29 weeks!

Getting ice cream with the girls.  Really looking huge here...yikes!  Two babies in my belly is no joke!  More pictures to come of our shower when they are sent to me :)

How far along? 29 weeks!  

Baby’s size? About the size of cabbage...

Total Weight Gain: At my OB appt. almost a week ago I was up 25 pounds.  I'm only having myself weighed at the OB's office as I don't want to get caught up in the number.  As long as I'm gaining enough, I don't want to know.  It's scary enough seeing the scale go into numbers you have NEVER seen before.  

Stretch marks? Still the same faint ones on my hips, nothing new from that so far...slathering myself in Palmer's cocoa butter!

Sleep:  Still going great...been lucky so far with this.  I do have to wake up every time I move/switch sides b/c of this large belly, but thankfully I fall right back asleep.  And of course I'm up a couple times at night to use the bathroom, but again, I can fall back asleep very easily.

Best moment this week: Having my sweet, sweet friends surprise me from SC!  I was supposed to have a baby shower in SC last weekend, but since being put on bed rest and obviously not allowed to travel, that shower had to be canceled.  The hostesses instead still sent out the invitations and included a "change of plans" note in the shower.  The change of plans were to send the gifts to my parents house and then my friends would come up this weekend and surprise me and we'd have our own shower here.  Well they did and it blew me away.  It was such a nice, relaxing girls weekend.  Catching up with these girls was sooo nice as we only see each other about once a year, if that.  The hubs and I were so blessed with the gifts we got.  A car seat, crib mattress, my (twin) breast friend, our video monitor, our Baby Einstein Stationary Jumper, FP cradle swing, my diaper bag, Skip hop activity gym, stinkin ADORABLE clothes and the list goes on and on.  So fun :)

Miss Anything?  Not at the moment, I love being pregnant :)

Movement: Ooooh yes.  These are VERY active little babies!  

Food cravings: So I think eggs has dropped off my craving list...I still like them but don't really crave them anymore.  In fact, all my typically cravings aren't so much cravings anymore.  Haven't had many strong cravings recently.  I have had no aversions this whole pregnancy, except I noticed I have not liked gum at all while pregnant.  I'm not a huge gum person anyways, but the smell of it makes me cringe.  The hubs had some gum out in the kitchen the other day and I had to put it in a drawer b/c the smell was too strong and grossing me out, haha.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope!

Gender: Girl and Boy :)

Labor Signs: No!

Symptoms: Still not many.  I've been noticing Braxton Hicks the past couple weeks, but my Dr. says this is normal.  I had a charlie horse last night and I haven't had one since 20 weeks pregnant...I had them allll the time during early pregnancy.  I hope they are not coming back, OUCH!  Other than that, I can't name any other symptoms.  I am really noticing my bigger belly.  It really is getting big and I feel HUGE.  I better get used to it, I know.  Thank goodness summer is about here and I can just get by in big, comfy dresses.  I don't know how woman do it who are pregnant in the winter...jackets, pants and a big belly= no fun.  

Belly Button in or out? Still flush with my skin...I wonder if it will ever pop out???

Wedding rings on or off? Still on, but I think I may take them off after my shower this weekend.  We will see.

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy...starting to feel more relaxed about everything.  Although this could change in an instant...thanks, hormones.

Looking forward to: My next shower this weekend!!!  Lots of family is coming in for it and I'm so excited.  Should be another fun weekend with these babies getting even more spoiled.  Also, I'm looking forward to my prenatal massage this afternoon...ahhh...this is gonna feel good! 

Does a stork bring the baby?

This is the cutest thing ever!  Gotta love the Cosby show.  Take a few minutes to watch...enjoy :)

I passed!!!!!!

Got the good news today (earlier than expected!) that I passed my gestational diabetes test!  I'm super excited.  I pretty much thought I would, but you never know.  Check that off my list ;)

Oh and a good friend sent me this ecard today...I love it.  And the funny thing is, is that I've heard this from EVERY mother of multiples I know.

Today's 28 week OB appt.

