35 Weeks

Another week down. No idea how many more times I'll be posting weekly updates. To be honest I would be ok with this being the last one before introducing our newest little girls. While talking to Petey last night I commented on how many people have told me 'oh just a few more weeks!' and how I can only shake my head and chuckle - or mutter expletives under my breath depending on the day. I sometimes wonder if people have any idea what they're saying to me. They might as well be saying 'oh you're just going to be pregnant and incredibly huge and uncomfortable for the rest of eternity.' Ok, not really. I do know there's an end in sight and I do know that it's coming sooner rather later. And, I do know I've complained a lot on this blog about how uncomfortable I am but I can't help it. It's true. This is a place for me to recount this pregnancy (most likely my last) and I want to remember it for all the good and the bad and lately I've not felt very good. I am proud to have made it this far and it's a bit crazy to think my original due date is only a few weeks away!!!

Yesterday was another NST and appointment day. I had the NST first which is always a fun time. I have really enjoyed the nurses I've worked with in Labor and Delivery. Getting up there is a pain in the rear sometimes though. I have to check in at the registration desk every time and be checked in as an outpatient before being escorted upstairs. There are really nice elderly volunteers that help get people to registration & I know they mean well but sometimes I just don't have the patience to explain to them every.single.time. that my name is not on their sheet, they need to write it down, call the registration lady, and then send me on my way. And it never fails that I have to explain what an NST is because they claim they've never heard of it even though I explained it to them the last time I was there (two days ago).

Anyway, the first 20 minutes or so we had a fantastic reading. The problem: we could only find one baby so we couldn't count it since we didn't know for sure who it was. For the next hour plus it took me and two or three other nurses to get what we needed on the monitor. It was definitely an interesting adventure and these girls must be in some crazy positions!

After the NST debacle I was a little late for my appointment which turned out to be all right since they weren't super busy. Dr. Andersen and I talked about the swelling in my feet (unfortunately a normal side effect of pregnancy & warmer weather) and I told him I had been feeling crampy and having contractions off and on but since nothing has been consistent there wasn't much to talk about there. My blood pressure was a little high but still pretty normal for this pregnancy (140/86). I put on a few more pounds which I imagine is mostly water weight from the swelling and I'm measuring 46 according to Dr. Andersen.

One of the babies has flipped to head down and the other one is still kind of transverse with her butt in the wrong place. It was unclear on the little ultrasound who was closest to the cervix but he did say a natural delivery looks like it's back on the radar if the baby that is head down is indeed closer. So, now I pray and cross my fingers that her sister decides to do a big flip so I have two vertex babies!! We checked and the cervix is still closed as well which is awesome but kind of a bummer for someone who would like to have babies soon! ;)

All in all it was a good day. There were lots of laughs up in L&D during the NST and my appointment went well. Both girls seem to be doing well and are healthy and I can't ask for much more than that!

34 Weeks

We did it! We made it to 34 weeks. We made it past the 33 week mark when Elliot was born and I nearly had a nervous breakdown when pregnant with Hadley because I was so worried about her coming early. It's funny how perspective changes from pregnancy to pregnancy. With Elliot we were so thrilled to have made it to 33 weeks and viewed it as a huge accomplishment. With Hadley it would have felt like a total failure to have her at 33 weeks. This time, again, we viewed it as an accomplishment to make it to 33 weeks. For some reason I had in my head that these girls were going to come so early and so far they've definitely proven me wrong. I'll admit I'm glad they have stayed put but at the same time I just feel so done with being pregnant. It is truly miserable right now. I try not to complain too much and I don't want to seem ungrateful or like I take these kids for granted because I definitely do not but I've reached a point where there's just no denying how uncomfortable and miserable it is. And, yes, I do realize this is a blessing and special and precious and whatever other descriptors you want to throw out there. Still, it doesn't change the fact that I can't sit on the floor with my kids, I can hardly walk most days from my feet being so swollen, I can't lay down in bed with feeling intense pain or like I'm suffocating, I can hardly fit behind the wheel of the car, I can hardly wash dishes or do any of the other domestic tasks I'm used to doing. I hurt. There is pain - intense pain - in places I didn't know could feel such pain. I've stretched out to a size that just seems comical. Because of said stretching it's not hard to walk up stairs since Miss Baby A is hanging so low - my legs hit her bum when I walk up the stairs and I have to lift her out of the way to sit down. So, yes, I am blessed beyond belief and lucky but still in lots of pain and looking forward to these girls being on the outside!

Now, with all that being said I want to document my whirlwind of appointments from yesterday. It started out with a meeting at the diabetes center . My fasting blood sugars are now in the target range after increasing the amount of insulin I give myself at night. I was so hoping to avoid insulin but it's become a necessary thing. Surprisingly, sticking myself with a needle every night is easier than I expected it to be. With the exception of a few bad food choices my blood sugars are doing really well and they are all pleased with how I'm doing. We went over my postpartum instructions in case I don't make it to my next appointment. It's scheduled on June 7 & I honestly hope I do not make it to that appointment!!

