THIRTY FIVE WEEKS

One more week and we've made it to my goal! It's getting so close it makes me very excited and a little nervous. I have no idea what I'll do once I go past that! It's no secret, I'm getting a little tired of being pregnant. lol The biggest thing that is bothering me lately is the swelling I'm getting in my hands, face, legs, feet... not only is it uncomfortable it's a little hard on the self esteem. Up until this point I knew I had a good sized tummy, felt big but now I'm beginning to feel fat. I had this with Abby and frankly I remember how much 'fun' it is. It doesn't help that I'm getting to the point where 99% of my clothes doesn't fit... meaning it doesn't cover my belly. Eek! As flattering as the stretch marks are... I'm not waving that flag around! So t-shirts it is. And when I say t-shirts... I don't fit into MY t-shirts... or most of Tom's... Blech... (Can you tell I haven't posted any pictures of myself in 3 weeks... I probably should take a picture of the 'egg' (as I call it) but just haven't had the motivation...

BUT I've gotten the babies to 35 weeks and I'm proud of that accomplishment. If you are praying that I make it to 38 weeks... please don't tell me.... lol the thought of 3 more weeks like this is overwhelming to me...

Here is what our babies are up to lately:

How your baby's growing:

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.
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Today we are heading down to my mom's place. I've had Abs home alone for the last 2 days and I think she's VERY ready to get out. It's cute because she's been working very hard at saying "Grandma" (She has said Grandpa for like 5 months now!) and she finally has a word for it.... "Mawma" ... you would have to hear it to distinguish it and some might think she's saying Momma... but her word for me is Mommy so I know that it's different. She also calls one of my brothers "Unca Dee" and she's working on my sister "Tippy"... I think her favorite thing to tell me is that she has a 'steeeeenky' ... im not always as thrilled to hear it.

Well unless anything worth posting comes up I probably won't be back until Tuesday when I have my next appointment with Dr. H and I'll find more out about c-sections or inductions or what my next few weeks might be like. And here is a final thought to leave you with....

As someone who ran cross country for 6 years of my life... this point reminds me of that backstretch... where the finish line is looming in the distance and every fiber of your being wants to cross that silly line. Your body feels like it's falling apart, you are exhausted and don't feel like you can go on but the crowds are calling you in. It's funny how many things in life can be compared to a long distance race. There is the pain, the work, the discomfort the hardship... but I'm looking forward to crossing that finish line!!! To holding my babies in my arms, kissing their sweet faces and feeling that unbelievable joy and love that floods through you.... That is what I'm holding out for! And it won't be long now...

34 w 4d

Well last night was completely awful. I was in so much pain trying to sleep. I woke up several times and I had a really hard time getting out of bed to use the bathroom. I contemplated going into Labor and Delivery a couple of times but decided to wait it out. This morning I was still feeling pretty icky. Abby of course got me up at 7am and we watched cartoons, had breakfast and then she decided it was time to find Tom. Thankfully. So I let her into the room and asked him if he could watch her so I could take a bath before he had to get ready for work.

I had a good soak but was still miserable. I laid on the couch while Tom played with Abby, he took a bath and I just tried to relax a little. He told me to go back to bed and when I asked why he explained that he had called into work and told them he was coming in at noon so that he could watch Abby for awhile. Oh what a good husband I have! I never would have been able to ask him to do something like that, I didn't want him to miss work on my account! So I went back to bed and dozed for another 45 minuets. When I came back he was making breakfast of bacon and french toast.... by the time he left I felt so much better.

I had my ultrasound at 1pm. It was the fastest ultrasound I have EVER had. They did the BPP on the girls and A was going absolutely crazy in there. Her heartrate was almost 190! I had another surprise.... B flipped and is now breech... and I now know why I was in so much pain. Her flipping was absolutely torture on me! I have no idea how she managed to do that at almost 35 weeks! Thats unheard of for singleton babies let alone twins! Silly girl! I didn't meet with Dr. H or Dr. B today so I'll have to talk to them about that next week and see if we they will want to do it 'naturally' or via c-section now that B is flipped. I'll let you know when I know!

