My estimated due date is May 30, 2011, however, as Dr. Boyer continually tells us, twins can come at any time. We just saw her two days prior and she said everything looked good, but I've had this really heavy pushing feeling for the past few days like they are already starting their descent. Up until this week I was still up and about, working full time at the hospital. This week, however, began my first week of a shortened work schedule, 20 hours/week, working from home.

Today is Saturday and I was out at the mall (call me crazy!), making some last minute returns and exchanges. My tummy is absolutely huge at this point, and its very uncomfortable to walk around. I decide to park nearest one of the stores I need to go to, make my exchange, and then drive back home for lunch and a break, and then return for another quick exchange. I end up standing on my feet in line for a prolonged period of time, and I remember trying to lean on various displays to help support my weight. I'm kind of surprised that no one asks me to go ahead of them (I would have for someone else, noting the discomfort). I make my return, and then realize I'm really winded and tired, so I start my trek to the parking lot. I start to walk out to the car, which is nearby, and by the time I sit down, I notice I have a cramp on the left side of my abdomen, just above my hip bone. It briefly dawns on me that this may be contractions and the beginning of labor, but based on the location, I quickly write this off. I call Dave and we chat for a little bit before I begin the drive home, and inform him I'll call Dr. Boyer's office "just in case." I speak to a nurse in the labor and delivery clinic, and she reviews my chart and informs me that because we're considered "high risk" (due to a twin pregnancy), Dr. Boyer advised it was best to come in for evaluation. I call Dave and tell him I'm driving to UCLA and to meet me at L&D.

I walk in to L&D and they immediately greeted me by name, as they were expecting me. I'm taken by wheelchair to an exam room, and placed on a monitor and they immediately begin looking at the babies via ultrasound. They confirm the girls look fine, but note that the monitor is picking up contractions (which I can visualize on the monitor as well). Dave arrives and they begin me on an lactated Ringer's IV and a dose of terbutaline. They observe for a while, with repeated ultrasounds, all the while confirming everything looks great and the contractions are slowing. Woo hoo! After a few hours, we are sent home, and I'm told to take it easy.

Freak out moment! That list of names we've been narrowing down still consists of 14-15 pairs of names. We get home and immediately pull out our list of "pairs" of compatible names. I must point out, that Dave and I are both extremely analytical, and our name picking process was no small feat. Here's what we had been working on for the past few months:

We read a number of name books on our own and each came up with our lists of 'loves'. We decided not to share our lists with each other at first, so as to not introduce bias. Our goal was to come up with 15 names each. I think he came up with about 30 and I got stuck at 7. We presented our lists to each other, with a plan to scratch out the names on each other's lists that we absolutely didn't want, leaving a big list of possible names that we would both consider. From there, we Googled each name, read about the meaning, where it was derived from, learning who else has this name, and analyzing how popular it is according to the U.S. Census Bureau information, including looking at trends. This helped to limit things down a little more (names with meanings we didn't like were eliminated). From there, Dave went to work, entering names into a spreadsheet based upon style (old-fashioned, modern, common, unique, etc.) and pairing potential matches together for the twins. We ended up with 14 pairs of names.

Well, the realization that I could deliver any minute set in, and we spent the evening whittling our list down to 7-8 pairs. I also packed my suitcase, which included two adorable preemie outfits and beanies. We went to sleep feeling well prepared.