Next, Petey met me at the OB office for what will hopefully be our last growth scan. It's kind of comforting to walk in and have the staff know you by name and just pull out your chart. Of course that means I'm there all.the.time. as well ;) I've really, really loved the ultrasound tech - she's personable and just fun to talk to. Our kids are pretty close in age so we have that to talk about as well. She commented on how chipper I seemed & that some of the twins moms she deals with at this stage are just plain witchy. When we got started she chuckled at how lopsided my stomach appeared. I will give here that one - it is funny! It's getting harder and harder to tell what is what on the screen since they are so much bigger. Both babies are breech and will likely remain that way which will mean a c-section for me. I'm not excited about that but it is what it is at this point. She had to actually stand up and lift Baby A out of the way to be able to see what she needed to see. Both babies are measuring a little small - about 32w5d but they're consistent with each other and have grown since last time. We estimated their weights at about 4lb. 9oz - give or take a half pound either way. It sounds so little but Elliot came home from the hospital at 4lb. 8oz. so it is a familiar size for us. Both babies had a good amount of fluid and were moving around. My cervix is measuring awesome at 5.45cm STILL. I was amazed since it was never that long to begin with when I was pregnant with Hadley.

My regular check up went well. My blood pressure was pretty low - 124/72. I've gained nearly 40 pounds since the beginning of this pregnancy. Here's to hoping it comes off as easy as it seems to have gone on. I don't feel like I've made any effort to gain that much weight - it's just sort of happened. I'm measuring in at 48cm. which would equate to 48 weeks pregnant with a single baby. (aka OUCH!) At this point babies are free to come whenever they want. So, if I go into labor they won't stop it. I'm so excited to have reached this point! Of course they would still require hospitalization at this point but it would hopefully just be for growing and not anything too life threatening.

After Petey and I had lunch together I headed back to the hospital for an NST in Labor and Delivery. For the first time the nurse was able to find the babies, hook up the monitors and leave. She gave me some apple juice to get them active and they actually stayed on the monitors the whole time! I was incredibly impressed at how easy that was. There were several contractions that showed up on there & they asked if I was feeling them which I definitely was. They weren't consistent or strong enough to jump into action though.

After all that I was very, very sore so I came home and napped. The little people had been at my parent's house for a few days and my dad brought them back yesterday afternoon. I missed them like crazy but enjoyed the silence that came with no children ;) Still, it was good to see them and have them excited to be home. Of course this morning they were already asking to go BACK to Mum-Mum & Papa's house. I guess I know where I rate...... ;)

Catch Up!!

32 Weeks

Not too much to report from this week. Feeling large and in charge. Appointment went well and there was nothing of concern. Discussed starting NST's with the doctor and scheduled my first one for Friday of that week. Apparently they don't routinely do them for twins anymore but since I have gestational diabetes as well as twins I earned twice a week NST's. For these I head up to Labor and Delivery twice a week and have babies heartrates monitored. They also place a contraction monitor on me to see if there's any action happening there. At my first one it took two nurses and the doctor almost two hours to get the reading they wanted. It was quite the adventure! Dr. Page and I also discussed where delivery would take place. At this point I should not have to go to Iowa City which is a relief. He did tell me if they came before 34 weeks they would most likely be born at Mercy since they are certified to take babies down to 32 weeks but if I made it another 2 weeks I should be able to deliver at Finley. Apparently both hospitals have a NICU with the same equipment and doctors and at 34 weeks hopefully there wouldn't be any super serious things to worry about.

33 Weeks

I can't even describe how excited I was to make it to this point. Elliot was born at 33 weeks and for both of my pregnancies after him I've sort of held my breath until that 25 week point when everything went downhill and then finally let out a big breath after 33 weeks. Petey and I feel like we're in familiar territory now should the girls decide to come. Of course we would like to avoid NICU time if it's possible but at least we have an idea what we might be dealing with if it were to happen and it doesn't stress us out the same way it did three years ago. Our goal is still another 2-3 weeks though!!

My appointment this week went fairly well. Fundal height was measuring 47cm - which is just WOW. My blood pressure is creeping back up into a not so good range so we'll definitely be keeping an eye on that. Cervix was still long and closed which was comforting. I've been feeling a lot more contractions - some of them fall into a pattern but don't stay regular. The ones that are coming lately are actually starting to get kind of painful and I've had to breathe in and out deeply until they're over. Still, I know they're nothing compared to actual contractions in labor. Both babies were butt down which is the WRONG way!! I've been holding out hope for a natural delivery (natural meaning no surgery - I'm a-ok with pain meds!) but if both butts are toward the exit that makes it pretty darn hard. Still, I'm holding out hope Baby A manages to turn herself. One of them has wedged a head or a butt down really low and is pushing my stomach out in a very funny way. My big ol' belly kind of resembles a big 'V' when I look at it straight on in the mirror which is so not attractive.

