Twin Pregnancy - 35 weeks

Thirty. Five. Weeks. I can't even believe it. During one of my 8 trips to the bathroom last night (yes 8 is the real number- that is no exaggeration) I looked at the clock and saw it was just after midnight which officially meant we had made it to 35 weeks. It seems surreal. 

In my opinion, anyone who makes it to 35 weeks and beyond I can only imagine carrying twins and pretends they aren't fairly miserable is a big lying liar. I am ecstatic that I am still pregnant. I hope to continue to be for 14 more days at least. With that said, everything hurts and I can't wait for it to be October. Like everything. All the time. This is physically the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life.

Going on walks or to the store or out to eat has become near impossible because my hips and back hurt so bad. These sweet babies are so low that I'm pretty sure I walk like a sumo wrestler. I'm still working my normal half day hours and counting down the minutes!  The plan is to stop at 37 weeks even if these babies haven't come yet- a week off to rest before delivering twins really doesn't sound so terrible.  This picture is an extremely accurate depiction of how I'm feeling right now I must say.

This weekend we finally did some last minute things to help me feel more prepared - if that is possible. We got out the new car seats, put together the double stroller, packed our hospital bags and washed the very last of the baby laundry. Seeing two car seats sitting side by side in our living room was totally crazy!

I'm pretty excited about the idea that we are past the 35 week mark which means that there is at least a decent chance of the babies coming home with us when they are born instead of needing to stay longer. Every day they stay in that chance goes up and that makes me a very happy Mommy. 

We have a doctors appointment this week to check them and also start non-stress tests. I had a million when I was pregnant with Caleb because of the knots in his cord, but certainly never with 4 belts to measure two babies. I loved sitting and listening to his heartbeat in the comfy chairs and I'm honestly looking forward to that again. 

Can't wait to snuggle these monkeys!

Twin Pregnancy - 32 weeks

We are 32 weeks today!  I am so, so grateful to be 32 weeks.   

Unfortunately, today I have spent the majority of the day fighting off contractions and trying not to freak out over the feelings of intense pressure I have.  Last night, we went to a minor league baseball game and while planning the evening I kind of forgot how pregnant I am.  We had a walk a pretty long way to the stadium and sitting in those stadium seats for so long really did me in.  Hopefully, my body is just making me pay for it today and I can rest and have these go away.  Needless to say, we are going to be taking it easy the next 3 weekends and trying to have end of summer fun for the boys in situations where I can sit in a chair.  I want to make it to 35 weeks SO badly for the babies- let's be honest I'd rather make it to 37 but trying not to get too greedy in this moment.  

This week I got a lot of their clothes and things washed and worked on their room more.  I was folding and putting clothes away when all these contractions started this morning so you better believe they are still sitting in baskets for now.  Priorities indeed.  

When I was pregnant with Eli, I craved sweets toward the end like I never have in my life.  This time around I am craving WATERMELON.  Any time, anywhere.  I honestly can not get enough.  I'm hoping that the stores will continue to carry it even though we are nearing the end of watermelon season around here until these babies are born.  I mean there are definitely worse things to crave right?  

This weekend, we Josh just finished painting, redecorating, and rearranging our bedroom to make room for the babies to spend at least the first couple months in with us.  I'm hoping that they will be able to sleep in the pack and play newborn level together but we are prepared with two rock and play sleepers just in case.  Some how, some way we will need to attempt to get a bit of sleep because we have two other children.  I think 'sleep when the babies sleep' is certainly a thing of the past.  There is something about a newly organized bedroom that puts me in such a good mood!  

Hoping and praying to be back for a 33 week update.  (Please excuse the bathroom belly selfie- why doesn't anyone else look so awkward when they do them?)

                                     

It's almost here!

It's beginning to smell a lot like fall around here!  The weather has been unseasonably cool and absolutely beautiful. I used to be a summer girl at heart and dreaded the idea of fall but the last few years I totally changed my tune. Perhaps it's the fact that I don't have to go back to school anymore.....

September 1st is when I'm getting out all my fall decor, lighting up all my beautiful fall candles, and throwing some pumpkin in everything. I'm even okay with the fact that I need to wait about an extra month for a real pumpkin spice latte - because I think it will taste even better to my sleep and caffeine deprived self. 

My four year old had a moment this afternoon where he was super sad that summer is drawing to a close and Christmas isn't for another four months (because apparently the only good things in life are summer and Christmas). And four months is of course an eternity. We talked about all the fun things that will happen between now and Christmas time that we absolutely don't want to skip!  Like the start of pre-k, our babies being born, football, Halloween, and Thanksgiving.  He's pretty convinced now that fall coming is not quite so terrible. ;)

8 days and counting....

