29W 4D

The next time I will be posting will be on Friday after our 30 week appointment :) I am so excited to see the girls again and find out how much they have grown. The next few days will be filled with appointments! Tomorrow I have to take Abby into what they call 'baby clinic'... this is with Dr. B to evaluate Abby's hair pulling and see what is going on with that. The biggest thing we want to check on is why exactly she is doing this. Could it be physical and she is having headaches? Is it stress related or is it compulsive behavior? I've scheduled other people for the clinic but I've never been a part of it so I'm curious to see what it all involves. They were going to have her come in November but someone canceled so now we can get in earlier! This will really help with me not being massive pregnant or with two more little ones.

The weather looks like it is going to be nasty at the end of this week... both days that I will be going up to SF in the afternoon. As long as it doesnt snow I'll be happy. :)

I will be approaching my doctors about the past issues of the Vasa Previa today. The closer and closer we get to the girls coming the more I start to worry that we've missed it and that something will go wrong and I will lose one of the girls. I want them to check for it and check for it and check for it until I feel more confident that this isn't just hiding somewhere. Probably should talk to my doctor about the heavier/darker bleeding and the fact that I think I'm having strong contractions in the morning... or the strangest stomach cramps in the world.  Part of me wonders if I should call in and talk to them earlier? Or just wait till Friday? I've not gone into labor yet lol

Well I suppose.... more to update with Friday!!

29 weeks 1 day

Wow has it only been one day since I posted? It feels like it has been a whole week. Tom, Abby and I went down to Beresford after he got off of work yesterday. We decided that we would stay overnight for fun since it had been so long. It was nice to have someone else for Abby to play with, I think she was really getting tired of playing at home with mommy.

Last night was not good, ugh. I started feeling a little off around supper time but thought perhaps I just had allergy issues. Played some Xbox with Tom and my brother Andrew after Abby went to bed (very fun) then decided to go to bed. The mattress in Tiffany's room I think has seen better days and was hard hard hard HARD... or maybe I'm just really sensitive being so pregnant. The aches and the chest tightness just got worse and worse by the time Tom came to bed and I told him I couldn't sleep on the bed. Moved to the couch but felt so awful I really wanted him to be near me. My brother Paul was camping so we checked his room out and settled into the bottom bunk after giving it a good toss (Matthew had been playing on it I think) It might have been just a little softer but it was much cooler down there. The babies were having a good time, B had hiccups and Tom got to feel her 'going at it' which he really enjoyed. *usually when I tell him they are moving like crazy they stop as soon as he puts his hand on my stomach. *

He fell asleep, I couldn't. Got up and took some Tylenol which helped me get a little more comfortable. Had a rough night though and was up walking through the minefield that was my brothers room to the bathroom. Note to self, clear a path BEFORE going to bed. Then around 7:30 when I woke up I attempted to turn onto my other side and had two really really strong contractions (i think thats what they were) To me it felt as if I had a really bad Charlie Horse cramp across my lower abdomen. Oh it hurt! It wasn't mild cramping or tightening this was full blown painful and probably a minuet or more long (hard to keep track of that). So either it was a contraction.... or one of the girls REALLY adjusted herself and stretched my poor tummy.

The spotting has been back in full force again these last few days :( In fact today I was almost a little concerned because it was so much darker. I'm back to using sanitary pads because I'm soaking through undergarments so quickly. It's sooooo frustrating this spotting. The girls don't seem to be bothered by it and have been keeping plenty busy. My appointment is Friday so I guess we'll see how things are going.

I still don't feel very good. Thankfully Tom will be home to help me out tomorrow if I'm sick. It's hard to have the energy to keep up with Abby when I'm feeling good.... almost impossible when I'm run down and sick. Guess we'll find out tomorrow. Hopefully I will get a good night's sleep and that will improve things!

29 Weeks!!!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

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The nurse took three hours to get back to me yesterday and when she did it was as if she were reading off the information as fast as possible. I'm not thrilled with her but that happens I guess. For every great nurse there's bound to be at least one that you don't like. Hopefully I won't have to deal with her anytime soon. She didn't even hardly give me any chance to explain my concerns or questions. Sometimes it annoys me when those nurses work so hard at trying to explain why they don't need to see you that they forget to talk to the patient/patient's mother about why they called in the first place. Really... I wasn't wanting to spend the rest of my afternoon up there either. It just would have been nice if you could have talked to me about this since I've never experienced it before.