I'm really starting to slow down and get really worn out. I've been very lucky and blessed to have my mom come here the past couple weekends and help get some stuff ready and entertain the kids. I feel awful that I'm not able to keep up with them the way I'd like to or do fun stuff with them now that it's getting nicer out. Fortunately for them they have fun grandparents!! Petey and I packed our hospital bag the other night after a day full of off and on contractions. I've been meaning to get it packed for weeks but haven't been able to do it for one reason or another. Now, it's (mostly) done and it feels good to have that checked off the list. We've been picking up those last few little baby things we want or need to have around here with newbies & we're feeling really ready!!

31 weeks (almost)

Tomorrow will officially mark 31 weeks but today was my 31 week appointment. Everything checked out really well which was a relief! My weight was up a little up which is to be expected. My blood pressure was the lowest it's been in quite awhile. I thought it was a fluke last week when they checked it at the diabetes center but I guess not. I fully expected it to go UP the further along I got but instead it seems to be going down. Cervix is still closed which is a relief and makes me feel more confident that I'll be able to cook these girls a few more weeks. I'm measuring at 44cm this week which is equivalent to being 44 weeks pregnant with a single baby - not comfortable at all if you can imagine! I told Petey that I knew I was incredibly large when my toddlers disappeared under my belly and I walked over them. So, that might give you a bit of a visual.......

It seems like absolute craziness to me that I'm down to saying 'weeks' until they get here instead of 'months'. It makes this all seem so much more real although I'll admit I'm not sure I'll 100% believe this is all true until I'm holding TWO babies at once. Two of my own babies. Want to know what else is craziness? Taking two toddler to the "baby doctor" with us. Baby doctor is what Elliot calls any of my doctors. As soon as he heard I was going to see the baby doctor today he insisted on coming along and helped pick out quiet toys to take with. My purse was ready to burst!! They both did really well in the waiting room and in the exam room. As soon as the doctor came in Hadley was not so sure about all of this anymore and she was NOT ok with someone touching her mommy. Elliot was so into watching his baby sisters on the small ultrasound screen that he didn't care at all. Daddy had to lift him up so he could see it even better.

Speaking of Elliot...it has been so much fun to see how much he understands lately. I know he doesn't completely comprehend the fact that he's going to have two new baby sisters but he seems to have a pretty good understanding for a little guy his age. He will tell anyone who asks that his Mommy is having two babies and that they are "down there" meaning in the tummy. Lately he seems to think he has two babies in his tummy  - not sure where he got that but it's a fairly new thing. He talks about his baby sisters and prays for his baby sisters which just melts a person's heart. I am actually kind of excited to see him with them. He can be such a sweetheart and seems to have a soft spot for babies. As for Hadley....let's just say she has never been ok with sharing her mommy or daddy with any other baby even for a few minutes. And, if the way she reacted to the doctor checking me today is any indication we could be in for an interesting adjustment period!

30 Weeks

My blog looks live I've been seriously trucking along the last couple days - 3 weeks in 2 days ;) If only it actually went that fast, right? There is still a list of things I'd like to tackle and get done before D-Day arrives but I am ready to not be pregnant anymore. I'm ready to stop lugging around this huge belly. Ready to be able to lay down in bed again. Ready to have shirts that actually cover my belly. Ready to have more patience with the kids.....well, at least I like to blame my lack of patience some days on the hormones ;) I'm ready to not go to the doctor every week. Ready to get outside and get my kids in and out of the car on my own more often - it would also help if Spring would hurry up and show it's face.

Anyway, today was my 30 week appointment and growth ultrasound. It was the first time we've attempted to take the kids with us to an ultrasound & it was scheduled right at lunch time. I endured an epic tantrum from Hadley all the way to town and to the doctor's office all because she saw the snack cups I made and then watched me pack them in my purse instead of giving them to her. That girl has a serious temper. Anyway, the ultrasound went well & the kids behaved. They sat and ate quietly for the majority of the time we were in there. Elliot was very excited to see his baby sisters & he did a good job narrating everything that was going on. Jessica, our ultrasound extraordinaire has kids relatively close in age to mine so she did great talking to them and asking questions.