But my mom will be coming soon, we are going to plant bushes (by we i mean her) behind our fence in the back. They will be beautiful red bushes with edible cherries if they survive! Something to add a little color and privacy. My next appointment is on Tuesday with Dr. H and then next Friday we will have another growth ultrasound and appointment with Dr. B. :)

10 Days

Oh my... we are almost to single digits! I had an appointment with Dr. H today. No ultrasound or other testing because the nurse didn't know what she would want yesterday and we didn't schedule anything. I've gained 2 pounds in the last week...ick... but I'm starting to get more swollen (yay...) thankfully my blood pressure is still ok, 104/82. That bottom number is starting to climb a little more.

I'm still 3cm dilated and 70% effaced so no change there from last week. Dr H did say that Baby A has dropped more since last week. She wants me to come in tomorrow for a BPP ultrasound and dopplers. This is just precautionary. Normally I would be coming in at least once a week for NST's but since the dopplers were elevated in the past and we had that scare she wants to keep an eye on them. I don't mind... I like keeping an eye on them and making sure things are ok. I'm measuring 42 weeks now and she absolutely loved how she could literally SEE the babies moving under my stomach... seriously at times it looks like something out of a science fiction movie! Their heartbeats were both in the 140s and they were having a good time showing off :)

How am I doing? Miserable right now. Someone forgot to tell Abby about Daylight's Savings time... she's up at 7am every morning now. I hate it... too early! The babies are just pushing on everything, I wake up with sharp pains in my ribs, contractions and I'm now getting a LOT of reflux. It's frustrating. I keep telling myself it's for the girls and I need to hold on a little longer to get them here safely. God doesn't give you more than you can handle but goodness He sure likes to stretch you sometimes!

Dr H is going to talk with Dr B and decide on a time frame that they will induce me. She said it would probably be around 36 weeks (even though she doesnt really expect me to make it up to that) It was nice to hear that she thinks it would be very easy to induce me with how my body is and that she would probably just have to break my water.... So there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Thank GOD I don't have to go all the way to 40 weeks! So these babies will be here for SURE before Thanksgiving... no 38 weeks for me!

13 days

November! And so the pink birthstone slips away and we move into the golden. :) Thirteen more days until our babies can come and go home with me! Yesterday was a hard day with Abby. The last few days I've been just completely wiped out... dragging. I feel almost a little trapped in this heavy body... and my back is starting to protest. In fact there are times I can hardly walk or get out of chairs. It's frustrating and painful. I'm glad the girls are getting big but they had better help me get this weight off!! :)

But why yesterday was so hard. It just started out a mess. I got up, felt great with tons of energy and started picking up the living room. I was moving onto the kitchen when I glanced at the clock...8:45? Really? No.... Yes... it was. My clock in the bedroom had been a day ahead and jumped into daylight savings time a day early. I had to have Feebee in town by 9 and I was still in my pajamas, Abby was still asleep and Feebee hadn't even been let out to go to the bathroom. So I threw on some clothes, shoved Feebee in the van, grabbed Abs who was still in her pj's and put her in the car. (poor sleepy thing) I grabbed an outift for her to wear later, a bottle and took off for town. I was 5 minuets late but all things considered it wasn't too bad.

Then they told me it was going to take 3 hours. I debated staying or going but hated to waste the gas so I decided to stay. I wrangled abby out of the pj's in the van...started putting on her clothes and couldnt figure out why they were so small.... I checked the tag and it was a 6-12 month outfit!! So... I had a soggy baby and no clothes. I squished her into the small outfit and took off for the baby thrift store I love... found out they didn't open till 10. So we went to McDonalds and had a breakfast before I went back. Thankfully I found a pair of jeans for 3.50 and a top for 2.50. Then we left.