Twin pregnancy- 30 weeks!!!

30 weeks gone. Holy bananas. We are so close and yet so far it feels like!  I keep telling Josh that I feel like my beloved Cubbies and I are both in the hunt for October this year. I would love to still have these babies in my tummy in October- while they are still playing baseball. ;)

Lately, Caleb has been asking more and more about when these babies are going to be born and why we have to wait so long. Understandably, it's very hard for a 4 year old mind to grasp why these babies need to stay and grow more- especially as he can see how giant Mommy's tummy is already. The boys and I made a paper chain this week with a loop for every day we have left until 38 weeks. They take turns taking a link off at breakfast everyday and it definitely seems to be helping them understand how to gauge how much time we have left. (Plus, C is pretty excited about the brand new paper bracelet he gets to wear every day!) 

I saw my doctor this week for a regular appointment. She is always so encouraging which is seriously making all the difference.  She always congratulates me on making it to this point and gives us another milestone to shoot for. Our next one is 32 weeks- apparently some major brain development happens right around 32 weeks. Goals are really helpful mentally for me right now!

I'm still sleeping reasonably well but every day wake up feeling like an 86 year old woman who just ran a marathon. And then fell down the stairs.  My hips and back are SO sore and I can barely move!  Usually it loosens up a bit during the day and then I'm sore again at night.  It's quite delightful.  

In general, even though it's easy to complain.  I know how lucky I am.  I would so much rather be sore and exhausted every day then have these babies born a second before they are ready to be.  Excuse the awkwardness of the belly picture below.  I asked Josh when I looked at it- do I really look this big and do I really look this TIRED all the time?  He politely lied to me.... because he's a good husband.

31 weeks.... here we come.

Twin pregnancy- 29 weeks

29 weeks gone... 7 or 8 left to go. We hope.

This week has brought the introduction of crazy dancing babies. When we sit down at night to relax on the couch, one or both babies usually puts on a show for us. We see my belly dancing, limbs flying everywhere and it is amazing.  Truly the best part and something I will miss. 

However, I won't miss this crazy round ligament PAIN. I assume my poor tummy and side muscles are just tired of holding up the weight and its like fatigue of any other muscle group. They get so sore. I've tried belly slings and my tummy must be shaped oddly or something because wearing them makes me completely unable to breathe. They shove the babies up into my lungs and I feel like I'm suffocating!  So those are out. Anyone else have that problem?  I swear I'm wearing them right....

Other than that, still sleeping fairly well and able to eat so that's a win in my book. We see my doctor this week for a regular appointment and I'm excited to hear heartbeats and about how gargantuan I have grown.

I found some going home outfits this week that I'm totally in love with.  I handed them off to my mom so she can wash the two we need after the babies are born and bring them to the hospital.  Will we need both the pinks?  Both the blues?  Or do you agree with Caleb and think there is one of each?  He has decided to name them Cinderella and Prince Charming by the way.

Next week brings 30 weeks!  Huge milestone!

Twin Pregnancy - 28 weeks

Week 28 is drawing to a close and as usual I'm pretty pumped and proud to be moving on to the next week. On Thursday, we saw my OB and had another ultrasound. It's amazing how big the babies are getting- not as easy to see  all the parts!  We successfully survived another ultrasound without accidentally finding out the gender of the babies and it's starting to look like we may actually pull that part off! Our tech this time was so sweet and went out of her way to get us sweet pictures of one of the babies ears, profiles, and hair (!) on both their heads. They were both estimated at about 3 pounds each with only 2% discordance which is wonderful. The doctor thinks that may be a bit of an overestimate on weight since all my babies generally tend to have large heads which throws off the weight estimate at this point.

My doctor was slightly concerned about the contractions I have been having but we were all comforted in learning that no progress has been made toward labor which is great news. I had to drink the glucola for the gestational diabetes test which is always a good time but at least this new office we are at chills the drink for you. My last two pregnancies when we were at family practice made me drink it warm- way nastier. I haven't heard from them about the results which hopefully is a good thing?  I've been warned that two babies makes you more prone to developing gestational diabetes so you just never know. 

Turns out that Baby B has actually traded places with Baby A and is now head down and the presenting twin. Baby A has moved from transverse last month to feet down.  Ideally, that baby would flip around to head down also but they will still attempt a vaginal delivery with a breech extraction of Baby A if everything stays as it is now. Honestly, a breech extraction scares the crap out of me but then so does a c-section so there's that. 

