32 Weeks + 1 day

Merry (belated) Christmas!!  I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season!

How far along:  32 weeks!
Babies are the size of:  Squash 
What's happening: All 5 sense are hard at work now.  Twins have largely grown at a similar rate to singletones, but they're slowing down now as things are getting more cramped in there.  They may be running out of space, but my little aliens are choreographing some serious dance routines in there, they're crazy!  
Maternity Clothes:  LOL, oh yeah.
Stretch Marks: Not yet knock on wood!
Sleep:  Oh sleep, how I miss you.  I get up to pee so frequently and I have to wake up to roll over or adjust at all.  It's been hard to prop myself up high enough to help with the heartburn while still sleeping on my side.  Yeah, there are a lot of hurdles to this sleeping business.
Symptoms: I am large, and feeling completely NOT in charge, haha.  My knees are really feeling the added weight, especially squats, which clearly I'm not doing squats for exercise sake, haha, but all those bathroom breaks...  ;)  The last two day of Christmas festivities were a little much for me, my pelvic pain last night and today is pretty brutal, like it hurts to walk today.  Thankfully we planned for boxing day to be a recovery day for me, so I've spent most of the day with my swollen feet up, minus when I supervised H hanging my prints in the nursery :)  I am so not rushing these babies, but I'm definitely into the uncomfortable portion of things over here.  I have also been a little self conscious, seeing so many people over the holidays, many whom haven't seen me pregnant - I had a lot of comments that made me want to rage or cry.  "Wow, you're really carrying wide, eh?"  "Wow, you're looking huge!"  Um, I'm 32 weeks pregnant with twins, yeah, I'm kind of huge right now, GFYS, kthxbai.  
Best Moment of the Week:  I honestly don't know if I could love my H anymore, he is seriously the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I am so grateful to have him as my partner.  He takes such good care of me and these babies, he is so thoughtful and loving, it warms my heart.  We decided on no gifts for each other this year, we have enough to do/buy for the babies, let's just focus on them.  Well apparently at some point this week, he decided I needed some cheering up (the parental drama was really negative and causing me a lot of anxiety and stress), he knows how much I love Christmas and didn't want me to be sad, so he went out and bought me a beautiful heart locket, so that I can put pictures of the babies in them and carry them with me any time I may be away from them.  There is actually an additional small heart inside, so you can actually put 4 pictures in there.  It's beautiful, and so thoughtful.  And while I am miffed that he broke our agreement, and I feel bad I didn't get him anything, it's just a small example of how incredibly sweet and thoughtful he is.  I can't wait to see him with our babies, he's going to be such an amazing dad.
Miss Anything: Sleep, ankles, and breathing.
Cravings/Aversions:  Christmas day was full of amazingness - eggs benny for brunch, turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy (and veggies of course) for dinner.  Yum!!  I need my sugar/sweet fix but I've been avoiding chocolate because the heartburn has been bad lately.  
Showing Yet: I'm huge, didn't you hear?
Mood: Today?  Pretty good!  We did some good work in then nursery, which makes me really happy!  

A little panicky that I'm 32 weeks and we are kind of almost ready....well, sort of, gear wise I suppose.  I can't believe how close we're getting to meeting our babies!  This week?  All over the map.  My parents are nuts so there were a lot of ups and downs, but I just don't feel like getting into that right now.    
What I am Looking Forward to:  We're heading up to my ILs tomorrow for a few days.  I'm looking forward to getting out of the city, and I'm really happy for Abby - she loves it up there so much!  I love watching her play off leash and run around, she has such a good time, and comes home soooo tired!  