The babies were moving and grooving though last night! Felt like they were tap dancing in my stomach, or kick boxing. It was a really odd feeling. They are getting stronger and stronger it seems! I'm going to try and work on my diet a little more and see if that helps. The fact that I'm having leg cramps and then these dips in blood sugar makes me wonder if something is a little off in what I'm eating. In fact my morning nausea has returned too... not as bad as it was in the first trimester but still obnoxious. I had oatmeal and a banana this morning.... 15 minuets ago... and I'm hungry again.

Well Abby is on a rampage, I'm not sure why she is so upset but time to go see what she's up to. Have a great day :)

28w 6d

Abby is so funny right now. She thinks that everything is hilarious and keeps looking back at me to see if I'll smile at her. It's cute. She should be going down for a nap soon but if she wants to play I'll let her wear herself out a little more before she takes her nap. Hopefully that will keep her asleep longer. And now she brought me her favorite book... Fox in Sox...

Right now I'm just waiting on a call back from the doctor. I think my blood sugar dropped last night. I was playing Halo with Tom, Mark, his roomie and my brother Michael (online)... I had an apple because I was feeling a little hungry and decided that would be a healthy choice. (and the apples from the orchard are so yummy) Ate that, played for awhile. Had a few glasses of water then saw the little Milky Way chocolate bar sitting on the counter. It was one of those snack sizes from the Halloween bags. Nothing huge. I've really craved chocolate lately and this is usually my way of getting a little chocolate without eating too much.

I started feeling really tired around 10-10:30 so told Tom that I was going to go to bed. I had chased Abby all day yesterday and was feeling worn out. Got ready for bed, took my meds. I 'think' I fell asleep and Tom came in about 30 minuets later, around 11. I was kinda out of it and I felt really shaky. Tom said that I felt really clammy. He was actually the one that asked if my blood sugar had dropped. I thought it couldn't be since I had eaten not long before bed to keep me going through the night.

Got up, tried to distract myself in case somehow I was anxious or something. Couldn't get rid of the shaky feeling but noticed I felt really hungry. I've been waking up at 2 & 3 in the morning just starving so instead of putting it off I got a bowl of cereal and took a warmish/hot bath. Felt better after this, went back to bed and fell asleep. The coyotes woke me up around 3 (really strange) but otherwise this morning I felt pretty good.

After I started thinking about it more I decided I should call my doctor and just let her know what happened last night since it is Friday. This is the 2nd time this has happened but I just thought it was nerves or something hormonal lol.
 The nurse talked to me a little and I'm not overly thrilled with her. She isn't my regular nurse, Brooke is out today I guess. She just made me feel so stupid for deciding to eat a Milky Way bar. I'm not a diabetic, I've never had problems eating anything before or having blood sugars drop or anything like that. In fact, there are many times I've eaten stranger things at 11, 12 or 1am... I eat when I'm hungry. She told me a better choice would have been something with protein, granted there are a lot of things healthier than a milky way snack but it was so good... sigh... I realized this is the same nurse I talked to at 5pm when I had that weird pressure and she told me just to lay down. She made me feel stupid for calling then too.

She said she was going to talk with Dr. H and see what she said or if she was concerned about it at all. I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that this time I have twins and they are stealing my sugars. But I had a good meal of roast, mashed potatos and corn at 7pm. That should have held me over?? I guess I'll just have to wait and see what she says. It's been 2 hours since she called me last, hopefully I'll know before it gets too late in the afternoon. Dr H just might be really busy.

I'll update with more later if they say anything interesting. 

28w 5d

Abby just woke up, an hour after putting her down. I'm disappointed because this means I have 7 hours until she goes to bed... 6 of which I will have her alone. For those of you who wanted some pictures of the ever growing bump I took a few. It's getting harder and harder to do it myself and I have only 2 hours (maybe) all day where I can do things around the house. Hopefully these won't be the last belly shots. Perhaps I'll have Tom help me take a photo of the heart hand on belly.