Before we left the doctors, we scheduled out the rest of the appointments for the pregnancy which totally put it all in perspective for me. We have four more appointments and two more ultrasounds scheduled before the end. Bananas. That was a massive motivator!!

I hope to finish up shopping for the babies this weekend and start washing things/ getting their room ready!

As always, happy to have made it this far and looking forward to what this week brings!!

We have a new ride

We did it. We took the plunge and are now a minivan family.  We used to have a Ford Escape and when we thought we would need to have three car seats in it, we thought it may be tight but we could do it.  However, four car seats is a game changer.  Our oldest kiddos aren't at a point right now where I feel comfortable letting them buckle themselves into their car seats safely so getting a large SUV where it would be difficult for a parent to climb back and buckle them was out of the question.  So... mini van it is.  

We've been putting off looking for one for months because I didn't really want to to deal.  To be honest, a big part of me was sad to be trading in our Escape.  It was the first new car Josh or I had ever had and the first thing we ever worked hard to pay off.  I felt like such an adult when we paid off that car loan ourselves!  

Everyone told me that when we got our mini van that I would LOVE it immediately.  And I mean... it's fine.  I like it.  I'm pretty sure when we have two more children to put in it then I will totally get why large families love them.  Right now, getting a minivan is he coolest thing that our boys think they have ever experienced.  They love that they have their own air conditioning vents and that the doors open and close with the push of a button.  Our van came with built in sun shades which just delights my mommy heart so I don't ever have to hear whining about 'the sun is in my eyeesss' anymore.  

Regardless of my reservations, I'm absolutely pumped that this is the last big purchase we needed for the babies (the BIGGEST one) and that we can actually now drive home from the hospital together.  It's the little things right?

Twin Pregnancy - 27 weeks

So happy to finally officially be in the third trimester!! Especially because I've felt like I've been in it for weeks now. 

Babies are moving around like crazy more everyday. It's exciting for me that I've finally been able to distinguish Baby A's movement from Baby B's and I'm able to keep tabs on each of them individually. Movement is my favorite part of pregnancy and these babies do not disappoint!

For the last several weeks, I've been having some contractions off and on which are making me fairly nervous. It seems like when I have them, I have a bunch in a row and then they will subside. They always say if you have more than 4 in an hour to come in to labor and delivery to be monitored, which is slightly funny to me since that happens multiple times literally every day.  I probably wouldn't think much of it if I hadn't felt contractions exactly like this at the end with Eli that I assumed were Braxton Hicks, only to end up at the doctors office at 7 cm with absolutely no idea I was in labor. So needless to say, I've been trying to stay as close to the couch as possible these days when I can. 

There is increasingly less room on my lap for this gargantuan belly of mine which makes it very difficult to get remotely comfortable in a sitting position at all. Especially at work since bringing a couch into my lab is slightly frowned upon.

In general, I'm sleeping better than I expected. I'm still up at least 4 times (or 7) during the night to pee but usually the actual moments I spend sleeping are restful. I refused to spend money on a new pregnancy pillow this time - I felt we had enough expenses this go round amiright??? - so I sleep with two pillows under my head, two under my tummy, and another boppy pregnancy pillow between my legs. Watching me attempt to maneuver all these pillows and actually get out of bed I would imagine is quite comical although at this point I sure fail to see the hilarity. 

In general, we are trucking along day by day. Looking forward to having an ultrasound and doctors appointment this week to check on these sweet babies. Happy to have made it this far, looking forward to the coming week! 

How we found out there were two

I found out I was pregnant in the middle of February, right around Valentine's Day.  Unlike with the boys, we chose to keep the news to ourselves for a little while this time instead of telling family right away.  This time more than the others, I felt very worried and concerned about losing the pregnancy early and it didn't feel right to me to share the news until I was ready.  I didn't have morning sickness as early as I did with Eli and I worried myself crazy that that fact was a bad sign.  Right when I started to really worry, the nausea hit me like a ton of bricks.  We told our immediate families at that point and our extended families a couple weeks later.

The morning sickness was SO intense and lasted for so long every day that it definitely had me wondering what was going on.  Was it because it was my third pregnancy and it gets worse every time?  Was it because I was carrying a girl and it was worse than my boys?  Around 9 weeks, I started noticing that I already felt pregnant.  My clothes still fit and I hadn't gained any weight but I just felt.... like I was already growing at a much faster rate than it ever had with the boys.  In the back of my mind I thought could there be more than one baby?  But I didn't say anything to anyone- not even Josh because I figured he would just laugh at me!                             