32 Weeks!

31 Weeks!

How far along:  31 weeks
Babies are the size of:  Pineapples.  Funny since this has been my one continuous craving the entire pregnancy.  And now I realize I don't have any.  Sadz :( 
What's happening: All 5 sense are now working.  There is major development in both the brain and nerves.  Eyes are also developing, irises can now react to light.  
Maternity Clothes:  LOL, oh yeah.
Stretch Marks: Not yet knock on wood!
Sleep:  This story rarely changes.  Some nights are better than others, most pretty much suck, especially if I have to get up for work.  I'm actually really grateful at this point to only be working 3 days a week.  At least if I'm not working I can stay in bed longer and attempt to nod off again.  Last night was pretty bad again with the pelvic pain.  Moving is so hard, rolling over is such a challenge.
Symptoms: I have trouble balancing the IF brain that I worked so hard for these miracles, and am so insanely grateful for them, it feels...unappreciative to complain.  But if I'm being honest, 3rd tri has been hard.  I'm much more uncomfortable, my knees are feeling the extra weight I'm carrying.  My legs and especially feet are so swollen.  Even with my compression socks, and trying to elevate as much as possible, it's slightly crazy.  And stupid winter is not helping, I am having trouble finding shoes or boots that I can get my feet into right now.  Oh, and the breathing at night thing still sucks.  I actually wake up and realize I'm not able to exhale properly, it's a very odd feeling, and slightly unsettling.  I love my two little aliens, who are moving like crazy lately, but this making people business is a little hard!
Best Moment of the Week:  Seeing the babies on Monday.  I swear I keep remembering my son's face on the screen, it was incredible.  He looked like a baby, not a little alien or skeleton anymore, he looked like a baby that I'm going to get to hold and kiss and cuddle and love.  ::swoon::
Miss Anything: Sleep, ankles, and breathing.
Cravings/Aversions:  I want chocolate, but it makes my heartburn worse.  But I make up for that with other sweets. And I can't get enough cereal....mmmm....cereal.  
Showing Yet: I don't know, maybe just a little ;)
Mood: Pretty good overall.  I went to H's work Christmas lunch today and everyone was buzzing around me, asking how I'm doing, talking about the babies.  It was a little overwhelming but also kind of awesome.  We have a lot of holiday festivities coming up which I'm excited for, I'm such a Christmas person, but I also am tiring out much quicker, haha, so we'll make the most of it all and hopefully I can keep up!  Is it weird it's almost making me panic that we're almost ready for these babies??  Our to do list is getting shorter and shorter, don't get me wrong, plenty left to still do, but we're getting much closer to being ready, and that feels surreal.  
What I am Looking Forward to:  My uncle's annual Christmas party on Sun!  There's always a great crowd, good food and lots of carols being sung!  It's a staple to my Christmas celebrating!

31 Weeks!

Oh, and I sort of managed to get my little aliens in all their alien glory, haha!  This is mostly little boy, but in the middle, it's a bit of a free for all, not sure who's limbs they are for sure!

30 week growth scan

I had a growth scan yesterday, 30w4d.  Babies were doing a serious dance party in there!  I went to a new lab, after my last u/s experience and am happy to report the woman was so much nicer and seemed so much more knowledgeable about what she was doing, hooray!  It was pretty long and I was getting uncomfortable lying on my back that long, plus it was hot in there - why do they do that??  At any rate, I have to wait to see my OB on Thurs for all my results and to get her take on things, but baby boy is now weighing in at 1546g (3.4lbs) and baby girl came in at 1465g (3.25lbs).  I'm interested to hear what percentile that puts them in, but I'm pretty happy to hear they seem to be gaining a good amount of weight!  That is a lot of baby in there, haha!  Baby boy is still head down while baby girl still is still head butting my ribs in a breech position, haha.  Hopefully she gets the memo on which way to the exit in the next few weeks!

A Big Fat AW Post :)

I have been looking into photography options - I really love great photography, I already have plans to do newborn photos (note to self: book those, these babies are coming, and rather soon!) and use some of the prints to decorate the nursery, like this:

                              

And I'm happy to spend the money on those, because those will be pictures I will cherish forever.  But I'm frugal, and we're having twins, haha, so I really couldn't justify spending more money on maternity pictures.  But my best friend sort of convinced me that we should take some, and I started thinking about it more.  I'm not sure if we're going to be done after these two or not, this may be the only time I'm pregnant, it's way too early for me to decide something like that.  So yeah, it might be nice to have some photos of me during this pregnancy.  My best friend just got a nice new camera and she was anxious to play around, try out some settings, etc.  And it was actually quite pretty here this weekend with a recent snowfall.  So this weekend, we headed out and as goofy as I felt, I think we ended up with some decent photos :)  