I feel like a bad mommy letting her cry a bit but she honestly wasn't ready to wake up and I keep hoping that maybe she'll go back to sleep. Should we go to the park today? It's been so rainy that I'm not sure if it will be miserable. AND Abby likes the "chase me mommy" game FAR too much. Baby B is lodged in my ribs and killing me right now. I hope she doesn't stay there long. Last night was the first night in weeeeeeeks that I haven't had to get up more than twice to use the bathroom. Depending on where they are 'sitting' sometimes I'm up more than three times in an HOUR. And I honestly drink as little as possible at night. I used the back massager that Tom's mother brought up for me to use and it was amaazing. Took care of so many of my aches and it eased my sore back some. I recommend it for pregnant women!!!

My mom, Abby and I went shopping yesterday which was a lot of fun. I picked up at least one cute top and a few things for Abby. It was fun to do something with just my mom for a change. Well I don't have much else to report for now, I just wanted to post the pictures up. Our next appointment is a week from tomorrow. (October 2nd) wow October!

28w 3d

Currently I have a four page paper staring me in the face and I should probably be attempting to write this instead of 'playing' online. But the four page paper is driving me a little crazy so I'll try and tackle it a little later. Tuesday. It's hard to believe we are already three days past my big 28 week goal. It's also really hard to believe that I'm only working on my 29th week. In the last few days my body has really started to feel the wear and tear.

Leg cramps have come with a vengeance and I've had two nasty ones and a third that I managed to prevent. The first was so bad I could hardly walk for two days after it. All of the solutions that I looked up I've tried but they don't seem to be helping much. I'm not sure how I could possibly be deficient in calcium with the amount of dairy I eat/drink. Hopefully, this will be the last of them and I won't get any more for awhile?

Officially I have outgrown nearly all of my clothes now. I have 2 pairs of maternity pants that fit (outside of a dress pair) and MAYBE 5 tops. When I was pregnant with Abby I worked up until the day she came so I used my pregnancy kahki's more often than jeans or sweatpants. So now when I try to go places I have two options, one pair of jeans that I feel so hot in or a pair of clothlike capris that hilariously... I can't keep up. It rides just below the bump and so won't stay up. I'm hoping that tomorrow I can go shopping with my mom and Abs to find a few clearance things to wear. Most of Tom's tshirts don't fit me either so I'm seriously getting low.

Well it's 8:30 and I've sent Abby off on a hunt to find her daddy. It's so cute how she loves to find him and crawl up in bet with him. Since her bedtime has switched to around 8-9pm she doesn't get to see him much before she is asleep. I've started working with her on easing back into dairy milk... so far I just give her one bottle in the morning and I think it's been going ok... so far... Rice milk is just SO expensive and it doesn't have as many of the fats and nutrients that her little body needs so if we got her back onto it before the babies come that would be amazing.

Baby B has taken up residence next to my ribs and she sure makes me uncomfortable! I can only sit comfortably for so long before I'm up and trying to 'scooch' her back down. I don't feel them kicking as much but they really get moving and at times you can feel them pressing their heads or 'body parts' out. I think they are feeling a tad squished too. Well I had better run before Abs tears apart my house :)

27weeks 6 days

We've hit the 28 week goal!!!! If the babies come now they will do really well. Each week that we get from here on out will get them more mature, plumper and hopefully as little NICU time as possible!!! I'm finally home and sitting on the couch to relax a bit before I'm off to get Abby in Beresford. The appointment went very well this time. It's funny how this pregnancy has been such a roller coaster of ups and downs. The doctors continue to be surprised at how my body likes to go from really good to really scary then back up again. My girls have to keep them on their toes! My cervical length was back up to 3.2 and is still closed. They want me to remain on light activity because it seems with the twins that depending on where the girls are sitting my cervical length can drop rapidly. I am however, allowed to do a few more things like go on occasional walks. PTL!! I've missed my walks so much!