Baby A is mostly head down - for now at least. It looked like she was way down there but I've thought that before and she's managed to flip around. Both girls have their heads on my right side with their bodies laying on top of each other. It's so interesting to see them on the ultrasound & see the positions they're able to get themselves into. At this point it's getting harder and harder to tell what belongs to who & we eventually gave up trying to differentiate which cord belonged to which baby since we couldn't follow it on the ultrasound (there was always some body part in the way). Their growth discrepancy was 12% at our last ultrasound but today was only 7%. They're now back measuring within 4ish days of each other as opposed to being a week apart last time. Baby A measured in at 29 weeks, 6 days with a weight of 3lb. 4oz. with a heartrate of 130 and Baby B is measuring about 29 weeks, 2 days with a weight of 3lb. 1oz. and a heartrate of 132. Jessica was still pretty confident about their sizes being accurate but did say that as they get bigger it will probably get harder to get really accurate weight estimates. Still, it is a bit crazy to think that at 30 weeks pregnant I already have over 6lb. of baby in there!! Amniotic fluid was measuring at just over 6cm in each sac and my cervix was measuring 5.75 which is awesome. Everything else at my appointment checked out well - my blood pressure was back down into it's "normal" (normal for this pregnancy at least) range and my fundal height was 41cm. this week which seems a little more in line.

Yesterday was my initial consultation with the diabetes center. I hate that I have to do the gestational diabetes stuff but it is what it is. I was rather enjoying eating when I felt like it and not thinking too much about it. Still, I think this time will be better than my last rodeo with GD. I was in the hospital and severely limited on food choices. This time I am able to cook, shop and make my own choices and therefore have a lot more variety. I've got the finger pricking thing down & that doesn't bother me but having to think about my snack before I grab it and stuff it in my mouth is new territory. So far the only number I've had trouble with is my fasting blood sugar which I take first thing in the morning - oh and the unfortunate incident the fast food burger caused after lunch today (OOPS!!). I was told that the extra hormones I'm making could very well lead to a higher than normal fasting blood sugar & it could have nothing to do with what I'm eating. This first week is really a trial and error week for me as I figure out which foods I can handle well and which ones seem to be more of a trigger for high blood sugars. It's a learning process that's for sure but it is a good one. It's never a bad thing to have to learn how to be concious about what I'm eating and how healthy it might be for me!

********I'll be back later to add some 30 week pictures of myself and at least one of the girls!!

Egg Hunt

Sunday, April 10, 2011

It's that time of year again!! I love Easter. I love that it means Spring is here (usually at least) and I love the reminder of what my Savior did for me. I'll also admit I do enjoy some of the cheesier aspects of the holiday as well - like coloring eggs, filling and hunting for eggs, the bunnies, ducks and getting together with family. We're planning to have an egg hunt for the kids at home but we also wanted somewhere for them to go in the community. We knew we were going to miss the egg hunt in Peosta since we were planning to visit family the weekend it was happening so we happened to hear about one at Heritage Manor in Dubuque.

We talked to the kids about hunting for eggs before they took a nap on Sunday and when Elliot woke up he was ready to go! He helped me find their baskets and then anxiously waited for his sister to get up. When Daddy got home from church we loaded up the munchkins and headed to town.

It was such a beautiful day but unfortunately it was pretty toasty inside the building and it was a bit difficult to keep our little people occupied while we waited for things to get underway. The children were all split up according to ages & fortunately both Elliot & Hadley were in the same group. They can be pretty lost without each other sometimes. They had a great time walking the halls with the other kids and when they were given the word to begin collecting they got right down to business. Elliot was a little machine and had his basket full in no time at all. Hadley was a bit more methodical but it didn't take her long to get her basket mostly filled up as well. It was so much fun watching them snatch the eggs and fill their baskets!!

29 Weeks

Twenty-nine weeks. It seems sort of hard to believe we're already this far along but believe me when I say I am ready for this to be over with! Of course I don't want these girls to come NOW - they need more baking time before they're ready to come out but I am ready to not be pregnant anymore!

This was probably one of my worst doctor appointments :( Fortunately it was with one of my favorite doctors so I was able to discuss some things with him. The Saturday before this appointment I sat in the lab for 3.5 hours taking my second glucose tolerance test. I did manage to get half way though a book and the ladies drawing my blood did a great job. I can be a hard stick sometimes so I was pleased that the bruising was minimal & everyone was really great. The one good piece of news from my doctor's appointment is that my cervix is still closed. The not so good news is that my blood pressure was high: 140/86 high which shocked me. It's been high for me this whole pregnancy but those numbers just sound SCARY. I mentioned it to the doctor and he didn't seem overly concerned about it but we'll definitely keep an eye on it. Then, I got the news I failed my glucose test. It wasn't a total surprise but still a major bummer to actually hear it. I failed the first draw by a few points, the 1st hour after the drink by 15ish and then passed the other two hours with flying colors. So, I was officially diagnosed with gestational diabetes & a referral to the diabetes center was sent in. At least I got to see the girls again and watch them moving around. Neither of them were head down but they were in some odd looking positions all curled around each other.

