35w1d (late again)

I have never ever been a tardy person, but this pregnancy has made me later than usual for everything and I honestly do not like it!
I had my 35 week appt yesterday (I am going weekly now) and things look good. My legs, ankles and feet are still very swollen and causing me to retain a lot of liquid. I have gained quite a bit of weight in the last 2 weeks :( Actually, a huge percentage and I am very upset about it! I am dilated to 1.5 cm and I scheduled my c-section for March 23rd, which will be 38 weeks exactly! I am only measuring about a week ahead, so my belly is pretty small for a twin momma... I know both of my girls are healthy in there, so they just must be squished a little bit.
Next growth scan is Wednesday and I am really looking forward to it! I hope both girls are about 5 lbs each at that time :)

34w1d :)

Everything is still going pretty good! I had my 34 week appt yesterday, and besides some minor bloating and water retention in my legs, feet and hands, I really can't complain, other than my appt was over 2 hrs long! My OB looked at my retention and laughed, saying it was nothing! Ha! She did have a hard time getting Baby A's HB on the doppler, so that warranted time for a NST. Over an hour later, she finally had the readouts she was looking for and was happy with, so we moved on to my hemoglobin check. The first prick showed my iron level at 21.7. Holy what? How could that be? They removed the blood slide, did it again and it was 22.something. Hmm, somethings fishy. My hemoglobin has hovered in the high 8's and low 9's... anything over 15 would mean I was popeye. So, they pricked a new finger and we started over. This reading was much more accurate, but was TERRIBLE: 8.1. Yikes! My OB about had a heart attack, letting me know that if I was to deliver in the next week or two, that I would most definitely need a blood transfusion! No!!!!! So, I am now on prescription iron to try to get my levels up to an acceptable value before the girls arrive!
My thyroid also came back wacky, which can affect breastfeeding, so my dosage has been increased. I just cannot win, it seems like!

I am now having weekly appts, which I think will get tiring for me, but makes sense. Next growth scan is 36 weeks! Here we are at 34 weeks, 1 d:

33 Weeks, 5 left to go :)

Or less, but I would really prefer little ladies, if you stayed put until the 38 week mark! That is when you will both be fully developed and hopefully weigh a nice amount :)

This is what I look like: And this is your size:

Do I look like I have 2 of those under my shirt? I think I do!!!
According to online charts, you should weigh between 4.2-5.8 lbs and be 17.2-18.7 inches long. I know you are not that long, but I am hoping you weigh at least 4 lbs by now! You were really chunking it up a few weeks ago and then you slowed down a little bit. I hope you pick it up again :)
Your senses are starting to improve and when light peeks through my stretched belly your eyes dilate and you are able to blink! Amazing. I talk to both of you all of the time and I spend a lot of time at night with my hands on my belly, poking and prodding at both of you. Daddy doesn't like it when I do this, he's afraid I am hurting you, but you always punch me back, so I think you like the game! You've always been pretty shy, too, when Daddy talks to you and touches the belly, but lately he touches and you both kick him! He is in complete amazement and loves you both so much. We cannot wait for you to get here!

Other news around the house... the nursery is ALMOST done! I still need to find a small side table to put next to my chair, a wastebasket, lightbulb for the lamp and some accessories for the shelf and top of the dresser. Hopefully I can do those things this weekend. I just want to be done with it!

We had maternity pictures taken this past weekend and I am in love with them! I can't wait to get them printed and in the room :)

Late Update!

I am almost 33 weeks now! I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy has flown by! I expected it to drag quite a bit, but it has not at all... I am amazed when I turn over a new week every Wednesday!

I had my 32 week appt last Wednesday and it was such a debacle! First of all, I will no longer be getting u/s every week bc my body cannot handle them. I blacked out on the table! So, my next growth scan will not be at 34 weeks, but instead at 36 (so a full month after my last!)... it kind of bums me out bc I love to see my little ladies on the screen, but at the same time, I cannot handle blacking out, seeing stars, and sweating buckets as I try to regain my composure.

Some other news... both girls are pretty small still! Baby A weighs about 3.6 and Baby B 3.8. Both girls are still breech and head to head, facing each other. My OB said he believes neither baby will turn 1) because my hips did not spread, so there is no room for them 2) they love, love, love being together, and because of that, they are going to stay breech bc there is more room for them up top that down below. I am still keeping my fingers crossed that one will move at the last minute, but for now, C-section date is for 38 weeks, March 23rd, if they don't decide to come before then! I would LOVE for them to stay inside babies until at least March 23rd, to gain every single ounce possible! I want to avoid the NICU if at all possible!

My iron level is slowly creeping up! Yeah me! It went from 8.5 to 9.2 in 2 weeks, which to me, is awesome! My OB did not think it was awesome, but he definitely liked that there was progress being made. He really wants it at 10 or above for delivery with hopes to avoid a blood transfusion. Me too :)

Here's what we looked like at 32 weeks (I am getting bigger by the minute!!!):

And, one of the babies (my OB didn't know which, bc this is precisely the time I blacked out on the table and he was trying to help me):

Update on the Girls and their nursery!

