28 weeks

My bird, Eileen, decided to join me for this week's picture. It has been a busy week of packing and getting ready for the move. Time really has just flown by and the heat has definitely kicked in here in TX. I have caved in and now run the A/C almost constantly. 

Oh, and I got to meet a wonderful set of 3 week old twins. I was dropping up something for a fellow MoM (Mother of Multiples) and while I was there, her twin daughters woke up from their nap. They looked so tiny and fragile, despite being born at 37 weeks and good weight (no NICU). Seriously, they scared me more than a teeny, tiny newly hatched baby bird. I know how to deal with those. I didn't even ask to hold the babies, I was just paralyzed with fear and was in awe at the comfort and ease with which she and her husband handled them. I know, I know, it will all come naturally. And I have to say that both hubby and I are getting increasingly more excited about welcoming our little wonders into the world - however they still need to cook for another 7-9 weeks!

How far along? Picture taken at 28 weeks.
Total weight gain: 33 lbs. 
Maternity clothes? All of the tank tops that I venture out into the world with are maternity, but I still wear "normal" skirts and jogging pants. I really need to buy some long dresses because my short dresses are really getting WAY to short. 
Sleep? Continues to be an issue. A few days back I was "allowed" to sleep for a little over 4 hours straight...I woke up in a panic, thinking that something was wrong with the babies. But now we are back on the 2-3 hour schedule. And the last few days I wake up at 3AM and can't sleep until 5:30AM. 
Best moment of the week: Hmmm, I actually have no idea where this week went. I have spent a lot of time staring at the belly and it's undulations. That always makes me very happy.
Miss anything? Again my answer is, being able to reach things with ease. Not being out of breath?!?
Movements? These babies just crack me up. They move all the time. Especially night time and right after hubby get's home. 
Food cravings: Anything that requires no effort on my part!
Labor signs: None, thankfully.
Symptoms: The usual: RLP, especially in the pelvic area. Braxton hicks, foot swelling galore - now I wear compression socks all the times. Lower back pain and tiredness. And the belly button is now mostly an outie!!
Looking forward to: Moving - we get the keys tomorrow, which could not come soon enough. This morning we were laying in bed just waking up, and I feel something crawling on my butt....I pinch the critter under the sheet and hubby immediately says that he thought he felt something hit the pillow seconds prior but didn't see anything. He tells my to get up and leave the room - he'll take care of it. Did I mention that I LOVE my husband!! Of cause it was a giant cockroach!!! A going-away present from this house, I guess.

Have a great weekend!

Week 27

Third trimester...wow, how did we get here?? This just seems like such a big milestone and it just seems so unreal that the babies will be here in less than 2 1/2 months. There is still so much to do. I'm sure we'll get there, regardless of whether we are ready or not. I just thought I would share some pictures from earlier this month. 

 The above picture was from our 4th of July trip.

Our friend from California came to visit. We had a great time,
weather was great, so we decided to go tubing.

6 1/2 month pregnant and a bit skeptical about getting into the tube.
Water was pretty shallow in places and the boys ended up having to
drag me through the shallow places, the said something about
clumsy pregnant ladies not being allowed to get out of their tube.. 

How far along? 27 weeks + 3 days.
Total weight gain: 32 lbs, weight gain seems to have slowed down a bit, despite almost constant hunger. But belly just doesn't hold much at a time these days. 
Maternity clothes? All of the tank tops that I venture out into the world with are maternity, but I still wear "normal" skirts and jogging pants. 
Sleep? Hmm, what?!? Waking up a lot to pee. One of them seem to have a knack for pressing on my bladder. Last night I think I was up 4 times. 
Best moment of the week: Preparation-wise, probably finding out that we will be moving into a bigger place with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. A duplex on the other side of town that doesn't include faulty electrical wiring, outlets protruding from the wall or the potential for lead paint. Just a regular boring dwelling.
Miss anything? Being able to reach things with ease. I was re-doing the shelf lining in the kitchen and I have to say that sitting on the floor trying to reach the lower corner cabinets was darn near impossible. 
Movements? TONS. They are both so active at night around bedtime. 
Food cravings: I am loving ice cream, but who doesn't??
Labor signs: None, thankfully.
Symptoms: RLP, especially in the pelvic area. Braxton hicks, foot swelling galore - now I wear compression socks all the times. Lower back pain and tiredness. And apparently insanely high cholesterol (normal for pregnancy). I had my annual physical with my MD, I almost passed out when I saw my numbers. Of cause I get a pass because I'm pregnant, but still.  
Looking forward to: Moving, but not packing. My next appointments in a little more than a week. 

Okay, before I show this week's belly picture, I will preface this and say that I AM wearing shorts, but that the giant belly is obscuring the shorts. This is pretty much what the belly looks like every night, when we play a game we call "Twin Peaks"

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26 weeks and check out those sexy socks!!

So, it is mid-week of the 26th week of pregnancy and life is good! Babies are moving like crazy and it is hard for me to understand why I don't yet have any stretch marks, because I really feel stretched to the max. I also struggle to comprehend how I could possibly have 2 1/2 more months to go. 