The girls are weighing in at 2lbs 8 oz and 2lbs 6oz, riding about the 50th percentile. This is great for twins! No signs once again of TTTS and we are pretty much out of the woods on this area of concern. Neither of the babies were feeling overly photogenic and therefore we have one very fuzzy profile shot of Baby B... nothing at all of A who has her head shoved down about as low as she can get it with her face pressed into my back. (No wonder my back hurts! lol) A is still head down (obviously) but B has once again shifted her position. She is still breech but lying with her head towards A's feet and her body basicly curving around A's... it's kinda funny that A seems to lay wherever she wants and B fills in the blanks.

I got to watch them move a bit on the ultrasound and play, their little hands and feet kicking at each other. The ultrasound tech and I got along great so it was a fun scan. The most interesting part of the day was that they came in to ask me if it would be alright to take pictures of me. I guess the hospital is putting up a new maternal/fetal medicine page. The nurse told me she was excited when she saw that I was coming in today because they had been trying to get a 'cute pregnant lady.' She liked that my belly is well... all baby pretty much and only one very small stretch mark! (so far) So they took shots of my stomach getting scanned, myself and the ultrasound tech, Dr. B and I talking. It was kinda fun, hopefully they will use a few and I can show them later! The only downside... I would have done more with my hair if I had known!!!

I picked up a little Fisher Price slide for Abby from a lady for 10 bucks. I'm so excited to see her use it for the first time. We played in the park with one of the mothers/daughter from our church in the park yesterday. It was so much fun. Abby was running all over and she ran up to a mother with her baby in a stroller, took the baby's toy, said thank you and ran off. I had to chase her down to get the toy back!!! She also likes to watch Tiffany's volleyball games, she says 'uh oh' every time the ball goes flying. (which is a lot in 7th grade). It's been a fun week.

Well I have to get going so that I can get Abby, wow how time flies. Thank you for your prayers, it's amazing how God has been faithful these long weeks!

27w-2days

Up in the morning with Abby and we are snacking on Fruit Loops and watching her favorite cartoon show. She still has a gunky/runny nose and is still pretty cranky at times. I'm starting wonder if her cold might have created a sinus infection as it's been nearly 11 days now since she first got sick. I keep thinking she'll just wake up one morning and be completely better! Phew smells like bathtime will be our next activity for the day.

Please vote on my poll to the right of the screen (and down a bit) I'm trying to decide between three strollers. I do have a favorite (for today) but I won't tell you because I'm curious what other people will like. Here is what I like best about all three and why they've ended up in the poll in the first place.

Combi: Lightweight, easy to fold
In Step: durable, bigger wheels, seems sturdier
Kolcraft: Has several different seating options, can hold 2 carseats and still work well as a stroller for toddlers.

Please look into them a little but don't look at prices, I've found 'deals' on all of them so the price shown is not what I would pay. Please don't feel bad if you were one of the many whom looked on garage sales or in stores or had a friend offering to give one away. This is just something that I personally want to choose and have researched very carefully. I have spent time in twin groups finding out what twin mommies recommend and all three of these came out on top and searched and searched and searched.

Today Tom and I are planning to go up to American Fence and get a quote for them for our backyard. I'm very curious to find out what it would cost to put up a fence in our yard. It's so hard for me to keep up with Abby here at home alone without some boundaries. If the price is good we might look into getting one this Fall! It's something I've wanted so badly since we got into this house. We are also going to maybe look at a few playsets for Abby.

Babies are doing well and Tom and I may have narrowed down our name choices (Don't ask... we won't tell you :) My next appointment is on Friday and I'm anxious to see how things are going. We will have an ultrasound with this one and see both doctors so they should be able to see how my cervix is holding out. I've been having a LOT of contractions lately but they all stop and aren't regular and I'm not having more than 6 in an hour... but it still worries me a little. I've been trying to decide if they are Braxton Hicks and perhaps the babies are just growing more? I may or may not call Dr H's nurse to see what she thinks this afternoon. I've been having them since Friday. Perhaps I just need to be drinking more water or rest more... it's just hard to know.

Well Abby is in serious need of a diaper change/bath this morning so I should go. Don't forget to vote!!

Almost 27 weeks!!!