30 Weeks!

How far along:  30 weeks - holy crap!
Babies are the size of:  Cucumbers 
What's happening: Skin is getting smoother.  Now strong   enough to grasp a finger!  They can open and close their eyes and tell the difference between light and dark.
Maternity Clothes:  LOL, oh yeah.
Stretch Marks: Not yet knock on wood!
Sleep:  Ongoing struggle.  It's hard to get comfy, and hard to change positions, the belly is feeling big and heavy!  The snoogle is amazing, but it's still a challenge.  And I've woken up the last few nights unable to breathe.  Like I actually catch my breath and wake up - it's an unsettling feeling.  I wonder if it's because I've accidentally sort of rolled on to my back, I've heard from friends that those two can be connected.  The congestion is also an ongoing battle.  Oh sleep, how I miss you.
Symptoms: The hip pain is better than last week, not gone, but more manageable, so I'm thankful for that.  Heartburn is hit or miss.  I'm getting into a little back pain this week.  My hands and face are also swollen, the double chin look is super sexy and makes me feel awesome /sarcasm.  But my lower legs and feet are getting the worst of it.  I need to be sure to constantly sit down and put them up.  
Best Moment of the Week:  My shower on Sunday!  It was so awesome, I am completely overwhelmed with gratitude. 
Miss Anything: Not feeling fat, haha, I miss having ankles.  Sleep.  
Cravings/Aversions:  Food, I just want food, like all the time haha.  
Showing Yet: I swear I woke up one morning this week and looked/felt noticeably bigger than when I went to bed.  I also feel like they are literally pushing to make room and thereby expand my once-upon-a-time-waistline!  I know we still have a ways to go, and this is the point they put on weight, but I also am having trouble imagining growing more, haha!
Mood: A tad overwhelmed, realizing that we're at 30 weeks already!  I'm excited by that, another milestone in my mind, but also panicked since twins are known to show up early!  I was reading a hospital bag check list the other night and had a holy shit moment, things are getting real!  I am also nervously excited that we're getting so close to meeting our two little M&Ms!  It still boggles my mind that we are thisclose to having two little babies here, completely dependent on us.  It's both terrifying and beyond words amazing.  
What I am Looking Forward to:  Lunch??  LOL....but seriously....lunch sounds good right now.

30 Weeks!

Feeling blessed - and well stocked!

Yesterday was shower #2.  My MIL and H's aunt hosted a really wonderful shower for me and the babies.  I honestly cannot say enough wonderful things about my MIL, I seriously lucked out when it comes to ILs - she's absolutely incredible.  Thoughtful, kind, generous, loving, we get along fantastically.  After spending a couple of years on TB and reading some horror IL stories, it makes me that much more appreciative to have this amazing woman, and their whole family, be part of my family.

There were about 12 people there or so, close family friends that I've got to know very well over the 10yrs H and I have been together.  It was so nice that they were all able, and wanted, to come to celebrate with us, especially in December, I know this time of year gets super busy for people, so it means a lot that they gave up an afternoon to come.  There were some really great nibbblies and food to munch on, a really delicious punch, lots of chit chat.  Then on to the massive pile of gifts!  I swear, these babies (and me!) got seriously spoiled, between the two showers our registry was mostly purchased, all the big ticket items were and the other things we will happily buy ourselves.  We got our Graco PnP, which makes me insanely excited!  That will live on the main floor and is pretty crucial being my main floor changing station, it has the napper, and of course the playpen itself.  We also got this awesome Jumperoo that seriously looks like so much fun!  This will likely live under the crib for a bit until they're ready for it, I really didn't expect anyone to buy this for us but I know we'll be glad to have it!  We got tons of great sleepers and adorable clothes, a good stocking of the change station - diapers, wipes, diaper cream, powder, the Diaper Genie.  But I have to say, as awesome as all of this is, and it IS awesome, the thing I am most surprised and excited by, is that one family (all moms, 2 of whom are also midwives) went in and bought me the breast pump!  I have been talking to H about buying it, I've been price shopping around, it's really expensive, so I've been humming and hah-ing, H said I should just stop thinking about it and buy it already, since clearly I need it.  And then surprise!  It was the first present I opened.  I am so insanely grateful, I can't believe they bought this for me.  I am so happy to have this one in particular too, since it's a dual express and all the reviews I've read were awesome, not to mention it's the one the midwives recommended too!  Clearly my research paid off!

I am so humbled and grateful to our family and friends, I cannot believe how incredibly generous they have all been to us and our babies.  It was a seriously awesome day :)

I didn't actually take any pics, but hopefully H's aunt will send some my way!

