rachel nor I have a whole lot of courtroom experience. 

Fortunately, everything went very smoothly - the judge was way chummier than I was expecting, even asking "You're not an Eagles fan are you??" ...to which I pleaded the 5th. After all, if it's legally being the children's father or being an Eagles fan, I'll take the children every time. After 45 minutes or so in the courtroom, we were given an interim court order awarding us parentage that will be updated at a later date with the babies' names and birth dates. 

We were thinking that maybe, just maybe, the babies would decide to join us for the flight home. But, alas, they did not. But we were able to go to an OB appointment with Jenna and everything continues to look good. We got to see some serious movement Thursday night after ice cream! As of a couple weeks ago, both babies were 5 lbs. 2 oz. We heard both heartbeats again and cannot wait to hold them!

We had a lovely visit with Jenna, Joe, and their kids, all of whom are so excited for us as well. After speaking with the Dr on Friday, we've decided to come back out to WI a couple of days early to reduce the chances of missing the birth as much as possible. The reality is that Jenna could go into labor at any time and if we find out while still in PA that she's gone into labor we will not make it in time. 

So it will be an eventful week for sure! Thank you for all the love, all the prayers, and keep em' both coming!

Jon and Rachel