Twas another boring OB appointment today.  We like boring!  My blood pressure is nice and low and my OB was very pleased to see me at 28 weeks and with everything going well.  She was not worried one bit about Baby Boy B's growth and thinks everything is going as well (if not better) as it could be.  My belly is measuring 33 weeks!  We listened to the babies heartbeats and that never gets old.  I had my gestational diabetes test today but won't get the results back for a couple more days.  Man, talk about a SWEET drink!  Tasted like kool-aid (gross) only ten times sweeter!!! ewww!  Don't get me wrong, I love my sweets, but have never been a fan of overly sweet drinks (unless we're talking about sweet tea here----a southern girls fav!).  I also had my Tdap Vaccine today.  Apparently my arm may be sore tomorrow from this.  All of our family and friends (ah-hem, grandparents and hubs!) that will spend lots of time around the babies will need to get this shot as well (if they haven't had it already).

My OB and I discussed c-sections a little more in depth since Baby Boy B (that little stinker!) is still breech.  She said at my 32 week appointment she will make the call on c-section or vaginal birth, and if c-section it is, we will have a date at that appointment or shortly after.  If I can last this long, she will plan the c-section at 37 weeks.  That would put the babies born at the end of June.  In other words that means TWO MONTHS from now...or earlier but no later than this!  ahhh!!!!!  My OB said there is always a chance that Baby Boy B could turn after 32 weeks, but it's highly unlikely with twins since the bigger these babies get, the less room they have to move around...much less flip.

My motherly instinct is that Baby Boy B will not flip and that I will have to have a c-section.  But you know what?  Who flippin cares if it's c-secion or vaginal.  As long as these babies come out healthy...that's all that matters to me.  The thing I'm most curious about is wondering if I'll last until 37 or if they will come earlier.  God has a plan... :)

3rd Trimester!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This picture does not do my belly justice...I think the dark color hides it too much, it is MUCH bigger in "real life!"  Zoey is looking up at me saying "whoa, Mom, your belly is getting huge!"

How far along? 28 weeks!  

Baby’s size? At our appt. on Friday Baby Girl A was 2.4 pounds and Baby Boy B was 2.2 pounds

Total Weight Gain: Haven't weighed myself in a while again, but this will be done at my OB appt. on Tuesday.

Stretch marks? Still the same faint ones on my hips, nothing new from that so far...slathering myself in Palmer's cocoa butter!

Sleep:  Going well...I am crossing my fingers it stays this way, but with my belly growing at warp speed, I highly doubt it will...

Best moment this week: Watching my belly move as the babies move.  It's pretty wild.  Totally looks like I have two aliens inside of me.  They are especially crazy after I eat and my belly just moves in wave like motions.  I've tried to capture it on video, but every time I bring the camera out they get camera shy.  One of these days I'll catch them!  I can usually tell which baby is moving...and it's also cool when I can tell where their heads are---it's like a ball poking out of my stomach, even the hubs can see it.  I tell you, it's the craziest, coolest thing ever!  Other good moment was my doctor's appt. on Friday that went so well.

Miss Anything?  Working out and a nice cool, crisp beer (or glass of wine) in this beautiful weather.

Movement: Tons!

Food cravings: Still the same (sorry sounding like a broken record)...can't get enough eggs, avocados and smoothies!

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope!

Gender: Girl and Boy :)

Labor Signs: Nope

Symptoms: Still nothing I can really pin point.  I have been lucky in this department so far...hey, I gotta be lucky some where in this pregnancy!  But I am def. starting to notice my growing belly...it's getting harder and harder to bend down and do simple, every day tasks.  But I'll take it if I keep feeling this good!

Belly Button in or out? Still flush with my skin...I wonder if it will ever pop out???

Wedding rings on or off? On, but I'm thinking I will take them off in a couple weeks.  I don't want to, but I also don't want them stuck on my fingers.  Thinking about getting a cheapo bigger ring to wear...the hubs thinks I'm crazy, but I don't want people thinking I'm not married with this HUGE belly, lol!

Happy or moody most of the time: A little bit of both this week, but that's to be expected with these wild hormones.  It's been a happy weekend though :)

Looking forward to: Having my gestational diabetes test done and over on Tuesday!  Crossing my fingers it goes well and that I PASS!  