29 Weeks

How far along:  29 weeks, holy crap that's close to 30!

Babies are the size of:  Acorn Squash
What's happening:  Their brains are in full control of their breathing and body temperature.  Digestive systems should be fully functional. They are growing fat deposits under their skin and energy is surging as a result.  

Stretch Marks: Nope, knock on wood.

Sleep:  Ongoing struggle, especially with the pelvic pain.
Symptoms: The pelvic pain is the worst.  It's better than it was on Tuesday, but it's by far the one thing that is hard to deal with.  The heartburn is still there but I can better alleviate it with my prescription. Cankles and swollen feet.  My hands are also a bit swollen and they ache/hurt, like it's hard to grip something really tightly.  BH are quite common but not all that bad thus far.  I'm exhausted and really freaking sappy, haha.
Best Moment of the Week:  My mom and I had a really nice weekend away.  I'm not sure I could live in a small town, but they are nice to visit.  Cute little shops to check out, they had a Santa Clause parade.  It was nice to get out of the city and I know it meant a lot to my mom.  On Sat night we played a game with her friend (that owns the B&B and cafe) and it was the closest I've come to literally peeing my pants.  We all laughed insanely hard over something silly, I'm sure the twins were wondering WTF was going on, because I literally was doubled over with laughter.  I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.  Laughter sure is good for the soul, even if my stomach was killing me!

Miss Anything:  Sleep.
Cravings/Aversions:  Sweets and desserts.  And for a chocoholic, I'm sad that it really aggravates my heartburn, so I'm indulging in other sweet treats for now.
Showing Yet: El oh el.
Mood: I know I've said this before, but time is seriously flying.  I cannot believe how close we're getting to meeting these two little ones!  I'm trying not to be overwhelmed by my list of things to do, especially since it's getting harder to have super productive days - I need a lot of sitting time, with my swollen feet up.  I've been doing really well, until Tues when the pain was really bad, then I got sad and grumpy and had a legit woe is me day.  I just pray this is something that eases up and doesn't continue straight through until the end.
What I am Looking Forward to:  I have my other shower this weekend!  My ILs are throwing one for their side.  I feel so incredibly blessed and fortunate that so many people love us and want to celebrate our babies with us, and spoil them!  It will also help us figure out what we still need to buy to get ready for these two.  

29 Weeks!

TMI Post - Ouch :(

I am seriously in a lot of pain today.  For a while, it was hip pain for sure, but lately, it has morphed into some seriously intense pain in my pelvis, like at the front, right in my pubic bone area.  It's been brutal trying to sleep, it's so painful to roll over and often leads to loud and disturbing cracking sounds.  The act of sitting up, from lying down, causes a lot of pain, and then I'm hobbling over to the bathroom for my usual pee breaks.  Usually during the day it's been getting better, though it's worse when I do more walking and stuff.  I've also had to start sitting down to get my lower half dressed, because when it's that sore in the morning, it's been really painful to lift one leg at a time to put on my underwear/socks/pants/whatever.  My mission now is to go find a good support belt, I'm really hoping that by applying some pressure and having more support on my hips and pelvis, I can try to minimize the pain.

I did some googling and found some information on SPD (symphysis pubis dysfunction) and a lot of it seems to ring true for me.  I usually try not to Google self-diagnose, but it's kind of nice to read something that makes me feel like I'm not crazy or the only one.  I have an OB appt on Thursday so I'm going to talk to my doctor and see what she can recommend.  Hopefully I can find a support belt for some immediate help/relief, that would be a good first step.  I don't like to complain, and I think I have a pretty high threshold for pain in general, but this is really uncomfortable at times, and downright painful at others :(

More ramblings...
Wow, finding an SI band is so not as easy as I thought.  BRU and some other places seem to have a lot of back/belly support options, like these, but I really need something for my hips/pelvis, more like this, since that's where my pain is really located.  I made about 8 phone calls and finally got a lead on a place that sells them.  You can also order them online, but I was really hoping to be able to try it on, and also to get it faster than most shipping would allow.  But even this place the guy said he has to get them from his further store to bring to this store.  So it's not looking likely for tonight.  Hopefully tomorrow is a better day and I can get my hands on one of these things asap.