At my OB appt last week, my Dr told me I would not be allowed to go longer than 38 weeks, so our girls will be here on March 23rd (or before!)... 7 VERY short weeks from now! I cannot believe how quickly my pregnancy has gone by and how carefree every single minute of it has been so far!

I did have a bit of a hiccup at last weeks appt though. I forgot to have my hemoglobin checked, so I had to go back in on Friday morning for that. They did the check and reported back that my levels had DROPPED to 8.5, which means that I am seriously anemic, almost in the dangerous, dangerous category. I don't know how this is possible because I feel AMAZING ALL OF THE TIME. Honestly, I do! My OB really lectured me, very sternly, and I felt terrible about it! She said I need to try to slow down, cut back at the gym, eat more and she'd like to see me gain about 50 lbs total! What?!?! There is no way I can gain 25 more lbs in such a short time, unless my girls really start packing on weight! I think they are little chunkers, but they're not going to be 8 or 9 lbs each... there is just no way. It'd be amazing, but I'm not that big of a girl, and while I have the torso room for them to grow, I don't have much more room. I can only do the best I can do, so I am trying to eat more iron rich foods, more caloric foods, and at my growth scan next Wednesday, I hope they each weigh about 3.5 lbs.

We have the nursery about 80% complete. All we need now is the unfinished dresser to come in (which was supposed to be delivered yesterday, but due to the blizzard it wasn't). Greg needs to do whatever assembly is required and then paint it. We also bought an unfinished shelf to hang above it, that also needs to be painted and hung... so maybe we are about 75% done, not 80?

I also feel like we don't have enough clothes for them! I received so many things at my shower, and I did return clothing bc we got duplicates, or two of the same outfits, and I am not planning to dress my girls alike every day. So, I have some money on gift cards, but I am scared to buy things, not knowing exactly how much they are going to weigh, what sizes I need, etc... Maybe right before they are born, when I have a better idea I can run out quick and pick up a few things!

31 Weeks and a Blizzard!

We went to bed with the snow falling like fury, the winds howling at 60 mph, and awoke to a blizzard-wonderland! I cannot believe all the snow outside! We have close to 14 inches, maybe more, as it is so hard to tell bc of all the wind and drifts. I did, against Greg's advice, go out to shovel a teensy path, so I could take a few pictures:

Our neighbor across the street did come and do a quick plow of our driveway last night around 10, so that will make Greg's shoveling job a little bit easier today!

I am 31 weeks today and so super happy! I started physical therapy this week for my hips and lower back, just because I was in so much pain every morning when I woke up. It would get better gradually throughout the day, but the pain was always there and was getting annoying, so my OB recommended therapy. I will be going every week until I deliver.

Both are still the size of the squash... we will graduate to a new fruit/vegetable next week :)

Baring It At 30 Weeks!

My belly is really transforming and I think it is hard to see the transformation through my shirt. For example, this morning I took a belly picture with my shirt on, and compared it to last weeks photo, and they look so similar. Maybe tonight when Greg takes my full shot I will be able to notice a difference, but for now, I can't really tell. But I can tell when I see my bare belly! It seems and feels huge to me, so I thought I would start documenting bare belly photos too (unless of course I start sporting stretch marks, and then I may change my mind).

So, in all it's glory, here is my 30w bare belly:
I feel huge. I feel like my stomach looks huge. But, I wouldn't trade it for anything!!! I love being pregnant and keep thinking about how fast these next 6-8 weeks are going to go and how sad I am going to be when I am longer pregnant. I have enjoyed EVERY single minute of this pregnancy. I can honestly say that I've had maybe one bad day, possibly two, in these past 30 weeks. The bleeding I had in the beginning was stressful, but I knew my babies were ok and were going to be fine. I feel so blessed by my girls and how wonderful they have been to me, and I know that is going to increase by a thousand-fold when they arrive. So, while I will be sad to no longer be pregnant, the amount of joy I am going to experience when they are born makes me so overcome with emotion.
I glanced up at my bare belly picture above and I can't believe that my babies are in there. They are actually in my stomach, just hanging out, flipping, kicking and enjoying their stay. They are amazing to me.

29w2d

And the obligatory bump pic :)

So, little ladies, at 29 weeks, you're each about the size of a squash: 15.2-16.7 inches long and 2.5-3.8 lbs. Uhm, girls, you were both bigger than this at last week's appt! I am going to have healthy little babies in my arms and I love it!!! During these weeks, your energy levels are soaring thanks to white fat deposits below your skin, and I can honestly say that I am feeling all of your extra movements! In fact, Baby Girl B, you've decided to head north a little bit and you're starting to jab in some very uncomfortable areas! All five senses are fully functional and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments. I love you both so much, I can't wait to meet you!!!!