I'm also at the point where my body is feeling like it's reaching it's limit. I was measured at 45 centimeters at this appointment. Which means if I was carrying a single baby that would be the equivalent of being 45 weeks pregnant. I mean I knew I was big but wasn't prepared for THAT big of a number. So, add up all the little bummers from this appointment and it really made my mood take a nosedive. My aches and pains have gotten exponentially worse in the last week. It's now at the point where I can no longer lay down in bed and when I do try to lay down I last about 5 minutes before my body is screaming in pain. So, I've been sleeping in a chair in our living room or propped up on pillows in our bed. It's not the most comfortable solution but at least I feel like I can walk when it's time to get up & I don't want to spew expletives while trying to get in and out of bed. I talked this over with the doctor and it sounds like it's something I will just have to deal with until after delivery. Yet another reason for the next several weeks to go quickly!! We're hoping for 6-7 more weeks until baby girls make their appearance. It seems so far away yet there's so much we'd like to get accomplished in that time and I'm sure it will be here before we know it!

28 Weeks

Yikes - I'm behind! I can't believe the last time I sat down to post anything was April 1st.

So, here is my brief 28 week update :)

The baby bump is continuing to grow. It feels like it will soon be at astronomical proportions although I'm guessing I'll feel like I wasn't so big at 28 weeks when I compare it to the the belly I'm sporting on delivery day. Still, for now, it feels BIG and I can tell it's definitely riding lower than it was even a week ago. Not only can I feel it but I could see a difference just from looking at the weekly pictures. Doctor's appointment went well & there wasn't much to report. Blood pressure normal, weight about the same, cervix still long and closed. I finally met the last doctor in the practice so I can officially say I've met everyone. My opinions on my "favorite" haven't changed. I have pretty good confidence in all of them but there are a couple I feel much more comfortable and at ease with.

I'm definitely starting to feel very pregnant. My body is also telling me when I do too much. I haven't had consistent contractions but they are popping up more and more as well as those pesky braxton hicks. Fortunately none of them have changed anything so I don't have cause for concern. A lot of my parts that have been sort of achy the last few weeks are entering into the full on OUCH stage. Not looking forward to any of that getting worse although I'm sure it will. In the end it will be worth it and I'm sure I'll look back and think "oh it wasn't THAT bad" - well maybe.

Vocab Explosion

Miss Hadley has had an explosion. No, not the diaper sort of explosion - that's never really been her style - but an explosion of words. Every day she's been busting out new words and new phrases which is so much fun to hear. I love her little voice and when it's saying words I can actually understand it just melts my heart.

So, here's a quick rundown of some of her new words. I'm sure I won't get all of them but here is what I've got off the top of my head:

1. Shoe
2. Mimi - this means Mickey :)
3. Piya - this means Pirate aka Jake & the NeverLand Pirates
4. Did it!
5. Made it!
6. Buckle
7. Seat
8. Sit or Sit down
9. Baaaa - sheep sound
10. Moooooo - she tends to think everything is a cow ;)
11. Stairs - sounds a bit more like star though
12. Hat
13. Baby
14. Box
15. Piece - she usually says this while playing with brother's Thomas puzzle ;)
16. Mum-Mum
17. Peesh - this is please & while she's known how to sign it for a long time she's now saying it at the same time too and it's too cute :)
18. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee - she loves to say this when we're going up or down hills in the car or when she's running around the house. 
19. Lucky - her & Elliot have a big bouncing horse named Lucky. It's also the name of the dog at my parent's house.
20. Eat - she also does the sign with this one consistently.
21. Run
22. Ni-Ni - this means night night & she tells us and her brother every night :)
23. Yeah
24. Mine
25. March
26. Nose

She has such a big personality! She loves to put hats on or make anything into a hat - we find clothes, food, toys, etc. on her head and just chuckle. She has this cheesy grin that gets you every single time. Hadley absolutely hates diaper changes and will run and "hide" when the word diaper is mentioned. Her favorite word to say is "Nooooooo" and shake her head while saying it. She definitely has some pretty strong opinions on things these days!

27 Weeks!

Our little sweet P's are growing, growing, growing! We had another growth scan (these happen every 3-4 weeks) yesterday. It's always so much fun to see the girls and get an estimate on their size. Both of them were bopping all around while we were trying to get their measurements. Needless to say it was really hard to get any good pictures of them! Their heartbeats registered at 154 & 150 which is perfect. Baby A is measuring right on at 27 weeks 1 day with an estimated weight of 2lb. 6oz. Baby B is measuring about a week behind with an estimated weight of 2lb. 2oz. Baby B's head was measuring smaller which we think threw off the measurements. Still, it's only a 12% growth discrepancy and as long as it is under 20-25% we aren't worried.