We saw my family doctor (who is also an OB) for my first check up at 10 weeks.  While she was listening for the heartbeat and examining me, she kept asking me if I was sure about my dates- if I could be farther along than I thought.  She said I definitely felt more like 15 weeks which could indicate we were a month further than we thought OR there was multiples.  As soon as she mentioned a possibility for more than one baby, I just knew.  She listened for two heartbeats but could only find one and ordered an ultrasound for 2 weeks later.  At that point, I knew of the real possibility that my feeling about having multiples was possible but was also concerned about the fact that she could only find one heartbeat.  Josh was definitely less sure there were two and less consumed by the possibility than I was.  That two week wait was really difficult for me. 

Ultrasound day arrived and I was SO nervous!  All our paperwork all only had 'one fetus' marked on it and the tech was unaware there was even a question of that until she put the probe on my stomach.  This is what we all saw:

"Uhhhhh..... did you know there were two??" she said.  I watched Josh's face go into shock and I just remember feeling SO validated!  Watching the tech type Twin A and Twin B on the screen was completely surreal!  She said that they each had their own placenta and their own amniotic sac, making them di/di twins.  As far as medical danger with twins goes, di/di twins are the least risky which we were very happy to hear.  We also found out right away that they were fraternal twins (not identical).  The tech was able to see that I had ovulated twice (TMI?) which was totally amazing to see and showed that each baby came from their own egg.  We told our families the news right away and everyone was SHOCKED.  SO happy but so shocked! 

Thankfully, we found out on a Friday morning so we had all weekend to kind of digest the new surprise blessing.  I was in such bliss after finding out and I don't think it really hit me until around 4:00 Saturday morning when I woke up, started panicking, and couldn't go back to sleep.  Don't get me wrong- I was SO happy but I am a worrier by nature and was really caught off guard by our new financial situation that we were unprepared for and how we were going to have two babies at once!

Obviously, since then we have become well adjusted to this beautiful blessing and are absolutely overjoyed. I'd be completely lying if I said my financial and logistical worries were gone- we still have no idea how we are going to pull this off exactly but we have faith that we will figure it out.  We may be flying by the seat of our pants but we know that God blessed us with these babies for a reason and we know how very fortunate we are.  Looking forward to the adventure!

For highlights from the next 15 weeks that I didn't blog about- click here.

                                           

And then one day I blogged again....

This space fell silent for so long because at some point I just wasn't sure I had anything of interest to say!  Life with a 1 and 3 year old.... now a 2 and 4 year old is plain old crazy and sometimes routine but never boring.  The last 6 months have been arguably the most unexpectedly exciting of our lives so far and I felt like now was a time that I certainly didn't want to forget.

So I'm back to blogging.  Sometimes what stopped me before was the pressure to have perfect pictures/perfect grammar/perfect content.  I'm letting that go now.  My pictures will not be perfect and the posts won't always be concise or on-topic but that is just fine with me.  I'll get better- I promise.

So.... what's been going on in our lives?

* Caleb turned 4 and Eli turned 2 and they are the very best of friends.  Caleb loved preschool last year and will start Pre-K in the fall.  Our Pre-K is every day, half days which will be quite the adjustment for everyone!  I know he is ready for it though and has been counting down the days since preschool was over in May.  Eli has really grown up in the past year and his spunky personality is coming through more and more.  He is so very sweet when he wants to be and also has so much more sass than his big brother.  Sometimes, he gives us a run for our money!

* Josh and I have been working like crazy on updating our home.  I think when I stopped posting, we had around 3 rooms in the entire house done.  We got a burst of motivation this last winter because we were preparing to have the boy's birthday party at our house and did our entire main level and basement in a few weeks. The last few months, Josh finished two of the bedrooms upstairs and now we only have 3 rooms left to do in the entire house.  Our bedroom, the laundry room, and our upstairs bathroom.  Can. Not. Wait. (I've been taking pictures the whole time and hopefully one of these days will get around to putting all the before/after photos up on here.)

* We're tackling the art of potty training our second child.  I thought it would get easier after the first... but that's not true.  At least not for us.  Potty training is not for the faint of heart and it is exhausting.  Slow and steady is our motto right now.  

*We spent our spring and early summer doing all the fun things we could as a family of 4.  We played, we went to movies, we traveled to visit family, we picked out new bedding and paint for the 'Big Boy Room', and we soaked up our time together because..... as of October we will no longer be a family of 4.  Our family is expecting..... TWINS!  We are thrilled, shocked, excited, nervous and everything in between.  A post on how we found out and how the pregnancy is going is on it's way.  We are currently 26 weeks and trucking along.

 This is definitely a time in our lives where nothing is boring...