I took her to the mall indoor playground and let her run around the toys there with the kids. It would have worked better if they had a small gate at the entrance.... or am I the only parent of a toddler that struggles to keep their kid from running away? Abby thought it was hilarious, me less so. We left, went back to the Pet Store and checked on Feebee, she looked like she was almost done. So Abby looked at the meows (mice) for awhile and played with a few dog toys. (She also loved the fish, a hint to animal lovers, forget the zoo go to a Pet Store, it's free and the little ones don't care) About the time that I couldn't entertain her anymore they said she was done... So I had to lug her and Feebee's carrier back to the the van. I was exhausted. We had lunch with Tom and Abby was traumatized when he went back to work. She fell asleep on the way home.

Normally this isn't a big deal but Abby woke up when I put her down in the crib. I fought her for a long time to get her back to sleep and finally exhausted myself I couldn't take it anymore. I put her back in her crib, shut the door and lay back down on the couch. She screamed for 45 minuets but I did get a chance to rest. I just couldn't handle it anymore... I was so exhausted I could hardly move and I needed that time. So yeah, she slept... for 15 minuets... all day.... Thankfully Tom was home at 4pm

I was a little disappointed because it was Halloween and my family was coming up to Trick or Treat. Abby was craaaaaaaaaanky but a cute cranky kitty. The people just thought her "thankyou" was the cutest thing ever. It was :) She even got a few Teddy Grahms and had a treat that her mommy didn't take. A few people gave out 'glow bands' and she loved her pretty bracelets. So it went over ok, and I put Abs down to bed at 8:00pm.

Now she is in our bedroom trying to wake up Daddy. She loves to go in and find him in the morning. I was trying to let him sleep a tad longer but she started playing Duplo Legos and thought of him and had to go see where he was. I guess that is ok because maybe I'll get a chance to take a shower and get some breakfast before we go to church. Abby brought me some jeans... time to go :)

33w 6d--- 15 days!

Woot! I could do a little happy dance. The girls gained weight :) They are both 4lb 4 oz. Still on the small side but they did some good catching up and the doctors are happy. They are riding the 25th-30th percentile right now. The ultrasound tech had a great time, she said the babies seemed very happy moving all over and breathing like crazy. A's measurement for weight might be a little off because they can hardly even measure her head since she is way down, face up and straight up and down... aka very hard to see. So she did the best she could. We did get a little glimpse of B's face, she even smiled just a little. The tech could see her hair so it makes me curious... I wonder if they will end up being little blondies like their big sister???

So good news for now and nothing too crazy to report. Like Dr. H, Dr B thinks I could go any minuet but if I haven't delivered by the next time I see him (@ 36 weeks) we are going to schedule a time to induce me. He said they like to have mono di twins delivered between 35-37 weeks. So I'll be curious to see what happens!

I feel so happy it's wonderful. I'm excited to meet them and glad they are feeling so happy too. It even makes up a little for all of the discomfort I'm feeling right now. Hopefully we can hang in there for at least one more week, maybe 2 and have some nice plump babies. :) Thanks for all of the prayers!!! I need to get some homework done before I head down to pick up Abby from my Mom.

16 days left!

It's raining outside... sad. Normally our 'fence guys' would have been back last Monday but because of all the rain their schedule has been thrown off. They told me the fence should be up by the weekend... which probably won't happen now because of the rain again. *sigh* I just want it up! I'm excited to think of what Abs thinks of it and I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind if Feebee finally came home! It's been so nice of them to hold onto her until the fence is up since it means less work for me.

Abby was up earlier than she has been in awhile. She went to bed a little earlier last night because she didn't get much of a nap yesterday. After her doctor's appointment we found out she had a bad fungal infection (one that was going up onto her stomach and down her legs!) The dr put her on an antibiotic, antifungal and a probiotic to try and nip this bugger. I told the nurse that I had tried to take care of it but that her pediatrician kept telling me I wasn't changing her diaper enough... she asked who it was, I told her and she said that she wasn't surprised. Looks like they've been having issues with this.