Baby A had previously been in a head down position. Both babies are now breech with their butts toward the exit. We were able to see Little Miss A doing some practice swallowing and then stretching her legs alllllll the way out. While it was really sweet to see I couldn't help but think that her poor sister was getting really cramped! We were also able to see a couple contractions which just look strange on the ultrasound!

In other news from my appointment yesterday I haven't gained any weight, my blood pressure was 134/78, my cervix is measuring over 6.5 cm long and is closed (yay!). My fundal height is 38cm which means I'm measuring full term and I can definitely feel it. I get worn out a lot faster and I just plain hurt everywhere. At the end of some days it hurts just to lift my leg to get into bed and forget trying to roll over and move once I'm in bed - lol. I also talked to the doctor about a couple episodes of seeing spots I've had in the past week. The worry is pre-eclampsia but since I don't have any other symptoms and they went away he's not worried. If they happen again and I'm not able to get rid of them then we would worry. He did tell me not to get any ideas about an early eviction for these ladies. Basically he told me to just keep doing what I'm doing and chugging along but that he would never wish twins on anyone - haha.

26 weeks

26 weeks! Petey and I were both excited to make it past the 25 week mark and move past the point where we had all the troubles with Elliot's pregnancy. Although I did mark the same point in my pregnancy by getting incredibly ill. Fortunately it was a quick bout of whatever it was but while I had it was absolutely miserable. I haven't felt 100% for a long time and I feel kind of sick after I eat no matter what it is & sleep has become more difficult so I'm often tired. I didn't think anything of feeling kind of icky and really tired on Sunday & just chalked it up to some extra 'morning (ahem....all day) sickness' and the fact that I hadn't slept well the night before. By Sunday night though I knew something a little more was off. I knew there had been some stomach bugs going around but I was still hopeful that this was something that maybe just didn't agree with me. Wrong. Not long after Petey put the kids to bed I started throwing up and dry heaving. Let me tell me......doing that business while pregnant is not fun. Doing it while looking and feeling full term is nothing short of torture. Needless to say my trusty friend Bucket stayed with me at all times after that! I managed to stay pretty well hydrated but every time I tried to eat a cracker I would fall asleep after only a bite or two. I thought I knew what it felt like to be utterly exhausted. Again - wrong. I felt so weak and soooo tired. A tired I can't even begin to explain. Luckily Petey was able to take Monday off and take care of the kids for me. I'm not sure how it would have played out if he hadn't since I was out until about 2 in the afternoon on Monday. I can only imagine the havoc Elliot and Hadley could have caused if I was that out of it all day while trying to take care of them! We have been trying to conserve his time off so he can use it when the girls are born but I do not feel badly about using up that one day!!!

In other baby related news things seem to be looking good. I had another weekly check-up this past Wednesday where I learned that I have lost yet another pound. Not sure how that's possible but whatever. My blood pressure has also been coming down a few points each of the last few times I've been checked. It wasn't abnormally high before but it's still nice to not see it rising. I haven't made any 'progress' meaning there's no sign babies will be attempting to make an appearance anytime soon which is good! It's still too early for our comfort! The doctor measured my fundal height at 37cm which means I'm officially measuring full term for a single baby.......at 26 weeks. Anyone else thinking about how much more uncomfortable things might get before these two are born? Poor Petey has to put up with all my whining and I'll admit that some days there is a LOT of whining in this house and it isn't ALL from the little people ;) I am apparently starting to take up more space in bed too since every morning I hear about how little space my husband had to sleep in. Sorry honey....... 

25 Weeks

Wowza - 25 weeks. This week brings a lot of anxiety with it as it's the same point in my pregnancy that I began having all sorts of issues with Elliot, landed in the hospital for 8 weeks and gave birth 7 weeks earlier than planned. I'm hopeful we'll avoid all that this time!!

This morning was the first of my weekly appointments. It's crazy that from here on out I'll be in that office once a week! Luckily I've been pretty happy with all but one of the doctors. Some of the stats from today:

Weight: Down 1 pound

Blood Pressure: 134/70; seems high to me but it's been consistent this whole pregnancy so I guess it's the new "normal" for now.

Cervix: Closed - YAY!!!

Fundal Height: Not sure. I forgot to ask :/

I'm definitely feeling pregnant. Oh boy am I feeling pregnant. I have pain in places that shouldn't be painful and I'm so ready for that part to be over! Sleep is hard to come by due to not being able to get comfortable and having to pee all.the.time. My belly button is getting closer and closer to popping which only started to happen just before Hadley was born at 38 weeks, 5 days which leads me to believe I'm probably measuring close to 37 or 38 weeks. I definitely feel that way and sometimes find it hard to believe I'm ONLY 25 weeks. As much as I'm ready for this pregnancy to be over I'm not ready to meet these beauties yet. They need more cooking time, more time to grow, more time to mature. I'm aiming for another 9-10 weeks. That would get me to 34-35 weeks. It's hard to imagine how much larger and more uncomfortable I'll be by then......