*Nesting has really hit me this past week...big time.  I am so happy that not only am I at home now (vs. the hospital), but am able to do more things during the day.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a busy body all day (like I used to be), but I do plan a project or two for the day to make the time pass.  I've gotten so many things done I've been wanting to do forever and it feels good.  Lots of organizing, doing crafty home projects, and more organizing.  I know I keep saying this, but I really, really, really can not believe we will be becoming a family of FOUR in a few short weeks (I could say this over and over until I turn blue in the face)...sometimes I just can't wrap my head around it.  This pregnancy has flown by already!  Still taking it one day at a time and soaking up being pregnant while it lasts.  With all the scary/sad news from our world's news last week, it's nice to know that for this short period of time our babies are safe and sound inside of me.  This Momma will do anything for them and we love them so much.

Yesterday's doctor's appt.

It's always a very good feeling to leave our doctor's appointment with good news.  I breathe a major sigh of relief when it happens.  Yesterday, the hubs and I had our 28 week appointment with Dr. Head (Dr. Xmas' partner---he was out for the day but she's just as wonderful!).  The ultrasound went very well and so did the vaginal ultrasound.

Babies heartbeats are strong and right where they should be.  They were being super active (not a big surprise there), so it was hard for the ultrasound technician to get a good picture of them.  In fact, they are not good at all, so I'm not going to put them up here like I told you I would.  They were squirmy worms!  The technician did their full anatomy scan which means they measure their heads, each bone, belly's, etc.  Once they get all these measurements in the computer, the computer spits out their estimated weight.  Baby Girl A is currently at 2 pounds, 4 ounces and Baby Boy B is currently at 2 pounds, 2 ounces.  These weights are great and normal for almost 28 weeks.  Dr. Head is a *little* worried about Baby Boy B's weight as it's at the low end of normal, but she's not overly worried at all yet.  She told me there is nothing really I can do about this, this is very typical in twins that one is slightly smaller than the other.  She mentioned that I can up my protein intake, but other than that, there's not much really more I can do about it.  Because of this they will just keep an eye on it and make sure that the little man grows.  I was having anatomy scans every month, but now they'll do it at every appointment which is every two weeks.  Dr. Head isn't worried though, because she says he is a healthy, small baby right now vs. an unhealthy, small baby.  They checked the blood supply to the placenta and it looks great, so that is a relief.  We just need to keep an eye on this and I'll be sure to up my protein.  These babies take everything and anything I can give them!  Dr. Head went on to explain that if he continues to be small, this doesn't mean he will be a small child or a small person...just his birth weight would be small, so we don't need to worry about that. :)  Basically, we aren't worried about this at all, but it's good to know we have such incredible doctor's that are VERY conservative and just want the best for our precious babies.  Oh and Baby Boy B is still breech...

Baby Girl A's head is down REALLY low by my cervix!  I was worried that this may have been putting unneeded pressure on my cervix, but my cervix was totally fine.  Still looking long, closed and great!!! Dr. Head isn't worried about Baby Girl being so low, she said if she's comfortable there, then let it be.  Little stinker!

So all in all it was a happy appointment.  Our next appointment with our high risk doctor will be in two weeks when I am 30 weeks!  Happy weekend, y'all :)

27 weeks...last week of my 2nd trimester!

Eeeeks!  About to be in the 3rd trimester!  Craziness!  I am starting to get a little emotional, but happy emotional about meeting these precious babies.  I can not believe that in two months (give or take) we will have doubled our family size.  We absolutely can not wait to meet (but we will wait!) baby girl A and baby boy B.  It brings tears to my eyes thinking about what a miracle they are.  After all of the struggles we have been through to get pregnant, then a miscarriage, then many more issues...these babies are sure going to be spoiled.  Life is about to change, but I'm finally feeling ready, less stressed and super excited.  I still have my worries for sure...am I going to be a good Mother?  Am I going to be able to take care of these babies on very little sleep?  How is my relationship going to change with the hubs?  Am I going to be a good wife, mother, daughter, friend, etc.?  Am I going to be able to breastfeed both of these babies well?  How in the heck are we going to take care of two newborns?  What will the pugs think?  So many questions on my mind, but all I can do is pray about them and know that we will survive and soon it will become a norm and part of our "new" life.  :)

How far along? 27 weeks!  

Baby’s size? Should be around 2 pounds each now.  Can't wait to hear how much they weigh at our appt. on Friday.

Total Weight Gain: Haven't weighed myself in a while...