As glad as I was to finally get this looked at we were there for an hour and a half, and if you know Abs being locked up that long doesn't go over very well! She was ready to get out. We went to Walmart to pick up her prescription but it wasn't there yet. I had tried to 'waste time' and picked up a few things but I guess they just were too busy. I could have cried when they told me it still wasn't there. Abby was upset and I was really struggling. It turns out they didn't even HAVE the probiotic I needed. So off we went towards Shopko. She fell asleep on the way to the Chinese restaurant that we were meeting my mom at. Thankfully she did sleep for awhile there but of course it wasn't her 1-2 hour nap that she needs.

THANKFULLY Shopko had the probiotic (30 bucks ick) and then we met my mom over at the second hand children's store. I needed more 'footed pj's' and so picked up a bunch of them for 2.50 a piece. The thing I'm most excited about is the Boppy 'bouncy seat' that I found for 22 dollars.(It's like the one in the picture I posted) I looked it up later and it retails new for 60 dollars! I will need to clean it and wash the cover but it looks like it shouldn't be too hard. Mom washed the two carseats so they are ready, even though the babies can't go home in them unless they are 6lbs. (They make special carseats for little babies that you can borrow)

Tomorrow is our appointment with Dr. B and the ultrasound to check on their growth. They just have to be growing! I feel like a hippo. I think I've reached the miserable point of this pregnancy. My back was so bad last night I couldn't get out of a chair for like 5 minuets and bending down was out of the question. I just feel exhausted most of the time (Probably because I'm not sleeping as well), my body wears out really fast. So hopefully they are gaining and will be a good size just in case they come a little early. Sixteen more days and we can avoid the NICU! Not long now!

My bleeding is perhaps not 'concerning' but I'm curious as to why it is a pinkish red right now. The amount of spotting has increased too. I'll make sure they double check the placenta tomorrow and I'll have to ask Dr. B. I just don't want it to prematurely separate! Perhaps it's just my body getting ready to have them.

Time for breakfast, Abs and I might travel down to my parent's place just so it's a little easier on me. Plus with the rain it get's a little stuffy at home. I have one more paper due tomorrow (this week has been a crazy homework week!) Hard to believe that November is almost here! Will my girls make it to the 'golden' birthstone?

33 w 3d---18 days left

Home now and I'm so happy that I was able to get in and out in 1 hour! Fastest I've had in a long time! Dr H's nurse said they were trying to make up a little for last week's really long wait. It was nice :)

Now onto the babies. They both passed their BPP ultrasounds once again and the fluids look good around them. Their doppler readings on the cords are still elevated. I asked Dr. H why this was and she said it was probably because my placenta was starting to 'poop out.' It happens more commonly in twin pregnancies, especially where one placenta is working for two. I'm sorry if you are looking for weights on the babies but we have to wait till Friday. The two week mark is on Thursday so we will check to see how big the babies are on Friday morning. This will be an important appointment.

On an interesting note... I'll save you from the 'gory' details, there is a good chance I could go at any time now and there is a high chance I'll go into labor within the next week or so. (Why I put a picture of a bomb on here, I feel like I'm ticking down lol)  If you want to know why you can ask, I just didn't want to make everyone have to read it lol. I'm 3cm (just a bit more than last week) and Dr H doesnt think I'll dilate much more. She thinks the contractions will just break my water sometime. I had three people ask if I was ready.. I don't think they think I'll last much longer. Dr. H said it looks like my body is gearing up for it. The ultrasound tech couldn't believe how far down A's head is, she asked if the pressure was bothering me... to which I said "yes!" Oh and it is too... I make repeated bathroom runs, many times just because of all that pressure.