In other news I think all four of us are fighting some sort of head cold ickiness. Petey and I both have sore throats and I can feel my sinuses getting congested. I'm hopeful we'll all kick this quickly as I really don't need anything else to kill my energy level!!!

24 Weeks

Wow - 24 weeks! To some people this may not seem like much of a milestone but I am very excited to know we've reached the age of viability for these girls. Of course we don't want them to make an appearance anytime soon and if they did it would be a very uphill climb but it's still nice to know we've reached that point.

I feel like I've expanded to an astronomical size already but the baby bump just keeps on growing and growing and growing. Petey & I enjoy watching the girls bop around at night and they seem to enjoy kicking Daddy when he puts his hand on top of them. Their kicks and punches are starting to become painful. Every once in awhile they'll hit me good enough that I feel like I need to stop and catch my breath. Well, I feel like I need to stop and catch my breath a lot of the time anyway. Elliot and Hadley have each gotten a chance to feel them as well although they're not all that excited about it. Elliot likes to inform us and anyone else who will listen that his mommy is having two babies which is just adorable.

This week is the last week I will not (hopefully) have any trips to the doctor which just seems crazy! After next week I start going weekly for OB appointments. I will continue to have growth scans every 3-4 weeks and by 32 weeks we'll be doing weekly NST's (non stress tests). I'm hoping/guessing all these extra doctor visits will help things go more quickly. There is still a lot that needs to be done but I feel like I've been pregnant forever and I'm ready to feel like myself again!

23 Weeks

I have officially crossed the 23 week pregnancy threshold!! To say I'm excited would be an understatement. It's one step closer to viability and one step closer to meeting these two new beauties! We are pretty settled on their names but won't be sharing until after they're born. Naming two at one time proved to be a lot harder than we thought it would be!

At 23 weeks I am measuring about 34cm, have gained about 20 pounds and my blood pressure was 132/74. My blood pressure has been running a little high this whole pregnancy but has remained consistent so so far there is nothing to worry about there! I met another one of the doctors from the practice today and was impressed. So far there has only been one doctor I am less than excited about which isn't too bad. She informed Petey & I that she had 4 kids in 4 years so she sort of understood our situation. I have to admit it is nice to know one of the doctors can appreciate the additional challenges that will come with having so many little, little kids buzzing around the house! She told me everything was looking great and progressing well but that I need to start easing up on my activity level at home which shouldn't be a problem as my body definitely lets me know when I've done too much or pushed it too far!

We had an ultrasound this morning which is always exciting! I think I could have one everyday and be just as excited for each and every one. Have I mentioned before that I love our ultrasound extraordinaire? Well, if not let me say again how awesome she is! She also has little kids about the same age as ours so we usually spend some time laughing about the crazy things our kids are doing & she always takes the time to get a good look and some fun glimpses of our girls before starting all the measuring. She also understands and appreciates how important a picture can be & she takes a lot of them for us! This morning both girls were moving and grooving quite a bit - almost too much as it made getting some of the measurements hard to do! It's so funny to watch them already interacting together! When we started they were both head down & looking right at each other. We didn't have luck getting pictures of the two of them together & it likely will be harder and harder to do from now on. Baby A's heartrate was 148 & she was estimated to weigh 1lb. 3oz. and Baby B's heartrate was 141 and she is weighing in around 1lb. 2oz. Both of them are measuring a few days behind my LMP but within days of each other so that is reassuring!

In other 23 week news Petey and I have been able to watch them moving from the outside which is amazing. Petey has been able to feel them moving a lot more which I think is exciting for him and I'm guessing makes it all more real. Like I said we're pretty decided on their names and the spelling of said names. We're getting ready to make our big purchases & after that's done there won't be too much left that we *NEED* for these girlies. My goal is to have this house ready and as organized as I can be by 28 weeks. Not that I'm intending for them to come at that point but for my own sanity I'd like it to be done early so it's one less thing to worry about later on down the line.

Would You Like Some Cheese With That?

Full disclosure: This post will contain a fair amount of whining. If you don't want to "listen" to said whining feel free to skip this one. And, don't say I didn't warn you ;)

As of today I am 23 weeks and 1 day pregnant. I feel like poo. There are parts of me that HURT that I never had any idea could hurt or at least not as badly as they do. I'm hungry all the darn time and there's no room for said food. Or, I'll eat something that I thought sounded delicious only to find it's left me wanting to sit next to a bucket for the rest of the day. The lack of energy is astounding. I feel like I need a caffeine or some other comparable injection come mid morning and again mid afternoon. It seems I have to pee at least every 20 minutes. I constantly feel like I'm 'touched out'. Between the two little people running around the house and the two little people be-bopping on the inside I just can't handle much more. My house looks like a bunch of frat guys moved in minus the beer bottles of course but sheesh it's awful. Never doubt the ability of two toddlers to demolish a clean house in 2.5 seconds. I feel dizzy so often which often leads to more feeling sick. *sigh*

I know...I know most of this is just regular ol' pregnancy related stuff but once in awhile a girl needs a good old fashioned pity party. I must admit it feels better to 'air' those....umm...grievances.