I decided that I would write today since tomorrow is looking to be pretty crazy. A family member passed away from a massive heart attack this week and his funeral is tomorrow. (he was only in his 40's) My friend is also having a bon fire and my mom is going to watch Abby so that Tom and I can go. It should be a lot of fun! We are on the brink of 27 weeks! I am so exited that we are just one more week away from a big milestone. We of course want our babies to hang out inside as long as possible but it gives me just a little more relief that if they were born their odds of being not only able to survive but thrive are looking good!

I have been feeling them hiccup now and their movements are getting stronger and more regular. My stomach actually ripples at times when they start to play. I had a few contractions yesterday, 4 of them in one hour. Once I laid down they vanished which is good! Otherwise I was debating on whether I should go up... but they stopped so good! Perhaps my day was just too busy yesterday with keeping up after Abby. I try so hard to find things that we can do together since it is easy to get a little bored at home.

One of the couples that we went to our multiples group with had their twin girls yesterday :) They are absolutely adorable and it makes me so excited! (They were further along than we were so it looks like their babies were full term) I cannot believe that we could be parents of twins in 2 months! 8 weeks! Time is flying by and I'm more and more thinking about the fact that we are going to have THREE GIRLS UNDER TWO BEFORE CHRISTMAS! I'm already looking for 'picture ideas' and I will be a photo taking maniac.... I want to make sure Tom gets photos of the girls and even some video of them right after they are born... I was so out of it and frankly a little busy that I didnt get hardly anything of Abby. I don't want pictures of them BEING delivered... just after. No shots of me 'down there.' lol

Well it's going to rain so I need to shut the doors and windows and getting Abby back inside. (she's on the porch) I'll leave you with a few fun facts of how our babies are developing. Our next appointment/ultrasound is one week from today :)

How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

26 weeks 3 days

Where to start. Ok the appointment. It went pretty well. My cervix is still holding with no signs of it dilating. Dr H still wants me off of my feet as much as possible. Next week we go in for another appointment with Dr B, an ultrasound and then Dr H. She will re-evaluate my situation then but we are hoping for no further change in my cervix. She noticed right away that I wasn't feeling very good and told me that if it isn't getting better by the end of the week that I should call in and she'll have me start on an antibiotic. It's really settled in my chest and it's made sleeping really hard. For the first time this pregnancy she actually used a doppler to check the babies' heartbeats. B kicked her really hard and surprised Dr H. She was like "Did you see that!" At times you can really see them rippling about on my stomach. A's heartrate was in the 140's and B's was just about the same (it jumped to the 150's after kicking Dr H) I have two very feisty little ones inside!

Dr H wrote me a note for school and I went in to talk with my adviser after the appointment. Even without an appointment she got me in and I explained that with the pregnancy getting so complicated I couldn't risk their health. She was great and made me feel so much better about having to step out for a semester saying that if she were in my place she would do the same. After looking at my transcript we decided my best course of action would be to pursue my BA in nursing since I'm only like 5-6 classes away from it. It could open further options in the future by allowing me either to participate in management positions, pursue a higher degree as a PA or nurse anesthetist if I decide to. It will help knowing that I'm still working towards my degree, just that the 'nursing courses' will have to be put off a little longer.

My classmates have been so great. I will miss them all so much and I'm sad I won't be able to get my diploma with them... on the plus side... they can help me out later if I have trouble!! lol My adviser explained that I could even possibly get back in this Spring! It all depends on whether a spot opens up because someone drops. The best part? All I have to do is fill out a paper! No interview, no application process... just one piece of paper and I can be right back in!

So this Fall I will be taking Composition II and a Sociology class online. I decided I had better just take the online classes because if something else changes and I end up admitted or on bed rest I don't want to be in the same boat all over again. I was able to enroll in the last 2 classes available! So things worked out and I'm feeling less stressed, less weepy and just more 'in control' of things again. Hopefully I havent missed too much in class.

Abby is napping again, she is also really miserable so between the two of us we make quite a pair. If it isn't one thing it's another it seems. Continue to pray for all of my little ones and just that I can figure out what in the heck I'm going to do with all of this time at home without being very active... Anyone have any suggestions for an easy project I can work on??? I'm off to find my ice cream now... :)