I am a little disappointed however. I found out today that the hospital has installed a new policy that any baby born before 36 weeks will automatically be admitted to the NICU. : ( I understand their reasoning... I was just really hoping that if we made it to 34-35 they could stay with me... since I've heard of a lot of twins do really good at that point. So I've decided to start a countdown till 36 weeks (the 18 days left part) and I'm going to hope that I can hang on that much longer... the important thing is that the babies will be ok if they come now, they just might need a little help... it's more of a disappointment for me that I wouldn't be able to room in with my babies and that I would have to leave the hospital without them for awhile.


My last bit of info is that they probably won't let me go till 38 weeks if I make it that far. The issues going on with the placenta might be too great a risk and they would induce me at 37.

That's it for now, I have to go down to Btown to get Abs from my mom. If you have any questions please let me know! Thanks for the continued prayers. :)

THIRTY THREE!

Well! Officially thirty three weeks. I have decided that waiting for these babies is like waiting for a Christmas that could come at any time. It's that excitement and that anticipation... waking up with that familiar thrill that soon it will be here! I'm also a little nervous at the same time, maybe even more so than before I had Abby. If the girls remain head down and without complications for the next few weeks I'm going to attempt to do things naturally again. I was offered the choice of a c-section but for the babies and myself I'm going to decline that. Babies can have more respiratory issues born via c-section since the fluids aren't as 'squished' out of them as 'regular' babies. If they come a little early I want to give them the best shot possible to avoiding the NICU. And... naturally means no drugs... I'd like to keep as much of that out of their system as possible and no epidural because frankly I like to be in control and I don't want to be restricted. But we'll see!

Avoiding the NICU, I'm so excited that we are almost to that point! Babies at 34-35 weeks can possibly avoid it all together if they are doing well enough!! I want this so badly because I really feel that I need those few days with the girls to learn how to care for two at a time. This time I feel even less experienced and equipped as a mother even though I've had a baby before. It's just something I cannot prepare for until they are here and while I'm positive I'll figure it out... it still seems a little overwhelming.

My brother A is here this morning, he stayed overnight after playing Halo with Tom. He is Abby's best friend because he plays with her right now. They get along so well. In fact she just went over and gave him a hug. We had a good breakfast of pancakes, bacon and fruit but of course Abby would only eat the bacon and the fruit. I hope at some point she decides pancakes/french toast are yummy. It's my sister Tiffany's birthday today so we will probably ride down with A to my parent's place to 'celebrate.' The rest of my family is at a college XC meet to watch my brother M run. I'm not sure what time they will get back.

This is what is going on with our girls right now.... in case you are curious. A is done with getting pictures, the tech said she is so far down now that pictures are impossible to get. I got a few of B yesterday though, even if they were fast and a little fuzzy because she was being a little stinker.

How your baby's growing:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

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My next appointment is on Tuesday where I will have another BPP ultrasound done and meet with Dr. H. Hopefully everything will continue to be good and we can all get another week of this pregnancy done! Thanks for the prayers and the well wishes and all of the support. Thankfully in our situation the scary times fade away. These little ones seem to be fighters and just want to play with their mommy a little. We are getting very anxious to see them! Tom's mom is in Seattle for a wedding and I was worried that they might have to be born while she was out there. I'm glad that now she can enjoy her time with her sisters and not worry about us back here!

Just so everyone knows.... our hospital has begun to put restrictions on visitors and no one under 18 is allowed to visit. As I learn more I will update this. Tom and I may be asking people to stay back and wait a little depending on how the girls arrive. If we ask you to wait to visit, please don't be offended we just want to make sure that everyone remains healthy and safe. If we do say it is ok to come please stay home if you are feeling even slightly sick or are recovering from being sick. Hopefully it won't be long now!!!