22 Weeks

I'm definitely feeling more than a wee bit pregnant these days! While taking pictures Petey remarked at how much bigger I looked tonight. Remind me to thank him for that comment later ;)

Yesterday, while trying on bridesmaids dresses for Anndee's wedding the consultant thought I was eight months along. Imagine the surprise on the alteration woman's face when I told her I was only 22 weeks. It's definitely going to be interesting to see how large I end up!

I'm feeling a lot more movement these days. Most of it seems to be concentrated really low although every once in awhile I feel movements up higher. A few different times I've felt the stretching pushing movements which are more painful than the quick jabs and quicks! It's fun and reassuring to feel the girls moving around and I can't wait until we see them again. It feels like it's been ages when in reality it's only been a couple weeks since our anatomy scan and a week since my last doctor's appointment. Our next appointment and ultrasound is next week. I'm interested to find out what I'm measuring and how the girls are growing!

The shopping monkey

Hadley the shopping monkey. That accurately sums up Miss Hadley lately.

This past weekend she went on three different shopping trips and did fabulously. Almost too fabulously. I'm starting to fear just how expensive she might be in her teen years. There's no doubt this girl loves shoes. Now, there's no doubt she loves to help pick out clothes - particularly her own and her little sister's.

Saturday my mom, Hadley and I went on a marathon shopping trip at the outlet mall in Williamsburg. It was so strange to only have one child & a small umbrella stroller. Usually when I go there I'm with two other friends and a total of 7 children. Yes, it's crazy. Crazy fun as well. Anyway, Hadley had a blast checking everything out & holding clothes up to herself to see how they looked. She also had a good time relieving some racks of their burden..... Sunday she went shopping with Mum-Mum & Papa at Kohl's which was a short but still exciting trip for her.

Yesterday, she came along while I picked out a bridesmaids dress for my best friend's wedding. Seeing all the blingy, pretty things at the bridal store was almost too much for her! And all those mirrors where she could admire herself. Yes, there's no doubt she's our little diva.

Hadley has also been quite the little monkey. Several times a day I pull her off the top of the kitchen table and I tell her to sit down 1,000,000,000,000,000 times a day before she falls off of something and breaks an important body part. She's easily surpassed her brother in the number of bumps and bruises she's acquired. Suffice it to say she's not afraid of much and is quite the little dare-devil.

21 Week Appt.

I think I have a new favorite doctor. Today I met one of the docs I'd only talked to on the phone previously & he's officially my new favorite. He's very personable and seems to know his stuff. Both babies were moving and grooving when he checked heartbeats. Baby A is sort of head down (head on my right side) with her body laying across. Baby B is pretty much in a complete transverse position with her feet in Baby A's face ;) In other news here's a rundown of some of the stats:

Weight Gain: Up about 8ish lbs. from pre-pregnancy

Blood Pressure: 134/82 - kind of high for me but it's been running higher this whole pregnancy

Fundal Height: 33cm!!!! Two weeks ago it was 24. Holy moly.

Cervix is still closed - YAY!

In two weeks I have another growth scan and another appointment with another doctor. So far this pregnancy has kind of wiped me out physically but at the very least baby girls seem to be growing and doing well!

21 Weeks

Wow....21 weeks. Already. On one hand it feels like time is flying by and on the other hand it feels like I've been pregnant forever. We're 3 weeks shy of viability although baby girls are not allowed to join us for quite awhile after that! I think the threshold of viability is way more exciting after almost having a baby at 25 weeks in the past. I'm feeling really big and finding myself going to the bathroom more than I thought was humanly possible. I've been working on teaching the little people not to climb on or push on Mommy's tummy - it hurts!! I'm feeling a lot more movement from these little ladies. It's still not as consistent as it eventually will be but it's very exciting to feel them. I have an appointment tomorrow to check everything out and I'll probably be back to update after that!

Tommy Train

Most people probably know this character better by the name of Thomas but to Elliot he is Tommy Train. For someone who has never watched the Thomas the Train show he sure is obsessed. His Tommy Train puzzle is one of his most favorite things to do. He asks (ahem....begs) daily for me to help him put it together. I usually oblige a few times only to have him tear it apart and ask for it to be put back together again. He is getting pretty good at figuring out which pieces go where & his favorites to put together are Thomas' number and his face. He's a regular ol' pro with those pieces! Sometimes it amazes me how the simplest things can bring him such joy and it never ceases to put a smile on my face! Elliot is so proud of himself after we have it put together!