Stretch marks? Still the same faint ones on my hips, nothing new from that so far...slathering myself in Palmer's cocoa butter!

Sleep:  Finally back to normal, been sleeping great :)

Best moment this week: The hubs has now felt the babies move a number of times.  Love love love it!

Miss Anything?  Spring is my favorite time of year and I've always loved taking looong walks in the perfect weather.  I am itching to go walking!!!!!  I keep reminding myself that I will be that Mother that walks her babies like crazy and the Fall will be a perfect time of year to do that.  Good thing we are investing in a good stroller :)

Movement: Tons!

Food cravings: Still the same (sorry sounding like a broken record)...can't get enough eggs, avocados and smoothies!

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope!

Gender: Girl and Boy :)

Labor Signs: Nope

Symptoms: Not many this week...the sore hips haven't come back, so that's good.  Still crazy, vivid dreams!  Feeling amazing.  I keep wondering when I'll feel pregnant...I'm sure it's coming in the 3rd trimester...

Belly Button in or out? It's still making it's way out, but you can def. see it popping through my shirts...kind of weird.  Picture below!  haha

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy :)

Looking forward to: A pedicure on Thursday (!!!!!) and our appt. with Dr. Xmas on Friday at 3:00 pm. Can not wait to see the little munchkins :)  Will be sure to put some updated pics of them on here.

*I'm off to do a little baby shopping as my outing of the day!  Have a great Sunday!

26 weeks

How far along? 26 weeks!  

Baby’s size? Apparently the size of an english cucumber.  No sure how much they weigh...will find out at our 28 week appt. a week from this Friday.  Found out today at my OB appt. that my belly is now measuring 31 weeks!!!  Babies sure are growin!!

Total Weight Gain: It varies SO much, but in the mornings around 22 pounds

Stretch marks? Ugh, I think so.  Seeing some creep up around my hips...boo hiss...I guess it's a given with twins.

Sleep:  It was good the beginning of the week, but the past few days have not been so great.  Tons of vivid dreams and tossing and turning.  Also waking up with sore hips...I guess they are spreading!  Hope sleep gets better soon.

Best moment this week: Having some beautiful weather and being able to get out of the house more.  I am such a warm weather kind of girl!

Miss Anything?  I can't think of anything in particular that I miss right at this moment...

Movement: Tonssssss

Food cravings: Still the same (sorry sounding like a broken record)...can't get enough eggs, avocados and smoothies!

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope!

Gender: Girl and Boy :)

Labor Signs: Nope

Symptoms: Sore hips at night (trying to stretch them out during the day), some stretch marks and I think that's about it.  Other than that, still feeling very good!

Belly Button in or out? It's still making it's way out, but you can def. see it popping through my shirts...kind of weird.

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or moody most of the time: So happy and excited about meeting our little ones, yet getting SO nervous/anxious about it (prob. why I haven't been sleeping well).  This past week I've been very worried about how life will be going from two to four.  It is really hitting the hubs and I, and honestly...we are scared.  I know everything will work out, just a HUGE life change about to happen real soon.  Please keep us in your prayers.  :)

Looking forward to: Our first Labor and Delivery class tomorrow evening.  We have two of these classes and tomorrow is the first.  Hopefully we will both learn a lot!

Thankful

I really, really do.  Since I was put on bed rest, we have had numerous friends bring us numerous meals.  A women's group I'm in brings us meals weekly and this has been a god-send.  Also other friends have stopped by with meals and we are so grateful fo this.  I am the main cook in the house and if you know me you know I dislike eating out allll of the time so I was wondering how and what I would be eating while on bed rest.  Thankfully friends have come to the rescue.  We have been blessed with so many wonderful, tasty meals that both the hubs and I have truly enjoyed.  Not only have the meals been delicious, but they have also been healthy for the most part.  I guess my friends know me well ;)

Thanks to my sweet friend, Melissa for bringing this amaaazing pasta dish over!  I want the recipe! 

Thanks to one of my clients, CK, at Capital One for bringing this gourmet salmon meal over that he made.  

Big thanks to Hutch who brought this incredible dinner over.  Not shown was a Vegan Apple Pie....so good!

Thanks to Suzanne for bringing us this very tasty quiche.  We enjoyed leftovers for breakfast and lunch as well!