32 w 6days

A short post just for those of you who didn't already find out how things went today. It's after 11 and I need to get some sleep. The babies passed another BPP ultrasound and their dopplers looked good today, I didn't get specific numbers but they aren't as worried about them. (Prayers must be working!) For now they want to continue monitoring them twice a week and make sure... if they pass their weight check next Friday we can go back down to coming in once a week. (fine with me! I'm spending so much time in waiting rooms lately)

So off to bed I go, I'll try and post more details tomorrow if I get time. Thanks for all of the prayers and keep them coming! This up and down roller coaster HAS to end soon... I'm getting a little tired of it! 33 weeks tomorrow :)

32w 4d

I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to write yesterday but because it was my birthday I didn't get home until late last night and didn't have time to post how things went yesterday. I had a good birthday so thanks for all of the wishes! As unique as it might have been to share a birthday with my girls I'm still really glad that they get to hang out a little longer and hopefully grow.

The appointment yesterday was only for a Biophysical Profile ultrasound and dopplers. This means no growth so I have no idea how they are doing in that area yet. We won't know this until NEXT Tuesday. I got into the ultrasound room really fast so was excited about that considering how long the wait for the last ultrasound had been! The tech was very nice and we chatted a little about the girls and Abby and Tom. My babies were quite excited and moving all over. A was practicing her breathing the moment she got on the screen and B was too. The tech was surprised and said it was one of the easiest BPP ultrasounds she had ever had to do on twins. (I think it was partially because of the sugar I had eaten before going up there lol) A's head apparently is very far down so I think we won't see any more pictures of her until she decides to come. She was also protesting the ultrasound and kept jabbing me hard in the ribs... i mean hard as in I was jumping during the ultrasound. Ive never had her 'connect' like that before!

The dopplers weren't so easy. I guess A was breathing so much that it was bouncing the cord all over the place. It took awhile to get that reading and it was good! Her number was 2.9 down from 4.9 last Friday and normal this time. B's cord reading was 4.0 down from 5.5 last week. B's is still elevated but lower and blood is still getting through which is great. Neither of the babies were showing any stress and seemed to be doing ok so she sent me down for an appointment with Dr. H.

This is where the waiting began... and continued on and on and on and on. I've NEVER had to wait so long for an appointment with her! I sat in the waiting room for over an HOUR. I was just getting ready to get up and ask what was taking so long. It was my birthday... I didn't want to sit in there all day! I read four magazines twice.... Then I got in, got my blood pressure taken and my weight done and then started waiting again. (Blood pressure is great and I did gain some weight this time which is good) I'm hoping my weight gain means that the babies are growing and it's not just extra padding lol.

I found out later when Dr. H came in that they had just gotten the H1N1 vaccine in so everyone and their dog was there. *relatively speaking* They asked if I wanted it. I explained that we were about 90% sure that I had had it. She explained that if it wasn't documented that I had it they were reccomending giving it. I told her no I don't want it. I mean... they wouldn't TEST me for it before since they said they would treat me the same anyways..... but why should I get a new untested vaccine while pregnant just because they wouldn't do a simple blood test on me? Dr H was good about my rejecting it at least and didn't pressure me to get it.

I'm dilated to a 3 now. Seems like I might just gradually do that now. Dr. H said that while you can't really 'predict' when twins will come... if she were to predict she said that it wouldn't be a surprise to her if these little gals decided to come between 34-36 weeks. Frankly... thats what I'm holding on for. 34 weeks. There is a good chance the girls would be good enough to come home with me and well... I'm getting really tired of being pregnant. I'm a little tired of the ups and downs. I can hardly get my socks on let alone shoes anymore. The babies are pushing so hard on my stomach now that it's hard to eat because I get that feeling in my throat like you didn't quite get a pill down? Frustrating but I'll endure it a little bit longer... not too much more left I hope!

Dr H said she still can't believe how well I carry the twins, that most people would never guess I have twins. I'm still measuring about 39 weeks which is almost crazy for 32 week twins! And I still feel huge... But I guess that is the update from yesterday and things going on around here. I have another BPP ultrasound on Friday and I meet with Dr. B this time. Next Tuesday is when we'll check weights again... I hope they have grown nice and fat by the time we check next! Better get some breakfast now :)