I have been busy working on a few projects for babies and me. Hopefully I will get around to sharing pictures in a day or two.

I went to my regular Dr for the first time this week for regular annual exam. He and his wife have twins too, so he was very excited about the babies. He took one look at my feet and pretty much ordered me to wear compression socks all day, every day. He said his wife had lits of problems with swelling too and really just advice me to suck it up and wear them for my own health sake. My hubby looked at my feet that night and said that he was starting to veins, where there previously were no veins. BIG SIGH!! So now I wear them and look really hot in my flip flops too. The current pair is too big in the toe, constricts at bit at the ankle. Hopefully my Dr will prescribe custom made sock... Wonder if they come in cool colors???

25 weeks +

So, I realized today that I have been more afraid of loosing these two little miracles, than I have allowed myself to believe. Two things made me realize this:

A)My family and friends have not even known about the existence of this blog, and I think that it was partly a mechanism to try and protect myself, in case something went wrong. I don't think I even told my husband about it for the first few months. I am finally ready to believe that this is going to happen, that the twins might actually one day be in our hands and not just something we talk about and try to prepare for.

B) I have been soo sluggish and afraid of doing things, afraid to work out, afraid to leave the comfort of my big comfy chair, because WHAT IF something were to happen to the babies. WHAT IF...I was to blame for a miscarriage or extremely early pre-term labor that would jeopardize the health of our babies. Now in my logical brain, I know that this is a completely unfounded fear - but that didn't make it less real to me.

So, what changed? Well, I definitely think that hitting the 24 week mark (viability - they could actually survive outside the womb) made a big difference in how I feel about this pregnancy and how I allow myself to feel my emotions. And I am sure pregnancy hormones have a tremendous effect here too. I have had ups and downs over the last week or so. Days where I feel like a whale and feel like this cannot possibly go on for 2 1/2 months. And then there are days like yesterday and today, where I have been out and about running errands, going to the swimming pool (and even exercising some at a moderate pace of cause), cleaning the house, making cupcakes, without feeling too overwhelmed and super tired.

With that being said, here is my (not so) weekly update:

How far along: I am 25 weeks + 2 days (picture taken this weekend at a hotel in Amarillo).

Total weight gain: Up an astounding 30 lbs. Travelling always make me add a few lbs.

Maternity clothes: Yup. Although I still wear "normal" dresses and skirts. But alas, most of my pre-pregnancy shirts and tank tops just do not cover up the belly anymore.

Stretch marks? None so far, but I can't see how I could possibly avoid them. The other night the skin on my belly felt numb, so there is definitely some re-arranging happening in with the nerves in my skin.  

Sleep: Mostly fine. I just have to say, how much I love my Snoogle pillow, it really makes the world of difference. The other day I made a new cover for it, so it is now even more comfortable. 

Best moment of the week: Escaping town for 4th of July. Hubby and I decided to do one mad dash and actually leave the house for the weekend. We discussed several places, but in the end, we ended up driving to Palo Duro Canyon, which was beautiful and a lot of fun. For those of you who don't know it, Palo Duro is the 2nd largest canyon in the US and is kinda a more accessible Grand Canyon, where you can drive to the bottom and camp. Being pregnant I have completely given up camping, which I normally love, but the thought of having to stay in a tent, while getting up to pee 2-3 night just makes me go NO. We did get to watch a beautiful sunset over the canyon, while watching turkey vultures return to their roosting tree. Next day David went for a hike and I stayed in a picnic area and enjoyed myself until it just got too hot. Then we were off to Amarillo, where we intended to watch the firework - that did not happen, since we were just tired and thrilled to stay in the hotel room watching TV (we don't have that at home).

The best moment of this week, thus far, was going to see my high-risk Dr and getting to see the babies again. They have just gotten so big. Boy weighs 1 lb 14oz and girl weighs 1 lb 13oz. They were both pretty active and had moved since last scan. Boy continues to be head down, ready to go, while girl is now lounging across my belly sideways. I had been blaming the boy on making it hard for me to breathe, but apparently it is the girl's head. Baby boy (Baby A) was really funny. He was positioned in a way, in which he was mooning the sonographer every time she tried to look at baby girl's face. Also the girl was doing little hiccups while she was being measured, so now I know what hiccups feel like.

Miss anything: Being able to bend at the waist. Belly is always in the way.

Movement: Tons of movement every day. They especially like to make little hills and valleys out of my belly. One will stick it's but out on the right and then the other will do it on the left. 

Food cravings: Tic Tacs! Fortunately HEB has buy 2 get the 3rd free. 

Anything make you sick or queasy? Nope.

Gender: Boy and Girl.

Labor signs: Nope.

Symptoms: Some Braxton Hicks, swollen feet and difficulties breathing due to the giant belly. Oh, yeah and crying for little to no reason. 

Belly button in or out? Remain in, but not sure for how long....

Looking forward to: Getting my Glucose Tolerance test done tomorrow - probably should not have had those cupcakes today!! And our childbirth class at the hospital this weekend. Other than that, I guess just hanging out with my wonderful hubby.

Hope you have a wonderful week!