Also many thanks to our friend, Lynn who brought us over Indian food.  We love our Indian food and Lynn was sweet enough to bring this to us last week.  I was so excited about it that I forgot to take a picture!  I also forgot to take a picture of the incredible lasagna that our friends Libby and Michael brought us this past Friday night.  Thank you!  And of course I can not leave out my Mom who has been a saint with helping us.  Her meals our out.of.this.world!

I really am at a loss of words for letting everyone know how much we so appreciate this.  It not only feeds us and nourishes these sweet babies, but is one less thing we have to worry about right now.  Believe it or not, these meals make our lives so much easier when we know there is a fresh, healthy, ready to eat meal in the refrigerator waiting for us.

Now please excuse me as we are off to indulge in what looks to be very delicious Moroccan Lentil Soup (thanks to Nancy!) for dinner.  Going to feed these babies some good protein and folic acid!  I'll be back tomorrow with a 26 week update :)

Today's doctor's appt.

I'm happy to report that my appt. with Dr. Xmas went well today!  They did not do a full scan on the babies, but enough for us to see them, check their fluid levels and their heart rates.  They looked great!  We can't believe how big they are getting.

After the ultrasound, Dr. Xmas came in and told me they were going to do another Fetal Fibronectin test just in case before they did the vaginal ultrasound to check my cervix.  This didn't make me as nervous as last time, but was still crossing my fingers that they wouldn't have to send the test in once they saw my cervix.  After this, they did the vaginal ultrasound and Dr. Xmas was VERY pleased with my cervix.  His exact words, "I don't get very excited about most things, but I am excited about this because your cervix looks AWESOME!" So glad my long cervix makes the man happy...lol. ;)  Because of this news, he didn't send in my Fetal Fibronectin test to the lab.

So where do we go from here?  Our next appt. is two weeks from today.  Friday, April 19th at 3:00 pm.  At this appt. I will have a more detailed scan so we will know how much the babies weigh and all that jazz.  I will be about 28 weeks then and this would be another big mile stone for us, so Dr. Xmas would be happy for me to get there.  I know I/we can do it!!!  My hope is that the babies come sometime in June, but no earlier.  Dr. Xmas did not give me the ok to go back to work, but he did give me the ok to have one outing per day.  He said we've been through too much to mess everything up and push myself by going to back to work.

My outing tomorrow will be a tour of the Labor and Delivery part of the hospital that we will give birth in.  I'm looking forward to this!  Then on Tuesday we will have our first (out of two) Labor and Delivery class.  I signed up for these classes a while ago and I can not believe the time is here.  Time is flying.  Before we know it I will have no more time for this blog keeping up with two little ones!  :)

25 weeks!!!!!!

How far along? 25 weeks!  My first big milestone since being on bed rest!  Excited to check this off my list :)  Next milestone is 30 weeks...

Baby’s size? I'm guessing they will be close to 2 pounds each at our appt. on Friday.  Apparently they are about the size of squashes now.

Total Weight Gain: Last week at my OB appt. I had gained 19 pounds.  After this weekend I'm sure I'm up a couple more lbs.

Stretch marks? No

Sleep:  Surprisingly great...I'm praying this keeps up!

Best moment this week: Having a lovely Easter weekend with family and getting out of the house.

Miss Anything? I've been craving a class of wine or a ice cold Blue Moon lately...ahh...looking forward to having a drink this summer...

Movement: Ooooh yes.  Yesterday I was watching the babies bounce around in my belly.  The hubs was outside so didn't get to see it, so I tried to get it on video and then they stopped.  Boo!  I have enough time to catch it again though.

Food cravings: Still the same...can't get enough eggs, avocados and smoothies!

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope!

Gender: Girl and Boy :)

Labor Signs: Not that I know of...feeling great!

Symptoms: Nope

Belly Button in or out? It's still making it's way out

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or moody most of the time: Pretty happy overall :)  So in love with these little ones.  

Looking forward to: Our appt. on Friday with Dr. Xmas.  Will be a big appt.  Either he will keep me on modified bed rest, or he'll give me a little more freedom.  Praying that all is staying quiet as it's supposed to!!!!!  Also looking forward to the beautiful Spring weather we are having today and more that's coming our way :)  Spring is my favorite time of the year!