In other news, the chair arrived for the nursery, and it is the most beautiful and cozy thing ever. I am super happy about that because I see many nights spent in that chair. We are still waiting for the long dresser to arrive, and I hope it does soon because I feel the clock ticking (thank goodness it's no longer my own clock :)) I want to have everything done by February 19th when my maternity photos are taken, bc I want some shots done in the room. Tonight we are going to go look at shelving options and I still need to order artwork and a few things from Etsy... but overall, progress is being made and that's the important thing!

Nursery Progress... we've got some!

Finally, the nursery is coming together :) I would say we are about 50% done. We are still waiting for the unfinished long dresser to come in, my rocking/gliding chair, shelving and artwork for the walls. I also need to find some storage solutions, baskets and whathaveyou. We are planning to look for the shelving and storage this weekend, hopefully we'll find something we like!

So, wood blinds are installed, drapes are up, crib bedding is on and I think things look pretty good :) Like I mentioned above, we are having a long dresser in the room and it is going to be painted a pale turquoise to match the fabrics and then my nursing chair is white.

Chunkers!

That's what these two baby girls are!

Wow, you've both grown a lot in the past two weeks, thank goodness momma's only gained 4 pounds since she was weighed 4 weeks ago at the OB's office!

Baby A, you weigh 2lbs and 9 oz.

Baby B, you weigh 2lbs and 5 oz.

You each gained 7 oz and 8 oz, respectively, in a 2 week time period! Chubbers!!!!!!

You are both still breech, which I am not very happy about! Please flip over ladies! And, you are both facing my back, meaning I do not get any ulrasound pictures when I go. This makes me super sad!

No pre-term labor signs here and my cervix is long and tight. Very closed and all looks wonderful! No restrictions for this momma, so we are still at the gym and doing as much as we can around the house. Your daddy is so proud of you both for treating me so well :)

And, now for our weekly picture together (and I promise my arm is not this big, my cardigan's arms are drapey/saggy):

27 weeks!

27 weeks today and you are both moving around like crazy ALL OF THE TIME! I feel like I am getting a lot bigger too, so I think you are both starting to fill up some of the space in there :) At the gym this morning, one of the regulars commented that he still cannot believe I am pregnant with twins bc I am "just not big enough"... ha! Listen buddy, I am big enough, I feel big enough, and I definitely feel the extra weight in my stomach these days while at the gym. You both love it when we work out, and so I'm going to keep it up to the end (or, for as long as you both let me)!

At the MFM's office last week, you weighed 2lbs2oz and 1lb13oz, which seems to be right on track (anywhere between 1.5-2.2 lbs). I am sorry, but you are still an eggplant for another two weeks, and then you turn into a squash! I think you're both going to be big healthy babies and I can't wait for you to get here!

We've been doing a lot of reading, waiting for your arrival, and one of us is starting to get nervous (starts with a D and ends in -addy). I know we will be fine, so I am just working on convincing him of that! We also had our baptism prep class last night and have our Prepared Childbirth Class this weekend! We are so very excited for it!

Some Nursery Progress!

Cribs and one dresser are finally up! And we love them :) They look beautiful and so awesome in the room!






I just made the final payment on Etsy for our bedding and it is being shipped to us today! Here are the photos the designer sent to us this morning (bedding is on one of her cribs):



I think it is going to look amazing! I bought two aqua sheets from the Land of Nod, as well as, two white sheets... not sure which I will end up using to start off with, but will keep both!

We purchased an unfinished dresser and will be painting it a very light aqua (lighter/paler than the aqua ties on the bumper). And my double wide nursing chair should be in soon! I went with an all white chair... it may be a mistake, but it will look beautiful in the room with the pale cream walls and white woodwork and white cribs!

I need to find filler curtains as well, or, I might just have the Etsy seller make me 2 more panels. I can't decide what I want to do. I guess we need to get the room all put together and then I will decide from there!

So much left to do: buy mattresses, lamps, wall art, shelving, the list goes on and on... but, for the most part, I feel great with the direction we are going and can't wait for it to be complete!

Almost 27 weeks!

This last week has been crazy with the holidays and time off work, so I apologize baby girls for not getting a 26 week post up for you!

I had an appt with the MFM last Wednesday (26 weeks) for my level 2 ultrasound that was, oh, about 6 weeks too late! Both babies were huge and the ultrasound lasted over 90 mins. The tech had a miserable time getting all of the measurements, the peri had to come in to finish the u/s, and I managed to get nauseous and queasy twice, and had to get up once to take a stroll down the hallway! But, the good news is that everything looked perfect! Baby A weighs about 2 lbs 2 ounces; Baby B about 1 lb 13 ounces. We were only able to get profile pictures, and trust me, those were almost next to impossible to get from two extremely squirmy and active babies! They are both laying right next to each other, head to head, and I swear that they think they are in the same sac!!!

And momma:

I look autrocious here. I was up all night Tuesday, fretting over the 26 week scan. Why? No clue, but I was! So, I had about 2 hrs of sleep Tuesday night and this is the result!

I still feel awesome, except for the excess stress and sleep deprivation that I bring on myself. I am still at the gym every single day, getting my cardio in and lifting weights, and it makes me feel awesome and the babies wiggle around the entire time :) Makes me smile!